FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Mary did not respond to Swift and Swift did not re-ask her question. Instead, everyone walked in silence down the wide, dark corridor. Mary had pulled her gun and had slid her visor out from its housing once again. She was moving purposely one step ahead, scanning the corridor with her gun. The fact she was so set on looking after them made Gordon feel giddy, though, he tried to supress the artificial feeling as best he could. They walked for some time at Mary's slow pace and all the while, Gordon's body continued to change. He had developed an undeniable feminine shape and he continued to slowly swell as they progressed down the corridor. The fur that had slowly covered his body could no longer really be described as stubble. It was still short and not exactly what you would call soft but it undeniably growing thicker. There was a slight swelling to his face, particularly above his jaw and he couldn't help but run his tongue in-between his lips and his teeth, constantly examining the subtle changes in the shape of his jaw.

He wasn't just changing physically either. He was swinging his hips significantly as he walked, more than could simply be explained by the subtle alterations in the shape of his pelvis. His movements in general were more delicate and feminine without him really realising.

Mary was taking things slowly, scanning with her gun and glancing back occasionally to check how Gordon was doing. He felt flattered by her concern but he couldn't help but dwell on the viscous wound still oozing at her side. "Shouldn't we try and find a first aid kit?" he asked

"I'm fine" came her gruff response

Gordon nodded slightly, though, he wasn't sure it was in agreement. He glanced to Swift, who simply had a smile on her face, looking around like she was a tourist meandering down a high street. "Not long now. It's almost over" said Gordon quietly

For some time all they saw was bare corridor, no doors or adjoining passages. This was at least partially due to the slow pace Mary was setting but eventually they came to a four way intersection. Gordon had felt a tickle at his neck and found that his hair had been slowly, gently growing. He tugged a lock in front of his eyes. Even in the crimson haze he could see it had turned jet black, even darker than his fur.

Mary scanned around the intersection and made an irritated noise "Damn it. I only know she headed down here. I don't know which direction she would have gone" she glanced back to Gordon "Can you check the map? You must still have a tablet right?"

Gordon nodded "W...What am I looking for?" his ears twitched slightly, since when could he twitch his ears?

"Anything that might suggest where Ash went. If you were going to look for comms relays, which way would you go?" came the reply

Gordon bit his cheek lightly and winced, ouch his teeth felt sharp! He ran his tongue over them and they seemed a little pointier. His incisors particularly seemed to have gotten a lot sharper. Oh yeah...map. He had found himself getting quite distractible since the change began. In fairness, it wasn't his fault. His body was sending all sorts of distracting sensations as bits of him shifted and altered. It wasn't just the obvious surface things either that was changing, things beneath the surface were shifting too and each subtle change of his bone structure, of his musculature, of his internal organs sent a strange and distressing sensation to nag at his psyche. No wonder most of the morphs went mad.

"I don't know" he said eventually "There isn't really anything to suggest where the comms lines would be" he lowered his head in shame and rolled his lower lip between his teeth "I'm Sorry" he made a slight whining sound in his throat. Mary had asked him to do one simple task and he had failed.

Mary's eyes contrasted with her tough image. She seemed a little lost for words but it wasn't her that spoke, it was Swift. The cat gave Gordon a friendly pat on the shoulder...well near slap. It stung slightly "It's okay kittycat! We will find her"

Mary gave Swift a slightly dangerous stare "Kittycat?"

Swift blinked a couple times and then gave a slight giggle "I call all the other cats' kittycat!" she tilted her head at Gordon "It's pretty clear she is one. Look at her cute little nose! It's a dead give-away, especially now with her other changes"

Gordon blushed. He should have been annoyed or at the very least felt dehumanised but instead he felt a flush of pleasure. He loved the way Swift had just spoken to him. He wanted to be cute. If Swift wanted him to be her kittycat then put a leash on him and call it a day!

His cheeks were on fire. These flights of fantasy that took him were frightening and frequently aroused him deeply even when they involved fetishes he had never had. His clothes didn't help which were stimulating and hurting him in almost equal measure. He had thought about stripping off more than once and if he had been alone, or perhaps just with Swift he thought he might have. Mary was there though, looking at him with pity. She was a connection to his old life and it made him try harder to hold onto what he once was. He squeezed his eyes closed. He didn't want to see her pity...even if it made him feel good...he was a pathetic kittycat in need of a mistr...No! He had to hold out, there were still things to do.

Mary sighed and slumped slightly against the wall. Had it been anyone else Gordon would have said they were resting but not Mary. She was not the type to lean against walls. The casual motion scared him. It scared him a lot.

"We will just have to wait" she said with a sigh "We can't afford to miss each other...Fuck" she said "If only we had known about the rods"

Gordon looked down. It wasn't his fault but...it felt like his fault. He scratched his ear and shivered. It had grown significantly and it did have a rather feline feel to it. He suspected Swift was right, he was turning into a cat like her, well, not like her obviously. He was not deserving of such a glorious form as hers but even being her shadowed simulacrum would be joy. He sighed slightly and looked around. He hoped the Captain would get back soon. She had always looked out for him, perhaps now she would do so even more.

Gordon rubbed his head trying his best to ignore the rolling flashes of heat that still assaulted him. His bust had now swollen to the point that his breasts were clearly visible under his shirt. He had tightened his belt another notch too, his best attempt at stopping them falling as his waist continued to shrink and yet his ass filled them tightly. He licked his lips slightly as he considered he might have 'no choice' but to remove them soon. If they could no longer contain his bloated ass could Mary really blame him for getting naked? He giggled slightly as he imagined himself lounging on the ground, some shadowed mistress holding his leash as she rested her feet upon him.

"Gordon" came Mary's sharp voice "Stay with us"

Gordon blinked and looked up at her. His hand was between his legs. Had he been masturbating? His face went bright red and he forced himself to think. Had he just been playing with himself in front of Mary?...No...well yes but he had been rubbing his hand over his groin rather than pumping his cock. That wasn't quite as bad but his penis was still standing, swollen against his pants. He looked down and mewled. His voice had pitched up significantly and had gained a somewhat feline hint, a subtle element of hiss that hid within its timbres.

"S...Sorry" he mewled "I'm just so sensitive...m...my clothes are" he shook his head slightly what was he saying.

"Take them off" Mary commanded. She looked to Swift "could you not have grabbed her..." she grimaced slightly "Him something to wear?"

"Oh" said Swift cheerily "I've got lots of things!"

Gordon should have been questioning the sequences of events that had led to the two girls examining one slutty outfit after another trying to decide which was most suitable for him but he was simply far too excited. His face was flushed red of course. He understood that he should be embarrassed about the whole thing but he also couldn't wait to get out of these rough clothes and into something pretty! Gordon did hope it would show off his new figure. He found himself squeezing his chest slightly. They really had been slowly growing under his shirt and had to be near D cups at this point, not as large as Swift and especially not Squash but still, more than enough for his owner to play with.

Swift didn't really seem to understand Mary's issues with much of the clothing and kept suggesting skimpy little numbers that she thought would look cute. It was like she was playing dress up with a little sister whereas Mary seemed to be making a minimal effort to consider Gordons feelings and was trying to pick out something more conservative. In the end they agreed on a simple sun dress. It had come from the Zoo so it was much closer to a cocktail dress with a deep plunging back and low neckline but the skirt hem would come down almost to his knees and it was loose enough to not interfere with further changes.

Gordon would have liked something with leather or latex, maybe a nice collar with something demeaning on the tag but if that's what they wanted him to wear then he would be happy to. He stood naked, shifting from foot to foot, cock a-mast announcing his arousal to the world. Strangely, the embarrassment at being naked while there, was rather muted.

Soon he was dressed in his new black dress and marvelled at the sensation. It was soft and airy. It caressed his body in a most delightful way rather than scraped his sensitive skin painfully. He rubbed his eyes feeling a little overwhelmed "T...Thankyou" he mewled "T...This will help so much"

Mary gave him a strange look which carried a multitude of meanings that Gordon could not hope to unravel. Swift on the other hand released a small squeal and danced like a child "Oh you look so adorable kittycat! They would love you in the Zoo!"

Gordon blushed. The compliment caused all sorts of pleasant sensations to well up within him but he had to concentrate. They had helped him out of those nasty, rough clothes and into this rather lovely, little dress. With the clothing no longer irritating him it should be easier to keep his mind straight. He just had to survive till this was over, after that, he hoped some element of his mind would remain but that was a concern for later. Rescue Sun, after that? If he lost himself so be it. He twiddled with his hair which at this point had moved past his shoulders. Everything would be okay, he was in control now.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. They began to echo down the corridor, quietly at first but soon building into a reverberating mess. It was difficult to judge the distance because of the way it echoed but Gordon stood straighter with a big smile on his face! Soon he and all his cute owners would get out of here and they would be able to get back home. He frowned slightly...wait...something wasn't right. Home? Where was...oh...Toronto, right? How could he forget where he lived? He gave a small nervous giggle. That was a bad sign. They had set the machine to maintain his memories. How could he almost have forgotten that he had done his Masters in Toronto before moving back...uhh...wait.

"Fuck, it's not her" growled Mary in a low voice and she gestured back along the corridor. Swift eeped and quickly turned and started to run, showing off that gorgeous athletic physique. Mary was next, moving with surprising speed down the corridor, though, this time, her hand was clearly held against her side and her breathing was noticeably laboured.

Gordon felt a moment of confusion before he started to run too. He was surprised to find that his body reacted swiftly with an agility he was not born with. He looked down and realised that while not as defined as Swifts, his own muscular physique had been developing underneath his ever plushening fur. Maybe it was a cat thing but he had to admit it felt great. He felt strong, sexy and-

" STOP" came a growled, aggressive rumble.

Submissive...he felt submissive. His whole body froze. He couldn't move a muscle. A quiver ran up his spine as he sensed the predator before he even saw it. Somehow, he knew that a wolf was stalking him, approaching him. It would pounce and devour him like a lamb. Was he salivating? He licked his lips and mewled. He hoped the wolf wouldn't be too rough...well unless he wanted to be. Gordon was a toy to be played with after all, a pet, slut or slave depending on what his owner wanted. All three were appealing in different ways.

"Gordon, what the fuck are you doing" came Mary's pained, urgent voice.

Gordon looked up. Yhe world seemed hazy, like he was observing things through a dream.

Mary's wound was oozing badly. Oh fuck, that looked bad. A wave of concern flooded through Gordon and broke the nanites hold on him, somewhat at least. He was breathing hard and the world seemed to swim and distort. He willed himself to move but he couldn't. The footsteps were getting closer.

"I can't" wailed Gordon "I...I can't...Run" his words echoed from somewhere "Please run" he struggled but he managed to remove his backpack and with what felt like meteoric effort and threw it down the corridor. He almost collapsed. His eyes were watering despite the anticipation of the advancing wolves. "R...Run" he gasped pitifully.

Mary grabbed the bag and gave him a look of...well, it was hard to say. Pity? Anger? Frustration? There were elements of all three. She paused for a moment staring at him. "Fuck!" was all she could say in frustration and she turned and ran after Swift.

The footsteps had quickened in response to Swift and Mary's own echoed strides but it still took the Wolves a little while to appear. Sound really did carry far in this place.

Jackson and Gustav slowed as they appeared, forming out of the red mist from deeper down the tunnel. As they approached Jackson's mad grin took on a tinge of surprise "Well, look what we have here" he growled "It's the fucking engineer" he turned to Gustav, paused and punched him hard in the face. There was a crack and blood exploded from his nose as he fell "She won't fucking escape" you said "She is tied down"

Gustav went down hard clutching at his face. He released a painful, inhuman wail as he hit the ground. A hard, violent thud echoing down deep into the ship. Gustav's breath came raggedly though his damaged nose as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He wiped blood from his face and looked up at Jackson "Someone must have helped her, not my fault"

Gordon winced as the kick caught Gustav in the gut. The bigger wolf's claws tore his side open in a wound shockingly similar to Mary's. Gustav choked and blood spurted from his broken nose, though, to his credit, he didn't release much more than a grunt. He spoke. His voice sounded odd because of his blocked airwaves "The...The Beacon" he offered, pain lightly lacing his voice "We found her...because of me"

Jackson stood at either side of him and slowly crouched, taking the sitting wolf's jaw in his hand. He tilted his head left and then right before suddenly slamming his other hand around his throat causing him to choke. Gustav started to struggle but Jackson squeezed and he stopped, going limp, like a puppy lifted by its scruff.

Part of Gordon wanted to run, to scream in terror and race until his muscles gave up but a far bigger part of him was fascinated by the show of dominance. He wanted to be dominated, perhaps not so violently as that though a little pain might be nice. He was drooling slightly. The two wolves both looked so big and strong, like they could overpower Gordon with the slightest effort and make him their plaything. They could do whatever they wanted to him and he wouldn't be able-

His thoughts were broken by Jacksons low raspy voice "This fucker can fix the damage Bitch did and she almost escaped because you had to join the chase" He turned his head slowly to look at Gordon, madness in his eyes "But we did find her again because of you" his head snapped back. He spoke in a firm but quiet voice. It carried terror "Mess up like this again and I will kill you"

It was a simple statement of fact. No unnecessarily grandeur, no rip you apart, no feed your gizzards to...whatever eats gizzards. No, a simple statement of truth delivered in utmost calm.

