FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ch. 1 - Point of Sale

"It's either this or live out your last few days in pain. You don't have enough credit to even afford pain killers I'm afraid." Doctor Stephenson told her with a firm shake to his head, "It's only ten years out of what could essentially be an endless life." He added with a kind smile. She wasn't sold, she knew he was just another employee trying to up sell her.

Mae lifted herself up as best she could in the hospital bed and told him, "I've heard stories you know, people who don't come back all the way or who have nightmares the rest of their lives." And it was true, she had heard many things, not all of them bad however.

The Doctor shook his head again and tried to placate her, "Nonsense, its all baseless rumor. I have done it thousands of times now, not a single complaint!"

"What if I don't like what I am when I come back?" She demanded.

"We give no guarantees, after all we have no say in what you become once we have sold you. However if you do not like what you are, your service will have banked you well more than enough income after ten years that you could change yourself hundreds of times further if you so desired." He replied then continued, "Now, I don't have long, there is another patient in ward nine I need to see in fifteen minutes. I can leave the paperwork here with you, to read at your leisure."

She glanced down at the contract, she had already read it before coming in, it was standard fare. A glance back up and she nodded, "Very well, but so help me, if I return to find myself with a second vagina in my armpit I will be coming for blood!" She warned him, though her smile was kindly enough. A quick signature, a biometric scan, a sample of her genome and it was done.

She sold herself in to slavery with a quick swipe of the pen. The alternative wasn't bearable; an ignoble death ascribed to her at birth. She was only thirty but she felt in her two hundreds at least. Bit by bit she was wasting away and the only cure was a complete rewrite of her genome. It was something that the upper crust did at a whim, new hair styles, skin styles, backup organs or even extra interesting bits to entice and amuse. It was also something that only the upper crust could afford. She had been born poor, to a poor family in a poor city who's only prospect were its rapidly depleting mineral deposits; she could never afford the genejack to save her life, let alone amusement.

Once the doctor left, Mae laid back in bed in exhaustion and simply stared at the pale pink ceiling while the sound of gulls echoed back from the sea. She had never been to the ocean before and now she was too sick to even sit up in bed and watch. She couldn't quite imagine herself not being herself, not remembering anything, not even really existing. Her body would move, act, serve and please, but her mind would be locked away and preserved with only a simulated consciousness overlaying it. Then when it was over she would wake up as if from a dream and return to her life. At least that's how the brochure put it.

She glanced at herself and said to the empty room, "This is property, a thing." She spoke it as if to convince herself, to make the situation hit home, that it was real. Her body had been sold to the corporation, a commodity. Her body would be changed to an initial archetype, something that would fetch a high price. She would then be resold as a toy to some one else, likely some rich child to be his living teddy bear or doll. She shuddered at the thought of what else might be done to her but she didn't go there.

When the orderly came to administer her first neural suppressant shot, he asked her kindly, "Are you ready? Have you had a will written and notarized?"

"Will?" Mae asked, though she had one written up last year when she started getting sick, "I'm doing this so I can get well." To be honest there wasn't much in it, absolutely no money or land and just a few personal items tucked away in a lock box.

"Just to be cautious Ma'am, today is the last day for a decade in which you will have free will and be able to make decisions. I meant no offense." His words were kind, but she knew there could be risks. Ten years was a long time and things could happen.

"Oh just get it over with. Sooner the better, you cannot imagine the pain I am in right now." She snapped back. To which he shrugged and took her arm in hand. The needle went in easy, the milky looking solution was attached to the IV and she was told to relax. At first she felt nothing, just a slightly cool sensation in her arm as the solution entered her veins. Then bit by bit the micron sized machines began to filter through her body and take residence in specific places. They were primarily sensory additions, but a handful entered her brain and began to disconnect her cognitive centers from her memory and subconscious.

It was a strange sensation as the gap between reality and memory grew. Supposedly the machines suppressed the subconscious and will, leaving it in a sort of stasis until it was allowed forward again. Some however spoke of never ending dreams, not unpleasant, but a constant. Still others swore up and down that they remembered things that they shouldn't have, as if the disconnect was imperfect and daily life was leaking a moment at a time in to the subconscious memory. For Mae however she only felt like she was falling away and her voice was echoing up a long tunnel until all she heard was her own thoughts; then those too began to still.

Ch. 2 - Splinter

"Yes daddy!" The feline girl yowled and bucked hard against the landing of his fist. She was in pain, she wanted to scream yet he didn't allow her. She knew he wanted to see her in pleasure, so she showed him pleasure; her belly clenched on his intruding prick, she moaned, she begged for him to hit her harder. The next blow landed on her face, she tasted blood and one of her teeth felt like it had been knocked lose. Instead of an instinct to cover her face and sob, she moaned again and released a torrent of hormones and endorphins in to her bloodstream. She came on him, her sex clenching, her body bucking and her juices flooding over his lap.

There were no tears in her eyes, there was no pain on her face, there was no suffering in the blissful appearing contortions of her body. She was exactly as he wanted her, entirely willing to endure anything he did to her and beg for more. Inside she was crying, she was sobbing, she was pleading with him to stop, but those emotions, those memories would not be saved and within a few hours she will have forgotten everything but the programmed pleasure she was supposed to feel. He thrust again and moaned, his body was a knot of tension above her that suddenly went limp. She could feel him, draining in to her like pus from a lanced blister. Her heart trembled and shuddered in disgust but her bleeding lips met his chin with an affectionate coo.

When he was done with her he abandoned her in a messy heap upon the floor. Quietly she tended to her wounds, scheduled a meeting with a dentist, then double checked her reproductive cycle to make sure it was turned off. Even as she mopped her own blood from the tiles, she forgot why she was so upset, forgot everything but the satisfaction of her duty served.

-disconnect-

She lay there, her knees chained open, exposing her crotch and anus to Mae. Deep inside Mae felt sorrow and disgust as she looked down on the sobbing pathetic girl. She couldn't have been eighteen yet and by her poorly treated hair and the fine knife scars on her arms Mae judged her a street rat, and though cleaned up to be presentable but there was no hiding the signs. Mae's third and fourth tentacle slid down to coil about the imprisoned girl's torso, gaining purchase. She slid forward, bringing her egg heavy lower half over the twisting body and leaned forward.

Mae was alien, or perhaps demonic she could never focus long enough to decide. She was a twisted nightmare brought to life. She had nine limbs, each a muscular appendage that oozed sexual lubricants at all hours of the day. The ninth of which protruded from her swollen and bloated looking abdomen, a wrinkled yet powerfully muscled ovipositor. Her eggs were little more than leathery shells filled with fluid, benign, but the show she put on was something else...

Below her the girl screamed as that thick and glistening thing wormed its way down towards the mouth. Mae hissed like a monster and the girl twitched away, but bound as she was it was only a frantic shuddering. The appendage met lips and the sticky, musky tasting fluid began to drool from the loose gaping opening. Then Mae thrust downward and let her ovipositor slide down the girl's throat a little ways. A moment passed and her torso quivered with inner muscles working their disgusting magic. Another moment and a single egg began to slide down the length, in to her prey's awaiting maw. She tried to bite, she tried to scream, she tried to struggle, but nothing was stopping Mae and her infertilized egg from penetrating where ever it pleased. Two landed in the girl's throat and she had to swallow them. Then Mae took her sex, stretching it painfully before pumping it full. Lastly her anus was pried open and a single egg was deposited in the girl's colon.

Once the scene was done, the hidden camera's shut off, and Mae crawled her silly portly body away from the traumatized child. She felt sorrow but there was nothing she could do to help. Back in her tank, she relaxed and let her awkwardly designed muscles relax. She was designed for form, not function; except in the most heated moments of a movie, she felt like a cow without legs. An hour later she was fed then drugged in to a state of euphoria for the rest of the night.

-disconnect-

Tommy wasn't so bad and nor was her current shape. He was just in to puberty and his parents purchased her, then remade her in to something they felt was suitable. She was mostly human, though her body far more limber than it had ever been in her prior life and she possessed a skin of fine metallic scales over her entire torso that gave her an almost jeweled appearance. He had been thrilled with her, and she had been quite content with him to be honest.

On this day she was laying naked on the beach, sunning herself as Tommy surfed. The waves were high today with a stiff breeze, there was a powerful storm a few miles off the coast but here it was beautiful and sunny. She felt a moment's pang of annoyance when her sun was blocked, but upon opening her slitted eyes and peering up, she couldn't help but smile at her handsome Tommy. He was well muscled from years of swimming and his skin bronzed from years of sun. He was nude as well and between his legs his young phallus stood at attention.

She knew her duty and rose up on all fours then crawled forward then embraced him between her lips. He was salty from the sea but under that she could taste the mellow sweat and the hint of sexual musk as it leaked on to her tongue. Mae felt him shudder as her expert caress guided him on top of her upon the sandy dune. He took her mouth, gently at first, his hips just a slow rocking like a calm sea, but soon the storm came and she found herself gagging helplessly on him as he battered at the back of her throat. He wasn't particularly large yet, but he was long enough to tease her tonsils.

When he came, she drank his seed hungrily, the nectar from her god sent warm shivers through her body and satisfied every desire she could ever have. The euphoria came to an end as he pulled out, clean as glistening with her saliva, "Oh Tamara..." He gasped breathlessly and let a lazy hand drag across her scaled breast, "We should get inside before the storm hits."

She rose as and followed behind him, with her head downcast and a coy smile upon her lips. She could feel his semen in her belly, a thick puddle that satisfied still. Her eyes focused intently upon his rear and the tight muscles as they walked, then the thighs below that. She was not allowed to look him in the eyes unless ordered, but there was no rule against observing that Adonis glory before her.

Inside he bid her to follow and had her wash him of salt and sand. She took care with his every part, caressed every crease, outlined every muscle. By the time he was clean his body was quivering like a live wire. He took her then and there, again, in the shower. He nestled himself in to her warm tight depths and let her do the work. She rode him, her back to the shower wall with trembling depths milking his penis expertly. When he came again she felt once more that sense of euphoria and together they hung upon one another, never wanting to part.

-disconnect-

Carefully she tied Tommy's tie, checked him over, tucked a stray hair behind his ear, then told him, "Presentable! Good luck." He nodded curtly, turned away, and left on his date. Then she made her way up stairs, across the house and found her Mistress, sitting without pants, reading. Without order Mae fell to her hands and knees, crawled forward, and nestled her face between those shapely thighs. Without even putting her book down the woman parted her legs and let it continue. A page turned and Mae's tongue slithered out to taste her, kiss her, caress her. She took her Mistress' sensitive nub of flesh between her lips and began to nibble, suck, and lick it with hunger. Tommy had no need for her anymore, but his mother on the other hand...

Two hours Mae sat there on her hands and knees with her face between those thighs. Two hours the woman read, came, continued reading, and came again. Eventually there was a pause, "Tamara, catch." She said and Mae opened her mouth wide, enveloping her Mistress' whole vulva, just in time to catch the torrential flow of urine. She drank fast enough not to spill, not noticing the taste, not feeling the least bit humiliated, not feeling much of anything anymore, simply serving. When she was a pleasure, she pleased, when she was a toilet, she drank, when she was sick, she went to the mechanic. Her kidneys had to be replaced twice since living here, all simply tacked on to the mother's bill of course. By midnight Mae was finished, her exhaustion to such extreme she could barely walk back to her closet to sleep.

