It Takes Time <To Be Properly Taken Apart> - Chapter 06
Chapter 6
Chapter Length: 4,500~ wordsPleading With The Unknowable
Raqi's head hurt. As she trudged on towards the gardens, very few thoughts travelled through her mind. She felt exhausted: Her limbs ached, and what felt like every inch of her body was beset by the stinging pain of shame. If Punica were not still actively looking at her, she suspected she would probably have curled up into a ball and started crying. It was over. There was nothing to do from this point onwards. Just like with every other new person she met, she had ended up exploding and lashed out at them. Only this time, instead of another landamaeri whom she could just run away from, the woman she had just shouted at was one of the affini: the most powerful and terrifying race in the entire galaxy. The variety of ways in which she could choose to punish the impudent xeno who had dared to lose her temper while speaking to her was near limitless. Anger was now starting to turn to fear, but she was equally afraid of what showing fear might bring down upon her. The affini's mission statement involved caring for those who could not care for themselves, and right now, she was looking like the epitome of that. If she turned around and started begging Punica for mercy, the only thing that was going to net her was an immediate injection with some kind of chemical to calm her down; one that would almost certainly be reapplied long before it wore off, likely for as long as it took before she could be transferred onto something more long-term. So it was that the only thing she could think to do to avoid the affini's wrath was to continue on silently, and pray to whatever deity she could think of that the precursor species decided to show mercy.
Punica walked silently behind Raqi, keeping a moderate distance away from the girl. The masses of chemical-storing tendrils contained within her arms seem to thrum softly, a constant nagging at the edge of her mind that pulled at her to make use of them. It would be the easiest thing in the world right now to reach out and take hold of this poor girl by the shoulders, to pull her close into an embrace while stroking her hair and telling her that everything was going to be alright. She would not so much as feel the sensation of a less-than-a-milimetre-thick needle sliding into her skin, filling her bloodstream with a potent chemical cocktail that would wash away every ounce of the pain she was doubtless feeling at that moment. And yet she couldn't, on account of the ever-flickering glass wall that separated the two of them. It tore at Punica in a way like nothing she had ever known before. Part of her wanted nothing more than to beg Raqi to take the barrier down; so great was the discomfort of watching her like this. But she knew that no plea, however impassioned, would be able to break through the wall that this girl had erected for herself. As such, she was forced to push down the pain of her over-sensitive empathic response, and continue onwards.
Finally, after several minutes of walking in silence, they reached a door at the very end of the corridor. Turning right into it, Raqi pressed the button to hold the door open, and then headed inside. Punica followed shortly afterwards. The room that they entered into was relatively large: probably around 50 by 50 ft, give or take. The gentle sound of running water filled the air, combining with the ambiance of artificially-generated breezes coming from an array of fans and air vents, as well as the hum of humidifiers and dehumidifiers placed at strategic positions. The room was divided into two levels: the ground floor, and then a wireframe walkway that ran around the edges of the walls around twenty feet up, which served as a miniature 'second floor' that was used for accessing various pieces of machinery and regulators. The floor was covered in row upon row of synthesized containers and pots, set up in a wide variety of arrangements. Some were piled on top of each other in gradually descending order of size, while others were stacked neatly on a level field in three-by-three or two-by-two sets. Some were simply in disorganised bundles. Where possible, effort seemed to have been made to colour coordinate the plants: with those of complimentary colours being placed nearby to each other. The entire room started out green near the entrance, then slowly transitioned into yellow around the middle, before splitting up to red on the left and blue on the right. In contrast to the uniformity on the ground floor, the space on the walkway was filled with plants of disparate and non-primary colours; oranges, pinks, purples and teals all stretched out and draped over the sides, contrasting strongly against each other but not in such a way that their colours clashed. Certain plants were airgapped from the main room by glass cages of a similar variety to the one that Punica was currently confined in, with only slightly more visible pipes connecting some of them to temperature regulating apparatuses built in to the bottom of their containers. Punica stopped at