2011

Thank you Aidl4811

Also, he sucks his thumb in one of the scenes!

Sooo adorable 😍 

Early last year, I spent 6 months building this as a complete system, 3d printed a case, optimized the battery life to last for many days using only the battery inside the shocker itself, implemented wifi-based telemetry and a companion web app to analyze the results and change the settings remotely. I was so excited to post it all here, but I stopped short when I thought harder about how I'd do it in a responsible, anonymous, and safe way   Rather than ethical concerns like @justforfun, I instead have liability concerns with releasing the design. I'm not sure there are any real liability risks, but I also don't want to explain it all to an attorney to find out! So I have sadly shelved it. If I get back into the project to work on the next phase, I may release some parts of it for people to see how it works. I'm also considering building other safer things based on the same system so people can have a starting point for making their own without me having any part in it. I'd love to help people build these kinds of devices faster so we can collectively figure out what's effective and what isn't. All that is to say, if you want to create the polished product like in the original story, it's entirely possible. And if I open up the project and work on it again, I will post the results of some of my findings such as how to get battery draw near zero, how many milliseconds to power the sensor wire before you have a stable signal, and perhaps the special hacks used to control the shock collar with very precise timing. I'll post a new thread to go into the details when the time comes. I spent so much time implementing, I haven't gotten around to actually wearing it for a long period yet. If I do, I'll definitely be posting about that. I'm most interested in developing better training algorithms at this point. We have a good starting point here, but we could do so much more.

Hey everyone! Well, so I was right. New job plus a new almost daily commute equals less time, and there’s just no way around that. And hey, I’m definitely more secure in my life than I pretty much ever have been before, but it all adds up to less time to write stories for you all. Plus, I’m really hoping that mysterious lady a few years ago was wrong when she pulled that hermit card on me. But still, I was always kind of wondering why it seems some people on here only posted one chapter every month, and I guess now I have my answer. I’m still going to push though. Make no mistake about that but I need to be at least a little realistic and say that I will be going slower in the foreseeable future. Fortunately, I am pretty good about building up my stories rather quickly, so I have that in my favor. I think I’m also going to initiate a protocol that I will push as much as I can during the day, but then after a certain hour, cut myself off and go no further. I think some of you all have caught my little mistakes post 3 AM in the morning so that might actually become a good thing from all this. Still though, I just wanted to give you all a little update about heading forward here. Looking ahead though, I created a new poll for my next story. They are all new concepts, and I think each might ‘scratch the itch’ of this community in their own ways. I usually try to write unique stories (or at least more than here’s a character and bam! Now they’re in a diaper) and sometimes that means my stories might not be as popular or the first thing you read when you come here. No big deal, but with the way I’m thinking about these options, that type of concern of mine (founded or unfounded) might be eliminated. So, with the link to the poll after, they are as follows: The Comet They say it’s a good life and Tina can’t help but agree. Though maybe not the most outgoing, her life has been anything but truly difficult. Smart and never at the bottom of the totem pole socially, she makes her way through life with a zeal most would envy… at least until a comet passes by overhead. Waking up, she immediately sees the world has changed… or at least how she is perceived in it. The president is still the president. Up is up and the sun still sets in the west, but her? Everyone now views her as a toddler… at best. She is still her, but if anyone can truly understand her, they show no indication. Read on to see if she’s alone, if she’s going to be okay, or to her utmost fear, if she will slowly lose her mind and think that everything else was just a dream. After all, how long can one person go if everyone believes the height of your abilities ends in you being able to hold a spoon by yourself? Vault 123L The Sole Survivor came and went from Vault 81, Henry’s vault, and while most have chosen to stay… Henry isn’t most people. Henry wants to get out… to see the world. To explore and find a footing in the Commonwealth. Henry knows it’s going to be hard, and he encounters problems this way and that right from the jump… but then he stumbles on a hidden vault. Not part of the system and inhabited by a population of only one… another seeming survivor, a kindly woman who takes him in and bandages his wounds. Curiously, she never leaves but sends him out to try and get the apparently experimental vault fully back up and running. Agreeing and seeing this as his purpose, he goes out each and every time without question. Only… each time he gets back, the woman gets a little friendlier… a