CHAPTER ONE

A NIGHT NEVER FORGOTTEN

Riki sighed, stepping out of the underground shipment centre and into the crisp night air. He inhaled deeply, slipping his hand into his jacket pocket and pulling out his cigarette. He closed his eyes as the familiar taste and texture touched his lips. "Fuck I'm tired..." he sighed deeply, forcing his body to move forward.

He stepped onto the street, immediately entering into the nightlife. Again he was surrounded by all the rich walks of life; off worlders in search of a thrill, locals passing through on their ways home, and business owners circulating about. Each shop and hotel produced their own unique bright neon lights and signage paired with sounds to attract customers.

But nothing was enticing to the mongrel. Aside from a bar which was fairly abandoned or a small shop that had his favourite brand of cigarettes, nothing called out to him.

Here he was, the Pet of a Blondie; the forbidden fruit who had been tasted and stolen from the broken land of Ceres, now bound to an agenda and a tracking device. Day in and day out he had his "freedom" to go to his job in the afternoon and return late in the evening to his Master who might come by depending on his mood and work load.

Riki inhaled his cigarette, hanging his head as he remembered that he was required to return to his Apatia household in case Iason stopped by.

A cold breeze blew straight into his face, chilling him to the bone. He pulled up his jacket collar, puffing at his cigarette and relishing in the fraction of warmth it provided.

"Hey, get back here, you runt!" a man shouted, chasing after a figure cloaked in a too large, dark coat that darted around a corner and into an alley.

Riki frowned, watching as the small child tricked the man into going one way and hitting a garbage disposal bin. The man yelled angrily as the small figure scurried away, heading down the street in his direction. "What the...?" Riki murmured, watching in confusion.

He had never seen any child unattended in Apatia, let alone at this time of night and dressed in such a fashion.

The man suddenly came up fast behind the small figure, snatching it up and slamming it into the wall within an alley, away from view of the street people aside from Riki. The hood that was covering the child's face fell, revealing a slender, lightly tanned skin girl with long raven black hair. She grasped onto the man's hands that we're slamming her relentlessly into the concrete wall.

"How dare you run, you little bitch! I'll kill you!" the man screamed, then threw her to the ground and began kicking her as if she were a rag doll. "You dirty, rotten bitch!"

"Hey!" Riki screamed, running over towards the man. "What the fuck are you doing!" He jumped forward, landing a punch straight to the man's face. "You son of a bitch!"

The man yelped, fighting back and attempting to punch Riki in the face. The mongrel easily avoided all the attempts and landed another hit to the curly brown haired man's face.

"Abusing a child is a crime, you sick fuck," Riki hissed, slamming his head into the pavement.

The man laughed. "It's a mongrel," he spat. "Just like you, there is no penalty for killing her!"

Riki clenched his teeth, landing a final hit to his face and leaving him unconscious. He nodded in satisfaction at the blood dripping down on the man's face and rose. He glanced over to find the child looking up at him, wrapped up in the oversized coat that she was wearing. Very cautiously, he knelt down in front of her, trying not to frighten her. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.

The small child looked him up and down, then nodded. She reached out her hands to the ground and then stood up. Even standing, Riki noticed how small she was. She was just a baby in size, how could anyone do something like that to a baby?

Then he noticed, she had no visible wounds or blood despite the beating she had endured. Which was odd, but he didn't dwell on that.

"Do you know where your parents are? Are you alone?" he asked softly.

Normally he avoided children, but after what he had witnessed, he couldn't just leave her. Iason might be mad that he would be late, but he couldn't leave her to die.

She shook her head, her eyes falling to the ground at the question of parents.

"You're alone?"

She nodded softly, slowly looking back up into his eyes. She reached out to Riki slowly, grabbing onto his hand and pinning her sad eyes to his.

Please, don't leave me.

Riki swore he somehow heard her beg him to not leave her and suddenly felt a rush of sadness and pain fill his chest. He recalled his life in Ceres, when he too had been alone for awhile as a child. Then he found Guy and his gang and they practically became his family.

