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Counter Earth Chronicles

Chapter 134: Our Resolve (Conclusion)

Day 1020 (Evening in Sanda's office)

“Simply unbelievable!" The tailless caracal said to Lady Ursa and myself.

“Every bit is true Watch Supervisor." Lady Ursa said as Sanda looked at her torn uniform, her wounds and specifically the bite marks she received from her off-world adventure.

“So when you arrived at the farmhouse you and Alex joined forces with a paranormal team Alex had worked with before to investigate Mr. Cheetah's whereabouts?"

“That is correct Sanda." I said.

“When Lady Ursa and these younglings entered the house they went through some portal into another world? Realm? Dimension?"

“Yes Sanda." Lady Ursa said. “Arthur and Minka were captured by a dark being in this realm- one that could manipulate fears into real manifestations."

“After they disappeared I along with the group's tech expert tried to rescue my mistress, Arthur and Minka but we were also captured by the dark being and tortured." I said to the Watch Supervisor.

“How were you tortured?" The caracal asked.

“He made our darkest fears reality. I watched as aliens magically appeared and dissected Lady Ursa."

“They were so real Sanda, just like we are talking now." The Knight of Wundagore said to her colleague.

“They killed her." I said tearing up which was my worst fear.

“What about the hedgehog-boy and the monkey-girl?"

“The dark being was also torturing them. We only escaped because of Ms. Fuller." Lady Ursa said.

“She made a deal with the dark being. He let us all go, but kept her and another paranormal group that entered the realm previously. I said to the caracal.

“Simply unbelievable!"

“Sanda, we are friends right?" I said standing up from my chair.

He nodded.

“Have you ever known me to lie?"

“Not ever mate." Came the answer.

“So why would I be now? I mean before her trip to the other side, Lady Ursa was also a skeptic."

“Not anymore Watch Supervisor. In attempting to rescue Alex and the others, I had to fight many disturbing beings and creatures I refused to believe existed. But they did." Lady Ursa said showing the caracal her wounds.

“Both of you already believe in extraterrestrials do you not?" I said to some blank stares. “Are dimensions and beings that inhabit them that much of a jump?"

“Well you have been gone for four days where-ever you were. I want you and Alex to join Mr. Speedwell, Ms. Mallow and Mr. Cheetah in Lea's lab. You will stay there until further notice. Dismissed. Oh and good work finding Mr. Cheetah." The Watch Supervisor said.

Lady Ursa and I made our way to Room B where we joined Arthur, Minka and Mr. Cheetah who were being examined by my favorite leonine healer.

“We have been missing for four days?!" The aardwolf said when we entered the lab. “We were only gone for a few hours!"

“I guess time flows differently on the other side." Arthur said thoughtfully.

“That was another thing I didn't quite understand where were we?" Steven asked.

“We are not entirely sure." Minka said to him. “The dark wolf said it was somewhere between this world and the spirit world."

But it is safe to say we weren't anywhere on Counter Earth." Lady Ursa said.

“So what is the verdict gorgeous?" I said to the hot lioness who had just finished looking at the remaining Ghost Hunters, the aardwolf and had moved on to Lady Ursa and myself. She was wearing a grey shirt with black pants underneath that white lab coat.

“Mentally or physically?"

“Both." My fierce ursine warrior said.

“Fair. All five of you are exhibiting symptoms consistent with exposure to very traumatic events with Lady Ursa being the worse- she also sustained some serious injuries."

“I heard bits and pieces but what happened to all of you?" Lea said tending to my she beast's wounds.

“What do you want to know?" I asked the sexy lioness.

“Let's start with where you have been for the last four days?" Lea asked Lady Ursa and myself.

Arthur, Minka and I looked at Mr. Cheetah and then back at the hot lioness.

“Someplace else entirely." My she beast said.

“To be sure Lea- we aren't actually sure." I said looking up at her.

