FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

By the time Gordon reached the end of the Plaza he had mostly gotten his lust under control. He was still a little flushed, entirely unhelped by the fact that Squash insisted in following quite closely. They moved through the door into the lounge and Gordon felt a flush of excitement and fear. This could be almost over. If the ship was there he would have a chance to escape but if it was not, then what was he going to do? And what would that mean for Sun?

His heart fell as they approached the airlock. There was nothing there, no sign of Sun or the ship. He quickly moved to press himself up against the narrow window and tried to look for the ship out in space. It was unlikely the wolves had dislodged the ship and they couldn't have flown it away since Squash had said all the wolves were accounted for. Sun must have retreated. She would surely have stayed nearby but in space nearby could mean a hundred thousand kilometres. He couldn't see the Shadow but that didn't mean it wasn't there.

"I think she got away" he said quietly "But I can't see her, I don't know what's happened"

Squash made an irritated sound "Well, I could have probably guessed that had I known someone was on the ship. They would have brought her back to the Zone had they found her" she tilted her head slightly "It might be for the best too. It would be bad if they got their hands on a working ship. I really don't want to think about what happens if these guys get back to civilization"

Gordon nodded slightly but he wasn't entirely paying attention. His mind was churning. If Sun has gotten away then she would surely be looking for an opportunity to come back and get them but that would require organisation and coordination. Their tablets could send short range messages, he had been constantly checking for one from Ash or Mary but even had they escaped, they might be trying to stay off radar. Transmissions like that could be easily picked up not to mention the fact that the tablets didn't have enough range to cover the whole ship without the Shadow to use as a relay. With that in mind, communication to another ship wasn't really possible.

He looked up to Squash and made a decision "All right...w...we can still do this. We are going to have to get one of the computer systems back on, isolate and take control of the communications subsystem and send a message to Sun. Then we are going to coordinate a rescue plan and somehow get out of here. If we keep using the staff corridors it will reduce the chance that the wolves will-"

"Why don't we leave on the pirate ship? Maybe you can fix it" interrupted Squash

"Or we could leave on the pirate ship...ugh" he lightly slapped his hand against his face "Why didn't I think of that"

"Because" she said "You are not a sexy vixen" as if that explained it.

"...The pirate ship is in one of the other docking bays just a little further along the Plaza" Gordon said feeling embarrassed "Let's just...go. I don't know what state it is in, the quicker I start work the better"

All of the lounges were located side by side on the ship each servicing four air locks. Gordon peeked carefully out the door before scurrying along past a trio of souvenir stands and into the adjacent room. Apart from a few differences on signs and billboards the place looked virtually identical to the previous lobby. Squash just sauntered behind him as he scurried, completely unashamed in her nakedness "So, do you think you will be able to get it working?"

Gordon glanced back as he made his way down the stairs towards the airlocks "How am I supposed to know. I haven't even seen it yet" she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

This ship at least was still there, the airlock sitting open allowing its air to circulate with the larger ship. The interior was a mixture of tough, bare metal and industrial ruggedized plastics. It looked like a pirate vessel even just peering in from the air lock. Gordon looked back at Squash with a small frown. "All right, come on, but be careful".

The pair moved carefully into the ship. It was dark and dingy but not for lack of main power. There was just not a whole lot of lights and the ones that were present often shone from dirty, uncleaned plastic covers. It was also clearly a mining ship with the core of the vessel having a compact layout to maximize cargo space, though, they could see on passing that at least one bay had been converted into some kind of barracks.

Gordon paused to get his bearings in the ships tight corridors. The way the lights were arranged in strips combined with the industrial design set up in patterns of geographic shapes and pillars made Gordon think the ship was intentionally designed to look disreputable. He took a step before noticing the stain his hand had picked up from leaning against the wall. He grumbled. Figures. Still, as an engineer, it was not like he was unused to getting his hands grubby.

When he made it into the cockpit he sat down at the engineering station while Squash plomped down in the captain's chair spinning it around like a child. "C...Can you not do that?" grumbled Gordon trying to ignore the way the spinning chair caused her chest to bounce "It's distracting."

She suddenly stopped her spin while facing towards Gordon. She leaned forward and placed her chin on her hand. She was wearing a small, amused smile "What's distracting?"

Gordon didn't answer her and went back to working through the menus on the console. He flicked through a few options and blinked "Oh, I thought main power was on but it's not. The ship is running on battery" he frowned slightly "That's ...odd. A ship shouldn't run on battery this long or have so many of its core systems enabled while on backup power. Let me see...ah, that explains it. Wow"

"What is it?" asked Squash with genuine interest, her tail slowly swinging behind her "So there is a battery. How is that a big deal?"

"It's because it's a big battery" he said "It's meant to be able to run the entire ship with the exception of the engines for some time." He slid his finger through a few menus "This is a really old design which has had a few modern upgrades. The main reactor is nuclear. They haven't made ships like this for at least sixty years. They need big batteries because the ship has to handle fluxuations in generated power. They also need to be able to handle the reactor being taken offline for some time" he hummed "The reactor is old but the energy storage is brand new. It looks like they converted one of the smaller storage rooms as a subsystem to the reactor. The ship can store some serious juice. Could probably even fire the engines off it if you bypassed the safeties, though, only for a few hours"

"So the reactor is offline?" she asked

Gordon nodded and his brow furrowed "Yeah, let me see if there is anything I can do. They may have just disabled the reactor when they docked. You don't run something like that if you won't be using its energy for a while" he spent a few minutes analysing screens of data before falling back into his chair and releasing a despairing sigh "The control rods are gone, the computer won't let the reactor be started without them and if you overrode it...well. You'd get power for seven or eight minutes and then the reactor would explode. We are fucked, it's all down to Sun after all...though" he perked up again "The pirate vessel should have comms"

He started cycling through the menus again with a small grin. "This might be a little risky but with the main computer down I don't think the wolves should detect my transmission" he hit a few buttons and started setting up the communication frequencies.

Squash tilted her head slightly and hummed "What do the control rods look like? Are they just like long metal cylinders?"

Gordon nodded "Yeah, though, they aren't always metal. Sometimes they can be made of other things. They still tend to end up looking quite shiny so often get mistaken for metal" he tapped a few buttons on the screen and called out in a clear voice "This is Gordon Tom calling from the pirate vessel..." he scanned around looking for a name "something...to Sun Woon-Kye of the Midnight Shadow. If you receive this message, please respond"

"I think I've seen those" Squash said "I am pretty sure Jackson has them. I think he took them off one of the pirates"

Gordon looked back with surprise "What?" he asked just as a crackled voice came over the sound system. He immediately whipped back and looked at the screen "Fuck, the proximity of The Odyssey is affecting the signal. Let me see if I can try and clean it up" he frowned slightly and reduced the frequency range of the receiver to focus on the exact frequencies that the garbled signal was being received on "Sun, if that's you, can you please repeat? Your previous signal was garbled"

"Gordon, is that you?" the voice was still a little 'robotic' but it was clear enough. he could hear it "What the fuck happened? Camera's picked up some kind of fucking monsters approaching the ship and I had to release. Why did I not get any reports?"

Gordon winced slightly "We were worried they might pick up on the radio signals but we probably should have sent something back. Those wolf creatures were some of the staff. They used some nanite serum to fuck themselves up." He paused unsure exactly what to say. "Sun...only I got out. The others..." he choked up a bit "The Captain and Mary...they might have escaped but...it was a total disaster Sun. Those things really are monsters"

There was silence for a moment "Just you? How did you get away?"

Gordon paused before responding. The guilt was hitting hard and his voice trembled as he spoke "Borys and I retreated to the security doors as the others engaged the wolves...Borys...Borys sacrificed himself to save me...It's just me Sun, just me"

"And me!" perked up Squash enthusiastically

"Borys did that? Really?" came a suspicious voice "And who the fuck is that?"

"My name is Squash" she replied "Vixen, extraordinaire, pleased to meecha"

Gordon flinched slightly "She is one of the workers from the forbidden zone. She ran into me as I was heading back to the ship to see what happened to the shadow"

"You abandoned the captain and shacked up with some whore?"

Gordon flinched again "It's not like that Sun...The wolves, none of us would have stood a chance"

Squash sniffed "Please, you don't even know me. I hardly ever fuck someone for money, barely more than twice a week"

Gordon spoke immediately, running into the end of her sentence "Squash had followed the wolves that attacked the ship Sun and she stayed after they left. I ran into her on the way back. I've not been anywhere near the Forbidden Zone...look. The Captain and Mary, they threw down a smoke bomb but they didn't really have anywhere to go. I don't know if they got out. You need to come back and collect us and we can try and find out if the other two are okay, save them if we can"

Sun didn't respond immediately and after a tense moment of silence she just sighed "No can do Reset. I am afraid we are both fucked. The Shadow was badly damaged when I withdrew. Whatever future has in store for you, well, I'd probably rather be torn to death by wolves than freeze to death in space. Fraid my future might be grimmer than yours"

Gordon was shocked "What the fuck? How is that possible? If the wolves got on board we wouldn't be talking right now and if they didn't...what damaged the ship? The Odyssey doesn't have any weapons"

"The Odyssey doesn't" came the reply "But the pirate ship does. Caught me completely by surprise or I might not have got hit so hard. I was focused on pulling away from the vessel cleanly. Undocking from a ship traveling a little over light speed can tear a ship apart if you even slightly mess it up. The missile lock caught me completely unprepared"

"Oh my god, I can't believe they even thought of something like that. I'm so sorry Sun, there is no chance of repair?" Gordon spoke slowly, a real tone of despair woven throughout.

