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Chapter VI

Pollenburn

"It's time to go, Gabby. You don't need to worry. You'll see them again soon."

Hades watched from his perch as the mysterious Sixth Chaos Lord strode from corpse to corpse, speaking to the deceased. Though he could not entirely see what transpired, he could sense some... disturbance in the fabric of reality itself. It was like a thread in time being cut, a definitive end to the existence of the soul that had fallen prey to his virus but at the same time, he sensed that somewhere something new was starting. At times, that 'something new' was bigger like something was exploding. Other times, it was like he was cutting and pasting the thread from this realm into another.

Then there were times that the Sixth took out one of the books he was so fond of and obliterated it, the jacket and the pages within its folds just dissolving into dust. And that end that Hades felt... it just ended and he was left with a terrible feeling of emptiness.

He recalled his own attempts to stop the Sixth from interfering with his plans what felt like millennia ago. His body had been devastated with a flick of the Sixth's wrists. It was with some satisfaction that he recalled both Tiamat and Lilith had attempted their own assaults on the Sixth. Lilith stopped after the first attempt but Tiamat seemed to revel in her own body being torn to shreds by the Sixth's mysterious powers. But it was not uncommon for the Chaos Lords to destroy one another like that. Entire realities have been torn to shreds in the conflicting views of Abaddon and Tiamat. Hades himself had fallen into conflict with Lilith every now and then. He had his victories and she had hers.

But for the Sixth, it wasn't like he actually interfered with their plans anyway. He seemed content to go from world to world, speaking to the dead and doing whatever it was he did.

"You're wondering what it is that I'm doing."

Hades was no longer surprised that while there was a winged figure moving amongst the bodies below him in the courtyard, there was another standing beside him in the watch tower.

"I know what you think you're doing," answered Hades. "You style yourself to be some sort of 'Angel of Death'. You believe that you're guiding the souls of the dead to the afterlife." He snorted derisively. "You know as much as I do that there is no such thing as an afterlife."

"Actually, there is. It just so happens that the creators of the worlds you've visited have barred you and your colleagues from entering them."

"That's absurd. We are the Chaos Lords. We control the fundamental element of all creation. Nothing is beyond our reach." He watched as the Sixth - the so called 'R3 the Writer of Reality' - moved to another corpse that had collapsed under its own weight as the Valkyrie's Kiss consumed the last of its nutrients. "And there are no gods."

"Of that we agree. But in your arrogance, you fail to accept that there will always be someone greater than yourself and that while you may have knowledge of Chaos, you cannot control it. Chaos in itself is uncontrollable." The Sixth folded his arms smugly. "Besides, Chaos no longer exists. It was the fundamental element of all creation but it has since mutated into different things. There is no Chaos now. Just everything else."

Hades huffed loudly. Each of the Chaos Lords had their own opinions on Chaos. Tiamat believed that everything must eventually return to Chaos thus her obsession with destroying everything in existence to accelerate the inevitable. Who knew what Lilith believed but it was something about Chaos being 'the great balancer'. He knew Abaddon held Chaos in contempt and tried everything in his power to subdue it.

As for Hades... he saw Chaos a generic term for what was once used to create everything and could be manipulated.

"There is nothing greater than us," he said.

"If that's true then why can't you find your wife and daughter?"

Hades spun around, his eyes flashing at the Writer. But he quickly calmed. He had endured the Writer's words for countless millennia and long gone were the days when he lashed out at the strange entity. "I will find them."

"And what if they don't want to be found?"

"They are my family!" Hades snapped. "I love them!"

The Writer inclined his head slightly. "Yes. Yes you do."

Confused by the entity's words, Hades just turned back towards the carnage that below him. The courtyard of the_Rattlesnake Stronghold_ had become a bloodbath of bodies and flowers. Though MODD's troops had managed to erect a hasty quarantine initially, some interference from Hades had quickly spread the infection. When the guards fell into panic, the infected pounced and MODD's futile attempt to keep the Valkyrie's Kiss from spreading had failed.

Of course, that was before the Arc Field had been deployed.

Now, all the infected were slowly deteriorating and the Kiss needed fresh flesh to continue to thrive.

Hades lifted his paw, calling upon his power. The Arc Field began to shimmer as he seized its very shape and form, twisting... weakening it...

"I would wait if I were you."

Hades stopped, waiting for R3's explanation.

"If you unleash the plague here and now, MODD and Rillotia will be forced to cleanse the area. There are still a good five hundred kilometres between here and the next signs of life. If MODD fires its particle cannon or Rillotia unleashes its cluster missile, your flower will be completely and utterly obliterated."

Hades lowered his paw slowly. "And why would I care? This project is doomed to failure. Why should I just not end it here and now?"

"Because you still hold some hope that it will work."

The Writer was right. He was always right. Perhaps that was Hades' greatest flaw. He knew where this path would lead. And yet he still observed it in silence, that spark of hope still shining in his heart. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Wait. I believe a second outbreak is about to begin."

He turned towards the Writer who was consulting one of his books. "You are sure."

"95%. The path mortals take is always ultimately up to them, after all."

Hades folded his arms calmly, watching the Writer. "Very well then. I shall wait. Let us see where this second outbreak goes."

He sensed the Writer was smiling at him.

"Do me a favour though."

"What?"

"When you get a chance, don't start the infection inside Pollenburn until the Puritan has been unleashed."

Hades' eyes narrowed. Then he glanced back towards the distant city. He was surprised to find that there were infected within the city. It was recent too. How the Writer of Reality had learned of them before him was not a concern but the prospect of creating an even bigger garden to call his daught to this world caused that spark to grow just a little bigger. "And why should I follow your advice?"

"Because if you do what I say, you'll come closer to finding your wife and daughter."

******

"Feh," Marcus snorted, stepping ahead of Jacob confidently. "You're just a butler. Sure you're infused with a Seal but last I checked, you only had a 40% synch rate with your primary. Even less with your second. You can't even summon a Seal Weapon."

He hefted one of his massive swords over his shoulder cockily. "I don't know how you knocked down Snakebite or a fully-fledged SWORD member but you aren't going to get through me!"

Caroline didn't seem to share his confidence. "Be careful! He's faster than he seems!"

Marcus smirked. "He is, is he? Faster than light and wind?"

Jacob was only just halfway through processing that last question when Marcus suddenly disappeared from beside him. He didn't even have to turn to his right to see the roo gone because Marcus suddenly reappeared right behind Langley, swords primed. How something so big and so burly could move so fast was beyond him.

"Gotcha," Marcus announced.

His right blade came swinging upwards in a broad sweeping gesture that would've cleaved Langley clean in two. But the weasel simply spun, dancing idly away from the attack and snapping his fingers once more. A blast of flame shot straight into Marcus' face, causing the roo to flinch and stagger. Langley, though not as lightning fast as Marcus, nimbly brought his foot sweeping upwards and catching the roo's throat in a powerful kick. Stunned and with his airways suddenly constricted, Marcus dropped both his blades to clutch his throat.

"You are an expert in crossing vast distances, Monsieur Willows," Langley taunted, "but you swing your swords like an ox carting around a plough." The weasel suddenly brought his knee crashing into Marcus' chin, sending the bigger roo crashing to the ground. "You lack finesse."

"Marcus!" Jacob exclaimed. He reeled himself back from attacking head on. The weasel was clearly an expert combatant despite his profession. Whether or not the man sacrificed something to his Seal to become more powerful was up for debate and he didn't want to be caught off guard.

Langley chuckled. "Ah, at last some restraint and intelligence." He turned towards Jacob, striding forward with one arm outstretched and the other still by his side, engulfed in flames that somehow did not burn or singe his gloves and clothes. "All these imbeciles just charged at me like raving animals. Very little class. They lack that... je ne sais quoi in their execution."

There was a sudden burst of flame from behind Langley and the weasel stopped advancing. He tilted his head idly behind him as a burst of steam erupted from where the fire was struck by one of Caroline's icy bolts. "Now, now, Madame Caroline, the gentlemen are talking. I shall attend to you in a moment."

Langley's eyes flicked back to Jacob, a dark smile on his muzzle. "Where were we? Ah yes..." He began advancing again. "Here I thought I would not have an opportunity to test your compétences but I seem to have found some time."

Jacob snarled and brought up another bolt of Realmbreaker to replace the one that he had fired. "Can I just say that your Justilander accent sounds really fake."

For a moment, Langley's eyes flashed and then a devious grin crossed his features. "I shall enjoy this."

The weasel suddenly charged, keeping his body low. He was fast, faster than Jacob could move. Jacob quickly decided that if he couldn't outmanoeuvre the butler, he would have to outsmart him. A second later, they were nose to nose and Langley's finger was hovering over his lips, ready to blow some flames into Jacob's face.

"I wouldn't do that!" Jacob cried.

For a second, Langley's eyes widened before confidence returned. "And why not?"

Suddenly all the Realmbreaker bolts hovered over Jacob's shoulder suddenly advanced on the weasel, forcing the stunned Langley to immediately retreat. "Because you just stopped."

It took a whole ten seconds before Langley realised that Jacob had just played him. He threw his head back and let out a mirthful laugh. "Oh you _are_a clever one." As his mirth faded, he adjusted his monocle and said, "But wit will not save you from me."

He charged again and Jacob immediately leapt back, swinging all the _Realmbreaker_bolts around him to spin around his waist in a tight circle. Predictably, Langley ducked beneath the ring poised to rise and strike at Jacob. But he was ready. Just as Langley came within his defences, he spun around and flicked his tail into the weasel's face. The brush of the thick appendage stunned the weasel momentarily, once again stopping him in his tracks and hiding the follow up move.

CRACK!

Jacob's foot slammed right into Langley's cheek, sending the weasel spiralling into the ground.

Jacob didn't waste a second. His goal was Marcus and with the butler down, he rushed towards his boyfriend. A wall of flame suddenly erupted in front of him, flashing briefly before dying out. Langley was slowly getting to his feet, wiping the blood from his lips.

"You have skill, that I will concede," Langley murmured. "But I will not underestimate you again."

"Bad guys always say that before they die."

The weasel smirked. "Or before they send the hero to their knees."

"Oh... right..."

Flames suddenly erupted in between them, an intense inferno that sent Jacob staggering back. Langley suddenly leapt out of the flames to his right, landing on the ground in a crouch. His leg snapped out and struck Jacob's shins with enough force to send him crashing towards the ground. Jacob caught his weight on both his paws before he hit the marble floor and immediately swung his legs around, just barely grazing Langley's nose. They both jumped to their feet but Langley was quicker.

A blast of flame shot at Jacob's face, singing his fur and forcing him to the ground. He fell on his rump and was momentarily blinded while he was forced to keep his eyes shut. In a flash of desperation, he threw his _Realmbreaker_bolts in all directions, hoping to buy himself some time. A powerful force slammed into his diaphragm, forcing the wind out of his lungs. That same force was then pressed against his throat, sending his head slamming into the ground while it crushed his windpipe.

"Skills, untempered by experience, are little more than sideshow acts to entertain the plebeian masses," snarled Langley, twisting his foot over Jacob's neck.

Jacob threw a powerful punch into the back of Langley's knee, causing the entire leg to suddenly buckle. The butler's eyes went wide but not more so when Jacob curled his legs and pressed his feet up against the weasel's rump. He launched the man into the air and scrambled to his feet. Langley quickly twisted himself around in midair to land deftly on his knees -

CRACK!

Only to find Jacob's rising knee slamming into his chin. Just as the cocky butler's head rose, Jacob's fist slammed into the back of his head, sending the man crashing back into the ground. Though still mostly out of breath, Jacob launched slightly into the air and drove his elbow right into Langley's spine, putting his entire weight into the pile drive.

He scrambled to his feet, seeing that Caroline was helping Marcus to his feet. That moment of relief was taken away when searing heat blasted his leg. He yelped and rolled across the ground, desperate to douse the flames. As they abated, he propped himself up on his paws and knees. Langley suddenly slid across the floor on his back, sliding in right in front of Jacob so that they were nose to nose. The weasel seized Jacob's head and -

WHAM!

Slammed their foreheads together.

Stars danced in Jacob's vision but he still felt Langley's fists slam into his face and the weasel's grip around his collar, sending him crashing to the ground. His vision was turning red as blood began to seep into his eyes from gash on his forehead. He tasted copper but he was still in the fight. Langley, ever composed, took three steps backwards away from him. The weasel's eyes went past Jacob then over his shoulder as Snakebite slowly began to rise. From the door, Cal staggered in, growling and with his Seal Blade in his paws.

The element of surprise was gone and no doubt Langley was quickly coming to the realisation that this would not be an easy win. He reached down towards the monocle that had fallen against his black vest. He lifted it towards his eye, settling it back into position.

"You have proven to be a rather competent opponent, Monsieur Reaper. Sadly, my time here is up and I really must be returning." The butler began to uncurl the arm hidden behind his arm. "So I leave you with this parting gift..."

Jacob's eyes widened as an entirely different Seal glowed against the back of Langley's other glove.