“I gathered that, Overwatch contacted the knights after you two failed to report in. Sanda then sent reinforcements. They were about to search the house until the automated assistant warned them not to." The sexy she beast said. “Coal and the others were studying information from the probes trying to determine your whereabouts when you just returned!"

“And the house has disappeared." Minka said.

“You and Mr. Speedwell are paranormal investigators- right?" Lea said looking at the monkey-girl.

“Yes, we were investigating Mr. Cheetah's disappearance as well as that of another group of investigators." Arthur added.

“They were on site after Alex and I arrived and we decided to join forces to search for them." Lady Ursa said.

“Go on." The lioness said.

“As we were searching the house I noticed what looked to be a tear on the wall next to the stairs. It wasn't- it was some kind of portal to another world- a realm of fire and lava." Arthur added.

“As we tried to turn back, the portal disappeared stranding us in some large wasteland." Minka added.

“We walked for hours searching. The beings and creatures we met were quite hostile. I had to fight off quite a number of them." My fierce ursine warrior said as Lea tended to her wounds.

(Wow.)

“I gave as much as I got. I got into paw to paw combat with several- I don't know what they were. It took everything I had to defeat him. When I looked up Arthur and Minka were being carried away by these lizard-dragon-snake creatures."

“Wyverns?" I said as Mr. Cheetah and Lea looked on in disbelief.

“Yes pet. If that is what you call them. I followed the Ghost Hunters as best I could which led me to a tall tower that dark wolf was in which was where I found all of you after forcing my way inside."

“Dark wolf?" The Lea asked.

“That was the creature that imprisoned me and the group I was with." Mr. Cheetah said adding his voice to the debriefing. “Like Lady Ursa and these younglings- the investigators I was with inadvertently entered this so called portal as well upon our arrival we were immediately captured. They were taken away while I was tortured by that dark creature. He told me that he was taking my very soul and that I was going to spend my afterlife in the bad place."

Lea was speechless hearing our collective stories.

“After they disappeared, I along with Arthur and Minka's colleague Flo Fuller attempted to rescue them. We were also captured and taken to the tall tower. When we came to the dark creature was torturing Arthur, Minka and Mr. Cheetah. When Lady Ursa arrived he moved on to us before Flo asked to speak to him in private."

“About what?" Lea asked.

“She made a deal with the creature." Arthur said.

“Immediately afterwards we were returned to this side- our world, but she stayed behind as did the other paranormal group." Minka said. “Moments after we returned the farmhouse exploded and then imploded."

“Don't remind me." The aardwolf said. “My house just disappeared!"

“What would cause a house to that?" Lady Ursa asked.

“It really shouldn't be too surprising Mr. Cheetah." The monkey girl said smiling. “Your farmhouse is possibly one of the most haunted houses in World One."

(Not helping Minka!)

“I examined the ground where it stood before we left." The hedgehog-boy said.

“And?" I asked the teenage ghost hunter as everyone looked on.

“It is like it was pulled through to the other side." The hedgehog-boy said.

“So you believe it is there along with your colleague and the other paranormal team?" Lea asked.

Arthur nodded.

“Do you think we can go back?" Minka asked. “Can we attempt to rescue Flo and the others?!"

“No. I can't be sure, but I think that portal or door to that other world has been closed, sealed from the other side." Arthur said.

“In short the others are stuck there without any hope of escape." Mr. Cheetah said.

“When we last saw the Shadow Chasers, they were imprisoned in stone and the Ghost Hunters' colleague had a red collar around her neck with a leash tied to it. They aren't going anywhere unless Diamantopoulous decides to let them go." I lamented.

Lea looked at me. “That is what Flo called him- the dark wolf."

“That is an incredible story." The sexy healer said as she finished working on my mistress.

“It is all true sir." Minka added.

“So are we done here?" Mr. Cheetah said. “I need to find a place to stay for the night."

“You five will be staying here." Lea said. “I need to run some additional tests to make sure that all of you are who you say you are and that you didn't bring anything back from this other world that could kill us."

