Pacification

As always, any and all criticism and support is greatly appreciated. I would love to hear how you guys feel about how the story's progressing.

Thanks for reading!

Apo

* * * * *

The morning after I carried Amaki to her room started off much like any other. I went about doing my work as Head of Production as I would any other day. However, I didn't receive word from Amaki's handlers at 12:30 as I was scheduled to. Annoyingly, it wasn't until an hour afterwards that I noticed as I was absorbed in doing paperwork. Usually the handler team that worked directly under me had a stellar track record, and thus I contacted Johnson, the lead of the handler team, to find out what had happened. Calling him on my remote, he picked up before it had even rung once.

"Johnson, you're late. I expected to hear from you over an hour ago. Has Amaki been alone in my Pacification room this whole time?"

"I'm sorry Sir" he responded respectfully. "I thought you were aware of the situation. Apparently it showed signs of being sick at some point last night. As per company policy, it's being kept in an isolation room in the infirmary so as not to infect the other livestock. The medical staff said that-"

Feeling a pit form in my stomach, I cancelled the call and started towards the infirmary. On the way, I accessed our Ortian information database to find Amaki's entries. It seemed that sometime before 4am "Subject 20390-D"'s biomonitor showed increased heartrate and body temperature, indicative of a fever. This triggered an automatic quarantine response, one which I was wasn't alerted about. Sickness was rare in the facility, as it was mostly self-contained and new batches are thoroughly screened for infections. This was the first time one of my personal projects has gotten sick, so I hadn't set up any sort of personal alerts.

When I arrived at the infirmary, I had the staff fill me in on Amaki's condition. Apparently, their scans hadn't found any traces of an Ortian or human-borne disease. The staff had concluded that the symptoms were stress related, but Amaki had been left in isolation while the medical staff ran another battery of tests to confirm. I was advised to cancel all training until she could be given a clean bill of health. While they didn't foresee any danger to myself from interacting with her, they wanted to avoid any possible spread of disease no matter how unlikely. Frustrated, I resigned myself to leave, but not before I checked up on Amaki myself.

Walking down the pure white hallway lined with mostly empty isolation cells, I arrived at the one designated to Amaki. Peering through the narrow window on the door, I was greeted with an equally colourless padded room, furnished only with a small cot bolted to the floor in the corner. Standing out starkly against the expanse of white was a blue figure sitting huddled up on the bed. Dressed only in a white hospital gown and with her back facing the door, her silky blue hair and one arm propped on the bed behind her were all I could make out. I was relieved to see that the staff had at least washed her. I kicked myself for leaving her to be discovered in the middle of the night in the state I'd left her in.

However, looking closer, I noticed a slight swaying of her hair. As if it was being brushed by some artificial breeze. Knowing this was impossible given the nature of the containment cell, I pondered what it could be. After a moment, Amaki's head tilted back to face the ceiling, and it was then that I noticed it wasn't just her hair, but her entire body that was shivering. With the temperature being controlled, that only left one conclusion. She must be in tremendous pain.

Feeling a swell of rage at Amaki's state, I stormed off to confront the doctor in charge of her treatment. If her symptoms were brought on by stress, or because of how I had left her last night, it was no understatement to say that I was the reason she was sick. As the person responsible I couldn't sit idly by as she suffered. Amaki's attending was a long-term employee at the infirmary, Doctor Hadley. When I questioned her, she was adamant in being unaware of any need for painkillers.

"Sir, we haven't been able to find anything wrong with it other than a low-grade fever. If there is no infection present, I don't see any need for that."

"I see. Well I won't allow her to suffer alone in there. There must be something mild that you can give that has a low risk. Give me whatever you can and I'll give it to her myself."

Discounting the doctor's protests, I collected a couple compound painkillers to take back to Amaki's cell. When I returned, the narrow window showed her huddled in the corner just as I'd left her. Before I entered, I used the screen on the wall to activate the cell's intercom.

