FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It has been several days since Nala and I had our passionate moment in the showers, but that night she had taken me back to the infirmary to be patched up from where she bit me a little too hard. Something Nala had apologized for but said she didn't regret in the slightest, and neither did I.

Luckily, Bel was on duty that night and was able to wrap my shoulder in a bandage. All while berating me like a misbehaving child for landing back in the infirmary on the same day she had released me.

I had expected things to turn awkward the next day, but other than a little teasing from Na'Rutha… okay, a lot of teasing, and a knowing smirk from Korza, things had continued like normal.

After finally being able to have a relatively normal day that didn't involve inner prison politics, a trip to the infirmary, or getting assailed by a sexy dragon, I had thought I would grow bored rather quickly. The others had ways of passing the time, though, and they gladly roped me into joining them. Korza and Na'Rutha had both found it appropriate, after finding out I had essentially become Nala's mate, something I was still trying to wrap my head around, to train me.

It had started out with Korza making me run laps around the courtyard, something I was all too glad to do. In addition, it helped my muscles regain their strength after not using them for a year while in stasis. The exercises the typically silent Venmar had me doing led me to finding a love for running that I had never expected. It felt good, felt right, as if I was born to do it. Korza theorized it was my Venmar half “awakening" and that I would probably start experiencing more Venmar tendencies, as I got older. It made sense, at least to me, and lined up with Bel's theory about dormant genes and all that.

After Korza's rigorous athletics workouts, Na'Rutha would teach me how to fight hand to hand, something Nala whole-heartedly agreed with. It was just in case anything like what happened with Numa occurred again. I wasn't a fan of fighting, but after seeing the look Nala gave me when I tried to protest, I begrudgingly agreed to at least learn how to defend myself. Those days I would find myself nursing bruises and sore muscles. I knew Na'Rutha wasn't trying to hurt me on purpose… or at least I didn't think she was, it is hard for someone like me to tell if a Kilnoid is holding back or not. Seeing as I still had all my limbs attached to my torso and wasn't suffering from a concussion, I think it's safe to assume she was going easy on me.

It wasn't until two days later that Reyna had reappeared. Nala had been distraught with worry the entire time she was gone, but that worry was quickly replaced by embarrassment when Reyna reminded Nala about a meeting she had to attend on the other side of the station. I was shocked to learn that Reyna had a master's degree in counseling and acted as an in-house therapist for many prisoners on Artemis Station. After learning that it became less of a surprise when I learned that many prisoners who had valuable skills were used as pseudo employees. Apparently, the station only staffed security and medical personnel as well as the occasional scientist, prisoners being used to fill in the gaps for any other jobs that needed doing. Those jobs typically ranged anywhere from common janitorial duty and food prep for the staff, to more advanced fields like electricians and engineers.

Today, thankfully, had been rather uneventful asides from receiving the items I had requested several days ago. I sat on the floor, leaning against a couch that Nala was sprawled out on, her fingers trailing through my hair as she lazily watched some alien sport on the entertainment sphere. I occasionally glanced up and watched for a few seconds as I tinkered with my wooden sticks and rubber bands. I wasn't that interested in it, but Nala seemed to enjoy it. A group of around half a dozen Asta rode through a dense jungle on giant six-legged beetles chasing after a small, agile, flying lizard. Each Asta was trying to catch the creature with a weighted net all while thwarting their opponents.

“Claw," I said absently, turning back to my project while holding out my hand expectantly. There was a huff of amusement from behind me, Nala's warm breath rustling my hair and tickling the back of my neck.

She acquiesced a moment later, laying a single clawed digit into my hand. I held her finger between mine like a pen, albeit a very large and thick pen, and used her sharp claw to carve away at some of the wooden sticks.

“What are you even making, my Jewel?" Nala asked as she peered over my shoulder. I smiled and preened at the pet name, it made me feel like I was special, a one-of-a-kind treasure that this mighty dragon would never give up.

“You'll see when I'm done." I turned my face to meet hers, taking the initiative for once and giving her a quick peck on the side of her muzzle before turning back to my work. Nala had been wanting to go at it again ever since our first escapade, but both her and I had been busy. Her with some inner prison politics that she refused to let me in on, claiming she didn't want me getting mixed up in all that was going on. And me with all the training Korza and Na'Rutha would put me through day after day, which caused me to knock right out as soon as my head hit my pillow. They had thankfully given me the day off to rest, which I was eternally grateful for. It felt like I would be sore forever if I didn't get a break.

I'd hoped that the small kiss would placate her for the moment so I could finish my work, but unfortunately it seemed to have had the opposite effect. I felt Nala's hand cease its petting of my hair and instead grip it tightly, making me gasp in surprise. She tilted my head back to face her and I was forced to stare up into a pair of golden eyes filled with longing and desire. Then her face descended, and she smashed her lips against mine, her long, prehensile tongue invading my mouth with gusto.

Her tongue wrapped around my own, the tip of the wriggling serpent poking and prodding before running along my cheeks, the roof of my mouth, and exploring every inch with such fervor it was like she needed my taste to survive. I let out an undignified moan, closing my eyes and relaxing into the embrace as I tried to reciprocate as much as possible. Her chest rumbled as she growled lowly in satisfaction at my attempts to give back, but before long, she was once again taking control, pushing my tongue down with hers as she started to slide it down my throat to explore.

