Vol.3 Ch.42 – New Lease On Life
Chapter 42: New Lease On Life
Rachel woke up feeling refreshed. It had been a good long while since she last had to spend this much time healing and she'd forgotten how much it could take out of her. Casting healing magic on its own wasn't particularly exhausting though, she admitted, regrowing entire limbs took some doing. No, the effort wasn't the problem, it was more the mental strain. As a succubus it was difficult for her to concentrate for long periods without feeling any sexual stimulation and there hadn't been much stimulation to be had while both her and Stollos had been elbow-deep in surgery. Of course, her mother would have found something erotic even in that kind of situation but, as Rachel always said, the difference between her and her mom was that, unlike Lilith, Rachel actually had limits.
Either way, spending that much time without having any fun was like going too long without sleep for normal people and she'd practically collapsed into Jeanne's arms afterwards. Not that they'd slept. Rachel had been desperate for something other than sleep and she had been keyed up enough to drive even a Cherubim to exhaustion.
Jeanne lay on the bed, quaking in the aftershocks of her... twenty-seventh? orgasm of the night, flushed and so sweaty her golden blond hair was clinging to her body all over.
But Rachel wasn't exhausted. She was refreshed. This had been exactly what she'd needed to refuel. The fact that Jeanne had been so repressed that she was now down for almost anything also helped. Most people went running when Rachel suggested the kind of stuff she really loved but Jeanne didn't just permit it, she came her brains out because of it.
But because of the peculiar way Rachel refueled she was wide awake as Jeanne drifted off to sleep and she cradled her lover in her arms.
Lover.
It was a peculiar word and not one Rachel was in the habit of using. But at least within the confines of her own mind she was able to think it without her thoughts going on strike. Her and Jeanne were lovers. How long that would last she didn't know but she did know that she didn't want to be separated from Jeanne anymore.
Of course, the question was what exactly the two of them wanted to do with this relationship. Jeanne clearly wanted to be close to Elaine as well and Rachel really couldn't fault her for that. Elaine was one hell of a catch and being with her would be amazing for the both of them. That's why Jeanne had been so devastated at having upset Elaine.
Rachel understood every step Jeanne had taken and she still couldn't fault Elaine for being pissed off about it. And the worst part was, that wedge between them wasn't the only problem with their relationship.
There was also the matter of the Oath of Crystal Tears. Part of why they were at the compound was to assist in the Oath and that involved threesomes between the two of them and one of the cadets. That in itself wasn't the problem. Rachel wasn't the jealous sort and from what she'd seen Jeanne wasn't, either, but... She didn't think Elaine would appreciate being in a relationship with two people who had to sleep around on her for the good of the project.
The ideal solution would be if they found another demon to stay at the compound, ideally one that Pru had chemistry with, but Rachel also knew that Hell really couldn't spare the manpower. Having three Celestials here was already pushing it and had only been permitted to keep an eye on Stollos.
She didn't have a solution for this problem yet. But she did know that Jeanne and her would figure something out. Together.
**
Subject 259 came to slowly, her body reluctant to leave the fugue of sleep. Her dreams had been messy and confusing, spiraling back and forth between hopeful and horrible. She had decided to throw her life away for that soldier, for someone she had never met before. She had done it because these people had been fighting the horrors her master had inflicted upon the world and she had done it in order to give her life meaning. And in her final moments before the implant in her skull had paralyzed her with pain she had seen that her shot had managed to shatter the circuit board housing the AI keeping 202 captive, meaning that the slaver AI could not have caught her in a soul trap, to be delivered back to her master. He would not be able to place her in a new body and torture her indefinitely.
Which, of course, begged the question: Why was she still alive?
She sat upright in an instant, opening her eyes wide and then immediately slamming them shut again as her vision was assaulted by bright lights and clinical white walls. Tentatively she blinked them open and found herself in some kind of infirmary. Immediately her hands shot up to her neck. The choker monitoring her heartbeat was gone. She reached further back and... the implant in her spine was gone as well.
In utter disbelief she pinched the flesh of her forearm, hard. Yep, that hurt alright. This was not a dream. Did the soldiers save her? Did they bring her inside their compound to be treated? Were they stupid? They had seen her working with the cyborgs. They knew she was one of the bad guys.
Or was that the point? Did they keep her alive to question her about her master? Were they going to dispose of her once they had their answers? 259 thought that made the most sense.
Well, no matter. She had been prepared to die to save herself from her master's wrath. Whatever these people were going to do to her, it couldn't possibly be worse than what her master would have done with her.
And so 259 decided to make the most of her situation. She looked around and saw that she had a little nightstand next to her bed. On that nightstand rested a... fruit bowl? Apples, tangerines, a banana and a bunch of grapes.
