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Hey everyone! Well… I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a skewed poll in my life. Love the votes on there but wow. This might just be the first true blowout I’ve seen since I started using poll for what I should write next. Still… there’s more time left and as a reminder, next story choices and the link can be found back in the beginning of Chapter 14 for those who haven’t voted already. Results, as usual, will be posted at the start of the final chapter. Looking ahead, I have a little trip up north the state of 1000 lakes. If you know, you know, and I hope to see some of you there, but… it means this story is going to get delayed until next week at some point no matter what. I’m hoping to get another chapter out before I leave, but… with a new job and everything I have left to do… I’m just not sure if that’s going to be possible or not. I hope it will be, but I also need to be more realistic these days and give you all fair warnings at least. Still, I don’t want to leave you all hanging so no matter what, there will be another post on Tuesday… chapter 15 in full or just a short update.   Now… last but not least and as usual, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter of my story! Chapter 15: Stunned and Worried About the Days to Come Addy faced down her opponent. She didn’t want to think of Penny as someone like that, but the evidence had been mounting for months now. The mystery of the break-in to their high-security facility had remained just that, at least officially, and Juventas went on their merry way. Now, putting everything together, Addy was beginning to see a larger picture here. She knew she was getting ahead of herself, and she tried to calm her mind of just that… but it was starting to become harder not to put the pieces together with each new layer that she had uncovered. She could just see a chain forming now… Penny worked with the kidnappers to allow them inside to capture Patrick and Cara. Penny also worked with Dr. Tracey, who was most definitely working for the board. Addy didn’t have the evidence yet, but she wouldn’t be surprised in the least if she was receiving her order directly from them now, instead of her previous notion that Dr. Tracey was simply one of those Bigs. Harmful to the Littles, but Juventas could cover down and fire her. But not even thinking on that level… yet; Addy could see the growing link between Juventas and Penny. So, it all left one question now: was the board somehow behind it all… even going so far to possible allowing Cara and Patrick to be kidnapped? But Addy took a breath and refocused on the Penny in front of her in the here and now. Speculation could come later. At this very moment, Addy already had enough to confront her and escalate things. She didn’t want to, but she could already see Penny reaching into her thick and puffy teal blue jacket. “Don’t,” Addy warned quickly. “You don’t want to do whatever you’re thinking…” She wanted answers… not a conflict. Penny’s lips curled into almost a snarl. “Well, you obviously have a theory here. Where’d you get those? How do I know you’ve not been dosing up your Littles? Is that why both your Littles are having potty problems now?” Addy didn’t like the insinuation in the least bit. “You know damn well why my Littles are having problems. Katrina is susceptible to our world and the hypnotics and drugs more than the others… as has been documented in multiple scientific journals. And Oliver?” She didn’t know why but saying it out loud still felt very personal. “Well… you know the ‘why’ about Oliver. Dr. Halgen informed everyone last week about it.” “Yes…” There was definitely some spite in Addy’s words, like maybe somehow that she thought that she was getting a raw deal. “The princess of Psyche is getting away with yet another rule violation.” The good nurse nearly growled at that one. “Don’t turn this back on me!” Addy never asked for special treatment. She knew she had crossed the line a few times by now and she should have been docked pay or put on temporary leave… but that never happened. She was always willing, but Dr. Halgen or her dad always slipped in a favor or two and it had more to do with her value, like they had done for others before, than her connection to them. Still, even if Penny was completely right and she received some special treatment, it was nothing compared to what she was doing. “You’ve been dosing your Littles with FOY! I checked them, damn it!” Penny went white. “You did… what?” “I checked them,” Addy said confidently. “Paragraph two of subsection three of header one of our charter… if a nurse notices a problem, they have the right to intervene and perform non-invasive tests or view the records of past tests.” She stepped forward to emphasize her point. “And I did that.” “Oh…” The previous bluster went out of Penny in a second. Denying it was one thing, but the evidence was mounting all around her and everyone knew that with Addy’s current connections, it wasn’t just something that could be swept under the rug. “Well then…” As fast as her venom had vanished, a flash of anger erupted over her face… and she lunged for Addy. Addy had anticipated something like this though. As her dad always said… hope for the best but prepare for the