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Virtually Real Chapter 46: Bad Hand? Bluff and Run.

Characters:

Prowl-Ar/Tiger: Captain, human shifter, tiger/wolf hybrid has black fur and white stripes.

Jordan/Wolf: Doctor, human shifter, wolf all black fur

Kyle/Drake: Second in command, Red XIII quadrimorph spends most of his time as a red Eastern anthro Dragon with Red XII markings

Kelly/Shock/Fox: Streaming reporter/diplomat, former transgender human shifter tiger/fox hybrid standard red fox with yellow stripes

Rider of Death/Rider/Saber: Anthro Sabretooth Cat, part of the MAS (Mobile Armor Suit) game

Luca/Sergal: Human shifter the first Sergal to exist in the real world. Specializes in drone tech

Vexy/Dragon: Human shifter, Western green dragon. Still hasn’t found his place among the crew

Young Dal/Kohan: Otter, originally Vexy’s emotional support program now brought into the real world. A scavenger and adventurer.

Legend: Blue Kobold

Raid: Red Kobold

Shadow: Black Kobold

Rin/Snowpaws/Snow: Human shifter, lynx adopted by the Runners

Frost: Eastern Dragon/otter hybrid created in a virtual reality and given life son of Prowl-Ar and Kyle

Tye: VR creation Prowl-Ar’s son and Trace’s Twin shifts into a yellow tiger with red stripes

Trace: VR Creation tiger/leopard hybrid shifts into a brown tiger with tan stripes.

Mahan: The Shadow Runner’s A.I. computer

MAS (Mobile Armor Suit Game only)

Shades: Prowl-Ar’s cousin

Rogue: Computer A.I. of the Lawless, Shades’ transport ship.

Shortly after Kohan arrived we were given limited access to public spaces. There was no official meeting or announcement, just one of the guards telling us we “could now leave the room, as long as we had an escort”. Luca, Tye, and Rin Immediately went to check on our equipment.

I figured they were allowing us out because they found they couldn't access our suits and they were hoping to observe us working on them. Unfortunately they wouldn't give us access to new parts, but they did show us the area where we could dump our scrap. A mistake really, between Tye, Luca, Kohan and Rin we had a working communication’s device powerful enough to contact Kohan's ship. I immediately sent out two transmissions one toward the Federation and the other to the Alliance. Both were standard calls for assistance. However encoded under the standard signal was a message meant only for Shadow Tech. I ordered one of my abandoned designs for a suit carrier to be fast tracked and delivered to the signal's point of origin. Now, no matter what, we wouldn't be stuck on this planet for more than two years.

Once the messages had been sent Tye and Kohan went back to work on the device. While they couldn't rework it into a remote piloting unit they were able to eject the cargo section and the stasis pods. Bringing Kohan's collection of scavenged parts and the three Kobolds down to the planet.

Unfortunately, I think our actions finally got us noticed by someone important because the Planetary Emperor decreed that we had to go into the Bug nest and make sure they had been eradicated.

Two teams of five would make the assault. Whoever gave the orders didn't even consult with us about team members. Team One would be Rider, Luca, Trace, Wolf, and myself. The second team would be Kyle, Vexy, and the three Kobolds. None of us were really happy. We could all see that Team One was the strongest Furs and Team Two were the Dragons. We tried to point out the suits were pilot specific but they wouldn't listen.

Using parts from Kohan's hoard I was able to cobble together a heavy suit for Rider and I gave him a crash course on piloting. Luca would use the canine drone body, Rin was able to retro-fit with a cockpit, but it meant he had to pilot it in his feral form.

Shock offered to let Trace use his suit for the mission, but Trace asked Rin if he could use her suit instead. I overheard something about wanting to try out her chainsaws.

That left Legend, Shadow, and Raid. No one wanted to risk their suit on them, even though Vexy insisted he could keep them under control. In the end Rin and I made some fast and dirty upgrades to the Saber's mech suits. Considering Kyle's skill and Vexy's suit's power I knew they could fight off anything. Well, anything except maybe a kaiju sized tyrannosaurus.

***

I zoomed in my camera on the Bug nest. It looked like a mountain sized termite mound. A portion of the infiltration ship the Bugs had arrived on was sticking out the side.

"I don't like this. Something is very wrong here." I panned my camera. There were no sentries and the hive shield pylons were only partially assembled. "Saber, have there been other missions to this area?"

"No, we've avoided this area until now thinking it would be heavily guarded."

"Drake, I'm moving up with my team, cover us. Sergal-"

"On it!" His canid mech shot forward easily out pacing the rest of us. He circled one of the pylons and then ran back before we could cover half the distance. "Is amazing. Tower old, rusted, not done."

"Sergal, please shift then report." I requested.

"Sorry, this drone suit is amazing. The tower is old and rusted. I looks like they started construction and then just stopped leaving parts strewn about. Stranger still there are no chemical signatures. I upgraded the drone's chemical analyzers, since you suggested the Bugs communicated that way, and there is nothing foreign to this planet. There are no pheromones, or sent trails. The only thing with any sort of alieness to it is the mound and maybe the ship but it barely registers at all."

"Good thinking, on the chemical analyzer. Everyone, let's continue to the mound. No, you know what? Saber, fire two rounds from those cannons you're packing. Target fifty meters above the ship. That should bring them swarming out. Everyone prepare for rapid fire combat."

The first shot tore a large chunk out of the wall and the second greatly enlarged it. We waited fingers on triggers. Then we waited a little longer just out of caution.

"Shouldn't something have happened by now?" Dragon asked.

"Saber, when was the last Bug encounter you know about?"

"The last one I was a part of was over a year ago. However, we get reports from the other cities and the last one reported was a week ago."

I nodded to myself. It seemed to me the hidden cities were keeping their people contained using Bug propaganda. "Saber, I can't be sure until we explore that base, but I believe your planet is likely Bug free."

"The reports." He growled.

"Before the Bug's invaded your people were starting to build out in the open, correct?" Wolf asked,

"Yes, that's why . . ." Rider trailed off for a moment. "It's why I lost everything. My master at the time was one of the elite that insisted we should be living on the surface instead of in holes. The Bugs proved him wrong."