Gustav would have nodded but he could barely move. It didn't look like he could even focus his eyes properly. He seemed like he might be on the edge of losing consciousness from Jacksons grip but just in time Jackson stood back and Gustav fell to the ground choking and gasping for air.

"Now" smiled Jackson as if the entire scene had not happened "What do we have here"

Gordon lowered his head as the big wolf approached. The mix of emotions coursing through him had been fighting for supremacy and it seemed awe had won for now. His hands trembled and he bit his lip "N...Nothing" mumbled Gordon "Nothing before you"

Jackson laughed, it was a cruel sound but it sent erotic shivers through Gordon. He looked towards Gustav who had pushed himself back up into a sitting position, still desperately gulping down air "Every time I am impressed. Every time!" he took hold of Gordons head in a disturbingly similar gesture to the way he had grasped Gustav "It doesn't matter how many horny bitches we make, I never stop enjoying seeing the results that the serum creates" he tilted his head left and right "She isn't quite finished but it looks like she will be some kind of housecat, disappointing, I prefer my cats...bigger but I suppose a submissive fuck toy was never likely to be a tiger"

Gordon felt ashamed. He wished he was an impressive cheetah like Swift or a powerful tiger like Jackson wanted but he was as he deserved; a pathetic little black housecat. "S...Sorry" he mewled "I'm Sorry"

Jackson gave another laugh and released him "Well...It looks like the nanites did a good job on the submissive side but let's see how they did at leaving her memories" he looked at her sharply "Where did you go to School"

Gustav's chest was starting to rise and fall at a more normal rate, though, his side was leaking blood badly. The wound had to be at least as large as Mary's but the wolves were inhumanly large and bulky and as a result the wound looked far less serious on him. He looked towards Jackson, face filled with hatred.

"T...Toronto" Gordon mumbled "I got my degree at Toronto"

Jackson delivered a short, sharp slap to Gordons face. He was caught completely by surprise and stumbled sideways, eyes filling with stars. Jackson had not put anywhere near the same force into that strike compared to the one on Gustav but Gordon was still sure his human self would have gone down. Housecat or not this kitty was rather tough.

"That's not what I asked. Where did you go to school"

Gordon screwed up his face and tried to think but he was drawing a blank. Much of his early life seemed to be gone and most of the time before university was a weird dream-like blur that was proving hard to pull details from "I" he started "I don't know...uhm...I think I just went to university"

"You didn't just go to university you stupid fucking Cat, ugh, what the fuck! Those fucking things can never do quite what they are asked"

Gordon flinched and felt his ears flatten against his head. They had gotten way bigger, not to mention that his face now had a distinct muzzled shape to it. He felt like he should say something but no words would come, so he just looked at the ground.

"Maybe he still remembers what we need" hoarsely groaned Gustav "If he still remembers university"

Jackson frowned slightly and looked at Gordon "What's the second law of thermodynamics"

Gordon was breathing heavily. Jacksons slap still stung and the flesh felt a little warm. He had to admit that it actually felt kind of good, though, he wasn't sure that Jackson could really control himself and found the idea of engaging in pain play with the wolf far more frightening than arousing. "Entropy in a system can only increase...unless there is interference from an external source"

Jackson paused and nodded his head "Good, though, any high school student could answer that one." Jackson ran through a couple more questions of escalating difficulty and in each case Gordon answered correctly. This continued until Jackson reached the limits of his knowledge.

Jackson looked at Gordon with a wide toothy grin on his face. Suddenly, without warning, he raised his head and howled. A single long piercing note that filled the corridor. It echoed back on itself again and again, multiplying until it sounded like an entire pack of wolves were announcing their triumph.

In the end though there was only one. Gustav sat in silence, hand clutching his side, staring with hatred at Jackson.

Jackson ended his howl and grinned silently as he waited for the rest of his 'pack' to stop their own cries. He gripped Gordons chin again, squeezing hard enough that Gordon heard the bone creak and he tasted a hint of blood where his cheek pushed against his sharp incisors. "You are going to follow us cat and when we get to engineering you are going to first get main power back on and then the computer core. Understand?"

Gordon nodded, well he tried. Jackson sensed the attempted movement and that it seemed, was enough. He looked sideways at Gustav "Get the fuck up. We are to be the new alpha race. You are a fucking embarrassment"

Jackson seemed completely oblivious to the hatred carried in Gustav's gaze. It was obvious to Gordon but then what was he to a quarry between masters. Jackson released him and started down the corridor. After a few steps he paused and looked back "Watch the rear Gustav" he growled "If you let her escape again...well. You know where you stand"

Gustav met his gaze for less than a second before lowering his head. Jackson was right, he knew where he stood.

Gordon walked between the two wolves. It was strange in some ways. It had been some time since he had moved openly like this without at least trying to minimise the sound of his footsteps. Despite the silence he was still a tumble of emotions ranging from fear to awe. A significant part of him understood the situation was a complete mess. A significant part of him wanted to get away from the wolves, to run screaming, but the simple fact was that a far larger part of him wanted to submit to them, to be their toy, to be their plaything.

An element of this was that there was simply no way to escape. They were bigger, stronger and faster than him. They flanked him on both sides and Jackson in particular terrified him. Had there actually been a chance of escape then the part of him that was still Gordon. The part that was scared, that wanted to rescue Sun and wanted to stay loyal to his Captain. It might have been able to win, even if just for a moment.

He frowned for a moment. The part of him that was Gordon. Well, that implied that part of him was not Gordon, did it not? And if so who was he...or she. He glanced down at his form and bit his lip slightly, the other part was definitely she. 'Her' hips and ass had swollen even more during the wolves march and 'her' ears and face had largely finished developing into their feline shape. There had been other changes too. His sight and hearing had improved dramatically over the last fifteen minutes and although the corridor did not appear much brighter, it was a little like someone had turned up the contrast and he could now make out the dusky corners that had previously only been a foreboding darkness. He could pick up new sounds as well, the slow gnashing of Jacksons teeth and the subtle grunts from Gustav as he dealt with his wound. Gordons' ears swivelled cutely in response to each source of sound.

As Gordon made his transition he was strangely philosophical about his changes. The part of her that wasn't Gordon needed, well, an identity. Jackson had called her Cat but that was a descriptive name at best. A good pet was given a name, perhaps she could ask for one? He shook his head slightly, No, he had called her Cat. That would be good enough until something better was offered up.

Jackson hit a button and a door slid open in front of him, only the security doors were secured by quantum codes and the interior doors opened easily at Jackson's request. "Not far now" rumbled Jackson

Ok so Cat...Gordon and Cat. He grunted slightly, a high pitched mewl as he felt his cock tug beneath him. It had been erect for some time, not much he could do about it with the constant stimulation. He had wanted to masturbate but there had always been a reason not to. He had been running his fingers gently up and down its length for some time now to try and satisfy his body's demands but it hadn't really been working, in fact, if anything, it was making it worse. The hot flushes that had been bothering him earlier had largely stopped but heat was radiating out from his groin and chest and the more he tried to satisfy it the worse it got.

Gordon and Cat continued moving with a slightly dream like expression. He mewled softly, mostly to himself as he tried to deal with the strange duality to his nature. He was starting to question that too. He had been thinking of Cat and Gordon as almost being different people but were they really? Or were they just different aspects of the same whole. He didn't really feel so much like Gordon any more. Maybe it would be okay to just be Cat. Cat and Gordon were the same after all. It wasn't like Cat didn't contain elements of Gordon. Okay, it was decided. She felt better just being Cat for now.

She groaned, mewling as her cock leaked pre into her delicate paw. It didn't help that her hands were so gentle now. Her fingers long and skilled, topped with tiny claws that tantalised her shaft with just the slightest hint of pain. Jackson looked back with a grin but said nothing.

So, Cat it was, at least until someone gave her a better name. Gordon was still there somewhere, at least if you subscribed to the idea they were different...she wasn't sure if she did any more. She mewled out loud as she stumbled. Why did it feel so good? Why was her other hand now playing with her fat nipple? Couldn't the lust at least wait until she had finished her existential crisis?

Jackson raised his hand and stopped "I think our slutty little Cat needs a few moments to shed the remnants of her man hood" he dropped down onto his haunches "Perhaps you would like to put on a show for us?"

Cat mewled. For a moment, the idea of putting on a show, of turning the loss of her cock into some kind of sick fucking entertainment for these wolves was truly horrifying but the horror was soon washed away by a powerful wave of arousal. It was just all so humiliating. They were going to watch her lose her last verges of manhood and she was going to enjoy showing them.

Cat slumped with a small moan against the cold metal facade of the engineering tunnel. Her breath was coming in deep gulps as she clutched her cock tightly, slowly running her claws gently up its surface. She wasn't trying to hide what she was doing any more. They wanted to see and if that's what they wanted so be it. She started working the shaft with one hand while the other squeezed her chest hard, her fingers sinking deep into the pliant flesh. She mewled, panting, eyes darting from one wolf to the other as she gauged their reaction.

Her actions had a rather instantaneous effect on both wolves. There heavy, crimson cocks almost seeming to glow beneath the ruby emergency lights as they pushed slowly from their furry sheaths. Jackson roughly clutched his with a clawed paw while Gustav...well Gustav seemed to ignore it. His member made it clear that he was becoming aroused by Cat's mewling actions but the rest of his body language didn't reflect this. He took a step back, leant against the wall and folded his arms. He glanced at Cat from moment to moment but his stare was mainly fixed on Jackson.

Cat was not expecting to feel disappointment but she did. She understood that the two wolves seemed to have a somewhat complicated power dynamic but the limited reaction from Gustav to her lewd show bothered her significantly. She wanted to please both her masters oh so much. After all, that was all she was good for. She moaned lewdly and bounced her hips. She would need to redouble her efforts.

Cat was not sure her cock had ever been this hard before. The shaft throbbed almost painfully as she squeezed and tugged with a delicate hand, positioning herself to give the two wolves a full view of her actions. The effect on Jackson was immediate and obvious as he tilted his head back and released a low reverberating growl. Even Gustav seemed to be panting a little, although he wasn't actively masturbating. That made her feel a little better. Gustav was not immune to her, uhm, charms? After all.

She panted, mewling, leaning against the wall. A tiny part of her, something very deep was screaming. This was wrong, so very wrong but every silent shout to stop, every plea to resist was overwhelmed, swept away by her desire to obey the wolves commands, to give them the show they desired. The tiny voice wanted to silence her moans, bite back her mewls but she ignored it, if anything she exaggerated them, mewling loudly, staring at the wolves with a half lidded, seductive stare. Drooling from a maw that she could have closed with effort but wouldn't.

She angled herself to give the pair a good view of her dwindling member and let her body writhe against the cold metallic wall. She let her body move in a way that felt natural, allowing her free hand to roam her body slowly. She raised her hand to her face and licked the palm before caressing her breast, squashing the nipple and causing the skin to glisten stickily in the ruby red light. She felt a moment's shame at her actions but in the end that just fed back into the cycle of pleasure and masochistic lust. In a horrifying moment of clarity she realised the insidious nature of her imposition. A creature aroused by shame and humiliation would only be driven higher by the understanding of her fall. Each little flare of Gordon that tried to convince her this was wrong, only made things worse. There would be no moment of realisation for her, no chance to escape. There was no real opportunity to shake off the thrall of her transformation. Each horrified moment of clarity, each temporary realisation just heightened her arousal.

Jackson took a half step towards her, his face a mask of cruel lust. Cat could not help but wonder if this would continue to be a solo show or if the wolves would eventually join in. she wasn't sure how she felt about that, there was something dehumanising about them getting off to her without actually touching her. The idea that she was such an object of arousal that playing with herself was enough for them. She really rather liked that idea. On the other hand, she could imagine those big meaty crimson cocks impaled deep into her. The wolves using her roughly until she could no longer move. Both options seemed so appealing! Oh well...her fate was for her masters to decide, she was after all, just their toy to be used as they willed. She let her lusty gaze fall to Gustav. He now had a hand firmly clutched around his cock, though, he just seemed to be holding it. His gaze was still largely focused on Jackson.

A sudden shock of pain caused Cat's eyes to bulge and a mewl of shocked pain to escape from her mouth. Something had poked her hard just above her ass. The unexpected sensation interrupted her focus and she lost her footing, slipping from where she was writhing against the wall and falling hard onto her swollen ass. She let out a little cry as a powerful shock vibrated through her spine. She bit her lip to help control her voice, the shock shaking her from the grasps of her masochistic revelry. That had hurt a little too much. She realised rather quickly that the masochistic part of her didn't actually like pain all that much after all. That had been significantly more painful than a gentle scratch of her claws or the strong grip of the wolves. She shifted round, her current task almost forgotten to see a thick, furry nub emerging from just above her ass. It was slowly expanding, flowing out into an obvious tail. Her eyes widened in excitement. While it was not quite enough to make her forget about her bruised ass it was still very exciting. She rubbed her rear lightly as she watched the tail wind out. A good kitty should definitely have a tail. Would she be complete after this?

