Chapter 4

"PACK UP" Blackear's shout startled the others more than the sudden onset of the alarm.

Nightstorm instantly jumped into action, folding up the device, unplugging it and retuning the cable. Black started pulling out folding crates which the two started filling with all their finds. Working as fast as they could go, Black didn't have time or the will to berate Night for using he injured foot. The stoat and rat's unexplained actions left Rraji at a complete loss as to what was taking place.

As Night cleared the table of finds, he picked up his weapon gloves. Pausing he saw that Black was also staring at his weapon handle. Both made a silent agreement to keep these finds secret, pushing them into their pockets they continued packing as a slower, more deliberate rate, as through their act had robbed them of the frantic energy they had been displaying mere moments earlier.

Ten crates were filled by the time a three-tone whistle rent the air. Black and Night stopped their activities and dashed into the main room in time to watch as four metal poles, connected by a cross of metal, telescoped from the roof. Touching the floor, each bar of the cross started to expand, forming a circle of metal at least ten feet across.

A smoky mist started to fill the area between the poles, accompanied by the flashes and cracks of blue lightning arcing between poles and circle. Suddenly the mist whipped into a vortex and vanished, revealing four wolves in flack jackets and security paraphernalia. Each held a torch in one hand and a rifle in another.

"Hold!" The one marked with sergeant stripes rests his rifle on his shoulder, the others followed suit. "Agents Nightstorm and Blackear?"

"Yes." Black replied.

"Command codes please!"

"Black, three four one, alpha strike hunter."

"Night, three four two, peek-a-boo."

"Alright, had to be sure, what with the history of this place."

"Understood Sergeant, may I ask why your early?" Night replied.

"Early? You're a full day late, hence the extraction team. We were called in to mount any sort of rescue. Even if we'd only found a single cell of each of you we were to take it back. Your too important to ARF to be left dead."

"You mean they got those cloning machines we found working?" Black voice gave away how impressed he was.

"Yes, Sir."

"Well, we apologise for causing a stir, the dust storms out here can cause you to lose track of time far too easily. We've almost finished packing our finds and notes for transport. If you could give us a hand we'll be done in minutes."

"Of course sir," turning to his team the sergeant issued orders that they were to do exactly as told.

Night and Black led the team into the back room. Instantly upon entering rifles were raised at the snow leopard. Night jumped in the way, "Woah, woah, it's OK, she's a friend."

The sergeant looked sceptical, so Black explained. "We encountered the feline tribe and wiped it out. This one survived the collapse of the building. She hated the tribe, and is a soldier. She's pledged her service to our team. So we were going to bring her back with us."

"And you've forgotten ARF's ident chips, have you?"

Black stood speechless a moment. "As a matter of fact I had."

"Tugger!"

"Sir!" The youngest looking of the team stood to attention, his raccoon marked face and tail at odds with his lupine features.

"Return to ARF, you are to bring an ID team here with all haste!"

"Yes, sir!"

The wolf turned about smartly and trotted onto the transmitter circle. Pressing a button on his wrist he was engulfed by mist and lightning before the vortex occurred, leaving the platform empty.

"Alright, let's not waste time standing around. Show us what to do."

Black pulled the sealing strip over the final box as the transmitter crackled into life once more. Stacking it with the rest, now standing beside the platform, waiting for transmission, he greeted Tugger and the ID team of cats. "Subject is in the secondary chamber, snow leopard," he indicated.

"Thank you." Came the reply and the team moved in.

Night was stood beside the chair Rraji still occupied. Rraji fond it unnerving how they spoke as though she wasn't there.

"Agent Nightstorm, please fill us in." Pulling out a small microphone the team connected it to a small box before Night could start. Knowing the formula, he reeled off the information quickly.

"Name, Rraji. Species, snow leopard. Classification, soldier. Position, indentured to team Black Storm."

"Thank you." A member of the team extracted a small capsule from the box and loaded it into a small gun-like device. Inserting the needled end into the back of Rraji's neck, the operator pulled the trigger, causing Rraji to jump in pain. The third member of the team had a small scanner in his hand. Passing it over Rraji's neck it emitted a beep, its small screen lit up with the information Night had just given. Turning around, the team left without a word.

"What did they do to me?" Rraji broke the stunned silence that had fallen.

"Implanted you with an ident chip. Without it the automated defences in the ARF building would kill you on arrival," Night replied.

"What do you mean?"

"We have guns that think for themselves. Without one of those chips in your neck, they shoot you."

"And you didn't tell me this before?"

"I forgot," Black held up a hand.

"And I would have told you tomorrow before we left."

"Alright, any other explanations are going to have to wait until were back at HQ. You're a day late already, Hurry up." The sergeant shepherded the three to the transmitter, providing a shoulder for Rraji.

"Agent Nightstorm, Rraji, Tugger, you're through with the first shipment. Tugger, you make sure those two go straight to the infirmary."

"Yes, Sir!" Taking Rraji from the sergeant Trigger accompanies Night onto the pad

"Alright, load the first boxes." The rest of the extraction team load one stack of crates onto the platform. A few seconds later the activity is over. Stepping back, the sergeant nods his order and Tugger once again presses the button on his wrist.

"This will feel a little weird." Night whispers into Rraji's ear as the mist begins to surround them. She doesn't get a chance to reply.

Suddenly if feels as though they're being pulled in all directions while the world turns white, just as suddenly they find themselves in a massive warehouse-like room. A pair of twin gun turrets hanging from a gantry above them slowly turn away, their green mechanical eye searching for a target that doesn't exist. A disembodied voice announces their arrival and their injured state, even going so far as to order a medical team to their pad.

