Legacy Chapter Six

Story by twilightiger on SoFurry

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#7 of Legacy

Taking place in a not so distant future Legacy is a psychological science fiction thriller set against a backdrop of Neo-noir corporate futurism and transhuman ethics with a healthy dose of existential nihilism thrown into the mix. And hey, if you enjoy my work and would like to see more of it then consider becoming a supporter on Patreon, the link can be found here. http://patreon.com/user?u=3705901


If it can be said . . . that the biological drives that serve to motivate individual and social behaviors in a species are more transparent in chimeras then in their human counterparts, it is only because I have programmed them to act that way. Behaviors such as the desire to distinguish oneself through success, the need to procreate, and even the will to survive, all of these traits have been artificially enhanced through the use of selective adaptation, an as yet unperfected form of Neural Architecture, and while the powers that be continue in their seemingly endless struggle to integrate chimeras into human society, the implications from an anthropological standpoint are becoming far more prevalent. Observed the world over, chimeras have already begun to display behavioural precursors that could one day lead to the development of a culture unique and distinct from our own. Previously documented precursors include: A tendency among male chimeras to compete amongst themselves for the attentions and affections of females, often leading to territorial disputes or courtship displays. The appearance of hierarchical structures similar to wolf packs, where dominant or more often successful chimeras occupy positions of authority or respect. Among particularly successful chimeras, instances where monogamous relationships are the exception, and not the norm. When speaking amongst themselves, the use of more species specific pronouns such as 'male' and 'female', rather then the human preference for 'man' and 'woman.' A distinction that further serves to differentiate chimeras from humans are the instances where the word 'mate' is used in place of 'husband' or 'wife.' Such instances can often be viewed as the chimera equivalent to marriage. Though no formal ceremony exists to bear witness to such an event yet, these partnerships are formed when a male chimera offers up all that he has to a prospective mate, which can then either be accepted or rejected by the female in question. Further observations indicate that this will likely lead to a culture that places emphasis on the matrilineal line, as many male chimeras have begun to consider it anathema to mate with a female without first gaining her consent. Also, let it be noted that those chimeras who are direct descendents of the core line have the strongest tendency to exhibit these extraordinary behavioral drives.

B.O.D. Report # CC9

Chapter Six : The price of life.

