Chapter Text
I woke in a cold sweat, bolting upright in bed. My breath came in ragged gasps as I glanced at the alarm.
2:00 A.M.
Damn plants. I rubbed my face, trying to shake off the lingering panic. Why can’t they just get it over with already? Ever since the Affini took over, sleep had been fleeting, but tonight was worse. It felt like they were closing in, slowly drawing out the inevitable. When are they going to stop toying with me and just drag me off in the middle of the night? To the mines, or worse.. domestication.
That last thought chilled me to the core. They wouldn’t give me a choice, would they? I sighed, sinking back into the mattress and staring at the ceiling. It felt like the walls were closing in on me. How long do I have before they decide I'm too much trouble?
I squeezed my eyes shut, willing sleep to take me again, but then something shifted.
A shadow. In the corner of my room.
I froze, every muscle locking up as I squinted into the darkness. My heart pounded in my chest. I could barely make out the outline, but there was no mistaking it, something was there. Watching me.
Fuck.
My hand moved instinctively to the side of my bed, where I kept my bat. I know, cliche. But better than nothing. My last little shred of control in a world that was slipping out of my grasp.
Where the fuck is my bat?
“Aw, Petal… missing something?” The voice was smooth, lilting, and unmistakably not human. My stomach dropped. “Something a little too dangerous for you to have, hmm?”
The shadow moved, stepping forward into the pale light filtering through the window. My heart stopped, and my blood ran cold.
This is it. I’m going to die.
I couldn’t breathe. My body refused to move, paralyzed by fear as she came fully into view. Towering over me with six glowing eyes that gleamed in the dark, her gaze locked onto mine with a hunger that sent chills racing down my spine. Her mouth opened just enough to reveal rows of sharp, jagged teeth just enough to remind me of what could happen if I made the wrong move.
I wanted to scream, to run, to fight anything. But I couldn’t move.
I felt it before I saw it, the vines. They slithered out, cold and slick, snaking their way toward me. My heart pounded harder, the primal urge to flee screaming through my veins, but I was trapped. The vines coiled around my wrists and ankles, binding me to the bed with terrifying ease. I struggled, but it was useless.
She loomed closer, her teeth bared, her eyes devouring every inch of me as the vines pulled me toward her.
I could feel my pulse thundering in my ears, every beat a desperate plea for survival. I was helpless.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
I jolted awake, heart hammering in my chest, drenched in cold sweat.
My alarm blared, its piercing sound dragging me back to reality. For a few seconds, I sat there, blinking at the clock in confusion, the nightmare still clinging to me like a second skin. Before I looked over it and silenced it.
6:00 A.M.
Just a dream. It had only been a dream.
But as I sat there, trying to steady my breath, the memory of those vines—cold, unyielding, far too real—lingered.
I ran a trembling hand through my damp hair, slumping back against the headboard. Just a dream.
But it didn’t feel that way.
The Affini were drawing this out, taking their time, slowly wearing me down. And I knew it was only a matter of time before the nightmare became real.
My hand slipped to the side of my bed, searching again for my one small solace. Where is it.. I paused, feeling the grip beneath my fingers. There. The familiar weight of the aluminum bat sent a small surge of relief through me.
I knew it wouldn’t do much. Hell, it wouldn’t do shit against one of those weeds. But it was all I had. It was better than going down without a fight.
I stared at the ceiling for a long moment, the quiet hum of the city outside seeping into the room. Then, with a deep breath, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The cold floor beneath my feet sent a shiver through me, but it kept me grounded. Stay sharp, Isie.
I shuffled over to the bathroom, the small space feeling even more claustrophobic than usual. My reflection stared back at me from the mirror, and I almost didn’t recognize the woman looking back. Messy hair. Dark circles under my eyes. A gauntness that hadn’t been there before the Affini arrived.
I placed my hands on the sink, gripping the edges until my knuckles went white. "Isie," I whispered, staring hard at the tired, broken woman in the mirror. "Remember to stay strong."
I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly. Stay strong. You don’t have much left, but you’ve still got this.
But even as I thought it, doubt gnawed at the edges of my resolve. How much longer could I keep this up? The Affini weren’t stupid. They’d seen the cracks in my defenses, and they were waiting waiting for me to break, to come crawling to them for help.
It’s what they wanted, wasn’t it? They never had to force anyone. They just waited for us to fold under the weight of our own fear.
And here I was, standing in a bathroom, gripping a sink like it was the last piece of myself I had left.
