The dozens of tiny filtration devices grafted to the inside of Maeve's lungs worked to eliminate all of the noxious chemicals contained in the smoke that she was inhaling. The nicotine that she craved remained was allowed to go through, however, granting her a small amount of comfort and relief with every puff. Only the orange tip of her half-consumed cigarette could be seen by normal eyes as she stood with her back pressed against a wall in a narrow, pitch black alleyway across the street from the Alabaster Maiden. Maeve's chronometer told her that it was just about time for her to go inside and find out what her wealthy 'benefactor' wanted with her.<br/><br/><em>Benefactor my ass</em>, she thought acrimoniously while passing by some stupid statue of a woman. Casting a disinterested glance towards it, Maeve pulled the butt of her cigarette from between her lips and carelessly flicked it at the stone lady's feet before continuing inside the hotel. Practically snarling as she stepped inside and got a good look at the luxurious interior as well as the highbrow crowd that filled it, she found herself receiving similar reactions from most of the people that she crossed, all of them clad in the best designer clothing that money could buy. One ice cold glance was usually enough to send and of them scurrying, although Maeve ignored most of the dirty looks and whispers until she made it to the red couches.<br/><br/>She noticed that she wasn't alone. There were three other women with her, and together they formed quite a disparate group.<em>A team</em>, Maeve guessed immediately, having been in the game long enough to have been there and done that dozens of times. The sight of the guy in the suit, on the other hand, immediately gave her a flashback of the first time that she woke up in that hotel room after being taken away from Kiko.<em>Kiko...</em>just the thought of the beautiful and cruel woman sent a shiver down her spine. Never had Maeve feared or loathed anyone so intensely. Nobody had ever made her wish for death before, but the Renraku employee had gotten her to beg for it until her throat was sore.  She still had nightmares of the countless things that the sadistic bitch had done to her, a different one every night.<br/><br/>The memory of the hotel room was extremely vague, since she'd been slipping in and out of consciousness at the time, but she was pretty sure that there had been a man in a suit standing by a window; and he had the controller in his hand. The very same one that Kiko had used; the one that could bring Maeve to her knees with the simple touch of a dial. She usually sat in a more casual posture with her legs spread, but the thought of being zapped again made Maeve squeeze her thighs together as she brought a hand up to touch the metal collar around her neck. Disappointingly, it was still there, and she knew that the bottom half of the torture device was too.<br/><br/>Mr. Johnson was smart to keep them on her. Maeve wasn't somebody that you wanted to piss off - not piss of in a bar during some drunken argument, but<em>really</em>piss off - and nothing had ever made her more furious than being 'purchased'. Unfortunately, the son of a bitch didn't show up in the flesh, using a hologram to do his talking instead. Another smart move. If nothing else, Maeve was at least finally able to associate a face to her owner.<em>Augmented to the nines, and yet I'm still less than human.</em>She tugged at her collar which suddenly seemed to have shrunk around her neck, making her feel much more uncomfortable than usual. Kiko would pay for breaking and humiliating her - even though Maeve knew that she wasn't skilled enough in the art of torture to pay the woman back in full - but so would the chubby bastard who thought to keep her as slave.<br/><br/>As it turned out, Maeve and the other girls still didn't know much by the time that they'd made it up to the apartment that would serve as their new home. She noticed that none of them wore collars around their necks, which only made her more bitter. It felt weird knowing that she was going to be living in such a lavish suite. Maeve was used to moving around a lot, usually from one dump to another while all of her earnings from jobs went towards augmentations, booze and gambling, so it was going to take some getting used to.<br/><br/>Immediately, she gravitated towards the bar, hardly caring about the small armory that could be seen through the panel which had been left open as she reached for a fancy looking bottle of rum. Maeve eagerly yanked the stopper out and took a good long swig of the golden-brown liquid, relishing the burning sensation as it slid down her throat and gave her that hit which she felt that she needed. She set the bottle down just long enough to take off her studded leather jacket which she threw on top of the bar counter. The rest of Maeve's outfit consisted of a faux-corset styled top which left her shoulders bare, a short leather skirt, a pair of ripped stockings covering most of her legs and heavy black lacquered combat boots on her feet that went up to just below her knees.<br/><br/>Retrieving her alcohol, Maeve took another swig before heading to the massive bathroom where she'd heard the frail looking chick was taking bathing in the purple fabric of her dress. "How can you tell?" she asked offhandedly while glancing at herself in the mirror, taking note of her unkempt hair, the dark creases beneath her eyes and the two day old makeup that made her look like even more of a hot mess than usual.