Messiah in Green 1, Revelations (Formerly 'Lexx', complete)

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Disclaimer: This is not a Lexx fanfic, though the franchise does get brought up a couple times within. It just happens to be a story about someone with the same name that has dominated my writing interest recently. Comments and criticisms welcome.

Part 1, Chapter 01

The Maccadyne Financial Building was located deep within the Loop. Forty two stories of lending, mortgaging and credit-fueled might. A goodly percentage of those who have crippling additional charges on late bills. Those who lose their homes to foreclosure. Finally those who are willing to try and trace their debts to the final collector through the maze of subsidiary companies and affiliated credit collection agencies often find this name popping up.

And for all its might, the shining monstrosity of steel and glass had a crippling weakness:

A ventilation shaft large enough to crawl through near one of the back dumpsters.

It was 11:48 pm on a Saturday that something other than recycled air moved through this shaft. Had it been a little earlier or later, the movement might have been noticed by the night watchman doing his half-hourly rounds through the lower levels of the building. For now though, no one interfered as a screwdriver forced its way between the thin metal slats of the ventilation grille. Wiggling back and forth it slowly pried a fist-sized hole, through which a fist was promptly shoved. It was a small fist, obviously feminine. It curled around, still holding the screwdriver, and went to work on the screws holding the grille in place.

After a few minutes work, the grille fell away and a woman crawled out of the vent and stretched. She wasn't clad in a skin-tight catsuit, nor did she move with the fluid grace of a gymnast ninja. Her hair didn't shine with liquid lustre in the dimmed hallway lights. Instead, she was someone of thoroughly average height, an almost anorexic looking frame, with but the slightest of curves defining her femininity. She had a mass of black hair that was only prevented from being tangled by virtue of being slightly greasy.

Following her was another woman, this one taller, and not quite so disturbingly thin, but still obviously in need of a few sandwiches. Her hair was generally a mass of tangles, but it looked like at least some effort was made to run a brush through it. Where the other woman's hair had a profusion of grease, this one's specialty seemed to lie in the splotchy chaos of colours, the result of several half-completed dye jobs. A patchwork of blacks, reds, deep purples and the occasional bleached spots.

They were both dressed in a manner that looked like the result of a violent collision between of a gypsy, a pirate, and an economically repressed vampire. The tall one's name was Lexx, while the not-quite-so tall one's name was Mael.

They had no valid reason for being here.

"Which way's best?" Lexx asked.

Mael closed her eyes and spun. Stopping at random and pointing she said, "This way."

"That's the wall," Lexx said.

"Fine, this way," Mael conceded, pointing to the left of where they had entered.

Lexx picked up the bag and followed the smaller woman down the hall, looking warily behind them for any security. "Ah ha, knew we were in luck," Mael announced as she found her way into a line of offices.

"Coolness," Lexx said, dropping the duffel bag and rooting around inside.

She stood back up with a couple of steel blocks with handles. Large magnets. Mael took one and Lexx took the other, each entering an office on either side of the hallway. Lexx quickly entered her chosen office and ran the magnet over the still running processor, then over the monitor for good measure. She tried the desk drawers, and took papers out of all the ones she could open. She went over to the window, opened it up, and released the papers into the night air.

She knew Mael was doing the same in her offices, and trusted her to do her part of the job. Lexx moved to the next office and repeated the process, this time finding even more official looking documents to toss out the window. She was just leaving the second office, heading for the third, when someone shoved her against the wall and yanked the magnet out of her hands.

Lexx grunted in pain as she was pushed against the wall again, someone's arm now keeping her pressed there. "Alright girl, freeze, you're under arrest."

Craning her head back, Lexx saw that she was being held in place by a security guard. She panicked, struggling, and was rewarded by being shoved against the wall a third time, "I said freeze girl! You're in a lot of trouble!"

He wasn't quite middle aged, but had a well developed paunch. The tag on his uniform said 'Charlie Pinnows'. Still, he was obviously stronger than Lexx and held her easily in place despite her struggling. With his other hand he managed to yank her wrists behind her back and bind them in place with a zip tie. Continuing to hold her in place he took out a walkie talkie, "Pinnows to base, I've got a suspect detained, calling for backup for transport."

"Wait!" Lexx gasped, "Wait, no, I can explain..."

"Explain what?" Charlie asked, pushing his glasses back up his nose, "That you're breaking and entering? Vandalism? Destruction of property? This is for your own good, girl, and-"

Charlie screamed and fell against Lexx. She let out an 'oof' and strained to push him off of her. Mael stood behind him, holding a crowbar and looking surprised. Before the guard had a chance to get back up, Mael swung the crowbar again, connecting the blunt side to Charlie's knee. Mael shook her head, grabbing Lexx's shoulder, "Come on, let's go before more come!"

Lexx ran after Mael, back in the direction they had come, the screams of Charlie pursuing them down the hallway. Lexx's zip-tied wrists flopped behind her as they reached the ventilation grate. Mael lifted the duffel bag and shoved it through, then grabbed Lexx before she could demand that Mael go first and shoved her through too. Lexx frantically hobbled through the shaft, bent over and only able to use her knees. She fell out the other end into the night air, her fall broken by a duffel bag containing numerous hard objects. She looked up just in time to see Mael fall out of the shaft on top of her. The fact that Mael was bone thin and damn near weightless was offset by the fact that she was composed entirely of skin and knobbly-edged bones. Lexx groaned as the air was driven out of her again.

---------

Mael looked at the crowbar in her hands as she and Lexx sat on the bus. Lexx massaged her wrists, some quick work with a box-cutter had removed the zip-tie, but the exertion before that had left deep, angry red lines around her wrists. Mael looked up at her with brown eyes, "I didn't think I'd ever actually use this against someone like that."

"It should be fine," Lexx said, reassuring herself as well, "He'll... he'll probably get workman's comp or something."

"It was kind of stupid of us," Mael said.

"It was fun, other than that, wasn't it?" Lexx protested.

Mael grinned, "Yeah, sort of. Still, what's the point? A couple of destroyed processors, with all the data likely backed up somewhere else, what damage did we actually do?"

"We don't have the patience, resources or intelligence to plan out something better," Lexx pointed out.

"Seems kind of stupid though," Mael repeated, "Break in, fail to do any sort of lasting damage, and end up assaulting a guy who's just trying to earn a living."

Lexx switched seats, sitting next to Mael and putting an arm around her shoulder, "What else have we got?"

"I don't know," Mael said, "I don't want to do this any more though."

"I guess the risk is too high," Lexx admitted.

"No, it's not that," Mael shook her head, "This is the kind of stuff that fanatics do. I mean, I fucking hate Maccadyne, and would love to see them die, crushed by the weight of their own corruption... but I don't have any fanaticism about it. I've got no urge to take these sorts of risks, and I just found that out now."

Lexx nodded, "So... failed experiment, then?"

It was Mael's turn to nod, "Yeah."

----------

Lexx curled up on the futon mattress. There was no frame beneath it, just the hardwood floor. Still it was far more comfortable than most beds she had been in. Turning her head to see Mael crouched on the other end of the mattress, staring intently at the computer screen, Lexx wondered how much of that comfort came from the company. Something padded its way across the bed and nuzzled Lexx in the face. "Hey Calvin," she tiredly said, stroking the cat and turning back over.

She had to work tomorrow, a mixed blessing that, at the moment, she could only concentrate on the negative end of. It was amazing that she could find a job in the city, even if it were only fast food. She should be damned grateful for any income at all. On the other hand, it was fast food, not exactly the most fulfilling or life affirming job. Two weeks in, and it was already grating on her nerves. She wondered how much longer it would be before she suffered another minor breakdown and quit out of spite.

Mael leaned over and scritched Lexx's scalp. Lexx closed her eyes and wished she could purr, some sort of non-verbal, yet still vocalized indication of her appreciation. The woman's name wasn't really 'Mael', it was Dru. But Mael was her online persona, and was used so much Lexx ended up using that name instead. As for Lexx, her name was actually Alexxia. Not Alexia, because her parents were fashion-forward with names, and alternate spellings of common names were all the rage. She didn't care too much, it wasn't a bad name, spelling aside. The only downside is that more recently, apparently there was some semi-obscure TV series that went by the same name, and thus she was plagued with questions about whether or not she took her name from that series. It wasn't too bad though, and she kind of liked that show anyways, one of the few TV shows she actually found worth watching. Thus, Lexx stayed.

Mael finished typing up a final response to the online community she was on. She settled down next to Lexx, wrapping herself up in blankets and snagging Calvin in the process. She gave the back of Lexx's head a kiss before settling down to sleep.

No, Lexx wouldn't be quitting anytime soon. A portion of her income went to supporting this apartment, and that alone made it worth sticking it out at a crappy job.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 1, Chapter 02

A harsh beeping cut through Lexx's dream, a stress-induced series of visions involving being late to a job interview. Grunting and slapping vaguely at her cell phone, Lexx tried to convince her conscience that she didn't need to go to work today. The arguments were strong, they included a warm bed, Mael still sleeping quietly next to her, and the soft lulling drone of thrashcore coming from the computer. But somehow her conscience stood resolute through all of it and demanded that she pretend to be a productive citizen.

Muttering various profanities, Lexx slowly pulled herself out of bed. She wasn't too concerned about accidentally waking Mael. For one thing Mael could probably sleep through a meteorite striking the apartment. For another, even on the off chance that she did wake up it was likely she'd do what she always did: Mutter something incoherent, maybe cough, roll over and go right back to sleep. Lexx paused halfway through the process of pulling herself from bed to give the unconscious Mael a quick head scritching. No reply this morning.

Out into the cramped kitchen in a bra and pajama pants, Lexx debated on what would be the least unappetizing item she could have for breakfast. A quick check in the fridge revealed a healthy breakfast of two bagels and leftover chicken casserole. Lexx threw the former in the toaster, the latter in the microwave, and collapsed on the single chair, staring vapidly off into nothingness. She was waiting for her mind to wake up. Yes, she had been upright and moving around, but she was not awake yet. She would know when she was awake.

The moment came. Her mind asked her why she was doing this.

"Because I'm a human who cares for the people around her," Lexx said flatly.

She hoped that would shut it up for now. She knew that her words were true, but her mind was a petulant, selfish bitch. It wanted gratification right now, always. Getting up at a horrible hour in the morning, placing bare feet on a cold hardwood floor and putting on a hated uniform to go to a hated place and do a hated job that involved dealing with hated people did not fall under 'gratification'. It didn't matter that all of it was done to help put money towards keeping the apartment running relatively smoothly, that was too much of a disconnect for her mind to accept.

Two weeks was more than enough time to establish this as a routine. Wake up most weekdays and some weekends, stagger clumsily about and let her mind simmer with hatred and loathing. It was mornings, Lexx could never stand mornings. She hated the sound of birds and despised the bright light just cresting the horizon, the impatient honking of early business traffic outside. She hated coffee, was ambivalent towards pancakes and waffles, and didn't like most forms of eggs. There was nothing about this portion of the day that appealed to her, she would have rather spent it unconscious if at all possible.

But that wasn't possible, at least not for the moment. Go figure that the only job she could find in the city decided that plunking her on the early morning shift was the best possible place for her. Lexx rubbed her eyes and gnawed on a bagel. Her mood would lift once this part of the day was over, for right now though, she was content to hate the world and most everything in it.

A rumble outside drew her attention. Lexx looked out and realized that unlike most mornings, the sun wasn't glaring harshly into the apartment. A flat gray blanket covered the sky, from it came the occasional angry grumble. Lexx smiled, maybe it wouldn't be that bad of a morning after all.

-----------

"Yeah, I want a number four Blitz combo!" yelled a voice in Lexx's ear.

She cringed and turned the volume down on the headset. Keeping her voice calm and once again resisting the urge to start reaming a customer out, Lexx replied, "Alright then, can I get you anything else?"

So much for the good morning. The walk to Burger Blitz, her monolithic, faceless employer, had been rather enjoyable. The clouds were heavy, keeping everything in a delightful purplish-gray twilight. And while thunder muttered threateningly, little more than the occasional spatter of drizzle came down. The air was thick with humidity, but so long as the sun wasn't directly on her skin, Lexx had no problem with that. She loved the warm air, even if it meant her cheap, stain-proof uniform clung wetly to her. It was sunlight that gave her a headache.

But continued enjoyment of the dour weather was not to be. As soon as she got to work, Samuel immediately shuffled her off to the back drive-through window to do cash and collect. And since then the stream of annoying people had kept her far too busy to enjoy the cloudiness and occasional rumbling of the sky.

"Welcome to Burger Blitz, what can I get for you?"

" ... "

Lexx waited a few seconds and tried again, "Welcome to Burger Blitz, what can I get for you?"

"I'm looking! Jeeze!" an aggravated voice yelled at Lexx.

"Alright then ma'am, just let me know whenever you're ready," Lexx said after taking a deep breath.

She turned to continue wiping down the wall when the voice broke in again, "The two for one sausage muffin deal!"

"I'm sorry ma'am?"

"I said-"

"I'm sorry ma'am, that promotion ended last week."

"What?"

"Last week ma'am, you cannot get the two for one sausage muffin deal."

"Why not?"

"Because the promotion ended last week, we're no longer offering that deal."

"But I want the two for one deal!"

Lexx sighed and rubbed her temples, "If you want, ma'am, we're offering our portable pancake platter at one dollar off this week-"

"No!" the voice was irate now, "I want the two for one deal! I got it last week and I want it now!"

"I'm sorry ma'am, we're no longer offering it."

"Well maybe I'll just take my business elsewhere!"

"Have a nice day," Lexx said to an empty intercom.

For the third time this morning she considered simply taking off her headset, ripping off her shirt and simply walking out of here and never looking back. For the third time this morning she suppressed the urge. Lexx simply didn't have the guts for that sort of endeavor. She despised uncomfortable social situations, and she knew that if Samuel detained her and asked what she was doing during her attempt to flee, she would not have the courage to simply tell him she quit.

There was a small rumble of thunder outside. Lexx opened up the drive-thru window to better enjoy the sound. No matter how bad things got, this kind of weather never failed to lift her mood.

--------

Lexx burst through the door to the back stairwell and practically fell over herself trying to get to the fourth-floor apartment. By the time she got to the top the sky was twice as dark as it was when she started her trip. Lexx fumbled impatiently with the keys, finally unlocking the back door to the apartment and hauling her bag inside. She forced herself to calm down slightly and walk a little slower, carefully depositing her bag on the futon mattress and noting the vacant computer.

Frowning, Lexx left the room and traverse the length of the narrow but elongated apartment, checking in the main room. The fan was on, and curtains were across most of the windows. In the gloom, she could just see the outline of someone sleeping on the small pile of mattresses in one corner, nearly lost in a mountain of plushies. Lexx checked the other end of the room and saw that the larger computer here was also vacant. Pursing her lips Lexx traveled back out of the back door of the apartment. In the stairwell she came to a ladder bolted against the wall. Looking up, Lexx saw that the trapdoor in the ceiling was slightly ajar.

Smiling Lexx clamored up the ladder and through the trapdoor, ending up on the flat roof of the apartment.

"I was wondering when you'd make it up here," Mael said, not turning around from her seat on the roof. An empty chair sat next to her.

Lexx bounded happily over and gave Mael a loving gnaw on the head before settling down herself. "How was work?" Mael asked.

"Yeah... um, can I get back to you on that after I've firebombed the place?" Lexx replied, "I prefer to look forward to the immediate future than dwell on the painful agony that is the past."

Mael finally looked over at Lexx and smiled, "Your attempts at making me feel guilty will fail."

"Come on, it's the only defense mechanism I have," Lexx countered.

"Aside from apathy?"

"Well, there's always that, but that's more of a casual lifestyle choice for me, you're the only one I know who's developed apathy into a martial art."

Mael smiled again, "Hey, I have to have some claim to fame."

Lexx looked up at the darkening sky. A single large raindrop fell directly between her eyes. Wiping it away, Lexx looked towards the western horizon where even darker clouds intruded, a spreading purple bruise across the sky. "I'm actually kind of glad the storm waited until I got home," Lexx mused, "People are fucking retarded and they would have ruined my enjoyment of it."

"How's that?" Mael asked.

"It's... weird, and stupid," Lexx explained, "I have no idea why, but for whatever reason, whenever the weather gets bad, it seems to draw the stupid out in masses. There's no logical explanation for it, and it annoys the hell out of me. Whenever we get hit by a storm while I'm at work, I suddenly have customers piling in the door like mad. And somehow they're even stupider and more foul-tempered than usual. So I can't enjoy the goddamn weather because I've got a sudden crowd of stupid, shrieking morons that I have to take care of."

"Perhaps nature has a sense of humour," Mael suggested, "People have spent years testing and re-testing the theory of natural selection, consistently showing how the stupid, the unfit, and the unlucky are destined to get weeded out of the gene pool so that the best and brightest can reproduce. It all looks pretty damn good, it all works. Then nature decides to throw us a curve ball by giving the stupidest among us the great communal urge to head out during dangerous weather. The only thing that would make it funnier is if they had the irrational urge to wave around metal antennae while they were at it."

"It makes me sad," Lexx said, "It makes me wish there were some sort of justice in the universe so that those idiots could meet fitting ends for going out during dangerous weather. I guess... I guess it goes both ways. No gods, no over-arching justice, during or after life, I get to laugh at the Christians-"

"You mean your family," Mael interjected.

"...and by extension a majority of the rest," Lexx said emphatically, "Anyways, yeah, I get to laugh at them for thinking the universe is going to cater to their morality. But on the flip side, I have to deal with the fact that stupid people will often get to live and thrive off their stupidity at the expense of people who are intellectually and morally superior to them, and there's no guarantee that they'll ever pay for it."

"It occurs to me," Mael remarked, "that while discussing how stupid people are, and how much they would deserve to die if there were any sort of cosmic justice... we're sitting on top of a roof bristling with tv antennae, waiting for a thunderstorm to hit."

"Yeah, well, we're practicing our stupidity quietly and out of the way, not annoying anyone else with it."

"Maybe if the roof got struck by lightning, and we were hurled off as a pair of gangly flaming meteorites and we struck some innocent passerby on the street... would that count as annoying someone else with our stupidity?" Mael asked.

"Gangly flaming meteorites, that's an awesome band name," Lexx giggled, "We'll have a musical saw, and a chest freezer, and-"

The sky exploded, causing both Mael and Lexx to flinch in surprise. Lightning flashed a second time as the storm continued to gather strength above them. Recovering quickly from the surprise, Lexx lifted her head, feeling a few more raindrops hit her skin. Mael got out an umbrella and offered to share the portable dry space with Lexx. She refused, jumping out of seat and walking closer to the parapet. Mael shrugged and enjoyed remaining seated and staying dry.

"You know," Lexx said, having to shout to be heard over another crash of thunder, "I don't even like getting wet usually. I don't like anything sticking to my skin..."

"...including me?" Mael asked.

"Well, you're an exception," Lexx said, "And so's this!"

She squealed happily and did a twirl as another bolt of lightning rent the sky. The twirl ended in a near over-balancing and falling over the parapet. Catching herself, Lexx contented herself with leaning over the edge, closing her eyes and enjoying the ensuing rumble. For a moment she wondered if Mael was staring at her butt. Thunder rumbled again and she no longer cared.

"Maybe we'll get lucky!" Lexx screamed as the storm rose in fury, "Maybe lightning will strike several sensitive areas and cut power over the entire city indefinitely!"

"Well then I'm screwed," Mael shouted back, "Cut me off internet and I'll go into withdrawal."

"Yeah, but once the stupid people start going into massive communal shock without their tv's, won't you see things a little differently?"

Mael's answer was drowned out by another burst of thunder, this one exceptionally close by. Lexx screamed and laughed as a sudden torrential downpour hit them. Mere moments ago a good deal of her body was aching and worn out from an aggravating day of work. Now all of it was gone, replaced by a jittery energy and euphoria that not even caffeine could equal. She fed off of storms. No, she fed off of chaos, and having the dark sky torn apart with searing light while an onslaught of rain scattered the outline of the ground, blurring the edges of all, qualified as the best display of chaos available... short of the city disappearing in a raging inferno.

Even in her enjoyment, Lexx found time to muse over that. Was she really that much of a sociopath, that she would truly be willing to throw a good chunk of humanity under the bus just to disrupt a rather stifling amount of order? Lexx tried to banish those sorts of thoughts from her mind, they got in the way of her enjoyment of the storm. She wanted to enjoy the chaos going on around her, rather than being disappointed that it wasn't shattering the city around her.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 1, Chapter 03

Lexx gazed at herself in the mirror. The skies continued to rumble outside. Her clothes lay in a sodden pile on one side of the bathroom and her hair clung damply to her pale skin. Lexx considered herself a narcissist, in that if she were to find someone who looked exactly like her, she would be turned on by their appearance. Now staring in the mirror, still riding the euphoria of dancing in the storm while lightning flickered and thunder growled outside, she was rather enjoying what she saw. Yeah, she was horribly gangly, and perhaps her hips could stand to be a bit thicker, but all in all, she considered herself rather attractive.

The storm wasn't helping at all. There was simply too much energy for her coming down from the sky, Lexx worried that she would start bouncing around once she started the shower. From the looks of things, the storm would last a good deal of the night, and this period of constant growls was just a quiet point before things started up again.

Lexx grinned wickedly at her reflection. Her hair was plastered down, still saturated with rainwater. It's normally brightly splotchy colour replaced by a multi-hued collection of blacks, dark browns and deep reds. The colour was further offset by her deathly pale skin, which refused to change shade no matter how much sun was poured on it. Lexx had two colours, pale white or sunburn red, nothing in between.

On a whim she reached over and flicked the light-switch off. For a few seconds everything in the bathroom was smothered in darkness. Lexx waited expectantly, grinning in the dark. She knew it wouldn't be long. Sure enough, lightning flickered again. Lexx watched in the mirror as actinic light outlined the curves of her body, her grin widened as the lightning continued to play over her. She had always loved electricity play. The brief mental image of her outside, naked, as lightning coursed painfully, but ultimately harmlessly through and around her, sent shivers through her body.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Lexx quickly turned the bathroom light back on, she had a shower to take, a daily bodily-shaving ritual to undergo. Lexx preferred to keep her skin as smooth as possible... it was just more fun that way. Just as Lexx was turning to start the shower the bathroom lights went back out. Half a second later the entire apartment vibrated to a nearby crash of thunder. Lexx straightened up, panting and nervousness and surprise. She waited for the lights to turn back on, wondering if she should just skip the shower since the storm was obviously starting back up.

The lights failed to turn on. Instead, more lightning created an intermittent, flickering light show inside the bathroom. Lexx pouted a little, she needed to take a shower after her little rain dance. Something caught her eye in the mirror. Lexx looked into the darkness and waited for the weather to illuminate things once more. It did, and she took a step back gasping. For a few moments there was a tingling sensation over her entire body, as if every inch of Lexx's skin was trying to escape.

When the lightning flashed, it wasn't her own reflection she saw in the mirror.

Lightning flashed again, and the vision was verified. It wasn't Lexx in the mirror... but at the same time it was.

Lexx tried to talk, but only succeeded in making a small mewling noise in the back of her throat. Some part of her wondered if she was hallucinating, most of the rest of her was either in shock or on auto-pilot. Her lips moved, mouthing the words "Bloody Mary".

"No, I'm not," her not-reflection replied.

That was quite a feat, seeing as how the woman standing in the mirror by all rights should not have been able to talk. For one thing, her mouth was stitched shut. So were her eyes, the bloody stumps where her ears used to be, and even her nostrils. Lexx's stomach did another slow flip as lightning flashed again and she saw the reflection also had crude stitching sealing another opening, somewhat further down her body.

The worst of it was that it actually was Lexx's reflection, sort of. Aside from the various stitched-shut bodily orifices, it was easy to see that the thing in the mirror was indeed her body, moving not quite in tune with her own movements.

Lexx came to the slow realization that, while the power hadn't come back on, she could still see around the bathroom without the aid of the storm outside. It wasn't the same bathroom she was in a moment before... yet it was. Everything about it, all of the proportions were just slightly off in a wholly unsettling fashion. But the majority of her attention was locked on the thing that wasn't quite her reflection. "Don't worry, I'm not some sort of manifestation of your subconscious," it said.

Putting a shaky hand on the counter to steady herself, Lexx tried talking to herself, "Oookay... are you going to try and do something bad to me? Should I try to run away... or slap myself or something?"

"No, not that it would help much anyways. I just wanted to talk to you," her reflection said, "It's hard to make a subtle connection with you unless your walls are down, and enjoying yourself in a storm is basically the best time for that."

"Subtle?" Lexx asked, offering another look around the bathroom. Outside the window was nothing more than a dark bluish gray mist, rendering an opaque wall over everything more than a few feet away. Occasional jagged bolts of purplish lightning wormed their way through the mist. Inside the bathroom was little better. The shower, toilet, counter, sink and mirror were still there, but all were queerly deformed in their dimensions, sometimes flowing into the walls in an organic fashion and occasionally missing parts. The walls, floors and ceiling were the same, some sections had simply disappeared, revealing a black void behind them.

"No, I didn't mean subtle in environmental terms," her reflection said, "It's more in the fashion in which I contact you. Normally, where you exist, contacting you from somewhere else is difficult. But with your mental defenses down during a storm, I was able to draw you into a place where communication would be a little easier. Granted, I could forcefully communicate with you anytime I wanted, but the force it would take to reach you in your normal environment, you might get damaged in the fallout."

"Environment," Lexx tried latching onto that word, "Okay then... what sort of environment is this... oh, and why exactly do you want to talk to me?"

"This is The Dark," her reflection said, "It's a partial reflection of your world, sort of existing in between several worlds, with parts of all of them leaking in and forming its environment. This open nature makes it a great place to make contact with things from outside. You're here because of what I've seen about you and your potential, I wanted to make you an offer."

"Offer, right," Lexx looked around again, figuring she was trapped here for the time being, "Who are you?"

"I'm not your reflection," her reflection said reassuringly, "This is just one of the natural forms I take, and I don't have the time or interest to change to something else, it's not important. I'm an Observer. I watch how things unfold, and occasionally make experimental tweaks to see what the long term consequences of short-term changes will be."

"Okay, sort of following you so far," Lexx said uncertainly, "But... couldn't you have done this before I undressed?"

"Not really, a sudden power-outage in your world was the best time to pull you through. Besides, if anything here had harmful intentions towards you, you wouldn't be saved by your clothes."

"That's not reassuring," Lexx said, looking around nervously.

"Lexx, all of us have become very good at seeing how actions are most likely to play out into the future. I have been responsible for observing your world, along with a couple hundred others, and you've caught my interest in terms of what you have the potential to accomplish."

"Great, is there are reason your 'natural form' is a stitched up version of me?"

"Symbology," the Observer replied, "It's a metaphorical representation of you right now, before your senses are opened up to far greater possibilities."

"Does this have something to do with me being a virgin?" Lexx asked, swallowing a slight nausea and pointing towards the reflection's mutilated and stitched up crotch.

"No," it said bluntly, "virginity and sex have nothing to do with it, despite what many belief systems in your world claim. It's more about desire, you have always desired something more than what the world was capable of offering. Reality has always been unsufficient, correct?"

"Well... yeah..." Lexx admitted, "But-"

"Not a whole lot of time left," the Observer interrupted, "You're not fully ready yet, your body is pulling you back to the reality it feels most comfortable in. Shut up and listen: Your desires for more than the mundane are on the verge of being fulfilled, and with it, you will have the potential to enact incredible change in and out of your world."

The lightning outside was building up again. Lexx shrieked as static energy caused an arc of purplish electricity between her finger and the counter. "Fine," she said, having to shout to be heard over the growing rumble, "What's the offer?"

"Stay here!," her reflection said, "I can get you an early start, and show you things you only dreamed of!"

"But what about... my life?" Lexx screamed.

"You hate your life," the Observer replied.

"But I love my friends, I don't want to leave them," Lexx shouted back.

"No time left," the Observer said, it's quiet voice carrying over the roar outside, "Take my hand, step through the looking glass and your physical body won't be able to restrain you!"

The reflection reached forward, straight through the uneven mirror. It wasn't a clean passage through the barrier of glass that Lexx had expected. Instead, as the reflection's fingers pass through solid material, vicious lacerations were traced through the skin. Tattered and bleeding fingers wrapped around Lexx's wrists, pulling her with a surprising strength towards the mirror. In shock and disgust Lexx pulled away. At first she was powerless against the strength of those hands, but the increasing amount of blood dribbling between its fingers served as a lubricant, and with a sickly squelch Lexx was free and careening backwards into the tub.

Smacking her head against the back wall of the shower, Lexx's vision doubled. Confused, she looked up. The ceiling of the shower-stall was nothing but a collection of tennis ball sized insectile eyes staring back down at her. Lightning flashed again, this time a clean blue nova that blinded and deafened Lexx. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes, clumsily trying to get out of the tub. When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness.

A second later the bathroom lights flickered back on. Lexx looked around in confusion, the lights were the typical fluorescents she was used to in this bathroom. There was a light knocking on the door, "Lexx? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lexx called back and coughed. With an effort she pulled herself from the tub and dizzily leaned against the counter, "I just tripped a little when the power went out."

"Are you hurt?" the voice was concerned.

Lexx opened the door and peered around, seeing an almost frantic Sera in the hallway, "I'm fine mommy, I'm also naked, though."

"Oh," Sera said, "I just wanted to make sure hon, are you sure showering's a good idea?"

"Not really," Lexx said, "But I'm feeling horribly dirty at the moment..

"Okay hon... be careful."

"I will mommy."

Lexx closed the door. Hesitantly, she looked in the mirror. It was her own reflection staring back at her. A little flushed from the blow to the head, and her hair a little more messed up, but no stitches or sealed orifices. Discolouring on her skin drew her attention. Lexx lifted her arms and stared at her wrists in shock. For a moment she felt like she was going to fall over again as the bottom of her stomach dropped out.

Like a pair of crimson bracelets, bloody smudged fingerprints encircled her wrists.

-----------

"I have to work tomorrow," Lexx said, flopping on the futon.

"That sucks," Mael said, not turning away from the computer, "Oh, but there is some good news."

"Yeah?"

"Apparently I've got an interview on Friday."

"Where?"

"APMart," Mael said with faux pride.

"Ooh," Lexx said, "It'll beat Burger Blitz, at least."

"We'll hold a big party, and burn down both franchises," Mael muttered.

"And engage in excessive alliteration?" Lexx asked.

"Yeah, that too."

"It helps to keep goals thoroughly mundane," Lexx said.

"What's up?" Mael asked, finally looking at her, "Did you shower or dunk your head in a bucket of sad?"

"I'm not sad, that's the, um, sad thing," Lexx said, "I'm cautiously hopeful, actually. It must be having an effect on my demeanor."

"Hope is for the foolish," Mael said.

"And delusional," Lexx completed.

"Well, some delusions could be pretty fun, as long as they were consistent," Mael said.

"I hope so," Lexx said, "I guess I'm a stupid idealist, I still hold out the hope that this world isn't as deathly boring as it appears to be. I mean, wouldn't it suck if this were really all there is?"

"You already know my opinions on it," Mael said, "Why do you think I spend a majority of my time online, in a fictional location, talking to people who don't exist and pretending I'm something that is not physically possible?"

"Or preparing each year for a festival that celebrates a historical period that never occured," Lexx expanded, "and dressing up in outfits that have no historical context."

"Yeah, something like that," Mael said, "Reality sucks, so we have to do our best making our own with what we have on hand."

Lexx smiled, "I still hope for more. Storms get me that way. I think I'm a bad person, I'm willing to say fuck the large number of people who would likely die in the fallout, I want a massive goddamn storm to knock out everything, all the stupid societal rules in place which preserve civilization... but also make things so horribly boring."

"You're not a bad person," Mael said, leaning over and giving Lexx a kiss, "I'm the monster here."

Lexx smiled, "Yeah, a monster that got me a place to live during the worst point of my life."

"Quiet, I don't need you ruining my reputation. Besides, Sera might hear and come in here and give a tearful, thirty-minute explanation about how we're all family and she loves us all so much... and these sheets were just washed last week."

"Yeah, but when was the last time you were washed?"

"I'm do for a physical ego boost in half an hour or so," Mael grinned.

"I'll probably be asleep by then," Lexx muttered, rolling over.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 1, Chapter 04

"Someone left you a message while you were asleep," Mael said as Lexx scrambled to shut off her alarm.

Lexx blinked at Mael, "Did you stay up all night?"

"Not quite," Mael yawned, "I might just get to sleep before the sun's fully up."

"Does that mean the storm's done?"

Mael nodded sadly. Lexx understood the unhappiness, looking out the window she saw a lightening purple horizon. Only a few small clouds marked the sky, the storm was over. She sighed, and as Mael finally settled down to go to sleep, Lexx muttered and slowly pushed herself out of bed. She staggered into the cramped kitchen and somehow found herself a box of honeycomb-bites. A minimal amount of milk was poured on top. Lexx was selectively lactose intolerant. A glass of milk would make her violently ill, but a little poured on top of cereal was generally okay.

Something Mael had said finally clicked in Lexx's half-awake mind. She stumbled back into the bedroom and snatched up her phone. Making her way back to the kitchen, Lexx checked on the messages folder. There was one new message from Beltrak, Tia. Pursing her lips, Lexx read the message. It stated, in short, that the sender of the message truly missed her sister and that recent events have given her the wish and free time to come to Chicago for a vacation of sorts, and would love nothing more than to visit.

"So, anything interesting?" Mael asked from directly behind Lexx.

Lexx jumped, eliciting a snicker from the darker-haired woman. "Not really," she muttered, "Just an annoyance that wants to pretend it isn't."

"Family?"

"Yeah, well, biological family," Lexx admitted.

Mael wrapped her arms around Lexx's shoulders, "Have you tried telling them you worship the devil?"

"Oh my parents already believe that," Lexx smiled, "They had since the moment I told them I was bi. My sister... well, she turned a few years later. It kind of sucked."

"What do you mean?"

"She... she wasn't always such a fundamentalist bitch. She used to be pretty decent... hell, she was the one who started me on the path to what I am now."

"Really? I never knew that," Mael said with surprise, "I thought you were the only one in your family who was cool."

"Well, I am. Turns out that it was nothing more than a phase my sister was going through. The parents discovered some of the books she had, and she claimed they were mine, I got in trouble for it and got sent to a very special camp for a summer. After that, not a whole lot of talking went on between us, and after I got disowned and kicked out... well, this is the first message I've gotten from her in half a year. I don't even know how she got this number."

"That sucks," Mael sympathized.

Lexx shrugged, "I like to think I'm better for it now. Besides, it doesn't compare to your situation. I was only kicked out, not stalked across half the country."

It was Mael's turn to shrug, "Like I remember any of that. As far as I'm concerned, this building's been my home for a majority of my remembered life, and that's all that really matters. You've been my room-mate, and like some hideously incestuous sister that I love for the past six months, and likewise, that's all that really matters."

Lexx grinned and hugged Mael, "Come on, don't get me emotional before work. I need my protective barrier of apathy to make it through the day."

"Maybe you'll get lucky and something interesting will happen today," Mael suggested.

------------

The interesting, such as it was, occurred near the end of the day. After the storms of yesterday, the sun and heat returned with a vengeance, and with it a new swarm of ever more unlikeable people. At least this time Lexx was able to work the front counter instead of drive-thru. For some reason people were a little more hesitant to unleash their most aggravating vitriol when the target of their stupidity was staring them in the face.

Except for one glaring exception. Lexx had taken his order, and had delivered his food. She had gotten into the habit of shoving most customers into broad social categories. The gangstas were some of the more annoying and stupid, the white trash pulling in close behind them. Frat-tards were a minority here, but when they did show up, Lexx had to fight down the urge to dry heave on the fumes of beer-sweat. The elderly were their own category of annoying, and the Mexicans were a mixed bag, some quite aggravating, some really cool.

This man belonged to the business caste, another mixed bag. Some were decent and good mannered, others were pompous assholes who apparently believed that wearing a suit gave one ownership rights over the restaurant and everyone within. This was a member of the latter half of the spectrum. Shortly after his food had been delivered, he returned to the counter in a storm. Lexx calmly took the sandwich he had returned, smiling slightly and doing her best to ignore the constant stream of bitching about how bad the service was here, and how she was supposed to know he had ordered no pickles, and should be able to magically double-check the sandwich, somehow without taking the wrapper off.

The bitching followed Lexx as she dumped the half-eaten sandwich in the garbage, and sent the message back to the kitchen that it needed to be remade. The new and improved sandwich was sent to her, and she relayed it to the businessman. All was well for a whole three minutes before the man returned. This time the bitching was even louder, all of it once again directed at Lexx. He slammed the sandwich down on the counter forcefully, and to demonstrate his displeasure, smashed it with his fist.

