This kitten won't go to space
 

Matthew Archibald Burnes, owner of the Pendragon Financials hedge fund, currently in his late 30s, looked at his smartwatch and nodded in satisfaction as the black self-driving Rolls-Royce he sat in stopped on the driveway in front of the GeniCore Britain complex just outside of London. It was 8:58 in the morning, and he was expected by 9. He looked up through the sunroof before getting out. It was a cloudy day, as usual for the season in England, but it wasn't raining, so he didn't reach for the umbrella that automatically extended from its slot in the side of the door as it opened. A most British feature for a most British vehicle.
He buttoned up his navy blue suit and adjusted his tie, and walked inside the reception hall just as the clock hit 9, walking to the counter and announcing his arrival.
- Matthew Burnes, here to pick up my acquisition. - he stated, his dark blue eyes piercing onto the receptionist's gaze now with a cold professionalism. This was a business. He paid for merchandise, plain and simple, even if said merchandise was going to travel home with him in the booster seat installed in the back of the Royce, the last accessory one would expect to find in such a prestigious car. But then again, the merchandise wasn't usual either. Maybe a thousand people on the entire planet had the option to acquire one of the latest batch of Genicore's controversial hybrids, the last ditch effort to prove the hybridization programme's success, and to acquire funds to keep going. A bold move in Matt's mind, and he had to admire how the company hoped to kill three birds with one stone: the fundraiser, the marketing capmaign and the product testing all in one.
That made him all the way more curious. He bought one of them, a little girl, but other than the promises that they were the cutest, most obedient, most adorable little pets one could wish for, he didn't know much, only what he could find in company brochures and online. The articles were mixed, pointing out several flaws and even some cases of agression of the previous iterations. He also read up on the laws concerning keeping them, and there were a lot of - sometimes unnecessary, especially if these were children - safety measures enforced. But then again, business is, and always was, all about risk and reward, and most of the time, only high risk meant high reward. So, he tried his best to stay calm and collected and hide his excitment and curiosity as they moved towards the pickup area. Being in finances, meant he had to learn to keep a very good poker face.

The 'neko' girls were kept in ward B of the labyrinthine facility. The girl whom Mr Burnes had arrived to claim knew the complex was labyrinthine because she had managed to escape the security protocols of ward B and roam freely through the complex until she was subdued again. It had been like a game to her, learning access procedures, spotting surveillance patterns, unpicking routine. She had been invigorated by breaking her daily cycle with the opportunity to explore new environs but the navie kitten girl really no idea of the size of the world. She hadn't manged to escape the facility buildings or even glimpse the outside parameter fence with it's guard towers manned by PMCs. She had basically achieved little more than to disturb wards C & D where there were other groups of girls like here though a year younger, and the ransacking of canned food supplies from a dry storage room, though she hadn't worked out how to open said cans.

The penalty had been confinement. That had meant she didn't get to go out to the open air courtyard, around which were arranged the dorms, training room, canteen, changing room, showers and playroom of ward B. She didn't get to play with her 'sisters', the 5 other neko children in the ward. Her meals were served in her room. Her nappy was changed in her room. She was given a sponge bath by the orderlies in her room. She was sick of staring at the inside of her dull and boring room.

It was a delightful supprise the day she was told she would not only be leaving her room but the facility itself to go and live with her owner. She had learned about the importance of having an owner while undertaking lessons in the training room and the importance of pleasing them. She had been excited to meet her owner it had been difficult for her to sleep but sleep she did because her night time bottle had been laced with a seditive.

Still asleep by morning time she was dosed again for transportation. She was changed, washed and dressed in a pretty white cotton mid thigh length dress with a thin pink trim and bow pinching the middle to give the simple dress an A shape. Her long blond hair was combed to a high gloss and secured with another pink bow. A pair white slippers were placed over her frilly ankle socks but this was cursory as she wasn't going to be walking anywhere.

Straped into a wheelchair the sedated girl was wheeled through the facility to the public area of the building where her owner would be waiting to collect her. Her sisters were all scrabbling after a butterfly which had wondered into the sunny courtyard of Ward B, squealing with delight, each keen to be the one to catch and claim it. They never got the opportunity to say good bye.

.................................

Director Sloan didn't like having to deal with customers as he wasn't a sociable or even an amiable man, but he understood that given the exceptionally high price of the commodities being traded, the cliental wanted contact directly with the senior staff at the facility rather than some slogan fed PR person. It meant today that he was sitting oppose a gentleman in an office overlooking an elaborate water feature, rather than staring at his computer screen analysing fresh reports from R&D. The director realised he could here the water feature quite clearly, even through toughened glass as thick as a arm. He sighed realising he was supposed to break the silence between himself and his steely eyed guest.

