FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Jacob nervously peeked through the curtain at the audience outside. The seating area had begun to fill up over the past half hour or so, and it seemed like it wouldn't stop until the show actually began. He couldn't help but feel amazed at just how many people had come.

He felt a poke on his shoulder. "Excuse me, sir?"

Jacob turned around only to get a brush stuck in his face. "H-hey!"

"Hold still," said an annoyed-looking otter as he carefully brushed something into the wolf's face fur. "I'm just doing some finishing touches."

"You said that ten minutes ago," the wolf grumbled, but let the makeup artist do his job. He hated the whole process of preparing to go on camera, especially the makeup. It was bad enough he had been forced to wear a navy blue tux that matched his eyes. Even his fur now had an almost unnatural shine to it as it caught the light.

"Okay, all done. Now just try not to scratch or touch your face," the otter said with an air of finality and retracted his brush. He gave the wolf one last appraising look and left.

With a huff, Jacob carefully scratched an annoying itch on his muzzle as he went further backstage. He found the rest of Legion standing around either waiting patiently or getting their makeup reapplied. Each of them wore their own formal attire, including a slim red suit for Gwen and a nice blue and black vest outfit for Jasper.

Nearby, Gavin was giving out pointers while another makeup artist messed with his hair. "Remember: smile, be polite, and speak loudly and clearly," he reminded them for possibly the fifth time since their arrival. "Answer Kelly's questions as honestly as you can and don't say anything offensive or threatening."

Ashton piped up. "You do realize how hard that's going to be..."

"Just do your best," Gavin encouraged. "As you know, I'll be handling most of the difficult questions. Follow the rough script we worked out and it should go fine." He blinked and looked around questioningly. "Where did Brent go off to?"

"I'm here," a deep voice sounded off toward the exit. The Shepherd strode toward them confidently in his own formal wear. He wore a grey vest with matching pants and a violet shirt underneath that went surprisingly well with his tan and black fur. His fur also had that dazzling glimmer to it. Jacob had to admit he looked rather handsome as he came closer, almost like a movie star.

"I needed some air," Brent explained.

"What, are you nervous?" Jacob teased with a chuckle.

Brent glanced at him. "Yes," he said seriously.

Jacob shook off the odd feeling he got from that gaze and looked past him, spotting Jasper pacing anxiously back and forth and muttering under his breath. Concerned, he strode over to his brother.

Jacob's paw on his shoulder made him jump. "You okay?"

Jasper nodded, though the older wolf could tell something was bothering him. "Yeah. Just nervous is all."

"You don't have to be nervous," Jacob said comfortingly. "Like Gav said, just be honest and you'll be fine."

Jasper nodded wordlessly and resumed pacing. Behind him, Jacob heard a new voice added to the mix.

"We'll be ready to go live any time now!" A lithe arctic fox announced. It was Kelly Holt, the host of the show. "You guys ready? And girl," she added, nodding to Gwen.

Gavin stepped forward. "We're ready whenever you are. And I'd like to thank you once again for this opportunity."

"Of course," Kelly acknowledged. She looked down at a clipboard. "So just to recap, I'm going to talk to the audience a bit and then I'll start calling you on set one by one. The order is Gavin, Gwen, Ashton, Sylvester, Nick, Jasper, Jacob, and then Brent. You know your cues, but that's the order just in case. Any questions?"

"Call me Sly, please," the raccoon spoke up. "I don't like Sylvester."

"Noted," said Kelly, looking up from her clipboard with a smile. "I think I'm all set, so if you're ready..."

"Let's do it," said Gavin with a nod.

Kelly nodded back and turned to get back on the set. As the crew got into place, Nick came up to Jacob and whispered, "So how do you feel about this? Being on the Kelly Show of all programs?"

Jacob shrugged. "Dunno, I don't watch much TV besides the news. Is there something wrong with this one?"

"People don't really like her because she's 'fake,' whatever that means," Nick explained. "I suppose it could have been worse. We could have ended up on one of the shittier news channels."

"I think a news channel would have been better," Jacob opined as someone began the countdown. "And to be fair, we do have a script. That's as fake as it gets, right?"

"Shhh!" Gavin hissed as the light dimmed and some funky jazz music played as the intro theme to the show. Up on a screen hidden from the audience, they watched as the curtains pulled back revealing Kelly in a typical talk show setting. She laughed and waved at the audience while they applauded wildly.

Once the music faded, she flashed a brilliant smile and projected, "Good evening America, welcome everyone! I'm Kelly Holt and tonight is a good night!"

Next to Jacob, Nick rolled his eyes. "That's terrible," he muttered, met with another glare from Gavin.

"But it's not just any night," Kelly continued, "Because as I'm sure you all know, we have some rather special guests tonight. People unlike anyone we've had on this show before." She stepped forward, looking almost businesslike in her suit if it weren't for her casual demeanor. "We've all heard about a small group of vigilantes living under the radar away from prying eyes. Rebels who have expressed an opinion against the defective Brand enthusiasts we know as Sealbreakers, and are willing to go to great lengths to stop them."

As she talked, a clip of what appeared to be cell phone footage, based on the shaky camera, played depicting part of Legion's fight with the angel at the mall. The video had been taken just before the angel smashed through the ceiling with Brent in her claws.

"This group of brave heroes calls themselves Legion," Kelly paused ominously. "And -"

"Woohoo!" Someone cheered from the audience, soon echoed by the thunderous applause from the rest of the audience. Jacob grinned at their approval and felt his heart lift. It appeared they had a better reputation than they had thought.

Kelly waited for the applause to die down. "And folks, they have agreed to come and talk with us tonight. Right here. Right now. So without further ado, please welcome the leader and founder of the great Legion, Gavin Masters!"

