FSE

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In our world, past the sight of ordinary humans are forces beyond our comprehension. Agencies worldwide fight to prevent panic and have developed defensive measures to protect the innocent from supernatural influence. In the United States, this duty falls to the Special Cases Unit of the FBI. However, the supernatural and their abettors grow stronger each day, disrupting the fragile peace in the world.

*****

A steely grind cut through the night skies, with three shadowed figures carving into the history museum's glassy hide. Satisfied with their makeshift entrance, the trio slipped inside. Their ears twitched to a silent voice, before worming through the museum's open exhibits. They had no time for the obvious treasures of paintings or rare sculptures. Their beady eyes reflected the moonlight poking through the cloud. The lunar body reached its high point once they reached their prize. A humble ankh amulet lay in the glass case. It's amazing what little things people will obsess over.

As the night grew older, their glass cutter made an encore performance, piercing the museum's feeble defenses. Open air struck the amulet again as a greedy paw snatched up the ancient artifact and stuffed it away. The trio's ears continued to twitch, their gaze turned to the open hallway ahead. The guard's little flashlight saw nothing but a small vacancy in the Egyptian exhibit.

The familiar blaring of police sirens echoed through the nearby streets, ignored by the stealthy trio who were swooping across the skylines of New York. Who would think to look up for a trinket thief?

They seemed to shout in silent success once they slipped away and waited at the planned rendezvous point, safely on the city's outskirts. A few moments were spent waiting in total stillness until a large set of eyes peered down at the three, her tall figure imposing against the moonlight. A voice slathered with a rich Russian sweetness spoke out to them. "Mmmm, I heard you over the air. Well done, miliy. Let me see it."

One of the thieves eagerly held out the amulet for the lofty woman to take before taking a respectful bow like his partners. "Is there anything else you wish of us, mother?"

"Nyet. This is all we need." The mother held the ankh aloft with delight and continued. "With this, we will finally free the world from this selfish society, and insure a long life for our own." As she made her dramatic declarations, the sky opened up for her, the moon shining fully against the New York skyline.

Against all logic, the moon revealed the four to be rather large and hairy like something out of a monster movie. Best described as humanoid bats, they all looked mighty impressive with athletic bodies, sturdy wings, and ears that could hear nearly any hidden sound in the world. By far though, the monumental mother was the most impressive, the bat woman towering over her three subordinates like a raw Amazonian beauty. She licked her fangs in satisfaction and slipped the ankh away into her slick latex outfit. "Let us go, children. We have more work to do."

The rooftop was quickly abandoned, the three sailing through the air with their mighty wings, the wind slipping around their slicked bodies easily. The odd bystander peering up might have seen four shadowy blots above, but quickly disbelieved it was anything but the blur of the summer heat or a puff of a rooftop smoker.

*****

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a situation." The next evening, a room full of black suited men and women concentrated on the podium, the director of the FBI's Special Cases Unit staring back at them before pointing to a projector screen. Their eyes have gazed upon many unusual sights over the last few years, but their latest briefing made many of them turn their heads in disgust.

The projector hummed quietly and played the intercepted message and video, showing a teen desperately jumping to his computer. "Vampires, man! Vampires! Bat people! You gotta send help please! Oh god!" The young man gasped as a pale figure jumped onto him and quickly tore at his throat, the clear snap of a neck being broken echoing out. An FBI agent dove for the trash can, missing the aftermath of the murderer lapping up the freed blood.

Director Alexander Cooper sighed, wishing the newer agents had a better constitution before he continued. "We recovered this transmission from a tourist staying at the Isle of Rays. It's a small island off of the coast of New Jersey, mostly used as a wildlife preserve and vacation spot. We've received several calls for help from local citizens and law enforcement, giving confirmations about supposed psychopaths."

"You mean vampires?" asked a deep voice from the back. All the eyes turned to the impressive figure sitting in the back row. Suited in hulking black suit, the man turned his equine face to the director and narrowed his eyes.

Philip McMulton was for all intents and purposes a rather normal agent with the resounding exception of being an anthropomorphic Clydesdale horse. With a dark mane, chocolate fur, and white paws, he had the whole deal. An unfortunate victim of another one of the Special Unit's cases, Philip wasn't prepared to gloss anything over. All the eyes in the room turned towards the tall, muscled stallion. "We should have all the details, sir, before we jump into a nest of them."

"Unfortunately, we can't confirm that they are or not. We have only insignificant detections of paranormal activities from satellite PKE readings, and there are several different threats the average person would call a vampire, even if they aren't one." Cooper added a tint of annoyance to his voice, trying to maintain a level of professionalism in front of such a large group of agents. "We have already contacted the coast guard to cut off access to the island, and we're preparing a strike squad to get in there to investigate and rescue potential survivors. We move out at twenty-three hundred hours. Any questions?"

After a few mundane questions about the location and such from the agents, Philip looked at the director in the eye once more and asked, "Are you taking any volunteers?"

Cooper took a deep breath, having relived that question several times in the last month and said frankly, "No, McMulton. I realize you want to get back in the field, but I'm not risking a security leak over what may be a group of murderous cultists." His weary eyes cast a glare towards the horse man.

"Then we memory flash any civilian who sees like the other agency. It's a secluded island that's cut off, and you're dealing with "cultists" who snapped a man's neck with just their teeth." Philip patted his rather thick neck, the chocolate brown fur hiding impressive muscle. "I'm a little more durable than a tourist."

Another voice beside Philip stood up, the blonde haired agent giving her boss a decisive look. "Sir, McMulton is right. If we're dealing with super human people, magical or not, we need to utilize our own agents with such abilities." Daphne Doe hoped in the pit of her stomach she wouldn't be subject to a lecture, a bead of sweat falling down her cheek.

The director gripped the podium for a moment before barking back. "Agent Doe, I appreciate your input, but it's all of our asses if the media starts asking why there's a walking horse demon in our unit!"

Philip's tension matched Cooper's, the super natural creature getting stir crazy at the thought of missing out on another mission. He had already been burned by this career, might as well do some good with it. "Then send me in a separate transport as backup. If we're dealing with normal people who can somehow break necks with their fangs then you can send me home. Otherwise, you can let me in there to capture whoever is responsible for this."

Cooper wiggled his toes within his polished shoes, playing out the potential scenarios of either choice before waving his hand in reluctant surrender. "You will follow every one of my commands. You will be our last resort..." He paused and added, "Next to last resort. You and your partner are to wait in the boat unless I give the order to move in. Understood?"

With an eager grin and clear sigh of relief, the horse demon said, "Yes, sir!" As he sat back down, the Clydesdale man whispered to his partner, "Thanks, Daph."

She nodded softly and patted his shoulder while the meeting concluded.

*****

"Man, can't believe I got roped into this shit again. Vampires, really?!" The reluctant pilot Vincent swiveled towards Philip and Daphne in disbelief. Even being witness to Philip's change, the enlightened agent still was wrapping his head around what actually crept in the dark corners of the world.

"Well, you could always just call them psychopaths if it makes you feel better, Vince." Philip gave a light chuckle as the boat slipped past the coast guard's checkpoint.

"Hey, not funny man. Those things could fly out at us and have a midnight snack. Fucking hell, I'm glad I'm not the guy going in first." Vincent slowed the boat to a crawl and maintained a fifty foot distance from the docks ahead. It would be an understatement to say he was glad to just sit around the cabin and watch it all from afar.

"The spy satellites haven't gotten a good image in the dark, but we haven't seen anyone try to fly off the island if you're worried about that." Daphne tried to cover up her own anxiety, reminding herself that most of these cases were just typical lunatics. A small piece of lead works wonders in a pinch. "We saw some people getting chased down by pale looking men and women. Strangest thing though, it looked like some of them were in fur coats."

"In summertime?! Hah, I bet there are rival vampire clans having a turf war or, maybe if the pale ones get ya, you turn into a furry one, or maybe..." Vincent was cut off by Philip bopping the top of his coconut.

"Just because I don't want to sugar coat things, doesn't mean everything in fiction is correct either, Vince. Just be patient. Read a book or something if you're that nervous." Philip looked over the case file they were handed before departing, his brown eyes skimming for extra information from the fuzzy images. The greyscale images denied him any extra insight.

*****

"Alright, I want everyone watching each other's backs. Find survivors and clear a path for them to the medical personal on the boat." Agent Henderson tightened the grip on his pistol and led the way onto the island, having his agents fan out. The coat of combat armor they were wearing did not ease the tension.

