FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The year was 2075 and one of the greatest immersive video game systems to ever hit the market had just come out, Dragon's Revenge: Enhanced Adventure Module. Made by Black Phoenix Entertainment it quickly put other such games to shame and people flocked either to their virtual reality pods or, if they were strapped for credit and couldn't afford the expensive simulation equipment, ran to the numerous VR cafes that sprung up around it. The matrix buzzed with information and it quickly became a way to relax and go on an adventure if you were a corporate wage slave or of a similar occupation... but for those who made their living in the shadows they saw an entirely different opportunity. Within weeks of the launch crafty players and hackers found ways to create black markets and dealings within the system, often preying upon addicts or the ignorant in order to make a few quick credits without much hassle.

For Mai Iwaki it provided for a unique opportunity as she continued to type on her digital keyboard. Though she was looking into the game, which most just called DREAM since saying the entire name was a bit of a mouthful, it wasn't from the viewpoint of a player in the pod. The hacker had found an exploit in the system that most had overlooked, mostly because it was found in the rather dry section of the player registry system. At first she thought that she might have a way to siphon identities that her squad could use on the matrix but the firewall and rotating encryption programs ensured that even if she was to crack the code the time she could have to use it was minimal.

Instead what she found was a means of tracking people within the game, especially with the heavy users that were involved in it. "That's it..." she said softly as she got her algorithm into place. "I need to tell the others immediately, we have to capitalize as soon as possible."

After a few minutes on her secure commlink to the others the female human got up and grabbed the nearby robotic snow leopard helmet along with a similarly textured bodysuit, covering up her lanky frame and pale skin with a fluffy synthetic fur that completely hid her body. After spending more than a few minutes in the mirror to make sure that everything was on correctly she put on a few sparse articles of clothing so that it wasn't just the bodysuit, not wanting to draw any attention from the wrong people who might think she's actually a naked anthro, and walked out of the door into the bustling city below her apartment. The streets of the mega city were just as packed as ever once she got out of the small skyscraper that was her building, getting jostled around by the crowds as she tried to get to her destination. So many people crowding one place, she thought to herself as she finally got to the subway system, no wonder everyone is jumping on a game with nearly limitless free space...

The bar that the disguised woman walked into was a small hole-in-the-wall that most people would miss if they weren't staring right at it, which was likely the intended effect of the owners. It was a place for those who had less than legal enterprises to come in and hang out and discuss things like their work without worry of an innocent bystander overhearing. Those who might be tempted to come in that weren't of the criminal class would likely turn quick on their heels when they walked inside after viewing some of the patrons. One of those was a cybernetically-enhanced naga that immediately put down his glass and went up to hug Mai when she walked in.

"It's so good to see you out and about," he said as he coiled around her and gave her a hug, feeling the smooth scales complimenting the bits of metal that were attached to it. "Here I thought that you'd be holed up in that little apartment of yours for ages after Anoni said you might have found a new way to enhance your raw data processing power."

"I have something that really couldn't wait Zakerst," she replied as he let her go and they went back towards to their usual booth. "I see your eyes have changed yet again, are those a new model or just a different design?"

"Always the technologically observant one," the snake replied with a chuckle as he easily popped out the cybernetic eye and put it in his real arm so that she could see, the mechanical device sloshing with glowing red fluid. "It's the latest in alchemitech, makes for far less latency and I can switch them into overdrive if I really need a boost. Gives quite the headache though afterwards."

"Probably because your brain can't handle all that information you're pumping into it," the two heard behind them as another naga, this one with bright orange body scales along with a green chest and underbelly as opposed to Zakerst's midnight blue body scales with an emerald accent and ivory chest and underbelly, slithered up and put his hands on Zakerst's shoulders. "How is my scaly from another taily? Also Mai I see you are looking as wonderful as ever, is that a new suit?"

"You can turn off the charm there San'nauk," Zakerst replied as he twisted back and flicked one of the orange and green fins that adorned the other naga's body. "Mai has the information, I just happened to be the one on time here as usual."