worst. With some distance between them, about three steps before Penny crashed into Addy, the good nurse whipped out one of the forms of protection that she had brought and fired it point blank and center mass at her former friend. Penny collapsed in a second. Addy could only blink for a few seconds at the implement she had brought. “Holy crap…” After the kidnapping of Patrick and Cara last year, she had tried several methods to prevent something like that from ever happening again. One method had been the extra security cameras… another had been to purchase the latest in stun gun technology. Firing a blast of electrical discharge and a specific vibration, it triggered a non-lethal collapse in whomever was standing in front of it. The effectiveness of the ‘weapon’ now lay crumpled up and out cold at Addy’s feet. Useless and oblivious to the world now but very much alive. Addy sighed. ‘Damn you, Penny. I really didn’t want to do that, but now…’ She swished her mouth around and lightly nudged Penny’s body with her foot contemplating her next move… and just to make sure the stun had actually been effective. Not a single bit of movement except the slow breathing from her chest. Knowing what she had to do… just in case, she stared back at Penny for a moment. “Well… no time like the present to get a workout.” Addy smacked off her hands and took a deep breath before bending over and taking a good grip on Penny’s shoulders. With one heave, she pulled her away. Addy had been coming to the Psyche facility and its grounds since she was still in elementary school when her mom had acquired it all. Purchased from a wealthy shipping couple, the grounds were both extensive, private, and contained several amenities. The couple, wanting to be closer to their business, eventually only used the estate for trips in the summer. Lonely though and unable to bear children like so many others in this society since the Great War, they went into the market for a Little. Turns out, Psyche had just the perfect Little for them. Having met her once, Addy had seen that she was an absolute cutie, giving into the process easily and not even flinching once when her hair was curled into small blonde ringlets. Satisfied, when the wealthy couple handed over their estate to Addy’s mom at a substantially reduced rate, however, the community was shocked but pleased. Over the years, some of the estate had been sold off to the local town, like the woods that now held the playground that the Littles frequented, but there were several places that Psyche had its eye on to renovate and open one day… namely the stables. As Addy dragged Penny into one of the still empty stalls, there was no smell of horses. No equipment and even security was lacking severely. Hoping to open it in the next year, the Little’s Safety Law had caused some lack of funding from some of the more conservative backing Bigs. As a result, the place was kept in good condition yet was still mostly abandoned. Perfect for Addy’s purposes. Nudging her awake, Addy made sure to still point her stun gun directly at Penny. “Wake up, Penny. We need to talk.” She remained focused, her eyes glaring back at her former friend… the nurse who had seeming betrayed every oath she had ever taken. “Wh… what h… happened?” She clutched her head, having slightly bumped it when she fell to the ground after being hit by the stun gun. Looking around confused, her eyes finally landed on said weapon and bulged out. “You hit me with a stun gun?” Addy nodded. “Yes. Non-lethal and you were charging at me. My options were limited, but I think it worked just how it was supposed to.” She tapped on the barrel. “I don’t want to but… I’m not afraid to use it again.” Penny nodded and eased herself back up and against the wall. “So… I guess this is the point where I spill my guts to you?” “That would be a nice start.” Addy knew they were just bantering but despite her inclination to get answers… she didn’t want to be the bad guy to do it. “I don’t care what you do,” Penny huffed definitely. “I don’t know anything and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.” Addy glared at her former friend. “You don’t get to make that call. Not after this.” Her words seethed as she held up the bag of FOY that she had also gotten off the dealer to ensure she had that evidence on her possession as well. “You peddle this shit to your defenseless Littles… but do you even know what it does? Truly, I mean?” “I’ve seen the PSA’s…” Penny was seemingly desperately trying to remain calm, appearing to lean on her sarcasm and arrogance as a defense. It just made Addy’s blood boil and she crouched down, her heart beating fast with hate. “Knock that shit off.” She held her finger up to her. “I’ve seen this stuff in action. It’s no laughing matter. Keep mocking it and we’ll be having a very different conversation.” She put her finger down and she wanted to give the nurse a test of sorts… see if she really was the evil being that Addy was feeling she was. “Back in college after I switched my major, I eventually had to take an internship. Was in Calidaforna so I thought all good… right?” Addy took a moment to collect herself, the memories still horrid from where she ended up. “Wrong. Went to a Little’s orphanage… get my feet wet in the thick of it. Dr. Halgen’s idea actually, but what I saw there… broken Littles everywhere. Acted as a halfway house of sorts for Littles that had escaped their old homes or worse.” Penny only looked back at Addy with worried eyes. Every Big not with their head in the sand knew about the various types of halfway houses for Littles. 