Mark kept his hand between Nate's shoulder blades. It was a subtle way of reminding Nate that he was close and that not all touches were painful. Glancing at Matthew, he waited for him to give him the cue to start. When he didn't, Mark gestured him closer with his head. Matthew inched closer, until he was close enough that Mark told him casually. "Pay attention, Matt. I may be a substitute for you, but he's your Pet." Matthew nodded, looking a little uneasy. Mark held the crop firmly to Nate's lower back, saying softly. "Shall I begin?" Matthew straightened himself up properly, giving him the nod. Mark slid his hand up to Nate's shoulder, holding on to it to steady him, before smacking him with the crop with the flick of his wrist. The leather snapped against Nate's lower back, leaving a light red line with little force. Nate gritted his teeth with a deep groan. Mark looked at Matthew who began the count. After Matthew counted, Mark stated out. "Apologize." Nate snorted, growling out through his teeth. "Go fuck yourself."

Mark moved the crop to a new spot on Nate's back and repeated the process. This time he hit him a bit harder to make a slightly redder line. Nate's fingers curled over the bar as he controlled his breaths with slow deep inhales. Mark shook his head with disappointment. Nate was trying to block him out. Stepping to the side of Nate, he moved his hand down to touch Nate's abs. Raising the crop, Mark looked at Sean. Sean's face was torn with worry. He wouldn't like this. Raising the crop, Mark smacked Nate across the back of his thighs. Nate jerked in the restraints with a high-pitched scream, his legs raising off the floor as he pulled his legs up. Matthew winced, his eyes lowering to the floor as he counted out in a low voice. "Three..." Mark couldn't have that, reaching out with the crop, he tapped the underside of Matthew's chin. When Matthew looked up, Mark told him seriously. "Never take your eyes off of him. Learn his signs... Or you won't know when to stop." Mark stepped around to stand just off to the side of Nate's line of sight, telling him bluntly. "Apologize."

Nate whined a few seconds, then glared at Mark to sneer out. "No." Mark raised the crop, striking Nate across his side and leaving a bright red mark from the blow. Nate thrashed in the restraints with another sharp cry. Mark waited as Matthew counted, then pressed the crop to Nate's cheek, saying in a cool tone. "This is the last time I'm going to ask. Then you'll have to say it on your own." Nate jerked his head away from the crop, snapping out to the crowd. "I've done nothing wrong! You can't just use us to your hearts content!" Mark raised a hand to silence the growing disgust in the crowd, before correcting calmly. "This isn't about how we treat the uncivilized Slum Dogs. This is about the innocent Pets and Masters you killed to get to MY PET. Pets and Masters that were simply in your gangs way. If you don't like how we treat the Slum Dogs... Then you should have thought about how we'd respond to watching your gang run down OUR unarmed people." The crowd clapped and grunted in agreement. Nate clenched his jaw tightly, his dark eyes staring down Mark as he growled out menacingly through his teeth. "You can all go to hell."

Mark huffed, stepping closer to Nate to whisper to him discreetly over his shoulder. "Hell is afraid of me... As you should be." Grabbing Nate's jaw to keep him from trying to bite him, Mark flipped the crop around and brought it to Nate's ass. Pressing his lips close to Nate's ear, he told him softly. "You think you have such control... Let's find out." Mark stepped on Nate's foot to pin it down and slowly pushed the ribbed rubber handle into Nate's ass. Listening to him try and suppress surprised whimpers, Mark stood completely still. Mark felt him jerk and quiver as the embarrassment sank in for him. Nate's cheeks were turning a bright red as he hung his head to hide his shame. Mark released his neck, letting his hand trail down to hold his twitching cock. Staring at Nate with a smug grin, Mark stated into his ear coolly. "That's better." Mark detached the end of the crop, letting the gold anal plug stay in Nate. Moving back behind Nate, Mark resumed hitting him with the crop until his back was covered in thick red lines.

With every hit, Nate cried out from a twist of pain and shame. With every hit, he tensed and the more he tensed the harder he seemed to get from the plug. Mark deliberately didn't put any restrictions on him. If pain wouldn't get through to Nate, then humiliation would have to do. By the time Mark hit him for the forty-fifth time, Nate's tongue finally loosened enough to wail out. "Alright, stop! I'm sorry!" Mark watched Nate's legs shake as he stood on his toes. He could see the clear liquid dripping down to the stage from between Nate's thighs. Mark handed the crop off to Matthew, moving up behind Nate to wrap his arms around his waist. Matthew gave the crop to a Valkyrie, inching closer to discreetly ask him. "Mark? He's done... What are you doing?" Mark grabbed one of Nate's thighs to pull it away as his other hand took Nate's hard cock into his hand. Looking at Matthew, he discreetly answered. "He is done... but he's trying to avoid it... I won't let him." Nate let out an unbridled cry of fear, upon stating out. "NO! Don't!"

