Foxgirl Smackdown
Copyright© 2026 by Megumi Kashuahara
Chapter 5: The Quality Assurance Review
I woke up to the smell of ozone and cinnamon, and the distinct feeling that I had been run over by a heavy-duty mining haul-truck. My muscles didn’t just ache; they felt like they’d been disassembled and put back together by an amateur.
Beside me, the Alpha was sprawling across the bed, her tail draped over my legs like a victory sash. She looked radiant. I looked like a discarded rag.
“Morning, mechanic,” she purred, her ears flicking with an annoying amount of energy. “How is your ... hardware feeling today?”
“I think my warranty is voided,” I groaned, trying to sit up. The reinforced bed gave a supportive hiss. “I’ve got a rattle in my ribcage and my joints need a total overhaul.”
“A small price to pay for such a successful initial run,” she said, leaning over to lick a smudge of grease off my shoulder. “The pack is waiting outside. They want a status report.”
“A what?” I sat up too fast, and my head spun. “A status report? I haven’t even had coffee! There’s no data to report!”
“On the contrary,” she said, sliding out of the bed with a grace that was frankly insulting. “They want to know if the blueprints took. They want to know if the factory is officially open for business.”
I barely had time to pull on my grease-stained jumpsuit before she hissed the door open.
The hallway wasn’t just occupied; it was a gauntlet. The Chieftain was there, holding a ceremonial staff, flanked by the guards from the night before and a Vulpine who looked suspiciously like a Medical Inspector.
“The Human!” the Chieftain shouted, slamming his staff into the deck plates. “The Master of Tools! Tell us, mechanic—did the connection hold? Is the input compatible with the Alpha’s receptacle?”
I choked on my own spit. “I ... uh ... the technical interface was ... functional? We had some high-pressure moments, but the throughput was consistent.”
The Medical Inspector stepped forward, peering at the Alpha’s midsection as if he were looking for a ‘Check Engine’ light. “And the volume? Did the human provide a sufficient payload for a multi-unit production?”
“A payload?” I looked at the Alpha, pleading for help.
“He delivered a heavy-duty discharge,” she announced proudly, throwing an arm around my shoulders. “I felt the surge all the way to my primary cooling vents. I believe the first batch is already in the assembly phase.”
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