"If there were no more Bugs, how many people would move to the surface?" I asked.

There was a pause as he considered his answer. "Many, even now there are some calling for surface habitation."

"What would happen to the ones in charge of the cities if the Bugs are gone?" Trace asked.

"You're trying to say our leaders would lose power so they are using the Bugs to keep the population confined in the cities. I won't deny that is possible, but I also doubt we killed all the Bugs."

"That's what we're here to find out. Before we continue I think it's important to share a bit of information. No one has gotten this close to an established colony before. We know of two types of Bugs. The first type are the explorers they are just a little larger than humans and have a basically humanoid shape. They were encountered and defeated providing humanity with its first space craft with faster than light capabilities. The second type are the giant warriors and the reason the MAS units were developed." I explained.

"Just from what we can see here there are likely at least two more forms. A worker form and a queen." Wolf added. "The workers would have been needed to build something as massive as this structure and to attend to the queen and her eggs.”

“I concur, so our first goal should be to find the queen and eliminate her. She is likely somewhere near the center of the mound. Team One, we're going in through the hole Saber made. Team Two, cover our exit. Drake, make sure we have a way out. If we kill the Queen . . ."

"I'll make sure we can all pull back to a safe distance." Kyle responded.

"If you upset the ant hill what do you consider a safe distance?" Dragon asked.

"As far, as fast, as we possibly can." Sergal said.

I didn't elaborate on the nuclear device attached to Sergal's suit. If things went bad Sergal's cockpit could be ejected and attached to Trace's pack, the real reason Rin's suit was his best choice, and the countdown would be triggered.

"Raid, I want you on the left side of that hole. Legend, you're on the right. Shadow I want you to hold position here. If anything moves that isn't one of my subjects destroy it."

"Yes, Master." They said in unison.

I switched to a private line and contacted Dragon. "Vexy, listen, I know you've got your Kobolds under control, for now, but you're still treating them like Kobolds. You've got to remember they have human level intelligence and that is going to grow stronger with each passing day. What I'm trying to say is you need to think of them as humans that are acting like kobolds rather than smarter than usual kobolds or things are going to go bad really quickly."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it isn't going to take them long to figure out I'm the one in charge and not one of your subjects. When that happens they're either going to turn on you or remain loyal to you. Your best bet is being completely honest with them."

"How do you suggest I do that without having them go wild on the ship?"

"Tell them you are their dragon, but you're not the one in charge of everything. Even you, as powerful as you are, have to answer to others. Show them you have something in common with them. Next you need to stop ordering them to do everything. I know it gets things done but if it isn't something important ask instead."

"You're kidding right?"

"No, consider this, you ask one of them to clean up after themselves instead of ordering them to."

"It won't get done."

"And the mess grows until the point where you have to order all three to do the cleaning while pointing out if the first one had done as you asked it wouldn't take all three of them."

"So they force each other to do what I ask?"

"Exactly. You end up looking like a master that cares about their feelings and you make sure they behave. Eventually as their intelligence fully develops you're going to need to treat them as equals. Well, nearly equals. More like adult children, they have their own life but they still have to obey your rules."

"Tiger, either pause the game or move out. I don't care who it is you are lecturing you're wasting game time." Kyle radioed me.

"One last thing. About Kohan, don't think for an instant just because he is your perfect mate he isn't going to frustrate, irritate, annoy, and order you around from time to time."

Vexy laughed. "I knew that much, even before he was given a real body."

I switched to the main frequency, "Team One move out. Sergal, you're in front. If you see or smell anything get back fast so we can cover you with the heavy weapons."

"I go." he replied as the dog drone shot ahead of us once again.

***

We entered the hole Saber had created. There was some debris, but most of it had been blown outward. The inside and surrounding structure was intact and surprisingly structurally sound. "You did a good job, Saber."

"Just because your tech is more advanced doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing." He replied angrily.

I was surprised at his response and I knew Wolf was informing him what I said was meant as a compliment. It still hurt, but I wasn't letting anyone "see" it.

"Intersection, no Bug smell." Sergal announced. "I'm waiting here for you to catch up, but I'm sending one of the flight drones to scout."

We continued down the tunnel and met up with Sergal.

"The right tunnel ends in a vertical up shaft. The drone is currently going down the left corridor. Ah, another intersection. I'm also picking up a little more Bug scent, but it is still very small amounts in comparison to where we are. I go to drone now."

Luca may not like his animal form, but he was putting it to good use. "Wolf, you're the one that has the training, what do you think is going on here?" I asked.

"My current theory is hive collapse. Something in the environment must have been toxic to them and the Sabers eliminated the remaining warriors."

"Sounds good, but everyone remain alert just in case. The scent communication idea hasn't been proven yet."

As expected Luca was waiting at the next intersection. "Tiger, the scent is strongest in the left tunnel, but it goes to the ship. The other direction also has an alien scent, only weaker, but it goes deeper into the hive."

"We go right. The queen will be somewhere central. We'll deal with the ship later, if possible. Sergal, from here on in remain with the group we'll use the flight drone only for scouting ahead."

"You don't trust me?" Luca asked.

"I do, but if we're ambushed I'd rather have you with us when we start shooting at anything that moves. Rider's heavy cannons can easily make an escape path for us but . . ."

"They could also annihilate this drone, at least you’ve been able to rebuild it with stronger alloys."

There was a burst of static over the radio "Grr, hostiles." was all we could make out Kyle saying. Through my soul link I could tell he was calm. Whatever they were facing he didn't see it as a major threat.

"What's going on? Should we turn back?" Trace asked.

"No, Drake, Dragon, and the Kobolds have things in hand. We move forward."

As we worked our way deeper into the nest nothing changed other than the amount of alien scent. It wasn't a good scent either, sort of like vehicle exhaust and rotting flesh. It got so bad that we had to switch the suits to canned air.

"Stop! Found something." Luca ordered.

