Your House

[GLKnight]

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the amount of pain I was in. The second was the piecing light that went straight through my head as I struggled to open my eyes. And the third was the sound of humming that surrounded me. I was so weak. It hurt to even think about moving any part of me. Where was I? What... What happened? I had snuck into the sub-levels of the Equivalence Estates, then I saw some freaky sci fi shit. Then I was chased for a while before I was dragged to the roof. And it was so cold. And the... colors...!

Memories started flooding my brain as panic set in once more

"Des-!"

I had never heard a cartoony sound in real life that matched the sound of my skull slamming into whatever glass or some other bullshit that I was underneath. It was this sudden shock of reality that forced me to take a look around, and I gasped. I was inside one of the pods I had seen before, dressed in nothing buta medical gown. It wasn't quite the same, though. Whereas the ones the Neos were put into were upright and more like actual chambers, the one I was in gave more of an alien abduction vibe to it. A stasis pod like in a movie, designed for lengthy stays. I pressed my hands against the cool glass, pushing with all my might. But the damn thing wouldn't budge.

"Is someone here?" I shouted. "Can someone get me out of here and explain what the fuck is going on? Hello?!"

I started knocking on the glass, trying to get someone's attention. Urgency only increasing as my rapping got more impatient. I could feel my heart hammering in my chest with an incredibly worrisome ache as I began to hyperventilate. Suddenly, I could feel the pressure shifting as the pod opened with the hiss of air rushing into the tube. The cover tilting upward as the sides popped out a little and shifted down to the underside of the bed. I jumped at the opportunity, trying to roll over the side and falling to my knees while I took deep breaths to try and calm down.

"Are you alright, Mr. Nowell?"

The voice behind me sounded genuinely concerned. Thinking I was going to be alright, I turned and saw a pretty Asian lab tech who had definitely gone through soem treatments to make herself bigger and stronger. She had a light complexion, her hair pulled back in a semi-profressional ponytail. Looking down on me with black eyes that held vibrant orange irises and a comforting smile, as she reached out to me with an orange hand that was capped with a black claw at the end of each of her six fingers. As she gently approached me, I was now able to see that each finger had an extra joint, as well. Unnatural details that reminded me that things were not right.

"Stay away!" I screamed, scrambling to my feet as I awkwardly ran with a stumbling gait towards the nearby door. Not noticing as the lab tech ran to a nearby wall to sound an alarm as I crashed into a hallway. As the blue lights began to flash, I struggled to understand where I was. The halls felt too clinical compared to the floor I explored. Was I on another level of the building? Did they move me somewhere else?

I was distracted by my own thoughts enough that I didn't see or hear the three soldiers that quickly tackled me to the ground and held me down. The pain from one of the Neos driving their knee into the upper part of my back causing me to cry out, pinning me like some animal that had gotten out of its cage.

"GET OFF ME!" I screamed, trying to wriggle out of their grasp as they only applied more pressure. "I JUST WANT TO GET MY SISTER AND GO, YOU FUCKING MONSTERS! LET ME GO!"

As the warning lights turned off, I heard the sound of boots slowly walking down the hall before coming into view. The scent of lemongrass and tropical fruit drifted across my senses as I watched Captain Chaimongkhon squat down in her vibrant green military uniform. Her six-fingered hands resting on her knees as her now black and electric green eyes glared down at me.

"We told you, Mr. Nowell. It's in your best interests to just do as we say."

I suddenly began to realize how tired I was as my eyesight went a little blurry.

"I... want out," I groaned. "Leave... with... my sister. Keep the house. I can just-"

But the sight of Captain Chaimongkhon slowly shaking her head and smiling stopped me in my tracks.

"It's too late for that," she said. "You've got an appointment to keep, Desmond."

With a movement of her head, the soldiers under her command that had trapped me shifted positions with a speed that only comes from proper training. And as quickly as I was taken down, I was picked back up again. My arms forced behind my back as the third Neo zipped them together behind me before being pushed forward.

"You heard our Sister," the Neo behind me ordered. "Move!"

I never realized how much the cold effects you when you're in pain before walking down those sterile hallways in my bare feet. Every step, little frozen invisible needles jammed themselves in-between me bones as the Neo behind me pushed me onward. We went through hallway after hallway, the almost overly lit corridors causing my eyes to ache. I wanted to rub them for some relief, but every time my hands made a slight motion, one of my assailants would always notice and warn me to not try anything. Causing my anger to rise, but the weakness and pain I was in tempering it back down to the floor's temperature. I was torn between worlds, wishing to act but unable to do anything.

I kept glancing at them, expecting another attempt at throwing me down, pinning me to the ground, driving more pain into me. But I thought it best to do nothing. Each of them were too big for me to handle. Each of them were taller, with greater muscle mass. This included my overseer, who going by her new additions had gone through another enhancement. Why were her eyes and the eyes of that Neo in the lab black now? Why did they have six fingers on each hand? Why did they now have black claw like nails? And their hands, why did they start to match the color of their eyes? Nothing was making sense, and everything was beginning to make me feel small.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, we approached a long hallway with a set of double doors.

"You are to wait inside, copy?" Amelia told me.

"You still haven't explained any-"

With a burst of anger, she whipped herself around and grabbed me underneath both arms. Proceeding to lift me into the air without any issue by my torso. And as I looked her in the eye, I discovered that the ladies had not gotten any taller of bigger.

It was me that had changed.

I was now smaller than before by a good few inches. And as I looked down at myself as I dangled in her hands, it wasn't just my height. I looked thinner, somehow. As if I had lost all the weight I had gained trying to get healthy after going to college.

"Stop asking me questions, Mr. Nowell! I don't care if you ARE an A rank! So help me, I will teach you to stop disrespecting your superior when she gives you a command! SO WAIT INSIDE LIKE A GOOD LITTLE BOY, AND YOU WILL GET SOME ANSWERS! ARE WE CLEAR?"