"Mr Burnes, once again I would like to extend GeniCore's gratitude for choosing to invest in our product and furthermore for your generous donation." The donation was undisclosed to the public but Sloan understood an agreement had been made with the company ensuring Mr. Burnes got to choose his the girl of his fancy. This was atypical, it made Sloan uncomfortable. Typically, although existence of the girls was publicised, no one was supposed how many had been created, or any details. Mr. Burnes had presumably been granted the privilage of seeing images of the girls? Video feed? Holo feed? Who knew?

“The girl selected for you (by you) responds to Eris. Of course you can change her name if you so wish. It might just take a while for her to become accustomed." All the hybrids in the commercial batch had been named for Greek goddesses. Previously it had been Roman and before that Egyptian. It had all seemed fittingly in the spirt of things when the hybrids were being bred for space exploration. Now they may aswell just be called Mittens or Sooty. Director Sloan hoped it was all just a nessicary growing pain until the project could accrue enough funding to resume its primary purpose.

"She is seven years old." he had needed to look at the file in front of him to remind him of that information. He didn't often visit the wards housing the oldest girls. He was always more interested in the new, the improved. Every year more obediant.

"I believe you are aware Eris has a history of disobedience, owing to excessive curiosity." the was in which Sloan anaunciated the words revealed his distain. "The facility has endeavoured to correct these behaviours but I must advise that Eris will be in your custodial care now and thus you will be entirely liable for any incidents which may occur and damage the reputation of GeniCore." the director waved his hand. He knew his client would have been advised by a legal team ahead of approving the transaction.

The silence pushed between them again. What was there left to say? Have fun with your cat-human hybrid pet? Don't be freaked out by her large eyes, flat nose, fluffy ears and tail? Be careful she scratches?

There was knock at the door. The door and walls of the office were tinted glass so they could just about make out the figures of the receptionist, an orderly and a girl in a wheelchair.

"Ah. Eris has arrived. Can we help you carry her to your car?"

...............

Director Sloan was left with mixed feelings. He was glad to dismiss the client and return to his work but he had misgivings about allowing the sale of what he deemed was a defective product. The B series was just too implusive. They were still based off the spacefaring models, designed to rely on instinct to survive the harsh colony worlds. The recent batches were a lot more docile, better domesticated. Lazy and useless for exploration, a step in the wrong direction as far as he was concerned but perfected in regards to creating hybrid pets.
Distracted by thus thoughts the director paused in his work to run a search on the goddess Eris, to find out what the name meant. He smirked, fate had a sense of humour.
.................

Eris woke. Her eyes were bigger than human eyes, a brighter blue too but more sensitive to light. Her first instinct as she became dazed in her disorientated state was to shield her eyes with her fore arm but she found her wrists were restrained. She rattled a bit and half-whined half-mewed with discontent.

There was one single reason Matthew was granted some... insight, well any kind of insight - mainly the batch size, and how many of each gender were created and offered for sale - was that through Pendragon Financials he was a minority shareholder. One of his "minutemen" - brokers tasked with monitoring the stock values and announcements that'd significantly affect them, directly with the news agencies instead of waiting until a news site or TV station made an article about them - spotted the announcement of the 'neko sale' and immediately bought a sizeable share package, and the stock prices rapidly began rising right after. Matthew decided to keep that package, since he knew it would help him by the time the first batch was actually offered up for sale.
Thing is, he always wanted a daughter, but the adoption process was extremely tedious, even for someone like him who could clearly provide for a child, and the dating game... he simply couldn't trust anyone for not being a gold digger. And most of them were, at least the ones where he started considering marriage. The moment the word "prenup" was mentioned, suddenly the mountain-moving, crazy love vanished like it was never there. Maybe that was exactly the case.
So, buying himself a cutie little catgirl, seemed like an easy way. Expensive, yes, but easy. No tons of paperwork, no checkups, no trust issues. A simple acquisition.

