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Counter Earth Chronicles - Fallen Empire

*Chapter 16: Sharing Is Caring (World Tour Part III) *

Day 26 (4:27 PM World Four Space Museum)

“IT IS ALL POINTLESS WE ARE NOTHING BUT FODDER TO THEM!!" The satyr shouted defeatedly.

“What are we going to do?!" Corbin screamed.

“For starters don't let it touch you!" I said pushing the mongoose backward.

That was when the creature spawned a tentacle and reached for my lioness.

“AIEEE!!!" She screamed falling backward.

!!!

I grabbed what looked to be a wood plank on the floor and threw it at the creature as hard as I could. “Get away from her!!"

“I MUST FEED!!!" The black blob shouted as the tentacle retracted.

“Shakara, you ok?" I asked my she beast.

She nodded.

“Thanks for not helping Chucky." I said to the crazed former knight of the now fallen empire.

The black creature started advancing toward our position. Given the dire situation I took the lioness and mongoose by the paw and ran for it. Shakara reached out and grabbed Chucky as well.

We ran away from the creature as quickly as possible passing rubble and debris- ultimately hiding in a closet near the museum offices.

“We keep winding up in closets don't we?"

“Says the lioness who wets her panties anytime she is scared." Corbin teased.

“It is not intentional adorably cute!" She retorted.

“We must succeed in our mission. If we don't everyone we care about will starve." Corbin said looking at the crazed satyr.

“Hmm... tall black and oozing out there demands a sacrifice and won't give up until it gets what it wants." I said to my companions.

“It don't want be around when that happens." Shakara said trembling.

“It is alright we will get out of this." I said taking her paws. “We are not at the point where we are so helpless, so powerless that all we can do is pee."

(At least I don't think we are.)

“We can leave anytime." The little mongoose boy whispered. “But we will be going without the supplies."

“DOOMED!!! THE MONSTERS, THE POSSESSED WE ARE ALL DOOMED!!" Chucky said as I covered his mouth.

“Um, no. What did you guys find in The Madam's cache?" I asked my companions.

“Clothes, a few medical supplies and very little rations." The dark tan lioness said. “It looks like it had been ransacked shortly after the fall."

“Alex!!!" Corbin screamed as some black goo made its way under the door and into the closet.

“IT'S HERE!!!" The crazed satyr announced.

!!!

My companions watched as the black goo coalesced back into the humanoid black oil thingie.

“Against the wall!" I said backing everyone up as the thing reformed.

“I NEED A SACRIFICE!!"

“Um, let me think about that! NO!!" I shouted to the black creature.

“THEN YOU WILL DO!!!" The creature said as a tentacle formed from its side and reached towards me.

“Get away from him!!" The mongoose boy growled. “He is mine."

(Aw, thanks Corbin.)

“THEN SHE WILL DO!!!" The creature said redirecting its attention to the dark tan lioness.

“No!" I shouted at the creature moving in front of Shakara.

That was when my devious person did the unthinkable. The she beast quickly assessed our grave situation. She then grabbed Chucky, picking him up by his neck and leg and hurled him at the black glob.

“AIEEE!!!!" The satyr screamed as he splashed against the monster who then quickly enveloped him. “HELP!!! SOMETHINGS GOT MEEEEE!!!" The former knight said disappearing into the creature.

“OHHHH!!!! AHHHH!!!! WOO!!!!! MUCH BETTER!!!" The creature said.

“Shakara!" I said turning to her.

“It was either Mr. Crazy over there or us." She said stoically. “Last time I checked we were on a dire mission."

“I AM SATISFIED FOR NOW!!!" The creature said. “LEAVE THIS PLACE."

“Right sure, we just have to grab some things." Shakara said.

“YOUR THINGS BELONG TO ME."

“Why?" Corbin asked.

“EVERYTHING HERE IS MY DOMAIN; YOU ARE TRESPASSING."

“But sir, we are trying to just survive! We need what we found in order do live." Corbin pleaded.

