FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Just over two hours later found the three returning home, Cherry barely able to sit and Cindy in the back seat, laying with Zerrex, who had his eyes closed and was breathing peacefully. His daughter's pants were a bit stained with blood, but that was nothing out of the ordinary for them: Cindy had to admit that she felt more and more that she was turning out like her father in finding it almost sexy.

But when Cherry halted at the curb, Zerrex's eyes snapped open, and he only had to glance up once to realize something was wrong: in a flash, he and Cherry both leapt over the side of the car, Cindy letting out a grunt as she found herself falling back onto the cushioned back seat before she looked up with a blink, then gasped and quickly followed.

The front door was open, and the curtains had been closed over the windows: the first was something Elliot would never do, the second impossible, because the windows didn't even have curtains. But Zerrex had already made a charge for the door, his thoughts only on his daughter as he easily outpaced Cherry and jumped through the frame, his trained eyes picking up every small detail as a snarl rose to his muzzle; the slight crack in the frame, the splatters of blood on the grass outside the door and on the carpet inside, and then he slid to a stop in the archway leading into the living room.

"Elliot..." he whispered, and it felt like the breath had been knocked from his lungs. The cat was sitting against his shattered television, his eyes half-glazed, his jaws twitching. His once-immaculate clothes had been torn to ribbons, and he was stained with his own blood, his spread legs in a V... and with his own entrails sitting in his lap. His face was stained with gore, sweat and tears... and drool fell from his open jaws.

Then the feline blinked, and Zerrex walked quickly forwards, kneeling beside him and reaching up a hand - a hand that trembled ever so slightly - to gently grasp his shoulder, as Elliot looked at him, almost through him. Then the cat coughed, blood dripping out of his muzzle, and he gave a choked laugh as he rasped quietly: "I didn't... think I would... make it long enough to... see you one last time, Boss."

"Don't talk, Elliot. We'll... goddammit..." The Drakkaren broke off as he heard footsteps behind him and a muttered curse, then quick backpedaling that was broken by a scream of horror. Then there was the sound of tussling, yelling as Cindy demanded to see Elliot, to see her godfather, to talk to him... but Cherry restrained her as Zerrex gave the cat a slow look over.

It was terrible in its expertise... the cat's intestines had slipped out between his legs, but Zerrex couldn't see any damage at all on the organs... there was a lot of blood, and he was obviously in agony... but whoever had done this had just made one quick slash and executed it with surgical precision. And his clothes were torn and ripped, with bruises and cuts over the rest of his body, but the Drakkaren didn't need to take more than a single look to know that they had come from a severe beating.

Elliot gave a dry chuckle: a horrible sound that wrenched the Drakkaren's heart as the cat looked up at him with a broken smile, and Zerrex had to lean in close to listen to the cat's whispers over the sounds of Cindy's sobbing. "It's okay... Zerrex... I've just... been trying to hold on long enough to let you know that... they took Marina..."

"What?" Zerrex squeezed the cat's shoulder, then quickly relented despite the fury and concern rising in him all the stronger now, as he swallowed hard; he didn't want to cause Elliot any more pain. But it seemed that the feline didn't even recognize what had happened: instead, he simply shook his head and gave a weak smile, looking past Zerrex for a moment as the reptile heard staggering footsteps come towards them, and then Cindy fell on her knees, her body slumping against her father's as tears streamed down her face, one arm wrapping around him as she looked into the eyes of her godfather.

"Elliot..." she whispered, and then she reached one trembling hand out and touched his face, swallowing hard as she tried to hold back her sobs. The cat tried to reach a hand up, but his fingers only twitched, and Zerrex realized with a mix of despair and admiration that the feline really was at the end of the line, that he had been holding on with nothing but sheer willpower: he no longer even had the strength to make even the smallest of gestures.

"Shh. It'll... be okay." And the fact that he was reassuring her, his goddaughter, in these last few moments, almost made even the cold, cruel Drakkaren shudder with emotion, feeling his own tears welling in his eyes: this, after all, was the male who had first employed him, who had taken care of his daughter for so many years like his own child, and who had treated him as an equal and respected him as a friend, as someone important, and who had perhaps never been afraid of him... and then Elliot turned his eyes back to Zerrex - a feat that must have required some impossible force of will among the greatest Zerrex had ever seen - and he whispered: "Dragokkaren... Hez... Hez'Ranna... took her to..."

And then the feline's mouth moved silently, mouthing the name of the Cradle of Life for all Drakkai one last time, before he slowly slumped downwards. His chest heaved a few more times, as if he couldn't catch his breath... and then he let out one last, low sigh, almost of relief, as the last of the feline's life fled his body.

Cindy trembled violently, her mouth working uselessly... then she turned to her father and threw her arms around him, letting out a loud, braying sob of agony and squeezing him so tight around the neck that it hurt, shoving herself against him as she broke down completely. Zerrex closed his eyes tightly, wrapping his arms back around her and holding her tight against his strong body, trembling with his own emotions... but unlike his angelic, wonderful daughter, chief amongst his was rage against the Dragokkaren that did this... and fear for his youngest child. The loss of Elliot hurt him gravely, deeply, just as the death of Tinman all those years ago had cut him to the core... but he knew that the mourning for Elliot would have to wait until later. Until after he had gotten his daughter back.

But fortunately, he wasn't the only person here who operated still on pseudo-military logic and the cold, cruel rules of the game of war: Cherry was already quickly leaving, a snarl over her features and her eyes flashing with a hatred so violent and alive it was almost tangible. She quickly sprinted from the house, leaving Zerrex to comfort his daughter and wife, as she headed back towards her still-running car. She would never admit it, but she had come to love Marina like a sister, maybe even more than she cared for Cindy... and the low theft, the death of a friend, and the cowardly strike against Zerrex was more than she could handle. Than she would allow to happen, especially to the one who she now served as her Master.

She hopped the door and landed in the seat with one foot kicking down to stomp the gas to the floor, at the same time jerking the wheel: the effect was the car spun in a squealing U-turn, before shooting off down the road at a speed that would be suicidal for anyone else, passing other cars and ignoring every red light she hit: the only time she ever came close to getting hit was when a heavy freighter truck passed by, but Cherry merely grinned viciously and gunned the engine as she twisted the wheel one way, then suddenly spun it in the other direction, causing the vehicle to give a short jag as she slid down in the seat at the same time: the effect was that she missed hitting the cab of the truck by mere inches and instead passed harmlessly under the high-standing freight load before continuing on her way without so much as a twitch.

Hez'Ranna... a country that was still mostly untamed jungle, spotted with massive, glorious cities made of stone, a world of giants: Dragokkaren being the dominant species there, with even the runtyist of the families being at least eight feet tall and solidly muscled. A world that operated outside of conventional society, that was still in the middle ages in some ways... a world where Drakkai ruled as supreme, and all other species of animal and reptile alike there were treated as slaves or lower-class workers, and which was ruled by three Ruling Families in the capital city of Hez'Ranna, Uroboros. A place she had always wanted to visit, to experience, because of the different culture, the different society, and the fact it even operated outside of the international laws... a place that was a universe all to itself.

And now someone from there had kidnapped the daughter of Zerrex and Cindy, and they needed to find a way to get there: and the only ways to get into Hez'Ranna were from freighter ship and private airplane. Since it was halfway across the world, on its own island continent, the former would take weeks... but she thought she knew someone who would be more than happy to help with the latter. And with luck, that would give them the edge they needed to catch up and find whoever had dared take Marina and kill the harmless Elliot.

Maybe there was a bit of guilt there, too, though, and anger at herself... after all, they'd been fucking when Zerrex had just wanted to go for a short nature hike, and she'd been the one to urge the others into a two-hour sexual romp... maybe they could have stopped this, killed whoever had come for Marina, and found out what the hell they wanted with her in the first place, or if it was just some angry, vengeful former enemy of the Goth Legion who wanted to hurt Zerrex, one of the two last surviving members. But she brushed these thoughts from her mind as she hit the brakes and spun the wheel, causing the car to spin around a corner into a long, rounded driveway, the tires skidding and then halting but an inch from the curb, and Cherry turned the car off as she quickly jumped up and ran down the sidewalk towards the steps leading into the huge, ornate mansion of the Mayor of Baskin's Grove.

