FSE

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Jack wasn't sure where he was taken, all he knew was things would never be the same once he signed the contract or had whatever the nanites were put inside him. Vay, aside from giving the beagle his name, spent the car ride in silence. Jack was escorted into a rather posh room, where he was asked to wait in a chair for the preparations to be made. He still was checking his options for an escape but he was only really doing it out of habit. The possibility of seeing Blaine kept him firmly in place. Vay entered the room and looked him up and down.

"Well, I suppose you're pretty innocuous, no wonder you slipped past so many of my men. This'll put some meat on your bones though..." Vay was holding a black pill that he pawed over to the beagle.

"And this is?" Jack turned the pill over in his hand, inspecting it, trying to figure out if he was just going to be disposed of.

"It's not poison, if that's what you're thinking. These are nanites. Once they enter your body you might understand them a little better."

Jack popped it into his mouth, he was planning on swallowing it but it dissolved on the tip of his tongue once it made contact, he felt like millions of tiny bubbles were popping in his mouth as the microscopic machines began to integrate themselves into his bloodstream, travelling down his throat and through his body. His heart beat waned, he felt his pulse slow.

Guess they really do want me gone... Jack felt himself blacking out but then it was like he woke up despite already being awake. His pulse was gone, his heat stopped beating, he pressed a finger to his neck and felt a constant flow instead of a pulse running through his body, he felt like his body had rolled back twenty years.

"Holy shit... How is this even possible?"

"Honestly, don't know, don't really care, all I know is how useful they are. From this day on, you are now property of Evertech."

"Very well, and Blaine?"

"I haven't even put in the request yet, what could you possibly care so much about a processed thing like that anyways?"

"I care alright, just, we used to be, good friends, alright?"

Vay's lips curled into a smile, he knew what good friends meant, and he hoped to be there to see the despair in the beagle's eyes when he finally met his good friend again, knowing that it would be a waterworks show. He almost felt bad, almost.

"I'll get the request in end of day, any other questions?"

"So these things won't kill me?"

"Only if you go against company policy..."

"Fair enough I suppose, so what's the first order of business."

Jack was used to being threatened with death, but this time he knew it was serious. Either way he didn't mind, he'd follow his orders to the letter.

...

He was standing at the front of a classroom filled to the brim with the faces of every fur he had put the slip on over the last few weeks. His first order of business was to run a class on how to measure a mark's general competency for them all, and they seemed to need a lot of teaching. He figured his best work was the bar incident with the golden retriever. He replayed the bar footage over and over again, pointing out the near instant change in posture he did as he pretended to be drunk.

"Here's the shift, you should be aware how someone instantly getting this drunk is highly unlikely, even still, always treat a mark as if they're a potential threat no matter what state they appear to be in."

Everyone watched the next moment of the liquor causing the dog to howl in pain, Jack smiled watching his genius in third person, he heard a rabbit laugh particularly loud before exclaiming how dumb the retriever was for falling for such a dumb trick.

"I'm sorry, Terrance?" Jack knew his name, he had a little visual indicator of every fur's name in the room, he could see their names in his eyes whenever he focused on a particular face. "If I recall... you're the one who I tied their shoelaces together while pretending to be asleep on the subway. I wonder if we have footage of that one?"

He scanned through the files he was sent, the one in question came to him and he put it on display next. The entire class burst into tears after watching the beagle who was pretending to sleep slip his shoes off and use his toes to fiddle with the rabbit's laces. The next time a stop came up he pretended to jolt awake, slipping his shoes back on and running out the door, as the rabbit tried to follow, he fell flat on his face and the doors slid shut, he looked at his shoes in utter dismay. The footage cut off. Jack was feeling smug, the rabbit was bushing and pulling his ears over his face.

"Yeah, you all have a loooooooot to learn, and we'll only have this one class so I'll see what I can do for you all."

