Chapter 3 - Another Stranger Me
Drayk the cunnyboy is copyright to himself. (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/drayk) Story and other characters are copyright to me.
Chapter 3: Another Stranger Me
Keeping secrets. That's something I know all too much about. Every day I'm exposed to classified documents, valuable and quirky gadgets, and new experiments, all kept hidden from the eye of the general populace, and even most of the government-employed. It's often disconcerting to know just how much we're forced to withhold from the people, but it's hopefully always in the best interests of the country. All I know is that I'm good at being clandestine about things. As I should; I've been keeping a particularly personal secret all my life. What is it, you might ask? Well, it wouldn't be much of a secret if i told you, now would it? Some things people are just better off not knowing...
_-_Drayk, Grand Guardian Tzera, journal entry, date unknown
"Well, I heard someone knock hard on my door, and out of the blue, this lizard flies by my window...he was wearing pink panties..."-zzzzzz- "Man, i don't care if it was the Migrator itself, i just want my windows replaced!"-zzzzzz- "You see, this is what happens when you let crazies like the Guardians run around unregulated. They're a menace to our livelihoods. We're all perfectly capable of defending ourselves, y'know."-zzzzzz-"Wow, I'm just glad the Guardians were there to track down this psycho. And they were gracious enough to pay for repairs to my warehouse. I don't care what anyone else says, they're doing us a valuable service."
-zzzzzz-
"The preliminary reports suggest that no. 3 wanted criminal, serial killer 'Jack the Knife', was the cause of the disturbances in the 8th district early this morning. He was found dead in a warehouse on the northeast edge of the building complex. Security camera footage and witness reports put two other persons at the scene, a humanoid and a reptilian. visuals suggest that the human was actually Half-angel Eric Lang, of the state-sanctioned paramilitary unit known as the Guardians. The reptilian's identity is unknown at this time, although witnesses described him as a gray-blue male Shurian approximately 5'10" and 170-175 lbs., last seen wearing a sleeveless orange shirt and pink undergarments. The Gadelican Elder Council has yet to comment on the incident, but Arthur Reuger, Elder consulate to Obsidia, has just scheduled a press conference at 11 o'clock this morning. In other news..."
A white-furred paw pressed a button on a remote, and the television screen went silent, no longer casting its luminance on the small, dim, gray-walled room. A generous amount of light emanated from a one-way mirror facing the other way, offering a direct view into the next cubic space. Eric sat on the edge of the yellow wood table in the corner, nonchalantly twirling his phone in his hand. Drayk stood to Eric's right, learning against the wall, arms folded. Both sported various bandages on their arms and faces, as well as a change of garments, Eric in his white pants and overcoat, Drayk in a black shirt and brown Khakis, still remaining shoe-less.
"Do you see that?" The obviously annoyed wolf grunted, scratching his arm through his dark blue robes. "What the hell do you call that?"
"I call it pretty fair and balanced for a news channel." Drayk huffed, not very receptive of the Wolf's demeanor. "Though I do wish i hadn't chased him over the city in my underwear."
"Save it, acolyte. That's besides the point."
"What were we supposed to do, Arthur?" Eric asked. "Why don't we just be happy there were no civilian casualties?"
"I'm not talking about that. It shouldn't be a problem to repair the damage and settle down the residents. I'm talking about Jack. Stab wounds to both hands, a 15 centimeter gouge through his face, multiple bolt wounds, and enough broken glass to make a chandelier! Jack the Knife was wanted alive! But no, we get him here in a body bag looking like he went through a fucking Iron Maiden!"
"Hey!" Drayk snapped. "It's not our fault he was trying to kill us."
"Yeah, and besides, I highly doubt we could have brought him into custody unless fully incapacitated. Which in his case, meant stone dead."
"I know, I know..." Arthur sighed, "But he could have been useful to get info out of...and another thing. Drayk, what kind of stunt have you been trying to pull, not reporting on your objective for so long!? You didn't contact us for weeks!"