We stopped and waited. A few seconds later we were seeing Bug activity. The drone's video cut into our monitors. It was high up in a very large central chamber. Two massive bodies, looking like bloated rotting whales were moving on the ground surrounded by about a dozen humanoid shaped Bugs moving about.

"Somebody made a mistake, no colony like this should have two queens." Wolf whispered.

"Luca, take the drone down so we can see what the human form bugs are doing'" I ordered.

The view slowly zoomed in as the drone descended until only half of one of the queens could be seen. The humanoid types were outfitted with head covering helmets and what looked to be a tank. Obviously they couldn't take the smell either. They were cutting up and removing the queen's corpse.

"Those are the ones that fly the ships and deal with all the technology. There is some theories they are the worker caste."

"I don't think so. Luca pan left." Wolf ordered. As the video rotated we could see the forms of a fourth type stacked to one side then what Wolf had noticed during the drone's decent. A large stasis chamber with a larvae in it. Every few seconds one of the 'workers' would change places with the one guarding the pod.

"They're drones, sorry Luca not your type of drone. They’re males, obviously the workers are also all dead leaving them to clear the chamber before one unlucky male gets to mate with the new queen." I said.

"Unbelievable, they're communicating with arm gestures. That means they're intelligent. Still, once that queen matures the colony will regenerate and Rider's people will be exterminated." Wolf added.

"We beat them once, we can do it again." Saber growled.

"My Saber, you defeated them because most of their warriors were likely fighting each other."

"How do we handle this?" Trace asked. "If we approach with the suits we'll be noticed and they'll have that new queen out of there and hidden before we get a chance to destroy her."

"There's only one way." I said.

"No! You're not going out there on some suicide mission." Trace yelled.

Wolf laughed, "Don't worry Trace, he may consider it occasionally but we're doing a good job of breaking him of that habit."

"I was going to suggest we continue forward on foot. Our first priority is to not get killed, second is to eliminate the new queen larva, then to get out and back to the suits as quickly as possible."

"What about the drones? Won't they just create a new queen?" Rider asked.

"Don't worry, I have a plan to deal with them. Get your environmental gear on and don't forget your chameleon cloaks. If they can't smell us we wouldn't want them to see us either."

We moved quickly and quietly to the very edge of the queen's chamber. Luca's drone had given us a warped sense of scale. The cavern was roughly ball shaped and at a rough estimate I'd say it had a diameter of around four miles. The first thought to come to mind was "I could hide the Runner in this space." Light was provided by thousands of glow panels around the walls. Likely only there to allow the males to work. Fortunately the stasis pod was close to the opening we were hiding in. Likely due to the fact it led back to their ship.

"So what's the plan?" Wolf whispered, even though our helmets would mute anything we said.

"I'm going to slip down there, plant some explosives, when I get back well detonate the bomb and then we're going to run for the suits." I replied.

"Good plan, but why not remote detonate the bomb using Sergal's drone as a signal relay. That way we'll already be back at the suits before anyone knows we were here."

Trace asked.

"There is too much chance the bomb will be found and removed." I replied.

"Oh, okay." Trace said, as he stuck his hand out of the chameleon cloth and hit the switch on a detonator. The whole structure shook from the explosion. 'Huh, I guess using all the explosive we were carrying was over kill."

We looked out into the chamber where a new crater had formed.

"How did you-" Wolf started.

"Steal all the explosives? Or slip down and plant them while you were all gazing at the size of the chamber? It wasn't all that difficult. Now I believe we're supposed to be running for our suits before those drones still alive head back to their ship."

"Right, running now, questions later." I said, as we ran for it.

It wasn't far back to the suits. "Give me a moment, I need to recall the flight drone." Sergal said.

"No! You'll lead them right to us." I replied.

"It's a prototype! I won't be able to build another without it."

"Fine, but only after everything is prepared." I walked over and manually ejected the pilot unit from the dog drone.

"What are you doing?" Luca yelled.

"Setting up the failsafe." I attached the unit to Trace's back.

"You can't have Puppy! You can abandon the flight drone, but you can't have-".

"Luca. This is a drone, it was built in mass quantities using substandard parts. We'll build you a new 'puppy', maybe even give it a more canine head, once I have access to my resources again. However this drone is going to explode. It's why I installed the nuke on it."

"Wait! I thought that was just as a last resort! What about my people? The radiation-". Rider yelled.

"Don't worry Saber, the explosion will be contained underground, but it won't be the only detonation. Sergal, Trace and I will meet you at the junction that leads to the ship. I'll stay here and cover Trace as Sergal moves that bomb as close to the central chamber as we can."

"Don't-" Wolf started to think to me.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid. I'm only staying here to protect Sergal and Trace. And to set the bomb's detonation timer. Then we'll meet up with you. If possible get Rider to assist Drake and Dragon. His suit is the slowest if we have to run for it." I mentally replied.

"Understood I'll meet you at the ship."

With that thought they headed out.

"I'm nearly at the inner chamber. What now?"

Make the drone look like it was leaving but malfunctioned after the blast that destroyed the larva, and recall your flight drone."

I brought up the nuclear bomb’s command settings and set the timer for a half hour delay. As the flight drone shot past I activated the timer. "Trace, blow out the ceiling and the wall we've got to block this tunnel." As we backed away we started firing and soon enough we weakened it enough to make an area collapse. "Good, now eject one of the saw units."

"What! Rin will kill me."

"We're not leaving it. I need to attach it to my suit." He removed the unit and I connected to my suit. “Good, now get out if here, and have everyone run as fast as their suits can as far as they can. In fact have Vexy get his Kobolds out of their suits so he can fly them back to drop point."

"What about you?"

"I'm just going to make a quick stop at the alien ship to activate its self-destruct so that even if it survives the blast they won't be able to call in another colony ship or generate a new larva."

"How are you going to get back out?

"That's why I needed the saw I'm just going to cut my way through the ship and make my own exit." We reached the marked junction. "Go, we only have 26 minutes before detonation."

Trace saluted and took off down the tunnel. The flight drone keeping pace with him. I continued on, but realized Luca hadn't said anything. Obviously he was upset about the drone. I'd have to make sure the replacement was a massive upgrade. I was starting to feel guilty.

