To say that my head ached would be to say that space is a big place. Agony beyond comprehension washed throughout my entire being, and yet I didn’t have the capacity to elicit anything more than a dull groan.
Where the hell was I?
Where even … what even … who, even?
My brain felt like it was being wrung through the hands of an angry goddess. But my eyes were starting to register … something? It didn’t look like much. Anything at all really. But I wasn’t dead. I hoped.

A voice surprised me, neatly clipped tones shaping words I struggled to understand.
‘Mistress, you’re awake.’

Who? Oh … she meant me. I think?
Who the hell even was I?
My body made a vain attempt to move, but my synapses only got as far as the suggestion of action.

I opened my mouth to speak, though what poured from my mouth was more a verbal slurry to the equivalent of: ‘Who are … you? Me? Where?’

The voice paused before answering, ‘Of course, the neuro-reconstructive specialist mentioned that there may be a large degree of memory loss. In any regard, the fact that the Mistress is alive is … a miracle. Thank the Goddess.’

Her response left me with only more questions, but gracefully she continued.

‘Mistress is Cadmia of House Harmonia, daughter of Master Nahash, May He Rest in Peace, and Master Neidr, Honours Upon Her. I am Mistress’ personal servant and loyal Maid of House Harmonia. Currently we are located in the private medical care of one of the most renowned …’

Her response continued to flow, answering my questions though I could barely register any of it, the words sliding off my brain without resistance.

‘Okay … what’s your name?’ I asked, ‘You didn’t answer that part.’

‘My name? Oh, of course. My name is Deianira.’

‘Right … right … Deianira …’

It was at that moment that all my remaining strength left me.

I’d had no way of knowing how much time had passed before I’d awoken again. But this time I could actually see remarkably clearly.
I still couldn’t sit up at all; my attempt to do so left me with a stabbing abdomen pain and a rushing of air from my lungs.

That voice rang out again, ‘Mistress, you must be careful. I know you can be … willful, but you must rest.’

I turned my head to try and look at her. I had to blink once or twice to make sure that what I was seeing was real.
She was certainly feminine, that couldn’t be denied. Straight crimson hair, cut in diagonal slashes, alternating in direction from her fringe and the back of her hair, framing a face of sharp features and intelligent eyes I could barely read the emotion of. But it was the rest of her that drew my attention.
Her skin shone in the sterile light of the ward, soft-looking and unnaturally perfect. There was something disturbing about the glassiness of her eyes, how she seemed to look right through me.
But her outfit was stranger still. The dress was all ruffles and pleats and black and white but it didn’t look like fabric, more like … rubber? Everything except those polished little round-toed shoes with the wedge heels and snake buckles.
Looking closer, everything seemed to be made of rubber. The stockings, the petticoats, the elbow length gloves, all in white; the shining black dress … there was a sinking feeling as I realised that the texture of her skin had a similar but duller shine to it.
The only visible part of her that wasn’t made of latex was a heavy collar which encompassed nearly her entire neck, some durable matte black metal bearing some crest too distant to make out.

I could only find the barest words to encapsulate my thoughts, ‘What are you?’

The thing blinked twice in confusion before speaking again, ‘I am Deianira, Mistress. A Maid of your House. I am a Doll.’

Recognition sprouted within my head, ‘Right, I remember now.’

I tried to shift myself around to try and become more comfortable, though to little avail. A hand slapped against my face, startling me until I realised that this hand was my own. I rubbed the side of my head.

‘Could you tell me what happened? I don’t remember anything.’

‘Of course Mistress. It was as you were attending a new weapons demonstration from House Harmonia’s research and development corps, when an unexpected detonation destroyed much of Mistress’ brain matter.’

‘Wait, stop. My brain?’ I asked, slack jawed.

‘Yes Mistress. Severe physical trauma had been dealt to your brain, and you were brought here for reconstructive nanite surgery.’

‘On my brain?’

‘Yes Mistress.’