"I'm- I'm confused and-"

As I looked around, trying to find a sympathetic ear, I noticed a nearby emergency cabinet, polished to a mirror finish as on of the Neos stepped away, and gasped. It wasn't just my size that had changed. I violently twisted in Chaimongkhon's hands, forcing her to drop me as I peered at my reflection. It was the weirdest sense of deja vu, looking into a mirror and seeing a version of me I had not seen in so long. True, it was only six years. But I was 24. I knew I was 24.

But my reflection was that of my 18 year old self, if slightly more innocent looking. I was clean shaven. My hair was styled like it was back when I graduated high school. My eyes were just a tiny bit wider. My face was more "boy next door" kind of cute, the kind that made girls fawn over a celebrity. It was me but... an idealized version of me.

"Oh God," I muttered, my heart breaking at the changes I had been put through. "What have you done to me?"

One of the soldiers accompanying Captain Chaimongkhon harshly pushed me and pointed down the hallway.

"Answers later! Inside!"

With another shove, I was led through the doors at the end of the hallway and into a large empty medical lab where Doctor Lawler was waiting for me standing next to what looked like a larger version of the weird device that scanned my body back in my home. Only causing my stomach to drop as the reality of the situation sank in.

"Mr. Nowell," she said with a creepy cheer as she motioned to the bed. "Right on time! Do sit down, if you would?"

I must have hesitated, because I felt my shoulder being shoved once more by a guard. Clearly taking the hint that I had no room for opposition here, I shuffled forward. When I got near June, that creepy self-amused smile wouldn't go away as she literally looked down on me. She was only a couple inches taller than me before I woke up, and now she was a couple inches taller. As I climbed onto the bed, I could tell June and Amelia were getting a sick thrill out of my plight.

"Just lay back and we'll get some readings before your appointment, okay?"

"This isn't my appointment?" I asked as Doctor Lawler pressed a few buttons on the side of the bed.

"This is for her final assessment," June replied, a touch of merriment creeping into her voice. "She has plans for you, after all."

As I lay there, confused by what she meant, the device came to life and moved itself directly over me. An odd clicking sound, somewhat like an old finish film reel that was left spinning on the projector, echoed through the lab as it lowered itself slowly onto my chest. For a second, I thought it would be some sort of x-ray or cardiogram or the like as it silently rested on me. But with a quick burst of energy, it exploded out into a spider-like contraption that extended several arms around my torso as it lengthened down to my groin where I felt another arm slide beneath me. Causing me to yelp at the sudden cocoon that I found myself in as it slowly pulsed and glowed while my audience laughed at me.

"It's not going to EAT you," Amelia threw out at me. "So calm your cute ass down, little man!"

"So I'm not worthy of having my name said?" I asked, pointedly. I couldn't see her, but from her silence, I knew I had probably struck a nerve.

"We're doing this for your sake," June added, breaking the awkward silence. "You had a heart attack and nearly had most of the blood vessels in your brain explode. If we hadn't gotten you into treatment, you would have died on the roof of the Estates."

"It might have been for the best I had died last night..."

The machine that had enveloped me suddenly stopped making noise before retracting its arms and slowly lifting away before I saw June come back into view.

"Desmond," she said, suddenly serious. "I don't think you understand."

"Understand?" I asked as I slowly sat up. "Understand what?"

As June looked at me with a sudden sadness, I knew something else had happened. I could see she was trying to word it carefully, so as to not offend me.

"It's... like this, okay? The red pills were to prep your body. You were supposed to have a hormonal balance of 3 when you went in for your first treatment. It's the common level for all men. But you didn't."

As she put her hand on my shoulder, I noticed that it was the same as I had seen it before. A minor balm for the worry that was eating away at me as she continued.

"Desmond, your hormonal level was at a 26 and your body couldn't handle it. You've been back at the mountain base, in an infusion chamber designed for men, in a medically induced coma to save your life, for the past two weeks."

[Sounder9-]

An interesting if not slightly disturbing update (in a good sci fi creeping horror way). It kind of reminds me of the Time Machine the Neo's becoming Morlocks and the Men becoming Eloi their physical appearances changing along with their mindset (hopefully no cannibalism! /s). The tonal shifts are definitely there with each treatment, Amelia becoming more aggressive and June becoming more mad scientist/evangelist to the cause.

One has to wonder what other changes/events apart from an "optimized" Desmond has occurred to him (along with why he was "guided" into an aggressive treatment with its effects/detriments), along with Desi and Laura. Especially Laura since she hasn't been seen or heard of in a while, she may be able to juggle tanks at this rate.

An update that really gets the mind thinking!

[jhunter]

Hn, a new turn of events. The story remains well written, and flows well. Hope to see more soon.

[GLKnight]

As soon as I heard her say it, my mind just... refused. There's no way I had been in a coma... right? Was what I saw my brain suffocating and creating a beautiful image so I could pass on in peace? The fuzzy, glowing beings weren't real? I... I must of hallucinated Desi screaming my name, as well.

Oh God! Desi! I had to check on my sister!

"Where's Desiree?" I asked, mutely.

"I don't see why she-"

"Just answer me!" I shouted. "Where is Desi?!"

The soldiers waiting for us to finish charged into the room, but Doctor Lawler just held out her hand to command them to wait. She obviously wanted to try diplomacy first, shooing them back out into the hallway as she grabbed my chin. Making me look directly at her.

"She's here," she told me, clearly trying to keep me calm. "Upstairs, okay? I can have her meet you before your appointment with-"

I returned her gaze, feeling a warmth spread across my chest and neck. I was done taking their bullshit. There must have been a look in my eyes, because I saw June start to grow concerned as she let go of my jaw.

"I want out of this damn experiment! And I'm taking my sister with me!"

"I'm sorry, but that's not-"

Suddenly, the sound of one of the guards shouting in the hall drew me away before the doors slammed open.

"Desmond!"

