Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 

 

            Lilith looked out the window like a child. She’d only ever been in a train once before when she was first transferred to Sector Five. The trains hadn’t changed much since then but this time she was excited rather than terrified. When she was ten she was too scared to look out the window.

The Ark stood tall like a dark menacing Titan. Its colossal stature was more than just intimidating, it was a statement of where all the power in the world resided. Anyone who dared attack it was a fool looking for a death wish. You couldn’t even see passed its dark walls. All you could see was the see-through train tunnels entering it from different sides.

            As the train drew closer and closer Lilith’s heart sped with anticipation. She had never seen a skyscraper before. In fact, she had seen little aside from a basement, wilderness, and the Sector Five labs. Even though she knew it would not be the case, she felt like she was finally being allowed to become a part of society. The train finally entered the Ark and all that could be seen was darkness. Lilith looked desperately for the buildings but saw nothing but darkness outside.

            “Where’s the city?” asked Lilith.

            “We’re not at the city yet. Right now we’re in the tunnel inside the Ark’s shell,” said Zinc.

            Lilith leaned back on her chair disappointed. The train was amazingly comfortable. The cushions in the booth seats rivaled her couch’s comfort. Inside the booth there was a table between both sides where a waiter would bring food periodically. It was a comfortable ride for the most part. Lilith’s only complaint was Chert, her escort.

            Chert could best be described as an ice queen. Her eyes, hair, and lining were all icy-blue. She never showed any emotion and gave orders like a dictator. She always carried a binder squeezed tight against her flat chest under her left arm and a thin metal pointing stick on her right hand. She wasn’t much for conversation but whenever there was any you could feel her presence weighting down every word heavily. It made for an awkward ride especially now that there was no scenery to look at.

            It was silent for at least ten minutes before Lilith couldn’t take it anymore and broke the silence. “So am I the first human to ever set foot on the Ark?”

            The ice queen forced a chuckle. “Just how conceited can you get?”

            This offended Lilith and she took it as a challenge. “I don’t know. I look young. I’m sexy. You can actually notice I have breasts from a distance. You think if I was a vessel someone like you could ever afford me?” She said with a smirk.

Every remark she said was a direct insult to Chert’s exterior. Chert had the look of a woman in her thirties. Not particularly ugly but far from jaw dropping. Her body was about as dull as a dishwasher. It was clear she wasn’t rich, maybe not poor, but definitely not rich. Lilith’s question not only served to establish that clear fact but to also express that her worth was more to a man who could only see money, like Mercury.

            Chert glared at Lilith. “You have the most arrogant tongue I’ve ever heard on a human. I assume you think your beauty places you at an untouchable pedestal. A human’s beauty fades my dear. Once you hold no more value you’ll be worthless. Who knows, maybe they will even make a nice vessel out of you before you become worthless.”

            The thought send a shrill down Lilith’s back. She never thought so far ahead into her life. What would happen once she was no longer beautiful? Even worse, what if she ever became infertile? Would Mercury make a doll out of her and sell her so some rich person could make a beautiful daughter out of her? Lilith decided not to dwell on it and turned her attention back to the window where darkness still remained.

            “Did you know Mercury always sends his prettiest w****s to the Ark,” said Chert. “Obviously not. You thought you were the first.”

            Lilith turned towards her unamused and asked, “How come no one ever talks about it then?”

            “Because no one knows. Only a select few trusted by the President himself ever know.”

            “Why keep it a secret?”

            “Business. The kind people can’t know about. The kind that makes a lot of money.”

            For some reason the image of Mercury’s money hungry grin popped up in Lilith’s head. “What happens to them? The ones he sends here.”

            Chert grinned evilly. “Nothing they aren’t used to. But there’s a lot more money involved. You wouldn’t believe how much some people are willing to pay to f**k a human c**t.”

            A knot formed in Lilith’s throat as everything fell into place and made sense. Mercury sold them to turn them into real w****s. The kind people paid to f**k. Suddenly the fear of being a ragged doll for anyone to put their c**k inside of came back to Lilith like a nightmare being forged into a reality. If she was sold to the Ark under the black market everything she had earned through her fame and worth would become obsolete. She’d be nothing more than a hole in the shadows of the Ark to put your dick in for the right price.

            “Hardly anyone would be able to afford me,” Lilith defended herself. “Besides, the President can still breed more vessels out of me. He won’t give me away so easily. I bet this is only a one time occasion.” Those were the words Lilith wanted to believe.

            “I’ll give you this,” said Chert. “You have a lot of composure. I’m used to escorting a bunch of brain dead w****s. You somehow found your way out of that happy little place you all trap yourself into to escape the reality of your fate.”