There was a pause "No. I don't think so, not even if you were here. They hit the relay directly, most of the Shadows plasma was vented into space. I only have what's left in the reactor and that will keep main power on for another five days, backup power, well, if I run everything on minimum will last another seven or so and then it's all over. We are literally light years from the nearest ship Gordon, it's all over"

"No" growled Gordon "No. I am going to save one person today...try at least. Look, there is a chance we could get the pirate ship working again. The wolves have an essential part of the reactor core. I will need to try and get it back but if I can...well, we could come and collect you." He paused glancing at the floor "I have to be honest. The wolves are crazy, going anywhere near them is likely to end badly but I'll try. I'll try Sun"

"All right" came the voice back "Try, but only because it sounds like it's your only way off too, don't do anything stupid on my behalf, no point in us both dying"

"The Odyssey at current speed will be in deep space for another two years." He agreed with a small sigh "They will get me sooner or later so yeah, it's my only way off"

"What a situation" she said in a low tone "Well, good luck, for both of us." There was a pause and then the robotic voice came back "I note you didn't mention Ben, not that I care much about what happens to that asshole but where is he?"

"Uh" started Gordon "Well...thing about Ben is. Captain shot him in the back"

"She what?" came Sun's voice, the sound breaking up badly from the potent volume "What the fuck did he do?"

"...Wolves asked us to join them. They wanted to force me to repair the ship so that the engines would go back to full speed. Ben took them up on their offer and, uhm, the Captain had issues with that"

"Fucking creep" replied Sun "Good on her. I'd fucking spit on him if I could"

"Uh... yeah" said Gordon still feeling a little weird about it. "Look, I'd better get started. If you're stranded it means we are still moving away from you at a little over the speed of light. We might start having transmission issues in the next few days." He was about to close the comms channel when he decided to add something "Sun...Out in deep space like this the chance of further micro meteor strikes are pretty low, almost zero...If you disable the hull magnetisation and polarisation field you could probably eke several more days of power from the system. It's a risk but a small one...your choice, just wanted to make the suggestion"

The voice came back "Ah. That makes sense Gordon. I'll think about it, I'm a bit wary since meteors fucked us up on the way out of port but your right, out here...hmm."

Gordon nodded as if she could see him "Right, well...good luck. If you need to send a message send it to the pirate ships comm ID. There is a chance they might see it but they are hardly going to turn around for you. Hopefully we will speak again soon"

"We fucking better" came the reply, a hint of amusement surviving through the robotization of the signal.

Gordon looked up at Squash "How do we get to the Forbidden Zone?"

Squash spoke as they moved back out into the Carnival Plaza. "There are a few ways into the Forbidden Zone but most of them are guarded. Well, inconsistently but there is risk. It is probably easier to get in via the staff corridors you were using. The wolves don't really use those because it is such a pain to unlock the doors"

Gordon nodded softly as he moved cautiously through the plaza. His steps echoed as they had before and although he no longer winced at each noise it did lead to a sort of heavy feeling of inevitability. That being said he did make it back to the security door without interruption while listening to Squash's enthusiastic chatter. She liked to talk and Gordon had to admit her pleasant voice had something to do with his reduced nerves.

The security code stored on the tablet was thankfully still functional, though, Gordon knew the rotation must have happened fairly recently and so he had a bit of a window. The door slid open and Squash followed Gordon into the crimson twilight "I always hated these tunnels" remarked Squash "They have the proper lights on at least in the Zone but the rest of the ship is so eerie, It's like a reflection of the way thing have fallen apart"

Gordon brought up the map on his tablet and started planning a route down to the Forbidden Zone. The Zone was absent from the maps they had been provided but they had annotated them with a mixture of information from Starliners and details sourced from third party contacts. Starliners had been surprisingly up front with information, though as they had discovered, certain key details had been conveniently missed out.

Gordon tapped the screen as he made a decision on the route. They would have to descend two floors but they could take their time setting up the elevators this time. There was no point rushing to escape anymore, though, he couldn't ignore time completely. Sun was on a clock, a long clock but a clock none the less.

Gordon started forward, subconsciously searching for ambush in the dull corridors, though, in the crimson dusk it was unlikely he would spot anyone genuinely trying to hide. He spoke, taking small pride that his voice barely trembled "So, uhm, what actually happened here"

"Uhh" she began "Pirates? Or, I mean. It's complicated and I don't have all the details but" she clicked her tongue a few times "There is this Wolf, Jackson-"

"The Leader?" cut in Gordon

"Right" she said showing no irritation at his interruption "The Leader, but not officially. Officially I think there is not meant to be a leader but Jackson..." she paused as if unsure how best to explain things "Jackson was...Well actually, let's talk about the wolves. They are all fucking crazy, literal horn dogs, aggressive and perverted. They weren't like that before the serum. Well, they were, but not nearly to the same degree anyway"

They turned a corner into an identical narrow passage though the dusk soon resolved into one of those tiny staff elevators. Gordon kneeled and started hooking up his equipment. He was glad to put the batteries down. It wasn't that they were tremendously heavy but they weighed enough to be annoying when not in a backpack. He sat, using one as a stool and waited for the tablet to do its thing.

"Well Jackson had always been particularly bad. It's worse now of course but...Jackson sometimes took a fancy to someone; a guest or a staff member. He would get obsessed with inducing them and in a few cases he just did it. Each time it would be a big scandal but the management would sweep it under the carpet and well, I don't know what happened exactly. I was not typically invited to staff briefings"

Gordon frowned slightly "I had heard that sometimes they abducted people but how is that so unusual. I thought most of the girls in the Forbidden Zone were not volunteers"

"Ah" she started "Well, that's true but...uhm...most of them were slaves and so there wasn't much of a record of them. These ones were guests or staff. They go missing and someone notices. It's true that sometimes they got paid to abduct people but my understanding is that in those cases it was always carefully planned with the client"

"He took one of the pirates" Gordon said immediately joining the dots.

"I think so. Someone that mattered anyway. The pirates docked and just started killing people, it was chaos. Jackson's team locked down the Forbidden Zone and no one was allowed to enter or leave"

Gordon sighed slightly and nodded "I think I know the rest of the story. Saw Willam's report"

The Elevator pinged open, start-up checks complete and he stepped in. He felt a pang of worry at leaving the tablet but he did have two and one had to be left to control the elevator. He tried to put his concern to one side as Squash squeezed in next to him "Ah" she said "What they did to Willam was...terrible. I mean, don't get me wrong, He was just as much as a monster as the others but I feel bad when they induce someone that aggressively" she paused and gave a slight smile "Not enough to try and do anything about it of course. We each have to get what we can out of life but...fuck, Jackson was so angry, I thought he was going to kill him...Perhaps it would have been better if he had"

The elevator moved quickly, the grinding of servos filling the small space. The white lights of the tiny chamber provided a welcome if momentary break from the crimson of the corridors. As the doors slid open Gordon looked out into an equally dull red corridor "How can you handle this. I've only been here a few hours and I already hate the stupid emergency lights. It's been weeks for you has it not?"

Squash nodded slightly "Yeah a few weeks now" she narrowed her eyes as she tried to peer into the darkness "The wolves managed to get the lights on in the Zone. I followed the wolves because I wanted to see what they were doing, other than that, I've not left the Zone basically since the whole thing began."

Gordon nodded "I guess that makes sense"

They followed the corridor down and round, passing door after locked door. This continued until the corridor itself ended, blocked by another of the heavy doors. Gordon smiled slightly "I thought something like this would be here. It's not on the map but this is where the Forbidden Zone is supposed to start. We got the zone security codes but it was never obvious which doors required them, I guess this is it"

Squash nodded "If this is the one I think it is, it will take us out near The Zoo. The Wolves probably went back after finishing with your ship so, well, be careful and if they catch you, I don't know you"

Gordon sighed as he hooked up his tablet and started to feel nervous again "Into the Lion's den" he murmured "Fuck, I can't believe I am doing this but I can't leave Sun out there to die...I have to try"

"Me too" frowned Squash "You have to get me off this ship too. I'll do what I can to help. Keep in mind I run the Zoo, I should be able to organise some ...sexy distractions if needed"

The pair lapsed into silence as the tablet continued its work. Gordon was a little surprised he could not hear anything. This ship was infested with echoes and yet nothing seemed to make its way through the door. He supposed there was also the fact that in a ship this size the decks and doors would likely be heavily insulated. A ship the size of the Odyssey would want to avoid heating unused sections, though, with the computers down, it was likely that the environmental systems were heating the entire ship.

The door slid open and Squash slipped. She looked around, nodding to herself "I know where we are, come on. Follow me."

Gordon hesitated. He had spent hours now in the intimidating ruby light of the staff corridors and while he normally welcomed every opportunity to escape it, the welcoming white light ahead made the hairs on the back of neck stand on end. He was nearing the vipers den, the wolves...whatever wolves lived in, also den?