She struggled to her feet trying to ignore the dull throbbing in her back, rubbing her ass as the pain started to fade. She was half way back to her feet when Jacksons hand unexpectedly pinned her to wall, his enormous hand circling her neck.

"What kind of clumsy bullshit was that" growled Jackson, his voice pained with arousal "I expect better from my sluts"

Cat mewled slightly as she shifted in his grip "S...Sorry" had her voice raised more? It was certainly completely feminine at this point; all traces of her masculinity long since gone. The feral, feline undertones seemed stronger too with a high tension hiss seeming to wind its way through her vocal timbre. "M...My tail...I was surp--"

Her eyes went wide as Jackson cut her off with an aggressive kiss. His maw engulfed hers, huge sloppy tongue forcing its way into her mouth. Her much smaller form writhed against his and she could feel his enormous member press against her crotch as her own delicate fingers wrapped around her own. Her tail was squashed between her bulk and the wall and she could feel it slowly shifting, gaining length. It tickled as it moved, a somewhat unpleasant sensation actually but with the flood of sensations overflowing her it was largely drowned out.

She couldn't see what Gustav was doing. The wolves were huge hulking creatures and the dark grey mass of Jackson tinged crimson by the emergency lights filled her vision. She continued to work her own member, shame at its tiny nature compared to Jackson's inhuman shaft feeding her lust.

The pair writhed against each other as Jackson pushed her roughly into the wall. Cat returned Jacksons sloppy kiss as best she could but really he had no interest in her contribution to this furry mess. He was in total control and she was pinned heavily enough that her movements were severely impaired. She could feel his pre, messily spurting into her thick, soft fur while her own pre was spurting occasionally from a member that was less than half the size it had started.

To Cat's surprise Jackson pulled violently back causing her to eep and collapse to her knees. She looked up just in time to see him cum, great strings of milky white goop reflecting the crimson light in weird ways, appearing almost neon as it spurted forth right into her face. She was already a mess, her fur matted with copious amounts of Jackson's slick saliva but now, she was being covered in his gloopy cum, splattering her face, boobs and dress.

Jackson's mouth hung open, tongue lolling as he exploded again and again. His aroused grunts caused Cat to flinch slightly, his madness evident even in those rumbling tones. As he spurted, ropes of sticky goo even landed neatly in her open, drooling mouth as she continued to pump her own tiny cock. By the time the wolf had finished Cat was a total mess, painted head to toe in Jackson's seed.

Jackson took a step back and released the grip on his swollen cock, lust still heavy in his voice "How fucking hot is that" he said, pointing a clawed finger at the cat "I fucking love this serum."

Gustav just grunted in response. His gaze was still largely focused on Jackson and it looked like he had moved slightly while Cat's vision was blocked. Had he considered attacking Jackson during their embrace? There was a whole sequence of events she had missed. Gustav was holding his wound. He was still losing blood. Perhaps Jackson had hurt him more than she thought.

"Swallow it" command Jackson and her attention returned to the bigger wolf. She obeyed immediately, swallowing down the salty goo that had landed in her maw. She mewled in pleasure. It didn't taste particularly nice though neither was it all that unpleasant. It was, however, a gift from her master. She licked her lips and opened her mouth to show him it was gone.

Jackson straightened and grinned, his own cock having only softened slightly. "Well isn't she eager to please and they say you can't train cats" Cat's tail was still slowly winding out behind her. Large, plush and swaying on its own. He glanced back at Gustav, seemingly oblivious to his hate "Do you want a turn with her?"

Gustav shook his head curtly, jaw firm, though, there was pre leaking down his own cock. He had removed his hand but his arm was twitching slightly. Jackson just gave him a grin, his eyes shining red in the emergency lights like an uncorrected photo "Suit yourself"

Cat had leaned back slightly from where she had fallen to her knees to give the pair a good look at her groin. She had returned to working her tiny shaft, panting slightly as she marvelled in the hot sticky mess that covered her fur. It should have made her feel sick but for now at least it just made her aroused. Over the last few hours her fur had grown in thick and plush, a far cry from the weird stubble that had seemed to cover her body earlier. Jackson moved forward with a lazy, dangerous stride. He positioned his cock just in front of her face "Clean it"

Cat shivered and leaned forward, eyes half closed. Her tongue lolled, saliva reflecting the dull red light as she wrapped her feline maw slowly around his pulsing red shaft. It was huge and strangely bulbous with an obvious thick knot at the end. Had she still been human she was pretty sure she would have dislocated her jaw but her muzzle could open wider and sat deeper. She slowly slid it into her mouth, eyelids fluttering as she went.

This was clearly not fast enough for Jackson because his enormous meaty hands caught Cat around the back of her head and impaled her hard onto his meat. Again and again he thrust with little regard for Cat's comfort or safety. She gasped for air when she could, eyes half closed staring up at the powerful wolf. Although part of her protested at the rough treatment, the prevailing sensation was one of arousal, pleasure at being treated like his toy. As he rocked her, she struggled to properly pump her own cock and had settled into simply running the palm of her hand rapidly back and forth over the surface of her groin, stimulating the ever shrinking nub with each pass.

She couldn't tell what Gustav was doing. All she could see was Jackson's crotch being repeatedly slapped into her face while she bounced and writhed under his rough grip. Her oversized chest wobbled with each thrust while her hips jerked with each pass of her palm. She found herself trying to steady herself against his leg with one hand while the other desperately stimulated her sex but Jackson did not care whether her position was comfortable and such were his thrusts, that her hand kept slipping, causing her back to jerk awkwardly.

Soon the wolf exploded once again. This time deep into her maw. Her eyes bulged as cum spurted into her mouth in a steady torrent exploding out around the edges where his cock almost plugged her face. Her crazed massaging of her own cock went into overdrive, though it was barely more than a nub at this point, hovering over the beginning of a fleshy opening. She tried to pull back from Jackson as her mouth filled with goop but he held her steady, drowning her in seed until her lungs began to burn and more and more of his milk spilled from her mouth over her chin and down her front.

Eventually he released her, pulling back with an audibly wet pop. Cat fell to the floor where her body twitched and writhed. She felt mad with desire, lungs burning as she spluttered to breath with a mouth full of cum. Her frayed nerves were on edge having not yet come herself and her hand mindlessly assaulted the tiny remnants of her cock. Jackson looked down at the feline mess before him, gasping for air, while simultaneously spurting cum from her maw with each ragged gulp. Her dress was ruined, one shoulder strap torn completely while her face and front was slimy from his efforts.

Jackson started to laugh as she mewled, eyes squeezed shut, writhing in a pool of cum "Now, now, you know the rules" he grinned "Swallow it and then clean yourself up" he dropped down to his haunches "I thought Cats were clean animals" He spoke in low tones, though, you could hear the sharp edge of arousal still in his voice "Look at you, you filthy pig. Perhaps we should have considered a barnyard theme when training the nanites."

She groaned. Her fingers had slipped into her opening now, though, the nub sitting above was still technically her tiny cock. Her mind was honestly not fully engaged but a few key phrases were registering and his demeaning words were just raising her arousal to new heights.

"I thought I said" came Jackson's voice, the aroused edge giving way to a dangerous undertone "That you were to clean yourself up"

Cat came. Her tiny cock spraying a surprising amount of cum from its miniature girth across the floor beneath her. It was nothing compared to the torrents produced by Jackson but considering what she was working with, it was still extremely impressive. She vibrated violently with each spurt and each time, the nub grew smaller and sprayed less. The opening grew wider and leaked more. A second finger joined the first and then a third. She mewled like an animal in heat, crying out in uncontrolled lust. She writhed on the ground, further soaking the mixture of juices into her fur, barely able to focus her eyes on anything.

"Who" growled Jackson "Said you could enjoy yourself"

Part of Cat wanted to react but the potent sensations were overwhelming and even the need to obey Jackson could not overcome the strength of her orgasm. Part of her was horrified that she was not obeying. A voice was screaming in her mind, commanding her to move. To lick. To do as she was told. It was however simply impossible. Her muscles were spasming involuntarily and her fingers were reacting to a far more primal need than any artificial submissiveness placed upon her by the Wolves.

"Fucking useless cat. Should have made you a dog like Bitch. They know how to obey" came Jackson's voice, the edge of danger suddenly far more present than a few moments ago. Cat's unfocused eyes saw his foot swing back. He meant to kick her. She gasped slightly and tried to will herself to move but she was still a slave to the rushing flood of sensations and instead, she could only watch as time seemed to slow. Jackson's foot slowly wound further back.

"Engineer" growled Gustav "She is the fucking engineer or did you forget already"

Jackson stopped. He turned on Gustav, eyes flashing with anger. He reared back and struck out with a closed fist but the injured wolf was ready and raised an arm to quickly deflect it. He was less successful in avoiding the follow up gut punch and Jacksons strike actually raised him slightly off the ground, saliva spraying from his shocked mouth.

Gustav slumped again the wall, choking, blood oozing fresh and angry from his earlier wound "Don't tell me what to do with my property" Jackson said in a low, calm voice. He turned to Cat who had managed to get enough control back to push on to hands and knees although her hips were still jerking from powerful aftershocks "Clean yourself up" he said in an equally calm voice "And then meet me at the primary power core. I know you know where it is"

Jackson paused and then stormed off down the corridor leaving the cum-stained Cat to pull off her dress and start cleaning her fur with her tongue. The injured Gustav leaned against the wall slowly catching his breath.

Mary slung the bag over her shoulder, its contents rattling as she moved. She winced slightly as the edge swung round and caught the side of that damn wound. For a moment, she felt a flush of anger that she could not completely ignore the pain. The wound was bad but she did not have time for weakness. Things were not going well and she needed to be strong. The cat, Swift, seemed to be bounding fairly easily alongside her, though, her face bore a hint of confusion as if she was not quite able to parse the situation. The cat was a problem for later though.

The sound of their pursuers had stopped, likely because they had reached Gordon. Despite this, echoed noises continued to flow up the corridor, low rumbles and thumps that sent goose bumps running up Mary's spine. She came to a slow stop, breathing heavily, letting her hand gently put pressure on her side. The bleeding had never really stopped. The wolves claws were wide and heavy, nothing like an actual canines and the level of damage was more than her body could really deal with. If she had the Doctor's first aid kit then perhaps she could have done something but even binding it with cloth had not helped much. The wound was simply too deep. In the end, she had given up trying to bandage it.

Swift came to a stop too, tilting her head slightly, looking back further down the corridor "W...What should we do? Uhm...should we hide perhaps? I don't think they will forgive me for helping you"

Mary took a moment to look over the cheetah. She knew obviously that such creatures were manufactured on the Odyssey. She had read the memos and attended the briefings but it was still a little shocking to see one in the flesh. She paused for a moment "Swift right?" her voice was slightly ragged and there was an edge of irritation. She had left Gordon behind but then, what had she been meant to do? If she had another smoke grenade then she might have been able to do something. She might have been able to get Gordon out in the confusion but there had not really been anywhere to go. Back at the bar they had managed to slip through a small serving window into the kitchen and out into the adjacent gift shop. Here? They would catch them as soon as they left the cloud.

Swift nodded "Yup...uhm...I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name" she shifted her stance slightly "Are you all right?"

Mary very quickly released her side and anger bubbled through the calm surface she was trying to maintain. She was a trained soldier who had been on dozens of dangerous missions. She did not need sympathy from some fantasy fuck toy "Mary" she said gruffly "And I'm fine" she glanced back down the corridor as a particularly heavy thump echoed up from the ship. Whatever was happening down there was bad and Gordon was at the centre of it. Mary racked her brain for a solution but she had none. She hated feeling helpless and pulled back to punch the wall in frustration, stopping herself at the last second. The wolves did not need an echoed thump to remind them that they were still there.

She looked up at Swift and made a decision "We are heading back to the emergency beacon. The Captain should find us there and then...and then" she shook her head slightly and hardened her expression "Well, that we will work out. Follow me. We are going to move slowly to minimize echoes"

Swift just nodded slightly wide eyed. She fell in behind Mary and the pair began to work their way up the corridor. Mary could feel her wound slowly leaking at her side. The run had not been kind and she was starting to lose blood again. It seemed like every time the bleeding began to slow a little she was forced to aggravate it. She wondered how long it would be until it significantly impaired her performance. didn't matter. She was probably going to die out here but until she fell, she was going to fucking fight.

Her mind drifted to her sister, Rose. It always did during Black Missions. If she died, Rose would have no idea what had happened, instead, in a few weeks, Mary would die during some routine operation or there would be an accident during training. That's how it went if you died on a black mission. Mary's end would be routine and all Rose would be left with was her underline. That's what they called it, the danger money that was passed to your family if you died. Your underline, because that was it, the final entry on your ledger, the final page in your book.

She looked once again over at Swift. the girl was certainly attractive and surprisingly athletic. She was shapely but the defined musculature was not something Mary had expected to be present on the morphs. She gave a small sigh "What's your story then?"

Swift looked back as she walked with a slow grace "My story? Uhm? Well, as I said, I work at the Zoo. It's a strip club in the-"

"No" cut in Mary "I'm not asking what you do, I'm asking how you got here. You weren't always a Cat. Did the wolves do that to you?"

