Chapter 11 – Territorial Clash

512 A.R. February 18, Agridome 537 – Bedroom, Morning

I awoke feeling as if my mind was crawling its way out of a ditch. It was a murky sensation, accompanied by the feeling of a dry mouth.

Hangover?

I forced my eyes open, realized that I had sat up at some point and was now squinting as I caught the sun glaring through a nearby window. Something rubbed against my shoulder, and I glanced to my right. John was sitting up next to me, and he let out a disgruntled groan while rubbing his temple.

The scents that filled the room felt tangled in a way. A distinct canine scent of wet fur, joined with the rich scent of fresh shampoo, muddled with the sharp tinge of something odd. Something in the back of my mind told me that the odd scent was a metabolized alcohol, Acetone.

I didn’t have a headache or anything that fit the description of a human hangover, but there was a foggy sensation that made me want to curl up with the others for some more sleep. John drew a deep breath, idly scratched his midsection, and looked over at me with a tired gaze.

It made me smile back at him, “How are you feeling?”

John moved his muzzle and seemed to ponder it for a moment, “I can remember everything from last night…”

“… Ah?” I murmured.

John looked in front and smiled a little as he shook his head, “It’s not what I expected, but I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

“Mhmm,” I mused and glanced over at him.

John brushed through the thick fur on his head with his claws, “Preferably without having to get up this early, feels like I have stuffing for brains at the moment.”

“Same here,” I said.

John looked over at me, “Did… Did you enjoy last night, Vilkas?”

I tipped my head with a cheeky smile and bit my lip as I thought back, “Yeah… I did like it. First time trying out alcohol for real as well.”

John blinked in wonder, “… Really?”

I wavered with my hands, “More or less. Father has shared a drink or two with me, and there’s the time we met up with that female pack in town, but other than that I haven’t had much interest… or a pack to enjoy it with.”

“Ah,” John said as we looked at me with a curious glance.

“You?” I said, and motioned at him.

John glanced around, “I… unfortunately, have had several encounters with booze as a human. Once I repainted some curtains as I threw up, another time I woke up stuffed under a bed… desperate for a toilet bowl.”

I perked my brow, “… Is this some big city thing?”

John huffed as he shook his head, “It’s more of a ‘trying to be cool as a human by hanging with folks from the undercity and thinking you’ll feel better by making your parents cry with worry’,” John said.

I smiled back at him, “Sounds like you were a troublesome child.”

John nodded, “I’m glad it went as badly as it did, or I might have gotten stuck with them.”

“You mentioned ‘kids from the undercity’?” I wondered.

John motioned to me, “You remember how you told me about the outskirts of your town, how it belonged to the humans? Yeah, well… In Veripolis, one of the sub-levels of the city belongs to the humans that insist on staying there. Despite that, they want nothing to do with the rest of us.”

“I see,” I said.

“What about you, Peter?” John said, and glanced back.

I turned around to look as well, but Peter still seemed knocked out as he lay flat on the ground, muzzle wide open, snoring and drooling a little.

Allen was slowly stirring from sleep as he looked up at us in wonder, before he rose up on all four.

“Morning, Allen,” I said.

Allen pushed himself onto two legs, and looked around in a daze, “M- Morning…”

“How are you feeling?” I asked as he started walking toward the bathroom door.

“Fine… Just need to some water,” Allen mumbled as he disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

“Heh, bet it was his first ‘real’ time as well,” John said.

“Mm,” I murmured.

John looked back at me, “So, what are we doing today?”

“Don’t know yet, but I was thinking of contacting Ares to find that out,” I said.

John nodded, patted my shoulder, and rose up on two legs, “You do that, boss… and I'll grab the bathroom down the hall.”

I nodded in silence, while John sauntered away, and left the room moments later.

‘Ares?’ I thought and closed my eyes.

Within moments, his presence descended once more, ‘Good morning, Vilkas…’

‘Good morning,’ I thought.

‘I can sense what you’ve been up to… May I suggest that you and your pack order the Pick-Me-Up drink as part of your breakfast?’ Ares thought.

‘I’m guessing it’s some kind of medication to help clear the side-effects,’ I thought.

‘Correct,’ Ares thought.

I nodded to myself, ‘I’ll make sure everyone gets their dose. Now, do you have a briefing for me?’

‘I do, though it will be a rather short one,’ Ares thought.

‘Go ahead,’ I thought.

‘We have received an application from another pack to join your upcoming mission. At the moment we have no reason to refuse it, and it has therefore been allowed.’

I drew a deep breath and rubbed my temple, ‘Kato’s pack, yes?’

‘Correct. I would ask your input on the matter, but it appears to me that this might be a good way to see how well your pack cooperates with others,’ Ares said.

I opened my eyes and stared at the nearby wall, ‘I will do my best, but this does complicate matters given my… situation.’

‘We are aware. Nonetheless, do your best,’ Ares said.

‘As ordered,’ I thought.

‘Kato’s pack is currently keeping a nearby Enclave under surveillance,’ Ares said.

‘There must be a good reason for that, given the rules surrounding human Enclaves,’ I thought.

‘There is, and you will learn of it once you visit a nearby swamp.’

‘A nearby swamp?’ I thought.

‘One of Athena’s teams are operating in the swamp. You will head there, get your briefing, then join Kato’s pack. From there you will coordinate and do your best to resolve the situation.’

‘I assume the APC already has the coordinates?’ I wondered.

‘As usual, you assume correctly,’ Ares said.

I nodded to myself, ‘We’ll do our best, Ares.’

‘Good,’ Ares answered, before his presence faded once more.

I glanced back and started poking at Peter’s leg, “Time to wake up.”

512 A.R. February 18, Agridome 537 – Cafeteria, Morning

“A swamp, and Kato’s pack is waiting near a human Enclave…” Peter murmured.

John grabbed another sandwich and began to pile some cheese on, “Why a swamp of all places?”

I shrugged, “Ares didn’t specify.”

Peter perked his ears as he glanced around the empty cafeteria, “Where’s Allen?”

“He was sniffing around the cafeteria earlier,” John glanced past us and stared into the distance, “I think he wandered into the corridor over there.”

I motioned to the others, “I’ll find him. The rest of you finish up, because we’ll be leaving afterwards.”

“Want me to pack enough food for a picnic later on?” Peter asked.

“That would be smart, and make sure to bring enough for Kato’s pack as well,” I said, and stood up as I nodded at him,

“Roger that,” Peter said as he grabbed another bite.

I walked off toward the hallway that John had pointed at, and it didn’t take long to find Allen’s scent. Eventually I found myself by the end of a hallway: to the left I could see what looked like a meeting room, and to my right was an alcove with a big window.

Allen was nearby and I could smell him, even if I couldn’t see him. I lowered the shield around my mind, and I felt a presence to my right, just behind the corner of the alcove. Weirdly enough, the presence was a lot weaker than I had expected it to be. The emotions emanating from the source were subdued as well.

I walked closer, glanced around the corner, and saw Allen sitting on a short bench. He’d lifted his muzzle to face the sun as it shone through the window. His hands rested on his lap and supported a cup with what looked like coffee.

He almost seemed asleep as I reached out and gently tapped the wall.

Allen’s ears perked in an instant, and he opened his eyes to look at me, “Oh…”

In an instant, his mind went silent as he walled himself off from me.

“Want to be alone?” I wondered.

Allen shook his head, “I was kind of counting on you to find me.”

“Oh?” I said and felt my own ears perk in surprise.

Allen leaned forward as if trying to peer around the corner, “Are the others here?”

I stepped closer and shook my head, “No…”

“Ah, okay,” Allen whispered as I eased myself down on the bench next to him.

“So, it would seem you’ve learned how to shield your mind?” I wondered.