The weasel suddenly clapped both of his paws together. There was a flash of fire in one paw and what appeared to be a burst of water on the second. Blistering steam suddenly erupted from the contact of both paws, spreading out in a powerful jet in all directions.

The moment it hit Jacob, his flesh sizzled. The steam was ridiculously hot and hit him with enough force to knock him back. He could feel his flesh actually sizzle at the contact and it seared his eyes, forcing him to shut them. A faint whooshing noise was followed by a quick series of thwacks. He blinked away tears, sweeping his paws through the air to try and clear the steam away.

A sudden blast of wind erupted from the direction of Caroline and Marcus, blowing the steam away and back out the door. Marcus was revealed alone, his fur drenched and like Jacob, eyes watery from the sudden onset of steam.

"Caroline!" Jacob exclaimed. "Alicia!"

Both he and Marcus spun towards the door. The sound of screeching tires brought them both and Snakebite rushing towards the door where Cal stood. All four men turned around just as the limousine sped out of the driveway and out of the estate.

"Fuck!" Marcus cried, he crouched, ready to give chase. Jacob placed a paw against his chest, holding him back. "What's wrong? Why are you stopping me!?"

Jacob's eyes narrowed as he watched the limousine dart down the street. "He took both Caroline and Alicia."

"Yeah? So?"

"Alicia is just a maid."

"But she's one of us!"

"I know..."

Marcus seized his paw and shoved it aside. "Then why are you stopping me for rescuing them!?"

It was Snakebite who offered the answer. "Because the mole is a hostage, yes." Marcus looked up at the big cobra in confusion. "He only wants the sow. Yes. Takes the mole for insurance. Yes. Yes."

Jacob nodded grimly. "We give chase, he'll probably throw Alicia out of the door right in our path to distract us. If we want them both to live, we don't move. Yet."

His eyes turned towards the Tower in the distance.

"Besides, we know where they're going."

******

If there was one thing that Rex absolutely loved about Silas it was his deep snoring. It was an odd thing to appreciate. But as the big, manly wolf slumbered, shaking the quarters that Rex had been assigned, Rex couldn't help but watch him. Each earth-shaking snore was like an affirmation that the man lying naked in front of him, covered in his spooge, was alive and real. His heart fluttered with every intake from Silas, shaking his entire body and permeating his entire body.

Besides, as he had figured out the previous night, if he wanted for Silas to stop snoring he just had to suck on that pierced nipple and the big daddy wolf would be wide awake to knock Rex into unconsciousness with some serious fucking. It was just in this instance, Rex had too much on his mind to truly fall asleep or tease his daddy.

His mind was swirling with Max's accusations and the dragon's presence. There was no denying Max had been a far better big brother to Jacob than Rex had been. A deep fear of losing his brother to the dragon crept into his heart. He considered telling Jacob what he had been doing but judging by the way MODD looked at him, he wondered if his brother would praise his initiative or condemn him for being obsessed with their mother's killer.

Considering Jacob's track record for letting things go, the latter was more likely.

It dawned on him that everything was a complete and utter mess. His hopes of sweeping in to usher Jacob into the world of publicity and fame had been dashed. Jake wanted nothing of it. Add to that the fact that he was rapidly growing accustomed to Realmbreaker and was rather open about his desire get rid of it and Rex could suddenly see the headlines.

He may be the Face of MODD but Jacob had to potential to become the 'Heartthrob of MODD'; the humble, down-to-earth, courageous and honest hunky warrior that had overcome adversity to rise through the ranks of the company.

Dropped out of high school. Check.

Doing so to take care of his ailing father. Check.

Tragic loss of his mother to war. Check.

Sacrificing his dreams for family. Check.

Rex suddenly felt that he couldn't breathe. The musk in the air and the scents of his most recent love making with Silas didn't help matters as it was quickly draining blood from his brain. He hastily but quietly shoved on a pair of pants and a shirt before hurrying out of his room which was still small by his standards but still bigger than Silas'.

Thankfully, the door slid open silently and he stepped out onto the gangway. Judging by the few lights around the area, the sun had set. Rillotian marines and the troops with SWORD were still loading supplies onto their transports, Max being at the forefront giving orders. He begrudgingly had to admit that the dragon was certainly driven. All things considered, he was starting to feel that he should just bail out of the race to win back Jacob's affection and leave it to Max to take care of his little brother.

He slumped against the railings, covering his head with his arms in defeat.

The entire trip had been a disaster. Perhaps everyone was right. Perhaps he was impulsive. Maybe if he had thought out his approach better instead of racing halfway across the world to sweep his brother off his feet, this would've turned out much better.

But he had been so excited to see Jacob again...

... he really missed his brother.

"Don't tell me you're letting Max's words get to you."

Rex looked up, glancing left and right for the source of the voice. It wasn't Silas and he was alone on the gangway.

"Down here."

He glanced downwards and nearly leapt out of his skin.

Gale hung upside down beneath him, smiling up at him gently. The chimp's bare feet and tail was all that was holding him up. "Catch these will you?" he asked before suddenly tossing his sandals up at Rex.

A second later, he was leaping up onto path beside Rex, nimbly somersaulting in the air and moving so fluidly that his white coat looked like liquid. He took his sandals back from Rex with thanks.

"How long were you hanging there?" Rex asked.

"Not long," Gale responded with a smile. "I have actually been searching for you for hours after my meeting with Max. I was concerned on what you might do in the face of Max's words given your brash, impulsive nature." He inclined his head with a knowing smile on his features.

"Hours?" Rex repeated.

"Yes. I was tracking your scent and traced it all the way back to Silas' quarters but it became mired in musk and lupine pheromones." He folded his arms, that smile growing broader. "I suspected you would do something rather unexpected but quite frankly, this caught me completely off guard."

This was it. Everything he had worked to build would be shattered with this one, simple discovery. The world would know about his daddy fetish. Worse, his 'unprofessional conduct' would be revealed to the world and he would become the mockery of MODD, paving the way for Jacob's rise to fame and power.

Maybe this was destiny.

Jacob could take his place and he could pool his funds, move to somewhere nice, maybe Angelsea, and build a house on the seaside with Silas.

"Don't give me that look," Gale laughed softly. "As long as Silas came willingly and not because you ordered him to, then I am happy for the both of you."

Rex decided not to mention that there were some orders thrown around the first time they were together - or more like right after - but the eighteen times since then had been completely consensual.

"You won't have to worry about how he came," Rex muttered, grinning sheepishly at his own little joke.

Gale groaned at that and leaned against the railings himself. "That was so terrible I was almost tempted to point out that that's not your pants or shirt."

Rex glanced down at the black shirt far too big for him and how the pants were quickly sliding down his waist. "Shit..."

"Don't worry. Everyone has mostly gone to sleep. Max and his group are the only ones that are really up as they are leaving early tomorrow morning to begin construction on the evacuation stations."

"We're still not under quarantine?"

Gale shook his head. "For the most part, no. Everyone is free to come and go as they please. We've got quarantine procedures fairly secure. This is given mostly because all the data we've collected has been sent to the top researchers and universities all over the world. Now, everyone is just really observing the virus as it continues to degrade the flesh of the victims."

A wince left Rex's muzzle. "That's fucked up..."

"Indeed. This entire situation is rather... fucked up."

Rex folded his ears and gazed forlornly at the airstrip. "And it's my fault, right? Are you going to tell me that again?"

A soft chuckle left Gale's lips. "I think you've been informed of that fact enough times. All we can do right now is to find a cure, get those people out of there and stop Boswin in his tracks." He patted Rex's shoulder comfortingly. "Besides, if you hadn't forced Boswin's hand, I probably would've been forced to enact my plan for him."

He gave the chimp a dubious look. "Your plan?"

"It mostly involved revealing the fact that he orchestrated the death of his daughter's fiancé through a car accident. I've been keeping the evidence to that fact for the express purpose of ruining him in particular but never decided to reveal it for the simple fact that his daughters were so attached to him. I thought it was purely familial affection and I didn't want to be the person to tear a family apart."

Rex reeled back in shock. "Gale! That's withholding evidence in the crime of murder! Someone died!"

"And lives were ruined, I know," answered his fellow Elemental Lord sadly. "Had I known why Caroline and Dorothy were so attached to their father, I would've unleashed that evidence in a heartbeat but the reports I received led me to believe that they were closer than ever." He looked towards Rex gravely. "I did not want to break Caroline's heart a _third_time after she already lost so many people. Yes, Winston is a murderer but I didn't want to accuse him without knowing all the facts. That's why I sent Sherry to investigate."

"And what did she come up with?"

"Only that Winston used his butler, Langley, to sabotage Reginald's car. We were still gathering facts before this happened." He gave Rex a sly smile. "And yes, I know the murder happened years ago but Boswin is shrewd and hid the evidence well. We only discovered the truth years after the fact. It's already a cold case."

Rex smiled softly. "I guess you like taking things slowly, huh?"

"Only when it's necessary. I am like the wind. I can blow gently one moment then strike with the force of a hurricane the next."

That reminded him a lot of the Worldriders and wasn't surprised that Jacob had gotten along so well with Gale. Rex took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Nothing I've done has ever amounted to anything," he admitted. "Even as a kid, everything I did was disparaged by my dad for using Seals. Recently, I found out all my achievements have been scorned by not only my peers but also my superiors. I'm no closer to finding the Butcher of Ullen and the more I try to bring my brother closer to me, the farther he gets.

"The only ray of sunshine in this whole fucked up mess is..." He glanced towards the door where he could faintly hear Silas' snores.

"I see," Gale murmured.

"And you know what's really messed up?" Rex chuckled softly. "He's old enough to be my dad but..."

"You genuinely like him."

He laughed softly. "God it sounds so corny. But you can't have sex with a guy nineteen times and not feel something for him, you know?"

Gale nudged him lightly with an elbow. "Now I do hope there is more to this relationship than just the sex."

"Of course! He makes me feel safe and he's sexy as hell! I know I have more power than him in many ways but..." He grimaced softly. "He's... wiser. Smarter. I feel like he reels me in a little and I hate it but at the same time, I love it... Does that make sense?"

The Elemental Lord of Wind nodded sagely. "Amongst the ninjas of the Order of the Blossom, we have this belief that all life consists of a balance between the conflicting energies of Yin_and _Yang. Too much of one will throw things into imbalance. But the perfect existence of both in harmony is what ensures peace both within and without." He smiled at Rex. "Perhaps Silas is the_Yin_ to your Yang."

"Maybe..." murmured Rex softly, breaking his gaze from where Silas slumbered. "But it's all confusing... I know that there's something in there about pleasing my own dad and fulfilling my own base desires but..."

Gale held up his hands. "Hey now. I don't know about any of that but if you feel that Silas is making you a better person, then I say go for it. If you want, I'll even sign the transfer forms to get him put under your command so that when you leave, you can take him with you. But..." He lifted a finger. "I want you to remember that you shouldn't forget who you are. As annoying and irksome the diva is, it is what makes you a unique star in a galaxy of celestial bodies. Don't lose sight of that."

Rex threw his head back and let out a laugh. "How long have you been keeping that in your back pocket?"

"Since dinner." Gale reached into the back pocket of his pants and revealed a thin slip of paper. "It was in a fortune cooking. Well, most of it was. I thought I'd share its wisdom with you. One of the reasons I came to find you."

"What's the other?" Rex laughed.

Gale's expression suddenly grew grim. "Everyone in the Rattlesnake Stronghold is dead."

All mirth suddenly faded from Rex's features. Last he checked, there were fifty ANVIL soldiers and about ten ExIT scientists in the Stronghold, keeping watch on the infected and maintaining the quarantine. He also recalled that their orders were to leave the moment the Arc Field descended. They would have been on the first flights out of Taranebra and back to their families.

"What happened?"

"There was a breach in the quarantine. They didn't last." Gale shook his head grimly. "Consider me paranoid, but something tells me that this plague is more than it seems. I feel like there's someone... controlling it. I don't know why but Boswin's technique, this plague... it just feels... _connected_to me. Don't ask how I know. It's just a feeling."

Rex straightened, a frown on his features. "Gale, I know Max told me to stay put but -"

Gale lifted a hand, cutting him off. "I know but I'll have to agree with him."

"But -!"

"Sherry and I are staying too. While Max's group prepares the evacuation stations, I plan for the three of us to go to that Stronghold and figure out exactly what happened down there. I've got our doctors coming up with a way to filter out the pollen from the air and I was actually hoping that in the case we do get infected, you could use your Touch of the Stars to keep us healthy."

His ability only repaired damage caused to the body, it couldn't fully get rid of an infection especially one that was parasitic in nature. However, the more he thought about it, if he could somehow tactically teleport the pollen out from the lungs...

"It doesn't work that way," he answered. "But give me a few hours. I think I might have a way to cure the infected in the early stages."

Gale grinned at him. "Good. Do you need access to the labs?"

"Probably best. I'll need all the data you can get me on the infection."

