Lionsheart

LOL...you're on to something kerry... but yes, I agree, maybe she does have room for another relationship? Anywho... here's another chapter for you all. Things will be picking up pace very soon... Chapter 4: The Attitude Police I shook my head, “Will we ever come back to this time though?” I gave him an unbelieving look. Sid sighed, “That depends on how far we travel.” He paused, “I know you have many questions but I’ll answer that later.” He looked at his… watch? How could he look at time… when it was stopped? “We have to leave soon, we only have so many moments before a second passes and Zane awakes.” I asked, “Do I have enough time to write him a note?” “Silly girl, he can’t know about this. Tssss.” I cocked my head, “Why not?” “It’s complicated… But, for one, we’re altering the time space continuum and, not to mention, it’s extraordinarily illegal; we can’t leave evidence trails. For two…” He trailed off, not completing his thought as if he weren’t supposed to tell me something. Sid said, “You may find out that reason at some point, but I’m not going to be the one to tell you that.” I squinted my eyes at Sid in confusion. I began, “Wh-“ Sid cut me off, “Now grab a few things you want to take and we must go.” He looked me over, “And as suiting as I feel your attire is…you may want to change.” I rolled my eyes, walking, technically waddling, away from him. I crept silently into Zane’s room, going to my drawer in his dresser. I grabbed ripped blue jeans, a black long sleeve shirt, underwear and my old grey jean jacket. I went under the bed and grabbed the Tales of Nefareon book, ripping out the page with the coordinates and folding it together. I didn't know if I'd be back, and I needed to take my only piece of directions to find my parents before it may very well be lost in time itself. Before leaving, I looked at Zane’s still body, wondering if I’d ever see him again by where I was about to go. I walked over to his side of the bed, thinking how weird it was that he was like a statue, completely still. I leaned down, kissing his cheek softly, taking in his forest fresh scent. I went to the restroom and Sid was standing in the hallway, “Does someone need help changing?” He cocked his head with a condescending tone. I huffed at him and closed the door behind me with a slam, trying to flick on the light switch. Nothing. I never thought that if you stopped time, it’d stop electricity too. Well that was a bummer. I shook my head and unsnapped the crotch of my onesie in the dark. I began untaping the diaper as I heard Sid near the door, “Tssss.It’d be wise to keep the padding on.” I rolled my eyes, continuing to untape the diaper. In another moment, as I was dropping the diaper, I felt a tickle in my bladder and pee began sprinkling down my leg. I felt wetness on my fingers in the dark and I cursed, “Fuck you, Sid.” I said, pissed, literally and figuratively. I heard Sid’s silent snicker through the door, “Let me know when you need an adult, I’m right outside.” I stood there for a few moments, mortified as I realized that I had no electricity to even take a shower and that the baby wipes were in the nursery. Meaning... I had to leave the room to clean myself and I had this strange feeling that Sid was not going to allow me to do that myself once I left the restroom. I grabbed a few towels from the cabinets and wiped myself off but little trickles of pee kept rolling down my legs. It was as if I were incontinent and the muscle in my bladder ceased working completely. I sighed, stiffening my anger as I cracked open the door, slowly, and peaked my head out. Sid had a mused look on his face with his arms cross as he looked at me, “Tsk, tsk, you’d think you’d have learned to listen by now.” He sighed, “I keep forgetting you’re only a baby, my apologies.” I hated how good he was at being condescending. Asshole. I shifted uncomfortably with wetness still going down one of my legs. He walked over to the faucet with a towel and for a moment, the light and water went on as he tapped the faucet. I glowered at him, “What the fuck, Sid?” I asked. Sid’s yellow eyes slid to mine, immediately taking on a domineering presence, “Let me remind you of a few things: First of all, I have the ability to split time, not you." He paused, letting his works soak in, "Secondly, just because you’re not mine doesn’t mean I will not punish you accordingly for your attitude.” Mine. The word was weighted when he said it. There was jealousy behind that word. Jealousy I didn’t understand fully. A moment of silent passed for his words to sink in as he studied my face, “Understand?” I grated my teeth, “Yes.” Even though I’m not in the presence of Zane, I still have someone monitoring my behavior. Great. It’s like the attitude police is always following me. He cleaned my legs with the towel and took my hand, guiding me to the nursery. I laid on the changing table as he placed one of the purple butterfly diapers under me. Sid took wipes to my bottom and I almost giggled it tickled so much. I was too pissed at Sid for making me pee to giggle so I suppressed it. He sprinkled powder on my bottom and taped the diaper snugly on me. As much as I loathed Sid in the moment, I couldn't help but blush because he was very good at diapering me. He stepped back, “There, there, now we're accident proof.” His lips spread out in a smile and I huffed, trying to instill the fact that i was still mad at him as I was jumping into my ripped jeans and pulling them over the diaper. It was tight, but it would do. I put on my long sleeve t-shirt and my jacket, sliding my torn out page in my pocket and zipping it shut. “Ready?” He asked. “No, but let’s just get this over with.” I said grimly. Did I want to go to another time with Sid? Absolutely not; I highly, highly despised him. However, I’d do it to save lives, especially Zane’s dad. Sid stuck out his hand, a glowing blue tattoo swirled around his hand, up his forearm. A tattoo that I had never seen but it was as if his body were illuminating underneath his scales. I hesitated, wondering if this were right? To change time, to alter events. What would happen when we saved Zane’s dad? What could happen? What if Zane never met me? What if I never met Zane? So many questions that I had but it was time to make that decision. I took his hand, as the blue glowing swirls began spiraling around my fingers to my wrist and up my forearm. My eyes opened wide, as I felt a vibration between Sid and I. The ground felt as if there was a tectonic plate shake. Then, a burst of blue and turquoise light erupted from our hands, swirling around us and a moment later, I heard nothing, saw nothing, besides Sid and blue, turquoise light around us. Fear coursed through me in another moment. I closed my eyes, opening them a moment later to find myself in the same home, yet it was barren and cold as bright light cast through the room onto the floor boards.

You’re on to me... muahaha? and I’m happy someone likes Sid because he's been a disliked character for some time. He’s creepy but he also isn’t normal in any way,shape or form and it’s fun developing this specific character. And I feel the same, I enjoy Zane and Rayne but I also like seeing the dynamic between Rayne and Sid. I guess we’ll see what will happen with these dynamics in chapters to come...?

Chapter 3: The Chronus “Aren’t you a sight to see? Tsss.” Sid's eyes glided over my clothes, or lack thereof, with a smirk on his face as he took a step toward me. My mouth gaped open in embarrassment as my face reddened. “Sid? What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked in a hushed voice. “You don’t have to whisper. Zane won’t be able to hear you.” Sid slowly paced in front of me, still looking at me. I wanted to cover myself; I was beyond embarrassed. Out of all people, I did not want him to see me like this. I clasped my hands in front of my lower section where my diaper was obviously seen through my onesie. “Tsss.Watch your potty mouth, little one, before I have to do something about it.” I rolled my eyes, what did that mean? “You need to leave before I make you.” I said with an even voice as I met his glowing yellow eyes. He chuckled, “You think you can stop me, Rayne?” He said in a low growl as he slowly paced around the pickle juice on the ground. My knees got weak as I felt myself fall to the ground on my bottom, looking up to him in panic. What was he going to do to me? “Why did you come here?” I asked, with a waver in my voice. His eyes glowed mischievously and then flickered to something serious, “We have business to attend to.” I felt control of my legs again as his eyes went serious. I slowly stood up. I squinted my eyes, “What type of business, Sid?” I looked at him in confusion. He sat down on the kitchen table, clasping his hands, “Unfortunately, to my distaste, we have to save Zane’s family.” I shook my head, “His brother’s in trouble?” I saved his brother already, how did he get into trouble again so quickly? Sid sighed, shaking his head, “No, silly girl. Tsssss. His father.” I cocked my head. His dad was dead. How could we save him? I blurted out, “What? How?” I asked, not believing this. Sid said, “Have a seat.” He paused, looking at me as I stood there, “Do you want me to make you some warm milk in a bottle to calm you?” I glared at him as he studied me, “The more attitude you have with me the more I’ll treat you like a baby. Simple, hm?” He cocked his head, trailing off. I blushed, fair enough. I came over to the table and sat, crossing my arms. Sid took a moment, studying me as if he were expecting me to give an attitude back. He looked ready to pounce as he looked me over. His mood shifted and he spoke, “Have you ever heard of the Chronicles of Echonus?” Of course I did. A series of ‘teenage’ books in high school. It was about an amphibian boy who grew up and one day met a girl who was his ‘star-crossed lover’. There was some other word the writer used for the type of love that Echonus had for Grelda, who was a human girl. The reason why Echonus couldn’t be with Grelda was because at the time there were laws that Amphibians could only be with their own blood and could not see or date any other ‘species’, or what they call other beings on Aquaria. It was a good trilogy that I binge read in a whole week. In the Chronicles of Echonus, when Echonus finally embraced Grelda they created a chronus which was a portal to time travel through. It was such a good few books because they were able to escape Aquaria where they became wanted criminals across the planet yet in the meantime they changed events throughout history. When they convinced Aero, an ancient scroll writer from 1029 GY, to remove the laws against Amphibian and other species marriage, it rewrote Grelda’s life which caused her to have never met Echonus and stay on Earth where she ended up falling in love with someone else and marrying him. It was such a sad ending because Echonus decided that, although he had an eternal love for Grelda, it was not worth her being a target the rest of her life, sought after by the Amphibian race for time fraud. Grelda wanted to go back to her old life, but risked it for Econus. Echonus decided that if she never met him, then she would have lived a fulfilling life, with a normal husband and family. After a moment of me recalling the book, Sid sighed, “I’m affixed to you, Rayne Griff, whether you like it or not.” His eyes constricted and dilated as they went weary. It was a vulnerable side of him that I had never seen before. Affixed? That was the word that meant the eternal, unconditional love that Echonus had for Grelda. There’s no way that that a silly teen love novel was real. And if it was real, there was no way I’d ever consider dating Sid. I felt my spine tingle as I looked at Sid, considering the idea and I forced the thought out of my head quickly. Sid’s eyes constricted and narrowed as he looked at me. I shook my head, “You’re not making much sense, Sid.” Sid’s eyes cast down sadly as his green scaled fingers traced the wood indents in the table, the table illuminating in a circular pattern from his slime as I watched curiously, “On December 13th, 2199, I woke up around 3 in the morning to my first vision.” His eyes looked up and met mine, “Mind you,Tssss, I was only 7 and had no idea why or what it was.” My birthday. Weird. “I will never forget it because it was so crystal clear, vivid. I saw a beautiful girl with raven black hair who was asleep in a forest, hurt. Tsssss. She was like a wounded deer, laying on the ground in a short dark white sundress, completely passed out from the pain she endured.” Was he describing me? I didn’t understand. He studied my reaction as he continued, “I woke up once I saw it, terrified. I had never saw anything so real in a dream where someone was hurt. I thought it was a really bad nightmare at that age.” He shook his head, “After that night, I had dreams that continued repetitively. The weirdest part was I felt so strongly for this girl every time I ‘dreamt’ about her. It was as if I knew her, loved her completely. I couldn’t explain this strong desire to meet her, yet it wouldn’t disappear.” He laughed, “Tssss. Even when I had mates growing up, there was no girl who compared. None. I swore off dating, completely.” I crossed my arms, feeling uncomfortable and cold in my attire as I listened curiously. Sid’s eyes flicked to my arms and then back to my face, “I didn’t know what was wrong with me until my great grandfather pulled me aside to have the ‘talk’. Unlike the normal birds and the bees talk, it was about my affixing on another person. It’s incredibly rare to have an affixation in the 23rdcentury but my lineage is so ancient in blood that I somehow was handed down this curse, Tssss.” Curse. I could understand how he felt that way. I felt bad that he couldn’t date nor live a normal life and his love was already chosen for him. I was already taken too and that must suck when you finally find your affixed person is already taken. “So what does this have to do with saving Zane’s dad?” I asked, confused where the lines connected. Sid opened his mouth and his tongue rattled, “Tssssssss.” A hiss came out, “Very rude, Rayne.” I shook my head, meeting his eyes with a challenging look, “Look, I understand you like belittling me but I’m not a baby.” I said with a leveled voice. Sid laughed loudly for a few moments as I sat there awkwardly, “Silly girl...” He shook his head, “First and foremost, what you’re wearing doesn’t prove elsewise.” I winced internally from that one, “And, secondly, you like being belittled as much as I like to do it to you, don’t act as if you don’t.” He trailed off, as if he were about to say more and paused as his eyes fixated on me, “We’re the same species of twisted deep down, Rayne Griff.” I blushed as I crossed my legs and went quiet. Was he right? Or was I being manipulated? Maybe I did like it in some twisted way. I would never admit it to him but he could be right. I shifted in the chair awkwardly, feeling the need to pee. Zane gave me more milk before he went to sleep and it was collecting at the worst of times. Sid watched me quietly with a smile. I could almost feel him reading my thoughts and it embarrassed me further. After a few awkward moments of silence, he spoke, “Together, we can create a chronus. To save more than just one life.” Did he say… chronus? Were the Chronicles of Echonus based on a true story? I had no other choice but to find out. As much as I didn’t trust Sid, it was apparent that our purpose was important. We had lives to save, afterall.

Awww, why thank you for reading it! It's nice that people remember this story because I feel like I posted it so long ago, haha. LOL, well thank you, it's always good to hear your take on the new chapters. And yes every time I post on this site it always creates that error that I attempt to fix... but I always seem to miss a few words. I have to go back on Book 1 and fix a bunch of those too because for some reason it made the italicized words small and together. Thank you for telling me because I *think* I fixed all of them on these two chapters. *fingers crossed haha*

