Shadows of Eden

They said the sky was once blue. Blue like the graffiti decorating the dilapidated building, now turning into a duller shade of gray. They said that the place called Earth was once beautiful... But if the sky had been blue... it was a phenomenon beyond her time. Her sky... was red, a distorted caustic cloud of tainted color that was and will be an eternal reminder of the transgressions of humanity... the generations that came before her... Their wars, their greed, their waste... left it's mark.

And now it began again.

In a world where there wasn't much left to fight for... they still fought. They fought against the incessant polluting of an already muddied world, against Eden that created a paradise at everyone else's expense... against the shadow of circumstance that haunted them all.

The silence of her thoughts was interrupted by a static voice chirping in her ear and the reality of her situation kicked back in. It was almost time.

"Team one, breaching front entrance in three... two... one." Her earpiece chirped loudly only to be eclipsed the explosion. The boom that ensued made the shimmering dome before them glitch in it's holography before the walls went down. Things moved fast after that. Team one blew open the front gates, Team three did another flashy entry in the back... all for the sake of this raid into Eden. Orders were barked through her ear as her team broke in from the sewers after the commotion began.

The holographic sky did another tenuous flicker from it's peaceful blue to the natural red along with the explosions that lit up in a backdrop as they breached the doors of Central Eden. It was a perfect cover as the Eden Keepers were dispatched to quell the disturbance.... Most of them.

The corridor was blocked by him. One of those emotionless dolls that defended the premise that was Eden. His movements were mechanized, rigid but no less formidable. As if on cue, the psionic blades appeared in elegant lines over his hands. The meshing of man and machine was deadly, not just because of it's programmed skills and hydraulic strength, but because of it's pure focus and it's human ingenuity.


"Jim, I'm counting on you to take out the security lasers as they come. Sean, get the EMP ready. I'm going in. " She charged. The simplistic movement itself drawing the compartments from their walls as the lasers took aim.... before Jim's bullets took them out. Turrets scrambled, locked and were disabled before their targeting computers could even begin an assault.

The gunfire continued even after the turrets were taken out, a well posed distraction for the Keeper as she ducked under the sweep of his weapon, inside his arm. She knew better than to engage the psionic blades, instead, she drove her machete into his body. The EMP should be coming now. That would disrupt the counter she knew was coming but was too committed to stop.

The human half of the Keeper faltered, and time slowed, the half a second in between what had happened and the precision assault they were making, filled her with adrenaline, with hope. They were succeeding, and this beast was going down. Both halves of it's body destroyed in the scant few seconds available to do so. She felt elated, and then it all came crashing down.

The other psionic blade came down against her shoulder, sinking in flesh to grind into bone... and burning flesh and blood along the way. Crushing her, as well as all hopes she had, of a successful breach.

"NOW! Drop the EMP" The scream dampened to a grunt of pain as she dropped to her knees... The EMP never came. A distant part of herself registered the sudden silence in the corridor, the gunfire had ceased. What followed was a second Eden Keeper as his psionic blade burned in through her side.

"Team two, status report?"

"Team two, come back."

"Kira, Where the hell are you?!"

Time crawled as her eyes dilated and went out of focus. The floor was cold. Wet with the rapidly growing pool of red. Somewhere in her distant mind she registered the fallen bodies in the corridor as her team mates and the earpiece chirping it's urgency in the same static voice. Darkness fell as her consciousness slipped away. Surely she'd not die like this. Surely...

Heavy boots thudded down the corridor, accentuated by the echoes along the bare walls. Half a dozen armed men and women ran up in strict formation, coming to a stop and forming a perimeter among the two keepers and the motionless bodies. The silence that followed was a stark contrast to the chaos that had preceded, but it was soon broken by the sound of a single set of footsteps slowly approaching. The owner of these footsteps stopped at the damaged keeper and studied it for a moment. His face, which had a heavy scar from cheek to forehead over his left eye, furrowed in frustration before making a dismissive motion with his hand. The damaged keeper turned and strode away calmly, destined for the termination chamber. Another would soon take its place, as it was the nature of these sub-human machines to be efficient and expendable.

After examining the other keeper and being satisfied, he turned his pale green eyes to the forms littering his floor. So much violence, and all worthless. His Eden was perfect, a haven in this barren world that once was so fertile. He sighed in resignation before his eyes darted to the final prone figure. It was breathing, though just barely.

He approached slowly and used his boot to turn it over onto its back. Female, grave wounds. Will most assuredly die without intervention. He ran his hand through his short, grey-black hair, and closed his eyes as if in deliberation.

"Take this one to Doctor Selinger. Tell him this is the one. And put in a call to the council. I have a proposal for them that they won't soon ignore." His voice was crisp and clear, and he commanded respect from those he worked over and for. He'd worked too damn hard for his paradise to be jeopardized by mongrels and children. It was time to show them that even they could be broken and used. He watched as she was half carried, half dragged deep into the darkness by two of his men. She would do nicely.