It had changed a lot since those many years ago, when Lone had still been an idiot and gotten into power struggle after power struggle with Zerrex for control of the city: she thought that the bump on the noggin he'd taken after crashing the pretty red sports car he'd used to drive had actually knocked some sense into him, however. Now, instead of the fancy-ass vehicle, he had a still-nice but much more affordable plain blue hatchback truck, which he liked to keep in the small garage he'd had part of the mansion converted into and work on every now and then himself. An amazing change, after the fact he'd used to have his servants even trim his nails and dress him.

And, as she shoved the double doors open, closing her eyes and breathing slowly to force herself to calm down - storming in on Lone would likely give him a heart attack - she had to admit that he'd done quite well with the place. One wing of the mansion had been remodeled into quarters for the servants he kept on hand, from bedrooms for those who wanted to live in the mansion to a games room, so they could play and relax between work or when on break. And he'd also removed all the ridiculous Apple Villa junk from his home, along with the multitude of self portraits and pictures of him he had all along the walls: now instead he had some pleasant landscapes, and a few odds and ends here and there that still spoke of his high-class lifestyle, but weren't so useless or eccentric. On the whole, she thought everyone was more civilized and simply a cozier, more comfortable atmosphere... and as always, it didn't take her long to find the wolf as she walked quickly through the halls after taking a moment to glance into his favorite den.

He was currently in the kitchen, eating a sandwich and watching a small television that sat on the counter, looking strangely content: outside, two servants were chatting as they cleaned the huge pool in the back, looking at ease themselves. In the past, Lone would have been screaming at them and ordering full three course meals for snacks... but the wolf she was looking at now was much different than the toddling fatass Zerrex had been forced to knock down several pegs several times over.

As was expected, he was an arctic lupine, with fur of pure white, except for the diamond-shaped bib of black ruff and the tips of his ears. After all these years, though, he had tinges of gray along his muzzle and at the edges of his ruff, but he'd aged well... in the past, he'd been fairly attractive, but at the same time fuck-ugly and disgusting once you saw all the pudge on his body and the arrogance in his face. Now his periwinkle eyes were much calmer and smoother, and although he still lied every now and then, it was never as bad as the past... sure, there was the occasional nasty deed he did, but never anything worse than a greased palm to some reporter to write a smear article on someone who wanted to challenge him for position of mayor, or some other attention-getting thing.

His fur was lanky and rough-looking, and he'd lost most of his fat: he was thick-bodied, but there was a good bit of visible muscle now on his arms and legs from learning the trade of a mechanic and doing things for himself: the cutting down on his boozing and stuffing of his face had likely helped out a lot as well, too, though. And he didn't dress so much like a complete dickwad anymore, either... a bit flamboyantly, perhaps, in his white tank top that was dotted with orange suns and palm trees, and his baggy blue shorts, but it was a lot better than tight suits that hugged his crotch like a boa constrictor that was crushing a baby cow. He was a bit more than handsome now... and smarter too, since he didn't need to do more than look up before he frowned and asked: "What's wrong?"

"We need a favor, wolf." Cherry said curtly, as the wolf put down his sandwich and focused his attention on her. "There's been a major problem, and Zerrex is going to need a private jet to take him all the way to Hez'Ranna. Now, I know you still got that pretty black Swan-552 sitting at the airport, and I'd like to borrow it from you... we got some trash to clean up."

In the past, Lone would have thrown a tantrum. But instead, he simply nodded and smiled, although his eyes did betray a definite hint of nervousness. "Okay, sure. You go home and tell Zerrex that I'll meet him at the airport in about half an hour."

"Just give me the keys." Cherry replied briskly, holding out her hand, and Lone blinked as he looked over at her and her tightened expression. Their eyes met, and then, with the greatest of hesitations, the wolf shook his head slowly. Immediately, the female Drakkaren snarled and reached forwards, snagging the wolf's ruff and causing one of the few affections he still wore - a pocketwatch on a silver chain secreted under his shirt - to jingle as she yanked him forwards: "Give me the fucking keys, right now! No time for twenty questions."

"Cherry, the keys are in the plane!" Lone yelped, grabbing at her wrist, then she let him go and he almost fell off his chair, coughing and grabbing at his throat as he winced in pain. "I need to call ahead and get it fueled up and prepped for takeoff and stuff. And I want to meet you at the airport because I plan to come along and-"

"Like fuck you are." Cherry snorted, but then she blinked and straightened in surprise as she heard a familiar snort from behind her, turning around quickly to see Zerrex standing in the doorway leading into the kitchen.

The reptile glanced from Cherry to Lone, then he sized him up for a few moments before nodding and saying softly: "He can come along. But I want you to raid the weapons room downstairs, Cherry, and I want you to make the appropriate calls right now and tell your staff you'll be returning as soon as you can. Tell them you're taking an extended leave of absence, and put Brannigan in your place as mayor for now... he's a good guy. And no questions about what's happening until we're on the plane, got it?"

The grey eyes of the wolf met the emerald of Zerrex's, and there was no questioning the seriousness in that gaze. He nodded, then quickly turned and jogged lightly off down the next hall, bare paws slapping against the floor as he headed into another room to make the call and to give a surprised-looking Cherry a bit of privacy with her master; a small act of decency that he'd never have made in the past. He smiled a bit to himself though, as he headed down the short hall and into a spacious dining room... on the other hand, he really couldn't deny how goddamn jealous he was of Cherry.

Once upon a time, he'd tried to make Cherry his. Take her as his own, steal her from Zerrex... and then he'd come to realize that all he'd really wanted was to be with Zerrex himself. And the wolf had gone through a long period of self questioning and change... and he'd found out in the end that he was in love with the Drakkaren, and probably always had been, even though the way they'd met was through violence, as enemies, and with him little more than a piece of shit.

And he and Zerrex did hang out more often now... sometimes as friend, and sometimes the huge Drakkaren even let him snuggle up close, sleep with him, and even have sex. And Lone had found out he was the same as Cherry in at least one way: the thing he'd been fighting all these years, being controlled by Zerrex... turned out to be the most wonderful thing in the world. He wanted nothing more than to be the reptile's bitch, his little wolf sex toy, and to serve him just like Cherry did... but he had to keep up his front for the sake of the town, and he knew that Zerrex might never love him, might never care for him with Cherry and Cindy there for him. But at the same time, he felt something was between them, some bond... Zerrex, after all, had never killed him despite all the problems he'd caused...

There was also the bangle that he wore... a swirling design on the outside of a running lupine, but on the inside, it was labeled: "Property of Zerrex." A gift from the reptile for his birthday a few years ago, and the wolf almost never took it off, cherishing it as he'd cherished few other things in this world. And now he was trying his hardest to be like his mentor, his master, the big scary reptile he'd found himself falling for... and Zerrex really was teaching him and doing all he could for him, too, moving with his mistakes and making him, in his way, his own... perhaps even... in a way... he was almost like his father, and Lone was a foolish, sometimes disobedient, but now repenting son.

Cherry, of course, knew all this... but she had the brains to not bring it up, and to let Lone think he was being all smooth and tricky. The fact the wolf almost fell over his own paws every time Zerrex walked into the room, though, was kinda hard to miss... or the screaming that sometimes came from a nearby bedroom when they were visiting, and Lone and Zerrex ran off together for a few moments of "together time." So she grinned a bit as the wolf left, feeling a faint bit of amusement even through the darkness in her body, before glancing over at the Drakkaren and saying softly: "Cindy okay?"

"She calmed down a few minutes after you left, and then said she was going to see to Elliot before packing up our weapons and bringing them out front... she's also going to withdraw some money for us, and pack our clothes and anything else we'll need." The Drakkaren replied in a calm voice, but his emerald eyes betrayed the urgency and anxiety he felt. The reptile kept it tight under control though, knowing that they were moving as fast as they could, and that too much haste could lead to a mistake... and a mistake could end up being fatal. "She told me to find you and make sure you weren't beating Lone to death."

