The premise of the story should be obvious from the title.
1) This story is set in the...
1) This story is set in the...
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How Taylor Hebert Agreed to Be a Slut [Worm/Slut Life]
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Ack
(Verified Ratbag) (Unverified Great Old One)
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The premise of the story should be obvious from the title.
1) This story is set in the Wormverse, which is owned by Wildbow, and the Slut Life universe, which isn't. Thanks for letting me use them.
2) I will follow canon as closely as I can. If I find something that canon does not cover, I will make stuff up. If canon then refutes me, I will revise. Do not bother me with fanon; corrections require citations.
3) I welcome criticism of my works, but if you tell me that something is wrong, I also expect an explanation of what is wrong, and a suggestion of how to fix it. Note that I do not promise to follow any given suggestion.
A/N: This will probably be a one-shot. If I continue it, it will almost certainly diverge into NSFW territory. But for now, it's SFW.
A/N2: This story inspired by this fic.
SFW chapters will appear in this thread. All chapters (SFW and NSFW together) will appear in this thread.
Part One: Introduction (below)
Part Two: Contractual Obligations
Part Two Point Five: Behind the Scenes [NSFW]
Part Three: Preparations
Part Four: Awakenings [NSFW]
Part Five: Anal Apocalypse [NSFW]
1) This story is set in the Wormverse, which is owned by Wildbow, and the Slut Life universe, which isn't. Thanks for letting me use them.
2) I will follow canon as closely as I can. If I find something that canon does not cover, I will make stuff up. If canon then refutes me, I will revise. Do not bother me with fanon; corrections require citations.
3) I welcome criticism of my works, but if you tell me that something is wrong, I also expect an explanation of what is wrong, and a suggestion of how to fix it. Note that I do not promise to follow any given suggestion.
A/N: This will probably be a one-shot. If I continue it, it will almost certainly diverge into NSFW territory. But for now, it's SFW.
A/N2: This story inspired by this fic.
SFW chapters will appear in this thread. All chapters (SFW and NSFW together) will appear in this thread.
Part One: Introduction (below)
Part Two: Contractual Obligations
Part Two Point Five: Behind the Scenes [NSFW]
Part Three: Preparations
Part Four: Awakenings [NSFW]
Part Five: Anal Apocalypse [NSFW]
Last edited:
Part One: Introduction
Ack
(Verified Ratbag) (Unverified Great Old One)
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2014
- Messages
- 7,135
- Likes received
- 78,788
How Taylor Hebert Agreed to be a Slut
A Worm/Slut Life Crossover
Part One: Introduction
Taylor came awake with a start, thrashing wildly. "No! Let me out! Let me—!" She fought against the thing that was holding her in place, which her racing mind finally interpreted as a bedsheet. At the same time, there was another cry, not from her own throat, followed by a solid thump, off to the side.
Grasping at the sheets, she pulled them off of herself, trying to figure out where she was in relation to the rest of the universe. The last thing that she recalled was trying to figure out what the horrific smell from her locker was, then opening it and being hit by the full stench.
I was about to puke. And then I got pushed in. Even now, clean and warm, lying on what had to be the most amazingly comfortable mattress she'd ever encountered, she felt her heart rate begin to escalate. They locked me in. They locked me—
"Ow." The voice came from beside her, but somehow lower down. It was female, filled with a certain ruefulness.
"What? Who's there?" Finally, Taylor began to pay attention to her surroundings. She couldn't see much in the way of detail without her glasses, but she was definitely in some sort of room. A hospital room? There wasn't much she could do to determine one way or the other. She didn't have anything plugged into her arms or body, and there were no beeping machines alongside the bed, but that was more a lack of proof than a proof of lack. But there was someone here; maybe a nurse?
Someone rose into view at the side of the bed. Even going from the blurry outline, it wasn't someone she knew. Not that Taylor knew many nurses, or even female doctors. 'None' was a subset of 'not many', after all. All the same, she squinted to see if she could make out the woman's face. The attempt wasn't hugely successful; her less-than-amazing vision insisted on putting protrusions on the side of the woman's head that her brain interpreted as looking like cat ears. "Uh, hi? Where am I?"
"You're in a secure medical facility, Miss Hebert." The voice was soft and warm, and had a catch to it that suggested the speaker would much rather giggle or laugh than speak normally. "Oh, I'm sorry. We retrieved these. Here you are." A hand extended toward her, bearing something that drew a glint from the overhead lighting. She reached out and took it; as she'd half-expected, it turned out to be her glasses.
"Thank you," she said, while wondering at the woman's words. Secure medical facility? Why am I in a secure medical facility? Carefully, she unfolded the glasses and fitted them on to her face. They fitted properly, not in that slightly wonky fashion they'd been in ever since Emma had—
That line of thought was pushed clear out of her head as she saw her companion clearly for the first time. She looked to be younger than Taylor had envisaged, maybe seventeen or so. Black hair and bright, lively eyes—green, a little larger than normal—went with an impish grin on a decidedly cute face; pronounced cheekbones only made it more so. She was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans as far as Taylor could see. Maybe it's casual day at work? The shirt had some sort of logo that looked like an "S" and an "L" intertwined. But Taylor wasn't looking at the girl's shirt or even her face. She was looking at the girl's ears.
People had ears. This was a thing. However, every human ear Taylor had ever seen was a blobby pink thing just … well, just sitting on the side of the head. From the front, it wasn't even easy to see much in the way of detail. But with this girl it was different. Her ears weren't on the sides of her head; they were closer to the top. And they were larger. And pointier. And had fur on them. And as she stared, they moved.
"What?" The girl stared back at her, obviously having seen her change of expression. "What's the matter? Have I got something on my face?"
Shakily lifting her hand, Taylor pointed. "Uh, your ears …?" In her own mind, she knew damn well she was probably making an utter fool of herself. Either whatever drugs they'd shot into her were utterly messing with her head, or the girl had on some sort of animatronic headgear just to fuck with her.
The girl grinned widely. To her consternation, Taylor noted that her canines were slightly elongated. Not long enough to be considered vampire fangs, and not particularly sharp, but definitely … there. "Oh, yeah. Cool, aren't they? I got 'em done back when I started, and I've never regretted it." With one hand, she smoothed them back in a preening motion; they sprang back up again under Taylor's disbelieving gaze.
"But how … why … where … what's going on here?" Taylor's voice rose in a despairing wail. She had no idea of anything now. Secure medical facilities and girls with mobile cat ears were not part of her normal worldview. Then again, nor was being locked in her locker, but in retrospect that bit didn't unduly astonish her. This has gotta be a dream. I'm still in the locker, and I'm hallucinating.
"Oh. Oh, shit, sorry." The girl took hold of Taylor's hands and squeezed them reassuringly. "I forgot. Honestly, I did. You don't have this sort of thing where you come from, do you?"
"Um … maybe?" Taylor recalled seeing a TV spot on Case 53s, the so-called 'monster capes'. If someone could end up eight feet tall and bright blue, she supposed someone else could get cat ears and little tiny cat fangs? "Where am I … exactly?"
"Okay, this is gonna take a little bit of explaining." The girl let go of Taylor's hands and leaned over to pick up a plastic chair that was for some reason lying on its back. She set it upright and sat down on it. "For starters, my name's Tori. Tori Caswell." She gave Taylor a beaming smile. "And it's really great to meet you."
Tori's smile was infectious; Taylor felt her own cheek muscles beginning to respond. "Uh, the same to you, I guess?" She paused, fully aware of how ungrateful that sounded. Tori was only trying to be friendly, after all. "I'm sorry. I've just never met anyone with cat ears before."
Tori rolled her eyes slightly. "Trust me, that's okay. At least you haven't asked if you can touch them yet, or worse, just grabbed at them. The number of people who've pulled on them … seriously. Anyway. Like I said, you're in a secure medical facility. It's so secure it's in orbit. This is for your own good." She gave Taylor a serious look. "It's a mental health issue."
Taylor blinked at that. Oddly enough, being told she was in orbit wasn't quite so surprising when it came from a girl with cute little cat fangs. And ears; the ears were hard to ignore. "Orbit. Okay." She didn't seem to be drifting off the bed, so she figured they must be doing that centrifugal spin thing to emulate gravity. Sometimes, having been an incurable bookworm had its benefits; she knew all the common science fiction tropes. "What's the mental health issue about? And how does being in orbit actually help it?"
"Okay, this is where it gets technical," Tori said. "You know how on your world some people can get superhuman powers from having something really horrible happen to them?"
Taylor's mind whirled. Is she saying I've got powers? Did I get powers because Sophia stuffed me in that locker? I've got powers? How does that even work? What sort of powers do I have? Why is that even a mental health issue?
… wait a minute. What did she mean, 'on your world'?
Out loud, she said, "What?"
"What what?" asked Tori, looking confused.
Taylor took a deep breath. "What do you mean, 'on your world'? You said we're in orbit. Is that around Earth Bet … I mean, are you even from Earth Bet? Are you an alien?" It would certainly explain the cat ears, but in the other direction. Maybe the rest of her had been made up to look human …
"No!" Tori said hastily, holding up her hands defensively. "Well, yes, but not in the way you're thinking. I was born on Earth. Just not the same Earth as you." She gestured at the room. "This station's in orbit around an Earth that's an analogue of yours, but it's not yours. Got it?"
"Oh, so an alternate Earth," Taylor said, feeling the pieces drop into place. "Like Earth Aleph." She paused. "Is it Earth Aleph?"
"Not as far as I'm aware," Tori said. "I'd have to check, but I'm pretty sure we just call it plain old simple Earth."
"Oh." Taylor let herself relax back on to the pillows; belatedly, she realised she'd been sitting up in a position which her stomach muscles weren't used to holding for too long. "Actually, that's probably a good thing. A manned space station around Earth Bet would be a Simurgh magnet anyway." It was why beachfront properties were no longer quite as in demand as they'd once been, and why nobody lived near a nuclear reactor if they could help it; the Endbringers had left their mark on the world.
"I'll, uh, take your word for it." Tori cleared her throat and flicked her ears. Taylor wondered if it was weird how she was getting used to that. "Anyway. As for the mental health issue. Your powers seem to involve controlling bugs. Lots and lots of bugs, all at once. More to the point, you're set up to receive the input from the bugs you're controlling. The trouble is, no human mind we've ever heard of is able to accept that level of input without going catatonic from the stress. So we've got you in a place where we can guarantee there are no bugs about to mess with your head, so you can gradually get used to the idea, and work out strategies to make sure you don't go nuts when you are exposed to lots of bugs all at once. Does that make sense?"
It did, scarily so. "So what would've happened if you'd left me there?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, but it was definitely something she suspected she needed to know.
Tori grimaced and waggled her hand. "Maybe a week until your brain acclimatised? Maybe more? We really can't be sure about that sort of thing. Sometimes people adapt fast, and sometimes they don't really ever fully adapt."
"Urgh." Taylor felt sickened. "So if you hadn't pulled me out, I'd be catatonic in a psych ward right now. God, the hospital bills would be astronomical. I don't even know how Dad—" A moment later, she sat up in bed as another realisation burst upon her. "Wait, Dad! God, he must be worried sick!"
"He doesn't have to be," Tori said soothingly. "In fact, if we do it right, he'll never know you were gone."
Not for the first time, Taylor stared at the cat-girl, wondering when she was going to start making sense. "I'm gonna need an explanation for that one."
Tori grinned, showing her tiny canines once more. Or should that be 'felines'? Whatever; Taylor focused on what she was saying. "Okay, our technology? It's pretty cool." She ran her hand over her head, flattening her ears before letting them spring up again. "Full body mods are nothing. Intergalactic travel, faster-than-light real-time sound-and-picture communications to every inhabited planet in the known universe … and yeah, time travel." Her grin widened. "We can put you back on your Earth anywhere you want, anywhen you want, so long as it's after you left."
"Okay, so I've been either kidnapped or rescued by a universe-spanning transhumanist society." It didn't sound any less weird when she said it out loud. "Now, I'm sure that it's trivial for you to do this, but for me it's a pretty big deal. And I'm reasonably certain that no matter how benevolent your society is, you don't just go rescuing people like me from situations like that. Because otherwise, a lot more people would've been rescued a lot sooner." She swung her legs over the side of the bed; talking while lying on her back left her feeling more than a little at a disadvantage. "So what's in it for you?"
Tori cleared her throat again. It seemed to be a nervous habit with her. "I want to make you a proposition. An offer. Recruitment, in fact. You get something, or a few somethings, of great value to you, and we get … well, you. For a year. Working for us."
Taylor blinked. "So all this is a … job interview?" It didn't fit in with any other job interview she'd ever heard of—not that she'd actually attended any—but then again, she supposed that near-omnipotent galactic civilisations might do things differently.
"Oh, no, it's a job offer," Tori said brightly. "We've already evaluated you, and we're certain that if you want the job, you'll be amazing at it. I'm just here to ask you if you actually want it, and to let you know of the perks that will come along with it, and the end-of-employment benefits that you'll be getting as a part of your severance package." She nodded encouragingly. "Of course, if you turn us down, we'll send you back to whenever you want to be, but the benefits are pretty damn impressive, let me tell you."
Taylor considered that. When Tori said 'impressive', she was speaking from the point of view of someone who lived in the previously-mentioned 'universe-spanning transhumanist society'. "Uh … just how impressive are we talking about, here?" For one year of employment? They must want me pretty badly. Why do they want me so badly?
"Well, let's see now …" Tori drummed her fingers together for a moment. "You know how you've got bug control super-powers? We can give you an entire new set of powers on top of that, to make you a whole lot more effective. Or your own planet. Or your own spaceship. Or just plain money—in the hundreds of thousands to the millions range, depending. It's really your choice."
"You're kidding, right?" Taylor stared at her. "You're not kidding? I could have any of that?" What she could do with any of that … it beggared the imagination. I could be a hero. I could help clean up Brockton Bay. She'd already had an inkling of such an idea, since Tori had told her about her bug powers … but with more powers on top? She stared into nothing, her mind turning over the possibilities. "How … how do I even qualify for something like that?"
"You're here. You qualify." Tori took her hands and squeezed them encouragingly. "You're smart, you're imaginative, and you're strong willed. This is what we want in an employee. Everything else, we can deal with."
"Um." It was hard to say no to the cat-girl, but Taylor's less than stellar self-image made itself known once more. "I don't have any skills that are probably useful to you. How are you even going to employ me?"
Tori chuckled, then sobered again. "Sorry. I wasn't laughing at you. I seem to recall asking that very same question, once upon a time." Leaning back in the chair, she stretched. Very cat-like, Taylor noted. She also couldn't help noticing that the t-shirt was very tight, and Tori didn't seem to be wearing a bra. Also, that Tori had an endowment that Taylor would've sold her left arm to get. Wait, is that actually possible here?
"So did they give you a planet, too?" Tori didn't seem to be dressed like a millionaire or exhibiting any weird powers, so that was Taylor's next guess.
"Oh, I'm still working for them," Tori said with a grin. "Just taking some time off and interning in the company to make some extra cash. When I finish out my three years, I'll be actually taking a job in management."
"Oh, okay." Something wasn't adding up here. Why would someone take time off to fill an intern position? "So what will I be doing if I take the job?"
Sitting forward, Tori put a serious expression on her face. "That's a good question, but I'm going to want you to keep an open mind while I answer it, okay?"
Slowly, Taylor nodded. "O … kay." She got the impression Tori was about to drop a bombshell on her, but was also working to lessen the impact. Whatever it was, she figured it had to be pretty big. They give people super-powers after one year? Or their own planet? What do they want me to be? A contract killer?
"All right then," Tori said. "The very, very simple answer is that you're going to be a reality TV star. Your entire life will be on view, thirty-two hours a day, the whole time you're employed by us. Who you talk to, when you're awake, when you're asleep. The whole nine yards." She held up a finger. "There's more, but I need you to process that first."
This was … a little more than Taylor had expected. "The whole time? I mean … when I'm in the shower, going to the bathroom, getting changed … everything?" Then another thing Tori had said occurred to her. Wait—thirty-two hours a day? Oh, duh. Another planet. Longer day.
Tori nodded soberly. "You'll have zero privacy. Billions of people will be watching your every move. On the downside, you'll have no secrets whatsoever. On the upside, you'll have legions of adoring fans almost from the word go." She gave Taylor an engaging grin. "Our advertising department is very good at what they do."
"Legions … of adoring fans …" That, alone, was hard for Taylor to parse. "They'll want to watch me?" But I'm boring! her inner monologue wailed. Ugly! Nobody wants to look at me!
"Oh, hell yes," Tori confirmed. "You'll be a star. Seriously, think of the most famous celebrity on Earth Bet, then forget them because you're gonna have ten thousand times as many fans who'd love to meet you in person."
"But … I'm me," Taylor pointed out cogently, gesturing at her body. Stick-thin limbs, abysmally flat chest, too-wide mouth … the list was depressingly long. "And what could I do to keep them entertained? Song and dance routines?"
"Well, for the first half of that question, look at me," Tori suggested. "I did not have this hot bod when I first joined. This is a signing bonus, babe. So to speak, anyway. This is something you start with." She preened; Taylor couldn't help but notice exactly how amazingly proportioned she was. Taylor wasn't into girls, but Tori would've given her ideas if she was.
"What, the cat ears and all?" Taylor figured that any upgrade to her body would probably be for the best, but she wasn't sure about the other additions.
Tori nearly fell off the chair laughing. "Oh, no. No. Hell, no. You can have any kind of looks you want. Seriously. Cat-girl, wolf-girl, bug-girl—if that's what you want—or just you, two point oh." She wiped away tears, then mimed a camera aperture with her fingers, framing Taylor with them. "What you want to be is up to you." Then she cleared her throat. "Which brings us to the second part of the question. What the show's about."
Taylor tilted her head, still digesting the concept of having her body made over to whatever she wanted. A mental image of herself made up to supermodel-standard, strolling through Winslow and seeing Emma's jaw drop from sheer blind envy, stuck in her mind and wouldn't go away. "Okay, hit me."
Tori took a deep breath, looking and sounding a little nervous. "Well, the name of the company is Slut Life."
It took a few seconds for that to sink in. It didn't hit her as hard as it might have; Tori had given her lots of hints, after all. But still … "So wait. I'd be a 'slut'? I'd be having sex?" Give her a chance, her caution told her. It might not be as bad as it sounds.
"Basically, yes." Tori nodded. "It's what the show's all about. You know how I said there was no privacy? Especially not for that." She held up her hand as Taylor opened her mouth again. "Hear me out. There will be no forced sex for people who aren't actually into that sort of thing. Some are; I'm not. I'm guessing from your expression that you aren't either. So you don't need to worry about that. There's a checklist—a contract, actually—which states what the company's allowed to subject you to. If you don't pick any options to have sex forced on you, then it simply won't happen."
Taylor blinked. "Okay." Tori had sounded very adamant on the subject, which reassured her somewhat. "But I would be expected to have sex at some point, right?" It wasn't the idea of having sex that put her off so much as not having the choice to not have sex. While she was a virgin, she'd had her share of hormone-fuelled teenager night-time fantasies that came with puberty and sexual maturation. Not as many as some, she suspected, but the number was more than zero. If it ever came to the right guy, who was actually interested in her, she figured she wouldn't be totally against the idea …
"Well, as I said, it is what the show's all about," Tori confirmed. "But there's more to it than just sex. You'll have a home life—well, you'll have a home—with the option of live-in roommates, amenities, whatever level of comfort you feel okay with choosing and … ah, yeah." She cleared her throat. "Don't freak out. This next bit's not quite as bad as it sounds."
"No promises." Taylor didn't like the sound of this, although Tori had been very up-front with her so far. And she hadn't signed anything, which meant she could walk away at any time. Though the temptation of the after-employment bonuses still tugged at her. Extra powers … millions of dollars … what I could do with that. And in the back of her mind, the idea of getting an actual sexy body was also jumping up and down to get her attention.
"That's fair." Tori gave her a hesitant smile. "Another aspect of the show is what we call 'owners'. Now before you start getting worried, we're not going to sell you off as a sex slave." She paused. "You're not into that, are you? Oh, good. Nor am I. Some people are, apparently, but it's a totally consensual thing. I hear it's sort of like getting married, only more so. Anyway, where was I?"
"Owners," Taylor supplied, not liking the sound of the word at all.
"Yeah, owners." Tori nodded. "Like I said, it's not as bad as it seems. Owners are … people who you're obliged to spend time with. You're going to need to pick at least one potential owner from the list, and spend at least several hours of one day per week with them. But you do get to pick. Again, you're not forced to take someone else's pick."
"But I can't not pick one, right?" Taylor's bad feeling was starting to get worse. "Someone I'm gonna have to have sex with, no matter what."
"Oh, no, no." Tori waved her hands in negation. "Yes, you have to pick. But not all of them are about sex. Admittedly, most are—this is Slut Life, after all—but some are just about companionship. The Gentleman will court you with the full intent of marrying you, but he doesn't believe in sex before marriage. And the Cutie just wants to be your friend, to go out and have fun with you." She tilted her hand from side to side. "Most of the others … yeah, they'll pretty well want to bang you. Though depending on the owner, they'll take a lot of pride in seducing you." She giggled. "Being seduced by a futa is fun."
Taylor wasn't sure what a 'futa' was, and was equally certain she didn't want to know. "I'm not so sure about either of those, sorry. All my friendships have crashed and burned. I'm kind of death on them." And she certainly wasn't interested in someone who just wanted to get into her pants, no matter how they dressed it up. Or undressed it, for that matter.
"Yeah, I read your file." Tori looked solemn. "Trust me, you won't get that here. See, this is all for the show. The Cuties and the Gentlemen are picked for the fact that they want to fill that role for you. If they diverge from that, they get dropped from the show, paid off, and you never see them again." She paused. "Well, I guess the Girly Trainer's also a no-sex option, but she's very hands-on. She'll literally pull your clothes off of you and force you to wear sexy lingerie under your hand-picked high-fashion clothing. Then she'll teach you how to wear makeup right, coach you in how to talk to boys, and so on."
That actually sounded not so bad to Taylor, except for the 'hands-on' thing. But of course … "Um, if I want to meet boys, I can just choose to have that happen, right?"