Colonel Jonathan Galinger had a meeting with the rulers of this gift to humanity, its last chance of hope. And what he was going to attempt with this new subject would either be his rise to true power, or his downfall into shame.

* * * * *

Col. Galinger stood with Doctor Selinger in his lab. Some called it a workshop, but never in the Doctor's presence. Before them, bathed in light, surrounded by motionless robotic arms and tools, and secured to the nearly vertical table was their joint project. The woman from the corridor was naked, her clothes discarded as useless. She looked normal, aside from the fresh skin grafts on her shoulder and side, but over the week since she'd been obtained, she'd undergone the full Keeper treatment.

Her skeletal structure had been reinforced with metal using nano-technology, so there was no visible scaring from that. She had a plug behind her left ear that allowed for direct up link with the circuitry and chip that had been implanted into her brain. Her left eye looked normal while closed, but it too had been replaced for a visual piece that provided information not attainable with human eyes. The only real difference between her and a regular Keeper, and in fact what made her so special, was the fact that her control chip wasn't automatically activated.

They could activate it as needed, of course, but for the most part, the colonel was trying to leave humanity in the Keepers. Better responses, more discernible intellect, and a fluidity of motion lost on the standard model. If successful, she would be the crowning of his career, and the model for all future Keepers. Indeed, she would be the key to defending that which she'd tried to destroy.

He turned to the Doctor. "Another two weeks, you say?"

"Until the modifications are fully integrated, yes. The shock and medication should keep her sedated for the time," was the response.

"Follow the protocol. Use the chip to get her moving, stretching, light aerobics. Don't want her muscles to atrophy now. We've worked so hard for this."

"She's obviously important to you, for you to be reminding me of the protocol I created all those years ago."

Galinger glared at him, slightly annoyed with his tone and insinuations. "Just make sure she's ready." With that, he turned and left the room. He would spend the next two weeks watching her perform, still naked and unconscious, driven manually by the chip. He hated the jerky motions created by it, but that would change when she served him.

He would wait and see.

Was she in heaven?

The question was dispelled by the steady thump of her heart. She was alive? She didn't die from her wounds?

The ceiling tile slowly focused from it's hazy blur... It was the realization that she saw... through eyes already open that she realized she was alive. Her mind slowly began to register the sights about her and the elated rush filled her with adrenaline... until she realized that her body did not move.

Adrenaline became panic. Her thoughts ran wild as she struggled to move. Sit up. Move an arm. A leg. A finger.....

Her eyes moved without her consent, blinked without her command and suddenly she was thrown into action. Kira watched from the cage of her own body as she stretched and moved. They were her own hands, her own feet that carried out the rigid motions. Exercises completed as she struggled against each and every motion without avail. Finally, mentally exhausted she gave up to watch the world from the view her eyes afforded her.

She was in Eden. There was no doubt about it. The luxury of clean walls, pure air were evidence of this conclusion... But why was she in Eden? Why was she still alive? What did they do to her? The jolting motions were familiar. She'd seen them somewhere... Where?

Thoughts were startled when her cage stepped into an open stall and the pelting of cold water flooded her senses. Mechanical movements soaped her hair and body. Her fingers registered the wounds she had before were gone, as well as the smooth venus mound... How much of her body had they violated?! She shuddered at the thought, a motion that never registered in her programmed cage.

Stepping from the stall, the program brought her to the center of the room and for the first time since her own consciousness, spoke

"Unit 119-18a reporting in. All systems functional." It was another trespassing of her body as her vocal chords produced the words and spoke with monotone clarity.

Her body returned her back to the worktable she'd woken from, the mechanized motions laying her back down on the hard steel as her gaze focused once more on the ceiling.

"What the fuck happened... What the hell did they do to me..." It was a bare whisper, and it was the tear that slipped from the corner of her eye that alerted her to the sudden freedom from her cage. Her first movements were slow. A disbelief that her actions were her own as she lifted a hand to wipe the tear away. She could move.

Her fists closed, as she tested the limits of her body, reassuring herself that her control was her own. She needed to get out. Get away from whatever it was that stole her control away. Shaking hands pushed herself off the table as she walked about the small room she was in. The door was locked. The ceiling was high. Still too high if she stood on top of the table.

"Hello?" She tried her own voice then. A soft echo that returned to her own ears to remind her of the program her body went through. Following suit, she positioned herself back at the center of the room before she continued with a bit more edge in her voice. "Is someone there?"

A stray thought alerted her that a camera might have been monitoring her as she belatedly covered herself. An arm snaking about her breasts and the other hand at her sex. Her cheeks flamed and her eyes focused down to the floor. "Why am I here? Are you going to let me out?" The last two questions came as a soft demanding growl.

There was no answer and she retreated to the furthest corner from the door, pulling her knees into herself so that her body concealed her sex and her eyes watched the door over the curve of her arms.

Just what did they do to her? Was it going to happen again? Why was it so... familiar?