the entrance. For a moment, the grim atmosphere of the situation seemed to vanish, blown away by a mixture of sounds and scents. She could feelthe inside of this room. It was as if all of the plants contained therein were speaking to her; each communicating in a gentle song which only she could hear. It was entirely unlike her experience of being on the Rending Talon so far, instead resembling much more closely what it was like to be within the Longbough "This is the garden," Raqi said. Her voice was quiet and almost toneless, and she didn't meet Punica's gaze as she spoke. The sound of it snapped Punica out of her reverie, and the momentary distraction from her prior feelings was soon brought to an end. She nodded. "This ought to be sufficient. I will get started at once." She made to move, but before she completed a full step, she stopped and turned to look at Raqi. "First, however: I will need a cell sample from your body, as discussed." Raqi didn't look back at her. "Straessa, manufacture tweezers and specimen bag." "Acknowledged. Executing..." A small pair of metal tweezers appeared just in front of Raqi's left foot; a small zip lock bag appearing to the right. She reached down and picked them both up. Without hesitating, she moved the tweezers up to her forehead and used them to pluck out a single feather from her eyebrow. "Will this do?" The sight caused a small wince in Punica. "...Yes." Still without meeting Punica's gaze, she put the tweezers - the browfeather still stuck on to the end of one of the tongs - into the bag, and then closed it. She then slid it across the ground towards Punica, where it stopped short upon hitting the glass wall. "Straessa... Put the box around it." The glass wall expanded to allow for space around the bag. Shortly thereafter, a vine extended out from Punica's body and wrapped around the bag, bringing it towards her. The vine retracted into her chest, bag still in tow, and it disappeared from sight. "Thank you," Punica spoke. Raqi nodded. "Straessa, box back to normal." The small additional space that had been added to the glass cage shrank away and disappeared. Raqi then moved away from Punica, heading to a spot in the room where there were few plants. She did so partly out of awareness that Punica would not be able to move within six or so feet of her, and so she wanted to try not to obstruct her, and partly out of a desire to be as far away from her as possible. Punica, for her part, made her way to the centre of the room. With every step, vines began to extend out from her body; small threads of her human form unravelling and snaking out over and across the ground. They pushed into the dirt inside of containers, making contact with roots and taking samples of the soil. With every connection made, she gained information about the host plant; what structures were present in its form; what nutrients it required; what chemicals it produced; and what uses its compounds could be put to. The vast majority of the information came naturally, as an instinctive part of possessing a body that was as much a biochemical manufacturing unit as it was a vessel for a consciousness; while the rest was the result of decades spent meticulously memorising the structures and qualities of numerous chemicals found all across the universe. Punica may never have seen these particular plants before, but she had seen the building blocks they were made from tens of thousands of times. The distance went a small way to easing Raqi's nerves. Her heartrate had begun to slow, and it did so further as she watched Punica move. Despite all of the terror and self-loathing that she currently felt, she could not suppress the hint of curiosity that rose within her at the sight of her work. She had noticed that the affini's human guise often seemed clumsy, and it gave off the impression that the plant was not quite used to wearing it. But here, Punica finally seemed to be in her element: Dozens upon dozens of sinuous vines snaked out from her body, each moving at completely different speeds and trajectories and performing different tasks, as if every one was controlled by its own individual mind. Such a level of multitasking was beyond even the wildest dreams of her species, or any other she knew of for that matter. Even despite her present wariness, it was impossible for her to avoid becoming at least a little drawn in by the mesmerising display, and she found her attention focusing more and more on Punica's work as the plant continued. One by one, the affini sorted and categorised the available specimens: separating them first into those which she could and could not use, then subdividing them by their potential applications. She took clippings of several to replace some of the more sensitive growths she had lost during hard vacuum; they were not needed for what she was doing currently, but they would be useful for other purposes later. The firmest of the plants, she took and began to weave like cloth; spinning leaf and stem together, reinforcing and binding them with thorns from her own body. This way she created the tools that she would need