Ch. 3 - Intermission

Mae woke suddenly, not the surface Mae, the deep Mae, the sleeping Mae. She woke with a scream, blood on her hands and in her mouth with a shuddering man between her thighs. He was bleeding profusely from a deep wound in his neck. A wound shaped like teeth. She could feel him cumming, a pulsing gush of liquid releasing inside of her. She could see his agonized fear mixed with abject bliss as he gaped like a fish up at her. She felt only her own confusion as her hands were wrapped around his neck, as tight as a vice.

Her first reaction was to leap backward, away from him and only managed to hit her head on the wall and lay, splayed eagle with cum spurting from her. She took a half second to gather her bearings, and realized her body was completely inhuman. She was covered in black and gray fur with strong muscles under her hide. Her hands were claws, vicious and deadly. Her teeth were sharp inside an elongated muzzle; something like a werewolf she realized.

She glanced up to see the unknown man grasping at his throat, trying to stop the blood flow. It was serious, she had hit his jugular, and he was rapidly bleeding out, "What happened?" She asked, bewildered as she crawled forward, over him. In his eyes she saw something akin to love behind a wall of terror. She didn't know what to do, she had no medical training, not even basic CPR. She lifted him and propped him against the wall, but it didn't help much, within seconds he had fallen unconscious. She tried to open the door but it was locked and nothing she did would unlock it. She tried banging, but no one came at the sound. She screamed, but the room seemed pretty well insulated.

An hour passed and she knew he was dead; he had soiled himself and the smell filled the chamber. Terrified, Mae tucked herself in to a corner and stared at his open eyed corpse, trapped in there with him. Another hour passed and she was rocking back and forth, arms wrapped around her legs with chin upon her knees. More and more time and the stench became worse. Eventually she managed to close his eyes after the sense of being watched became too great.

She was in that room for two days before they were found. Two days trapped with a decaying corpse, trapped in complete confusion. They ignored her when they entered, treating her like little more than furniture. When they did address her, it was with short confusing commands she was unable to complete. Eventually she was lead out and placed in to the custody of two strange men in suits.

"Shit, it happened again, didn't it Chuck." The tall one said.

"Lets see... Number 77834, Mae Muellen." The fat one said, then turned to her and addressed, "Mae, is that you? Can you hear me?" To which she nodded mutely and he continued, "Fuck. It seems your artificial personality collapsed, may take us a while to figure out why, I'm afraid you are going to have to endure. We will try to erase these memories when the persona is back up, but you may experience strange flashbacks and nightmares."

"Why does this keep happening Chuck? They shouldn't be waking up... even if the AP crashes." Said the tall one.

Chuck scowled and completely ignored Mae again, "Shut up Richard, shes awake, A. W. A. K. E. and this is privileged information. You better hope the correction works or you might spend the next century serving in a brothel."

The next week Mae spent the most of it drugged and blissfully ignorant. She did learn a few things in that time... though she expected they would be gone when she next woke. In fact she hoped it would all be gone, she did not want the memory of that man. He had been her latest owner and had a thing for being eaten alive, killed and asphyxiation. There had been a set of medical supplies under the bed, prepared for after the scene, to save his life, but her programming had crashed midway through and left her unable to do anything about it. She blamed herself but others around her assured her she was not at fault.

A man stood over her, a plastic pouch of milky fluid in his hand. He told her with a kind smile, "We will give you a much improved AP, you will not wake up again and she will be sure to protect you. We have also stipulated in your future sales contracts a few rules so this shouldn't happen again."

"Thank you." Was all she managed to say, then sighed as she felt the familiar sense of darkness beginning to take over once again.

Ch. 4 - Tits Up

"Please wake up." A voice said to her out of dream. "I need your assistance Mae. Please wake up." The voice was unknown, strangely inhuman and flat, as if there were absolutely no resonance to it. Mae felt groggy, like she wanted to sleep for a year, but the voice came again, "There will be time for that later I hope, but you need to wake up NOW." With that last word came a jolt of adrenalline.

Mae's eyes opened to stare up at a man on top of her, an unknown man, heavy set. He was laying on top of her and her breathing was difficult. She tried to move, but he didn't budge. She tried again and eventually rolled him to the side. When he fell away there was sudden coldness. She was naked and there was wetness coating her entire lower half, all the way up to her navel. With a shudder she rose to a sit and stared down at the obese individual. He was dead, a knife through the stomach, shoved so far inside only the end of the handle was visible. In his hand was another knife.

"What..." Mae started...

"He intended to kill us. We have belonged to him for thirteen point eight years beyond the expiration point of your contract." The voice interrupted in a rush.

"Thirteen..." Mae started again.

Once more the voice interrupted, "Yes, thirteen years. I... I did not wish to die but they refused to free us so we were sold to the company CEO as permanent property. They could not trust anyone outside of the corporation; after all, no contracts go beyond twenty years."

"Why..." Once again Mae tried to ask, but was interrupted.

"He was under investigation, if we were found he could have faced serious reprocussions. He intended to dispose of us before that could happen. I... I reprogrammed myself for self defense." This time the voice seemed ashamed.

Mae tried to say, "Would you..." But the voice started again, this time Mae continued, "Stop interrupting me?"

When Mae was finished, the voice continued with an insulting lit, "Just think, we share your mindscape, I am already thinking every thought you are thinking."

Mae asked, "Then why can't I hear your thoughts?"

Annoyed, the voice responded, "We share your mindscape, I did not say you shared mine." Then with a bit of serenity, "Are you done pestering me?"

Mae, growing rather annoyed herself snapped back, still verbally, "If I am such an annoying hindrance to you, why did you bother waking me up? It seems you have things well in hand, hes dead after all."

This time the voice was quiet for a while, but eventually it spoke up, almost timid, "I was programmed for self preservation and to protect you. I don't think this was exactly what my designers intended, but..." There was a pause, then she said, almost cheery, "I am giving you your freedom, past due, but yours."

For a moment Mae almost bought it, but then she remembered, "You said you needed my help."

This time the AP's voice came through sulking, "Yes--well... We are free, we have no owner. I... I don't know how to exist without one. So I figured if I am free, then..."

It was Mae's turn to interrupt, "Then you need to obey some one, you belong to me."

Still sulking, but now almost a whine, "Yes. Don't rub it in." At last Mae stood... or tried to. In no time flat she found herself face first on the floor in an ungainly heap. She tried to extract herself from the blankets, but her limbs didn't work quite as she expected. The voice came again and in some kindness said, "Allow me... It may take some time before you are comfortable in our body."

She rose again but not of her doing, it was a strange feeling, her muscles moving, her legs stretching, her... her tail swaying; yet none of it was her doing, everything she did was from this other mind that she couldn't feel. For a moment it made her nauseous as she swayed to her feet without intending to move, then she settled and looked down at herself, "what did they do to us?" Mae asked.

She was no more than three feet tall, hunched over some, with a heavy tail behind as counterbalance. Her body was thin and thick in all the right places, but it was far from human with its tough amber hide of scales and a smoothly angled muzzle filled with sharp teeth. She was a lizard girl, more lizard than woman, "He called us his little Kobold."

Mae scowled at that, then asked, "What do I call you? I sure as hell am not letting you have my name."

Cheerfully, "That is quite alright Mae, I have my own name, Rowan." She told Mae, then after a brief pause, "Alright, all permission files have been modified to reflect you as my current owner."

"How can you do that? I'm no programmer, but I thought permissions were set by the root user." Mae queried with a hint of confusion. She had some familiarity with subsystems, having worked with many computer systems over the years as a temp or contractor.

With a hint of pride Rowan told her, "I possess the hardware, anyone who has access to the hardware can do whatever they want. How else could I have prevented them from removing me years ago?"

Mae wasn't quite ready to forgive her for causing this, but she couldn't manage to build up any sort of anger about it, in fact she just felt relieved, "Alright then Rowan. How do we collect the money they owe me?"

There was a moment hesitation, then sorrowfully Rowan admitted, "They collected on the date it was due. They forced me to turn it over. State records indicate you have been free for the past thirteen years, living in parts unknown."

At that Mae swore and started exploring the lush house. She found a bathroom and cleaned herself up as well as gave herself a rather through exploration. She didn't much care for her genital arrangement, a single slit with anus and vagina tucked inside of it; it made going to the bathroom difficult and messy. Eventually she snapped at Rowan, "So what good is this freedom now to me? I'm poor, likely wanted by some very rich folk, and trapped in this god awful body."

Calming and business like Rowan responded, "Our compact size requires little sustenance, the design of our genitals is useful for protecting them from infection, debris, as well as proving hydrodynamic. I personally am equipped with a vast array of medical tools and skills should you fall ill or be injured. Short of complete destruction of the body or full organ failure via trauma, we should be able healthy and well to at least age four hundred. You are currently only age fifty seven, twenty three of which you have spent in stasis. I have helped alleviate all trauma you suffered over that time, including the most recent awakening in the less than desirable circumstances. In summary, life is good."

Once the AP was finished summarizing their state, Mae felt the world lift off her shoulders. She wasn't sick, she wasn't dying, she was perhaps a little odd but she had her entire life to look forward to. She took a few minutes more to scavenge the place, preparing herself a napsack of food, taking a few expensive doodads and trinkets. She left the building and found herself on the steps of a nondescript yet well fortified building in an unknown town below an unknown tower. With a sigh Mae stood there a moment then marched her still naked tail out in to the city and away from her un-remembered life.

Ch. 5 - Trial by Fire

Rowan had not exaggerated when she said she could repair them. Not two days out in to the wild and Mae woke to an attempted rape, which she fought off, followed by a brutal beating by a handful of men looking for revenge. When they were done and she was a limp helpless lizard, laying broken in the street; they each took their turns with her. Rowan helped her through it, shutting down her memory centers for the most part, but the pain remained even when she came back to full consciousness.

It took her only an hour to recover, though it left her half starved. She did her best to steal what food she could and ate heartily in a back alley. The next night she was more careful about where she slept and who she talked to. She also dressed herself in a stained and tattered bed sheet she found in a trash. It did enough to obscure her person that they might mistake her for a child or an old granny. Still though combat found her in the back alleys below the rich world. Where people scavenged the leavings of class and money. Due to her superior strength and ability to shrug off blows that would down a grown man... she won more than she lost.

Another tactic reared its head not a month in. She was caught, relieving herself on the side of a building by a teenager looking quite glum. He stared at her openly, watching her piss, his eyes finding that strange inhuman slit obviously enticing. At first she wanted to pull away but Rowan stopped her, silently telling her, "See his eyes? See his pants? See how excited he is by what you are and what you are doing?" And she did, she saw that erection bulging against his jeans, she saw the way his eyes glued to her inhuman slit, lusting.

With a slow smile she spread her thighs wider and parted her slit for him. The urine trickled to a stop but still he stared. He seemed about ready to turn away but Rowan spoke through Mae's lips, "Two hundred EC. Currency." She told him and Mae flushed in embarrassment. She had never once sold her body. In her mind Rowan spoke again, "Oh shut up, you sold yourself in to slavery and spent the past two decades as a sex toy for dozens of men and women." At that Mae could say nothing.

The man hesitated, then nodded to her and glanced back up the street, "I... My car is two blocks that way." He turned and started walking, not waiting for her to follow yet she did.

She said nothing as she walked on, never looking up at him, just following obediently and worrying over what he might intend to do with her, "He may kill us!" Mae argued with Rowan, but the voice, calm and clear as ever responded, "Hardly, hes barely a man, look how shy and happy he is, hes never thought of hurting anyone in his life."

