《Daughters of Hedonia》


 GLOSSARY

    Bulge-- The nickname given to a a biomodificational athletic enhancement that involves genetic manipulation of myocytes in cardiovascular and muscle tissue to respond more aggressively to sympathetic nervous signals as well as an augmentation of the adrenal gland and corresponding system, in addition to the response at the cellular level to epinephrines and cortisol.


    A Bulge-affected muscle cell also has an extremely overdeveloped mitochondrial concentration within its cellular membrane, as well as a dramatic increase of potassium pumps at its cellular surface, resulting in a muscle cell with extraordinary work capacity.


    The result is an increased ability to enter a physiological "overdrive" state when under extreme stress, allowing a short period of abnormally high cardiovascular fitness and strength, which results in a trademark "bulge" in the active muscle tissue of the user when utilized, through extreme vasodilation and water movement throughout muscle cells and fibers. The activity of the Bulge function is governed by the user''s autonomic nervous system.


    Excessive use can result in side effects varying from abnormal production of metabolic waste, disruptions in sleep, menstruation, excessive weight loss, emotional volatility, and increased dietary and rest needs.


    COMPOUND- An UWWA-supervised building complex containing all the living faculties for the Chosen Girls, Golden Boys, and Last Men.


    CHOSEN GIRLS- Women of child-bearing age who pass Selection and earn clearence to enter the Compound to freely associate.


    EARWORM [Embedded Auditory Relay for Wireless Omnidirectional Remote Messaging] - a radio communication system embedded in the users'' auditory and language cortices that transmits text and audio to and from other members.


    EVAcorp [Evolutionary and Visceral Advancements, Inc.] A large technology, communications, and manufacturing conglomerate corporate body working closely with UWWA to produce everything from technology, natural resources, and daily use products, as well as military and industrial equipment for Hedonia and the greater world.


    EVAcorp [Evolutionary and Visceral Advancements, Inc.] is a multinational conglomerate that specializes in a wide range of technological advancements, from communication and entertainment devices to weapons and vehicles. With its headquarters located in Cauldron, EVAcorp works closely with UWWA to provide essential resources, products, and services for the residents of Hedonia and beyond.


    FABIAN A robotic assistant for Elin, and first-hand automated executive processor for higher ranks of UWWA bureaucracy.


    FAB-66/FAB-80 [Fixed Accessory Blade, 66/80cm] A polygonal, heat treated, high carbon straight steel or ceramic blade used typically by Jackal Hunters on their Exosuits, bolted directly onto the weapon rails on the suit''s forearm sections. Used for flashy, bloody melee combat.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    GOLDEN BOYS- Men at their physiological prime, after graduation of the Compound''s boarding school system, who freely associate with each other and the Chosen Girls within the Compound.


    IrisAR [Iris Augmented Reality]-- an augmented reality system which displays augmented reality sprites within the IrisHUD platform. Holographic projectors as an alternate or backup display.


    IrisHUD [Iris Heads Up Display]-- A HUD system that projects information onto an etched surface in the user''s eye lens. The system can be activated or deactivated via MIRCS controls.


    (Male) Extinction Event (aka, "Male Extinction Event", "MEE", or "Ex (-event), slang: "Pre-ex or Post-ex"- The mysterious event that eliminated the majority of males of many animal species across the earth, including humans.''


    LAST MEN- Former Golden Boys, older, or infertile men within the Compound who serve to mentor or accompany the other inhabitants.


    MRS- [Memory Recording and Simulation]- a system and file system of digitalized sensory information to record, relive, and re-enact memories. Mixed success in their ability to re-demonstrate memories accurately, primarily dependent upon user "memory honesty". During testing in its prototype phases, even when backed up with video footage, deliberately honest users cannot always maintain memory honesty.


    MIRCS- [Mind-Interface Robotics and Remote Control System] - A nerve-to-electronics control interface that allows the user to directly interact with any MIRCS-compatible device for completely hands-free operation. Users describe the experience like that of having extra limbs.


    Integration involves installation of connecting nodes at the sides of the user''s neck which link directly to the user''s spinal cord. Upon successful surgery, and a few weeks of training both the user and the interface, can one utilize the instantaneous control over various electronic devices with the MIRCS system.


    UWWA [United World Women''s Alliance] - A charity organization designed to distribute resources as a global cooperative effort to recover from the Male Extinction Event. Due to its international presence, it sometimes acts as a governmental body for as many nations across the world it can reach.


    UWWA was initially created at least to appear as a charity organization designed to distribute resources as a global cooperative effort for survivor strongholds to recover from the Male Extinction Event. So in its humblest of beginnings, it likely survived entirely on "donations", but as it grows, so does its need for more power, and will still likely refer to its tax revenue as "donations", perhaps tongue-in-cheekly.


    After all, they are providing all the same services a government does- military/police/defense forces, public infrastructure, education, and even entertainment services (i.e. Lori''s TV show), and best of all, the birth of children itself with lots of help from EVAcorp.


    With UWWA''s efforts, and cooperation from the populace, together a more harmonious society has emerged, thriving even after the tremendous losses of World War III.

 LORE

    MALE EXTINCTION EVENT-- The mysterious culmination of events leading to the mass death and disappearance of males in various species including humans. Abbreviated as "MEE" or the "Ex-" event. Experts theorize implementation of a gene-targeting bioweapon as a result of World War III in the 21st century.


    NATIONS AND NATIONALITY-- Due to the collapse in population and the elimination of males from humans, as well as the adaptation of the United World Women''s Alliance (UWWA) acting as a global relief organization to "uplift" the remaining population from the struggles of such loss, international conflicts have mostly diminished. The pre-Ex nations that struggled among each other have united into 4 regional consolidations, or "sub-alliances":


    Hedonia (formerly known as North America, Europe, Australia/Austronesia, and associated territories)


    Pacifica (Formerly known as "East Asia", India)


    Nilea (formerly known as the "Middle East" and Northern African countries)


    Savanna (formerly known as "Central and Southern Africa")


    RECONSTRUCTION -- Several decades of reconfiguration and restoration of infrastructure after the MEE.


    In an effort to maintain the trade structures which long preceeded the Post-Ex world, much of the global trade patterns remained, albeit at lower volume or capacity.


    THE ECONOMY OF HEDONIA -- Hedonia, like many other Nodes in the global UWWA network, is primarily driven by economic fundamentals-- indoor agriculture, mining, manufacturing, energy, and for decades, also restored its discretionary markets, with extensive internet, television, and other telecommunications rather similar to that of pre-Ex life. However, especially a high price is paid for mining and extra-Fence agriculture, for the obvious dangers of such pursuits.


    With a continually aimless and disillusioned populace, the arts, entertainment, and consumer discretionary sector is arguably more appreciated than of society one or two centuries ago.


    The chief currency of Hedonia is the Hedonian Dollar, abbreviated as a suffix ("HeD"), nicknamed "Headys" or "Heds".


    COMPOUND- A facility for the Chosen Girls, Golden Boys, and Last Men to freely associate.


    CHOSEN GIRLS, GOLDEN BOYS, LAST MEN (see glossary)- Each Node in a UWWA-governed nation has a Compound.


    The three groups interact freely within a Compound, with the primary objectives of:


    1. The health and virility of the Chosen Girls and Golden Boys;


    2. Regulated childbirth in accordance with UWWA contracts signed with the Chosen Girls;


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    3. Maintenance of the facility and order within it;


    4. A subjective "quality of life" achievement for the social wellbeing of the inhabitants without disruption to objectives 1-3.


    Chosen Girls are free to come and leave in accordance with their contracts. Golden Boys and Last Men are to be kept either within the facility premises or highly supervised under UWWA officials, with no exceptions; harsh punishments stand for violators of such policy, whether Compound inhabitant, or enforcing officials.


    EDUCATION IN HEDONIA AND OTHER UWWA NATIONS- Children of each sex are sent to a corresponding boarding school in or near a Compound. Boys are raised under the mentorship of Last Men within a separate chapter of a Compound and are given a standardized curriculum of basic mathematics, language, and biology/physiology to prepare them for their role as Golden Boys.


    Girls are given their own branch of the Compound with the same curriculum but with secondary add-on elements for qualified students upon assessment from school administration. Based on performance, each female student is given a career path or options in a range of fields, where the student can pursue further training at negotiated schedules.


    Lesser qualified or non-specialized graduates of the basic curriculum are either offered entry-level jobs within the UWWA or released to her own volition in the public with a negotiated sum of money.


    JACKALS -- Canus ferocis -- large, carnivorous, warm-blooded, canine-like, vicious creatures, highly dangerous to humans and other animals which managed to thrive in various environments around the world. They began to emerge alongside the new evolutionary pressure on wild dogs, wolves, and hyenas struggling to survive with such a sudden drop in population.


    Jackals are highly athletic and capable of running long distances at speeds exceeding 100km/h, typically weighing approximately 200-400kg. Their jaws open as wide as 50cm, and are recognizable by their spiny backs which the females carry their young upon.


    The males, like humans, were greatly diminished in the MEE; however, Canis Ferocis developed with a smaller, weaker male member of the species, normally no larger than 100cm tall, and 15 kg at full size.  Females usually rear the young on their own, and not much is known of what happens to the males after mating. Jackals give birth to live young, usually 4-20 pups per litter, and build foxhole-like nests underground.


    Although Jackals'' intelligence is either limited or unknown, they generally respond with hostility when encountering humans, due to both hunger as well as violent interspecies conflicts.


    Human engagement in combat with Jackals requires heavy armament and quick thinking, and is usually dealt with either by armored vehicles, automated turrets, or specialists such as Jackal Hunters equipped with extensive armor and weaponry.


    Jackals may hunt individually but prefer to operate in packs, much like pre-Ex wolves or wild canines. They are found across the planet, concentrating in the warmer, more biodiverse climates, with regional adaptations, such as fur in cold climates, and lack thereof in hot climates; varying body composition for temperature; larger subspecies of canis ferocis often develop heavy, thick layers of hardened chitin on their skins which can act as armor, in extreme cases, shielding the internal functions of such behemoths from various degrees of gunfire, heat, and physical penetration.

 CHARACTERS

    LORIANNE KRUGER [UWWA, DEFENSE FORCE] - 26, FEMALE- A hot-tempered, skilled Jackal Hunter who is the chief performer in the popular "Jackal Hunter" TV series. She specializes in martial arts, acrobatics, melee weapons, and short- to medium-range gunfighting. Growing up as a delinquent, Lorianne is hot-tempered and quick to sudden action and completely unafraid of violence when sensing discrepancies from others.


    Lorianne is a fan favorite of both the common Hedonians as well as the Last Men and Golden Boys, appealing to them visually, morally, and perhaps sexually.


    Her body posesses the Bulge modification, and is 170cm tall, very athletic. She wears her brown hair in a wild, splayed ponytail, with dyed-white hairtips, heavy dark eye makeup, and a lip piercing on the side of her mouth.


    She has mixed attitudes towards her job, fantasizing about family life with a stable male partner and a child of her own.


    Her interests are primarily related to combat and warfare, but indulges in feminine fashion, beauty, and expression.


    ADEL STEELE [UWWA, DEFENSE FORCE] -28, FEMALE- A skilled electronic, mechanical, biological technician who works in support of Lorianne. Acts as a mentor, advisor, as well as combat partner for Lori and her efforts. Although their convergence is mostly professional, Lori and Adel seem to bond at a personal level too, frequently spending their time off together.


    Adel is 190cm tall, with green eyes, and strawberry blonde, short hair, almost devoid of body fat, heavy muscular build; rather tepid in personality. She acts as a counter-balance to Lori''s aggression and hardheadedness. She is rather plain and practical in her fashion choices and not easily upset.


    Her interests involve technology, mechanics, engineering, science, and is frequently seen fixing Lori''s equipment. In her free time, she plays MIRCS VR videogames and engages in regular strength training to maintain her massive figure.


    ELIN AUNA [UWWA, LEADERSHIP] -Age unknown, FEMALE- A cunning, charming, elegant, and unpredictable leader of UWWA with frequently questionable intentions.


    Elin is 200cm tall, with sleek white eyes, and white hair worn in two large curls or braids, proudly displaying her statue-like, provocative figure with heavily stylized, revealing dresses. Her body is extensively bio-modified with intricately hidden healing, immune, muscule and cognitive augmentations, nanobots, weapons, and tools.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    She commonly wears heavily stylized, revealing dresses and speaks in a very controlled tone, often prose-like in word choice. Elin is extensively knowledgeable, well-armed, and has a cult-like following, and easily intimidates anyone who opposes her.


    Aside from her leadership position in Hedonia, she is naturally very curious, observant, and naturally intrigued by much of the world around her, and frequently figures out how to utilize it to her purposes.


    CORVUS SUESSMANN [GOLDEN BOYS/LAST MEN]- 19, MALE- A healthy, vibrant Golden Boy who seeks to escape the Compound in Cauldron, preferably to meet Lori to satisfy his intense attraction to her.


    In spite of his lack of skills to do so, he is curious and more than willing to face the anxieties of leaving the Compound for what he deems a more "fullfilling life".


    JJ [GOLDEN BOYS/LAST MEN]- 24, MALE- Longtime colleague of Corvus. Frequently mocks Corvus for his fixation on Lorianne Kruger.


    LIEUTENANT CHUJI [UWWA, LEADERSHIP] - 31, FEMALE- A loyal and fanatic follower of Elin as well as her right-hand assistant, second in rank to FABIAN.


    FABIAN [UWWA, LEADERSHIP]- A humanoid robot designed as an intelligent personal assistant to Elin, versatile in his modular construction. FABIAN is capable of complex speech, logic, math, instantaneous mass communication through the Earworm network, and combat when equipment permits.


    MAGDALENE [CHOSEN GIRLS]- 18, FEMALE- Chosen Girl, maid, new to the Compound. Described as energetic, enthusiastic, and almost always smiling.


    ARI [CHOSEN GIRLS]- 22, FEMALE- Chosen Girl, the Compound''s chief interior designer, and maid within the Compound. Ari moved from Meteor Falls to Cauldron to seek greater opportunities in her art career. She expresses remarkable skill and interest in 3D illustration and visual storytelling.


    CYNTHIA ALDERO [UWWA, DEFENSE FORCE]- 17, FEMALE- A proposed competitor to Lori for the dominant spot in the Jackal Hunter lineup. She is a tall, lean, type-1 muscular young woman-- built strangely like a Jackal-- with a long-banged pixie cut, with a large streak red on brown constituting her hair.


    Her body is covered in tattoos of feline beasts, varying from tigers to pathers to cheetahs, which aligns with her "big cat" themed Exosuit, and relies entirely on melee attacks, running, pouncing, and movement on all-fours during battle with Jackals.


    The UWWA has groomed her starting in childhood-- entirely with Cynthia''s permission-- for the glory of becoming a Jackal Hunter, and sees Lori as merely another step in the climb to complete domination of the Jackal Hunter domain.

 CHAPTER ZERO

    A wave of strong-smelling juice of sorts splashes across my uniform, hair, and face.


    "Oops," she giggles, with her entourage laughing with her. "Guess you needed a drink to wash down the pasta!"


    I stop walking, and look at the floor for a moment. The alfredo sauce still hasn''t washed out from last week.


    Okay. Okay.


    Her face lands on the locker room floor, eyes bloodshot, one drop of crimson red trickling out her nose.


    "How''s that Honors award doing for you now?" I grumble.


    "Okay, I get it," she chokes, coughing a few splats onto my face. I hit her again squarely across the nose. Tears start to appear. She gags once more as I stay mounted on her, too weak to escape.


    "I''m sorry, please stop," she lisps through missing teeth.


    "That''s not enough," I mumble. I pick her up by her hair and throw her across the room, to other lockers. Her friends continue standing by the sidelines.


    My own nose is bleeding, even though she didn''t land one hit on my face; my skirt is still wet with the sugary beverage she was drinking. Her silvery white hair looks rather artistic with speckles of red all over it.


    I grab her collar and slam her a few more times against the locker, realizing there''s no longer any response. As I drop her back onto the floor, her buddies stare at me, trembling, until multiple sets of hands grab me by the neck and fold my arms behind my back, putting me to the floor, face to face with her.


    Come on, that was too soon. She didn''t bleed enough.


    "That''s enough," the officers shout.


    ~~


    "Ms. Kruger, the advisor is ready," the intercom grumbles.


    I walk inside the office.


    "Lorianne, I''m sorry that they did all those things to you, but understand,¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The guards close the door behind us.


    ¡°...Nadia is in critical condition, and you''re more than likely to get a murder charge," the Advisor looks at me with almost a pleading gesture.


    Only a silent glare comes from me.


    "What else happened¨C"


    "Do I look like I feel sorry for her?"


    "Just tell me-"


    "Go look at the fucking cameras. You and the other goons at your level always brag about how secure the school is. Now owe up to it."


    A dash of frustration covers her face.


    "My life is over anyway. Like I had one to begin with."


    She sighs, unable to come up with a response.


    "Okay, Deliberation will update us this week, and you will be in custody until then. Thank you for your time," she looks away.


    I continue staring at her.


    "Come on now," the escort moans.


    Do it.


    "Ms. Kruger!"


    Do it.


    I yelp as a surge of electricity knocks me out of the chair. The guard picks me up by my the chains holding my wrists together. I struggle a few seconds more before a hand covers my eyes; then the next thing I know, my eyes slowly peel back open to reveal my environment now a jail cell.


    "What? Fuck, how long have I been here?"


    "3 days," one of my cellmates timidly remarks.


    "Come on, this is the fifth time, do you really not remember?" another groans, lying belly down on the bunk, playing with a scrap of paper.


    The buzzer down the hall sounds and heavy bootsteps come towards our cell. Three armored and masked guards appear at the bars.


    "Kruger," the one in front grumbles. "Come along."


    My two cellmates look at each other, then stare at me again.


    I sit there, frozen, until the lead guard motions the second to grab me. I flinch, but then the second guard grabs me by the back of the neck.


    Something buzzes on my neck. The collar is still on.


    "A courtesy reminder," Guard #2 mutters, as she flashes the remote in my face. "Let''s make this easier for both of us."


    "Well, nice knowing you," the cellmate on the bunk shouts to me as I''m hauled away.


    ~~


    "Ms. Kruger,"


    My mind is blank.


    "Ms. Kruger,"


    No point to do anything now.


    Guard #2 hits me in the shoulder, pointing at the 8 masked judges.


    "Deliberation is final on its decision; the Justice Council has determined that your charges, character, and circumstances warrant an unconventional sentence."


    The court murmurs and scuffles.

 CH1- LORI

    Everyone''s so full of shit.


    The van rumbles as we move along into the field.


    "Make sure Princess didn''t forget any of her jewels," Adel mocks me through the radio. "Lest we forget the royalty''s embellishments."


    "Whatever. All green. Lori, out."


    "''''Atta girl," the radio prompt closes on my HUD.


    The escorts stood by the doors, and open the rear of the van for me to walk out.


    "Best of luck as always, Ms. Kruger," they remind me, routinely. I don''t even bother to look back at them as I exit the vehicle.


    Bright stadium lamps try to blind me as I quietly tread forward.


    The announcer chimes, "Welcome, and thank you grandly for your attendance and viewership! I''m your host, Jamia Janessen! And in today''s installment of our bloody beauty''s adventure..."


    I like how this suit makes me feel tall while I''m in it. But I also like how i can take it off and be my normal height when the shift''s over.


    I also like how my bird head-shaped helmet hides my apathetic bitch-face as I wave to the crowd. Sometimes I wonder if I catch their attention because I look like a toucan or because I''m covered in blood.


    "And now, let the slaughter, commence!" Jamia almost gasps in her hype-up, sounding just like the desperate, sorry shrieks of a classmate I was beating the shit out of back in junior high.


    Out of the mist, Jackal #1 comes straight at me with #2 and #3 right at its side. I hop up, then perform a backflip, and feed #2 and #3 with my heels, and split the nose open on #1 with my FAB-66, a 66-centimeter blade on my left forearm. With the 9mm SMG on my right arm on the ready, I plant a few rounds in the skulls of either Jackal at my feet and gave the FAB for #1 to chew on, landing right on its body. Salt plates shatter under my feet and #1''s body with the combined weight of both of us driving the blade further in the back of its throat. The pathetic thing gargled at me, as if trying to complain. 2 and 3 seem to be neutralized, albeit twitchy.


    #4 and #5, drooling and tripping with anger, flank me laterally and I jump again, with them each taking their lefts to try and fool me into thinking they''re not going to jump up. As they''re on their way up, I slice the jaw open on and kick the nose of #5 back down onto the salt. A few more shatter as I roll to dissipate the impact. Nosebleeding didn''t stop there as #5 tries to headbutt me, scraping my right foot as I do a quick ballet twirl and send a few more 9mm rounds up its ass as mometum takes it a few meters the other way from me. It limps, shakes it off, and does a quick 180.


    We charge towards each other. Both parties try to assess how far the other will jump, and I went high enough to frontflip over it to put a nice long incision along its spine, but managed to crane its ugly head to bite onto my left hand.


    It brought me down and slammed me on my back. Thank God for arm-brackets and shock dissipators. The claws on my left sliced up #5''s pallet and with a frothy mouth of blood it bites me again at my hair. Snagging a few strands, I filet its right eye.


    "Owwie, our heroine''s hair stylist might not appreciate that on their next appointment! Perhaps she might earn back the style points to cover the loss!" Jania buzzes through the speakers, like a gnat in my ear.


    Squeals and more blood speckling everywhere, it manages to grab my hair this time, for a split second, bringing me to the ground again, while I stab it straight between the eyes. It screams, completely losing sentience, as my blade and arm stay lodged in its skull.


    "It looks like Lawless Lori has taken a tumble! Perhaps her style is catching up to her speed, or apparent lack of it today! Can she recover?"


    A couple thrashes broke me free and I made a rolling landing a few meters away. Before I could drop a finishing move, it collapses to the ground, heaving upon the order of whatever''s left in its brainstem.


    "Scum of carbon-based life is still breathing," I mutter.


    I walk to the flinching abomination as it flails with a gentle fountain of red coming from its forehead. Peppering it with more 9s would be too lazy, and would ruin the pelt. Stabbing it while it''s down would be clich¨¦. My pity of these things, along with the crowd''s usual hunger for my style, compel me to be a bit more dressy.


    The tail flops a couple times, so I grab it, slice it off, hold it straight, wedge it in the head-hole, grab the carcass by the nose, cut it off by the neck, and hold it high for the camera to see. I give myself a quick shower in blood just for extra job security.


    "Our sweetheart does it again, pulling herself out of trouble, almost as quickly as she got into it! Bravo, Ms. Kruger! Bravo, as always... Don''t miss us tomorrow, we will...." she melodically falls to a satisfied tone, as the crowds cheer through the speakers. I know they''re cheering. It''s funny how the show directors still play it through the van speakers as if I give a shit.


    The lenses focus on me as I slowly walk back to the van. On a day like this, definitely need a power-wash-- for both the suit and the hair behind my head; thank God again that I can''t smell it.


    -


    Adel blasts me with the white beam of water. "Yeesh, how did that happen?"


    "What, my hair?" I grumble to her back through the radio.


    "Yeah."


    "Trajectory calculator went a bit low."


    "Hmm, okay." She turns the stream from spray to jet and hits my back and the lower half of my locks. The rheopectic armor smoothes out the sharp pressure to a dull one. At my end of the flexible latex-like garment it''s almost like someone''s thumb and palm,, rubbing me down my back. Almost like someone giving me a back massage I never asked for.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Do you like doing that?" I groan.


    "Well, if I don''t, you''re gonna stink way worse than your attitude, so stand straight, please," she tilts her head and smiles gently.


    I roll my eyes.


    "Okay, so now you turn the Threshold value up a few points," Adel and I sit at the shop computer. She tweaks a dial on a window for the trajectory calculator adjustment and re-calibration.


    Her hand is so damn huge. Veiny, too. Her four fingers are each as thick as my thumb, no, both my thumbs. It''s almost as if, if she were as mad as I, she could crush that mouse with two fingers. Blows me away she has the motor control to click and drag some virtual dials on a computer screen.


    "Now, click ''Sim Test Run'' from the Return to Service menu on the right," and an animation of me doing the same move today, and similar moves, plays with me apparently clearing it this time. "You think you can do this yourself next time?"


    I blankly stare at her, trying to look as bored as possible. "You''re welcome," she gently smiles again, and gets up, with my Traj-Cal module in her hand.


    "That thing is barely the size of your thumbnail, how do you not crush it just holding it like that?" I tilt my head, trying to sarcastically look cute as I sit with my legs crossed.


    "You''re welcome, Princess," she walks off to re-install the module. "Stupid remote update doesn''t work..."


    I look down at my fingernails revolving, tapping on the computer desk. Just happy I don''t have sausages on my hand.


    At the mess hall, a couple of fully-covered goons deliver a holo-message to me as I place my veggie burger down.


    "Evening, Ms. Kruger; The Show Directorate would like you to be mindful of your equipment as optimal function is necessary for your performance and the show quality. If you have issues, please consult your maintenance technician or the department for adequate..." Those bootlickers only come here because they know I never check my overflowing inbox in my IrisHUD.


    The two only get a blank stare from me as I mumble, "Thanks," looking back down at my salad and sandwich.


    "Oh, the shit those two girls say to look busy," Adel drops her tray of fries, chicken slices on the same salad, two cups full of soda, a fruit pie, and a tray of some dark, thick liquid.


    "Used engine oil is a condiment now?" I remark, as she bumps into my shoulder with her doubly-massive own. It''s like a big memory foam pillow hitting me.


    "Yes ma''am, and some damn good tasting oil at that," she grabs my sandwich, dips it in the mysterious black goop, and takes a bite. I calmly grab her fries in retaliation.


    "Oh, shit," she mumbles with her mouth full, "it''s that veggie bullshit. You can have this back," she puts it back on my tray.


    "What''re you gonna do, spit it out?"


    She swallows it, with a twitchy eyebrow. "Nah, I''d hurt your feelings. I can put up with it if I''m hungry enough. The sauce inside it ain''t bad."


    "Yeah, I like it too, thank you very much," I side-eye her, reclaiming my sandwich.


    That black stuff smells strongly of black pepper, vinegar, and some other spice. Adel dips her fries in it, eats a handful, and points a few shreds to me.


    "Any dead shit in it?"


    She shakes her head.


    I slowly grab a few, smell it again, and give it a try. It''s sweet, a little sour, garlic, onion, salty. And a bit more black pepper than to my liking, but not that bad. A type of stir-fry sauce, maybe.


    All I give Adel is a shrug and we both finish dinner.


    "Be right back with some ice cream," she gets up and goes back to the serving line rails.


    "Why do you like strawberry?" she asks me, watching me put a pink bar of the stuff in my mouth.


    "The color, really. I like the strawberry-citrus ones better." Adel bites straight into a Triple Deep Dark Choco.


    "How girly," she quietly chides. I respond with slience. "What do you wanna do tonight? Arcade''s open."


    "Nah."


    "What''s got you so down today? Just the Traj-Cal being off and losing a couple shreds of hair?"


    I grumble underneath my breath, giving Adel a glancing look, then turn back to the other tables in the mess hall. She bumps me with her elbow and I moderately push it away. "Fuck off."


    "How about just a quiet hike outside?"


    A few seconds go as I make up my mind. "Whatever."


    We plod outside, hands in pockets. After a monotonous few minutes pass, she asks, "So what kind of dream boy visited you last night?"


    "You know my type."


    "No, must''ve been something or somewhat different last night. How was he?"


    Never be in a hurry to answer her questions. "Brown eyes, long rockstar hair."


    She lets out an adoring mutter. "Why rockstars this time"?


    "You think I know?"


    "Dreams are weird like that. You must have thought something similar weeks ago while awake."


    Can''t say I''m picky. Surely the UWWA has all types of fellows at their little spa where they''re kept. So long as he''s... as lean as I am, I guess.


    "No dad-bod and I''m good," I tell her. "Like either of us can afford to be pickier?"


    She hesitates. "Probably not."


    I look at her for a couple seconds, look back at the ground, and then back at her again. "Who''s yours"?


    "Who, the guy I saw in last night''s dream?" She hesitates a few seconds more. "Same, as long as he''s bigger than me."


    "Like who?"


    "Eh... can''t think of anyone in particular." A few more steps. "Maybe a jarhead cut. Mint green."


    "Sounds like some cartoon character."


    "Reality is stranger than fiction," she smirks.


    "Can even the thought of a man make you smile?"


    "No, but the idea of you shutting the fuck up will," I smirk back to her. She continues smiling, shaking her head as we continue stepping forward.


    We stop and watch the sunset go over the lake, rocks, and trees for a couple seconds. "I like purple, too. Grape and strawberry ice cream would be nice right now. Call it Sunset-...something."


    We get to the gate of the MP base and walk out into the downtown area. Cauldron''s a decent city. Can''t remember what the other towns I was transferred from but this is definitely better.


    "Still no on the arcade?" Adel points to it as we pass by.


    "Not with that long of a line," a mixture of corpulent figures with the emaciated are ahead of us outside the arcade. All dressed for the occasion.


    I''m in my usual black UWWA-logoed crop top tank, silver-gray leggings, hi-tops, and MOLLE purse.


    "They''ll probably let you cut in line," Adel says.


    "Alright, whatever." We walk over. The line either stares, quietly squeals, and a couple ask me for autographs."Buzz off," Adel shoos them away. We look around inside for something not knowing exactly what.

 CH2- CORVUS

    It''s barren outside, but I think it''s fake.


    Kinda everything is fake. Pretty, but fake.


    Except Lori, perhaps. God, she''s hot. And unless it''s all this elaborate CGI, I''m pretty sure she''s real.


    "Bro, how long have you been drooling on the window?"


    "Longer than you''ve been relevant."


    "Whatever. I''ll be in the funhouse. Probably my scheduled time anyway."


    These pathetic salt flats can''t be all that''s out there. So, Lori- as far as I understand- goes to all kinds of places. Could that all be a simulation? Green screens? Some kind of movie mind-trick?


    Walking by the busy rooms, the hallway stays lit and the walls are solid. They''re loud enough to faintly penetrate through the walls, but not enough to disrupt the next room over.


    It''s almost as if the designer of this building kind of had it in mind, intentionally designing this hallway like so. Just to rub it in my face.


    A maid quietly asks, tilting her head in attempt to seem cute, "Corvus, you seem bored, is there anything you''d like?"


    I stop in my tracks. Not even really sure what to tell her. Lori, maybe, I was about to mutter.


    "Perhaps I could meet your needs in Room 12-"


    "Nah, not that," I shoo her away. I already spent the morning with some other girl.


    "Please do not forget that the director will do roll call for after-lunch exercise soon. I would like to see you there, Corvus," the maid softly grins as I tread away.


    "Yeah, yeah."


    She''s cute, but come on. Really getting tired of this.


    ~~


    "Thank you, Cory," the same maid lies next to me in todays bedroom. "That was amazing."


    I keep tight lipped, blankly staring at the ceiling. She crawls back onto me, in search for my attention.


    "What did I do wrong?"


    "Nothing." I pat her on her head.


    A small grumble puffs out of her nose.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Thanks," I mutter. "You did your job, have a nice day," I say while maintaining my dead-focus on the blank ceiling.


    The door closes behind her.I eventually drag myself out of the bed, re-dress, and find my way to the gym.


    We do a cycle of 9 different muscle groups throughout the week; arms, back, abs, chest, jumping, sprints, upper and lower body flexibility, neck.


    Our top performers start squeezing, slapping, and admiring each other, cracking jokes, while I continue my withdrawal.


    In the midst of my hot water zen, JJ sticks a bar of soap between my ass cheeks. I pick it up and throw it back at him while he giggles.


    "There''s no window for you to stare out, what the fuck got your attention here?"


    "Fuck off."


    Then back out to the rest of the Compound. Another maid rings the Afternoon Bell and one guy picks her up and takes her to a room.


    In the middle of the chaos enters an abnormally tall and somewhat slender woman, rocking a flashy, somewhat revealing dress with long white hair done in two large curls at either side. Everyone starts to bow in rows on her sides.


    JJ shoves me in the middle of my back onto the ground. "Get your head down, dumbass," he angrily whispers.


    The Compound Managers, one male and one female, click their heels under their salute. "Mother Elin."


    "Afternoon, my sons and daughters," the tall woman says in a frighteningly smooth, low tone. "How goes it in our Compound?"


    "Full of vigor, vitality, and virility as always," the two bootlickers say in harmony.


