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Chatper VIII - Leatherbound

News travelled fast and the image of Legion kneeling, his paws severed from the wrists down, destitute and defeated spread faster than the winds themselves. This was compounded by the terrible sights of Arsenal being taken prisoner by the newly formed Gimp. To make matters worse, it all happened on Lillian Hale’s rally. It was a double blow not only to Arsenal but also to the mayoral candidate who had touted forgiveness and unity. The very people who had been shouting their support for her had been transformed into wild, pain addicts wrapped in leather and trapped in the form of rampaging rhinoceroses. The damage was far greater than what Tibia had inflicted. The elephant had only turned about twenty people but the Gimp had mutated more than a hundred people; the most compared to other Gene Stealers.

This all led to a terrible PR nightmare. Confidence in Arsenal was plunging. It was exactly what Lillian had feared. By associating her campaign with the team, their failures became hers as well. It couldn’t have been good for her confidence to have such a crushing defeat the very first time she actually came out and campaigned openly.

But that was the least of Caleb’s concerns.

He burst into the Cornucopia’s conference room, panting and desperate for answers.

The enormous, circular room had a steel table at the very centre with cold, spartan chairs encircling it. No one was sitting down. On the right were members of the Elemental Alliance. Not just Shockstorm and Siren, however, but the two avian heroes, Hocus and Nightingale. Hocus was an owl, drabbed in blue and wielding a staff while Nightingale, a raven, was cloaked in black and exuded the chilling aura of an assassin. To the right, the remnants of Arsenal and their allies were gathered; Samson, David, Elliot, Leon and Lance. As before, Jacob and Nate Rage stood at the back of the room, right in the crossfire of the two factions. It was a far flung contrast to their meeting at Hero Taco when dealing with the Tibia outbreak.

Siren’s scathing look didn’t faze him as he took up position next to his dad.

“Now that everyone is finally here,” she scowled. “Can someone please explain to me why I shouldn’t report you all to the military for having a goddamn starship hovering over this island!? I mean, if this thing were to crash, the explosion from the reactors alone would be enough to wipe out the entire island!”

“That’s what you’re concerned about?” Leon spat. “Seriously? Your son was just kidnapped by the goddamn Gene Stealers and you’re looking for a reason to bring down AEGIS?”

“As far as I’m concerned, AEGIS is an illegal, paramilitary organisation that has no right interfering in the business of the Elemental Alliance. They are worse than Arsenal simply because they purposefully flaunt with the law!”

“That’s enough!” snapped David, baring his fangs and taking a step forward. “AEGIS has proved invaluable in the past and is constantly providing the support Arsenal needs to function. As far as I am concerned, it is part of Arsenal and as an officially sanctioned superhero group. By questioning AEGIS’s validity, you are putting Arsenal into question. If you want to pursue this, Selena, we can do it in the court of law.”

The female doberman jerked her head back but continued scowling at him. “Do was you will, David, but rest assured, this is not the end of this. This starship is a risk to everyone.”

“No more than having thousands of supers all under one roof that focus on manipulating the very elements themselves,” Samson rumbled. “You’re all just one infection away from going wild and becoming an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. Particularly because one of the Gene Stealers, Dragon Knight, can seemingly open portals anywhere.”

“We have defences against that,” scoffed Siren. “Do you?”

Hocus stomped his tall, wooden staff against the ground loudly. “Enough of this childish banter.” He turned his head towards Jacob and Nate Rage. “Gentlemen, I thank you for the kind offer of bringing us onto your mobile base. That was certainly considerate of you and we appreciate the trust you are putting on us by allowing us into your headquarters.” A piercing stare was thrown at Siren, warning her of any further outbursts. By referring to the Cornucopia as a headquarters, there was a clear distinction between just another starship and a superhero base. Caleb wasn’t quite sure what it was but Siren visibly cringed and fell silent… for the moment. “Let us now discuss the matter of Arsenal’s kidnapping.”

“This goes far beyond just the capture of some powered individuals,” Nightingale said gloomily. “Thanks to the information you have shared with us, we know that each of the captured members displayed enhancements in their abilities. Moreover, they have developed secondary powers that seem to be related to their transformations on top of the ability to willingly change into their mutated forms.”

“A testament to Arsenal’s failure,” Siren sneered. “Or perhaps it’s all part of your plan to boost your members with unnatural powers?”

“Stop it, Selena,” Hocus hissed. The brown-feathered owl turned towards David. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Gene Stealers purposefully captured the very same members that were already changed.”

Shockstorm cleared his throat. “With the exception of Reaper. It’s clear they wanted him too.”

Caleb looked to Jacob who was purposefully hiding his severed paws behind his back. It made him look all the more stern and business-like but it was also clear that it was to save some face given that he had lost two limbs in the battle. Strange that someone so powerful could appear so strong and vulnerable at the same time.

“Perhaps more out of curiosity than actual need,” Nathan Rage said. “It makes me wonder, however, why they would need the very same people that they previously captured and extracted blood from.”

“More samples?” Lance offered.

“Doubtful. I can only guess that they want to run more experiments on them and they clearly aren’t relying on their tried and true method of luring out Arsenal into the open with an attack only to perform the experiments out in the open. If I had to guess, with the Gimp’s recent transformation, they seek to turn their prisoners and extract the samples all in one swoop.”

Shockstorm slammed a fist into the table. “We’re talking about my son. David, certainly you understand. I can’t just sit by while the Gene Stealers experiment on him. I need action. What’s our plan?”

All eyes switched to Jacob, who had thus far had his eyes closed. When he opened them, they were like lasers in their intensity.

“Obviously, we go after them,” Reaper concluded. “I’m reassembling Assault and we are going to go after the Gimp.”

“No,” said the male doberman fiercely, the first time he had actually shown any backbone in the presence of his wife. “As much as I appreciate Assault’s tactics and ability to act swiftly, I am also a superhero. We have laws around this situation and I can’t just turn a blind eye to you circumventing them. We need to do this by the book.”

“That’s where we disagree,” Samson rumbled. “This isn’t like before where we have the mutated in our holding cells and whatever progress the Gene Stealers may have had was halted by our walls. This time, they have the test subjects and who knows what leaps and bounds they could make the longer we wait. If we have to wade through the bureaucracy that you supers pride yourself in, our enemies will have achieved their goals before you can even sign your name on the ledger.”

Shockstorm straightened. “I agree but there are other ways to move through the paperwork without breaking the law.” He nodded towards Nightingale and the raven stepped forward.

The dark, mysterious and soft-spoken super laid down a tablet on the desk. “We’ve got contacts from our long careers are supers. With just the right word and some clever phrasing, we will be allowed to move indiscriminately. All we need to know is where we are going.”

At last, the bureaucracy was working for them. The only issue was finding out where the Gimp was located. The last time they dealt with a Gen 4, Tibia had escaped using a normal portal. This time, the Gimp had vanished through portals created by Dragon Knight. He looked to Elliot who had met his gaze. The orca shook his head sadly, indicating that he had no idea where to find the Gimp either.

“We…” David began. “… that we don’t know.”

Siren spat and swiped up the tablet Nightingale had offered. “What use are you? Some intelligence service.”

“We don’t know because there are two locations we’ve identified,” sneered David, his paws bunching into fists and his eyes flashing red. Samson had to place a hand on his paw to keep the soon-to-be-werewolf from bursting in rage.

Jacob stepped forward, lifting a paw. Caleb was shocked to find that his friend already had his paws returned. The rest were similarly as shocked especially when he held up two fingers. “Though most of Tibia’s base was damaged we were still able to retrieve some data from the files contained within. It took some time deciphering them but we eventually found that there are two bases. One is in Toronto, Canada. The other is at the base of Himalayas, India. We have the exact locations of said bases. The problem is we don’t know what they’ve set up in them or which one our people have been taken to.”

“Give us the details,” Siren said. “We can organise our own strike teams with the local supers and without risking an international incident.”

It was Samson’s turn to step forward with a growl. “I have my own son that’s being held captive by the Gene Stealers. I am not going to trust them into the care of pompous children who go around flying about in tights and thinking that’s impressive.”

“And we’re supposed to trust our son into the care of career criminals?”

“I think it’s established that you can given how we returned your son to normal the last time.”

“Normal!? You left him disfigured!”

Was that really how Siren thought Lars had become? Disfigured? Even though Lars had become stronger, faster and even developed a new superpower, he was considered ‘disfigured’ in the eyes of his own mother? Even as an elephant, Caleb found Lars handsome and oozing masculinity. The flexibility of that trunk was something else. He was eager to explore more of that body and peer into the doberman’s soul through physical contact. When he had been transformed, his mother never gave up on him. It was depressing to think that Siren sounded like she was abandoning Lars because he had changed.

Before the gathering could erupt into more arguing, Caleb stepped forward and slammed both his paws into the table.

“Look, we need to focus on saving Lars and the others. I honestly don’t care how we do it but you guys obviously do.” He nodded in acknowledgement towards the Elemental Alliance. “Neither side wants to just sit by and do nothing. So why don’t we just split our efforts? One team goes to Toronto and the other goes to the Himalayas.”

Siren took a step towards him, only stopped by Nightingale. “If you think I’ll let you just waltz into another country like that -”

“Then we’ll take the fall for it. No one has to know about your association with us. You want AEGIS to go down? Want to brand us as some criminal organisation? Then let us break international law because even you have to understand that by the time those papers are signed, Lars, Mary, Ben, Madman, Rhia and Bren could all be shipped off somewhere else!” He slammed a fist into the table once more. “They know we can track them. They know we’ll eventually find them. If we don’t take advantage of this moment where they think they got away cleanly, then we’re screwed!”

Siren turned her muzzle up away from him, looking down her nose. “Just what I’d expect from an impudent, naive pup. Allow me to educate you on what it means to be a superhero.” Only then did she fully turn towards him. “Being a superhero is about obeying the law. Whether you like it or not, the law is there to protect us and those we love. We don’t choose which laws we obey. That is not a luxury any of us should have.” Her eyes shot directly towards Jacob. “Just because some of us are capable of circumventing the rules without consequence, doesn’t mean the rest of us are so fortunate.”

“And what if the laws is wrong?” Caleb growled, bringing the water-based super’s attention back to him. “What if a tyrant put those laws into place? Isn’t that why we have Congress? Isn’t that why we have the power to vote? Isn’t that why we can change the law?”

That stopped the water-based super in her tracks.

“I know you hate AEGIS,” he pressed. “I know you hate me, Arsenal, Assault and whoever else is associated with me. But I know, somewhere deep inside, you still love your son. It’s why you’re here, trying to pin the blame on us and telling us how much we suck instead of going out there and saving him with all your power! Because you still love him and you hate that you can’t do anything about it because of the very same laws you’re trying to uphold. That’s why you can only direct your frustration on someone else.”

His words strangely brought a sense of calm into the room. He had said what everyone else was feeling. Once that was recognised, the fire and hatred began to fade.

Caleb dropped his gaze with a long sigh. “You know those laws are keeping you from saving your son and maybe it was the same thing that had Lars switch over to our side. So stick to your laws if you must but if let us be what you can’t even if it means we get branded as villains.”

Maybe he had just damned them a new. Maybe he had just given the Elemental Alliance the opening they needed to launch a propaganda war against AEGIS and Assault. But for the moment at least, Siren seemed placated and she took a step back, nodding in agreement.

“Alright,” Legion said sternly. “Assault will go to go to India to raid the base there. You can go to Toronto. I’m sure your connections will allow you to move there far quicker. Sound good?”

Siren straightened, shrugging off the flecks of snow that had gathered around her shoulders. “I am not afraid of you, Reaper.” She spun on her heel, heading for the door. “But you’re right. Time is of the essence. We’ll go to Toronto. If you get caught by the Indian government, we won’t bail you out.”

The other members of the Elemental Alliance turned and left. Shockstorm, however, gave Caleb one last nod before he left; an acknowledgement of the promise he had made not too long ago to bring Lars back safe and sound.

Once they had departed, Leon thrust a paw into the air.

“Aww yeah! Assault is back in action!”

This time, David didn’t oppose his eldest son’s enthusiasm.

Jacob strode out of the conference room, glowering in the distance and his lips set into an unreadable line. “You all best get ready.” His eyes switched briefly towards Nate. “Set a course for India. The Gene Stealers know that we have the Cornucopia now but the rest of the world doesn’t so we’ll still need to be discrete. Samson…” He turned towards the head werewolf. “… can I rely on you to arrange transportation to our destination?”

“So long as it isn’t attacked again by automated defences,” grunted the alpha werewolf.

“No promises.”

******

There was little time to say their goodbyes. Caleb knew the moment he stepped onto the Cornucopia, he was going to be travelling across the world to save his boyfriend and the rest of his team. He just couldn’t believe that it was happening so soon. He parked himself in the room he had been allocated and sat down in front of the small console, drumming his fingers against the metal desk as he wondered what he would tell the rest of his friends and family. No doubt David, Leon and Lance were already calling the rest of the Hales so they wouldn’t be available just yet. Everyone else was probably worried sick especially after what happened at his mom’s campaign rally.

