“Will you tell me where were going already?” Aisell spoke with merriment in her voice as she was pulled off the domestic commuter shuttle to the very outskirts of the city center.

“You don’t know?!” Bedra sighed with a longfull woe. “We only used to do this like every day!” Bedra smiled a little and made a cheeky face.

Aisell pursed her lips in thought and looked onto her shoulder where Degu was perched.

“Don’t ask me! I never know where we’re going!” The chipper human shrugged and latched onto the fabric of Aisell’s shirt for support as she began to move faster.

“Any further and we’ll be in the residential districts!” Aisell hummed. “Are we visiting a friend of yours?” Aisell lit up as she wagered a guess.

“Nooo.” Bedra hummed as they crossed the cobblestone under-road and made their way down a well-kept commuter through fair.

There were a few low riding hover bikes near their level, and a few personal transportation mobiles, which looked somewhat like round foot pads attached by a flexible wire. The rider would mount them with magnetic struts on their boots, and maneuver the board with their body to decide direction and speed. It was a hovercraft capable of reaching heights as bold as the rider was willing and was a useful tool for young Titans who were not permitted to use a shuttle or a hover bike. Aisell had always been fond of them, and owned a few of her own. They were less popular now a days.

“Ok I give up, where are we going?” Aisell sighed, after few solemn moments of intense and deliberate thought.

“Well were nearly there so you won’t have to wait long! We used to love coming here as kids, I can’t believe you forgot about this!” Bedra sighed, a little disappointed.

“All she can think about is him!” Degu huffed and made a sour face at Aisell.

Bedra snickered and Aisell kept quiet. She wanted to tell Degu to hush his big fat yap! But she held back, she didn’t want to upset him, he wasn’t lile Luke, and that was an issue that plagued her hard enough. He wasn’t like Luke…was he?

If he was like Luke, then when he said something insensitive, she could call him on it. When he acted rude and selfish she could berate him and hold him accountable. If he was just like Luke, she didn’t have to spare his feelings; as if he was an equal there was absolutely no reason to shield him from reality, as her and Bedra often did. All pet owners did really.

But what if he wasn’t? As far as she knew, Degu didn’t possess any desires for freedom; he didn’t long for a life outside of what he had. The thought of ‘independence’ didn’t excite him. The idea of a life lived in captivity didn’t depress him…as far as she knew. Degu didn’t even want to be like Luke, did he? She had never thought to ask. Had Bedra? Did she even care?

Bedra took off at a near jog, she let go of Aisell’s hand and skipped off down the path. “Oh I can see it from here!” Bedra spoke with all the excitement of a young girl at an amusement park.

“Degu…do you ever wonder what it would be like to be like me and Bedra?” Aisell asked the moment Bedra was out of ear shot. “Do you ever wonder what it would be like, to be free?”

Degu looked confused and mystified. He simply narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. “I don’t understand? Free to do what? Like you how? I don’t think I wanna look like you cuz you’re a girl!” Degu laughed.

“No, not like that Degu…I mean…um…well….” Aisell pressed her lips together and thought for a moment. “Well, free to do whatever you want. Like Bedra and I are. Free to not have an owner.” Aisell nodded, pleased with her rephrasing of the question. She was looking for Degu to affirm her suspicions, to give her the answer that would justify how she felt inside.

“Why would I want that? How would I eat? How would I go anywhere? That would be very dangerous! It’s cold outside at night and there are big animals that would eat me!” Degu responded, mildly confused still. “Anyhow I can do whatever I want anyhow! Bedra lets me!” Degu stated, somewhat contradictory.

“Well…no, I mean you are owned by Bedra, she makes choices for you.” Aisell was disappointed she didn’t receive the answer she was looking for.

“Only the really important ones, she always asks me what I want first.” Degu smiled.

“Yes ok but your still not free right? I mean don’t you ever just want to be free?”Aisell sighed, trying to redirect him back on target.

“Free to do what?” Degu repeated frustrated.

“Whatever you want?”

“I always do what I want!” Degu grumbled.

“No, without having to ask Bedra first I mean.” Aisell rubbed her temple.

“If I don’t ask how will I know if it’s safe or not?” Degu challenged back.