90% of the time, they were traps set up to make Littles regress further. And for the 10%, most of them housed Littles that could barely remember their own names anymore or were so broken in body and spirit that they never seemed like they would smile again. “Had this one Little… smart as ever. Won some prize back on Earth for their contribution to economics or mathematics… something like that.” Addy sighed. “Anyways… they came to us after a few rounds of hypnosis. Not permanent but impactful to his movement. Their mind was still as sharp as ever though. But, after a few days, they wanted to get strawberry’s… ‘Big as my fist’ he would say…” Penny winced. “And what happened?” “I tried to keep him at the home.” Addy swallowed her emotion. “But he was captured… managed to see him again, but only after Little Protection Service picked him up in a raid. Had been dosed with FOY… barely could say his name after. Couldn’t even count on his fingers anymore…” It would be nice if that story was an isolated incident across Libertalia. It wasn’t. Penny blinked once or twice back at Addy and Addy could swear that she saw a flash, even if just for a moment, of regret over her actions. “Look… I’m sorry about that. FOY is shit and I wish I could get the real stuff, but…” Penny looked off distantly for a moment. “I had a debt I needed to pay off. I did it to survive and ensure that I would be on Dr. Tracey’s side when the time came…” Addy furrowed her brow hearing those words. She was hearing them a lot more now or at least the implication of them. Her dad, board members, Dr. Halgen… There was mounting evidence that something was going to change, and worse, likely soon. Morbidly curious, Addy pressed further. “The time came… when what?” She shrugged her shoulders. “What do you mean by that?” Penny shook her head. “No, no. Not telling you that.” She paused. “Only just… there’s a war coming. Been coming for a while and… I just want to be on the right side of it… the winning side.” Addy cracked her knuckles and felt the hot acid bubbling inside her stomach from her nerves playing havoc with her again. She was coming to the same conclusion… just a different reaction to the notion. For her, compliance with the evils of the company wasn’t an option. She wanted to fight… she needed to fight. And the first step for that on her end now… figuring out what was happening with Penny. Addy readjusted her glare once more back at Penny. “Fine. Keep that secret, but… I want to know about Dr. Tracey. You two obviously have a plan in place, so tell me now.” She looked at her stun gun, still clutched tightly in her fingers but then decided against the harder method for now and so she softened her expression back at Penny. “And look… I want to be a good person here and I don’t want to hurt you. So, please, Penny… let’s help each other out here.” At that, Penny only smiled at first. Devious though… clearly not taking Addy’s threat seriously. “Yeah… I hear the words that you want something from me… but I don’t see it in you to do what it’s going to take here. I know you, Addy. This just isn’t in you.” Addy knew she was at least partially right, but the part of Penny that was wrong propelled Addy forward still with vengeance. “Just because I don’t want to hurt you…” She clicked up the settings of the stun gun and pressed it deep into Penny’s thigh, causing her to wince for a moment before staring back at her coldly. “Doesn’t mean that I won’t…” Penny stared back at Addy for a moment. Her head seemed to be spinning with thoughts of her options and seeing just what to do… like if Addy’s threat was even real or not. Finally, though, she seemed to relax. “Okay, okay. Fine. Just… let me out of this stall and we can talk… face-to-face.” Addy sighed but nodded and stood up. “Okay.” She turned her back and started to exit the stall before turning back to Penny. “Come on. Let’s talk an…” “Ahhh!” Penny barreled right at Addy once more, her fists clenched and seemingly ready to strike hard. Being so close this time, Addy couldn’t get her stun gun up in time… but knowing it’s power, her hands still went for it. It gave Penny the perfect moment to punch her right in the jaw and lower lip. Small hands and not extremely powerful. “Oof!” But unexpected, it rocketed and spun Addy around and out of the stall. Fortunately, being spun didn’t do much to Addy after. She was an adamant self-defense practitioner… especially after becoming friends with a few of the local police and after Patrick and Cara’s kidnapping. Use to getting hit and getting back up quickly, she shook off the punch and saw that Penny was trying to escape rather than hitting her back again. So, with her efforts focused on the front door to the stables, Addy took her chance and grabbed the fleeing nurse’s waist. Taking a good grip, she yanked her back and with a little momentum, threw her back into the stall. “Ugh!” This time, Penny hit the wall and fell to the floor… which gave Addy just enough time to rearm her stun gun and stagger over to