Without another word, Desi threw herself around me as she began to weep. Despite the fact that everything still hurt, I could take this kind of pain for her. I returned her embrace, stroking her hair as I fought to keep my composure as the fire under my skin began to recede.

"Come on," I whispered, trying my best to be as gentle as possible. "No need for tears, okay? I'm still here!"

"I heard the alarm upstairs and knew it had to be you," she whispered back. "You weren't ready to go! I knew it as soon as I saw you on the roof! You always protected me, but I couldn't protect you! And now-"

I shushed her as I started rocking back and forth, noticing Doctor Lawler quickly become fascinated by out interaction and writing something down.

"You'll be able to keep your promise," I told her. "I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

"To be exact," Doctor Lawler said, typing something on a nearby console. "You're still going to be around for a while. But professional advice? Don't push yourself, Desmond. You had a heart attack and nearly a catastrophic stroke. And as for you-"

As she stood up, I noticed that Desi had her eyes locked on June. I don't know what was going on, but my sister did not look happy as she kept her gaze on Doctor Lawler as she grabbed a folder off her desk. Her blue eyes narrowed as she returned the angry look my sister was giving her as Desi moved herself in front of me.

"You need to tell me why you're refusing our recommendations and getting another course of Efficiency treatments, Desti- I mean, Desiree."

"I want to get better," she coldly replied, locking her hand in mine. "But I don't want Enhancements, and I don't want to be forced into an older form. And besides, I thought whatever treatments I chose wouldn't be questioned?"

Doctor Lawler threw the folder down on the table with clear frustration, sending some of the papers inside it to slide out and onto the floor with a flutter. Agitation etched clearly on her face.

"But you don't NEED them! Efficiency treatments are meant for those with weak connections and initial infusion! Yet you keep rescheduling any other treatments after your third one, and NOW you're telling me "you want to get better", despite you having one of the strongest responses to the process?!"

Desi jumped to her feet, her fists clenched tight as she seemed to stand taller and prouder than I had ever seen her be before.

"It's MY choice," she shouted. "Just like I think the men should have a say in what happens to them! Because every Sister gets to choose what they become! Take you, for example! You look like you should be on stage at a Figure level bodybuilding competition in a bikini, barely looking 45 when you're really 83!"

I admittedly got to my feet, my head now about level with Desi's as I looked closer at Doctor Lawler's features.

"Wait," I called out, trying to put it all together. "When I met you, you didn't look older than your mid-50's! Can someone clue me in on how this all works?"

"Not now, Mr. Nowell!" June shouted, quickly looking back towards Desi. "As for YOU, Ms. Nowell? I recommend you schedule yourself for another Progression treatment, so you can finally stop acting like a fucking CHILD at every chance you get! Because I swear on The Axzurat that you will pick a fight with someone who will NOT take your tone lightly! Just because she dotes on you and your mother does NOT give you the privilege to get mouthy with me, got it?"

Turning her back on us in a huff, Doctor Lawler stomped over to the doors and pushed one wide open.

"You can take Desmond to see her now, Amelia!"

As the soldiers walked into the lab, they gave Doctor Lawler a weird salute, crossing their arms so that their fists were on top of each other in the center of their chest. As her soldiers flanked behind her, Captain Chaimongkhon took a cocky stance. Placing her fingers inside the loops of her belt as she stared at my sister, still taking a protective protection as she gently pushed me behind her.

"Move out of the way, child. She wants to see him."

"If you take him," Desi threatened, her fists clenched at her side. "Then you're taking me, as well!"

The room was tense as both of them stared each other down. I could almost swear that there was a literal sense of electricity in them, their eyes seeming to flare as they remained deadlocked in a standoff. I had never been in this type of situation before, but both of them looked prime for a throw down at any given moment. The potential for violence grew with every passing second before the Asian Neo suddenly just closed her eyes, took a deep breath and shook her head with a sigh.

"Fine, you can come. But you knew this day was coming, White one."

Before she even turned around, her soldiers moved to either side of us. A slight scowl on each of their faces as they shoved us to follow Amelia, quickly making her way out the lab and down the hallway. For Desi, it was easy. But I was still having issues walking, especially at a brisk pace. Time and again, I kept getting shoved forward whenever I found myself falling behind everyone else. Especially as the Neo who flanked me, a pretty but very stern looking woman who gave off the feeling of fitting into an 80's action movie as one of the Communist villain's deadliest killers, appeared to be taking delight in making me hop along like some kind of hobbled monkey. But about halfway through the trek down innumerable corridors, I finally found a good gait that kept me from being harangued until we made our way to an elevator.

"We are going to be in her presence," Captain Chaimongkhon said, treating us, or maybe just me, like a little child being told to be on its best behavior. "You will answer her questions. You will give her nothing but honesty. You will do as she commands. You will treat her by the respect someone in her position deserves."

I couldn't help it as I thought about the weirdness in how Amelia was phrasing things.

"You make it sound like she's a god or something."

The Asian Neo's eyes felt like they were boring a hole through my skull with the intense glare she was giving me.

"We have no goddesses," she said, vitriol dripping with every word. "They are rare. What she is, is a queen-"

The sound of the industrial elevator doors opening punctuated a perfect pause as she turned on her heels and walked into the lift.

"...At least, for now."

With another shove, we walked into the elevator as Amelia pressed a button. And soon enough, we began making our way up to the top of the mountain.

[Sounder9-]

Man what must had transpired in those two weeks must have accelerated the initial plans for the experiment though it sounds like for the worse. With knowing now that Neo's have (pseudo) immortality, I can see why they need to rename/remake themselves, with the vast changes over decades can wear on the psyche/adoption of treatments.

In a good way it looks like within the two weeks Desi has really gained a voice and confidence (also advocating for more freedom for all). Though it sounds like if she does continue the main treatments that voice may be stifled and she may end up lock step with her other sisters.