The female laughed a bit at this and rubbed the back of her head slowly, then she looked up at him and searched his expression with his eyes before asking: "What did you find?"

Zerrex smiled a bit: he loved how they could communicate with their eyes, how well they knew each other... although it could be annoying as well at times, definitely. And with that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a medical badge and a slip of paper, labeled as a medical order for some experimental drug for a patient in the local hospital. "Whoever it is, they did their homework on us... and I thought I should let you know first before I go. In an hour, I want that plane off the ground and you guys on your way to Hez'Ranna... even if I'm not on it."

"Why wouldn't you..." As Cherry spoke, she took the medical order and glanced down at it, and her voice trailed off as her expression darkened, a slight snarl curling along her muzzle. "That's Tank, isn't it?"

"The very same." Zerrex replied softly, then he shook his head slowly as he slipped the medical badge into his pocket, watching Cherry crumple the piece of paper up before turning and heading quickly back towards the door, saying over his shoulder: "Get geared up, and get ready. You, Cindy, and even Lone can take care of yourselves now... if I'm not at the site in an hour, leave without me, and that's an order."

Cherry opened her mouth to argue, to respond, or to just give some smartass remark... but then she slowly closed it and instead clutched her hands into fists, before she smashed a hand into a nearby cabinet, cracking the door and causing it to dislodge from one of the hinges, bowing her head. Anger flowed through her body before she slumped a bit and shook her head slowly, gritting her teeth and turning to head towards the staircase that would bring her down into the wolf's private weapon sanctum, murmuring: "The cost of mercy... don't get yourself killed, Boss."

The Drakkaren, meanwhile, was already on his motorcycle and heading towards the hospital, letting his emotions chase each other through his body, fueling him but also slowly playing themselves out, letting his body calm itself down despite the fact his knuckles were white from clutching the handlebars of his bike so tightly and his mind was aflame with thoughts of hate and rage. Tank had been a major player in the events that had almost cost his first daughter her life, and he had manipulated a poor vixen who had fallen in love with the dark idol of the lizard into creating another city-wide war that had almost torn Baskin's Grove apart once more and brought chaos and an army of gangsters into the city... and had eventually culminated in him killing an innocent, suffering male named Mika and almost slaughtering the fox, Felicity... Felicity, poor beautiful Felicity, who had died of the same blood disease as Mika when Tank had used a needle with Mika's tainted blood to fill her body with a paralytic... and a deadly illness. She had died only ten months ago... but she had given her body to research, and they had found pills to fight back against the strange illness and eventually a cure, Lone and Zerrex both contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars and Felicity her own dying body to experiment upon until they'd found the vaccine. But by then, it was too late for her, with her heart failing and her brain damaged to the point where she was beginning to forget everything... except for two people.

Zerrex and Mika had been the last people she'd been able to remember... she talked about seeing Mika when she died, about how she wanted to hug him and tell him she loved him and that she'd never stopped thinking of him as her brother... and Zerrex had been her idol up to the end. Perhaps the disease had ended up being kind... the parts she had forgotten about him were fighting with him, and the duel where they had almost killed each other...but she hadn't forgotten his darkness. So when she'd finally found out she was going to die in perhaps a year, she had calmly come to Zerrex, and told him quietly that she wanted him to take her one last time. And that she didn't want to survive... that she knew he'd raped people until they died before, and now she wanted him to do it to her, and when he was done, to burn her body, and place them in the same grave as Mika. And Zerrex, knowing no other answer, no other recourse, had said yes; he spent a whole week with her, fulfilling her every desire... and then finally he'd had given her the darkest but at the same time most brave wish she'd ever made, and he'd taken her again, again, again... then finally torn her throat out at the moment of orgasm into her with his teeth... and he still remembered how she'd thanked him despite the blood pouring out of her body, and how they'd kissed, and how he'd seen no pain, but only gratitude in her eyes as he held her in his arms, shaft still buried in a vagina that had been ruined and was bleeding heavily, his body splattered with their fluids and her red essence... and then she had died. And he had honored her last wish as well.

But Tank's worst crime was that he had been the murderer of Tinman... had shot him like a dog on the street in cold blood, after Tinny had thrown himself in front of his friends to protect them, using his strange ability to control metal to stop Tank's barrage of gatling gun fire upon the group. But his body had given out from overuse of his powers... and Tank had taken the moment of weakness to draw a gun and shoot poor Tinny in the head and killed him.

Zerrex had savagely beaten the bastard... but Cindy had stopped him from killing him, and said that it would solve nothing. And she'd led him out and away with Cherry, and Requiem had made sure that Tank would never live happily ever after: he had shattered over half of the vertebrae in Tank's spinal cord, making sure it could never be repaired and the cowardly maggot would never walk, never live a day of his life spent in anything other than agony. And later, once he'd taken up residence in the long-term care center in the hospital, Cherry had removed all the hair from his face... and now everyone he met regarded him as a meathead, or one of the few wandering neo-freaks that preached about the weakness of their race. The most hated of all the scum of society, the lowest of filth that thought all life should simply be wiped out of existence and who were willing to go to any lengths to try and make that happen.

The badger - once a muscular, intimidating member of the Godkillers, a gang that had imitated the Goth Legion and been run by Felicity - was a shadow of his former self, spending most of his time wheeling himself around in a plain, folding wheelchair with a large bag on the back, where he kept almost all of his personal belongings. His legs had dwindled to puny, thin sticks, although his arms were still strong and powerful... but he was no longer as barrel-chested, either, and instead of muscle shirts, he constantly wore baggy, hooded sweatshirts, to hide his ruined appearance. He also still was as anti-Zerrex as ever, trying to stir up trouble and problems for the reptile... but his attempts were mostly only to be pitied. The badger was in constant pain and confined mostly to the hospital, except for the rare occasion he was allowed to go on a short walk outside with an orderly, or had a visitor who wanted to sign him out to go to lunch somewhere. So the most he usually got around to doing was posting badly-made propaganda posters around the hospital corridors, which were generally quickly disposed of by the staff.

However, it seemed this time he'd managed to actually stir up some serious trouble... and if the badger had indeed traded information about Zerrex for some new opiates or steroids, this time the reptile really would kill the badger, and he didn't care who saw him do it. He still controlled the town... and he didn't think too many people would miss the conspiracy-theory weaving badger who'd grown more than a bit insane over the years with rage, hate, and pain. The Drakkaren frowned a bit as he turned off down the road towards the hospital, glancing up at the enormous building looming in the distance: it was ironic that the once rich-hating bastard was put up in the old Apple Villa hospital, which was the most expensive one of all. But many of the things Tank did and preached were more than just a touch hypocritical.

The real worry was that someone from Hez'Ranna had found out about him and his family... and they had somehow discovered a vast quantity of information about him and executed what could only be called a tactical strike. They had managed to strike at the one time where Marina would be vulnerable to being kidnapped... and had somehow known... what seemed like every detail necessary to completely blindside him, and that had never happened before, even in the Goth Legion. And now he knew he was walking into what would likely be a hell of a complex trap... no one as well-trained and capable as these soldiers obviously were would bother to leave such an obvious bit of evidence behind, for one thing.

So it meant that they hoped he'd either too blinded by emotion to think straight and he'd charge right into whatever was waiting for him here, or they were still a step ahead of him and knew that he'd have no choice but to check out this one sole lead, even knowing it was likely a trap or false trail beforehand. He snorted quietly as he pulled into the parking lot, then stopped at curb in front of the open walkway leading to the several pairs of glass double doors leading into the hospital, dismounting and quickly walking forwards, ignoring the stares he was getting as he shouldered through one set of doors and into the hospital. He paused in the main hall, glancing back and forth, then he looked up at the massive sign mounted on one of the pillars that decorated the large, open area, muttering the names of the various departments.

"Third floor. Long term care." He nodded to himself, then glanced to his right: there was another set of propped-open doors that led into what looked like a clinic, with glass walls giving an inviting view of a crowded waiting room and busy nurses running back and forth behind a counter... and up the hall a bit, past the clinic, some sort of shop. The Drakkaren felt a strange pull towards the latter, and he decided to go with his instincts, touching his pocket and finding with some relief his wallet.