I gagged lightly at the sensation as she pilled more and more of her wet, slimy organ into my mouth, bulging my cheeks and making my eyes snap open in panic as she reached deeper, and I started gagging in discomfort. She stopped just before she truly plunged her tongue down my throat, retreating from the kiss with a sultry look in her eyes. Our lips parted with a slick pop as she sucked her impossibly long tongue out of my mouth and back into hers. The sight of her slurping up the long, pink organ she called her tongue was so mind boggling and erotic it sent a violent shiver down my spine.

I was left sitting there, staring up at her with half lidded eyes as I panted for air, whimpering when the bridge of saliva connecting our mouths broke. I half wished she had ignored my discomfort and continued to take what she wanted; the sensation was exhilarating and erotic and I wanted more! The other half of me was grateful she wouldn't do anything without my consent, she always backed off when I started to show discomfort to something, never pushed for more than I was willing to give, and I loved her for it.

Now, however, I was aching with need, my jumpsuit feeling uncomfortably tight. And if the flaring nostrils and deep sniffing of Nala was any indication to go by, she knew.

“It has been almost a week since I first took you," she purred, her voice husky and rumbling as her hand trailed up my arm before lightly squeezing my shoulder. I gasped at the sensation that ran through me as she put pressure on her mark. It wasn't painful, but it was sensitive, anytime it was touched it made me instantly think of that time in the showers and it sent pleasant shivers down my spine that made me ache even more with desire.

She licked her lips seductively while taking my chin in her hand and making me look her in the eyes. “I am going to ravish you tonight, leave you nothing more than a bumbling mess as I take what I want from you and then shower you with pleasure," she crooned, leaning in and nipping at my neck. The sensation of her sharp teeth lightly pinching at my skin made me shiver and I almost missed what she said next. “You'll beg me for more, and I'll give it all to you happily, my Precious Jewel."

She pulled back, snapping her teeth at me playfully as her chest rumbled with satisfaction at turning me into a quivering mess with just her words and her teeth. She let go of my chin and relaxed back into the couch, her fingers once again finding their place in my hair as she gave her full attention back to the entertainment sphere.

I blinked confusedly, my cheeks flooding with warmth as I tried to process what just happened. She had just gone from so seductively aggressive back to relaxed and uncaring in the span of a second, leaving me so desperately wanting that I couldn't think straight. Then her words finally clicked, and it felt like my cheeks were going to catch fire. Nala was going to fuck me. Tonight. Aggressively. I wasn't sure if I should be excited or scared.

I bit my lip as thoughts of what she might do to me flooded my head. Both, I decided. Definitely both.

***

Finally, after another hour, I was finished! It wouldn't have taken so long if I hadn't needed time to calm myself down and clear my head, but the price was well worth the final product.

“Finished!" I stated proudly, holding up the small wooden device held together by rubber bands and glue.

Nala took her eyes off the earthly soap opera she had started to watch, and enjoy to my surprise, regarding what I had created with a quizzical eye.

“Is that…" she began before I interrupted her.

“Yup! And it's fully functional!" I demonstrated what I meant by loading two sharpened sticks with rubber on the ends into the small barrels of the replica security turret I had created. The 3D diagrams I had in my head helped a lot in building it. I was rather thankful Artemis had not noticed the fact I could use my implants, albeit extremely limitedly.

I liked working with my hands, creating things for fun or using my skills to solve a problem. I didn't get to do much of that during my time with the R.O.F, mostly I was puppeted around to do the biding of others, but I had a distinct, yet fuzzy, memory of building… something. I couldn't really remember what it was, the memory was always foggy and whenever I tried to focus more on it for further details it would slip away, falling through the grasp of my mind like water through a crack.

“Watch this," I said with a self-satisfied smirk, pointing the wooden replica at the back of Na'Rutha's head who was sitting nearby with Celeste. I pulled a trigger I had modified into the design, and with the twang of snapping rubber, the two projectiles flew from the barrels! The rubber tipped missiles flew through the air unsteadily before connecting with their mark and bouncing off harmlessly.

Na'Rutha startled, slapping the back of her head in reaction, as if she was swatting at a bug.

“The bloody hell was that?" She asked perplexed, turning around to look at me and Nala only to find me giggling uncontrollably and Nala chuckling lightly.

“Sorry, Na'Rutha, I was just testing out my new toy!" I said, waving at her with the hand that held my new invention.

“Well pick someone else to be your target practice, ya runt! Or else I'll make you lift weights for the next two weeks!" She said, finishing with an evil smirk in my direction, laughing in triumph at the aghast look on my face.

“You wouldn't dare!" I gasped.

“Try me, pup," she replied, using the nickname Korza had donned me with, much to my chagrin. Her voice was low and playful, but I knew she meant every word she said.

I stuck my tongue out at her, much to Nala's and Celeste's amusement, before turning back to reload. I hadn't really built it to use it, only to just keep myself occupied with something mentally challenging. Okay, maybe I did build it with a plan to annoy the giant Kilnoid, but only when she deserved it!