Welp, I'm back. After some time, I've decided that it's time to begin posting again. I must warn you all: I'll be posting once a week as of now. That may change dependent on my schedule but, once finals week is over since I'm in college, there may be more than one post a week... I'll see how this goes with the post schedule but I'm going to try my very best to stay consistent. For those of you who are new to this story, I encourage you to read I, Bot 404 {Book 1}. This is a sci-fy story with an ABDL twist. Bot 404 awakes in the Sequoia Airspace, the heart of intergalactic slave trade, and things seem off. Bot 404 learns slowly from other bots mistakes how to escape from being terminated. This bot finds that she isn't a bot, and something much more than that, a human. Through a train of memories, Bot 404, otherwise known as Rayne Griff, learns her past, and, eventually, learns how serious the present is. What the future must hold? Only she can decide that. Anywho, the plot thickens and I've read your feedback of excitement for more chapters and... Without further ado, I present you all with two chapters to start your conspiracy theories, hehe. Please, write feedback, theories, or questions you may have!:) I, Rayne Griff | I, Bot 404 Book 2 Chapter 1: Welcome to My New, Boring, Life in Kirkland, Hanna I tapped my fingers on my desk, sighing as I watched the clock. I glanced at my watch and rolled my eyes that I still had two hours to go. “So. Fucking. Stupid.” To say I was bored with my new job was an understatement. It had been a few months since I was reassigned to Hanna as an officer at the Kirkland Galactic Forces Headquarters. My job was useless. I looked through files all day, trying to find inconsistencies in galactic identification cards from other galaxies. Super easy. Also, super lame. A bunch of stamping, a bunch of stapling, a bunch of scanning. Then, I go home. Every day the same as the last. I almost wished I could be a bot again, at least that was more interesting. All day long I go through about fifty or so files and I find about two or three fraudulent cards. It was actually harder to spot that one would think. Burton Cheeseburger was a real name. When I first saw his file, I had honestly flagged it because I thought the name was a joke from Earth. Apparently, there was a whole lineage of Cheeseburgers. Crazy, right? Of course I got written up for flagging the account. Being written up has probably been the most exciting thing that has happened to me these past four months. As I do my 9 to 5 job I can only imagine all the interesting things Eli, Gemma or Zane were doing right now. Gemma was doing an undercover spy assignment on Zenon. Eli was still on the Intergalactic Space Station with Zane doing who knows what. Zane still visited a few times a month with some type of Intergalactic Space Station ice-cream or some babyish souvenir. I was so jealous of all of them. Here I was, back in Hanna, exactly where I didn't want to be. Lucky me, right? My eyes were becoming weary as I stared at a long case and rested my cheek on my hand. I felt my eyes, slowly closing at the rhythm of my clock on the wall ticked, almost undetectable to the human ear. I jumped up quickly as I heard a knock on my door. My devil of a manager peaked her head in, “How many cases did you complete so far?” Jaimie’s light blue eyes narrowed down to me. The best part about my new assignment: Jaimie was my supervisor. Great, right? She knew things I wish she didn’t and she hadn’t changed much since school. Still narrow-minded and gets under my skin. Sure, we had come to an understanding by the ending of the academy, but that didn’t mean we’d be friends…Ever. “I can guarantee more than Gantree.” Gantree was about to be reassigned for his poor speed with going through our identification queue. Jaimie gave a fake smile, “Funny.” She paused, hesitating before speaking, “You can go home early. I have to send someone home since the UGN is cutting funding for our correction officers from the new contracts for assignments.” Wow, Jaimie sending me home early? That was nice of her, considering she usually sends Gantree home first. Maybe she’s getting the hint that I stopped giving a shit about my job. Even with my lack of care, I still did a better job than Gantree. I crossed my arms, leaning back in my chair, “New alterations? What did your dad change?” I saw a glare flash over Jaimie’s face, “It doesn’t concern you.” I flashed a smile, not even slightly intimidated, “Come on, I just want to know a sliver of what’s going on up there. After all, I haven’t given you crap for the 4 months I’ve been down here.” Zane hardly told me anything. He’d give me cover stories, even though I knew he was lying, just trying to make me feel like I was in the loop. Jamie shook her head, looking crossed as she stood at my door. She stepped in, closing the door behind her. She sat down on my desk, sighing, “Supposedly, the people they sent out to Sequoia went missing.” Weird, she was being nice today. Maybe she found a boyfriend and was finally getting laid. Glory be. “Missing? Don’t they all have trackers?” I asked. I knew that they were sending officers to Sequoia as bots and had been successful for a few months thus far. I honestly had not heard an update about the first batch of officer turned bots until now. Jaimie rolled her eyes, “They’re not all as lucky as you, Rayne.” I shook my head, shredding the file I had. Jaimie grabbed my wrist, “Promise me that you won’t go rogue if I tell you something.” She had a serious tone as her eyes met mine. I had never seen her so serious before. She hardly even looked at me since I began working under her. This sudden change in attitude was odd, off-putting. Was there something serious that had happened? I rolled my eyes, “It’s me, Jaimie. I’m always rogue. Out of all people you should know that.” I pulled my wrist away and rubbed it from her surprisingly cold grip. Her eyes looked sad. Weird, did Jaimie's eyes hold a trace of...sympathy? “As much as I dislike you I feel like you deserve to know what’s going on up there…” She looked down hesitantly, then meeting my eyes, “Eli is missing too.” Chapter 2: Kept Deep In the Dark I shook my head, “Wh-“ My mind began racing with thoughts. Not Eli, that can’t be right? “What?! How?” I stood up, feeling energy pulsing in my body. Anger really drove it up a notch. She shrugged, “I don’t know the details. All I know is he went on a mission and never came back about a week ago or so.” “A week?! Are you kidding me?” I placed my hands behind my head. Was that why Zane didn’t visit last weekend like he was supposed to? Not even Zane could tell me that. Why was I so much in the dark? Did Gemma even know? Jaimie said as she walked to my door to leave, “You can’t freak out, Rayne. I didn’t tell you anything, it’s top secret information, okay?” She shook her head, “God, I probably shouldn’t have told you that much.” She was like her dad in that way. She couldn’t keep secrets just like Red. However, she was also a bitch and I still couldn’t believe Red and Jaimie were related. I drove home, feeling my fingers twitch. I couldn’t and didn’t want to imagine where Eli was. If he were still alive. If he were being tortured. A dark shiver went through me and I tried to let it go, even though it felt like I had already lost a loved one. I wasn’t scared, but fear ran through me for him. He looked mighty, tall and tough, but I knew he was soft to the core. Only me and Gemma knew him after all. As I pulled into my driveway, another car was parked. Zane’s. Of course, perfect timing per usual. I turned off my ignition and rested my forehead on my steering wheel, attempting to gather myself before yelling nonsense at Zane. I felt betrayed by him. He had to know, yet I heard it from Jaimie. Maybe he came here to tell me. There must have been more to the story and he wanted to tell me in person, right? I walked inside the house and Zane was on the couch, watching the intergalactic news. He got up, walking towards me as I threw my bag on the floor, “Hey, babygirl.” His strong arms gently hugged me as my back went rigid. I needed to calm down, bigtime. I was about to go off and, if it weren’t apparent in my last tale, Zane wasn’t the best person to go off on. “Hey.” I said, standing there awkwardly. “What’s wrong?” Zane pulled back, immediately noticing my lack of embrace as his blue eyes looked me over carefully. I blinked up to him, searching his eyes for honesty. His eyes were concerned, as if I just got a boo boo from falling on the ground. Great, I already could tell how this day was going to go. As much as I loved Zane, there was something lacking in the past four months. He was warm, loving and affectionate, but there was a noticeable distance to him. It was almost as if he babied me to escape ‘adult talk’ as I call it. I wanted that adult talk. Sure, I liked being babied, but I also was his girlfriend and the babying was only a part of the relationship. Our communication had been lacking a lot since I regained my memory. The only things he’s told me is that his brother awoke and was going through rehabilitation from his coma and little bits and pieces about how he’s been training new elite officials on the Intergalactic Space Station. I shook my head, taking off my jacket and throwing it on the couch with a sigh, “Jaimie’s just a bitch.” I said as I sat back on the couch, crossing my arms. I was lying, but I wanted to see if Zane would tell me what happened. Part of me wanted to see that Zane was a good boyfriend. Part of me wanted to test my theory that Zane had been lying to me for some time now. “Mm? What happened now?” Zane still stood near me, looking down. “She wrote me up on Monday.” I said, sighing. “I’m surprised you didn’t tell me on our call Monday night.” Zane was questioning me now too, “What did you do?” He said as if I were in trouble with him now too. Well, fuck, I didn’t want this to turn into me getting a spanking. I looked up to him innocently, “I accidentally flagged an intergalactic file that was real.” I quickly explained, “But I’ve heard of other coworkers who have done that multiple times and never gotten written up yet, only warnings.” I shook my head and shrugged, “That was my FIRST time and she wrote me up.” “Was calling her the b word necessary?” He cocked his head at me as he looked down. He was intimidating as he stood there. I blushed as I looked up. I frowned, “No, probably not.” Zane chuckled, switching the subject, “I’m going to make spaghetti for dinner. You should take a shower and wait in your room for me.” He said as he walked to the kitchen, not waiting for a response from me. I shook my head, my jaw tightening. He was acting like everything was normal, as if my best friend weren’t in danger or dead. Maybe Jaimie was just pulling on my leg? Maybe Eli was okay? Or maybe I was dating a pathological liar? Well, fuck. I don’t think Jaimie would joke with me like that. She’d cruel, but not that cruel. She wouldn’t lie about something to that extent either. I didn’t move, calming myself with slow breaths as my fingers tapped. “That wasn’t a suggestion, Rayne, it was a command.” Zane said across the living room in a stern voice. He looked over to me, “Did you want me to give you a bath?” I rolled my eyes, getting up and walking briskly past him. I couldn’t look at him, I was pissed. If not for Jaimie, how long would I have been in the dark for? I could barely look at Zane right now. He grabbed my wrist as I passed him, “Rayne.” His voice was like a growl, ”What’s with the sudden attitude?” I clenched my fist, feeling sudden energy in my palms. “Let go of me, Zane.” My voice cut the air like a razor as I met his light blue eyes with a glare. “How about I give you a good spanking and a bath?” Zane cocked his head at me, his eyes unwavering. I blinked, calming myself down as I tried to take a step back and he pulled me towards the dining chair. He let go of my hand and I looked at my wrist after his iron grip held it. Before I knew it, my bottom was on fire. My jaw was clenched for a few minutes as I was too pissed off to even cry. A few more minutes passed and I broke as I began crying. I was crying because Eli was gone. Not to mention, I didn’t know the person I was dating. What was Zane doing now? Was he really a trainer again? I didn’t believe any of it anymore. I just couldn’t. I sat in the tub as Zane poured water over my soapy hair. I met his eyes with my puffy ones from the recent spanking, “How was your weekend?” I wanted to poke, to see if he would show any evidence to prove that Jaimie was lying to me. I wanted to believe Zane wasn’t hiding something that important from me. He couldn’t. We patched up our lying issues months ago, we agreed upon having a more open relationship with communication. There was no way we could retract, right? He took the sponge in the water and went over my back in concentration, “They needed me to train the new elite squad before they were sent on a long mission.” His blue eyes met mine with a smile placed on his face as he said, “Stand.” I stood as he took the bath sponge up my legs and my breathing hitched. He didn’t linger as he quickly cleaned between my thighs and went back down. Ugh. He was such a tease, never giving me what I wanted. I switched my thoughts to his face after he spoke. I watched his face, blank. Fuck Zane. I want to believe that you’re true to your word, so badly. Don’t lie to me, please. “Oh, so that’s why you couldn’t come home.” I said, sullenly, acting as if I didn’t catch him in a lie. “Well, Daddy’s going to be here for a few extra days so he can make up for being gone.” He said, as he looked up to me with bouncing eyes, yet there was something behind them. They were careful, hesitant, yet lying. He turned away from me, going to grab a towel as I gulped, holding back my anger that reignited towards Zane. He patted me down with a fluffy grey towel and wrapped it around me, picking me up in a scoop. Zane brought me to my nursery and laid me down on the giant changing table. The mat underneath me squished softly as he set me down. He pulled out a thick white fluffy diaper and I blushed. He never pulled out thatdiaper unless he really wanted me to feel little. I raised my hips and legs up as he slid the soft diaper underneath me. Powder was sprinkled on my princess parts generously and patted around. The diaper enveloped around my bottom and was taped snugly. I suppressed a smile, although the feeling of a fresh diaper made me tranquil, beyond the level of content. I still wanted to be grumpy, but being treated like a baby always had a way of nudging me into a state of happiness. Like nothing else mattered and I could be myself, knowing Zane would take care of me. It was a feeling I couldn’t put into words. The love I felt just by looking into his eyes. The bond we had. It was unexplainable, but, although I was mad with him, I still wanted to have our time together, to be babied and loved. I missed it, as much as I hated to admit it. Zane pulled a light purple onesie over me, snapping it at the crotch and helped me into frilly white socks as I sat on the changing table with my feet dangling. “There, there, someone must be feeling better now, hm?” His eyes traced mine as he looked to my lips and then spoke, “Oh! How could I forgot your paci, babygirl?” He turned and went to my dresser. I don’t think there was anything more that Zane loved then choosing my outfit and accessories. I didn’t even care what I wore. If it were up to me, I’d just be wearing his shirt and a diaper but he alwayshad to take it to another level to make sure I felt like a baby. He came back over to me with a purple pacifier with a little monster face cartoon on it. I blushed as he clipped it to the pocket of my pencil pocket of my onesie and plopped it into my mouth. He picked me up from my armpits and placed me on his hip as he walked over to the kitchen, setting my down on the counter. I wanted to curl up in blankets and hide under a pillow I felt so little. My feet dangled as Zane cooked, singing to himself as I watched him shaking noodles into boiling water. I turned my head and opened the cabinet, wondering what was inside. Admittedly, I hardly cooked. I liked to just pop in portable meals into the vaporizer we had in the house. I pulled my legs up to my chest, pivoting to face the cabinet as I curiously looked at all of the spices and powders. Oregano, paprika, cinnamon, protein powder, and NutriSqueezes. I closed my eyes, Eli popping into my head. The last time I had a NutriSqueeze was when he gave me one. I was trying not to think about it, but it hit me, hard. I couldn’t grit my teeth with a pacifier, so I suckled it angrily as I rested my forehead on the shelf. “What are you doing looking into the cabinets, little one? You’re going to fall like that.” Zane said as his hand was on my back. He turned me around as I tried to look away from him. “What’s wrong baby?” He looked concerned. Was my face that easy to read? God damnit. I pushed him away from me as I jumped off the counter, spitting out my pacifier and ripping the clip from my shirt. I threw it on the ground next to his feet, “Why didn’t you tell me about Eli?” He gave me a confused look as he crossed his arms. “That’s not nice to throw your paci on the ground, Rayne.” He was scolding me, instead of addressing the issue. I stared at him as I crossed my arms to match him, waiting for an explanation. He turned around, stirring the meat sauce, and then turning back to me, “How do you know about that?” My jaw tightened as my voice chopped the air, “That doesn’t fucking matter. What does matter is the fact that you withheld information from me that’s important.” Zane’s face went blank, unreadable as he looked me over. I felt my face go red as I realized I looked like a bratty toddler and was just cursing. “Drop the attitude and I’ll tell you why.” He cocked his head as I saw a slight smile on his face he was trying to suppress as his eyes lowered to my midsection where my diaper was. I blushed further. I rolled my eyes and huffed, “Maybe if you didn’t lie to me then I wouldn’t have one.” I spit fire back to him. His eyebrows rose, “Maybe someone needs another punishment.” He said, slowly, as he met my eyes. What other punishment could he give me? Another spanking? Oh, soscary. “Or maybe you should just leave.” His eyes blinked, changing from challenging to pained. “Rayne, stop.” He said, loudly. I blinked, feeling his dominant side coming out to end this argument completely. I felt myself suddenly feel little and a bit scared of this side of Zane. He was instantly cold as he picked up my pacifier from the ground. A few moments of silence followed as he ran my pacifier through water and I sat at the kitchen table, looking at the wood pattern in the table. I was suddenly intimidated by Zane as I sat there, waiting for him to warm up, but I think I accidentally pressed a button on him that I shouldn’t have. He came near me and kneeled by me, clipping the pacifier on my onesie again and letting the pacifier dangle on my shirt. I was surprised he didn’t place it in my mouth again. I frowned. He went back to the food, quietly fuming. Zane placed spaghetti in front of me with chocolate milk in a sippy cup. I blushed, well I guess I was still getting the baby treatment. He sat down in front of me and I still wasn’t done, I pushed my food away from me, “I’m not hungry anymore.” I said, sourly. “Eat, Rayne, we’ll have adult talk after, if you’re good.” He said with an even tone as he read on his phone, not looking up. Oh, he was mad. I huffed, deciding to go with it and ate my spaghetti. I was hungry; I just was mad and didn’t want to appease Zane by eating. After I ate and Zane went to clean the dishes, I drank the chocolate milk. I didn’t want to drink it in front of Zane so once he walked away it was the perfect timing. I loved chocolate milk with spaghetti. Zane knew me well enough. Even though I was mad at him I couldn’t pass drinking my favorite liquid with spaghetti. Zane spoke as he dried the dishes with a towel, “I didn’t want you to find out about Eli. I know how you are, and you like to act on things irrationally, and I didn’t want any chance of you doing that.” He looked over to me, catching me in the act of drinking my milk, after placing the dishes away. He stifled a smile as he sat at the table with the towel in his hand, “I want to protect you as long as I can from terrible things like that. I don’t want you to ever go through what I went through when my brother was gone and, unfortunately, I still failed.” He said, with pain in his eyes. My eyes narrowed to him, “You have this pattern of trying to protect me from things that are inevitable, Zane, and I don’t know how much longer I can go on with dating someone who I can’t trust.” I said coldly. Zane’s eyes flashed in hurt, that one must have stung, “There’s some things I can’t tell you because of the business were in, Rayne, you know that better than anyone.” He said, as his fingers trailed his chin. He was right. I was the thing that most people outside of Hanna and the Intergalactic Space Station didn’t know about, after all. I frowned, “I just wish you were honest with me on the things that involve me.” Zane nodded, “You’re right.” He paused, and I rolled my eyes when he continued, “But I’m going to need you to not have temper tantrums every time we have a serious conversation.” He always needed the last word. Always. Later that night I was in Zane’s lap as we watched a movie together in our room. I nursed my pacifier as I cuddled into him and met his content eyes. He winked at me and I looked away. I hugged Rhorf to my stomach as I looked down at my clothes. Zane brought my blanket over us as I nuzzled my head into him chest. Fifteen minutes into the movie Zane was asleep. I looked over his face, eyes closed as his mouth softly breathed in and out rhythmically. I wanted to think the highest of Zane. He did care about me and maybe he hadn’t told me in fear of my reaction. Or maybe Zane had a bad week and didn’t want to tell me the news about Eli. I knew Zane had lied to me in the past, but I thought we were past that. I still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. My stomach growled as I laid there. I sighed, quietly crawling away from Zane as he slept and off of the bed. I silently walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. I waddled to the kitchen, opening the fridge door. As the door opened a jar of pickles fell out of the side door. I internally cringed and froze as I watched the jar in slow motion fall, shattering into several pieces as it touched the tiles. Green pickle juice flowed everywhere over the floor, including my sock. “Fuck.” I whispered to myself, taking off one sock. I stood there for a second, waiting for Zane to wake, waiting for my impending doom. A few more seconds passed and I didn’t hear anything from the other room. I sighed in relief as I turned on the faucet and wet a towel to clean off the glass on the floor. A moment later, everything seemed off. I stared at the water coming from the faucet, as it froze in time right before my very eyes. I squinted in confusion at the water. My finger touched the water, as if it were a sculpture that shouldn't be touched. My finger became wet and a droplet came off of the still stream. I cocked my head, completely confused. The air felt still, silence followed the room. “It’s time, Rayne.” I jumped, turning around quickly, “The FUCK?” I met glowing yellow eyes through the darkness of the kitchen.

Why thank you!:) I do have other stories that I have yet to post on here. I may post them in the future(possibly in some weeks or months because I'm a tad busy at the moment) because the relationship dynamics are much like Zane/Rayne. Thank you for the reminder because I do have much more to share on this site.?

These are all great theories and I tried leaving the story open to more by the end because the story isn't over. There's many things that aren't answered. We don't know where Rayne's mom is. Where her dad is? One of the main characters wasn't even awakened until the end, that being Daryx. So there's a lot of things still that still have no answers! I like the theory but I guess only time will tell those answers, haha.

I literally LOLed at your comment.Yes, you are correct. I was going to change the title, in fear that the story wouldn't be read because people assumed it was about a robot, but I decided against it because I thought the title was important. I grew up trying to search an ABDL site and the error message appeared 'ERROR 404', being that the site was gone, forever. I, not purposefully, made the bot's name 404 and realized that it was the error message I dreaded seeing on my favorite ABDL site. It was heartbreaking, but all good things come to an end. So, the title has a special meaning... and also I loved the movie I, Robot so how could I resist I, Bot 404? Hehe. ? I brought this story to a halt at Book 1 because there's a greater plot to this story that hasn't shown itself yet. Also, Book 1 is approximately 300 pages- 133,300 words- and I cannot begin to imagine how long it would take to write book 2, haha. I'm not making excuses, but I'm a closeted ABDL who's still trying to hide myself from my boyfriend and mom so it tends to get a little tough as an ABDL writer. Good job remembering Sid! He's actually one of the main characters who isn't shown until *later*(depending on what you consider as later- as reference to the order of chapters or the timeline of events). And, there is a great possibility of a sequeal. I will suggest checking the forums around December as that is my next break from school and I have a pattern of writing around long breaks.

