Failed Containment: Chapter 23- The Prices We pay

Story by Grub on SoFurry

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#23 of Failed Containment

The newest chapter featuring updates on Hathaway, Mari, and old friends discovering new things.


The Squirrel

Professor Hathaway sat huddled in a far corner of her holding cell. A bloody pile of shredded meat and bone lie before her, red splashed over every corner of the wall.

It had been weeks. She lasted for weeks, but she had finally did it. The taste of blood was fresh in her mouth as she looked on in horror at the corpse that had once been her cell mate. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at the pile of gore in silence. Her name had been Chloe. Chloe Evans.

She was a lighter colored squirrel. Her home had been in Australia. She was a cop who came to the Facility as one of the security personnel. She was demoted to D-Class after refusing an order to shoot her friend who had been exposed to some specimen or other. Chloe's exposed friend went on to kill three people and cripple another. The Facility blamed the deaths on Chloe. Her mother was named Sadie Evans. Her father was named Richard Evans. Her best friend was named Abbey Swanson.

And Penelope Hathaway had eaten her.

The Facility had shoved Chloe into Hathaway's cell almost immediately after she'd returned. Hathaway was burned and bleeding, but very much alive. The Facility had told Hathaway that she needed to feed in order to heal herself, and that Chloe was her meal.

Hathaway refused absolutely. Chloe had huddled on the farthest wall away from her at first, but Hathaway spoke softly to her. Assuring her that she was most certainly not going to eat her. But that was at first.

Days went by. Chloe was removed from the containment chambers and fed to keep her alive, otherwise Chloe spent her time in the cell with Hathaway. The days grew longer and longer. The smell of Chloe grew sweeter and sweeter until Hathaway found herself salivating at the scent of her blood. Chloe grew more comfortable around Hathaway, as each day the squirrel would remind her that she was not going to eat her. But Hathaway's will was breaking, and Hathaway knew it.

Her hunger only continued to grow, her body aching for sustenance. Her muscles screamed in agony as her body started to digest them for energy, but Hathaway persisted on sheer willpower. She talked to her cellmate. Tried to befriend her. Hathaway knew that if she managed to see Chloe as a person, then she could not eat her. Hathaway grew to know everything about Chloe, her friend. Her cellmate in that white-washed hell of a room.

Three days prior, one particularly hungry night, Hathaway spread Chloe's legs open and started to lick. Chloe put up a token resistance out of surprise, but nothing could stop Hathaway's enhanced strength. For Hathaway's part, Chloe's taste was delicious. She couldn't stop herself from drinking in the other squirrel. Soon, Chloe was moaning and writhing in ecstasy as Penelope had ravenously lapped at Chloe's flowing folds until the lighter squirrel was exhausted and raw. Yet still Penelope was not satisfied.

Then the time came. Penelope was delirious from hunger, the pain was blinding, and her body acted of its own accord. Penelope had pounced on her cellmate, her tentacles lashing out, ripping flesh and tendon from bone and shoveling it all into her mouth. She greedily ate as Chloe lie screaming. "WHY!?" was the only word she managed to choke forth before the blood flooded her throat. Hathaway's eyes were glazed in utter satisfaction. Chloe's liver and blood spilled forth from Hathaway's mouth as she said, "Because I'm just so hungry..."

Hathaway not only ate her friend, but she enjoyed it. She savored it, and when she was done, she'd given a contented shudder that was better than the afterglow of any orgasm she'd ever had.

But the feeling was not long to last. Her pleasure melted into horror as she looked at the pile of bone and blood and meat. She scooted as far back away from the carnage of her meal as she could, and clutched her knees to her chest. She rocked back and forth, her mind a blank of sheer disgust that she could not stand to do much but stare at what she had wrought.

Penelope did not know how long she sat there, but after a while she gave a sob, and stood up. She moved to the mirrored surface of the one-way glass in the back wall, "THERE!" she yelled at her own reflection. She watched her tears fall down her face, mixing with the dried blood of her friend. "There I've done it!" she choked out between sobs. "Now let me out!" she screamed.

"Specimen 2000, this is your containment area. You are not authorized to be released. Further requests of this nature are denied and will be ignored."

"LET ME OUT! Talk to Reynard! He'll tell you to let me out!"

"Doctor Reynard is well aware of your existence, and it is his recommendation that you remain in containment, Specimen 2000."