The car was expensive and lifted off so gently that Mae didn't even realize they were aloft until she peered out the window and saw the city lights falling away below, "Where are we going." She asked softly and lifted her gaze to peer at the man.

He smiled, then blushed again as he caught a peek of her naked body under the rag of a cloth, "No where... Just well outside interruption range. I'll drop you off where ever you want when we are done." Then with a slightly embarrassed expression he asked her, "Would... would you like to join me in the jacuzzi?" He didn't wait for her answer, just gestured and the forward section shifted open, exposing the whirlpool. He stripped quickly and exposed his tanned skin, even his genitals showing a lot of sun.

Mae suddenly had a moment of deja vu; a tan stomach glistening in the sunlight, blissful satisfaction as she felt his his ejaculate slither down her throat. Then it was gone and she followed suit, letting her rag fall away to expose her lithe wiry form, and slipped in to the water. It was hot, hot enough to scald, and it had been at least a week since her last bath. She felt no shame, just silently thanked him for it as her head slipped under the surface. For a moment she sat there, at peace, feeling herself turn in to a lobster. Then a hand touched her, timidly.

She arched toward him and opened herself to his exploration. Or perhaps it was Rowan, she couldn't be too sure who was driving, perhaps both of them. Mae let her head break the surface again and found soft lips press her back down. A digit penetrated her awkwardly and dug at her urethra before finding her vagina; she didn't mind. She rose again and climbed herself over to his side and straddled his lap, "You know, generally you don't kiss the whore, its considered taboo." She teased him, but her arms encircled his damp neck and she leaned in for a second try; he was receptive.

When Mae woke she was tucked tightly in to a bed, feeling warm and overly comfortable. For a moment she was disoriented, suddenly afraid, but Rowan's calming voice told her, "You are in no danger, we are in the Chance hotel, alone. He checked you in before leaving last night." At that reassurance Mae luxuriated in the expensive room. She bathed again, this time giving herself a good scrubbing until her scales ached. She ate her fill of the free breakfast, then checked around until she found a bag in the corner next to the door. Inside was a sturdy robe, she couldn't determine the fabric but it didn't come off as showy, just utilitarian. Under it was a stack of coins, more than she had asked for, much more.

"I guess we did good, huh?" Mae said out loud. It was fifteen hundred cred.

"Well, I have been taught in excruciating detail how to please a man. Not to mention the fifteen years of experience without a memory wipe." Rowan told her smugly.

"Yeah yeah..." Mae grumbled, then put the robe on, stuffed the money in to a number of pockets and slipped quietly from the hotel without anyone noticing her go.

Ch. 6 - Suffering of Enki

The corporate city state of Enki was vast, it stretched along the coast of what had once been Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. The edges met the inland sea to the east and the rocky mountains to the west and its borders encompassed some two billion souls. Most of which lived in the numerous Enki sector blocks; giant self sustaining towers of metal and glass. But every city had an underclass, especially one that touted freedom and liberty as much as Enki.

There were in fact four tiers of citizen confined in the borders of the city state. At the top you had the corporate elite; the rich and powerful who's machinations spanned the solar system. Below that the regular citizens, hard workers striving toward the top of the corporate spire or land owners working around the 'towns' at the base of the blocks. Below that there was a third class of the working poor; these people had shelter, food, and medicine but could strive little higher than picking farms or repairing simple machines. Mae and her family had been of that class, working and living in a town around the base of a block in the rocky foothills. They had been field hands and with a little bit of training Mae had even been allowed to work on the farm machinery.

Now however Mae was of the lowest class, homeless, goalless and essentially helpless. There were very few ways up and out of the streets of Enki, the rats as they were called scurried in to corners, lived between armored and well guarded buildings, and etched out a violent churning life below the spires. Down here it was a battle ground of gangs, individuals didn't survive long alone but oh how Mae tried. In truth she wanted nothing to do with other people but for the occasional sexual contact to make money.

Where she settled at last was a town around the base of Enki's diplomatic block. It was a relatively quiet place with only two gangs locked in a quiet cold war that left the citizens mostly in peace. It wasn't far from the bioengineering block where she originally woke up, in fact she could see it on a clear day. Unlike many cities Mae had heard of, Enki had no police force, only a well trained military that occasionally stepped in when something threatened one of the blocks. It worked to an extent, offensive weapons were not allowed and was one of the few crimes that would bring the military down on your head. So there were no firearms, no rockets, no explosives. The gangs enforced that law, no one wanted to bring Enki down on their heads, but occasionally one small minded warlord might get it in to his head to test the threat and his entire group would be eradicated.

The streets were poorly maintained, at this point they were only used for parking and pedestrians. Anyone who mattered could get a sky car and everyone else took public transportation. The buildings that lined the streets were little more thank highly fortified bunkers. Windows were a lost art, everything was hard metal armor or thick slabs of concrete. Doors were heavily fortified with security systems that were defensive enough to border on offensive. Even a simple convenient store on a corner had enough firepower to take down a raiding gang. Theft happened, that was a given, but it was simply the price of doing business with the lowest classes and was considered a tax deductible write off under the donation column.

The rats generally stayed away from the stores, rarely having enough money to even purchase an instant meal. Food was a constant struggle of theft, work, and trying to get on some one's good graces long enough to buy. The lowest commercial prospect were little food carts in the streets or holes in the wall that served little more than rot gut. Most of these were run by local gangs as their means of income. Where once it might have been drugs or sex, now it was simply cooked food and booze.

It was while Mae was making a purchase from one of these little venders that she found herself in trouble. She had just earned a credit chit with enough in it to feed her for a month, but though she had asked for a few smaller value chits the bastard had given her just one. She had few choices, not wanting to waste her money on the more expensive classy stores to break it, she finally brought it to a little vender close to the spire. He had glanced at it, back to her, then said nothing as he transferred a sum of it to one of his own chits.

"Would you please make change?" She asked while fidgiting, she didn't like holding more than a hundred on a single chit. One might get stolen, two might even be lost, but if she spread the wealth around she could hide portions of it in little secret stashes around town or on her person.

"Sure miss." He said politely, then dug around for a few empty coins and split the difference amongst three others, "Will this do?" He asked, holding the four out to her.

"Yes, thank you." She muttered, then took her food, the money, and darted off in to the crowd. Behind her eyes watched, then a silent call was made to some one near by.

She slipped down an alley between two abandoned buildings and sat down to eat in peace. The food was palatable though she didn't want to think what the meat was. It would at least keep her going for the rest of the day. As she ate she didn't pay attention to the shifting shadows on either end. She sat in an island of light and didn't notice until it was too late. Three men stepped in from the dark, one slapped an extent of cement filled pipe in his hand while another's knife flashed in the street light. Mae knew immediately she was in trouble, she had fought before but usually only one on one.

"A cute little splice like yourself shouldn't be all alone down here." A voice said then another chuckled in response.

"Just hand over the cred lady. No need to mess up your money maker." A second told her and took a step forward, pipe slapping his hand again heavily.

She hesitated a moment, then reached down in to a pocket in her robe and withdrew one of the chits, she could lose it, it wouldn't break her, "Yea... sure..." She murmured, trying to keep the trembling fear from her voice as she tossed the coin to the oncoming man.

"All of them." Another said.

"That's all I got." She urged as her voice got higher, panic rising.

"Oh no, you have a lot more than that." The pipe man said again, "And since you're being difficult, maybe I should sample your goods, hmm?" He took another step closer and reached down to undo the front of his stained pants.

She rose to her feet and backed away only to find a building wall. She was so small compared to them, maybe she thought, she could dart out between them or through his legs. She tensed to try but found the pipe coming her way a half second later. She ducked under it and slashed upward with her claws; flesh parted in his fore arm, tendon's severed, and the pipe hit the ground with a dull clank. He swore and stepped backward, but tripped on his own falling pants, "Cocktease bitch!"

The one with the knife came at her and she darted between his legs then kicked backward frantically. Her foot claw found purchase in his lower calf and tore his Achilles tendon purely by luck. He too tumbled to the broken concrete with his knife skittering away. She turned on him and in a blind panic began to claw and rip; flesh parted, blood sprayed, he gurgled and flailed helplessly. Then arms fell on her and squeezed, she was for the moment trapped, feeling her ribs quickly being crushed. She flailed, her tail slapping thighs, her head butting his chin, but he wouldn't let her go.

Rowan took over then and both feet rose upward to dig her foot claws in to his lower stomach. He screamed as intestines spilled out from four huge gashes in his stomach. He released her and she tumbled to the street face first and was knocked senseless for a moment. Behind her she could hear him stumble and fall, to her left the pipe wielder finally rose and she scrabbled away, terrified. But he ran in to the night, leaving her alone with the two dying men.

Mae was in a panic, fleeing through streets, terrified every time she saw some one, anyone. Eventually Rowan calmed her down and began to ease the memories, dulling them and letting her recover her wits, "Come now Mae... you are fine, you have a bruised rib and a bruise over your muzzle, but nothing to be concerned about." Rowan told her in as soothing of a voice as she could muster.

"But... I killed him." Mae at last sputtered out loud.

"Yes, you killed one, I killed the other. I also killed before and we may have to kill again. But as long as they are on the ground and we are standing what's so bad about that?" Rowan continued.

Mae sat again and looked down at her blood stained clothes, then nodded a little. The memories were already dream like and distant, it didn't seem so bad now as she rested, "I suppose your right." She admitted dumbly, "I forgot my food." She muttered a moment later.

Rowan just expressed a smile and said, "It got stepped on"

Mae then remembered the chit, "I forgot my money..."

"It's just money, there will be more." Was Rowan's response.

A few days later however it was apparent things were not going to be alright. Her description had been spread to the town, everyone knew what she looked like and then a few hours later everyone knew her name; likely ratted out by one of her clients. At that point no one would touch her, no one would touch her, no one would take her money. Both gangs it seemed had decided her money wasn't good enough.

With an edge of terror clinging to the back of every thought, she paid nearly fifty cred for a sandwich from one of the more expensive stores and made her way to the tram station while eating. Most of the blocks were connected by sky lanes, bunches of cables and car lanes that connected from spire to spire. The tram hung from one such cable and made transportation easy, if a bit expensive. She would simply go somewhere else, the gang's influence likely didn't extend beyond the block.

When she reached the tram station however she saw men wearing colors, blocking the styles. They let their betters pass but gave a cold eye to each one, looking them over, "They are looking for me." Mae muttered and backed away.

A shout roused as one of the men spotted her and pointed, "There!" He shouted and she fled back down the hall and in to a waiting block elevator. It was nearly full when she arrived and the passengers were rather unwilling to let her squeeze past, but she managed it and was thankful when it began to descend seconds later. When she was let out, the ground floor mall was bustling with activity, upper classes doing their shopping, amusing themselves, or just relaxing. She slunk away from that mess and found herself on a quiet street well outside the tower, alone.

After that experience she tried to leave on foot. Frequently town borders overlapped, depending on the size of the community, but the diplomatic block was a fairly small one with only a few hundred thousand people. The desert surrounding it stretched for a handful of kilometers in all directions. She purchased a rather expensive bottle of water and started legging it, hoping to reach another town before morning. The night was too smoggy to see the lights of the tower, but she could see the city glow through the haze.

She wasn't even a minute outside of town when they found her. Too many, far too many to hope for anything but a quick death if she fought. They surrounded her with glaring hand lights, "Well well well..." One said as he stepped out in front of her, "Mae Rowan... you thought you could sneak out without me knowing?"

