Ch.1 The Screaming Begins
#1 of A Serpent's Screams
The day was dark, the sun blotted out by dark clouds threatening the land with rain. No light came in the court's windows save that produced from the frequent flashes of lighting that was beating the landscape. The trial was beginning, and the lead judge, a female chameleon, rose. "Bring forth the wretch." she commanded. The sound of chains and footsteps echoed down the hall, and three figures emerged from the shadows of the near-empty courtroom. Two were large prison guards, most likely Dobermans, but that was impossible to tell through their metal helms. They toted large firearms, however they were designed to launch electric darts rather than bullets. Between them they escorted the prisoner, Zasz, to be tried.
Zasz was a well built, reptilian male. While the exact species was hard to tell, he was obviously a snake of some sort, as rather than legs, his belly extended into a long tail. He was roughly twelve feet long and was adorned with brilliant green scales, with lighter scales running the length of his underside. His scales, especially on the back of his head, were sharp and jagged-looking, a clear warning of his volatile nature. His arms were bound in heavy chains, and his large arms ended in four-clawed hands. His yellow eyes darted around the room, taking the scenery in while he still could. One would suspect he was on trial for murder, or rape, or another atrocity. However, his crime was of a different sort...
"Zasz, do you know your transgression?" The chameleon woman asked.
Zasz looked up. He responded, "Yes, milady. Abandoning my master's property without his or her permission." Zasz seemed very calm and very intelligent, an unusual trait for a war-slave. He had served his master for nearly five years, after he was captured by a military squad that ran through his quiet village. He was a scholar there, though his body was strong and built due to years of labor for his fellows. His tasks remained the same, but the servitude prevented him from furthering himself.
Zasz bore tattoos on his back and the backs of his hands, identifying him as a slave, and how he became one. At first he fought his captors, and later his owners, however, after months of torture at the hands of his master's electric prods and other such cruel, unfeeling devices, his attitude changed. For years he swindled books from his wealthy master's library and studied dutifully on all subjects, including law. That's how he knew he had no chance now.
"So you know it was wrong to do so, correct?" She asked.
"At the time, no. My master had died, I was under the impression I was free."
"You were under the wrong impression, then. He left you in his will; you were to go to his children, fool." She told him, coldly.
Zasz broke his eye contact to look at the floor. "I was... uninformed..." he said. The judge looked at her fellows and smirked. Slave weren't held with high esteem in this world, as would be expected, but slaves of his kind were particularly hated. His village was one of the many that opted to stay away from this society, as it's machinations were believed to lead to corruption. So, they opted to remain on the fringes of the known world, away from this place's so called, "Steam-punk" technology. They were seen as dissenters, as many of them worked to undo this world.
"You should know, that in order to be freed, your current owner must have brought you down here in order to change your legal status, Zasz." She said. "All slaves are informed of this."
"I was never told," He lied, "I didn't know."
"Regardless, it won't take the court long to come to a decision I presume." She said, and beckoned the other judges. The group huddled and chatted amongst themselves for a few moments. Zasz looked at the daughter of his former master from across the room. She was a blonde-colored wolf, and stared at him coldly from her seat. The judges broke huddle and returned to their stands.
"The ruling is simple," she said, "Ownership of Zasz will be transferred to the proper individual, miss Sarah Raynor. She will take charge of you, and dispense the proper punishment as desired. Court adjourned." Zasz sighed as the guards escorted him outside. He had planned it out so well, but he was caught in the end, and all of his careful planning was for naught. His master's health was failing, and he intended to use a loophole in the law to escape to another city-state, where he would apply for his independence. However, an ill-timed shift in the guard at the border's wall uncovered him as he tried to slither through the drainage system.
He was shoved into the backseat of a cumbersome, steam-powered vehicle, recently acquired by Sarah. She climbed in, escorted by her own personal guard, and sat across from the still-shackled snake. She crossed her arms under her breasts and stared at the still-slave. Zasz looked down and said, "I'm sorry, master..."
"Save it." She said, disgusted, as she flipped her hair out of her face. Zasz sighed again and sat quietly. Sarah was disgusted by him. She was very shallow and very vain, priding herself in her perfect, muscular, mammalian slaves, whom she often used for her own entertainment purposes. She was nearly offended by the sight of reptilian and avian forms. Zasz pondered what she could possibly do to him, as he meant nothing to her and has accomplished nothing for her save a few wasted hours at the courthouse.