Hathaway moved forward to beat her hands against the wall, her bloody tentacles trailing in the gore behind her. "Tell him Hathaway wants out, goddammit!"

"Professor Penelope Hathaway is dead, Specimen 2000. Doctor Reynard has been informed."

"I'm not dead you asshole! Let me out!" she yelled with another slam of her fists.

"Professor Penelope Hathaway is dead. You are Specimen 2000. Please refrain from attempting to damage your containment cell or you will be discouraged from doing so."

"I AM PROFESSOR HATHAWAY!" the squirrel said as her tentacles came to bear, slamming down on the glass with such force that the most minute of cracks appeared where she struck.

"Please refrain from attempting to damage your containment cell, Specimen 2000."

Hundreds of volts coursed through the electrified floor and pathed up through the squirrel girl. She had no way to ground herself with her tentacles, so she was forced to endure every bit of it. She screamed for what felt like an eternity, until the voltage mercifully stopped.

"You will not be asked again."

Professor Hathaway sank to her knees. "I'm Professor Hathaway!" she yelled in a half-sob. "I'm not dead!" The squirrel reach up to clutch her face.

"I'M NOT DEAD!" Penelope dug her nails into her flesh, "I AM Professor Hathaway!"

Blood tricked down her front as she raked her claws down.

"I'M NOT DEAD! AAAAAAAH!"

Specimen 2000 did not stop screaming for two hours.

The Snow Leopard

Marie wandered about her containment cell. She paced back and forth, not that the steps were long. She was confined solitarily in a metal room with only one door and no windows. She had one bed that featured a linen sheet, a scratchy wool blanket, and a lumpy pillow.

The Protectorate did not have access to Serum, so Marie was left to face the cold turkey sobriety of her addiction. She was faring just as well as the other subjects, but the snow leopard had no knowledge of that. To her, her sanity was slipping, her blood was on fire, and her skin crawled. She faced both hot flashes and cold, sometimes at the same time. She was in agony, yet, due to the sexual nature of Dr. Garron's administrations, she found herself unbelievably aroused. Marie had not expected that.

The snow leopard had always accepted each dose of her serum by performing some type of degrading sexual act for the old black bear. Now that her body was aching for serum, she found herself unbelievably wet in anticipation of her next dose. She'd do anything for it, and she knew that. It shamed her to think of all the degrading acts she was willing to do for a dose of serum, or would have been had she been capable of thinking clearly. She'd do the deed, get the dose, and then cry in her shower about it later.

But that was the easy way out.

Currently, there was no way Marie was going to get access to Serum. Electric pains shot through her bones and her joints. The room spun until she felt like puking, her skin felt as if she had spiders crawling over every inch of her. The only amenity she had was a clock. It hunt above the door, steadily ticking. She was painfully aware of every tick, the subtle noise from the device beating time like a drum in her head. Her ears pulsed with pain as the minutes dragged by in what seemed like hours. Hours seemed like days, and days felt like an eternity in agony.

The clock struck six, and a metal tray slid into the room from a slit in the bottom of the door. A bowl of chicken broth soup, and a small cup of peaches sat next to the spoon and napkin. On the napkin, tiny red pills next to a glass of water.

The food had been declining in substance as her symptoms grew worse. The doctors watching her knew that she would not be able to keep down much food through the apex of her withdrawal. The tiny red pills did nothing to help her symptoms, but they were a bit of mercy. No drug could help the symptoms, as they were almost purely psychological. Marie's mind cried out for the Serum, her brain thrashed about in its skull prison, punishing her body until her willpower relented and she did whatever it took to get a new dose. The pills were a heavy tranquilizer, designed to put whoever took them into a deep sleep almost short of a coma.

Marie disregarded the food offered her. She had no appetite, save for Serum. She grabbed the pills up greedily, shoved them all into her mouth, and drank down the glass of water. She gave a deep breath as she set the plastic cup down, for she knew that relief was coming.

She crawled over to her bed, and climbed in. She clutched her knees to her chest, and closed her eyes.

Outside...

"It's like a fever." the old Elephant said. "You have to let it run until it breaks. She'll feel it until the Serum is completely purged out of her system. Until then, there is nothing we can do but help her sleep."