"Oh, yeah," Tori agreed. "If there's anything Slut Life can arrange for you, it's to meet the boy of your dreams so you can bang his brains out. Or not, as you see fit. Oh, wait. There's one other no-sex option for an owner, but it's almost as intrusive as the Girly Trainer."
"Okay, what's that one?" Taylor still hadn't fully gotten her head around the idea that she was looking at options for spending a year having sex on TV for an eventual reward, but … well, the reward was something that she'd give a lot for. Is it worth giving a year of my life for? And having sex for?
"Parents," declared Tori. "Not your real parents, of course," she added hastily, probably due to the look on Taylor's face. "But a very nice couple who are willing to act as your foster parents. They'll cook and clean and make you do chores, and help you with your homework—if you choose to keep up your studies—and in general, be your parents."
"Oh." She saw what Tori meant by 'intrusive'. "And they'd be okay if I had sex with a boy, if I met him and liked him enough to go that far with him?" Which was a question she never thought she'd be asking; she felt a flush colouring her cheeks.
Tori rolled her eyes. "Of course. They'd probably leave the room to give you your privacy, but it's all part of the show."
"Ah. Yes. The show." That made for a certain amount of very weird sense. Then something else occurred to her. "And they wouldn't be interested in …" She flushed again, not even wanting to say the words, but unable to take her mind off of it, like a tongue probing a sore tooth. Having sex with me.
"Hah, nope." Tori grinned at her. "Unless you chose that option. Then it'd be Daddy dearest all day long."
"Oh, God no!" yelped Taylor, hiding her face in her arms. She was pretty sure the tips of her ears were about to catch fire. That was one role she never wanted to think of her Dad in. Why they even had an option for that, she had no idea.
"Sorry, sorry. Couldn't help teasing you just a little." Tori giggled. "You're so cute when you blush like that. But anyway, that's the parents option."
"Right." Taylor thought about what Tori had told her. On the face of it, it seemed to be a reasonable bargain. For the low, low price of one Taylor Hebert for one year, she'd get extra super-powers and the choice of whatever other options existed in the post-employment rewards scheme. A year of training with her powers, so she was actually good with them by the time they sent her back to Earth Bet.
But in order to earn this, I'm going to have to have sex.
Am I ready for that? Physically or emotionally?
As much as she tried to tell herself that people had done more to get less and considered it a bargain, her natural conservatism pushed back. She liked to consider herself a 'good' girl, no matter what the bitches at school said to her and about her. This—all of this—felt like she'd be selling her body, her honour, for selfish reasons. When it came down to it, she just couldn't justify saying yes, no matter how much she'd get out of it.
I guess they're just going to have to send me back to—
"Oh, shit!" she shouted, severely startling Tori. Jumping off the bed, she grabbed the catgirl by the front of her T-shirt and pulled her to her feet. "You can time-travel back how far?"
"As far as we need to," Tori said, putting her hands on Taylor's but not trying to make her loosen her grip. "But we won't be sending you back before we picked you up, for obvious reasons. Why?"
"No, not me." Taylor tried to get her churning thoughts in order. "Mom! She died in a car accident two years ago! Can you save her? Rescue her? Like you did with me?"
Tori shrugged. "Sure, but we couldn't save her then. We'd have to bring her forward. No messing with your past timeline."
"But she'd be safe and alive, right?" insisted Taylor. "And she could go back to Earth Bet with me once my year was up?"
"Sure," said Tori again, then frowned. "But there's only one more time-jump authorised with your case. To put you back where you came from. If we did this, you wouldn't get back for a year."
Slowly, Taylor let Tori's shirt go. Her mind was filled with a cold, hard certainty. This was what she needed to do. "Do it. I'm guessing you can get a message to Dad? Tell him from me that I'm safe and all that."
"Record the message and we'll make sure he gets it," Tori confirmed. "Does this mean you're signing up?"
Taylor looked her dead in the eye. "Get my mom back for me, and you're damn right I'll sign up." Everything else was incidental; getting her mom back was personal. And if it took a year on a sex-based TV reality show to make sure it happened, that was what she'd do.
There was a knock on the door; Taylor and Tori both looked around. It opened a moment later, and Taylor stared. Despite what she'd just been saying, the reality of the situation was another thing altogether. " … Mom?"
Annette Rose Hebert, wearing a stylish top and skirt, smiled at her daughter. "It took you long enough, little owl. I've been waiting out there for the last ten minutes."
Taylor gaped, then stared at Tori. "But … but I just …"
"Time travel, sweetheart," Annette reminded her. "They rescued me a week ago by my personal timeline. Rebuilt my body, taught me how to walk again, and then it was just a matter of waiting for you to show up so you could ask them to do it. Causality is a pain."
Taylor launched herself across the room and latched on to her mother, holding on for dear life. She felt the familiar embrace as hot tears ran down her face. "It's you. It's really you."
"It really is," Annette confirmed. "And while as your mother I'm not a hundred percent on board with what you're signing up to do, girls younger than you have done worse things to keep their families safe. So … I guess I get to be your Mom for the duration anyway? If you want?"
Taylor giggled through her tears. "Definitely, Mom. Definitely."
Everything else was an optional extra. She had what she wanted.
End of Part One
(continuation depending on demand)
A Worm/Slut Life Crossover
Part One: Introduction
Taylor came awake with a start, thrashing wildly. "No! Let me out! Let me—!" She fought against the thing that was holding her in place, which her racing mind finally interpreted as a bedsheet. At the same time, there was another cry, not from her own throat, followed by a solid thump, off to the side.
Grasping at the sheets, she pulled them off of herself, trying to figure out where she was in relation to the rest of the universe. The last thing that she recalled was trying to figure out what the horrific smell from her locker was, then opening it and being hit by the full stench.
I was about to puke. And then I got pushed in. Even now, clean and warm, lying on what had to be the most amazingly comfortable mattress she'd ever encountered, she felt her heart rate begin to escalate. They locked me in. They locked me—
"Ow." The voice came from beside her, but somehow lower down. It was female, filled with a certain ruefulness.
"What? Who's there?" Finally, Taylor began to pay attention to her surroundings. She couldn't see much in the way of detail without her glasses, but she was definitely in some sort of room. A hospital room? There wasn't much she could do to determine one way or the other. She didn't have anything plugged into her arms or body, and there were no beeping machines alongside the bed, but that was more a lack of proof than a proof of lack. But there was someone here; maybe a nurse?
Someone rose into view at the side of the bed. Even going from the blurry outline, it wasn't someone she knew. Not that Taylor knew many nurses, or even female doctors. 'None' was a subset of 'not many', after all. All the same, she squinted to see if she could make out the woman's face. The attempt wasn't hugely successful; her less-than-amazing vision insisted on putting protrusions on the side of the woman's head that her brain interpreted as looking like cat ears. "Uh, hi? Where am I?"
"You're in a secure medical facility, Miss Hebert." The voice was soft and warm, and had a catch to it that suggested the speaker would much rather giggle or laugh than speak normally. "Oh, I'm sorry. We retrieved these. Here you are." A hand extended toward her, bearing something that drew a glint from the overhead lighting. She reached out and took it; as she'd half-expected, it turned out to be her glasses.
"Thank you," she said, while wondering at the woman's words. Secure medical facility? Why am I in a secure medical facility? Carefully, she unfolded the glasses and fitted them on to her face. They fitted properly, not in that slightly wonky fashion they'd been in ever since Emma had—
That line of thought was pushed clear out of her head as she saw her companion clearly for the first time. She looked to be younger than Taylor had envisaged, maybe seventeen or so. Black hair and bright, lively eyes—green, a little larger than normal—went with an impish grin on a decidedly cute face; pronounced cheekbones only made it more so. She was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans as far as Taylor could see. Maybe it's casual day at work? The shirt had some sort of logo that looked like an "S" and an "L" intertwined. But Taylor wasn't looking at the girl's shirt or even her face. She was looking at the girl's ears.
People had ears. This was a thing. However, every human ear Taylor had ever seen was a blobby pink thing just … well, just sitting on the side of the head. From the front, it wasn't even easy to see much in the way of detail. But with this girl it was different. Her ears weren't on the sides of her head; they were closer to the top. And they were larger. And pointier. And had fur on them. And as she stared, they moved.
"What?" The girl stared back at her, obviously having seen her change of expression. "What's the matter? Have I got something on my face?"
Shakily lifting her hand, Taylor pointed. "Uh, your ears …?" In her own mind, she knew damn well she was probably making an utter fool of herself. Either whatever drugs they'd shot into her were utterly messing with her head, or the girl had on some sort of animatronic headgear just to fuck with her.
The girl grinned widely. To her consternation, Taylor noted that her canines were slightly elongated. Not long enough to be considered vampire fangs, and not particularly sharp, but definitely … there. "Oh, yeah. Cool, aren't they? I got 'em done back when I started, and I've never regretted it." With one hand, she smoothed them back in a preening motion; they sprang back up again under Taylor's disbelieving gaze.
"But how … why … where … what's going on here?" Taylor's voice rose in a despairing wail. She had no idea of anything now. Secure medical facilities and girls with mobile cat ears were not part of her normal worldview. Then again, nor was being locked in her locker, but in retrospect that bit didn't unduly astonish her. This has gotta be a dream. I'm still in the locker, and I'm hallucinating.
"Oh. Oh, shit, sorry." The girl took hold of Taylor's hands and squeezed them reassuringly. "I forgot. Honestly, I did. You don't have this sort of thing where you come from, do you?"
"Um … maybe?" Taylor recalled seeing a TV spot on Case 53s, the so-called 'monster capes'. If someone could end up eight feet tall and bright blue, she supposed someone else could get cat ears and little tiny cat fangs? "Where am I … exactly?"
"Okay, this is gonna take a little bit of explaining." The girl let go of Taylor's hands and leaned over to pick up a plastic chair that was for some reason lying on its back. She set it upright and sat down on it. "For starters, my name's Tori. Tori Caswell." She gave Taylor a beaming smile. "And it's really great to meet you."
Tori's smile was infectious; Taylor felt her own cheek muscles beginning to respond. "Uh, the same to you, I guess?" She paused, fully aware of how ungrateful that sounded. Tori was only trying to be friendly, after all. "I'm sorry. I've just never met anyone with cat ears before."
Tori rolled her eyes slightly. "Trust me, that's okay. At least you haven't asked if you can touch them yet, or worse, just grabbed at them. The number of people who've pulled on them … seriously. Anyway. Like I said, you're in a secure medical facility. It's so secure it's in orbit. This is for your own good." She gave Taylor a serious look. "It's a mental health issue."
Taylor blinked at that. Oddly enough, being told she was in orbit wasn't quite so surprising when it came from a girl with cute little cat fangs. And ears; the ears were hard to ignore. "Orbit. Okay." She didn't seem to be drifting off the bed, so she figured they must be doing that centrifugal spin thing to emulate gravity. Sometimes, having been an incurable bookworm had its benefits; she knew all the common science fiction tropes. "What's the mental health issue about? And how does being in orbit actually help it?"
"Okay, this is where it gets technical," Tori said. "You know how on your world some people can get superhuman powers from having something really horrible happen to them?"
Taylor's mind whirled. Is she saying I've got powers? Did I get powers because Sophia stuffed me in that locker? I've got powers? How does that even work? What sort of powers do I have? Why is that even a mental health issue?
… wait a minute. What did she mean, 'on your world'?
Out loud, she said, "What?"
"What what?" asked Tori, looking confused.
Taylor took a deep breath. "What do you mean, 'on your world'? You said we're in orbit. Is that around Earth Bet … I mean, are you even from Earth Bet? Are you an alien?" It would certainly explain the cat ears, but in the other direction. Maybe the rest of her had been made up to look human …
"No!" Tori said hastily, holding up her hands defensively. "Well, yes, but not in the way you're thinking. I was born on Earth. Just not the same Earth as you." She gestured at the room. "This station's in orbit around an Earth that's an analogue of yours, but it's not yours. Got it?"
"Oh, so an alternate Earth," Taylor said, feeling the pieces drop into place. "Like Earth Aleph." She paused. "Is it Earth Aleph?"
"Not as far as I'm aware," Tori said. "I'd have to check, but I'm pretty sure we just call it plain old simple Earth."
"Oh." Taylor let herself relax back on to the pillows; belatedly, she realised she'd been sitting up in a position which her stomach muscles weren't used to holding for too long. "Actually, that's probably a good thing. A manned space station around Earth Bet would be a Simurgh magnet anyway." It was why beachfront properties were no longer quite as in demand as they'd once been, and why nobody lived near a nuclear reactor if they could help it; the Endbringers had left their mark on the world.
"I'll, uh, take your word for it." Tori cleared her throat and flicked her ears. Taylor wondered if it was weird how she was getting used to that. "Anyway. As for the mental health issue. Your powers seem to involve controlling bugs. Lots and lots of bugs, all at once. More to the point, you're set up to receive the input from the bugs you're controlling. The trouble is, no human mind we've ever heard of is able to accept that level of input without going catatonic from the stress. So we've got you in a place where we can guarantee there are no bugs about to mess with your head, so you can gradually get used to the idea, and work out strategies to make sure you don't go nuts when you are exposed to lots of bugs all at once. Does that make sense?"
It did, scarily so. "So what would've happened if you'd left me there?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, but it was definitely something she suspected she needed to know.
Tori grimaced and waggled her hand. "Maybe a week until your brain acclimatised? Maybe more? We really can't be sure about that sort of thing. Sometimes people adapt fast, and sometimes they don't really ever fully adapt."
"Urgh." Taylor felt sickened. "So if you hadn't pulled me out, I'd be catatonic in a psych ward right now. God, the hospital bills would be astronomical. I don't even know how Dad—" A moment later, she sat up in bed as another realisation burst upon her. "Wait, Dad! God, he must be worried sick!"
"He doesn't have to be," Tori said soothingly. "In fact, if we do it right, he'll never know you were gone."
Not for the first time, Taylor stared at the cat-girl, wondering when she was going to start making sense. "I'm gonna need an explanation for that one."
Tori grinned, showing her tiny canines once more. Or should that be 'felines'? Whatever; Taylor focused on what she was saying. "Okay, our technology? It's pretty cool." She ran her hand over her head, flattening her ears before letting them spring up again. "Full body mods are nothing. Intergalactic travel, faster-than-light real-time sound-and-picture communications to every inhabited planet in the known universe … and yeah, time travel." Her grin widened. "We can put you back on your Earth anywhere you want, anywhen you want, so long as it's after you left."
"Okay, so I've been either kidnapped or rescued by a universe-spanning transhumanist society." It didn't sound any less weird when she said it out loud. "Now, I'm sure that it's trivial for you to do this, but for me it's a pretty big deal. And I'm reasonably certain that no matter how benevolent your society is, you don't just go rescuing people like me from situations like that. Because otherwise, a lot more people would've been rescued a lot sooner." She swung her legs over the side of the bed; talking while lying on her back left her feeling more than a little at a disadvantage. "So what's in it for you?"
Tori cleared her throat again. It seemed to be a nervous habit with her. "I want to make you a proposition. An offer. Recruitment, in fact. You get something, or a few somethings, of great value to you, and we get … well, you. For a year. Working for us."
Taylor blinked. "So all this is a … job interview?" It didn't fit in with any other job interview she'd ever heard of—not that she'd actually attended any—but then again, she supposed that near-omnipotent galactic civilisations might do things differently.
"Oh, no, it's a job offer," Tori said brightly. "We've already evaluated you, and we're certain that if you want the job, you'll be amazing at it. I'm just here to ask you if you actually want it, and to let you know of the perks that will come along with it, and the end-of-employment benefits that you'll be getting as a part of your severance package." She nodded encouragingly. "Of course, if you turn us down, we'll send you back to whenever you want to be, but the benefits are pretty damn impressive, let me tell you."
Taylor considered that. When Tori said 'impressive', she was speaking from the point of view of someone who lived in the previously-mentioned 'universe-spanning transhumanist society'. "Uh … just how impressive are we talking about, here?" For one year of employment? They must want me pretty badly. Why do they want me so badly?
"Well, let's see now …" Tori drummed her fingers together for a moment. "You know how you've got bug control super-powers? We can give you an entire new set of powers on top of that, to make you a whole lot more effective. Or your own planet. Or your own spaceship. Or just plain money—in the hundreds of thousands to the millions range, depending. It's really your choice."
"You're kidding, right?" Taylor stared at her. "You're not kidding? I could have any of that?" What she could do with any of that … it beggared the imagination. I could be a hero. I could help clean up Brockton Bay. She'd already had an inkling of such an idea, since Tori had told her about her bug powers … but with more powers on top? She stared into nothing, her mind turning over the possibilities. "How … how do I even qualify for something like that?"
"You're here. You qualify." Tori took her hands and squeezed them encouragingly. "You're smart, you're imaginative, and you're strong willed. This is what we want in an employee. Everything else, we can deal with."
"Um." It was hard to say no to the cat-girl, but Taylor's less than stellar self-image made itself known once more. "I don't have any skills that are probably useful to you. How are you even going to employ me?"
Tori chuckled, then sobered again. "Sorry. I wasn't laughing at you. I seem to recall asking that very same question, once upon a time." Leaning back in the chair, she stretched. Very cat-like, Taylor noted. She also couldn't help noticing that the t-shirt was very tight, and Tori didn't seem to be wearing a bra. Also, that Tori had an endowment that Taylor would've sold her left arm to get. Wait, is that actually possible here?
"So did they give you a planet, too?" Tori didn't seem to be dressed like a millionaire or exhibiting any weird powers, so that was Taylor's next guess.
"Oh, I'm still working for them," Tori said with a grin. "Just taking some time off and interning in the company to make some extra cash. When I finish out my three years, I'll be actually taking a job in management."
"Oh, okay." Something wasn't adding up here. Why would someone take time off to fill an intern position? "So what will I be doing if I take the job?"
Sitting forward, Tori put a serious expression on her face. "That's a good question, but I'm going to want you to keep an open mind while I answer it, okay?"
Slowly, Taylor nodded. "O … kay." She got the impression Tori was about to drop a bombshell on her, but was also working to lessen the impact. Whatever it was, she figured it had to be pretty big. They give people super-powers after one year? Or their own planet? What do they want me to be? A contract killer?
"All right then," Tori said. "The very, very simple answer is that you're going to be a reality TV star. Your entire life will be on view, thirty-two hours a day, the whole time you're employed by us. Who you talk to, when you're awake, when you're asleep. The whole nine yards." She held up a finger. "There's more, but I need you to process that first."
This was … a little more than Taylor had expected. "The whole time? I mean … when I'm in the shower, going to the bathroom, getting changed … everything?" Then another thing Tori had said occurred to her. Wait—thirty-two hours a day? Oh, duh. Another planet. Longer day.
Tori nodded soberly. "You'll have zero privacy. Billions of people will be watching your every move. On the downside, you'll have no secrets whatsoever. On the upside, you'll have legions of adoring fans almost from the word go." She gave Taylor an engaging grin. "Our advertising department is very good at what they do."
"Legions … of adoring fans …" That, alone, was hard for Taylor to parse. "They'll want to watch me?" But I'm boring! her inner monologue wailed. Ugly! Nobody wants to look at me!
"Oh, hell yes," Tori confirmed. "You'll be a star. Seriously, think of the most famous celebrity on Earth Bet, then forget them because you're gonna have ten thousand times as many fans who'd love to meet you in person."
"But … I'm me," Taylor pointed out cogently, gesturing at her body. Stick-thin limbs, abysmally flat chest, too-wide mouth … the list was depressingly long. "And what could I do to keep them entertained? Song and dance routines?"
"Well, for the first half of that question, look at me," Tori suggested. "I did not have this hot bod when I first joined. This is a signing bonus, babe. So to speak, anyway. This is something you start with." She preened; Taylor couldn't help but notice exactly how amazingly proportioned she was. Taylor wasn't into girls, but Tori would've given her ideas if she was.
"What, the cat ears and all?" Taylor figured that any upgrade to her body would probably be for the best, but she wasn't sure about the other additions.
Tori nearly fell off the chair laughing. "Oh, no. No. Hell, no. You can have any kind of looks you want. Seriously. Cat-girl, wolf-girl, bug-girl—if that's what you want—or just you, two point oh." She wiped away tears, then mimed a camera aperture with her fingers, framing Taylor with them. "What you want to be is up to you." Then she cleared her throat. "Which brings us to the second part of the question. What the show's about."
Taylor tilted her head, still digesting the concept of having her body made over to whatever she wanted. A mental image of herself made up to supermodel-standard, strolling through Winslow and seeing Emma's jaw drop from sheer blind envy, stuck in her mind and wouldn't go away. "Okay, hit me."
Tori took a deep breath, looking and sounding a little nervous. "Well, the name of the company is Slut Life."
It took a few seconds for that to sink in. It didn't hit her as hard as it might have; Tori had given her lots of hints, after all. But still … "So wait. I'd be a 'slut'? I'd be having sex?" Give her a chance, her caution told her. It might not be as bad as it sounds.
"Basically, yes." Tori nodded. "It's what the show's all about. You know how I said there was no privacy? Especially not for that." She held up her hand as Taylor opened her mouth again. "Hear me out. There will be no forced sex for people who aren't actually into that sort of thing. Some are; I'm not. I'm guessing from your expression that you aren't either. So you don't need to worry about that. There's a checklist—a contract, actually—which states what the company's allowed to subject you to. If you don't pick any options to have sex forced on you, then it simply won't happen."
Taylor blinked. "Okay." Tori had sounded very adamant on the subject, which reassured her somewhat. "But I would be expected to have sex at some point, right?" It wasn't the idea of having sex that put her off so much as not having the choice to not have sex. While she was a virgin, she'd had her share of hormone-fuelled teenager night-time fantasies that came with puberty and sexual maturation. Not as many as some, she suspected, but the number was more than zero. If it ever came to the right guy, who was actually interested in her, she figured she wouldn't be totally against the idea …
"Well, as I said, it is what the show's all about," Tori confirmed. "But there's more to it than just sex. You'll have a home life—well, you'll have a home—with the option of live-in roommates, amenities, whatever level of comfort you feel okay with choosing and … ah, yeah." She cleared her throat. "Don't freak out. This next bit's not quite as bad as it sounds."