Allen smiled back and felt the side of his head, “Maybe… You tell me? I got a feel for ‘something’ and I think this might be it.”

“Yeah, at the moment I can barely feel a thing coming from you,” I said.

Allen clasped his hands as his tail began to twirl along the bench, “Good…”

I motioned to him, “It also means that I can’t telepathically communicate with you. So don’t keep the shield up unless you need to, at least not all the way.”

Allen blinked and seemed to ponder it, “Ah… Yeah, that would be a disadvantage.”

I made a slow nod and decided to leave the subject, “So, was there something you wanted to talk about?”

Allen made something of a huff and tipped his head as he turned to look at the window, “I do think I might owe you an explanation or two.”

“I’ll listen,” I said and smiled back.

Allen lowered his gaze to his cup and idly traced a claw along its rim, “I did as you asked back before we set off to the training camp.”

“You had a talk with your parents?” I wondered.

Allen threw me a glimpse, “I waited until the last second, but yes… Mom was in her bedroom, waiting by the window, probably waiting to see me leave, or wave goodbye. She knows I don’t like them butting in when I'm with you guys, so… she was a bit surprised when I walked in there.”

“Hmm,” I murmured with a nod.

Allen sighed and shook his head for a moment, “I sat down on their bed and I just… I thought I had it figured out, that I'd ask her if she wanted to do something fun when I got back, as a family. But as I sat there, my mind just went blank.”

I waited in silence.

“Now I find myself wondering if she read my thoughts, or if it was just some parental instinct, but she sat down next to me, and rubbed my shoulder. I didn’t push her away. I didn’t panic. I didn’t implode with strange thoughts that everything in the world was just… wrong.”

Allen tapped the side of his mug, “I was just… tired. So tired of myself and everything else. I hardly noticed as Dad came up from behind and ruffled the fur on my head… That did annoy me a little, but… it was okay.”

Once more I waited and listened.

Allen looked over at me, “It was so strange… Because, most of the times I'm fighting the beast, to hold it back, but it was so at peace that I couldn’t even tell if it was there… and that made me feel at peace as well, kind of like when I'm with you.”

I tipped my head in wonder, “When you’re with me?”

Allen looked back at the window, “You’re my Alpha, and you’re a competent one. The beast sees that, and it respects you. But you also try to understand me, even when I do something stupid like calling you out in front of everyone else. It feels weird sitting here, saying stuff like this, but you’re one of the few that I'm comfortable with placing my trust in.”

“Ah,” I whispered.

“I know that you’re hiding stuff, and I know that there’s stuff you probably can’t tell us. I’m curious, of course, but if you’re willing to put up with me, then the least I can do is to understand the kind of minefield you’re forced to maneuver all the time,” Allen said and glanced back at me.

I found myself smiling as I leaned back against the wall, “Sounds like you’re buttering me up for what you’re about to tell me next.”

Allen gave a sheepish grin, “I’m being sincere, but there might also be some truth to your suspicion.”

“Uh huh,” I said and leaned closer.

Allen’s ears wiggled as he gave a soft sigh, “I didn’t make the model that you found in the Red-Light district.”

“But you did modify it,” I said.

Allen nodded, “Yeah, I did… But it’s not for… whatever reason you may think.”

“Oh?” I wondered.

Allen’s gaze drifted to the ceiling, “This might seem silly, but the original reason I found the model at all was because I was looking for you in the virtual world.”

“Did you just stumble upon it, or…”

Allen clasped the mug as he looked at me in wonder, “You really don’t hang out in the virtual world a lot, do you?”

I shook my head, “No.”

“Well, most spaces in the virtual world have various search functions. By entering a space, you can search through its contents using a bot, or even a simple Expert System. Some spaces have none of those functions, and the only way to find something is by manually looking through everything.”

“But it’s all digital data, it has to be stored somewhere,” I said.

Allen nodded, “Technically all of it is stored in the archives, but it’s indexed in such a way that it would be like having a library with books that only had random numbers on their cover. Not only that, but the books are also encrypted in such a way that it’s computationally costly to open one up.”

“So, the only way to make sense of it is by going through the Virtual World despite its limitations?”

Allen tipped his head, “It’s certainly one of the best ways to do it… There are spaces in the virtual world that try to categorize other spaces, like a search engine of sorts, but many of them grow stale pretty quickly.”

“So you used these services to look for me?” I wondered.

Allen nodded, “Yeah… and that model was one of the few that popped up.”

“Is this around the time of the camp?” I wondered.

Allen shook his head, “Oh, no… First time I found the model was at least a year ago.”

I eyed him carefully, “And?”

“And now we get to the awkward part,” Allen whispered as he took another sip from the cup. Moments later he lowered the cup and pointed at it, “This ‘pick-me-up’ drink worked quite well.”

“Mmhmm,” I murmured as I shuffled closer to him on the bench.

Allen flashed me another sheepish grin, “Anyway… I was curious, so I downloaded the model and spun it up inside my own private space. The result was… off.”

“Off?” I wondered.

“Strange, alien, instinctively wrong… Behavior wise, speech, physical details, and so on…”

I perked my brow as I found myself smiling, “So you decided to improve on that?”

Allen’s ears folded back, “Trying to remove this kind of stuff is pretty futile, so I figured that if there was going to be a model of you littering the virtual world, then it should at least be one that paints you in a good light, or at least… a more realistic one. So I changed it, mostly as an experiment, partly because… I like you.”

I didn’t move, but I could feel my ears wiggle a little as a bit of warmth began to rise into my cheeks.

Allen looked at me, and I could hear him gulp, “That may have come out wrong.”

I stayed silent as I peered at him.

“I don’t mean that is if… I mean… I am not hitting on you,” Allen said.

“That’s good to know,” I said and looked toward the window.

Allen drew a deep breath and made a prompt sigh moments later, “That said, I'm generally confused about the feelings that I have for you, and what they actually mean.”

“Well, are you attracted to me?” I asked.

Allen reached up with his hand to feel his temple, “… I’m not used to having these emotions.”

“You mean…”

“Everyone acts as if it’s this self-explanatory, simple thing. Peter’s gay. John’s straight-ish, and I'm sitting here not knowing what label—if any—to apply to myself.”

I shrugged, “I generally find labels to be overrated.”

“… Which means?” Allen wondered.

“If you’re attracted to me, then it’s that simple. I’m attracted to all of you, in different ways.”

Allen was silent for a few moments and seemed to stare at me, “… You are?”

I glanced over at him and smiled, “Peter’s fur smells like pepper, and it’s so thick he feels like a bear. John’s slimmer and his shorter fur really brings out his… definition. You’re beautiful, crystalline white, with fur that’s soft like silk. But sex appeal is only one small part of the equation, and it doesn’t mean that I do or don’t want to have you as my mate.”

“… Somehow, I'm both hurt and relieved by that last,” Allen said.

I motioned to him with my hand, “I meant… in general, not you specifically.”

Allen stifled a chuckle and gave another sigh as he smiled back, “I get it…”

“So why did you visit the Red-Light district when you managed to access the net through the camp?” I wondered.

Allen clasped the cup with both hands and looked down, “Peter and John were arguing. Sebastian was causing trouble. Things were… lousy, and I thought that if I could contact you, then…”

“So you were looking for me?” I wondered.

Allen nodded, “About that… I did encounter someone that looked like you, but… he wasn’t really like you, so I just assumed I was wrong. But, now, afterwards… Was that guy-”

“Yes, it was… I originally called him Volkov, since he was basically another version of me and that’s the name he has used since. Now he has been freed somewhat, and he has become his own person,” I said.

Allen blinked as he looked at me, “So, do you share… I mean, physical control over your body?”

I shook my head, “No, he’s always been locked into the back of my mind. That changed after I got the implant as it enabled him to enter the Virtual World, which is where he spends most of his time now.”