Gordon made his own checks on the austere corridors before quickly checking his tablet. Still no communication from the Captain but then, without the Shadow to act as a relay they would need to be pretty close to each other. He had not given up hope that she was okay, if anyone could have escaped that awful situation it was Ash and Mary.

They had not been walking all that long before the heavy sound of bass could be heard breaking like waves against the silence. Squash stopped before a door raising her hand to the release. The muted sounds exploded into heavy club music as the door slid open, a mixture of floral and spiced scents softly rolling out to join them. Squash had to raise her voice a little "The wolves aren't stupid, most of them are geneticists but Willum was a computer scientist. They managed to get the systems in the Zone running but for whatever reason the rest of the ship is still in emergency mode" she glanced back "A few things are still not working like comms but" she frowned slightly "Be careful and don't trust anyone unless I tell you to"

Gordon frowned and nodded as he followed her into the room beyond. The area was longer than it was deep with a door on the opposite wall that glowed and pulsed with every colour of the rainbow. A counter ran along most of the near wall below a large mirror than ran the entire length of the room. Sitting on the counter was a wide variety of creams, cosmetics and perfumes, while racks of clothing clustered across the back wall. The room was not empty and a pretty looking cheetah woman was sitting at the counter on top of a round bar-style stool while openly squeezing her breasts, teasing them with lightly clawed hands. Her face was a strange mixture of lust and boredom, though, it was quickly replaced by surprise at the pair's entrance.

Gordon expected a hint of embarrassment or at the very least for her self-exploration to stop but it didn't, if anything it became more overt. Her hands slowed and moved purposefully as her self-pleasure had shifted slightly to more of a lewd performance. She pursed her lips, a pair of swollen black pillows that caused Gordon to gulp slightly. After a few second a small smile spread and she spoke "Squash, what have you found here? And do you mean to keep it all to yourself?" she groaned slightly as her fingers slid slightly, squeezing her nipples hard "The wolves hardly ever visit any more. You can't keep something like that to yourself"

She had an accent that was in equal measures homely and exotic. There was something comforting about her tones while they simultaneously caressed Gordon's manhood to attention. "No" said Squash in a surprisingly strict, almost harsh tone "This one is not for you...or anyone else." She tilted her head slightly "What happened since I left Swift?"

The cheetah pouted, her hands dropping from her pleasant chest. She swivelled her stool giving Gordon a clear view of the slick juices that had pooled on the chair around her crotch "Wolves came back" she said "They are at the steakhouse" she clutched at her chest once again "How am I meant to compete with a cow?" she complained, rubbing her legs together and moaning slightly "It sucks. When will they let the guests come back?"

Squash sighed slightly and tilted her head speaking quietly to Gordon "Most of the girls, especially those that did not volunteer for this end up little more than slaves to their needs. The fucking wolves have caused real problems. They increased the number of morphs while simultaneously removing almost everyone who would actually help them slate their new desires. Half of my employees are slowly losing their minds to arousal. Swift is actually in a better state than most. If you don't want them to fuck you to death, best stay close" she looked up to Swift, ignoring the pale flush that was overtaking Gordons face.

The fox clicked her fingers causing Swift to flinch slightly. She let her hands drop from her chest again and her eyes came into focus once more "Did they do anything else? Have any prisoners?"

The cheetah leant forward slightly and clucked her tongue "I don't know, maybe? I didn't see them come back, I only heard them"

Squash made an irritated noise before nodding "Fine, hopefully those fucks will drown themselves in steak and milk" she looked at Gordon "Come with me, don't speak to anyone ...and you" she said looking to Swift "...you...do whatever, I don't care." She took a few steps and spoke again "No, I changed my mind. Get dressed and then go man the bar"

Swift blinked "What? Why? There are no customers. What's the point of manning the bar?"

"It will keep you focused" replied Squash harshly "Just because half the zoo has become a pack of feral fuck toys doesn't mean you have to copy them, pull yourself together"

Swift looked down slightly and grumbled, lumbering herself off the chair "Fine, whatever, I can do this later" she went to grab a dress from one of the clothes racks but Squash just pointed towards the back of the room where a door clearly led into some kind of bathroom block "Ugh, Fiiiine" grumbled Swift and she moved suddenly, with a speed and grace that surprised Gordon towards the tiled room.

Squash smiled slightly though there was a hint of sadness is her eyes "If there is a chance to take Swift, we will come back and get her. You can trust her...somewhat." she glanced towards the shower block "I'd like to take all of them but most are too far gone. There are a couple of others like Swift that might be worth trying to save but our escape comes first. We get them only if it's safe" her voice held a note of affection, she clearly cared for those under her charge. It seemed like she was going to say something else but after a moments pause she moved.

The dull atmosphere of the club was cosy, almost cloying as wisps of dry ice drifted through the air sparkling with roaming multi-coloured spot lights. The Zoo contained all the stages and chrome poles you might expect in a club aimed at rich perverts but that was only the beginning; the name of the club referred to more than just its animal like inhabitants. Amongst the tables and stages were a series of large enclosures designed to mimic those you might find in a more traditional zoo. Each enclosure had a different theme, a different environment that allowed observers to watch voyeuristically on its inhabitants. Gordon noted as they moved that none of the enclosures were sealed, consisting either of partial cages or glass fronted sections with obvious doors. It seemed there was nothing stopping those watching from progressing from spectator if they wished.

The zoo was more than that though, such a club might have been distasteful but would not necessarily need to be hidden away, accessible to only those who considered the law a problem for other people. Wooden posts rose from the verdant green environments of some of the enclosures while less subtly, manacles hung from the wall and stocks sat empty in one dark corner. Toys, both exotic and plain sat in plain sight emphasising that this place was as much brothel as it was exotic strip club. If any further evidence was needed the variety of signs inviting guests to play with the residents confirmed it, though, Gordon had to wonder who could actually justify those prices. An hour in one of the enclosures would set him back two months' pay and his recompense was not bad at all.

The club was not empty but it clearly wasn't maintained. No dancers mounted the poles or stages and the expansive bar was unmanned, though, perhaps not for much longer. A few girls played cards in one corner with each other while a few more seemed to be doing shots at the bar, serving themselves from a bottle sitting next to them. The majority however were engaged with each other, slating their artificial libidos with the only thing available; each other.

"Don't look at them" came Squash's hissed voice as she moved quickly through the club towards the bar "They aren't all fucked" she glanced at a vaguely equine creature moaning in ecstasy, leashed to a pole while two other morphs tormented her with a variety of oversized toys "most of them though..." she then glanced at the trio playing cards in various states of undress "There are a handful that might be saved" There was a slight heat to her voice as she moved and she dismissed the odd morph who looked in their direction with a hard stare "all of us are sexual creatures...don't forget that"

Gordon nodded with a gulp. He was trying not to look around at the animal-girls but it was impossible. The morphs were all impossibly sexual, most with large busts and wide hips. They all had plush, swollen lips, though those with significant muzzles tended to have lost the top one. "Move it" came Squash's urgent, irritated voice "Once we escape you can fuck all the morphs you want, trust me, Swift will take you to heaven and then make you regret it. Cheetah morph was a dumb idea, that girl has more energy than a sun"

Gordon shook his head slightly and hurried along with Squash. He was a jumble of emotions, lust obviously but fear too. He had not forgotten what was out there but it was all tinged with disbelief. It was hard to believe what was actually happening. The twisted fantasy he was surrounded by just seemed like something out of some erotic movie or short. He glanced up at Squash who seemed to be getting nervous herself. He wondered what kind of consequences there might be for trying to help him.

The flashing spotlights gave way to the stark white illumination of the main causeway. The entrance to the Zoo was narrow but opened out into a small, covered lobby awash with neon signs and video panels advertising the exotic delights within. Gordon stood close to the edge of the entrance and looked up at Squash "What now?"

The Zoo's design was not unusual and most of the Forbidden Zone's delights were advertised with garish, tasteless excess. Neon was everywhere and video panels demonstrated with pornographic detail what each of the attractions had to offer. The Zoo was not the only club and Gordon could pick out at least two others "Back stage" and "The Fur Pile" both of which looked just as seedy as the Zoo. A couple of bars "The Water Hole" and "The Bait and Tackle" were also visible with the first advertising its "Easy bar sluts" while the other actually looked like a traditional British pub, transplanted into space.

"There" said Squash pointing at the Steakhouse, its logo flanked by a pair of absurdly bosomed cartoon cows. "Fuckers are tearing through our meat supplies, won't last much longer the way they are going" She looked up and down and nodded to herself "Place looks empty, I recon the rods will be up in their lab but you will need to go, I don't exactly know what I would be looking for" she paused with a thoughtful look "Let me check the path is clear, it's safer if I get caught. I'll come get you after I've had a quick look around" she gestured at the Water hole "The Water Hole gets closed while guest numbers are low. Should be abandoned. Hide there while I check. I won't be long"

She took one last look at Gordon, patted him on the shoulder and walked nonchalantly towards the back of the deck. Gordon on the other hand skittered across the causeway, darting quickly towards the Water Hole. The dash was barely 20 meters but he was breathing heavily as he pushed through the door into the bar.

The Water Hole was very poorly named. Despite the exterior he had still expected the interior to be all bamboo and wood, maybe even something a little like an old west tavern. The name just conjured up a shack in his head and yet what he found instead was cool blue neon and crushed black velvet. The Water Hole was classy, ridiculously so and a tiny part of Gordon felt weird being here without a formal suit.