I was just getting the rubber bands back into place when Artemis' voice cut through the noise of the courtyard.

“Attention! Inmates X-1242, X-1453, and X-1475, please report to the Control Hub for job assignment."

I blinked in confusion when I heard my number called. Control Hub? Job assignment? What? I looked over to Nala for some answers but stopped when I saw the displeased and annoyed look on her face.

“Er, Nala?" I said hesitantly worry dripping into my voice. “Are you alright?"

Her eyes met mine and a soft smile formed on her face. “Sorry, my Precious. Yes, yes, I'm alright. Just a little more than annoyed that you are suddenly being dragged off for a job assignment on the day you are supposed to be resting," she said through slightly gritted teeth. “You've been through enough in less than two weeks."

I half suspected she was less concerned about this job assignment thing and more concerned on how it might impact her plans for tonight, but I wasn't about to say that to the face of the ruler of the largest crime syndicate in the galaxy.

“What is a job assignment anyways?" I asked.

“It's nothing to be scared of," she replied. “On occasion Artemis will select several prisoners to help with some kind of grunt work around the station. You'll probably be helping move some cargo or do some cleaning. Worst case scenario, you end up having to unjam the trash compactor."

I gulped at that last part. I'd seen what a trash compactor could do, and I had no interest in setting foot inside one of those things, even if it was powered off. I stood and stretched, blushing when Nala's eyes clearly racked up and down my body with a look of desire.

“Stop that!" I chided. Though I couldn't help but keep the smile from my face. I liked it when she looked at me like that, but it always made me feel so flustered.

“Mmm, I would give you anything, my Jewel. But to ask me to stop admiring how beautiful you are is not something I am inclined to acquiesce to," she replied with a teasing smile.

She stood as well, stretching much like I did. My eyes were instantly drawn to her, like a magnet to metal, watching as her muscles flexed beneath her jumpsuit, and the breasts I had so admired that night strained against their confines. I swear she was doing it on purpose, thrusting her chest out, curling her tail, and fluttering her wings.

“Like what you see?" she asked teasingly, the mischievous smile on her face confirming to me she was, in fact, doing it on purpose. If I looked like how she did to me right now, then I couldn't really blame her for staring.

I spluttered at her words, flushing red and looking away like I had just been caught doing something wrong.

“Mmm," she hummed contentedly, “I'll take that as a yes. Don't worry, my love, you can stare as much as you want. It's not like I make any efforts to hide my own appreciation for you. Besides, it's only fair." She punctuated her words with another very direct once over, her eyes roaming up and down my body, an approving smile forming on her lips.

“Come along then, I'd rather you not get put in solitary for showing up late. It would mean I'd have to wait even longer before I could fuck you again," she said unashamedly before walking off with long purposeful strides, her tail swaying back and forth in time with her hips.

***

I waved at Nala as she left, watching her go as she headed back to continue watching whatever soap opera she had suddenly become obsessed with. Turning around I'm greeted to a pair of sliding doors flanked by turrets and surrounded by patrolling drones. Holographic letters above the door marking it as the control hub.

I stepped forward only to stop when the turrets turned in my direction and a voice that was oddly like Artemis' though not the same came through a speaker above the door.

“Halt," the voice said its tone neutral and bored, as if the person on the other end had done this a million times. “Please stand by for processing."

A panel above the door slid open, a spherical camera on a long, mechanical arm shooting out and staring down at me. I stood still, arms at my side as the camera suddenly bathed me in a blue light, the scanner running up and down my body and making the holographic numbers of my prisoner designation reappear on my shoulder.

“Processing complete, designation confirmed, access granted. Please proceed."

The camera retracted back into the wall and the doors slid open with a hiss. I stepped into an antechamber, the doors closing behind me and sealing once again. I raised my eyebrow at the sight of the chamber, looking around to find small holes in the walls, ceiling, and floor. A clear glass door was on the other side, a pair of Kilnoid security guards armed with large, low-power railguns staring back at me from beyond the glass. Their helmeted heads left them expressionless and all I was able to see was myself when I stared into their reflective, honeycomb-patterned visors.

“Stand by," said the same voice as before. “Disinfection procedure is about to commence, please remain calm."

“Oh great, not this again…" I groaned. I had been through disinfection procedures before; they didn't hurt but they were far from pleasant.

A white mist began to pour into the chamber from the walls and ceiling with a hiss, the faint sound of a vacuum activating as the holes on the floor began to suck it out as it passed over me. I closed my eyes so none of the gaseous disinfectant would get into them, but when it encountered my exposed skin, it left a strange tingly feeling behind that quickly formed into a mild burning.

After only a few seconds, the gas shut off and the vacuum sucked out the last of it before it to powered down. I opened my eyes, shaking my head to rid my hair of the slight dampness that now coated it. That turned out to be a fruitless endeavor when I was suddenly blasted with warm air from every direction, making me yelp and jump in surprise.

“Never had that happen before," I said to myself as the blowers died and the doors on the other side of the chamber finally slid open. As I stepped through the doorway, one of the Kilnoids raised a hand and gestured for me to stop.

