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Just Lion Around

Commission for Jensen

Chapter One

© Cederwyn Whitefurr

26th October, 2021

All Rights Reserved.

Just Lion Around

Chapter One

Phillip, Phil to those few he dared call friend, strode down the hallway pushing his mop cart along before him. He wore the standard outfit of sky blue overalls and steel capped shoes. As was the uniform of the maintenance staff. He stepped aside as a group of lab coated scientist's rushed past – murmuring and talking hurriedly to each other. Some carried electronic pads they had their eyes fixated on, others waved animatedly and talked what sounded to Phillip, as an alien language.

Most employee's didn't even notice him – they were so wrapped up in their own petty, selfish little mental worlds – or buried under an inordinate amount of stress. Phillip was pretty content with his lot in life. He done good work, for which he was regularly commended by his superiors. It was a pretty decent pay check each month that allowed him to live quite comfortably, but above all, he got to hang out with the 'products' of the Inteli-Pet Corporation.

They never got a chance to bond, as the Geneticists and other's had perfected the capability to create them quickly and much more cheaply than had been in the past. He felt something for them. He couldn't help it. They were, by and large, fully conversant, sentient and intelligent. As their forced growth often left them scared and hurting – he'd sometimes sit in their cages and gently soothe them with a touch or a word.

All of this would be taken from them, the last few hours before they'd be sent for final processing. Their minds wiped of the time he'd spent with them, talking, holding and even sometimes, crying with them... It'd be wiped away as their minds were erased, leaving only the conditioning or in some cases, the deep conditioning...

It was what it was...

It was a job, he did it well, his 'side job' as he liked to think of it, giving comfort and solace to these young creatures – was just an added benefit...

*

He touched his card to the electronic lock, then heard the door lock disengage and then he backed up against it and into the room. He heard the barks, growls, bleats and other noises. He acted impervious and oblivious, as he parked his mop cart near the entrance. Walking around, he began picking up trash bins beside desks and in corners.

“What do you mean its cancelled?” Snarled one of the Scientists, as he glared at a green uniformed woman who stood next to him. “An order was placed and...”

“I'm sorry Sir,” Sighed the woman in exasperation. “Product ID number 4,382,281 is no longer required by the consumer. It is...”

Tapping her pad, the woman raised an eyebrow. “Oh...”

With a frustrated sigh, the Scientist looked at the tawny furred lioness, who sprawled like a queen in her cage and gazed out through the bars. Her tuft of a tail twitched and she merely continued to watch them.

“Yes, I know, she was ordered imprinted with the deep conditioning – as you know, company policy is we can not, and will not, on-sell a product who... Well, once the order is cancelled, said product is to be sent to the Veterinarian Services Division for termination.” He growled and slammed a hand down on the desk. “Don't they realise the time, the effort and the expense...”

“This client paid in full, in advance. Financial has already informed them there will be no refund issued due to the lateness of the order cancellation. They are fully aware, sir.”

“You there! What do you think you're doing?” Snapped the Scientist, as he turned on Phillip.

“Sir? Just doing my job, I don't mean to intrude, just...”

Holding up the garbage bag, Phillip dropped it into the wheeled bin.

With a disdainful snort, the Scientist ignored him and turned back to the woman who stood next to him.

“Very well, I will...no, wait... You there!”

Phillip looked up at him. “Sir?”

“Go tell someone in Veterinarian Services we have a termination scheduled for their earliest convenience.”

“Yes...sir - “ Phillip winced internally.

He knew this lioness, from her first awakening. She was a kind, sweet, gentle feline. About five feet long from nose to rump and beautiful. Her tan fur paled to a light off-cream colour on her throat, down her chest and belly through to her groin.

That long tail with the adorable tuft on the end of it, twitched and flicked as if it had a mind of its own. Those eyes – like twin pools of pure sunlight! So vibrant, filled with life and love and intelligence sparkling in their depths. It was such a waste! A beautiful, majestic creature like her. She was innocent, brought into the world – now? Because of some selfish human's whims, she was destined for termination and the body cremated.

“NOW!” Snapped the Scientist. “Are all you maintenance staff so ignorant and disrespectful of your superiors? Go, now!”

“Yes sir!” Phillip nodded as he pushed his cart over to the door, then placed the mop and bucket on it and left the room.

*

He new Kara, well, the name he mentally called her. She was intelligent, above expectations even for the Corporation, gentle and filled with a curious and insightful nature. Now? Because of some callous and uncaring person, she would be sent to be destroyed...

“It will not stand, I will not stand for it... Too many times, I've seen these beautiful, gentle creatures come into this world – naive and unknowing, grown and trained, imprinted and then just...discarded like a broken television.” Phillip growled, as he headed towards the elevators. “It might cost me everything, but I absolutely will not watch another go to its death unloved and unwanted!”

*

Instead of heading for the Veterinarian Department, he instead pulled up his pad and looked at it.

“Interesting, she hasn't yet been chipped...there may be a way around this yet...”

Quickly, a plan began to formulate in his head, as he knew a colleague who worked in another sector. She owed him a big time favour from when he accidentally discovered her predilection late one night... He hated calling in a favour like this, but she did owe him one, so...

Tapping the Bluetooth device on his ear, he got the automated voice.

“Please state the name and division for this call.”

“Penny Falesh, Veterinarian Division.”

“Please hold...”

He heard the irritating buzz in his ear as the call attempted to be made. As he was about to give up, a female voice came from the earpiece.