Cant wait to finally meet the (current) big cheese and what Amelia means for "for now" in regards to this queens' reign.

[GLKnight]

As we made our way upwards, Desi locked her hand once again with mine before leaning in close to whisper in my ear.

"I don't have much time," she spoke in hushed tones. "So listen to me, okay?"

I slowly nodded my head as I kept an eye on the soldiers around us. Noting that while she clearly looked at us so close together, whatever we were doing was not bothering Amelia in the slightest. That cocky grin on her face remaining as she slightly shook her head as if she was telling us of her disapproval.

"When we get upstairs," Desi continued. "I'm going to push for immunity for you. It's too late for me, but you only received one treatment. I can put a stop to the rest of them, but you will have to be under my exclusive care from now on."

"Hold on," I said, accidentally speaking in a stage whisper before panicking. "What do you mean by too late for you? And exclusive care? What?"

I felt my sister putting her hand on my mouth, quieting me so as to not bother the other Neos in the lift. The feeling of the soft, pliant leathery grip of her palm was rather strange. If felt like a normal hand was given the same muscle control as an octopus, but then placed into a bumpy, softly pliant leather glove that had all the warmth and gentleness of a regular person mixed with the adhesive elements of a grooved grip. To say it was a bizarre sensation was putting it mildly. To feel completely human-like but so alien, all at the same time. Utterly weird that I had never noticed that before.

I had thought I had been quiet enough, but that was when Captain Chaimongkhon decided to join the conversation.

"She means that once you reach a certain point," the beastly beauty said, turning towards us as she resumed her cocky stance. "The chance to keep some human elements is completely lost for all Neos. If you don't finish the transition, then the possibility of critical failure goes up exponentially."

"Critical failure?" I asked. "What, like, it just doesn't work if you space out treatments for too long?"

As Amelia sauntered over to us, Desi once again put herself in harm's way. Using her arm to push me against the wall as she stared at our Neo overseer. But I quickly realized she wasn't looking at me.

"Better to fall in battle than weakly collapse in the safety of home, where cowards choose to stay, little Sister."

As the elevator jostled to a stop, Amelia derisively snorted as the doors opened to another long hallway lined with windows to a majestic view of the entire county. Pushing us out of the lift, we slowly marched the corridor, letting us take in the incredible scenery from the top of the mountain. The clouds rolling by as birds of prey glided across the brilliant blue sky. The sun making its way into the afternoon glow of golds and reds and pinks and oranges as Captain Chaimongkhon began to speak at us.

"When she asks you a question," she told us, or more specifically me, as we approached the imposing double doors near the end of the hallway. "You will answer her."

"Who is this "her" everyone keeps talking about?" I replied, causing Desi to look at me with concern as she quietly mouthed at me to shush. Even going so far as to raise her hand while Amelia continued her stentorian instructions.

"As I said, little man. If she asks you a question, you will answer her. When she tells you to do something, you will do it. When she says something to you, you will consider it. When she wants something of you, you will comply."

Her words were perfectly timed as she came to a stop in front of the doors, turning with a military precision as our overseer stared me down. Her vibrant green eyes trying to drill their image into the back of my head as she leaned over me with great effect.

"Do you copy, Mr. Nowell?"

With a calmness I had never seen in her before, or maybe an overwhelming nervousness that prevented her from being timid, Desi smoothly moved herself into Amelia's line of sight. Returning her gaze for me once again.

"Need I remind you," she said, her voice flat as she rolled her shoulders in front of the soldiers. "That he's under my care? The code is there for a reason. I don't care if you have more strength than me. I will find a way to make you hurt. You got me?"

Keeping her eyes locked on Desi for a second, Amelia soon looked at her fellow soldiers with a smile before waving them away.

"Stand guard at the elevator," she ordered the two Neos. "I'll announce their arrival."

With a quick salute, the Neos double-timed back down the hallway as our overseer pointed two fingers at us.

"You two, stay here."

Without even looking away, Amelia deftly reached behind her back and slipped through the doors. The latching of the doorknob echoing in the hallway as we sighed a breath of relief from the tension that seemed to come and go in waves.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked, gesturing at the closed doors before us. "Everyone seems to have become so weird alternate versions of themselves! You included!"

"Things are happening too quickly," Desi said, panicking slightly. "From what I understand, they tricked you into going onto the roof, Desmond! They tell us how important the men in the program are, and then they find you on the roof nearly dead? I need you to remain calm and-"

"Hold on," I spat back on her, trying to understand what she just said. "Why are the men so important?"

"I'll tell you at home! But what I can tell is they used you, especially so they can have-"

The high pitched creak of the doors being thrown open silenced us both as Captain Chaimongkhon stared us down once more. And with the words "Do not disappoint her", she moved aside and gestured for us to enter. Desi grabbed my hand, pulling me along as she bowed her head in fealty into the well lit rounded room. Surrounded on all sides by thick windows that let us view the entire mountaintop as the skywalk office seemed to defy gravity itself. A magnificent cherry wood desk adorned with miniature versions of the various flags I had seen across the dining level of The Equivalence Estates. And standing in front of the window behind it was an utterly captivating woman. Her powerful legs on full display beneath her purple suit skirt, leading up to an incredibly firm, spherical ass resting on pillars of tear dropped thighs that flexed and moved with every sway of her amazing hips. A tapered waist flaring out to an astoundingly broad back and preposterously rounded shoulders. Her arms threatening to tear themselves from her purple military coat as she casually moved her six fingers in a cascading rhythm as they rest above her breathtaking backside. Her brilliantly golden hair in a stern ponytail, hanging perfectly to the middle of her back and emphasizing her almost bull like neck.

"I'm glad you're awake, Mr. Nowell."

Even her voice screamed "This is real power", resting in a mid-alto range that added heft but indelible feminine energy to her words as she turned to look at us. Her facial features resting between that of the most attractive of models and the beginning of an almost alien beauty. Her black eyes allowing the deeply powerful and vibrant red of her irises to shine through as she smiled an almost calculatingly cruel smile that made promises of both suffering and relief behind it.