Jack did his best, but he wasn't sure how much he could do. He was basically trying to explain the many, many years of practice he had in single week to a class of amateurs who relied on nanites to get the through any situation. But he tried his best. After it was all said and done, he figured at least some of them might have learned something, but he was really never much of a teacher. Even to Splicer he was never much of a teacher, not that the wolf ever listened to anything instead, opting instead to jump into the deep end of any situation they found themselves in. Half the reason why the wolf was always limping into his safe houses and trailing blood on the carpet. It pissed the beagle off but he always had a soft spot for them, despite Blaine's constant protests to try and get the wolf to follow any sort of safety standards.

"So what now?" Jack asked Vay who was waiting outside the classroom for him.

"I don't care, do whatever you were doing before we snapped you up, just keep me in the loop."

"I see, has the request been processed?" It had been a week since it was first sent out and he was desperate to get any sort of update.

"Your request was begrudgingly granted, I've never seen Joseph care so much about a toy before, must've been a hell of a pilot."

"Yeah, yeah he was... 'nother thing, where's Splicer?"

...

Splicer was sitting in some sort of formal dining room, he was still in the facility, but he had never been in such a room before. His fur had grown back in, the rose brand on his thigh was a bright blue cutting through the grey of his normal fur, he hated to admit it, but it looked good. Laguna joined, him sitting at the head of the table wordlessly, only stopping to rub a paw over the brand he made, it turned out much better than the badger had envisioned, the brilliant proof of his ownership over the wolf. The next furs to arrive were Jack and Blaine, who sat together at the opposite side of the wolf.

What the fuck is this? Splicer's mind racing with questions of who called this odd assembly together. Aurich brought in the meal followed by a few of the rarely seen furs that worked around the facility without a whisper carrying silver platters.

Aurich sat down between Splicer and Laguna, completing the table. Splicer had no clue what was going on at this point so he decided to just fill his plate and eat without speaking. The tension in the room, like the steaks they were eating, could be cut with a knife.

"So..." Aurich said, being the first to try and break the ice. "How about that weather?"

"I haven't been let out in a week Aur..." Splicer followed up, just wanting to get through whatever the hell was going on.

"The flight here was good, all clear skies." Jack put his arm around Blaine, who didn't give any sort or response.

"Very funny Aurich..." Laguna said, also not entirely sure why they all had to be gathered here for what he wanted to be a private conversation between himself and his puppy. "Do you remember your time in the forest puppy?"

"I mean, depends, some things are clearer than others for sure." Splicer didn't like where this was headed, he looked down and scraped his fork through the gravy.

"The first thing that you saw was a picture of your parents, seems you haven't seen them in a long time."

"Please, I'd rather not talk about this right now." Splicer didn't remember that memory being dragged up, he had gotten to the point where he forgot he even had parents in the first place.

"Would you like to visit them?"

Splicer felt the fork drop from his paw and heard it hit the plate below.

"Don't joke about that kind of thing."

"Who said I was joking?"

...

Splicer was sitting in the back of the helicopter, Jack was up front copiloting for Blaine, who stared blankly into the sky ahead. Something about the situation seemed right to the fox, but he didn't bother questioning why, all he did was what he was told. It could have been like old times, had it not been for the pink badger anxiously tapping his foot against the floor.

"Not a fan of copters?" Splicer asked Laguna, who looked slightly annoyed by the teasing of his pet.

"No, I like them just fine, I just prefer planes. I also hate wearing these headsets..." Laguna snapped back into the receiver of his headset so their voice was heard over the roaring blades.

"If you say so... Hey Jack we about there?"

Jack looked back and gave the wolf an enthusiastic thumbs up, they were at about the proper distance that the wolf would do his thing at. Splicer undid his seatbelt.

"Wait, about where?" Laguna was confused, they were still about 10 kilometers from their destination by his count.

Splicer grabbed a bag and undid his seatbelt, diving out the open door of the helicopter as he always did when flying with Jack and Blaine. He was already mid air before the badger could take control of his body. He knew since he didn't intend to hurt himself or Laguna, they wouldn't automatically stop him from doing it. He also knew he could react faster than Laguna who had no idea what was a near unwritten rule between the three.