Gavin now walked onto the set, offering a curt grin and a wave to the audience, who cheered with renewed vigor. He sat down politely across from Kelly with one leg crossed, and the interview began.

"Thank you for coming on tonight, Mr. Masters," said Kelly. "We're all glad you were able to make it."

"Thanks for having me," Gavin responded. "And please, call me Gavin."

She already knew that, of course. It was all in the script. "Sure! So Gavin, how long has Legion been running? You only just showed up on the headlines just over a year ago, but I get the feeling you've been around for much longer."

"You'd be partially correct," said Gavin. "Legion itself might not be all that old, but the idea of it had been brewing in my mind for much longer."

Kelly 'mhmm'ed thoughtfully. "And what is the 'idea' behind Legion? What's your purpose? I imagine there's a little more to Legion than a bunch of rebels."

"I wouldn't call us rebels. Think of us as sentries, more like," Gavin replied. "Put simply, we're here to stop the efforts of the Sealbreakers, a group of defective scientists creating dangerous and unstable Brands that have cost the lives of many."

"How do you intend to do that?"

"In all honesty, we're not sure," said Gavin. "We only have limited resources, so we have to play it by ear. We have, however, found evidence of the Sealbreakers using live test subjects for their experiments. And from what we found, all of them have ended up dying in the end."

Gasps and hushed whispers sounded from the audience. Gavin paused to let the moment sink in before continuing. "So as you can see, the situation is very dire."

"Why are they doing this?" Kelly said shocked. "Surely they realize the harm they're doing?"

"Oh, sure they do," Gavin waved a paw in dismissal. "But as we all know, science is a slippery slope. Give them an inch, and they'll strive for a mile."

"The same can be said for technology," Jacob muttered, his mind drifting to the microchip implanted in his brain. While it offered some of the better basic accessories of a cell phone, the concept was rather over the top.

"While we're on the topic of science," said Kelly. "Do you think you can give us an idea of what the Sealbreakers are doing? We know the Gen 2 Brands are their doing, but why?"

Gavin shook his head, holding up a finger. "Correction. The idea that the Sealbreakers created the Gen 2 Brands is a misconception. They are relatively rare, but they do occur naturally." He loosened his sleeve and pulled it up, revealing his star-shaped tattoo. "This is a Star Brand. I got it at seventeen years old at River Heights Medical Center and I hid it for the longest time. No tricks, no serum. Completely natural."

The husky pulled his sleeve back down and redid his cuff. He raised his gaze to the camera again. "However, the Sealbreakers are forcing more Generation 2 Brands to emerge via a newly developed serum they call Ultium. When consumed, it forces the imbiber to take on the specified Brand when they go to their appointment. At first it was just a way to cheat the system, but it's clear now that they're using it with malicious intent."

"Hard to argue that," Kelly observed. "But the question still remains: why?"

"It's hard to tell at this point," Gavin responded thoughtfully. "We all saw the effects of a strengthened version of the serum at the mall a week ago; the result was quite devastating. And we know they're trying to force more people into taking Gen 2 Brands, but like I said, we don't know why." He continued with purpose. "However, we've made more progress in the last month than we have since I founded this group. With some more time and a lot more resources, we're sure to find the answer."

"And more members perhaps?" Kelly asked curiously. "There are only eight of you after all. Many hands make light work, right?"

Gavin shook his head again. "We're a very tightly knit group. We may be few, but we know what we're doing. There are far too many Sealbreaker enthusiasts out there who would like nothing more than to help bring us down. It may seem paranoid, but we have to be careful."

Kelly nodded and smiled at the camera. "Well, you heard it here folks! Keep your resumes to yourselves; no applicants here!"

The crowd laughed while Nick shook his head in disappointment. "She needs better jokes."

"Shhh!"

_ _ "So, I've told you pretty much everything, barring anything confidential," said Gavin, shifting a little to get comfortable again. "Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"Of course! Don't think I'm letting you go so soon," Kelly said jokingly. "We may know now what Legion is all about, but what about you? What do you think folks? You want to know a bit more about our fearless leader here?"

The audience whooped and cheered in response. Meanwhile, Jacob and the others stared at the screen in shock. "What's she doing?" Jacob muttered. "That's not in the script..."

Gavin just barely masked his surprise himself. "Okay. What would you like to know?"

"Firstly, what made you want to form Legion in the first place?" Kelly inquired. "What made you decide to step up and take matters into your own paws?"

Gavin visibly relaxed. "That's easy. I've always thought science had a tendency to go too far, and once the Sealbreakers emerged, I decided enough was enough. It was just me and Gwen at first, but the others joined later."

"Yes, but something must have occurred to make you want to take that step," Kelly insisted. "I mean, look at you! You look to me like someone who's seen some things. Somewhere beneath that hard exterior, I see a man who has lost something dear to him. You don't just create something like Legion on a whim, am I right?"

In the camera's view, the husky remained impassive, though Jacob knew he was actually beginning to get upset. "I wasn't told I was going to a psychology conference."

Kelly laughed. "I can't claim to be any sort of psychologist; I was just making an observation." She leaned forward in interest, and in turn peaked the attention of the viewers. "But tell me. Did something happen?"

Gavin's expression began to take on that stony appearance his comrades were so used to seeing. "That's personal."

"Oh, come on," Kelly pressed, accompanied by a few disappointed noises from the audience. "What's the harm in telling us? Surely it can't be that bad. Tell us! Tell us!"

"Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!"

_ _ The audience had picked up the chant, their words echoing throughout the hall. Gavin on the other hand could do nothing but stare at them mortified.

"What's happening? Why is she doing this?" Jacob demanded. "We didn't agree to answer those types of questions. We even told her we wouldn't!"

"I don't know," said Gwen nervously. "Maybe someone tipped her off and she's getting paid to do it? But why her of all people? From what I know of this show, she's not very controversial."