(Now that was a disturbing thought.)

And so the sexy lioness decided to keep us in her labs for observation overnight. Arthur and Minka contacted their parents to let them know what had happened and where they had been for the last four days. To say they were upset was an understatement. When they mentioned what happened to their former babysitter- Mr and Mrs Speedwell and Mr. and Mrs. Mallow freaked.

My mistress and I shared one lab room. The remaining Ghost Hunters another and initially Mr. Cheetah had a third one to himself but elected to stay with Arthur and Minka. I think he didn't want to be by himself that night.

“How are you feeling mistress?"

“A little better now pet. I just wish their was a way to rescue the others."

“Even if there was a way to force our way back into that realm which would be a daunting task, we still would have to fight our way to the tower, fight our way inside that dark structure, find the others, face the dark wolf and then find our way back home. That would be very hard if not impossible mistress. You and I experienced that being's power first hand- he wasn't even threatened by you; he was rather amused, well very amused!"

“How did you manage to get out unscathed pet?"

“Flo and I hid- a lot until we were caught and tortured by that demon wolf. It was weird how he could read our thoughts, our deepest fears and turn that into reality."

“I remember Alex, it seemed so real."

“I saw the KLIS dissect you mistress. It scared me." I said hugging her. “But what was even worse was seeing how that demon wolf was enjoying himself at everyone's expense and said that he was going to do so forever."

Lady Ursa was silent for a long time.

“Mistress are you ok?" I said finally breaking the silence.

“Pet, I am going to put off my pregnancy."

“Say what?" I said staring at her.

“I have been thinking deeply about this over the last few weeks."

“And...." I said to my perfect person.

“Given the current state of the empire and the constant danger we have found ourselves in even after I discovered that I was pregnant, now is not a good time to bring a new life into the world."

“So you are going to end your pregnancy?!" I said looking at her.

“No pet just put it off."

“You can put off a meeting, an exam and surgery mistress. I don't think you can put off a pregnancy; you either are or not."

“Technologically advanced society pet." She said kissing me on my forehead. “I will talk to Lea first thing in the morning."

So my beastial warrior decided to press the 'pause' button on her souvenir gift from Boris. Which was a disappointment to me, I so wanted to see my brown bear's tummy swell with her offspring. Watch her breasts become engorged and then on that fateful day watch her curse Boris as she brings her daughter into the world.

(I would have loved to have seen the last part, but now I would have to wait.)

Day 1021

Lea released everyone from observation the next morning.

As Lady Ursa and I were about to leave the lab, my she beast had a conversation with our healer who then had her lie down on chair in Room B. A quick procedure was performed and my she beast had her fertilized egg extracted.

“Hold this." Lea said handing me a small canister the size of stylus.

“What is this?" I asked studying it carefully.

“That is my daughter pet." My mistress said.

(WOW.)

After extraction the hot lioness had placed the fertilized egg into the canister where it would remain in suspended animation until my warrior bear was ready to 'unpause' her pregnancy. At which time the egg would be inserted back into her womb and attached to her uterus to continue its development.

“That is truly amazing." I said handing the canister back to Lea.

“Don't worry my lady, I will keep this in a safe place until you are ready." Lea said.

Shortly afterwards we reconvened with the hedgehog-boy, monkey-girl and aardwolf who were still discussing what had happened.

Arthur had spent a portion of the night analyzing the data the probes had collected before the aardwolf's house disappeared. He said that it was quite revealing.

“My home I still can't believe it is gone!" Mr. Cheetah gasped. “What am I going to do now?"

“You have one of two options- you could rebuild but given the history of the property there is no telling if the next house would be haunted or worse." I said walking up to the aardwolf.

“Or you could do what the previous family did, cut their losses and run." Minka said to him.

“Actually they just sold their house and let the next buyer deal with the problem." Arthur said out loud.

He received a strange look from Mr. Cheetah.

“So what now?" I asked.

“Minka and I need to talk to Flo's sister. We need to tell her what happened." Arthur said.

