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Trying to rectify that by posting it, and the next chapter today. This takes place in the same setting as [iconname]TerraMGP[/iconname] Yggdrassil series, such as her most recent postings of 'By Birthright'. Please check her out if you haven't already.\n\nCharacters presented are of legal age of consent. ", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Eric wakes up to find Skiv is safe, only to learn she's about to face someone he never dared expect: His mother.

This was something I had in my tabs for a good while that I almost forgot about it. Trying to rectify that by posting it, and the next chapter today. This takes place in the same setting as \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTerraMGP\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTerraMGP\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Yggdrassil series, such as her most recent postings of 'By Birthright'. Please check her out if you haven't already.

Characters presented are of legal age of consent. ", "writing": "Light cracked his eyelids open. Eric yawned, staring up at the ceiling as his body dared not move and break the fox's comfort. His bodysuit clung tight, squeezing against his fur but otherwise keeping his body temperature stable without a blanket. An ache crawled up his spine as he felt for his limbs, the restrictive outfit slowing his movements by a noticeable fraction. For the first minute, he did not let a single thought cross his mind and ruin the bliss.\n\nThen reality hit him, harder than any system shock. ``Fack!'' Eric sprang up, grunting through the soreness in his spine and neck. How could he have fallen asleep? How long? He knew how long, the damn sunlight on his face proved it was too long. He'd made sure to be away, keeping himself stocked on energy drinks and snacks so he could scour the net. \n\nThe net. Skiv. His heart raced. ``Fack, fack, fack!'' Did he mess up at a data node? Did a security checkpoint knock him out? He opened his messages, hoping that by now the kidnappers sent him some sort of threatening email with a ransom tag for his bodyguard. If they bothered to keep her alive. \n\nThere was nothing. Eric blinked and refreshed the page in his AR screen. Nothing. He had prepared for the worst. Pictures of her limbs broken, her face bloodied, or even just a finger. But not nothing. He couldn't do anything with nothing! Nothing but breath faster and faster, clutching his chest and gritting his teeth as the panic took full effect. ``Fack!'' He screamed so loud that his throat tore at him, dehydrated from the entire night unconscious. \n\nA sudden knock at the door jilted his system. He tripped over his feet, falling backward against the floor. ``Young Master?'' Mallory called, the door opening upon command, though slower than normal. The raccoon had to push her way through, finding the fox teary eyed and curled up on the floor. \n\n``I failed her,'' He muttered, shivering. How else could he describe it? Skiv, the only person that saw past his status and still cared in some weird way he still couldn't grasp, and he couldn't save her. No, he was at fault in the first place. If he didn't take her out on some foolish attempt to date, to play some dumb game that, looking back, had some heavy classist elements that he should have seen. How could he be so stupid? ``I failed her. She's gone. I can't find her and she's gone.''\n\n``Oh young master,'' Mallory cooed. The raccoon helped him up and pulled him into her arms, letting his tears seep into her uniform. ``There, there. It's ok.'' She patted him down, cradling him as she'd done many times in his childhood. \n\n``I can't find her, Mallory.'' Eric's fingers dug into her back, pulling at the cloth, ``It's my fault. I can't find her and it's my fault.'' She was probably happy at the news. He knew how much Skiv and Mallory hated each other. The maid would never approve of the rabbit, wanting nothing more than to toss her aside like the gutter trash they saw her as. But he loved her, damn it. \n\n``It's ok,'' She repeated, clutching him close. ``We found her. She's safe.'' \n\nThe words coiled around him. They found her? How? Why? Wearing his confusion across his face, Eric sniffed and looked up to the maid. She simply nodded. ``She's currently recovering. Why don't we get you out of this suit and a proper meal before-''\n\n``Take me to her.'' The order clawed from his throat. ``Now.'' Eric was up before she could dare deny him, already at the door to note the dents made. Something to think about later, once Skiv was alright. As per her duty, Mallory followed his command and led him to the house's medical bay. To his surprise, Mavis and Leif were waiting there, neither nursing any wounds across themselves. Instead, they stood next to a pod that Eric knew was for emergency healing only. \n\n``Morning, dear brother,'' Mavis said, sniffing the air only to reel back and pinch her nose. ``Could you have not taken five minutes to shower? Those suits aren't the most hygienic.'' \n\nHe ignored her, pushing her aside with panic given strength and face planted into the pod. There she was, lying peacefully beneath the glass. Skiv, despite her attitude when awake, had a sense of tranquility when she rested. She'd been banged up, but the pod would heal it. It would heal...his eyes wandered down further, fingers scratching against the glass as his heart froze. ``What...happened?'' \n\nMavis braced his shoulder, ``There was a complication.''\n\nHe pushed her hand away, ``What facking happened to her legs?!'' Eric screamed, grabbing his bigger sister's shirt. He didn't have the strength to force her anywhere she didn't want, even with adrenaline, but that didn't stop him. ``Who did this to her? Give me names!'' \n\n``Sarah's legs were crushed by debris.'' Mallory held his wrist, carefully pulling him away from the white fox, ``She pushed me away as the building collapsed.''\n\n``Where was she? And why wasn't I told of this rescue?'' He put himself between the pod and everyone else, ``Why's she still unconscious? Give her some damned prosthetics or something. I know damn well we can afford it. Look at Jennifer's facking arms, or most of your body,'' He said, pointing to Mallory. \n\n``She was in a warehouse in the lower levels.'' The raccoon stood her ground, ``Before the rescue took place, I had sedated you to keep you from interfering. You were not physically or mentally sound for such a mission.'' \n\n``That's not for you to decide.''\n\n``Young Master, as the head maid of the Karbon Estate, it is up to me to make sure my master and mistress's children are safe. You were killing yourself trying to find her.''\n\nShe was right, not that he wanted to admit it. He'd put his brain on the brink going so deep to find her, to search for something that wasn't there. ``So why's she still asleep? Why haven't we given her prosthetics? They are on their way, right? You've ordered them?''\n\n``Augmentations have to be earned, Eric.''