Splicer was in the air as he slipped the backpack around his shoulders and did the chest strap up. The freedom of the wind whipping between his fur as he laid on his back watching the helicopter slowly shrink on the horizon. He put his hands behind his head and pretended he was lying on a bed, before curling into a ball and doing a few backflips. He was staring at the rapidly approaching tree line now, feeling the wind make his lips flap a bit as he hit terminal velocity.

Yeah, I think, right about... NOW! Splicer pulled the strap, his packed chute deployed, he felt his momentum almost completely halt and he slowed to a gentle glide downward. He aimed himself towards a clearing in the forest hitting right in the middle with the biggest smile. One thing he never thought he'd do again after getting trapped in the facility was sky diving. He unclipped his pack and got to work repacking his chute, making sure nothing was tangled. There used to be a reason the three would do this on missions they worked together, Splicer would scout the ground out and the other two would try and get as close as possible for a bird's eye view without getting detected. This drop was more for fun and to prove between Jack and himself that no matter what they were going to be themselves. He slung his bag back over his shoulders, satisfied by his packing. Almost on cue he saw a red box forming around himself, giving him a wide margin but still pushing him forward. He figured that was Laguna telling him no matter how far he was away from the badger, he would always be within their reach. Splicer gave a disappointed sigh and began his march in time with the box, he was really looking forward to exploring this part of the forest, it was familiar to the wolf.

...

Splicer broke through to the clearing where there was a mini group standing around it, a cross badger, a smiling beagle and a blank fox. He approached the beagle and gave him a solid smile.

"Enjoy the air?" Jack asked, giving the wolf a high five, seeing the adrenaline within the wolf's eyes.

"Oh man, I don't know why you don't join me on the jumps, sometimes I wish I were born a bird..." Splicer shot back, wondering why Jack refused to ever jump with him.

"Well I mean, someone's gotta co-pilot, especially now..."

"True enough, sorry about that Laguna, I guess old habits die hard..."

He gave his best bashful smile towards his owner, hoping it would abate the anger in their face.

"I suppose it can't be helped, just glad you're ok, I'm not sure I trust that those chutes won't fail... I doubt the nanites would be able to put you back together if they did." Laguna said, he was honestly curious to see if it might be possible.

"Well I always pack my own and test it twice, there's no way it would fail... probably!"

Splicer tossed his bag back into the helicopter and got out his briefcase, putting on his watch and ring, as well as a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but his collar was on full display. He didn't mind, nothing could kill his adrenaline high. He pulled out a hoodie as well and slid it on, being this high up in the mountain, it was always a little chilly even during the summer. Despite the rising anxiety of being in his hometown for the first time in at least a decade, he still felt confident.

"... thank you, honestly, thank you..." Splicer said, putting the severity of his words into his tone.

"Well puppy, it seemed to weigh heavy on your mind, how could I call myself responsible pet owner if I didn't try to help you out?" Laguna said, trying to keep the mood light, he was curious to see the place the pup was raised as well.

"Alright, finally, I get to lead." Splicer spun his brief case in his paw, before stopping it in his hands.

"Yeah, don't get ahead of yourself puppy, I'm still keeping you on a short leash after that stunt..."

...

Splicer was in ecstasy as he walked down the poorly maintained sidewalks and streets, despite being a bit larger than he left it, it was still a very small tight-knit town. Kids ran by, chasing each other in an endless game of tag. There were no adult districts in this town, Splicer would be in awe if anyone around here even had a pet, he figured more people would assume his collar was a fashion accessory. He walked to the location of his favourite café, it was still open to his delight, run by the same old goat, who looked a lot older than the last time he had seen them. He walked up to the goat like he was an old friend, ordering the drink he always got from him. A caramel latte with oat milk. Usually he only drank black coffee, but that was mainly because he never could find anything that tasted quite like what the old goat made. Laguna and Jack ordered the same thing, Jack made sure to get one for Blaine as well. The four furs sat down at a circular table, Splicer made sure he had a good view of the two-story house just a little down the way, he made sure to watch to see if anyone came out of it, or even moved through any of the windows.

Splicer sipped at his drink while keeping a keen eye on the house, he got another, then a third, he wasn't ready.