“Phil, hey – what's up?” Came the querulous voice.

“Penny?” Phil sighed, then looked around as if afraid of being overheard.

“Yes?”

“I need...” Phil closed his eyes and sighed softly. “I need a favour, a big favour...”

There was a lengthy pause, then Penny's voice lowered to a whisper. “How big a favour...”

“Look, I'll send the details, can we – is there somewhere where we can talk?”

He tapped on the pad for a moment, then sent the secure message to her. He heard the almost instantaneous chirp from her pad. Another short pause, and Penny's sharply in-drawn breath.

“Woah...okay?”

Phil hated himself even more, but he took a breath and calmed himself.

“I don't want to dredge up history Penny, but...please – this would mean a lot to me, can you...help? Please?”

“It's a risk, a big risk...but you still hold over me that...incident...”

Phillip felt about 0.1 inches high, hearing that tone in her voice.

“I do this... we're square, you and I, alright? Deal?”

“Agreed.” Phil replied. “Thanks Penny, I mean it.”

Penny cut the connection and Phil sighed again. He felt he'd burned any friendship he had with her in a heartbeat, by calling in this favour with her.

*

It was organised internally, the lioness was marked for termination, and Penny came to the labs to take possession. Looking in a the lioness, who gazed back through yellow eyes, Penny felt a pang of guilt and remorse. Dropping the velvet curtain that enshrouded the cage in which the lioness lay, Penny wheeled it out of the lab and to the larger goods lift. Waiting patiently, Penny rested a hand on the cage and began tapping a foot. After what felt like an eternity, the lift doors hissed open and she pushed the crate inside, then turned about and touched the panel.

“Floor please.” Came the voice.

“Sub-level seven.”

“Confirmed.”

Almost motionless, or so it felt, Penny waited in the lift until its doors opened and she pushed the crate out. Sub-level seven wasn't used that often, more for storage of old, to be recycled tech and office furniture.

Pushing the cart away from the lifts, Penny come to a stop and crossed her arms, a most unhappy expression on her face.

“I'm here...”

Phil come from the shadows like he was a B-grade actor in some archaic spy movie. Penny shook her head, then from her coat pocket she brought the tagging device. From the other pocket she produced a chip smaller than a grain of rice. Carefully, she slipped the chip out of the container and held it between thumb and forefinger.

“Right inside pocket, take my pad out.” Penny groused. “I hope for both our sakes, this works – or we'll both be doing hard time...”

Phillip shuddered, knowing full well they were about to violate the federal law, but he also knew it'd be for a good reason. Taking out the pad, he held it flat on his palm. Penny placed the chip on it and heard a chirp.

“Information?”

“Uh, shit - “ Phillip groaned. “I never thought this part through... James, Peterson.”

Penny raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and tapped on the pad.

“Address?”

Phillip rattled off an address of an old log cabin his grandparents had left him years ago. Penny typed in in to the pad and hit accept. A chirp come from the pad as it uploaded the information to the chip.

“Done. Now, we got to implant it...open the cage.”

Phillip knelt down and lifted up the velvet cover. Immediately, the Lioness looked up at him, her eyes moving from him to the stranger and back to him.

“Good girl,” Phillip smiled. “You know me, its alright, come on, out you hop!”

Unlatching the cage door, he swung it open. Obediently, the Lioness slipped out and stretched, her large front paws outstretched as she flexed. Quickly, she stood on them then stretched out the back ones. Her tail tuft swished back and forth, as she huffed at him and rubbed her head against his belly.

“Good girl, you're such a sweetheart. Okay, do you trust me?”

Looking up through those yellow eyes, the Lioness merely blinked and nodded.

“This will probably sting sweety...” Penny sighed quietly. “I know you're fully sentient and understand me, so, I don't want to hurt you – but it'll be a small sting, then all done - I promise!”

Gently, Penny slipped the chip into the tag device and crimped the handles to open it up. Phillip gently scritched the Lionesses chin, before Penny plucked the scruff and placed the tag device over the raised skin and fur. With a quick snick sound, the Lioness flinched then Penny stroked her neck.

“Good girl! All done!”

Uttering a strange churring sound, the Lioness nuzzled against Phillips hip.

“You definitely seem to have a way with them, such a talent is a rarity. Now, its done. She's properly registered to a Mr. James Peterson, address...”

Phillip tuned her out, as he ruffled the lionesses ears gently, then pointed at the cage. Obediently, the lioness walked back into it and lay down, her yellow eyes and dark pupils gazing at him.

“I'll see you soon sweetheart, I promise!”

“Right, we're done Phillip – not one word of my indiscretion will ever be uttered, alright? Our slate is clean – I'm not going to jail for that or for you...”

“I give you my word, I promise!”

Penny looked over her shoulder, as she dropped the pad into one pocket, then the tagger into the other. “Good, see to it you don't. Now, I've entered the details into the system. She will be shipped out tomorrow. I suggest highly that you take a personal day...”

As Penny moved towards the cargo lift, she touched the sensor then turned back to look at him.

“I think you will owe me a favour for this... A lot of data work will need to be input into the system to account for this unexpected order. I'll flag it as a data entry mistake and it'll get filed and sorted. This never happened, I know nothing about it... oh, one last thing...”

Penny heard the chime of the lift, and as she stepped in, then touched the panel, Phillip stared at her.

“I know she has been imprinted with the deep conditioning... I do hope you know what you're doing...”

TO BE CONTINUED...