Delta 7 Pt. 05

As the transport module glided back down from Valor 7, Delta let his gaze sweep over the familiar surroundings. Below the pod, alpha trainees and supervisors went about their business under the high ceiling of the base's outer shell. And through the transparent ceiling, the vast expanse of space was visible. This was the deck he had grown up on. After the launch, who knew how many years it would be before their ship needed new recruits?

As Delta looked at the stars, his mind went back to the day he had first arrived on the outer deck of the base, the day he had last seen his mother. He hadn't thought about her in so long. How would she be doing now, ten years after they'd said their last goodbye? She had been an ordinary civilians from the lower decks, near the core of the base. He could imagine her cleaning floors, or maybe she was a machinery worker, or even a teacher. Ever since his chipping surgery, he hadn't been able to recollect specific details about his childhood. Names, faces, even his old deck number were gone. But he could still remember seeing the tears in her eyes as she'd hugged him. She'd had blue eyes, like his own, probably, it didn't really matter. He did remember how proud she had been, of him, her only child, joining the defenders of humanity.

He'd always wanted to make her proud.

With a sigh, he let his chin rest on his arm. He couldn't imagine she would have been proud if she found out what had become of him now. Maybe, for the first time, he was glad that the military didn't allow contact with civilian family members. Better if she believed he was doing well.

He let his forehead rest against the window in powerless frustration. Why, why had they even selected him back then? The genetic deficiency thing was bullshit, surely. If it was true, then that would mean that they'd known, all this time. It would mean he would have never even had a chance to rise above gamma status. And why make him a delta? He didn't have the means to be the obedient, selflessly caring companion they wanted him to be.

Had they turned him into a delta by accident then? Had they made a mistake during the culling ceremony? It didn't make sense. They weren't supposed to make mistakes like that.

He collected himself as the Biocare medical facility came into view. He didn't care if the alpha had seen him lose his composure. It was all bullshit anyway.

With a firm tap to the ground, the transport came to a halt at their destination. The doors opened.

Where were the guards? Delta didn't see any supervisors waiting for them either. It was just him and Alpha 7.

If he could find a way to get rid of the guy...

Adrenaline urged him to run, to escape, but he tried to push it back. Where would he even run to? There was nowhere else to go.

His eyes flicked back at the alpha, seated across from him. The alpha's golden-brown eyes met Delta's sharply, as if daring him to make a move. He had been so painstakingly gentle before, but Delta knew that something had shifted between them last night. Suddenly, the alpha had stopped patronizing him, as if he finally saw Delta for the soldier he was, not some child or pet to be doted over.

'You won't get far with that tracker still on you.' Alpha 7 said, his voice cutting through the tense silence.

Delta's hand instinctively went to his wrist, tugging at the edge of the comm that had been embedded into his bone with titanium hooks. Even if he managed to escape, the military would find him. They would hunt him down like a dog. He smiled grimly as he pictured it, a dog with a bright shiny bell around its neck.

'I know that,' he said, pushing himself up from his seat.

The alpha didn't react, still looking at him with those searching eyes.

'Well, you coming?'

* * *

At the threshold of the facility, an unfamiliar doctor welcomed them. She was a young alpha with red bands on her white lab coat's upper arms. She had a complexion similarly dark to Iris', but that's where the similarities ended. The alpha doctor had more curves, round cheeks, and had modified her lips with bright artificially red coloring. There wasn't a glint of warmth in her eyes.

Upon verifying their identities via the numbers etched into their comms, she led them inside. Their steps echoed against the stainless steel walls, floor, and ceiling.

He'd gone to Biocare for checkups every year since his chipping surgery ten years ago; these hallways were different from the ones he'd gone through before. He definitely wasn't here for a regular check-up, but instead of panicking about it, he felt strangely detached from it.

'Undress, Delta,' instructed the doctor as they stepped into a small sterile room.

Delta took his boots, pants and jacket off.

'Fully.'