"Desi? Who is-"

I couldn't help but go silent as I saw my sister, the one who I had fought for and comforted, the one who seemed ready to fight for me at every step of the day, cross her fists into that weird pyramid-like salute as she kneeled before this woman, this Neo before us with no resistance or hesitancy.

"I am Doctor Cecilia Bernard," the woman proclaimed, slowly walking around the desk before standing proudly before me. "And I am the Mother of the Equivalence Experiment."

My eyes went wide. This woman, this amazon among Neos, this regal being before me. SHE was the creator of the experiment?! I could feel my heart start to pound in my chest as the scent of a powerful storm flooded my senses. The dual sense of majesty and unbridled power running through me as my breath grew heavier. Forcing me to breathe in the unmistakable scent of ozone as she towered over my now diminished stature.

"Now, do me a favor, Desmond. Do as your sister... and kneel before your goddess."

[Sounder9-]

Damn this is one nice update!

I had a feeling that with all this advanced tech and science that there is something that the experiment can't replicate nor simulate. Something that is not only crucial to the Neo's existence and survival, beyond simple continuity of humanity and more being able to be Neo. Though one has to wonder with all that they have in terms of power, influence, and other factors why the subterfuge? I mean they could easily take what they want and have in the past so why so nicey nice all of a sudden.

It also sounds like Desi may have found the reason why but at the same time has realized that they only way to save both Desmond and herself is to fully become Neo, but was this Cecilia's plan all along or someone else's? Hopefully Desi's pleas are answered (entertained) but I think it will be a real nail biter for the coming updates. 

[jcboyd]

I'm guessing interdimensional demonic "possession".  The sixth fingers and the black claws....

[Sounder9-]

It could be! One of the final "treatments" could remove the unnecessary portions of the human body and make it more adaptable to cosmic energies but with the drawback being that of some kind of possession or removal of certain faculties that govern empathy and/or morality.

[GLKnight]

I felt my legs moving before I even knew what was going on, slowly lowering myself to my knees as my perspective of her changed to make her loom even larger above me. The cold floor pressing hard against my shins as she gently reached over to calmly ruffle my hair.

"Good boy," she tittered before snapping her fingers. "Help him back to his feet, Desiree. We don't want such a prized... man such as him getting any more hurt, now."

As this being who called herself a goddess walked back to her desk chair, I felt Desi reach around my waist. And with no effort whatsoever, she just lifted me back onto my feet before brushing my legs off.

"Just answer her to make this brief so we can go home," I heard her whispering. "I need to talk to you as soon as we're not within earshot of Neos or surveillance."

I followed the drift of her eyes as she glanced around the room, finding little dots of light where her gaze stopped. There was a flutter in my stomach as I remembered what happened a month ago at the house. The sound of fire in my bones and in my brain, the voice of the system dictating what I could and couldn't do. The fact they were designed to relay in real time what I was doing and saying at all times. I nodded my head, telling her I knew what the plan was.

"Doctor Bernard-"

"Please," the amazonian Neo said as she sat at her desk. "Call me Cecilia, Desmond. Your sister and I are on familiar terms. So it's only fitting we should be, as well!"

The eagerness in her voice at the end caught me off-guard. Here was this giant beauty, the poise of a tiger and the breadth of a mountain, suddenly sounding like she wanted to be my closest confidant and friend. I knew she was in her mid-nineties, but right now she acted closer to someone my age.

Or, at least, someone who was the age I used to be...


Doctor Ber-," I stammered, seeing the way her eyes just shifted from happy and delighted to intense and predatory as I didn't call her by her first name causing me to act jumpy before continuing. "Cecilia, I, um, appreciate you saving my life-"

"You're very welcome!" she cheered, smiling cheerily.

"...Okay. I appreciate my life being saved. But I was wondering if it was possible for me to ask some questions? Being that you're the, uh... the woman who controls everything here?"

"That's amenable." she told me as I looked around the room for a seat.

"Uh, would it be okay if I had a chair? I'm still... pretty weak."

Her smile shifted once more, taking on a slightly callous bent as her eyes narrowed with a hungry glint.

"A strapping young man like you doesn't need a chair."

"Use my shoulder if you need it," I heard Desi whisper. With a sigh, I nodded my head. I knew that the women who became Neos went through an attitude change, if only from personal experience. But I was starting to wonder if it was really something like a mandate for anyone who enrolled in the experiment to come out this way. Because I knew it'd be like prying blood from a stone with Doctor Bernard.

"I might as well get to it, then. Cecilia, would it be possible for you to tell me just what is going on with this whole experiment?"

As she leaned forward, bridging her fingers before laying her chin on them as if she was a lovestruck teenager, I couldn't help but notice that she was purposefully flexing while she did so. Watching as her body visibly swelled slightly, pushing the limits of her purple coat with what had to be an awe-inspiring physique that I only received a taste of if I was just going by her frighteningly sculpted legs.

"I can tell you at home," Desi pleaded, trying to get my attention. But I was dead set on learning the truth. And there's no better source than the woman who made this all happen. "Just ask her some simple things and let's go, okay?"

But the look on Cecilia's face let me know that she wanted to play with me.

"No need to rush, child! I'll gladly answer his queries!"

Inviting us to sit on the floor, I couldn't help but feel like I was a little child who was about to be told a story before a nap. But if she was willing to tell me what was going on, then I had no choice but play along. Holding onto Desi's arm as I slowly lowered myself to the ground once more.

"We don't need to do this, Desmond!" she quietly hissed, begging me to listen to her.

"I WANT to hear it from the person you claimed was the "founding mother" of this whole thing," I fired back, reminding her of her own claims. "And when we're home, you can fill in the details that were left out."