Colonel Galinger sat alone in his office, staring at the monitor before him. Displayed on the softly glowing screen was a prerecorded video of one of Unit 119-18a's performance evaluations. The number was logical, her order in the long line of Keeper productions. The alpha tag was chosen by him, specifically, to signify that she would be the first in what he hoped to be the future of Keepers. So far, her performance evaluations were par for the course, but that was to be expected since the chip's activity rendered her exactly the same as the thousands of Keepers before.

As he watched, Dr. Selinger spoke aloud, making notes to the microphones placed in the subject testing area. Starting vertical test, Unit 119-18a will jump straight into the air, height will be measure. Jump. The last was spoken directly to the subject, and followed with immediate jerky execution. Galinger Rubbed his eyes in boredom as the height was called allowed to the microphones by and off-screen technician, and Selinger confirmed.

Galinger looked away from the screen for a moment and surveyed his office solemnly. He felt the need to redecorate, just as he had done every few months since he'd gotten this position. The propaganda posters depicting Eden as a paradise without sacrifice hung several in a row along the side walls. He smiled, but it was a forlorn moment. He knew better than anyone what sacrifices had been made. Being personally in charge of the Keepers reminded him of that, daily. Humanity stripped away from men and women before his eyes, it could be unsettling at times. But it was necessary to protect the greater good, and the ends most always justified the means.

Behind him hung a replica of one of the religious paintings from the Medieval era, centuries ago. It depicted mankind on a precipice, above being eternal salvation, below the beast that devoured them whole. Of course, there were countless many more being devoured than saved, and he knew this primitive depiction contained truth. Even In today's world, Mankind was teetering on the edge, Eden was the paradise, and the dark abyss was endless below.

A buzz on his intercom shattered his thoughts, and a scratchy voice followed; "Colonel... The subject has awoken."

He leaned forward in the simple, yet comfortable chair behind his heavy, solid desk and paused, his finger hovering over the button. It was late. He finally pressed the button and spoke, "Keep her isolated till morning. I'll come down then. Nobody makes contact until I give approval."

He heard the acknowledgement and leaned back again, wondering when he would find time to rearrange his office.

* * * * *

The sun was shining bright in the eastern holographic sky, peering through the windows of the complex as Galinger strode the halls. His freshly shaved face was in good countenance, and his eyes shone with pride. It was finally time to begin the process of breaking his new toy in, and he would stop at nothing to ensure she was his ticket to the top.

He finally approached the door to her holding cell and checked the video monitor to ensure she wasn't waiting by the door. Satisfied, he nodded to the tech behind a booth. "Open it."

When he was inside, the door close behind him, and he was acutely aware that they were being watched.

Sleep was inevitable. Yet the few moments of rest she'd stolen were harrowing at best. Snapshots of darkness as wariness made her eyes heavy and her own strength falter, while fear kept true rest at bay. Fear that once more she'd be caught in that cage of her own body. Her control no longer her own.

It never came. Much to her own relief the phenomenon did not occur again, and she was left to her thoughts as she waited.

Hours passed in the timeless-ness of her small room. No sun, no clock, no time to tell her just how long she'd been waiting. Only her body functions that hunger had yet to strike that she knew that it was less than 24 hours. Kira settled into a state of rest, her body finding the precarious center ground to wake at the slightest bit of movement or sound, but still provide her system with the needed rest...

Her eyes opened from such a state when the door swung open on silent hinges. What surprised her was the images that flashed in her vision, that felt disjointedly separated from what she should've seen. The vision within her left eye immediately identified the man, as a brief line of information flashed and vanished, restoring her vision to normal. She only caught enough of the information to know that he was a superior.... if she were an actual member of Eden.

"You'll have to forgive me for not rising to greet you. Modesty makes such courtesies ... difficult, since I'm sure you've noticed my lack of clothes." She shifted to sit up straight, her arm sliding to shield her breasts from his view and her feet sat close together, hiding the apex of her sex.

Her free hand rested languidly across her knees, the seeming lack of concern hiding the wariness she watched him with as the slight smile lifted the corner of his mouth. "Tell me. My memory is hazy, but I could've sworn I was a hairsbreadth from death. The fact that I'm sitting here and talking, means that you or someone else here in Eden decided to save me."

She paused in her words, as if she could weigh him and come to some solution of her predicament. His affirmation was the slight cant of his head, barely a nod in his arrogance as he offered her the barest form of an answer. "Thank you." Her head dipped in her acknowledgment of thanks before lifting once more to the haughtier height she addressed him with. "I'm thankful that you've spared the resources to save me. Even more so knowing that resources are scarce in these times."

The sincerity in her voice was evident for a moment longer before it dropped back to it's calculating tone. "But neither am I stupid enough to believe you did this for free. What do you want from me... and more importantly, what exactly did you... do to me?"

"What I want from you? Simple, my dear. You are now my willing slave. You will live to serve me, and to serve Eden, until such time as I no longer have a use for you."