"No promises." Taylor didn't like the sound of this, although Tori had been very up-front with her so far. And she hadn't signed anything, which meant she could walk away at any time. Though the temptation of the after-employment bonuses still tugged at her. Extra powers … millions of dollars … what I could do with that. And in the back of her mind, the idea of getting an actual sexy body was also jumping up and down to get her attention.
"That's fair." Tori gave her a hesitant smile. "Another aspect of the show is what we call 'owners'. Now before you start getting worried, we're not going to sell you off as a sex slave." She paused. "You're not into that, are you? Oh, good. Nor am I. Some people are, apparently, but it's a totally consensual thing. I hear it's sort of like getting married, only more so. Anyway, where was I?"
"Owners," Taylor supplied, not liking the sound of the word at all.
"Yeah, owners." Tori nodded. "Like I said, it's not as bad as it seems. Owners are … people who you're obliged to spend time with. You're going to need to pick at least one potential owner from the list, and spend at least several hours of one day per week with them. But you do get to pick. Again, you're not forced to take someone else's pick."
"But I can't not pick one, right?" Taylor's bad feeling was starting to get worse. "Someone I'm gonna have to have sex with, no matter what."
"Oh, no, no." Tori waved her hands in negation. "Yes, you have to pick. But not all of them are about sex. Admittedly, most are—this is Slut Life, after all—but some are just about companionship. The Gentleman will court you with the full intent of marrying you, but he doesn't believe in sex before marriage. And the Cutie just wants to be your friend, to go out and have fun with you." She tilted her hand from side to side. "Most of the others … yeah, they'll pretty well want to bang you. Though depending on the owner, they'll take a lot of pride in seducing you." She giggled. "Being seduced by a futa is fun."
Taylor wasn't sure what a 'futa' was, and was equally certain she didn't want to know. "I'm not so sure about either of those, sorry. All my friendships have crashed and burned. I'm kind of death on them." And she certainly wasn't interested in someone who just wanted to get into her pants, no matter how they dressed it up. Or undressed it, for that matter.
"Yeah, I read your file." Tori looked solemn. "Trust me, you won't get that here. See, this is all for the show. The Cuties and the Gentlemen are picked for the fact that they want to fill that role for you. If they diverge from that, they get dropped from the show, paid off, and you never see them again." She paused. "Well, I guess the Girly Trainer's also a no-sex option, but she's very hands-on. She'll literally pull your clothes off of you and force you to wear sexy lingerie under your hand-picked high-fashion clothing. Then she'll teach you how to wear makeup right, coach you in how to talk to boys, and so on."
That actually sounded not so bad to Taylor, except for the 'hands-on' thing. But of course … "Um, if I want to meet boys, I can just choose to have that happen, right?"
"Oh, yeah," Tori agreed. "If there's anything Slut Life can arrange for you, it's to meet the boy of your dreams so you can bang his brains out. Or not, as you see fit. Oh, wait. There's one other no-sex option for an owner, but it's almost as intrusive as the Girly Trainer."
"Okay, what's that one?" Taylor still hadn't fully gotten her head around the idea that she was looking at options for spending a year having sex on TV for an eventual reward, but … well, the reward was something that she'd give a lot for. Is it worth giving a year of my life for? And having sex for?
"Parents," declared Tori. "Not your real parents, of course," she added hastily, probably due to the look on Taylor's face. "But a very nice couple who are willing to act as your foster parents. They'll cook and clean and make you do chores, and help you with your homework—if you choose to keep up your studies—and in general, be your parents."
"Oh." She saw what Tori meant by 'intrusive'. "And they'd be okay if I had sex with a boy, if I met him and liked him enough to go that far with him?" Which was a question she never thought she'd be asking; she felt a flush colouring her cheeks.
Tori rolled her eyes. "Of course. They'd probably leave the room to give you your privacy, but it's all part of the show."
"Ah. Yes. The show." That made for a certain amount of very weird sense. Then something else occurred to her. "And they wouldn't be interested in …" She flushed again, not even wanting to say the words, but unable to take her mind off of it, like a tongue probing a sore tooth. Having sex with me.
"Hah, nope." Tori grinned at her. "Unless you chose that option. Then it'd be Daddy dearest all day long."
"Oh, God no!" yelped Taylor, hiding her face in her arms. She was pretty sure the tips of her ears were about to catch fire. That was one role she never wanted to think of her Dad in. Why they even had an option for that, she had no idea.
"Sorry, sorry. Couldn't help teasing you just a little." Tori giggled. "You're so cute when you blush like that. But anyway, that's the parents option."
"Right." Taylor thought about what Tori had told her. On the face of it, it seemed to be a reasonable bargain. For the low, low price of one Taylor Hebert for one year, she'd get extra super-powers and the choice of whatever other options existed in the post-employment rewards scheme. A year of training with her powers, so she was actually good with them by the time they sent her back to Earth Bet.
But in order to earn this, I'm going to have to have sex.
Am I ready for that? Physically or emotionally?
As much as she tried to tell herself that people had done more to get less and considered it a bargain, her natural conservatism pushed back. She liked to consider herself a 'good' girl, no matter what the bitches at school said to her and about her. This—all of this—felt like she'd be selling her body, her honour, for selfish reasons. When it came down to it, she just couldn't justify saying yes, no matter how much she'd get out of it.
I guess they're just going to have to send me back to—
"Oh, shit!" she shouted, severely startling Tori. Jumping off the bed, she grabbed the catgirl by the front of her T-shirt and pulled her to her feet. "You can time-travel back how far?"
"As far as we need to," Tori said, putting her hands on Taylor's but not trying to make her loosen her grip. "But we won't be sending you back before we picked you up, for obvious reasons. Why?"
"No, not me." Taylor tried to get her churning thoughts in order. "Mom! She died in a car accident two years ago! Can you save her? Rescue her? Like you did with me?"
Tori shrugged. "Sure, but we couldn't save her then. We'd have to bring her forward. No messing with your past timeline."
"But she'd be safe and alive, right?" insisted Taylor. "And she could go back to Earth Bet with me once my year was up?"
"Sure," said Tori again, then frowned. "But there's only one more time-jump authorised with your case. To put you back where you came from. If we did this, you wouldn't get back for a year."
Slowly, Taylor let Tori's shirt go. Her mind was filled with a cold, hard certainty. This was what she needed to do. "Do it. I'm guessing you can get a message to Dad? Tell him from me that I'm safe and all that."
"Record the message and we'll make sure he gets it," Tori confirmed. "Does this mean you're signing up?"
Taylor looked her dead in the eye. "Get my mom back for me, and you're damn right I'll sign up." Everything else was incidental; getting her mom back was personal. And if it took a year on a sex-based TV reality show to make sure it happened, that was what she'd do.
There was a knock on the door; Taylor and Tori both looked around. It opened a moment later, and Taylor stared. Despite what she'd just been saying, the reality of the situation was another thing altogether. " … Mom?"
Annette Rose Hebert, wearing a stylish top and skirt, smiled at her daughter. "It took you long enough, little owl. I've been waiting out there for the last ten minutes."
Taylor gaped, then stared at Tori. "But … but I just …"
"Time travel, sweetheart," Annette reminded her. "They rescued me a week ago by my personal timeline. Rebuilt my body, taught me how to walk again, and then it was just a matter of waiting for you to show up so you could ask them to do it. Causality is a pain."
Taylor launched herself across the room and latched on to her mother, holding on for dear life. She felt the familiar embrace as hot tears ran down her face. "It's you. It's really you."
"It really is," Annette confirmed. "And while as your mother I'm not a hundred percent on board with what you're signing up to do, girls younger than you have done worse things to keep their families safe. So … I guess I get to be your Mom for the duration anyway? If you want?"
Taylor giggled through her tears. "Definitely, Mom. Definitely."
Everything else was an optional extra. She had what she wanted.
End of Part One
(continuation depending on demand)
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Part Two: Contractual Obligations
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How Taylor Hebert Agreed to be a Slut
Part Two: Contractual Obligations
[A/N: I'm working off of the CYOA v3.1.3 for this.]
Taylor
According to the nameplate on his desk, Tori's boss was called Kenneth Arbor. The man appeared to be in his fifties or sixties and had the look of a quintessential bureaucrat, including a three-piece suit and glasses. He looked up at the three of us standing before his desk, pushed his glasses up on his nose and frowned. I was almost certain both the glasses and the frown were an affectation. For one part, with the tech they had access to, there should be no good reason to suffer any kind of bad vision. For the other part, the man had to have signed off on what Tori had put into motion. Still, as Dad had put so succinctly more than once, bureaucrats had to bureaucrat. If they didn't get the chance to put their stamp on events, they got unhappy.
"This is most irregular," he complained. "People rescued in this fashion are invariably recruits, not adjuncts to recruits." He peered at Mom over his glasses, then tilted his head. "You're not here to be a Slut Life Contestant? It would make the paperwork a great deal easier if you were."
Beside me, Mom didn't change posture, though I was almost certain she'd tensed. "No, sir," she said quietly. "I had no choice in the matter. My daughter asked for me to be rescued."
"Hmm." Arbor looked over the paper before him. "Irregular," he muttered again, then looked up at Mom again. "Could I perhaps prevail upon you to become a Contestant? After all, you won't be getting anything except what your daughter shares with you. If you signed on as well, you could have a longevity treatment, reverse your effective age to whatever you chose, and spend the year in comfort. And of course, you wouldn't lack for agreeable male companionship."
At that moment, a side door to the office slid open, and a dark-haired handsome young man entered. He cleared his throat politely, bringing Arbor's attention to him.
"Excuse me," Arbor said to us, then turned to the young man. "Yes, Gareth?"
"Minister Page just called, sir," Gareth replied. "It's about your five o'clock."
Arbor nodded impatiently. "Tell him I'm busy. I'll call him back in a few minutes."
"Yes, sir." Gareth gave us an unreadable look and retreated back into his side-office.
"If it's not one thing, it's another," muttered Arbor. Returning his attention to us, he frowned. "Where were we?"
"You were trying to convince me to sign up as a Contestant," Mom said steadily. "I don't believe that was in my daughter's plan for me. Also, she tells me that my husband is still faithful to me, two years after my death. I'm not going to repay that by jumping into bed with the first handsome man I see."
"Truly? You're so monogamous?" Arbor shook his head disbelievingly. "Suppose I offer you both a twenty-credit bonus on your contracts. A mother-daughter team, aged so that you appear as twins. I guarantee, the ratings would skyrocket. Especially if you could stage a little tiff over the same man once in a while."
Mom's lips tightened just a little, and I blessed the fact that the (in)famous Hebert temper came from Dad, not from her. If he'd been in the room, he would no doubt have punched the man by now. As it was, I wanted to punch him "No, sir," Mom said firmly. "I will fulfil the role of Taylor's mother within the show, and support her in what she does, but I will not take a contract with Slut Life myself. Once she's finished her stint here, we go home."
Arbor sighed, apparently in regret. "Well, there's a slight problem with that."
I glanced sideways at Tori. What's he talking about?
She widened her eyes fractionally. I have no idea.
"A slight problem?" Mom's voice never even quivered. "What sort of problem?"
Kenneth Arbor leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers before him. "Well, you see, the kind of rescue we arranged for you—complete with fake body for the aftermath—is usually only carried out for people who've agreed to sign up for Slut Life."
"We've been over this," Mom pointed out. "These were special circumstances. If you hadn't done it, Taylor wouldn't have agreed to sign a contract with you at all. I never agreed to anything before I was rescued and rebuilt. I was in no condition to agree to anything."
"True," Arbor agreed with a dip of his head. "However, the irregularities were noticed, and I was ordered to go over the situation with Legal. They pointed out an aspect of the situation that may have slipped Ms Caswell's mind." He gave Tori a pointed look. "Specifically, the circumstances of a Contestant being sent back are dependent on the terms of the contract that gets filled out and submitted before she begins her year." A pause for effect. "People who aren't Contestants by definition haven't filled out a contract, which means we don't have any particular obligation to repatriate them."
"What?" Tori's voice was full of outrage. "No! Sir, I told them she could go home with Taylor!"
"And she can, just as soon as she can arrange passage for herself." Arbor's voice never rose at all. I figured he'd had this in his back pocket the whole time. Asshole. "Slut Life is not in the business of arranging free rides for anyone, anywhere."
"And what if I told you to shove your contract up your ass?" I demanded. Mom put her hand on my arm, but I shook it off. "That's a dirty trick and you know it."
"There was no 'trick' involved, Miss Hebert," Arbor said blandly. "You took it as given that Ms Caswell had the authority to arrange something that she simply … didn't. As for yourself, when you stated you would sign the contract, you meant it, did you not? That declaration is almost as good as ink on paper for legal purposes. Walking that back now could just mean that you're out of a ride home as well."
"But I didn't know Mom couldn't come home with me then!" I shouted.
Arbor held up both hands as if to say 'wait', then snapped his fingers. From hidden speakers around the room came Tori's voice. "Does this mean you're signing up?"
My voice followed. "Get my mom back for me, and you're damn right I'll sign up." It wasn't hard to hear the sheer determination in my tone. I'd meant it, all right.
"As you see, we got your mother back for you," he pointed out blandly. "We fufilled our end of the bargain, as indicated by your stated declaration."
It was a good thing for both of us that he didn't even consider cracking a sneer or other triumphant expression, because I would've done my best to wipe it off his face if he had.
Mom wasn't done yet. "If you're stating that Taylor's words made for a binding verbal contract because she meant them, then so did Tori's," she declared boldly. "That should make them equally binding."
Arbor sighed. "Come now, Mrs Hebert. I could make a verbal contract to sell you this space station. I could even put it in writing. No matter how fervently I meant them, the words wouldn't be worth the breath I used to say them because I have no authority to do that. Seven different sensors picked up your daughter's declaration, made in front of a Slut Life employee, and an AI determined that she not only had the authority to make the statement but also that she meant it. That's what makes it binding."
"So you're going to force Mom into the show just to be allowed to go home at the end of the year, all for extra ratings" I said bitterly. "I liked you guys up till now."
Tori's boss sat forward, holding up his hands again. "I'm forcing nobody to do anything. This is what's come down from above. Your mother has been cleared to be a part of your contract and fulfil the role of an owner for you. That situation in itself is somewhat irregular, but it doesn't violate the spirit of the rules, so we're allowing it to happen. When your contract runs out, if you or she can arrange passage for her back to your home continuum, then she gets to go home. It's just that Slut Life won't be picking up the tab for that specific trip."
Mom bit her lip and averted her eyes from me. "Well then, I guess I—"
"Stop!" Tori stepped in front of her. "Before you finish that statement, how about we go over the contract? Maybe there's a way Taylor can get you home anyway." She gave her boss a glare. "Within the terms of the contract."
"And if you can achieve that, go right ahead," he agreed smoothly. "I'm not the enemy here. I'm just the messenger boy." Which I somehow doubted, but I suspected I'd never be able to prove it. He was just too good at controlling his expressions. Or maybe I just didn't like him.
"Come on, guys," Tori said. "Let's go look at the contract and see what we can squeeze out of it." Turning, she headed for the door. Mom followed and I went last. I seriously wanted to slam the door behind me, but it was a sliding type, which kind of defeated the purpose.
Tori's (borrowed) office space consisted of a desk that folded down into a bed, and a chair. She had a laptop which she lifted off the desk before verbally commanding it to fold away. It did so without fuss or bother, and Tori plunked herself down in the middle of the bed, scooting back and crossing her legs so she could rest her back against the wall with the laptop on her legs. "Gather round, guys," she said. "Let's have a look at this thing. It's been a while since I filled out my own contract, but I seem to recall that there's a few options I never bothered taking."
Mom sat down on the bed to Tori's left and I took the right. We had to get close to see the screen properly, but Tori didn't seem to mind at all.
The laptop took a few seconds to boot up, but the desktop screen was amazing. Each icon was a gently-revolving 3D hologram, and some were even animated. I watched as she muttered to herself about 'cleaning up the mess' and took what looked like a stack of papers between thumb and forefinger. With a realistic crackling noise, she rolled it into a ball of paper, then flicked it accurately toward a galvanised trash can. The can lid opened to allow the ball to fly in, then it clanged shut again.
"Okay," she said. "Here's the draft contract that was forwarded to me for your use." Taking what looked like a tiny legal briefcase between thumb and forefinger once more, she squeezed the sides until it popped open, then grabbed at the sheaf of papers within and spread them across the screen with a swiping motion of her thumb. They sat farther 'forward' on the screen than everything else; when she tapped the leftmost one, it unfolded with a realistic motion to become a full-sized screen of print. With, as it happened, a pen and an eraser hovering in front of it.
Mom and I pressed closer to Tori to read the contract. For legalese, it seemed to be pretty straightforward. Once the contract was filled out and signed, it couldn't be voided without falling afoul of some pretty strenuous legal penalties. Some of these, depending how blatant, could lead to criminal charges being laid. None of them had the option of being deported back to Earth Bet, which wasn't a huge surprise.
From what Arbor had said, I hadn't voided this contract by threatening to not sign up, but my declaration that I would sign and the rescue of Mom had moved us past the point where I could simply refuse and be sent back home. They'd performed a service for me, I'd promised payment (the 'payment' being my signature on a contract) and … yeah. I'd painted myself into a corner with that one. Note to self: if I make any more verbal contracts, make sure I've got all my conditions up front before I accept payment.
Of course, Mom was now alive, so that was a huge plus right there. The trick was how I was gonna get us both back to Earth Bet without signing myself up for stuff I didn't feel comfortable doing. I had the sneaking suspicion that this was gonna happen anyway before the year was up; I just wanted to hold that moment off as long as possible.
"Okay, so you're just … wait a minute. Why are you rated as Important?" Tori frowned. "You get five times the amount of money at the end, but …" She tapped on the wording, and another document opened. "Ah. Huh. Your powers. There are people who'll be wanting to talk to you about that. Anyone with extra-human powers gets slotted in as 'important', I guess." She pouted slightly. It looked adorable. "I just got the 'random person' option."
"I suppose I would too, if I joined," Mom noted. Carefully, she tapped the little 'x' on the top corner of the explanatory page, and it vanished. Apparently some things didn't change. "I wonder if I could get your father in here for a Family setup."
"I could ask," Tori said, and grimaced. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't know he was going to be that much of a dick."
"Um, maybe not the best idea," I said. "Bringing Dad in, I mean. This place just might break his brain."
"Well, let's not rule it out, shall we?" Mom gave me a raised eyebrow. "It might break his brain, but I'm pretty sure I can unbreak it."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Tori said. "Let's see what you're comfortable with handling first, Taylor." With practised moves, she flicked through the contract, pausing here and there to check on wording. "All right then, let's see. Body mods."
"Body mods?" I remembered her words about how getting modifications was a perk of signing the contract. "What sort of body mods?" With her body pressing warm against me, I had to be careful not to plant my elbow into her right breast. With a grunt of irritation, I put my arm up behind her neck; a moment later, Mom did the same. Tori was shorter than the both of us, so this worked. It also seemed to suit Tori, because she managed to snuggle up against both of us at the same time.
"Okay, let's start with the basics; like, do you want to keep your old body and have a few add-ons like implants, or get yourself made over from scratch?" Tori wriggled against me; the T-shirt was thin and there was a certain amount of her to wriggle with. I was acutely aware of her breast pressing against my ribs. "I mean, check this bod out. I got the whole new body deal, and I've never regretted it for a moment."
"Tori dear," Mom said reprovingly. "Stop trying to seduce my daughter. I'm not at all sure she's interested in other girls, and I am certain this isn't the time and place."
"Right, sorry," Tori said, sounding just a little crestfallen, but she stopped wriggling. "You pick up habits around here. Casual flirting's just a way to say hi."
I wanted to point out that I'd seen makeout sessions at Winslow which had been less definitive than Tori's idea of 'casual flirting', but Mom's future was in the balance so I kept my mouth shut. The chart of options, however, definitely claimed my attention. "This looks … interesting."
"And it also gives you twenty credits toward the final total," Mom agreed. "Normally I'd be dubious about getting plastic surgery of this level, but it's obviously nowhere near as crude as it is on Earth Bet. If you're comfortable with it, I'm not going to stand in your way."
"Thanks, Mom." I ran my eye down the list. "I think I'll keep me mostly the way I am … well, except maybe upgrade my looks a bit … ooh." My attention was caught by the 'breast size' line. "Mom, what's a good size to take?"
Mom laughed out loud. "You're asking me? Sweetheart, I only graduated to a B-cup after I had you."
I snuck a sideways glance at Tori's endowment. "Uh, what did you choose?" I asked the cat-girl who was contentedly sandwiched between us.
"Oh, this? This is a C-cup," she replied proudly, arching her back to stick out her chest. "They do good work, don't they? Want a closer look?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled up her shirt to expose her naked breasts. They were … impressive. Firm, rounded, with aggressively pink nipples that could probably put my eye out. And far sexier than I'd ever dreamed of having for myself.
"They do," Mom agreed gravely. "You can put them away now." Belying her tone, I couldn't help notice that her eyes lingered on Tori's endowment quite a bit longer than mine did.
Tori pouted, but she pulled her shirt down again. "You're no fun."
"No doubt." Mom's tone was dry. "Though, Taylor? I'd suggest making that your absolute upper limit, and perhaps sticking to a B-cup instead." She cupped her hands in front of her and jumped them up and down. "If you're still set on being a superhero, your breasts will thank you if they're not bouncing everywhere when you're running across the rooftops."
"How about a C-cup and a really good sports bra?" I argued. I was pretty sure Emma had a C-cup, and with my height and the body mods I was gonna get, I knew I could wear it better than she could. Petty? Maybe just a little. But if I couldn't use my powers to cover her in bugs (God knew I wanted to, but it would be a step too far) I'd destroy her socially instead.
Mom sighed. "I can't really argue against that, dear. Just remember, I did advise caution. Nothing higher than a C-cup."