little more controlling. See what happens if this is just his imagination… maybe a bad Nuka Cola… or something much worse and yet somehow… softer. The Commune Set in a world after Orange Day, the orange mist affects any and all that were within its treacherous reach. Scores of adults and the elderly and even teens now find themselves in an unfamiliar world yet in the body of an all too familiar younger version of themselves. It’s tough. It’s stressful. Long commutes and noisy cities are breeding grounds of crime and stress, all of which can hurt the victims of the Orange Mist… enter the commune. Set outside of one of those very same affected cities, the commune offers an easy life and a good one away from all those problems. To Miles, it seems like the answer to all his prayers, seeing the commune as just another extended vacation… much better than any of those newly installed rehab schools. But what starts off as just a little stay away from it all soon turns into much more than he could have ever bargained for. Find out if the people… the commune… the very woods themselves are the very trap that he was hoping to avoid at all in the first place in this story. https://strawpoll.com/wAg3Qk2xOy8 Looking ahead for the next week, I’m going to try and release two more of these chapters. More would be great, but as I mentioned before, my time is just drastically more limited… aka, nearly ten and a half hours of my day are instantly sucked up and gone now. Oh well, but I’m going to try to push as much as I can without burning out. Next week though, there will be a little break. When it gets closer, I’ll let you know more about it. Now though… last but not least and as usual, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter of my story! Chapter 14: Things On My Mind, For Better or Worse Addy sat at her spot and tapped her pencil anxiously against her notebook, sort of zoning out at the presentation going on… something the speaker, professor, and head of the department unfortunately quickly picked up on. “Miss Pepperidge?” she asked, her eyes boring into her soul once Addy looked back up to see who was talking to her now. “The lesson? I assume you read the chapter on Littlecare on portal Littles specifically? Or were you in another daydream?” A few of the class chuckled at that. “Uh…” Addy had to take a moment and reground herself to remember she was currently in Little Studies 101… a requirement for any medical student at the University of Calidaforna Angelium, her mom’s proud alma mater. “Sorry, Dr. Halgen. I just…” She shuffled her notes rapidly and found what she had written down from her readings last night. “Yes, ma’am! Read the whole chapter.” “And?” the doctor pressed, her dark hair still tightly bunched up in the bun behind her head, most of her students thinking it was too tight and that explained her more prickly personality on some days more than others. “What did you think of it?” Addy hesitated in front of the class, especially being put in the spotlight like this. UCA was a more progressive university when it came to Littles… but Addy’s own personal notions of Little freedom and equality were nearly laughable still. As it was, portal Little studies were still a relatively new field. “Well… I…” Addy sighed as she watched the pensive and nearly burrowing stare of Dr. Halgen eat into her. “Well, I thought that Dr. Spiner was… maybe a little biased against Littles from Earth?” She had read his wording over and over and she just couldn’t conceive how an entire society that seemingly cracked portal travel as well and were at least advanced enough to blow half their cities to kingdom come and the decades before contact could be so like ‘regressed children.’ Immature? Yes… but children? Addy didn’t think so. “He is an expert in the field…” Dr. Halgen pushed. “Not you.” Addy fumed a bit at that and wrinkled her nose. “Well, neither is he.” She heard several of her fellow students’ gasp, a typical reaction to questioning a well-known adjunct professor like Dr. Spiner. Still, Addy doubled down. “The portals opened less than two decades ago now and what we saw was a burned-out society when we first encountered them. I mean… how would our society look just a few years after the Great War ended? Not great I would imagine…” Dr. Halgen didn’t say anything at first. There was a gleam in her eyes however… something Addy couldn’t quite place. “Very astute of you to pick up on that. An interesting observation…” Her dazed look was only for a moment though before she became her usual stern self once more and narrowed her gaze back down. “However… see me after your last class, Miss Pepperidge…” A series of ‘oohs’ and other jeers went up amongst the class, only to be quickly silenced by a refocused Dr. Halgen. After her last class was finally over, Addy sighed as she gazed at the stairs up to Dr. Halgen’s office. Most students always felt she wanted them winded and off-guard when they saw her. Addy was determined for that not to be her, so she took a second at the top before knocking. “Enter!” Dr. Halgen called out from inside. Addy winced but still pushed on her door to enter inside. There, she found herself surrounded by subtle luxury. No gold accents or gaudy chandeliers like a few of the other entrenched and lauded faculty had, but the rich colors and hand-picked furniture were nice, elegant touches that showed both class and sophistication. Looking up, Dr. Halgen spotted Addy first from behind