In the distance he heard the sound of sirens coming closer. Fearing it was for him, he scooped up the child and hurried through the alley and towards his Apatia home.

Riki entered into his home, carrying the child in his arms as he glanced over his shoulder to be sure no one had followed him. "OK, make yourself at home," he huffed. "I'll get..."

The child stood in front of him, staring up at him in confusion. He laughed at her innocent look, crouching down. "What's your name, huh? You haven't talked at all..."

She again looked sad, then signed with her hands to form an X when it appeared she was talking.

"You...can't talk?" Riki guessed.

She nodded.

"Ah, well..." Riki stammered, searching for a writing tablet. "Wait here!" He hurried over and grabbed one that he used frequently at work, then handed it to her. "Here, you just..."

Her eyes lit up as she took the tablet, easily opening up the writing document and then writing a message with the stylus and handed it back to Riki.

Riki blinked, accepting the device back and reading the message:

My name is Luci. Spelled with an I instead of a Y because it's me, myself and I!

He laughed, shaking his head at her cleverness. "Luci, huh? That's a nice name."

Luci beamed, but then froze and a look of horror filled her eyes as she looked past Riki.

Riki turned around, startled as Iason was standing at the door. "Iason, I didn't know if you'd come today..."

"What is this, Riki?" Iason asked angrily, striding gracefully over to Riki and taking his chin within his grasp. "Explain yourself."

"Back off...! I was coming home from work and I saw this guy beating her up," Riki answered, pulling out of the blonde's grip.

Iason's eyes narrowed as he dialed back his anger, then scanned the room and landed on the child that was hiding and peeking over the bed. "I see," he whispered. "But Riki, she is a mongrel, which means that—"

"That she deserves to be beaten up?" Riki snapped, pulling away from Iason. "Just because you think all mongrel's are trash, doesn't mean they deserve to be hurt!"

"I wasn't saying that," Iason dismissed. "I was merely saying, as a mongrel there is no consequence for the man who was trying to hurt her." He paused, determining she was just a baby. "But I disapprove of child abuse."

Riki rolled his eyes, then searched for the child. "Come here, Luci."

"Lucy?" Iason repeated. "You named it?"

"No," Riki denied, helping her into his arms as she scurried to him. "She told me. Well, wrote it." He grasped onto her baggy jacket. "Let's take this off, kay?" He helped her slip out of it and tossed it to the floor.

Iason stepped forward, immediately examining the child dressed in a light olive colored gown. "I had thought she was a too young, but if she's communicating, she cannot be."

Riki blinked. "I thought she was too, but yeah, she can write and understand me." He adjusted his hold on Luci. "How old are you?"

Luci grabbed onto Riki hand, bending down five fingers then straightening them and bending another down.

"Six..." Riki breathed. "Holy shit! She's six?"

"Riki, language!" Iason scolded, then held out his hands. "Let me see her for a moment."

Riki backed up. "Why? How do I know you aren't gonna steal her and hand her off to Raoul or something to become an organ donor?"

Iason rolled his eyes, reaching out again. "Let me see her, Riki. I just want to examine her."

Luci glanced at Riki, then Iason and reached out to him as she was handed over. The Blondie prodded her in a few places, grimacing at how light and thin she was. "She's severely malnourished," he determined. "She'll need to be given supplements and whatnot to improve her health."

Riki nodded, taking her back. "Can you...do something about it?"

"Riki," Iason admonished, struck with annoyance. "We aren't keeping her."

"Iason, she needs help," Riki protested. "How can you just throw her to the curb?"

Iason rolled his eyes again. "Riki, why are you suddenly inclined to help this child? It was my understanding you were not fond of them."

"Aren't you? Why are you refusing to help?"

"I am, but I did not say I was keeping her," Iason clarified. "I will get her help, then we will send her on her way."

Riki clenched his teeth. "Can we also find out where her parents are? She...she didn't give me the impression she had any."

"If she escaped from Guardian somehow, she would not have known them, Riki."