“Ah…” Allen whispered.

“You said he was different?” I wondered.

“Annoyed, short, like I was a bother to him,” Allen said.

“Volkov is just… Well, it’s troublesome when our lives intertwine,” I said.

Allen nodded “Yeah… I can imagine. Anyway, after I couldn’t find you, I… Just wanted to hear your voice. To talk with you. To help me think about what you might have done if you were at the camp with us.”

“So you talked with my model?” I asked.

Allen cleared his throat, “I did… I would have downloaded the model so that I could run it locally, but last time I tried that I got an error message thrown by my brain. Not exactly a pleasant experience.”

“You probably need a bit more time to mature,” I said.

Allen glanced at me and perked his brow, “Yeah, I reasoned as much.”

I shuffled closer and brushed shoulders with him.

Allen smirked and glanced to the side, “So… does this mean you’re not angry with me?”

I inched closer and let my nose hover an inch from his own, “That depends… Are you going to keep working on that model?”

“Given everything that is going on… I’m sure the model is good enough as it is,” Allen whispered.

I nuzzled his cheek and watched him squirm as his tail began to wag, “I’m sure it is.”

512 A.R. February 18, The Wastes, Midday

The road grew muddy and bumpy, but the six wheels of the APC managed it well. A glance through the fake window revealed that the sky was partially obscured by thick intertwining branches from the surrounding forest. While all the leaves were gone, there was surprisingly little snow on the trees themselves. To make it stranger, there were trees with branches that almost appeared merged, as if the forest itself was one giant organism.

As I lowered my gaze, I could see a thick marsh spread out as far as the eye could see. Putrid brown liquid bubbled with patches as if something was going on in its depths.

“Vilkas,” Peter said.

I looked in front and noticed that a red alert had appeared on the screen.

-Warning: Environmental Anomalies Detected-

[Abnormal Temperature: 10+ Degrees Celsius]

[Abnormal Gas Concentration: Methane – Breathable, but avoid potential gas-pockets]

[Spectral Analysis suggests that surrounding liquid pools are highly corrosive]

As I looked in front, I could also see a makeshift camp set up on a small island of solid ground next to the road. Standing on the island were several vehicles that had lined up next to one in order to create a larger structure.

“There are spider-droids in the swamp,” Allen said.

I glanced to the side once more and noticed that the screen had highlighted a few spots. While they were far into the distance, I could make out the spindly appearance of the droids as they were doing something to the swamp’s muck.

“I haven’t visited many swamps in my life, but this place doesn’t seem to be thriving,” John murmured.

“Yeah, this place looks… dead,” I said.

The APC pulled up to the larger structure on the small island, and another alert was shown.

-Destination Reached-

[Environment breathable, but exercise caution]

[Open doors?]

[Yes] [No]

“Here we go,” I said and pushed the ‘Yes’ button.

The fake windows powered down as the large hatch on the side made a pop and began to open.

“Oh, wow… That’s foul,” Allen hissed and turned his nose away.

The scent that Allen had caught began to fill the APC within moments. It was putrid and humid, a scent that got on your tongue and tried to crawl into your throat. It made me shrink back as I reached up to block my nose.

“Ugh... Wouldn’t it be better to stay in here and make a video call?” Peter said.

I clamped my nose and tried to breathe through my mouth, “It’s not toxic, just foul… Come on.”

I moved with haste and the others followed as we marched up to the larger structure, found the stairs, and marched up to a large metal door. There was a simple button to the side, and I gave it a quick slam. The metal door split in two as it disappeared in a second flat.

“Ah, they’re here!” A male voice yelled out within the structure.

“Do hurry up and close the door again!” A feminine voice called out.

I rushed in and moved to the side of the door. The others soon followed, and I gave the button on the inside a quick press. As the door shut, a set of fans above us kicked into gear.

Peter made a disgusted shiver and stuck his tongue out, “Feels like I have some of it on my tongue.”

I weaved between the others as I stepped in front and saw what looked like a well-equipped but rather tight lab. Light was emitted from the entire ceiling, and even the walls were equipped with subtle lights.

On the right side of the lab was a big machine with a screen that showed a feed of living cells. Sitting in front of the machine was a big bear that looked at us inquiringly. A leopard walked up behind the bear, and what looked like a slender ferret approached from the left side.

All of them were wearing the same kind of white lab coat, and based on the scents, there were two females and one male. While I didn’t feel confident judging the sex of felines and ferrets on appearance alone, the bear wore the kind of rough stare that you’d find with an old bitter man.

The rather small ferret gave me a warm smile upon walking up to me, “Welcome, you’re right on time.”

The voice was feminine, and my nose confirmed it as I was reminded of Arjali at the capitol.

I motioned to myself, and the others, “I’m Vilkas, this is Peter, John, and Allen.”

The ferret glanced over at the others, still smiling, and motioned to the bear and leopard, “I’m Ash, and these are my associates, grumpy bear Ormond, and Jayne.”

“I heard that,” The bear said with a rumbling voice and looked over at her.

Ash threw Ormond a quick wink, and then faced me with a cheeky smirk, “We need you to find something for us.”

“We’re not going into the swamp, are we?” John whispered in the background.

Ash bent her lithe body into a rather disturbing angle as she gave John a glance, “You won’t have to, I assure you.”

I heard John sigh in relief while Peter made a nodding smile.

Ash stood straight once more and looked up at me, “The first team had little interest in entering the swamp and simply read the report. I am hoping that someone with your experiences will have more of an understanding regarding how important this mission is.”

I could almost feel as the others turned their focus on me, and I did my best to smile back, “We’ll do our best, I assure you.”

Ash clasped her hands and drew a deep breath, “That is… quite a relief.”

I motioned to her, “This swamp seems dead. I’m assuming it’s not supposed to be like this?”

Ash nodded, “Correct… A pathogen infected the swamp, and as a last resort it triggered what is basically it’s nuclear option. The swamp killed itself and triggered an environmental shift to make sure that even the hardiest kind of nanite couldn’t survive.”

I raised my brow, “A pathogen?”

“A new strain of Lusus,” Ormond said with a rumbling voice.

Ash nodded, “As you no doubt know, the Lusus are a nanite based lifeform, one with a surprisingly humble origin.”

“Recyclers,” Allen said from behind me.

Ash stepped closer to Allen and peered up at him, “Correct. You basically dump anything that you want broken down into a container and mix it up with some gray goo. Hours later, you have a bath of minerals ready to be used. These days the Lusus are still busy trying to accomplish their task… in increasingly creative ways.”

“I know the Lusus evolve, but you make it sound outright intelligent?” I asked.

Ash looked back at me with the same intensity as before, “Those with an integrated mind certainly are. The rest, not so much. At this point our planet is basically dead, and it’s only a matter of time before they finish us off.”

Ormond cleared his throat, “Ash, you shouldn’t seem so enthusiastic when you say that.”

Ash glanced over at Ormond, and reached up to feel her face as her excitement faded, “Right, my apologies...” She then glanced over at me once more, “It’s nothing more than scientific curiosity, I assure you.”

I glanced over at the others and saw Peter and John stare with their eyes wide in surprise and shock.

“Ash,” I said.

“Hmm?” Ash wondered as her smile was renewed.

“What exactly does this swamp do?” I asked.

“Oh, the swamp is basically a sewage treatment plant. It’s rather similar to the original function of the Lusus as recyclers, although a lot stabler and refined. You dump everything into the swamp which is a soup of simple nanites. They break things down, filter it, and eventually pump it back into Sophos resource management system.”

“And a new strain of Lusus destroyed it?” I asked.

Ash nodded eagerly, “Indeed… But this is where it gets complicated.”

“How so?” I asked.

