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Virtually Real Part 37: Hangover

Returning Characters

Prowl-Ar/Tiger

Kyle/Drake/Red XIII

Shock/Fox

Rin/Snow/Snowpaws

Frost

Jordan/Wolf

Mahan

Tank/Bradley Sherman Abrams, Captain of the Bad Luck

Shades Captain of the Lawless

Lee

Slider

Commander

"Computer, please provide a review of what is happening at this point in the game." I requested.

"The Shadow Runners have left their shuttle at the Alliance outpost and are walking back to the main base. Tiger just asked Wolf to look into his eyes. Wolf refused because he can feel others emotions. Frost and Snow were in front of the group discussing the probability that Tiger was going to make Wolf their team commander. Drake and Fox were-"

"No, we know what we were talking about no need to-" Drake started to object.

"Discussing how long it would be before Tiger asked for permission to sleep with-"

"End synopsis." I ordered. Wolf stood with his mouth open in shock and I glared at my mates. Drake and Fox seemed to be really focused on the surrounding terrain and completely unable to look at Wolf and myself.

"And what did you decide?" Wolf asked. Now it was my turn to be embarrassed while they stared at Wolf in shock. "I mean no disrespect, but you're all hot as hell. Still you're married and that is a major turn off for me, so I guess it doesn't really matter."

I took a breath and ended up holding it. I wanted to say something, anything, but I found myself at a complete loss for words. I mean sure I could see where anyone would think Shock and Kyle were hot, but me? Not a chance.

"Do you wish to continue the MAS game or select another?" The computer asked, making me realize we'd all been shocked by what Jordan said.

I shook my head this was definitely a discussion for another time we had already taken our places so I restated the game.

Wolf smiled. "I see a caring man that would do anything to protect those he considers family."

"Good news for you, because I consider you a part of my family." I quickly replied.

"Would you two just kiss and get it over with. Yipe!" Fox yelled, before and as, Drake slapped him. "What the hell was that for?" He asked, rubbing his shoulder.

Of course I'd already told them about the kisses but I thought Fox was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. I glanced up at Jordan and he seemed on the verge of tears.

Kyle immediately approached and kissed Jordan gently on the lips. "Don't listen to the loud mouthed Fox and his inappropriate joke. There is no bad blood between us, any of us."

"But Prowl-Ar's promise . . ." Wolf started.

"Is his to keep. My promise to him was . . . different."

"I just don't get it. Why are you trying to comfort me after what I tried to do to you in the simulation? Tiger said he expected it to happen, but really you should hate me. All of you should."

"Why? Just because you find us attractive? That isn't a reason enough for me to hate you." Fox stated.

"Yes, you tried to mate with me. You didn't try to force me and after I let you know it wasn't going to happen you didn't try again. I said no and you accepted that, but I didn't say never. If you ever want to have sex with one, two, or all of us you just have to ask." Kyle said.

"But-"

"Even If you just need someone to hold and comfort you, again all you have to do is ask." I added.

"I- I don't understand why you're telling me this. It isn't normal, you should hate me."

"Maybe we should, but we don't. Accept that as fact and move on." Fox replied. "You two, I have some things to discuss with Wolf so could you give us some privacy?"

We continued walking and after several minutes I glanced at Drake. I was about to ask him a question but he beat me to it.

"What do you think they're talking about?"

I shrugged. "It's Fox, it could be anything from sex to the weather. He just likes to see us squirm. However, the way he keeps making adjustments on his control gauntlet I'd guess they're discussing the best way to edit Jordan's character's past and how he became a shifter to allow him to shift in the game.

"You know, he's almost as big as you in median and animal forms? It could make things problematic if he ever tries to take you down."

"He won't. Once he's comfortable with us he might joke about it, but he won't challenge us."

"How can you be sure?"

"I don't know. Ordinarily it would be a few years before I'd even consider trusting him, but I do trust him and it scares me a bit. I know it's a good thing to trust him, since our lives may be in his hands at times."

"Do you want to sleep with him?" Kyle asked.

"I honestly don't know. He's attractive and has a great personality, but I do know those aren't the reasons I find it so easy to trust him."

"I feel it as well. I know I can trust him. That's why I'm not going to trust him until I can be sure why I feel he can be trusted. I talked to Fox and he feels like you do. He agrees I should keep an eye on our doctor as well."

I laughed, “Now you’re sounding like me. It’s good to know when I’m not being my usual rational self you’re here to pick up the slack.”

I could tell he was about to reply when Rin screamed and we all immediately ran to find out what happened. When we caught up with her and Frost she was crushing the remains of a spider the size of a frying pan into the ground.

She gave it one last good stomp and then turned to me. “Sorry for my overreaction, Sir. The damn thing dropped in front of us while we were talking." A leg twitched and Rin stomped the thing again. "After the surprise, I dealt with it."

There was a rustling in the forest. I gave the hand signals to form a defensive circle and activated my headset. "Command, this is Tiger. We are on foot in route from the Alliance outpost, perhaps a quarter of the distance out. We have spider activity. No visual yet. I request a retrieval team be sent out."

"Rescue team is being dispatched. Keep your line open."

"By the time the team gets here this will be over. Team combat-"

"Commander, I suggest you treat this as a master level event. The system level is higher than it should be." Mahan warned us.

"Oh shit." Fox swore, “I had to raise the game level in order to make the needed changes. It won't go back down."

"Computer pause game." I ordered.

"Game cannot be paused until current scenario is completed."

I sighed. "Shit, I really didn't want to do this. Kyle and Frost, full dragon forms and be prepared to use your breath, everyone else anthro forms. Also change to full armor. Rin, to my side."

"We're in real danger aren't we?" She asked.

I nodded, pulling a hypo spray from my belt pouch.

"No. If I'm getting booted from the game I'm going out fighting. You're not putting me down to eject me."

I closed my eyes. "That's not what this is-".

Wolf grabbed me. "You can't just go injecting-".

I pushed the tip to Rin's neck and injected the chemical. Her Pupils dilated and then snapped back to normal. Wolf yanked me backwards "What did you give her?" He yelled angrily.

"What she most wanted. The thing that will keep her alive."