There was at least one person that deserved an explanation right away.

Using the instructions provided to him on a personal tablet by Jacob, he dialled the number using the holographic keyboard provided. There was a moment of tense ringing then the tell-tale sound of someone picking up.

“Hello?”

“Hey Ash,” Caleb offered lamely. “Are you free to talk?”

“Caleb! Wolf Christ, mate, I was getting worried. Hang on, let me pull up my video.”

There was a bit of shuffling on the other end then the screen in front of him winked alive with the image of Ashton. The tiger with the tattooed stripes was his usual cheery self, smiling pleasantly like a gentleman against a backdrop of his room. Caleb realised he had never actually seen Ashton’s room before and marvelled at the books and posters from various shows - both on and off Broadway - on the walls. There were dozens of movie posters accompanying them as well - all with male actors in the lead.

“You’ve probably heard about what happened, huh?” Caleb prompted.

“How could I not? It’s all over the news.” Ashton’s features twisted into worry. “Are you alright?”

He sighed and ran a paw down his face. In all the sensation that occurred, no one had asked him how he was doing. It was a relief that Ashton at least had that courtesy. “I’ve been better. Not every day your boyfriend gets kidnapped by the Gene Stealers for their experiments… I can’t imagine what Lars is going through right now and I honestly don’t want to think about it.”

“But you’re doing something about it.” That was a statement, not a question. “I know you’ll save him, Mary and the others. I know it.”

“Thanks Ash. I appreciate the vote of confidence. How are you holding up?”

Ashton gave him a theatric shrug. “As well as one can expect. When the Gimp stole their blood, I had hoped that would be the end of it but given how your powers revolve around you obtaining some permanent source of the corruptive influence from the Original, I figured they would need something similar.”

“Really?”

“It’s just something that struck me as odd when the Gimp first attacked. He took their blood but then let them go. Kind of the MO of the Gene Stealers. They do their nasty deeds and then flee. This time, though, instead of giving people something, infecting them, they took something away. It doesn’t make sense to just take a sample and then leave. It wasn’t even that much blood.” Ashton shook his head, briefly showing the weariness behind his smile. “No, I think what they really wanted was to see if our friends had progressed enough to be captured.”

That was pretty insightful. The overarching question of what the Gimp wanted with Lars and the other’s blood had remained unanswered… at least until now. If they had indeed wanted to capture the team, they would have done so but instead, they had let them go. Perhaps as a measure for them to ‘mature’ a little more in case they weren’t ready at the time.

“So you thought they’d eventually get captured? Why didn’t you tell us?”

Ashton offered him a helpless shrug. “Mate, I’m just an cat! Half the time, I don’t know what’s going on. Mary likes to keep me oblivious to the inner workings of Arsenal to ‘keep me innocent’. Make sure I’m not a target and what not. Though I honestly believe that the Gene Stealers aren’t the kind to go after your loved ones to get to you.”

“Really?” Caleb offered sarcastically. “You’re honestly giving them way too much credit.”

“No. Listen, Caleb. The Gimp and his goons had all the opportunity to go after you or the others’ family members. He had Jacob on the back foot and had all the advantage. They know who you are and yet they didn’t attack them. Hell, when you think about it, they know who your entire family is and could easily have gone after Abby or Arthur to get to you. But they didn’t. They knew who they were targeting and only hit out on those people. No family members, no collateral damage apart from those on the streets.”

Caleb frowned and growled a little. “So you’re calling them noble villains or something?”

“I’m saying that they’re acting with a purpose. They know what they want and I think it’s time we stopped considering them as being evil for the sake of evil but as intelligent, thinking megalomaniacs with a goal in mind. It’s not chaos they’re after.”

He rested his cheek on a paw and let out a sigh. “Don’t suppose you have any insights on their ultimate goal, do you?”

Ashton playfully glanced up at the ceiling and tapped his chin. “Well, from what I remember you guys discussing, you theorised they were after evolution or something. I don’t think it’s that simple. I mean, what’s the purpose of evolving everyone? If we’re talking about some evil organisation, why are they trying to make everyone just as powerful as them? If you think about it, technically_, almost everyone in_ Arsenal is now much more powerful than the original five Gene Stealers. Why would they be purposefully making our side stronger?”

The question echoed over and over again in Caleb’s mind and he was reminded of all the training sessions he had with his dad even before he developed powers or actively ran around as Weapons Master. David had always been strong, courageous and this idol in his eyes when he had been younger. As the ‘runt’ of the litter and the geeky brother, he had always looked up to his big, brawny father who never bullied him like Leon and Lance did or ignored him like Abby. He had aspired to be like his dad in every way and often, David would try and train him harshly to achieve that goal until. Fond memories of trying to bypass David as they played with the football in the backyard filled his mind. David would throw him the ball, executing a perfect spiral, he would catch it and then try to zoom past his dad. Even when he had bulked up, he often found it hard to slip past his dad. Until one day he had actually managed to achieve it. The pride on his dad’s face was enough to warm his battered and bruised body. Even more so when David had suggested he try out for the position of a receiver in the football team.

“You think… You think they’ve been training us?”

The tiger on the screen gave him another helpless shrug. “You honestly know them better than I do, Caleb. But I always thought they were trying to develop their serum and I was of the opinion they were using our friends and family like lambs to the slaughter. I thought they were breeding us so that we could be ground up into a paste. When you think about it, they’ve pretty much got a very good sample size from those that they captured.” He began counting off the victims with his fingers. “An Outsiders, a goddess, a super, a former Gene Stealer, a werewolf and a clone. If they had gotten Jake, they would’ve covered almost every kind of person there is in the world.”

It was a valid theory but something told him the Gene Stealers wouldn’t be so crass as to capture someone just to reduce them into a goo to be processed. They were far more sinister than that. “Maybe…” He gave Ashton a small smile. “Thanks, Ash. I just wanted to call in and check to make sure you’re doing okay.”

Ashton smiled brightly at him. “You know me, Caleb! I’m the housewife. I’ll be waiting here for you all to get back and cheering you on while you’re out there fighting the good fight.”

The pain behind Ashton’s words was even greater than him losing Lars. He knew that danger chased them all the time since they were out there fighting villains. But he never really paid attention to how much pain he could be causing to people like Ashton who never fought beside him and were forced to wait for them to return - if they ever returned at all.

“Alright. I’ll bring them home safe. I promise.”

“I know you will. Good luck.”

It was clear that Ashton didn’t want to hang up even though there was nothing left to say. An awkward five seconds passed before Caleb finally broke eye contact. He gave the tiger one last wave before hanging up.

“That was rough,” he muttered, blowing out his cheeks. “I don’t think I can deal with anything that heavy just yet.”

He dialled the next number and was glad when Hank picked up immediately.

“Weapons Master? Hello?”

“Hey Hank,” Caleb replied. “Can you talk?”

“Sort of. I just got out of the police station. They were interviewing a lot of people about what went down. Hang on. Give me a second to get to my car.”

A minute passed marked with loud shuffling and a click. Hank’s image appeared on screen but from an angle like the phone was tilted upwards to the right of the vulpine’s features. Hank had his paws on the steering wheel.

“Is that safe?” Caleb asked.

“Maybe but probably safer than being chased around by rampaging rhinos and another Gene Stealer strain. I mean seriously, what is this shit!? First we had Tibia’s elephant strain and now the Gimp’s rhino strain? What’s going on?”

“Honestly, I was expecting another elephant like you.” He ran his fingers through his hair and slouched forward, supporting his head with his paw. “The Gene Stealers spent the past few months sticking to a single species and now this… They’re not playing by the rules anymore, Hank.”

“They’re villains. I really don’t expect them to play by the rules but I get your point.” Hank glanced over to him briefly. Judging by the faint colours int he background and reflections on his window, he was at a red light. “How are you holding up?”

“Okay all things considered. We’re assembling Assault again and are off to India. Apparently, there’s a Gene Stealer base there. Another one in Toronto but the Elemental Alliance are heading there instead of us. Apparently, it’ll be easier for them to work within the law.”

“That makes sense. Ever since Canada became another part of the US, supers from other states are more than capable of visiting and working within their borders. All they’d probably have to do is contact the local superhero team and then they can go nuts. Going to India would be way more complicated.”

The light switched to green and Hank began driving again.

“What’s the fallout there since I left?” he asked. It had taken some time to make sure his mother and Hank were secure since he had been running on foot. Once he was sure, however, the battle had already been over. Felix and the other elephants had intercepted him before he got to the battlefield where they had swiftly taken him to a local AEGIS safe house. The agonising wait before AEGIS agents could take them onto the Cornucopia had left him mostly blind save for what little he could glean from news reports and local gossip.

“Not good,” Hank responded. “The Alliance did a good job hiding the fact that supers couldn’t be infected by the Gene Stealers but after the footage of Tibia’s assault got out and this thing where Flare Blue and Blood Wolf were taken, people are already starting to fear for their lives. Of course others just think that because Arsenal has been foiling them for so long, they’re just out for revenge. Either way, people are scared. Washington is preying on that.”

“Are we talking ‘Washington’ as in the political heart of our country or ‘General Vernon Washington’?”

“The latter,” Hank chuckled. “After your mom’s display, he’s clearly rattled because he’s taken to the airwaves and startled rattling off anti-super rhetoric. He’s saying that the Gene Stealers could potentially target anyone and that anyone with any sort of power could be a danger to themselves and the ones they love if they hide their abilities. He wants everyone to register themselves and then make those records public giving the reason that if you do get infected, authorities will have an idea of how to counter you.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“It is but people are buying it. This was the first time a Gene Stealer hit and transformed over a hundred people. Before, it had always been isolated pockets. Maybe a few dozen at most but this…” Hank shook his head. “It’s got everyone scared. Talk show hosts, news anchors and social media are likening it to a biological weapon attack.”

“That can’t be good for my mom’s campaign.”

Hank lifted a finger, giving a soft wince. “Actually, you’d be surprised. As much as I hate to suggest it, we could actually spin it in such a way that people who become victims of the Gene Stealers aren’t automatically evil. We could still push your mom’s message of acceptance. It won’t necessarily solve the idea of stopping the Gene Stealers but it will allay people’s fears of being turned because it’s not automatically the end of their lives as we know it. If we can just push that message first and look like the diplomat, trying to find a compromise, then we’d come out the bigger side and could win points.”

Caleb laughed softly. “Wow, you don’t switch off, do you?”

“News, like money, doesn’t sleep. I was going to drive over to your house and ask your mom about it.”

“Knowing Samson, he probably would’ve evacuated my mom and Abby to their house. Rest for the night, Hank. Think about how we can counter Washington and keep people from turning on us. I’ll be able to talk to Samson into letting you in by then.”

“Right. Sounds like a plan. Though just one thing…”

“What?”

“No matter what you read online, don’t start replying and starting a flame war against GG Guinness.”

Caleb rolled his eyes. “I’ve learned my lesson, Hank. Besides, there’s more important things than dealing with that windbag.”

Hank winced. “Yeah… but GG is now openly agreeing with Washington and is becoming his on-air supporter. Very vocally too.”

He growled, paws tightening into fists. “I see. I bet he’s trashing Jake too because he lost.”

“Yep. Preying on Reaper’s perceived loss. Questioning his sanity over chopping off his own paws and then his ability to help people if he couldn’t even save his own team.”

“That son-of-a…” Caleb squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to take a deep breath. “Alright. I’ll deal with that when I get back. Right now, I’ve got a mission to deal with. Thanks, Hank.”

“Any time. See you when you get back.”

With a click, the call dropped.

Caleb forced his heart to calm, unwilling to become enraged at the thought of GG Guinness talking ill of his best friend who had his powers stolen and then experience the pain of shattering his own paws so he could escape. In many ways, it made him appreciate Jacob all the more. He sat back in his chair and took a good five minutes to force himself to calm. Either Abby or his mother would be next and he did not want to call them while he was raging quietly inside.

Once he was sufficiently calm, he dialled his mother’s phone.

She answered on the second ring, complete with a video call.

“Caleb! Honey! Are you alright?”

“Yeah, mom,” he said, sighing in relief knowing that she was safe as well. “I’m just here with dad and the others. Where are you?”

He really didn’t need to ask. The lavished furnishings were a dead giveaway.

“I’m at the Connors’. They already had a group waiting for me by the time I got back home. Abby and Arthur were already here.”

Arthur. He had completely forgotten about Abby’s lutrine fiance. The mousy otter likely was having a heart attack just thinking about all the problems the Hales were going through. Most of them could be traced somehow to Caleb. After all, if Caleb hadn’t convinced Hank to join their team, then he wouldn’t have concocted the PR stunt that the Gimp attacked. If he hadn’t gone on to become Weapons Master, the Hales probably wouldn’t even be directly targeted by the Gene Stealers.

“I’m really sorry about this, mom,” he mourned. “If it weren’t for me…”

“No, Caleb,” Lillian Hale said fiercely. “I am not going to let you blame yourself for this. You are not responsible for anyone else’s actions.”

