Back to my Basics

I have neglected this diary, haven't I? With all that has happened, the speed of it all - I simply did not have a moment to stop and think for myself.

I'll start with the most obvious.
I am no longer employed with Ashagi.

I chose to resign in light of everything thrown at me and I do not regret such an action. As predicted Ashagi quickly bared its fangs and came after my family, namely Donatien. As far as working living experiments go, I'm well past the useful stages but he isn't. I know Donatien and the research Adagio and I did to conceive him are things the company will want to get their hands on.

The ability for two women to have a child that is genetically theirs and theirs alone is a money train waiting to happen. Never mind how useless it would make the male population. I couldn't stay in the city or on the island any longer and fled with my son. No word given to Adagio, Arwen, or the Pack - I just left.

It was by chance that I returned several weeks later, only to pick up something I'd forgotten. I made sure to be hidden about it - my face, my hybrid parts, my voice all concealed well to everyone but those with very keen eyes for detail.

I ran into Brekka in the ruins while I paused for a medicinal break. She was one of those keen people, easily knowing who I was though she remained cautious in her words. She questioned why I ran without letting the Pack know, why I didn't lean on the family for strength instead of trying to handle it myself. I suppose I've grown up handling things myself - I had no choice back then. She was giving me a choice now though. With Donatien being genetically human, he'd have a better probably easier life on the mainland. The education would be better if clearly biased again beings like his mothers. Donatien was smart enough to make that distinction already though.

But he was in a turbulent life from the start. Kidnapped as an infant...raised by scientists. I think he may be more tuned to a life in the dangerous Midian than he'd ever be on the mainland. There is something I have wondered about however. Would he be willing to work on the mainland? His future is my biggest concern and with the reputation of my parents behind him, Donatien would be a shoe in as a UAC marine.

Why in the world would I want him to be a marine when those same bastards tried to hunt me again and again?

Job assurance. Benefits when he retires. With his mind, Donatien could achieve great things as a member of their science division. That's the one thing the marines have that Ashagi doesn't - the sheer number of intelligence at the UAC's employ ensures that they can create breakthroughs on a mass scale, even if those breakthroughs are predominately for themselves. It may not help everyone, but the research done benefits somebody. Even the work my parents did was to benefit humanity as a whole. The only reason they resigned as members of the UAC Scientific unit were so the work could be handed over to all, not just harbored within the UAC's borders.

Another kid whose future I wonder about is Chan's. As always she's on a run to declare herself the new Alpha of the Pack when the Pack is quiet because her grandmother is Angela. But being a child and having the mentality of one as well, no one is going to serve under her or take the Pack as a whole seriously if she does take over. Only Chan does not see this. She is without a doubt an active pup though and she's sure to be a force when she ages, but right now, just getting her to understand that the role of Alpha is not a birthright set down by a monarchy is the biggest challenge.

I hope that the future is brighter for them both.

My Daughter's Wedding

The weekend from Hell.
After a run into the swamp to gather medicinal plants, I was shot and kidnapped by the UAC. The friendly term was arrested. I had run into two marines on the bridge. They explained that they were not checking IDs, but were also armed to the teeth with weapons for some reason.

A few hours later, I'm on the phone with a client and a marine marksman starts sniping at me. It didn't take long for me to suffer the ill effects of blood loss, but I didn't realize I was in the hands of the UAC until a dropship arrived. Some ditsy woman on board kept talking to me like I was an animal and even reduced my name to "Mittens" on the way to the base. The true horror came upon my admittance to the lab there - Dr. Foster of all people was waiting to greet me.

Actually no.
He seemed just as shocked that I was being wheeled in like a bloody corpse, but that did not stop him from testing his serums on me. Just like before, I was his lab rat all over again. I was given little food or water, but at least they let me keep my underwear.

I lost track of how long I was trapped in the UAC base until Angelica, Allura, and the ASF staged a rescue. I'd like to say everything went smoothly since I can obviously now write this journal entry, but that was far from the case. The UAC were unwilling to let me leave in one piece...literally. I was the only one without any fancy armor on and most of them took no issue with sending pistol and rifle fire my direction. One of them even threw a white phosphorus grenade at us just as we were making our way out. Let me say right now that WP burns...a lot. A fucking lot. I could feel the sting DAYS after I was treated. It took two nanite immersion sessions to repair my skin and seared muscle tissues and I still feel some soreness to this day.

I needed the nanite treatments however. There was an important day coming up that I did not want to miss despite some mild disapproval from my end.

To Think. To Run.

Dr. Parkin has returned and with HQ backup. Her first act was to order EDEN to undo any and all prohibition against her and Lana and be recognized as Director of the facility. Now for someone who later proclaimed that she was being respectful and humble, does that seem like a fine way to show it? By taking the lab over when the CEO is absent.

In my opinion, I'm beginning to question whether I should really allow her back or throw her in a cell too. Dr. Parkin claims that she was really sent back to the lab to monitor and spy on us then report that back to HQ. Even now, they still see me as a former experiment and not much else. Can I truly work for such a company that keeps me on a proverbial leash like this?