I stared into the grimy mirror. The reflection staring back at me was someone I barely recognized, gaunt with dark circles under my eyes, hair tangled and unkempt. I look like shit
My breath came in shallow gasps, the cold weight of reality pressing into my chest, the unease lingering in the back of my mind like a storm. “Stay strong.” I whispered to myself, barely hearing myself over the buzzing fluorescent lighting. Even as I said them, doubt clawed at me that I could stay strong.
My thoughts drifted back to the past. Before all of this, when the Accord still ruled, and we at least knew the game we were playing. A shitty game, stacked against people like me from the start, but it was one I understand. It wasn’t right but it was predictable.
I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly as the memories washed over me.
Three months ago.
The air in the office was stale, thick with the smell of burnt-out circuits and overheated equipment. I sat at my desk, running diagnostics on another faulty network relay. It was a familiar routine. Most days were like this. Patching things up, troubleshooting, and watching the Acord push every system to its breaking point.
“Hey, you still with me?” Val’s voice pulled me back to reality. I looked up to find her leaning against the doorway of the office, her arms crossed and a crooked grin on her face. “You look like you have been in here for days.”
I snorted, glancing back to the screen. “Feels like it, One issue down, three more to go, and none of them with a budget to fix things right.”
Val rolled her eyes, moving closer and dropping down into the chair across from me. She tossed her tablet onto my desk, where a new memo glared back up at me. “Wage Cuts in Effect” bold and unapologetic across the screen, Argrid Corp again, always squeezing every last credit out of us to fund another expansion project. I scrolled through the details, my stomach sinking as I read the revised pay structure. They were cutting us another -ten- percent. Barely enough to cover rent- let alone everything else.
“Less pay, same shit.” I muttered, tossing the tablet back onto the desk
Val sighed, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned back into her chair “They don’t care about us Isie, Never did. We’re just gears in the machine. They keep tightening the screws, and we keep patching things up until we break.”
Her words hit hard, but they weren’t new. Same story every month. Some big wig decides were just another expense to trim, another resources to exploit. Meanwhile they lived it up on in a luxury resort on Kevera. Miles away from the mess they’d left for us to clean.
“Something’s gotta give.” I muttered, more to myself than Val. “This shit can’t go on forever. We’re already doing the work of ten people just to keep this mess from caving in. It can’t go on like this.”
He leaned in, her voice low. “Maybe it won’t have to.” Val looked away, her brow knitted in thought.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked studying her face. She looked like she was weighing her words.
“You have heard the chatter about the Affini, right? I swear every time I pass by the chiefs office he is talking to someone about what we are going to do when.. There’s never been a if they get here.”
I groaned, looking over to Val with my best ‘are you serious?’ look.
Val shrugged, meeting my look with a disarming smile “I know, it sounds like bullshit. Sometimes my radio catches broadcasts of them ‘offering care to any Sophont in need’ whatever the hell Sophont means.”
“Offering care?” I snorted. “Sounds like the bullshit they feed us everytime they want to slash wages or cut benefits. Like when they did the last pay freeze and called it an ‘opportunity for flexibility’”
Val let out a laugh, it sounded hollow. “Yeah, I know. It's hard to believe any of it.” she glances over at the doorway “Have you heard anything?”
I gave a shrug “I don’t know, they are apparently huge plants that eat people and enslave others to work in the mines or something. Sounds like something out of a bad movie sometimes.” I say with a chuckle
“Yeah, and some people say they shoot lightning through space.” Val rolled her eyes, a shadow of doubt lingering on her face. “But what if- what if they aren’t like that. What if they really are here to help..?”
I shook my head, reaching a hand up to my face to rub my eyes “What kind of help would aliens even give us Val? The Accord doesn’t lift a finger unless it profits them. Who’s to say these things aren’t the same?”
Val looked down to her hands, her fingers tapping against the edge of the desk. “I don’t know. Just feels like I am already about to crumble under this workload alone. Sounds better than waiting around for us to be bled dry for every credit we can give.”
Her words hung in the air, a soft, lingering hope that felt very out of place in the cramped office space. I wanted to believe her, but I couldn’t shake the feeling this was just another trap. Another layer of control dressed up to look like freedom.
“Maybe..” I said finally, my voice hardening. As I turned back to my workstation “But if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
2 Weeks Ago - Domestication Treaty Signed
The Affini arrived faster than anyone expected. Next thing I knew I was at the office and Val rushed in to show me the news, showing me the tablet with the headline ‘Terran Accord surrenders. Signs Domestication Treaty’
My blood run cold as I stare at the headline, eventually coming back with a few snaps infront of my face “Hello, Valerie to Isie.”