"Cool." I tapped the 'C-cup' option, then went with 'normal' for 'ass size'. Anything was better than 'what ass?'. Everything else I picked was basically what I had already, until I reached 'general body type'. "Athletic," I said firmly. I'd seen what Sophia could do with an athletic body type, and it was what I wanted for rooftop running anyway. Nobody argued; Mom obviously wanted the best for me, and Tori probably just wanted to see me with an athletic body. Me? If I could destroy Emma in her social clique and Sophia on the running track as well as being a kickass superhero, there'd be nothing I couldn't do.
After a brief argument about what my voice sounded like (Mom maintained my voice was 'girly', while Tori plumped for 'feminine' … well, she actually said 'sexy as fuck') we settled on 'girly' because I'd probably grow into the more mature one later on. Then we went on to the next section. This, according to Tori, was where the real points would be made and lost.
"Nope, no penises, thanks," I muttered. "And I'll stick with the one vagina I have."
"You know, you're missing out on some pretty intense experiences," Tori ventured. "My girlfriend's a futa, and she says it's an absolute blast."
That was the second time I'd heard her use that term. From context, I thought I had it figured out. "Uh, no," I said hastily. "For one thing, I'm not hugely interested in having a penis. Second, I'm gonna be a superhero. Those tend to involve tight outfits. I don't want to have to worry about an inconvenient bulge at the wrong time."
"Not to mention having to explain to your father how you ended up as a dickgirl," Mom added in an amused tone of voice. "Your, uh, growth spurt will be just about explainable. But adding a penis doesn't usually happen in the normal run of puberty."
"Oh, there's an option later on to make it retractable," Tori pointed out helpfully. "And to have any testicles you choose to be tucked inside. You know, if you want." From the hopeful look she gave me, it was clear what she wanted me to choose.
She pouted when I shook my head, but I was adamant. "No," I said. "Just no. One weirdness at a time, thanks." I kept reading down the list. "Techno … uh, no. I'll stick with the original equipment there, thanks. Implants? Don't need 'em. Hyperfertile? Wow, just nope. Hormones to make me more feminine? The new body should fix that." I paused at the next one. "Hair removal?" That was tempting.
"One credit … hmm." Mom had obviously been reading along with me. "If you think it's worthwhile, honey. God knows I'd pay for it."
"Okay," I said, mentally ticking my total down to nineteen credits. "Masochist … yeah, nope." Then I read the next one, and found myself blushing. "Wow. Cum connoisseur? Nope. Just nope." Any semen that found its way to my lips, I decided, would have to sink or swim on its own merits. So to speak. Not that I was planning to make anything like that happen. I blushed harder.
"I've got this next one," Tori said proudly. "But I took all the options. It comes out to zero cost, but I can make any part of me erogenous if I feel like it." She wriggled between us again. "So worth it."
"Okay, I'm impressed," Mom said. "You just managed to make sitting side by side fully clothed actually dirty. But can we get back to sorting out Taylor's contract?" Somehow, she managed to put a snap into her tone without actually raising her voice.
"... yes, ma'am," Tori replied, her voice a little subdued. "I'm guessing you're not interested in being an amputee?"
I looked the option over. One the one hand, it was worth fifteen credits. On the other hand, I'd probably end up without another hand if I took it. Fifteen credits, I decided, just wasn't worth the hassle. "Nope," I said. I skimmed over the next two before I hit another one I liked. "Menstruation control? For one credit?" That was even more attractive than hair removal.
"Take it," Mom advised at once. "You'll only ever have this chance once."
"Good point." I was now down to eighteen. "Gag reflex … ugh, no." Taking that was basically announcing that I was preparing for lots of oral sex. Giving, not receiving. And unless a superhero fight went really badly, I couldn't see how it would come in useful. "Wow … flexible holes? How flexible can they get?"
Tori cleared her throat. "One of the owner options is an honest to goodness dragon. He's … let's say, you need a certain amount of stretchiness to let him in. I've never been there, but I've watched it. If you don't know she can take him, it's pretty disturbing."
I met Mom's gaze over the top of Tori's head, and shook my head. "Hell …" I began.
" … no," she finished. "Unless you intend to store things up there, I'd advise 'nope' to that as well."
The mental image almost made me cross my eyes; it did make me wince. "Yeah, nope. And this next one, what the hell? Nope!" I moved on as fast as I could. "Ooh, tattoos and piercings add credit?"
"Lewd tattoos and piercings," Tori noted. "Images that are 'dirty', as you call them. Or piercings in places that people consider sexy."
I scanned the list. "I could get a navel piercing. It sounds less painful than some of them."
Mom tilted her head. "I can tell you that some of them can be painful. And others can be inconvenient. The navel sounds fine to me, though."
"Okay, navel it is." I selected that one. Tori tapped an icon, and then typed in NAVEL. When it saved itself, we went on. "Okay … nope, nope, nope, wow nope … always perky? Never need a bra?"
"I'm reasonably certain that only applies to normal everyday movement," Mom pointed out. "Feel free to take it, but you will need that sports bra for violent activities."
"Sounds legitimate." I selected it. "Okay, no, no, no … I don't intend to get pregnant, at least not here … there's your embedded testicles and retractable penis … hmm, Flexible."
"Wait," interrupted Mom. "Before we get bogged down in the cosmetic options, I believe we should go forward and look at what we require to get me home. Then see if it's feasible to take them."
"Oh, yeah. Good point." Tori closed that document and opened another one. "Okay, here we go. Scrolling down … okay, Teleporter and Personal Teleporter. As far as I know—and I will check, I promise!—once a Contestant is done here, they can choose to take a home here. If they do that and they have a Teleporter, it can be unlocked to let them 'port from here to their home planet and back, more or less at will. Well, teleport there, anyway. Personal Teleports are what's required to teleport back."
"Why do we need it?" asked Mom practically. "The Personal Teleport, I mean? Once we're home, we're home."
"A superhero base I can teleport into at any time, that the villains would never be able to locate?" I asked rhetorically. "Why would I ever need a thing like that?"
She gave me an appraising look. "That's a valid point of view," she noted. "Of course, this means you'd be coming back here on a semi-regular basis. You're comfortable with that?"
"If I can control my comings and goings, then sure. It was only when I thought you were going to be stuck here because they wanted to be dicks that I was unhappy. I mean, wow. It's another planet. And once I'm not a Contestant, there's no pressure to do anything I might not want to do." I shrugged. "Hell, they might even have tech here I could buy and use as a superhero."
"Yeah, they do," Tori noted. "But let's not count … it's count our chickens, right? I never understood that one. What's wrong with counting chickens? Is it bad luck? Is that why they don't let chickens cross the road?"
I chuckled. Sometimes Tori came across as not unlike Mom and me, and sometimes she said something like that. "The rest of it goes 'before they're hatched'. But you're right. Looks like the teleporter needs at least a small house. Where are the houses?"
"'Before they're hatched' … huh. That actually makes sense now." Tori scanned the screen. "That'll be in this page," she said, shifting the page aside and opening another. "Nope, sorry, that's owners. It'll be this one, then."
The second time was the charm. I scanned down the options. "Dungeon … prison … wow, does anyone actually take those?"
"If they're into self-punishment, sure," Tori said cheerfully. "There's a guy called Tyrone. He's an owner you don't call on unless you want to find out what it's like to be a prison bitch. People I've talked to say it's much more 'authentic' if they're actually in a prison cell at the time." She shuddered. "I mean, I don't mind a little light bondage from time to time, but that sort of thing's way past my personal line. Just saying."
"Yeah, pass," I muttered. "Small house … huh. Mom, you figure we could live okay in a place like that?"
"One roommate, two if we don't mind zero privacy," she noted. "Certainly, I believe we could survive for a year. And it would be more pleasant than a dorm room or a bunker. I'd prefer something like an apartment or a large house, but they're your credits, honey."
"Well, it's five for the house, and five for shared amenities," I noted. "Plus seventy-five for the Teleporter and Personal Teleporter. How much is it for the option to take a home here?"
"Forty credits," Tori said promptly. "It's a bonus, not a cost. So we're down to forty-five credits in the red to get your Mom home, not counting body mods and stuff. And you said you wanted extra super-powers, right?"
I nodded, my interest piqued. "Yeah. Where's that?"
"Right at the end, with Rewards," she told me. "Want to go see?"
"Honey, should you be jumping to the rewards just yet?" cautioned Mom. "It's probably not a good idea to grab the good stuff first, before you find out what it's going to cost you."
"I'm not signing the contract yet," I said. "I just want to see."
"Your wish, my command, blah blah blah." Tori pulled up the relevant page.
I read it, blinked, and read it again. "What the hell?"
"Language, dear," Mom reproved me gently.
"Sorry, Mom. What the absolute living fuck?" I stared at the options given. "Tori, why didn't you tell me about this bit?"
"Taylor …" Mom had that 'I am disappointed in you' tone in her voice.
I sighed. "Mom, this company has 'Slut' as part of its title. I don't think the word 'fuck' is exactly a swearword around here."
"Hm." She considered that. "I suppose you're right. Even if I think you're pushing it just a little. Just remember, once we're back home, you don't want to be dropping words like that in polite company."
I snorted. "I'm gonna be a superhero, remember? The people I'll be associating with will mostly swear worse than they do here." I turned back to the computer. "Secret society? Speed runs? Perfect powers? These were things I would've liked to know about ahead of time." My eyes dissecting the text, I stored away the tidbits of data. "Can I have a notebook or something? I want to write some stuff down."
"Taylor …" Mom tried again. "Remember, the more you try to get, the more you'll have to do."
"That's why I need the notepad," I said. "I need to write down what I want, and what I'm willing to do to get it. Then I'm gonna see if what I want is worth what I'm willing to do for it."
"Use my laptop," Tori said unexpectedly, handing the device to me. "I'll take your mom for a tour of the station. Maybe get us something to eat. Want anything?"
"Pita wrap, if you've got them," I said, but I was already distracted.
It was only vaguely that I noticed them get up and head out. "She gets like this sometimes …" Mom's voice faded into the distance.
Biting my lip in concentration, I imitated the hand gestures Tori had used, and went back to the first page. Then I found an icon that looked like a notepad and waved my finger through it. There was the tiniest resistance, which I found fascinating, then the pad opened; a page unfolded to cover a good part of the screen. Eyes flicking from the document to the notepad and back, I began to take notes.
By the time they returned, I'd covered several pages with notes. Part way through, I'd discovered the dictation function, which made things go a lot faster. I'd also gone from mild curiosity to a dawning premise to a sharp determination. I can make this work. I know I can.
"Taylor," Mom said. "Time for a break. Here's your pita wrap, and I got you some apple juice. At least, that's what it says on the carton."
I looked up, and put the laptop to one side. "Thanks," I said, climbing to my feet. As I stretched, my back popped in several places. "Wow, I was sitting there longer than I thought."
"We got to talking in the Earth Lounge," Mom said. "The view's amazing." She shook her head. "And some people were just … ignoring it. Like it's commonplace for them. I suppose it would be," she mused. "But still …"
"I do want to see that," I agreed. "But first, I'm gonna need you guys to check my math. I think I've got it right, but I don't want to get in deeper without meaning to."
"Sure," Tori said, picking up the laptop and plopping herself down on the bed. "Let's see now … uh huh. Uh huh. What, really? You're going with that?" She paged all the way to the end, and her eyebrows climbed toward her hairline, while her ears couldn't seem to choose between flicking all the way forward and all the way back. "What the crap? How in Snarf's name do you expect to be able to afford all that? What did you take?"
"What?" Mom pushed the food into my hands and sat down beside Tori. I took the chair and leaned back, glad for the respite. It had been some intense mental effort, but I thought I had the math correct.
"Look," Tori said, flicking between pages of the notepad. "Stamina booster with the nanotech option. You realise this will be on all the time, yeah?"
"A drug? An experimental drug?" Mom stared up at me from her seat on the bed. "Honey, are you sure about this?"
I sighed. "Stamina's good for more than in bed, Mom. And if I don't have sex, I'm not going to be worrying about the side effects."
"Well, she's right about that," Tori said. "But how you're going to get away without having sex, I'm not at all certain. Not if you're paying for all that."
"What punishments are you taking, little owl?" Mom's voice had that certain tone that said: you've bitten off more than you can chew, haven't you?
As I'd actually just taken a bite of the pita wrap—it was really delicious—I couldn't answer, so I waved at Tori.
"Okay," the cat-girl muttered. "Punishments … holy Snarf! Taylor, are you sure you can handle this? I'm pretty sure I couldn't handle this!"
"Let me see," demanded Mom. "Oh, Taylor … what is all this?"
"An invitation for disaster is what it is," Tori said flatly. "Music Hijack, that's no biggie. Censored with Purity is weird, but whatever. I mean, you're taking away all the fun, right there. Body writing with Souvenir? Are you sure? That can lead to some pretty interesting tattoos."
I chewed the bite and swallowed. "Keep reading."
"Okay, then," Tori said. "Locked in heels. Seven inch heels. You do have high heels where you come from, right? They hurt like a bitch. And you want to sign yourself up to be permanently wearing them?"
"Look farther up," I suggested. "Body mods." I opened the carton of juice and took a drink. It was delicious.
Tori flicked back through the pages until she came to the right place. "Body mods … ah." She rolled her eyes. "Duh. Reinforced tendons. With Enhanced. Smart move." For Mom's benefit, she added, "That'll let her wear heels of any height, or flats, with no problems at all."
"I could've taken just the reinforced tendons," I admitted, "but I didn't feel like being forced to wear heels for the rest of my life just to be comfortable. As it is, I'll probably be ducking under doorways while I'm here anyway."
"Hmm." Mom gave me a long look, then nudged Tori. "Let's see what else she's picked out."
"Yeah." Tori flicked forward again. "Fresh Cherry? Curse?"
"If I don't have sex, I don't have to worry about the first one," I pointed out. "And what's a few dirty dreams? I'm a teenager. It's almost expected."
Mom reached out and scrolled the contract down until she found the appropriate part. She read it, and frowned. "Nanotech regenerating her hymen every night? That sounds … bizarre."
Tori shrugged. "That's Slut Life. They go for the full monty, every time." She went back to the list I'd picked out. "Forbidden contraception? Taylor, I know you're not expecting to have sex, but …"
I rolled my finger in midair. "Keep going."
"Yeah, I saw." Tori shook her head. "Breast expansion? Ass expansion? You're just asking for a clothing malfunction, aren't you?"
"I've got it under control," I assured her. "Keep going."
When she saw what I was getting at, she nodded. "Okay, I get it. You'll be wearing a chastity belt. Not so much fun to wear, but I guess the sex thing isn't so much of a problem then. Except, you know, if your owner makes you take it off."
"Also true," I admitted. "But I think I've got it covered. Anyway, there's more to go."
"Right," said Tori. "Collar, which you're forced to wear. With the shock, sleep and climax control options? Are you sure you want to give some stranger that much control over you? Especially if you've got breast expansion and ass expansion as well?"
"Well, that depends," I said cheerfully. "I've got to give the control over all those to someone who's not me, correct? An owner, for instance. Such as a Married Couple. Which has already been set as … well, you, Mom." I grinned at Mom. "So, do you think you'll have much in the way of temptation to shock me or make my ass grow?"
Mom gave me a dirty look. "Don't tempt me too much with the shock collar," she mock-threatened. "But I see your point."
Tori looked from me to her and back again, her mouth hanging open. "Wait, what? You're gonna … okay, that's just not fair. I wish I'd had my actual mom as an owner when I started. It would've made life a lot easier."
"You do realise that you're still going to be wearing seven-inch heels and a chastity belt the whole time you're here," Mom reminded me. "Over a year, that's going to get very old, very fast."
"Oh, no," I said, just as Tori opened her mouth. "I'll be done in a week."
That got me a dirty look from Tori—she'd obviously wanted to say it herself—and a long, sustained blink from Mom. "That … how are you doing that?"
I shrugged. "By having three owners and five jobs," I admitted. "It's a good thing I'm taking Reduced Sleep, because I'm gonna have no time to myself, even with a thirty-two hour day."
Tori and Mom blinked in unison at that, then scrambled to flick to the relevant page. "Okay," said Tori. "There's your mom, there's Cutie, and there's … a Magical Girl?"
I nodded. "As far as I can tell, they're basically superheroes. I've got powers too, so I figure I'd make a pretty good sidekick, even if it's only for a few days. And what better way to learn how to control bugs under stressful circumstances? Also, if I'm reading that right, Education will let me learn one course of study instantly. Such as martial arts." Leaning back, I took another drink of apple juice.
For the second time, Tori's jaw dropped. "Okay, I'm calling bullshit," she declared. "You're using Slut Life as your personal superhero academy?"
Mom chuckled. "Well, it's about time someone did," she said. "I see you've got the Magical Girl for three days, me for three days, and the Cutie for one day?"
"Yeah," I said. "I figure it'll be nice to get out and about, even for one day, with someone whose job it is to be my friend." I'd been thinking about that. Whoever the Cutie turned out to be, they wouldn't be like Emma. They couldn't be like Emma. And in fact … "Actually, Tori … would you like to be my Cutie?"
Tori blinked a few times. "Um … me? You know I'd love to jump your bones, right?"
I grinned. "I figured that out. But that's not a Cutie's job. Right?"
Reluctantly, she nodded. "Yeah. I'd just be your gal-pal for the day. Twelve hours, right? I could show you everywhere in that time. We could go window shopping …"
It had been years since I'd been window-shopping with a friend. I wondered if she'd continue to flirt with me. Duh. Still, I figured I could handle it. "I'll let you think about it. No rush."
She nodded. "Okay." Then she grinned. "Oh, man. The places I could show you. I bet I could make you blush all the way down to your toes."
"You'd lose," I reminded her. "I'm gonna have censorship. I'm not gonna see a thing. It'll all be censor bars."
"Are these the jobs?" asked Mom, just as Tori stuck her tongue out at me. "Internet celebrity … gravure model … Taylor, are you sure about that one?" She gave me a concerned look. "You do know what 'gravure' means in that context, right?"
"Yeah," I said with a nod. "Pin-up girls. Swimsuits and so forth. They can't give me a G-string or make me go naked, because I'm pretty sure chastity belts are about as sexy as granny panties." It had been a bit of a mental wrench to pick that job, but with the body I was going to have, I was going to be suffering a lot fewer issues. And if posing for the cameras in a swimsuit wasn't the best way to get over body issues, I didn't know what was.
Tori snorted with laughter. "I don't even know what 'granny panties' are, but I'm pretty sure you're correct." She looked at the next job on the list I'd chosen. "Waitress in a maid cafe … okay. You're probably gonna get a lot of people being a bit demanding there. You have to treat the customers like you're a maid and they're the employer. Talk to them individually, sing for them, even dance for them if necessary."
I gave her a level stare. "You said you'd read my file. I will see the shit they can pull on me at a maid cafe, and raise you a year at Winslow. For this I'm gonna get paid, and it'll be done in five days. Game, set and fucking match."
Mom frowned. "So Danny sent you to Winslow after all? I didn't think it was the best idea for you, even if Emma was going there." She turned to Tori. "Can I see her file?"
"I'm not sure," Tori said, her tone doubtful. "There's a lot of private information in there."
"I'm her mother," Mom reminded her firmly.
"And I give permission," I added. It wasn't as if I wanted Mom to know everything that had happened to me since Emma turned into a raging bitch, but I was pretty sure she'd get it out of me one way or the other.
"Okay, then. I'll check with Mr Arbor," Tori said. She tapped something on the screen, then typed rapidly. "Oh, and that reminds me. You've still got to record the message you want to send to your father. That's a verbal we've still got to finish up with."
By 'verbal', I assumed she meant verbal contract. Which, as I recalled, I'd actually made before I even knew about them. Of course, I'd also made the other verbal contract without knowing about it, so that kind of balanced out. "Sure," I said. "Once we've got the contract sorted out so I know if it'll work or not in the time I'm looking at."
"That's fair," Tori agreed. "You don't want to give him bad information, after all."
"Talking about that," Mom said, "I'd appreciate the actual specifics to do with verbal contracts. How do they work?"
That was actually a very good question. Trust Mom to come up with it.
"Ah, yeah." Tori shrugged. "It's really very simple. You've got to mean it. You've got to have the authority to make it happen. You've got to do it in front of the person you're making the contract with, or someone who represents them. And if it's not acknowledged in thirty-two hours, it's null and void."
"Okay," I said, "what if you make a promise and then say 'but I didn't mean it' to get out of the contract?"
"The station AI can judge whether anyone who makes a contract on here means it," Tori said. "And while Slut Life personnel are allowed to lie, doing so while pretending to make a verbal contract is frowned upon. That sort of thing gets you smacked on the wrist, hard. If it leads to the other person coming to harm, criminal charges might apply."
"Okay then," I said. "So when Mr Arbor said Mom was going to be standing in for the Married Couple option, did he mean it?"
"Good question." Tori typed rapidly on her laptop. "Sending query now." Less than a second after she hit the last key, the computer pinged. Reaching to the screen, she did something; I figured she was opening an email or something. "Confirmed. That's a valid verbal."
I grinned. "Excellent." This meant I could go through with that part of my plan, at least.
"So where do we go from here?" asked Mom.
Tori set her laptop aside and stretched. "We fill in the contract. Taylor signs it. We arrange for your housing, and find a Magical Girl who's willing to be her owner. Taylor has the surgery for the various implants she's getting, as well as the navel ring."
"And then I see if my plan actually has a chance of working," I said, suddenly wondering if I'd left anything important out.
Tori nodded soberly. "And then that, yes."
I swallowed. It was a big step. "Let's do it."
End of Part Two
Taylor's Contract
VIP: 5x reward cash.
Part Two: Contractual Obligations
[A/N: I'm working off of the CYOA v3.1.3 for this.]
Taylor
According to the nameplate on his desk, Tori's boss was called Kenneth Arbor. The man appeared to be in his fifties or sixties and had the look of a quintessential bureaucrat, including a three-piece suit and glasses. He looked up at the three of us standing before his desk, pushed his glasses up on his nose and frowned. I was almost certain both the glasses and the frown were an affectation. For one part, with the tech they had access to, there should be no good reason to suffer any kind of bad vision. For the other part, the man had to have signed off on what Tori had put into motion. Still, as Dad had put so succinctly more than once, bureaucrats had to bureaucrat. If they didn't get the chance to put their stamp on events, they got unhappy.