Tomorrow is my birthday, so here is my final gift to all of you, haha. Also, I won't be actively writing as college starts next week but I do have the finale done for this story, hence why I'm posting it all right now, since I won't have a chance to post any chapters for the next few weeks. I hope you all enjoyed the ride and I'm interested to see everyone's thoughts. Thank you for motivating me to finish this story and the support throughout! Chapter 52: Awakened Part 2 Three months later. Rayne. After a few minutes of gagging and throwing up, Zane came over with a cold wash cloth, dabbing my face. I had so many questions going through my brain. So many things I wanted to know. Where would I even start? Eli popped his head around the door and I glared at him, “Oh god, she’s back.” He walked in, placing flowers where a beautiful bouquet had already laid. “I don’t even want to talk to you.” I said, with a raspy voice, staring at the cloth blanket on me, a blush coming up to my face in embarrassment. All of the memories of Eli babying me resurfaced from the past week or so and I didn’t even understand what was going on. The person I was for the last three months felt like someone else, yet it was me. It was sickening, to a sense. “We should give them time alone, Eli.” I heard Gemma’s voice around the corner, her purple arm pulling him. My eyes watered, oh, how much I’ve missed them. It felt like I had been a ghost in a shell, waiting to be set free, for two months. Had it been two months? Or much longer? They closed the door as they left. Zane hadn’t said a word ever since I began vomiting. He patiently waited for me to collect myself. He was calm, quiet. After all this time, I had expected him to not be as patient, yet he was. I wondered if he still thought of me the same way he did three months ago. Had he changed? Had he found another love? What had happened since? Apparently, he’d went up the ranks and became a Sequoia Airspace lead director, but how? How could he do it so quickly? So many things I wondered and it felt like there wasn’t enough time. I looked at Zane, my lip quivering, “So, uh,” I said awkwardly, “Has anything changed since I’ve been gone?” I asked, sheepishly. He blinked, his face blank, a half-smile crept onto the surface, “One would say many things.” He stood up, kneeling near me on my hospital bed, “The only thing that hasn’t was and is my love for a girl named Rayne Griff.” He brushed my hair behind my ear, leaning in as he kissed me. As he pulled away, I studied his eyes, his body language. There was something off that I couldn’t pinpoint. It was as if he held an air of authority with him, a new breed of Zane I had never known before. Chapter 53: Conscious Rayne. A week later. I walked around the Intergalactic mall, feeling the clothes in Ora’s Clothing. Cotton. Leather. Satin. All through my palms. “This is a fine specimen of a suit, Mr. Vandore.” The salesmen said, walking around Zane as he fitted his clothing. In the past months I had been gone, Zane had been sworn into the Sequoia Capitol as a high-ranked politian and became a lead director at the Sequoia Airspace. Little did I know, he was a part of the mission I created that they called: Bot 404. Ever since I fully came back, Zane had been more controlling and possessive of me. I hardly left his sight, if only him going to the restroom. I was padded frequently at night and not allowed to use the restroom a lot of the time. Zane seemed, surprisingly, happy ever since I came back and was more open about things. Zane had explained a lot to me within the past weeks about what had happened while I was gone. He dropped his job at the airspace after I left and he undermined Vix, Roanoke and a few other officials in the UGN. After two weeks had passed since I awoke, Winona had reclaimed her position as the director of Assignments for the UGN. He was still working undercover on Valorion as his position was considered ‘safe’ and ‘secure’. He was undetectable. I was, technically, a dead man walking and no one on Valorion knew I was alive. I was, quite literally, the ghost of Mara Everton. Apparently, no Valorion official knew my real name of Rayne Griff, only did the UGN. The UGN also thought I was dead because the Bot 404 assignment was so secretive, only a few officers knew what really happened. On Valorion, I had a wake that Eli, Gemma, and Ryo visited. Zane and Nethander disappeared for the three months I was a bot and Nethander hasn’t been seen since. The last person who saw him was myself. I was, supposedly, a legend among the UGN officers. No one had ever been sent in as a bot, successfully returning. Everyone said it was a suicide mission, yet I proved that theory wrong. Assignment Bot 404 was a success, exposing leaders like Vix and Roanoke to the UGN. Aries was still a part of the UGN counsel, being closely investigated for suspicious activity but without any sufficient evidence to prove or suggest that she was anything like her sister, only an innocent victim to her sister’s malicious ways. Eli thought that Aries was the problem, but all along it had been Vix, supposedly. I, personally, didn’t trust anyone besides Red, as Sid warned me. I didn’t know Sid’s purpose, but he mysteriously saved me. Did he know my future as a bot and ruin everything? He seemed confused, baffled, when he had a session with me on the Sequoia Airspace. Maybe he was trying to let me in on information without giving away too much to freak me out? The whole Sid thing confused me, quite honestly. Sid was rapidly bewildering. One moment, he knew everything, saw futures, and was creepy as hell, the next, he was supposedly my ‘friend’ and saved my life. Who was Sid? Why did he care about me? Why did he do certain things? Many things kept me up at night, as did Zane. Zane woke up in the middle of the night, panting, when he awoke, waking me. Some nights, I noticed he didn’t sleep at all. I’d wake up and his eyes would be baggy and he’d be focused on something on his iGlass laptop, quickly closing or changing tabs as I awoke. I never questioned it, feeling guilty of what had happened. I had saved Zane’s life that day, over my own, yet I felt guilty? Only because I signed myself out, not thinking that I’d leave Zane like that. I got lucky though, that day, something saved me. I was immediately taken to an Amaranthine facility, owned by Sequoia Airspace, that restored my body completely, at the expense of me being ‘sold’ as a bot to the Sequoia Airspace. Apparently, the Sequoia Airspace had been watching me for a while and had wanted me to sell for a great profit. It fit perfectly into the Bot 404 assignment as I was initiated as a bot and saved. Hence why it took so long to sell me and, even then, I was being held for a special buyer named Elliot Ghalderas, who had made his way through some political ranks and was lent a surplus amount of money through the UGN. “Are you excited to go back to Hanna?” Zane asked, breaking my thoughts, nuzzling his nose into my hair as his hand trailed down my back in the store near a clothing rack. The man helping Zane ran to the back to fetch a few ties to select between. I blinked, the thought of being discharged to the ground sucked. After all I had down for the UGN, this was their way of thanking me. Red and Winona had pulled me in their office the week I came back for a round-table meeting. “Miss Griff, we would like to thank you for your service and your dedication in the successful Bot 404 assignment.” Winona said, with a warm smile. Behind her eyes was sadness, but why? She sighed, sitting down, “We regret to inform you that your service is not currently required in the Intergalactic Space Station. Considering your status, we need you to lay low, hence why we have made the assignment dormant until further notice and are relocating you to the Kirkland United Galactic Forces Headquarters.” Great. That’s exactly what I deserved after all of that. I squinted, looking from Winona to Red, “Is this a joke?” An edge in my voice cutting the air. Red cleared his throat, pain in his eyes, “You’re considered deceased to Valorions and right now were in rough waters so we need to send you, and others, somewhere safe until further notice.” Red eyed me with his bright blue eyes, “The Intergalactic Space Station is not safe, Griff.” What did that mean? How could the space station not be safe? Tourists visited who were just normal beings, people. It was the site for the most protection on the planet with UGN officers carefully supervising each floor. How couldn’t it be moresafe? “I can’t wait.” I said, sarcasm leaving my lips as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, seeing a ghost of a girl I once knew. She was gone, and this new Rayne would not be kept on Hanna for long, I could assure that. Zane chuckled, stepping away from me as the Ora salesman came back out. - - - A few days passed and Gemma and I were packing our bags. Gemma caught my glance, her eyes watering, “I don’t want to go back to Zenon, Rayne.” She shook her head, “I love being here, with you all.” We were all splitting our ways. Gemma was going to Zenon, Eli to Valorion, Ryo to Hanna with me, and, surprisingly, Zane was staying on the Intergalactic Space Station for a few more days and would be going to Hanna soon after. Derren had quit the Galactic Forces the day the men in black tried to kill me. Apparently, it was 'too much' for him. I shook my head, my jaw tightening, “Yeah, fuck Hanna, dude.” I said, plopping on Gemma’s bed and laying back, “Fuck everything. This is stupid.” I shook my head, still mad about the sudden change of assignments by Winona. I knew Winona’s intentions were good but I thought the Magnificent 7 assignment had been going well. Apparently, ever since someone attempted to kill me and there was a change in directors, again, Winona said everything that had been controlled by Vix must be changed to protect all of our officers. Gemma plopped on her bed, laying next to me as we both stared at the ceiling, “At least Ryo and Zane are going to Hanna with you. I feel completely alone.” She frowned. I shook my head, “You’re never alone, Gem. I’m always a SpaceVideo or call away.” I said, meeting her watery dark purple eyes. She nodded, wiping a tear away, “I value your acceptance and friendship and I will truly miss you, Rayne Griff.” I frowned, sad to leave her. I wish she was going to Hanna so badly. That night, I stayed up, waiting for Gemma to fall asleep. I asked Zane, innocently, if I could sleep in my own room tonight. This was one of the first nights Zane had let me sleep in my own room, being that he understood Gemma was feeling lonely. Little did he know, I had other plans. Her breathing became louder and rhythmic, like a sweet song. Sometimes I wish I had Zenon blood, they were so naturally eloquent, even when they slept. I quietly crept down from my top bunk, grimacing when I heard a soft squeak. It was my last night on the Intergalactic Space Station, and I had business to attend too before I left. No one could know what I was doing, not even Gemma. I threw on my dark purple hoodie and black sparkly leggings. I slipped out of my room, looking at my watch. I sighed, I’d be leaving the space station in approximately four hours. Great. I went into the elevator, pressing the button for the hospital floor. The elevator zoomed up as I nervously gripped the razor in my hand, slipping it further up my sleeve so no one would see. There was a big security guard sleeping in a chair, snoring loudly. I passed him, with soft steps, as I walked down the hallway, opening double-doors that were usually open during the day. I pulled my hood up as I saw the back of a nurse walk into a patient’s room. I ducked as I walked past the nursing stations counters to the end of the hall, leading to the intensive care unit. Two nurses were talking at a station around the corner that I slipped past. I was looking for room 184. My heart rate was rapidly beating as I silently jogged through the halls to the last room in the corner. The door was closed and I hesitated when I reached for the knob, opening the door. My breathing hitched as I entered, closing the door behind me. There was a white curtain that I peeked my head around, hoping that I’d entered the right room from what Eli told me the other day. Eli said, when he was on the hospital floor when I was here, he had seen Zane enter this room and thought it was Zane’s brother, Daryx. If Eli wasn’t right, I’d have done all this sneaking around for nothing. My mouth fell into a line as I saw a man, with a breathing mask that was hooked up to multiple monitors and medications. I shook my head. Why would I be granted Amaranthine medical support but not him? It didn’t add up. Little did anyone know, the formulations was by Nefareon blood. I didn't have time to stand here and question it. I had to do this quickly before I was caught. My plan could be stupid, hurtful to Daryx. I didn’t know what I was doing, quite honestly, but if my suspicions were correct, I’d be able to help him. To revive him. My blood had the antidote to whatever he was suffering from. I saw a syringe on the counter and scratched my head, looking down at my razor. I grabbed the syringe, shaking my head about how stupid this may be. I had watched a few medical videos on how to retrieve blood from yourself and how to inject medication into a patient’s blood stream. Was this dangerous? Absolutely. Growing up, I always healed faster than my fellow school friends; however, it seems like ever since I had my blood transfusions, I had an incredibly faster healing rate. I had experimented this theory of my own cell regeneration by cutting myself earlier that morning. Minor cuts would heal within seconds, unlike before, where it would be hours. If I had the ability to regenerate my own cells, then it must transfer to others. It had too, after all, Sterling Industries wasn't making such a profit off of it across the galaxies from no results, right? I tied a medical band tourniquet above my elbow, clenching and unclenching my fist as I whipped out a needle. I’m not going to lie: I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I could have blown a vein but I kept stabbing myself, pulling back the syringe waiting for some type of drawback. After my seventh try, blood falling down my arm as if I got stabbed, I had secured a line. I filled a few bottles with my blood. I began feeling lightheaded as I pulled out the syringe. Now this was the hard part: injecting my blood without killing Zane’s brother. Fuck. I pulled up a stool to Daryx as I brought my bottles over, looking at his central line already on his arm. Thank the galaxies he already had a line. I sighed, feeling relief rush through me knowing that I didn’t have to worry about starting a line on him. I connected my injector full of blood, glancing at Daryx’s pale face as he slept. His eye lashes, dark and long like Zane’s. His dark brown hair, longer than the photo I saw of him at Zane’s graduation. He had a beard, but he was handsome in his unresponsive state. I took in a breath for him as I injected my blood, pushing ever so slowly into his blood stream. I continually reattached the new bottles until all my blood had been injected. I threw away my bottles, bringing the old trash over the bottles so no one would see. I sat down on the stool, looking outside the window to the Galaxy as the dim lighting cast over Daryx. I was tired, a bit loopy from my lack of blood, but hopeful. I didn’t know who Daryx was. I didn’t know the relationship him and Zane shared, yet I knew that Zane cared for him, he loved him. Zane was obviously affected by the loss of Daryx and I needed to give Zane a gift, even if he never knew it was from me. Zane deserved that, from all that I had put him through. I had abilities, and I was not going to ignore them any longer. I looked over to Daryx’s face, wondering if this would all work; if my crazy idea was just made up fairy tales, childhood stories. I tapped my fingers on my knee. As minutes passed, I became anxious. What if it didn’t work? What if nothing happened? What if I killed him? It was a stupid, very idiotic idea. I got up, placing the stool back in the corner near his monitors as I heard a beeping increase, then a jostle of sheets. I glanced at Daryx as the beeping got louder and a dinging went off. I froze, as Daryx’s hand ripped the face mask off his face, sitting up and breathing in a panic. I pulled my hood over my head as I turned away from him. His deep voice croaked behind me, “What happened?” I froze, turning my head halfway towards him, my hood covering my face, “Don’t tell anyone I was here, Daryx.” i began walking away. “Wait!” He said in a hushed raspy voice from waking, trying to get up, “Who are you?” I shook my head as I walked out, “You’ll know when you see me again.” I said as I slipped out of his room, seeing a red light blinking above his room. I heard footsteps coming towards the corner so I ran to the opposite hallway. I halted in the hallway as I heard nurses speaking, “How? Doctor Alavord said he’d only have a few more months before he’d suggest pulling the plug.” “Tonight is just never-ending, ain’t it? First the guy in 175 has a cardiac arrest and now this.” “Sleeping Handsome in 184 is finally awake girls.” Another nurse said nearby. I ducked as I quietly crept past the nursing station as they all spoke to one another in awe. Chapter 54: The Mysterious Numbers I got back into my room, cuddling Rhorf as I fell into a deep slumber, only to be awoken by Gemma shaking me a few hours later. “What the hell, Gem.” I squinted at her in my sleepy state. “Weren’t you supposed to wake up earlier, Rayne? I thought your spacecraft left before mine.” I looked at the time, oh fuck. I forgot to set an alarm. My spacecraft was supposed to leave in ten minutes. I groaned as I put on sweats and a shirt and threw my hair in a bun, grabbing my suitcase and backpack. I embraced Gemma before I ran out the door, flying down the hallway. As I turned a corner, I smacked into Zane's body and it felt like hitting a brick wall. “Hey there.” His bright blue eyes bouncing happier than I had ever seen them as he caught me from falling on the ground. He must have heard the news. “Oh, hey, I have to caught my spacecraft.” I said, in a rush. He pulled me into a hug, lifting me off the ground as I let go of my suitcase. He squeezed me and kissed me on the lips, “I’ll see you in a few days, babygirl.” I winked as I grabbed my rolling black suitcase, “That’s if I don’t go missing.” He laughed, loudly, “Don’t joke like that, Rayne, that’s not funny.” I smiled, with a mischievous grin to him before I turned around, beginning to jog. “Be good while I’m gone.” I heard Zane say behind me. I rolled my eyes, oh, if he only knew. I actually made it with a few minutes to spare, “I was beginning to think that you were ditching me because I smelled bad or something.” Ryo said as he threw my suitcase and backpack in the overhead storage. I laughed, “No, you do smell bad but I just couldn’t wait to go to Hanna so I came with anyways.” I said as sarcasm left my mouth. “Yea, I’m not excited to go back myself but since were Red’s bitches we don’t have a choice I guess.” I laughed. He still called us ‘Red’s bitches’ after all this time. - - - I drank my iced coffee on the porch of my new Hannan home on the outskirts of Kirkland, Hanna. I had only been alone here for a day already, yet it felt longer. It was the same home that I was in after waking up her a few weeks ago with Eli. It was beautiful and had a home-like feeling to it. I walked through Zane’s room, feeling his green plaid mattress cover and smelling his cologne on his dresser. This must have been his home. I had curiously explored every single room, well, besides one. There was a room that was locked and I searched everywhere for the key, but, alas, no key to be found. It must have been a storage closet or something. I shook off my curiosity. I looked at my phone as I sipped my coffee, scrolling through the intergalactic web and reading UGN articles about the Sequoia Airspace. I looked at my contact list on my iGlass phone, looking for Gemma. I saw Fern’s name as I scrolled and tapped my finger. I should reach out to them, but maybe it was dangerous. Ever since the Helix, I considered everything tapped. Paranoid, one would call me, but I couldn’t trust anyone or anything anymore. I got up, taking my hovercar key from the table as I grabbed a water. I decided it’d be best to just drive there. A nice two hour drive to Petri, Hanna wouldn’t be too bad right? I sighed as I glided my hand across my 2118 Audi Z300 hovercar's exterior. It was a luxury sports hovercar that was completely black, with titanium trim wheels and a beautiful interior. This car cost hundreds of thousand Hannan dollars. I was scared to drive it, but there was a license on the table and registration with the car under my name. Whoever thought it was a good idea to give me this car must have been out of their mind. I test drove it the day before around a few long roads near me but this would be my first time actually going somewhere with it. “Well, here goes nothing.” I said as I began the ignition by pressing a button. “Welcome, Rayne Griff, where to today?” A robotic woman’s voice greeted me. I gave her my address for my old home in Petri, Hanna. The car revved it’s engine as I pressed the gas and it backed out of the driveway without me touching the steering wheel nor pedal after the initial tap. I sat back, I could literally take a nap without even touching the steering wheel. After all, hovercars drove themselves. In the past century, engineers designed hovercars to prevent accidents. In studies, the main proponent of accidents were being error. If the being is out of the equation, then the rate of accidents on Hanna, or any planet, would go down. In order to steer, I’d have to manually override the car, in which I wasn’t trying to do. I flipped through the movies to watch on the screen that was the control panel for the AC and music as I reclined my chair back. I squinted, why were there only kid’s movies? I tried going to the mature section of the movies and the robotic woman spoke, “Parental access required.” “You have to be fucking kidding me.” This had Zane written all over it. Ugh. I rolled my eyes. To say the least, as many times as I tried to use the thumb sensor to unlock the parental access, it didn’t work. I ended up watching Sour and Sweet Gummy Girls: The Movie that was a popular little girl’s show that had been turned into a movie. Below the screen, where the movie played, was a panel with a small vaporizer and a shelf underneath that opened to portable meals that were as small as cards that needed to be ‘vaporized’. I flipped the aluminum orange card in my hand that said “Instant! Ramen.” I looked through the aluminum wrapped cards: French fries, mozzarella sticks, spaghetti, orange chicken, BLT sandwich, omlet, burger, quesadilla and the list went on and on. I shook my head, why the hell was a vaporizer in this hovercar? A square slot opened underneath the screen playing my movie. I shrugged, slipping the spaghetti packet through the slot as it fed through and the slot disappeared. A dark glass window covered the panel like a microwave, a ding sounded and a bowl of steaming spaghetti popped up from the packet, behind where the packets laid. So fucking cool. A hour or so after I had been watching my movie and eating spaghetti, the robotic woman spoke,“ETA in 5 minutes.” I slowly inclined my chair into an upright position as I saw familiar streets in front of me. Cookie cutter houses. Well-kept lawns. Yep, definitely in Petri, Hanna. I knocked on the door, awkwardly waiting as I clasped my hands in front of myself. I had no idea if Fern or George were working. I know Fern volunteered at an animal shelter only part-time, but George worked full-time as a brick-layer. I almost thought, maybe, just maybe, I should have called and risked it all. After all, I’m sure there’s a location tracker on my phone. The door opened, Fern’s mouth dropping as her blue eyes met mine, “R-rayne?” Her eyes became watery as she stepped towards me, with a hug. I scrunched my face, pure confusion washing over me. She was acting as if I died. I knew she’d miss me when I left, but not this much. She took a step back, her hands in mine as she looked me over, “You-“ She shook her head in astonishment, “You’re alive.” She said to herself as she met my eyes. “Unfortunately so.” I said, with a smile. Fern laughed, “How I’ve missed those smart remarks.” She paused, “Come in honey. I have so many questions.” Fern sat down and I asked how she knew and she said the UGNF sent her mail of my death. I smiled, saying that it was a mistake, that my undercover profile died but not me. I didn’t go into detail, nor tell her that I was even on Valorion, but I gave her some information about how incredible the Intergalactic Space Station was. I was a UGNF spy after all, I couldn’t give everyone my inside information. George came home as Fern cooked us dinner and he teared up too, walking to his room as if he weren’t. He came back and hugged me, “Just try not to do that to us ever again, okay? This old guy can’t take any more heart breaking.” He winked, trying to make a joke out of it. “No promises, George.” I smiled, wide. I had something on my mind as I ate Fern’s mostacciolli, moving my last few noodles around, “Do you still have my parent’s books, from their library?” It was rare for people to have books, and close to nonexistent to have a library. My parents were a special breed of people, that was certain. George, looking up from his newspaper, said, “We have a few boxes in the attic.” An hour later, George was walking me up the stairs to the attic. Cobb webs and dust flew around as streaks of sun fell over the creeking wooden floor boards. There were tons of boxes, Christmas decorations, and old clothes around the attic. George left me to a corner where all my parent’s items were kept. “I have to catch the Fennington Farrows game, but you stay up here however long you want, kiddo.” I nodded, kneeling down to pictures of my mom, my dad and I at my preschool graduation. My eyes became watery as I smiled, flipping through pictures of just my mother and father in high school. My mom was a cheerleader and my dad was the quarterback on the football team. My mom’s dark purple hair was in a ponytail as my dad held her on his shoulders, her dark brown eyes smiling. My eyes flashed as I saw a guy behind them with bright orangey-red hair hair, Red. Did he know more about my mother than I ever knew? I kept flipping through pictures I had seen before, yet never in this light. Red was in a lot of them. When they were young teens at family parties. At some retro diner. At prom when my mom and my dad became prom king and queen. Some of them only Red and my mom were in, looking like friends. Others, all three of them and their other friends were in. Why did Red never tell me he knew my mom like this? Did he know what happened to her? Or my dad? I shook my head, setting the images on the ground as I dug through books underneath. I was looking for one in specific. The first box I checked, no luck. I shook my head as I dug through the second box. The Space Time Continuum. Reorf History. Planetarium Inquisition. The Gift. My eyes landed on the book I was greedily searching for: The Tales of Nefareon. I squinted, seeing a bookmark. I cocked my head as I opened the page, curiously. Numbers were written over a page. I read, confused. It all made absolutely no sense. They looked like space coordinates. I shook my head. Was this a clue on where my parent’s were? From my dad? My mom? The handwriting looked familiar but I couldn’t place it. Who wrote this? Was I supposed to follow? I flipped through the book, looking for answers. A distant memory of a dream popped up in my head. When will you pay attention? The answers are right in front of you. They have been. For a while now. The centaur man in my dream said. He was right, the answers were in front of me this whole time. Right above my head for the past ten years of my life. Chapter 55: It Was All Rhorf's Fault I sat on the mahogany kitchen table as I had my hand outstretched, focusing on a plastic cup. I eyed the cup, trying to make it move. I huffed, giving up as I stood; I had been trying for an hour. I crossed my arms, obviously my power only presented itself when it was dire, not when I was bored. I shook my head, then squinted my eyes. When it was dire. I thought back to the times when my power presented itself. When I pushed Kyla because I didn’t want her to hurt Gemma or get them both in trouble. When I pushed Zane to save his life. The immense emotion I felt. Was it out of anger? I didn’t push Zane because I was mad at him. Was it love then? I didn’t push Kyla because I loved her. It didn’t make sense. I sat back down, closing my eyes and thinking about a powerful emotion. I thought about the tanks I saw with people floating in them. My heart picked up pace just thinking about it. I felt my chair suddenly jump as energy came out of my hands. I shifted, laughing for scaring my own self. I placed my hands in front of me, towards the cup. I thought about a time where I loved someone so much, I’d take my life before theirs. Like saving Zane. In a flash of my eyes, my hair moved as if a strong wind hit it and the chairs crashed into the wall, leaving dents and scratches. The table flipped over and the cup collided into the wall. Well, fuck. I scratched my head, this would be hard to explain to whoever owned this house. The rest of the day, I took my gift outside. I practiced with a soccer ball I found in the garage. I threw it up in the sky and outstretched my hand as gravity pulled it down. I didn’t touch it as I felt energy leave my hands, hitting the ball up again. I ended up playing a few games with myself, seeing how many times I could hit the soccer ball without it hitting the ground. The answer was 22 times. So far. I had only stopped as I heard a rumble of a car passing the street. If I continued, I probably would have been much higher. At one point, the soccer ball hit the house and flung back to me quickly. My hand wasn’t extended to hit it back but I placed both of my hands to shield my face from the ball, palms facing it. For a moment, I didn’t feel an impact. I uncovered my face to see the ball levitating. I felt my energy holding the ball in the air, as if it were a light weight. I smiled, feeling the energy surround the soccer ball as it rotated in midair. Incredible. After three hours, I felt light-headed and tired. It was odd, because I hadn’t ran nor worked out yet and it felt as if I ran a marathon. I wiped out on the couch at 7 PM, waking up, semiconsciously, the next morning to someone entering the house. I heard a light chuckle, one so familiar to me, as I felt strong arms scoop me up and cradle me. By the smell, in my unconscious state, I could tell it was Zane. I opened my eyes in a squint as he placed his belonging in his room and changed into sweat pants and a black UGNF shirt. He got into bed with me and cuddled me. I fell back asleep soon after as he kissed my head. I woke up an hour later, the smell of bacon and eggs invading my nostrils. I smiled as I stretched and rolled over on Zane’s bed. “Look who’s awake.” I heard a chuckle from the doorway. I opened one eye, “I’m still sleeping, thank you.” Sarcasm leaving my mouth as he rose his eyebrows. I met his glance as his eyes danced playfully, “Ah, in the three days you’ve been away from me you’ve managed to gain some sort of attitude.” He smiled, walking over to me and scooping me up underneath my armpits. I squirmed, “Hey! Not cool, I can walk, you know.” I huffed in his arms. He placed a hand on my bottom as he held me on his hip, “Not today, babygirl.” I squinted at him. What did that mean? He wasn’t planning on babying me today, was he? I grumbled as he sat me down on a chair at the dining table. I looked up at the high ceiling in the living room, “Who owns this place?” Zane sat a purple princess sippy cup in front of me, “I do.” “When did you even have the time to buy it?” I asked, in awe as I imagined the price. Surely, more expensive than he could afford. The UGNF paid decently, but not enough to afford beautiful places like these. Maybe this house was cheaper because it was on the outskirts of Kirkland, Hanna. Maybe Zane made a lot more money than the rest of the Elite Division. I made a pretty penny these past few months, but not enough to afford something like this. He paused as he was placing scrambled eggs on a plate, his back stiffening, “I had a lot of time alone on my missions,” His body relaxed as he continued, “So, I looked at a lot of houses on my phone and ended up buying one in the meantime.” Zane’s blue eyes studied mine as he placed a plate with scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns before me. There was some white lie between his words. What was he not telling me? I may have seemed like his gullible little girl, but he didn’t know the things I knew. I broke his glance, shaking my head, “Cut the bullshit, Zane.” From all that I’ve been through, I wanted answers. Zane sat at the table with me, holding a towel in his hand as I met his confused eyes, “What do you mean, Rayne?” My jaw tightened, “How can you afford all of this? The hovercar? How in the hell?” I squinted at him. He had to be the one who purchased me the hovercar too, no one else would have place parental access of it. His eyes flashed with something I didn’t understand. He was holding back something from me. He looked down at the table, “I have two incomes, one from Sequoia Capitol and one from the UGN now.” I nodded, it made a little bit of sense. Zane changed the subject, looking at the wall, “Who did that?” His voice had a stern tone, like a parent’s. I looked at the wall, a few marks and a large gash. I began stabbing my eggs as I ate silently, shrugging, “Must have been Rhorf.” I met his eyes. He sipped his coffee, eyeing me as he set it down, quiet. Waiting for a better explanation. I blushed as I had a piece of my bacon. He was belittling me, and it made me feel small. “I don’t think Rhorf would be that violent.” Zane played along with my game. I stifled a giggle, “You don’t know him like I do, Daddy.” I sipped from my orange juice in my sippy cup innocently. Zane flashed a grin as he scratched his chin scruff, shaking his head. “I think a little baby named Rayne did it.” He began eating as his eyes caught my glance. I looked down at my plate, eating my last strip of bacon, “I didn’t mean too.” I said as I pouted. I really, truly, didn’t mean too. Obviously, I didn’t know how powerful I was and I should have went outside instead of practicing inside. Whoops. “Hm, did you now?” He finished eating, taking both our plates to the sink. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. Oh, it was coming. He was quietly fuming as he washed the dishes. I watched him, his veins showing faintly around his well-built arms as he scrubbed a dish. God damn, he was fine. It amazed me that someone, oh so handsome, like Zane, was into this type of thing. Roleplaying as a Daddy to a little like myself. I sipped my juice, with both hands as I sat there, waiting for it. He dried the dishes and turned towards me, resting his palms on the counter as he studied me. I fixed my black shirt and looked at my black satin pajama shorts as I awkwardly sat there. I was not dressed like a toddler and I had a feeling that my attire would change very, very soon. “What happened to the wall, Rayne?” He asked with an air of authority, saying my name like I was in trouble. I felt an edge of exitement build in me as he threatened me. It was a thrilling feeling, yet I'd be lying if I weren't slightly scared. I smiled, feeling energy surge through my palms as I let go of my sippy cup, Zane giving a confused look as my energy caught it in midair. I floated the sippy cup higher, to the level of my head. Zane blinked at the sippy cup, rotating in midair, his eyes watching in awe. He looked surprised by how I was able to control it so smoothly. It had been the first time I’d ever showed him that I could manipulate my gift. I dropped it, catching it as it fell in my hand. I set it down on the table. “I was playing.” I frowned, hoping he’d understand. “And you chose to play inside?” He mused, understanding now what had happened by me showing him my new gift. I shrugged, “To be fair, I thought nothing was going to happen.” I said in a serious tone. He laughed, “I thought you were a big girl and would know to play outside.” He crossed his arms, “I think a punishment is in order.” That was the line I was hoping he wasn't going to say. Zane pulled the chair out and sat down, patting his lap, “Come here.” His face was stone cold as he looked at me. I stood up, standing next to him as I innocently looked at him, “Buh-but-“ “No ‘buts’, you’re not getting out of this one.” He pulled my satin shorts and underwear down as he brought me over his lap. His hand traced my bottom and I jumped, expecting a spank. I heard him rumble with a laugh as he tormented me, building up anticipation. Then, a loud smack resonated through me as I felt stinging on my bottom. I teared up a little bit as he continued. I whimpered after a few minutes and he finally stopped, pulling me to my feet. I began bringing up my underwear as he snapped at me, “No, no, babies don’t wear those.” He removed my underwear and shorts from my ankles and took my hand. He pulled out a key from his pocket as he led me to the locked room. So that's where the mysterious key was this whole time. “I have a special surprise for you, Rayne.” He unlocked the door, opening it, “Consider it a belated birthday present.” I blinked, realizing that the Earth and Valorion Christmas and my birthday had both passed. My birthday was on December 13thand I missed it, turning 19 without ever having a celebration. Hanna had an opposite seasonal schedule. Christmas was in August here, however, there was almost never snow in Kirkland, only a fall breeze. I looked inside the room, feeling the hardwood oak floor that had a large pink and purple galaxy rug on it. The walls were painted with pink and purple clouds and the ceiling was black, with glow-in-the-dark stars and planets across it. A large dark wood framed bed with crib railing that has a purple cover was over it and a pink fuzzy blanket. A few white fluffy pillows decorated the bed. There was a desk with crayon, colored pencil boxes and coloring books. A black wood changing table sat adjacent to the bed. There was a large dark wood dresser with lace swirls carved into the wood and stuffed animals sitting on top of it. In a corner near the dresser was a wooden toy box with baby toys peeking out of it. A closet was open with light colored, pastel clothes. I walked over to the closet, curious of the clothing. There was a bright pink fuzzy footed sleeper onesie that looked like a monster. A white lace dress. A flower sundress. Dark indigo jean short overalls. Frilly skirts. I blinked, blushing at the room as I looked at how beautiful it was. It had a sense of my own personality in it. It was embarrassing, yet amazing. “I love it.” I said, realizing that I was still pants-less. I pulled my black shirt down shyly. He grinned, eyes twinkling happily, “Let’s get you changed into something more appropriate, hm?” Zane cocked his head at me and I blushed. He pulled me up, onto the changing table. There was a soft, light pink changing cloth draped under it. Zane unfolded a white fluffy diaper that was decorated with butterflies underneath me. It looked soft, super babyish. I blushed as he powdered my bottom and pulled the front of the diaper over me. The diaper was fluffier than normal, noticeably thicker as I moved around. I looked down at how pronounced it looked. I sat up, feeling the thick padding under me, blushing. Zane helped me out of my shirt and went to my new dresser, choosing an outfit for me. He came back over with a soft pink onesie with snaps at the crotch, a pink monster pacifier and frilly lace socks. He helped me into the onesie, snapping the crotch area and brushing the diaper’s leak guards before putting the socks on. He plopped the pacifier in my mouth and attached a clip to the pencil pocket of my onesie. Zane paused, looking me over, from head to toe, with a smile placed on his face, his blue eyes dancing happily. He picked me up, holding me on his hip as he placed me on the floor, “Daddy has to do some work but you can play with your toys or color, okay?” He placed Rhorf near me with crayons and the coloring book as he looked down to me. I mumbled behind my paci, “Mhm, daddy.” I felt so small, so tiny as I sat there on my padded bottom. Zane stood there, watching as I opened my coloring book, flipping through pages. He looked like he didn’t want to leave me but he slowly walked back to the kitchen. I spent an hour or two coloring a dragon and then a castle. I rolled around on the floor as I fell my bladder increasing. I hadn’t used the restroom since the day before and the orange juice was no help. As I squirmed, I could hear Zane on the phone. It was incredible, really, how much my hearing had gotten better since I passed away. Did I really die though? Or was I just knocked unconscious? I honestly didn’t know. The only thing I knew was: my hearing was more sensitive, my sight was sharper, my gift became stronger and my healing had rapidly sped up. It was as if whatever happened to me evolved my gifts that had been dormant for so long. Zane spoke in a low voice, “How soon?” He paused, tapping his fingers on what I could only assume was wood. “I need a longer vacation than that.” He said, a serious tone enveloping his words. Was this his vacation? “Sure, go ahead with it. Just send me the files.” Was he talking to the UGN? To the Sequoian Capitol? “Bye.” I shifted on the floor as I heard him stand up, walking around the kitchen, opening the fridge and then his footsteps approached my room. A few trickles of pee escaped into my diaper as he walked in, “Is someone wet?” He kneeled next to me, a finger brushing my inner thigh, entering the crotch area of my diaper. Oh, how I wish he’d do something else. “Not enough for a change.” He said, more to himself, as he set a sippy cup full of water next to me. I rolled on my back, staring up at him with playful eyes. He smiled, his hands tickling my sides as he lunged on top of me, kissing my forehead. I giggled loudly as he tickled me. He found my ticklish spot behind my knee and I tried to crawl away from him but he grabbed my ankle and held my leg down as he tickled the back of my knee. “Mmph, Zanh!” I said behind my paci as I giggled, peeing in my diaper from the tickles. “How many times do I have to tell you? That’s not my name to you.” He grabbed my foot next, tickling my sole. A tear escaped my eyes, I was laughing so hard. “Daddhee!” I mumbled. He stopped, scooping me up and onto the bed as he laid down with me, caressing my hair softly with a grin. My diaper was soaked and squishy as I squirmed. It felt nice, in a way, basking in my own mess. Was it weird? Probably. Yet I knew Zane accepted me and I accepted him. Maybe we were both weirdos, yet that’s what bonded us so closely. That night, after dinner, Zane said, “You’ve been a good girl today, Rayne.” He dabbed a warm wash cloth on my face, cleaning my mouth. I grinned, feeling so little. “How about I take you to get some ice cream and candy?” Zane’s blue eyes studied my face. I nodded with a smile, “Yes, Daddy, I’d like that.” I said, bouncing in my chair. He brought me to my new room, picking the dark indigo jean short overalls out of the closet. “Won’t people know?” I asked, timidly, breaking my little girl role I had all day as I stood near the changing table. He helped me into the first leg, “Does it matter?” His eyes met mine, mischievously. Zane helped me into his black titanium hovercar as he adjusted my seatbelt and winked at me. I sat quietly as we drove twenty minutes down the road to downtown Kirkland, where Kirkland Sweet Emporium was. The place was large, considering it was a tourist destination, with candy sprinkled galore a giant swirling pink, purple and light blue cotton candy tornado in the center where kids could roll their own cotton candy sticks. There were three floors of sweets from around the galaxies. A chocolate bar escalator took families up the floors. I walked around, looking at the shelves of candy and aisles in awe. There was a gift shop on the second floor and the ‘Manufacture Your Own Candy’ area on the third floor. Teens and kids walked around as we weaved through them. Zane held my hand, squeezing it after I manufactured my own super sour alpaca gummies, “I’m going to use the restroom, be right back.” I nodded as I walked down the aisle where gums from different planets were. A chill went down my spine as I heard a voice in my head: Tsk. Tsk. Rayne. Enjoy your moments while you can. We have business to attend to very soon. My back stiffened as I looked around. It was Sid’s voice. Where was he? I looked in front of me, through the shelves I saw his constricting yellow eyes, carefully watching me. I froze in place, as I felt my bladder suddenly give. I gasped, blushing in embarrassment. I didn’t do that. Sid controlled me. I clenched my fist, as I felt my once dry diaper become heavy with warmth. Don’t act as if you don’t like to be treated like the baby you are, Rayne. You’re not fooling anyone but yourself. Why did he treat me like this every time I saw him? If he were my friend, then what was his purpose? I shook my head and thought strongly, Leave me alone. He paced the floor, walking past the aisle I was in. I simply cannot. Why? Why can’t he? He didn’t make any fucking sense. It was beyond annoying and creepy. I shook my head, confused. I’ll answer your questions on a later date, tiny one. Make sure your Daddy gives you a fresh diaper. I flushed red as he disappeared. I shook my head. It was strange how he followed me to Hanna, let alone, made me wet myself. It made no sense. The worse part was: I liked the humiliation. It made me blush and feel unsettling, yet I craved more of it from Sid. Why? What the fuck was wrong with me? Zane’s hand brushed my arm and I jumped. “What’s wrong?” Zane asked, his eyes studying me. I shook my head, “Nothing, just lost in thought.” I gave a weak smile. Why didn’t I tell Zane about Sid? I should have said something, yet I didn’t. Somewhere in my feelings I thought it may be best to keep the whole Sid fiasco a secret. Zane would probably kill Sid if he only knew. I needed answers on why Sid was following me and telling Zane would only further complicate things. He grinned, “Let’s get some ice cream and go home. How does that sound?” I nodded, walking with him with a waddle, feeling the squish between my thighs. That night, when Zane surprisingly fell asleep before me, I slipped out from under his arms and walked over to the nursery where I placed my own belongings. I grabbed my book, opening it once more, reading the Tales of Nefareon. I fell asleep on my new bed while reading the story, searching for answers. As I dreamed, I heard my own voice, telling my own version of the story. One that was not a made up tale, but the truth. My voice seemed different, all-knowing, matured. As if she were me, but in the future. I couldn’t pinpoint how I knew this, yet I did. Whatever story she was telling was important. Although, I knew, when I'd wake again, the story would fade before my conscious mind could remember it. The Epilogue to the Prologue: The Hidden History of the Fae In Nefareon, the fae ruled the lands to keep peace across the planet. For many years, the fae took care of these creatures and preserved the beautiful gardens, wildlife, waters and trees with their talents with magic. The fae placed delicate care in the soil of Nefareon. They watered the plants, brought new life to the soil, took great care of animals, and healed the weak and sick with their talents. Blood of the fae could treat any organism, save any creature, even humans. The fae were held to high regards and were well-respected across the lands. They ruled by the popular vote of the creatures, not by dictatorship in any way, shape, or form. King Theo and Queen Geradeen ruled for many years until galactic year 7.458. The Nefareons lived for hundreds of years alone, with peace, and without any sign of otherworld beings. They were much like Earthlings and unfamiliar with the outer worlds. Anything alien was frightening and could potentially threaten the fae’s way of life and the creatures of the planet. Which is what was what would happen in GY 7.458. In the few years following this attack from extra-terrestrials, Nefareon was receiving strange whole planet power outages, signals on radios that were in foreign languages. Creatures were being abducted without any explanation and weird changes in temperatures occurred across the planet. Then the worst and most phenomenal event occurred: the magnetic poles shifted completely. The North turned warm and the south turned absurdly cold. Seasons changed and the worst of winters came and the hottest, driest summers with unexplainable gargantuan storms destroyed cities and towns. Areas near seas were completely taken by catastrophic waves. Many ancient creatures became extinct and the fae was attempting to preserve every being possible but could only help so many. The most well-known scientists of Nefareon could not explain what caused this besides something entering the orbital system of the Aareon Galaxy. Little did they know, Nefareon was being watched for many, many years by extra-terrestrial beings. What the fae had, was being experimented with, examined closely. These aliens had never seen such amazing talents of bringing people back to life, creating new plants out of dead seeds, interacting with force fields of energy to levitate themselves, interact with the elements without touching them, or, most of all, the elixir of life, what any wealthy being would kill for. Immortality. A whole planet, immortal. Living every day, not scared of aging. These aliens wanted what they could never have. The Nefareons were only just beginning to develop their first aircraft to be sent into space. They were an undeveloped planet who had just began in a galactic adventure. Whatever was going to happen to their planet, they could not even begin to comprehend because of their little understanding of the galaxy. Aliens came in meteors as they entered Nefareon’s atmosphere. The Nefareons were just developing space crafts that were the size if an ant compared to the size of the space crafts that entered Nefareon. The space crafts landed quietly even though they looked to be approaching the ground as a bomb. Hundreds of space crafts landed around the planet, invading the lives of the Nefareons. King Theo and Queen Geradeen were the first taken as these aliens occupied Nefareon. King Theo attempted translating to the aliens that the Nefareons open their arms to new creatures; however, if threatened, the Nefareons would have no choice but to fight. The aliens introduced themselves as the people of Sequoia Capital and did not come for peace. They came to take every single fae and creature of Nefareon for use of their planet, Valorion. King Theo and Queen Geradeen were allowed to leave the spacecraft if sworn to the people of Sequoia that they would reason with the Nefareons to come into the spacecrafts peacefully, without conflict. Theo and Geradeen swore that they would; little did the Sequoians know that a long war was about to begin. One that the Nefareons would lose, but they would survive for many years after many generations. After Nefareons defeat, the history books would paint Nefareons as evil, malicious breeds of creatures to inhibit many parts of the galaxies to this day. The tale of time that Nefareons had magical powers would fade away. Sequoia would say that ancient Sequoians tried making peace but the Nefareons attempted to kill to keep their secrets of immortality away from all creatures. Nefareons were selfish. Nefareons would not stop to hide these secrets and this is why the Nefareons had to be made extinct. The fae were lethal to people of the galaxy and would harm everyone if kept alive. Sequoia protected the people and creatures of the galaxy by making Nefareons extinct. And so they did. Or at least they thought. With the Nefareons blood, Sequoia would become the wealthy people of Valorion that would be controlling many aspects of life for creatures from every planet, such as Earthlings and Nefareons, and even council members from the United Galactic Nations. But the true story of the Nefareon is just made up tales told to the young ones, isn’t it? I wish this was the only tale that was known as a made up story; unfortunately, there are many more stories like this. Invaded planets. Abducted people. Stolen lives. Spellbound galaxies. Too bad this is only just the beginning. Get your popcorn out and I’ll lead you through the beginning of mine.

