Emancipation

Chapter 7 : Late

Chapter 7

Ross, the elected representative of the Factor's union sat at the foot of the table. Mae sat at the head. There was a twelve-foot-long black glass conference table between them. Despite that Mae could smell the tuna salad the man had for lunch two hours ago. It was beginning to sour her stomach, but not as much as the overall turn this meeting had taken. Ross had arrived in a good mood. Over the last three days, Mae had implemented changes to the training and deployment programs that the union had been lobbying for since the portal reopened. Things had gone downhill since Mae had to reveal the conditions Brenda had placed on field assignments. Now he was yelling and the smell of hot tuna and gherkins was oppressive. Mae didn't know what to do about it. Then the decision was taken from her as vomit rose from the depths of her stomach. Possibly with a subconscious telekinetic assist, the vomit came spewing out splattering everyone at the table, even Ross.

The reaction seemed to be in slow motion. Ross closed his mouth and began wiping his face off with his vomit-covered sleeve. The rest of the people at the table just slowly turned towards Mae. Mae backed her chair from the table with a metal scraping sound. Then she stood. Her intention was to excuse herself and walk normally to the bathroom to clean herself up. When she opened her mouth to speak more than words threatened to come out. She slapped a hand over her mouth and teleported to her bathroom. She knelt in front of the toilet. Her hand barely left her mouth before more vomit came out. She threw up fast and hard, emptying her stomach and filling the toilet so full so quickly it mistook her deposit for the flushing action. She sat back on her heels. There was nothing left to throw up.

Mae got up off the floor and teleported her soiled clothing into the laundry chute. Then she stepped into the shower. The water came on warm and lightly fragrant, it was her automatic setting. Mae turned the temperature up manually. The water sprayed her from every angle. She placed her hand under her bodywash spigot and began lathering off the smell of her vomit off of her skin and out of her hair. The water ran over her eventually washing away the smell of her momentary illness. But that left her with a seed of worry growing at the pit of her empty stomach. She was a Porusan-Aguiran hybrid she had never been actually sick a day in her life. Sure as she was growing up she suffered from migraines and the associated vomiting, but that had been a clumsy side effect of her parent's attempts to suppress her precocious abilities. She hadn't thrown up since she escaped that treatment, except… Mae's eyes flew open.

"Mona when was my last menstrual cycle?"

"Before you and Imhay spent the weekend at the farm."

Mae leaned her back against the rear wall of the shower. Snippets of their activities that weekend played through her mind in a less than G-rated montage. "Mona, order a pregnancy test!"

"It's in the delivery cupboard along with a fresh outfit."

Mae stepped out of the shower and barely paused to be dried by the air blasts outside of the shower. She pulled her fluffy robe from its hook and wrapped it around herself, pulling the warm fluffy hood over her head. "Mona, run a sanitation cycle on the bathroom," Mae said as she stepped out into her bedroom. She went to the delivery cupboard and removed the test first. She opened the box and used the device to sample her blood. Within one minute the led screen showed the word "Pregnant." Mae dropped the device and sat back on the bed.

"Mona, would you please ask Imhay to join me?"

"Right away."

Mae sat on the edge of the bed staring at the device on the floor. It had landed led screen up. She didn't move. Imhay entered the room from the hallway. Concern was apparent on his face. "What is going on?" He glanced at the device on the floor. That was when Mae realized she was still staring at it. He picked up the device and opened his mouth and closed it a few times with no words coming out of his mouth. "Is this yours?" he handed the device to her.

"No, it's my personal computer assistant's! Yeah, Mona thought she could keep it from me but I figured it out."

"When? How?"

Mae stared at him as though he were developmentally delayed. "I don't know. It might be the weekend we spent in the bedroom on the farm? I mean you did a lot of plowing the fields!"

Imhay blinked. "Are we happy about this?"

Mae stopped. She thought about it. This time she was going to be a part of her daughter's childhood. She could be a good mother, not a distant one. "I don't feel unhappy, except about throwing up on my complete staff."

"Yeah," he chuckled, "I saw hazmat scrubbing the conference table down. It's okay little teleportation and all is good."