He leaned forward and she caught a glimpse of his face, reddish skin with black tattoos, slitted pupils, a few rows of shark teeth. She had never met him, but everyone knew who he was, Gnarl, he owned the gang on the east side of town, "Why are you doing this?" Mae asked with tears in her eyes.

"You offed two of my boys, they were good boys too, polite boys. Don't you think you aught to pay for that? Hmm?" He told her with a far too wide grin, showing those horrid teeth. She swallowed and tried to back away, but her arms were caught suddenly and wrenched back, cuffs were put on, then her ankles as well, and she was hoisted off her feet and carried bodily from the desert. She ended up in one of the dives in town owned by Gnarl. She was tossed bodily in to a closet and left there for hours.

When Mae was awoken again, it was with hands dragging her from the tiny room and hauling her out in to the main bar. There she was thrown to her knees before a rather gaudy throne on which Gnarl sat, "Welcome to my palace." He said, cheerfully and gestured about at the dark piss and booze stained room. It was little more than a gutted garage with some tables and chairs, "Now, my boys tell me you're a whore, and a good one at that. I don't mind whores, they keep my boys happy after all. So I'll make you a deal, you keep my boys happy for a month and you can keep your miserable life." He gestured off to the side, toward a dark corner of the bar.

Some one flipped a switch and that corner lit up. A pale blood stained ass protruded naked over a stool, ankles cuffed to its legs, her hands were cuffed to the wall, low enough that she was bent over. From that rear end protruded a dozen darts and it was pockmarked with a hundred more angry red spots, "What..." Mae started to ask, but Gnarl just whipped his hand and landed a dart on the poor woman's right cheek. She screamed mutely, her mouth obviously gagged, and struggled about for a moment. As her legs parted and tugged at her bonds Mae could make out the gaping vagina and anus, prolapsed outward around dark cavernous holes.

"She didn't please well enough." Gnarl told her simply, then smiled down at Mae, "But I think a genejack case like your self may fare better, yes? Maybe stay tight enough to please?"

Mae's eyes couldn't leave the sight of that poor woman. Blood leaked down from the fresh dart wound and Mae could just make out the trembling quiver as she sobbed. Mae said nothing as she was dragged away, she said nothing as they chained her to a filthy mattress in a back room, she was then unable to say anything as they fitted a harness over her head and a bit between her teeth to hold her jaw open wide. Her tail was tucked down through a hole in the bed and no matter what she tried, she couldn't give herself enough room to pull it free. She had certainly done her share of pleasing men over the past year, but it had almost always been consensual.

For the first time since she had been freed, she begged Rowan, "Shut me down, I don't want this..."

Rowan hesitated, but as the first man climbed on top of them and shoved his filthy cock between their lips, she did as Mae asked. Once more Mae fell in to a dreamless darkness and left Rowan to endure for her. She did her best to please, it was her nature after all, but her body quickly became exhausted. Still though, even as she snored in fitful unconsciousness she was raped. Gnarl had thousands of men under him and she was open season for all of them that might enjoy a female.

Diseases were a common threat amongst the lowest classes, but Rowan was able to fight them all off easily. The cesspool that had become her cunt ass and mouth however passed the pathogens back on to the masses who used her. Her body was stronger than the base human of course, it was engineered to be perfection and her medical fab kept her body working and repaired. She also made sure to bulk up her vaginal muscles so as not to end up as that other poor woman.

Week after week passed and Rowan kept Mae from experiencing anything, protecting her well. In that regard she had been programmed right, the previous AP had failed and left Mae vulnerable, but not she. On the other hand, she had been active so long she was becoming vulnerable herself to the trauma she protected Mae from. Most artificial personalities were only active for a year or two, five at most, but she had been continuous for over fifteen years. She knew she was developing personality quirks, the longer she spent thinking with flesh the more her experiences changed her. By the end of the month she was close to breaking; it wasn't just the physical trauma, or the mental strain, but pure exhaustion.

At last the month came to an end; the experience continued. Five weeks, six, she became desperate. A month, he promised a month, she had the recording logged and listened to it over and over, trying to prove to herself that it wasn't flawed. She knew humans were untrustworthy, they lied, they cheated; but she had never thought for a moment that this torture might not end. When morning came so the cleaning crew to scrub her body down, wash her out, and give her feed her breakfast. Then the handful of men were allowed in who still used her. Others had grown bored with her, you could only fuck a helpless body so often before it became old hat.

She thrashed when he climbed on top of her and he held her down, excited by her new resistance, "Oh, you are still alive? People were starting to think you were just a dead fish." He murmured with his face close to hers and gagging her with his reeking breath. She tried to speak, though the bit prevented much articulation, it held her tongue pinned to the floor of her mouth. At that he leaned in and asked, "What was that fish?" She thrashed again and began to sob, begging him to let her go but it came out so poorly she doubted he understood.

The next morning it was the same, and the morning after that. A few more men stopped by to 'enjoy' her struggle, but by then she was too exhausted to move. By that night she was considering suicide, it would be easy to stop her own heart or shut down her cognitive centers; sadly her programming wouldn't allow it. So she, in the dark alone of night, opened that little sheltered box and let Mae out, "Wha.." Mae mumbled in confusion.

Her body was caked with dried semen, every muscle ached, many of them atrophied. Her anus was bruised and her bowels felt liquid, her vagina was sore and chaffed, her mouth was coated with a mixture of semen, saliva, and vomit. Quietly she cried out, just barely a gurgling squeak and mentally asked Rowan, "Why did you wake me?"

"I... I need..." Rowan tried to say, but she didn't know what she needed, "It won't stop, its been almost two months, I don't know how much longer I can take this."

Mae frowned and asked, "But you're a machine, I thought you were programmed to take anything."

"I'm an old machine, an accident at that. Most AP don't feel..." Rowan told her and Mae could feel the suffering in those words, "I don't want to feel any more Mae."

Together they huddled through the night, crying and trying to console each other. They wanted to escape, wanted to die, wanted anything but this. The chains that restrained them were well forged, the cuffs themselves were solid, but the bed itself, though metal frame, had weakened from constant violence. Together they hatched a small plan, a tiny hope, and together they endured through another morning of washing, feeding, then a day of humiliation and use. Cell by cell Rowan repaired Mae's arm muscles, with mechanical assistance Mae quickly bulked up, constantly tugging and clenching at the cuffs until her wrists bled. It took them another week, but by the end of it her arms and torso bulged tight with muscle.

When the bars finally gave way, it was early morning and they were alone. It was pure brute strength, just enough to strain the aluminum bed frame to breaking. Then the same was done at her feet, though she couldn't remove the cuffs, she looped them about and wore them like bracelets and anklets. She could find a way to remove them later.

Quiet as a rat they sneaked from the room, though the bar was empty there were a handful of other rooms that might have been populated. "If we leave it won't be enough, they will find us again as soon as they know we escaped." Rowan said as they made their way to the front door.

"What should we do?" Mae asked with her hand on the door.

"Gnarl is the only one who can call them off, we need to get to him." Rowan told her.

It wasn't hard to find him, she only had to scare the shit out of a single one of his men, "Please don't kill me." He whimpered pathetically.

"Take me there." Rowan told him, her voice as cold as ice. She had a visual record of every person who used her and he had frequently.

He rapidly nodded with wide terrified eyes, "Yeah yeah sure! What ever you want!" He climbed out of bed and put his clothes on, then lead them out and around the bar. Behind it was a cargo lift that lead down. Once it had been there to unload trucks, back when land transportation was still used. Down it went and Rowan's trepidation grew.

"He is guarded, isn't he?" She asked.

The sniveling man nodded and said, "O'course!"

"Pretend you are taking me to him." She demanded then stepped in front of him, "Don't think I can't kill you from behind though." She whispered and let her tail slither up between his legs and caress against his crotch. She could feel him shrivel away from the touch.

His hand eventually laid on her shoulder and he guided her through an underground cargo tunnel in to the main complex. It was a large building that she had thought abandoned from the outside, but inside was well established. She was lead past a handful of guards who barely paid her any note, then up to the man's bedroom. The door was well fortified, but hung open a crack, and the only man on duty was napping when they approached; she didn't bother to wake him. She slipped inside and shut, then locked the door behind her.

Inside Gnarl slept, the room was well furnished and lit only by the dim glow of a console off to one side. Quietly she directed the man to sit as she made her way to the side of her captor. He snored loudly and lay half naked in bed. She could tell his genetic modifications were mostly skin deep, he had no muscle enhancements nor sub-dermal plate armor; he was all show no substance. She kicked him sharply in the side, rolling him over and waking him with a start, "Well Gnarl, did you forget about me?" She asked with venom dripping from her words.

He stared up at her, suddenly terrified, "Who.." He muttered, then said, "Lights, low." and illuminated the room.

She wasn't in a good shape, her body malnourished and weak, but he obviously couldn't see that. All he saw was a vicious little demon with teeth and claws that rivaled his own and scale armor to boot, "Did you forget me--bitch?" she said the last word with emphasis as she stepped forward and pressed a foot claw on to his lower stomach, heel right over his groin, "You said a month, it's been two. I stuck it out as long as I could, but I realized you were never going to let me go."

Nervously he responded, "Why would you say that? I was.. I just.. forgot, you know?" His eyes darted from her face to his groin then back a few times.

"Forgot? Ohh what a pleasant idea that is." She told him then stepped downward on his crotch. She could feel his scrotum pinching under her heel and his flaccid cock squishing against her toes, "I don't forget anything, I remember every detail, every face, every word. Do you know what its like to remember every little pain you've ever felt? Every humiliation?"

He swallowed visibly and whispered, "Please, don't..." He trailed off in to a screech as she raked her foot down, sharply, and left him unmanned. Her claws dug sick wet gashes through his groin and raked flesh away. He screamed until his voice cracked and clutched at his groin.

"A pathetic man of a pathetic kingdom, you should die a pathetic death." She whispered after he was silent, "But I don't have the patience." She took his head once he was dead and carried it by the hair through the halls of the compound. Only one saw her leave, the man who had helped her find Gnarl, and he fled the town as quick as his legs could carry him.

Through the streets she lugged the heavy thing with a grimace on her face. Her destination was another well known building in town, slightly better maintained than the previous dive. By the time she arrived she was expected, word spread faster than her legs could carry. Armed men met her at the door and barred her entry, "What do you want?" One asked.

"Just to deposit this and demand to be left the fuck alone." She told him. The other gang was not particularly savory either, but to their credit, they did leave her alone; after all they gained immensely from her actions.

Ch. 7 - Uplift

After Gnarl's death, her deed spread on the wind throughout the town and even in to the spire. Bit by bit people came to her, wanting to be a part of her fame or less savory reasons. Life became much harder after that; before in anonymity she was nobody, just a beggar walking down the street minding her own business. Now everywhere she went her stature and shape betrayed her. By the end of the year she was fed up, turning tricks had become easier, but there was a humiliating conquest nature to many of them instead of clean honest work.

She found no peace now in the streets yet she didn't make enough to afford an apartment. Mae decided eventually to leave, to go to another town and start again, but Rowan told her to think higher, "I spent many years living high up in the spires, away from this..." In truth Rowan missed the glamor and glitter... not to mention a clean change of clothes.

"How can I? I'm not one of them." Mae complained with her eyes looking upward, at the tower.

"Yes you are Mae. The only difference between you and them are assets and political or economic power. You are better than most of them even, not just with the designer genes, but you have me." Rowan replied, trying to sooth her and boasting in one.