The Isle of Rays was beset by a crisp silence, disturbed only by the agents' light footsteps. The gentle summer breeze held little comfort for the team as a foul stench descended upon them. Their noses quickly lead them to corpse lying at an alley door, the poor girl drained of blood, her nails marking the locked passage.

"Hell..." Henderson searched her person and grabbed an I.D., radioing in their first tagged victim. "Broken neck just like the kid from that video." The red headed veteran closed the girl's eyes before motioning the other five to move on.

More unfortunate souls littered the streets ahead, some clearly ambushed from the sidewalks, while others were attacked in their own homes. Despite the chaos strewn about, the island town was eerily quiet. Cooper's voice spoke out from their earpieces. "Lots of bodies, but no welcoming party?"

"No sir, but I...wait, I hear something ahead." Henderson motioned his team forward, hearing the sounds of a scuffle ahead. A strange scream pierced the night skies along with the furious howl of something inhuman.

The six agents rushed down the street just in time to see one of the ivory skinned men from the video lash out at a furry creature. They aimed their pistols at the two, unnoticed at the moment as the two fought like animals. The pale man lunged out again, his fangs connecting with the bat monster's neck and delivering a painful wound, but his prey endured. Unheard by the others, the bat creature's ears twitched and he spread a pair of magnificent leather wings. With a firm kick to his captor's chest, the bat flew free and away from the town.

Henderson tensed up for a moment and decided that there was little point in dealing diplomatically with a creature that could leap 20 feet in the air and had fangs the size of a shark's. "Fire!"

A volley of bullets ripped across the street, gunfire echoing every which way as several rounds ripped into the ivory creature. It hissed in agony, falling on its side from the force.

"Damn, this thing might really be a vampire. It's still struggling after all that." Henderson inspected the ivory humanoid, noting that it looked rather gaunt and sickly. "Guess it's a good thing we shot him before he could bite anyone else. This one looks about ready to starve."

"Boss....there's more of them." One of Henderson's subordinates pointed out the crimson eyes poking out from the trees and buildings all of a sudden. "The gunfire must have drawn them out....oh my God!"

Unlike the lean vampire they shot before, this group seemed rather plump and sickly red, like a pack of bloated ticks. Many of them licked their purplish lips with sick delight. As they closed in on them, the injured monster arose from the ground, twitching in pain, but still eager for a quarry. Privy to the signs of a losing fight, Henderson pointed towards a gap in the closing circle and shouted, "Fall back! Switch to your clips of silver, and fall back!"

*****

Philip listened over the radio to the screams and growls over the radio, already guessing how well the silver bullets had worked. "That's it, I'm going out there. Daph, you stay here with Vince and..."

"Phil, you know I can't do that. I'm an agent, we swore an oath." Daphne stood up with him and loaded her Beretta pistol. "Besides, I brought other defenses that might work on these things. Garlic, a cross, and a few other little things." She held up the holy crucifix to the horse's eyes.

The demon snorted, and wondered briefly if he or the vampires needed to be religious for such a thing to work. "And if I say no, you'll just follow me, right?" Philip sighed heavily, and briefly considered knocking Daphne out for the rest of the night, but figured that wouldn't be the wisest course of action. A sleep hold from him might give her a permanent nap. He stuffed a magazine into his newly issued Desert Eagle, the huge handgun just barely fitting his colossal hands properly. "Just stay close and quiet then. If I lost you...well, I'm not losing you, okay." Dressed in a customized suit of combat armor, the towering equine cast an intimidating presence across the boat.

"Alright, same to you then. Don't die." Daphne held Philip's huge paw for a moment before saying farewell to Vincent. The skinny man froze in sheer horror knowing he would be left alone near an island of monsters. Imagine that.

Reluctantly, the pilot drew closer to the doc and quickly dropped the two agents off before pulling away towards the other stealth boat. He uttered a short prayer for what he considered to be a pair of damned fools.

*****

"I was about to send you two I for backup. It would have been nice for you to wait a second until I briefed you on what you may be dealing with." Cooper groaned in annoyance over the radio, trying not to panic after losing contact with his other agents. "The pale ones I saw on Henderson's camera seemed to be some sort of jiangshi, the Chinese hopping vampire. One must been have struck the island and turned these people into his or her thralls. The strange thing though is what else the camera caught..."

"A Beta, right?" uttered Philip, finishing his director's explanation as an anthropomorphized bat swooped down and landed before the two agents. After his unfortunate accident, the equine was briefed on similar people changed by some weird chance of science or magic.

"Ah, you are aware of us?" The Beta closed his arms and wings, and surveyed the Clydesdale before him. "A pleasure...well, another time it would be, ha. I'm Dr. Dimitri Solokov, my first name will do. You need to come with me. Your...friends are not doing so well, even wearing those tin suits around. We have them in a safe place with the other survivors if you follow me." The humanoid bat groaned upon opening his wings again. He possessed a few bandaged wounds across his body, which the agents eyed closely. "Oh don't give me that look, our kind are not affected by those...things out there. Our superior bodies resist disease and infections."

"And why should we believe anything you say, Beta. You and your partners are wanted criminals, even if it is kept in the dark." He lifted his Desert Eagle towards the winged mammal and aimed for his head, while his other paw reached for his FBI card, flaunting his authority. "You've kidnapped and changed people, threatened the world with your leader's plans. Tell me why I shouldn't turn you in right now."

Dimitri understood the agent and nodded, before noting, "We are misunderstood. It's a feeling I'm sure is mutual given your own gift. I will not argue our family's philosophies out here however. The fact remains your fellow agents are with us. Come if you wish to retrieve them, or don't. That is your choice."

Daphne did her best to hold back Philip's arm and suggested to him, "I know...trust me, I know this looks bad, but if some of them are still alive, they need us, Phil. Besides, if they sent a wounded scout, they must be in bad shape themselves."

Philip groaned in mild frustration and weighed the options. They could certainly try to find the agents and survivors on their own, but this was their only lead. "Don't try anything you might regret. I will break you in half if you try to backstab us, or if you've done anything to the people you're sheltering."

"As to be expected, but I have not done anything to them, and I wish to be out of the streets as soon as possible. Let us leave." The doctor motioned for them to follow him, which the duo reluctantly agreed to, their feet traversing the silent streets.

Only a few hours ago, they would have seen a rather joyous tourist town, an ice cream parlor proudly declaring its fifty flavors in the town square. Its only customers now were a bundle of drained corpses, their ravaged bodies and pained expressions persuading the agents to turn away. They drew closer to Dimitri before he raised his hand and twitched his ears. "One of their scouts is coming closer. Subdue it without those clumsy guns if you can. The noise attracts them." He darted his head back forth, his ears feeling the subtle vibrations, but could not determine the exact location. "Be cautious, this one is tricky."

"Where is it?" While Philip's elongated ears were stronger than the average human's, they were no match for the Beta's sensitive pair. He desperately tried to scan the ransacked buildings and street for the jiangshi, but found nothing. "Okay, can't see anything, they can't fly...what does that leave us?"

"Maybe there's one trapped in a basement or something?" Daphne's chest tightened from the rush of adrenaline, her pistol aiming back and forth into every dark corner.

"Basement? ...Or maybe a...Daph, get away from that grate!" Philip rushed to push his partner away, his hooves clopping heavily against the concrete.

A loud hiss taunted the supposed hero when the manhole burst upwards. A pair of ivory hands gripped her armored boots with claws digging into the plating. With an inhuman burst of strength, Daphne took a forced trip into the drainage sewer.

"Fuck!" Daphne cried out and reached for Philip with one hand while the other emptied a clip. Several gunshots fired out, echoing sharply as the bullets ricocheted off of the narrow passages of the sewer.

Philip stumbled after his failed charge and desperately dove for a second chance, his paw just missing her gloved hand. "Dammit!" He quickly whipped his eyes up Dimitri who was holding his ears in light agony, the loud echoes stunning him for a moment. "Argh, useless!" He dove in without another thought, gasping as he crashed against the damp floor of the drainage corridor, thankful for a split second it was stale rainwater.

"Philip! Philip! Shoot the perpetrator...s-shoot...w-what's g-going on......r-report..." Cooper's voice fizzled out as the runoff shorted out the radio and camera, ignored by the panicked Clydesdale.