"If you two are done chattering," Doctor Bernard said, smiling down at the two of us. "Then I can tell you about the Department Of Equivalence. Or should I say... Department Of Exploration?"

"The space program from the fifties?" I asked. "Doctor Lawler told us about that before... the rooftop."

Doctor Bernard chuckled as she stood up once again, walking back to the front of the desk.

"That's just the old official statement, I'm afraid."

"Official statement?

I could see her body roiling as her pressed her palms against the lip of the desk. Her lats causing the sides of her uniform's jacket to bulge as she tensed her arms and shoulders once again.

"You know how it was for America back then. "Better dead than red" and all that. But we were the final line in the burgeoning days of the Cold War. The CIA took to the shadows, but we took to the umbra. Ours was the most radical of departments, a sister program to the areas that became NASA. While they received the brilliance of Werner Von Braun and the greatest Rocket Scientists of the time, we were the home to the more incalculable minds that instead of pressing "onward and upward" moved more-"

Moving her hands in front of her, she held them very close with a pause before quickly increasing the distance.

"...Laterally, you could say."

I looked at Desi, trying to figure this out.

"Laterally?"

"She means this is not the only plane of existence." she said, shaking her head as she kept her eyes on Doctor Bernard. And that's when it suddenly dawned on me.

"Wait! You mean, like... OTHER DIMENSIONS?!"

As Doctor Bernard nodded her head with a sly smile, I couldn't believe it. Some part of me just kept telling myself to accept everything happening around me, to never ask questions. But things were just getting too weird for me. And then, the whole thing with Desi looking older while mom looked younger. And their eyes. And then this? I mean, I often saw this shit in video games and comics and movies. But experiencing something like this in real life? It just... It felt wrong. And now I was understanding why.

"And most damning thing was... it worked. We broke through to another world, one with unparalleled potential we named The Axzurat. But not without issues."

I couldn't help myself. You don't get presented with the whole "other dimensions exist" detail and not want to learn more. And Doctor Bernard knew she had me hook, line and sinker.

"Like what?"

"For starters, exposure to said state of reality had incredible effects. For both men and women, subjects could be altered depending on level of exposure and factors. If you exercised, your body would adapt and grow stronger. If exposed during education, it increased the mind's ability to absorb, retain and apply information it stored. And if applied towards, say, practices to maintain health, it could increase one's lifespan, possibly indefinitely. But the boons of this energy only applied to women. So imagine how the men who discovered this reality changing energy during an age of sexism and bigotry felt they couldn't gain anything from it."

"Small minds always try to put things towards a gain." Desi said, sighing at that last sentence.

"But in that time," Doctor Bernard continued, the clicking of her heels echoing through the room as she stood tall. "I did all I could to learn of the capabilities of this dimension. Convincing many great minds to join me in controlling access to it, to harvest it safely, refine the process. Blowing past every possible barrier towards scientific enlightenment as we used our growing collective power to slowly eke out more and more ground behind the scenes."

As her words grew louder and more zealous, I slowly got to my feet as I became more unnerved. At first, it seemed like I might have been wrong about my beliefs about the program. But as her speech continued, it sounded less like a recruitment spiel and more like something you'd see some supervillain would say.

"I don't want to offend you," I told her mid-rant. "But this sounds less like something to protect the interests of the people and more like you've been building a secret empire or something."

As she tilted her head to the side, her face emotionally flat as if she had suddenly grown bored of talking to me, I could tell that, to my great displeasure, I might have just said the quiet part out loud.

"No wonder you're an A Rank, Mr. Nowell."

A sudden shift of emotions appeared on Desi's face as she sniffed at something in the air beside me. Sniffing once, twice, a third and fourth time before a fearful realization dawned in her.

"You promised me," she shouted, whipping her head towards Doctor Bernard. "You promised me we'd be left alone!"

Without waiting for a response, my sister sprinted towards the doors in a desperate pace. Throwing them open and continuing her mad dash as Captain Chaimongkhon quickly closed them behind her to prevent me from seeing what was happening in the corridor.

"That's the thing about children," Cecilia mused, the wicked smile returning to her face as she stared into my eyes. "You need guidance before you can be useful to society."

The sound of something slamming into a wall as Desi cried out in pain echoed all the way into the office. But as soon as I tried to make a move to help her, I felt the grip of a powerful hand deftly wrap itself around my throat and lifting me off the ground.

"Ghn! What... are you... doing?!" I muttered, choking as I remained helpless in the Director's hand as she pulled me closer to her face. The brightness of her eyes causing my own to ache as their light began to overwhelming my own like electricity flowing through a neon tube.

"Be a Good Boy," she said, coldly and dripping with cruel malice. "And stay put for Mommy, Desmond."

I could feel myself relax, going slack in her hands as she gently lowered me back down. Chuckling with insidious intention as I found myself locked in place one more.

"Let me go!" I shouted.

"Not until your ride gets here, human. I think I can hear her now!"

As if on cue, I heard the doors being broken open as I felt something slam into me from behind and sending me to the floor. With a groan, I looked up to find Desi, beaten and unconscious as she lay embedded into the remains of Doctor Bernard's desk. The contents on top of it strewn all over as she stayed unmoving, clearly having been defeated.

"DESI!!!"

The sensation of someone's boot kicking into my side knocked the wind out of me as I flipped onto my back. Unable to move or utter a sound before I felt the sole of it stomp into my chest and stomach to pin me down.

"GHK!!! GET... OFF!!!"

Before I even saw who it was, I was immediately able to recognize our assailant. Her scent alone gave her away.

"I thought I told you we'd see whose house this really was, Desmond."

As I opened my eyes, terror immediately consumed me. For standing over me, dressed in the red uniform variation of the Neo soldiers I had seen before, stood my mother. Visibly youthened, visibly larger and wearing the smile of a proud conqueror as Doctor Bernard walked over and began to run her hands over my mother's shoulders and arms.

"W-Why?" I creaked out as my mother twisted her boot into my chest.

