Your House

[GLKnight]

As Desi fell into a brooding mood, storming into the manor like she was on a mission, I was left wondering why Desi was going through such extremes in her attitude. At times proud and hopeful, focused on doing all she could to help. And at other times, a hurricane of emotions that just battered whoever got near her. And most recently, a veritable volcano of violence and ferocity. Looking at my sister for a second, I had to wonder if her actions were in part caused by the inhuman change she was going through. Everything involving hormone treatments, energy from the Axzhurat, the way her body was slowly getting bigger and stronger. More and more of her humanity seemingly being remade into that of a Neo.

It was almost like I was losing my sister and there was some sort of monster where she stood, slowly unable to hide its true nature as time went on.

I wanted to speak up, ask her if she was alright. But as I was looking for the words, my eyes drifted for a second and I stopped as the overall opulence of the entrance overwhelmed me. The place was MASSIVE, deceptively hidden by the much smaller exterior despite the outside of the manor being massive, itself. The lighting in there was exquisite, a veritable wall of windows that defied logic given the length of the floor plan coupled with crystalline chandeliers fitted with golden framing that filtered light with enough gems of varying color to fill a vault. Statues that looked ancient yet somehow more immaculately cared for than even the best museum pieces. Paintings of various age, all kept in pristine condition as they hung on the walls. It was only as I really took everything in that I realized the sheer number of famous works on the wall.

The Girl With The Pearl Earring, Starry Night, Liberty Leading The People, Guernica, The Garden Of Earthly Delights, Wanderer Above The Sea Of Fog and more. Paintings that hung in museums across the world, images that my father shared with me as part of his passion before his passing.

"Can you give me a minute?" I asked, not waiting for a response as I moved in for a closer look. I cautiously approached the wall, looking carefully at the frames and actual quality of the art. It was astounding how well made the pictures were recreated. The colors were too clean, no signs of varnish. There was no decay on the paint itself. Nothing was flaking off. Everything dad had taught me to look for in a painting, I was actively trying to remember and apply towards a critical eye. But then I started noticing details that were almost impossible to recreate. Things dad said I had to look for in order to prove its authenticity. And I gasped.
 
Part of me didn't want to believe it, but as I drew closer to take a better look at Caspar Friedrick's masterpiece, I couldn't deny it. These weren't reprints. These were the ACTUAL paintings on the walls of the manor. Moving from one painting to the next, I notice that everything dad instructed me to look for were there. Then I took a look at the closest statue to me and I gasped as I took in the visage of the Lady of Auxerre. Her face no longer marred by time and painted in the brilliant colors that she supposedly was once adorned with. The blues and whites and reddish hues that made her stand out with her original beauty once more. I ran to the next, seeing the Peplos Kore, also restored to true form. Given her true colors once more, an ancient styled bronze helm on her head, and wielding a sword and shield.

And on it went, lost in a world of classical art and statues that were not meant to be here. A veritable treasure trove of the will and spirit of humanity, squirreled away onto a plantation that was filled by beings with glowing eyes that stood by. Keeping watch as I basically lost my shit trying to rationalize why they had done this.

"Why are these here?" I shouted, running up to Amelia. "These should be somewhere that people can look after them! Where they can be protected and treasured and kept-"

"Safe?" Maisie groaned, slipping off of Amelia's back. "There is nowhere more safe than in our hands, Desmond. We have restored them all to their true beauty. In the hands of Man, they're just trinkets and things to be hoarded and hidden, or to be destroyed because of vanity, jealousy, anger and carelessness."

As she moved past me, she touched the Lady Of Auxerre. Her blue fingers gently sliding along the statue's exterior, as if using them to lightly add another layer of paint with them. The leathery underside of her hand softly made a skiffing kind of sound, leaving no trace of damage as she went like she was able to intensely feel how much pressure was needed to rub away the refurbished chest and stomach of the piece.

"And yet it's okay for you to casually brush up against it?" I asked, moving further into the entryway and spreading my arms out wide. "Look around, Doc! These don't belong here!"

"Desmond," Amelia said, crossing the room and putting her hands on my shoulders. "Don't be like that, okay? I understand how you're feeling, but-"

"You don't!" I shouted, brushing the captain's hands away. "This isn't about protection! These were TAKEN! These were-"

"What is going on in here?"

We heard a woman's voice long before she even entered the room, a large pair of doors practically slamming open as an incredibly beautiful yet somehow cold woman with long brown hair tied high in a ponytail stormed into what was basically a gallery. She was definitely tall, taller than I was before I was altered, only aided still by the extremely high end looking stillettos she was wearing. Her tight blue power suit showing off every inch of her incredible figure as both her black business shirt and her pencil skirt fought to keep her frankly cartoonish proportions contained. Pushing her expensive looking glasses up with a blue hand, the Blue Neo glared at us all with steely eyes as the entire atmosphere inside the room changed instantly with an almost omnipresent pressure that seemed to center on her as a retinue of guards followed her in.

"Sister Attendant!" Amelia stammered, immediately going into damage control as she approached the newcomer. "I didn't expect you to meet us!"

"That's Jenna Merrymore," Desi whispered as she moved next to me. "She's Doctor Bernard's assistant, handling operations on her behalf."

"On her behalf?" I whispered back. "So an executive assistant?"

"Yeah."

"And a Blue Neo?"

"Uh... not quite?"

"What do you mean not-"

As I watched Amelia approaching her, it was the weirdest fucking thing. There was a shimmering in the woman's eyes, a flickering of light like a switch being flipped. And then she just started getting... BIGGER. As she stumbled and grabbed onto herself, I could hear the seams of her power suit quickly popping as her arms swelled within them. Her clothes creaking as her mass quickly increased. Watching her hands and forearms inflating as Green crept along her flesh, slowly overtaking the Blue as she grew taller. Her shoes loudly groaning as her body filled with power, pushing her already ludicrous assets outward as she stared at Captain Chaimongkhon's approach. Her eyes meeting Amelia's level before a slight jump as she grew bigger still. Causing her clothes to finally begin to rip as Jenna's mass shudder once more, sending her into hulking territory as a look of anger overtook her. I had to admit, it was taking every ounce of willpower to fight every fantasy that was struggling to take me.

"Damn it all," she moaned, shaking her hands as she looked herself over. "I liked this suit!"

"...Whoa, She-Hulk!"

I must have been louder than I thought, because Ms. Merrymore's eyes turned away from Amelia mid-sentence and locked onto me. A bolt of fear running through me as she stared deep into my soul from across the way.

"You may be an A Rank, Mr. Nowell." Ms. Merrymore said, her voice authoritative and clear. "But I am outside of your fantasies, and will not tolerate your objectification. So programming or no, you are just another man to me and I will treat you as such. Do you understand me?"

What?! She just literally Hulked out in front of me! Something I've seen no one else do! The chances of me saying something was practically one hundred percent. And my dick just makes it more likely by a factor of a hundred!

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

I felt Desi's elbow bumping into my arm. Turning to look at her as she leaned in close.

"Be considerate, okay? She was involved in an accident at the start of her treatments, and now fluctuates between two states on reflex. And it causes her to be in constant pain."

"But she looks like she's still going through treatments," I whispered. "So wouldn't going through it again and again cause her more pain?"

Desi sighed, shooting a quick look over to Amelia and Ms. Merrymore as Doctor Lawler wandered up to the pair and started snuggling into Amelia's arm while they talked.

"It's complicated. They're trying to find a solution and even things out so her body isn't constantly remaking itself, so don't make fun of her or treat her differently."

What Desi had just said didn't sit right with me. They were willing to go out of their way to treat her with kid gloves, but my sister was constantly being put through the ringer? And even she was trying to justify it? No. No, this wasn't right. The fucking gall of these people.

"...Doctor Bernard has ordered that he be put into the Men's chambers so they may have direct access to him at all times."

Wait, what?

That phrase, "Men's chambers", instantly brought me back to now. The look of disappointment or turmoil that was on Amelia's face practically told me everything I needed to know. But I had to ask the one person who might know more.

"Desi, what did she mean I'm to-"

As soon as I saw her marching her way towards the others, her fists so tight that her knuckles were turning white, I knew things were about to blow up in our faces.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!"

Amelia quickly put herself in harm's way, holding Desi back. But she was having none of it, constantly pushing her way towards Ms. Merrymore, standing by with a complete lack of concern. A bemused smile on her face as she watched my sister put her full weight into pushing past our overseer.

"Calm down, Desiree!"

In a move that surprised everyone, Desi bent down, going into a full squat before springing upward. Her arm crooking around Amelia's waist as she proceeded to fling the captain into the air and across the room with one swing of her forearm. Eliciting gasps and screams from Doctor Lawler and the guards as Captain Chaimongkhon spiraled towards the doors on the far wall to my right. The sound of the impact was frightening as the massive Asian woman slammed into three Orange Neos, all of them making some sound of shock or pain as the wood splintered powerfully. The doors giving way as they all fell into the adjoining hallway while Desi continued her charge.

"Desmond stays with me!" my sister bellowed, her fist cocked for a blow into Ms. Merrymore's face as she stared into my sister's eyes with absolute fear.

But another sound drew everyone's notice. The sound of someone screaming before something else breaking open. Coming from the top of a grand staircase leading to an immensely ornate pair of doors at the far end of the entryway. Each scream following the crunching sound of splintering wood and the slamming of doors. I ran past everyone towards the stairs, wondering what was coming. The sounds getting louder and louder as they drew near. Then I heard it. The voice of whoever was screaming, begging loudly and through intense sobs.

"I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me, Mistress!"

It was the sound of a man in the midst of absolute suffering. And of a Neo in the midst of a rage.

"JENNA!!!"

Oh God... I didn't want to see her...

"JENNA, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Oh God, NO...!

"JENNA, I NEED YOU!!!"

I found my legs going weak as my memories began to flood through me. I couldn't help it. I wanted to stand, but it was like my heart fled with every ounce of strength I had as I crumpled to the floor.

"Please," the man screamed. "I'm sorry! Just let me go, Mistress!"

The ornate doors burst open, breaking their golden frame with the intensity of a bomb as my mom stomped her way to the top of the stairs. Naked as the day she was born as her body glistened with sweat and other fluids as she held one of the men, broken and bloody as he feebly tried to will himself to move between his tears, by the throat as her eyes continuously flashed and thrummed. Her black hair tussled, her muscles were pumped. Twitching as if she had just finished an intense workout. Her veins along her face and arms thick and twitching as she scowled towards Ms. Merrymore.

"You said he was a fucking stud," mom screamed. "And he didn't even last two fucking MINUTES!!!"

I had seen this kind of fit before. When she was truly unpleased with the outcome of something, she would wait until we were behind closed doors and then unleash Hell on us. It was right as her eyes narrowed, realizing who was by the Sister Attendant that I figured out her next action. The malicious smirk on her face was the tell, and I knew exactly what was about to happen.

"Desi! Move!"