His muscled body arose and zipped down the sewers, his weapon forgotten as he charged like a race horse. His chocolate eyes trained carefully on his struggling partner as she kicked against the jiangshi's grip, her Beretta starving for another clip. In the back of his mind, Philip was thrilled by the adrenaline released from pushing his demonic body to the limit. "Let her go, or you'll never escape me!" Philip roared with bestial fury and pounced towards the jiangshi. He connected with his target, and managed to grab both it and Daphne with his large, beefy arms.

In a split second, the jiangshi opted for self-preservation. It let go of his hunt and bit the active threat instead, puncturing Philip's armor and drawing a small helping of blood. It barely had time to lick the morsels before the horse surprised him with a hefty throw into the wall of the sewer. The brick wall proudly mounted the crumpled vampire, his gaunt body broken like a twig swept in with the runoff.

"Daph, you okay? Say something!" After he was certain the vampire was down for the count, he checked on his battered partner. The jiangshi had left several sizeable bites and claw marks into her armor, many of the piercings oozing with blood.

"Erghh...n-not doing so well, partner. Might want to get me back to the medical boat. Looks like you could use it too." Daphne wanted to stay strong, maybe say something like "Remember the mission," but she couldn't deny the anguish circulating through her veins.

"That will be quite impossible. Your reckless gunfire in this enclosed space created too much noise. They're already drawing close to the sewer access." Dimitri quickly closed the manhole and hopped down, his eyes suddenly widening in genuine concern. "You're both wounded. Don't worry, our facility has medical staff, myself included. We can reach the basement through a sewer access door."

"No, I'm not going to trust you all with her, I can bum rush them and get Daphne to our doctors." Philip gritted his teeth as the adrenaline rush slowly wore off, the vampire's bite stinging his flesh.

"You are strong, but that armor has failed you and enough wounds would take down even metamorphs like us." The humanoid bat grasped Philip's shoulder and tried to give him a reassuring grin. "We want to help the world, please let us aid you both."

Philip took a deep breath, knowing Daphne didn't have much time. "I don't know, I don't know. Ughhh!"

"Phil...let him take us...if I bleed like this much longer I'm a goner anyways." Daphne grinned, her blonde hair shining almost angelically beneath the pale lightning of the drainage sewer.

The horse demon nodded, letting her make the choice. He stared cautiously towards their only hope. "I'll give you a chance, but I will hold you responsible for whatever happens to her."

"Dimitri. I will accept your condition. Now let us go, those unfortunate souls up there will not give us sanctuary here. He helped Philip stabilize Daphne in their arms, carrying her swiftly through the sewer. Metal grinds resonated behind them and a chorus of ravenous howls bid them farewell.

*****

A heavy door slammed shut as the trio entered the Betas' facility. A pair of bat men eyed them carefully before Dimitri screeched something in an ultrasonic pitch. Daphne's human ears were blissfully unaware of it as she was carried through the storage room upstairs. One the other hand, Philip ascended the stairs and gave a light groan, cursing that he could pick up on their unique speech.

The main floor of the spotless facility possessed an unusually high roof, littered with many complicated experiments as well as several curtained off squares for patients to rest. Philip recognized a few as some of his fellow agents, but they seemed sedated at the moment. His investigation was interrupted as another pair of Betas arrived dressed in some sort of medical lab coat and facemask. They took Daphne off of their hands and moved her to an open bed, pulling to the curtain back to preserve her modesty and strip off her combat armor.

"Hey! I..." Philip was about to follow them in, when a firm paw gripped at his shoulder. Dimitri held a single claw to his lips.

"The doctors need to dress her wounds and replace the blood that has been lost immediately. If you're worried about her dignity, the doctors working on her are female." Dimitri let go and tried to offer him a reassuring grin. "They are very good, not to worry. They have stabilized all of the people we evacuated to this complex."

"......Good. Now explain to me what the hell is going on here before I start throwing files open." Philip reminded himself that he was still dealing with criminals, even if they were treating his partner.

A light chuckle escaped the Beta's maw, and he motioned his guest through the hallways ahead. The spacious corridors were crafted with the same unusual height. Several Betas weaved in and out of the long passages, several wearing bandages from run-ins with the jiangshi. "Ah yes, allow me to introduce you to our mother. I'm certain she'd like to explain it herself. You may know her as..."

Philip cut him off and chimed in like a textbook. "Dr. Lexine Masters, a.k.a. Omega. A former Russian scientist with multiple doctorates including genetic engineering and psychology. Her original research and discoveries were genius, but she took things too far with her last test subject. Suspected of enough crimes to fill a whole cabinet."

"Omega will do, that old life is dead." A pair of shiny red eyes darted downward. "And did they tell you my motives for my supposed crimes? Do you have any doubt in what your superiors have told you?"

Philip nearly jumped in surprise, the deep female voice creeping up on him. He peered upwards, noticing that their mother was hanging off of the massive dome's ceiling. A humanoid bat, almost twice the size of any average man let go of her perch. She maneuvered about onto her feet with a surprising amount of grace. Her body displayed a perfect blend of feminine beauty and beastly strength. Dressed in snug, air-resistant latex, even Philip had to admit she cut a fine figure for the lights. The silky silver fur did throw a few wrenches into the works though. The blonde haired bat gave a soft chuckle and gave a light bow. "Welcome to my abode, Agent McMulton. I believe that is what my precious Dimitri called you."

"How did you..." The equine nodded and suddenly understood what the earlier screech was about. "Right, ultrasonic communication."

"Dah, very good. You studied our files carefully I imagine." Omega strode around Philip, admiring his unique body. "Ah, fantastic. Such a sturdy, well-built body. You've already healed as well."

Philip inspected where his armor had been punctured and noticed the blood had finally dried. It was nothing a good scrubbing couldn't deal with now. Being a supernatural creature has its perks. "I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm technically a demon. I'm not sure I fit into your world order."

"Nyet, you misunderstand what I and my family stand for. It matters very little to me what triggered your change. I've seen marvelous beings born not just from my own hands, but from the ideas of others, from magic and ancient secrets once thought buried away." Omega looked up into the skylight windows, her eyes as starry as the night sky. "The important thing is that we improve the world. My family stands as the foundation of that ideal."

"I don't care about that. I trust the information I've been given. What I want to know right now is what the hell those monsters are out there and if we can stop them...even cure them and their victims." Philip glared at the doctor, snapping her stirring speech over his knee.

Omega bared her fangs for what seemed to be a split second before regaining her composure and nodded softly. "Of course. You're worried about your comrades, and those you've sworn to protect. Fine, let us deal with that business." Dr. Masters verbally played out the scenario for her guest.

*****

Five hours ago, Omega stood with several of her other Betas, the towering woman studying a young man stripped of everything but his boxers. The mother placed her paw gently on the chest of the dark haired intern. "You are very brave, Frederick. Many would be afraid to become one of us, let alone an even greater metamorph. You will have a long, healthy live, and have a body greater than even my other children."

Frederick nodded softly and closed his eyes, offering a comforted smile. He rested blissfully cuffed on the medical table, while a wheelchair lay abandoned to the side. "Set me free then, I'm ready." All the answers in the world seemed to be at the young man's grasp, his frail body ready for a new journey.

Omega motioned for her assistants to begin the procedure, a large generator sending a strong current through a thick circuit, channeling all the energy through a familiar ankh amulet. The Egyptian artifact proved surprisingly resilient at absorbing the charge, the polished jewelry showing no scuffs or signs of stress. The ankh continued to accept the energy before finally refocusing the charge into a beaker of genetic material, the dark red liquid bubbling with life. Snapping the vial into a syringe, the assistant prepared the needle and plunged it into Fredrick's arm, whipping his future in a new direction.

"Ahhhh...i-it...it stings!" Fredrick cried out in agony, never knowing a simple shot to burn with such ferocity. His body twitched and thrashed about in the firm metal cuffs.

Omega grinned with glee, announcing to her family, "Behold, his legs move, my children! The first step to his ascension!" She approached once again and gently held his arm. "Don't fight, Fredrick. Your human shell is melting away." Unnoticed under her ruby gaze, his skin grew pale under the ivory fluorescent rays.

"Noooo...t-this...arggghhhh!" Fredrick's cries for help delved into incoherent cries of agony, his body desperate to reject the crimson ooze swimming inside his body, subtlety leaving its mark. The serum seemed to be slowly starving his body, making it gaunt and thin, while his eyes turned red and puffy.