“AND I YOU. ALL THAT YOU SEE IS MINE, MINE UNTO ME- THE SATYR, THE CASTLE AND THIS PLACE. NOW LEAVE BEFORE I DECIDE TO SAMPLE SOME MONGOOSE."

“Ulp! Right away sir." I said walking past the black humanoid thingie toward the closet door.

We ended up departing the museum with nothing but the clothes on our backs.

*How was the scavenging?* The automated assistant said as we arrived back at the prototype. *What did you find?*

“All the wrong things." Corbin said sitting down in the passenger seat.

“We found that creature again." I said approaching the blue coupe.

*It followed you?*

“It was still looking for a sacrifice. No I think it was saying that it needed to feed. Once it was fat and happy, it let us go." Shakara said.

“With a warning this was it's territory and not to come back." Corbin added.

*So the creature was feeding on survivors?*

“Apparently so Overwatch. It claims that it is in charge of this section of the city and apparently guards it fiercely. I think that is why we haven't seen any Others here either- I suspect it eats them as well." I said to my companions.

“Which would mean that it is possibly immune to the entity?" Shakara said. “We need to study that. It could be key to defeating ONE."

“And do you have an idea of how to reason with that thing or how to even begin to study it?" I asked.

“We have a bigger problem everyone. We are 0 and 2 on our supply search. So what do we do now?" Corbin asked.

“We can't go back without anything. That is not an option." The lioness said sitting down in the driver seat while I joined Corbin in the passenger seat.

“Overwatch pull up that map of the city."

*As you wish Mr. Winter.*

“I see where you are going with this my cutie. Highlight the locations of the museum and castle Sogreth."

*As you wish Ms. Kubari.*

“Now add the data from the scans from the probe." Corbin said.

*The results are on screen.*

“It looks like our friend controls the area around the castle and the museum; it is a Other free zone." I said to my companions.

“And the rest of the city?" The lioness said.

“I don't know."

“Uh guys?" Corbin said pointing at the entrance to the museum. “We are being watched."

It was the black oily humanoid thingie wondering why we were still in its territory.

“Right we are leaving." I shouted.

Shakara powered on the prototype and engaged hover-mode taking us back to the skies over the city.

Corbin and I looked at what remained of the areas the oil creature did not claim as its own. Crumbled buildings, destroyed infrastructure as far as the eye could see, there were also sink holes which had blighted the land gobbling up what and whoever was in the wrong place at the wrong time when they formed.

“So what now my little cutie?" The she beast said staring at me with those red eyes of hers.

“Did Bree have any other secret hiding places here?"

“No."

“It is a shame there aren't any surviving restaurants or shops." The little mongoose boy added.

“There seems to be something still in tact over there." The dark tan lioness pointed to the west.

“That place looks familiar! It is the Seven/Seven Club! But it is still standing and undamaged! How?" I gasped.

“Maybe it was rebuilt big brother?" Corbin said.

“Ok. Time for some surveillance. We need to be invisible." I said the my companions.

*Halo projector engaged*.

“Shakara get us as close to that club as possible." I ordered our driver.

The blue coupe landed about a block away from the establishment and drove right into the parking lot which had been repaired after Lady Keiko's battle with her former subordinate.

The she beast parked the prototype about 500 feet from one of the windows of the restaurant.

Corbin pulled up the feed from the front mounted camera. Shakara and I looked at each other as we watched what was going on inside. It looked like any other night in the club! There were patrons dancing and playing games! It looked like the night I was there with the commander of the knights of Sogreth on stake out! Well minus the sex games, but even that dingo waitress was there waiting on tables still wearing her apron!

“What is going on here? It is just a normal night out for these patrons in the midst of all this destruction?!" I said looking at the area immediately around the Seven/Seven club sink holes, collapsed buildings- wreckage everywhere but some how this establishment was still standing.

“Survivors?" The little mongoose boy said to us.