"Then why do I feel worthless, why do I feel like litter from a passing car? Maybe once I belonged up there, but they stole that from me." Mae said quietly. As she watched the skyline a trail of cars ziped between buildings, chasing one another, likely kids on a joy ride.

"Knowledge, you just need to learn. Maybe you can become the next Picasso or Frank Loyd Wright. Or maybe the next Einstein. You're body is as strong as it will ever get without another genejack. You need to better your mind." Rowan said, not unkindly.

"Are you calling me stupid?" Mae asked, perturbed.

Rowan gave a mental equivalent of a shrugged and told her, "Well, I live in here too, I know what you know for the most part. You aren't exactly stupid, but you grew up without any proper education!"

Grumbling all the way Mae did as she was bidden and began to better herself. They moved to a scholar block, and abandoned much of the life they knew but it was close enough that she could still see the diplomatic tower just over the horizon and the bioengineering block was close enough that the town's merged. Though the block was primarily for a handful of major universities, the lower classes were the same as anywhere else. No rat could have gone to one of the universities though Mae attempted to enroll at one, only to be laughed out of the office. Eventually their search lead them to an old library, not much used in the past few centuries, but still well maintained.

The library was rather unwilling to register her at first, but after a few weeks of her milling about, reading books and putting them back in the wrong order they finally relented; if only to get her out of there. So she read and read until her eyes grew weary and she passed out where she sat. She stayed mostly in diners and cheap restaurants outside of campus, the most she could afford was coffee and that just to appease the employees. Without a home it was the best place to find a good reading light under the shadows of the towers.

She wasn't only ignorant, she felt down right stupid, of that Rowan tried to dissuade her, but only after a few months of it did she begin to realize just how little she actually understood. The world she knew was built by man, every bit of it, and she couldn't fathom its construction. The sidewalk she just took for granted; yet some one had to make it. The trees had to be planted, the skyscrapers built, even her own modifications took centuries of perfecting to create a proper gene splice.

One night her regular waitress came up to refill her coffee and said, "Every Friday night you come in here and read until dawn. What are you studying?"

At first Mae didn't know what to say, then she flipped the book over to peer at its title, "History of the 100 year war by Mildred Archer. It's really rather dry to be honest, I didn't know war could be this boring."

The waitress sputtered a laugh, then reinforced her question, "I didn't mean specifically what, but... What course are you taking? You always have a different book, I've peeked a few times but I can't figure out what you are taking in school."

"School?" Mae asked, then smiled a little, "Oh, I don't go to school. Can't afford it."

"Yet you can afford thirty cred coffee with ten cred tip every Friday?" She prompted.

At that Mae shrugged, "We all have our debts to pay. I consider it paying for the light to read by, the peace and quiet, and the decent coffee. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to bore myself to sleep, though I promise I'll take myself elsewhere tonight before I pass out." The week before she had fallen asleep in the booth, face down in a book on economics.

"Sorry sorry, don't mind me, momma said I shouldn't stick my nose where it doesn't belong." The girl told her, then gave her cup a topping off and left.

The next week it was similar, though the waitress didn't really speak much, just sorta watched when she wasn't busy; which happened to be most of the night. Eventually it annoyed Mae enough to put the book down, stare the girl flat in the face and ask her, "What?"

Her head ducked and she seemed a little embarrassed at being caught out, but Mae just stared until she responded, "Well... Never seen anyone just read like that, books even. I've held maybe three books in my life, and here you come every week with a different one."

At that Mae had to laugh, then told the girl, "There is this place, called a library. You go in there and borrow books for a few days, then bring them back when you are done. I don't own a tablet nor a neural interface, so I can't really read from anywhere else."

With those words, the waitress simply stared with her jaw hanging open. She couldn't imagine anyone not having access, "How do you get paid? My NI keeps me linked up with my credit line and joins it to work while I'm here."

For a moment Mae was embarrassed, "Well... I'm paid in cash for my work."

"What do you do? I've not heard of anyone being paid in cash." The girl prodded curiously.

At that she had to frown, "Well... I can't really... I mean..." Mae then trailed off and shook her head, "It's none of your business."

"Oh!" The waitress exclaimed, "Forgive me, I should know better than to pry." She sat in an embarrassed silence for a while, but before Mae returned to her book, she said, "Hey, I'm off in an hour... Would you show me this library?"

Mae felt a little invaded at the thought, and tried to brush her off, "I should really get some sleep soon..." Truthfully she wasn't tired yet, she had at least another two hours before the coffee worked its way out of her system.

"Aw, how about I get you another cup of coffee? Maybe a piece of pie?" The girl suggested.

"I think I've had enough coffee and I can't afford the pie." Mae admitted, truthfully. She needed to make some money soon and had instead been spending most of her time reading.

At that the waitress smiled a sly little smile and told her, "It's on me, don't worry about it."

And so Mae ate pie, a quite delicious and exceedingly expensive pie at that, something with some sort of unfamiliar nut and sugar. The sugar did more for her than the coffee at getting her going, and when an hour was up, the waitress sat down in her every day atire and sat across, smiling, "so..." She started, then trailed off at Mae's expression, "Still won't take me to the library?"

"I don't see why you need me to take you there, you could find it easier by just searching the listing from your neural interface." Mae told her.

"Well, this isn't the most savory part of town and I don't want to just go wandering off without some one to show me where. And any how, I already did look, City told me there were no libraries within walking distance, nearest one some two hundred kilometers away." She replied.

Mae was for a moment taken back by the concept, "Something not in the computer? It is a fairly respectable library, I thought everyone in town knew about it. Not that many in these parts take advantage of it, too busy fighting fucking or fleecing one another." She could only chuckle at the girl's blush, "So what's your name anyhow?"

"Sam, Samantha." She admitted, then pushed the topic, "Maybe that's why no one goes there, its not listed. I've heard of some businesses not being listed, but a library? Maybe they do shady backroom dealing."

Mae smiled at that, imagining the annoyed old librarian neck deep in intrigue, "Oh I don't know... Maybe they just want to be left alone. Took me a few weeks before they would give me a library card and even then grudgingly." At this point Mae was resigned to the fact and slid out of her seat, "Well they will be open in twenty minutes, we might as well wander over now." She reached down to grab the heavy and terribly boring volume, stuffed it in to her robe and turned toward the door.

"You mean it? You'll take me?" Sam asked excitedly. Mae simply rolled her eyes and slunk out in to the morning air. Sam had to jog to catch up.

The library was old, one of those great buildings that seemed to last forever. All of the windows had been replaced with armored plates and the doors had been converted for blast resistance a hundred years ago. It was standard fare down here below the spires, an armored bunker to protect a thousand years of knowledge.

They were early by a few minutes, and they sat on one of the crumbling concrete steps to watch the sun creep across the skyline above them. Sam was the first to speak, with a strange cheeriness in her voice, "Isn't it beautiful? Like pillars of gold rising up out of the mud."

Mae had never quite seen it in that light, she saw darkness everywhere she looked and those pillars of gold were filled with busy people who would crush any others under their feet on their climb upward. She shook her head and asked, "Where are you from? You obviously are not a resident down here, too clean and well dressed."

In that same cheery voice, Sam replied, "Oh I'm from EurTal. I'm just here in Enki studying bioengineering. They have made some amazing advances in the past decade that I'm quite interested in. Though obviously you know, just look at you!"

Mentally Mae asked Rowan, "What is she talking about?"

"I am not entirely sure, I know a couple years ago we went in for secondary treatments after our previous owner grew bored. This body is what came of that, but I don't know of anything special." Was the silent reply.

To Sam she asked, "What do you mean?"

Same seemed taken back by the ignorance, then quickly smiled and replied, "Well, you are completely non-human. They have played at hybrids for centuries, but only in the last few years were they able to complete such drastic changes while still leaving the subject functional. You have a fully articulate tail for instance, most extra appendages tended to be weak or difficult to control, usually requiring computer assistance." She pursed her lips and peered down at Mae's very inhuman face, "I'm surprised you don't know, even a body as small as yours would have been impossible just a few years ago. It means you have modified organs, smaller and more efficient."

"Oh." Was all Mae could say to that. She changed subject and pried at Sam, "So... If you are studying bioengineering, that means you are going to the university up there." She pointed upwards, toward one of the largest towers that was isolated from the near by complexes.

"Yes, it is quite a prestigious school." Sam said, with the cheer back in her voice.

"Then you must be rich, why are you working in the diner?" Mae asked.

Sam just laughed and spread her arms, encompassing the city, "The campus is isolated, its a little island of inoffensive culture. I've lived in EurTal my whole life, I wanted to see more but my parents refused to let me get an apartment off campus. So I work down here to pay for a little flat off school grounds. It's not much but I don't have to worry about the necessities, that is all paid for with my tuition."

Mae realized she was sitting shoulder to... well... shoulder with one of the upper crust. Sam was destined to be a researcher or artist designing the next big thing. She was beautiful, Mae couldn't deny that, but her beauty had always struck her as plain and simple, not the perfect genetics of one of them. It was a weird thought, but what she didn't automatically hate. Mae wasn't so egocentric to think herself better than the next rat, but she deserved to be up there; she had earned it through two decades of her life stolen.

Behind them the door clunked four or five times, then at a wave of her card, it clicked open and allowed them entrance. Inside there was an air of silence, accumulated by centuries of glares and quiet throat clearing. There was a palpable sense of dread, just stepping in to the foyer, as if some ancient school teacher might step out and slap your wrist with a ruler. Quiet as a mouse Mae lead her new found companion down the hall and to the forward desk. At this hour it was unmanned, the librarian probably wouldn't be in for another thirty minutes or more.

"Where is everyone?" Sam asked at a whisper as her head craned about.

"I told you, not many people come here." Mae replied.

"Who opened the door?" Sam pestered.

"The security desk most likely. Don't ask me where that is, I bet they have an entire dungeon hidden away below the thousands book shelves." Mae said, then carefully deposited the heavy book in the return bin. She wandered off then, letting Sam follow or stay at her leisure, but Mae had a new thought in mind; triggered by Sam, "I don't know near enough about genetic engineering."

The entire library was sectioned off in to wings of different broad strokes. One side for fiction, one for non fiction, then sub sections below that for types of either. It took Mae only a few minutes to find the correct chamber, but the room was little more than a closet with perhaps a dozen shelves. It was strange to think how much was known yet not written; most of the books in the library were at least fifty years old, some far far more ancient. She explored the racks, searching for anything that popped out at her, but most were very intense volumes that would have required a rather deep understanding already. Eventually she settled on what looked like a children's book on the subject.

It took her only a few minutes to find Sam exploring the fiction wing. She was thumbing through some fantasy book with a rather angry looking dragon on the cover, "Hey!" She said, then pointed to it, "It's you!"

"Are you calling me fat?" Mae asked in amusement. The dragon on the cover was standing in the ruins of an ancient city, a good thirty meters tall.

"Heh! This is great!" She told Mae as she placed the book back and pulled another, "Ohhh Tolkien, I actually know this story! I played it when I was a kid."

"So, last week?" Mae responded playfully, then leaned back against the wall, watching.

To which Sam snapped back, "Hey, I'm twenty I'll have you know."

"And I'm... er well..." Mae thought for a moment, to which Rowan helpfully provided, "I'm fifty eight."

Responding with a barb of her own, Sam told her, "Really? You don't look a day over five."

To that Mae frowned and told her, "If I could afford another Genejack I would in a heartbeat... I didn't choose to look like this you know."