Jacob turned his eyes back to the screen. "I have a feeling that's about to change..."

"So this is the trap we were trying to avoid." Nick rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I fucking told you all this was a bad idea."

"Save the 'I told you so' speech for later, Nick," Brent snapped. "We need to worry about the problem at hand."

"Yeah! And the problem at hand is that we're fucking idiots -"

"What can we do?" Jacob cut across him. "We can't call off the interview; it's far too late for that."

"Logically, the only thing we can do is to roll with the punches," Sly observed. "If we actively push back, it will make us look bad, which seems to be what Kelly is trying to do. So let's play it calm, see what happens."

As much as he wanted to disagree, Jacob knew he was right. With a deep breath, he watched Gavin struggle internally with the situation while the audience began to die down.

"If you must know..." Gavin said carefully. "I once had family who were very dear to me, and I had to leave them behind because of the Sealbreakers. That is as much as I am willing to disclose on camera."

"Well, that hardly tells us anything, does it?" Kelly remarked in disappointment. "We've all had to choose between family and ambition, right? It's a fact of life!" She leaned forward again. "What really happened, Gavin?"

"That's none of your business," Gavin snapped, narrowing his eyes.

"Oops! Looks like our 'fearless leader' isn't in a chatty mood tonight," Kelly announced with a glance to her audience. "That's fine. I did my research." She picked up a few papers sitting next to her. "Although, I'll need you to fill in some blanks for me. Even the police haven't got much on you, you see."

"Reminding them of our reckless delinquent days...she's good," Ashton said almost in awe.

"Were you really that bad back then?" Jacob inquired.

Ashton raised an eyebrow at him. "You were in Sanction; you should know. Remember all that graffiti you had to clean up?"

Jacob did remember. There had been times when he would spend several days' worth of work just dealing with cases of vandalism around the city.

Gavin flickered his gaze down to the papers and back up again. Despite his anxiety, he reeled back his agitation and waited for whatever Kelly had in store for him.

"It says here that you used to work in marketing for KazCorp," she read. "Your wife worked for the same corporation, but in a different position. And when you learned what the Sealbreakers were doing, you left. But you didn't just leave your job." Kelly looked at him pointedly. "You left your wife as well."

Gavin shook his head and rubbed his temples with a paw. "There's more to it than that..."

"You also had a son. How old was he? Three? Four?" Kelly questioned. "It says 'young' in the police report, but that could be anywhere from newborn to ten years old -"

"I'd rather not talk about that," Gavin deadpanned.

Kelly stared at him for a second, and then said, "One more question, if you don't mind."

Gavin remained silent.

"You left your family in order to form the nonconformist vigilante group we now know as Legion," Kelly began. "My questions is: was it worth it? As of right now, after you've forgotten them and after all the destruction you and the Sealbreakers have caused, is it worth it?"

In Jacob's view, he saw Gavin sitting perfectly still, though he could tell the husky was carefully considering his answer. This could possibly make or break the interview. "Come on, Gav..."

"Yes," Gavin said, and the audience gasped. He brought his leg down and leaned forward imposingly. "Because despite all the trouble it took to get this far, Legion is winning." Gavin pointed toward the crowd. "You see them? They're here for us. Because they know that we're here to make a difference and want to support us. That thing at the mall? It only happened because Legion was here to try and stop it; otherwise the Sealbreakers wouldn't have felt the need to rush their work, and the result wouldn't have been quite so catastrophic."

Kelly appeared completely calm during Gavin's tirade. She said not a word, but only met his gaze impassively.

"This is our fight, not yours. I promise you, we're not the bad guys," Gavin continued. "The Sealbreakers will do anything - anything - to get what they want, including paying a talk show host to taint our image." The accusation made Kelly blink in a startled fashion. "And who knows, once this is all over I can go back to my family. So you tell me. Do you think it's worth it?"

The audience watched as Kelly sat frozen in her seat. She visibly gulped and opened her mouth, though she was slightly less confident than before. "I...think I understand. Loyalty is an important virtue in this type of conflict. It's good Legion has got someone like you to lead them."

Jacob nearly laughed out loud. The way Kelly had suddenly switched tunes like that was comical.

"Now how about we get this show back on the road?" Gavin suggested. "I think the rest of my team would like to have a turn."

Kelly nodded. "Of course. It was an honor talking to you, Gavin."

"Same to you."

"Gavin Masters, everybody!"

The crowd cheered again, even louder than before. Gavin sauntered off the stage and back to where Jacob and the others were waiting. Jacob looked up at him as he approached.

"Hey, Gav," he whispered. "Nice -"

He stopped short as he realized Gavin's expression. Instead of appearing satisfied after a small victory, the husky's face was twisted in a scowl. Gavin brushed by without a word and sat down in a chair against the wall, holding his face in his paws.

Seeing this made his heart sink, and he stepped forward to try to comfort his leader, but was stopped by an arm blocking his way.

"Leave him alone," Gwen advised. "He doesn't like to be -"

"And next up, we have someone to put in a word or two for us ladies!" Kelly announced excitedly. "Our leader's very own niece, Gwen Costa!"

_ _ "That's my cue," said Gwen as she walked toward the set. "Remember, stay calm back here!"

After the vixen joined Kelly on the stage, Jacob noticed Ashton sitting off to the side with his laptop, the light from the screen illuminating his face. He walked over in intrigue.

"What are you doing?" He inquired. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your interview? You're up next."

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Ashton replied distractedly. "After that thing Kelly just pulled, I thought I'd look to see how it affected our viewer count."

Now curious, Jacob stepped a little closer. "And?"

"Look." The tiger angled his laptop so that he could see the screen. Ashton had several tabs open displaying different video streaming sites. As he clicked across each one, the sites' viewer counts were in the hundreds of thousands.