“But -”

She lifted her paw. “Let me finish.” She lowered that paw and gave him a warm smile. “Do you know how many times I’ve nearly died because of your father?” Caleb could only shrug in response. “That’s exactly the answer. I don’t know. It’s happened so many times that I’ve lost count. And just like you now, there have been times when your father has fallen into despair and doubted himself because of the danger I’m in. But the truth is, neither of you are to blame for what other people do. You can’t blame yourself because of the way they decided to act. It’s not your fault that the Gimp attacked my rally. It’s not your fault that I agreed to the rally. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t just stay there and do nothing about it either. You have the right to act just as much as they do.”

It sounded like she was giving him another rally speech and the sad part was, it was working. “Thanks mom. I just wish there was something more I could’ve done.”

“Caleb, honey, you saved my life. You saved Hank’s life as well. Don’t think just because you got off without a scratch that you’re any less of a hero than, say, Jacob who sliced off his own paws.” She visibly cringed. “You know they’re cycling that through the internet now? They censored it on the news but the leaked videos are all over the place. I can’t believe anyone would do that to themselves. I know he can’t feel pain…”

“Mom, they disabled his powers. They had anti-super fields geared towards him and the rest of the team. It’s how they were captured. Problem is, I think they were expecting Jake to use Sturmspalter again. Lure him into a false-sense of security. Make him think that even if he was using that lightning spear and they were insulated with rubber, he could win. I think if Jake had used Sturmspalter, he would never have been able to cut off his own paws like that.”

“No sane person would willingly do that to themselves.” Lillian’s featured turned to one of pity. “Please, Caleb. Take care of Jacob.”

He was surprised by the request. “Mom? What do you mean? This is Jake-fucking-Reaper. He’s way more powerful than I am.”

“It’s not about power.” Lillian lowered her gaze. “I trust him completely. You know that, right?” He only nodded in response. “But I think there’s something weighing down on his soul. Something that…” She glanced off to her right, ears perked. Then she turned back towards him. “Martha Connors told me about the prophecy she made for you. That one about you experiencing heartbreak, then betrayal and then someone close to you would die.”

After so long, he had forgotten about that prophecy but ever since Jacob entered the fray, he had dismissed it as something that was no longer valid. After all, Jake stood outside of time and space and clearly disrupted even the plans of the gods. How could a simple prophecy from an admittedly powerful shamanistic werewolf hold true?

“Mom, you know prophecies only come true if we make some really random connections…”

“I know but it’s the look that Martha had when she told me that prophecy. It was like someone had her heart in a vice and slowly bleeding her dry. The only way to relieve that agony was to tell someone. I see that same look on Jacob’s face whenever he thinks we’re not looking. He hides it well and his heart is far harder than poor Martha’s but I think that’s because of the differences in their approach and what their foresight brings.”

Caleb inclined his head to the side curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Martha has resigned herself to her predictions. She is determined not to change them and she knows that it will bring pain. So much so that she’s weeping internally and trying to be strong. Jacob, however, firmly believes that he can change fate or at least take control of any prophecy himself. He might be trying to turn a prediction to his favour. I don’t know. But he knows something and he’s keeping it from us either to keep us safe or because to do so would alter his plans.” She again lifted her paws. “Now I know that he wants to save us but… when I look at things from a different perspective…” She pursed her lips and lowered her paws. “… when I take into consideration Martha’s prediction and then all the kindness that Jacob has shown… it almost seems like… like…”

Caleb slowly rose from his feet. “Mom? What is it? What do you think Jake is doing?”

Her eyes met his, mournfully. “It’s like he’s making us comfortable and happy before… before one of us dies.”

Those words froze him in place. “No… He… He wouldn’t… would he?”

Lillian Hale shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know, Caleb. Not just anyone would go to the lengths of what he’s done for us just out of the kindness of his heart. Well… he might_. I’m not sure. But when I take it into context, putting it together with his very nature and Martha’s prophecy… I can’t shake the feeling that he just wants us to be happy before something_ bad happens.”

Caleb shook his head, refusing to accept the theory. “Mom, that’s crazy. Jake is trying to fight to save this world. He won’t let any of us die.”

“But what if he’s the one that’s going to die.”

That caused a dagger of pain to shoot through his heart, sending him back reeling into his seat. “What?”

“It’s just a theory, Caleb. But given Jacob’s nature and ability to stand outside of the bonds of reality, what if he is purposefully preparing himself to take the bullet for whomever is meant to die? Think about it. Martha says someone close to you is meant to perish. What if he is purposefully getting close to you so that fate, in all its infinite wisdom, will instead target him? Him who is technically disposable.”

Caleb shot to his feet, slamming his paws against the table. “That’s bullshit! He’s not disposable! If he dies, sure his soul will just go off to wherever he lives and he gets to keep going but we will have lost him! That’s not ‘disposable’!”

Lillian lowered her gaze, remaining silent.

“Mom, I’m glad you’re safe but I don’t want to be thinking about this before a big mission. Don’t worry about us and stay safe. We’ll be back soon.”

He hung up, slumping into his chair and placing a paw over his eyes. As much as he hated to deny it, his mom had a point. Jacob was exactly the type of person who would willingly sacrifice himself just to take the place of whomever was meant to die under Martha Connors’ prophecy. In the past few weeks, he had seen his best friend lose multiple limbs to save others. Was that a hint to his ultimate fate? Would he continue to lose limbs over and over again until he finally lost his life.

“I’m going to have to ask him outright,” he mumbled to himself.

But first, he needed to make at least two more calls.

He dialled Abby’s number.

It rang a good five times before anyone picked up and it wasn’t his sister. A bespectacled otter, brown hair frazzled and his large, round glasses askew, blinked a couple of times at the screen.

“Caleb? Did you get a new phone?”

Arthur likely wasn’t caught up in everything that was happening with Arsenal and Assault. As much as he loved Abby, Caleb knew his sister wanted to do as little as possible with the superhero-business. The harsh reality was that she couldn’t completely avoid it and neither could Arthur. It would be naive of them both to believe that they could remain immune to the powerful gravity of being related to a super.

“I’m… uh… I’m calling from a carrier-class starship that AEGIS has. It’s called the Cornucopia.”

He mentally slapped himself for that last statement. It sounded so lame and forced.

“Wow. Abby told me how Legion had a secret organisation. Speaking from a lawyer’s perspective, that’s probably going to get him a lot of hot water. But then again, from what I hear, it’s not like this world really has any consequence for him.”

There it was again. That accusation that Jacob was a cold-hearted wanderer that didn’t care for the world that he inhabited.

“I don’t think he’s like that,” he said firmly. “Jake cares for us. Maybe he doesn’t have the weight of death on his shoulders but I’m pretty sure he’s concerned about our lives.”

“You know him better than I so I’ll defer to your judgement on that.” Arthur let out long sigh. “I know it isn’t my place to ask you this but please, please make it home safe. It’s selfish of me but I want you and the rest of the family there at the wedding.”

There was that weight again and he could feel it dragging down others around him. No matter his mother’s words, he still felt like he was pulling everyone into the pit of his troubles. “Don’t worry, Arthur. We’ll make it back. I’ll make sure we do.” He decided to brighten the mood by changing the subject a little. “Have you decided on a date?”

“Valentine’s Day.”

Caleb blinked. That was just barely three weeks away. “Holy shit! Really?”

“It seemed fitting,” Arthur answered with a snicker. “Fifteen days from now, Abby and I will be married. We don’t have to worry about guests or booking a venue either because we’re going to Gwen’s home world.” The otter shook his head in disbelief. “I still can’t believe that our ceremony is going to be officiated by a goddess…”

“Don’t call her that. No Ones don’t like being referred to as gods.” He tiled his head slightly to side, a smile on his muzzle. “Nervous?”

“Just a little. We’ve had to adjust our honeymoon plans. I think we both just need to get out of West California Island for a little bit. Somewhere nice. Abby has always wanted to visit Hong Kong.”

“Go for it,” Caleb said with a bright smile. “You only get married once.”

“Legally speaking, that’s not true.”

His smile obtained a threatening edge. “I’m not talking about the law, Arty.” He leaned forward, eyes flashing dangerously. “If you hurt her, Arthur, you bet your ass I’m coming after you.”

The otter let out a cute little squeak and reeled back. “Oh… Uh… Okay.”

“And don’t forget! She’s my dad’s princess and he’s not only a super but also a werewolf with ties to the Elemental Alliance and Alpha Pack! Leon is in the police force and Lance is a super himself. Mom is going to be mayor too. You can’t hide behind the law especially when this marriage is being sanctified by someone who stands outside space and time. Don’t you think it’ll really piss off the Liaison of Life if you break up with my sister after she married the two of you?”

Arthur’s whiskers twitched and he looked flushed. “Uh… point taken. So… I guess I should tell you that I plan to move to Australia after we get back from the honeymoon.”

Caleb’s malicious grin dropped along with his jaw. “Wait… What!?”

“I’m taking Abby with me!” protested the otter. Then he ducked his head, glancing around to make sure no one could hear him. “I know I’m only halfway through my law degree but I’ve got a job offer from this really famous firm down there.”

“Which one?”

“It’s Ryan Industries.”

Even Caleb had heard about Ryan Industries not only because of their fame but also because it was the very same firm that was named after his dad’s former boyfriend, Ryan, who had sacrificed himself to prevent a catastrophic nuclear meltdown off the coast of Brisbane. The firm formed as a tribute to the selfless Outsider and was devoted to helping Outsiders fit in. Their efforts pursuing Outsider interests was pivotal in Australia’s inclusive nature towards what some people would consider the ‘underpowered’. It was also the reason why, at least in Australia, those with powers and abilities were able to walk around freely and use their powers freely without fear of retribution or the need to hide themselves from the world. Ryan Industries had recently started spreading its influence across the world but nations like the US and the UK were opposed to their philosophy. That didn’t stop them from representing people that were being attacked simply because of the way they were born.

“Seems too good to be true,” Caleb said suspiciously.

Arthur grimaced. “I’ll admit that it’s because I may have mentioned that I’m somewhat related to supers and Outsiders. I didn’t say anything about you but there was this flier on campus and I thought, why not? The likelihood of them actually paying for me to travel over there was slim anyway. Then they offered me the job and then I told them that I’m probably going to get married soon and they told me to bring Abby along! There’s just no deterring these guys!”

The suspicious part of Caleb warned him that Ryan Industries was after something else but he didn’t know them well enough to form any solid opinion. “Your grades are pretty good, if I remember correctly.”

“Top of my class. Abby is just one step behind me. When I said that she was who I was marrying, they insisted on bringing us both over. Thing is…”

“You haven’t told my sister yet, have you?”

Arthur shook his head grimly.

The overly protective part of him wanted to get off the Cornucopia, grab Arthur by his tail and make him confess everything to Abby. If that didn’t deter either of them, he would just mention Australia to his dad and he was fairly sure David would be opposed to his princess going off to the very place where the man he loved died. He doubted Lillian was ready to deal with ‘empty nest syndrome’ as well and would fight fang and claw to keep Abby at least in the same continent. But there was a part of him that also recognised that the farther the soon-to-be-married couple were from the chaos of the Gene Stealers, the better. Sure, Chimera’s operations seemed to be expanding on a global scale but the epicentre still seemed to be himself and Arsenal. If his family was halfway across the world, then they had a chance to escape the black hole that had Caleb as its singularity before it was too late.

“Just do what you think is best for you,” he insisted. “I can’t say I’m really that stoked to see you go but you gotta speak to Abby about this first before you accept the job.”

Arthur’s lips twisted in a strange way.

Caleb groaned. “You already accepted, didn’t you?”

He got a small nod in response.

“Jesus Wolf Christ…” he sighed. “My life may be filled with superheroes and villains but you’re living out a fucking sitcom, Arty!” He lifted a paw and let it out his held breath slowly. “Suck it up, grow a pair and tell Abby what your plans are. I’m sure she’ll understand and may even want to come along. I don’t really see much holding her down here apart from us and we can always go visit. Just don’t leave this for too long or you’ll regret it.”

Arthur gave him a faint smile. “I know that… just… With everything that’s happening, I don’t want to put more stress on her shoulders.”

“Who knows? This might actually relieve some stress. If Ryan Industries wants her as well, then she’ll have a steady job waiting for her. She can continue her studies while she works. It’s not the end of the world either way.” He jabbed a finger at the hologram. “And don’t you dare suggest long distance.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” The otter let out a sigh and seemed a little more relaxed. “Thanks Caleb. I appreciate the pep talk. I’ll let Abby know you called.”

“Where is she, by the way?”

“Still talking to your dad. Your father called the Connors first and Abby interrupted.”

He rolled his eyes. “Makes sense, I guess.”

“See you when you get back, Caleb. Stay safe.”

“You too, Arty. You too.”

He hung up and let his shoulders droop.

“Fuck… now I know how Mary feels. How does Jake do this shit on an interdimensional level?”