“Stop right there," she said, her voice deep but warbled as it came through her helmet's speakers. She looked between me and the data-pad she held, clearly going over whatever information was being presented on the device's screen. She unhooked a familiar device from her belt, the scanner she held being of the same make as the one the doctor had used on me when I was released from stasis. The hulking Kilnoid scanned me quickly before huffing in satisfaction when the device gave off a singular beep and the red laser turned green.

“Alright, follow me this way and keep your arms at your sides at all times. Any suspicious movement will be met with 50 million volts of dissuasion," she said smugly, reaching over her shoulder and unclipping a long, carbon fiber rod that was forked with two prongs. She flipped a switch on the handle and electricity burst to life with a crackle, blue arcs of energy running up and down the prongs and jumping between each one like coiling serpents.

I stared at the device wide eyed, gulping before nodding. “Y-Yeah got it! Arms at sides, no problem!"

The two Kilnoids chuckled before the first one turned on her heel and marched down the hall. I followed her quickly; arms stiff as I tried not to give them any kind of excuse to zap me, the second guard bringing up the rear.

It only took us a few minutes to reach our destination, the hallway widening out into a large, circular room. There were grey metal walls in place of the sanitary white I had grown so used to, and dozens of doors lined the far side of the wall. A large semi-circular wooden desk made of what appeared to be faux mahogany sitting in the center of the room. Half a dozen monitors glowed with flowing information while a larger holographic screen hovered behind the desk.

While taking in the sight I noticed movement and turned my gaze to someone sitting behind several of the monitors. At our approach, the figure stood up and I was taken aback when I came face to face with the second robot I had seen on the station.

The build of its chassis was decidedly feminine what with its lithe figure. Its chest plate swelled with a slight curve, giving only the illusion of female anatomy. And its facial features were soft yet refined. I almost didn't recognize the face of another human, or at least model of a human face. I'd spent so many years around aliens and their inhumanly visages that I'd almost forgotten what another of my own, well, semi-own, kind looked like. If it wasn't for the exposed joints, glowing blue eyes, and strange silver skin color, I would never have known the difference between it and a real person.

“Prisoner X-1475, please step forward," said the robot, her voice the same as the one from the camera. I stepped forward hesitantly, unsure if this was Artemis or not. They sounded almost the same, but I couldn't quite imagine the high and mighty AI goddess would confine herself to an android when her body was quite literally the entire station itself.

My curiosity got the better of me and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “Artemis?"

The robot looked up at me strangely, head tilted as if confused. Then realization seemed to don on her, and she shook her head.

“Negative, I am Kallisto, a subroutine of my mistress' mainframe and overseer of the Artemis Station's section X prisoner work force."

“Kallisto?" I asked curiously, “Like one of the hunters of Artemis from Greek mythology?"

“Correct," Kallisto nodded, “My name was chosen by Artemis when she created me to help run this facility."

I mulled that over for a moment before shrugging. If you were going to take on the name of an ancient mythological deity, might as well keep the theme going with your subordinates.

“X-1242 and X-1453 have already been assigned a job and deployed," Kallisto continued, switching back to the reason I was here. “You will be assisting X-1453 in repairing several faulty door mechanisms throughout the facility, please proceed through the door and retrieve a pair of gloves from the lockers. All other tools and necessary items have already been gathered by X-1453."

One of the dozens of doors behind Kallisto opened and I proceeded through it, finding myself in brightly lit room of clean, slate grey metal, blue lockers lining the walls. I pressed a button on one of the lockers and the door popped open. Inside was a pair of gloves, the knuckle areas protected by some kind of hard plastic. Along with the gloves was a toolbox, a welding torch, a flashlight, and other handyman like equipment.

I grabbed only the gloves like I was told, donning the new piece of apparel, the gloves shrinking to fit my hand size perfectly.

“Please proceed through the door and follow the yellow line on the floor. I would like to remind you that you will be monitored and any deviation from your allotted path will result in a painful incapacitation," came Kallisto's voice from all around me, a door at the end of the locker room sliding open and leading out into a large hallway. A pulsing yellow line appeared at my feet, the light glowing through the floor and guiding me out the door and to the right.

“Here goes nothing I suppose," I said to myself, taking a deep shaky breath and following the line out the door.

***

It took nearly 10 minutes to reach my destination, and if it wasn't for the guiding line on the floor, I'd have gotten lost. I passed two people on my way, one a security guard who looked to have just woken up and had eyed me warily, another a tall grey colored Sivec wearing a lab coat, her mandibles buried in a stack of notes and papers, who had ignored me completely. Cameras were everywhere, spaced along the halls and placed at every corner. I hadn't seen any security turrets, but that honestly meant very little in this place.

As I grew near, I heard the sound of banging metal, and when I turned the corner, I was greeted to the familiar sight of the first robot I had met. Eti kneeled on the floor, screwdriver in hand, as she removed a metal panel from the wall next to a door that was stuck halfway closed. I was a bit surprised to find her wearing a red prisoner's jumpsuit. When I had first met her, she was completely bare, though that hardly mattered considering her featureless, androgynous body did not have anything to hide. It was probably required for her to wear it when outside the courtyard and its respective towers.

“Eti?" I questioned, surprised to find the mysterious robot as the one I was to be assisting.