“That is going to be quite a difficult conversation indeed." The aardwolf said. “I think I need to have one with my girl and patch things up. Life is too short."

(I think it was Flo's words of advice that moved him more than Arthur or Minka's)

“You should also call Dongo to let him know that you are alright as well." I suggested.

“We need to similarly notify the families of those affected." Lady Ursa said. “That is not going to be a easy task."

“I understand where you a coming from how do you tell their loved ones that the missing aren't dead they are just trapped inside another world that we have no access to scientifically speaking." I added.

“I think we should organize a support group." The monkey-girl added.

“Those who are affected are going to need help accepting what has happened." Arthur said.

“How was the portal to that other world opened in the first place?" My she beast asked the remaining ghost hunters.

“I think it had been opened from the other side to begin with." Arthur said thinking. “Did anyone notice that the dark creature that captured us wasn't the one that Minka freed two years ago?"

“Yeah I noticed that too Arthur, he seemed more like a subordinate left in charge to run things while 'Big Daddy', the top dog was away." The monkey-girl said. “What if he grew tired of tormenting the ghosts in the farmhouse and left to see to other interests?"

“That would explain the opened portal and his substitute." I said adding my own opinion to the conversation.

“Something still disturbs me pet. The dark creature seemed to imply that in time his world of fire and lava would be more preferable than ours." Lady Ursa said. “What did he mean by that?"

(I had forgotten that he had said that.)

“Sounds like some type of invasion? Maybe?" Mr. Cheetah asked.

I would ponder what the demon wolf's words meant for the next few days. But looking back I only had to wait six more weeks to find out the answer.

“Minka's parents soon arrived to take the two remaining ghost hunters home. They also offered Mr. Cheetah a ride as well.

As for Lady Ursa and myself, we stopped for breakfast before heading to the loading docks and the blue coupe.

“Overwatch access the knight core's files on the Shadow Chasers and identify their next relatives." Lady Ursa ordered the automated attendant.

*Right away Lady Ursa*.

“Mistress?"

“Yes pet?"

“I am curious, did you and the Ghost Hunters wind up in a underground cave when you stepped through the portal?" I asked.

“No Alex. Arthur, Minka and I found ourselves in a desert."

(So the exit point of the portal was fixed on our side but shifted on the other side.)

“Our journey was a bit different mistress. We entered that realm in some underground cave and had to make our way toward the surface. I decided to attach a cable from the prototype string it through the portal with rope so that we could find our way back easily."

“Did it work?"

“No. Flo and I watched the exit move randomly before it finally disappeared. It was at that point we realized we were stranded. So we started searching for all of you. When we finally arrived above ground we saw that we were in a world of fire and lava."

“What did you do pet?"

“You know the rest. We carefully started exploring seeing many horrifying creatures. Many were oblivious to our presence; they were more interested in torturing the ghosts and spirits in their possession."

*Lady Ursa, Alex. I have the information you requested.*

“Overwatch who is the closest?"

We departed the loading dock of the castle and headed toward the west side of the city. My mistress and I still talking about our profound experiences in the realm of fire and lava.

It was around nine in the morning when we arrived at a nice looking two level condominium across from a large park. Lady Ursa parked the prototype and we made our way to the front door to have a conversation, a difficult one with the resident in home 1D.

“What do you mean my little Peyton is missing?!" A distraught leopard cat exclaimed.

“Mrs. Palla how familiar are you with your daughter's extracurricular activities?" I asked Peyton's mother.

“She is very active in a lot of the clubs and organizations in her school." Mrs. Palla exclaimed.

“Madam we need to speak with you." Lady Ursa said gently.

Mrs. Palla was an original beastial in her mid forties she looked like a leopard with the typical spots on her fur as well as lined markings on her head. But her size resembled a house cat more than her larger brethren. She was dressed in white shirt and skirt- her face was full of concern.

“When was the last time you spoke with your daughter ma'am?" I asked standing next to my warrior bear.