"Hey, Jack, you and Blaine should go to the bed and breakfast three houses down, it's a good spot, you two will love it there." Splicer pointed in the direction, Jack solemnly nodded and paid for his two lattes and without another word, left the café with his fox in tow.

"Why can't you be as good a puppy as that?" Laguna lamented, watching the two walk down the road.

"You forget? I was, if I recall, you weren't a fan..." Splicer shot back, lightly kicking the badger under the table.

"Oh what was I thinking back then?"

Splicer felt a paw grabbing the tag on his collar, pulling it around to the back of his neck. The goat's eyesight wasn't great, but he knew the wolf looked like someone who had become a local legend around town. He read the name on it and sat at the table with the two.

"So it really is you?" The tired goat asked.

"Yeah, I suppose it really is me."

"Typical of you, disappear without so much as a word, re-appear the same way. What are you doing here? You back to see them?"

"That's the plan, I'm not sure if I have the strength to do it though."

"I know you do... I'll give you another though, on the house! It's the least I can do considering all the money you've sent through the years.

Splicer felt his ears flatten, he figured no one knew where the money had come from, but apparently some must have made assumptions.

"Same as always Frank, same as always..."

Splicer stood up from the table, nearly knocking it over, he saw the momentary flash of movement through the house's window. He left the café, without a word, he saw the red barrier around the café, he didn't care, he reached for the door and it went away for him. Splicer ran out, running towards the house. Laguna apologized to the goat, paid, and chased after his runaway pet who was standing in front of the house, shaking like a leaf. He felt a reassuring pat on his back.

"You ready?" Splicer didn't hear the question, he was too busy trying to will his legs to walk forward. He crept up to the door, slowly passing the slightly overgrown front lawn up the stairs, reaching towards the knocker but stopping short, his hand recoiled. He dropped it to his side, he reached for the door knob and twisted it, pushing the door open. A female wolf was standing in the hallway, turning towards the now open door, confusion written across her face.

They, never moved... Splicer felt tears welling up in his eyes. They never fucking moved...

_ _

_ _ The guilt of his abandonment hit him all at once and he walked forward, reaching a hand towards the wolf in front of him, grey fur, painted greyer with age. The female wolf took a step back before the collar around the wolf's neck caught her eye, reading the name she felt tears welling up in her eyes as well. Splicer stood in front of his mother, unsure of what to do, the two shared an unseen agreement as their arms wrapped around each other, in a warm embrace. Laguna stood there, closing the door behind him, happy to just be an observer of the moment. Splicer broke free before falling to his knees sobbing.

"I'm, s-so, sorry..." There were no other words for the pain he felt.

"We always knew you were out there, somewhere..." His mother reassured him, not sure what else to say, content to pet between his ears like she had when he was a kid.

"It's, I've, things have been crazy mom... my blood is electric now..." Splicer had no clue why he said that, but somehow both of them stopped crying.

"Wait, what?"

...

Splicer had offered to cook but his mom refused profusely, his father had returned from the store. Seeing the wolf and badger sitting at the table, he didn't know who the wolf was and he had never seen a pink badger before. He brought the groceries to the table and sat them down, the wolf got up and without speaking, began to put everything away in their proper spot.

"Splicer?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's me. You guys really never changed anything, did you?" Splicer couldn't turn to face his dad, he didn't want to star crying all over again. He felt a hand spin him around grabbing him by the shoulder and looking him deep in the eye, Splicer lost, the guilt resurfacing and a new tear slipping down his cheek.

Damn I can't stop myself... Splicer blinked, wiping his tear away, giving a big sniff. His father had no words for him, all those years combing the woods, and yet here he had just walked right back in like he never left. He went to the cupboard above his sink and pulled out a bottle of long discontinued gin. It wasn't expensive or anything, but Splicer recognized the label as soon as he saw it. It was the first sip of alcohol his father let him have after they had returned from his first successful hunt. Splicer lost again as he sat at the table and cried in silence for the fifth time of the night. When he raised his head there was already a glass sitting in front of him. He took it in a gracious paw and raised it to his lips, letting that long forgotten flavour remind him of long nights in their wood stove hunting cabin they built deep in the woods.