a stack of presumably ungraded papers. “Oh, hello, Miss Pepperidge. Have a seat, will you?” Addy did so and standing up, Dr. Halgen soon followed her and then promptly sat in the opposite chair from hers. “Now… first off, very good point in class today. And for the record, you aren’t in trouble here…” “Oh?” Addy was kind of surprised to hear that. Dr. Halgen had a bit of reputation around campus by now. “Yes, definitely not. In fact…” She then eased back in her chair. “I was wondering why you’re electing biochemistry as your main major. I know about your parents, but… forgive me, but I see you much more as a carer in your future. Not sure how, and pardon me for saying this, but from what I’ve seen and heard from other professors around campus, you don’t exactly think like a scientist… at least not a Big scientist like the ones at your parents’ company… Juventas.” Addy had heard that same old tired argument before. “Yes, ma’am… Dr. Halgen. I just… I like chemistry and the workings of all that it encompasses. I just grew up with Littles… saw all sorts with my mom and her role at Psyche New Beginnings. You heard of them before?” Dr. Halgen smiled and nodded. “I have.” Addy nodded. “Well, then I guess I just see them as something more than what Dr. Spiner painted them out to be after what I read from him. Hurt and damaged and immature to a fault in some ways, sure, but not Littles, or at least several Bigs’ definition of them, outright. Maybe they just need a break…” Dr. Halgen smiled and nodded. “Couldn’t agree with you more, Miss Pepperidge. Which is why…” She then stood up and pulled over a brochure full of images of both Bigs and Littles happy together. “I wanted to offer this position to you in person. Just think about it, but… a degree in Littles studies might do you wonders. You never know what could be in store for you with this…” Addy took the brochure offered and looked at it like it was some sort of blasphemous bit of parchment. ‘What would Dad say if I switched?’ Addy was unsure, but she saw the smiling faces of the Littles and smiled herself and she felt her heart flutter and… ‘No, Addy. No.’ She set the pamphlet on her lap. “Thank you, Dr. Halgen. It’s a nice offer, but… I think chemistry is the path for me.” Dr. Halgen seemed disappointed, but she also clearly had both the maturity and mental strength not to convey it too harshly. “Very well. I can respect a set direction in one’s life. Still… if you ever want a change in your life and help others on a more personal level, my door is always open to you…” *              *              * “Oh boy… where to begin…?” Addy sat back in her nearly usual chair in Dr. Halgen’s office once more now late at night. Since that first day in her office back in UCA, it was already something she did pretty regularly before, but since Oliver… Dr. Halgen was requiring it daily to ensure that everything was ‘above board.’ Considering the past week though… she felt she was the last person who needed to worry about that. But Addy stayed calm and pushed what she had seen with some of the other nurses and Dr. Tracey out of her head and focused on the here and now. ‘Steady, Addy… steady. You did nothing wrong…’ It was true but today marked another little glitch in the program now and this was more than a simple misunderstanding. Addy’s true colors, like the kind that brought her to Dr. Halgen’s office before back in college, had brought her back all these years later. This time though, she had only been looking out for her Littles. “You just take your time, Addy,” Dr. Halgen calmly explained, the years and her recent notification of future termination seeming to smooth over some of her previously prominent rougher edges. Now, compared to people like Dr. Tracey, Dr. Halgen had started to seem more like an angel of mercy. “I think I know what happened, but I want to know what exactly in your own words.” Addy recalled the events of the past few hours… even the days leading up to it. She had thought about them over and over again in her mind. She had gotten the approvals from Dr. Halgen, her dad, and Oliver himself. According to the law, her breastfeeding of Oliver was sound. It saved his life, and already on his scans, his tumors were shrinking. She had found her miracle… but at a cost. The once nearly adult version of Oliver was fading away. Not into a babbling infant, but the whims of a Little bent in only one direction: regression of nearly everything else but his mind. It could start to slip as well, but for that moment at least, Addy noticed what she had only read about and seen from others before. Loss of coordination, slippage of potty habits, some mumbled words bordering on slurred… the post-milk coma. They weren’t terrible things individually but adding them all up made Oliver a target. One that Damien and Xander were all too happy to exploit. And that’s where things got tricky, because not according to the rules, Addy had hurried off to grab a bar of soap. She had felt the rush of power, the exhilaration that came with each bubble and the feeling she knew she would get after finally silencing the slew of insults he had hurled at everyone… including Oliver and, once she returned, Katrina. At least after she started to defend him… which is when Xander and soon Damien really poured their insults on. While Oliver was losing some of his abilities due to Addy’s milk, Katrina was succumbing earlier than some of the others to the effects of this world. Addy