The man screamed in absolute terror as mom lifted him up with one hand as if she were a child in the midst of a tantrum, reared back and hurled him as hard as she could towards Ms. Merrymore and Desi on the floor below. His limbs flailing uselessly around him as he rocketed towards the two. But Desi had grown up with mom, just like I had. And unlike me, she had the ability to rebuke mom's attempts. Letting Ms. Merrymore go, she planted her feet, crouching down slightly and holding out her arms. Curling herself to give some cushioning with her own body as the poor man's form slammed into hers. Using herself as a shock absorber while the currently Green Neo hopped out of the way as my sister was knocked off her feet. Rolling backwards as she cradled our mother's victim as he cried out in pain, the pair spun once, twice and a third time before hitting the door frame behind them. Desi grunting in discomfort as her back collided with the thick wooden wall before grimacing and unwrapping her arms from around the man.

I scrambled to my feet, rushing to her side as we both looked at the man. His face torn up, eye swelling obscenely. He was in so much agony as he tried to move his arms, only able to shrug as he twitched in pain. His breath ragged and staggered as he kept his eyes closed.

"Give me room!" Maisie shouted, sprinting to our side of the entryway as she went to work. Assuredly sobering as she carefully slid her hands around his body.

"What did she do to him?" Desi asked, rage present in her voice.

"Arms broken in three spots each," Doctor Lawler said, closing her eyes. "Sternum's broken. Three ribs. Leg's are... Fuck, he's got a torn artery from a femur splinter. Broken occipital, broken jaw, four vertebrae in his upper spine."

I felt this incredible burning sensation crawling up my throat as I glared at my mother. A languid, pacified smile on her face as she slowly walked down the stairs. Even from where I was sitting, the unmistakable beads of fluid that dripped from between her legs was undeniable. She had just gotten off on the suffering she had inflicted on him.

"He shouldn't have disappointed me. But you know that all too well, don't you, Desmond?"

"You... fucking... MONSTER!" I screamed, practically on the verge of tears.

"Call me what you want, my son!" she cheered, spreading her arms out as she neared. "For we all know what I am! I am power incarnate! I am as I always knew I was meant to be!"

As she reached the ground floor, I knew mom was going to do something. So before I even realized it, I had found myself getting to my feet. Walking towards her as she sauntered towards me.

I've had enough of her bullshit.

[GLKnight]

"Desmond, STOP!"

I could hear my sister's voice, the growing horror and anguish as she saw me heading towards our mother. A sneer that bordered on a smirk on mom's face as she eyed me up. But I couldn't take it anymore. I knew she could kill me, if she wanted. But I didn't give a fuck. She could break me a thousand way. Crush me. Twist me until my bones snapped. Strangle me with one hand. Throw me around until my insides were splattered all over the walls. Pin me down and smother me. Slap me around until my brain turned to mush. Hold me down and let her full weight press every ounce of life out of my flesh. Wear me out until I died of ex... exhaustion...

...Okay, getting a little fucking weird, Desmond. I gotta dial it back.

Anyway, point still stands. My mother, who had turned herself into a towering, jacked up muscle monster with the beauty of a young pop star for God knows why, literally has the strength to do whatever she wants with me. And I, the scrawny five foot four inch, one hundred and ten pound weakling I had become, was now meeting her head on. Fully ready for my doom after she had thrown a man she had mangled to the point of near death for not getting her rocks off like she had wanted at my sister like she fully intended to use her as the finishing blow. Most likely to cause more trauma on top of everything else she had done to us.

And here I was, marching straight at her like a fucking idiot to my certifiable destruction. All because I wanted this to end. But as I looked at her, the way her muscles twitched and flexed to goad even more strength out of them, how deeply etched her body seemed, the way she continuously opened and closed her six fingered red hands time and again to pump her forearms up, bouncing her pecs with every breath, rolling her shoulders again and again as if building them into literal mountains. As I stared at the beastly engine of destruction that slowly but eagerly moved towards me, it suddenly struck me what really was about to happen.

But it wasn't until I felt myself coming off the ground, feet dangling below me as mom casually grabbed the front of my shirt and picked me up like a plush doll without even stopping that it finally sank in how one sided this contest was always going to be.

"Ack!"

"Naughty boy!" she said, clearly amused by my attempt to confront her failing badly as she walked with a model's grace and gait towards my sister, Doctor Lawler and Ms. Merrymore. Desi jumped to her feet, clearly ready to charge into the fray for my sake, the white glow in her eyes visibly flashing.

"Put him down!" she growled, her fists tight as she went to make a move. But mom didn't care, lobbing me at her with a short swing of her arm like I was a kid's backpack as they got into their room and sending me... What, fifteen? Twenty feet? Unlike the man she had just hurled with all her might from the floor above, it was almost like she was trying to be more careful despite how casual she tossed me away. Desi, for her part, was clearly ready. Softly guiding me into her arms as she used her full body to cushion the fall. Mom, however, remained unconcerned as she continued her march towards the crowd.

"The grownups need to talk," she said, not even looking at us as she passed by to confront Ms. Merrymore. "So the children need to stay quiet and out of sight."

I could practically feel Desi blanching at mom's words, just like I was. We were not her priority right now. Instead, as she got closer to a withering Ms. Merrymore, I knew where her true ire was directed. The massive Neo holding up her hands as panic overtook her.

"P-P-Please," she begged as mom grabbed her jacket and picked her up. "I-I'll have someone get another man! You don't n-need to-"

Mom's smile grew wider, watching the woman grow quiet as she raised her open hand. Ms. Merrymore shut her eyes tightly knowing full well what was about to happen as our mother went for the blow. But right before her palm connected, we heard someone shouting with a powerful and sonorous voice from the open hall to our left.

"LET HER GO! NOW!"

As we turned to see who it was, Desiree gasped.

"Dizane!"

"Di-what-ne?"

As she approached, the first thing I noticed about the woman was the massive blotchy scar across her face. An extremely pale flow across her darker skin and down to her strong jaw, her red eyes focused with intense anger beneath her thick eyebrows. Her red wife beater wrapped tightly around her barrel chest, barely able to contain her full breasts as they jostled and swayed with enough force to threaten escape as she marched in double time towards us. Her body bristling with power, covered in sweat from apparent exertion. Red fatigue pants practically painted onto her magnificent legs, thighs bulging obscenely with a clear teardrop shape as she ran while her calves stretched the cuffs to their limit. Her boots thudding loudly as she stared down our mother during her run. The intensity only growing more palpable as she came closer. As my eyes drank her form in, I couldn't help but notice how tall she was. Like, TALL tall. Taller than mom, tall. Taller than even Captain Chaimongkhon, tall. Only adding to the intensity ever more as she came to a stop, pulling Ms. Merrymore out of mom's clutches and putting herself in the way. Forcing mom to look up at the intruder, who only returned the look right back to her.

"What gives you the right to assault the Sister Attendant, Nowell?"

"She failed in her duties," mom said, pointing at the man she had broken as Doctor Lawler waved some oncoming soldiers to give the man aid. "She picked a man she claimed could satisfy me, and he could not! By our rights, I have the obligation of disciplining her!"

"She is a NON-COMBATANT," Dizane fired back with her heavy accent, pointing her finger into mom's face. "So you have no obligations to handle her discipline in any way, especially over something as trivial as your pleasure. And furthermore, Jenna was chosen by Doctor Bernard herself! You mistreat her and it'll be like you have slapped our Sister Ascendant!"

"Wait," I asked, confused as all fuck. "Non-combatant? Why do you have to mark her as a non-combatant? Aren't all people who are not involved in any form of fighting known as such?"

Mom's eyes narrowed as she began to move towards me, anger in every step. Desi pushed me behind her, clearly ready to take the brunt of her assault.

"What did I tell you about keeping quiet?" she said, her knuckles cracking with a clenching of her fists as my sister braced herself. "Good children stay small and-"

But this Dizane woman was having none of it, grabbing mom's arm and dragging her back. Causing the bitch's eyes to go wide as she was overpowered.

"NO VIOLENCE!" she shouted, her voice calm and commanding as she forced our mother to focus on her. "Doctor Bernard's orders, Nowell. Now go calm your ass down by hitting the gym!"

Mom's eye flit between us, Ms. Merrymore and Dizane. Squinting as she squared up to her fellow Red before releasing a rumbling growl from deep in her chest.

"You're fucking lucky we're in the Matriarch's home, Safira. And as for you two-"

Mom shifted her attention towards us, her jaw clicking as it moved side to side.

"...Enjoy tonight. Because when we get home, your workload's only getting more intense."

With a wiping of her chest and a quick huff at Dizane, mom chose to retreat. Quickly walking off down the opposite hallway, shoulder checking Amelia into the nearby guards as she left. There was a moment where the tension still remained, suffocating and omnipresent. Then, with a sigh and a shaking of shoulders and cracking of her neck, the tall Central Asian Neo closed her eyes and sighed.

"Why does your mother have to be like that all the time, awlād?"

"She's been like this as long as I've known her, Dizane." Desi replied, rushing forward to give the Neo a hug. An unusual amount of warmth in her approach as the two embraced like old friends.

I, however, felt like the outsider once again. Raising my hand to get their attention.

"Uh, excuse me?"

The Red Neo looked up, probably realizing for the first time that I was actually there. A look of recognition in her eyes as she smiled warmly at me.

"Do forgive me," she said, offering a slight bow. "I am Safira, but the sisters also call me Dizane. I am the Child Of The White's combat teacher."

"I'm, uh, Desmond. Pleasure to meet you."

Her eyes lit up as I introduced myself, a coy excitement readily apparent as she turned to my sister.

"So this is the one you keep going on about, Destiny? The Desmond boy?"

"My name's Desiree," Desi groaned, blushing as she pouted. "Not Destiny."

I knew something was up when this woman's smiled disappeared and began to rub along the giant scar on her face.

"Then we have an issue. They have not told you, yet?"

"Told me what?" Desi asked.

Ms. Merrymore quickly moved in, pulling out a small device out of her pocket before unfolding it to show a screen, and then unfolding it again to make it bigger before tapping it. An image of the NAE flag appearing on the device before she began moving through files. double tapping on one and then showing it to my sister.

"Y-You're request to keep the identity you were given was put under review and retroactively... d-denied."

"Why would they do that?" Desi asked, outraged at this sudden reversal of the decision. Ms. Merrymore flinched as Desi raised her voice, quickly swiping up to clearly scroll to the part that mattered into whatever file was open.

"Th-They want you to acclimate away from Human aspects," she stammered, trying her best to pacify my sister. "Embrace the parts of you that are N-Neo. They noted that you seem to be t-trying to identify as one of them, which is raising some major fffflags in the system."

As the three fell into arguing amongst themselves, I had to admit that it was all so odd to watch. But the one who I was most perplexed by was Ms. Merrymore. As an outsider being around her for the first time, it was strange seeing the Sister Attendant acting this way, especially after charging in here to take control and then changing into a Green. It was as if the switchover from Blue to Green had completely altered her personality. Essentially cold and direct when she first came in, but then skittish and practically docile as soon as she grew. Was this why she was being called a non-combatant? Were the Neos so warlike that anyone who was unable to control themselves in a fight seen as unworthy? Then why were they treating my sister so harshly, yet treating Doctor Bernard's assistant with kid gloves? Was there a structure to their organization I was just unable to comprehend?

"...THIS ISN'T FAIR!!!"

Seeing Desi in near hysterics as Safira and Ms. Merrymore kept trying to help her remain calm caused me to flinch. I had forgotten that my sister was still emotionally young, despite having been made into an adult. And I knew she needed me given her current state, probably more than I needed her.