With a slight smile, Delta slipped his boxers down. Showing defiance was probably not smart right now, but it sure felt good to forcefully interpret her words this freely. If they were going to take his "defiance" away from him, he might as well shock her while he could. The look of horror on her face was a reward in itself.

With a deep breath, the doctor regained her composure. 'You can take a seat now. Sit here, Delta 7, and you there, Alpha 7,' she said, pointing at their respective seats.

Delta settled into the large seat the doctor appointed him. Its slanted padding made it difficult not to lean back, and once he did, he had to strain his head up if he wanted to keep his eyes on the others. It felt even more uncomfortable than the last time he'd been in one of these.

Alpha 7 took a place in a completely normal office chair, because of course he did.

'Thank you, Melany,' he said.

The doctor had a name? Delta propped himself up to stare at her. Had she introduced herself during their walk here? He didn't remember. He must have been spacing out more than he thought.

'Easy, Delta,' Seven warned, reacting to his movement. Delta ignored it. The order was vague enough that he could stay propped up, and watched as the doctor, Melany, scrolled through his files on a small hand-held tablet. His comm kept track of his vitals, and Biocare had access to all the data gathered by his comm.

After a while, she set the tablet down on her desk and came to stand beside Delta's chair.

Without hesitation, she lifted his limp dick with one hand and began palpating the scar tissue underneath.

Delta cringed under her touch. She was far firmer than Alpha 7 had been.

His grip tightened on the edges of his seat, whitening his knuckles. He didn't want her hands on him. He hadn't even touched himself since they'd taken that away from him. He didn't want to be reminded of it.

'It all seems to be in order. Alpha 7, you've applied the Medicare gel as instructed?'

'Yes, I saw to it personally.' His voice sounded from beyond Delta's field of vision.

'Good.' The doctor stood up and searched Delta's eyes. 'Are you experiencing any discomfort?'

'Of course I--'

'Does it hurt?' she interrupted, modifying her previous question.

'I--, no, it doesn't.'

The scar tissue wasn't painful. A thin line over skin that had been stretched and smoothly stitched back up. Bile welled up in his throat. He really didn't want to think about it.

'You know why you're here?'

Delta clenched his jaw. His military training demanded him to answer, but she hadn't ordered him to respond yet.

'You're familiar with the standard checkup procedure? Answer me.'

'Yes.' Of course he was fucking familiar with it. He'd come to his check-ups ever since he'd been ten years old.

'Good, now don't move.'

Delta released his breath and stared at the ceiling as the doctor lowered a circular scanner down over his head.

The ring glowed when she pushed a button, and began slowly moving down to scan his head. He was familiar with this. The scanning never took long. He was okay. He was fine.

When it was done, the doctor turned the machine off, but she didn't push the scanner back up. The metal ring was only a finger's width away from his brow, keeping his head down even if he decided to interpret her command to stay put to be over by now..

'Alpha 7? Join me outside for a minute, please,' Melany requested, suddenly polite now that she was addressing somebody of equal ranking.

As the alphas left the room, Delta flexed his fists open and closed them again. He hated to be left in the dark about what they were planning to do to him.

When they returned, the doctor held up the tablet for him to see, the scanner still holding him down against the chair. On the screen were visuals on his brain scan results.

the chip sat like a fat spider anchored to the base of his skull, with thin hair-like legs stretching out into the deeper tissue of his brain. During puberty, the tendrils had slowly dug deeper and deeper, until it was fully settled and impossible to remove.

He'd always hated looking at these images.

'Nothing seems to be wrong with the chipping or configuration settings. Hierarchy has been fully integrated, and comm analytics confirm the chip's hormonal distribution,' Melany explained. 'It really is the personality that must be causing the difficulties. Honestly, I don't know how he made it through his graduation,' she mused.

He'd made it because he wasn't supposed to be a fucking delta. But even if she recognised the mistake, she would never admit it. Delta forcefully released the flicker of hope that had flared up in his chest.