"Easy to do when you have a clock embedded in your brain," San'nauk teased as he slid into the booth, the two nagas the reason why they had to choose one of the roomier ones in the back. "By the way, I thought you were going to get Anoni to turn your wings into an extra set of arms after you found you actually couldn't glide with them? I see a distinct lack of either set of appendages on you."

Zakerst just smirked and downed the drink he had gotten from the bar while waiting for the rest of their team to show up. As the three talked about how things were going they were joined by another, this one an anthro white mouse named Anoni with a bag full of alchemical reagents, who apologizing for his tardiness before stating that the lab he worked part-time at needed him to finish up his reagent mixing before they got there. With all four members of the team there they took a few minutes of chit-chat before finally getting down to business.

Mai took out a tablet that she had downloaded her information on and set it on the table so that everyone could see it. The two nagas and mouse leaned in to see that it displayed the DREAM game and all the users currently on it. The disguised snow leopard tried to keep her explanation as brief and easy to understand as possible while telling them the work she had done and the information she had uncovered. Finally she got to the point of it all and revealed that it was real time tracking data on one group of people in particular.

"I... don't get it," San'nauk said as he sat back in his own coils. "What does tracking a bunch of people have to do with anything that could be useful to us? It's neat, don't get me wrong, but I just-"

"These are all employees from Frost Arc Solutions," Mai interrupted, everyone's eyes widening at the revelation. "I thought that might get your attention. As you know they're currently the ones that handle all the data encryption and server integration for DREAM, which includes the datakey for all the algorithms that handle things like day to day microtransactions and user login."

"The keys to the kingdom," Zakerst commented. "Every hacker, cat burglar, and their mothers all want access to that datakey, and with the game exploding in popularity it's probably in a lockbox buried ten-feet deep under the security office of the company itself."

Mai just shook her head, feeling her helmet shift slightly before she brought a hand up to readjust it before continuing on. "They have to keep it connected to the servers in order to make sure that all the rolling encryption stays current," she explained. "Now since Frost Arc Solutions has an exclusive contract with Black Phoenix Entertainment all their employees are in on the game and just from the preliminary results I got from some of them many are heavy users. If we go into the game and manipulate them that would make copying the datakey in the real world so much easier."

"That's great and all..." San'nauk said as he raised his hand for attention. "But... I don't know about you guys, but I don't even have an account with that game. Plus if we had to pull off something in both the virtual world and in real life how are we going to pull that off?"

The question posed a serious enough concern that it stopped the discussion in its tracks and deflated a bit of the excitement that everyone was feeling. No one in the group had an account with the game and the only one that had a pod that could be modified into a DREAM machine was Mai. Though the rest of the group voiced those concerns as well Mai informed them that she had already gotten a solution for their problem and that it should be arriving shortly. Though the others weren't sure what that meant they took their fellow runner's word on it and ordered a round of drinks while they waited. It turned out not to be very long as most of their crew hadn't even gotten halfway through their beverages before someone appeared at their table.

"Ah, glad you could make it here on short notice," Mai said as she stood up and moved to the side of the stingray. "Everyone, this is Ailsa, she's hardcore into DREAM and is willing to help us with our mission."

"Sup," she said with a grin, blowing a bubble from the gum she was chewing on. "So two snakes and a rat huh? That's quite the team you got there, seems kind of ironic in a way."

"Well we aim to please the stereotypes," San'nauk said as the others chuckled at the joke. "So you're going to be the one who gets us in?"

"Well yes and no," Ailsa replied as she sat down at the booth. "I can certainly get into the areas of DREAM that you'll need access to, but if you think that I'm going to just go in there alone you're out of your mind. Luckily much like yourselves I happen to run with a pretty good crew that knows what they're doing in the game."

"So we're running two crews at once here?" Anoni spoke up, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "That sounds rather complex... it's hard enough sometimes with just our group without having a whole new team tossed into the mix."

Mai nodded, feeling her mask pull down into a frown as she looked between the group and the new addition. "I know that it's less than ideal," she admitted. "But even if I'm the first to notice this exploit I definitely won't be the last, or even worse if Frost Arc realizes the vulnerability then there's no way we can take advantage of it. By the time any of us get good enough in the game to access the higher levels we'll probably miss our shot."