"Don't. He'll get over it. It's not like it was a real dog or even had an AI personality. Now, how do we get in? These doors are big enough, I suppose for the warriors to get through but . . ."

I finally reached the ship. Wolf's suit was prying at the door seam. I simply powered up the saw and cut an opening large enough to enter.

"How are you going to do this?" He asked, over the comm.

"Explosive charges to the containment system. A few minutes after that fails we get an implosion."

"Wait, you're going to unleash a miniature black hole?" Wolf yelled.

"It won't be the first time." I said, as we continued deeper into the ship cutting a path where we needed to. "Timed a second or two after the nuclear blast the singularity will suck in the debris, the ship, and most of the radiation before the mass balances and the singularity closes."

"Won't the EMP shut down your bomb?"

"The ship is shielded, even with the path we've cut it won't be effected. It's why we've got to destroy this ship another way."

"What about us?"

"We're as close as I dare get with the suit. I'm going to go set the bomb. Make sure to keep the suits safe or we're dead."

I dropped out of my suit and ran through an open hatch before Wolf could yell at me.

"I said what about us?" I heard in my head. I glanced at my watch_. "We have roughly eighteen minutes to get out and as far away as we can run."_ I thought back as I planted the bomb, glad that I'd kept some explosives with my suit, otherwise Trace would have used it all. The bomb in place and time set I ran back to my suit.

"Shouldn't there have been guards or something on the ship?" Wolf asked.

"I would have thought so, but Kyle said something about hostiles so maybe they left the ship to take on Team Two. Or maybe they were all busy hoping to be the new queen’s mate and dinner."

"If we survive this insanity I may bite your head off." Wolf laughed.

"I look forward to it." The bulkhead I was cutting fell away revealing the outside. "Run! Use everything you've got." We started running, “If a warning comes up about over stressing the suit, ignore it. If the suit tries to pull an automatic safety shut down over ride it."

"How big is the explosion going to be?" Wolf asked.

"I'm not worried about the blast. It's the time dilation created by the implosion." We'd made it past the point where we'd done our initial recon and we were rapidly approaching the others at the drop sight. "All units, move out at the highest possible speed away from the nest" I ordered over the radio.

"Tiger, what did you do?” Drake asked.

"Set a bomb to blow up the alien ship's drive core. Like the shuttle on Fallow."

His suit turned and started running and we were blown to the ground by the nuclear explosion. "Everyone! Stay down and brace yourselves. Trace secure Luca, Vexy you'd better have the kobolds jammed in the cockpit with you." There was a second smaller explosion. "If you believe in a higher deity now is the time to start praying."

As expected the air rushed toward the ship or what had been the ship. The mountain was gone instead it was rapidly forming a ball around where the ship had been, the wind and pull suddenly stopped.

"Is that it, or is there more danger?" Wolf asked.

"Um just one more thing." my communications board flashed for a millisecond. I took a deep breath, activated a link to Riders suit, and spoke as rapidly as I could. "Time dilation, continue forward to Drake's position. Hold there. Relay message."

"What was that?" Wolf asked as we stood up. "I couldn't even understand as you were thinking it."

"We're at the edge of a time dilation event. That message, when it reaches Rider will be slowed way down. To us covering the distance to Drake will seem like a matter of minutes. To them, depending on the severity off the effect it could be days. At least we're close enough it won’t be months or years."

"Is that why you had me stay with you?" He asked.

"If I recall you insisted. I was planning on being the last one out on my own. But I'm not complaining having you here to keep me company."

"What about the others?"

"This isn't the first time we've done this. Drake knows what we're experiencing."

"Look how fast Rider is moving! Oh, right. He isn't moving fast we're moving slow."

"Now you've got the idea."

"Still I'm worried Rider is going to panic."

I smiled, "Computer, pause-" I wasn't able to finish as Mahan interrupted.

"Game paused, Command crew to the bridge."

"Mahan, what is going on?" I asked.

"Captain, you'd better get up here." Shock replied.

“Wolf, Kyle, and Rider come with me. Everyone else," I shrugged, "Until whatever this latest crisis, whatever it happens to be, is solved be ready for anything"

"Why am I part of this?" Rider asked, as we headed toward the lift.”

“As one of our husbands you're automatically considered command crew. Now change over to your Runner uniform." Kyle said, as his own pilot suit changed.

"What are my duties?" Rider asked.

"For now you don't have any. Just sit at the station next to Wolf and look like you-"

"Sorry we're late, I had to wake Tye." Trace said, as they ran to catch up.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"With Rin and Frost at school we're filling in. I'm taking weapons and Tye's at engineering."

"Weapons? You mean Mahan is armed?" Rader asked in surprise.

Trace laughed as we all crammed into the lift. "Armed like you can't imagine."

"Exp. 39 doesn't exist in this reality." I quickly pointed out.

"Just because we can't annihilate a planet with one shot from a lightyear or two away doesn't mean the other weapons are any les devastating." Tye reminded us

We stumbled out of the lift and onto the bridge where Shock was waiting.

"The President of the United States would like to speak with us."

"What does he want now?" I growled angrily.

"Not that one, the newly elected President."

"Oh? Well I'd better try to make a good impression. Mahan, let us know when-"

"Mister Nightiger, we need to talk. Let me start off by saying I don't like you or your little experiment. I'm not even happy about having to acknowledge you with this video conference, however my security council has insisted that we give diplomacy a chance. So, you will stop abducting United States citizens or we will be forced to retaliate."

"Miss-" I started.

"It's Madam President."

"Fine, but you will address my husband as Lord Nightiger from now on." Shock growled.

"I'd like to know just what you mean by 'retaliate', are we talking about sanctions, armed combat, or nukes?" I finished asking.

"We'll start with sanctions. You'll be cut off from Earth completely."

"Really? I'm fairly certain you don't have that kind of authority over other nations that are still friendly to us. Not that it matters considering the colonies are self-sufficient"

"Regardless, we know you have companies here in the United States. What if we freeze them?"

"Mahan?" I asked.