Ormond spoke up, “Lusus spores from the rest of the world constantly rain down Sophos. We counter it with the help of Etemenanki who constantly tunes and refine the island’s immune system.”

“Immune system, as in?” I asked.

Ash held her arms wide, “The forests, vegetation, the organisms living in the ground, hybrids, you, me. We are all part of the island’s immune system.”

“Thanks for clarifying… So, did a new strain of Lusus just rain down on us from the outside?”

The leopard in the back, Jayne, stepped closer, “No, it did not. From what we know of this new breed, it is markedly different from the strains covering the rest of the planet.”

Ash motioned toward the nearby wall, “The immune system of the swamp isn’t very sophisticated, so on a unit by unit basis it can’t really fight against the Lusus. But this swamp is huge and can usually overwhelm anything that tries to infest it by sheer numbers.”

“Like how a sharp knife can do little to stop a blunt boulder?” I asked.

Ash nodded, “That would be a suitable description of how it usually works, but this time the knife had no problem cleaving the boulder in two. It tore through the swamp’s defenses, began to spread, and the only thing that stopped it-”

Ormond spoke up, “That we hope stopped it.”

Ash looked back at Ormond, “Based on all the samples so far, there are no active nanites anywhere in the swamp.”

“Just saying… We can’t allow ourselves to underestimate this thing,” Ormond added.

Ash looked back at me, “Based on what we know so far, the swamp’s nuclear option stopped the infestation in its tracks.”

“And if it hadn’t?” I wondered.

Ormond murmured in the background, “This much biomass converted to Lusus biomatter would have required serious containment protocols. Ones that would involve sterilizing this entire region.”

“So where did this new strain of Lusus come from, and why hasn’t it spread elsewhere?” I wondered.

Ash grew a big smile as she kneaded her hands, “I think that this was a test.”

“A test?” I asked.

“Someone is developing a new strain of Lusus, and this was one of the trial sites.”

Jayne raised her hand, “This is speculation, but it is speculation with a plausible hypothesis.”

Ormond settled his arms across his bulging frame and raised his voice, “The swamp managed to partially analyze the new strain, and traces of a watermark was found. Specifically, the kind of watermark left behind by our kind of bio-nanite designers.”

I suddenly have a great many questions…

“Let me start by asking what this bio-nanite designer is?” I said.

Jayne spoke up once more, “A bio-nanite designer is a compact suite of the tools and software needed to engineer simpler types of nanites and their organic components. It’s run by a very specialized form of Expert System and it can handle everything from design, synthesis, to packaging the final product.”

“Sounds like a very dangerous device,” I said.

Ormond nodded, “It is… in the wrong hands. Which is why all such devices have strict security requirements, and why they all have their own unique watermark.”

Jayne raised her hand once more, “Bio-nanite designers used to be revolutionary tech. Nowadays it is more of a convenience for use in advanced labs when you need something simple done quickly. Nonetheless, it is a dangerous device.”

Ormond kept talking, “The watermark we found only had fragments, but we’ve managed to track it down to eleven potential machines.”

I felt my ears wiggle, “Hold on… You are saying that this new strain of Lusus was made in Sophos, using our hardware?”

Ash moved in front of Osmond with a frown, “Made with our hardware, yes… Made by a hybrid? Not likely.”

“Why is that?” I wondered.

Ash waved her hand dismissively, “Any hybrid capable of something like this would also have known about the fail-safes within the swamp. To make such a mistake is too sloppy, it’s human.”

Jayne spoke up once more, “Unless that’s exactly what the culprit wants you to think.”

“Help me understand something… This kind of device is currently used as a convenience, yet it was able to create a new strain of Lusus, how?” I asked.

“How much do you know about the Lusus?” Ash asked and tipped her head in wonder.

I glanced over at the others, “Let’s assume we know little more than the basics.”

Ash glanced at the others, “I see… Well, the Lusus are remarkable at making micro-adaptions to better recycle their surroundings, but they lack the type of intelligence to act on a macroscopic scale.”

Jayne moved up next to Ormond, “The turning point which made the Lusus the menace that they are today, is that they learned how to make use of others to make up for their deficiencies.”

“You’re talking about how they…” I whispered.

Ormond made a slow nod, “Upon infesting a human, or even expert systems, the Lusus can form something that can at first appear symbiotic, but eventually becomes a parasitic relationship with the intelligence of its host. While disturbing to think of it this way, this is part of how the first hybrids came to be and is still rooted in us to this day.”

Jayne motioned to herself, “A Symbiont is engineered to coexist with us, to give us control of decisions on a higher level, but deep down we retain our heritage to this technology, from the way we digest food, to the way our immune system works.”

Ash uttered an annoyed huff, “Most of the time an infested human will simply be digested to form a Lusus biomass, but sometimes, when the conditions are right, the brain can be integrated… and changed to better serve Lusus goals.”

Ormond motioned with his hand in the air, “This kind of intelligent monstrosity is what people generally mean when they talk about Lusus. Wild biomass, while dangerous, is nothing without a coordinating intelligence pulling its strings.”

Ash’s eyes glimmered as she looked back at me, “There used to be billions of these Lusus intelligences across Earth, but they can’t help their voracious nature, so they either ate or merged with one another until there were only a fraction left.”

Ormond sighed, “We do not know what happens when these ‘minds’ merge with one another. Perhaps they are simply discarded, repurposed, or they might exist similar to that of a hive mind.”

Ash kept talking, “As the resources of Earth dwindled and the natural biosphere was consumed, they began to run out of energy. Nowadays they are spread out across the earth, conserving their energy, poisoning the air while soaking up the sun as they absorb oxygen from the atmosphere… Waiting and planning for the day when they can finally finish the task that is so deeply embedded in their very core.”

“To recycle it all,” I said.

Ash nodded, “Yes, and they are more than capable of making adjustments to their tactics.”

Ormond spoke up, “Originally the Lusus were little more than large gelatinous blobs. Over time they have adapted to take on the form of a variety of things ranging from small insects, vegetation, fungi for widespread spore-production, and even leviathan type monstrosities.”

“And these days?” I wondered.

“These days they actively adapt according to their surroundings. If they find themselves within a garden, then they’ll settle as a tree and observe. If caught in an office environment with ventilation ducts, then they become more like an ant colony. The leviathan types haven’t been seen for a long time since our nuclear weapons were quite effective at bringing them down.”

Ash raised her hand, “Now, to answer your original question…”

“Right, how could a bio-nanite designer be used to create a new strain of Lusus?” I asked.

Ash motioned to me, “The designer doesn’t have the complexity to create Lusus from scratch, but it can be used to create the conditions that would force Lusus to evolve in novel ways. But why one would seek to help the enemy which tries to destroy us all… that boggles the mind.”

It wouldn’t be the first time we encountered a cult who wanted everything to end…

I looked back at Ormond, “Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn’t one of the first priorities for Lusus to spread their spores? To spread their infection as far as possible.”

Ormond nodded, “This is true, but no such thing seems to have occurred here. It either means that the strain doesn’t spread through spores, or that the spores are too weak to cause an infestation.”

Jayne spoke, “Spores on their own are a slow way to infest others, and it only works in the absence of Etemenanki’s influence. Direct touch can however deliver fully-matured nanites and their organic components which are far more dangerous.”

I nodded, “And these eleven machines you mentioned, are they accounted for?”

Ormond drew a deep breath, “Eight of the machines are accounted for and are located in high security areas, they can therefore be dismissed as the source. Out of the remaining three, two are being investigated as we speak, and their records will reveal whether they are responsible.”

“And the last one?” I asked.

Ash looked back at me, “Records indicate that it was destroyed, but the circumstances around it are troublesome.”

“How so?” I wondered.

“The device was in use at a research center close to the UCS border. They were investigating whether Lusus samples taken from the human nations were evolving differently from those in Sophos,” Ash said.