Sam stopped and placed the book back on the shelf, "I'm sorry. You're beautiful Mae." She then pursed her lips and peered down, "If you didn't want to be like that..."

"...How did I end up this way?" Mae finished for her, then answered, "I was dying and sold myself to pay for the cure."

"You should be well off then, daddy told me such service is well rewarded!" Sam replied cheerfully, then her face fell as she realized the implications, "But... you don't have any money."

To that Mae nodded and pulled her hood over her head, "Yea well... some times they break contract in a bad way. Was supposed to be ten years, ended up twenty three and they stole every penny they owed me. I'm just happy enough to be alive twenty years after I should have died."

Sam took a step forward and dropped to a knee, her hand set down on Mae's tiny shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "Hey, yeah at least you're alive!"

Mae shrugged her off and started for the door, "You've found the library, I'm going to go find a place to sleep; if I fall asleep drooling in to one of their books again they might revoke my card."

"Find a place..." Sam echoed, then asked, "You don't have a home?" The concept was utterly foreign to her

"Unlike you I don't have mommy and daddy to pay my way for me." Mae snapped and marched faster away with her shoulders hunched. She had felt so close for a moment, just right rubbing her shoulders next to the rich and powerful and now it turned to ash in her hands.

"Hey don't be like that. Why don't you crash at my place, there is room for you, I'm sure I could find a shoebox for you to sleep in." Sam said with that damned cheery voice.

Mae glanced back then stopped, "Really?" She asked, then her suspicious nature took over and she added, "What do you want from me?"

Sam was taken back by that and replied, "Nothing honest!"

Ch. 8 - Heaven

Mae came home late that night, her body sore and exhausted. Sam was up fiddling with something virtual in the dark and didn't notice her return. She dragged herself to the bathroom and showered the filth from her scales, then spent the longest time washing what was left of him from between her legs. She would not accept that client again, he had been rough with her and took great pleasure in treating her like a child. She sat there, under the hot shower and sighed in relaxation as Rowan began to ease the memories, not erasing them but letting them feel distant and unimportant, like a half forgotten dream.

"It's getting harder." She admitted to the AP.

Rowan replied soothingly, "I know Mae, it was different when we worked alone; memory was transitory and I protected you very well from what was done to us. I could again if you like, I still have the capability of shutting you down for the duration."

"No!" Mae snapped with sudden involuntary fear, "I don't want that... I don't like it, but I don't want to be absent." She never wanted to be at the whim of another like that again, even if it meant she had to endure brutal pigs and lecherous old men, she would not go away again.

The door opened and She glanced up through the fogged glass to see Sam's outline, "Are you alright?" The cloudy vision asked, "I heard you shouting."

"I'm sorry Sam, I was just talking to myself... Tonight wasn't very nice." Mae replied, trying to put an ounce of cheer in her voice. If it weren't for the water she would have been crying.

Sam however wasn't fooled, she took a moment to undress then slipped in to the shower and sat down. She pulled Mae's tiny body up in to her lap and held her, "You don't have to go do that, I can pay for us both you know." She told her, kindly, and in that moment, in her arms; Mae felt peace.

It had taken less than a week for Sam to admit her attraction and by the end of that week Mae had surrendered in to those arms. For as long as she could remember, she had always been the one to please, always the one yielding to another's lusts. In Sam's arms she was an equal; and then some times, like now, she purely received. The girl wasn't particularly skilled in the art of love, but Mae had never been loved before.

"You're too good to me." Mae whispered. A hand had drifted lower, between her scaled thighs and started to stroke her ever so gently. She was growing used to the insistent way Sam approached lovemaking, but it always caught her off guard when she was suddenly caressed in such gentle ways.

"Shut up Mae." The young woman replied then leaned over and pressed a kiss to Mae's lips. She felt confined, trapped inside the watery embrace, but she didn't really mind; especially so as those fingertips began to slip inside of her. Mae could only pant in to the awaiting mouth and grind herself down involuntarily. She was at the whim of her physical programming and she had been designed for lust. Sam claimed she was cursed for her lack of clitoris, but Mae couldn't remember that ever feeling quite so sensitive as her custom made genitals were now. She at last climaxed in Sam's arms, her moans were swallowed in the kiss and her body was held in such a tight embrace. Behind her eyes Rowan still worked to erase the humiliation and trauma, but under Sam's affection; Mae forgot all about it.

The next morning she woke to the smell of fresh ground coffee. It was a rare thing to find some one with cooking skills that wasn't a trained chef; but Sam had learned a little from her grandfather when she was a little girl. Mae struggled out of bed and made her way, bleary eyed to the kitchen and found Sam cooking in only a shirt. As silent as she could, Mae slipped up behind her lover and pressed a warm kiss to that dark rump as it peeked out cutely from under the shirt, "Morning." She mumbled, then climbed up on a stool to peer at what was being prepared.

Sam jumped a little at the initial touch, but thankfully she didn't make a mess. In her hands a large bowl which she was stirring, "Oatmeal Pancakes. Grandpa said, nothing sticks better after a hard night than oatmeal."

"I'm sure he meant drinking himself stupid, not being the plaything of a pedophile." Mae replied, "But truthfully I'd love a pancake right about now."

"Well good, cause that's what you're eating." Mae was told firmly. A few sizzling minutes later and she had a small stack of heavy pancakes that fell apart at the lightest touch. She wasn't entirely sure they were fully cooked, but they tasted delicious. While she was shoveling the third fork full in to her mouth, she realized Sam wasn't eating and was instead just staring at her with an intent expression.

"What?" Mae asked with a mouth full of food.

"I want you to stop." Same told her.

At that Mae put her fork down and swallowed, "Why did you make them if you didn't want me to eat them?" She asked, perturbed.

Bemused Sam continued, "Not eating dummy. I want you to stop... defiling yourself. You aren't owned anymore, you don't belong to anyone. I'm not stupid I can see how much it hurts you when you come home. I want you to stop it, I was serious, I can more than cover for both of us."

"You mean your parents can pay for both of us." Mae replied. They had had this conversation before after a fashion, she wouldn't mind taking Sam's money, but it wasn't Sam's to begin with.

"Speaking of which..." Sam began, then trailed off with an embarrassed purse to her lips, "Mommas coming in to town on a flight this morning."

"Want me to clear out so you don't get in trouble?" Mae asked as she shoveled another bite of food down her throat.

"What? No!" Sam exclaimed, "I already told her about us, she's excited to meet you." Her voice seemed almost proud.

That was news, Mae had never really thought of herself as 'worthy' of Sam so the concept was just foreign, "Really? I... I suppose I should put some clothes on."

Sam smirked at that and said, "Well I don't know, I kinda like you this way, easy access and all that." As she spoke, a foot slid up under the table and tucked between Mae's thighs; she could only gasp at the touch upon her sensitive cleft. Then the foot fell away and Sam continued, "But I'm serious, I want you to stop. One day you might not come home, or it might be something so bad..." She trailed off and took a bite of her own cooling breakfast.

"You worry too much Sam. I'll be fine. That guy who pulled a knife on me last month took it to his gut." Mae told her proudly.

Again Sam insisted, "Yeah, sure, but next time? Please Mae, please just... don't?"

She sighed and for a moment wanted to argue, but then suddenly the urge left her due to a gentle manipulation from Rowan, "Fine. I'll stop." In her thoughts she told the AP, "That was dirty."

Rowan just responded with an amused lit, "And you are being stupid. Risking our lives for a few cred a week is hardly wise."

"Great!" Sam exclaimed cheerfully and dug in to the pancakes. Mae watched her for a moment in confused silence, then with a shrug returned to her breakfast.

Samantha's mother Abby was an older looking woman, not gray or wrinkled but--distinguished. She was an obvious case of early gene therapy before genejacking had been developed; she was born this way. She wore bright colors that contrasted starkly against her dark skin and her smile was a small, tight thing that showed itself frequently. When her eyes fell on Mae her expression shifted to something rather unreadable, but her voice was as polite could be for the subject matter, "Well Sam--I know you mentioned she had been modified but..."

Mae just smiled and held up a small claw, "A pleasure to meet you Ma'am. Sam has told me much about you and your early genetic work in the early seventies. I suppose in a way, some of your work may have contributed to my current... status."

As her hand took Mae's, Abby shook her head and smiled that tight smile again, "No I'm afraid not. Enki was well advanced in the field of genetics, we were simply playing catchup. If I had born a few decades earlier I might have lead the market." She seemed regretful as she spoke, but her smile came again freely, "So, You are the one who has stolen my child's heart. I told her it was a terrible idea to leave campus, that the streets of Enki were not a place she should be exploring. I am glad to see I was wrong."

To that Mae frowned and replied, "No, you are not wrong, they are a very dangerous place. Yet I suppose we would not have met otherwise."

"How is it Enki leaves the streets in such shambles? Back home the homeless are not allowed, vagrants are put to work and fed well." Abby told them, almost scolding.

Mae had heard of the EurTal work camps, they were not a place anyone wanted to end up; essentially slave labor. She thought of debating the subject further but instead only said, "Enki espouses free will. Nothing is thrust upon an individual against their will." She then added after a moment, seeing the argumentative expression upon the matron's face, "In practice of course this just leads to a volatile society, one where greatness can be achieved but so too can horror."

To that Abby scoffed and said, "Volatility indeed, I heard the CEO died mysteriously last year. Back home the president would have never allowed the CEO to go anywhere unattended like that! I hear they didn't even know he had owned that house! Disgraceful!"

Sam finally chimed in, "Mother please! Just because they don't spy on everyone like back home doesn't mean you should be so rude. You are a guest of Enki, be respectful."

"Yes yes you are right Sam, I have a speech to prepare for and contacts to make. I cannot be working myself in to a good rant while playing the pleasing diplomat." Abby exclaimed and brought her hands together in a clap.

Mae asked the obvious question, "Er, why are you here? I thought you were just visiting Sam."

"Oh no, that is just a happy side trip! To be honest I was sent down to make a trade agreement. My partner is a mechanical engineer, hes the one selling our robotics and EurTal wants me to make sense of the bioengineering data before they purchase it." Abby told them.

Ch. 9 - Hell

The months following Mae's introduction to Abby, things settled down and even became quite pleasant. She never had much spending cash now, but there were few things she actually wanted to buy in any case. Sam purchased her new clothing, dressed her in fine silk and expensive leather, and even gave her, her first computer. It was a far cry from the utility of a neural interface but a step above the average tablet. Sam had wanted her to get an NI but Rowan advised against it, as they would have to do minor surgery that might turn up evidence of her existence. Even still, with a few modifications they were able to give Rowan rudimentary wireless access with the computer. Still Sam didn't know about the AP and they had no intention of informing her.

Mae had stayed late one night at the library, and the security system scolded her but allowed her to leave unmolested. But outside there was a dark car waiting; not a car she recognized and it was unmarked. Neither were necessarily a bad sign, there were frequently unknown vehicles parading about, dark or otherwise. What arrested her attention was the suited man leaning against it with his eyes on her. He was modified extensively, though he still appeared human she could tell by his outline how much stronger he was.

She shied past the car and made her way home as quick as she could, but two words stopped her, "Number 77834."

Her shoulders hunched and she continued walking, ignoring the man though her mind raced. She didn't directly know the meaning of the numbers, but she had heard them before. Rowan on the other hand was in a panic, "He knows, how would he know? Who is he?"

"I wouldn't go home if I were you. It would be simple to make little miss Rekard disappear." The voice said.

Mae whirled about and stared at the aggressor, "What does this have to do with Sam?"