Alexander stood in the observation room, staring at the monitor for the security camera in Marie's room. He was full of mixed feelings. On the one hand, the snow leopard was responsible for causing him a lot of pain and blood loss. Then again, she was only doing her duty, and never seemed to bear him any specific ill will. And she did save him. On the other hand, she was a Facility lackey, and this could be some sort of trick. The most prominent thing in Alexander's mind, was that the snow leopard was unbelievably aroused and could easily be up to repaying some of the pain she caused him with a bit of pleasure.

Alexander shook his head, looking away from the monitor. "Just let me know when she's well again. I have things to discuss with her..."

The old Elephant nodded and the tentacle cat turned and left the observation room.

The Pantheress

Tabetha walked through the corridors of site 24. She hadn't remembered the last time she'd worn her casual blouse and jeans. She usually opted for her suit, wanting to cut an impressive stature in contrast to the lab coats and security uniforms. Today, however, she wasn't dressing to impress. She was dressing comfortably, and casually. She figured comfortable and casual was the name of the game when visiting a friend.

The pantheress didn't remember the last time she came to call as a friend. Doctor Abercrombe was appointed her personal physician after he demonstrated not only an astounding expertise in regenerative medicine, but a bedside manner that was as warm as his heart. The good doctor always seemed to have a mind for his patients, and never once did Tabetha see in him any of the malicious power-hungry ambition that the pantheress came to expect from her subordinates. Truth be told, there was only so far a medical doctor could progress in the Facility, and indeed, Doctor Abercrombe was only a few steps from the top.

The aged golden retriever seemed quite content with his place, being that he wasn't in any sort of research position, nor was he appointed head of any experiments. His jurisdiction remained solely the care of Facility personnel, a stature that seemed to suit him as the most compassionate physician. Tabetha had come to find his warm demeanor refreshing, and she'd even go so far as to consider him a friend.

Whenever Tabetha needed someone to talk to, she found solace in Doctor Sebastian Abercrombe. Sebastian was a kind ear to pour her troubles into, and Tabetha had found herself leaning on his shoulder more than once during her time as Overseer. Still, Tabetha found their relationship relatively one sided, and found herself feeling a little guilty. Given her conversation with Julian, she felt a desire to change that.

So, it was now that Tabetha wandered the Medical Wing of the Facility Site, looking for Sebastian's office. She came upon a metal whitewashed door, and swiped her access keycard.

She immediately regretted her decision.

Tabetha's first thought was that she had wandered in to the wrong office. Her attention was first drawn to the slightly askew dark red wig atop the cat's head, it was lipstick red and sporting pink bows with frilly ribbons that streamed down the locks. He was a silver tabby, of a slight build, but with wide hips. He was wearing silky pink arm warmers to match the silky pink thigh-highs attached to a silky pink garter belt. One foot was propped up on the desk, clad in a pink six-inch heel. A pink miniskirt and a pink headband completed the pink maid ensemble as the cat moaned out in orgasmic pleasure. Behind him was a middle-aged golden retriever.

Sebastian Abercrombe's glasses sat at the bottom of his snout, the canine pounding away at the sluttily dressed cat in front of him. Doctor Abercrombe held his eyes shut, his fangs bared as he thrusted his canine member in and out of his feline mate. Tabetha was treated to the sight of a small kitty cock poking out of a pair of bulging lacy pink panties. Precum oozed out of the tip, and ropes of it trailed out to land on the mahogany desk every time her friend decided to bury his bone into the crossdressing cat's twitching hole. Indeed, the pantheress got quite the eyeful of dogcock being shoved into kitty ass over and over again.

Tabetha found that she could only watch, stunned, as the retriever quickened his pace, baring his teeth and growling a bit. The Doctor's eyes were still closed as she pumped faster and faster. Indeed, the silver tabby arced his back and gave an orgasmic moan, his face contorted into a look of bliss as his own tongue lolled out of his mouth, drooling in pleasure as his ass was filled to burst with dogmeat and canine cum. The pantheress was treated to a sight of kitty cream spraying over the good doctor's desk. Sebastian gave a few frantic humps and his own orgasmic growl of dominance before one final hump pushed the canine's knot into the catboy's ass, stretching it to its limit. The catboy gave a small scream at the fleshy invader, and it was only when they were locked together in their embrace by the swollen knot in the feline's bowels that the pair realized that their rendezvous had been interrupted. Overseer Tabetha frantically held up a hand as if to block her eyes from the sight, turning away. "D-Doctor Abercrombe!"