    Elin smirks and mutters a small, evil chuckle as she smirks at us. "Pleased to hear as always." Her high heels thump against the carpeted floor, one foot in line with the other like a runway model. I could almost feel her weight stepping on me as she approaches.


    That woman cannot be made of flesh.


    Nearly pissing my pants in fear, I tip my head back down as Elin walks by. From the sounds of it, she smirks at either me, JJ, or the dude on my right, and keeps walking. As she goes by, I peek up to see her glancing at me for a split second, smirking again, then continuing away, not missing a step.


    She has no pupils either. Just a plain, sky blue iris.


    And holy shit, her boobs are huge. Like, two cantelopes.


    I glance at JJ. "Who-"


    "Tell you later! Shut up!"


    We both place our heads back down as the Managers walk by. They catch up to Elin and start discussing something beyond our earshot. Two heavy doors close behind them, and everyone gets right back up.


    "That''s Elin Auna, she''s like the dictator of Hedonia," JJ says to me. "How do you not know about her?"


    "I don''t watch TV like you do."


    "Whatever. Anyway, I''ll cut to the chase. I heard she smells and tastes like fresh fruit, and makes you cum your brains out. Like literally. The few here who had the privilege say they can''t even think straight for hours after getting some with her. She has some kind of mind control she uses when she fucks you."


    "The fuck?"


    "Not kidding, bro," JJ shakes his head. "This is just what I''m told, just the local folk tales. Do what she says, you may even get a chance to fuck her. Don''t, well, I mean, she''ll do worse to you than Death could dream to."


    "I mean that''s cool, but I still want Lori."


    "Whatever, Cory," JJ rolls his eyes before walking away. "Seems like you have a thing for chicks that can tear you to shreds with one hand. Looks like your chances of either are about the same. I''ve got another Chosen to shag, see ya."


    In the art studio I spent the rest of the night trying to draw Lori while re-watching the reruns of the last episode of Jackal Hunter on the intranet. Much to no surprise I crumpled up a lot of them in shame of my poor workmanship.


    I really wonder how doctored everything on the computers here at the Compound are. Other times I also wonder if there''s even a point to wonder. Not like I can ever see what''s outside the place anyway.


    Not alive, at least.

 CH3- ELIN

    Oh, Suzanna, my dearest.


    What a pestering thought.


    "Mother Elin," Lieutenant Chuji clicks her heels and salutes up towards me. "Today''s installment for Lori''s show are in order. Awaiting further briefing regarding Daily Security procedures."


    I slowly and steadily draw a breath in, standing firmly on the balcony above the 100-some troops below. "At ease, Daughters. Nothing seems too out of the ordinary today. Monitor Lori''s performance and metrics as always in addition to standard procedure across the city. Most of today''s affairs seem in order, let''s keep it that way. Sans any further, glaring issues that may arise later, you are dismissed. I express only the greatest of gratitude for the service from you all." I gently smile.


    "Yes, Mother," she salutes again before turning away. I retreat to my chair where FABIAN brings me my tea.


    "Mother," the automaton buzzes to me. "Apologies for the delay."


    "Worry not, FABIAN. As you know I often prefer to prepare it myself, but perhaps I''m not in my best today," I wield the saucer and cup, and quietly indulge myself with the lavish mixture of mint, anise, and Speckter spice. "Brilliant combination today, my mechanical friend. Color me impressed."


    He bows, "Thank you, Mother."


    "Don''t be silly, I''m not your mother. How dare I take credit from the brilliant minds at EVACorp for creating you."


    "Would you prefer ''Madam''?"


    "I''m not pestered, just flattered. Address me however you wish, you charming little machine."


    "Understood, Madam or Mother. Notify me of any further service you may need."


    "Thank you," I sing, smirking in humor. FABIAN humbly rolls away on his belted tracks.


    No need to overindulge in the calm before the storm. Always maintain vigilance.


    ~~


    "Your luncheon, Mother," the chef places the plate of Jackal-mignon-stroganoff and chopped spinach, arugula, asparagus, and a bowl of creamed-potato soup before me on the table.


    "I would like some water, please," I tip my head to the chef, sweating at her brow.


    "On the way, my apologies, Mother," the chef scurries away with her serving tray.


    PIPPA has an announcement for me. Nothing out of the ordinary, Lori tearing away at the Jackals as she''s intended. Her spirit is admirable; stalwart and unwavering, at least in front of the camera. Sometimes I wonder what''s going on behind the hawk''s-head-like helmet of hers.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I Earworm FABIAN. "FABIAN, did the engineers of Lori''s helmet include any emotive systems?"


    "No, Mother, but I will notify EVA to work on that immediately."


    "Lovely. Thanks once again."


    A bit of static whizzes about in the Earworm network.


    "FABIAN?"


    "I do not know what is the disturbance either, Mother."


    "Trace it, please. Now is a good time to address it proactively."


    "Yes, Mother."


    Diogenes jumps onto my lap and yips. "And thus enters this fine gentleman, here to lecture me. Hopefully he won''t defecate in the premises lest I say no, correct?" I stroke the standing furs on his head and back. "What a shame your relatives aren''t as sensible as you are, and Lori has to put them down, no?"


    He opens one eye, glancing, then closes it. "Ah, yes, dear," I chime to him.


    ~~


    The poolwater steams below my chin. I submerge and drift down, to the bottom, and gently spring back, slithering back to the surface. In spite of the upgrades, I could sense the heat, but only as an idea, rather than this fatiguing, caustic entity over one''s skin many others describe.


    Nerves are such fascinating fibers, are they not? The mind itself is but a construct of the nerve cells beneath it. A shining leader, vitalized by all the electrical and neurochemical conversations below her.


    I undo my curls and let my locks flow loose at the surface. Reemerging and slowly unraveling my fingers, my forearm bays open to reveal two FAB-30s at each of my hands, still caked with days-old blood. One stroke at a time with my fingertips, I remove the residue, and make fists to close the blades.


    What a lovely night, perhaps I could share the atmosphere. "FABIAN?"


    "Yes, Mother."


    "I would like some company if you wouldn''t mind."


    "Any preference for this evening?"


    "Surprise me. Nothing too erratic. I''ve felt lazy today, make but a wild guess and I''ll make do. Thank you," I mutter, barely above a whisper, crossing my legs.


    "Understood."


    I remove myself from the water and start brushing my hair, unable to decide whether to re-tie or not. Perhaps not, it''s late in the day.


    FABIAN pages me, and I approve him. He enters through the background wall with a trim, lean, brown-haired fellow in his 20s, hair like a tuft of frozen flame above his head, wearing but a robe.


    "My," I grin, turning away from my mirror to face FABIAN. "Thank you for the surprise."


    "My pleasure, Mother," he bows slightly before turning and rolling away.


    I face the young man. "Evening, what is your name?"


    "Derek, Mother Elin," he kneels with his head down.


    "I appreciate the formality, but..." I slowly step towards him, bending over to lift his chin with a finger. "...you may stand now," smiling down to him.


    "Only to be stunned with what I see," he looks up towards me, voice shaking ever-so-slightly with as much courageous anticipation as anxiety.


    "Oh, please," I flatteredly smirk. Holding him at his sides, I undo his robe and wrap a leg around his, pulling his face towards my bosom, and inhale in anticipation. "Similar could be said to you."

 CH4- LORI

    "Hey, Princess," Adel busts through my door and throws something heavy that hits my ass, nearly knocking me off the other side of the bed. "Get up, they want us in gear in 60. Sorry I didn''t come in sooner."


    "Fuck.... off...." I groan, struggling to wake up, pushing the heavy object off to the ground with my foot. It''s so heavy it thuds on the floor and rattles the hollow tubes of my bedframe.


    "Bring it to breakfast, I''ll be in the mess hall."


    I growl at her as I roll out of bed and fall on the floor.


    "Oh shit, Beth, where are you?"


    Beth fell under the bed. I grab her by her long, floppy ears and hug her. "I''m sorry, Beth."


    She''s been through so much. I still haven''t bothered to find a new button for her right eye.


    I put her under my blanket and make my bed before getting dressed.


    ~~


    "Alright, what''s in here?" I loudly slam the armored briefcase on the table. Adel calmly looks up from her tray of food.


    "Whatever''s in there, you probably just broke, you jackass," she raises an eyebrow.


    I probably went pale for a second before Adel reassures me, "Nah, just kidding, you''ll probably fuck it up way worse on today''s mission. It''s a hydraulic booster for your upper body exoskeleteon and joint system. It''ll boost the leverage of your extension and retraction, and you can flip this switch in your HUD to-"


    "Uhm?" I turn my head to side-eye her.


    "Hold up, cowgirl. You flip this switch," she clicks some small lever on the device, "to redirect the power from either your arms or legs when something fails. The Suit adjusts automatically, but the override is through your MIRCS, and the manual override is right here, you can switch it as you so please."


    "Thank you, Adel," I sarcastically chime in a sweet tone.


    "Pfft. Don''t break it."


    "I might, just to spite you for this boring lecture."


    "Alright, no food for you, then."


    I grab her fries. "I''m sorry, what?"


    "Brat."


    ~~


    The two MIRCS nodes click into place as I stick my ponytail through the hole in the back. The Suit''s breastplate folds down and secures me in place, and Adel flips on the switch for a pressure test. It stirs the fluid, rushing up and down like a second circulatory system.


    At least this thing''s heart isn''t rotted out like mine.


    "Alright, Princess, go kill some shit," Adel slaps the hydraulics and ammo rack on my back.


    "Sure." I walk to the end of the hangar. The van starts up, with the two guards impatiently waiting.


    Van bumbles along like always. A few minutes go by, and I decide to ask,"What''s your favorite ice cream flavor?"


    Left side guard kind of turns to me and waits 30 seconds before grumbling, "Pistachio."


    Right guard waits another 10 before chuckling.


    Today the van took us to some kind of jungle. Thankfully the suit shielded me from the humidity but the HUD said 100%. Really glad there''s an air filtration system in the helmet.


    "...and let the slaughter, commence!" Three Jackals this time, one larger, flanked by two smaller. They crouch and spring, waiting a few seconds before charging.


    "Forget not to mix it up this time," PIPPA chimes to me through my Earworm.


    As the largest comes straight towards me and the two smaller ones trail behind it in a triangle, I Rabbit Kick the biggest''s head to launch myself in the air, front flipping before landing behind all of them. Big''s head slams into the ground, dislocating its jaw. All three flinch as I pepper them with some gunfire from my right arm.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "I caution you not to become too reliant on your firearms," PIPPA pings me again. "Be sure to vary your attacks."


    "Whatever," I grumble.


    The three come again, and I launch myself with a butterfly kick and slash the loin and back of Jackal Major. The two Minors skid and do a 180 on the grassy floor. I fire my left FMGH, it wraps around the front right leg of Major, and I jump and sling myself forward by reeling back in. Big mistake, I realize, as I fly past and have nothing on my right arm to hit any of them with.


    I fire my right FMGH and it sloppily wraps around the neck and ribs of Biggy. The smalls come to my sides, and I jump to dodge them both, reel myself in onto Jackal #1, and land with my blade in its back. It squeals while trying to bite at me by twisting its neck backwards. Barely able to pull the blade back out in time to slash at #2 coming at my rear-left, I make a decent cut across its mawl while folding my right hand''s claws, making a fist, and dishing #3 across the snout with my right.


    #2 manages to knock me down and start biting at my left shoulder. I feel its teeth trying to work through my left shoulder plate, but thankfully the armor is holding up.


    Might not be so lucky next time.


    I peck #2 in the eye with the snout of my helmet, earning myself another miserable Jackal screech as it flinches back. "What a gruesome response from the beasts! In spite of the spills, Ms. Kruger, of course, is nonetheless resourceful. Bra-a-a-vo!" the announcer chimes.


    Wish I had a little more weight and maybe some spiked knuckles on my right hand, but I guess we''ll find out later. Guess Adel will have to straighten the wrist brace a little. Sorry, Ade.


    These fuckers are making me break a sweat today. Okay. Fine.


    "Right as our heroine succeeds, it seems like trouble is abound! Who are these new contestents entering the battle?"


    Two more of those ugly things jump from the trees, one in some kind of blue dress and jeweled collar, the other in a pink one. They both even have fake eyelashes glued to them.


    Is this how Elin passes her time?


    "It seems we have a beauty pageant on our hands! Now, a battle of the babes, between Ms. Kruger, and Ms. PonPon and BonBon!"


    Pageant? Now that seems personal.


    Foliage above my head is the only new thing I can try which I haven''t already. With both left and right, I harpoon and tow myself to the top of a tree, and watch BonBon and PonPon crawl up the tree. They swing at me as all 3 of us bend the pitiful wood. They release the tree and lunge for me. I split-kick both away and roll upon hitting the ground, and reel the FMGHs back up. Both of them swat away the hooks I shoot at both of them.


    What well-trained pets. Wonder what and who they killed to get here.


    I drop the heads of BonBon and PonPon on the table.


    "I mean, cool, I guess," Adel mutters, looking at the gaping faces with their tongues out.


    "Feel remotely bad for them," I mutter back. "I think they were Elin''s pets."


    Adel tilts her head to me and raises a brow.


    "Yeah," I nod.


    "What makes you think that?"


    "Only Elin would be smart enough to come up with a joke like this. Oh, and sorry I busted the knuckle bracket again. Probably busted my flesh and bones hand too."


    PonPon''s face twitches slightly.


    Shit, I''m hungry. I whinge, holding my right hand looking at my bruised hands.


    The mood gets a bit more melancholy in the mess hall during dinner today.


    Adel munches on a fried chicken wing while glancing over to me as I play with my vegetables on the plate.


    "You skipped breakfast and now you don''t wanna eat?" she asks through a mouthful.


    I slowly shake my head. She looks at me for a few seconds while chewing.


    "What"?


    Shrugs, and swallows. "Dunno. You probably should eat. You burned like, what, 2000 calories in that hour of the show?"


    "I could be leaner."


    "Disagree." Adel grabs another piece and waits a moment to bite. "The doc says 12% is lean enough."


    "Did she?"


    "The doc-"


    "You''re not the doc."


    Adel rolls her eyes. "We can go ask her tomorrow since you get a day off."


    "Fine. But I''m not hungry," I pick up my tray and try to walk away, before a large hand grabs my bicep and stops me.


    She takes yet another bite, stares at me, pulling me back slowly, then carefully removes the tray from my hands.


    "At least feed it to me before the trash can," another mouthful.


    The rest of my evening goes by in my barracks bathroom. In spite of the extensive appliances within it, I style my hair manually. Tonight I try a pompadour with this elaborate multi-ponytail concoction I don''t really understand myself.


    I pose to and fro, examining my work in the mirror rig, not missing a single angle. Slowly, my lips creak to a feeble smile.


    Then I immediately undo it all. I have so much hair. Seldom do I know what to do with all of it.


    With my right hand outside the blanket, I lie staring in the darkness towards the ceiling, clutching Beth on my left side. Her fabric skin has worn through all the years to produce a fuzz and pills all over the surface. Although I can never get enough of feeling her soft body, at times I wish there was more than just her here.


    So you''re a TV celebrity, you kill everything, people fear you, you have more money than you know what to do with. Why are you dissatisfied? What else do you want?


    My lifestyle is asinine to me now. I want something more.


    Like what?


    A better question is what''s even out there. Let alone for me.


    Not much, Lori.


    Tomorrow''s another day of killing Jackals, then another weekend to do exactly this except sitting upright. Or VR sparring. Or doll myself up for not really anyone to see except myself.


    And? Are you just going to do this for the rest of your life?


    Probably.


    Really?


    I can''t even answer my own question.


    Whinging in pain from my right hand, I stopped myself from making a fist.


    You''re mad at your own thoughts now, huh?


    You''re damn right, Lori.


    Shut up and go to sleep.

 CH5- CORVUS

    "Good morning, Corvus!" A Chosen chimes as she enters my bedroom. I frantically hide my Lori plush under my pillow.


    "Uh... Hi."


    "I''m Magdalene," she plunks her ass on the left side of my bed, seemingly intentionally letting her skirt flare up as she lands. Approaching me further, she lies prone, brushing up right next to me, resting her chin on her palms, brimming with excitement.


    "Nice... to meet y-"


    "Oh, what''s that under your pillow?" she points where I stuffed the plushie. I didn''t hide it too well. There was quite the bulge coming from the pillowcase.


    Magdalene only gives me maybe one second to react before she reaches over my chest to grab Lori from under the pillow.


    "This is so cute! Oh my God, I love her hair," she says while stroking the big ponytail, eyes lit with excitement. "But who is it?"


    "T- n- nobody," I stammer, grabbing it from her.


    She tilts her head in a brief moment of confusion. "Oh, it''s that Jackal Hunter girl! That''s what''s-her-name, Kruger? Lori?"


    "N- Okay, yeah," I say in defeat.


    "She''s so scary!"


    "Y-yeah, she is."


    "You seem scared, I hope I don''t scare you as much as she does," she tosses Lori to the side, and starts to put both her hands on my chest, and begins to straddle me.


    Little Cory already responds, but I''m not as excited.


    "Oh?" her eyes widen as she feels it beneath her, rubbing her hands from my chest to my arms.


    I stare blankly, feeling again at a loss. She dives in for a kiss. I reflexively grab her by her waist. "Can you find the zipper?" she grins, with heavy breath.


    ~~


    "Bro, that Maggie girl is cute, why the long face?" JJ nudges me in my shoulder as we walk into the gym.


    "Shut up."


    "What, you gay now? You know how that will go down here."


    "No. She''s just okay. Can respect the effort."


    "Bro, I wish she''d come into my room like that. She''s hot. Lucky you, she never picked me once."


    "Maybe because you run your mouth too much."


    "I run my dick too, and sex speaks louder than words," he smirks.


    "We all do, that''s our job-"


    The coach interrupts me with his whistle. "Straighten out! Phase one!"


    We start with high knees.


    "I''ll trade you Mags if you get me out of here," I turn to JJ and say, not sure if I''m even joking anymore.


    "I''ll take Mags but I''ll pass on the goodbye gift from the Directors."


    "What? Gift?"


    JJ rolls his eyes as we continue the exercise. "You''ll see later today."


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ~~


    On the catwalk over the Fence, we stand to look down at some guy making a frantic run from outside the Fence. It''s so far down we couldn''t tell exactly who it was.


    The others all gape and stare, muttering among themselves.


    "Mm, what a shame," Elin mutters, dull, almost bored, looking downwards to the helpless soul.


    He screams as three Jackals chase after him. "Perhaps he was inspired by the Boilers," Elin adds.


    "Who?" A Last Man in the crowd asks.


    "Some terrorist cabal roaming Cauldron and Hedonia as a whole," she adds. "That''s all we know as of now."


    Bullshit. She''s too smart, clearly she knows more than just that.


    "You believe that?" I whisper to JJ. "''That''s all we know as of now''?"


    He''s staring at Elin.


    "Hey, cum-for-brains," I elbow him in his rib.


    "Ach, dude, I was busy spectating, what''s your problem?"


    I give him an annoyed look. "You act like she owns you, all she has to do is be all sexy and you''re happy to be her tool-"


    "You aren''t even ogling her, and are you any higher up on the stack than me?"


    Fuck.


    I sigh.


    "In any case, I know you gentlemen are wiser than that poor fellow below," Elin flips her hair, walking like an elegant cat in an unbelievably straight line past us. "Enjoy the rest of your day."


    "Oh damn, she smells good," JJ mumbles.


    Ugh. She does. But I''m fucking trapped here.


    Back inside, the Directors ordered us to lay down some new cable for the server rooms. Robots dug up most of the wire but we''re told to straighten the cable as the bots lower it into the path in the ground. Almost as if, it''s some kind of team building activity rather than actually the most productive way to repair whatever broke. For at least a few meters around the cabling itself, the area reeks of burnt plastic.


    "What the hell happened here?" I ask an older, graying fellow.


    "Prolly some deliberate overload attack melted a bunch of wire and shorted a bunch of shit out."


    The "Boilers"? I guess they cook all kinds of stuff. What a smart name.


    "Who? Why?"


    The older guy shrugs.


    "Maybe if you stopped dreaming about Lady Dog Catcher you''d know what''s going on," JJ quips, smirking.


    "Oh, shut it, cum-for-brains. Can you tell me?"


    "Hey, man, you just told me to shut it."


    "Now you may speak, Prince."


    "Well, Boilers, I''m told. They don''t like us."


    "They want us, you mean?"


    "Hey man, I won''t stop ''em if they''re hot. But yeah, all kinds of retards want to break in. And of course all the sentry bots outside keep all the door-knocking remote. So I wouldn''t be so worried if I were you."


    "Yeah, but wasn''t this a cyberattack?"


    "So?"


    Nah, time to shut up, Cory. You aren''t gonna get answers, only more questions.


    "Ugh, God."


    JJ looks up at me. "What now?"


    "You know."


    "What, you want out?"


    "Brilliant hypothesis, Doctor."


    "Look, Cory, let me break it down for you." JJ pantomimes a box on his left side. "Here, you''ve got food, shelter, endless sex, a gym, a library, and bros." He points to the window. "What''s out there? Fuckin'' Lori? Jackals? ''Adventure''? Do you really think that''s within your reach?"


    "Not in here."


    "I don''t think out there either, dude," he wipes a lick of sweat from his forehead. "If you think otherwise, you can talk to the Jackals out the North door, I''m sure they''d help you out to get into Lori''s pants."


    I stop pushing the fat anaconda of wires and turn to him.


    "Hey, try riding one of them, bring some, like, reins or something, and ride them to Lori while she waits in a princess dress or some shit, calling ''Oh, Corvus, Corvus, where art thou?''"


    "Hey, you two, keep rolling!" The director shouts from the end of the wire. "Walk away if you want a break."


    I give him a few more seconds of stare before we keep pushing.


    "Look, I''m not trying to be a shitstick, I''m just keeping it real with you," JJ mutters.


    "As am I. I know what I want."


    "Same here, bro. But I''d kinda prefer not to see you die or get taken to the Q."


    "I wonder what''s worse to you, death, or freedom?"


    "What freedom is there when you''re dead?"


    "Freedom isn''t free."


    "If you''re calling me a slave, you''re shackled with the same chains here, buddy."


    "And you just seem okay with it."


    "Yep, I sure am. You''re not, I take it?"


    "Men want freedom."


    "Sorry, Mr. Manly Man, but we''re not fuckin'' movie characters."


    "Because nobody is going to solo some Sentries. It takes a team."


    "Get the fuck outta here," he rolls his eyes. "You''re on your own with your death wish. Who the fuck''s gonna sign up for your Lori Fanboy Army?"


    "If we can come together to-"


    "Bro, get real, seriously," he stops and looks at me this time. "I''m not here to stomp on your dreams unless it''s going to crush everyone else''s."


    "And what''s yours?"


    "I have my own, I just don''t-"


    "Hey!" The Director shouts.


    We shut up and keep pushing again.


    "Tell you later," JJ says, facing the wire bundle.

 CH6- ELIN

    "What is freedom if you''re dead?"


    How poignant, JJ. To some extent nobody is truly free. Death is the ultimate freedom but with the freedom from all constraints of the mortal world, does one lose the capabilities of existence in reality. There is no pain but no gratification either.


    "Mother Elin," FABIAN pings me. "What is your course of action for today?"


    I spool back and forth from the footage of Corvus talking to JJ. "Freedom, freedom is the course of action today, FABIAN."


    "I''m sorry, I do not understand."


    "Worry not, nor do I," I smile to FABIAN. "Mr. Suessman seems like he wants to escape the Compound."


    "Shall we take preventative measures, Mother?"


    "Not for now, but thank you." I zoom into his visage, trying to see what his face might say. None but a bland, apathetic gaze at the environment around him. "I will continue observing him myself. Quite a specimen he is, second only to Ms. Kruger. In spite of the examples we made of one of the Last Men, we see a rather ironic response from Corvus. Lori is a higher priority as of now."


    "Noted. At your service, Mother."


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I close the window and get up from my chair. Lori''s now finished with BonBon and PonPon. Perhaps our schedule will turn much more exciting very soon.


    "Place some pay incentives for the Directorate to make use of these. I sense a possible convergence between all of our ''outliers''."


    Where is Diogenes?


    "Diogenes?" I whistle gently. He''s across the room, trembling at his legs as he unwaveringly watches a Jackal Hunter re-run in the holo-screen.


    "Oh, Diogenes," I walk to pick him up, softly patting his face. "Now, now."


    ~~


    A blank canvas stands before me on an easel. I connect my MIRCS with the intention to see something on the blankness, but I stand for a few minutes, patiently, to no avail.


    I start with a circle. The circle continues reinforcing itself concentrically. Roughly 400 repetitions later, wavering spines radiate from the figure.


    "Odd," I mumble, before clearing the canvas. "Shall we again?"


    The second attempt results in a bean shape, surrounded by concentric circles enclosing it.


    "A trachea?"


    A smaller circle appears in the internal side of the bean shape. I do not care to see a pharynx.


    Upon my third attempt, I continue to replicate the bean shape in the circle. The background darkens. I touch the canvas surface, and watch as microscopically thin black veins fractalize from the white imprint from my hand.


    Something organic, I see.


    Black veins start to appear on the white bean shape, much like a cardiovascular system within it, amassing from a central locus.


    "Is it alive?"


    The artwork stops moving.


    "Am I alive?"


    My venous bean creation fades to darkness.


    I summon a recall of the previous form and disconnect my MIRCS, leaving the veinous black and white entity upon the canvas, and walk away.


    "Beans? Peas? Avian eggs? An eukaryote?"

 CH7- LORI

    A loud thud shudders through the room as my right foot hits the silicone skin of the sparring bot. I double, then triple roundhouse it with my right foot again, following up with a turning side kick from my left, right at its head, then with a hook kick, kick on my right, right foot forward, straight punch with my left arm. The bot swings its right fist at me. I block with my left, deflecting the punch outward, roundhouse kick its left side, which it blocks, hitting my right leg back down, to a left handed stance, to which I follow with a tornado kick which hits the bot in its left side. The bot shields itself with its forearms, before quickly springing its right fist towards my abdomen. I shift to the left, wrapping my left arm around its right, hook my left foot around its left, and throw it down to the ground.


    Something within compelled me to mount the bot and start belting its face with my hands for a few seconds before the ache of my right hand stops me. I whinge in pain, watching my right hand tremble.


    "Lori, you dumbass," I mumble, clutching my right handy in pain.


    After a deep breath, I help the bot back up with my left and place my left foot forward, right foot back.


    ~~


    Adel and I occupy the entirety of the couch in a miraculously quiet lobby-living room on this Saturday afternoon.


    She''s deep into some VR game in a MIRCS headset.


    "Ade?" I ask.


    "Yeah?" She removes her headset and looks at me.


    I look briefly up from my EVA Fashion magazine, before muttering "Ugh. Never mind."


    "I''m still curious, but whatever," she puts the headset back on.


    The daydream of wearing a dress and standing in a field with a man distracts my mind even from the magazine in my hands before me.


    "A-" I gape, unable to produce words. No point to even ask Adel, she''s even less likely to know than I.


    Just spit it out. It''s Adel, not a fucking contract interview. Deep breath in, Lori.


    "I want a man."


    "Yeah, yeah," she mutters, still playing.


    "No, I''m not kidding." Her focus remains unbroken.


    I put the magazine down to look at her. No, she''s really sucked in.


    Grabbing her headset and flipping it back up away from her eyes, I look her dead in her green irises.


    "Hey, what the fuck?" she springs backwards, almost swatting away my hand.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Do I need to repeat myself?"


    She groans and takes the headset off.


    "Now what do you think I''m going to tell you?"


    "''Lori, you''re out of your fucking mind''."


    "And what do you normally say in response to that?"


    "''Nobody sane is a Jackal Hunter''.".


    "And what is different this time?"


    "I hate this job and I want to give it up for a man."


    "You didn''t answer my question."


    A few seconds to condensate the thought.


    "I can''t do this shit forever. If I don''t eventually find a way to get that, I''d rather..."


    "No, don''t tell me-"


    "Yes, something will fucking break up here," I tap my temple with my finger.


    "You''re going to have an... aneurysm due to sexual repression?"


    I roll my eyes. "I''m-"


    "A stroke?"


    Perhaps that''s more accurate. "Perhaps."


    "Your Bulge getting to you again? We can fix that."


    "No, Ade. This goes beyond body mods and hormones. Well, hormones might technically have a role, but you get what I''m on about."


    She raises an eyebrow. "You''re... horny."


    I furrow my brows and probably blushed. "No. Well, wait..."


    "Ye-a-a-ah, that''s right."


    I turn away in frustration. "I-" Stammers prevent me from finishing the damn sentence.


    Adel tilts her head and mockingly smiles.


    "I want to have a child."


    Her brow rises.


    "I''d love... to help you with that, but-"


    "Not with you, sorry."


    "Well, yeah, smartass. Then who? How is that gonna be possible?"


    "How was my life even possible? I should have been dead many times over by now."


    "Not necessarily. I say this not to flatter you, but you really got yourself out of a lot of those sticky situations."


    "I state what I want. Whether that''s possible... I don''t know."


    "Do you really hate your job that much?"


    "At the end of my life I won''t think about all the Jackal heads I got them to hang in the Hunter Hall."


    "So... what will you think of instead?"


    "What do you think?"


    "Friends?"


    I blankly stare at her.


    "Have you ever considered, or do you really not wrap your head around the fact that people might have desired to have kids at some point in history?"


    "Yeah, duh, the Chosens surely want to."


    "So I guess I''ll have to become a Chosen."


    Adel sighs and flips her headset down, and returns her back to the couch. "Okay, whatever."


    "In any case, I''d like your help."


    "In what? Signing the paperwork? You can do that yourself."


    "No. Grabbing a man from the Compound."


    She pauses her game, flips her headset back up, and looks at me as if I said that just to piss her off.


    "Oh please. If we even dare to try, the impossibility of the task itself would be the least of our issues."


    "Are you implying that I''m on my¨C"


    "I don''t know. Maybe? You clearly use your Bulge more than I do, maybe that affects your cycle."


    "Does the Bulge affect yours?"


    "Again, no, I don''t use mine like you do. My job is not even one-fifth as stressful as yours, on both body and brain."


    "Oh, don''t flatter me."


    "I''m not. I''m your technician, not your doctor, let alone a gyno. But with all due respect, you''re clearly a lot more stressed than I am at any given moment."


    Looking down, I''m unable to construct a clever reply.


    "Oh, speaking of doctors, didn''t you want to see her about your body fat percentage?"


    I gently shake my head.


    She shrugs and flips her headset back on.


    "You make way too much money for them to let you quit, become a Chosen, and get pregnant. You''d cause so much of a stir at the Compound, I don''t see anyone who''d be on board with this."


    I grumble and roll off the couch.


    "Plus you''re too talented. Had I been as pretty as you and more agile, I probably would be a Hunter too," her words follow me as I walk away.


    ~~


    Later that evening, Adel catches me on my yoga mat, standing at the open door. "Sorry for being a twat."


    I continue my side stretch with both hands at my left foot, chin to my knee, facing away from the doorframe. Right as she steps away, I interrupt, "Don''t worry about it."


    Adel remains there momentarily, then walks towards me and hugs me from behind. The sheer mass of her arm was as shocking as it was comforting. Tears start to roll down my face.

 CH8- CORVUS

    Magdalene giggles as she walks with JJ down the hall. Both smile and say "hi" as they pass me.


    "So now what, Cory?" I ask myself.


    Keep sulking, I guess.


    Out the window I hear muffled shouting. The Compound Director is wagging her finger and angrily talking down to an MP officer who looks petrified, head down to the authority before her.


    The Director wails on for a few more seconds before taking notice of me staring at them, and then motioning me to keep walking.


    "Okay, okay," I mutter, continuing my way down the hall.


    Across from me at the lunch table, Maggie and JJ still seem to be flirting, at least it seems.


    "Hey, Cory," Mags says. "Wanna join us after lunch?" She smiles, not losing any excitement after turning to me.


    I hesitate for a little. "Nah, you two have fun."


    "Okay! You''re still invited if you change your mind. We will be in Room 12," She smiles, before turning back to JJ, touching his hand.


    Another hand touches my left shoulder. "Don''t mind her," a gentle voice in my left ear says. In the empty seat to my left, a slender girl with long black hair down to her waist, and equally dark eyes.


    "Ari," she politely grins, extending a hand for me to shake. Her nails are painted black, just like Lori''s.


    "Corvus. Or, Cory. Nice to meet you," I find myself grinning right back at her.


    Ari sits down, tilting her head, hands in lap. "Dare I ask you to tell me about yourself, what the other Chosens haven''t already?"