Eti looked up from what she was doing, her featureless faceplate making it extremely difficult to read her. However, her glowing eyes seemed to brighten slightly with recognition.

“Jason, what are you doing here?" she asked her voice low and soft yet tinted with a hint of surprise. Words coming from a featureless face still felt a little off-putting to hear.

“Um, well, Kallisto sent me to assist with fixing some broken doors?" I said, though it came out more like a question. “I wasn't expecting to see you here."

“I wasn't expecting you either, but now that you're here you might as well help, come." She waved me over and I obliged, kneeling next to her, and peering into the opening in the wall. Last time I had met Eti I had some strange feelings of dread and danger, and now was no different. Those same feelings were bubbling up inside me again, that wriggling sensation in the back of my head that I'd almost forgotten about becoming more incessant as Eti showed me the inner workings of the door. I tried to concentrate and listen to her as she pointed out a control module that she summarized was the source of the door's dysfunctionality, but that sense of danger was reaching a fever pitch, making my head pound, and preventing me from concentrating.

The strange part about the whole situation was that the danger I felt wasn't coming from me, but rather from somewhere else. It was there, inside me, I could sense it, but it felt disconnected, like it was being forced upon me. I shook my head, trying to dispel the feeling but it wouldn't go away.

Eti looked at me curiously. “Are you alright, Jason? I am unfamiliar with human physiology so I am unsure whether or not your pale complexion should be a cause for concern."

I waved her off with one hand as the other rubbed at my temples. “Y-Yeah, I'm fine, just got a headache is all. Besides, I haven't seen the sun in almost 4 years, I'm bound to be a bit pale." I forced out a laugh, trying to alleviate the tension in the air, even if it was just for my own benefit.

Eti looked at me for a moment, her unnerving staring suggesting she was doubtful, but I couldn't be sure with there being no facial features for me to read. She nodded once and turned back to the panel. I followed suit, using everything I had to squash those feelings of danger and shove them into the back of my head for later. I was running out of room in my metaphorical emotion closet.

It only took us a few minutes to find and resolve the issue with this door. Eti's assumption that the control module was at fault being correct. The circuit board inside it was burnt around the power connectors and several microchips had been fried. We replaced the board and the power connectors, and once we did, the door sprang back to life.

We spent the next several hours following the guiding yellow line from one broken door to the next. Eti seemed interested in chatting while we worked or moved on to the next door, but never about how either of us ended up on Artemis, which I was rather thankful for. We talked mostly about technology, our hobbies, and thinks we liked and disliked. To my surprise we shared many similar views, from our opinions on the rapidly advancing implant field, something I quite adored, all the way to agreeing that sports were dumb and machines were easier to be around then people. It was nice being able to talk so freely with someone about stuff so mundane to others. It was a breath of fresh air from all the stuff I overheard in the courtyard, as well as Nala's constant teasing.

“It is of my opinion that AI and androids should take a more active role in law enforcement as well as the war effort. Think about how many lives could be saved if living beings were replaced by intelligent, AI driven robots who, if damaged or destroyed, could just transfer to a backup body," Eti explained to me as we made our way to our next destination.

“I don't disagree with you, but I also don't entirely agree either," I rebutted, gesturing with my hands more for my own sake then for Eti's. “Humans, like most other races, value personal freedom. There will be some who just want to serve in the military or law enforcement, and who are we to deny them that right? Not to mention, most people are still wary of AI, believing that they'll eventually see humanity as inferior and try to replace them completely. Trying to get something as large as what you're offering to pass through the Alliance of United System's governmental court would be a monumental task that is likely to fail."

Eti nodded in understanding. “I see what you're saying, but I still believe such a thing is possible, it will just take time." We continued discussing other aspects of society that would be better off with AI involved in as we reached the next door we had to fix.

Most of the problems we encountered came from a lack of regular maintenance, this floor of the station we were on apparently not having been serviced in years. Using my implant made the work quick and easy though, despite how limited it was in its functionality.

There was a rather amusing moment where we had to fix a door to a restroom that wouldn't open, a member of staff stuck inside while their colleagues tried to pry the door open. Judging by the lab coats they all wore, I assumed they were part of whatever scientific or research division Artemis had. It made me wonder if they tested more than just medical breakthroughs here.

Eti and I were fixing, or at least trying to fix, another door located in what appeared to be a much older section of the station. Here the white walls were replaced by old grey metal, and the bright white lights were now dim. It was cold to, enough that I could see my breath. And the only cameras in the area were two that sat in either corner above the door, the one above me being the only one with a blinking activity light while the other hung limply, either dysfunctional or lacking power. It was strange how little security there was in this section, but both Eti and I knew that hardly mattered. Kallisto and Artemis could track us and neutralize us with just the chips in our shoulders. Though I wasn't entirely sure if Eti had a chip, I assumed she did just probably not in the same manner as me.

“T-There! T-That s-should do i-it!" I chattered as I finished tightening in place new servos and pistons that this door had desperately needed. I threw the wrench and old parts back into the toolbox we had, my arms wrapping around myself as I shoved my hands under my arms to bring feeling back to my numb digits. The hallway was freezing cold and the grate beside me that was blasting frigid air wasn't helping either.