Swift shook her head and then paused with a frown "Well...sort of. I joined the ship while they were still human. You know, before they used the serum on themselves"

Mary furrowed her brow slightly and nodded "Did they kidnap you?"

Swift stopped and scrunched up her nose as if trying to answer a difficult question "Kidnapped?" she bit her lip slightly "I don't remember much from before I changed. It's all kind of all fuzzy."

Mary's breath caught slightly. She would quite happily murder all those fucking wolves. What they did here was awful and a vicious crime against humanity. How many lives had they destroyed and for what? Money? Sex? She shook her head and tried to push it to the side. She was a professional. She did not have time to get distracted by emotions. She had to find the Captain and tell her what had happened. Let her make a decision.

"How about you?" asked Swift "What's your...story" she stumbled over the words slightly as if the phrase was unfamiliar. She looked over with an innocent smile, an artificial enthusiasm that had been imposed on her. Mary felt a slight shiver and she started walking again, so did Swift.

"Not much to tell" she said gruffly "two tours with the Europa Defence Force, four years with a bodyguard service in Seville and finally I have spent the last three years with Precision doing whatever they want me to"

"Sounds exciting" smiled Swift enthusiastically "I have only ever been on the Odyssey. It must be amazing to get to travel"

Mary frowned at her as she turned a corner heading down one of the narrow access tunnels "I thought you said you joined the ship. Surely that means you have been other places?"

"Oh" said Swift with a frown "Well, I suppose that's true but I remember so little. Unless I really think about it it's hard to imagine I have been anywhere else. I suppose you are right, I have a few images, a few sounds. A face or two"

Mary made a small noise as she reached the emergency beacon. The Captains tablet was still wired in generating the signal. It was a long game they were playing. Should Ash find the relay she would have had to come back and retrieve the tablet but they had decided that leaving it here to try and locate Gordon and Borys was worth the risk. It had almost worked.

Mary paused and leaned against the wall trying to pretend the journey had not fatigued her. Her body demanded air but she forced her lungs to breathe normally and ignored the warm burn that pulsed across her front. "I'll punish them for what they've done" she said to the smiling cheetah "Somehow"

They had travelled far enough that most of the echoes from the wolves no longer really reached them but the occasional dull echo did drift up, causing Mary's jaw to tighten. They were either getting closer, heading this way or the noise was loud enough to travel far into the ship. Either way, it wasn't good and she worried for Gordon. When the horrific wolf-pack howl thundered through the passageway she almost turned back alone to find him.

At first, even though she knew it was unfair, she could not help but feel angry when she looked at Swift. She was a living reminder of all the cruelty and pain caused by the ships scientists but as they waited and exchanged words, anger was replaced by a certain fascination. Swift was in many ways quite different from what she had expected. There was little doubt that the cat was a sexual being. She seemed to struggle with periodic arousal and started groping herself more than once before seeming to remember she had company. When they spoke, however, she seemed much more like a slightly dim, energetic girl that could have been found in any club or bar. Swift's foundations had been ripped away and as such her house sat upon the Zoo, the only home she had ever known. In some ways Mary was impressed that Swift had managed to maintain any kind of depth to her personality when she had been given so little to build upon.

Her figure too was somewhat of a surprise. She supposed it made sense for a Cheetah but Mary had expected all the morphs would all be over sexualised dolls; enormous busts, tiny waists and swollen asses but Swift had a very athletic look to her. Sure, her figure was still rather exaggerated but nothing like to the same degree most of the girls she had seen in pictures and, well, not even to the degree Gordon had been.

Mary was not sure how much time had passed when the approaching footsteps broke her from her musings. For a moment she was worried it might be the wolves and it seemed going by her sudden concerned expression, Swift thought just that but the wolves were massive, hulking beasts. The approaching footsteps were clearly human and just as the grin broke across Mary's face, Ash appeared around the corner.

Mary's grin faltered slightly as she straightened. Her wound had been sitting still for a short while and in places the blood had thickened a little. It complained angrily at her movement and the shot of pain that lanced through her might have floored a lesser person. Mary however pretended like her eyelids hadn't flickered or that her fists hadn't tightened. She pretended there had been no pain at all.

Ash jogged, grim faced down the service corridor. She looked rough, skin stained with grime and hair hanging damp with sweat. She had escaped serious injury unlike Mary but her fatigue scarred her like a wound. Still, her expression was one of determination and that was all that mattered "I had to wait for a fucking wolf patrol to pass. I thought they might have detected the beacon." she made a small noise of irritation "I am glad you're okay..." she paused as she saw Swift "Who is this?"

"Ah, I am Swift" the cheetah said bowing her head slightly "You must be Captain?"

Ash stared for a second before looking to Mary. No words were exchanged but her expression demanded an explanation.

"Swift" Mary began "Is one of the morphs from the Forbidden Zone. She was with Gordon"

"Gordon was here?" burst in Ash "Where is he?"

Mary noticeably hesitated, looking down slightly "The wolves got him. They fucked him up pretty good Captain. When I saw him he was turning into some kind of Cat" she gestured at Swift "Like her. He couldn't resist them. He was trying. I could see it"

"Fuck!" Ash exclaimed "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Do you know where they took him? Did you see any sign of Borys?"

Mary shook her head "No, but it seems likely they are going to try and make him fix the ship. As for Borys." She paused and sighed, a hint of the fatigue slipping into her voice "Gordon said they got him too. He tried to save him but he was deep in the Zone. Transformed, again, like her"

Ash sighed and placed a hand against the wall "I found the relay but I don't think I will be able to set it up without the blueprints. It's a custom build and nothing like the ones I am familiar with" she paused and looked up to Mary "One by one we dwindle. We have to make them pay. We won't go down for free,"

Mary paused and shook the bag resting on her shoulder "Probably, but maybe not. Gordon gave me this before he was captured. It contains control rods for the Pirate Vessel. It's nuclear Ash. That's why you couldn't get the reactor online"

Ash blinked and a wave of anger flooded her face "Oh for...I should have known. I thought there was no way it could be a model one but fuck." She glanced at the bag "I don't know if I can get the reactor online. I might, but really we need Gordon" she glanced at Swift again as if unsure how to address her presence "How many wolves were there, is there any chance we can get him back?"

"I don't know" said Mary "We heard them before we saw them. We ran but Gordon wouldn't follow. He froze up when they shouted stop. The way this place echoes it could have been one or it could have been a fucking army...I don't know if you heard the howl, certainly sounded like a pack of them"

Ash shivered "I heard it. Sounded like a lot but who knows. Could have just been a couple. It was worse than that fucking things laugh earlier."

Mary pushed up and slung the bag around her shoulder "Well. Let's find out. If we are going to die, let's do it saving Gordon"

A slight grin broke across Ash's face "We will pay their underline in blood Mary and somehow, we will get the fuck off this ship and make a whole bunch more people pay"

Mary returned the Captains grin with a slight smile. It was all bullshit of course. If they got in and out with Gordon it would be a fucking miracle. They were going on a suicide mission and they knew it, still, what other options did they have? Suicide missions didn't seem so bad when it was the only thing on the menu.

"Uhm" said Swift "What about me?"

Ashley frowned "Yes what about you? Can you fight?"

Swift blinked "Well, I, Uhm..." she looked thoughtful. It was like she had never considered that question before. After a short pause she offered "...I have claws"

The journey back down the corridor was tense if silent. The trio exchanged few words as they moved slowly, trying to minimise the echoes that plagued anyone trying to move through these halls. They had examined their maps and determined that the power core was the mostly likely destination if they wanted him to fix the ship. It wasn't guaranteed but they had to choose somewhere. Ash seemed confident it was the right choice and that was good enough for Mary.

It took perhaps half an hour to reach the junction where Gordon had been captured. Ash paused and crouched with a frown on her face at the strange gooey mess that coated the floor. "Blood" she said " and some gooey mess. I'm not sure what it is but I have my suspicions"

"Cum" offered Swift "Pretty sure its wolf cum. It has kind of a distinctive smell"

Ashley straightened and gave her a flat look that made it clear she had already known "Yes, it's cum"

"Fuck. How can there be so much" Mary said almost in a whisper

The captain stepped over it carefully and paused "Gordon wasn't injured was he?"

Mary shook her head "No...but then we don't know what happened after we left. It's been more than an hour"

Ashley gestured at the pooled blood "Let's hope it was one of the wolves. Any advantage we can get"

Mary nodded. Perhaps it was one of the wolves that got fucked up at the bar. She glanced at her own side. She knew just how much those fuckers hurt. If they were injured too...She gave a small sigh "Rose...I might see you again after all"

The words were under her breath but Ash glanced momentarily in her direction. Her expression was blank, almost unreadable. "We need to move on" she said "I don't know how time sensitive things are but keep steady. With the echoes I doubt we can catch them by surprise but let's try and minimize their warning"

They continued to walk, Mary stony faced, wiping an uncharacteristic amount of sweat from her brow. The dull, crimson lighting was getting to her and part of her felt like the light was fading slightly. She kept swivelling her head, forcing herself to focus on Ash and Swift. She was trying and convince herself that her vision wasn't swimming. She told herself that she had been hurt before and that the light headedness was just a result of the constant ruby light, not a side effect from the blood loss. She knew it was a convenient lie.

It didn't matter if it was a lie though. She had to go on: For Rose. For Gordon. For Ash. She glanced at the lithe moving cat. Perhaps even for Swift. She had not known her for very long and had to admit that her initial reaction had not been positive but Swift hadn't asked for any of the things that had happened to her, and somehow, despite everything, she managed to maintain a cheery demeanour. She had started to think of Swift less as a symbol of what the wolves had done and more like an opportunity to spit in their eye, a chance to take one of their toys away from them.

She tried to keep her attention in front as she walked but she felt a like a growing shadow was casting its darkness upon her. She couldn't stop her thoughts turning to her Sister. Rose had never wanted her to join the Army and she most certainly had not wanted her to join Precision. Rose had always wanted her to go into competition lifting. She had competed at an amateur level and had been good at it but there was no money there. Rose had always said they would manage, that it was more important that they were together. Rose said that she didn't care about money, only family.

Her eyes were watering slightly and for the second time in the same day she had to brush tears from her eyes. She was a professional and this was shameful. No matter how her head pounded and her side ached she had a job to do.

The lights of the hallway sprung to life and Mary immediately stopped and scoped her rifle. After a tense moment she quickly released it. There was no immediate danger but some reactions were hard wired. Ashley looked similarly tense as she shielded her eyes from the sudden glare. She was biting her lip and a trickle of blood ran down her chin.

"That's main power" she said with urgency "Computer core is next. If they get that on, the engines will not be far behind. We have to hurry"

Mary nodded and clutched her side as the group increased their pace "You got any more gas grenades?" asked Ashley

Mary shook her head "No. Just my rifle and a couple shaped charges. Enough rifle shots and they should go down, especially if you catch them right. A couple of blasts to the head might do it"

Ashley nodded tensely and looked sideways to Swift who was smiling nervously "Intel? Insights? How do you kill these fucking things?"

Swifts mouth trembled a little "I don't know. I normally just dance"

Mary looked down. Fuck her head was thumping. If only she had the medical pack perhaps she could do something. She looked sideways at Swift and felt a terrible pang of sadness for the Cheetah. Of all the people mixed up in this she seemed the least deserving. "Maybe we should have Swift wait behind."

Ash glanced back before shaking her head "I'll keep her with me. From what I understand, if they catch her she is in trouble anyway. There is nowhere to go on the ship, especially once the computer core is on and the ships sensors are up"

Mary sighed and nodded. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.

The trio jogged on for another ten minutes or so and Mary held her side the entire way. She had been trying to act like it was okay earlier but it wasn't working now. The edges of her vision were definitely blurring and her head felt like someone was using it to shake dice. She kept telling herself that there would be a medical bay on the pirate ship and she would be okay. Ashley was something of a jack of all trades and even without the Doc she could manage but some part of her didn't really believe that.

Eventually they arrived at the power core and sure enough when Mary poked her head around the corner, there they were. Two wolves and what used to be Gordon. Mary and Ash moved slowly, positioning themselves where they could see into the room clearly. It was dangerous but crouched as they were, using the scopes on their guns, it was fairly unlikely the wolves would spot them.

"Is...is that Gordon?" hissed Ash quietly as she examined the curvy black cat working at one of the computer consoles.

Mary nodded "He didn't look quite like that last I saw him but...yes. That's him"

"Bastards" growled Ash "And look at how casually they are acting. They don't even fucking care that we are out here. They aren't even listening, only reason they didn't hear us approach is they seem to be having some big fucking conversation"

Mary frowned. That wasn't quite what she was seeing. One of the wolves, the larger one, was speaking but the smaller one was quite different. He wasn't saying much beyond the occasional one word reply. He was standing a little to the side, leaning against one of the unused engineering consoles.

"Look" said Mary gesturing at the smaller wolf "That one is injured. Looks like someone took a swipe at him. Guess it was one of the ones that got injured in the bar brawl"

"Good" nodded Ashley "We need any edge we can get. Now..." her voice faltered slightly "We just need a plan"

"Why don't you ask her to run?" said Swift.

The pair flinched slightly, not realising that Swift had moved up silently next to them. They paused and turned "Ask?"

