#hardwriting

Everything was in place.

Breathe.

Clambering my way through the ventilation ducts that serviced this mayoral-building-turned-xeno-educational-center, I was keenly aware of every little scrape, rustle, and clang our group generated. Fern was at the front, silently navigating us towards our captive friend. The tracker we'd given her, injected under her forearm, was steadily blinking away on their screen, and we were going to get to it if it killed us. Not that dying was the worst thing that could happen to us here.

Sam, Vivaan, and Marcia took up our flank, although only Marcia was actually facing behind us. The light sidearms we carried wouldn't do shit against the xenos, but the vents were too small to easily carry heavy weaponry, and explosives were a no-go. Even if Sam argued we could hold ourselves hostage with them, the risk of detonations in a building that had Terrans (even weak, brainwashed, collaborating Terrans) was too great. Besides, the sidearms were just for comfort. The real weapon was secured against my chest.

Experimental tech, the agent had said. We never got her name, but she said she was the last active OCNI member on the planet, and both Riley and Vivaan vouched for her.

The same Riley that we knew was hours away from a live implantation, where the weeds would break her and then puppet her husk into betraying us all.

Remembering our conversations since she got taken made my stomach churn.

At first she'd been her normal, fiery self, enraged at the indignities her captor was putting her through. We'd been cautious about spending time with her again, but when Fern spent time shit-talking the Compact with her and didn't wind up with a collar around their neck the next day, we knew the weeds didn't have her under surveillance. The Affini had decided to keep her on a long leash, and so that meant we got to see her. Chat in the privacy of our own homes, plan ways to get her out, look at back-market ships we could buy to get us all away. Laugh at the times she accidentally called her captor Mistress, or Owner, until the point where she couldn't call it anything else.

Scoff at the ways she was being treated, until notes of genuine hurt entered her eyes when we disparaged her jailer.

Listen in outrage and quiet horror as she described being used as a lab rat, being broken and manipulated and toyed with in front of a crowd of eager alien students.

She was losing herself, a quiet contentment entering her features. Becoming softer. Weaker. A pet.

She knew she was losing herself too, and there would have been nothing any of us could do. If not for that agent and the lifeline she handed us. A volatile gas, harmless to humans, but violently corrosive to plant matter. The agent showed us research notes, testing footage, and even demonstrated on a cutting of an Affini their cell had sourced before its collapse. The timing was suspicious, coming days after Riley learnt the date of her implantation, but the agent claimed they'd been monitoring her situation and had to wait until the time was right. And stars, we needed a win. Terra did. And so we believed her.

Apparently the OCNI network was wiped out before her team could the substance off-world, but this, she had said, was our chance to finally strike back at the weeds. Wound them, kill them, and save our friend.

And so here we were, hours before the surgery that would irreversibly break Riley's mind, moving into position.

Fern brought us to a halt, signalling there were voices ahead and that we were almost there. I felt a thrill go through my body. This was it. Get in, get Riley, get out.

"< -it's been a long semester, and you've all done wonderfully.>" An alien voice, speaking in a strange tongue and with a sub-aural hum that left me feeling slightly off-balance.

"<Could we please give an ovation for our wonderful subjects for this unit, 'Riley' and Penelope'!>" Sam let out a low growl as the applause and cheers echoed through the duct. I gritted my teeth too. The weed had definitely mentioned Riley. Fern stopped at a wide vent, skirting its edges to cross to the other side. This section of the duct was wider and taller, having seemingly been adjusted to account for Affini technicians. A fortunate side-effect of that was that our whole squad could comfortably surround the vent and peek down.

The floor below us looked empty of aliens or dangerous objects, and had a soft carpet that would cushion our landing. While the authoritative one attempted to organize its class into a semblance of order, we began our final checks. Marcia secured our harnesses to the duct's surface, making sure the adhesive set properly so she could pull us up, then retreated back to keep our escape path clear. Sam began setting up her handheld battering ram, ready to break the vent below us off its hinges. Vivaan confirmed radio chatter was steady, and no alerts had been triggered by our passage. Fern readied their adrenaline injectors to help snap Riley back into consciousness (depending on how drugged she was), while I primed our weapon. Twist the upper hemisphere of the orb 90 degrees clockwise, indent the buttons on its poles, and then apply an even pressure around the equator, and… ding. I was rewarded with the two halves lifting to reveal a vial filled with swirling purple gas, ready to be unleashed. It was time.

"<And now my dears, it is time to give you one last test. You've all proven your knowledge, demonstrated care with our little… volunteers, and shown you are ready for a practical assignment.>"

Sam began counting down.

"5." | "<And now- >"

"4." | "<I present- >"

"3." | "<A surprise- >"

"2." "<Exercise.>"

"1."

Sam shattered the vent and we jumped down with a cry. I had time to register Riley and a strangely familiar Terran, their captor wearing a smug expression, and a shocked array of students before I hit the ground.