"This is most irregular," he complained. "People rescued in this fashion are invariably recruits, not adjuncts to recruits." He peered at Mom over his glasses, then tilted his head. "You're not here to be a Slut Life Contestant? It would make the paperwork a great deal easier if you were."
Beside me, Mom didn't change posture, though I was almost certain she'd tensed. "No, sir," she said quietly. "I had no choice in the matter. My daughter asked for me to be rescued."
"Hmm." Arbor looked over the paper before him. "Irregular," he muttered again, then looked up at Mom again. "Could I perhaps prevail upon you to become a Contestant? After all, you won't be getting anything except what your daughter shares with you. If you signed on as well, you could have a longevity treatment, reverse your effective age to whatever you chose, and spend the year in comfort. And of course, you wouldn't lack for agreeable male companionship."
At that moment, a side door to the office slid open, and a dark-haired handsome young man entered. He cleared his throat politely, bringing Arbor's attention to him.
"Excuse me," Arbor said to us, then turned to the young man. "Yes, Gareth?"
"Minister Page just called, sir," Gareth replied. "It's about your five o'clock."
Arbor nodded impatiently. "Tell him I'm busy. I'll call him back in a few minutes."
"Yes, sir." Gareth gave us an unreadable look and retreated back into his side-office.
"If it's not one thing, it's another," muttered Arbor. Returning his attention to us, he frowned. "Where were we?"
"You were trying to convince me to sign up as a Contestant," Mom said steadily. "I don't believe that was in my daughter's plan for me. Also, she tells me that my husband is still faithful to me, two years after my death. I'm not going to repay that by jumping into bed with the first handsome man I see."
"Truly? You're so monogamous?" Arbor shook his head disbelievingly. "Suppose I offer you both a twenty-credit bonus on your contracts. A mother-daughter team, aged so that you appear as twins. I guarantee, the ratings would skyrocket. Especially if you could stage a little tiff over the same man once in a while."
Mom's lips tightened just a little, and I blessed the fact that the (in)famous Hebert temper came from Dad, not from her. If he'd been in the room, he would no doubt have punched the man by now. As it was, I wanted to punch him "No, sir," Mom said firmly. "I will fulfil the role of Taylor's mother within the show, and support her in what she does, but I will not take a contract with Slut Life myself. Once she's finished her stint here, we go home."
Arbor sighed, apparently in regret. "Well, there's a slight problem with that."
I glanced sideways at Tori. What's he talking about?
She widened her eyes fractionally. I have no idea.
"A slight problem?" Mom's voice never even quivered. "What sort of problem?"
Kenneth Arbor leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers before him. "Well, you see, the kind of rescue we arranged for you—complete with fake body for the aftermath—is usually only carried out for people who've agreed to sign up for Slut Life."
"We've been over this," Mom pointed out. "These were special circumstances. If you hadn't done it, Taylor wouldn't have agreed to sign a contract with you at all. I never agreed to anything before I was rescued and rebuilt. I was in no condition to agree to anything."
"True," Arbor agreed with a dip of his head. "However, the irregularities were noticed, and I was ordered to go over the situation with Legal. They pointed out an aspect of the situation that may have slipped Ms Caswell's mind." He gave Tori a pointed look. "Specifically, the circumstances of a Contestant being sent back are dependent on the terms of the contract that gets filled out and submitted before she begins her year." A pause for effect. "People who aren't Contestants by definition haven't filled out a contract, which means we don't have any particular obligation to repatriate them."
"What?" Tori's voice was full of outrage. "No! Sir, I told them she could go home with Taylor!"
"And she can, just as soon as she can arrange passage for herself." Arbor's voice never rose at all. I figured he'd had this in his back pocket the whole time. Asshole. "Slut Life is not in the business of arranging free rides for anyone, anywhere."
"And what if I told you to shove your contract up your ass?" I demanded. Mom put her hand on my arm, but I shook it off. "That's a dirty trick and you know it."
"There was no 'trick' involved, Miss Hebert," Arbor said blandly. "You took it as given that Ms Caswell had the authority to arrange something that she simply … didn't. As for yourself, when you stated you would sign the contract, you meant it, did you not? That declaration is almost as good as ink on paper for legal purposes. Walking that back now could just mean that you're out of a ride home as well."
"But I didn't know Mom couldn't come home with me then!" I shouted.
Arbor held up both hands as if to say 'wait', then snapped his fingers. From hidden speakers around the room came Tori's voice. "Does this mean you're signing up?"
My voice followed. "Get my mom back for me, and you're damn right I'll sign up." It wasn't hard to hear the sheer determination in my tone. I'd meant it, all right.
"As you see, we got your mother back for you," he pointed out blandly. "We fufilled our end of the bargain, as indicated by your stated declaration."
It was a good thing for both of us that he didn't even consider cracking a sneer or other triumphant expression, because I would've done my best to wipe it off his face if he had.
Mom wasn't done yet. "If you're stating that Taylor's words made for a binding verbal contract because she meant them, then so did Tori's," she declared boldly. "That should make them equally binding."
Arbor sighed. "Come now, Mrs Hebert. I could make a verbal contract to sell you this space station. I could even put it in writing. No matter how fervently I meant them, the words wouldn't be worth the breath I used to say them because I have no authority to do that. Seven different sensors picked up your daughter's declaration, made in front of a Slut Life employee, and an AI determined that she not only had the authority to make the statement but also that she meant it. That's what makes it binding."
"So you're going to force Mom into the show just to be allowed to go home at the end of the year, all for extra ratings" I said bitterly. "I liked you guys up till now."
Tori's boss sat forward, holding up his hands again. "I'm forcing nobody to do anything. This is what's come down from above. Your mother has been cleared to be a part of your contract and fulfil the role of an owner for you. That situation in itself is somewhat irregular, but it doesn't violate the spirit of the rules, so we're allowing it to happen. When your contract runs out, if you or she can arrange passage for her back to your home continuum, then she gets to go home. It's just that Slut Life won't be picking up the tab for that specific trip."
Mom bit her lip and averted her eyes from me. "Well then, I guess I—"
"Stop!" Tori stepped in front of her. "Before you finish that statement, how about we go over the contract? Maybe there's a way Taylor can get you home anyway." She gave her boss a glare. "Within the terms of the contract."
"And if you can achieve that, go right ahead," he agreed smoothly. "I'm not the enemy here. I'm just the messenger boy." Which I somehow doubted, but I suspected I'd never be able to prove it. He was just too good at controlling his expressions. Or maybe I just didn't like him.
"Come on, guys," Tori said. "Let's go look at the contract and see what we can squeeze out of it." Turning, she headed for the door. Mom followed and I went last. I seriously wanted to slam the door behind me, but it was a sliding type, which kind of defeated the purpose.
<><>
Tori's (borrowed) office space consisted of a desk that folded down into a bed, and a chair. She had a laptop which she lifted off the desk before verbally commanding it to fold away. It did so without fuss or bother, and Tori plunked herself down in the middle of the bed, scooting back and crossing her legs so she could rest her back against the wall with the laptop on her legs. "Gather round, guys," she said. "Let's have a look at this thing. It's been a while since I filled out my own contract, but I seem to recall that there's a few options I never bothered taking."
Mom sat down on the bed to Tori's left and I took the right. We had to get close to see the screen properly, but Tori didn't seem to mind at all.
The laptop took a few seconds to boot up, but the desktop screen was amazing. Each icon was a gently-revolving 3D hologram, and some were even animated. I watched as she muttered to herself about 'cleaning up the mess' and took what looked like a stack of papers between thumb and forefinger. With a realistic crackling noise, she rolled it into a ball of paper, then flicked it accurately toward a galvanised trash can. The can lid opened to allow the ball to fly in, then it clanged shut again.
"Okay," she said. "Here's the draft contract that was forwarded to me for your use." Taking what looked like a tiny legal briefcase between thumb and forefinger once more, she squeezed the sides until it popped open, then grabbed at the sheaf of papers within and spread them across the screen with a swiping motion of her thumb. They sat farther 'forward' on the screen than everything else; when she tapped the leftmost one, it unfolded with a realistic motion to become a full-sized screen of print. With, as it happened, a pen and an eraser hovering in front of it.
Mom and I pressed closer to Tori to read the contract. For legalese, it seemed to be pretty straightforward. Once the contract was filled out and signed, it couldn't be voided without falling afoul of some pretty strenuous legal penalties. Some of these, depending how blatant, could lead to criminal charges being laid. None of them had the option of being deported back to Earth Bet, which wasn't a huge surprise.
From what Arbor had said, I hadn't voided this contract by threatening to not sign up, but my declaration that I would sign and the rescue of Mom had moved us past the point where I could simply refuse and be sent back home. They'd performed a service for me, I'd promised payment (the 'payment' being my signature on a contract) and … yeah. I'd painted myself into a corner with that one. Note to self: if I make any more verbal contracts, make sure I've got all my conditions up front before I accept payment.
Of course, Mom was now alive, so that was a huge plus right there. The trick was how I was gonna get us both back to Earth Bet without signing myself up for stuff I didn't feel comfortable doing. I had the sneaking suspicion that this was gonna happen anyway before the year was up; I just wanted to hold that moment off as long as possible.
"Okay, so you're just … wait a minute. Why are you rated as Important?" Tori frowned. "You get five times the amount of money at the end, but …" She tapped on the wording, and another document opened. "Ah. Huh. Your powers. There are people who'll be wanting to talk to you about that. Anyone with extra-human powers gets slotted in as 'important', I guess." She pouted slightly. It looked adorable. "I just got the 'random person' option."
"I suppose I would too, if I joined," Mom noted. Carefully, she tapped the little 'x' on the top corner of the explanatory page, and it vanished. Apparently some things didn't change. "I wonder if I could get your father in here for a Family setup."
"I could ask," Tori said, and grimaced. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't know he was going to be that much of a dick."
"Um, maybe not the best idea," I said. "Bringing Dad in, I mean. This place just might break his brain."
"Well, let's not rule it out, shall we?" Mom gave me a raised eyebrow. "It might break his brain, but I'm pretty sure I can unbreak it."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Tori said. "Let's see what you're comfortable with handling first, Taylor." With practised moves, she flicked through the contract, pausing here and there to check on wording. "All right then, let's see. Body mods."
"Body mods?" I remembered her words about how getting modifications was a perk of signing the contract. "What sort of body mods?" With her body pressing warm against me, I had to be careful not to plant my elbow into her right breast. With a grunt of irritation, I put my arm up behind her neck; a moment later, Mom did the same. Tori was shorter than the both of us, so this worked. It also seemed to suit Tori, because she managed to snuggle up against both of us at the same time.
"Okay, let's start with the basics; like, do you want to keep your old body and have a few add-ons like implants, or get yourself made over from scratch?" Tori wriggled against me; the T-shirt was thin and there was a certain amount of her to wriggle with. I was acutely aware of her breast pressing against my ribs. "I mean, check this bod out. I got the whole new body deal, and I've never regretted it for a moment."
"Tori dear," Mom said reprovingly. "Stop trying to seduce my daughter. I'm not at all sure she's interested in other girls, and I am certain this isn't the time and place."
"Right, sorry," Tori said, sounding just a little crestfallen, but she stopped wriggling. "You pick up habits around here. Casual flirting's just a way to say hi."
I wanted to point out that I'd seen makeout sessions at Winslow which had been less definitive than Tori's idea of 'casual flirting', but Mom's future was in the balance so I kept my mouth shut. The chart of options, however, definitely claimed my attention. "This looks … interesting."
"And it also gives you twenty credits toward the final total," Mom agreed. "Normally I'd be dubious about getting plastic surgery of this level, but it's obviously nowhere near as crude as it is on Earth Bet. If you're comfortable with it, I'm not going to stand in your way."
"Thanks, Mom." I ran my eye down the list. "I think I'll keep me mostly the way I am … well, except maybe upgrade my looks a bit … ooh." My attention was caught by the 'breast size' line. "Mom, what's a good size to take?"
Mom laughed out loud. "You're asking me? Sweetheart, I only graduated to a B-cup after I had you."
I snuck a sideways glance at Tori's endowment. "Uh, what did you choose?" I asked the cat-girl who was contentedly sandwiched between us.
"Oh, this? This is a C-cup," she replied proudly, arching her back to stick out her chest. "They do good work, don't they? Want a closer look?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled up her shirt to expose her naked breasts. They were … impressive. Firm, rounded, with aggressively pink nipples that could probably put my eye out. And far sexier than I'd ever dreamed of having for myself.
"They do," Mom agreed gravely. "You can put them away now." Belying her tone, I couldn't help notice that her eyes lingered on Tori's endowment quite a bit longer than mine did.
Tori pouted, but she pulled her shirt down again. "You're no fun."
"No doubt." Mom's tone was dry. "Though, Taylor? I'd suggest making that your absolute upper limit, and perhaps sticking to a B-cup instead." She cupped her hands in front of her and jumped them up and down. "If you're still set on being a superhero, your breasts will thank you if they're not bouncing everywhere when you're running across the rooftops."
"How about a C-cup and a really good sports bra?" I argued. I was pretty sure Emma had a C-cup, and with my height and the body mods I was gonna get, I knew I could wear it better than she could. Petty? Maybe just a little. But if I couldn't use my powers to cover her in bugs (God knew I wanted to, but it would be a step too far) I'd destroy her socially instead.
Mom sighed. "I can't really argue against that, dear. Just remember, I did advise caution. Nothing higher than a C-cup."
"Cool." I tapped the 'C-cup' option, then went with 'normal' for 'ass size'. Anything was better than 'what ass?'. Everything else I picked was basically what I had already, until I reached 'general body type'. "Athletic," I said firmly. I'd seen what Sophia could do with an athletic body type, and it was what I wanted for rooftop running anyway. Nobody argued; Mom obviously wanted the best for me, and Tori probably just wanted to see me with an athletic body. Me? If I could destroy Emma in her social clique and Sophia on the running track as well as being a kickass superhero, there'd be nothing I couldn't do.
After a brief argument about what my voice sounded like (Mom maintained my voice was 'girly', while Tori plumped for 'feminine' … well, she actually said 'sexy as fuck') we settled on 'girly' because I'd probably grow into the more mature one later on. Then we went on to the next section. This, according to Tori, was where the real points would be made and lost.
"Nope, no penises, thanks," I muttered. "And I'll stick with the one vagina I have."
"You know, you're missing out on some pretty intense experiences," Tori ventured. "My girlfriend's a futa, and she says it's an absolute blast."
That was the second time I'd heard her use that term. From context, I thought I had it figured out. "Uh, no," I said hastily. "For one thing, I'm not hugely interested in having a penis. Second, I'm gonna be a superhero. Those tend to involve tight outfits. I don't want to have to worry about an inconvenient bulge at the wrong time."
"Not to mention having to explain to your father how you ended up as a dickgirl," Mom added in an amused tone of voice. "Your, uh, growth spurt will be just about explainable. But adding a penis doesn't usually happen in the normal run of puberty."
"Oh, there's an option later on to make it retractable," Tori pointed out helpfully. "And to have any testicles you choose to be tucked inside. You know, if you want." From the hopeful look she gave me, it was clear what she wanted me to choose.
She pouted when I shook my head, but I was adamant. "No," I said. "Just no. One weirdness at a time, thanks." I kept reading down the list. "Techno … uh, no. I'll stick with the original equipment there, thanks. Implants? Don't need 'em. Hyperfertile? Wow, just nope. Hormones to make me more feminine? The new body should fix that." I paused at the next one. "Hair removal?" That was tempting.
"One credit … hmm." Mom had obviously been reading along with me. "If you think it's worthwhile, honey. God knows I'd pay for it."
"Okay," I said, mentally ticking my total down to nineteen credits. "Masochist … yeah, nope." Then I read the next one, and found myself blushing. "Wow. Cum connoisseur? Nope. Just nope." Any semen that found its way to my lips, I decided, would have to sink or swim on its own merits. So to speak. Not that I was planning to make anything like that happen. I blushed harder.
"I've got this next one," Tori said proudly. "But I took all the options. It comes out to zero cost, but I can make any part of me erogenous if I feel like it." She wriggled between us again. "So worth it."
"Okay, I'm impressed," Mom said. "You just managed to make sitting side by side fully clothed actually dirty. But can we get back to sorting out Taylor's contract?" Somehow, she managed to put a snap into her tone without actually raising her voice.
"... yes, ma'am," Tori replied, her voice a little subdued. "I'm guessing you're not interested in being an amputee?"
I looked the option over. One the one hand, it was worth fifteen credits. On the other hand, I'd probably end up without another hand if I took it. Fifteen credits, I decided, just wasn't worth the hassle. "Nope," I said. I skimmed over the next two before I hit another one I liked. "Menstruation control? For one credit?" That was even more attractive than hair removal.
"Take it," Mom advised at once. "You'll only ever have this chance once."
"Good point." I was now down to eighteen. "Gag reflex … ugh, no." Taking that was basically announcing that I was preparing for lots of oral sex. Giving, not receiving. And unless a superhero fight went really badly, I couldn't see how it would come in useful. "Wow … flexible holes? How flexible can they get?"
Tori cleared her throat. "One of the owner options is an honest to goodness dragon. He's … let's say, you need a certain amount of stretchiness to let him in. I've never been there, but I've watched it. If you don't know she can take him, it's pretty disturbing."
I met Mom's gaze over the top of Tori's head, and shook my head. "Hell …" I began.
" … no," she finished. "Unless you intend to store things up there, I'd advise 'nope' to that as well."
The mental image almost made me cross my eyes; it did make me wince. "Yeah, nope. And this next one, what the hell? Nope!" I moved on as fast as I could. "Ooh, tattoos and piercings add credit?"
"Lewd tattoos and piercings," Tori noted. "Images that are 'dirty', as you call them. Or piercings in places that people consider sexy."
I scanned the list. "I could get a navel piercing. It sounds less painful than some of them."
Mom tilted her head. "I can tell you that some of them can be painful. And others can be inconvenient. The navel sounds fine to me, though."
"Okay, navel it is." I selected that one. Tori tapped an icon, and then typed in NAVEL. When it saved itself, we went on. "Okay … nope, nope, nope, wow nope … always perky? Never need a bra?"
"I'm reasonably certain that only applies to normal everyday movement," Mom pointed out. "Feel free to take it, but you will need that sports bra for violent activities."
"Sounds legitimate." I selected it. "Okay, no, no, no … I don't intend to get pregnant, at least not here … there's your embedded testicles and retractable penis … hmm, Flexible."
"Wait," interrupted Mom. "Before we get bogged down in the cosmetic options, I believe we should go forward and look at what we require to get me home. Then see if it's feasible to take them."
"Oh, yeah. Good point." Tori closed that document and opened another one. "Okay, here we go. Scrolling down … okay, Teleporter and Personal Teleporter. As far as I know—and I will check, I promise!—once a Contestant is done here, they can choose to take a home here. If they do that and they have a Teleporter, it can be unlocked to let them 'port from here to their home planet and back, more or less at will. Well, teleport there, anyway. Personal Teleports are what's required to teleport back."
"Why do we need it?" asked Mom practically. "The Personal Teleport, I mean? Once we're home, we're home."
"A superhero base I can teleport into at any time, that the villains would never be able to locate?" I asked rhetorically. "Why would I ever need a thing like that?"
She gave me an appraising look. "That's a valid point of view," she noted. "Of course, this means you'd be coming back here on a semi-regular basis. You're comfortable with that?"
"If I can control my comings and goings, then sure. It was only when I thought you were going to be stuck here because they wanted to be dicks that I was unhappy. I mean, wow. It's another planet. And once I'm not a Contestant, there's no pressure to do anything I might not want to do." I shrugged. "Hell, they might even have tech here I could buy and use as a superhero."
"Yeah, they do," Tori noted. "But let's not count … it's count our chickens, right? I never understood that one. What's wrong with counting chickens? Is it bad luck? Is that why they don't let chickens cross the road?"
I chuckled. Sometimes Tori came across as not unlike Mom and me, and sometimes she said something like that. "The rest of it goes 'before they're hatched'. But you're right. Looks like the teleporter needs at least a small house. Where are the houses?"
"'Before they're hatched' … huh. That actually makes sense now." Tori scanned the screen. "That'll be in this page," she said, shifting the page aside and opening another. "Nope, sorry, that's owners. It'll be this one, then."
The second time was the charm. I scanned down the options. "Dungeon … prison … wow, does anyone actually take those?"
"If they're into self-punishment, sure," Tori said cheerfully. "There's a guy called Tyrone. He's an owner you don't call on unless you want to find out what it's like to be a prison bitch. People I've talked to say it's much more 'authentic' if they're actually in a prison cell at the time." She shuddered. "I mean, I don't mind a little light bondage from time to time, but that sort of thing's way past my personal line. Just saying."
"Yeah, pass," I muttered. "Small house … huh. Mom, you figure we could live okay in a place like that?"
"One roommate, two if we don't mind zero privacy," she noted. "Certainly, I believe we could survive for a year. And it would be more pleasant than a dorm room or a bunker. I'd prefer something like an apartment or a large house, but they're your credits, honey."
"Well, it's five for the house, and five for shared amenities," I noted. "Plus seventy-five for the Teleporter and Personal Teleporter. How much is it for the option to take a home here?"
"Forty credits," Tori said promptly. "It's a bonus, not a cost. So we're down to forty-five credits in the red to get your Mom home, not counting body mods and stuff. And you said you wanted extra super-powers, right?"
I nodded, my interest piqued. "Yeah. Where's that?"
"Right at the end, with Rewards," she told me. "Want to go see?"
"Honey, should you be jumping to the rewards just yet?" cautioned Mom. "It's probably not a good idea to grab the good stuff first, before you find out what it's going to cost you."
"I'm not signing the contract yet," I said. "I just want to see."
"Your wish, my command, blah blah blah." Tori pulled up the relevant page.
I read it, blinked, and read it again. "What the hell?"
"Language, dear," Mom reproved me gently.