Chapter 51: Blood Oath Zane. I screamed in pain as a crystal twine, the diameter of a skinny shoelace, intertwined around my thumb, encircling up my forearm up to my elbow in a pattern of the Valorion Supremacy symbol singeing the top of layer of my skin. “This will only show in ultraviolet lighting.” Agent 54 said. The pain smoldered across my arm as they pulled the hot twine off of me, placing a digital contract in front of me. I stamped my burning forearm on it in a wince as I saw a blue light flash on the tablet, as if it were a copying machine, and I pulled away. He placed a layer of gel over my arm as the pain subsided, the fresh burns disappearing before my very eyes. He then took a blue light across my arm as the new skin branding rippled dark blue above my veins like a tattoo, showing an all-knowing constricted snake’s eye with scales that twisted into swirl patterns around it. “We began the transfusions and surgery.” Vix said, standing up with Aries, “She should be fully healed within a few hours. We’ll assure she has full hair regrowth before we initialize her to become a bot. She’ll be asleep for a week before we send her in.” I asked, touching the marks that were left on my hands from the cuffs, “I would like to be at the Sequoia Airspace with her. Please.” I said, begging. I never begged once in my life, yet here I was, completely out of words. “We assumed you would say that, so we have you covered already.” Vix and Aries began walking away, almost in sync, “As much as you feel like you aren’t in control right now, Zane, with us, you are. We believe in you, as much as you don’t trust the purpose.” She said, “You’re one of the owners of the Sequoia Airspace. Take advantage of your new status, wealth and power.” Power. The word made me feel stronger, more complete as I heard it. What would my new title entail? I had no idea, but I needed that reassurance right now, when I felt so vulnerable. I sat there, not moving, not knowing if I should get up, “And you’re one of us now, feel free to walk the halls.” A few hours passed as I paced around the halls of, what I assumed, was the basement of the Sterling Industries building. I hadn't left the floor since I woke up, too anxious to leave the area Rayne was near. The doctor, Dr. Fredericks, gave me updates frequently on Rayne. He told me that they had to reconstruct her spine, her arm, her hip and leg. I didn’t want the intricate details of her recovery, but he kept me updated anyways. On the fourth hour, as promised, the doctor visited me as I sat at the table where I awoke originally. “She’s back completely, Mr. Vandore.” He said with a new level of respect to my name, “Come with me.” I followed him down a few hallways to a glass room where she slept in a hibernation pod, completely unconscious. Her cheeks were flushed, lips pink, and her black raven hair regrown in bouncy waves. It looked like nothing ever happened, almost as if it were a nightmare. If anything, she looked more beautiful than I had ever seen, with soft glowing skin and longer lashes. The only other thing different about her was tiny stitches that traveled from her ear down her jaw to her back and then swirling around her arm and leg, almost imperceptible to the eye. “Can she wake up?” I asked, wanting to talk to her, tell her about everything that had happened. All the lies I had up my sleeves, I wanted her to know. I wanted to protect her from my secrets for so long, but it was time for her to know. Dr. Fredericks shook his head, “Negative. She has a memory block inserted in her brain for when she’s initiated.” He explained, “It would confuse her tremendously if you woke her. She knows nothing, as if a young child.” I nodded, my body becoming stiff. My baby, already gone. I sucked in air from the pain, knowing it would be a long while until those quick eyes would know everything once more. I longed for my comfort back, my happy place. To wrap her in my arms and coo her. To love her, forever. I wanted it, so much, but we all had to make sacrifices for love. This was my sacrifice, my life for Rayne. She deserved a long, rewarding life. She didn’t deserve to be a casualty of the UGNF. I wouldn’t allow that ever again. I was part of the Valorion Supremacy now so I could insure her safety. I knew I was in the depths of dark forces, yet I felt a comfort in it. I was blackmailed into my throne, but I wasn’t going to misuse it. I wasn’t afraid of the Supremacy, nor my future. As dangerous as my new position would be, it would keep Rayne safe, sound. That’s the only thing that mattered to me, and I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything touch my baby ever again. After all, I could protect her, once more, in a way I never thought possible.