"They were getting suspicious of me, Jack in particular. He didn't trust me from day one. He recently got more aggressive about trying to prove I was a double-agent. After the raid on that bunker in Orlane, I had to lay low for a while. I knew with Mortinson cut off from the CT, There was nothing stopping Jack from seeking me out."
Arthur shrugged. "Fine, sounds honest enough. We'll sort the rest out and file an official mission report later. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go dance for the camera."
With that, Arthur turned around and left through the door behind him.
"Man, a couple of decades ago, we never got this politico bullshit. Maybe I'm just getting too old for this." Eric groaned, pushing himself off the table. Drayk looked at him, puzzled.
"What are you talking about? You're only, what...41, 42?"
Eric laughed, massaging his bandaged shoulder.
"Ha ha, try telling yourself that 20 years from now, when you're my age. Bit of advice, Drayk: enjoy this time in your life. You're only 22, and already you and the other acolytes are surpassing us. You're still in your prime. Enjoy it while it lasts, because this line of work really takes its toll on you. I'm always telling Satosuke the same thing; he's often just as focused as you."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
"I hope so. I mean, you apparently already have a higher tolerance for pain. I'm surprised you're still standing after Jack kicked you in the groin like that. You didn't even mention it when they patched us up."
Suddenly, Drayk's eyes went wide and darted around, as if what Eric said caught his mind off guard.
"Yeah, uh, I'm a little sore, but nothing terrible." Drayk stammered awkwardly. Eric cocked his head to face Drayk better, genuine concern highlighting his expression.
"Is...something wrong?" he asked, but Drayk's mind was already back in the game.
"No, I'm fine. It's nothing."
"Okay, never mind. Anyway, you should probably touch base with Evan. He must be relieved to hear his star pupil isn't MIA."
"Fine, I'll go do that now. Where is he?"
"Well, it's 10:30 on a Saturday..."
"Garden, south side of the grounds. Thanks."
* * *
Warm sunlight and cool breezes swept delicately through the serene morning air in the south quadrant of the Elder tower's outside grounds. Dull gray stone steps lead to large, open vestibule separating the stairs and the stone-arched hallway leading within. Stone fillers branched out from either side of the steps, matching the stairs' elevation, widening the flat area of the vestibule. The platform faced out onto the surrounding capital city, a barrier of grass, forest and gardens between the tower grounds and the rest of the sprawling metropolis. Upon the platform were two lone figures: Satosuke, a blond-haired humanoid, and Karen, an equally golden-furred vulpine. Satosuke, dressed in tan cargo pants and a gray shirt, sat cross-legged on the edge of the wall, computer on his lap. A black porcelain mug sat to his left, emanating thin wisps of steam in the spring air. To his right, Karen rested on her back, arms folded behind her head. She wore only a pair of black shorts, a thick mane of white fur covering her breasts. A small, hand-wrapped cigarette stuck out clenched in her teeth, puffs of smoke occasionally fluttering from the sides of her mouth.
"What are you doing, Karen?" Satosuke sighed, typing away at his laptop. "Smoking that stuff this early in the day? I thought you said you weren't going to do that anymore."
"Oh come on, sweetie." Karen replied, sitting up, a wide grin painted across her loopy expression. "We were so busy this week. I just want to unwind this weekend. Besides, lugroot's good for you."
Satosuke could only roll his eyes as Karen giggled, her drug-fogged head falling onto his shoulder.
"Yeah, i guess you're right. Eric and Rin did put us through more training sessions than normal this week. I'm still feeling it from yesterday."
"Oh, the part where you flew off the motorcycle after colliding with that barrier?"
"Ugh, don't remind me."
"Hey, at least you could still walk after traveling fifteen meters in midair, and another ten rolling on the ground."
Satosuke's teeth gritted in discomfort. "I thought I said, don't remind me."
"Oh, calm down, you're edging on my buzz." Karen quipped, abruptly folding down the screen on Sato's computer, pushing it off his lap. Before he could utter a word of protest, she quickly displaced the piece of machinery, flipping herself into his lap.
"Hey, what gives!?"
