On the outskirts of Universal Council Territory
"Captain, you need to see this." The recruit passed a dark green paper folder to her superior, her furrowed brow just visible through the darkened visor of her helm.
A dozen recruits were currently searching the manifest office, all clad in the same generously thick, black and blue heavy flak armour. Each had an oversized shoulder pad on their one side with the task-force emblem, a golden diamond, sown neatly onto its reinforced pauldron along with the name in bold writing: Auspex
The recruit waited anxiously as her captain flicked the file open and scanned over the notes. Compared to his companions, the captain's gear was in a different league entirely; fully sealed, bright silver power armour with sapphire blue highlights, he looked almost knightly, with a sharp-looking T-shaped helm crowning his heavy attire. However his regal image was secondary to his role; he carried a large, armoured backpack that held a host of important equipment, along with a cylindrical tank of white fluid, visible via a slither of glass. His robotic assistant, a quadruped unit known as a MEK-9, was completing its patrol along the west wall of the warehouse. It had found precisely one anomaly that conflicted with the local records; a single fire door on the west side was not up to code, and could currently only be opened from the outside.
The squad was deep into the shipping complex, surrounded by multi-coloured corrugated metal shipping containers, stacked far higher than regulation would allow. Within the ferric forest was this humble office, a single story tall with thin glass rectangular windows spaced evenly on the walls of the otherwise unwelcoming box. Grey metal filing cabinets and computer-covered desks made up the majority of the furniture within, along with the odd well-used office chair, made of scratchy fabric and barely held together with rusted screws.
The office carried an uncomfortable tension as the recruits searched through the documents within, tapping away on sticky keyboards for anything relating to their investigation. They kept glancing towards the captain, their hands sometimes feeling over their weapons just to ensure they were still present. They all felt the same thing, ever since stepping foot into the gargantuan grey warehouse; the unsettling, creeping sensation of being watched. And yet, the warehouse had been almost fully vacated since they arrived, as per their request. Only the manager, currently standing with his arms folded near the door with an annoyed frown, was accompanying the taskforce. Everyone else had been relegated to the break room for the duration of the investigation, with full pay of course, courtesy of the UC.
The captain briefly paused as his helm updated with new information. He rattled slightly in his armour as he finished reviewing the data presented, the slight lift of his helmet towards the site manager saying far more to his team than perhaps he intended. He leaned towards the recruit in front of him and whispered to her. "She passed through here. They had her in cold storage. Don't let him leave. Arrest him when I give the word."
The captain then turned the underside of his wrist towards him, exposing a holo-pad on his armour and tapped on the buttons a few times, his armour responding quickly as a metal aerial extended from his shoulder, stretching to an arms length above his helm.
M-I-A agent presence confirmed - Lead was accurate - Likely moved on but trail has been located.
He waited quietly for a second, taking a deep breath in as he awaited confirmation. He glanced over towards the manager, who met the captain's gaze directly even through his helm. But the manager seemed oddly confident, even smirking underneath the fluorescent lights.
A flash of red illuminated the captain's helm.
Message failed to send.
He pressed his fingers to the side of his helm, still staring at the manager as he felt his heart begin to thump louder in his chest. The manager's smirk intensified, and he shook his head.
"HQ, this is Ego-Knight Veria-5-5, requesting signal check."
He waited for a moment, anxiety swelling within his chest as the line remained quiet.
"HQ? Come in?"
The signal only whined in response. His skin bristled in anticipation; he knew exactly what this meant.
"We're being jammed."
The captain suddenly thrust an accusatory finger at the manager. "Arrest that man on suspicion of aiding ORG activities, including unlawful people trafficking within UC space!" He ordered. The recruit in front of him nodded and turned around, reaching towards a pair of silver handcuffs strapped at her waist.
"You have the right to remain silent when questioned, but you do -"
Shattered glass filled the air with a second flash of red.
The recruit collapsed to the floor instantly with a loud thump, slamming against a table as a bullet punctured straight through her helm and sent a splash of blood over the concrete floor.
"GET DOWN - WE HAVE INCOMING!" The captain shouted, standing up straight and bringing his forearm in front of him as a dark blue, full-height energy shield flickered on before him. He drew his rifle, and pointed the barrel out of the window.
Marching down the rusted, steel-lined corridors were rows of dark silver and orange enforcers, the most forward ones with metal tower shields of their own. The ones behind clutched stubby sub -machine guns, all pointed towards the office.
Chaos erupted as bullets peppered and pinged against the thin walls. The Auspex recruits brought their own rifles and shotguns to bear, taking cover against the rapidly perforating metal and sending lead straight back. The manager slid out the door and disappeared into the warehouse.
Bullets bounced off the recruits armour with muffled thumps, clattering against the filing cabinets and popping the remaining windows as the captain spotted more enforcers arriving already, flanking the office from two sides.
A recruit on the far side of the room took a deep breath and popped out from his cover, shotgun primed and ready when suddenly his helmet crooked awkwardly, and he dropped to the floor with another red splatter over the wall behind him.
"WE CAN'T STAY HERE, FALL BACK TO THE EXIT!" The captain ordered, strafing across the room with his shield and rifle. He popped a couple of shots back, one of his rounds pinging off a container door, another slamming straight through the eye visor of an approaching enforcer, dropping him to the ground with a heavy thud.
He rounded up the recruits as another distant pop rang out and a third officer dropped to the ground, his ample armour providing a cosy rest for his corpse. Quickly, he glanced up to see where the shots could be coming from and spotted a looming yellow crane at the back of the warehouse, the gentle glint of a scope could just about be seen through his helm's optics, heavily blended by the glass of the control cabin. His rifle rattled against his shoulder as he popped several rounds towards the crane, and received a single shot to the shield as retaliation. The energy visibly wavered as the round shattered on impact, and he could just about see the sniper reload in the distance, readying their rifle for another shot.
Enforcers were closing the distance, covered by their numerous comrades and were preparing to push into the office. A crackle of electricity filled the captain's ears, even above the rattle and sting of the bullets peppering the office. His team's flak armour might protect them from the small-calibre rounds of the enforcers, but they would be defenseless versus the amp-rifles…
But just as a squad of enforcers were bracing themselves under a window, the red and blue flashes of an approaching siren caught their attention, along with the mechanically drumming of rubberized feet…
The MEK-9 rocketed out from another corridor within the cargo maze, its chassis caught somewhere between german shepard, police cruiser and armoured roll cage. Its body was made of sleek black metal, with only head, feet and tail having sharper contours. From its shoulders protruded a flat surface, almost like a car spoiler, where its sirens were mounted and currently flashing wildly. A thin line on the shoulders suddenly lit up and flashed the enforcers with a bleaching white light, stinging their eyes as they went to shoot the mech down. It leapt closer, its sleek head opening up to reveal a focused sonic cannon from its jaws and it 'barked' at the enforcers with a deep, vibrating boom. A visible shockwave rippled through the air, sending shards of broken glass and the enforcers back towards their allies.
A back-up squad of enforcers immediately hammered the MEK-9's chassis with a hail of bullets, shattering one of the sirens. The tone of the siren immediately shifted down as it galloped towards the surviving officers, all of whom were pulling out of the office as fast as they could. Mantling over the broken windows, they sprinted back towards the warehouse entrance with the captain at the rear, using his shield as cover as another sniper round slammed into it, along with a battering of bullets like rain.