Lexx gritted her teeth as mustard splattered on her uniform, she was dangerously close to an emotional outburst over this. It was her manager that came in and made the save. Monica the store manager, above even the supervisors, had been watching the entire exchange from the drive-thru. Once the sandwich had been thrown, she politely asked her current customer to hold and walked up to the front counter.

"Sir, I'd like you to leave."

"Well I'd like some actual fucking service!"

"Sir, your behaviour is not acceptable here, please leave and calm down, if you have any complaints, you are perfectly welcome to-"

"Listen you black bitch! I'm a customer and I'm always fucking right!" a finger was shaking at her, another mistake, "Now I am demanding satisfaction from you minimum-wage degenerates or else I will be making a call to-"

"Sir, get the fuck out of this restaurant right NOW!" Monica screamed, her eyes wide, her entire posture making it seem like she was just moments away from leaping across the counter and going for the asshole's throat.

The man took a step back, trying to rally, "Don't you dare take that tone of voice with-"

"Out! Now! Five seconds and I call the cops to report an assault! Four! Three! ..."

The man tried to slam the doors on his way out, but the pneumatic hinges prevented him even that final sign of resistance. Lexx was trying her best not to laugh.

But that wasn't the true interesting that occurred. The interesting happened a few seconds later, while Lexx was still recovering from that outburst and congratulating Monica on how awesome she was. Someone else had come up to the counter, "That was... amusing."

Lexx turned to the new customer and froze, "Rose?"

The woman behind the counter smiled winningly, "But of course."

"Rose! I haven't seen you in... but... damn, you look incredible," Lexx gushed

"Of course I look incredible," Rose said, "That's because I'm made almost entirely of concentrated Awesome."

"Okay," Lexx admitted, "Your ego hasn't changed a bit."

"Well, when you're like me, there's really only one effective direction your ego can go," Rose grinned.

"Yeah, well, you've failed to catch me at my greatest moment," Lexx said, looking down at her mustard spattered uniform, "It's kind of embarrassing actually."

Rose shrugged, "If you have to do it to survive, who cares?"

"That's rich, coming from a hottie with pink hair and a vinyl corset that looks like it cost at least a week's worth of my wages, currently singlehandedly tripling the attractiveness of this place," Lexx muttered.

"Hey, that's not something I can help," Rose said with false modesty, "Anyways, I wasn't even expecting to run into you here."

"So what are you doing here?" Lexx asked, "I haven't seen you in, what, two, three years now?"

"Two and a half, and just grabbing an iced coffee," Rose said, then leaned forward conspiratorially, "Oh, and casing the place."

Lexx blinked, "Casing?"

Rose shushed her, "So, you want to see something interesting?"

Lexx arched an eyebrow. Rose continued, "See that SUV out there? The Suburban?"

"Yeah," Lexx said, "What about it?"

"Well, that asshole who was just throwing a fit up here, he's behind the wheel."

"Fine, what'd you do, key his car?"

"Oh come on, would I do something like that?" Rose looked innocent.

"Yes," Lexx said bluntly, "You're a vindictive bitch."

"Well... okay, maybe I would have, but there are better things I can do, like this," Rose snapped her fingers.

There was the terrible sound of metal scraping against concrete outside. A second later a loud crunch and a lot of horns honking. Lexx's mouth dropped open, the Lexus' seemed to have lost all four of its wheels at once. She looked at Rose, then looked back outside, the back at Rose. Rose simply smiled at her.

"What... how did you..." Lexx began.

"Pure coincidence," Rose said, "At least, that's all that can be proven."

"I... I..." Lexx blushed a little, "Sadly, I'd rather not believe that."

"Yeah, you haven't changed either, " Rose grinned, "Still running after fairies."

"So?"

"I've found one," Rose said.

Lexx blinked, then looked at the unfolding chaos outside. The blinked again, "What?"

"Want to know how?"

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 1, Chapter 05

"So who's this friend of yours?" Sera asked as she settled down on the bench.

"Rose," Lexx replied, "I used to go to school with her, a few years back, before I dropped out. She was... well, she was a bitch, to put it bluntly. An arrogant, sociopathic bitch."

"My goodness, I have no idea why you'd ever be attracted to someone like that," Mael said with a smile.

Lexx smiled back, "Worried she's going to steal me away?"

"That would require me caring," Mael countered, "it would be inconsistent of me if I didn't apply my apathy equally in all things, including relationships."

"You're not apathetic hon," Sera said seriously.

"You be quiet and leave me with my delusions," Mael replied.

Lexx checked her phone, "She's running late, she said she'd be here fifteen minutes ago."

"Why the park?" Sera asked.

"She wanted to meet up with me, hang out and catch up on things," Lexx replied, "I figured this was the easiest place to find nearby. Apparently she had a new boyfriend or something she wanted to show off."

"Oh, one of those," Mael snorted, "They're overrated."

"Watch it," Lexx replied, "People will think you're a rabid feminist."

"Then I'll inform them that girlfriends are generally just as bad," Mael smirked.

"Damnit, where the hell is sh-" Lexx started, then fell over.

Dimly she saw vague shapes that could be Mael and Sera leaning over her. Lexx shook her head, realizing she was suddenly on her back. With a surprised grunt, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and looked over her body, for some reason she was surprised she wasn't covered in blood. Lexx wondered why she would be surprised at that.

"Jesus, Lexx, what happened?!" Sera's voice managed to cut through the fog of Lexx's confusion.

Lexx looked up at Sera, uncomprehending, "What?"

"You were having a seizure!" Sera said, carefully looking into one, then the other of Lexx's eyes.

Mael was behind her, hands on her shoulders, "You were spazzing for a good minute or so."

"Don't you remember any of it?" Sera asked.

Lexx blinked, "I... no... I just... what?"

"Hon," Sera looked her in the eyes again, "Is there anything wrong, anything you're not telling me?"

Lexx shook her head, "Not unless someone's been spiking my drinks at work. What happened?"

Mael explained, "You were in the middle of asking where that Rose girl was, then you went completely still. You got this... you looked like you were about to piss yourself in fright, and then... flop, spasm spasm."

Lexx shook her head, smiling in a confused fashion, "I... that's never happened before. I don't remember-"

She paused. For a moment the mental image of someone being stabbed through the gut filled her senses. A second later and the image was gone. "I think we should go back in," Sera said, "Rose can wait."

"Yeah... yeah, I guess she can," Lexx let herself get pulled to her feet.

"Lexx... listen," Sera said as the trio walked back towards the apartment, "I know you are big on trying to earn your own way... but I'm not going to let you kill yourself with this."

"It's not work," Lexx said, "I've gone through worse and come out fine."

"You're my baby!" Sera said adamantly, "You shouldn't have to put yourself through this for our sake."

"Maybe not," Lexx admitted, "But 'shouldn't' doesn't have anything to do with it. We need to support the apartment-"

"My medicaid and unemployment can cover it," Sera said, "And there's always Jeremy. Hon, you've proven your point, you can hold a job and be productive."

"What else can I do?" Lexx asked.

"Hold out for something better," Sera said bluntly, "This fast-food crap isn't for you."

"What else is there?" Lexx asked, "I've looked, I've checked the listings, I still have yet to hear back from anywhere else."

The sound of sirens heading down the street followed them into the apartment. Sera rounded on Lexx, "I lost Aaron, I'm not losing you!"

Lexx stopped in her tracks. "Mommy, what's wrong?"

Sera turned away and started laboriously climbing the stairs, pausing to rest on her cane at each step, "It was on the news, some Burger Blitz in another part of town, someone came in, killed a dozen people and got away."

"Mommy," Lexx said resolutely, following her up the stairs, "That was a lone psycho... Aaron's situation was completely different."

"He's gone!" Sera cried, "I don't want the same to happen to you."

Lexx sighed, letting the subject drop for the moment. She looked at Mael for support, but Mael was studiously looking the other way, making sure to have nothing to do with this conversation. Probably a good thing, the situation was just begging to explode into an argument and Lexx was more than a little distracted at the moment.

It was true, the apartment would probably be able to tool along even if she were unemployed. There was Jeremy's income, and Sera's government assistance. What Sera had failed to mention was the life insurance being paid to them monthly by Aaron's last employer: Maccadyne. It wasn't much, but it helped.

The official story was that Aaron had been killed in a hit-and-run while coming home from work. The company decreed that since the event had happened on their premises, they would at least pay some benefits to his immediate next of kin, namely his fiancee, Sera.

Mael would never admit it, but Lexx knew the real reason behind her urge to do something nasty to that company. It went beyond a simple hatred for the financial giant, Mael believed that they were directly responsible for Aaron's death, and that they weren't giving out the full story.

Lexx had a much more mundane view of things: The corporate behemoth had been grossly negligent and someone had died because of it. It was the difference between dangerous ignorance and carelessness, and outright malice.

--------

"Something big's going to happen," Lexx said.

"Mmmhmm," Mael replied, not looking away from the computer screen.

Lexx sighed, "You're pissed."

"What gave it away?" Mael asked, "I'm getting so sick of this shit. Why the hell are we living like this? You are busting your ass to help make ends meet. Sera's... well, she's Sera, but she's trying in her own way. Jeremy... hell, even Jeremy works hard, despite being an aggravating ass. Aaron..."

"Yeah," Lexx said, hanging her head.

Mael looked at her, "Aaron was a good man. I don't know what else I can add to that. He deserved better than this, more than any of us. He could have turned and walked out at any time, hell, I would have a hard time finding a reason not to. But he stuck it out, and now he's... dead."

Lexx opened her mouth, then realized she had nothing to say and closed her mouth again.

"He put his life into helping us out, and he died, and the fat, greasy fucks above him in the food chain are still alive and pulling in paychecks ten times as large for sitting on their fat asses and shuffling other peoples' money around!" Mael's voice was rising now.

"I'm sorry-" Lexx started.

Mael rounded on her, "Don't! Don't you fucking dare! You don't have the right to be sorry because you had nothing to do with it. You are one of the wronged parties, just like Sera is, just like I am, and more than all of us combined, just like Aaron was! Saying you're sorry just demeans us and validates Maccadyne's actions! You remember last weekend? When I was saying I couldn't put my heart behind what I was doing?"

"Yeah," Lexx said.

"It wasn't entirely true," Mael admitted, "The reason I couldn't put my heart behind it is because I know that nothing I do will be able to make any lasting dent in that blasphemy of a corporation. I could give my life fighting it, and in the end, it won't make a bit of difference. So why waste the energy on it? It just pisses me off, just another thing to make me feel helpless against a world that seems fundamentally fucked up."

Lexx remained silent, there wasn't really anything she could add to the conversation that would amount to anything more than a convoluted 'ditto'. She wrapped her arms around Mael, "We can't give up hope yet. We're proof that there are people who can see through the bullshit, if we give that up, well, they've completely won then."

"What difference does it make?" Mael asked, "There's just two of us. Even if there were two thousand, we still wouldn't be able to do anything. We would be marginalized, divided and safely ignored. Maccadyne by itself out-mans, out-spends, and out-arms us by many orders of magnitude. There is nothing we can fucking do. And even if we could, what good would it do? It's not like Maccadyne is the only hideously bloated, thoroughly corrupt multinational corporation out there. If we miraculously took them out, then the other couple dozen corporations like it will just snap up the pieces and take Maccadyne's place."

"Which is why we develop this protective wall of apathy," Lexx said, "So that we're still able to function day to day without being completely incapacitated with hopelessness. So that we, among with the others that think like us, and are pissed off like us, can enact small changes that will build and grow on each other. A natural evolution of the better among humanity to slowly, but inevitably take out the old breed."

"Right, I'm not as hopeful," Mael said, hugging Lexx back. She turned and gave Lexx a kiss, "So... what happened out there?"

"I don't know," Lexx said, "Not entirely... but you already figured out that I know a little, didn't you?"

Mael smiled, "Call it my feminine intuition."

"You have no such thing," Lexx mocked, "You could only be considered female by your boobies, and even that's a poor argument, considering how small they are."

"You said you thought something big was about to happen. It implies you've either seen something, or come to your own conclusions... I can only assume that it has something to do with your little episode out there tonight," Mael explained.

"I've been... it's going to sound insane, but I think I've been having visions," Lexx said.

"Lucky bitch," Mael smirked, "I want some visions."

"Yeah... well, you have better dreams than I do," Lexx countered, "Anyways, yeah, that's what it was like, when I collapsed out there. I didn't remember a thing when I snapped out of it, but it's like one of those dreams you remember more of when the day goes on. Something Sera said triggered more of it. I dreamed... I was at work, or not. I think I was disembodied, it's hard to tell. But, people were dying, and something was killing them. Some were trying to run and getting slaughtered in the process. I couldn't move, and I was terrified, hoping that I was nothing more than an immaterial observer, because if I wasn't, I knew I'd be next to get gutted."

"Ah, nightmare fuel," Mael said, "I've had a few like that."

"Yeah," Lexx said, "But that's not all. I think I had another vision last night, during the storm."

"During the power-outage?" Mael asked.

Lexx looked at her, "How did you know?"

"Call it a hunch," Mael replied casually.

Lexx raised her eyebrows. "You've had a remarkable number of accurate hunches lately. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in the know," Lexx paused, "In fact, I don't know any better. I'm saying you're in the know."

"Big things are coming soon," Mael said, "I find that, strangely, very believable. Don't ask me how, but... yeah, I know big things are coming soon. I'm a little jealous that I'm not getting as clear-cut visions like you are, but I've been having the growing suspicion that something's about to happen. I don't know what, don't know if it's good or bad, but I know it's going to be big. I'm a little concerned actually."

"Why?" Lexx asked.

"Because... I had a vision too."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, don't ask for details, as it was annoyingly vague," Mael said, "But through the whole thing, I was left with two distinct impressions. First: That my entire world is going to change."

"And second?" Lexx asked.

"That you aren't going to be there when it happens."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 1, Chapter 06

The air was much warmer today and though the sun was beating down, Lexx found that she didn't mind the weather as much as normal. It was the second week of truly warm weather, late April had finally granted a reprieve from a colder-than-normal winter. Traffic was heavy, horns were honking, people were going about their business. Lexx avoided or ignored most of it, lost in a world inhabited mostly by her and her mp3 player. She was glad she only had to walk about half a mile to work, otherwise a rather uncomfortable layer of sweat would end up building up between her backpack and her back.

She wasn't in her work uniform, which made her practically unique amongst Burger Blitz workers. Lexx refused to change put on her tan polo shirt with the double-B logo until she was actually at work. Her minor protest against corporate conformity: They had no claim over her dress style until she was actually on their premises and drawing a paycheck from them. Instead she wore the required black slacks (as it was much more difficult to change pants than it was just a shirt) and a simple tank-top.

Lexx found her way to the fateful intersection, across which the dreaded Burger Blitz lay. Already her mood began to fall, which she hated. It didn't matter how much she was enjoying the day outside, the fact remained that she was about to leave it for the next seven hours to smile and talk nicely to annoying assholes, wear a crappy uniform, and coat her lungs with grease-smoke. Somehow it managed to put a damper on her day every time.

As Lexx crossed the street she caught a glimpse of yellow lines in the Burger Blitz doorway. Was there some new promotion going on? Maybe she'd get lucky and get picked to work on putting up displays, thus avoiding too much customer action for a while. As Lexx got closer to the fast-food hellhole, she realized that it wasn't a new promotion. It was police tape.

There were several police cars in the parking lot, as well as a van with 'Forensics' written on the side. Other than that and Monica's car, the parking lot was empty. A single customer was at the drive-through, demanding to know why she couldn't get service. Lexx slowed, knocked off balance by one of the strangest combined sets of emotion she had ever felt. Part of it was a giddiness, a certainty that if she didn't outright get the day off today, then at least the day would be far more interesting than normal. The other part wasn't so positive: The police were here, in force, and it looked like the entire restaurant was shut down. A drug bust? A murder? Something bad had happened.

Monica was talking to a pair of officers when she looked up and waved Lexx over. Lexx tried to get a look inside the windows as she joined Monica. The sun was bright, and the interior wasn't, all she got was the vague impression of a lot of people working or milling about, and lots of plastic tarps on the floor. Not a good sign.

"Lexx!" Monica was almost in tears, "You didn't answer your phone, I was so worried!"

"I need to get more minutes," Lexx said numbly, "What... um..."

"It's..." Monica waved a hand vaguely at the restaurant, "I can't believe it... someone came in and... and... they killed..."

It was too much for her to continue. Lexx had no idea how to react, she tried putting a comforting hand on Monica's shoulder. One of the police officers turned to her, "Hi ma'am, do you work here?"

"Yeah," Lexx said, trying to get another look into the restaurant, "What happened?"

"There's been..." the officer hesitated, he was an older man, with a few extra pound padded on. He had the look of someone who'd done his time, but now he pale and nervous, "...there's been a couple of murders."

He checked a clipboard, "Are you... is your name Alexxia Beltrak?"

"Yeah," Lexx replied, shifting her bag uncomfortably.

"According to this, your shift ended at two pm. Um... did you leave the premises at that time?"

"Well, I was talking briefly with an old friend, but I was gone at a quarter past, at the latest," Lexx said.

The policeman jotted a quick note down, "Alright... were you on or near the premises anywhere between seven and eight pm?"

"No, I was..." Lexx's eyes widened, "I was hanging out with my room-mate at the park."

"I see, and your room-mate's name?"

"Why? Am I under suspicion or something?" Lexx asked.

"Ma'am, Lexx, at least twelve people died here yesterday, including several employees. There is going to be a full investigation, to say the least. Getting and verifying any information about employee whereabouts when this happened will greatly speed things up."

"Okay, okay," Lexx said hurriedly, "Her name's Dru Grayson."

"Alright then, did you see anything suspicious while you were at work yesterday?"

Lexx thought about running into Rose, about the asshole businessman's car losing its wheels when Rose pointed her finger at it. "No, not really."

"Alright, well, thanks for the information ma'am. Is the number here accurate?"

Lexx checked, "Yeah."

"If we need anything else, or want more testimony from you or your room-mate, we'll give you a call."

"Thanks," Lexx was looking back at the restaurant.

"Lexx," Monica said, having regained a little control over herself, "You don't have to be here... we're obviously not going to be open today."

"I... I heard something about some other place..." Lexx started.

"Yeah," Monica said, "they still haven't caught who did it."

----------

Lexx shivered and leaned against the garbage can for support. Almost all the strength went out of her legs as she realized what had happened. The walk home was a half-remembered blur of heat and traffic, she hadn't even bothered to put her mp3 player back on. Her entire trip back home had been accomplished with no conscious thought whatsoever. But obviously her subconscious had been figuring things out, and now in the long alley behind the apartment, it presented its findings.

Rose had stood Lexx up. She had been pissed, dejected, but ultimately unsurprised about that. Shit happened, maybe Rose had forgotten, maybe something else had come up, or maybe she just didn't feel like showing. And it's not like the two had exchanged phone numbers, so there was conveniently no way to find out, barring another chance meeting.

But what had shocked her system so badly was the timing. Rose had insisted Lexx meet her at the park at a little after seven. Exactly the same time Burger Blitz was being turned into a slaughterhouse. Lexx thought about the seizure she had, about the half-remembered dreamlike scraps of blood and death, of the passing ambulances when she was helped back inside.

Rose hadn't stood her up, she was simply making sure that Lexx wasn't at Burger Blitz come slaughter time.

Rose was the killer.

Lexx was hyperventilating. She shook her head and tried to calm down as pins and needles spread through her body. Lexx was so focused on herself that she didn't notice the dark brown van that had pulled into the alleyway until it was almost directly behind her. In fact it was actually the sound of running feet that caught her attention. Lexx re-focused on the immediate environment to see a man in a bulky hoodie, ski mask and sunglasses running towards her. There was something boxy and black in his gloved hand. For a second the sheer absurdity of the situation froze Lexx as her mind tried to figure out just what the hell was going on.

The gate to the back walk of her apartment was a mere thirty feet away, but it was also directly through the comically hooded and masked man. Lexx turned the other way only to find a large brown van directly in her path. She had no idea what was going on, but instinctively felt the threat and immediately began running, trying to get around the front of the van. Something large and heavy hit Lexx from the side, smashing her painfully into the hood of the van. Lexx clumsily tried to push herself up only to find a gloved hand on her shoulder, whipping her around to face the masked man.

Something sharp pressed into Lexx's belly, and suddenly it felt like someone had curled a fist under her ribcage and punched her directly in the lungs. Lexx convulsed once, then went limp as the debilitating wave of pain spread outwards to her limbs. The masked man seemed to have been expecting this as he easily caught her mid-fall and began dragging her to the side of the van. Lexx's body was a mass of throbbing pain, doubling her vision and scrambling all her senses. She knew she was being dragged and it was probably not a good thing, but all she could think of was to ask if the man could be a little more gentle with carrying her.

Her arms and legs had gone almost numb, interrupted only by the occasional jolt of cramping pain. She was little more than a ragdoll as the man loaded her unceremoniously into the back of the van and climbed in behind her. Lexx obligingly collapsed sideways once she was let go, the last thing she saw before the van's back doors slammed shut was Mael jumping over the back gate and running towards the van, screaming Lexx's name and trying to catch up to the already moving vehicle.

Her limbs still unresponsive, Lexx was quite concerned as the van began accelerating. She could see the interior of the back doors rushing towards her as impetus carried her body backwards. Shortly before her slack face was crushed against the steel struts, she was caught by the masked man who had hauled her in here. He seemed much better equipped to deal with the lurches and sudden changes in speed the van was making, and kept his ground as he pulled Lexx up to a sitting position.

Lexx made a slight moaning noise, a phlegm-filled sound originating from deep inside her throat. She was trying to ask what was going on, but that was the only sound her body could manage at the moment. The man didn't bother replying and yanked Lexx's hands behind her back. Lexx felt something cold being wrapped around her wrists, this was accompanied by a thick tearing noise. Duct tape. Her eyes flicked back and forth, taking in everything in her limited field of vision, constrained by her limply hanging head.

A moment later darkness obscured everything. Lexx dimly felt cloth rubbing against her nose and slowly realized that a bag or hood had been placed over her. There were noises going on, the sound of the van, some other babbling noise. Lexx's legs twitched as more feeling returned to her body. Her mind clearing a little more, Lexx realized someone was talking to her.

"... now neither of us want you getting hurt, so just sit still and this'll be over quick."

As her neck muscles seemed to be working once again, Lexx nodded. A second later hands were moving over her body. Lexx began hyperventilating, was she about to get raped? Directly following that thought was the realization that this was an awful lot of trouble to go through just to rape someone. Of course she didn't exactly know what the standard procedure for rape was... if there was one. "Wh... wha..." Lexx managed, her tongue wasn't quite working yet.

Her whole body felt like one giant cramp. The rough handling wasn't helping this at all. It occurred to Lexx that there was something too routine, too mechanical about it for this to be the prelude to someone forcing themselves on her. "Just keep still girl, I'm only checking you for weapons."

"I still think we should have grabbed that other chick," someone said from the direction of the front seat.

"No," the man holding Lexx said, "Not on the job dipshit."

"Where are..." Lexx was still fumbling slightly for words, "Where are we... going?"

"Don't worry girl, we're not going to do anything to you. We're just going to drop you off at the bosses' place."

Lexx groggily shifted her splayed legs around and trying to pull herself away from the man holding her, "Noooo..."

"Now now hon," the man held her tighter and wrapped an arm around her throat, "If you're gonna be difficult, I'll just squeeze a little tighter and give you a little nap."

Lexx understood and stopped struggling, "Where's... where's the boss?"

"The Maccadyne Building!" a cheerful voice from the front seat announced.

There was the sound of someone hitting someone else, "Jesus you dumbass! How fucking stupid are you? We don't give out any names or locations!"

"Ow... what the fuck man? It's not like anyone we take there ever comes back out anyways!"

"Would you both shut the fuck up?" the man holding Lexx said, "At least pretend to be professional here? The girl's going through a lot at the moment."

"What?" Lexx said, squirming a little.

"Don't listen to those assholes sweetie," the man said, giving her neck a warning squeeze, "Just stay still like a good girl and everything's going to be fine."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 1, Chapter 07

Chains rattled against steel bars as Lexx pulled futilely at her restraints. Four sets of handcuffs kept her wrists and ankles secured to the frame of the steel chair. The chair was bolted down onto the concrete floor of an otherwise featureless room. At least they had the decency to remove her hood once they got her in here.

"Hey! Hello?! Can we talk, please?" Lexx shouted at the two stone-faced guards by the rather heavy looking door.

From above a security camera pointed directly at her. "Hello? Listen guys, I know this is your job, and you're not supposed to speak with prisoners, right? Well... my name's Lexx, and... can't we just talk? I feel really awkward just sitting here cuffed to a chair while you guys are standing around."

Lexx was in a lot of trouble and she knew it. By the time the effects of the taser had worn off, the van had already pulled into an underground parking garage, at least that's what it sounded like from the confines of her hood. Lexx guessed that screaming and struggling wouldn't do a whole lot of good here, even before the thugs that had taken her informed her of such. The urge to panic was beating strongly inside her, but ironically enough the blindness imposed by the hood had kept her relatively calm and given her the opportunity to try and focus on her surroundings, rather than panic and waste energy.

She had gone on an elevator, through several interior hallways, had switched hands several times before finally being placed in this room and having her hood removed. Lexx took stock of her situation: She had been kidnapped and transported here. According to one of the thugs in the van (of which there were at least three), this was the Maccadyne Financial Corporation headquarters, the same building she and Mael had visited a couple days ago. This gave one possible reason for this whole sequence of events happening.

On the other hand, like her earlier though slightly more addle-brained hypothesis about rape, this seemed like an awful lot of trouble to go through just to catch a vandal. For one thing to track her down like this they obviously needed to get her personal information. For another thing, why would they bother with this, instead of giving the police her details and letting them do the work? Finally, why take only her and not Mael as well? For the moment, Lexx decided to run with the assumption that she was ignorant of why she was here and refrain from any mention of the vandalism incident.

The guards had on simple uniform shirts and slacks, no body armor or anything of the sort. Their posture suggested they were long used to doing something like this, so Lexx decided to forgo the expected hysterical questions, threats and demands they'd probably heard before. Lexx had read somewhere that in a hostage situation, the best thing to do is try to establish some sort of personal connection with your captor, an exchange of names, or some sort of common ground. That way they are much more hesitant to kill someone who has a name and a history rather than just some anonymous hostage. Lexx had no idea how well this would work on a trained security guard, rather than on a desperate hostage-taker, but since she lacked any other options it was the one she ran with.

"Excuse me, sirs? I... I don't even know any of your names. Listen, I, um, I just want you to know... I'm not holding any of this personally against you, okay?"

It didn't seem to be working. The tags on their uniforms had what looked like serial numbers of some sort rather than names, so Lexx didn't even have that angle to pry at. Lexx's teeth chattered a little, the temperature in the room was just a few degrees colder than what was comfortable. Probably deliberate, the entire get-up seemed designed to intimidate and make things anything but comfortable. Lexx's thoroughly inadequate education in psychology and torture had taught her that forcing someone out of their comfort zones for an extended period of time would quickly break down their psychological defenses.

Torture... crap.

The heavy steel door clacked, then opened with a creak, probably also a deliberate design feature. A short, balding man with an obvious paunch and an immaculate suit bustled in. He peered at Lexx through a pair of ridiculously thick spectacles then referenced a clipboard. Looking at Lexx again, the man's face scrunched up in confusion, he had a sparse goatee. Checking the clipboard one more time, he bustled towards Lexx. "Oh nuts, this is not good at all," he said, shaking his head. He sounded comically like Winnie the Pooh, though Lexx failed to see the humour in it at the moment.

"What?" she asked, giving her cuffed left hand another pull, as if to emphasize her question.

"You're not the one we were looking for ma'am... I'm, I'm so terribly sorry. This must have been a terrible mess for you," he muttered, checking the clipboard again.

"Really?" Lexx asked, a note of stupid hope in her voice.

"Yes... this all, well, it's just been a terrible day all around," came the reply, "Oh... oh my manners. Please, allow me to introduce myself, I'm Terrance McNeilson, CEO of Maccadyne," he offered a hand, then seemed to notice Lexx's bound wrists and withdrew it, embarrassed.

"I see," Lexx said, offering a weak smile and nodding towards his expensive suit, "A man of wealth and taste?"

"A what? Oh never mind, I had something here," Terrance fumbled with the clipboard, "Oh yes, here we are. Just a non-disclosure form for you to sign, and we'll get you right out of here, with a little compensation to boot, just to show our regret for this mix-up Ms. Beltrak."

Lexx's smile froze. For a moment her hopes had shot through the roof, but that final statement had wrenched her back into reality. "How did you know my name?" Lexx asked, a sinking sensation in her stomach.

Terrance smiled, this one a bit colder and less apologetic than the last, "Oh dear, it seems you've figured me out, Alexxia."

"Only my parents called me that," Lexx said, almost babbling, "Most people just call me Lexx."

"Well, that's very interesting Alexxia," Terrance said softly, "But it seems you've gotten yourself in quite a predicament."

Lexx bit her lip, the brief moment of arrogance fled her, and probably for the better. She knew for a fact now she wasn't a very brave person, "Listen... Mr. McNeilson?"

"Yes?"

"I'm... I'm very scared right now," Lexx said, realizing with embarrassment that she was already fighting back tears, "I'll, I'll do whatever it is you want, I won't try to fight or anything, if you'll just let me go."

"Anything at all?" Terrance asked, standing over her.

Lexx looked up at him, "... Yes. I know... I know why I'm here."

"You do? Excellent, then I won't have to explain it to you, and we can move right along," Terrance said joyfully.

"Wait... where are you going?" Lexx called out, her voice almost breaking.

Terrance didn't reply as he walked quickly out the door. Lexx perspired a little, she was hyperventilating again. A new hopelessness had settled on her, as well as the childish guilt of being caught and the curling fear of the surely coming punishment. The door opened again, this time admitting someone entirely different. A taller, younger, and far more shapely woman with long, black hair. Like Terrance, though, she was dressed in an immaculate suit. She gave Lexx a brief once over, then turned back to the still-open door, "Alright, let him in."

Lexx let out an involuntary moan as someone else rolled into the concrete room. He was confined to a wheelchair, with one leg sticking straight out, bound in a cast. He was a middle-aged, portly man. Like the other men in the room, he was wearing a security uniform. Unlike the others, the tag on his breast pocket had a name, it said 'Charlie Pinnows'.

The woman looked towards Charlie. Lexx noticed she kept one hand behind her back, as if hiding something. "Is this the one?" the woman asked.

Charlie didn't even give Lexx a second look before replying, "Yeah, that's one of the little bitches."

The woman turned towards Lexx. She didn't bother with an introduction, "I'm sure you recognize this man, Lexx Beltrak. Had he worked for a less caring company, you would have put him out of a job with your violent actions."

The woman walked behind a profusely sweating Lexx and put one hand on the shivering girl's shoulder, "As it is, we have given him a position that can accommodate the disability you gave him. Mr. Pinnows, was this the weapon used in the attack?"

Lexx looked to her side and gasped, the woman was holding out a crowbar. She turned back to see Charlie nodding grimly. The woman left her position behind Lexx's chair and walked over to the man. Delicately she reached down and ran a painted nail down his cast, "That was quite a lot of pain they put you through, wasn't it?"

The man didn't even need to nod before she continued, "Wouldn't you like to return the favour?"

"No, wait," Lexx started, but the woman was already handing Charlie the crowbar, which he accepted with visible glee. "Charlie... Mr. pinnows... wait, please, listen, I'm really sorry."

Charlie wheeled up until he was just a foot away from where Lexx was bound. He locked the back wheels of his own chair and grinned at her, adjusting his glasses, "Oh, you'll be sorry."

"No, Charlie, don't do this, you don't have to, you don't-"

Charlie Pinnows swung the crowbar in a vicious arc, the sharp end connecting with Lexx's left knee, resulting in a wet cracking sound as her slacks tore and her kneecap split under the blow. Lexx's pleas were cut off mid sentence and she screamed in agony. Lexx convulsed in the chair, thrashing back and forth in pain, yanking desperately at the handcuffs until her wrists turned an angry red.

"No, that's not right at all," the woman had to shout to be heard over Lexx's screams, "You can't get a proper, full strength swing while confined to a wheelchair. Why not give it one more go, then you two can call it even."

Lexx's eyes widened in animal fear, "No! No!! Don't, wait... oh god-"

This crack was a bit more muted as Lexx's kneecap was shattered into several pieces by the second blow. Lexx didn't so much scream as give out a hoarse bark of pain. Her hands wrenched forward, trying to grab at her mangled knee, but being held back by the handcuffs. She spasmed again, trying pitifully to throw herself out of the chair, but only causing more waves of agony to stab through her leg as shattered bones rubbed against each other. Lexx screamed three more times, torn ugly sounds punctuated by croaking inhalations. By this time the pain was sending her into semi-unconsciousness, and the screams devolved into drooling, ragged barks.

The woman raised a walkie talkie, "Alright, get him out of here, but don't release him until I can come and clear his memory. Also send some people to get this girl to her cell for tonight."

-----------

Lexx lay half curled on a hard cot, sobbing. Her right leg was pulled almost up to her chest in a fetal position. She kept her left leg tortuously straight. For the moment it burned in agony, and any movement would threaten to increase the pain by several orders of magnitude. She didn't know how long she had been here, there was no way to keep track of time, the cell was bare except for a toilet, a cot, a door and a single mirrored window of one-way glass.

It felt like hours, but the agony was probably drawing seconds into minutes so there was no way to be certain. The trip down here was a half-remembered nightmare. The lances of white fire coursing up her leg when they had pulled her from the steel chair and put her in her own wheelchair. She must have blacked out after that, as the next thing she could coherently remember was being curled up on this cot.

The pain was debilitating, mentally and physically. She could barely muster thoughts of worry for Mael, concern that Maccadyne was after her as well. She had no thought or hope of getting out of here now. Almost everything had been burned out of her mind by the pain, and so she lay in a cloud of almost zen agony. She had no chance of sleeping, and no way of focusing on anything to distract her from this. The most Lexx could put together was a certainty that they wouldn't be giving her knee any sort of medical attention... unless it was to cause more pain.

Lexx was utterly defeated. She had been scared before, prompting the statement that she was willing to do anything to be let go. Now she could repeat that statement with true feeling. The throbbing agony in her leg was only matched by the crushing fear and certainty that they would likely do much worse to her before they were through.

"No they won't," a voice said.

She was hallucinating now. Not a big surprise, what with the pain and all, Lexx's mind had decided to try and retreat from things.

"I'm not a hallucination," the voice said.

Slowly, Lexx allowed herself to focus on the room. As expected, it was empty. There wasn't even an intercom for the voice to come from. It was much too clear to be electronically transmitted anyways.

"I'm in the window," the voice said.

Snorting and coughing, Lexx wiped some blood from her lips. She had managed to bite chunks of flesh off both her tongue and the inside of her cheeks in her tortured thrashings. Lexx registered no real surprise as she saw herself in the mirror. From where she was on the cot it should have been impossible to see herself, much less standing. But there she was, standing, naked, with all bodily orifices stitched crudely up.

"You again," Lexx croaked.

"It's time for you to start," the Observer said.

"Start what?" Lexx asked, wincing slightly as yet another current of pain spiked through her body, originating from her leg.

"Unlocking your true potential."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 1, Chapter 08

Lexx very slowly pushed herself up, a process that took nearly a minute. "I don't care about that," her voice was quiet, broken, "I just want to get out of here."

"That will come," the Observer, "It's not the ideal time yet, they have you well protected in here."

There was a small cry of pain as Lexx flopped down hopelessly and accidentally jostled her broken leg. She managed to roll onto her side and look vaguely in the direction of the mirror, "Please, can't I go?"

"Yes, but not yet," the Observer replied, "I can only do so much here, and I have to wait for the right moment."

"Can't you do it sooner? I want to go," Lexx was pleading by this point, "Can't you do anything useful?"

"I can communicate with you a little more freely now, and I can... guide others."

"Wait," Lexx was a little confused, rational thought beginning to reassemble itself behind the pain, "Didn't... didn't you say something about only being able to contact me in... The Dark or whatever it was? That I would break or something otherwise? Can't you just drag me there again? I'd rather be there than here."

The Observer smiled, the stitches in its lips stretching to accommodate, "Around here, the barriers between worlds are even thicker than normal, I would have no way of dragging you between and keeping you in one piece. As for the risk of damaging you in establishing contact here? Look at you, Lexx, you're already broken, your psychological walls are practically non-existent at the moment. That and, with what is coming, you're also naturally pushing on the boundaries between realities, which makes things even easier for me."

"So... you can guide... that's it?" Lexx asked, "I thought you were supposed to be powerful or something."