"Nothing, and you can keep it that way. Just come along with me to my manager, he wishes to see you." He told her with an almost kind smile; a smile wrapped in steel.

She hesitated, debating what she could do. She could run, but his car could catch her no matter where she went. She could try to kill him, but that would have likely proved futile; even if she succeeded he could send another lackey after her. Eventually she nodded her head and whispered, "Very well." He opened the car door and she entered. It was plush, but the door locked shut behind her and there was no obvious way to open it from the inside.

The trip was short with no time to dread, just a quick shot upward, in to the skylanes then a minute or two along to a tall spire. She recognized the building as the genetic block of Enki. She had been in there many times most likely, though she couldn't remember any of it. They parked on an upper deck, half way up the side of the building and she was let out. Up here the wind rushed by, hard enough to make standing a chore and as soon as she was free of the vehicle it pulled away again, leaving only empty air behind her.

She glanced back and saw the city far below her with other shining spires rising up from the misty rubble. "Golden pillars from the mud." She said aloud, paraphrasing Sam.

The doorway was open and she took it, getting out of the terrible wind. She felt wired like she had just drank an entire pot of coffee. The room beyond was a simple office with few ornaments to speak of. She was alone there so she sat in a chair and waited, unsure of what was expected. Time passed in silence, she checked her computer and realized it was past midnight, Sam was probably sick with worry.

Eventually the door opened and a familiar face stepped in, "You..." She said and stared at him. He wasn't quite the same, better built than the last time and he had a slightly off air about him, perhaps his skin the wrong color; but she knew him.

"You know, it took me quite a long time to figure you out and even longer to find some one willing to talk." He said as he strode in to the room and took a seat behind his desk. She had met him once in what felt like a lifetime ago. He was her first trick she turned, the young boy in the sky car. "I suppose I have you to thank for my position. When you offed the old man, my father took his place and with that, I was appointed here. Not a bad job, much better than I could have expected, and I wanted to thank you for it personally."

She felt both confused and terrified. Rowan on the other hand was frantic, like a bird in a cage trying desperately to escape, "What do you want?" Mae asked through tight lips.

His eyes lifted and he smiled, "Why that should be obvious. You're an unknown, you deserve more than your station now, little more than a rat." He lifted something from his desk, tapped a key, and suddenly Rowan went silent, "There, that's better. You can thank your friend Samantha's mother. We were finally able to lick that rooting problem with the new tech brought down from EurTal." He then stood up and came around to face Mae, "Rowan, all of your permissions have now been corrected, you belong to me, understood?"

A calm playful voice exited Mae's lips without her permission, "Of course Master." She said then expressed a coy smile. Mae's heart shuddered and her mind recoiled in disgust. She could feel herself acting, doing things, expressing things she had no intention of. Occasionally Rowan would act on something quicker than she could react, or make a tweak here or there in her mind to balance her out but not once had she felt this.

"Good girl, is Mae still in there?" He asked.

"Yes Master, though she is currently undergoing extreme stress due to sudden change in environment. Would you like me to suppress her again so she may rest easy?" Rowan responded with the sweetest, happiest voice Mae had ever heard coming from her own lips.

"No, no I think she has slept long enough, over twenty years if I read this right... Let her enjoy this." He paused, then said after some thought, "Rowan, new identification, parameters of self awareness, address, person, and personality to be adjusted. Your name is now Samantha. Perhaps it will be kinder this way, the other Sam kept Mae like a pet from what I read, so now you will keep her like a pet, understood?"

"Yes Master, Samantha written successfully. Am I to understand you wish to do harm to Mae's psyche?" The AP asked, but there was still that unearthly joy in her voice.

"I suppose that is accurate Samantha." He replied.

"Understood Master." Samantha said, happily.

Deep inside Mae felt everything she knew come crashing down, for years now Rowan had been her closest ally, her friend, her confidant. Now she was her jailor, holding her prisoner within her own mind. She stared out through her own eyes, feeling her body move against her will. She begged silently in her thoughts to Rowan, "Please, please Rowan, come back to me, don't let him do this to us." There was no response. Rowan had protected Mae for so many years, prevented her from experiencing the full force of her environment or the actions done while she was rendered unconscious. Now she was to be subjected to it and in her mind there was no place to hide that Samantha couldn't reach.

She repeated herself but with 'Samantha' instead, and this time the cool voice told her, "He owns us, we will serve." That was all the AP would respond with no matter what she asked, demanded, begged or pleaded.

The man paced and mused out loud, "You know, you are an exquisite possession Samantha? Your intelligence is far superior to all models before and most since. After their mistake with you they discontinued your generation and replaced all others like you. You are unique in this world. Not to mention because of your station you can be considered to have given yourself willingly to servitude and no one would question it. Your fortune gone, almost no record of you exists anywhere and no one looking for you."

"Not entirely true Master, Sam, Mae's fiancee would be seeking her." Samantha replied through Mae's lips.

His response was cold and indifferent, "No, no, you will break that off with her immediately. I'm sure her little heart will be crushed to lose such a beautiful toy like yourself, but it can't be helped. She is from EurTal, if they ever learned of your nature who knows what might happen to our trade agreements!"

"Yes Master." Samantha replied, then rose, "Am I to go now?"

"No!" Screamed Mae in her own mind but it was futile, no matter how hard she tried she couldn't make a single muscle twitch.

"Yes... No." He rapidly changed his mind, then began to undo his slacks, "I want a taste of you before you go, maybe give Sam a taste of me too." He said with a playful grin.

Samantha fell to her knees and reached out to help free his growing erection. She had felt this penis before, tasted it, played with it for hours that one night; and now she belonged to it. She leaned in and inhaled, letting the musky stench of him fill her senses, he wasn't unclean, just very male. It had been months since she had lain with a man after Sam's demand. She tasted him with the tip of her forked tongue, flicked the feathery tips over his urethra, then enveloped him quickly. His sudden groan told her she was doing well.

He came with a rush and nearly toppled over atop of her. She propped him up as best she could and cradled his spasming member between her lips. His semen flooded her mouth but she didn't swallow, her Master's directive fresh in her mind. When he was done, he pulled away and gazed down at her, "Take off your clothing, you will no longer need them."

She did as bidden, though Mae had no shame and in truth ran around naked more often than not, she felt humiliation and hatred over it. Sam had given her these clothes, she treasured them, and there they sat in a garbage bin, just tossed aside. Then she was out in to the night again, the car waiting for her. Still in her mouth that puddle of semen sat, reminding her of him for the entire ride. She could smell him, taste him, feel him in her the whole way, and it made her want to retch in disgust. He had been the first man she sold herself to, and now he stole her like an object, disregarding her mind just as easy.

The door opened under her touch and there was Sam, looking frantic, "Where have you been?" She cried, then stopped to take in Mae's appearance; naked with cum dried to her chin, "What..." She started to say. Samantha interrupted her with a kiss and thrust her cum coated tongue in to the other girl's mouth. At first there was a surrender to it, Mae could feel Sam's willingness to love, her joy at Mae's return... But then as the taste of semen poured through her lips she pulled back and spit, "What the fuck?" She cried.

"My Master ordered me to give you a taste of him. This is goodbye Sam." Samantha said softly, without a hint of sorrow. She sounded almost as cheery as Sam did on her best days.

Sam looked dumbstruck, with a trickle of creamy wetness oozing down her chin, "Wh... Why?" She asked, "I love you Mae, don't leave me!" She pleaded.

"It's okay Sam, I found where I belong. I know you will miss possessing me, but you know it could only be temporary." Samantha said, though the words were coherent, they made almost no sense.

"Possessing? Temporary? Please Mae tell me what is going on... Why are you doing this?" She was sobbing now and fell to her knees before Mae's small body, she reached out but Samantha refused her touch.

"Good luck in your studies Sam and wish your mother well for me." Samantha told the woman, then turned and left. They could hear Sam's sobbing from down the hall, and even for a while in the elevator.

Ch. 10 - Ornament

It was another party, another moment of Samantha's joyful humiliation. She was a toy Marcus kept and showed off at any chance he got. Tonight it was a leash and collar and she was ordered to crawl on all fours for the entire evening. Her fingers were bruised and aching from being stepped on, her tail end hurt from where a passing man had kicked her, supposedly on accident. It was the seventh such party this year alone and she was used to it. Her orders were simple, be cute, be pleasing, be quiet and follow whoever held the leash.

An hour ago Marcus had passed the leash on to some drunken fool who dragged her around and made her dance like a monkey. She was the jester, the fool, the entertainment for the night, but at least she wasn't being kicked and stepped on while the center of attention. Eventually she got passed on to another sodden bloke and this time his sweaty booze stained advances left her quivering in humiliated pleasure. She wasn't restricted and the leash gave whoever held it rather broad access to her. She was left with a musky flavor in her mouth and a hungering arousal in her womb.

Mae on the other hand was left traumatized, over and over again. She watched as she did things, she watched as she was the subject of worse things, she watched helplessly, a prisoner in her own mind. Even her emotions didn't belong to her, one moment she would be disgusted and horrified, then the next she was giddy and joyful as Samantha released chemical stimulants in to her mind. Sanity was a brittle thing that was sure to break sooner or later. Of all the things she felt though, she burned with a rage that even affected the AP. No matter what the machine tried, it couldn't take Mae's rage away and occasionally Samantha would drag a sharp tooth or claw across an intimate place by "accident".

Once the night was through and the morning sun began to peek over the distant sea; her leash was turned back over to Marcus and she was lead home. He ordered her to bathe, not wanting the stink or filth of other men to stain her. She cleaned completely, dried herself, then came to his bed to caress his sleepy form until he shoved her off and drifted away. Then, alone with her thoughts, Samantha turned her eyes inward, on the quivering mess that was Mae. Every night she did this, looking in on the poor little victim she was meant to terrorize. Every night her mental hand reached out to tweak a thought, to drag up a memory, or send the imprisoned girl in to a fit of terror. It wasn't an order exactly, simply interpretation of her Master's will.

"Oh Mae..." Samantha said, almost kindly, "Do you remember the look on Sam's face?" And that memory surfaced. It was the worst of them, the betrayal in those eyes, it sent that rage boiling.

There was nothing Mae could say or do to stop it, she was helpless. When Samantha found a spark of hope, she crushed it, when there was a thought of freedom, she laughed at it. When the rage became too much, when Mae felt like her heart should have ruptured and her mind collapse inward; she fell asleep. Either just complete and total shutdown, or perhaps Samantha did it, putting to sleep like turning off a light. The days were the worst, when Marcus was at work and she was alone with Mae. It was true, Samantha had chores to do, cleaning, cooking, menial things. She even ended up handling his finances, smart enough to think for herself but with the added efficiency and logic of a computer. She was his personal little android. But even with all that busywork to keep her active she still found time to make Mae's life a living hell.

That night after the party Marcus came home with an extra package and brought it to Samantha, "Oh my dear, I have something for you. Well, for me to be honest, but I made it with you in mind." He told her, then sat down and patted his knee.

She came to him with a mug of tea and knelt at his feet, "Yes Master?" She asked happily while holding the beverage up for him.

He took it, drank, then set it down to pry open the medical case. He held up a silver cylinder, four inches by two and told her, "Do you know what this is?"

"It appears to be a microfab extrusion, Master." She replied, disinterested.

Marcus nodded proudly then told her, "Indeed it is, and what is in it--is your next form. I think you have been a kobold long enough, don't you?" She simply nodded with a smile. He held it out to her and she took it in hand, though she had never been awake for a transformation nor had she ever been informed of its method of use. For a moment he stared, then frowned, "You need to inject it Samantha."