"Because this world needs to change," she barked. "The world is dying! Men are killing the beautiful resources without a second thought! Dying in droves because they are too stupid, too arrogant to listen to their betters! They no longer deserve the right to dictate the fate of this or any other world! And we, the Sisters of the NAE, will take that burden for you! And any that dare defy us!"

"Isn't she something?" Doctor Bernard said. "All three of you were far better subjects than we expected. A shame your sister kept refusing to let us guide her treatments. It would have been a fair fight. But you, Desmond? You have many more secrets to help us unlock. Isn't that right, Commander?"

Mom just chuckled as she bounced her foot on my chest, causing me to nearly puke as the wind was squeezed out of me.

"A shame she didn't put up more of a fight," my mom said, derisively. "If she had won, I might have granted her permission to go for more than one scheduled treatment as Head Of Household."

"I will authorize that she be admitted soon for a Progression treatment," Cecilia cooed, leaning in to kiss my mother's now increasingly broader shoulder. "As well as an Enhancement. I want to see her recognize the folly of her ways as you beat this White one into submission. And make sure to sign your son up for his schedule when he's ready, as well. We'll need him soon after our plans go into motion."

I watched as my mother brushed back her short hair before crossing her red six fingered fists in the pyramid salute. That terrifying smile never leaving her lips.

"As you command, my queen."

[Sounder9-]

Man was not expecting that turn in events (and my estimations were way off, but in a good way!). Now there is a major plot point revealed! Laura's back and more menacing than ever (and possibly the queen's lover, which explains some things).   What happens next will be more interesting to say the least to all involved along with the next phase of the experiment.
 

[GLKnight]

[From a flyer found on any given street for The Neo Movement, a community outreach arm of The NAE.

Please note: website link does not LEAD anywhere. It is just there for in-universe story reasons.]

--------

MOTHERS!
DAUGHTERS!
WOMEN!
SISTERS!

You contain an inner strength that no one but you may use. Yours is a cosmic force. Of Life, Of Death, Of Power, Of Guidance.

Others will try and take your strength away.

Let us show you how to resist their grasp and make yourself unto something new.

A New Woman. A NEO Woman.

NEO IS NEW
NEO FOR YOU

JOIN THE NEO MOVEMENT TODAY!

(For more information, go to Neo For You . gov/ DOE/ Equivalency-Experiment to learn how you can become your True, Neo You.)

[GLKnight]

After the show of force in Doctor Bernard's office, I had to standby as Captain Chaimongkhon's soldiers physically dragged Desi by her feet out of the splintered remains of what I soon learned was an incredibly solidly built desk. Much like one you would find in an official government office. I called out to her, trying to rouse her from unconsciousness. But when I looked like I was wanted to run to her side, Captain Chaimongkhon put her hand on my shoulder and shook her head. I knew this was a warning. My eyes turned towards my mother, now closer to my former age than ever and standing like the mix of a professional bodybuilder and super soldier in her red fatigues that I knew she believed she was. Meeting my gaze as she shared words with her supposed queen, giving me a grin that seemed at once demanding of my respect, yet also felt... perverted. I couldn't help but shiver as her eyes darted towards my sister's almost lifeless from as it slid out the door then back to me. Seemingly telling me how it was going to be from now on if I dared step out of line in her presence, and to please do so as much as I want.

"Breathe, Desmond." I heard Amelia whisper, not noticing that her hand rested reassuringly on my shoulder. Making me quickly realize that I was beginning to hyperventilate. "Just breathe."

"She wants to hurt me," I said, my hands white from how tense a grip I had them in. "You want to hurt me. Just let me go? You'll never hear from me, I swear! I can't be involved in this! I can't-! I can't-!"

As she stepped in front of me, her black and green eyes locking onto mine, I saw a... gentleness I had not seen in a while. The bravado and bluster was gone, now more maternal than dominant. A slight mask of regret on her face as she breathed in slowly through her nose and out through her mouth.

"Just follow me, okay? Breathe in?"

I nodded my head after a brief pause, slowly copying her as I took a deep breath in through my nose.

"And breathe out."

I slowly exhaled as I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to cry as my anxiety roiled within me.

"Breathe in?"

Once more, I breathed in. My ears caught the lingering sound of Amelia's breathe as she took a deeper breath than before, a slight hissing with her inhalation lasting longer than before.

"And breathe out."

Compared to the slow breath she released, mine was a small gust of wind. A puff compared to the strong and steady one Captain Chaimongkhon exhaled. I don't know if she was a swimmer before all this, but I had this odd feeling that her breath capacity was probably exceeding that of an Olympian now. And yet here she was, guiding me through breathing exercises to calm me down as if she hadn't earlier been so gruff and downright aggressive with both me and Desi before leading us up here.

"That's a Good Boy." she told me. And suddenly, I felt my legs start to buckle as whatever had a hold of my body was undone. Amelia wrapping her arms around me as I slumped forward. The stress having eaten away the stores of energy I had left. Then my mind caught up to what had just happened. I was awake, aware and calm when it happened. I... I had been somehow trained to respond to those phrases. When? When did that HAPPEN?! My days had been so scattered until now. Just periods where I can't remember a God damn thing. And now, as I leaned against Amelia's jacked body, feeling the density and firmness of her arms as my head rested against her incredibly lean chest as I fought the sudden urge to just move my face directly between the plates of powerful sinew that lay beneath me, NOW is when I discover that I had been programmed to respond to those phrases?

My heart sank as a dark thought wormed its way into my mind. This is what they were implying for me the whole time. That I was not meant to be a life companion for a Neo. I was meant to be nothing more than a toy, a pet, a mere plaything. Weaker, subservient. What mom had shouted at me after beating my sister down echoed in my head. There was no Equivalency. It was a ruse. It wasn't about a balance at all.

Everything men had tried to impose on women in days gone by, it was to now be reflected back onto us. And this whole Neo system was probably created to ensure there would never be a chance for any sort of equality at all.