    Oh?


    "What are they saying about me?" I smirk.


    "Mm," she mutters in playful hesitation, resting her chin on her palm, smiling more intensely. "Mostly good things."


    "Uh-huh?"


    She looks around, giggling, maybe embarassed. "They say you''d be really impressive if you just had some more enthusiasm, though most of them are quite pleased with you anyways."


    I chuckle. "Heh, okay."


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "I''m guessing you''re from Cauldron?"


    "Yeah. You?"


    "I moved here a few months ago from Meteor Falls. Got tired of the limited opportunities and the whole mining-town vibe."


    "Opportunities?"


    "Yeah. Cauldron''s art scene is way bigger, as you''d imagine," she reaches into her backpack, black with silver zippers, and pulls out her tablet. Upon turning it on, she places it on the table, then a hologram of a room''s walls covered with very elaborate, curvy stripes and gradients appears. She slowly rotates for both of us to see.


    "I''m not sure about what this place is, but I just let my gut feeling do the rest," she says, looking at her work. "Oh, damn, I missed that," she takes her stylus out and revises what seems like a perfectly good spot.


    "I am not qualified to critique this," I laugh. "I''m impressed in any case."


    "Thank you!" she says sweetly, looking back at me. "Damn it, you know what? Let me try this..." she draws a few lines around the spot, pulling around what seems like a mesh or skeleton surrounding the abstract black waves on a white wall, and taps a holo-button which begins to fill the spot and create folds in the stripes she edited.


    "How did you do that?"


    "Artyom," she points to the logo in the corner. "Really speeds up the work. It''d be so much more if I could get a MIRCS connected to it, but a girl can dream."


    "That''s really-"


    "What kind of art do you like?"


    I was about to say "Jackal Hunters" but I''ve got a feeling that already too many people know about my interest in... her.


    "Uh... Landscapes?"


    Ari then quickly turns to her tablet, sets it to 2D, and starts with smooth lines, perhaps mountains, or smooth hills- on a horizon.


    "Do you like morning, afternoon, or night time?"


    God, this girl. "Afternoon...? Sunset, I guess?"


    She taps her pen around, turning the entire scene a vibrant purple and orange, and draws an arc that starts to materialize into a setting sun, and slashes around ripples of reflecting water right at the edge of the horizon.


    "Let''s put something else there. Do you like certain animals?"


    "I kinda like birds."


    She starts adding sihlouettes of geese or whatever on the top right of the scene.


    Not what I thought of with "birds", but I let her keep drawing.


    We both look at the picture for a few seconds, until Ari adds the outline of a girl or young woman facing the sunset, in a dress, hair loose in the breeze, standing and facing the water ahead.


    She draws one line to move the lady''s arm to reach that of what I assume is a man, holding hands, watching the sunset together.


    "It''s so cliche, but yeah," She places the pen down, lays the tablet flat, and stretches the image out to a 3D scene, pulling the hair and dress of the woman-figure to depth, and repositioning the sun further away to the center of the table, making it invisible from my angle, but as I get up from the chair and step back, the sun reappears, and the scene takes the form of the 2D version.


    "You like it?" She says, charmed by my examination.


    "Do I seem like I like it?" I smirk at her, then looking back at this concoction.


    She blushes slightly, taking a couple seconds to gaze at me, clearly pleased with my response. "What are you having for lunch?"


    I look at the blank table space in front of me. "Nothing for now, apparently. Ugh, shit," I grumble, getting up from my chair and looking at the long line ahead of us at the tables of food.


    "I''ll wait with you," she stands up as well.

 CH9- ELIN

    "Good evening, and welcome to Hedonia''s premier news source, Hedonia Public News. I am Helen,"


    "...and I am Ruth,"


    "and thank you for joining us this evening. Breaking just now, protesters across Cauldron destroy robots and other industrial equipment in numerous food processing plants. No official confirmation on the reasons why the protests started, however, rumors spreading on the social media site TwigPost suggests lack of labor opportunity and hunger causing the chaos, along with a likely chance of instigation from Boilers, the growing terrorist threat across Hedonia. A portion of the protesters are demanding a response from the national leader, Mother Elin Auna. She is scheduled to appear in public and address the protesters later this evening in Mecca Street Square. Our reporter on the ground, Kaasi, could not get a clear answer from the protesters. Kaasi?"


    "Thank you, Ruth, I''m at the EVAfood Plant number 36-"


    A maksed protestor, among what sounds like scores of others, running at a medal-winning pace, collides with Kaasi, causing her to stumble and whimper in pain. "Apologies, at EVAfood plant number... uh... 36, there seems to be a-"


    The protest continues to interrupt Kaasi with a loud metallic crash and a fire cascading in the background.


    "Uh-h-h, oh my... Thank you Ruth, thank you Helen!" she begins running before the scene returns to the news studio.


    "Alright then, we will continue coverage as.... it is available. Helen?"


    "I... well, this is a record, really." The two anchors giggle among one another. "Again, Mother Elin is scheduled to appear 22:00 at Mecca Square. We will be first on the ground to keep everyone up to date and we would like to see you there. Food and Agriculture suffers 32 points on the ESC, all other economic sectors seem not to move much."


    Ruth takes over, "In the entertainment sector, a new contender towards Lorianne Kruger in the ''Jackal Hunter'' TV show has been rumored to appear in the near future. Limited details remain available about the new addition, however, fans seem eager regardless."


    I close the window within my HUD. "FABIAN, it seems my daughters are awry once again," I chime.


    "It seems so, Mother. What is your course of action?"


    "As of now, we shall be, perahps, proactive in addressing the disruption by capturing the instigatory figures, and perhaps I will determine the necessity of punishment in due time. In the interim, I will appear at 22:00 as expected and address them myself."


    "Understood. Updates sent to the Intelligence Service. I will keep you updated on their progress. Would you like preparatory assistance for your speech later tonight?"


    "No, thank you. It''s becoming rather routine now. I appreciate your suggestions in any case."


    "With pleasure, Mother."


    FABIAN finishes the elaborate bun of hair behind me. I disengage the heating coils in my hands and evaluate the curls past my temples once again, turning left and right.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "I''m thinking silver and white for my dress," I turn to look obliquely at FABIAN.


    "Yes, Mother," he rolls backward to the wardrobe and retrieves a metallically reflective silver outfit with an oblique, matte white stripe across the middle.


    "Even better than I had imagined." FABIAN undoes the backside of the dress, and I enter it, as it seals itself behind me. I stand in the mirror with my hands folded at my abdomen, and turn to examine all angles.


    Silver knee-high boots, and white elbow-length gloves finish the composition, and I exit the room.


    ~~


    "Good evening, Daughters,"  I stand at the podium, light bars glaring in all directions. Sentry bots flank me at all angles, weapons down. The crowd quiets down. "Dearest apologies for the economic struggles we are upon of recent. As you imagine, even with the advanced furnishments of our Defense Force as well as economic protections, alongside the everpresent burden of Jackals approaching at all angles outside of our nodes'' Fences, there is only so much we can control. However, with your patience, we can soon return to full employment and full stomachs for all Daughters in our beautiful, strong nation of Hedonia."


    A mixture of jeers and cheers eminates from the assembly before me.


    "To further make amends, we will open another public kitchen, community shelter, and job fair in the Mecca Square buildings 1 and 2."


    The chiding quells, and is replaced by quiet applause.


    "As with the struggles in the past, as well with what may stand before us, perseverence is the key to defeating all that obstructs us from a better society for us, and life for each. Do not hesitate to communicate to the Council or I. We are of service to you, our Daughters, together as Hedonia. Thank you for your time. Dearest wishes," I fold my hands over my sternum and politely nod.


    A continued mixed response from the audience.


    We walk towards the Sunbird as it spools its engines up. The MP guards flank the entrance as the rushing wind repels the journalists radiating from the  landing pad. Head turned aside, I give the circle around me one more confident grin before stepping into the cabin.


    Smooth rumbles accompany us upward. "Mother, we have 3 suspects in custody," FABIAN rings.


    "How prompt. Any progress with Ms. Kruger''s suit?"


    "Still in development. Honoko and the engineers are not taking any shortcuts."


    "Excellent."


    I glance down at the crowd below. The Sunbird is cruising slowly enough for me to open a window, stick my hand outside, soon before placing my face out as well, and absorb the crisp wind flowing through my skin.


    "I believe this is ''cold'', not itself an entity; but rather, a dissipation of heat, and the absence of it," instructing myself.


    The crowd begin to scatter again, with the occasional fire yet to be extinguished.


    Lorianne''s face, staring down a Jackal''s, appear on the billboards lined across Mecca and Crossward street.


    "One of my most excellent Daughters seems to be struggling," I mutter mostly to myself, returning to my seat and closing my eyes for a brief rest en route home.


    ~~


    "FABIAN?"


    "At service, Mother," he stands to my left at the dinner table.


    I pinch a Crosus grain in between my chopsticks, examining it; "Why is it that we pride the consumption of flesh for the development of primitive human brains..."


    The grain, crushed under my teeth, release a diffusion of pasty starch, which I proceed to swallow. "...but did not count starch''s role in industrialization?"


    "As an AI without a digestive tract, I may never understand this fully, but I suspect it has to do with familiarity."


    "Do not be surprised, I''m forgetting about the presence of my own digestive abilities. But perhaps. An oversight of the mundane, but necessary, and ultimately more important. The problem to which practiced gratitude was intended to remedy," I impale a thin slice of finely shredded Jackal Salisbury with my fork, dripping with its dark, vinegared marinade, then swallowing. "In the hardest of times, humans survived with only grain, as animal agriculture was ecologically expensive, and 90% of the invested energy was lost through the basal metabolic expenditures of the often warm-blooded ranch animals."


    I spoon another mouthful of grain as well as some asparagus and collard greens, swallowing quickly. "Cheap energy for either woman or machine is the basis to the wealth and work capacity of either."


    "That sounds like a very plausible explanation, Mother."


    "I''m glad you agree," I gently place my silverware on the clean plate.

 CH10- LORI

    The taste of blood wakes me from my multi-ton slumber.


    "Come on," Adel groans behind my door. "New equipment, they want you familiar with everything by Monday."


    "It''s early, piss off..." I grumble, finding myself gripping Beth tightly around her neck, then immediately releasing her.


    "What the fuck, Lori?" I whisper to myself in self-disgust.


    Maybe it''s a good thing I don''t remember my dreams. I spring out of bed, place Beth under my blanket, tie my hair, and squeeze into my usual getup.


    "Alright, Princess," Adel groans, seeming as tired as I am, standing left of the holoboard, extending her probe to point at the diagram of a Jackal with an abnormally small head. "So for next episode this Tuesday, The Big D''s want you to face off this fucker. By the way, this thing is 30 meters tall."


    I look at the board as if it said something stupid.


    "Yes, Lori. And no, I can''t make this shit up."


    "So am I supposed to just play pinball with the Suit and-"


    "No, they''re giving you a few new toys," the board changes to another slide, with what looks like my Exosuit with a bunch of exploded-view weapons and plates. "particularly a 30-mil auto-cannon on one side, a HMG on the other, leg extensions, more hydraulic boosters, a bigger Hydrocat powerplant, and heavier armor, which you''ll be running a Sim on today to familiarize."


    "Tch, whatever."


    "Come on, show me some action-hero spirit. Appreciate the new gadgets. Aren''t you bored of the usual?"


    I close my eyes, slouch over on my hand, and start fake-snoring.


    "Yeah, like you can ever fall asleep that quickly. Come on."


    The rig is on display in the hangar with several bots drilling, welding, and pressing the parts together. Adel snaps on the MIRCS nodes from a control console and looks at it for a couple seconds, completely beyond my understanding of what she''s doing.


    She pops them out and follows me to the Sim rig. I lay back into the dummy suit, pop in the MIRCS, and close my eyes.


    It''s one thing to see the diagram on the holoboard. It''s another to see it in VR. It''ll probably be yet another thing to see it in real life.


    "You really think 50-cals and 30-mils are going to do more than just annoy that thing?"


    "I know so. Plus we''ll test how many bombs you''ll need. Let''s give it a go before the real thing."


    The behemoth Jackal stomps towards me, with the ground below shaking after every step. The simulated new suit''s dampeners allow just enough vibration for me to feel on my skin, but not in my chest.


    "How does a land animal get so fucking big?"


    "How did dinosaurs ever exist?"


    I give Adel a squint. "Fair enough." I begin running, feeling the inertia of the legs that are triple what I''m used to. Even with the hydraulic assistance, the mass is palpable nonetheless. It''s an entirely different workload to what I''m used to.


    Mind learns, body adapts, hopefully.


    "Hey, pay attent- ugh, come on, Lori..." Adel groans, as I look up and see the Jackal''s clawed paw kareen towards me, too late for me to evade. I suppose I died within the simulation, as I grunted after feeling a violent barrage of g-forces, only to reappear at the start of the course.


    "Now you relearned how to run, try actually fighting."


    I take a breath in and start running oblique to the beast.


    "So heavy."


    "Hey, genius, look at your opponent. You''re gonna need the armor and firepower."


    The Jackal slams its left paw to the ground this time, shaking everything around it.


    So, now I have two options. Pepper its belly¨C every Jackal''s weak spot¨C with gunfire, or climb to the back of its head, and hold on while planting a bomb in a soft, fleshy part of its body close to its brain.


    I point the autocannon and concentrate a scatter of fire at its abdomen, running to its right side. It groans like a creaking metal tower, as small splats of burnt blood eminate from the skin wounds inflicted.


    "Not enough ammo for that."


    "So, think of something else, Princess."


    The back of any adult Jackal is mostly portruding spines, but like any vertebrate, severence of the spinal cord from the skull right at the base is always a quick route to success.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "What else do I have on board?"


    "4 H-charges."


    H-charges....


    Immediately an icon appears in the bottom right of my HUD with the number 4 next to it.


    So I throw it?


    The suit politely motions my arm to reach for the explosives on the rack on my armor''s lower back.


    Adel snorts. "Idiot-proofing is always nice, isn''t it?"


    "Oh, shut up."


    Big Bertha turns to me and starts drooling and growling, turning to its right, while I scramble to its tail.


    "No, Lori, you''re going to-"


    The monster whips its tail at me, approaching the ground, and I boost a jump, attempting to vault over it, but missing the tailspines at the tip, now at least 15 meters in the air.


    "Damn it."


    After a rolling landing, the thing turns to look at me with its left eye, and swings the tail the other way. I sprint to its left hip, knowing it''s not going to move that leg without stopping the incoming tailswipe. The tail, close to the ground but not quite touching it, closes in, but I made it halfway down the tail''s length, ducking and rolling as it whooshed overhead. The leg is still in place, and I continue towards the left foot, only hoping it won''t kick at me.


    "What''s the point of the guns?" I ask, crawling up the left leg as the tail continues its swing.


    "Fatty isn''t going to show up alone. The guns are for crowd control. A whole pack alongside the big one is what the D''s have planned for Tuesday."


    Right as the left foot takes off a few feet from the ground, I jump straight to the length of the foot, grip on with my claws, and make a climb up the leg. It starts to stomp indiscriminately as I make it to its ass.


    "No blades?''


    "That suggestion will fall on deaf ears. Probably won''t get you shit by Tuesday."


    The abomination roars again and tries to shake-dry me off. I grip with the claws and stomp each foot deep into the gaps betwen the plates of chitin lining its ass-cheeks.


    "No, not there, you weirdo. That''s just going to piss it off. You need to kill it, not violate it."


    I crawl to the underside of the tail and give it a brief kick in its asshole. The thing angrily growls from the other side.


    Adel sighs. "Wow, grow up."


    "Never."


    "You know, kids watch this show too, right?"


    "They shouldn''t."


    "Should seldom is."


    "Not my kids."


    "You won''t have any with that approach."


    I freeze, still clinging to the Jackal''s body.


    "Hello? You gonna keep moving?"


    I continue standing still, perched in between two plates in protest.


    Adel pilots a drone that buzzes towards my face. "Lori, the hell are you doing?"


    Turning to stare, I swing an arm at the drone, only frustratingly seeing it ghost through my attack.


    "Stop this shit."


    "Why?"


    "I''ll stand here until you do."


    "Fine."


    The scene melts away and light from outside the sim rig pours onto my face. I rip out the MIRCS, facing Adel as she moves towards me, and give her a shove out of the way.


    "Hey, what''s the fucking-- hey!"


    She only gets a view of my backside as I continue walking, barefoot.


    "Whatever, come back when you feel like it, I guess," her voice echoes as I continue my way out the door.


    ~~


    With Beth in my arms, I stare out the window towards the afternoon Cauldron horizon.


    "I''m sorry for choking you," I whisper to her, closing in on a hug, feeling her pilled, old fur.


    Everything hurts. I want to sleep but can''t.


    Adel steps towards my room, opens the door, hesitates to speak, then turns back around.


    "Sorry to you too. Guess it''s my turn to apologize."


    She comes back, stepping slowly, opening the door again.


    Almost 30 seconds go by before she takes a deep breath. "Come on, we need to finish this."


    I get off the window nook and place Beth on my bed, and follow Adel back out to the hangar.


    Adel deploys me closer to the Jackal''s mouth, and as it swipes its right claw at me, I run towards its left, start a crawl up its left fore-leg, and make it to its chest.


    "Plant a bomb right where the skull and spine meet behind the head," Adel sends a marker that glows the respective region of the Jackal''s neck.


    Like an earthquake, the Jackal''s body tries its damnedest to thrash me off. I continue the climb, grip by grip through the fleshy gaps in between the armor plates, hoping I don''t simply tear off the flesh and bring pieces down with me.


    "Detonate with ''H-charge, abracadabra''".


    Up the neck, there''s no safe route, so I choose to go from the side. It stops shaking and is probably going to try scratching me off with its back foot. I double time my way up, load a bomb from the dispenser, fire a cannon round into the soft spot behind the head, and then place a H-charge in the bloody flesh crater.


    "Now bounce."


    Right as the right foot hits the side of the neck I just crawled up, the Jackal''s left paw comes up and tries to crush me, and I spring off the top of its head.


    H-charge, abracadabra; a consequent boom and a tsunami of blood splashes on my backside as I make a rough landing, rolling 3 times to dissipate the impact, still skidding a few feet after ending in a crouching pose.


    I turn back, realizing I landed roughly where I deployed at the start, and turn around to see the Jackal''s head partially severed, like a half-cut tree.


    "Cool, take a moment to appreciate the work." Adel then re-spawns me at the beginning, again. At least 30 more regular-sized Jackals surround the big one. "Now do it again."


    I charge straight forward, jump, and land on one small Jackal''s head, as the swarm disperses. A few cannon rounds mixed with .50-caliber fire pick off a couple more. One hits me from behind, and I grab it and throw it off to smash into another coming from my right, as I turn around.


    At least 12 surround me at all angles. As they hesitate on who should go first, I jump once again, knowing I''ll have to hopscotch on the little Jackals to get to their leader.


    "They probably can''t bite through your current rig, but if enough of them close in on you at once, they can hold you down for Giganto."


    "So I just need to frolic over the Jackal fields and everything else is the same."


    "Correct."


    I roll my eyes.


    ~~


    Mecca Street is quiet tonight. It is Sunday night, after all. I grip my service pistol within my purse, thumb on safety.


    A faint shriek and some broken glass echo out of an alley. Nothing to give a shit about.


    I''m told not to walk the streets alone but I couldn''t stand sitting in the barracks tonight. The silence out here is as eerie as it is comforting. Adel is a friend I''ll likely have for life, but even I need time away from her.


    Mainly for her sake.


    A couple of my fans quietly squirm and giggle from a top-floor apartment and wave to me, calling my name. The street lights-- a showy set of light-bars lining the roadway and footpaths-- shining upwards in a range of colors. Perhaps street lights shining from the top allows for too many hiding spots?


    Scuffles emerge from the trash cans in the side alleys. My eyes dart to and fro, coming up with nothing. Few have the courage to be poparazzi.


    It begins to rain lightly and I return to the gate soaked. The personnel door opens automatically before me, and the dirt path, now mostly mud on top of hard-pack, sticks to my shoes like peanut butter.


    What an otherwise refreshing walk alone. I have mixed opinions on rain. Wet clothes and hair is a nuisance but the air smells fantastic.

 CH11- CORUVS

    Ari clutches her tablet with her right hand, wearing an anxious smile, extending her left.


    We walk towards Room 9, and the doors open before, then close behind us. She tries to hide her face.


    "Come on now," I smirk to her.


    "Okay," she nervously giggles.


    I lead her to the edge of the bed, and she places her tablet to her left side, still holding my hand with her right. I grab her other hand, and scoot closer to her.


    She looks uncomfortably red. "First time?"


    "No, but it feels like it, all over again," she shakily says, clutching tightly to my hand.


    Her thick, straight black hair-- done in a singular ponytail extending to hips-- brushes against my knuckles, and I grab and examine a handful.


    "Damn, it''s so long," I bring the bundle of hair in front of us.


    "Yes, thank you, I''m very proud of it."


    Moving my hand to reach her waist, I slowly untie her apron. She quietly gasps as I remove my tank top and come back to her, holding the back of her head for a kiss.


    She takes a deep breath in, clutching her knees around my waist. "I guess the other girls were right."


    We kiss again before I start to unzip her dress at her back. She touches her forehead against mine. In the corner of my eye, I see the Lori plush, which I motion to block from Ari''s sight, holding her left leg, and removing one of her stockings. Our foreheads touch as we roll around in a playful struggle, undressing more at every turn.


    ~~


    "Cory?"


    "Mhm?"


    She pauses, hand and face on my chest.


    "Yes...?"


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "I''m sorry, I- how can I even say it? Where.... what.... oh, never mind."


    "Now I''m more curious," I chuckle.


    "I wish we could... do more than just what the Compound wants from us."


    Ah, shit. Now it''s my turn to hesitate.


    "I kinda do too, but... what are my options, really?"


    "I guess we can dream," she glumly mutters, scooting to lay on top of me, placing her nose at my neck.


    She runs her hands across my arms, until she hits something under the pillow.


    "Hmm?"


    She pulls out the Lori plush. "Who''s this?"


    No, Cory. She deserves the truth.


    "It''s... ugh. It''s Lori. The Jackal Hunter."


    "You seem disappointed. Why is that?" she calmly tilts her head at me.


    "I''m just a huge fanboy, that''s all."


    "Does this embarass you?"


    "Kind of."


    "She''s quite attractive. Certainly more a-"


    "Shhh," I place a finger on her lips. "Don''t worry about that."


    "What?"


    I pause again. "There''s no point to compare yourself to others."


    "Is there anything wrong with me admiring another woman?"


    "No, but-"


    She places a finger on my lips and grins.


    I giggle back.


    "Do you like her?"


    Damn you, Ari. You''re a sweetheart, but damn you.


    "S-sort of. But part of me thinks she''s not real. Plus she''s a celebrity."


    "My art is not real. People can like it anyway, can they not?"


    "Sure, but... are you insecure about me liking Lori instead of you?"


    "Any given Chosen has tons of insecurities. But a lot of them just sleep around to blind themselves to the anxiety. I''d like to think I''m a bit different."


    "As in, you want to commit?"


    "Kinda, yeah. I know it''s a tall order, but I want to find a Golden Boy like you to stick around with for... years, I guess. But if I do my art career, I don''t know if they''ll give me a contract that lets me come and leave as I wish."


    Now she''s just trying to make my heart melt.


    "You''re an angel, but I don''t think I''m going to be around here for too much longer, Ari."


    "What does that mean?"


    "Something about this entire place rubs me the wrong way. And I... I want something that it just can''t offer."


    A hint of alarm crosses her face. "What?  Why?"


    "I want to leave. Because Lori is who I really think about."


    She looks at me with confusion. "I mean... I don''t mind that you have an idol--"


    "No, I meant that I want Lori. You deserve someone who''s focused on you and only you."


    "Cory, that''s okay. I--"


    "No. It''s irresponsible for me to keep dangling you along when I''m actually thinking of someone else. Please. You deserve better." I touch her face, admiring her. "I hope I showed you a good time."


    She looks at me for almost 10 seconds, before quietly muttering, "Okay."


    Her grip weakens, and she slowly gets up from me, covering her frontside with her clothes, grabbing her tablet, and slowly walking away with her head hung. After redressing, she leaves the room with her head down.


    I put on my shorts and follow her out. She''s in a hurry away from me. As I catch up, I put a hand on her shoulder. "Ari, please, I just want you to know--"


    She swats it away, sobbing, continuing on her way. I sigh in defeat, standing in the hall like a moron.

 CH12- ELIN

    "Mother, your subordinates are awaiting your instructions once the trials are complete," FABIAN says.


    "Prospects on the verdicts?"


    "Cosworth, Hill, and Falk are all pleading guilty, is all we can say now."


    Perhaps I could override the prosecution, however, the sentiment remains, and after the lower ranks completed the arrest there''s not much else in our control.


    "Is there any evidence to suspect martyrdom from either of our 3 suspects?"


    "Very vague, nothing conclusive."


    "Hmm," I summon three coins into my IrisAR, and toss.


    ~~


    "Good evening, and welcome to Hedonia''s premier news source, Hedonia Public News. I am Helen,"


    "...and I am Ruth,"


    "and thank you for joining us this evening. Developments on the Cosworth, Falk, and Hill trial ends tonight in a stalemate between each respective defense and prosecution. Each defense proposed the instigators were simply the right to bring social concerns to often-deaf ears from the upper branches of Hedonia''s leadership."


    Ruth continues from Helen, "The prosecution argues that the 3 were not acting in good faith and that the protest was only proposed as "for the people" post hoc, and that the suspects are linked to the growing terrorist threat known as the Boilers, originating from Cauldron. The Criminal Council has not yet disclosed the potential punishments for a guilty verdict on the charges of the following: instigation of mass disorderly conduct; conspiracy to violent sedition; organized destruction of public property, among other terrorism-related charges. Beyond that, our reporters have not been able to ascertain much else from our current position in the court."


    Helen finishes, "In any case, we will continue coverage and report to you first as always."


    The screen changes to a distant photograph of a tall, athletic young woman wearing flat-top sunglasses, a loose white T-shirt, with a tiger''s face tattooed over her collarbone, with a tall tuft of red hair, split by an almost-black purple stripe. "Rumors continue to circulate around a new Jackal Hunter set to challenge the first and original Jackal Hunter, Lorianne Kruger. Sources say her name is ''Cynthia'', and her entourage claims she will bring enthusiasm and ferocity guaranteed to beat Ms. Kruger in the show."


    "Do you find her enticing?" I quietly say in the ear of the gentleman lying next to me, touching his bare, lean chest.


    "Not compared to you, Mother Elin," he brims back to me.


    I arise from the bed, shaking out the tangles in my hair. "Oh, you," I smirk, glancing at him. "I ask, not in the context of Cynthia''s feminine appeal, but rather, her style and bravado as a Jackal Hunter."


    "I mean, sure," he shrugs. "I don''t really watch that show much, but she looks like she trained for it."


    "Perhaps," I examine the holoscreen at the end of the room. "Thank you for your time," I blow a kiss, exiting the room with a robe.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "My pleasure, Mother."


    ~~


    "Justice Council, arise," the judge proclaims into the courtroom. The eight Councilwomen stand.


    "Defense, closing statements?"


    A messy cacophony of TwigPost listings and text message conversations appear on the projector.


    "Judge, with all evidence presented, I once again insist that Hall, Cosworth, and Hill solicited only a quiet gathering to voice concerns for the Hedonians'' opportunity to provide for themselves. In spite of the world-leading living standards found in Hedonia, there still lies issues of inequality and the synchrony of Hedonia''s economy begins with the working class; and this protest simply was a message which the three defendants'' followers¨C not the three themselves¨C took too far, completely contrary to their intentions. These three young women wanted only to make some noise, and not destruction. Thank you."


    "Prosecution?"


    An equally overflowing mixture of TwigPosts, photographs, and video of masked women in black replaces the defense''s presentation.


    "Judge, with all contrary evidence presented, I continue to assert that indeed the three defendants'' adherents were simply following rather orders as part of a coordinated effort that the Boilers utilized, and any further investigation would likely result in a stronger conclusion that either of the three are complicit in this devious resistance group''s endless thirst for destruction and chaos for the sake of it. The three defendants here knew what they were doing, and knew that it would amount to the mayhem they caused, and indeed are liable for the consequences of their instigation, especially when there are much more diplomatic outlets for their social concerns which they failed to utilize. Thank you."


    "Council, repeat to us what the prospective sentences are."


    "Hall is pending for 2 and a half counts of instigation to mass chaos; one count of instigation to terrorism; the sentence is 14 years in punitive labor."


    "Cosworth is pending for 1 count of instigation to mass chaos; one count to instigation to terrorism; the sentence is 6 years in punitive labor.


    "Hill is pending for 5 counts of disorderly conduct, 14 counts of destruction of public property, 2 counts of assault, 3 counts of conspiracy to terrorism, 1 count of contempt  of court; 2 counts of lying to authorities, 1 count of evading arrest. Sentence is permanent exile from any Nodes with one opportunity to re-appeal."


    A few quiet gasps and a bunch of murmurs emerge from the gallery.


    "Council, the court now awaits your vote."


    The attorneys go back to each of their 3 assistants and sit down, frantically whispering to each other.


    "Council, reveal your decision on the verdict."


    8 digital placards appear above the masked Councilwomen''s faces, all seated in one row at the table.  Four blue, four red. The court breaks into silence.


    "Indeed. As per Heodnian law, Mother Elin will deliberate from here onward. Press, you are dismissed. Gallery, you are dismissed."


    "And there it is, the Hall, Cosworth, and Hill trial leading to the conclusion to its first day. The court has deferred the decision to Mother Elin, and only here at Hedonian Public News, will you get the first look into the next day in this scathing trial. Due to regulations, we are no longer able to cover any more--"


    "Mother," FABIAN interrupts, as the report continues." The Councilwomen in the Hall, Cosworth, and Hill trial await your--"


    "Innocent, innocent, guilty," I reply. "Anything else they request?"


    "That is all they request. Confirm?"


    "Innocent, innocent, guilty. The Boilers have cleaned up the evidence quite well, if such was to begin with. All that remains is rather suggestive statements on TwigPost."


    "Understood."


    "I sense a need for succinctness within our justice decisions, as negative responses are ineviable; however, delays in deliverance will only result in far worse. Or do you suggest otherwise?"


    "Correct, with every decision, there are tradeoffs."


    "An unfortunate reality. I''d prefer to show only a loving touch to my Daughters but occasionally discipline is necessary."


    "Understood."


    I stand from my desk and turn to the evening outside panoramic window, seeing Mecca Street alight in its flux of blue, violet, and pink.


    "Is Suzanna in the public? Rioting among the disgruntled in Cauldron?"


    As I find my left hand sliding down my right arm, I continue asking myself, "...or is Suzanna part of me and I''ve been the fool all along, looking for her externally?"

 CH13- LORI

    Late to class as always, I walk along the hall at a relaxed pace. I already forgot what got my uniform dirty; the skirt is partially ripped with footprints all over it. Must have lost a couple teeth in whatever trouble that ruined my outfit.


    Opening the door to the classroom, there''s no instructor, but instead, that bitch Nadia. And then almost 30 more of her, each in their own seat.


    "Oh Lori, Lori, what a worry," they all turn to me, smiling.


    "You''re dead! How the fuck?"


    "And soon you will be too," they all speak in synchrony. "Time for a tit for tat."


    I stand for a couple seconds, assessing my circumstance, and deciding to turn around too late a split second before yet another Nadia locks the door behind me.


    They all converge to me as I run to the instructor''s desk to reach for the vent, until multiple sets of hands grab me by my hair, arms, skirt, legs, and yank me downward. They all hold me down on the table while I thrash about, unable to shake the Nadias off. These replicas are all far stronger than the original ever was.


    One approaches with a broken broomstick, a loose shard of composite material. Two more hold my head to expose my neck, with even more force than applied to my other limbs. She draws it around my throat, before raising it and plunging it into my trachea.


    A hand slaps me. "Lori!"


    Still gagging, with Beth and my pillow on opposite sides of the room, Adel is gripping me by my shoulders, examining me.


    I sigh, realizing I''m naked, with my blanket wrapped around me like an anaconda.


    "Ugh! Get out of here!" I push her back, only to end up pushing myself back, covering my body.


    "Yeah, well, you''re welcome. Just wanted to check if you were strangling yourself." She lets go of me, walking to the door. "We need to do at least two successful runs before Tuesday."


    Fuck, was she just watching me? How did I forget to put on at least a shirt?


