Crossing Worlds

Interludes: Thomas

Thomas found the idea of being an adult silly. He had been with his Mommy for as long as he could remember; granted, his memory wasn’t great. His pediatrician had told Mommy his biological age was more than forty. FORTY?! Thomas laughed and giggled at that idea; he was barely three years old! He always had been. Mommy liked to tell him silly stories about when he was younger and how much of a fight he put up being a baby. How much Thomas had fought using his diapers, how big and strong he had acted. Thomas used to boast about being a big-shot CEO, putting others in their places, and always being in charge.

Thomas had no memory of these events since his trip to the doctor that fateful day. To Thomas, that was the first actual day of his memories. He remembered awakening; his face pressed to Mommy’s bosom as he was guided to nurse from her. Mommy had been speaking to him, although he didn’t understand, but the sound of her voice when he latched on made it obvious he was doing something right. Thomas loved being a good boy; he loved making his Mommy happy. Mommy had taught him enough language to understand her, but he certainly couldn’t read or write; what baby needed that anyway?

Mommy liked to spin tails to people they met, telling them all sorts of things about Thomas. She had explained to him that these were stories, make-believe, and it was fun to go along with it! Mommy liked it when Thomas agreed with what she was saying, regardless of its absurdity. 

Thomas, apparently, had naughty friends before his birth. That is what he called the first day of his memories. Mommy told him he used to have bad influences for friends; he wasn’t sure how that was possible, how he could have had friends before, but he trusted her. Mommy had guided him on what to say and do, sending him to daycare after teaching him language basics. The people he was supposed to meet with were incredibly concerned for Thomas, although he didn’t understand why. Thomas loved his Mommy; he loved being a baby; who wouldn’t? Thomas followed Mommy’s directions, however, allowing them to take him with them to ‘undo’ the wipe, as they called it.

Of course, they couldn’t have known Mommy had implanted a tracker in Thomas, waiting for them to scan for it and then re-activating it with a set timer. The people took Thomas to a strange place, with many Littles acting weirdly. They almost seemed to be adults but were the same size as Thomas. Thomas’s training was nearly at an end, and he wasn’t sure what to do. He was glad when the adults raided the place, Littles running about, screaming as they were caught. Thomas grew upset at the excitement until Mommy came rushing in, scooping and consoling him.

Thomas swooned and giggled as Mommy praised him, holding him close and promising him a big reward for being such a good boy. Thomas loved being a good boy. Thomas was a good boy.

Interludes: Venli

Venli leaned back, her feet kicked up, nursing a mug of coffee as she read the latest reports. Autumn was setting in; the sun had barely risen, and it was still working to fight off the morning’s chill. Deep in the Little controlled city territory, Venli felt safe outdoors, even if it was only a tiny, overgrown, and forgotten park. As always, the reports held cases of Littles being captured, Amazon officials busting Resistance outposts, and documentation of recent technological breakthroughs. The reports were usually dry and disheartening. While The Resistance had managed to break numerous people free from the shackles of Amazon society, far more Littles had been captured. 

“More of the same?” A voice called to Venli as the girl sat next to her on the bench.

The woman was a recent recruit, having been broken out of an awful orphanage. She still wore diapers and likely would for the rest of her life. Venli felt terrible for her, and while The Resistance had made substantial progress in rebuilding neural pathways, not everything came so quickly. This woman, in particular, would need surgery even to begin allowing pathways between her spinal cord and bladder or sphincter to start growing once more. Even with their advanced technology, the woman looked at years of recovery and potty training to get a glimpse of control once more.

While the woman was expecting Venli to inform her of the latest captures, Venli preferred to stay upbeat. “Subjects 6,212 are safely aboard along with sixty-one other refugees across several ships. It’s unlikely all will become compromised.” Venli began. Venli knew the names of each subject, although not everyone in The Resistance was privy to such knowledge. She hoped the girls would make it; she had a soft spot for them. “We were able to locate the source of their contract and have successfully enrolled each refugee. They will, of course, need to survive an entire week in school and meet or exceed the requirements for reintegration into Earth society, or they will never be allowed through the portal. We sent the strongest-willed Littles who may be able to make it; the rest will stay here while we work with them.”

The woman nodded, pulling her jacket tight around her shoulders, her breath misting before her. “That’s good news,” he replied simply.

The two sat there, the woman staring into space as Venli continued reading. She didn’t need to speak for Venli to understand the woman’s agony. She had opted to stay here and help others escape, something she would likely never be able to achieve herself unless she could potty train once more. Amazon protocols for Littles transferring back to Earth were strict, and obtaining passage through official channels was difficult. As difficult as it may be, the school represented the easiest path for Littles to escape back to Earth. The Resistance was hard at work obtaining other passages, but as soon as one was discovered and refugees were sent home, it was quickly uncovered and closed up by Amazon officials.

“Don’t you want to go home, Venli?” The woman asked softly, the morning sun breaking through the thick morning fog and warming Venli’s face.

“I don’t have a home anymore,” Venli replied, flipping to the next page in her report. “The Amazon government was extensive when they cleansed my past.”

The pair fell into an awkward silence, the woman finally resting a hand upon Venli’s thigh. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Venli set the reports to the side, leaning back against the bench, “It’s okay, this is my family now, my home. I will spend the rest of my days fighting them for what they did. Every person I can help, every life I can save, is a life they didn’t get the chance to steal.” Venli growled, anger flashing in her eyes. “I will take down the officials who sentenced me; I will send those who wronged me into the bowels of the very institutes they tried to send me.”

The woman squeezed Venli’s thigh, patting it, “Honorable, I’m sorry it’s a life that was forced upon you; perhaps someday you can return as well.”