Ormond spoke up, “A few decades back, the humans tried to break through the walls and the facility took heavy damage. The device is designed to self-destruct in the event its safety is compromised, but for unknown reasons, there is no confirmation whether this took place. Excavations following the attack found parts of the device that indicated the self-destruct had taken place. As such, it was assumed that a communications breakdown had prevented it from informing the system. This is now in doubt.”

Ash caught my attention by motioning toward me, “There are only a few instances where humans have been given access to machines like this in the last few centuries. One such instance involves a human called Hannival who worked with the machine at the border facility.”

“And?” I wondered.

Ash smiled, “Hannival just happens to live in the nearby human Enclave. It could be a coincidence, but…”

Jayne spoke up, “We should probably mention that others have already searched the Enclave for this human, but they were unable to find anything.”

I glanced toward her, “In other words, you were not convinced by their investigation, and you want someone else to take a look.”

“Hopefully, you’ll have better luck,” Ash said with a sly smile.

I looked at Ash, “Why did Hannival have access to such a machine?”

Ash motioned to me with her hands, “This might be hard to believe. But there is no structural discrimination against humans in our society. If you’re smart, can contribute, and pass the security checks, then you’re as free to access our labs just like everyone else. Hannival fit that profile. Intelligent, with no hint of wanting to harm us, at least not at the time.”

“So, decades ago, you believe Hannival stole part of the device during an attack on the facility?” I asked.

Ash nodded, “The core, yes…”

“Just how big is the core of this device?” I asked.

Ash motioned with her hands, “Like a bowling ball, with a metallic shell filled with a variety of interfaces. Pretty heavy, but an adult human would be more than capable of carrying it.”

Reminds me of the seed that Etemenanki gave me…

“This Hannival, how did he end up in the nearby human Enclave?” I asked.

Ormond spoke up, “I dug into that, and it would seem that Hannival steadily withdrew from his work following the attack on the facility. After a few years he straight up walked away from his home.”

“And this was just allowed?” I wondered.

“If he had tried to leave Sophos, then it would have been quite different. But this is an Enclave within Sophos territory. We can’t stop people from migrating there, and at the time there was nothing to suspect any wrongdoing,” Ormond said with a shrug.

Ash moved closer to Ormond and faced us as a group, “Find Hannival, and figure out what role he played in all of this. If he’s innocent, then he’s innocent, if not… bring him in.”

“So where do we start?” I asked.

“The last team did manage to figure out his address within the Enclave, so that might be a good first stop. That being said, the previous team failed in their task, so I'd suggest thinking outside the box,” Ash said.

I nodded to her, “We’ll do our best along with the others.”

Ash clasped her hands with another smile, “I will forward the address to your vehicle outside.”

512 A.R. February 18, Forests, Afternoon

A clue was all it required.

Peter and John discussed what Ash meant, Allen took note that the APC’s atmospheric readings indicated that there was only 16% oxygen in the air. Within minutes the doom and gloom had spread around the inside of the APC like a disease.

Inevitably a certain question arose, and their focus fell on me.

“Did you know?” Peter asked.

“I did learn about the oxygen crisis at Etemenanki, yes,” I said.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” John asked.

I motioned to him, “Why were you not aware? Why was I not aware until a week ago?”

John blinked and glanced over at Allen, “That is a good question.”

Allen glanced back at John, “Young humans are intentionally kept in the dark. It’s meant to make sure their mental state remains strong and stable enough to accept a Symbiont.”

I followed up, “We’ve only been hybrids for a few years. Think about everything you’ve already learned, and imagine how stressful it would be to have it piled on you at once.”

John gritted his teeth, “Fine, I get your point, but this is different, isn’t it? You’re literally telling us that the island only has a century left to live, and that the human nations blew up our best chance at fighting back just a month ago? Are they completely insane!?”

I drew a deep breath, “Not to sound like a smart ass, but we are in the Defense Force now. This, like so many other things, is a test.”

“A test of what? To see who breaks under the pressure? It’s not like they’re throwing a hypothetical at us, we’re literally going to run out of air!” John snapped.

I hardened my stare, “John, take a deep breath and settle back.”

John glared at me for a moment as if wanting to mouth back. He then lifted his muzzle a little, and drew a deep breath as he leaned back in his chair.

I eased back and motioned to everyone in the APC, “There are several plans to make sure Sophos survives. Some of them more pleasant than others. Many of us already work or live underground, and one way or another we’ll survive in an atmosphere we can’t breathe. It’ll be one hell of a hassle, but it is survivable. The real threat is that one way or another it will push the human nations into a corner, and they might reason that if they are about to die, then they might as well take us with them. We might not be directly involved in averting war with the humans, but our efforts here can help stabilize things and make it easier for those who are directly involved in averting war.”

John’s ears folded back, “… Alright, that is a pretty good explanation of the situation.”

I motioned to John, “Once more, it’s not my intent to hide things, it’s just that… some parts are difficult to broach, while others should be introduced gradually. I am not your enemy. Sophos is not your enemy.”

John glanced away, “I… realize that.”

I glanced over at Peter, who nodded at me in silence. It made me smile a little as I once more faced the others.

“We’ll be reaching the outskirts of the human Enclave soon, and we’ll meet up with Kato’s pack. Before that happens, there is something I want to share, simply to avoid unnecessary drama.”

John’s ears perked up again, “Okay?”

I moved the seat to face John and leaned closer to him, “I know this will sound weird, but reach out and feel my neck.”

John blinked, “If this is about those weird plates on your spine…”

“You knew?” I asked and leaned back in surprise.

“I discovered them last night, as we were sleeping,” John said and grew a sheepish grin.

I nodded, “The plates are part of the implant that I received to help manage my condition.”

Allen raised his hand, “I didn’t notice… to be honest.”

I eased my tail out from the chair, and motioned to it, “The plates are small, but they even cover the tail.”

Allen reached out and dug through my bushy appendage. After a few moments I could feel his padded fingers push and prod along the plates.

“They’re almost like armor…” Allen whispered.

“They are a form of armor, but the implant can also interface with my nervous system… among other things,” I said.

Allen lifted his gaze, “Among other things?”

I was about to speak when John raised his hand to point at Peter, “You knew already?”

“I knew, it was that thing we were ‘whispering about’ on top of the hangar’s roof,” Peter said.

John looked back at me and crossed his arms.

I sighed as I looked back at John, “I know… I know. Maybe I should have told you all, but there is something important to consider here, something which makes me so hesitant about it all.”

“Yes?” John whispered and lifted his muzzle with a skeptical glance.

I pointed to myself, “The implant is tech from Moonbase Alpha. It’s a prototype, and they don’t want society at large to know about it, at least not yet. Eventually it’s going to be released so that everyone can receive one.”

Allen raised his hand once more, “Not to interject, but… I thought implants weren’t compatible with our immune system?”

“EX-12, it’s a recently released immune system regulator, and it’s part of the reason why the implant works. That part isn’t secret and is a technology recently released to us by Moonbase Alpha.”

Allen lowered his hand, “Oh…”

I looked back at John, “I’m not trying to be dramatic, but this implant is probably a big reason why I'm alive at this point. So, please don’t create a mess that will make Moonbase Alpha view me in a bad light.”

“But if it’s just a medical device and some armor plating, then what’s the big secret?” John wondered.

“Even if it was that simple, I am possibly gambling with my life if I go against their wishes, do you understand?” I said.

John nodded, “I won’t say a word to anyone else… so, thanks for telling us.”

I motioned to him once more, “Now… The reason I think they actually want to keep it so secret, is that it’s capable of other things as well.”

“… Like what?” Allen asked.

I looked at Allen, “Did you have a computer at home?”

Allen nodded, “Of course… what do you take me for?”

I could see John roll his eyes in silence.