Eti knelt on the other side of the door, hands working swiftly since she wasn't hampered by the cold. She was replacing the door's control module, a much older model from the looks of it, with a newer one like in the other doors we had worked on. The old one had been frozen over! I wasn't sure what Artemis had in this section of the station, but I wasn't keen on sticking around to find out.

“I am almost done," Eti said as she fiddled with a few more wires. A moment later the door sprung to life once more when she reconnected the power, the two halves of the door sliding shut and meeting in the middle.

“G-Great!" I exclaimed through chattering teeth, “N-Now l-let's get o-out of h-here—“ Before I could finish my sentence there was a deep muffled rumble and the station shook violently enough to send me falling to the floor with a yelp. Eti was there in an instant, catching me and helping me stand back up.

“T-Thanks," I said, holding onto to her arm while looking up at the ceiling as if I could see through it. “W-What the h-hell was t-that?"

“Unknown," Eti replied, “Possibly an engine malfunction."

The station shook again, and I was glad I was still braced against Eti otherwise I would have been thrown face first into a wall. Suddenly the lights switched off and red emergency lighting flickered to life, followed by Artemis' voice.

“Warning! An anomaly in the asteroid belt has been detected; debris from multiple asteroid collisions is imminent, cease all non-critical operations and follow the colored line of your respective division to your designated safe area before lockdown takes effect."

“T-That doesn't s-sound good," I said while rubbing my arms for warmth.

“I concur, let us leave," Eti replied, motioning us to follow the yellow line that had reappeared on the floor leading back the way we came. We followed it for a short distance to a four-way split in the halls, turning right we found the door leading out of this section but we both froze when we saw a dark figure standing in the doorframe. The emergency lighting wasn't bright enough to illuminate their features, but they were about the same height as Eti who was only a few inches taller than me.

“H-Hello? W-Who's there?" I called warily. The figure didn't respond, and I began to get a bad feeling about the situation. Something wasn't right, but I couldn't figure out what.

“Jason, stay behind me," Eti said, her voice hard and wary as she stepped forward, putting herself between them and me. Eti's concern turned out to be warranted when the figure held up their left hand, some kind of device held in their fist. Then there was a click that echoed through the silent halls, and I felt like I was falling, my mind went foggy, and the wriggling in my head pushed forward like a tidal wave, washing all other thoughts from my head as I felt a sudden urge to go towards the figure.

I took a step forward, then another, my head feeling light and fuzzy as my vision tunneled on the person in the doorway. I had to go to them, needed to go to them, an order was issued, and I had to obey. Before I could take another step though, Eti's arm shot out and stopped me, her cold metal hand gripping my shoulder almost painfully tight and pulling me back.

“Stop it!" Eti practically growled her voice box warbling as it tried to express the tone she was going for. For a moment I thought she was talking to me, but her eyes remained glued to the figure in the doorway.

“Tch!" The figure clucked in annoyance. They raised their right hand, and then there was a flash of light and a loud bang. I felt a rush of air, heard the crunch of metal, felt as something stung at my cheek and the right side of my face, then Eti was gone from my side. My ears were left ringing but the suddenness of it all snapped me out of my haze and I turned quickly, looking for Eti. When I saw her my heart seemed to stop. She was laying on the floor several feet away, a fist-sized hole in her chest and wires sparking freely. She was motionless, and I watched on in horror as her glowing eyes dimmed then went out.

“Eti…" I said slowly yet I could not hear myself with the ringing in my ears.

I turned back to the figure who still stood in the doorway, arm still raised but their pistol-sized railgun now pointing at me instead. My eyes widened and I felt fear grip my heart. I had never seen a railgun like that, and for good reason too. It was extremely difficult to pack that kind of tech into such a small frame. I took a step back, wondering if I would be able to get out of the way fast enough before they pulled the trigger. The thought was almost laughable. There was no way I would be able to dodge a projectile that was traveling at the speed of sound from a mere 12 feet away.

My hearing was starting to come back now and before our assailant could shoot a fist-sized hole through my chest, the door separating us slammed shut in their face and locked with a beep. Artemis' voice came through the speakers again and never had I been so glad to hear the AI's voice then at this moment!

“Warning! Warning! Lockdown is now in effect! All personnel brace for impact, artillery cannons and shields are active, but debris may slip through."

I didn't wait another moment, rushing over to Eti's side and kneeling next to her.

“Eti!" I cried, even though I knew it was probably useless. I gazed at her body, eyes roaming up and down for any other signs of damage asides from the obvious. I activated my implant; scanning her body and having a diagram pop up within seconds. Dozens of red dots pinpointed areas of damage, the most prominent being the massive hole in her chest. The railgun slug had punched straight through her chest cavity, the hole in the far wall showing that it had buried itself deep into the station's hull. Her processor was shattered into a million pieces and wires had been ripped to shreds, the ends crackling with sparks. That was a good sign though, it meant her battery hadn't been impacted, and with a deeper look I found her storage drive had just barely been scratched.