Mark held him in a gentle grip, teasing him just enough to set him off. Nate arched back against him, screaming as he tried to keep himself from reaching an orgasm but failed. Mark forced him to ride out his orgasm, then released him. Nate slumped in his restraints, panting and trying to hide the tears that fell from his eyes. Matthew started to walk over to comfort Nate, but Mark nicely stepped into his path to stop him. Facing the crowd, Mark gestured to a Valkyrie that was protecting the stage. The Valkyrie gave a marker to a humanoid Bunny Pet that was dressed in black and had lines on his neck from wear a collar used to be. The Bunny man's long grey ears hung sadly down his shoulders instead of being perked up. He walked up the stage to Nate, uncapping the red marker and moving in to write his dead Master's name along the side of Nate's neck. When he finished writing, the Bunny man raised a hand like he was going to smack Nate. The Valkyries tensed, ready to step in, but the Bunny man lowered his hand and told him in a brokenhearted voice. "His name was Easton, you asshole. He wasn't even from this planet..."

The Bunny man passed the marker to the Master behind him, then rushed from the stage and into the arms of a beautiful fox woman with six long white tails. Mark gestured the next person forward, watching the Minotaur Master stomp up the steps. The Minotaur grabbed Nate's jaw, lifting his head to look him in the eyes as he raised a bloodstained pink collar for him to look at. The Minotaur's voice was deep and bitter as he gruffly spoke in a choked voice. "Her name was Norma. They slit her throat for the jewels on her collar... She had just turned eighteen." The Minotaur released Nate's jaw to write her name across his cheek. The Minotaur then passed the marker to the Dinosaur Master behind him. The Dinosaur Master had reddish brown skin with blue war paint on his exposed body. As he approached Nate, the Master leaned down to flash his sharp teeth at him as he bitterly hissed out to him. "My Marina was a mermaid. They busted her tank and the crowd trampled her... She was pregnant and meeting her mate at that Expo. Shame on you." One by one they all wrote the names of their Pets and Masters on different parts of Nate's body.

When they finished, Mark released Matthew to let him go comfort Nate. Nate was limp in his restraints and crying now. Mark moved away to extend a hand out for Sean's hand. The Valkyrie holding Sean released him and Sean dropped to his knees with tears in his eyes. Sean shook his head, pleading with him. "I'm sorry..." Mark glanced at Matthias who rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't going to let that be enough. Taking Sean's arm, Mark helped him to his feet and walked him to the front of the stage. Standing to the other side of Nate, Sean turned into Mark's chest, softly pleading to him. "Mark, please... I can't... I was... This will only make my trauma worse..." Mark ran a hand through Sean's hair to calm him, before announcing for everyone. "Charged for running away. You will be punished... and share the burden of the lives lost in your escape." Mark could see the pain in Sean's eyes but couldn't lessen the sentence. His hands were tied to uphold the law.

A Valkyrie brought over a large cushion that had a high side and a low side. Mark pulled Sean closer, stripping him down slowly to let the backs of his hands brush down Sean's skin. When he was naked, Mark gestured one of his personal Valkyries closer with his case of punishing tools. Taking a set of green thigh belts, he buckled them to Sean's thighs and attached a short silver chain with a green cuff to it. This forced Sean to keep his wrists down at his sides. Guiding him up to the cushion, Mark helped him bend over it. The cushion kept Sean's ass higher than his shoulders. Sean shifted his knees closer together, when Mark removed a string with five steel balls. Dipping them into a small cup of thick lube, Mark spread Sean's ass cheeks. Sean's rim looked sore and a bit swollen but didn't look too bad for this kind of punishment. Pressing each ball in, he watched Sean's ass swallow it and had to remind himself that he was in public. It was hard not to enjoy it though with the way Sean moaned and his thighs tensed as the ball went in.