wasn’t sure why exactly, but every Big who was even remotely involved with Littles knew that some of the portal ones just reacted more strongly to their world and the natural effects of it on Littles. And for Katrina, that now meant diapers. Addy had tried her best and, on some level, she knew that Katrina did as well… but her emotions got the best of her. A trickle would always turn into a flood and would thus ensure another strike. She had only made it three days on the potty chart before Addy had to declare her a ‘lost cause’ at one of her nightly meetings with Dr. Halgen. Katrina was devastated but Addy’s kind words and Oliver’s steady presence helped her along. But back to today, Addy had seen Xander and Damien pick on Oliver and Katrina over their various ‘failings’ for the last time. ‘Potty pants’ was one of their most used phrases, and Addy knew they were right. Diapers for one Little and pull-ups during the day now as well for the other… the steady and experienced nurse knew that at least one of her Littles was likely wet even then. “I tried getting Cassie… but she was dealing with Robin. I still can’t believe she finally moved her hand again after so many years of being paralyzed after her stroke!” she exclaimed, still excited over the news and just what an accomplishment it was. After Oliver, she had a firm appreciation for any Little who endured this process and this world in return for a little movement back of their body after so long. “Yes,” Dr. Halgen agreed. “We were most pleased when we discovered that. She wasn’t even thinking, and before anyone knew it, she was picking up a crayon… like she had been doing it for years. Miracles as always here…” She smiled and then shook her head. “But Addy… you soaped the mouth of one and the other…” She sighed. “Well… I’m pretty sure you would have spanked the living daylights out of the other if Erin hadn’t stopped you mid-restraint.” “I know…” Addy said glumly, knowing she had in fact crossed a line. “They just… they were calling my Littles all sorts of terrible names! Potty pants, Miss Smells-a-lot, tata lover… even shit britches! I mean, they have the imagination of the regressed Littles they’re turning into but… there’s got to be a stopping point!” Dr. Halgen nodded but still looked down about the whole mess. “And I agree with you there… but you need to let another nurse take care of it, nonetheless. This place is already under the microscope enough. We don’t need this incident to make anyone look harder. Just… next time, and I sadly think there will be, just escort Katrina and Oliver out of the room and mark it in your report. I get enough complaints about them, our charter allows me to intervene directly.” Addy sighed. She didn’t like it, but she also knew she needed to accept Dr. Halgen’s decision. “Very well…” Dr. Halgen smiled at her nurse’s and friend’s compliance. “Thank you, Addy. I know it’s hard, but you’ll get through this with the both of them one way or another.” She then checked her watch closely. “But… naptime is up. Why don’t you go check on both of them? Maybe give them a good hug each? I know they’d like that from you.” Addy just nodded her head and marched out of Dr. Halgen’s office, trudging up the stairs to go to wake up Katrina and Oliver after their naps. And it was curious, as much as Addy wanted to hug both to bits, she knew that even now, only Katrina would truly accept a random hug from her. Oliver was at least at the stage where if he felt sad or scared, she could get a hug, but she still found the distance strange. After all, he was drinking from her breasts these days. ‘How much more pushing does he need to just give in on that front?’ Addy shook her head and merely pushed into Oliver’s room, making sure to check his potty chart that she had hung up a few days ago. Breastmilk was saving his life, but his control was slipping… and by the looks of things, fast. She knew it was inevitable and the first accident he had without a pull-up was quite an adventure to get him to calm down again… but she persevered and got him into pull-ups full-time now. They kept his pants dry… but his designs were still fading everyday no matter what she tried. She could have given up, but she wanted to give him a little hope for the moment. She felt he deserved that much at least… “Come on, sleepyhead…” she said, gently rubbing Oliver awake from his deep slumber. She had fed him just before he went down and he was out like a light from his milk coma… as always it seemed. “Huh? Addy?” A string of drool clung to his lower lip, and his hair was a mess. Addy smiled and rustled his hair mostly back into place. “Come on, messy head. You’ve been asleep for long enough. Can’t let you sleep too long or else I’ll never get you down tonight.” Oliver whined a little at that, but as had become only natural instinct to him now, he merely complied with her request and allowed Addy to pull him up and out of bed. He might not normally let her do all that, like put on his shoes or brush out his hair, but his post-nap state was more than enough to let him let go of the reins of his life just ever so slightly. But first… before all that at least today, she needed to check him. Not even announcing it anymore, Addy quickly stuck her fingers inside his pants and felt the front of his pull-up. If Oliver minded anymore, he certainly was too tired to say anything about it. “Hmmm…” Addy patted and tugged ever so slightly on the front, quickly feeling the only