her attacker. “Damn it, Penny!” She rubbed a little blood off her lip where it had been split by Penny’s punch. “I should zap you just for that!” Addy shook her head though. Violence was effective at getting people to talk… just not always the most reliable. Instead, while keeping her stun gun aimed with one hand, she pulled out her phone with the other. “If you want to play dirty, I can play that game too…” Penny winced as she pulled herself off the dusty floor, still barren of the straw once destined for the housing. “You stupid bitch… you don’t even know you’ve already lost, do you?” She strained to sit upright. “Even with everything in your favor… you’re still going to lose like the spoiled and doomed princess that you are.” “Will you stop saying that?” Addy could take it, having dealt with it most of her life, but she just didn’t like the words coming from Penny’s mouth. “I bend the rules and get some special treatment to save a life or to help one out. You do what you do for power or money… and you end up hurting the very people we’re meant to help.” She cracked her knuckle as she searched through her contacts on her phone before glaring back. “I mean, for shit’s sake, Penny! You’re a nurse! Where is do no harm?” Penny grinned wickedly. “We all do harm, Addy. That’s the joke of Psyche. We hurt the people we come to save.” Addy sighed and found the contact she was looking for. “Maybe… but everything I do is to save a life or to keep it going… maybe even in a better direction. And if they don’t agree? They. Have. The. Chance. To. Reverse. It.” She paused and glared back at her confusedly. “Why can’t you get that?” For once, Penny twitched on that notion, likely feeling the consequences of the permanence of FOY with her own Littles… until she smirked with deceit. “Except Oliver…” Addy sighed and knew she had to concede there. “Yes, but… only to save his life. Last week, the board even agreed with me. It’s why I’m still here and not packing my bags…” She looked down at her phone before holding it up to Penny. “Or in jail…” Penny strained her vision to look at the phone. “Who… who are you calling?” Addy, feeling the balance of power swinging truly in her favor now, smiled and pressed the connect button to the number she had pulled up. Seeing it ring, she held it up to her ear. “Oh… you know… just a few friends I made… over at the police station.” Penny’s eyes went wide. Board interference was one thing, but the actual law was another step altogether. “You… you wouldn’t…” Addy nodded. “I would…” “Hello?” Came from the other end of the phone. “Yes, hello…” Addy couldn’t help but smile. “Sergeant Brandice, please? I have a matter that requires her attention.” “One moment, please. She’s in a meeting that should be wrapping up quickly.” The phone clicked and a cheery tune echoed from the other end. Holding the phone to her chest, Addy stared back at Penny, now shrinking with fear against the wall. “You remember her, don’t you? Caregiver for frail, little Matilda a few months back? Made fast friends with Patrick because of me and the two have been thick as thieves apparently. It’s amazing what a brand-new freshly minted mommy will do for you once you make her Little so happy as well as getting that same Little all nice and strong to full walk and even run again.” By now, Penny was shaking. “P… please, Addy. Please… don’t do this…” “You mean report you for the illegal regression of your Littles? For buying and selling controlled or illegal substances from a known local drug dealer? For peddling in illegal substance and selling company proprietary property out on the street, for… what did you call it again?” Addy tapped her chin and made a big show of it, slightly relishing in the power she was now clearly demonstrating over Penny. At Psych, Penny’s connection with Dr. Tracey made her a formidable enemy, but Dr. Tracey wasn’t here… “Please, do tell me,” Addy labored on with a hint of satisfaction. “Was it all that… or the fact that you allowed armed assailants to break into this facility and kidnap two Littles, potentially violating their contracts and placing them in immediate danger?” Addy smirked and held up her hands questioningly. “Please do help… there are just so many things you might need help with.” At that, Penny dropped her head low. “Please… hang up the phone…” There was a palpable amount of defeat in her voice. She knew she was beaten thoroughly at this point. These days, even half those crimes would nearly guarantee she would ‘disappear.’ If the government got involved, Dark Cliff Prison, the worst kept prison secret in Libertalia, was apparently very nice this time of year coming up… “Please Addy…” Penny pled again. “Hang up the phone and… I’ll tell you what you want…” Addy smiled… just as a voice came in from the other side of the line. “Hello? Addy?” Addy kept up her grinning but knew that turning in Penny would be justice… just not of any help to her. “Oh, thank you. Sorry… something came up. Little crying. Gotta go… talk to you soon.” She then hung up the phone and looked at Penny. Penny shrank against the wall and winced. “So… what do you want to know?” Ten minutes later, Addy’s theories were nearly all correct… or at least all the ones that Penny could actually verify. A low person on the totem pole for sure, she made sure