\n\n``Oh fack off, Mavis,'' He spat. ``You can take your self-righteous attitude and spout it off to the moronic soldier that actually believes your drek. Besides, what hasn't Skiv done to earn them? Clean your boots with her tongue and a smile on her facking face?'' Mavis's scowl said everything she needed. ``Mallory, get Sarah some prosthetics, now.'' \n\n``I cannot do that, young master.''\n\n``Why not?!'' He grabbed the raccoon's arm, ``I am ordering you.''\n\n``And I would love to fulfill such a command.'' Her face stayed neutral as she pulled her arm away, ``But your mother's orders take priority.''\n\nHis mother's? Eric's face went white. No, no she couldn't know. ``Mom? She's here?'' \n\n``She will be speaking with Sarah momentarily. Not physically of course, but we have the next best thing.'' Eric opened his AR screens, mentally issuing code after code to break in and block whatever feed his mother had. She couldn't talk to Skiv, not after his father explained the situation. They couldn't- his body went limp, crashing into Mallory's arms with a sudden pain in his neck. ``Forgive me, young master. But your mother has requested no interruptions with her meeting.'' He had to stop this, his soul screaming out as Eric lost consciousness. He had to protect her, not lose her again.\n\n***\n\nSkiv tossed and turned against her blankets. Her back cried out against the steel floor of her shipping container. No matter what position she tried, Skiv couldn't fall asleep. ``The fack is wrong with me?'' She muttered aloud, ``Ain't this supposed to be a dream?'' She didn't remember walking back to her home. Last thing that crossed her mind was the ceiling crumbling above when the head bitch helped pull her out of that warehouse. \n\nBut she wasn't dumb enough to think she'd be back in the outskirts.\n\n``A dream is one way I'd describe it. Though it certainly isn't a natural dream.'' \n\nShe shot up and raised her hands defensively, ears twitching at the new voice. No one was with her inside the crate. ``Oh relax, Sarah. I'm not here to hurt you.'' \n\n``Says the invisible cunt.'' Not that Skiv could pinpoint where she heard the voice. It felt like another thought digging into her skull. ``Why don't you show yourself?''\n\n``I see Mallory's etiquette lessons haven't paid off,'' The voice said dismissively.\n\n``This ain't a first classer golden toilet, this is my home. So fack off with the etiquette nonsense.''\n\n``It isn't that either. But I suppose it's a fair observation.'' The front door creaked open with grating metal. Heels clicked against the steel, belonging to a blonde fox in a tight business suit and skirt. ``I wished we could meet under better circumstances, but I suppose I'll make do.'' She pulled off her sunglasses, revealing familiar eyes that had Skiv's fur standing on end. ``I'm Juliet Karbon,'' the fox said, holding her hand out, ``And you are Sarah, are you not?''\n\nJuliet, Juliet...Skiv hadn't heard that name before. ``You some third sister of Drips?''\n\nSurprise broke the fox's mask of an expression. She smiled, leaned back and laughed. ``Oh my, I didn't know my son was dating a charmer.'' Skiv blinked. Son? This fox, who barely looked older than that damn raccoon, was Drips's mother? She shook her head and tensed up, it didn't matter who she was. All that mattered was what she wanted. \n\nThe fox wasn't at all bothered by her defensive stance, stepping inside the crate with her hands at rest. ``I must say, the classless are a resourceful bunch. I couldn't imagine living inside one of these, yet this is where your mind went to in stress. Well, the basic structure is the same. We had to remove a few obviously inaccurate details. Such as my son's bed.'' \n\n``The fack do you mean?'' \n\n``Well,'' Juliet tapped her head, ``The mind is a tricky thing. There are safe spaces we have in our subconscious, and sometimes when a patient needs to stay unconscious they can be sent there. It's not uncommon for editing to take place, usually to make things more fitting to avoid panic and-''\n\nSkiv grabbed the fox's shirt collar and shoved her against the wall, ``Did you facking brainwash me?'' She growled, ``I'll facking kill you if you dare change me.'' \n\n``It is certainly possible,'' Juliet said from behind her. Skiv's hands were empty. She stumbled back, only to freeze mid step against her own violation. ``But turning you into a drone is crude and pointless. Property of the Karbon family is meant to speak highly of the name. Any fool with money can get a mindless slave to take a bullet for them. A true master has servants who willingly step into harm's way, just as they would protect and reward those who did.''\n\n``I'm not a slave!'' Skiv struggled against her body, refusing to move. Juliet snapped her fingers, letting the rabbit fall to the floor.\n\n``Are you sure? You look good in a collar.'' Leather latched across Skiv's neck. She reached for it, tearing at it like a rabid feral in a trap. She wouldn't submit, not to them. With another snap, it was gone. ``Regardless, you did go out of your way to save Mallory. At least, that's what her report said.'' \n\nReport? It came back slowly. The warehouse, the torture, Mallory carrying her through the halls and...the collapse. No. She reached for her neck, desperate to pull out of this damned simulation. ``You can't actually do that, you know.'' She ignored her, scratching and digging into her skin to find the wires. ``Oh for Frig's sake.'' A third snap echoed through the trailer. Leather molded across the rabbit's chest and forced her arms to her side in a straitjacket. Still she struggled, rolling against the ground before the fox's heels. \n\n``You know the restraints aren't real, right? You can't escape them just by struggling.'' \n\nEvery fiber of her being told her to struggle, to fight back. But Skiv knew when she was outmatched. Normally she'd have run, but if the bitch could manifest a straitjacket out of nowhere, or cyberspace, or whatever it was called, then running did nothing. ``If you're gonna facking brainwash me, then do it already.'' She glared up with fury, intent on making the fox remember her defiance. \n\nShe shook her head and sighed, ``Someone's not paying attention.'' Juliet held up three fingers, ``I only want three things. It was originally two, but you forced my hand. One, I wanted to see your little subconscious mind, find out what makes you tick. And as I can gather from what it truly was,'' One blink, and her home changed. They still stood in her crate, but Drips's bed was in the corner, with windows peering down onto the streets below his home. ``Is a bit mixed.'' \n\n``Two, and this is the newest one, is for you to stop struggling. It's frankly ridiculous and a waste of my time. A commodity that you can't afford in normal circumstances.'' The steel crate dissolved around them, breaking down into cubes that reformed and recolored themselves. Skiv fell into a void for half a second, landing upright against a cushioned chair. A wooden desk stood before her, with the fox sitting on the otherwise, hands searching through the drawers. \n\n``And point three?'' Skiv asked, holding back the urge to hop over the table and kick the fox's face in. No, as angry as she was at Drips, she saw that attacking his mother wouldn't be doing her any favors. ``Does it involve me staying tied up?''