mildly warm padding there. “Just one sec, hun…” Without a word more, she pulled his pants down. Looking up briefly, she could see a flash of embarrassment cross Oliver’s face… but it was gone in a second. Wetting the bed had been something that happened to him even before he started nursing from her. It was this place and it was inevitable. Now though, he was barreling down that same road at twice the speed. His glance looking down to see the faded boats and airplanes was only one of a resigned sigh to the fact that, yes, he was wet once again… his second time today. “Okay then… let’s get you out of this one.” Addy made sure to keep her voice slightly upbeat, but not too childish or condescending or mocking in any way whatsoever. She knew his ego was fragile enough as it was. Her practiced hands were fast though, and she also made sure that as soon as she yanked his pull-up off, she was quick to wipe him over and thoroughly. Oliver fidgeted once or twice, but again, their bond of trust had been growing recently. At this point, Oliver was likely almost certain that Addy wasn’t out to get him… just help him through this sadly increasing reality of his. And all that was helped by Addy swiftly tugging up a fresh pull-up soon after. No comments. No laughter. Just care. Redressing him and now tying his shoes and brushing his hair, she sent him downstairs and went to get up Katrina. For her, things had changed even more. Now consigned to diapers, her room had to change right along with her. Of course, being the Big she was, Addy made sure to ask her first, but she was also good with her words. A little bribery here and an ounce of persuasion there and before Katrina could blink, she had a changing table in her room now. For her, she now seemed to be experiencing a resigned apathy towards the whole process. Addy couldn’t blame her one bit though. After all, it’s a bitter pill to swallow when your potty chart is not only removed, but now your room contains a literal centerpiece of your new status, stocked fully with everything one would need to take care of a baby. Around here, it was a definite step down and nothing made it worse when Addy found her wet… again. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you changed.” Katrina only nodded sadly and allowed herself to be plopped up on the changing table, all ready for a fresh diaper. Unlike Oliver where the process was swift and barely a blink, Addy had to be more thorough with Katrina. For her, the possibility of a messy diaper lingered heavily and now, there was no possibility of her using the potty again… which meant that her diaper area needed to be spotless and ready for another stint in a ‘rainstorm’ or ‘mudslide.’ Still, Addy managed to do her work and patting the front her diaper, wanting to add a little levity to the somber Little, she leaned in and started to tickle her. Little finger movements played up and down her exposed belly and thighs. The poor Little shrieked with laughter, giving in a tiny amount to Addy’s attempts to get her to smile. Finally, after “Stop! Stop! Stop I’m going to pee!” did Addy stop completely and help Katrina back into her play clothes for the rest of the day. And much to her relief, back downstairs in the living room, Addy’s new vigilance over her two Littles paid off tremendously and both Xander and Damien stayed far away from them. They were regressing at a snail’s pace for some reason, but still, they knew that if something happened, Addy would be quick to not only remove her Littles from the scene but report both Damien and Xander as well. Despite Dr. Tracey’s leniency with them and her new ‘suggested’ rules, the two Littles were on thin ice. A few more reports and they could be in violation of their signed contracts. And here, in this dimension and with Psyche, that only meant one thing. But Addy had to put that out of her mind and just focus on her two Littles… both trying to enjoy life, both now desperately looking around the room and feeling self-conscious about what they were wearing underneath their clothes. Addy could see it… the looks both gave. It was like they thought a sonic bomb went off every time they moved from the crinkling of their diapers. Or, when they bent over or crouched down, they quickly pulled their clothing over their butts or tried to hide their crotches, like anyone was paying attention to the only slight bulk there. They just simply couldn’t have fun… at least not at first. In this place for long enough, Addy finally let out a relieved sigh as she saw both begin to relax. It took longer for Katrina, and Addy quickly wondered if she was already wet and self-conscious of that, but the Little eventually busied herself with a block tower that Oliver had already started. Without Damien and Xander around now, they likely knew they had a good chance of keeping it up today for more than two seconds without being knocked down. ‘Soon…’ Addy could sense her Littles. They were hesitating… but they were playing with blocks. A month ago, both would have stuck their nose up at even the prospect of something like it. Even today, she could spot one of the newer Littles looking at them both with disdain. They probably smelled the baby wipes she had used and the baby powder on Katrina… but mostly, Addy suspected the new Little was looking at them because Oliver and Katrina were playing blocks and she was still fussing around with an electronics game. ‘Just push a little more and both will