    Oh, right, last night''s clothes are still soaked.


    Adel''s waiting for me in the hangar, eating what appears to be a piece of jerky as she flips through the news on the computer, sitting with her feet on the desk.


    "You see this weirdo?" She shows me a picture of some tall girl with a wild midnight purple undercut with this big streak of red down the middle, wearing sunglasses, followed by poparazzi, cameras, and drones.


    "What about her?"


    She shrugs, looking back at me. "Well, what do you think about her?"


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Not much, really. Just some fucking brat. Probably thinks she''s cool and overestimates herself.


    "News keeps saying she''s the next Hunter trying to knock you off your throne."


    I roll my eyes.


    "You gonna start a fight with her or something off camera?"


    "If she throws hands first."


    She snorts in stunted laughter and continues chewing her snack. "Just promise me you''ll beat her ass if that happens."


    I walk away, to the sim rig, not really giving a fuck.


    ~~


    After I blow up the thing''s head again and landing cleanly on the ground, Adel seemed impressed.


    "Bravo, Lori."


    "Yeah, yeah."


    "Hey, be proud of your accomplishments. It''s going to be a cinch tomorrow when you''re live."


    I don''t bother to reply.


    "How much ammo do you have left?"


    "50 rounds on the .50, and 12 on the cannon."


    "Good answer. How about your mobility?"


    "A bit sluggish, but I''ll manage."


    "It tells me your lactate and heart rate are a bit high, you crossed your LT1 and LT2 at about 95% of your record best, with your average  SMO2 at 97% of your usual level. but you''re doing 2-3% better in various metrics since last recital. Vasodilation and fiber recruitment would improve a bit with more consistent REM sleep and sufficient... glycogen replenishment, but nonetheless you seem ready for tomorrow."


    "You mean?"


    "It''s just what the analyzer''s telling me," Adel chuckles and shrugs to me. "I''m your technician, not your doctor."


    I barely remember any of the physiology nonsense from the years of training either.


    "Okay. Cool."


    She takes us out of the sim, and as I emerge from the rig, she hands me my shoes and purse. "Come on, let''s go out for lunch. I''m not feeling the mess hall grub today."


    "Any place in mind?"


    "Not everything is a mission, dude. Anything wrong with a little walk?"


    "Okay."


    We scan our badges, walk the dirt path, and exit the gate in silence only to be greeted by multiple orbits of poparazzi drones, all asking about Cynthia through their loudspeakers. Within seconds I feel the hairs on my neck raise in irritation.


    "Have you met her?"


    "What do you think of her?"


    "Do you think you can keep her off?"


    "Anything you want her to know?"


    "Don''t lash out at them, Lori," Adel motions to sort of shield me from them, standing in front of me.


    I reach in my purse for my sunglasses. One of the fucking things buzzes past me, bumping my sunglasses out of my hand, only for me to catch it a split second later.


    "Oh, God, I''m sorry, Ms. Kruger," the offending drone says to me in a slurred rush.


    "Keep a lid on it, Lori," I mumble to myself, biting my tongue with all my might. "Nothing good comes from letting them know how fucking annoying they are."


    The questions keep coming. "Do you think Cynthia is qualified to be a Jackal Hunter?"


    "Have you ever seen her fight?"


    "What do you think of her style?"


    Do you think the show directors will make you and her compete?"


    "What does your crew think of her?"


    Adel and I end up at an international diner. The others in line almost seem afraid as they are interested. Adel touches the screen for chicken Biryani, and I have a modest platter of basmati rice, mixed bean Dal, and eggplant for a total of 50HeD. We tap our smart badges to split the costs and she taps hers on the kiosk to pay.


    In the corner, with the drones still hovering and looking for us through the slats in the window, get bored and fly away one by one as we wait for the food.


    A couple of customers from other tables try to sneak pictures of us with their smartphones, and showing pictures of Adel and I to each other through their phones'' projector fields.


    Within the diner the dark red walls isolate the noise from outside. Eerie, but definintely needed.


    "See, that''s how you get them to fuck off," Adel mumbles with a mouthful. "Plus you need to eat anyway."


    "Sure, I''m kind of hungry."


    "Oh, man, this is amazing, what a find this diner is."


    I continue quietly spooning one little bit at a time. I only eat food because I have to. Part of me envies how Adel can actually enjoy eating.


    The other part of me knows food isn''t what I really care about.


    ~~

 CH14- CORVUS

    "Hey, Earth to Corvus," JJ hits me in the arm. I recoil in pain. "Which galaxy are you going to today?"


    "Shut up," I groan.


    He''s holding Magdalene''s right hand while she clumsily fumbles with a small platter of eggs, sausage, and toast on her left.


    JJ picks up her fork and pilots a pretend-airplane of food to her mouth. She sticks out her tongue and it hits her in the face. They both giggle.


    Cute, but annoying.


    I drop my head onto the table in misery. My mind is just blank. Nothing important. Nothing I want. Nothing I really give a shit about.


    Until, a loud thud from the back of the dining hall jolts me. JJ, Maggie, and a few others look back for about two seconds before resuming their usual chatter.


    A bunch of MP officers, peeling their helmets off, giggle among each other while walking to stop at the wall, all dripping wet. Of the 7 or so, one gets pushed away by the others, and she sulks to her corner of the room while the others line up at the serving tables for coffee.


    The odd one out just kind of sinks to the bottom, sitting directly on the floor, resting her chin on her kneepads. With nothing better to do until gym time, I find myself immediately getting up, walking straight to her.


    "Alright, well, see you at the gym," JJ says. I don''t even look back.


    "Do they always treat you like that?" I sit down next to the lone MP.


    "I... guess," she mutters, looking at me momentarily, before turning back to the floor. "They think they can just party since they got our higher ups to let them come inside for lunch break."


    "Come inside?"


    "Yeah. Normally the lieutenants don''t want us to leave our post for lunch break, but the whole team threatened to strike, espeically when it''s raining like today, so they let us come in. Not many are willing to do this job so the higher ups aren''t keen to get rid of us."


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "Oh, shit."


    "Yeah, job security is nice and all, but.... I..."


    "...don''t know why you''re putting up with this?"


    She nods, with her lips like they''re about to burst.


    I look around briefly, before going on a limb.


    "Tell you what-- you find me a way out of here, and I''ll... well, you know all of what I have to offer to you."


    "W... what?"


    "Yes."


    She turns to me, "I can''t, I''ll--"


    "Yes, you can. Unless... you just want to stay in this job forever?"


    She returns to staring at the floor.


    "Unless this is really the life you want, nothing''s gonna change if you don''t make any changes. I know I''m not in a position to offer you much other than my words right now."


    "I... I don''t... see any other opportunity."


    "Because you''re not looking around."


    "I spent all my life following directions to get where I am now."


    "And are you happy with it?"


    Small tears start budding at her eyes. Her lips tremble more and more.  "If you made it to MP, you clearly can do many other jobs outside of the Compound." I touch her shoulders. "Sorry life is treating you like this. I guess I''ll be-"


    "Wait!"


    I freeze, turning back.


    "I-l''ll renegotiate my contract. I mean, I''ll try."


    "Well, that''s the right attitude." I grin. "See you tomorrow."


    She feebly smiles back.


    ~~


    "Suessman!"


    I struggle to pull the lat bar under my chin.


    "Your heart rate is only 110! Come on!"


    My muscles start to move in the other direction in spite of my efforts. 120kg wasn''t this hard.


    Gym isn''t getting easier. My fitness metrics are stagnating. If I break out of the Compound, I''ll need all the fitness I can get, but people have managed in worse condition.


    Certainly I''ll never beat Lori with her genetic alterations. I guess I''ll have to find something else to impress her with....


    ~~


    Ari is eating her dinner with one hand, and fiddling with another interior design project on her tablet with another, at a table away from JJ, Magdalene, and I.


    "Hey, um..."


    She glances at me, then turning away, folding her legs tightly.


    "May I help you?"


    I extend my hand for a shake. "Best wishes with your art career in Cauldron."


    She stops moving her stylus, and sits back in her chair, pressing her hands on her skirt.


    "Thank you," she mutters, still looking in front of her. "Same to you and your... adventure."


    I drop my hand and slowly walk away.


    ~~


    As I''m mindlessly staring at the ceiling failing to sleep, far earlier than my usual bedtime, I hear a note slide under my door.


    On the folded paper, is a lipstick mark and some kind of insignia resembling a pot and spoon.

 CH15- LORI

    So the sim was all a lie. No oversize Jackal this time. They made Beth into a giant monster for me to kill.


    "And it seems... that Lori now has to deal with a close friend! Unbelievable!" belts Jamia.


    How the fuck did you shit heads find my stuff? And now they''ve known about this for how long?


    Now it''s really time to quit. I look back to see the van already gone. There''s nowhere to just disappear in the arena of salt flats and fog, just like the place they took me last Wednesday.


    Well, this won''t be the first beloved thing I had to kill to save myself.


    The giant monster Beth is surrounded by around 50 Jackals. I don''t even know how I''m going to manage this.


    Beth roars, and swings a paw at me, just like in the sim. I try to jump at her right arm, only to feel the suit''s joints freeze. "Hydraulic failure", the HUD says.


    I struggle to move the suit on my own strength and fail to dodge the paw in time.


    "That''s it, Lori," I mutter to myself, not even bothering to move away. "It''s your time."


    That is, until I find my entire right side and head hitting my bedroom floor. I groan at the realization.


    I''m almost disappointed it wasn''t real.


    After two hours of lying in bed like a worthless piece of shit, I give up on trying to sleep. Apparently during the nightmare I tore Beth''s head off. White fiber is all over my bed. The beserk Lori also tore out her left button eye- the only eye left.


    Now I feel something crush my chest, lungs, heart, entire abdomen, and ribs. I stare in horror of my own two hands.


    Good job, you did it again.


    I feel a twitch in my arms. One force is pulling my arms in one direction to tear Beth up even more. The other force is pushing me to sit and keep my hands down. The veins in my arms are trying to burst out of my skin.


    Why did I do that?


    All I felt was pain, all over, from my bones to my skin, and then I hurt myself more.


    Who was I really tearing the head off of?


    Clearly not Beth. Beth was only kind to me.


    Why did you kill me, Lori?


    I don''t know.


    What did I do to you?


    You loved me and were kind to me. And for that I punished you.


    "Lori! The fuck is the matter now?"


    Adel is grabbing me by my shoulders. Beth''s pieces are covered in black splats. Looks like I forgot to take off my makeup from last night and now it''s running off my face with my tears. I''ve been sobbing for minutes. There''s dents and cracks in the plaster walls around me.


    "Lori!"


    Why did you do that to me?


    "Lori!"


    Finally, a large, muscular hand grabs my jaw and Adel begins staring me in the eye, veins bulging from her neck, breathing like an angry bull.


    "What the fuck is your problem here?"


    Beth''s remains are still strewn across the bed, Adel staring at it all in horror.


    "Christ, Lori, get a grip!" she shouts, releasing me and collecting Beth''s pieces and stuffing into her arms.


    Suddenly, I decided to growl, chase down, and tackle her, knocking Beth''s pieces all over the floor, and apparently I hit Adel hard enough to knock her off stance.


    After a flurry of arms, hands, and my own hair whipping both of our faces, Adel grips both of my wrists together behind my back with one hand, holding my face to the floor in a full Nelson.


    "Why?" Adel groans. "Nothing about you is making sense lately."


    "I''m sorry, Adel. I have no idea. I woke up from another nightmare, and now here we are."


    After Adel waits a few seconds before releasing me, I pick up Beth''s head and body from the floor and start crying again.


    She takes a long sigh and carries my shoulder, as I walk next to her, head hung in pity. "Come on."


    In the hangar, on her workbench, her enormous fingers were dexterous enough to stitch Beth''s pieces back together in 30 or so minutes.


    "Showtime in 2 hours. We''re talking to the shrink-bot after the show. I got done early, so just chill out." She hands Beth to me, with a small metal washer in place of her missing eye, now more stitches than some kind of horror villain. "Here''s your friend. Don''t kill him this time, please."


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "It''s a she," I mumble, head still hung. "But thank you."


    ~~


    "Think you screwed your head back on in time?" Adel says over Earworm.


    "Is it ever?"


    "Fair enough," she sighs. "You seem ready, have fun."


    "Thanks, pal."


    Today a box truck took me to some kind of low density forest full of rotting tree stumps, partially cloudy; the scenario is about 1 to 1 with the simulations, except not in a desert.


    "Welcome, and thank you grandly for your attendance and viewership! I''m your host, Jamia Janessen! And in today''s installment of our malicious maiden''s escapades, we are facing her off with a foe far larger than her..."


    I don''t even bother to wave this time.


    "...an unbelievable beast found in the wild insanity outside our grand Fence, whom the Defense Force has named Olga!"


    No way this thing exists in the wild. This has to be some EVAcorp science project gone wrong.


    I charge forward as Jamia blabbers on, but only a few steps before my foot falls through a pile of dried sticks and leaves. I yank it back to see the amalgamation of dead foliage come back out with my foot, and kick it all loose to find a Jackal nursing a bunch of pups, lined up under her abdomen. The mommy slowly emerges and starts growling at me.


    "Oh, look, the Lori Jackal," I mutter, slowly stepping backwards. "A bunch of pups she wanted, and no father around."


    The mother snaps at me, strafing side by side, trying to fool me. I stand with one foot and fist forward. As she charges towards me, I kangaroo kick and send her back a few meters, and then land after a backflip.


    "Hate to break apart your family," I mutter, "but it was your choice."


    She charges again, missing a few teeth and dripping blood from her mouth. I roundhouse kick her to the side, fire a FMGH to reel her in, kick her to the ground, and point my left cannon at her head.


    "Sorry," the cannon obliterates her head to a red mush. Shrapnel dusts my suit, and the body slowly twitches on its way to hell.


    The blind pups behind us wiggle helplessly.


    I remove a grenade from my launcher and drop one in the nest, running away and detonating it behind my back, a few meters away. The audio feed blasts a mixture of cheers and booing from the audience.


    "I too wish I was a mom. But not like that."


    Olga roars, trying to assess me as I zig-zag across the field. Rotting stumps disintegrate into mulch under the sheer mass of the suit''s legs. Her left paw swings at me, thus now I have to mirror my procedure from the simulation.


    About 30 regular Jackals flank Olga. I jump using one of their heads as a stepping stone, make it across the crowd, and keep running. 600 meters to go.


    A couple of smaller Jackals dare to get in my way to Olga''s right arm, which I swat away with one hand. Due to this, I could not manage to hit Olga with the autocannon fire on her belly, so I just barely made it to her right arm, make another jump, and latch on, as a few more inspired Jackals climb behind me. Olga tries to scratch me off with her rear right leg, which I then have to dodge and move towards the inside of the arm.


    Scratching against the armor, one Jackal claw rips a few strands from my exposed ponytail. I angrily swat two more away with my left arm, then release the grip on my right to fire the .50cal at a few others.


    "Move up, move up, you can''t get them all," Adel hurriedly chimes.


    I stomp on the heads of a few and try my damnedest to beat them up Olga''s arm. They all dodge Olga''s scratching foot, and I make it to her armpit, firing down again to keep the Jackals below away.


    Olga''s armpit is soft and fleshy, causing my claws to slash and rip rather than grip for my climb to her neck. I shoot an FMGH onto a breastplate of chitin at her sternum, only praying she won''t decide to lay down on top of me.


    The hook fails to connect and I reel it back in. I then fire my right FMGH onto her shoulder, and fire another, only while a Jackal tries to grab my left foot right as I try to reel myself up. I kick it off with my right foot, and start reeling, only to see my right hook come off. I re-fire, and then the same happens to the left hook. As more Jackals try to grab my feet, I Rabbit-Kick them, using their inertia to move me along a bump at a time, while skidding about on the arm-shoulder area, clawing with my hands as the FMGH reloads its propeller blanks.


    Olga swats her right shoulder with her left paw. I get launched at least 5 meters from the surface, hanging by the FMGH ropes, and touch the shoulder on my feet, kicking another Jackal down.


    "God damn it, I need bigger hooks!" I scream to anyone who bothers to listen.


    "Forget the hooks. Just crawl. You make it quick, the flesh won''t break off in time."


    I scurry up the surface like a spider, feeling the slop of the sinew and blood under my claws. The lactate starts to build up in my arms and legs, and my heart begins to pound.


    "And you questioned the need for your fitness," Adel quips. "Okay, now you''re on the shoulder. Plant the charges."


    "I only have three."


    "Grenades?"


    "Three."


    "Blow a hole and plant the grenades there."


    Olga roars and tries to shake me off like water on her back. I sink my claws in deeper, and must have hit an artery, with the blood splashing on my helmet and obstructing most of my view. I try to shake it off, to no avail.


    "Start running opposite to Olga''s movement."


    I start zig-zagging across Olga''s back. Jamia is mumbling something over the announcements, but I cannot comprehend. I try shooting a carveout in the back of Olga''s neck, toss one H-charge, then two more, and frantically toss three of my grenades, then falling off the neck. I turn away as I tumble down, dizzy from the exertion and spinning.


    H-charge, abracadabra, it blows up early, with a grenade detonating a bit closer than I expected. I start spinning as I continue the fall, shielding my head in my arms, and landing on my elbow. My helmet clangs against the neckbrace, and I recoil from a sprain running through my shoulder and neck.


    I barely muster the strength to get back up, with a light shower of blood. Quiet cheers come from the audio feed.


    "Let Olga bleed. She''s done, you blew it up just close enough to the spinal cord," Adel applauses. "You did it, Lori. You did your best, better than anyone would have."


    "...and in spite of more unforeseen mishaps, Lorianne is once again victorious!" Jamia belts, as the applause continues.


    "Whatever. Ach," I moan, still in pain, falling to my knees.


    ~~


    Adel blasts all the blood off with the pressure washer while I sit on a bench with a liquid CO2 cooling pad. The cold hurts almost as badly as the sprain.


    A glass of carbonated limeade appears above my face.


    "Come on, drink up, you deserve it," Adel shouts over the pressure washer while the bot waits for me to grab the glass.


    I put my head back down.


    Adel stops washing, and then I guess she hands it off to a bot to continue the job. She sits down on the bench next to me. "I don''t care what you think, that was awesome. You kicked ass today, and I''m so fucking proud of you."


    I try getting up, before stumbling in dizziness. "Hey, chill out." I glance at her, then reluctantly grasp the beverage, hand shaking.


    "Hope this doesn''t make your neck hurt, but oh, you''re such a badass," she hugs me at my waist, avoiding my shoulder, and patting me at my sternum.


    I look down at my limbs. Veins still bulge from my hands, forearms, and thighs.


    After a gulp, I mutter, "Still need shrink?"


    She looks at me for a couple seconds, then shrugs.

 CH16- ELIN

    "Jackal Hunter Lorianne Kruger''s senseless move to kill helpless Jackal pups"


    "Fans outraged from Kruger''s ''mercy killing''"


    "Has the ''Jackal Hunter'' show gone too far in ''defending Hedonia''?"


    "People know what to expect with the show. Ms. Kruger''s task is to entertain us while protecting us alongside herself. Needless to say, the beasts know no better than to kill, and cannot be negotiated with. If we want to stand on our moral stepstones about killing animals, then we also stop watching the show to begin with."


    "It''s publicly funded, and continued upon customer demand. How can I personally stop the show?"


    "Have some gratitude for the Defense Forces. Lorianne is simply one of their best, offering you affordable entertainment, and sacrificing so much just to make you happy and keep you safe from these bloodthirsty monsters, and all you respond with is crying crocodile tears about Jackal babies who will grow only to kill you. Why are you so morally concerned about animals that only seek to eat you alive as a bedtime snack?"


    "Ms. Kruger''s job is to eliminate adult Jackals as per her obligations, and nothing extra. These baby animals are as innocent as any at that age. Only after the juveniles have achieved adulthood can we assign guilt or even speculate intent to harm human life."


    "The UWWADF sorts out which Jackals are safe for human ownership and which are not, and this might shock you, but most are not. They are not your housepets, unless you want a woman-eating creature in your residence."


    "Ms. Kruger, do you have any thoughts on the matter?"


    "These things are a pest regardless. It makes no sense to me how people are upset when I killed those Jackal pups. But then, when these things thirst for your blood once they  mature, they then cheer me on when I kill them as adults. What difference does it make? My job is to eliminate them, regardless, so your happy ass can sit comfortably in a chair and watch me do it. So fuck off--"


    Noisy altercation between multiple people interrupt her tirade.


    "T-thank you for your input, Lorianne--"


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Okay, Lori, That''s enough. Thank you. Goodbye."


    Notification after notification of Lorianne''s recent move bombard me as I sort through my wardrobe. I look at one report with an image of Lorianne in her suit, pointing her weapons at the struggling mother Jackal''s head.


    "Perhaps I should make time to speak to Lorianne in person."


    More reports from the surveillance team bring me photographs of graffiti throughout alleys of Cauldron¨C crude illustrations of my severed head with Xs in place of eyes and  tongue out, and Lorianne being chased by a bunch of Jackals.


    "Good morning, Mother," FABIAN pings. "Reporting for duty."


    "Giveth an inch, they demand a mile," I sigh to myself. "With world class entertainment comes world-class nitpicking. Disappointing, how my Daughters would be so short-sighted to chide what they begged for shortly before-- Hedonia''s excellence only elicits disgruntlement," I chime. "Hand the beggar bread, and she takes one bite, and disposes of the rest only to extend her open hand yet again."


    "In spite of your position, even you cannot control the behavior of others."


    "And the dilemma is as follows: how the status quo is rather disappointing; however, complete control over all the nation''s minds¨C the only remedy to such malaise¨C would be only more boring. Human ingenuity will always innovate, seeking joy and misery alike."


    "Indeed so. What is your course of action, Mother Elin?"


    "The mixed responses from the audience has not affected revenue as of now. However, if Lorianne''s show suffers enough financially, and Cynthia''s performance fares no better, then either are more suitable as Chosens. The tides of the public will direct us more than my decisions alone. However, the personality of a Jackal Hunter typically does not coincide well with the regulation necessary to survive in the Compound. In the meanwhile, I suspect something greater afoot between Lorianne, Corvus, Elena, and perhaps the Boilers, and I''d like to get to the bottom of it without disrupting the development."


    I glance over to my electronic canvas. My bean-shaped creation from last week is starting to bleed, dripping downwards in slow trickles.


    "How troubling. The adorable little thing is suffering and I don''t even know how or why."


    Walking over to tend to it, the words "Suzanna" suddenly splash in blood across the artwork.


    "Ugh," I clear the canvas in a brief moment of exasperation.


    ~~


    "Something on your mind?" Derek asks, while continuing to slowly thrust between my knees, as I hold onto him by the back of his neck.


    "I seek brief reprieve from my duties, is all. Nothing terrible."


    "Mhm."


    He combs my curls with his fingers. I raise one leg over his shoulder.


    "Which troubles you the most?"


    Opening my eyes and placing a finger on his lips, I grin as I open my hips wider.


    "Discontent citizenry, second only to nosiness."


    My toes curl in the smooth warmth traveling down the perennial nerves in my legs as I lose my verbal foothold, tilting my head back, and escaping the frustrations of today.


    "Mm, what troubles you, dare I ask in retaliation?"


    "Not feeling my face between your boobs," he kisses me at my throat.

 CH17- CORVUS

    Everyone at breakfast is staring at me.


    "I think you''re in trouble," Magdalene whispers to me.


    I give her an annoyed look as she giggles.


    "I don''t think the admins want to talk to you, but you clearly did something to catch their attention," JJ mumbles.


    "Like... what?"


    Shrugs.


    "People all know you want out, and I recommend you keep tight about it from now on."


    "What, you don''t want to?"


    "No. And for your sake, again, keep it shut."


    "Like you care."


    "Hey, I''d rather not see you get chased by Jackals or just disappear, but if you insist, how can I stop you?"


    He makes me squint.


    "Pick a lane, dude. You''re either against me or with me."


    "And this is why everyone''s staring at you. But whatever," JJ puts his hands up, recinding, and walking away. Magdalene looks at him, then me, and follows him, skipping.


    "Bye, Cory!"


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    I retreat to the library to catch up on a few episodes of Jackal Hunter. Lori''s not as coordinated as she used to be. She''s been making more mistakes than usual. Still head and shoulders above probably anyone else in the world, but even demigods like her are fallible.


    But this doesn''t shake my fandom. My eyes remain pinned to the computer screen, my ass glued to the seat.


    Until, a finger taps my shoulder. I flinch so quickly I fall out of the chair.


    "I''m sorry, what was your name?"


    I look over to see that lavender-haired MP girl that I talked to yesterday.


    "Corvus, or... Cory," I mutter, embarassingly trying to stand on my two feet again.


    "Elena," she looks me up and down. This time, she''s not wearing her vest and accessories. "Thank you for your consultation yesterday. It really meant a lot."


    "Yeah, uh.. no problem."


    "I see you really like that Jackal Hunter show?"


    I roll my eyes. I never thought I''d be so tired of repeating myself. "Yeah. Quite so."


    Elena tilts her head. "That''s... interesting."


    "Is it now?"


    "No, the show." She turns to the screen, while Lori climbs up the oversized Jackal. "I guess it''s especially so since I spend half the day staring at those things running around outside the Fence."


    "I mean... cool?"


    "From what I see, most of them just try to avoid humans unless they''re really hungry. I don''t know where they get these bloodthirsty Jackals to fight Lori."


    "I think the UWWA has a ton of shit they won''t tell us about."


    She pauses.


    "Yeah, no kidding, especially in my job..."


    "Like, how do they find this giant Jackal in the wild? It can''t be. They''re all skinny. There''s nothing for them to eat outside in the wasteland beyond to grow that big."


    "Maybe it''s EVAcorp?"


    I shrug. "The show''s still amazing, but nonetheless."


    Elena''s radio starts scratching something unintelligible. "Oh, damn. Well, uh, nice talking to you, Cory. I have to go now."


    "Okay. Take care. Bye," I wave. She grins at me as she runs off.


    On the screen, Lori blows up Olga''s head and sloppily lands while it rains blood.


    I sigh. Going off of the pictures that the news circulates, I''m really not a fan of the Cynthia girl that''s going to stand up to Lori. The original is always better.

 CH18- LORI

    "Jackal Hunter Lori Kruger''s Mental Health Difficulties Affecting Her Performance"


    "Will the rising star ''Cynthia'' dethrone the original Jackal Hunter?"


    "Fans troubled as Jackal Hunter struggles to perform at expectations"


    I stare out the window from my bedroom. Being at the top of a hill, it''d be one hell of a view to sell on the real estate market, but none of this really means anything anymore. Nothing''s changed. And we all need to see something move otherwise we won''t know we''re alive.


    Having someone to wake up next to probably won''t really change anything for me. I''m growing numb to even my own ridiculous ambitions.


    Becoming a Chosen might be the best path for me, even if I don''t like the idea. At least someone who can keep me in control for my sake can be there.


    Or maybe they''ll all just be scared to death to see the former Jackal Hunter terrorize the Compound and I''ll be untouchable.


    That is, if they''ll even honor a new contract for me.


    Ambitions are just silly games we play with reality to entertain ourselves until death.


    But death is not any more interesting or remarkable than a shitty life.


    A plea for death is weakness. I''d rather die than live forever weak. Yet, I have no qualms about showing weakness to Adel and I''ll definitely be vulnerable to a man if I find one for myself.


    Everyone''s full of shit-- including me.


    I only come out of my room because sitting in there would only make me even more miserable.


    "You know what, hook me up to the shrink bot," I mutter to Adel, in the living room.


    She looks up from her soldering project. "Okay."


    We walk to the lab building next door.  The room''s walls are denser than lead, and absolutely no noise penetrates the space. It''s equally terrifying as it is soothing.


    I recline in the test seat and Adel hooks up my MIRCS. After I close my eyes for 30 or so seconds, it prompts some AR messages surrounded by a bunch of graphs and numbers completely beyond me:


    dopamine transmission low


    cortisol and epinephrines tolerance high


    moderate depressive and chronic stress signals


    sympathetic nervous fatigue


    parasympathetic activity low


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    medication, sleep, and/or behavioral adjustment suggested


    retest in 24, 48, and 72 hours suggested


    further consultation and analysis suggested


    "No, drugs won''t solve my problem."


    "If it just gets you through to the next day-"


    "What am I working towards the next day? Another Jackal fight?"


    Adel goes silent.


    "Is this all my fucking life is gonna amount to? Until I age or the UWWA just botches me up until I become Elin? Am I even alive at that point?"


    Adel looks at the floor, unsure what to say.


    "Well, you''re still thinking about... going AWOL and finding a man?"


    "Yes."


    "How?"


    "That''s my headache. But we all want something we can''t have. Except that you see where I''m going if I don''t get what I want."


    "You might just find something else in a few years to be more excited about. Better yet, if you just work until you''re 40 or so, say no to the cyborg shit, and then retire as a Chosen and spend your fortune on fertility optimization. I''m sure you could bribe them, and clearly you aren''t unattractive to the men there."


    "I don''t know about that. And I''d really rather not let them touch my ovaries."


    "Oh, come on. The Compound is nuts about you."


    "They haven''t really seen my body outside of the suit."


    "They have a decent idea. It''s rather form-fitting at the waist area, no? And they know what your face looks like on your Twigpost profile. You''re hot, and that''s a fact."


    "I don''t see myself that way. And wait until they meet me. You''ve seen me behind closed doors. I''m clearly not all I''m cracked up to be."


    "So how do you think anyone makes it as a Chosen?"


    I look at her, and shrug like a dumbass.


    "You have to adjust yourself to your goal. For the, what, 10 years you''ve trained to be a Hunter, this is all learned behavior. Again, I know I''m just a technician, but do you think I managed to fix all your shit on the first day of my job when I was a teenager?"


    "No."


    "Duh. I had to fuck up a lot of things before I knew my way around it. And once I did, then they just dumped more work for me to figure out. So I just kept at it, and eventually learned. You clearly want to be more ladylike, and that''s all learned skill too."


    "Fighting and killing is almost all that I remember. It all came naturally. Alongside the endless string of trouble I got myself into before they pulled me out of school at 16."


    "And to achieve what you want-- to be a dainty lady and attract a man-- you have to learn how to do that as well."


    "Look, Ade, I really appreciate your efforts to console me. I''ve trusted them long enough with my body, I don''t trust what they''re going to do next as I age if I become a Chosen in my 40s. I don''t trust their techno-wizardry to hold off menopause, or guarantee my egg quality in my 40s."


    "But you don''t have a clear plan B."


    "I didn''t have any plan when they took me in at 16."


    "Right, they had a plan for you. And they''re going to keep you hooked up so long as you follow your contracts."


    "Maybe I don''t want to follow contracts. I already have enough trouble following orders and keeping my mouth shut dealing with the dipshits on this job."


    "Well, then you''ll have to find your own forces. I don''t have anything. I''m just your technician."


    "And what will you do if I quit?"


    She''s silent again.


    "Well..."


    "That''s right. You don''t really have a plan either, don''t you?"


    She squints at me for a second, before sitting back in defeat. "Well, fuck me, I guess you''re right."


    "At this rate, they''re bound to find someone with more enthusiasm for the job than I do. It''s only a matter of time before they replace me." I look sternly at Adel. "If you don''t want to come along, that''s fine. I''ll go alone."


    "But you can''t break into anything by yourself."


    "I''ll find people and I''ll find the tools to do it."


    "Like who?"


    "Maybe I won''t. If so, only then I''ll seek my secondary options. Talking about contracts. Becoming a Chosen. Because plan C-- just doing this for the rest of my life-- is simply not sustainable. And I don''t think you want to see how that will end. Look at me now. Is it really going to get better at this rate?"


    Adel sighs and looks away, either tripping over her own thoughts, or in defeat. "Yeah, alright," she stands from her chair and leaves the room.

 CH19- ELIN

    "Kynine, how is FABIAN''s Hunter build coming?"


    "If all goes well, one more week, and all will be in place."


    FABIAN''s black visor face upon a lustrous, gunmetal grey mechanical body, bustling with hydraulic hoses and motors, stands roughly 2 meters in height. He is armed with similar weapons to Lorianne''s setup, but with a sword instead of fixed blades, surrounded by bots joining, welding, and inserting parts.


    "I suspect the crowds will still miss Lorianne''s style, if anything, her imperfections... but better to have and not need, than need and not have."


    "Indeed," Dr. Honoko flatly mutters, eyes not removed from her tablet, full of schematics and minisucle text.