"This...this isn't how it's supposed to happen. Sedate him." Omega gritted her fangs, feeling an ominous tightness in her stomach when her eyes connected Fredrick's monstrous orbs. Unlike her past experiments who seemed to relish at their changes, only unbridled fury and hunger glared back at her.

"Uugghhhhh!" Before the nurse could punch in a sedative syringe, Fredrick ripped off the metallic cuffs and lunged at the ceiling lights, slashing them into useless scrap.

"I'll restrain him. Put him to sleep when I do." Omega leapt up at Fredrick, her large eyes taking in every detail. Fredrick still appeared relatively humanoid, but his unhealthy skin and unnatural starved belly unsettled her.

Fredrick was beyond understanding her motives, all he saw was a larger creature ascending upon him. He hopped away from the ceiling and calmed down under the dimmer lighting, his instincts sharpening. He jumped atop Omega's back, clawing through her latex and fur on his way down.

Omega cried out in surprise more than anything else as she threw off the small monster, launching him through the wall of the experimentation lab. She reared her head back and upwards, crying out an ultrasonic message to all her Betas. A pair attended to her relatively small wounds, while others continued the chase, the sounds of upheaval and struggles echoing through the complex.

*****

"And you let him escape?!" Philip gritted his teeth; the supposed truth did little to temper his nerves.

"Nyet, of course not. I locked down the facility and had him captured. He's been stored away while my children synthesize a cure." She then put a large finger to Philip's lips, interrupting the obvious question. "Unfortunately, I did not anticipate he would also be so contagious. My children are not able to pass their gift with a mere bite, miliy." Omega pulled her paw back before admitting sadly, "Like Fredrick, not all of my supporters have ascended yet. I must maintain some form of secrecy until we have the strength to save this world from those who would oppose us. ...After a few hours passed, most of my human children turned into those things...vampires, or whatever you wish to call them. Others were torn apart like meat when the infected changed."

"And the reason why you and the others aren't feasting on blood right now?" Philip raised an eyebrow, a million questions left to answer in his head.

"Our superior genetics completely resist whatever contagions Fredrick is carrying. His wounds are deadly however, even to us. The vampires use a bite not unlike our own, their saliva is filled with anti-coagulants designed to keep the blood from hardening right away when we bite. Where we merely feast on fruit, our common threat has been using this talent to feed on anything that moves." Omega said with absolute conviction, "We have free will, we choose how and when to feed. These parasites are complete carnivores, gross and driven purely on instinct. We must cure them of this condition."

The agent panted, thumbing over every detail in his head, wishing he had the director in his ear right now. "We can't allow these things to leave the island." He pointed dramatically at the huge bat woman and declared, "I will give you the authority to help me subdue these victims, but when we are done, you will answer for your crimes." His eyes narrowed and he added, "Regardless of your interpretation of the facts, there are people dead because of your experiments. You will be held accountable!"

"I have not and will not forget those who have sacrificed themselves for the world, agent." Omega's wings ruffled from his accusations, the sting of reality pricking at her heart again. "...Let's go to my laboratory, it sounds like they are about to attempt a cure." Her ears twitched, hearing various ultrasonic messages being passed around her lair.

"Fine." Philip's hooves clopped along the tiled hallways, weighted down with stress. "I assume you'll be administering this cure to all those affected by this vampirism, including..."

"...your comrades. Yes. I am not cruel, agent." Omega flung the doors to her laboratory open. "Doctors of medicine are sworn to do no harm."

While Philip would have loved to argue and tear down her arguments, he needed a break from debating with criminals. With several of his fellow agents hospitalized and on the verge of changing themselves, he focused on the heavily restrained man ahead.

Fredrick was kept in a dimly lit room nestled between a half dozen monitoring computers and many more metallic restraints. A small of IV of blood was attached to his arm keeping him fed, even as he started thrashing sluggishly at the sturdy fetters. "Arghhhhhh!"

"We are ready to proceed, mother." A team of eager Betas grinned, itching to show off their work and to cure their family.

"Go ahead, administer the serum." Omega watched patiently as the team leader injected Fredrick with another vial of dark red fluid, the jiangshi hissing and roaring behind his facemask. Then, all of the sudden the vampire stopped moving, his red eyes dilating for a moment before the crimson irises faded back into a deep brown.

Fredrick's struggles went limp, a bit of color returning to his complexion, while his fangs and nails receded into normal human shapes. He breathed in fresh breaths of life, tasting the air once more with a conscious mind. "I...I...Dr. Masters...you, can't remember..."

A wide, genuine smile curved around Omega's lips as she reached out and hugged the whole bed Fredrick was strapped to, uttering softly to him, "My child...I am glad you have returned to us." Tears were nearly welling up in her eyes from the rush of emotion.

Philip let the scene play out a few minutes longer before coughing rudely for attention. "I'm glad it works, Dr. Masters, but we still have others needing that cure."

"It's Omega...only Omega." Reluctantly she let go and nodded, turning towards the three Betas, waving them off to prepare more of the antidote. "Then we will go out with some of my children and spread the cure once it's prepared."

The equine nodded his head and followed her towards down more of the monotonous wide halls. "Fine. What about the cause of all this then? What have you done with that magical ankh that started this whole vampire incident?" Amazingly, Philip resisted making the joke about that being the stupidest idea in the world. He instantly reminded himself the supernatural were not only stirring the world, but outright jumping up and down on its fragile psyche.

"I had it destroyed completely. The ancient Egyptians had a twisted idea of eternal life it seems. It's an idea that no one should have their hands on. Not even your superiors in the government." She produced a small pouch of reflective dust, far removed from the carefully carved amulet it once was.

"And they don't seem to trust you either, for very understandable reasons." Philip finally reached the room Omega sought out, entering with her to see a well-stocked armory. Several Betas seemed to be dressing in the same latex uniform Omega was garbed in, while holding scoped rifles. "Weapons and armor. I'm certain you have only pure intentions for these."

"The armor merely protects us, and makes our furry bodies sleeker and aerodynamic. The weapons are tranquilizer rifles. Ordinarily they are used to knock out a pursuer, but in this case, they can deliver an antidote at long range." Omega seemed proud to display her group's non-lethal means of dispatchment.

Philip grabbed a rifle and chose to remember the doctor's gross violations against humanity. "Let's just get started. If we don't cure them soon, they may call for a military strike. In fact, you got a radio?"

They all shook their head and politely reminded Philip the usefulness of their ultrasonic shrieks. He cursed under his breath and waited patiently for their ammunition.

*****

Fredrick smiled as wide as he could; wiggling his legs like it was a magic trick. "I must have blacked out the last few hours, but I feel great."

"Indeed, we are glad you are awake. You gave me a bit of a scare," Dimitri returned from the medical lab and grinned upon seeing their intern regain his mind.

"I did? Well, I admit I was expecting to be...hmmm, is that hair growing down there?" The young man looked at his twitching legs in wonder.

*****

Outside, the skies filled with the swift soaring of Betas, who were preparing their counter-strike. Meanwhile, Philip marched alone on the ground and grumbled about the situation, "I feel like bait down here." Thankfully the vampires didn't interrupt their advance to the center of town. He gazed up at Omega's colossal figure and asked, "We're at the square! So how are you going to attract every last one of them?!"

Omega let out an ultrasonic shriek, and the dozen Betas accompanying her took tactical positions upon the rooftops. She then met Philip on the ground and grinned, "Dimitri already scolded you about making too much noise, but that's precisely how we'll draw them all out." She pointed her long, silvery claw towards the top of town hall where a pair of her Betas was unpacking and constructing a speaker system from their backpacks. "As you can imagine, I've conducted many sound experiments to test my family's hearing, but if we lower the frequency, we can use it to gather them all in one place."

"And you've volunteered me to be bait, haven't you." Philip narrowed his eyes at Omega, but didn't feel a twinge of surprise.

"Ha ha, nyet. I will stand down here with you; watch your back as it were." Omega let her deep Russian voice roll sweetly as she laughed. "In case you haven't noticed, my new body is no longer good at handling small instruments. There are plenty of new advantages however." She stretched her body and lifted an abandoned truck over her head, her thick arms handling four thousand pounds of metal and plastic like a toy. Then she gently set the vehicle down; showing that a fair amount of grace drove that power.

"I'm not impressed, I can handle that." Eager to show her who was in charge, Philip clopped over to the truck and hoisted it over his head, taking an extra second from the strain. "Hah...there, no problem."

