<Keyla>

I awoke like I always do after being drugged. On edge and ready to fight, but I couldn’t move an inch. I was almost sure that I was restrained. Or maybe somebody was sitting on me. I couldn’t see. The area was tight and cool. So it couldn’t have been that. I opened my eyes and a man I had never seen before was standing beside me. for being a tiny doctor, he looked normal. As if he had shrunk down for this role and not been forced into it by an accident, and he was smiling. “What the fuck is going on doc”

“As if you haven’t figured it out by now. You know what happened. I undid it. Hence the name ‘The Lazarus Procedure’, a last ditch effort to save the best.”

“No, why the fuck am I wrapped in chains. Why can’t I move? And why the fuck did you bring me back?” I gritted out.

“Safety measures mostly. You put one of the orderlies into a coma. You’re a lot stronger now, with carbon fiber muscles and all, but the reason we brought you back was to prove that it could be done. I rebuilt your body modifying the muscle skeletal system and then the nanobots rebuilt the organs, per standard heat-sealing procedure. It took two full weeks of surgeries just to keep you alive, now instead of cussing me out, you should be thanking me.”

“I did not want this. If I was going to fail, I was going to die trying. Not be some pricks new lab rat!”

“That’s just the thing. You made it past the limit. Survived 6hr and 45 minutes under Stephanie, not for her lack of trying of course, it wasn’t until she removed the suit that she caused significant damage. You passed. And that’s why we brought you back. Now are you done whining like a baby and ready to get back to work? Or would you rather be locked up lab rat for a couple more days?”

<Mikal>

while I could complain that being under Abigail was hell. having to go through a Nano-purification treatment was a whole new circle of hell. I could feel every cell in my body as it was hit with nanites and scrubbed clean from Abigail’s excrement. The whole process took a little over 3hrs and left me in a pool of blood, sweat, and tears. The shittiest thing about the entire thing was they the team had determined since I had so much ‘damage’ done they would fix the bones and organs and that was it leaving me sore and bruised, no shape to go into the field. Something Rami objected vehemently to, seeing as I had been reserved since the announcement of my transfer to the program.

As I walked slowly backed to my room I got the notice that despite my injuries I was going to be sent out first thing in the morning. “Ugh, Fuck me”

“When you look like that, no chance in hell big guy” I whirled around to see Stephanie standing behind me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked motioning to the medical ward sign.

“Just got done with a job. Had to have reconstructive back surgery. It sucked. And you. Checking back in after a rough tumble?”

“No, they said that they just had to do critical stuff only and are leaving the rest. So I have bruised bones and strained muscles but I got a team op tomorrow that I am required to go on. So that’s going to suck.”

“At least look at the bright side. well be suffering together. I got the same assignment. Looks like the requester had a real hard-on for friendly duos as HQ selected us to go together for the assignment. Some shit about teamwork and friendly people who are expendable, that’s where you come in. I’m a loner, don’t do duo assignments but then they mentioned that you were the expendable one going and I knew that I had to volunteer to make sure you didn’t die unjust. Things get out of hand I’ll call in Micro Inc. for extraction but with your weight tolerance. I’m guessing that we should be fine.”

“Unless its someone who exceeds my tolerance. Which would be just my luck. Dying on my first assignment. Goody.”

“don’t be so certain, Imma make sure that nothing bad happens to you. Remember I have your back down here.”

“And I yours, now. Lets go deal with some of those people that have been giving you a hard time.”

“Not so fast tough guy. You’re a good kick away from a broken hip. You and I both need rest, and I think for tomorrow we’re going to need it.”

~Next morning~

<Stephanie>

As soon as the guest assignment came in I knew I was in trouble it was a couple. Ashlynn and Robert. They wanted two tinies (their words not mine) and the damning element was that they both weighed well over 200 lbs. I was barely hanging onto the title of petite, and while Mikal was technically a durable model over 400lbs of couple activities would squish him just like one of them would squish me. This wasn’t an entertainment gig. It was a suicide mission.

They picked us less than hour later. I was in my suit and I had the core already cranked up to damage critical mode. The only way I would feel one of them was if the suit failed. It wasn’t a matter of if. It was a matter of when.

The fun started when we got to their house and Ashlynn set me down on a chair and then turned got down on my level. Here eyes were a fierce blue her died red hair fell in light waves on top of her head. “Here’s how its going to work. I’m going to sit on this chair. And then my husband is going to sit on my lap. Mikal is going to pull you out. We figured he can lift us, barely. After 30 seconds my husband is going to start bouncing after a minute I’m going to start grinding on you. If after 2 minutes you are not rescued. You and Mikal will switch. We’ll continue this until one of you hits critical. It there is a critical alarm in the first 30 seconds we’ll say you are wussing out and bounce on you. If after a minute it goes off Robert will get off and it will be up to Mikal to pull you out while I am bouncing on you. Sound fair?”