"Can we please just look anyways? Or at least search Guardian's files?"

Iason nodded. "Very well," he agreed. "But first I'll have some food delivered for her and us."

Luci looked from the plate to Riki with a look of wonder and confusion. She had seen food before, but wasn't sure how someone ingested it. And there was the fact that she hadn't the slightest idea as to what she was eating.

"You can eat," Iason commanded, watching as she didn't do what generally any famished person would do when given a meal.

"Yeah, go ahead," Riki agreed, not hesitating to dig into the heaping plate of mashed potatoes, grilled Amoïan beef and steamed vegetables.

Iason frowned. "Chew properly," he scolded. "You're going to choke."

"Wull naw!" the mongrel retorted, his mouth crammed full and little bits falling out onto the table.

"Riki," Iason warned, unamused by the disgusting behavior.

Luci, who had been watching the display, put a hand to her mouth. Her body shook gently as if she were giggling.

Riki swallowed. "At least someone is amused by my eating habits," he defended.

The Blondie rolled his eyes, pouring himself some more wine and downing a large portion.

"Why aren't ya eating?" Riki questioned, giving the child's plate a nudge. "You gotta get some grub into you if you wanna get big and strong."

Luci smiled, but then shook her head. Her eyes wandered to the tablet that Riki had brought in and she picked it up to write a message before handing it off.

Riki raised an eyebrow, his mouth full but accepted it and read: I'm sorry, but I am unable to partake in this meal. He was about to assure her it was fine when he continued to read: I am unable to eat anything due to having a feeding tube implant in me. If I eat orally, I will have complications.

"Iason," he beckoned, handing off the tablet. "What does she mean?"

Iason read the message, then glanced up. "A feeding tube?" he clarified. "Show me." Luci hesitated, then reached down to pull out the hanging tubes that were hiding under her gown. "Riki, this child isn't from Guardian."

Riki blinked, shocked and confused. "What is that for?"

"As the name states, feeding," Iason explained. "Riki, this child is someone's experiment. She might not even be from Amoï."

"She doesn't look like an experiment, how do you know she just doesn't have an eating issue?" Riki defended, suddenly overcome with worry about what Iason might do to her.

"That particular brand of feeding tube," Iason pointed out. "I've seen it while visiting Raoul in his lab on occasion. It's purely for scientific purposes, not medicinal."

Riki's neck hair rose. "Now what are you going to do with her?" he asked.

"I now have no choice but to bring her before Jupiter," he revealed, standing up from the table. "She has no identification or signature markings, which are a mandatory standard for science projects on Amoï. She is an illegal person."

Luci's brown eyes grew large as she listened to the conversation, realizing she had made a fatal error in tagging along with Riki. But she couldn't help it, the man seemed so intriguing and familiar and she found herself gravitating towards him.

Riki was up on his feet. "But that bitch might execute her, Iason!" he protested, standing in front of the Blondie in attempt to become a barricade between him and Luci.

"Watch your mouth, Riki," Iason warned darkly. "There are small ears present and you just insulted the ruler of Amoï."

"I can't just hand her over to die, Iason," Riki defended, pushing back against the blonde. "I would have rather her have been killed by that man before I saved her than have to live with the fact I brought a kid back and ended handing her over to that old toaster to be executed!"

Iason grasped onto Riki's wrists. "Do you think I would let a child's life go to waste, Riki?"

Riki blinked. "That's what will happen if you hand her to Jupiter!" he returned.

"As a supporter of potential and life, I would not let her die so easily," Iason answered, gently stroking the tanned wrist. "Besides, we know she is not from Amoï, therefore Jupiter cannot kill her off without tracing her location and contacting the owners."

Riki finally relaxed a bit, realizing that Iason wasn't going to just throw her to the wolves. He should've known that Iason wasn't a supporter of killing children, being the biggest benefactor to Tanagura's hospital, particularly the Children's ward, as he'd seen on a file while snooping in his office one day. "You'd better not being lying to me," he breathed, looking Iason dead in the eyes. "Or I'll be very mad and won't forgive you."

