This story is not finished yet - The chapters are seperated by the quotes in italics - this is the longest one I've written so far and it still needs tweaking in places
Prologue.
The young boy lay strapped to the table. Dr Ottoway loomed over him. His breath smelt bad. He did not talk to his naked captive, but simply tightened the straps until they hurt. The bear-morph was wearing his traditional lab coat, spattered with blood. The boy remembered some of his cellmates saying that all the blood was real, others that the Doctor took a perverse pleasure in scaring his subjects.
Dr Ottoway turned to his assistant: “Claire, prepare recording equipment and prepare suction.” Claire, a younger racoon-morph, did as she was told. With the cameras now recording sound and vision, Dr Ottoway continued “ This continues experiment series 76, with this subjects age being approximately a year older than the last. Subject is approximately 4 human years old, male and without tissue damage. We start by dissecting and removing the right knee cap, as listed in standard experiment 34, to see if the subject can manoeuvre on the joint after the severing of the tendons in the rear of the hind leg.” Dr Ottoway turned out of the boy’s sight and came back holding a scalpel and face mask. He put the mask on and put one huge hand above the boy’s right knee. “Suction please”
As the scalpel went under his skin and the blood began to flow, the boy made long low sounds, cried and frantically tried to struggle free. The straps and Dr Ottoways hand held him fast. The pain exploded in his head and burnt his eyes. He passed out quickly. In the coffee room afterwards, Dr Ottoway and Claire where cleaning up before lunch.
“We’ll see if he can walk in a week or so,” Dr Ottoways gruff manner punctured the silence She replied “Anaesthesia would be nice to stop them squirming, but it’s so difficult with children to calculate it correctly. At least we don’t have to put up with them screaming, I’m glad the Medical council legalised tongue removal in subjects.”
“Since the revolution, Homo sapiens sapiens had been regarded as an evolutionary dead end. Their species has been in slow decline since their removal into slavery and captivity a few decades ago. This species is now very rare in the wild, existing only as poached animals in reservation parks, laboratories, as slaves in prime district housing, as hunted criminals and as delicacies in prime district restaurants. The production of offspring has declined rapidly, only 10 children have been born in listed captivity within the last year. Some ‘humans’ are used in laboratory experiments, indeed my learned colleague, Dr Ottoway, has written the ongoing definitive study into their physical developments from foetus to adulthood. I myself have studied their behavioural habits, customs, beliefs and practices through my own pedigree breeding pair, Arthur and Mary.”
Dr Ross, Humans in Captivity
“WAADE” the shout went across the print room floor. Benedict stuck his head up, ears flat against his head and yelled “I’m here, I’m coming”
He arrived at his editor’s office, she was on the phone. Her black short fur bristled as she put the phone down. She was a black panther, dressed in a grey business suit, slick, sleek and businesslike, perfect for the job of editing the Big Cat News. “New story.” She said, not wasting time on greetings “drop what you’re doing and get over to Cunningham Street. Three humans have just escaped from the lab there and the Hounds are running extermination. This could be a chance for an interview”
Ben waited for more information “Get going” she growled. Ben left, preferring to use his own speed at running rather than risk a cab in the city at rush hour.
As a cheetah, he had an advantage over his fellow paper reporters: he could get to the scene quicker than any of them using conventional transport. He already knew that if the Avian Times had picked up the story, then their reporters would be there already. For a start, they where faster than him, they didn’t have to stick to roads or deal with traffic. Secondly, Hanna. Their top reporter. She was a Red Kite-morph, good at her job and damn good-looking. Ben sped down the stairs, grabbing his recording equipment on the way down. As he approached Cunningham Street, he attached the shoulder- mounted camera into position and set it to record. The Anima church stood in its grounds on the corner of Cunningham and Rocket. Around the edge of the grounds, as if not daring to enter, where the recognisable forms of the Bloodhound-morph human execution squad. Ben spoke constantly, knowing the microphone would pick it up. As usual the 'hounds' would not let themselves be approached for an interview, although, dressed in their black uniforms with its distinctive red piping, the whole audience would know who they where.
Other reporters where already there, including Hanna and Chris, her Bald Eagle Cameraman. From what he could gather from them, two males and a female had escaped from Penak laboratories, killing two guards on the way out and escaping into the Anima church. Ben explained this situation to his shoulder mike and camera as a formal report, adding the information, which everyone knew, that human churches where once regarded as places of sanctuary, and had once been above the law. The current reporters debate was whether that rule still stood, or whether, as the church was now a Morph church, that humans would be expelled from the building.
A half hour after his arrival and he was beginning to think that Brother Adrian had enlisted the humans into church service.
Much later, most of the reporters had left to file their reports and Ben was starting to get cold. The hounds still waited, they where legendary for not giving up on a quarry. Darkness was falling when the doors to the church were opened from the inside. Silhouetted against the light was the imposing figure of Brother Adrian, a Badger-Morph who had run the church for as long as anyone could remember. One of the three Fieldmice-Morph nuns was at his side. In his hand he carried an ever present ‘Book of Fur’, his other carried a large cloth bag. He walked down the main path, leaving the church door open to the cold. Ben could hear the other reporters telling their cameras of ‘exciting new developments,’ he began his own report.
