My Lamia part 4

   Arthur Durande brings up the teleporter controls of the enclosure system, "I see," he says aloud to himself, "okay, so they set the teleporter for the *special feeding* I told them about, but to NOW, and..." he types in a few spaces, "Synth-Chimp"...."I don't have..."

  He pauses and looks at the monitor showing the girl in the enclosure eating a fruit with the Naga, "What the fu....oh...right....never mind that...the Synth Chimp...he must have labeled the girl's stasis pod that...make sense...one way to get past with minimal DNA scans and minimal DNA cover-ups. But I had him put her in there when I wanted, so the feeding system is off from that handler programing it into a regular feeding time and....who the hell is that?"

   ******

   A group of about six men enters the feed pen area with Robert leading the way.

   "Sheesh," says one of the men, "I thought you said Durande had an ecosystem enclosure, why'd he keep all these animals in here then?"

   "Because he's full of it," says Robert, "now we need to move quickly, load up what we came for and get out of here."

   "You sure he's gone?" says one of the others, "thought you said he had some *special feeding* thing going on today...whatever *that's* code for."

   "Look," says Robert accessing a drone camera, "the lights are off, so whatever he was up to its over now. Now Steve read back the load list."

   "By order of the United World's government animals determined to be at least sub-sentient..."

   "Past that," says Robert with a *sigh*, "what we came for,"

  "Right, sorry," says Steve, "Load up four Living Tongues from this area, regular crews will get the rest through ordinary channels, this area is...suspicious and off the books so...oh...says here he also has a Poly Parrot Pal,"

   "Those are intelligent?" asks one of the others bringing in some cage crates on hover-dollies towards the Living Tongue pen, "I thought they were just programmed birds for museums and zoos and stuff..."

   "Well, guess they're smarter than we thought and..." he types on the drone access panel.

   Robert's face turns solemn, "shit...she got it...finally...but damn bad timing, poor little bastard."

  "What?" asks Steve.

  "Poor little bastard was in there for months," says Robert, "I should know, wanted to get it out as an act of mercy as it was constantly on the feed list...but...huh...that's odd."

   Robert accesses the cameras by the gates, "Guess the special was getting the Lamia and the Naga together...he opened their enclosures together, and according to the drone log the Naga got the Poly Parrot."

  "So everything is in here then? Just a handful of Living Tongues?"

  "No...," says Robert, "this log says a Synth-Chimp was dropped into the enclosure this afternoon...oh shit THAT was the special feed, huh the log says it was scheduled for an hour from now...but manual..."

  "Hold on," says one of the others as he lowers a cage crate before the Living Tongue pen, "A chimp? Aren't those already registered as intelligent? Even a synthetic is just like a clone right so how'd he?"

  "Illegally," says Steve, "well illegal as of three days ago, this moon and any manufacturers on it weren't covered till three days ago, but enforcement is...."

  They all yell out at once as their feet are stuck to the floor and they can't move.

  "Now what do we have here?" asks the voice of Arthur Durande over the intercom, and bringing up a video of himself on the monitors, "some alien or synthetics' rights activists? Nice rhetoric you had there...but this is the first I've heard of any such...changes to the laws. Not that it matters. Now...what to do with you...ah...my pets may have passed up on that woman...but I know for a fact they attack men on sight..."

   He fiddles with some controls and they hear the teleporter start up in the feeding pen room, "This should take care of..."

  The teleporter dies down, "What the fuck?! exclaims Arthur Durande."

  "That will be enough that," comes a man's voice.

  "Mr. Durande?" asks Robert, "Tod Durande?"

  "Exactly," says Tod, "you know father, also yes this is now a three way call,"

  His image shows up on the monitor, and while the teleporter has been deactivated, the restraints have now.

   "What are you doing Tod?" asks Arthur, "and what did you hear?"

   "As I was saying," says Tod, "father, I have been here for hours now, recording everything you have been doing and watching by the way, was going for a vote of no confidence for your position on the board given your frivolous use of company funds....we could do so much with this enclosure as a safari park....but...I digress....I thought you were roleplaying this whole time. Even with our agent, given some of your....external monologues...seriously father....you never thought you could be bugged? Any ways, I had my suspicions that you had actually gone insane and....well...let's let your guest in on this shall we?"

   "You little bastard?!" yells Arthur Durande.

   ******

   The Lights come up in the enclosure, waking up Kristi and her two lovers.

