《Gutter Bunny》


 Chapter One(1)

    The gray, stagnant water from the decanter tank quickly filled the ventilation tunnel she sought refuge in, for the first time she was glad this whole portion of the ship did not have life-support and so she wore her pressurized suit. That might help her escape this ordeal but did not guarantee she would remain alive after.


    Worst of all this was Beryl''s favorite placement so far, doing maintenance on waste disposal machinery. They were always running and needing supervision and at the same time humans hated coming here, like this work was beneath them, and so all she had to do is put in the hours and make sure it was all working smoothly, then she would not have to see their bald faces for weeks if she were lucky.


    She held in a chuckle, wasting air would be a terrible idea but for a moment she imagined one of them being in this position, she thought it would be hilarious and so well deserved. In that moment though she was glad they made her so resilient and resistant to fear, compared to every other thing they put in her those attributes were what she needed to get out of that tunnel without freaking out and breathing eight hours worth of oxygen in less than one.


    ¡°Okay there must be an emergency hatch somewhere in this, if it''s wide enough for a bunny to get into, if only they gave me a helmet with a HUD¡­¡± She sighed, nervously biting her lip with her long incisors. Her mother always told her not to do that, that her kind gets written up for self harm and they would reduce their rations, giving them less points. What the hell, they made the Cunimorphs like this on purpose didn''t they? she thought in a moment of clarity, of all things they kept in just for their amusement they had to leave the anxiety and self-harming behaviours of our gene stock?


    She blinked, the water reached her shins and brought her mind back to the tunnel. Finally noticing the carved depressions on the near vertical walls she began to climb upwards, the holes just wide enough for the large boots her kind required. Those idiots only thought of themselves didn''t they? she would think, breathing heavily as she pulled herself up as fast as she could.


    Beryl banged on the emergency hatch as hard as she could, screaming even if the dry air of her suit¡¯s supply made her throat hurt and her nostrils bleed. There were faint noises on the other side, barely noticeable over her breathing, someone knocked on the hatch and after she banged again she could hear it depressurizing.


    ¡°Finally¡± It was barely a whisper that the stranger didn''t hear, he extended his hand and pulled her out of there before closing the hatch.


    When her vision adjusted she noticed he was one of the ferrets, the wrinkles under his eyes and sparse grey hairs on his muzzle were the first features she noticed under the glare from his helmet.


    ¡°So you must have something to do with what we were called here for, little doe.¡± He said in an inquisitorial tone while trying to wipe the slimy crud out of his gloves. Looking down at herself she could barely see the yellow, white and black patterns of her uniform, she was completely covered in grey slime and dust from the tunnels.


    ¡°C3F4529, waste disposal.¡± She mechanically recited her serial number and occupation as she was trained to do at official matters ¡°But they call me Beryl at the warren, and i think i''m okay, besides being in this suit for too long.¡±


    ¡°F3M6323, construction. I was sent here with a team to assess the damage.¡± He looked over her short, slender body ¡°but you look like you need to be escorted back and given a medical assessment, also full decontamination before you get out of that.¡±


    ¡°There was no rescue effort?¡± She asked, confused, humans cared about their lives if it meant losing experts to accidents so there was no reason to not send a team first.


    ¡°As far as I was informed, there was no one down there, no data about it in the system either.¡± He shrugged ¡°you¡¯ll have to explain what you were doing there to management, also i hope you don''t get blamed for it.¡±


    ¡°I was scheduled to work there today! I replaced all the gaskets down there yesterday, that pipe had no reason to burst like that.¡± She raised her voice, clenching her hands into firsts.


    ¡°All you can do right now is follow me. Can you walk?¡± He was fiddling with the intercom cable on his suit, trying to find a spot where he could plug his suit into the   filthy, old maintenance console on the wall.


    ¡°Yes, I''m not really hurt but thanks. If the wireless worked inside the tunnels I wouldn''t have gotten myself into this.¡± She followed him in case they asked her to speak with them as well.


    The ferret nodded and pressed the emergency switch on the wall resulting in a short conversation with the operator. ¡°So there will be a team waiting for you on the airlock closer to your assigned transit hub, good luck Beryl.¡± He said as he carefully zipped the audio cable back into its pocket.


    ¡°Thank you, can I plug in and call my mom?¡± She asked him, already sure she would be getting an earful, and hers were particularly large.