“If they are why isn't everyone hysterical, crying or traumatized?" My lioness asked.

“Look at their faces!" Corbin exclaimed. “Goofy grins and stares!"

“Overwatch magnify. Confirmed." I said to my companions.

“A night club for Others?!" The she beast asked.

“So this is where they have been hanging out." The little mongoose boy said.

*Apparently so.* The automated assistant said.

“We best be going before we are discovered." The lioness added.

“Negative. Like Corbin said we are 0 and 2 on our supply run. There are patrons in there whether they have their free will or not. Where there are patrons there is food and supplies, you know the things we need to live."

“As well as danger big brother." Corbin chimed in.

*What do you have in mind Mr. Winter?*

“A good old fashion raid Overwatch. Shakara, Corbin this is what we are going to do...."

As the possessed inside enjoyed themselves, outside a trio in a high tech weapon was preparing to loot and plunder.

We pinpointed the location of the club's storage pantry and cut a hole into it with the laser system. We then used the tractor hooks to remove the outer wall drove the prototype inside- quietly.

“Wow this pantry is quite huge!!!!" Corbin said.

“And full of supplies a lot of them." The lion lady said.

“Overwatch deactivate the holo-projector and conduct continuous scans- I want to know the instant any of ONE's puppets get's anywhere near our location."

*Affirmative Mr Winter.*

“Shakara, Corbin let's loot and plunder make sure your bodies are completely covered with clothing- leave nothing exposed."

“Right. All it takes it just ONE touch." The little mongoose boy replied.

“Load what you can find into the trunk." I said to my little brother.

The mongoose and lioness did a quick survey of supplies in the storage pantry making their selection and loading canisters and bins inside the rear of blue coupe.

“Overwatch?" I said approaching the door of the pantry.

*Everyone in the establishment are congregating exclusively near its front Mr. Winter.*

I opened the pantry door to take a peak. The kitchen was empty.

(I wondered what was going on?")

I had to know, this was the first time I have seen Others congregate in one location. That was when I decided to turn this raid into a reconnaissance mission.

“Overwatch protect Corbin and Shakara. I am going out to see what is going on."

“Alex are you nuts?" My little brother asked me.

“Perhaps. Finish up and be ready to depart when I get back." I ordered the mongoose boy.

“You do know if any of them touch you...." Shakara warned me.

“Yeah, yeah I become ONE's meat puppet." I said to the she beast.

“Actually I was going to say then Ursa and I are doomed little cutie. But you are right about the first part too."

I glared at my devious person as I left the safety of the pantry, quietly made my way out through the kitchen its counters and cabinets into the hallway near the dance club and toward the front of the building where everyone had assembled.

The dingo waitress had escorted two new patrons from the front of the club to the dance floor where they were addressed by a fierce looking red female sergal who was dressed in a comfortable looking one piece particle of clothing (spandex?)

“You have done well Tina. We have new customers!" The female sergal said.

“Thank you ma'am." The dingo waitress said bowing her head.

“Perhaps you will be re-granted entrance back into the fold in time my dear but not today." The sergal said to the dingo as the establishment and World Four shook from what had to be an aftershock. “Now who do we have here?"

The red sergal turned her attention to the new 'customers' a kinkajou and a tuco-tuco who appeared to be adolescents.

_“Sugar ma'am." _ The kinkajou said trembling.

“Psy ma'am." The tuco-tuco said very nervous like. You could tell that they were survivors, their clothing- what was left of it was torn and tattered, brown, dusty and dirty.

“Why have you decided to grace us with your presence?" The red sergal said as her face assumed a neutral tone. “Have you come to experience the grace and wonder of the synoptic?"

“Ma'am were scared, cold, tired and hungry." The brown tuco-tuco responded.

“Yes these times are quite difficult for non-believers. Look around the world has changed, that which you have known and become accustomed to is no more. There is lawlessness, disorder, starvation, destruction, chaos, pain and misery for all of you. However, there is another way."