"Amaki. It's... I have some painkillers for you so I'm coming in. Stay right where you are and don't move."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Amaki's shaking stopped as soon as I said that. She must've been terrified to see the person who inflicted this pain upon her. Adamant to try and help, even if she refused, I unlocked the door and entered. As I heard the door seal shut behind me, Amaki slowly turned to face me. The look on her face instantly told me something was wrong. Her big green eyes had a crazed look to them like a cornered animal, with her pupils contracted into near pinpoints.

Instinctively, I took a small step backwards. However, this prompted Amaki to slide closer and slowly pace towards me. Before I knew it, my back had hit the closed door of the cell and Amaki was getting closer by the second. I was confident that she couldn't have gotten a weapon in, but that did little to abate my fear. From what I could tell, it seemed that the fever and pain had sent her into a delirious state. Right now, the only thing on her mind was taking revenge on me. I had no idea what she was capable of in this moment.

Right as I was in the middle of slowly reaching for the remote in my pocket to call for help, Amaki closed the rest of the distance with one big step. On the balls of her feet, she leaned in close to hold her face an inch from mine. My eyes widened in fear and I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. All my instincts were telling me that I was in danger. Prey in front of a skilled predator. Frozen in fear, I gave up on reaching for my remote in fear of angering her further.

With her eyes scouring over my face as if to take in every last detail, Amaki's face drifted even closer to mine. I felt her hot breath on my chin as she strained to make up for the height difference. As she grew closer, her delicate lips slowly parted giving me glimpse of her sharp teeth. However, what happened next couldn't have surprised me more.

I heard her take a deep inhale through her nose, and suddenly her whole demeanour changed. Her constricted pupils abruptly dilated, and her muscles slackened noticeably. A muffled moan escaped her mouth as her nose lightly brushed against my chin and she inhaled again. She then stepped even closer and let her face drift down towards my chest before resting there comfortably.

Taken aback, and still on high alert, I wasn't sure how to react. In the midst of an adrenaline rush, I had to control my fight or flight response. At any moment I was waiting to feel some impossible shiv slip between my ribs or a chunk to be ripped out of my shoulder by sharp teeth.

Instead, I felt Amaki step closer to press her body against mine. Inhaling deeply as she nuzzled against my chest, she seemed to be trying to have as much of her body in contact with mine as possible. She even wrapped her arms around me in a hug to pull herself closer. All of a sudden, the huntress had turned into a kitten seeking attention.

Gingerly, I lifted a hand to lay on Amaki's head. When she felt it come into contact, she flinched slightly before pressing back up into it, encouraging me to continue. Seeing her positive response, I dropped the painkillers in my other hand into my pocket and rested it on her lower back. Petting her slowly and gently, I did my best to calm her and my racing heart down.

Every now and then Amaki would let out an adorable whimper pressed against me. As I stroked her hair, the smell of sweat with the familiar scent of Amaki's sandalwood-like perfume mixed in began to waft up to me. For a moment or two, I lost myself in the repetitiveness of my hand movement and of monitoring of Amaki's reactions.

We stood like this for a while, with Amaki melting more into me with each passing moment. However, I soon noticed a change in the tone of her whimper. They seemed to be growing more urgent in nature, as if the pain was returning. I suddenly became blindingly aware of Amaki's heat seeping into me from her touch, even through my suit. It was possible that her fever had worsened with her exertion, a thought which snapped me out of reverie.

Concerned for her safety, but also not wanting to upset her, I slowly lowered myself down to her level. Once I felt one of Amaki's stubby horns poke my jaw, I shifted myself so that Amaki's could rest her head against my shoulder instead of my chest. Then, in one swift motion, I shifted Amaki's weight and hooked my arms under her such that I was carrying her just like I had the previous night.

Walking over to the cot in the room's corner, I carefully laid Amaki down, making sure not to wake her, before standing up and moving for the door. I was stopped by a light tug on my shirt's sleeve. Turning around, I saw Amaki sitting partly up with her hand stopping me from leaving and her now fluttering eyes locked on mine. If I didn't know better, I would almost say that she was pouting.

Not wanting her to stand up and risk hurting herself even more, I moved back towards the cot. As I got closer, Amaki eased herself back down so that her head was resting on the small pillow as I sat down. It was only then that she released her grip on me. Unsure of what to do, I timidly returned my hand to her head and resumed my petting from where we left off. That she seemed to calm her as the slight frown on her face softened into a peaceful smile and her eyes drifted shut.