"FREE TERRA!" I roared, and smashed the grenade to the floor-

Which erupted into a harmless cloud of purple sparkles and the sound like a party popper.

There was a beat of silence, then Riley and her fellow captive burst into giggles. Her fellow…

My eyes widened. The OCNI agent, dazed look in her eyes, wearing a pink dress with a glazed look in her eyes, nuzzling up against Riley and her captor.

Oh.

A tinny yelp echoed above us, and Marcia came tumbling out of her hiding place and onto the ground. A series of vines oozed out of the duct work, severed our ropes, and pulled the vent cover up behind them. The five of us stood frozen in the center of the classroom, watching the monstrous students' faces shift from surprise to curiosity, excitement, and hunger.

"<Now class, you'll be in your assigned pairs for this exercise. These cuties haven't gotten any care yet, so you'll need to guide them through the initial stage of domestication. Their little weapons have been disabled, but they still could hurt themselves with their attempts to fight back. Your task is to pacify them, choosing the correct mixture of xenodrugs, and show them there is nothing to fear from the Compact. I will be available to provide assistance if required, but otherwise good luck, have fun, and remember that this is all about learning.>"

"Guns don't work," Marcia whispered as the plants put their datapads down and began to slowly approach us.

"What?" Sam hissed back.

"Guns don't work. Someone sabotaged them."

As one we turned to look at Riley, who was completely distracted by a vine stroking her cheek.

"…5 bucks say I beat you to all to the door," Sam said, face pale.

"The door behind 10 hungry nightmare plants? Fucking bet," Fern replied.

I was crying in the park when we met.

At first it was just a scent, soothing as the petrichor after a summer storm. It was subtle, but insistent, pushing its way through the mucus that clogged my airways (I was always an ugly crier).

Then it was the music, a gentle, golden chorus, like wind chimes and rustling leaves and a quiet whistle, rising and falling, fading in and out, tugging at my subconscious as I busied myself with my own misery.

Then it was her touch. She laid a vine on my shoulder, whilst a soft pair of hands attempted to envelop my own. I batted them away, and to my surprise, she didn't resist. Let me push her away, even though her kind could punch through solid steel. She didn't pin me down and drug me, taking my pain away by force, didn't hold me as my consciousness faded and tell me I would never hurt again. Didn't force me to look into her eyes, to tell her what was wrong, to let her tear down my boundaries so she could make me better. She just stayed there, silent except for the wordless song that was the sum of her life. Waiting for me.

I couldn't see, blinded by tears and my own pain, but the soft crackles I heard suggested she had crouched down in front of me. Her vine was a reassuring weight on my shoulder, and although I couldn't see them, I knew her hands would be within reach of my own. The grass under my feet was cool and silky, whilst the tree I was curled against was as solid as ever. This park had always been my favorite place to go when I was sad, and the newfound care the Affini had began tending it with was already making the flora thrive like never before. I wished Elijah was here to see it.

Something inside me broke, and I folded into a ball, sobs wracking my body. She made a concerned sound, and all of a sudden I heard a thousand little snaps and rustles, the light filtering through my eyelids changing to a warmer hue. The music was louder now, a rich bass thrum permeating the air beneath that strange, beautiful un-melody. Vines wrapped me, containing but not restraining, softly squeezing and stroking. The kindness of it all made me cry even more. It was unfair. He deserved this more than me. Why couldn't he be here. Why couldn't it have been me? Why…

"Oh, petal..."

Her voice was light and yet impossibly complex, gossamer threads weaving a thousand voices into a blanket to rest around my shoulders.

"Cry as loud as you need. No one shall hear if you don't want them to. This is safe. You are safe."

My wails doubled in intensity, heaving sobs that left me gulping for air and coated in sweat. She wiped away my tears and snot, somehow managing not to get a leaf in my eye or a twig up my nose in the process. It struck me just how precise her movements were, how tender she was being with something so much more delicate than her. After a while, I felt a slight prick against my arm, and tensed up.

"Would you like some xenodrugs, dear? They could help you process what you're experiencing."

I vehemently shook my head, and her needle retracted, once again choosing not to go through with her offer. Why was she being so nice to me? I took a deep breath, took another, and having slowed down my sobs enough to speak coherently, voiced my question (with only a slight hitch in my voice).

She was silent for a moment, then answered.

"I work for the Bureau of Xeno-Veterinary Wellness, specializing in para-veterinary crises. I was among the first responders that were called to your brother's hab." Her voice wavered. "We did what we could for him. I am sorry."

"I did a search for his next of kin, and went to see if they wished for company. No one had seen you in days, but after analyzing your personal files, I surmised this is where you would be."

A stranger had been through my devices. She was one of the Affini that failed to save him. She'd been searching for me, just to see if I needed help. I didn't need help. I opened my mouth, ready to unleash the rage I'd built for the people that hadn't done enough, and instead let it all out in one long, deep, ragged scream. And then, once my voice was gone, I opened my eyes.