"It may not seem fair," Safira said, calmly but intently. "But it was the Societal Matriarchs that dictate these decisions. Even the War Sisters like myself are to obey their commands, Destiny."

"I don't care!" Desiree shouted, tears starting to flow as her frustration clearly grew. "They promised that the decision was final! I wanted to stay like this, and now they-"

"Desi?"

Before she could even respond to me calling my name, I wrapped my arms around her from behind. I could feel the thick cords of her abs rubbing across my forearms as I pulled her in tight. My face planted into the incredible brawny topography of her corded back muscles as I closed my eyes and took in the vibrant field of white in my head that thrummed with the same pulsation of a heartbeat. Her breathing slowed, shallow with a loss of control that soon began to settle and gain depth as I held her. Her hands reaching for my arms as she wrapped her six fingers around them, initially to force me off of her but acquiescing to my concerns.

"I don't know why this matters," I said, making sure my voice was clear. "But it'll be alright. You'll always be who you are, okay? No matter what anyone says, you are you."

I could feel her black nails pressing into my skin, enough pressure to probably leave a light mark but not enough to do real damage. A low tingle where they made contact, kind of like when you put a battery on your tongue. Then, with a deep sigh, she gently lightened the pressure and pat my arm.

"You're right," she said. "I'll be me, no matter what name they want me to have. So I'll accept the name change... for now. But I want you to still call me Desi, okay?"

"It is your decision," Safira said. "I just think we might have to meet the Societal Matriarchs about this reversal."

"Th-That won't be ffffor a while," Ms. Merrymore stammered, flicking through her files on her device that looked like neither an phone nor a tablet. "They are b-bu-busy for at least s-s-several months with the w-wah-war effffort."

Safira rubbed her hands together before breathing out and clapping them. The snapping impact loudly echoing off the walls, which also caused me to wince from just how sharp the sound was.

"Ow..."

"Regardless of what we all want or wish to do," Safira stated, motioning towards Amelia and the guards. "We must get you to your quarters."

"Regardless of the timetable, we must get the two of you to your rooms, fed and ready for the evening."

"I think I know where to go," Desi told her, grabbing my hand as she started walking towards the stairs. "Let's go, Desmond."

As I went to follow her, Safira put her hand on Desi's shoulder. Stopping her in her tracks.

"Sorry, awlād. But the instructions are clear: Desmond is to be put into the Men's quarters that have direct access to Doctor Bernard's chambers."

The look of pained betrayal on my sister's face was heartbreaking.

"What? No! He's staying with me!"

"Again," Safira told her, motioning for an escort. "Doctor Bernard's orders, Desi. I would allow it, but it is out of my hands."

As Amelia and four guards surrounded Desiree, putting their hands on her like a prisoner to pull her away, she fought to hold on to me. But knowing that it was a game she would inevitable lose, her hand slipped from mine. Her eyes locked on me as she was led towards the stairs.

"I'll find you later!" she shouted, before having to turn around to head upstairs. Safira was clearly saddened, seeing her pupil being led away as she was, turning towards me and putting her arms behind her back.

"It is amazing how much she loves you," she said, sighing with a bit of melancholy. "So for her sake, I will treat you as if you were one of my own."

"That... means a lot," I told her, stuck somewhere between befuddlement and happy. "I guess we should probably head to where I'll be staying?"

"You are. Ms. Merrymore?"

The skittish Green Neo's head popped up, her eyes wide at being called.

"Y-Yes, Safira?"

"Please take Desmond to his quarters. I have other matters to attend to, sadly."

I felt Safira pushing me, a gentle smile on her face while the Sister Attendant caught me as I calmly crashed into her.

"Right away, S-Safira."

With another bow, the Red Neo turned and began moving back down the left hallway. Leaving the two of us alone while surrounded by a company of Orange Neo soldiers who retook their positions.

"If you'll f-follow me, Mr. Nowell...?" the Sister Attendant asked, a kind smile on her face as she began walking towards a set of doors by the back of the stairway. Not even given a chance to respond, I had to move quickly in order to not be left behind.

[Bleeezzee]

Reading from start to current, it’s crazy how much things have developed! Especially since it always seems to defy my expectations.

[GLKnight]

Just a slight update: life has gotten rather hectic as my SFW side has gone into disarray due to an idea being spurred into full blown PROJECT status that has canceled all my other works except for one novella WIP.

This means all my NSFW stories are on hold except for Your House, as that's the only story I can reasonably allow myself time to work on. I should have the next update ready in a few days, but it's a bit slow due to planning, organizing, arranging editors, working on the project's mission statement and guidelines, figuring out fair payment for both writers and artists, copyright and much more.

But that aside, next installment by this weekend at the earliest. And then it's the night of the Soiree, more reveals involving the Neo society's plans, a really important scene that will get the official Alternate version on my GLKing Art-what-for-Deviants account and a few REALLY massive twists in Chapter 24.

[GLKnight]

Well, I got the art I commissioned of Emma Valentine. And I'm IMMENSELY disappointed by it.

The issue isn't that she's not supposed to be Green. It's that she's a NEO, not a fucking HULK. At the point the pic is supposed to represent, she's to have gone through an extensive series of treatments to reach that size. And that means only her forearms, hands and eyes were supposed have green. And the artist chose to ignore that important detail and make her all Green.

And after the bizarre, shitty month I've had, I'm just ready to scream. With the new project, I can't fucking AFFORD to get a replacement pic right now!

Just... GOD DAMN IT!!!

[GLKnight]

"Why are we- WHOA!"

As soon as I stepped through the doors by the stairwell, I was immediately overtaken by the sheer size of the ballroom. The Neo architectural framework was on full display, giving the room a mindboggling amount of space to work around. High vaulted ceilings that lent an almost cathedral-like flair, decorated with artwork of what had to be highly self-conceptualized Baroque era style artwork of various Neos in what had to be multiple time periods on the walls and ceilings. More Classical relief work against in-laid marble pillars that showed masses of Neos lifting each other up as they each held a brightly lit sun of the four colors of the NAE that seemed to connect directly to the giant purple goddess on the ceiling. Immaculate dark wooden walls that allowed all of the artwork and structural details to pop in a brightly lit contrast all around the room. Ornate chandeliers proliferating across the several football fields long room, each bearing gemstones that twinkled and shone the NAE standards, as well. The lighter cream color of the Cedar dance floor gave a stark reprieve from the almost ethereally gaudy walls, as it led to a massive stage at the far end of the room while there were several exhausted men hard at work to clean and prepare for tonight's celebrations all around us. Several guards casually watching them as they talked amongst themselves, some giving orders and instructions while the rest were lounging about. A total of probably 20 armed Orange Neos for maybe 120 men.

"It's qui-quite amazing, isn't it?" Ms. Merrymore asked, motioning to everything around us. But I was no longer interested in the decor. My heart heavy as I looked at the nearest man, clearly fatigued as his stomach loudly gurgled. Taking one chapped and peeling hand off of the brush he was using to polish the floor and rubbing his gut with a wince.

"Yeah..."

"What do we have here?"

I turned in time to watch a guard with long dark hair reaching for my shirt, jostling me for show with a smirk as her blonde bobbed haired companion started chuckling to no one besides us. A pair of bullies if I ever saw one.

"Looks like we got a new houseboy, Mattie!" the other guard chortled. "Thank you for the new toy, Sister Attendant!"

Ms. Merrymore quickly moved in, putting her hands on the dark haired guard's to gently pry her off of me.

"N-No! He's not f-f-for the house!"

The two Orange Neos were beyond caring, though. Both amused at how flustered she was getting over my treatment. I, however, just stared directly at the two harrassing me. I was done with how my mother treated me, just like they were now.

"Do you know who you're messing with?" I asked them, trying to will as much steel in my eyes as possible. But it apparently wasn't getting anywhere, as they looked at each other before openly laughing at me.

"What can you do, shrimp?"

"Yeah! What can YOU do? Cry as you cum in your pants from how turned on you are by us, like a virgin?"

"Good one, Darcy!"

"Thanks!"

With a quick tug, Ms. Merrymore quickly pulled me to the side and started smoothing my clothes as the two continued their pompous posturing while making snide comments.

"I am s-s-sso sorry," she began, trembling slightly as she looked around. "I didn't expect this to happen to you, M-M-Mr. Nnnowell..."

At the sound of my last name, the two immediately went quiet. The brunette's eyes wide at the revelation of who they had fucked with.

"N-Nowell...?" she asked, her face getting pale as the connections were being made. "As in... COMMANDER Nowell?!"

"The one in the same." I said, an evil smile on my face.

"What does that mean?" the blonde Neo asked, her glowing Orange eyes looking at her friend with confusion. But the brunette remained silent, grabbing her friend's Orange uniform jacket and dragging her away with haste amidst her friend's flurry of questions and cajoling for answers.

"Th-Those two may not be the s-smartest of Neos," Ms. Merrymore said, huffing with pride as she quickly messed with my hair. "But they kn-know when to be somewhe-where else when called for."

Seeing the look on her face, the faint smile on her lips, helped me finally work up the nerve to ask her something I had been wondering since the debacle in the entryway. When Desi literally threw Amelia across the room and charged at her, and when mom callously did the same after throwing the man in disgust.

"I'm sorry to ask you this," I said, pausing slightly as she looked me in the eye. "But... I need to know something, if it's not a problem."

I saw a little flash, as if one of her eyes was beginning to fritz out like a blinking lightbulb. Rapidly flickering before flaring into a deep electric blue before she closed her eyes tightly. Opening them again in a heterochromatic state, one green and one blue.

"Just be sure it's a question that you're-" she stated, her head twitching to a tilt as her jaw clicked three times while moving to the right, swooping to the left and back to center. "Allowed to have answered."

I had to admit, that was REALLY fucking creepy. Just seeing her eye flickering like a malfunctioning robot, the way she moved her jaw. Something told me she was trying to scare the shit out of me. And to her credit, it was working. It was clearly helped by the face she was leaning down while doing it, practically face to face as she moved in an almost mechanical manner. It was like someone else took control of her.

"...I j-just wanted to know why they call you a non-combatant?" I asked, my voice squeaking as the worry grew. She didn't move, keeping her face close to mine for a couple seconds. Then her blue eye began flickering, flashing back into Green before rolling her neck with a crackle and standing up straight. A gentle smile returning to her face as she waved me along to follow her.

"That's a fffair question! Come along, now! We m-mu-must go through the kitchen to get to the main ha-hall-wuh-way!"

As she started to walk away, I couldn't help but notice that people had stopped to look at us with invigorated interest. Although, as I overheard the nearby men talking and the Neos overseeing them suddenly standing at attention when I looked directly in their direction, it was more that I was the center of their undivided attention. I know that Desi was associated with mom, but I was starting to get the feeling that this was their first time actually seeing that she was not the ONLY child their hero had given birth to. I had to start walking, or else the exact disturbing nature of this notion would probably begin to eat away at me. So I turned my eyes down to the floor and got moving.

"Ms. Merrymore? You didn't answer my question."