For a moment, I was captivated by the serene beauty of Amaki's appearance. Like a sleeping princess, breathing softly as I stroked her silky hair. Flushed from the fever, her skin was a shade of blue darker than normal. Studying her closely like this, it felt like I was really seeing her face for the first time. Her delicate yet refined bone structure. Her slender lips parting slightly with each breath. Her elegantly straight nose. For a moment, I felt a desire to wake her just so I could look properly into her eyes.

However, I couldn't let myself get distracted. With my other hand I took out my remote and used it to call a doctor to Amaki's cell. After a moment, the door opened and I was greeted by the sight of Doctor Hadley. She seemed to be taken aback for a moment at the sight of me comforting the resting Amaki, before a slight scowl crept over her face.

I explained that I was worried Amaki's symptoms were worsening and asked her to give her a check-up. After leaving to get some sort of handheld scanner, Hadley entered the cell and moved to stand beside the cot. She seemed to be waiting for me to move away, but after I showed no signs of stopping she let out a weak sigh and crouched down anyway. Amaki shifted slightly when the cool metal of the scanner rested against her forehead, but otherwise didn't react. A couple seconds later, the scanner let out a soft beep and began to display the information that it had collected.

"Hmm, you're right" Hadley notified me. "It seems that its fever is worsening. Its test results came back negative again so we can rule out any infections or parasites. But we still can't find a definitive source for its symptoms. For the time being, I'd suggest returning it to its quarters and observing it for any changes. I'll administer a light tranquilizer and call the handlers to transport her."

From the side of the handheld device, a circular pad was revealed. The doctor pressed this against Amaki's neck, and after a small whooshing noise, Amaki's breathing began to slow down. Frustrated at my helplessness in the situation, I stood up from the cot and thanked Dr Hadley before moving to leave.

As I was leaving the room, I glanced back at Amaki lying in the cot. For the first time, I noticed some sort of damp patch on the front of her white gown. It didn't seem to be urine, as I hadn't smelled any. Thus, I concluded that it must've been an unfortunately placed sweat stain and left the room, returning to my office.

For the rest of the day, my concentration was broken by intruding thoughts of Amaki's safety and wellbeing. I resigned myself to trusting that she was in good hands, and that I would be able to check up on her myself the following day.

* * * * *

I awoke early the next morning after a restless night. The first thing I did was ask for an update on Amaki's condition from the night staff. I was relieved to hear that her fever had died down somewhat overnight, yet I wouldn't be able to relax until I saw her for myself. While normally I would spend the first part of my day doing paperwork and touring the facility, I knew that I wouldn't be able to focus on work. And so, after showering and getting dressed, I made my way straight to Amaki's room. I was greeted outside her room by a member of the medical staff about to leave, no doubt having just finished a check-up.

"Oh, good morning Sir. We weren't expecting to see you until this afternoon."

"Yes, I had an opening in my schedule so I thought I'd come and see how my project is getting along."

"Well you'll be glad to hear that the subject seems to be on the road towards making a full recovery. Its fever has broken, so we'll keep it under observation for a day or two. But if all goes well you should be able to resume its training by tomorrow."

"Good. Thank you for your work."

Not in the mood to continue talking, I brushed past him and opened the door to Amaki's room. I was met with the sight of Amaki wearing a light hospital gown sitting bent over on the edge of her small bed. When she heard the door open Amaki raised her head, no doubt expecting to see the young attendant who had just left. When instead she made eye contact with me, her breath hitched and she sat up straight. After a moment of awkward silence, I closed the door behind me and spoke up.

"Good morning Amaki. I'm glad to see that you're doing well... You had me worried."

I was surprised to see Amaki blush at what I thought was a fairly banal greeting. She quickly looked at the floor to hide her face.

"Thank you Sh-" she mumbled, before cutting herself off.

After a pause, Amaki shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and her face hardened. She then raised her head to look up at me resolutely.

"Vat did you make them do to me?" she questioned accusatorily.

Right as I was about to apologise for getting Amaki sick, I noted the wording of her question.