“Did you mess around with the inside of it as well?” I asked.

Allen smiled a little, “Of course… If you want something faster than the junk humans are given, you’ll have to learn a bit of soldering and modding.”

I held my hands out to Allen, “Can you imagine doing it with hands like ours?”

Allen looked at my hands and then glanced down at his own, “It could be done… I guess, but it would be an exercise in frustration just to plug everything in. Soldering individual components on would be really tough to do without some kind of WALDO interface to help out.”

“A WALDO interface with a bunch of small utility tendrils, am I right?” I wondered.

Allen nodded, “Yeah.”

Peter perked up, “My father has one of those actually. He uses it to assemble miniature boats inside small bottles.”

I glanced over at Peter and nodded, “Well, the implant in my back has a few of those utility tendrils built into it.”

Peter blinked, “That’s… mildly disturbing to be honest.”

Guess I should have expected that… Honestly, I felt the same way at first, still do to some degree…

“… I think it sounds cool,” Allen said.

John leaned closer, “Can we see? What can they do?”

I kept my wrist hidden, but urged the shapeshifting one to come out. It slithered along my palm with ease as I showed them the top of my hand and let the tendril float next to it.

“… Whoa,” John whispered.

Allen raised his hand, “… Can I touch it? Do you feel it? Can you control it directly?”

“The answer is yes to all three questions,” I said and smiled back.

Allen carefully reached out and held his index finger like a hook. I willed the tendril to slither around his finger and gave it a gentle pull.

“It’s warm,” Allen whispered as he gently stroked the silvery surface of it.

I pulled the tendril back, and urged it to open up as I thought of the key I had used in the training camp, “That’s not all it can do.”

The tendril opened up, revealed its core, and as they watched it began to form a replica of the key which had opened the door.

Peter leaned closer, “Oh… That’s how you opened the door at the camp.”

I glanced back at Peter, “It’s been very useful, even if it can be a bit unnerving at times.”

Peter stared at the tendril, and I could see him gulp. He then threw me a glimpse, and smiled back a little, “Can I touch it as well?”

The key disappeared as the tendril shut itself once more, and I brought my hand closer to Peter. Like with Allen, he gently caught the tendril, and felt along its sleek surface.

“It’s… not that bad, I can certainly see the use for it,” Peter said.

“… You said everyone would be offered this kind of implant?” John asked.

I looked back at John and nodded, “When it is ready. This is a prototype, and for whatever reason, they want to keep it under wraps for now.”

“Is there one for each hand?” Peter wondered.

I eased the tendril away from Peter’s hand, and let it withdraw into my wrist, “There are more, but we’ve almost arrived at the Enclave, so…”

“Can they be used as a weapon?” John asked.

I looked over at him and smirked, “Yes, they can.”

“Cool… so did they say when this would be available?” John asked.

“No,” I said and shook my head.

Allen motioned toward the window on his side, “We’re here.”

512 A.R. February 18, Enclave – Gathering Point, Afternoon

The others were quick to leave the APC, and I followed in Peter’s wake as he stepped out.

A wide range of scents hit my nose as I moved up to the edge. Methane, a hint of sulfurous decay, mixed with a muddy scent of something rotten. I assumed it was from driving through the swamp as I hopped out on solid ground.

Someone laughed out, and I heard a voice, “Phew-wie! That’s why we didn’t drive through the swamp!”

“Took you long enough!” A more familiar voice called out as well, one that stirred memories which felt a lot older than they were.

I ignored them for the moment and sought to take in my surroundings. A glimpse at the wheels of the APC revealed that they were caked with dirt. The ground itself seemed soggy, the snow cover was thin, and there were even patches where the snow had melted away to reveal the green grass underneath.

As I lifted my gaze, I could see the forest spread out around us. Tall trees pushed into the sky, at least 30-40 meters tall. Light from the sun peered through small gaps in the otherwise dense canopy. To my right was a slim clearing which provided a view of the valley below.

There was a town in the valley, but even from a glance one could see that it wasn’t in a good state. The roads were crumbling with potholes, many of the buildings had holes in their roofs. Old cars stood as looted hulks or burned wrecks. A temple of some sort stood in the center of what looked like a park, but most of it had collapsed into great heaps of bricks that had been painted white.

It was subtle, but a few figures seemed to be moving through the old town.

While horrible to look at in its current state, I imagined that it would have been a pleasant little town with the right care. Especially as the buildings weaved around the natural hills in a rather elegant way.

Now where is Hannival’s residence…

I let my mind reach outward and connected with the Archives. As its interface opened up, I searched for the local map and entered the address. An area was highlighted, and to my delight I felt an urge to look at a certain place in the town.

My eyes caught on a house standing on top of a small hill. Its appearance made me think of the old Earth style referred to as the Victorian era. There were blue shingles, white bricks, and a small tower emerging from its uneven roof. The fading colors, boarded-up windows, and the gaping holes in the tower detracted from it but, but I imaged that it would have been rather picturesque when new.

I turned my attention to my left and saw another APC. Kato and his pack were approaching, and Peter had stopped to glance back at me. A quick smile seemed to put Peter at ease as I started walking, and I turned my attention to Kato.

“Eh, long time no see, pups?” Kato exclaimed as he approached John and raised his hand.

John was quick on the uptake as he slapped Kato’s hand, and then moved on.

Why do I suddenly find myself so uncomfortable?

Peter raised his hand in expectation to do the same, but Kato moved his hand at the last second, sneaked in a gentle jab against Peter’s side and made a big smirk, “Ey, Peter!”

This is why…

Allen froze up as he stopped walking, and I could see what was coming as I changed direction to march closer to him instead.

“And the white one… Doing good, Allen?” Kato said.

Kato raised his hand, and I could see Allen’s tail twitch as he raised his hand in a mellow attempt. As Kato began to repeatedly feign with his hand, pulling it back and forth, Allen just stared back.

“Silent as ever,” Kato managed to say before I stepped up.

“And you have the same energy as ever,” I said.

Kato looked at me and grew a wide, feral grin as his tail swayed behind his back, “And here’s the Alpha himself, did Ares have a fun assignment for you while the others were getting baked in that hangar-sized oven of theirs?”

As he moved his hand, no doubt in another attempt to have some more fun, I glimpsed down and slowed my perception of time. It helped as I reached out with my own hand, adjusted it according to the subtle moves of his arms, and slapped my hand into his own as I grabbed it for a shake.

Kato jumped a little in surprise as he realized I'd caught his hand. He looked down as I held it in a tight grasp, and he followed up by tightening the grip.

He was a black wolf, like me. Though his fur was a shorter, had no accents to it, and didn’t even have a hint of gray like I did on my chest. Pure black, intense; a butterfly with something of a dickish attitude at times.

Inside my own mind, I found myself doubtful of the deals which had been made just months prior. An inexperienced pack, working together with those who were a year older and could bring us up to speed. A fireteam of two packs, with Kato as the Alpha and a pair of Betas, with one to handle each pack.

Kato’s surprise faded as he grew a mean expression and leaned in closer so that his nose rested an inch away from my own, “Did ya put on a growth spurt or something, squirt?”

As he squeezed my hand, I also began to squeeze harder.

I smiled back at him, “Just a proper diet.”

Kato gritted his teeth as he tipped his head and glanced down, “Careful ya don’t get fat.”

I let the shield around my mind drop and slowed down my perception of time as I made a brief scan of the area. Peter, John, and Allen were easy to recognize as they shone with what I interpreted as familiar tones. Allen’s was more active than the others, and I could feel something akin to irritation flare around him.

Kato, despite being this close to me, had a presence that much weaker than the others. It struck me as odd, especially when one considered that they were a year older than us.