Rin looked at me and then at her hands and smiled. She pulled the twin rods from her back and snapped them together forming a staff. Short blades popped out of each end. "Finally I get to put my full training to use."

Wolf gasped as Snowpaws shifted to her anthro-lynx form. I tossed him the empty canister. "Shifter activation serum. Completely harmless and inert unless injected into the individual it was created for. Now hurry up and shift." I spun kicking outward as I shifted to anthro form sending a spider, the size of a large dog, flying through the air. It exploded on impact with a tree. "Never try to sneak up behind me." I yelled out into the forest.

"So we're not holding back?" Fox asked.

"We can't be directly killed but we can be mortally wounded, so yeah, no holding back. Wolf! Stop staring at that mess and shift. You're not looking at a spider you're looking at a killing machine. Focus, use those tonfa to break them apart." I moved to his left and Snow took his right. He was frozen in place staring at the jumping spider's remains. We'd have to cover him until he could work through his fear.

Drake roared and the smell of burning brush filled the air. "That should keep the smaller ones at bay back here." He yelled.

Three, bull sized, spiders skittered around the perimeter. Frost froze one of the two after him while Fox started emptying slugs into the lone one while Drake flash fried the second one going after Frost.

"Tiger, we've got our own to worry about!" Snow yelled, as five more jumpers appeared. Snow moved fast spinning and jumping as if she was dancing leaving three dead and two injured and unable to jump. I dashed forward slamming my staff into one and my boot heel into the head of the second.

Fox howled in pain and I spun catching sight of a small spider slipping back down a hole. Before I could move Wolf was there pulling the spider out of the hole and ripping off its head.

I dropped beside Fox "Close your eyes."

"Please don't cut off my leg."

The bite was deep. A tourniquet wouldn't save him. "I'm not cutting off your leg close your eyes and start meditating I'm taking you into deep trance to slow your heart rate to nearly non-existent until we can get you to the-". Wolf pushed me away.

"Try to remain calm. I know it has to hurt really badly, but it shouldn't kill you. These spiders didn't evolve with mammals so the toxins aren't deadly. Still if your situation gets worse we have the creature’s venom glands so I should be able to create an anti-venin. In the meantime, if you can still pull a trigger you can still cover us."

"Commander, we have a problem." Drake yelled. He and Frost were working in tandem against a spider roughly half the size of a suit with two more, slightly larger ones approaching. The first one shuddered and collapsed its legs folding up beneath it.

The second and third had split up and were trying to flank us. Wolf went right so I went left. Snow quickly joined me using her bladed staff to chop at the monster's legs while I focused on solid hits to its eyes and fangs. Finally it fell and I impaled its head with my staff which promptly busted leaving the lower two thirds in the spider. I dropped the remains and pulled out my revolvers. I stumbled over to Fox. He was in pain, but still lucid. Frost and Snow joined me.

Frost coughed and then used the signal for "no ammo" meaning he'd over used his Frost breath.

"Fox, live?" Drake coughed out, obviously nearly as bad off as Frost.

I nodded and looked for Wolf. He was approaching us. His tonfas were gone and he was covered in gore. He looked half crazed, even though I trusted him, I felt the urge to threaten him not to approach my family.

"Machines my tail. Those were definitely Spi- Oh Gods no."

We all looked in the same direction as Wolf. I'm not ashamed to say I lost control of my bladder. The spider approaching us was nearly twice the size of an Elite suit. The eight story monster was moving slowly as if gaging what our next action would be. It took a step forward and then shuddered yanking its leg back. The report reached us just as the behemoth flinched back again.

I knew immediately what had happened. "Everyone get down, cover your ears and open you mouths it's about to get-" I wasn't able to get the rest out as the roar of Lee's mini-gun hit us. What might have been an instant but felt like an eternity later everything was silent. I snapped my fingers next to my ear and concluded that I was indeed deaf.

The transport stopped next to us. I could see Driver was saying something to me. I pointed at Fox and yelled poisoned. I then gave the signal for "group together" and yelled "deaf" Drake and Wolf had already gotten Fox aboard. I grabbed the trap-door spider's head and crawled in behind Snow and Frost. "Hospital fastest" I yelled and Driver gave me the "order acknowledged signal as he hit the accelerator.

***

I stood in the Commander's office with Drake next to me. The Commander started yelling the instant we entered. It was sort of funny watching him go on and on. Our hearing had healed within minutes but the computer had rendered us deaf for the next three days. The medics had checked us out and put us on medical leave. We'd reported to the Commander's office after leaving Fox, Frost, and Wolf at the Hospital. Frost wanted to make sure he hadn't irreparably damaged his vocal chords. I'd sent Snow to her quarters knowing she'd log out, switch to another VR unit and spend time getting used to shifting. Wolf and Fox had logged out in order to make sure there wasn't any 'real' threat from the venom. I was startled when Drake elbowed me.

The commander seemed to have stopped yelling and was glaring at me.

"Sir, we're reporting in to tell you that the medics have placed us on medical leave. I'm sorry to say we are unable to hear anything because Lee opened up nearly on top of us. Not that I'm complaining, if he hadn't we'd all be dead. Our hearing should return in three or four days." I explained, at least I hope he was able to understand me since he continued to stand there and glare.

Eventually he grabbed his pad and wrote something on it. He turned it toward us. "Get the fuck out" was written on it and we quickly followed his orders.

"You didn't tell him we could still communicate, did you?" Drake asked using sign language.

"No, I checked the game parameters on our way back. Sign language has become a lost art due to hearing implants. All that's really left is the simple signs we use in combat." I signed.

"So what do we do now?"

"Unfortunately I've got a report to write up. Even if I can't hear, I can still write."

"What should I do?"

"You can start planning a party for the Base and the Alliance camp so that everyone will get to know each other better. Or you can get to work figuring out how we missed something that big in our sweeps of the area."

"Are you sure about a party? I mean that would mean a lot of people in one place?" Drake signed.

"I don't know. On one hand they're NPCs but . . ." I paused my signing not really sure what I wanted to say.

"I'll work something out, after I've made sure the area is spider free. Right after I wash off and get a fresh uniform."