    ¡°Sure¡±


    [Scene Break]


    As soon as the airlock closed behind her she braced for the decontamination shower, it was always way too cold and she hated the lingering smell of chlorine on her suit, but it meant she could get out of it the moment the other side opened. After the quick blast of air from the drying cycle the chamber hissed until it was pressurized, Beryl pulled her helmet and padded hood off and checked the integrity of her suit. No rips in the seams, the electrically pressurized gloves were fine - she was glad these were okay, they fit tight all the way up to her elbows and were way better than the usual ones. - her boots had a lot of their coating worn off but that was not unusual, so at least she would not be written up for ruining her suit.


    She shoved it back into her locker and was glad to be out of it, her back hurt from all that extra weight and her nose would feel funny for a few hours but she was made to endure way longer in it. She kept her jumpsuit on, she was not wearing much under it and as long as she kept the hoses going into her gastric system and her airways plugged from the outside it was okay. They were probably going to ask her to undress anyway and she would like to avoid that for as long as she could.


    The door opened and the uniformed team walked inside, one doctor and two paramedics, these looked like shepherds, and one man with an electric prod, these were always masked but she guessed they were humans just like the doctors.


    ¡°C3F4529, waste disp-¡± The doctor shoved his gloved hand in her mouth before she finished and pulled her lip up to reveal the number printed on its inner side. She hated when they did that.


    ¡°Did you upload the data from your suit''s health monitor?¡± He asked coldly, pulling his hand out of her mouth to type her number on his stretchtab.


    ¡°I did.¡± She answered dryly, wishing she had the guts to bite his hand. Both paramedics were undressing her and pulling the tubes out, checking for bleeding on their respective sphincters and on the flap leading to her airway.


    ¡°No bleeding, sir¡± one of them said, moving on to flash a light on both her eyes.


    ¡°Are you in pain or otherwise feeling anything unusual?¡± He went on with his questions, unfazed by her nudity.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡± She crossed her arms, both to cover her chest and due to how cold it was in the airlock.


    ¡°I think we are done, report to your superior he is expecting to debrief you.¡± They put all their equipment back in their cases and left the room, leaving her to go back to her locker and dress herself.


    She took a good look at her body, or rather the one made for her. It was made as a mockery of theirs, their bodies being almost identical, besides her feet, tail and head, those were too rabbit-like for it to count as human. She brushed her mostly white fur back into shape all the way up from her black feet and to the bushy black tuft on the top of her head and rubbed some cream on the extra holes they added. Beryl could never get used to how it felt to stick her fingers under that flap on the base of her neck leading to her airway or the sphincters that opened into her esophagus and colon but at least they made her long periods inside her suit more bearable.


    She also had no idea how all this meant she wasn''t a person but that was something she grew used to. Apparently to the builders of this ship, whoever had the idea of carving an asteroid into one and launching it to a far away star, being made in a plastic bag from fully printed embryos was enough for her not to be an animal or a human and undeserving of the rights of either. Beryl put her provided set of T-shirt and pants and left the airlock, unsure of what was waiting for her outside.


    The transit hub was empty of both passengers or trains and even if she could go home right now, she did not have clearance to leave her work sector at that time. Realizing she had no idea what time it was she pulled her Stretchtab and saw it was 1530 of the next day, she had no choice other than go look for her manager and set all of this straight so she shrunk the device and wrapped it around her wrist. She hurried across the catwalk that linked both north and south platforms, her steps muffled by the polymer-tiled floor still echoed on the stone that formed the walls and ceiling of the platform, Above her innumerous human families went and came about in a comfortable imitation of Earth¡¯s surface, whatever that was supposed to be like. Beryl believed it was accurate after all, humans had very high standards for everything save their service people''s living conditions, but she disliked going up there, being up there among them felt wrong to her yet it was what Cunimorphs like her were made for: customer service and hospitality.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    She walked across the equally drab looking corridors of the office block right beside the station, where the management team of this sector¡¯s waste treatment center was located. Endless rows of cubicles and small rooms made of prefabricated steel and faded grey polymer filled with opossums. She sometimes wondered what the logic behind the division of labor between species of Zoimorphs but given their masters'' twisted sense of humor there was some relation between the ¡®possums and trash, as for Cunimorphs she knew, humans found them adorable.


    Her manager¡¯s door was halfway open and made of milky plastic but she knocked anyway.


