Chapter 21 – Whispers in the Dark

512 A.R. February 25, Greengate: Rowdy Glass Bar, Evening

The entrance to the bar looked like a large rusted airlock that had been busted open, reminding me of scenes from an old science-fiction movie. A derelict space station, with dim lighting and a makeshift décor held together by old wiring.

I stepped through the entrance and looked around. The interior carried the same theme: old rusted walls, spray-painted with a variety of graffiti. Rich scents permeated the establishment, pulling on my nose as I imagined smoky well-seasoned slabs of meat in all their glory.

There was a bar in the center of it all, plenty of stacked bottles on half-rusted shelves embellishing the space. The bartender looked like a service droid that was centuries old. Surrounding the bar were numerous enclosures, a set of orange lights, and tables that looked like large slabs of metal.

The place didn’t seem very busy, and as I looked around, I only saw a few tables where people dined and drank at their own leisure.

A large wolf stood by the bar, idly looking at the bartender that was polishing a glass. Even from a distance I could recognize the silvery fur of her mane, and, while subtle, I could make out her scent as well.

Selina…

John brushed shoulders with me, and he motioned toward a large table in the corner. I turned to look, saw another pair of wolves seated at a long table, and watched them raise their hands to wave.

Emily—a gray wolf like John—and Avelyn, a brown wolf similar to Peter...

John was quick to wave back, and I could feel his tail hit my own as his excitement grew. I couldn’t help but smile and gave them a quick wave, before looking at the others, “Join the table while I greet Selina.”

“Gladly,” John said and marched ahead.

Peter and Allen followed John, while I walked up to the bar where Selina was standing. She wore the blue uniform of a police officer, and her rather rich scent told me she hadn’t had a shower recently. A quick glance with my telepathic senses revealed that while her potential was budding, she probably had no clue how to read others.

I guess they worked late and invited us for an evening meal…

Selina had the stocky build of an Alpha, and we seemed to be of equal height as I leaned into her field of view. Her ears perked as she looked over at me. “Vilkas!”

She smiled, and returned the gesture. My thoughts were busy as I found myself feeling as if it was the first time we met. So much has changed in such a short amount of time. Peter had been Alpha back then, and they had been a pack with more experience. We’d been put in our place while the others had been given a taste of adult life.

Now it felt like trawling up the past, and as things were put into perspective, I couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward.

“Long time no see, Selina,” I said, leaning in as I lowered my muzzle a little.

Her smile grew, and she inched closer as our heads touched. Fur brushed against fur, and I could hear as she drew a deep breath through her nose. Time seemed slow down as my nose tingled with sensations.

Female, Alpha wolf… She smells oddly sweet… But it doesn’t feel like perfume…

A tinge of alcohol rested on her breath and made it clear she’d already had a drink.

Her state of mind seemed to tingle in my own as we touched. She was frustrated after a long day, troubled perhaps, yet hopeful for some reason. The nuzzle she gave me lasted longer than I expected, and it gave me a weird feeling, as if she was breaking protocol.

I pulled away, and she seemed to catch herself. Surprise coiled in her mind, spun away into a moment of shame, and then settled as she steeled herself with a warm smile.

“Hybrids that are just a few decades older don’t do the whole… nuzzle thing as a greeting. They don’t seem to get it, as if the instinct isn’t there.”

“I know, but I like it… It’s more-”

“Intimate,” She whispered, “In the span of moments, we’ve already broken the ice.”

This might go a lot better than I hoped…

I nodded, “Our generation does seem to have a… deeper connection to the animal inside us.”

Selina smiled, and her tail hit my own as it wagged. “Seems like you followed my advice, Alpha.”

“Yeah… Peter stepped down after a while, but we’re doing good considering the circumstances.”

Selina made a slow nod, “We did hear about the east coast, and I asked the others to shy away from the subject.”

“That would probably be for the best, so… Thank you,” I said.

“That said…” Selina asked and motioned to me.

I shook my head, “I can’t say I have any interest in dragging my mind through those memories again. Besides… most of it should be in the public archives by now.”

“Noted,” Selina said with a quick nod.

The bartender stepped up to us, and I looked up. Its plating looked like it had once been black, but it had since worn away to some kind of rough greenish metal. Old-fashioned optics shifted and whirred as they focused on the two of us.

“The others by your table have already ordered. They settled for our extra-spicy oven-baked ribs and an assortment of drinks. What would you like?”

I raised my hand, “The same kind of ribs for me, and draft beer… the fruity kind, if you have it.”

The bartender was silent for a moment, “… Red fruit lambic, purchased at Agridome 537, yes?”

I smiled back, “That’s the one.”

“As you wish…” The bartender answered as it looked over at Selina.

Selina smirked as she gave me a glance, and then focused on the bartender, “The same type of ribs for me, and… let’s go for this red fruit lambic.”

“Confirmed. Your meal will be served at the table. I will signal you when it’s ready,” The bartender said, then wandered off once more.

“The fruity kind…” Selina said and chuckled as she focused on me once more,

I shrugged as I looked at her, “It was nice, and I didn’t catch the name.”

Selina kept snickering, but calmed herself after a few moments, “You’ve changed.”

“Oh?” I asked.

She motioned at me with one hand, “For one, you’re relaxing.”

I chuckled, “Well, there were a lot of firsts back then. Hell, I’d hardly gotten used to my own hide, and there I was trying to figure out how the whole ‘bar thing’ worked while trying to play a wingman for the others.”

Selina plucked a pretzel stick from a nearby cup, and waved it at me, “You still owe me a bone from back then.”

“I know, I know,” I said and allowed myself to flash her a wolfish grin.

For a moment she froze, and I found myself curious whether I'd done something wrong.

“… Hmm?” I wondered.

She relaxed once more, bit off a piece and chewed it as her gaze drooped, “You have changed…”

Rather than acknowledge it, I might shift the focus instead…

I inched closer to her, “Have you changed, Selina?”