"Not here, D-Desmond!" she said cheerily, throwing open the double doors that led to an unbearably noisy and busy kitchen full of people at various stations in the midst of cooking. Walls of pots and fields of pans in motion as hundreds of meals was being cooked at the same time while a stern looking woman with light brown skin and straight black hair with shocks of electric blue was roaming the stoves and ovens and tables. Her electric blue eyes moving here and there with an intensity unlike anything I had seen before as she was flanked by three Orange Neos who were going over menus and requests behind her. The woman, clearly the executive chef in charge of this army of cooks, physically moved one person to the side to taste what he was making. Their short blonde hair whipping back and forth as they fell unceremoniously, panic in their eyes as they scrambled to their feet as the chef ruminated on the dish before a disappointed look became known.

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" she screamed, her blue hand swinging wide as it struck the cook hard. Sending them back to the ground, blood oozing from the lips as they curled into a ball. As soon as I saw them go fetal, I moved on instinct. Running past Ms. Merrymore and the entire litany of line cooks to throw myself on top of a person I didn't know. Immediately getting a foot to my side for my troubles.

"Get off of my cook!" the chef screamed, rearing back and swinging her foot once again to connect right at waist level. I couldn't help but cry out as I was forced to let go and roll right into someone's legs. Bringing them down on top of me.

"Chef Elena!" Ms. Merrymore shouted in blind panic as she rushed over. "Y-You have to s-stop!"

"I must teach this STUPID MAN his place!" she screamed back, charging forward despite her followers' attempts to hold her back. But Ms. Merrymore got in her way, putting her hands on the chef and forcing the enraged Blue Neo to look directly at her.

"THAT'S COMMANDER N-NOWELL'S SON!"

The sounds of the kitchen went silent except for that which was being cooked. Utensils dropped, bowls and plates clattered and broke. The line begin to murmur at the revelation, some asking others about my parentage being true. As I looked up at the chef, she looked back at me. Equal parts worried and furious at what had just happened.

"Aquest és l'home que la Germana Ascendent va convidar a la reunió d'aquesta nit?"

"Sí, germana." Ms. Merrymore told her. "És fill del comandant de sang."

As I climbed back onto my feet, helping the man I knocked down get to his, I could practically see the executive chef working out every variable as she glared at me with utter contempt. Her tight uniform accentuating every curve as she held her arms tightly against her body. Her moderately large breasts resting high as she lifted them with her blue forearms. Muscles bulging in her sleeves as she unconsciously flexed them again and again, as if trying to will them to grow bigger to intimidate me while I seemingly resisted her.

"Mai no entendré per què la Germana Ascendent va optar per portar-lo aquí en lloc del Centre de Cria. Sap per què és aquí?"

Despite my inability to understand what they were saying, I was getting the feeling that this Chef Elena was talking about me.

"No ho fa, germana."

Closing her eyes with a sigh, she let her arms fall to her side. Then, as if the entire room was her prey, pounced into action as she turned to the entire kitchen.

"GET BACK TO SERVING!" she screamed, her voice filled with cruel authority that silenced the line as they flew into a panic and resumed their duties. "YOU HAVE SOLDIERS TO FEED, DAMN IT! MEALS ARE GO IN FIVE!"

As everyone else feverishly went back to work, I went to check on the cook that the chef had assaulted. Their slight build swaying as they stumbled onto their feet. And as I looked at them, I noticed for the first time that their proportions were somewhat feminine. Cute face, loose long sleeved clothes unable to hide some rather sizable breasts and more. It immediately struck me as odd that there was someone this feminine among the men that were clearly the labor force. But as I took a quick look around, I noticed that quite a good portion of the cooks were not exactly men, to put it lightly. What was going on? Were they all people who took part of the experiment, but somehow failed? I thought this experiment was to help people adapt for a new purpose? If this is what the outcome is, then what was the experiment actually for?

"Are you... Uh, you okay?"

The chef nodded their head slowly, gently rubbing their jaw.

"Outside of my jaw," they said, their voice in a mid-alto. "I'll be fine. Thank you, um...?"

"Desmond. As you've heard, I'm... I'm Commander Nowell's son."

"Y-Yeah," they said, keeping their eyes downcast. "To be honest, this is the first time any of us have heard that she has a son. We only know of her daughter. Er, your sister, I guess?"

Suddenly, one of the Orange Neos that was flanking the chef moved up behind the cook and shoved them to get to their attention.

"Back on the line, Jude. Pan's about to burn because of your carelessness."

"Right away, matriarch. My apologies, matriarch."

As the cook shuffled back to their position, the Neo who ordered them to return to work, a rather short woman that was still taller than me with long sandy blonde hair in a severe ponytail, Orange eyes and hands with a stocky build got close to me. Her eyes narrowed as she looked me dead in my own. I could feel the tip of a black claw poking me in the chest before she said anything, my skin tingling as it kept pressing hard enough to cause discomfort.

"A word of advice? Stop telling the men and not-men you're the Reaper's son, boy. It's not good for them, and it sure as Hell won't be good for you. Do you understand me, baby bull?"

Not knowing how to respond to that, I just looked on, confused. But my silence was apparently what she was looking for, eying me up and down like a piece of meat. Her gaze lingering on my groin as she gave me a cocky smile before walking away.

"Wuh-We should move on." was all I heard before Ms. Merrymore put her hands on my shoulders to walk me out. Pushing me towards a set of double doors along the far side of the huge kitchen. As I was led to the exit, I couldn't help but notice the look the cooks were giving me. Some looked ponderous, others jealous. Some were worried, unsure if it was for their safety or mine. A couple looked angry, again unsure for whom. But all remained silent as they finished their work. All of them resigned to their duties, thin and tired as they stood over their incredibly warm stations. Flames flaring high as they struggled to finish making their assigned dishes.

"Ms. Merrymore," I began, as I got closer to the exit. "Tell me what's going on here. This, plus the plantation and the last room? This is completely wrong and not at all what I was led to believe was happening. I deserve to know what the fuck is going-"

"Y-You asked me why I was a non-cccombatant," she said, quickly moving us through the double doors and into an extremely long, windowless hallway that was lined with the same red carpeting as the stairway in the entrance, framed by doors every few feet on my right side. "The reason for tha-that is my threshold is far less than every other Neo."

"You're avoiding my question with an earlier one," I told her, clearly choosing not to play this game. "What the fuck is happening with all the men and women in this-"

My neck and shoulder popped from the force of my body being spun around so God damn fast, I felt like I was slightly drunk. But this was a fleeting sensation, as I felt her grabbing my shirt and picking me up off the floor to stare her directly in the face. Her left eye having gone blue again as she scowled at me.

"I am answering your fucking question, breeder! Be thankful you get one!"

And just as unceremoniously, I was dropped to the floor. I was barely able to stay on my feet before her eye flickered green and the gentle smile returned.

"As I wuh-was saying, my threshold is less th-than required for c-combat. But because of my yuh-unique condition, I was p-put in charge of the nnneeds of Doctor Buh-Bernard."

As she gestured down the hallway with what I now realized was an empty smile, I could feel my skin crawl. I was purposefully being railroaded, questions being rerouted to not give me answers as I was given a guided tour of just another prison. A place that wasn't my own or meant for me. So I turned and began walking, the thick red carpet muting my lighter footsteps to near silence, while my guide's fell with a heavier thud. Counting each of the doors as the sound to the harmonic tone that replaced the reedier, drill like sound I was used to back in the building that used to be my home. It was a mixed bag, honestly.

On the one hand, the tone was wearing me down. Always present, always ringing through my skull and alerting me it was there. But on the other, it was oddly comforting despite not knowing where the sound was coming from. A constant reminder that I was away from the sensors and the way they set my bones on fire. Away from being trapped inside the odd dimensions of the... house and its-

"...I'm still trapped."

"You sh-shouldn't whisper," Ms. Merrymore tittered, pressing herself into me to hurry me along. "And you're not trah-trapped. You're free to go whenever you'd like."

"I can?"

I felt her feet kicking the back of mine, like she was toying with me for no reason. Each movement slipping mine further forward, causing me to stumble. The longer I was alone with her, the more I felt something wasn't truly right. Quite possibly more so than with any other Neo.

"As luh-long as you can outrrrun the guards, that is." She said, suddenly sounding very childish. "I like watching the muh-men run. Wanna race, D-Desmond?"

I felt her pushing me forward, her full weight in motion as I was sent careening to the ground. Landing flat on my face in front of an open doorway. I checked my face as soon as I got on my knees, my nose and mouth stinging but no blood, thankfully. Then I heard the sound of someone crying out in pain, followed by something hitting the ground. I looked inside the room, finding myself in front of a private area covered in mats that was most likely for some form of training. There were several Neos inside, all of them surrounding someone. From the way they stood, frozen in place with apprehension, I knew whatever was going on had them practically scared shitless. As a section moved aside, I watched as they carried out one of their own. Unconscious but breathing, her jaw broken as it hung down towards her right shoulder. And beyond her, I saw- OH SHIT.

"I didn't tell you one at a time!!"

It was mom. And she looked fully ENRAGED.

"Are you humans? Or are you fucking NEOS?"

Still fully nude, mom looked like she was ready to throw down. Using her anger from being denied pleasure in an impromptu sparring match with several of the guards, her face was a mask of pure focused aggression as she eyed up every Neo in the room. Having more than likely stormed in, demanding a challenge to the first guard that came up to her.

"I SAID LET'S FUCKING GO! BOOT CAMP STYLE TRAINING, LADIES! NOW!"

As soon as she commanded them, one of the Orange Neos rushed at her. But mom was ready, stomping her gut before hitting her square in the jaw with an uppercut. As soon as the guard began to fall, three more rushed forward only to receive a series of strikes that my eyes couldn't follow. And when they went down, all out chaos ensued. Every remaining Neo rushed forward, creating a wall of bodies. My heart began to pound as I watched the melee, seeing Neo after Neo dropping to the ground with an almost mechanical sense of timing. Slowly revealing the carnage my mother was unleashing on people like her.

I'm sorry. Not like her. Because if they were, then the throng of Neos would have been a match for her. Joyously laughing as she delivered an unholy beatdown the likes of which action movies wish they could emulate. The speed she moved at. The precision of her actions. The way that she not only controlled the fight, but seemed to be fully thriving. Her red eyes glowing brightly as every challenger fell before her, happening so quickly that it felt like I was caught in slow motion. Not even breaking a sweat as she stood triumphantly over every body except one, caught in her clutches as she gave the poor guard an evil grin. The guard was as tall as mom, and as broad too. But the way she had manhandled all of the other Neos, the way she held that poor soul on her unsteady feet?

This wasn't a contest. It wasn't even a sparring match. It was a victimization. Or worse, an absolute slaughter.

"What should I do with you?" mom asked the Neo she had in her grasp, tilting her head as if she was truly enjoying the moment. "I know! Let's ask my son his opinion!"

I felt my soul freeze as she slowly looked at me. Her smile getting bigger as she moved the guard in my direction, as well.

"What do you say, Desmond? Should I end it? Or should I have more fun?"

It was at this moment that I realized it was all a ruse. I was set up from the very start, allowed to try and act brave but then brought here away from Desi or anyone else that might have been able to help me. This was why I was paraded through all those people. It was evidence I was on the grounds, only to be taken to some back room for a "lesson".