Crisp words answered her question without hesitation as she stared. It was a brief instant before the silence dissolved into the soft shaking of chuckles, then laughter. Her free hand covering her eyes as her body shook with her mirth. However, he smiled, unshaken by her laughter. "I'm glad you're taking this so well. Though, I can't honestly promise you'll be laughing much longer, my dear."

It took a moment longer before Kira brought herself under control. Though the soft sputter of her amusement weighed heavily in her voice. "You.... you're serious."

"You see, you're special." He leaned down and brushed aside a strand of her hair.

"I could've sworn you said... 'willing slave'. Tell me. Just what makes you so confident that you can - " Her voice trailed off as her face hardened, and she snapped sharply, "Don't touch me." Her warning was accompanied by her fist that came scant inches away from him, away from the punch she would have delivered. The pose held as her body froze and her modesty was suddenly all but forgotten. Her fist refusing to engage. Her body moving only after she released the tension in her fist to pull away.

"Oh, that won't work, I'm afraid. And yes, I am very confident I can break you." His smile grew wider as he held up a small device. "I can see the wheels turning, the desire to turn my face into a bloody mess betrayed by a body that doesn't seem yours anymore. How can this be?"

Her hands lifted, shocked that her body did not carry out the simple task she would've easily been able to deliver. His words, dripping with his mockery, however brought her to her feet. Her was grip tight on his collar as she growled, "What the fuck did you do to me?!"

He touched a button on the device in his hand, and watched as she went rigid. Immediately her hand dropped by her side and she suddenly found herself standing at attention before the man she now sorely wanted to beat to a pulp. It was strangely familiar. The same loss of control like she'd encountered when she first woke up... and now here it was again...

_____________
OOC: Courtesy of Leopald for cooperating with me for the dialogue.

Galinger paced slowly around the now rigid girl, his chuckle was not contained at the fact she was completely exposed to him. As he stood behind he, he placed a hand on her firm bottom and leaned close to her ear. "Where is your modesty now?" He teased maliciously. "It serves no place as my slave." He continued circling, his hand squeezing her ass before removing.

"You're a Keeper now, and you would be just a number to me. 119-18a, to be precise. But you're special. Yes, I'll admit that. But don't think your so special that I won't kill and replace you in an instant if you don't make progress. You will be my crowning achievement. The first Keeper with human ingenuity, foresight, deductive reasoning. That is the Keeper's biggest flaw, more robot than human. They lack the abilty to process real information and act for the betterment of Eden. They're just puppets. But you will be different. The first of many." He was in front of her again, and he placed a hand on her motionless cheek.

He continued; "Just in case you don't fully understand, let me show you. Stand on one leg." He smiled as her left leg raised, and her balance was near perfect. "Jump." Again, she complied. "Kneel." The latter she did with remarkable speed, and he was sure normal bones would have protested greatly at dropping to the cold hard floor on one's knees that quickly. He couldn't help but chuckle again.

"I'm sure you are at least vaguely familiar with the process, but I'll cover it to be sure. Your skeletal structure is mostly metal now, joints replaced. Your eye, as I'm sure you've noticed, has been as well. It processes much more than just normal spectrums of light. The good doctor would be able to explain it better. Other small enhancements have been made, including a plug beind your ear for direct interfacing; pretty standard, really."

He placed his hand on the back of her neck. "But most important is this: a chip implated into your brain that over-rides normal control, recieves signals, and carries them out. In reality, I can make you do whatever I want. Hold out your hand." He placed the small device in her hand. "And this in the control. This little beauty turns it on and off, which is a new feature, and what makes you special. I will break you, and soon you won't need the chip. You will serve me willingly."

He took the device and pocketed it. Then he stared openly at her soft, exposed chest, before reaching down and brushing a nipple. He spoke softer, as his hand pulled away. "But we haven't really gotten into the chip. We've never needed these functions before, but we can control every aspect of your body. Pain, pleasure, hunger, arousal... Even your heartbeat."

With that, he hit the "killswitch", sending the signal to tell her brain her heart no longer needed to pump blood to her body. "Terrifying? I know." He turned to walk out, planning on turning the chip off and restore her heartbeat outside. The door opened and he stepped through, it slamming behind him.

Keeper. Eden keeper. She... was a Keeper?! The shock of those undeniable words made her modesty a forgotten relic, remembered only as his hand made a show to display the power he wielded over her. It was a mixed blessing, to be held rigid by the constraints of her modification. Even if she were unable to lash out against him... Her shock, her horror... her disgust would have been difficult to restrain. How she had missed the rigid motions of her body when she'd been pitted against such things for so long...

She pounded once more against the walls of her control. Even as he explained her circumstances, and her inability confirmed it.... Even knowing that she could do nothing in this state... she struggled and lost as he controlled every aspect of her body....

Even her heartbeat.

It was impossible.... Right? For her heart to stop? Her already frozen body chilled, turned to ice as she stood staring blankly across the room at the terrifyingly white walls. It was impossible. Not like this. Time stood still. Terrifyingly still. The instinctive beat that was always with her.... every second, ever moment... and now... it wasn't. It had to... There was no reason it shouldn't! Beat. Please. Give that next beat. That next second. She would've given anything for that next.... eternal.... second.