to further manipulate the plants; beacons and containers for storing and moving fluid, droppers that could be trusted not to absorb anything that they touched. Some plants she began to crush into paste, intent on using them as reagents for a further part of the process. "If," Raqi spoke, her voice cracking. She was forced to swallow in order to whet her throat before she could continue. "If I let you leave... Will you let me go home?" Punica's human face looked up at her, the other vines not stopping what they were doing. "I am hardly in a position to stop you from going anywhere or doing anything right now." "I... I don't believe you." She shook her head. "You're gonna get out from inside of that glass, I- I know it. You must already have a plan. And when you do..." Her face quavered. "Please don't do it. I don't- I'm sorry for shouting at you. I didn't mean it, I was just scared, that's all." The affini's tendrils kept moving without change. "I don't know what you are talking about, Raqi. You are the one who is in control here, not I." "Please," Raqi repeated, her voice growing more urgent. "I'm sorry. I know what I said was wrong. I- I don't actually believe any of that stuff, I was just upset! Please. I made a mistake by coming here in the first place. I never should have started trouble with you, or any of the other affini. I'm sorry, I- I really am. I never, ever, should have come here." She was shaking her head again. "It was a stupid decision, a-and I should have known better, and I'm sorry, but p-please don't punish me for it." She looked with desperation at Punica. "I'll leave. I swear I'll leave. I'll take the Talon and go far, f-far away, and- and you'll never have to see me again, I promise. S-so- So please, just-" It all happened in what felt like an instant. Raqi felt an odd, wet sensation on the right side of her face. She turned to see a vine on the wall just next to her; one of those which had been slowly growing throughout the ship ever since she'd used the Chimera module to integrate a piece of affini biotech. Upon its surface had bloomed a strange type of growth; something akin to, but not quite like a flower. As she watched, the growth deflated, small specks of moisture dripping off from it to the ground. Her eyebrows furrowed. She reached up and touched her cheek where the liquid had made contact with it- The entire world was swaying. "H-huh?" She breathed out, panic starting to flood her body. She turned back towards the centre of the room, blinking rapidly. Punica was still there. She hadn't moved an inch. Why wasn't she moving? Her vision was spinning. It was hard to see anything. She kept blinking, and her feet felt unsteady. She reached out a hand towards the wall to support herself- Her hand touched something spongy. She reacted slowly, and before she could pull it back, the thing had wrapped around her hand. It sped up her arm, past her shoulder, and then around her torso. At the same time, she felt two other things brushing against her legs, wrapping tightly around them in a vice grip and pulling them together, shooting up around her thighs- She opened her mouth and let out a scream. The moment she did, she lost her balance and collapsed to the floor. But before she could do so, more vines shot out and caught her; holding her suspended in the air before a moment later she was yanked upright. A figure began to materialise in front of her, growing up from a collection of vines, leaves, and flowers. It grew and grew until it was eight feet tall, and staring down at her like a loathsome elder god. As the thing's form finished coalescing, the entirety of the glass box that had been in the centre of the room began to flicker all at once. "Multiple errors detected in automated repair sequence," the ship's computerized voice announced. "Organic lifeforms detected in path of automatic repair. Cancelling repair to prevent damage to crew." A moment later, the glass vanished, and did not reform. As she watched, the thing's arms began to open, and from them poured forth a flood of tendrils; each tipped with something sharp, all of them dripping foreign liquids. Each began to converge upon her form, one in particular headed straight for her neck. "Wait, wait, please," Raqi begged. She thrashed against the vines, but there wasn't so much as an ounce of give. "Please, just wait." The needle that had been moving towards her stopped less than an inch from her neck. "I am not going to wait," Punica spoke, her voice cold and hard; all of the elegance from earlier in the day having vanished. "This is for your own good." "T-tell me why," Raqi sputtered out. "W-what criteria h-have I fit, t-to deserve this?" Punica's face twitched. Her response came out strained: "This is not about 'deserving.' This is not a punishment, Raqi! I am doing this to you because it is for your own good!" She shook her head. "I cannot in good conscience let you leave this place. You are a danger to yourself!" "I'm not," she said, shaking her head feebly from side to side, "I swear, I'm not." "You are very deeply mentally unwell. You have actively endangered