“It was Sunday. She couldn't talk long because she said she was in the middle of a big project."

“Did she go into specifics?" My bear knight asked.

“One of the clubs she was a member in was performing community service. Helping the helpless. She said that she would talk to me later in the week."

(Wow. So Peyton never told her mother what she was involved in?!)

“Well, we are sorry to inform you that your daughter and two of her friends have gone missing."

“Oh no!" The she beast wept.

“Rest assured the knight core is investigating." Lady Ursa said to the distraught parent. “If you can think of anything that could help, please don't hesitate to contact us." My she beast said leaving.

“Mistress why didn't you tell her the truth?" I asked as we walked from the nice home back to the prototype.

“She wasn't ready to handle the truth pet. She wasn't even aware what her daughter was really involved in."

(Or that she was not coming back either.)

From there we traveled to the north end of the city a nice residential neighborhood where we made contact with Peter Pampa, Pia's cousin a scientist at the World One History Museum.

“What do you mean my cousin is missing?" The margay asked.

“When was the last time that you spoke to her?" My she beast asked the small striped and spotted cat in the white lab coat. He had markings like a leopard along with short stubby ears and a big tail.

“Last weekend she was busy with one of her clubs at school. Um, what was it- the Shadow Chasers. Whatever that is."

“Are you familiar with what they do?" I asked.

“Community service mostly her and two other friends."

(This one was clueless too.)

“We are sorry to report all three are missing." My warrior bear said.

“When?"

“As of five days ago." I said.

“How?"

“One of their community service projects. They were helping a distressed home owner when he and they disappeared. He subsequently was found, but the three still are missing." My she beast said trying to spin it.

“The knight core is actively searching for Pia, Geff and Peyton if you have any further information that could help in our investigation please feel free to contact us." I said as we left.

Yes I felt badly about covering this up too. But my mistress is right how would the missing's loved ones handle the real truth?

Um yeah your daughter Mrs. Pia and your cousin Mr. Pampa are trapped in a realm of fire and lava; a world beyond this world and the last time I saw them they had been turned to stone. Oh and we have not figured out a way to get to them either.

That wasn't the case when we went to speak to Giff Geoffroy, Geff's father a rather stern looking sand cat. Sand colored fur, wide face with short ears and band markings on his arms.

“That is the official story." The concerned parent said as he made us sit down in his upscale apartment at the north end of the city. “What is the unofficial story?"

“How much do you know about your son's extracurricular actives?" I asked the concerned parent.

“He was part of a team that investigated paranormal events. He even told me about some of their cases. He said they were working on new case helping out a homeowner who discovered that his home was haunted. Ok so they are missing, what are you two not telling me?"

“We know where they are, but we don't know how to get to them." I blurted out.

“Alex!"

(Sorry mistress.)

“I sensed that something wasn't right." Mr. Geoffroy said.

And so we told the concerned parent the truth. I thought that he was going to freak out, but he took it rather well.

“Oh my. My poor son." Giff said as I played back the recording Flo took from the fire realm. “There has to be someone who knows how to rescue them!"

“Do you know anyone knowledgeable about extra dimensional worlds?" I asked throwing that out there.

That was a very, very hard conversation to have with the parent. My she beast said that the knights would do the best they could to try to save Giff's son. She also told the parent of the senstive to do everything he could on his end as well. Perhaps there was another paranormal group out there as well that had some type of experience with that sort of thing.

Minka and Arthur's parents forbade them from any further paranormal investigations. Instead, the two formed a support group for the relatives of the missing. They would meet once a week to talk about the Ghost Hunters' and the Shadow Chasers' final case and to review the evidence that was collected. So Flo's sister, Peyton's parents and Pia's cousin did learn the truth.

Pia's cousin was able to find some scientists who were dabbling in the theory of extra dimensional worlds and the ability to travel there. In fact they were making some progress but the empire ended before their goal was realized.

To Be Continued....