    ¡°I know it''s you, I can see your ears from here¡± She opened the door to the office, not much occupied the room besides an old desk with a number of mismatching monitors anchored to one side. Her boss was elderly, dressed in the yellow button-up shirts provided to managers in his line of work, he was the kind of man to spend the leftover points his position afforded him in lavishly greasy food and as such the uniform didn''t fit his form so well anymore. Upon seeing her he straightened himself, resting his elbows on the table and lifting one of his thick grey brows. ¡°You¡¯re


    looking too good for someone that went through all that trouble.¡±


    Beryl rested both hands on the chair¡¯s backseat, nervously biting on her lower lip. ¡°The decon shower did a thorough job, but I don''t have to say that, right?¡±


    He nodded slowly ¡°I could smell the chlorine the moment you got inside, hate it¡± then swiveled one monitor so it would face her, it displayed security footage of the incident. ¡°So one of our main tanks ruptured, not the worst problem by itself on usual days but we have a compounding issue here on our hands, you¡¯ll see.¡± He swiftly joined his palms, and Beryl¡¯s ears folded back. ¡°Sit please¡±


    Slumped into the chair she felt her breathing get heavier again. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything else that happened after the breach, Shredder.¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, I saw all the footage and how you were dragged out of there by the flood. The problem is, hundreds of humans right above us will have to ration water and use emergency sanitation equipment, because for some reason there was a misplaced shipment of spare chipsets for the plants computers right in that room and those were set to be replaced today. Now the working set and the spare are dead and we can''t ask the priority queue on the level 5 fabrication units to change because suddenly it''s like all sectors are undergoing maintenance one after the other and I¡¯ve spent hours on endless calls trying to find someone that could change the priority list and couldn''t!¡± Beryl was shaking, trying to mumble something but it just would not come out.


    ¡°Sorry, the thing is at this point they are going to pick whoever was in that footage, namely you, and throw you somewhere not so easy to come back from.¡± Shredder¡¯s ears folded back. ¡°The political climate up there is not that great right now, it''s like once every ten years they remember they are cooped up in a ship and take every little problem as a sign that it¡¯s going to fall apart.¡±


    ¡°But the ship was built to last twice as long as needed, that''s what the fabrication sectors are for.¡± Beryl looked down, crossing her arms as she kept licking the wound she made on her lower lip.


    ¡°Humans act like they are always in scarcity. Every time we get a slight improvement they act like we are taking all the resources from them, it''s just how it is, probably since the start of the journey.¡± He played the footage again, her number displayed above her head as provided by her implanted tracker.


    Her eyes went to the time of the recording, right next to it was boldly written: Condensed version was edited by the Overseer¡¯s team.¡±Wait, the ferret that requested a medical check for me said they had no idea I was there!¡± She leaned forward, resting her firsts on the desk.


    ¡°I thought you were rescued, Beryl¡± His demeanor shifted, the large and dark marsupial eyes wide open. ¡°As far as i knew they were spending all this time to get you out of there.¡± But look just¡­ wait for them to come to you, as far as we know nothing changed, i don''t have to fire you and neither will they do anything to you or me before investigating, Remember we are very expensive to make and train and you have 7 years of experience with this.¡±


    She took a deep breath. ¡°Would suck to go somewhere else, I liked it here. Can you believe it?¡± and tried to smile.


    Shredder snorted ¡°and I remember how hard you argued to get in, but I get why, after what happened to your father, no one on the surface wanted anything to do with your family.¡±


    Beryl was too young to remember all the details, and her mom wouldn''t talk about it but she knew her father was framed for killing a councilman, at least she was sure he was. She was not too young to work though as most Zoimorphs began working when they turned twelve years old.


    ¡°I was the only one working for a long time¡± She nodded, lowering her ears.


    ¡°I really hope you get all of this behind you, doe. If they bother holding a trial I''ll do my best to get you out of this mess okay?¡± He reached for something under his desk with his massive hands. ¡°Here, have a donut, beats that paste the suits been shoving into your gullet the whole day.¡± She reached for the open bag and picked one.


    She bit into it, most of it tasted real, but the chocolate probably wasn¡¯t ¡°Thank you¡±.


    He relaxed in his chair, giving her a lopsided grin. ¡°Now go home, there''s a train going in that direction coming in the next 5 minutes and I''m giving you clearance.¡±


    Beryl got up and after hurriedly saying thanks she left for the hub, nearly bumping into a coworker on her way out.


    He turned back to face her ¡°Hey! You''re alive!¡±


    ¡°Sorry Screamer, I¡¯ll miss the train!¡± She shouted as she hurried to the platform, the noise of the train becoming more perceptible over the background sounds as she went on. It had to be the train running clockwise around the diameter of the ship, and because of that it was a short trip between here and the warren.


    The train arrived, a capsule-shaped vehicle that ran autonomously between the hubs, it was one of the only methods of transportation zoimorphs were allowed in unless authorized as it minimized their presence in the surface and reduced the time they could justifiably spend up there.


