Penitatas: Retribution Prologue
Heather Emily Xella was one of the very last few humans left on the planet. There was once a time where her kind were the dominant species and ruled over all the animals and creatures but then the twelve tribes came from the underground and made their presence known, Anthropomorphs, sentient animals that had evolved along side humans but remained hidden due to humans natural hostility. Anthro's as they were known had formed a society of twelve major tribes and hundreds of lesser tribes but originally there were thirteen humans were the descendants of the thirteen tribe the primates. Having felt enough time had passed the twelve sought peace with the humans and the humans agreed thus began the golden age of prosperity, all wars ended, the world unified, and everyone became one big happy fucking family... unless you knew the truth like Heather did. The true history of the world wasn't as cut and clean, the reason that the primate tribe cut off from the other twelve was because they hatched a plan to become the dominant species, tricking the other twelve tribes underground and sealing them for millennium in the world below Primates dominated the surface but with the polar ice caps melting due to global warming the way back was unsealed and so the twelve tribes emerged unified eager to seek revenge on the monkeys that made fools of them.
Of course human civilization was already weak and the technology that these tribes possessed was far beyond our own, it was amazing what cooperation and unification could produce as opposed to wars and constant death and destruction. Where humans made better weapons and communication tools the Anthros mastered medicine and science and with an abundant source of a mineral previously unknown called Anti mass they were able to master the art of immortality living far beyond what they should have and allowing them to survive long enough to evolve to be the humans equals, if not betters. Humans accepted their place back among the thirteen tribes and the world changed. Anthro's and Humans formed the first world government but being only one of thirteen humans quickly learned of the deception they were a minority among the Anthro. The first trick was insidious the Anthro opened the species barrier and inter species relationships in the name of peace and cohabitation slowly saw the decline of humans and the rise of more Anthro cross breeds. Pure Humans became something of a rarity and to preserve them anyone who wished to or were otherwise forced to, moved to a human only habitat, a cage.
Heather was born in one of these habitats but her life was anything but peaceful. Leaving the habitat was dangerous as pure humans became something of a stigma, after the failure that was the rule of human beings the Anthro solved almost all the problems of the planet from pollution to border disputes under the Anthro peace was established and crime diminished but that was because the punishment for breaking the law became far not worth the risk. Rejuvenation a medical technique used to keep the Anthro young and able to survive became a popular punishment for criminals. Convicts instead of serving jail time were given an option of rejuvenation therapy where they would be regressed to the age of a child and placed in the care of foster parents. Obviously criminals chose this as opposed to serving time even murderers and past felons were given this option, a chance to clean the slate and start a new. This was a trap with this first batch of reverted convicts the establishment of Penitatas was formed and inserted into the public consciousness. Disgusting creatures Penitatas were punished endlessly for their past lives transgressions beaten and humiliated it became a public spectacle to see a young child being paddled just for sport so the fear was placed in the hearts and mind of the people. This didn't affect Heather the human habitats were safe until it started to become common place to blame humans for any crimes or incidents that occurred. Already a stigma and a minority it wasn't hard to turn the pure humans into scapegoats. One by one the humans were subjected to the Penitatas treatment except the children they were adopted and given the option of having their genes changed to reflect their adopted parents, obviously the smart ones accepted and changed species. Heather didn't even after her parents were blamed for the fire that burned down their home killing her mother, imprisoning her father and subjecting him to the Penitatas system. She remained proud to be a pure human going through house after house refusing to change. Eventually she became fed up and ran away to find a place where she could be herself without the pressure or threat of forced rejuvenation pending a crime that could be pinned on her.
Heather grew to resent the Anthro but more accurately the twelve families that ran the new world, most of all the Fletch, the ones who invented the Penitatas system. Heather did what any oppressed minority would do when facing constant scrutiny and bias, she turned to destruction and havoc as an escape and Heather was good at it. Heather was a born terrorist able to destroy without remorse and to inflict fear greater than anyone had ever. Renaming herself as HEX she became a pox on the world of Anthro especially the world government, using her unique talent to cause mayhem to show up and undermine faith in the world government. She had to be stopped but despite their best efforts the government couldn't catch HEX she was always two steps ahead and gone before they could get there, until, figuring her sympathy for her own race could be used against her the world government ordered the force gene change of all remaining pure humans thus making her the last remaining human and a easy target. The forced conversion was known as the Shift and met with skepticism it offered all the oppressed a way out and the Anthro freedom from the fear of a human uprising. So it happened despite HEX's best efforts the remaining humans switched to Anthros leaving her alone until she learned of a child who managed to escape. HEX was desperate to preserve the Human race even if it was just her and this child she would keep the human race alive. Little did she know that it was a trap, there was no human child, just an anthro that bravely gene swapped to remove their animal traits. HEX was caught trying to liberate the 'human' child and placed under maximum security for deliberation on her punishment of course she would be subjected to the Penitatas system but the question was for how long and from what age. After deliberation from the highest courts it was decided that Heather Emily Xella or HEX would be subjected to the worst punishment imaginable, endless rejuvenation from the ages of five to fifteen an infinite cycle and of course the physical corrective rehabilitation every day for the rest of her life. Penitatas were given rankings which took the form of stars varying on the number and color of stars on their wrists one could gauge the severity of a crime, Heather was to become one of only four existing Penitatas, a black five star the highest level that made her a government secret.
Heather was sentence publicly on January twenty forth and was scheduled for rejuvenation on the next day in accordance with her foster parent Oswald Fletch who bought the rights to her existence for a high price to enable him to make the first televised rehabilitation, set to make billions as every Anthro wanted to see HEX suffer.
The world is about to change once more and this time things are changing for the worst.