"Amaki... Did they- Did the doctors do something to you? Did they hurt you? Or... touch you?

As I asked that, I stepped towards the bed. However, Amaki flinched and drew back when I moved closer.

"I do not remember it, but you did something. I do not feel right. Shomething in my head. I checked for scars but could not find any. Did you make me forget somehow? Ish that your sick new game?"

I was taken aback by Amaki's outburst. I was positive that the medical staff wouldn't have perform any sort of surgery or training on her without me hearing about it. And it didn't seem she was referring to my mistreatment that got her sick. So then what could she be referring to?

"Amaki, slow down. You're tired, and probably on some painkillers. I promise you, you haven't undergone any surgery, and I haven't made you forget anything. Why don't you explain to me what's wrong?"

"You are lying! I do not know what you did, but I remember you coming to see me afterwards. I was all fuzzy and I could not focus, sitting in that horribly bright room. And no matter how much I tried I could not make myself c-... And then you came in, and... and pressed something. Or they did, watching outside. You made me feel all... slow. And happy. And then...

Now I was starting to get worried. She was growing paranoid and delirious. But there was nothing I could do to stop her runaway train of thought.

"And then again when you walked in just now! After that pootcha poked me all over, you come in and suddenly I am all... fluffy. And warm. That must be it! A drug! You are drugging me just before I see you!"

Seemingly satisfied with her conclusion, Amaki stopped ranting and looked to me for a response. Ignoring her referring to the nurse I had passed as a 'pootcha', an Ortian curse, I attempted to decipher what Amaki had just said.

It seemed that she was describing a process not dissimilar to the Pacification process, except with physical substances rather than the Pacifier and training. However, drugs and other substances hadn't been used in Ortian training in years. They were too crude and difficult to control for, especially when training large batches. Personally, I'd never used them during any of my projects. And thus Amaki's accusation confused me ever more.

"Amaki. Like I've said, you're under a light sedative and not thinking straight. I promise you, on my word, that you're not currently undergoing any kind of training."

As I spoke calmly and did my best to reassure her, I slowly approached Amaki until I was able to carefully sit beside her on the bed. While she seemed to have cooled down somewhat, she still demanded an answer.

"You must have done something. I can still feel it. In my head, and my chest. Is it on you? Some sort of scent?"

Amaki suddenly leaned forward to take a deep breath close to my chest. However, she didn't lean back right away. Instead she stayed in that position, inhaling slowly and methodically. Looking down at her in surprise I felt a sense of déjà vu. Amaki continued, inhaling deeply every couple seconds.

"Yes. This must be it. It is stronger now. But your scent is not different. It is just... deeper. More..."

As she trailed off, I carefully rested my hands on the soft linen on Amaki's shoulders. I needed to break her out of this train of thought. As she felt my hands make contact, Amaki raised her head to look me in the eye.

Suddenly, I became hyper aware of just how close we were together. Sitting beside each other on the single bed, Amaki had moved closer to be able to smell me. That meant that her face was currently mere inches from my face. As I looked deep into her eyes, and her into mine, Amaki's face slowly softened and her pupils dilated.

Still breathing slowly and deeply, Amaki began to creep forward, placing her hand on the bed beside me to support herself as her face drew closer and closer to mine. Without noticing, I began to do the same. Then Amaki 's eyes fluttered shut and her lips parted.

The next thing I knew, we were locked in a deep kiss. I raised my hand to cup Amaki's chin as she drew in even closer to me. We let our tongues dance together, as Amaki let out a throaty moan and pushed into me even more. Letting myself fall backwards so that my back rested against the wall, Amaki swung her leg around so that she was sitting in my lap.

Losing myself in the moment, I let my hands roam freely over Amaki's lithe body. Running them through her silky hair and down her back to squeeze her butt. I tried to take in as much of her as I could. Amaki did the same to me, alternating between grabbing tufts of my hair and holding my waist to pull herself closer. Her aggressiveness only made me crave her even more.

After an indistinct amount of time, I managed to control myself enough to push Amaki away. Connected to mine by a string of saliva, Amaki's mouth was hanging open and her eyes were open but unfocused. Catching my breath, I spoke.