With that bolt of clarity, I scrambled to my feet as mom began to laugh a throaty laugh I haven't heard since I was a boy. When I tried to run away, only to run into a nearby officer who my mom alerted that I was a danger to myself. They searched me, finding a bag filled with pills that my mom claimed I was trying to sell to someone else. The way I was treated in court, how mom claimed I was still processing my grief and just needed a firmer hand. Put on house arrest and forced to care for my newborn sister while mom went out and lived her life. The same laugh she gave every time she threatened me with claims that she would call in to report me if I didn't do everything she said.

I was brought back to that exact moment in my life, that desire to run and escape. Getting to my feet, I ran. I ran as fast as I could, looking for any open doorway. But the further I ran, the more locked doors I ran into. It got to a point where the walls began to look dreary and dull. Every door got older and more rundown. The carpet remained the same, but everything else started looking like it wasn't a concern for anyone else. Soon finding a really old door fast approaching, I moved as fast as I could. Thinking I had finally found a way out, I reached down and pulled it open. And for the briefest second, I thought I had found a way out. But instead, I found myself in a musty room the same size as my bedroom. With a simple bed, a simple blanket and nothing else except for a red outfit resting at the foot of the only piece of furniture. And I could feel the despair rising inside me as I realized that, in my blind panic to escape my mother, I had run directly to the room that they had set up for me.

"No no no...!"

I turned to run back the other way, but was immediately met with a wall of muscle and flesh as Ms. Merrymore simply grabbed my upper arms, squeezing me as she picked me up and carrying me into my quarters.

"I see you found your ruh-room!" she cheered, dropping me onto the bed and turning to leave. "Now, I'm going to lllleave you in here to relax and get acclimated before your big night!"

"What do you mean? What big night?" I shouted, moving to rush past her but only finding myself being thrown back onto the bed as she kept moving. Not even turning to look at me as she made her exit.

"You just get suh-some rest, and I'll come get you in a fffew hours, okay?"

"You didn't answer me!" I screamed as she turned off the light. I tried to stop her, but I was a half second too late as she closed the door.

"Don't leave me in here!"

I began to pound my fists on the door, finding it to be sturdier than I expected as I vainly tried to fight my way out. The sound of the lock turning loudly in my ears despite the drumming of my desperation.

"PLEASE!!! DON'T DO THIS TO ME!!!"

"I'll see you in a little while, Mr. Nowell!"

As Ms. Merrymore walked away, the sound of her heavy footsteps slowly getting further and further away, I completely lost it. I screamed for all I was worth, thrashing against the door that looked so dilpadated but was able to resist my attempts at escape. I wailed as loud as I could, as long as I could. My mind only able to connect to one name as I howled in fear and frustration.

"DESI!!! PLEASE, HELP ME!!! DESI!!! DEEEEESIIIIIII!!!"

In time, I realized she could not hear me when I could scream no more. And in my hysterics, I crawled towards the bed in the dark and cried myself to sleep.

[Biceps108]

Sheesh. As much as I love the story, it also depresses me sometimes. It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Can't even imagine what it would feel like for Desmond.

[GLKnight]

Sheesh. As much as I love the story, it also depresses me sometimes. It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Can't even imagine what it would feel like for Desmond.

Yeah, sorry about that. It's part of the whole Horror aspect, sadly.

BUT, if I can set up what's to come without spoiling anything, all it takes is one single moment to completely change the tide between hope and true despair.

[Sounder9-]

An interesting update. It really infers that without the tech that the NEOs would be having more a difficult time. In a way it also shows that even with the tech, reproduction seems to be quite the endeavor and priority (even with Desmond's compatibility and abductions of humans). Which makes it more and more sound like the war isn't going quite so well.

As for Desmond wow, quite the history lesson. It makes you wonder what life did his mother have before any of this and what we see now is her in a vain attempt through cruelty to get it back even thou she arguably has everything. Not to excuse her but to really see how and why someone can be so manipulative and cruel to their own.

[GLKnight]

An interesting update. It really infers that without the tech that the NEOs would be having more a difficult time. In a way it also shows that even with the tech, reproduction seems to be quite the endeavor and priority (even with Desmond's compatibility and abductions of humans). Which makes it more and more sound like the war isn't going quite so well.

As for Desmond wow, quite the history lesson. It makes you wonder what life did his mother have before any of this and what we see now is her in a vain attempt through cruelty to get it back even thou she arguably has everything. Not to excuse her but to really see how and why someone can be so manipulative and cruel to their own.

For the first part: Remember that they are just getting the ball rolling with the war. They are using technology that has allowed them to radically alter a person's genetics for a plethora of different tastes and more, for example. And then there's the fact that they have fully operational vehicles that would take normal humanity several centuries to develop (not to mention their methods of camouflage and weaponry is centuries ahead, as well). They have a whole assortment of advantages that I haven't talked about due to Desmond being left in the dark about the war. And that plus how much the Neos really seemed to be unbothered by their situation should be troubling about why Desmond (and thus the reader) is left uninformed. This is something that will be coming up very soon in an upcoming chapter.

And in Chapter 24 (aka this next section of story), it will be revealed exactly WHY they have done so. And it's a major thing that highlights the difference between how Neos and the rest of the world operate.

For the second part: Considering that everything is being told from Desmond's POV, I don't think I'll be writing that aspect. Though I do think it'd be interesting to get glimpses to Laura's history, if only because Laura's backstory is not quite what people think it would be. Despite how people might perceive her, Laura's a few steps beyond being a bully. She's in a completely different category.

[GLKnight]

I was woken by light coming through the doorway, unceremoniously alerting me that I was no longer alone. But it was only when I felt hands on my person did I realize that I was being moved. A pair of six fingered hands grabbing onto each arm, I was dragged out of the bed without a word. My head was pounding, fully sinking into a migraine as my eyes slowly adjusted to the light while I was taken into the hallway. I looked up at my captors, trying my best to place faces to memory. But try as I might, I didn't know a single Neo as they pulled me through a set of nearby doors and into another hallway.

"What's going on?" I begged, my words slurring from sleep and pain. But nobody responded. Their silence telling me far more than any question. So I let them take me wherever I was going. Which I soon learned was a set of showers for the nearby gym, turning through another open set of double doors to find Ms. Merrymore, once more with blue hands and much closer to regular human proportions in a brand new blue executive outfit, waiting with a dissatisfied look on her face.

"Hold still, Mr. Nowell." was all she said to me as she produced a weird little device that reminded me of when I broke my shoulder, the almost unreal machines with tubes and whatnot, only streamlined and more advanced. Placing the device on my head, it beeped three times before she placed it on my chest over my shirt. And once it beeped three more times, she paused. Looking at the thing with a smirk, like she was happy with something I knew had to be related to my vitals, she then waved off to the side. And wordlessly, the Orange Neos that had a hold of me took me to a space on the wall big enough for a shower. And I was thrown in.

I was fully awake now, my anxiety spiking as I heard a melodic tone as a door came out of nowhere and sealed me in. I could hear my heart beating loudly in ears as I pounded on the door inside the box I was trapped inside.

"Let me out!" I told them, my throat aching. "What are you doing? Let me-"

I felt something on my feet, wet and rather viscous. I glanced down, and instantly I knew what it was. A bluish liquid that, despite being flowed in, moved and acted of its own accord. It began to creep up my body, crawling higher and faster than the regular stream. I knew this sensation, an effervescent chill running through me like I was out in the snow. It was the same type of fluid as that Rejuve-what's it box, but on a grander scale. I think they knew I was going to scream my head off, so they threw me in here to clean up and hide what they did.

Which clearly meant it was almost time for whatever party they had planned for the evening. And that meant they couldn't have a "guest of honor", whatever that meant to them, showing up in bad shape. As the fluid reached my waist, I looked out the available window to see Ms. Merrymore giving orders as she looked over her tablet. "If she wasn't concerned about this", I figured, "then neither should I."

So I closed my eyes and waited. Lights came on. The fluid rose more. And soon, I was fully submerged in it. I did not resist as the liquid invaded my body, letting the chill permeate every contour of my body. I tingled fiercely from wherever the fluid touched me, both inside and out. But it wasn't a bad tingle. It was that kind of tingling when you know your body's healing, like when you get a cut and you run your finger just along the part that separates flesh from wound. A hyperaware sense of being that overtakes you, electric current along stimulated skin and nerves. But the strongest feeling came from my throat. It was a cold that bordered on burning, flowing down my esophagus and into my lungs. The weirdest part, though, was that in my head, I could see every inch of my body. It was like my body had been suffused by the multi-tonal buzzing that had overridden everything else. Almost like a sonogram that highlighted every cell, every fiber. And within each cell were these little beads of light, the same pattern as I saw in my dreams and fantasies of that otherworldly place, linked together with a small ball of energy that pulsed in different colors. White, orange, blue, green, red, purple. Then in reverse from purple to white, with the two ending colors glowing brighter than the rest. My entire body thrumming as I waited. Letting the liquid do its job.

Then the lights inside the cell turned off. The multi-tonal buzzing receded to its normal intensity. The image I had of myself fading from view as the liquid pulled itself out of my body while the sound of suction filled my ears. The box drained within seconds before the door hissed open and Neo hands pulled me out, quickly shedding me of my clothes before dragging me into an actual shower. The water was scalding in comparison to the chamber as they sprayed me down, but I held my tongue. Washing me down like I was a dog as they ran their hands all over me to rinse off any remaining traces of the rejuvenating treatment. And then, when they were finished, they proceeded to roughly dry me with a towel as another soldier brought the same red outfit that had been on the bed into the showers and slapping them onto a nearby counter, along with a hairbrush and some nicer looking shoes despite those also being strapped. Looking around, I noticed that Ms. Merrymore had already left.

"You're wanted in the hall in five minutes," the soldier said. "Doctor Bernard wants you to mingle. She says you're to "be a good boy and to tell everyone how much you love being under the care of the NAE and especially your mother until her appearance."

I immediately felt my brain start to burn, causing me to wince. But there was something different about the pain. Instead of this white hot heat searing itself across the matter inside my skull, it was... cool. Cooler than it had ever felt before. I tilted my head and grunted, but more in expectation of the incoming hurt that never came.

"Is there... any... thing...?"

My words fell on deaf ears as they all walked away, leaving me alone in my nudity and shame. If they wanted me dressed, then I'd get dressed. Picking up what they left for me, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment. A full matching silk outfit, red from top to bottom with deep royal purple buttons. Sleeveless to show off my slimmer physique, and purposefully made of silk that I knew would cling to my body and practically overemphasize the goods. I groaned, picturing the stares and comments I was positive were going to be lobbed my way. But if this was what they left me with, then I had no choice.

I have to be a good boy and get dressed.

_____________________________________________________

As they led me down the hallway towards the entrance, I couldn't help but notice how close the four guards were. They were almost squeezing me on all sides, claustrophobic as I could smell so many scents wafting all around me. It was dizzying the closer I got. But once we came through the double doors, I couldn't help but gag a bit. The entire room was filled with Neos, the room somewhat loud as they talked amongst themselves and took in Doctor Bernard's collection. A vast array of accents and dialects, of bodies and types. But as I looked at them all, every single one had a body built for power. From the typical athletic Blues to the impressively large Greens, the incredibly jacked and ready to fight Reds to the Orange soldiers in full uniform, every lady in this room was primed to not only look their best, but better than anyone else they came across. Every Neo highlighting their features with the most eye popping choice of clothing.