He chimp seized Rex's shoulder and gave it a firm, comradely shake. "You got it. Now get some sleep. I'll need you at your best tomorrow."

******

Caroline staggered forward, the rough paws of the murderers around her far from delicate. In the cold expanse of Gale's office, she was surrounded by the accusing stares of the heads of Pollenburn's six families, including her own father. Arrayed around them were the various criminals and psychopaths that her father had freed.

Strangely, Khan Sho was missing.

Langley glided across the floor with frightening grace, every step soundless despite his arrogant stance. The smirk on his face was so irritating. She remembered the years she had spent under his patronising guidance. That her father was normally too busy with work to spend time with her meant that she was either raised by her mother or taken care of by Langley. When Martha Boswin passed away, it was under Langley's icy stare and steel grip that she fell under.

Then she found Reginald...

Then Reggie died and once again, she was under the watchful gaze of her butler-slash-babysitter.

"Caroline," her father began, a look of disappointment in his eyes. He looked almost sad but she could tell he was just pretending. Secretly, he fumed. "It's so good to see you again."

She straightened and spat on the floor, her only response to his statement.

"That is unbecoming of a lady," Winston warned, shaking his head. "Langley."

Smack!

Her cheek stung but she continued to stare at her father defiantly.

"I've known you've been unhappy for a long time, Caroline," Winston said calmly. "But you have to understand that everything I do is for you and our family."

"You mean like taking away Dorothy's free will and my emotions from the past?"

"Dorothy was going to leave us," Winston responded, shaking his head sadly. "For the heartless MODD no less. I couldn't let that happen. And you were in such pain. I only took away what would've killed you both."

Just looking into his eyes, she couldn't help but laugh. "You honestly believe that, don't you? You really believe that what you did was for our own good." Again, she threw her head back, laughing at his expense.

Smack!

"Langley!" Winston warned.

But Caroline just continued to giggle. "You know what, father? You took away my sadness for mother and Reggie's death. But that only gave me room to hate you all the more." She bared her teeth at him. "You've deluded yourself to being this 'saviour' for Pollenburn but all you've done is dig your own grave!"

Her father's expression became grave. "MODD will not win."

"I'm not talking about MODD," she laughed softly. Her gaze ran around the room to the criminals around her. "You think Khan Sho will really just fall in line with you? You're relying on his support too much. He makes up too much of your manpower. Just you wait, he _will_betray you once you give him what he wants. Then you'll be all alone with no one to help you."

She jerked her chin towards the representatives of the other families. "They'll all turn on you the moment you show any weakness. Your plan is already falling down around you. With this plague -"

"This plague is just a fabrication by MODD to distract from the fact that we are winning," Winston exclaimed, slamming his fist into Gale's desk. "But it won't work. I'll turn their own media campaign against them. They want to put attention to this fictitious plague? Fine! I'll unite Pollenburn under me with the power of the Seals to combat it! Then we'll see where they stand!"

Again, Caroline laughed and again, Langley 'disciplined' her. This time, though, her father did not stop the weasel butler.

"I look forward to the day that you will die choking on your own blood," she snarled.

Winston sighed, seating himself back down on Gale's chair. "I had hoped you would be there tomorrow when I win the people over with Dietrich... But I can see you are too far gone, corrupted by the false promises of MODD." He gave Caroline a sad smile. "But I love you too much to have you killed. You and Dorothy are the only family I have left."

He then nodded towards Langley. "Put her in the cells. Make sure the BLANK fields are on."

"I captured a maid while I was on my way out, monsieur," Langley said. "What should I do with her?"

Winston waved a hand absently. "Give her to the men. I'm sure they'll find use for her."

"No!" Caroline screamed. "You monster! At least give her the chance to join you!"

Her father gave her a cold stare. "She works for MODD. She's been poisoned by their propaganda. She will receive no mercy from me."

******

Dawn saw dozens of evacuation stations erected across all of Pollenburn. The tall, dark structures baring the MODD insignia had literally popped up overnight. MODD supporters were on the streets handing out flyers and informing everywhere where the five stations were with a sixth currently being constructed. Due Boswin's occupying the CBD and Gale's Tower, each Station was located at the far reaches of the city limits.

Jacob took one flyer, keeping his golden blonde hair tucked beneath a trucker's hat while he was dressed in a mismatch of clothing including a black leather jacket that he kept zipped up despite the warmth of the day. He walked alone, following the crowds that were clamouring towards the Tower were Winston was set to make a demonstration of his world-changing technique. MODD troops kept guard over the stations and local police constantly patrolled the streets to prevent any riots between MODD supporters and Winston's fans. The city might as well have been split down the middle with half going to the Tower and the other half clamouring to escape.

Countering the MODD flyers, Boswin's men were still dressed in those ridiculous orange overalls and they were handing out more of the fashion atrocities. He took one from a burly fellow that he suspected was one of Boswin's rehabilitated criminals. How he managed to keep them in line he could only speculate but if it wasn't that fat pig, then it was certainly Khan Sho's will.

He slipped into an alleyway away from the crowd and regarded the overalls for a moment. Deciding that he needed a better disguise, he quickly slipped them on before following the rest of the alleyway, away from the crowds. He kept low though he didn't need to remain too silent. The clamour in the streets was still loud enough to mask his presence. Those people who did not want to join either Boswin or declare their allegiance to MODD, continued to hoard supplies to themselves, hoping to wait out whatever storm was coming.

Jacob sincerely prayed to whatever god was listening that they would make it. His gut feeling still told him that the Arc Field would not hold causing the death toll to skyrocket. He hoped he was wrong.

High above, he saw several Archangels soar through the air towards one of the evacuation stations. Gale's remaining troops had likely rallied at those locations. He only hoped that was enough. Looking towards the Tower, he noted that three of the Hive Queens_were still docked in the high platforms. Smaller ships were likewise present and no matter how many _Archangels or Sky Wardens were left, he doubted they could hold up against those ships.

The only thing holding back Boswin was the fact that should he blatantly attack MODD, he could turn away the vast majority of his recruits. The promise of safety would be nullified by open war.

Keeping his head low, he passed into a relatively abandoned neighbourhood. From what he had been informed, Lincostorm used to be a very heavily industrialised area with the poorer families working at the factories living nearby in the dilapidated apartment complexes. However, when the Seal Generator was decommissioned when the Tower became self-sufficient, businesses left with it. Since the Tower was the primary user for its energy, it was just logical that responsibility for powering the suburb fell on other Generators that had more than enough power to spare. Now, the suburbs were flagged for remodelling with its citizenry having long relocated to other areas in Pollenburn. Though some still remained, it was mostly abandoned.

It was here that Jacob found the old Seal Generator 'Storm Bringer'.

"Does every Seal Generator get its own name?" he asked aloud.

"They do," Joanna responded, silently appearing beside him. "It's part of MODD's marketing campaign. Each Generator is the life blood that keeps entire cities alive. To add a certain level of awe and familiarity with each one, they give them names." He cocked her head to the side, giving him a slight smile. "It's easier to become accustomed to an unnatural abomination when it's called something apart from 'Seal Generator 5'."

The loud snort from the opposite direction Joanna emerged from heralded Cal, Snakebite and Marcus' arrival. They had parked the Road Bull a short distance away to avoid detection.

"That's not true," Marcus growled. "Each Generator gets its name from the type of energy it produces. For example, this one is called Storm Bringer because its operators were all infused with a Seal that could manipulate electricity and wind. They channelled their Seals into the generator, thus producing the power to supply the city." He hiked a thumb over his shoulder. "Sea Wind down to the south uses hydroelectric power while Firestorm to the east has people using heat."

"And you produce so much energy that you can't store it and need to expel it in the form of intimidating beams of light into the air," Joanna said with a sarcastic edge. "My, aren't we ever industrious?"

Marcus shoved past her, actually making her stumble. "It's better than burning the pressurised remains of long dead creatures or relying on radioactive materials that could destroy entire cities if anything ever went wrong."

"Of course it is. Instead, we just use people to provide us with energy like they were feral hamsters in wheels. Not to mention that we're equipping them with copies of weapons that could be used to kill with a thought and an outlandish cry of a random assortment of words that sound 'cool' and vaguely describe the means of death."

Jacob groaned loudly and placed a paw over his eyes. Marcus countered Joanna's snide remark with mentions of MODD's psychological practices which was subsequently countered by Joanna pointing out what a good job MODD did with Winston's profiling. Jacob's ears almost started to bleed as the two began their feud once more.

"Are they always like this?" Cal asked.

"Not when I have them strapped to my torture rack and cutting them open." Snakebite hissed in contentment. "Yes."

"No one is torturing anyone," Jacob ordered. "Can we just focus on rescuing Caroline and Alicia?" A Realmbreaker grid immediately appeared between Marcus and Joanna, cutting both of them off. "We've got two people in the Tower right now. We can't afford for you two to start going at one another's throats every step of the way."

He pointed at the disused Seal Generator. "This is our only shot barring a full on assault and we all know none of us will be able to stand up against that. Joanna, lead the way."

While neither Marcus nor Joanna really got the upper hand in the argument, just the way she turned and flicked her tail at the kangaroo somehow made her the victor. Marcus growled after her but fell in line beside Jacob as they wandered into the Seal Generator grounds. The steel fence marked with warning signs did not bar them. Joanna simple seized the metal frame and yanked it free of its hinges.

"The tunnel will be at the rear of the Generator," she announced, pointing towards the intended direction. "The wiring was salvaged after the Generator went bust and the Tower became self-sufficient so it should be a clear shot to the Tower from there. It's also fairly secure and firm to prevent any structure damage in case there was an earthquake or attack."

Again, she led the way past the towering, white structure of the Seal Generator. There were several smaller housing facilities dotting the rim of the broad, circular main structure connected by covered walkways. Generators needed 24 hour coverage, after all, and support staff were given housing on the grounds in case of emergencies. This was especially critical in large cities such as Pollenburn.

Like most MODD architecture, the Generator itself was white in colour. Vaguely pyramidal in structure, the main building had smooth polished, white panels with a hexagonal pattern emboss to give each panel a more dynamic appearance. The apex of the pyramid was truncated to allow for the Generator's beam to emerge. It was smooth, streamlined and cohesive in its design. Even the pipes that ran from the structure were hexagonal in shape.

"You know," Jacob began as they approached the rear of the structure, "with Seals able to create matter out of nothing, you've to really got to wonder what MODD does with all the outdated pieces of technology that they no longer need."

Joanna approached another set of metal gates with a slew of warning signs on it. One swift kick sent the gates flying into the area beyond. "They leave it to rot just like this place."

"No," Marcus sneered, his arms folded. "This entire district was going to be recycled and turned into something with better living standards. Of the whole suburb, about 25% has been reclaimed."

"Though such efforts are always on the bottom of the priority list." Joanna strode past the gates. Towering metal pipes and various regulators remained rusting and out in the open. Most of them had been disconnected from the grid to avoid mistakes. "MODD continues to expand while they leave the toys that they grew bored playing with out in the open. A shining example of this is the city of Brightcrest. The city core is dark, neglected, filled with crime and fit only for the poor. The outer suburbs are where the rich remain, cloistered in their decadence."

"Hey!" Cal shouted, storming over to Marcus to back up the roo. "The Elemental Lord of Darkness stays within the city core! That's where he's made his residence! Everyone knows that!"

"Small comfort to those that live there."

Jacob kept his muzzle shut mostly because in his travels across Rillotia, that was something he had observed as well. Outdated technology or fads that had died out tended to be abandoned by the heavy consumerism of MODD. There was little value in the old and aging. While some areas such as Shellington held intrinsic value in their old scars, other cities influenced by MODD followed this pattern. On the few trips he had to Welensha, he noticed the difference in culture where aged buildings were treated with awe and care, restoration efforts constantly working to ensure that they could stand the test of time. But in Rillotia, if it was outdated and considered old, people moved on. He had heard stories of families being forcibly relocated to homes that they could not afford because their building was considered aged and decrepit.

There was even the legal battle his father had to fight to keep their house which was marked as archaic for its lack of Seals.

Joanna found the tunnel easily enough. As she had said, the wires and pipes that once fed the Tower had been removed, only leaving the reinforced tunnel. A gently sloping ramp led underground into the tunnel, hexagonal in shape just like everything else MODD designed. The tunnel was barred by heavy cement and wooden planks. The glow from Joanna's thigh began to rise once more and she lifted a paw towards the barricade. The cement liquefied right before their eyes, dropping to the ground and swirling around Joanna in a tight ring.

"I honestly can't get a bead on your powers," Marcus muttered. "In the past, I've seen Branded manipulate the elements on the level of Elemental Lords but you..." He narrowed his gaze at her. "What exactly can you do?"

She smirked at him as the cement ring around her dropped to the ground and immediately solidified. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because we're all curious," Jacob responded, striding forward and giving her a comforting smile. "I mean, if we're going to work together, we need to know what we can all do, right?" He nodded towards her thigh. "As a Branded, can you turn into a beast? What do you people call it? Your Animorph?"