Pushing the second ball in, Mark smirked to himself. The ball went in easy and slid down the string to hit the first ball. The soft 'ting' of metal inside him, causing Sean to yelp with moan of surprise. Mark bit his lip discreetly. The vibrations these would cause would put Sean into a blissful state in no time. Every movement would make them hit each other and cause them to resonate from even the smallest impact. With the last one in, Mark pulled the string tight to let it hang down between Sean's thighs. The little bells chiming softly from the end of the string. Standing up briefly, Mark carefully removed his long black belt. Folding the belt, he took a knee and put a hand on Sean's lower back. Sean shifted his legs, making the bells ring and the balls shift. Mark listened to him gasp, watching his toes claw at the stage. The second Sean settled, Mark lightly swatted Sean's ass with his belt. Sean's feet rose off the floor as he wailed out in pain before his voice quivered into a more pleasured cry.

Mark spanked him twenty-five times, before stopping. Everyone had heard him apologize before and if they hadn't... Sean said it again on the last hit in a desperate tone. The ring was keeping him from truly enjoying himself, forcing his cock to leak heavily with need. No matter how much Sean apologized and begged him, he refused to let him get off. Unlike Nate, he didn't need him to get off to embarrass himself into feeling his crimes. Sean simply needed to be reminded that the pleasure he wanted would only come from one person. If he wanted to keep enjoying the pleasures he had to offer... He'd have to learn to stay and be his. Stroking a hand along Sean's spine, he nodded to the group of Masters and Pets. As with Nate, they walked up to Sean to write their Master or Pet's name on his skin in bright red ink. The ink would last for two weeks and it glowed in the dark. So, no matter what. They'd be reminded of the deaths they had caused. Sean apologized to every single Pet and Master that wrote on him. Some forgave him with heavy hearts. For others, the pain was just too much to forgive.

Once the punishment was done, Matthias brought over flat clear bags to give to both Matthew and Mark. Inside the bags were new clothes for their Pets. For the next two weeks, the Pets would be forced to wear sheer clothing. That way everyone that saw them would know their shame. There would be no hiding the names. Mark helped Sean step into the sheer black shorts and sleeveless tank top. Sean expected him to remove the steel balls, he didn't. The jingling of the bells was meant to draw attention to him no matter where he went. The pleasure he'd get from the balls was nothing more than Mark's way of reminding him that running away had made him jealous. Mark helped take Nate down to get him in the same clothes and showed Matthew how to attach the bells to Nate's anal plug. Once they were set up, Matthew and Mark escorted their Pets out. Sean struggled to walk as the balls tormented his every step, forcing him to lean on Mark with soft aching moans. Nate just tried to hide beside Matthew as he was led out.

Matthias would be left to judge the arrested gang members. Which knowing him... would lead to being fed to something or sold into off-world labor facilities. Mark didn't care. He only cared about Sean. Escorting them back to the car, Mark coaxed the Pets inside the fenced off part of the limo. Joining Matthew in the main limo compartment, Mark winced and rubbed his arms. All the movement had caused the cuts on his arms to bleed, staining his bandages. Sighing heavily, he uttered out exhausted. "Ugh, my joints hurt. I'm feeling numb and shaky." Matthew leaned forward, timidly asking. "Mark... You should go home and get some rest." Mark huffed, chuckling out sleepily. "I plan on it..." When he saw Matthew eye the Pets nervously, he asked Matthew curiously. "Matt...? What are you thinking?" Matthew inhaled deeply, answering hopefully. "Mark... Let me take the Pets. You need rest and Amy is just a hologram. She can't properly handle both of them."

Mark shook his head, coolly replying. "No. Matt, you're not ready to handle one of them. Let alone two. They'll eat you alive." Matthew crossed his arms over his chest, pouting a little as he retorted half-heartedly. "You think I'm crazy? I was going to take them to the Pet Center..." Mark chuckled to himself, reluctantly answering just to get it over with. "Fine. But put a training collar on Nate. Keep an eye on them. They... They're bound to get into trouble." He normally would fight this better, but he was just too tired to argue facts with Matthew. Besides, if they did get into too much trouble. At least the Valkyries there would contain them. Matthew grinned brightly, excitedly telling him. "Thanks, Mark! I'll take good care of them! You'll see!" Mark lazily looked over to the bars to see Sean biting his lip and shifting around uncomfortably. While Nate sat sideways in his seat, looking out the window absently with tears in his eyes. Mark felt a little better. They didn't look like they'd be too much trouble for him. To Be Continued...