“I can fix this…" I mumbled to myself fists clenching. “I can fix this!" I shot to my feet, looking around frantically for the toolbox Eti had been carrying. I found it lying on the ground further down the hall, its contents spilled across the floor. I scrambled for it, making quick work of gathering the tools and dragging them over to Eti. I hadn't realized just how heavy the toolbox was until now. I dumped the tools back out onto the floor, sifting through them for what I needed. The emergency lighting wasn't bright enough to allow me to see what I was working with, but thankfully I found the flashlight quickly, using it to gather all the other things I needed.

It felt like an eternity working in the cold and the dark, but I ignored my distaste for both of those things, throwing everything into trying to repair my friend. I paused for a second, thinking that last part over. Did I consider Eti a friend? Yes. I did. I barely knew Eti, but I also barely knew Nala and we were practically married by her people's standards. Perhaps it is because of my years of isolation that has caused me to latch onto anyone who shows me kindness, but I wasn't a psychiatrist. Maybe I should talk to Reyna after this.

I liked being around Eti though. She was simple, to the point, and very precise in what she did. Perhaps it's because she's a machine and I had always been better with machines and computers then I was with people. Just like she was. So yes, I did consider Eti a friend. Or at least most of me did. There was still that sense of danger in the back of my mind that wasn't my own, but now that Eti was essentially dead it had nearly disappeared. I started to have a sneaking suspicion of what might be happening to me, but I couldn't confirm my theory now while in the middle of this.

I had to pause every so often as the station lightly shook when its massive railgun cannons discharged their payload at whatever debris was flying at us. I had to remove Eti's jumpsuit to access the rest of her chest cavity, as well as her battery. A situation I never hoped to find myself in again. Eti may not have had any sexual modifications, her body being just a shell, but that didn't change the fact that whoever had thrown together this disgrace of a body had decided to put her power source in her fucking groin! The situation was embarrassing, and even though there was nothing down there, it still felt wrong. Most likely my human morals coming into play. Still, I bore with it for Eti's sake.

By the time I was finished my fingers were numb with the cold and I couldn't stop shivering. I had done everything that I could, now there was only one thing left to do, and that was to get her a new processor. That is where I was stopped in my tracks, because I had no way of getting a new one. Unless… My eyes drifted to the toolbox, and I began rummaging inside of it to see if there was another spare control module. My heart sank when all I could find was the old broken one we had just replaced. However, that sparked an idea, and I grabbed the electric screwdriver from the floor where it lay before jumping to my feet and bolting down the hall and around the corner. I skidded to a halt in front of the door we had just repaired, the single working camera swiveling to look at me as I dropped to a knee and began unscrewing the panel once more.

“X-1475, what are you still doing here?" Kallisto's of all people's voice came through the camera's speaker, and she did not sound pleased.

“Only now noticing?" I growled, wrenching the panel off and then starting on removing the control module Eti had just placed in here only a few minutes ago.

“I have been preoccupied with other matters, my processing power is limited as a subroutine and contrary to popular belief, AI cannot be in multiple places at once. Please explain why you have not reported back to the Control Hub and why I shouldn't activate my incapacitation protocol."

“We were on our way back when we got the warning, but someone was blocking our way."

There was a pause, and when Kallisto responded she sounded much more serious. “Who were they? And where is X-1453? Her tracker is no longer showing up."

“I don't know who the person was, it was too dark, but they had—“I stopped myself at the last moment. I had almost revealed that the person had some kind of device that had essentially taken control of me, and as bad as that was, I wasn't willing to risk Kallisto coming to the decision that I needed a new suppressant collar, or worse, deem that my implants needed to be removed. “They had a railgun, one I have never seen before, it was the size of a pistol, and they… they shot Eti. I'm trying to fix her."

“Very well, you may proceed with repairs to your companion. I will dispatch a squad of security and medical personnel immediately. An investigation into your claims of an assailant will be launched when the lockdown has been lifted."

I was a bit surprised at Kallisto's response, having expected her to be less accommodating. I wasn't going to complain though. I nodded my thanks at the camera before finally removing the control module from the wall and rushing back down the hall with it. I picked up a small hand-held plasma cutter and began slicing open the protective case of the module. Once finished I pried the device open, and inside, just as I had been hoping, I found a processor. It wasn't as good as her previous one, but it would do. It took some time wiring it into the rest of Eti's systems, but I got it done.

“Please work, please work," I said to myself powering her battery back on. There was a whir of motors and fans, small beeps as systems started to come online, and then her eyes began to flicker with light. Her fingers began to move, legs twitching as they were reconnected and recalibrated. I smiled, hope filling my heart, but I refused to believe it had worked until Eti was on her feet again.

“Eti? Can you hear me?" I called softly. There was a garbled response I couldn't make out, static, then silence. Dread replaced the hope and my smile faded as her flickering eyes went out once more, motors and fans powered down, and her limbs stopped moving.

“No… No, no, no!" I screamed. I had done everything right! I know I had! So why was it not working?! My implant activated almost subconsciously, scanning her again for clues as to what was wrong. Several dots showed up pointing to mostly superficial damage, but there was one, in the center of her chest, that caught my attention. It was her storage drive; apparently, it wasn't as undamaged as it first appeared. With a more direct scan of the drive itself, I found the issue and the warning text that popped up in my head turned the situation into a race against time.

“Warning! Damage to the genesis drive's central processing unit and temperature regulator detected. Data degradation is imminent!"