\n\n``Point three is a discussion on what you want. Something I'm sure you're not used to being asked. As for the restraints, they stay on.'' She tossed a file onto the desk, ``Not for my safety. I can have you freeze without those restraints. But in the short fraction of time that I've known you, I can tell you're the kind of person who needs something to thrash against when angry. Anxiety perhaps?''\n\n``Oh, so I'm a person now? I thought I was property?''\n\n``People can be owned. That, however, is another topic entirely.'' She leaned back into her red leather chair, fingers tenting against each other. ``What do you want?'' \n\n``This a bribe?''\n\n``Why would I need to bribe you? You hold nothing over me.''\n\nShe had her son's affection, but Skiv didn't want to bring that up. Mostly because she...well after that fight she was still angry with him, and herself for still caring about the spoiled silver spooned prick. He saw her as an odditiy, some sort of bandit queen like in his stupid game. But she wasn't like that, and he'd seen her enough to... ``Fack,'' She muttered.\n\n``Pardon?''\n\n``Just...things. That's all.'' \n\n``Such as?'' \n\n``Why do you care?'' \n\n``Why do I care? Oh isn't that the question?'' She smiled, ``Why would I care about the girl sticking her dick up my son's asshole almost every night. Or how she stole my husband's old chastity cage and locked it around my son's privates? Oh why, oh why, would I care about this girl?'' Skiv felt a sudden lump in her throat, growing larger as Juliet smiled. ``My dear, I taught Eric the basics of hacking. And while he's certainly skilled in it, he hasn't learned everything.''\n\nShe swallowed, ``So, you've seen-''\n\n``I haven't seen the actual sex.'' Juliet raised her hands defensively, ``That's too personal. I can just put two and two together. And I looked into your file, the one that has my husband's name as the owner. I know he's not one to find another slave, and certainly not a local from the outskirts.''\n\n``Drips already told me about that.'' She remembered the situation clearly. Juliet blinked, ``What? You think your son keeps every secret from me?'' Skiv leaned back into the chair existing only in cyberspace, ``Guess it kind of makes it ironic. Your husband's name is on my papers, so he owns me instead of Drips. And your husband's cage is around your son's cock, so I guess you own his dick too.''\n\n``I'm not quite certain that's what irony is.'' She bit her lip, likely disturbed by the mental image Skiv just put in her head. ``But I'll admit, I wasn't aware my son told you. In any case, I'm sure you know what this means.''\n\n``That I should be on the ground and begging to worship your feet like that coon?'' \n\n``Mallory's too refined to beg,'' She scoffed, ``But no. It means that I have as much say as my husband when it comes to your freedom. If you wanted, I could free you right now.''\n\nSkiv was waiting for a `but' that didn't come. ``If I wanted?'' She asked, continuing when the fox smiled, ``You should know what I want. I want out.''\n\n``Do you?'' The fox asked, ``Or do you want my son with you?'' Skiv opened her mouth to shout but she didn't follow through. ``Sarah, if you want to leave, to return back to the outskirts and never hear from us again. I'll allow it. I'll even give you a pair of functional legs and enough credits to keep them repaired in third class chop shops. But if you stay, well, I will offer you-''\n\n``Functional legs?'' Skiv interrupted, ``What are you talking about?''\n\n``Right...right...I probably should have explained that first.'' Juliet's finger anxiously tapped the file on her desk. With a sigh, she flipped a holoscreen open. ``It seems there was a problem with your rescue.'' A holographic image of the black rabbit appeared before Skiv, swiping past the flesh revealed reports of shattered legs. \n\n``What happened to my legs?'' \n\n``I want you to take a deep breath.''\n\nSkiv kicked at the floor, ``The fack happened to my legs you-'' A gag materialized in her mouth, silencing her before the intrepid fox. Juliet sighed and snapped her fingers. A live cam played behind her, giving an overhead view of the pod Skiv was in.\n\nShe screamed. The ballgag muffled it, gave her something to strain against at the horror of the two stumps where her legs should be. What happened to them? She thought back to when the ceiling fell and she pushed Mallory. The Facking coon took her legs. She kicked at the floor, kicked with legs that weren't really there. \n\n``Sarah, calm down.'' Calm down? How could she calm down when she'd been crippled by these rich psychopaths?! Skiv thrashed, kicked, screamed, but the bindings held true until her mind gave in to the hopelessness. Tears, or the mimicry of them in this hellscape, fell from her face. \n\n``They're not irreplaceable,'' Juliet explained, releasing the gag with a wave of her hand. ``In fact, cybernetics have many benefits and-''\n\n``Then why don't you cut your own arm off and replace it?!'' Skiv cried out, ``If it's so facking great to have a replacement then you should-'' Juliet's hand clapped against her cheek. The sting wasn't real, she knew that now, but it silenced her. Not from pain, she'd felt worse, but from resignation. Her legs were gone, the damn family took her freedom in more ways than one.\n\n``Let me finish!'' The fox huffed, straightening her suit and sighing, ``I am perfectly fine giving you replacement legs. Ones that are perfectly functional and I'll give you a lifetime worth of credit for repairs at third class repair shops. And no, I can't just wipe your record so you can be classless again, that's illegal. But I'm sure you can function well on the outskirts even as a third class citizen. None of this would be free, mind you. If you took this deal, you would never contact my son, or my family again.''\n\n``And what's the other option?'' Skiv asked, right cheek still burning from the slap.\n\n``An upgrade.'' Holographic schematics displayed behind her, sporting a pair of cybernetic legs. Sleek and black, she couldn't tell if they were metal or some other material. ``My son requested you as a bodyguard, but you have no augmentations to suit such a request. I'm sure you can fend off a single thief or two, but against actual threats you'd be outnumbered. And an assassin? Well, you're a joke to them. These will even the playing field to protect my son.'' \n\nProtect him from what? Skiv's eyes darted around the legs and its numerous features. Hydraulic jacks, hidden compartments for weapons, EMP shielding, and things she couldn't pronounce. She'd seen a few augmentations in the outskirts, often from gang leaders with connections. But their gear looked like rusted scrap compared to these.