But the sniper changed targets upon seeing the energy shield persevere, splitting the ribcage of an officer further ahead and sending them tumbling to the ground.
They were down half the squad already. The entrance was a straight-shot, two hundred meters ahead of them, but they'd never make it under the gaze of the sniper.
"Use the crates as cover!" The captain barked.
They immediately swerved to their left and legged it into the maze of shipping containers, providing a brief respite from the penetrating fire. But their reprieve was short lived, as they were immediately hit from the side immediately by another volley of bullets. Enforcers were closing in on them on every side.
But the team returned fire, standing tall with their Auspex shoulder pads facing towards the flank attack and sending shells, slugs and bullets straight back towards the enforcer squad. The pursuing enforcers had forgoed their tower shields in favour of greater speed, but as a result, Auspex weapons found their mark. Several enforcers dropped to the floor as pellets shredded through their less armoured legs and slugs punched into their chestplates. The surviving enforcers quickly scattered around corners, their panicked radio chatter vaguely audible even over the approaching forces.
The recruits had stopped to return fire, as their captain caught up. Over the roar of bullets, one of the recruits shouted, "Orders, Sir? How do we get out of here?!"
The captain quickly tapped on his wrist controller and the MEK-9 took off into the maze.
"We follow the drone and cover each-other. On me!"
The captain leapt forward, leading the way this time as the sound of marching boots filled their ears, along with the threatening crackle of amp weapons.
Enforcers were closing in.
As the bot charged through the maze, another distant shot rang out and the MEK-9 shuddered violently, its siren heavily distorting and playing an almost demonic chorus as the bot briefly staggered, but carried on despite the damage.
The captain divided his attention between his own surroundings and the feed within his helm of the MEK-9's sensors, using both to build a better image of their lead-ridden path through the warehouse. However it was no easy feat, as the MEK-9 ran down corridor after identical corridor, and bullets pinged all around the captain in the present.
The MEK-9 turned corner after corner, sprinting past faded paint and graffiti-covered boxes when suddenly… the feed went black and the drumming of its feet ceased abruptly.
What..? There had been no gun-shots, and it was only a hundred or so meters ahead of them…
His team followed closely, pushing themselves as fast as they could, following the trail of dripping oil until they finally arrived where the signal was lost.
The MEK-9 was twitching on the floor, its head completely severed from its body as sparks danced from its cut wires.
The captain felt ice drip down his back.
A bright arc of electricity cut into the captain's armour from behind, an enforcer with an amp-rifle let loose on him, leaving red and black scorch marks over his silver frame. More of them were spilling out behind the first already. But the captain reached behind him and pulled on a hose-like weapon attached to his backpack, short and stubby. His fist clamped around the trigger and the nozzle spat a pressurized bright white foam. He whipped it back and forth, covering the entire squad in a line of it. On contact, the foam instantly expanded and began to crackle with its own lightning, sending the enforcers spasming to the floor, their amp-rifles fading as the power flickered and died. With just a single flick of the hose, the entire enemy squad was neutralised, the lights above them flickering on and off. With the enforcers incapacitated, he returned the hose and quickly pulled his pistol out, tapping each shaking enforcer in the head, one by one.
The captain pulled away from the last enforcer and stood back to reload his pistol, then froze as a black shadow swiped past him and his squad, gone in the blink of an eye. He almost would have thought he was seeing things, a trick of the dark, had it not been for the dark pair of red eyes, only visible for a brief moment but uncomfortably real…
Their steel flourish was far more pronounced than their visage. Two more officers collapsed to the floor, their spines severed from behind.
The remaining officers began to panic as they watched their teammates fall from seemingly nowhere, blood seeping over the floor. One of them turned back, desperate to see who cut his colleagues down. But the instant he stepped into the cross-section, a bullet punched straight through his helmet from above, leaving only two recruits left. They both looked at the captain, wide eyed fear visibly shaking through their bodies. But the captain hurried them on, pushing them forward onto the next series of corridors.
"I'll hold them back, keep moving! HQ needs to know what we found! Don't stop running!"
The recruits steeled themselves, glancing at one-another before nodding and charging around the next corner. Bullets pinged off their backs the second they stepped out, but their flak armour held. The captain quickly followed, hopping over the executed enforcers and deploying his energy shield once more. He fired back at the approaching aggressors when a metallic slice stung his ears, he glanced back only to see the final two recruits falling to the floor, their heads severed cleanly from their bodies as the red eyed ghost swiped through them both and disappeared behind another corner.
He dropped his energy shield, and reached for the hose once more, charging after the assailant as bullets pinged against his armour loudly. But as the captain approached the corner, they lunged straight back at him, diving under his arm and slicing through the hose cleanly.
The captain spun around, dropping the disconnected hose and firing a couple of pistol rounds at the assailant which bounced off their black body armour. The assassin whipped their blade forward and went to charge him, the steel fang pointed straight for the captain's throat.
I might not be able to win this, but I can avenge those who gave their lives today… He thought to himself, reaching out towards the blade with his armoured hand. The inner pads on his fingers surged with electricity, glowing blue as he went to snatch the blade, feeling some small sense of victory.
But the assailant did not pause, shake or fall as electricity jumped between the captain's hands and the blade.
They had already let go of the weapon…
A second smaller blade with an orange glow to its edge was clasped tightly in their off-hand, and it was driven straight into the captain's brow through his helmet. The blade punctured the metal and pushed straight between his eyes, cutting into his flesh. He jerked violently, his hands frozen in front of him, his body still catching up, unable to comprehend. The assailant slammed their free hand against the hilt of the blade and hammered it deeper into his head in three distinct claps. And with that, the blade slithered its way into brain, and he collapsed to the floor with a heavy thump.
The assassin growled under her breath. The battle was over, for now at least. But the UC would be sure to follow up on the missing team. Likely with suppression striders, night skunks and a horde of MEK-9s. They would need to relocate immediately to avoid the boot of Auspex. But she barely had a moment to breathe before a light beep from her comms device caught their attention.
"Enforcers are to regroup and prepare for asset preparation. Bow 6-1 is to remain on overwatch. Dagger 3-8 is to be recalled immediately for urgent reallocation." A deep voice barked through the speaker.
She pressed her hands against her communicator to respond.
"Reallocation?" She asked, her voice barely more than a gravelly whisper.
"High table priority, Dagger 3-8. You are needed elsewhere."
*
Forty-eight hours after first contact with the ORG
*
Clasped loosely in Leech's palm was a small glass vial of clear fluid, corked tightly at the top. A small silver chain was pinned into the cork and currently wrapped around the vial with small paper label:
Decryptor Vial, Ver. I - Leech
She sighed softly, staring at the fluid intently. Her hastily packed-up lab from Barru X was still in the process of being unboxed and rebuilt within the dreadnought; it was a borderline miracle that they'd been able to pack it all up so quickly. Leech had been rather vocal about the process, as moving labs not once, but twice in the space of a year was beyond irritating, even though the ORG had brought in specialised fluid pumps and haulers to help shift the gallons of samples. And yet, despite the interruptions, she had managed to produce the contents of this small vial, rolling around in the palm of her hand - which might quite possibly be the most valuable thing she'd ever produced.