How long can I keep smiling and going about my work knowing there's more than a few eyes staring me down, just waiting for me to make a mistake?

Luckily the Pack life is not so hectic. My biggest stress so far as been trying to get Ayr to clean that awful locker of his. The fox hoards all matter of organic vegetation and small animal in there hoping to nurture some form of microbe Eden. Then there's the debate of how to kill a swamp croc without blasting it into several small chunks.

Still even with the Pack things can get complicated.

Yewh's returned and he's back to being organic from the looks of it. While Ayr and Brekka slept off the weariness from the swamp hunts, he helped me skin and prepare the meat for storage. Luckily Yewh didn't let his skills dull out but there was something else.

old feelings my dear?

Not you again.

the attention from the males a bother to you?

to think you aren't even in heat yet.

I...ohh shut up. If you think about it realistically, it would never work. One is a manic fox whom I often get exhausted just trying to keep up with and the other is a wolf hybrid. Nice as that is, I don't deal with wolves very well. Lately I see two sides of Ayr - the childish and perverted. On more than one occasion, he's been caught watching me in the pool or commented on my attire be it sexy looking or not. Perhaps it's sexual frustration, but I don't pay it much mind considering Brekka is his mate. Normally from any other male I would have put them in their place, but in Ayr's case, I kinda dismiss it as not being serious.

i think he simply enjoys confusing you.

Maybe. He knows I will kick his ass if he does actually try something, but there's no harm in words from a creepy old several hundred or thousand year old fox. But Yewh is another story. He was protective of me even before I met Adagio. Always enjoyed a late night run to the bar, and I admit to a mild crush on him as a pup in the family. Seeing him again made me wonder what would have happened if he had never left for the mainland to treat himself. Would I honestly be married right now or have a son if he, or for that matter, if a male within the Pack took interest? Would I even want that sort of interest?

there is still the question of succession.

who shall take the reigns?

I don't know. Ayr wishes to hand the Pack over to someone new and fresh, and judging from the tone of the Pack, there are more eyes on me than I'd like.

the attention bothers you?

both at work and with family,

the attention bothers you no?

I'm tired of it. I had enough eyes and hands on me as a child to know I have a problem with unwanted focus on me.

Family Recollection

It's been over a year since Arwen first came to live with Adagio and me.

A great deal has happened then including a promotion, a son, even a larger home.

Just for I left for Japan, we shot a lovely image for our Christmas card. I admit to keeping a small version of it in my wallet at all times, right beside the ones of Pack members past and present. Not too long after I returned however, there were rumors that meant to tear my family apart yet again.

Commander Parkin otherwise known as Lana has been getting larger and more excessive armor recently but her health's seemed to get poorer right along with it. I can't tell exactly what's wrong due to the amount of plating she chooses to wear but I know it's not helping the situation. She and I have always but heads, even before I became CEO of the branch. Once Dr. Parkin got re-assigned, she just got worse. I had to physically put her in her place for us to continue working together. By right, I should have fired that wolf.

As long as I let her work in that office, she'd been scheming, plotting...gathering employees that were loyal to her and her wife rather than myself. The argument came to peak when Lana began threatening me with notices that her wife was waiting to send to HQ. Temp was nothing more than a consultant from another branch; why would she even have the power to say whether or not my handling of the branch was suitable? It made no sense, but I felt having Lana in the lab was a bother. I ordered her to mandatory health leave, nulling the need for her to report to work at all in that heavy armor that was killing her.

The wolf had other plans. Seconds after she left the building, the communicators were rendered useless and the ASF office was mysteriously sealed shut. Neither E.D.E.N. nor manual override could budge the door. She was trying to cripple us, as though proclaiming that Ashagi could not run without her.

the nerve...

I agree.
After barring Dr. Parkin access to any and all of the Midian City branch servers, I launched an investigation into why that woman had truly come back to the branch. For a while, HQ was cooperative in explaining that she was merely a visiting staff member. It was a common practice within Ashagi to send experts in certain fields to other laboratory branches that could use the insight from time to time. However the cooperation stopped there. They began re-routing my calls and giving me the run around when it came to what she was currently doing. I had no choice but to rely on the team that remained with me for intel, tracing whatever Dr. Parkin had been working on before and after she was transferred from this branch.

Work needed to continue whether or not those two were in the building. Thankfully Lana's wreck did not affect the labs. We had a clone that Arwen commissioned - her later lover Claire. I'm not sure of the full details but I know that Claire for whatever reason fell from the church roof and was rendered more or less into a vegetable. Even though Arwen is a secretary now, she was allowed downstairs to help the new Claire get assimilated into normal life.

Another case I dealt with was the Minister of Finance's nanobot treatment. Marquis is a long standing client of ours and one of the few clients we tend to put time aside for. I don't believe it's due to his position as the man was not always in the seat of power he has now at City Hall.

I'm stressed. It's plain to anyone I come across, like I have a permanent scowl on my face. Even with Arwen's birthday and pending marriage, even with more employees at Ashagi, even though things with my family are going well...I am angry.

you don't know how to react to betrayal.