Lady stood on the corner of Fifth and Boulevard working one of the oldest professions in history. She was on her own time, and looking to make enough money to pay her rent for another month. A difficult prospect, without a service contract. As if life wasn't already hard enough for chimeras the world over, humans had to go and make things harder by inventing service contracts. A polite way of putting a price on your life, they were nothing more then an over glorified attempt to create an indentured service class. But the truth was, either chimeras lived within the conditions that were stipulated by their contract, earning whatever wages their owner's wished to pay them, or they became bound up in the legal morass that ensued when they tried to live outside it. Still, since all those who had been able to purchase their contracts were free to go where they wanted, do what they wanted, it wasn't quite freedom, and it wasn't quite slavery, but it was still a hell of a lot better then having to bow down and kiss someones ass day in and day out. Besides, it wasn't like some rich chimera was going to just come along and sweep her off her feet. That kind of thing only happened in movies . . . and badly written romance novels. No, it was far more likely that if Lady played her cards right, she would be able to secure herself a position in someone's household, possibly as a servant or a companion. Like I'd even want to be some rich bastard's mistress. She thought to herself as she fixed her shirt. The first chance I get, I'm leaving SynCity forever. Closing her eyes, Lady let herself begin to imagine it. The plan was all worked out in her mind. First she would find someplace warm, where the weather was nice, the people were friendly, and no one looked at her funny because she was a chimera. When that was done, she would find herself a mate. Someone strong, someone handsome, maybe even a rabbit like myself. Lady smiled. Ah, who am I kidding? It don't really care what kind of chimera he is, long as he's willing to provide a better life for us, that's all that matters to me. Sighing as she began to think about just how much farther she was from her dream with each and every passing day, she started to stretch the muscles in her arms and back. It had been a slow night and she was just about ready to call it quits, when a roving scouter drone decided to make a passing flyby of the intersection. Often used to track down chimeras that attempted to go rogue, or violate the conditions of their service contracts, scouter drones were floating cameras that had been designed to make preprogrammed sweeps of the streets. You could try to run from them, which never actually worked because once they locked onto a chimera biosignature, they could follow it anywhere using the tracking device that was embedded into their control collars, or you could try to avoid them. Which was easy enough to do, provided that you knew what their flight plans were. Information that was often costly to obtain, but well worth the price. "Shit." Swearing under her breath, Lady started looking for somewhere to hide. Carlos assured me that this place would be off the map until the end of the night. Some bastard must have decided to go and change the damn things flight plans again. I wasted my time to get that info. Praying to whoever might be listening that it wouldn't see her Lady leaned against a lamppost, hoping that it would simply pass by over head and leave her the hell alone. With no such luck the sensor drone swooped in low. Hovering in front of her face it extended a camera like a singular mechanical eye and spoke in a flat monotone voice. "Unknown chimera, provide proof of identity and registration." Cursing her rotten luck, Lady tugged on her ears and hoped whoever was watching was enjoying the show. You would think by now that someone would have at least tried to give them a little personality, maybe even a different voice every now and again for variety. But nooo, we get the model straight off the factory room floor. Knowing that she would only be making things worse for herself if she tried to run away, Lady twisted her collar around so that it became visible to the floating scouter's mechanical eye. "Verifying." Said the drone as a wave of green light swept over her. Lady tried not to shiver until after it finished scanning her, tried not to cry out as it began to pass through her, and most of all, she tried not to think about what that light might being doing to her insides. Just knowing that she was being examined on a molecular level, that everything unique about her, from her DNA to her physical dimensions was being checked against the records stored in some database in Exotica Geno-Works basement was enough to disturb her. And as if it wasn't bad enough that they could order her to do anything they wanted, they'd had to go and find a way to take the last vestiges of her privacy from her as well. "Identity confirmed. Lapin Chimera, Model 1150327 return to your place of residence." Shaking her head, she wanted to laugh. Because that's all she was to them. Not a person with a name, or even rights and freedoms, but a species and a model number. Oh, and an indeterminate source of income too. Smoothing out the fur on her arms and chest, Lady just said. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say." She hated the way the residual energy from the scan always seemed to make her fur stand on end, and she was eager for the damned thing to go the hell away. Mostly because the thought of being reduced to nothing more then just a model number tended to piss her off. That, and because the temptation to grab the damned thing out of the air and smash it against a wall was almost more then she could stand. Seemingly satisfied with her answer, the scouter drone returned to its preset flight path. Lady flipped it the bird as it flew off. No doubt it had already reported her to the nearest possible patrol car. Now she was going to have to find some other street corner on which to ply her trade. Setting out, she figured that it was just as well that she did, since giant mechanical eyes that enjoyed spying on you had a tendency to ruin potential business offers anyway. All alone amongst the empty streets, Lady's thoughts inevitably started to turn inwards. They collar us, they control us, they spy on us, It was intolerable animal cruelty, morally and physically degrading, and the worst part about it was, she knew there was nothing she could do about it. Balling her hands into fists, She thought. When is someone going to put an end to this? Could it really be that hard to say, enough is enough? Touching her fingers to the control collar around her neck, she knew just how hard it would be. That it would take more then just words, more then just the feelings of any one person to achieve. It would take a miracle, or barring that, a revolution. Someday, thought Lady as she reached out into the endless night, someday we'll be free. And thrusting her hands into her pockets she added. Yeah, and you just keep on telling yourself that, and maybe, maybe someday humans will bow down to a chimera as well. Feeling a fool for allowing herself to believe that freedom was even possible, she was surprised when a car started turning the corner. It was a Cadillac that had no doubt seen better days, and it was headed straight for her. Pretending that she hadn't seen it, Lady just kept on walking. Probably just some washed out junky looking to score himself a few quick hits of Bliss. And I don't want to be around when he finds out I don't have any. Despite her best efforts to look disinterested, the Cadillac pulled up next to her anyway. Watching from out of the corner of her eye as someone inside rolled the window down, she was even more surprised when a teenager with a custom hair cut leaned out and said. "Hi there." "Hi yourself." Lady kept walking. Something about the look in his eyes was rubbing her fur the wrong way, and she wasn't interested in finding out why. Unfortunately, he wasn't about to be put off so easily. With a smile that was practically oozing charisma out onto the street, and a tone that many would consider to be downright friendly when he said. "You look like you might be a little lost." She was almost willing to believe that he actually was interested in helping her. Almost, but not quite. Deciding that the least that she could do was to give him the benefit of the doubt, Lady began the process of mentally preparing herself. Besides, business was business after all, and at least his clothes were in better condition than his car. Then she caught the scent of his cologne as it filled the air, and she let herself start to smile. Catch me if you can was only one of the latest designer fragrances to have come from Giovanni, and even some of her wealthier clientèle considered it to be too expensive to wear. Making up her mind then and there, Lady stopped walking and gave him a quick once over. Designer suit tailored to fit, expensive cologne. Definite access to money. The night might not be a total loss after all. "That's right." Giving him a look of absolute innocence Lady thought to herself. This is almost to easy. Out loud she said. "I've been trying to find my way downtown for a while now, and I'm tired of waiting for the bus to come. You wouldn't happen to know the way, would you?" Accepting the fact that he was staring avidly at her tits as just another part of the job, Lady reminded herself that she was only in it for the money. That all she needed was enough to buy her way out of the business, and that because she was a failed product living in a world where all anyone wanted in a companion was a license to operate and a service contract, you did what you had to just to get by. And sometimes, sometimes that meant doing things you didn't have to like. When his eyes followed her breasts as she leaned down to give him a better look, Lady knew that she had him hook, line and sinker. "Maybe." Said Johnathan, his gaze traveling lecherously down her lapin body. "In fact, I might even be headed in that general direction." "Really?" Stepping away from the vehicle, Lady sought to seal the deal. "In that case," Licking her lips as she made eye contact with him, She made each word sound seductive and sultry. "Maybe you wouldn't mind giving me a ride." Nodding ever so slightly, Johnathan simply opened the car door for her and said. "I'd be happy to."