Both cat and dog regarded the pantheress with a look of surprise before Sebastian stepped away from the catboy bent over his desk. Their was a squelch of cum as the Doctor's knotted cock pulled free, but all three present felt best to ignore the sound. The cat gave a moan and a squeal as the knot passed through his sphincter once more, but otherwise remained silent. Abercrombe was the first to break the silence as he removed his askew glasses. "James, go get dressed... It seems I have company. I'll see you tomorrow for your followup."

"Yes, Doctor..." the young male replied before scurrying off to the adjacent office. Doctor Abercrombe set about to locating his pants, which he found in a pile beside his desk chair. He pulled on his pants to cover his lube-and-cum-dripping cock, and regarded the Pantheress with a professional, aloof expression. "Ms. Tabetha..."

The pantheress didn't know what to think, trying to scrub the memory from her mind, and finding no release from the images. "Doctor Abercrombe... This is... highly..." Tabetha searched for words that would not come. She wanted to leave, she wanted to run away from the embarassing awkwardness of the moment. But, the golden retriever remained calm and collected. She would have felt a fool if she freaked out. It wasn't as if she was the one who had been caught, so if she overreacted, she might as well just cancel any further social calls. No, she was the Overseer. If the Doctor wasn't phased, then neither would she be. She took a deep breath, and returned his professional, aloof gaze. "You are aware that using your office in such a manner is not exactly protocol... and I trust..." Tabetha trailed off, gazing down at several official-looking documents that were now sporting ropes of cum across the red Facility heading. Tabetha returned her gaze to the doctor, "I trust that those will be-"

The aging golden retriever held up a hand, and spoke calmly and coolly. "They will be shredded and reprinted. It's not like no one has ever spilled their coffee on a facility folder. Relax, I can handle business just as easily as I can handle my pleasure. Speaking of which, can I trust that this will remain..."

It was Tabetha's turn to hold up a hand. "Your pleasure is none of my business, Sebastian. This is a social call..."

Sebastian gave Tabetha a curious look. "I was unaware you made such things, Tabetha." The pantheress walked in front of Sebastian's desk and sat down in the leather chair. "I am," she said, clearing her throat, "Trying something new. Perhaps our cordial talks do not always have to occur over coffee breaks and the lunchroom?"

Doctor Sebastian fastened his buckle, and sat down in his own seat before smiling at his friend. "Of course not. How fares your life, Jasmine?"

Tabetha afforded the good Doctor a rare smile in return, and the two proceeded to talk. Tabetha found it refreshing, to just talk. She'd not had a simple conversation in too long, the stresses of her position warranting her few friends. Sometimes she'd talk with Sebastian when they had a mutual break, but it was always casual conversations over their morning coffee or their lunch. Tabetha had never really unwound in Sebastian's presence.

Before long, there was a lull in the conversation. Sebastian reached into his desk, and pulled out a bottle. "Do you drink, Overseer?"

Tabetha was a bit hesitant. "I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. Otherwise I enjoy cigars."

Sebastian chuckled, in his aged way. He smiled at her, the age lines on his face making him seem weary even when he wasn't. "I've seen your cigars. Expensive, aren't they?" Tabetha gave a small, prideful smile. "Davidoff Royal Solomones... Forty eight dollars per."

Sebastian held up the bottle. "I'm getting on in years, and I think my stomach is long past its point where it can handle cheap scotch." He then reached into his desk again and produced two glasses. He then started to pour. "Cragganmore Twenty One. Old enough to drink itself." He then finished pouring and passed a glass to the pantheress. "It costs about three of your cigars, but then again..." Sebastian then raised the glass to the level of his mouth. "I don't make Overseer salary, hehe. Cheers, Miss Tabetha." he said before taking a drink. Tabetha raised her glass to her lips, and drank with the golden retriever.

Time passed in the night, and the two friends drank around three more glasses. Tabetha was feeling a bit dizzy from the scotch, and she grew bold. "All this time, and I never know you were... you know, ga-"

"Bisexual? Of course." The golden retriever interjected, still bearing his warm, weary smile.

Tabetha went silent for a moment, mentally kicking herself for her assumption. "Right."

The golden retriever nodded, looking introspective as he took another sip. "Truth be told, it was my ex-wife who turned me onto it." The pantheress went silent for another moment, "I didn't know you were married." she said with another sip.