Swift nodded and frowned slightly "They made her really timid. If you tell her to come and they don't react quickly, well, you might be able to grab her and run. You can shoot them with your laser thingies to distract them and then we can all run-away"

Ash gave her a rye look "I thought you morphs were all dumb fuck toys"

Swift gave a slight giggle "Squash always said I wasn't totally stupid"

"Who is Squash? You know, doesn't matter" growled Ash looking back to her scope "...It's a stupid plan" she said causing Swift's face to fall slightly "But...it might work." She glanced to Mary "Mary?"

"He completely froze when they shouted Stop. It might work. I think he would obey if you called but if they interrupted and told him to stay..." she gave a slight grin "If there is a chance we don't need to engage them directly...well I like that idea" her words dissolved into a series of small coughs which she locked her jaw hard to stop. She tasted blood.

"Fine" said Ash quietly "We call him and focus our fire on the big one. If he doesn't come, retreat and shoot, retreat and shoot. Take the uninjured one first and then the other. If they charge, slam the door and quickly place the shaped charges. Best we can do"

"And me?" asked Swift

Ash glanced at her "Do you know the main elevator shaft that runs up from the engineering deck to the main plaza" she frowned slightly and Ash quickly pulled out her Tablet "Look, it's this one"

"Oh, yeah. I know it" replied Swift

"Go there, quiet as you can and call the elevator. Get ready to send it to the Carnival Plaza as soon as we are aboard"

Swift paused and looked at the wolves and then at her hands "B...But I can help, Claws, see?" she held up her hands

Ash smiled slightly and she spoke softly "This is helping. Go, we won't be long."

Swift hesitated and nodded. "See you soon Captain" she turned and spun, spotted tail dancing behind her

Ash turned back towards the room "All right. No more delays." She turned to Mary and grinned "Piece of cake. We have a plan and a couple of guns. We have been in worse situations than this"

Marys vision wavered, darkness creeping in at the edges. She gave the Captain a slightly lop sided smile "Liar"

When Ash called out Gordon's name almost everything stopped. Jackson turned his head and fell silent. Gustav looked up from where he leant against the console and said nothing. The only person that didn't stop was Cat who continued moving sliders and pressing buttons on the console screen. Mary and Ash both raised their rifles and trained them on Jackson but when no one moved neither of them fired.

Jackson shifted slightly and the pair flinched, their fingers tightening on the trigger "Was that her name?" he asked, voice dripping with madness "Gordon"

He glanced over at the black cat "I am afraid this one no longer remembers that name. She has been moulded into something entirely different, entirely more pleasing"

"Gordon, get your ass the fuck over here. We are going now!"

Again she didn't move but her ears did twitch, had she hesitated?

Jackson laughed, spittle flying from his massive jaw "Well, well, you are spirited. I do like a little fire in my women. I will ask the nanites to try and retain that" he took a step forward and Mary fired a laser shot striking the deck in front of him. Jackson turned his head slowly. It juddered like a doll as his gaze fixed upon Mary "And you. Quite the physique you have, though" he looked her up and down "I am not sure you are long for this world" his grin got wider "Why not surrender. If we treat your wounds you might survive the process. I promise I will let you keep your muscles...perhaps a boar or a bear?"

Mary's teeth grit. She would rather die than be this bastard's play thing. She would tear him apart, she would--. Her stance softened slightly as a moment of weakness struck her. Her left calf muscle turned to jelly but somehow she forced it straight and the moment passed. She tried to say something witty but her head was swimming. She settled for "Fuck you"

Jackson laughed "I love this! Did the Company send you? I hope they send more. This has been so much fun." He said the final words with a strange staccato tone. Mary was growing angrier by the moment. If he wasn't going to take this seriously, fine, she would show him what she was made of.

She was about to fire, this time aiming directly for the wolf's head but she was interrupted by Ash's words "Enough! Gordon, if you do not get over here right now. I swear. I will flush your model Europa ships out the airlock"

Cat's head swivelled and she moaned slightly "N...No Captain please don't. Sorry, sorry, I am coming"

Absolute shock painted Jackson's face as the black cat began to pad away from the workstation and towards Ashley. Mary on the other hand boasted a smirk of tired triumph. Gustav merely raised an eyebrow not moving at all. Mary glanced at him momentarily, her expression fading as she went back to analysing the situation. This was more complicated than it first appeared. It seemed obvious that the two wolves were allies but they were not friends. What exactly was the situation there.

Jackson tensed and his surprise gave way to rage "How dare you! Don't you dare move Cat. You stop right the fuck there"

Cat froze and glanced back at Jackson. Her body was trembling and she seemed confused. She looked back to the Captain and gulped before mewling softly.

"Gordon, move it" commanded ash in a growled voice.

_ _

She seemed to take a half step before pausing when Jackson roared "ENOUGH" somehow you could see the bright red suffusing his cheeks through his fur. He was furious and yet Gustav didn't seem to care. It was almost like he was an observer and not part of the scene.

"How are you doing this" spat Jackson "She is my toy, MY PLAYTHING, YOU SHALL NOT HAVE HER"

"Name and Rank solder" called Ashley

"G...G...G" she seemed to struggle. Her conflict was painted on her face and in the shuddering vibrations that ran through her form. After a few moments she seemed to calm slightly, her eyes watered and she called in a loud, clear voice. "Cat and First Engineer"

The Captains mouth twitched "It will do" she looked at Jackson "He..." she sighed slightly "She has served under me for two years. Two years of blood and sweat, of danger and triumph. What have you got wolf"

Cat looked at Jackson for one lingering moment before scrambling towards Ash. She was crying and rubbing her eyes "I'm sorry Captain, I'm sorry"

"It's okay" Ash wanted to say but she had barely got the first syllable out when Jackson roared. That sound did not belong to any wolf nor animal, terrestrial or otherwise. The room shook, damn, the entire ship shook or at least it felt like it. Ash and Mary opened fire while Cat moved quickly to huddle behind the pair.

The lasers lit the room in flashes of red, reminiscent of the hateful emergency lights that had thankfully been banished. Jacksons form lit up with burst after burst of light and an awful scent of burning fur flooded the room but if he felt any pain, he did not show it. He came surging forward, eyes darting, saliva dripping from his maw. Ashley scrambled back a step but Mary gave a small, sad smile and dropped her gun, rushing forward to meet him. She pulled her knife and sidestepped Jacksons powerful but clumsy claw swipe. Her headache was gone, there was no pain from her side and she felt no weakness. This was it. Her final task.

"Rose" she called out to the captain.

The Captains expression was pained but she spoke with a clear, if creaking voice "I will see that she gets your underline"

Mary smiled "Thankyou Captain"

The Captain turned and ran, Gordon following her close behind. Jackson roared with absolute fury and moved to leap past her but Mary's Knife found his side and he stumbled back with a furious cry.

Gustav moved forward as if to watch the fight. He smirked at Jackson "You can deal with one woman ...right?"

Jackson didn't reply, instead his beady eyes were focused on Mary and the blood that dripped from her knife "I will tear the flesh from your bones" he screamed "I will devour them until there is nothing left"

Gustav just gave a small smile, made a mocking salute and walked past. Casually following in the direction the Captain had ran. Mary glanced sideways, there was nothing she could do about that one. It was all up to them.

Mary focused once again on Jackson as she dodged another swipe. The wolf was strong but he was not skilled. He had been a scientist right? Strength might be enough against pirates but Mary was something else entierly; a trained soldier and more than enough for this fucker.

She moved well, dodging strike after strike, feigning and slicing. She Caught his arm here, his side there. He was too big, too fast and strong for her to land any winning strikes but as the fight went on he would weaken and Mary? She had a task to do and felt no pain, no weakness. These wolves were pretenders; power without skill.

She swung her blade catching him across the thigh before bringing her knife up to parry his incoming blow. The force of his hit reverberated through her form and she realised her mistake immediately. Pain exploded like the blooming of a flower. Whatever spell had been maintaining her failed and the pain and fatigue came back twice fold. She could barely feel her legs and only a titanic feat of will kept her standing. She smiled and raised her blade, blood leaking from her mouth, eyes watering.

"Come" she said "Let's end this"

Jackson's lip curled in a rictus snarl "Yes" he growled "Let's. I have other pray to pursue"

He rushed forward, aiming a swing. Honestly, Mary could probably have dodged it but she could already feel herself failing. She could continue this dance a little longer but sooner or later, she would slip and he would get her. This was the only way.

To Jackson's surprise she fell forward into his swipe. She collided with him, wrapping her arms around his chest in deaths embrace. Jacksons initial swing missed but with her pressed close into him it was a simple task to simply continue his swipe and plunge his claws into her back. She didn't scream. Her eyes simply widened and she collapsed into him, using his large furry form to hold herself up. She coughed, blood spurting from her mouth onto his fur.

"It's over" whispered Jackson "It was over from the start"

Mary smiled as she held on to him. Her arms were wrapped around almost like they were dancing. She lay there for a few moments, the warmth of his fur a stark contrast to the numbing cold spreading through her form. She forced her head up, fuck that was hard. She was so tired, so cold. As the darkness came to claim her she managed to squeeze out just a last few words "You said...you liked your women fiery"

Cat flinched as she heard the explosion echo down the halls. She looked back just before her hair fluttered from the pressure wave flowing down the corridor "W...What was-"

"Mary giving us a chance" Ash said quietly. She glanced back herself. Were her eyes wet? "Goodbye my friend"

Cat felt herself shiver. The serum had seriously messed with her memories but significant fragments of her time at university and her life afterwards remained. Sometimes they were blurry but they were there. Mary had always been kind of cold and serious but she had never been cruel to Cat and her strength and skill had always made her feel safe. She looked down as she moved "I want to go home"

Ash sighed and kept moving. She had slung her gun back over her shoulder and kept glancing behind her. Cat couldn't help but glance too. Mary had been fighting Jackson but Gustav had been there as well. If the explosion had caught all of them. Well, it was possible they might get a clean run to the ship.

Cat felt dazed as she ran. Nothing felt quite real and eventually she found herself looking at her hands. They had little pink pads sticking out from her palm and her fingers were short, tipped with cute little claws. She hadn't really looked at them properly before. When she had been with Jackson she hadn't really been able to string two thoughts together but now she was following the Captain it was like a fog had been lifted. Her mind started trying to piece things together again. Who was she? What was she?

_ _

This was not the time for another existential crisis but she didn't have much choice. Jackson had dominated her completely and a not insignificant part of her wanted that to continue. She hated him. She almost stumbled in surprise at that realisation, and yet, she also wanted him to continue to mistreat her, to demean her and play with her like some worthless toy. Was it possible to be both overjoyed and deeply saddened at someone's demise? It seemed so. Still, Jackson wasn't here, the captain was, and Cat owed her too much not to follow when called. If she remembered anything, she remembered that.

"Move" urged Ash as they both picked up on the echoed call of heavy footsteps. Cat's ears swivelled and they both looked back but the source could not yet be seen.

"Mary?" asked Cat hopefully

"No" growled Ash breaking into a fast jog "The footsteps are far too heavy. We have to move"

Cat moved alongside with surprising ease as they pressed deeper into the ship. She glanced back at their unseen pursuers, a sense of regret overcoming her. Ashley was...too nice. She wouldn't punish her, or call her names, or dress her in embarrassing, sexy costumes. She wouldn't parade her in front of others or force her to perform lewd acts. in fact, she probably wouldn't do anything sexual with her at all. She lowered her head slightly as she contemplated escaping the wolves. She wanted to be demeaned, to be tied up, to be fucked roughly by her mistresses and masters and she was running from the only creatures likely to do it.

She faltered slightly. She could stay behind, she could delay them and help Ash escape. They would punish her for getting in their way. She salivated as she considered the variety of creative and demeaning methods they might use to break her of her rebellion. She imagined selling it as playing the hero, of making some grand sacrifice so that Ash could get away.

A sudden thump from behind shook her from her thoughts and she increased her stride to catch up. Her cheeks reddened slightly. She was having so much trouble controlling her emotions and little fantasies plagued her constantly but Ash was her Captain and she owed her a bond of duty. Despite all the things the nanites had removed and added, a surprising amount of Gordon remained. The heavy dose of submissiveness and masochism they had induced were not incompatible with the concept of loyalty. Besides, if Ash didn't want to do any of that stuff so what? It wasn't for a pet to decide what her master should do with her. No. She owed it Ash to go on. She owed it to Mary and she owed it to Sun.

"Sun" exclaimed Cat biting her lip "I forgot about Sun. Sun needs me"

Ash looked at her with a frown "What are you talk--" her words had been cut off by the arrival of Gustav. He had appeared from a side corridor merging into the primary walkway. He was sporting a wide, lazy grin as he jogged slowly in pursuit. It was clear this was a game to him. He could easily move faster than he was but it seemed he intended to draw out his pursuit. His side bled, leaving a trail of red as his huge furred body lazily loped after them.

"Shit" growled Ash, voice growing hoarse "Run"

The pair pushed harder, Ash panting heavily as she moved. Cat...well cat could have gone faster but she did not want to leave the Captain behind. She wasn't tired at all and again she admired the silver lining that was the athletic physique granted to her by the nanites. A small chuckle was Gustav's only reaction who didn't increase his pace at all.