accept a stuffy into their lives without question. Then, it’s just a matter of time before the rest follows…’ Addy smiled happily to herself over the notion of both her Littles giving into stuff like that. It was regression, but purely regression to help them both out. They were comfort items to Addy… not status symbols of babies. Katrina and Oliver needed comfort, and Addy could only wait with excitement when the day came that they would take that next step. Things were looking up… or at least they were with her Littles. Just as Addy smiled over amusedly picturing Oliver and Katrina soon playing pretend with their very own stuffy’s, the main proverbial rain and thunder cloud walked into the room. “Okay, Littles! Time for TV!” Dr. Tracey announced excitedly, clapping her hands and trying to usher everyone into the other room. “I promise… you’ll really like today’s episode. It’s good for you!” A lie if there ever was one… And Addy knew that and so she stood up and stopped Katrina and Oliver cold before they could even move more than two steps. Now with the protection of their nurse, both hung behind her and Addy was sure if she offered, both would cling to her for support from the Big now in front of all three of them. By now, Dr. Tracey was twice the threat that Dr. Halgen ever had been. Dr. Halgen gave some Littles a talk and maybe a pill or two to calm them down. Small and really nothing too permanent. Dr. Tracey though… Addy still wasn’t sure what she was doing in her room, but each time a Little went in, they came out a little different. Small at first, but after a few rounds, something as simple as the word ‘basketball’ would somehow have suddenly slipped from the Little’s mind. They knew the game and could play it, but the word itself would just be gone. Fortunately, though, Dr. Halgen was still in charge… at least for now, and being a friend of Dr. Halgen’s, when the valiant nurse stood her ground, Dr. Tracey could only huff and blow them off. It was a moment of victory, but for Addy, it was also tinged with the notion that once again, this place was changing. Once so sure of her future, especially seeing the joy in both Oliver’s and Katrina’s faces as they went back to simply building their tower and starting to add little stories around it, Addy just wasn’t sure anymore. She wanted to help Littles still. That passion was still there, but now, she felt devoid of the pull to stay here forever. Once Dr. Halgen was gone, there was no telling how bad this place would get. ‘Should I stay and be the final anchor in keeping this place Little friendly? Or should I leave and try not to get swallowed by the oncoming wave that’s sure to drown me?’ The thought kept her up most nights… But time still moved on and Addy was as vigilant as ever for the steps that needed to be done as her duty as a nurse. Check Katrina’s diaper? Still too early for the stage she was at… there would be signs from her. No one sick or dirty… check that. She then looked at her watch. ‘Ah! Almost dinner time!’ Addy bolted up out of her chair where she had only been half-reading a magazine, but just as she got to the door, she turned back. Leaving now could be a problem for Katrina and Oliver if Damien and Xander came back… but Addy knew she just had to trust that her threat in the room would be enough to last a little bit until she could get back. So, consigned to her duty, Addy ran off to the kitchen where Federica was hard at work, cooking the various meals for the three age groups for tonight. Three sets of requirements and needs based on their Little age and then add on all the picky eaters and nutritional needs… it was a lot of work. And Addy, being the good helper that she was, more than volunteered to carry the load. Thirty minutes later, it was time to eat. Only four Littles needed assistance, so there were enough nurses to allow the others to eat at the same time with some supervision. Addy knew that the time was coming for a few of the Littles to regress a little more and require a bib and a highchair and even to be spoon-fed… but still not tonight. Just as Addy rounded the corner though, her honed ears of a Big picked up on something she never liked to hear… especially in these halls. Morbidly curious perhaps, Addy pressed herself against the wall and listened in. “Soon, Penny,” Dr. Tracey hissed quietly. “Soon. The Littles won’t know what hit them. Any resistance will be gone and in less than a few months I’ll be the head of this place.” “Yes,” Penny agreed and Addy could just picture her nearly beaming as the gazed at her mentor in this place now. “Soon. I just… can’t we speed things along? I’m just dying to push my Littles more.” “No!” Dr. Tracey suddenly seemed annoyed that the question would even be asked in the first place. “You should know by now that these things need to go slow. There’s still too much support on the board for us to move quickly… especially in the facility that started it all.” She sighed heavily. “Damn it, do I miss the state of Flosus sometimes. Barely any protections against Littles down there…” “I can only imagine…” There was a disgusting amount of longing clinging to her voice that Addy immediately recognized. “Would make things so much easier around here…” Addy couldn’t bear to listen to them anymore after that. It was simply too painful to hear chatter like that in the very halls that her mom had literally designed and built herself. To her, it was almost like those two were crapping