"I threw up on Ross Pettigrew."

"Factor's Union Ross? I bet he's thrilled with you right now."

"No more so than usual."

"We better get out there."

Mae groaned and got dressed. "Mona make an appointment with Illoa."

"Tomorrow afternoon at three-twenty."

"Thank you, Mona."

Mae finished buttoning her sleeves and slipped her feet into the flats that came with the outfit. Imhay wrapped his arms around her, "You can do this mamma!" Mae pushed away and stepped out into the hall she walked down the hall to her living room which also served as the official office for the Chief of the Preserve. The smell of vomit had thankfully been sanitized away. She reached the conference table with a smile plastered on her face.

"Chief, are you okay?" Sinclair Chavez asked from his position at the table. Behind him stood two young men, one tall and stocky the other was shorter and slim though not short. Mae recognized them. They were two mechanical engineers that had signed on to the cause shortly before the end of the last omniverse. They were the parallel universe alternates of the founders of the Research and Development Department. She couldn't remember their names off the top of her head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I have an appointment with Illoa tomorrow afternoon just to be sure. I think it is just something I picked up on my vacation a couple of weeks ago."

The slimmer of the two men flinched, "Are you contagious?"

"No, I seriously doubt it. You guys don't have to worry about catching it." Imhay guffawed behind her. "Shut up Imhay!"

"Sorry, couldn't help it." Imhay knew very well without having discussed it that Mae wanted to keep the pregnancy under wraps. The discussions had been heated during her first pregnancy. When Lyla was born Imhay had taken her to the main earth alternate inside the Preserve to be raised on the farm where she by all rights was probably conceived.

"Without further interruption, perhaps we can get back to work?" Mae suggested. Her staff fell in line and took their places at their workstations and the sounds of the running of the Preserve were soon at full volume again.


* * *

Brenda pressed her thumb firmly to the screen in the approved box. Now resources would be diverted from internal exploration of the Preserve to establishing waystations for factors out in the New omniverse. They would be staffed by the factors unqualified for the rigors of serious fieldwork. The construction and outfitting of the waystations would have to be supervised by independent factors. From there Brenda flicked through her email and sorted the included reports into a single file. Most of the emails were reports. She played with the idea of reading and responding to the other emails before opening the report file. No, the reports probably required responses and reactions. She opened the file and set it to flash the reports past her so she could basically scan them to her memory. Then she would let her subconscious sift through them for patterns or critical information. They would surface into her consciousness in a semi-organized mess over the next few hours.

Wait. That one couldn't wait. A report from Jess Foreman surfaced immediately. Attempted planetary bombardments were up across the board. Mira was killing whole worlds with middling to large asteroids for the price of a few ounces of rocket fuel. Mira must have mathematicians or computers calculating orbital trajectories en mass. Brenda reopened the file of reports and flipped through to Jess's report. She offered the idea of not just laying out systems to monitor for orbital anomalies but to set up a grid of robots and AIs designed to divert potential collisions. That would one up Mira and protect civilized worlds from natural disasters as well. It would mean that they would no longer have to devote manpower to redirecting impacts in an inefficient manner by sending individual factors or teams to orbital corrections. They had to be equipped with high-powered telekinetics or space-worthy craft with massive amounts of fuel for orbital corrections. Either way, teams were often required.

Brenda reread the portion of the report to determine the resources Jess had requested for the project. The actual robotics weren't an issue they could be quickly and efficiently produced through simple molecular reprinting. Brenda had no problem okaying that. She had already requisitioned an entire bank of reprinters for projects Jess was requesting. The shortfall to the plan was the number of class twelve AIs the plan required. They were some of the more complex artificial intelligences. It was the minimum for running a complex robotic swarm like this, but the problem was selling the programs on it. There was no glory to be had and the systems would spend most of the time running background calculations which would occupy a fraction of the AI's capabilities. In short, AIs weren't going to volunteer for the duties because of the long boring periods of time between potential actions. Brenda typed out a reply to that effect and sent it.