If it worked.
An annoyed growl from the corner of the room broke her trail of thought, as Ink unpacked another box and pulled more equipment out.
"Oh look, another set of cock pumps. What a surprise." She moaned, shoving the box over into another pile. "Just how many of these did you have? And where did you get them all from? Surely we didn't loot this many."
"I made some, repurposed others. I'd honestly like to retire the tubes though, they're so rigid when it comes to size. I had to hand-build all of yours, Bubblegum's and mine."
Ink was looking better, all considered, although her once-severed tentacles were still undersized compared to the others. She was currently dressed in an undersized t-shirt and shorts, just something to cover herself with. Leech on the other hand was clad in her fanciest sweeping lab coat, along with a shirt and trousers underneath.
"I wish you hadn't bothered sometimes. Your hands feel better than the tubes ever will."
"Thats exactly my point, babes. I can do better than those. I have a plan to make the milking more interactive too, seeing as we have so much space…"
Ink turned to face Leech, raising an eyebrow. It was all the invitation Leech was going to get and she knew it.
"What do you think of this, self-service milking machines that run on tokens. Nodes can turn up and sort themselves out, the machines do the rest. They wipe down once they're done and they can have more time if they get more tokens! Good Nodes get more time in the hotseat! Controllers too!" Leech babbled excitedly, sliding the vial into one of her many pockets. "I want to get a whole deck of them set up to auto-feed into the corruptant tanks! I'll still have my personal area of course, for when I want to get handsy with people. But I think it would be a nice addition to the ship."
"Why would the Nodes want to do that when they have Marks to use?" Ink questioned, her gaze rising to the ceiling in thought. "Seems like a waste of time to me."
"Variety is the spice of life, Ink. Some of the Nodes enjoy the thought of being milked, mental stimulation is a powerful thing." Leech retorted with a small, sassy twist of her head.
"Eh. Do what you want." She shrugged, turning her attention back to Leech. "Why you dressed up like that anyway? That's your nice coat. You don't wear that one unless you're doing something that doesn't involve you fucking someone. Unless you like to dress up nice to move things, like some sort of dork."
"Did you just call me a dork? What is it with people calling me weird shit right now? First Moltezz calling me bratty, now you. Tsk." Leech scoffed loudly, bringing a small grin to Ink's face. "I've been invited aboard the ORG's fortress, Salem says he wants to show me around their R&D labs, get me stuck in and using their tech."
"Oh." The smile immediately dropped from Ink's face and she turned back towards the pile of boxes. "Thats why you're dressed up."
"He seemed pretty excited to show me around, says that it should be a good source of inspiration for me and he can't wait to see what I get up to. Moltezz is heading on-board too, although she's not coming to the labs… You want to come with me? You're looking much better, it's crazy how fast we heal. Those thiccy legs of yours could do with a stretch." Leech grinned, staring Ink's backside up and down. But the giantess growled back and cut open another box with her claws.
"Want me now, do you?"
Leech's face soured almost as fast as Ink's had and she rolled her eyes, turning away from the Controller completely.
"Is this about the ORG meeting?! It was Moltezz who said she didn't want you in that! Why are you being a bitch to me?!"
"You didn't stand up for me! You seemed perfectly fine to leave me out."
"Ink, for fuck's sake, you were badly wounded and could watch through the Nodes. Stop being so… unreasonable. I don't need it from you. Do you want to come or not?" Leech asked firmly, the playful tone on her voice all but dead.
"I think I'm going to explore more of the ship. You go and have fun with your new ORG friends." Ink huffed back, dropping the box back onto the pile with a dull thud and stalking off.
"Fine. See you later." Leech squeezed her fists tightly, doing her best to ignore the boiling anger in her chest.
I swear I get no recognition in this fucking place. Save a bitch's life and she gives you the cold shoulder and accuses you of betraying her! UGH!
A beep from her pocket startled her out from her thoughts then, and she pulled her pager from inside her coat. It was her 'you should have left twenty minutes ago' alarm, a deliberate reminder of all the other alarms she had ignored, and that she was already later than she wanted to be.
"Awh cocks! Bah, I don't really want to go alone…" Leech huffed, tapping her finger on her chin, when an idea suddenly hit her. "Ahhh! VENTER! GET YOUR LIL' BOOTY OUT HERE!"
Ink stood just outside, listening to Leech and Venter rustling about the lab together, gritting her teeth as her knuckles clicked into tight fists of her own.
Her feelings were indecipherable, even to herself. A mixture of self-loathing and jealousy clawed at her insides. Images of Seeth tearing into her flashed into her head, the sound of the girl's talons shredding through her flesh…
But it wasn't trauma or PTSD that haunted her. It was the feeling of losing to someone like her. Someone smaller. Someone weaker. Someone that Leech very clearly still cared about.
Ink trudged off with a hot growl in her throat and headed for deeper into the dreadnought, into the darker corridors that were yet to be renovated or even really explored. There was much left to map out and the Rewritten had very much stayed within the Darkpaw areas; the heating and life support was minimal deeper into the dreadnought's lofty, dank interiors.
She turned corner after corner until the air started to run cold, the lights dim and the stone dusty. The dreadnought's interior blended into one and the hustle and bustle of the Rewritten faded into a mellow hum, mixing with the low thrum of the dreadnought into nought but a distant blur.
Her journey to be alone with her thoughts took her further than anyone else had been, into rooms presumably not disturbed since the ship was initially abandoned. The militaristic, castle-like theme gave way into more of a theatrical district, with wider corridors adorned in artwork carved straight into the stone and lamp-post lighting, flickering and weak but still alive. It was unlike anything Ink had ever seen before, a Victorian imperialist hub, deep within the protective hull of this giant floating fortress. Her bright eyes stood out like an angler fish's lure, in the dusty murk of a once great wonder, landing on a padlocked metal barred gate ahead of her.
She approached the gate as her mind fluttered between the recent memories of the fight, and the intriguing discovery in front of her. She felt a weird sense of elation as her fight with Diego arrived in her mind's eye. The thought of having him curled up in her tentacles, away from the others filled her with a surprising joy. There were so many who wanted him, for so many reasons. The idea of keeping him for herself was far more enticing than it should have been. What a prize a man like that would be…
The only thing that could beat taking Diego away from Seeth and Moltezz, would be to make them witness it happening. The idea sent a visible shiver through her body, her tentacles pulsing at the mere suggestion. The jealousy that would course through Moltezz's and Seeth's veins would be like liquid gold to her.
She arrived at the gate, peering through the ornate twisting bars… at what looked like a library. There was a thick metal chain locking the gate shut, with a heavy padlock rattling loudly at the front as she tried pushing it open. She quickly glanced around to see if there was any way of bypassing the lock, but there was nothing immediately obvious to her. So she shrugged to herself and with a smug grin, she seized the gate in her hands and squeezed the metal tightly. The steel cried out in her hands as it warped and deformed, snapping free of its hinges with a mighty clank. With one final pull, she ripped the chain free of the wall too and tossed the entire thing aside with a loud, echoing bang as the metal thudded against the stone tiles.