your psychological wellbeing through your actions on this ship both before and after I arrived here," she stated firmly. "You clearly can not be trusted with the responsibility of caring for yourself." "I can stop." Tears began to stream down from her eyes. "I-I can do better. Please. I've been trying my hardest to. I just- It's just so hard on my own-" Punica's face contorted, her lips parting to reveal wide rows of thorned teeth. "That is exactly why I am doing this! So that you do not have to keep going on your own!" She shook her head as violently as she could. "I won't be doing anything! If you drug me, I'll never have another chance to! Yh- Yhou'll just do everything for me!" Her speech started to dissolve, individual words being broken apart by hiccuping sobs. "I've tried so hard! I've done everything I c-c-could to make it better! I've never once wallowed! Everything... I've ever done... has been all for this..." Her chest jutted awkwardly up and down in time with her breathing. "There's never been... anyone to help... so I've done it all myself. Everything... even from when I was little... I-I had to l-learn to do it all myself." She met Punica's gaze once more. "If... if you t-take that... f-from me... I won't exist anymore. Ev- Everything... that makes me, me... will go away." Raqi's nerve finally broke, and she began to sob unreservedly. No further words came from her as she lay there on the ground, back against the wall, hiccuping and wailing. Her hands shook with fear, and her eyes were shut tightly; as she waited for the inevitable prick in her neck that she knew would spell the end of everything. ... ... ... But seconds passed, and the prick didn't come. Slowly, Raqi opened her eyes and looked up. Punica stood above her, vines whipping around her feet, needle-tipped injectors still hovering less than a foot away from her vulnerable body. Yet as her eyes scanned across the periphery of her skin, she realised the one nearest to her neck had moved back. The affini opened her mouth. Her words as she spoke held within them a kind of disparity unlike anything Raqi had ever heard in a sapient being's voice; as if she were speaking in half a dozen tones all at once. It was in one part pained, in another reluctant, in one piteous, in others strained, and in all compassionate. "If you truly believe that to be placed under my care is tantamount to your death... Then I will not kill you." Raqi stared up at her, continuing to breathe heavily. "I cannot leave you as you are now. To leave a sapient being to exist in the level of suffering that I have seen that you are experiencing would go against every single moral and principle that I hold. I can not - I will not - allow you to continue living in such pain." She took a deep breath, her vines shaking. "However. If what you say is true... If you really have tried your utmost to help yourself, and the reason you failed was not from a lack of ability, but rather on account of a lack of sufficient resources... Then I cannot yet deem you incapable of helping yourself." Slowly, Punica extended one hand out towards Raqi. As she did so, the vines that had been binding Raqi's hands and arms pulled backwards, freeing them to move once again. "What I can do," she continued, "is provide you with those resources." For a long moment, Raqi stared dumbfoundedly at the hand. "Y- Y-you mean- You're not going to d-d-drug me?" "No, little one, I am not. Not right now, at least," she answered, voice gentle. "Take my hand." After another moment of hesitation, Raqi did as she was told. She reached out and took Punica's hand. The moment she did so, the vines that were wrapped around her body began to shift, moving from binding her to supporting her. They pushed against her, providing the strength that her wracked body needed to pull itself back up. Once she had been left standing, they remained surrounding her; supporting her from every angle, and ensuring that she stayed steady and in balance. "I am going to give you a chance," she continued. "Prove to me that you are capable of taking care of yourself. Where last time you had no others, this time, you will have me to help you along the way. As you have requested, I will not do the work for you: but I will assist you, in any and every way that I can, and which you wish for. In the same vein, I will refrain from doing aught that you do not wish me to." Raqi nodded stiffly, still too in shock to speak. "However." Punica's voice grew hard once more. "Should you show me that you were wrong, and that you are not in fact capable of caring for yourself... Then I will domesticate you." The words sent a shiver down Raqi's spine. "I will do so as gently as I am able: I will endeavour to leave every aspect of your identity intact for which I can afford to do so; while also ensuring that you are able to grow into a healthier and happier person than you are presently." She let the sentence hang in the air for a moment. Punica spoke: "Are these terms amenable to you?" "Y-yes," Raqi stammered out, nodding twice, then thrice. "T-thank you. Thank y-" Punica reached out and pulled