They turned a corner into the small lobby where a single, large goods elevator sat. The door was open and Swift was nervously peering out, eyes immediately fixing upon them as they appeared. Her face blossomed into a wide grin "Gordon! Ash!" she paused slightly "Where's Mary?"

"No time" growled Ash as the pair barrelled into the elevator "Carnival Plaza, quick"

Gustav's footsteps echoed them in pursuit and he appeared moving lazily at the entrance to the small lobby. Cat felt a moment of terror as she imagined him dashing across the room, his meaty paw blocking the closing elevator doors at the last second like in some kind of horror film but He made no such attempt. Instead, he just grinned and mouthed three words "See you soon"

"He doesn't know we can escape" Ash said as the Elevator started to ascend. She looked at Cat and a smile graced her lips though it did not touch her eyes "He means to draw out the chase because he thinks we are trapped" she placed a hand over her eyes and spoke quietly to no one "We are going to escape...thanks to you..."

The elevator was not fast. It was a goods elevator designed to take equipment down to the engineering bay from the main airlocks and it moved with a shuddering lurch that made Cat feel a little queasy. If Swift experienced any such symptoms she didn't show it, instead, she beamed at the pair "I was worried" she said, her smile softening slightly "I'm glad to see you Captain and especially you Gordon! You turned out so cute!"

Cat shivered, a note of pleasure running through her form at Swift's compliment. She spoke softly "I...I prefer Cat, unless you want to give me a name" she looked down at herself "I don't recognise Gordon anymore"

It was true. The nanites hadn't completely erased the memory of her name, though, in truth, she had forgotten it until the Captains words had reminded her. It didn't feel like it fit anymore, certainly, Cat felt much better but if someone would give her a name it would feel better still.

Ash glanced down at him, removing her hand from her eyes. Her face was wet, though, her expression hardly implied she had been crying "Midnight" she said in a soft voice

Swift glanced up at her "Huh?"

"Midnight. I used to have a black Cat. Loved the stupid thing. She spent the last year of her life upon the ship. When she died, it was like all that was left was her shadow. I could see it everywhere I went, almost like she was still there. Later that year I had the ship sprayed and renamed"

"Midnight" mouthed Cat and she looked up at Ash "T...Thankyou Captain...I always thought it was because of the hull design...you never said. I didn't know the Shadow used to have a different name"

Ash glanced at the elevator doors as they opened on to the Carnival Plaza "I was sentimental then. Green. I had not learned to bury everything for the mission. It's alright to remember sometimes...but what matters is the here and now" It was almost like she was speaking more to herself than to Midnight, like she was trying to convince herself of something.

Midnight looked down at her paw like feet. The whole day had been an emotional roller-coaster but the last few hours had been the worst. Part of her was excited that escape was so close and yet part of her wanted to stay and throw herself at the wolf's mercy. Part of her was happy that the Captain had named her and that Swift thought she was cute and then part of her was bitterly sad at friends left behind.

Perhaps the most difficult thing to deal with was the part of her that was calling her selfish for even dwelling on her feelings. Angel...Borys was trapped deep in the Zone with who knows how many wolves and Mary was...well. She looked up at Ash and determination filtered into the confusion. "Let's save Sun...Then everything else, all the complicated things, all the difficult thoughts bouncing around in my head. We can worry about them then" she screwed up her nose slightly "but let's get Sun first"

Ash gave her a sideways glance as she took a few steps out the elevator looking left and right. The Plaza had been an intimidating place bathed in the red emergency lights but somehow it wasn't much better bathed in white. It reminded Midnight of those pictures you sometimes saw from Island dictatorships, Squares that looked like they were from a modern nation with impressive statues, buildings and wide roadways, yet completely abandoned as if all life had ceased to be. That was the impression the plaza gave as they moved into it, an incredibly clean, alabaster, white commercial wasteland.

Ashley started to jog as soon as she was confident there were no wolves ready to pounce "Gor...Midnight. You obviously know something that I don't. What happened to the ship? What happened to Sun?"

"When the wolves came" she began "Sun disengaged the ship to stop them boarding but they used the weaponry aboard the pirate ship to damage the Shadow. I managed to speak to her briefly from the pirate ships comms. The Shadow was badly damaged. The Reactor was hit and almost all the fuel is gone. If we don't get to her, she only has a few days, maybe ten before she loses oxygen and heat"

Ash looked back with a growl "Bastards. Fine, you're right. I always worked better with a mission." She paused next to a small coffee stand that stood in the middle of the Plaza and turned placing her hands on Midnights shoulders "Midnight, you have a new mission. Save Sun. I expect you to perform your duties to the best of your ability, regardless of what form you find yourself in. Do you understand?"

Midnight straightened and nodded sharply "I do Captain"

"Good, and you" she said to Swift "You are being recruited. Until I say otherwise you are a temporary member of the Midnight Shadow's crew, granted all benefits and tasked all responsibilities this entails. Do you understand?"

Swift tilted her head with a slight smile "uhm...No?"

"Will you do everything I say?" replied the Captain

Swift nodded "Oh Yes, of course"

"Then whether you understand or not doesn't matter. Head for departure lounge B"

They moved at a steady pace. The Captain taking lead as they moved towards the departure lounge. She glanced back at Swift "Swift. Can you outrun the Wolves? And if they tell you to do something are you going to do it?"

Swift's brow furrowed slightly "I...think so and no." she sniffed slightly "I am done with the wolves. Most of the morphs can't see past their cocks and...I can understand why" a hint of lust entered her voice "But sometimes they hurt you for no reason and there are hardly any of them, meaning if they aren't interested in you there is no one else" she tilted her head down slightly "And that was before what happened today. Squash said the world outside the Odyssey is a paradise, that the ship is a prison. I want to leave. I want to see the universe"

Ash nodded with a slight smile as they entered the lobby "I was maybe going to send you to do a little scouting but I do not intend to lose anyone else today so think so isn't enough. Glad to hear you are on our side though. I didn't ask before but who is Squash?"

Midnight moved quickly up the airlock. It was only partially closed as the ships atmosphere was currently circulating with that of the Odysseys. She was able to quickly open the door and trio piled into the narrow entrance of the converted freighter.

"My Mistress" said Swift glancing back with a small frown. She looked down with a sad smile "I had hoped she might meet us here but...she said I should leave without her if I had to. She was distracting the wolves..."

Ash jerked her finger down the corridor while looking at Midnight and she quickly started scrambling towards the door leading to the engineering deck. "I'm sorry Swift. We have all lost people today and it is never okay. We will make a lot of people pay dearly for what has happened today. I promise"

Midnight wrapped her fingers around the handle and slid the door open revealing a wide pit with a ladder piercing into its depths. She jumped, landing on the ladder neatly and climbing down with a grace and agility that genuinely amazed her. This body was not quite as strong as Swift's but she thought it might be more agile. Her human body had been nowhere near as capable and she had to admit there was significant joy to be had in just how strong and graceful she felt.

That however was irrelevant for now. Midnight had a task and somehow she was still a crewman of the Shadow. Amazingly, that part of her identify had been restored or rather she had been reminded that it had always been there. The nanites had been commanded to leave her memories intact and despite the fact they had still caused a lot of damage, a significant portion from university onwards remained.

The converted freighter was small, essentially a three deck design with engineering at the bottom, a command and cargo deck in the middle and the crew pods above. The ship was not designed for comfort and this was reflected in its narrow spaces and industrial design. Midnight allowed herself to drop the last few feet enjoying the way her feline legs handily absorbed the shock and then ducked down through the small access door into the main engineering bay. Engineering was almost always accessible via ladder. On some larger ships there might be both a ladder and an elevator but on smaller ones it was always just a ladder. If the power went out engineering was generally where you needed to be and if it was accessible only via elevator, well, you would be in trouble.

She scrambled up to one of the control panels and started preparing the reactor to accept the fuel rods. She would have to ensure that the backup power wasn't using any of the reactor relays and that all the relative safety systems were correctly online. There was nothing complicated about this, you just had to know which menus to access and which systems had to be enabled and which errors to ignore. She paused as a thought occurred to her. It was possible that none of the wolves knew how to fix this but it seemed unlikely. She had best take her time in case there were any unexpected issues that had caused them to give up.

She quickly cycled through menu's lightly biting down on her cheek. There didn't seem to be any major problems, a few warnings about reactor pressures which could safely be ignored in the short term. Perhaps they had scared the wolves off? Just as she finished with the menu's Ash ducked down into the room. She looked tired and dirty, the austere light of the pirate vessel perhaps unfairly emphasising this. Midnight tapped her chin with a stubby finger. Pirate vessel. She should probably actually find out the ships name.

"We need to uncycle the atmosphere" she said voice heavy. "I've closed the door but until the ship has its atmosphere isolated they can't be locked. I don't know why they shut down their environmental systems, perhaps the wolves did it."

Midnight nodded with a slight gulp "Did you see any sign of him? If he doesn't know about the rods then he might not know where we are" she shifted slightly "He might be heading to the wrong place completely. We only need a little time"

Ash paused and nodded "Yeah, hopefully" Her voice said she didn't believe that. Midnight knew that the wolf could have easily tracked them as far as the Carnival Plaza by just watching the elevator numbers. How long would it take him to work out that they were in the pirate ship after that? No way to tell.

Midnight looked back to her panel and started making some more selections. The nuclear reactor was deep within the ship behind layers of shielding. The core could be ejected and moved up what was basically a fancy conveyer belt. This allowed the control rods to be easily removed without having to risk going near the reactor core. Midnight started the eject sequence and moved over to collect the bag "Where's Swift?"

"Here!" said a cheerful voice ducking under the small doorway into the room. She spent a few minutes looking around and smiled "This place is, well, different. It's so exciting isn't it!? I've not really seen different before"

Midnight smiled slightly. The pirate vessel must have been like going back in time for Swift. Still, her almost endless store of cheer seemed to resist the dull lights and cold architecture, though, it was far better than the constant emergency lights she had been exposed to on the Odyssey. She would take this any day compared to that. She paused as she hit the button to open the small hatch allowing access to the control core. "Shouldn't one of us be on watch? I thought you said you could only close the door"

Ash gave a tired smile and shook her head "Too much risk of being caught unaware. Safety in numbers. I'd rather we stayed together."

"If you think that would help" came the dull, rumbling reply, echoing down the access shaft.

Everyone spun to look at the small opening into the compact engineering bay. The Captain swung her rifle over her shoulder to aim it at the opening and Swift darted back further into the room. For a few seconds there was a still silence and then a heavy thump. A shadow landed, the pained scream of metal announcing his arrival.

The furred figure slowly crouched, his toothy maw peering through the small opening like a cat through a mouse hole "There you are"

The Captain squeezed the trigger to within a breadth of firing and trained the gun at the narrow entrance "Don't move" she shouted, her voice starting to strain "I will shoot. Just leave and we will do the same"

The wolf released a hearty chuckle. It was a low and slow rumble. "Let's talk...before you choose to end your life so foolishly"

Gustav started to squeeze himself through the space with surprising dexterity and the Captain took another step back. Swift too backed up until she was standing, shaking nervously at the back of the engineering bay behind even Midnight. Ash turned her head sharply to her engineer and barked in a familiar tone "Keep working"

Midnight nodded and swung out the control core starting to load the control rods one by one. It wasn't a particularly difficult job but you had to make sure the rods were aligned properly and pushed all the way down into their alcoves or the locks wouldn't engage. She loaded them one by one trying her best to ignore the scene that was developing before her.

Midnight had expected Ash to fire but she didn't. Gustav crawled through the small space fairly easily but it was still a tight squeeze and the wolf grunted in significant pain as his wound was aggravated by the motion. The wolf stretched, eye twitching, wound oozing at his side as he surveyed the scene before him. Surprisingly, he made no move to attack, instead, he seemed to relax, though the pain at his side manifested in an occasional twitch of his eye. Gustav was not Jackson. He was not as large and his lupine face lacked some of his master's natural charisma. His eyes also seemed to show less of Jackson's frenzied madness, though, there was a sense of calculating intelligence that made Midnight shiver. If she had to face down one of them she would have easily chosen Gustav and yet, she was not convinced they had any real chance against either of them.

"You know" he began with a rumble "You have rather done me a favour" He ran his tongue slowly over his dagger like teeth "or rather your friend did"

Ashley tensed and Midnight felt a shiver run through her as she loaded the core with more rods. Gustav wasn't as cruel as Jackson, or so it seemed. Perhaps he would be a better Master, He would probably humiliate her in all the ways she craved without threatening to actually kill her.

She glanced back at Ash who was wound up like a spring ready to pounce, teeth bared and her muscles wanting to fire so badly she could see her arm muscles twitching. She looked at Swift whose normally cheerful face was beset with worry, brow furrowed, plump lips pursed. Midnight looked at the control rods before her, just a couple more to load. She had a mission. She was a member of the Shadow's crew. Her Captain had given her a name. She had to save Sun.