Can't keep me out. She thought to herself, satisfied with her destruction.
She stepped inside and glanced around a sweeping library, lined with rows of tall wooden shelves. There were piles of burnt books towards the edges of the room, with many of the shelves scraped clean, but there were still a few dusty tomes on a few of the shelves. The middle of the room had many individual ornate shelving units, all circling a large, long since dead tree in the centre of the room. Hanging from the dead branches on thick, golden chains were rectangular stone tablets, their edges framed in the same heavy gold. The weight of the chains and tablets had snapped some of the thinner branches, leaving some tablets scattered over the floor amongst the shreds of dead wood. Ink padded over the tree and used a tentacle to hook a chain off the floor, lifting the tablet up to her eye level. The writing on the tablets had been completely scratched away, only leaving a blank grey surface.
Her eyes drifted upwards towards a massive mural on the library's ceiling, although some of it was damaged, she could just about make out creatures that looked remarkably similar to the giant lizard she killed during the assault, although there were many of them, and they all wore regal-looking, heavy ceremonial armour. She scoffed and discarded the tablet to the floor, its metallic thud echoing loudly through the hall-like library. She drifted around the tree some, before her idle walking took her to a blank wall just behind it, stretching up high to the ceiling many stories above.
She stared at the wall intently, tilting her head slightly to the side as she tried to piece together her thoughts.
Losing to Seeth wasn't something she'd expected. But then again… Seeth was a Controller. And so was she. Seeth was gifted with the same corruption she was. But Seeth was armed. Ink shuddered at the thought, remembering the oversized shotgun pellets slamming against her shield, something that Leech had equipped her with just minutes earlier. She realised that that might have been her end, right there and then.
As strong as she was, she would still need to utilise armaments and equipment, if she was to stand a chance… Finally, it made sense! The fight was unfair. Seeth was fully equipped to kill and yet she only had defensive equipment! Of course she would lose! The Controller knelt down and picked another tablet off the floor, holding it up with a tentacle and scratching at its surface with her claws.
But what kind of weapon would someone like her use? Something big and heavy, something that only someone as strong as her could wield. A test of strength merely to hold it up. Her fingers twiddled against the stone, but nothing jumped out at her. There was so much choice, too much. A mighty sword was always a good choice, but it didn't feel right. A regal spear could offer much, but was too dainty and small.
Suddenly, the answer arrived, it had been there the whole time. An axe. Just like how she would take Diego from Seeth, the axe was Seeth's weapon of choice. It would suitably serve Ink just as well. But her axe would be heavier, bigger, stronger, like her.
Her claws began to trace an axe shape onto the tablet's surface, and her tentacles began to paint the surface of the wall next to her, following her claws pathing perfectly. Lick by lick, the outline of a massive blade was painted onto the wall in dripping black goo, but life sized compared to the sketch in her hands. A mammoth blade, perfect for breaking anything that stood in her way. She grinned madly for a moment, but the smile faded as quickly as it arrived.
It could be better. It could be bigger.
Another…
She grabbed another tablet off the floor and began to carve another axe design into it, pressing her tentacles against the wall again, hanging the first tablet onto one of her smaller tentacles. She made the blade bigger this time, and thickened the handle. But still, it wasn't quite right.
And another…
She snatched more tablets from the tree, the wood crumbling under her strength as she ripped the chains free of the bark. Her claws ran thick with stone dust, the floor covered in broken bark, splinters, inky splatters and chunks of stone. Soon enough, her back was hung with tablet after tablet like giant baubles, the wall plastered in her dripping, inky artwork. She looked over her mural of defiance and death with an ever growing grin. Victory would be hers. It would all be hers.
*
Aboard the ORG stronghold
*
"Welcome to Sunset Rook, friend of Salem. Destination, the mammon deck." A female voice announced over the speakers as Moltezz's personal transport pod rolled up to the upper section of the ORG stronghold.
Although the stronghold was dwarfed by the Dreadnought, it was still an enormous construction that boasted an immense amount of resources and technology within. Vaguely shaped like a kite shield from the front, its middle section was a constant roll of pods and ships, landing and taking off as the ORG went about their business. Its location was clearly discrete, as even the closest star was a distant speck in the twilight, barely a glimmer in the glass. The stronghold was surrounded by several smaller more obelisk-like stations, covered in jammers, emitters and other equipment. Perhaps prior to acquiring The Renewal, this would have been the largest space-based facility she'd ever seen. But her pod did not go to join the hustle and bustle of the mid section, and instead headed directly to one of the upper wings of the stronghold.
Her pod docked with a soft clunk, steam billowed around the airlock as the doors rolled back, revealing the inside of the mammon deck to Moltezz, and likewise revealing Moltezz to the denizens within. It was a dramatic, lavish and spacious affair within the station, with the mammon deck almost resembling oyster mushrooms spiralling up the trunk of a tree, with the centre section being a series of elevators allowing you to ascend the platforms at your leisure.
Each platform was a sweeping, open area with various sub-areas contained within. Anything from bars to private rooms, to fight clubs, to gambling and gaming hubs were freely available within. And of the fifty or so levels Moltezz could see, each of them seemed as busy and plentiful as the last. That said, it wasn't overly packed with people; there was plenty of space for everyone in Moltezz's size class to sit down and relax without bumping elbows. Unless they wanted to of course.
Moltezz felt a wave of eyes land on her as she stepped into the tall hall, the various 'friends' of the ORG shifting in their seats to get a better look at her. There was a group of sharply dressed, well-built tiger sharks over to her left, swilling cocktail drinks around in their bandaged hands as they looked her up and down. To her right, a mixed group of humans and elves of various builds took an increasing interest in her, whispering amongst themselves excitedly. She glanced around just for a brief moment before seeing Kay-Ex waving at her over by the elevators in the centre of the room.
Seeing the bot immediately prompted an eye-roll from the Controller and she sighed loudly before making her way over, ignoring the ever increasing amount of attention that was not-so-subtly coming her way.
Kay-Ex gave the Mistress a cheeky grin on her visor and held her arms wide open, as if she was asking her for a hug. The girl seemed taller today, with longer legs that brought her closer to Moltezz's height, although still shorter. Otherwise however, she was still largely the same as before.
"Welcome, Moltezz! I'll be escorting you to your suite!"
Moltezz met her gesture with an unimpressed grimace and shook her head dismissively.
"I thought I was meeting Salem." She huffed, turning her head away to stare down at her claws instead.
"You will be! But Salem has opted to immediately greet your head science officer to get her acquainted within our labs as soon as possible. He'll be joining us as soon as Leech is settled." She responded enthusiastically, letting her arms drop to her sides.
"Mhmm. Fine. You'll do, I suppose."
Their interaction was only attracting more attention, as the tiger sharks leaned closer to the conversation, their eyes bouncing between Kay-Ex and Moltezz.
"Are you excited to meet Salem again, then?" Kay-Ex asked, briefly turning to call the elevator behind them.
Moltezz sighed loudly once again and folded her arms, remaining silent.
"Would you like me to repeat the question?" Kay-Ex asked, her face changing to a nervous blush.
"No. I'd prefer it if you didn't talk to me at all." Moltezz stated rather firmly. Upon hearing her response, the various groups around them immediately fell into a nervous hush, clutching their hands to their open mouths in shock.