Her vision darkened and in the distance she heard the slam of the door, not recognizing the sound for what it was. As her body fell forward, that next second came. The blaze of heat rushed through her as the thrum of her heart returned with a vengeance, pounding it's rhythm to the beat of terror. She crashed into the floor, the pain of impact a welcome sensation as she realized that she was still alive. A strangled cry came forth as she curled into herself in a small corner of her room...

What else was left?

There were no tears to mourn the loss that now fully registered in her mind. The complete understanding that her life they had saved, was purchased at the price of her will.... and despair.

Time passed slowly there... the tick of time lost upon her as she wondered what sort of curse her life had and would become...
The door swung open on silent hinges as another man walked in. Despite the silence of the door, his footsteps were not similarly masked, and the heavier footfalls told her it was a male.

"Stand up, 119-18a."

Kira stilled. Refusing to move from her spot curled up on the floor to a number they had decided for her as the stranger stood over her and watched for a long moment.

"119-18a. You can choose to move, or I can command your Keeper half to do so for you."

She flinched. A reaction they were both consciously aware of as he waited for her decision. Slowly, she sat up and stood with her back to the speaker. The tension along the lines of her back spoke volumes of the anger that no doubt simmered inside. "Then why do you go through the trouble of asking me to, instead of commanding the Keeper?"

"Unclench your fists. Don't try the violent route with me. It won't work. Anyone above the rank of Lieutenant is listed on your AI as untouchable. Along with those names are the researchers that went into creating you. " The man ignored her question. Instead he stepped up behind her, a practiced motion plugged a cable in just behind her ear in a slot concealed by her hair line.

"Good. Looks like all your vitals are functioning fine. We weren't sure what fiddling with the killswitch might do to a Keeper's body. It's certainly nice to know that it was brief enough to not incur any damages."

He unplugged the cable as she turned to face him. Her stance still protecting the modesty she struggled to retain. The vision in her left eye again flashed green and registered the man in the lab coat before her. This time she caught the words - Dr. Selinger as the text flashed and vanished.

The doctor eyed her as she turned. If eyes were the window to the soul, they were surely windows into hers. There was no questioning the anger and fear that emanated from her without words. Unfazed, he settled to lean against the work table in the room before he began again.

"We have hopes that you will be able to maximize the benefits of being both Keeper and human by merging with the Keeper half. There are many... qualities of control the automated Keepers do much better than our normal human selves. The most basic are the digestion and allocation of resources within the body. If you allow the programmed system to process the food, it would allow you to eat less but still remain healthy and capable of carrying out all tasks."

"Your eye, I'm sure you've noticed already, will register all those listed within Eden's military registrar. It will identify the person within your vision, as well as any visible firearms the person might carry. Obviously green signifies members of Eden, red marks all enemies."

"So I'm fighting for Eden now." Her voice was a low growl, more a statement then it was a question. He nodded and shrugged as he turned to leave, stopping as her resentful voice sounded again. "I never asked for this. What makes you think that I will fight for Eden? After all this crap... What makes you, or any one think that I will consciously follow yours or anyone else's orders?!" Her hands had dropped to her side as coiled fists ready to test the limits of the AI's protection program.

"119-18a."

He turned, the wry smile lifting the corner of his mouth as her voice rose higher and higher. The vehemence was almost palpable. "My name is Kira. I have a name damn it. I am NOT just a number on your production line!"

He stepped in close. The proximity alarming as she took a wary step back. "I am first and foremost a scientist. To me, you are a specimen to study, nothing more. I don't particularly care if you don't follow orders... Convincing you of that is not my job. Even in the worst case scenario, the override can be left permanently on... and you'll just be another Keeper in the ranks of many you've no doubt disposed of for us."

With that he left. 119-18a would no doubt make an interesting specimen for study.

Galinger bolted upright in his rack with a start. He'd been dreaming of her, and his mind still held the image of her naked beauty like an over-exposed photograph. The details were fuzzy, but the dream left him with both a strong desire for her and an extreme trepidation all at once. He felt cold, as if it had preyed upon his fear of having everything he worked for crashing down. But yet... He looked down his nude form. Why was he so attracted to her?

A chime on a wall panel near the head of his bed made him look up. He shifted around, and his feet touched the cold floor, the bare cement unforgiving at this time of night. He took a moment to compose himself, until the chime sounded once more. His hand was on the button immediately, interrupting its loud report.

"What is it?" he growled, waiting for the voice on the other end to identify itself.

Dr.Selinger, Colonel. I finished my diagnostics of 119-18a.

Galinger waited a moment before responding. Why would he be woken up for a simple diagnostic report? Something was wrong. He kept his voice calm. "And?"

"The subject survived the killswitch demonstration intact, but I wouldn't suggest doing it as idle threats any longer. There was a small short in one of the signal inducers, most likely caused from the subjects nerves overreacting. She is quite strong-willed." Silence for a moment. "We'll be pulling her out in a moment to correct the short, shouldn't take but a five-minute procedure. Do you actually think you can break her?"