            “Thank you. I like to think I’m different from the rest,” Lilith said proudly. “May I ask, who exactly is paying for my services?” Better to know your fate than be left in the cloud.

            “I can’t say I know him personally. And public acknowledgement of any association with him would lead to certain execution after unimaginable tortures. I’ll tell you out of pity though,” she said. She crossed her legs and leaned forward. “He goes by the alias of Red Moon. Few know him personally, I’m sure. But almost all successful businessmen are acquainted with him. From drugs to illegal weapons and human prostitution, this Red Moon controls it all. An immoral person by all standards, but an individual of their word. Always completes his end of the deal first before accepting his prize. But don’t even think about cheating the Red Moon out of a deal.

“It’s no surprise he has his eyes set on you though. You’re quite the celebrity in the Ark. Whether he’s just a fan who wants to f**k you or whether he wants to sell you eventually, I don’t know. For the time being he only requested you for one night, at a handsome price. He said he might consider further negotiations after enjoying your company tonight. So try to treat him nice, will you.”

Lilith nodded but she had an entirely different agenda in mind. It seemed almost too easy. If she didn’t satisfy him then he wouldn’t purchase her as a permanent w***e to add to his collection of human prostitutes. So basically all she needed to do was do nothing. If she put effort she’d make him cum so fast he’d beg for a second and third round. She would have to at least look like she was trying though, otherwise Mercury might punish her. Perhaps satisfy him orally but not vaginally. That seemed to work back on the authorities in Sector Five when they used to rape her to satisfy their own lust. It got them in a good mood but ultimately they concluded she was boring and not worth the trouble. Considering the price she probably cost, if she were anything less than perfect she wouldn’t be worth the fortune.

Suddenly the lights pierced the window and Lilith looked up. It was too much to take in at once. A parade of buildings from as far as the eye could see scattered everywhere, all in different sizes. Each was showered with tiny dots that looked like fireflies from the distance. Lilith leaned in on the window to get a better look. She was in one of many see-through tunnels interconnected to different buildings, trains flashing through, some faster than she could keep up with. She looked down at the streets. They were too far down to see clearly but she could still make out the cars running through the streets and people walking on the sidewalk.

Then she noticed what easily became the proudest moment of her life. Attached to one of the buildings was a large screen with an image of her. It was a picture Zinc had made her take once in a photo shoot. That was around the time she first realized she was somebody outside of Sector Five. She was staring directly at the camera. You could only see her from the shoulders and up but that was all it took. Her shimmering dark hair still reflected the light. Her hazel eyes so deep and mysterious you’d think it was gazing directly into your heart. A hint of her perfect smile spread across her flawless features while she tastefully placed a finger at the corner of her lip. Above the image was her name in big bold letters standing proudly. Under, the words ‘Most beautiful girl on the planet’ were written with a sophisticated cursive font. Lilith blushed as she gazed in awe of her magnificence. This was who she was. What she had survived to become.

As the train continued to move her eyes fell upon another screen. This one was of a beautiful female homunculus with a body that rivaled her own. Her eyes were emerald green and hid behind her bangs and incredibly long blonde hair that reached her ankles. It was tied into one long side-ponytail. Her exoskeleton was wrapped tastefully revealing her best assets. Her body was covered in what looked like straps of feathers, her perfect stomach exposed along with a bit of cleavage. By the side of her waist she had what looked like two wings in a gold-white complexion. She appeared to be singing and dancing. Lilith found herself in so much awe of her beauty that she felt insecure about her own beauty. Jealousy filled her along with fear of becoming nothing more than just another w***e once again and she stopped staring out the window. As she leaned back on her seat Zinc caught sight of both her and the screen she was looking at.

“That’s Emerald. A Pawn,” said Zinc.

“Pawn? I thought you said Pawns were candidates for the Court of Royals. She looks like a celebrity,” said Lilith.

“That’s the funny thing about Pawns. The Bishops in particular. To be elected into the Court of Royals the people elect a Pawn into the desired position. They prove themselves to the people through fame and practice for whatever position they’re shooting for. But the Bishops control the media. This isn’t so much an issue as it is an advantage for them. Private companies can still engage in producing propaganda and the Bishops generally ignore it, given its not harmful to the Ark. But they do however show favor, and so often did that favor go to their family, that the Bishop position became hereditary. The Bishop title is always passed down to family. That girl Emerald is one of three children of Bishop Marble.”

“She’s beautiful…I could never compare.”