"That little stunt she pulled didn't deter the public in the least," Ashton said, rotating the computer back toward himself. "If anything, she may have knocked off a couple hundred, but more and more people keep showing up. I think Gav may have actually saved us."

Jacob glanced back at the agitated husky. "Yeah, I think he did."

The interview with Gwen went similarly to Gavin's, though Kelly didn't get quite so personal this time. Gwen was asked some questions about what her role was in the group, what it was like being the only woman among the eight of them, etc. What really got the audience intrigued was when she revealed that she had no Brand. The idea of having no Brand at this point in time was odd to say the least.

Ashton, Sly, and Nick's interview also went uneventfully. The former two explained some of their backgrounds in technology and science respectively, appearing to be the intellectuals of the group. Nick did something similar, but opted to play off the "sly fox" stereotype, acting intelligent but cool and offering a playful joke every now and then.

When it was time for Jasper to enter the stage, he was visibly shaking. Jacob came up to and him patted his shoulder like last time. "It's okay. Remember, just answer honestly."

Jasper nodded. The way he fidgeted nervously reminded him of the younger wolf's Branding.

Once his name was called, Jasper made his way out onto the stage, ignoring the resounding applause in his favor. He sat down in the chair opposite Kelly, who still had that sweet smile on her muzzle as she waited for him to get settled.

"So Jasper, if I'm not mistaken, you're only sixteen years old?" Kelly asked.

Jasper muttered nervously, his voice just barely audible. "Yes."

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that?"

"Yes," Jasper said louder.

"Sixteen years old," Kelly mused. "I feel like that's something we're all surprised about. The fact that someone so young could be involved in something so big...If you don't mind me asking, what's it like to be the youngest in the group?"

"I..." Jasper's nerves were blaringly obvious, both in the shakiness of his voice and in the way he habitually stroked his black-tipped tail as it lay on his lap. "It's fine I guess."

"Just fine? Maybe you can give us a bit more than that," Kelly pressed. She appeared to be trying to be gentle with the young wolf, but it was hard to get him to cooperate in this state. "Does Gavin give you any special treatment because of your age?"

Again with Gavin... Jacob shook his head as he watched the scene play out. Gavin himself had risen from his chair and was now standing with his arms crossed, glaring pointedly at the screen.

Jasper looked astounded at the suggestion, the shyness leaving his eyes for the first time. "No! He treats us all the same!"

"Does he now?" Kelly's eyes flashed at an opportunity. "So do you think he expects too much of you, demanding more than you think you can handle? Is he too harsh?"

"No, he treats me fine," Jasper insisted. "He may be gruff sometimes, but that's just who he is. All these things going on puts a lot of stress on him, but he's not mean." The wolf's eyes became unfocused as his voice once again lowered in volume. "He's like a father to me."

"Awwww!"

_ _ Jacob stared as his heart swelled for his brother. He'd had no idea Jasper felt that way. Looking behind him, Gavin's expression had melted into something much softer.

"Speaking of fathers, why don't you tell me about your dad?" Kelly suggested. "If my sources are correct, he left when you were very young. Do you ever wonder if he'll come back?"

Jacob tensed as the subject of his father came up. Jesus, how much digging did she do?

"All the time," Jasper replied.

"What would you say to him if he did?"

"I don't know," admitted Jasper. "I don't really know much about him."

"Well, let's flip it the other way around then," said Kelly. "What do you think he would say, seeing you in this position?"

"I'm not sure," Jasper repeated, thinking. "I guess he would be proud."

"Hmm. Are you sure he'd be proud?" Kelly asked skeptically. "Would he be proud to see you hiding from the law after having spoofed your Brand?"

"I - wait!" Jasper stammered, not having expected the attack. "I didn't spoof my Brand!"

"Jasper, it's okay. Lots of people have done it; it's not unheard of for something like this to happen," Kelly reassured him. "We just need to hear it from you."

"I didn't do anything. I was sabotaged!" Jasper insisted, his voice beginning to rise. "You can ask Jake, my brother. He was there, too!"

"Fortunately, he's up next. So we'll be sure to ask him," said Kelly in an annoyingly chipper tone. "Thanks for your time, Jasper."

"It wasn't my fault! You have to believe me," Jasper pleaded. "My Branding hurt! It was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life!"

"Can we get a round of applause for Jasper Grimm, everyone?"

The audience obliged, though they were considerably less rowdy than before. Jasper took one look at the crowd, uttered a disheartened "thanks," and walked off the stage dejectedly. Jacob tried to comfort him once he got close, but Jasper simply gave him a sad look and stood off to the side.

"And next we have the big brother, the ex-Sanction officer and recent recruit! Is he truly here only to 'protect and preserve?' Or does he have other motives for joining? We'll find out soon; everyone give it up for Jacob Grimm!"

_ _ After watching his brother get humiliated on live television, a slow fire began to build in Jacob's chest. His jaw set and his tail lashed once in anger. The wolf straightened, braced himself mentally, and walked out onto the set. The audience clapped as always as he made his way across. There was Kelly, her muzzle widened in a brilliant smile that he knew belied a sinister intent. He did not return the smile, but tried not to appear surly either. The wolf remained impassive and wordlessly took his seat.

The applause died down and left the two of them in silence. Jacob waited for his first question. And waited some more. When he heard nothing he looked up, and Kelly was watching him expectantly.

Jacob connected the dots and cursed himself internally. He had been so caught up in his anger that he had missed the first question entirely!

"I-I'm sorry?" He stammered.

That got a laugh from the audience. Kelly grinned as well, sending a knowing look their way. "I guess it doesn't matter, does it?"

Jacob wasn't aware of the context of that comment, but the audience obviously did, for they expressed their amusement once again. Damn it. Already he had managed to make himself look dumb. Get it together, Jake!