One Blue dressed in would could barely be considered a mini skirt and tube top that didn't even cover everything as she talked to a Red who wore a sparkling ruby dress that was designed to show off her brick like abdominals as she posed to match the statue she was by with a boisterous laugh. A nearby Green Neo who chose to dress more plainly, the pastel green dress shirt she was wearing stretched to its limit across her rather sizable bulk that threatened to tear it apart as she was held in rapt discussion with another Blue Neo that was dressed in a slinky blue party dress. The human servers that were dressed in some sort of fetishized waiter outfits moving here and there, offering strange glowing cocktails to guests with empty hands. Everywhere I looked, the notions of appropriate attire varied so wildly, you couldn't tell whether this was a celebration or the point right before an orgy was to break out... or both.

"Keep up appearances, Nowell." was gruffly whispered in my ear as I felt one of the soldiers pushing my left shoulder, causing it to click rather loudly. Taking this as my cue, I slowly began to move through the crowd as I tried to relieve the pressure. But as soon as I took my first step, I could feel their eyes on me. Some were curious about this random man dressed differently than the rest. Others were less curious, openly staring at me as I walked by. But no matter where I went, I could feel them. Hell, I could practically hear their thoughts. "Who does this man belong to?" or "What is this man doing here?", or whatever. I felt like an outsider, and they weren't hiding it. I just wanted to get to wherever the food was and become a wallflower, blending in with the scenery as best as I could. Because the minute I stepped foot in this goddamned area, I've felt nothing but unwelcome.

Walking through the crowd, most of whom were either bigger than me, taller than me or both, I heard snippets of their discussions. Talking of war and science, of concepts that I had no grasp of, or in languages I had no knowledge of. It was really bizarre seeing Neos slipping between ideas and words so naturally, like they had a complete mastery of everything Humanity ever thought or said. Some were not even talking, instead practically eye fucking their acquaintance with unmistakable looks as they leaned in so close that their lips were practically on each other. One pairing on the massive stairway were in each others' hands, feeling each other up as they flexed for the other. The Red Neo in a shirtless full pantsuit held the Blue Neo in a translucent top and booty shorts close, tensing her full pecs as the Blue Neo shifted her hips to emphasize the incredibly round and firm ass she had obviously found her best feature. But the second I passed by them, both turned their heads to give me disapproving looks that rocketed me into full on embarrassment. I shielded my eyes and hurried past them as they both began to laugh at my awkwardness.

I tried to focus on my breathing, but the air was so cloying and heavy that I was struggling. It felt like I was breathing in smoke or dust that was sending my body into overdrive. So, right before the closed doors to the hall past the steps, I stopped to catch myself. My body overheating as I leaned against the wall next to an side room I didn't notice before. But before I had a chance to prepare myself, I suddenly heard a voice coming through the partially open door.

"...You're going to destroy yourself, Destiny."

...Doctor Lawler? Wait, Destiny?

"You've seen the results, Maisie. I can handle the current levels of treatment intensity."

It WAS Desi! I wanted to run through the door, but as I looked inside, I froze in my tracks from the way Desi was staring at Doctor Lawler. It was a similar look that mom gave when she felt we were challenging her. But Desi was more than looking ready to fight, her knuckles an eerie white as she clenched them tightly. She was standing proud in an all white outfit, white pants and dress shirt accentuated by a deep purple tie and belt. Her brilliantly white hair slicked back as she exuded a defiant confidence as Doctor Lawler worried from her position on a nearby desk. Her sparkling see-through sapphire dress with what had to be symmetrical thigh high splits that reminded me of Jessica Rabbit's outfit as she fidgeted with her blue fishnet stockings.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Maisie fired back. "It's your MOTHER. If she learned what you are doing-"

Desi jabbed her finger in Doctor Lawler's face, nearly putting her finger in the doctor's blue lipstick lined mouth.

"She won't learn because you won't tell her. Because YOU signed off on treatments."

"Don't threaten me, child!" Doctor Lawler growled, picking up a matching purse and opening it up. "I will get reprimanded, but you will kill yourself by pushing yourself so hard."

Pushing herself so hard? With her treatments? What did she mean by that?

"And yet here I am," Desi cheered, holding her arms out wide. "Unlike Dianna who was put through HALF of what I've undergone for one test."

Closing her makeup mirror with an annoyed look, Doctor Lawler got up and closed the distance. Face to face with my sister, grabbing her tie as I could practically feel her anger flowing through her from outside the room.

"She volunteered for safety reasons and died for it, you inconceivably stupid brat! Her sacrifice ensured the safety of all our sisters, and you have the GALL to say you're better than her? All you have is a promise to someone who doesn't fucking exist anymore while you're acting high and fucking mighty like your fucking mother!"

I watched as Desi's eyes sparked and flared, filling the dimly lit room with flashes of light as Maisie's words hit her hard. I knew she had been acting strangely, but this was something else entirely. My stomach soured as I realized that Desi had been purposefully avoiding telling me the truth, which is something that mom did to both of us constantly. She really WAS acting like mom, and I couldn't deny it any longer. My heart broke, because it meant I had to be honest with the truth.

No matter how much she claimed she was there for me, I could not trust Desi.

As I made an attempt to move away from my hiding spot, I suddenly felt hollow. I couldn't trust mom, and now I couldn't trust the one person who I believed was protecting me. But as I slumped against the wall next to the doorframe, my curiosity stopped me from walking away. I had to know more of what they were talking about. So taking a moment to focus, I peeked through the door as Desi fell into the plush seat behind her and rubbed her face as Doctor Lawler sat back down on the desk.

"She's not gone."

Doctor Lawler seemed utterly confused by what my sister was saying, same as me.

"I'm sorry?"

"She's not GONE," Desi reiterated, slapping the hand rests of the chair. "The one I made my promise to."

"That can't be right," Maisie said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small glowing device. "May I?"

Nodding her head, Desi got comfortable as Doctor Lawler attached the glowing thing to her temple. The three dots blinking white before beeping loudly as they turned a solid whitish blue.

"Oh my God, you're telling the truth."

Desi pulled the thing off of her temple, rubbing her chin with the other hand as she handed what I had to assume was a lie detector back.

"I'm not like Laura," Desi told her, frustration evident in her voice. "I need to come clean to Desmond. He deserves to know everything."

"You cannot tell him EVERYTHING," Maisie said, her fist thumping on the desk. "It's for his own interest that he be kept unaware of what our sisters need from him."

"I made her a promise and that includes protecting Desmond! I have to get him out of here before they-"

"You will do no such thing!" Maisie shouted, standing up and pointing in my general direction. "If you do, then they will certainly come after you!"

"And if I DON'T," Desi shouted back as she leapt from her seat. "Then he will no longer be considered a human, and I will be forced to KILL! And that is something I want for neither of us!"

Doctor Lawler's eyes were wide, staring at my sister as if she was a true anomaly. Putting her blue hands on the back of her neck as the shock of what my sister told her weighed on her like a stone.

"I should have seen the signs," she said, flabbergasted. "Your personality's changing, isn't it?"

"Maybe?" Desi said, suddenly unsure as she started rubbing her arm. "I don't know? I mean, it's starting to feel like maybe this isn't the way we're-"

A shadow suddenly loomed over me as a green hand pushed the door closed.

"Oye, hombrecito guapo!"

Someone I had never seen before, a woman with Latin features and long dark hair with glowing green eyes suddenly wrapped her arms around me as she began pulling me away.

"Come join me for a drink and some dancing, papi!"

She carried me to the double doors that led into the hall with ease, only needing two full steps before throwing the doors open. Loud music drowning out her voice as I struggled to escape her grip. My eyes turned towards the room as its door opened just as the double doors closed.

[Sounder9-]

Damn the way in which they are treating Desmond is like a pet. Just thinking of those auto pet cleaners and in a way they're doing the same to him.

As for his "sister" it seems that in a way he's lost and found her and not just in trust. In a way she's gone and in her place is her brash NEO version. At the same time her non NEO side is still there in an unknown capacity, a Schrodinger's sister if you will. Kind of reminds me of a star trek episode where two crew members merge due to a transporter accident and becomes a new (or NEO hehe) being with the best of both traits but ultimately have to separate. How this will effect things will be quite interesting since the whole NEO process is supposed to transcend humanity into NEOdom but she seems to be in the middle.

That being said with Desmond being kept in the dark and Desi's subsequent hard line of trying to get him out of the party it must mean that at the very least what his possible fate awaits him very soon. That fate must be something, enough that Desi is willing to kill him in order save him from: possibly "merging" with Laura, lobotomy, or something unimaginably worse. Whose to say, though I wouldn't blame him for lack of trusting anyone at this point (especially with Desi's deceptions), he's been pulled around more times than salt water taffy.

Another fine chapter, it really makes you think and with this revelation makes you wonder what can and what will Desmond do to survive and to live to fight another day.

[GLKnight]

The sound of the bass pumping through the speakers thrummed in my head as the Neo who abducted me spun around while I was still on her shoulder as she moved into the center of the hall. Twirling around as if I weighed as much as a handful of feathers, my line of sight was unimpeded as I witnessed just how many people were in the room. Neo eyes glowing in the dim as glowing figures floated above our heads, slowly moving through different colors and shapes as they illuminated the mass of bodies. Many were dancing, celebration clearly on their minds along with other intentions as flesh was pressed. Hands and hips in motion as Neo bodies brought together in an almost primal manner,  the air heavy with so many scents and humidity that I'm almost positive bordered on tropical.

Among those who were not dancing, there were other measures of contact in play. Off to one side were contests of strength and skill. A station that was clearly being dominated by a Red Neo I had never seen before as a Green Neo walked away in disappointment, shaking her arm as another Green Neo stepped up for the challenge. A small area in the back of the hall where two Green Neos grappled with each other, trying their best to sway each other to the side and down to the ground as their Sisters cheered them on. Not too far away from the grappling Neos were some who had chosen to participate in a pose-off, clad only in their underwear as they flexed and twisted their forms into an impromptu bodybuilding contest with no weight limits as they looked deeply into mirrors that had been put on the walls while I had been detained. And for those desiring more social conflicts, many Neos were in deep discussions. Some clearly heated as hands moved with blistering speed, others face to face as they shouted at each other from a distance that rendered them mute to my ears. All of them grouped together yet spaced out enough for their reflections to provide the illusion of the sheer number of Neos in one space to be multiplied to an astounding degree.

For several minutes I was carried, lifted, twisted, spun and twirled in my captor's large green hands. The sound of her joyous laughter was loud enough and powerful enough to be heard over the music. I had to admit, she had an amazing figure. Undeniably strong as her muscles flexed and bulged with every movement of her arms, but also undeniably feminine. The curve of her hips as she rocked them from side to side, the fullness of her breasts as she pulled me in close and practically smothered my face between them. The thickness of her torso as I inadvertently ran my hands across her incredibly solid stomach and down to her wide, plush hips. A powerlifter's physique coupled with a model's curves, loudly expressing her joy and love of life as she demanded my attention onto her. Warmth emanating dually from her smile, as well as from between her legs. The smell of cinnamon and tajin all around her as she ground her hips onto my leg. Her eyes filled with passion, with desire, and with a demanding need. My dick was beginning to tingle once more as arousal built within me, my head filling with fantasies of allowing her to take me in the middle of the floor for everyone to watch.