'Thankfully, there are a few ways we can rectify this behavior,' the doctor continued, now addressing Delta directly. 'Your alpha requested not to make these adjustments overly drastic for now. We'll have to adjust your reluctance to offer affection and submission without resorting to punishment modules.'

Alpha 7 came to stand by Delta's other side and gently squeezed his shoulder.

Delta shook him off. He didn't need the guy's patronizing's affection right now.

The alpha pulled back, seemingly distraught. the doctor, however, didn't seem impressed anymore.

'We can enhance the calibration between your two chips, increasing the delta's responsiveness to your needs and desires.' She adressed Alpha 7 again.

'No, wait.' Delta objected. He couldn't hold it back. The words just left his mouth.

'Additionally, we need to enhance his responsiveness to praise and touch,' ignoring him, she continued in the same unbothered tone, already opening the control switches on her tablet.

'Deltas are naturally submissive creatures. Of course their calibration always includes sensitivity to praise and touch, even if this one seems a bit reluctant to follow those instincts. I will amplify this responsiveness, and then I recommend generous use of his positive reinforcement modules. You'll be able to train him according to your preferences.'

A conflicted expression flicked over the alpha's face. 'He's not... he's not a pet.'

'We all need training, soldier.' The doctor smiled, then patted Delta's chest, right over his designation mark. 'You should be very grateful your alpha cares so much about you. I'm sure you'll grow to love your new configuration soon enough.'

Delta shut his eyes as the circle around his head started humming. He would fight it. This time he would fight it, somehow.

* * *

A small click sounded, and the humming stopped. Shit, was it done? When he opened his eyes, the circlet was already pushed away from his head.

He hadn't even... he hadn't even had a chance.

Melany shifted her focus from the tablet screen to Delta, her eyes assessing him intently. 'Let's put the calibration to the test,' she said, her voice revealing no more than a clinical curiosity.

'Stand up, Delta. Easy.'

He pushed himself up, feeling disoriented at the sudden movement. Any second now, he expected his body to betray him, his thoughts to feel different from before.

'Good, you're doing great.' She commented when he stood next to the chair.

Delta swallowed. He'd felt that.

'Alpha 7, I want you to stand closer to your delta. Put your arm around him.'

Delta looked at Alpha 7, his alpha. Alpha wanted him. He could feel the desire as if it was his own.

He would touch him. He was going to-.

The touch was so light. Delta braced himself as the alpha pulled him close. He wouldn't lean into it. He wouldn't give into this.

No, wait. If he resisted now, they would only increase whatever they'd done to him. He had to show them he was good now, satisfy them. Delta closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. He had to let go, just for now.

The warmth and strength of Alpha's body already calmed him down. Fuck, this was exactly what the doctor had said would happen.

With effort, he forcefully opened his eyes again. He could feel Alpha's pulse quicken.

Melany nodded approvingly. 'Now, hold him closer and tell him he's doing well.'

Alpha tightened his grip around Delta, drawing him even nearer. Delta's heart raced. He stared up at the ceiling, but could still see Alpha's face from the corner of his eye. 'You're doing well, Delta,' Alpha said with a reassuring smile.

Melany observed closely, her eyes shifting between her tablet and Delta's response, catching every nuance of his-, his discomfort. 'Very good,' she said. 'Now, Delta, I want you to initiate touch. Place your hand on your alpha's chest.'

Trembing - fucking trembling -, Delta extended his hand and lightly pressed his palm against the alpha's chest. The warmth of his body radiated through the fabric of his shirt, triggering a rush of everything within him.

'Keep telling him he's doing well, alpha.'

Alpha now held Delta's gaze. His grip remained steady, his thumb absently rubbing circles on Delta's shoulder. 'You're doing so well for us,' he said, his voice filled with encouragement.

Delta swallowed, hard. His hand remained on Alpha's chest. He was so weak for it. But no matter what happened, this exchanges was just a performance, these emotions were artificial. This wasn't him.