"Dah, very good. Now lift fifty thousand kilograms, malchik." Omega grinned widely as her eyes observed the Clydesdale sweat. "That's about 50 tons in your inefficient American measurements."

"What?! Nothing natural, hell nothing alive could handle that kind of weight, not even an elephant!" Philip gasped as he threw down the truck in disbelief and scowled at Omega.

"Mmhhmm, in the old days that may have been true." She turned her view back up to her sound team, hearing them ask for confirmation over the ultrasound frequency. "Agent, I suggest you stop your attempts to showoff, we have work to do."

Philip nearly whinnied of out of instinctual frustration before spitting at the ground before her. "Fine. But you're a criminal, and I don't care how casual you are with me. As soon as this is over, and we've cured all of the survivors, I'm going to deal with you." He aimed his tranquilizer rifle towards the main drag into the square.

Spreading her wings dramatically, Lexine nodded softly, "I'm certain you'll try, I've seen your type before. A pity we don't have more time to debate what your director has told you. I'm certain a bright man like you would see the truth." She then let her maw open wide with her command, the Betas on town hall activating the sound system.

A cacophony of noise blared from the constructed speakers, echoing across the once silent network of streets. Everyone cringed for a moment, adjusting from the grating sound scratching their ears. The twisted concert quickly drew an audience, a crowd of eager jiangshi leaping towards the performance in the square. Several guns cocked dramatically for the bloated parasites before the volley of gunfire began.

Screams filled the square with a few lucky shots striking the jiangshi from afar, their bodies crashing to the concrete. Guns were quickly reloaded for a second volley, all while the advancing swarm grew dangerously close with their hopping. They licked their fangs and lips eagerly, spying a dozen bags of fresh blood for their forbidden thirst.

"They're going to be on top of us in a minute, try not to break them in half," ordered the agent as he tossed aside the emptied rifle and switched to a loaded tranquilizer pistol, firing another dart into the advancing crowd, another life saved.

"I am in complete control of my body, Agent McMulton." Omega balled up her fist and charged forward, barreling several of the bloated parasites over with her supreme bulk. Her hefty arm then swung back and swept another wave over into the walls of the ice cream parlor.

The Betas fired down on the toppled vampire vanguard, with Philip noticing they did not miss a shot at this point. He guessed they were receiving more ultrasonic orders, but it was hard to tell over the sound system's bedlam. It was an impressive feat that Omega could relay tactics while giving a vampire a knuckle sandwich. "Good, keep that up then." Another dart flew from his pistol, injecting itself into another pale chest.

"Mmhhmm...wait..." Omega's sensitive ear perked up and she shouted out, "I can handle the main group, protect my children!" She then snarled thanks to a bite to the arm, her latex uniform gaining a nice bloody hole for her trouble. The jiangshi received a free toss into the crowd.

"What?!" Philip turned around and noticed a few vampires had split from the main group and were leaping around towards the rooftops, the Betas desperately trying to maintain their positions. "Enough goddamned hopping!" The Clydesdale galloped to town hall and yanked a jiangshi from the elegant pillar, the stunned vampire getting a taste of a reloaded dart. He then gasped and felt a hefty weight on his back, the bloated vampire hissing roughly near his ear. "Ahhh, let go!"

The unnaturally rosy vampire rudely refused and helped himself to a small sample of Philip's neck, snapping down and lapping up his blood. A sharp whinny escaped the horse's large maw and he violently flung off his attacker, his paw immediately gripping his wound. Hot blood trickled through his furry fingers. "Damned bastard..."

He panted lightly and reluctantly let go of his shoulder, the fury of battle still unfolding around him. He understood the vitality of his sniper support. Several more jiangshi were ripped off the sides of buildings, denied their climbs and leaps to a fresh meal. Once the secondary attack waned, one of the sniping Betas pointed a wounded arm towards Omega and begged Philip, "Don't worry about us, protect our mother!"

The dark haired horse turned his long neck back towards the chaos in the center. Once standing tall and elegant, the mighty Omega was looking a bit haggard and torn. Several darted victims lay around her, while many more leapt at her body; gripping and biting all over like overgrown parasites. "Proklyatiye! Get off me!"

Philip noticed her struggles becoming more sluggish and leapt into the fray, fulfilling the family's wish. His hooves thundered against the concrete and his muscled arms yanked a pair of bloodsuckers off her back, giving them a free ride into the local market.

Omega grunted and gave the rest the same gift, followed by some complimentary darts from her children above. "Hah...hah...good...how does it look?" She panted and looked about, noting a significant drop in vampire activity.

"I think we've almost won. Thank God this was an island." Philip took a quick breath and refilled his empty pistol. "You gonna be okay? That suit looks more red than black right now."

"It is not as bad as it appears thank you." She stood up straight again and tried to regain an elegant appearance before Philip. A new uniform that wasn't torn to tatters might have helped matters. "I told you I would help these people, and I don't intend to leave until we cure them all."

Philip nodded as they began cleaning up the last of the vampires. Noting that natural color was returning to the first round of targets, he smiled in light relief. "Good. Let's hurry it along. We don't want anyone getting infected again."

*****

Daphne's eyes fluttered open gently, the blonde agent shifting amongst the soft bed sheets. "Hmmm..." Her eyes made a second, more determined effort to open before recoiling from the fluorescent lights above, her hand blocking the rays in a quick reflex.

"Ah, you've awakened. I'm so glad to see you are alright." Dimitri's smiling face spooked Daphne for a moment before she recalled everything that happened. The medical Beta gently pulled the sheet back, showing her that her earlier wound was well bandaged. "I was worried I might have been too late when we carried you through the sewer."

"The sewer? ...Right, I felt like was going to sink into nothing." She felt her bandage, and noted unusually that there was barely a sting where the vampire bit her. "Was I not wounded as badly as I thought?" Slowly she sat up in the hospital bed and offered her doctor a gentle smile back. "Thank you for saving my life." She looked about the room and noticed it was rather empty, just a couple of nurses hanging around.

"But of course. I swore to your partner that I would take responsibility for your injury. Thankfully we were able to develop a cure for the vampirism very quickly." Dimitri chuckled softly, feeling proud he had saved yet another life.

"Yeah, that would have been a scary thought turning into...one of those things." Daphne then gasped and spat out, "Right! Phil! I mean...Where is Agent McMulton?"

"He has left with our mother, along with several of my brothers and sisters to cure the survivors of this unfortunate incident with the very serum that saved you. We are not vulnerable to vampirism unlike normal humans." The Beta let a bit of arrogance seep into his tone.

"Makes sense. If he wasn't hurt he'd stay right on the case once I was safe." Daphne stretched her body a little, still surprised she felt healthy as she observed her surroundings. Her blue eyes caught the nametag on his lab coat. "Doctor...Solokov? I'm not the only survivor, am I?"

"No, no, we managed to save many once we were aware of the situation and developed the cure. And please, call me Dimitri." He offered Daphne another reassuring grin. "However, our more...combat minded brothers and sisters are currently dispensing the cure to the victims in town. We don't want to risk you or the others getting bitten again while they're roused. Your partner also mentioned the possibility of a military strike. It's important we evacuate both ourselves and the survivors from this place."

Daphne nodded, finding some sense in this. "If we were connected to the mainland, they would have probably called in the missiles right away to prevent this from spreading, but with an island they have time to plan out their moves." She grasped the doctor's hand, feeling all five fingers beneath all the brown fur. "What will you do once you escape though? Are you really going to keep following that woman?"

"She cares passionately about us and the world. She truly wants to make a better society." Dimitri spoke with true sincerity and a fair amount of warmness.

"Dr. Solokov...Dimitri, she's a criminal. For whatever good she has done, she's wronged so many others. Are all the people she's recruited truly here of their own free will?" Noticing the twitching of his ears, she built up her point, "Interpol data suggests many of her initial Betas were lab assistants that went missing."

"It...It is very complicated. It is hard to understand fully unless you're one of us. That is one of the reasons why our mother works so hard, to help others understand why our new bodies are a gift." Dimitri shook off Daphne's hand and his soft brown eyes quivered. "I've seen many people succumb to disease and sickness in my line of work, but she's a genius, nearly miraculous in what she's accomplished." He gazed deep into her blue eyes and spoke simply. "I can save people, truly save them."