"In your terms, I could be close to omnipotent," the Observer said, "I am only a... younger member of my kind, that's are the most accurate way of putting it in your paradigm. But I am responsible for the fate of several hundred worlds, all with their own sentient creatures. Should I find it necessary, I could destroy one, several, or all of these worlds, including yours."

Lexx was hallucinating, obviously, so why not engage this god-delusion thing in conversation, "Okay, so why can you just use those immense cosmic powers and get me out of here, if you're so interested in me?"

"Because I want to get you out of here," the Observer said, "I don't want to vaporize this building and the surrounding fifty or so miles of landscape. My influence and power is on a galactic scale, it's difficult to achieve such a delicate, minute touch, and generally it's far safer and more reliable to simply advise and guide on that scale."

"Great," Lexx muttered, "So I'm dealing with a clumsy god. So... why didn't you advise me away from this situation? How about something like warning me that some assholes in a van were going to kidnap me? You want to explore my potential, why are you being so convoluted about it?"

"I gave you the chance earlier to leave the world behind," the Observer said, "You made the choice not to take it."

"Oh don't give me that bullshit!" Lexx cried, wincing again in pain, "You're a goddamn omnipotent being, probably fucking close to omniscient as well! You knew something like this would happen, you had the power to stop it, and you didn't!"

"You're making the mistaken assumption that I care about what temporary pain you go through," the Observer said calmly.

Lexx's mouth dropped open, she was knocked speechless by this blunt admission.

"I made no claims about being benevolent," the Observer explained, "One way or the other, you will help me accomplish my aims. I have no real concern about what pain you go through in the process, so long as you come out relatively whole and capable of accomplishing what I need you to accomplish."

"You're... you're a bitch," Lexx said.

"You don't know the half of it," the Observer smiled serenely, "I have been watching over the earth for for longer than humans have been here as a species. I have seen all the pain, torment, death and destruction your kind have wrought on each other, and have had wrought on them, often through no fault of their own."

"Why the hell are you telling me this?" Lexx asked.

"To give you context," the Observer replied, "And to demonstrate how futile it would be to make demands of me, or try to give me a guilt trip. Your world is just one of hundreds, many with sentient beings all going through the same things. I have witnessed countless atrocities and genocides, watched people and other things endure torture worlds worse than what you've just gone through. Before I even claimed praxis over my own worlds, I had already witnessed the death of quadrillions of sentient beings. I have had to slaughter interplanetary civilizations to achieve our ends. This planet, in your idioms, is a mere drop in the barrel."

"So why bother with me then?" Lexx said, "You have godlike powers, or you're a fraud, or you're just a delusion. I'm leaning with the second or third choice, and the second's only in the running because I've only recently gained a lot more personal reason to believe in the supernatural."

"I concern myself with you for the same reason I concern myself with any other being not of my own kind: I see potential in you Lexx."

"And otherwise you wouldn't shed a tear at my passing?"

"There is no otherwise. If you were to die now, I would be momentarily annoyed. You have potential, but my own intentions are not dependent on you, they are merely better expedited with your presence."

"You're a fucking monster," Lexx muttered, trying to massage her leg while staying clear of her knee.

She pulled up the leg of her slacks and nearly vomited at what she saw. The skin around her knee was a swollen, angry purple, centered around a messy, blunt pair of gashes still dribbling a little blood. "Don't hyperventilate," the Observer said, "You're going to need to be relatively alert and capable of movement."

"Movement?" Lexx asked incredulously, "My leg's broken, I shift it around to much and I'll black out from the pain!"

"You'll have to fight that off."

"Thanks for the fucking support," Lexx sobbed, "What the hell kind of good are you?"

"I'm not doing this for your benefit," the Observer said.

"You're a crappy god," Lexx said.

"I'm not a god," the Observer replied smoothly, "Trying to gain any sympathy from me won't work as I do not care about your kind or your pain. Accusing me of evil won't work because I have seen and caused so much more, and can understand the greater stakes at hand."

"So I'm just a tool," Lexx said.

"Have you ever been able to claim that you weren't?" the Observer pointed out, "You worked for a corporation that thrived and profited on the sale of blatantly unhealthy substances to massive amounts of people while actively misleading them and encouraging them to continue their harmful consumption. Any good you attempt to do cannot erase the fact that you have voluntarily aided this corporation in its goals."

"Why do you care?" Lexx asked, "I thought you had worlds to run."

"I don't care," the Observer replied, "You don't seem to understand that I am far more intelligent than you or any of your kind could ever hope to be. It's not an insult, merely a factual statement about the limits of your physical bodies and minds. Talking to you here is such a minutely easy task for me that I could be holding several thousand different conversations through just as many mediums, all on different subjects, all to different beings, with only minimal concentration. The other reason I'm telling you this is to point out that throwing a fit about being used now is not only senseless and ignorant, but also very hypocritical, considering your past actions. Yes, you are going to be used, but you stand to benefit from it, so I suggest going along with it."

"And if I refuse?" Lexx asked.

"Then I would give up and turn my attention elsewhere. Helping you out here is a delicate process, to put it in an analogy, it's like trying to scratch an ant's chin with a broadsword. It's possible, but the slightest over-application of force will result in both a dismembered ant and a large dent in the ground. As for you? You'll probably be tortured a bit more, then the ones who brought you here will set about with their own plans for you."

"Their own, wait, what?" Lexx asked, "I thought I was just being tortured for what I did to their computers."

"Don't be an idiot, Lexx, you already figured it out yourself, that's an awful lot of trouble to go through just for a case of vandalism," the Observer admonished, "I'm not the only one who sees the potential in you, Lexx. Why do you think that the CEO of Maccadyne would personally oversee your torture? Contract a couple thugs to publicly kidnap you?"

"I'm going insane," Lexx said, "You're just some externalization of my internal voice as a coping mechanism here. Okay... fine... so what did Mr. CEO have planned?"

"His plan is to control your mind through a combination of drugs, advanced psychological torture and an application of his own power. I'd expect the process to take a few weeks, and without outside aid, you have no chance of resisting it. He's not human, you realize."

Lexx closed her eyes, "Let me guess, he's an alien too?"

"No, he's a demon," the Observer replied in all seriousness.

"Fuck," Lexx said, "Fuck fuck fuck. I was... I want you to be real... but that's becoming less convincing with everything you say. Sadly enough I was willing to conditionally buy the claim that you were some godlike thing from another dimension... but this is just... I'm not getting out of here alive. I'm going insane and it's not even the kind that leaves me blissfully unconscious of what's going on around me... Fuck!"

She was crying again, what else could she do? Why couldn't she have just gone catatonic by now, at least she wouldn't be in pain then. Not only was she talking to audio-visual hallucinations, but her mind wasn't even decent enough to drag her senses away from the crowbar-wielding reality in the process.

"The time's coming," the Observer said, "You'll be going through a bit of pain, but if you really want to leave, you'll just have to bear it."

"Yeah... whatever," Lexx said hopelessly, "Can't you just let me go into a vegetable state or something?"

The Observer didn't reply, but there presently came the sound of footsteps from outside the door. Several of them. She must have heard the noise and, without registering it consciously, gave her hallucination/projection the knowledge to warn her. There was several clicks and the door opened. Lexx watched as three of the blank-faced security guards came in, one with a wheelchair.

"In the chair," one ordered her while another took up a position beside her, ready to force the issue if she was unwilling.

Lexx looked up at them, trying to sit up, "It's not going to do me any good trying to talk to you guys either, is it?"

"In the chair now," came the reply.

"They're under a form of pseudo-hypnotic control," the Observer noted, "a less refined version of what you would be going through soon if you were staying."

"Right," Lexx said, holding her leg as straight as possible as she scooted to the edge of the bed, "and I'm guessing the can't see or hear you either?"

"No, this is an auditory and visual hallucination in your mind to facilitate communication between us," the Observer said.

"You guys don't mind if I talk to thin air?" Lexx asked with a weak smile.

There was no response. Lexx sighed sadly and prepared to make the move from the bed to the wheelchair. Before she could, two of the guards grabbed her by the arms and lifted her across the gap, jarring her knee and bending her leg in the process. Lexx immediately thrashed and screamed as the bone fragments ground against each other and swollen skin. The guards calmly held her down and pulled a restraining strap around her chest before placing her wrists and ankles into padded cuffs. Lexx was gritting her teeth and groaning in pain as they wheeled her out of her room.

Thankfully the shock wasn't quite as bad as before, so Lexx was now able to pay a little more attention to what was going on around her. The hallway was well lit, clean and sterile looking, almost like a hospital corridor. The only difference was the locked steel doors on both sides just like the one she came out of. The mirrors were indeed one-way and she could see into the cells as she was wheeled by. Most were empty, except for one in the far corner of the corridor. Lexx saw someone in the cell as she was wheeled by, a tall thin man with a beard asleep on the cot, feet hanging off one end. Lexx gasped.

"Hey! Wait, stop!" Lexx craned around to try and look into the cell again, but they were already past, "Wait! Goddamnit, make them stop or something!"

"No," the Observer's voice replied, her reflection appearing in one of the cell-windows briefly. There was just the slightest hint of a sardonic smile on her features, "It's not time yet."

Lexx twisted further in her seat, wincing in pain as the movement shifted her left knee slightly, "Damnit! Stop! Aaron! Aaron!!"

A hand was placed on her shoulder and Lexx was slowly but forcefully pushed back to a forward facing position. "It won't do any good," the Observer said, "He's under sedation."

"You fucking bitch!" Lexx screamed, "You knew!"

"Yes, I knew he never died," the Observer confirmed, "and likewise, I don't really care, he's not my concern."

"Fuck you!" Lexx cried.

"You can come back and free him later, it's unworkable now," the Observer said, "Besides, I don't think you'll be happy with the state you find him in, the reprogramming process is nearly complete for him."

"What?!" Lexx screamed, "You mean... he's..."

"He's gone, almost completely, and irrevocably," was that smugness in the Observer's voice?

Lexx slumped, "Why..."

"It's not important," the Observer said, "If you don't want to be in a lot of pain, settle in now, as your escape is about to start."

Lexx looked around in a panic, "What? What am I supposed to be doing?"

"Nothing until I say," the Observer said.

Lexx gritted her teeth and clenched the armrests of the wheelchair. The three guards had taken her through several more winding corridors and doorways. All the signs had nothing but numbers and 'sectors', leaving Lexx completely lost as to where she was supposed to be. She got the feeling, partially from the lack of any windows, that this was somewhere underground. The guards came to a stop.

Looking up in confusion, Lexx saw that one of them had a pained expression on his face. They had stopped seemingly at random in the middle of the corridor, not making any move towards any nearby doors. She was about to ask what was going on when all three guards jerked as if they had been hit. No, worse than that, as if they had just been shocked. Two of them contorted and fell over with a shout and a grunt, but the third managed to keep his footing. Rising awkwardly, he grabbed the wheelchair and turned it down a side-hall.

Lexx saw that the expression on his face had gone from one of a nagging headache to complete slack-jawed idiocy. In fact his whole form of moving suggested that he was having a lot of trouble with most of his bodily functions. He was even drooling slightly as he clumsily pushed Lexx along. All she could do is try to keep her leg as still as possible as the wheelchair careened unsteadily down the corridor. Twice they passed by other people, one occasion a woman in a business skirt and cut-off blouse carrying what looked like a medical sample, the other occasion two more security guards, just as blank-faced as the rest. Each time, almost as soon as they came into vision, they would grab their heads as if hit by a sudden migraine and collapse.

"What's going on?" Lexx asked.

"Scratching with a broadsword," the Observer's voice said, "Though in this came I'm doing the equivalent of yelling inside their heads, they should only have minor psychological trauma when they wake up."

The guard stopped in front of an elevator door. Lexx waited for something to happen. For nearly a minute, nothing did. The guard simply stood there, slack-jawed and drooling. "What's... um... hello?" she tried.

"He doesn't have proper access, I'm bringing someone who does," the Observer said.

"...Oh," Lexx was beginning to question her earlier certainty that this wasn't a dream.

The Observer's voice popped up again, "Unfortunately, the guards, already being in rather weakened mental states, are the easiest to control. Higher ups? Not so much... the one coming to help you is my third try."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Lexx said, "But what happened to the other two?"

"Dead," the Observer said bluntly, "Anurisms, I hit their mental walls a bit too hard and did a little too much damage."

"That's great," Lexx said hesitantly, watching a man in a labcoat come walking around the corner in that same absurd, slack-jawed gait as the guard.

He went immediately to the elevator door and haphazardly put in a security code on the keypad. A second later he leaned forward and made a choking sound. He was a younger, Asian looking man, though he was obviously in a lot of pain, going by his facial expression. He made a second choking sound then said, "Wong, Dennis," at a small microphone embedded in the wall.

The elevator chimed happily and opened. Dennis staggered behind the wheelchair and pushed it forward, the doors closing immediately behind them. "Uh... hi Dennis," Lexx offered.

"Stooooopp... huurts..." Dennis managed to point vaguely at his forehead, now bulging with veins, before his arms collapsed limply at his sides.

A second later Dennis fell over, unconscious. Lexx looked around, there was no one other than her still conscious in the moving elevator. There were no displays showing what floor she was on, where she was going, or even any buttons.

"Work your hands loose and untie yourself," the Observer said, "You'll have to propel yourself from here on out.

The elevator came to a stop and the door opened. With a bit of work, Lexx managed to slip one of her wrists out of its soft restraint and immediately went to work on her other hand. With both free, the chest-buckle was a piece of cake. She decided to save the ankle-straps for later, hoping that wherever she was going wouldn't require the use of her legs.

The Observer gave her simple directions through what looked like a security checkpoint with several unconscious guards and a small lab and observation chamber, also with a number of unconscious bodies. Finally her path ended in front of a large, thick looking steel door. "Hold on," the Observer said, "I'm getting someone to give you access right now. We don't have a lot of time, the CEO's on his way, and his mind's a little more resilient."

"Would that be because he's a demon?" Lexx asked incredulously. She was in a wheelchair, deep in some paramilitary installation waiting for a disembodied voice that could mindfuck groups of people to open up a vault door in front of her... why not have a casual chat with it?

"You may be interested to know that he had a reason for torturing you," the Observer said matter-of-factly.

"It wasn't him that did so," Lexx protested, "It was Mr. Charlie security guard, with some bitch supervising him."

"Two facets of the same being," the Observer explained, "A sort of security measure, the demon split itself into two parts so that if one fell, the other would have a chance to continue on. Each gains nourishment from emotions, though the preferred type of emotion differs from demon to demon, or facet to facet. The male half feeds off of feelings of despair and disappointment."

"And the female?" Lexx asked, already suspecting the answer.

"Pain."

"Figures," Lexx said, unfastening her ankle-restraints while waiting.

There was a loud clank and the steel vault door ponderously opened. Lexx wheeled herself in, her arms were beginning to ache a little from the effort. The room beyond was well lit, and even had a small ramp leading down from the massive door, making Lexx's job a little easier. There were a number of cameras and a few observation windows in the circular chamber, which itself looked about fifty feet in diameter. The only other feature was a fifteen foot diameter pit in the middle that Lexx could not see to the bottom of from her position.

"Wait a minute," Lexx said, "I thought we were getting out of here!"

"You are," said the Observer, "The way out is in that pit."

Lexx wheeled her way to the guardrail surrounding the pit and opened up the small gate on the side, "There's no way in hell I can climb down there, does it lead to some sewers or something?"

"It leads out," the Observer said bluntly.

"Alright," Lexx said uncertainly, "I don't know if I'm going to be able to do this."

"Make it quick, you don't have much time," the Observer said.

"Before the evil demon arrives?" Lexx asked, rolling her eyes and giving a grunt as she forced herself out of the wheelchair and straightened her leg infinitely slowly.

Lexx gasped as she scooted to the edge of the pit. Gingerly she swung her legs until they were hanging straight down. Lexx had to rest in this position for a few seconds, hoping the pain would go down enough for her to concentrate on getting down the ladder. "He's just outside, you have less than a minute," the Observer helpfully noted.

Gritting her teeth, Lexx slowly began to make her way down the ladder. The pit was about fifteen feet deep, and each rung on the way down felt like an eternity. For the first three rungs, Lexx managed to hang on one rung with both hands while feeling for the next rung down with her right foot. She didn't dare try to place any weight on her left leg, which already was screaming in protest with every unsteady step down.

On the fourth rung, Lexx's left leg swung forward and her crumbled kneecap gently struck a steel rung. A shard of ice hot pain shot through her body, erasing any strength she was managing to hold herself on with. Lexx fell off the ladder and hit the floor of the pit, still nearly ten feet below. Lexx crumpled at the bottom, her nerveless body failing utterly to absorb or mitigate any of the impact. She screamed anew, grabbing her left leg in agony.

"Alexxia? Alexxia dear? Where are you going?" It was the voice of Terrance, still as high and jovial as ever, though with a note of urgency in it.

All Lexx could do was give another scream in reply.

"Don't worry Alexxia, we're going to make everything better for you," Terrance's face appeared over the ledge of the pit, "Just stay right there and don't move dear, I'll make sure the pain goes away in just a minute."

"Go now," the Observer said, there was just the slightest note of urgency in her voice as well, "He has to deliberately limit his own powers to maintain that body."

Lexx forced the pain back down to a manageable level, sweating profusely in the process. She tried to ignore both voices, focusing just on her goal: The hole in the center of the pit.

"Lexx, who are you talking to?" Terrance asked, huffing as he began to laboriously make his way down the ladder, "Lexx? I can offer you better."

"Funny how I'm 'Lexx' to you now," Lexx muttered, a brief interruption in a stream of profanities as she hauled herself towards the pit, foot by painful foot. The constant swearing was all that was stopping the pain in her leg from incapacitating her.

"Lexx! No!" Terrance jumped down the last few rungs, ending up in a pile several feet behind Lexx.

Lexx's fingers curled around the edge of the pit. She didn't know where it led, knew she couldn't fully trust... whatever the 'Observer' was, and knew that she was either partially or fully insane, considering the things she had recently seen. But she also knew that more than anything else, she now wanted to see this company and its CEO go down in flames. If not for what they did to her, then at least Aaron.

Lexx pulled herself forward, then screamed in agony as a hand curled around her left ankle. Her tightening leg shifted the broken kneecap around, causing Lexx to black out for a moment from the pain. When she came to, she quickly realized she was still at the bottom of the pit, still just inches away from the hole in the floor, the alleged hole out of here. "No!" she screamed, twisting her body around to see Terrance grabbing onto her ankle.

"No! No! No!" Lexx continued, slamming her other ankle down onto Terrance's hand.

He didn't seem very affected by the pain, and each kick caused even more agony to course up Lexx's leg, but with it came a burst of enraged adrenaline and she continued fighting. Her ankle had already gone numb by the time she began hearing cracking noises from Terrance's fingers. He seemed impervious to any sort of pain, but the continued abuse had broken his fingers to the point that he was no longer capable of holding her in place. Lexx let out a triumphant gurgle and pulled herself forward, tipping over the side of the hole and falling into the blackness.

[LadyTevar]

MORE!!!

[Oni Koneko Damien]

MORE!!!

As you wish...

Part 2, Chapter 01

The air was warm and disgustingly moist. Whatever she was resting on was semi-solid, at best. Like the air around her it was also uncomfortably moist. Her tank-top and slacks had already become soaked. Had Lexx passed out? She must have, all she could remember was falling into complete blackness. She must have passed out when she hit the bottom. Maybe this was some sort of waterway underneath wherever she had formerly been held. It made sense, especially with the warm air, and whatever pile of crap she had ended up in.

The only problem was that it was terribly warm for an underground waterway. Of course, if it were the proper, dank temperature, Lexx would probably be dying of hypothermia by now. It felt a little ironic that being alive meant something was wrong with the assumption about where she was. The smell was all wrong too... as was the noise. A mildly sweet aroma, organic yet not containing any of the stagnation or fetid decay one would expect in an underground waterway. Likewise, there was no trace of the sounds one would expect in an underground tunnel system. No hollow echoes from concrete walls, or water splashing. Instead, just a muted slosh, like water running through pipes, but more organic sounding. Almost like some titanic, infinitely slow heartbeat.

Perhaps Lexx should try opening her eyes.

Lexx opened her eyes. She immediately squeezed them shut again, that was a really bad idea. If she were in some underground waterways, there would have been nothing but blackness to greet her. Not many lights down there at all. But the scene she had opened her eyes to was relatively well lit, meaning she missed no unsettling details.

Taking a deep breath of the damp air, Lexx opened her eyes again, if she had gone completely insane and was actually hallucinating all this, she might as well accept it and try to take in as much as possible. There wasn't a whole lot to take in, actually. She was inside a container of some sort, a bag. After a moment of panicked claustrophobia, Lexx stopped uselessly thrashing. The light was coming from somewhere outside the bag, the walls of which were semi-translucent and fleshy looking, a pale white tinged with green. Lexx's attempts at escaping from the confined space were thwarted by strange rubbery bonds around her wrists, ankles, and neck.

No, this wasn't the proper time for this at all. Why would she even be hallucinating about tentacle sex right now anyways? Lexx wasn't in the mood, she was exhausted, panicked, and her left knee was still throbbing in agony. After a few more moments of slow struggling, Lexx gradually realized that the fact that her clothes were all still on... along with the fact that her restraints made no effort to do anything other than remain around her wrists, ankles and neck meant she probably wasn't in immediate danger of being violated.

There was movement from outside the container she was in. All she could see were a few indistinct shadows. They could have been humanoid, or horse-sized blobs of protoplasm as far as Lexx could tell. They were interested in the container Lexx was trapped inside. Something was gripping the rubbery, fleshy wall from the outside and pulling. Lexx watched as the flesh stretched, a seam forming then ripping outwards. What greeted her eyes did nothing to assure Lexx that she wasn't hallucinating.

Three people waited for her outside the container. Two incredibly large men, grotesquely large actually, and one woman. That was pretty much all that was identifiably human about them. The men were at least eight feet tall, and completely naked. They had no genitalia that Lexx could identify in her brief glance. Her gaze was more attracted by their muscle-packed skin, which appeared to be made of a rough, scaly bark. Dull, expressionless faces stared blankly away into the middle space from comparatively tiny, bald heads.

The woman wasn't a whole lot more reassuring. She was about the right height and shape for a human, but her skin was a deep green, criss-crossed with dark brown lines. She was also completely bald. To complete the insanity of the picture, she was in a dress that would have fit almost perfectly in a picture of an upper-class, Victorian era family, if it weren't for the fact that it was a nearly day-glow orange colour.

The woman gave Lexx a once-over with a surprised expression, "Clothes? That's a new one."

Lexx tried speaking, but found her throat temporarily locked up. Instead she succeeded in coughing a lot. The woman leaned forward and ran a hand along Lexx's forearm, examining the rubbery restraint, "Still... everything else looks fine. The bond is in place."

"Wha... wha..." Lexx was still having a bit of trouble remembering how to use the muscles in her throat, but the skill was coming back quickly.

The woman looked at her, concerned, "How strong do you feel dear? Do you feel up to walking? You don't have to talk, just nod."

Lexx shook her head, thinking of the bones in her kneecap grinding together.

The woman nodded, "I see, this is a weird situation. Perhaps something different is going on from the source. Still, I'm going to let you out, and we'll try walking, okay?"

Reaching forward, the woman brushed Lexx's restraints. With an audible sigh they pulled away. Lexx tried to protest as the woman grabbed her gently by the wrist and pulled her up. The woman's grip had a surprising amount of strength and Lexx was dragged inexorably out of the fleshy container. She made it a total of one step before she stumbled onto her left foot. Lexx screamed and fell over, once again almost blacking out from the pain.

The woman was down by her side almost immediately. She pulled up Lexx's slacks, eyes widened at the sight of her swollen, purple knee. "They've never sent us someone injured before," the woman breathed, "This is really weird."

The woman looked up at one of the very large men and nodded. A second later Lexx found herself being lifted off the floor and carried gently but firmly over the man's shoulder. "We'll have to get that taken care of right away," The woman said, "I'm not certain how well it's going to take, though, this is a very strange situation."

"Where am I?" Lexx murmured, finally regaining control of her vocal abilities.

"You're safe," the woman said bluntly, "That's all I can really say at the moment. I'll be able to explain more once the shock of the transition has worn off."

"Transition?" Lexx found that single word sentences given in an interrogative tone were the easiest way to go for now.

"From the sou... from earth," the woman said, "Here we are."

With another nod from the woman, the man carrying Lexx placed her gently into a small depression on the ground. Through the pain, Lexx had only managed to pay a small amount of attention to her surroundings. The container she had been removed from looked disturbingly like the deflated rind of some sort of fruit or egg-sac embedded into the wall of the chamber. The presence of other sacs, similar colour and still very inflated only further gave that impression. The chamber itself looked like a disturbing cross between some magical fairyland and HR Giger on a particularly lazy day.

Thankfully gravity determined the relative locations of the floor, walls and ceiling, because the geometry of the place certainly wasn't helping. The room was an uneven ovoid with surfaces that looked vaguely like plant matter, halfway between hard bark and softer surfaces. A number of small tunnels looking disturbingly like organic arteries or vessels led away from this chamber. Lexx had been placed into a small depression on the organic floor, the placement of which seemed to have a deliberate purpose.

"Those pants are going to have to go," the woman announced rather suddenly.

Lexx looked up questioningly. The woman pointed at her leg, "We can't get to the injury with those on. Either take them off yourself or I'll do it for you."

Nodding dumbly, Lexx unfastened the dirty black slacks and slowly, carefully wormed them off. For some reason she was feeling rather self-conscious, and was glad for the fact that she still had panties on underneath. Wincing in pain, Lexx slowly worked the pants past her injured knee. She didn't want to look, but still dry-heaved as she caught a glimpse of the swollen purple mass that was now her shattered knee. The puncture wounds had mostly crusted over with blood, but pus still seeped through the cracks. It was likely infected by now.

"Oh dear that's quite nasty," the woman said, examining Lexx's knee, "Looks like a compound fracture at least, with an infection, did someone hit your knee with a hammer?"

"Crowbar," Lexx croaked.

The woman looked confused for a second, then she smiled in comprehension, "Oh yes, okay, I just haven't heard that word in... in a while."

Lexx watched as a thick amber substance began to ooze out of countless tiny pores in the depression she was seated in. It appeared to be guided by its own simple intelligence, and went immediately for her injured knee, slowly puddling around it. Lexx watched, amazed, as it began to reach for her leg with countless tiny tendrils. She turned away, waiting for the godawful pain to hit again once the tendrils and... sap? ... started brushing against angry swollen skin.

It stung and slightly itched in a number of locations, but other than that, there was little pain from the experience. Lexx slowly opened her eyes and began watching the process in amazement. The amber coloured substance was slowly flowing around her knee, encasing it in a translucent shell. The itching was very mild, and along with it came a cooling sensation, almost relaxing compared to the feverish heat that had been building in her knee for the past day or so now.

"What's... what is it..." Lexx began.

"It's forming a cast around the injured section," the woman explained, "Give it a few seconds and the outer area will harden to the point where you should be able to walk on that leg without too much pain. The inner layer, on the other hand, will continue to fight the infection and hopefully re-set the bones."

Lexx smiled and laughed a little. For the first time in hours... possibly days, her leg wasn't a throbbing mass of agony. The lack of pain was leaving her feeling almost giddy. "Where am I?" she asked again, "It looks like some sort of giant plant."

"It is," the woman said, "It's the Plant."

Catching the emphasis, Lexx looked at the woman, "Who are you?"

"Right, sorry," the woman looked bashful for a second, "I've never done this before, and with how weird this situation is, I totally forgot about introductions. My name's Leiha, I'm one of First Caste."

"First Caste?" Lexx asked, "If... if I've gone insane, I'm assuming trying to deny the hallucinations isn't going to help my situation... I'll assume you're real, this is all real for now. What's going on?"

"In a moment," Leiha said with a mischievous smile, "There's something that needs to be taken care of first. You're probably hungry, aren't you?"

Now that Leiha mentioned it, Lexx's stomach was rumbling. Up until now the uncertainty, constant pain and fright had put simple physical needs on the back-burner. But now, when was the last time Lexx had eaten? Back at home, breakfast. Between then and now had been a walk to work and back, a kidnapping, an hour or so of torture, several hours, at least, stuck in a cell, however long it took to make her escape here, however long she had spent unconscious, and then... whatever this is.

It had felt like days, and the worst part was that Lexx had no way of being sure that it wasn't in fact days.

"Drink this," Leiha said, offering Lexx a glass.

Lexx looked at the substance inside the clear glass. It was a slightly lighter shade that the substance on her knee, slightly more liquid in consistency. "What is it?" Lexx asked.

"Rich in vitamins and minerals, and not at all poisonous," Leiha reassured, "Give it a smell first if you're uncertain."

Lexx did, carefully. It was almost impossible to place the scent. Some strange combination of several different perfumes, something very sweet, a tinge of some sort of medicinal substance, and just a hint of... pumpkin pie? Lexx held her head away and took a deep breath. Not because it smelled bad, but rather the scent seemed to have bypassed her nose and lodged itself directly in her brain. It smelled delicious in every possible way. Even more than that, the scent was almost drug-like in nature, leaving her slightly light-headed and foggy.

"You should drink it," Leiha persisted.

Lexx laughed giddily, "I... I should."

She downed the glass. It tasted better than it smelled. It was impossible to place any specifics on the taste. It was sweet, but never too much so. It seemed to hit all her taste-receptors simultaneously in the best possible way. Lexx gasped as the substance headed down her throat. It was physically impossible... but she could still literally taste it as it headed towards her stomach. Despite the lack of any sensory organs in her esophagus capable of doing so, she could clearly taste the perfect sweetness of the substance as it made it's way downward. It was... she couldn't describe it in its entirety.

"Just give it a second," Leiha was smiling now, enjoying the expressions on Lexx's face, "Your body's still incapable experiencing to full effect of it, but just give it a second."

Lexx shuddered, her eyes going wide and her teeth chattering. She squirmed and spasmed in the depression she had been placed in. Lexx rolled over sideways, gasping for breath. She looked up at Leiha, opened her mouth to ask a question, then convulsed again, a slight moan escaping her lips as she did so. By this point Leiha was laughing happily, "Enjoying yourself?"

By this time Lexx was little more than a shivering puddle on the floor of the depression. "What... what the hell was..." she had started blushing furiously.

"An orgasm," Leiha explained, "Several of them, by the look of things. Your body is trying to wrap itself around the concept of something that tastes that good. It usually goes this way for most peoples' first time with the stuff. At first, their bodies simply can't process how good this stuff is, so it tries to express it through any means possible, up to and including sexual pleasure. Don't worry, once you're used to it, it won't knock you out like this every time... unless you want it to."

"What is it?" Lexx gasped.

"Don't know for sure," Leiha smiled, "Someone, long ago, named it Ambrosia, nectar of the gods and all. Seemed to fit, it provides for all our nutritional requirements and more. It's all you'll ever need to consume from now on."

In the disjointed mess Lexx's mind had become, she still managed to catch that last bit, "Now on? ...what's going on here?"

Leiha smiled proudly, "You're starting a new life, you're a part of the Plant. Don't worry, I'll explain everything to you."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 02

"Where are we going?" Lexx asked giddily as Leiha took her through more twisting, uneven hallways.

"Home," Leiha said, leading her to a sealed passage.

Lexx watched with interest as Leiha gently brushed her hand against the side of the passage. Pain and confusion had given forcefully away to a jittery amazement from the combination of the strange drink and the stranger cast around her leg. Lexx had actually managed to walk all the way down here without help... almost. She leaned heavily on the twisted cane that Leiha had given her.

After Leiha removed her hand, the fleshy wall covering the side passage opened up, revealing a bridge beyond. Lexx followed the green woman through the opening, looking around in amazement. The bridge connected two doors, a dozen or so meters apart, overlooking an infinitely deep chasm. All the passages they had gone through had been well lit by some sort of phosphorescent fungi. This same fungus littered the edges of the bridge, and some of the walls of the chasm, but the patchy light they provided didn't extend far. The chasm stretched off into an impenetrable darkness both above and below Lexx.

All around, at all heights Lexx could see dozens of bridges and ramps criss-crossing the abyss. The walls curved in a fashion that suggested the chasm was ultimately circular, and they were heading across to what would be the inner pillar. "What is it?" Lexx breathed.

"The central column," Leiha said, "It leads almost completely from the top to the bottom of the Plant, it's how most of us get around."

"The Plant?" Lexx asked, trying not to giggle. That drink, the ambrosia was still making its way through her system. It was like a high, she knew she wasn't acting and thinking correctly, but she still didn't care for the moment. She was just wondering when she would get another drink of it.

"The Plant, your new home," Leiha explained, "It's, basically, a tree that's fifty miles tall, and nearly as wide... though that really doesn't do it justice. It's... you'll learn, it's impossible to explain it, it's something that's more beautiful and wonderful than anything else you could ever hope to find."

"So I'm guessing I'm not really on Earth anymore," Lexx said and snickered, "I never knew Maccadyne had a green thumb."

"Maccadyne... heh, haven't heard that name in years also," Leiha murmured, "They're... important, they're the source, I remember that."

Lexx gave Leiha a look, "So you're from earth too?"

"All of the First Caste are," Leiha explained, "We're the source of the Second and Third Caste, without us, the Plant would be defenseless."

"How long have you been here?"

Leiha thought for a second, "Seven... hundred and twelve years, about."

Lexx stopped walking. Leiha paused and waited for her. She was smiling at the look of blatant disbelief on Lexx's face, as if she were expecting it, "The lives of the First Caste... I mean, people from earth... they're extended here. I'm actually one of the younger ones, I won't even start my maturation for another three hundred years or so."

Lexx laughed, rolling in the insanity for now. A green woman with brown veins was telling her she was nearly a millenium old, and that she was just a young'un. Fine, she could accept that, she was still literally buzzing from the ambrosia. "Okay, so why's your skin green?" Lexx was walking forward with Leiha again, heading through the doorway on the other end of the bridge.

"It's a natural effect from living within the Plant for an extended period of time, as is the lack of hair. You'll start feeling the effects soon. Once we get home, we'll have to get you some new clothes, because those certainly won't last you."

Lexx looked down and giggled, realizing she had spent the last thirty minutes traipsing around in a tank-top and panties. "Well... no, I guess these aren't designed to last centuries," she admitted, "and I forgot to bring any spares."

"You'll be lucky if they last a week, the chitters will take care of them quickly, along with your hair," Leiha said.

"Chitters?" Lexx asked, "Hair?"

"The Plant forms... symbiotic relationships. Not just with First Castes, but also with other lifeforms. If you haven't already seen them, you'll probably soon notice the chitters. They're tiny, near microscopic. They sort of act as the Plant's self-cleaning system, they eat anything not marked as the Plant's own. Clothing, waste, and they seem to have a particular taste for hair."

Lexx ran a hand through her own hair, "Really?"

"Yeah, I hope you're not too attached to it," Leiha said.

"I kind of like my hair," Lexx said, frowning, "So... I'm guessing the answer is 'no'... but is there any way out of here? Back to Earth?"

"You guessed right. Don't worry, you'll get used to it, we all do. And you'll find things are a lot better here."

"I will, will I?" Lexx mused, the thought of it was beginning to harsh her buzz. She didn't like leaving the feelings of happiness, she tried to distract herself, "Wait... you said we're going home. But I thought you said the Plant was home, and we're already in the plant..."

"The family home," Leiha clarified, "The estate, you'll see."

---------

Lexx did see. After a momentary confusion from passing through the doorway and finding out the way in led out, Leiha had to explain quickly that the space inside was rather twisted, and that it was a quick way of getting to the proper elevation without too much fuss, and another trip across bridges over endless chasms, Lexx found herself inside a giant cavern. Within this cavern were several smaller caverns, and it was into one of these Leiha took Lexx. It was here she saw the estate.

It was a mansion, a mansion so large it bordered on being a palace. Sitting inside a cavern made from organic matter, allegedly inside a miles-tall plant in an alternate dimension was a normal, if decadent looking mansion. When questioned, Leiha said that the wood came from other plants, and the estate itself was constructed by members of the Third Caste, and that practically all members of the First Caste had their own estates located throughout the Plant.

Leiha and Lexx were members of the First Caste, she explained, the ones that originally came from Earth. Apparently the First Caste were the only fertile members of this society. The Second Caste were the direct offspring of the First Caste, but something, some influence of the Plant, rendered them utterly sterile. Still, the Second Caste often had lifespans of over half a millennium, and that combined with the even longer lifespans of the First Caste, regular child-bearing would yield quite large families.