He didn't know what was guiding him, but usually his instincts led him right... and then he smiled slightly as he approached the counter noting that it was a combination gift shop and medical supplies store. The canine standing behind the counter looked at him nervously, apparently trying to hide behind the register as he smoothed out his white uniform carefully, and the reptile looked over the stock of items before pulling out his wallet and producing a ten, laying it on the counter and saying mildly: "I'd like an empty pack of needles, and a bottle of extra strength aspirin, the large one there."

The golden retriever nodded quickly, ringing up the purchase, and then he put the items the reptile bought in the bag with a receipt and handed him some spare pocket change. The Drakkaren thanked him idly, then he turned and headed quickly towards the elevator, slipping quickly in after an arguing couple as the doors began to slide closed and tapping the button for the third floor. At the same time, he felt a bit of a plan forming in his mind as he tapped the bag against his leg, expression calm as he stood slightly-scrunched in the small elevator.

It slowly rose, then there was a dull ping as it reached the third floor, and the reptile stepped out with another person, who quickly left down a side corridor: the lizard, however, found himself in a quasi-waiting room - an empty area of floor filled with roughly eight or nine chairs and a table cluttered with magazines, then a large, heavy security door inset into the north wall of the square area. There was also a small sign-in desk built into the wall protected by a heavy glass shield with a small hole for passing papers through, and a sign hanging from two chains in front of declared that it was the "In/Out Registration For Long Term Care" area.

Zerrex approached this, and the squirrel behind the desk glanced up before smiling a bit, and the reptile felt at least a little relief here - Brandon was an orderly who rotated through several departments in the hospital, and he knew the reptile and his family relatively well; he'd been one of the few people the Drakkaren had allowed to be near his daughters after Cindy had given birth to Marina, and he'd often been on call to help the doctors out when Marina had to come to the hospital for her vaccinations and other medical stuffs. So at least this part wouldn't be too difficult... "Hey, Brandon. I need to have... a little chat with Tank. Mind letting me through?"

Brandon nodded and frowned a bit, but he was smart enough not to ask questions; instead, he quickly tapped some information into a computer, but said carefully: "Sure, but I'm afraid we'll have to send a nurse with you... right now, Tank's on suicide watch and they're keeping him in a special cell, sorry. I'd go with you myself, but the boss is coming around in a few minutes to do her rounds. Um... hey, Jeff, can you take Mr. N... I mean, Mr. Zerrex to see the guy in room four?"

Zerrex nodded; part of him wanted to snap at the squirrel, but he knew that was just the anxiety in him, and the dull rage he felt building in his body once more. Instead, though, he just smiled a bit grimly as the door unlocked and a buzzer sounded, and he pulled it open and walked through to the other side, glancing over at Brandon as he said mildly: "No worries. We're just going to have a little chat, anyway. I'll give him a reason to be on suicide watch."

The squirrel gave a bit of a nod at this, then he coughed and turned away, wincing at the dark fury in those emerald eyes as another male nurse approached - a grey-furred timber wolf. He looked at Zerrex almost noncommittally for a moment, then he nodded before turning and gesturing for the reptile to follow him down the sterile, brightly-lit halls.

The Drakkaren felt a strange feeling in his stomach, as he followed the wolf, his eyes focusing a bit: the reaction was too calm, almost... disconnected. And there was something off about the way the lupine moved, as they turned down a corridor, the reptile glancing at a sign with an arrow that said 'solitary confinement' and noting they were at least moving in the right direction. Then the white-uniformed, lankily-dressed wolf paused in front of a heavy steel door with a large white four on it and cursed a bit under his breath, sorting through them... but his expression of irritation somehow didn't reach his eyes, and nor did the one of embarrassment afterwards, as he unlocked the door with the right key and smiled to the lizard. "Sorry. New on this floor. And I'll have to stay with you when you talk to Tank."

Zerrex nodded, then he stepped into the white-walled room, followed quickly after by the wolf... and the Drakkaren closed his eyes with a quiet laugh, not bothering to turn around as he said softly: "You really think I'm this easy?"

The fifteen square foot room was empty: the walls all made of a softened cloth material, along with the floor, and there was the black eye of a camera mounted in one corner... and Zerrex heard the click of a key locking a door before it was withdrawn, and he turned slowly around to face the sole other occupant of this room, the wolf who had followed him in. He expected a gun, or some other crap... but the lupine only stood there with his hollow eyes and a grin spreading over his features, and then he reached up and tore his shirt open, and Zerrex blanched a bit, a snarl crossing over his features: he'd forgotten he was likely dealing with people from Hez'Ranna. And in that country, all non-reptiles are either low-class serfs or no-class tools for use in experimentation or warfare.

The wolf's entire upper body was wrapped in what looked like complex, high-grade plastic explosive, with a red timer ticking down from twenty-three minutes to detonation. If the reptile had to guess, he'd say the bomb had been running for hours... and must have been installed maybe years beforehand. The heavy-duty explosive, after all, was made up of what looked like twenty thick, half-foot tan tubes in two rows around the breast and abdomen, and all of the red and blue wires coming from each end of said tubes connected not into the timer, but into the body of the lupine himself: and from his body, a single thick black cord connected from just under the right side of his collarbone and into the death-clock that was resting atop the first length of explosive.

"The bomb is wired into my nervous system." His voice was calm, but there was an undercurrent of lunacy, as he looked at the reptile with that twisted grin that was somehow fake, almost like a carnival mask that the lupine was wearing as a disguise. "If my heartbeat raises to a certain level, the timer starts moving double. If I die, the bomb goes off immediately: class five plastic explosive with magnesium phosphorous cores. My lord has done research on your exploits in the past and recognizes your high durability... we are taking no chances with you."

Zerrex couldn't help but give a grim smile as he dropped the plastic bag, tilting his head down and closing his eyes with a slow shake of his head; he had to admit, he was impressed. Even if he survived the explosion somehow - and he was pretty sure the wolf would attempt to tackle him the moment before the bomb went off, to maximize the damage - he and the rest of the room would be covered in white flame and he had no doubt he'd be blinded entirely. The trap was a lot better-planned then he thought... so instead he decided to buy time by asking softly: "Your lord, huh? I take it you're from Hez'Ranna, along with the... I'm guessing elite mercenary team that took my daughter."

"I would like to give you that information, but I have been ordered to take no chances." The wolf replied in a voice that was almost entertained, but still lacked passion, lacked personality... and then he invited with that same undercurrent of tonelessness: "You're welcome to torture me if you want. But you'll only speed up the inevitable."

The Drakkaren laughed quietly and nodded, opening his emerald eyes and glancing around the room, idly brushing his hair from his face as he smiled a bit again. He didn't bother with a reply for a moment, instead taking in the padded room, and the three-inch thick titanium, locked titanium door... even though the wolf had used a key, he had no doubts that it worked on an electronic sealing system of metal bars that would stop it from being knocked down even from a battering ram. And there was no way he was getting the keys from the wolf... or that he was going to be able to even attempt to disarm the bomb with the wires sticking out of his body. But it did leave him with one option... and he narrowed his eyes before saying softly: "Well, I'll give you an A for effort. But there is one thing you've forgotten..."

The wolf frowned a bit now, looking confused: Zerrex had no doubt that was what the lupine was feeling, but the expression still looked too perfect, like it was a plastic, form-fitting mask, as the reptile stepped carefully backwards towards the wall opposite the door. Then he curled one hand into a fist before striking solidly behind him, meeting the wolf's eyes as they both heard a dull thud and crack that was only muffled by the matting as the Drakkaren said evenly: "Nothing is impossible."

Then he quickly turned and dug his claws into the top end of the matting along the wall before tearing down, muscles flexing as the padding ripped off the wall and revealed bare concrete that already had a spiderweb of cracks running through it: a wall that was perhaps half a foot of plain concrete between the inside of the hospital and the rest of the world. The reptile flexed, snarling and drawing both hands back, his open palms facing the wall, then he stepped forwards and slammed viciously outwards, remembering the words of his old mentor, of his uncle, Requiem's voice saying: The only reason we fail is because we fail to believe in the impossible.