\n\n``You got that many enemies?'' She asked. \n\n``When you're an auditor like myself, and your husband runs a PMC, you're bound to make a few. I don't often worry because Mallory is nearby and the upper levels of Atlantis are too risky for anyone to make a move. But if he's going to have protection, it needs to be good. Harriet's little bat's arms aren't just for show.''\n\n``So I either leave with some basic legs and a lifetime of repair credit. Or I stay and submit myself to your family? That's the gist of it huh?''\n\nThe fox nodded, ``That is the gist of it. Though I'm willing to negotiate extra terms if you'd like.''\n\n``Why? You got all the cards.\n\n``And the power to decide what I do with those cards.'' She plopped back to her chair, raising her feet atop the wooden desk. ``That's the thing about power, Sarah. Those with it can choose how they wield it. Of course, they have to be careful before it wields them. Do you understand?''\n\n``Get too big for your mouth, and you're gonna wake up with a slit throat.'' Cocky warlords didn't last long. ``Ok. What do you want?''\n\n``Again with the dumb question.'' Juliet rolled her eyes, ``What do you want, Sarah?''\n\n***\n\nMistress Mavis offered to take her brother back to his room and Leif followed suit, leaving Mallory alone in her thoughts over what she'd done. Anxiety panged underneath her skin, and she kept rubbing the underside of her paw. The paw that struck her master's only son, the child she raised as her own under the trust of her betters. \n\nIt was all the rabbit's fault. Mallory kept the thoughts buried deep down in her mind, but the burning resentment built with every day she was reminded of the classless cur walking in this home. She had entangled Eric's heart, too tight for her to undo without slicing it. But such a swift action would spell disaster for the young fox. His spirit would be crushed, and he'd return to wasting away inside his room. Simply surviving instead of living.\n\n``He needs to grow up eventually,'' her thoughts whispered. ``You were living in military camps well before his age. You could field strip a MASER rifle in ten seconds blindfolded, all because your master needed it. Where was your comfort?'' It was with her master. She gulped, letting the pain and trauma of her younger years crawl back into her mind. \n\nParents killed by classless uprising. Spared death by a merciful soldier. Fed, clothed, and given a blanket to stay warm near him. And not once did he touch her like so many others would. None would have judged him, she expected it. No one cared if a classless brat was raped for stress relief. They were the victors after all.\n\n``You toughened up. He's too innocent.'' Sharp nails dragged across her neck, ``Pump up the drugs. Kill her right here. You can make it look like an accident, you can make him grow.'' \n\nHer hands did not move. She wanted him to grow, to be the man his father expected. But all of her master's children were still children, even if they're passed the age. Harriett had dreams of grandeur to be a famous creative, Eric was a lovesick fool, and even Mavis craved her father's approval with every military accomplishment she...Mallory exhaled, loosening her shoulders.\n\nIt wasn't her place to decide their futures. She was to protect and nurture them, as a house slave does. \n\nA ping caught her attention. The pod's hydraulics shifted, slowly opening with a hissing sound. Sarah's blue eyes looked up, then down to her nubby legs. ``Fack...I can still feel them,'' She muttered, ``I'm moving my ankle's, but there ain't no facking ankles.''\n\n``Phantom limb,'' Mallory stated, ``It's common among amputees. It was study of it that helped pave the way for augmentations to be more compatible after resolving the energy issue.'' She adjusted her glasses and stood up, ``Did you enjoy speaking with Miss Karbon?''\n\n``Were you listening?''\n\n``Not at all.'' Not that she believed the guttertrash would believe her. ``I was just told she wished to speak with you. And I'm not one to deny such a request.'' \n\nThe rabbit's cocky smile had Mallory balling her fists behind her back. ``Do you wanna know what it's about?''\n\n``It's not my place. And it's `it was'.'' \n\n``Uh huh. She told me to go to her bedroom. Can you help me?'' She pointed to her missing legs, ``I can't really walk.''\n\nMallory rolled her eyes and pulled out the single wheelchair they had stocked. Why Mistress Juliet wanted the rabbit in her bedroom was beyond her understanding, but a slave didn't get to choose what information they were given. ``Thank you, by the way,'' She said, fighting the urge to hold her tongue as to why she was grateful.\n\n``What for?''\n\n``For saving my life. Had you not pushed me aside I would have been buried.'' How she had been so blind to the collapse still stung her. Had the people they were fighting truly been such a distraction, or was it her own frustration with the rabbit? Or maybe, deep down, she was starting to like Sarah despite still despising everything she was. \n\n``Ah. Well...'' Sarah raised her stump, ``It only cost me both legs. But it seemed fair. You saved my life after all.''\n\n``It will take some time to adjust to augmentations. Walking will be a challenge.'' They arrived at the master bedroom, the wide open space with carefully sculpted marble floors, art decor across the walls, and a staircase for a higher view of the cityscape below. Sarah directed her to the couple's hidden safe, and like clockwork the rabbit pushed the hidden switch open.\n\n``What are you doing?'' Mallory asked, mentally triggering her monofilament wire from her nails.\n\n``J...Mistress Karbon gave me the code for her safe. She wanted me to take what was inside it.'' \n\n``Why would she do that?''\n\n``Oh,'' Sarah grinned, ``So now you're interested?'' Mallory held her tongue. ``It's ok,'' The rabbit said, ``I'll share. It's part of a deal we made. I'm staying in this household as Eric's bodyguard and...'' The safe opened without either of them touching it. Inside the small compartment were not jewels or physical means of wealth, but something all the more priceless. A single key, one that Sarah took carefully into her palm. ``His keyholder.''\n\nMallory's face froze. A simple program to keep her expression calm and serene for her betters. She had enough control to rarely use such a feature.\n\nBut not today. Today she wanted to scream.\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Light cracked his eyelids open. Eric yawned, staring up at the ceiling as his body dared not move and break the fox's comfort. His bodysuit clung tight, squeezing against his fur but otherwise keeping his body temperature stable without a blanket. An ache crawled up his spine as he felt for his limbs, the restrictive outfit slowing his movements by a noticeable fraction. For the first minute, he did not let a single thought cross his mind and ruin the bliss.