I was surrounded in a deep, verdant green, dozens of thick vines weaving into a tent that stretched a meter in every direction from me. A single eye gazed down on me, its metallic surface swirling with blues and faint whorls of green. In front of me was… something strange. A golden pod about a tall and wide as my torso, with all the vines around me originating from its top and bottom. It brought to mind old science lessons about stellar bodies and magnetic fields. It was beautiful. The vines cocooning me fell away, and I stepped forward to lay a hand on it. The surface was warm to the touch, and I instinctively wrapped myself around it. It was like sinking into a warm bath and being tucked into bed and the embrace of a loved one all at once. I sighed, feeling the tension drain from my body. The pain was still there. Still raw and jagged. But for the first time in days, it wasn't consuming me.

I managed to lift my head and look her in the eye again. Its surface was still blue, but greens and yellows rippled across it like waves.

"Can I stay here for a while?" I asked in a wavering voice.

"Of course, petal. If you fall asleep, I will wake you in the morning." She didn't have a mouth, but I could feel her smiling down at me.

I could see it from the moment you set foot in my glade. The hunch of your shoulders, carrying a burden invisible to human eyes. The way your easy self-confidence sloughed off with each step in the trees, each step away from those that called you their own. There was something deep inside of you, a nameless desire that isolated you from your peers, that drew you towards me like a drowning man to air. Oh how you hated it, feeling such terrible shame without ever knowing why, such quiet and complete disgust with… what? You tried to push it aside, charging through your life without stopping to rest or to love, surrounding yourself with excitement and danger and noise. You took on greater and greater risks, becoming that hero of iron fists and silvered blade and golden heart, the kingdom's storied slayer of monsters. Everywhere you went, you were met with smiling faces, cheers, ballads composed in your honor. Such adoration poured upon you that you could not move for fear of breaking their spell. Humanity chose you as their champion, and if you were ever to refuse their call then the realm would surely fall into darkness. You were humanity's greatest defender, and you fought for them with a fury unmatched by the natural world.

Because if you ever stopped, ever let them down, you would see the love in their faces turn to scorn, and you would be alone, shunned, thrown to the very streets that you clawed your way out of. All your life they used you, and as they took, all you could do was hope that they would ever give back. That they could ever fill the hole in your heart.

And so, as you grew wearier and wearier, crushed by responsibility you never asked for, you took on what would be your last assignment.

These woods, travelers say, have always been haunted. But recently there have been… stranger happenings. Nearby villagers, disappearing from their homes in the middle of the night. Merchant bands, cutting through the forest and finding one or two or half their number having vanished by the time they reached the other side. Hardened monster hunters, hired by desperate townsfolk, gone.

None could agree on what was doing this, preying on innocent humans, but they all knew who to go to. You, the best humanity had to offer, strode into the darkness with a ready grin and a sword in hand, prepared to find the monster. To find me.

And although you did not know it, to fall.

You must understand, I wanted you to think you had a chance. I let you get close, to see the amusement in my eyes, to dance that terrible dance that predators and prey have always performed. I let your blade taste blood and I feigned fear even as I cooed in your ear, reassuring you that everything was going to be alright. I told you what I would do to you, and oh, how you roared. It broke my heart to see you struggle so, railing against me with word and body and sword, denying the truths as you always had denied them. All I could do to help was weather your fury and pain, weaving my subtle web of magic until the last strand snapped into place, and I could make you see what you really were.

Despite how many times I had seen this happen, I still think your reaction was one of the cuter ones.

Your body went rigid, such foreign sensations sweeping through it that your mind couldn't keep up. Your sword tumbled from twitching hands as I held you upright, watching the first signs of euphoria and relief play across your sweet face. Some part of you still thrashed inside, but that nameless feeling in your heart finally, finally knew what it wanted, and it would not be denied again. Your legs gave way, and I lowered you to the earth as the transformation took hold and you began to writhe. Your hands and feet changed first, fingers shrinking and nails sharpening, digits coalescing into beautiful paws that dug into the dirt. Your face pushed forward into a snout, silky dark fur overtaking your drab skin all at once. Your eyes were half-lidded in pleasure, absent whines escaping your throat, your mind lost to the thrill of becoming. You took a biiig stretch, your body making such wonderful cracks as your limbs shifted to more suitable forms. You whimpered in discomfort, and I took off your human clothes just in time for a beautiful, bushy tail to sprout from your back, seconds old and already wagging with such ferocity. Your human hair shed off, making way for two adorable, pointed ears to perk up from your skull. You sighed, and with it came all your human thoughts and burdens and memories, and you let out your first, perfect howl.

Every few moons I tell you this story, as I do with all the other rescues of these woods. I look for a little glint of comprehension in your eyes, some greater awareness that indicates you would be better off turning back. It does happen, you know?

…But, you certainly don't. That will not be you tonight, and I strongly suspect it will never be you.