A lusty giggle broke him out of his thoughts and he hesitated. "Hey!" came an enthusiastic, musical voice. He heard a hand slap against leather, drawing his eyes to the bar where a plump lapine girl was smiling back at him, slapping the stool next to hers. "Come!" she said "Sit! Drink, yes?"

Something stirred within him, a deep sense of unease as he looked across at the bunny. She was curvy with the slightest hint of athletic muscle poking through her tan fur. Her tall, ridged ears poked out from a tussle of blonde hair that tumbled over her smooth, lean back. She was wearing a tight, shiny, emerald halter top that did nothing to hide the swell of her breasts or her swollen nipples. Her skirt was a similar colour, short and slightly slit while her black stilettos hung lazily from her toes as her legs dangled down from the stool.

Gordon moved, almost robotically climbing up on to the stool next to her. She gave a small, playful cheer and reached over the bar pulling a glass from the other side. She quickly poured whiskey without measure from a half empty bottle. she grinned slightly "Don't tell, our secret, Yes?" she refilled her own glass and chugged it down, giving a squeal of excitement and slammed the glass down.

"I...Uhm..." Gordon shifted uncomfortably. There was a familiar twang to her accent "What's" he began "What's your name?"

The rabbit looked across with a smile. Her eyes seemed to roam up and down him, taking his measure "Angel" she said eventually "But you can call me whatever you want" she picked up the bottle and started pouring another glass with a grin "As long as you keep buying drink" she glanced around the room and her smile widened "Lucky, we have special offer just now, Free booze for all party buns, good offer, yes?"

Gordon couldn't help but smile but his eyes felt wet "Y...yeah. It's a good offer"

Angel refilled Gordon's glass and took a heavy drink from her own. Her large soft lips staining the glass with pale pink lipstick. She took a sideways glance at Gordon "A gentleman would return bunny's name with own, yes?"

"...Sorry, It's Gordon"

She nodded and swirled her glass slightly "Is dull, don't you think? Until you came just me, but even two ...not much of party, yes?"

Gordon took a sip from his own glass. He blinked, it was good, very good. He looked over at the bottle "Holy shit that's forty year reserve"

Angel gave a half lidded smile that made Gordons heart skip a beat "Is shit, isn't it? What kind of bar slut drink forty year reserve" she spat slightly "Can't even do this right" she threw back her glass and started pouring more.

Gordons hand was shaking slightly "W...What do you mean?" he sipped from his glass again.

Angel didn't answer, instead she swirled her glass and played with a strand of hair, one of her ears flopping slightly "Music" she said eventually "Need music but no DJ... wanna dance"

Gordon looked at her uncomfortably. Somehow this was stranger and more difficult than any of his other encounters today. He would rather face down the wolves again than this "Angel" he said eventually "Do you...remember anything? What happened before you arrived?"

Angel downed her drink and slid down from the seat, her ankles sliding into her heels smoothly. She moved around the bar a little, lifting a section of counter and moving up to some kind of computer panel "Can work out self, who need DJ!" she glanced back with a smile "We dance, yes? We make two people party!"

"Who is that?" asked a surprised voice and Gordon glanced back to see Squash. "Are...are you crying?"

He was. He hadn't realised. He crossed the space quickly to her and looked up at the fox "We have to help her" he said urgently "I think...I think it's the Doc...he saved my life and they...and they, please, there has to be a way to undo this"

Squash sighed and placed a hand gently on his shoulder "I'm sorry. It can't be undone...at least If it can, it never has been and I certainly wouldn't know how"

Gordon looked up at Angel who was fiddling with the controls on the touch screen. She was about to press something when she stopped and looked up. She turned around and gave Gordon a winning smile. There was a moment of unspoken silence. "Gordon...go home"

Gordon's voice caught in his throat and he stumbled back a step bumping into Squash, her hand squeezing his shoulder slightly "No...not without you, I won't-"

The rabbit cut in with a soft smile and shook her head slightly "You run" she pressed a button on the console behind her and loud, inoffensive pop music began to fill the room. Angel gave him one last soft, sad smile and brought the whiskey bottle to her lips, tilting it back and drinking straight from the bottle as she started to bounce in time to the music, she let the bottle slip, the smashing glass drowned out by the thumping music, though, her loud girlish cheer overcame it.

"We have to go" came Squash's loud, insistent voice "This place is supposed to be shut, the music might draw the wolves"

"No" came Gordons reply though it was doubtful Squash heard it. She took his hand in hers and started to draw him towards the entrance. Gordon made a play of resisting but as he looked back at the dancing Angel. His will faltered. What could he do?

"He was my friend" said Gordon in a subdued voice as Squash led him to the back of the causeway and through a door leading to a narrow set of stairs.

Squash moved with purpose, glancing back periodically as if worried Gordon might turn back "There is nothing you can do. Get the control rods first then we can work out what our options are. You can't help her if you can't help yourself"

Gordon nodded glumly and sped up his pace to catch up "All the wolves are in the steakhouse then?"

She glanced back and nodded "I think so, best I can tell. There doesn't seem to be anyone up here anyway. You will need to try and be quick, okay?"

The stairwell lead out into a long corridor. It was very austere and clinical with several glass windows looking into a trio of similar labs. "This one" she said pointing at the left lab "This is Jackson's lab. I recon if they are going to be anywhere they are going to be here"

Gordon checked the door wasn't locked and slipped into the lab. Just before the door shut Squash caught it "I am going to go stand lookout...be prepared to hide, there is only so much I can do to stop them"

It had been a little while since Gordon had been by himself and he felt his legs tremble as he started to search the room. The lab was filled with all sorts of incredible equipment, a lot of which Gordon had no idea what did. All of the computer panels were offline, though, a standalone workstation did sit in one corner powered and requesting a login. The room was filled with drawers and cupboards that would need to be searched.

He went through drawer after drawer, cupboard after cupboard but he found nothing. He was really starting to despair and was about to move onto one of the other labs when he noticed the incinerator embedded in the wall. He moved towards it, hands shaking and hit the release button. The wall panel slid open silently and there they were. He almost collapsed to his knees and his eyes dampened once again.

"No...pull it together, No time to lose" and he quickly scrambled to one of the cupboards pulling a padded carrying bag and quickly loading the control rods into it. He closed the cupboard over, closed the incinerator and left the lab with a sense of hope that he had not experienced since his arrival.

He descended the stairs quickly, hesitated and then pushed the door open a crack. His eyes darted across the white causeway "I got them" he began, his voice slowing as he realised very quickly that the buxom fox was not there. He looked around, fighting down a sudden burst of panic though it got easier when he realised there were no wolves around. What was he going to do? Where was Squash? He quickly came to the conclusion that he had to head for the Zoo. His tablet was already set up for the security door there and if he was going to hide somewhere and look for the fox, well, that was where she was most likely to be.

He took one last look across the causeway, picked out his route and moved. He didn't run despite his beating heart encouraging him to sprint the whole way, instead, he moved with purpose, a half jog just above a fast walk. His eyes flickered to the Water Hole. The electric bass was still filtering out from the bar but he forced himself to hurry past. It was hard but there was nothing he could do, at least not without Squash.

He made it to The Zoo without incident and slipped through the entrance lobby and up to the bar. Swift was there, wearing a stunning crimson micro dress, though, she looked supremely bored nursing a glass of white wine. He scanned his eyes across the club looking for Squash. He really hoped she was here. His mind had been conjuring all sorts of horror stories and he was genuinely concerned she was in trouble. He edged forward slightly, crouched down, moving along the bar trying to get a better view of the club.

His hands clenched and a grin exploded across his face. There she was, sitting at a table near the back of the club next to one of the small stages. The grin quickly vanished when he saw the two wolves she was entertaining. One of the feral creatures cradled her chin with a toothy grin. It looked like he was speaking, though, with the thick beat of the club music and his inhuman lips it was impossible to say what he might have been saying. "Shit" said Gordon under his breath trying not to panic. Suddenly, the wolf released her face and stood up, casually walking towards his hiding place. Gordon glanced around and darted behind the bar, pushing up as close as he could to the wooden counter. He looked up at Swift, eyes wide, chest heaving and placed a finger over his lips.

"Oh" said the Cheetah "It's you. You probably..." she frowned slightly at his gesture and then up to the approaching wolf. She reached down under the bar and grabbed a bottle of beer, opening it and placing it on the counter. A few seconds later a meaty paw snatched the bottle from the counter. There was another pause and the wolf spoke.

"Sure you don't wanna join us babe?" came the rumbling voice "Sometimes a conversation is nice. I like my sluts with a little smarts"

"Gah, I'd love to" replied Swift "But I have to man the bar. Squash said so and the one rule around here is obey the fox!"

The wolfs laugh came back low and mocking "Oh, there is one rule and that's not it"

The cheetah hesitated "Well...If you told me to, I suppose, Squash has to obey you right?" she leant over the bar and ran her finger down the wolf's cheek "It's been a while. You guys spread yourself thin. Ugh, I'll come if you ask..." her grin got wider "and maybe you can make me cum...if you catch my drift"

Again that same mocking laughter "Hmm, maybe I overestimated your ratio of brains and slut" he tilted his head and glanced back at the table "Well, I would be loath to get between you and your mistress so no can do" he paused with a frown and his ears twitched.