    Beryl sat on the metal bench as there was plenty of room, the only ones using the train at that odd hour were either specialists with no fixed workplaces or people cleared to ride it for unusual reasons like she was. She saw some ferrets, probably from the team the old guy that saved her was from and several cats and foxes with similar uniforms who were probably coworkers from the same restaurant.


    After a minute or two the chime indicating her stop was coming played. She had finished the donut and depending on how her mother would be acting like when she got home that meant she would not worry about going to bed hungry. Who would be home at this time? probably her youngest brother and her sister, if she got hired as she was expecting she would not be going to work until very late in the night, and her brother was still too young to work for the next two years.


    Maybe it would be a good idea to pick Jasper at the daycare before going home if she could, but maybe it was too early, she would try it anyway as her mother would appreciate if she did. She pulled her Stretchtab out of her wrist and stretched it so it would fit on her lap then sent a message to her mother saying she would try to pick him up earlier, after that it didn''t take long for the train to stop and she wrapped the device back on her wrist.


    The long maze of tunnels and chambers they called the warren used to be just a fraction of its size and a very unsanitary place to live back when the ship was still brand new. What let it grow was the effort of all cunimorphs that lived there, slowly digging bigger chambers and adding sewage pipes. Those additions were allowed after much protest from its population that was in the end allowed to self govern and use their earned points to request parts and equipment from Fabrication.


    Beryl liked living there, she didn''t know too well what living on the surface was like, but in the warren it was like they were all family and they all worked to make their lives as comfortable as they could.


    She got out of the platform and into the lit, smoothed out tunnels that were her home. The main tunnel was wide and tall enough to fit most of the digging equipment used to build it so she was surprised to see it so full at that time. Her stretchtab pinged and so she swiped to see that her mother had answered ¡°Pick Rosemary up as well¡±


    As well? did the doctors give her mother another child? Beryl always wondered how that worked, the baby making that is, she was too young when Jasper came to remember. She knew they were made in bags in a sector of the ship no zoimorphs were allowed inside, as well that sometimes the doctors gave them updates, like her bypass sphincters. Her mother was too old to receive a new baby however, there''s always younger couples available and they seemed to prioritize those.


    She rushed to the daycare where her old caretaker Lily was giving a lesson to the children, Beryl waved at her and she came, carrying one of the youngest ones in her arms. Lily was a spotted rabbit just like her and the rest of her family, she barely had black spots on her face unlike Beryl, with her two large spots on each eye and one extra on the right side of her muzzle.


    ¡°Beryl! it''s great to see you''re not hurt, we were all worried.¡± Lily hugged her with her remaining arm.


    ¡°Yea and they let me go earlier today after a medical check, I wondered if i can pick Jasper and Rosemary earlier today?¡± She asked meekly, not entirely sure how much she would be overstepping.


    ¡°Well here is Rosemary¡­¡± She then offloaded the baby onto her arms, Beryl couldn''t hold back a gasp. Babies were heavier than she remembered, she wondered what the doctors added to this one. ¡°Jasper! Your sister is here!¡± She shouted back at the room.


    Her brother got up from where he sat and came to her, with his fur all messy and tangled as usual, he shared the black tuft on his head like hers. ¡°Youre alive,¡± He said shily.


    ¡°Of course she is.¡± Lily giggled ¡°she came to pick you up, so be good and go straight home.¡±


    He nodded and walked over to Beryl''s side. She held his hand and the two of them walked away.


    ¡°Tell me this one isn''t ours.¡± She asked him, the desperation obvious in her voice.


    ¡°No, mom is helping Tyme for a while, they gave her to her but she''s been too sick.¡±


    Beryl breathed in and out slowly.¡±Great, I got worried for a second.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be fun¡± He reached to tickle the baby¡¯s feet.


    ¡°For you!, now that Emerald is working again it would be a nightmare.¡± She pulled the baby out of his reach.


    ¡°Does almost dying make people cranky? cause you''re cranky?¡± He chuckles.


    ¡°...I just need to get on my bed.¡±


    She opened the sliding door to her home, a circular chamber with enough space for a kitchenette, a small table and four excavated alcoves hidden by curtains. She laid the baby on her bed with her, unsure of what to do with her but too tired to do anything at all.


    Her mother would arrive soon anyway.

 Chapter Two(2)

    The little alcoves dug into the wall made for cozy spaces to sleep, having solid rock between each personal space kept the outside noises from disturbing them, and still Beryl couldn''t sleep herself even if Rosemary just laid quiet in her corner. She had her Stretchtab set as wide as she could in front of her, locked to her fingerprints so all the small child could do is tap playfully at it. She scrolled through the controlled newsfeed, the mishap she took part in barely a blip, the article warning passengers of the occasional water supply interruption taking more space below it. Beryl could not see how this could inconvenience someone so much as she had to shower in public at specific times herself.