As though she had been waiting with bated breath for a response to her report, Jess messaged back immediately a reply. Brenda didn't even have time to open the message when her tablet vibrated and Jess's picture filled the screen. Brenda accepted the call. "That was quick."

"Sorry, Chief. I have several hundred AIs already lined up for the project with minimal necessary concessions. Most want a live feed of some sort from the Preserve, news, arts, technology. Basically, they want to use their downtime to pursue interests that other positions would not give them time for. They also can use the time to gestate new programs for the program. It is amazing how many of them just want the time to produce productive offspring."

"Okay, that was my main concern. You might also set it up that they can transfer to the Preserve periodically for variety. Have floating replacements. Another thing Jess, why no update on your group of trainees?"

"There isn't much to update. They are a self-contained functioning unit. I don't see why they need my supervision anymore. They have picked up everything I can teach them about fieldwork. They really don’t need my supervision."

Brenda raised an eyebrow and pulled up another window on her tablet. She began typing up a requisition packet for the team of nine Jess had been training. "I’ll put in for a mark twelve system for them."

"Mark twelve?"

Brenda nodded. "Yeah, R&D has integrated some of the prototypes you have into a new line of suits meant for teams like yours." She finished the requisition form and sent it.

“Does that mean I am in for an upgrade?”

Brenda chuckled. “Yours is the prototype, there isn’t anything that needs to be upgraded. Are you open to training another team?”

Jess cocked her head to the side. "Yeah, I suppose I am."

Brenda nodded, "I will look into another group for you. You can give your team the good news."

"When will the promotion go into effect?"

Brenda's email pinged. She checked it. A mark twelve was ready for a team immediately. "Tomorrow morning. Get them packed and ready. I will hand their system over to them in the portal room."

"I'm going to miss those kids."

"Not for long, I'll have you another set picked out soon."

"Just make sure I have a marksman and at least one mechanical engineer, an AI android or cyborg would be cool too."

"I'll do what I can. I can't guarantee you a repeat of the perfect team on the first go."

Jess sighed, "I better go talk to my team."

Brenda nodded. She tapped her screen ending the call. Alone with a day's worth of reports percolating through her subconscious, Brenda chose to search the list of available factor trainee teams. Maybe she could get lucky again.


* * *

Fiona sat on the exam table kicking her feet. If she was as critically important as Beau implied, she was she felt pretty well ignored. Beau, Tina, and some gangly, awkward-looking redheaded woman stood off to the side discussing her softly. Fiona looked around at the "room." It was infinitely large and white extending some distance in almost every direction. To one side, stone archways extended into the distance. In the area near the exam tables, stood the large crystal-lined vertical quicksilver pool that was the entry portal for this place. People streamed through the portal and lined up to get checked into this place. After check-in most of the people just teleported away the rest left the "room" through a single doorway through which she could see a dimly lit hallway.

"Really?" The redhead exclaimed. Then she quickly closed the distance between them. "Fi?"

"Fiona Maken," Fiona responded.

"Sorry, Fiona, is it true Mira Black chased you across a dimensional barrier?"

"Yes, she followed me. I tore a rift and jumped through it, and she seemed to be waiting for me on the other side."

"Dimensional rifts are easy to follow if you know how. Not a surprise she was waiting for you," The woman sighed, "How did you come by the ability to tear a rift through space-time?"

Fiona smiled, "The way I've gotten all of my abilities. I touched someone who could do it."

"Are you kidding me? You touch someone and you take their abilities?"

"Not exactly. I just learn how to copy everything they can do. I can pick things up from ordinary people too. I'm a multi-discipline black belt. I can even knit. Learned that from my grandma."

"Well, let's make this official. Hello, my name is Brenda Bench, I am chief of field operations for the factors. They're the ones running the Preserve. Factors like Beau and I spend our time out in the omniverse serving and protecting. That said I want to welcome you to the Preserve. You're safe here and we don't ask anything in return, but if you would be interested in sharing your skills and abilities that would be great!" Brenda held out her hand for a handshake.

Fiona looked at it. "You have abilities too don't you?"

"Yeah, I can weave space-time among other things," Brenda answered honestly.