_ _ "I said, should I call you Jacob?" Kelly repeated. "Or can I call you Jake?"

Jacob gathered his wits and replied, "I prefer Jacob." From you anyway.

_ _ Kelly nodded in assent. "So Jacob, you're quite the spectacle compared to the others we've talked to tonight. You were once a devoted Sanction police officer, the perfect example of a law abiding citizen, and then broke that mold to join Legion. Whatever prompted you to do that?"

The truth was he had been caught somewhere he ought not to be and run away. But he couldn't tell her that. "I found out people in Sanction were involved in the illegal development of rogue Brands," Jacob answered in a half-truth. "So I left and found Legion soon after."

"I see," said Kelly. "And it doesn't bother you that you made that decision so readily? Most people would hesitate before making that kind of commitment."

"Not really. I've never had a problem with breaking the rules," Jacob replied. "If it's for the greater good, I'm happy."

"'For the greater good.' Spoken like a true Sanction officer," Kelly observed to murmurs of agreement from the crowd. "Once Sanction, always Sanction, am I right?"

Jacob gave a noncommittal laugh that he hoped was convincing. "I guess."

"Let's change the subject," suggested Kelly, running a paw through her hair. "Your brother just minutes ago told us that he was not responsible for the tampering of his Brand. Do you think you can -"

"It wasn't him," Jacob cut across her, eyes narrowed.

The arctic fox clearly hadn't been prepared for his interruption, but she recovered quickly. "Are you sure? People have been known to drink a serum just before their appointment to obtain a certain Brand. For all you know, he could have -"

"He didn't," Jacob said firmly. "I know him. I was there. He was frightened out of his fur. He was sabotaged; that much is clear."

"But are you sure it was the procedure itself he was frightened of?" Kelly questioned. "Maybe he was nervous because he thought the serum might go wrong?"

Jacob stared at her as if she were stupid. "Is this a joke to you?"

Kelly blinked, her eyes flickering to the side and then back again. "I -"

"You can badger me all you want, but no one talks shit about my brother."

There was a collective gasp from the audience as the expletive reached their ears. There was no doubt it would probably be censored for those watching from home.

"My apologies," said Kelly. "However, you can't deny that the whole situation is rather questionable. After all, those two doctors in charge of the procedure were confirmed dead hours after you froze them."

"They were trying to get him arrested," Jacob countered. "I wasn't about to let that happen."

"Why not? It's your job as part of Sanction to uphold the law, right?"

"I'm not in Sanction!" Jacob exclaimed. "Those days are gone! Over!"

"But you were at the time," Kelly pointed out.

"Like I said, if it's for the greater good, I have no problem with breaking the rules," said Jacob. He turned to the audience. "You want to know why I froze them? Because I was scared. Scared that I might lose my brother, the only family I have left, and never see him again."

"My mother died when I was nineteen years old. And my father left when Jasper was young, without even a word of goodbye." Jacob's heart felt heavier with every word that came out, though he kept himself together for the camera. "If I lost him...I don't know what I'd do. That's why I joined Sanction in the first place. So that I could train and be able to protect him."

"And that's what I'm doing now, except it's not just him anymore. It's all of you," he said, gesturing to the crowd. "We may not know what we're up against, but neither do the Sealbreakers. This is my new family now. Legion is family; we watch each other's backs. And if anyone tries to tear us apart..." He trailed off, glaring knowingly at the camera, at any Sealbreakers he knew would be watching.

Jacob sat back, satisfied with his speech. "That's all I have to say."

Kelly, just like after Gavin's speech, was struck speechless. She fumbled with her words and finally managed to get out, "Thank you, Jacob. I can't say I know what you're going through, but I wish you good luck in your future endeavors."

Jacob knew a dismissal when he heard one. "Thank you." He rose and exited the stage, the audience's applause echoing behind him. The rest of Legion were staring at him as he came back, but he ignored them. He knew he had broken Gavin's rule not to be threatening, but he felt he had needed to say what he had. Kelly wasn't getting off free if he could help it.

Next was Brent. As he was welcomed onstage, he showed none of the nerves he claimed to have had earlier. The Shepherd sat down and relaxed in his seat, his cool attitude showing in a pleasant smile.

"Brent McAllister, also from Sanction," Kelly began. "Though I have to admit, I wouldn't have guessed you were part of the police force. I thought you could have been a football player the first time I saw you."

The audience laughed at that.

"Nah, I just work out a lot," Brent said with a lazy flick of a paw. "How about you though? You seem like someone who's seen their fair share of exercise."

Jacob frowned and Kelly blushed. "Oh no, I've never been one for sports," she said merrily, almost in a girlish giggle. "I'm the same as you. I just work out to keep my figure."

"Could've fooled me." Brent flashed a surprisingly charming smile as he looked on in interest. "Thought you'd at least have been a model in a previous job or something."

"I studied fashion, does that count?"

"I believe it. And yeah, I suppose it does."

The audience laughed again, along with the two onstage who seemed to be having a good time. Jacob, however, watched in intrigue.

"Is he...flirting?"

"Looks like it," Nick replied in awe. "Genius, really. This is television. It's all about selling a character, and he's doing it really well."

"But I thought we're supposed to be selling Legion, not ourselves," Jacob opined as he observed Brent's antics. "It doesn't seem like the right time or place for jokes."

"We don't need to sell Legion anymore. I think you and Gav did a fine job of that," said Nick with a sidelong glance at the wolf. "And after your little rant, I think he's just trying to defuse the situation."

Jacob had to admit it was working. Back on the set, Brent and Kelly still seemed to be getting along quite well.

"I've always been a 'stick to the rules, ask questions later' kind of guy," Brent was saying. "So ending up involved with Legion was a bit of a shock."