(Wow she was laying that on real thick! But who was doing the talking? That sergal? ONE? Or both?)

“You have done yourselves and us a great service by coming forward fellow survivors." The red sergal said standing next to the trembling pair. “Scared?"

The two both nodded.

“_There is ONE who has arrived to bring order where there is none." _ A spotted hyena in the crowd said.

“Give purpose to where there isn't." A grey hyrax said.

“Bring peace to where there is confusion." A red hare quipped.

“Create bliss where there is misery." A white and grey eagle added.

“Foster joy where there is fear." A white bear wearing a shirt that read 'submit' commented.

“Originate contentment to where there isn't." A green naga said.

“How is that possible?" The tuco-tuco asked.

“By giving your mind, body, soul and your everything to the synoptic!" The red sergal said. “As we all have."

“Um who is speaking right now Ms. Sergal you or the synoptic?" The little kinkajou asked.

“ONE is all and all is ONE." A skinny lion with a red mane in the crowd answered.

“ONE - ONE - ONE - ONE - ONE - ONE - ONE - ONE - ONE - ONE - ONE - ONE!!" The crowd chanted.

“I don't understand!" The kinkajou said nervously.

“The synoptic- ONE inhabits us all." The red sergal said approaching the two. _“All is ONE and ONE is all." _

I couldn't believe what I was seeing the entity was actively preying on the survivors of the cataclysm!

“Have you come to experience the bliss of ONE?" A female voice said grasping my hand.

*touch*

(SHIT!)

I reeled backwards as I realized I had been compromised. I turned around to stare a canid beastal wearing nothing but an apron.

“Oh no!"

I expected to feel my skin crawl, have my consciousness pushed aside as I became the entity's bitch. But that didn't happen.

“Tina!"

“You know me?" She asked.

“Why do I still feel the same?"

“Because the entity no longer speaks through me." She said.

“You were rejected?!"

“But if I keep bringing it survivors...." She said to me. “Perhaps, just perhaps."

The kinkajou nodded and hugged the tuco-tuco as they prepared to abandon their lives and free will to the entity.

“Prepare for a life changing event; to receive the bliss and joy of ONE." The red sergal said as she ever so gently booped the kinkajou on her nose.

“AUGH!!!!" The female beastial screamed as her fur bristled from top to bottom. “OHHH!!!" and bottom to top. “AHHH!!!"

“You can't fight it cub." The red sergal said lashing her tail back and forth. _ _

Sugar then adopted the same goofy peaceful stare as the rest of the club's patrons.

As the kinkajou finished her transformation the tuco-tuco had a sudden change of heart, broke from the embrace and tried to run away but it was too late- her fur bristled too, top to bottom, bottom to top and she made a pained expression before adopting the same goofy peaceful stare on her face like she was experiencing a million orgasms in exchange for giving her body to the entity.

“Tina, the entity is just using you. It rejected you for a reason otherwise you would be exactly like them." I said pointing to the crowd on the dance floor who were smiling and staring directly at the lone human who was watching them and their bizarre ceremony.

(Uh oh!)

“I know but you have to realize the empire is gone; there is nothing! At least here I have a safe haven along with food, clothing and shelter. Do you not realize what is going on outside?" The dingo waitress said to me almost too casually.

The she beast with the beautiful bottom was just trying to get by as we all were. I just didn't like her methods.

“Tina this is not the way!" I said bolting back into the kitchen.

*Alert! Mr. Winter! I have Others converging on our position!*

“Shakara! Corbin! Time to go!" I said running back into the pantry.

“But were not finished!" Shakara protested.

“Forget it! We will have to go with what we have!" I shouted.

We all dove into the cockpit and closed it just as the possessed converged on our position from the entrance to the pantry and the hole we had made from the outside- we were surrounded.

Shakara, Corbin and I watched as possessed- first and second class citizens from the former empire climbed on top of the blue coupe staring at the would be thieves inside.

“Good job Tina more survivors." The skinny lion with the red mane commented.