The Third Caste, Leiha explained, were the brute workforce and defense of the Plant, existing in far larger numbers than either the Second or First Caste. Apparently the two massive bodyguards that accompanied them were members of the Third Caste. As they walked towards the great mansion, Lexx also noticed a number of short, stout figures working diligently on various projects, all of whom turned and bowed deeply as soon as Leiha was in sight. These were also identified as members of the Third Caste, the product of some sort of direct communion between the First Caste and the Plant, thus only half-human. They came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, suited to a plethora of different tasks. As the two mounted the steps, approaching the great double-doors of the mansion, Leiha explained that the Third Caste were the general labour, while the Second Caste acted as teachers and leaders, and the First Caste were the source of life for both.

Lexx was still trying to digest all this, a task made all the more difficult by the effects of the ambrosia still in her system, when several of the squat Third Caste rushed forward and opened the massive doors of the mansion. Lexx tried not to giggle, they looked almost exactly like Oompa Loompas. They scurried and opened the smaller inner doors as Leiha and Lexx entered the building. Inside was, almost stereotypically, a massive room with twin curving staircases and a great chandelier in the middle. Completing the scene were several very well-dressed figures of varying age and gender. All bowed at Leiha's entrance.

"Divine Mother, you've returned," said a tall woman with deathly pale skin and absurdly long blonde hair. She was clad in an elegant black dress with ruffles and tastefully applied spiral-patterns of sequins.

"And she has brought an Esteemed guest," said the man next to her, an older man with slicked back white hair, wearing an immaculately done tuxedo. He offered Lexx a graceful bow, "Welcome, Esteemed Child."

"Esteemed Child?" Lexx looked to Leiha for help.

"Lady Chelsea, Sir Walter," Leiha addressed the two, "This is Lexx, it is her first day within the Plant."

Lady Chelsea walked forward and took Lexx's unresisting hand, "My, it is such an honour to have you at the estate of our Divine Mother for this... momentous occasion, Esteemed Child Lexx. I pray that you find your accommodations here acceptable, and that what you learn here may lead you to further glorification of the Plant."

"Oh, I don't think that will be too much of a problem," Lexx said, looking around the extravagantly furnished chamber, "I'm just a little... um..."

"Lexx is understandably confused after her trip here," Leiha said, "It is, of course, my honour to have her in my charge until she is properly acquainted with our ways, but first I believe she will need some rest."

"Rest, and medical attention," Sir Walter said, pointing at the cane Lexx was leaning upon, "What tragedy happened that brought injury to one of the Esteemed? Especially one so young?"

"The circumstances of Lexx's arrival are anomalous," Leiha said, quickly silencing any further questioning, "Suffice it to say that more will be found out when she has had opportunity to rest and regain her wits."

"I'm okay, I swear," Lexx said dreamily.

Warm hands gripped Lexx by the shoulders and turned her until she was looking directly into the eyes of Leiha. The older woman's voice was deep and authoritative, yet strangely hypnotic and relaxing, "Lexx, you have been through a lot. You must rest now, for your own good."

Lexx wobbled in place, her eyelids were getting rather heavy, maybe she was coming down from the ambrosia? Or maybe it was the fact that she hadn't slept since working, being tortured, and then getting sent to an alternate dimension. "For my own good," Lexx slurred, allowing herself to be led into the south wing of the mansion. She waved a hand vaguely, "These aren't the droids you're looking for."

"This is one of the guest bedrooms," Leiha said, opening the door into a room that was larger than her entire apartment in Chicago, "I'll have the workers set up more permanent lodgings for you while you rest."

"Rest," Lexx repeated as she was set gently on the king-sized bed, "Leiha?"

"Yes Lexx?"

"I want to go home," came the sleepy voice.

"You are home, sleep now."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 03

"Carpentry and Woodworking, a Beginner's Guide," Lexx said to herself from atop the ladder, "...by Divine Judicator, Harold Rompf."

Lexx sighed unhappily and made her way back to the library floor. It wasn't that the library was lacking in interesting reading material, for it certainly wasn't. It was merely the fact that the things she was specifically looking for were noticeably absent. Namely anything written concerning how one got from Earth to wherever this place was, and how one got back again.

Well into her fourth week in this place, Lexx had found nothing which could help her find a way back to Chicago. She found out quickly that questioning Leiha would only lead to aggravation as the older woman had apparently long ago mastered the art of passive-aggressively suppressing certain taboo subjects of conversation. Time and again it was repeated that Lexx's place was here, in the Plant, and that continuing to remain emotionally attached to Earth would not only be painful, but utterly pointless.

What scared Lexx the most was the times when she believed Leiha. These times always came directly after she was fed ambrosia, and in the pleasure-haze that lasted for nearly a day afterward. Lexx found out ambrosia was so powerful, apparently, that most of the inhabitants of the Plant only needed one serving of it every couple of months to survive. Leiha kept Lexx on a strict once a week regimen to help quickly acclimate her body to the environment of the Plant. Any more than that, Lexx was warned, and she risked sending her body into shock.

It was a wonder that the pleasurable side-effects of the substance didn't send her into shock by themselves. After her second helping of ambrosia, Lexx stopped reacting with involuntary orgasms. That was only because her body had physically adapted to the substance to the point where it was better able to express the drug-like pleasure it caused. On the days of her scheduled feeding, Lexx would often spend hours staring at nothing, silently quivering in stupid joy at the sensations running through her, listening and passively accepting everything Leiha taught her.

Ambrosia, Lexx was rapidly learning to despise the substance. After her second serving she saw it for what it actually was: A drug. A sickeningly addictive drug which rammed passive acceptance into the brain, and left its user willing to do anything for more of it. It was humiliating, even in the full knowledge of what it was doing to her, Lexx still ended up begging for more ambrosia by the end of the week. There was no real crash afterwards either, although returning to normal sensations from a high like that could be considered a crash, relatively speaking. But in her more lucid moments Lexx realized what the drug was doing to her and what Leiha was actively attempting to do to her through it.

Lexx refused to give in and fought against it with everything she had, which was why she was in the library now. Ambrosia was a demonically attractive substance, offering unmatched bliss with no regrettable side-effects. All it asked was that you give up any strong attachment you may have had to anything else. Lexx quickly saw that this was the way things were run here. Everyone, all the castes, subsisted on a diet composed purely of ambrosia. That was how the Plant operated, by keeping its occupants fully enslaved on the perfect drug, offering them complete bliss and forgetfulness of the things that pain them in return for their lives.

Lexx fought it. She had to get back to Chicago, to Mael and Sera, to warn them of Maccadyne, and to find some way to save Aaron. To see the people, the friends she cared about. In her darker moments, thoughts surfaced in tears that Leiha was right. It was already a struggle, and Lexx had only been here a few weeks. What if she were stuck here for months? Years? What if Leiha were right, and Lexx had an expected lifespan of thousands, tens of thousands of years? A seeming desert of eternity stretched out ahead of her, in which the entirety of the lives of those she cared about most were but the finest grains of sand. The ambrosia would do its work, for it had centuries to work with, and Lexx would slowly but surely forget everything concerning her life before becoming a part of the Plant.

Just like Leiha had.

Over seven hundred years old, and not a single memory remained of her life before the Plant. Which wasn't to say Leiha didn't have a formidable store of knowledge. In her few weeks here, Lexx had already learned quite a bit from her, the differences between the castes. The intricacies of the massively extended families here in the Plant, and some of the politics that went on. It was all useless to Lexx's hope of eventual escape back to Earth, but dreadfully interesting nonetheless.

The caste system was rigidly defined. The First Caste consisted of those who had come to the plant from Earth. Lexx could only speculate how, as no one other than her had any account of how they came to be here, though Leiha was the only other member of the First Caste she had met so far. Aside from the practically non-existent case of an order coming from the Plant itself, the First Caste ran everything. Though how they came to the plant was largely a mystery, their introduction to it was a thing of somewhat general knowledge. Like Lexx, they had all started their lives in the Plant within a fleshy seed/cocoon. It was in here that they were first physically and spiritually bound to the plant. Lexx found these bindings herself, they looked like nothing more than crude hemp bracelets, anklets, and a choker, presumably left by the rubbery tentacles and overlooked in the ensuing confusion. When she tried to remove them, though, she was alarmed to see hundreds of nearly invisible fibers leading from the hemp into her skin.

Leiha had informed her that this bond would only grow stronger over time, the adornments could never be removed, and would in fact eventually become a part of Lexx's body. Leiha showed off her own, pale brown rings on her wrists, ankles, and around her neck. They formed a unique physical and spiritual bond with the Plant.

The Second and Third Castes were subservient to the First, and much more numerous. For every member of the First Caste, there were several hundred of the Second, and at least a thousand of the Third. Yet it was from the First Caste that all the rest were born. Apparently the act of childbirth wasn't quite so taxing on the body here as it was on Earth, and a member of the First Caste could breed year after year with no ill-effect. Combine this with the incredible life span of the First and Second Castes, tens of thousands of years for the former, and half a millennium or so for the latter, and the result was quite large families, which was apparently expected and approved of by the Plant itself.

Lexx learned that everyone in this estate, all of the Second Caste present here, were all Leiha's children. Over one hundred and fifty of them, ranging from infants to those who looked like they were in their late middle ages. 'Divine Mother' was a fitting title. Lexx found an entirely new form of fear during all this when Leiha informed her that she would eventually be expected to start her own family.

There was nothing of use in the library, though that was half-expected. Through talks with Leiha, and some of the Second Caste, Lexx quickly found out that anything having to do with leaving the Plant was quietly but firmly suppressed. It looked like she would be on her own for this, though she was certain Leiha knew of her intentions. Perhaps it amused the older woman to watch Lexx's ambitions slowly get crushed. Perhaps Leiha herself had gone through a similar phase many centuries ago.

Lexx pushed the ladder back to the far side of the back wall of the library. An awkward process when one of her hands was dedicated to leaning on her cane for support. Several days ago the amber cast around her leg had cracked and fallen away. Her knee was no longer infected, no longer in any pain. But something had gone wrong. Leiha said it was the fact that Lexx was injured when she had come to the Plant, before she had been bound. The Plant must have then assumed that this injury was the natural state of Lexx's body, and 'healed' her leg accordingly. Which meant that while no pain came of it, Lexx wasn't able to put any great weight on her left leg without it buckling under her.

"Esteemed Child, that is a task better suited to the Third," a voice behind her said.

Lexx gasped and turned. A man stood behind her, taller than she was. "You are... Prince Radomir," Lexx remembered the introduction, two weeks ago.

The man smiled and bowed, long curls of black hair obscuring his face for a moment. A second later he strode forward. Lexx took an involuntary step backwards and found herself trapped in a corner. "What are you-"

Without any pretense, Prince Radomir reached forward and ran a warm hand between her legs. Lexx's jaw dropped. She squirmed away, bunched up a fist, and belted the prince as hard as she could in the jaw. It wasn't much of a hit, both the confined area, and the fact that she simply wasn't very strong didn't lend a lot of weight to the blow. But it was enough to knock him back a step. "Stop that, you asshole!" she screamed.

"As you wish, Esteemed Child," Prince Radomir backed up a few more steps and bowed again.

Lexx straightened out her skirt, a colourful affair that she now felt showed far too much leg, and ran a hand through her hair. Lexx stared at the clump of hair in her hand, it had been one of the few still remaining on her head. Leiha had been right, the chitters had taken everything, and Lexx would soon be styling that bald look. She glared at the prince, "Why the hell did you do that?"

Prince Radomir smiled back at her, it was an unnerving thing, "To see your reaction, Esteemed Child."

One thing Lexx had to admit she enjoyed here were the titles. Apparently someone at some point decided the best way to organize people in the Plant was to establish a hierarchy based on recognition by various titles. The First Caste, Lexx learned, were always referred to as the 'divine' or 'esteemed', while the Second Caste took the titles of various nobility. It was almost like a renaissance festival, except they took it so humourously serious here.

"What?" Lexx was blushing furiously now, not from any sort of arousal, but rather from sheer anger.

"You interest me," Radomir elaborated, "You're the youngest member of the First that I have ever met. All the others have been here for many years, are completely at home in the Plant. Nothing surprises them or draws any truly entertaining reactions from them."

"Oh, so randomly groping people is a hobby of yours?" Lexx asked.

"No, but watching emotional reactions is. And when it comes to the First, getting any real reaction from them is an exercise in futility, which is why I find you so interesting. Completely new here, not yet hammered into a knothole of conformity and passion-less ennui. One might say... innocent."

"You're rather disgusting," Lexx said, hobbling around him. He didn't move, forcing her to brush against him to get by, "Not for the thoughts, I can understand those. But for acting on them, violating someone without their permission."

"You haven't truly been violated yet," there was something foreboding in Radomir's voice that made Lexx stop.

Without turning to face him, she wouldn't give him that dignity, she replied, "Back on Earth we have a special place for fuckers like you, where you can experience all sorts of violations, whether you want to or not. And a pale waif like you would get quite a lot of attention."

"The Earth, yes," Radomir walked up beside her, ignoring her ignoring him, "I'd like to hear more of that place, it sounds incredibly interesting."

"Too bad," Lexx muttered, looking away, "You lost your chance when you assaulted me, asshole. I'm hereby ordering you to get the fuck out of my sight and never disturb me again."

The Second Caste were bound to follow the orders of the First Caste, so long as those orders didn't result in harm to the Plant, or were not superceded by orders from an elder member of the First Caste. Something about being born inside the Plant hardwired it into their psyches.

"I'm afraid I cannot leave until I have delivered the message the Divine Mother Leiha has ordered me to give you," Radomir said.

Superceded, damnit.

"Fine," Lexx spat, "Give me the message, then kindly fuck off."

"It is nearing time for your presentation to the Divine Elders," Radomir said, "Divine Mother Leiha wishes to see you immediately, so that she may prepare you for the event."

"Is that it?" Lexx asked.

"Yes, Esteemed Child," Radomir said with a nod, all grace and etiquette.

"Good, go away."

"As you wish, Esteemed Child," the prince purred, "It was nice knowing you, and I wish you the best of luck finding someone else willing to listen to your past."

Lexx stopped in her tracks. Already Prince Radomir was walking away, guided by the irresistible compulsion of her order. That slimy fucker had cornered her, sexually assaulted her. She should be asking Leiha what sort of punishment could be given for this, and failing any suitably satisfying answer, be devising a punishment herself.

But now she realized he had just rather cruelly presented her with a choice: Either lose what could be her only chance to not be alone with her thoughts of escape and memories of her life, memories which would surely perish if she didn't find someone to share them with... or she could allow someone who had just stuck his hand between her legs and gave her crotch a fondle without her permission to have a measure of power over her, by taking him into her confidence.

A devil's bargain. The prince was already almost through the door of the library, the choice was about to be made for her.

"Wait!" Lexx shouted after him.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 04

They were going on a trip to the central column! Lexx hadn't been there in over a month... in fact, it was the first time she had gone beyond the grounds of the mansion since she had gotten here. That wasn't to say that she felt confined, the mansion and its surrounding structures covered what must have been at least a square mile of space, there was plenty of room to stretch her legs, so to speak.

Leiha had explained that the wood that went into the construction of the mansion came from the Plant itself, just like Lexx's cane. Everything the people here needed to survive was provided by the plant, even the clothing she wore was the result of cotton-like fibers taken from certain specialized pods. In her month long stay, Lexx had managed to explore most of the mansion, and even tour the grounds to an extent. But every attempt to leave by any of the four exits had been gently but firmly rebuffed by the guardians at the doorways. As nice as it was here, Lexx knew that she would remain a prisoner until... possibly forever.

From everything she had seen, Leiha was just as much a prisoner here as she was, though the older woman was far more accepting of it. Leiha seemed to have greater freedom than Lexx did, able to leave the grounds as she pleased, and had command over the entirety of the family here. It was her orders that kept Lexx confined to this section of the Plant. Likewise it was her orders that kept Lexx from seeing the occasional visitor Leiha received. She had found out that it was another member of the First Caste, someone by the name of Divine Lord Robert. Apparently Leiha was enjoying certain intimacies with him in the hopes of producing another child. Questions among family members revealed that no less than eight of them had been fathered by Divine Lord Robert, and even more had left to reside on his own estate in another part of the Plant.

When confronted about this, Leiha was not at all ashamed to explain the intricacies. Breeding was expected and encouraged among all members of the First Caste, and the size of one's family of Second Caste was an indicator of status within the Plant. Not only that, but there was a great political spiderweb of prestige and influence among the First and Second Caste revolving around a combination of a Second Caste's parentage, and which family they were serving at that time. Apparently the First Caste could literally trade away their offspring to other members of the First Caste for favours, territory, influence, or other members of the Second and Third Caste. It was the only way for those of the First Caste who were under a millennium in age could gain access to the services and utility of the Third Caste.

Lexx had asked why she wasn't allowed to see or be seen by visiting First Caste members, and Leiha said it was, quite simply, tradition. Until the day she was presented to the Elders of the Plant, it was considered risky for her to be seen by any First Caste member other than the one who had taken her into their care. The main concern, Leiha intimated, was that influence over a new member of the First Caste was something that was greatly prized, and competition over fledgling members would inadvertently damage the Plant, so a system needed to be put into place.

So it was with no small amount of fear that Lexx waited for this day. Leiha had prepared her as best as she could, warning her about certain eccentricities of the elder members of the First Caste, and that this event would be where they had their first impression on her. This would not only effect her position in the First Caste society, but also reflect on Leiha's capabilities. Lexx was surprised to learn that Leiha was also dreading this day, apparently she was the youngest member of the First Caste to ever take a new child under her wing.

Lexx's main worry, as a procession that consisted of the entirety of Leiha's family neared the central column, was that she might end up getting taken away from Leiha. As much as she felt like a prisoner under Leiha's watch, Leiha at least represented the evil she knew, so to speak. If Lexx's experience were anything to go by, the older members of the First Caste would likely not be better than Leiha, and more likely than not be much worse. Besides that, despite her constant urge for freedom, Lexx did rather like Leiha.

Lexx was more prepared for the slight disorientation of going through the massive column this time. Leiha had stopped, she was at the head of the procession, and brushed a hand against the column. All communication with the Plant, and even many members of the Third Caste, was done by touch, Leiha explained. It was a combination of pheromones, body temperature, and other factors not quite so physical, that communicated one's desire far more quickly and efficiently than words could, in a language the Plant comprehended.

The central column extended upwards from the very heart of the plant, according to Leiha. Within it was sort of a direct conduit of the true power of the Plant, and by its nature, that power warped the space around it. By communicating with the Plant, one could travel instantaneously from any part of the column to any other part as the space between the two points folded over itself and became, for the length of the passage, the same space.

Lexx's central axis twisted uncomfortably as she walked through the opening in the column, and at the same time, walked out of a different opening, several miles lower and facing in a different direction. Lexx looked around in amazement, the area they had traveled to was no longer the endless chasm that she was used to. Instead of appearing on a bridge above the darkness, as she had entered the column from, she was on a fairly wide expanse of solid ground. Slowly, ritually, the rest of the family filed out behind her and Leiha.

Flanking them were Leiha's own two bodyguards, the massive, bark-covered golems that Lexx had first seen upon exiting her coccoon. Behind them were the only two members of Leiha's family that had attained the coveted rank of 'Prince', princes Radomir and David. Behind them, the hundred plus other members of Leiha's Second Caste offspring, all the dukes, duchesses, knights, squires, and nobles. Swarming among them were also several hundred of the Third Caste, mostly those squat, stout, Oompa Loompahs that were apparently known as laborers. The huge bodyguards of Leiha were called guardians, and a few tall, gangly specimens with long fingers were known as trainers.

The procession headed towards a ramp, easily a hundred feet wide, carved into the towering wall around the central column. Lexx saw that the ramp spiraled upwards with the wall, until it reached the top, at least a thousand feet upwards. "Where are we?"

"We're at the base of the Plant," Leiha said, "Just above the start of the root system, and below the very heart of the Plant itself."

Prince Radomir spoke up, elaborating, "For security purposes, no one can exit the central column directly at the heart of the Plant. This short jaunt allows the guardians of the heart to determine if we are hostile or not."

"Short jaunt?" Lexx asked, looking at the spiraling ramp, "Exactly how short?"

"Oh, a few miles, I believe," Prince Radomir offered a cruel smile, flicking his eyes towards Lexx's cane, "If it is too much for this Divine Child, I would be willing to carry her the rest of the way."

"Not a chance, creep," Lexx said, hobbling determinately forward.

She didn't offer any more conversation after that, Lexx didn't have the breath available for it. The walk would have been trying even if she had been perfectly healthy. One bad leg made it exhausting, and the binding corset she wore, part of an intricate, but admittedly stunning outfit Leiha had put her in, made in downright agonizing. Thankfully the pace was slow enough that she didn't have trouble keeping her position at the front of the procession.

Much more thankfully, there was a brief pause at the top of the ramp, which allowed Lexx to lean heavily on her cane and do nothing but breathe as heavily as she could for a minute. She was rather uncomfortable by this point, sweat was building up between the corset and her skin, her left palm was a mass of blisters, and she was now quite dizzy from her inability to take full breaths. Despite all this, Lexx was unable to breathe for a few seconds after she finally took in the surroundings at the top of the ramp.

It was larger than Chicago, at least it looked that way from where she stood. There were fewer 'skyscrapers', but what ones there were towered higher than any other building Lexx had ever seen. The buildings all had a slightly organic look to them, Lexx's stomach turned a little at the sight of something so physically impossible. Things that tall should not be able to stand under their own power when constructed in such a structurally unsound fashion, and apparently out of wood.

The family was at the base of a massive amphitheater-like pit, miles wide. The base and sides were packed with buildings and building-like structures, extending upwards like a city in a bowl. In her immediate area, Lexx could see hundreds, thousands of the Third Caste, all intent on their own tasks, or undergoing their own rituals or social gatherings.

It wasn't the city itself that took her breath away, though. Hanging above the city, placed on the central column like a suspended moon, was a massive wooden sphere. It hung above the city in breathtaking defiance of the laws of physics, an uneven spheroid with countless tunnels and ramps extending from it to the city itself, cracked it innumerable entrances and exits, covered in a myriad of soft glowing lights.

"It's the heart of the Plant," Leiha explained, her voice reverential.

"Are we going in there?" Lexx asked.

Leiha nodded, "It's where the Elders stay, dictating policy for the entirety of the Plant. You're going to meet the oldest things inside the Plant... besides the plant itself."

"Yeah," Lexx said, "You told me."

--------

"Lexx, Lexx, wake up," a blurred form with Leiha's voice beseeched.

Strange half-memories, she had fallen, fainted. What had inspired that? They were in the Plant, had gone to the heart of the Plant, had done something there. Met someone... met several someones.

Lexx screamed.

"Lexx, calm down!" Leiha shouted, "Lexx, it's over! We're on our way back!"

Lexx whipped her head around, casting panicked glances in all directions. She lunged out and grabbed for the nearest thing, which turned out to be the leg of Prince Radomir. Lexx's eyes traveled up the leg, past the waste, to a face looking dispassionately down at her. "Why... why do the Second Caste have hair?" she asked distractedly.

Leiha laughed quietly, running a hand over Lexx's head and removing one of the few remaining clumps of hair in the process, "It's... they have more of the Plant inside them, their hair isn't appetizing to the chitters."

"Great, I feel so perfectly..." Lexx trailed off.

"Lexx, what happened to you in there?" Leiha asked, concerned, "Having someone faint is not... not normal."

"I was..." Lexx paused, "I remember things-"

"What things do you remember?" Leiha prodded.

"No, things, actual things that... monsters..."

"Those were people, Lexx. Those were the Elders," Leiha corrected.

"They weren't human," Lexx insisted.

Leiha closed her eyes, "They have been here for thousands of years, they have become closer to the Plant."

"They have become a separate species," Lexx said, closing her own eyes, "They aren't capable of producing fertile offspring with people anymore."

"Neither are you, at least not here," Leiha pointed out.

"That's due to something in the environment," Lexx muttered, trying to ignore the surfacing memories, "They're different, something fucked heavily with their genetic code."

"Evolution."

"Bullshit," Lexx giggled, it was a desperate sound, "Evolution takes place over many generations. There are no generations here... just us and our barren offspring. This is just a physical and spiritual fuck-up."

"She's delirious, Divine Mother," Prince Radomir offered.

Leiha ignored him, "Lexx, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," Lexx replied.

"Sorry?" Leiha asked.

"I think my performance there reflected badly on you," Lexx said with a weak smile, "I hope you don't catch too much flak for it."

Leiha burst out laughing, "I don't care about that, Lexx. My only concern is you."

"I just want to go home," Lexx muttered, then paused, "I can't believe it."

"What?"

"I just called it 'home'."

-----------

The prince sat on one of the many patios, overlooking the vast expanse that was the front yard of the estate. Lexx hobbled out onto the patio behind him, having just woken up from a much needed nap after the events in the heart of the Plant.

"I thought you hated me," Radomir said.

Lexx rolled her eyes, "I do, I fucking despise you."

"But you're here, obviously you wanted to talk to me," the prince looked disinterested, he was probably enjoying this.

"Fuck off, could you at least pretend to not be on a power trip over this? You're only remaining part of my reality because I need someone to talk to," Lexx spat, "My memory is more important to me than my dignity, it's my only reason to want to leave."

"It's why things went as badly for you as they did," Radomir announced bluntly, "You're different from the rest of the First Caste, something about the way you came here."

"What would you know about it?" Lexx asked.

"They tried to examine you, didn't they?" Radomir asked, "They pushed, hard."

Lexx shivered, trying and failing to suppress the memory of things, things that could not be qualified as 'human', interrogating her. A sickly half-memory of physical sensation, as if her soul was slowly being stretched and dried, so that every inch of it could be minutely examined. "You know, but how? Only the First Caste are allowed in the central chambers."

"I've been here for nearly two hundred years, not everything runs perfectly here," Radomir said with a thin smile.

"Really?" Lexx asked, "In what way? Dissent?"

"How much do you want to know?" Radomir's smile was slowly widening into a grin.

"Fine, what do you want for it?" Lexx grumbled.

"I want you to ask nicely, to say 'please'," Radomir said.

"Do you get off on this sort of power trip?" Lexx asked.

"Yes," Radomir said, "in a sense. I... get off, to use your terms, on peoples' reactions to stimuli. You, Esteemed Child, are a goldmine of emotion in your uniqueness. Your shock and hatred at unwelcome advances, your impotent anger at your helpless position before me."

"I'm not helpless."

"You are because of how unique you are."

"How? You still haven't explained that," Lexx persisted.

"Do as I say," Radomir grinned, "Ask nicely."

Lexx glared at him, "Please, Prince Radomir, please tell me why I'm so unique, and how I have a chance of getting out of here."

"Very well," the prince said, "Ironically, the reason you're unique is because you're not broken. Aside from you, I've only seen one other new member of the First Caste arrive here. From what I had gathered, their appearance was entirely normal and expected for any First Caste member. They came here quiet and broken. Something, some experience before their arrival in the Plant had entire demolished their psyche and removed much, if not all of their memory. A blank slate to be filled with the dictates of the Plant."

Lexx thought back to her brief incarceration at Maccadyne. What the Observer had told her of Terrance, the CEO. Of the methods he used to break people of their will, psychological enslavement. Aaron.

"You're not quite the same. Your arrival was unannounced, unexpected," Radomir continued, "Not only that, but you appear to have your memories mostly intact. More than just a general, insufficient knowledge of the Source... the Earth you came from, but specific memories of your own life and place there. The Elders could see this immediately, it confuses them. But even more, it draws attention to the voids in their own minds, where their own memories of Earth used to be, which makes them curious, envious. They wanted to drain that knowledge from you, to relive memories of life on Earth vicariously through you. It is likely they pushed you to a psychological breaking point, and only the dictates of the Plant, that none of its chosen inhabitants can harm it or its chosen, prevented them from completely destroying you."

"Otherwise... they would see no problem in mind-fucking me?" Lexx asked, "Just to get a taste of what they lost? I thought... I thought that the First Caste were valued... loved..."

"They are the First Caste," Radomir pointed out, "They are the eldest representatives of it within the Plant. Do you honestly think they, the youngest of which is nearly ten thousand years old, really care if a month-old newbie dies to sate their thirst?"

"You sound almost concerned for me," Lexx muttered.

Radomir grabbed her shoulders, "I am concerned about you, Lexx. I am selfishly concerned, I admit, but you're going to have to take what you can get here. I will not lie to an Esteemed Child, especially not one who has caught my interest like you have. I will use you to my own ends, not just because you will be helpful in achieving them, but also because the concept of me, a mere Second Caste having power over one of the Divine First Caste thrills me to no end. I will lord the power I have over you, and will attempt to milk you for any and all knowledge of Earth I can get from you. But I will never destroy your mind or your body in the process, and I will give everything I have to defend you from those who would try. Not just because I am physically incapable of doing so, but because I actually want to."

Lexx tore herself out of his grasp, "Back off asshole!"

"As you wish, Esteemed Child," Prince Radomir took several steps back.

"Let's get something straight here," Lexx said, "Yeah, I'm a fucking newbie. I don't know much of anything here. But what I do know is that you don't hold any real authority over me. If I do not want you to do something to me, all I have to do is say so, and you will not be able to do it. Sure, you can pretend to hold some power over me because you're experienced and I'm not. But as long as I'm stuck here, then I've got nothing but time to learn ever more about this place... this prison, and that will quickly remove what little leverage you have over me."

"Of course, Esteemed Child," Radomir said, "But we both know that's not the only reason you tolerate my presence."

"It's a two-way relationship," Lexx said, "You put yourself deep in the red with your attempt at molestation, and it's going to take a while to dig yourself out of that. But so long as we have to put up with each other, you're going to have to understand that you don't hold the power here. I need you as a confidant so that I don't lose my memories of Earth, and thus, lose my drive to get the fuck out of here, and you need me and those same memories because, for whatever reason, you've got a fetish for an Earth you have never seen and will probably never see."

"As long as we have an understanding," Radomir smiled.

"No, we don't, not yet," Lexx spat back at him, "Because you still seem to think you hold the reins here, asshole. So here's how it's going to be, if you want anything out of me, you're going to have to make a few concessions until we're on even ground."

"And how would you like me to do that?" Radomir asked.

Lexx smiled, her voice taking on a mocking tone, "Ask nicely."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 05

It was a dream, there was no way it could be anything but that. Lexx had been lounging with Mael on the floor mattress. Mael was on the computer, as always, except this time she was playing some sort of game that involved trying to shoot a constantly evolving fungus. Every time she would destroy it, it would re-appear on the screen with new growths, all designed to compensate for how she destroyed it last time.

Lexx had found her old high-school yearbook. Home of the Dawgs, go green and white! For some reason, both Aaron and Monica were listed as faculty. There was someone else there who looked familiar. Lexx saw it was Leiha, listed as a tech-ed teacher. Still completely bald, but her skin was a normal human tone, rather than its regular brown-veined green.

Mael was saying something to Lexx, something about how they should probably move out of the room. Lexx looked up in time to see that the computer game involving blowing up the fungous had gotten out of hand. The fungous had grown and evolved to the point where it was now growing out of the computer screen and extending tendrils across the desk. Lexx agreed that they should leave, and decided that the best location would be the roof. Mael was overjoyed at the prospect, as there was something up there that she really wanted to show Lexx.

Somehow a moment's distraction had caused Lexx to completely lose track of Mael's location. Assuming she must be waiting for Lexx on the roof, Lexx went out to the back patio and climbed the ladder. The trapdoor didn't quite lead out onto the roof. Instead there now seemed to be an extra room or chamber above the apartment. There wasn't a flat surface to be found anywhere in here, the colours ranged from pallid yellow to a deep green tinged with brown.

With a start, Lexx realized it was the Heart of the Plant, the hundreds-feet tall chamber she had been interrogated in. She grabbed Mael, telling her that she shouldn't be in here, only the First Caste was allowed in here, and she wasn't even a part of the Plant. Mael laughed and told Lexx she had a pass. She was only here because she wanted to show Lexx something. Lexx asked what it was.

Mael leaned forward and kissed Lexx. It wasn't a light kiss either, for the space of eternity which lasted but a couple seconds, the entirety of Lexx's perception was restricted to the soft warmth of Mael's lips and the bitter, acrid taste of Mael's tongue as it brushed inquisitively over Lexx's incisors.

Acrid... that wasn't right. Mael sensed this and broke the kiss. Lexx continued to try and lean into it, not caring if something was wrong, knowing that acknowledging it would signal an end to the sudden rising passion she felt. But Mael refused to re-enter the embrace. It was then that Lexx's fingers, questing around Mael's slight back, found the rubbery tubes extending from her skin. Lexx looked at Mael in shock, realizing now that Mael's face was actually three large, flesh-coloured petals folded together in a simulacrum of a human face.

Mael's body was yanked away from Lexx, dangling limply from the rubbery tubes that connected it to a larger structure. As it hung there, Lexx saw Mael's outline distort, and her body unfold into a series of intricately coloured petals and tendrils. The larger structure reared up in front of Lexx, it was a centipede-like thing, deep purple and towering at least thirty feet in height. A human face lay squished between two large, scythe-like claws, looking down at Lexx with naked lust.

It was one of the Elders, one of the ones that had interrogated her. Lexx tried to run, but already the claws were pinning her down. The human face opened its mouth as if to address her, but instead a torrent of centipedes fell out, landing on Lexx's chest.

--------

The blankets were soaked in sweat, Lexx was screamed and clutched at them, wrenching them off her body. She reached over, tearing the cover off her 'light', a chunk of glowing fungous inside a glass container, and immediately checked herself over for centipedes. She then checked the bed, and almost childishly, underneath it.

Finally convincing herself she was alone in the room, Lexx giggled. She reached over and checked her diary, something she hadn't done in quite a few days. Week Seven. She had been here nearly two months. She grabbed the chunk of graphite and began scratching on the white leaf that made up the paper, she wanted to write this dream down.

There was a knock on the door, "Lexx? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Leiha," Lexx called back.

The door opened and Leiha came in, bearing her own light, "The servants said they heard you screaming, what's going on?"

"I was just having a nightmare," Lexx giggled, "It was just a dream."

"Oh dear, are you going to be okay?" Leiha asked.

Lexx was confused by the question, "Okay? Of course, I haven't had a nightmare in forever! Since before I came here, actually. I guess waking life's been nightmarish enough."

Now Leiha looked confused, "You're happy about this?"

"I love nightmares," Lexx smiled, "Any sort of dream that can wake me up in such an emotional state. I mean, dreams aren't real, so once I wake up from something really vivid and realize that it was just a dream, I see it as getting a free emotional high with no strings attached. I could have dreamed that everyone died, and I get the depth of emotion that comes with it upon waking up, but also the euphoria of realizing that no one's actually dead. I love dreams, fun and horrible."

Leiha scrutinized Lexx, "Well... if you're sure you're okay, I'll let you get back to sleep..."

"Hold on, Leiha," Lexx looked up at the older woman, "I... can I ask you something?"

"What's that hon?"

"Do you really care for me? I mean, really care for me, not just for what advantages I can give you in the Plant?"

Leiha sat back down, putting a hand on Lexx's leg, "Lexx, if I cared only for my ambition, I would have... 'sold' you away to the highest bidder. Having you here is a huge responsibility, and a bit risky, considering the attention you've drawn from the Elders. But... I don't know, I just think I know you better than they do, and can keep you happier than they can. I only wish I could convince you to drop a past you'll never see again, it would help you out so much."

"We're never going to see eye to eye on that," Lexx said, changing the subject, "Something doesn't make sense though. It's been... what, two, three weeks since my presentation to the Elders?"

"Yes," Leiha confirmed.

"And they're really interested in me. Plus they have authority over you... why haven't any come to try and claim me?" Lexx asked, "I've been... I've been kind of dreading that moment, I think it's what spurred the nightmare."

"I don't think it's going to happen," Leiha said, running a hand over Lexx's now-bald head, "You don't have to worry about anything, at least for a number of years yet."

"Why?" Lexx persisted, "If I'm so unique and interesting to them-"

"Politics," Leiha explained, "There are over seventy Elders in the Plant. Most all of them want a piece of you, and most of them would be incredibly unhappy to see you in the hands of one of their political rivals. They all want you, Lexx, but they all also don't want the others to have you. So the only way to settle this for the moment is to leave you in the hands of someone they don't view as a threat, someone too young to even hope to challenge them politically. Namely, me."

"But won't they get impatient?" Lexx asked, "How long will it be before one decides it's worth the risk to make a grab for me and deal with the wrath of the others?

"Years, at the very least," Leiha comforted, "Remember Lexx, these First Caste are thousands of years old. They have political intrigues that span centuries. They will be patient and wait many years for the perfect opportunity to arise."

"Leiha?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

----------

"Is it working?" Radomir asked as Lexx hobbled into the library the next day.

Lexx nodded in reply. She made her way immediately to a specific shelf a pulled a book out. "Physiology of the Plant, an Overview," Lexx read the title out loud, "It's easier to focus now, I've got at least a little idea of how I should go about things. How did you know that would work?"