"You know," His father started. "Your siblings never stop believing either..."

"Wait." Splicer tilted his head in confusion. "I have siblings?"

"Yeah I mean, you were the runt of the litter after all..."

Splicer was confused he had no idea what his father was talking about, he was always an only child wasn't he? He took another sip, the burning was unlocking old memories, there was another wolf, older than him, hitting him in the leg for not doing the dishes fast enough. Two other wolves, older than the other wolf, who began hitting him in turn.

One brother, two sisters? My, siblings? Splicer lost for the sixth time of the night, slowly remembering more about his family as he drank his gin, he pour another glass, he poured a glass for Laguna, he filled his father's cup, he even pour some out for his mother, who would pretend she didn't want it but give in at the request of her husband. It felt like Splicer had never left home for a moment. Supper was ready.

...

"So, you've been a freelance photographer? And that's why you disappeared without a trance, and never checked in, and sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to the town through the years?" His father wasn't buying it, Splicer didn't blame him.

"Yeah, that about sums it up!" Splicer didn't blame the apprehension of his parents to his stories, but he had to keep everything as vague as possible, giving bare minimum details.

"But, then why is your blood electric?" His mother chimed in, getting an inquisitive eyebrow raise from his father.

"Oh yeah, I was part of a clinical test where some weird freak accident happened, that's how I got the money to send out here! They paid a lot to keep me quiet, as long as I come in for a test every now and again."

"That, still seems impossible, but I mean if you say so I suppose."

The bottle of gin was almost gone, the stew prepared was waiting on the stove, almost begging for everyone to have a third bowl. Splicer got up and got some for his parents, then Laguna, finally himself. Laguna was still content to be an outside observer, interested in the wolf's seemingly welcoming parents and rustic upbringing, the stew was simple and unlike the food he was used to, but delicious in its own right. He took another sip of gin, it was cheap, but he could tell it was important to his pet and was gracious to have been offered it.

"So..." His father was finally ready to ask his son the question that everyone had been waiting for. "What's with the collar?"

Splicer had been trying to think of an answer to this question for the entire meal. He still had no good answer, he looked over at Laguna unsure of what to say.

"Well, Splicer has signed up to be my pet. That's all there is to it." Laguna left it at that.

"That so?" Splicer's father had read online about the concept of furs signing up to be called pets in larger cities, he thought it was some internet myth though.

"Y-yeah I guess you could say it is true." Splicer followed up, hoping to cut this conversation as short as possible.

"As long as you're happy whatever you call yourself is fine by us, as long as you do call us." His mother chimed in, eliciting a laugh from the table.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess I am."

The rest of the supper went without a hitch, all the furs around the table finally slipping into a comfortable rhythm of conversation. The bottle of gin was gone, replaced by a better bottle of whiskey. A cribbage board was brought out and they had a few rounds of pairs deep into the night.

...

Laguna was led to the wolf's old room by Splicer, opening it to find the bed still made and everything as it was when he left it so many years ago. Old worn-out posters lined the wall threatening to fall down, nearly bleached white by time. Splicer pressed his hand against the window, looking out at the street below. He had a vision of Jack and Blaine in their room cuddling in bed.

Could I? No... Splicer turned to the badger.

"You can have the bed, I'll sleep on the floor." He said, going into his closet and pulling out the spare blankets and pillows he kept in there making himself a nest on the floor.

"You sure puppy?" Laguna asked. "I wouldn't be opposed to you sleeping at the very foot of the bed."

"Yeah, I'm sure..." Splicer was already curled up into his little pile of pillows, drifting off to sleep, helped out by the liquor. He recalled this wasn't always just his room, before his brother had moved out, they shared the room, trading who would sleep on the floor. Most if not every night it was Splicer though.

"Alright..."

"Good... night... sir..." Splicer was out.

Laguna's ears perked up, he almost wanted to wake the puppy up to ask them what they just said but decided against it. He found himself drifting off to sleep soon after, smiling.