******

Back in the 21st Century, India was a vibrant and varied country with many faces. On one side were wondrous glories such as the Taj Mahal, huge technological cities and iconic cultural events such as Holi or the Festival of Colours. Then there was the other side that most westerners saw as a stereotype; the cow-filled, crowded streets, slums and corpses floating down rivers. The idea of a telemarketer or support centre helper speaking with an Indian accent was so embedded in those stereotypes that it became part of the identity of the subcontinent.

The Apocalypse changed all that.

When the furs arrived and civilisation was given a second chance, the remnants of the Indian government was tasked with the monumental task of cleaning up their devastated country. Other nations had a similar task, of course, but they had to deal not only with the debris and corpses that came from the Apocalypse but also from anything accumulated before that. The corpses of zombies and those lost in the wars could not wait while the harsh summers and winters stopped work for whatever reason. People were exposed to the weather and food was scarce as it was with trade lines and communications severed as other countries had their own problems to deal with. So the government’s first priority was to make India completely self-sufficient.

That was where their pursuit of terraforming technology paid off.

In the span of a decade, the Indian government developed the very same technology that created the weather rings around West California Island and produced snow during the winter. Such technology allowed them to produce crops year round without having to worry about storms or cold. Seasons no longer forced crops to wait months before spring to sprout, grow and then harvest before the next winter; it could all be done in a single week. Polluted rivers and toxic soil from the war were sterilised, cleaned and made fertile again. Air permeating with fog and the smell of rotting corpses were made as pure and clean as the air around the Himalayas. Suddenly, India became the cleanest and most vibrant country in the world - and also one of the richest. Their expertise in terraforming technology made them the foremost authority in the technology. That stereotype of finding an Indian support technician at the end of the phone no longer caused eye rolls but sighs of relief because only then did you know you were talking with a true expert.

As Caleb passed through the portal into the busy Portal Port, Caleb was stunned as just how mild the weather was and at all the foliage around him. Unlike in the United States, the portals were placed outside in the fresh air. There was a distinct absence of towering skyscrapers and metal buildings that blocked out the sun. Various portal agencies had their desks and waiting areas set out in the open like someone had taken a normal airport and removed all the walls and ceilings and replaced them with sprawling, green lawns, pleasant trees and the huge, looming weather control rings that encompassed the entire area. What few truly man-made structures present were coloured a distinct white and kept pristine and clean. Though the sun blared down from above them, it wasn’t blinding and there was a cooling breeze that kept him from overheating.

“This place is beautiful!” he exclaimed.

“Typical architecture and design for the country,” Samson said with a shrug. “You won’t find a more diverse collection of styles and tastes than in the Asian continent. Europe is close but compared to the highly westernised Japan and Korea, the traditionalist China, the more ‘primal’ Philippines or highly technological Singapore, it doesn’t hold a candle.”

So many countries and cultures and Caleb barely knew a fraction of it all. His entire life had been spent on the same artificial island with only short trysts into states in the same country. To be immersed in the heart of a completely different culture made him realise just how small he was compared to the rest of the world… and his team. His dad stepped through the Portal a second later and he remembered how his father had once worked on a cruise ship, travelling the world before working and living in Australia. Elliot probably was more knowledgeable than he was even if he never experienced the other countries first hand. Even Leon and Lance had gone on cultural exchange programs while they were in high school to the United Kingdom and France. Then of course, there was the person that dwarfed all of their experience. Jacob Reaper stepped out from the shimmering portal, appearing cheerier than he did during the meeting. The wolf that not only traversed different countries, experienced vibrant cultures but also other planets, other worlds, other dimensions!

And here Caleb stood, a pup amongst these far experienced titans.

But that was changing. He had now been to two different countries in the span of a month. Some cynical part of him lightly joked that he wanted the Gene Stealers to keep attacking so he could hunt them down into their international bases just so he could spend maybe a day or two afterwards eating food and maybe even hitting a local club or two. Of course, that was wishful thinking. The mission came first.

He puffed out his chest and was amazed at the vast open layout of the Portal Port. Hovering low-ground transports zipped quietly away from where people were walking; carrying luggage and other supplies from one place to the other. There was a distinct lack of rubber wheels which the United States still relied on for the majority of their transport needs. High above their head, the huge horizontal rings of the weather manipulators hovered, keeping the temperature a nice, mild warmth. Large, colourful tapestries marked with intricate golden swirls and stylised animals hung in the air like billowing, liquids of the spectrum. The people - whether they be locals or visitors - were dressed in colourful clothing that was a stark contrast to the white structures and roads.

“This way,” Samson instructed, waving for the group to follow. “I’ve arranged for transport to our destination.”

David growled in irritation at the werewolf taking the lead. “Not another truck, is it?”

“Can’t do much else given we need to find some place to store Elliot’s power armour.”

“I was actually thinking about that,” Elliot said, waddling up to Jacob. “Have you given thought to possibly having an orbital delivery system?”

The black-furred wolf gave Elliot a deadpan stare. “You mean drop your power armour from space?”

The orca nodded at him enthusiastically. “Yeah! It would be more efficient and much quicker, don’t you think?”

“Barring the fact that we’d have to figure out how to get the thing into space in the first place, AEGIS is trying to keep a low profile, remember? If we start bombing places with suits of armour, people are going to start asking questions. Besides, I was in a reality once where Amazon decided the next step from their drone delivery was orbital drops and…” Jacob shuddered. “… Let’s just say that Black Friday became a hundred times deadlier when you’ve got home entertainment systems were 75% off.”

As before, Samson had used his connections to secure a large truck for their travels. To better blend in, the truck was built without wheels and equipped with anti-gravity pods to allow of seamless hovering. Elliot began listing off all he knew about the anti-gravity technology from how it used the Earth’s magnetic field to keep itself gyroscopically stable so that it maintained a set height regardless of the terrain but that also made it more difficult for some drivers as they had to pilot on not only the X and Y axis but on the Z as well. Caleb mostly tuned it out as he entered the trailer of the truck. Unlike the previous truck, this one was fully equipped with monitoring equipment and consoles that made the quarters rather cramped. Elliot’s power armour sat at the far end, as usual, while Samson took the wheel.

“What’s with all the equipment?” Leon asked as he picked up a pair of headphones. “Looks like we’re about to go on a stakeout or something.”

“I’d rather not get blindsided by another rocket from our enemies,” Samson said through the small window to the driver’s cab. “All this equipment should give us enough time to detect any oncoming attacks and counter.”

Assault took up their positions with Lance sitting up in the cab with Samson given his size made it difficult to squeeze anywhere else in the trailer. Elliot immediately went to his ‘baby’ and began caressing it, eager to jump inside. David sat as far away from Leon as possible while Caleb and Jacob sat between them. There was a brief bout of vertigo as the hovertruck lifted off the ground and stabilised itself before shooting off towards the Himalayas.

“What can you tell us about the base, Reaper?” David grunted. “Is it going to be another run through plagued lands or are we in for something different.”

“Something different,” Jacob answered with a faint smile. “Back in the 21st Century, India was suspected to have over 1000 nuclear weapons at its disposal. When nuclear war the during the Apocalypse, India used quite a few of its arsenal but not all. Similarly, some bases were left untouched predominantly because they were left undetected. This is particularly true with the base that we’re going to now, codenamed ‘Grinning Buddha’.”

An exasperated growl came from Leon. “That’s ominous. Why was it left undetected?”

“Because it’s placed within the Himalayas, conventional radar at the time and even satellite imagery couldn’t pick it up. It was a double-edged sword. It was hard for people to hit it given the Himalayas’ tendency for extreme weather and the sheer size of the mountain range itself and people couldn’t reliably get to the bunker to launch any missiles if it came to it. In the end, Grinning Buddha was left as a sort of refugee bunker. If nuclear war came, refugees could make their way to the bunker and defend themselves with their nuclear arsenal if any other country threatened them while they were repairing. Problem was…”

“No one could get to it,” Caleb concluded. “So it sat abandoned.”

“And forgotten,” Jacob said with a nod. “Even after civilisation recovered, records of Grinning Buddha were never recovered and it became a sort of myth; some pre-Apocalypse nuclear missile bunker that was supposedly still haunted by ghouls of the past.”

“Any chance those ‘ghouls’ were really Gene Stealers just keeping people from getting to their base?”

“Possibly,” Reaper answered with a shrug. “Honestly, we wouldn’t have found its location were it not for the data recovered from Tibia’s base. By my estimate, it’ll still take us about a day to get there given the treacherous path. Assuming we don’t get hit along the way, that is.”

“Are the nukes still active?” asked David. “Security systems?”

Jacob gave him a deadpan stare. “According to official records, Grinning Buddha doesn’t exist and there were never any nukes there. The Indian government claim that if it did exist, the missiles were decommissioned a long time ago to make room for Buddha’s role as a shelter.”

“Typical. They avoid scrutiny by dismissing it as a myth and feign innocence so just in case someone does find the long-lost abandoned nuclear missile silo, they can pretend that they weren’t aware.” David shook his head. “Fuck…”

Based on what he learned in history and civics class, Caleb knew the world had a huge aversion to nuclear weaponry of any kind. After the Apocalypse and the nuclear war that it brought about, countries resorted to other kinds of weapons for defence and deterrence. The United States had the ‘Meteor Program’ which involved a huge network of satellites that were capable of launching precision lasers down on their targets. Russia used Cryobombs which - similar to the old nuclear bombs - would be dropped from planes but instead of exploding in a huge fireball of destruction, would release a huge blast of freezing ice. There was always a debate amongst politicians about Russia fitting their Cryobombs into cruise missiles and whether or not such a missile could be intercepted by a Meteor satellite fast enough.

Far to the south, Australia had no ‘superweapon’ per se but relied on their huge Outsider and super population for their defence. Apparently, everyone down there was so accepting of those with powers that they also depended on them for their defence. If anyone were to ever attack the island continent, they would have to face millions of supers and Outsiders, all trained with military tactics and all loyal to the country.

Nuclear power was still used, though. Just not nuclear weaponry.

India probably had their own superweapon in the form of something that could rapidly terraform the land or maybe even manipulate the weather.

“That just means we’ll have to be extra careful,” Leon said. “If that missile is still active, the Gimp is probably going to use it to his advantage. Maybe just like how Tibia threatened to explode his damn portal, the Gimp might launch the missile at someone. Could spark a whole new international incident.”

“The Gimp is a master of pain,” agreed Jacob. “He knows what’ll make us squirm and I’m willing to wager that he’s more than willing to spark a new nuclear war and expose AEGIS at the same time to hurt us.”

“So how do we counter that?”

Reaper lifted his paw in front of him and whispered, “Mugen Kosetsu.”

Particles of snow gathered around his paw, swirling into a vaguely cylindrical fashion. Caleb’s breath condensed in front of him and a chill ran down his spine as Jacob summoned his thin, icy katana once more. Only this time, the blade had a sheath. It was a beautiful scabbard; icy blue with thin, wispy, white lines forming the emblem of a roaring lion in profile with a blizzard billowing out from its open jaws.

“Something you should know about Kosetsu,” said the black-furred wolf. “I was purposefully holding back when I first fought the Gimp because it’s true ability could very well bring about a new Ice Age.” He seized the grip of the blade and pulled it from the scabbard, just an inch. Suddenly, there was a tremendous blizzard that blasted from the small part of the snow-white blade that was exposed. The howling gale was enough to knock Caleb back against the delicate instruments surrounding them and already start piling snow onto his chest. His body temperature abruptly dropped and he could actually feel his eyeballs starting to freeze. Thankfully, it was brief and one second later, the blizzard ended.

“What the fuck!?” Lance exclaimed, all four of his arms wrapped around his body for protection. Even from the cabin out front, he had felt the chilling touch of the blizzard. “What was that!?”

“Mugen Kosetsu,” Jacob answered grimly, unaffected by the icy blade. “Without its sheath, the blade can be easily controlled and its techniques deployed with precision. However, when it is sheathed, it constantly stockpiles power within its scabbard. The moment I draw it, it will unleash all that power in one devastating blow.” His eyes snapped up to Lance, freezing the four-armed wolf where he stood. “What you experienced was Mugen Kosetsu sitting in its scabbard for one second.”

Leon was suddenly on his feet. “You’re going to keep that thing in its blade for a whole fucking day!?”

Caleb couldn’t do the math but if Mugen Kosetsu could unleash a mini-blizzard for being in its scabbard for one second, he couldn’t imagine the power it could unleash the instant Jacob drew it after a whole day of being sheathed.

“That’s the plan,” Reaper answered. “If the Gimp tries to launch a nuclear missile, I can create a whole glacier from drawing my weapon. It should be enough to stop the missile and disable its firing mechanism so that it won’t blow up.” Then he beamed brightly. “Even better, I might actually restore some of the ice around the mountains! Climate change and all!”

“That’s not funny! That kind of power is really dangerous!”

“You are dealing with Creator-level weapons here,” Jacob answered with a shrug. “With everything going as fast as it did, I didn’t really come up with a solid plan to counter any and all of the Gimp’s possible plans. I’m just making do with what I have right now. Worst case, the Cornucopia could intercept the missile. Absolute worst case, we beg the Alliance to pull some strings and try and hide the missile launch. Maybe make it off as some sort of fireworks display.”