Wonder who I should ask about that…

I was about to brush the thought aside as I realized something. There was another presence, while it didn’t have the same intensity as Peter or John, it was stronger than Kato. It made me glimpse behind Kato, and my gaze fell on the remaining three in his pack.

First there was Reville and Monty, two gray wolves that were siblings. Standing next to them was a smaller wolf, one with a gray front which was contrasted by near pitch black along the back. The smaller wolf stared at me, hands clasped in unease, almost as if horrified for some reason.

Oh… Oh!

The smaller wolf was Marcus, the newest addition to their pack, one that was a year younger.

A wolf that… may very well have been at the training camp.

I let my perception of time return to normal as my gaze returned to Kato, “I wonder if it’s even possible for wolves to get fat.”

Kato kept squeezing my hand as he met my gaze once more, “Oh, we can… Not fat like a human, but stocky like a mountain.”

“Ah,” I whispered and tightened my grip further.

Kato’s lips began to ripple, and I felt a twitch in his hand. Without warning he eased up, withdrew his hand in hand in haste, and held it against his body as he drew a deep breath.

“… Surprising,” Kato whispered as he drew a deep breath.

I lowered my voice, “Treat us fairly, rein in your behavior, and I'm sure we’ll work well together.”

Kato squinted, and shook his hand as if trying to shake life into it, “Do remember what we agreed upon.”

“Of course,” I said and smiled back with a subtle nod.

Kato’s smile returned as he stepped back, and faced the rest, “I hope you’ve all been briefed properly?”

Peter nodded and spoke up, “Find Hannival, and figure out what role he played in all of this.”

Kato nodded as he kept walking among us, “Last team didn’t seem to do a good job, but they did figure out where he lived,” he then pointed to his nose, “I say we take a closer look and use our noses to sniff out what they might have missed.”

Somehow I doubt the last team missed anything at his place of residence…

Instead we should figure out who controls the town and wrangle who we can for clues…

Adding to that, Hannival’s residence will probably be monitored…

Which in turn means that if Kato is busy digging around the residence…

Then we can do our best to sniff out the ones keeping an eye on it all…

This will be a gamble, but I imagine that Kato’s ego is going to be hurting by now…

“Good plan,” I said, “How about we deal with the residence, and you keep watch?”

Kato glanced back at me, “I was actually thinking the opposite, Vilkas… Newcomers always take first watch, right?”

I kept my face neutral, and waited for a brief moment, “… Do you want us to watch the door for you, or would it be alright to scout the area?”

The faintest smile appeared on his lips while his tail made a single swish, “You can scout if you want, but don’t venture too far… Towns like this can be dangerous for inexperienced packs.”

“As you wish, Kato,” I said with a nod.

“Good… Any questions before we get started?” Kato asked.

I shut my eyes for a moment, let my perception of time slow down once more, and reached out with my mind, ‘Ares?’

Ares presence emerged from above, ‘Yes, Vilkas?’

‘I have questions regarding the Enclave we’re at, would you mind answering a few, or would that count as cheating?’ I wondered.

‘While it may be a test, the situation is serious. We will assist in any way we can,’ Ares answered.

‘How dangerous is the Enclave, would it be safe to walk around inside it?’ I wondered.

‘After centuries of mismanagement, the Enclaves are crumbling ruins. If there are any weapons that are still in working order, then they are made up of low caliber combustion-based ones. That said, humans can be rather vicious with improvised weapons like molotovs and makeshift explosives. When it comes to this particular Enclave, I can say that many of its residents have migrated elsewhere, and that it is now a ghost town. Also, the previous team did not encounter any hostilities during their stay.’

‘In other words, one can walk the city, but it would be prudent to scout the area with drones and stay alert,’ I thought.

‘That would be a wise approach,’ Ares answered.

‘When dealing with humans, what are our rules of engagement?’ I thought.

‘What do your instincts tell you, Vilkas?’ Ares wondered.

‘The usual. We don’t start any violence, but we can defend ourselves. We’re free to talk with them but can’t force anything unless we have good reason. Basically, a carrot will do more good than a whip.’

‘A good start, but if given good reason and pleasant words won’t work, then you can threaten with a visit to the station, or even drop Athena’s name… It works wonders,’ Ares thought.

‘They’re more frightened of her than you?’ I wondered.

‘It’s more along the lines that they wouldn’t have a clue who I am, but Athena is well known even to the Enclaves. She, after all, is responsible for the processing centers,’ Ares answered.

‘It’s not the first time I've heard about people being brought in for processing, so what is it exactly?’

‘Processing is simply the act of finding the best method to deal with those that are no longer capable of controlling themselves, be it human or hybrid. Processing can be as harmless as being mandated to attend counseling, to the extreme end of being rendered harmless, to execution, or getting forcefully turned into a Guardian type reptile. As such, the mere mention of the word inspires a lot of fear, because getting caught in the system would mean an investigation of your past, which in the case of humans, could reveal crimes that are simply neither reconcilable nor treatable.’

‘How does this tie into the protected status that the Enclaves seem to have?’ I wondered.

‘Such concerns are irrelevant given the threat at hand. That being said, you should have good reason to intervene with the life of anyone within the Enclave. We aren’t—and we will not be —oppressors.’

‘What about weapons?’ I wondered.

‘Stunners should be available in the APCs, even in the worst-case scenario you shouldn’t need anything heavier,’ Ares answered.

‘Could there be any Lusus in the area?’ I wondered.

‘Aerial drones haven’t picked up abnormal spore levels, as such I'd say it is very unlikely.’

‘What if we encounter someone who wishes to leave this place?’ I wondered.

‘A desire to rejoin Sophos should be respected, and I'd ask you to bring them to safety. Athena will handle things from beyond that point,’ Ares answered.

‘Good to know,’ I thought.

‘Anything else?’ Ares wondered.

For a moment I considered asking him about Kato. More than that, I found myself wondering whether I was being treacherous, basically tricking him. At the same time, Kato wasn’t unreasonable.

‘No, I'm good here,’ I thought.

‘Good luck,’ Ares said as his presence faded once more.

I blinked, and found that the others were still looking at Kato, who had just asked if anyone had any questions. It made me step closer to him as I spoke up.

“If we do find anything suspicious, what would you have us do?” I asked.

Kato glanced back at me once more, “Define suspicious, Vilkas?”

I guess I can’t blame him for trying to put me into my place…

“Something that we deem relevant to the case,” I said.

He stared at me as if disappointed by the answer, “Then give me a call, and we’ll figure out if it’s actually suspicious or not.”

I nodded, “As you wish.”

This way we can’t be blamed for going against orders at least…

“Anything else?” Kato asked as he kept looking at me.

I looked toward the others and patted my shoulder, “Everyone should double check to make sure they have their comm unit and that its working. In case any of us get separated, it’ll be our only way of staying in contact.”

For those who can’t communicate from afar yet…

I drew another breath and stepped up next to Kato, “Stunners are available in the APC and you all need to carry one. If anyone doesn’t know how to handle one, we’ll teach you as we regroup in the APCs.”

Peter began to silently smirk as I kept talking.

“The rules of engagement are the following… We are here to investigate the possible origins for a new strain of Lusus, the threat is considered serious enough that the special rights given to Enclaves are rescinded. That being said, we have no right to interfere with the Enclave humans unless we have damn good evidence to suggest wrongdoing. Do not start violence, and if violence does occur, use the stunner rather than risk knocking someone dead by mistake. To summarize: tread gently, or the consequences will affect us all.”

I looked back at Kato, and saw him staring at me, “Once we’re done in the town, shall we regroup here, or pick another spot?”

Kato kept up his cold stare, “Since we’re all acquainted with this spot, it might be best to regroup here.”

I pointed at the ground and looked back at the others, “As said, we will regroup here. At which point we can debrief, and go over the results. We can also catch up, and enjoy a nice picnic with plenty of sandwiches and fresh picked fruits from the nearby agridome.”