It caught her by surprise, and her eyes grew a little while her ears perked. After a few moments, her smile returned with a quick huff, “I think so… Notice anything new?”

I glanced down at her blue uniform, “How’s the police force?”

Selina faced the bar once more and kept smiling, “This job isn’t exactly as glamorous as I'd hoped it would be… and you’ll have to excuse the uniform, along with the smell.”

“Your scent is just fine… But what’s this about your job?” I said.

Her smile curved with amusement, but faded slowly. “This kind of work is tougher than I believed. I’ve had humans threatening to jump off ceilings, parents desperately pleading with me to save youngsters that dosed themselves on Glow until they were nothing but emotionless husks… Then the shit hit the fan.”

“… Should I avoid the topic?” I wondered.

She looked at me, “I’ll talk about it, if you agree to answer a few questions… not regarding your recent adventure, that is.”

I tipped my head, “Can’t promise anything, but I'll do my best.”

Selina made another huff while the bartender walked up once more and placed a couple of big pints with straws on the table. I hadn’t noticed it within the wooden tankard at the Agridome, but the beer did indeed have a subtle reddish tint to it.

I pulled the pint toward me, and Selina did the same as she took a sip of it through the straw.

“It’s not bad… Good if you want to take it slow and steady,” Selina whispered.

“Mmm,” I murmured as I took a sip of my own.

Selina licked her chops for a moment, and looked over at me, “Like most places, the uncontrolled humans have their own section around here. I always wondered why there were so many bulkheads dividing us, guess I know that now…”

“Humans are a biological hazard if not monitored closely,” I said.

Selina shook her head as her eyes widened, “Yeah, I realize that now… I saw those things literally tear their way out of their bodies as if they were fleshy pieces of papier-mâché. The bulkheads locked most of them in, but the internal defenses weren’t enough to take care of them.”

“… It was that bad?” I wondered.

“The city itself was safe, but we had an entire level with an infestation spreading like wildfire. They were trying to get into the ventilation system, and things would have turned really bad if they had succeeded,” Selina said.

“What happened?” I wondered.

“What usually happens. We hybrids were the last line defenses, while the droids and drones did most of the work. Never had to fire my gun actually… The flame droids turned the tide, and cleared out the infested level, but it took days before the scent was gone.”

“Did anyone that you know…”

Selina stirred her beer with the straw, “Get killed? No… But there were children with hybrid parents that ended up dead. Some of whom I know through work…”

She was silent for a moment, then drew a deep breath, “That was tough. It took three of us just to hold her back… We want to think that we’re all logic and reason, but when your children are in danger… You don’t know what to say, or what to do afterwards…”

“… I have no advice, but I don’t think you did the wrong thing,” I said.

“Are there any humans left?” I wondered.

Selina shrugged, “A few… Turns out that events like this can give people the push they need to accept a symbiont.”

“Ah,” I whispered.

Selina gave me a solemn smile, “… Want to hear about what we were doing before this?”

“Sure,” I said.

Selina faced me, picked up her drink, and took another sip, “The system flagged that part of a family of humans hadn’t been seen in a while. It was in an area not affected by the infestation, but given the circumstances we were allowed access to their private data, shopping lists, etc… Turns out that the mother of the family had been the only one visiting the market for several weeks.”

“Another infestation?” I wondered.

“That’s what we assumed, but we tested the woman and she showed up negative,” Selina said.

“Doesn’t mean the others aren’t infested,” I said.

Once more, she nodded, “We quarantined the area, and droids prepared to break into the household. We interrogated the mother as best we could, but… she kept insisting that the rest of her family was dead and that we should let her mourn in peace.”

I couldn’t help but frown, “I can almost guess the outcome…”

“I thought the same, but I was surprised in the end… Anyway, we couldn’t risk exposure in case they were infested, so the droids broke into the house. It turns out that they weren’t infested, but they thought that they were.”

“… They thought?” I wondered.

“The mother inherited an enhanced genome wasn’t affected, but the rest in the household were of wild stock and had caught a form of skin cancer that was transmitted by mere touch. In just a few months it had begun to ravage their bodies, and the mother assumed they were turning into monsters…”

“That’s… disturbing,” I whispered.

Selina made a series of quick nods, “Still, she sought to protect them… They’re in the hospital now, and they’ll make a complete recovery. But the case creates something of a conundrum.”

“How so?” I wondered.

“Well, they broke a multitude of rules by not reporting a serious disease and getting help. Which is especially serious given the Lusus outbreak. At the same time, one can’t help but understand the primal desire to protect them… If they had indeed been infested as they thought, we’d have executed and burned them on the spot.”

“For good reason,” I said.

Selina made a slow nod, “But that’s the thing, isn’t it? It’s easy to blame them for not doing their duty to protect others and punish them for it, yet I don’t want to punish my coworker from putting the rest of us in danger when she wanted to run into the fray.”

“So…” I whispered.

“The ruling has already been made, and I can’t disagree with it. The circumstances were considered… extenuating, this time. As such, they’ll be separated from their children, and will only have a chance to have them back if they undergo therapy and make an effort to rejoin society. It feels crude to use the children as a bargaining chip, but it tends to work… and I have my hopes that they’ll finally break out of the spiral that they ended up in.”

“A good end, kind of… Though I understand why you were saying it was tough work,” I said.

“Mm,” Selina said with a sigh, reaching up to rub her temple, “… But, I didn’t really want to sit here and drag the mood down like this.”

“It’s alright… We all need to vent sometimes,” I said.

Her smile returned as she looked back at me. “There’s a big sports hall nearby. They basically have everything, and the rooms can reconfigure themselves to fit what you want. Wrestling, sparring with wooden swords, bows…”

I perked my brow in wonder, “… Yes?”

Selina perked her brow in tune with my own, “Wanna have a go once we’re done with the meal?”

What are you after, Selina?