"All monetary assets were moved to protected accounts due to our troubles with the last administration. They can't touch my monetary assets."

"Madam President, I'd hoped your citizens would elect a more . . . understanding leader. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to have been the case. So here is what is going to happen. You are going to stop making stupid threats-"

"Oh, I'm not threatening."

"Do you really want the shit storm that is about to hit you?"

"Do your worst." She sneered.

"Mahan please announce the closure of all Shadow Runner owned assets in the United States. Madam President, I'm going to show you what freezing our companies and assets really means. I look forward to your next call. Shock, cut transmission."

"I hate to ask this, but what about the hospitals?" Wolf asked.

"They will remain open for critical care and as sanctuary for LGTBQ and Furrys." Mahan responded.

"Don't worry, I'd never deny healthcare to those in need." I thought to him.

"You’re such a soft, cute, cuddly kitten on the inside."

"I . . . Maybe . . . ok, I admit you're right, but only because-"

"If I said it out loud, would you disagree or call me a liar?"

"Would you two cut it out?" Trace yelled.

"What are you talking about, Trace?" Kyle asked.

"I know that look Dad has on his face, that blushing faraway look. He's speaking telepathically to someone and he's getting embarrassed."

"Of course! I've seen him and Wolf both do that. It's just that I didn't think it was possible in this reality." Tye laughed.

"Mahan, deploy full security protocols at the hospitals." I said trying to divert the discussion, "We won't deny care, but we need to be sure they're protected against the coming riots"

"Riots? What exactly have you done?" Shock asked.

"The stock markets have been closed to stop the complete collapse." Mahan replied. "All the stock markets around the world."

"We're receiving a call." Shock announced.

“Faster than I had expected.” I nodded and sat back in my command seat. "Madam President, I trust you're calling in order to apologize."

"How dare you release false information?"

"I see." I shook my head in disappointment." I guess we'll talk in a few hours when the general populace realizes what happened and the rioting starts."

"Wait! I'm sorry for underestimating you; but you've got to understand. I hate to admit this, but if you take all the furrys, the nation will cease to function." The President visibly slumped in her chair, "The same as if we try to shut you down, I guess. I knew the rumors and jokes about furrys running the internet, but like so many others I didn't believe it. Not only the internet but all tech companies. I've had a never ending stream of complaints and threats since I was confirmed as president, and it’s only been a week."

"So? Do something about it. I'm sure a lot of the people you're worried about losing would prefer to remain where they are, but when they feel they're not safe it's natural to look for a place where they can feel safe. I'm not asking for anything you can't provide. All I'm asking is that government employees stop turning a blind eye at what are hate crimes."

"What hate crimes?" She asked.

"You're kidding right? A thousand years, four civilization collapses, which I helped you recover from, and humanity is still incredibly stupid. First off stop shielding zealots using religion as justification for persecuting others, furrys are the same as everyone else . . . well that's not exactly true they tend to be more accepting of others than most people."

"Normal people don't dress up as animals and-"

"Before you even finish that statement I'd like to point out the hundreds of costumes your 'normal' non-furrys dress up in. Armor suits and aliens from movies and video games, super heroes, anime characters and historical reenactors. Before you even start on furrys and sex let me remind you of maid, school girl, dominatrix, and nurse costumes."

"I . . . uh."

"If you like I can send you records of all the contributions furrys have made to medical research, animal shelters, and nonprofit organizations. What do they get in return? Persecution because they like a particular art form. Tell me Madam President, have you ever watched a movie with an animal character and thought 'oh they're cute'?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Congratulations, you've just admitted to being furry. Tell you what I'll send you a fursuit and I want you to go to a furry convention. Your secret service agents can act as handlers, but in the suit you'll understand why so many furrys do it. You're free to be your true self without any expectations. No one will know you're the president you'll just be another community member there to meet new friends and experience what it’s like."

"I, maybe. Though I have to know, with all the power and control you have why haven't you simply taken over the planet?"

I started laughing. “Why, why would I want the stress and headache?" I gasped out.

"Our mate isn't really interested in power. Given the choice he'd slip back into the shadows for another thousand years. We, his mates and the rest of the crew are the ones keeping him engaged with society." Shock answered.

"Now we'll restart our companies and continue granting citizenship to those being persecuted. You need to accept those conditions and find a way to convince furrys that your country is a safe place for them to live." Wolf stated.

"If you want to talk with us again I suggest you remember that our ship time most closely matches US Mountain time." Kyle added.

"Madam President, Mahan will remain in contact with you to work out the details for your fursuit. Please, and I truly mean this, have as peaceful a day as you possibly can." I said, finally calming myself down.

"And we're clear. Do you really think she'll go to a con?" Shock asked.

"I don't know. I just don't know."

"There is a good chance. She chose a protogen suit before I had a chance to ask her what species."

"Oh My God! The United States is being run by a toaster. It's the end of the world." Shock moaned.

"It could have been worse she could have been a cheese like Luca. Can you imagine a world with Luca in charge?"

The silence went on and on as I was horrified that they were actually imagining it.

"I must say it would be an interesting nation." Trace said smirking.

"No, it could never happen." Kyle stated. "Luca is one of us. We're all unique and special in our own ways. Leadership on that scale isn't appropriate for him. Ten minutes in and he'd have at least a hundred complaints of inappropriate behavior and at least three lawsuits for sexual harassment."

"I don't like to disagree, but that's just the way he is around us. Remember I spent time with him on the Mars station and he was reserved and-" Wolf started.

"And a bit more than half crazy. He thought Prowl-Ar was a drone." Kyle laughed.

"Uh, not to get technical, but we sort of were a drones. Still, I thought he'd calm down or get worn out but he seems as horny as ever."

"He's going to get worse if he doesn't learn to bottom once in a while." I heard Trace grumble.

"Mahan, what's the current situation?" I asked not wanting to think about Trace’s comment.

"Most news agencies are calling it a cyber-attack and are expecting trading to re-open after a 24 hour pause to tighten their security. You're not going to believe this."

"They're attributing the attack to furrys, aren't they?" Shock asked.