Kay-Ex's face changed to one of dissatisfaction instead and she mimicked Moltezz's stance, but remained quiet as asked. After a few painful seconds, the soft ding of the elevator behind them broke the awkward silence.
"Finally," said Moltezz, pushing past the bot into the glass lift. Kay-Ex followed behind her, waving her hand over the controls and the door softly clunked shut behind them. Through the glass, Moltezz watched the wave of chatter and gossip erupting through the crowd the second they left the floor.
As the lift began its leisurely rise through the decks, Kay-Ex tapped her foot on the floor, glancing over at Moltezz repeatedly. Her face flickering between annoyed and flustered.
"That was rude." She stated, turning away from Moltezz.
"I really don't care." Moltezz replied instantly, turning her attention to the floor they were rising past. She could feel the eyes of those below them, catching a glimpse of her for all it was worth.
"Do you have issues with mianracorphs? Or just specifically me?" She asked, tapping her fingers on the back of her hand.
"For the purposes of this conversation, just you. Especially you."
"Why? I've been nothing but playful, polite and helpful. I want to be friends. Maybe more."
Moltezz didn't respond, and merely clasped her hands behind her back as her dreadlocks began to curl up at their tips, very gently returning to their old vigour in the same way a piece of paper would curl up after being lit on fire.
Suddenly, a smug grin arrived on Kay-Ex's visor and she chuckled to herself.
"I know what it is. It's always the same with you mistress types. You always take such pride in your bodies and style, thinking you're unique and one-of-a-kind. Always so perfect. But you know I can modify my chassis any time I want. I have an entire warehouse full of replacement components. I can be a short-stack brat one day, and a tall, shy office assistant with braces the next. You find that intimidating, don't you?"
"Does Salem usually ask you to be someone else?" Moltezz snickered, gently shaking her head. "My partners - nor my toys - would ever ask for anyone else but me."
"That was a good comeback." Kay-Ex giggled, turning towards Moltezz. "Being adaptable is not something I'm ashamed of. It's who I am. If I get your specs, I could even be you."
"Oh honey. There's only one me." Moltezz turned to face her, smiling condescendingly. "I'm sure you could try. But you'd never beat the real deal." A flicker of flame rolled over the Mistress' arms as she spoke and leaned in closer to her. "But please, fly too close at your own peril. See what happens. Mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness, after all."
Kay-Ex's eyes narrowed, but she didn't back down.
"Fire psyonics… I can emulate those with heating units. I can have a chassis forged to your exact size, maybe even bigger… There is nothing you can do that I can't emulate. And I can do it all without being a bitch too. I can be Moltezz on demand, with all of the fun and none of the attitude."
"And your clients will be thinking of me the entire time. How embarrassing."
Before Kay-Ex could retort, the lift dinged softly in the background and the doors rolled open, revealing one of the highest levels of the deck. Her face instantly swapped back to an innocent smile and she gestured towards the door.
"After you, Moltezz."
"As predicted." She smirked to herself lightly, stepping out onto the shining black tiles of this level.
It was almost empty compared to the other decks, with only a single other person visible. A small young woman, her figure simultaneously concealed and complimented by tight black wraps, currently perched on the very edge of the level and turned away, her feet hanging over the safety railing. A small peak of jelly dreadlocks were visible underneath her hood.
"Is that a czarite?" Moltezz asked, tilting her head up.
"You said you wanted all of them." Kay-Ex giggled softly, seemingly still in good spirits. "THREE- EIGHT! You have been summoned!" The bot called out with surprising authority.
The other girl turned sharply, the glint of her dark red eyes just visible through the wraps that concealed her face. She stood with an unsettling grace and hopped down, making barely more than a gentle tap as her feet landed. Her walk was silent, without so much as a whisper from her or her clothing and she stood two full heads shorter than both Kay-Ex and Moltezz.
She presented herself in front of Moltezz, but remained quiet, simply looking the Mistress up and down, with the occasional glance towards Kay-Ex.
"This is 1-18-1 1425-3-8. She usually goes by Dagger 3-8 when on the field. She is one of our homeward assassins belonging to Alexa Vanhellen, another high table member. Or rather did belong. Alexa specialises in assassinations and all things death related, and she was very reluctant to give up one of her favourite agents, but the table will keep its word, like it always does. Salem has assured her that the investment will pay for itself."
"An assassin?" Moltezz asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not what I was expecting, admittedly."
"Is that an issue?" The assassin asked, her voice closer to a ghostly whisper than a person talking.
"Not at all. I'm just… surprised. But this will work." Moltezz's eyes narrowed as she met Three- Eight's stare directly. "I can feel uncertainty in you, Three-Eight. You may speak your mind to me."
She briefly glanced at Kay-Ex for permission, and the bot nodded back to affirm.
"You are very large." Her eyes landed on Moltezz's heaving bust. "Very large. Will you change me into that?"
"Yes." Moltezz replied confidently. "You will learn to love them. It has a lot of perks."
"I don't understand how I will be expected to remain quiet if I am moving with a pair of milk tanks attached to my chest." Three-Eight responded disapprovingly. "Will my role be different? I will not be able to conceal myself traditionally if I have such an overwhelmingly sexual figure."
"I'm not sure what role you'll have currently. But I'm sure there will be plenty for you to dispatch regardless. It'll be fun, you can trust me on that."
Three-Eight remained steadfast and unconvinced, her eyes cold and emotionless. She went to speak, then glanced over at Kay-Ex and bit her tongue instead.
"Speak, Three-Eight. You have my complete permission to be honest. Let your thoughts free. I will listen." Moltezz assured her with a warm tone.
Three-Eight took a sharp breath and glanced at Kay-Ex once more, before letting her shoulders drop and her mouth open.
"I do not want this." She spoke firmly, carefully watching Moltezz's every move.
"Then it shall not happen." Moltezz replied casually, meeting Three-Eight's eyes.
The assassin blinked, her cold, stoic expression going blank.
"I… So, what will happen now?"
"What do you want to happen?" Moltezz asked genuinely, leaning down a little.
The question seemed to floor both Three-Eight and Kay-Ex, neither of them quite sure how to react to Moltezz's relaxed reply.
"I do not wish to cease my role." She replied confidently but cautiously, keeping the Controller firmly within her ever-scathing glare. "I enjoy the hunt."
"You enjoy the hunt? Oh, then you're going to love being in the Rewritten. It's what we do. And you're clearly talented enough as you are. I've been doing this long enough to know that forcing a czarite to be a Controller is rarely the right call. You can serve us without being corrupted, if you like."
"I don't understand. I was told this wasn't optional."
"Please, ignore the sex bot and what you've been previously told." Moltez flicked dismissively towards Kay-Ex. "You're talking to me now. That's the wonderful thing about being a Controller, Three-Eight. No one tells you what to do." Moltezz grinned, an enticing flicker of fire dancing through her eyes. "Within reason of course. We help each-other and work towards the cause of the Rewritten. But I would not rule you in such a manner. And nor could the table. We are independent from them entirely. I expect honesty and loyalty, and if you can do those things, you have a place at my side. Be that corrupted or not."