The reptile leaned into the hard double thrust of his palms, smashing into the wall with enough force to cause people to look up in shock as they heard a rumble pass through the north wall of the building, and chunks of concrete flew out into the open sky to smash down onto the ground below, the wall crumpling outwards from the force of the Drakkaren's strike. The spiderweb of cracks grew, dust tumbling down and bits of sky and the world outside showing through into the room, and Zerrex grinned.

He sensed the wolf before he heard him, his body moving on instinct as he spun and saw the wolf running at him, his jaws open wide, his tongue sticking out almost comically... but the reptile released what the lupine meant to do, and instead he reached out and snagged the bottom jaw of the wolf before he could close his teeth and bite off his own tongue, twisting and jerking at the same time and causing the lupine to give a muffled grunt of pain as his lower jaw snapped like a toy in the reptile's hand. At the same time, the lizard brought a leg up and kicked out behind him almost elegantly, his booted foot slamming into the wall and knocking a small hole to the outside world in the thick concrete, sending another hail of stones raining downwards and causing the people wandering along the sidewalk below to scatter backwards with yells of surprise.

Then the reptile snarled as the wolf reached up both hands and grabbed his own head, apparently still intent on self-destruction even though the clock on his chest had started ticking at a much faster rate, skipping three seconds, five seconds instead of one with every passing moment. Once more the Drakkaren stopped the lupine however, easily reaching the hand not grasping his shattered jaw up and grabbing one wrist of the wolf, jerking it away from his head before twisting and easily snapping it, and now the lupine stumbled backwards with another growl of pain, shaking his head violently and tearing himself free from the Boss's grip... and Zerrex's emerald eyes darkened as he realized that the wolf was only acting out the pain... but the steadiness in his eyes betrayed the fact that he... or maybe it... wasn't feeling anything at all.

Then he turned and threw one final, hard kick into the wall, sending several more chunks of concrete rocketing outwards and forming a good, broken three-foot window three stories up. Then Zerrex glanced over a shoulder, and his eyes widened as he saw the lupine - drool and blood falling from his dangling, snapped jawbone, one hand hanging limp and useless - snag the wires attached to the timer.

The lizard did the only thing he could: he spun, then grabbed the wolf and fell backwards even as the wolf began to jerk the wires free, rolling with a wince onto pieces of broken stone and almost giving his head a good rap off the mouth of the tunnel through the wall, then he forced himself to flip backwards as he brought his feet up into the lupine's stomach: the wolf's eyes bulged with surprise as Zerrex released his shoulders, and then the reptile straightened both legs out and kicked him as hard as he could through the gap in the wall, the wolf flying out into thin air as Zerrex slid through the shattered hole in the concrete after him and barely managed to snag the edge of the hole, his legs and half his body dangling outside the hospital as he clenched his eyes shut and pushed himself as close to the building as he could.

A moment later, there was a thudding, hissing explosion, and the lizard felt a wave of force smash into his back and heat rake along his body, white light searing his eyelids despite being turned away and half inside the building. The sound was enormous, but not loud enough to drown out the screams of terror from below or the cacophony of windows shattering, glass hailing down around the lizard from the floors above as he clung for his life to the hole he'd knocked in the wall.

Head throbbing, the Drakkaren slowly dragged himself forwards, legs kicking a bit as he tried to find something to boost himself into the gap with, and then he rolled over onto his back, making a face at the smoke that floated up from his seared legs and body. But most of his attention was focused on the slowly falling, burning star of white outside and the literal rain of fire that was still hailing down from the sky like some biblical judgment on the parking lot, and Zerrex winced before forcing himself to stagger up to his feet, shaking his head slowly and sparing a wish for the innocent people below: he let himself feel the single bit of sympathy for anyone who might have been caught by the explosive fallout, but then returned to the problem at hand, climbing shakily to his feet.

Fortunately, he was at least spared the trouble of either breaking through the wall or the door - instead, after a moment of standing and rubbing at his head as the ache in his eyes slowly subsided, the door clicked open and Brandon shoved into the room with two other orderlies, staring in horror at the Drakkaren before babbling: "Oh my God, sir, I am so sorry, I had no idea Jeff was so whacko, I just-"

"It's okay." Zerrex shook his head a bit, laughing dryly and then wincing and shaking off the other two as they attempted to grab his arms - probably to lead him to get medical care, which he really didn't need right now. "You guys should go and attend to outside... there's probably some people caught in the fire. It's phosphorus and magnesium, so watch your eyes and call the fire department, and I hope your burn unit is a good one."

With that, the lizard shoved past the three and began to walk down the hall, but he was stopped by a meek call of his name from the squirrel, and he turned around as the young orderly held up his plastic bag, looking more than a bit terrified. "You... you forgot this..."

The Drakkaren paused, then he nodded and took it with a bit of a smile - not that there was much to smile about right now, and he felt he really needed to get his hands on Tank and squeeze all the info out of him he could. "Thanks Brandon." The lizard paused as he glanced down into the bag, then he pulled out the bottle of aspirin he'd bought and looked at it mildly for a few moments before shaking his head slightly and turning to head towards the badger's room.

Zerrex had been here before, on occasions where Tank had been mouthy... and so he already knew where the badger's room was. And he figured that Tank would be too stupid to get himself transferred to a different room... which made his muzzle curl in a slight grin. He only paused for a few moments to stop near a fountain, his head still aching slightly as he glanced at the bottle of aspirin. He shrugged a bit, then attempted to open the bottle... before cursing under his breath and glowering at the childproof cap, which resisted his efforts.

He rolled his eyes, muttering about how he could punch down a wall but not open a bottle of pills, then he simply gave the top a hard twist and snapped the cap off the bottle, tossing it idly aside and then ripping the safety covering off the top and yanking out the gauze, not caring that he spilled a few pills in the process. The lizard glanced over the label, then he took two and swallowed them without bothering to grab a drink from the fountain... then his eyes slid back down to the label and he read it a bit more closely, and a slight smile crept over his features. Looks like I was thinking clearer than I thought, after all.

The Drakkaren took out the needles from the bag, opening the package and pulling out one syringe, then he tossed the extra needles away carelessly, ignoring the nurses that were running back and forth - they ignored him too, at this point. Then he dumped the full bottle of aspirin into the plastic bag, rolled it up tight around the small pile of pills in the bottom, and then took this between both fists and squeezed as hard as he could.

It reduced the pills to a fine powder, and the lizard carefully emptied this back into the plastic bottle: he then added a bit of water from the fountain, and finally placed the tip of the syringe into the liquefied pills, filling the needle with a cloudy white substance. He bounced this in one hand and carried the bottle in the other as he headed towards Tank's room, a cold smile still playing over his features.

He stepped into the open doorway of the badger's room, and was unsurprised to see that Tank was sitting in his wheelchair instead of the plain bed, his legs apparently propped out in front of him and covered by a purple vellum blanket, facing away and towards the window. The badger's face was covered today by a green hood, but he reached up and pushed this back, and Zerrex could see the pink of his face reflected in the cracked glass... as the badger doubtlessly could see him. Then the once-gangster reached down and grabbed the wheels of his chair, turning easily around and facing towards the reptile with a cocky grin, his head tilted. "That my last shot of morphine or something?"

"Morphine's clear, you idiot." Zerrex replied calmly, and Tank's eyes narrowed a bit at this. The Drakkaren couldn't help but notice the strange calm of the badger today... normally by now he'd be quaking even if he was trying to be as rude as possible to the reptile... and that his hands had gone from where they usually rested on the sides of the wheelchair to curled almost complacently in his lap. "This is aspirin. And a lot of it."

"Oh good. I got a fuckin' headache from that bomb that just went off. I suppose shithead screwed up in trying to toast you, huh? I knew those Hez'Ranna fuckers would mess up when they put one of their suicide bombers in here, even though they did pretty okay on other accounts." Tank responded idly, tapping his fingers against his other wrist as he lounged back in his wheelchair, his furless features betraying the faintest twitches of... excitement, eagerness?