"On the contrary, they’re attributing the attacks to several of the worst anti-furry groups."

The fact anyone was being blamed didn't sit well with me. I sighed and reminded myself that if someone had to be blamed better those spewing hate than those completely innocent.

***

We picked up the game where we left off. It only took an hour, but I knew that likely translated into a couple of days at least. As if to test me Rider had also waited for Wolf and I to catch up. Not that I blamed him since he’d basically be making the trip out of the distortion zone without anyone else.

"Tiger, have you noticed what's been going on at our pickup point?" Wolf asked.

"No, I've kept my eyes on the ground to avoid the distortion effects." I glanced up and found a small base had been built and all the suits were present.

"I've been watching and the suits haven't moved since they arrived. Wouldn't Drake assign patrols?" Wolf asked.

"This is the Rider of Death calling base, can you hear us yet?"

"This is reconnaissance base 0001. We read you. Park your suits next to the others and follow the honor guard inside for debriefing."

"Tiger, my mate is correct. Something doesn't feel right." Rider said.

I switch to the private team frequency. "Drake, Fox, Tye or Dragon, can anyone hear me?" The line remained silent. I checked our link. Not the best thing in the game but both Drake and Fox were doing their best to project feelings of danger. The communication's system alerted me to an incoming transmission on a private channel. I switched over.

"Having marital problems?" A voice asked.

"Shades? Is that you?" I asked in confusion.

"Yeah. I've been here for a month, thanks to your little trick."

"Where are you?"

"About ten miles west of that base they set up. I don't want to get any closer. The last thing I need is to get shot in the middle of nowhere."

"Warm the engines and have a cargo bay ready to receive a truck." I switched channels back to the team. "Wolf, set your suit to full security mode and instruct Rider how to do so with his suit."

We moved into place but didn't exit.

"Rider, why is your team not exiting as ordered?"

"This Is Tiger, I'm the one in command of this unit. We'll exit as soon as we've made sure our suits didn't pick up any exotic particles from the detonation. The last thing you want is for a particle to interact with the fuel and detonate the suit."

"Oh! Understood, the guards are standing by."

"Tiger, Is that a real concern?" Wolf asked, telepathically.

"No, but they don't know that."

"You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?" Shades asked. It seemed she was still monitoring the team frequency.

"Shades, what brings you all the way out here?" Wolf asked.

"Heard all of you were dead. I needed to see the wreckage for myself to know if it was true or not. So, how many lives do you have left, Cuz?"

"Not enough, but I'm glad you found us." I replied. I then told them what I thought was going on and my solution. Of course I had to apologize to Wolf because I was, possibly, placing myself in danger, again.

Rider and Wolf exited their suits as I finished up my preparations and descended as well.

"Please follow us." One guard requested. As we entered a building another guard requested our weapons.

"Are you challenging?" Rider growled, "A warrior only gives up his weapons if he has been challenged."

"I . . . No I'm only doing what I was ordered."

"Then let that warrior challenge one of us. Otherwise we're tired and we just want to get this stupidity over with."

We were quickly led to a large room where the rest of our team was tied up. An overly dressed saber had a gun pressed against Rin's temple. "Ah so good of you to join us. Now you will give us the codes for your suits, or I start killing your friends until you do."

I slowly pulled my hands out of my pockets in one I had a pad and in the other a switch. "This pad has the codes allowing you access to the suits, however this device in my other hand is a dead man switch. If I let go or my heartbeat stops the suits will explode destroying everything for at least two kilometers. If you kill any one of us we all die together."

"So we have a standoff." The commander growled angrily.

"Yes, but I have a way out of this. You are going to let us take the truck and leave. I didn't exactly have a lot of time to come up with a plan so this switch has a limited range once we're five or six kilometers away the signal can't reach the suits and they are all yours. We'll be on the run until our people come along and rescue us, or you hunt us down."

"Are the codes really on that pad?" He asked obviously doubting my honesty.

"I promise-"

"Tiger, don't." Wolf quickly interrupted.

"I promise those codes will get you in the suits."

The commander smiled. "From our . . . questioning your allies we know you would never break your word. You two, lead them out to their truck."

"Um, do you want us to kill them?" The first guard asked.

"No idiot! That one will kill us all. We're releasing them. It'll be fun hunting them down with their own suits."

We were taken out to the truck and cut free. "Enjoy your freedom it won't last long." The second guard warned us.

I watched as each team member climbed the ladder and disappeared inside. I was the last one to enter. It wasn't easy climbing up and keeping a firm grip on the detonator. Once inside I ran to the driver's station.

Tye was running through the security checks. "Good news, we haven't been tampered with."

I took the wheel and got us moving.

"You know, one of us should be driving so you don't drop-" Trace started, but was interrupted when I tossed him the detonator.

"This is just a few bits of scrap. Are you telling me you just bluffed with our lives?" Tye yelled.

I increased the truck's speed. "Yes and no. The pad was linked to the suits and I could have detonated them with a verbal command. The detonator was a prop though."

"What about your promise?" Shock asked.

"I promised those codes would let them into the suits. They're the hatch entry codes. The command systems however are linked to our genetic signature. The suits are still going to be destroyed."

"So you've tricked and effectively double crossed a bunch of sabretooths and now we've got to try and stay alive for at least a year before we're rescued?" Luca asked.

"No, just six more miles."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I just smirked and tried to coax a bit more speed out of the truck. I was already getting alerts that I was pushing the engines to hard. I activated the anti-grav system at its lowest setting. Fractionally decreasing the truck's weight for extra time before I blew an engine. "If the Sabers are smart they'll give us plenty of time before trying to-"

"We've got two dog drones tracking us." Luca announced. Deploying capture drone."

"How? No, Luca leave it." I yelled.

"Puppy acquired. I'm taking out the second dog." He said, happily. “You didn’t think I’d let anyone get teir hands on my drone did you? I had it well hidden and waiting until I could retrieve it. Now I have it and my Puppy again.”

Damn, I hoped Shades had enough room for both the truck and Luca's "Puppy."

"Got him! Who's a good boy?"