"And no one is stopping you from saving people, but it can't be done working for someone whose actions and philosophy are fundamentally flawed, Dimitri." Daphne took a deep sigh and added, "If you're worried about your...family, I'm certain the authorities wouldn't be able to pin any of the crimes on any of you besides Dr. Masters. We can put you in protective custody; use your knowledge for..."

Dimitri held up his paw, wishing for silence. "Protective custody? The only thing we have that needs protection is our freedom. You would want us to hide away...like they've done to your partner?" He shook his head in disgust. "I cannot agree to this. I am not a criminal, and I am certainly not going to hide forever. The day is coming soon where the world will have to recognize us, Agent McMulton, and the others hiding in the world. All of us who are metamorphs."

"Dimitri..." Her heart drummed quickly, her mind trying to absorb all of the arguments. "There will be consequences if you keep following her." She prepared to escape the bed when she noticed something peculiar. Her formerly shaven legs were bristling with many dark hairs, the surprise making her feet kick off the sheets. "What the hell...a side effect?"

"One of." Dimitri's brown eyes blinked slowly before he begged to her. "Please forgive me. It was the only way to save their lives...and yours."

"What do you mean by that?" Daphne meticulously inspected her body, noticing more dark hairs sprouting up beneath the hospital gown. "You! What have you done?!"

"In my wildest hopes, I had wished you would be sympathetic before the changes began, but perhaps it's easier to understand why we've accepted this new life once you share our gift." Dimitri deftly leapt back from the agent, and cringed as she crashed against the tile floor.

"I...You think p-people want...this...ahhhh!" Daphne gasped and cried out once the serum began its true purpose, having dealt with the parasitic strain in her body. Unlike the jiangshi's agonized screams however, a hint of delight filled her cries as the sensations overwhelmed her five senses.

"They do, even if they don't realize it." Dimitri watched closely, marveling at the emerging spectacle like a sunrise.

Lost to the thrill of transformation, Daphne tore off her hospital gown and let her tanned human skin lose itself to a pelt of silky black fur. Once she gained her free coat, her modestly attractive figure was amplified by the serum's touch. Her breasts took on a large, sensual plumpness with a pair of a wonderfully rosy nipples poking out from the dark fur. Daphne's rear adapted the same features, her hips widening and sprouting a short tail to attract a bevy of potential mates. "Ooooh, this...t-this feels fantastic!" she moaned with glee as she felt up her changing body, her voice laced with ecstasy.

"And the process isn't finished yet either, agent." The doctor gave a sigh of relief, noting her resistance had dropped to a flat zero in nearly as many seconds.

"Mmhhmm, I can feel them...I can feel everything..." Her ears widened and extended like a pair of proper bat ears, picking up on sounds once hidden to her dull senses. The world seemed more vibrant, even if her eyes showed nothing but the same stark medical lab. She arose with a wobble and felt the clock above, listening carefully to each tick. As she reached for the timer, leathery webs developed beneath her arms with muscle to support flight. "Is this how Philip feels...is this how you all feel? God, I feel invincible!" She cried out in delight with the final changes, her face twisting gently into a cute, yet unmistakable bat design with dark blue eyes, a small muzzle with slit nostrils, and finally a mouth full of fangs. Only her long blonde hair remained from her once human body.

"Most of the time, though you might be a bit overwhelmed by your new body at the moment." Dimitri gently took Daphne's paw and announced, "Would you like to meet the rest of the family, sister?"

"Yes! I want to see them; I want them to share it all with them!" The agent forgot about everything, her body demanding she revel in her transformation.

"And you will, but first thing's first. We must insure the rest of our family leaves safely." Dimitri then chuckled and added, "And though we don't care much for modesty, we should get you an outfit. It will make it easier to fly away when we are done here."

"I can fly like a bird...soar as high as the clouds?" Daphne nearly jumped like a school girl in a candy store, hugging Dimitri with her bare body.

The doctor blushed lightly beneath his brown fur before nodding softly. "Your first flight might be a little rough, but yes, you will soar. Let us prepare."

*****

As the last vampire fell to the earth, riddled with the serum, Philip spat out, "You lied to me! You said you were going to cure them!" Already several of the recovering victims were sprouting hair and wings.

"I did. I cured them, even saved many that were mortally wounded by those parasites." Omega spoke rather proudly of that fact.

"You didn't tell me it would change them into your slaves!" Philip was unimpressed, snapping back with full fury towards the fugitive.

"They are not slaves! They can think. They have their individuality, their personalities. They follow me because they believe in my goals, because of our kinship, because they now understand they can be more than a mere human." She preached and pounded her chest, happy to debate Philip, even in the middle of a recent battleground.

"They follow you because they think they have nowhere else to go." He stood up with a fiery glare and pointed up towards her face. "We don't abandon our citizens! We protect them and their freedom! We don't force them to submit their entire lives to one person."

Omega grew quiet for a moment, took a deep breath and then looked at Philip closely with her red eyes, trying to gauge the actual man behind all the fury and duty. "Agent, what sort of freedom are you actually promising people when you go into work every day? Is it the right to vote? I don't believe so. Your political parties twist the results and the media feeds people misinformation...quite easily I might add." She spoke as if she had firsthand knowledge with the latter subject. "Is it a right to privacy? No, because you dig through your citizen's lives, all while your enemies outmaneuver you." Then she grinned with the backing of a coup de grace. "And it certainly isn't a right to free speech. If an individual exposes something inconvenient for the government, even when it proves they have broken their own laws, they're labeled a traitor and hunted like a dog."

Philip tensed up, considered all her points and replied, "It isn't a perfect system, I know. But that's why we have elections, why we have new laws written and amended, why we have courts to rule when a law is unjust. In a free system there are always going to be people who lie or exploit the system, it's as inevitable as human nature. That's why people need to keep trying to make things better, to keep speaking and let their voices be heard." He nodded and added, "We have so many means to communicate now, so no matter how many lies you think are polluting the world, the truth is out there."

"That was a stirring speech, inspiring even, but ultimately a farce. Such ideals are being crushed or ignored every day thanks to human nature. Human nature is an imperfection that I intend to end. Strip it away, and what have you got left to counter me, agent?" Omega's cynicism gleefully slapped down the agent's stand. "Only someone who's beyond humanity can save the world...Omega."

"Heh, so you're the only one who can save the world? Everyone else is dead wrong?" Philip snorted in annoyance. "You have to be the most arrogant, self-centered bitch I've ever met, and that's counting all my old bosses. You've kidnapped people, violated their humanity, misused funds meant to fight bio-terrorism, recklessly endangered and ended lives, endangered federal agents..." The demonic horse man suddenly went stone quiet, a sharp gasp escaping his lips. Words were meaningless to him now, his legs charged away from the square, thankfully unscathed in the fight.

"Stupid, so fucking stupid!" A plethora of curses screeched across the night skies with Philip galloping furiously towards Omega's lair. Everything had gone so horribly wrong in just a few short hours. With one problem solved, a million more assaulted his vulnerable mind. Are those new Betas really free to choose? How was he going to stop them all without a strike team, hell, without a military entourage? His partner, his fellow agents, what about them? Would they abandon their past lives too? He shivered bitterly, imaging all the confidential information Dr. Masters could have by the end of the night, tucked away in her slimy claws while his former friends and co-workers bowed before her whim. All of this and he didn't even have a radio on him.

Omega blinked in surprise from Philip's sudden jolt away from the debate table before understanding what he was after. With a silent ultrasonic shriek, she flew after him, ignoring the stings of her bite wounds. The rooftop Betas nodded at their mother's final command. Someone had to initiate the new blood littering the town square.

*****

"Where are they?!" Frantic clops echoed through the emptied complex, the efficient Betas already maneuvering their resources away.

"Philip?!" A familiar voice rang back deep within the lair, drawing the horse into a large warehouse in rear.

The doors to the outside world were swung open with several Betas flying alongside their newly morphed brethren. Even the new blood had a fair amount of superhuman grace in the skies. Philip ignored them for a moment, focusing on the ebony furred bat flying towards him, the lovely female now dressed in a snug latex uniform which hugged her fantastic figure. "D-Daph. You too...fuck!"

"Philip, why are you mad?" The blonde felt some of her euphoria slip away against the slap of reality. "I...I know it's a shock, but I would be dead or one of those things right now without this gift. The doctor and Omega...they saved my life."