Melany's gaze flickered between them with clinical detachment. 'Very well,' she concluded, curling her lips in a faint smile of satisfaction.

* * *

Melany watched from the entryway as her clients left the facility, Alpha 7's arm resting protectively around his delta's waist.

Unseen by them, Malany's hand instinctively went to her belly. It didn't show yet, but there was life growing inside her. A new unborn soldier, who would, in a few years, surely join the military to help defeat the enemy. She had wanted to tell Alpha 7 that it had worked, that their short two nights together had resulted in something so wonderful, even a month later, it was still hard to believe it had worked.

Of course, when she had volunteered to take Alpha 7 and his delta on as her clients, she had told herself she would remain professional. She had tried to act like any other reconfiguration doctor would. Still it had felt good to see the recognition in Alpha 7's eyes. He had even remembered her name, the name she had told him softly, in secret. She had been nothing but one of the many women that the young alpha in training must have shared his seed with, but he had remembered her. The genuine warmth of his eyes made her remember how he had been, back then.

She shook the memories away, and smiled slightly. Of course an alpha like him wouldn't have wanted to install punishment modules into his delta.

She couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. It couldn't have been easy, his first few days mated to a delta this stubbornly rigid. It was clear that the delta hadn't chosen this path willingly. The uncertainty in his eyes, the subtle flinch as she began the adjustment, the all-out defiance he'd showcased, interpreting their commands so freely.

The Delta was dangerous. For more extreme cases like this, Biocare protocol suggested punishment modules against insubordination, in addition to the positive reinforcement modules to assist in the bonding process. But despite the proven effectiveness of the method, Melany fully supported the alpha's decision to go with positive reinforcements only.

The delta would now be able to willingly embrace his new role. Deltas were essential pillars of support, offering a sanctuary where their alphas could reveal their vulnerabilities without fear of retaliation, and punishment modules often damaged something irreparable to the bonding process.

And bonding was so important, crucial even, if they ever wanted to win this war, even more important than people realized. Melany was one of the few people, even within Biocare, who understood the full depth of it. She had made the study and development of alpha-delta relations her whole career, and she had been given knowledge far beyond the publicly accessible information.

After neural interfaces were configured, and hormonal adjustments were completed during the graduation process, the connection between alphas and deltas could evolve into so much more than the simple hierarchical relationship people often took it for. Most people were led to believe it was no more than a simple bond between the assertive leadership of an alpha being paired with the gentle submissiveness of a delta, given to them to alleviate some of the burdens that alphas shouldered.

But once bonded, the relationship was so much more than that.

Biologically, the pheromone compositions emitted by alphas could trigger a full cascade of soothing effects in their delta. In return, the delta's own subconscious would slowly begin to imprint on their alpha, and once they were fully bonded, this would give the alpha access to a heightened state of cognitive clarity, as their neural capacity slowly expanded into the neural pathways offered by their bonded delta. It was beneficial for everybody, and necessary for the alphas to effectively lead their crew against the threat of the enemy out there.

As the two approached their transport pod, and Alpha 7 released his arm from around his delta's waist, Melany's eyes caught a subtle shift in the delta's stance. As they entered the transport, his shoulders eased forward slightly, their arms brushing as they entered through the sliding doors.

Inside the pod, before the doors closed, Melany noticed the way the delta positioned himself in the seat next to Alpha 7, a slight lean towards his superior, their thighs touching. It was so different from when they'd arrived here.

Once the pod lifted into the air, Melany walked back into the facility, the hem of her labcoat twirling around each step. She couldn't help but feel a sense of quiet satisfaction, knowing that her work would ultimately contribute to the happiness of her clients, and, ultimately, to the success of their mission.

It had been tricky, but Melany was proud. She had done well to secretly increase the delta's sensitivity to his new positive reinforcement modules more than the recommended amount. Now it wouldn't be long before the delta finally stopped resisting the bond and gave his alpha what he needed.