They arrived at their estate, a grand mansion in which Zasz maintained the various gardens and yards, particularly the pond, which Zasz was actually quite fond of. The guard undid his bracers and he was sent to his quarters, without so much as a word from his new master. He slithered past the elaborate gardens and reached his bunkhouse, one of four that were on the property. He nudged the door open and his fellows jumped up to meet him. This cabin was host to the three non-mammal slaves, and incidentally, his closest friends.
Char was a tall and thin avian. He appeared as a lanky, gold colored falcon, though, his feathers were ruffled and unkempt due to years of personal neglect. He was near pacifistic in nature, finding harmony and peace in all aspects of nature and encouraging his friends to find their own inner harmony. Like Zasz, he was very calm, but unlike Zasz he seemed immune to the effects of depression and lowself-esteem.
In contrast, Jake, a muscular dragon, was rather chaotic. His head was crested with four horns of various size, and his body was covered in black scales with red tribal symbols adorning them. He was the most energetic of the three, lean and built like a predator. His wings had been removed at birth, but he made up for it with an abundance of energy that escaped most slaves of his nutrition. He was also quite passionate and impulsive, and had a tendency to act rashly and state his mind regardless of consequence. As a result he was punished more often than his two friends.
The three shared their respective stories of failed escape, and went to bed, dreading the next morning. This dread was well anticipated, as the morning brought unexpected terrors with it. Sarah and her two guards burst through their quarter's door, the guards brandishing shock guns and Sarah carrying three chain collars. "Get your asses up!" She shrieked. The three scrambled from their beds, Jake falling on his face in the process. The guard hoisted him to his feet and tossed him backwards to his fellow slaves.
"I've made a good business decision." She said, "I'm selling your ugly asses." Char and Zasz exchanged shocked glances and Jake began to protest but Sarah interrupted him, "I don't want to hear it! I'm sick of looking at you things. Now be good and put these on and I won't have these two shoot your balls off." Jake dropped his arms, defeated, and the three were handed their collars. Sarah yanked them by their necks and piled them into her steam-car. The ride was nigh silent for nearly an hour, until Char spoke.
"Milady," He said, calmly and quietly, "if I may be so bold, where are we being sold?" She turned looked at Char with mild amusement and giggled to herself.
She began explaining, "Arkania labs would get me the best price, so where do you think you're going?" The three looked at each other in horror.
Jake shouted, "Now wait one Goddamn minute-" but was cut off by the one of the guards pointing their shock-gun at him. Jake slumped again, and char put his hand to the bottom of his beak in though.
"Master," Zasz, began, but was cut off by the aim of the gun being shifted in his direction.
"You three don't need to be conscious for the transaction to happen." Sarah said, coldly.
The car stopped in front of a large compound, and its riders stepped out and into the compound. It didn't take long for Sarah to drop them off and get her money before she took off again, leaving the three slaves forever... They soon found themselves shoved into a nearly blank room and asked to strip down. They hesitantly complied and bashfully stood and waited for their new master. Ten minutes passed before a scientist, their owner, walked into the room. She was a short and slightly crazed-looking hyena, dressed in a long lab coat and small reading glasses that sat at the tip of her muzzle.
She walked over to the three slaves and began looking them over. She nodded to herself several times, and began speaking. "Take these three to their new cell." She ordered, and the guards escorted the naked slaves to their cell, where they waited for yet another hour. "This sucks." Said Jake, obviously uncomfortable. Char waved it off.
"Don't be so sensitive, Jake." Char said, "You're a reptile, it's not like anything shows."
Zasz chuckled, "He's got a point, Jake." Jake looked down at himself and sighed.
"I know, it's just the principle is all." He responded.
The cell was in open view in a large laboratory-like room. Dominating the room was a table of various chemicals and a large table with straps, the mere sight of which unsettled them. The hyena woman walked into the room accompanied by Arkania labs guards. "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself did I?" She said, with mock sympathy. "I'm Professor Khrast, lead genetic researcher of Arkania Labs."
"Good for you." Jake said, mockingly.
She smiled at him, "Oh ho! It looks like we have a volunteer for being first for complete physicals!"
The smile fell off of Jakes face and he sputtered, ending it with a simple, "... Crap..."
A few days went by, and the three were subjected to a number of uncomfortable and invading physicals. However, they were well housed and well fed, a welcome difference from their prior home. One day Khrast came back, with an obviously manic grin dominating her face. "Good morning, boys."
"Good morning." They responded, flatly.
She gave them a warm smile, "I'm glad to see you're all awake today. But, it's finally time you guys started working for that big price tag." They all looked at each other, but she continued, "As a genetic researcher, I do really need subjects to test this stuff on, and today I think I worked out all the kinks of this particular therapy. Though, I'm not entirely sure, so I'll just have to test it on one of you!"