"Yeah, I know, but your life and those around you wouldn't have even been threatened if it wasn't for that quack." Philip dug his hooves into the ground. "Did they tell you they were responsible for creating those vampires in the first place?"

"Well, no, but I'm sure they were getting to it. Things have been crazy here. A lot of the people here are scared the military is coming...I can hear them all. Oh Phil, you have no idea what it is like." Daphne sighed blissfully and explained, "It's like being a part of a network. You never feel like you're alone. There's always someone there to support you, to speak to, whatever you want. It finally feels like I have brothers and sisters."

The horse face-palmed, the stress starting to make him crack. "Daph, you're an FBI agent. We both swore to uphold the law." He looked her straight in the eye and begged her, "C'mon, we can get you and the survivors back...get doctors to cure you and the survivors...maybe cure me, and then..." Philip breathed deeply, knowing his pleas were becoming comedic. No priest or holy man could purge the traces of demonic power coursing in his equine body. How well would science work against the Betas' changes?

His eyes widened once Daphne hugged him tightly and her blue eyes watered. "I understand what you've gone through the last month so much better now. Phil, you don't have to be alone any more. No more hiding away, you can be free again."

Philip hugged her tightly, feeling her heartbeat against his own, unused to her growth spurt. "Damn it, Daph, how did we get caught up in this mess?"

"Agent McMulton! I have heard the news already! You are a big hero!" Dimitri finished packing a Beta with laboratory equipment and swooped over to him, beaming from ear to ear.

"Right, that's how this started." Philip let go of Daphne and firmly gripped Dimitri by his collar. "You! You said you'd take responsibility! Look at all these people! Their lives have been wrecked because of your "family"!"

Several experienced Betas swooped in to surround the trio while some of the newly formed bats quivered a bit, given a reminder of what was lost. Dimitri let out a short ultrasonic shriek, making the circle step back for the moment. "I did take responsibility, agent. My family made a mistake, and I saved their lives. Would you have forced me to let them die?"

Philip's grip shook before he let Dr. Solokov fall to the polished cement, the medic groaning from the rough release. The demon exhaled and then gently shook his head. "No...no, I wouldn't." Fury quickly reignited however with the equine glaring down at the doctor. "I also wouldn't force these poor people to join your organization, family, whatever you want to call it!" He looked over to the gathering crowd of Betas and cried out, "The government can help you, protect you. If you follow Omega you'll all be labeled abettors to a known fugitive, you'll be helping a woman who has kidnapped people for her experiments and has endangered lives. You were all changed because of those vampires they made!"

The crowd stared at him for a few moments, considering his stance before many of them shook their heads, distrustful of the agent when the sweet words of their family filled the air. Philip couldn't even tell who in the crowd were the former FBI agents, all the thick fur and shiny eyes making their features meaningless to him. Even Daphne's blue eyes held loads of doubt, but her feet remained planted by her partner's. The ten year veteran felt completely lost, the only thing he could do to not cry was to kneel and punch the ground. His mighty fist left a large spider web of cracks in the cement. "Not one of you cares about your past life at all? Not one?"

"Of course they care." Philip turned around to see Omega hovering over them all, the fresh latex uniform giving her a healthy dose of dignity compared to the torn scraps she wore before. "They just see a much more fulfilling life ahead of them."

Dimitri hopped up from the floor and strode towards Omega, noting the fang marks raking across her cheek. "Mother! You've been injured, you should..."

"You know I'm always prepared Dimitri." The silver bat patted her outfit's medicine pouch with pride. If it could help heal a tongue bite from her massive fangs, it could certainly handle a few pricks of jiangshi teeth.

"Good. If you're healthy enough to be coy, then you're healthy enough to come into custody." Arising from the floor silently, the burly horse stared at Omega like a man on his last hand at the poker table.

"Hmmm, I am afraid we all would never fit on those little boats you brought with you, Agent McMulton. Perhaps we can settle this another time." Omega gasped in shock as Philip's furious charge knocked her off her feet, her rolling body slamming into a row of metallic shelves.

"No, we're going to finish this now!" Noticing several Betas descending upon him, the horse raced across the floor, swinging his mighty fists into several hapless faces. Against a mere human, a Beta would be more than a match, but against a large demonic horse, the odds were tipping the other way one on one. It's a shame that individual statistics matter little when you're one man against an army.

Nearly a dozen Betas were holding him down, the group as a whole wobbling under the restrained force Philip exerted against them. Omega took the opportunity to arise, growling from her wounds crashing against clumsy metal. "I had hoped that perhaps your partner could talk sense into you, but I suppose that won't be happening. You won't listen to reason today." She then let loose another shriek, ordering her Betas to let him go.

Philip gasped and took in a deep breath of air, nearly convinced the mass of bats was trying to strangle him. "I'm the only reasonable one here."

"Is that so? Then why has everyone else chosen to follow me?" Omega than spat in his direction, which considering her size was a mighty fine shot of saliva. "You offer these people what? A chance at being normal? Human?" She shook her head and laughed. "I gave them gifts beyond their imaginations, I gave them purpose. You have nothing for them, agent."

"There are others who have resisted you!" Philip dove in and tried to take a kick at Omega's chest with his mighty hoof, only to bludgeon empty air. Omega soared above and hung off the ceiling, even offering him a friendly wave. The horse started a metaphorical fire beneath her. "Stinger. She has gifts as well, but she doesn't use them to brainwash people. She's a respected officer."

Omega's brow narrowed and she quickly returned to terra firma with a loud thud. "That was very rude of you to use my Alpha as an example, agent." Her one-sided lesbian love affair towards the progenitor of her own transformation happened to a sore spot for her. Who knew?

"Or what, Dr. Masters? I'll reveal that your new order isn't accepted by others like us? Stinger thought you were insane and a menace to society." A wide grin curled across his equine face. Who cared if he was fighting a losing battle, the look of anger across her smug face, the melting of her calm persona was worth it to the broken man.

"That life is gone...and you know nothing about her!" Omega roared with Philip as they met head on.

The Betas were almost afraid to step close, seeing the fight had seeped into personal levels. A flurry of blows was dealt to both combatants. For every crushing swipe or swoop of her fangs Omega dealt, Philip made sure to answer in kind with thundering punches to her wounds, aggravating the recent pain. Daphne forced herself to watch, swearing she was watching two animals cruelly fight each other.

Finally, Omega ascended to the roof and opened her mouth wide, shocking Philip with a blast of ultrasonic noise, making his ears pop with pain. "Enough out of you, my family needs me."

The bruised horse held his ears and tried resisting the shaking headache lodged in his skull. "Fuck you! I won't stop 'till you're behind bars or I'm dead!"

"Ha ha, well I'm not a murderer, but I can certainly make you wish that you were dead." Despite the hard knocks she took, the Russian amazon was ready for round five. She plunged down to deal the knockout blow before Daphne stepped in her flight path, causing Omega to stumble and barely catch herself on her hands and knees. "You...Daphne, step out of the way. I promise not to kill him, but he mustn't disrupt our escape."

"No..." Daphne shook and shivered as she felt the sway of her brothers and sisters screech out for her to step aside. "I know you want to help people, but this has gone so wrong."

"Indeed, many mistakes were made today, which I aim to rectify, devushka." Omega gently placed her paw on Daphne's shoulder. "He's made his choice clear though, he will continue to try and stop us from leaving."

"Let go of her..." Philip recovered enough to gallop around Daphne and try to clock Omega across the jaw. What he received instead was the firm grasp of her larger paw.

"You should have stepped aside. Now I must break you." Omega's firm foot kicked into Philip's chest, denting his combat armor and bashing his chiseled muscles before finally his ribs quietly cracked for her sensitive ears. She let go of the limp equine, letting him slam against the warehouse floor.

"Philip...Philip!" Daphne cried out in horror, her blue eyes finally letting the tears fly as she stripped off his armor to help him breathe. "What have you done? God..."

Omega stared down at the sobering scene with a dash of pity in her eyes before she rejoined the rest of her family, letting loose another stream of ultrasonic orders.

Final preparations were made to evacuate. Soon, the Isle of Rays would be completely abandoned. Dimitri stayed behind for a moment however, hearing a special order for him and kneeled before the beaten agent. "I'm sorry, miss. I...I really thought maybe he would understand." He felt Phillip's bruised chest gently, ignoring the moan of pain. "I believe his regenerative powers will restore him before long." Despite the reassurance, he did not notice any change in Daphne's somber face. With nothing to add, he flew off to meet his brethren in the skies.