"Do you not like being in Legion?" Kelly inquired.

"Well, I wouldn't say any of us wants to be in Legion," Brent rationalized. "But I like the excitement it brings. It's better than the dull life I had planned ahead of me."

"What were your plans?"

"Oh, go back to school and get a Masters," Brent replied nonchalantly. "Maybe find a mate, raise a family, the whole shabazz."

"And you're okay with that?" Kelly sounded surprised. "Having that perfect life taken away from you?"

"Like I said, it was dull." It seemed that the dog was so nonchalant about the whole thing that she couldn't get a rise out of him. He really was that good. "It may have been perfect, but it was boring. This is more exciting. Meaningful."

"That's...an interesting perspective," said Kelly. "But isn't your family worried? Or maybe a special someone you're close to?"

"I've talked to my family since, and I'm sure they're fine," Brent said. "And there's no 'special someone' to worry over me, so no problem there."

"No one? Are you sure?" Kelly teased playfully. "So there's no one at all you were interested in before you left?"

"There was one guy," Brent admitted casually. "But he didn't know I liked him, so it's no big deal."

"Guy?" Kelly echoed.

"Yep. Guy." Brent turned to the audience and flashed his pearly whites again. "Sorry ladies. This dog bats for his own team."

"Jeez, the guy's going to have his own fan base soon," Jacob muttered.

"Well, we've heard plenty of good things about Legion and plenty about its members as well," Kelly continued. "But I've got just one more question for you, Brent."

"Shoot."

"You've said yourself you didn't mind much when Legion took you in," Kelly recounted. "But now that you're here, what do you want out of it? What's your goal?"

Brent took a long moment to think about it. "I guess it hasn't ever changed since before I joined up. My whole motivation for joining Sanction was that I just wanted to help make the world a better place. Stamp out crime and all that. And now...I guess it's still the same." The Shepherd thought a bit longer and continued. "Someone I love was hurt by people like the Sealbreakers. People who thought themselves above the law and committed crime for personal gain. I want to fight back, show them that what they're doing isn't okay. I want justice."

"So you're here for revenge?" Kelly asked.

"No, not revenge," Brent shook his head adamantly. "Justice."

"A noble cause for sure. And for that we respect you," Kelly remarked conclusively. "I believe we're out of time. It was great talking to you, Brent."

"You too."

As Kelly began making her closing statements to conclude the show, Jacob turned around to face his comrades.

"So how was that?" He inquired.

"Could have been worse," said Nick wryly. "Could have been much better."

"I can't believe she'd flip the tables on us like that," Gwen whispered. "That was more of an interrogation than an interview."

"She was probably paid," said Sly. "Though I don't think this will be good for the show."

Gavin said nothing, but had resumed his steely gaze on the screen. Once the show had ended, Kelly and Brent returned backstage. When he caught sight of the arctic fox, Gavin stalked toward her.

"What the hell was that?" He snapped angrily.

Kelly paused, looking shocked. "Pardon?"

"You know what I mean," said Gavin as he towered over her. "What in God's name were those questions? What happened to the script?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kelly left without another word.

Gavin growled, dragging a paw down his face. "Damn it!"

"Hey, it kind of turned out okay," Nick tried. "At least we didn't -"

"Nick, just don't," Gavin warned.

"They seemed to like us well enough," Ashton pointed out. "Especially after Brent did his thing."

"True, but we've probably lost a lot of potential supporters because of her," countered Gavin. He glared at Jacob. "You, however, need to watch your temper."

"She humiliated Jasper in front of thousands of people!" Jacob protested. "She can't -"

"I don't care what she did. You only made the situation worse!" Gavin responded irritably. "It was only because of Brent that she started to tone it down a little."

"Where is he, by the way?" Sly piped up. Looking around, Brent had disappeared again.

"Probably off changing," said Gavin. "You should all do the same. I'm going to find Kelly."

"We want to come, too," Gwen replied. To Jacob, she said, "You should probably go change. We've got this."

Jacob was taken aback. "But -"

"We can't have you blowing up at her again," she insisted. "Just go." Without waiting for him to respond, she followed the rest of the team further backstage. The wolf grumbled and headed for the dressing rooms.

When he arrived, he saw that Brent was indeed already there. He had apparently just arrived, for he only just begun to change out of his clothes. He glanced into the mirror as the wolf walked in.

"Well well, if it isn't Angry Wolf," Brent said snarkily. "Thought I should change clothes after cleaning up your mess. You're welcome, by the way," he added as he shrugged off his vest.

That pissed Jacob right off. "What's your problem?"

"After your little outburst, you left me to try and calm things down," Brent accused. "Which is not something I appreciated."

"It's probably not even that big of a deal," said Jacob. He began to change as well, starting with his jacket. "They loved us out there."

"Not as much as you think." Brent grabbed his phone and slid it over. The screen displayed a forum titled "Legion: Friend or Foe?" in which hundreds of comments had already been made. "People have already labeled you as the loose cannon of the group."

Jacob slid the device back in disgust. "At least I wasn't flirting with the host."

"That was tactical." Brent pulled off his shirt, revealing a tank underneath that bared his bulging arms and accentuated his strong chest and stomach. "The fans love to have a handsome celebrity to fawn over. I figured I'd fill that role."

"You have an awfully high opinion of yourself," Jacob remarked. He had shed his shirt as well, and grabbed a plastic bag that held his casual clothes. "Besides, I think you ruined it when you said you were gay."

"Naw, fangirls love that shit. Being unattainable only makes them want you more." As he fiddled with his pants button, he turned slightly so that his back was facing the wolf. From his vantage point, Jacob followed the curvature of the dog's spine down to where it flared out again at his thick rump, which was emphasized by the tightness of the pants. Only when those pants started to come off did the wolf blink and turn away, working on his own button.