"Sorry, Mom. What the absolute living fuck?" I stared at the options given. "Tori, why didn't you tell me about this bit?"
"Taylor …" Mom had that 'I am disappointed in you' tone in her voice.
I sighed. "Mom, this company has 'Slut' as part of its title. I don't think the word 'fuck' is exactly a swearword around here."
"Hm." She considered that. "I suppose you're right. Even if I think you're pushing it just a little. Just remember, once we're back home, you don't want to be dropping words like that in polite company."
I snorted. "I'm gonna be a superhero, remember? The people I'll be associating with will mostly swear worse than they do here." I turned back to the computer. "Secret society? Speed runs? Perfect powers? These were things I would've liked to know about ahead of time." My eyes dissecting the text, I stored away the tidbits of data. "Can I have a notebook or something? I want to write some stuff down."
"Taylor …" Mom tried again. "Remember, the more you try to get, the more you'll have to do."
"That's why I need the notepad," I said. "I need to write down what I want, and what I'm willing to do to get it. Then I'm gonna see if what I want is worth what I'm willing to do for it."
"Use my laptop," Tori said unexpectedly, handing the device to me. "I'll take your mom for a tour of the station. Maybe get us something to eat. Want anything?"
"Pita wrap, if you've got them," I said, but I was already distracted.
It was only vaguely that I noticed them get up and head out. "She gets like this sometimes …" Mom's voice faded into the distance.
Biting my lip in concentration, I imitated the hand gestures Tori had used, and went back to the first page. Then I found an icon that looked like a notepad and waved my finger through it. There was the tiniest resistance, which I found fascinating, then the pad opened; a page unfolded to cover a good part of the screen. Eyes flicking from the document to the notepad and back, I began to take notes.
<><>
By the time they returned, I'd covered several pages with notes. Part way through, I'd discovered the dictation function, which made things go a lot faster. I'd also gone from mild curiosity to a dawning premise to a sharp determination. I can make this work. I know I can.
"Taylor," Mom said. "Time for a break. Here's your pita wrap, and I got you some apple juice. At least, that's what it says on the carton."
I looked up, and put the laptop to one side. "Thanks," I said, climbing to my feet. As I stretched, my back popped in several places. "Wow, I was sitting there longer than I thought."
"We got to talking in the Earth Lounge," Mom said. "The view's amazing." She shook her head. "And some people were just … ignoring it. Like it's commonplace for them. I suppose it would be," she mused. "But still …"
"I do want to see that," I agreed. "But first, I'm gonna need you guys to check my math. I think I've got it right, but I don't want to get in deeper without meaning to."
"Sure," Tori said, picking up the laptop and plopping herself down on the bed. "Let's see now … uh huh. Uh huh. What, really? You're going with that?" She paged all the way to the end, and her eyebrows climbed toward her hairline, while her ears couldn't seem to choose between flicking all the way forward and all the way back. "What the crap? How in Snarf's name do you expect to be able to afford all that? What did you take?"
"What?" Mom pushed the food into my hands and sat down beside Tori. I took the chair and leaned back, glad for the respite. It had been some intense mental effort, but I thought I had the math correct.
"Look," Tori said, flicking between pages of the notepad. "Stamina booster with the nanotech option. You realise this will be on all the time, yeah?"
"A drug? An experimental drug?" Mom stared up at me from her seat on the bed. "Honey, are you sure about this?"
I sighed. "Stamina's good for more than in bed, Mom. And if I don't have sex, I'm not going to be worrying about the side effects."
"Well, she's right about that," Tori said. "But how you're going to get away without having sex, I'm not at all certain. Not if you're paying for all that."
"What punishments are you taking, little owl?" Mom's voice had that certain tone that said: you've bitten off more than you can chew, haven't you?
As I'd actually just taken a bite of the pita wrap—it was really delicious—I couldn't answer, so I waved at Tori.
"Okay," the cat-girl muttered. "Punishments … holy Snarf! Taylor, are you sure you can handle this? I'm pretty sure I couldn't handle this!"
"Let me see," demanded Mom. "Oh, Taylor … what is all this?"
"An invitation for disaster is what it is," Tori said flatly. "Music Hijack, that's no biggie. Censored with Purity is weird, but whatever. I mean, you're taking away all the fun, right there. Body writing with Souvenir? Are you sure? That can lead to some pretty interesting tattoos."
I chewed the bite and swallowed. "Keep reading."
"Okay, then," Tori said. "Locked in heels. Seven inch heels. You do have high heels where you come from, right? They hurt like a bitch. And you want to sign yourself up to be permanently wearing them?"
"Look farther up," I suggested. "Body mods." I opened the carton of juice and took a drink. It was delicious.
Tori flicked back through the pages until she came to the right place. "Body mods … ah." She rolled her eyes. "Duh. Reinforced tendons. With Enhanced. Smart move." For Mom's benefit, she added, "That'll let her wear heels of any height, or flats, with no problems at all."
"I could've taken just the reinforced tendons," I admitted, "but I didn't feel like being forced to wear heels for the rest of my life just to be comfortable. As it is, I'll probably be ducking under doorways while I'm here anyway."
"Hmm." Mom gave me a long look, then nudged Tori. "Let's see what else she's picked out."
"Yeah." Tori flicked forward again. "Fresh Cherry? Curse?"
"If I don't have sex, I don't have to worry about the first one," I pointed out. "And what's a few dirty dreams? I'm a teenager. It's almost expected."
Mom reached out and scrolled the contract down until she found the appropriate part. She read it, and frowned. "Nanotech regenerating her hymen every night? That sounds … bizarre."
Tori shrugged. "That's Slut Life. They go for the full monty, every time." She went back to the list I'd picked out. "Forbidden contraception? Taylor, I know you're not expecting to have sex, but …"
I rolled my finger in midair. "Keep going."
"Yeah, I saw." Tori shook her head. "Breast expansion? Ass expansion? You're just asking for a clothing malfunction, aren't you?"
"I've got it under control," I assured her. "Keep going."
When she saw what I was getting at, she nodded. "Okay, I get it. You'll be wearing a chastity belt. Not so much fun to wear, but I guess the sex thing isn't so much of a problem then. Except, you know, if your owner makes you take it off."
"Also true," I admitted. "But I think I've got it covered. Anyway, there's more to go."
"Right," said Tori. "Collar, which you're forced to wear. With the shock, sleep and climax control options? Are you sure you want to give some stranger that much control over you? Especially if you've got breast expansion and ass expansion as well?"
"Well, that depends," I said cheerfully. "I've got to give the control over all those to someone who's not me, correct? An owner, for instance. Such as a Married Couple. Which has already been set as … well, you, Mom." I grinned at Mom. "So, do you think you'll have much in the way of temptation to shock me or make my ass grow?"
Mom gave me a dirty look. "Don't tempt me too much with the shock collar," she mock-threatened. "But I see your point."
Tori looked from me to her and back again, her mouth hanging open. "Wait, what? You're gonna … okay, that's just not fair. I wish I'd had my actual mom as an owner when I started. It would've made life a lot easier."
"You do realise that you're still going to be wearing seven-inch heels and a chastity belt the whole time you're here," Mom reminded me. "Over a year, that's going to get very old, very fast."
"Oh, no," I said, just as Tori opened her mouth. "I'll be done in a week."
That got me a dirty look from Tori—she'd obviously wanted to say it herself—and a long, sustained blink from Mom. "That … how are you doing that?"
I shrugged. "By having three owners and five jobs," I admitted. "It's a good thing I'm taking Reduced Sleep, because I'm gonna have no time to myself, even with a thirty-two hour day."
Tori and Mom blinked in unison at that, then scrambled to flick to the relevant page. "Okay," said Tori. "There's your mom, there's Cutie, and there's … a Magical Girl?"
I nodded. "As far as I can tell, they're basically superheroes. I've got powers too, so I figure I'd make a pretty good sidekick, even if it's only for a few days. And what better way to learn how to control bugs under stressful circumstances? Also, if I'm reading that right, Education will let me learn one course of study instantly. Such as martial arts." Leaning back, I took another drink of apple juice.
For the second time, Tori's jaw dropped. "Okay, I'm calling bullshit," she declared. "You're using Slut Life as your personal superhero academy?"
Mom chuckled. "Well, it's about time someone did," she said. "I see you've got the Magical Girl for three days, me for three days, and the Cutie for one day?"
"Yeah," I said. "I figure it'll be nice to get out and about, even for one day, with someone whose job it is to be my friend." I'd been thinking about that. Whoever the Cutie turned out to be, they wouldn't be like Emma. They couldn't be like Emma. And in fact … "Actually, Tori … would you like to be my Cutie?"
Tori blinked a few times. "Um … me? You know I'd love to jump your bones, right?"
I grinned. "I figured that out. But that's not a Cutie's job. Right?"
Reluctantly, she nodded. "Yeah. I'd just be your gal-pal for the day. Twelve hours, right? I could show you everywhere in that time. We could go window shopping …"
It had been years since I'd been window-shopping with a friend. I wondered if she'd continue to flirt with me. Duh. Still, I figured I could handle it. "I'll let you think about it. No rush."
She nodded. "Okay." Then she grinned. "Oh, man. The places I could show you. I bet I could make you blush all the way down to your toes."
"You'd lose," I reminded her. "I'm gonna have censorship. I'm not gonna see a thing. It'll all be censor bars."
"Are these the jobs?" asked Mom, just as Tori stuck her tongue out at me. "Internet celebrity … gravure model … Taylor, are you sure about that one?" She gave me a concerned look. "You do know what 'gravure' means in that context, right?"
"Yeah," I said with a nod. "Pin-up girls. Swimsuits and so forth. They can't give me a G-string or make me go naked, because I'm pretty sure chastity belts are about as sexy as granny panties." It had been a bit of a mental wrench to pick that job, but with the body I was going to have, I was going to be suffering a lot fewer issues. And if posing for the cameras in a swimsuit wasn't the best way to get over body issues, I didn't know what was.
Tori snorted with laughter. "I don't even know what 'granny panties' are, but I'm pretty sure you're correct." She looked at the next job on the list I'd chosen. "Waitress in a maid cafe … okay. You're probably gonna get a lot of people being a bit demanding there. You have to treat the customers like you're a maid and they're the employer. Talk to them individually, sing for them, even dance for them if necessary."
I gave her a level stare. "You said you'd read my file. I will see the shit they can pull on me at a maid cafe, and raise you a year at Winslow. For this I'm gonna get paid, and it'll be done in five days. Game, set and fucking match."
Mom frowned. "So Danny sent you to Winslow after all? I didn't think it was the best idea for you, even if Emma was going there." She turned to Tori. "Can I see her file?"
"I'm not sure," Tori said, her tone doubtful. "There's a lot of private information in there."
"I'm her mother," Mom reminded her firmly.
"And I give permission," I added. It wasn't as if I wanted Mom to know everything that had happened to me since Emma turned into a raging bitch, but I was pretty sure she'd get it out of me one way or the other.
"Okay, then. I'll check with Mr Arbor," Tori said. She tapped something on the screen, then typed rapidly. "Oh, and that reminds me. You've still got to record the message you want to send to your father. That's a verbal we've still got to finish up with."
By 'verbal', I assumed she meant verbal contract. Which, as I recalled, I'd actually made before I even knew about them. Of course, I'd also made the other verbal contract without knowing about it, so that kind of balanced out. "Sure," I said. "Once we've got the contract sorted out so I know if it'll work or not in the time I'm looking at."
"That's fair," Tori agreed. "You don't want to give him bad information, after all."
"Talking about that," Mom said, "I'd appreciate the actual specifics to do with verbal contracts. How do they work?"
That was actually a very good question. Trust Mom to come up with it.
"Ah, yeah." Tori shrugged. "It's really very simple. You've got to mean it. You've got to have the authority to make it happen. You've got to do it in front of the person you're making the contract with, or someone who represents them. And if it's not acknowledged in thirty-two hours, it's null and void."
"Okay," I said, "what if you make a promise and then say 'but I didn't mean it' to get out of the contract?"
"The station AI can judge whether anyone who makes a contract on here means it," Tori said. "And while Slut Life personnel are allowed to lie, doing so while pretending to make a verbal contract is frowned upon. That sort of thing gets you smacked on the wrist, hard. If it leads to the other person coming to harm, criminal charges might apply."
"Okay then," I said. "So when Mr Arbor said Mom was going to be standing in for the Married Couple option, did he mean it?"
"Good question." Tori typed rapidly on her laptop. "Sending query now." Less than a second after she hit the last key, the computer pinged. Reaching to the screen, she did something; I figured she was opening an email or something. "Confirmed. That's a valid verbal."
I grinned. "Excellent." This meant I could go through with that part of my plan, at least.
"So where do we go from here?" asked Mom.
Tori set her laptop aside and stretched. "We fill in the contract. Taylor signs it. We arrange for your housing, and find a Magical Girl who's willing to be her owner. Taylor has the surgery for the various implants she's getting, as well as the navel ring."
"And then I see if my plan actually has a chance of working," I said, suddenly wondering if I'd left anything important out.
Tori nodded soberly. "And then that, yes."
I swallowed. It was a big step. "Let's do it."
End of Part Two
Taylor's Contract
VIP: 5x reward cash.
Age: 16
Height: 5'9"
Face: Beautiful
Breast Size: C-Cup
Ass Size: Normal
Genitals: Fertile Vagina
Hair Length: Mid Back
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Skin Colour: White
General Body type: Athletic
Voice: Feminine
20 New Body
Body Mods
-1 Hair Removal
1 Sensitive Body (Tori talked her into it)
>> 3 Erogenous Body
>> -3 Selective
>> -1 Right Moment
-1 Menstruation Control
-1 Flexible Holes
>> 2 Tight Fit
1 Navel Piercing
2 Nipple Rings
-1 Always Perky
-3 Reduced Sleep
-5 Perfect Metabolism
5 Reinforced Tendons
>> -3 Enhanced
-15 Repairbots
Accommodation
-5 Small House
-5 Shared Amenities
Clothing
0 Clothing Allowed
-1 Plain Closet
5 Walking Billboard
-15 Personal Stylist
>> 25 Insidious
Health/Hygiene
-5 Hygiene Essentials
Food
0 MREs
Roommates
Annette (see Owner)
Entertainment
-5 Cellphone
-25 Laptop
>> -5 Workstation
-5 Education (Krav Maga)
-5 Education (Parahuman Law)
-5 Education (Parkour)
-15 Outside
>> -15 Hoverboard
-60 teleporter
>> -20 Virtual Room
-15 Personal Teleporter
Experimental Drugs
-10 Stamina booster
>> 20 Mandatory
>> 20 Permanent
Owners
8 Married Couple (Annette) x 3
>> 15 Fun Time x 3
0 Cutie x 1
>> 5 Fun Time x 1
8 Magical Girl x 3
>> 15 Fun Time x 3
Punishments
5 Music Hijack
5 Censored (removed Purity because not being able to see peoples' eyes would make a lot of jobs really hard)
2 Body Writing
>> 8 Souvenir
10 Locked in heels
>> 6 Increase height +3 inches
10 Fresh Cherry
10 Curse
10 Forbidden Contraception
10 Breast Expansion
10 Ass Expansion
10 Chastity
>> 10 Full Chastity
1 Collar
>> 4 Forced
>> 15 Shock Collar
>> 15 Sleep Control
>> 25 Climax Control
Jobs
12 Internet Celebrity p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
15 Gravure Model p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
15 Waitress; Maid Cafe p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Shitposter p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Professional gamer p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Street Cleaner p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
12 News Anchor p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Bartender p/t (n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Professional Cheerleader p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
50 Donator (100% of salary donated)
-20 Allowance
-150 Slut Life Done Quick
-150 Secret Society
>> Powers (one of which is Perfect)
40 New Home (plus $4M)
0
[A/N: Read this before going any farther. The 'Part Two point Five' is the next section of the story. However, it's NSFW. You can follow the threadmark straight to Part Three if you want, but you'll miss out on a little bit of plot by doing so.]
Part Two Point Five (NSFW)
Height: 5'9"
Face: Beautiful
Breast Size: C-Cup
Ass Size: Normal
Genitals: Fertile Vagina
Hair Length: Mid Back
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Skin Colour: White
General Body type: Athletic
Voice: Feminine
20 New Body
Body Mods
-1 Hair Removal
1 Sensitive Body (Tori talked her into it)
>> 3 Erogenous Body
>> -3 Selective
>> -1 Right Moment
-1 Menstruation Control
-1 Flexible Holes
>> 2 Tight Fit
1 Navel Piercing
2 Nipple Rings
-1 Always Perky
-3 Reduced Sleep
-5 Perfect Metabolism
5 Reinforced Tendons
>> -3 Enhanced
-15 Repairbots
Accommodation
-5 Small House
-5 Shared Amenities
Clothing
0 Clothing Allowed
-1 Plain Closet
5 Walking Billboard
-15 Personal Stylist
>> 25 Insidious
Health/Hygiene
-5 Hygiene Essentials
Food
0 MREs
Roommates
Annette (see Owner)
Entertainment
-5 Cellphone
-25 Laptop
>> -5 Workstation
-5 Education (Krav Maga)
-5 Education (Parahuman Law)
-5 Education (Parkour)
-15 Outside
>> -15 Hoverboard
-60 teleporter
>> -20 Virtual Room
-15 Personal Teleporter
Experimental Drugs
-10 Stamina booster
>> 20 Mandatory
>> 20 Permanent
Owners
8 Married Couple (Annette) x 3
>> 15 Fun Time x 3
0 Cutie x 1
>> 5 Fun Time x 1
8 Magical Girl x 3
>> 15 Fun Time x 3
Punishments
5 Music Hijack
5 Censored (removed Purity because not being able to see peoples' eyes would make a lot of jobs really hard)
2 Body Writing
>> 8 Souvenir
10 Locked in heels
>> 6 Increase height +3 inches
10 Fresh Cherry
10 Curse
10 Forbidden Contraception
10 Breast Expansion
10 Ass Expansion
10 Chastity
>> 10 Full Chastity
1 Collar
>> 4 Forced
>> 15 Shock Collar
>> 15 Sleep Control
>> 25 Climax Control
Jobs
12 Internet Celebrity p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
15 Gravure Model p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
15 Waitress; Maid Cafe p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Shitposter p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Professional gamer p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Street Cleaner p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
12 News Anchor p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Bartender p/t (n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Professional Cheerleader p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
50 Donator (100% of salary donated)
-20 Allowance
-150 Slut Life Done Quick
-150 Secret Society
>> Powers (one of which is Perfect)
40 New Home (plus $4M)
0
[A/N: Read this before going any farther. The 'Part Two point Five' is the next section of the story. However, it's NSFW. You can follow the threadmark straight to Part Three if you want, but you'll miss out on a little bit of plot by doing so.]
Part Two Point Five (NSFW)
Last edited:
Contract
Ack
(Verified Ratbag) (Unverified Great Old One)
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2014
- Messages
- 7,135
- Likes received
- 78,788
Also, her updated contract (after Tori got through with it).
This is what she will be going with, in the next chapter.
Age: 16
Height: 5'9"
Face: Beautiful
Breast Size: C-Cup
Ass Size: Normal
Genitals: Fertile Vagina
Hair Length: Mid Back
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Skin Colour: White
General Body type: Athletic
Voice: Feminine
20 New Body
Body Mods
-1 Hair Removal
1 Sensitive Body (Tori talked her into it)
>> 3 Erogenous Body
>> -3 Selective
>> -1 Right Moment
-1 Menstruation Control
-1 Flexible Holes
>> 2 Tight Fit
1 Navel Piercing
2 Nipple Rings
-1 Always Perky
-3 Reduced Sleep
-5 Perfect Metabolism
5 Reinforced Tendons
>> -3 Enhanced
-15 Repairbots
Accommodation
-5 Small House
-5 Shared Amenities
Clothing
0 Clothing Allowed
-1 Plain Closet
5 Walking Billboard
-15 Personal Stylist
>> 25 Insidious
Health/Hygiene
-5 Hygiene Essentials
Food
0 MREs
Roommates
Annette (see Owner)
Entertainment
-5 Cellphone
-25 Laptop
>> -5 Workstation
-5 Education (Krav Maga)
-5 Education (Parahuman Law)
-5 Education (Parkour)
-15 Outside
>> -15 Hoverboard
-60 teleporter
>> -20 Virtual Room
-15 Personal Teleporter
Experimental Drugs
-10 Stamina booster
>> 20 Mandatory
>> 20 Permanent
Owners
8 Married Couple (Annette) x 3
>> 15 Fun Time x 3
0 Cutie x 1
>> 5 Fun Time x 1
8 Magical Girl x 3
>> 15 Fun Time x 3
Punishments
5 Music Hijack
5 Censored (removed Purity because not being able to see peoples' eyes would make a lot of jobs really hard)
2 Body Writing
>> 8 Souvenir
10 Locked in heels
>> 6 Increase height +3 inches
10 Fresh Cherry
10 Curse
10 Forbidden Contraception
10 Breast Expansion
10 Ass Expansion
10 Chastity
>> 10 Full Chastity
1 Collar
>> 4 Forced
>> 15 Shock Collar
>> 15 Sleep Control
>> 25 Climax Control
Jobs
12 Internet Celebrity p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
15 Gravure Model p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
15 Waitress; Maid Cafe p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Shitposter p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Professional gamer p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Street Cleaner p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
12 News Anchor p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Bartender p/t (n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Professional Cheerleader p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
50 Donator (100% of salary donated)
-20 Allowance
-150 Slut Life Done Quick
-150 Secret Society
>> Powers (one of which is Perfect)
40 New Home (plus $4M)
0
This is what she will be going with, in the next chapter.