Swift groaned "It sucks. It's no fun since you got rid of all the guys. Can't you just leave the new ones alone?"

The wolf pressed forward, the jut of his chin becoming visible to Gordon above the bar "What new ones?" asked the wolf.

Swift gulped slightly and her eyes darted involuntarily to Gordon "I...uhm..." she seemed confused and Gordon wasn't sure what she was going to do. "Don't know...uhm...like, new guys?" she laughed nervously "I haven't seen any"

The wolf seemed to nod placing one of his meaty hands against the surface of the bar "I see. That's too bad cause I would quite like to meet some new guys too" suddenly and without warning he vaulted the bar landing next to Gordon looking down at him with a grin. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he glanced at Swift, chuckled and then looked back to Gordon "You allied with the wrong slut. I mean, you could have picked worse but still, not a good call."

Gordon scuttered back from the wolf, eyes large with fear. He kicked his legs against the ground skirting back sliding on his ass. He started to fumble at his side, trying to pull his pistol from its holster but he soon had a large furry hand, large enough to engulf his neck lift him into the air. Gordon struggled but the grip was intense, the pressure on his windpipe made it hard to breathe. His head was tilted back slightly by the sheer bulk of the wolf's hand and his vision bobbed with the wolf's breath. It hurt and he was genuinely scared that the wolf's embrace would cause injury or worse.

"Look at what I found" came the wolfs enthusiastic cry "I was just thinking I wanted another bitch"

Squash tried unsuccessfully to keep the shock from her face, though, Gordon could barely see what was happening anyway. The other wolf pushed to his feet and began to saunter over. After a few steps he paused and spoke with surprise "It's the engineer. What the fuck is he doing here?" It was the same voice that had led the assault earlier, Jackson he supposed. He couldn't forget that voice.

"Nice" came his captors reply "I know you wanted that one. Looks scrawny to me, course, that will hardly matter once the serum has had its way"

"Let him go" Came Jacksons Reply "take his gun. Need to take our time with this one, we need his mind intact or at least his knowledge" The big wolf grabbed Gordons gun with his other hand and ripped the entire holster from his waist. The leather strap stung as it snapped. He threw him to the ground where he landed gasping and choking for breath.

Jackson crouched down next to him, an enormous furry mass that cast a heavy shadow across him "You are going to help us little man. Fix the ship and let us on our way. Today will be the start of the end for mankind and the beginning for us"

Gordon looked back with horror. He tried to say he wouldn't help them but his voice was ragged and his lungs still demanded air. Jackson grabbed the back of his shirt hoisting him up into the air even as he was trying to lamely scramble away "Well boys, let's have some fun"

Gordon gave up struggling rather quickly. It became apparent almost immediately that it was pointless. The best he could do was wait and hope there might be an opportunity for escape or that some kind of impossible rescue might come. He noted that they had left his bag with the control rods and tablet computer where he had pushed it behind the Zoo bar. If he could just escape and get back, there was still a chance.

His hope for escape took a rather significant knock as soon as Jackson pushed the door open and carried Gordon into a room somewhat reminiscent of a dental lab. This wasn't one of the labs he had visited before and the layout of the room was nothing like those had been. Jackson threw him roughly into the chair and despite a token effort he was soon strapped down, leather strips chafing against his flesh. He tested his bonds, wailing, eyes and nostrils stinging in fear but they would not give. Jackson had him secured tight.

Jackson glanced back looking at Gordon with disgust as he started pulling up menus and windows on a nearby computer terminal "Get a fucking grip, it's over, the last one acted nothing like this. He knew how to take defeat with dignity"

Jackson's eyes widened, they had to be talking about Borys. He felt a surge of anger, he had nothing left to lose now "Fuck you!" he spat, surprised at the venom in his voice

The wolf laughed as one of the others entered. It was the one that had caught him. "Oh" replied Jackson in his low rumble "You will, and him, and all of the others, and when we have had our fill of you we will leave you to drown in your needs, losing yourself till you just become another feral bitch" he laughed, low and cruel "Fuck you indeed"

The other wolf glanced at Gordon and spoke "Hang on Jackson. You said to go easy on this one, you need him intact don't you?"

The wolf paused and growled "Fuck, your right" he was salivating, his pupils were dilated and a long tongue licked his lips "What should we do with him?"

"Force him to fucking fix it first and then fuck him up, make Bitch look chaste" came the reply

Gordon shook his head violently "I won't help you. Fuck you." Gordon's body betrayed his brave words. His voice was trembling and his body shaking. He was sure they must be able to hear his heart thumping in his chest.

"That's why" came Jackson's reply "I would hate to break him trying to force him" he hummed slightly and brought up a few windows "Fine" he glanced over at Gordon and grinned "Start training it on submissive images. If he wants to suddenly discover his spine we will simply remove it" drool dripped from the wolf's jaw "Ill set the training mode to favour maintaining memories."

The other wolf frowned slightly and nodded as Jackson hit a few buttons "That doesn't always work. What will you do if it scrambles his head"

The wolf grinned and shrugged "Enjoy my new fuck toy? Doesn't matter. We will wait for the next one"

Gordon's eyes widened but it wasn't really from Jacksons comments. The wall panel behind him was showing porn or rather a series of rapidly flashing images. They were all anthropomorphic animals, a mixture of artwork and renders and every one depicted the creature in a demeaning submissive state. He struggled against his bonds once again as the text in the top corner read "Training Nanites 12%"

Jackson grinned at his struggles "Machine learning" he said "Hardly a new idea, evolutionary algorithms, all that stuff" he pointed at the monitor "We feed it images and the system trains the nanites to produce a similar outcome. We don't know how it really works in the end and the result is always...unpredictable, never the same effect. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. Unless we specifically train it on one type of image we don't even know what kind of morph you will end up as."

Gordon was panting now, sweat pouring down his brow. He was terrified, his short lived spunk was quickly fading away. It was real now, real in a way it had not been before. Every momentary flashing image heightened his anxiety "Sometimes the algorithm manages to produce something coherent like Swift...sometimes it fucks them up completely" He took a few steps forward and pressed a single claw under Gordons chin "Which will you be I wonder?"

The knock at the door hit Gordon like a defibrillator and he actually screamed much to Jackson's pleasure, though, his reply was one of pure irritation "What the fuck is it, I am busy here, better be good"

"Ah, it's Squash Sir" came a perfectly composed response "I don't think that one was alone. There was someone else hiding in the Zoo, they ran for it shortly after you left or so Squash has said"

"What?" growled Jackson, his rictus smile widening into a full grin as his eyes glanced towards Gordon "So you weren't alone. You kept that fucking quiet...still I like it when they run" he opened the door to reveal Squash calmly standing there "Show me where you saw them. Time to begin the hunt"

"Can I come?" asked the other wolf

Jackson looked back at him like he was stupid "No, watch the Engineer, you can come when he is done"

The wolf looked like he was going to argue but soon withered under Jacksons stare. The other wolf looked at Gordon as the door closed "You are not going anywhere, why can't I go?"

Gordon tried to smile but he was shaking hard. The Nanite training program had reached seventy percent. Would it hurt? How fast would it take effect? Was it going to totally fuck him up or would he remain somewhat himself? All these questions raced through his head making it hard to concentrate on what was happening. He forced himself to focus on the wolf and tried to be bold once again "W...Well I don't want you here. P...Please go"

The wolf laughed and stared at Gordon hungrily "That's the spirit! I wonder if Jackson will let me have first taste" he licked his lips and glanced back at the images "I look forward to the results. I wonder if you will beg me to fuck you."

"J...Jackson will let you?" asked Gordon shakily "Sounds like Jackson is the one you will need to beg"

The wolf growled and took a step forward "I do not need to beg for anything. Jackson isn't in charge" he snapped "Wolves don't have an alpha, that's a fucking misconception. If I want you, I'll have you. Fuck what Jackson wants"

Gordon nodded slightly "Just like Jackson didn't tell you what to do regarding the h...hunt"

Gordon flinched back as the big wolf took another step towards him. His teeth were bared, he were snarling and his clawed hands were clenched into firsts. "Fuck you, If I want to join the hunt I will, you can't get out anyway" he took a step towards the door and slammed his hand on the control panel. He looked back and grinned, no less cruelly than Jackson "I'm going to look forward to fucking you. Next time we meet you will be singing a very different tune...though it's hard to sing with your mouth full" he gave a raucous laugh and disappeared out into the corridor.

Gordon sighed and slumped back into the chair. It was a small, rather meaningless victory but it was the last one he would ever have. He tried to enjoy it but it was hard to feel any real joy given the situation and instead, he found himself staring numbly as the progress bar on the monitor increased. There was a part of him that bitterly appreciated the irony. His life had consisted of watching one progress bar fill after another and now it seemed it would end in the same way; one final progress bar.

The door shifted open and a familiar looking cheetah woman slipped into the room. Gordon's eyes widened in surprise "S...Swift?"