"Animus," she responded. "And yes, I can. Though my Animus is not suited for combat on such a small scale. If I were ever to use it, it would have to be in a wide open plain or with enough room that I won't accidentally crush people underfoot."

That planted the image of a giant fox in his head and that quickly led to another thought. "It isn't a nine tailed fox is it?" he asked. "I mean, we _do_have the clan of ninjas but instead of leaves, they're all about flowers instead."

Joanna laughed softly and shook her head. "No. Suffice to say that were you to see it, you would be terrified." She then turned her gaze towards Marcus. "If you wish to know my abilities, suffice to say that I am comfortable both on the ground and in the sea. I can transpose that comfort from one to the other." She waved her paw gently over the ground beneath her, the cement just over her paw moving and undulating like water. "I can turn the very earth beneath your feet into an unforgiving sea or harden the very seas like ice."

Suddenly, she began to sink into the cement, giving Jacob a second to cry out in surprise. She smiled at him until she was only a head in the ground. "I can also 'swim' through the earth, moving faster than anyone can move on foot." She then turned seamlessly towards the tunnel. "I'll scout ahead. We don't know if Boswin found this tunnel as well."

"It's pitch black," Marcus grunted.

"Sensing movements in the earth is something well within my powers as well."

Then she bolted - or rather, swam - through the cement, sinking fully into its folds and disappearing into the darkness.

"The power of the Branded has always been random and ill-defined," grunted Marcus. "I've heard stories from others where they've faced Branded with pathetic powers like barely being able to throw fireballs or throw rocks. One thing is for sure, though, all their powers are geared towards destruction. _None_of them were built to benefit others. Just destroy."

Snakebite started heading towards the tunnel. The eyes of his shoulder-mounted snakes flashed on, sending twin beams of light into the darkness. "Without destruction, there can be no growth, yes."

Marcus followed him, summoning his twin blades. He thrust one blade forward and a thin wisp of light like an illuminated trail of wind swung into the darkness, tracing the path ahead of them. "That's just being short-sighted. People can grow without destroying what they were before. They can become something more without letting go."

"You're stupid to think that you can become something else when you still have your ties. Yes. Only when all is gone and we have nothing will we become something else. Yes."

The roo clearly disagreed and huffed loudly, keeping bands of light swirling around the four to make sure they wouldn't trip on anything. Meanwhile, Snakebite kept the path ahead of them illuminated. "So if and when you die, when you go up to the gods for judgement, you'll renounce everything you ever had, ever did and just tell them to judge you for what you are not what you did or what you owned?"

"Yes. Your possessions or your past will not help you in the next life. We must all face judgement in the end. Nothing will save us. Yes."

"That's bullshit," Cal snarled. "I like to think that when we're judged, the gods will at least count us for our deeds. If we're just, honest and righteous, we will find a better life. If we're complete and utter assholes like you, we burn."

Snakebite threw his head back and laughed. "Yes. We will burn. We will all_burn. Nothing we do will change that. Be as just, honest and righteous as you want but while you save yourselves with delusions of faith and peace, others suffer for your deeds, yes." His one good eye darkened and flashed with anger. "As one person rises, the other falls. Those who cannot find comfort in faith, hoping against the impossible that if they're _good, they'll get something when they die."

He flashed his fangs at Cal. "Yes. Go on believing you will be rewarded in your next life. I will stand right next to you laughing when we both burn. Yes."

Jacob felt a chill run down his spine and the tension in the air was growing so thick he could almost choke on it. He abruptly clapped his paws together, catching the attention of the infuriated Cal, the grinning Snakebite and the seething Marcus. "Has anyone ever noticed that times of scene transition are always filled with philosophical debate? I mean when I was being hauled to the medbay after I showed up Rex, we talked about Realmbreaker. As Sherry and I walked together, we debated about one another's personal philosophies. Even when we were going to the construction yard that one time, we were talking about my stance on life." He gave Marcus a lopsided grin. "Remember that?"

No one responded to him and he felt a speeding train of questions rushing towards him.

"What's your opinion, Jake?" Marcus asked. "Do you believe in the gods and the afterlife?"

"Erm... What do you believe?"

The roo glared at Snakebite while wisps of light danced around him, clearly casting the Clan leader in shadow. "I believe that what we do here and now is being judged by the creator and we should do all we can to live up to His expectations."

"Who says the creator is a male? Yes?" laughed Snakebite. "Delve into to the pits of madness as I have and see the flaws in our lives! Yes!" Then he turned towards Jacob. "But you. Yes. What do you believe?"

Suddenly finding himself at a crossroads, Jacob thought rapidly. He was not one for inspiring speeches but he knew that what he said now would either buy or lose the alliance of Cal or Snakebite. Marcus would stay by him no matter what but those two... Worse yet, their progress had stalled and he felt Caroline and Alicia's lives also hung on the balance based on what he said.

Thinking rapidly, he said, "Have any of you heard about the Creator/Destroyer Paradox?"

The three men exchanged glances but none of them replied.

"The Paradox is a series of questions that questions the existence of God. It asks, 'Is God eternal? Is God omnipresent? Is God omniscient? Is God omnipotent? Did God create all?'" Before anyone could answer, he said, "You can't answer one without effectively negating the others. For instance if you say that God created all then he must've created something that is greater than himself thus negating his position as omnipotent. If you say that God is omnipotent, then how can he be omniscient since everything he does will be predetermined and thus he lacks free will which negates omnipotence. It goes on and on about that but the key thing to take away is when you combine all the parts of the equation together."

He pressed his paws together for emphasis. "If God created all, then he must have or will create something that will destroy himself. Thus if God is omnipotent, then the thing he created that will destroy him must be greater. If he's omniscient, then his creation of that object was done with the full intention and knowledge of killing himself. Then if God is omnipresent, then the object that will destroy him and him must be one and the same or if he exists beyond space and time, then how can he exist at all because the Destroy will have already killed him? Then if God is eternal, all of the above are false or there is no God or God only creates to destroy itself. "

Cal visible scratched his head in confusion. "So... what? You're saying that God is suicidal?"

Jacob shrugged. "Maybe or there is no God. I can't really say. All I can say definitively is that there are mortals. What we choose to do and what we choose to believe is entirely on our heads. If some creator up there wants us to believe in him or her and follow their edicts, that's great but they wouldn't have given us free will if we didn't have the capacity to choose which path we wanted to take. Maybe God did create all but I don't think that deity is all that he's what all the zealots out there make him out to be. He might just be a mortal just like us but just on a higher level."

Snakebite let out a soft hum of acknowledgement. "Where did you learn this Paradox?"

Jacob gave the Clan leader a faint smile. "My dad."

That seemed to quell their anger for the moment, and one by one, each of the other men began turn away and return to the path ahead of them.

Jacob was thankfully they didn't press him for an answer to their original question.

******

The globe of energy danced in front of Rex's face. The silver-haired wolf regarded the particles within curiously. The edges of the globe were a faint, dark purple in colour and within, a faint dust hovered. All around him were the various notes of the doctors and researchers all over the globe that had taken a shot at examining the strange parasitic plant. They all agreed that it was unlike anything they had seen before.

It was completely... alien to them.

Rex was inclined to agree but even something as alien as the pollen was subject to the laws of physics.

The door slid open behind him and he straightened. He caught Silas' scent, triggering memories of when they had coupled multiple times overnight. After Gale had informed him of what had happened at the _Rattlesnake Stronghold,_Rex had rushed to examine the notes and the virus himself. Silas had to yank him physically out of the quarantine areas so that he could eat and sleep, the latter activity being preceded by vigorous sex.

"Lunch time already?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Depends on your definition of it," Silas responded, leaning against the table with his arms crossed. He took no pains to hide the erection in his pants and the smug smirk on his features. "You know you're on my mind every second of the day now? You're like these fucking plants. You've got your hooks in me and now won't let me go."

"You make that sound like a bad thing," Rex chuckled. He let out a soft hum as Silas brushed his cheeks with the back of his paw. "It's probably a good time to take a break now anyway. I've come across a breakthrough."

Silas glanced at the orb. "You have? What is it?"

Leaning back in his seat, Rex waved at the orb. "All the notes suggest that this plague is something we've never seen before. Some people down in the lab even think that it's alien but without anyone able to actually go down to ground zero to look things over, we can't be sure. What I can tell you though is that it has a very short lifespan and dies without a host."

"Isn't that what happens with most parasites?" Silas scratched the back of his ear. "I remember this tick I once had..."

"No, that's just it!" Rex exclaimed excitedly. "If the pollen doesn't find a new host within hours of being expelled, it literally dies. If a person breathes it in after this, it is completely inert and won't grow!" He waved at the pages of reports across the table from him. "And what's more, it seems that after the flower fully takes over, it only remains blooming for about a day before it starts to rot and dies, no longer producing pollen! We can just wait this thing out!"

Silas grunted. "We lost contact Rattlesnake Stronghold just half a day ago. So you're saying that if we just wait another day or something it'll be safe to go in and check it out?"

"Maybe." Rex regarded the globe again. "The original source of the pollen might still be an issue but with proper precautions that could be averted. I've modified my Touch of the Stars move to allow me to teleport the pollen right out of a person's system." He nodded towards the globe. "I can simultaneously repair the damage caused by them as well when they are in the early stages of taking root. I can't cure them completely once the plant has taken over but it's better than nothing."

Silas frowned and looked around. They were in a room far removed from the quarantine area, really a storage area that Rex had dragged a desk and all the notes to. There were cleaning materials and boxes stacked against the walls. The only way he had found Rex was by his scent which was masked quite a bit by the smell of detergent and bleach.

What worried him though was...

"How'd you test out this technique?"

Rex's ears perked and there was the slightest twitched in his tail towards the door, a clear indication that he wanted to run. "That doesn't matter. I've got the technique now. We can get out of here, stop the plague at the _Stronghold_and then get back to Jake."

He began to rise but Silas' firm paw seized his shoulder and pushed him back down into the seat. Silas rounded the table so that he was staring Rex squarely in the eye.

"Rex, how?"

The younger wolf folded his ears back. "You may be a member of SWORD but I don't have to answer to you."

WHAM!

Silas banged his fist into the table, disturbing the mug of hot chocolate that Rex had left half-finished. "This isn't about rank! If you have any decency and respect for me, you'll tell me how the fuck you tested this out! Did you drag some recruit, forcibly infected him and then experimented on him!?"

"Of course not!"

"Please tell me there isn't a corpse around here."

"No!"

"Then how?"

Rex lowered his gaze, absently scratching at his chest. "The only way I could think of."

Silas' eyes widened in horror and he seized Rex with both his paws. "Shit! You infected yourself!?" He didn't need a response. The way Rex just couldn't meet his gaze was enough. He fell on his knees right next to the younger, reckless wolf, running his paws over Rex's chest in a desperate attempt to look for any damage. "Fuck! Are you crazy!? What if it didn't work!? What if it actually didn't work!? You could still be infected!!"

"I was sure it would work," Rex responded, straightening and fixing Silas with a firm gaze. "I've run the checks. There isn't a trace of the pollen or the parasitic plant in my system. I'm clean."

"That's not the point, you idiot!" Silas growled. He seized Rex's collar, grabbing a fist full of fur while he was at it. "That kind of recklessness is exactly what led to Boswin being forced to move his plans ahead and the shit we're in right now! If you had died because of this, you could've infected each and every person here! We're barely three miles from the nearest civilian farm! We're inside the Arc Field damnit! You could've started an outbreak here."

Rex slapped Silas' grip away. "Well I didn't, okay? Sometimes you have to take risks! Yes, I could've died and screwed everything up but I was _sure_I wouldn't. I did the study. I know how to use my Seal. It hurt like hell, yes, but if that's what it takes to make sure my brother is safe then I'd willingly throw myself on the operating table now and let someone dissect me if it would've helped them find a cure!"

Silas fell back on his haunches, agape at Rex's statement.

Rex, breathing heavily reached out and gently cupped the older wolf's cheeks. "Look, I love my brother more than anything else in the world. He's the only family I've got left. On the ladder of affection, you're second. But everything I've done is for him. We're safe in here. Out there, he isn't. I need to make sure he's safe."

Reaching for Rex's paw, Silas held it tightly in his own before gently pulling it from his cheek. "No." Rex's eyes widened slightly and his muzzle opened to protest. "We need to make sure he's safe."

A sigh of relief crossed Rex's lips and he quickly found them pressed up against Silas'. He moaned softly but had to push away the hunk wolf. "As fun as this would be, that pollen is still active." He pointed at the floating orb. "I need to get it quarantined first. Then we can celebrate."

"Sounds good," Silas chuckled, rising to his feet. "So what other risky endeavours did you take before I got here."

Rex smirked. "Well..."

BOOM!

Both wolves abruptly straightened and turned towards the door. The storage room was suddenly bathed in red light and alarms began blaring. Shouts of breaches and fires began erupting from the other side of the door as did the sound of hurried footfalls.

"Rex... What did you do!?"