Karen shoved him onto his back, draping herself on top of him. "I'm bored. Let's fool around or something."
"What, right here? But i haven't even finished my work."
"Work!? It's the weekend. Besides, you've just been browsing news channels all morning. Don't give me that nonsense."
"You know, for someone who's been smoking lug for the last hour, you're still pretty perceptive. But i did find something interesting on one channel. Seems someone looking suspiciously like Drayk was chasing an assassin across the 8th district."
"Interesting," Karen muttered, puffing again at her cigarette. "When did this happen?"
"About 3 in the morning."
The voice came out of nowhere, from above where the two lay. They both turned their head up to see Drayk standing over them, arms folded.
"Anything else you'd like to say about me behind my back?"
Drayk grinned as the human and the fox separated and stood up, Sato grabbing his coffee mug on the way.
"Well, i was just about to say that surprisingly few news outlets focused on the...oh how did it go?...male Shurian in women's underwear?" Satosuke chuckled, taking a sip from his cup.
"Yeah, yeah, i saw that on the TV this morning." Karen started in, stumbling over to Drayk.
"Well, Drayk, I must say, from what those security cameras showed, you didn't look half bad in that get-up."
Karen's foggy mind was already trying to delve deeper into the matter, stumbling over to Drayk's side.
"Ooh, let's see if he still has them on."
He tried to hide it, but the blush in the sides of Drayk's face quickly exposed his flustered state, as Karen began tugging at the right side of his Khakis.
"Hey...I, uh, like you and all," He choked "But...do you mind...not doing that."
"Aw come on, I thought you looked downright sexy in pink!"
"Karen, please...STOP IT!" Drayk yelled, shoving both Sato and Karen away, his palm-blades flying out of his wrists. His left blade connected with Sato's coffee mug, sending hot liquid and shards of porcelain all over his shirt and pants. Both yelped as they fell over, startled at Drayk's sudden outburst.
"Ah, nice work, Karen." Satosuke growled, wiping off the spilled coffee and ceramic.
"Yikes, I'm sorry Drayk." Karen said, her lugroot fog suddenly lifted. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"It's...ok. Sorry about that...I...I have to go. Evan needs to see me." And Drayk whipped around and hurried down the stairs.
Dammit, why did they have to bring that up? Oh well, i just hope Byron and Elsa don't find out. Those arrogant pricks would never let me hear the end of it.
A knot formed in Drayk's gut at the thought, as he made his way into the wooded area of the grounds.
Actually, it kind of reminds me of way back when. Has it really been 5 years since?...
* * *
The steady stream of water from the soap scum stained, utilitarian-looking showerhead cascaded down a youthful looking Drayk's bare skin, soap suds dissolving and disappearing into the drain beneath him. His silver and blue scales glinted in the otherwise soulless fluorescent light. He held his face to the flow of the showerhead, feeling the spray as it washed the stress from his mind. He was alone in the shower room, and no other would be around for hours, a comforting notion for one such as Drayk.
Reaching under the showerhead, he turned the knob, and the flow subsided, reducing to an erratic drip. In no particular rush to be anywhere, he fell back to the wall, his back resting against the white tiles, and closed his eyes, pausing to relax in the steam-induced warmth of the empty room. His thoughts were blank. Fresh from the battlefield, he merely wished to focus on nothing, if at least for a moment. Gradually, his hands trailed down his chest and stomach, stroking his fine scales, still slick from the shower.
I really shouldn't...and right here...meh...screw it, i need some alone time. Besides, no one's going to be around for a while...
His inhibitions briefly sloughing off his mind, Drayk's hands followed down to his torso, tickling around his inner thigh. He sighed in relief as, at least right now, he didn't have to work to hide his true self from the world. His claw soon found its target, slowly tracing upwards along the delicate slit between his legs. Normally, such anatomy housed a male reptilian's sheath, but no such protrusion made itself known as he stroked his claws along its surface. The slit was also positioned lower and was more full and pronounced than normal, suggesting something other than male, as he teased his androgynous form, faint pheromone now hanging lightly in the humid air. Drayk continued caressing his slightly rounded pubis, tingling sensations running down his spine as his breath became a short, erratic panting, tongue lazily lolling out of his jaw.