"Have I ever lied to you?"

Riki shook his head, finally freeing himself from the Blondie and glancing behind him to Luci who was deeply immersed in observing the view of the nightlife from the height of the building. "I guess this means I'll have to come back with you?" he grimly realized.

Iason leaned in to plant a kiss on his forehead. "It would be best if you did, yes," he agreed.

Riki cringed, hating the fact that he'd have to go back. He finally felt relieved of the dreadful hate, stares and talking that suffocated him within Eos and now he'd have to return to it. "I…I can still come back here though, right?" he questioned, desperate for the Blondie to prove that this wasn't going to cause his Apatia freedom to be revoked.

"You may," Iason assured. "But until the matter of her is resolved, it would be in your best interest to stay in Eos."

"All right," Riki agreed, sighing exaggeratedly as he looked back at his nearly empty plate. "Well, I have no more appetite."

"I am finished as well, so let us head back to Eos," Iason suggested, grabbing his cloak he had left hanging up. "Perhaps I'll contact Raoul when we return and he might have a solution as to what we can feed her with until she is returned home."

Riki nodded, then added. "As long as…you know…he won't…"

"I'll ensure he does not harm her," the Blondie replied, motioning to her. "Carry her, she'll never be able to keep up otherwise."

Riki moved towards Luci who was staring out the window to the lights below, he gently tapped her shoulder and then scooping her up into his arms. "Come on, kiddo, let's go."

Luci pouted, looking longingly to the city lights then to Riki.

"We gotta get going," Riki laughed. As if suddenly realizing what that meant, Luci frantically pointed to the large coat that was on the floor. Riki struggled to hold her, impressed by the strength in her wiggling and then noticed the coat. "All right, all right, I'll grab it!"

Iason reached down after noticing what she was pointing at and then gracefully handed it off to Luci. "Is this what you wanted?" he asked.

Luci accepted it, nodding in acknowledgment and then smiling as she bunched the coat up in her arms.

"Do you have everything?" Iason inquired.

"Ah! The tablet!" Riki exclaimed, turning back to the table and grasping onto it.

Iason took the tablet from him. "I'll carry this, you carry her."

"Kay," Riki agreed. "Then that's everything."

After gazing at the city lights from the air car, Luci had fallen asleep in Riki's arms before the managed to reach Eos. He felt awkward holding a child, especially one that he knew nothing about.

"What usually happens to children who are experimented on and end up on Amoï?" he questioned in a soft voice.

"It's rare, but not unheard of," Iason explained. "We've had the odd nearly dead child end up on Amoï after being dropped off in attempt to conceal the crime. But usually they are traced and the culprits are found."

"How exactly do they find the culprits though?"

"A summons for a DNA test will be issued and the biological parents will be traced," Iason answered, merging into another lane effortlessly. "When the parents are traced, we can discover the location of the child and then notify the police to investigate further on the designated planet."

Riki glanced down at Luci. "But you end up sending them away, right?"

"Ultimately yes," the Blondie confirmed. "Technically the situation no longer belongs to us when the child has been matched to their original planet and the authorities are contacted."

"But what if they can't find the culprits?" Riki pried. "Like, there are millions of people, how can they trace them back to a hidden operation?"

Iason, thoroughly enjoying the fact that Riki was speaking to him so casually, smiled. "There are trained professionals who can handle the case, Riki," he assured. "However, if all fails, they will use Mind Image."

"What's Mind Image?" Riki asked, frowning at the term.

"It's when they hook up the person of interest to a machine that will project their thoughts onto a screen," Iason explained, pulling up to the gates of Eos and awaiting access. "It's used to find the faces or landmarks of the illegal operations. It is used often in cases such as this, or other, more gruesome cases."

"Huh," Riki sounded, fascinated by something like that. "Sounds kinda creepy and cool at the same time."