“You’d decide for yourself if you think it’s safe and then you’d do what you like, when you like it. You would be able to come and go when you please, live with whomever you want, where ever you want. You would be just like me, free. Don’t you ever want that?” Aisell asked hopefully.

“How would I go anywhere? Everywhere is so far away…how would I do anything without help? Everything is so big. Why would I want to go someplace without Bedra? That’s dangerous. I’d get eaten by a Shaar or lost. That not very safe Aisell….” Degu went on.

“Degu…you’re not understanding my question hon….” Aisell moaned.

“I think I understand…but why would I want to do these scary things you want me to do? Alone I can’t do these things, not without getting hurt a lot.” Degu was calmer now, but still mildly annoyed.

“Well, you’d have help if you wanted it.” Aisell offered, she was much more conflicted now than she haf been before.

“I have help Aisell. Bedra helps me.” Degu sighed, he was getting frustrated.

“She owns you, you don’t have a choice.” Aisell found herself getting argumentative.

“So, if I am free I need to ask someone for help anyhow right?” Degu asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Well likely yes if you wanted to live here in Archavia you’d need to ask for help yes….” Aisell was cut off.

“Then how is that different than what Bedra does for me? She helps me, keeps me safe, we talk, she’s really nice and lets me do things. I don’t NEED to ask anyone b’cuz I got her.” Degu nodded.

“Because she has to, she owns you….” Aisell dared suggest.

“She loves me, she helps me because she’s nice and she’s bigger and she can do things I can’t!” Degu huffed defiantly.

“Can she? Why can’t you do whatever she can?” Aisell asked with ferocity.

“Because I’m small and things are a lot harder when you small!” Degu shot back angry. “Don’t you ever need help? You asked Leezee for a lot of help with Luke? You couldn’t handle that on your own without help? See even Titans need help right? Right?” Degu asked genuine.

Aisell took a controlled breath. She wanted so badly to be right, for Degu to have an epiphany right then and there, but he was resistant, and he had a point or two. “I guess sometimes but….” Aisell gave her head a shake, Degu cut her off again.

“If I just goed away and did what I wanted I’d get hurt. Bedra wouldn’t know where I wuz and she’d worry. I’d get lost b’cuz I don’t know where I’m going, I’d get hungry b’cuz I’m too small to find my own food, I can’t reach where Bedra keeps it anyhow! I can’t use the big machines Bedra can. If them things were small like me I could, but there not. It’s scary when everything is so big! But it ain’t cary cuz Bedra is nice and she takes care of me! I don’t want her not to b’cuse then I’d have to do all them things myself and I can’t cuz it’s all too big!” Degu sighed, he was really worked up.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to upset you Degu…I…”

“You want me to go away? Why can’t Bedra look after me? Why is that bad? She does a good job!” Degu seemed to be ignoring Aisell now.

“Yes I know hon she does but….” Aisell tried to interject.

“I want her too! What if I want her to? That’s my choice too right? I’m being free if I make that choice too right? I am arn’t I?” Degu asked genuinely.

“I…well I don’t know…I suppose…but…oh…I don’t know Degu!” Aisell threw her hands in the air and sighed.

“You’re confusing! Stop asking stupid questions! Bedra is ahead of us! Walk faster so we can catch up! I’m free-ing by asking you to move faster!” Degu grumbled.

Aisell grumbled under her breath as she looked on ahead for her wayward friend. “That’s now how you use the word free….”

“Whatever!” Degu grumbled right back.

“Where did she go?” Aisell asked as she looked around at the strip of commercial buildings.

Degu leaned off her shoulder a little and narrowed his eyes. Suddenly he pointed to a building with a green and white sign. On the sign was a symbol of an out stretched hand with two small human analogs sitting neatly in the center of the hand. Underneath the symbol were the letters ‘HOS’ with the words ‘Adoption and Surrendering depo’ written under the main lettering. “She went in there!” Degu beamed proudly.

Aisell’s stomach dropped as she looked towards the Human Owners society Adoption depo with horror. This was the last place she wanted to be now, or ever.

***

Darren grumbled and sat back against what he assumed was a salt shaker, well it likely had a spice or some sort in it and it was likely salt-like!