Damn...it's been too long since i could do this...
And then, footsteps.
Footsteps from the adjacent locker room shattered Drayk's blissful reverie.
Oh shit.
Yellow eyes flashed as he bolted off from the wall, dashing over to a nearby bench, upon which lay a lone pair of black shorts. The steps grew louder as he grabbed the article of clothing and jumped into them, his mindset grounding back down on Terra Firma. Drayk quietly stepped out of the shower area and peered around the corner to the row of lockers ahead. And then he saw her.
A spotted hyena, dressed in the standard olive drab bra, undergarments, and sandals, sauntered down the corridor of lockers, her full figure swaying slightly with each step.
Kelina? What the hell is she doing here?...
Drayk quickly ducked behind the corner again and slowly sidled the other way, towards the closest exit. But the approaching figure was too quick.
"Drayky!" The hyena's cheerful voice suddenly echoes through the locker room as she popped around the corner. He jumped and yelped as her exclamation startled his already racing mind. He could only huff in frustration as she hopped over to his side, her tan-furred arms wrapping around his bare torso.
"Kelly..." Drayk said, "...you shouldn't be in the men's lockers."
The hyena rolled her eyes. "Oh please, no one else will be around for hours. I could very well ask you what you're doing here so early."
"You know my daily special ops schedule. I'm in early, so i get out early."
"And I've missed you, hon. I haven't seen you around in at least a week."
"Well, why corner me here, of all places?"
Kelly pulled Drayk closer, nuzzling her muzzle to his.
"Well, we've been seeing each other for at least a month, and we haven't even had sex yet!"
Gritting his teeth, Drayk stiffened, pulling away from her.
"Come on, not this again."
"But I'm all pent up, Drayky!"
"Don't give me that, Kelly. I know for damn sure I'm not the only one you've been fooling around with. I've been letting that slide."
"Aw, but hon, those guys are just toys to get off on. You're the one i really like..."
She suddenly sniffed the air. Detecting an all too familiar aroma, she grinned devilishly at Drayk.
"Hey...smells like someone's in the mood...Good timing, no?"
"Wait...what?..."
"Drayky, hon, don't play dumb. You've been doing something in here. Releasing a little stress, are we?"
"Kelly...this really isn't the best time..."
"But...smelling you...it's such a turn on."
And the hyena buried her face in Drayk's torso and nuzzled even more, taking in the faint odor of arousal that he still exuded. Drayk's stance and composure grew weak as her muzzle tickled his stomach.
"Ooh...i knew my little dragon was itching for some love." Kelina mused, as she broke from his midsection and planted her mouth on his.
Drayk could barely resist as the hyena kissed him, but she was right. He was still feeling the effects of his previous self-teasing, and his girlfriend of four weeks, the most attractive female in the squad, was all over him in her standard insatiable mindset. He couldn't raise any objection when she literally lifted him off the ground and unceremoniously dropped him on the bench in the middle of the row of lockers, crawling on top of him. Once situated, she delved right back into his maw, suckling at his reptilian tongue and teeth as she began to rub her furry stomach against his. Drayk had now almost completely lost himself in the powerful hyena that lay over him, practically begging in his mind for release.
Kelina broke off the kiss and grinned sharply, hoisting herself up to sitting position, still cowering over the lizard.
"Mmm...now that's more like it, Drayky." She said, pushing his legs over the sides of the bench.
"Let's get your little friend out of hiding. I've been itching to play with him."
With that, her paw reached over to the crotch of Drayk's shorts. Drayk gasped as he felt the sensation on his most sensitive of areas. Slowly, the hyena rubbed the front of the shorts, eliciting a sudden moan from Drayk's maw. She continued stroking his groin, still waiting for the telltale bulge in his shorts.
"Wow...still not hard yet?" The hyena asked, growing confused.
Her observation sliced the mood as the realization of the situation clicked in Drayk's rational mind.