For a moment, the two only looked at each other, eyes locked in what was almost a mental duel... before something clicked between them, and the Boss snarled and threw himself backwards as Tank's hands moved, snapping back the blanket to reveal that he'd made his body into as much a monster as he was in mind, with some great and yet terrible experiment.

The useless legs of the badger had been amputated at just below the hip... and instead of connecting into flesh, blood and bone, the stumps now connected into a massive metal box with what looked like a black plastic nub at one end. Zerrex had a glance of the badger jerking up a pair of metal grips that had been folded down against the top of this large rectangle... but he had to admit that his eyes had been more focused on the end of the new addition to the badger.

At the end of the box were two things: on the right, was a smaller square box of metal from which sprang a set of six long metal barrels, all of these locked together by heavy bands of steel. The end of a gatling gun, in other words: and to the left was a massive, green box shaped like half a trapezoid, obviously a massive ammo box. The hybrid weapon was also built directly into the chair, supported by heavy steel girders that had given the reptile the impression the chair had only had the plain plastic board add-on that let Tank stretch his legs out attached. Instead, though, it seemed Tank had opted to get rid of his legs in some secret surgery and turn himself into some technological version of a mythological monster: the modern age's chimera.

Zerrex could hear the gun cycling up and Tank's cruel, insane laughter, and then everything was drowned out by the howl of the minigun: beside the Drakkaren, chunks of wall exploded outwards, the bullets ripping through the plaster like it was paper, and the reptile thought he could hear the screams of other people as the lizard rapidly backstepped with a snarl, his teeth grit as his mind worked to process the horror that had someone been unleashed right under his nose. Then the gunfire stopped, and the Drakkaren looked up with a snarl towards the doorway, trying to ignore the hate coursing through his system and the screams of pain, the cries of horror and despair from all around. He looked at the trail of massive holes in the wall, not wanting to even guess what kind of bullets the badger was using and feeling a flash of insane inspiration at the same time; he thought he knew how to stop the badger, but if he was wrong...

But there wasn't enough time to think about that, as Zerrex tensed his body, preparing himself with his teeth grit and the syringe clutched in his hand like a knife as he saw the edge of the barrel of the huge gun push into the hall, more than twenty feet away now... and then Tank drove - drove, not wheeled, the handlebars he'd flipped up acting like the controls for a helicopter - into the hall with a quick turn, the cycling gatling gun pointing towards the reptile with a steadiness the badger never could have mustered before Requiem had taken away his legs - an irony that Zerrex could have done without, but sometimes his mind gave him the cruelest thoughts at the worst moments.

"I'm the god now, Boss!" Tank screamed, his jaws almost foaming, his eyes ablaze with uncaring hate and his maw twisted in a vicious grin: but the pride of the badger in himself, the fact he had to give a sound bite even at the moment of certain victory... and the fact he couldn't fire the gun and still be heard over the echoing din of the gun... both once more proved to cost Tank his stolen victory. Before the badger began to fire, Zerrex leapt upwards and kicked both feet out towards either side of the hallway... and the first hail of bullets sped under the lizard instead of into him as one foot smashed into the wall and the other-

Missed only by a few inches. Tank's eyes widened as he leaned forwards, his breath catching in his throat, his eyes bulging as Zerrex began to fall back into the deadly rain he was pouring down the hallway - not caring about who got in the way of the gunfire - and then Zerrex shot his other hand out and stopped himself from falling, his teeth grit, muscles flexing. He rose his other hand quickly as Tank continued to fire, at the same time bouncing in his wheelchair, screaming in frustration as he realized he couldn't adjust the tilt of the gun, before gagging and reaching both hands up to grab his throat as Zerrex made a strange flicking motion with his free hand, and something stabbed into his throat.

He clutched what felt like a syringe, his eyes bulging, and before he could yank it out, the reptile was there, in front of him, a wall of scale and muscle, and his palm descended on the top of the needle and injected the liquefied aspirin into the badger's blood. His eyes bulged in pain as the needle almost snapped off in his throat, squeaking and trying to grab at the trigger... but before he could, his hand was seized in the iron vise of one of Zerrex's fists.

Their eyes met, and now Tank was looking up at the Boss with horror, the needle still sticking out his throat, feeling his heart thudding in his chest as he began to breathe harder, his body trembling like a leaf. No longer did he feel invincible, even with a gatling gun in place of his useless legs... and he stared up at the colossal reptile, at the Drakkaren who had beaten all the odds... before whispering: "Please. No."

"Who are they?" Zerrex asked in a voice that was cold, yet soft... and the softness was terrible, like the gentle caress of death's hand before the plunge of the scythe. At the same time, the reptile reached up and tore the needle free, causing Tank to yelp, and then he tossed it away as he noted it was empty. For a few moments, he waited, looking down at the badger, his emerald eyes sizing up the shivering form of the yet-silent maggot... then he suddenly reached down and grabbed the handlebars Tank had been using to control the gun and the chair, and simply tore them off.

Sparks flashed and something inside sizzled, hissing and flaring up, and Tank squealed in terror as he bounced back against the back of the old chair, his eyes bulging in horror. Zerrex continued to look down at him for a few more moments, then he glanced up before looking back down... and suddenly giving a strange, cold smile. "You're on drug activators, aren't you? To speed up and double the effects of your pain meds, without forcing you to take about sixty pills a day." Then the lizard leaned down and whispered gently in the now-trembling badger's ear. "Now imagine if someone gave you an anticoagulant by mistake."

Tank's eyes widened, and then his head snapped to the side and he screamed as Zerrex backhanded him, blood splattering onto the wall from his jaw and nose... a much greater amount than should have come from a simple slap. It left Tank bleeding and panting hard, his eyes bulging in their sockets, a single bloody tear falling from one down his pink cheek as his hands shook violently and he stared up at Zerrex in horror. The reptile had to admit he was rather surprised they'd worked so fast... and then Tank's face twisted into a strange, broken smile, and he began to laugh... and with every exhale, blood flew from his mouth, making Zerrex stagger backwards in surprise as he snarled a bit.

The badger laughed harder at this, then his face twisted into a grin, and the reptile grit his teeth as he saw that Tank's own - a fake set of porcelain caps - were painted red with blood... and now it was beginning to leak out his ears as well. Then the badger looked at Zerrex with no fear burning any longer in his eyes, and he said in a voice that was both horrified and gleeful: "You lose, Boss! The... Hez'Ranna soldiers who loaded me up with this baby... also gave me... a super-version of the activators... a hundred times the normal effect for one pill, baby! I'm as good as dead now, and all thanks to you, and now you never get to know what happened to your baby girl and about all those wonderful plans the blind bitch's boss has for you!"

And then Tank threw his head back and continued to laugh as blood poured from him in fountains, and Zerrex could only stare in horror and sudden anger at himself, at the mistake he'd made... before he finally turned his back on the bloody badger as he continued to cackle mindlessly into oblivion, tears of blood flowing freely now from both eyes even as he rocked back and forth in his death machine chair. Zerrex walked slowly away, as Tank died with the joy of denying his hated nemesis the information he would have otherwise surely given up... as he died what he saw as the death of a true martyr, and what Zerrex could only see as a too-merciful death for a worthless scumbag destined for a pit of hell lower than the one reserved even for him.

Two hours later found Zerrex sitting contemplatively in a cushioned seat, sipping idly at a bottle of Frost cola. Lone had offered him a bottle of whisky, but he'd declined... lately he'd been trying to cut back on his drinking, if just to be a better role model for Marina. Cherry had also said no, giving the reason that she'd be the one flying the plane... but Zerrex thought that she just wanted to make sure she wasn't even the tiniest bit off her game, so she could be ready the moment they landed.