“Just the two of us?” I wondered.

“Mhmm,” She murmured.

It… feels like she’s hitting on me…

I squinted a little, “… You do remember what I told you the first time we met, right?”

Selina inched closer, “Are you afraid you’ll catch the cooties by sparring with me?”

I chuckled, “No, I'm not.”

“Good,” Selina whispered as she took another big sip from the beer.

Moments later, the bartender approached once more, and motioned toward the table, “Your meal is now served.”

512 A.R. February 25, Greengate: Rowdy Glass Bar, Evening

Everyone tries to be considerate and careful at first. After all, there’s a certain pride in keeping things neat and tidy. At some point, a few drops will end up on the table, and that’s how it starts. A bone soon follows, and after a while it descends into carnage.

Gnawing on bones was a treat, though a tiresome one, especially when the meat was so much better. It was rich in juices, honey, and spices that ranged from rosemary to lime. It didn’t take long before our hands were soaked in it, and the once pristine glasses were smudged beyond recognition. The women weren’t any different—if anything, Selina had the kind of voracious hunger that even made me hesitant to get in the way.

“This is going to cost us,” Emily murmured as she covered her muzzle, and let out a subtle burp.

“Heh, I never manage to spend my monthly income anyway,” Selina said as she tore another pair of ribs apart.

John blinked as if suddenly realizing something, then looked over as he raised a half-eaten rib to point at me, “Do we… um, have a salary? I mean, we never talked about that part.”

Selina let out a sudden chuckle and leaned onto the table, “It’s so typical…”

“What?” I wondered, licking my chops.

Selina motioned with a claw at me, “You never had economic theory at school?”

“Sure, but it mostly dealt with how things used to be done,” I said.

Selina flashed her fangs at me as she leaned closer, “So you don’t know how things actually work in Sophos?”

“… Money was never much of an interest to me,” I said.

Emily threw John a glance, and then turned to look at me, “It’s all one big illusion.”

John spoke up, “What do you mean?”

Allen spoke up, “Heavy labor is automated, and given our lifespans… bordering on near immortality, means that any ability to accrue money over time will destabilize the whole system.”

Selina let out another chuckle and looked over at Allen, “Fancy words, but correct. It is literally impossible to make or save enough wealth in Sophos to net you a long-term advantage.”

John’s expression widened, “Wait… No, that can’t be true.”

Selina focused on John with a feral grin, “Oh, but it is… Ever taken a look at your bank balance?”

John frowned, “I have… It grew over the last few years.”

Emily leaned closer to John, “Only because you had so little of it, and probably spent a lot of it so that it stayed fresh.”

“… Stayed fresh?” John wondered.

Allen drew a deep breath, “… I can’t believe you guys don’t know this. All money in Sophos is based on small crypto-currency slices that devalue over time. You can’t save any money because it’ll lose all its value over a few years.”

John blinked, “Well… Then I'll just… shuffle the money around so that it stays fresh.”

Allen smirked back, “You can only buy things for money, not transfer it to others.”

“Then I'll buy stuff and sell it…” John said as he grew a frown.

“Sure, you can spend your life buying and selling stuff, but every transaction will cost you.”

John leaned closer to Allen as he peered into his eyes, “A monthly allowance would probably still allow me to cover the transaction losses, and I'd start building wealth.”

Allen stared back for a moment, “… That’s effectively money laundering.”

John chuckled, “Would it be illegal?”

Selina smirked like a devil as she grabbed her glass, “No, and you’re right, you’ll be able to build a small amount of wealth doing that, but at some point the monthly allowance won’t cover the transaction costs.”

John looked over at Selina, “Then… I’ll cooperate with others, and we’ll corner the market. That way we can sell goods for higher than normal prices. Thus working around the system.”

“Smart,” Selina sipped her glass, “but it won’t work.”

“… Why not?” John wondered.

“Well, we’ll start by ignoring that you’re already going against the general rule of, ‘only buy that which you need.’ Along with the difficulty of convincing thousands to join in on this little scheme of yours, the administrative functions will automatically adjust prices along with availability if you try to corner the market, thus bringing us to your biggest hurdle…”

John grew a sheepish smile, “Yes?”

“The biggest reason why it wouldn’t work is the very same thing that you’re doing right now. You learn about something new, and you immediately try to figure out how you can mess or fuck with the system.”

“Hmm?” John murmured.

I couldn’t help but crack a smile, “What she’s saying is that others will mess with your plans. They might sabotage some of the products, thus ruining your reputation, or decide to flood the market for shits and giggles.”

John looked at me, “If that’s true, then why isn’t our society a thorough mess?”

I motioned to John, “Because screwing with you is an amusing game that’s far simpler than trying to gamble the system itself. The only reason you’d have the slimmest chance of succeeding is if you spent every waking moment doing this, and no one in their right state of mind is going to try it.”

Emily leaned closer, and whispered, “It’s called return on investment.”

“Hmm,” John murmured as his ears wiggled.

Peter seemed deep in thought, as he leaned closer to the table, “But…”

“… What?” I wondered.

Peter looked at me, “Isn’t this system kind of… unrewarding? I mean, if someone risks their life to do something, shouldn’t they… get a boon, or something.”

“I think they do,” I said.

Peter’s ears perked, “They do?”

I motioned to Peter, “Gut instinct… I haven’t actually read up on the subject.”

Selina nodded repeatedly, “You’re right though. Exemplary service does carry its boon. You can’t give said boon to someone else, and you can’t use the boon to destabilize the system, but other than that, it’s pretty generous.”

Peter motioned to Selina, “Like… are we talking a house? A castle? Your own spaceship?”

Selina perked her brow, “Anyone can have a house, Peter… Well, I guess it depends on where you want it. Might be difficult to get in Veripolis, but anyone can build a house in the outskirts if they want.”

“… So, what kind of boon do people usually get?” Peter wondered.

Selina blinked as if stumped, “I… don’t know.”