The three took steps back, unsure of what "therapy" she was referring to. "What exactly would this do?" Char asked, calmly.
She held a finger up, "No no no, it's a surprise. So which one of you boys wants to volunteer?" All of them hesitated. "Okay, okay, we'll play a game," She said, with a wicked grin, "I'll think of a number between one and ten, and you all guess a number. Closest one wins! So pick a number." None of them moved. The guards all cocked their shock-guns. "Pick a number." She repeated.
Sweat trailed down Jake's face, "Three!" He blurted.
Zasz thought for a moment, and finally said, "Four."
Char closed his eyes and said, "Ten."
"Okay... Let's see..." She said, looking at her clipboard, "Guess what, um... Zasz? It was six!" Zasz's pupils narrowed in fear, and he backed up against the wall.
"Now now, don't be a sore loser, get over here or we'll shoot you and drag your assless body out of that cell." Zasz hesitantly slithered over to the now open door. The guards grabbed him by his arms and wrestled him over to the operating table, strapping his arms, neck, waist and tail down on the table. They strapped his head down so he couldn't move it, his vision now upside down and the strap digging into his lower jaw. His heart began racing, and sweat produced by his humanoid genes began trickling from between his scales. His mind raced, uncovering memories of his former life, of his fiancé and family. He heard Khrast fumbling through syringes. She walked over to his left arm, preparing the injection.
"Please..." he said, hushed and with clenched teeth. She looked at him and kneeled beside him. "I have family... I have a betrothed... please don't do this..." She smiled and shoved the needle into his bicep, piercing his scales easily.
"Don't be such a big baby, this is only an anesthetic." She was right, and his muscles became more relaxed and his heart rate slowed. He found it harder to plead. He was about to fall into a deep sleep when he felt something near his private area. He jolted and the buckles rattled, but his struggles did no good. He torqued his head so that he could see Khrast. She was examining his private area, and slid her finger into his slit, touching his cock. He shivered at the feeling, and couldn't help but be aroused. He struggled to control himself, but the touch of her fingers sent waves of pleasure to his brain. His erection slowly slid from it's sheathe and his fairly large member stood out in the open for all to see.
She smiled at him, half of warmth, the other of madness. "Don't worry," She said, "This'll be good." She bent over and touched her tongue to his reptilian member. He shivered again, not having felt the touch of a woman in years. Memories of his fond encounters with his own love came rushing back to him. Khrast's tongue began swirling around his cock, causing Zasz's eyes to roll back into his head. She took his entire cock into her mouth and continued to work at it. At last he could no longer hold it and his cum shot into the hyena's mouth.
Zasz's heavy breathing slowed down. Suddenly he was aware of a sharp pain in his other arm, and he looked over and Khrast, still licking his cum from her muzzle, was injecting him again. "This might hurt, sweetie." She said. Zasz gave her a puzzled look that was cut short by a burning pain that suddenly rushed through his body. It felt as if she had replaced his cold blood with fire. He heard Jake yell "What are you doing to him!?" and then all was black.
Zasz awoke, groggily, and opened his eyes to see the equipment table bearing less of a load. He became aware that his body was completely numb. He tried wriggling in his restraints, but to no avail. He twisted and torqued his head, and finally the strap slid from his head. He grinned to himself victoriously and twisted his head to see what was happening. Several scientists, including Khrast, were hovering over him. They all had tools of various sorts in their hands, and the sound of them scraping and working filled his ears.
He then looked at his own body, and had he eaten anything he would have vomited on sight. His entire body was covered in surgical cuts, revealing huge amounts of muscle an bone. But what sickened him the most was his gut, which was pried open and his organs were exposed. He screamed as loud as he could, only to find that no voice came to him. Khrast looked at him and jumped, dropping her tools. She ran over to his head, his eyes full of shock and questions. She put her hand on his head, "We didn't expect you to wake up so fast, sorry. Don't worry sweetie, we'll put you back to sleep for a few more days."
"A few more days!?" His head screamed as she fetched another syringe. He struggled as much as he could until she injected the fluid directly into the exposed artery of his arm. He managed to utter a feeble "Please..." and all was black once again.
Zasz awoke yet again, but this time he felt a tingling sensation all over his body. He couldn't speak, but he could make low, quiet groans, and took liberty to do so. Khrast appeared at his side, stroking his head in a comforting manner. He shook his head from her mock compassion and glared at her, gesturing a demand for answers. She smiled at him. "If you're wondering how long you've been out," She said, "it's been a week."
"A week?" He tried to exclaim, but was unable.
"Don't worry, honey." Khrast said with more mock compassion, "We're almost done. I think it's time to tell you what's going on."