She gave me an quizzical look “I think we got one that cant speak” she said over her should where Robert was towering me.

“Just sit on her. they all speak in time.”

With that . Ashlynn stood up and and turned around. She knocked me into the cheek impression worn into the wood chair before she lowered herself down on me.

I braced for impact but it never came. Ashlynn’s cellphone started to ring just as her butt was touching the chair. She stood and answered the phone.

<Ashlynn>

Annoyed at the phone ringing just as I had anticipated I swiped yes on the call and snapped “This is Ashlynn. “
            “sorry to interrupt you Mrs. Wasley, my name is Jason im with consort monitoring at Micro Inc.  We had a change in a the class action lawsuit against Stephanie Barr, she is no longer considered an active consort. So we ask that  you not involve her in any of the activities that you have planned. You can continue to use Mikal but set Stephanie aside and we’ll send a team with another consort to replace her.

“And if I refuse?”

“You’ll be charged with battery and assault, planning to commit murder, attempted murder, and if you kill her murder in the first degree. Not something you want to to do Mrs. Wasley.”

“So what do I get out of this? Because this is a serious inconvenience to me and my husband.”

            “ We’ll refund this session and then allow you and your husband free sessions up to a year. With any consort you choose. Sound like a deal?”

            “Deal to me. you minus will just take them both. Thanks for killing the mood Jason.”

            “So sorry about that. I’ll bring the certificate and make sure they reverse the transactions. I promise you its going to be a great year for you” Jason said. I hit the end button on the phone and swooped Stephanie and Mikal off the seat.

            “Looks like you both get a free ride home. They’ve called to tell me that the lawsuit against you Stephanie is no longer active. Guess you earned your way back to freedom. But. Trust me. we will be back. Because we are getting free consorts for a year!”

<Keyla>

“I’m ready to get back to work doc, I hate hospitals, and the smell of blood.”

“I’m glad that  you are so eager Keyla but first we’ve got to go over some things. You’re still extremely fragile. Pound for pound carbon fiber can’t stand up the way your bones could and now that your skeletal-muscle system is mostly carbon fiber I’d say your up to 150lb. max. that’s not standard pressure. that’s impact force. So if somebody who weighs 120lbs sits on you. They’re going break something. Yes. You might be able to hold out if somebody who weighs more than 125 sits on you for extended periods of time. But you’re not as tough or resilient as you were. And therefor I don’t recommend going back into the entertainment industry.”

“But I’m way stronger. What gives?”

“Yes, your muscles are way stronger, but the bones are the weakest link in the equation. It is not recommended based off of your previous cliental that you go out at all because, while you look the same on the outside you are much weaker on the inside. You can take the initial blows. But what about being stuck in someone’s shoe or work chair for hours on end. You’re body simple can’t take it.”

“I want to though doc, I love it. The pain, the thrill, the mortal peril, gives me a high. Not like you’ve ever been out in the field. But, once I got a taste of it. I’m going to die doing what I love.”

“That’s just it. Your first mission out might be your last. I’ll tell you what. We have a new generation of military grade hardware coming out. I’ll have you fitted for it and get one made up. But, if the suit gets trashed, that’ll be it. You’ll be done. We’ve spent a lot of money on you, and while you’ve earned us a great deal more, one of those suits cost 20k. If it gets destroyed, beyond what the nanobots can repair. We won’t be able to provide another. You’ll officially have capped out what we are allowed to spend on saving a consort. We can’t legally send you out in anything less that.”

“You can, but you won’t” I said bitterly.

“Should we have you sent up to psych? It almost seems like you want to die in the field. Like you’d prefer it.”

“No, I’m fine doc. This is all I have ever wanted since I was a child. So call it sick, or twisted or whatever. But, I chose this profession. So I knew the risks going into that, and besides. At the end of the day Micro Inc. gets paid either way. That’s all you should care about. We, done here?”

“I guess we are. I’ll have two suits made up for you and A regular and the militant model. If you suspect somebody is going to be brutal then wear the militant model. Actually wear the militant model always. Then if something goes wrong with it we can patch it up and you can wear the regular one for a day. But make sure you don’t do anything that could get you in a pinch. Got it?”

“Yes mother. Am I free to go now?”

“You are. I will have somebody show you to your new permanent house. All your possessions were replicated from you big life. Or turned into cash which got funneled into your medical costs.”

I couldn’t imagine what my medical costs would be if it wasn’t covered under the company. An orderly appeared a couple minutes later and took me back to my ‘residence’.

Most of the residences here were actually prefab boxes constructed to be stacked on top of one another like animal cages. Because that’s exactly what they had initially been designed for. It was spacious to a person like me, and nice to have all the appliances and amenities of the real world, at the same time, you where in a plywood box in a warehouse that any full sized person come in and destroy at any time. They had security guards but the power of crazy sometimes trumps all. Not like it what my personal apartment looked like because I didn’t plan on spending any time in there.