“The synoptic is pleased." The tuco-tuco stated.

“Who do we have here?" The red sergal said staring at me intently. _“Alex Winter, the second Alex Winter; the one who got away. We have longed to add you to our ranks." _

“To complete the set." The kinkajou said climbing onto the windshield.

“That I assure you will not happen." I said uneasily as the Others started pounding on the dome trying to get in.

“Shakara we are glad that you have survived as well." The skinny lion said to my lioness.

“Trevor?!" Shakara exclaimed.

“_Come join us. You will receive something that this red maned lion could never give you; inner peace." _

“Tempting but no!" Shakara said panicking.

“Who is Trevor Shakara?" I asked my devious person.

“One of Bree's minions he helped with her research project." Shakara said trembling.

“You know I do remember him. I saw him the day I met you." I said thinking back.

“Big brother this is not the time!!" Corbin said snapping me back to reality.

“Oh sorry, can we use the holo-projector?" I said.

“No, they could rip it off from the chassis." Corbin said.

“Then let's use the weapons in the side-pods?" The lioness said.

“No, they could rip the side-pods off of the coupe too." I responded.

“And they are designed to fire at targets in front of us and behind us but not directly on us!" The little mongoose squeaked.

“Alex Winter why do you resist? Your existence would improve greatly if you become ONE with us." A sugar glider said making a bizarre face.

“NOT IN THIS LIFETIME OR ANY OTHER!" I shouted at the horde as they continued to try to break in.

“Your friends Bess, Tess and Yama send their regards. Tauren, Lea and Lurie as well. They all miss you and would like to see you again... soon." The eagle who I had seen earlier said.

I gasped at such a personal attack; that really hit a raw nerve.

“Overwatch engage deflectors and extend!" Corbin shouted.

We watched as our attackers levitated off the prototype as if by some unseen force. They landed outside and by the door of the pantry.

“Time to go!" Shakara said powering on the prototype. She backed up out of the pantry and floored it. As we returned to the parking lot of the club she engaged the hover mode and we took off.

Corbin and I looked back towards the night club watching the Others watching us.

“Quick thinking little brother. We should be safe since they don't have any mode of transportation."

“So they are cut off just as much from the rest of the former empire as anyone else." The dark tan lioness said.

“What did you see in there?" Corbin asked.

“Another recruitment drive. That dingo waitress had lured some desperate survivors into the club under the guise of improving their lives." I said to my companions.

“I can see where that would be a matter of perspective." Shakara said.

“The funny thing is she touched me." I admitted.

“Alex no!" My companions shrieked.

“I am fine- I think she was rejected by ONE and was trying to convince the entity to take her back; she actively knew what she was doing was wrong but did not care."

“Big brother what you did was very risky and very stupid." The little mongoose said chastising me.

“It was Corbin, but it was a opportunity to observe Others close up."

“At great personal risk to yourself." The tan lioness said looking at me sternly.

“Ok you two are right but we need to offer help when we can; we shouldn't let anyone else fall to the entity." I said as we started to fly south of the city. The devastation gave way to countryside and a lone familiar farmhouse I had visited months before with my mistress, Soren, Tauren and Lurie. The farmhouse had been moderately damaged but was still standing.

“That is the Frost's home. I can't believe it is still standing!! Shakara we need to check on them!"

And so we landed and headed down the snow covered drive way.

“Overwatch?" I said.

*Scans are detecting multiple individuals inside.*

“Refugee camp or another meeting place for the horde?" Corbin asked.

*From these readings there is no way to tell.*

“Your friends could be taking refuge in there... or not." Shakara said to me.

“So this could be where the survivors fled to." I said out loud as another aftershock hit.

“Or not." Corbin said jumping into the conversation. “How do we know for sure?"

*There is really no safe way to go about this. You could knock on the door I suppose.*

“Very well... let's knock." I said.

“Big brother???"

“Little cutie???"

Alex Winter January 26 YOE 34....