Galinger frowned slightly and paused before answering, "Anything else?"

"...No Colonel."

The transmission was ended, and he wasn't in the mood to explain to his friend the fear he'd developed recently, regarding this entire project. But he wouldn't let it consume him, he had to press onward, to force this project to work. He would break her. She wouldn't have a choice. He'd have to step up aggression , starting tomorrow, and he had a few exercises in mind that would do just that. He glanced down. To say that they would satisfy other needs was just a welcome bonus.

As he fell slowly back to sleep, planning his next day carefully, his pet project was being pulled out of her cell and given a mild operation. Selinger was quite good at finding and fixing even the most minute abnormalities. It was his job to make sure everything was perfect, and he excelled at that daily. Right now he was standing over his schematic display, pointing his technicians in the right direction. He trusted them with small tasks such as this.

119-18a's chip was active, and such a thing was convenient. It saved on sedatives and anesthetics. It may seem a bit cruel, as the trapped subject would feel the pain of the scalpel cutting slowly into her, the odd feeling of fingers rooting around near her spine, but at least she was immobilized. That's all the Doctor cared about, in the end.

As he watched the procedure, he frowned. The techs were having some fun at her expense it seemed. Their hands were roaming her body, invading certain privacies with grins and schoolboy chuckles. Grown men, reduced to childish gropings in the presence of a naked, helpless woman. Selinger waved it off. He really didn't care in the least, and the techs were smart enough not to take it too far, and risk pissing off the Colonel.

As he turned and left the room, he wondered again out loud. "Can you break her?"

Her consciousness slowly registered the vision passing before her eyes. She had been asleep when they took control of her body.... Weariness carried it's weight upon her mind as her limbs moved on their own. She didn't bother to fight. Certainly if they wanted her to move out of the room, it would be best to observe where she was being taken... not that fighting the chip gave her any leverage.

When her brain returned to functionality, she noticed the passing of the door frame from the corner of her eye. Each turn she made in the pristine hallway as her feet carried her forward, the room and it's operating lights and table, were cataloged away for the chance she'd have when she got away from her cell.

Operating lights. The implication of the room and it's furnishings did not sink in until her body was chilled by the operating table and she saw the active blip of her vital signs displayed on the monitor before her. The side of her cheek rested dully against the cold table, her eyes programmed to blink every three seconds, her heart rate at 75 bpm, and her breath an even 15 bpm.... all aspects of her programmed faculties were on display. The slow glimmering of unease crawled up her spine as she stared at the screen.

An operation? For what purpose?

"Scalpel." The clear voice alerted her to full scale panic. What happened to the anesthetic? Her mind thrashed, screamed her objection as the sharp tip of stainless steel sank into the pliant skin about her spine.

It was beyond fear.

Despite the absolute silence and stillness her body maintained, the scream of pain resonated in her head. This was not like the battlefield, no adrenaline to pound away the thoughts in her mind, no endorphins rushing to dull the pain from her body... Every nerve in her body roared to life as the slow exacting incision was made. But still there was no movement, no sign of her body registering the wound that inundated her senses with agony....

"Debakey forceps" The voice of the operator barely made it to her as her consciousness slipped away under the deluge that assaulted her body... a distant part of her mind registered the hand that glided over her derriere, firmly gripping her flesh before pushing a latex covered finger against the puckered ring of her ass.

Someone chuckled, a sound that felt just as distant as the hand that trespassed upon her body, "... so you were the one... operation to permanently remove ... body hair" the broken fragments of incoherent words that followed... were the last thing she heard. Overtaxed, her mind shut down.
It was a dream. All of this.... the failed mission, the loss of her team, becoming a keeper... the surgery. It was just a bad dream. Being stripped of her clothes, her name... A nightmare...

Her vision was hazy as her brain slowly reminded itself of how to function. The blur focused sluggishly into the sharper edges of the neatly cut ceiling tile... The edges were too sharp. No.... She bolted, sitting up on the hard work table as the cable yanked free from it's slot just behind her ear. The walls that met her gaze were too clean. No.

Shaking hands reached to cover her eyes, closing them in hopes that what she saw would go away... would melt away like the nightmare she'd hoped they would be. Again and again she looked and was confronted with the evidence of Eden. What happened....

The surgery.

Instinctively, her hand reached behind her, to brush against the scar that now marred her back. The puckered flesh where the stitches were once set, the signs of a scab that had started to heal...

"Bastards!" It was a scream that was amplified in the room as a single bound brought her to her feet in the middle of her small room, "You mother fucking cunts! Come in here and I'll fucking kill you! I'll rape you with your own god damn scalpel! I bet you're watching everything you fucking did and jacking off to it you sick fuck!" The outcry in her room accompanied her paces, the roar of a tigress in the confines of her cage.

"Fucking. Sick. Psycho. Bastards...." She turned on the door to her room, punctuating each word with the impact of her fists against that which kept her captive.