Oh no...what the hell have I been doing!? This has to stop...
"Kelly, stop, please!" He yelled abruptly, Kelina's gaze narrowing.
"But we've already begun, hon. You've not going to leave me hanging, are ya? I won't let you!"
Kelina quickly jumped on top of the dragon, her paw attempting to reach down into Drayk's shorts.
"Kelina...DAMNIT!!" He yelled, grabbing the lust-crazed hyena's shoulders, throwing her off of him. She tried to get up and jump the dragon again, but, his mind now clear of distraction, leaped off the bench, dodging her assault. Kelina's body hit the bench with a dull thump as Drayk quickly got to his feet. Thinking equally swiftly, he gripped Kelina's shoulders again and heaved, sending her face and chest flying into the wall of lockers. Metal clanged with flesh and bone as the hyena rebounded off the locker door, her now knocked out form slumping to the black tile floor.
Falling back down onto the bench, Drayk just lay there, panting heavily, for what felt like an eternity, trying to piece together what just happened. Never before had someone gotten so close to his secret, and with such ease. An even momentary lapse of one's emotional armor, and the ravenous desires of that man-slayer hyena, made for a dangerous combination.
* * *
The blank room was silent, empty save for a table, a video camera and two-way speaker, and two folding chairs. Upon one Drayk sat, quietly contemplating his situation.
Nice work, idiot. Knocking out another squad-mate? Say goodbye to another two-hundred bucks. She didn't even do anything that bad...I mean, she did try to seduce me, but damn, I have no idea how I'm supposed to explain this...
What felt like another eternity slowly crawled by in that blank room, when another came in through the door, holding a data-pad, and a document folder. Drayk did not notice his entry until the last minute, as the window on the door was painted over a dull off-white, just like the rest of the room.
The stranger into the space was human, dressed in navy blue slacks adorned with lighter blue armor plates, dark auburn boots, a navy shirt and vest, and short teal hair that fell flat around the sides and back of his head. His eyes carried a somewhat threatening crystal blue hue that seemed to reflect even the faintest amount of light.
The stranger introduced himself. "Greetings, Drayk, I'm Evan Rhodes." Drayk didn't even make eye contact.
"If you're looking for an explanation," he muttered, "There's nothing to say. Kelina was being uncomfortably forward, and I put her head through the locker."
"A little anxious to get back to work, are we?"
"Yeah, so just give me the papers to sign so i can pay my fine and get it done with."
Evan sighed and shook his head. "Actually, as of now, you're potentially facing a court-martial and dishonorable discharge."
"What!? For minor assault? This is bullshit!" Drayk snapped, jumping out of his chair.
"No. Not just for assault...For forgery and perjury."
He had feared this moment for so long, the inevitability that no matter how hard he tried to hide it, something would slip. Quickly realizing how much his secret was in jeopardy, yellow eyes went wide as Drayk quietly gasped.
"I see I have your attention." Evan nonchalantly continued, tossing the folder onto the table. "According to these official medical documents, you're Drayk Morrow, a 20-year old male Shurian dragon of perfectly normal physical form, with the exception of the 'bone-blade' mutation seen sporadically amongst your race."
Evan's gaze turned warmer, blue eyes scaling back their intimidating luster. "I tell ya, it took a lot of our best men to figure out that these were forgeries."
"No...not now...not now..." Drayk whispered to himself, his breathing now shaky and erratic.
"And on top of that," Evan continued, un-holstering his silenced PPK pistol, unlocking the safety, "My independent search to find out the truth about you was even more arduous."
Drayk gulped, his mind and heart racing. "What's with the gun?..."
Evan said nothing. He just raised his gun to the video camera and speaker in the corner to his back right. The muffled spit of the pistol detonated the apparatus; sparks, wires, and smoldering plastic crumbling to the floor.
"It's so no one else hears what I'm about to say." Evan continued, re-holstering his weapon.
"Y-you...found out?" Drayk stuttered, readying the hidden blades within his arms.