Workers of numerous species begin to unload the crates. "Careful with them, some of that stuff is very fragile," Night warns before a pair of white clothed raccoons, appear, each one wielding a wheelchair.

Rraji cannot take her eyes off her surroundings, there seems to be activity everywhere, the room had to be at least five stories high, walkways and turret carrying gantries crossing the room at various heights and angles. Great tracked beasts slowly move along the ground, their growling raising the hair on the nape of her neck. A high-pitched whistling painful to her ears begins and a flying metal beast appears heading towards them. She can see a ferret sitting behind a window on top of the beast. Turning side on, they get the full blast of air from the tubes on either side. the window opens. "Hey there Night, looks like you survived Death City huh?" his voice is barely audible.

Night replies as loud as he can. "How much did you lose?"

"Ten credits," comes the reply. "See you at de-brief."

The tubes on the machines side tilt as the window closes and it soars off to lower a rope that gets attached to a large box that it then takes out through a large hole in the roof.

"What was that thing?"

"Hovercopter, that's the smallest type we have, others can transport whole infantry units inside them, they're perfectly safe; unless you're our enemy."

"This is ARF?"

"Part of it, this room is transmissions and logistics. The roof of this hall is actually the ground outside."

Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of the raccoons. "Agent Nightstorm, it would be nice to see you again, if you hadn't duffed up your foot. Soldier Rraji, I don't believe we've met before. And I'm glad you're not one of the injured Tugger."

"That why you came out here mum?"

"Of course. That dratted computer needs to be told to report who is injured, not just how many in the party. I had to come out and see for myself."

"You know why they decided against that, Doctor Raska," Night points out.

"I know, but we'd all be better off if it told us, save the worrying over whether it was your child, mate or parent that had come back dead or wounded. Thanks to you and Agent Blackear, we can rectify the dead problems, and better treat the living. Honestly, the technology we have and that that we don't are completely at odds. Anyway, enough talk, in the chairs the two of you. Can't have you still here when Black arrives, he'll throw a fit. See you at home, Tugger." With that, the two doctors turned their seated patients about and wheeled them off.

Night relaxed into the chair before turning to face Raska as she pusjed Rraji. "You're Tugger's mother?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Well, I was rather confused by his colouration. He really does look full wolf except for the markings and tail."

"Yes, well, his father is his Sergeant. When he joined the special division his father wouldn't have it any other way."

"I'm sure he gets the best teaching that way."

"And they both get an earful from me if he gets that stupid hide of his injured."

"I don't doubt it."

"What's the betting they're still stood around talking when I go through?" Black asked the Sergeant.

"Take the last transmission. That way you can brief the new team. They should be ready by then." He noticed the light turn form red to green. "Pad clear, go!" he nods at his man stood amongst the crates, once again the transmitter fills with mist and lightning, moments later, it's empty again. "Third shipment load up!"

"I noticed your team has a new recruit in that Tugger. I thought you kept your team pure wolf?"

"Tugger is my son, the moment he signed up to the special teams, I wasn't going to let him serve under anyone else, their casualty rates are far too high."

"You're lucky he got signed to Extraction, not Scout, or Rangers."

"I made sure of it. And considering this city's reputation for swallowing up ARF members, I didn't want him here any longer than absolutely necessary."

"I suppose if I had a son, I'd be the same way. Though he could do with some greater experience than being on an extraction team. You guys don't really get out much. Why not sign him onto my team? Myself and Night are more skilled in combat than your whole team, and we have our own new recruit who is herself a soldier as well. So he'll have good training from us, and a lot of skilled protection."

"You could guarantee his safety?"

"I can't guarantee he won't get wounded, Shadow, no one can do that, but I can promise that he'll never die while the rest of the team is still alive."

"I'll think about it. It'd stop the other two bitching about him." Shadow cut himself off as he notice the pad was once again ready. Nodding the command, the wolf on the pad activated it, leaving them alone.

"I suppose we'll have to do some work this time," Black sighed. Picking up a crate he moved it onto the pad, followed by Shadow carrying two.

"Show off."

Shadow smiled evilly, "The faster it gets done the faster I get out of here."

Having only six crates to move they were ready within moments and just had to wait for the all clear at the other end. Sitting on a crate each they passed the time playing rock, paper, scissors.

After Black had won for the fifth time in a row, the light flicked to green. Standing up he notified Shadow who activated the transmitter. Black stood a moment on the other end to allow his eyes to adjust to the brighter light. "Extraction Sergeant Shadow, Historical Agent Blackear have arrived, arrivals in perfect health." The computer announced.

Stepping from the pad, the two allowed the workers to clear it. "That's the last of it people." Shadow announced. "I'll give you my decision after your de-brief tomorrow. My mate will want to have a say in the matter." With that the wolf walked off.

Black waited a while and saw the next team coming to the pad, five normal historians, not one agent amongst them. The team leader approached him. "Agent Blackear. It was reported the city was clear of the feline tribe. So it was decided to send a larger team." The mouse reported.

"Something will replace them, it always does. Also, take only what you have, that city is death to external machines because of the dust storms. Also, you'll have been told to stay in base during those, I second that. They will kill you in seconds leaving highly polished bones as the only remains. Don't think otherwise. Dust storms happen every three to four days, so use the time to build other sheltered bases, you have the manpower. That's all. Good hunting."

Black walked off leaving the group stunned at the command level in his voice, certain that at least one of the team would be killed by a storm. Hopefully not the team leader, she was pretty.

Commandeering a passing transport he got a lift to the accommodation wing of the facility, taking a moment to read the logo on the door before passing through: ARF, Ancient Research Facility.

It was good to be home.