   "Greetings," comes a man's voice, "I am Tod Durande, miss if you could please tell us your name?"

   "Kristi," she says looking around and covering her self not sure which direction she is being watched in.

   "Kristi," says Tod, "do you know where you are?"

   "Did you put me here?" asks Kristi.

   "No," says Tod, "my father did, he apparently wanted to watch you be eaten."

   "Double-m's don't hurt people," says Kristi.

   A holographic projection of an old man appears in the enclosure in front of them, Kristi jumps back as the two are quick to slither between her and it and smash their tails down on the ground, only stopping their assault when the hologram vanishes.

   "Holy shit," says Kristi...as does the men she doesn't know about and can't hear also watching this scene.

   "They are feral," says Tod, "they spared you...well apparently because you have the same scent they do."

   "What?" asks Kristi, "because I'm a woman...or just not a hologram, that didn't prove..."

   "What is the last thing you remember before waking up in there?" asks Tod.

  "I was at the club," says Kristi, "had some drinks and I guess passed out."

  "Club," says Tod, "that is why you were so cheap."

  "Excuse me?!" exclaims Kristi, her tone causing the Lamia and Naga to get riled up hissing at the ceiling in the direction of the voice.

  "Sorry," says Tod, "guess I should make this more apparent first, Kristi, you worked at a stasis shipping warehouse for Bio-framing United, on...let's see here, ah, on Ceres."

  *in the feed pen where Kristi's side is cut off from hearing them but they can hear her, Robert says, "oh shit."*

  "Now Kristi," continues Tod, "where were you born?"

  "What does that have..."

  "Please answer the question, also to save time tell me your mother's maiden name, the name of your first pet, childhood friend before high school, and the name of your first grade teacher?"

  "What?" asks Kristi who stops to think and realizes she doesn't know any of those.

  "Kristi, this is going to feel weird but, DurandePhoenix1375...Kristi Omar, lift left arm."

  Kristi's left arm raises on its own startling her.

  "Release control." says Tod, and her arm is back under her own power.

  "What...what..." stammers Kristi.

  "Our friends," says Tod, "listening in, in the feed pen have already guessed it. You are a replicant, an artificial facsimile of a human being. Created as labor in the expanding colonies. You are given basic memories as adult functional humans can't fit into society or work with others as it were without them...also keeps the regular employees from realizing they are working beside artificial people...bioroids...bio-androids...replicants, whatever buzz word people want to use for what you are...it tends to un-nerve them, and causes labor union commotions; even though the labor unions are aware it is legal in places such as Ceres. You are programmed also in ways to keep your basic learning behaviors from figuring it out...distractions, hobbies, addictions to various forms of entertainment, things to take up your off time and not socialize with anyone."

   Kristi is thinking of her life, her only clear memories going back a few years.

   "You, it says here," he can be heard to thumb through something, "were designed to take up knitting, a...strange hobby, but apparently you malfunctioned and stopped doing that and started to leave your apartment on weekends and go clubbing. As a malfunctioning unit we were able to purchase you rather cheap and have you brought here for...excuse me. Father..."

  Tod can still be heard by all three parties as he addresses Arthur Durande, "I can't believe you actually thought our supplier would bring you an actual living human being to be fed the Lamia or the Naga....you do know they are designed to not like the taste of human cells and even have a simulated illness reaction to consuming living human cells. It would get as far as the arm down the throat part...remember...and it would have started to gag....not that THAT would have stopped them from just crushing someone in there and trying to eat them...just not succeeding at it. But still....he thought you were roleplaying, lucky for you or the cops would have been called in months ago."

   "Months," says Arthur Durande speaking up, "Wait....he got her that quickly? Then where..."

   "Stasis transport," says Tod, "even with it being perfectly legal...for here...just...kind of messed up and a huge waste of money, it took some wrangling around given some laws at relay stations, but...never mind, not important. What is important is that you thought she was human, which means sadly...well..."

   Arthur Durande's office locks on him.

   "You little shit!," exclaims Arthur Durande, "after everything...." *click*

  "Enough of that," says Tod, "one trashed office, the authorities will deal with him."

  He continues after a brief pause, "Okay first thing's first, Kristi, you seem to be taking this rather well."

  Kristi is sitting on the tail of the Lamia who is rubbing her head with its cheek, while Naga is scowering the air, apparently in search of the source of the intruder.