There was a bit of discussion around the table, mostly on whether or not they wanted to take the risk of trusting an entirely different team to pull their weight inside of the game world. While it wouldn't be the first time the group had run with others the nature of their tasks meant that the only means of contact would be through Ailsa, which meant they had no means of keeping tabs on the other team. But, as Mai was quick to remind, the prize that they were going after would be far worth the potential cost. Everyone could start to see the team's thoughts turning from potential risk to reward, though some had already made up their minds as they sat back in the booth.

"Well I'm ready to pull the trigger on this," Zakerst said with a grin on his snout. "What's our next move Mai?"

"Me?" she said in surprise.

"You are the one who put this whole mission together," Anoni stated. "This is also more in your world than any of ours, so it makes sense that you take the lead on this one."

The disguised snow leopard was at a loss for words on what to say next, especially as the others turned their attention to her. It took her a few seconds to regain her composure and nodded, taking the mantle of leadership that was thrusted upon her so suddenly. They were right; it was her lead that they were going on and she knew more about it than any of them. Even Ailsa seemed to be onboard with the prospect as she leaned back and took a drink from the glass of the naga next to her.

"Well then..." Mai said as she stood up. "In order for us to get the datakey we'll need to have access to the employees not only in the game but in real life as well, that way when the other team finds something we can use we can act on it right away and vice versa. To do that... we're going to need five Frost Arc Symsuits."

The others all looked at one another with slightly surprised expressions on their faces. Symsuits were the latest in what the corporations were calling worker protection and safety; their proper name being employee enhancement and security suits or EESS, though in reality it was a way to track their employees and prevent crews like theirs from walking around in their offices undetected. It was a nanite-infused rubber matrix that not only contained all the information of the employee but also was able to do things like log into computers automatically and check into security checkpoints. Over time they also had been adapted to provide helpful services to the employees that they were bonded too and thus earned the nickname of symbiote suits, or Symsuits.

While it wouldn't be the first time that their crew, or any team that wanted to take on a corporate job, would have to take such a step, the problem lied in the integration factor. Though the Symsuits would make them indistinguishable from any other corporate drone in that office it came with the downside of being attached directly to the security system. There have been stories of discovered teams being brought down by tasers, becoming completely immobilized, or even getting killed from the Symsuits they wore. It was a risky proposition, but the reward being dangled in front of them had the others quickly signing up for the plan.

"So now we're just going to need the Symsuits," Mai said after everyone was on board. "I put out some feelers while we were waiting for everyone to come in and I found a Symsuit counterfeiter that has been highly recommended by several, unlike the last time where we were provided them by our employer this one is going to have to come out of our pockets."

"Or..." San'nauk said with a grin on his muzzle. "I could just see if we could do a little smooth talking and get the suits for free."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Zakerst replied with his arms crossed. "Remember when we needed those fake identifications and you got them for us for free, and the guy was so enthralled that he basically made them as odes to you and we nearly got caught? Plus the other groups aren't fond of when we poach assets and get free stuff, so I think for something like this we're just going to have to consider it an upfront cost of doing business."

Though the con artist naga scoffed the others were in agreement, following Mai out of the bar and back into the streets of the city. Their trip took them out of the semi-respectable C-sector of the city and down into D-sector, where carrying weapons was less of preventative measure and more of a necessity as they passed by crumbling buildings and the disheveled people that lived in them. It was also the best place to find weapons, drugs, counterfeit identities, and anything else that a criminal might need. It was an unspoken rule of the sector that you don't mess with those that provide such services, because if you do you would incur the wrath of the crews that use them with deadly consequences.

They eventually got to a noodle shop that was still in somewhat good shape, the dirty tile floor illuminated by mostly-working lights that flickered above them. The orc behind the counter was one that you would expect working in an establishment such as this, already his hand starting to lean down towards the weapon likely stashed beneath the counter. "Can I help you folks?" he asked, giving them all a wary eye as the group made sure to keep their hands in the open. "Special today is spicy shrimp noodle."