"It's something I read about," the prince replied, "Well, a few things, actually, applied together. Namely, a book describing the effects, psychological and physiological, of drugs. And another book on basic human psychology and abusive relationships."

Lexx thought about it, "Yeah... the ambrosia, I was already calling it a drug, and I'm rather addicted to it. But why should just shifting the focus like that work so well?"

"It's the way your mind deals with the unknown," Radomir explained, "and a lucky guess on my part. You have a dependency on the ambrosia, just like everyone here does. For a while though, you were seeing the Plant as your main provider. It's a pretty large concept to wrap your small mind around-"

"Hey!"

"I'm speaking in relative terms here," Radomir smirked anyways, "Compared to me, who has nearly two hundred years experience here, you are pretty small minded. Compared to one of the Elders... well, you get the picture. Anyways, by shifting your focus from the Plant to, say, Leiha, as the provider of the ambrosia, it frees up some mental space. Leiha's human, First Caste, it's a tangible concept that you can relate to and safely file away. The only side-effect is that you'll be rather dependent on Leiha, but that shouldn't pose too much of an obstacle."

Lexx narrowed her eyes at Radomir, "What happened to all the honorifics?"

"Is Leiha here?"

"Does that matter?"

"If she were, I would use all the proper terminology, Divine, Esteemed, whatever. As it is just you, I see no need to at the moment."

"But I'm First Caste as well, I'm above you!"

The prince gave her a look, "Can you honestly say that you care?"

Lexx rolled her eyes, "Fine, you got me. Here's another question for you: Leiha told me that most Second Caste don't achieve the title of 'prince' until they're over three hundred years old. I've talked to Prince David a few times, he didn't become prince until he was nearly four hundred. So how is it you became prince so... young?"

"How much do you want to know?" Radomir asked with a sly look.

"Well I..." Lexx started, " ...not that much, asshole. You're still on probation."

"Getting smarter," Radomir said, looking away with disinterest.

"Not that you're going to freely answer the next question either," Lexx grumbled, "But how the hell did you get so much slack? Out of the entire family, I've never seen anyone quite as... asshole-ish as you."

"I seem to be a bad apple, no pun intended," Radomir grinned, "But for all the attitude I may have, I have never broken any of the rules, I have never harmed the Plant."

"I wish I could," Lexx said, "I don't hate it as much as I used to... and that pisses me off and scares me even more. I don't want to become like everyone else here. I feel like I have to hang on to the hate, or I'll end up giving in and breaking."

"I'd rather you didn't do that, it would disappoint me to no end," Radomir said.

"I know I must be doing something right, because I still miss Mael. I'm still in love with her. Sera... well, I have no problem remembering her, but I don't miss her as much. If I wanted to, I could go and list the other people I know, Evan, Aaron, Katy... I could probably go on for a while. But... I'm scared that names will keep dropping off that list, and I won't even notice until it's just Mael... and then she'll disappear."

"Tell me more about her," the prince said.

"Why?" Lexx asked, "So you can try stalking her? Make some unwanted advances on her too? I'd hate to disappoint, but she'd probably react as apathetically to it as everyone here. She's rather ambivalent to molestation."

"No, so that if your memory ever fails you, you'll have a back-up."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 06

The fungous was putting up quite a bit of a fight. Lexx gritted her teeth and pressed forward, chipping away relentlessly at it with the serrated dagger. It was merely one of a veritable army of similar creatures, all standing in the way of Lexx and her implement of destruction. Thankfully Lexx had an army on her side as well. Behind and around her over a dozen labourers worked tirelessly at the fungal outgrowths. Of them all, Lexx was easily the most exhausted, but then again, she wasn't exactly bred for this sort of work as they were.

"That looks like really hard work," Tilly said.

Lexx wiped the sweat off her smooth brow... even her eyebrows hadn't been spared the hunger of the chitters by this point, and looked back at the young Second Caste girl watching her. "Why don't you come and help out?" Lexx asked, offering the dagger.

Tilly giggled, "But that's not work for the Second Caste... that's the Third's job, and yours!"

It had been Leiha's idea. In order to better fit into her eventual role of governing an entire portion of the Plant, Lexx would do well to learn, as much as possible, how things worked in the Plant, from the ground up, so to speak. So she would spending a good deal of the year working with the labourers to get a feel of how things worked down here. It was a wonderful concept in theory, it just didn't seem quite so attractive when Lexx was actually out here, scraping away the parasitic fungal growths that formed a constant annoyance to the Plant.

One thing she had learned, though, was just how important people and not-quite-people were to the Plant. They were the immune system, resource gatherers and aggressive defense against outside threats. Lexx vaguely remembered biology lessons about how trees removed from the soil in one area and transplanted to another would invariably die off, and no one could figure out why. It wasn't until they examined the soil around the trees roots under a microscope that they found the answer. Millions of microscopic fungi clustered around the tree's roots, doing a majority of the work involved with transferring nitrogen and other nutrients from the surrounding soil into the trees roots. Without these fungi, the tree had no mechanism to nourish itself, and starved. Millions of years of evolution creating and inescapable symbiosis between plants and fungi.

That was, essentially, what the Castes were. Fungi. Without them, the Plant would assuredly die. The Plant fed them, and in return, they maintained the Plant. It was an almost perfect symbiotic relationship, with a full range of benefits on either side. The only problem was that for all the good that came with it, the fact remained that it was involuntary.

But Lexx had resigned herself to that as much as she could. Lamenting her own position here would do no good, and simply waste energy that could be better spent elsewhere. Besides, after almost nine months here, it was hard to continue to hold onto a static grief. As much as she hated to admit it, the Plant had become Lexx's life. She could not afford to consider it otherwise, or else she would spend far too much energy maintaining a constant wall of denial.

Lexx was enjoying the benefits of it, though. Nine months in, with a good deal of it spent with the labourers, on a diet of ambrosia, had pushed her to a level of fitness Lexx very rarely achieved. When she looked at herself in the mirror in the morning... well, as much as there were 'mornings' here, it was more a perpetual state of twilight inside the Plant... she rather liked what she saw. Even the hairless look wasn't too bad.

"So are you ready for your first year celebration?" Tilly asked.

"I don't even know what it involves, I can't be ready," Lexx muttered, not even looking up from her work now.

"I thought your boyfriend would've told you all about it already," the little girl replied haughtily.

Lexx glanced upward, "No... and... what? Boyfriend?"

Tilly smiled, as if privy to some joyous secret, "Well duh, what else would you call it?"

"What else would I call what?" Lexx was slightly irritated now, but refusing to let herself become more annoyed, as it would only feed into Tilly's enjoyment.

"Everyone's talking about it."

"Well 'everyone' didn't let me in on the secret," Lexx had stopped working now, "What boyfriend?"

"Maybe Leiha will let you keep him," Tilly said, "You two spend enough time together as it is."

Lexx blanked for a second, then she chuckled and went back to work. Tilly looked slightly crestfallen, this apparently wasn't the reaction she was expecting. She stood in silence for a few seconds, then tried again, "So when were you going to announce it to the family?"

"Announce what?" Lexx asked innocently, continuing to work.

"You know what," Tilly said, now sounding as annoyed as Lexx had just been, "Don't play innocent now."

"Innocent?" Lexx asked, voice dripping with sickly sweet innocence, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Fine!" Tilly angrily stamped her foot, "Why don't I just tell everyone about it?"

"Who'd believe you? I'm sure there are already plenty of rumours flying around, why should I care if you add one more to the pile?" Lexx asked, pausing in her efforts at removing a particularly troublesome chunk of fungus.

"I don't see why you guys have to keep it a secret," Tilly muttered, "Everyone knows you and Prince Radomir are going out."

"We are?" Lexx said without skipping a beat, "I certainly didn't know that."

"You're with him all the time!" Tilly pointed out, her voice starting to grow shrill, "What else would you call it?"

"Friendship," Lexx said, then paused, rolling the word around in her mouth, "Yeah, friendship. I can talk to him about things that I can't talk to anyone else here about."

"Oh? Like what?" Tilly asked.

"I can't tell you, that's the point," Lexx said, smiling inwardly, "Besides, I couldn't go out with him, he's too much of an asshole."

"Well, you're going to have to pick someone soon," Tilly said, turning to leave.

"What?" Lexx asked, "Why?"

"You don't know?" Tilly asked.

"Wait, what's that smell?"

Lexx sniffed the air again. It had been a brief whiff of something she had smelled many times before... but never here. Ammonia. There it was again, just a brief puff of it, but more than enough to burn her throat. Why would she be smelling ammonia here? This was far from the first time she had ever been down this particular section of tunnel, and nothing really looked different. Was it a new kind of fungi?

Ammonia... wait, hadn't Prince David told her something about that once? Something about how he had fought against-

Lexx stood up, "Tilly, get out of here!"

"What?" Tilly asked angrily, her expression made it obvious she hadn't caught the serious tone in Lexx's voice.

"Tilly, I order you as a member of the First Caste, get back to the Estate!" Lexx yelled, grabbing her cane in one hand, holding onto the knife in the other, and looking around rarily.

Tilly was hesitating. "Now!" Lexx all but screamed."

Lexx looked around again, "Everyone! We need to get back to the estate now!"

The labourers looked up at her. They had no real mouths, just a small hole to suck up any available ambrosia, all simple communication was handled through touch, that was all that was needed. They didn't even have noses, which would explain why they hadn't caught the growing scent of ammonia. Thankfully, though, their necessarily simplistic minds immediately followed Lexx's order, and they began packing up their own equipment.

Lexx was already hobbling back down the passage when she was almost staggered by a strong hit of ammonia. Through watering eyes and a narrowly avoided choking fit, Lexx saw something attempting to push through the soft, bark floor.

Coldworms, that's what Prince David had called them. Parasites that lived inside the Plant, feeding off of it mostly, but never shying away from warmer meat. Lexx watched in terror as the bark split, and something pale began to push through from beneath. Several more lumps formed in the passage floor, all in the direction they needed to go to get back to the estate. Lexx came to a snap decision and stabbed at the thing beneath her, hoping that a dagger stuck in its face would dissuade it long enough to get away.

The pale bulge from beneath the damaged bark shrank away nimbly, as if aware of her intentions, and Lexx's blow went wide. The knife embedded itself deep in the passage floor. Lexx grunted in frustration and tried to pull it back out. By now, though, she was sweating in fright, and the handle had gone slick. Lexx ended up falling backwards as the coldworm once again began pushing itself out from the passage floor. Lexx tried to stand up, but something was holding her down.

Lexx looked at her ankles in shock. The twin anklets, the things that the Plant had marked her with, were growing. Tendrils had curled around her ankles, binding them together. Something pulled at Lexx's arm, and she noticed that her bracelets were growing in much the same fashion. Lexx remembered what Leiha had told her about the decorations the Plant had put on her, about how they not only marked her as the Plant's own... but that they would prevent her from ever causing harm to the Plant.

"No!" Lexx screamed, trying to pull against the lengthening bonds, "Not like this! Are they fucking retarded?!"

Rolling, trying to shove herself along the ground. Lexx made it only several feet before the bonds around her ankles made it to her knees and stopped any movement from the waist down. By now her hands were tightly cinched behind her back. What good was this supposed to do? She accidentally damages the Plant and she gets completely immobilized for it?

Something soft and heavy landed next to Lexx. Her lungs were filled with the smothering, choking stench of ammonia. Coughing horribly and gasping for air, Lexx tried desperately to roll away from the undulating coldworm. It was easily eight feet or more in length, a sickly quivering mass of pale flesh with slick tentacles sprouting from random locations, like a gigantic, cilia-covered bacterium.

Strong hands grabbed Lexx's shoulders and she was dragged harshly across the passageway, away from the coldworm that was still writhing around to get a better shot at her. Through a blur of choked tears, Lexx saw that it had been joined by four more. The labourers were charging at the coldworms, daggers raised in silent fury. They weren't bred for fighting, but they were willing to do anything to protect a member of the First Caste.

It wasn't nearly enough. The coldworms easily shrugged aside their blows and used the bulk of their bodies to viciously slam the labourers against the passage walls, or crush them underneath. Once the initial charge had been thwarted, several of the coldworms reared up, slobbering orifices opening up on their otherwise featureless faces. Lexx could only watch in terror as the coldworms spat up globs of something thick and sticky, striking several of the labourers directly in the face. The smell of ammonia reached intolerable levels. The labourers hit by the substance fell to the floor, trying to claw it away from their faces, their movements slowing as their air-passages quickly clogged with the oxygen-soaking substance.

The two labourers who hadn't joined in the attack continued trying to pull Lexx away. One of them quickly went down, struck by another glob of choking phlegm. The other decided to release Lexx and attempt a suicide rush at the coldworms. Lexx watched as the labourer was knocked easily to the side, his knife flying away from the blow. A second later he was pinned to the wall by another glob of phlegm.

The coldworms hesitated. It didn't look like they had much in the way of sensory organs, but they appeared to be scanning the passage, seeing if there were still any threats moving about. Seemingly satisfied, they turned their attention to the fallen labourers. Lexx watched as several tentacle-cilia reached out and dragged one of the suffocated labourers towards the slavering maw of the coldworm. It began the process of swallowing the labourer whole. The rest of the worms quickly followed suit.

Mouth hanging open, gasping for air in the now poisonous atmosphere, Lexx tried feebly to undulate away from the scene of the horrid feeding, almost like a coldworm herself. In addition to choking in the ammonia-heavy air, Lexx was also shivering uncontrollably. Some property of the ammonia-like vapour, the poison used to incapacitate their victims, seemed to suck all available heat out of the air. It's what gave them their names.

Something cold and slimy wrapped around Lexx's calves, and her forward progress was halted. Her movements had attracted attention, apparently. Lexx tried to scream as she was slowly, inexorably dragged backwards. In the suffocating atmosphere, all that escaped was a hoarse cough. The bark floor of the passage was softer than the sides of most trees, but still rough enough that Lexx's legs and belly began getting rather scratched up as she was dragged across it.

Lexx gasped and struggled, even though she knew it was a useless effort. Even if she had complete freedom of motion, Lexx doubted she had to strength to escape a coldworm's grasp. Now, effectively hogtied, she didn't stand a chance. With effort, Lexx managed to roll herself on her side, just so she could get a glimpse of the oncoming death.

The coldworm's mouth... or general feeding and excreting orifice, whatever it was... was opened wide, seconds away from clamping down on Lexx's lower half. There were no teeth in that mouth, she would be swallowed alive, dying from suffocation inside the thing's digestive tract before her body slowly dissolved.

Moments before she was dragged into the coldworm's maw, a tree-trunk came down and landed flat on the creature's head, flattening it. The tentacle around Lexx's legs went slack. Gasping weakly for air, Lexx looked up the tree-trunk, uncomprehending. Her ears registered a change in the tinny sloshing noise that her oxygen-starved mind decided meant violence of some sort was taking place. The tree-trunk turned out to be the leg of one of Leiha's bodyguards. It stomped on the coldworm several more times. The other bodyguard was currently pulling one of the other coldworms in half.

Hands were dragging Lexx away from the fray once again. These hands softer, with longer fingers, green-tinged. Leiha. The older woman placed her hand around Lexx's neck. It wasn't to choke her, not that that was really needed at this point anyways. Something about the pressure of Leiha's hand around Lexx's neck communicated something, though. Lexx didn't catch the meaning, but apparently something else did. Lexx's arms and legs flopped outward as her restraints were suddenly undone. Lexx didn't have time to react to this, as Leiha was already dragging her further away.

The bodyguards and nearly a dozen of the Second Caste were busily attacking the coldworms. Already three lay dead, a fourth dying, and the fifth quickly burrowing away. Being dragged further away from the choking stench of ammonia, Lexx finally began regaining some strength. She twisted and tried to burrow into Leiha, still mindlessly terrified. Leiha understood, cradling the younger woman in her arms, "It's alright, you're safe hon, you're safe."

"What the... what the hell was that?!" Lexx's scream was muffled as her face was buried in Leiha's dress.

"Shhh, don't worry, you're safe hon, they're coldworms-"

"Not those!" Lexx took a moment to glare at Leiha, "Why couldn't I move?"

"An accident," Leiha said, "It's a... safety measure."

"A what?!" Lexx was screaming again, "That accident almost killed me!"

"It saved your life."

"The hell it did, I couldn't move because of these!" Lexx tried to tear at the brown hemp-looking bracelets, but they were too strong and tightly fitting to remove, something she had found out long ago.

"I also immediately knew something was wrong," Leiha said patiently, placing a gently restraining hand on Lexx's shoulder.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"When you were restrained," Leiha explained, "The one in charge of your upbringing immediately knows it. We're all connected by the gifts the Plant has given us. They save our lives, and bring us ever closer to the Plant."

Lexx stared in awe at the bracelets and anklets. They really looked like nothing more than cheap hemp trinkets. But even now, Lexx saw that they had already partially bonded with her flesh. It was a slightly nauseating sight... but there was no real pain there, not even when they had grown to encircle and restrain her entire body. It did make a certain amount of cruel sense.

"I... I am a prisoner here," Lexx said.

"No Lexx," Leiha persisted, "Not this again."

"I can't hurt the Plant without being restrained..."

"Why would you even want to hurt it?" Leiha asked, looking suspiciously at Lexx.

"I... I didn't," Lexx caught herself, "I was trying to attack the coldworms and I... I missed."

"Why?" Leiha asked incredulously, "Why would you do a thing like that?"

"I was trying to buy time... for the labourers and I to escape."

"You idiot," Leiha laughed, "That's what the labourers are there for, to buy you time to escape!"

"What? But I can't just stand by and-"

"It's what you're supposed to do," Tilly said, coming up the passageway. She was carrying a short sword, though it didn't look like she had taken part in the fight, "You're more important than them, and if they die so that you can live, it's a good thing."

"She had come running to me, telling me something was wrong," Leiha said, "Just after I found out myself through... other means."

Lexx was still looking at her bracelets. She laughed, "So... how the hell did they get here? I thought I was supposed to be safe here, otherwise you would have never left me with so few guardians."

"You were," Leiha said, "No one's ever seen coldworms this far up the Plant."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 07

"Leiha says you've been outside the Plant," Lexx said.

"That's right," Prince David replied, "My position has allowed me to join several other families in duties outside the Plant, it has helped broaden my-"

"I want to go, I want to be outside the Plant," Lexx interrupted.

"Why? There's no need for it, Esteemed Child, your place is in here."

"So? I feel my experiences would be broadened with exposure to what's outside the Plant," Lexx persisted, "Besides... the celebration of my first year here is coming up."

"With all due respect," the prince got up from what he was reading, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well... isn't it like a birthday?" Lexx asked, "I mean, I think I should get a gift or something, and I want that gift to be a trip outside the Plant."

David smiled, "Esteemed Child, you know it's not under my authority to make that decision-"

"But you're the closest one there is to Leiha. She's not going to go for it if it's just me asking, but if you volunteered to take me out... she'd know I was safe with you."

"I cannot in good conscious do that, Esteemed Child," David said, shaking his head, "If you're so eager to explore, there are plenty of areas within the Plant I can show you."

Lexx shook her head, "Nope... doesn't interest me, I want to see outside."

"You lie," David chuckled, "There is some other reason you want to go outside the Plant."

"Oh really, and what would you know about it?" Lexx pressed.

"I know that you spend a lot of time with the other prince, Esteemed Child."

"So what?" Lexx asked.

David put his book back on the shelf. It appeared to be a World War 2 novel. "How much do you actually know about him, Esteemed Child?" he asked.

Lexx shrugged, "I know more about him than just about anyone else here. He's an asshole... but he's easy to talk to."

"You don't mind the fact that he's so... abrasive?" David asked.

"Not really. He usually isn't that way to me... at least not directly. And even though he's an asshole, there's usually a good reason for it," Lexx smiled, "Actually, he reminds me of someone I know... not here, on Earth."

"You shouldn't waste thought on that, Esteemed Child," David cautioned, "It will only bring unhappiness."

"You sound like Leiha," Lexx muttered.

David nodded, "That's because the Divine Mother is right. Your persistent connection to a place you'll never return is unhealthy, and unfitting of one of your station. You should not be shackled to the past like that."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about when I say he's easier to talk to," Lexx rolled her eyes, "He's not tied to... dogma."

"He's a troublemaker, Lexx," the prince said, "Leiha sometimes gets concerned that he may be an unhealthy influence on you."

"He cares about me," Lexx countered, "Which is a lot more than can be said about most people here."

"You know that's not true, we all care about you here," David said patiently.

"No, you really don't," Lexx looked him in the eyes, "You care about what I represent, something which helps out the Plant. You care about me only so far as the Plant cares about me. You don't care about what I actually feel about things... in fact, you'd prefer I completely change to better fit in."

"Only because we'd rather not see you in emotional turmoil," David explained, his face not breaking in the slightest, "You are a part of the Plant, Lexx, you are a part of this family. Your continued denial only brings you continued pain. We care about your happiness."

"Really? Are you sure it isn't your own happiness that you really care about?" Lexx asked David, advancing on him, "Me being unhappy disturbs you, doesn't it?"

"It's your association with Prince Radomir that disturbs me. He entertains and encourages your inappropriate fantasies," David said, refusing to give ground.

"Inappropriate fantasies?" Lexx smiled, "That's an... interesting phrase. What's the matter, are you jealous?"

"You're perceptive," the prince muttered.

"I figured as much," Lexx was laughing now, "I know what the situation is here... about how you can't get any."

"The Divine Mother forbids it," David sighed, "She feels it is morally wrong to entertain such... intimacies within the family. I cannot question her wisdom... but I find it strange that other family have no trouble in engaging in what she calls 'incest'."

"But why would that be a problem? You're all sterile anyways, right?"

"That doesn't mean we don't have the urge," the prince said, "The Plant encourages the free expression of those urges... even if it won't necessarily produce a child."

"And you're jealous of Radomir because he gets along with me? Even though he doesn't have a chance of actually getting me in bed?"

"I'm jealous, yes. He has no real right being a prince... he should have been made a fool long ago. But instead, somehow, he leveraged himself through several profitable trades between families. And now he has the ear of the youngest member of the Esteemed Caste."

Lexx nodded. 'Fool' was the title for those of the Second Caste who had done something embarrassing or obstructive to the Plant. Not outright harming it, for those were banished, but impeding it, or those who tried to help it. She watched David with amusement. Around four centuries old, the years of experience had given him an awful lot of control over his emotions, but Lexx could almost feel the angry heat radiating from him. "It must really piss you off," Lexx purred, blatantly teasing him, "You're the highest member of this family, short of Leiha herself. You are her confidant... and yet, you'll never get any action unless you go outside the Estate. No wonder you've taken so many trips outside the Plant, you need to get your rocks off."

"That may not be a problem any longer," Prince David said, looking at her.

Lexx instinctively took a step back, she could hear the change in tone in his voice. Before she had a chance to take another step, he grabbed her by the shoulders, "Esteemed Child... you are not a member of this family, which means you don't fall under the prohibition of intimacy."

Prince David was larger and much stronger than Radomir, Lexx knew immediately that she wouldn't be able to struggle out of that grip. Besides, what would she do, lose him by hobbling away? Instead she stood her ground, glaring up into his eyes, "Let me go, and never touch me again. That's an order."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," the prince replied.

Lexx's mouth dropped open, "Wh...what? I'm of the First Caste, and I'm ordering you-"

"You're less than a year old," David said, still holding her in a vice-grip, "All family members here are sworn only to follow Leiha's orders, and no one else, unless they exceed her in age."

Now Lexx started to struggle. Predictably, it did no good. David's smile widened, "Didn't your dear Prince Radomir tell you that, Esteemed Child?"

"No!" Lexx shouted, "You can't!"

"So long as you aren't physically harmed," David was slowly forcing Lexx to the carpeted floor, "I can do anything I wish, Esteemed Child."

He forced Lexx onto her back, "And I wish to have you, I've wished it since the moment I've layed eyes on you."

Lexx screamed and thrashed. She tried to kick David, but he deftly positioned himself so that she could get no leverage with her legs. With one quick movement, he pinned both her wrists above her head, holding her there with one hand. The other hand moved to Lexx's legs, slowly brushing her skirt up. "Don't worry, I shall make this pleasurable for you too, Esteemed Child, it will be excellent practice for your own role within the Plant."

With the skirt now bunched up around her waist, the only thing left to protect Lexx was a pair of panties, made from some fiber provided by the Plant that looked and felt a hell of a lot like cotton. "Don't do this!" she pleaded, then tried to lash out at the prince again, desperately flinging out a leg.

David moved quickly and caught her leg, pushing it back down. He then used his own legs to keep hers pinned apart, "Please Child, don't fight it, you'll make things difficult for yourself."

"Fuck you!" Lexx cried, and spat at him, "I'm not losing it like this!"

"You're a virgin?" David laughed, his free hand now tugging at her panties, "Believe me, Esteemed Child, there are worse ways to lose it than this... you should thank me."

"No!" Lexx had given up on screaming as her last layer of protection was ripped away. She was pinned, he was larger and stronger than she was. There was no hope of escape, and the helplessness of the situation stabbed through her, driving away her will to fight back. All Lexx could do was look away and repeat, "No... no... no..."

There was a pressure between her legs. Lexx's eyes widened in fear, then confusion. He hadn't penetrated yet... it was just an exploratory finger. "What's this? You don't seem entirely unwilling, Esteemed Child."

Lexx flushed with embarrassment. She refused to dignify him with an answer... she knew doing so would only lend strength to the part of her that long held this sort of situation as a fantasy. It didn't matter if she had fantasies about being raped... that was entirely different from this... that was something that would be safe, planned.

It wasn't working, she was still getting turned on by the prospect of what was about to happen.

"You know, when someone says 'No', perhaps you should listen."

Prince David's movement stopped. Lexx bit her lip, trying to catch her breath, and looked up. Prince Radomir may as well have been haloed in angelic light for his timing. Prince David didn't move from his position on top of Lexx. "Get out of here, this doesn't concern you," he growled.

"But it does, elder prince," Radomir said, his voice full of gently restrained fury, "You will stop now."

David looked down at Lexx and smiled gently, "I will not, and you don't have the authority to stop me. I order you, as the elder, to leave this room."

"I won't," prince Radomir replied, "I have come to challenge you."

Lexx tried struggling again, her arms were beginning to ache from being pinned above her head. David's smile had frozen, but he still didn't release Lexx. "Challenge?"

"To a duel, for the top position in the Divine Mother's affections," Radomir clarified.

David finally released Lexx. She immediately began squirming out from underneath him, pushing her skirt back down. He wasn't paying any attention to her, she had such a perfect opening...

Lexx gritted her teeth, stopping her fist just inches from impacting with David's face. She looked worriedly at the bracelet... would it prevent her from injuring him, like it did the flesh of the Plant itself? Probably best not to test it.

Prince David slowly stood up, glaring down at the shorter Radomir. "This is a sham, a cheap ploy to save her," he cast a sidelong glance at Lexx, "...for yourself."

"Irrelevant," Radomir said, "I have challenged you, and tradition states that you must either accept it, or lose standing, immediately."

Lexx considered herself a bit of a feminist, in that she felt that gender shouldn't enter into what opportunities people should have. But for the moment, she had no issue with accepting the role as the rescued damsel. She staggered to her feet and immediately took up a position behind Radomir, accepting his protection.

David smiled, "Fine, putting you in your place is an acceptable justification for briefly delaying the inevitable."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 08

"This is a temporary measure," Radomir said as the family procession once again left the grounds of the estate, "You'll have to be very careful from now on."

Lexx was now easily able to keep up with the rest of the family, even on the cane. Throughout the eleven months she had been here, her leg had persistently refused to heal. Leiha was rather sad about the whole affair, she believed the Plant felt this was the way Lexx's body was meant to be. Thus Lexx would be forever bound to the cane until she would start the more drastic physical changes that came around a millenia of existence within the plant.

A thousand years... Lexx couldn't wrap her mind around it, refused to out of fear for her sanity. She had been here only one year, and already it had become life for her, accepted. Earth? She still remembered it fully, about as well as she could. Under her bed were stashed several books full of all the memories she could dredge. It was an admission of sorts, transcribing her memories to paper assumed that she would be here long enough to call her own memory into question, necessitating the need for a back-up.

Was there still a search going on for her back in Chicago? As far as the police were concerned, she was probably already dead in the water, just another statistic. What about Mael and Sera? They probably would have exhausted all the energy they were able and willing to give, and just holding out hope that some new lead pops up. The news had probably filtered out to everyone else by now.

Lexx had tended to keep in sporadic contact with the people she knew, through occasional visits, but more often through the marvel of the internet. Even if she weren't directly talking to them, there were several places online that she updated semi-regularly, just a reminder that she still existed. Most likely Mael had given out a general announcement of her being missing, and asked for any help available. What if Mael or Sera had done something stupid? Sera often seemed to look for reasons to go on a crusade for or against something, she would likely have to be restrained. Mael... it was harder to say with any certainty. She tended to be reasonable to a fault, but this was a situation Lexx had never seen Mael in. She had no idea how Mael would react to her room-mate/family suddenly disappearing.

The thought that Lexx would never see Mael again was denied entry into her mind. It was one of the things that helped Lexx believe she hadn't broken yet: The fact that she still considered her escape from this place an inevitability.

"So why did you do it? You stand to lose a lot of face... and like you said, it only creates a slight delay," Lexx shivered, the entire situation came far too close to something she still feared to approach.

"To give you hope," Radomir replied, "I look at it selfishly. You're interesting only insofar as you're not broken yet. It's worth this effort to ensure that you remain that way for as long as possible."

Lexx looked up at him, "I don't think I've said it yet: Thanks."

"You're welcome... of course if you really wanted to thank me, there are other ways you could go about it," the prince raised an eyebrow invitingly.

"You realize someone who's just been sexually assaulted is generally not going to be very receptive to sexual advances," Lexx laughed nervously.

"I realize you're far from what one would call 'general'," came the retort.

"Wow... somehow you managed to turn my possible enjoyment of victimization into a compliment," Lexx said, "That's... convoluted. Speaking of which, there's something I want to know about you-"

"If it concerns my adulterous nature, I deny nothing," Radomir said.

"No, not that, well actually, it's related. During the... incident, Prince David told me all the family members were made to follow only Leiha's orders, and were not beholden to anyone of the First Caste that wasn't her superior," Lexx said.

"True."

"...and he told me you weren't born to this family, that you were traded in from outside, probably to cover someone else's embarrassment at being associated with you."

"Also true."

"So, were you made to, um, swear the same oath? Or whatever it is you have to do to become loyal to only Leiha?" Lexx asked, "Are you under any compulsion to follow my orders just because I'm a First Caste?"

"No, I'm not. Like everyone else in her family, I follow only her orders, and the orders of those above her," Radomir said, looking straight ahead.

"So... way back when we first, er, met. When I told you to back off-"

"You're right. I didn't do it out of any sort of involuntary compulsion to obey you."

"So why did you do it?"

"Because you asked me to."

Lexx stared at him, "You're... complicated. Not in a bad way, either. Well, maybe in a bad way, you're an asshole who gives a shit about people."

"And?"

"It makes you better than most others here, you're not showering me with false platitudes just because I have a functioning uterus."

"You realize that part of the reason for this duel is that I want you for myself, right?" Radomir asked.

"I figured as much," Lexx replied, "But at least you can take 'No' for an answer."

"I will continually devote energy towards getting you to change that answer," the prince smiled.

"Which is more courtesy than the other party has shown," Lexx glowered, "Radomir... I know it's not possible, but I want you to fucking cut his balls off. He tried to rape me."

"The prince must have some time alone to prepare," Leiha said, falling back slightly in the procession to walk with Lexx and Radomir. Prince David had already gone on ahead.

"The Divine Mother is right, Esteemed Child," Prince Radomir's voice was the epitome of class, poise and tasteful submission to his superiors, "I will perform to the best of my ability for your hearts, upon the very surface of the Plant, with the heavens above and the families below as my witnesses."

"Go with my blessing," Leiha said, waving him off, "Lexx, come with me, before the duel starts, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Lexx had come to a standstill. Her mouth was hanging open.

"Lexx?"

It took a moment, but Lexx recovered control of her jaw, "The... surface?"

"Well, where else did you think the duel was going to take place?"

"That son of a bitch!" Lexx erupted, her face splitting into a broad grin.

------------

The view was utterly mediocre, nonetheless Lexx was left gaping at the sight and emotional impact of it. That asshole couldn't have set this up... it had to have been a random opportunity he seized at that moment, right? Then again, he was two centuries old... he certainly wasn't lacking in the experience and patience required to make a plan like this come to pass. He knew Lexx had wanted to see the outside of the Plant, to know that there was a world beyond the organic corridors and twilit chambers that had defined the limits of her existence for the past year. He knew that Leiha would never allow a trip outside those limits without a very good reason, and thus had set up, at great risk to himself, conditions that would not only allow, but compel a trip outside.

After the metaphorical gauntlet had been thrown, the announcement of the duel had filtered quickly throughout the entire estate. Within a day the entire family was galvanized with anticipation, which only grew when Leiha gave her official approval. Lexx had been told that, in general, duels were the single most effective way of cementing a higher position in the tangled and ever-changing hierarchy that was the Second Caste... provided you won the duel, of course. As such, they were often rather popular events within the Plant, and the gossip and politics surrounding one often would create as much, if not more waves within the social structure in the Second Caste as the duel itself.

Lexx had been squinting for a while, it was taking her some time to get used to the concept of sunlight again, even if it were this diffuse. The outside of the plant was initially something of a letdown. Lexx had been hoping to see the vast expanse of whatever alien world the Plant had taken root in. Unfortunately, on the portion of the Plant they had surfaced in (through means of deceptively well hidden exits), enormous leaves far overhead and on all sides blocked any view of the sky and the world around them. The air was hot, intensely humid, and stagnant. Even so, it was still rich with the remnants of various scents that came from things not of the Plant.

It wasn't exactly a good smell. Sometimes it was outright horrible smelling, the rotting corpses of colossi? But it was a different smell from the slight, damp organic neutrality that formed the entirety of Lexx's olfactory experience inside the Plant. And that was all that mattered for the moment.

A natural depression in the Plant's surface formed an amphitheater of sorts, where Leiha's family took their seats. Leiha and Lexx, being of the First Caste, naturally got seats closest to the front. The 'stage' consisted of a large, flat area, about fifty feet to a side, with several leafless branches of the Plant spiking out at random locations. Lexx's attention was drawn by more figures filtered into the arena. They were obviously Second Caste, with an attendant Third Caste army of guardians and servants, but Lexx recognized none of them.

"Who are they?" Lexx asked.

"Members of other families," Leiha said, "The interest in this event isn't solely restricted to our family."

"I... I don't see any other First Caste, I don't think," Lexx squinted.

"I'm one of the younger of the First Caste," Leiha said, "It would be seen as improper for an Elder to attend an event hosted by someone so young, as for the non-Elders... they likely have their own reasons for not attending. Though it's obvious they are interested, as they've sent their own representatives to watch."

"Why is it so interesting to them?" Lexx asked, "This is a duel just for your favour, right?"

"On the surface, yes. But remember, Prince Radomir wasn't originally born into this family," Leiha said, "He came here under... dubious circumstances."

"Meaning?"

"My guardians," Leiha indicated the two massive Third Caste bodyguards flanking them, "He came with them, not exactly voluntarily. When the arrangement was made, a few of my own offspring in exchange for them, the other party attached him to the offer, and said that either I accept him, or the deal would fall through. Obviously, they just wanted him off their hands. I'm wondering how long it will be before I feel the same way."

"I've gotten the impression that Radomir's not very popular in the Plant... so why all this attendence then?" Lexx asked.

"It's precisely because of that," Leiha said, "Prince Radomir has quite possibly bitten off more than he can chew, and there are quite a few who want nothing more than to see him publicly humiliated."

"So you think he won't win?" Lexx smiled, "He hasn't lost a duel yet, or so he claims."

"Of course not," Leiha smiled herself, "That's because up until now, Prince Radomir has been very good at choosing his battles. Against Prince David though? Prince Radomir is only half his age, and lacks much of the martial experience Prince David has. Two centuries and participation in several campaigns outside the Plant makes a lot of difference in terms of fighting ability."

Lexx pursed her lips. Was he really risking all this just for her? She decided to continue playing the confused newbie, milking as much information as she could, "I don't understand, then. Why would he do this?"

"That concerns me too," Leiha muttered, "Prince Radomir is one of the youngest members of the Second Caste ever to reach the rank of Prince, the youngest I have ever seen. He has a long history of betrayal, broken hearts, and political chaos, it's obvious he's got one of the quickest and shrewdest minds among the Second Caste. So why would he be consenting to something which is so potentially damaging to him, politically? He, more than anyone else, should know he stands no real chance against Prince David, it makes no sense. But he's going along with this anyways, so it has to make sense, has to have some positive return on investment... in some way he can see, but we can't.

"Either that, or he's gone even more insane. He always has had a penchant for theatrics," Leiha finished.