"Not this!" Rex exclaimed. "Whatever this is..."

He hurried towards the door and it immediately slid open for him. Dozens of ANVIL soldiers were bolting towards the source of a big plume of smoke that was rising from the base of the underground complex. Rex hurried towards the nearest ledge and peered down. His heart froze when, far below, he spied one fur assault another, both men dressed in the attire of Gale's elite Fatal Flowers.

"Oh god no..."

Silas immediately came up beside him, pressing a finger against the communicator attached to the collar of his coat. "Copy," the older wolf murmured. He immediately seized Rex's wrist a little forcefully. "There's been an outbreak in the lab. Everyone on the ground floor has been infected and its spreading like wildfire."

"But there's hours before the virus fully takes over," Rex exclaimed. "If you can get me to the victims, I can cure them!"

A horrific wail erupted from down below near the peaceful temple that had been dedicated to Gale's ninja roots and upbringing. Silas yanked Rex away from the railings.

"It's too dangerous. The pollen is everywhere and there are too many infected. We can't risk you going down especially if you're the only one with the cure."

Rex pulled his wrist from the older wolf with a shake of his head. "That's bullshit! Most of the infected were unable to move when I was down in the labs! Those that weren't only numbered five at most! There is no way they could've caused this destruction!"

Silas' eyes filled with doubt. "Rex... You didn't..." He hesitated. "You didn't purposefully release the infected just so you could get some limelight to your cure, did you?"

"What!? Of course not!" The sting of the wolf's doubt hit him hard and he almost felt like breaking into tears there and then. "I wouldn't do that!"

Though still clearly unconvinced, Silas shook his head and grabbed Rex's wrist. "It doesn't matter. Gale has ordered that you and important personnel be evacuated. Come on."

"But I can cure them!"

"And get torn up in the process!" Silas barked. "This isn't your time to be a hero, Rex! Think for the first time in your goddamn life before you act!" He loomed over the shorter wolf, jabbing a finger into Rex's chest. "If you think you can sweep in there and start curing people, stop this outbreak and be praised as a hero, think again. Pollen is airborne! How long did it take you to cure yourself, huh? Do you really think that your technique can cure people and_stop them from being infected again_? They just have to take another breath and boom" - he gave Rex a hard shove for emphasis - "back to square one! And what about those that are already crazy?"

Rex ducked his head. Though he hated to admit it, Silas was very right. His technique required precision and he couldn't apply it en masse. Hours of work had been nullified in the face of an outbreak and a feeling of helplessness burdened his shoulders. Silas said something but he barely heard it. Before he knew what was happening, he was being taken by his wrists and yanked down the walkways against the tide of ANVIL soldiers hurrying to contain the outbreak.

Another explosion hit somewhere nearby and he only vaguely noticed one of the spherical pods crashing down to the base of the cavern. The infection had already spread far. On the central dais, the Brood Mother was being rolled out and those hoping to escape were being hurried towards it.

Their flight suddenly came to a halt and he looked at what had stalled them. The doors to the next level had been shut tightly, likely to block off further infection. Silas was barking into his communicator, telling whoever was controlling the doors that he had Rex Reaper.

Suddenly, that name didn't feel so grand anymore...

"It's the panic."

Rex blinked and turned towards the source of the voice. His eyes widened and he staggered back, almost crashing into Silas who gripped his wrist both reassuringly and angrily. The older wolf continued to shout into his communicator, completely ignoring the dark entity standing about ten feet away from him - a tall, armoured figure with enormous skeletal wings made entirely of chains.

"He can't see or hear me," the alien being said, his strange sapphire blue eyes peering into Rex's very soul. Each eye had a pupil shaped like eight pointed stars. "Everyone thought they were safe here. But with this outbreak their hopes and sense of security is shattered. Even the most well-trained soldier will feel their knees weaken in the face of the unknown."

The creature turned towards the lower levels. Gunfire erupted from there and a suddenly explosion caused another pod to shudder precariously on its supports.

"He really upped the ante on this one."

"He?" Rex asked. He glanced over to Silas who was banging his fist against the door angrily. The wolf didn't hear him for some reason. "Who is he?"

"Hades. The Chaos Lord of Manipulation. He created this plague in an attempt to 'call' his daughter to him. The flower that causes this, the Valkyrie's Kiss, was her favourite flower." The entity chuckled mildly. "Sadly, it will not work. Primarily because the entire concept of using a flower to call back someone you have lost is absurd and also because of the process where this reality fights against foreign invaders known as Dimensional Immunity Response."

"DIR?"

The entity laughed softly. "Yes. Basically, think of every single universe as a living organism. When something foreign enters the body, the automatic response of any body is to immediately fight against it, right?"

Rex nodded numbly. "Right..."

"The same can be said about the Valkyrie's Kiss. It is an object that is foreign to this reality. It doesn't exist here and comes from an entirely different rule set. If it were introduced as is to this world, the entirely reality would've rejected it. It would slowly degrade or it would be forced to mutate into something that is of this reality. Hades hoped to prevent this by ensuring that the means of production of the flower far outstripped the rate of degradation."

Rex's eyes suddenly lit up. "That's why it's still susceptible to the laws of this reality... and that's why the pollen just dies shortly if it hasn't found a host!"

"Exactly," the strange creature said with a nod. "But Hades soon realised that this change is self-defeating. By making this manipulation, the flower is no longer what his daughter loved so fondly. It has become a weed. It mutated far beyond what he had expected, becoming parasitic in nature and turning their hosts into what you see before you in a desperate attempt to ensure its continued existence. Nevertheless, Hades is not one to let things go unfinished and simply released the flower to see how it ends."

"What?" Rex demanded, shaking his head in disbelief. "He released the flower for shits and giggles!?"

"Not entirely. He's just like you, Rex. He does not want to see his effort go to waste. He wasn't just going to let all the lives his sacrificed and all the time he spent to make his Valkyrie's Kiss be compartmentalised in his long list of failures. He's ended entire realities for less."

"I'm nothing like him!"

For some reason, despite being unable to see the dark angel's features, Rex got the impression that he was smiling. "You don't even know him."

A series of explosions rocked the facility and that precariously hanging pod toppled to the ground. As soon as it smashed against the ground, dozens of bodies poured out. It was with some horror that Rex realised that the infected were scrambling up the walls of the cavern, sometimes even scrambling over one another just to get to the upper levels.

"What can we do?" Rex demanded of the creature. "There must be something we can do to stop him!"

"Of course there is. Gale has already hinted at it. I've just given you the next clue. You already have the third. Think it over and you'll find out how to stop this plague."

"Can't you just tell me!?"

The being held up one armoured hand in apology. "Sorry. I wish I could but if I did, then this story will end up very badly for everyone." As he lowered it, he said, "This plague can be stopped, Rex. Have no doubt. You just have to be a realist about your approach to it."

The being turned his head back towards the chaos down below. Rex's eyes widened as he saw multiple beings that looked just like the entity standing over the bodies of the fallen, holding differently coloured books.

"What are you...?"

"I'm helping them to their next stories," answered the entity. "Tales don't end with death, you know."

He looked back towards this... Angel of Death. "You're here to help us... aren't you?"

"I'm here to grant everyone their happy ending. But I can't just give it. You have to earn it. And when I mean everyone, I mean everyone. You, Silas, Gale, Sherry and even Winston Boswin. Everyone deserves a happy ending. It's just up to them to take it."

Rex stared at the creature with a shake of his head. "Who are you?"

Again, he got that sensation that the being was smiling at him. "You can call me R3 the Writer of Reality."

A loud hiss erupted from behind Rex and he glanced back towards Silas who threw his paws into the air, making a rude gesture at the cameras.

"Come on, pup," said the older wolf, taking Rex's paw. "I've just got orders from Gale to evacuate you to the Brood Mother. We're getting out of here."

He glanced back towards R3 but found the entity gone. Whether it was just a figment of his imagination or truly some sort of divine intervention was up for debate but what he had learned gave him cause to make his own steps instead of letting Silas drag him along. If he wasn't just going insane and that 'R3' was just an insane delusion that was signs that his father's insanity was genetic, then he really was the only one with the means to end this plague. Only he knew what R3 told him, about Hades and the Valkyrie's Kiss.

He just needed to piece it all together.

The stream of soldiers ended and they ran with the flow of non-combatants hurrying towards the Brood Mother which had finally been rolled out. Rex hadn't realised there were so many people in the facility until they hit the back of the line which extended all the way up from the hangers of the experimental ship to about a hundred metres away. The fact that everyone was in a panic didn't help.

Another pod exploded. It began toppling towards the cavern floor. Rex realised that was not accidental. MODD was systematically destroying the paths up to the gangway by sacrificing their own facility. That would've granted some relief if it weren't for the fact that dozens of the zombies were rapidly scaling the smooth walls of the cavern. Slowly coming to his senses, Rex realised that if the infected could climb the smooth walls, what was stopping them from climbing the metal supports holding up the launch pad.

He pulled away from Silas though the older wolf desperately tried to keep him back. Just one look over the edge of the launch pad confirmed his fears.

"I need everyone with a gun here now!" he screamed. He flung his paw in a wide arc over his head, tiny twinkling stars erupting from his fingertips and hovering over his head. The edges of each pinprick of light grew eight curved edges of light, spinning wildly like buzz saw blades. They bolted down as he cried, "Cosmic Cutters!"

Silas caught up and his eyes boggled at the sight of dozens upon dozens of the infected scrambling up the metal supports on rapidly growing vines. Each vine sprouted obscene blood-coloured flowers that oozed with a thick, crimson fluid. The walls of the very cavern started to crawl with the vines, giving support to the infected to reach the upper levels.

What few ANVIL guards were stationed with the escapees seized their weapons and stood alongside Rex, firing down upon the climbing zombies. But there was too much ground to cover. They couldn't cover every facet and sooner or later...

"Oh my God!"

Rex spun to where an ExIT scientist pointed towards the far edge of the launch pad. An enormous flower, bigger than a man, rose up from the edge of the pad. It was closed, a bud dripping with the same crimson fluids the other flowers secreted. The weight of the bud caused it to topple against the launch pad. Its petals slowly began to peel open and from its confines, tall, lanky almost skeletal creatures shambled out. They looked like some sort of organic metal in the vague shape of a fur. Their flesh was silvery but clear veins and the cords of muscle were shown on their bodies. They took the shape of different furs, some were mammalian, others reptilian and few were avian. They shambled towards the Brood Queen, each step slow and lumbering like a stereotypical zombie.

"It's adapting," Rex murmured softly, his eyes wide in horror. He peeled away from the edge, one paw raised up in the air. "Solar Flare!"

A ball of scintillating, blue flames sprang up from his paw and leapt into the air high above his head. It enlarged to the size of a truck. The miniature sun's surface ruptured suddenly, a whip of flame launching out from the surface and striking the shambling mutations. Their flesh immediately caught on fire. Unholy screams erupted from their lips and they fell to the ground. Another flare erupted from the sun's surface, blasting the bud that had brought the creatures to their doorstep.

"Over there!" came a cry.

Rex spun. The launch pad was enormous and on the far end, the infected were just cresting over the edge. He clenched his fangs together and flung his paw forward. A big, black oval appeared in front of him while its twin opened just about fifty metres from the zombies. He leapt into the darkness, springing out of the other a moment later. He flung both paws through the air, summoning more Cosmic Cutters and sending them ripping through the zombies.

He barely heard the scream of the civilians as from his right, more of the mutant, metallic creatures came over the edge.

"Shit!" he cursed.

He leapt through another portal but just as he emerged, a gust of wind blew past his cheek. That same wind blasted him back a few steps, forcing him to shield his eyes. The Tower of Whispering winds lashed out before him. Sherry slowly descended from above, calm, poised and one hand on her strange sword.

"We can't keep this up," she advised. "Fall back to the ship. We'll have less ground to cover and they'll be more closely packed together."

Rex nodded and brought up another portal. Sherry lifted her incredibly long blade over one shoulder, point levelled at the approaching infected. She thrust her blade forward in a short, sharp jab. A blast of wind rocketed from the movement strong enough to throw a large number of the infected off the edge and back down to the cavern below.

Rex recognised it as her Backdraft move.

They both retreated through the portal, Sherry throwing another Backdraft_at the approaching infected. Together, they emerged at the base of the _Brood Mother. Most of the non-combatants were on board but. All that remained were the ANVIL soldiers holding off the infected making their way up from the lower levels.

Silas came up beside Rex, shouting into his communicator for all troops to retreat to the Brood Mother.

"Covering formation!" Sherry shouted "Brood Mother, weapons up! Not a single infected makes it onto this ship!"

On her command, the remaining ANVIL soldiers on the launch pad converged at the base of the gangway up into the ship. They formed three rows in a vaguely circular formation around the gangway. The first lay belly flat on the ground, guns up. The second knelt above their comrades while the third remained standing. Gunfire blared and the infected and mutants were fell all around them. The Brood Mother's enormous turrets sprang to life, firing high calibre rounds all over the launch pad where the few troops couldn't cover them.