all over her mom’s final monument. And worse… those two seemed to have a plan that lasted long into the future… likely breaking every Little they came across. Psyche New Beginnings was just that… a new start in life. First, the doctors and nurses at the facility would heal or fix something a Little wanted or even needed done. Then, the Bigs would cherish and love them with all their hearts… a worthy trade. But most importantly, if they wanted to leave after five years, no one would stop them. They were simply showed a different life, and if they loved it, it was all the better. What Penny and Dr. Tracey were scheming seemed to do away with any notion of choice in that equation. So, Addy began to plot against them. As the next head of Psyche, just in case, Addy felt that Dr. Tracey was untouchable… or at least it would be unwise to go after her. Possible, but if Addy stayed here, pissing off or blackmailing or stopping her next boss, even with her brother and dad on the board, seemed like a bad idea. Which just left Penny. Reserved more than she had been when she first came, like she was keeping a dark secret deep down now, her actions were no less calculated and exacting with anyone under her… namely her Littles. Reaching the end of their last month here, they were expected to be calm and well on their way to being regressed, so when one could barely walk… it was technically above board. But Addy didn’t trust Penny anymore. So, as soon as Penny walked away from them one day, Addy went in to check the extent of their abilities herself, and like she predicted… poor. If they ever did return to Earth, she doubted they would ever be able to live on their own again. Addy wanted to puke right there, but she held it in, gave the admittedly adorable Little in front of her the pacifier she wanted back, and then calmly walked on to cry in her room. Still, through her despair came a revelation. Thanks to the Little’s Safety Laws, Addy had more give now to file something against her… or better yet, find blackmail on her. It was dirty and Addy didn’t like blackening her own name… but each time she saw one of her Littles fail at something so simple, her conviction was renewed. But where to look for the evidence? Addy pondered the notion over the next two days. Change Katrina’s diaper? Think about how Penny did it? Add another raincloud to Oliver’s potty chart and wipe away a tear of his? Think about the extent that Penny was hurting her own Littles? Nurse Oliver right before bed? Think about what type of person would do something to her Littles like that and how she was doing it. Like many breaks in life though, sometimes luck or fate just has a way of intervening, and for Addy, it was just as she was taking her morning coffee out on the front porch. A nicer late February morning than usual, she just happened to be staring out as some of the birds flew away from the water just beyond the cliff of the Psyche facility… the same place where Patrick had been taken… the same place where Penny had betrayed them all for the first time. Whatever it was though, Penny saw a strange, hooded figure shuffling through the trees. Sure, it could have been the groundskeeper Dalton, but this person was too skinny… to dirty and roughed up. His eyes shifted around and he pulled his hood closer to hide his face. Now, Addy wasn’t any nun in her early years of UCA, so when she saw him, not wanting to judge other people… but she recognized a drug dealer when she saw one… especially one that didn’t want to be noticed. More than a little curious, especially as to how he got on property with their increased security, Addy decided to follow than confront and detain him… for now at least. So, winding along the path down to the lake, Addy pressed her body up against a nearby tree, near to where the mysterious man had stopped. And before she could even form a thought in her head, sure enough, Penny appeared. Now, with the wind and the lapping of the water on the shore, Addy couldn’t hear either of them except for a few scattered words here and there… not enough to make a conviction. What she saw though was Addy handing him a bag of something, and him handing her a bag of something completely else in return. One handshake later, and both left each other. ‘Shit. Two people… two bags. Do I go after the dealer… or Penny?’ Addy considered Penny, but after a moment, shook her head and waited for her to pass to catch up with the dealer. She was giving him something. If it was money, that was one crime. If it was Psyche property… this could get a whole lot juicier. The dealer, too distracted by his bargain, stopped just before the edge of the property. Hidden in the trees, Addy saw a single exploit in the fence. Small and with the rocks around it, nearly impossible for a Little or a well-armed guard… but not a gaunt man with a heated purpose to not stick around. Taking her chance, Addy nearly lunged at him. “You!” She quickly clocked him on the cheek, spinning him a little as frail as he was. Proud of her punch, she didn’t hesitate and went after him again with her knee and then used her arm to quickly pin his neck against a nearby tree. “What are you doing here? What did she give you?” Addy let her arm slack just a little to give the rasping man a chance to speak. “Easy! Easy, lady!” His hands trembled as they lowered into his hoodie’s pocket… producing only a single baggy. “H… here!” As Addy looked closely at the bag though, she immediately