Fiona swallowed her hesitation and extended her hand. "Just so you know, I might pass out." She took Brenda's hand and felt Brenda's whole life flowing into her memories. Interesting, Brenda had been adopted too. Fiona felt herself physically falling in slow motion while experiencing Brenda learning to weave the fabric of time and space. As she hit what passed for a floor, she learned of Brenda's experiences with and as a factor. Alien worlds? Hellhounds? Mira Black used to be a factor? Fiona's consciousness began to implode, but she fought it. She rode the waves of memories to the present instant where Brenda knelt next to her still holding her hand. Tina was on quick approach with her ubiquitous scanners. Fiona's vision blurred and doubled as her awareness shifted to the underlying fabric of time and space. She recognized the tangled webbing that most of the Preserve's residents called crunch space. She had to agree it might take time but untangling it was possible.

"Fiona?" Beau laid a hand on her shoulder. The contact wasn't skin to skin but it did jar Fiona from her altered state.

Tina, Beau, and Brenda were all kneeling around her. "I told you I might pass out." Fiona sat up.

"I take it you can do what I can now…" Brenda asked with a smile.

"Yup."

"Then you probably realize what we are going to do with you next…"

Fiona teleported one of the portable portal generators over to the check-in station. It took her a minute to get upright. By that time Tina had programed the portal to take her to an isolation room. The portal activated. "Two weeks?" Fiona asked.

"It's up to Mae. She's the chief of domestic operations."

"I know. When will I get to meet with her?"

Brenda smiled, "I just classified you to be a life or death emergency. You aren't, and she knows it, but it will get her to the observation room faster than you are getting there. She will also thank you profusely."

"I know…" Fiona stepped through the portal. Mae Amante waited in the observation room when Fiona arrived. Fiona held her hand out to Mae, "Did Brenda tell you about my abilities?"

"She messaged me." Mae seemed hesitant to take Fiona's gesture of a handshake. "Are you sure? I am one of the highest-rated psychokinetics in the Preserve."

Fiona shrugged. What she had learned from Brenda left her curious about what she could learn from Mae. She shoved her hand towards Mae purposefully. Mae shrugged and shook Fiona's hand. For Fiona, it was illuminating as far as information went but there were no new abilities to gain. She did sense that Mae had a primitive form of her own natural ability. Mae could turn people's abilities back on them. She had fought the devil in the old omniverse using his own power reflected back at him. Fiona was also privy to Mae's suspicion that Fiona was a product of the old omniverse too.

"Well?"

Fiona smiled, "I think I'll be okay. Your abilities are similar to my own. You reflect peoples' abilities back at them. I learn them for keeps."

"Cool. Well, welcome to the Preserve. You have options. You can become a civilian resident. We'll find you a place to live and productive work to do. Or, and this is what I hope you choose, you could sign on as a factor to fight Mira and her minions."

"Can I have some time to marinate?"

Mae nodded. "Absolutely. Do you need me to show you the tech?"

"No. Between you and Brenda I think I can handle things. Bed, media screen, bathroom, delivery cupboard, chair." Fiona pointed out each amenity.

Mae smiled. "Give me a call when you have things figured out." Fiona nodded and smiled. Mae teleported out. Fiona flopped onto the bed and began flipping through channels on the media screen.


* * *

This mission had been tedious and long. It took months for Tyrulan to establish himself as a lobbyist in Washington. He was supposed to undermine all efforts at environmental regulation. He had actually convinced half of the congress that Global Warming was a myth. He was so near success. He had set up concealed greenhouse gas generators in a large number of environmental refuges. He had almost single-handedly set up the destruction of the environment. In less than a generation, this particular earth would suffer a full environmental collapse and the civilization would fall, killing billions.

He woke in his penthouse apartment and shaved, maybe after this mission Mira would allow him to return to his natural form. What frightened him was that he almost comfortably recognized his human face in the mirror. He finished his morning hygiene routine and headed out into the kitchen. The foods available to him in this mission had almost encouraged him to take his time with it. He tapped his tablet. The status on the devices he had concealed all flashed red. Each and every one of his environmental disruptors was offline, reading as completely destroyed. Dismayed, Tyrulan flipped to his feed from the floor of congress.