Soldiers still in the lower levels scrambled up the slanted pathways, covering one another from the quickly growing enormous flowers and the zombies alike. One group was suddenly cut off when a flower deposited a large number of mutants between them and the rest of the group. Rex made to teleport them out of there but then all three ANVIL soldiers pulled the pins from their grenades and-

BOOM!

The gangway toppled, a flaming wreck that crushed and burned the mutants and infected.

"There's too many!" Silas shouted, backing up the gangway. "We have got to leave now!"

Barely twenty men from the lower levels had made it back and there were still dozens more. "There are still troops back there!" Rex protested.

"If we don't leave now we're all going to be dead!" Silas' anger suddenly faded, his eyes filled with awe and shock. "Holy shit..."

Rex spun to the direction that Silas was staring. His jaw dropped in shock. The remaining soldiers were voluntarily throwing themselves off the railings... only for a huge gust of wind to pick them right up and deposit them just mere metres from the defenders.

"We will run," came Gale's calm, controlled voice. The Elemental Lord of Wind stepped down from the ship, his revealed eyes deadly with focus and his jaw set hard. "But not before making these bastards pay." He reached towards his bandolier of kunai. Everyone, including Rex and Sherry gave him room, a clear shot towards the one walkway leading to the launch pad. Infected and mutants were scrambling down the walkway, hungry for their blood.

"But we will make them pay for the lives they have taken," Gale concluded, pulling a kunai.

The Ninja of the Seven Winds flung the blade straight at the oncoming foes. Time seemed to slow as the weapon spun through the air, twisting unnaturally. Wisps of wind began whipping out from the tip of the blade's tip. The wail of a storm emanated from the weapon followed by a colossal boom as the storm evolved into a full blown horizontal tornado. Everything suddenly sped up and the kunai, acting as the tip of the tornado, blasted right through the row of infected, the monumental winds _tearing_flesh and bone apart with frightening ease.

The tornado only stopped the moment the kunai hit the opposite wall... leaving the entire gangway bare and bloody.

"Tornado Drill," Rex murmured. Gale glanced over his shoulder. Just that look from his one eye made Rex duck his head and murmur, "Sorry."

"Let's get out of here," Gale ordered. "Get the Brood Mother_airborne." He flung his hand straight upwards. A massive gust of wind _blew the doors of the bunker wide open even though they were original designed to _slide_open. The shattered doors crumbled down into the bunker, disappearing beyond the launch pad's edges.

Rex was made all too aware of the vast differences in power between himself and Gale. His tail began ducking between his legs as he followed the chimpanzee obediently up the steps into the_Brood Mother_.

The experimental ship launched off the pad, leaving the devastated bunker where it rested. Vines, infected and the mutants swarmed all over the remnants of the bunker, crawling over the pods and gangways. From the nearby farmlands, a few onlookers watched as the enormous ship lifted from an unassuming farm none of them had ever visited before. No one really thought anything of objects that the ship dropped back into the farm as they could barely see it from their distance. But then the farm erupted into a massive fireball and_that_ they all saw. Many watched while others grabbed their phones and began calling around. Within the hour, reports were flying all over the internet of the mysterious ship that had lifted out the ground and had destroyed a farm.

With the bombing of the bunker accomplished, Gale Winthrop stood at the captain's podium of the Brood Mother, eyeing the distant Pollenburn.

"No life sights remain," an ensign reported.

"But that doesn't say anything about the pollen or the plants," murmured Sherry. "Bomb it a few more times just to make sure."

"Yes, ma'am. Initiating bombing sequence."

Rex tore his gaze from the main display showing the smouldering remains of Gale's secret bunker. It frightened him how quickly the plant had adapted. What he could not understand was how people could become infected so quickly. Last he checked, it took hours for a person to be driven completely mad by the infection. Surely people would've noticed if one person was showing signs of infection and reported it?

"I want to know how that outbreak occurred," Gale said, his tone slow, even and oddly emotionless. His back was turned to Rex and the others and that only made him all the more threatening.

Silas nudged Rex lightly.

"It wasn't me!" Rex immediately exclaimed. He froze, feeling Gale's eye on him. "It wasn't!" he repeated.

"Why would you even defend yourself?" Gale asked. "What did you do?"

Rex felt like a child as he clamped his muzzle shut, refusing to speak.

Silas gripped his shoulder and let out a sigh. "Sir, we came up with a way to extract the pollen from the bodies of its victims... but in order to test it, he infected himself first."

Gale's eye widened and even Sherry, normally cool and controlled, took a step away.

"What?" demanded the Elemental Lord of Wind. "Rex -"

"I knew what I was doing!" Rex snapped. "I took all the pollen out of my system and I'm cured. But the technique is incomplete. It needs me to go right up to a person and I literally have to touch them. I can make it better but -"

Gale grimaced, running a hand down his face. "Rex... You weren't in the quarantine area, were you? How did you infect yourself? Did you just walk into one of the areas where the plants had taken root? Did you even consider the fact that this is pollen we're talking about? It could've clung to your fur and distributed everywhere as you walked!"

"I was safe!" Rex proclaimed though he had not considered that consequence.

"And..." Silas began hesitantly. "He did mentioned that he did something else... He didn't tell me what..."

The stab of betrayal hurt hard and Rex stared at Silas with heartbroken eyes. To his credit, Silas was looking at him apologetically. Rex suddenly found his collar seized and he was being slammed against the nearby metal wall.

"What did you do!?" Sherry demanded. "Please don't tell me you were arrogant and selfish enough to start this outbreak just so you could look like the hero when you came sweeping in with your technique!?"

"No!" Rex shouted back, shoving her away. "I didn't purposefully start this outbreak!" He glanced from face to face. No one believed him. Even Silas, as apologetic as he was, clearly didn't believe his words. He gripped the sides of his head and let out a primal shout. "Oh fuck it! Fine!"

"Rex..." Silas began.

"I didn't start this outbreak!" Rex roared, lifting his gaze to meet Gale's. He couldn't look Silas in the eye at the moment; he was too angry and too hurt. "But I did start the one in Pollenburn."

Everyone froze.

Even the men manning their stations on the bridge fell silence.

"What did you say?" Gale asked softly.

"Winston is a jackass," Rex said evenly. "He wants to use the plague as an excuse to spread his Dietrich technique and wrest control from MODD? Fine. Let's see how he deals with it when he and his group are infected. See how the people react when even with all his power, he can't defend against the plague." He glared at Sherry. "I took samples of the pollen and teleported to the Tower. I dropped it on each of the six family members without them noticing. They're all infected now. Including Boswin."

He turned back to Gale. "They've been infected for hours now. If there are no signs of infection yet, then that just confirms your suspicions that someone is controlling this thing." He pointed past Gale at the image of the burning bunker. "I don't know how long it took before those people turned but you saw how quickly it spread. The Tower should've fallen long before that. Either some outside factor caused it to rapidly mutate in the bunker or someone is directing it."

Gale looked infinitely disappointed. When he closed his eye and turned away from Rex back towards the rest of the bridge, Rex couldn't help but feel that this was going to severely bite him in the back. Though he had hoped to keep the infection of the Tower a secret, now that it was out...

"Take us to the city. Now. We need to warn Boswin."

"What?" Silas demanded. "Sir, you can't mean to save that bastard? After what he's done?"

"This isn't about control of Pollenburn," Gale snapped. "This is about _millions_of lives. If they become infectious, that entire city and whoever is living in it will become a breeding grounds for these things! We need to cure him."

That Gale didn't even mention Rex as the cure hurt immensely.

"Let's just hope we're not too late," murmured the Elemental Lord of Wind.

******

"Leave her alone!"

Alicia let out a soft whimper. The former criminals chuckled darkly as they loomed in front of her cell, licking their lips and eying the mole with lust in their eyes. Caroline banged on the BLANK bars that lined her cell. She could do little else but shout and threaten. Within the confines of the cells that once contained these very same criminals, she was helpless. She could do nothing to save the poor mole who had just found herself by circumstance in the crosshairs of some of the worst criminals of Pollenburn.

Caroline picked up the mug that had been given to her and threw it through the railings. The porcelain smashed on the bare head of a bear who spun around angrily, beady black eyes flashing.

"You bitch!"

The man stormed forward and seized Caroline's neck through the bars. The air was squashed from her throat but she had achieved her intended effect.

"Leave the bitch alone," snarled another criminal bearing the same orange overalls as the others. "You know Boswin wants her alive. The boss doesn't want to tick off that fat pig until he gets what he wants."

The bear snarled and threw Caroline to the ground. Though she was gasping for breath, her mind was racing. Before the ursine could turn around, she said, "So Khan Sho just wants my father's technique, does he?"

The man let out a derisive snort. "He already has that."

Khan Sho, the notorious head of a criminal syndicate and commonly known as 'The Third Eye', already had Dietrich. A bit of fear formed in Caroline's chest, making it even harder to breathe just thinking about what the man could do with that technique. While she had stood as a silent witness to her father's correspondence with the mastermind, she had learned Khan Sho possessed one of the Forbidden Seals, the Oblivion Seal. Though he preferred not to use it, the aged equine had terrorized Taranebra and Rillotia for years alongside his allies. His former cohorts each had a Forbidden Seal of their own and it was rumoured that their influence stretched well past Rillotia.

If that madman could give every one of his thugs a Forbidden Seal...

The bear was turning back around to face Alicia. Caroline put aside her musings, hoping cause even more of a distraction. She grabbed the plate that still contained her food and threw it at the bars. It smashed against the red, glowing bars causing enough of a commotion for the men to stop jeering and turn towards her.

"Then why does he still remain?" she demanded. "Why does Khan Sho still stay here when he has what he wants?"

"You think that's what he wants?" laughed the bear, closing the gap between them as the others looked on. "Khan Sho wants to tie up loose ends. Your father is the only one with the Dietrich technique. He's a loose end."

Her suspicions about the criminal mastermind were thus proven true. Khan Sho had what he wanted but her father could still undermine the advantage he had over the world. If her father fell into the hands of MODD, every ANVIL soldier could have a Seal, every employee. No matter what resources Khan Sho had under his belt, he did not have that kind of power.

"And you're one yourself, girly," growled the bear. He licked his lips darkly. "We're going to do away with your asshole of a father anyway. I don't think the boss will mind a few bruises on you."

Caroline backed away from the railings as the bear reached for the door release.

"They're mine!"

Her blood went ice cold. That was a voice she had only heard once or twice in her life and in both instances, she became overcome with fear. She backed further away from the cell as the looming figure of the Cunt Killer cut a path through the gathered criminals. The monstrous tiger stormed forward, veins pulsating with that unholy silvery light. A tiger shark bearing numerous scars all over his body didn't back away quickly enough and bumped into the towering feline.

The tiger growled and seized the man's face with one massive paw. Before the male could even scream or beg for mercy, a blade shot out of the Cunt Killer's paw, piercing the shark's skull and erupting from the base of the male's neck. The blade withdrew a second later and the Cunt Killer let the dead shark drop to the floor. More blades erupted form his very flesh, jutting out of his shoulders, arms, legs and chest. The other criminals backed away, edging away from the madman and making their way towards the exit.

Every blade that came from the Killer tore the skin, causing severe bleeding. As they withdrew back into his flesh, the wounds closed. Caroline wasn't sure if their emergence caused the tiger pain but she had heard all the stories about this man's abilities.

Gordon Cohen, the Cunt Killer, turned towards Alicia, his silvery eyes flashing with lust and a demonic smile on his lips. "You know who I am." It was a statement, not a question. Alicia, mostly paralysed by fear, could only nod. "You hurt me. You made me hunt. You are..." He licked his lips. "...delicious."

He gripped the bars with his paws, thrusting his hips lewdly through them. There was a clear bulge through his overalls. "I will enjoy you. I will hear you scream. I shall fill you. Then, I will tear you apart. Your warm body shall keep me warm." He shuddered, grunting with lust. "I will have you now."

He reached for the release panel to Alicia's cell.

Desperate not to see the meek mole become another victim of the notorious serial killer, Caroline shouted for the tiger's attention. "Hey! Hey Cohen! Look over here!" She stormed over to the bars, straightening her back forcefully. Her courage was wavering but she was not going to let Alicia die especially not while she was forced to watch. "Why would you want her? You like strong women, don't you? Someone that will give you a fight? Look over here!"

Cohen's silver eyes flashed as he turned towards her. The eyes of a feedback victim was always unsettling as they glowed with an unnatural colour. The tiger stepped towards her, practically salivating with lust. She could smell his musk from where she stood and there was a distinct wet spot forming in that significant lump on his overalls. He reached through the bars and gently caressed her cheek with the back of his enormous paw. She tried not to flinch.

"You were not something I can have. A delicate flower primed and grown with only the best of fertilisers. Forever out of my reach until now. That will make you all the sweeter." He gripped her cheeks tightly, claws digging into her flesh to make her gasp. "Khan Sho wants you dead. He moves against Boswin now. I was sent here to kill you." Then his eyes twisted back towards Alicia, his smile dark and sinister. "But I find myself with two sources of bliss. The best part about an experience is the anticipation towards the explosive climax."