Nonetheless, he did want to speak with someone higher on the command chain before he actually took the merchandise he came for. He wanted information, like he did before every single investment and acquisition. Being cautious and having a sense for good deals was what took Pendragon Financials to go and turn from the small pension fund he inherited from his father into a several billion pound hedge fund that could influence the market if it wanted to, instead of following it.
The moment he saw Sloane, he already knew him. This was a man dedicated to his profession above all else, and someone who most probably hated running unnecessary errands. The handshake just reinforced that. But that was fine, as Matthew himself wasn't going to hold him up longer than it was required. And thankfully, the director did provide answers to most of his questions, to some even wihout having to ask them.
He did smirk at her name though. Interesting... the Greek goddess of strife and discord - but also restlessness and competition. Interesting coincidence, considering her apparent record of disobedience as result of curiosity.
- So, essentially, she behaves like a child of her age would. - he summed it up, and indirectly stating he has no problems with that.
- Yes, I understand my rights and responsibilities fairly well, Director, you need not worry. - while he himself graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Cambridge, he did have a rather sizeable and experienced legal team employed. He came prepared.
There was that awkward silence, which he assumed would be usually where some PR specialist would start further promoting the product... but that wasn't the Director's style. Matthew would have been surprised otherwise.
However, he did lose his composure for a second and brightened up when Eris' arrival was announced, and took a good look at the little blonde neko girl strapped to the wheelchair in her cutie dress.
- Hello, Eris - he smiled at her, looking at those large beautiful blue eyes, her futile struggle against her restraints made the tiny cutie look even more helpless and fragile, instantly triggering Matthew's drive to protect her and care for her.
- Yes please, I'd appreciate the assistance. - he replied to Sloane's question.
- Well, if that's all, then I wish you a successful endeavour, Director. - he once again shook hands with the man, and then accompanied the staff member.
- I presume she was sedated? - he more stated than asked, as they were heading outside, and gently petted Eris on the head while they were moving. He pressed something on the Royce's remote and the right rear door opened automatically, allowing access to the booster seat already installed. It had a five-point harness for safety, foot rests for comfort, but also padded velcro straps on both the arm and foot rests to restrain the little passenger. Like Sloane assumed, he was made aware of her record, and intended to secure her for at least the first journey home - and of necessary, for any journey outside his home. With the orderly's help, they quickly transferred the dazed little girl from the wheelchair to the car seat and quickly strapped her into the harness, then her limbs were restrained.
- Thank you for your assistance - Matt nodded to the orderly, and if she had any luggage, he placed those in the trunk before getting seated on the back seat next to his new pet neko, closing the door and pressing on the remote once again, speaking up.
- Home. - and fastened his own, much simpler seatbelt, as the vehicle started driving itself towards the Burnes estate. he didn't even bother to look outside, all his attention was on the little girl, watching her as she came to, the drugs slowly but surely wearing off.

The sedetive Eris had received had the effect of dehydrating her, thus her head throbbed awfully and felt a little nauseated. Battling through her discomfort, her mind sought to find bearings.

"Wh-where am I?“ she yowled, a feirce little warrior all cutely tied up in a toddlers childseat and harness. She recognised she was seated but she didn't recognise the old little leather lined room she shared with a stranger. Eris had never ridden in a car before. Her sensitive nose twitched. The smell of leather, polish and some sort of fragrance were all new to her and little stifling. She sneezed. It was adorable to see the big blue eyes blink in surprise. Known only to her the nappy beneath her dress grew a little wetter.

"Who are you?" Eris fixed the stranger beside her with a cross glare. He was culprit by circumstance to her childish mind. Her logic was thus. She was restrained, she didn't like that. He was the only person she could see aside from the back of someone else's head, therefore he must be the one to blame.

In instance her expression flickered to one of awe as she looked past the man and out of the window. The room was surrounded by windows and the windows showed all sorts of things moving by.

"There is a tree. And a house. And a car (she recognised the general shape from the outside). And a person and a dog and baby. And a... And a..." all things she had seen images of in her lessons but never before seen for herself, except for the few things which occasionally descended from the blue square of sky above the courtyard of ward B, such as birds and bugs.

"WE'RE OUTISDE!" she declared. She was niave but not slow. Her legs kicked happily and her ears were errect, what little of her tail she wasn't sat on swished.

Waking up with a headache from a daze was something Matthew could relate to - from his college years. No matter how elite the Cambridge University was, parties were, are and always will be a thing even in such a venerable institution. And thus, hungover students as well.
He was way past those years now, but the memories were still there.
- You're in my car, on the way to my home - he answered to her first question, not taking his eyes off her. She was just too adorable. Luckily, he wasn't prone to getting sick in a moving vehicle.
- I'm Matthew, your new owner. You'll be staying with me from now on, and I'll be taking care of you, but I also expect you to follow my rules. - he replied to the second question, although still in a friendly tone. He chuckled as her attention was immediately grabbed by the surroundings she suddenly had to take in. Through the tintd windows, she could indeed see sights she might only have seen on pictures so far.
- That is correct. In a sense. - he nodded, when she excitedly drew her conclusion, although her happy leg kicks were cut short by the soft but firm grasp of the ankle straps.
- Now, there's something important I need to ask you, Eris - Matt took a long serious look at her, hoping that, along with the leadup, caught her attention.
- Can you promise me you'll be a good little kitten? - he asked, and she maybe guessed what depended on that answer, maybe not. Regarding her wet nappy though, she had to tell Matthew about that.