I leaned closer to Peter, “Would you even want a big castle?”

Peter looked over at me, “A castle is kind of big… It’d be a pain just remembering what all the rooms are for. But, hunting privileges might be nice as a boon.”

Avelyn spoke up as she looked at Peter, “Would you still think that if you did it every day?”

Peter leaned back, set his smudged hands on the edge of the plate, and seemed to ponder, “… No.”

Selina nibbled on another rib and swallowed, “We work because something drives us. A desire to help, a search for answers, to build something grand for… well, whatever reason.”

“To make sure there’s a better tomorrow,” I said.

Selina perked her brow once more, “Apparently that part of you hasn’t changed.”

I shrugged as I smiled back at her.

Peter appeared deep in thought as he sat straight once more, “How does the whole work-versus-life balance work? I mean, we’ve heard that the diplomats take long vacations, but my own parents barely grab a few weeks of free time a year.”

Selina motioned to Peter, “Then they probably have a lot of paid time built up by now. Even if they didn’t, you still have basic income to make sure that you can live a somewhat comfortable life even if you don’t work at all.”

“So… Work a lot, take a long vacation, repeat?” Peter whispered.

Selina raised her brow, “There are loads of ways you can do this, but you should consider that a lot of people choose their profession based on what they like to do. Hell, many people seek additional manpower and funding in order to turn their own personal projects into work.”

Allen spoke up, “So who decides what projects get official funding?”

Emily focused on Allen as she answered, “It varies… The AIs have their say, and the overall budget sets the scope. One could also apply for a vote in the political sphere, or one of the already established labs could take you under their wing in order to figure out if it’s worth pursuing.”

“Ah,” Allen whispered.

John leaned closer to the table once more, “What if you want your own moon?”

Selina perked her ears in wonder and looked back at him, “… What do you mean?”

John smiled, as if having figured out something nefarious, “What if I want my own moon… Just for myself. No one else allowed. Is that desire wrong? Shouldn’t I be allowed to have my own moon if I want?”

Selina tipped her head, “… Well, there are a lot of moons in the universe, so… sure. You just need to make sure Sophos reaches the level of prosperity needed to give you a moon of your own without destabilizing the system.”

John’s muzzle dropped open as if the answer shocked him, “… Oh.”

Oh? What do you mean? Oh!?

I couldn’t help myself as I leaned closer to him, “Oh?”

John looked back at me, “… I think our race might actually have a greedy streak.”

“… Greedy?” I wondered.

John put his greasy hands together as if making a grand philosophical gesture, “We seized around half the island, basically turned it into a paradise, and we expend a lot of resources on barely two million people. The other half of the island is mostly a wasteland, but it’s populated by at least 30 million humans. I’d bet that at least some humans in Tel-Adra will argue that we’re being selfish.”

Selina frowned, “They had every opportunity to control their population growth, and being bad caretakers does not grant them the right to grab what is ours.”

“I know,” John said and looked over at her, “But humans aren’t going to give one shit about that.”

Allen leaned closer to John, “So what do you mean by us being greedy?”

John looked over at Allen, “Well, as a people, I imagine that we’ll be more than eager to take new territory, raise the status of our ‘empire’ as a whole, and thereby increase the luxuries that the average person has access to. Giving it up though, that’s not going to be easy.”

Selina perked her brow and gave him a baffled stare, “… You’re literally describing the universe itself. From life itself, to black holes. Everyone and everything expands its influence.”

“Sure, I was just saying…” John said.

“Intent matters,” I said.

Selina looked over at me, “Yes… Intent matters, and seeking to better our circumstances is not what I'd define as greedy.”

Peter raised his greasy hand to catch our attention, “What if someone makes a scientific discovery?”

“What about it?” I wondered while Selina raised her hand and motioned to the bartender.

“Let’s say I make a discovery and decide to keep it to myself because there’s no reward in releasing it,” Peter said.

The bartender walked up and leaned in by Selina who motioned to the glasses, “Could we have a few towels and a fresh set of drinks?”

“Certainly,” The bartender said as it reached out across the table and started to gather the glasses.

Once the bartender began to walk off, Selina looked toward Peter, “Well, there are several things influencing that. One is that you view a reward as simply money or a boon, both of which are rather… materialistic. Favors are their own reward, and social recognition has its own benefits. In other words, if you come up with something that benefits us all, you’ll have an easier time getting access to resources that might otherwise be sealed off.”

I focused on Selina, “… Isn’t that a massive can of worms? I mean, it almost sounds like kleptocracy.”

The bartender walked up and started handing out towels to each of us. As everyone began to towel themselves off, the bartender walked off, and Selina focused on me once more.

“If ours was a human society, I'd say that you’re absolutely right. But, you have to consider that if you were given a reasonable request in your line of work, and you exploited your position by rejecting it based on…” Selina shrugged, “how someone smells… Then it wouldn’t take long before you’re harshly disciplined, or end up in a hospital because there is obviously something very wrong with you. Adding to that, it doesn’t matter if you sit on the council, saved the nation, or have some kind of boon, because these rules apply to everyone.”

Allen spoke up, “It's not how you say it, but what you’re saying that matters.”

“But, are we really that disciplined?” John wondered.

Selina looked over at John, “Let’s say that somehow it is decided that the monthly allowance for wolves is to be halved, because wolves obviously have no use of it and won’t mind living in the woods.”

I chuckled, “It would mean civil war in an instant, and mass slaughter of the ones who tried to implement it.”

Selina looked back at me, “It’s often said that we’re stable, but that only applies as long as everyone understands the foundations of what makes it all work. Step against it, threaten the unity between hybrids, and you will be purged.”

I looked over at John, “This kind of rot is something that has to be nipped in the bud. If we—or anyone else in Sophos—were allowed to have dominance over others, then it all falls apart.”

John gaze wandered as he pondered, “But wolves make up most of the Defense Force.”