    "The engineering team is out for lunch. I''m only here to bridge the gap between FABIAN''s movements and strucutre to and the biomechanics of subjects like Ms. Kruger or Ms. Ardoro."


    "Splendid. I anticipate a return on our investments."


    "I am honored to be part of it," she extends her thin hand for a shake, looking up to me.


    I wrap both of my hands over hers, and leave a keycard in her palm. "A bonus for your efforts," I grin.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    She tilts her head in curiosity. "Thank... you?"


    "Brilliance like yours will quickly discover what it''s for," I grin as I walk away. "Enjoy responsibly."


    ~~


    More screenshots of Lorianne and the baby Jackals circulate TwigPost. Perhaps there is indeed no such thing as bad publicity. It''s ultimately a wash. On one end is a boycott. On the other, is more eyes on the franchise to begin with.


    "The Jackal Hunter is killing Jackals for Elin and her cadre to eat in a sick animal-abuse show while the average Hedonian is desperately looking for work and starving!"


    "The entire reason Jackals want to kill us, is because of that disgusting show that kidnaps and kills Jackals in the first place!"


    Rattling emerges from my office in the next room over. I walk to find Diogenes chewing on my canvas, and clawing at the screen.


    "Tsk, tsk," I administer a shock through his collar via MIRCS. He yips, spasms, clawing at the air, and collapses in submission. "Regardless of how unsettling the images may be, you are not permitted to destroy my artwork."


    I reach over to grasp him by his abdomen, and take him to his kennel. He helplessly looks back and forth, to and away from my face. "Once released, behave yourself, please."


    Glancing over to the tattered canvas and stand, it decides to produce a warped reflection of me. I turn my head back and forth, examining my abnormally large nose on one side, and bulbous forehead and left eye on another. "Woman must control her beasts, both outside her, as well as within."


    A beast. Like Lorianne. She too, is biting and clawing at something, something clearly very painful to her, far worse than any momentary electrocution.

 CH20- LORI

    It''s been years since I left the Jackal Hunter gig. I''ve found my place in a village a few hundred kilometers outside Cauldron.


    "Good morning, Genna," I whisper to my daughter in my arms as she finally opens her eyes for the day. It''s been as exhausting as killing Jackals, but far more worthwhile, to tend to this new life I created.


    She extends her coin-sized hand blindly outward, hiccuping.


    Lars reaches behind me and holds me at my waist. "My two favorite ladies are awake early," he quietly remarks.


    I lean my head against his.


    The Outsiders have built quite a sturdy fence out of scrap and somehow kept the fields green within it. Only hopes could prevent it from becoming another Cauldron. Thankfully that shit hole burned down after I left.


    Right as I pat myself on the back with that thought, a breeze whips by us, followed by a steady wind from my right. We look across the barricades to see a tan-grey haze in the distance. A small fleet of birds fly by as well.


    "Dust storm," Lars says. "Let''s go."


    The tsunami of dust is followed by a horde of Jackals, but this time, thick with grey fur and even larger than the usual. They climb over the barricade. The guards only managed to pick off a few with gunfire before getting overwhelmed and torn to shreds.


    Lars and I start running, only to see him knocked down by a Jackal, as the strike knocks Genna out of my arms. All I see is blood and sinew, before another bites my arm.


    I wake up sobbing, with scratches all over my forearm, bleeding slightly into my bedsheets.


    ~~


    "Look, Lori, there''s always going to be something you don''t like about your performances. If you always look hard enough, you''ll find them. And in case you care, the audience might not. They''re not half as observant as you. They''re just there for entertainment, and they won''t be that upset no matter what happens. You''re literally one of the world''s best, and I can tell you dont really give a shit, but it''s something anyone else would be blown away with pride, to be. People literally watch you on TV to gawk at you and all the incredible shit you do."


    "Thanks, but I''m only concerned with impressing myself at this point. You know what I want."


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Right, and even a god among women can only control so much. Fate is in nobody''s control."


    "My actions are. And if there''s a way out, I need to find it."


    "A-- okay," she looks at the ground. "We need a break. At least I do. I''m going to the arcade, wanna come along?"


    "Yeah, sure."


    Outside the secured exit, a few cops are standing in front of a lineup of commoners, holding signs with pictures of me and the Jackal pups.


    "Yeah, let''s see you twits last a day in her job," Adel mutters as we put on our sunglasses.


    "You''re as big a monster as the ones you fight!" one shouts to me.


    "Fuck you!" another screeches, knocking another "protestor" out of her mobility scooter. The beat cops grab her by the arms and throw her back.


    I find myself only partially bothered as we keep walking.


    "Ms. Kruger, where do you plan to go?" one of the MPs ask me.


    "Nowhere in particular. Just wanted some fresh air."


    "The Directorate wants you to not leave unescorted--"


    Adel puts a palm on her shoulder, about to shove. "I''ve got it, now leave."


    "Understood. Be careful."


    The arcade is full of staring eyes, thankfully nobody wanting to make a move. If anyone jumps at me, at this point, I''m willing to throw everything away just to break some teeth. I don''t really feel like I have anything to lose.


    Adel got sucked into some kind of racing game while I sit next to the machine, swiping through news reports on my PDA projector, slowly desensitizing to the criticism.


    I get restless and decide to go out. "You have fun here, I can''t sit here any longer, ping me when you''re done," I say to Adel, but she seems so absorbed into the VR to hear me.


    Fashion outlets along Mecca street are tempting, but there''s no point to go in. There''s no opportunity to wear anything nice. I keep walking until my purse is snatched from my right shoulder, running towards the alley. Only my pistol is left in my possession, clutched in my right hand.


    "Hey! What the fuck?"


    I run to the hooded assailant, only to be surrounded by a bunch of her masked buddies at the end of the alley, all pointing guns at me.


    One particularly small one, the size of a pre-teen girl, hops down from a dumpster and starts skipping towards me with her hands behind her back. She''s in an armored leather jacket, frilly white and black skirt, wearing her hair in pigtails-- right side white, left side black, with a split sock-and-buskin mask of the opposite color scheme.


    "Your show is rather despicable, but I''m here to see if the star is the same shade on her shadowed side," she says in almost a musical tone.


    "Indeed it isn''t. So what the fuck do you want?" I stand, finger still on the trigger.


    "Preferably not your life, but we can spare it in exchange for vulnerabilities to the Capital Complex Gate, as you can tell, we''re not the greatest fans of the UWWA."


    I pause, still aiming at her center of mass.


    "I''m not really either, but I''m considering a departure. I expect honest business from you otherwise my higher-ups know where I am, and probably can hear you speak as we are now," I place my finger at my choker.


    "Fair. Girls, guns down."


    We all slowly lower our weapons.


    "Better yet, you help me find a man, I''ll help you and your minions get past the gates. My job''s on its way out anyway, and I''m thinking of going to the Compound myself."

 CH21- CORVUS

    I could barely sleep, constantly checking the computer for updates on Lori.


    "The Jackal Hunter is killing Jackals for Elin and her cadre to eat in a sick animal-abusing show while the average Hedonian is desperately looking for work and starving!"


    "The entire reason Jackals want to kill us, is because of that disgusting show that kidnaps and kills Jackals in the first place!"


    TwigPost is going nuts. I grumble in disdain. God forbid I see these morons in real life.


    "Mecca Square overflowing with hungry citizens outside soup kitchen"


    "Unemployed still calling for action from Mother Elin"


    What the hell has gotten into Cauldron?


    I guess I don''t want to be out in the city if I plan to somehow get out of the Compound.


    So then I''m against two unsurmountable odds in order to be satisfied with the result.


    Either that or I continue rotting away in this glorified prison full of nobody who really gives a shit about me.


    How are JJ and everyone else just okay with a circus of sex and a daily routine of 1 hour in the gym, then being given food, and then just doing nothing for the rest of their lives?


    Or are they just too afraid to do otherwise?


    We could be more than just our sperm if we all came together. They can''t punish all of us all at once. What a dehumanizing existence.


    JJ pops in. "Dude, you''ve been here all day."


    I don''t respond.


    "Okay, well, the Directors want you to talk to Inspection."


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    My eyes roll.


    "Cool, thanks."


    "Yeah, yeah."


    A few hours later, once I''m caught up with all the nonsense on the news, I go to Room 2 and the computer lights up with an AI assistant.


    "Hello, Corvus. Thank you for coming for a talk. May I ask how things are for you recently?"


    I shrug.


    "You havent made contact with any Chosens for the past 72 hours. Are there any issues?"


    How am I going to bullshit my way out of this?


    "Just... feeling a lot of ennui."


    "It''s okay to have moments where you feel flat or disengaged. However, if it''s a prolonged state, it becomes rather concerning. Is there anything that can excite you, whether something real, or an idea?"


    Oh, please, fuck off.


    "No, not really."


    "Reaching out to others in times of need is nothing to be ashamed of. Let us know, you are a valuable part of this community."


    The boredom is suffocating me.


    All my might can barely stop me from opening vents. But clearly the creators of this place knew about this and kept it in mind during the design process.


    Maybe I can ask Ari on where she might have observed a way out?


    No, I burned that bridge. She probably won''t bother, especially how it''ll probably get her in trouble too.


    Fuck.


    I literally cannot sit and wait around. It''s almost as if leg spasms cause me to get up. I start pacing around in the library.


    Elena would be the next best option, but there''s no way to coordinate meetings with her.


    Maybe I shouldn''t count too much on her either, she very well could be a spy for whoever''s controlling the Compound.


    The door creaks open to reveal Ari standing there, flatly staring at me. Speak of the devil.


    "W-wha-"


    She continues walking towards me, grabbing me by the arm, and placing my hand at her waist.


    "I can''t."


    "What?"


    "Just forget about you."


    But... why?


    "Even if you don''t want me back... I just can''t ''get over it''," She pulls my face closer. "Please-"


    I shove her away, in disbelief of how angry I found myself.


    "No! How do I know you''re not a--"


    "....a what?"


    Shit. You fucking dumbass! Why can''t you just keep your mouth shut?


    "I don''t care, even if it just lasts one more day. I need you." Her eyes begin to appear misty, nervously zigzagging about.


    I bury my face in my hands.


    You can only keep things in for so long before they burst out of you.


    "What''s going on here? Everyone okay?" Another timid voice from behind us. Ari and I both whip our heads to see Magdalene peeking through the door.


    This has to be a joke.


    "Oh, a threesome? Yay! I hope JJ will join if he walks in!" She rushes in to hug both of us.


    I don''t want to fight both of them. Might as well, and keep the Directors off my back...


    "You look cute," Magdalene gives a sly look at Ari. "You look like you prepared for this."


    "Not really, but... yeah."


    The two put each one hand on my chest, gently pushing me towards the desk I just got up from.


    Can''t ever get a break.

 CH22- ELIN

    Recently publicized data shows Jackal Hunter viewership tanking


    Can Jackal Hunter recover from the PR blow?


    Diogenes is quietly napping on my lap.


    I find it silly how just now the fans are upset with the show, after years of similar content.


    "Contentment is such a fickle animal, isn''t it, Diogenes?" I whisper, petting him on his head. "Fickle, just like you."


    His nose twitches, and he leaps off my lap to his bowl, sitting afront, poising himself and looking at me.


    "As fickle as your appetite," I reach over to the bag of bulk nuggets.


    Perhaps it''s to our benefit he doesn''t know, or care what they''re made of.


    ~~


    "Lines of homeless await food at the soup kitchen, now no longer able to fit inside."


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Elin''s in her high tower, or wherever the hell her hidey-hole is, and isn''t doing enough to stop us from starving!"


    One in the line begins banging a large wooden spoon on a pot, screaming something unintelligible, immediately tackled by MPs.


    "After retrial of Cosworth, Hill, and Falk, Cosworth and Hill are now released, and Falk remains in UWWA custody. Little else is known of her sentence, but threat of copycats seem invisible at best, and omnipresent at worst."


    "Rogue and errant ''animal rights groups'' continue to make noise over the recent Jackal Hunter show, arguing that the show should stop to abate the Jackal threat and that the Defense Force should focus on ''defense'' instead of ''grotesque television performances''."


    "Opposition from the minority of civilian critics as well as the Defense Force itself argue that the show is a ''cultural icon'' and elimination of it would cause Hedonia to lose sight of what lurks outside of the consistently-fortified Fence protecting Cauldron among other Nodes in Hedonia. ''It''s about maintaining perspective'', one anonymous contributor from the UWWADF states, ''out of sight, out of mind is often a fatal trap to fall into, especially in our line of duty as well as for the average Heodnian.''"


    "In spite of that, humanity can only keep its eyes on so many things, and one can only keep her eyes on one object at any given moment," I mutter, pinging both Lieutenant Chuji and FABIAN. "Well done to both of you with the adjustments to the news."


    "Yes, Mother," Chuji replies.


    "Is Falk removed from Cauldron?"


    "Indeed."


    "All is done, that can be."


    I look to my new MIRCS canvas. A vague, noisy image of some kind of beast attempts to appear, then shattering, dismissing itself from existence.

 CH23- LORI

    "Where the hell were you last night?" Adel jumps from her desk as I walk into the hangar, then immediately grabbing me by the shoulders.


    "Just... getting lost in the streets, nice long walk. Quite refreshing, really-"


    "Oh whatever, you dumbass. I was worried," she transitions to the burliest bear hug I''ve felt from her in years.


    "Did you call the search team?"


    "Had you been AWOL another 24 hours, I would have." She tilts her head, examining me. "But I had faith you were just having a moment or whatever."


    I shrug.


    "You look a bit more... sprightly today."


    "I''m okay."


    "Well, you sound better than usual, and because of that, I''m happy."


    "If you say so. Can''t say I feel that different."


    "Feelings sometimes are unreliable sources of information."


    "Tch, no shit."


    "Okay, so today you''re up against this bot named FABIAN," she points to a schematic of some humanoid robot on the holo-board. "Whoever-it-was probably designed it to be similar in proportion to you, maybe more powerful, maybe better, maybe not. Not too much other information available about the robot itself."


    "Map?"


    "You''ll be put in this run down ghost town of sorts, with a main street split by an invisible barrier. You are to compete with him to see who gets more kills, or style points."


    "Well, well, aren''t they in such a hurry to replace me."


    "Hard to say. They''re obviously experimenting. It''s not a deep dark secret that you aren''t doing as well as you''re supposed to. The only thing the crew doesn''t know, is whether this is because you hate your job, or you just aren''t feeling good."


    I grumble.


    ~~


    FABIAN and I line up at the start of the linear course. The schematics aren''t far off¨C his form is similar in height and weight to mine, albeit with a handheld sword instead of a FAB like mine.


    Today I put my hair in a tight bun. It''s no longer "too easy" for me to have it out like I used to, especially for what''s coming today.


    "Hello, Lorianne," FABIAN''s black visor of a face nods at me, deadpannedly waving.


    No point to reply. What does politeness from a robot even mean? If Cynthia doesn''t fuck up, she''ll be there staring at me like this rust bucket is. Not even sure if I prefer that.


    Whatever.


    "A-a-a-and let the slaughter.... commence!"


    The fences open, the Jackals roam loose, and we both move forward.


    "Remember, don''t cross that barrier. It won''t kill you, but nothing good comes of it."


    "Such as?"


    "I don''t know. A shock? Deductions in style points? Just stay off it."


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Okay."


    "Needless to say, don''t pay attention to the bot. Focus on your own game. You''re way better than the robot, don''t worry."


    "Glad someone thinks so."


    Three Jackals triangulate onto me. I jump up, point my right arm down, and fire at them mid flip. A few more accumulate down the gauntlet, where they make way for my landing in between. The first two, bleeding from the gunfire, I kick back, and slash at three more as I turn 180 degrees.


    "That was solid, but keep moving along before you get stale and lose your form. Drop a grenade or something and move forward."


    As I grab one from my back-rack, I immediately get a glimpse of the nest of Jackal pups from last week. Now, certainly, no more than a crater of burnt blood.


    I too want to be a mom. But not like that.


    "Lori! What the fuck? Move!"


    Teeth chew onto my right forearm. The rheopectic armor opposite of the brace is just thick enough to prevent the bite from breaking into my flesh. I frantically try to shake loose, then stabbing the FAB at the Jackal''s face. It lets me go after I tear open one of its eyes, while another pounces on me from behind, catching me completely off guard, bringing me to my knees.


    Not my hair. Not my fucking hair.


    Right as I''m about to reach back, the grenade goes off, with the Jackal behind me shrieking as it absorbs most of the shrapnel, though I hear some pepper the plating on my suit as well. Even though the dampeners in my helmet shielded my ears, the explosion pulses throughout my body, and I''m not even sure if it hurt or not.


    Regaining my bearings, I look forward and back, and jump out of the scene, running onward to the rest of the course. More Jackals emerge from the alleyways, sizing me up before they make their moves.


    "Move it! Go!" Adel no longer sounds impressed.


    I glance over to my left side. FABIAN is dealing with a similar number, but slashing through, one by one, with his sword. He''s eliminating every one of them, but moving along a lot slower. Efficient, but repetitive.


    "Focus!"


    Another lunges straight at my face. Just in time, I stick my FAB straight at its mouth, skewering it. It tries to push off, but brings my entire arm down. With my left foot I rip my blade out, and Rabbit Kick another coming at me from behind, using the recoil from the kick to roll under two more who collide above me.


    My score is definitely going to turn to shit. Maybe that red-haired twit was right.


    I really need to apply for a spot in the Compound. Guess I''ll do this when we''re off air later today.


    As the two Jackals that kissed above my head regain their footing, I check behind me to see another three. They have me in a circle again.


    "Repetitive, much?" I mumble to Adel.


    "Mix it up, that''s all."


    One more grenade left. I drop it at my feet. The five take a step back, with a rough idea of what it is.


    "Lori! What the-"


    After a straight jump upwards, I detonate it, with the shockwave and more shrapnel dusting me from below. I land on the back of one of them, breaking all of its spine under my feet. Two backed off in time, facing me, unable to choose between fleeing or continuing towards me.


    "Well, you''re 80% there¨C"


    "I''m gonna apply to be a Chosen once today''s over."


    Silence from Adel. I smack a Jackal away, walking backwards, seeing my backside is clear to the finish.


    "W-wh-..." she stammers. "There''s still¨C"


    "Whatever. Don''t pretend to be surprised."


    I glance back to see the pillars of decrepit concrete I must climb up to close the episode. FABIAN is still behind. One block at a time, firing and kicking back at the onslaught, I deplete all of my 9mm ammo, hack and slash until there''s none left. One more block, and a spotlight hits me.


    I look around, waiting for conformation, but recieveing none. Ten seconds go by, nothing.


    "Well?"


    "I mean, looks like you made it, just stand by," Adel tensely mutters.


    My heart isn''t pounding like it used to. I start to quietly hear cheers come through the audio feed. I sit down, even less proud than last time.


    The streetlights illuminating FABIAN''s run go out, and he disappears into the darkness.


    "You did it," Adel cheers. "''Atta girl."


    I keep my mouth shut, so Adel can enjoy.


    Enjoy it while you can, pal.


    ~~


    The next appointment for a Chosen interview is two weeks out.


    I''m told to quit only at the peak of my career, but clearly I thought of this too late.


    Adel''s dancing as she washes off my suit. It''d be more cruel to ruin this joy of hers, than to blow up another 10 Jackal nests.


    I close the webpage from my HUD and walk over to Adel, silently standing next to her.


    "Have some, you need it," she puts the pressure washer down, and grabs this sunset-colored cake, slicing me almost a quarter of it.


    It smells okay. It''s covered in this intoxicatingly intense citrus jelly, mildly sweet, dense but easily chewable texture, almost like a bagel but fruity and moist. I grab a bite. "No butter, no eggs, as requested," she chuckles, mouth full. "Oh, man, I better stop, this was supposed to be all for you."


    Either she just forgot about my Chosen application, or she''s trying to.


    "Thanks," I mutter. I''ll eat it this time. I push myself to swallow, with the confection dancing the line between repulsive and delicious.

 CH24- ELIN

    Jackal Hunter Lori Kruger yet to beat in recent showdown


    EVAcorp engineers: "We did all we could, and she won fair and square"


    Fans rediscovering love of Lorianne Kruger, Jackal Hunter after out-scoring robotic competitor


    "It''s charming to see her regain her excellence, isn''t it, Directors?"


    "Yes, and we credit you for the idea," the chorus of anonymized voices reply to me.


    "Props to your execution. We will speak again soon," I close the window.


    Within the Compound, the video feed shows Ari and Magdalene shuffling about in the kitchen. Thankfully the two together have seemed to re-engage¨C or perhaps, pacify¨C Corvus, for now, at least.


    Ari quietly mops the floor while Magdalene gleefully dances about, carrying dishes, seeming to challenge herself on how well she can maintain the balance.


    ~~


    ¡°Mother Elin,¡± Chuji rings through Earworm.


    ¡°Chuji.¡±


    ¡°Requesting your¡­ in-person presence as soon as possible. Sending you our coordinates.¡±


    How odd. ¡°En route.¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    FABIAN opens the door, handing me my field coat and boots. ¡°These are suggested for the environment you are likely to encounter,¡± he rolls into my office.


    I remove my gown. ¡°No video feed as to what she and the others are up to?¡±


    ¡°No, Mother.¡±


    Within the coat, the armor plates are intact. ¡°Bring me some armaments, to discourage any reckless behavior.¡±


    ¡°As requested,¡± he retrieves pistol-caliber small-arms modules, holding them toward me. I extend my hands, and the magnetic mounts attach themselves at my forearms, and grab the short-sleeve jacket.


    ~~


    The Sunbird lands in a windy flat, visibility poor due to a light sandstorm.


    ¡°Mother Elin,¡± Chuji and a few sergeants stop and salute me, standing in line.


    ¡°Afternoon, Daughters,¡± I stand with my hands behind my back, emerging from the Sunbird¡¯s ingress ramp.


    ¡°We turned our comms off after seeing this. Requesting your judgement,¡± Chuji motions the sergeants to stand aside to reveal the dismembered remains of a Jackal, riddled with holes left from cannon fire. A few sergeants turn away, ashamed of something.


    ¡°What is abnormal here?¡±


    4 of the 8 sergeants step away to reveal a small, bloody skeleton, proportionate of a child. The limbs and sections of its spinal column are scattered about within a few meters. It seems as if the flesh was removed only hours ago.


    ¡°Hm. How odd.¡±


    I look around, to see any other suspicious evidence. ¡°Seems like little more than a gap in the Fence¡¯s automation. Two of you will collect evidence in an opaque container and I will mobilize a closed investigation team to determine the origin of this possible child.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡±


    ¡°Daughters, what you have witnessed today is top secret, and you may also opt for memory revisions to prevent further disclosure and reduce liability for yourselves. Once all evidence is collected, clean it up, and under no circumstances outside of right here and today, do you even speak of this incident.¡±


    I face Chuji. ¡°Lieutenant, Engineering needs to tighten the response times of the network. I am counting on you and FABIAN to keep the news off of this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to see this, Mother. I didn¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°At ease. The wilderness does not care for human sensitivities, and continued vigiliance is the only appropriate response.¡±

 CH25- CORVUS

    This place is so much bigger than I thought. So much of it is sequestered from us, or at least me.


    So if Chosens can get pregnant¨C of course, so long as their contracts allow¨C where do they go to give birth?


    A lab? An infirmary? I''m assuming it''s like in the movies, where they''re surrounded by kind hands?


    Hallway after hallway, almost like a puzzle of locked doors, I find no answer.


    Or, one unlocked door. The card scanner turns green, and I scurry to behind a corner, heart about to pound out of my eyeballs, as a few nurses or doctors walk out, chatting and giggling amongst each other.


    The door remains unlocked as they leave. I glance at both corners, hesitating.


    Well, what''s the worst that could happen if they catch me? Throw me out with the Jackals outside? Wait- Elena told me there''s not actually that many, and most try to avoid humans. But then again, she stands outside next to all the turrets and sentry bots, so of course the Jackals will stay away.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Or, are they really smart enough? If i''m there, what would the turrets and Fence guard systems do?


    Why did they even try to throw out that one guy to begin with? What did he do?


    Another set of footsteps approach.


    Shit. Already too late. Might as well...


    I lunge from one corner to the next, somehow avoiding the technician''s line of sight. She''s looking at a clipboard, through a hazmat. Guess the headpiece and visor blocked her peripherals.


    Now I''m all in, no way to go back, I tell myself as my hands tremble. But what stood ahead of me was far more terrifying¨C dozens of glass stasis chambers with naked women lying in them, with various sensors, wires, and tubes attached all over their skins; their heads each in some kind of box at the top of each cylinder, numbered like airplane seats. Some are pregnant, some not.


    Unable to peel my eyes away, I look at the one closest to me. Is she breathing? I can''t even tell.


    In the room across, there''s more chambers, but vertical. I precariously walk over, before I jump in terror, only to realize it''s the automatic sliding door.


    The vertical chambers house what appear to be embryos, at varying phases of development. One, what seems to be a late-stage fetus, calmly floats with its hands at its chest.


    Are they boys or girls?


    Can''t tell, there are mechanical umbilical cords blocking that area.


    The developed fetus wiggles its limbs, and I almost trip on my feet walking backwards.


    I must be hallucinating. We are all indeed orphans.

 CH26- LORI

    The training bot is really giving me a go today. I saw the sweep kick coming, and now I''m already on my ass.


    Brings me back to my first few months in UWWADF training.


    "Come on, Kruger," my opponent smugly gawked at me. "You could beat some high school bitch, now you can''t beat me? Please."


    I was already out of breath. She was ahead of me in technique, then outlasted me. Nadia went down in a few hits because she didn''t see it coming. If I didn''t wrap it up in a few minutes, I''m almost always screwed.


    Right as I sat up, another foot makes it across my face, and my arm didn''t have the oxygen to fly up and block it. I''m face-down on the ground, and right as she mounts my backside, the instructor blows her whistle.


    "Alright, that''s enough," she shouted. "Blocke, you''re next."


    I crawled up, weaker than a twig. Even with the headgear on, my face felt like it''s swelling.


    If I can''t do this, where are they going to send me next?


    Either back to the jail cell, or they might even remove me entirely. So now I had a choice. Either keep getting my ass kicked, and at least look like I tried, or my life would really be at an end. I had nothing else to lose other than the next day, and the next meal, just merely hoping something would get me moving again.


    [Andrea], after beating me, took on a streak but finally took a loss just the next week. However, that was not humbling at all. Week after week, as I was there just kind of at the bottom, while others shuffled about above me in the leaderboard. It was all a revolving door, going nowhere.


    One night I stood in the locker room sink with the shard of glass in my hand. It''s rare that the custodials didn''t see this. I danced the edge of the glass against my forearm, trembling and unsteady.


    Could I even make the cut straight enough?


    Whinging at the cuts forming, I push a little harder, hand trembling more, until I drop the glass.


    I can''t do it. I can''t even do this. No, it''s what I want.


    The glass, showing a reflection of a pathetic brown-haired teenager looking back, sobbing, shaking, just wasting her own time. Only a few more seconds pass by before I pick it up and hold it up again.


    "Lorianne," a voice from behind says. "Why?"


    "I... don''t want anything... other than silence," I mutter, between sobs and gasps.


    "You put an end to me, now what was the point of the revenge?" the voice calmly asks.


    I turn around, to see a white-haired girl, hair draped over her face, only for her to vanish less than a second later.


    "I didn''t even ask for retaliation. All I wanted was for you to stop," the voice reappears again behind me.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Bullshit!" I turn around to see nothing. "You would have only kept escalating! Where the fuck did you go now?"


    "And now you''re turning on yourself. Is that really all that you''ll be? Another body in the lab for them to study in science class?"


    "Yes!" I scream.


    I stab the shard in, in frustration of hearing her voice, then immediately regretting it. But now it''s too late. I already made the decision, frantically squeezing my arm, unable to look away. I slip on the blood, landing on my side, watching more and more flow out. The room starts to spin, and my head starts to feel like a balloon.


    And this is all you''ll be.


    ~~


    A blonde, middle aged nurse stared at my face after a bright light woke me up.


    "That really wasn''t necessary, Lorianne," she muttered, muffled by her sanitary mask, and brushed my bangs across my forehead. She ever so gently held my left forearm, heavy with bandages from my elbow to my wrist.


    With the O2 machine controlling my breath, I couldn''t even ask "why? why bring me back?"


    "A lot of life is just a gambler''s fallacy, when people say a new day awaits, sometimes, what gets us out of bed in the morning, is just plain curiosity of what might happen, with no expectations whatsoever," she held my snow-pale hand in hers, the latex gloves not exactly reassuring. "I was curious as to what your next day would be like, and here we are. Isn''t that something?"


    Struggling to keep my eyes open, I stared at her blankly.


    "We''re really privleged to live in a day and age where we have the resources to bring you back like this, and even luckier to have each other in this kind of world. So now, we can care about others more than they do themselves, and then do something about it," she wipes a tear with her knuckle. "I know you girls are really bitter towards each other, but outside of this base, there''s not many other places where you''ll spend so much time with others and remember it."


    I almost wish I could care.


    She touched my forehead once more. "My name is Tania, we''ll speak again soon," I fell back asleep.


    Just months later, I was soon on the top of the class. But I didn''t really care. The revenge was not at all worth it. I just wanted a way out, and dominating the class was the only way.


    At the lunch tables, the other students would slide their lunch at me whenever I even glanced at them. Flattering, only for a short period of time, and I devoured the incredibly bland food without spite, only as a means to an end.


    "Even the best get their asses handed to them sometimes," I mutter, lying on the ground after cueing the training bot to stop. "When you get better, you just tend to get bored," I groan while slowly getting back up, still stuck in the thought of Tania holding me as I cried in the base''s locker room, on her shoulder, while she said those exact words. I was 20, and I was the sole graduate for the Jackal Hunter program, and that night was the last night I''d see her before they sent me out.


    "But that''s okay, feelings come and go, all you can do is your best and follow what you want in life, and you can only know afterwards if it was worth it," she held my face, wiping my tears away. "You were most certainly worth every moment. You grew up so damn much in the past four years. All it took to turn a misfit to a marvel was a second chance."


    "I don''t know what I want, other than out, and for you to come along," I sobbed.


    She sighs through a tight throat. "We all are birds in a sequence of cages, waiting to fly to the next, bigger, shinier cage. They won''t let me leave, and I don''t think I need to tell you how much I''m going to miss you." She slowly takes one breath in, wheezing. "It''s about my time to go to my next bird cage."


    I looked at her choker.


    "I''m sorry, Lori. I''d just be dead weight on your wings anyway," she tenderly held my face. "You''re going to be something incredible, and just know I''ll be proud of you, even if never see it on Earth. Whether or not I wake up the next day, I will always rest easy knowing you can handle whatever the world will throw at you," she runs her hand over my hair. "Don''t ever forget, in the darkest of moments, I want to see you come out the other end. And you will."


    "Thank you, Tania."


    I helped her stand up from the locker room bench, almost as weak as her myself.


    She never told me what her illness was. Nor was there a point to even write letters, if the UWWADF would even allow communications in or out of the base.


    Standing on the mat today, my lips tremble, knowing I would never have a chance to see her funeral.

 CH27- ELIN

    "And what other skills might you bring to the Compound?" the Examiner asks the new applicant.


    "I w-was the 3rd lead in Dance Club--"


    Walking through the door and standing with my hands behind my back, I raise my chin. "Pardon us, we have a special applicant due to arrive soon. You may continue your interview in Room 8," I subtly grin.


    "Yes, Mother Elin," the two face me, and calmly vacate the room.


    I walk over to the Examiner''s desk, and stand by the chair, briefly indulging my fingers in the silky, velvet covering. How endearing, for whoever might find herself working here day in and out.


    "Ms. Kruger has arrived, Mother," one of the escorts state over earworm.


    "Splendid. Let''s begin."


    The door reveals Lorianne, dressed in a grey UWWA crop top, leggings, hair tied in her usual ponytail. She is slowly chewing on what I assume is gum, eyes baggy and glaring sternly.


    "What a pleasure to have you here, Ms. Kruger," I smile.


    She keeps her eyes at the desk. "Thank you.... Mother."


    The agent pulls out a chair for her on the opposite side of the desk. "Anything you''d like? Refreshments?"


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "No, thank you."


    "Fair enough." We both take our seats. She looks flatly at me.


    "Dare I ask, how the Jackal Hunter role is suiting  you?"


    Hesitation, before, "It''s... okay."


    "Is that so?"


    Silence.


    "And I ask not to insult your intelligence-- I am geniunely curious," I rest my chin on my knuckles, "I''m not 100% sure of what you feel about your performance, but the show is doing well, and I can only hope you are too."