He yanked his claw from her cheek, leaving bloody scratches. "You will have your turn."

"No..." Caroline whimpered, gripping her bloodied cheeks. "No! You want a fight! Fight me! Let me out of here and let's face one another! Seal to Seal!"

But the Cunt Killer ignored her and stepped towards Alicia. He pressed the release button, letting the cell bars slide into the floor. He didn't even wait until they were fully gone to move into the cell were Alicia was backed in the corner.

"Alicia!" Caroline screamed, banging at the cell doors. "No!"

Her eyes wide in horror, Alicia could only press herself as far into the corner in the vain hopes that she would melt into the walls and escape the serial killer's grasp. But as the Cunt Killer began to strip off his clothing, revealing his scarred, muscular form, she felt tears in her eyes. This was how she was going to die. She flinched away when she felt his big paw against her cheek, mockingly tender as it turned her lips towards his...

Her nose pressed against his and his tongue roughly shoved down into her muzzle.

That invasion was just the precursor to something much worse... but she was damned if this was how she was going to go down. She hadn't escaped his grasp only to fall right back into it.

So she decided to use the Four Ns.

She balled her paw into a fist and threw a punch, striking the Cunt Killer's nose.

"Nose!" she exclaimed as the man reeled back in surprise. He seemed to like the fight but when he immediately reached for his bare nipples and gave them a vicious twist, he didn't seem so pleased. "Nipples!"

Gordon Cohen gasped, almost in pleasure and he was momentarily paralysed. Alicia pulled her paws away from the serial killer's strong, bare chest before sending one fist crashing straight into his exposed scrotum.

"Nuts!"

What semblances of enjoyment the Cunt Killer may have felt instantly vanished as he gasped and his eyes watered from the violent impact to his genitals. Before he could cover them with his paws protectively, Alicia sent her knee crashing back into it. He was over three hundred pounds of muscle and she was barely over a hundred and a half but the impact was still enough to make him double over and fall to his knees.

"And nuts..." she murmured, watching the male curl into a ball and whimper.

"Alicia!"

She bolted to Caroline's cell and immediately released the bars. The eldest of the Boswin sisters scrambled out and with a swing of her hands, a wall of ice immediately sprang up in front of the Cunt Killer's cell, barricading him inside the small, metal room. Both women embraced one another, Alicia sobbing loudly. Caroline stroked the mole's hair lightly, easing her with soothing noises.

"It's okay. He won't harm you again," she said gently, her heart racing. In an attempt to ease her mind, she asked, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Alicia smiled very softly. "Jacob..."

Caroline let out a thoughtful hum. "Well, we better see if we can escape this place and find them." Her mind began racing again. "Come on. My father is holding his demonstration at the courtyard. If we take that tunnel Jacob mentioned you were originally going to take before I met you, then we might be able to slip past."

The mole nodded and composed herself, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Both females bolted towards the exit, hoping that no one would interfere. She feared for her father. Khan Sho was making his move and betrayal was on the horizon. On some level, she felt that whatever came his way, he deserved but he was still her father. Perhaps she could warn him somehow?

The lack of people in the hallways of the Tower was evidence enough to Khan Sho's betrayal. All of her father's troops were out in the courtyard to oversee the proceedings while Khan Sho's men were supposed to keep an eye on the Tower itself. She wanted to stop the madman herself but without backup...

She burst into a connecting hallway leading to an intersection, the elevator lobby. Her heart leapt for joy when she spotted a few familiar figures standing in front of the lift doors, Joanna pointing in her direction.

"Jacob! Joanna!" she exclaimed, bolting towards them, Alicia in tow.

The group looked up, relief in their eyes.

"Caroline! Alicia!" Jacob mirrored as the two females reached them, panting. "How did you escape?"

Caroline beamed proudly at Alicia. "You taught your maid well." She couldn't' let them waste a second longer even for pride for Alicia. "My father is holding his demonstration in the courtyard. Khan Sho is going to betray him and already sent the Cunt Killer to kill us both. While my father is hamming it up out there, Khan Sho is going to do something that'll leave him high and dry." She had to gasp for breath. "Khan already has Dietrich."

It took a moment for the implications of her words to sink in.

"We have to stop him from getting away!" Cal exclaimed, waving his paws in the air. "If we gives each of his goons a Seal..."

A soft chuckle suddenly erupted from around them, echoing in the lonesome hallway. Its deep rumbles sent quakes through Caroline's body, shaking her heart and forcing it to beat faster and faster with fear. She spun towards the speakers, eyes widening.

"I see the little fleas have learned my secret," Khan Sho laughed softly. Several cameras had swivelled towards them. "Sadly, this has promoted you from dismissible nuisance to loose end. I can't have you revealing the extent of my abilities just quite yet. You must be dealt with. But I am merciful."

The lift suddenly dinged and their eyes spun towards the slowly opening doors. A thick, black mist seeped between the metal doors, coiling in the air and quickly filling small lobby. Deep within the mist, barely visible was a familiar, hulking figure holding the unmistakable form of a shovel.

Caroline's heart sank.

"I will grant you one last reunion with your sister, Miss. Boswin, before she kills you all."

Dorothy Boswin stepped out of the lift, her Seal Weapon in her hands and her eyes empty but her posture filled with purpose. How Khan had commanded Dorothy was beyond Caroline but it was clear her sister was not there to reconcile with her. The love she held for her sister paralysed her and Caroline knew she wouldn't be able to raise a finger against Dorothy.

Everyone backed away from Dorothy, knowing well that she had a synchronisation rate on par with an Elemental Lord.

"Can I just say something?" Jacob growled.

"What is it?" Marcus asked. "And if it's 'run', we aren't going to back down."

"It isn't."

"Make it quick, then."

Jacob cleared his throat theatrically.

"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

******

"You did what!?"

Max was understandably pissed. Rex had braced himself for the dragon's onslaught the moment Gale had announced they would head towards the Tower and plead with Boswin to surrender himself to be cured. Naturally, Max and his SWORD troops were called as there were so few combatants that remained on Gale's Brood Mother. The Sky Wardens and Archangels were going to meet them at Boswin's demonstration but the presence of a whole battalion of SWORD soldiers would surely help. Especially an elite such as Max.

"He infected Boswin and the other heads of the six families," Gale repeated grimly. They stood a conference room within the Brood Mother, just Gale, Sherry, Rex and Max. Silas was not allowed for some reason. Rex had the broad, polished wooden table lined with chairs between himself and the others.

For some reason, despite his initial outburst, Max didn't seem as upset as Gale or Sherry had been. "That has got to be the most reckless and downright fucking stupid thing I've ever heard you do. Even worse than that shitty movie where you played that teenager in some futuristic world with a death game where you have to fight other kids to get a 'football' and be the last one holding it when time runs out."

Rex's ears perked up. Perhaps there was something he could talk to Max about apart from how much the dragon hated him. "You saw that?"

"Jake and I both did. We had to resist laughing ourselves stupid during it. Almost got kicked out."

"Oh..." His tail flopped against his leg. "It was based on a book..."

"I know. I loaned Jake the book. It was better in the book."

"Well, that's your problem. Things are always better in the book. If you saw the movie first -"

Max made a slicing motion through the air. "We're getting distracted." He pointed at Rex. "You're an idiot." Then he folded his arms. "But this does provide us an excellent opportunity."

"It does?" Gale asked.

"Yeah." Max nodded firmly. "Boswin would've fired at us if we got even close to his demonstration today. I was planning to sneak in with a small detachment and ambush him inside the Tower so we could end this but this is slightly better. If we approach him and tell him he's infected, he might just stop to consider before shooting us down." His eyes levelled at Rex. "If you can use your charisma and way with words to prove he's infected, you'll prove to the world that the plague is real and MODD is working to stop it. Boswin's rebellion is secondary. We'll come off as philanthropic and Boswin's position will be weakened."

"Play the crowd's fears and win them over by making Boswin a victim," Sherry agreed. "That's brilliant. Assuming we aren't too late."

Max nodded and turned towards the screen at the far end of the long room. He seized the remote and switched it on. A news feed live from Boswin's demonstration played in front of them. The fat big stood on a stage in front of a large crowd of people, lifting his hands into the air for silence. The cheering died and the newscaster told them that they were a moment away from Boswin's great reveal.

"People of Pollenburn, I come to you today a humble man that has been gifted with a great power. A power that I hope will help us fight off this plague and push back at the oppressors that is MODD."

Gale pressed a button on the table, activating the communications line to the bridge. "Get us to the Tower. Top speed."

"I -"

Boswin stopped momentarily when one of his orange-overall wearing men scrambled up to his side and whispered into his ear. A flash of worry crossed his features and he let out a few short coughs, clear indication of his infection. He beckoned for Dorothy who constantly stood by his side. A short whispered order later, Dorothy turned and marched off.

"Caroline escaped," Rex said.

"How can you be sure?" asked Gale.

"I learned how to read lips a long time ago," answered the young wolf, his eyes narrowed. "And there are 'intruders' in the lower levels." He glanced towards Max. "Your team?"

"They weren't dispatched..." said Max before glancing towards Gale. "Your men are standing down too, right? Then that must be Jake!"

Rex beamed and glanced back towards the monitor. "That's my bro..."

An announcement from the communications link told them that they were three minutes from the Tower.

"Apologies for the interruption," Boswin began. "As I was saying..."

Rex spun on his heel and bolted towards the door. "Come on. Let's get down there."

A strong hand seized his shoulder and he found Gale staring deep into his eyes. "Don't be reckless. Consider your every move before you go plunging into the abyss. Don't put any more lives at risk. Understand?"

He was more forceful than Rex had ever seen him. There was something... personal in how he barely controlled his anger and Rex found himself mute with surprise. Gale didn't wait for a response and hurried away, his feet barely touching the ground as he zoomed out of the conference room and to the hangers of the ship.

"You know why he's angry, right?" Sherry asked.

"No..." Rex admitted. "I mean, I'm angry over what happened at the bunker but he makes it sound like..."

"You killed a member of his family?" Max grunted. "You know that bunker housed the Order of the Blossom, right? The cult of ninjas that he comes from? Where his Fatal Flowers are trained? Did you know that he was raised by them? That he saw them as his family?"

Rex spun to them both. "But I told you! I didn't start that outbreak!"

Max and Sherry exchanged glances.

"Perhaps not..." Sherry murmured. "But it is very easy to blame someone who has been reckless in the past especially if they had recent contact with the virus."

"You've admitted that you didn't take safety precautions," added Max. "You infected yourself. Maybe some of the pollen clung to your fur or clothes. Who knows? Gale still blames you. Frankly, I do too. And if it weren't for the fact that the limits of my leadership skills are barking orders at people, I'd lock you in the brig right now and charge you with war crimes."

Sherry lifted a hand. "I would make the speech as well but I have even less credibility than you, Max, and people know me as a precision tactician, not a person of the people. Anything Gale says will be construed as MODD trying to save itself and public opinions on him are mixed as is." She levelled her gaze at Rex. "You are loved. Almost universally."

Rex was glad to at least be of some use. "Glad to be of some help..."

******

Caroline had escaped somehow and the Wielder of Realmbreaker was in the Tower. The tightness in Winston's chest was growing and he gave it off to nervousness over this revelation. His eldest daughter would not be able to raise a finger against her own sister so sending Dorothy to pacify Caroline would be the best but if _Realmbreaker_got involved, things would become infinitely more difficult.

Winston had to make his demonstration quickly. He didn't ask what Khan Sho and his troops were doing or question why the man who he had entrusted with the security of the Tower had failed to prevent this chaos. He put on a brave smile and stepped back up to the edge of the stage.

"Sorry for the interruption," he announced. "Family matters. But you are as much my family as my own flesh and blood. You, the people of Pollenburn!"

The crowd cheered at his announcement. Of in the distance, he could see the towering MODD evacuation points that had practically sprung up overnight. Dozens of their ships were already transporting people out of the Arc Field into safety. He had to act fast if he was to secure his place in history and on this land. A large ship was heading towards them as well, no doubt to drop flyers or some other propaganda at them.

Gesturing for silence, he said, "Now without further ado, let me show you all what you have been waiting for. A technique that will grant anyone a Seal. It won't matter who you are, what you are or where you're from! You will have a Seal! Even if you are told by MODD that you are incompatible with a Seal, I can give you one! You shall be as powerful as a member of SWORD or even an Elemental Lord! For the first time in your life, you will have the power to control your own destiny in your own hands! You won't have to live under MODD's regulations, pay for their electricity, drink their water or breathe their air!

"You will be free!"

More cheers.

"Can I get a volunteer?"

Naturally, there were dozens of people who were waving their arms in the air to volunteer. That pleased him. He could see arms of different shapes and sizes as far as the eye could see. The sea of volunteers, the feeling of the spotlight on him, the cameras zooming in on him... it was ecstasy. This was what he had been craving.