The bartender walked up, and carefully set down new glasses while Selina nodded, “And there’s a bunch of us in the police as well, but that’s because we choose to. Not because someone ordered us to.”

Peter spoke up, “But… What if someone changed our symbionts over time? They wouldn’t need to make laws against us, they could just change us to become slaves.”

Emily leaned closer, “… Right now, symbiont templates are managed on the moon. One day we might be in control of it, and at that time I imagine there will be plenty of discussions regarding this.”

I spoke up, “Wolves in the past were not like us, and I assume the same goes for the other types. Then there are the ‘True Hybrids,’ which will change things further.”

Selina looked at me once more, “That it will, and SYNE is apparently being overhauled in preparation, but I haven’t heard of anyone that has even seen them.”

Allen spoke up, “They’re probably being kept on the moon.”

Peter motioned with his hand, “We kinda left the subject we were talking about.”

Selina made a quick huff as she focused on Peter, “If you somehow made a discovery without using a Sophos owned lab, equipment, or education offered to you, and decided to keep this discovery to yourself… Then I guess it’s yours to keep. Just like a private painting you keep in a locked room so that no one else can catch a glimpse.”

Avelyn chuckled, “That might work for a while, but information yearns to be free within Sophos.”

Allen looked over at Avelyn, “… Information should indeed be free, but how does that relate?”

Avelyn looked over at Allen, “Let’s just say that it’s not the first time someone laid eyes on a private collection, and some time later it’ll be all over the Virtual World. I imagine the same goes for most secrets, and one way or another it’ll find its way into the Archives.”

“Given photographic memory and miniaturized sensors, combined with an anonymous network, and you have a pirate’s dream world,” Allen said.

Avelyn smiled as she looked over at Allen, “Quite right you are!”

Selina huffed, “It’s certainly a double-edged sword. Our society does indeed thrive with the free flow of information, be it scientific or cultural. At the same time, it can feel like pillaging when a self-made bracelet gets spat out by the hundreds from a local 3d-printer.”

Emily leaned closer as she caught Selina’s gaze, “Embrace it. You made something of beauty and by now it enriches the lives of hundreds, besides… I’d be willing to bet that bracelet was inspired by others.”

Selina’s eyes widened, “There’s a difference between drawing inspiration from others to making near perfect copies… Besides, most of them wouldn’t even know I made it.”

“So?” Emily asked.

“… So what?” Selina asked.

Emily grew a wolfish grin, “Are you that desperate for social clout, Selina?”

Selina’s ears wiggled while she leaned back as if insulted, “I… I am not!”

Avelyn leaned closer to Selina as if smelling blood, “Besides, did you look up whether your design was truly unique? After all, quite a few bracelets have been made over the ages, and there are only so many ways you can order a bunch of pearls and gems.”

Selina’s ears folded back as she gritted her teeth and mumbled something.

Emily chuckled as she looked over at Avelyn, “I do wonder… How should we punish her for this transgression of copyright law? Nothing but gruel for a month? A whole body shaving? Nerve stapling?”

Selina crossed her arms as she frowned, “Fine… Fine, you’ve made your point. Still, it was a nice bracelet, and I didn’t enjoy wearing it as much when it was downloaded hundreds of times.”

I leaned closer and caught Selina’s gaze, “Did you keep it?”

Selina blinked in wonder as her ears perked, “… The bracelet?”

I nodded in silence.

“I did, yes… It’s in the drawer back home,” Selina whispered.

“And it’s still precious to you, yes?” I wondered.

Selina seemed to relax as she looked at me in wonder, “… Yes?”

I motioned to her with one hand, “Then that’s alright, isn’t it? You made something that has personal meaning to you, and it still brings you joy. No one can take that away from you, even if there are hundreds of copies out there.”

Selina grew a subtle smile and glanced away, “You’re right about that… I guess.”

Silence followed, and John took a careful sip of his new glass while looking over at Emily, “So, what are your plans for the rest of the night?”

Emily had this curious but warm smile as she regarded John, and then looked over at Avelyn, “We were thinking of having a room party of sorts. We can all gather together and keep this going.”

Avelyn looked over at Selina, “Sound good?”

Selina grabbed her drink and motioned at the others, “You go ahead, I'll hit the sports hall with Vilkas and clear up a few things.”

Oh, will you now?

I glanced over at her in silence, while Avelyn and Emily seemed more than pleased as they focused on the others.

“Shall we go?” Emily asked.

I looked over at Peter, John, and Allen. To my surprise, Allen was nodding along with John.

Peter made something of a reluctant smile, but then began to nod as he looked over at the others, “Sounds like fun.”

Emily and Avelyn rose from the table, and the others were quick to follow.

Selina nudged me moments later and leaned closer, “Let’s go, shall we?”

512 A.R. February 25, Greengate: Sports Hall, Night

“What do you feel like doing?” Selina asked.

I looked at the large screen in front of her and saw what looked like a large set of rooms along with a schedule. There was weight training, obstacle courses, tennis ;the list just kept going.

“Do you have anything to recommend?” I asked.

She said and glanced back at me with a cheeky smile, “Your act is slipping, Vilkas.”

I raised my brow, “What do you mean?”

“You’ve learned how to relax… or at least pretend that you’re relaxing, but you’re still a big softie who improvises on the go,” Selina said as she smiled, pushed a few buttons in haste, and booked a room for us.

I smirked back at her, “Want me to growl, be all moody, and say things like ‘whatever.’”

Selina chuckled as she stepped back and focused on me, “A hearty growl would be nice, but you can skip the rest.”

I huffed at the thought, then followed as she began to walk down the hallway, “So what’s this thing that you’re so eager to talk about?”

“We’re still in a public area,” Selina mused with a glance as she motioned for me to keep it up.

I must admit that I'm a bit curious if she’s this careful…

We stopped in front of a bulkhead with a console on the side. Selina stepped up to it and began tapping while I moved up to glance at the screen.