--------

After being led to a private room back on the medical level of the facility, Amelia closed the door behind us.

"I need you to strip," she told me with a vigilant look on her face. I, however, just wanted to crawl into bed and just... not be here, anymore. What was the point?

"Why?"

As she paused, I took a look at her eyes and noticed some sort of... well, pain might be the right word. Like there was something within her at odds with another side of herself. Maybe it was the consequences of her actions. Or the reckoning of seeing the ones she was appointed to oversee being treated so monstrously. But whatever it was, it caused her normally vibrant eyes to dim as regret once again overtook her face.

"This is for both of our sakes. I need to see what they have done to you. And you need to see what kind of... man they made you."

As she pointed at a nearby mirror that hung on a closet door, I hesitated to move. The way Amelia spoke, the way she was moving was completely different than I had seen before. Every other time we interacted, she always seemed professional or courteous except for when I woke up today. That was the only time I had seen her bluster or try to pass herself off. And now, here in the room I'd be in overnight, she was acting completely different yet again. This time, she seemed so much smaller despite her build. It... It was like she was just acting normally. I gave it a moment of thought before I took a deep breath, scratched the back of my head nervously and sighed.

"Y-You're right," I mumbled. "I need to see what they've done to me."

As I moved closer to the mirror, Amelia slowly sat down on the bed. Her green eyes glowing anonymously in the low light of the room as I inched my way. Then, as I held my breath, I slowly slipped my arms out of my gown and proceeded to slip it off. And as soon as I began to lower it, I gasped.

"What did they do to me?"

My torso was considerably thinner, almost rail thin. My somewhat bony shoulders stuck out as they led to a considerably shriveled set of arms. All my muscle had practically vanished, leaving me emaciated to a point just before skeletal. And yet, despite how little fat there was on my body, I had no definition whatsoever. A boyish face on top of a weak and practically pathetic frame. It was like I was forced back into a childlike body, despite still being of an adult's height.

"Before you continue disrobing," Amelia said, breaking the silence. "There's something we need to discuss about the changes and rankings."

"What is there to discuss?" I shouted, causing her to flinch as I spun around towards her. "Is this what happens to EVERY A Ranking man in this fucking nightmare?!"

"...No." she weakly told me.

"Then let me guess! Men are at the whims of whoever is put in charge of them? Is THAT how it is? We're just fucking OBJECTS to Neos?!"

"...I-It's part of the arrangement in the Experiment. Both men and women go through... changes, as per the contract. Anyone who signs-"

"But I didn't SIGN anything!" I screamed, feeling my finger poking into my chest uncomfortably. "I was forced INTO this by my fucking mother!"

Wordlessly lifting her hands to defend herself, Amelia slowly stood from her seat and inched her way forward.

"I know! And that was a gross oversight on the NAE's part! But it's too late for that, now."

As she gently put her hands on my shoulders, her eyes looked like they wanted to cry on my behalf. An odd mix of confusion and empathy laid in them as she considered her words carefully.

"Desmond... you've already been arranged to be claimed."

I went numb as soon as the words left her lips.

"W-What?" I quietly asked, unable to fully process what she was saying.

"You've been claimed," she repeated, as she slowly turned me around towards the mirror once again. "You need to finish disrobing to learn more."

Her hands slid down my arms and to my hands, grasping the folds of cloth that I had bundled the gown into and gently pulling them out of my hands. Letting the gown finish its descent to the floor and leaving me in my full naked glory.

"No...!"

Like my arms, my legs were thinner albeit to a lesser degree. My years of track, all the hard work I put into them. They were a pale shade of the athleticism I was so proud of. But the most frightening change, the most extreme change, was to my crotch. Before today, I had an average, if slightly girthy, dick with a normal sized set of balls. But gone was average. Gone was normal. The experiment had decided that I was to be gifted a new set of genitalia befitting the companion of a Neo. Hanging from my crotch was a giant monster of a cock, resting just above my knees as its girth filled the space between my legs. A giant, vibrant red fuckstick that made porn stars look small as it rested on top of a large pair of testicles nestled inside a sack the same color as my dick. The head of my johnson a healthy purple, exposed to the open air as if I had just healed from a circumcision.

All words had left me at this point. I turned around and began to stumble towards the bed. My feet catching on the floor and falling forward, able to put my hands out and grab the mattress before screaming in rage and tearing the covers off. My fists coming down onto it again and again and again as I howled in fury at what I had been forced to undergo until I was spent. Sullenly sitting down on the wrecked bed for a minute before Captain Chaimongkhon quietly joined me.

"The color is a marker of who has claimed you," she said, trying not to upset me. "And the Neo who claimed you is-"

She didn't even need to say her name. I already knew. Everything I had gone through. Everything I had been exposed to. Every bit of change so far. There was only one being I knew who would go to these lengths. The one who I knew would gain the most from all this.

"My mother claimed me."

I put my hands to my face, unable to hold it in any longer. Sobbing into my palms so I wouldn't have to look at that fucking monstrosity between my legs, let alone the rest of me.

"This isn't right," I cried. "This isn't fair!"

Amelia wrapped her arms around me, holding me close as anguish overcame the painful ache I was still feeling. I could feel her chin gently resting on my head. Her green t-shirt twisting in my hands as I began to cry.

[Biceps108]

Man, I feel bad for him. Really hoping for a happy ending. Especially after the kind of shit he went through, never giving up.

[Sounder9-]

Man, I feel bad for him. Really hoping for a happy ending. Especially after the kind of shit he went through, never giving up.

Same. If anything its like all that he tried to do in order to get back to some semblance of normalcy has all been washed away. Just thinking about how most likely all that "buzzing" was most likely sublimital messages that basically put him in this mental/physical state. Here's hoping that the "others will try to take your strength away" means some opposing force to the NAE, a resistance perhaps, and possibly hope for a better tomorrow.