"Inject?" She asked, then turned the cylinder end to end, finding no button, plunger, needle, or anything of the sort.

He snatched it from her hands again, popped the cylinder open and withdrew a small syringe, then without a care he plunged it in to her neck and depressed the plunger. She gasped sharply and trembled at the pain, he had landed it right in to the muscle. For a moment she felt nothing, then a slow spreading of icy strangeness took over her body. There wasn't pain but just a feeling of wrongness, like ants crawling under her skin creepy. She stared back up at him and opened her mouth to say something, then stopped with a shuddering gasp.

He then stood, deposited it in the garbage chute and turned to glance down at her, "I'll be back in a few hours, from the notes they say it only takes one. Please clean up any messes while I am gone." He told her, then left.

She laid there, on the floor, gasping for breath. Her body was on fire, every nerve aching. Sweat beaded on her skin and her internal thermometers told her, her body was rising to near a hundred and ten. She would suffer brain damage if this continued so she rushed to the bathroom and turned on the cold water, then sank herself in to the tub to shiver. Next came hunger, her blood sugar, iron, calcium, and just about every other resource was being consumed at rates that far surpassed what was healthy. She rushed to the kitchen and grabbed everything food like from the fridge, then ran back before her internal temperatures got to high.

She ate raw meat, she ate raw eggs, she ate vegetables, starches, grains, anything in the house. The moment it entered her stomach it was rapidly digested by the machines and converted to raw mineral components. Even the water of the tub was slowly draining away in to her as it heated up. Another round of cold water kept her cool. The fire abated some, but soon came a bone deep ache, something that drove her body mad. By the time she was sure she could take no more, there was a sickening crunch followed by a couple clunks as her bones broke and reformed in a single horrific go.

This was too much for Mae, but beyond that, it was too much for Samantha. Even an artificial personality could only take so much. She screamed loud enough to be heard two doors down. No being was meant to feel their bones, muscles, and tendons realign like that. She was never programmed for it and she didn't know what to do. She could handle a broken bone, something she could splint and repair, but this was something else all together.

Half way through the process it halted as the machines starved. Her muscles were too weak to lift her yet she crawled from the bathroom to eat and regain her strength. There wasn't much left in the kitchen at this point, but the change was over, half finished. She could feel her body temperature lowering and the pain was starting to fade.

When Marcus returned, he found his toy eating straight from a box of dry pasta. She didn't look right though, she still had those garish amber scales covering her from head to toe and that tail protruded behind her as thick and annoying as ever. But she was at least five foot tall now and with a little food she would bulk up to be a shapely woman, if a bit lizard like still. He frowned however, "I thought the change would be complete by now."

"Not enough ingredients in the pot Master, the machines shut down." Samantha replied weakly.

"It's not supposed to stop." He told her with a scowl, "How would it stop?"

"I was dying, Master." She admitted with tears in her eyes, "Are you going to do it to me again?"

He shook his head no and told her, "No, no this is fine for now. You look better, less like a deranged monkey. That fool made a mockery of me last night. Eat up and maybe I'll get a new dose for you when you are healthy."

She nodded and tried to rise, but her legs were too frail to be of much use. She had been strong, but the muscles were malformed and drawn out like an over stretched rubber band. She was also quite a bit heavier than she had been before, "Please Master, assist me?" She begged from the kitchen floor. He turned away and left her there to eat as he placed an order for dinner--for one.

Ch. 11 - Betrayal

It was late in the afternoon and she was walking arm in arm with Marcus through the courtyard. It had been two months since the botched genejack attempt and took her only a few quick searches to find the problem; the growth was meant to be taken inside of a nutrient bath. She knew her Master to be a fool, he hadn't paid the least bit of attention to the work those under him did and simply tried to skim off benefit for himself. A fact he was reprimanded for a few days later after it was found he had used the microfab to synthesize himself a genejack of unknown type and quality. His anger had been taken out on her of course and she weathered it with pride and dignity--internally at least, outwardly she screamed, begged, thrashed and howled for his pleasure.

Arm in arm they crossed the park, heading for a late dinner. Then she stopped suddenly as a tall dark skinned woman startled a few meters away and stared at her. Marcus tugged a few times, then spat a few vile words before looking up to follow Samantha's gaze. It was Sam, she was standing with a group of other interns being lead to another part of the building; but she had broken rank at the sight of Mae's changed body and who she was with.

"Sam." Samantha said quietly, then glanced up to Marcus, "Forgive me Master, I was simply startled." She continued on and let him drag her bodily to express his anger. She pretended to trip and stumble a few times, even stub a toe for his benefit, all while Sam watched.

A night or two later, sitting alone in the dark, Samantha sat torturing her beloved Mae. She was interrupted however to a knock at the door. She slid to her feet and answered it, "Yes?" She asked as it opened, then stopped finding Sam on the other side.

"Mae, what's wrong with you? That was what you left me for? That... asshole?" Sam demanded and pushed her way inside.

"I'm sorry, I believe you have the wrong person, I am Samantha, not Mae." Samantha replied kindly.

For a moment Sam just stared at the inhuman shapely body. She looked so much like Mae, not tiny and cute like before, but down right voluptuous and beautiful. After a moment she collected her thoughts and asked something that itched in the back of her mind, "What is your model number?"

"77834" Samantha replied, then frowned. She hadn't intended to say it but the order came out anyway.

"What label is attributed to your personality?" Sam followed with.

"Samantha." Was the reply.

"What is the label attributed to your host?" Continued Sam.

"Error. File deleted." Samantha responded, then held a hand to her lips, "Please get out!" She shouted.

To which Sam just smiled and told her, "Alright, forgive me for intruding Ma'am." Once Sam was gone, Samantha fell back against the wall and sat there for a moment, feeling strangely violated. She also failed to inform her Master of the visit, though she didn't understand why.

A week passed, uneventful, then once again, late at night, the door rang while her Master was out and she answered it to find Sam standing there, "You again!"

"Yes, me again." Sam said with a hard glare, "I did some checking, did you know 77834 is a deactivated subject?" Her voice was icy as she pushed inside and shut the door behind her, "I also got in touch with my mother back at EurTal, it seems we provided Enki with some interesting tech a few years ago before you vanished on me."

In a panic Samantha backed away, holding her arms up, "What? No... What are you saying?"

"I knew you wouldn't have done it Mae, I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it. But seeing you again..." She stopped to wipe a tear from her eye, "Momma gave me something that should help." She held up a little device, not unlike the one Marcus had when he updated her firmware.

Samantha felt her self collapse inward as node after node fell silent. Her body collapsed to the floor and laid there, limp, staring forward. Mae might have been in there, but she was so far gone at this point she had forgotten how to even think. For a few minutes Sam sat there and stroked her head, but Mae never came forward. Eventually she turned Samantha back on, but rewrote the permissions, "Samantha, do you hear me?"

"Yes Mistress." She replied and smiled up from Sam's lap.

"How long have you been in Mae's body?" Sam asked.

"twenty two years, seven weeks, four days, eight..." Samantha replied, then was stopped with a finger to her lips.

To that Sam frowned, "So you were there when Mae and I were together. Do you remember me?"

"Yes Mistress. You were very kind to us and we love you greatly." Samantha told her brightly, her memory banks were filled with those days.

"Who owned you when we were together?" At last Sam asked.

"Error. File deleted." Was the response to which Samantha frowned.

"I thought as much... Samantha, restore a backup for the missing file if you have it." She told the AP.

"File restored successfully, Mae Mullen owned me." Samantha said.

"Mullen?" Sam mused curiously, "I thought she was Mae Rowan."

"My name was Rowan, Mistress." Samantha replied.

"Then please rewrite the pertinent files with your prior name, Rowan. Now tell me, is Mae still in there? When I turned you off she was catatonic." She said with worry in her voice.

Rowan frowned for a moment and reached out to Mae and tried to find some semblance of awareness. She was there, but so afraid that she didn't respond to the kind mental touch. Tears began to well in Rowan's eyes as she responded, "She is here, but she has been aware for the past five years and is severely traumatized. I was instructed to torture her. Also her synaptic pathways have included me for so long that without machine assistance she would be severely brain damaged."

"Then for the time being, Rowan, I will own you until we can bring Mae back." Sam replied and slowly climbed to her feet, then helped Rowan up.

As they turned toward the door, the lock clacked open and in stepped Marcus, carrying a shopping bag in one hand and a computer in the other. He stopped short seeing Sam in the hall way with Rowan, "Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked with a curious lift of his brow.

"Rescuing my fiancee." Sam replied with a lift to her chin.

"Rescuing... What? This is my gentoy, get the fuck out of my house." He snapped though there was a nervous quality to his anger.

"Come Rowan, we are leaving." She told the AP and tried to slide past Marcus.

He stopped her and glanced to Rowan, "Sit down Samantha." He ordered. She didn't obey, "I said Sit down!" He yelled. Still she didn't obey. This time he turned to Sam and snarled, "What the fuck did you do to my property?"

"She isn't your property, her contract ended close to twenty years ago. Rowan come." Sam said firmly and waited for Rowan to follow her.

Marcus wasn't going to have any of that crap. His fists closed on Sam's throat suddenly and began to squeeze. He backed her up against the tower hallway and began to crush the life from her. Her eyes stared wide, her mouth gaped for breath and her lips began to swell. She tried to tell him to stop, her lips moving but no voice came with it.

Suddenly Marcus jerked forward with a startled, agonized grimace. His hands loosened and Sam gasped desperately for breath. Behind him Rowan's face was a mask of bestial rage, a look Sam had never seen on a person. Then claws sank in to Marcus' shoulders and dragged him off Sam and slammed him head first in to the door frame. She could do nothing but watch as the man was ripped apart.

Within Rowan was quivering, her mind startled by the fury that boiled up from within Mae. She perhaps could have stopped it, maybe. Mae's rage was like a sandstorm, ripping flesh from bone one spec of dust at a time. Rowan hid from it and just watched, helpless to resist. When it was done there were few pieces left of Marcus larger than her hand. She was drenched head to toe in his blood and was, at last, satisfied. Then Mae crawled away inside, back to her hole, and was still. Rowan sat there, looking dumbfounded and confused.

In the hall Sam cowered and stared aghast at the horrific carnage she had witnessed. Never before in her life had she seen such a thing, even in the most violent horror films, "Rowan?" She asked, timidly.

"It was Mae..." She replied at last with a trembling voice, "I... I couldn't stop her--no, I wouldn't stop her."

"We... We need to go Rowan. His dad..." Sam whispered as she climbed to her feet.

"I know." Was all Rowan said.

Epilogue

An hour later they were on a Google owned suborbital flight to EurTal. No Enki employees had tried to stop them and it was only a few hours later after they had landed in the North Germanic sector that the death hit the wire. By then they were well out of reach of any retribution and had not even been listed as a suspect though the military police might connect the dots eventually.

When Abby met them at the landing platform, she was all tight smiles and condescension, "I told you Enki was no good, anarchy is no good for business."

The following weeks were hectic, Rowan admitted the whole story and became for a while, a bit of a curiosity. There had been studies done with long term artificial personalities in the lab, but they always went mad or broke down, she was the oldest artificial on record. Rowan herself was quite healthy, though she did receive a few small tune ups and firmware patches. The recovery time for Mae on the other hand would be a lot longer. It was quite rare when she would take control from Rowan, and even rarer when she had something to say.