I looked down at myself, I was covered in crusty patches and bits of spider armor. "Definitely shower first." I agreed.

***

I was nearly finished typing up the battle report when Drake came in and dropped into one of the extra chairs. He started talking to me. I ignored him since I couldn't hear him anyway.

"I said this sucks."

I sighed, obviously he paused the game so completing the report was out of the question. "It's not that bad. It's a bit more work, but we can still talk to each other using sign language."

"Great, but I can't get anything done. Never mind the fact that I can still talk they act like I'm not just deaf but mute as well."

I pulled open my desk drawer and tossed him a pad. "I've known deaf individuals and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the game's fans are deaf. I'm not going to belittle them by pausing the game every time you want to complain." I signed. "You have your voice and rank. If you issue an order and they pretend not to hear, remind them you can report them for insubordination. If you require an answer they can write it out on the pad."

"I wasn't . . .”

"Computer, list current players in VR."

"Prowl-Ar and Kyle are the only ones currently using VR units."

"Full pause." I shut down the game.

"I paused the game to talk with you. I know complaining probably wasn't the best start, but with what happened- When I saw that giant spider-” At some point Kyle had started to cry, "I thought we were all going to die."

"I know, things got out of hand. We weren't supposed to encounter anything larger than the jumping spiders. I set the scenario to try and help Jordan work through his phobia. I'm not completely stupid."

"But you had that injection ready to transform Rin." Kyle sniffled.

"I've been carrying that since she experienced VR First Shift with Tuft as her guide. You know I try to be prepared for every possibility. While I'm not happy I had to use it; if I hadn't it is likely we'd all be recovering in the infirmary and the game would be over." I pulled out another injector pen I'd have used this if I'd had it."

"What's that?" Kyle asked.

"A drug that puts the one injected in a death like state. It only exists in VR I've loaded it with five doses. If we're ever in a no win situation where we can't pause I'll use it to eject everyone else."

"What about you?"

"I'm immune so I'll have no choice but to go down fighting. Still its better only one of us ends up injured than all of us."

Kyle grabbed the pen and tossed it in the trash. "No. You're not going to sacrifice yourself for me ever again. We live together and we die together.

"Dr. Brook asks that you two stop whatever you're doing. Shock needs to rest and your emotions are making it difficult." Mahan told us.

"Computer, shut down game. Mahan, where is everyone else?"

"In bed asleep, where you two should be."

I slowly stood up and the chair disappeared. Kyle also stood up, but I had to steady him.

"Tiger, this may sound strange, but can we switch places tonight? I- I need to be held."

"Of course. I told you in the bedroom you're in charge. If you want me to hold you, you just have to tell me."

***

"Are you alright?" I flinched and looked up at the woman that had stood in the doorway. I was trying to piece things together. I was in a cell because I'd been caught disabling cameras, mostly in areas were Red was held. I glanced over at the cot, but it was empty. When the guards shoved him in my cell I'm sure they expected him to kill me. It seemed he'd gotten out as quickly as possible, even though I insisted he take the only cot while I curled up on the floor.

"How did you get free?" Red asked.

I flinched and glanced down. He hadn’t run, he'd been curled around me with his head in my lap. I must really be out of it because I was even unconsciously scratching him behind his ear.

"Cloud freed us. All the guards are dead we should go." Aeris said.

I didn't need any more prompting I started to get up.

"Not him. He's Shinra." Barret said pointing his arm gun at me.

"He's the one that broke the cage so that I could escape. I hate Shinra, but he is my friend. If he stays I stay." Red growled. I couldn't believe he was actually taking a stand for me.

"I can fight. I've trained with guns, twin short swords, and the staff."

"So you were a soldier?" Barret snarled.

"Well, no. Shinra employed me as a janitor mostly making me clean up after Hojo’s experiments. My weapons skills come from before I came to Midgar looking for some specialized technology. Unfortunately I didn't find what I was looking for."

"I don't give a shit why you're-"

"Barret, we need to move." Cloud said.

"Just give me a moment to take out the trash."

I could see the energy building, Red roared jumping forward and I woke up. Kyle was shaking violently and I was soaked in sweat. It was just a nightmare, Kyle's nightmare. What had really happened is after Aeris woke us we joined the group and no one even noticed me.

I entered trance state dropping back into his dreams. This time was worse Barret had his gun pointed at Red and Cloud had his sword at my neck.

"Sephiroth is still here. He's upstairs about to kill the president." I said.

Cloud was out of the cell and headed down the corridor with Tifa close behind."

"How did you . . ." Aerith started to ask.

"I get flashes of possible futures. It’s how I knew today was the best day to rig your cage so that Red could escape."

Aerith nodded like seeing the future was normal and hurried after Cloud.

"It might be useful having you around. I still don't trust you." Barret said gesturing for me to precede him down the hall.

"Fine, but we need to hurry they’re going to need your firepower. Go, Red and I will catch up." Barret was already headed out the door. "Kyle, this is your dream you're in control here."

"I- Tiger, is that you?'

Everything had started to become fuzzy, meaning Kyle was waking up."

"I'm here and I'll still be with you when you wake up."

I opened my eyes as Kyle rolled over facing me. "This is real, not a dream right?"

"Of course it's real. If it wasn't real you wouldn't be able to ask that question."

He snuggled up closer to me and was soon asleep dreaming of new things to cook. Thankfully he fell asleep too quickly to notice my tears.

***

"Sir, My hearing has recovered enough to have that debriefing you've been waiting for." I said, as I entered the Commander's office.

"I've made a few queries of my own. It seems like I'm not allowed to ask any questions about . . ." He trailed off trying to formulate exactly what he was going to say without violating his orders.

"My ship." I finished for him. Just because you can't ask, doesn't mean I can't explain. I designed and built the Shadow Runner before the Bug war. In fact the Runner is the ship that drove the Bugs out of the Sol system, not a captured and converted Bug cruiser."

"That's not possible. You'd have to be-".

"A lot older than I look? How do you think I know all the right people in the Federation? Of course this is all classified information so if you say anything to anyone you’ll be quietly disappeared."