She looked up with a smile "Ah Gordon right?" she paused and looked back "Squash said I should help you...that you got caught because of me" she gave a slight sigh "There are enough morph's you know? There are hardly any wolves and honestly, they are too rough. It was much better before"

Gordon's eyes bulged. He just nodded his head "Get me out of here please"

The cheetah blinked and rapped her head with a knuckle "Oh yeah...It would be bad if the wolves found me helping you" she glanced back and moved with a giggle "But really, I do what the fox says"

The progress bar hit 100% and Gordon flinched but nothing happened, in fact, the process didn't seem to actually be finished. Normally Gordon would have complained about a poorly designed progress bar that hit 100% when it wasn't done but today it could sit there as long as it wanted "Hurry, Hurry" squealed Gordon. "I don't have much time"

The cheetah did move quickly, much faster than Gordon could have. Her delicate hands releasing his legs and then his arms. His own hands darted to his throat and started to undo the strap. His fingers were shaking and he was having trouble griping it, god, why had he not let Swift do it? Eventually he got the strap undone and managed to unhook the fastener. He jerked his head up as fast as he could but almost at the exact same time the screen displayed the words "Nanites complete" and he felt a sting at his neck.

He looked at Swift, eyes wide, hand clutched against his neck "Shit, shit, shit. I think we were too late"

The cheetah just blinked as Gordon pulled back his hand, staring almost hypnotically at the tiny spot of blood on his palm "We...we should go. Now." He struggled towards the door on unstable, jelly like legs.

"Should, should I come?" asked Swift biting her swollen black lip "Squash didn't say"

Gordon paused and nodded wiping a sheen of sweat from his forehead "If you want to Swift but we should get Squash and Bo...Angel"

Swift frowned slightly "I don't know where Squash went...she just said she would try and lead them away. Who is Angel?"

Gordon sighed slightly as he glanced out into the Causeway "A...a friend. She was in--" he paused. The door he had emerged from was just across from the Water Hole and the bar was silent. The thumping pop music had stopped. Swift poked her head out of the door next to him.

"In there? The Hole is closed. No point having all the bars open when there are no guests" she frowned slightly "I had noticed that someone had turned on the sound system but I guess Gerry turned it off. He was heading in there just before I came in"

Gordon took one last mournful glance at the bar. He couldn't risk it. He had to go. He glanced around the plaza and started to move quickly. He felt ashamed but what could he do? If he was recaptured now it was all over, they would make him fix the ship and set course for Earth. The best he could do was try and find Ash and Mary and meet up with Sun. Even if the nanites fucked him up there was still a chance he could save them. It was all he could do.

Swift jogged lightly besides him as he picked his way through the signs and shop fronts running along the Zone's edge. He was vividly aware that the wolves were no longer in one group. Just one accidental encounter and this would be all over. He glanced sideways at the sleek Cheetah moving along with him. The nanites might not be a death sentence, not completely at least and hadn't Jackson implied they had made his mild to avoid damaging his ability to fix the ship? He furrowed his brow and a look of determination graced his face. He would save his friends and not even the nanites would stop him.

By the time they reached the Zoo Gordon's heart was fighting to escape his chest. There had been no wolves, not even a close call and yet it had been terrifying. He glanced sideways at Swift and for just a moment he envied her calm obliviousness. He wondered if his fate might bring him peace ...then he remembered the cat groping herself and thought...probably not.

He paused and looked to Swift taking a moment to catch his breath "Could you...could you check for wolves? If there are any come out and tell me?"

The cheetah paused and nodded "Well okay, give me a minute" she disappeared for several tense moments before reappearing with a smile "Nope, no wolves!"

Gordon nodded sharply and dashed past her. he quickly sped behind the bar "please...please...please...Yes!" he cried in triumph as he scooped up the black bag still lying on the ground. He turned beaming at the cat "It's still here...It's still..." his eyes were watering slightly as he slung the bag over his shoulder "We need to get to the door...the faster we get out of the zone the better"

Swift glanced back "What about Squash? And the others?"

Gordon bit his lip. Her words, despite their innocent tone rang like a prosecutors call in his ears "I...I don't know where Squash is and the others" he shifted slightly "Squash said there might be some more but I don't know who she was talking about"

Swift paused and again Gordon felt terrible. He couldn't help Angel and he couldn't help Squash but if he got caught he wouldn't be able to help anyone "Squash knows where the pirate ship is...If she is as smart as I think she is she will try and meet us there"

Swift suddenly perked up and smiled "Yes, Squash is the smartest fox I know. You're right, she will find her own way"

Gordon nodded uneasily "Well...Lets just make sure there is someone there for her to find...okay?"

Swift gave a single, sharp nod and the pair quickly raced through the Zoo towards the dressing room at the back. Gordon tried to focus on the door but his eyes couldn't help but dart round the room. This place was a madman's dream and it was impossible not to stare. Even on his third visit.

Swift beat him to the back room easily as Gordon slowed, distracted by his surroundings. He was sweating a little, feeling himself reacting to the lusty creatures openly enjoying each other's presence. He was particularly fascinated by a curvy mouse girl locked in a set of stocks being mercilessly played with by a tigress and a dog. She was moaning lewdly, saliva leaking from her maw as the tigress toyed at her with an impressively swollen dildo. He took a half step towards them...when had he stopped running? Didn't matter...he was just looking. Just for a few seconds more. How could he not? It was such a delectable scene. He could just imagine himself...locked in those stocks...

"Gordon" came Swifts voice.

He looked up and blinked, wiping drool from his mouth. He felt embarrassed and there was a hint of anger. What the hell had he been thinking? He didn't have time for this. He shivered slightly and hurried after her.

The dressing room was exactly as he remembered and thankfully empty. "Take anything you need" he said to Swift "Do you know where the nearby security door out of the Zone is?"

Swift nodded "I'd like to gather up some clothes. I don't think the Pirates will have much that will fit will they?"

Gordon gave a small nod "Try and be quick. You never know when one of those mutts will show up. I want to get into the staff corridors as quickly as we can."

Gordon felt a bit strange as he crept along the abandoned corridor. The security door was not far from the dressing room and it was not long until he had his tablet hooked up again. He suspected the codes might have expired and unfortunately his suspicions were proved correct. That meant ten to fifteen tense minutes of hoping the wolves didn't find him. How long till they noticed he was missing? How long after that till they searched here? They had to suspect this would be his destination. They were impulsive and aggressive but not exactly stupid. He found himself glancing left and right nervously as once again his life came down to a slowly filling progress bar.

Swift looked bored as they waited for the tablet to complete its task. She had a rather laden shoulder bag that almost faded into her slinky black dress. Gordon had been concerned she would take her time but she had been efficient and had reached the door only a few minutes behind him. He glanced up at the cheetah and wondered if her speed and efficiency were entirely a result of her animalistic nature or if it was a trait she had always possessed. He would ask but she had few memories before coming to the ship.

The time passed excruciatingly slowly but eventually the door opened and no wolves came to find them. Gordon scratched at his neck. He felt hot and a little unwell. He had spent much of the last few hours sweating and the slight dampness to his clothes bore testament to this. He worried he might be getting dehydrated and cursed that he had not grabbed something from the Zoo. Part of him considered heading back, a little voice suggested he could see the morphs again but he crushed it ruthlessly. No, the door offered sanctuary. The wolves couldn't break it and if they wanted to open it they would need to go through the same painstaking process Gordon had. He did not know which God, angel or fairy was looking down on him, helping him get this far but he wasn't about to risk it all for a drink.

He took a few steps through the door and shivered. That forsaken crimson light was back again. It almost didn't feel worth it as he glanced back mournfully at the warm white glow behind him. He sighed, waited for Swift to follow him and closed the door.

"The corridors lead all the way back to the Carnival Plaza" Gordon said nervously "Crossing the Plaza will be the dangerous bit but if we can do that" he shivered slightly "Actually, escaping the Zone was the dangerous bit. We got so lucky not running into any wolves"

Swift glanced around and screwed up her nose "What's up with the lights? Why are they all red? The air smells kind of weird too" she paused and looked thoughtful "Oh. I heard some of the wolves got hurt. I think some are resting so maybe that's why we didn't see any"

Gordon's eyes lit up "Really? Where did you hear that? If a bunch got hurt...maybe...maybe the Captain got out somehow, Mary too" his grin soon faltered "Though, if they did...I have no idea where they would have gone."

She took a few steps into the twilight, her piercing green eyes shining in the ruby darkness "I heard it from Canter, one of the doe-girls Jackson was with. She didn't say how many."

Gordon bit his lip slightly, scratching at his neck again "Well...less wolves to deal with is a good thing." He looked around nervously before giving Swift a smile "We need to head up two decks. There is an elevator but it's still a bit of a walk"

Swift gave a small grin and started to stretch like a gymnast warming up "Not a problem! I can walk for ages!" Gordon could not help but appreciate the athletic figure she cast, silhouetted in the dusky red. Powerful, toned muscle subtly hidden under fur. Somehow, it seemed to have its definition enhanced by the otherwise awful lighting conditions. She looked back with a smile and licked her lips "Race you?"

Gordon blinked and raised his hands "N...No. it's all right. There is no way I could keep up and we have to stay together"

She sniffed slightly, a look of disappointment spreading across her face, though Gordon could not quite tell if she was just playing with him "Well fine...You will just need to put me through my paces another way"

Gordon shook his head slightly and took a few steps forward. This was not the time to flirt with the super-hot, powerful cheetah no matter how much her smile made his heart race. Even...even if--

He blinked and bit his lip. What the hell? He had just zoned out looking at her, enjoying her physique, imagining her taking charge and...