"If he does win... then what?" Lexx asked, "I know you have a thing for Prince David... will you have to give him up then?"

"I don't have to do anything," Leiha stated flatly, "It would be a sign of poor taste if I refused to recognize his achievement, though. As for the two princes, if David lost, well, his chances of catching the eye of more prestigious families immediately dries up for quite a while. Of course, only half their attention is on the duel, anyways. You're under a bit of a spotlight yourself."

"Wait... what?"

"Many of the First Caste want to know how the youngest member is doing, especially considering how close it is to your first year anniversary here," Leiha explained, "Soon, there will be the issue of meeting some of them, getting to know them better, and the production of new Second Caste children to take into consideration."

Lexx blinked, "I'm sorry... I didn't quite catch that last bit, children?"

"Children," Leiha affirmed, "It is your greatest duty to the Plant, to produce more of the Second, and eventually the Third Caste so that the Plant can continue to thrive."

"Does it... does it have to be so soon?" Lexx bit her lip, "I'm not sure I'm ready for that... I mean, I haven't even-"

"Had sex? Yes, I'm aware of that, Prince David had told me," Leiha said cheerfully, "Don't worry, there will be preparations, practice."

"He told you?" the light seemed to dim around Lexx with no visible source. She felt rather warm and uncomfortable all of a sudden, some combination of embarrassment and fury, "You... do you realize what he attempted to do to me?"

"He made an advance on you, and you refused, yes, I know," Leiha smiled, "Not everyone is a fit for everyone else, I understand that."

"He tried to rape me," Lexx was taking deep breaths.

"Not at all," Leiha said condescendingly.

"What?" Lexx felt dizzy. Was that hyperventilation, or her coming close to a point where she was about to lose control.

"Lexx, he can't rape you, none of those who are part of the Plant can. Rape is painful and physically damaging, and none of the Castes are capable of doing to the First. It's an impossibility," Leiha explained, her voice nothing but patience and caring.

"So what you're saying," Lexx was carefully going through every word, "Is that if... he pins me down... manually stimulates me until my body is reacting against my will... and then mechanically penetrating me, taking care not to physically hurt me... then it's not rape?"

"Your body is reacting, you are getting pleasure from it, how could it be?" Leiha said with a smile.

"...and the emotional trauma means nothing?" Lexx asked, her breath hitching with the effort at keeping her voice calm.

Leiha chuckled, "Lexx, I love you deeply, but you're taking a long time to learn this basic concept. The emotional pain you feel is only that which you brought yourself. You long for a world you will never return to."

"What the unholy fuck does that have to do with anything?!" Lexx shouted, finally unable to hold her temper back anymore.

"Dear, please don't be irrational, it won't help anything. You are tied to someplace which effectively no longer exists for you, this is unhealthy and unnatural," Leiha stated, her voice rising slightly, some of the cheerfulness leaving, "If you want to be happy, you have to leave that sort of baggage behind, whether it's because of a longing for a dead world, or for some misplaced sense of virginal purity."

Lexx stared at Leiha. Several dozen thoughts tried for find verbal expression, collided, and left her with her mouth hanging stupidly open. In the aftermath, her brain simply decided to go numb for a few moments. "I think I'm just going to watch the duel, then call it an early night," Lexx announced, turning back towards the stage.

"Lexx, this is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Leiha started.

"Yeah, that's nice, I'm not interested any more," Lexx muttered.

"Lexx!" Leiha shouted.

Lexx cringed. She had never heard Leiha shout before, ever. She didn't want to turn, it wasn't until she was locked in the older woman's eyes that she realized she had failed. "Lexx," Leiha repeated, her voice once again calm, "I love you, and I don't want to see you hurt. But if you have to go through some pain now to avoid more pain later, I'm willing to put you through it, for the greater good. Lexx, you have to understand that this is the way things are here. You will lose your virginity here. You will have sex here. You will bear many children here. You will not have any choice in this matter. This is reality, and the sooner you accept that and simply enjoy the physical pleasure that comes from it, the less pain you will have to go through."

Lexx's reply was cut off by a roar from the crowd. Not a single seat was being used as everyone jumped to their feet and cheered for the introduction of the duelists. Lexx took the moment eagerly to turn towards the stage and watch, she needed a moment to wipe away the tears streaming down her face anyways. The sound of the crowd, the words of the announcer, the salute and bow between the Princes Radomir and David, all of it came to Lexx through a blurring filter of tears and introspection.

Lexx had known for a while that Leiha wasn't the most trustworthy person here. Even if she were the only other First Caste on the estate... there were things Lexx had learned that were effectively taboo subjects around her. Talk of Earth, longing for an escape back to Chicago... basically anything that suggested Lexx wasn't happily accepting her life here in the Plant. Leiha did love her, Lexx had no doubt about that. But Leiha was... stupid?

No, she was closed-minded. She wanted Lexx to be happy, and to her, happiness was submission to the whims of the Plant. Thus, she would do everything in her power to make sure Lexx did just that, confident in the end, Lexx would see things in the proper light and happily take her place amongst the breeding-machines of the First Caste. Lexx had known that, had mostly accepted it. She loved Leiha. Hell, she thought Leiha was quite attractive in many ways, but she knew that she would never truly be close to Leiha so long as she retained her free will and sense of self.

But now... despite everything else... not this. Lexx never would have believed that Leiha would outright condone rape as a means to forcefully making Lexx conform to the dictates of the Plant. She had crossed the line, she had moved from closed-minded but tolerable to outright hated in Lexx's mind. And Lexx must have been in love with Leiha, because with that revelation, her heart was broken.

So Lexx was glad that the starting of the duel had distracted everyone from her, so that she had some solitude with her heartbreak in the midst of the crowd.

That was the point when everything began changing.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 09

In retrospect, Leiha had said, the attack should have been expected. They were out in the open, with not one, but two First Caste in attendance, in the height of the sunny season.

The duel was hypnotizing. Leiha had attempted to prepare Lexx for what she was about to see. It wasn't just several centuries of training, Leiha explained, it was also the fact that during this time, their bodies never became decrepit the same way people on Earth would. So what she would be seeing is a contest between two people who were capable of superhuman feats of strength, speed, skill and reflexes.

She was right, and it failed to prepare Lexx in the slightest for what she saw once Radomir and David attacked each other. Human bodies should not be able to move that way. David was fighting with a short sword and a small shield, while Radomir's preferred weapons were a rapier and dagger. It was far more an intricate dance and gymnastics competition than just a fight. Leiha had explained that the Plant's prohibitions made it so that they would be unable to hurt each other in any debilitating fashion. An injured Second Caste was a less useful Second Caste, and that just wouldn't do.

So the object of the duel, Lexx had learned, was to leave some mark that you could have scored a mortal or fatal blow on your opponent, but chose not to. A small slice near a vital area, a blade stopped just inches away from one's throat. The fight lasted far longer than any Earthly duel would. Despite Leiha's claims to the contrary, Radomir's skill was such that the duel was far from a foregone conclusion. Though it was clear that David was merely biding his time, waiting for the proper opening to make that fatal strike, the fact that Radomir had lasted this long without presenting that opening was a testament to his skill and superhuman stamina.

Radomir's tactics, as far as Lexx could tell from the blur of movement, was a complex, intricately crafted series of tightly controlled moves, delivered in rapid fire and in seemingly random order. The result was an unpredictable sequence of offensive feints, defensive stances, and all out attacks delivered one after the other, with no real sign as to what was coming next. David, on the other hand, stood his ground and used his buckler to block against all attacks. The only time the short-sword came into play was when Radomir pressed towards a full attack. Then, David's blade would shoot out several times, disrupting the sequence of events and preventing Radomir from pressing forward to any great advantage.

They were hardly stationary during the fight. The massive, tree-like branches on the stage came into play as the two combatants incorporated them in their assaults and retreats upon each other. At least part of it was show, Lexx could see that much. There was technically no need for the two to be so nimbly jumped and balancing on a single small branch between each other... but they did so anyways, to please the crowd.

It would have been this point that David finally won the duel. Radomir had gone on another offensive, delivering a harsh series of jabs that actually succeeded in knocking David's shield off his arm. A moment later, David revealed that the loss was actually deliberate, and he only intended to free his shield-arm for better movement. In one smooth motion, he had trapped both Radomir's hands in his off-arm, and was raising the short-sword for a final blow.

There was a harsh splintering noise, and David's sword-arm sagged a little. Confusion pulsed through the crowd, centered on David, who stared perplexed at the cracked shaft of wood that had pierced his arm. Then something struck Lexx's cheek softly as more splintering sounds erupted around the crowd. Lexx looked down in confusion at the snapped wooden javelin, a small splinter of which had flown off and hit her. There were surprised cries of pain as several people were hit by the javelins. Lexx looked up to see another volley pierce the giant leaves above and fall around her, striking more of the crowd.

By this point, panic was breaking out as people realized what was going on. The Second Caste broke ranks and turned into a stampeding frenzy, trying to get to the nearest exits as more wooden death poured down from above. Lexx was struck from one side, then another, then knocked to the ground as the mob panicked around her. She saw only feet and other fallen bodies... then another shaft of wood as a javelin punctured the ground mere inches from her face.

A hand on her back, bunching up her clothes and lifting her bodily. Lexx saw Leiha holding her aloft with one arm. Leiha's other arm was shooting back and forth with unbelievable speed and strength, easily knocking aside anyone that got too close. Lexx had only a moment to admire this demonstration of what nearly a millennium inside the Plant could do to one's body before she was tossed unceremoniously onto the stage... which thankfully was free of any stampeding herds of people.

Lexx pushed herself to her feet awkwardly. Her cane was lost somewhere in that crowd, she couldn't go anywhere with any speed. She looked towards the two princes, David and Radomir. Lexx nearly screamed at what she saw there. The two were surrounded by what looked like giant, malformed wasps. Angular, insectile bodies, but crowned with horned, almost human looking heads and multifaceted, baleful eyes. Taut leather wings quivered threateningly as the dog-sized wasps moved in to attack.

Knowing she probably couldn't do a whole lot to help, Lexx tried to find a safe location to at least hide and watch. Before she had a chance to move, something heavy landed on her back. Her weak knee immediately giving out, Lexx collapsed to the ground with a grunt. She squirmed in terror as jointed, spindly legs wrapped around her body. Lexx's stomach lurched as she was taken airborne. The ride was not pleasant. She was tightly gripped in harshly restraining legs, knocked around violently by the insect's uneven flight. Her world became an enclosed, hellish buzzing space of madly flapping wings and painful blasts of hot air all over her body.

She was being abducted.

The flight of her captor suddenly became even more erratic, twisting around violently. A second later, Lexx's flight went crashing to the ground. She was viciously ejected from the creature's grip as the wind was driven out of her. Lexx rolled to a halt beside one of the large, tree-like branches on the stage. Something glittered nearby her, without thinking, Lexx grabbed it.

It took Lexx a moment to realize she was using David's sword as an impromptu cane. A few feet away lay a shattered, bloodstained javelin. David and Radomir were several yards away, standing back to back over the corpse of the wasp that had grabbed her, and fending off the attacks of nearly a dozen more. Lexx had her own problems, though.

More wasps were circling overhead. Some of them were heading back towards the skies, absconding with prisoners not quite as lucky as she was, others swooping down to pick up more. As Lexx fought for breath, she noticed several of the wasps had riders, all bearing javelins. Several of these rider jumped off, nimbly landing around her.

They looked like... fairies?

No two were alike in shape or colour. But all were spectacularly vibrant, clad in prismatic armour and immaculate silk. They all seemed to share the trait of being exceptionally thin, and somewhat shorter than the average human. Other than that, there were no common traits among them, their skin was all the colours of the rainbow and more, their hair, when there, similarly fantastic, their dress a melange of styles ranging from pseudo-historical to completely unbelievable, but all gaudy and flamboyant.

But all of them had insectile, iridescent wings, and all had expressions completely devoid of empathy or pity. They advanced on Lexx, brandishing javelins, joined by their trained insect mounts. Lexx held up David's sword in what she hoped was a threatening manner. Her arm was shaking too much for it to be a truly effective gesture. The creatures began making a hideous cacophony of coughing and hissing noises. It took Lexx a moment to realize they were laughing.

Lexx's knee once again gave out and she grabbed the tree for support. As she did, something unseen grabbed David's sword from her hand. Lexx panicked and backed up against the tree, knowing there was little she could do even to defend herself, let along help David or Radomir, whom she could no longer even see.

Something strange was happening among the fey-looking beings. They were falling back, the expressions of cruel enjoyment giving way to confusion and wariness. Lexx noticed that several of their number had fallen, stab wounds liberally adorning their bodies. Someone came to Lexx's side, she looked up and saw Leiha, calmly holding David's sword in a ready position. A second later, she was joined by the twin princes. David's left arm was bleeding profusely, and Radomir had several small wounds of his own, but the injuries didn't seem to hinder them much at all. Without a word they lunged forward, charging into the ranks of the fey.

Lexx watched in stunned amazement as the three cut a swath through her attackers. Where David and Radomir were superhuman in skill, Leiha was godlike, moving almost too fast for the eye to follow. The fey fell back, only to be attacked from behind by Leiha's two Third Caste bodyguards. Lexx saw that the rest of the attacking force was also retreating. Most of the Second Caste had gotten away, and those Third Caste that were bred for battle were now routing the attackers. Lexx saw nearly half a dozen giants just like Leiha's bodyguards, and a veritable swarm of other Third Caste creatures, strange things with knobbly, lanky arms, equipped with massive bows and a seemingly infallible aim.

The fey bled glitter. Lexx's world came close to breaking with that absurd realization, and she sagged back against the tree-branch for support, falling into a swoon for several seconds.

A hand was being offered to her, Radomir stood above her. Unquestioning, Lexx accepted it. She looked around as she was pulled to her feet, the battle was over. Leiha was saying something about the need to get inside now as Radomir handed Lexx her cane. Lexx took it and followed them, leaving behind an outside world she had experienced for such a brief series of moments, not knowing if she would ever get the chance to come back out here.

---------

"Where the hell were the defenders?! This is intolerable!" Leiha was livid.

"Either dead or distracted," prince David replied, he was substantially calmer, but his expression was still tense with adrenaline.

Lexx looked from one to the other, "What happened?"

"We were attacked, that's what happened," Leiha said curtly, "And it was something that should never have happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Invaders should never have been able to reach us, the defenders should have taken them down long before they got to the arena... if they were doing their damned jobs!"

"They were, most likely, Divine Mother," David pointed out, "I've seen that sort of thing before... they were just one wing of a much larger force."

"So?" Leiha demanded.

"So that means we experienced just a small part of a much larger invasion. The defenders were probably tied up with their main army... if they were still alive at all," David said, "Either way, I advise prudence, and an avoidance of the Plant's surface until we know better what's going on."

"Well thanks for stating the bloody obvious," Leiha spat.

"Neither of you were lost," Prince Radomir said, "That's the important thing."

"We came damn near to losing Lexx," Leiha said.

"So... what happened again?" Lexx asked, "I mean... what were they?"

"Exactly what they looked like," David said, "They were fairies."

"Fairies?" Lexx giggled, "Fairies... in armies... invading and taking prisoners? That's... that would actually be really cool... if they weren't attacking us, that is."

"It's been years since they've tried anything of that scale, and I still don't know how large the invasion force is," David muttered, "They like taking prisoners from among the Castes. No one knows what they do to them, but the few we've managed to rescue have been... damaged beyond repair."

"Meaning...?" Lexx was still somewhat in shock from the recent events, and curiosity was drowning out her venomous hatred for the older prince for the moment.

"They were alive, and that was about it. They had, something had been done to them, their minds were completely blank, nothing left."

"Vegetables from the Plant," Lexx laughed, "Makes perfect sense to me."

"It's not a laughing matter," Leiha admonished.

"I nearly became one of them," Lexx said, "I'm entitled."

"Divine Mother," Prince David bowed at the gates of the estate, "With your permission, I wish to volunteer myself to take part in any investigation and subsequent counter-attack."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Leiha hesitated.

"Divine Mother, this could be part of a larger attack by the fey, or the start of an all-out war," David replied, "My experience with matters outside the Plant would be helpful."

Leiha was still not sure, Lexx could see it, "I'm not certain I want you away at a time like this..."

"With all due respect, Divine Mother, the Plant comes first for all of us. Without it, it doesn't matter if I'm here or not, we are all lost."

Lexx bit her lip, stopping herself from giving immediate, full support to David being gone for the indeterminate future. It would sound far too eager, and they would immediately see it as the expression of her hatred for him.

"Alright then... go with my blessing, and don't you dare die, beloved Prince," Leiha said.

David looked at Radomir, "We'll settle this later."

Radomir smiled and bowed, "If you insist, prince. This merely delays the inevitability of putting you in your place."

Prince David didn't offer any reply as he turned and strode away.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 10

Lexx was trying to work up tears, and failing. She hadn't even gotten out of bed yet, still suffering the after-images of another dream about Mael. She wasn't crying though. Lexx felt... she missed Mael, but the dream had been so mundane, the sort of thing that was supposed to tug at her heartstrings. Instead she felt a little forlorn and unhappy, but not devastated. Lexx had read somewhere that the average grieving period for someone lost was six months. On the one hand, psychologically speaking it should be a surprise that she had still managed to grieve for nearly twice as long. On the other... Lexx was pretty certain that was referring to someone who had died, rather than someone you had been abducted from.

Did the distinction really make any sort of difference? Either way, Mael wasn't in Lexx's life anymore, and Lexx had no idea when, if ever, she would get to see Mael again. Was this how it started? Lexx was no longer heartbroken about the separation, but she should be happy to remember everything about Mael? And then what? Would the years chip away at her memory and resistance insidiously? A year from now, should she be happy to remember who Mael was, even if she didn't remember specific things they did together? Five years, should she consider herself lucky to even remember Mael's name? Twenty years, would she even remember that there was someone special in that place she used to live before the Plant?

The door opened and Leiha walked in, "It's time to get up hon."

Lexx blinked, "What? Since when?"

"I wanted to get you an early start today, to prepare you for the ritual," Leiha replied, "You do remember it was today, right?"

"Well... yeah, but I thought I'd have more time to-" Lexx started.

"There's already a bath being run downstairs," Leiha said, "You don't want it going cold on you, do you?"

--------

The 'bath' itself was a bit of a misnomer, Lexx had found out back when she had began her life here. In the basement of the mansion there was a raised section of floor... the floor being part of the Plant itself, the foundation on which the mansion was built. This raised section was a small part of what must have been the Plant's equivalent to a vascular system, so within it, there was constantly running water. It was generally rather lukewarm at worst, and delightfully toasty at best.

It was in this pseudo-bath that Lexx now reclined and thought. Leiha had never told her what, exactly, her first-year anniversary would involve, and steadfastly brushed aside all inquiries about it. Lexx knew from experience that this meant it would involve something she might object to. That was Leiha's way of avoidance, simply keep someone in the dark until it was too late to argue about it. It was horribly irritating at times.

Lexx could hear a slight whispering noise. It only attracted her attention by virtue of not being one of the normal, constant background noises of the Plant that had become an accepted... possibly needed part of life for her. It was whispering, plain and simple. Though Lexx couldn't catch any of the words, what she did notice was that she didn't recognize any of the voices involved. But for some reason they sounded very familiar, for some irrational reason Lexx's heart-rate increased simply listening to them.

The whispering voices slowly increased in volume, Lexx twisted in the asymmetrical tub, trying to find the source. There was no one else in the basement, at least this portion of it, and Lexx had seen no one else enter. The voices did sound terribly familiar, but they weren't the voices of anyone inside the mansion. Soon they had assumed the volume of normal dialogue, though the words themselves were in some alien language that was at once damnably familiar, yet at the same time completely incomprehensible. Still Lexx could see no one else in the basement, what the hell was going on? Ghosts? Lexx had never seen or heard anything that would imply people here believed in hauntings... though there were plenty of stories about the scary things that went on outside the Plant.

Lexx went pale, she could feel her blood drop to the lowest points in her body, leaving a slight tingling sensation behind. Like the computer generated fractal patterns in a magic-eye picture merge and form a known three-dimensional image, the pitch, pace and tone of the voices finally located the matching slot in her memory and identified themselves. It was Mael and Sera talking. Lexx had no time to comprehend this before more phantom sensory input impressed itself on her, literally. Something warm brushed against Lexx's face. Lexx focused straight ahead, wondering if she just somehow missed whatever brushed her face.

The feeling happened a second time, while the voices continued. With it came the brief sound of a deep, muffled rattling, also damnably familiar. Though Lexx still couldn't comprehend what Mael and Sera were saying, it was english, yet her brain kept running into some block to comprehension, she gathered that they were focused on something, and remarking about its strange behaviour. With a third warm impact, Lexx realized it felt just like a cat rubbing against her face. "Mael?" Lexx asked, whispered.

The voices stopped. Lexx was breathing shallowly, was she hallucinating? If so, she didn't care, she wanted to keep doing so.

"Lexx?"

It was Mael's voice, as if she were standing right next to Lexx, just outside the bath. Lexx looked around desperately, knowing full well that it was nothing more than an auditory and tactile hallucination, but desperately yearning nonetheless, "Mael!"

There was no response. Now in tears, Lexx tried again, "Mael?!"

Not even the warmth of a phantom cat remained. Lexx was alone.

------------

Lexx decided not to tell Leiha about the incident in the bath. With how much trouble Leiha was having concealing her own excitement about Lexx's one year anniversary, she may not have noticed if Lexx tried to tell her anyways. Lexx was dressed in a long, flowing dress which was even more vibrantly coloured than usual. She had long gotten used to the light skirts that seemed to compose a majority of Leiha's wardrobe. Leiha seemed rather set in her views about gender roles and clothing, and Lexx could only wear pants when she should smuggle them out of the rooms of Second Caste males and keep out of Leiha's sight.

The ceremony, as far as Lexx could tell, was supposed to be some sort of supervised meditation. Leiha had told her she would be spending some time almost alone in a room that wasn't actually a part of the estate, but rather a part of the Plant itself. 'Almost' alone because there would be one other person in there with her, a specially selected Second Caste who would observe her meditation and help guide her. The object of Lexx's meditation, according to Leiha, would be the Plant and her role within it, and how through it, both would be aided. What this meant to Lexx was that she would be spending quite a bit of time faking it.

Not that Lexx didn't understand the benefits of meditation. She often appreciated it, and before she had come here (and a few times since), had dabbled in self-hypnosis. But she had never gained that fanatical devotion to the Plant that Leiha seemed to have. It had to be because, apparently unlike the rest of the First Caste, Lexx had arrived here with her memory intact.

Lexx knelt on the soft pillow. It was a huge pillow, at least ten feet in diameter, and comfortable as hell. Why could she get one of these in her room? That would make things just wonderful! Lexx's cane was left near the doorway of the room, she had crawled across most of the pillow. Lexx closed her eyes, as she had been instructed, and let the veil hang over her.

The first portion of the meditation was supposed to be done completely on her own, her 'supervisor' not even visible. Maybe there was someone else in the room, maybe not, Lexx couldn't tell anyways. How exactly was she supposed to concentrate on meditation when she was this giddy? Leiha had given her a shot of ambrosia shortly before sending her here, saying that it was traditional, imbibing in the rich blood of the Plant before contemplating your role and connection with it. A nice concept, but the intense sensual high produced by the ambrosia was not something that meshed well with the physical and mental sedation that meditation was intended to produce.

So the first part of the proceedings was spent kneeling quite comfortably on the giant pillow, trying really hard to calm her mind and body enough to enter some state of relaxation, and wondering every thirty seconds how much longer she had to be doing this. After a few minutes of this Lexx was surprised to find out it was actually working. The giant pillow was exceptionally comfortable, and the hum of the Plant was even more intense here. There was that, and the smell. It was subtle at first, but the longer Lexx spent here, the more obvious it became. Sweet, but slightly exotic at the same time. It was like a really expensive stick of incense flavoured with some nice perfume. Soft and yielding, yet present and intoxifying.

Lexx's head nodded forward slightly and she repressed a tired giggle. The effects of the ambrosia, this comical but delightful pillow, and the scent were very relaxing in this dark room. She didn't even notice the presence of someone else until the veil was lifted. Was she supposed to break her meditation and acknowledge them? Lexx remained unmoving, eyes closed, in defiance of all animal instinct to react defensively to an unknown entity in close presence.

"You're bad at faking this," a voice said.

There was a smile on Lexx's face as she opened her eyes. She looked up at Radomir, "How'd you get to be the lucky one?"

"Leiha seems to think we have some sort of trust between each other," Radomir shrugged and knelt in front of her, "Who am I to argue?"

"So, great supervisor, what should I be doing since I'm obviously not doing it right?"

Radomir took her hands. His own hands were warm, he placed them on her knees, "First off, close your eyes, second, do not move from this position."

Lexx nodded, closing her eyes again. She could feel the giant pillow shifting beneath her as Radomir got up and walked around her. There was warmth on her back, and a moment later pressure on her shoulders. He was massaging her, should this be awkward? Lexx didn't feel too uncomfortable about it. In fact, it felt really good, obviously he had spent his centuries here learning more than just swordfighting and politics.

"You're good at that," Lexx murmured, stating the obvious.

"Of course I am," Radomir said, a smile in his voice, "Its one thing that helps keep me out of trouble."

The kneading continued, and Lexx melted under his ministrations. It was beginning to take effort to remain in a somewhat upright position, not that she cared too much. Wasn't she supposed to be meditating or something? Whatever, so long as the massage continued, she'd pretend to do whatever they liked. There was the tingling sensation of moving fabric, the prince was taking the straps of her dress off her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Lexx asked, making no attempt to stop him.

"They're in the way," Radomir said bluntly and continued the massage.

Lexx sighed, there wasn't much reason to fight against this anyways. Weren't the rules such that if he wanted, he could have his way with her anyways? But did that apply during this ritual? "I get the impression," Lexx muttered, "that you're not intending to guide me through some enlightening meditation."

"Why would I want to do that," Radomir asked.

"Because... the ritual..." Lexx breathed.

Radomir's kneading eased up slightly, "You were lied to."

"What?"

"There is no ritual like that, none of the First Caste do any sort of first-year meditation. It was just a cheap ruse to get you into this sort of state," Radomir explained.

Lexx's eyes snapped open. She twisted around, grabbing the top of her dress to stop it from falling in the movement, "What?!"

The prince looked at her evenly, "Don't act so shocked, Lexx, you've known that Leiha is perfectly willing to lie to you if she feels the need."

"Fine," Lexx growled, it was really hard to hold onto negative emotions in this state anyways, "So why the hell did she put me here?"

"Good," Radomir said, "Instead of flailing, you actually take the bold step and try to figure out why you're being fucked over."

"A compliment? What do you want from me?" Lexx asked, looking up at him.

"Same thing I've always wanted Lexx, from the moment I saw you," Radomir grinned.

"I told you then, not a chance in hell," Lexx said, without a lot of conviction in her voice.

Radomir slowly leaned forward, "You're free to say 'No' at any time, and I will stop, I promise."

He was right, Lexx knew that. Of everyone here, he was the only one who actually kept his word. And she did have what felt like an eternity as he slowly leaned forward to back off, to slap him, to say no. But instead, she just sat there like an idiot, staring forward in blank, uncertain expectation, until their lips met. He looked good, he tasted even better. His tongue brushed against her lips, exploring, eager, but always the reserved patience, waiting for permission of further intrusion.

The kiss ended and Radomir leaned back, waiting. Lexx could see it in his eyes, no doubting of what would come back, the smug certainty that he could not be resisted. She hated him all the more for being right as she leaned forward and kissed him again, harder, more demanding. Her hands left their protective position in front of her and found their way to his frame. Her dress slipped further down, Lexx wasn't wearing anything underneath, and she didn't care much. Was this what Leiha wanted? Why the hell did it matter at this point? It was what Lexx wanted.

At some point Radomir's shirt was shed, and the two had gone from vertical to horizontal. It wasn't the first time Lexx had done this sort of thing, but it was by far the best. Radomir's hands roamed over her pale body, questing but never fumbling. Over small breasts, teasing in well-practiced ways that made her want, made her demand more. The crumpled dress eventually left her body entirely, leaving Lexx completely exposed. It wasn't until Radomir's thin fingers made their way to the smooth crevasse between her legs that Lexx made some token form of resistance.

It wasn't much, as far gone as she was by that point. One hand traveled down and rested on his forearm, no real pressure, just contact. In the haze of giddy pleasure and desire for more, Lexx was mildly surprised that Radomir had stopped any movement down there. She looked at him quizzically.

"You don't want this," he said softly.

"No," Lexx breathed, "I do."

"Yes, physically you do, emotionally you do... but mentally..." Radomir studied her.

"Please," Lexx begged, not knowing what she was begging for.

"You're a virgin," Radomir said.

"How do you..."

"I can tell," the prince interrupted.

"Is that... am I?" Lexx looked at him uncertainly.

"No," Radomir said, kissing her again to stem the insecurity. He broke away, "No, that wouldn't make any difference, wouldn't stop me... but you're hesitant. Intellectually you don't want this, you're scared, why?"

"I..." Lexx trailed off, she didn't really know herself, it was really hard to think right now.

"Culture? Religious baggage?" Radomir suggested, "From what you've told me, these shouldn't be issues for you."

"No, it's not that, it's..." Lexx paused.

"Think Lexx," Radomir said. His voice was still deep with desire, his eyes demanding, "Why? You're not worried about getting pregnant, you can't with me. You don't have any religious qualms about it because you're not religious, you're worried about some lost love because that's not how you view relationships, so why?"

"Comfort," Lexx said, having to resist the urge to grind against his hand.

"Comfort?" Radomir asked, and gave his finger a slight twitch, eliciting a moan from her, "Explain yourself."

"If," Lexx tried to concentrate, "If I give in now... and end up fucking you. I'll be... I'll be admitting to myself I'm okay with it, I'll lose my virginity-"

"Like you'd care about that," Radomir said dismissively, "Leiha's more the type to place stock in some sort of sanctity of innocent purity, not you Lexx."

"No... not like that," Lexx took a deep breath and focused, "They want me to breed here, to have me fuck the First Caste and make plenty of babies for them. I'm... I'm a virgin, and I'm still scared and uncertain about sex. If I lose that here, now, will I be able to resist as much when it comes time to actually breed? It's irrational... but it's the only defense I have, and if that's taken-"

"Lexx, do you trust me?" Radomir held her chin.

"What?" Lexx asked, looking up at him.

"This room, the entire time you've been here, has been filling up with aphrodisiacs. That and the ambrosia have put you in this mood," Radomir said, "Obviously there was attraction between us before, but here, I can do anything I want with you."

"Yes..." Lexx said, beginning to squirm again, though not in any attempt to get away.

"I could fuck you, take your virginity away just like that, and you would love it," Radomir said, "You're already loving it, you couldn't do anything to stop me. You don't want to stop me, except on one small level. I have you completely in my power, Lexx, do you understand that?"

"Yes," Lexx murmured, "Yes, I do."

"Then answer the question Lexx," Radomir said, "Knowing all that, knowing me for the past year, and everything we've done together... do you trust me with that power? Complete power and control over you?"

Lexx strained upward, trying to get more stimulation, but Radomir was deft and kept teasing her, she growled, "Trust you?"

"Do you?" Radomir continued teasing.

"I'm naked and beneath you, asshole, I'm practically begging to get raped."

"Is that a yes?" Radomir asked.

Lexx closed her eyes, making an effort to nod, "I... I trust you."

Her eyes shot open as something pressed inside her. Lexx gasped and yelled out as Radomir pressed down from above. It was rapid, urgent, a simple animal need to reach climax. Mere moments passed and that point was reached. Lexx spasmed, her hips jolting upward, and she screamed once more, then collapsed into a gasping, sobbing mess. Radomir slowly withdrew from her and examined his glistening fingers with a smile.

"Why," Lexx fought for breath, "Why did you do that?"

"To get you off," Radomir said, running his dry hand over her neck, "It was quite pleasurable to watch."

"But you didn't... you know..." Lexx waved a hand vaguely.

"Fuck you? No," Radomir said, he stopped massaging her neck and slapped Lexx's exposed ass appreciatively.

Lexx yelped and, with effort, turned to glare at him, "Asshole. And why not?"

"Because you didn't want that," Radomir said, "And you trust me."

"Didn't want that? I was begging for it."

"You were begging to get off," Radomir said, "You don't want it now, do you? I simply pushed you over the edge, so that urge was pushed down for a while."

"Why? You could have fucked me and I wouldn't have said no, I was completely under your control." Lexx asked.

"One, because that would have broken your trust," Radomir said, "and two, because you're still under my control."

"The fuck I am," Lexx said, "I'm First Caste, you're Second Caste..."

"Caste bullshit has nothing to do with it, Lexx. You belong to me because you want to. You could order me to stop at any time, you have more rights than me in the Plant, and more power. But you will make the choice to be subservient to me because you get off on it, because you have fantasies about it, because it feels so damn right to you, and I'm the only one you trust with that sort of power," Radomir said.

Lexx glared at him, her glare falling on his impassive gaze. She wilted, "Fine... you're right."

Radomir lifted her chin, "Why so sad? I'll be giving you everything you want here, and all I ask in return is that you give yourself up to me, agree to belong to me... which works out for you as that is something else you want."

Lexx smiled weakly, "I don't think you can provide everything I want. You should know better, considering my biggest want here-"

"It's not just about me getting off on the power over you," Radomir said, "I know full well about that, which is why I needed your complete trust."

"What? Why?" Lexx was confused.

"Lexx... I'm going to help you escape the Plant."

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 11

"I know about what you were planning," Lexx said, smiling at Leiha, "There's no special celebration for a First Caste's first year here."

Leiha looked up from her painting, her eyes briefly flicking over Lexx's outfit, obviously disapproving, "Yes? What would make you think that?"

"No Leiha, not think, know, Prince Radomir told me everything," Lexx said.

"I see," Leiha nodded, putting down the easel, "Prince Radomir, as you know, likes to stir up trouble. Why do you think he would have any compunction against lying to further his own ends?"

"So you don't deny that the entire thing was a sham," Lexx said, walking boldly into Leiha's personal space.

"I don't need to," Leiha said, straightening up and folding her arms, "The ceremony was to contemplate your connection to the Plant, just as every member of the First Caste must do. Would you deny that you did just that?"

"That's beside the point, this whole thing was designed around me and my resistance to it, not because it was any sort of tradition," Lexx pressed.

Leiha didn't take a step back, but she was obviously not comfortable with Lexx's proximity, "Tradition is merely that which is often repeated in a culture, coming to terms with your position in the Plant is something that all First Caste have to do. So, by all definitions, that is a tradition."

"Still a lie," Lexx said, "You're just trying to weasel your way out of it."

"If that's what you wish to believe, Lexx, I cannot force you to think otherwise," Leiha said archly, "I take it, though, that your views on a few things have changed during the ceremony?"

Lexx smiled at Leiha, lending as much sexual tension to it as she could, "You could say that. I've realized how futile it is to resist some things here, and accept my place among things here."

"Good, I know you disagree with a lot of what I do," Leiha said, ignoring the advances, "But I do it all for your benefit, Lexx. I don't want to see you hurt."

"I understand, I figured the best way to overcome things is to try and open up, find out more about you. I figure," Lexx gently took up Leiha's hand, examining the fingers delicately, "I should try to get a little closer to you."

Leiha turned away, "As happy as I am that you're finally coming around to accepting things, I'm afraid it will have to wait. My presence is needed elsewhere."

"Are you sure?" Lexx asked invitingly, "Can't you stay for a while? I'm eager to learn as much as I can from you... no matter what the subject."

"Goodbye Lexx," Leiha sniffed and paused at the door, narrowing her eyes at the younger girl, "...and please change into something more suitable."

---------

"She didn't like it at all," Lexx told Radomir in between pants.

The prince nodded, then thrust forward, "I expected as much, she's nearly twice as old as me, probably has twice the patience. You can't conceive of even a century here, I likewise cannot conceive of millenia. You're not trying hard enough, Lexx, your hips aren't moving correctly."

Lexx tried to comply, twisting her hips around and thrusting delicately forward, grunting with the effort, "So... how long do you think it will take Prince?"

"It's only one part of the plan. Whether she's covering up an attraction for you or is truly straight and has no attraction at all doesn't matter. What matters is that your advances on her are distracting. Either through repression or repulsion, she will try to distance herself from you, and thus be less observant about what we're doing," Radomir said, "Didn't I tell you to put some more movement into your hips, girl?"

"Yes," Lexx replied.

"Well? Are you attempting to disobey me?"

"No!" gasped Lexx, "It's my knee, there's only so much weight I can-"

"Yes, you have a bad knee, Lexx. Accept it and if you can't directly overcome it, find a way around it. I won't accept anything less from you," Radomir growled, then moved forward again.