I do the EXACT same thing before I read any story so I 100% understand, haha. Also, I feel as if I 'reversed catfished' people by the title and I honestly would not have clicked the link to this story either because I am not a fan of ABDL robot stories, but this isn't that, just a pseudo robot story, haha. Thank you for going the extra mile to get past that and read further! I've spent many hours of brainstorming, writing and editing and I appreciate that I made a story in which people are willing to give it a binge read. ? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 50: Til Death Do Us Part Zane. I had imagined a future with Rayne Griff. I had imagined how I would propose to her in front of all of her friends.Having her to meet my mother. Even my brother, considering the terrible state he was in. I imagined her, in a white lace dress, walking down the aisle, the most beautiful thing in the Galaxies, that I would call my wife, my baby forever. I fantasized of her being in a diaper on our wedding day. No one would have known, it’d be our little secret. She’d huff about it, as predicted, but I’d make her wear it anyways. I imagined a big house on Hanna with her. Cooking a breakfast every morning for her, even when she complained ‘she wasn’t hungry’. Going to work out with her at the gym. Splitting our ways each morning to go to work with a kiss. Having date nights each week. Having a customized nursery that was our little secret. Babying her when she acted out. Tending to her whimpers after a spanking. Loving her when she was good. I never would have imagined our story ending here. Never in my wildest fantasies. Life was cruel, sickening. A horror story, yet I was only the audience, watching as I waited for the monster to jump out. As I was flying back through the air, an invisible force that had suddenly impacted my chest, causing me to collide into the wall. I was most likely concussed from the jolt, yet I knew what I saw was not a hallucination. It was, undeniably, her power, her incredible, phenomenal gift. At first, I was beyond amazed, by the power that came from Rayne. The next moment, I saw her turn away from me, facing the grenades, her hands in front of her, hope filling my heart, blocking the explosion too late with her gift, and crushing my heart into pieces. There was a few sudden loud booms and you could see an invisible force field shielding her right side from the explosion, yet her left side to her back wasn’t protected as the light exploded, my ears ringing from the noise. Fiery light hit her body as I covered my face, feeling a heat wave move towards me suddenly, smelling singeing flesh. Moment later after the heat wave dissipated, I cast my gaze to what once was Rayne Griff in hopes she was still alive, yet red was all I saw. I cast my gaze away immediately, seeing what looked like a ran over animal on the ground, wounded. The men in all black came into the lobby, walking over to her, picking up her body. Vile, repulsive thoughts filled my mind. How darethey touch her. How dare they even think about going near her. Moments turned into hours as I screamed, beyond senseless, far beyond sane, at the men. Tears fell down my face as I screamed, without words, charging towards them. I wanted them to kill me. To take my life before I took it from myself. There was no reason to live, no war worth fighting for anymore. I didn’t want to walk the path of life without my partner. Without my lover. Without the one who gave me reason to live. I felt a sting on my neck, knowing the feeling all too well, as I fell on the ground, unconscious. I woke up, a day later, hand-cuffed, to a chair. Where, thefuck, was I? I looked around, seeing black glass walls surrounding me and a white granite floor beneath my feet. Memories of the day before hit me, making me feel things I didn’t want to feel. Was this all a nightmare? It seemed like a dream, but it was all too real. I couldn’t believe it. I sawit, but it didn’t feel like she was dead. Just like my father. It took me a few months until it finally seeped in. This time, it would take much longer, and I didn’t want to even think about living that long without her here. She is my love, my counterpart. She is witty, charming, adorable, intelligent and the list could go on forever. I blinked tears as I thought: yet she was gone. It would take a long while for me to say she had passed on. It would take me even longer to stop using present tense when I spoke about her. She was very much alive to me, her personality, attitude and brattiness could not easily be forgotten, after all. So many emotions combined themselves at once. Immense anger. Dark depression. Suicidal thoughts. Where would I begin? It was one thing to hear of what happened, but seeingit before my eyes was traumatizing. I was beyond traumatized, devastated. I blinked, feeling my face wet. Were those my own tears? I blinked as water fell down my tear ducts. I didn’t cry often, much at all, but I couldn’t stop. The pain was unbearable, unshakeable. Everything in my life was out of my control. My brother was on life support. My mother was alone, completely unknown to me or my brother’s lives. My girlfriend… I couldn’t think it. I just couldn’t. It wasn’t real, I couldn’t believe it. A click sounded as a handful of people walked into the room. I saw familiar faces beyond my blurry eyes, Vix and Aries? A man came behind me, injecting me with some medicine. I winced, unable to make words or speak. I was speechless, too strung out to be coherent. “We’ve injected you with a mild relaxant to calm you.” Vix said, setting her tablet and file case down on the table in front of me. My jaw tightened. Why was I being restrained if this was my so called trusted boss? I felt my mind relax some, the medicine kicking in. “Are you stable enough to hold a serious conversation, Vandore?” Vix said, looking at me. I looked down at the table, defeated, “Sure.” My voice, raspy. She was going to tell me Rayne was dead. I didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t see the terrible things I saw. Heartless Vix could care less. “Rayne is in an unstable state.” Vix said, as my eyes met hers in confusion, not fathoming what her words meant. “She’s alive?” I asked, sitting up quickly, titanium clicking together as my cuffs rattled. Aries spoke, “We’re keeping her alive, but she’s not stable enough to live past another few hours. She’s in critical condition.” I needed to see her one last time, to kiss her small forehead and brush her hair back behind her ears. She needed me. I glared at them, “Let me see her, god damn it.” I had never been so rude to another official but I didn’t care. I needed to see her. “She’s in critical condition so she cannot be visited at the moment.” Vix said, cruelly. I gritted my teeth, “Then, leave my sight.” I said, sitting back, coldly. Vix clasped her hands, “You, and, only you, Vandore, can save her life.” She looked at her watch, “I understand it hard for you to listen carefully with all that happened, but we don’t have much time.” I narrowed my eyes to her, “How can I save her?” I wasn’t that gullible or easily manipulated. I knew the manipulation tactics Vix used and wasn’t new to any of it. Granted, I was vulnerable and desperate to save Rayne, but I wasn’t going to make things worse if they were only trying to play sick mind games. “I don’t know if you’re family has ever mentioned this,” She studied my face, “Your father was one of the owners of the Sequoia Airspace. From his will, he designated your brother to be the owner if he were to ever have passed. Since Daryx has been in an unresponsive state for more than 90 days, that ownership has been designated to you in Daryx’s absence, effective yesterday, September 6th.” So, she was saying, I was an owner of an intergalactic slave trade? Fuck everything I knew, apparently. “What does this have to do with saving Rayne?” I asked, wanting her to get to the point. I didn’t care if I was an owner of the Sequoia Airspace. I just wanted my baby to live, to breath. Vix’s blue lips fell into a line, “You have acquired more than enough wealth, from your father’s will, to afford Miss Griff Amaranthine blood transfusions. She would be able to recover, fully, from her critical state.” It seemed like she wasn’t finished as she sat there, tapping her fingers. “I don’t care the cost. Please, just go ahead with the blood transfusions.” I said, strained. The images of fire singeing her flashed through my mind as I winced at the thought. I just wanted her to be alive, well. I’d give my life for that. Vix nodded, “The only issue that presents itself: she will be going immediately to prison where she will be awaiting trial.” When one problem is fixed, another presents itself. I grimaced, shaking my head, “She didn’t commit any crimes, that’s ridiculous.” Aries shifted in her chair, silent. She didn't speak a word this whole time. Vix smiled, “She’d be on trial for espionage and we all understand what the sentence is for that, Vandore.” My eyes flashed. The death sentence. Even if we saved her, she would still be terminated, again. That thought was sickening, cruel. “Then, what’s the point of any of this?” I said, my fangs showing in anger, repulsion. Was Vix teasing the idea of Rayne alive in front of my face, only to take it away? It was a sick joke. “The Valorion government doesn’t know that she’s still alive, Vandore.” Vix explained, “We have her body, not them.” Who was we? The UGN? These mysterious men in black? After a pause, she continued, as many thoughts raced through my brain, “Valorion will learn that she’s deceased and we will hold a wake for her. Her guardians will get news of her passing, she’ll disappear from Valorions radar completely.” I blinked, thinking of the letter that my mother received in the mail about my father’s passing, “In the meantime, Rayne will be sent to the Sequoia Airspace, as a bot, completely imperceptible.” I shook my head, “No, I will not allow her to be a bot, Vix. That’s an outrageous idea, even for you.” I sat back, feeling the tug of my cuffs. “She wanted this, Zane.” Vix said, propping up her tablet in front of me as a video of Rayne appeared. I blinked back tears, attempting not to cry. Rayne sat on Vix’s red velvet chair in front of her desk, her face deadpanned looking to, only who I could assume, Vix, “I wanted to discuss a future assignment that I’d like to be part of.” Vix’s voice, “That’s not how this works. We create the assignments, then assign what officer or officers we think are most beneficial.” Rayne looked bothered, but changed her facial expressions in a blink of an eye, becoming charming, “With your approval, I’d like to resurface the Sequoian Airspace assignment.” How did she know about that? She must have been hiding what she read from me. I even checked her search history and never saw anythingaround that subject. This was a whole other side of Rayne I had never seen before. The room went silent, and then you could hear Roanoke’s laugh, “Please, do explain how you’re going to enter the assignment with your stature and descent. Oh, dear girl, you have no idea the dangers that would hold for you.” I disliked Roanoke for many reasons, but I wanted to cheer him on as I watched. Hopefully he’d convince her not to choose this path. Please, Rayne, change your mind. Rayne’s eyes squinted as she looks forward, above the camera. Vix asked Roanoke and Aries to leave. “I beg your pardon, Vix, but she requested a meeting with allof us.” Aries said in response, with an edge to her voice. “I would like to talk to Griff in private.” Vix said. After they left, awkwardly, “Expand on your idea, Griff.” She shook her head, her black waves moving as she stood up, “Forget about it.” She looked dejected as she turned around. Vix said, “Sit. As much as I detest your attitude; I believe in your purpose.” She turned her head, sighing, a conflicted look flitting across her green eyes. She stood, holding a serious look, “Send me in as a bot.” No, Rayne, this is exactly what I was trying to warn you of. After a moment, Vix said, “After your assignment.” Rayne’s face looked surprised. Oh no. I shook my head, not believing what I watched, “We can’t use this as consent. She didn’t know what was going to happen to her, the circumstances.” There was no reason for the assignment anymore. She didn’t need to go undercover. If she knew I was an owner of the airspace, all her reasoning would be cast out the window. It was useless for her to become a bot. Vix turned the screen off, looking at me, “It’s our only way to save her. To keep her hidden.” It was a good plan, but the idea disgusted me. Her ice blue eyes constricted, “I understand your confusion, but we have business to discuss, not relating to Griff.” I cocked my head, confused. Why else would we be speaking if not about her? “This meeting is not about her. It’s about you, Mr. Vandore.” A man piped up, near Vix. He was wearing a black suit with a black shirt underneath. Was he one of the men who hurt my baby? Oh, they were lucky I was cuffed. “I’m Agent 54, part of the secret service of the Valorion Supremacy, and we’ve been watching you for a long while.” I didn’t blink, feeling immensely uncomfortable. My heart, pounding. I’ve only seen pictures of these ‘men in black’ across the UGN news. They were the bad guys. Horrible, unexplainable things happened wherever they were sighted. I didn’t want anything to do with them. After all, they seemed to be the ones who did this to Rayne. I couldn’t see his eyes, hidden behind black, opaque glasses, “I’ll make this quick and to the point, Vandore…” He paused, “We would like you to join our ranks, become a double agent, to give us internal information of the UGN.” I blinked, I’d never cross my own. Never. I said, my jaw tightening, “Am I able to think this over?” I tried remaining calm, collected. Vix spoke, “We cannot go ahead on reviving Rayne without your acceptance. The Valorion Supremacy agents would carry out hiding Rayne, in return, you would work, imperceptibly, with the Supremacy.” I blinked. I was being blackmailed. I had no choice. None. I had never felt so powerless. “How do I know this isn’t all a lie? How do I know she’s not dead?” I asked. Even if I had no choice, I wanted to at least have a small amount of control. Out of the corner of my eye, one of the black glass walls illuminated. Rayne was lying in a large pod, intubated, and her chest rapidly moving with her eyes closed, looking like she was a sleeping corpse. Blood ran down the side of her head, half of her hair singed off. Her left side of her body twisted abnormally. Her body was burned in large patches and her hip down to her leg was an open, singed gash. I blinked away. I winced, closing my eyes and trying to push the graphic sight of my once beloved girlfriend out of my head. I couldn’t look at her; it was too horrific. She looked far, far gone. I nodded my head, “I accept.” I stared at the titanium table that reflected the light up. “We will need a blood oath to accept.” Agent 54 said, solemnly. I blinked. Blood oath. An ancient Sequoia tradition when you are branded, and stamp your allegiance in blood. It was an unbreakable pact, death being the only way out. I grimaced, “I’ll give anything for Rayne to be alive and back to normal again. Anything.”

Hmmm, or did she? Maybe next chapter(s) may answer your theories.?

This is not the last chapter. I have a few more to give but we are approaching the finale, unfortunately. Please, I would love to hear everyone's thoughts, haha. ? Chapter 49: Descent Rayne. Hundreds of blue glowing tanks lay before me in rows as I walked down the aisles and aisles of them. The room looked to be a huge underground warehouse, never-ending. Humans resided in the tanks, floating unconsciously with tubes connected to their bodies, as if they were experiments. As if they were dead. “Are they…” I shook my head, not conceptually grasping why they were in the tanks. “Dead? No.” Sid said, ending my thought. He followed me closely, “We only have a few minutes for you all to escape.” Escape? Escape here? Who was after us? My mind whirling as I looked before me. Most importantly: why was there people alive in tanks? I wanted to gag, “What is this, Sid?” Disgust mixed with horror left my mouth as I said his name. I halted near an unclothed man floating in a tank as I saw his blood drain from him. My eyes followed the tubes to a pod full of blood, the size of two gallons, near him. “Why do you think Amaranthine won’t share their formulations to the UGN, Rayne?” I shook my head, “I have no idea.” My brain attempting to process new information, yet the sight in front of me shook me to my core. “These are all Nefareons.” Sid said, looking around, indifferently, as if it were a known thing. Nefareons? My own blood. I started gagging as I knelt on the floor, “It-“I paused as food spilled out of me, onto the ground, “It can’t be.” My eyes watering in vile thoughts, “Why?” Sid’s eyes caught mine as I looked up, “You know why, silly girl. Haven’t you read the tales?” I spit on the ground, standing up. I couldn’t tell if he were making a sick joke to belittle me or if he were serious. I shook my head, “None of its real… I thought?” “You thought wrong.” Sid grabbed my hand, “We have to go. Now.” I hesitated, so many questions still unanswered, and then walked quickly with him. After Sid released my hand, I felt a sticky substance that quickly disappeared into a dry shimmer on my hand. Huh, odd. I ignored it, completely bewildered by all that had happened in only five minutes. We went in the elevator, shooting up quickly as I wondered where Zane was. We all had to leave, immediately. “A black hover car is waiting outside for you.” Sid said, crossing his arms. For me.But what about my friends? I didn’t understand what was going on. I looked at him in confusion. He responded to my thoughts, taking off his lab coat, “Your friends are on their way back now.” He rolled up his sleeves, “I will only be able to hold them off for so long. You must leave immediately back to the hotel. From there, you all will take a hovercraft back to the Intergalactic Space Station. Your Helix is tapped, so be careful on what you say from here on out.” I searched his eyes as I was confused. Them? Who was ‘them’ exactly? He placed a hand under my chin, tilting my head up, “Only trust Red, Rayne. Do you understand?” I blinked, nodding as I heard voices reconnect over my Helix, panicked. Zane saying, “If anything happens to Rayne, I swear to god, all of you are dead to me.” “We had to take you, dude. Someone tranquilized you when things began getting weird and we couldn’t leave you AND Rayne there.” Eli said. “I just want to go the fuck home. Fuck Sterling Industries. Fuck Valorion. And, most of all, fuck the Galactic Forces. I didn’t sign up for this.” Derren said. “Shut the fuck up, you coward. You’re safe and we’re still missing Nethander and Rayne. Trust me, it could be worse.” Eli said. I didn’t say a word as I disconnected my Helix, knowing that we were being listened too and seeing light invade the glass elevator on the ground floor. Zephron, other Sterling employees and Valorion police stood in the lobby, a few pointing their guns at us. Pure fear washed over me. “Mara Everton, you are under arrest. Put your hands in the ai-“ The police officer speaking fell onto the ground, and like a stack of dominoes, so did the officers behind them, the staff and Zephron all paralyzed. “Go.” Sid said with a rough, strained voice as his eyes were fully dilated, black.I took his warning in quickly as I ran out to the entrance as a black, dark-tinted window hovercar sped near the walkway, the door popping open. “Come on!” Nethander yelled. I ignored my confusion as I saw him, too overwhelmed by everything happening at once. Hope fighting to my face as I realized he was saving me. I ran towards the car, seeing police hovercars flashing blue and red and sounding their signals. I jumped into the passenger’s side, barely closing the door as Nethander pressed on the pedal, manually driving. “How…” I asked between rapid breaths, “We thought you were gon-“ I heard a ding as a laser flew by our window. I looked in the side mirror, seeing the red and blue lights continuously flashing as an officer was half hanging out of the vehicle with a gun pointed at us. Nethander ignored me and the police behind us, “What are they saying over the Helix?” I looked at him, further jumbled. I looked at his ear, “I disconnected.” I paused, thoughtfully, “Why can’t you tune in?” Nethander said, “I removed mine.” He went quiet, his words echoing in my brain: They can still hear you, even when your disconnected. I nodded in response, fucking great. We’re safe, as far as I know, Rayne. I had to tranquilize Zane so he wouldn’t ruin the plan. Please, apologize to Zane when you get the chance. So, Nethander tranquilized him? Had he been working with Sid? And what was this ‘plan’? He had to have been working with Sid. There was no other explanation. We were hovering down the Valorion expressway, lane changing and passing hovercars, hovertrucks and other vehicles. Nethander was actually really good at manual driving, something I didn’t see often. Many people auto-piloted their driving and the idea of manual driving had been lost a few centuries ago. He effectively lost the cops and gave us distance and, more importantly, time. We arrived at the hotel as I got out of the hovercar, pausing as I looked at Nethander who sat there, “Come on, Neth!” He shook his head, “I have more business to attend to, Rayne.” His light green eyes with a speck of brown in them constricting, sorrowfully. Good luck in your endeavors. One could only hope to work alongside you and Zane once again. My eyebrows knitted together in sadness. He sounded as if I would never see him again. Nethander reached over, closing my door with a lock. I shook my head as he drove quickly away with a soft zoom as my hair brushed in the wind. I snapped out of my moment and ran into the hotel lobby, seeing Zane alone, pacing the wooden floors and pushing his hair back. “Zane!” His eyes lit up, meeting mine in happiness, relief. I ran over to him, jumping into his outstretched arms. He hugged me tightly, kissing my hair. I pulled away from our embrace, looking around, “Where’s everyone else?” I asked, confused. “They already left to the launchpad about five minutes ago. I couldn’t leave with them, knowing you were still here.” He shook his head, pain in his eyes. What? What did that mean for us? How would we escape? I took his hand, pulling him, “Then, we need to leave. Now. We need to make that spacecraft.” He didn’t budge as he stood there, my body weight not even affecting him as I pulled his hand. “We won’t make it Rayne.” I blinked up to him, panic seeping in again. “I’m being followed by Valorion police and they’re seeking my arrest.” I blinked, my eyes becoming watery, “So we can’t fucking give up now, or else things will become a lot stickier.” Zane’s eyebrows shot up, “Rayne, what did you do?” He shook his head, in pain, concern. I shrugged, “I have no idea. I went to the restricted section and Sid showed me some-“ I looked behind my shoulder, hearing the rumble of hover vehicles halting at the entrance of the hotel. They weren’t police hovercars. They were large, titanium hover vehicles with men dressed in black suits, reminding me of the ones at the Zing concert, walking out of it. Oh, fuck. Zane and I stood in the middle of the lobby, watching in confusion. The staff in the lobby dispersed, hiding behind the counters, chairs and in the elevators. “Rayne, hide behind me, now.” Zane said, taking on a protective stance, pulling my wrist. The men walking in had weapons as I was pulled backwards. They all halted before the windows as one man, alone, walked through the revolving doors. The man, with dark-tinted glasses on, rolled four black stones directly towards us that began rumbling with red and orange streams of light coming from the cracks. The men behind him stood back, as if bracing for impact, as he retreated out of the doors. I twisted my wrist from Zane’s, taking a step before him in curiosity and fear. The stones were crackling, smoke floating up between streams of fiery glowing light erupting from them. Zane said, “It’s a bomb, Rayne, a bomb. Run.” He pulled me with him as he stepped backwards and my hand went behind me, trying to push him away. Seconds became hours as I realized what I had to do. Both of us weren’t going to make it; there wasn’t enough time for us to run. I felt a force field of energy in my hands, charging. I looked down, in confusion of the sudden power I felt between my palms. I looked before me, knowing what I had to do. Someone had to live, and I decided, it wasn’t me. I turned around, Zane began walking towards me, to tug me with him, to save me. I looked at Zane one last time, and my hands stretched towards him, trying to push him away from me, from the bombs. Confusion and immense pain crossed his face, realizing that I wasn’t coming with him, realizing he couldn’t protect me any longer. Zane yelled, “Rayne! No.” He wouldn’t leave, and he didn’t understand; one of us had to live, one of us could live. I heard a boom behind me. A force field of energy left my hands and Zane flew back in the air to the other end of the lobby, from whatever came from me, not the bomb. His eyes, in awe, in pain, in fear, as his body was thrown in the air. In that second, I thought back to the time when I accidentally pushed Kyla back while I was in training. I didn’t push her, I had thought something else did. Little did I know, it was me, my gift. How did it take me this long to realize? I turned around and all I saw was light. Fiery, light, erupting like a firework. Energy left my hands, towards the bombs. But I was too late. Three more loud booms went off. Before I knew it, I saw a flashes of light. It was quick. Painful, but quick. Pain singed my left arm, my leg, cracking down on the left side of my head. I heard ringing in my ears and then nothing. All I saw was light and then complete, inevitable, darkness. Before everything faded, I thought of my life. It was too soon to go, yet it was my time. I remembered my parents taking me on trips camping on Hanna. When I first fell in love with the outdoors as I swam in the water of the lake we camped near. I remembered the first time I launched up on a spacecraft, the fuzzy, stomach tickling sensation of light speed hitting, floating. When I first fell in love with traveling the galaxy. I remembered my mom’s dark purple hair fluttering in the breeze as she nursed my cuts after I fell from chasing my childhood friends in the forest. When I first fell in love with thrill, adventure. I remembered when I mopped the floor in Glades, Hanna in the dining hall of the training base. When I fell in love with Zane. Faces of people flashed through my dying brain. Fern and George Welden. My parents. Red. Nethander. Ryo. Derren. Hell, even Jamie. Gemini Xara. Elliot Ghalderas. My two best friends who I considered family. The last thing my conscious brain could think of was Zane Vandore. The indefinite love of my life. The galaxies aligned, planets in peace. Sweet sleep finally came. Sweet rest, for an eternity.