Then reality hit him, harder than any system shock. ``Fack!'' Eric sprang up, grunting through the soreness in his spine and neck. How could he have fallen asleep? How long? He knew how long, the damn sunlight on his face proved it was too long. He'd made sure to be away, keeping himself stocked on energy drinks and snacks so he could scour the net.

The net. Skiv. His heart raced. ``Fack, fack, fack!'' Did he mess up at a data node? Did a security checkpoint knock him out? He opened his messages, hoping that by now the kidnappers sent him some sort of threatening email with a ransom tag for his bodyguard. If they bothered to keep her alive.

There was nothing. Eric blinked and refreshed the page in his AR screen. Nothing. He had prepared for the worst. Pictures of her limbs broken, her face bloodied, or even just a finger. But not nothing. He couldn't do anything with nothing! Nothing but breath faster and faster, clutching his chest and gritting his teeth as the panic took full effect. ``Fack!'' He screamed so loud that his throat tore at him, dehydrated from the entire night unconscious.

A sudden knock at the door jilted his system. He tripped over his feet, falling backward against the floor. ``Young Master?'' Mallory called, the door opening upon command, though slower than normal. The raccoon had to push her way through, finding the fox teary eyed and curled up on the floor.

``I failed her,'' He muttered, shivering. How else could he describe it? Skiv, the only person that saw past his status and still cared in some weird way he still couldn't grasp, and he couldn't save her. No, he was at fault in the first place. If he didn't take her out on some foolish attempt to date, to play some dumb game that, looking back, had some heavy classist elements that he should have seen. How could he be so stupid? ``I failed her. She's gone. I can't find her and she's gone.''

``Oh young master,'' Mallory cooed. The raccoon helped him up and pulled him into her arms, letting his tears seep into her uniform. ``There, there. It's ok.'' She patted him down, cradling him as she'd done many times in his childhood.

``I can't find her, Mallory.'' Eric's fingers dug into her back, pulling at the cloth, ``It's my fault. I can't find her and it's my fault.'' She was probably happy at the news. He knew how much Skiv and Mallory hated each other. The maid would never approve of the rabbit, wanting nothing more than to toss her aside like the gutter trash they saw her as. But he loved her, damn it.

``It's ok,'' She repeated, clutching him close. ``We found her. She's safe.''

The words coiled around him. They found her? How? Why? Wearing his confusion across his face, Eric sniffed and looked up to the maid. She simply nodded. ``She's currently recovering. Why don't we get you out of this suit and a proper meal before-''

``Take me to her.'' The order clawed from his throat. ``Now.'' Eric was up before she could dare deny him, already at the door to note the dents made. Something to think about later, once Skiv was alright. As per her duty, Mallory followed his command and led him to the house's medical bay. To his surprise, Mavis and Leif were waiting there, neither nursing any wounds across themselves. Instead, they stood next to a pod that Eric knew was for emergency healing only.

``Morning, dear brother,'' Mavis said, sniffing the air only to reel back and pinch her nose. ``Could you have not taken five minutes to shower? Those suits aren't the most hygienic.''

He ignored her, pushing her aside with panic given strength and face planted into the pod. There she was, lying peacefully beneath the glass. Skiv, despite her attitude when awake, had a sense of tranquility when she rested. She'd been banged up, but the pod would heal it. It would heal...his eyes wandered down further, fingers scratching against the glass as his heart froze. ``What...happened?''

Mavis braced his shoulder, ``There was a complication.''

He pushed her hand away, ``What facking happened to her legs?!'' Eric screamed, grabbing his bigger sister's shirt. He didn't have the strength to force her anywhere she didn't want, even with adrenaline, but that didn't stop him. ``Who did this to her? Give me names!''

``Sarah's legs were crushed by debris.'' Mallory held his wrist, carefully pulling him away from the white fox, ``She pushed me away as the building collapsed.''

``Where was she? And why wasn't I told of this rescue?'' He put himself between the pod and everyone else, ``Why's she still unconscious? Give her some damned prosthetics or something. I know damn well we can afford it. Look at Jennifer's facking arms, or most of your body,'' He said, pointing to Mallory.

``She was in a warehouse in the lower levels.'' The raccoon stood her ground, ``Before the rescue took place, I had sedated you to keep you from interfering. You were not physically or mentally sound for such a mission.''

``That's not for you to decide.''

``Young Master, as the head maid of the Karbon Estate, it is up to me to make sure my master and mistress's children are safe. You were killing yourself trying to find her.''

She was right, not that he wanted to admit it. He'd put his brain on the brink going so deep to find her, to search for something that wasn't there. ``So why's she still asleep? Why haven't we given her prosthetics? They are on their way, right? You've ordered them?''