“There have been developments within the last few minutes (He trained his camera). Brother Adrian, of the Anima Church on Cunningham and Rocket, has just left the church building here in front of me. As you can see, he’s walking down the steps, towards the boundary wall, where the Hounds are waiting. They’re talking quietly, I can’t pick it up from this distance, he’s handing over the bag to the hound’s leader. He walking away… wait, he’s going to speak... Brother Adrian! Care to say a few words about the situation here?”
“My Brothers, today is a sad day for all of Morph kind, today I had to meet out the Wanderers justice to those not of the faith. I shall pray for him to find the Wanderers grace and to finally know peace.”
“Brother Adrian? Are the Humans still alive? Why to you still harbour them?”
“Brother, today I had to take up arms to defend the Wanderers creed from heresy, the proof lies with the Hounds in that bag. The other two have agreed to go peacefully to their terminations, you can come and collect them now.”
Ben panned the camera round to the doorway of the church, where two thin figures where huddled together. Two of the hounds walked up the path and escorted them down to the waiting van. Once in the back, Ben tried to get a picture through the windows, but wasn’t quick enough before the van drove off. By the time he had refocused on the church, Brother Adrian had gone back inside.
“There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the recapture of three dangerous humans at the Anima church in the south of the city. This is Ben Wade, for Big Cat News signing off”
“ My own breeding pair have communicated that single pairings for life are the preferred state for breeding, but, as Dr Ottoway has shown, a single female placed in a group of males will result in either an alpha pair being formed or a polygamous relationship. Experiments with an all male group show that they will enact mating rituals with one specific, often weaker, male.”
Dr Ross, Humans in Captivity
Alex Saxburg held Christian’s collar firmly, almost choking her, so her face was pressed to the bedroom floor. He kicked her, as he had done before, carefully aiming for the stomach as not to let the bruising show. No-one wanted damaged goods working in their house. He let go of her collar, only to grab a handful of her short blonde hair. He heard his wife call from downstairs “Are you nearly ready, dear?” He aimed another kick, “ Just give me a few minutes.” He knew she hated him for what he did, that was unreasonable, he was fair to her, somewhere to sleep, clothes, food, clean water and a job to do for the family. The permanent bit, collar and lead where just for his wife’s protection. The slave shouldn’t talk back.
Walking downstairs he caught sight of his wife, Laura. She was a foxy lady by anyone’s standards and was a beautiful example of their species, white and ginger fur combed to perfection, the pearls at her neck almost seeming to glow. She was wearing a silk purple evening gown, with pashma shawl, he a black tuxedo. Classic dress for the annual winter feast. She held their invitations, cream paper, gilt-edged and hand written in her left paw. She offered him her right one and they walked together down the hall. In the lounge, their son and daughter, William and Elizabeth, 1 year old and 6 months respectively, both slept.
Alexander Saxburg called for the house slave. Christian appeared at the top of the stairs, eyes red and watery.
Alex: “What have you been doing? Look after the children well, else there’ll be a beating for you when we get back.”
Christian watched them leave without a word. The door slammed and William started crying. Christian went downstairs and, as always, let him lead her by the collar on hands and knees round the room to make him stop.
The children slept again and Christian prepared. She could not take her bit out or collar and lead off, she’d been trying since it was fitted 3 years ago. In less than an hour she would be having it cut off and be able to talk to another human being. She got a suitcase from the attic and began filling it with clothes, jewellery and antiques from the house. She washed in the Saxburgs ensuite bathroom in hot water (feeling strange after so many years of washing in cold water) and put her shift back on.
She thought back to the beginning: She had been sold into this job in a batch bought by the Prime District Council and hired out to the Saxburgs temporarily at the start. Then 3 years ago, they had bought her permanently, fitted with collar, lead and bit and contracted until she died or they sold her on. At the start her bit had chafed, she had terrible mouth ulcers and her neck had grown sores from the collar, then she had settled down into a routine of early mornings, cold showers and beatings. She was cleared from her thinking by a knock at the door. She went down to it to find a piece of paper pushed underneath. It didn’t contain words, as she couldn’t read. Instead was a symbol, a circle with a cross at the bottom. She lugged the suitcase downstairs, sat on the stairs and waited. A while later there was the sound of human voices outside. The door was hit hard from the outside and swung in towards her. Irrationally she felt frightened; she hadn’t seen or spoken to another human in 3 years.