Lexx screamed and fell backward, her leg collapsing beneath her. Her leg didn't hurt, it never did. It was merely weak, unable to support even half the weight of her other leg. Radomir stood above her and offered her a hand up, shifting his sword to the other hand. Lexx accepted, "You still didn't answer me. How long do you think it will take?"

"Prince David has been gone a month," Radomir said, "I don't know how long this little war will last, it might be over in a week, it might last several years. The important thing is we do not have a chance of accomplishing anything until Prince David has come back."

"How long have you been planning this?" Lexx asked sincerely, "I doubt it all came together on the night I gave myself to you, Prince."

"Truthfully since the moment I met you, Lexx," Radomir said, "Not because I fell in love at first sight or anything like that. Such things don't happen. Lust happens at first sight, from the moment I met you I wanted to possess you and make you mine. But I also wanted to use you for my own ends, to accomplish something I cannot as a Second Caste do on my own."

Lexx smiled, "So when will you tell me exactly what you're planning?"

"I won't," Radomir gazed at her, "You're the fulcrum by which I can leverage my own aims, but you're also the weakest point. The less you know, the less opportunity exists for both our hopes to be dashed."

"So how do I know you'll even let me go?" Lexx asked, her voice losing a little humour, "How will I know you won't want to keep me around as your toy?"

Radomir closed the space between them. Lexx was forced to look up at him. He gently stroked her cheek, "Is that what you want, Lexx? Do you want to remain here, my slave?"

Lexx bit her lip. She looked away and took a few deep breaths, "...no. No... as much as it turns me on... I have the ones I love, care for, I have to-"

"Then I will help you escape, Lexx. It's that simple. You would not be happy remaining here, even as my toy, so I would get nothing out of it," Radomir said patiently.

"I just don't know, I don't know if I can trust you," Lexx muttered, "I know I said I did then, but I was under duress..."

Radomir nodded, "You had no choice, Lexx. You still don't."

"This sucks," Lexx said.

"Yes, it does Lexx. And it's not going to get better for a while. If you want to get through this, you're going to have to go through it, all of it, all the hard stuff and find a way to cope. No one said this was going to be easy, Lexx. I trust you to have the strength to keep going, you have to trust me to arrange everything else, that's it," Radomir said.

"I want to," Lexx replied morosely, "I really do, it's all I have at the moment. But all I can do... I just have to go along with whatever you're planning, 'cause there's nothing else I can do."

"As long as you do as I say," Radomir said, "You don't have to fully trust me, and you'll stand a better chance of getting out of here. I think we've done enough practice for today, we'll need to continue working on that leg though, you've got a long way to go."

"How soon before I can start jumping off walls like you can do?" Lexx asked hopefully.

Radomir smiled, "With your leg the way it is, you won't be able to do that with regularity until your physiology starts undergoing major changes, you'll be older than Leiha is now by that point. But we can still work on expanding your limits to inhuman levels. The Ambrosia has that effect on your body."

"That's... centuries from now," Lexx said, "Will I still change even if I... somehow..."

"Get back to earth?" Radomir asked, "I don't know. I've never heard of anyone doing that before, most would consider it unthinkable. Things operate differently here, not just life, but the very laws of physics themselves seem to be a bit different. Maybe it's something in the Ambrosia that keeps people from earth alive for tens of thousands of years, or maybe it's just purely the nature of this place... or perhaps time itself operates differently between here and earth. Whether or not its effects will persist when you get back I can't say because it's one of the few subjects I honestly have no knowledge about. You can be my test study in that regard."

"You make it sound like my escape is a certainty," Lexx laughed, "What will you do when I'm gone?"

"If things go to plan, my own life will become quite entertaining in the aftermath of your escape. And yes, I do view it as a certainty. My life may not be perfect, but I've encountered success far more often than failure, and I don't intend to change that anytime soon," Radomir smiled.

Lexx looked at Radomir inquisitively, "Entertaining? That's rather vague."

"Are you worried for me?" Radomir asked.

"Of course I am, Prince," Lexx said, "As much of an asshole as you are, I care for you, I don't want you getting hurt just for my sake."

Prince Radomir smiled, "Oh, it's not just for your sake, Lexx. But that's enough of that, we'll need some rest. But before then, I have plans."

"Do they involve me, Prince?"

"You will wash and get changed into something suitable, Lexx. Then you will come to my room and wait by the door, head down, until I give you further orders, is that clear?"

"Yes Prince," Lexx said, bowing submissively and trying her best to hide an eager grin.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 12

The entire chamber rumbled, sending pleasant vibrations through Lexx' legs. Several Second Caste functionaries scurried past, nodding their heads briefly in recognition of the two First Caste waiting outside the grand Central Chamber. "It's getting louder," Lexx said, "I didn't think it would actually penetrate this deep."

"The rainy season is that way," Leiha replied, "This is just the beginning, it will grow steadily over the next few months."

Lexx nodded, it wasn't anything she hadn't heard before. The first rumbles had terrified her, she thought the Plant was on the verge of collapsing when the shuddering woke her up from another vivid dream of a world left behind nearly twenty one months ago. The rainy season was something which came only once every six years or so, she was told. Lexx could get nothing more than vague details from Leiha, who obviously knew her well enough to realize a full description would only arouse a dangerous curiosity in her. It was, once again, Radomir who did most of the explaining.

The closest analogue, he told her, was like the monsoon season certain climes on earth experienced, but much more intense. It lasted anywhere from a few months to a year, and by necessity all outside activity on the plant slowed to a crawl. On the plus side the rainy season slowed everything down, including enemy activity outside the Plant. It was a time to batten down the hatches and huddle through the season. Naturally Lexx wanted nothing more than to see this herself. Radomir had told her to wait and she would get the chance.

Another rumble echoed through the outside chamber. A functionary came up and whispered in Leiha's ear. Leiha nodded and, as if on cue, one of the massive doors to the Central Chamber opened. Wordlessly Leiha indicated that Lexx should go in. "Aren't you going with me?" Lexx asked.

Leiha shook her head.

----------

"I won't ask what happened in there," Leiha said, "This was rather unusual."

"I'm feeling very unwell," Lexx said, looking exhausted, "I don't think I-"

"Lexx!" Leiha shouted, grabbing the younger girl before she collapsed, "Come on, Lexx, let's get you home."

Lexx looked around as Leiha helped her along. There was no grand parade of the entire family this time. It seemed more like Leiha had wanted as little fanfare as possible, hoping word of this little meeting didn't get out. Now she understood why. A year and nine months here, the latter half spent slowly plotting with Radomir, it was absurd to think that their plans would go completely unnoticed. As Lexx hobbled along she tried to feel the strength and will Radomir said she had within her. After months of working under him he told her she had attained, by earth's standards, the physical prowess of most Olympic athletes.

She felt none of that now. Lexx felt weak and helpless, in the thrall of forces she could not hope to stand against in any way. Lexx had undergone an interrogation of sorts. There was no torture involved, no physical tests of endurance. The elders among the First Caste had merely sat down and asked her questions. Lexx didn't know what methods they used, it was something beyond the grasp of her limited senses, but something about the tone of their voices, their movement, the subtly repulsive brush of their malformed limbs against her body, quickly stripped away any ability to resist their questions. Lexx had blabbed at length. She understood now why Radomir had refused to let her in on any of the plans. Had she known more, she would have ruined everything during that interrogation.

As it was, the elders knew quite well that Lexx wanted nothing more than to escape here, that she trusted Radomir more than anyone else, and that apparently her plan to get out of here would start when Prince David returned. By the end of the interrogation, Lexx was practically screaming all she knew, begging them to stop asking and to let her go.

Leiha supported Lexx, and between the two of them, managed to hobble at a decent gait back towards the central column. "Do you understand what's going on, Lexx?" Leiha asked.

"I'm not very well liked, am I?" Lexx asked, staring at the ground.

Leiha shook her head, "They know you're up to something, Lexx. I know you're up to something, this isn't good."

"I swear," Lexx muttered, "My intentions are purely honourable."

"Lexx," Leiha paused and stared intently at the younger girl, "I can't... I need to show you something."

"Wheee, a field trip," Lexx weakly twirled a finger.

Leiha changed the direction they were walking in, heading for one of the spire-like asymmetrical buildings on the outskirts of the interior city. A flurry of Second and Third Caste cleared a path for them, and there was no delays as the two entered the building. Lexx looked around with mild interest, aside from the estate and the core of the Plant, she had never actually been inside one of these structures.

It was much of what she expected, a similar design to the estate. The naturally grown outer walls had additional bracing inside by artificially constructed floors, blending together to form an uneven and confusing layout. Leiha whispered something to a Second Caste receptionist, who quickly jotted down a few names on a piece of leaf-paper. Nodding, the receptionist briefly held Leiha's hand, a second later Leiha nodded and broke contact. Lexx was walking mostly under her own power again, aside from the help of the cane. Leiha led her to a thick, naturally grown partition.

The Plant had its own form of internal security. Long ago Lexx had scolded herself for not seeing the obvious sooner. There were no keys or any form of security like that within the Plant. Why should there be? Physical keys were a strictly human concept, why should the Plant be constrained by human limits? The Plant operated by different senses and like other plants, had different means of interacting with the world. The 'locks' and 'keys' in the Plant were actually a series of sensory receptors by certain doors. To pass, one had to produce the proper combination of tactile pressure, body temperature and pheromones. Second and Third Caste were born with an instinctual knowledge of how these keys worked, and needed only a touch to be granted the additional knowledge for individual keys. First Caste, on the other hand, needed centuries of training, practice, and subtle physical modification before they could reliably produce the right 'codes' to pass through certain doorways.

Lexx, obviously, had no way of getting through 'locked' doors without outside help. She had no way of forging a key that required the presence of a knowing, living being to work, and any attempt to force her way through a door or break it down would immediately result in her bonded collar and cuffs forcibly restraining her until Leiha or an older First Caste came to reset it. An unintentionally perfect way of keeping Lexx from escaping under her own means. She could only wonder how Radomir was planning on circumventing that.

Leiha ran her hand over a portion of the door that looked just like any other portion. The door vibrated, then opened inward, revealing a long hallway relatively brightly lit by the phosphorescent fungi that provided most of the light within the Plant. There were a number of similarly thick doors on either side of the corridor. Leiha made a brief motion of counting doorways down the left side of the corridor, then led Lexx towards the sixth door down. Lexx grew hesitant as they reached the door. There were sounds coming from within, something was struggling and moaning inside.

"What's going on?" Lexx asked.

"It's something you need to see," Leiha replied.

Lexx listened to the sounds coming from within the room, "I really don't think I want to see."

"Too bad," Leiha said and put her hand against the door.

Looking away wasn't really a choice. Even if Lexx did, Leiha would simply wait until Lexx' curiosity got the better of her and she looked anyways. What else could Lexx do? Run away? She wouldn't even be able to get out of the hallway she was in. Leiha was in the mood to give one of her 'lessons', and Lexx was going to be on the receiving end of it whether she wanted to be or not. The reason Lexx was so hesitant about looking was due to the nature of the sounds behind the door. Moaning and struggling, but not in any good way. They were the sounds of someone in a lot of pain who was being forcibly restrained and muffled. Lexx didn't want to see what was causing this, but the choice to look away wasn't really hers. Lexx peered through the doorway.

The room was larger than Lexx had expected. The building was some sort of stronghold, judging by the small windows and thick doors. The large number of Third Caste guardians Lexx had seen in the main chamber suggested that this was some sort of penitentiary. The activity inside the room Lexx now stood on the threshold of confirmed this. Two Third Castes stood on the other side of the doorway. They were a thick, ropy breed, obviously designed for physical confrontation, though not so large and unwieldy as the guardians so they could better fit in smaller rooms and corridors. There were two more Third Caste by a sturdy table, the only piece of furniture in the room. One of them was another one of the squat, thickly muscled enforcers, the other Lexx immediately recognized as a medically oriented Third Caste. Unlike the enforcers, this one was tall and deathly thin, with huge, dark eyes and long, spindly, rock-steady fingers perfectly adapted to work that required fine precision, such as surgery. On the table lay another Third Caste, its curvy and attractive, but vaguely androgynous body marking it as one bred for pleasure. Supervising all of this was a member of the Second Caste.

"He was in the service of a Second Caste," Leiha explained, indicating the one struggling on the table, "A coldworm attacked his mistress, and instead of staying and defending her, he ran while she perished. This is the first part of his punishment."

Lexx barely heard any of it. The Third Caste pleasure-giver struggled on the table, but was unable to move anywhere thanks to the strong bonds tying him down. The enforcer patiently held the pleasure-giver's head in one location while the medic did its work. The pleasure-giver was trying to scream, obviously in a lot of pain, but nothing more than strangled moans escaped a mouth that was now stitched tightly shut with the same time of fiber that composed Lexx's collar, anklets and bracelets. The medic had just finished stitching one of the pleasure-giver's eyes shut and was starting on the other.

Lexx watched the medic carefully pull the eyelid up. She managed to last until she saw the needle pressing against the skin before turning away and dry heaving. Lexx covered her ears and staggered back into the hallway, trying to shut out the renewed moans of pain coming from the table. Lexx stared intently at the floor, every time she shut her eyes she saw the eyelid pulled upward, the needle heading towards it. Things going into her eyes, something that repulsed Lexx to the level of a phobia. There was a warm hand on her shoulder, Lexx shuddered and pulled away, "What the fuck was the point of that?"

"Lexx, you have a good life here," Leiha said, "Not the life that you wanted, but compared to what is out there, you get treated like royalty here. You are royalty here. I know you're planning something, though, and I know that Prince Radomir is involved. I... I can't stop you if you're hell bent on being an idiot, Lexx, but you have to remember, the Plant comes first in everything. If you do something, or you and Radomir do something which the Plant finds threatening... I can't do anything to lessen the consequences, to you or the prince."

The walk home from there was mostly quiet, aside from the occasional inquiry from Leiha, expressing concern over Lexx's bad leg. Lexx had enough to think about, she gave only the occasional monosyllabic grunt in reply. She was First Caste and nearly two years of that had definitely gotten to her head. She knew there were certain punishments for those who harmed or threaten to harm the Plant. What would happen to a First Caste who did so? Lexx didn't know, for all the history she knew of the Plant, she had never heard any story, or read any record of a First Caste acting against the Plant. It was a combination of their rarity among the population and the fact that despite being nobility of sorts, they had very few responsibilities compared to the Second and Third Castes.

Lexx didn't think she would receive the same punishment as that Third Caste pleasure-giver. The Third Caste were seen as the most expendable, their average life-span was a little shorter than the average human on earth. If an example of the consequences of disobedience needed to be made, it would be best to make it on a Third Caste. Lexx's insides turned at the memory of both what she saw and Leiha's full explanation of what was happening. The Plant could not mortally wound any it had accepted as its own, so this was essentially the worst possible punishment that could be given. His eyes, mouth and ears would be stitched shut with that fibrous material, over time it would bond and become a part of his body, forever stealing sight and hearing, and leaving only a few tiny holes where his mouth used to be. He would then be banished from the Plant, forced to wander the wilds that lay beyond. He would likely be caught be predators or taken by the fey before he had a chance to starve to death.

What kind of punishment would Lexx get if she were caught? Probably forcible restaint. Kept rotting in a cell for a few centuries? Tied to a wall and turned into nothing more than a breeding machine? Not exactly the most threatening thing, it would merely be a more blatant representation of the life Lexx was already living. It was Prince Radomir she was more concerned about. He was Second Caste, liable to receive something much worse that Lexx. But then again, he was also nearly two centuries old, it would be absurd to think he didn't already know the consequences of whatever he was planning.

It seemed Lexx was going to have to trust the Prince knew what he was doing.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 13

"Prince Radomir? Are you available?" came the voice at the door.

The prince sighed and stood up. He opened the door shirtless, unashamed of how inappropriate such an act would be by Leiha's standards. The questioner was Lady Adrienne, a younger member of the estate, barely approaching her first century here. She blushed just a bit at the Prince's appearance. Radomir stood so that while the door was invitingly open, no one could get into the room without him moving, "Can I help you, Lady?"

"Sorry to disturb you Prince," Adrienne said with a small curtsy, "If this is a bad time, I can return later-"

"This is a perfect time," Prince Radomir replied, leaning casually against the door, "Why the urgency?"

"The news just came Prince Radomir, a portion of the army is being called back to the Plant, and Prince David shall be returning within the week," Lady Adrienne gushed.

There was no visible reaction from Radomir. He stretched and yawned, giving Adrienne the option of looking away and blushing more rather than watching his sleek but well muscled frame in motion, "Very well, allow me a few minutes and I shall come downstairs to give congratulations, and see if the Esteemed Mother wishes any special services from me in regards to this."

"Yes, Prince," Lady Adrienne said with another curtsy, "Oh, and have you seen the Divine Child? She must be interested in hearing the news too."

"I know where she is, and I shall relay the information to her should no one reach her before me. Was there anything else you would like from me, Lady?" the prince asked invitingly.

"N...no Prince, that's all," Adrienne curtsied a third time, more out of bashful nervousness than etiquette, and fled.

Prince Radomir closed the door and walked over to the grand window overlooking the courtyard, "It seems luck is with us. The rainy season is still with us, which should make things progress more smoothly."

Turning away from the window, Radomir observed the figure kneeling in one corner of the room, hands submissively on her knees. A smile pulling at one corner of his mouth, he walked over to Lexx and gently lifted her chin, "Dear Lexx, Esteemed Child of the First Caste, reduced to a submissive plaything at my command, are you nervous about this?"

Lexx looked up at Prince Radomir, her whole body unmoving except that which he directed, "Yes Prince, I am."

"You shall wait here, Lexx," Radomir said, releasing her chin, "Do not move until I return. Then you will have all the time you need to express your concerns with me, understood?"

"Yes Prince," Lexx said, her eyes returning to the floor.

His feet left her field of vision. She could hear him putting on a shirt, and then the creak of the door as he left the room. As ordered, Lexx did not move except to breathe. The floorboards weren't that interesting, but Lexx preferred to look at them rather than close her eyes. It was stupid and irrational, but she was still dealing with the paranoid fear that someone was waiting in the shadows with a needle, ready to leap out and sew her eyelids shut the moment Lexx dropped her guard. She didn't want to think about that, and thankfully it was only a minor concern. Lexx was already thoroughly in the mood of things, nearly quivering with excitement and expectation of Radomir's return, even as tension twisted in her gut as she prepared to announce her fears to him.

A dry rattle, the hollow echo of a purr, and something warm and furred rubbed against her ankle. That was one of the things Lexx was almost ready to confess to the prince. The hallucinations were coming more often with each passing day. Often they involved random sensory input reminding Lexx of Sera and Mael's place. The sensations weren't exclusive to that locale though. Once she had gotten the strong smell of gasoline which refused to go away from nearly an hour. Another time the sound of crickets passed by her ear for a couple seconds, and once more she had walked through a door only to end up on a balcony overlooking a portion of the Navy Pier and Lake Michigan populated by silent ghosts.

"You were incredibly hard to track down," a voice said.

Lexx didn't move. Though her mind became a flurry of activity her only visible reaction was a slight widening of her eyes in surprise and uncertain mix of fear and hope. The hallucinations had never included a voice speaking directly to her. Lexx bit off a reply, if it was just an hallucination and she replied, she would be disobeying Prince Radomir.

"We'll talk more later," the voice continued, Lexx finally recognized it, the voice of the Observer, her own voice, "When you're more... available."

The door opened and Lexx gasped. She was so focused on that voice she hadn't even heard the prince's footsteps in the corridor. Lexx didn't look up as he walked into the room. She could feel his presence behind her, a slight warmth pressing down on her. "Stand," Radomir said.

Lexx did so, rising in a smooth motion that gave almost no indication she was placing a majority of her weight onto one leg. She didn't turn, still kept her head pointed slightly downward. She didn't attempt to brush any dust from her clothes, she wasn't wearing any. She didn't try to brush any hair out of her eyes, she didn't have any. She stood naked and hairless, the soft light of the room giving her skin a turquoise sheen. Foreshadowing of what may become of her?

Without a word Radomir swept Lexx's feet out from underneath her. Lexx hit the floor hard, not expecting the blow. Disoriented and briefly stunned by the pain, Lexx looked upward in confusion. A heel was coming towards her face at high speed. Reeling from the impact with the floor, Lexx had no real idea of what to do with this situation. Muscles tightened and Lexx found herself in a crouching position, ready to fall further away. Again she saw Radomir kick at her, another perfectly aimed blow to her face.

Conservation of movement and energy. Lexx shifted her head just enough that the foot brushed past her cheek. Lexx then grabbed the ankle and gave his kick a little extra push, just enough to throw him off balance. Without thinking Lexx aimed four knuckles at Radomir's neck. "Stop," the prince ordered in a calm voice as her knuckles aimed to permanently close his trachea.

An order, that was something Lexx could mentally cope with. Her arm painfully froze less than an inch from Prince Radomir's throat. She didn't move from this position, she hadn't been ordered to.

"Kneel," Radomir said.

Lexx complied immediately, no thought or hesitation. No questions as to what just happened or why. Lexx could hear a smile in Radomir's voice as he addressed her, "Taken by surprise, and immediately falling to what you've been trained for, then reverting back into your submissive state without a break. You've impressed me Lexx, you may just survive out there."

"Thank you sir," Lexx said quietly, judging it an appropriate moment to speak up.

"You have concerns though," Radomir said, "and I did promise to allow you share them with me. Speak freely, what's up?"

"It's... you, sir," Lexx said, "I'm worried about you. I know I shouldn't be, and I'm trusting you know what you're doing, otherwise I wouldn't go along with this. But I think I've been a little selfish. I'm so eager to get out of here, willing to accept your help without thinking about it. If you get caught though, what will happen?"

Radomir smiled and nodded, "Don't worry about it. Part of trusting me also involves trusting that I know what risks this entails on my end as well."

"I'm guessing you're not going to give me any other details about it?" Lexx asked.

"With the possibility of them giving you another interrogation before our plan's exacted?" Radomir asked, "I don't think so."

Lexx shuddered at the memory, she had had nightmares about that meeting with the elders. "Point taken... there's something else that's been bugging me though."

"What you're going to do once you get out of here?" Radomir asked.

Lexx nodded.

"I won't lie to you, Lexx. You don't have much of a chance of making it out there. I'm trying to give you as much of an edge as possible. But at best, I see your course as being a mad rush for something in the wilds, some theoretical portal back home, with a deadline of a few weeks before your need for Ambrosia or some form of sustenance incapacitates you. All the while avoiding fey and the numberless things out there which would make a meal, a slave or worse out of you. But I still think it's better than watching you die in a completely different fashion in here," Radomir explained.

"I've done a lot of research on the subject," he continued, "I'm sure you know, but the Plant is not the only one of its kind. There are eight others just like it, separated by hundreds of miles. All are arranged in a circle, each on its own oasis of life, surrounded by an endless desert. I think your best bet is, once you're out of here, aim for the center of that circle. I may not be the only one who has taken the bold step of asking why the Plant is here, rather than just mindlessly serving it... but perhaps you might be the first to actually find the answer to that question."

"Sounds like the cliched one in a million chance," Lexx said.

"At the very least, a First Caste escaping from the Plant is unheard of," Radomir said with a grin, "When this is pulled off, you'll have shaken things up in here like few have ever done before."

"I know it sounds really corny," Lexx said, "But if this works, and I find my way home... I'll miss you sir."

Radomir laughed, "Don't jump the gun, toy. If you get out of here and make it home, remember one thing: You belong to me. Your enslavement to me will be the price of your freedom, and if we ever meet again, I will not hesitate to claim you as my property."

Lexx shivered at the prospect. Radomir looked away, disinterested, "You may want to get dressed. While I was out there, Leiha told me she wanted to see you."

-------------

"Are you uncomfortable?" Leiha asked, watching Lexx carefully as she sat on the side of the bed.

"It's a bit unusual," Lexx laughed, "I just didn't think you were interested in me this way."

"No, I'm not," Leiha hurriedly said, "Not that way. I just... it does sound awkward, doesn't it?"

"You want to snuggle," Lexx said bluntly.

"I love you, Lexx. I'm worried sick about you, about what you're planning on doing," Leiha said.

"You think that spending a night spooning with me is going to stop me?" Lexx asked.

Leiha sighed, "Nearly two years of proselytizing to you apparently had no effect other than to make you a little more subtle in your attempts, Lexx. Why would a token show of what must be to you tepid passion be of any use? I'm just afraid I won't have a chance to again."

"Wait, what?" Lexx asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well... with the duel coming up," Leiha paused as a loud rumble echoed through the mansion, they were coming mere minutes apart now, the rainy season was reaching its peak, "I know you two are planning something for-"

"Duel?" Lexx was perplexed.

"Yes, the re-match between princes Radomir and David," Leiha said, "Didn't you know? It's only two days away."

"He didn't tell me," Lexx said, "I think I'm beginning to see what's going on."

"What?" Leiha asked.

"Nothing, I'm tired... and I have to ask him why he didn't tell me about this," Lexx said with a yawn and settled on the bed.

"Lexx?" Leiha asked as she crawled into bed beside her.

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?"

Lexx thought about it. She turned to face Leiha on the bed. Lexx ran a hand across Leiha's bald head. Just like her own. No fuzz, no resistance, completely smooth. The chitterlings consumed the hairs straight down to the roots, even Leiha's eyebrows were gone. Her skin was that pale shade of green, and this close, Lexx could even see the traces of darker green veins beneath the surface. She was slightly cool to the touch, as if one of the physical changes had been a slight lowering of her body temperature. She was so close, so easy to kiss...

Lexx gave in and kissed her, a slow motion that gave Leiha plenty of time to move away if she wanted. Leiha didn't, she merely passively accepted Lexx's kiss, responding in kind for a second before Lexx could feel her close up, whatever indoctrination telling her that this wasn't right. Lexx didn't press the issue and parted lips with Leiha.

"I love you," Lexx said, "I just don't trust you."

"I see," Leiha said.

"It's the difference between you and Radomir. You're kind, loving, protective. But you're willing to lie through your teeth, deceive me in a hundred ways if you think it will protect me from harm. Radomir's an asshole who is perfectly willing to lead me to harm if I prove to be too stupid to avoid it, but he has never lied to me," Lexx said.

Leiha nodded, "I can accept that. He has his own moral code he likes to stand by, twisted though it may be."

"So do you," Lexx said.

-----------

The crash of thunder woke Lexx up. Her eyes shot open and she tried to sit up. Her muscles didn't respond to repeated commands from her brain. Lexx could feel the slight warmth of Leiha next to her, but she couldn't even turn her head to whisper to her, beg her for help. Something was wrong, something that didn't belong had forced its way here. It was more than the panicked reaction to her recurring sleep-paralysis, Lexx knew that something completely not of the Plant was here and focused on her.

"This is a better time for us to talk," a familiar voice said.

Lightning flashed and Lexx saw her, standing nude in front of the bed. The Observer, looking exactly like Lexx except with most of her sensory organs crudely stitched up. Lexx's eyes flicked over to Leiha with a bit of effort, she was still fast asleep, unmoving. Lexx realized suddenly that she had seen a flash of lightning. Deep in the bowels of the Plant, far away from any windows or open air, she had seen lightning.

"A dream?" Lexx whispered, the paralysis making even that a chore.

"No," the Observer said, "The storm outside makes communication a little easier, I just dragged a part of your consciousness towards a more neutral ground."

Lexx thought back over the space of nearly two years. "The Dark?" she pulled from her memory.

"Not fully. Where you currently are, it's a very secure place, so to speak. I pulled you just far enough for us to talk, so you might see a few anomalies, we don't have much time," the Observer explained..

"Please, I've got years-"

"Shut up and listen," the Observer interrupted. As always though her voice was clear, the stitched lips never parted, "You are about to go through a change, possibly within a day or so."

Lexx forced her tongue into action, "No kidding, I'm leaving-"

"Shut. Up." the Observer repeated, "Once this change occurs, or before if you can manage it, you need to get out of this structure. I don't think the trip will be easy, but I can see there's a passageway back to your home."

"I can get back?" Lexx whispered.

Thunder rumbled again as actinic blue light played over the Observer's mangled frame, "Directions are unclear in this place, all I can tell you is that you need to head uphill. Always uphill. When you get near the passageway, if the change has truly occurred you'll know it. You're not meant to be here, and returning home benefits you as well as me. I advise for both our sakes that you find a way to return."

Lexx shot upright, the paralysis falling away in one final blinding flash of lightning. She clutched her chest and gasped. The room was dark. The window showing nothing but the soft glow of the cavernous interior of the Plant. No storm, no rain. No Observer. Something mumbled next to her. A warm hand reached up and brushed Lexx's arm. Absentmindedly Lexx covered the hand with her own. She slowly allowed herself to sag back into the bed with Leiha. Leiha mumbled again and snuggled closer. Lexx kissed her smooth forehead.

"I'll miss you," she whispered.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 14

The last few remnants of Lexx's confidence slowly evaporated as Leiha's entourage and family made their way towards the surface of the Plant. The stomach-turning trip through the central column had just been completed, and now they were approaching one of the highest portions of the Plant, even higher than the central column extended. As the hundred strong group rose along the shrinking corkscrew path, Lexx's stomach continued to sink. Several hours earlier Radomir had descended to the point of giving her a pep talk to get her this far.

Lexx was no longer confident. She figured there would always be a much better opportunity to leave the Plant in the future, why take such a risk now? She had her place pretty well set here, she wasn't the happiest of course, but you couldn't have everything, right? The prince had resorted to threats in the end. He would go ahead with the plan whether she was going to try to escape or not. If she didn't go along with it, there would be no way he could get away with it, and he would be risking banishment or worse for nothing. Lexx was ransomed into compliance.

The rumbling was a lot louder up here, the higher the family climbed, the more it began to feel like the entire Plant was swaying back and forth. There was another membrane up ahead, this one tilted to an almost horizontal level. Leiha passed her hand over the doorway and the membrane opened. Lexx ascended the last few steps and looked around in awe. They were outside the Plant, technically. It wasn't easy to tell from here though. A nearly opaque shell, over hundred feet wide and twice as tall covered an amphitheatre-like depression on the very top of the Plant. Already there were nearly one hundred occupants in the gloom, all watching the pit near the center. It looked almost like a wrestling ring.

Radomir placed his hand on Lexx's shoulder, "It's almost time. After the duel, meet me back at that doorway."

"What are we going to do?" Lexx asked, shouted.

"Celebrate, of course," Radomir said pointedly, glancing quickly about the other Second Caste surrounding them, "Unless you're doubting I'll win this. Keep an eye on that one, darker skin."

"What?" Lexx asked, that last statement had been quiet, almost whispered.

"He's First Caste, probably here to observe," Radomir said, "Don't worry, shouldn't get in our way. They know something's up, but they're not expecting anything major today."

"But wait... what if we... hey!"

Radomir was already leaving, "I have to get ready, just remember, meet me when this is over!"

Lexx was already separated from him, the arena was relatively crowded for its size. With some effort she found her way back to Leiha, "How long until it starts?"

"We should-" Leiha started, and the world split apart around them.

Lexx was screaming though she couldn't hear any of it. The rest of the crowd remained unconcerned, mostly, with the ear-splitting crash of thunder. On the other hand Lexx remained huddled on the ground, caring little for the looks she was given. To her it was the end of the world. To Lexx, the one who danced on rooftops and screamed for the chaos and destruction above the rain down to the world below during thunderstorms, this was a terrifying, unwanted nightmare. This wasn't a thunderstorm, this was the voice of all the hells raised in chorus, sweeping away sanity in a cacophony of tearing rumbles that bled across all her senses. She could feel the literal pressure of air compressed by sound, taste the sudden wave of ozone, see her world vibrate and grow indistinct as the sonic waves threatened to dissolve the world into nothingness.

Leiha's hand was on Lexx's back, "It will be starting any second now. It seems David wishes to get this over with as quickly as possible, and I believe Radomir feels the same way."

"This is... madness," Lexx said, her ears still ringing, "Why are we here?"

"The duel must be resolved," Leiha smiled, helping Lexx up and holding her close, "Pride is too great on both sides to allow otherwise. Duels, also, must take place on the surface of the Plant, even during the rainy season. It is the way things are done here."

"Again, this is insane," Lexx could mostly hear again, though how long she had until the next world-shattering thunderclap, she did not know, "Aren't we in danger?"

"Ever since the surprise attack, security has been extra tight," Leiha explained, "As for this? This arena has been in place for over seven hundred years, it will take more than just a rainy season to topple it."

Lexx watched as princes David and Radomir took their positions on either side of the ring. Both once again were equipped with their favoured weapons. David with a short sword and buckler, Radomir with a rapier and dagger. David's outfit was different, this time. A few more colourful stripes adorned his multiple sashes. Signs of victory and glory in war? Lexx could only assume as much, she had never taken the time to research the specifics on how those in the Plant made war on those without.

There was a lot about the Plant that Lexx didn't know. She guessed that it would take many years to get a general understanding of the full intricacies of the Plant. Years that Lexx would not be present for.

The gravity of the situation hit her just as another thunderclap struck the world, sending both to their knees. Leiha helped Lexx up again, laughing nervously about how she wasn't fit for being outside the Plant if she was this weak before the might of the rainy season. Lexx caught the uncertainty in Leiha's voice. She knew too, obviously.

Lexx was going to attempt to escape today. She didn't know how, she didn't know when. All she knew was why. As Radomir and David faced each other and bowed, Lexx felt the last of her denial washing away. This wasn't her world. She was a prisoner here, and if she were forced to remain for much longer, she would die. She may still walk around, breathe and eat, but she would be dead nonetheless. The Plant didn't care, all it needed Lexx to do was eat, breathe, fuck and pop out children. But Radomir cared, and Leiha cared. Radomir saw the truth almost immediately, and it seemed Leiha did later. Lexx had to leave here, or she would die.

Lexx was industriously wiping tears away, determined not to let Leiha see when Leiha addressed her.

"What?"

"Take this," Leiha said, offering her a cup. Lexx could smell ambrosia within.

"But I just fed two days ago, I should be fine until-"

"You'll need it," Leiha said, not looking directly at her, "You're far too tense, and you might not have another chance to feed for quite a while."

Lexx took the cup and looked at Leiha, "You... you knew all along, didn't you? You were a part of it?"

"No," Leiha said, "I'm not. I don't support it, I don't believe in it, but I'm forcing myself to accept it as inevitable. Take it and drink, you'll need the boost."

The duel began. Lexx watched as David inched forward carefully, assuming a defensive stance. Radomir matched his stance, but instead of moving, merely held his ground. David continued inching forward, daring Radomir to make the first real move. Radomir did, he dropped both weapons.

For a moment even the rain seemed to pause in surprise at this, the entire audience held its breath. Radomir then bowed deeply, questions fluttered through the spectators, angry, disappointed. Leiha on the other hand was chuckling, "He's clever, I will give him that. Making the best of even a sure loss."

"What?" Lexx asked, now thoroughly confused.

"He conceded the duel right as it was about to begin," Leiha paused, holding onto Lexx as another crash of thunder threatened to send her to the ground, "He made the best out of a bad situation. He knew he had no chance of winning against David, so instead he conceded at the worst possible time for David. Even though Radomir lost, it looks like he lost on his own terms, and only because he chose to, which saves him a lot of face. David, on the other hand, looks like he was played for a fool all along, even though he technically won. Brilliant."

The audience was now rather discontent, muttering irritably as families of Second and Third Castes made their way back towards the doorway to the Plant. It wasn't the grand spectacle they were expecting to see. Lexx stifled a giggle herself as the ambrosia worked its way through her system. Her body was already vibrating with the deep, addictive pleasure of the substance. Her heightened senses caught all details, gave everything an alluring edge, yet at the same time removed the harshest corners of the rolling thunder. She allowed herself to be gently pushed and jostled towards the entrance. Leiha held her back.

"You were given an order," Leiha reminded her.

"Wait for him here... oh yeah," Lexx giggled, almost lost in the ecstasy of ambrosia.

The effects of the substance were so powerful that Lexx didn't realize she had been grabbed by something until her feet left the ground. She looked up dreamily to see that she was caught inside a massive claw. It was one of two, both attached to the trunk of something nearly twenty feet tall and shaped somewhat like a lobster combined with a weeping willow. Near the top was a protrusion that looked rather humanoid, it had dark skin. Lexx vaguely remembered a warning about something having dark skin.

"You were hiding," Lexx admonished, "Spying on us, bad First Caste."

"I'm bringing you before the elders," the First Caste said, "I was told to watch, to make sure there was no escape attempt, and to follow orders, I'm making sure you don't escape."

"Let her go," came Leiha's voice from below, "She's under my watch, Larry, not yours."

Larry, the twenty foot tall Larry with moss-covered lobster claws growled, "Not your concern, young one. I'm bringing forward a case to place her under someone else's watch, someone more responsible. Someone like me."