"I think we're looking for something a little more exotic in nature," San'nauk said as he slithered up to the counter. "A noodle bowl with full-bodied flavor that leaves quite the impression on one's tongue. Perhaps you have something like that?"

The orc nodded with a grunt and once more leaned down under the counter, but this time it was to push the button hidden underneath it. The door to the cooler stocked with cheap knock-off drinks opened and the shelves swung inward, revealing a portal to a room on the other side. The group gave the gatekeeper a nod of thanks and a few credits in his tip jar before making their way through to secret door. When they got through to the other side the shelves once more swung back into place, revealing the solid steel plate behind it as an elf with wild purple hair came up and shook Mai's hand.

"You must be the one who reached out to me about the suits," he said as he kissed the snow leopard suited hand. "I have to say that you've come to the right place, no one does counterfeit Symsuits like I do. Ever since you've told me what you needed I have had them cooking in anticipation for your arrival. Oh, and of course a pleasure to meet the rest of you as well, my name is Malachi."

The elf quickly showed the group around his workshop, which looked like a mix between a laboratory and a garage. Tools of all sorts were littered everywhere and in the area where he said he did the bulk of his work was an operating table with a large amount of dark stains around it. He told them that this would not be the place where they would be getting their work done, instead moving them towards a different area of the lab. There he revealed ten glass cylinders lined up against the back all, six of them able to hold a normal-sized humanoid while four had been modified to hold very large ones instead. Connected to each of them was a series of tubes that led to a central console where a vat of a black tar-like substance was bubbling in a glass jar on top of it for all of them to see.

Malachi informed them of the process that they were to undergo as they investigated the equipment. They would all stand in one of the tubes and he would then load the rubber nanite matrix into the primary pump. It was there he would program the company identification and security protocols into the nanites before transferring it to their respective tubes. After that it would bond to their bodies like a normal Symsuit, allowing him to make the necessary tweaks to make sure that it was specifically attuned to the company they wanted. Finally they would just have to wait for the suits to cure and the second they left the shielded location they would immediately be hooked into the wireless network of said company.

"So I don't suppose there's any way that you happened to solve the problem of the company shocking us if we're caught?" Anoni asked as he looked at the rubber matrix. "Also I've been told that this substance uses an alchemical compound to help bind it to flesh, do you think that it would interfere with any of our reagents or equipment?"

"Those are both very handsome questions," the elf replied as he pulled down on one of the levers, opening five of the pods. "While I haven't been able to create something that will disconnect you if security or someone tries to interface with your Symsuits, I have added a dampening field that should help translate the pain into something you can work with. I've also added a few additional features that will help you out, but I'll leave it to the suits to tell you what those are."

The group gave each other a glance as thought to mentally communicate to one another and ask if it was such a good idea to trust him. They hadn't transferred him any credits yet and they could just walk out, but they would also likely be walking out on their best chance of getting into Frost Arc. Plus Malachi was highly regarded by other crews that used him, which meant that they were also alive. Finally they all gave one another a nod before Mai turned and gave him the credits to complete the transaction.

Malachi grinned manically and told them all to strip down and enter into the chambers, which they did with little hesitation. Even though Mai was a bit nervous at revealing herself out of her tech suit they had all done this before and knew what needed to be done, all save for their newest member. When they looked over at the herm stingray shi had already taken off hir clothes which revealed hir twin sexes and gotten into one of the smaller tubes, causing the others to shrug and do the same. Mai and Anoni took the other two normal tubes while the two nagas resigned themselves to the ones that were for bigger creatures, the doors shutting and sealing behind them once they were all set.

"Wait a second..." Anoni said as he knocked on the glass. "You didn't answer my question about the alchemy! Will this suit affect it or not?"

"Of course!" Malachi shouted in response, giving them all a small salute. "Now I would tell you to hold onto something if I had bothered to install handles, this is going to get interesting!"