She looked up again at the wolf. Her eyes were a little wet as her confused feelings began to settle down. She suspected that going with the wolf would lead to a life of pleasure and pain...well, okay, a period of pleasure and then she would be abandoned, like all their toys. Strangely, that didn't seem to bother her so much but her own pleasure was irrelevant anyway. She didn't want to go with him. She wanted to stay with the Captain. She had a duty and duty was heavier than desire "Go away" she managed weakly "Leave us alone"

Gustav's head turned to look at her. His gaze burned like the sun through a magnifying glass. She shied under its intensity and turned to focus on the core, loading the last few rods. Gustav laughed, a great, guttural shaking roar. The room vibrated with the sound, at least until his laugh dissolved into a pained grunt as he placed a hand against his side.

"Unfortunately" he began, pain and amusement both still thick in his voice "You are the only one I can't really leave alone" he turned to Ashley and smiled, his pained tone fading slightly "For getting rid of Jackson I will let you go. If I could, I would shower you with gifts for eliminating that bastard. And you" he said looking to Swift "Well, whores like you are ten a penny...especially on this ship." He swung back to the Captain with a lewd grin "That one you can keep. I guess I can offer some gifts"

His head finally swung to Midnight. She could feel his eyes on the back of her head, though she refused to turn to face him. She finished inserting the control rods and swung the core back into its casing. "The cat though...We have a long journey back to Earth. I can't let you take the engineer"

It shouldn't have been possible for the Captain to tense even more but somehow she did. She roared, loud and clear "Over my dead body!"

Midnight hesitated. She didn't want to go. It wasn't so long ago that she would have gladly went, especially if it meant saving the Captain, but now. Ash had given her some meaning back, something that meant far more than just being some master or mistresses toy.

"You run" came Borys voice running through her head followed by the Captains final conversation with Mary. One by one, they had fallen so that she might escape. One by one, they had given everything for her. Her eyes were watering as she stood. Gustav's eyes followed her as she limply moved over to the console and made the selections to send the control rods back to the core. A mechanical whine announced that the core was on its way back to the reactor "Captain" she said numbly "When 'in progress' changes to loaded...press" she sniffed slightly "press here and the reactor will start"

Ashley' face shifted and her teeth gritted so hard Midnight could swear she heard a crack. She looked over at the wolf who was grinning widely. He had won, he knew it.

"I'll go" started Midnight softly

"No" hissed Ashley "You will not"

Midnight looked up with a slight smile. Her green eyes were wet and her flat pink nose was twitching "I've been a coward captain and others have paid. I'm sorry. Please, It's the only way"

Ashley moved quickly to block her way but Gustav moved faster, forcing her to back off with a pained cry. She raised her rifle and aimed down the scope at the wolf "You can't have her!" she cried

Midnight looked at the ground and for a moment the wolf smiled. She took a half step towards the entrance when a blurry shape moved past her. Midnight looked up and her mouth dropped open as she saw the figure of Swift, standing tall, blocking her path. She had always been a happy figure, inoffensive, the absolute opposite of intimidating but now she stood, in an inexpert combat stance with an expression of utter confidence. Her face was stern and her claws were extended. She spoke in a tone completely alien to her "You cannot have her"

Midnight slumped against the console, tears starting to roll from her eyes "Captain...Swift"

Gustav paused. A look of surprise gracing his features and perhaps just a hint of uncertainty. This didn't last long however and soon it gave way to terrible, raucous laughter "Very well. If this is how you want to die. So be it."

The wolf moved first but there was a casualness to it. A slow lunge as if he was sparing against novices. Swift however, was fast, superhumanly so. She gave an angry shout and dashed easily within his lunge, swiping at his face, cutting a series of shallow red gouges down his temple. The wolf roared and fell back, staring madly from the eye which he had almost lost. Before he could react further, the captain fired, the terrible smell of burned hair and flesh blooming so much worse in the confined space.

Swift moved for another strike but the wolf struck the ground so hard with his foot she actually lost balance. As Swift stumbled, Gustav turned. The Captains eyes widened as she squeezed out another shot from her rifle. The neon beam temporarily lighting up the space. Gustav cried out in pain as the blast caught his shoulder but it wasn't enough to stop his bull rush. He struck the Captain heavily and she gasped in pain as the force sent her sprawling across the floor. She hit one of the back panels hard, her gun flying from her grip skittering across the floor of the engineering deck.

Swift used this as an opening to come up behind him and she jumped, landing on his back. The cheetah gripped him strongly, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. She screamed in fury, her legs scrambling against his lower back, claws opening their own little wounds. Gustav looked back, laughing at her attempts to choke him until her knee caught his wound and he cried out in pain. He threw a hand over his shoulder and managed to grab the top of Swifts arm roughly. She squeaked in surprise before she was bodily thrown across the room, smashing into the wall with a sickening, wet crunch and then falling several feet hard to the ground.

Gustav grinned and turned on Midnight "Well" he rumbled "That was about as much as I exp--"

His words were cut off by a howl of pain as the Captain sank her blade deep into his side. He spun away and she managed to neatly dance back using his own momentum to withdraw her knife. Midnight scampered back several steps, shaking with terror.

Ash was in a bad state. Her long combat knife was held in her right arm but her left arm hung weakly, moving sluggishly at best. She was breathing heavily and Midnight could see that blood was leaking from her mouth. Gustav on the other hand was in a much better state. The wound from Jackson had been joined by a dozen or more light tears from Swift and while blood was starting to mat into his fur none of those wounds were so deep to be significantly disabling.

Gustav's voice gurgled slightly and blood trickled down his chin only enhancing his grim appearance. The Captains thrust had done some damage it would seem. The wolf gave a cruel smile wiping the blood from his face "There is something familiar about this, don't you think?"

He glanced at Swift who was lying unmoving where she had landed and then at Midnight who was cowering by one of the Consoles "Will you blow yourself up too?" he asked in a low voice "A fitting end for us all. Don't you think?"

The Captain did not reply and instead moved and probed with her knife. Gustav responded warily despite the confident tone in his voice. "If you had just given her up, I would have let you go...now, I will get what I want anyway"

"Not yet" Ash said, weakness breaking into her voice. Midnight could only imagine the sort of vapours she must be running on now. "You will pay for her in blood. My underline won't come cheap" Her voice croaked and she spoke through ragged breaths. Her movements became less precise, more erratic.

The pair moved in a clumsy dance; Gustav inexperienced and Ashley exhausted. Each looked for an opening and Ash managed to sneak a few shallow cuts while just ducking back from each of Gustav's crude counterblows. Midnight watched and hoped. She was terrified and wished with every fibre of her being that somehow Ash would come out on top. Unfortunately, as she watched, the result became clearer and clearer. It was over. The outcome was inevitable.

Strength was no match for skill and agility and Gustav could not land a strike on Ashley without risking serious injury. Unfortunately, stamina mattered too and in that regard there was no way the Captain could match him. She caught him again and again but never enough to cause much more than a flesh wound. Each time, each successful strike, her movements slowed and his counter strike came closer to ending this.

"Enough" he roared "ENOUGH". The Captain's strikes were not enough to bring down the lupine monster. His body was simply too large, too bulky for the cuts to do any serious damage. Cuts however, added up, and Gustav was breathing heavily, his fur and much of the deck stained red with his blood. He was slowing too but not nearly as much as the Ash.

She glanced at the unmoving Swift and then at the cowering Midnight. Her voice was tight and strained, croaking with pain and exhaustion "Run...Hide...he won't be able to catch you. They made you stronger, faster than you think" She looked back to the wolf "I Promise"

There was no way for her to know but her motion was almost step for step a match for Mary's earlier. She made no attempt to dodge Gustav's counter blow. Instead, she embraced it. Ash accepted the consequences in order to get one last blow in, driving her blade deep and true into the wolf's chest. She smiled and closed her eyes, accepting death but Gustav actually faltered, stumbling backwards with a gurgled cry. His arms fell limp but he recovered quickly and struck her with the back of his hand, sending her spiralling across the room.

Ash hit the wall with a crunch and a soul-piercing scream. She fell to the ground, blood spurting from her mouth but amazingly, somehow, she was still moving. She coughed, splattering more blood on the floor. Her body was twitching and she tried to push to her hands and knees. She released a guttural cry of pain as her arm gave way beneath her and she collapsed, struggling to move on the ground.

Gustav looked at the blade embedded in his chest with shock. He took hold of it, wrapping his fingers around it carefully. He braced himself and with a bloodcurdling cry pulled the blade from his flesh. He stood, panting, pupils dilated, blood oozing from dozens of wounds across his furry form. His eyes locked on the struggling Ash who was trying to pull herself along the floor to where her gun lay, every movement bringing a pained cry.

He moved with a limp, struggling towards her. Gustav had been injured far worse than he expected and movement was clearly an effort but next the Captain, he was in perfect health. One more strike, even just a simple stomp and that would be it. The Captains valiant efforts would come to nothing.

"No!" cried Midnight "No!" Swift had gone down so quickly there had barely been time to react and the Captain? Midnight wasn't sure she could have helped there either but if she was going to do anything, she had to do it now. She had been a coward for far too long.

She moved, faster than she ever had when human and attempted to swing a clawed hand at the wolf's wounded side. Gustav turned, his face a rictus of pain and fury. A short while earlier this scene would have brought him amusement but not now. Now he had no time for such foolishness and he flung out an arm catching the black cat by the throat.

Midnight gasped and struggled, mewling loudly. She had never really paid attention to combat training and despite the athletic ability of her new form she not exactly practiced at using it. Gustav was however badly injured and the strength of his grip wasn't what it would once have been. Midnight released a furious mrowl and pressed a foot against the wolf's thigh. She tensed and kicked, causing her body to swing up and away from Gustav, though, he managed to maintain his grip. She felt her foot touch against the cold metal of the ship's hull and she used it to propel her knee, swift and hard, into the heavy claw wound that festered at his side.

Gustav's eyes bulged and his maw opened, a gurgled torrent of blood spurting forth. He stumbled back, an almost silent gasp of pain robbing him of his Strength. Midnight fell gasping from his grip while the wolf fell to one knee, a single clawed hand landing on the deck to stop himself from completely falling. The cat bounded back a few steps, head swimming as the wolf started coughing, every ragged grunt painting the deck further with his blood.

"I'm done" managed Gustav, his voice twisted with pain "We will take the pirate ship back if we need to. I'm done" He struggled to his feet, a terrible calm coming over his red soaked form.

"You will all die here"

Midnight dashed back from his lunge losing her footing and falling heavily against the metal hull. She scrambled away from him, eyes wide with terror as he approached. He looked down at her, madness and fury consuming whatever had been left of his sanity. He crouched slightly as he raised his arm raised to strike.

The wolf paused, confusion momentarily replacing fury "What are you looking at?"

Gustav shuddered violently as the blade went in, even more when it came out. The smiling fox still had a finger over her mouth in the universal symbol of silence. She twisted the blade slightly, only pausing to add extra force to her second thrust. Gustav fell to his knees, his arms hopelessly reaching for the blade embedded in his back. His breath came in great, ragged draws while his eyes slowly lost focus.

Blood spurted with each gasp of air but each breath came slower and further apart until finally, his hands stopped twitching and he fell, face first, to the floor.

Squash rubbed her hands against each other and then looked across the room "Oh Swift...oh no" she dashed across the room, crouching down next to the cheetah.

Midnight scrambled to her feet, trying to bring her breathing under control. She was still terrified, flooded with adrenaline that had not yet acknowledged that the thread seemed to have passed. She could not wait for her body to calm however, she had something she needed to do. She stepped around the body of Gustav, giving as much space as possible as if he might come lurching back to life and ran to her Captain.

Ash was lying, fingers wrapped around the handle of her gun. She wasn't moving. Oh god please, she can't be. Midnight tenderly lifted up the Captains hand in her own and rested her fingers on his wrist "Please" she said softly, tears running down her face "Please"

Bump. It was soft but it was there. Bump. It was slow but there was a chance. Bump.

"She's alive" cried Midnight wiping a furred arm across a mess of tears, blood and snot "The Captains alive"

Squash looked up with a small soft smile "Swift too. I think she's just unconscious. Does the ship have a med bay?"

Midnight found it difficult to let go of Ash's hand. She almost felt like if she placed it down that pulse of life would stop but there were things that had to be done. She glanced around the room. It was a mess. Blood was everywhere and the huge bulk of the fallen wolf made her shiver. Squash was tending softly to Swift, checking as best she could for any injuries.

"I think she is okay, just a concussion" she lifted her gently, placing the cheetah over her shoulder "Is there a med bay? She needs rest" she glanced sideways at the wolf, face hardening.

"There...there has to be" replied Midnight "It might not be that big but a ship this size has to have one" Her voice was strangely calm, sure it trembled but not as much as it should have "It's probably near the cockpit"

"What about her?" asked Squash "A friend?"

Midnight smiled softly and rubbed some water from her eyes "My Captain" she said. "Someone else who almost died for me"

"Almost?" asked Squash, the grimness falling from her face to be replaced with a gentle smile "Almost dying doesn't sound so bad"

Midnight nodded with a sniffle, though her voice was still clear "Her pulse is steady...I think she will be okay but I can't move her" she rubbed her eyes again "There must be a magnetic gurney...if we can find one we can probably get her to the med bay."