I rolled my eyes. "As I was saying-". I was interrupted again by the alarms on our control gauntlets.

"Unauthorized user in suit. Self-destruct countdown has begun Do you wish to override?"

"No." We all said together. I hit the brakes and slid to a stop. Shut everything down. I activated the communications on the Shadow Runner channel. "Rogue, emergency shutdown. Possible EMP blast imminent. Shades, Shut it all down." I cut the communication and shut down the system.

"We're completely offline. I deployed the emergency anchors just to be safe. The Truck is radiation shielded so we'll be safe." Tye reassured everyone.

"The micro reactor in each suit shouldn't be much threat beyond fifty meters of the suit." Rin insisted.

"Factor in all our suits exploding at once."

"Right, they'll chain together enhancing each other." She replied.

"Is no one going to mention the fact Shades is here?" Shock asked.

"Knowing her, she probably came to make sure we were really dead." Kyle said, with a laugh.

"Luca, stay as far away from her as possible. She isn't the playful sort, if you get my meaning."

"Don’t worry, I'll stay away from her."

As quickly as he agreed I knew he'd watched some of our earlier games.

The truck was suddenly rocked violently and then everything settled.

"Tye, did the shields cover puppy?" Luca asked.

"There's no sign of radiation and no electro-magnetic pulse. Only the conventional explosives detonated the suit power cores are intact." Rin reported. "I told you my design would work."

"So now they have the refined material to build nuclear weapons?" Vexy asked.

"We've always had that technology. How do you think the underground cities are powered?" Rider asked.

"No one's answering my question. Is my puppy alright?" Luca yelled.

"M-master, why is he acting like that machine is like us?" Legend asked Vexy.

"Because everyone has a different type of treasure and machines like that are Luca's treasure."

"Oh, okay."

"I'm cutting the anchors, hopefully we won’t need them again before they can be replaced." Shock said.

"Puppy is up and running." Luca announced.

I'm not sure when he'd moved back to his control seat. I'd been too busy trying to get the truck to start. Tye quickly made a few adjustments and started the truck.

"Sorry, I made sure it wasn't possible to start without the right knowledge for security reasons." Tye said.

"Everyone, find a place to strap in. I doubt Shades is going to wait long enough for us to get comfortable." I put the truck in gear and we took off once again. I didn't check to make sure everyone was secured trusting their sense of self preservation. As we topped a slight rise the Lawless appeared out of thin air. Obviously Shades had gotten and invisibility shield from somewhere.

"Took you long enough. Unfortunately that truck is larger than the cargo pod I've got with me."

"'Luca get your puppy in that hangar. Shades, the truck is set up so it can be connected just like a cargo pod. Dad just needs to pull into position." Tye said.

"Dad? You're not Frost. Prowl-Ar has some explaining to do."

"Not really, he sort of adopted my twin and I."

Shades remained silent as I pulled the truck into position. The hook up process was automatic and we were soon nestled against the Lawless. I figured Shades was recalibrating her chances of getting her hands on shadow Tech. "Hey Shades, just to update you I have two new mates as well."

"You what?" She yelled.

"One is nearly as powerful as Kyle, maybe even stronger with training,” I heard to rude noises from both Kyle and Rider, "And the other is more protective than the other three combined."

"I'm not over protective." Jordan said loudly. "It just seems that way because you're so reckless."

I thought Shades was laughing but quickly realized it was Rogue, the ship's A.I. "Keep that up and I'll install a new system." I threatened.

"You wouldn't dare." Shades responded.

"You're right, but I have a toaster that-" I started.

"Enough. Antagonizing the ship responsible for keeping us alive at the moment isn't a good idea." Rider said.

I was shocked into silence. Before I could respond Rogue did it for me.

"Don't worry, Shades makes those sort of threats all the time. They are just using jokes to cover up the fact that they are either scared of or attracted to me. I'm still analyzing them both to decide which it is. Now I'm going to cut communications as I move into position to tow this derelict. Lady Shades plans to sell it for scrap."

"They don't need to know that!" Shades yelled.

"Oh good. I was worried we'd have to risk leaving it here until we could return with another ship to retrieve it. It belongs to a team member so no scrapping it."

"That's not fair." Shades whined.

"In exchange I'll overlook the fact you've installed illegal non Shadow Tech components, like that invisibility field generator."

"I . . . Damn it! How do you always find a way to make me lose profits?"

"It's a talent."

I heard her call me an asshole as the link shut down. "Everyone, relax if you can. We're going to be stuck here for a couple of days.

***

"It's been six days since this new hell began. By the end of the first day I was regretting not equipping the Lawless with an altered space communications array or Freem engines. Luca refuses to talk to me because I destroyed Puppy 1.0. Well, to be honest, most of the team are mad at me for destroying the suits." I looked around. Everyone seemed to be asleep, but I was sure they were just waiting for me to drop my guard. I'd gotten a couple of cat naps but I didn't dare sleep. "I think a member of the crew is trying to poison me."

'Tiger, are you alright?" A voice echoed in my head.

I fought hard to keep my mental shield up. I couldn't even trust Wolf. Not until I could discover who it was that was out to get me. I was fairly certain it had to be Vexy, Rider, or Luca. Or maybe they had come up with a plot together! I felt a gun against my neck "No, not like thissss."

***

I woke slowly to the feel of my head being stroked.

"You're really cute when you're asleep; soft and submissive. Did you know you purr in your sleep?"

I stiffened at the sound of Rider's voice. "Please, don't-"

"Shhh, don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you. I admit I'd considered catching you alone and proving my dominance, but that would hurt our Wolf and I'm not going to do that. Even if Wolf would allow it I still wouldn't. There's something about you. You find those who are broken and do everything you can to make them whole even if it means hurting yourself. I bet if Wolf had chosen only me, you would have smiled and made him think he'd made the right decision wouldn't you?"

I convulsed as I tried to keep from sobbing at the possibility, and the fact Rider was able to read me so easily.

"Rider, stop. I know you're trying to comfort him, but all you're doing is causing him immense pain. I'm surprised Kyle isn't up here to break your neck yet." Wolf said, as he placed a cup on the bedside table.