Her breath ran out as she her fists and head rested against the door. The final impact was just as loud as those before it, and slowly she slid to the floor with a sob. She curled up into herself beside the door, far enough to not be hit should it open as she shook with broken cries of anger... and fear.

"So you're finally awake."


_____________
OOC: Many thanks to all those people that gave me a good long lesson on how to use obscene words... >.<"

Flesh beneath his fingers, sweat-sheened skin quivering at his touch. A soft, yielding breast. Rhythmic movement, hips grinding sensually. Flowing hair draped across his chest, face unseen, hidden in throws of passion. So close. Nails raking across skin slowly, a passionate touch, ecstasy. Breathing, heavy, quickening, consuming them both.

So close.

Galinger awoke with a start, covered in a cold sweat. Fuck. It took him a few moments to place the intruding audible blare that had invaded his sleep. He smacked the timer alarm on the desk next to him as he lay there grumbling. Between the conversation with Selinger and that very realistic dream, he was frustrated. He looked down and lifted the sheets over his hips. Lovely. And now he was frustrated in more than one way.

He glanced at the time. He had enough time for a shower and to grab some chow, but not enough to take care of his pressing sexual needs. But there was another way... He swung quickly out of bed and moved towards the shower. He stepped in and turned the water on briefly, dousing himself before turning it off. It was common practice in a time when even reclaimed water was preciously low. One only needed water to get wet and then rinse the soap off at the end. And once he was lathered and scrubbed down, he did just that. The water was timed in the on position for eleven seconds.

A shave, a piss, and getting dressed took seventeen minutes, and then he was out the door and striding towards the chow hall. Imitation eggs, bacon, and something that was supposed to be toast and grits would have to hold him till the next meal. He was starting to get tired of vitamin sludge with artificial flavoring. It hardly tasted anywhere close to what it was supposedly emulating, but real eggs and bacon was rare, if it even existed anymore.

But there was one joy left to his mornings. As he stepped out of the chow hall, he turned left and walked around back. This early in the morning, the holographic sky showed the orange tinge of a faux sunrise. He reached into his pocket and delicately pulled out a small tin box, and from that box was produced a small roll of paper. He slid one end between his lips and lit the other with an old-fashioned match. Cigarettes these days weren't uncommon, but most were made with false tobacco. But not his stash. One hundred percent genuine tobacco filled his lungs as he inhaled and fully enjoyed the soothing sensation.

* * * * *

It was less than twenty minutes later that he was standing in front of the video monitor to his project's room. He watched as she stirred and seemed to notice a fresh scar on the back of her neck, then soon after... All hell broke lose. Galinger sneered. That was quite the impressive string of colorful language. He watched amused as she pounded against the door, probably denting it, though it was hard to tell from this angle. He depressed the intercom button and spoke slowly. "So, you're finally awake."

Galinger told the tech to take a nice long break, then turned off the recording devices from the cell. He wanted privacy for the next little while, and he was going to get it. He flipped the switch that activated her chip at the same time as he opened the sealed hatch leading into her room.

Oh, it was a beautiful sight; the naked, beautiful form on display before him, unmoved, not under the effects of modesty. "Good morning," he said cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"

He smiled and ran a finger along her jaw as the stirring in his groin began anew. "I won't waste any time today, as I'm sure you're as anxious to get started as I am. Kneel," he said firmly, watching as she complied. His hands found his zipper as he worked to free his frustrated manhood. It was in front of her motionless face now, and he wondered idly just how loudly the voice in her head was screaming against what she knew was coming next.

"Open your mouth." As soon as her lips parted, the tip of his member slid through and rested on her tongue. "Don't worry. I'll help you enjoy this a bit more. How does increased arousal with no release sound?" He teased mercilessly as he adjusted a control on the remote that would send chemicals rushing through her system, raising her arousal to unbelievable levels.

Then he began sliding himself in and out of her lips slowly.

Her head lifted warily from the floor as a familiar voice chirped from the speakers in her room. It was a wariness that dissipated instantly as her body moved without her bidding to stand at attention by the door.

If she could snarl at his greeting, she would have. But her body remained rigid. Docile and unmoving.

Unmoving until he issued his next commands. And her body dropped to the floor just as fast as her heart sank. It put her to eye level with the growing bulge at his groin, to watch as he worked to release it, fighting the zipper as if he couldn't pull his cock out fast enough..... Her mouth opened obediently like the marionette he'd made her to be, and he filled it with his meat.

If she could bite, she would have.

She didn't fight the control he held in his hand. If they were able to do a full scale operation on her with this sort of control... certainly this would not be any more useful.

What seemed just as disconcerting, more so than his words... was the soft -click- -click- -click- of the dial on the remote in his hand and the programmed dispersion of warmth that flooded through her at an exacting pace. It was paced with every solid beat of her heart, leaving it's immaculate seal of helplessness over her.