His eyes widened once again. Fuck, what was going on "L...Lets go" he stammered and pushed past her "The further we get before they discover I am gone, the better our chances will be"

The pair moved in silence, Gordon purposely trying to stay a half step ahead so he wouldn't have the Cheetah's swaying ass in full view. All the way the itchy sensation got worse and he started to discover little scratchy patches of hair developing here and there. It wasn't fur as such, more akin to stubble, but something was definitely happening. He didn't say anything. He did not want to draw attention to it but he couldn't help but imagine Swift was staring at him, watching his body slowly succumb.

He shifted his gait slightly as his manhood responded. The thought of Swift watching him change, watch as his sex and humanity was stripped away from him forever was to his horror, rather arousing. He imagined himself humiliated before her. Reduced to some feral animal. Swift becoming the smart one, looking after him like some kind of pet...oh god, it was turning him on so much...he had to think of something else, anything else.

He took to running through lists of engineering facts, the digits of Pi, anything which he could run through in order. It helped, but failed to completely eliminate the stray sexual thoughts that kept pressing on his mind. Neither did the itching stop or the slow spread of stubbly fuzz across his body and by the time he reached the elevator it must have covered most of his body.

He almost threw himself into the tiny space, part of him desperate to get to the ship before things got much worse but as soon as the white lights of the elevator banished the red he gasped. It had not been clear in the dusky crimson, but here, in this bright oasis, he could see he was clearly covered with a black fuzz.

He ran his hands over himself nervously. It somehow felt coarser than before. Had it grown? Or was it simply a psychosomatic side-effect from being able to see it. He honestly wasn't sure, nor did it really seem to matter. He whined slightly as Swift crouched before him, smiling brightly and poked his nose "Boop!" she giggled slightly "You have such a cute nose!"

Gordon's eyes widened and his cheeks flooded with crimson. He grabbed his tablet and activated its forward facing camera "oh my god" he whined looking at his digital reflection "M...make it stop"

His distressed face looked back at him, eyes large and lip quivering. His face was covered in the same black fuzz, even his hair had darkened a few shades. Apart from the fuzz he still looked mostly human with the exception of his nose. Much of the bridge had sunk into his face and the bulb of his nose had flattened, brightening to a rosy pink. It was vaguely feline but it could also belong to a dozen other mammals. He looked up at Swift pathetically "I didn't even feel it...I didn't..."

She just smiled. She did not seem to feel or even really understand his concern. She just stretched, stood up and gave him a winning smile "It's cute! I can't wait to see how you turn out" she paused and frowned slightly "Squash didn't want you to change. Well, me neither. There aren't enough guys on the ship but...it's too late now right?"

Gordon gasped as his body jolted in reaction to Swift calling him cute. Did Swift really think he was cute? Did that mean she would look after him? Tell him what to do? He had a sudden rush of images of being treated like some kind of pet; Swift holding his leash, feeding him treats and training him like a dog.

He shook his head with a moan, had that being slightly higher pitched than normal? He wasn't in the habit of moaning so it was hard to say. He struggled to his feet "N...No" he said pathetically "I...won't give up" he placed his palm against the elevator control, activating it. He tried to clear his mind it began to move.

Swift looked at him with a hint of confusion, her body far too close to his for comfort "Lose? What are you talking about?"

He tried to formulate a suitable response but nothing would come to mind. He didn't want to look at her just now. He just wanted a few moments to try and collect his wits.

Swift didn't follow up on her question and it did not take particularly long to travel the two floors. He stumbled out the elevator, a slight hint of sway in his hips that had not there before. He glanced back at Swift and gulped "I am going to unhook the battery, so you will need to give me a minute"

Swift just nodded and let herself lean against the wall, lounging and examining her claws. He busied himself, quickly disconnecting the batteries and tablet. No point leaving a functional elevator in case the wolves did decide to brave the corridors. He packed the batteries away into his new holdall and was about to add the tablet when he noticed an icon blinking on the notification bar.

He quickly selected it with a shaking finger. It was a location beacon, a simple dataless signal shouting 'something is here'. He pressed another button and the tablet loaded a map of the Odyssey, a blinking red light flashing some four decks below "It's a beacon" he said, surprise woven into his voice "I don't know how they did it without the Shadow but...somehow the Captain or Mary must have activated a beacon"

Swift moved over and crouched down "Who is Captain?...and uhm Mary? and a beacon? What do you mean?"

Gordon shifted and tilted the tablet so she could see "They are my shipmates, my friends. The beacon is a well" he frowned slightly "I don't know. It marks a location but usually you send a message with it to say why you have marked the location" he tilted his head a little "Without the Shadow to relay messages normally this would be impossible but it's encrypted with Precisions codes although the data transmission is empty. No one else could use that code, It had to have been one of them"

Swift frowned slightly. It was a cute look, almost as if her brain had been overloaded and she was having to mentally chow down the mouthful in order to try and speak. Gordon wanted to hug her. His hands spasmed. He almost did.

"So they sent you a message? But they can't without...uhm...the Shadow?...Thats your ship right?" she said as if putting the pieces together as she spoke

Gordon nodded

"Couldn't they have used the Odyssey to send the message?"

Gordon shook his head "Main power is down, as are the computers"

"Well" she said after a moment "What's there. Where is the beacon?"

Gordon paused for a moment and reassessed Swift a little. She was smarter than he gave her credit for. It took her a little while to process the thoughts but still, with a bit of time, she could be quite insightful. He should have asked that question. It should have occurred to him but then, he had not been doing so well recently. This was far from his first failure and he was sure there would be more. He was pathetic, worthless, deserving to be little more than a plaything for...

His eyes widened again and he shook his head snapping out of it. Fuck! It was so easy to fall into it. His mind played dangerous little tricks, trying to slowly draw him away from himself and towards...something else. He shivered, he didn't want to imagine what would happen to him if he let the alien thoughts win.

If Swift noticed anything odd about the delay in his response she didn't show it and listened patiently for his answer "I don't know" he said "There are a lot of power relays there, processing subsystems and so on but there aren't any core systems. The maps aren't exactly comprehensive"

She nodded in response "I guess we will find out when we go?"

Gordon blinked slightly "You want us to go?"

She tilted her head and smiled "Well of course! You can't leave your friends behind can you?"

"Again" whispered a cruel voice from the back of his mind "You can't leave your friends behind again"

The words struck him hard. It wasn't just the unintended accusation it was the fact that Swift, who hardly knew him and didn't know his friends at all wanted to help him. His eyes felt a little wet and he wasn't sure which of the two reasons was responsible.

He started reconnecting the plasma batteries and looked up at Swift. He gave her a smile tinged with sadness "Thankyou"

Gordon sat in silence as the tablet once again ran the elevator through its self-checks. He wished he had been a little faster to notice and not disconnected them but things were what they were. He sat waiting once again. This time, the unwelcome thoughts left him be alone allowing him to simply dwell on his situation.

Soon the elevator opened and the pair entered. Gordon tried to keep his distance from the Cheetah as best he could but they were uncomfortably close. The ride did not take long and they silently slid past the Zone decks to the top engineering deck, four levels down.

They stumbled into a corridor maddeningly similar to the previous ones. It was difficult to imagine how anyone could find their way around here without a map. The staff corridors were a maze of misty red. A warren of pulsing veins that drove deep into the ship.

"So" asked Swift, claws gently playing against her shoulder "How far is this Beacon?"

Gordon struggled slightly to meet her gaze. He hated it. He knew it wasn't his fault but he just had this sense that she was powerful and sexy and confident and...well, a whole variety of positive traits that he lacked. He knew it was artificial and yet it didn't matter. He caught her gaze for a second and then lowered his eyes "N...Not far" he said "There are some engineering corridors ahead and its somewhere within them." He looked sideways and smiled nervously, scratching his neck. Was the stubble longer? It seemed a little softer if still rough. "These corridors are all for maintenance. It's unlikely we will see anyone down here"

The pair reached a security door and Gordon started prepping his tablet again. He swayed for a second and shook his head as a pulse of heat flowed through him. He had been beset by hot flushes for some time but they were getting worse. He sat and tried to concentrate. He was sure that if he focused his mind he might be able to defeat the lewd thoughts attempting to redefine him. He forced his mind to stillness, concentrated on the task at hand and to his surprise things settled down a little. The physical sensations unfortunately proved harder to ignore. The heat and perspiration were not new but they did seem worse. Each hot flush seemed to focus a little more on his ass and chest and he could feel the perspiration gathering in the corners of his rear and around the edges of his pecs.

He grunted slightly almost losing his tenuous calm. He didn't have pecs. The slight swelling on his chest had not been there an hour ago, neither had his ass been quite this thick, nor had it chafed against his rough pants the way it was now. In fairness, he should be clad in silks and wispy fabrics to best show off his body or perhaps some nice leather or latex to show him as the submissive pet that...

"Damn it" he said in a pained tone as he pushed to his feet. He almost immediately felt his pants start to fall and only quick reflexes stopped him from putting on a show. He looked down in shock pulling the material forward with his thumb and revealing at least two inches of free space. It shouldn't have been a surprise, after all, he was kind of aware that his ass had swollen and his pecs had gained an element of flab but the narrowing of his waist was much more significant. He quickly tightened his belt a notch and grabbed his tablet as the door opened. He grumbled as he moved into the wider engineering corridor giving no other sign that anything had happened.