Iason smiled. "Yes, it can be quite fascinating to see in action," he verified, driving his car into the underground parking spot then parking. "We're here." With the tap of a button, the windows gained a darker tint and the doors rose upwards as they opened. "Can you carry her or shall I?"

"My arms falling asleep," Riki complained, shifting uncomfortably. "I might drop her."

Iason nodded, circling around the vehicle and appearing at the door. He reached out his hands. "Hand her to me," he instructed.

Riki hesitated. "I'm trusting you," he warned, lifting the sleeping child up to the Blondie.

"I won't harm her," he assured, lifting her up into his arms and finding the best hold to ensure she was secure. "You'll have to carry the tablet and coat though."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Riki grumbled, fishing the items from their spot and then carrying them out of the vehicle.

Luci stirred slightly, her face cringing at the disturbance, but she remained unconscious, exhausted. Iason held back a chuckle at how expressive the child was, even in her sleep.

It had been awhile since he was confronted with the reality of children being used in experiments. Granted, pets were generally prepubescent when purchased, but they were not exactly Human, but rather genetically modified beings. And furthermore, they were not as young as the one he was holding. Pets underwent modifications at an older age of twelve, which was when they were viewed as legal by Jupiter's standards. And even Pets did not undergo the insertion of a feeding tube and who knows what else.

Iason was naturally opposed to such creations, believing that it was immoral to keep a child under her age restrictions as a Pet or abuse them. Both of which concepts corresponded with Jupiter's Laws & Regulations:

Section PL34— Any being under the age of twelve is prohibited from being a Pet

Section GS214—Abuse towards any minor citizen will result in a severe reprimand of a public flogging

Being the Head of the Syndicate, Iason would stumble upon a few violations that were beyond immoral. This fueled him to promote and protect the well being of the citizens of the future. Of course, it went unsaid or noticed, as many believed him to be too cruel to do anything beneficial for smaller beings. Being a Blondie, many times children downright feared him. But that did not stop him.

Entering into the building, Iason's ID resonated with the security devices, automatically allowing him access and configuring the system to transport to his floor when he reached the lift. Riki slipped in beside him, sighing exaggeratedly as the lift began it's ascent.

In a matter of seconds, they reached Lord Mink's floor and the door opened to the main living space.

"Welcome back, Master," Cal bowed, then straightened and blinked as he saw the child in his arms. "Shall I prepare a guestroom?"

"Yes, the one closest to the hallway," Iason ordered, carrying the sleeping child into the household. "And take those with you." He pointed with his chin to the belongings that Riki was carrying.

"Yes, Master," Cal answered, then paused. "Shall I take her as well?"

"No, I still have a few items on the agenda that involve her," Iason explained, noticing that Luci shifted in his hold and was looking up at him with sleepy brown eyes. "Did I wake you?"

Luci shook her head, then released a comically large yawn that brought tears to her eyes that Iason wiped away with a small smile. It had been so long since he had had a child in his care. Once, way back in the past, he had been a temporary guardian to a child whom he had saved from an illegal operation in the Black Market.

It was not rare for Elites to take in a child, as an act of compassion and to woo the public with their kindness. But Iason hadn't intended that to be the case when he had saved the child. He had merely done so because Guardian was too full at the time and he was without a Pet, so he decided that being a temporary guardian would allow him a bit of leeway.

"I gotta piss," Riki grunted, walking away from them to the bathroom.

Iason carried Luci through the hall, into his office and to his desk, setting her down on a spot that was a safe distance from the edge and then sent out a call for Lord Am.

"Raoul Am, ah, Iason," the fellow Blondie smiled. "What gives me the pleasure of speaking to you at such a time?"

Iason smiled, knowing that no matter what the time, Raoul would answer for him. "I have a bit of a story and an interesting person with me," he revealed. "I was hoping to bring her to you for a bit of examination."

"A pet?" Raoul chirped, hopeful.

"No," Iason denied, then reached out to grasp onto Luci and show her in the view of the feed. "A child. A child used in illegal experimentation to be exact."