Moltezz felt a shift in the assassin's demeanour. The words seemed to resonate with her. What was initially reluctance or defiance, was shifting into curiosity.
"You swear this?" Three-Eight asked, shifting closer to the Controller. Moltezz could feel Three- Eight's eyes dancing up and down her body, examining every muscle, all of her carapace, and her more… intimate assets. The longer she stared, the more her body began to relax. "What's it like? Do you struggle to perform tasks when you're heaving around such… anatomy?"
"I swear it. And do I look like I'm struggling, Three-Eight?" Moltezz asked, spreading her arms wide. The mistress looked as strong as she always did. A towering pillar of ruby, muscle and fire. "Our corruption enhances your strengths and brings a cost that isn't just manageable, it's outright satisfying to indulge. We live and breathe the hunt. Your every sense will be dialled up to eleven and in tune with your prey. Satisfaction in every moment, with every little pluck of the heart string."
"If you're lying, I will make you pay." The assassin scowled, stepping forward again.
"Hand on heart." Moltezz spoke slowly, lowering herself to Three-Eight's height. She spoke fearlessly through Three-Eight's threat, without so much as a hint of insecurity. "And speaking from experience, this corruption truly does have its perks. I wonder what someone of your calibre could do with gifts like these."
"Is there any way to reverse it?" There was still some hesitation in the assassin's eyes, but an intrigued sparkle too.
"No. It is as permanent as death itself. I imagine someone of your position is rather accustomed to finality… But the choice is yours."
Mine… The assassin thought for a few moments more, before glancing up to meet Moltezz's eye with a strange smile - a smile that was seldom used.
"Make me like you."
But before the Mistress could respond, a pink flash of light reminded them that someone else was still present. Kay-Ex's face flashed with giant pink hearts and she clutched her hands together in front of her, wiggling back and forth in an over-the-top blush.
"Oh I do love a happy ending! Or a happy beginning, in this instance! You have no idea how pissed Alexa is over this." Kay-Ex snickered. "Brings me great, great joy. Glad you two could work this out. Well, this is your level within the mammon deck, I will have some refreshments served but if you need anything else, just let me know. Salem will be along soon. Please enjoy yourselves, let nature take its course and just wave if you want me involved…"
"Wait, are you expecting me to corrupt her right now?" Moltezz asked, sounding uncharacteristically uncomfortable.
"It's none of my business what happens to her." Kay-Ex replied coyly, leaning towards Moltezz as her face flickered with a seductive, lip biting smile. "But I'd kill to see a live demonstration…"
"Did my attitude earlier not dissuade you at all?" Moltezz asked, straightening up. "Ignorance and persistence often cross paths."
"You should see how the other high-table members address me. In this business, a hostile attitude is one of the nicer ways to greet someone, Mistress." Kay-Ex giggled. "I'll wear you down, be sure of it."
Is that… a threat? Moltezz stared at the unassuming sex bot as the realisation hit her. Kay-Ex was playing with her. Why else would they have lumped her with her instead of Salem? Was it all a test? A game? Well, if it was a performance they wanted…
Moltezz shed her brief hesitation as suddenly she felt a surge of confidence deep within her.
"You want a live demonstration?" Moltezz asked, her eyes narrowing as she stared down at Three-Eight with a smoulder hot enough to melt the iciest heart. A searing simper escaped the Mistress's lips as she settled on her next actions. "I assume you have the ability to record footage, Kay-Ex?"
"I certainly do!" She responded, enthusiastically.
"Good. Then you may record what happens next for your client base. But no touching by you. They think the Venom and Rio flick was something? They haven't seen what the Molten Mistress is capable of." She pulled Three-Eight close to her, resting the girl's head against her muscular abs as a deep purr rumbled through her. "You want material? How about up close, and very personal."
*
Within Sunset Rook's research department
*
"Ohh, look at that! It's a goblin with his dick out!" Leech called out excitedly, charging ahead of the group. Salem and Venter trailed behind her, with Venter doing a half-run to keep up as Salem's shell continued its leisurely stroll down the corridor.
They were several layers lower in the stronghold, far away from the mammon deck and instead deep within the research and development district. It was a pretty standard affair for a research space station, with grey steel and glass lining most walls, along with the slight shiver in the air from the active conditioning. Admittedly though, this tour had been several shades more interesting than Leech had originally imagined, and the naked goblin had only added to her excitement. The facilities they'd passed so far varied significantly, from secured xeno research cells with armed guards, to more relaxed open lab environments with ORG scientists freely working away, to calibrated residential areas for housing individuals of scientific importance to the ORG.
Whilst Leech had felt some anxiety initially, she'd actually ended up rather enjoying her time aboard the ORG's research quarters, with Salem providing a lot of interesting insight into the project work. He seemed to know what he was talking about and was fully briefed on everything she'd been allowed to see. It was remarkable how relaxed the tour was. She was expecting nothing short of a convoy to escort her around the station, but it couldn't have been more relaxed. It was just her, Venter and Salem, casually strolling around and joking about the nature of the projects. He seemed to have a good sense of humour about him, even if he was just trying to be polite. Truth be told, Leech was actually enjoying herself, and it made a nice change of pace compared to the last few days.
The goblin ahead of her was completely naked, perched on a white bench outside of a test chamber, panting loudly as his body glistened in the sterile white lighting. His clawed hands were clutching a bottle of water tightly, the plastic clinking in his grip.
He flicked his long, black fringe out of the way and looked up at Leech, with a growing smile on his cheeky face. He was an exceptionally pretty boy, with long fluffy black hair that ran down to his shoulder blades and a sweeping fringe over his one eye. Big, mischievous-looking sky blue eyes with long eyelashes, a small button nose and soft lips gave him a very feminine aesthetic, only helped further by a sprinkling of muddy freckles over his cheeks and nose, which also ran over his shoulders and chest too. As per most members of his species, he also had a big pair of sharp ears, which were currently up and alert as he admired Leech up close, and faint green skin with a hint of amber in it. Only standing at around four foot tall, he was slim with just a little bit of muscle attached to his frame, with his modest physicality also extending to his manhood below, being on the cuter, smaller side.
"Woaaah. Big lady!" He grinned, his jaw slowly falling in awe as he continued to observe Leech. But he quickly snapped to attention upon seeing Salem and stood from the bench, saluting the shell. "S-Salem! I didn't know you'd be at Sunset Rook today!"
"Stand down, Jaxxx. No need to be so formal." Salem replied, waving him down and standing to Leech's side. "Please, I insist you continue resting."
Jaxxx hopped back onto the bench and wiped his forehead dramatically, taking another swig of water from his bottle.
"Are you going to introduce me to this charming lil' lad?" Leech grinned, leaning towards Salem with an expectant wiggle of her eyebrows.
Jaxxx held out one of his clawed little hands and Leech shook it gently with a couple of fingers, the Controller noted immediately that Jaxxx's skin was rather soft to the touch too.
"It would be my pleasure. Leech, I'd like you to meet Jaxxx. He's one of our hottest products in my personal catalogue right now, and it makes me feel a certain pride that you're interested in him, seeing as that product line was my idea. The Terra-corps, particularly class-A Oneye, are very keen on fem-leaning male goblins as sex partners after I introduced them."