Privacy mode… Total shutdown of surveillance…

She’s even powering down everything apart from the lights and fire suppression…

I squinted, “Is this legal?”

“Only if we do something illegal while inside,” Selina said and smirked as she threw me a glance.

“… You certainly seem to know your way around the system,” I said.

“Some of us are more aware of the world than others,” Selina whispered as she kept working the console.

“… You’re aware that all of this privacy is worth nothing if I don’t keep it secret,” I said.

“I’m willing to take that risk. Besides… We’re not going to do anything seditious, just a friendly talk between two alphas,” Selina said, raised one finger, and made an exaggerated final tap on the ‘enter’ button.

The bulkhead opened moments later, and Selina slipped inside. I followed, then glanced back as the bulkhead sealed itself once more.

A mechanized voice filled the room moments later, “Executing script ‘SilversLittleHelper’, be aware that emergency functions are still active and cannot be overridden.”

An audible thunk could be heard, and several lights along the wall switched to red. Even the fans within the room seemed to slow down, and an eerie silence followed.

To the left of the room was what looked like a locker area and a set of showers. The rest was rather bare and had a large padded floor that looked like a wrestling area. On the wall along the right side was what looked like an equipment board, and it had a variety of blunt swords in materials that ranged from foam to metal.

I faced Selina who was looking around as if pleased that it had worked, “Privacy achieved… Now, what is this about?”

Selina looked at me, “There’s odd stuff going on in Sophos, Vilkas. Everyone with a deeper interest knows it, but most of us are worried to the point where we can’t even trust the AIs… or rather, we can’t risk confronting the AIs out of fear it’ll break them.”

I perked my brow in wonder, “… What do you mean?”

Selina stepped closer, “The cores of Athena and Ares are located in Sophos. I have friends who have friends within the administrative teams for both of them, and they’re getting scared.”

“You’ll have to explain a bit further,” I said.

Selina motioned to me, “The AIs have a lot of failsafes, if they trip any of them, they’ll be automatically shut down. From what I hear, there’s a lot of sketchy stuff going on in Sophos right now, and the failsafes weren’t built to deal with that kind of… moral ambiguity. There’s a fear that if the AIs are forced to confront all of it…”

“They’ll break,” I said.

Selina nodded, “To make it worse, Moonbase Alpha has some kind of backdoor access to the entire system. That’s how it has always been, so… nothing odd about that, but there are people that are starting to wonder if the ones on the moon know what they’re doing, or if they’re just playing with fire at this point.”

“… That’s a lot to dump on someone with little notice… So, why me?” I wondered.

Selina chuckled as she closed the distance, and near bumped my nose, “Because there’s a lot of rumors going around about you and your pack, Vilkas. People piece things together, and they’ve got a pretty good picture of what you’ve been up to.”

“… Oh?” I whispered.

Selina motioned to me, “Lunar Shuttle, used to visit Fenrir where you nearly made the AI technicians shit their pants.”

“… I didn’t realize it was that much of a deal,” I said.

Selina squinted, “The AIs consider you special for some reason… Why? Because you’re a Dualist?”

I glanced away, “So, you knew about that as well.”

“Or… is it because they did something to you, and that’s why you weigh so much more all of a sudden?” Selina asked as she leaned to the side and caught my gaze once more.

I focused on her once more, “My other half was unstable, and I've been fitted with an implant that stabilized him, but I’m not sure why this makes me special to the AIs…”

“Then… are you working for the Space Initiative?” Selina asked.

“Not that I know of, but if I did, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell you,” I said.

Selina squinted once more, “But, you did go on some kind of covert ops with the APC, and soon thereafter, several witnesses from the human Enclaves came forth. Was that just a coincidence?”

I smirked back at her, “We may have had something to do with that, but let me say this before you try to catch me in another trap…”

“Yes?” Selina wondered.

“The Space Initiative dressed us up in their uniforms and coerced us into managing a handover to Child Services. It might seem absurd, but it’s the truth, and it wasn’t done with my approval nor support,” I said.

Selina stared at me.

I inched closer to her, “Somehow I doubt you figured this out on your own, which means there’s some kind of network of people who have noticed these oddities… You may have been recruited to confront me in turn.”

“… Are you going to ask who these people are?” Selina asked.

I leaned back, “No… At the moment, I have no interest in your group, and I doubt they’d trust me.”

“Well… You’re correct about that,” Selina answered with a nod.

“That said, you probably have no clue who most of them are either,” I said.

Selina smiled back, “That’s also true…”

I tipped my head, “So… what exactly do you want with me? Or rather, what does this group want?”

Selina stepped back and looked out across the training hall, “… They want to know whether Maxwell is preparing to pull the plug, and if that’s why there’s suddenly a lot of people being evacuated to the moon.”

“… Alas, I have no such answers,” I said.

Selina drew a deep breath, “Well… It was worth a shot at least. That said, if we pool what we know, there might be some kind of revelation?”

“There are things I can talk about, and things I can’t talk about,” I said.

Selina blinked as if stumped, “… You don’t seem very shocked at any of this.”

I shrugged, “It’s because I don’t believe Maxwell is preparing to pull the plug. In my mind, based on the circumstances, it doesn’t make any sense.”

“… Do you have anything to back that up?” Selina wondered.

I raised my arms, “Who would spend 800 years slowly shaping an entire planet, doing everything possible to minimize the deaths of hybrids, cautiously reshaping society into something stable, only to pull the plug in the end? No, there’s something else at play here, something we’re not seeing.”

“Like what?” Selina asked.

I motioned to her, “Let’s flip things around for a moment, and you tell me about this sketchy stuff that has been going on?”

Selina looked toward the shower area and motioned for me, “We can do that as we change.”

“Lead the way,” I said, and followed as she started walking.

Selina glanced back at me, “I think radar systems above ground are feeding manipulated data into the archives, or the archives are returning faulty data when requested.”