"Blocking. Think I'm still asleep." I mumbled.

"I know. You did a good job of keeping us all in the dark. However, you seemed to lose concentration toward the end there. We, your mates and Mahan, agreed you needed rest. That's why we pulled you out of the VR game. This is mint tea sweetened with honey. I know you're not supposed to have tea or mint but I had Mahan check and this small amount isn't going to do much more than help you relax. I'm going to go make you breakfast, I got permission from Kyle to use his kitchen, so just try and relax. Rider will be here if you need anything." Wolf said before leaving.

"Do you know my history?" Rider asked, surprising me.

I sat up and took a sip of the tea, it was good. Not too sweet or bitter. Wolf definitely knew what he was doing. "No, I haven't really had time to go over it. Plus I'd rather get to know you rather than the base character you were created from."

"I'd think you'd need to know every detail about me before calling me your mate."

"I don't need to know everything. I know that Wolf loves you and both Kyle and Shock have accepted you. That's all I need to know. And whether it is their feelings I'm experiencing or my own I love you the same as all my mates."

"And If I don't feel the same; would that be a problem? He asked as he slid behind me so that I was resting against him.

I had to take a few moments to consider my answer. "No, it wouldn't matter. You love our Wolf and he loves you that's what matters to me."

"How do you do that?" Rider asked.

"Do what?"

"When you're out there you maintain such an air of dominance, yet in here you act all submissive. It's like you have two separate personalities."

"Not really. I- I'm what everyone needs me to be. Outside this room, I'm the Captain and everyone expects me to be calm, controlled, and in command."

I moaned as he pressed his large cock against my back. "And here?"

"Here I'm myself. Which is to say I'm what my mates need me to be. For Kyle I'm a bottom though, he will bottom on the rare occasion. For Shock I'm exclusively a top. For my Wolf, That's much more complicated depending on his mood. Sometimes I'm his Daddy Tiger, or his big brother. Other times I'm his little kitten."

"So you completely suppress your needs to satisfy your mates? You have to realize that isn't healthy."

"Honestly, I’m not suppressing my needs. My greatest need is to feel loved and needed, anything else is extra.” I laughed “You sound like a therapist.”

"Yes, that was my job before the Bug invasion. I specialized in cubs, but I'm fully qualified to treat adults."

I sat in stunned silence. Or course Wolf would program his perfect mate for a position that was needed.

"You are my perfect mate. Don't ever think differently. Rider is the individual I needed when I thought you were unavailable. I love him the same as I love Shock and Kyle but you are special, my Tiger. Not that I'll ever say any of that out loud." Wolf said telepathically.

"So, I couldn't help noticing, you left me off your list. How do you see me?" Rider asked.

"I'm still getting to know you. You're obviously a top but you're not completely against bottoming-".

"I don't know where you got that idea."

I sighed and reached for the tea cup only to find I was already holding it and had just a sip left, I drank it and set the cup back on its saucer. "When we were all together you bottomed for Kyle."

"That's different, he earned that right through combat. I'm not allowed-“.

"No! That is not how it works. You decide who and what you do. Tell me, and be honest, if Wolf asked you to bottom, would you?"

"I- I don't know." Rider said, hugging me tightly to his chest. "To be honest I'm still trying to work out how much is me and how much is my former existence."

"So how do you feel about me?" I asked.

"I admit I was jealous at first. It's obvious how much Wolf loves you and how much you love him. Still, after being with you, and I'm including Shock and Kyle, for this short time I understand why you work. You love each other so completely. Just knowing you’ve all accepted me as a mate . . . It's like parts of me were missing and all of those parts were the four of you. Still, please don't hold this against me, but I still love my Wolf a little more."

"I understand. It takes time to really comprehend how we work. Kyle, Shock, and I have a soul bond linking us together and Jordan and I have a telepathic connection linking our minds."

"Can you teach me how to link my soul with Wolf's?" Rider asked.

"I don't think that's possible. Jordan has a very powerful soul. I'm afraid it would consume anyone, even my soul fortified with Kyle and Shock was like a match in a firestorm. Trying to bond with him the way I bonded with Shock and Kyle is impossible. I'm not even sure Jordan knows how strong his soul is."

"Are you saying he's a God?"

I laughed. "There are times I've thought so, but evidence shows that he's as mortal as the rest of us. Well, I guess that isn't saying much when you consider we're not exactly mortal anymore."

"Mortal enough that not sleeping or eating is very bad for you." Jordan said, as he carried in a tray.

"I have a rule against food in the bedroom." I started.

"That's unfortunate, I guess you'll just have to punish me later. Right now you need food and rest." He lifted the lid from the tray revealing a bowl of lime Jell-O and chopped fruit.

"You're kidding, right?"

"You think I'm happy about this? My first chance to show my skills and almost all of it comes from the food generator. It would have been completely generated but I found where Kyle was keeping a couple of mangos so I diced one so you'd have-"

"Activate the sentinel program. I'll starve first."

"Come on, I'm joking. I made sure it would be something you can have that also suits your palate." Wolf laughed.

"No mangos?" I asked just to be sure.

"No mangos. Now eat and then we can sleep."

"We?" I asked.

"Yes, the three of us. Kyle made it quite clear you're not to be left alone. He also said you can't fall asleep unless you're being held or holding someone and if you woke up alone he'd punish both of us.” Rider said, while gently massaging my shoulders.

"Normally I'd think Kyle was being over dramatic, but the pain in his eyes really told me how scared he was of what might happen if you did wake up alone." Jordan said.

"I- I have-' I swallowed, why was I having problems admitting what scared me most.

"Abandonment issues, I know. I just didn't realize how bad they might be. My Tiger, I will always be with you, whether it is here in your bed or, I don't know, some other reality. We are a part of each other tied even more deeply than a simple soul bond." Wolf reassured me telepathically.

I sighed. "I have abandonment issues." I said, for Rider's benefit.

"I'll be sure to set up an appointment. For now, eat and then we'll rest." Rider replied.

***