   "I will inform you of this, as well as telling our other friends this, you aren't even remotely human, genetically...you are...well...identical apparently to the Lamia and Naga you have been...having fun with. You were in transport for months, the company already reclaimed the things you thought were your belongings, and no one is looking for you. You don't have a life so...well we spent good money on you, so...its either be my secretary or...."

   Kristi looks up and lets out a very deep, very inhuman rumbling of a growl as her pupils turn to slits.

  "Huh," says Tod genuinely confused.

  Kristi shakes her head and her eyes turn back to normal, "what the..."

  "Guess that explains the not telling you and tricking you into thinking you are human...you are made to work above and beyond normal limitations and be kept away from humans with your hobbies while passing as them...and kept under strict...observation...interesting. Will have to call up an engineer about what you specifically are...anyway, I was thinking of turning this place into a kind of safari park, observe and take picture for the wealthy. If the Lamia and Naga are so compatible and you were too...I'll check into a few others and see what else can be housed together, might even open up the doors to all four and let all of you travel between at your leisure, my father may have stopped short, but I can make this a real self contained ecosystem with a few apex predators....hm, hm, hm, hm,"

   He clicks the lights back off, "I'll let you get some more sleep, my pets, that's right father I'll take good care of your pets, even get a few more. I think a Nure-Onna...oh and a Glyconic will likely be compatible...and...oh...I wander if they'll let me put one of those in there...anyway."

   He clicks off the intercom to the enclosure, Kristi can't even hear the background noise anymore. She looks at her hands, front and back and says, "I'm not human?  Not...human...human...human...not...not...huuuumiiiiin," her voice trails off in a kind of hiss.

   The Lamia flicks its tongue in her face, as does the Naga from the other side, as they both say, "muh?"

  "Muh....indeed," smiles Kristi as she lies down in the crevice between the backs of the Lamia and Naga as they lie down to sleep again, closing her eyes and going to sleep just as easily.

  ******

  In the feeding pen Robert and the others have heard everything, and are surprised when their feet are released.

   "Okay," says Tod, "I looked up your manifest, guess Mr. O'Beck didn't trust the old man not do something insane when the crews came in tomorrow, good call in hindsight. However you all seem a bit over-zealous here; you are supposed to only take the Living Tongues, those natural ones...as you should know I am not happy about this new law, and really not happy this was going down behind my back like this, but it can't be helped, they determined the Living Tongues were actually fully sentient alien life forms...great...first contact, and we ate them...this will look great in the history books. Even making synthetic ones that aren't intelligent, or just replicating the meat in bio-tube form won't and hasn't fetched the same price as the raised ones...but...we will just have to adjust for the loss...however...that doesn't excuse what I heard."

   He takes a dramatic pause, "you intended to take the Poly Parrot, and the Synth-Chimp...you thought we had today. Those are synthetic and most certainly not sentient."

   "That girl sounded sentient to me!" yells Steve.

   "Experiences that are implanted," says Tod, "but reasoning, trust me, she's about on par with a crow, just like all replicants. They have to program the human imitating behaviors and social skills or they'd never learn them...and in due time...she'll forget them."

   "I thought you said you weren't a scientist?" asks Robert.

   "I educated myself on replicants when I learned what my father was up to. Basically whether to stop him before...or after. You all were a nice tipping point."

   "Suspiciously so," thinks Robert sure someone on the team was working with Tod to plan this.

  "Any way," says Tod, "so that I am not obstructing a government order I will release you, but you are to only take those Living Tongues. Anything else and I will have you escorted out by security, just like the team now dragging my father from the building...can't believe he thought...never mind. You'll probably read all about that online later."

 -Official reports will state that Arthur Durande perished in a car accident. Robert's group paid off to never mention the replicant. Government officials would be greatly displeased that the Naga nearly became public knowledge before its official unveiling, especially in the hands of a civilian. Some negotiating and legal wrangling would start the process to convert some areas of the safari park concept of Tod Durande's, adding some structures such as a marble Greek ruins like building in the jungle enclosure, and ecologists sent in to examine the areas and determine how to produce controlled populations with a handful of apex predators. The gates between the plains and forest areas left open, estimations state that all the gates will need to be kept open once the construction projects were done. The biggest legal issue being the replicant, given the 50% or less human appearance law (although this is currently being negotiated thanks to lobbyist to be more human in appearance) however her designers state that Tod already started a chain reaction that should solve this problem before the enclosures are fully ready for public viewing; not to mention the need to bring in the other Double-m's.