“How so?” I wondered.

“Sometimes at night I like to climb up to the surface. It’s nice to see a real sky once in a while, and it’s always fun to see the rockets heading to the moon,” Selina said.

“And?” I wondered.

Selina glanced back at me as she stepped up to a locker, “There are a lot more launches than are being recorded. Just a few days ago I watched at least 20 rockets climbing the sky, when I checked the records the day after, there should only have been six visible launches during that time.”

“… That’s not a small error,” I said.

Selina nodded and began to pull her boots off, “It’s one of the things that people notice but keep quiet about, partially because they’re not sure how to handle it, partially because bringing it up might make Athena explode.”

“Could it be that the recorded launches only deal with a certain type? Like, only bigger shuttle or cargo rockets are recorded?” I wondered.

“Maybe… I mean, there’s no way to directly access the radar installations, but based on the rocket flare, they’re all of the same size,” Selina said and shrugged.

She unbuttoned the top of her uniform and slid it off without the slightest hesitation. Moments later, she froze, and began to turn around. In haste, I moved over to the opposite locker, and averted my gaze.

A chuckle followed, and I could hear the click of claws as she walked closer to me, “Aww, are you embarrassed, Vilkas?”

I sighed, and turned around as I focused on her eyes, “No. Besides, I’ve been at clan gatherings before, so… there’s nothing new under the sun.”

Selina tipped her head as she looked down, “Your tail says otherwise.”

I huffed a little and forced my tail to put on a relaxed wag.

Selina stepped back, and put her hands to her sides as if deliberately showing off, “Wolves are utilitarian in nature. Having massive tits aren’t exactly conducive to that goal.”

As she moved her hands, I couldn’t help but let my gaze drop a little. As she said, there was certainly more padding along her chest than on a male, but the fur made it seem rather modest.

Selina tipped her head as she observed me, “… I can almost imagine what you’re thinking.”

“Oh, and what’s that?” I wondered.

Her hands trailed down the rest of her chest as she gave me sly wink.

I chuckled and made a subtle nod to her chest, “Is it to your liking, or…”

Selina shrugged as she stepped back. “To be honest, my old self did struggle a bit with my… role in the world. Becoming a hybrid, and a wolf at that, meant that the playing field between us would be leveled out. More than that, you begin to realize that our gender roles—societal and biological—aren’t exactly compatible with the perspectives you usually find among humans.”

“… Go on?” I wondered.

Selina smirked and turned sideways as she motioned to me, “Don’t forget about yourself, Vilkas.”

“Right,” I whispered as I reached for the zipper of my uniform.

“The same goes for males, mind you,” Selina said, facing the lockers as she reached back to undo the latch along her tail.

I perked my brow as I began to slide my arms out of my uniform, “Is that some kind of throwback to the age where males took on the role of breadwinners and acted as head of the family?”

“Some say that humans are socially and culturally predisposed to those kinds of thought patterns, and that it takes time for young hybrids to shake-”

I couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle.

“… What?” Selina wondered as she looked over at me.

I held the uniform in place along my waist and shook my head, “I’ll explain in a moment, just… Do we have shorts? Or were you planning to spar in nothing but your fur?”

Selina raised her hand to point at the locker, “I picked a room often used by bigger hybrids. You should find a few shorts in there.”

“Thank you,” I said and opened reached down to open the locker.

“… You don’t need to hide, Vilkas. We're both adults here,” Selina said.

“I know that, it’s just…” I whispered as I opened the locker.

Selina walked up along the locker, now completely bare as she peered at me.

It made me groan to myself as I gave her another glance, while she reached into the locker, fetched a big pair of shorts, and held it out, “Here you go.”

I grabbed the shorts, let my uniform go, and wiggled my tail as the uniform slumped to the floor. Selina—without any apparent shame—looked down, stared for a moment, and made an approving nod.

It made my brow twitch, “I expected you to be a bit more... subtle.”

Selina looked up with a smirk full of fangs, “What can I say? My mind is in the gutter.”

“… Yes, I've noticed,” I said and unfolded the shorts in my hands.

Selina kept smiling as she stepped back and motioned at me with one hand, “Now, explain what was so funny?”

I stepped into the shorts and started pulling them on, “Well, given how much your friends have dug up on me, I'm surprised you don’t know already… But, I grew up with your typical over-analytical feline of a mother, and an over-emotional wolf of a father that still likes to cuddle with his pup. Thus, if there was was ever any risk of human instincts like that, they stomped it dead.”

“Hmm,” Selina murmured as she pulled on a pair of shorts, “Interesting…”

I latched the shorts into place over my tail, and looked toward the exit, “So, what kind of sport did you select for us?”

“Something called Japanese Kendo… Basically the act of beating each other with sticks,” Selina said, as she latched her shorts in place, and started walking toward the sports area.

I followed in her wake, “So, a bit of sword play?”

Selina nodded as she walked around the corner, and stopped to point at the nearby wall. I joined her side, looked up, and saw numerous long wooden sticks attached to the wall.

This time I'll try to manage without Volkov…

I drew a deep breath, and shut my eyes for a moment as I reached out with my mind. Within moments I was accessing the archives, searched my way toward materials regarding Kendo and sword play, specifically lessons on how to play the sport.

While there wasn’t anything specific to Kendo, there was a lot regarding regular sword play, as well as Expert Systems meant to help out. I focused on it, and let my conscious mind bathe in the information. It felt as if my perception of time shifted, and there was that odd tingle down my spine as if I had connected to an interface like the Lunar Shuttle.

I wasn’t sure how much time that had passed, but Selina didn’t seem to have noticed as I opened my eyes once more, and reached out to the closest sword. Grabbing it by the hilt felt… familiar somehow, and I steadied my grip by the faint guard and wooden pommel of the sword.

Selina reached out to grab her own sword, “Do you know how to use a sword?”

“I just learned,” I said, as I stepped back and made a sweeping swing.