“Ya just ate, why are ya stoppe’n fer food again?!” Darren took a long drag from his cigar, he only had a few left but felt no real desire to ration them. After all these aliens had to have something for him to smoke, it was just a matter of obtaining it! “At this rate we’ll get to our new home sum’time next year!” Darren grumbled.

“It’s so cool! They have these machines all over the place! I insert my card, press a button and the machine gives me food! It’s so neat!” Eyrn tittered as she munched on a piece of flat bread, after dipping it in a green curry smelling paste.

“It’s called a vending machine…we got those back home Twat…t’aint nothing special.” Darren spoke, amused.

“Yes but I can work these ones!” Eyrn stuck her tongue out defiantly.

“Keep worken them snack machines an yer gonna be a Tubby-twat!” Darren chuckled and looked about, leaning his weight on his knees as he sat.

“Oh piss off and let me enjoy my…my…green…stuff….” Eyrn took a begrudging bite of her flat bread and made a sour face at the sarge.

“So ya figure out where we are yer?” Darren clicked his tongue off his teeth and cracked his neck.

“Yup! We are in residential district 89….” Eyrn beamed.

“See, all ya hadda do was ask fer directions!” Darren grinned smugly.

Eyrn dipped a piece of bread as big as Darren in the paste then threw it intentionally at him, knocking him on to his side and covering him with green paste and strong smelling spice that had a very Indian inspired smell.

“Bah! Fuggoff you!” Darren cursed as he righted himself quickly, for pride’s sake, and narrowed his eyes furiously.

“Got something on your cheek there….” Eyrn casually pointed out; in truth Darren was nearly covered in the paste now.

“I bet ah do!” Darren seethed.

Eyrn casually ran her finger across Darren’s cheek, and then sucked up a bit of the sauce, with an amused look.

“Screw off!” Darren reached for the large napkin that had accompanied the packaged food Eyrn purchased from the outdoor canteen, and began to clean himself off with the corner.

“Need some help?” Eyrn calmly asked as she took a drink from the greenish tinted water.

“No!” Darren mumbled.

“That wasn’t very nice.” A voice came from behind; it was a Titan voice, male.

Eyrn turned to find the source of the voice. A middle aged man with short black hair, grey eyes and an Asian look to him was standing close to a nearby table. He wore a blue uniform with a symbol on it that matched the sign on the canteen entrance. It was an outdoor patio that served as an automated eating establishment. He appeared to be some sort of canteen cleaner or care taker.

“She’s always mean’t me!” Darren spoke in his best most practiced ‘give me sympathy’ voice. He had picked up a few tricks with the nurses based on their less than stellar view on his species. But as a soldier, he was clever with that…he didn’t have to agree with his lot in this world in order to use it for his own personal gain. If they were gullible enough to fall for it, it made him feel like -he- was using -them-, and that made him smile.

“Oh! I am not!” Eyrn defended herself, swallowing her mouthful quickly and sending Darren a glare.

The cleaning steward looked with concern and approached the table; he seemed to focus totally on Darren, crouching down to near eye level. “Does she? Well that’s not good Lil dude! What else does she do to you!?” The man’s voice was a cross between annoyed and adoring as he spoke down to Darren like he was a small child.

“Darren you turd don’t tell lies!” Eyrn defended once again.

“Well, she calls me names, and throws food at me! Oh and she talks mean’t me too!” Darren sent Eyrn a look, hidden with an extremely apparent sense of amusement. “She don’t ever let me do anything an’she never gives me anything’t plat wit!” Darren made a sad face and looked back to Eyrn, pawing for sympathy.

“I do not! Darren!” Eyrn seethed. “I mean I do give you stuff and I don’t do all those mean things…urg cut it out…don’t believe him he’s fibbing!” Eyrn looked towards the man, pleading for understanding.

“That’s horrible! She doesn’t hurt you does she?” The man narrowed his eyes almost viciously to Eyrn, who gasped and looked positively offended at the very idea.

“Well, no…but she yells at me a lot!” Darren grinned but buried it quickly. he wanted to have fun, not get her in trouble. “It’s scary!”

“That’s just mean spirited lil’fella!” The man stood, and crossed his arms, peering down at Eyrn with disdain.

“I didn’t…he’s lying!” Eyrn sighed.