"Is Kyle the dragon all of your Alliance refugees believe is their God?"

"I take it you’ve seen their video?”

“Yes, and while it’s hard to believe it is definitely you and Kyle.” The Commander replied.

“Yeah, that wasn't exactly our best First Contact experience."

"You two sparked an intergalactic war if I understand it correctly."

"At least I didn't get Earth involved."

"Moving on, what is up with the convicts?"

"There's not much to tell that isn't in the written report I provided. What I didn’t write down is the fact that Hiro's Grandfather has close ties with my company. I was honor bound to rescue him. Martin and Jay are enemies of my worst enemy, and yes I consider Lucinda Lucre worse than the Bugs. I rescued them just to spite her. I rescued Carl because she was with the other three. Finding out she was Violet’s mother would have made things difficult if I had left her behind."

The commander sighed, "Do you have a God watching over you or something?"

"Not that I know of, unless you count Drake of course."

"I don't."

"Then no, I don't have a god watching over me."

"Moving on to your negotiating a treaty with the Leonar-Draconian Alliance."

"Most of that was handled by Fox representing my interests, Howler representing the Alliance and a group of Federation experts communicating via hyperspace. I was just there to make sure things didn't get out of hand."

"This Alliance may be the most important event in this whole conflict and you left it in Fox's paws?" The Commander asked in surprise.

"All evidence to the contrary, he's possibly the best diplomat in human space. I'm sure you already know this, but we're losing the war. We're running out of pilots, suits, and raw materials to build more suits. The Alliance is composed of hundreds maybe thousands of worlds. They have a large population to draw on and more resources than we could ever use. What they don't have are our MAS suit technology. By pooling our knowledge, resources, and weaponry we have a good chance at driving the Bugs back."

"What about the camp and station here?"

Their ship was the fastest they had and it's not going to be going anywhere. Right now I’m betting most of their fleet is being employed to transport troops and resources so a relatively small group of refugees would be low on the list of things to take care of so we're stuck with them."

"And the four under your command?"

"We had spare suits and they were willing to learn how to pilot them so I put them to work building the base. Without them it wouldn't have been ready for your arrival."

"How about you tell me about your pet werewolf."

I was glad Fox had briefed me on Wolf's new back ground story. "We met him here for the first time, or so I thought. He was an environmental scientist and team medic for a recon group."

"Where are you hiding them?" The Commander asked.

"They're dead, Sir. Slider used the Guns on the Runner to obliterate them before they could drop the Alliance Station on us. I've already reported the incident to High Command. It has been heavily classified do to the sensitivity of our new allies so I’m unable to elaborate further. Wolf was left behind with us. His former team didn't care for his dedication to his job."

"You're skipping the werewolf part."

"Jordan has genius level intellect. As a teen he started work at Shadow Tech. We had him developing the Shifter nanites that allow Drake, Fox, and myself the ability to change forms. As it turns out his twin sister was the wolf, I previously mentioned, that didn't survive the transformation process. It seems this upset him so much he injected himself in order to end his life. The thing is, it had no effect."

"No effect? I've seen the video."

"It had no effect at the time. Wolf was then recruited and placed on a planetary recon team. The reason he can shift is because of his proximity to us. It seems the nanites need a lot of processing power for the first shift. Now this is just speculation at this point, but I believe the reason his sister didn't survive is because she isolated herself from Drake, Fox, and myself."

"Wolf wasn't the only one who shifted however." The Commander pointed out.

"Yes, Snow has the newest updated nanites and I've been slowly increasing her numbers since we left Fallow. I'd planned on waiting quite a bit longer, bur to be fair I'm not sure we would have survived long enough for Kicker team to arrive if Wolf and Snow hadn't shifted."

"One last question where did the spiders come from? You reported the area had been searched."

"Wolf and Drake figured that one out. The spiders rapidly grow larger through feeding on other spiders. Rather than over time like most creatures. A small one eats another small one and the first one doubles in size. One eventually gets big enough to hunt the giant herbivores and stop the rapid expansion. However, since we cleared the area there were only small spiders left, that quickly escalated into the monster Lee took out.”

"You're telling me any spider on this planet can get that big?"

"Yes, or potentially even bigger and it can happen in a day or two."

"That's it, we're killing every spider inside the fences."

"Enjoy yourselves. I'm still on enforced medical leave, and I've discovered I don't want to argue with my doctor in any of his forms."

"Yes, I've noticed a vast improvement in personnel following medical suggestions." The Commander laughed.

"Yeah, who wants to contradict a werewolf? Especially one with the training to take them apart and then put them back together in order to do it all over again."

"Good point."

“If it helps if we wait killing off the spiders once they reach half the size of a suit they’ll clear out the base on their own. I’ve also devised a metallic mesh to add to the fencing to keep any more from getting in. One last thing, I'd like to request permission for a party."

"What?" The Commander asked, completely befuddled.

"Nothing official, just a gathering so our people can get to know the beings of the Alliance."

"Hmm, I'll think about it. Dismissed."

***

I held still as Wolf checked my ears. I wasn't overly worried seeing as everyone else had already been cleared for duty.

"Where the hell is he?" A familiar voice yelled.

Suddenly I wished I was still deaf. Fox, Drake, Frost, and Snow shifted to their anthro forms while Wolf proceeded to check my other ear.

The door to my office banged open and Shades was standing there looking angrier than usual. "There you are you worthless piece of shit!"

Everyone but Wolf and I growled at her.

"Captain Shades, do you mind being quiet until I've finished my examination?" Wolf asked politely

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Doctor Delacroix, or Wolf if you prefer. I'm the Shadow Runner's physician. All of us are recovering from temporary deafness. Your yelling isn't improving the situation. Now act civilized or else."

"Riiiight. Do you know who I am?"

"Captain Shades, real name classified for some inextricable reason, Lt. Colonel Nightiger's cousin, smuggler, and pain in the ass."

I bit my lip as I heard Fox giggle.

"If you know that much, then you know the only ones that can get away with talking to me like that is the flea bag and his pets."

None of us were prepared for the slap that left Shades on the floor.