Something had happened though and each step was causing a little extra swing in his ass. The material of his pants were causing some discomfort too as he moved. It wasn't that they were particularly rough, it was just that he was a delicate little thing that was not well suited to such garments.

Gordon scanned the corridor as Swift emerged behind him. Although the corridors were wider they were just as dark. It seemed like the lighting in the engineering corridors had been neglected in the same way the staff tunnels had been. The walls were just as featureless, painted a pale grey. Well, he assumed it was grey, it was a little hard to tell beneath the emergency lights. He pulled up his tablet, examined the map for a second and turned right.

The pair walked for a short time, Swift padding silently, arms pressed against the back of her head in a rather provocative pose. Gordon on the other hand moved with his head slightly bowed, trying to ignore the furry goddess walking beside him. The itching got worse the longer they were walking and it wasn't just the scratchy material of his clothing. His fur was still developing, growing ever so slowly, though, it was still not much more than stubble. His body continued to slowly reshape as well, a hint of more curve on his chest and ass, a hint of developing curves on his calves. He was panting quietly from the glacier onslaught of sensation but he also wasn't feeling particularly tired beyond his parched throat. It wasn't entirely obvious but beneath the developing layers of fat was a developing fitness and an improved musculature which had not been there a few hours before.

"Don't move" came a flat, commanding, feminine voice. Gordon's eyes widened as he paused before forcing himself to whip his head around. Swift had given a squeal and had thrown up her arms. Gordon was feeling a little unsure as he spun trying to spot a shape in the darkness. Part of him had resisted even turning his head. The voice had been so strong and commanding that he had wanted to do exactly what it said and hope that she had more commands to follow.

A few seconds of swivelling and Gordon saw her. Now he did freeze, eyes wide, unable to move a muscle. It was Mary and she had her laser rifle pointed straight at him. He thought the voice had been familiar but the ships echo had made it sound a little strange.

Mary's eyes were constantly moving, darting up and down the corridor and glancing behind her as if expecting ambush. Gordon had no idea how she had managed to escape that bar but it clearly had not been easy. She had shed her torso armour somewhere leaving her in a dull green vest that looked designed to show off her powerful figure. Much of the vest was soaked with blood and Gordon could see that she seemed to have a heavy wound on her right side that had not fully congealed. It didn't look particularly fresh and was still lightly oozing blood. The skin around it looked angry, though, it could be being exaggerated by the emergency lights.

If she was being slowed by her wound she wasn't showing it, at least not obviously. Had Gordon stopped to look, he would have noticed her breathing was a little laboured and that her hand kept moving to place pressure against it but he wasn't looking straight at her, he was looking at her feet. He admired the lithe figure of Swift but Mary was something else. She could be a professional body builder, hell, He knew she trained like one.

Mary took a few slow steps towards him and Gordon shivered. He felt tiny before Mary, like a mouse before a Cat and yet at his core he was happy to see her, more than happy. He wanted to ask her how Ash was, to ask her how she escaped but she had commanded him not to move and he was struggling against that order.

She stopped, her eyes widening slightly "Wait...Gordon?...Holy shit, what happened to you?" she glanced at Swift with suspicion but lowered her rifle...slightly. "Are you okay?" her breath came a little heavier and her side oozed "She didn't do this did she?"

Words poured from Gordon's mouth as if Mary's own had granted him permission "N...No this is Swift. She didn't do this." He glanced back at the Cheetah "The wolves injected me with something. Said it would make me submissive so I would fix the ship and--" Mary's eyes were widening the more he spoke and his cheeks started to flush. He felt like he should stop, bow his head but the words kept coming.

"Swift helped me escape. We saw your Beacon but I couldn't save" That stopped him. He choked on the word Borys. He couldn't say it. Now he looked down. Now he felt small. Now he wished Mary had been there instead of him. She would have saved him.

Mary said nothing for at least a minute and her wide eyed stare soon gave way to a more calculating, tired frown. Eventually she spoke "Borys" she said "They got him too"

Gordon just nodded. His mouth was dry. He couldn't respond.

"There were wolves there" Swift explained "We hadta go" she was twisting a long strand of hair, a slight look of concern on her face. A rare change from her usual vacuous smile.

Mary frowned at the cheetah and slung her gun over her shoulder. There was a barely perceptible tightening of her jaw as it brushed her wound "And you are?"

"Ah" she bowed her head slightly "My name is Swift" she moved her hands out and shifted her hips in a practiced dancers motion "I am a dancer at The Zoo...and more" she winked her eye "If you have the credits" she paused slightly and placed a finger against her mouth "Uhm...maybe you don't really need to pay anymore. Things are kind of a mess"

Mary's lips tightened as she spoke, though, towards the end it was twitching into a smile. She shook her head slightly and gave a small laugh that soon turned into a pained grunt. She silenced it mercilessly and acted as if had never happened "Well, of all the things I thought might happen I did not expect you to turn up looking like a sexy bigfoot with a slutty cat who would proposition me with almost her first words" she shook her head, her smile fading slightly "Every time I think this can't get any more fucked up it does"

Gordon wasn't sure what to say. Bigfoot? What a demoralising description, weirdly, it brought him no pleasure. He wanted to be demeaned and controlled but he also wanted to be pretty and desired. It was a strange, contradictory mixture of feelings and thoughts that were bouncing about his head.

"Where is the Captain" he asked fidgeting a little "How did you guys get out?"

"She's fine" Mary replied "She is off trying to find a relay that connects into any of the comms subsystems. Ash thinks it might be possible to hardwire it to pulse out a warning, said it might be doable without the main computer and asked me to watch out for you. We hoped you might find the beacon"

Gordon frowned slightly and nodded "The Beacon was a clever trick. How did you do it?"

"I didn't" she replied, shifting her stance slightly "Ash did. The relays for the hazard beacon are further down that way. She did something to it"

Gordon hummed. That made sense. The hazard beacon was meant to signal approaching ships that the vessel was unsafe to board. It was used to warn about things like reactor leaks or complete loss of atmosphere. It wasn't a long range thing and it was designed to continue functioning after almost everything else had failed. It was a tiny, self-contained system often left off maps.

"As for how we got out" she gave a slight smile and pulled a visor that extended from a small device sitting over her ear "Night Vision...well in this case infrared" she said "They couldn't see in the smoke. I could. I tricked them into fucking each other up and we got out with barely a scratch"

Gordon glanced at her side...big scratch. "We...we should find the Captain" Gordon said "We need to get out of here"

Mary blinked slightly "Get out of here? What are you talking about? The ship is gone, we checked"

Gordon bit his lip slightly "S...Sun ran when the Wolves came. She needs our help. The Shadow was badly damaged" He placed a hand on his belly and reddened as a gurgle ran through his stomach. He really wasn't feeling great. His form had been continuing its slow change during the discussion and it was becoming harder to ignore. He was a little curvier than he had been and his swollen chest was beginning to chafe against his shirt. He was able to limit his reaction to the occasional tightened jaw but the material was beginning to irritate his nipples and each spark of stimulation was a mix of pleasure and mild pain that was sending mixed messages to Gordon's poor brain.

"How the fuck did they do that?" asked Mary "The Odyssey has no guns"

Gordon winced slightly at her tone and moved his arms to subtly push his shirt up to make it slightly baggier around his chest "T...The pirate ship, they used its weapons"

"Well Fuck" said Mary genuinely angry "Three down..." she paused and took a look at Gordon as if unsure which half of the equation to include him on "...Three to go. We will make them pay fucking dearly for the last of us. I promise you"

Gordon shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. They felt weird. In fact, his whole face felt weird, as if everything was slightly wrong, some muscles too tight and others not quite pulling from the right place "We need to go Mary. We can still save Sun"

Mary turned her irritated stare to Gordon who shied away slightly, after a moment she sighed and the anger left her face "I...I'm sorry" she moved up and placed a hand against his shoulder. It was...gentle. Mary had never really touched him before but with her muscular physique he had always imagined her to be rough. There was an almost motherly smile on her face as she fixed her gaze on his eyes "We will look after you as best we can but...We can't go. The Shadow is gone and the controls won't respond on the pirate ship."

Gordon blinked. He wasn't sure whether he should act the happy pet or lower his eyes in submission or in fact, be annoyed that she thought he was losing his mind! In the end, he returned her stare, though, his gaze kept flicking away from time to time "N...No, you don't understand. The pirate ship. They took the control rods, I've got them here" he said jostling his bag.

"It's Nuclear" Mary exclaimed "And you have! Oh Gordon" she placed a hand on his other shoulder and actually lifted him into the air, spinning him in a circle. Gordon Squealed; a noise which he had never made before at any point in his life. Mary placed him down with a slightly pained grin "You could have left without us and instead, you follow a nameless beacon. I take back everything bad I ever said about you."

Gordon felt a little dizzy as she placed him back down but he gave her an excited little smile "T...Thankyou"

She nodded "Right, let's go find Ash" she looked to Swift "And you...just...follow quietly"

"Sure thing" Swift said with a giggle. She paused and tilted her head "Whose the Captain?"