“… Yes, thank you, Vilkas,” Kato said.

I glanced back at him and made another nod.

Kato drew a deep breath, took a few steps, and glanced back, “We’ll approach the house, you follow after us.”

“Of course,” I said and added another nod.

Kato started walking toward the APC, and his pack soon joined up. Marcus was quick to rush up next to Kato, and I imagined that it wouldn’t take long until he learns about the details of what happened at the training camp.

Peter joined my side moments later and leaned in, “You certainly didn’t give him any leeway.”

“Do you think I should have bowed my head and stayed silent?” I asked.

“Nah… Just saying that you stomped his authority into the ground and took a piss on it for good measure,” Peter said and grew another smirk.

John walked up and tipped his head, “Kato was just trying to be nice.”

Allen soon joined my left side and gave John an odd glance, “Your definition of ‘nice’ is certainly weird.”

John squirmed a little and wavered with his hands, “… Fine, maybe jostling with everyone as if we were thirteen wasn’t the smoothest option, but I'm sure he did the best he could.”

Peter glanced at John, “You almost make that sound like an insult.”

John made a loud sigh and whispered, “Usually I'm the one railing on others,” he then looked at me, “What I'm saying is that he wasn’t trying to be mean.”

I nodded, “I know, but that doesn’t mean he can shame us like that or force me into submission.”

John crossed his arms as his ears folded back, “Reville and Monty are nice guys.”

“I know,” I said, “We’ll fix things up at the picnic, when Kato has had a chance to cool off.”

John nodded.

Allen raised his hand, “Did you guys see how much Marcus stared?”

Peter grew a wild grin, “I don’t think he realized who Vilkas was until now.”

Allen looked at Peter in wonder, “What do you mean?”

John motioned at Allen, “Marcus was at the training camp with us, he saw it all.”

Allen blinked in wonder and his eyes went wide a moment later, “Oh! Right…”

I motioned toward the APC, “Come on, we have a few lessons to go through with the stunners.”

512 A.R. February 18, Enclave – APC, Afternoon

Allen handled the stunner with ease, and he was now smirking to himself while trying out different poses. John had put the stunner aside and sat with his eyes closed, while Peter strained as he held it.

“How does it feel?” I asked.

“You know that blipping noise when the phone charger won’t work correctly?” Peter asked.

“Yeah?” I said.

Peter drew a deep breath, “Well, it’s like that inside my head.”

“Can you feel how it works?” I wondered.

Peter glanced at me, “I can, but it’s not pleasant.”

“Good enough, holster it for now, and we’ll work with it later on,” I said.

“Mm,” Peter murmured.

I looked over at John, “John, how are you doing?”

“… Feels like I'm about to puke,” John said, and gave me a tired glance.

I shut my eyes for a moment and trawled through the cargo manifest of the APC for another solution.

Grenades, no way… Railgun, same problem… Deployable shield, big and heavy…

Plasma torch, laser cutter, batteries, medkit, dazzler, spider-mines, spy drones…

Hmm, the spydrone kit has a tablet one can use to control it…

Could be useful… Small green pack, hatch 5…

I grabbed John’s stunner, put it away, and pointed at hatch 5 next to John, “Open that hatch, find a small green satchel. It has a kit of spy drone kit and a tablet to control it with.”

John glanced at the others, “Makes me feel like a cripple or something…”

I motioned to him and threw a glimpse at the map within my mind’s eye, “We don’t have a lot of time.”

“As ordered, boss,” John said and turned his chair to face the hatch.

“What are you planning?” Peter asked as he looked at me.

“Pack meeting, so listen closely,” I said.

Allen turned to look at me, while John glanced back as he dug through the hatch.

“We have two options here. The first one is that we spend the next few hours guarding Hannival’s house while the others search it through. I personally believe that the previous team did a thorough job and that they won’t find a thing,” I said.

“What’s the alternative?” Peter asked.

“Humans can’t be underestimated. They are survivors that adapt and work with what they have. If we assume that Hannival had anything to do with this, then his home is likely being monitored. The town doesn’t even have electricity from the look of things, so said monitoring has to be done by humans.”

“A fair assumption, if what happened at the swamp was a large-scale operation,” Peter said.

I nodded, “It’s far from certain, but we won’t catch anyone circling Hannival’s house in a vehicle like this.”

“So what do you suggest?” Allen said.

“In just a few blocks we’re going to end up in a blind spot with a few alleys,” There was a bump as we passed something big, “Second option is that we jump out of the APC, let it move on, and then we activate the drones so that they can scout the neighboring area for us. If they find something-”

Allen spoke up, “Then we can sneak up, because everyone’s eyes will be on the APCs.”

I nodded, “That’s the plan I have so far, so go ahead and vote.”

Peter tipped his head, “Doesn’t this go against Kato’s orders?”

I glanced over at Peter, “We’re merely scouting the area… on foot, rather than using the APC.”

John pulled the satchel over his head and raised his hand, “Second option.”

Allen nodded in agreement, “Sounds dangerous, but I'm going to go with the second option.”

Peter sighed and shook his head, “As much as I want to do this, Kato will not be pleased.”

“Is that a no?” John asked.

Peter glanced over at John, made an annoyed growl, and looked toward me, “Fuck it, we’ll go with option two.”

“Seat belts off,” I said, and reached down to push the button on the seat.

I let my perception of time slow down as I reached out with my mind to the APC. To my surprise I had barely connected to it as my mind’s eye began to fill with a rather advanced plan.

The APC had already picked out the spot, made calculations on how to move, and when to open the hatch. More than that, it had already suggested locations for the drones to scout, and it had a trigger at the ready to inform me when to jump out of the APC.

As my mood brightened with the pleasant surprise, I got the feeling that the APC was somehow happy. Content at being of service, and to foresee the need of its crew.

Time sped up once more, and I felt a timer start within my head.

17 seconds left…

“Get ready, and hold onto the railing in the ceiling,” I said.

“Already!?” Allen said.

“Eleven seconds,” I said, pushed myself up, and grabbed the railing.

Peter pushed up beside me as we faced the hatch, and the others followed moments later. The APC swerved a little, and suddenly began to slow down. Through the fake window I could see as the APC moved onto the crumbling remains of a sidewalk.

“Four,” I said.

The hatch in front of us made a pop as it depressurized and began to swing open.

“Three,” I said.

As I glanced to the left, I could see a dark alley.

“Two, one…” I said.

The brakes bit in, the hatch was fully opened, and the timer hit.

“Jump!” I snapped.

Shoulder to shoulder, we let go and jumped out. The APC was already speeding away as I hit the sidewalk and stumbled toward the dark alley. Peter ended up closer to the wall, and I felt him tug my arm to keep himself from slamming into it. Within moments the APC was out of sight, and we were cloaked in darkness by the dark alley. I turned around to face the others and could feel my heart thumping.

“Holy shit… We did it,” John said.

Peter glanced around the dark alley, “Almost fell, but we’re all in one piece it seems.”

“What now?” Allen asked.

I gulped and looked around. To sit in the safety of what felt like an armored tank was wildly different from being thrown into the midst of it all. More than that, my senses were picking up all sorts of things.

The smell was… weird. Reminiscent of the human sections of the city back home, but somehow dead. This was the result of a decaying human town that had all but collapsed. Even the trash on the ground was being whittled away by sheer erosion. My ears swiveled as my gaze wandered along windows that had been knocked out a very long time ago.

Life seemed like a distant thing around here. No buzzing drones, no distant television sets, no birds, cars, or anything else that moved. A looming presence of death clung to the air and was made worse as the wind whistled in the area.

I felt a nudge within my mind, and I became aware that the APC had begun to launch its drones.

“We should find a place to lay low until the drones find something,” I said.