“Shit! I'm an idiot! Idiot, idiot, idiot!" I berated myself. I hadn't realized Eti's storage drive was a genesis drive! It was a good drive, a really good drive, hell the Alliance used them for most data storage. A single one could hold petabytes of information and had near instantaneous transfer speeds. The down sides though? They needed their own dedicated processor to function and were extremely volatile. Data was stored on a special kind of synthetic crystal the size of a flea, and a single drive contained thousands of those crystals. However, those crystals had to be kept at a certain temperature, too cold and they would start to crack and shatter, too hot, and they could explode.

The drive had barely been scratched, but the problem was that it had been scratched. Even though the drive had not been damaged too terribly, the force with which it was struck was enough to cause some kind of internal damage, and now the drive had gone critical. I couldn't save the drive, but there was one thing I could do to save Eti.

I hoped she had one, I really did, because I didn't have the tools or materials or time to create my own. Reaching across her body I grabbed her right arm, holding up her wrist for me to examine. There it was! A small male end plug slightly sticking out of her wrist like an exposed vein. A wiretap. I pinched it between thumb and forefinger and pulled, a length of cable unspooling from her wrist. It reminded me of a spider-themed superhero from centuries ago that Amelia loved who shot webs from their wrists.

Once I had the wiretap in hand I started to feel hesitant towards what I was about to do. The last time I had been plugged into anything had been… well, less than a pleasant experience. My hand was shaking, images of a past life surfacing to the fore front of my mind.

“Come on Jason," I mumbled to myself. “You can do this. Just plug in. Save someone for once." I clenched the wiretap harder, steeling my nerves as I took a deep breathe. I glanced at the alert message again, and I knew I probably only had a few seconds before complete data degradation occurred. I reached behind me with the wiretap, my other hand coming up to part my hair at the base of my skull. I searched around for just a moment, fingers brushing over scarred flesh from when Numa attacked me before finally landing against cold metal right where my skull met my spine. I brought the wiretap up, and with a deep breathe, I plugged in.

The effect was almost instant and I gasped as I felt a rush of… something! I could barely describe the feeling, but it was not the pain I had been expecting. It was like cold water was trickling down my spine, my implants interface blooming with information as strings upon strings of data flowed through my mind like a river. Something in my head, in my implant, reared its head like a great monster ready to defend its lair, the same thing that had been causing me to feel danger around Eti, the same thing that wriggled in my mind day and night. I could see it now, though perhaps 'see' wasn't the correct word. I could sense it, feel it, and I wanted it gone!

As if the river of Eti's data, or perhaps Eti herself, could sense what I was feeling, a string of data broke off and chased after the virus that had been hidden within me for who knows how long. I looked at the piece of code that was hunting down my unwelcomed guest, and somehow, I knew that it was some kind of anti-malware program. I could do nothing but watch, or feel rather, as the code chased the virus down into my system files and then into my registry. I thought it would stop there, hoped it would stop there, but to my horror it proceeded passed my registry and deep into my directives. And if I thought it couldn't get worse, I nearly fainted when it was chased, and finally cornered, in my kernel system. That shouldn't have been possible. No virus should have been able to access the kernel of my implant, the deepest depths of permissions where it would have complete unfettered access to… everything. My implant, my mind, my memories.

The anti-virus ripped the malware to shreds by locking it in a secured file and overwriting its data thousands of times in the span of milliseconds. Finally, my senses returned to the real world and I blinked repeatedly to clear my mind. All of Eti's data had been transferred, and the virus inside me destroyed, in no more than the span of 3 or 4 seconds, yet it had felt like hours had passed.

I reached behind me and grasped the wiretap, yanking it from my skull and letting it reel itself back into Eti's—into the shell's arm. The feeling of cold water trickling down my spine ceased, yet I remained cold simply from the ambient temperature. I felt a sudden wave of fatigue wash over me, my eyes drooping as I shivered. I thought I could hear the sound of banging, as if someone was knocking against a metal door. Suddenly the red emergency lights faded, and the white overhead lights flickered on, the door at the far end of the hall sliding open to omit a large squad of tall, heavily armed Kilnoid security, several medical personnel following behind them. They rushed in, low-powered railguns sweeping the area, some trained on me for a second, before the security realized I just knelt there, barely responding to their presence.

Blinking blearily, I barely noticed when someone wearing a white and red jumpsuit knelt next to me, taking my chin in their hand, and turning my head in their direction. It was a black and grey Venmar, they looked kind of familiar, her dark brown eyes blown wide with… concern? I think it was concern, I'd been seeing a lot of that lately. They frowned as they tilted my head to the side gently, their eyes fixed on the right side of my face for some reason. They said something, I could see their mouth moving, but I could barely hear them. It was like everything was far away, which I was okay with. I was tired, and cold, except for part of my face. The right side felt warm. Strange, it was the same side the doctor was looking at. Whatever, I didn't particularly care, I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep. The Venmar doctor seemed to panic, and she called over her shoulder for something. The last thing I saw was another Venmar rushing over while unfolding some kind of stretcher. Before I completely lost all consciousness, I felt something brush against my mind, a warm friendly feeling that I reveled in. Then everything went dark, and I felt myself falling.