Elliot groaned as he pulled himself from the ground and staggered towards his power armour. “That’s going to be impossible with the Everest Observatory so close by.”

The Everest Observatory was the brainchild of a mountaineer about a hundred years ago; Caleb forgot his name. The man was dismayed at the bodies that were scattered all over Mount Everest from people trying to scale the tremendous mountain and make it to the summit. So, using his vast wealth and with some help from friends, he made an enormous facility built around the eastern face of the summit. This, along with a tunnel that cut into the mountain itself, allowed people to reach the highest peak in the world without fear of freezing or falling to their deaths. Over the years, people built more into the facility, eventually turning it into an observatory where astronomers could view the stars without fear of light pollution.

“Maybe but we’ll have to try if it comes to that,” Jacob said. “I’m hoping it won’t.”

“You’ve got another plan?” Leon prompted. “Something that doesn’t involve us freezing the entire world?”

“Maybe. But that all depends on what the Gimp has in store for us.”

The tension in the truck became all the thicker with Jacob’s demonstration. There were a lot of unknowns. The Gimp, thus far, had proven to be far more intelligent and unpredictable than Tibia. Who knew what traps and plans he may have had in store for them? The fight against the Gimp back in Madagascar had been a brutal trudge through traps, well-trained henchmen and mind games. Once again, the Gene Stealers held all the cards and they were again playing catch-up. The heavy weight of his boyfriend’s capture continued to drag down his mood. It was like he was staring at the tail of a losing game; just a few seconds on the clock and the scored were against his team. There was no way they could win with what little time was left.

“The mood is getting sombre,” Jacob announced suddenly. “Would anyone like to hear a story?”

Leon crossed his arms a very David-esque manner. “How will that help?”

“Maybe it’ll take your mind off things a little.”

There was a loud clank from Elliot’s side and the orca’s enormous power armour began to whir to life. Their resident super-genius had stepped into his armour. “What’s it about?”

“Me, of course,” Jacob said with a cheeky grin. “And it’ll answer the question of why the gods of this world were so opposed to me helping out in the first place.” He gave the orca a sly wink. “After all, this isn’t the first time I came to this dimension.”

“Really?”

“Of course. The very nature of the No Ones is that we act in anonymity. It’s in our name. In the end, we will be No One.”

“Does that mean you’ll have to kill us?”

Jacob snorted and slung Kosetsu over his shoulder. “Your diet will kill you, Elliot. I won’t have to lift a finger. But if you’re asking about how I’ll fade into obscurity after making such a public spectacle, you’ll just have to ask yourself: How can I prove that Jacob Reaper really is a No One?”

Caleb opened his muzzle to answer but found his voice had no power. There was no way to prove Jacob was some interdimensional entity that could rewrite reality itself. It was just impossible. As far as he was aware, there weren’t any supers that could cross those boundaries. If there was, maybe those other ‘dimensions’ were just part of their wider multiverse. They didn’t work on the same level as Jacob. With the gods heavily restricting Jacob’s abilities, people would likely rather assume that Reaper was just a really powerful super as opposed to a No One. The various pantheons probably wouldn’t like proof that there was someone that was well above their level of control either and would likely try to disseminate information. They might allow that Jacob was one of them if they were backed into the corner but who could conceivably push back on the gods themselves?

“Convincing anyone, especially in a world where religious freedom is often hotly contested, would be very difficult,” David allowed. “Not impossible but difficult.”

“Exactly and there will be cults and a few believers here and there but that’s a good thing,” Jacob answered. “After all, we only act when asked. We need people who truly understand that fact in every reality to ensure that if something bad really does happen, they have the balls to swallow their pride and ask a No One for help.”

David lifted one eyebrow and gave his sometime-rival a frown. “That’s actually kind of clever. I know some people would rather die than ask for help.”

If his dad was speaking of anyone in the trailer, he wasn’t sure. Caleb had to agree, though. Knowing how opposed the gods were to Jacob’s presence, it would do well to have someone that could reach out to the No Ones and ask for help. That must be how Rhiannon and Arcturus had managed to contact Jacob in the first place.

Lance asked over his shoulder from the front cabin. “So what did you do that pissed off the gods so much that they basically keep you on a tight leash?”

“I saved the furs.”

Everyone in the room froze for a good, long minute. The truck even jolted a little at Samson’s shock.

“You’re going to have to repeat that, Reaper,” said the werewolf alpha. “I thought you just said you saved the furs?”

“That’s exactly what I said,” Jacob said with a smug smile. “Do you really think that the deities of the fur-dimension had the ability to bridge the gap between realities on their own? If they had that capability, why did it take so long for them to open the ‘Rainbow Bridge’ here? Why did they let the dragons die in their old world?”

Leon straightened and slapped his paw on his knee. “I’m going to call bullshit on that. History tells us that the furs on their world were faced with a terrible event. In an effort to save their people, the gods opened a portal into this world. A large number of people managed to make it through but the dragons were just too stubborn to leave and died out on the old world.”

Jacob lifted an eyebrow at him. “Doesn’t that just sound really convenient? Why would an entire species just let themselves die out of their own pride when it’s evident that the world around them is crumbling? Surely there’d be some dissenters or doubters that’d at least try to escape, right? Seriously, we’re not talking about a single civilisation. We’re talking about a whole species. That’d be like if every human decided at the very same moment they want to commit ritual suicide because they all believed they’ll ascend to a higher state of being. It puts that assumption that all dragons had some sort of hive mind that prevented them from thinking for themselves.”

The blonde-haired wolf shook his head. “No. The truth of the matter is that the furs of the old world were very much involved in the daily lives of the furs that lived there. However, though they claim themselves to be infallible, the gods are very much mortal and they bickered and warred with one another. One of these wars led to the inevitable end of the very planet that the furs once inhabited.”

There was a boom of thunder in the distance. Glancing at one of the screens that had a view of the outside world, Caleb saw that the skies were clear yet the rumble of thunder was still very much very clear.

“As you can see, some of them aren’t pleased that I’m telling you this,” Jacob said, pointing upwards. “But they can’t do anything to stop me given the general agreement from this world’s pantheons to have a lighter touch to the world’s inhabitants. Seriously, back in the old world, ‘divine miracles’ were a daily occurrence. All you had to do was pray for food and some god or another would answer. There was no such thing as the a ‘court of law’. A god’s ruling was absolute and if you wronged someone, just ask a god to mediate and that would be the final judgement even if it was wrong. When the migration to this world came along, a compromise had to be reached between the two groups of deities especially since the deities of this world were none too pleased that the interference of the gods of furs led to the destruction of their home world.”

“What exactly caused the old world to be destroyed?” Elliot asked. “Text books and theories say it was some sort of plague…”

“If it was a plague, then it was really lucky that no one infected managed to make it into this world,” Jacob said, rolling his eyes. “No. It was actually the result of two gods interfering, you might know them. One is Kairehn the God of Ice and Bringer of the Dead Winter and the other is Ulfalgar the God of Fire and Forgemaster of the Gods.”

Those were names Caleb was familiar with even though he didn’t subscribe to the Therian pantheon. Kairehn was supposed to be some sort of huge no-eyed bull that moved indiscriminately and brought winter. Theologists claimed that it was the furs’ way of describing the changing of the seasons. When the cold of winter came, it was Kairehn passing through their land. Of course, these days there were supers that represented Kairehn like Diefrost up in Canada or Frostbite all the way in Greenland. Ulfalgar, on the other hand, was supposedly the God that gave the furs technology and the guy that built the weapons for the other gods. Akin to Prometheus, he was a huge horse with multiple arms that worked the forge of the world. He didn’t have any supers representing him but he was known to give any supers on quests weapons to help them defeat this villain or that natural disaster.

“How did they end the world?” David asked. “Kairehn is indiscriminate, yes, but he’s not malicious. He just wanders, bringing winter wherever he goes. Ulfalgar is just happy to keep working his forge and has no ulterior motives or grand goals.”

“It’s because of their very natures that those two gods came to blows,” Jacob explained. “Remember, there are no gods, just mortals. Kairehn grew tired of being painted as this terrible, unstoppable force of nature that only brought death and decay. He was being more hated than Shin-Lazar. So, he went to Ulfalgar and asked him to build for him a walking stick. Something to help him wander through the world with an idea of where he was going. Ulfalgar gladly obliged and gave him the Staff of Everice.” There, Reaper winced. “But the thing is, Kairehn brings winter wherever he goes so after he left with thanks, his winter actually doused Ulfalgar’s forge. What is the God of Fire without fire. This pissed off Ulfalgar to no end as he though Kairehn came to him with a request, took his gift and then spited him with winter. Irrational, Ulfalgar made a bigger, better forge and built Uskragarm.”

“The Apocalypse Blade,” Elliot breathed. “I’ve read about that. Supposedly, at the end times, Ulfalgar will make it and then use it to cleave the path to Hell open so that the forces of good may at last conquer the hordes of evil.”

Jacob lifted a paw, holding it flat in the air with his palm down and wiggled it a little. “That’s just a corruption of what actually happened. See, Ulfalgar built the Staff of Everice to not only withstand Kairehn’s frost but also to absorb it, sort of containing the Dread Winter that the God of Ice brings wherever he goes. It took Ulfalgar fifty years to master Ukragram and as a result, that was fifty years worth of frost contained within the Staff of Everice. When Ulfalgar eventually brought his mighty blade of fire up against Kairehn, he struck at the Bull of Winter and naturally, Kairehn made to defend himself.” Jacob held up his two paws. “The full might of all the universe’s fire met the very embodiment of the universe’s cold.” He slapped both paws together and Caleb jumped in surprise.

“Boom.”

In Caleb’s mind, he imagined this huge, muscled, blue bull lifting a staff of ice as tall as he was while a horse with a fiery mane brought a flaming sword down. The impact was like a supernova and he could just image what the furs of the old world felt as their world was rocked with the explosion.

“The effect was slow but instantaneous,” Jacob continued grimly. “The impact sent both deities reeling, their weapons shattered. The fabric of reality itself began tearing itself apart. Imagine the vast stars out there and then imagine all of them starting to wink out of existence one by one from a single point; like a huge black hole was rapidly expanding to destroy and consume them all. The furs and their deities began panicking. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the encroaching darkness.”

“Is that where the books say there was an inescapable plague?” Lance prompted.

“Pretty much. Except it wasn’t a plague of the physical body. It was a plague on reality itself.” Jacob hung his head and sighed. “I only wish I had seen it sooner…”

There was genuine regret in Legion’s voice and Caleb had to wonder what could fill such a strong wolf with so much pain.

“It’s not your fault, Jake. You couldn’t have know…”

“Perhaps not but it doesn’t stop you from thinking about those ‘what-if’ scenarios.” Jacob lifted his head and leaned back against the wall. “The deities, in their desperation, led their followers in various attempts to contain the rip in space and time. One of those solutions was sacrificing the dragons in the hope that billions of souls would somehow provide the gods with enough power to stop this devastation. Obviously, it didn’t work.”

“The dragons were sacrificed!?” David exclaimed in surprise. “All of them!?”

“Willing or not,” Jacob answered. “The Gods just took their life reasoning that what’s a few lives in comparison to the rest of the universe? It was actually the screams of the unwilling that eventually managed to reach me and the other No Ones. There are some things that can bypass the laws of realities itself and the mortal soul is one of them.” He ran a paw down his muzzle. “When the others and I looked into what had happened, we were horrified. Half of us were actually for just leaving the gods to their fate and then collecting the souls of the innocents and working with them individually as we did back in the old days. The other half was up for stepping in, stopping the rip and concocting some bullshit about the gods sacrificing themselves or something and leaving the furs godless but in charge of their own fate. There was a lot of suggestions in between as well.”

“What did you end up deciding?” Caleb prompted.

“The others were actually still arguing before I decided to step in and speak to the guys that had caused all this.” He gave Caleb a lopsided smile. “You’d be surprised at the power of words.” Jacob shrugged. “Of course, the gods were at first very dubious about who I was and some even claimed that I came from the very darkness that was consuming their world but after talking with them, I discovered that both Kairehn and Ulfalgar were regretful over what they had done and had even patched things up. Hell, they were even getting to the point that they were willing to sacrifice themselves to stop the tear if that would help. I was more than willing to stop the tear myself and give them credit for it but the deities being who they were, didn’t want some perceived ‘debt’ to me hanging over their heads. So, we came up with the idea of leading them to another world that would have them.

“I went back to the No Ones with the solution and we began scouting out other realities that would have them as refugees. The gods of this world agreed and then with some guidance, the deities from both sides were able to open a portal across the dimensions, migrate their people and settle in. Of course, the gods in this world got something out of it too.”

“The zombie plague didn’t affect the furs because they were from another reality,” Leon concluded. “It worked out for everyone.”