Now, at last, he would leave his mark on the world.

"You," he said, gesturing at the front row at a female equine. "Come up here." He held out his hand and she eagerly took it, letting herself be pulled up to the stage. "What's your name?"

"Emma!" she exclaimed eagerly. She had to be no older than sixteen. "And I want a copy of Dorothy's Seal! Darkness is so cool!"

For a brief moment, he saw himself in the girl... and his heart broke. He remembered that day when he had been tested against his family's Seal, the Seal that had been passed from one Boswin to the other in the hopes that they would use it to bring prosperity to the family name. But then he was found to be lacking despite embodying every aspect of the previous heads of the family. His father looked at him with so much disappointment...

"Well now you can!" he exclaimed proudly. The sudden shout caught the tightness in his chest to increase and he let out a short series of coughs. "Sorry. I'm just excited too." He gestured for her to kneel and she did so eagerly. "Langley!"

Again he coughed as his butler obediently stepped up to him and offered him a black, wooden case. When he opened it, there was a simple piece of metal etched with the Boswin Seal on it, the Deadwind Seal. It was the emblem that maintained the Seal in its original form. Every Boswin that had ever wielded it changed the Seal over time but this was the original. He picked up the plaque and held it in the air for all to see.

"Now behold! The technique known as_Dietrich!_"

He -

"Stop!"

Boswin froze as a MODD transport came zooming in towards the crowd. It hovered in the air just above the crowd, causing the people to scatter away from it. The side doors sprang open and Rex Reaper stood on the edge, desperation in his eyes.

"Boswin!" shouted the wolf. "You've got to stop this!"

He had hoped MODD would try to stop him and now, he had an Elemental Lord here to try and dissuade him. "Why?" he demanded. "Does this threaten your grip on the people? Are you afraid your popularity will drop when everyone realises they don't need to depend on MODD for their Seals?"

"No! You -"

"Look at your MODD dictators!" Winston shouted, pointing at the Elemental Lord. "Look at how he fears for the loss of his slaves, servants and the people who make him rich! He's scared that he won't be so special anymore!"

"You fucking idiot!" Rex roared, shocking everyone for his language. "You're infected!"

Boswin balked and that was a mistake he would regret; it showed his hesitation and all eyes switched to Rex.

"We've got reason to believe that members of your group are infected with the plague!" Rex shouted as the transport began to lower itself to the ground. "We don't know how but the infection has spread here! You know how MODD imprisoned the Rattlesnake leader, Snakebite?" He paused for emphasis. "Well, the plague was found in the Rattlesnake Stronghold! The bastard has been in the Tower all this time!" He pointed in some vague direction. "Our base became infested by the plague and we suspect it's because we carried the pollen with us from the Stronghold!_We were under _quarantine and it still got out! We had to bomb the whole place clean!"

Rex held out his paw towards Winston. "But we have a cure. Please, let us get you and your people checked. This isn't for me or control over MODD or Seals. For fuck's sake! It's for people's lives!"

Winston froze... Infected. He vaguely began wondering at his mysterious cough that had popped up overnight. The other heads of the six families had been coughing as well... Could it be...?

But he was too close now. He couldn't surrender.

"That's a magnificent story you've spun there," Boswin chuckled. "But if I recall correctly, your infection grows within hours. We've occupied your Tower for days now. So tell me why we haven't been turned into 'flower zombies'."

He was slowly winning over the crowd again.

"We don't know," Rex admitted, the honesty in his eyes disarming Boswin. "I know this sounds crazy but we think someone is controlling this plague. Maybe it's a Seal designed for this purpose or it's been engineered to unleash at a certain trigger. We don't know but what we do know is that you and all your people are ticking time bombs!

"Please! You have got to let us cure you."

Winston was almost tempted to take up that offer. There was something just compelling about Rex's argument and the honesty by which he begged filled Boswin with doubt. But the choking hold that he felt of MODD around his family as they banned him from expanding his empire, the shame he felt for being the only Boswin to fail from meeting his ambitions and the heartless cold shoulder he received when MODD mercilessly sent those assassins to kill his wife as a warning...

All those roiling emotions pushed back against that growing down, quashing it and throwing it out of his system. Rage remained, rage that fuelled his ambitions and made him realise that surrender would been being quarantined by MODD. Yet another form of restriction on him. It was just a step closer to MODD wresting control from him.

"You make a compelling argument," Winston answered. "But I will _not_fall to my knees and beg for reprieve from a heartless corporation that only cares for profits! You can -"

Before he could finish, Rex suddenly vanished in a surge of dark energies. Those same energies erupted right in front of Winston, shocking the entire crowd. Even Gale who had stepped off the transport screamed out Rex's name. It was with some dark satisfaction that Boswin knew that if he were killed in this way, it would only cause the people of Pollenburn to rebel all the more. MODD would show no honour and their name permanently smeared. While he wanted to live to avenge his fallen ambitions and wife, he would know that he'd be leaving the legacy and the drive for Caroline to take his place.

He entertained the thought that, if he were in a movie, Caroline would be running out of the Tower doors right at that moment to see his death. When he felt Rex's paw on his chest, he had all but accepted his fate.

He took a breath, perhaps the last breath he would ever take...

... but then felt Rex's paw pull away from his chest... and with it, the tightness in his chest.

He blinked in surprise as a globe of dark energy was retrieved from his body, passing through his flesh and clothes. Rex clutched it tightly in his paws and roiling within its confines was a large collection of golden dust.

Winston's eyes boggled.

Rex held the globe up, staring at it with a fragment of relief in his eyes. Then he turned those same blue eyes towards Boswin.

"How's your breathing?"

Perhaps the greatest mistake Winston had ever made was looking shocked and placing a hand against his chest. Even without words, the crowd came to the same realisation that he did. All those cameras and eyes on him had turned into enemies, burning his skin and spreading his expression of surprise all over the city and perhaps even beyond.

He had lost.

BOOM!

Fire and smoke erupted from the Tower. The enormous doors leading into the facility suddenly burst open and a thick, black mist poured out. Streaks of golden light cut through the mist followed shortly by several figures. One of them Winston realised was his daughter, Caroline, and with one arm draped around her shoulder protectively was the Wielder of Realmbreaker, Rex's brother... Jacob Reaper.

******

Rex wasn't sure whether he should be elated or afraid as he watched the Black Mist pour out of the Tower and start to converge upon the stage. The sight of Jacob, safe and sound, made his heart leap in joy but when the dark silhouette of Dorothy Boswin emerged from the Tower, his heart sank.

"Oh shit..." he murmured, catching the faint glisten of the sun against the unnatural armour that clung onto Dorothy's body.

Dorothy's Seal Armour was jet-black and with golden linings. Her legs were completely covered in the armour with exhaust ports attaching to her hips that constantly generated her Black Mist. It was hard to tell that she was female in the armour as it clung to her frame very tightly. Only her upper body truly revealed her gender but even then, her shoulders were covered in flaring pauldrons that had the same exhaust ports pumping out more and more of the Black Mist around her. She held two instances of her Seal Weapon, the Full Moon Harvest, one in each hand while her features were covered in a thick boars' head helmet complete with menacing tusks. As with all versions of Seal Armour, her Seal shone brightly behind her head like a sinister, blackish-purple halo. The concentric rune circles rotated in opposite directions while the emblem of her Seal - a pig's skull with wisps of wind flowing from its jaws - remained static.

"Dorothy," Winston breathed.

Recalling what Winston had done to Dorothy, Rex said, "Call her off." Then, louder, he said, "Call her off before she kills everyone!"

Winston looked back towards him, eyes wide and clearly conflicted. There was still a spark of doubt within the pig that continued to hold onto dreams of ambition and it was strong enough to keep him from doing the logical thing.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Rex growled. He spun towards the crowd which was backing away from the encroaching mist. "Gale! Sherry! Get everyone out of here! You don't want them anywhere near the Black Mist!"

Silas jumped out of the transport and rushed to his side just as the mist closed in around them. They both turned but the transport suddenly came zooming in above them, twisting itself and its turbines at the mist. It blew the darkness back and Rex silently thanked Max for his quick thinking. He caught sight of Marcus, the Unsealed spy and that other SWORD bodyguard that had been assigned to Jacob firing at Dorothy. But Seal Armour was practically indestructible. Only the most devastating attacks could cut through the enchanted material... or another Seal Weapon.

Rex growled and made a sweeping gesture with his paw. Light exploded from his paw, quickly dissipating in a shower of tiny, white stars. From the light, a glistening broadsword emerged, its pommel shaped like a brilliant golden seven pointed star with the seventh extending upwards onto the blade itself.

Shimmering Hope, his Seal Weapon.

"Jake! Over here!" he shouted, waving his sword. Jacob saw them both and rushed Caroline towards them, his maid and Snakebite right behind him. Rex growled at the sight of the cyborg Clan leader but said nothing when they were at last reunited.

He threw an arm around Jacob, holding his brother tightly against him. "Thank god you're safe."

"God had nothing to do with it," Jacob responded, sounding equally relieved. "But I'm glad you're safe too."

Max landed the transport at the base of the stage and he popped open the cockpit. "Jake! Everyone! Get in!"

Jacob immediately let go of Rex and beam brightly. "Max! You beautiful bastard!"

The dragon gave Jacob a thumbs up and a bright grin. Rex felt envy at their bond. But with the transport landed, the Black Mist came rushing in around them and there was no time to feel that envy. He took Alicia's paw and hurried her towards the transport door. Catching his movement, Jacob did the same with Caroline. As the two women jumped on board, the mist lapped at their heels.

Rex turned as screams of pain began erupting from the confines of the mist. He realised, to his horror, that Dorothy was slaughtering whoever fell within the mist. It didn't matter who. One of Boswin's own men came stumbling out of the darkness, clutching the stump of his arm before fainting against the stage.

"Holy shit..." He turned towards Winston... but couldn't find the pig. He couldn't care for the guy but he practically froze when a brilliant light erupted from the confines of the mist. This light formed a single, vertical beam about five storeys high. His skin prickled beneath his standing fur and he felt a strange tingling in his heart that he had only felt once before... at the execution of a notorious criminal... An execution by Tor.

"She's opening her Tor!" Rex shouted. "Everyone get on the transport! Now!"

Jacob glanced towards the light which just barely illuminated Cal, Joanna and Marcus. Rex knew what he was thinking and just barely got his brother's name out before the bigger wolf leapt off the stage and bolted towards the other two. Rex shot after him, with Silas by his side just as Marcus seized Cal and Joanna, gearing them to turn around.

But by then, the Tor had fully manifested. The enormous, black, double doors sat beneath an intimidating dark arch etched with golden runes and with strange, white fissures all over its face that spiralled in an almost whimsical pattern all over its surface. It was just plain black with two small grated screens near its top that erupted with more of the light beyond.

The doors blew open and Rex felt his heart stop.

The brilliant light from beyond bathed the entire courtyard, blinding him. Not one second later, an immense force pulled him towards the light. He was yanked straight off his feet as a deafening, rumbling noise filled the air like the yawn of a gargantuan monster. He screamed for Jacob, shielding his eyes from the light.

He saw the silhouette of his brother seize Marcus' arm as the kangaroo was lifted off his feet and dragged straight into the light. Joanna, that Unsealed vixen was the first to disappear entirely into the light. Marcus would have been sucked in a second later... but then Jacob threw the roo to the side, out of the line of sight of the door. Stunned, the kangaroo didn't get a chance to hold onto Jacob in return as the wolf disappeared into the light.

Rex screamed out his brother's name, cursing himself for not acting quicker. He could've teleported them all out of there...

But now... he was gone...

And Rex... he didn't have the strength to hold on...

Not without his brother.

******

Dorothy's Tor shut with a tremendous boom.

Winston stood beside his armoured daughter, taking in the carnage that had unfolded before him. With the opening of the Tor, entire portions of the courtyard had been ripped clean off the ground and thrown into oblivion. It looked like someone had taken a giant scoop and raked it across the ground. The stage was gone and so was most of the Black Mist. The sea of people had been divided cleanly in two, those in the divide having been sucked into the Tor.

Realising what he had just commanded be done... he realised that this was unrecoverable.

The transport taking his daughter away from him flew away... and he prayed that Caroline would carry on the Boswin family legacy better than he could.

"If I'm going to be the villain," he murmured. "I'll make the most of it." He turned back towards the Tower, gently tapping his daughter's shoulder. "Come, Dorothy. Langley."

"What is your wish, Monsieur?" asked his butler.

He quickly formulated a plan. "I will not go down in history as a man who remained trapped in this Tower and died a coward. We'll take one of the ships. Leave this place. Form our own empire elsewhere." He fixed Langley with a grateful stare. "You don't have to come with me if you don't want to."

The weasel bowed towards him lightly, pressing a gloved paw towards his chest. "I would not have pulled you from the stage were I not your humble servant, monsieur. Now and always."

He smiled softly. "Thank you, Langley. Thank you."