    She looks up and down, observing my jewelry, dress, hair, and shoulders.


    "Is there anything ''not okay'', or ''not okay enough''? Or are you here-"


    "...to become a Chosen, correct," she bursts.


    "Mmm. You''d make quite a wave at the Compound in Cauldron, or any Compound you choose. But that wouldn''t be a request I''d deny," I raise a brow. "The Compounds would also love the variety, and you might even bring another show to them."


    She holds firm in her position, sitting upright with her hands in her lap.


    "You don''t have to tell me everything. If you so wish, you''ve more than rectified your initial sentence, and after the final four weeks that remain, you may leave your current position, or stay as you so choose-- you are welcome either way."


    "I''m honored, M-mother."


    "If such a word bothers you, you may address me as Elin from hereon."


    "Is there anything else you need from me?"


    "I''d ask you the same, otherwise nothing except to see you again sometime soon, Daughter," I smile in genuine gratitude, hoping to get that across to her.


    "Thank you."


    "The pleasure is mine."


    The agent opens the door, and Lorianne rises from the seat, eyes trained quietly downward.


    A change of heart from what she once was, but woman is a fickle creature. A phoenix arose from the ashes, then seeks a landing and a nest for her pending brood.


    "I''m ever so grateful for Academy security finding her 10 years ago, what a charm," I tell the guard. "As well as the medical team for reviving her after her incident with the glass."


    "Yeah," she grunts.

 CH28- LORI

    I land on the train as it¡¯s swirling by, swarming with Jackals.


    Thought the Fence was more solid than this.


    Intermittent sandstorms cause loss of sight. I set a layer of infrared on my HUD whenever the dust comes by.


    ¡°Mind you, there are passengers and cargo on board, so easy with the explosives."


    ¡°You think this was all a set-up?¡±


    ¡°G¡­¡± Adel sighs. ¡°Maybe? Why? Focus.¡±


    I grumble.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the imagination, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe you just lack criticality.¡±


    I could almost hear Adel roll her eyes. ¡°Lori, this is a ¡®rescue¡¯ op first, and a show second. Your first priority is protecting the train¡¯s contents.¡±


    Even the best get their asses handed to them, Tania reminds me.


    The fuckers claw at the roof and windows of the train cars.


    Yet another generic action scene. Am I really even a hero?


    They all turn their focus to me once I¡¯m in their sight. Three more land behind me.


    It¡¯s taking more and more effort to do the same work, even when the suit does most of it. There¡¯s only a small chance I¡¯ll fall into a ravine or valley as the train moves along.


    You don¡¯t even care anymore. You don¡¯t care that your fans don¡¯t care. Just let them come to you and watch your back.


    Did I ever care? It was more like, it¡¯s all I had, I wasn¡¯t even given the option of life in prison. Maybe for the better, but I wouldn''t be any more sane.


    With equal parts confidence and apathy, I walk forward, firing at two in front, slashing the other two right of them, and backflip over the three behind me as they charge in. Repeat procedure. Jackals fall off the train, hitting the dirt on either side.


    ¡°Can the cameras even see through the dust storms?¡± I ask Adel.


    ¡°Move up, there¡¯s one car right behind the engine they¡¯re making way into,¡± she orders.


    I begin to run along the centerline of the train, hopping from car to car.


    As I take aim, something lands in my reticle and kicks my target away. A silver, quadrupedal mechanical beast, similar in size to a Jackal, or perhaps even a mechanical rendition of one. The automaton then goes to claw and bite its way through the group, fighting the Jackals at their level.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± I shout to nobody over Earworm.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s Cynthia,¡± Adel nonchalantly says.


    ¡°Was she scheduled to show up?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t tell me everything.¡±


    Cynthia then gets through the work before I could.


    ¡°Let her take on what she wants, now just watch your own ass. Or, rather, ponytail.¡±


    Behind the dust, another dozen or so come from the rearward cars.


    ¡°I think they want you two to work together. Keep your backs facing each other.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Cynthia¡¯s definitely more eager than I am. My replacement is already here. There¡¯s really not much question anymore.


    I turn around and face them. The train starts to shake a bit, testing everyone¡¯s foothold.


    One Jackal pounced right on time as I turned around. I uppercut-slash through its snout.


    They¡¯re all in a line, set up perfectly for me. This is objectively easier than other sets. I¡¯m just getting weak, at least mentally.


    Four more weeks. Just four more fucking weeks.


    Jamia pings, ¡°And now with both heroines on board, we shall make this more than just your average rescue operation¨C most kills, wins, and earns a memorial road and train line in her name!¡±


    Now I really don¡¯t care to beat her.


    Right as I finished the thought, Adel rings, ¡°Look, I know you don¡¯t give half a Jackal¡¯s ass, but I suggest you at least try and look like you¡¯re gunning for the memoriam."


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not concerned about your ability to protect yourself. I don¡¯t want to see you lose, mainly since I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be something that¡¯s good for you.¡±


    I wanted to stop, stand, and think, but the Jackals prevented further contemplation.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it you care about?¡±


    Now she¡¯s making it harder to do my damn job. I don¡¯t answer, as I fire my SMG at two more.


    ¡°Whatever, I guess that¡¯s a question for later, but I¡¯m holding you to it. Just do your best for now.¡±


    A splash of blood hits me from behind. I quickly look back as Cynthia grips a severed Jackal arm in between her mechanical jaws, throwing it at my feet.


    ¡°Looks like you owe me,¡± a speaker between her exosuit¡¯s throat blares, before pouncing away. The chrome glistens in the dust storm, and the vivid crimson stripes, encrusted in burgundy from the slaughter, disappear once again towards the front of the train.


    How can I be that far behind? What am I doing wrong?


    I can¡¯t decide if I hate or appreciate Cynthia¡¯s gesture. So fucking smug.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the lead by 5 kills,¡± Adel says. The train shakes as a gale blows us around. Some more Jackals are blown off.


    ¡°Come on, Lori. At least do it for me.¡±


    Everything went quiet for a moment.


    Do I even care about that either?


    Apathy is just passive suicide, Tania once told me.


    I guess the #1 thing I care about is my immediate life or death. But then I¡¯m at a loss when death isn¡¯t staring me in the face.


    Two Jackals manage to knock me off my feet and I try to slow down my slide towards the edge of the train car with my claws, one foot sliding off, lying prone.


    They come at me again, even more livid than usual. I swing my feet around and rabbit-kick one, but the other snags my ponytail, with the prongs of my helmet likely stabbing one of its eyes, and the jaws let me go.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± I growl, kicking the second away once again, ¡°...touch¡­¡± stabbing the first once in the neck, ¡°...my¡­¡± stabbing again, ¡°hair!¡±


    My response isn¡¯t as taxing as it used to be. It¡¯s just automatic now.


    I turn around to cover the other Jackal in gunfire and slash several times at its face.


    Don¡¯t care to kill you, just want to see you bleed and suffer.


    And only then, the adrenaline hits. I do another backflip, slice, land, jump, strafe... it all becomes a blur.


    ~~


    We both stand at a podium with a bunch of press drones floating about among human journalists. The audience is greatly celebrating both Cynthia and I, and I maintain a flat face as she rolls around in the cheerslike a pig in shit.


    ¡°Today before us, we have two heroines. Today, they not only did their usual task of slaughtering the pests that plague all Hedonians, threatening to tear at our one and only flesh; not only did they do more than their fair share of contributing to the indirect protection of our lives, but without their efforts today, all 120 of the Heodnians, and the tons of precious freight on FPL 227 would no longer be. We all collectively owe our gratitude he powerful, fearsome, selfless, beautiful Lorianne Kruger and Cyntha Aldero!¡±


    Another roar of applause.


    ¡°Come on now, at least wave,¡± Adel reminds me over Earworm.


    I reluctantly put my hands up and feebly wave. Cynthia flexes her long, lean arms, and blows kisses to the crowd, in spite of the sweat brimming at the top of her forehead and scarlet hairtips.


    At the dinner table, I had a measly serving of tofu, rice, and sweet onion sauce. Cynthia had a platter after platter of fruit, toast, peanut butter, a whole rainbow of pasta, some strange, heavily spiced preparation of Jackal meat, and was just as shamelessly shoveling it all in, grateful with every bite.


    Adel points a piece of cinnamon toast in my face. ¡°At least eat if you don¡¯t care for the PR. You seriously need it.¡±


    I feebly grab one piece and slowly nibble away. I guess if I had to eat something, the sweetness of this toast is nice.


    Across the hall, a bunch of suits whom I assume are the show crew are shaking hands and pretending to be excited to see each other, celebrating the success of the operation.


    ¡°What¡¯s here to celebrate, Ade?¡±


    ¡°What, why?¡±


    "Do you want to work for her, on her suit? No, not really asking, that¡¯s probably how it¡¯s gonna be soon."


    Adel''s chewing slows down.


    I turn to my plate. ¡°Cynthia won. What makes you think they¡¯re going to even keep me around?¡±


    ¡°I mean, two Hunters are better than one, no?¡±


    ¡°There can only be one.¡± I stare sternly at her. She still doesn¡¯t get it. ¡°Not only is Cynthia replacing me, I¡¯m quitting. I already did the paperwork.¡±


    Adel¡¯s silent.


    "It''s going to be over in 4 weeks."


    Still silent.


    "I''m sorry."


    She puts the toast down on the plate, slowly turning away from me.

 CH29 - ELIN

    Already there are images of the child from last Thursday circulating on the encrypted sections of TwigPost. The images are shot from multiple angles, so I cannot pin the blame on any one in particular that day.


    "This just doesn''t make any sense," I mutter. "Hidden cameras?"


    No point to fuss. I cannot control all of my Daughters. Ultimately, nor would I want to¨C how boring would that be. At least, control to the fullest extent.


    As in, what joy is there in an experiment where the outcome is already known and guaranteed?


    "Mother Elin," Lieutenant Chuji reports through Earworm. Speak of the devil.


    "At ease, Lieutenant."


    "There is another protest at the southwest corner of the Fence over the leaked images of the deceased child from last week." She sends me a video feed of hundreds of Hedonians, standing and holding signs of crudely drawn cartoons of children with Xs over their eyes.


    "Interesting," I mutter.


    "Awaiting further instruction, Mother."


    I pause to assess.


    "None needed. Stand by at distance. Tantrums are quick fires upon scarce tinder, let it burn itself out. There is nothing of value for them to destroy there."


    One one hand, they''re expressing so called concern about saving children''s lives, but aren''t bothered to go on charity or relief expeditions outside of the Fence. The Outsider villages sustain themselves for the most part, and only rarely do we see children managing to arrive at the borders of Cauldron.


    A number of protestors start banging pots and pans against the wall, seemingly only for the sake of making noise.


    "As we''ve learned from the last protest, what they want is a reaction, and such we shall deny them. There is nothing left we can provide to appease their demands, and nothing we say or do will necessarily improve their attitudes toward us."


    "Understood, Mother."


    Should you be the whistleblower, Chuji, I hope you''re satisfied with the chaos that ensues.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ~~


    Hedonia''s obesity rate skyrocketing to 65%


    Is our means of determining "obesity" flawed and morally problematic?


    "Horrendous rationing like that of Pre-Ex war stories"-- Scarcity of healthcare services continues to drive discriminatory healthcare provisions


    "''The increasing waistline of the average Hedonian has obvious negative consequences, but the causes of this increase may be more complicated than we''re willing to acknowledge," Dr. Mikhaila Harine states. ''Simply dismissing it as ''inherent flaws in human nature'', ''failures in personal diligence'', and other forms of finger-pointing to the individual may not be helpful.''"


    Next installment of Jackal Hunter continues in spite of deceased child at southwest end of Fence


    Outrage at Hedonia''s entertainment sector in spite of civilian casualties outside of showbiz


    "Welcome on another fine evening to Hedonia Public News. I am Helen,"


    "And I am Ruth. At the southwest bend of the Fence a protest has accumulated, supposedly over the leaked images of a deceased child, found reportedly next to Jackal remains left behind by gunfire from automated Border Defenses."


    "The source is none other than leaks from TwigPost, which are being quickly removed from the website as we speak, according to our sources."


    "Melanie on the ground tells us more."


    "Thank you, Helen, uh ¨C"


    A masked protestor bursts into Melanie''s frontal area. "We demand answers from Elin! How can we be safe if this child wasn''t?!"


    "Oh, how silly," I groan. "Little terrorists have no threshold of appeasement. Adorable, really," I walk away from my desk and open the latest plans for Jackal Hunter on my master display, shortly before interruption from the chef scrambling through my office door.


    "Mother, your luncheon! Apologies for the delay--"


    "At ease, thank you," I smile, accepting the platter. Corsus porridge with another mystery Salisbury loaf, along with saute¨¦d leeks, peppers, and some reflective red chili sauce.


    Tomorrow awaits with a mano a mano between Cynthia and Lorianne. In spite of my permission for her to come to the Compound, Lorianne would still make a fine addition to the show''s overall value. Pity to see her go, but she has indeed earned her departure. Cynthia lacks experience and may likely burn too quickly, just like the protests of late. Certainly, tomorrow''s installment is to turn heads-- whether met with smiles or frowns-- and even I cannot prognose who will reign.


    How odd, the meatloaf is slightly chewy and a bit blander than I anticipated.


    ~~


    The evening breeze combs through the hair and fur of both Diogenes and I as the Sunbird cruises over Cauldron.


    "Suzanna must be out here," I mutter to either myself or Diogenes. "It''d be silly to illustrate her when the real thing is present¨C a much more sophisticated artwork than even what I could produce with the finest of digital medium."


    The little Jackal shivers as I fold him in my arms, and engage my thermal coils to warm him back up.


    "My mistake, I forgot how brisk evenings can be in Cauldron."


    I look again at Diogenes. "What a cruel reality, motherless children face. The best I can do, is be a mere surrogate for you." Then, out to the Cauldron horizon. "Motherless children, we all are."

 CH30- LORI

    Adel closes the last compartment of my suit''s hydraulics and battery. "I won''t say ''good luck'' because you won''t need it. You''ll make it, Princess. Go beat her ass, you know you can."


    I quietly turn to her as she meekly smiles. She hugs me at my waist as I stand almost a meter above her. I gently place my mechanized arms on her back.


    Today I''m going head to head with Cynthia. No guns, no projectile weapons; melee only. I only have my FAB-80 and claws; Cynthia has her jaw, claws, and tail.


    ~~


    The van takes me to similar salt flats from last month, but with rocks arranged in a circle in some kind of terraformed stadium.


    "Lovers and haters alike, prepare yourselves for a special installment of Jackal Hunter! Today the Jackal threat is cast aside, as we have on our hands a score to settle between Hedonia''s two finest heroes! Behold before us, a grudge match between Cynthia Aldero and Lorianne Kruger!"


    Don''t have a grudge. Just get on with it.


    "Lest we delay any further, you know what to expect! Nothing less than a clash of speed versus endurance, the diving hawk versus the crouching tiger! A battle indeed between two unfettered apex predators, but with as much mecha as muscle, as much flesh and blood as nuts and bolts!"


    "Delaying no further, we shall commence in 5...! 4...! 3...! 2-"


    Cynthia starts her sprint one second ahead of cue.


    "Wow, and before I could count to 1, a red dash of Cynthia has already made her advance!" Jamia blares.


    The black chrome on Cynthia''s suit was shinier than yesterday. My dull UWWA-grey isn''t much of a comparison. Though, I don''t know if either of us really have a budget gap.


    She jukes left, then right, then pounces up, as I slide underneath. As I turn to approach her backside, her tail whips around and she 180s to face me, and stands there, pawing and scratching the ground to keep me guessing her next move. I strafe as well, and we end up circling each other, before both charging towards the center. We both jump up to head level, and I step-stone over her head, and land after a flip. She growls while turning to face me¨C not sure if that''s an audio file from the suit, or her voice through a synthesizer¨C and then charges again.


    At this rate we''ll just keep dodging each other. One of us has to stay still, and the other will attack, and then the fight will actually move on. Is she afraid, or something? Some guns would have been nice to keep the exchange moving along.


    "Come on, let me give your shitty red higlights a trim," I taunt, slashing my FAB and extend my claws.


    "Ha, not if I get to your hair first," she chuckles, then charging straight ahead, taking a turn for her right, extending her left claw and trying to catch me as I somersault off to my right. She does a 180 and whips her tail, clipping the tip of my left foot as I jump and dodge. I then charge towards her unguarded left side, claws open, and she bashes my open palms with her own. Right as I get a grip on the left side of her armored ribs, her own left claw grazes my helmet.


    I stumble back. Cynthia roars, in either pride or frustration.


    Don''t ever forget, in the darkest of moments, I want to see you come out the other end.I want to see you come out of the other side. And I know you will.


    She blindly snaps her jaws at me, as I kick her back in the chest and neck.


    You''ll be something incredible.


    My right arm gets trapped in her teeth, and she thrashes about as I punch and kick in attempt to break free.


    It''s guaranteed. You''re not the type to just forget about what she wants and just let her life slide by.


    I stab her in the neck with my FAB, and she releases.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    You already are, you''re the sole graduate of the Jackal Hunter program.


    We push on each others'' palms, trying to get the other on the ground. She has a longer footbase than I do, and I had more force at the start, managing to hold her polished steel jaws away from me, but with every second that goes by, my suit and I slowly lose strength.


    You''re the one and only Lori. Lorianne Kruger, Jackal Hunter.


    Until now.


    In spite of the dings in the rest of her structure, her jaw system is still completely untouched, and my blade didn''t penetrate her armor. With my hydraulics nearly half empty in fluid, I feel my arms slowly caving in to Cynthia''s maw as the teeth come closer and closer to my throat, my hands failing to hold apart her bite.


    Is she actually gonna do it? Looks like it. Yet again, this is it. Facing death, but not even afraid anymore. Come and fucking get me.


    No, then both our suits go limp as the power goes out. She collapses on me.


    "There it is, you fucking won again, you happy?" I mumble to her.


    "Lucky, lucky, you," she barely muscles the weight of her unpowered suit to get up and raise one fist, before collapsing to the ground on her back, heaving.


    I struggle to arise as well, trying to walk away.


    ~~


    Out of the lockers, we cross paths again in the hallway between.


    "Hey, bitch. Nice try today," she says while drying her hair off with a towel.


    "Shit, you''re even uglier outside of your gear."


    "Pot calling the kettle black much? You sound old and cranky. Retirement really is in the cards for you."


    I just stare at her and her stupid tuft of red hairtips.


    "You''re better off as a Chosen, if all the stress and biomods hasn''t killed all your eggs already."


    How did she know I applied to be a Chosen?


    We both stop. She''s looking down at me, being nearly 20cm taller. And just like that, our hands are on each other..


    "Awfully quick, aren''t you¨C"


    I sweep her off one foot and put her in a partial headlock before she finished her sentence. She lets out one whimper of shock, before jetting her feet backwards to leverage against me. Her right hand worms into my elbow, and I struggle to hold on. Her left becomes a fist and she blindly swings at my shoulder, landing a couple of weak hits.


    She manages to grab my left shoulder, barely, and I move my feet back as well until we''re both on the ground. Her left hand grabs my hair, and I choke tighter on my right arm. She lets go of my ponytail, lands a punch across my cheek, and I swing back from above, left, right, left, and then she blocks them all. I then swing a leg over her left arm, and then I suddenly realize her right leg is pushing against my neck. She hits me in the gut, and I kick blindly with my right leg, hitting her chin, and kick again with my left, landing in her groin. She flinches, turning face down, as I stumble back up. I raise my right foot to stomp on her, but her elbow deflects my foot and I land on top of her again. She manages to grab me by the back of the neck, too close for me to strike or grapple, and stares at me for a second, before pressing her lips against mine.


    Right as I shove myself away, still trying to comprehend what just happened, already there are hands trying to pry us apart. It took at least 3 others each to remove Cynthia and I, still snarling, veins bulging. She stares at me, chuckling in some kind of sick delirious amusement.


    "That''s enough," the 6 bystanders shouted.


    We both try to shake free and continue the fight. More come and work to hold us apart.


    How anticlimactic. I had the upper hand. Can''t even redeem myself.


    ~~


    The dents in the barrel keep getting bigger with every kick and stomp I give to it. I pick it up, feeling my biceps grow to almost twice their normal size, and slam it down, only to almost fall on top of it, partially fainting.


    "Thought you were supposed to rest right now," Adel flips me over, stuffing a cracker covered in cake frosting in my mouth. I struggled to swallow the sugary toothpaste substance, and just about cough it back out. She then holds a bottle of water to my lips, and I grab it with a shaky hand.


    "Don''t smash any more shit up in here, please. If you can''t be kind to yourself, at least do so for the things around you."


    I grumble. She grabs my hand and pulls me up. A searing split-second headache makes my knees buckle as I make my way up, and Adel''s other arm hooks around my armpit, and she throws me over hers, carrying me like a shoulderbag.


    "She... kissed me... why...?" I slur, hardly conscious.


    "I... don''t know. She''s like, what, 17? Probably isn''t too sure why herself. Anyway, did trashing an empty barrel make you feel any better?"


    "Not... really... but nothing else I wanted... to do," I mutter between heaving breaths.


    We reach the living room and she lays me down on one sofa, and sits on the floor next to me. "Why are you upset about losing? Aren''t you quitting anyway?"


    I don''t really know why. She responds with silence as well.


    "You look upset."


    "I am, because I was certain you were going to win. You clearly could. But your heart isn''t in it. And I guess you can''t beat someone who''s having fun..."


    "It never was. This is just the way I was sent in life."


    "Which other way would you have rather went, given the opportunity?"


    Wasn''t really taught about many other paths in life. Could never sit still or really do anything well in a classroom. I tend to break things rather than fix them like Adel, so "tradeswoman" wouldn''t be the first recommendation to me either.


    "I talked with Elin to go to the Compound, she just said she''s down for whatever," I mutter.


    "Okay... well..."


    For the first time ever, I see her sniffle, and a tear runs down her cheek.


    No point in saying sorry. That''d just dilute the meaning of the word.


    Adel quickly gets up and walks away.

 CH31- CORVUS

    Seeing Cynthia beat Lori was something I wish I didn''t. I struggle to keep my hands from shaking. My lips are tight knowing nobody else would really care, let alone be able to do anything about it.


    At the breakfast table. JJ and Magdalene are flirting as always, albeit slightly less. Magdalene is just going in and out of sleep on his shoulder while he sits back, watching a rapid sequence of short videos on a holo-deck. Ari is across the table, quietly working on another art project¨C something bizarre, and highly abstract¨C and I don''t know why she still bothers to sit here.


    Hands still shaking.


    ~~


    "Lori has a better ass," one of the Last Men approach me from behind as I''m watching the last episode again.


    I look at him briefly, and look back.


    "What, you don''t agree?" he remarks, seemingly taken aback by my lack of reaction.


    Lori has a smaller chassis and so many more vectors of movement. She''s also more experienced and can outmaneuver Cynthia. Why the fuck is she losing?


    "The one with red hair kinda looks like a lesbian," another comes along.


    "I agree," JJ''s voice approaches. "Ain''t that right?" he bumps my shoulder with his knuckles.


    "Fuck..." he lunges back as I jump up and shove him, "off!"


    JJ and the other Last Man stand back with their eyes peeled.


    "Hey, cool it! We''re not here for a fight!" another Last Man approaches as the other two back off further.


    "I''ll ''cool it'' when all of you leave me the fuck alone!"


    Right as we place hands on each other, a group pulls us apart.


    ~~


    "Mr. Seussman, is everything alright with you? You''ve been acting erratic lately," a masked doctor with a voice distorter asks me.


    "I''m... okay. Just... restless," I feebly try to confuse them by delaying my words, unable to bullshit her as well as I had hoped.


    She tilts her head, and takes a few seconds to assess me. "Is there anything bothering you? We notice that you''ve spent a lot of time isolating yourself in the library."


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Fuck.


    "I''m just a big fan of the Jackal Hunter series, and asked... not to be interrupted while indulging in my fandom."


    "We can see you''re frustrated with something. Boredom from even the most desireable of routines can lead to bouts of emotions we can''t always explain. However, today''s interaction lead to a potentially dangerous confrontation between you and Mr. Heiss," she continues. "Should we find evidence of deliberate and foul play, either party could suffer disciplinary action, and all parties concerned would likely prefer it not to come to that."


    Frankly, if they let me out with the Jackals, that''d be my chance. Well, so long as the yard or wherever isn''t a closed field.


    "With that all said, is there anything we can do as Compound staff to improve things for you?"


    Nope. Except bring me to-


    "No, but thank you."


    "If that changes, let us know. You are a valuable part of the Compound, and we want everyone here to harmonize. We spoke with Mr. Heiss earlier as well, he holds no grudges with you."


    Sure.


    We both get up from our chairs, and she holds the door open from the sterile white room.


    ~~


    "Holy shit, man, you''re killing it today," JJ mutters as I outpace everyone on the lat pulldown machine.


    A few Chosens eyeball me from the corner as they move along the ellipticals and treadmills.


    I manage 10 one-arm push-ups each. The vessels in my head feel like overinflated balloons. Almost like how Lori''s veins bulged when she got fired up with that off-stage fight with Cynthia. At least what I could see from that shaky video off TwigPost.


    It doesn''t even hurt anymore. Nothing here can hurt me anymore. It can''t hurt more than seeing Lori lose.


    The next thing I know, there''s 3 dudes on each side of me as I wake up on the floor. They help me up, as I stumble and momentarily black out again.


    "Come on, you''re good for today, bro. Go rest," one quietly says.


    ~~


    My blood pressure restabilizes as I lie bored on the leather infirmary bed.


    "I''m going to go get lunch."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Why are you asking me? Isn''t this the part where the patient, like, protests against the nurse''s instructions?"


    She just kind of looks at me.


    "Okay, take care," she stands up, offering a hand, as I effortlessly get up, only slightly sore.


    Noon rolls by, and in the windowed hallway, two lineups of children¨C segregated by boys and girls on what I''m guessing is a school fieldtrip¨C spectate us through the windows in the hallway as we proceed to lunch. I guess it blows them away, to see adult men in the flesh.


    Filtering through the crowd, a small number of excited Chosens walk up to the glass like spectators of a fish tank in an aquarium or museum. The children and Chosens wave and gape at each other, though more enthusiasm coming from the Chosens, it seems.


    It''s touching, to see child and adult alike so excited, but also... strange, to see so few Chosens come around. Aren''t women supposed to be interested, fascinated, excited by the presence of children? At least more of them? Though, what do I know, all I''ve seen is through movies and stories of pre-Ex life...


    Just as everyone reaches the lunchroom and lines up for pan after pan of whatever variety they have for us today, I''m on the ground again, but this time, with chunks of concrete around me. I hear nothing but ringing, frantically looking around to see the other Golden Boys around me scramble from the source of what I guess was an explosion.


    Palms on my hurting and completely deaf ears, I turn to see what I swore I saw in a dream a few days ago.

 CH32- LORI

    The breaching charges clear out a hole in the bricks and concrete to fit probably at least 3 armored vans through.


    The Golden Boys before me just kind of stood and stared for a few seconds, like stunned animals in a road, before they start to stumble backwards.


    One in particular¨C lean build, dressed in a tank top and shorts, with black hair down to his ears, wide blue eyes, seems especially terrified-- legs heavily shaking, palms on his ears, but then focuses his gaze on me and eventually gets on his feet and stands firm, while the others scramble backwards.


    Choose wisely, Lori.


    A short, blonde Chosen stands in the way of us, blocking me from him. She stands unwavering, much like the black-haired boy.


    "I know I may not have shown Cory the respect I should have, but I am obligated to stand for who I care about, and when times get rough, I will be there for him, at least as a friend!"


    I push her away with an open palm, watching her land on her ass, roll, about to burst into tears.


    The Golden Boy looks at her. "Ma- Magdalene--"


    Another Golden Boy, shorter, with stone-brown hair, rushes to the aid of this Magdalene. "Hey, you-"


    I look at him, expressionlessly through the helmet, and he immediately his lips purse and eyes bulge as if his pants ripped in front of everyone, picking up Magdalene from under her arm, backing away, scowling at me.


    The black-haired one tries to move his lips as I pick him up by his legs and back, and run off, kicking up a wall of dust.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Y-y-ou... you''re-"


    "Yes, no more, no less."


    We reach the outdoor sports court. I jump straight over the fence, and place him on his feet.


    "Thanks, but why me?"


    "Just had to pick one and you literally stood out. Do you want to go back?"


    "N-no, I-"


    I hear the rumble of MP trucks coming by. "Save the pickup lines for later, Lori. Move it." Adel radios me. I pick the guy back up and start running again.


    "What''s your name?" I shout to him over the deafening wind.


    "Huh?!"


    "Name!"


    "Corvus! C-Cory!"


    I groan under my breath. Does it really need to be this influent?


    He''s the only one who stood standing. Can''t beg and choose at the same time, Lori. This is exactly what you wanted.


    "Um... I left something back there!"


    "Too late," I yell back.


    "I mean, I guess I won''t need it with you around."


    Wait, what?


    "What is it?"


    "It''s, uh... you, but like... in toy form," He feebly smiles. "Not... sexual or anything."


    Shit. Beth. I left her behind too.


    "Too late. Sorry."


    All those movies and stories had me under the impression that men were strong and self-assured. I guess this suit really turns the tables and I''m the fool here to expect things to be the same.


    "You know, glad you talked me into this, this is way more fun than I expected," Adel shouts over the comms, brimming with amusement. "Man, I love these big trucks!" she shouts over the screeching tires.


    "Try not to kill anyone," I mutter. "Less reasons they have to follow us out there, the better."


    "They don''t already?"


    "Did you kill anyone?"


    "No."


    Adel then pulls up, blowing through the chainlink fence in the massive elephant of an automobile. She rolls down the window, meters above us, "Your rideshare has arrived," announcing while pinching her nose and speaking in a comical robotic tone.


    I pick Corvus back up and jump into the box cabin.


    Corvus turns to me. "Dare I ask, how did you even pull this off?"


    "How people always did shit throughout history. Large numbers. Hope you didn''t have too many friends there, we''ve got not much time to hang out."


    We both look back. A lavender-haired girl suited up in MP gear runs out, frantically trying to following us. The truck leaves too much of a gap for her to close.


    "I... I guess. At least, nobody that wanted to leave as badly as... I did."

 CH33- CORVUS

    A tall, abnormally muscular woman with short, strawberry-blonde hair helps Lori exit the suit. Lori''s wild, bushy ponytail whips out of the compartment in the back of her helmet. She emerges from the suit, veins pulsating, muscles unraveled to almost twice their normal size, which then retract to their normal, toned but curved profile as she sits down, lightly saturated in sweat.


    "Thanks, Ade," she says, accepting a bottle of water from her assistant. I try not to gawk too long.


    Lori glances back at me. Awkward silence follows for at least a minute.


    I should be excited, but really, I''m as terrified as I am aroused. Can barely keep my... member to sit down in my pants.


    She seems grumpy, looking at the floor and then slowly closing her eyes and taking deep breaths.


    Why did she break in just to grab me? I know, I should just be grateful instead, but seriously, why? Might this be some kind of psy-op? I still can''t believe it.


    "Can... I help you?" her eyes open, noticing me gawking.


    "Um... Yeah... no, well... I''m... amazed, is all," I stammer like a complete buffoon.


    Lori turns to the cab, walled off with a blurry window. "Ade, what''s the ETA? Any places you have in mind?"


    "Shit, if all goes smooth, 2 days-ish before the next place of interest." The window darkens, and a birds-eye view of a map appears in place of it with a squiggly line and a icon of the truck in the middle. "Some.... small village with some greenery and a big field."


    "What, no camping trip?"


    "Haha, you''re funny. No, as big as this rig is, I don''t think we can afford it, even if you weren''t being sarcastic."


    Out the window, there''s little more than a vague path of beaten-down dirt that slowly loses clarity as we continue on. So this is what the UWWA did for us, they literally rebuilt civilization and life would be like this if it weren''t for them...


    Lori is across from me, also looking out.


    "Do... you like what you see out there?"


    She doesn''t turn. "Quiet, yeah. But I imagine that might get boring soon. We also need to eat, and find shelter."


    "Pretty... incredible, what the UWWA built for us, no?"


    "Yeah, I guess."


    Silence.


    Wow, she doesn''t even really want to talk to me. Now I wonder what I got myself-- or rather, what she got me into...


    An hour or two pass by, and Ade slowly brings the truck to a stop. "Alright, kiddos, I gotta go potty, bang your hand on the cab if shit happens when it''s your turn."