“Exactly. To this day, Ulfalgar and Kairehn are closer than ever and since the rules of this world are different to the old world, Kairehn doesn’t need to wander the universe to bring the Dread Winter. So he just spends his days with Ulfalgar, helping out in the forge. Some say the two are lovers but theologists and priests would never condone a homosexual relationship between the two gods.” Jacob winked. “But we all know the truth.”

Caleb was left breathless even though he wasn’t sure why. The images of the No Ones working with the gods and saving the furs just seemed so… surreal to him. Yet, he still believed his best friend. Thus far, Jacob had never given him any reason to distrust anything he said.

“So… You’re responsible for saving the furs?” Caleb asked. “In a way, you’re our creator?”

“Nothing so spectacular,” Jacob chuckled. “I just guided the fur gods in the right direction and did a few bits of negotiation. Both deities from both worlds did the work. I just used my words to smooth things over.”

“Still… Thanks.”

Leon suddenly jumped to his feet, arms crossed. “Okay. I’m sorry. But I’m going to call bullshit on that.”

“Leon!” he cried.

“No, Cale, I know you trust Jake and I know he’s way more powerful than the rest of us but come on. Really?” He gave Jacob a tired look. “You really want us to believe that you negotiated with the gods and had a paw in saving every fur that exists today? That’s just bullshit, man. Complete, A-Grade bullshit.”

From the corner of his eye, Caleb noticed that his father’s lips were turned upwards ever so slightly.

For Jacob’s part, however, the black-furred wolf leaned back, a content smile on his muzzle. “See? That’s what I meant about being no one believing you if you told them that I’m a No One. The stories we tell - whether true or not - are just so fantastical that they’d be really hard to believe.” He lifted a finger. “However, I guarantee that at least one of you believe it. One out of six people. And all it will take is one person to call out for help when we need it. The rest will have varying degrees of belief and doubt. But one is all that matters.”

Was this tale all just an elaborate way to highlight Jacob’s point about securing his anonymity? Did he really speak to the old gods? Was any of what he said true? Suddenly, Caleb wasn’t so sure anymore… but at the same time, he believed in best friend all the more.

******

The sun had set and Samson had parked the truck deep within the Himalayas but still a few hours away from Grinning Buddha. With the hour getting late and weariness bearing down on them, it seemed prudent to take a rest. Though Caleb hated the idea of leaving Lars and the others in the grip of the Gimp for any longer than they should, he also knew that if he were tired, he would never be able to save them. He calmed his nerves and swallowed the protein-rich food that they had packed. A heat lamp was placed at the centre of their camp within a cave, far away from sight. A blanket was wrapped around his shoulders and he quietly watched the cave mouth, peering out into the stars and wondering if Lars was seeing the same thing he was.

A short distance away, Lance and Elliot was sparring. His older brother was itching with pent up energy given that he had been cooped up in a truck trailer for the better part of the day. Leon was unwilling to spar with his much stronger brother and Elliot - in his power armour - was the only was close to his size. So the two grunted amongst the sound of clanking metal while they danced in the darkness. Samson was the one that prepared their meals while David had turned in early. Leon was either polishing his rifle or examining Zeus. Jacob was perched at the mouth of the cave, having first watch.

“You best turn in too,” Samson instructed, taking his bowl from him. “We’ll be getting up before daybreak. The best time to strike someone is just before they’re waking up.”

“Talking from experience, huh?” he laughed softly. Without another word, he shuffled into his sleeping back, resting his head on the pillow provided and tried to drift off into sleep.

Whether or not he actually slept was debatable as he woke up a little later to Lance’s loud snores accompanied by his dad’s and a little bit from Leon. Judging by the rattling in Elliot’s armour, the orca had fallen asleep in the suit. Samson was asleep a short distance away, silent, but asleep. He didn’t feel like he had gotten any sleep at all but it was still dark. Strangely, he couldn’t see Jacob’s figure near the cave. Curious, he quietly removed himself from his sleeping bag. A little bit of grit in the corners of his eyes revealed that he did sleep somewhat even if it was restless. Creeping forward, his keen ears perked up at the sound of voices.

Outside of the cave and near the truck, he noticed there were two figures and one of them was clearly Arcturus; he could tell from the vibrant, glowing wings.

“What’s the Hound of Death doing here?” he whispered to himself.

Low and slow, he crept forward until he could clearly hear was Jacob and Arcturus were saying.

Jacob waved dismissively in Arcturus’ direction and turned his back to the Hound. “I’m honestly not interested in any ‘advice’ or ‘intel’ you may have, Arcturus,” he said hotly. “Your gods may not trust me but I’ll have you know that the feeling is mutual. I don’t like being played.”

“Despite the fact that you already know their ploy, you still hold a grudge against them,” Arcturus countered. “That just sounds petty.”

“Just because I know what they’re planning, doesn’t mean that I’m not pissed at them for trying to use me as their weapon,” snapped Jacob. “Don’t think I haven’t pieced it together, Arty.”

Arcturus seemed genuinely surprised. “What are you talking about?”

Jacob retrieved an envelope from his blue coat and used it to slap Arcturus’ nose. “This!”

The Hound of Death snatched the missive from Jacob’s paws and gently opened it. “Dear Esteemed, Lord Reaper, Writer of Reality, Lord of the No Ones, The Unchained, Ruler of the Three…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jacob said, rolling his wrist lazily. “It goes on like that for a while. You can skip that bullshit.”

Arcturus made no comment and read the next part. “Given recent events, we would cordially request your presence when it is next convenient for you. We would like to negotiate the terms of your presence in our world. We would like you assure you that this is not a reflection on your performance thus far but a reaction to changing circumstances.” The Hound of Death and Destruction lowered the paper and gave Jacob an expressionless stare. “I see it goes on to try and placate any anger on your part.”

“I wouldn’t be so surprised.” Jacob waved absently in some arbitrary direction. “Your gods are used to flattery. Would make sense for them to be able to dish it out.”

Arcturus folded the letter back into the gilded envelope. “You need not be so concerned. They have clearly said that it’s not about anything you’ve done -”

“There’s a traitor amongst us, Arty.”

Those words immediately made Caleb gasp and he wrapped his paws around his muzzle immediately, hoping neither of the two wolves had heard him. It was hard to tell if they did as Arcturus’ expression changed from impassive and unreadable to surprise and shock.

“A traitor?” repeated the Hound. “How?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be treating you with kid gloves right now.”

“Surely you don’t suspect me?”

Jacob narrowed his gaze, inclining his head slightly to the side. “I don’t know, Arty. Do I have reason to?”

“Of course not. I want -”

“No,” interrupted the Writer of Reality sharply. “What you want is entirely different to what your patrons want. Shin-Lazar and the other gods want to steal Chimera’s techniques and ideologies to unite the people and ensure everyone is born relatively equal at least in terms of superpowers. In a warped way, it’s bringing peace to the world by ending the discrimination between those that are without power, Outsiders, supers and everything in between.”

Was that what the gods really wanted? To make everyone equal by giving them powers? Some part of Caleb wanted that. There was always this looming fear that being an Outsider, he was more vulnerable than anyone else than the rest of his team. Even amongst Assault, he was the only pure Outsider. Elliot had his power armour, after all. In Arsenal, everyone else had evolved. He was the only one stuck with his current powers even though those very same powers had been upgraded recently. Still, to steal that technology from Chimera of all people…

“You agree on some level,” Arcturus accused.

“No. I completely disagree.” Jacob took a step forward, holding up a fist. “This isn’t about making everyone equal on a basis of racism or privilege. It’s about the gods making everyone equal so that their gifts are the only thing that will make people special. This is them trying to make a monopoly out of their abilities and drawing worship back to them!” He made a slicing motion with his paw. “And you’re helping them, Arcturus.” Then Jacob lowered his paw, lifting his muzzle into the air and glaring down at the Hound of Death. “Or are you?”

“I am loyal to Shin-Lazar and the god,” came Arcturus’ immediate reply.

“Are you really?” accused Reaper. “Don’t think it hasn’t passed my attention that despite the fact you’re only the Hound of Death and Destruction temporarily, you haven’t done anything to support Rhianon even as she is captured and tortured.”

Caleb’s eyes widened in horror. Arcturus really hadn’t done anything to help Rhia… at all. Even when she was transformed, the Hound of Death didn’t even make an appearance. If the gods really cared about their loyal Hound, they would’ve declared holy war on the Gene Stealers. But if the gods really wanted to steal Chimera’s techniques then…

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Jacob said with a growl, “you and your patrons are hoping that Rhia will get all the information she needs by being abused and genetically raped by the Gene Stealers and then when you call her back, she’s going to share all that with the deities. Rhia is your Guinea Pig! Your test subject that’s absorbing all of Chimera’s plots and secrets!”

Caleb wrapped his paws around his muzzle as he was unable to keep himself from whispering, “Holy shit…”

Poor Rhia. Did she know her role in the gods’ plots or was she going to be ground up into a paste, dismantled by the gods as they tried to unravel all of the Gene Stealer’s secret?

Arcturus remained silent.

“But it goes further than that, doesn’t it?” Jacob accused. “You love Rhia like a sister. She’s your counterpart and partner at the same time but you still haven’t done anything to vouch for her or save her, have you?” He reached out and snatched the letter out of Arcturus’ paws. “And this…” He waved the envelope in the Hound’s muzzle. “… is what clued me in.”

Again, the Hound said nothing.

“You figured it out, didn’t you?” Reaper continued. “That thing I told you last we met. Hounds aren’t created. They die.”

More silence. Caleb’s own heart was holding it’s next beat in a desperate attempt to remain silent.

“Damnit Arcturus!” Jacob shouted. “You were mortal once too! You died! Rhiannon is exactly the same! Shin-Lazar is the androgynous God of Life and Death but it isn’t the God of Birth. He/she couldn’t create you from scratch! You have no right to toy with Rhia or their lives like this!”

“I have every right!” Arcturus boomed, fangs bared. The first flash of emotion from the Hound was explosive; tears were even starting to well up in Arcturus’ eyes. “You may be able to spend eternity torn from the ones you love but I can’t! If there’s something I could do to… to be whole again, I have to try!”

“But manipulating events so that the role of the Hound of Destruction would pass from Rhiannon to someone else?” Jacob’s features were marred with sympathy. “Arty, I know you were the one that convinced both Shin-Lazar and Rhiannon to send the Hound of Destruction to watch Arsenal but all just so you can get him back? That’s not fair to him or his family.”

“Fair?” Arcturus growled, forming claws with his fingers. “You want to know what’s not fair? Watching the man you love find themselves in the arms of another! What’s worse is having your memory wiped for your role as the ‘Hound of Death’ only to fall in love with another man! Yet despite all your years of diligent service, you can’t be with either of them! That’s not fair!”

Jacob reached for the Hound. “Life rarely is…”

Arcturus knocked away his paw and took a step away, hot tears streaming down his cheeks and being absorbed into his black fur. With the two of them standing there, it almost looked like they were two brothers arguing. Even had the same fur colour. “Don’t give me that. You have no idea what I’m going through.”

Reaper gave the winged wolf a sorrowful shake of his head. “Of course I don’t. I’m not you. I won’t go into some spiel about my own experiences. You know them well enough. But I’m going to at least try and tell you that any resolution you find will forever be marred by the pain that you have inflicted on others. They say time heals all wounds but there will always be scars and every time to you look at the smile of your loved one, you will be reminded of the terrible things you had to do to get that hug. That’s going to eat you inside. It’s even worse when you have all eternity to ponder these sins because those don’t go away.”

The Hound of Death shut his eyes and turned away. “How did you deal with it?”

“I never had to because I at least tried to act with integrity at all times and act in a way that I won’t be ashamed of.” Jacob once more reached out and gripped Arcturus’ shoulder. The Hound tried to shrug him off buy Jacob held on tight. “I wasn’t perfect. I’m still not. But I’ve made peace with the fact that I can make mistakes and I can learn from them. If you know that what you’re going to do is going to make you regret it later on, you’ve got to ask yourself if it really is worth it.”

Arcturus balled his paws into fists… then relaxed them. He gently gripped Jacob’s paw. “Wise words.” Then he forcefully threw aside the Writer’s paw. “But I’ve come too far to stop now. The plan is in motion. The gods want this now. Unless you’re aiming to destroy the entire pantheon and bring this world to ashes, you have no choice but to comply.”

A look of sadness was all that was given to the Hound. “I had really hoped you would say otherwise Arcturus. I really did. Because now, I’m going to have to work against you.”

The Hound of Destruction lifted his head. “Fine. Then consider us enemies from this point on, Jacob Samuel Reaper. You may be the Writer of Reality but I am still the Hound of Death and I will do anything to get my happily ever after!”

Jacob gave the Hound a sorrowful smile. “And you deserve it. I just wish you’d try and get it another way.” He reached into his cloak once more, retrieving a folded piece of paper and holding it out to Arcturus. “Do me a favour before you leave. Can you deliver this?”

Arcturus took the paper and glanced at its contents. A faint smile touched the edges of his lips. The Hound of Death turned and vanished in a burst of dark energies. That left Jacob standing alone in the darkness, still as a statue for a good few minutes. Then, Reaper regarded the letter in his paws with a soft sigh. Caleb decided it was a good time to leave and quietly returned to the cave. He snuggled back up into his sleeping bag, his mind reeling with what he had learned.