Immediately the scientist in Raoul was roused. "Oh? At such a young age," he observed. "Have you notified Jupiter yet?"

"Not as of yet," Iason answered, watching as Luci reached out to the hologram and tried to touch it. He gently guided her hand away, much to her dismay. "I wanted to know if you had any source of nutrition for a feeding tube."

"Does she have one?" Raoul pressed.

"The same ones I have seen in creations that you have made," he answered. "For non- Pet creations."

"Intriguing," Raoul murmured. "I am available tomorrow in the morning, however, my afternoon is booked. You are free to stop by during that time."

"I will stop by tomorrow morning," Iason agreed. "Good night, Raoul."

"Good night, Iason."

The call disconnected, and Iason rose, adjusting his hold on Luci and carrying her out of his office and into the hallway where Riki was approaching.

"So?" Riki prompted.

"Lord Am has agreed to see her tomorrow morning before I present her to Jupiter," Iason explained. "If we can garner any information that I can present alongside her initial presentation, then I may have a better chance of convincing Jupiter to not do anything rash."

"Good," Riki nodded, then looked to Luci who was reaching out to him. "What? What do you want?"

"I believe she wants you to hold her," Iason suggested.

Riki groaned. "I'm tired and sore, why me?"

Luci pouted, then turned back into Iason's hold, sulking in his grasp at being denied.

Iason chuckled softly. "Go to our bedroom, I'll be there shortly."

Riki yawned, heading off into the direction of the Master bedroom then paused. "Can I smoke before bed?"

"One, Riki," Iason agreed. "I mean one."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it," he grumbled, hurrying to his bedroom to find a stash of cigarettes he had hidden.

Iason continued carrying Luci off to her guest room that was now ready for her. He entered the grand room furnished with a large canopy bed, an Amoïan oak table and plush chair set and walls adorned with beautiful paintings. "Here we are," he breathed, setting Luci down on the bed. "This will be your room during your stay. If you need anything you can ring for Cal by pressing that button." He motioned to the bedside table with the button on top. "He will tend to your needs, understand?"

Luci nodded.

"Very well, I shall see you in the morning," he declared, about to rise but stopped as the child tugged on his clothing. "What is it?" He crouched down again, then was shocked as the little child hugged him. It took him momentarily by surprise, but then he gave a gentle pat on her back. "You are welcome."

Luci hopped back, bouncing on the plush bed and watched him leave her room.

Iason closed the door softly behind him, turning to see Cal approaching. "Take care of her, connect your intercom to the room if it isn't," he instructed.

"Yes, Master."

With that, the Blondie nodded then turned away to go into his own room to spend the rest of the evening with his Mongrel.

Riki rubbed the blonde locks in his fingers, on the very edge of drifting to sleep. "Why did you agree to help her?" he asked, his voice slurring.

Iason chuckled softly, planting a kiss to the tanned nape. "To reward your good behavior," he whispered back.

"Ass," Riki grunted. "Tell me the real reason…"

"Because you asked me to," Iason asserted, even though both answers were true to a degree. "And it made you happy."

Riki snorted. "That's…a shitty reason…" he murmured, giving into exhaustion and drifting off to sleep.

Iason smiled, silently watching the mongrel's chest rise and fall as he slept. He had not been thrilled of Riki being with a child when he first arrived, but he had agreed to help her on another one of his infamous whims. Despite never being excessively exposed to children, all Blondies were taught how to care for children. It was in the Tanagura Code to be hospitable to anyone in need. Helping others not only raised their Blondie status, but also earned them praise from Jupiter. As her children, it pleased her to have them aid in keeping Humans obedient and within her control.

The Blondie only wondered, where had this child had come from? Generally there was some sign that indicted where they were from, but this child looked like a mongrel. Yet, she had no legal Amoian signatures which indicated otherwise. It was odd, however, irrelevant as she would be located irregardless.

Iason pressed himself closer to Riki, embracing his mongrel from behind and relishing in the warmth and acceptance. "Sleep well, my love," he whispered ever so softly.

—TO BE CONTINUED