to squeeze her as much as possible, but even then, Addy knew that Penny was only the first step. “Good… but I need you to find out more.” “But that’s all I know!” Penny shot back, clearly nervous with the threat of jail time… or worse. “And I believe you…” Addy bent down and smiled. “But I need to know more about all this. So… here’s what we’re going to do.” She held up the bag of FOY. “I’ve hidden part of this evidence, the photos, videos, audio, and all the other items I’ve collected in two separate places. If either is disturbed, the other will be triggered and be sent to the police directly.” “And you’ll just keep blackmailing me… forever?” The fear in Penny was real now. “Not forever,” Addy admitted. “I just need more information as I said. “So, we’re both going to leave here and you’re going to report to me every day and any time there’s something big happening. I might ask for more, but for now… that’s what I need from you…” Penny was more than hesitant, but being as cornered as she was, she could only nod. “Okay…” So, just as Addy planned, the two then walked out of the stables and back to the facility as if nothing had happened. Addy needed some assistance with all this though, and currently, there was only one person in power she could trust… her dad. Getting both Oliver and Katrina ready, she made sure they were comfortable with Cassie… a daunting prospect with Katrina now in diapers, but Cassie was more than willing to use her patience with the frightened Little. A bond of trust between Cassie and Addy seemed to help though as Addy left the Psyche facility and headed to her dads. As soon as she arrived, she unloaded everything… both barrels as it was. For his part, her dad both seemed horrified and not shocked at all. Finally, he slumped forward and ran his hands over his face, rubbing his cheeks and eyes before sighing heavily. “Well… I want to say I’m surprised, but…” He looked long and hard outside one of the side windows to his garden… a sure sign of him longing for the past and ‘simpler’ times. “I didn’t want to tell you this, honey, but I think you have the right to know at this point.” He breathed in heavily and his face was nearly pinched with worry and the burden heavily weighing on his shoulders now. “Your matter with Oliver was brought to the board and there was a vote.” “Oh.” Addy knew that there was a vote, but the way her dad was winding up, she knew that it wasn’t as straightforward as she had been led to believe initially by Dr. Halgen once the final decision had come back to them. “So… what was it? Was it close?” Her dad gravely nodded. “Very close. If your brother hadn’t gone for us…” He winced and while there was a certain amount of pride in his look there also seemed to be a fair amount of worry there as well… almost like he had just assumed that Warren would have automatically sided with them. “Well… no need to worry about that vote… at least for now.” “But the future…” Addy had heard her parents talk enough to know that one board vote now might have been won, but another in the near future could go quite differently with the right leverage or motivations applied just as differently. Her dad nodded once more. “Very right, pumpkin. I’m going to need to get ready for the next round of this. Something is coming, but…” “Let me help,” Addy said abruptly, interrupting her dad midway through. “Penny betrayed me… showed me there’s something more going on here that I just can’t ignore anymore. I thought the board only dealt with me from a long way off… like some news report of a criminal you read about and maybe inconveniences you, but never would you picture yourself coming face to face with them.” “But now you do?” her dad asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice. “I do,” Addy confirmed. “I wish I didn’t, but I can’t pretend anymore that this isn’t my fight too. They’re dismantling Psyche one by one. How many more Littles need to be hurt until it’s stopped? I just… I need to do something.” She took a deep breath. “And if that means getting my hands dirty then so be…” “Woah, woah, woah!” her dad interrupted her right back, holding his hands up to stop her cold. “I appreciate what you want, kiddo. I really do. I’ve been waiting to hear you say this since you were five and you asked about what your mom and I did for a living. But…” He sighed. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I need you to stay back and keep out of the limelight.” “You… you don’t want me to help you?” Addy was beyond shocked. For years, her dad had been pestering for her to step and get involved and now that she had, he was simply turning her away? “No, no,” her dad said, shaking his head. “I want you to help… I just want you to have some cover and stay out of focus. Like with Penny… find out more on your end. You come over to my side, and…” He looked pained for a moment. “There’s no turning back over here. More exposure… more publicity… more complications around every corner.” “Plus,” he continued with a little more levity, “this way you can stay with your passion. I know on our last call together you were having doubts, but I know you, honey. I see what you like, and you just can’t leave that place. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see you come over with me to Juventas and all, but… I think you still belong at Psyche in your heart.” Addy had to sit with all that for a moment. First, he was right about still wanting to stay at Psyche. She was wary about the future, but she still loved helping Littles like she did. Second though… ‘Be involved but do so from a distance…’ That’s what she basically just heard from as well, and her mind swirled with what that actually meant. Her dad, still knowing her pretty well, sighed and lovingly rubbed her shoulder for a moment. “It’s all good, Addy. Every little bit helps. I just… even with you all grown-up, your still my daughter. What kind of father would I be sending you into the jaws of doom without a second thought and trying to keep you safe out here still?” He stopped and moved away to a corner of the room. “Please… just hold back. Your time will come. Just… we need to be careful about this.” He paused midway through his search and shook his head with a heavy heart weighing him down. “I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me…” Addy, her mind still running through what he meant exactly, surveyed her dad digging around suddenly, but still… she knew she didn’t want to argue about this… at least not today and with such weight behind his words. They had opened back up to each other and the last thing she wanted was to trash that relationship once more because she went against what he said. Clearly, like it or not, there were things he was still keeping from her. For now, she knew she had to trust his judgement. “Okay… I’ll stay behind and, in the shadows, but… what does that mean exactly?” Her dad rummaged for only a second more, almost to the point of seeming to ignore her. “Aha! Got it.” Smirking, he pulled something out of the pile he was going through from a locked chest of sorts. “Funny you should ask because…” He turned around and presented a small silver and black metal case. “I want you to have this with exactly your new part in all this.” Addy took it without question at first, but after looking at it from all angles, she looked confusedly back at her dad. Smiling, he reached toward the front and undid two of the locks holding the lid down. Opening it, the inside was full of bits and pieces of various electronics. “This…,” he said proudly, “is your surveillance kit. Microphones and cameras… all too small to see with the naked eye.” He then pointed to a single electronics pad of some kind. “Simply install each and use this to track their location. Plus, it will loop in all the feeds and is considered ‘unhackable’ unless you directly wire into the thing and then go through about 100 security protocols. So… you know… pretty useful for surveillance and recording conversations in tense places. Also… it can link to your smart watch, and you just hit a button, and you’ll be recorded from multiple angles from wherever you are. Call it covering your butt, if you will, from your old man…” Addy surveyed the electronics and while she wasn’t a techy, she at least knew sophistication and money when she saw it. “Wow, dad. Thanks, but…” She saw the micro cameras and all the wires and bits of tech lying simply in her hands now with basically cart blanche to use it how she saw fit. “Where did you get this thing? All this stuff had to cost a fortune, or…” Her mind drifted to a part she had seen once on TV. “Is this even legal for us to have?” Her dad smirked and patted the front of the case closed. “No need to worry about that today, pumpkin. I just want to be prepared.” He stroked his chin for a moment, his mind still seeming to whir away at the problem before them now. “Honestly… Psyche just might be the start of a lunching point… something on the horizon we need to watch out for.” Addy frowned and she didn’t like hearing those words… nearly the same as Penny had mentioned only hours ago now. “Dad… what do you mean by that?” Her dad seemed pensive, like he didn’t want to uncover too much, but he nodded all the same. “There’s something out there, Addy. I’m not sure what, but I’ve felt this before. The last time was with Losantiville. Even from outside the board when I was ‘retired,’ I could feel something stirring within the company. Six months later, that whole incident happened and the whole company had to step back.” “And the time before that?” Addy was alive but she could only faintly remember the details now. “The time before…” Her dad sighed heavily. “And this is what worries me… like Psyche, Juventas owned some subsidiaries… daycares in this case. One of them, a rogue administrator inside the place, decided to instead use the whole facility as a testing ground without informing anyone before they did it. This is starting to feel a lot like that…” The weariness of his time in Juventas was catching up with him. He had already retired once, but now… Addy would have sworn he was only staying to keep the company board from having a majority in favor against Littles and only looking out for their bottom line and more conservative shareholders. Still, he smiled back at her. “But for now… let’s keep our eyes peeled and with this…” He set his hand on the box. “Let’s just call it a gift.” Addy knew not to argue and frankly, was almost relieved when he plopped back into his chair and looked back at her without a care in the world. “Now… tell me about this Oliver. When you talked