Age: 16
Height: 5'9"
Face: Beautiful
Breast Size: C-Cup
Ass Size: Normal
Genitals: Fertile Vagina
Hair Length: Mid Back
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Skin Colour: White
General Body type: Athletic
Voice: Feminine
20 New Body
Body Mods
-1 Hair Removal
1 Sensitive Body (Tori talked her into it)
>> 3 Erogenous Body
>> -3 Selective
>> -1 Right Moment
-1 Menstruation Control
-1 Flexible Holes
>> 2 Tight Fit
1 Navel Piercing
2 Nipple Rings
-1 Always Perky
-3 Reduced Sleep
-5 Perfect Metabolism
5 Reinforced Tendons
>> -3 Enhanced
-15 Repairbots
Accommodation
-5 Small House
-5 Shared Amenities
Clothing
0 Clothing Allowed
-1 Plain Closet
5 Walking Billboard
-15 Personal Stylist
>> 25 Insidious
Health/Hygiene
-5 Hygiene Essentials
Food
0 MREs
Roommates
Annette (see Owner)
Entertainment
-5 Cellphone
-25 Laptop
>> -5 Workstation
-5 Education (Krav Maga)
-5 Education (Parahuman Law)
-5 Education (Parkour)
-15 Outside
>> -15 Hoverboard
-60 teleporter
>> -20 Virtual Room
-15 Personal Teleporter
Experimental Drugs
-10 Stamina booster
>> 20 Mandatory
>> 20 Permanent
Owners
8 Married Couple (Annette) x 3
>> 15 Fun Time x 3
0 Cutie x 1
>> 5 Fun Time x 1
8 Magical Girl x 3
>> 15 Fun Time x 3
Punishments
5 Music Hijack
5 Censored (removed Purity because not being able to see peoples' eyes would make a lot of jobs really hard)
2 Body Writing
>> 8 Souvenir
10 Locked in heels
>> 6 Increase height +3 inches
10 Fresh Cherry
10 Curse
10 Forbidden Contraception
10 Breast Expansion
10 Ass Expansion
10 Chastity
>> 10 Full Chastity
1 Collar
>> 4 Forced
>> 15 Shock Collar
>> 15 Sleep Control
>> 25 Climax Control
Jobs
12 Internet Celebrity p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
15 Gravure Model p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
15 Waitress; Maid Cafe p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Shitposter p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Professional gamer p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Street Cleaner p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
12 News Anchor p/t (d/n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Bartender p/t (n)
>> 5 Part Time
12 Professional Cheerleader p/t (d)
>> 5 Part Time
50 Donator (100% of salary donated)
-20 Allowance
-150 Slut Life Done Quick
-150 Secret Society
>> Powers (one of which is Perfect)
40 New Home (plus $4M)
0
Last edited:
Part Three: Preparations
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How Taylor Hebert Agreed to be a Slut
Part Three: Preparations
[A/N: The latter part of this has been scrapped and rewritten on the suggestions of my readers and my beta. The order between this and the other chapter written at this time have also been reversed. If you're going to read Part Two Point Five in the NSFW section, go there before you read this.]
"Okay, that should sort out the last of the problems," Tori announced. "See what you think." Lounging back in the steaming bath—naked, of course—she passed the laptop over to me. The bath was large enough for two people to share, or four if they didn't mind being very intimate. Mom and I were currently sharing it with Tori, who apparently had no problems with being very intimate indeed. But it felt heavenly, and the scents drifting off the water with the steam just made it more enjoyable. I just wished we had some bubble bath in there, because the water was crystal clear, allowing me to see every inch of Mom's and Tori's bodies, and them to see mine. Stupid skinny ass. Stupid flat chest.
To distract myself, I took the laptop. Unlike any model I'd seen on Earth, it was apparently rated against any damage up to and including re-entry from orbit. And hey, it was waterproof. Tori whispered something to Mom, who giggled. Giggled. I'd been trying not to notice it, but the catgirl was flirting with my Mom, who was flirting right back. I mean, I knew she'd been a radical feminist back before she met Dad, but I hadn't known she liked other women as well. I didn't know whether the place was corrupting her, or if she was just letting long-forgotten urges out to play, but it was probably a good idea to get her home just as fast as possible.
Looking over the contract one last time, I carefully checked each aspect that Tori had been through. I trusted her well enough, but I wanted to know what I'd missed that she'd picked. Just in case I wanted to come back for a second pass. Not that I thought I would, but the idea of immortality was nagging at me. Plus a few more of the rewards. If I got back to Brockton Bay and decided that I needed a booster for my abilities, I knew where I was going to find them.
Looking up from the screen, I caught Tori stealing a kiss from Mom. Worse, Mom didn't seem to mind. Hastily, I cleared my throat. "Uh, Mom? Want to look this over before I send it away?"
Mom looked over at me and smiled. "Certainly, Taylor. I'll be with you in a moment." Then she quite deliberately turned to Tori and kissed her. The kiss was long and deliberate, and I was quite certain more was going on under the water than I was really comfortable with knowing. Blushing to my hairline, I ducked my face down behind the laptop and pretended to read through the contract again.
A few moments later, Mom slid into place beside me. Her colour was high, and she seemed rather pleased with herself. Despite the warmth of the water, I couldn't help but notice that her nipples were very firmly erect. "Let me see, Taylor," she said, taking the laptop from me and scrolling through the contract. "Hmm, seems all above board. Are you sure you can handle all those part-time jobs?"
"It was Tori's idea," I said. "Half the hours for each one, and none of them will require me to have sex with anyone. Even better, most of them will allow me to keep some level of chastity belt on."
"I see," said Mom. She knew why I was being careful about the sex aspect. While I hadn't taken the hyperfertile vagina option, I had opted to be banned from using contraception. Just in case I did end up having sex, I'd gone with Flexible Holes just to make it less traumatic (though with Tight Fit and Fresh Cherry, every time was gonna be like my first). I just hoped I could dodge it for a week.
"So does it look okay?" I asked anxiously.
"I'm just a little dubious about the Magical Girl sidekick aspect," Mom said seriously. "If they fight actual villains, and those villains are likely to try to force sex on them—because with this place, I would not be at all surprised—you might find yourself involuntarily included in the deal."
I took a deep breath. "I'll have my bugs, and I'll have martial arts," I said. "And if it does happen, at least they're not allowed to rape me. There's got to be some kind of seduction and preparation involved. So it could be a whole lot worse."
"Oh, with Magical Girls, they sometimes fight tentacle monsters," Tori said helpfully, climbing into Mom's lap. Her full, round breasts bounced to and fro, just at my eye level. I wasn't really attracted to girls that I knew of—well, that time Emma and I practised kissing each other just to find out what it was like probably didn't count—but they looked so goddamn firm and shiny and sexy that I was seriously tempted to take her nipple into my mouth. You know, just to see what she'd do. "So if they screw up, they end up with a cock in every orifice they've got. But tentacle monsters secrete an aphrodisiac along with the lube, so while you know you're being fucked in every hole by something that's not even remotely human, you just don't fucking care, you know?" She leaned in to kiss Mom again. I watched my mother respond, sliding her arms around Tori's waist and pulling her closer.
Nervously, I cleared my throat. "Uh, Mom? I don't want to be a party pooper, but you did say you didn't intend to have sex while you were here, and that looks awfully like you're gonna be having sex. Just saying." Which was right up there on the list of 'sentences I never wanted to have to say to a parent'.
Reluctantly, Mom broke the kiss and looked over at me. "Taylor, honey, I said I wouldn't be climbing into bed with any men. I said nothing about women. Your father will understand."
"And besides," Tori added helpfully, "your mom and me have been banging for the last few days. She dragged me into bed when she first woke up, after I explained things to her."
"To be fair, they were still getting my hormone balance just right, and I was horny as hell," Mom said with a chuckle. "But it was so much fun that I decided to move in with her until you showed up." She caught my shocked stare and frowned. "What? It's nothing. Once we're back home, Tori will go back to having sex with whomever she wants to, on the show. And I'll be back with your father. He knows I was sleeping with women with I first met him in college."
"Okay, fine, I get the picture," I said, realising I didn't know my Mom at all. "I'll just get out of your way, then." Ignoring the fact that I was naked and there wasn't a towel within reach, I closed the laptop and began to climb out of the tub.
"Hey, no need to go." Tori's hand slid up my thigh and cupped my butt cheek. "Stay, and we can make it a threesome. You know how badly I want to hold you down and make you cum. Hell, we can bring Raffie in for a foursome. You know, my futa girlfriend?"
The touch of her hand, sliding sensuously over my wet skin, sent shivers directly to places I didn't want to acknowledge right then. "What? No!" I snapped, slapping her hand away. "Because that'll mean either I'll be getting fucked by your futa girlfriend, Mom will be cheating on Dad with your futa girlfriend, or Mom and I'll be … no. Just no." I climbed all the way out of the tub and backed away. "Look, I get it that sex is fun, but I've never done it before and I kinda want a choice in the matter, if and when I ever do it."
"Leave her be," Mom advised Tori. "I like you, and I think you're fun in bed, but I won't be a party to forcing Taylor to do anything she hasn't agreed to." She climbed out of the bath and grabbed two of the oversized towels. "Here you go, honey." Draping one towel over my shoulders, she started drying herself with the other. "Let's go look over that contract while I'm not distracted."
"Thanks, Mom," I said. My gratitude was genuine, for several reasons. It disturbed me to watch her making out with a girl only a few years older than me (Tori was older than she looked, but not that much older) especially since she was only just back from the dead, from my point of view anyway. Also, I really did value her input, and her ability to spot anything I'd missed. I headed over to the padded benches, put the laptop down carefully, then dried myself off.
My time at Winslow should've inured me to being naked in a room with girls who were far sexier than me, but the bullying had left scars that might never heal. So once I'd gotten the water off of myself and towelled my hair roughly dry, I wrapped the towel around myself in a semblance of modesty before sitting down on the bench. Mom, after drying herself, put the towel around her hair and sat down next to me with not a stitch on. With a sinking feeling, I watched Tori come over from the bath. She sat next to me, not even bothering to dry herself. It meant she wasn't sitting next to Mom (and potentially making out with her again) but it meant she was next to me.
I liked Tori well enough. She hadn't pulled any bullshit with me that I knew about, and she'd gone to bat for me about Mom with her boss. But the bottom line was, she was a Slut Life employee. More to the point, she was a past contestant who intended to sign up again. Sex, for her, was simply a means to an end. She'd already spent years being publicly fucked in every orifice I cared to name by more men (and women, and God knew what else) than I could ever imagine. In her mind, signing up for Slut Life and opening my legs (and mouth, and butt) for whoever wanted to shove their cock (or whatever) into me was only normal and natural. Which meant that she really couldn't seem to understand that I wasn't interested in having sex with her. To her, that meant I wasn't interested right then, but that wouldn't necessarily be the case in five minutes. Which made the occasional impulse to just give in and let her have her way even more frightening. Sure, it would make my time at Slut Life a lot more fun and interesting … but would I still be me if I surrendered my agency so easily? Emma and her cohorts hadn't broken me over a year of tormenting me; what would it say about me if I let a girl with cat ears change me into a slut (incidentally, proving some of the insults slung at me by Emma's coterie) in just a few days?
"Well, it looks fine to me," Mom allowed after a few moments of perusing the contract. "From what you've told us, Tori, there's no real way they can pull a sneaky loophole to force Taylor to have sex, is there?"
"Not as far as I can see," Tori agreed, leaning her chin on my shoulder. She wasn't trying to cop a feel, so I was okay with that. I really did need friends in my life. "So, you want to sign it and send it away?"
I felt a yawning pit open in my stomach. This was it. This was do or die. I couldn't not sign the contract, no matter how long I delayed it, and once it was done, there was no going back. If I'd screwed up in any way, I was going to find out the hard way. Moistening my lips with my tongue, I swallowed nervously. "I guess, yeah."
"Okay then," Tori said briskly, straightening up. "Pass me over the laptop." I realised that she'd actually been pressing her naked water-slick breast against my arm and I hadn't even noticed. Was that a good sign or a bad sign? And why did I keep noticing how fucking sexy her body was? I'm not into girls, I'm not into girls, I'm not into girls.
"Here you go." Mom passed the laptop over, and I watched as Tori scrolled the contract down to the bottom.
She tapped a couple of icons, and a tiny symbol of a padlock appeared on the corner of the sheet. Then she tapped another one, and a red square showed up. "Okay," she said to me, her voice unusually serious. "Press your thumb to that square—doesn't matter which thumb—and that'll register as your signature. This will register your contract with Slut Life. Once it goes through, they'll come to pick you up to be prepped for the role you'll be playing. All the surgery and implants will be done in a week. Next week, you and your mom can move into your house, and your run will start."
I drew a deep breath. "Okay, then." I held up my thumb as if I were attempting to flag a ride, then brought it in close to the contract. With a convulsive movement, I jabbed it the last half-inch or so, feeling the tiny resistance as I contacted the hard-light document. As I did so, the red square flashed to green. There was a momentary delay, then a notification flashed up on the screen: CONTRACT ACCEPTED.
"Oh, good," I said, letting out the breath I hadn't realised I was holding in. "So when will they come get me?"
"One to three hours, usually," Tori said. "It depends on what's being done. You're going with a total body makeover, so it'll probably be closer to three than one." She looked me up and down frankly, and I blushed to my hairline. "Though seriously, your body's sexy as fuck as it is."
"Tori." Mom's voice was firm. I looked over at her in confusion. "I need you to do me a huge favour."
"Um, sure?" Tori didn't sound at all sure of what was going on. "What is it?"
Mom took a deep breath, then pushed the laptop out of the way and took my hands in hers. "Taylor, we've got to talk."
Those four words never presaged anything good. "What? Mom, you're scaring me." My mind immediately jumped to worst-case scenarios. Is she dying? I don't want to lose her again!
She grimaced and shook her head. "It's not bad, it's just ... not good." She looked over at Tori. "What I said earlier about my hormones ... I wasn't telling you the whole truth. When they revived me, someone transposed a decimal point or something, and I came back with a raging case of ... well, horniness. I've been screwing Tori on an hourly basis ever since I was able to move on my own. Up till now, she's been able to keep my urges in check. But ..." Taking her hand away from mine, she clenched her fist, her nails biting into her palm.
"It's getting worse," Tori said soberly. "She's wanting to go out and screw, well, anyone. She hasn't yet," she added hastily, probably in response to my horrified expression. "But ... it's getting close. So she's going to let SL put her under until her final treatment can be carried out, in three days' time."
"Which means that I won't be there when you come out of surgery," Mom said. "Tori, I want you to be there for her." She gave the catgirl a warning glance. "And by that I don't mean 'seduce her while she's still drunk with her new body'."
"Aww, I wouldn't do that," Tori said with a grin. "More than twice, anyway." She leaned in toward me and lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "Sex in a brand new body is the best."
I was so shaken by Mom's revelation that I totally forgot to blush. "I, uh, I'll take your word for it." Then I turned my full attention to my mother. "Mom, how long are they going to be keeping you under? How much work needs to be done?"
"Relax." Mom's smile was a little ragged, but it was genuine. "It's just a hormone treatment. Nanobots, apparently. I'll be up and around by the time you start your run. I have to be; it's in your contract."
"Okay." I didn't feel great about this, but if it was the best thing for Mom, then it had to be done. Besides, I was doing all this to get her home to Dad. I guessed that ignoring the fact that she'd been having sex with Tori was the best idea. Besides, that wasn't something I wanted to dwell on. Like, ever. "So when do you need to go under?"
"Today." To my surprise, Mom bit her nail. She'd never bitten her nails. "As soon as possible. Right now. Please."
I nodded. "Okay. Let's go get this done."
Tori and I stood on either side of Mom's hospital bed, each of us holding one of her hands. "Still don't see why we can't just put you into cryo," Tori muttered. "It's a lot easier."
"Because even I know that going into suspended animation would suspend the hormone treatment," Mom told her. Her voice was weak; the line leading into her wrist was obviously feeding something into her bloodstream that was slowly but surely putting her out. The docbot had said something about 'establishing a baseline', which was why she wasn't instantly unconscious.
"Oh, right." Tori facepalmed. "Wow, I feel like a total idiot now."
Mom giggled faintly. "Just remember ... be there for Taylor."
Tori leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "I promise."
"Good." It was a bare whisper, as her eyes drifted shut. "Or 'll kick y'r ass ..."
I felt her hand relax in mine. I squeezed it one last time and placed it on the covers. Leaning over, I kissed Mom on the forehead. When I straightened up, Tori was looking at me soberly. "She's pretty special," she said softly.
"Well, yeah," I said. "She's my Mom."
"That she is," Tori agreed. "Well, now it's time for your appointment."
I swallowed. This wasn't something I'd been looking forward to. "So where do I go for that?"
She pointed out the door. "Next door, in Medical Bay Four. Let's go, before they come get you. I understand they're not gentle with people they think might be trying to wriggle out of their contracts."
"Right," I said, trying to sound determined. "Um ..."
"What?" she asked, looking over at me. "Because it's kinda late for last-minute second thoughts."
"What Mom said about you trying to seduce me when I wake up ... you won't really try that on me, will you?" I wasn't sure what I wanted her answer to be. On the one hand, I was about as sexually insecure as anyone could be, having exactly zero experience in anything of the sort. On the other, I had been noticing Tori's body, and I liked her, and I knew she liked me. I have no idea what to do in this situation.
She must've read my thoughts in my eyes. Leaning forward, she stole a kiss, surprising the hell out of me. "Mm," she said, licking her lips. "Nice."
"You kissed me!" I blurted, not sure whether to be happy, amused or angry. It hadn't been unpleasant. In fact, it had been rather nice, if kind of quick. And unexpected. Really unexpected.
"Yup." She seemed very pleased with herself. "Was it good for you?"
Two could play at that game. I stuck out my tongue at her. "I'll tell you when I get out of surgery." Turning, I marched from the room.
With a grin, she followed.
End of Part Three
Part Four [NSFW]
Part Three: Preparations
[A/N: The latter part of this has been scrapped and rewritten on the suggestions of my readers and my beta. The order between this and the other chapter written at this time have also been reversed. If you're going to read Part Two Point Five in the NSFW section, go there before you read this.]
"Okay, that should sort out the last of the problems," Tori announced. "See what you think." Lounging back in the steaming bath—naked, of course—she passed the laptop over to me. The bath was large enough for two people to share, or four if they didn't mind being very intimate. Mom and I were currently sharing it with Tori, who apparently had no problems with being very intimate indeed. But it felt heavenly, and the scents drifting off the water with the steam just made it more enjoyable. I just wished we had some bubble bath in there, because the water was crystal clear, allowing me to see every inch of Mom's and Tori's bodies, and them to see mine. Stupid skinny ass. Stupid flat chest.
To distract myself, I took the laptop. Unlike any model I'd seen on Earth, it was apparently rated against any damage up to and including re-entry from orbit. And hey, it was waterproof. Tori whispered something to Mom, who giggled. Giggled. I'd been trying not to notice it, but the catgirl was flirting with my Mom, who was flirting right back. I mean, I knew she'd been a radical feminist back before she met Dad, but I hadn't known she liked other women as well. I didn't know whether the place was corrupting her, or if she was just letting long-forgotten urges out to play, but it was probably a good idea to get her home just as fast as possible.
Looking over the contract one last time, I carefully checked each aspect that Tori had been through. I trusted her well enough, but I wanted to know what I'd missed that she'd picked. Just in case I wanted to come back for a second pass. Not that I thought I would, but the idea of immortality was nagging at me. Plus a few more of the rewards. If I got back to Brockton Bay and decided that I needed a booster for my abilities, I knew where I was going to find them.
Looking up from the screen, I caught Tori stealing a kiss from Mom. Worse, Mom didn't seem to mind. Hastily, I cleared my throat. "Uh, Mom? Want to look this over before I send it away?"
Mom looked over at me and smiled. "Certainly, Taylor. I'll be with you in a moment." Then she quite deliberately turned to Tori and kissed her. The kiss was long and deliberate, and I was quite certain more was going on under the water than I was really comfortable with knowing. Blushing to my hairline, I ducked my face down behind the laptop and pretended to read through the contract again.
A few moments later, Mom slid into place beside me. Her colour was high, and she seemed rather pleased with herself. Despite the warmth of the water, I couldn't help but notice that her nipples were very firmly erect. "Let me see, Taylor," she said, taking the laptop from me and scrolling through the contract. "Hmm, seems all above board. Are you sure you can handle all those part-time jobs?"
"It was Tori's idea," I said. "Half the hours for each one, and none of them will require me to have sex with anyone. Even better, most of them will allow me to keep some level of chastity belt on."
"I see," said Mom. She knew why I was being careful about the sex aspect. While I hadn't taken the hyperfertile vagina option, I had opted to be banned from using contraception. Just in case I did end up having sex, I'd gone with Flexible Holes just to make it less traumatic (though with Tight Fit and Fresh Cherry, every time was gonna be like my first). I just hoped I could dodge it for a week.
"So does it look okay?" I asked anxiously.
"I'm just a little dubious about the Magical Girl sidekick aspect," Mom said seriously. "If they fight actual villains, and those villains are likely to try to force sex on them—because with this place, I would not be at all surprised—you might find yourself involuntarily included in the deal."
I took a deep breath. "I'll have my bugs, and I'll have martial arts," I said. "And if it does happen, at least they're not allowed to rape me. There's got to be some kind of seduction and preparation involved. So it could be a whole lot worse."
"Oh, with Magical Girls, they sometimes fight tentacle monsters," Tori said helpfully, climbing into Mom's lap. Her full, round breasts bounced to and fro, just at my eye level. I wasn't really attracted to girls that I knew of—well, that time Emma and I practised kissing each other just to find out what it was like probably didn't count—but they looked so goddamn firm and shiny and sexy that I was seriously tempted to take her nipple into my mouth. You know, just to see what she'd do. "So if they screw up, they end up with a cock in every orifice they've got. But tentacle monsters secrete an aphrodisiac along with the lube, so while you know you're being fucked in every hole by something that's not even remotely human, you just don't fucking care, you know?" She leaned in to kiss Mom again. I watched my mother respond, sliding her arms around Tori's waist and pulling her closer.
Nervously, I cleared my throat. "Uh, Mom? I don't want to be a party pooper, but you did say you didn't intend to have sex while you were here, and that looks awfully like you're gonna be having sex. Just saying." Which was right up there on the list of 'sentences I never wanted to have to say to a parent'.
Reluctantly, Mom broke the kiss and looked over at me. "Taylor, honey, I said I wouldn't be climbing into bed with any men. I said nothing about women. Your father will understand."