"Ladies and gentlemen, these new devices have the potential to not only reduce carbon emissions on current technologies but the potential of carbon sequestration that can reverse environmental damage. The expense for these devices could be offset with environmental tax breaks. Mr. Chavez's devices have the possibility of producing clean cheap power on a citywide scale. His solar power systems are ten times more efficient than any seen before. These devices are a miracle for the world in its time of greatest need."

Tyrulan checked his environmental sensors. The damage he had done had somehow been entirely reversed. He flung his tablet across the room into the window. Neither broke. It was incredibly dissatisfying. The tablet began to chirp as though it had been offended by the toss. The sound got louder a summons. Tyrulan used his mind and drew the tablet back to him. He tapped to accept the call.

Mira's face filled the screen, "Tyrulan, why is it that your tablet is reporting to me that the environment of that world has completely righted itself overnight?"

"I don't know mistress. I was just doing my morning check-in. All of my greenhouse gas generators have been destroyed. The feed from congress showed some woman discussing new environmental technology. Some man named Chavez is offering cheap clean power!"

"Chavez… The factors have somehow detected your activities on that world. Return to base. I will contemplate your punishment."

"Yes, MIstress…" the screen went black. Tyrulan threw the tablet again. It still didn't break as it bounced off of the television screen. The television screen shattered and rained glass on the floor. Tyrulan didn't bother to pack other than retrieving his tablet and the infinite bag that had held the environmental disruption technologies. He teleported to the Main Dark Compound and walked with a slow purpose to Mira's throne room. Punishment could be as simple as time in a cell without food, or as final as death. Having completely failed in his mission, Tyrulan saw no reason to race through the hallways to his execution. He reached the throne room and threw himself to the floor in front of her throne. He knelt nearly prone at the base of granite steps leading up to a familiar throne carved like wisps of smoke from deep gray quartz. The arms of the throne morphed into ghoulish figures. The backrest and seat of the throne were made of amply padded black leather. Mira sat upon the throne scowling down at him.

"You know I should execute you for your failure. My predecessor felt no qualms about rewarding failures like that. I however can be more forgiving, plus you are one of my favorite minions. I find our interactions so satisfying." She sat forward on the throne and crossed her ankles. "What should I reward your failure with, something dirty, dangerous, and unpleasant. You will shovel the garbage from the hellhound whelping cages and scrub them down between litters until I feel you are suitably disciplined for failing me."

Tyrulan nodded. He wanted to argue he had been more than moderately successful until the factors intervened. He was one operative against the combined resources and labor of potentially thousands of enemy operatives. Making such an excuse would only anger Mira and the mercy she had shown him could be entirely reversed.

"Well, go the cages aren't getting any cleaner with you groveling here."

Tyrulan leaped to his feet and ran off to the hellhound kennel. He realized on the way there that Mira was fully aware of his argument as if he had spoken it aloud. His ability to shield his mind was nothing to her telepathic ability to read his mind. She simply did not care.


* * *

Raen eyed every clock she passed as her legs ate the distance between the Apothecary Guild center and her destination. She had stayed the night at the apothecary hall, taking advantage of a warm meal and a soft bed as part of her bounty for catching the silver banded viper. She was supposed to report to the Baerd Guild by seven. Up ahead stood the imposing front entrance to the massive Baerd guild complex. Raen ran right up to the front door, the guard at the door didn’t pay her any mind. The clock above the door read quarter to seven. She made it!

After a few moments, Raen flashed her new affiliation pin at the guard. His nose wrinkled and he looked down at the pin. He chuckled before resuming his imposing stance. “I am supposed to report to the courier barracks by seven.”

He outright laughed at her, “The couriers’ entrance is around back.” He pointed along the several block long wall of the Baerd complex, the only openings she saw were clearly shops and stalls rented to semi independent shopkeepers. “When you come to the corner take a right…” Raen felt her face, neck, and ears growing impossibly hot. She wasn’t used to such massive miscalculations.