"Class-A are the top level execs, right? A-Are you telling me that you engineered goblin femboys and got a bunch of terra-corp execs hooked on them?"
Leech couldn't even wait for him to answer before she broke into a sustained, heartily laugh, wiping a tear away from one of her eyes as she gasped for breath.
"Yes. Yes I did." Salem replied, stifling his own chuckle. His professional persona managed to win the personal fight however, as he continued. "We're also seeing some uptake in Orion but it's slower there. Orion has been harder to infiltrate in recent years due to a slew of new officers with anti-corruption training."
"That's insane. I love it. This cutie is a Mark too, could I take him for a ride some time?" Leech asked, leaning down towards Jaxxx.
"I-I don't know what that means but I like the sound of it!" Jaxxx replied excitedly, his manhood stiffing already, although it was obvious that he was physically exhausted.
"After Jaxxx has finished his duties here, I'm sure I could arrange something."
"Duties?" Leech asked, stroking the goblin's chin with one of her claws. Jaxxx gave a satisfied, breathy sigh as he closed his eyes inched closer towards the Controller.
"Yes. Jaxxx is currently depositing for the next generation of his product line."
"Ohhh, you're milking him?! Well I absolutely could assist with that. Just ask Venter, I'll get this li'l dude's balls dry in minutes."
Salem turned to Venter, seemingly taking Leech's suggestion rather seriously.
"Well? Do you stand by Leech's statement, Venter?"
"I-I do." Venter replied shyly, clearly embarrassed. "She knows what she's doing."
Jaxxx managed to pull his attention away from Leech's fussings just long enough to give Salem a puppy dog 'please please please' look, before being stolen by the Controller's affection once more.
"Once we've completed this tour, I'm sure we could arrange some cross-collaberation. Perhaps even a competition if you're feeling confident. Jaxxx knows I like to get hands-on with my produce. We can see who provides more value in a one-to-one session. The next generation will only be more fruitful as a result." Salem suggested with growing enthusiasm, the grin obvious once again despite his shell's faceless appearance.
"I'm down. I'll whoop your ass, Salem. I'll have your femboy screaming my name so much, you'll think he belongs to me."
"You're on, Leech." Salem laughed, cocking his head. "Lets hope you perform as well as you say. But for the time being, I do have time sensitive allocations to show you before we can commence."
"What's his product line called then?" Leech asked, now stroking the goblin's fluffy hair as Jaxxx's cherry red cheeks only continued to flush brighter and brighter following their conversation.
"Lovers in Lime. or LiL for short. Given that he's the most popular in the catalogue, you can understand why I've requested more of his seed for urgent replication. But in addition to his popularity, Jaxxx sports several biological advancements that makes critter and roamer relations much more plausible. Even critter to strider! Elasticity being one of the biggest factors. He's enabling us to expand our catalogue and increase the goblin population, all whilst making a lot of money and making my clients very happy."
Leech gave Jaxxx a look caught somewhere between sincere and smug as she drew his attention to her face.
"Thank you for your service." She nodded, as if she was paying her respects to a soldier. "Cum hard and cum fast, little Jaxxx."
"Yes, ma'am!" He replied with overflowing lust, his chin following Leech's claw for a moment as she pulled away from him, before quickly turning his attention to Salem with a desperate look in his eyes. "Salem, please. I gotta have whatever she's serving. She's incredible!"
"Duty first, Jaxxx." Salem nodded. "But we may both be along later."
"See you later, cutie." Leech waved to Jaxxx, carrying on down the corridor. "What do you think, Venter? Should I let him have a go on you? Imagine you being dommed by a silky lover-in-lime like that. Maddening!"
Venter didn't respond and instead turned his blushing face away as Jaxxx giggled in the background, waving the group goodbye.
"Do you usually fuck your assistants, Leech? Or play with them at least?" Salem asked, snickering to himself.
"Whats the point in a lab assistant you can't fuck?" Leech replied, almost skipping her way to the next part of the lab.
"I couldn't agree more." Salem replied, his step with noticeably more swagger in it. "Its nice to meet someone who appreciates the beauty of physical love as much as me. The high-table can be so dry sometimes."
"What about this one?" Leech asked excitedly, seemingly ignoring Salem's comments as she pressed her face against the glass of the next exhibit. This one was more like a holding cell, sealing the inhabitant within, but not cruelly.
"That… is Princess Thirty-Three." Salem announced with a slight hint of frustration in his voice.
A large, pink blob of translucent slime swamped itself across the room, meeting Leech's face and forming a heart shape with its tentacle-like proboscis. It was mostly featureless, aside from a small black orb within its centre-mass. It mimicked Leech closely as the Controller swayed her head side to side and tapped on the glass.
"What is she?"
"Very expensive." Salem replied with a low sigh. "A group of nomad miners stumbled across a colony of egg-laying slime fauna in the Vhaylana belt around ten years ago. They did not survive, but they did manage to report the encounter before passing away. We investigated and saw potential, and after many, many failed attempts, we finally produced a working, viable product for the catalogue. Princess Thirty-Three."
"What sort of hurdles did you have to overcome?" Venter asked cautiously, approaching the window.
"I don't even know where to begin." Salem lamented with an exasperated tone. "The original creatures laid microscopic eggs within people's tear ducts, as they had the right conditions for their reproductive cycle. Neither of those factors were within tolerance or even desirable. Over many, many generations, we selectively bred for egg size, location, temperament and ovi-position method. I remember we were close to abandoning the project when Princess Twenty-Two showed a remarkable change in direction. She had a playful, coy temperament, laid eggs of a good size in the right places, and was intelligent enough to pass our checks. Unfortunately, her eggs grew to… unmanageable sizes within the customer and she never made it any further… My clients did not want surgical removal of her eggs after their sessions." Salem sounded rather defeated as he recollected the tale. "But it reignited the project and eventually, we came to Princess Thirty-Three. She's intelligent, playful, and a delight to interact with, among other things. Should a sentient, egg laying slime be something you're interested in. She is a niche product, admittedly, but her customers so far are very pleased."
Venter shook his head but Leech's grin only sharpened.
"Sounds like fun to me! I'd love to play with that."
"Unfortunately, Princess Thirty-Three is not available for hire currently, even to you. One of her less desirable traits is that her off-spring rarely develop. Most, if not all eggs she lays are inert. Which is fine for the customer, but terrible for us long-term. We're searching for a solution but she's currently kept isolated until we can replicate her properly. Too much has gone into the Princess project for it to end here."
"Forward me what you've got on her, I'll see if I can help. A princess in need sounds like a worthy job! What do you think, Venter? Shall I tie you down and let this girly have fun with you?" Leech cackled, drumming her fingers together. "You'd make a lovely incubator. After I get Jaxxx to peg you first, that is."
The wolf blushed again, more fiercely this time and tried to turn away, but instead turned straight into Salem.
"I don't think he likes the idea." Salem laughed loudly. "And I imagine that only makes it better for you, Leech."
Leech's response was a jagged, evil grin, her sharp fangs on full display for Salem and Venter to see. Both men paused in their tracks, looking up at the controller as she spun around and carried on down the hallway, her infectious energy carrying the tour forward at a remarkably fast pace.