``Augmentations have to be earned, Eric.''

``Oh fack off, Mavis,'' He spat. ``You can take your self-righteous attitude and spout it off to the moronic soldier that actually believes your drek. Besides, what hasn't Skiv done to earn them? Clean your boots with her tongue and a smile on her facking face?'' Mavis's scowl said everything she needed. ``Mallory, get Sarah some prosthetics, now.''

``I cannot do that, young master.''

``Why not?!'' He grabbed the raccoon's arm, ``I am ordering you.''

``And I would love to fulfill such a command.'' Her face stayed neutral as she pulled her arm away, ``But your mother's orders take priority.''

His mother's? Eric's face went white. No, no she couldn't know. ``Mom? She's here?''

``She will be speaking with Sarah momentarily. Not physically of course, but we have the next best thing.'' Eric opened his AR screens, mentally issuing code after code to break in and block whatever feed his mother had. She couldn't talk to Skiv, not after his father explained the situation. They couldn't- his body went limp, crashing into Mallory's arms with a sudden pain in his neck. ``Forgive me, young master. But your mother has requested no interruptions with her meeting.'' He had to stop this, his soul screaming out as Eric lost consciousness. He had to protect her, not lose her again.

***

Skiv tossed and turned against her blankets. Her back cried out against the steel floor of her shipping container. No matter what position she tried, Skiv couldn't fall asleep. ``The fack is wrong with me?'' She muttered aloud, ``Ain't this supposed to be a dream?'' She didn't remember walking back to her home. Last thing that crossed her mind was the ceiling crumbling above when the head bitch helped pull her out of that warehouse.

But she wasn't dumb enough to think she'd be back in the outskirts.

``A dream is one way I'd describe it. Though it certainly isn't a natural dream.''

She shot up and raised her hands defensively, ears twitching at the new voice. No one was with her inside the crate. ``Oh relax, Sarah. I'm not here to hurt you.''

``Says the invisible cunt.'' Not that Skiv could pinpoint where she heard the voice. It felt like another thought digging into her skull. ``Why don't you show yourself?''

``I see Mallory's etiquette lessons haven't paid off,'' The voice said dismissively.

``This ain't a first classer golden toilet, this is my home. So fack off with the etiquette nonsense.''

``It isn't that either. But I suppose it's a fair observation.'' The front door creaked open with grating metal. Heels clicked against the steel, belonging to a blonde fox in a tight business suit and skirt. ``I wished we could meet under better circumstances, but I suppose I'll make do.'' She pulled off her sunglasses, revealing familiar eyes that had Skiv's fur standing on end. ``I'm Juliet Karbon,'' the fox said, holding her hand out, ``And you are Sarah, are you not?''

Juliet, Juliet...Skiv hadn't heard that name before. ``You some third sister of Drips?''

Surprise broke the fox's mask of an expression. She smiled, leaned back and laughed. ``Oh my, I didn't know my son was dating a charmer.'' Skiv blinked. Son? This fox, who barely looked older than that damn raccoon, was Drips's mother? She shook her head and tensed up, it didn't matter who she was. All that mattered was what she wanted.

The fox wasn't at all bothered by her defensive stance, stepping inside the crate with her hands at rest. ``I must say, the classless are a resourceful bunch. I couldn't imagine living inside one of these, yet this is where your mind went to in stress. Well, the basic structure is the same. We had to remove a few obviously inaccurate details. Such as my son's bed.''

``The fack do you mean?''

``Well,'' Juliet tapped her head, ``The mind is a tricky thing. There are safe spaces we have in our subconscious, and sometimes when a patient needs to stay unconscious they can be sent there. It's not uncommon for editing to take place, usually to make things more fitting to avoid panic and-''

Skiv grabbed the fox's shirt collar and shoved her against the wall, ``Did you facking brainwash me?'' She growled, ``I'll facking kill you if you dare change me.''

``It is certainly possible,'' Juliet said from behind her. Skiv's hands were empty. She stumbled back, only to freeze mid step against her own violation. ``But turning you into a drone is crude and pointless. Property of the Karbon family is meant to speak highly of the name. Any fool with money can get a mindless slave to take a bullet for them. A true master has servants who willingly step into harm's way, just as they would protect and reward those who did.''

``I'm not a slave!'' Skiv struggled against her body, refusing to move. Juliet snapped her fingers, letting the rabbit fall to the floor.

``Are you sure? You look good in a collar.'' Leather latched across Skiv's neck. She reached for it, tearing at it like a rabid feral in a trap. She wouldn't submit, not to them. With another snap, it was gone. ``Regardless, you did go out of your way to save Mallory. At least, that's what her report said.''

Report? It came back slowly. The warehouse, the torture, Mallory carrying her through the halls and...the collapse. No. She reached for her neck, desperate to pull out of this damned simulation. ``You can't actually do that, you know.'' She ignored her, scratching and digging into her skin to find the wires. ``Oh for Frig's sake.'' A third snap echoed through the trailer. Leather molded across the rabbit's chest and forced her arms to her side in a straitjacket. Still she struggled, rolling against the ground before the fox's heels.

``You know the restraints aren't real, right? You can't escape them just by struggling.''

Every fiber of her being told her to struggle, to fight back. But Skiv knew when she was outmatched. Normally she'd have run, but if the bitch could manifest a straitjacket out of nowhere, or cyberspace, or whatever it was called, then running did nothing. ``If you're gonna facking brainwash me, then do it already.'' She glared up with fury, intent on making the fox remember her defiance.

She shook her head and sighed, ``Someone's not paying attention.'' Juliet held up three fingers, ``I only want three things. It was originally two, but you forced my hand. One, I wanted to see your little subconscious mind, find out what makes you tick. And as I can gather from what it truly was,'' One blink, and her home changed. They still stood in her crate, but Drips's bed was in the corner, with windows peering down onto the streets below his home. ``Is a bit mixed.''