Venli felt the wind leave her sail as she sighed, “I barely remember a life before all this.” she admitted, “I’ve fought for so long I don’t remember a time I wasn’t fighting. I’m too angry to settle down, and I fear that even if I can put down my sword, I’ll be looking to get back at them. I want vengeance for myself and those who aren’t in positions to defend themselves; I will fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.”

“You will find love one day.” The woman said lovingly, patting Venli’s thigh.

The comment caught Venli off guard. She had prepared a response for all of the things she had been expecting, except this one. Venli’s voice caught as she tried to say something further, and when she did begin speaking again, it was to weep. The woman wrapped an arm around Venli’s shoulders, embracing Venli. “You’ve fought for what is right for so long, Venli.” the woman said softly, holding the girl as she cried, “You’ve done so much good in this world already; isn’t it about time you deserved to be saved?”

“I can’t, I’m not worthy.” Venli whimpered.

“You are; you deserve to be loved. You deserve a family. My son he’s about your age; you rescued him some time ago, and he’s been working with The Resistance ever since. Will you entertain an old lady and go on a date?” the woman asked.

The woman didn’t look a day over 26, and Venli hadn’t seen her biological age; the Amazon world had technology that allowed anyone to look young. “You’re hooking me up?” Venli sniffled, drying her tears, “I’ve got a lot of work to do, I can’t waste time on-”

The woman cut her off, “They will manage without you for a few hours, Venli. I’m not trying to hook you up with anyone; you have been trapped for so long in this fight that you don’t remember a time when you could just relax and be yourself. Have a nice meal, walk, and get your head out of the operations room for a few hours; it’ll do you both a world of good.”

“I can’t promise anything.” Venli retorted.

“I didn’t ask you to.” The woman replied just as quickly. “He’ll pick you up at six. I’m sure you have a lovely evening gown somewhere gathering dust; use this as an excuse to do something for yourself. Dress up, put on makeup, and treat yourself as well as you treat other Littles, whom you’ve never even met.”

Venli nodded sheepishly, “Who are you?” she asked, glancing up at the woman.

The woman smiled lovingly, looking away, “A mother trying to do what’s right.”

Interludes: Laura

For all the power the Amazon government had, Laura found it frustrating working with them to do anything. She had all but led them to the doorstep of The Resistance, and they had let it slip away. The man they had captured was certainly not her husband. A piece of her ached at the backstabbing. She hadn’t wanted to do it, but he had proven how incapable he was as a father figure, resorting to conspiring with the enemy over a simple disagreement.

Laura shook her head, comforting Evan, who had awakened early from his nap, feeding him a bottle. For a few blissful days, Laura had come to love her position as a Mommy, relishing the feeling of being able to nurse two sweet babies. She had loved every waking moment of motherhood. Laura longed for her babies; she wanted them to be hers forever; she knew her babies would be very well-behaved once they had the appropriate surgeries and procedures to make them so. Littles needed a little persuasion to become the babies they were always meant to be. She had been so close, a day more, that they wouldn’t have passed the exams to return home, and then she would have the freedom to do what she needed to. 

That was, of course, before he got in the way. Laura had loved her husband, but their parental views differed significantly, as they always had. Regardless, they adopted little Evan, who brought them together. They learned and grew as a couple, raising him to be a well-behaved Little boy. It had been a rocky road, but they had finally been ready to adopt true babies. That is where they began to drift apart. They had developed plans to help integrate them into their family. Laura loved every moment she spent working on their nursery; it was a dream come true. 

Laura’s husband had convinced her to try something more short-term, an exchange program that she had begrudgingly agreed to. He had a point; this would be a good trial run for their actual adoptions. That was until Laura had met the Littles that would be hers. Laura quickly became infatuated with being a Mommy; she loved every second. Laura knew from that moment she wanted this life; she wanted to be a Mommy to several babies. 

Laura also knew they would be at the end of a long line of other Amazons waiting for their children. Laura didn’t want to wait to experience the true joys of motherhood. Laura wanted babies; she wanted them now, not in ten years! The wait would kill Laura; she had to experience being a genuine Mommy, even if only for a few days. Laura had managed to circumnavigate the contract stipulations and retain one Little for longer than the specified week. However, she had felt the contract collar pulling tight around her neck. 

Laura knew the risks. She was painfully aware of the hormones that flooded her body every day since bringing her babies home; she knew they urged her to do things she shouldn’t. Laura knew she should let them return home, as was their legal rights, and go through official channels to obtain her babies. But they were right here; she loved them already, and she knew she could make them hers forever with a bit of pushing in the right areas. Just in case, though, Laura had experienced it once before they left her. Laura knew she shouldn’t; she knew the risks and had done it regardless, the drive to make them hers too strong.

Laura had bonded her two babies. The moment they latched on and nursed from her teets had been orgasmic for Laura; she had felt in tune with them in that moment and each time they suckled. She could feel their bodies, feel her baby's love and desire to be exactly that, her babies. Laura knew how much her Littles craved being babies, especially to their Mommy. She completely dismissed her husband's concerns that Amazon hormones were causing her to project her wishes. He had no clue how she felt or her understanding of her children.

Laura knew she would never give up on her children, her babies. They may have slipped the grasp of an incompetent government that fumbled even the most straightforward jobs. Her, however, they would not escape again. Laura glanced out the plane's window, the sun cresting the horizon over the open ocean, patting Evan’s bum as he nursed his bottle. Hannah and Emily would only ever know Laura by her title, never her legal name. To them, she was Mommy. “Mommy’s coming, babies, don’t you fear, Mommy is coming,” she said softly. 

End of Interludes