"Don't ever insult my Captain or his mates like that again or I'll rip your arms off and reattach them backwards so all you'll be able to do is scratch your-"

"Wolf, stand down." I wasn't sure if he even realized he'd shifted right after the slap. "I'll deal with Shades. I suggest all of you give us some privacy." Everyone filed out but not before giving Shades a nasty glare.

"Are you sleeping with him as well?" Shades asked as she got back on her feet.

"Do you ever shut up?" I asked.

"Even after I'm dead and buried, if you somehow outlive me, I'll haunt you. So no, I'm never going to shut up."

How true that statement was. "So why are you here in such a foul mood?"

She stared and me as though she couldn't believe I was even asking. "You brokered a treaty with a brand new, unknown, Alien Alliance containing thousands of new worlds and billions of trade opportunities and I have to find out about it from the rumor mongers? Oh I don't know, why do you think I'm angry?"

I laughed and she looked at me in confusion.

"Shades, you came in here and ruined your best chance at any sort of trade deal when you insulted Kyle."

"I didn't single him out. He isn't any more important than the others and I don’t see how-".

"The Alliance believes he is the reincarnation of their God."

She stared at me for nearly a minute waiting, just waiting. "Nothing? You try to make a joke and you don't have a punchline?"

"I'm the reincarnation of the same God's mate. If you don't believe me check out the video they showed us." I called up the video the Alliance provided and tossed the pad to Shades.

She stared at the video glancing up at me and back at the pad several times. "You went to a lot of work making this didn't you?"

"I ran it through the Runner to compare the dates. This took place at least a thousand years ago. Long before I was born, and you know I met and married Kyle and Shock recently. And before you suggest something stupid like time travel, you'll notice that Shock is missing and the three of us are never far apart. There's another thing, the video is extremely detailed, like it was filmed using my headset tech." I took the pad back and removed the Prowl-Ar images vest and shirt then passed it back to Shades.

"I really don't need to see this."

I stripped off my upper uniform. "Notice any discrepancies?"

"Jesus, you let those two maul you?"

"It's called a mating bite for a reason, and I practically had to order them to do it." That was a total lie, but it worked for the game story. Still, I knew questions would be coming up about it in the fan community.

"You don't have the scars in the video."

"That's right so it isn't a case of time travel." I could practically see the gears smoking in her head as she tried to come up with a solution.

She grinned. "It is you in the video, but not the you from this reality."

"Yeah, that's the most logical answer."

"So another you and," Shades shuddered, "your husband from another reality started a war between two galactic Empires? That doesn't sound like something you would do for no reason. Unless that version of you knew the war with the Bugs was coming and set it up so the Alliance and Federation could work together to defeat our common enemy."

"That's about what I came up with."

"Still, I know you. . . You asshole! You didn't contact me on purpose, because you want to limit their contact with the Federation as much as possible."

“If we win the war against the Bugs we both know the Federation will turn on the Alliance."

"Just give me a heads up so I have the time to get out."

"I suppose I can do that."

"Shades sat down. I've still got that gift for you."

"Huh?"

"When you had to evacuate Fallow. I wasn't there just to deliver supplies. I- I negotiated for some things I thought you might like as a way to apologize for the way I've been treating your husbands. I mean, even I can see how important they are to you and more importantly how important you are to them. I've always envied that about you."

"Um, you've lost me." I said in confusion.

“I know you don't see it, but there is something about you that inspires trust. The truth is you have the potential to have a lot of friends, but you're scared and scarred. You don't even trust yourself." Shades stood up and took a step toward the door. "Since I started making deliveries to you I've spoken with a lot of people on this base. The only time I heard anything negative about you was from the refugees I transported off planet and I know they didn't really know you. Your pilots trust you, as they should, but more than that, they believe in you. I'll leave your gift with the rest of the supplies, the crates are keyed to your DNA. I'm going to go visit with your Drake's worshipers and see if I can negotiate any kind of trade deal. Oh and one last thing I plan on turning your werewolf doctor into a nice fur coat. No one hits me and gets away with it."

I just sat there in silence. Shades left the door open as she left and I even heard her apologize to everyone, except Wolf, in the hall. Then they re-entered my office.

"Game pause. Everyone, I need a little time to my-"

"No Dad, you need us here with you."

"Rin is correct. The best thing for you right now isn't to hide. You need to work through your feelings with your family. I'll be in my quarters so let me know when-"

"Jordan, you're right he does need to be with his family, that's why you're staying right here with us. Whether you believe it or not you're just as much a member of this family as the rest of us." Shock said, as he pulled Jordan into the group hug.

***

We stood in front of the two "crates" Shades had left. They were temperature controlled Shipping containers the size of our hangars.

"This is her way of apologizing, two new suits?" Fox asked in confusion.

"No, whatever is in these things is frozen." I replied.

"Um, I'm a bit scared to ask this, but could it be the bodies of the people out to get us?" Drake asked.

I'd been about to open the lock but I paused at Drake's suggestion. "I'd like to say there is no chance, but that is the kind of thing she'd do." I took a deep breath and pressed my palm against the lock.

"Prowl, I know you're upset about the Hunter's Lodge. I wanted to explain, but you haven't exactly been available or in the right mindset to hear me out. I didn't sign on to the project just to help super rich assholes hunt trophies. Larson really is an accredited Professor and he makes sure his clients aren't over hunting any one species."

"So, let me get this straight. Shades is Tiger's cousin and transports cargo both legal and illegal throughout human space?" Wolf asked.

Yes, but technically our company still owns her ship so she has to take on any job Tiger assigns her." Drake answered.

"He also isn't doing it just for the trill of the hunt. I make sure they harvest the whole animal so I can sell the meat to specialty buyers. You wouldn't believe how much some restaurants are willing to pay per pound."

Fox looked at the crates and whined. "Please tell me we're not stuck with a year's supply of more dino burger."

"While I was on the base I tried it and it really is good. I'm certain the reason everyone else on the base hated it was because that's all you've had to eat. So as an apology I traded a container for two containers of real food. One container has a selection of meats and the other is fruits, vegetables, and . . ." the recording paused for several seconds, "a large amount of ice cream. Mainly for Frost and Rin but I'm sure you'll share it with the whole base."