    "Okay," I shout.


    "Lori?" she calls.


    "Okay," Lori replies, sitting arms folded, trying to sleep, I assume.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Geez, two days? What''s even awaiting us then?"


    "I don''t know any better than you, but I''m sure it''s better than Cauldron," Lori mutters.


    Adel climbs back in and turns off the map to make eye contact with us. "Either of you gonna... go?"


    I look at Lori, not really sure what to do.


    "Go even if you don''t feel like it, otherwise it''ll... catch up at the worst times."


    "Do you wanna go first?" I ask Lori.


    She grumbles and gets up, climbing out the back and to the right of the vehicle.


    I open the digi-slats on the left. The biome of the Outside is confusing. Unless it''s just some mirage, there seems to be spots of vegetation here and there, in the not-so-distant view ahead of us.


    "Hey, are you seeing what I''m seeing?" Adel turns to me.


    "What, water?" I say as Lori climbs back in.


    "Yeah. I can go overfill the water tanks," Adel continues as I climb out. "There''s a hydrocat separator that switches to water when the diesel runs out, so it''s drinking water or fuel depending on what we need."


    "Oh. That''s.... cool."


    "I know, right? Anyway, what''s... oh, shit."


    A Jackal is standing there, quietly drinking from the sparse water source.


    "Well, I''m sure that thing isn''t alone. Better get to it before the rest of the pack does," Adel says while pressing a button to engage forward gear.


    "Wait, what?"


    "We''ll get some food alongside our water! Haha!" she shouts, sending the truck careening towards the lone Jackal, as it jumps aside, then failing to evade the massive tsunami of metal. With a complementary bonk and a small splat of blood on the windshield, it helplessly slips under, with Adel laughing in what sounds just short of pure joy.


    "Lunchtime!" she sings. Lori groans in disgust. After enabling 360 View on the box walls, we see Adel trying to drag the corpse in by the one front leg still attached to the rest of the body. "Hey, Lori! Come gimme a hand!"


    "No."


    "Even if you don''t eat it, I will. We''re gonna need it later on," she drags a few more feet before taking a breather. "You don''t need me to retell you the stories of how hungry the Defense Forces have gotten out here before, no?"


    Lori groans again, then gets up. The two make it a few more feet before we hear footsteps.


    "Oh, fuck. Leave it!" Lori shouts, as they both bolt in. Lori makes it in the cab first, giving Adel a hand, and Adel grabs one door, Lori holds another, and they slam it shut right between a Jackal''s neck, as its biting head chokes between the pounds of steel squeezing it from both sides. Other Jackals start clawing the box.


    "Corvus! Go get the ice hammer!" She points her nose towards the yellow box on the wall. I foolishly slap my hands around, and flinch as the two-sided tool falls just a few inches from my feet. The arm-long tool is a bit heaver than I expected.


    "Alright, ring the bell!" she shouts, as Lori works with her to hold the doors against the strangled Jackal''s head, with the muscles in their arms looking like they''re about to burst out of the skin. They look away as I raise the tool and deliver one smack at the top of the skull.


    The Jackal freezes for a split second. "Again!"


    My second strike goes off its brow, across the left eye, and the head turns 90 degrees then goes limp. They release the corpse and slam the door again, this time on a Jackal wrist, and with a crackle and crunch the wrist disappears, and they finally pull it shut.


    I look around to see probably twenty more outside.


    "Well," Adel tries to catch her breath again, "We could A. wait until they get bored; B. spend some of the battery power on the turret; C. open some hatches and burn some ammo; or D. keep driving and leave all the food and water behind."


    "I vote D," Lori blurts.


    Adel squints in a moment of frustration. "Look, I know you''re grossed out, but this isn''t just about you-"


    "Then who was this trip for? You? Me? The fucking UWWA?"


    "Hey-"


    The two squabble on, and I lose track. I stand back, as the clawing quiets down. A few of the monsters drag their two fallen comrade''s corpses away,


    Elena was wrong, these things really are hungry. For human flesh in particular, maybe. They''ll eat their own if they have to, but only when other meat isn''t available.


    "The fuck are we gonna do when it starts to decompose and stink up the entire truck?"


    "Oh, please, your attitude will do far worse and far more quickly."


    "Pardon, but.. can we, like, grow up for a moment?"


    More Jackals leave. It starts to quiet down. The corpses are gone anyway.


    The three of us go silent. "Well, if the course is clear, I guess I''ll go get some water," Adel mutters. Lori sits down, arms folded.


    Man, I thought this was going to be a boring road trip...


    Water sucks into the hose as we all wait in the box.

 CH34- ELIN

    "Yes, it''s hard to beat the original, but let her go," I tell the Directorate. "Lori has earned her... retirement. Focus your resources on Cynthia for now, until another rising star knocks her out of the constellation. That''s the natural order of this kind of selection-- sorry to disappoint you, but that will ultimately determine your outcome more than your actions will."


    Or so, I''ll tell them for now. Patience is never not a virtue. Moreover, there''s already enough trouble cooking in Cauldron thanks to... perhaps, my lower ranks, possibly colluding with outside parties."


    "Kruger''s legacy is something that even Cynthia can''t fill, even if she is a blockbuster for now--"


    "And that is an issue that businesswomen wiser than I regarding showbusiness must disseminate. I apologise for lacking a better response, however, even I, your national leader, am limited in my abilities. Even I cannot summon another Lorianne out of protein and water."


    Though, a lovely fantasy nonetheless. However, the incubation arrays...


    A pause. I spin to examine the turquoise dress which I found in my closet.


    "Thank you, Mother Elin."


    What poses a much greater issue than Lorianne''s departure itself, is the fact that the Boilers managed to arrange enough chaos to break into the Compound, and how those immediately answering to me failed to stop it. She simply seized the opportunity that this massive riot of theirs allowed her to.


    I cannot fault Lorianne for wanting to escape such a lifestyle; in spite of her fame, form, and fortune, she is not special; whether she admits or not, she just wants to hold and to be held, just like any woman in Hedonia. Even such an arguably "superior" specimen like her is still human, if not animal to her core.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    A beast, like Jackals.


    Jackal Hunter Lorianne Kruger went AWOL shortly after massive crowd manages Compound break-in


    Massive Compound breach, "Boilers" terrorist group suspected


    "Good evening, as always, I am Helen,"


    "...and I am Ruth!"


    "and welcome to a bizarre night in Hedonia''s Public News. Breaking just yesterday afternoon, a massive crowd, estimated a minimum of 1000, manages to somehow break into the Compound. No reports on what security forces were doing in the parameters; yet, said forces stopped our reporters before they could see what the rioters grasped from the maneuver."


    Perhaps this orange and red gradient would suit the occasion better than turquoise. I remove my heels and change. The scales on this dress are alike. A fiery dragon, rather than a tranquil mermaid.


    "Wow, unbelievable. Kaasi is on-scene at the aftermath, how''s it looking there, Kaasi"?


    "Thank you, Ruth," she says, tripping over a piece of rubble. "Oh, my. Pardon me. Yesterday at approximately 13:00, the massive crowd appeared to just funnel in, completely bypassing all human and automated security alike, and then one single explosion erupted through a wall in the Compound. Authorities declined to report any casualties, and there is..." she looks around, away from the camera, "no one in sight to discuss. I''m... Your guess is as good as mine, Ruth," she chuckles, shrugging.


    "Thanks again as always, Kaasi. In today''s economy, the entertainment sector seems to be in hot water, as many are disappointed at Hedonia Television Network''s refusal to speak on the sudden disappearance of Jackal Hunter Lorianne Kruger. Rumours on Twigpost are spreading of Kruger siding with the Boilers as a part of the Compound breach, while others say that her entourage is behind her disappearance in retaliation for unknown grievances behind closed doors. It seems like a national mystery beyond anyone''s bandwidth."


    "Your guess is as good as mine, Helen-- only time will tell, and we''ll of course be the first to break what we find."


    I look up from the desk to see the Cauldron skyline once again. Not one day would I ever imagine myself becoming ungrateful of this position.


    Though, with all the events accumulating as of late, perhaps life would soon push me into an office and view less admirable than now.

 CH35- LORI

    My back slams against the open china cabinet.  I successfully braced my head behind my forearms, but then plates crash on me, which gets him to hesitate, buying me time, until I cut my hand on some shards while crawling back up. I forgot to take my lip piercing out, and I''m sure I''ll suffer the consequences later.


    As I jump up to kick him square in the face, he manages to grab my foot. I reel myself in to grab his hair, to which he has to choose between me on his back and his curly black locks. Giant sweaty palms push me around like a sports ball while I move to his back and pull his head backwards. A fist strikes me at the head, causing me to lose my grip, then spin out and away. He turns around and tries to get a leg over me, before I kick him twice, once in the groin, and once in the nose. The elephant of a man groans in agony, but still manages to stand upright... barely.


    The room stops spinning as the head trauma wears off and I regain the coordination to butterfly kick him across the face, then stomping again on his open palm, trying to jump from it, only to land on the ground again, belly up. He manages to rip my right shoe off, affording me an opportunity to sweep kick him right behind the knee, causing him to tumble, landing on a hand, to which I jump onto him, triangle choking him above his head, and pummel him with fists as he incoherently slaps across his shoulders, stumbling along in all directions. Right as I reach to gouge his eyes, I hear women screaming.


    "Please! Stop! Let''s talk!"


    Come on, I barely managed to press them in.


    Two sets of hands pry my fingers away from his face, and two women in primitive gowns pull the man away from me.


    "Chill out, both of you have some explaining to do," Adel says, staring at me with Corvus, completely confused.


    "Phillip, that''s not how you greet guests," one of the seven or so women say to him. ¡°And those plates! Where the hell are we going to find new ones? Heavens,¡± she groans, looking at all the shattered pieces.


    "You all trust too easily," Philip responds between heaving breaths, groaning at the bruises covering his face, palm on his abdomen. "My gut was tellin'' me something''s awry with that one," he points at me.


    ¡°The door was unlocked. We thought this place was abandoned,¡± I growl, lunging forward, before Adel and Corvus grab me again, and then my shoulder screams at me. "We''ll talk first," Adel says, as I collapse to my knees. "This fight''s over." She walks to the other eight.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Hi, I''m Adel Steele. We''re... escapees from Cauldron," I look up to see her extend her hand for a shake. "The boy is Corvus, and that''s... Lorianne."


    "Yeah? We''ll give you an even bigger problem to escape from, if you don''t scramble outta here--"


    "Phil, let them talk first," one of the maids place a cloth on his bleeding nose. "Go to the other room and rest."


    He stares at me and grumbles, slowly plodding away, moaning in pain. "Lissa, go wash his wounds in the powder room," she says, releasing Philip.


    I feel my chin getting wet. My piercing has stretched its home out a little wider than it should be. I whimper as I slowly ease it out, splattered red with blood, while Corvus puts his hand on me. "You... okay?"


    Right as I turn to him, he seems to turn pale. "Stupid... question, I guess. Sorry."


    "Don''t worry about it," I sit down on the ground, then falling on my back. God damn it, my stomach feels like it''s about to suck itself into a black hole.


    Bread. Chewy, spongy, warm, bread. Now I remember what the fight was about, as I stare at the plate of it on the coffee table, somehow untouched from the mayhem.


    "That must have been quite the march!" one of the maids exclaim.


    "No, we drove here."


    "Drove? Like, a carriage?"


    "Uh... yeah, a carriage... that moves itself, sort of."


    "Malithe, we''re lucky he didn''t just open fire on the newcomers," another says. "So long as they''re not here to just destroy the village, we could use some hands on the field."


    "The rowdy one seems desperate for bread, maybe if we just feed her a bit, she might calm down."


    "If she was able to hurt Philip that badly, she''d certainly have the muscle to do a lot of work out in the field."


    "Please," Adel quietly says. "If we''re not welcome here, we don''t know where the next place to go is. We''ll make a deal, so long as we both can grow."


    Everyone goes quiet, hopefully in thought.


    "Sanna, let''s go ask Philip." Malithe motions her away. "Feel free to give Lorianne the bread, it''s hard to negotiate on an empty stomach, I''m sure. Let her know we''re not here to fight, either."


    "Understood," Adel nods humbly, before picking up the plate and handing me the bread. Before I could even think, my mouth is already full, and I just about choke on how dry it is before Adel pulls my hand with half of the roll away.


    "Whoa, there, Princess; I''m hungry too, you know," she rips 1/4 of it for herself, and hands me the rest. "Slow down until you get water, I don''t want to un-choke you too and take even more credit."


    "He... started it," I mutter through a mouthful.


    "Well, it probably wouldn''t have hurt to ask before helping yourself," she turns to Corvus, "Oh, shit. Sorry," then ripping the 1/4 in half again, and extending it to him.


    "No, thanks," Corvus mutters. "Lori clearly needs it more than I do."

 CH36- LORI

    This Corsus sprout field looks way smaller than it is.


    "The fight is in your brain, Lori," Adel says. "Your muscles can still move, your brain is what''s not getting them to contract,"


    "So, what''s the fix?"


    "You have to find that in yourself," Adel mutters. "Don''t think either of us feel any different."


    "What kills me is not the strain itself. It''s the boredom."


    "Yeah? Look at me, I spent years lifting weights, but I can''t do endurance. All this mass," she slaps her swollen biceps, "is not doing me any good right now. This is definitely an endurance thing. It''s'' just like a workout. If you give yourself time to recover between intervals, they won''t care; they just want the field plowed. If anything, you''ll be better at this than I am."


    This is objectively far less energy than fighting Jackals, yet feels like otherwise.


    "Don''t forget, I''m suffering too," she continues, "right here with you."


    Misery loves company, huh? I roll my eyes.


    "If anyone, I think your fan over there is still quietly cheering you on," she points her chin towards Corvus, behind me.


    He looks away as I turn back at him.


    ~~


    Fuck, I really miss the food from the base already. Not that food specifically, but really, any food at this point. Anything.


    I''m just as bored as I was back in Cauldron, but now hungry too. Really oversold it to myself.


    I miss Beth. I miss the tiny mattress I slept in every night. I even miss Adel''s wake-up harassment every morning. All that stupidity, part of me wants to go back. But I know I made this decision knowing all that, and decided it was worse to not leave.


    This is what you wanted, Lori. No more, no less. I''m no stranger to "life not going as planned"; mine certainly never did for a moment.


    "Don''t they have some kind of tractor or mule or something?" Corvus moans.


    "I think it''s part of their welcome ritual," Adel says. "Even if Lori didn''t get in that fight with Philip, they might''ve made us ''earn'' our stay anyway."


    "Any reason not to look for another village?" I ask, wiping some sweat off my brow.


    "Why would the next one be any different?" Adel puts her plow down and turns to me, looking sternly. "Who''s just gonna let us leech off of them?"


    "What would it cost us to ask if they have a machine or animal to let us work faster?" Corvus stops as well, to catch breath.


    Adel puts a finger on her chin. "Hold on."


    ~~


    Corvus and I stand on the plow''s base as the rope shakes us along, almost like that "wakeboarding" thing that I saw people do in movies.


    "Let me know when you''re tired, so we can take turns," Adel screams from the truck as she pulls us along.


    I don''t reply.


    "Better than you expected, huh?" Corvus teeters in excitement, barely keeping balance. "Hey, gotta have fun somehow."


    "Yeah, I guess," I mutter while trying to stay on the right handle.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Normally I''m the one to take on recklessness like this and laugh first, but I''m just not feeling it today.


    "Oh, shit!" Corvus yelps as we hit a lump of hard soil or something, rocking us both out of our little boat-plow. His body smacks into mine as we land in the soft dirt, hand on my right thigh, head in inside the other. Right before I could thrash out in frustration, Corvus frantically lifts himself up. We both pause.


    Chill out. He didn''t cause the plow to capsize.


    "Shit, sorry, I''m sorry," he nervously apologizes. "Would you like a hand up?"


    Don''t make enemies with who you just abducted.


    "No problem, don''t worry," I take his hand to get back up, feeling the adrenaline come back down.


    "You two alright?" Adel stops the truck.


    "Yes. Resume on our go," I hold a signal fist up.


    We stare at each other in a couple seconds of awkward silence before agreeing to push the plow back up and keep riding. I throw my index finger forward to signal Adel to go.


    It felt so strange, to have a warm, moving object strike me there.


    ~~


    Adel knocks on the rickety shack door. "Oh, my," Malithe and the others come outside to admire our accomplishment. An entire field, plowed.


    "Ugh, If only I thought of this sooner," Adel sighs, in a mixture of contentment and frustration.


    "It''s good enough," I weakly murmur, as Adel pats me on the back, following up with a hug.


    "Come in, we could use a hand to cook dinner," Malithe says. "Sorry we didn''t have any goodies right away, but we''ll promise a more worthwhile meal if you help us whip it up. Come look at our ingredients we have a-ready."


    I stumble at the steps before the entrance. Adel and Corvus pick me up by the armpits before I could hit the ground.


    "Poor gal needs a bite," Mailthe sighs. "Philip already ate the last batch of bread, that''s why we need to bake more," she groans, in a whisper.


    "A fresh loaf is better anyway," Adel remarks.


    "Aren''t you famished too, ye? All that muscle must be a-starvin''."


    "I''m feeling better than her," Adel probably points to me. "Let''s get cooking."


    They place me next to the burner to stay warm. Inside, they throw Corsus plant husks, and who-knows-what inside to keep hot air coming through a set of channels, one to an oven of sorts, with a pan on top of it.


    "Where did you get this baking powder stuff?" Adel asks, as something boils on top of the stove.


    "Oh, this?" Sanna hesitates while trying to lift a can the size of her chest. Malithe and another come to help her.


    "This.. we found-"


    "...in a UWWA convoy that abandoned their vehicles," Malithe finishes her sentence. "It was a supply caravan, but I had no idea where it came from, and where it was going, as all the computers and gizmos were taken out, they cleaned it spotless of any deets before Philip found it,"


    Adel glances to me and raises an eyebrow. I just stare at her, barely awake.


    The smell of fresh bread begins to rise, which is pleasant, but still not appetizing. My stomach remains in knots.


    "They left behind some spices as well," she pours something into a bowl and stirs frantically with a spoon. "Try this," she hands it to Adel.


    Corvus and Adel play with the dough as the ladies teach them how to knead.


    "Sanna, bring the dried veg and fruit from the greenhouse," Malithe orders.


    "Excellent idea. That''ll accompany the Jackal roast well," Sanna cheers.


    The smell of burning meat, let alone Jackal meat, isn''t helping my appetite either, but Adel and Corvus watch in awe as it roasts in the oven.


    "Doesn''t soil need, like, nitrogen balance or something?" Corvus asks.


    "Phil handles that, and I don''t really ask, I probably don''t want to know anyways," Sanna says. "Just enjoy the food, you need that first. It won''t always be there."


    "Phil?" the women call at the dinner table, but he does not answer. Corvus and Adel help me into my seat.


    "Oh well, if he isn''t grateful, we''ll say our gratitudes by ourselves," Malithe sits at the table, and everyone is quiet.


    "Thank you, mother Earth, as wrathful as you may be, for this meal, and for allowing us to thrive yet another day."


    "Thank you," one by one, the other women repeat.


    "Thank you," Adel mutters.


    "Thank you," Corvus follows.


    Adel elbows me gently in the side.


    "...thank you," I mutter, through a lump in my throat.


    Everyone calmly reaches to the central arrangement of fire-charred Jackal flesh, steaming Corsus bread, some pancake-looking things, an assortment of unidentifiable, wrinkled, dried vegetables, and some of what I think are berries.


    "You... gonna have some?" Adel looks at me, chewing on a Jackal hip.


    I just stare at the food, my brain almost completely off.


    "Here," she dumps a portion of vegetables, a piece of bread, and then some kind of porridge. "You earned it this time, dig in," she grins.


    With a shaking hand, I put one spoonful in my mouth. It''s bland, how I usually like it. No, mildly sweet. Vaguely sweet. Not that bad, actually. Another spoon. I scoop some dried berries into the emulsion. Another small spoon. Then, the whole plate is gone.


    "Uh... Lori?" Corvus timidly peeps, or so I think he did.


    Right as I knock over the pan of bread, Adel grabs my wrist again, and the other women are giggling.


    "Easy," Adel says.


    "It''s alright, she can eat this time, we can afford plenty more now you three have plowed so much," Sanna smiles warmly, handing me another bun.


    "Thank... you...." I mumble.

 CH37- ELIN

    "They have left the trackable range, Mother," FABIAN says.


    "And such is the extent of my curiosity," I reply. "Unfortunate, but I must accept."


    "If you so believe, then it will so be."


    "Beliefs are at least partially grounded in reality, no?"


    "You cannot read her mind."


    "And perhaps she is not clear what she''s thinking either," I mutter, emerging from the bed.


    "Is everything alright?" The Golden Boy next to me mutters, stretching.


    "Yes, young man," I smile, running my hand across his chest. "Just a lively conversation with my subordinates."


    He grins back. "Okay."


    "What would you like for breakfast?"


    "Anything. Surprise me."


    "Would you like to eat in bed?"


    "Nah, I''ll be at the table."


    "See you there," I chuckle, while rising from the bed and slipping into my robe. An iota of discipline, how dandy.


    I check my FAB-30s in my forearm bays. Clean and sharp as always.


    A spy would want to listen in on my conversation, but a spy could also have other surveillance throughout the parameter.


    ~~


    The chef hurries in with two platters of steaming Corsus pancakes, 3 per with sliced melon, berries, and cheese drizzled lightly in a chocolate syrup.


    "Here at once, Mother," a different chef, wiping sweat from under her short black hair.


    "No need to rush, thank you," I nod humbly. "You''re doing a good job, here," I motion my wrist over hers to initiate a transfer of 50HeD as a tip.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She nervously smiles. "Oh, thank you, Mother!"


    "You indeed earned it," I gesture my hand to showcase her work.


    Adrian cuts a section of the pancake. "Wow, chewy, I like it."


    "Anything else you''d like?" I cut into my own.


    "Something salty and protein-ey, some meatloaf, perhaps."


    "Chef," I call. "Bring this gentleman some Salisbury, 100 grams. Brandy sauce. Thank you."


    "Yes, Mother!" she closes the door.


    A pause.


    "All is well, I am satisfied with my meal, unless there''s anything else you''d like from me, I have some matters to attend to, I bid adieu and wish you to take care.¡±


    "Thank you for the lovely evening and morning," he nods humbly.


    I return to my wardrobe for the orange dress. Fits the occasion, and that''s all I need. I spin once more to re-examine.


    "Sunny," I mutter. "Fiery."


    The automatic door slides open, and right as I exit the room, I just short of collide with the chef again.


    "I''m so sorry Mother, we are in complete shortage of Jackal filets for the dish requested, would you like anything else?"


    ~~


    Honoko¡¯s laboratory is calmly humming along, with technicians in their sealed outfits scattering about like ants.


    ¡°This place of yours could use some d¨¦cor, dare I respectfully suggest?¡± I glance over at the bland, white-teal light strips lining the cabinets and countertops.


    Her heels clack against the tiled floor as she advances towards me, adjusting her glasses, swiping away the noisy streams of data blitzing past her lenses. ¡°I believe that would serve as a mere distraction,¡± the Doctor responds. ¡°Good morning, Mother,¡±


    ¡°As to you,¡± I tip my head. ¡°No hurry, but humor my curiosity¨C do you have any long term ideas for Ms. Aldero?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± she calmly sighs, ¡°Augmentations at this age are a bit of a waste, she is just at the tail end of puberty, and it seems like a repair of something that isn¡¯t broken,¡± Dr. Honoko reports.


    ¡°Fair enough. Her career would likely change by then, even if she outlasts Kruger, she likely wouldn¡¯t have aged enough to even desire the cybernetics.¡± I lament, turning back to her. ¡°Unfortunately, we both know our N of 1 has already departed at the age of 26.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Perhaps we could offer it as a part of a retirement package, decades down the road, however¨C¡±


    ¡°...lofty promises, indeed,¡± I look towards the whiteboard and Cynthia¡¯s body analysis as she soundly rests in the stasis chamber, covered in wires, nodes, and tubes. ¡°I¡¯d imagine the trust between all parties involved would erode quickly even with all optimism.¡±


    ¡°All things, beautiful or ugly, have a shelf life, after all.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Mother.¡±

 CH38- CORVUS

    "I don''t know how you feel about small talk," I sit next to Lori on the porch, "but... what''s been on your mind since we left Cauldron?"


    She looks briefly at me, then down at the ground, hesitating.


    "I know what I think, how about let''s start with you?"


    Well, shit, I''m nervous too.


    "The people I left behind, and the nice warm bed. The people weren''t really friends, but of course, some part of my mind wonders if they would have been, had I not... left."


    Her shoulders and chest are turned towards me, but she''s still looking away.


    "Warm bed, heh, same. I miss my bunny, Beth."


    "Beth? A real rabbit?"


    "N... no. It''s a stuffed animal. I don''t even remember where I got her, but I spent all my life with her, and I held her close. I left her behind because of how sick I was of my life, but with great victory comes sacrifice, I guess," she mutters.


    "I know I''m no replacement, but I''d like to try and be your new Beth, I want to be your warm, soft bunny," the idiot in me wants to say.


    I just look at her like a mentally deficient puppy instead. She glances at me, then back at her feet.


    "What would it take for you to go back?"


    A pause.


    "Dunno. And I don''t really see the point in thinking about it. Better question is, if they''ll even let me¨C or, us¨C back in."


    Something is hurting her. What does she need?


    "Well... regardless, in case you... didn''t notice already, you''re awesome, and I''m a huge fan of you, even after you''re gone from the show," I feebly smile.


    She grins, ever so briefly. "Thanks. You''re... kind."


    I wonder how self-sustaining this community really is. They scavenged stuff from the UWWA trucks that came by. Or did they? Or did they go and¨C


    "Cory!"


    ~~


    The sprouts we sowed slowly emerge from their spots in the soil. I guess they''re genetically engineered to be a cut above other normal crops, and it blows me away that the soil was good enough for them.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Lori looks... adorable to say the least, wearing a bonnet to keep the sun out of her face. It''s a picture straight out of the movies. She''s adjusting to the routine far better than any of us expected.


    Adel, being nearly a head taller than her, looks funny in her setup as well, but nonetheless we''re a tight bunch. I guess this is what real "friendship" feels like?


    We''re kind of sent in the same direction, rather than "finding each other". I don''t know. I guess I should just appreciate it anyway.


    We''d all literally be dead otherwise... Dead, or dying, in one way or another.


    ~~


    ¡°¡®We like to pride ourselves as a self-sustaining community free from Cauldron¡¯s obligations!¡¯ Tch, self-sustaining, my ass. No way one man can haul this shit, what, how many kilometers from Cauldron? And get past the Fence?¡± Adel grumbles, in an unusual, irate tone.


    Lori quietly sits beside her, quietly eating another piece of bread.


    ¡°How did these people even¡­ start here?¡± I say as I come out of the bath house.


    ¡°Right on time, we just ran out of hot water in the first tank,¡± Adel says, tweaking some bolts in the rusty boiler with a screwdriver alongside her bot, wiping sweat from her forehead. The two pipes she¡¯s trying to reconnect are blocked with two rags, barely holding the water back.


    The door behind us creaks open. ¡°Oh, wow, it¡¯s flowing again! Aren¡¯t all of you so handy? By the way, we cleared the living room, you three can sleep inside," says Malithe with a smile, walking over to the spigot at the bottom. Marveling, she opens it to release a steaming stream of water.


    Malithe then approaches the bucket-sized robot assisting Adel in the repair job. ¡°My, what a gadget! How does it¡­ oh?¡± she cocks her head, wide-eyed. The four-armed robot slowly raises the joining segment, quickly prying the rags out, and jams the short piece of pipe in, and quickly welds them shut at either end as water gradually stops jetting out.


    ¡°All of you?¡± It was mostly Adel doing the work¡­


    ~~


    The three of us lie triangulated on the floor. For no clear reason, I can''t quite sleep. There''s shuffling and murmuring on the other side.


    In the faint gloom of the space, it''s coming from Lori. She''s not sleeping well either.


    Shit, do I wake her up? Or leave her be?


    I slowly approach her, as she struggles with something in the dream world.


    Sometimes, hesitating is worse than just doing something.


    "Lori, you okay?"


    As she¡¯s still wiggling, I find what I think is her shoulder, and try to nudge her awake. She flinches and bursts from her sheet, staring right at me, relaxing after seeing it''s me, and not whatever else she thought I was.


    "Fuck," she collapses back onto her sleeping mat, going back under her sheets, head turned aside, staring at the wall in the corner.


    "...nightmares?" I ask.


    She sighs.


    "I guess."


    "How... often does this happen?"


    "Can¡¯t remember when I didn¡¯t have them. The nightmares themselves, I don¡¯t remember all of them... thankfully."


    Silence.


    "I guess I owe you another thanks for interrupting this one," she says.


    I nod, grinning.


    "No problem. Take care."


    I guess this is what she "kidnapped" me for.

 CH39- LORI

    The world is white. Everything is just white. I can¡¯t tell where is up, or down.


    Where is my body? Is this death? What is and isn¡¯t anymore? How much time has passed?


    Nothing is moving. There is just white. No pain, no pleasure.


    And then, my body appears. A haze of black appears on one side. I then start spinning. My stomach starts to sear in agonizing cramps. Something then chokes me. My eyelids spasm as I try to keep them open, only to quickly fail and surrender. I spin so quickly, my skin starts to peel off of my fingers, toes, legs, the muscle, the bone, and then¨C


    ¡°Damn it, Lori!¡± Adel screams after what I think was me slapping her. We both flinch rising up from our sleeping mats. ¡°Augh, shit, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I take a few breaths. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    We stare at each other for a few seconds.


    ¡°Are you hungry again? What¡¯s the matter this time?¡±


    ¡°Weird fucking dream.¡±


    ¡°You always have those. What¡¯s different this time?¡±


    ¡°I was spinning¡­ in a white void.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She squints at me. ¡°Okay, whatever, you¡¯re not dead, I¡¯m happy..¡±


    I stare at my feet.


    ¡°I guess¡­ I¡¯m happy you¡¯re still around too,¡± I mutter.


    After a few seconds of sitting still in the gloom, Adel cracks a smile, hugging me.


    Last time she hugged me like that, I wasn¡¯t so mentally blank as I am now. Back then I had a direction, even if I was miserable. But now I don''t know what hurts or feels good anymore.


    Beyond that, there''s just nothing. No time. No place. Stuck in purgatory. Where are we going? Was I even asleep?


    I guess it¡¯s a good thing to have friends. Not that I had too many in the past. Still trying to figure out how that all works.


    Maybe I don¡¯t deserve Adel.


    ~~


    I open my eyes to find myself in Adel''s arms again, this time in the grainfield, a few hundred meters behind our truck. "Jeez, again? You''ve been eating more, how does this keep happening?"


    Pushing myself back up, I don''t know where to look. "I don''t know why I''m fainting either. I don''t feel hungry. Everything hurts right now."


    Adel sighs.


    "Did you eat before you came out today?"


    "I think so..."


    "Well, you''re a bit sweaty like always, but you aren''t pale or anything."


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Did you drink any water?" Adel looks around, a bit frantic. "Oh, duh, I could do a MIRCS analysis."


    She runs back to the truck a few hundred meters away, heavy in step. With the harness and analyzer in hand, she seats me at a bench on the shack''s front porch and attaches the nodes on the sides of my neck.


    "Apparently... everything is normal," she mutters.


    The prompts flash across my vision.


    blood values within range of last 90 days:


    blood sugar


    HbA1c


    blood lipids


    cortisol


    epinephrines


    HGH


    proteins


    red cell to plasma ratio


    The list quickly keeps scrolling but I lose track, intermittently blacking out.


    "Your numbers all look normal, what the hell is wrong with you?" she pops the nodes out and wraps them around the analyzer.


    "You... tell me," I mutter, with barely enough might to sit straight.


    I look at Adel''s eyes, she has faint dark circles and heavy bags underneath.


    ~~


    "I keep making bread, but it''s just... disappearing," Malithe looks at the racks of loaves, half empty.


    "Who''s eating them?" Saana stands next to her.


    "Philip, probably, but he spends most of his time in the back side. I''ve never seen him come in to eat in a while."


    "Either him, or... one of the guests."


    The two turn to me with direct sight from the kitchen, to the dinner table. My heart skips a beat.


    Wait, what? Did I?


    "Well, we do need to feed our hardest workers, it could be anyone," Malithe dismisses her intrigue, stepping away. "Thanks to the three newcomers and their methods, we have plenty of grain, so we should be fine for a while."