    She heard the door slide open, and the light footsteps made it clear to her that it was her sister Emerald, so she got out of her alcove to meet her. The moment the curtain was swooshed to the side Beryl saw her, her barely spotted white fur full of twirly curls and the strange uniform bar waitresses wore, it looked great on her, in fact better than it would look on Beryl herself. She didn''t know what it was called, that strange silky jumpsuit with no fabric on either arms or legs that displayed half of her sister¡¯s butt, paired with the tall shoes she sometimes saw on the passenger¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Beryl! I can¡¯t believe you almost missed my first day at the new job¡± Emerald said in a bubbly tone Beryl had never heard before, then laughed loudly. ¡°How does it sound? I have been practicing.¡± She stretched her carefully manicured hand and scruffed the tuft on top of her sister¡¯s head.


    Not liking to be reminded that she was shorter than her younger sister she pushed the hand out of her head. ¡°It sounds okay¡± She tried to smile, but could not fake it.


    Her sister put her hand on her shoulder ¡°You''re a wreck, whatever happened in there wasn''t good for you.¡± Beryl drooped her snoot and shoulders, her ears folding back in turn.


    ¡°Add to that the scare of believing we had a new baby¡­¡±


    Emerald cackled ¡°Aw, give mom a break she''s just trying to help a friend¡±


    Beryl snorted, her mother, always trying to compensate for what happened with her mate and for how much help they needed after that. These days she knew better than to resent it but it still happened sometimes. ¡°It¡¯s alright i guess, what''s the new job supposed to be like?¡±


    ¡°I have to be cute and ditzy in a very attractive way to the patrons and wait tables¡± Emerald pantomimed holding a tray and handing drinks. ¡°Don''t get to keep all the tips though¡± Her face morphed into a sour frown.


    ¡°Im sure youll find a way to get something out of this, i know you enough for that¡±


    ¡°it''s why i''ve been practicing my act, i¡¯m sure i''ll break a heart of two¡±


    Beryl cringed and shook her head. ¡°So so happy to see you working though¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯ll get me a Stretchpad like yours, for taking orders and whatnot¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that¡­¡± Beryl went to her alcove and picked hers up, scrolling her message tab ¡°No news of mom, but she should be getting here soon, i wanna offload that kid to her ASAP and sleep.¡±


    Emerald put an oversized jacket over her outfit and turned on the cooktop ¡°As for me, i''m going to have a cup of coffee and then go, i have to help with the shift change too.¡±


    Beryl went over to the table and sat on the opposite side of her sister. It was strange to see her sister like this, so confident, sounding so old, like she was away not for a day but longer. She managed to give a sincere smile this time. ¡°Good luck¡±


    ¡°Not gonna call me candy top and ruin my curls this time?¡± She teased, her face sporting a crooked grin.


    ¡°No, I am sincerely happy for you, really.¡± She blushed, holding back her laughter, they both may be adults now but being two years older than her sister still let her feel entitled to pick on her. ¡°Maybe i do need a new job too¡±


    ¡°So mom would stop complaining about you smelling like either chlorine or trash every day?¡± Jasper said from behind her, she and Emerald turned to face him, and he dipped his head. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, not the whole reason though, I don''t want a job where being there is like making a statement or something, maybe i need to work a job fit for a rabbit again.¡±


    Emerald got up and filled her mug with coffee. ¡°If they start hiring again I''ll tell you.¡±


    A noise came from the door and the three of them turned their heads to face it. Right behind the doorway was their mother, a middle aged Cunimorph more like Emerald in appearance than the other two siblings, with few marks of age, the more pronounced one were her graying spots. She put her bag of supplies down, and came towards Beryl giving her a tired hug.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they told u s they were looking for you.¡± She ran her fingers along Beryl¡¯s greasy, matted cheek fur.¡°I¡¯ve Never seen you come back from there looking so awful.¡±


    ¡°At this point i''m expecting these things honestly.¡± She Shrugged ¡°They only care as much as they need to.¡±


    ¡°How is Rosemary?¡± Her Mother asked, moving over to the counter to serve herself some coffee.


    ¡°Okay, sleeping on my bed, i tried to when i got here but couldn''t.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for picking her up and Shredder let you out early? that''s great coming from him.¡±


    Emerald emptied her mug in a single gulp and paced closer to the two of them. ¡°I should be going.¡±


    Their mother leaned towards Emerald and nuzzled her cheek. ¡°Good luck up there, is it at that restaurant bordering the lake? I used to be a hostess there long ago.¡±


    Emerald smiled sheepishly, her ears flushed. ¡°Not just a restaurant anymore, but yes. I should be back at 5 am.¡± She glanced back at Beryl before leaving.