I couldn't help myself. I wanted her. I wanted her to tell me to want her. I kept hearing myself say in my head "Please! I'm yours! Do with me as you wish! Please, let me satisfy you!" over and over again. She began to lean down, her dark brown skin glowing as bright as her black and electric green eyes as she stared into mine. I could feel it, the permission to be hers. I wanted her now. I NEEDED her, NOW. Her lips slowly coming to mine and we-

An almost nostalgic series of notes filled the hall, causing the music to stop with a loud contingency of moaning from the Neos in attendance as the lights rose high above us all.

"Will all sisters please make their way to the Hall. The announcement is about to begin in fifteen minutes. I repeat, all sisters to the Hall."

"¡Maldito anuncio!" my dancing partner said, disgust in her voice and disappointment in her eyes as she held my chin in her hand. "Tal vez podamos recoger esto más tarde, hombrecito lindo?"

And with that, she turned and walked away. Waving goodbye over her shoulder as I realized just how much my heart was pounding in my chest and my stomach was grumbling as hunger was setting in. I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to chase after her. I knew she wanted me to chase after her. But the way my stomach gurgled and churned over the sound of the various Neos around me chatting amongst themselves. I could feel myself being torn, but I had to obey one urge above all others and moved towards where I hoped the refreshments were. Choosing satiation over satisfaction as I tried to hide my cock that I was almost positive was giving every Neo who looked at me a good show.

Cautiously moving through the crowd, I wandered to the side of the room that I remember seeing long rows of tables at. As they came into view, I rubbed my growling belly as I took stock of what was laid out for everyone to enjoy. Meats, breads, cheeses, fruit, pans filled with what had to be various sides and sauces. Table after table after table, going from one end of the room to the other. Piled high as various Neos grabbed their plates and made their way down the line of the buffet. Moving to the end, I went to pick up a plate... only to see an Orange hand smacking mine away.

"What are you doing?"

Looking up, I saw that it was the Sous Chef that had told me to not tell people who I was. She was dressed in what looked like something you'd find in an upscale Restaurant worker's outfit, an orange suit with an orange tie on a black shirt. Her orange and black eyes glaring at me like she had just smelled something putrid.

"I'm a guest," I said, rubbing my hand. "So I'm getting something to-"

"This isn't for the likes of you!" she declared, loud enough to get the attention of nearby Neos. "This food is for the actual guests, and you... will..."

Her eyes grew wide as I felt someone placing their hand on my shoulder.

"He said he was a GUEST, Alicia."

I turned to look as Safira, dressed in a red and gold Sarong over what looked like a red tunic and gold pleated pants, stood by my side. Reaching down and grabbing a plate as her steely gaze alone held the Sous Chef in place while she gave it to me.

"Do you really wish to defy the Sister Ascendant in so petty a manner? Especially as he is her companion's child?"

"Y-You know he is only a man," she balked, her eyes darting from side to side. "We are not supposed to recognize him as her child. It is his-"

I was sure that Safira had tired of this conversation, as she reached down for another plate. Then, as she kept her eyes trained on the Sous Chef, placed both hands on it before calmly bringing them together. Loudly crushing the plate and rubbing her palms before pointing at her feet.

"Since you have nothing of merit to say, you will clean this up."

"R-Right away, matron! I'll just get one of the men or not-"

"You misunderstood me," Safira told her, narrowing her eyes as she reached down and grabbed another plate before swiftly crushing that, as well. "YOU will clean this up yourself. This is your mess, thus it is your responsibility. If you bother the servants, things will only escalate. Do you UNDERSTAND me?"

There was a tense pause as Safira kept her eyes locked on the Orange Neo. Neither moving an inch, one in focused anger and the other in fearful reproach. Then, with a hurried bobbing of her head, the Sous Chef ran off towards the kitchen. Mostly likely to retrieve a broom and dustpan.

"Thank you." I said, meekly. My hands holding the surprisingly heavy plate as Safira wrapped her arm around my shoulder while she went to grab a fourth plate.

"You and the White one are like my children," she reminded me, gently pulling me along the long line of tables overflowing with food. "And I will do all I can to help you. Now, come-"

I watched as she leaned in, grabbing some small warm baguettes and placing one on my plate.

"I can hear your stomach gurgling. You must keep your strength up, Desmond."

As we went down the line, I grabbed mostly light items. Some meat and cheese for the bread. Grapes and strawberries, the latter looking plump and picture perfect despite them being wildly out of season. A small mound of rice. Safira, however, was stacking her plate full. Some goat and curry sauce, jasmine rice, a fruit dish filled with things like raisins and currants and whatnot, a wedge of honeycomb. And when we got to the end, we were offered two sizes of drinks: one full bottle of our choice, or something closer to a normal size. Safira, naturally, chose a large bottle of what I believe was cider. I chose a liter of whatever cola they had, due to the fact that my head was starting to bother me. Maybe it was caffeine withdrawal? I don't know. I just know that my head was feeling weird, which wasn't meshing well with the multi-tonal buzzing that was oddly louder than usual.

"Are you sure that will be enough for you?" Safira asked, her black and red eyes glancing between my plate and me as she walked towards the other side of the hall while I followed her lead.

"Yeah. Over the past few months, my appetite has... well, it shrank. Mom put me on a severely restricted diet, at first. But my body just acclimated, I guess. Now I just get full really easily on less."

"Regardless," she said, gesturing towards an open table. "You should have a more varied diet. It is mostly carbohydrates and sugars, which is not good for a normal boy like you."

"I wouldn't call myself normal," I replied as I took my seat. "Not after what they did to me. Not after being treated like a pet for weeks, taken to be milked of my seed every day for hours on end."

I could tell that she had nothing to say about my comments. I had come across rather heavily, but it's what I've been going through. Though, if I can be completely honest, it felt like I had finally been allowed to cut open an infection to let it drain. I was regretting laying it out like that, yeah. But it was also freeing. Still, it was a heavy discussion. So I chose to sit in silence to enjoy my food. Pulling the small baguette open, I put the meat and cheese inside for an impromptu sandwich. Looking at the thing, it was all I wanted. The beef cut thin, the cheese thick and creamy looking. The bread soft and warm, and an outside that crackled in the perfect way that all the most enticing loaves like it do when you squeeze it gently. I was practically salivating as I put it to my mouth. But as soon as I bit into it, I tasted... nothing. The textures were all there, but nothing else. Instead, I tasted something else entirely.

"Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," I said, quickly plucking a grape from the stem on my plate. "I think I might be-"

As soon as I bit down, I felt the skin pop, the juice flowing. My brain recognized that there was flavor, but it refused to acknowledge the grape. It was like there was something else getting in the way of the sweet sharpness of the grape itself.

"I... I can't taste anything. I can feel the food in my mouth, recognize there are flavors and everything. But there's something else completely blocking it. This weird... I don't what to call it but, uh, thickness? It's overriding what I want to be tasting."

Quickly grabbing the honeycomb off of her plate, she tore off a chunk before holding it out for me.

"Here, try this. One more test."

Taking it from her red and blue fingers, I put the comb into my mouth. And once again, I recognized that there was flavor but could not taste it.

"This can't be right..."

Opening her bottle, Safira looked upset as she looked around the hall.

"It is. It's sensory diversion. One of the symptoms of Synaptic Schismatica. You can't taste anything because that sense is being overworked for your sense of smell. In short, you're tasting the pheramones every Neo in this place is putting out instead of your food."

I proceeded to open my own drink as the Red Neo across from me began to chug her own.

"So... you knew I have this issue?"

Wiping her mouth, Safira furrowed her dark brow before reaching for her spoon.

"Captain Chaimongkhon told me when I asked about you. Apparently, you have been treated far worse that what we were told in reports."

"And how was I being treated in the reports?"

"You were being cared for with full luxuries and willingly volunteered to increase the number of Sisters for our cause."

"In other words," I thought to myself. "They were lying about my treatment." It was at that moment that, no matter how I was feeling at that moment, I had to get away. And despite what I heard, Desi was still my sister. And I had to get her as far away from Mom as possible, even if it meant taking a chance and running as fast as I could out of here.

"After you eat, I need you to find Desi."

"Why do you need me to find Destiny?"

"I just need you to trust me, okay? I want you to find her and tell her to find me. Tell her that I-"

"Am I interrupting something important?"

Oh, God, no...

"Not at all, Commander Nowell. I'm just keeping an eye on your son while he eats."

As she came into view to stand at our tableside, I noticed that mom had chosen to wear a vibrant Red suit, with black shirt and red tie. Accessorized by red six fingered gloves. Every inch of her outfit filled to the brim with pure mass, visibly straining around every single micron of her fully pumped build. Her black hair slicked back as she smiled a predator's smile at us, I could feel her eyes boring into me behind her expensive looking red sunglasses. An overpowering air of Gymbro Fuckboy meets Stylish Daddy vibes oozing out of every pore. The scent of Amber and Vanilla and Musk instantly overwhelming me, causing my sight to go a little blurry as my dick twitched and rubbed against both my thigh and silk pants. The tingling building more as she slapped her meaty gloved paw on my left shoulder.

"Well, I hope you don't mind. But I need to abscond with my little man. I have some friends who are dying to meet him."

Safira's eyes shifted towards me, her look asking me for guidance. But I was in a haze at that moment. Too lost in both hunger and a heady fog to give her an answer.

"Could I at least... bring my food? I'm very-"

"You can come back for it," mom said, her hand gripping my collar and dragging me out of the chair. "You're going to LOVE my Sisters!"

And just like that, I was being hauled away through the crowd and towards the back of the hall to meet whoever mom was excited to introduce me to.

[GLKnight]

Keeping her eyes ahead, mom pulled me through the crowd by my hand like a child with a weird gait. For every step I took, she was just a half step faster. Causing me to stumble into people more than I dare want. But every Neo was far more solid than I realize, barely moving despite how much I tripped over my own feet and bumped into them with my full weight. Even when I fell onto some arms, none moved a single inch. Glasses full of drinks perfectly steady as they glared at me like the unwitting disturbance I was. But mom didn't care, always looking straight ahead despite my asking her to slow down.

Finally, I had enough and yanked my arm away. Shocked with how easy she let go of her grip.

"Mom! Stop!"

"Stop your tantrums," she said, unamused at my indignation. "We're amongst my friends, Desmond! And I will not have you acting like a spoiled brat!"

"Spoiled?" I asked, my voice getting louder as I was clearly becoming agitated. "You think I'm spoiled? When you HURT me? Abused me? Treat me as a prop to make yourself look bigger? There's a reason I left, MOM! A reason I was trying to get Desi away from-"

I saw her placid smile starting to turn as she stepped up to me. Her head crooking downward as she put her face close to mine. Despite the red sunglasses, I could tell that her eyes were flashing in eager anticipation. I think she was starting to itch for a fight.

"And how did that work out, SON?" she growled, quietly staring me down. "Face it, Desmond. You lost. Your house, your money, your sister. Even who you were. So ask yourself something. Do you think you can beat me when it was so easy to take everything away from you, like you deserved?"