"Ice cream!" Frost and Rin yelled.

"Tiger, if you don't mind, can I take over the party planning?" Fox asked.

"Please? Let Fox take over because I don't have a clue." Kyle insisted.

"Fine with me." I replied.

"Good. Wolf, you’re in charge of the alcohol." Fox announced.

"What?"

"Given your skills and background you're the best choice. Drake, you're in charge of food preparation. Tiger, you need to keep the Commander from shutting us down. Frost and Rin, you're with me making sure everybody knows about the party and is invited."

I sighed as everyone took off on their assigned tasks. I was feeling a bit out of sorts. The individual Shades was based on wouldn’t have apologized. She'd have told me to "get over it" or laugh it off as if it didn't matter. No, this had to be part of a larger plan to get me to approve her trade contracts with the Alliance. "She's going to be surprised when she discovers the Alliance had advanced warning about her." I mumbled, as I transferred an inventory list to my pad for both freezers.

***

I sat on the lip of my suit hangar and watched the celebration. The cutting teams, with Rin's help, set up a bonfire at the center of the base. The Corporal had converted the speaker system and the control tower into his own DJ nest. Drake had set up an Alliance team to run the kitchen.

"You're not joining the party?" I jumped a bit as Wolf sat down beside me.

"No. No one really wants me out there. I'm good just sitting here and observing. Besides, I wouldn't know what to do."

"You talk, make jokes that nobody understands, and drink. At least, I think that's how parties work."

I was about to ask Wolf if he'd never really been to a party when I noticed Lee and Slider approaching. Wolf shifted and even though he was still sitting next to me I couldn't see him even with my enhanced night vision. I'd have thought he left if I couldn't hear his heart beat, smell his nervousness, and feel his fur against my arm.

"Tiger, we have a question. Is it impossible to get drunk since . . . what happened?" Lee asked.

"That's right." I replied.

Lee looked stricken.

"Is that a problem?" I asked.

"Sort of, this is kind of embarrassing but when I'm . . . buzzed I get a bit aggressive, nothing violent or anything like that. I mean in bed, if you get what I mean, and Lee likes that. I've tried being that way when sober but . . ." Slider trailed off.

"He's getting better, but he is so considerate and tender, and I really do love that about him, but sometimes I want him to-"

"Enough, I get the picture." I said before Lee could get explicit.

"Is it possible to shut down the nanobots for a few hours? Just until morning?" Slider asked. "Convict said you had a devise that could shut them down for a short time."

"I don't see the harm in it. If we're attacked in the middle of the night you can simply turn the device off and they’ll be ready and sober by the time they reach their suits." Wolf said, as he shifted back.

"Holy Hell! You've been there the whole time!" Lee yelled.

"Don't worry, Prowl-Ar fully briefed me, so that I can effectively treat you, if you're injured to the point where the nanites can’t heal you fast enough."

"Oh, okay, I guess." Lee said, obviously still surprised.

I sighed, the fans had asked for explicit content. I bit my lip trying to imagine and plan for all the negative consequences this might cause. "You have to understand, if I do this we'll all be affected. I can't just turn them off for individuals."

"You only have to worry about Fox, Kyle and yourself. Frost and Rin aren't allowed to drink and I dislike alcohol."

"Pause game. Everybody gather around."

The others quickly came over.

"Tiger you're feeling conflicted." Kyle said, while drying his hands on a dish towel.

"I am, Lee and Slider want me to shut down their nanites so they can get buzzed."

"So? Sounds like extra content to me." Fox said, while grinning.

"I was in a bit of a rush when I was setting up the scenario. The computer warned me about consequences and this is one of them. I overlaid the programming for the real system into the game so if I shut them down it will be on all of us."

"I'm only nineteen so don't drink, and frankly I never planned to after the way my step-father acted when he got drunk. If that wasn't enough, after you told me alcoholism runs in my line of the family I decided I'm not going to start. Besides the Rashana berry juice the Alliance brought is really good enough for me."

"I tasted it but it was nasty." Snow said.

"I'm with Snow, it tasted like dirt." Frost added.

"It's not bad. The kitchen crew shared a bit with me. They said it tastes differently for everyone. To me it tasted of mint tea with a mild chocolate after taste. Before you ask, yes I ran multiple scans and it contains no alcohol." Drake said.

"Interesting, to me it tasted like caramel with an apple aftertaste." Fox replied.

"Huh, I didn't realize it was just fruit juice, I'll have to try it." Wolf added.

"We're getting off topic here." I quickly said.

"Can you set a timer so that they automatically reactivate in the morning? Just as a failsafe?" Fox asked.

"Yes, I can do that."

"Computer, lock out any attacks for the rest of the celebration and the day after." Fox ordered.

"All major story events have been locked for the next 36 hours."

"There, that should remove a lot of the negative scenarios running through your head." Fox said grinning.

I nodded. "Mahan, please shut down the healing nanites for the next twelve hours."

"Finally deciding to live a little? I'm lowering the VR difficulty a further two levels just to be on the safe side, I'll return it to normal once the nanites are back online." He warned us.

"That's fair. Everyone back to your places and we'll continue." As soon as the game restarted I looked at Lee and sighed, "Fine, but try not to overdo it."

"The drinking or-" Slider started to ask.

"Both!" I said loudly, "Head back to the party and I'll take care of the shutdown.

"I think I'm going to go find some of that juice they were talking about. I want a sample to test, maybe I'll be able to procure a berry for later study." Wolf said, as he stood up and headed to join the party.

I decided I was tired of watching so I headed for the cooking area to see if Kyle needed any help.

When I arrived Kyle was waiting for me. Most of the cafeteria tables had been removed, likely outside where the real party was taking place. The lights were turned down, but Kyle had set the walls to display the feeds from the security cameras. It made it seem like we were a part of the party while being alone at the same time.

"Juice?" Kyle asked as he held a cup out to me.

I accepted the cup and sat down. After a small sip I took a larger one. For me it tasted of fresh peach with a sour cherry after taste. "So what is a sexy dragon like you doing in a dump like this?"