"That may work for horny teens, but not the general public," said Jacob. "Not if that forum you showed me has anything to say about it."

Brent scoffed. "That was only one thread. You haven't seen the several other posts on the same site."

"What's your point?" Jacob snapped irritably.

"That." Brent said with conviction, turning around and pointing a finger at the wolf. "You're so quick to take offense. You need to chill."

"What do you mean, I need to chill?" Jacob demanded. "I've done nothing wrong."

"You threatened the Sealbreakers and anyone who stands in our way," Brent accused. "I think that counts."

"It was implicit!" Jacob protested. "It wasn't like I screamed at her or anything."

"You may as well have." Once a pair of tight-fitting jeans were pulled up his legs, Brent sniffed at his tank and wrinkled his nose. He pulled it off, fully revealing his muscular torso. As he did this, he kept talking. "You're impulsive, you don't think before you do, and it's a problem."

Jacob caught sight of the spectacle and had to force himself to look away for some reason. "You're starting to sound like Nick."

"Maybe he's onto something," said Brent.

"I can't help it! It's a habit that's been engrained in my mind for years," Jacob retorted, pulling on his clothes with increased agitation. "You should know; we were trained to act on impulse."

"We were trained to act quickly," Brent amended. "There's a difference."

"Whatever," snapped Jacob. "Just don't expect me to feel sorry for what I said back there. I wanted to get that message across. I'm not taking any chances."

"You're being reckless and stupid," Brent argued. "What do you mean, you're not taking any chances? What is it you're afraid of?"

"You know what I'm afraid of. Weren't you listening?"

"But there's something else, isn't there? Something you haven't told any of us yet?"

Jacob looked up, and at that moment, something odd came over him. Brent had turned fully toward him, his entire front clearly visible to the wolf. Something about the way he stood there slouched slightly to the side, his crossed arms accentuating those large biceps, framing that bulging chest and tight abs...

He needed to leave.

"Fuck you, Brent. Fuck you." He quickly pulled on a shirt and made for the door.

"Tell me I'm wrong!" Brent shouted after him, but Jacob paid him no heed.

Back at the staging area, the rest of Legion were returning from their talk with Kelly. Gavin noticed him leaving and barked, "Where are you going?"

"I need some time alone," Jacob said without stopping. "I'll come back to the base, I promise."

"You can't just -"

"Let him go," Gwen intervened. Gavin looked down at her curiously. "I think he found Brent," she said. They watched him in bewilderment as he left.

Jacob soon emerged through a side entrance to the studio. It was quite late; the sky had gotten dark since their arrival, but people were still milling about. The wolf huffed and began a casual walk down the sidewalk. The farther he got from the studio the more people he encountered, as he was starting to pass more shops and restaurants along the side.

He knew he shouldn't have let Kelly get on his nerves. That was probably the exact reaction she had been fishing for. And because of him, Legion was getting quite the mixed reaction from the public. Had he potentially ruined their chances at being successful?

And what was Brent's deal? That dog always had a bit of an ego, but he had never been known to pry like that; at least not to that extent. Brent had no right to act smug like that, even if he had the body to back it up. A big, muscled, toned body...Jacob shook his thoughts away. What the fuck was wrong with him?

"Hey you! Aren't you Jacob Grimm?" Someone shouted behind him.

Jacob turned around and saw a stranger standing there. "Uh yeah?"

"I saw you on TV! Did you really kill those two people?"

Oh, not this again. "I'd rather not talk about -" Jacob turned to continue walking but immediately bumped into someone else.

"Sorry! I was wondering if -"

"Listen, I don't want to talk!" Jacob pushed past the shocked citizen and began to walk away faster. As he did, however, he heard even more voices congregating behind him.

"Jacob! If you have a minute -"

"What's the real reason you left Sanction?"

"Are you against the Generation 2s?"

A crowd had soon formed behind the wolf, and it was quickly growing. The chatter started to become too much for Jacob, and he turned around once more.

"Everyone, please! I don't want -"

They didn't listen. As they crowded around him, Jacob soon found himself rather cramped and overwhelmed by the questions they were throwing at him.

"What do you think about Gavin?"

"Jacob! Jacob! How are the Sealbreakers getting the Ultium to their victims?"

"Do you know where they'll strike next?"

"Everyone, settle down!"

The voice was a familiar one that rang out above all the others. The crowd parted to reveal Eric Cross, clad in his black Sanction uniform and radiating authority as he strode toward them.

"Leave the poor guy alone, everyone. Any questions you have can be put online," the rhino said, waving his hands. "Move along!"

The crowd reluctantly obeyed and dispersed, leaving Jacob along with the rhino. Eric peered at him curiously.

"Fancy seeing you here," he said.

Jacob, though grateful for the intervention, was skeptical. "Since when did you give yourself patrol shifts?"

Eric grinned at him lopsidedly. "What, I can't mix things up a little?"

"You don't give a damn about 'mixing things up,'" said Jacob. He hadn't forgotten the Sealbreakers' interference with the interview. "You're usually holed up in your office doing god-knows-what. What is it you want?"

"My my, someone's on edge tonight..."

"Cut the crap," Jacob snapped. "What do you -"

"You know, Gavin's right," Eric said in an oddly casual manner. The rhino glanced around as if simply on a late night stroll. "You really should watch your temper."

Jacob balked. "How did you -"

"Perhaps we should talk about this somewhere...less exposed?" Eric nodded to the coffee shop they were standing conveniently outside. "Care for a drink?"

Jacob had a nagging feeling this was a bad idea...but he wanted answers. "Fine," he said. "But don't try anything or -"

"As if I would," Eric remarked snidely. "Imagine the headlines if I of all people tried to assault a member of Legion. Not to mention the number of members Sanction would lose..."