The sleek black jet was currently positioned somewhere over the ocean, Cherry not really bothering to stick with the flight plan Lone had arranged for them to Hez'Ranna and flying illegally over private airspace and what were probably 'secret' military bases without really caring. Not that it mattered... every time a pair of military jets appeared or some control tower radioed them demanding to know what the hell they were doing or commanding them to turn back, she replied with the code phrase: "Fifty-five dot twenty-six. This pigeon is carrying a green vulture egg."

Translated from military-speak into people-speak, it basically meant, 'I'm a high-ranking military pilot carrying a nuclear bomb.' Generally, at this reply, any jets nearby would follow for a few more moments - likely looking up the codes - then they would abruptly break formation and get the hell away from them as fast as possible. Only one so far had questioned the authenticity of Cherry's command, and her grinning response had been: "Then shoot me down and find out, bitch. I just hope you're wearin' lead pajamas."

The pilot had opted instead to quickly return to base, leaving Cherry to contently man the controls and fly them on wherever route she wanted. The only time she'd have to rejoin their planned flight path was when they left public airspace and instead went into Hez'Ranna's private airspace... and even then, Zerrex reflected they'd have to do a lot of fast talking to make sure they didn't get blown out of the sky.

The fact it was Hez'Ranna was the biggest complication, the Drakkaren felt, now that he'd had time to sit down, piece together the clues he had, and add all the other bits of information he had... and of course, to calm himself and Cindy down. They had both been angry and panicking, and even though that was... so goddamn hard to swallow, with the craziness that was going on and the fact Marina, his darling daughter Marina, had been stolen from them, Elliot dead, Tank turned into a hybrid weapon-badger for his last few days of life... they had to stop panicking, even if their version of panic was organized. Because if you weren't calm, the mission failed... whether it was military, or just some civvie on a homemade rescue or even going out to get a loaf of bread from the store. If you panicked and let panic run you, then you fell into a black hole that no amount of skill or experience could ever drag you out of.

So he'd calmed himself down by forcing himself to close his eyes, and go through all the facts he knew about Hez'Ranna, while holding Cindy gently to his chest and rocking with her held tight against his muscular body. Of course, all of that information came second-hand... but his sources came from both his own family and two males who had been exiled from one of the three families that ruled the Dragokkaren-controlled nation, so he thought it was pretty reliable.

It was common knowledge that Hez'Ranna was outside public borders: the reasons why, though, weren't usually taught in kiddie geography classes, and it was regarded much like a dark secret, a blotch on the world. If asked, usually the response was because Hez'Ranna refused to sign the Global Alliance Treaty, and take part in the International Council: a group of ambassadors and representatives from every country around the globe who all worked together - more or less - to take care of their countries, negotiate bargains... and decide the rules of war.

A smart person would recognize that as a clever sidestep, however, and that it only changed the question slightly: then why didn't the join? The truth was, because they had only been asked once, and that had been when Ire - the continent and country Zerrex and company had just come from, and largest in the world - had been trying to pressure Hez'Ranna into a trade agreement. Otherwise, Hez'Ranna had declared it had no interest in 'serving the needs of pelts and traitors to the Cradle of Life.'

The Drakkai, after all, had been long-regarded as one of the stranger breeds in the world: almost all possessing superior strength, a slightly different bone structure, higher adaptability capabilities and more often spawning forth people - some would say monsters - like Zerrex and Cherry, born with innate abilities and unexplainable skills, even powers. And Dragokkaren were simply massive, powerful creatures, and the "purebred" Dragokkaren that populated Hez'Ranna made even Zerrex look like a short runt in comparison.

Hez'Ranna was also an architectural paradise... the buildings huge and beautiful, and although many looked polished and new, most of them had originally been built half a millennia ago, and only been modified and updated over the centuries. The deep jungles were also filled with temples, some of them abandoned, but many others kept clean, and a few still practicing writing their history down upon the walls and chiseling out stories in the stone.

Much of the history between Hez'Ranna and the rest of the world was bitter, however: the huge jungle island had originally been discovered by mercenaries and explorers who were armed with guns and explosives, and they had bullied and bribed many Dragokkaren and Drakkaren onto their ships to be taken back to the 'old world' and sold as slaves, or to be forced into the military to serve because of their superior endurance and strength. It wasn't too rare to find a picture of a Dragokkaren carrying weapons that should have been mounted on a truck on their back like a mule, for the use of the gunnery experts when they were needed. It was a great joke among the soldiers of the time: how often did you find a jeep that could drive your gear around and kill your enemies while you got to sit back, safe and sound, in the trench or back at base?

Of course, then the other peoples of the worlds - generally referred to with disgust by almost all inhabitants of Hez'Ranna as 'pelts,' a speciesist term that Zerrex admittedly found coming from his maw every now and then - made their fatal error: they attempted to colonize the holy, nameless, and thought-eternal jungle, and the Drakkai rose up violently against these invaders as they began chopping down trees. The colonizers - known generally as the New World Explorers, martyrs to the 'civilized' world and barbarian rapist monsters to those of Hez'Ranna - were met with extreme resistance, and they made another major mistake: they called in armed forces.

At this point, Hez'Ranna was still operating mainly on weapons and traps they'd used ever since the dawn of time, and a few traded guns: the military and paramilitary mercenaries that were called in were equipped with state-of-the-art technology, from assault rifles to bombs, and then bringing in scientists and engineers to build bombs and analyze Hez'Ranna's weaponry on the spot, after they took a major port city called Kaybar. But this, however, was a clever trap... Kaybar's resistance had seemed fierce, but in reality had been minimal, composed mainly of suicide soldiers and the low-class slave soldiers of the Hez'Ranna, non-Drakkai reptiles and animals that were promised glory for their deaths.

A week into the war, as the forces of the New World Explorers - mostly allied soldiers from Ire, and five other countries who all figured they would squabble later over who got the most colonization land once they'd wiped out the threat of the Drakkai - began to explore into the jungle, the dozens of gargantuan freighter and transport ships parked at the docks were silently boarded from the sea by dark-scaled Dragokkaren wearing camouflage made of seaweed, using hooked blades that fit tight over the wrist and curved up over the hand. They were from the Dragokkaren's own ancient military, all of them members of the three most powerful families in Hez'Ranna at that time, and they silently killed everyone on board all of those twelve ships. Then they took them out to small island nearby, just within sight of the explorers when they woke up the next morning, and the soldiers - all members of what would become the Royal Families, ruling their own sections of Hez'Ranna together for their bravery - silently went back out to sea, setting themselves up roughly halfway between the island and the dock. For a while, they all rested on a large barge of their own until just before dawn, then the dozen Dragokkaren once more went to sea.

This time, however, they took long, bamboo rods and ropes of seaweed with them that was tied at one end to a heavy rock: these they used to keep themselves under the water and floating in the same position, and the tubes they used as breathing tubes to let them hide several feet under the surface of the water. They all only had to wait a short time, as the Explorers sent out ships to retrieve their lost transports: as those on shore watched, the rafts their friends took out seemed to just... be swallowed up by the sea, and a few hours later, the bodies would wash ashore, throats neatly cut.

In the end, there was no great final battle: the entire colony that had started to set up in Kaybar was taken over and enslaved when the rest of the forces of Hez'Ranna simply marched into the city, thousands of huge reptiles - even the most meager of young children built like a hardened and trained soldier from Ire. The soldiers laid down their weapons and surrendered as the dozen Dragokkaren emerged from the sea with only minor injuries... but perhaps they would have fought if they'd known what was to come next.

The engineers and scientists were spared if they gave up all their information and helped the Hez'Ranna advance their city, taught them how to use their resources to make guns and electricity, and about their own nations... and they joined the other low-class citizenry, the native animals of the jungle who all bowed shamelessly to the Drakkai who had always been their superiors. Those who attempted to resist were tortured until they gave up their information... and then killed anyway. And almost all the rest of the colony and soldiers were broken into slaves or slaughtered, and in many cases, served up at the following victory feast, often skinned and with their pelts crafted into clothing or adornments.

From then on, Hez'Ranna violently repelled any effort to penetrate its borders: combining their traditional weaponry and new technology, they quickly rose to become one of the most powerful nations in the world. Coupled with the massive amount of natural resources abundant in the Cradle of Life, and the fact that small teams of Drakkai were capable of going out to neighboring islands for raids or to make trades with the frightened colonies, they were able to advance at a much faster rate than the entire civilized world.