    A moment later they were both sitting at the table, her Mother sipping on her coffee and Beryl slouched over. ¡°Y¡¯sure you don''t want to eat anything?¡± Beryl shook her head.


    Jasper fiddled with his sister¡¯s Stretchpad, idly scrolling through maps and menus. ¡°Mom, my friends must be outside already, can I go and play?¡± After a swift yes from his mother he too left to the main tunnel.


    ¡°Go lay on my bed¡° she stroked the scruffy fur on Beryls neck, making her mumble something to her mother. ¡°and i''ll make dinner.¡±


    She dragged her body to her mothers alcove and nearly collapsed on the somewhat soft mattress, pulling the blankets over her to feel warmer against the cold underground air. Some time later her mother laid next to her.


    ¡°You''re awake¡± she said to her, stroking the little black tuft on her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, mom, just¡­ wondering what''s gonna happen if they decide I''m guilty¡± She curled up away from her mother, leaving just her nose out of the blanket.


    Her mother laid beside her, her chin facing the rock ceiling even if her eyes glanced at her daughter ¡°and you''re that sure it could happen?¡±


    Beryl¡¯s voice began to falter ¡°Not because its my fault¡±


    She put a hand over the bundle of bun and blanket ¡°Beryl, what happened to your dad was-¡±


    ¡°Not his fault.¡± she exclaimed, low yet distinctly distressed.


    Her gently pulled the end of the blanked down, revealing a sniffling, teary eyed Beryl. ¡°We have no idea, but it was out of our control.¡±


    Beryl¡¯s head slipped out of the bundle, resting on her mother¡¯s lap ¡°I don''t know how you can go up there and look after their kids for the whole day.¡±


    Her mothers hands very gently groomed her fluff and her ears. ¡°Believe me, the kids aren¡¯t that bad these days, at least better than their parents.¡±


    ¡°Doubt it.¡±


    ¡°Some of them are even polite with me these days, so maybe they want it to change too.¡± She got up and remained kneeled beside her daughter.


    Beryl grunted and wiggled away from her mother, she felt a pull to blanket, and then it covered her again.


    * * *


    Screamer threw another piece of trash at her, she picked it up, vacuumed the ice particles from it and threw it in the ¡°polymer¡± pile. Beryl looked up, the tall, domed ceiling filled with chutes was the main defining feature of the Main Aft Recycling Plant, it was a curious place for her as she got to see just how much the passengers used and consumed compared to them. As for her current placement, Shredder told her it would be a terrible idea to remain at Water Purification while the whole place had to be rebuilt and the investigation was underway. She agreed but just wished her current work partners, Screamer and Prowler wouldn''t yap for the entirety of the shift, but that''s likely what working with a pair of siblings was supposed to be like.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°It might be dull work for you but it''s nice to have you at recycling once in a while¡± Screamer said to her from the top of  the trash pile he was standing on.


    Prowler pulled a huge piece of scrap metal and began cutting it with her plasma multitool. ¡°Still crazy that we never run out of stuff.¡± She said in her usual hoarse voice.


    Screamer balked ¡°over 300 years and we are down 15% raw materials, honestly they oughta give us a raise!¡± and laughed.


    Beryl stopped to think, almost failing to catch a piece of prefab wall thrown at her ¡°Almost 50% when we get there, checks out that it was made to last two trips.¡±


    Prowler lifted the UV shield from her helmet, turning to face her ¡°And they sure act like it, do nothing but drink and party and only work half the time we have to, morons.¡±


    ¡°Looking forward to the stories my sister will bring home¡± Beryl commented while analyzing a discarded bottle of liquor. ¡°I wanna know what this tastes like¡± She threw it in a pile.


    ¡°If you find something nice around here you can keep it if ya want, as long as old Cheddar Shredder doesn''t find out.¡± He snickered.


    ¡°Noted¡± She vacuumed more frost, a silly grin formed on her face. ¡°I had no idea the lack of life-support in these areas was actually required, it really makes it much easier.¡±


    ¡°Also you don''t have to smell any of this¡± Prowler spread her arms, turning to face the larger mounds in the distance. ¡°Though the bioreactor chamber has an atmosphere, place is the absolute worst but without that, no fertilizer.¡±


    ¡°...All a grand circle¡­¡± Beryl recited one of the songs from the videos they would show at the daycare.