“I have half a mind to report you! Honestly as if mistreating a poor helpless human isn’t bad enough, dressing him up in those silly rags and then accusing the poor thing of lying! He’s a human! What reason does it have to lie?” The man’s voice was nearly teeming.

“Wait what?” Eyrn’s mood switched on a dime; she looked back almost daring the man to speak again.

Darren’s attention shifted from the ‘mook’ he was ‘playing’ to Eyrn, whose tone of voice worried him. She was talking far too calmly and deadpan for his liking.

“Well look at him!” The man gestured towards Darren. “He’s just a lil’human! Why would he want to lie!? He’s just a human!” The man defended his stand and shifted his weight.

“He’s just being silly…arn’t you Darren.” Eyrn spoke, biting her tongue…hard.

Darren sent Eyrn a look that begged her to calm down, and then looked to the overly concerned man, deciding to keep his facade up for now.

“I like games….” Darren responded whimsically.

“You knocked him over, you threw food at him…he could have been seriously injured.” The Janitor spoke up again, not convinced. “He seemed plenty upset to me! What if he fell off the table?”

“He’s fine!” Eyrn grunted.

The Janitor knelt down again and looked to Darren, looking him over long and hard. “If she is hurting you, I can take you someplace that you can be safe. Do you want that lil’fella? I can take you away from this mean mean lady and bring you someplace safe? Hmmm?” The man asked, without so much as sending Eyrn a second look.

Darren inward regretted his trickery and wanted nothing more now than to take it back. He actually felt a little uneasy with the prospect of being taken away from Eyrn. Frustrated, he was determined to back pedal his way out somehow.

“Nooo! I like Eyrn…she is nice!” Darren looked to Eyrn apologetically.

Eyrn looked about ready to throttle the Janitor, suddenly grinned and crossed her arms coyly. “Oh, so I’m nice now am I? You like me suddenly eh?” Eyrn was filled with confidence.

The man looked to Eyrn and then back to Darren, waiting for his answer.

“Well…yea…” Darren stumbled over his words.

“What about all those mean things you said? Don’t I yell and talk mean to you and make you feel bad?” Eyrn asked condescendingly. “I thought I was ‘scary’.” Eyrn spoke with a mock cackle in her voice.

“Well no not really….” Darren grumbled, not appreciating the spin this whole thing was taking.

“Well you said them…if I am so mean maybe you should go with the nice man Darren, hmmm?” Eyrn almost broke out laughing. “He said he can take you someplace nice!” Eyrn almost huffed, she was just a little bit mad, but mostly now she was just enjoying herself.

“Danget you know ah wuz just played ya twat!” Darren snapped with a bit of a growl.

The Janitor looked more confused than ever and eyed both Darren and Eyrn as if they were a circus act.

“He means, he was lying!” Eyrn looked to the uniformed cleaner with a grin.

The cleaning man looked back to Darren for confirmation.

“Yea…ah wuz….” Darren sighed.

“Mmhmmm….” Eyrn huffed smugly.

“Oh…well…well you still have to be gentler with your human! Throwing things at him is not ok!” The man spoke, salvaging some of his dignity.

“Right, I’ll keep that in mind then.” Eyrn chimed in, almost singing.

“And you should get your human some obedience training! Humans shouldn’t lie!” The man stood and straightened his shirt, sending Darren a dirty look.

“I think I will look into it! Thank you for the advice.” Eyrn smiled formally as the man walked off, looking quite annoyed.

There was a long awkward silence between Darren and Eyrn. Once they did make eye contact however, they both broke into hysterics.

“Yer a smart ass! Ya know that Twat! A clever fuckin pain in the ass, but a smart ass!” Darren spoke between laughing.

“Thanks Sarge! Learned from the best!” Eyrn took a drink and sat back in her chair with a proud grin.

***

“I don’t know about this Bedra, I mean this feels wrong. Should we be here? Why don’t we go somewhere else?” Aisell protested nervously as she wrung her hands together and bit her lower lip. She felt out of place, very uncomfortable and out of place.

Bedra made a tired face and walked back to Aisell with determination. “Oh will you stop complaining!” Bedra made a frustrated grasp at her friends arm and pulled her towards the front door of the HOS building.