"Well, first off," he started, opening the folder, "you're not 20. Your original birth date is just about 17 years ago, which makes you too young to qualify for service in the corps."
"Is..that it?"
"No...I was also able to find a single medical document. It's kind of old, and the doctor that signed it, now long dead, kept it encrypted well, as he should have. Do you know how much the fine for divulging confidential doctor's records is?"
Drayk just stood frozen, unreceptive to the Guardian's jest.
"Well, anyway, everything seemed normal, but then i found this...one miscellaneous note, marked as though it were quite an important little bit of info. I quote, '...despite all other identifying markers that point towards the subject's gender being male, such as chromosomal and genetic makeup, adrenal function, gamete production, muscle structure, and other extraneous features...'"
"No...how did he..."
"...examination discovered the presence of somewhat increased levels of estrogen, and in lieu of normal male anatomy..."
"Don't you dare..."
"...functional but infertile female genitalia."
"Damn you!" Drayk growled as he forcefully kicked over the table, the blade in his right arm falling into place. In a fit of anger, Drayk lunged close and swung at the guardian's head, desperate to stifle any other that knew the ugly truth.
But Evan had already planned out countermeasures in his mind.
He quickly bent backwards, Drayk missing his mark, sailing over the Guardian. Evan then reached out with his left foot, swinging it behind Drayk's right leg, and his boot met with the underside of his knee. Drayk yelped as he lost his balance, stumbling into Evan's arms. Using his newfound leverage, Evan spun to the left and swept his right foot under Drayk's feet, forcefully throwing him down on his back on the cold, hard floor. Drayk growled and struggled as Evan quickly held down his claws, pinning him down on the floor. He quickly stopped resisting as he could see the futility of the situation, his expression turning somber and hurt.
"Now, I bring this up to-" Evan continued, Drayk quickly interrupting.
"Please...don't say anymore." He pleaded as he lay there on the ground, defeated and exposed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
"I wasn't going to. Just reading that made me understand why you would go to such lengths to fabricate the necessary documents. But please, don't think I've done all this to reveal any part of this to anyone. If i wanted to do that, i wouldn't have destroyed the surveillance equipment. What I am here to do, however, is make you an offer.
"Why...why humiliate me like this!?" Drayk yelled, bitter sorrow now flowing freely from his eyes.
"I needed to know that you weren't hiding something dangerous, that you were a spy or something."
"But...why all this, just for me!? Why do you care!?"
"...Because you're the best."
Drayk's tears suddenly stopped, if only for a moment, the unexpected statement clicking in his mind.
"You're the best in your squad. Hell, you're the best in this entire army. Your work as a surveyor, infiltrator, and assassin, has saved the lives of many soldiers and countless civilians. The secret you've been keeping does not matter to me, only the fact that you have potential, and that potential could very well be wasted if you're discharged. Thus, I make an offer. If you're not interested, things will continue like this will have never happened. You would stand trial for your misdemeanors, and would leave the military."
"And what's...your offer?..."
"Come train under me. You'd start working directly under the elders, handling missions that could turn the tides of wars, and save countless more lives. I can make you into something even greater than you could have ever been. Eventually, you'd become a Guardian, someone to be feared and respected all across the continent, an unparalleled fighting force...And on top of all that, if you accept, your secret will be safe with me. I'll have the legal authority to seize all medical documents and information about you and encrypt them so no one else will have access. You privacy will be assured in this matter, and you will have the freedom to do as you please."
Drayk finally settled down as he weighed Evan's offer in his mind.
"You're...serious?"
"Absolutely. It's the reason I blew out the camera and speaker in the corner. And just to prove it even further, if you turn this down, i could very well be charged with theft of sensitive information. As I said, those medical records were confidential. And that doesn't take into account the office complex I broke into, without a warrant or anything. Your employment in the Guardians could bypass these stipulations, so I would only dodge criminal charges if you became my acolyte. I hope that demonstrates just how serious I am."
Drayk didn't need long to ponder the options in his mind.
"...Well, I'd rather not see you in jail...Master."
Evan smiled.
"I had hoped you'd see things my way."