He took his time enjoying her mouth. Burying her nose into his pubes with every stroke he made... making a point to keep her there longer than she would have been able to hold as her throat clenched on his prick.... and even her gag reflex was suppressed by the mechanical obedience of her body. There was no doubt about his enjoyment. More evidence than the twitching lurch buried in her throat was the smug grin on his face as her obedient eyes dumbly watched him.

Her body held rigid as he sawed in and out of her mouth, a perfect doll for his pleasure. She could feel the humiliating trickle of her own arousal drip from her sex as the ache of want gnawed within every fiber of her being. He made a point to touch her... because he could. To just watch her body writhe and respond to the triggers of pleasure sparked by the barest of touches. It was sickening to know that her body wanted it, wanted him, even as much as she hated him..... all because he controlled it.

Gallinger used the defenseless puppet's mouth callously, every motion methodical as he invaded her throat effortlessly. His desire was fueled by the fact that she was unable to protest, unable to do anything but silently take the treatment he was forcing upon her. He glared at her with a wry smile, a fire burning in his eyes with the knowledge that her mind was probably screaming all manner of obscenities at herself and her captor. None of this was evident in her face, however, and he was secure in the knowledge that the chip was indeed fully functional.

It had been a long time since the career military man had been with a woman, given that he'd never really allowed himself the time to court anymore. Fraternizing with juniors and even other officers was frowned upon, and went against his code of conduct. There were ladies for hire, of course, but Gallinger placed little faith in their cleanliness. Not to mention the fact that stooping to that level would be a major blow to his pride as an officer and a man. Scandals were still commonplace in this day and age, and Eden had its fair share. Since he was given full control of this project and its subject's training, there was nothing anyone could say that he couldn't brush off as part of his mission if he was caught in the act.

Given the length of time since his last, he was fully aware that his actions would quickly result in a climax, but he wasn't ready to allow that to happen yet. Simply imposing oral sex on the girl wouldn't be enough to prove the point. He had to fully take her, prove that he now owned and controlled every aspect of her being. To do that, he needed everything she had to offer.

Rough fingers snaked down the front of her displayed body and captured a nipple as his words rang in her ears. Meanwhile, his hips continued their slow rhythm. "This isn't all you have to look forward to, my sub-human plaything. I'll be having the rest of you in due time, starting with what appears to be a very wet and ready pussy..." He dipped his head to the side for a better view of what was offered between her thighs, and noted a trickle of excitement working its way down the flesh. He wasn't foolish enough to attribute the reaction to anything more than the effects of the control he had dialed, but it was still a delicious sight, nonetheless.

When he felt he could risk no more of her mouth without an early release, he slowed and pulled out. He couldn't help but chuckle at the string of saliva that ran from his length to her lips, and it stretched and finally broke as he increased the distance between the two. His next order was probably expected, but he relished giving it anyways. "Bow down, and lift that perfect ass up in the air, Unit 119-18a..." No sooner had she complied than he was behind her, his girth already lined up to her ready canal. Physically ready, at least, though he seriously doubted she was mentally or emotionally ready to take him in. He couldn't really care less, and showed by easily sliding his shaft deep into her canal in one fluid motion.

Holy shit... This is heaven.

His fucking of the poor robotic girl started quickly, and he no longer cared about his stamina, only deriving his pleasure from her flesh. That certainly would not be a problem, given just how amazingly she gripped his cock.

Her body was rigid. Held stock still as his cock slid in and out of her mouth... despite the slow trickle of her own arousal. Disgust and want never did mix as strongly as it did now... now in those moments when her own breath came shallow, blocked by the thick length of his meat pulsing in the confines of her throat. She wanted to bite. To shudder. To gag. To retch.... but her body did none of that. Despite the screaming hated need, her body performed. Obediently. Dutifully. Dumbly.

He pulled free from her mouth as her lungs filled with the blessed air she needed... almost missing the relish of his words as he gave his next command..... almost.

Her heart sank. All protests went unheard as he used her. A marionette at his disposal, dancing to the tune of his commands, the strings of his control....It was riveting, the pleasure that rippled through her body. However artificial his control of her was, the want was no less potent. Neither was the return of pleasure. She could've sworn that her body was shaking with the need overwhelming her senses, her knees no longer able to support herself as she fought now against her own body.

She fought to remember that this was rape. Fought to remember that he allowed her no choice in this matter.... Fought to remember that he made her this way.... that he forced this aspect of abuse upon her... as well as the pleasure. She had almost won... almost held out to the need, the maddening spiral of sex as skin slapped skin drove her to the glass ceiling imposed by his control. Keeping her scant inches from the release she now desperately needed......

and it snapped.

The control upon her body broke like a dam cracking under the torrential pressure of water. The surprise of the return of her control completely paled to ecstasy that rolled through her........... Her legs gave way beneath her as she found herself held in place, spasming around the thick length of his prick. She arched... the perfect bow of her body as her head tossed back to voice the scream that had been so long repressed. The tears came soon after. The shame of having taken pleasure from it, enjoyed it, despite the circumstances was too much....