Chapter 48: The Flame “Unable to connect.” My Helix’s static turned off, disconnecting me from Gemma, Ryo, Derren and Zane. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What, exactly, was happening? I was beginning to think my Helix was being tapped; no, I knew, for a fact, it was tapped. “Please, let me go.” I said, looking innocently up to him, my brain buzzing in pure panic. I couldn’t get up; all I could do was sit my bottom on the back of my legs. Exactlylike a helpless toddler. He smiled, looking down at me as if he knew my fears. His turquoise lips opening in a laugh. Chills went through me. As much as I liked being treated like a baby, I didn’t want to be forced like this. A moment later he blinked away his laugh, eyes constricting, “Tssss.If you insist.” I felt my arms and legs in my control again as I stood, holding my arms, awkwardly. My muscles felt in my power again and I had never been more appreciative of my own control over my body. “Come, come.” He walked forward, further through the hallways, “There’s something you should see.” My shoulders stiffened as I followed him to the elevator around the hallways. He pressed a button. The elevator shot down a few more floors in dead silence. My body felt stiff. I wanted to run; I wanted to get away from Sid. I knew I couldn’t run, I wasn’t that stupid. He’d control me in a second if I even lunged. I didn’t know what my future held, but I was not ready for this. Sid spoke, breaking the tension in the air, “I’ve had dreams about meeting you, Rayne.” He eyed me, his eyes constricting and dilating, “My intuition, sometimes wrong, considering there are so many possible futures...” He trailed off, thoughtfully, speaking as if he were only talking to himself in deep thought. He had an ability to see the future? Incredible. Sid shook his head, with a dark laugh, “Yet... no matter what possible future I held with you, I was still, inevitably, terminated from my position.” He said musingly to himself as I shifted uncomfortably as the elevator door opened. I felt my heart rate thudding rapidly in my chest. If he wanted to kill me, this would be the best place. In his ‘future’, it sounded as if I were a curse. Why wouldn’t he want to kill me? “You were and are now the sign of my legacy vanishing before my very eyes. I knew the moment I’d see you that it would be the last day I had to enjoy my freedom.” Sid said, in a low growl. I couldn’t tell his facial expression. It was anger mixed with relief. Did he loathe me before I ever met him? Or was he pleased to finally meet me? I didn’t understand. He pulled his glance away from me, blinking away his sudden emotion. The doors of the elevator opened as he briskly walked ahead into a narrow hallway that had dark grey painted walls and fluorescent lights. I hesitantly followed, wondering at what moment he’d attempt to murder me. Was I stupid for following him? Absolutely. “I am, and will be, your friend, Griff.” Did I believe him? He could be manipulating me completely. I wasn’t that gullible. He halted at the end of the hallway where double doors lay, pivoting as I was close behind him, “You may not believe me but this is for your own good.” I took in a waft of his entrancing scent as he got out his badge, unlocking the doors as they slid open. I spoke, finally breaking my silence as adrenaline coarse through my veins, “Look, Sid, you haven’t given me any reason to trust you thus far-” Sid cut me off, “The curiosity and answers you seeked for so long are right here.” He said, halting as I looked forward, in awe, in repulsion.

Lol! Y'all gave me a good laugh, I needed that today. Thank you?

Warning: Graphic depictions in the next few chapters. It's not that bad, but just a forewarning if your faint of heart and depictions of blood gross you out. I work in surgery cases so I don't know where the line of 'graphic' nature begins from the things I've seen in real life, haha, so if you think this is horrific, please suggest what I should place in the warning because I'm highly desensitized and apologize in advanced. Chapter 47: Sterling Industries Rayne. Near our hotel in Glowfield, Valorion, nestled Sterling Industries a few miles south. The main reason we were sent to Valorion was right before us. “Welcome, students, to Sterling Industries, the home of the leading technologies of the Galaxies.” A Valorion man greeted us as we walked in the large, dark glass building. An amphibian man with dark emerald green scales stood next to him. He smiled invitingly, eyes flickering between each of us, “I’m Zethron, your tour guide for this evening. This is Sid, one of our scientists, who will be popping in and out to answer your questions for the duration of your tour.” Sid’s yellow eyes fixated upon me for a moment, his eyes constricting and dilating quicker than any other amphibian I’ve ever met with a stone cold expression placed on his face. His skin, rapidly changing from a dark evergreen to turquoise, glittering, ever so slightly, as light stuck it. I had never met an amphibian who was this unique, different. He had human characteristics about him, yet I had never seen an amphibian who's scale color changed like a chameleon. I didn’t know what a ‘full-bred’ amphibian looked like, but I could only assume he was one. My eyes cast to Nethander, curiously. I wonder what Nethander thought of Sid. Nethander’s hand slicked back his black hair, awkwardly, as he stood there, looking around the building’s grand entrance. He paid no attention to Sid, so maybe Sid was just another Amphibian that I shouldn't pay any special attention too. “Let’s begin, shall we?” Zethron said, “Here are your temporary wrist bands so our alarm system doesn’t go off as you walk through the corridors.” He handed out the transparent light blue gel wrist bands that had our names pressed into them. Cool. I slipped on the wrist band, looking at the gelatin in awe. I looked up, immediately feeling someone’s stare, meeting Sid’s yellow eyes, still fixed on me. He had a small smile placed on his face, as if he saw something cute. I shook off the unsettling feeling I got, breaking our eye contact as Zethron began walking forward, up the glass escalators. I followed, first in our group, curiosity encapsulating me. I was beyond enthralled to see this technology that Valorions had. They were the leading advancements in the medical field and known across the galaxies, after all. As we went up the escalator, a glass elevator shot downwards and my gaze followed it. Below the ground floor were escalators that went two floors down. The glass elevator went below the lowest floor we could see. Huh, I wonder what was down there? I almost tripped, as the escalator’s glass steps merged into itself and it was time for me to walk off. I made a small jump, almost falling into Zethron. God, that would have been bad. Nethander grabbed my shoulders behind me, steadying me. “Thanks.” I said to him, breathlessly. “Mhm.” He said, brushing past me. Sid walked behind our whole group and I could feel his eyes still trained on me. It was quite an uncomfortable feeling that I couldn’t shake. I looked behind my shoulder, as if I were looking for Eli, but I really just wanted to confirm my feeling. Sid’s yellow eyes were deadset on me, unwavering. Since we arrived, he only glanced at the fellow students, not staring at them the way he had with me since we walked in the doors. Why, me? It felt like he was trying to pick apart my thoughts, read me further. I shook off my confused thoughts, casting my eyes forward, and began focusing on how curious I was and my studies intergalactically. “This is our main research floor. Which of you are going for your bachelor’s of Intergalactic Technologic Sciences?” Zethron walked backwards, looking at us. Gemma, Ryo and I rose our hands. “Good, you three will go with Sid.” Zethron paused, “The other four, this way.” Sid spoke, brushing past me, an entrancing scent invading my nose, “Tsss. This way.” He was quiet, soft-spoken as he took the lead in his white lab coat, a white dress shirt underneath and black dress pants. We all followed timidly behind him as he went into the glass elevator that had just arrived. He pivoted as he entered the elevator, holding it from closing for us. I met Gemma’s eyes as she was looking at the architecture in the building in amazement. “We’ll be going down to our bottom floor above the restricted section.” He glanced at Ryo and Gemini, landing on me, “Tssss. Pay attention to the restricted signs before you accidentally crawl into something you shouldn’t be in.” Crawl.Why did he use that word? A shiver went down my back as I felt my hair stick up on the back of my arms. It sounded like a warning, specifically geared toward me. I couldn’t place why it felt like a sign, a message sent directly to me, but it gave me an unshakeable feeling. As the glass elevator came to an abrupt halt, Sid walked out immediately as the doors opened. Strange. The floor beyond the elevator reminded me of a museum. There was a ginormous hallway that had glass windows demonstrating different pieces of equipment, technology. The floor was white granite that stretched far. In the back corner, down one long hallway, was a restricted sign on a door with a staircase icon glowing blue. I mentally mapped it out in my brain, just in case I decided to get lost down there. We passed a few tables at the center of the intersection of hallways and scientists walked by with coffee and pastries, “This is our experimental floor, where most of our scientists reside.” Sid paused, eyes flicking between us all, “If you all decide to further your education, maybe one of you will be seeing us in the future.” This place was already captivating, but it gave me an eerie feeling that I couldn’t budge. I’d never consider working here, even with a fake degree. Sid pivoted around quickly, walking towards the closest glass window, “Most of our experimental beings are from around the galaxies who get paid top dollars to take part in these groundbreaking experiments.” I looked into the room ahead of us, a girl working out, physically transforming in slow motion in front of us. She shed her weight just by a few minutes of running. Incredible. But, how? “How much are we talking here? I could use some to pay back my debt after school.” Ryo, or should I say Herring, said to Sid. I laughed, nervously, at Ryo's attempt at a joke. My mind mused: or maybe they were just abducted and it was all for cover. Sid’s mouth fell in a line, “You would have to be selected. Sterling Industries is meticulous on who they choose.” I doubted that. Maybe his story was persuasive to Ryo and Gemma, but not to me. Not even for a second. I walked away from them, towards another glass room that was across from the girl losing weight. I looked into the room. Two young Hannan boys with bands on their heads were sitting straight and staring at the wall screen directly opposite from us. I walked around the glass walls that incased them, seeing their eyes were closed, asleep. Sid trailed behind me, as if he were my shadow, “You are about to awake when you dream that you are dreaming.” He said, softly near my ear. His breath, blowing sweetly and his cologne, entrancing me further. It made me feel comfortable with his presence, mesmerized as I watched in front of me. I wanted him to coo me, to keep talking. I felt a sensation go through me, wanting to be babied, belittled. I felt a fuzziness in my tummy, tickling, my truth slipping. I felt my focus slip, in a blink of the eye, as he stood near me. I snapped out of it, looking behind my shoulder at him. What was happening? His light yellow eyes constricting and dilating, focused on me, unblinking. “Ian Fleming.” I said, breathless after the feelings that had just washed over me. Did I really just want him to coo me? It was as if I had just been transfixed in his proximity, completely lost in his ambience that traveled with him. I wanted to walk away from him, but I felt like it was imperative I stayed at this facility. There was something below my feet I needed to get to. His eyes lit up, surprised, “Smart girl.” Sid smiled, as if he were proud. Proud of what? I didn’t know. It was slightly belittling, the way he said that. I shook it off quickly. “In this room, we are testing out lucid dreaming. How can we control our dreams?" He paced around me, "Have you ever controlled yours?” Sid eyed me, as he stepped next to me, his proximity close again. I tried to think back, stopping myself quickly. He was sly, quick. He was attempting to push me to show him memories in my mind. I made up a scenario quickly in my head. “Once or twice.” I said, thoughtfully, playing mind games with him as I made up a fake dream in my head. He stepped near me, leaning down so his mouth was near my ear, “You can’t fool me, Rayne.” I gulped, as I looked to the boy's dreams. One in a soft cotton candy cloud, jumping as if he were in space without gravity. I felt a chill go through me as my heart rate sped up quickly. He knew. He knew who I was. Should we leave now? Should we run? We were already caught the moment we walked in and I should have trusted my gut. Trust me, when I say, you’re protected here. Tssss. Just play your pretend game, tiny one. I heard his words echo in my mind. Your pretend game. As if I were a toddler. Did he know anything else about me? About… the diapers? Fucking shit, I hope not. For weeks, Python told me my mind focusing was flawless, imperceptible to Amphibians. Did he lie? Or was Sid a power Python didn’t foresee coming? There was something special about Sid, and I was finding that out the hard way. Sid spoke, with a calming voice, looking at the boys as Gemma and Ryo caught up to us, “We can infuse ideas, characters, people and other elements into their dreams, making them nightmares, or, quite the opposite, great dreams.” Sid said, walking over to the middle of the glass, as icons appeared and the glass darkened only in one square with a finger print icon on the bottom. “Feel free to add anything to their dreams. All you need to do is press your finger into this icon.” I didn’t want any part of it. I stayed back as Gemma and Ryo curiously walked forward, both controlling one of the boy’s dreams. The boy on the right, with dark brown hair, was in an arcade, and Ryo connected his finger. A moment later, the arcade game the boy was playing came to life, with robotic arms and legs coming out of the machine, chasing the boy through the fun center. Ryo laughed as he stepped away, watching his creation wreak havoc on the poor boys, once calming, dream. “You’re an ass, Herring.” I said, stepping up to the plate as I pressed my finger to the glass, imagining the boy being able to fly and have the superpower to shoot fire from his hands. “Watch your language.” Sid said, behind me, scolding me like a child. It tickled my stomach, and I secretly, deep down, liked the way he scolded me. What was wrong with me? I was becoming disgusted with myself. Only Zane gave me that feeling and receiving that from someone else felt wrong. Completely, and, utterly, wrong. You could hear the boy in the dream say, “Cool!” As he shot fire from his hands toward the arcade machine beast that was following him. I stepped away, happy with my work. Over the Helix, Zane asked, in a hushed voice, “Have you all seen Neth?” I tried not to look around as I stared in front of me. Gemma said, cryptically, “Oh, god, no, didn’t mean to do that. Woops.” The worst part of the Helix is on assignments, when we were near normal people, we couldn’t just talk to ourselves. “Fuck.” Zane cursed over the Helix. I blinked, was he in danger? Because I know I was. “I’ll be back momentarily while you all have your fun.” He walked toward the elevator, going up. Panic rose in my body as I wondered what happened to Nethander. Maybe he was in the restroom? Maybe he left this place without us? It couldn’t be bad, right? “Is it just me, or do you guys feel uncomfortable here too?” Ryo said quietly as he pretended like he was altering the dreams. I was counting to sixty seconds as I stood with Gemma and Ryo. Gem nodded, “Yes, I feel it. I want to leave.” She paused, looking around, “This is really weird. Isn’t it illegal to have boys under 18 as experiments?” She asked me, as I was obviously not paying attention to them. Once I counted to a minute I walked away from them, as Gemini said, over the Helix, “Where are you going?” “Tell Sid I went to find the restrooms.” I said over the Helix, walking towards the restricted door. I heard Zane, in a hushed voice, “Don’t even.” It sounded like he was threatening me. I briskly walked down the long hallway, my shoes squeaking slightly across the cool granite tile, and hesitating when I approached the doors. A red restricted sign hung glowed in front of my face as I stood there. If it were really restricted, why wouldn't there be a lock? I pushed past the door, slipping down the staircase, almost suspecting an alarm to go off as I went through it. It was quiet over the Helix as I eavesdropped into what Zane was doing. He was following Zethron through the offices of Sterling Industries on one of the highest floors. He couldn’t speak to us, but I could only imagine him fuming quietly. I flew quickly down two flights of dark blue glass stairs and down a large hallway, like the floor above, with white granite tiling and glass windows. The word ‘Amaranthine’ glowing in a blue hologram in the center of the intersection between the experimental room. Amaranthine. The manufacturer of Helix’s and, not to mention, the sole manufacturer of medical miracles was just below Sterling Industries? So many thoughts and questions ran through my mind, yet there was so little time to investigate further. I walked slowly, quietly, as I looked into the first glass window. A woman’s body lay, in what looked to be a glass pod, as she struggled to breathe. She was wearing a white clingy dress, her leg missing and bleeding into her dress. I clasped my hand over my mouth in horror, not being able to tear my eyes away. A robotic arm was injecting serum into her leg as her eyes were closed, almost like a statue. I watched, as it looked like her leg was growing back, ever so slowly. Trabecular pieces of bone, swirling in air, and soft tissue encasing around it as the leg grew. New veins, arteries, swirling around her new bone in slow motion. My heart was racing, in complete shock. It became apparent that this robotic arm was healing her, regenerating her limb. As disgusted as I was, it was fascinating to see, in an odd sense. I walked backward, deciding it was best for me to leave; I had seen enough and didn’t need to be caught. I heard someone come through the stairway, closing the door silently behind them. I turned, confusion spreading across my face as I fell to the ground suddenly, on my hands and knees. Someone was controlling me. “Tsk, tsk. What did I say earlier, tiny one?” I looked up, seeing Sid’s yellow eyes looking disappointed as he knelt down to me.