"Point taken," Jacob admitted. He gestured to the shop. "Lead the way."

Eric led him through the glass door into the coffee shop, a high-pitched bell ringing as they entered. The shop was warm and smelled of fresh coffee beans, being one of the renowned coffee places in the city. About every variety of brew covered the menu as well as other miscellaneous items such as sandwiches and donuts.

Eric sidled up to the counter and studied the wolf beside him. "You're probably hungry after all that drama tonight." Before Jacob had a chance to respond, Eric fired off his order. "Two white chocolate mocha lattes with pumpkin spice, please. And a turkey and apple on wheat."

"Already got one for ya," said the barista, sliding over a paper cup with Eric's name scribbled on the side. "We'll have the rest out for you shortly, officer."

"Thanks." He grabbed his cup and led Jacob over to a table right next to a window. They sat down and Jacob watched the rhino with anticipation.

"What are you playing at?" He demanded.

"Take a nice gesture when you can, Jacob," Eric said as he rested his chin on his folded fingers. "Remember what we taught you about manners."

Jacob huffed in annoyance just before his food arrived. A neatly assembled sandwich and a steaming cup of coffee stared up at him as if taunting him, reminding him of the rhino's strange generosity.

"Okay, level with me," Jacob said, looking back up at Eric. "Did you have anything to do with Kelly's behavior tonight?"

"Yes," Eric replied simply. "I paid her myself. She was very adamant about not wanting to do it, but after I slid some money her way, she reconsidered."

Jacob scoffed. "Of course."

"I must admit, she did a great job on Gavin." When the wolf watched him in confusion, he grinned. "What? Big tough guy like him? We all knew he'd be fun to mess with."

"What was the point of all that anyway?" Jacob inquired. "What do you get out of it?"

"Leverage. A small bit, but leverage nonetheless." Eric sipped his coffee and 'mmm'ed at the taste. "The whole point was to stunt the amount of followers you gained from the deal." He held up his phone for the wolf to see. "And it seems it worked."

Jacob frowned. "But why -" He was interrupted by his phone ringing. Bringing it out, he saw Nick's name glaring at him on the screen. He declined the call and faced Eric once more. Whatever Nick had to say, it could wait.

Eric glanced down at the wolf's food. "You gonna eat that?"

Jacob followed his gaze and suddenly felt ravenous. He grabbed the sandwich and took a big bite, savoring the turkey mixed with the sweet juice from the apple.

"That's not what's got you so upset, though, is it?" Eric asked, returning to their original conversation. "Something else has got you miffed."

Jacob took another bite. "Brent's being a dick," he said through a mouthful.

"You two are still at each other's throats?" Eric said incredulously. He laughed. "I thought you both would mellow down after joining Legion, but no! You two have really got it in for each other, huh?"

Jacob growled, again muffled through his food. "Whatever."

"You know, you won't believe this," Eric remarked, sitting back in his chair. "But your rivalry actually made you two of my best recruits. Always trying to one-up each other, you both pushed yourselves to your limits and beyond. I'm proud of you."

Jacob barely acknowledged the comment as he swallowed another mouthful, looking down as his sandwich. Something was missing. Maybe some salt would fix it? As if reading his mind, Eric slid the salt shaker across the table. Jacob grabbed it and was about to put some on his sandwich before he reconsidered. Salt? He peered suspiciously at Eric, who only spread his hands innocently.

"Don't worry, it's not Ultium. Just table salt."

Jacob didn't trust him. He put the salt back and continued eating his sandwich. "What's your point?"

"My point is you've both got potential. Potential that is utterly wasted in Legion." Eric downed the last of his coffee and returned his focus totally on the wolf. "Don't you ever want to get away from it all? The danger, the stress? Always having to look over your shoulder because you could get stabbed in the back at any moment?"

The mysterious call a few days prior came to mind, but Jacob pushed it away for now. "Are you actually trying to poach me?"

"If you must say it like that, yes," replied Eric. "We're not bad people, Jacob. We don't want to have to use live subjects for our experiments. That's just the nature of science. People don't like change, so we have to keep it under wraps."

"What are you trying to accomplish anyway?" Jacob demanded. "What's the point of any of this? It's all just chaos!"

"That's my point exactly," said Eric. "Join us, do your own thing, I don't care. But Legion is not for you."

"You don't know anything about me," Jacob accused.

"I know everything about you, Jacob. I remember every detail from your background report when you applied to Sanction." Eric began listing things off on his fingers. "I know you lived around crime in a bad part of town as a kid. I know about your little escapade at the strip club during your basketball championship. I know your father left you when you were only six years old. You've seen chaos; the word pretty much sums up your life. But I can promise you, if you don't get yourself out of it now, it's going to get much worse."

Jacob certainly caught the underhanded threat, but wasn't too bothered by it. "Why? What's your endgame? Tell me what your ultimate goal is."

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," Eric said seriously.

"Try me."

Jacob's phone rang again, but he ignored it. Eric looked down at the source of the sound. "You should probably answer that."

Something about the way the rhino spoke had him worried, and he answered the call. It was Ashton this time.

"Hello -"

"Jacob! Come find us now!" Ashton's voice rang through the phone. "I'm sending you the address!"

"Wait, what -?"

"There's been another incident! Get over here now!"

_ _ Jacob glared at Eric, who now had a knowing smile on his face. "You knew about this?!"

Eric held up his hands. "Guilty."

"I'll be right there," Jacob replied to the tiger and hung up. Glaring at Eric, he shot, "This isn't over!" Memorizing the address on his phone, he raced out of the coffee shop.

Alone at the table, Eric sighed. "I agree, Jacob. This is far from over." He stood and grabbed Jacob's untouched coffee cup.

"Shame he didn't drink the coffee."