Kyle laughed. "Not much, just waiting for the tiger of my dreams to come along." Kyle stood up and held his hand out to me. “Until then, you can fill in for him. Care to dance?"

I took a gulp of the juice and stood up. "Only because you’re so damn persuasive." A slow song started playing and Kyle pulled me close. If I didn't know better I'd think he'd set this up.

"I bet you're thinking I set this up?"

"How?"

"Because we did. You think Mahan wouldn't find it confusing that after all these years you finally decided to learn to dance?"

"There are likely to eventually be times where diplomatic duties require such skills. Though I have to admit, being here with you, I didn't know what I was missing until now." The song began to fade and I found myself being passed to Shock as a much faster song with a strong bass beat started playing. He immediately started grinding against me and encouraging me to get into the rhythm.

***

I woke up on the floor of my quarters in my anthro tiger form. My head was pounding and I really needed to go. I shifted to my full tiger form and headed for the toilet. Once I arrived I shifted to human form as I sat down to clear my system.

"Okay, so I have a hangover." I winced. Even whispering was too much for my enhanced hearing. I rubbed my jaw as I also realized it was aching. "Computer, did I consume any alcohol last night?" I flinched again and checked my watch, the nanites would be reactivating in a few minutes."

"No, however Rashana berries have a chemical compound that creates the same effects and is twice as potent."

I took stock of my situation. Obviously we'd had a really good time if I let Shock knot my mouth. It had to be Shock. I groaned as I realized in an inebriated state Kyle might have shifted into full dragon form. I smelled of dried cum so one of them obviously coated me. I'd finished my business and flushed but didn't get up. I'd just wait until the nanites reactivated before going and showering off. "Computer, why weren't we informed about the berries?"

"A warning would have been provided by the Talon character if you hadn't changed the game."

So it was my fault. I heard the door to the neighboring stall latch so obviously either Shock or Kyle had woke up.

"What the fuck happened last night? Computer, Did I drink any alcohol?"

I didn't listen to the repeated message. The voice from the next stall hadn't been Shock or Kyle, it was Jordan. I immediately started trying to remember what had happened the night before.

I remember dancing with Shock and as we moved I noticed Jordan had come in at some point and was dancing with Kyle. The next song was slow and I found myself wrapped in Jordan's arms. I know we talked but I couldn’t remember what we'd said and everything sort of faded out after that.

I put my hand on my head as my headache suddenly intensified. I groaned and Jordan swore.

With the nanites back online the events of the evening started to come into focus. We'd been sharing cups of juice all through the dancing and then Kicker stumbled through, telling us all to get a room before throwing up and passing out. We laughed and, and I said "Sounds like fun."

"Oh hell." I mumbled as I realized I'd been grinding against and groping Jordan when I said it. That certainly wasn’t like me.

"C-Captain?" At the sound of his voice another scene slid into place. Kyle was knot fucking me, Shock was riding me and I was deep throating Jordan. Shock was the first to orgasm his cum soaking the fur of my chest. I immediately knotted him. I'd grabbed Jordan forcing him to knot my mouth as he howled and ejaculated. I used my legs to pull Kyle into me setting off my own orgasm which set off Kyle and then everything went blank. I likely passed out. God only knows how I ended up alone on the floor.

"I- I don't know what came over me. I'm so sorry. I- I won't blame you if you decide to form lock me and send me back to Earth." Wolf stammered.

"We got drunk and we had sex. It's not like any of us planned-"

"Oh shit, oh hell, oh fuck. What was I thinking? I topped Wolf and then passed out! They're going to divorce, form lock, and dump me back on Earth!" Shock cried, as he entered the restroom.

I opened the stall door. Shock was standing in front of the mirror glaring at himself.

"And they really should. You’re such an unworthy mate. What sort of fox passes out so quickly?"

"I've heard enough. I'm not going to punish either of you." I said loudly.

"The door opened and Kyle entered as soon he saw us he smirked. “Ready for round three? Well round two in Tiger's case since he obviously drank more than the rest of us and round four for Wolf."

Suddenly I realized how I'd ended up on the floor. "If I'm remembering correctly you had the least to drink."

Kyle grinned, "True, but you're the one that suggested, and I quote 'we all go up to our room and fuck 'til we pass out.' A great idea but not well thought out, considering I never passed out. Now I want all of you back in the bedroom ready to take me until I do."

"As tempting as that is, we all need to get cleaned up. We're on patrol duty in an hour." I pointed out.

"Fine, but if Wolf is willing, I want to watch you top him at least once."

"Wait, what?" Jordan asked.

"It's one of Kyle's kinks he likes to watch. Now come on we all need a long shower before climbing into our suits." I said, as I practically dragged Jordan into the showers. I knew this conversation was far from over, but at least this way we'd all have some time to think about how we'd proceed from this unexpected event.

***

Our patrol was nearly three fourths complete and we hadn't said anything to each other. Drake and Fox must have been contemplating their own actions.

"So you had drunken sex with our medic. Is that any reason to be so moody?"

"Mahan, you're the last one I want to talk to."

"Too bad. I've closed all comlink so don't worry about anyone listening in. You're the team leader it is your job to make sure everyone and everything is operating smoothly. You can't do that if you're not talking to one another. Besides, you're going to have to reassure Wolf you're not angry about what happened. Don't you think it would be a good idea if you had your mates supporting you?"

"Mahan, piss off."

"Fine, I’m going. I was just trying to help."

I would never admit it out loud, but Mahan was right. I was going to need all the support I could get when I next spoke with Wolf. I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling about the whole thing. It would be easy to just blame it on being drunk, but that would be a cop out. I stopped walking and turned toward Drake and Fox's suits. "We need to talk about what happened last night."

"I know, it's rather embarrassing how I was only able to remain conscious for the first two rounds." Fox said. "How can I maintain my reputation as a fox with such poor stamina?"

There was a loud "clang" as Drake hit Fox's suit with the flat of his blade. "I'm fairly certain Tiger is talking about the fact we dragged Wolf into our night of debauchery."

"It was a foursome. It barely rates as an orgy. Nowhere near a good debauching. I certainly didn't hear Wolf howling in complaint." Fox giggled.