“… So, is that true as well?” Selina wondered.

“What?” I said and looked back at her.

“That you can alter your perceptions without implants? Read minds? Learn new skills at a moment’s notice while others take days or even weeks?” Selina asked.

“Well… You’ll be able to do the first two within a few years as well. As for the last one, I'm not sure if the speed at which I can learn is special to me, or if I've just had more time to get used to it,” I said.

Selina peered at me oddly, “… Uh?”

I focused on her, “Our generation has plenty of telepathic abilities. I haven’t checked whether you’re spewing your thoughts all over the place, but you’ll begin to awaken to such abilities soon enough. The rest of my pack know how to do it as well.”

Selina blinked, “… Are you for real?”

I nodded, “Very, but I've gone through this so many times that I have no intention of doing it again. In fact, you can read up on most of it in the archives.”

“… Well, that explains a few things I've heard and seen within the police force,” Selina said.

I chuckled with a nod, “Yes… Now, want to spar for a bit?”

Selina smirked, “You seem eager.”

I let my fangs show as I moved toward the center of the room, “I’ll go easy on you.”

“You’ll…” Selina’s muzzle dropped open as she followed me, “You do know that a downloaded skill set like that can’t challenge someone who’s actually practiced the art, right?”

“Let’s find out, shall we?” I said, and readied my sword.

Selina gritted her teeth in an instant, then lunged forward as she raised her sword.

They collided with a loud clap, and my perception of time slowed down as we began to dance. After only a few moments she tried to get a kick in, but I leaped away in haste. Seconds later—slow as they were—we were clashing with our swords once more.

She pushed hard with her sword as we met, but it was of no concern with my added weight. For minutes we kept at it, and I began to feel rather comfortable.

Selina wasn’t as quick as Corvyn, nor did the sword carry the same threat as a sharp blade. At the same time, I had no desire to beat her, and for the moment it was entertaining enough to just play along.

We clashed once more, struggled for a moment, and disengaged. Selina moved back further, and squinted at me, “You’re built like a damn tank…”

“Thank you,” I whispered with another smirk.

Selina huffed, “Given everything you’ve been through, you have to know something about what the moon has planned for us?”

I shook my head, “I do not… I wish I knew, but I don’t.”

“… So this is a bust, and you’re just going to Tel-Adra in order to be intimidating when the diplomats need you to?” Selina asked.

“… That’s the plan so far,” I said and shrugged.

Selina sighed in silence.

I made a slow swing in the air, “I assume the launches weren’t the only odd thing?”

Selina made a slow nod and began to circle me, “Did you know that there are a whole load of undocumented underground bases?”

I nodded, “We were brought to one after we fetched the witnesses from the Enclave.”

Selina froze, “… What was it like inside of it?”

“Locked down for the most part. We only had access to a few hospitality rooms and a kitchen mostly stocked with dry goods,” I said.

A sigh followed as Selina kept circling, “I guess they’re running a tight ship on whatever it is that they’re hiding.”

“What would you guess they are?” I wondered.

“Well, we do know that they have their own rail network and that they’re moving a lot of goods. In other words, they’re bound to be massive factories of some sort… At first, I figured they might be building a secret army, but that doesn’t really make sense.”

“Because the surface would be destroyed by weapons of mass destruction?” I wondered.

Selina nodded, “If there’s a traditional war between us, then a secret army would work, but the moment that the human nations are pushed into a corner, they’ll launch their nukes.”

Unless the nukes are somehow disabled? But how would one accomplish that?

“If we knew where their missile silos are located, then the moon could make pinpoint attacks and destroy them all,” I said.

“Possibly… But even if that was possible and succeeded, they’ll just use their own population to create an army of Lusus,” Selina said.

“At which point we’ll be forced to nuke half the island,” I said.

“The spores will be spread all over our territories as well. It’ll be a world without Etemenanki’s protection, and we’ll face centuries of hardship,” Selina said.

“But, we would survive,” I said.

Selina readied herself to strike once more, “At some point, the only option that makes sense is a pre-emptive strike.”

“There is the potential for peace,” I said.

Selina lunged at me with a sideways slam of her sword. I blocked, and could see splinters break off into the air. Rather than pull back, Selina kept pushing and even let go of her sword. She grabbed my wooden sword with a growl, and pushed with all her might.

Slowing down my perception of time even further didn’t help as I began to realize that she was pushing upwards in an attempt to topple me. In order to remain standing, I was forced to take a step back. This in turn gave her the advantage, and she kept pushing while I was stumbling back.

As we accelerated backwards, instincts whispered to me.

Fall back… Catch her chest with your paws… Hurl her over you…

Selina was grinning like mad, no doubt because she saw her victory mere moments away. That changed as I suddenly let myself collapse backwards and pulled my legs back. I fell, and she followed. My back hit the ground hard, and I raised my paws against her chest and abdomen.

I let go of my sword, and her acceleration did the rest. She flew over me with a surprised scream and tumbled to a halt as she slammed into the wall. My chest was heaving with exertion as I began to push myself up, and I found myself smiling.

It was fun to play like this, but…

As I turned around to face her, she was already moving towards me once more, and had discarded the sword along the way. I raised my hands, gritted my teeth, and lunged at her in equal measure. We slammed together, hands grabbing hands, pushing our weights against one another as we both growled with our noses almost touching. She didn’t want to lose, but even a small advantage when otherwise equally matched leads to a winner.

I squeezed her hands tighter, and put my weight to work. Slowly, she was forced to take a step back, and then another. She snarled for a moment as her whole face contorted in anger, but it didn’t help.

She was pinned to the wall moments later, and her struggle began to fade. I relaxed, and she followed suit. A bit of drool dripped off her muzzle as she panted, and whispered, “Seems you won.”

I smiled back and timed my words between my steady panting, “You fought well.”

She chuckled, and angled her head forward in submission. I honored it and let my own head rest against her own.