Aisell wiggled like a worm on a hook and begrudgingly followed Bedra past the clear sliding glass doors to the pristine, clean and immaculate front lobby. There was soft welcoming music playing, foliage and other such adornments, a comfortable couch set around a center low table with various holographic pamphlets and information programs set on repeat. The walls had posters of humans, and various inspirational slogans, philosophies and mottos posted underneath.

“Kindness in all we do….”

“Say no to Human Abuse!”

“Help Control the pet population! Get your human serialized!”

“A home for every human and a human for every home!”

The largest said was the HOS personal mission statement ‘Compassion, Welfare, Protection’. It made Aisell a little sick to her stomach, and caused her to pull her hands into her sleeves.

“Don’t you remember coming here like twice a week when we were kids? We used to play with the abandoned humans and give them cute little names, take them for play time in the park and even on day trips! It was so fun!” Bedra tittered as she skipped over to the front desk, where a receptionist.

“I remember.” Aisell whispered, her face looked guilty, as if she had betrayed Luke by even being here. She thought back to all the humans she had ever owned, played with, dressed up, locked in cages while she went off to do other things. She thought of all of them, and it made her want to throw up. How could she have been so thoughtless, so ignorant? So horrible? It was no wonder Luke hated her, hated all of her kind. They were monsters, and they didn’t even know it!

Bedra spoke with the receptionist for a moment, as Aisell tormented herself mentally, the excited and flamboyant voice of her close friend however broke her from her trance and she looked to Bedra, who was now standing right in front of her.

“They said we can go in!” Bedra nearly leaped and clapped her hands excitedly.

“I…go in…w…wait what?” Aisell backed away slowly, robotically she reached onto her shoulder and swipped Degu off, offering him silently to Bedra.

Bedra gently took her human in her palm and held him gently, stroking his back as she kept her eyes locked on Aisell. “Go in! You know? Visit the humans they have up for adoption? They said they are actually only at half capacity, 34 up for adoption, and we can go see them!” Bedra smiled. “Just like when we were kids!” Bedra set Degu on her shoulder and looked back to Aisell. “What’s wrong Ais? Don’t you wanna go in?”

Aisell opened her mouth, but it was dry and parched. She had for a moment thought she could do this, for a quick moment she thought maybe it would be ok, after all those humans would have been abandoned and forgotten even if she had not been there to visit them, right? They were lonely and liked to be played with and fawned over…right?

“Bedra this is wrong….” Aisell whispered.

Bedra stood her ground and returned Aisell’s statement with a glower. “How is it wrong Aisell? Because HE says it is? Because whiney Luke had a hissie fit!” Bedra tried to keep her voice low, but she was growing sick of Aisell’s moping.

“No, yes…I don’t know…maybe…I…just don’t feel right about it Bedra…c…can we go? Please?” Aisell pleaded her voice desperate.

“No, you know what, no! I want to see the humans and spend some time here, because there lonely and need to be loved! I’m not going to let your whiney little…PET guilt me away from something I like to do.” Bedra proclaimed boldly.

“Bedra I told you he isn’t a pet….” Aisell kept her voice down, she didn’t want to fight, she was drained and tired of fighting. Everyone wanted to fight, wanted a go at her, Aisell was just empty, she had no fight left in her.

“Fine, but I don’t understand why you can’t do this? We always used to do this! Is it better to just leave them here and forget about them? There are 34 humans back there who will likely spend the rest of their lives in this facility because of irresponsible owners who gave them up! Should we just leave them alone and forget about them because it makes LUKE feel bad?” Bedra asked, calmer.

“No! I didn’t say that…I…I don’t know Bedra…ok? I just don’t! But I can’t be here right now ok!” Aisell backed away and out the sliding glass door as it opened for her. She watched Bedra just stand there, looking back at her, just as lost and confused as she was.

As the doors slid shut, Aisell felt a churning feeling overcome her. She had to get back to Luke, she had to tell him how wrong she had been, how horrible she was to take him to such a terrible place against his will! She had to apologies for not trying harder, thinking harder, making something happen! She had to apologies for abducting him and sticking him in the lowest pit of hell he could descend to!

“I made a terrible mistake….” Aisell whispered as she began to run, she had to get home…she had to make this right, even if that meant taking him back to Titan station where he could be where he felt he belonged, anything had to be better than this!