Midnight looked up from Ash. Her fur was matted with streaks of tears that swirled and mixed with the splatters of blood that spotted her unevenly "But we need to go. If another wolf comes then--" he looked back down to Ashley "but I don't want to leave her. I don't..." her voice was wavering now.

Squash's smile grew softer, almost motherly. Her own eyes watered in sympathy "Give me a few minutes. I will find the med bay and make sure Swift is okay." She adjusted her stance slightly as Swift moved against her back"Then I will look after your friend. Don't worry, you can trust this fox"

Midnight sat quietly clutching Ashley's hand tightly between her own. She spoke quietly the entire time, starting by telling her how important it was that she survived but soon found herself talking through the story of her day, talking about what had happened when they had become separated and how she had been captured in the Zoo. Ashley didn't move or respond but throughout it, she felt that ba-bump through her wrist and the warmth of her hand.

Less than five minutes had passed when Squash returned, Swift no longer in tow. She dropped down and gracefully dipped through the small opening. She had the gurney with her. A small box that separated into two, a canvas sheet connected between them.

"Any changes?" she asked as she laid it out next to her and pressed a small button on the side causing the canvas to become stiff and ridged.

Midnight shook her head "No. but her pulse has remained steady...I think she will ne okay...I hope--"

"Help me move her onto the gurney" Squash softly interrupted with a smile "Then you can go. Leave her to me"

Midnight nodded. She winced, feeling a moment of unease as they rolled her over. As she was moved Ashley released an unconscious moan of pain. Was that a good or a bad sign? Midnight had no idea. The Captain was not in good shape and at the very least had an obviously broken arm. Midnight suspected she had a couple of broken ribs too from the way her chest was rising slowly and unevenly.

"Go" said Squash gently as she started fastening the straps that would immobilise Ash for her journey. Injuries in the engineering bay were always bad news as moving someone up a ladder while they were badly injured was never a good idea. Luckily, the magnetic gurney would attach to the ladder and Squash would be able to softly winch it up but it was still far from ideal.

Midnight nodded and rubbed a furred arm across her eyes "P...please let me know if anything happens"

Squash nodded with a gentle smile and Midnight left after one last pained glance. She wanted to stay but if another wolf came, well, there was no one left to stop them. She took a moment to start the reactor at the engineering panel "Thankyou" she said quietly. Squash just tilted her head in acknowledgement.

Midnight climbed the ladder quickly and ran towards the cockpit. The pirate vessel had higher gravity than the Shadow but it was still less than normal and she almost tripped several times. She paused at the airlock to close the door again and then quickly moved into the cockpit.

The ship it would seem was called "Andromeda's Dagger" or so the engineering panel in the cockpit claimed. She could have done all this from downstairs but she would need the pilots chair to engage the engines once the reactor came online so it made sense to do it here. Her heart thumped as she started the process to separate the Daggers environmental systems from the Odysseys. This was it. Once this was done she could seal the doors and it would be over but for several more moments, they were still vulnerable. For several more minutes, any wolf that came up to the door would be able to open it with a simple press of a button.

Fortunately, no such thing happened and the Daggers environmental systems kicked in with a blast of slightly dry air. She would not be happy until they had actually undocked but at least the door was locked now. They could break their way in she supposed but that would mean damaging the Odysseys airlock too.

The reactor took almost ten minutes for the nuclear reaction to reach stable fission, an event marked by a rather underwhelming update to some status notifications on the various display panels. The Dagger's batteries were large enough that activating the reactor had little obvious results on the actual ships systems.

Realistically however, the engines could not be run from the batteries. She had considered overriding the safeties and powering the engines from energy storage. It would probably have worked and would have provided enough power to undock and complete the reactor start-up more safely but disabling the safeties would have taken almost as long, and it did risk overloading the batteries.

There was a quiet thunk as the Dagger's docking clamps released and the freighter floated slowly sideways from the Odyssey. Docking and undocking at light speed was always dangerous but a ship as large as the Odyssey generated a large enough inertial bubble that it essentially meant nearby objects got pulled along by its wake. The Dagger didn't really react like it was moving at light speed because it was caught in the Odysseys bubble.

Midnight frowned slightly. Wait. The Dagger was moving at over nine C. The ship was barely capable of half of that and so that meant. Her eyes widened as she looked out the cockpit window at the Odyssey. They had gotten the engines online that quickly? It was true she had fixed the power and computers for them. They had in fact never really been broken but had both been disabled by careful removal of system files. Restoring them had proven quite easy but Midnight had not engaged the engines for them. As long as the Dagger stayed next to the Odyssey, then she could maintain this speed but if they dropped away. Well, the Dagger was an old ship.

Midnight quickly moved over to the Captain's chair and activated the intercom "Squash...Squash. Is the Captain in the med bay?"

Squash's voice came crackling back "Midnight? Did we undock? I felt...Uhm...sorry. Yes, she is. Medical scanner says multiple broken bones, significant internal bleeding but nothing that can't be dealt with. She might be out for a while though"

Midnight felt herself smile even as water leaked from her eyes "T...Thank you...Thank you so much" she sniffed slightly but then paused and spoke quietly "She is still unconscious?"

"Ah, roger" came back the voice "Swift came around for a few minutes but I gave her something to help her sleep. She took a pretty hard hit on the head. Your Captain though? I think it will be a day or two"

Midnight nodded to herself "All right" she said with a heavy voice "Let me know if anything happens. I'll be over as soon as I can"

She released the intercom and looked down at the control panel. There was a decision to be made and she had wanted the Captain to make it. Communication through space was a surprisingly difficult thing to do. Even communicating with Sun earlier had suffered delays as local transmitters couldn't send signals at more than a few C. Communication across longer distances required comms relays but that needed physical devices that had been paired and then transported into fixed points in space.

If Midnight wanted to warn Earth about the incoming wolves she would need to either transmit the warning once they were within a few billion kilometres or travel to a nearby relay. Both of these were possible if she stayed within the Odysseys wake but that would mean leaving Sun to die.

If instead she dropped out of the Odysseys inertial bubble to go help Sun, then Earth would get no warning. Whatever station the Odyssey decided to dock at would be facing the wolves with no idea of what was coming. It was an awful decision and one she didn't want to have to make.

She placed her head in her hands. What should she do? She looked at the Odyssey through the window. She just stared at it for several moments. Could the Dagger's weaponry bring it down? Could she bring herself to do it if it could? The ship contained more than just the wolves.

She sighed. No, she couldn't. She wasn't convinced that they could do enough damage anyway but even had the ship contained no slaves or transformed staff. Borys was still on board. She couldn't do that to her. So that left her the original two choices. Save sun or warn Earth.

She looked up eyes widening slightly. A memory drifted through her mind, a phantom voice from her unconscious.

"Midnight, you have a new mission. Save Sun"

_ _

She had to save Sun. why had this ever been a question? She had wanted to ask Ash what to do but she had already been given the answer.

She hit the intercom and spoke. Her voice shaking slightly "We are about to leave the Odysseys wake. Might be a little bumpy"

She released the button, not waiting for a reply. She looked at the Odyssey one last time. How many wolves were there? Did it matter? They had taken down two. What could they really do against a space station and professional security? Was it a rationalisation? You bet it was but it made her feel better.

She turned the ship and throttled the engine. She would try and find a relay if she could. They might be able to find a beacon without using the Odyssey to reach one.

The ship shuddered violently as they left the bubble. Newer ships were better designed to handle it but the Dagger had come from a time when engines were slower and 'aerodynamic' principles had been thought to be irrelevant in space. The shuddering settled down quickly though and Midnight set the engines pushing lightly in reverse. The Dagger was still moving at far above its maximum speed and she would have to gently slow it before it could be comfortably turned.

She spent most of the next hour in the med bay sitting with the Captain, holding her hand and watching the medical display detailing her condition. She spent a little time with Swift too. She owed them both so much. They had both gotten injured protecting her and she was so glad both looked like they would be okay.

She chatted with Squash too. The bubbly fox wanted to know everything that had happened since they separated and Midnight felt no need to hold back. All in all, the time passed surprisingly quickly and she soon found herself back in the pilot's chair, charting a course towards where she believed the Shadow to be.

Travel took almost a day and Squash, Swift and Midnight all sat at various stations within the cockpit as the Shadow popped onto the ships sensors. The Captain had sadly not regained consciousness but her vitals had improved significantly. It seemed Squash had rather downplayed how badly injured she was. Her right shoulder wasn't just broken, it was shattered and Midnight was seriously worried that in the long run she might lose the arm. Any real chance of death however had passed. She had no idea how long it would be until she woke but given how often Midnight waited by her side, it seemed likely she would be there to see it.

Midnight glanced nervously at the others. The Shadow had appeared on the sensors rather later than expected. The fact it had taken so long to show up meant that the ship was outputting little or no power. She quickly checked a few instruments and gave a sigh of relief. The signature was weak but it was there. How was that possible? She had said she had something like twelve days left.

Midnight activated the comms and sent out a message "This is Midnight...uhm...Gordon. Are you there Sun? We will be there soon"

There was a pause and then a crackling voice came back "This is Sun Woon-Kye, pilot of the Midnight Shadow." There was a tremble to her voice as if she was bitterly cold "Please identify yourself. I have had to shut down all systems to preserve power, our sensors are down so I cannot pick up your registration"

Midnight smiled slightly "Sun...uhm...It really is me. The wolves got me but the Captain saved me...Mary saved me"

The voice came back with a tone of confusion "The wolves got you? What do...oh fuck. Gordon, they juiced with their beast serum?"

Midnight nodded calmly "Uhh...yeah, but." She shook her head slightly "I can explain later but for now, we managed to get out on the pirate ship. We will be docking shortly." She paused "Uhm...What happened? I am detecting barely any power from the ship"

"Uhh...yeah" came Sun's reply "Turned out my tiny amount of fuel rapidly became none. Shadow is leaking plasma into space. I turned everything off, put the environmental down to minimum but even the backup is draining." She audibly shivered "I think I would have been dead in less than a day"

Midnight looked down slightly. How could she have ever considered not coming back for her? "Well, you will be okay now. The Dagger is an old ship but it works. Can you enable the docking computer?"

"Sure thing" came Sun's reply "So...uhm. The Captain and Mary saved you? Are they with you?"

Midnight paused and her breath caught in her throat. The sound echoed in the room "The Captain is but she is badly injured. Mary--"

Midnight's silence said everything and Sun didn't respond immediately.

"Was it a good death?"

"Yeah" said Midnight softly "It was"

The two ships docked, the Shadow using the last of its power to power the docking process. Had the power failed it would have been still possible to do manually but Midnight was glad she didn't have to.

Sun was glad to escape the frigid environment of the Shadow and was very complimentary towards Midnights new form. Similar to the situation with the Odyssey, Midnight merged the two ships atmospheres, asking the Dagger to manage the Odysseys environmental systems while she attempted repairs. It became quickly apparent however, that the damage was bad and after two days hard work she came to the conclusion that repair was most likely impossible. At least without towing it to a shipyard.

It was a solemn moment as the group sat in the Shadows cockpit watching the Odyssey near the edge of the ships sensors. At this distance it would normally be impossible to detect a ship but they knew exactly where it was and where it was going. They had focused the sensors in order to scan the tiniest piece of space and as such they were able to watch the Odyssey speed on for a little longer. It had picked up speed slightly since they left but its course was unchanged, heading for Earth at a shade under ten C.

"Is that it?" came a hoarse voice causing everyone to turn around in surprise. The Captain was there with a small smile on her face, leaning heavily on a pair of crutches, though, one arm seemed to be hanging limply, barely grasping the support "Help me to my seat"

Midnight was up instantly but then so was Swift. The two shapely animal girls helped the Captain into her large, plush Captains chair. All the time Midnight protested that she should still be in bed.

"Quiet, quiet" she said without malice "You know how many years I have sat in this chair? It's practically moulded to me. Better than some shitty pirate bed"

She sat down drawing a pained gasp of breath through her teeth but the pained gasp soon faded. "Ah...that's better"

She leant back into the chair looking at the monitor before her "Status Report"

Midnight looked around at the much changed crew and bowed her head slightly "The Odyssey is traveling at nine point seven times light speed. It will arrive at earth in roughly seventy five days"

This felt good. This felt normal. Despite the bad news she found herself smiling.

"The Shadow...the plasma reactor is intact but the fuel cells have been complexly exposed to space. We can't repair it here. It would need to be towed back to a shipyard. All power is currently being supplied by the Dagger"

The Captain nodded as the blip on the sensor slowed and flickered as the computer was having trouble picking up the Odysseys Location. "The Dagger is the pirate ship?" she asked

Midnight nodded "Andromeda's Dagger"

"And the Dagger's status?"

"The Dagger is basically fine. All systems are online now the control rods have been restored. I've run a few diagnostics and other than a few small issues caused by its age, it's working remarkably well. It's got about eight months of fuel and the batteries can sustain it for almost a month, though, they can't power the engines. However It's slow. Its maximum speed is only five point two C"

The Captain nodded again "Five point two huh. How long would it take us to reach Earth at that speed?"

Midnight blinked "Uhh" she had never bothered calculating that. It had not seemed relevant. She quickly did the maths at her work station "One hundred and forty days"

The Captain just nodded and said nothing for a few minutes.

"Well" she said eventually "We had better get started"