``Two, and this is the newest one, is for you to stop struggling. It's frankly ridiculous and a waste of my time. A commodity that you can't afford in normal circumstances.'' The steel crate dissolved around them, breaking down into cubes that reformed and recolored themselves. Skiv fell into a void for half a second, landing upright against a cushioned chair. A wooden desk stood before her, with the fox sitting on the otherwise, hands searching through the drawers.

``And point three?'' Skiv asked, holding back the urge to hop over the table and kick the fox's face in. No, as angry as she was at Drips, she saw that attacking his mother wouldn't be doing her any favors. ``Does it involve me staying tied up?''

``Point three is a discussion on what you want. Something I'm sure you're not used to being asked. As for the restraints, they stay on.'' She tossed a file onto the desk, ``Not for my safety. I can have you freeze without those restraints. But in the short fraction of time that I've known you, I can tell you're the kind of person who needs something to thrash against when angry. Anxiety perhaps?''

``Oh, so I'm a person now? I thought I was property?''

``People can be owned. That, however, is another topic entirely.'' She leaned back into her red leather chair, fingers tenting against each other. ``What do you want?''

``This a bribe?''

``Why would I need to bribe you? You hold nothing over me.''

She had her son's affection, but Skiv didn't want to bring that up. Mostly because she...well after that fight she was still angry with him, and herself for still caring about the spoiled silver spooned prick. He saw her as an odditiy, some sort of bandit queen like in his stupid game. But she wasn't like that, and he'd seen her enough to... ``Fack,'' She muttered.

``Pardon?''

``Just...things. That's all.''

``Such as?''

``Why do you care?''

``Why do I care? Oh isn't that the question?'' She smiled, ``Why would I care about the girl sticking her dick up my son's asshole almost every night. Or how she stole my husband's old chastity cage and locked it around my son's privates? Oh why, oh why, would I care about this girl?'' Skiv felt a sudden lump in her throat, growing larger as Juliet smiled. ``My dear, I taught Eric the basics of hacking. And while he's certainly skilled in it, he hasn't learned everything.''

She swallowed, ``So, you've seen-''

``I haven't seen the actual sex.'' Juliet raised her hands defensively, ``That's too personal. I can just put two and two together. And I looked into your file, the one that has my husband's name as the owner. I know he's not one to find another slave, and certainly not a local from the outskirts.''

``Drips already told me about that.'' She remembered the situation clearly. Juliet blinked, ``What? You think your son keeps every secret from me?'' Skiv leaned back into the chair existing only in cyberspace, ``Guess it kind of makes it ironic. Your husband's name is on my papers, so he owns me instead of Drips. And your husband's cage is around your son's cock, so I guess you own his dick too.''

``I'm not quite certain that's what irony is.'' She bit her lip, likely disturbed by the mental image Skiv just put in her head. ``But I'll admit, I wasn't aware my son told you. In any case, I'm sure you know what this means.''

``That I should be on the ground and begging to worship your feet like that coon?''

``Mallory's too refined to beg,'' She scoffed, ``But no. It means that I have as much say as my husband when it comes to your freedom. If you wanted, I could free you right now.''

Skiv was waiting for a `but' that didn't come. ``If I wanted?'' She asked, continuing when the fox smiled, ``You should know what I want. I want out.''

``Do you?'' The fox asked, ``Or do you want my son with you?'' Skiv opened her mouth to shout but she didn't follow through. ``Sarah, if you want to leave, to return back to the outskirts and never hear from us again. I'll allow it. I'll even give you a pair of functional legs and enough credits to keep them repaired in third class chop shops. But if you stay, well, I will offer you-''

``Functional legs?'' Skiv interrupted, ``What are you talking about?''

``Right...right...I probably should have explained that first.'' Juliet's finger anxiously tapped the file on her desk. With a sigh, she flipped a holoscreen open. ``It seems there was a problem with your rescue.'' A holographic image of the black rabbit appeared before Skiv, swiping past the flesh revealed reports of shattered legs.

``What happened to my legs?''

``I want you to take a deep breath.''

Skiv kicked at the floor, ``The fack happened to my legs you-'' A gag materialized in her mouth, silencing her before the intrepid fox. Juliet sighed and snapped her fingers. A live cam played behind her, giving an overhead view of the pod Skiv was in.

She screamed. The ballgag muffled it, gave her something to strain against at the horror of the two stumps where her legs should be. What happened to them? She thought back to when the ceiling fell and she pushed Mallory. The Facking coon took her legs. She kicked at the floor, kicked with legs that weren't really there.

``Sarah, calm down.'' Calm down? How could she calm down when she'd been crippled by these rich psychopaths?! Skiv thrashed, kicked, screamed, but the bindings held true until her mind gave in to the hopelessness. Tears, or the mimicry of them in this hellscape, fell from her face.

``They're not irreplaceable,'' Juliet explained, releasing the gag with a wave of her hand. ``In fact, cybernetics have many benefits and-''

``Then why don't you cut your own arm off and replace it?!'' Skiv cried out, ``If it's so facking great to have a replacement then you should-'' Juliet's hand clapped against her cheek. The sting wasn't real, she knew that now, but it silenced her. Not from pain, she'd felt worse, but from resignation. Her legs were gone, the damn family took her freedom in more ways than one.

``Let me finish!'' The fox huffed, straightening her suit and sighing, ``I am perfectly fine giving you replacement legs. Ones that are perfectly functional and I'll give you a lifetime worth of credit for repairs at third class repair shops. And no, I can't just wipe your record so you can be classless again, that's illegal. But I'm sure you can function well on the outskirts even as a third class citizen. None of this would be free, mind you. If you took this deal, you would never contact my son, or my family again.''

``And what's the other option?'' Skiv asked, right cheek still burning from the slap.

``An upgrade.'' Holographic schematics displayed behind her, sporting a pair of cybernetic legs. Sleek and black, she couldn't tell if they were metal or some other material. ``My son requested you as a bodyguard, but you have no augmentations to suit such a request. I'm sure you can fend off a single thief or two, but against actual threats you'd be outnumbered. And an assassin? Well, you're a joke to them. These will even the playing field to protect my son.''