Then there where people, so many that she began to back up the stairs in fright. Two caught her and she started to struggle before she realised that they where women. She struggled and they calmed her and took her outside. Outside! It was huge, dark, scary and cold. She felt humiliated as she saw that no – one else was wearing the bit and collar of captivity. A man took her over to the back of a waiting van and gave her a blanket. He wrapped her up and held her safe. The other 4 humans climbed in alongside her and she felt a touch of fear against her own species. One of the humans held William, who was still sleeping. Her suitcase of stolen things lay on the floor of the van. Then the engine started and the whole van moved, she knew it would, but had not prepared herself for it. She lurched sideways, hitting the man, then the floor and stayed curled up on the floor of the van until it stopped. The man next to her spoke quickly to the others, she managed to catch something about her and her collar. He moved and produced a pair of heavy clippers from underneath the front seat. Wild fear entered her eyes and tears came. He put the clippers down and moved towards her: she scooted to the back of the van, watching his eyes. The van lurched to a stop and she bumped back into him. He held her and murmured soothing words. She gradually relaxed and was quiet.
She let him finger her collar and lead, looking submissively downwards, preparing herself for the invasion to come. When it didn’t she looked up to find the man watching her. She sat still whilst he used the clippers to cut off the hated lead. The collar was more difficult and more than once the sharp cut edges nicked the back of her neck. When it was off, she felt strangely light and allowed herself to be held by the man. He introduced himself as ‘Sinclair’ and cleaned up the blood from her neck, cradling her in his arms. She watched as someone changed William out of his clothes and into a cotton long tunic.
The bit was more difficult to remove: in the end she had to be held down whilst the cutters where placed in her mouth to cut the bit at the flat plate which held down her tongue. Once it was out, her tongue went numb and she cried silently with relief and exhaustion. Sinclair held her again and in her safety she watched William sleeping. He was only a year old, the red and cream of his parents had not yet come through, and he was covered in brown-red fur, though his ears did have the start of their points. Sinclair gave her a bundle of clothes; at first she didn’t know what to do with them and gradually allowed him to dress her in underwear, trousers, shirt and boots.
He combed her hair out and she caught a distant memory of another female who had done that for her. She held William for the last time and tried to speak her first words. She though it fitting that her captors son should be the first to hear them. Her tongue still felt awkward and swollen, she took care to form the words.
“ Mmmy nnmm isss Christian.”
Sinclair smiled approvingly “Christian, I like that.”
The van’s door opened and she looked out into the darkness. About 200 humans were here holding children, along with several vans. They where in an open place in the town. A large paved area was in front of them, lit by street lamps. Sinclair raised his voice “Everyone knows why we’re here, those who have been liberated don’t have to take part unless they want to. Take the children into the centre of the square and make it quick. We have to be out of here in 15 minutes. Take care with the blood, people.” He looked at Christian, who took the proffered short sword. It felt heavy in her hands. She held her hands out for William, who was awake and watching. He smiled as she took him, reaching out for her thumb in order to nip it with his small teeth. She ignored him and walked to the middle of the square, putting William on the cold ground. She pulled the cotton tunic down, to cover his legs, a last act of kindness, before driving the sword into his chest and watching the mist rise from the spilt blood on the paving slabs. He didn’t make a sound. The whole bloody business took little over ten minutes, the later children where crying, being placed on the bodies of the earlier ones and having smelt the blood and bowels. The bodies and swords where left were they fell. Christian walked back to the van and Sinclair before collapsing in tears. She was not aware of being lifted into the van, nor it travelling to the city limits and beyond to safety.
She awoke to find herself laying on a bed, in clean sheets. The room was primarily brown and empty and she was afraid at first. The door opened and Sinclair walked in. In the light she could see he had brown hair and eyes. He walked towards her offering a steaming cup. She stood still and allowed him to come close and give her the cup.
“It’s soup,” he said, by way of explanation “I thought you’d be hungry. You’re safe here, there are no Morphs. It’s a house outside the city, in an old human city some miles away. When you’re washed and ready, we’ll join the others.” There was a moment’s silence before he continued “My wife was like you, a house slave. I broke free of my work in the lead mines and made a rescue plan for her.” Now more quietly “all went well until the next morning, she was shot and seriously wounded in the back as we tried to run. She begged me not to get caught. I had to strangle her before they caught up with us. That was 5 years ago, since then I helped form the resistance. You remind me so much of her”
Christian watched him silently as they went downstairs
Downstairs was a large kitchen: a large dark woman was cooking soup and fresh bread. The room had a large table down the centre, at which where sat 20 people.
Sinclair walked in and the room went silent. Christian stayed by the door, uncertain of herself. Sinclair spoke “Job well done people, was the document posted to the Anima Church?”
A blonde man sat at the end replied “ Yes, as you said.”
“Good… The enactment of the King Herod’s massacre from the Bible New Testament has gone exactly as planned. The first born sons of the Districts richest are now dead. The Anima Church has a copy of the original Bible text and a letter explaining why we have done such a barbaric thing. For the moment we lay low, we have food and water here, along with a doctor and medicine for those who need it. Most of you are new here, having only been liberated in the last weeks. Christian here was the last, only being liberated last night, owing to the means of her imprisonment”
Christian blushed and looked away. The people at the table stood up and came towards her, quietly, touching her skin and hair. She looked at Sinclair, who said “Welcome to the resistance.”
There are another 3 Chapters planned out - should be soon!