about him last… you seemed… different. Almost… well, almost like you did with Mindy. You two getting close there now with all that’s been going on?” Addy smiled back as she stepped out of her car at the wonderful conversation she had after with her dad about Oliver. And like so many other times, his observations were true. Whereas before Oliver was distant and still very much the adult from Earth, now she was feeling a bond with him. He was still trying to hold onto his pride and dignity for sure, but there was an unburdening of sorts that she could see a little more every day now. Not the regressed mind like Penny’s Littles but the freedom that came from a lack of the weariness of the world and just giving in to your happiness and relaxing if only for a moment. It was what she hoped to see today as she walked around toward the back of the house where she had heard the occasional bit of laughter echoing from. Expecting to see nothing but smiles, she was once again dismayed to find that Damien and Xander were back at it… teasing a group of Littles. This time, it wasn’t Katrina or Oliver, but Addy still saw them cowering and trying to avoid all eye contact or else risking becoming their next target more than likely. So, like she had discussed with Dr. Halgen, Addy went promptly over, gave the two a dirty look and then hauled both Katrina and Oliver right out of there. Getting them settled far away from the two, Addy’s patience had been pretty thoroughly used up with the two rebellious and mischievous disruptive Littles. Clearly, whatever the current plan was for them wasn’t working. Before, she just had to take it or solely rely on her dad or Dr. Halgen to inform her of something brewing on the horizon. That wasn’t the case anymore. Strolling through the house, she eventually found her target, looking more than a little apprehensive as she drank some tea cautiously in the kitchen. “Hello, Penny… having a good day?” Penny nearly dropped her cup as her head shot around to see who was talking to her. Seeing it was Addy didn’t seem to help her disposition. “Crap!” She caught her cup and groaned when Addy stayed stuck. “What do you want from me? I have nothing else to tell you…” “Maybe not now, but…” Addy looked around the room and noted she really needed to install the equipment still store within her car. That way, she could giver herself some warning if anyone was coming… something that would more than pay for itself with her using an informant and all now. “I think you can help me.” Penny sighed and set her tea down. “What do you want?” she asked wearily. “I want to know about Damien and Xander. Why do I feel they could get away with murder around here?” she asked as directly as she could. “What am I missing? It can’t be as simple as them skirting some rule, can it?” “It’s up to Dr. Tracey what happens to them these days… not me,” she noted blankly. “No… I need more than that,” Addy pushed back. “There has to be more to it than that. There are too many oddities now around here and two former criminals cannot just be a coincidence. So, tell me… what do you know?” Just as Penny looked like she was about to give another ‘I don’t know,’ Addy stopped her. “And you probably don’t know right now, but do me a favor… find out, will you?” Penny sighed but still nodded. “Fine… you have me dead to rights with all your evidence. No choice I guess…” She hopped off her stool. “Anything else then? My firstborn maybe?” “Maybe cut the attitude…” Addy didn’t like sass… especially not from someone like Penny. “But for now…?” She smirked and dismissed her promptly. “No.” Penny only nodded and hustled away. Now in the kitchen alone, Addy stared outside the door to the backyard. Damien and Xander were still terrorizing a few of the more vulnerable Littles and she had to continually remind herself of her discussion of ‘no involvement no matter what’ she had with Dr. Halgen. It was hard, but at this point, she knew she had to prioritize things. Going after every Little terrorizer was a noble cause here, but after today, Addy knew there was more going on in the much grander scheme of things. Penny was corrupt but could be useful as her informant. Dr. Tracey was cruel and meticulous and obviously planning something… but Addy didn’t know what yet. And Juventas… the worse of them, but they were up to something as well and they gave her the most worry of all. It was a lot to keep track of and so much evil on the horizon was all too real, but she could also feel the beginnings of a plan start to form. She wasn’t sure if she could do this alone or even with so few people on her side… or even how badly the outside investigation with Sgt. Emily was now. Addy just knew things were being set in motion. The only true question that remained on her mind as she stared out the window and all the Littles out there; how much further would this go?

What does your bike seat look like?  One of those racer-boi very slim and hard things, or a nice wide cushy pillowtop on springs jobbie?  You're probably better off with the latter, than the former.  The latter ones do exist.

Really like this story.  Would make a great sorority flick.

According to the video poster, they dont have velcro sides. I wonder if they are retooled Goodnites.

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