"Venter likes whatever I do to him. The less he likes it, the more he'll love it when I make him do it. He knows he's in for a good time as long as he does what I say."
"Domination can be weird like that, can't it?" Salem noted sincerely. "But yes, I'll put you and Venter on the waiting list for the Princess. No ETA unless you can help us fix her systemic reproductive issues though."
"If you can get us some samples, I'd be more than happy to help!"
The tour continued without a hitch until they finally came to a new section of the lab, featuring a load of brand-new, shining lab equipment and a ton of empty space. This area was clearly newly built and didn't appear to have any project associated with it. But the lab's blank interior had an almost sterilising effect on her, helping to cleanse her senses from the past hour. A sealed door at the back of the room stole her attention, it was another lab but was sectioned off with darkened windows preventing anyone from seeing within.
"What's this then?" Leech asked, placing her hands on her hips. "Its been so exciting so far, are we ending on a boring note?"
"Not at all." Salem replied, swaggering through the rows of new computers and equipment, towards the darkened lab at the back. "This is yours. To use as you please. I wasn't entirely sure what equipment you'd want or lacked, so I've ordered a set of generic biology equipment, including a suite of high quality glassware and various analysis machines. But if you need anything further, please do just let me or Kay-Ex know."
"Am I expected to work here, or…?" Leech asked cautiously, trying to ignore the door at the back of the room.
"No, not at all. You can just burn all this stuff if you like, it's purely a gift to use as you wish. But the better you understand the corruption, the more we can do with it. But I would restate, there is no pressure or expectation to use these facilities. But they're yours. I hope you find them helpful."
"T-Thanks." Leech replied, forcing a smile on her face. "Sorry, I'm not good at this stuff."
"Oh don't sweat it, I understand. Gratitude isn't always easy to surface. Nevermind when it was unexpected." Salem lingered for a moment as he came to the entrance of the darkened lab, seemingly trying to figure out what to say.
"Is everything okay?" Leech asked, suddenly feeling a little unsure.
"Y-Yes. It's fine. I just… I don't know how to succinctly explain what's in this lab. You're not squeamish?" Salem asked cautiously, raising his hand to tap on the door.
"No, not at all. Why?"
"Because this room is going to be a significant departure from what we've been touring so far. The only reason this… project… is here, is because of the deal Moltezz bargained for. She asked for all the czarites within our domain. This technically qualifies as that. But she was under another high-table domain."
"Right…" Leech replied slowly. While she was anxious, there was a level of curiosity pushing her forward. "Go on, I'm intrigued."
"So be it. I hope she is of use to you. Or perhaps I should say, you are of use to her."
Salem tapped his metal knuckle on the door and it slid open immediately. Leech was immediately greeted with the sound of a heart-rate monitor, bleeping gently, along with a sickly, weak sounding muffled cough… The smell of decay immediately filled the air with its humid, fetid hum, clinging onto Leech's tongue as she flinched away from the stench.
The door opened up to reveal another large lab, lined with medical equipment as well as a couple of ORG doctors who immediately stepped away upon hearing the pair enter. In the centre of the room, lying on a large, elongated slab was a deathly looking czarite. Her hands were fading to black at her fingers, her pale amber skin clammy and sticky looking. But the most obvious and unusual feature was at her waist. Her legs had been completely removed, and meeting the czarite's waist with a ring of thick metal staples was a gigantic snake body, currently laid out on its back down the length of the slab which easily spanned fifteen feet or longer. The snake body had a pale white colour down its length with a jellified look to its still flesh, without so much as a twitch down its heavy length.
Despite her frail and deeply sick appearance, she was secured to the slab with handcuffs and a neck restraint, as well as a face mask providing oxygen - although there was a second tank connected to the mask, currently closed that read 'ten percent' on its side. She blinked weakly, unable to move to see the new visitors, but vaguely aware someone else was now present.
"Uhm… okay. What the fuck is this?" Leech asked, pacing around the czarite.
"This is part of our bionics development. The naga body you're currently viewing was an experimental bionic our labs cooked up, but we had awful trouble bonding it to anyone's nervous system. This was our last hail mary before incinerating the damn thing. She was due to be executed, but I wanted to bring her to your attention, as she is technically a czarite."
"Who is she?" Leech asked, peering over the girl. She glanced up and met the Controller's eyes. Despite the fact she was literally rotting alive, there was still a fierce defiance in her eyes, if not a little madness.
"She is a pain in the ass and I'm satisfied we finally got her. She used to be a Universal Council agent, Auspex I believe. Specialised in dismantling our operations, she spent years on the job thwarting our ground agents. After costing us close to a billion dies in lost product and sending hundreds of our front-line staff into both jails and their graves, we finally got her."
"She's with Auspex? Aren't they like an elite police unit?"
"They certainly are. Although they're more like the military of the UC, for a faction that proudly proclaims it has no military. Hypocrites. And they are the bane of our operations within UC space. I wouldn't feel too sorry for her, if she had her way, we'd all be locked up or dead. She nearly killed Jaxxx! I had to send four enforcer squads just to bring her down. Tough gal." Salem scoffed, now pacing around the lab himself. "Alexa was interrogating her for information, but she refused to give anything up. So she was sent to me and I sent her in for reprocessing about a year ago. She appeared malleable and I eventually got her into local client work, until about a month ago when she uh… flipped out."
"What did she do?" Leech asked cautiously, feeling more and more uncomfortable as the conversation progressed.
"She was sent to an after party celebration as an escort for hire for some Tier-B clients, millionaires and upwards. The enforcers on duty noticed that the party was quieter than it should have been after some time and investigated, it turns out she had methodically murdered the clients in their beds. She prowled room to room, garroting one after the other and using their blood to draw symbols all over them. They caught her standing by the pool, her fingers dripping in blood, staring at the sky like a lost puppy. So we obviously 'retired' her from client work and she got passed down to the lab for use as a testing dummy and eventually ended up with this as retribution for the damage she did. But even the remarkably adaptable czarite biology wasn't able to successfully pair with the naga bionic and its installation has all but drained her, as you can see. So it looks like this particular bionic will have to be completely scrapped."
Leech glanced over the girl's body, but it had been painfully obvious from the second she stepped into the room that the girl was dying. She might have had a strong physique previously, but now her body was starving off decay for as long as it could, fighting to stay alive and beat the multitude of infections that spanned her systems. She was clinging to life by a thread, but it was inevitable. The lifeless lower-half she was stapled to would continue to drain her, and she would likely die in the next few hours, if that….
Unless she could do something about it.
"So?" Salem asked tentatively, closely watching Leech's expression. "Worth your time, or should I just dispose of her now?"
Leech looked down at the girl again, locking eyes with her. Through the clear mask, she could just about see the girl mouth the words 'fuck you' weakly, as she continued to glare up at Leech.
The corruption has shown some seriously impressive adaptive capabilities… I wonder if it could successfully integrate the bionic…? Maybe even convert it? No way she's surviving being moved though, and I am NOT corrupting her myself. Shit… Fuck it. She's got nothing left to lose at this point.
"I'm gonna need my stuff from the dreadnought." Leech nodded towards Salem. "My sample tanks and equipment. She's dead either way, so I might as well try."
"You know, Leech… I was hoping you'd say that."