‘Oh. How much of my brain?’

‘Well, it wasn’t just your brain, Mistress,’ Deianira shifted uncomfortably.

‘Then how much of me-’

I couldn’t finish my thought. I had to see. Trying to brace myself against the pain I tried to lift myself up, but felt something holding my chest down. Some sort of broad segufix belt.

‘The process of reconstructing your body hasn’t been completed yet, Mistress. It is advised that you don’t move too much.’

There was something of a dim flame lit within me at her words, but it guttered out quickly. I sighed an exhale and settled back into the bed.
‘That makes sense. I’m not looking well, then?'

‘No Mistress,’ she said, without a moment of hesitation.

A palpable, uncomfortable silence descended. I was barely able to understand just who the hell I was, let alone my situation. And then there was Deianira. She did describe herself as a doll, didn’t she? I didn’t imagine that?
I looked at her again. There was an uncanny stillness to her but she still seemed so alive. Human-like, if it weren’t for the strangeness of her body. Even the crook of her elbow looked like it was subtly some sort of artificial joint. Was she human or not? Just what the hell was she?
And why did I have this … feeling growing in my chest? I didn’t have words to describe it, I couldn’t pin it down.

‘How much of me is gone? Really?’

‘Currently Mistress is missing both her legs, as well as the left half of her pelvis. Mistress’ right arm was required to be amputated and is to be replaced with an augmetic limb. After the accident it was estimated over a third of Mistress’ brain was destroyed or suffered notable damage, but has since been reconstructed using previous brain activity records and with the aid of donated thought pattern sequencing,’ Deianira informed me, ‘If Mistress requests it, emergency armaments may be integrated with the limb such as a Harmonia-pattern personal A-M/G flechette carbine, or a micronedge integrated blade.’

I blinked for a second, starting to feel waves of lethargy surging up my body.

‘Swords are … nice.’

With that most elucidated observation, I passed out.

When next I awoke I found myself in a sitting position, apparently having sprouted legs in the time I was unconscious. Examining my extremities more in my hazy state, it seemed I’d finally gotten around to growing back both my arms too. Or was this that replacement Deianira had mentioned?

‘How are you feeling, Mistress?’

I looked up to see Deianira standing surprisingly close to me, making me jump in my chair. No, wheelchair.

‘Ugh. My skin feels like … why are words so hard? Ugh, like I want to scratch it all over.’

‘If I may, Mistress. Much of your cranial matter was destroyed in the previous months you have been admitted here for care. It is not unreasonable that you would be struggling with your vocabulary.’

‘Months!’ I started, ‘What do you mean? I’ve only been awake … what, three times?’

‘It is understandable that Mistress would perceive of it that way. If I may, the specialist has mentioned that your ability to form memories has been … hampered. My sincerest apologies if I have overwhelmed you, Mistress.’

‘Right.’

Another silence.

‘So, Deianira. What are you doing here?’

Deianira blinked in surprise, ‘Pardon, Mistress?’

‘Why are you here? I know you’re my Maid, whatever that is, but you’re always just … standing there. Do you go somewhere when I’m asleep?’

‘I’m … not sure I understand you, Mistress. I was instructed to watch over you by your mother, Master Neidr. She has stressed the importance of your care after your older siblings perished in the unfortunate events surrounding Mistress’ injury.’

‘Hold on, siblings? I have siblings?’

‘Yes Mistress. Eight, as matter of fact. Six of biological or caesarian birth, one of Abrahamic gestation, and another of adopted origin.’

‘All dead?’
I wasn’t sure if it was just my obliterated mind or something else, but somehow I had absolutely no emotional reaction to this news. That fact alone left me somehow feeling chilled.

‘Indeed Mistress. If I may theorise, it may have been because you had been busy seeing to my discipline in a maintenance corridor at the time.’

‘Your discipline … wait, there’s not a scratch on you from the blast. Is there?’

