The dolls sat on the bullet train taking them to the Feral Base, staring out at the sheets of acid rain pummeling the ravaged landscape either side of the tracks.
"Do we even know which planet we're being assigned to within the Sierra Zulu Galaxy?" Aero asked, huffing warm breath over the window pane and drawing a picture of a smiley fa...oh no wait, it was a penis. Fantastic.
"No," Cody frowned at him as Aero gave him a satisfied smirk. "We'll get the rest of the mission brief after we're partnered."
"Partnering," Aero drew the word out as long as he could, "what does that even entail? Hah! tail – holy shit, do you think they'll have tails?"
Sienna sighed deeply beside him and snapped her book shut, "For god's sakes Aero, you know exactly what a Feral looks like - we had a class visit from one four years ago."
Aero made a dismissive sound and pawed at Sienna’s shoulder, "I just remember some overly built Neanderthal sporting red eyes and a serious need to see a dentist."
"I think it would be kind of cool if we had fangs," Tyron shrugged as Aero glared at him,
"Ty what the hell? We're Dolls - we're genetic perfection," Aero retorted, waving a hand down his body to emphasise his point.
"Fangs would make day to day life a bit difficult," Cody conceded, "I think I would have trouble eating."
"Right!" Aero exclaimed triumphantly, "Important activities like eating... chewing... sucking... blowing..." he licked his lips suggestively in Tyron's direction.
"Their fangs are retractable," Sienna interrupted with a withering glance at Aero, "but I would still advise being polite upon your first introduction."
"Oh please," Aero groaned, "everyone knows a Doll could kick a Feral's ass."
"Maybe there's a reason why people call us 'hunters' and them the 'fighters'?" Tyron suggested, taking a swig from his nutrient juice bottle.
"Oh my god, Tyron!" Aero exclaimed frustratedly, "could you be any more of a Feral fanboy right now? If you like them so much - you can take mine as well as your own - you can have a ménage à trois and I'll have a ménage à moi. I can just go on this mission solo."
Cody pursed his lips disapprovingly at Aero.
"One hour until arrival at Feral Base X-1-9-3," a stilted voice announced over the loudspeaker.
Aero huffed and closed his eyes, resting his head back against the seat. His new uniform felt overly tight, the high collar constricting around his throat. Aero pulled at the fabric to allow himself to breathe more comfortably.
He had barely slept last night and his eyelids felt thick and heavy.
*
"Aero we're here."
Aero's eyes snapped open to see Cody squeezing his knee. He nodded with a yawn, then glanced out of the window as he stretched.
There wasn’t a lot to see – they had clearly drawn into some kind of large docking port.
"You didn't miss much," Cody remarked, "the Feral Base is mostly underground, it just looked like a large concrete scar on the Earth's surface."
Handler Itagawa walked up beside them in the carriage. "Ready to go?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at Aero. The Dolls all started getting up and gathering their belongings.
Outside of the train only one person was waiting for them - a man wearing a lab coat.
"Kenzo," Itagawa nodded at him, "nice to see such a welcoming reception," she added drily.
"Momoko," the man smiled, "I hope you're not too disappointed to see your big brother."
'Brother?' Aero mouthed questioningly at Cody, who shrugged.
"These are my Dolls," Itagawa announced, turning to gesture at them, "Cody, Tyron, Sienna and Aero, I'd like you to meet Dr. Kenzo Itagawa, a behavioural supervisor on the Feral Programme."
Cody and the others all saluted Dr. Itagawa in the way they had been trained to, although Cody had to bite his lip when he heard Aero go "Sup Doc?"
"Pleased to meet you," Kenzo smiled back, "if you would all like to come this way? We will begin proceedings as soon as possible so you can get some lunch."
"Do you think they've got enough doggy kibble to go around?" Aero stage whispered before Tyron cuffed him round the back of the head.
"Behave," Sienna said to him warningly before speeding past them, following after the Itagawas.
They were led down a brightly lit passageway with glass walled examination rooms off of either side.
"Feels like home," Aero murmured in surprise. Although he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting.
At the end of it they come out into a large space that seemed to be some kind of gym and sparring area.
"Ferals," Tyron said quickly. Aero's eyes flashed up to see a line of people with their backs to them, all facing some short dark haired man who was yelling about fighting techniques.
"Am I understood?" he barked loudly at the class that was evidently in progress, clapping his hand against a clipboard.
"Yes Sir!" all of the Ferals shouted simultaneously. Their voices seemed deeper, huskier than what Aero was used to, it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
"Good," the man gestured at them, "class dismissed."
The Ferals turned round and Aero’s heart skipped. They all looked...normal. They could be Dolls even? Perhaps some of them were slightly more muscled, but you wouldn't guess on sight that they were a mixture of human and animal DNA.
The Ferals all looked just as intrigued by the Dolls, some were even pointing and sniggering. Aero felt his cheeks heat up and glared back at them defiantly.
"Whoever has been selected for the Sierra Zulu mission next week please make your way over here." Dr. Itagawa called out across the room.
A few heads glanced up and gradually four of the Ferals peeled off from the main group and began to saunter arrogantly towards them.
Aero could see three guys and one girl, all of them looked mean and stuck up. Although he supposed the Dolls don't look much better. Sienna, Cody and Tyron had already rearranged themselves into a tactical defensive stance.
"I will call one of your names," Itagawa nodded at the Ferals, "then Handler Itagawa here will call your Doll equivalent, the decision is final, is that understood?"
Everyone murmured their reluctant assent. Aero guessed that the Ferals weren't exactly skipping with enthusiasm over the whole affair either.
"Here we go then - Zach."
A male Feral with short red hair stepped to the side. He was wearing a tight black tank top and smirked at the Dolls as their eyes assessed him.
"To be partnered with, Tyron," Itagawa announced.
"Hannah," Itagawa continued.
A girl with long strawberry blonde hair, wearing a green sports bra and sweatpants stepped forward. She didn’t even look at the Dolls, just grimaced back at the remaining Ferals.
"To be partnered with...Sienna," Itagawa finished.
"Jago," Itagawa said next. A striking, muscular man with fair hair and grey eyes stepped forwards. He stared hard at Cody and Aero as if daring either of them to be his partner.
"To be partnered with Aero,"
"Are they kidding?" Aero hissed, wheeling round to Cody, "they know we're their 'partners' not 'dinner' right?"
"Have fun," Cody breathed back, giving Aero a gentle shove towards his shiny new Feral whose stare had only intensified.
“And Thomas to be partnered with Cody,"
The remaining boy was tall with pale skin and bright copper hair.
"Enjoy lunch," Itagawa smiled at them with a bemused expression, "your Feral partners will show you where to go."
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