Arcturus fighting for someone he loved.

Rhiannon being a pawn of the gods.

The gods themselves agreeing with the Gene Stealers.

And a traitor amongst them.

******

Wilhelm Whip watched as Assault slumbered in their little cave. Alpha Team was poised not too far from where the ragtag group of heroes and villains were sleeping. It would be so easy to give them the order to strike but that would be a wasted opportunity. A moment of surprise, that small spark of horror before the end came, that did not make for a satisfying meal. No. A meal should be savoured. It should be paired with the perfect wine and it should prepare the diner for the next course. As it stood, this moment of solace was just the appetiser; the sweet peace before true pain and agony came.

Whip licked his lips before pressing the button on his dark, steel throne wrapped in leather bindings. “I’ve seen enough,” he commanded. “Retreat.”

“Yes sir,” answered the leader of Alpha Team, a rhino who went by the name ‘Trent’.

The video feed faded from sight and Whip leaned back in the uncomfortable throne. The touch of leather was familiar even against his hardened skin but the pokes he received from the tiny metal buckles made him squirm and pumped blood into his groin. These tiny little discomforts were absolutely exquisite. Even when the foul, cloying sweetness of acrid perfume flooded into his mighty nostrils, he continued to grow aroused. Any sort of ill feeling aroused him these days. Such was the depths of his depravity. He acknowledged it. He was a deviant, weird by even the most intense fetishist’s standards. That was what made him so dangerous.

“You do like toying with them, don’t you?” Spider Queen crooned, her spindly fingers running along his shoulders.

He rumbled at her touch. She knew what he wanted and proceeded to dig her nails into his skin, deep enough to draw blood. A gasp left his lips, his eyelids fluttering in ecstasy and his cock stretching the leather underwear as it grew fuller and thicker.

“The greatest agony comes right when hope is at its highest,” the Gimp intoned. “I must feed the fires of hope first. Heroes are always so eager to hope. It’s their greatest weapon. It fills them with delusions of surmounting the impossible. I take pride and joy in shattering the delusion and bringing them down from that high.” He licked his lips, savouring the taste of past hearts that he had crushed underfoot.

“How you ever wound up as a D-List villain I will never know,” Spider Queen sighed.

Whip knew, of course. Back then, he had just been an animal. All he wanted was to inflict pain upon others and experience it himself using his powers. As he experienced more and more of that delicious agony, however, his body naturally grew resistant to it. Thus he had to seek more and more intense pleasures. It was self-destructive as eventually, he would become immune to all pain. But this transformation that the Gene Stealers had given him granted a level of restraint. He knew all about his own limitations and the eventual end he would suffer but he could never control his base instincts enough to rein them in. Thanks to Spider Queen and Shark Tamer, however, he could finally put his intelligence to use.

While he spoke about how hope primed a hero for the greatest fall, the opposite was true for him. Anticipation of the pain to come prepared him all the more for when the main course would eventually be served.

But before the main course, there naturally had to be appetisers.

He rose from his throne, perched deep within the bunker of Grinning Buddha. His men were hard at work preparing the entire structure for Assault’s arrival. What he liked to call ‘The Game Show’ was almost ready. The ‘Shadows of Doubt’ arena was already completed and its players just needed to ready themselves. Lastly, the ominous ‘Path of Seven’ was the one that needed the most work. With a smile, he watched his leathermen carrying heavy boxes and hauling huge crates around in preparation for Assault’s arrival. It was simply amazing how much one could achieve with baseline superpowers and a degree of pain absorption.

“You are going to make this agonising for them,” Spider Queen giggled.

“Small victories would make the final triumph sweeter. However, it also means that it would make their defeat all the more crushing.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as his anticipation was making his cock rumble with arousal. “Ah… I can just taste it now.”

“Save some for the show.”

He finally reached his goal; the holding cells.

The dark room had the overall feel of a torture chamber with heavy, metal chains hanging from the ceiling, a few fires in braziers in the corners and the structure being made of rough, dark concrete. The flickering flames cast shadows on his ‘guests’. Strapped to huge X-shaped boards were the members of Arsenal. All of them were still in their costumes, not that it would do them much good in a few moments. As he stepped into the room, he could already feel the power of the anti-super fields at work. Though they had been calibrated to avoid his own pain-absorption powers, his baseline abilities were impacted. He knew that any pain he took from these children would be dulled by that alone. Perhaps it would technically be more intense but in his mind, if he didn’t experience the fiery hurt at his fullest, then it wasn’t worth the effort. Sadly, with the enhanced abilities of Arsenal, the anti-super fields were very much necessary. Given that they were already enhanced beyond their natural abilities, the power of the fields were intensified and some of that bled into his own abilities.

He noted that Spider Queen stayed at the door; out of range of the power-dulling mechanisms.

“Wakey-wakey,” he began, heavy footsteps leading him to the right-most member; Flare Blue otherwise known as Lars McLeod.

The Doberman bared his fangs and stared daggers at the Gimp.

“You won’t get away with this.”

“I don’t plan to,” laughed the Gimp. “I want your boyfriend and his team to come to me. I want them to hate me with such a passion that they’ll try and rip me limb from limb! I want to feel their fury as they sink their teeth into my hide, their claws rip at my guts and their fists break my bones!”

“You’re sick!” Mary Brightwood shouted from Lars’ left.

“So I’ve been told,” Whip chuckled, taking a step forward and cupping Lars’ chin. The Doberman lunged forward, catching his fingers in that powerful jaw. Whip didn’t even try to pull back and savoured the agony of having those fangs dig into his flesh and draw blood. “Aaaaah… yes…” he moaned, reaching for his cock with his other hand. “That’s perfect. Harder, boy. Harder.”

Lars immediately let go and spat what blood he had collected right into Whip’s face. “You’re one sick son-of-a-bitch, man.”

Whip regarded his injured hand with some mild curiosity. The bite marks were already starting to heal. There was a poetry in the fact that he could absorb damage and pain from those around him while his enhanced healing could repair all damage and yet he still chose to hold off on hurting anyone.

“Everyone has their vices, boy,” he said, taking a step back. “There is this trigger within everyone that just unleashes the beast within. A primal call that arouses, stimulates and throws aside all rationality because you just need to cum that badly.” A savage grin crossed the rhino’s features. “And I think I know yours.” His eyes darted across to the rest of Arsenal. “I know all of yours.”

Benjamin Connors, the werewolf perched farthest from Lars, snarled at him and offered a dark laugh. “I’ve been a villain for longer than you’ve been alive, boy. This monologue is textbook villainy. You’re bored. You’re just sitting here waiting for the heroes to arrive and you have nothing to do because your henchmen are building all your traps and tricks for you. So you’re going to torture not because you want anything from us but because it’s all you can do to kill time.” Ben sneered. “Pathetic.”

Whip decided to ignore the quip. “Benjamin Connors…” He strode casually towards the werewolf, currently stuck in his lupine form. “… Known as Blood Wolf of the Alpha Pack. I’ve followed your career, you know. You have a reputation for being cruel and bloodthirsty. Very creative too with your powers.” He waggled a finger in front of the werewolf’s snout. “But I know that the thing you absolutely enjoy is breaking your enemies. You and I are -”

“The same?” Ben interrupted. “Right from the textbook there, rookie.”

“Oh no. We are opposites,” the Gimp laughed. “You see, I want people to keep fighting. I want them to keep their sanity and fight me until the ends of the Earth! How else can I experience pain if they don’t struggle?” He spread his arms wide. “There can be no pain without adversity! But you…” He again lowered a finger, pointing it directly at the werewolf. “You, on the other hand, like to break your prey. Not by brainwashing them through pain. Oh no. You force their bodies to betray them. Superhero that prides himself on his legs? You break them and offer them the chance to get their legs back if they come crawling back to you. Little conversion into a werewolf and they’ll be stronger than ever… as long as they serve you.”

Just the look in the werewolf’s bright red eyes was enough to confirm Whip’s analysis was very correct.

“A politician that prides themselves in their integrity but is stalled in Congress due to sheer numbers,” he continued. “Dangle their pet project in front of them but in exchange, utter loyalty to you. Prideful father and son, unwilling to bend a knee to you? Force them to fuck one another until they give in to their primal urges and ‘realise’ that you awakened them to a world of unbridled desire and freedom. That is your modus operandi.” Whip inclined his head slightly. “I wonder, did you use such tactics on poor McLeod when you and he first started dating? Forbidden love and affection? Are you quietly turning Arsenal towards loyalty to you by offering them a supposed compromising voice against the more mafia-style tactics of the Alpha Pack? Perhaps you are slowly dulling their aversion toy our criminal activities by throwing lavished parties and providing them and their families with safety and security so that if and when something truly terrible comes, the option of becoming a werewolf to defend the ones they love won’t be so absurd? Maybe they’ll even choose you to turn them because they trust you above all else.”

The Gimp leaned forward, his muzzle and horn just inches away from Ben’s snarling fangs.

“Now won’t that be a power trip for the ages?”

Connors did not say a word.

“Ben…” Mary whispered softly.

The empath would have to wait because the Gimp was still working up to her. He turned coyly to the next person in line; Lewis Sanchez AKA Madman.

“And you, my poor, abandoned outcast,” chuckled Whip. “Abandoned by Gnoll. Perhaps one of the most popular of Arsenal for your savagery and, let’s face it…” He ran his fingers up Madman’s flanks, feeling the taut muscle beneath. “… primal sexiness. You’re like the kid that was kicked out of house and home after being cast as a good-for-nothing and being told they would never amount to anything but perhaps dying on the street. Yet, you’ve risen up the ranks, succeeded where others have failed and even participated in foiling the plans of your makers.” His hands slipped down towards Madman’s crotch, seizing the meat there. “Doesn’t that just get you off?”

The hyena growled. “You get off me!”

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Whip said, refusing to release the hyena. “I know you crave that validation of your success. You’re number 2 in the popularity ranks amongst Arsenal, second only to Brightwood. You must get a kick out of that given how you were just a fat, old warehouse manager just over a year ago. Now you’re raking in the fans. So many people want you to turn them. To be your mate. You’re the bad boy. The bad guy that really turned it around and became a hero. People love that. Even though you don’t have any powers, you -”

“That’s bullshit!” Madman suddenly lunged forward, the leather restraints straining against his might. His right paw even heaved and tore right through the straps. Wilhelm was forced to leap back in surprise. Instincts took over and he summoned more leather bindings to immediately crisscross Madman’s chest and freed arm, pinning him back against the board.

That should not have been possible. Strong as he was, these bindings should have kept him in place since the anti-super fields suppressed his baseline powers!

“I’m stronger than you idiots think!” Madman roared. His eyes looked past the Gimp and straight at Spider Queen. “Jake and Gwen helped me realise that! If you bastards can’t see it, then that just means I have the advantage!” He grinned maliciously. “I’m coming for you. All of you. Even Gnoll!”

Such talk was dangerous. It offered hope in this room of despair. While he loved the struggle, it would weaken his position amongst the others. With a wave of his hand, leather straps lashed out and wrapped around Madman’s muzzle, holding it shut.

He moved to the next person in line. Bren… the infinite superspy.

A smile touched the Gimp’s muzzle once more. “Pseudo-immortality must be nice, eh, Bren?” he said. “I know beneath all that pomp and posturing about being a secret agent and pretending everything is classified, you love being the only person in Arsenal that can out live them all. But recent events have got you rattled, haven’t then. I wonder, have you ever thought about maybe… fucking yourself?”

The tiger rolled his eyes. “You’re really grasping at straws there, Wilhelm Whip.”

Perhaps he was but inflicting pain was not his only speciality. No, the Gimp knew how to plant the seeds of pain. He was making an investment. “I do wonder what would happen if you were ever to release one of your clones and fuck it. Would that be masturbation or incest?” He chuckled darkly. “You may have been designed to be this immovable, superspy but you can’t deny that when you came that first time you were transformed into an elephant, it felt good. It haunts your dreams, doesn’t it? I bet your clones have never survived long enough to actually achieve orgasm, have they? Or at least when there wasn’t some looming mission or objective over your head. Just stroking your cock. Feeling it fill with blood. Your balls bubbling with seed. No need to kill. No need to deceive. Just you… and perhaps… more of you.”

Bren was silent.

If it was just him trying not to engage or actually being perturbed by the Gimp’s words was hard to tell. The feline’s expression was unreadable. Good training but the Gimp was eager to see how long such training would last.

Next up was none other than the Hound of Destruction herself, Rhiannon.

He just passed by her and went straight to Mary Brightwood.

“Wait a second!?” Rhiannon exclaimed. “That’s it? You’re not even going to say anything to me!? What the fuck!? Where’s the torture!?”

He won.

“That was the torture,” he answered. Leaning towards Mary, he said to her, “Being so dependant on your powers must be torture. Knowing so much would break the normal person and yet you’ve held on to your sanity quite well. Likely because of your exposure to the extroverted Caleb Hale. Yet, despite all this, you don’t exactly have a vice that is eating you up inside. No. You have a desire that you sorely wish fulfilled that it tears at your very soul.”