‘Mistress had been standing over me quite closely at the time, shielding most of me from the impact. Even I had thought you were dead when we were pulled from the rubble.’

‘When I was … what had I been-’ I began before a pit opened up in my stomach, ‘No, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.’

‘I assure you Mistress, your actions were justified,’ Dienaria said, though I could hear a slight edge to her voice as she said this, ‘As Mistress is aware, I am a Doll. Not a person but Property of House Harmonia.’

‘Then why are you … so strange?’ I couldn’t help but ask, ‘Were you ever a person?’

‘I-’ Deianira began but suddenly stopped as if unsure how to continue.

I tried giving her an encouraging look, ‘Yes?’

‘Once.’

Now was my turn to blink in confusion. I ventured to ask, ‘Once?’

Deianira nodded solemnly.

‘Right. Um. I’m … sorry. If I made you uncomfortable, I mean.’

Deianira’s head snapped up in wide eyed shock.

‘Mistress?’

‘Yes?’

‘Um … thank you, Mistress.’

Something echoing disgust retched in my throat as I tried to wave off her apology and swallow the alien feeling.
‘D-Don’t worry about it. But … goddess, where do we even go from here? What about my Mother? Where has she been?’

‘Master Neidr has been seeing to the business of House Harmonia. She has tasked me with watching over Mistress while you recover.’

‘I see,’ I nodded, head bowing pensively.
Mother hadn’t visited me in months, even after a miracle of medical science was successfully performed on her only remaining daughter? What manner of woman was this?

‘But … if Mistress would like me to answer to her former question, I am permitted to sleep when I am no longer able to keep watch.’

‘No longer able? So when you need to eat or such?’

‘Yes, though I am instructed not to sleep as long as I can help it.’

‘That’s not-’

My thoughts were scattered from my head with the sound of hurried footsteps on hard floors approaching the door to my ward before it slammed open, revealing a woman which immediately inspired equal admiration and disgust in my mind, addled by missing memories.
Her fashion was easily the most striking thing about her, especially her ankle-length dress. Sable black fur, fitting tightly to a body that seemed too proud to disgrace itself with any cosmetic augmetics, the taxidermied heads of three purebred pitbulls acting as a shoulder accessory, long sleeve with attached glove down the same arm, the neckline of the dress plunging beneath her other arm to leave the right completely bare.
Her lilac hair was curled into an intricate beehive of circular shapes, identical in shade to the nail polish and lipstick she wore, her mouth sharp and waspish. Her pointed nose and gaunt cheeks gave her an oddly skeletal appearance, but despite the unnerving and severe nature of her couture she smiled broadly with a mouth full of reddish-gold teeth.

‘Ah, my Darling Cadmia, I see you’re finally better,’ the woman said. I couldn’t interpret the tone she used, as if someone was seething with happiness.
The woman strode closer, Deianira demurely stepping out of the way before she could be bowled over by the skeletal creature, ‘It’s me, Darling. Your loving Mother. Tell me, are you walking yet?’

‘Oh? Well, I … no. Not yet, I just-’

‘Why not?’ Mother demanded, a sudden choking feeling wrapping around my neck at her words. She whipped upright and turned to Deianira angrily, ‘Why has she not been walking?’

As the Maid began answering, another set of running footsteps barged into the room, soon followed by the one who caused the sound, a haggard-looking woman in a white lab coat and wide circular glasses. Blue rubber clogs squeaked with every step on the marble floor as she approached and bowed with deference to Mother.
‘Master Neidr!’ she gasped, her deep bow naturally transitioning into being bent double to catch her breath, ‘We did not receive word of your arrival today!’

‘Nonsense!’ Mother shrieked, the sound like a thousand years of broken glass in my ears. ‘You are honoured to be working at the behest of the Great House Harmonia! I would expect you to be ready for our arrival at any moment!’