Zasz gave her a glare that exclaimed "Damn right!" and she continued.
"You've been going through a sex change, sweetie." She said with a smile.
Zasz's eyes widened in shock and horror. He struggled and flailed the free portion of his tail in protest. Khrast giggled at his efforts and looked at his body.
His wounds were patched up to perfection, save for the obvious lack of muscle tissue that he once had. His arms were now thin and slender, befitting a female of his race. Also, his chest was now small, and his sides curved like those of a beautiful snake-woman, detailing that his hips were now more pronounced. Khrast walked over to his private area, and stuck her fingers into it. The effects of the anesthetic were dulling, so the touch of her fingers on his penis were felt, though, it was dull enough to avoid arousal.
"See? You're still a man for now. We have to wait for the formula to start kicking in to proceed." She pointed to the I.V. attached to his arm. He struggled to free his arm, but it was to no avail. He turned his still-free head towards the cell at the sound of Char's voice.
"He's awake!" he said, tapping Jake in the process.
Jake leaped to his feat and ran to the cell bars, "Zasz! Zasz are you okay!?" Zasz shook his head "no". Jake growled and screamed, "You bitch! You'd better stop this or so help me-"
Khrast interrupted him, "You shut the hell up or else I'll do the same to you!!!" Jake's ire was once again doused by his obviously inferior position. He sat down, crestfallen, and buried his face in his hands.
"Be strong, Zasz." Char said, "We're here for you..."
Char continued to speak as Zasz became more and more drowsy, realizing too late that he'd been drugged once more.
Zasz awoke for a third time, still strapped down to the table. Khrast's voice sounded out of the blue. "She's awake!" she said. Zasz's heart jumped. Zasz found that his head was stationary once again, though fixed in a position to stare at the ceiling this time. Khrast popped into view, "We're all done, sweetie! You have got to see yourself"
The Professor popped back out of view and fiddled with the strings holding the sheet above him in place. The sheet dropped revealing a large operating mirror that reflected the dumbstruck Zasz's entire body. What Zasz saw left him breathless. He was staring at one of the most beautiful snake women he'd ever seen, himself. Her body was well curved and slender, and her facial structures were softened and beautiful to behold. His chest was now home to two fair-sized breasts, common to his species due to the humanoid genes.
Zasz was in a state of shock, unable to move, and almost unable to breathe. Her trance was broken when she felt Khrast's fingers invade her new pussy. She gasped and heard her newly feminine voice. "See? Look how cute you are! And you're fully functional too. We've given you ovaries and remodeled your whole skeletal system. Zasz began panicking, straining against her restraints. He body convulsed as Khrast probed deeper into her new orifice. She felt a moan escape her lips, and Khrast grabbed one of the dark green nipples topping her breasts.
Zasz began breathing heavy and moaning as Khrast squeezed her nipple between her fingers and continued to finger her deeply. She began protesting, "No... please, stop..." She said, feebly. Khrast ignored her. "I-I have a fiancé..." She continued. Her body strained more from the pleasure being given to her by the hyena. Suddenly Khrast removed her fingers and backed away.
"Feels good doesn't it?" She asked, mockingly.
Zasz panted and said, "You... you bitch... T-turn me back!" she shouted in her feminine voice. Tears welled up in her eyes and she strained, and a combination of rage and sorrow flooded her mind. Tears streamed down her face as she cursed and pleaded with the sneering researcher.
The guards unbuckled her and she screamed and thrashed as they drug her to her cell. They threw her into the cell and slammed it behind her. She continued to tear as she slammed against the bars. "Turn me back! Please!!!" She screamed. Khast walked within inches of Zasz's cell.
"Hmm..." She said, curiously, "I guess we'll have to see the psychological effects of the therapy over the course of the next few days. Don't worry, sweetie, we'll have lots of fun." She blew a kiss to Zasz and walked off, leaving the three slaves alone.
Zasz continued to sob, straining against the bars only to realize that her strength had decreased considerably. Char put his hands on the shoulders of his downtrodden friend, and she collapsed in sorrow. "Char... Jake..." She manage to squeak, but stopped and threw her arms around Char. Char hugged her back, comfortingly.
"It'll be alright, Zasz. You still have us here." Char said, compassionately. The two sat down and Zasz coiled around herself, still resting on Char's shoulder.
Jake sat down on Zasz's other side. "I'm so sorry..." He said. Zasz calmed down and began feeling drowsy.
"... Damn her..." She said, recovering from her breakdown. She looked at her two friends and they nodded in silent agreement. They fell asleep and dreamt sweet dreams of revenge.