Two hundred years later, not a whole lot has changed between Hez'Ranna and the rest of the world. Now, a few trade routes have opened up, and the jungle country makes additional money from private tourism... but they are still composed mainly of only a few massive cities scattered through the jungle wilderness that they nurture and revere. Many of their factories are placed on neighboring islands, and they still use their own traditional holidays and training methods over the similar ones used by every other country in the world, as taught by the International Council. And no one can stop them, because of the massive respect they are taught for their own bodies from birth onwards, and the fact that at least one day out of every week is spent doing nothing but hard physical training.

Zerrex shook his head slightly; he knew that at least they wouldn't have to hide their weaponry. Hez'Ranna had no laws regarding weaponry, which was why it was an attractive place for many gun-runners... but criminals were taken care of quickly and decisively. And strangely, even though almost anyone could buy a gun or walk around on the street with anything from a sword to a rocket launcher, they had fewer murders than any other place in the world, even though their cities were often massive and thickly-populated.

"Guess it's just the culture." He murmured, then he put down his can of cola and glanced out the window of the plane, seeing nothing but a few white clouds, a darkening sky, and water to the edge of the horizon. Then the reptile sighed and smiled a bit as he glanced up, looking over at Lone and Cindy, who were sitting at one of the small tables in the cabin of the plane - Gods, this place reminds me of a bad café or something. Maybe I should go sit with Cherry in the cockpit... at least that looks like a plane should. This is too cushy. But first... "Hey, Lone. You're going to have to stick close to me when we land, alright?"

The wolf glanced up from dealing cards, then he nodded as he put down the deck and gave a bit of a hesitant smile: he had been filled in by Cherry on what was going on, and exactly why they had to load the storage area in the back of the plane with all the weaponry they could dig up, and the lizard guessed that the wolf was more than a touch nervous at this point. Not so much about going to an entirely different world from what he was used to, but because he didn't want to say anything that would upset the eight-two lizard that had once blown both his shins out with a magnum handgun. "Okay, Zerrex... it's... pretty different there, huh?"

The Drakkaren nodded in return, then he laughed quietly. "It's really different, from what I've heard..." He hesitated a moment, then added gently: "And... you might also be taken as my slave by some of the Hez'Ranna. It might be best to let them keep that misconception, because ninety percent of all non-reptiles in the major cities are slaves or serfs or some kind. And you should also keep in mind that they don't have the same laws as we do... so don't step on any toes."

Lone smiled a bit, nodding quickly and giving a soft: "Okay, Zer" before turning to the card game he was playing with Cindy. He had to admit, the idea didn't exactly make him want to prance around in joy... but he couldn't deny the faint tickle of amusement and perhaps even interested pleasure that rolled over his spine at the thought of finally acting out the role of Zerrex's slave in public. It almost made him want to laugh... but he didn't think either Zerrex or Cindy would get that, so he thought it best to just keep his feelings to himself for now.

The male Drakkaren shrugged a bit as he saw the wolf blush a bit, then he shrugged before getting up and walking down the tan hall between the cushioned bench seats and to the open cockpit door. He stepped inside, tapping Cherry on the shoulder gently more out of politeness than really needing to let her know he was there, before slipping into the copilot's seat and resting back against the comfortable, if-slightly-small chair and smiling slightly at her as she tilted her head towards him with a faintly-amused look. "Fuck, Boss, but some people are so damn bitchy. We just passed some oil rig and they yelled at me in... fuckglish for about twenty minutes over the radio."

"You really need a new attach-to-everything word." Zerrex said mildly, rolling his eyes as he rested back in the seat, then he paused as he glanced over her. Cherry looked back at him, before the male coughed and said in the same voice... although he felt a bit of heat rising in his cheeks now... "You know, you always do look sexy in a headset."

"Fuck you." Cherry replied, but she gave a strange smile and a bit of a blush herself, self-consciously adjusting the microphone by her muzzle and the mentioned accessory, before she coughed and glanced out the window. For a few minutes, the two sat in silence, then she said in a soft voice: "I really am just as worried about Marina as you, I guess. It's just so damn hard to stay calm, pretend things are business as usual, with her out there god-knows-where, in the hands of what sound like some serious hardasses, and all we got to go on is that some blind chick is probably the one who gave the order."

"Yeah..." Zerrex agreed in a quiet voice, glancing down and lacing his fingers together in his lap as he rested back against the seat, then he looked out the side window for a few moments before throwing a look quickly over his shoulder. Cindy was still sitting with Lone, but it looked like she was talking about something now as she wiped at her eyes a bit... probably something about Marina. And Lone looked like he was trying to smile, too, except his gray eyes twinkled even from here... and Zerrex took the chance to look back at Cherry and ask quietly: "Do you think we'll get her back okay? Or am I going to end up having to tell my little girl that her baby girl was..."

He broke off as Cherry looked over at him with a strange expression on her face, and it took the male a few moments to realize what it was: sympathy. It was all the answer he needed, and the reptile sighed before reaching up to brush his hair back and leaning back in his seat, glancing up at the sky. Then he finally shook his head and gave a faint laugh, smiling a bit as he looked over at Cherry and tried for a topic change. "You know... Lone called up his sister a month or so ago, did you hear about that?"

"Oh? Oh yeah, yeah, um... Jeannine." Cherry nodded, tilting her head curiously. "That the bitch he first raped, right?"

"Yes Cherry. That is the bitch that he first raped." Zerrex replied mildly, his voice all but dripping with ironic amusement. The female blinked a few times at this, but didn't seem to get it, so instead Zerrex rolled his eyes and went on: "In any case, seems she wasn't too thrilled to hear from him, but he managed to coax her into coming down anyway... but she says she won't go home with him, and if he wants to meet her, they should meet at some public café somewhere. So Lone says he wants me to come along, to tell her how good he's been doing-"

"Oh fuck, yeah. That's a great idea." Cherry grinned, then looked over at him amusedly. "So that's what you were doing while I was out with Marina and Cindy on the camping trip. So uh..." she paused, scratched her head, then asked finally: "Did you rape her?" Another pause, then she grinned again, this time wider. "Please say yes."

The reptile rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't. As it happens, I told Lone that I'd sit a few tables away and give them some privacy, and he could maybe invite me over if she wanted to talk to me. But as it happens, she's a lesbian-"

"She ain't no lesbian, her cunt has just never met your cock."

"-and so... she..." the reptile faltered for a moment at Cherry's interruption, then made a face. "Like, hell. Can you be more vulgar?"

Immediately Cherry leaned in close and said in a sincere, friendly voice: "She just likes to eat out other whores and taste their juices and her own pussy milk, and play with big bouncin' boobs and scream fuck yes to another bitch ramming her with a plastic fake dick or ramrod some other girly up the ass with a fake cock to make herself feel all hot and bothered and get off on their shrieking and spasming. I think that means she's a male-wannabe."

"Just because you wish you had a penis doesn't mean every female does." Zerrex countered mildly, and then he continued, before the female could talk again: "And by the way, there is such a thing as a lesbian, and it's okay. I don't understand why you drool over gay males but scream in protest at the idea of girls who only like girls. And that makes you a hypocrite, anyway, because you'll stop and stare at a pair of big breasts on the street like any guy-"

"That's different." Cherry said huffily, and Zerrex snorted, rolling his eyes as he rested back in the seat and shook his head.

After a few moments, though, he went on with his story. "But... anyway. So Jeannine brings along her girlfriend. And Lone, bein' the ass that he is, charms her right up without even knowing it, and she hints that she's bisexual and that lately she and Jeannine have been discussing an open relationship. And then Jeannine says abruptly that they have to go, and drags her partner off. And Lone just kinda sits there, then slumps and starts bawling like a little kid and I have to go comfort him."

"Oh, well, no wonder he never told me about it, then." Cherry snorted laughter, shaking her head, then, before she could reply, a brief buzzing sounded over the radio, and the two looked up at the speaker.