    "Okay, if you say so," Saana says, turning back around to continue sweeping, humming some tune. The floorboards creak with every step she takes.


    ~~


    ¡°Lori, your hair, oh my,¡± one of the maids removes my bonnet and examines my locks. ¡°Come, let us investigate.¡±


    ¡°After a long day of toil in the soil, you¡¯ve been neglecting something a woman takes pride in,¡± another says.


    They brush the tangled strands, amazed. ¡°What volume, my my. You have treasure streaming from your head.¡± Small trickles of sand drop as they ruffle through and brush the bushels.


    ¡°What a shame we didn¡¯t speak up to do this sooner, we were so afraid to speak after your tangle with Philip.¡±


    ¡°How did you style your hair back in the city?¡± another asks.


    I grab a handful of hair and tied them into one, two, three ponytails, mostly muscle memory at this point. Just like back in Cauldron.


    ¡°Oh, wow, so¡­ exotic,¡± Saana mutters.


    ¡°It almost feels ¡­sinful, how novel it is! But I must try! Hair can¡¯t be that big of an offense to the heavens above, no?¡±


    The eight giggle. I quietly braid the red from one of the other maids¡¯ heads as another sits behind me to do mine in a caravan of sorts.


    I guess this is ¡°fun¡±. Haven¡¯t had that in a while either¡­


    The room became humid and somewhat uncomfortably warm with the excitement. I suppose this is all new to the villagers, whose heads are under bonnets for nearly all of their waking hours. Before long the sun was down and each of the eight had their own hairstyles¨C buns, pompadours, pigtails, ponytails in all directions.


    All of a sudden, all my old ideas come back. I walk over the squeaking floorboards to the kitchen where I see a hot iron in the stove. ¡°If we have some kind of heat, we can bend hair and mold it to our liking.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I know!¡± A brunette maid grabs mittens from a drawer next to the boiler and tosses a cast-iron pan into the flame.


    ¡°No need for that much heat, just enough to not burn,¡± I tell them. ¡°Just heat the handle, so we can wrap hair around it.¡±


    She tilts her head, then figures out what I mean. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± She takes it out, and holds the handle to the fire.


    ¡°A few seconds should be fine,¡± I tell her.


    Nearly flinching in excitement, she removes the pan, and holds it up.


    ¡°Okay, and then you wrap it around like so,¡± I undo the three ponytails and grab a strand of my own, ¡°...like so,¡± curl it around the hot pan handle, ¡°and ta-da,¡± I slowly peel it away, showing how the curl retains itself.


    The door creaks open to reveal Corvus and Adel¡¯s heads peeking through. ¡°What¡¯s all the ruckus here?¡± Corvus asks, looking around the room.


    ¡°Just¡­ having fun,¡± I mutter, looking blankly at him.


    ¡°Oh, now?¡± Adel grumbles. ¡°About time you lightened up!¡± she shouts, now smiling, taking a seat to watch us.


    ¡°How charming, you,¡± Corvus contently mutters, stepping slowly to approach, sitting down and watching me. I continue twirling another maids¡¯ hair.


    I glance at him as he smirks. ¡°Glad you¡¯re finally integrating,¡± he carefully brushes one of the bangs from my face, sending a distracting tingle on my cheek that pulls me completely out of the braiding operation as his fingers glide past.


    My face and hands freeze. Holy shit, what was that?


    ¡°It¡­ happens,¡± I smile feebly.


    Time swept by and strands of cut hair litter the floor, causing heels to skid and slip. A couple giggle as they wobble about.


    ¡°What a blessing you and your friends came by,¡± one of the maids embrace me by my shoulders, gratefully sighing.

 CH40- ELIN

    I twirl the glass of wine as I sit at my desk, bombarded with reports from HPN. FABIAN quietly sits next to me as we both scan through report after report much akin to easily distracted primates.


    Many of today¡¯s dishes remain on the table across the room. Bolognese, stroganoff, much more wine, and a platter of a grand variety of fruit. I only had morsels here and there, seeking variety over satiety, relishing in it, but only ever achieving a vague sense of satisfaction. Always too many or too little options.


    Suzanna, where are you? Who are you, damn it?


    I walk over to grasp a strawberry and ease it between my lips. I reach for another and dip it in the dark chocolate fondue, then another in white chocolate instead.


    ¡°Mm, yes,¡± I mutter in indulgence.


    ¡°Good evening with Hedonia Public News¡­ I¡¯m Helen,¡±


    ¡°..and I¡¯m Ruth,¡±


    ¡°And today, well, I suppose Ruth can start us this time.¡±


    ¡°Vicious allegations of Mother Elin eating the deceased remains of children are circulating rapidly on social media site Twigpost.¡±


    FABIAN stands aside me. I turn to him, ¡°Think we¡¯ve done all we could?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame not all of the citizenry will believe this, but you were indeed not informed.¡±


    ¡°Mm, the cut did indeed have an unusual texture¨C but what repulses me more, is my inability to know which of my leading Daughters put that in the meal between Adrian and I that morning. If not one of the Lieutenants, then I could not guess who.¡±


    What a childish gimmick; I thought I had given enough to occupy them instead of reconfiguring my private meals.


    ¡°At the very least, the press is in defense of me,¡± I mutter, petting Diogenes as he squirms restlessly in my arms. ¡°What is the matter, have I failed you as a species-mismatched mother?¡±


    He turns to me blankly for a few seconds.


    ¡°You are free to criticize me, as perhaps either of us rule over the other.¡±


    He lies back down, seemingly in surrender.


    ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s in the malaise of burnout; I can be demanding at times. Unfortunately for you, neither of us have much room for litigation for the toils of your onerous employment,¡± I gently stroke the longitudinal furs on his head. ¡°You poor thing.¡±


    ~~


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Welcome, welcome all! Jamia Janesson again, now with our new premiere, in honor¨C or perhaps for some of you, in spite¨C of the resignation of the original Jackal Hunter, Lorianne Kruger; we have a firebrand, blazing, bodacious, newcomer¨C Cynthia Aldero! A w-a-a-a-rm round of applause, shall we?¡± she rapidly chatters in her usual frantic manner.


    Mixed responses from the crowd as Cynthia bursts through the van door, skidding to a stop upon exit and landing, opening her polished steel maw and roaring before the fleet of Jackals emerging from the ashen mess of the concrete jungle.


    ¡°It looks like she¡¯s already ready to rumble with little introduction! Can I get another reminder of how ready you are to see the slaughter?¡±


    More mixed responses from the crowd.


    ¡°I had expected greater cheer for our new heroine¨C but nonetheless, I¡¯ve got a show to host! Now, let the slaughter¡­. begin!¡±


    Cynthia bursts from her position, dashing towards the open buffet of 100-some Jackals before her, mechanical paws shattering the brittle dirt beneath.


    ¡°And already Miss Aldero is off to a tremendous start! Her hunger seems like it¡¯s been festering for days!¡± Jamia exclaims, as Cynthia snaps her jaws while approaching the first Jackals, performing a 180-degree tailwhip to strike away two at her sides, before charging onward for more, pouncing on another, standing against it, paw to paw, taking a large, bloody bite out of its throat.


    Another Earworm ping demands my attention.


    ¡°Yes, Chuji?¡±


    ¡°Mother, there are protests again over the matter.¡±


    What an endless chore¨C Motherly duties, I suppose.


    ¡°Where might it be this time?¡±


    ¡°The same location as the last protest, the southwest corner, where the incident started.¡±


    ¡°And what do they demand now?¡±


    ¡°Uncertain. The only consistency from demanding individuals is but the demand for more.¡±


    ¡°Well said, as always.¡±


    ¡°Some kind of call to action, perhaps to remove you. But fortunately for us, they do so with no clear means.¡±


    ¡°The Boilers certainly did a number alongside Lorianne in breaking into the Compound. Perhaps such should concern us. Just perhaps.¡±


    ¡°What is then your course of action, Mother?¡±


    ¡°As almost always, the best is to not reward the behavior. But, if each constituent subgroup or substrata is seeking contradictory rewards or fearing contradictory punishments, then there is no uniform appeasement or disappeasement and our actions become ultimately inconsequental regarding the matter. So, the addendum to that ¡°almost¡± would be in the rare occasion that doing nothing is the best path to take.¡±


    ¡°I have no further comment, Mother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always free to if you so wish.¡±


    A moment of silence, aside from a few transistors in FABIAN¡¯s mind flickering.


    ¡°On another note, you have not mentioned Lorianne recently. Do you still have interest in her whereabouts?¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± I mutter. ¡°I do wonder of her every now and then, but she¡¯s outside of Cauldron as well as Hedonia¡¯s jurisdiction. She is currently neither threat nor asset to Hedonia or I, though¡­¡± I find myself pausing, unable to explain why. ¡°Huh. Interesting you mention her, and interesting I¡¯d say that.¡±


    "I sense hesitation. What might be the matter, Mother?"


    I pause more. "Uncertain, we will dismiss it for now, for more urgent matters stand before us."

 CH42- ELIN

    In front of my digital canvas I remove my MIRCS nodes and have two paintings.


    A plain white figure standing in a barren field.


    A white haired woman holding a faceless baby.


    Abstract, and flawless in line.


    ¡°But now what?¡±


    I quietly pick up the prints and snap the laminations to the magnetic receptacles on my wall.


    Two more paintings. I suppose that woman is I, and the baby must be Suzanna.


    A trickle of blood emerges from the woman¡¯s hand, from the back of the baby''s head.


    What is with this incessant bleeding? Why does this bleeding theme keep returning?


    None of this makes any sense. Of course, I''m only more intrigued.


    I take a seat, folding my robe over myself, sitting to stare at it more, only to understand less with every second.


    ¡°Suzanna was a child? Of mine?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± FABIAN mutters.


    ¡°Mother Elin,¡± Chuji again. She, alongside another voice.


    So rare, solitude is. But then again, the ponderance did not seem fruitful, perhaps this interruption was needed for the sake of efficiency.


    ¡°Lieutenant Baumschneider and I have a confession to make.¡±


    If only my ears could twist like Diogenes¡¯s.


    ¡°The photographs of the child from last month were spread along TwigPost by one of our ranks, as you may have guessed.¡±


    ¡°Dare I act surprised?¡± I tilt my head.


    ¡°Punitive measures aren''t very useful right now; however, you can imagine I''m disappointed in my underlings. Nevertheless, there is always more work to do.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mother Elin. Notify us how we could be of further service.¡±


    ¡°Remedying this would be a good start,¡± I grin. ¡°Cleaning the media is a solid first step.¡±


    ¡°Are you seeking strongarming? Discreet bribery?¡±


    ¡°Your ideas came quicker than mine. Both seem like appreciable options, and with that we shall begin, thank you,¡± I mutter.


    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡±


    ¡°Do not fear punishment, for we both have fears of consequence; your assistance is as much needed as ever, thus I am allowing everyone to move along.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We will update you on how our attempts go.¡±


    ¡°Do what you must to stop the spread, but it¡¯s also likely too late, and we will then have to bribe a larger number of people. I¡¯d prefer not to, but the money is there if needed.¡±


    Not sure if I¡¯d want all of my Daughters with me in my escape modules. Kind in intention, but foolish in execution.


    The Earworm transmission ends.


    Another Golden Boy emerges from the shower in the suite, scrubbing his curly black hair with a towel, steaming as he approaches.


    ¡°Mother Elin,¡± he grins, his row of porcelain white teeth almost shining in the room.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you quite the presentation?¡±


    ¡°Why, thank you,¡± he smiles.


    ¡°What would you like for breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Hm,¡± he hums. ¡°Not really anything in particular.¡±


    ¡°Pancakes and fruit?¡±


    ¡°I guess my mind has changed.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I smile back at him.


    ¡°Chef, please,¡± I call over Earworm.


    Hurried footsteps approach the door outside the living room. The door cuts through the blank white surface of the walls.


    ~~


    ¡°You seem stressed, Doctor.¡±


    Her hands shake slightly as she grasps her coffee.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Aldero¡¯s affairs are taking a bit of a toll on me. But I will manage, Mother.¡±


    ¡°May I be of any assistance?¡±


    ¡°Aside from further reexpression of her VEGF-A gene to continue bolstering her aerobic capacity and endothelial condition, which we could use some budget reallocation towards¨C¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°You already have full control over the laboratory budget, Doctor,¡± I smile.


    ¡°Oh. Right. Pardon¡­¡±


    ¡°Cynthia¡¯s body seems to be able to tolerate all the tomfoolery we throw at her, I see no reason to hold back on whatever idea you have next,¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± she replies.


    I look out the window to see an overcast day. Cloudy, just like this poor Doctor¡¯s mind.


    ¡°When you have a moment, do not hesitate to come to the Sanity Chamber for decompression. Talent like yours does not deserve to be torn down by your burdens.¡±


    ¡°If I give another minute to rest, everything will¨C¡±


    Grasping her hand, I whisper, ¡°Doctor, I believe that is a sign you truly need it. Your body language fails to hide it.¡±


    She freezes, as if starstruck, by my presence.


    ¡°Come, the project of Ms. Aldero can wait one or two hours.¡±


    ¡°Mother, there cannot be any delay¨C¡±


    ¡°We are delaying in any case. Come, come,¡± I pull her by her wrist. ¡°Place your clipboard here. I will call secretaries to manage this. FABIAN?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother,¡± he replies.


    ¡°Come care for Honoko¡¯s paperwork, make sure nothing gets moved, so she can resume right where she departed as I administer some treatment,¡± I say as we step along the pearl-white laboratory halls, the bright light diffusing from the walls and ceiling, in all angles. Quite a brilliant design, so nothing gets lost lest anyone drops things on the floor.


    Honoko nervously looks at me, as I glance back at her. I feel her pulse bulging from her wrist. ¡°I know how upsetting this is to you, but I beg your trust, my guidance to you is for the sake of not only you but all involved in your process.¡±


    ¡°U-understood,¡± she mutters.


    Walking through pneumatic door after door, we approach the chamber. The gray sphere is dead silent, I could hear Honoko¡¯s pulse still beating high, but gradually slowing down.


    ¡°You respond to your environment, I can hear your heart rate descending,¡± I mutter, touching her gently by her shoulders,¡± her crisp white lab coat rustles under my fingertips.


    She stares at the other side of the sphere, speechless.


    ¡°The effects are coming quickly, aren¡¯t they, Kynine?¡± I slowly ask as she takes a gradual and deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s really quite a simple facility. Just some sound dampeners and a blank surface.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ The¡­¡±


    I bring my lips centimeters from her ear. ¡°Shh¡­ Rest.¡± She stands, still staring at the other side of the spherical room. I brush a tuft of her jet-black hair from her forehead, and remove her glasses from her almond-shaped eyes.


    ¡°More breaths,¡± I mutter. ¡°Your body demands it.¡±


    She complies.


    ¡°Think back to what brought you solace.¡±


    No response.


    ¡°I¡­ do not remember,¡± she mutters.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± I quietly grumble.


    ¡°Usually¡­ I need Serenity-Q to enter this state of mind,¡±


    ¡°What do you remember from your childhood?¡±


    She freezes again.


    ¡°Not that much¡­¡±


    ¡°Concerning, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes, like most others, my childhood was mostly in the boarding school,¡± she talks, as blurry images of a child¡¯s hands, flipping through a large book in a daycare, appear on the side of the sphere Honoko is staring at.


    Another child seems to spill a cup of liquid on the book, which then from the perspective of young Honoko, whom begins crying.


    Then, another scene where Kynine then is yanking a tablet from a classmate, only succumbing to the superior might of said classmate, and falling onto her palms, then to be struck at the head, and the scene ends.


    A third scenario, where an assumed teenager Kynine is working through a VR simulation on a surgical model, the display shuts off and she frantically pushes buttons, attempting to restart it, only to realize the virtual project is all lost.


    ¡°That was my pregrad dissertation, I had to spend hundreds of hours more to recover all that work,¡± she mutters.


    ¡°Doctor,¡± I gently hug her, as small tears roll down her cheeks. ¡°Rest assured, you are indeed still one of my Daughters, regardless of your past failures and whatever you may fail or succeed in next,¡± I state.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she sobs. I gently draw a claw to swipe away the tear from her cheek, and then guide her out of the room.


    ¡°You are in no hurry to rush back to work,¡± I coo. ¡°Take your time with your work. Rushing will only produce counter-productive results.¡±


    Her black heels slowly clack against the solid glass floor, her head down as she returns to her laboratory.


    ¡°Although your wellbeing is chiefly your responsibility, I intervene when I see necessary.¡± I touch her on her shoulder. ¡°Ring me through Earworm if you need anything else, otherwise I will go and check in on you,¡± I say to her back as she quietly moves along.


    There is dull rustle coming from the lab as I turn around. As predicted, she rushes back in to her old habit.


    ~~


    Ms. Aldero is once again in her stasis, full of fluid and tubes running through her circulatory system.


    I gently knock on the glass.


    ¡°Cynthia, Daughter,¡± I smile.


    She opens her eyes. ¡°Good morning,¡± her muffled voice comes through the vocoder.


    ¡°Tell me¡­ of your enthusiasm to perform today.¡±


    ¡°Sky high, as always,¡± she shines a teethy smile behind the transparent plastic respirator.


    ¡°Dandy.¡±


    ¡°What might we have in stock today?¡±


    ¡°Nothing too out of the ordinary. Another test of your endurance, which you seem to take pride in,¡±


    ¡°More specifically?¡±


    ¡°100 Jackals with one of a mutant variety.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yes, EVACorp is cooking a special recipe just for you.¡±


    Muscles throughout Cynthia¡¯s body start to press through her lean skin, with each strand making itself visible.

 CH41- LORI

    The couch collapses under both of our asses, while we both sink in far further than reasonable. In the midst of our laughing, Cory''s shoulder bumps into mine. I freeze.


    He giggles for two more seconds before noticing. "What, Lori?"


    I feel my womanhood shaking a little. Shit, now I must be turning red. Fuck, now what?


    "What''s on your mind? I''m curious," he sends me a wry smile.


    Failing to hide my redness, I place my hand on my face and turn the other way. He knows. He fucking knows. Face him, Lori.


    Cory then singly asks, "hmm?" as I gently push him away at his chest, barely able to control my nervous laughter. "Oh, piss off."


    The boy then rests his chin on his fist, still smiling, and flies a finger to crash into my nose. "You''re so cute. I guess I''m the tough one now."


    I swat it away, still giddy like a child. This Jackal isn''t going to fight itself off, now I have to face it.


    "Okay, you know what''s going on," I face him, grabbing his shoulders. "Tell me how to¨C"


    "Shhh," he puts the other finger on my lips. He brushes my hair behind my ear, mulls his hands over my arms, and places his palms atop of mine.


    My corneas almost slammed shut. "Tell me more about what''s on your mind," he whispers straight into my ear.


    "Do I even need to, you moron?" I giggle.


    Our foreheads touch. We lock fingers. Now almost the entire bottom half of my body is shaking like a handheld rescue pager. I fold my legs trying to contain myself. Cory moves his body closer to mine, and kindly pushes me to lay down on the sofa. He lets go of my hands and holds my waist instead, then drawing circles on my shoulder, plucking on the strap at my sports bra.


    I grab his face and kiss him.


    ~~


    "You''re so flexible, wow," Cory says next to me.


    "And now you''re more than just a pain in my ass," I run my fingers through his lush black hair. "Not the battle I was expecting."


    Shit.


    "Thank you for the experience, Cory, and I mean it," I look straight into his wide pupils, then get up, grab my clothes, cover my boobs and lower half and walk briskly out of the living room, heart about to escape from my throat.


    Already I can imagine Adel telling me, "This is exactly what you wanted, what the fuck is the problem now?"


    "Now you know what I''m actually afraid of."


    No idea where I even am regarding my period.


    "You okay?"


    The mere prompt of his voice makes me want it again.


    Whatever, Lori. Enjoy it for once. You may not even get a chance to do this again for all you know.


    "Hey, you okay¨C"


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I straddle him, taping his lips shut with my finger this time, and put his hand on my bosom.


    ~~


    "You know, I could hear both of you trying to be quiet," Adel grumbles, hunched over a desk.


    After rolling my eyes, I kiss Cory on the cheek and let go of his hand. "What''s new?"


    "What the hell are you so busy on?''


    "Some loose wiring you broke," she turns and faces me with an expression flatter than the desk, for about two seconds, then turns back to her work on a piece of my suit¡¯s helmet. Small trickles of smoke come from her task. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the Jackals that did this damage this time,¡± she grumbles. ¡°Then again, you usually break the shit back when the show was a thing.¡±


    Nice to see we¡¯re back to our old ways.


    "Do you want help?"


    Adel silently shoos me away, rubbing her eyes in fatigue.


    ~~


    "What was on your mind after we were done fucking?" Cory swings my hand in his as we plod along the muddy path.


    "In which instance?"


    "Either."


    "Really, not that much. Brain was mostly turned off at that point," a giggle of mine shakes the last half of that sentence.


    He smirks. "You bled quite a bit."


    My cheeks start to burn again. Way to put me on the spot. Even a Jackal doesn''t scare me like this.


    "Oh my God," I mutter, look away, nervously smiling. "You''re so dumb."


    "Dumb, but experienced."


    "I can''t handle this. This can''t be forever,"


    "It won''t," Cory says. We both stop walking.


    Now I''m speechless. I stare at him, only holding his hand tighter.


    Seconds go by.


    "I know," I look down, hugging his long, lean stature. Tears start to sprout from my eyelids.


    "I mean, I hope not, but with both the UWWA and Jackals-"


    "Shut up!" I snap, sobbing. My biceps and thighs Bulged a hair as I shouted at him. "I know, I know, I know, damn it!"


    After a 180, I stomp forward and leave him with an exasperated sigh, only to keep crying, then collapsing and planting my ass in the mulch and mud, sobbing harder and harder.


    Two arms reach around from my back and I lose control of myself in his arms again.


    ~~


    In a hazy head high of bliss and warmth, we both peer out the window. Outside, the sun tires and is ready to go home itself. Well, behind the mist and gray, with ribbons of orange and red glowing through it like a diffuser lamp.


    "Sometimes I''m afraid you''re just going to crush me next time your Bulge whatever kicks in when your legs are around me," Cory mutters. "Which is kinda hot, but still kind of terrifying."


    "I''m more scared shitless than you, I promise."


    I hold him closer. "You get all your stuff ready for tomorrow?"


    "Of course not."


    "Go do that."


    He pecks me on my lips. "Yes, madam," he mocks.


    Clang, clang. "You''re a decent shot for static targets."


    Cory reloads a magazine into his .45. "I''d hope for something automatic for moving targets," he mutters.


    From off the table, I grab the SMG and extend it to him, muzzle pointing away. He looks down at it, then probably at my chest, then at my face.


    "This thing is a lot heavier than I imagined," he says, gripping it and opening the collapsible buttstock.


    "Yeah," I keep my eyes on him as I walk down the range, then turning to him. "Now, I''m going to move around, and you try to hit me," I say as I get on all fours and mock a Jackal''s running gait.


    "What the fuck?"


    I get back up with a giggle. "Try this instead," I switch on the laser sight and grab the HUD. "Select ''SIM MODE'' and hit as many as you can," the interface boots as I shove the integrated glasses over his eyes.


    His eye-hand coordination isn''t bad. "Now try walking," I give him a little push in the center of his back.

 CH44- LORI

    With a thump the Jackal head falls out of my clawed exosuit''s hand. In spite of the creaks and twitches due to the lack of adequate repair tools which Adel was responsible for, I bring home another kill.


    "How darling!" Malithe cheers. "Now we just have to cure it to remove all the toxins."


    "Malithe?" Saana quietly asks. "When should we tell her?"


    Malithe looks back at her for a few seconds, sighing, then hanging her head.


    "I-" she stammers. "Ach, we will have to tell them eventually," she mutters reluctantly.


    As its doors open, flailing about, I exit the suit."What''s the matter?" Adel and I ask in near synchrony.


    Malithe takes a deep breath in, seeming very reluctant to say what she''s about to.


    "Much to my chagrin, we do not have the resources to accommodate the residency of all three of you."


    "Even with our latest harvest?" Adel looks towards the bales and bales of Corsus stalks out the window.


    "Yes," she shakily adds. "Primarily because of Lorianne."


    I feel the blood rush out of my face.


    "She simply eats too much, we cannot feed her."


    Adel''s stomach grumbles. She''s losing a lot of the muscle she used to have.


    "I don''t know if this eases the sting," Philip enters the room, with the small gashes I left on his face still there, "You''re a feisty lass. I still won''t apologize for what I did, but you certainly humbled me. Have this," he hands a necklace of Jackal teeth. "We''d love to see you three again when our farm grows."


    ~~


    "Lori," Adel mutters as I sit in the corner of the room.


    "Why can''t anyone understand?" I shout. "I guess science is beyond people, and I''m the fool to expect otherwise!"


    "Look, that''s beyond your control," she groans.


    "So where the fuck do we go next? Back to Cauldron? And what are we going to do about the guns pointed at us?"


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Who and why would anyone be after us?"


    "The queen bitch Elin certainly would at least detain me, do you not think?"


    Adel grabs me by my shoulders. I try to shake loose, but of course, fail to, before she throws me down to the ground.


    She''s not the gorilla she used to be, but still beyond me in might. Or maybe I just decided to give in.


    "Lori, I love you more dearly than you probably love yourself, but look," she grabs my thin arm and places it to my face. "Does this look like the fighting arm you had just 7 months ago?"


    I look back and forth at her and my arm, leaning my head back in defeat.


    "Unless you have any ideas on how to tweak our genes or some shit, we need to find something to eat."


    "What''s stopping us from eating jackals?"


    "So now you want to go back to that?"


    "Better than going to Cauldron like a bunch of finicky cowards!"


    I try to get up only to get slammed back down.


    "Hey!" Philip barks.


    As Adel and I wrangle with some kind of disorderly hand-grabbing game, Philip grabs me by the hair and pushes Adel to land on her ass. "I know yer'' all upset but at least be so a bit more quietly, please?" He then lets me go. "Sorry we''ve not much to get ya back to the city. Perhaps bring a message to the leadership there that we could set up some kind of trade."


    "We... kind of burned that bridge," I embarrassedly shrug.


    "How so?" he asks.


    "Used to be a TV celebrity. Left the job. Caused a big ruckus on my way out and cost the city a lot of money."


    "In case you forgot," Adel quips, "Elin said you were welcome back whenever."


    "I don''t trust politicians."


    "Money talks, otherwise she would have gotten rid of you already."


    "No, she''s leading me into a trap. I escaped this lifestyle for a fucking reason," I growl.


    "Shh!" Philip snarls. "Both''a ya! Whatever plan ya makin'', bickering like juveniles won''t get ya there."


    "This was all my plan, and she wants to backtrack!"


    "Lori, you know how negotiable everything is there."


    "I''ve negotiated with fate my entire fucking life!"  I shout back. "What the hell do you expect to change if I go back there?"


    "You''d be a highly regarded Chosen."


    "Back into the expensive, comfortable prison we just worked to get out of."


    "If you''re so afraid of where I want to go, then I''ll go the fuck alone," Springing up a bit too quickly from the floor, I grumble and stare her dead in the eye. "Even if I die trying." I blink as a headache rushes over me and I nearly faint for a split second.


    Adel slowly sits down in surrender from the shouting match. Philip turns around and walks out of the room.


    they both had enough of your shit, and aren''t even bothering to tell you.


    A stomach cramp sends me back down to my knees.


    "Lori, I''m hungry too, I don''t have the calories to squabble with you anymore," Adel groans.


    I''d rather die than be weak, I suddenly remember saying.


    Now it looks like I''ll get both.

 CH43- CORVUS

    Lori sleeps so much now. I guess all those years of performance makes her want to just lie down and be a vegetable whenever she gets a chance to. Some chip is lying on the floor next to her neck. I¡¯m not sure how she dropped it, but it¡¯s out there in the open.


    ¡°Adel, what¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. It¡¯s Lori¡¯s chip.¡±


    ¡°Chip¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, MRS. It¡¯s like a diary but automatic. It records ¡®highlights¡¯ of your thoughts and emotions throughout the day, but to look back through it, you have to manually prompt it.¡±


    I raise my brows.


    ¡°Knowing Lori, she probably would just let it do its thing in the background and never look back. Or, well, she probably looks back at it a lot now that she¡¯s in an environment where she doesn¡¯t have anything to do other than ruminate and do a little work here and there.¡±


    ¡°Well, you called her out that time, not me.¡±


    ¡°So, what is it now? Do you want to dig through it or something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ curious,¡± I shrug.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re best off at least getting permission from her first.¡±


    If you want something, ask for it, a voice in my mind mutters.


    ¡°I¡­ want to see what¡¯s in there.¡±


    Press forward, and expect resistance.


    She starts this staring match with me for a good minute or two.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, fine, she probably needs someone to look back for her anyway. Okay. Come with me,¡± Adel mutters, groaning and aching as she gets up from her chair. Knowing how strong she is, I wonder what they did to make her so sore. ¡°Computer¡¯s in the next room.¡±


    I follow her to the creaking door. She extends her open palm to me, placing the chip so it magnetically snaps to a designated area of the glass.


    Adel hits a few buttons before video appears on the projection. A pair of hands offer some kind of soft object. What I assume are Lori¡¯s hands, from a first-person perspective, hesitate before reaching out to it.


    ¡°Is that a¡­ rabbit?¡± I ask nobody.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Yeah, she calls it ¡®Beth¡¯,¡± Adel mutters. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard much about this, though,¡± she focuses on the scene as intensely as I.


    The child Lori¡¯s hands pick up and throw the rabbit away.


    ¡°Lorianne!¡± The nanny shouts in disappointment. ¡°This is the only toy you will get. She is your friend. If you don¡¯t embrace her, there are going to be times where nobody else will be there for you.¡±


    Lori then stops for a few moments before going to her knees and staring at the floor. . ¡°Look,¡± a nanny, I assume, kneels down and looks Lori in the face. ¡°I don¡¯t like how it is either, but you are going to be alone, a lot.¡± She walks to grab the rabbit and hands it to Lori again. ¡°We can only spend so much time with you. I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    ¡°Kruger, Lorianne! You¡¯re next,¡± a nurse shouts from the next room over.


    ¡°Now, go get your shots. Nurse will kiss your boo-boos, okay?¡± she presses the rabbit back into Lori¡¯s chest. Tears then drip onto the rabbit¡¯s body.


    The next sequence of images were mere fragments of Lori screaming, kicking, swinging fists, the rabbit falling to the floor, masked faces and white coats holding her down.


    Next, she''s still angrily sobbing, but then holding onto the rabbit tightly. She is offered a small bowl of soup with a spoon, which she turns away from. The spoon continues to approach her face, to which she swats away, still sobbing.


    ¡°Lorianne, you need to eat, you are underweight,¡± the technician or nurse says, partially muffled through the mask.


    Lori clutches the rabbit tighter.


    The hands give up feeding her, and then offer her some kind of solid bar instead. Lori waits as the white coat then walks away, quietly grabs the food bar, struggling with the wrapper for a while, then grasping the cake or cracker object and clumsily bites into it, dropping half of it, picking it back up, and then stuffing the remainder back in her mouth.


    Next scene, she¡¯s stuck between two of her classmates trying to rip her new friend out of her arms in some kind of three way tug of war. She screams, getting angrier and angrier with every breath, until she lets go, then chases her attackers down and drags them into a thunderstorm of angry fists. The next several minutes consisted of the first and most brutal toddler-on-toddler beatdown I¡¯ve ever seen.


    ¡°You got what you wanted out of this?¡± Adel turns to me.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­¡±


    Adel slowly moves the chip away from the spot on the glass.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I mutter weakly.


    Aside from that, I¡¯m left speechless by what I saw. No wonder why Lori¡¯s so tormented in her own mind, and takes out all her rage on Jackals, or anything in sight. And the show directors only keep capitalizing on it, somewhat understandably¡­ though I hope she never has to hear that.


    Awkward silence as Adel and I kind of sit about in the room.


    Lori then enters the room with a zombie-like gait. ¡°What are you two¨C...oh,¡± she mutters.


    ¡°This is yours,¡± I hand her the MRS chip.


    ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­ though, as you imagine, there¡¯s¡­ a lot in there that I¡¯d rather forget¡­¡± she mumbles, barely audible, eyes down.


    ¡°They¡¯re all part of you that can¡¯t be taken away,¡± Adel says.


    ¡°I know,¡± Lori grumbles, slowly trodding away through the doorframe.. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t wish otherwise.¡± She feebly closes the door behind her.