What?

you simply don't.

maybe when it was that awful doctor,

you accepted betrayal.

not when it's employees you trust.

Raise the Voices of Those Lost

 It's Edgar Allan Poe's birthday and the Twilight Zone is celebrating with a séance and party of the deceased author.

Doesn't he look thrilled?

The theme of the night was to arrive in your best black outfit in honor of the man's dark macabre style of writing. Poe is a beloved writer of mine, so I actually spared no expense on the dress I fixed up. Since the attire for women at the time was more formal and such, I came as a woman might have in the later 1800s.

Arwen was there as well, veiled up to cover her injuries from another night. There's been a series of gunfights and bombings lately, namely two. One fight went down at the Bound Rose where Arwen got hurt. The other was at the MPD building. I only saw Dr. Svoboda engaged in a fight outside the building but as I was tending to her, a large explosion went off inside, blowing a huge hole through the wall facing the street. Even after all that, cops were still exchanging fire with terroists trying to exit the scene.

I was just at the wrong place at the worst time.

the absolute worst time...

you could have gotten us killed.

It's not like I planned to be there. I only wished to talk to Dani about Nicole. Anyways back to the party. The overseer for the séance was a strange woman with a snake that only identified herself as the Oracle. Arwen had mentioned someone called the Oracle back when she worked at the black magic store.

 She wore next to nothing and seemed to hiss almost as much as her pet. I do admit I expected a melody of tricks for the séance, but even with cybernetic eyes, I didn't find any rigs or wires about. As the odd Oracle channeled the spirits in hope of contacting Mr. Poe himself, we accidentally called his late wife Virginia Clemm, who had died of tuberculosis. She seemed nice until I mentioned her doing through troubled times. As the story goes, she fell ill but swore one of Poe's alleged lovers had murdered her. The spirit of Virgina was adamant about that fact before she stopped using the Oracle as her microphone.

After the oddities of the ritual, everyone was invited to drinks and having their fortunes read. Some were happy with their fortunes, others left with more questions than answers. Arwen's future predicts the death of her father by her own hands and the potential for children, possibly twins since the Oracle said she'd be eating for three. Maybe it's vanity, but I'm not in a grand mood to be called grandma at 28...

After one drink, I thought to try my luck with the Oracle. She reminded me of my past and the turbulent present I currently try to balance between the pack and Ashagi. It was the future that bothered me most of all. She proclaimed that there was a rat amongst my fellows. Someone who would betray me. Donatien was brought up as well as she warned me to protect him and keep him very close. Why she said this was not clear, but it upset me plenty.

Who wanted my child and who was willing to sell me out?

Quiet Thoughts

I talk to myself when I'm alone.

Not crazy people self discussion. It's more like a self propelled Psychiatric session.

I wonder if I managed to do any better without stepping into Belfry. I've been keeping to me promise of not going near the lab on Wednesdays. I stay home, play with Donatien, help Nicole through her rehab treatment for heroin at the moment, and just reflect.

Donatien's starting to show more signs of his intellect, mostly in the divine skill of dismantling things to see how they work. I often apologize publicly by claiming he's merely hyper and such however he and I both know that he's fully aware of what he does. That doesn't seem to stop him from meddling with my workspace...

Sometimes I wonder what that child does while home alone. Sure Nicole's watching him, but he's got an IQ several light years over her. He isn't allowed near the stove but manages to make some form of dinner or snack. Television ends when his favorite cartoon ends then he's off to bed. I'm mostly worried about how he may be diverting these rules for his own enjoyment...or maybe he's not? Do I just expect him to be mischievous because he's my child?

In 3 weeks we shall see if the apartment's still there.

The Keeper

In recent weeks, Adagio and I have taken on a strange task - we are keeping a female hybrid at our home and aiding in her rehabilitation from drug abuse and addiction. Due to the extreme nature of her addiction however, we've been made to take drastic actions. For example, she wears a collar which not only serves as a tracker and shocker when she's unruly; it's also linked to an invisible fence covering the door and windows. She can't technically leave the apartment.

It's strange having a hybrid in the apartment that's more or less dependent on us to tend to her, especially since she didn't ask for it. A former experiment  forcing another former experiment to quit drugs use under extreme pressure. I could almost chuckle. It took a few long discussions with Adagio to sort out exactly what may happen.

More than one weird thing has occurred now that I think about it. The catwalkers are on their hissy fit cycle again, swearing up and down to shoot first and shoot again at anything near their "territory." The actual den of the catwalkers in technically the roof of the same building Ashagi is based in. They've extended this to include the catwalks weaving around the city and it seems like every roof and ledge in Midian is suddenly theirs... despite the fact other hybrids are perfectly capable of climbing and trekking along those same locations. 

A meeting with Violet

A catwalker I spoke with claimed that Pack does the same with the ruins but I pointed out that we only get picky when it's our border. We don't shoot a person for being on the ruined soil; when they happen to be on our den's roof...ehhh different story. Perhaps I'm speaking for myself? Are other Pack members proclaiming otherwise? Considering how we treat the ruined soil as being something sacred, I would not be surprised.