recognized the pills inside: Juventas brand, and worse, the half-dose regression drugs the board had approved earlier this year. “Why?” Addy had to catch her breath. Selling Juventas drugs was bad in so many ways. “Why did she give you these? What did you give her?” Addy was nearly numb with all the possibilities. “F… FOY!” he practically shouted. Just a single word, but it shook Addy solidly and she stumbled backward. Nearly 20 years old, it had been the brainchild of a Tanassum farmer and a scientist looking to make it big. Practically overnight, the farmer and the man’s company were sensations all over Libertalia. The drug in high doses was non-lethal but could regress a Little, even the most stubborn, in less than three days. Of course, every Big had to have it… just some couldn’t afford it. Enter the street variety. Less stable but more powerful usually, if Penny was using it… she could easily go to jail for ten years at this point. “G… get out of here…” she told the dealer. “And if I ever catch you here again… you better hope that it’s not just propaganda that FOY doesn’t affect Bigs…” With that, terrified, the man fled and Addy contemplated her next move. Now, she had the time and place and the evidence against Penny. Addy just had to wait for the next morning. So, once again, bright and early, Addy took off for the lake, a few key possessions on her just in case Penny was more of a fighter than she believed she was. For the first time in a while, Addy was truly nervous. Yes, with Oliver and nursing him, it was a risk and it would have devastated her if he had said no, but she was more anxious than nervous. Now, though, as she took her spot and waited for Penny, she knew that what could happen next could be disastrous for her and for the rest of Psyche as well. Fail and Addy would have exposed a secret, not gotten the blackmail she wanted, and most likely Penny would have either hurt her, trumped up the charges on her and pressed for assault if it came to that, and if she was really being pessimistic, Dr. Tracey could use it as a pretense to label her family as dangerous and oust her dad and brother from the board, thus completing her rise to power within the company. Within five years, Dr. Tracey could be on the board herself. Addy shuddered at the thought… But her mind was taken away back to the present when she heard a twig snap. It could have just been a deer or a squirrel running around as Spring struggled to come back to Crescentia, but as Addy peered through the woods, she could see just the faintest image of Penny emerging. She sighed and took a deep breath. ‘Okay, girl. This is it… No turning back now. You know her secret. You have the drugs she sold to the dealer, and you even captured his face on the security camera’s you installed personally after Patrick’s and Cara’s abduction last year from the grounds.’ Penny walked a little farther to the clearing next to the lake. Addy watched her closely, trying to scope her out before she confronted her. Penny might have been naïve for doing this on Psyche property and maybe a little too foolhardy to place so much trust in Dr. Tracey at this point… a true lacky, but Addy knew her. She knew that Penny had gotten top marks in college, participated in fight classes to blow off steam in her free time, and now likely carried something on her… at least based on how she was walking with a slight bump in her step. It might have been the drugs clutched tight to her chest… or it might have been a gun. Finally, after seeing that Penny wasn’t being followed by anyone else and they were truly alone, Penny gripped her own protection and strode out of the woods. The two women locked eyes. Panic encapsulated all Penny’s face. Her pale skin somehow turned whiter, and she bit her lower lip as her knees quaked for a moment. “O… oh! Addy! Y… you like coming to this l… lake too in the morning?” Addy was amused at her attempts to backpedal. If she had been a fool, or if she hadn’t seen all that she had, she might have even believed her. The morning chill could account for her speech, and with the weather likely getting warmer soon, she knew that the lake was a great place to unwind before one’s day began. But that wasn’t the case. Addy narrowed her glance and stepped forward. “Save it, Penny. I know,” she tried to say as cold as possible. Penny seemed to tremble at the notion. “W… what do y… you mean, Addy? I… I… I come here all the time, and I was just…” “Stop,” Addy abruptly halted her. “Just stop it with your lies.” She took a deep breath and reached into her pocket with her other hand not holding her own protection… just in case. “I saw you yesterday… I know what you’ve done.” Before Penny could even object, Addy pulled out the bag from her pocket and tossed it on the ground in front of her fellow nurse. Penny could only blink at it a few times before looking back up at Addy, like a deer caught in the headlights… except the deer had something seemingly in their favor as well. Addy stepped forward and glared at her former friend, her fingertips lightly touching the handle of her protection still guarded in her pocket. “Yeah… oh.” She could feel her heart pound, and she wanted answers and she wanted to know about Dr. Tracey and their plan together. It might have been a long shot of this truly working all the way to the end like she wanted it to, and Addy knew that, but no matter what, she knew she wasn’t going to leave her without at least a few answers first.