Chapter 46: The Zane Method Rayne. We were walking down the Sequoia strip, going into casinos and drinking. It was about to be a fun night, except for I couldn’t enjoy it the way I’d want too. That was the hardest part of working as an undercover spy. When you wanted to live, to be free to enjoy drinking and partying with your friends, you couldn't. It may seem 'fun' from an outside perspective, but it wasn't. It was straining, especially acting like Mara Everton, for so long. I wanted to be Rayne Griff, Zane Graham's girlfriend, again. I wanted to drink, be playful, and joke with my friends. Sure, in private Zane and I had our special time together, yet it wasn't the same. It felt like we were in hiding, and, although I didn't consider myself a 'jealous' person, it was still upsetting seeing girls flirt with him in front of me. I knew, deep down, he would ignore those girls and give him the cold shoulder if he wasn't acting like he was 'single' but he had to give them some time of day when he was in character. Gemma, Eli and I took shots together as Zane and Nethander tried to keep up with us. We arrived at our destination: Zharko Casino and Bar. Our targets should be arriving shortly. I went over to a slot machine, plopping down on a chair. “Miss, can I see your Intergalactic identification?” A dark purple amphibian woman in a black suit asked me. I smiled, “Of course.” I opened my hand purse, handing her my fake ID. “Thanks, Mara. Have you signed up for Zharko rewards?” “No, but I’d love too.” I blinked, innocently. Zane sat next to me at the slots at I signed up on the tablet. I had to glance at how handsome he was. He wore black dress pants and a white dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up. He was so damn attractive and the thought of us doing something together made me tingle inside. “Thank you, Miss Everton.” I swiped my new rewards card on the machine before playing. I felt buzzed as I played a few games. “Only you would be immediately carded.” Zane said with a smile hinting his voice. I could tell he wanted to say something else but he stopped himself as two long-legged, model looking, Valorion girls sat next to him, casting their gazes to him. Ugh, here we go again. One of them, tapping his shoulder, talking in a sultry voice asking if he went here often. He talked to them for a few minutes as they invited him to go to a nearby club. He politely declined as they walked away and he turned to me, making small talk. I focused on my slots, "So, do you come here often?" His eyes playful as I rolled my eyes at him. He was messing with me, I knew it. “Targets sited.” Nethander said over the Helix. I laughed as if Zane told a funny joke as I looked over my shoulder, seeing Jonathan and Emma Von walk through the doors in eloquent clothes. Emma wore a flowing dress with diamonds swirling around her body. Jonathan wore a black suit with a bow tie. Pretty formal for a casino if you ask me. However, we were dressed to the nines ourselves. There was a younger looking girl with them that caught my attention very quickly. Her big brown eyes were confused, dazed. She wore a light pink lacey dress and frilly white socks. A pacifier hung down with a string on the pocket of her dress. I blinked, a pacifier. I looked away, quickly. Was she really wearing that? Was she with them? Jonathan was a Senator of the Sequoia Capitol. Why would he have an adult baby with him? No, she wasn’t a little. She was a baby bot. “Rayne, I think I found you a friend to playdate with.” Gemini said over the Helix. I caught Zane’s smug smirk near me as I stood up. What the fuck Gemma? Everyone heard that in our group. Also, it wasn’t the same, in the slightest. I needed to know if she was a little or a bot, immediately. Jonathan, Emma, and the girl walked up the staircase to the private section. “Well, how the hell do we get into the private area.” Ryo said over the Helix. “Jonathan and Emma have an open relationship. Should be easy considering Emma is bisexual.” Zane said, fixing the sleeves on his shirt. He eyed our target as Jonathan went downstairs to the bar. As Jonathan was at the bar ordering drinks, Zane approached him. Jonathan looked behind his shoulder, seeing Zane. We were eavesdropping on their conversation over the Helix as Gemini came up to me and took my hand, leading me towards Jonathan. What, exactly, were we doing? I didn’t sign up for this part. “Long time, no see, Zane.” Jonathan said, as if they were old friends. How did Zane know all of the targets? “Hey, man. How have you guys been?” Zane asked, starting a conversation. “Me and Emma have been good, really good.” He frowned, “How’s your brother?” Zane looked to me and Gemini approaching, “Better, thanks for asking.” Zane changed the subject, quickly, “These are my friends Stella and Mara. We’re all in the intergalactic study program together at University of Orion so I was able to visit.” Jonathan extended his hand to me and I shook his hand, “Nice to meet you, uh…” I met his brown eyes in confusion of his name, as if I didn’t know it already. “Jonathan. Pleasure to meet you.” His eyes wavered on mine for a moment longer, “You’re striking. Not to be rude, but what’s your ancestry?” He asked, studying my face. It was quite uncomfortable, but I rolled with it. “Hannan and Earthling, but no one believes me.” I said, shyly. Jonathan laughed, loudly, as he nodded, “Yes, yes, I could imagine that being an issue.” He held an air of authority to his tone as he spoke, almost like Zane. He went to Gemma and shook her hand. Jonathan ordered his drinks and looked at us, “We have a few seats open upstairs if you three would like to accompany us.” Gemini smiled widely, eyes twinkling with charm, “We’d love to.” “And that’s how you successfully bait them, with the Zane method.” Nethander said over our Helix. I glanced to Nethander, wanting to giggle but suppressing it. We followed Jonathan upstairs to the private area where we sat at a card table with wealthy people who probably made the amount of money I make in one year in one day. “Emma, I brought new friends and old.” Emma stood, a tall Ganakk woman with long blonde hair that fell in soft waves. She shook Gemma’s hand and then mine. “My, my, aren’t you two beauties.” She said after she sat down, near the little girl with brown eyes. The girl was sucking on her pink pacifier, playing with a toy in front of her. Emma put the toy in her lap, scolding her to not play on the table with guests. The girl met my eyes, looking confused on who I was. “Hi, I’m Mara.” I said with a friendly grin. Her pacifier dropped out of her mouth, “Hi, I’m Karli.” Her dirty blonde hair fell in curls around her head. An awkward silence fell upon the once chattering group. Jonathan gave me a crossed look, falling silent. I looked at Zane and Gemma, confused. Zane spoke to Jonathan, “I apologize, she’s not from around here.” Did I do something wrong? Nethander explained over the mic, “In Valorion, it’s in their etiquette to not speak to a bot unless introduced first. It’s considered disrespectful.” Well, fuck. I wish someone warned me ahead of time. Jonathan straightened his cuffs, smiling, “It’s completely okay. I would have suspected she was yours if not for hearing her introduce herself to me.” Ouch, that one stung. That was definitely a direct hit to me and I deserved that one. Zane said, “Sometimes I think the same.” Ouch. Another one. Why don’t we just start playing the game called let’s all sting Rayne with burns? Jonathan, Emma, and their friends began laughing. Great, my humiliation was a good joke to everyone. Thanks, Zane. Emma said, “Oh, Zane, how I’ve missed you and your brother.” Zane blinked, I could tell he didn’t want to hear anyone speaking of his brother. I sat near their ‘baby bot’. The idea of calling a human forced to be an adult baby a baby bot disgusted me to me core, but I sat near her as Gemma flirted flawlessly with Emma. “Are you two dating anyone?” Emma asked, her grey eyes looking at us curiously. “She is, but I’m not.” Gemma paused, “I’m young, in my twenties," She shrugged, throwing back her hair on one side, "I just want to have fun.” She said, winking at Emma. Smooth, Gemma, smooth. Emma fixated her gaze on me, “How is that tall glass of water in bed?” She raised her eyebrows twice, tilting her head towards Zane. I laughed, almost spitting out my drink I had just sipped, “We’re not dating.” I shook my head, “My boyfriend’s name is Scott and he’s downstairs.” It was questionable that he wasn't up here...but Mara Everton was a 'flirt' and it didn't matter to me. Emma nodded her head, not believing me, and winked, “Right.” She paused, eyeing Zane across the table as he spoke to Jonathan, “The way he looked at you earlier was not a look a ‘friend’ just gives, Mara.” What look was that? How long had she been studying us? Jeez, we obviously weren’t paying attention. After that night, we all went back home, except for Gemini. She rode to Jonathan and Emma’s mansion to ‘get a grand tour’ as Emma suggested. Eli said on our ride back to the hotel, “I wish I were getting that ‘grand tour’ right about now.” We all laughed, even Nethander, who had a little bit too much of absinthe. I was a bit scared for Gemma. Zane slept over that night in our room because I couldn’t sleep. I was up at 4 in the morning, Valorion time, watching Gallagher's Throne, when Gemma finally came in. She walked into the room, swaying as she fell to the bed. Zane woke up, squinting from Gemma disturbing his slumber, “How’d it go?” She grinned, “I never thought they would be that great in bed at threesomes, but I guess they proved me wrong.” “I stayed up all night, worried about you, for you to tell me that.” I huffed, “Goodnight.” Gemma said to Zane, “Is she diapered? Because she should be.” Zane smiled, “No, but I knew I should have earlier.” He grumbled as he got up, grabbing a diaper and powder from his bag, “It’s better late than never.” He winked in his sleepy state. I groaned as he took off my purple silk pajama bottoms and underwear and placed a fresh diaper under me. He powdered my bottom and taped it on. He tucked me in with him and I fell into a deep slumber. That night I had a nightmare. I was in the casino, playing a slot machine, and a sack was thrown over my head. I scrambled, trying to save myself, but I couldn’t get away from the men taking me. They forced me into a diaper, taking the sack off of my head and placing a pacifier in my mouth. My eyes met my captors as I looked up. I saw Zane’s blue eyes, Eli’s and Jonathans staring down at me, as if I were just a baby, helpless and needing a change already. I tried telling them to stop, to see that I wasn’t a baby, but I couldn’t speak. All I could hear come out was mumbles behind my paci. They all played with me, having me bounce on their laps or play with my toys. Every time I tried escaping, I got a spanking. After a few spankings, I forgot who I was. My memory faded and I didn’t know where I was, who these people were. My best friend, gone. The love of my life, gone. My life, vanished, before my very eyes. I was just a baby, after all, why would I know?

My birthday is in a week's time...So, I have a present to give to you all: A few chapters and the climax of the story, with the near rearing it's ugly head very close. I won't be able to post this weekend so I am going to post two to three, maybe even four, chapters today. I will be reading and responding to comments this weekend, like usual, but there won't be any new content ? Please, feel free to share your feelings of the next few chapters, I'm curious as to what your thoughts are. Chapter 45: The Freak Show Elliot. We had been in Valorion for about two weeks. The idea of flying here was frightening, yet I still came and I don't regret it. Valorion was truly beautiful. Beautiful lands, incredible scenery, and attractive Valorion babes sprinkled the planet. I held Rayne’s hand as we walked down the strip of Sequoia. My hand, admittedly, was sweating. There were many amphibians around this city. All glancing at our group. We were like the live freak show in this city. A Ganakk guy with a whatever-the-fuck Rayne was girl. A Zenon babe, a half Valorion half Hannan guy, an Ekkberen boy, a Hannan guy and an Amphibian. How much weirder could our pack get? Trust me, it gets weirder once you know what Zane and Rayne were into. Rayne’s hand was so small as I held it. She was so tiny, stunning and smart. She was the smallest one in this group, but the bravest. To be blunt, I was afraid of being here. I’ve heard the stories about this place and I didn't want to encounter the things that I heard. “So, tell me if I sound stupid or not, but what’s the difference between the capital of Sequoia and the Sequoia Capitol?” Derren asked behind us. He was the quietest of our group and sometimes I wondered about him. This was a conversation we should be having, by ourselves, in our hotel room or at dinner, not while everyone is watching us. If you looked up the definition of ignorant in the encyclopedia, you would find Darren there. “Sequoia Capitol is the government building of Valorion. We are in the capital which is where the government building resides in the city of Valorion.” Zane spoke with an awe of knowledge. Like he was a professor. He was an intellectual and quick person, but we tended to butt heads. As much as I wanted to dislike him, I couldn’t. He was a good guy and treated Rayne well. I had always been jealous of him. I thought that Rayne was the one when I met her. I thought we had an instant connection the moment she spoke to me. The way her green eyes lit up as she saw me, the grin on her face as she said, “I’m whatever-the-fuck I want to be.” I was wrong, as I swallowed my pride and ego when I found out she was dating Zane. Gemini and Rayne became my best friends later on. Gemini and I understood each other, as we both had the same taste in women. For example, she tried with Rayne and failed too. Maybe it was just a Rayne thing. Maybe she was so eye-catching and caring for others; it was easy to mistake her kindness and playful personality for flirting. I joined the Galactic Forces to become a braver person; to prove to my family that they were wrong about me. My father said as I left the house for the last time, “See you in a week.” He didn’t believe that I’d be gone for long. He wanted me to work with him in our family Ghalderas Home Improvement like all of my other brothers and sisters did. Anyhow, my sister was already one of the managers and I didn’t want to work under her. The last thing I was expecting was to find two girls that I could joke around with, be a guy around, and love like family. The weirdest part was: I didn’t even look at them sexually. Well, minus when I had a dream about Rayne and I when I first began the Galactic Forces. Besides that, it was impressive for me to find people like that in my life. I was always close to my family and, admittedly, terrified of leaving Hanna, but Gemini Xara and Rayne Griff gave me that strength to leave, to believe that I’m something greater than I ever thought I could be.

...sorry guys I forgot to tell you that Aries is actually a cameo in the story ?? surprise!?

Muahaha!? ...you caught onto one of my many foreshadows... I was beginning to wonder if anyone would catch it considering we began at the end and then fast forwarded to the future. And yes, when I was imagining them, I drew some inspiration from Men in Black... but they aren't they definitely do not have the same purpose, haha.