    Prowler groaned ¡°You guys listened to that too?, sometimes i wonder how much of it is fake¡±


    Screamer snickered, slowly getting down from the pile ¡°Oh we are definitely not going to be all equals once we get there, that i''m sure.¡±


    Beryl sighed ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll manage to cut ourselves our own piece of the pie once we get there, if we push hard enough.¡± She glanced at her gloved hands and rubbed one on the other, getting the dust and crud out of them. Not a lot of information about the universe was afforded to the Zoimorphs, but she knew they were heading to a star named Phoenicia and once they got there, they would evaluate where they would stay there. They knew there would be enough light, water and raw materials so they could go on even if the planet was not a candidate for terraforming. That promise of a bright future was supposed to keep them from rioting and taking over the ship, but to her the fragility of their existence being composed mostly of sterile creatures more adapted to live in space was the real reason. If they tried a real coup they might never manage to fix their sterility and then they would just doom themselves.


    Screamer patted her shoulder from behind ¡°Nuff Dreaming, Shredder just told me that''s enough sortin¡¯ for today, time to get the Exo, carry these to the containers and load them on the next cargo trains.¡±


    Beryl grinned when she heard that, it was hard to find an excuse to pilot an exoskeleton in her line of work, so much she hasn''t yet. ¡°Can I try it, or-?¡±


    ¡°Again, Shredder doesn''t have to know right?¡± He got ahead of them and towards the hangars. ¡°If the job gets done right no one bothers to check the recordings so as long as you do that you''re good!¡±


    ¡°Fuck yes!¡± She ran after him, not caring to hide her gleeful laughter, letting it echo on the walls of that grimy chamber. Screamer typed his password on the hangar door and it rolled up, revealing a dark, murky interior, she couldn¡¯t see much besides the cracked and oil stained concrete floor but soon the lights came on one by one, revealing the tall, bulky humanoid machine amidst haphazardly piled up parts and tools. It stood with stout and wide legs, its arms too long in proportion to its torso, attached to shoulders too wide. In the center rested a backless seat large enough for a person in a suit, regular issue or EVA to sit in on, the legs kept from dangling by supports that were flush with its chassis.


    beryl gasped, taken aback ¡°It¡¯s way bigger than i thought it would be¡±


    ¡°About 4 meters, more than that would be a waste of power. By the way I''ve done the latest checkup on it myself, so this should be a breeze for you.¡± Screamer crossed his arms, grinning at her.


    ¡°Do I just?...¡±


    ¡°Climb on the saddle, I¡¯ll strap you in¡± he put his hand on a sensor pad on the chassis and several steps popped out of the machine. Beryl climbed to the top and sat on the padded surface, Screamer followed in tow and linked the suit¡¯s harness to the Exo. He stood to her side, one foot on a step and his hand holding on to one the arm¡¯s pistons. ¡°So you know your suit uses your ID implant to communicate with your nervous system right?¡± He was gesturing with his free hand, making a show out of it and so did not wait for her to answer ¡°You probably never used it for anything other than uploading health data but the Exo uses that connection to get input data from you, that way you free your actual hands for other tasks while you control it.¡± He typed something in one of three small displays in front of her. ¡°Just authorizing you, it''s going to ask what implant to connect to, for now it''s yours¡­¡±


    He was lost in thought for a moment, mumbling things to himself until the screens flashed green. ¡°So what now?¡± Beryl looked to her sides, not seeing much besides the Exo¡¯s shoulders, each standing a meter or so taller than her. She noticed its shoulders rotated along with hers. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You''re in! Try moving your arms and fingers, i''m going to the hangar to your left to sync up too!¡± He hopped down and disappeared behind her. The machines hands moved in front of her, and she realized she was in control, its fingers twirling to her command.


    ¡°Woa¡± She tried other simple movements like clapping and she cackled at how off and awkward it looked on a body like that. She left the hangar, its tight quarters now bothering her as she felt taller than ever before.


    ¡°Wait wait don''t go out too far yet!¡± She turned her head and saw Screamer riding his Exoskeleton and hurrying out of the structure. ¡°We need the tools! lots of shoveling to do today.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, this is just so cool.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine! but in the end we are just shoveling crap onto containers.¡±


    He was not lying, the tool for today¡¯s tasks was indeed a giant shovel, its massive girth making the trash piles they spent the day sorting look like gravel. With the Exos they were able to lift the containers into the wheeled supports and fill them easily, then Prowler controlled a crane remotely to lift them onto the wagons.


