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Maple's Story Part 1
🕑 Added 2015-12-30 08:09:51 +0000 UTCRain pattered ceaselessly against glass and in the distance lightning bolts wove like thread and needle through thick grey clouds. Maple gave her collar a tug for the umpteenth time, hating the way it felt. It felt like a snake had wound its way around her and was poised to bite. As it turned out, this wasn’t too far from the truth.
“Stop playing with it, you’re going to give yourself a rash.” Syn scolded. The A.I had been a part of Maple for almost as long as she could remember, a calming voice of reason to balance out her sometimes wild demeanour.
“Don’t you think I have more to worry about than a rash?” Maple tugged at the collar again and sighed before leaning into the controls of her ship, easing the thrusters upward out of atmo. Even burdened with cargo as it was, The Kit had an easy time of sliding up through the clouds. Lightning arced off her wings as Maple urged her away from the station that had caused her so much stress.
“I told you not to get mixed up with eccentric scientists - perhaps next time you won’t let yourself be blinded by the credits.” Syn replied, her voice dancing through Maple’s mind like it was her own.
“If there is a next time…” Maple muttered.She set the ship over to A.I and started to calculate a route that would make haste but not burn out Kit’s thrusters, reflecting on the series of insane events that had led her to this moment. Leah’s Point, the station that was fading from view in her rear sensors, called itself a Free Trade Station. What that usually meant was that it you could buy or sell almost anything there - or anyone. Most reputable Porters steered clear of stations like that, but if you were careful and had a gun strapped to your belt, they were usually a good way of turning a quick profit. Maple had touched down two days ago looking to pick up some easy contract, porting goods nobody else would haul meant more creds and The Kit had almost been designed to house sensitive cargo. One contract had stood out to Maple in particular.
Porter needed: Fragile Chemicals
.25 tons
25000 creds
Enquire at Phase Pharmaceuticals
And so Maple had found herself walking into a building that would have been better suited as a drug den than a place of business. Worn, plain duraplast walls seemed out of place next to the bright (and often overwhelming) palettes of contesting stores in the station’s industrial-retail park. Her AI buzzed in her mind, letting her know that it hadn’t been able to dig up any info on Phase Pharmaceuticals and that she ought to keep a hand on her holster. She didn’t need to be told twice. The interior of the building was gloomy, half of the lights flickered and the other half didn’t seem to work at all. Dusty shelves with a skeletal smattering of wares were dimly illuminated. Tonics and cure-alls in strangely shaped bottles with dulled labels stared back at the vixen as she passed on through the store, approaching the counter and the figure behind it.
"Hi, I'm the porter. Here for that job you posted." Maple's tone was casual for a vixen who was fingering the grip of her pistol nervously.
"Yeah." The man replied, a badger perhaps? It was hard to tell under the bulky labcoat he wore and the grey, face concealing gasmask. Why a gasmask? Some species couldn't breath the air that the common species could, but she'd never met one. Usually they lived among their own habitats. Maple frowned.
"My ship's The Kit out in landing bay twelve. She'll get whatever it is you're shipping to where-ever it is it's going. Just point me in the direction and pad my cred account."
"Yeah." The creature replied again, his voice muffled behind the mask. Maple's frown deepened. What the fuck was wrong with this guy, and what in hell's name was she agreeing to haul? She couldn't give him a piece of her mind yet though. Twenty five thousand credits was a lot of cash, enough to put up with an abrupt prick like this. It wasn't going to stop her from asking though;
"What's with the gasmask?"
"I'm glad you asked." Finally more than a one word response. Maple listened. "The mask filters the anaesthetic chemicals that I released into the store's ventilation when you informed me you were on your way over. It is to prevent me from falling unconscious like you're about to."
Maple didn't really hear much more than the first few words, the world was already falling dark around her. She wouldn't remember stumbling back, knocking over a display stand and groping clumsily for her pistol, nor would she remember eventually crumpling in a heap on the floor or the creature as he grabbed hold of her by her arms and dragged her further into the building.
- - -
When Maple woke up she learned that the creature's name was Kali, that he was a doctor who owed some money to the wrong sort of crowd. They had him working overtime on the sorts of chemicals that could completely rebuild a person's life. She didn't ask in what way.
The vixen had been fitted with a collar whilst she was asleep. She tried to pry it off immediately but as soon as her fingers went for the clasp a dozen tiny needles bit at her neck, causing her to yelp in pain and rub at the area sorely before glaring at the doctor.
"You see," The doctor started, Maple could see he was indeed a badger now that the gas mask was off. "The last two porters who took delivery of my chems made off with them. Ain't a lot of scientific brain power this side of the Rim and specialty chems? Well what I do is worth a lot of money. It's the reason I'm still alive and the reason you're modelling my latest invention. Don't try and kill me, you wouldn't like what happens if you do." He must have seen Maple reaching for the gun that was still holstered to her waist. She had contacts of her own, people who could nullify this thing. Probably. "It turns out you're going to deliver my chemicals and you're not going to make any stops along the way. Your collar is going to inject your body with specially designed nanites, my own creation!" He smiled a little, smug smile that made Maple only want to smack him more. "You see… I’m an admirer of the larger creatures of life. These little guys, they're going to get into your body and they're going to make you want to eat. A lot."
"Excuse me?!" The vixen stammered. "They're going to do what?!"
"Make you want to eat." He repeated, slowly and with the impatience of talking to some backwards hillbilly. The urge to punch him was only rising. "Of course, I know your types. You take gods know what to keep your bodies slim and 'perfect'. So if you want if you want to keep your perfect little body than if I were you I'd hurry along. Because every hour of every day, until I receive confirmation that the package is delivered, you're going to be hungry."
"You can't do this!"
"What, are you going to report me? The feds don’t give a shit about Leah’s Point, you wouldn’t be out here looking to make a quick stack of creds if they did. Besides, it's not like I'm putting you in any danger. Eat as much as you want, soon to be piggy. The nanites will keep you healthy until you've delivered my package. I can't have you popping on me like the last courier." Settling back into his chair behind the counter, the badger smiled a cruel little smile. Like a kid who had trapped a bug and was watching it squirm.
"P-popping?!"
"Of course, I haven't been able to fully test out these new nanites but hopefully they'll keep you together." He paused and leaned forward a fraction. "But porter, I want you to know before you leave: My little machines will only make you feel hungry. It's up to you to keep control of yourself. If you have half an ounce of willpower you'll make it to your destination unscathed. But… personally? I'm hoping you turn into a blimp. I'm looking forward to watching Rene’s security feeds and seeing you waddle in."
Maple groaned, already she could feel the tiny machines doing their work. She felt as though she'd skipped breakfast and last night's dinner. Her stomach rumbled angrily.
"Go on! Off with you. Scurry on and deliver my chems, I had them loaded into your ship whilst you were out."
Hurling a few choice curses, the vixen flipped off her client before she scurried out the door. This station, the doctor, everything here was fucked up. She'd be happy to be back on her ship, thinking her way out of this mess.