“If you’re suggesting I want to break your neck between my thighs,” Mary hissed, “then I’m more than willing to give you the sweet release of death. Just release me.”

“No. Of course not.” He leaned down, his lips just hovering over her ears. “I’m talking about your mother.”

Mary’s eyes widened in shock.

Everyone had their weakness. That one issue, that one trigger that would cause them to lose all rationality and turn them into animals; the same animal that the Gimp had once been. Though he had to admit he had been wrong about Madman’s trigger. Reaper and that other one, Gwen, had somehow rid the hyena of that trigger. A small smile touched his lips even as he felt Brightwood straight against the restrains just inches away from him filled with fury and desperation. He looked forward to finding Reaper’s weakness.

Satisfied with his work, Wilhelm Whip straightened and turned to the last person on his list.

Lars McLeod.

“I’m going to go ahead and make a guess at how you’re going to torture me,” Lars sneered. “You’re going to throw Caleb into traps. Make him suffer. Make me watch. Well it’s not going to work! I trust Caleb! I know he’ll find you and save me!”

The Gimp breathed in the scent of denial. “Such a naivete. Lying to yourself and your boyfriend. No, boy, your vice is not Caleb Hale. Your vice…” He lifted a hand and the leather straps holding McLeod grew tighter. “… is the transformation.”

There were only a few bindings on the Doberman; around his wrists, neck, thighs and ankles. Not enough to certainly hold back the average super but his leather had a different effect on people. As the dark strips pulled tighter on the canine’s flesh, thick veins began popping up from where they made contact. Even through Flare Blue’s fireman-themed outfit, those veins were visible. They were not bulging from being constricted; they were bulging because they were growing. McLeod realised what was happening and he grit his fangs together, desperately trying to fight the inevitable. But even if his mind screamed ‘no’, his body was pleading ‘yes’. That much was evident as his cock began to rise, tenting his pants and straining the fabric.

“Lars! No!” Mary pleaded. “Fight it!”

Heroes always fight. Even if every inch of their body was battered and bruised, they would fight to the bitter end. That was Wilhelm Whip’s vice. He could feel Lars McLeod trying to push by the transformation, tensing each of his muscles and straining desperately against the bindings in a valiant attempt to break free. Freedom from the bindings would free him from the transformation vector, of after all. But with the anti-super fields in effect, he was without his usual powers. That also meant even the Gimp’s mutagenic powers were dulled somewhat but that only meant that this particular change would just take longer. He would have a chance to savour this meal.

Lars gagged, his eyes bulging out of his eye sockets. His paws clenched in effort but all his willpower was not strong enough to stop the change. The inner beast within him, that ferocious yearning to change, forced his fingers to pull apart. Loud cracking filled the room, perfectly fitting the theme of the torture chamber. The dull, black claws at the ends of his fingertips shrank back into his flesh while making a sound like sandpaper scraping against flesh. His fingers themselves seemed to be absorbing the extra mass and started growing. The expansion didn’t take his fur along with it so as the bone, flesh and muscle grew with every beat of his heart, his fur seemed to thin and get lost against the thick, grey hide that was developing beneath. A noise like grinding rock emerged from his fingertips. The flesh grew thicker, harder. The grey shifted into a dull white until they matched the same ‘nails’ that the Gimp had.

“Fuuuuuuuck!” Lars roared.

His paws were forcefully thrown back, shedding all their fur and sending it falling down around Lars like brown-black rain.

“You love it, don’t you?” taunted Whip. “That feeling of changing shape. Of your body shifting, reshaping. It isn’t pain. It’s release.”

“Fuck you!” roared the canine super.

With that, the Gimp allowed the change to progress. Lars howled in agony as the veins throbbed down his forearms. His costume’s sleeves grew taut around his muscles. Even as his wrists began to expand, the leather bindings held on to him tightly and continued to pump the corruptive influence of the Gimp further and further into the Doberman. Though already built with strong and lean arm muscles, Flare Blue’s forearms tripled in size and length, loud cracking and groaning rising from his limbs. The fabric of his suit tore loudly and spilling a triumphant burst of fur out to reveal the strong, grey hide beneath.

“Don’t give in to it, Lars!” Rhiannon shouted. “You’re stronger than this!”

“No, he’s not,” the Gimp chuckled. “He’s spent his entire life wearing masks. He’s never had a chance to be himself. He’s never had a chance to explore himself. In a world where we are all forced to hide our identities and assume different roles be it friend, lover, high school quarterback, superhero or just an average student, it becomes easy to lose yourself. You start to question who you are. Which one is the real you when all parts of them are you.”

Lars strained against the restraints, fangs gnashed together while his eyes were shut. His arms thrashed back and forth, trying desperately to break free but it was a futile attempt. With every pull, the veins travelled further into his biceps and changed the cells there. He bunched his muscles, gripping the restraints with his newly formed nails as he tried to put all his might into tearing the leather apart. All that did was serve to put more blood into his forearms and thus fuel the transformation. The remnants of his sleeves quickly peeled open down a single tear, revealing his immense biceps four times larger than his head and comically making his torso look small though it fit the rest of his arms.

Half-way driven into animalistic fury, Lars McLeod could only thrash his head from side to side as the change spread down towards his torso. The already powerful deltoid built over years of football practice erupted from his already sleeveless shirt. He cried out in a mix of ecstasy and agony. Instincts drive him to thrust his needy cock into the air. When his hips came crashing back against the table, the impact rocked his body and shook the rest of his fur from his now hairless shoulders. Another roar ripped from his lips and lifted his lips once more before slamming them back down hard against the table. Perhaps some part of him realised he could no longer fight the change and was given into the need to ejaculate… or perhaps he was still fighting and upon realising he couldn’t break the restraints, he was now trying to break the table.

“This poor boy has never had role after role thrust onto him,” Whip said, giving McLeod a moment of reprieve to hear his words. “He has never discovered his true self. For such a lost soul, there can only be one true release and that comes from the freedom to change of his own accord; to be someone he wants without it being forced onto him.”

“What the fuck are you talking about!?” Ben roared. “You’re forcing him to change right now!”

There, the Gimp turned to the werewolf with a dark, malicious grin. “Am I? Am I really?”

Lars screamed, thrusting his chest out out in front of him. “It… It hurts!”

The Gimp grinned.

Flare Blue let out another cry and this one was deeper, heavier and longer as his chest erupted from the remnants of his shirt. A blast of fur washed over the Gimp as he watched the emerging rhino’s already immense pectorals churn and undulate. Like one of those bodybuilders gyrating their pectoral muscles, Lars’s pecs constantly bounced over and over again with each bump causing his perfectly square mountains to grow bigger and bigger. Each inch that widened his chest caused his nipples to turn further and further downwards. The last bits of fur were falling off and his softer, grey hide was starting to emerge.

But it was not over. No. The Gimp wasn’t done with Lars McLeod just yet.

He stepped forward, cupping the whimpering Doberman’s chin gently.

“I’ve given you the keys to your own body.” He leaned forward, lips hovering over the Doberman’s ears. “Now take them and make this body your own!” He then bit down hard - but not enough to break the flesh - on the Doberman’s ear causing Lars to howl in pleasure.

The last bits of fur on Lars’ chest suddenly straightened before curling. They refused to slide off his body like the rest of his fur, instead forming a little coating of sexy chest fur over his otherwise grey chest. The howl from his lips heralded the change in his skull. Veins pumped up his traps, pumping the already sloping hills towards his neck to become bigger, broader and to shrug off the last bits of fur that covered his neck. Thick cords wound around his thickening windpipe, his Adam’s Apple thrusting outward and vibrating with his prolonged cry. The fur on his muzzle quickly began dropping off as his features became broader and slightly longer. The tall ear slipped away from the Gimp’s teeth as the became smaller against the bigger skull of the emerging rhino.

The Gene Stealer took a step back and marvelled as Lars’ cute, black nose faded into two two, huge nostrils sitting atop an enormous beak-like muzzle. Capping off the muzzle emerged a massive, pure-white horn and its slightly smaller brother right behind it. All semblances of the canine that he had been faded from Lars’ face save perhaps for the stubborn chinstrap beard that clung onto the huge rhino’s features. The black hairs were the perfect outline to Lars’ jawline as without it, where the super’s neck met his skull would have been impossible to find. Further proof that Lars McLeod was taking control of his own changed.

Whip’s leathermen were completely hairless, after all. Hair and fur chaffed with leather.

McLeod’s eyes suddenly snapped open, completely black without any sight of his sclera

“It hurts… so… so… goooooood!”

The Gimp folded his arms, grinning from ear to ear as his own cock throbbed with need. He didn’t absorb any of McLeod’s pain. It had turned to pleasure now and dulling it would do nothing to help with the super’s conditioning. That first hit always had to be the best. He instead watched aroused as McLeod’s stomach undulated and heaved like he was doing sit-ups even wipe propped up on the restraints. The firm six pack immediately hardened into huge, grey bricks that was decorated by a sexy treasure trail that led seductively down into the rhino’s crotch. A second set of muscles appeared just beneath the former-doberman’s diaphragm, giving him a firm eight-pack. Unlike his leathermen, Flare Blue’s lower torso remained lean and firm, every muscle so deliciously defined like he was sculpted with the hands of some rhinoceros god.

McLeod’s thrusting grew more and more desperate and Wilhelm at released his grip on the transformation. Now was the moment of truth and he was not disappointed. Even without him forcing the change. Lars McLeod purposefully slowed the progression of the transformation. He grinned to himself as he watched McLeod steer the mutating flesh away from his throbbing cock and straight down towards his thighs. Those already huge, powerful quads undulated and bubbled. Every thrust of his hips caused them to grow bigger and bigger, straining against his pants. Only when they began stretching to accommodate his new height did the fabric finally surrender and fall apart in shreds, leaving only his torn, tattered blue-coloured underwear desperately clinging onto his bulging cock and churning balls.

The rhino threw his head back, jabbing his horn savagely into the air like he was goring some imaginary foe. His dick followed the same gesture, pumping more of the change towards his calves which tore right out of his boots. The Gimp could practically see the former-doberman’s toes curling in bliss even before they burst from those boots and revealed their strong, broad, vascular forms capped off with white toes.

Of course, the last thing to change had to be the cock.

The Gimp knew that.

Lars McLeod knew that.

Thus with all the force of the remaining transformation, McLeod directed his own transformation to that final release. His dick burst free of his underwear, symbolically shredding the remnants of his canine self. The big, red rocket was already erect at an impressive nine inches but that would soon change. The member grew longer and thicker. The distinct redness began to fade into a dark black and the pointed end smoothened out into a more bulbous shape. Thick veins crawled up and down the length of the member. Strangely, the knot at the base of his dick remained and grew bigger and bigger, rising to the size of an ass-destroying cantaloupe. His balls only expanded to match looking like a trio of spheres primed for sex.

“FUCK YES!”

Streams of cum shooting out of McLeod’s mutated dick, showering the Gimp where he stood. The hot liquid bathed the Gene Stealer; a shower of success and one that the Gimp gladly lapped up. This was the taste of victory. McLeod did not hold back. Perhaps there was still some part of him in there relishing the idea of fucking Wilhelm Whip or thinking that cumming on the Gene Stealer was somehow synonymous with dealing physical blows. Whip allowed it. These small tastes of victory only made defeat all the sweeter. The second blast of seed was much stronger than the last as all semblance of restraint were gone from the newly made rhino. Whip laughed as he was completely coated in rhino seed. He waved a hand absently through the air and all the restraints around McLeod vanished. The rhino fell to his knees and immediately seized his throbbing dick. Tongue out, Lars McLeod let out a third blast, aiming directly for the Gimp. Whip spread his arms, welcoming the assault as he was showered with the warm, white wave over and over again.

The fourth burst didn’t reach him but the look in McLeod’s black eyes told Whip that the rhino thirsted for more.

“There are two pleasures that come from transformation, boy,” he lectured, not even bothering to wipe himself off. He stepped forward and gripped the former-doberman’s chin. There was no resistance. McLeod was his. “First comes the joy of feeling yourself transform. The second…” Then he slowly turned new rhino’s head towards the rest of Arsenal. “… comes from changing others.”

Brightwood’s eyes went wide in terror. “Lars… no! Please!”

But all that remained of the doberman was the desire to change… change himself and others.

The slavering rhino rose to his feet, cock still erect and dripping and rising up to be just as tall as the Gimp.

“I’ll leave them to you,” the Gimp said, patting the rhino’s shoulder.

He turned and strode out of the torture chamber, the screams of Arsenal music to his ears. Spider Queen stood at the doorway, her features marred by a frown.

“What?” he asked. “I thought you’d be pleased with these developments.”

“I am,” answered the Gene Stealer. She held out a small piece of paper. “Until this appeared in front of me.”

Whip was puzzled at that statement until he opened the missive.

All it said was:

‘The safe word is: banana

_ _

_ - Reaper’_