Before the doctor could even begin to stammer out an intimidated apology, Mother was upon her again, demanding to see files, research notes, threatening hostile takeovers of their institution and worse, practically reducing the woman to terrified tears as the doctor fled to retrieve everything and more that Mother had demanded.
Mother turned back to face me again and I felt that uncanny pit of fear open up in my chest again.

‘Oh Darling, what’s the matter? I know that neuro-reconstructivist said you’d have some issues in the few weeks of your recovery but what does she know? You’re of House Harmonia after all. Pride of Mars! Now, I expect to see you up and about, and back at the palace within the week, understand? You’re the eldest now and it’s time for you to step up and take some initiative. The future of our Great House is your responsibility now!’
Neidr stopped for a moment to brush herself off and extracted some sort of compact from some hidden pocket of her clothes before examining it.
‘Goddess, look at the time. I have an investor’s meeting in ten minutes. Deianira, ensure Cadmia is doing her exercises at the proper gravitational pressure.’

‘Yes Master Neidr.’

Without so much as a goodbye, Mother turned on her heel and left the room. She didn’t even close the door.
Deianira moved across the room and shut the door in Mother’s wake. She turned to me and saw something that must’ve taken her aback.

‘Mistress … you’re shaking.’

I looked down at my hands and saw that for whatever reason I couldn’t keep them still. They just … they wouldn’t stop moving on their own. Shaking. Shivering. My eyes clouded and something dripped from them. It was only by then that I noticed my breathing. I sounded like that doctor that had just sprinted across the whole facility.

Deianira approached me and knelt by my side, ‘Mistress, would you like me to call for Master Nai-’

‘No!’ I screamed, the sudden intensity of my reaction shocking me out of my torpor. It was as my eyes settled on Deianira’s face that she looked as if in the middle of a fearful wince. A dim thought wondering where my arm had gone entered my head.
I looked to my left to see my right hand, poised and shaking with barely restrained tension, aimed to swing down in a forceful arc at Deianira. But there was no movement. Only my dull emotional shock.

Deianira peeked an eye open just as I forced my right arm back onto the armrest of my wheelchair.
‘Does … Mistress wish for me to-’

I couldn’t let her finish her sentence.

‘You’re relieved for now. Just … go. Go for a walk, or … or something. Get some fresh air. Get a drink or something, I don’t know. I just need a minute to think.’

‘Yes Mistress. What would you like for your refreshment?’

‘What? No, get one for yourself. You need a break.’

Deianira blinked, utterly astonished, ‘As you wish, Mistress.’

After I was sure Deianira left, I let out an agonised sigh and ran my fingers tightly over my scalp. I was about to hit her. I was about to strike her across the face for so much as a suggestion out of line.
What is wrong with me?

Deianira sat demurely on a low, hard seat of the facility corridor, an open can of cola fizzing in her hand. The brand proudly announced its history dating back since the year 2001. Did it taste the same now as it did back then?
Her stare interrogated it, the carbonated liquid a taste she herself had forgotten from years and years of servitude. Long before she was remoulded by ~ / her Mis̶͕̐t̸͉̿-̶̱͒ ̷̡͑/̵̳́~̶͇̆ that woman on Jupiter. Before she was tossed into a business deal. No longer a crown jewel, now just a durable Toy for a sociopathic princess of no importance at all to her sole remaining parent, who was at this point thoroughly sick of having such a high mortality rate amongst the servants.
But it seemed things had changed yet again.

The sound of the carbonation echoed in her mind louder than anything else. The fizzing pops of bubbles echoed in her focus like the static of a spacer’s broken distress beacon.
Somehow I’m more afraid of her now, Deianira thought as she took a dainty sip of the cola. The carbonation bit her tongue harshly. She’d forgotten how sickly sweet anything made with reconstituted transfructose syrup tasted.
F̵̣̟̖̿u̴̫̜̦̔͗̀͘ͅc̷̹̣̩͍̃́̏k̴̰͕̈́̈̎̋͜,̴͉͔̞̓̿̒, she’d missed this.