"Last chance, let her go," Leiha's voice came again, she sounded angry.

"It's okay," Lexx sang, "Really, I'm alright."

"Is that a threat?" Larry grumbled, "Have you gone ins-"

The grumbled turned into a roar as Leiha took out a dagger and sawed it deep into one of Larry's three legs. She managed to sever most of the hamstring before her hands were drawn ruthlessly to her sides. The self-defense mechanism of Leiha's near-invisible cuffs and collar activated, quickly binding her and rendering her motionless. The damage was done, though, and Larry was roaring in pain. Lexx's air was cut off as he reared up angrily, instinctively lashing out at the cause of his agony.

There was a single bony crunch, a sound which cut everything else out of Lexx's mind. The drunken pleasure of ambrosia, the terrifying fury of the rainy season, even the burning pressure of Larry's claw holding her aloft disappeared as she watched and heard Larry's tree-trunk foot slam down on a bound Leiha's back.

Lexx fell to the ground, landing gracelessly. She looked up and rolled away just in time to avoid the bulk of Larry as he too fell over. He thrashed momentarily before he was securely bound in place by his own collar and bracelets. Lexx turned her head away and he was forgotten, pushed aside for more important things. Lexx crawled on hands and knees to a broken, quivering pile. The bonds still held Leiha tightly, but there was no real need for them anymore. Leiha twitched, her breath coming in short, spastic gasps, but it was not a voluntary motion.

"Oh god, oh fuck, oh shit!" Lexx said, cradling Leiha's head in her lap, "Oh shit... oh shit..."

The ambrosia was still affecting her, slowing her thoughts and preventing any coherent plan from taking place. It had all happened so quickly, over the course of a few seconds. One moment she had been waiting giddily for Radomir to return and enact their daring escape plan, now she was sitting and crying, holding the shattered body of the woman who had been more or less her constant companion and guardian during her entire time in the Plant.

"Oh shit... oh shit..."

Lexx was numb, crying but refusing to allow any thought behind it. A blank slate, crying occurred because it felt like the right thing to do at the moment, no other reason. Any other reason required thought, thought would involve acknowledging the situation, that Leiha was...

Too late, Lexx thought about it.

"FuckshitLeiha NO!" Lexx held tighter.

Leiha wasn't talking. If she was still conscious by this point, shock had probably rendered her utterly immobile and insensate. Her eyes were open and bloodshot, but they stared blankly away into nothing, pointing in different directions, dilated. Breathing was more ragged now, less frequent. The quivering refused to stop though, her nervous system crashing, trying to restart.

Lexx was desperate. Now that she had started thinking about things, she couldn't stop. She had to do something, if Leiha was in pain, she had to do something about that. Subconsciously Lexx's free hand curled around Leiha's dropped knife. Lexx raised the weapon, aiming it at Leiha's throat. Another hand wrapped around Lexx's, twisting gently and easily removing the knife.

"You can't," Radomir warned, "Harming her would result in you being bound as well. You need to run."

"No!" Lexx screamed, partially in denial, mostly in helpless rage, "No! She's hurting, I need to make it stop!"

She was sounding childish and she knew it.

"It's alright Lexx," Radomir said.

"No it isn't, damnit! Look at her!" Lexx's voice was already breaking.

"You look at her," Radomir said, "It's over."

Lexx's sense of touch had already told her this, long before her eyes made their way back to Leiha's form. The quivering had stopped. The breathing had stopped. Leiha's eyes stared blankly, still, but now they saw nothing. Lexx held her breath, stupidly waiting for some form of movement on Leiha's part. Waiting for Leiha to cough, or vomit, or bite her, or leap up and tell her it was all just a joke.

Leiha didn't move.

Leiha was dead.

"Lexx," Radomir said slowly and carefully, "You have to move."

Lexx decided going numb once more was probably for the best. She let Radomir lift her up. Leiha's corpse felt about ten pounds heavier than it should have, it fell off her lap, broken vertebrae crunching against each other in a complaining fashion. Larry still thrashed in futility a number of feet away. Lexx ignored him. The only other option would be madly attacking him, and that would only result in her own bonds preventing any escape.

Radomir handed Lexx her cane, "More First Caste will be here in a minute, they know something is very wrong by now. You need to head out that way.

"There's a path leading upward, towards an overhang," Radomir pointed, "Outside, beyond the edge of the arena. With no other First Caste here, the Second and Third will have to follow your orders, so long as they don't hurt the Plant. If any get in your way, tell them to move and they will. You need to get to the zipline. From there... it's your choice."

Lexx hesitated, "...is this...?"

Radomir physically turned her around and gave her a light push, "No speeches, no kisses, nothing drawn out. I order you, as your master, get the hell out of here, I'll delay any pursuit."

"Fuck that," Lexx said angrily, turned around and gave Radomir a forceful kiss. It was brief though, she still wanted to follow his orders as long as possible, "I love you... I love Leiha... I'll..."

Lexx had run out of words, tears welling up again. Radomir nodded, understanding.

Lexx turned and ran. Well... hobbled.

The few Second and Third Caste remaining outside, mostly guards, were still unsure what to do about one bound and one dead First Caste. None made any attempt to stop Lexx as she managed a hobbling skip past them, out one of the small doorways that lead outside the arena. The difference was immediate. Past the doorway was a heavy downpour, even through the massive house-sized leaves. If Lexx had any hair left it would have been plastered against her head immediately. Lexx squinted through the downpour, looking past several confused Third Caste sentries. She found what she was looking for, a single giant branch sticking straight upward.

Lexx hobbled quickly, making her way up the naturally grown staircase. One Third Caste guardian stood in her way, but shuffled slowly aside at a single order from Lexx. It was hard to breathe up here, the air felt like a sponge pressed against a running faucet. Humidity and additional precipitation constantly added on top of it. The stairs were layered in a thick bark, providing some traction, but Lexx still nearly fell off twice on her ascent. Progress was slowed in multiple locations as Lexx had to go through literal waterfalls of downpour. Over one hundred feet above the ground Lexx finally made it to the top of the tower.

The large branch flattened out to a single platform, shielded from the downpour by several large leaves. Three of the Third Caste were here, a minimal guard during the rainy season to watch over the zipline. This was Lexx's destination, her one chance of getting out of here. The Third Caste didn't quite know what to make of a First Caste suddenly being among them. One of them hesitantly moved forward to block her path. Another order from Lexx at it backed away, confused. Lexx glanced around the platform, she saw the zipline, and next to it several small lifts ready to be attached. She really hoped she could run this on the fly.

Radomir had taught her about the ziplines a few months earlier. Outside the Plant was a hostile world. Any number of things would happily prey upon those who resided inside the Plant. The Plant itself provided protection to those it chose as its own, but sometimes the safety of the Plant required those within to go without. Among the many threats outside the Plant, one of the greatest and most dangerous was the fey. One area that the fey held dominance over was the air. Among the Castes, only the few First Caste who developed functional wings in their later mutations and a single Third Caste breed with exceptionally light frames and flaps of skin under their arms could approach anything resembling flight. The fey, on the other hand, had any number of ways of achieving aerial dominance.

The ziplines were a partial compensation for this. Extending from the surface of the Plant were hundreds of incredibly strong cables, all anchored to the floor of this world at various points around the Plant, anywhere from a few hundred meters out to several miles away. On any military venture or emergency surfacing around the Plant a large reserve of troops would be kept near these ziplines. Should they be needed, they could easily access a number of points around the Plant through the use of the ziplines.

Lexx checked, her vision taking in both the zipline and several riding platforms already hooked up to it. Something crashed through the arena far behind her, a sound that reached her even through the storm. Either a Third Caste guardian or a larger First Caste, it didn't matter, all it meant was that she was running out of time. Pushing past the confused Third Castes, Lexx grabbed one of the platforms and kicked off from its mount. The platform hung off the zipline and could move freely by means of a single pulley, it provided rapid access to to ground level by means of gravity.

The entire tower shook as something began climbing it. Lexx didn't look back, there was no time, she jumped on the platform and in a moment was falling away from the tower, from the Plant itself. For a moment her heart raced with adrenaline as the platform took her away at dizzying speeds. She had a moment to see the tower falling up and away, to see a First Caste five times as tall as a normal human rappelling up the side of it... and it was gone. Lexx passed through a gap in the titanic leaves and she was outside the Plant itself, in open air.

Not open. Lexx had fallen into a waterfall. Her last view of the Plant disappeared in a fraction of a second as the torrent of the rainy season reduced visibility to a few feet. Lexx nearly fell off the platform, caught off guard by the sheer intensity of the downpour. Coughing and gasping for air as she wrestled for renewed grip on the single rope that held the platform to the zipline, Lexx marveled at the fact that she could only breathe by holding her head downward. Not that it took that much effort, so much water was pounding down upon her it weighed her head down anyways.

It wasn't a downpour, it was a deluge. Lexx remembered visiting Noah's Ark, a large waterpark in northern Wisconsin when she was seven. Her sister had playfully held her head next to the exit of a waterslide, laughing while Lexx fought for breath. It was the same now, a torrent of water filling all her senses, threatening to flood her lungs if she made the mistake of looking in the wrong direction. Dimly Lexx retained a sense of movement, it was hard to maintain as the onrushing crush of sound worked hard to push everything else out of her perception.

Another sound swept aside even the deafening torrent of rain and Lexx was nearly buffeted off the platform again, this time by a crash of thunder. Lightning extended visibility to nearly ten feet or so, revealing nothing more than rushing sheets of water. Lexx knew that she was on a zipline, completely open, over a mile above the ground and steadily losing altitude. But as far as her senses were concerned she was stationary, caught inside a torture device that combined the effects of a waterfall with a wind-tunnel.

The lightning flashed again, and she was no longer there.

Lexx sat up in bed, looking around in a near panic. Alien shapes flooded her vision, she was in a chamber of some sort, low ceilinged, a device up there. Blades, bulbs, spinning. A fan, a ceiling fan, its alien familiarity taking her by surprise. Why was she here? Lexx froze, she was in Mael's room. Another hallucination? It was dark in here, a lump next to her, warm and familiar, shifted about at her presence. Lexx whispered, "Mael..."

She coughed and spat up water. She was back on the platform again, choking on rainwater and desperately trying to maintain a grip in the fury of the storm. Regaining her breath, Lexx took the time to groan in pain, a useless sound immediately lost to the cacophony of rain and thunder. Her eyes had been wide open when she had snapped back to reality and now stung with the abuse of being hit by jets of water. Lexx lost her grip on the rope, her stomach jumped as she fumbled blindly, slipping quickly off the platform.

She fell out of the rain, onto the soft futon mattress that served as a bed for her and Mael. Lexx still clutched about for stability, her center of balance confused and seeking something to focus on. Her movements disturbed the warm lump next to her and Mael woke up. Lightning and thunder rumbled outside the window, followed by a much louder crash. It was a strike, close by. Mael shot up to a sitting position, eyes wide but unfocused. Lightning flashed again, much brighter this time.

Lexx blinked away the light, finding herself fumbling at the edge of the platform, inches away from falling off and plummeting to her death. More lightning flashed, dangerously close. If Lexx had any hair left, it would have been standing on end by now. Lexx felt a hand on her shoulder, warm and dry. She turned to see Mael gazing at her, through her. Lexx could feel herself being pulled, stretched. She tried to scream as she felt her body splitting apart at the seams. She lacked a throat and lungs to scream with, they had been left somewhere else. Her hands appeared to be here though. What could she do with those?

Insane? Quite possibly, Lexx was considering the possibility that the last two years had been little more than an hallucination, maybe she was in an hospital bed right now. But why would Mael be on the futon, staring at her? A look of understanding was on her face, she knew, even if only for a moment, what was going on. Lexx didn't, she wasn't here, she probably wasn't in that world with the Plant either. She was lost, very very lost. Ever since the hallucinations began, with that damned Observer. Lexx implored Mael though she lacked a tongue to beg with. She needed a stable world for her body to exist in, otherwise what did she have?

For a moment Lexx returned to the platform, the zipline, the rainy season. The world coming apart at the seams, Lexx coming apart at the seams. The zipline coming apart at the seams. Lexx's stomach lurched at the sudden change in movement, the zipline had been struck by lightning, severed. Lexx was falling. She hit the futon, sprawling out half on Mael's lap. Mael looked surprised, though not shocked. This specific event wasn't expected, though not wholly inconceivable to her. Lexx wished she had as good a handle on things as Mael had. She wished she had Mael here.

It was there the realization hit Lexx. She had Mael here. This wasn't an hallucination, the Plant, the trip down the zipline wasn't an hallucination. Both were real, and she was experiencing both at the same time. The worlds weren't coming apart at the seams, she was merely unfocused. Her body was still in the world of the Plant, but her consciousness was roaming between the two, trying to build an ephemeral substitute wherever it could. Mael stared at her, or at where she would be if she had an actual body in this world. The futon beneath her was damp, Lexx realized at least she had managed to pull something physical between the worlds, if only rainwater.

"Come back," a mere whisper from Mael, though her body language made it obvious she had screamed it.

Lexx was falling again, plummeting towards the ground amidst the power of the rainy season. She was back in her body. No, not quite right, she was more secure of herself, her own position in regards to the multiverse. How or why, she didn't know. But something had changed inside her. Lexx smiled slightly even as she fell, accepting it. Then came the brightest flash of all as the lightning struck her.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 15

The world was rumbling.

Lexx's world was rumbling. She didn't want to open her eyes. Her own world was the only thing she could be certain of here, and here where she lay, half-asleep and comfortable in her ignorance her world only consisted of rumbling and warmth. Opening her eyes was not an option yet. She didn't wish to include any other sensory input in her world, this was more than satisfying. Anything else ran the risk of throwing that world into doubt. Lexx couldn't remember how much of recent events were dream or reality. She couldn't even remember what her most recent definition of reality was. Too complicated to worry about right now.

Sleep would be very nice. Sleep threw all of reality into question, but that was okay because it also drugged her mind into accepting it was all okay. Lexx shifted and muttered unhappily, she wouldn't be getting back to sleep. Her body was in that state where it was comfortable, but not tired enough to sleep. Warm and happy, but aware that something was going on that required wakefulness. Too warm, that was it. Burning almost, like sunlight. With a groan Lexx prepared to open her eyes.

For a moment Lexx was confused, she didn't know where she was or why. Realizing she made the mistake of looking before trying to remember where she was most likely to be Lexx tried matching up what she saw with with she may have experienced recently, real or illusory. A few elements matched up but there were enough discrepancies to confuse her. The Plant, she was actually outside the Plant. Not just on its surface, but actually disconnected from it. That much she was reasonably sure of.

The area was far from devoid of plant life though. Lexx appeared to be in the middle of a steaming jungle or swamp composed of gargantuan ferns and mosses. The horizon was obscured by green shafts while muddy brown waters throbbing with hidden life and occasionally sprouting mossy atolls waited below. What confused Lexx was the sun. Not that it beat down with a sickly pinkish light, but that it was out at all. During what was questionably Lexx's last period of consciousness it had been in the middle of the rainy season. Did she somehow sleep through the entirety of it? Maybe the inhabitants of the Plant were mistaken, and the rainy season was only centered around the Plant itself, failing to extend even a mile or so away.

That couldn't be right, the Castes weren't restricted to just the interior and exterior of the Plant itself. Wasn't Prince David himself a part of an army that pursued the fey far beyond the boundaries of the Plant? Lexx eyed the damp, creaking titan ferns around and above her. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, her body painfully objecting to every motion, grabbing her cane in the process. Slowly Lexx hobbled to the nearest fern, it looked like it extended at least as high as the surrounding ferns, possibly higher, fifty or sixty feet above her. Lexx tested her weight on the roughly textured trunk, it looked like she would be able to climb it without too much difficulty.

Lexx paused just as she was beginning her ascent. It occurred to her that she shouldn't be here. If what she remembered was accurate, she shouldn't even be alive. The zipline had been struck by lightning, she had fallen. If what she was told about the Plant was true, she should have fallen at least half a mile, probably more. Not only that, Lexx distinctly remembered being struck by lightning herself. Before it happened, she had no real idea of what it would be like to get struck by lightning. Afterward, it wasn't something that could be explained, she just knew that she had been struck. Something about the burning, fusing, the singular feeling of that much energy flowing through her at one moment, bodily ripping her from any other reality but her own. It was the only feeling like it in any universe, Lexx was certain.

Thirty feet above the ground, finding the crotch of a branch, Lexx stopped to rest. She wasn't exhausted, not yet. Even with a bad leg Lexx still managed an easy climb, relying more on her other leg and both arms. The past few years had made her more than strong enough for the job. Still, Lexx had a long trip ahead of her, even if she had no idea where she was going, and it only made sense to pace herself.

Something had happened to her, something that changed her. It wasn't something as simple as a paradigm changing experience, though at the same time it was. It was an epiphany but not. Epiphanies came from mental revelations or physical experiences that lead to such. This came from somewhere else. Lexx had been a prisoner of the Plant for nearly two years. During that time she had been subject to physical laws that were subtly different in many ways than Earth's own laws. During that time she had never fully comprehended or adapted to those laws. Like everyone else there she was limited to accepting that she was subject to those laws.

During the storm, during her flight from the Plant something had happened. When she was struck by lightning an epiphany had occurred. But it wasn't, it was a realization that she was not subject to the laws which epiphanies operated by. Lexx had been subject to physical constants that were alien to the world, to the reality that she was born in, and in that moment something within her had reached out and brushed against those laws, moving beyond. In that moment Lexx didn't so much adapt to those laws as she did transcend them.

Lexx had been struck by lightning, and one thing the physical and biological laws of both Earth and the Plant's world agreed upon was that biological organisms struck by lightning tend to die. Biological organisms that fall nearly a mile tend to die. Lexx hadn't. In that moment Lexx had somehow decided to make herself subject to laws and constants where death by electrocution or a sudden cessation of terminal velocity no longer applied.

Even more: Lexx knew she could do it again, given the proper stimulus.

It was more than a feeling. Physical sensation was limited by physical laws. It was more than simply knowing, as knowledge, likewise, was governed by the limits of biology. It was the sudden validation of solipsism in a way. Lexx had, in that moment, reached out for anything steady, any constant in a multiverse that had suddenly been thrown into question. All she found was herself. Lexx, the prime mover, the one definable variable. Lexx had somehow made herself a god over reality, her own reality.

Lexx looked down at herself. Her bad leg, her tattered clothes, the cane she still relied on. She seemed to be doing a rather poor job as a deity so far. Apparently she needed practice in omnipotence. Extending her hand in what she hoped was a grand and imposing fashion, Lexx tried to summon a bottle of Mountain Dew.

Nothing happened. She definitely needed practice. Lexx decided to continue her ascent.

Nearly fifty feet above the ground Lexx could feel the entirety of the massive fern swaying beneath her. She felt she had reached the limit of what could support her weight. Searching, Lexx found a comfortable area to sit a few feet down. Settled in and comfortable with the stability of her position Lexx allowed herself to examine the surroundings beyond the fern for the first time. Lexx had patiently refused to look around for her entire ascent. Partially because she didn't want to look down, grow dizzy and fall, and partially because she didn't want to look around at possibly awe-inspiring surroundings, grow dizzy with the majesty of it, and fall.

The sight of the Plant nearly a mile away was certainly awe-inspiring, though Lexx wasn't certain it would have been enough to make her lose her grip from the overwhelming spectacle. A literal jungle of ferns, cycads and... giant crabgrass?... extended to the base of the Plant. The Plant itself was a gargantuan blend of mountain, spire and tree, twisting and reaching to clouds far above, bravely defying physics with a structure that would have collapsed under its own weight at one hundredth its size, never mind getting buffeted about by high winds without falling over.

Lexx saw what had happened to the rainy season. She was, by whatever luck, in the eye of the storm. On all sides of her, covering one half the tree itself, was a massive circular waterfall. The borders of a hurricane probably larger than any that occurred on Earth. By the way it looked like it was moving, Lexx reckoned she had a matter of hours before she was once again caught in the downpour. She would have to get moving before then.

Something glittered in the direction of the Plant, catching Lexx's attention. Lexx focused on it, something was moving in that direction, many somethings. Lexx saw, over a mile away, a long column moving in a directed, sentient way. People. Castes. An army, slowly snaking in her direction. In the middle of the rainy season it meant they had a damn good reason for being out here. Lexx realized she was the good reason, they were searching for her. They weren't about to let a First Caste go that easily.

Far above and away from Lexx the sky was segmented into triangular shapes by the nearly invisible ziplines extending from the Plant. Lexx wondered if she'd already been spotted by scouts on the ziplines and the army was already heading for her exact position.

The pink nature of the sunlight here made things look like they were trapped in eternal twilight. Looking at closer landmarks Lexx realized she wasn't quite as free from the Plant as she had initially thought. Many of the mossy knolls dotting the flooded swampland around her looked as though they were radiating outward from the Plant itself. Some of them had bare patches, free of moss, beneath was a thick, rough bark. Roots of the Plant breaking the surface even this far away. One of the roots looked damaged, perhaps one of the ferns had fallen on it during the chaos of the rainy season, leaving behind a gash seeping with sap and other fluids.

Other fluids... like ambrosia.

Lexx gazed at the seeping substance. There was almost guaranteed to be ambrosia mixed in there. Lexx reached out longingly, the semi-solid looked so appetizing she felt like she could almost reach out and grab it. Something sticky surrounded her hand. Lexx pulled back, blinking in confusion at the glob of thickened ambrosia in her hand. She looked around, wondering how she had done that.

Lexx was off the fern, sitting directly on the exposed, damaged portion of root. "What the..." Lexx took in a breath, a little winded, "...fuck?"

Why was she out of breath? She had just caught her breath. Lexx felt like she had just run a good couple hundred feet. Not exhausting, but enough to let her know she was putting her body under some exertion. Lexx turned around, spotting the fern she had just been on top of. Had she blacked out, climbed all the way down and made her way over here? Lexx's feet and clothes were dry, there was no way she could have made it here without slogging or swimming through the flooded landscape. Had she...

Lexx giggled uncontrollably... if she was actually capable of doing this, it was simply too much. She picked a spot close by, another portion of the same root. Lexx stared at it, trying to replicate her state of mind the last time it happened. She stared at the exposed portion of root, imagining herself reaching out across the intervening space and simply existing there. Perhaps there was some magic word she should be saying to go with this? Lexx smiled...

"Bamf."

Opening her eyes, Lexx found she was on the other side of the root, right where she had been staring intently. Lexx's giggles turned to open laughter, perhaps the trip out of here wouldn't be so difficult after all.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Part 2, Chapter 16

Lexx made it to the edge of the forest before the reality of the situation caught up to her. The journey had been constantly uphill, though not unbearably difficult. There was some walking, some careful navigating around extensive flooding, and quite a bit of experimentation with her newfound talent. Somehow Lexx had changed, had transcended the laws of any reality she didn't consider her own, and gained an ability reminiscent of one of her favourite comic book characters. It was corny, it shouldn't have made sense in the rational world that Lexx had once considered herself an unwilling part of, but it worked. Somehow Lexx could go from location to location without physically traversing the distance between.

For lack of a better word, she could teleport.

It had its limitations, Lexx quickly found out. Though the motion and distance crossed was nearly instantaneous, it didn't come without physical cost. Her body reacted as if it had covered the distance she transported herself at a brisk walk. In other words there was only so far she could leap instantaneously from point to point before Lexx became too exhausted to continue. There was also a limit to where she could go. It seemed Lexx could not transport herself to any place not connected to her current position by an unbroken line of matter that could support her weight. She couldn't jump to something hovering in mid-air. If she attempted to transport herself across a chasm, she appeared on the other side exhausted, as if she had walked all the way down the wall on one side, across the bottom, and then back up the far wall to end up in her current position.

Still, this didn't put a damper on how utterly fantastic the experience was. Lexx covered ground rapidly, jumping from point to point, covering a few miles, resting on top of one of the ferns, then continuing on. The entire time repeating that magic word now inextricably associated with the physically impossible act: "Bamf, bamf, bamf!"

There was no way the armies of the Plant could catch up to her now. This left only the threats that lay outside the Plant for Lexx to deal with. So far she hadn't encountered any fey, though Lexx admitted she simply may have not recognized them for what they were yet. She had only encountered them once before, and Radomir had told her they were quite adept at creating illusions and disguising their true nature. Lexx had seen a number of creatures on her trip, though. Herbivore, carnivore or otherwise, Lexx couldn't tell. Some had moved towards her curiously, hungrily, others had fled. None had been fast enough to catch Lexx when she bamf'd away, so she considered herself ahead of the game at the moment.

The trip to the edge of the uphill forest had taken less than an hour. The trees and ferns grew smaller, the flood-waters less, and the blank patches between ever greater. Now at the border, still ahead of the storm, Lexx saw the forest give way utterly to a vast flat desert, a plateau from which the forest descended. Something was barely visible far in the distance, it looked like an immense funnel cloud many miles away. On either side of her Lexx saw that the forest followed a gentle curve around this desert, disappearing in the distance.

Radomir had said there were nine Plants in total, all of them in a ring. Lexx must have been heading towards the center of this ring. If there was a reason why things were arranged this way, Lexx would have to save it for later. There were no answers here, just a need to rest before continuing onward. The temperature was still uncomfortably warm, the pink sun beat down oppressively. Lexx hoped days were close to the same length here as they were on Earth, she had never been outside the Plant long enough to find out before. She remembered reading or hearing somewhere that it was best to do desert travel in the early morning and early evening, when the least energy would be expended to maintain body temperature.

The sustenance of Ambrosia would keep Lexx going for a few weeks, at least. That was a huge benefit, she didn't have to worry so much about packing food or water for the trip. There was no way she could even think about going across this desert otherwise. Lexx looked backward. The Plant had to be at least twenty miles away by this point. It was hard to tell, there was only a dark mass, the torrential downpour of the rainy season. Lexx noticed the clouds themselves extended many miles into the sky until they too disappeared into an opalescent misty nothingness. Lightning flashed and just for a second, even at this distance, Lexx could see the immensity of the Plant.

It hit her. Everything that had been pushed down in her flight across the steamy jungle. Everything that had been repressed for the necessity of survival. Now on a physical break, her subconscious had decided Lexx's mental break was over. She had just been thinking about how she might just have a chance of surviving this, possibly even finding her way back home. Without warning Lexx's giggles turned to sobs.

Leiha was dead. Lexx had felt it, the moment the older woman's shattered body gave up on life. That slight sinking, the sudden increase in weight as a body once bouyed by its own vitality suddenly became an inanimate object. It was the first time ever that Lexx had to deal with death on a personal scale, and by necessity she was forced to simply brush it aside at the time. Lexx found now that once she started, she could not stop crying anymore.

She had been in love with Leiha. The woman was beautiful, devastatingly intelligent, and cared for her like... no, it wasn't even a mother/daughter relationship, not like what Leiha had with Sera years ago. It was something different, neither closer nor farther, but intensely intimate nonetheless. Had she known this was going to happen? Lexx found it hard to believe. Leiha cared for her, but she wouldn't give up her own life just give give Lexx a single, one in a million shot at freedom, would she? That made no sense, Leiha was centuries old, she'd know that other chances would come, that there were millenia available to plan and ensure Lexx's freedom at a lesser cost. No, that was impossible, Leiha couldn't have known.

It was just a stupid accident, a rash action in the heat of the moment that got her killed. It wasn't planned for, it just happened and was over before anyone could do anything about it. Acknowledging that fact didn't make Lexx feel any better. If anything it simply increased the tears. Lexx could only think of the last night they had spent together, how Leiha was willing to fight down her own deep set beliefs against intimacy that didn't result in procreation just so they could have one last chance to be close. Lexx wondered what may have developed between them if things turned out differently.

If Leiha hadn't died.

But that was a fantasy. Leiha was dead and there was nothing Lexx could do about that. Lexx had suddenly gained a control over her reality that she never before experienced, but that wouldn't help things. Leiha's reality had come to an end, and Lexx understood on some level that Leiha had a reality that was seperate, though for a while concurrent with her own. The blunt fact helped slow Lexx's tears a little.

Lexx looked desperately back towards the Plant, obscured though it was by dark clouds and sheets of rain. She could theoretically go back there, she was First Caste, they would pretty much have no choice to accept her back. That was why they were coming after her with such a vengeance in the first place. That was why, even now, Lexx could see the first scouts of the pursuing army breaking free of the undergrowth nearly a mile down the line between jungle and desert. She hadn't expected them to catch up this quickly, or at all.

The pink sun was setting, blurring and dimming behind that strange funnel-cloud across the desert. Lexx decided that, on this world, that direction would be west. "Go west, young lady," she giggled to herself, wiping a running nose and frowning at the desert grit that had already adhered to the mucous.

Something caught Lexx's eye. A glittering movement at the edge of her vision, in the direction of the pursuing army. Lexx gave them a bit of a longer glance, she had plenty of time before they actually caught up to her, and she could 'bamf' away long before then. Though distant, Lexx was pretty certain that she didn't recognize any of those troops. It wasn't until the setting sun glittered again off the edges of impossible glass blades that Lexx realized just who was on her tail now. Fey, a small number.

Lexx immediately fled, striking out across the open desert. Sure, she would be pretty much painting herself as the most obvious target out here, but she could also take herself the furthest with each 'bamf', being able to see further than in the confines of the jungle. Lexx was also running on the gamble that the fey were used to hunting in the jungle, and would be at an equally disadvantageous position in the desert. Now it merely became a game of speed and endurance. Lexx knew she could easily outpace them. Even if they had those giant wasp mounts, they couldn't bloody well 'bamf'. Hopefully the years of physical training in the Plant gave Lexx enough stamina to keep ahead.

How much ground was covered, Lexx couldn't figure out. She didn't have the distance-judging capability for that. Jump after jump, the jungle growing smaller and smaller with each look back. A mile? Two? Perhaps it was best to judge by how exhausted she was. Thankfully it was the perfect time of day for exertion as far as desert travel was concerned. By the time Lexx was gasping for breath, sweating profusely through her storm-battered sundress, itself made of a Plant-spawned material with the breathing of cotton and toughness of leather, she estimated she had gone at least three or four miles. Not bad for a sprint.

It was possible for Lexx to cover another mile or two before she was too exhausted to go on, but Lexx paused here due to the change in terrain. The desert seemed undecided on whether it should be a Saharan-style dunescape or a more western American style badland. Here were a number of rocky outcroppings, the largest of which were a couple dozen feet tall. From her current position, Lexx could see several caves which she could easily fit in. What better place to hole up for the duration of the coldest part of the desert night, hidden away from prying fey eyes, then resume her trip at sunrise?

Lexx congratulated herself as she checked out the nearest and largest cave. Sure, she probably wouldn't be able to survive in the wild indefinitely, but she had managed to combine what she learned in the Plant with the common-sense facts she knew before to her benefit. When in the desert, travel at sunrise and sunset, when the temperature was actually moderate, ideal for minimal energy expenditure. It would be needed, Lexx knew the Ambrosia had sustained her within the Plant, but she wasn't certain she wouldn't become dehydrated out here. Better not to take too many risks with that, the sweating was bad enough at dusk, she didn't want to think about how bad things would be traveling with the sun directly overhead.

The cave was dry and empty, not even small desert life was in here, so far as Lexx could tell. What did live out here? It wasn't earth, Lexx had to remind herself that expecting to find scorpions or rattlers was foolish. For that matter, what was this entire... planet? Did it exist in the same galaxy? The same universe? Was Lexx transported here instantaneously across thousands of light years? Or was she in some sort of parallel dimension? It was the same questions she had asked herself countless times during her captivity in the Plant, never managing to find any answers with concrete evidence behind them. For all she knew, this could actually be earth, perhaps the 'transport' from there to here had actually involved a thousand-year sleep, and now there was nothing left.

Lexx refused to give credence to that thought. Her entire reason for escaping the Plant was to try and find a way back home. If home was a millenia or more ago... well for one thing Leiha's death would be meaningless. Lexx didn't want to consider that possibility. After everything, she couldn't work herself up to hate Leiha. The fact that the woman had died had nothing to do with that either. Leiha had been a prisoner in the Plant just as much as Lexx, she had just done a far better job of resigning herself to her fate.

Something scraped against the sand outside, an indeterminate distance away. Lexx snapped her eyes open, glaring at the black cave from the corner she had tucked herself into. She could see nothing, it was obviously still night, and she was far enough into the cave to be completely concealed from the entrance. Lexx hadn't meant to fall asleep, she wondered how long she had been out. Blinking fuzzily, Lexx pulled herself out of her corner, noting the cave entrance was barely visible, rimmed in starlight. Careful to neither trip nor make noise, Lexx made her way to the entrance and viewed the desert at night.

The air was still warm, either it hadn't been dark that long, or this desert retained the day's heat far better than its earthly counterparts. The stars were far brighter here, giving off enough like to make up for a moon-less sky, Lexx gazed about the silvery landscape and noticed a few changes since she had entered the cave. There was a rippled line in the distance, passing by the outcroppings. Footprints, an army of them. The position of the cave made it impossible to determine if they continued away, or if whatever passed by was camped out just behind Lexx's outcropping.

Lexx listened carefully. She couldn't hear anything. Infinitely slowly she ventured step by step from the cave, looking up to see if anyone or anything waited for her above the arch of the small cave, lurking in the rocks above. Something pressed slightly against her ankle, Lexx looked down and saw nothing. A series of snapping noises immediately sent Lexx backing up cautiously, glancing around to see what was happening. At five points around her hidden springs released, causing the sound and sending five football-sized rocks sailing overhead. She'd obviously tripped something.

Backward movement was impeded by something wrapping around her back, then her front and sides. Lexx tried to bring her arms up and found they were similarly restrained. The restraint grew tighter, pulling her ankles together before she had a chance to change balance, and Lexx tumbled over into the sand. Looking down didn't answer the question of what was holding her. As far as Lexx could tell, invisible ropes pinned her arms to her sides, bound her legs together. Her struggles caused a few lines of light to gleam across her body. Comprehension hit, spiderwebs. Spiderwebs somehow too strong for Lexx to fight her way out of. She must have hit one acting as a tripline, which released the spring-loaded rocks, which probably were all attached to a net laying under the entirety of the cave mouth.

Footsteps and a low buzzing. Lexx didn't have to see to know exactly what was coming. Fey with their insectile mounts. Lexx immediately worked on escaping her bonds, she wasn't too panicked yet, the spiderwebs were tight, but not too tight. Thankfully they weren't sticky either, all she had to do was work up enough slack to worm an arm or two out. Even if she couldn't see her bonds, she could still wriggle free.

Too late, long thin fingers curled around Lexx's shoulders, grabbing her by the sides and pulling her upright. Time for the backup plan. Lexx saw the fey, emaciated adult bodies the size of children with strength far exceeding both, skin in hues of blue to green to gray and back again, long pale hair and fair faces, impossibly pretty and thin all around. All clad in clothing far too perfect and extravagant to possibly survive any real use. Creatures of dreams and fantasy. Lexx concentrated, staring between them, to the star-lit desert landscape, hundreds of feet away.

"Bamf!"

Nothing happened. No, not entirely true, Lexx could feel her body pulling, trying to cross the intervening distance, but jolting back to this point in physical space as her bindings and the hands gripping her threatened to cut straight through her bi-locating flesh. She couldn't bamf when she was being restrained? Oh crap. Lexx started wriggling, trying to pull free of their grasp. It was a pointless endeavor, the lot of them had a vice grip on her, none making a sound as they secured their prisoner. A single fey stood in front of Lexx, cradling something in his hand. Lexx hand a momentary glimpse of what looked like a ball of powdery glitter before the creature threw it into her face.

Lexx gasped in surprise, shaking her head and trying to clear air passages suddenly clogged with that sparkling dust. Just like its equivalent on earth, the glitter practically glued itself to her skin, lining her face and coating the interior of her mouth and nose. Lexx took another breath and coughed, spitting out a small sparkly glob. Lexx staggered in her bonds, feeling suddenly light headed. She tried struggling against her captors again, but for some reason her muscles made only a half-hearted response to her mental commands.

Her mind didn't seem to be all there anymore either. It was the glitterball, something about it, it had to be some sort of sedative. The fey kept a sturdy grip on Lexx as the slowly, expertly pulled away the spiderwebs binding her. Lexx could freely move her arms now, but concentrating enough to lift them any reasonable distance, or to command her feet to start running, it took more energy than Lexx was willing to commit. She swayed in place, kept standing only by the guiding hands of the fey.

Something cold circling around her neck. Lexx tried to look down, but her neck's flexibility was impeded by something. It wasn't until one of the fey started gently pulling on the chain that she realized they had put a collar on her. She didn't so much walk as stumble forward, carefully kept standing by her flanking captors. As they led her towards a hornet the size of pony, Lexx dimly realized her brief period of freedom was over.