Chapter 44: Oh My Supernova The concert was jam-packed with screaming teens and young adults as we weaved through the crowds to our seats, arriving slightly late because of Zane and Nethander. They were silently fighting about something that they weren’t letting anyone else in. When they got in the limo, they didn’t even speak a word to each other, Zane’s body rigid. What could they even be fighting about? I honestly would never be able to guess it. As we approached our seats, I saw a few familiar faces from the images we were shown by Red in our virtual meeting earlier. Jake Sloan. A high-ranked, young Valorion politician. Why would he be at a Zing concert? Strange. His light green eyes caught my glance, trailing on me for a moment before seeing Zane. He grinned, eyes flashing with familiarity, “Hey buddy! What are you doing here?” He got up from his seat, shaking Zane’s hand like a bro. How did Zane know who he was? “Me and my friends from school got discounted tickets for being intergalactic students so we decided to go out tonight.” Zane said, smoothly. I looked at Jake, wearing light grey pants and a white dress shirt where he had his cuffs rolled up. He was tan and had a rugged look about him. He did not and would never strike me as a Valorion politician. Jake waved at us, “Hey, I’m Jake. Nice to meet you all.” He came around and shook everyone’s hands as we introduced ourselves. This was the only way I could tell he was a politician by how he introduced himself openly to us all. “Mara.” I smiled as he gently took my hand. “Nice to meet you, beautiful Mara.” He said, with a bit of a husky sweet finish to his sentence. He was smoothly flirting, yet in a respectful manner. I could see, out of the corner of my eye, Zane watching carefully. Eli cleared his throat next to me, “I’m Scott, Mara’s boyfriend.” He stood up straighter, becoming obviously protective of me. Jake blinked without emotion, transitioning quickly, “I apologize, you have a keeper there, good to meet you.” Eli’s face was unwavering as he shook Jake’s hand. Damn, Eli was good at faking being possessive. We met his other friends, our other targets, with him. Trident Blakely. Another high-ranked Valorion who was part of the Sequoia Capitol’s Senate. Olivian Quaraus. An amphibian Aquaria military general. It was beyond strange that these middle aged officers, minus Jake, were at a concert for young adults and teens. I listened into Zane’s conversation, curious. It only made sense now why Zane wasn’t in our virtual group meeting earlier. “When do you graduate?” Jake asked after we all dispersed to our seats, besides Zane and Jake. “In two months.” The Omnipoint Amphitheater went silent as the main performer was about to begin. “And then you’ll have your masters of Political Sciences at UO?” Jake seemed to be very interested in Zane’s future. “Yes, thankfully its coming to an end. It feels like I’ve been in college forever.” Zane shook his head, as if he were stressed. “It will be worth it, trust me. You’ll be in the same position as me in a blink of an eye, just like your brother.” Jake paused, “I’m going to go back to my seat, it was nice seeing you, bud.” He gave Zane a hand-shake half hug, patting Zane’s back, and walked away. Maybe he knew Zane through his brother? That was weird how normally Zane carried that conversation and how much they seemed like old friends. My thoughts were distracted by Zing’s performance, making a dramatic appearance as he was on a hovering platform above the stage, fire underneath the platform to the beat of his first song. Eli’s hand touching the small of my back as the music played and I acted like it was the best music in the galaxies, singing the lyrics I memorized only an hour prior to the concert. I kept my mind aligned with how Mara would act, wondering when he’d go into one of her favorite songs, Twil Twil Ting. I watched his backup dancers, all young women with bob-cut light pink hair, matching Zing’s, as they danced with him. It was, to my surprise, a very entertaining performance they all put on that must have taken hours of practicing to get perfect. I despised his music, yet he put on a good show. Zing looked like an alien, not from any planet. He most resembled a California Earthling, if anything. He had a beautifully sculpted face with high cheekbones, a pronounced chin, light sun kissed skin, and big lips. He looked youthful with glowing skin and makeup on. He had more feminine qualities about him than masculine and had gotten many surgeries to have those feminine features such as botox, lip injections, hair transplants, and facial reconstruction. A mesmerizing beat began playing half-way through the concert, “This is your favorite song, babe.” Eli said, leaning down to kiss me. I kissed back, trying my best not to be awkward. “Enchanted, you can’t run from the feeling.” He sang with a quicker beat following after the first minute of twil twil ting. Twil twil ting. “Hypnotizing, until you lose control.” I blinked away from the stage that had a hypnotic swirl on the wall screen. I looked behind me to the young adults and teens. Many of them stood there, watching the screen, completely spellbound to the music. I squinted, looking at their faces, becoming blank. I looked to Gemma and Eli, who had the same expression as them, staring at the screen. What the hell?I scanned in front of me, seeing Jake and his ‘friends’ wearing shades. Zane met my eyes, blinking at me and then at Zing. He was trying to tell me to not make a scene. Kind of hard when your friends are being hypnotized, wasn’t it? The hypnotic wall screen disappeared as the song changed, Eli and Gemma blinking, as if nothing happened. A few more songs passed after I almost broke character. I slipped away from everyone, going to the restroom. I sat on the toilet, staring at the seat in front of me as I tried to regain my composure. I was pissed, angry. How could one singer hypnotize people at a concert and get away with it? Wasn’t that, like, illegal? Disgusting. I needed to get more information on this, stat. Maybe that’s why we were sent here. That must have been our purpose. “OMS, did you see him look at me?” A girl said as I was in the stall. I rolled my eyes. OMS, a phrase a lot of younger kids used that stood for Oh My Supernova. I've heard many people across the galaxies say it, yet it sounded so weird. It was like the 21st century Earthling OMG but much worse, in my opinion. “Yea, it was soooo cool Angelica!” “Just think how jelly all our classmates are going to be in Hanna when we go back!” Oh god, Hannan girls trying to show their fellow students how ‘cool’ they are. Ugh. I just wanted them to leave the restroom. I put my hands on my face as I sat on the toilet, not even able to pee. I jumped, hearing a shriek from one of the girls, a few heavy thuds, and then silence. From the sound, they must have been tranquilized. I still had my bottom on the toilet, frozen like a statue. I heard silent footsteps in the restroom, and saw black shoes and black figures walk in through the stall. I was in the corner stall, quickly standing on my toilet, pulling up my underwear and pants. I was perched on my toilet, like an owl, trying to be as silent as I could. Thinking nothing. As panicked as I was, I needed to get out of this stall and back to my team. My whole body was stiff and I felt my hair standing up on the back of my neck as I sat there. I heard a grunt as it sounded like they were picking up the girls. It sounded like they left as I sighed, patting the sweat off of my forehead. I jumped, as the motion detector behind me went off and the toilet flushed. Thank the galaxiesthat hadn’t gone off earlier. What the hell was happening here? I saw more crazy shit in one night than in three days. Fans being hypnotized. Innocent Hannan girls being kidnapped. Men in black who made people disappear. I was beyond disgusted, but I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t have weapons, nor the knowledge of how to fight properly. All we had was our Helixes, which made me question our purpose. We didn’t have any microscopic cameras nor any other thing to record what we saw and that’s what I didn’t understand. Winona mentioned the microscopic cameras our first week, and then, poof, Vix became the new director and it was like that wasn’t a technology of the Galactic Forces anymore. The one thing that most angered me about our new director was: during our training we never received weapons to defend ourselves. Eli asked, and Vix chalked it up to the fact that we could be arrested in Valorion for having weapons on us. After all, Valorion had strict gun control and weapons laws. You had to have a permit for even having a small hand gun and that required 3 months of gun permit classes, a psych evaluation and a boards exam and then, just maybe, you finally are able to purchase a tiny hand gun that you can only have three bullets in and a long list of rules you must follow, or else, you can be arrested for gun misuse and lose that permit you spent so long to receive. It was incredibly difficult to get guns and keep them on this planet, hence why the crime rates were so low, even considered nonexistent. Weird, right? A planet that’s considered the most dangerous for UGNF spies is considered to have the lowest crime rate of all galaxies. Huh, odd. I wanted to scream, to run out of here and get my team away from this amphitheater as I walked. I saw the back of one of the girl’s captors walk through a black curtain near where my row was. I tucked my hair behind my ear, hesitating. Should I follow him, or should I go back to my seats? I shook my head, at myself, as I sighed, walking into the curtain with my mind telling me to turn around. There was a dimly lit dark purple hallway that went far back. I saw the man disappear to the right at the end of the hallway. I walked quickly, quietly as I followed him into another long hallway. The hallways smelled strange, like mold and vomit, as I walked. You could feel the vibrations of the concert through the walls and loud booming above. I must have been under the stage by the sounds I could hear and, even, feel. I halted near a staircase, hearing voices, “Earl, you idiot, we have to wait for Zing. He’s the ultimate decider of who we keep.” “Well no shit. I was just saying one was prettier than the others and he’s going to want that one.” I heard a thick southern accent. Want her for what? If it was anything close to what I thought, I might burst into the room and do something mildly stupid. I looked up the staircase and saw a door frame as light poured out of it near the edges, planning how I’d attack. “Y’all didn’t see any other good ones?” One of the other guys said. I decided against attacking; they had sleepers, and it wasn’t the best idea. I tried breathing as quietly as I could, switching my Helix into record mode. If I couldn’t save these girls, I could at least try to record evidence. “Unable to record. No signal.” I heard a robotic voice faintly say in my ear. What the fuck? How was it not able to record? My Helix must have been jank. I tried again. “Unable to record. No signal.” I shook my head, blatantly frustrated. All this effort to follow these idiots, yet my damn Helix can’t do it’s job? That’s ridiculous. This is what we were here for, to gather information, yet my assignment was already a lost cause. The room went silent and I crept up the stairs, scrunching my face as I heard a creek. I still didn’t hear anyone so I pressed my ear to the door. Nothing. I inched the door open, my hand trembling. I peeked my head out, seeing a small, bright white break room with a table and seats. There was a closet with a deep purple curtain and I heard voices beyond. It’s either the men went through that, or another door I sat to the right. I went near the curtain, seeing it was double curtained. I went past the first one, stopping as I heard a voice. A deep honey voice spoke, “Great performance, as usual, girls!” It was such a smooth and rich voice, but I couldn’t tell if it were a man’s or woman’s; however, it became apparent that it was unmistakably Zing’s. “You all are dismissed for the night. Get crazy, wild even with those Valorion boys.” He said with a humorous ring to his voice. I heard a group of girls giggle and then footsteps leaving. I was leaning on the closet’s wall, and then, I felt someone push me forward. I fell to the ground, twisting into the dark velvet curtain to soften my fall. I heard a gasp, “Oh. My. Supernova.” Ugh, that saying again. I crawled backward on the ground, embarrassed as I looked up to Zing. His crystal blue eyes focusing on me in confusion. “Looks like we found someone watching you, Zing.” The thick country accented guy, who I assumed was Earl, said as he walked into the room behind me, dressed in an all-black suit, almost like he was going to a fancy dinner party. “Oh, honey, come here.” Zing was super tall, as tall as Eli, as he kneeled toward me with an outstretched hand. I tucked my hair behind my ear, “I’m so sorry. I got lost in the hallways looking for my seats and I thought it was a shortcut and I was really wrong.” I switched into Mara, squeaking nervously, “Like, I really do apologize.” Zing’s skin was so soft as his hand helped me up. He smelled sweet and inviting and he had a big pink fur cape on that brushed my shoulder. He grinned with his teeth, two fangs on his teeth covered with diamonds, “Don’t worry about it, sweetie.” He paused, eyes scanning me from head to toe, “You’re just adorable, aren’t you?” He blinked his long, glittery pink eyelashes to the guy behind me. “I should get back to my boyfriend; he’s probably worried where I am.” I met his eyes with a worried expression. I had to make an emphasis that there was someone waiting on me. I didn’t want to disappear like those girls. “Let me give you an autograph before I have Earl lead you out.” He turned around, grabbing a poster, and getting his marker out of his pocket, “Your name?” As sweet as he was, I couldn’t help but feel strikingly uncomfortable. I didn’t want him to know my name, even if it were fake. “Mara.” I shifted, holding my hands patiently; although, my head was screaming for me to leave. He smiled as he handed me the signed poster, “There you go. It was lovely meeting you, Miss Mara.” Earl smiled, underneath his handlebar mustache, “C’mon, I’ll show you the right way to your seat.” He grabbed my arm roughly as he led me out the opposite way I came in. I stifled my anger, as mad as I was, so I could stay undercover. Earl grumbled, “There.” He motioned to the row where my friends were as he pushed me forward. I wanted to whip around and kick him in the jaw by the way he had just handled me, but I stayed calm, collected. “Thanks!” I said, with an apologetic tone, as I walked toward Eli, Zane and Gemma. Most of the seats were already empty and the targets were far gone. “Where were you?” Eli asked, in wonder. “I got lost.” I said with a shrug, glancing to Zane’s stare. We got back to our hotel and I went to me and Gemma’s room, slamming my door as I laid on my bed. Gemma was going to a bar with one of her Tinder matches so I’d be alone for a while. I was relieved because I could use time to myself tonight. I stared at my ceiling, feeling my eyes water. What did I just see? Could that have been me taken? Where were those girls now? I felt sick. A tear fell down my face in anger. I shook my head; I should have done something. Exactly what I read about happened right in front of me and I was just a bystander? I disappointed myself. I thought I was better than that. I heard a knock on my door. I wiped the tears from my face as I went to my door, looking through the peephole to see Zane. I opened the door, hesitantly, as he slipped inside, closing the door behind him. I laid back on my bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to be emotionless. I didn’t want him to know what I saw, even though I really needed to tell someone. “What happened?” He said, sitting on my bed, his hand touching my calf, brushing it. I shook my head, “Nothing.” I glanced to his face; he wasn’t believing me for a second. “Rayne.” I blinked, a tear escaped down my cheek, “I saw something, okay?” I sat up. “What?” Zane’s eyes searched mine in concern, worry. “A few girls were tranquilized when I went to the restroom. Kidnapped.” His face was blank, without emotion as he studied me.I couldn't read his face and didn't understand why he had no reaction to what I said, as if it weren't the first time he was exposed to something like this. I continued on with my self-loathe, “I’m an idiot.” He cocked his head, “Why do you say that?” I shook my head, “Because I didn’t do anything. I accomplished nothing. I followed the men, listened to them, but my Helix didn’t even record and I was caught. I met Zing and I got a fucking autograph. It’s pathetic.” He grinned, with a chuckle, “And that’s why you’re upset?” He paused, with a shake of his head, “You amaze me sometimes, Rayne.” His blue eyes met mine with humor. “I’m a failure. There’s little to nothing to amaze you by.” Zane caught my gaze with a stone cold expression, “Don’t follow them next time, Rayne." He paused, eyes studying me carefully, "You can’t save everyone.” My jaw tightened, “What if I could?” I asked, challenging him. Something flitted across his face that I couldn’t read. A moment of silence passed as he looked at me, impassively. Then, his eyes lit up, playfully, “Does someone need a diaper change?” Oh, he was not changing the subject and treating me like I was a baby. Totally. Not. Fair. “Nope, I’ll pass.” I said, glaring at him. “I’ll be back.” Without even asking me, he grabbed my room access badge off my nightstand and he walked out. I huffed, laying back on my bed. A few minutes later of sulking, Zane was back with his backpack. I rolled my eyes. “Does someone want a spanking first?” I met his playful, awaiting eyes as I stared at him, expressionlessly. I grumbled as I rolled onto my stomach, nuzzling my face into my bed, “No.” “Well, that’s too bad.” He said in a low voice, roughly pulling me over his lap as he sat down. “Zane!” I said in a hushed voice. I wasn’t going to scream; we were on Valorion after all, and after what I saw today, anything could happen. “That’s not my name to you.” He said as he pulled my shorts and underwear off in a quick swoop. Well, fuck. That was hot, and also, intimidating. He began sending swats down to my bottom and I winced. The sting was very real and it got worse as what felt like ten minutes has already passed. I was crying after a few minutes. Not because of the spanking, because of what I saw. How helpless I felt. I didn’t do anything. I sat and watched. Tear flowed down my face as I cried. I felt vulnerable in Zane’s arms. After he spanked me, he cradled me, and cuddled me with love as he played with my hair. I sniffled, trying to change what I was thinking about, “So…” I paused, meeting his eyes, “Are we boyfriend and girlfriend yet?” Zane threw his head back in a roar of a laugh, “Yes, Rayne. We have been for a while.” Well that was undenounced to me. He placed me on the bed, making me feel so small that he could easily pick me up and place me down. He unfolded a diaper under me, tickling powder on my bottom and taping the diaper shut. A light purple pacifier was plopped between my lips. Zane’s eyes lit up as he looked at me. I smiled underneath my paci as I sat up while he put away the powder. I heard the door clickopen as Gemma walked in. My eyes met hers and she had a surprised look painted over her face. I felt mortification drench me like a huge wave. My face became hot as I sucked on my pacifier in embarrassment. A little bit of warmth entered my diaper as I sat there, not knowing what to do. “Oh, hey, Gemini.” Zane said, nonchalantly. Gemma smiled widely, squealing, “AWEEEEEE! Rayney, you look so adorable!” Oh fuck no. I shifted, more pee escaping into my diaper as I was beyond shocked, embarrassed. She knelt near me where Zane stood with a smile planted on his face, soaking up this moment. He was loving my humiliation and I was dying. Her purple glittery hand caressed my cheek, “Rayney, don’t get all shy, it’s just me.” She tickled my stomach and I giggled, nervously. I always wondered why she had glitter on her, but she used a glitter body wash that was the ‘norm’ on Zena. I turned, crawling to go under my covers. Gemma said to Zane, “Was she a bad girl today?” I blushed deeper shades of red, realizing that my butt was probably still red from the spanking. He sighed, “With Rayne, that’s every day. Today, she was just a little worse.” They were talking about me as if I weren’t there. As if I were really a baby. It gave me little feels I couldn’t explain. I quickly went from being 18 years old to 2 years old in an instant. I snuggled under my covers, my head peeking out to them as Zane got under the covers with me. “How did your date go?” Zane asked, as he repositioned us so he was cradling me with one of my fuzzy blankets barely covering my diaper. Gemma shook her head, her eyes still bouncing as they rested on me, “It was a fail. She was a Valorion girl and she said she was ‘going to the bathroom’ and then ghosted me.” She sat on her bed, kicking off her high heel boots. Poor Gem. I felt bad that she was having the worst of luck dating. “It’s probably for the best, Gemini.” Zane said thoughtfully, “She would have known you as Stella Nebula and Stella is definitely not as badass as Gemini Xara.” I smiled; Zane always knew the right things to say. Gemma sighed, “I just want to find a girl that I can have the same chemistry as you and little Rayney.” I blushed, ugh, they both were taking jabs at me. I nuzzled my cheek into Zane’s chest. Zane raised his eyebrows, “You want a sassy little? I have one baby in mind.” I looked up and his eyes were teasing me. Gemma, like other Zenons, didn’t understand sarcasm too well, “No, I don’t want a baby. No offense or anything Rayne. I like the whole dominant/submissive idea though.” She paused, her eyes looking at me with a small smile on her face, “She is one of the cutest babies I’ve seen though, Zaney. You’re definitely a lucky one.” Her face was glowing as she looked at me. Her yellow highlighter picking up the room’s luminance. Zane said, “I like to tell myself I’m lucky when she acts like a brat.” He winked at me, “And I highly dislike when people call me Zaney.” I giggled as I heard him say it. I heard Eric say it once when we were on Hanna at the training base and thought it was even funnier with his southern accent. Gemma laughed loudly, “But it sounds so cute when you two are together!” She gave Zane a mischievous grin, “Zaney and Rayney.” I giggled louder as she said it. Zane sighed, “You like that, don’t you?” He looked down to me, tickling my stomach as I giggled some more. “Mhm.” I said behind my paci with a nod. “Is she wet?” Gemini asked. I glared at her, with a blush. She winked at me in response, her dark purple metallic eyeliner reflecting in the light. They both were milking this at my own expense. Zane’s hand traveled down to my crotch as he felt the front of my padding, “The real question is: when is she not wet?” I squirmed under his hand, wishing he was touching me there for something else. I squinted my eyes at him, “Nuh-uh.” “Oh my, you weren’t kidding that she was sassy.” Gemma said, raising her dark blue eyebrows. I rolled my eyes. Someone, kill me now. “Thank you. At least someone else sees it.” Zane said, patting my padded bottom. I shifted, cuddling into him. “I’m going to take a shower. You can sleepover if you wanted. She’ll probably need a change in the morning, and as much as I would like too, I think she wants a change from her Daddy more.” She winked at us as I cuddled into Zane from humiliation. It made me slightly mad how well Gemini was at catching on to verbally teasing me. We all binge watched the Valorion based show Gallagher’s Throne on Space Cinema for an hour or two. Gemma and I had previously binge watched the first season in the past few days and were already on the second season. I had to pee when we began so I let out more pee into my diaper as an hour passed by. I was yawning on our third episode. Zane looked at his watch, “It’s past your bedtime, little one.” His hand patted my wet padding as I scrunched my face, realizing how wet and full it was. Gemma was still watching, not paying attention to us, as Zane said, “Looks like someone needs a change, hm?” Zane stood up, with me in his arms, turning around and placing me on the bed. I nursed my paci in embarrassment, trying to watch the show, on the wall screen square in between Gemma and I’s beds, instead of thinking that this handsome man was going to change my very wet diaper. Gemma rolled towards us on her bed, propping herself up on her elbow as she watched Zane untape my diaper. “Wow, someone was a really wet baby.” Gemini said with a playful glow in her dark purple eyes. “You thought I was joking earlier.” Zane’s eyebrows went up with a smirk on his face as he took warm wipes to my bottom. I huffed, crossing my arms as I laid there. He rolled the wipes in the wet pink diaper and grabbed a new one, sliding it under me. He sprinkled powder on me, the scent catching my nose as I tried to suppress my smile. My diaper was taped on snugly as Zane brought me into my bed, bringing me close to him as he turned off our lights. “Goodnight Rayney and Zaney.” Gemma said in the darkness as Zane chuckled softly, kissing my head, feeling safe and at home in his arms. It dawned on me, in that moment, before drifting off to sleep, that I didn’t have a home. I never even considered where I lived on Hanna with Fern and George as my home. It didn’t feel like my own, no matter how accommodating they were to me. The Intergalactic Space Station felt more like home than Hanna ever did, which was weird to think about. Maybe it was because my friends were here, my new family. Maybe because Zane made me feel safe, finally comfortable. I had no home, but anytime and anywhere I was with Zane, I felt like it was home. As I nestled myself into Zane, his hand touching my diaper, I realized that this was my only home. In Zane's arms.

We're about 6 or 7 chapters away from, quite possibly, the answers to many of your thoughts. I'm excited to hear your feedback after I post them! Haha.

I didn't close the tab. I ignored the grammatical errors and carried on with the meaning. ? As someone who's struggled with depression in the past and has always been seen as 'stupid' or 'dumb' and has had to prove my worth on multiple occasion: it gets better. You don't need to be talented. You don't need people to like you. Heck, I've been the 'Rudy' my whole life. The underdog. I've been compared to be the weakest link and still am, even today at work was I slapped in the face, but you see, these things challenge us to be better. To humble us. To become stronger. Take a night, maybe even a week, to accept your thoughts, bask in the feeling. I'm not going to tell you, "Try harder." Because every single damn person in my life has told me that, and it's annoying and they will never understand how hard, us underdogs, try to be even slightly average. Take time out to rest, and then go back out there. Fuck what other people see and don't even compare yourself to others for a second; it's not worth it. Because you're on this planet for a reason, and even if you aren't the best, you are you and that's something even more meaningful than the best.

Chapter 43: Falling Rayne. 2 weeks later. “What should we call ourselves?” Eli asked over the Helix. “Red’s bitches.” Ryo said and I smiled as I sat at the table, trying not to laugh. I watched as the bright green grass was lightly rustled in the fall breeze as I sat at the coffee shop nestled in Glowfield, Valorion. Ever since we arrived, I have not been disappointed by Valorion’s beauty. Luscious, vast trees as far as the eyes could see. Water blue and as crystal clear as glass. The sand, on the beaches, as white as in the movies. In fact, I believe most Space Cinema movie locations were filmed on the beaches we landed near. The grounds as clean as can be, unlike many other planets. It was quite a stark comparison to Earth that had litter sprinkling the grounds and homeless people living on the streets. The roads were always in construction from lack of citizens working on them and not enough funding. Valorion had long stretches of forests, jaw-dropping bright cities that lit up the night sky and picturesque neighborhoods. Breathtakingly beautiful. The idea that heinously wrong things happened here was honestly lost once we landed. Just rumors in the dark abyss. It seemed so quiet, safe. Nothing screamed sketchy or out of the ordinary. It was the most beautiful planet I had visited thus far, and everything I saw was faultless, awe-inspiring. “No, we need like a badass one, like the Seven something...” Gemma said over the Helix. “Magnificent seven?” I said, wondering if they even knew what I was referring too. “I like that.” I could hear a smile in Zane’s voice as I glanced at him walking past me, into the coffee shop with Gemma, acting like he was flirting with her. Eli sat down in front of me, holding my hand, as if we were really dating. Nethander spoke, “Magnificent 7 it is.” “Wasn’t that a movie or something that was remade like twenty times after the original?” Ryo asked. Zane spoke, “Yes, exactly.” I drank my coffee as Zane and Gemini sat in front of us. Zane casting his gaze away, trying not to look at us. It must be weird, seeing his girlfriend act like she’s in love with someone else on an assignment. My eyes traced the stone walkway beyond the outside coffee shop tables as the Valorion sun shined down on my arm and leg. A human girl worker swept dirt from the stone, mindlessly. Apparently, it was so impeccably clean here that the only thing they could possibly sweep was dirt. I looked over to the elm tree near the walkway as a dark periwinkle sparrow sat on the tree, fixing its gaze to meet mine, then preceding to fly away. I had never seen so many forest creatures since being here, not even Hanna could compare. “I’ve never been somewhere so captivating.” Gemma said, or who I should call, Stella. It had been our third day on Valorion and we all were still mesmerized by the place. Eli winked at me, “I’ve seen something more captivating.” I blinked, trying to shake off how cheesy that was. If this were how Eli was in relationships, I could see why he didn’t have a shot. “Aww, Scott.” I said, smiling as I bit my lip flirtatiously. “Ugh, I’ve had enough of you two.” Zane said, getting up and rolling his eyes. It took every ounce of self-control to not laugh. We were all trying to poke one another at this point. We weren’t going to break characters, but god was I close. If not for the few tables near us full of chattering Valorions, I would have smacked Eli for that comment. “So, you all are in for the concert tonight, right?” Gem asked us all. “You know it.” Nethander said, his dark tinted glasses made him look like he didn’t even care. It was our first real assignment tonight. Vix gave us a few days to get acquainted with Valorion, do some sight-seeing, and get adjusted to acting as our new profiles. Tonight’s mission was simple: go to the Zing concert and observe the targets that would be near our high-priced front row seats. We even had backstage passes to meet Zing. Great. The singer I hated the most I’d get to fangirl over. Just lovely. Strands of the newly bleached blonde in my hair got picked up in the wind, blowing softly as I watched Zane walking by himself down the sidewalk. My eyes followed him, looking at his well-developed arms as veins showed faintly as he held his coffee. He was so hot. It truly wasn’t fair. I wish I’d get to have some alone time with him soon; I wanted him to explore my body so badly. Ever since I told him he couldn’t protect me, he’s been, for the most part, back to normal. He had dropped a lot of dominant qualities that I missed, to a point. I felt like I didn’t have to hide what I read from him anymore. I could tell he’d look over my shoulder to see what I was reading, but it was never anything to do with bots, human trafficking or the Sequoia Airspace. He had his secrets, and I had my own. Last week, before leaving to Valorion, I requested a meeting with Vix, Roanoke and Aries. My request was denied, twice, but then they finally accepted, understanding that I was persistent. I knew it in my heart that Red did not approve nor agree with my idea two weeks ago. If it were any other officer, he may have considered it, but I knew, somewhere along the line, Zane held the reins on Red sending me somewhere dangerous. It didn’t need to be told to me, it became evident the way Red withheld information from me. I needed to change my path to achieving my purpose, and, unfortunately, it was going to have to be taken with Vix herself, even if it were behind Red’s back. I met her in her office, hesitantly opening the door out of my distaste for Vix. I walked in, finding Aries and Roanoke already sitting behind the desk with her. “What was so important in which you had to disrupt us on multiple occasions, Griff?” She could have not said that with more of an edge to her voice. How sweet. Aries smiled, motioning for me to have a seat. God, she was so sweet and humbling; her sister, an entirely different story. I sat down in the velvet red chair, making direct eye contact with Vix, “I wanted to discuss a future assignment that I’d like to be part of.” Listen carefully, Vix.I thought directly to her. Her eyes constricted and dilated, as her blue lips shrinked into a flat smile, “That’s not how this works. We create the assignments, then assign what officer or officers we think are most beneficial.” I swallowed my distaste for her. Time to turn on my charm. I smiled, eyes twinkling, “With your approval, I’d like to resurface the Sequoian Airspace assignment.” The room fell silent, three sets of eyes not blinking. Then, Roanoke burst out laughing, shaking his head, “Please, do explain how you’re going to enter the assignment with your stature and descent.” Well, that was insulting, “Oh, dear girl, you have no idea the dangers that would hold for you.” Aries even had a small smile on her face as she looked like she was attempting to stifle a laugh. My eyes squinted, switching to Vix, her face, stone serious, thoughtful. Was she actually considering it? The one person in the room who had the greatest disdain for me was finally showing me an ounce of compassion. Was I seeing this correctly? I’d had expected Aries to show the most support, but she was acting like it was only an idea that they would kindly decline. It was embarrassing how little they were taking this seriously. I wanted to walk out, but I held down in my seat, although every nerve in my body was suggesting this was a huge failure. “Roanoke, Aries, please leave.” Vix said, coldly. Roanoke stopped laughing and Aries looked confused, blinking. “I beg your pardon, Vix, but she requested a meeting with all of us.” Aries said in response; the first time I had ever heard even a sliver of anger from her. “I would like to talk to Griff in private.” Vix said, firmly. Roanoke cleared his throat and stood with Aries. They both walked out, with a moment of awkward silence following them. “Expand on your idea, Griff.” She turned her head, looking down at her iGlass tablet before her, typing as if I weren’t there. Well, great, obviously I don’t even have her attention anymore. I shook my head, standing up, “Forget about it.” I was an idiot for thinking that I could possibly persuade these people to go on my own assignment. I had my back turned to her as I heard, “Sit. As much as I detest your attitude; I believe in your purpose.” I turned my head, seeing her lock her tablet, and clasping her hands above it. She became attentive, making me feel a slight twinge of importance. I sighed, mustering the last of my self-control to sit in front of her and be vulnerable to what I had to say, “Send me in as a bot.” I met her constricting eyes, holding her gaze evenly. She narrowed her eyes, saying nothing for a long moment, “After your assignment.” My eyes lit up, in surprise. Did I sell my soul to the devil? Or was it to the cause? It was a complete suicide attempt, but I couldn’t stop it; I had already fallen off the ledge, with no one to catch me.

I did not and still do not agree with his actions either. In my opinion, if not for Zane, Rayne may have reached that true potential. Zane thinks he's protecting her, but maybe he's only making things worse? Who knows...surely not even the writer, herself ;) I enjoy you're thoughts on the story, Hopsalot!