That's when I realized how it had happened. I was just too blind to see just how deep her relationship with her new way of life went. Why everything went so quickly in her favor. Why she acted the way she had as soon as she arrived at my house. There was only one real explanation why it went so perfectly as she wanted.

"You've been with them since I left, haven't you?"

"With who?" mom asked, standing proudly as she put on the same false smile she always did when in public.

"Don't act fucking dumb. They've been around for decades, right? That means they did all the work for you."

"You definitely are Reggie's son," she snidely quipped as she turned her back. "Your dad was always so keen on details and mysteries. It's why he became an engineer."

Suddenly, she threw her arms wide and marched forward, cheering loudly.

"Sisters! There you are! I was looking for you!"

I watched as a group of Neos rushed forward, embracing my mother or kissing her on the cheek. As I looked on, I quickly noticed why my mother was so invested in pulling me away. Every single Neo wore similar colors: black and red, to match their skin and eyes. A small grouping of ten Red Neos, more than I had seen at any time before. All of them were big, and I mean Capital B "BIG". Every one of them in the best condition of their lives, bodies burgeoning with mass and strength, dressed to accentuate their killer physiques. Some more buxom than others, but all of a matching body type. All of them exuding confidence and power. All of them a Neo just like my mother.

"So... where is your boy?" one of them, a blonde woman with I think a French accent asked.

"We can't wait to meet him!" another, a woman with long red braids and very dark skin and a thick African accent, asked.

"He's right here!" mom told them, taking off her sunglasses before turning towards me with a serious look. "Come on, Desmond! Be my good boy and greet my Sisters like a good gentleman!"

Mom's words sank in deep and strong as a sensation like cold fire ripped through my head while her voice saying the words "good gentleman" began to echo in my every thought. I was once again caught outside of my own body as it slowly approached the gaggle of Red Neos, pouring every ounce of willpower into wrenching control back.

"H-How do you d-do...?" I stuttered, my hand reaching out. But as soon as I got closer to them all, my mind began to frazzle as it was overwhelmed by so many delightful scents as they rushed forward to coddle me.

"He's so CUTE!" one cried as she squeezed my face, biting her lip as she looked me in the eyes.

"It's hard to believe he used to look so... ordinary before!" another cheered, brushing my hair as she gave me an eyeful of her cleavage.

"And he's so lean!" another said, feeling up my arms like she was taking stock of my build.

"All except where it counts," the French Neo said as she gave my unit a quick squeeze. "He's so virile! Truly built for us, non?"

Mom seemed especially proud at that comment, puffing out her chest as her smiled widened.

"You know it! And the best part? He can only give us more Neo Sisters and Daughters! No silly human DNA in this baby factory!"

I felt myself slipping back into my own body as the words left her mouth. Human DNA? Neos are human, too. Something felt immensely off at the idea.

"Wh-What do you m-mean by th-that?"

But without missing a beat, mom just leaned in close and whispered "Be a good boy and stay put. Oh, and don't interrupt our conversation as well, comprende?" I noticeably winced as the feeling in my head grew more painful. I could feel the words sinking into my brain, mom's voice growing louder and louder. My hands began to tremble, but I couldn't disturb them. Forcing myself to grab the sides of my pants to try and make them stop. My knuckles rubbing into my thighs through the silk as they vibrated at an intense speed. But I stood there as they began to talk amongst themselves like I wasn't even there, though they would occasionally look at me with what I had to assume was hunger in their eyes.

No, maybe not hunger. Something else that they craved, though it was meat all the same. I was beginning to feel small, again. I knew they saw me as a man, but it came with this weird feeling like they didn't even see me as a human. More of an object that they could use. As they talked of things like battlefronts where the ease in which city positions seemed incredibly easy to take over due to population manipulation through simple social campaigns, troop numbers and conversion rates being on a steady incline as the systems of wealth around global societies pushed people into needing their services more than staying loyal to their civilizations and more, I just wanted to get away from them. Trying to come up with a good reason to let me leave.

Then a thought came to mind: I'm just a human, right? I have needs and urges, right? That includes things like going to the bathroom. I can make the excuse that I had to pee or something, find Desi and get the fuck out of here! Everyone's too preoccupied with this party, anyway! It's air tight! So, tugging on mom's suit jacket, I went for it.

"I'm sorry, but I need to use the-"

What I didn't expect... was someone showing up.

"Is that DESMOND?!"

Her voice was burned into my memory, unforgettable. It was the voice of a deceiver, someone who claimed to be there to help me, to save me. I didn't recognize the face. But as soon as I saw the way she walked, her build, heard the way she talked, I froze. She stared at me, and I stared at her. I felt the chill of the rooftop as she approached the circle of Red Neos, dressed in red dress pants and shoes, a black jacket and tie over a red dress shirt that was barely able to contain her body that was as bulky and pumped as mom's was. Her long bluish-black hair in a ponytail that highlighted just how pale her skin was.

"Akane!" mom cheered, rushing forward to embrace her fellow Red Neo sister. "I'm glad you came! You remember my son, right?"

"I do," Akane said, wryly. "I'm so glad you survived that horrible experience on the rooftop. And I have to say, you look positively SCRUMPTIOUS!"

I tried to step backwards, but she was on me far quicker than I could react. Her arms wrapped around my head as she held me as tightly as she could to her body. The firmness that lied beneath every scrap of clothing was undeniable as she forced me to nuzzle into her chest. Forcing me to struggle against her grip while she towered above me. The one who had nearly killed me several weeks ago by commanding me to overdose on my medications before leaving me locked out of any safety on top of the Equivalence Estates to freeze beneath the desert skies. An experience that left me in a coma, forced to go through their planned treatments that left me as I am now and in this new level of Hell I was forced to go through. But as she held me close, I was overcome with the scent of citrus and sweetness, like a light and airy dessert that comforted you on a rainy day. And I couldn't help myself as I felt my body start to relax while my hands moved of their own accord, sliding across her sides and to her incredibly broad back. As I felt my dick starting to throb, images of what she looked like beneath her clothes began to taunt me as I-

"I'm so glad you're here," mom crowed, yanking me out of Akane's arms unceremoniously and forcing me to her hip with a noted bump. "How goes things with you and the other Sisters of The Three Spears?"

As soon as mom finished her sentence, the gigantic Japanese Neo just rolled her eyes and let out a exasperated sigh.

"Just because Wu Da Xia, Kwan Ha-yoon and I come from regions of Asia doesn't mean we have to do this flowery Heroic propaganda here, Laura. I never see you guys using Safira's nickname in any way!"

"We didn't give her that name," the African Neo cut in. "She was called that before she joined us."

"It is quite interesting you bring her up," a busty Red Neo with a thick Russian accent said, stepping up next to Akane and putting her hand on her shoulder. "We were just talking about her before Commander Nowell brought her young Bull child over. It seems she has been acting as more of a diplomat than her appointed duties in her assigned territories, as of late."

Akane cocked her eyebrows as she looked past me, probably in Safira's general direction.

"Diplomatic? The woman whose family scarred her for choosing to seek her own way of life? Whose body count was in the hundreds before joining us? Dizane of the Scourge, choosing to broker peace? With who?"

"With the stock," mom said, sounding disappointed. "We've gotten reports that she's trying to preserve their ways of life instead of bringing them into the fold."

"She is right," the French Neo added, adjusting her tight top that was failing to hold her magnificent breasts in. "Resources and acquisitions paperwork have been discovered where she is using terraformers to reinforce and enrich the soil in Pakistan and Afghanistan. And since eradicating Ihibah Almuqadas, she has been personally overseeing who gets put into power."

"And every person is not one of our own," a suntanned Red Neo with, I think, a thick Italian accent spoke up. "And some of them are even perfectly good men stock!"

Akane crossed her arms, showing off how jacked she really was as the upper sleeves of her jacket seemed to tighten and take on the overall shape of her biceps in her power pose. Flexing in her displeasure as her coat noticeably shifted around her shoulders.

"She's going too far ahead of schedule. If she wasn't one of our best fighters among the Red Sisters, do you think the Sister Ascendant would have approved her training of Destiny?"

"I have put my daughter in her place," mom said, holding her head high as she put out a confidence and assuredness that honestly made me feel a bit sick. "Even if she improves, Destiny will always defer to me from now-"

I don't know why, but before I knew it, something just seemed to lift from me. Mom's words just stopped echoing in my head. I felt my hands stop trembling with phantom jitters. And the harmonic tone getting louder inside my head. And without any prompting, I finally felt like I could act of my own accord again.

"Desi."

"I'm sorry?" Akane asked, her eyes mirroring all the other Red Neos in the small circle as they began to give me curious or incensed looks. Particularly mom, whose look was one of severe disapproval while standing right next to me.

"Her name," I told her, cautiously looking at the gaggle of large and definitely much stronger than me Super Soldiers that could probably crush me without even trying. "It's Desi, or Desiree. It's not Destiny. Just because whoever's in charge of that chose to reneg on their promise to allow her to keep her name doesn't mean they have final say. Everyone has a right to choose for themselves, after all."

As I looked around, I noticed every Red Neo was intensely focused on me. And not a single one looked pleased at my speech. Giving quick glances at each other before looking at mom. And I didn't need to look at her to know that I had just done the one thing she didn't want me to do in front of her friends.

"You're right," she said, slapping her hand on my shoulder as she slowly started to dig her nails into it. "Everyone has the right to choose for themselves, Desmond."

I started to squint as the pressure mounted. Her nails digging into my body more and more. It... hurt. It really hurt. I went to pull her off of me, but my hand couldn't move even one finger a single inch. My teeth clenched as I felt the claws shifting, getting longer as they began to curve. I didn't know they could do that, but my skin tingled fiercely with every agonizing push. I swear to God, it felt like she was actually trying to tear her way into my shoulder.

"Mom... STOP!" I whispered, feeling myself starting to get woozy. I think I felt something wet? I don't know, it was just so sudden. But the tingling in my shoulder only got stronger the longer she held on. But then there was a sudden release, and I fell to my knees as mom snapped her fingers and motioned for someone to come over. Quickly finding myself kneeling at the feet of one of the guards on watch.

"Your orders?" the guard asked, giving a quick pyramid shaped salute as I slowly got back up. My whole arm felt numb, like I had slept on it for several hours as the tingling in my shoulder remained. I had no choice and used my left, hearing my shoulder click loudly in my ears as I put my weight on it.

"Get three sisters," she told them, posturing as proudly as her smile. "You have already been told who is to be detained. She is to be questioned after the celebration is over. Stay armed. She is more dangerous than anything you could imagine."

Then with a wave of her hand, she dismissed the Orange Neo. Once more receiving the NAE salute before running off to gather others for... someone. I wasn't sure who. Probably Safira, given the way my mother talked about her. I didn't have long to think about it before the lights suddenly dimmed and every Neo in the room started to cheer as loud, celebratory music filled the room. I didn't have a moment to gather my bearings before I felt mom's hand grabbing the back of my shirt as she started to drag me towards the stage.

"Come along, Desmond!"

"Wh-What's going on?" I demanded, holding my arm and massaging it to try and get the feeling back into it.

"It's what we're all here for," she said, pushing through the crowd as they surged forward. "The announcement's about to begin! And you have a part to play in it!"

[havok1209]

Always another cliffhanger! Lol