I squeezed my eyes shut shaking my head “The fuck? That can’t be real. What the hell is a Domestication Treaty?” Taking the table to read over the article
Val looks down to her lap, fiddling with her hands “Apparently to make.. Pets of humans. Mostly voluntary but apparently they can do it to anyone they deem a threat to themselves or others.”
“Pets..? What?” I just looked over to Val with utter confusion. The word felt just ridiculous. Like a bad prank.
Val looked up to meet my gaze “It’s real. There was apparently a whole meeting. Boss showed me the memo. Said the office is shutting down. Corps aren’t even allowed anymore. Money either.”
I looked back down at the tablet in disbelief double checking the news source. Yep, it's legit. “But, how are we going to pay for rent and groceries? How are we going to take care of ourselves?”
“Apparently they will provide it all for free. Rent, Groceries, the whole deal.” Val said back with a heavy coating of skepticism, her eyes mirror my own confusion.
I frowned, giving the tablet back “If it sounds too good to be true. This doesn’t sit right with me at all. I mean, yay no more shitty job but..” Val met my gaze with a nod
“Yeah, I am thinking the same. Everything has a price. I am thinking we should keep talk about this over the phone to a minimum. We don’t know what they are capable of yet..”
I snorted “Outside of disbanding the entire government you mean?”
Val gave a smile “Meet me at my place tomorrow? I have an idea.”
2 Days Post Domestication Treaty
It was so surreal. The government didn’t even bother pretending anymore. They surrendered without a word. Not a single shot fired, not a single act of defiance. Just a calm dissolution, like they were vanishing into thin air. It was so calm it felt wrong.
When I met the next day at Valerie’s place, her apartment was crowded with half-packed boxes from stuff she liberated from the office. “We need a way to talk without screens or networks. Incase they shut that off or start monitoring.” she said sliding a piece of paper across the table. “You know how I like old spy thrillers, I think a dead-drop system could work for us.”
I looked down at the paper, a simple diagram she’d sketched out. Showing symbols and drop points. I marked a circle when I was going to drop something. And she marked a X. If it ever become both then it meant the area was compromised and to ignore whatever is there.
“We’ll keep to few spots.” Valerie said, as she lean forward to tap on the paper “Low-tech, reliable. They can’t intercept it unless they know exactly where to look.”
It wasn’t perfect, but its something I nodded in agreement as she continued. “We’ll keep each other in the loop.” She took a steady breath, her eyes never leaving mine. “Just incase things go south.”
“Right.” I said, a strange warmth in my chest “In case things go south..” I repeated softly.
The air hung heavy between us, thick with words that wouldn’t come for a long moment before there was a silent agreement. She was here, and I wasn’t alone and we parted ways.
7 Days Post Domestication Treaty
We used that dead-drop system alot. Felt like a lifeline, a quiet rebellion against the weight of the Affini’s calm presence. A way to keep in touch without fear of it being intercepted. We kept each other informed about what the Affini were changing. They built fast, transforming once familiar places. Replacing former civic buildings with even bigger buildings. And a lot of weird and probably mind controlling plants. I threw out my fern. They probably could make plants spy for them. I was going to miss that fern.
The notes became really the only tangible connection I had left to Val, each one a small piece of sanity to cling to. Then about a week later I saw it. The duress signal, against one of the normal pickup spots. I didn’t see anything out of normal. But it was pretty close to where the Affini were expanding. Maybe she was just being careful. I didn’t see any other drops with a message left for me. Maybe she is just laying low. Yeah, that’d make sense. She is pretty reliable. It’d take alot to catch her. We should really do a meetup in person again. I missed seeing her.
10 Days Post Domestication Treaty
I saw it. The X marked the spot. I looked around carefully for anything out of the ordinary as I moved to go retrieve the note that was hidden. Making sure to take my sleeve to rub off the chalk.
Hey, sorry I've been quiet. I over-reacted when I saw a couple of Affini around the area. Seemed like they were just sightseeing now that I come to think of it. I am working on something big with what I managed to pull from the office and from some strings I was able to pull. Should be ready soon. Hope you’re doing well. Stay safe out there cutie. ;)
I paused rereading the last part a few times, a blush coming across my face as I held the note to my chest. Wait, does she really think…? I shook my head, balling the paper up and chewing it thoroughly before lobbing it into a nearby dumpster. As I left I paused for a moment looking around the area. For some reason I could smell flowers. It smelt good.. relaxing. Probably just someone using too much perfume..