"And besides," Tori added helpfully, "your mom and me have been banging for the last few days. She dragged me into bed when she first woke up, after I explained things to her."
"To be fair, they were still getting my hormone balance just right, and I was horny as hell," Mom said with a chuckle. "But it was so much fun that I decided to move in with her until you showed up." She caught my shocked stare and frowned. "What? It's nothing. Once we're back home, Tori will go back to having sex with whomever she wants to, on the show. And I'll be back with your father. He knows I was sleeping with women with I first met him in college."
"Okay, fine, I get the picture," I said, realising I didn't know my Mom at all. "I'll just get out of your way, then." Ignoring the fact that I was naked and there wasn't a towel within reach, I closed the laptop and began to climb out of the tub.
"Hey, no need to go." Tori's hand slid up my thigh and cupped my butt cheek. "Stay, and we can make it a threesome. You know how badly I want to hold you down and make you cum. Hell, we can bring Raffie in for a foursome. You know, my futa girlfriend?"
The touch of her hand, sliding sensuously over my wet skin, sent shivers directly to places I didn't want to acknowledge right then. "What? No!" I snapped, slapping her hand away. "Because that'll mean either I'll be getting fucked by your futa girlfriend, Mom will be cheating on Dad with your futa girlfriend, or Mom and I'll be … no. Just no." I climbed all the way out of the tub and backed away. "Look, I get it that sex is fun, but I've never done it before and I kinda want a choice in the matter, if and when I ever do it."
"Leave her be," Mom advised Tori. "I like you, and I think you're fun in bed, but I won't be a party to forcing Taylor to do anything she hasn't agreed to." She climbed out of the bath and grabbed two of the oversized towels. "Here you go, honey." Draping one towel over my shoulders, she started drying herself with the other. "Let's go look over that contract while I'm not distracted."
"Thanks, Mom," I said. My gratitude was genuine, for several reasons. It disturbed me to watch her making out with a girl only a few years older than me (Tori was older than she looked, but not that much older) especially since she was only just back from the dead, from my point of view anyway. Also, I really did value her input, and her ability to spot anything I'd missed. I headed over to the padded benches, put the laptop down carefully, then dried myself off.
My time at Winslow should've inured me to being naked in a room with girls who were far sexier than me, but the bullying had left scars that might never heal. So once I'd gotten the water off of myself and towelled my hair roughly dry, I wrapped the towel around myself in a semblance of modesty before sitting down on the bench. Mom, after drying herself, put the towel around her hair and sat down next to me with not a stitch on. With a sinking feeling, I watched Tori come over from the bath. She sat next to me, not even bothering to dry herself. It meant she wasn't sitting next to Mom (and potentially making out with her again) but it meant she was next to me.
I liked Tori well enough. She hadn't pulled any bullshit with me that I knew about, and she'd gone to bat for me about Mom with her boss. But the bottom line was, she was a Slut Life employee. More to the point, she was a past contestant who intended to sign up again. Sex, for her, was simply a means to an end. She'd already spent years being publicly fucked in every orifice I cared to name by more men (and women, and God knew what else) than I could ever imagine. In her mind, signing up for Slut Life and opening my legs (and mouth, and butt) for whoever wanted to shove their cock (or whatever) into me was only normal and natural. Which meant that she really couldn't seem to understand that I wasn't interested in having sex with her. To her, that meant I wasn't interested right then, but that wouldn't necessarily be the case in five minutes. Which made the occasional impulse to just give in and let her have her way even more frightening. Sure, it would make my time at Slut Life a lot more fun and interesting … but would I still be me if I surrendered my agency so easily? Emma and her cohorts hadn't broken me over a year of tormenting me; what would it say about me if I let a girl with cat ears change me into a slut (incidentally, proving some of the insults slung at me by Emma's coterie) in just a few days?
"Well, it looks fine to me," Mom allowed after a few moments of perusing the contract. "From what you've told us, Tori, there's no real way they can pull a sneaky loophole to force Taylor to have sex, is there?"
"Not as far as I can see," Tori agreed, leaning her chin on my shoulder. She wasn't trying to cop a feel, so I was okay with that. I really did need friends in my life. "So, you want to sign it and send it away?"
I felt a yawning pit open in my stomach. This was it. This was do or die. I couldn't not sign the contract, no matter how long I delayed it, and once it was done, there was no going back. If I'd screwed up in any way, I was going to find out the hard way. Moistening my lips with my tongue, I swallowed nervously. "I guess, yeah."
"Okay then," Tori said briskly, straightening up. "Pass me over the laptop." I realised that she'd actually been pressing her naked water-slick breast against my arm and I hadn't even noticed. Was that a good sign or a bad sign? And why did I keep noticing how fucking sexy her body was? I'm not into girls, I'm not into girls, I'm not into girls.
"Here you go." Mom passed the laptop over, and I watched as Tori scrolled the contract down to the bottom.
She tapped a couple of icons, and a tiny symbol of a padlock appeared on the corner of the sheet. Then she tapped another one, and a red square showed up. "Okay," she said to me, her voice unusually serious. "Press your thumb to that square—doesn't matter which thumb—and that'll register as your signature. This will register your contract with Slut Life. Once it goes through, they'll come to pick you up to be prepped for the role you'll be playing. All the surgery and implants will be done in a week. Next week, you and your mom can move into your house, and your run will start."
I drew a deep breath. "Okay, then." I held up my thumb as if I were attempting to flag a ride, then brought it in close to the contract. With a convulsive movement, I jabbed it the last half-inch or so, feeling the tiny resistance as I contacted the hard-light document. As I did so, the red square flashed to green. There was a momentary delay, then a notification flashed up on the screen: CONTRACT ACCEPTED.
"Oh, good," I said, letting out the breath I hadn't realised I was holding in. "So when will they come get me?"
"One to three hours, usually," Tori said. "It depends on what's being done. You're going with a total body makeover, so it'll probably be closer to three than one." She looked me up and down frankly, and I blushed to my hairline. "Though seriously, your body's sexy as fuck as it is."
"Tori." Mom's voice was firm. I looked over at her in confusion. "I need you to do me a huge favour."
"Um, sure?" Tori didn't sound at all sure of what was going on. "What is it?"
Mom took a deep breath, then pushed the laptop out of the way and took my hands in hers. "Taylor, we've got to talk."
Those four words never presaged anything good. "What? Mom, you're scaring me." My mind immediately jumped to worst-case scenarios. Is she dying? I don't want to lose her again!
She grimaced and shook her head. "It's not bad, it's just ... not good." She looked over at Tori. "What I said earlier about my hormones ... I wasn't telling you the whole truth. When they revived me, someone transposed a decimal point or something, and I came back with a raging case of ... well, horniness. I've been screwing Tori on an hourly basis ever since I was able to move on my own. Up till now, she's been able to keep my urges in check. But ..." Taking her hand away from mine, she clenched her fist, her nails biting into her palm.
"It's getting worse," Tori said soberly. "She's wanting to go out and screw, well, anyone. She hasn't yet," she added hastily, probably in response to my horrified expression. "But ... it's getting close. So she's going to let SL put her under until her final treatment can be carried out, in three days' time."
"Which means that I won't be there when you come out of surgery," Mom said. "Tori, I want you to be there for her." She gave the catgirl a warning glance. "And by that I don't mean 'seduce her while she's still drunk with her new body'."
"Aww, I wouldn't do that," Tori said with a grin. "More than twice, anyway." She leaned in toward me and lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "Sex in a brand new body is the best."
I was so shaken by Mom's revelation that I totally forgot to blush. "I, uh, I'll take your word for it." Then I turned my full attention to my mother. "Mom, how long are they going to be keeping you under? How much work needs to be done?"
"Relax." Mom's smile was a little ragged, but it was genuine. "It's just a hormone treatment. Nanobots, apparently. I'll be up and around by the time you start your run. I have to be; it's in your contract."
"Okay." I didn't feel great about this, but if it was the best thing for Mom, then it had to be done. Besides, I was doing all this to get her home to Dad. I guessed that ignoring the fact that she'd been having sex with Tori was the best idea. Besides, that wasn't something I wanted to dwell on. Like, ever. "So when do you need to go under?"
"Today." To my surprise, Mom bit her nail. She'd never bitten her nails. "As soon as possible. Right now. Please."
I nodded. "Okay. Let's go get this done."
<><>
Tori and I stood on either side of Mom's hospital bed, each of us holding one of her hands. "Still don't see why we can't just put you into cryo," Tori muttered. "It's a lot easier."
"Because even I know that going into suspended animation would suspend the hormone treatment," Mom told her. Her voice was weak; the line leading into her wrist was obviously feeding something into her bloodstream that was slowly but surely putting her out. The docbot had said something about 'establishing a baseline', which was why she wasn't instantly unconscious.
"Oh, right." Tori facepalmed. "Wow, I feel like a total idiot now."
Mom giggled faintly. "Just remember ... be there for Taylor."
Tori leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "I promise."
"Good." It was a bare whisper, as her eyes drifted shut. "Or 'll kick y'r ass ..."
I felt her hand relax in mine. I squeezed it one last time and placed it on the covers. Leaning over, I kissed Mom on the forehead. When I straightened up, Tori was looking at me soberly. "She's pretty special," she said softly.
"Well, yeah," I said. "She's my Mom."
"That she is," Tori agreed. "Well, now it's time for your appointment."
I swallowed. This wasn't something I'd been looking forward to. "So where do I go for that?"
She pointed out the door. "Next door, in Medical Bay Four. Let's go, before they come get you. I understand they're not gentle with people they think might be trying to wriggle out of their contracts."
"Right," I said, trying to sound determined. "Um ..."
"What?" she asked, looking over at me. "Because it's kinda late for last-minute second thoughts."
"What Mom said about you trying to seduce me when I wake up ... you won't really try that on me, will you?" I wasn't sure what I wanted her answer to be. On the one hand, I was about as sexually insecure as anyone could be, having exactly zero experience in anything of the sort. On the other, I had been noticing Tori's body, and I liked her, and I knew she liked me. I have no idea what to do in this situation.
She must've read my thoughts in my eyes. Leaning forward, she stole a kiss, surprising the hell out of me. "Mm," she said, licking her lips. "Nice."
"You kissed me!" I blurted, not sure whether to be happy, amused or angry. It hadn't been unpleasant. In fact, it had been rather nice, if kind of quick. And unexpected. Really unexpected.
"Yup." She seemed very pleased with herself. "Was it good for you?"
Two could play at that game. I stuck out my tongue at her. "I'll tell you when I get out of surgery." Turning, I marched from the room.
With a grin, she followed.
End of Part Three
Part Four [NSFW]
Last edited:
Reaction Omake
GladiusLucix
Versed in the lewd.
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So, I was trying to throw together a little omake of what I saw as the most reasonable course of action Taylor once she finds out what Annette did, probably due to her or Tori blurting something out while fuckdrunk in the gangbang.
But then Ack imped me with the rewrite.
I'm posting it anyway.
----
Taylor turned from the display she'd felt forced to watch, and picked up Tori's laptop. She figured there had to be some voice activated controls, she started by simply asking, "I have some questions about my contract, but my two usual points of contact are..." She paused and glanced back at the display. "Indisposed."
After a few moments, a map opened on the screen, which led her to a room in the same general area as Arbor's office. Her knock on the door was met with a sharp, "Come in," and so she did. She was greeted by the most androgynous person she had ever seen.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss?" asked the person behind the desk.
"Taylor Hebert. Thank you for answering my questions, um..."
"Pat Bell, Miss Hebert. Just call me Bell, and don't worry about a title; I'm currently genderless, so neither appropriately applies," Bell responded.
"Okay." Taylor blinked at the idea, but continued on. "My first question is about the verbal contract that I made that required me to sign up for Slut Life, in exchange for my mother being brought back from the dead. I've recently discovered that the woman I thought was my mother is, apparently, some random slut that just looks like her. I assume it's too much to hope that this can get me out of the contract I was required to sign?"
Bell looked over the data on their terminal. "Honestly, all the paperwork I'm seeing indicates that she is your real mother, so that's a 'No' to that. Even if there was sufficient proof that she wasn't your mother, it would still be near impossible for anyone not the CEO to get you out of your Slut Life contract."
Taylor sighed. "I thought that's what the answer would be, but thought I might as well ask. For my second question, is it possible, at this point, to change the specific person filling an owner role? I don't want that woman pretending to be my mother for the time I'm signed up for. I'd ask to change the person I selected for the Cutie owner role, but I know there is a verbal contract enforcing that choice."
Bell continued typing as Taylor spoke. "Yes, I found the contract for the Cutie position, And the only contract I'm finding on the Married Couple position is that Kenneth Arbor allows it, not ensures it. Any preferences?"
"Non-incestuous, and not her," Taylor said flatly. After a moment's thought, she added, "Maybe a pair of gay men?"
Bell nodded. "Perfectly doable," they said, entering the changes. "And you understand that they will still be your roomates, and will be holding the controls for all the things your mother would have?"
"Yes," Taylor said. "Out of curiosity, what penalties would I likely incur for breaking the contract anout the Cutie position? Would it likely be more or less that my monetary reward as my Slut Life contract stands?"
"For a single twelve hour shift as owner? Almost definitely less."
"Then please change that as well. Anyone but her," Taylor said.
"All done," Bell replied. "Do you have any other questions about your contract?"
"Not about the contracts," Taylor said, "but is there anyway I can prevent them from contacting me, ever again?"
But then Ack imped me with the rewrite.
I'm posting it anyway.
----
Taylor turned from the display she'd felt forced to watch, and picked up Tori's laptop. She figured there had to be some voice activated controls, she started by simply asking, "I have some questions about my contract, but my two usual points of contact are..." She paused and glanced back at the display. "Indisposed."
After a few moments, a map opened on the screen, which led her to a room in the same general area as Arbor's office. Her knock on the door was met with a sharp, "Come in," and so she did. She was greeted by the most androgynous person she had ever seen.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss?" asked the person behind the desk.
"Taylor Hebert. Thank you for answering my questions, um..."
"Pat Bell, Miss Hebert. Just call me Bell, and don't worry about a title; I'm currently genderless, so neither appropriately applies," Bell responded.
"Okay." Taylor blinked at the idea, but continued on. "My first question is about the verbal contract that I made that required me to sign up for Slut Life, in exchange for my mother being brought back from the dead. I've recently discovered that the woman I thought was my mother is, apparently, some random slut that just looks like her. I assume it's too much to hope that this can get me out of the contract I was required to sign?"
Bell looked over the data on their terminal. "Honestly, all the paperwork I'm seeing indicates that she is your real mother, so that's a 'No' to that. Even if there was sufficient proof that she wasn't your mother, it would still be near impossible for anyone not the CEO to get you out of your Slut Life contract."
Taylor sighed. "I thought that's what the answer would be, but thought I might as well ask. For my second question, is it possible, at this point, to change the specific person filling an owner role? I don't want that woman pretending to be my mother for the time I'm signed up for. I'd ask to change the person I selected for the Cutie owner role, but I know there is a verbal contract enforcing that choice."
Bell continued typing as Taylor spoke. "Yes, I found the contract for the Cutie position, And the only contract I'm finding on the Married Couple position is that Kenneth Arbor allows it, not ensures it. Any preferences?"
"Non-incestuous, and not her," Taylor said flatly. After a moment's thought, she added, "Maybe a pair of gay men?"
Bell nodded. "Perfectly doable," they said, entering the changes. "And you understand that they will still be your roomates, and will be holding the controls for all the things your mother would have?"
"Yes," Taylor said. "Out of curiosity, what penalties would I likely incur for breaking the contract anout the Cutie position? Would it likely be more or less that my monetary reward as my Slut Life contract stands?"
"For a single twelve hour shift as owner? Almost definitely less."
"Then please change that as well. Anyone but her," Taylor said.
"All done," Bell replied. "Do you have any other questions about your contract?"
"Not about the contracts," Taylor said, "but is there anyway I can prevent them from contacting me, ever again?"
The Contract is All
edale
Versed in the lewd.
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Yea, so I put my money where my mouth was.
------
"Gareth," Arbor said gravely, "You've been accused of altering a Contestant's Contract against their will. And I find enough evidence to support their claims."
Gareth gulped audibly.
Arbor continued with an almost bored tone, "You now have 2 choices. You can either A, admit guilt and accept punishment by signing on as a Slut Life contestant at 'Slave to the Show' difficulty and a neutral (none) background modifier."
Gareth paled visibly.
Arbor began to smile evilly as he continued in a much more serious voice, "Or B, You can profess your innocence. Should you do this, you will be temporarily confined to quarters while a full investigation is run. Should no evidence be found, you will be reinstated to your job, and reparations made for your lost time, coming out of the accusing Contestant's prize allotment. However, should enough evidence be found to warrant it, you will then be handed over to the police, and have a public trial. Should you be found guilty, you will be forced into a Slut Life contract at 'Anon Must Die' difficulty, with a 'Criminal' background modifier, and I'll make damned sure the judge sees fit to include some of the choices you placed on Ms Hebert's Contract onto yours; Tyrone does gets so few Contestants to play with after all."
Arbor decided to add at the end, glancing at the shell-shocked looking Taylor, "Either way, Ms Hebert's altered contract will be invalidated, and she will be allowed to sign her original, unaltered, contract. I'm also authorising a +20 credit to be added to her contract, as an apology from Slut Life Corp for the disgustingly aberrant behavior of one of our employees in this matter."
---
I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing... Someone in power was actually taking my side.
Sure Arbor didn't believe me at first, but with Tori, mom, and I all claiming the same thing... He humored us and started checking records and digging for evidence, though obviously not expecting to find anything.
My heart sank when the laptop's cache showed the altered contract.
Then when he saw the version of the contract I signed while we were in the baths, his whole demeanor changed. I saw pure rage in his eyes before he quickly covered it up, and started digging for evidence with fervor.
Then he noted that he found it odd that Gareth was there to take me away so quickly after the contract was signed, while looking directly at me, almost like he wanted something from me.
"Wait... Are you saying it was Gareth who altered my contract?!" I had blurted out.
And then he smiled wider, with a bit of humor in his eyes, and asked, "Ms. Hebert, are you accusing Gareth here of altering your contract against your will?"
I took a second to process what was happening before I responded, "Yes. I'm saying Gareth altered my contract against my will."
And that's when I saw Mr. Arbor tear into Gareth with a vengeance. I gotta admit, the bit about having those options applied to the guy that tried to apply them to me... Had a certain amount of appeal... and I was gonna be able to do things with that extra 20 credits!
---
As we were leaving Mr Arbor's office to go over my contract again, after watching Gareth taken away by the guards to fill out his 'Slave to the Show' contract, Mr Arbor called to me.
"Ms Hebert... Taylor, I know you likely don't have the best impression of me after our first meeting, but understand this, at Slut Life consent is sacrosanct. We may put people through things they don't like, or find unpleasant, but they always agree to it ahead of time in their Contracts.
"What Gareth tried to do to you goes against everything we stand for here at Slut Life, and I'd like to personally apologize to you that you had to go through it."
------
Because fucking with The Contract is bad.
------
"Gareth," Arbor said gravely, "You've been accused of altering a Contestant's Contract against their will. And I find enough evidence to support their claims."
Gareth gulped audibly.
Arbor continued with an almost bored tone, "You now have 2 choices. You can either A, admit guilt and accept punishment by signing on as a Slut Life contestant at 'Slave to the Show' difficulty and a neutral (none) background modifier."
Gareth paled visibly.
Arbor began to smile evilly as he continued in a much more serious voice, "Or B, You can profess your innocence. Should you do this, you will be temporarily confined to quarters while a full investigation is run. Should no evidence be found, you will be reinstated to your job, and reparations made for your lost time, coming out of the accusing Contestant's prize allotment. However, should enough evidence be found to warrant it, you will then be handed over to the police, and have a public trial. Should you be found guilty, you will be forced into a Slut Life contract at 'Anon Must Die' difficulty, with a 'Criminal' background modifier, and I'll make damned sure the judge sees fit to include some of the choices you placed on Ms Hebert's Contract onto yours; Tyrone does gets so few Contestants to play with after all."
Arbor decided to add at the end, glancing at the shell-shocked looking Taylor, "Either way, Ms Hebert's altered contract will be invalidated, and she will be allowed to sign her original, unaltered, contract. I'm also authorising a +20 credit to be added to her contract, as an apology from Slut Life Corp for the disgustingly aberrant behavior of one of our employees in this matter."
---
I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing... Someone in power was actually taking my side.
Sure Arbor didn't believe me at first, but with Tori, mom, and I all claiming the same thing... He humored us and started checking records and digging for evidence, though obviously not expecting to find anything.
My heart sank when the laptop's cache showed the altered contract.
Then when he saw the version of the contract I signed while we were in the baths, his whole demeanor changed. I saw pure rage in his eyes before he quickly covered it up, and started digging for evidence with fervor.
Then he noted that he found it odd that Gareth was there to take me away so quickly after the contract was signed, while looking directly at me, almost like he wanted something from me.
"Wait... Are you saying it was Gareth who altered my contract?!" I had blurted out.
And then he smiled wider, with a bit of humor in his eyes, and asked, "Ms. Hebert, are you accusing Gareth here of altering your contract against your will?"
I took a second to process what was happening before I responded, "Yes. I'm saying Gareth altered my contract against my will."
And that's when I saw Mr. Arbor tear into Gareth with a vengeance. I gotta admit, the bit about having those options applied to the guy that tried to apply them to me... Had a certain amount of appeal... and I was gonna be able to do things with that extra 20 credits!
---
As we were leaving Mr Arbor's office to go over my contract again, after watching Gareth taken away by the guards to fill out his 'Slave to the Show' contract, Mr Arbor called to me.
"Ms Hebert... Taylor, I know you likely don't have the best impression of me after our first meeting, but understand this, at Slut Life consent is sacrosanct. We may put people through things they don't like, or find unpleasant, but they always agree to it ahead of time in their Contracts.
"What Gareth tried to do to you goes against everything we stand for here at Slut Life, and I'd like to personally apologize to you that you had to go through it."
------
Because fucking with The Contract is bad.