The silver bat watched him leave before approaching with her personal guard and observed the scene for a moment. "Will you come with us or do you plan on staying with him?"

Swallowing a lump, she peered into Philip's weary eyes before telling Dr. Masters, "It's hard. What you're offering, and what you've already given me feel like heaven." She gripped her partner's paw tightly. "But even if it doesn't feel right to refuse, I trust him. Philip's always had my back, I won't leave him alone."

"Of course, I understand. There will always be a place in my family for you both when the time is right." Omega tried to reach and embrace her newest metamorph, but the ebony bat gently pushed her back.

"M-Moth...no, Dr. Masters. If you keep hurting people, then that will never happen." She gingerly caressed Philip's long muzzle. "You say that you're helping the world, but a lot of pain has been caused here today. A lot of people are going to be angry, wondering where their family has disappeared or why people died today." She wiped away her tears and softly requested, "Please...just leave. This is already hard enough to say no to all of them up there in the skies."

Omega gritted her fangs, this argument dug into her more than any of Philip's over law and freedom. She motioned for her last squad to follow her out, the bats flying across the skies without another word. Where would they go? The world was full of nooks and crannies for secrets gross and unimaginable to hide within.

*****

The Isle of Rays case was swiftly labeled a failure in the FBI's classified files. While the department could rest easy knowing vampires wouldn't be hopping down New York, the fact remained that the super criminal Omega had eluded the authorities once again and was not likely to return to their jurisdiction any time soon. While Omega's catalyst, the NYC History Museum's Egyptian ankh was suggested to be destroyed, Agent McMulton's testimony could not provide any confirmation this forbidden artifact was truly destroyed. Regardless, there was going to be a lot of money and time being paid out to keep people quiet about all the disappearances on the island. The public discovering metamorphs under these conditions would pressure moves for drastic action. Every panic has an instigator with a horn.

Director Cooper was reprimanded for his lack of foresight in the severity of the situation. Honestly though, how do you fight a war against the supernatural and super science when your bosses barely give you the money for a box of bullets?

Vanguard team leader Agent Henderson and second in command Agent Roberts were confirmed KIA along with nearly 300 civilians, most succumbing to broken necks and blood loss. About 50 others are either considered missing or have been brainwashed into Omega's organization with her sleeper agents becoming metamorphs themselves. Agents Donohue, Green, Smith, and Velez have also been considered brainwashed and AWOL through Agent McMulton's testimony. While these four agents were recently trained, the bureau is taking every precaution to secure the facility and block access they once had.

As for Agents Philip McMulton and Daphne Doe?

*****

"House arrest for two weeks. I guess we should be lucky we weren't disavowed while they squabble back home about what to do with us." Philip stretched under the sunlight, his burly body recovered with nary the touch a doctor.

"Cooper really stood up for us. When we get back, we're going to have to make it up to him." Daphne swooped to the porch, carrying her bags with ease through the air, the new navy blue latex keeping her aerodynamic. She didn't have to fear being spotted, the secluded island home served as a perfect hideout for a pair of government metamorphs.

"Mmhhmm, guess I'll have to cut the snark around him." He threw his suitcases in the house with a graceless thud and took a heavy seat on the couch. "After all that, a vacation sounds nice. Let the white coats look our DNA over while we soak in some sunshine." Philip spread his muscular body before gasping as Daphne leaped onto his lap.

"Purely for scientific benefit and reverting criminals. I'm not giving this up, Phil." She chuckled lightly, showing she still had a fair amount of exuberance from the initial transformation.

"What about your family and friends outside the bureau? I can't imagine how nice it is to fly, but they might not take it well." The horse demon blushed lightly, feeling rather uncomfortable having a lovely bat woman sit on his lap, his blue jeans getting hotter.

"I'm an adult, Phil. I can make my own choices." She had to admit she was stumped for the moment, only able to answer with, "Well, guess I'll start with mom and dad. If I'm still working as an agent it will make it easier to explain. If the FBI trusts me, then that will help my case." Her ears flattened a little before she punched Philip gently in the chest. "Did you have to bring that up right now, we have a vacation. I'd like to enjoy it before dealing with being different."

"Sorry, sorry. I'll try to be more fun, okay." The equine then gave a somewhat goofy grin which got him a quick insult.

"Hehe, you can be such a dork." Daphne then rested her head on his broad chest, the blonde haired bat enjoying the sound of his heartbeat. "Hmmm, fun, eh? You know, I have a small idea."

Whipping his horse tail in shock, Philip blushed harder beneath his fur once she rubbed her wide rump against his tenting crotch. "Daph, what are you...o-okay, better question, why are you doing that? It isn't the transformation still, is it?"

"You're dense too. You never noticed the looks I gave you?" She then snorted and then admitted, "Alright, it's my fault too." Daphne gave a light shriek of glee as she felt Philip's swelling arousal. "Why am I doing it? Because I like you, and I told you I wouldn't leave you alone." Her soft muzzle dipped forward and happily pressed against her partner's long equine maw. She hugged him tightly, helping them feel truly relieved for the first time in what seemed like an age.

"Ahhh..." Tight groans slipped past his mouth, his shaft eagerly fighting his jeans for an escape. He slowly pulled away from the kiss and licked his lips, enjoying her lingering flavor. "A-Alright, let's say the feeling is mutual, you sure this isn't a bad idea?"

"Is it really worse than any of the other bad ideas that have been passed around lately?" The ebony bat tilted her head, a bit befuddled by her partner.

Philip stopped to think for just a moment before throwing off his shirt, revealing his bay brown chest for the energetic bat. "Fuck it then."

"Much better." Daphne giggled and helped the demon out of his pants and boxers, letting his huge, spotted dick free. The equine shaft was impressive to say the least. She grinned, feeling her new body heating up with pent up lust. "Mmmm, I never realized you were such a mahogany god, Phil." Her digits swiftly curled around his engorged dick, giving him heavenly caresses with her silky soft fur.

"Shit, that's good." Philip growled and let more of his beastly instincts shine through, his paws eagerly reaching for her zipper to remove the bothersome latex his partner wore. The lusty horse inhaled and took a fine look at Daphne's bare beauty. "Gotta admit, black goes nice with that blonde head of hair."

Nodding in agreement, Daphne let go of his excited organ and grinned. "Well, we're attracted and horny, only one step left Phil." She cutely motioned him up and over to the longer couch, the young bat bending over on her paws and knees. Her stubby tail wiggled teasingly over her wide, beautiful rump while her juicy pussy vented her arousal through the whole room.

Even as a human it would have been difficult for Phillip to resist the thick aroma of sex in the room. The Clydesdale horse mounted himself above voluptuous bat, his dark muscled form covering and comforting her graceful figure below. He whinnied playfully to his partner below, receiving an alluring shriek that could have passed for a squeal. Giving himself up to instinct, the bay horse thrust firmly into Daphne's folds, his colossal pride barely fitting inside the Beta's rosy folds.

She closed her eyes and clawed at the couch below, reveling in the sensations overwhelming them both. The brutal, carnal delights made her moan and shriek in ecstasy, all while coating her mate's shaft in loads of her slick juices. His lubricated shaft prodded her deepest reaches, making her skin flush beneath the dark fur. Philip's greedy paws fondled her breasts, only escalating matters. "Ahhhh!"

Philip growled and cried out, thankful for the sexual rush as he ravaged his partner, stuffing her pussy at a rapid tempo. Their hips clapped together from the force while his swollen balls gathered a heavy load. With his breathing drawing tighter, he grinded against her tender nerves and clutched at her ebony tits for support. "Hhrrrrr!"

Daphne succumbed to the pleasure first, unable to resist the jolts of her enhanced senses, her busty body enjoying the throes of pleasure. A small torrent of sweet oils gushed from her comforting love canal and thickly coated her mount's rod. Her body slumped over, but her rosy folds kept a firm grip on his pride, eager to bring him to the very same nirvana.

He couldn't resist the call for long, losing himself to her silky passage, his monstrous cock giving one last push before exploding into a shower of thick, stringy seed. His darkly furred balls filled Daphne up like a cream pie, sending them both to a quick afterglow.

They breathed calmly, forgetting about the woes of the world for the time being. In their naked beauty they enjoyed a gentle solace atop the cushy couch. Even if the world was plagued with innumerable problems, they could at least say they were not alone.

The End