Raen glared at the guard and the clock before she took off at a run. The sidewalks were mostly empty at this hour so she didn’t have to dodge many people although she did have to leap over a cart of deliveries meant for one of the shops. Raen could feel the time ticking away. It had to be closer to seven fifteen by now. Raen’s feet pounded the pavement. The last opening in the side wall of the compound bore the label, “Courier’s entrance.”

It lead to a courtyard with a bay of hoverbikes and other levels of transportation all the way to stalls housing living mounts for the less traveled sections of the city. To the right of the courtyard was a closed double set of dutch doors. Raen walked up to the doors and knocked on the right side.

A few moments passed before the upper knob wobbled. Then the top half of the door swung outward. The scowl on the face of the angular man on the other side of the door was highly discouraging. He glared down his long pointy nose at her. “Yes.”

Raen found her throat dry when she saw the clock behind him read seven-twenty. She couldn’t find her voice so she pointed out the new pin on the strap of her messenger bag.

The man eyed her and sniffed repeatedly. “You’re late. First impression; you won’t be here long. Our guild emphasizes on time deliveries. What’s your excuse?”

Raen cleared her throat, “Jayden didn’t tell me I had to come around back…”

“Oh, so that is how you are going to play this. Name dropping will do you no good here Miss…”

“Raen, Davis.”

“Well miss Davis come on in.” He opened the bottom of the door and stepped out of her way, “Proceed down the hall.” His vague gesture pointed her off down the hall towards the sounds of indistinct conversation. Raen ran down the empty hallway, past doors leading to dormitories with multi-leveled bunks. She ran all the way into the room at the end of the hall, that the voices were coming from.

All conversation stopped on her entry. Everyone in the room wore identical Baerd Guild courier livery. Their hair was uniformly cut, and every eye of this conformist nightmare turned disapprovingly on Raen. Raen could imagine what her threadbare outfit must look like to them. A tingling swept across Raen’s face. She considered making a run for the exit, going so far as to turn back to the door. The stern angular man from the first door blocked her path and closed the door behind himself. Raen froze. The look on his face was unread-ably stern.

“Ferguson, I want you to take Miss Davis under your wing." His nose wrinkled. "I would appreciate it if you showed her the way to the bath. Hopefully you can teach her to be on time from here on out."

Raen sniffed her sleeve, suddenly she remembered dousing herself in perfume to save Jayden.

Raen still stood near the door, she was caught between the idea of escaping and shrinking to hide behind the coat rack. The man cleared his throat. The immediate response was the grinding of chair legs on stone as an individual approximately Raen’s age rose from a table across the room. They quickly crossed to Raen’s side and grabbed her right arm. Raen pulled away glaring at the youth. Kind feminine eyes caught hers and nodded towards the table with the chair pulled out. Several other seats at that table were also empty. "Sir, can we finish breakfast first?"

Together they walked through the silence to the table and were seated. Raen sat next to the girl and flashed a nervous smile. Across the table two other youths busted out in chuckles. Conversation in the dining hall resumed.

“My name’s Ferguson. I guess I’m your mentor now,” The girl offered her hand in a fingerless leather glove for a knuckle bump.

Raen swallowed hard and took in her surroundings. The rest of the kids at the table were clustered on the other side of the round table with several chairs between them and Raen. She could feel them staring at them though she lacked the courage to make eye contact. It made Raen flinch and tug at her sleeve every-time they erupted in soft chuckles.

“Pay them no mind, Davis,” Ferguson said stabbing a small slab of ham on one of the plates occupying a large lazy susan at the center of the table. Ferguson spun the lazy susan and retrieved an empty plate and silverware from a stack. She put the plate in front of Raen and deposited the ham on the plate before spinning the tray again and spearing a sweetroll. The plates on the lazy susan held a variety of breakfast foods with varying nutritional value. There was a nearly overwhelming over-representation of protein rich foods.

“Eat.”

Raen stared at the ham. She had seen it before, but never had the resources to try it or even to attempt to steal it. Raen awkwardly took the silverware as she had seen done through restaurant windows. It seemed an awkward way to eat. Sawing at the meat with the knife, Raen ended up flinging her fork across the table. It landed with a greasy twang on the plate across from her. The rest of the table fell silent and stared openly at her.