"Matthew." Eris repeated distracted, her eyes still fixed to the sights outside the window, her head turned now to look out the side nearest to her, her shoulders straining against the restraints of her car seat harness. "I want outta this thing!" she whined.

She looked at Matthew imploringly with her big blue eyes but found him him staring back expectantly with a question of her own. She faulted for a moment, intimidated and then averted her eyes, bowing her head. "I can be a good girl." she answered contritely, settling back on her seat, slacking in the restraints. Years of conditioning compelled her to be still and quiet, in spite of her wild nature. She sat still like a good girl. Looking like a life sized doll.

- Sorry, kitten, it's needed for our safety as long as we're on the road. - Matt replied.
- See, even I'm wearing a seatbelt, just one designed for my size - and he demonstratively tugged on his own single shoulder strap.
- It's to make sure we don't get hurt falling out of our seats if we bump into something. - he explained, but then got serious and asked her the important question. However, her answer did not satisfy him, in fact it saddened him to see her give up and slack back in her seat, the smile and excitment vanishing from her cute little face.
- I know you can be, Eris - he said surprisingly softly, putting his right hand on her head and caressing her golden locks a little.
- I want to hear you promise you will be, so I can trust you and hold you to that promise. - Matt continued, still caressing Eris, trying to reassure and comfort her a bit. This was about way more than semantics, though. Seeing is not believing, but saying it yourself, usually is. An old business trick from applied psychology.

Eris enjoyed the soothing comfort of having her hair caressed but she was troubled by Matthew's request. She clasped her small hands to get at the plams and fidgited, her index fingers circling one another.

"I don't know that I'm very good at making promises.“ she answered. In fact she could think of very definate examples of when she'd broken a promise. She looked up from her hands to Matthew again."I can try though." she momentarily closed her eyes and flashing him a winning smile, revealing her sharp pearly teeth.

"i promise to be a good kitten."

That was one of the things Matt loved in children: they were exceptionally easy to read, not yet having learned all the tricks of hiding their intentions or manipulating others.
- In other words, you're not good at keeping them. - he summed it up. He seemed to have been successful in softening her up though, as she finally looked up with a bright smile, and made the important promise.
- That's a start. We'll see how you're going to keep it - he smiled, and opened the velcro straps holding her wrists and ankles. The harness stayed though, for her own safety.
- So I'm going to trust you until you give me a reason not to. - he explained his action, and gave her a gentle scratch behind her left ear, like he was petting a kitten.
- We'll be home in a short while, and then you get out of that seat too. I already prepared your room in the mansion, I genuinely hope you'll like it. - Matt winked at the diapered cutie.
- In the meantime, I'd love to know more about you, and you can ask me any question as well if you'd like to know more about me. First of all, I'd love to know your favourite food, toy and color. - he rested his chin on his right hand, leaning closer in as his own seatbelt allowed, looking at her with obvious curiosity.

The instinct was to rub at the pale skin of her recently released wrists and ankles, though she was not actually sore or bruised.

"What's a mansion?“she asked curiously. Her head was cocked to one side to lean into the ear scratch. Then she added brightly," it's your house isn't it? Where my new room is." she concluded having deconstructed the sentance." I don't wanna go to my new room. I had to stay in my old room and it was really boring. I'd rather just play all day instead."

If she hadn't been distracted by further questions she might have grown apprehensive, she was going to have to experience a lot of scary new things.

"My favourite food is salmon." Eris and her sisters had grown up on control diets but that didn't mean they were restricted from the occasional delecacy, so long as it was rich in nutrients. That being said the neko children were all slight for their age and required less substinance than humans comparatively. It would be easy for Eris to over do it if she was allowed to eat whatever she wanted.

"My favourite toy is my ball. It's fun because I can kick it and throw it and chase it but I'm always told I'm supposed to share..." Eris's eyes suddenly dilated and her lips quivered. She realised her ball was back at the facility. Worst still, so was the toy she didn't have to share with any of the others, her specail toy she had had since she was very little and she went to sleep with every night. The stuffie was soo important to her she hadn't even considered it a toy. But now she realised she wasn't going to be sleeping in her bed in her old room tonight, where she had left her stuffie behind. Tears began to well in her eyes.

"Where's my Bunny?!“, she wailed, kicking her loosened feet and pounding her arms into her lap. She was furious with herself for only realising this now and devastated to have left the plushie behind. Matthews last question was completely gone from her mind.

Unbeknownst to Eris, the facility staff had packed a bag for her with some of her clothes, nappies and personal effects. Unbeknownst to either her or Matthew was whether or not they had considered packing 'Bunny'.