Sebatsian laughed. "It didn't last long. She wasn't part of the Facility, and you know how that goes. All the secrecy, the lying. The conversations that you can't have. She left me. Seven years ago..." the golden retriever said sadly, "The prices we pay, no?"

Tabetha merely nodded to show that she was listening, but she had nothing to say. It was a sad tale, and one she was not exactly unfamiliar with. Though she knew nothing of the heartbreak or stress on a relationship, she knew that more often than not, a couple was doomed if they weren't both in Facility employ. She settled for merely saying, "The prices we pay..." in a show of solidarity, and sipped from her glass again. She wanted to change the subject, but nothing else came to her. She decided to continue the conversation, vaguely intrigued at the new side of her friend she saw today. "So... she opened you up... that side, I mean?"

Sebastian laughed. "You know how most men love to see two girls getting hot and heavy?"

Tabetha nodded. Sebastian continued, "Well, Cherise was one of the select women that loved to see two men going at it." He laughed, "She taught me that a mouth doesn't have a gender. I was hesitant at first, but she was a wonderful woman... Well, hehe." he gave a melancholy laugh, "At least, she was adventurous..."

The golden retriever trailed off, and heaved a sigh. "And when she left, well... A man has needs. And when he has no one for several years..." Sebastian shook his head. "Not that I mean to get mopey. I'm sorry, Tabetha."

The pantheress shook her head. She felt bad for her friend, almost guilty at bringing up the memories. But that was why she was here, she reminded herself. To open up and connect with another person on a deep personal level. Julian's words echoed in her head, and she steeled her resolve. "No need to apologize, my friend. Please, if you want to tell me, I'm willing to listen." she said.

"Well, I'm getting on in years, Tabetha. Dating's not exactly something on the table, even within the Facility. The girls are young enough to be my daughter, and the ones my age are so busy climbing the power ladder that they'd stab me in the back if they felt it would get them anywhere." Sebastian poured himself another drink, then continued.

"I met James during a routine physical." The retriever laughed, "Even without the lingerie, he could be mistaken for a girl. He kept giving me these coy little smiles as I examined his naked body, making jokes and the like. I joked back, and well... I ended up going to dinner with him, one thing after another, and I found that he's just the scratch I needed for my itch."

Tabetha listened to the story. It was oddly sweet, given she just watched the pair rut like animals. "Well, if he makes you happy..."

Sebastian laughed again. "He does. He likes to dress up for me. It seems the Facility isn't exactly the best outlet for crossdressers with a taste for older men. I suppose he enjoys me as much as I enjoy him... He's got a kind heart, and as we're all so wont to say. You have to find ways to deal with this place, right?"

The pantheress smiled and nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. She was glad that her friend found someone to endure the horrors one must endure working for the Facility. "Right." she said. Sebastian looked to his watch. "Oh dear... Is that the time?" He looked up to Tabetha. "My apologies, old friend. You picked a rather late time for a chat, but age tends to rob you of your ability to stay up. I'm afraid too much longer and I'll be sleeping in this chair. Such a thing isn't exactly a polite thing to do in front of the Overseer." he said with a laugh.

Tabetha merely smiled back at him, "Oh shut up, Sebastian, you old dog. Fine, go get your beauty sleep. I'll come to call again at an hour that's not so close to your bedtime."

Sebastian gave her a smile and a nod, the panther continued, "I just wanted to make sure you weren't on the clock... I didn't know you'd already have company."

"Thank you for the consideration, though a phone call next time might spare you such a... sight."

Tabetha shook her head, "Oh believe me, I'll call, message, and send a letter before I make that mistake again. It was sort of spontaneous..."

Sebastian gave her a curious look, "Overseer Tabetha is not known for her spontaneous-ness."

Tabetha's smile turned sly. She stood up and drained the rest of her glass. "As you said. We all have to cope somehow. Good night, Sebastian."

"And you, Jasmine."

Tabetha left Doctor Abercrombe's office with an ever so slight smile still playing on her face. She walked through the corridors back to her own chambers, looking forward to a good night's rest. She felt good, better than she had in weeks. For the first time in months she didn't feel so... alone in the world.

Indeed, Overseer Tabetha was in such a good mood, she completely missed the small trail of transparent little worms crawling their way towards the good Doctor's office.