Stars above, it had been so long since she'd last been permitted fresh fruit. Well, she supposed if she had to die she might as well die with a belly full of ambrosia...
**
Rachel stood in front of the infirmary, intending to check up on the butterfly girl. The dragon girl was far worse off so they hadn't yet moved her into the open infirmary yet but the butterfly girl had been almost as good as new once they'd gotten done with her. It would only be a matter of time until she woke up.
The moment she pushed down on the door handle there was a terrified squeak followed by a rustle of cloth and by the time she had opened the door the girl was lying under the covers pretending to be fast asleep. It would have been a lot more convincing if she wasn't almost hyperventilating.
Rachel walked over to the girl's bed, then sat down on the side. She considered for a moment to use magic to calm the girl down but she didn't want her to grow any more suspicious of them. Instead she gently laid her hand on the girl's cheek and said, in as soothing a voice as she could manage:
“It's okay. Nobody here will hurt you.”
Slowly, tentatively, the girl opened her eyes.
“You're safe now,” Rachel said.
“But...” the girl began haltingly. “I work for your enemy.”
“Then why did you save Cassie's life?” Rachel asked gently.
“Because it was the right thing to do,” the girl said.
Rachel smiled. “So you don't work for our enemy.”
The girl paused, then reached for the back of her neck, where the implant used to be. “Where...”
“We took the implants out,” Rachel said. “Caulder no longer has any sway over you.”
The girl blinked, then began taking shuddering breaths. For a moment Rachel feared the girl was panicking again until she started muttering, in sheer disbelief: “I'm... free... I'm... really free...”
“You are,” Rachel said. “Of course, we'd be super grateful if you could tell us everything you know about him and his operation, but we don't need to rush that.”
The girl looked at her, properly this time. “You have done more for me than I ever believed possible. Of course I will assist you. But, may I ask something? There was another cyborg...”
“The one who had been turned into a dog?”
The girl flinched.
“She's sleeping in another room,” Rachel said. “The surgeries she underwent were far more severe than yours and we don't expect her to be awake yet for several days.”
“So 202 survived as well...” the girl muttered. She pronounced it as 'two-oh-two'.
“202?” Rachel asked.
“Subject 202,” the girl said. “Our ma—“ She stopped herself, then tried again: “Our former master...” She trailed off and her eyes widened in excitement. “Did not allow us proper names. She was Subject 202 until she was turned into... that... and I am Subject 259.” She pronounced it as 'two-five-nine'.
“Now that won't do,” Rachel said. “We will need to get you two some proper names. It's a sign of dignity and personhood, which you both deserve.”
The girl – Rachel refused to think of her as 'Subject 259' – swallowed audibly.
As Rachel considered the issue of names she glanced at the girl. She really was quite pretty. Very nearly malnourished, though. She decided to suggest she grab something from the fruit bowl and noticed that it was empty.
“Oh dear,” she muttered. “Did I forget to restock the fruit bowl?”
The girl blushed scarlet. “No, you didn't.”
Rachel gave her a soft smile. “Would you like something proper to eat?”
“May I still have some fruit?” the girl asked tentatively.
“Of course,” Rachel said. “Wait here, I'll get you a set of clothes and then we can head to the cafeteria.”
“Cafe— I'm not under arrest?”
Rachel frowned. “No, of course not. Again, you saved one of ours. That counts for something. We would appreciate your help but you're not a prisoner. I strongly suggest not leaving the compound but you are free. We're not the bad guys here.”
“Yes, of course,” the girl said. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't apologize,” Rachel said, then went to fetch some clothes. The dress and tactical harness combination had looked quite darling on the girl and so Rachel had made outfits just like it using the base's replicator. She fetched one set of that and a few open sandals and handed them to the girl.
Without a shred of modesty the girl took off her scrubs and put the clothes on.
For a moment Rachel was happy she'd found someone else with as little modesty as herself but the little smile withered away when she realized what kind of treatment the girl must have endured if she had no hesitation to strip naked in front of a stranger.
Either way, the way the girl put on the dress was a little fascinating. The butterfly wings were actually quite bendy and allowed her to slip a dress on without issue, though of course she still needed the dress to be backless to allow her to fit the wings through.
When she was dressed Rachel opened the door to the infirmary and gestured for the girl to walk out ahead of her. As she led the girl to the cafeteria to get her her first proper meal in god knew how long she got a message from the mermaids.
Rachel's eyes widened. That had been quick. She'd taken a blood sample of the girl and decided to run it through their standard suite of tests.
Rachel's eyebrows crawled a little higher still and as she led the girl to the serving counter she gave her a long overdue scan.