    Beryl knew that this was still work, but she had not been that entertained in a very long time, taking every opportunity she could to try and see what the suit could do, even dancing in it. She and Screamer made a good team and quickly packed all that trash to be processed. Looking back at him she saw a suited figure in  orange and blue colors sharing the seat with him, their arms holding on to his waist. They waved at her.


    ¡°Haha, I forgot to tell you about her, she''s from transportation. I usually meet her at the airlock after her shift¡±


    ¡°But you had to break another rule and give her a ride, right?¡± She snickered ¡°Nice to see the crap they let you pull here, wish i could do that¡±


    She was surprised to find out the lady from transportation was a Hyenimorph. She was taller and bulkier than either her or the siblings and had a puffy, well kept brown and tan coat full of stripes.


    ¡°Well, what''s a bunny doing down here?¡± She asked Screamer, who now had half of his jumpsuit zippered down, hanging from his hips. His chest was bare besides the tubes still attached to his sphincters, despite all warnings on the wall he vaped in the airlock, the fumes defiantly coming out of his thrac tubes. He just shrugged and moved closer to the hyena with a stupid grin, getting on his tiptoes to kiss her. Prowler slapped the back of his head ¡°You''re gonna get yourself fired you moron¡­¡±


    Beryl was not expecting that, and raced to find an answer for her. ¡°Uuuh It¡¯s what was available here, my workplace exploded two days ago, and you are?¡±


    ¡°H3F4567, they call me Ziggy, cause I have a funny stripe that goes up my mane.¡± She twirled the dark stripe that came out of her silver mane.


    ¡°Well i think it''s pretty¡± said Beryl, removing her tight hood and finally releasing her ears with a recognizable fwomp


    ¡°Yes she''s pretty¡­¡± Screamer nuzzled Ziggy¡¯s neck, and both their ears blushed.


    Beryl went on with the steps required to get out of the suit, removing her gloves, then unzipping the layers and detaching the light adhesive that kept the tubes in place. She couldnt help retching as she pulled them out  and threw them in the biohazard chute. ¡°So that''s what you do here? Break rules and make out with girls from other departments?¡± She still stroked her neck, the area around the flap feeling raw.


    ¡°Yea, and i kinda like it¡±


    ¡°Nice, too bad i¡¯ll probably be fired or worse, i¡¯m liking it here too.¡± Her long ears drooped.


    The massive hyena petted Beryl¡¯s head, the hand as large as her head. ¡°Aww, that can¡¯t happen. What if you can prove it wasn''t your fault? There must be something you remember.¡±


    Beryl sat down and stroked her temple ¡°It was all so fast, and not in my field of view. Then the nasty water carried me away and destroyed most things in that room.¡±


    Screamer sat down next to her on the bench, wiggling his nose and along with it his whiskers as he tried to think of something. ¡°If you say it was impossible for it to be an accident, who would be more likely to sabotage it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not part of the circles that would know, I''m neither management nor in contact with humans¡­Emerald!¡± She got up and rushed to get out of her jumpsuit and into her regular clothes. ¡°If someone can help me with this right now it''s my sister, she''s around drunk humans all the time!¡±


    * * *


    ¡°No, I am not accepting help from one of them!¡±


    Beryl nearly screamed at her sister, it was too unexpected, even if it came from Emerald. And now she had to listen to her nonsensical plans in some random storage unit.


    ¡°Look, I know it sounds like an awful idea to you, but I''ve been hearing a lot of things since I got that job. They weren''t always like this¡­ listen¡± She rested a hand on her shoulder, her make-up not done yet despite already wearing her uniform under the same oversized jacket. Beryl grunted and finally let her speak.


    ¡°They weren''t always like this, we weren''t a thing yet when the ship was built, they came up with the idea after they left the solar system, there was this shift in government after the second generation got into power and they pushed to have us made. Point is, this would not be allowed on earth and everyone there would think it''s not right to treat us this way¡±


    ¡°I never had any interaction with them that didnt start with them shoving a finger into my mouth so i find that very hard to swallow, even then, we are isolated so how many humans here would risk themselves to support us?¡±


    ¡°Plenty, You should come with me one day and chat with them.¡±


    ¡°Are you- I have a job and i don''t want to lose it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t work night shift do you?¡±


    Beryl could swear she heard her eye veins pop, she grumbled for a moment before saying no.


    ¡°My boss is very politically involved with Zoimorph causes so it will be easy to get you a temporary permit, as long as you actually do the work there.¡± Her sister''s voice slowly turned into a murmur in her head as she looked down and imagined herself wearing that silly costume, the way it hugged her curves and what little she had on her chest. Her ears drooped and she felt herself flush.


    ¡°Okay, this better be worth it.¡±