This can’t be happening! Raen slumped in her chair and wanted to crawl under it. Clenching her eyes shut, she waited for the laughter. Instead she felt a light tap on the shoulder.

When she opened her eyes, Raen saw Ferguson holding the offending utensil out to her. The kids on the other side of the table were careful not to look at Raen. Raen just stared at the fork. After a minute Ferguson shrugged and put it down on the table. Then Ferguson eyed each of the other kids. As one they lowered their utensils and picked the food up off of their plates with their hands and went back to eating.

Raen let out a small gasp, wide eyed she turned to Ferguson. “There’s time to fancy you up. Morganstern just told me to get you to be on time.”

Tentatively, Raen picked up the ham and took a bite. This day might not be the disaster she thought it was.


* * *

Beaoul felt a strong pulling sensation in her mind, someone summoning her. The only entity with enough power to summon a hellhound like Beaoul in the whole compound, was Mira Black. Mira, the Darkone, Mother of Lies, had chosen to summon Beaoul. Icy fear clawed through Beaoul's veins. Had Mira discovered the truth about how the Razorwolf escaped, or that Beaoul had secretly taught herself to use her mind to move objects? Beaoul had not figured out how to teleport yet, so escape from Mira's wrath wasn't possible. All of that flashed through Beaoul's mind as her feet traced a pathway to Mira's throne room.

Beaoul tried to resist the pull of Mira's summons. As she did it felt like it pulled something from the core of her being. The sensation was a white-hot burning but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Beaoul dug her claws into the floor and whatever tugged at her from within seemed to pop right out leaving a painful but sweet spot in her core. She still felt the summons, but it did not dominate her in any way. Beaoul realized that if she didn't go to Mira with great haste, there would be consequences. She trotted towards the throne room at a an even faster pace.

Beaoul was a little short of breath when she arrived at the base of Mira's throne. "I am impressed. You really came as quickly as you could. Not many respond so promptly to a summons," Mira said. Beaoul sat and panted a little. "This has decided me! I think it is time we discussed your future."

Beaoul held her legs steady despite every nerve in her body freezing solid. Mira rarely spoke of futures that didn't involve a horrible death. Beaoul nodded that she was paying attention.

"Good, you have proven to be a very intelligent and loyal pet, Beaoul. I think I am wasting you by keeping you confined here. I think I am interested in seeing what you would do in the field. You could be a formidable asset. While you aren't as visually fear inspiring as some of your brethren, you are quite the imposing canine figure. In fact your fur and less decomposing appearance would make you a suitable companion for me on a unaffiliated world. Your bite and scratches are still deadly aren't they?"

Beaoul thought of the test Mira had insisted upon just a few days ago. The rabbits had become decomposed corpses within moments of her bites or scratches. Watching the process of their death was a memory Beaoul would rather not have. Beaoul swallowed and nodded.

Mira fluffed the satin of her dress. Physical fabric, meant she had just come back to the Dark Compound from a "neutral" world, one that hadn't sided for or against Mira and the soul crushing evil she represented, "Oh, good, next time I leave the Dark Compound you will be at my side. If you accept the position."

Beaoul knew the question was a trap. Anything but a yes, would lead to Mira's anger directed at her. Beaoul projected eagerness, and nodded. Mira didn't need to know she could speak yet.

"It's settled, I want you to get bathed and brushed we will be leaving in the morning. I want you t look presentable, no, I want you to look imposing. Sharpen your claws," Mira waved a limp wristed hand towards the door.

Beaoul quickly trotted from the throne room. In the hall she paused to breathe. She felt like she had been holding her breath through the whole audience. Beaoul rolled the meeting through her mind. Mira was going to take her outside of the Dark Compound. She had dreamed of the day when she would breathe the air of a free world. She had overheard so many stories. She had made a habit of talking to prisoners, from a position where they could not see her. It would not do to have them talking to their torturers about the talking hellhound they had met.