Protect him from what? Skiv's eyes darted around the legs and its numerous features. Hydraulic jacks, hidden compartments for weapons, EMP shielding, and things she couldn't pronounce. She'd seen a few augmentations in the outskirts, often from gang leaders with connections. But their gear looked like rusted scrap compared to these.

``You got that many enemies?'' She asked.

``When you're an auditor like myself, and your husband runs a PMC, you're bound to make a few. I don't often worry because Mallory is nearby and the upper levels of Atlantis are too risky for anyone to make a move. But if he's going to have protection, it needs to be good. Harriet's little bat's arms aren't just for show.''

``So I either leave with some basic legs and a lifetime of repair credit. Or I stay and submit myself to your family? That's the gist of it huh?''

The fox nodded, ``That is the gist of it. Though I'm willing to negotiate extra terms if you'd like.''

``Why? You got all the cards.

``And the power to decide what I do with those cards.'' She plopped back to her chair, raising her feet atop the wooden desk. ``That's the thing about power, Sarah. Those with it can choose how they wield it. Of course, they have to be careful before it wields them. Do you understand?''

``Get too big for your mouth, and you're gonna wake up with a slit throat.'' Cocky warlords didn't last long. ``Ok. What do you want?''

``Again with the dumb question.'' Juliet rolled her eyes, ``What do you want, Sarah?''

***

Mistress Mavis offered to take her brother back to his room and Leif followed suit, leaving Mallory alone in her thoughts over what she'd done. Anxiety panged underneath her skin, and she kept rubbing the underside of her paw. The paw that struck her master's only son, the child she raised as her own under the trust of her betters.

It was all the rabbit's fault. Mallory kept the thoughts buried deep down in her mind, but the burning resentment built with every day she was reminded of the classless cur walking in this home. She had entangled Eric's heart, too tight for her to undo without slicing it. But such a swift action would spell disaster for the young fox. His spirit would be crushed, and he'd return to wasting away inside his room. Simply surviving instead of living.

``He needs to grow up eventually,'' her thoughts whispered. ``You were living in military camps well before his age. You could field strip a MASER rifle in ten seconds blindfolded, all because your master needed it. Where was your comfort?'' It was with her master. She gulped, letting the pain and trauma of her younger years crawl back into her mind.

Parents killed by classless uprising. Spared death by a merciful soldier. Fed, clothed, and given a blanket to stay warm near him. And not once did he touch her like so many others would. None would have judged him, she expected it. No one cared if a classless brat was raped for stress relief. They were the victors after all.

``You toughened up. He's too innocent.'' Sharp nails dragged across her neck, ``Pump up the drugs. Kill her right here. You can make it look like an accident, you can make him grow.''

Her hands did not move. She wanted him to grow, to be the man his father expected. But all of her master's children were still children, even if they're passed the age. Harriett had dreams of grandeur to be a famous creative, Eric was a lovesick fool, and even Mavis craved her father's approval with every military accomplishment she...Mallory exhaled, loosening her shoulders.

It wasn't her place to decide their futures. She was to protect and nurture them, as a house slave does.

A ping caught her attention. The pod's hydraulics shifted, slowly opening with a hissing sound. Sarah's blue eyes looked up, then down to her nubby legs. ``Fack...I can still feel them,'' She muttered, ``I'm moving my ankle's, but there ain't no facking ankles.''

``Phantom limb,'' Mallory stated, ``It's common among amputees. It was study of it that helped pave the way for augmentations to be more compatible after resolving the energy issue.'' She adjusted her glasses and stood up, ``Did you enjoy speaking with Miss Karbon?''

``Were you listening?''

``Not at all.'' Not that she believed the guttertrash would believe her. ``I was just told she wished to speak with you. And I'm not one to deny such a request.''

The rabbit's cocky smile had Mallory balling her fists behind her back. ``Do you wanna know what it's about?''

``It's not my place. And it's `it was'.''

``Uh huh. She told me to go to her bedroom. Can you help me?'' She pointed to her missing legs, ``I can't really walk.''

Mallory rolled her eyes and pulled out the single wheelchair they had stocked. Why Mistress Juliet wanted the rabbit in her bedroom was beyond her understanding, but a slave didn't get to choose what information they were given. ``Thank you, by the way,'' She said, fighting the urge to hold her tongue as to why she was grateful.

``What for?''

``For saving my life. Had you not pushed me aside I would have been buried.'' How she had been so blind to the collapse still stung her. Had the people they were fighting truly been such a distraction, or was it her own frustration with the rabbit? Or maybe, deep down, she was starting to like Sarah despite still despising everything she was.

``Ah. Well...'' Sarah raised her stump, ``It only cost me both legs. But it seemed fair. You saved my life after all.''

``It will take some time to adjust to augmentations. Walking will be a challenge.'' They arrived at the master bedroom, the wide open space with carefully sculpted marble floors, art decor across the walls, and a staircase for a higher view of the cityscape below. Sarah directed her to the couple's hidden safe, and like clockwork the rabbit pushed the hidden switch open.

``What are you doing?'' Mallory asked, mentally triggering her monofilament wire from her nails.

``J...Mistress Karbon gave me the code for her safe. She wanted me to take what was inside it.''

``Why would she do that?''

``Oh,'' Sarah grinned, ``So now you're interested?'' Mallory held her tongue. ``It's ok,'' The rabbit said, ``I'll share. It's part of a deal we made. I'm staying in this household as Eric's bodyguard and...'' The safe opened without either of them touching it. Inside the small compartment were not jewels or physical means of wealth, but something all the more priceless. A single key, one that Sarah took carefully into her palm. ``His keyholder.''

Mallory's face froze. A simple program to keep her expression calm and serene for her betters. She had enough control to rarely use such a feature.

But not today. Today she wanted to scream.

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