her close, wrapping her up in an embrace. Dozens of vines coiled around her body, applying firm and calming pressure. Nowhere upon her body did she feel the touch of a needle, nor the sting of any other object penetrating her skin. At first, she waited for it, but the sensation never came. And when after long enough it did not, she finally gave in. The tears started up again, but this time, Punica was there to comfort her. She wailed, and cried, and sobbed: but for the first time which she could remember, she was not alone. After long enough had passed, the tears began to dry up. The heaving motions of Raqi's chest started to still, falling into a slow and steady rhythm; interrupted only by the occasional hiccup or cough. When she made to move her arms to try and wipe the snot and tears from her face, she found that Punica was already in the process of doing so; using a particular vine that felt something like a flannel. The sensation was soothing, somehow, and she felt herself pressing her face closer in to it; hoping that she would move it across further. But she had no way of communicating that desire, and so once the cleaning was done, Punica pulled the vine back, and Raqi's head moved the short distance back to its resting place. After that, there were several moments of silence. Punica, for all she had done in the last few moments, seemed suddenly at a loss as to where to go next. She looked down at the small form of the woman cradled within her vines. Even after their embrace had concluded, Raqi's entire body was still shaking. Her fingers twitched and shook, and her jaw was quaking. Her eyes were fixated on Punica's in a look that the plant could not help but think of as that of a prey animal. Punica broke eye contact with Raqi. "I... I could have perhaps picked a better time to do this, I realise. I was just... I found that your words were..." She made the mistake of looking back at her from out of the corner of her eye. There was absolutely no change. She felt her core lurch. "Never mind. Are you able to stand?" "Y- Ye." Tentatively, Raqi took a single step forward, extricating herself somewhat from the vines grip. For a moment, she felt as if she was going to fall over, but she was just barely able to hold herself up. Punica watched the sight, several of her vines twitching sporadically as she did. "We were midway through getting your medication. I should have it synthesized in just a little bit longer if... if you can wait. Or-" She felt her throat constricting. She was struggling to control the combination of vines and other appendages that made up her vocal system well enough to speak. "Perhaps it would be better if I simply delivered it to you when it is finished. It- It will not take me long, I assure you." Raqi didn't say anything. She just stared at her. Punica felt like she was on the verge of something breaking inside of her. She had no idea what it was, but she knew that she could not tolerate this situation for even a second longer. "G- Go to your room, little one. I will bring you your medication when it is done. Be good for me and run along now, will you?" Raqi nodded silently. She did as she was told, taking slow, shaky steps towards the door. Her pace started to quicken after a few steps, and eventually, she managed to straighten her back up into a normal walking posture. When she made it to the door, she slowed down for a moment, looking over her shoulder towards Punica. She did not stop for long, and soon vanished through the door. The moment she had left, Punica heard her footsteps growing faster. It was a long time before Punica made her way back over to the workbench.
Story Recommendation: The Grand Folia Hotel, by keysmasht The Grand Folia Hotel is another classic HDG story from the ReadOnlyMind days. Written fairly on into the setting's development, it has some of that charming 'early HDG' feel to it; particularly with the mention of some things, like its take on class V's, which didn't end up catching on and was eventually replaced with more detailed lore about body-modifications. But beyond that, there's a reason it's considered a classic: At around 65,000 words, it's one of the shorter 'long form' HDG stories, but it's an absolute joy to read nonetheless. The protagonist Phoebe is by far one of the most cooked HDG protags going, and the main affini - Celosia - has to be one of my favourite plants that I've seen so far at the time of writing this review. The dynamic between the two of them is incredibly adorable, as Phoebe finds herself an unwilling participant in a play that she isn't even aware is going on; but eventually comes to love her role in. With a focus on covert conditioning and the brainwashing of an unaware subject, it's got some exceptionally hot hypno scenes in it, as well as a very cute dynamic between the protagonist and the secondary main Terran. Short but sweet, overall I'd highly recommend the story for anyone looking for anything a bit easier to digest than epics like Divaricated and Dog of War. Final Summary: Probably the best illustration I've seen yet of why memory play is so fucking hot.