"That may be true, but it wasn't exactly consensual considering we were all, at least a little bit, intoxicated. Next time-". Drake started.

"There isn't going to be a next time." I said, as I shut down my comlink. Mahan was wrong, I'd have to speak to Wolf on my own. When we got back I crawled out of my suit and contacted the control tower, “Control, has Wolf team reported in yet?"

There was a groan over the line. "Not yet."

"When they return, please have Wolf report to my office, Tiger out."

***

I finished my team’s mission report and was looking over who to send out for the evening patrols when there was a tentative knock on my door. "Enter." As I hoped it was Wolf. If anything he looked worse than before we showered. I gestured to the chair. As I looked over the roster of individuals who would be fit for duty. My choices were extremely limited. I'd send out Tiger team with Drake in charge and Jailbait filling the third position. The second team would be Kicker team with Slider in the lead and the white lion, Pride filling in since Kicker was in no state to hold a weapon. I posted the orders and turned toward Wolf.

"Sorry, I needed to get the roster for the evening patrols out. Your team is on standby mainly because Snow wanted to make sure your suit was functioning correctly."

"My suit is fine. I'm the one that isn't really functional. What happened last night, is all my fault. I should have recognized the effects the berry juice was having on us. Not only that but I've created problems between you and your mates."

"No, you haven't." There were moments where I was surprised that Jordan was a real individual and not a modified version of myself. Of course that just left me feeling even guiltier about everything.

"I can feel how upset they are. Even you're mad at me."

"I'm not-". I started.

"I wanted my first time to be special, and it was because I was with all of you, but this morning I realized how stupid I was. I mean, all three of you are really attractive but I'm just not attracted to you. At least not in a way that feels like we were meant to be together as mates. I wouldn't blame you if you decide to form lock me and send me back to Mars, or Earth, or out the nearest airlock." He looked at me tears streaming from his eyes.

For several seconds I was stunned. How could I not have realized . . . Why didn't Mahan warn me? I got up and walked around the desk. "Jordan," I couldn't really think of anything to say, so I said the first thing to come to mind, "what do you feel from me right now?"

"Anger, guilt and confusion."

I took a deep breath. "I want you to try again, but focus past the anger and guilt. You've been near me long enough to know those two emotions are directed at myself and not at you."

Wolf placed his hand against my chest and I surprised myself when I didn't flinch away.

"You feel surprise, sadness, trust, and love? No, not exactly love, I don't understand."

"If I wasn't so old I'd probably be confused as well. It is a form of love, but non-romantic. It's the sort of bond you have with someone close to you like a family member or really good friend."

Wolf laughed through his tears. "You feel the same way about me as I feel about you. I do have a question though, if it isn't because I came between you and your mates, then why are they so mad?"

"Oh, because I told them that what happened last night isn't going to happen again. Shock is mad because he feels inadequate since he couldn't live up to stereotypical fox standards. Kyle's mad because he was planning for next time."

"Next time?" Wolf asked, “You mean he was serious about wanting to watch you top me?”

I swear I heard a note of panic in Wolf's voice and he had to adjust the way he was sitting. "As I said it won't be happening again like last night. That doesn't mean I'm ruling out the possibility completely if you ever feel the need or desire. As long as you understand we'll never have a romantic bond we'll be fine. I'm not sure whether the saying 'friends with benefits' is still used, but even if it's not, I'm sure you understand the meaning."

"Yeah, it may be old, but . . . I don't know, maybe eventually. Right now I still have a lot to think about."

I smiled, shifted and rubbed my cheek against his.

"Uh, what was that about?" He asked.

"In your culture you kiss. This is how cats express the same feeling."

***

I leaned back in my chair and stretched. I'd gone over twenty three more applications from Alliance members wanting to become pilots. Unfortunately they were all fully, or more, qualified than some of our human trainees. What we didn't have were new suits. Worse yet nearly all suits currently being manufactured were split between front line commands and the Alliance worlds. A knock on my door surprised me since I wasn't expecting anyone. "Enter."

Tank opened the door, walked in, and sat down. "I have to say this world is an improvement, compared to Fallow."

"It has spiders. Giant freaking spiders with fangs larger than Kyle in anthro form."

"You're afraid of spiders?" He asked grinning.

"Ordinarily no, but when they’re eight stories tall and you’re not in a MAS suit it’s hard not to be scared."

"It can’t be worse than being partially swallowed by a Rex." Tank said.

"Shock was bitten. He tried to control it but he was scared and in a great deal of pain."

"And you experienced that through your link making it worse."

"Not exactly. I did my best to pull most of the pain into myself and converted it into rage. I used that to take down a spider half the size of a suit."

"What the hell were you doing out of suit to begin with?"

"Walking back to base after leaving our shuttle at the Alliance camp."

Tank grinned, "Keeping a way out if everything goes sideways? Very smart, with your abilities you'd likely find a safe port in the Alliance, if the rumors I've been hearing are true."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh, and Tuft hasn’t been driving me insane with his ranting about how unfair it is that he, the infamous, homicidal, psychopathic, rabbit, A.I. has been replaced by Kyle pretending to be the great Dragon God."

"Kyle isn't exactly happy about it either. So what brings you to the edge of human space?"

"Mail run."

"Huh? That seems rather excessive considering how out of the way we are."

"Not as much as you might think. I've been transporting diplomats and military advisors into the Alliance. Having Tuft as my partner gives us an 'in' other transports don't have."

"Yeah, but the mail?" I asked.

"Special delivery direct from Shadow Tech." Tank placed a diplomatic case on the desk. "This was given to me by one of your drones to be given only to you. I've kept it with me at all times so you know it's safe."

I nodded and placed my finger against the sensor. The case opened and I could see my hand reaching inside. Only I hadn't moved.

"Sorry about that Mahan says you're needed on the station so he's removed us from the game leaving NPC's in our place. I'm to inform Kyle and Shock, once they finish with their patrol, if you're not back by then. Oh! It looks like it's time for me to go. Whatever is going on I hope you solve the problem before I have to tell anybody you're not on the ship. The last think I want is Kyle ribbing my head off" Tank winked as he followed his NPC avatar out of the office.

***