“Well, you might not. Not as a human anyways.”

            Lilith mouth opened in disbelief. Even if it were true, she couldn’t believe he actually said it. “Gee, thanks.” The thought of being a vessel once more made her feel cold and empty inside. Why couldn’t I just be born a homunculus?

            The train stopped.

Lilith looked and saw the station. There were people outside, homunculi. Not as many as she was expecting but it was weird to see so many not on the job. She’d never seen homunculi so casual before. She felt Zinc raise her to her feet and hand her a black raincoat. She put it on; it covered over her entire black dress but left her already exposed legs exposed from the knee down. She had leather buckled boots though so in reality only her knees showed. Lilith felt weird being so covered up.

“Put the hood on,” insisted Chert.

            The thought of covering her face disappointed Lilith. She was looking forward to people recognizing her on the streets. “Why?” she asked.

            “If people see you on the streets it could prove problematic.”

            Lilith nodded glumly and put her hood on. Zinc led her through the train along with Chert until they finally exited. As Lilith stepped outside she felt a rush of excitement hit her. I’m inside the Ark! She peaked through her hood while keeping her head down, looking at the nonchalant homunculi in the station, all of them oblivious to her presence. She felt Zinc pull on her hand as they quickly walked through the station together. Finally they stepped outside.

The Ark seemed so much bigger from the bottom. The buildings looked ten times as huge. The sidewalks, significantly more crowded. The streets, more dangerous and active. The screens and lights, larger than life. Lilith didn’t even notice she was gawking at the scenery in full exposure until she felt Chert slap her head and hood down two feet.

“Keep your head down. If you were at least a messiah you could pass for a homunculi at a glance but one look at your eyes and you’re as human as they come,” warned Chert.

Zinc guided her down the sidewalk until they reached a black car. Zinc opened the car door for her and guided her inside following up shortly with Chert behind. Once they closed the door Zinc removed Lilith’s hood for her. The car started driving but not a word was being said. Lilith decided she might as well look out the window. It was a lot more of the same but it was a lot more exhilarating seeing it up close. She still couldn’t believe she was in the Ark. It was enough to keep her mind away from whatever was coming.

            “I can’t believe it’s the real deal,” said the driver up front with a peculiar disbelief in his voice.

            It caught Lilith’s attention enough to look but not talk. “For the right price even you can have a close look at her,” said Chert in a slightly comical tone. Whether or not she was joking or being serious, Lilith had no idea. The notion left a bad taste in her stomach either way she looked at it though.

            The driver passed back a blindfold. “Wish I could afford it. Anyway, put this blindfold on her and make sure she has her hood on before she exits the car.”

            “I see the Red Moon lives up to his level of caution,” said Chert with a hint of disappointment in her voice. The thought that maybe this was all a plot by Mercury to discover the Red Moon’s identity crossed Lilith’s mind. It was enough to put a slight smile on her face since it could mean he wasn’t prepping her up to give her away after all.

            Zinc took the blindfold and blindfolded her. The rest of the ride was silent. As soon as the car stopped Lilith heard the car door open and a rough hand grab her own. They led her into what felt like another car. This car rode for about what seemed like twenty minutes before it stopped and she was guided outside. She followed without question knowing it was better if she didn’t talk at this point. She heard automated doors open and felt the air-conditioned breeze kick in. She was inside somewhere now. She could hear all sorts of activity going on around her. People talking, walking, doing paper work, doors opening, and a couple other things she couldn’t make out. She heard another set of automated doors open and was guided inside. Suddenly it felt very strange inside and she realized she was going up at a very high speed, which meant she was probably in an elevator. When it stopped she heard the doors open and felt the person that was holding her hand push her forward. She walked hesitantly not knowing what to expect. She heard the elevator doors close behind her and stopped moving. Lilith waited in silent fear until she heard footsteps not so far a distance away. She swallowed in fear. She’d never f**k anyone blindfolded before. The idea of not knowing what was about to be done to her made her legs tremble uncontrollably.

            “No need to be so scared,” a kind voice comforted. “The blindfold is merely a precaution so that your owners do not attempt to extract my identity from you. I assure you, I’m no enemy. In fact, I’m a friend, perhaps your best friend yet. I am the Red Moon.”

Author's Note

For those of you consistently following my story. I'd love to know what's going through my reader's heads. It's always fun reading about which characters you like or dislike, and your predictions. I know not everyone has an account, but any support would be greatly appreciated. I write so that you all can enjoy a good story, any indication that I'm succeeding at that is motivation for me to keep writing. Hope you've all enjoyed the story thus far.