Everyone looked at one another but even if they wanted to back out it was too late, the cylinders had no release mechanism and as the five naked creatures watched the black substance began to pump its way into the control panel where the elf worked. Malachi was furiously typing in commands with such speed that his fingers were a blur as the liquid drained into the central console where data was being downloaded into the nanites. Then after about a minute the five of them could feel the air pressure in their cells shift as the liquid came back up through a different tube, splitting into the five that were connected to them as it quickly oozed towards their chambers. All of them looked up to see the shiny rubber substance get pumped in, then immediately turned their heads down as it came pouring down over their bodies.

All five of them had a similar reaction of looking down slightly in disgust as the synthetic material clung to their scales, skin, or fur, feeling the tendrils of the warm material already starting to creep along their bodies while more of it oozed onto them from above. As soon as their heads and chests were covered they all found a noticeable difference from the first time they had a Symsuit integrate with them; unlike back then where there was a certain amount of discomfort the sensations they were starting to experience were slightly different. Even with the thick tempered glass they could start to hear one another groan slightly as cocks and cunts were being rubbed, spreading the black latex around the sensitive flesh as it started to shift in colors.

"I thought you might like that surprise!" Malachi shouted as the two nagas began to writhe in their own coils, spreading the substance around even more while the three humanoid creatures did something similar with their hands. "This is a custom blend of my own creation, made the nanites myself. Turns out when you fabricate them from the ground up you can do things like take out the pain transmitters that most corporations use to keep them in line and replace them with... well, something much more fun in nature!"

It was clear exactly what he meant by more fun as the arousal of the five increased dramatically, all of them able to see one another as they were coated in the shiny latex. San'nauk was the most noticeable of the color shifts, the otherwise black latex turning into a swirl of hues in order to match the scales that were underneath. Everyone underwent a similar transformation, their bodies looking similar to the ones they had before they underwent the treatment except with a shiny luster to it. Of course they could shift it back to black if they willed it as such, or put in other patterns should they so choose.

Once the process was finished and the pleasure subsided the team of five was once more let out of the tubes, looking at one another to make sure that the process took. It was just like the last time they had been given a Symsuit save for one important aspect that wouldn't be activated until they were out of the shop. "Excuse me Malachi," Mai asked as she went up to the elf. "Do you have a programming module that I could borrow?"

"Want to make changes already do ya?" the elf replied with a grin as he handed over a small device the size of a smart phone. "Don't know how much tinkering you want to do with that before you go on-line, the security protocols on that suit are pretty strict. But if you think you can do it then be-"

Malachi's speech was cut short as he watched her stick the pads onto the symbiote suit that she was covered in, the rubber shimmering slightly as the device made connection with it. The others watched too as the rubber once more took on a black sheen, making her look like she was wearing a one-piece rubber body suit, before it began to turn white that formed into spots. There were a few gasps as she continued to hack into the nanites and set a few customization settings, synthetic fur growing on her body as the rubber on her face pushed out into a muzzle. Once more the feedback sensors activated and she bit her new rubbery lips as her feet transformed into paws and a ropy tail snaked its way from just above her butt.

Once she was finished the rubber snow leopard handed the device back to Malachi, who just took it with a wide-eyed expression. "Wait a second there," Zakerst said, holding up a hand. "How did you do that?"

"I've overridden systems like this before," Mei replied with a grin. "Though I'm going to miss my suit I don't think they would have allowed something like this in a corp office. This should do nicely in the interim though, and if not I can always shift it back on the fly."

"Wow..." Anoni replied. "Do you think you could... do that for the rest of us? Not turn us into snow leopards, but have it so we can shift while in these suits?"

Mei looked over at Malachi, then back to the others that were eagerly awaiting her response. "You know if I do this for you guys it may make your suits more susceptible to being tampered with," she warned, the others nodding their head in acknowledgement. "I mean, if you guys really want the ability I can unlock the form restrictions, but don't say I didn't warn you. Try not to get into too much trouble with it."

The others continued to express their want for the modification and in turn she put the device on all of them, unlocking the suits ability to be altered with their thoughts. Once she was done Malachi made sure once more that their payment was good before allowing them to leave. As they walked out into the streets of D-sector once more all of them immediately felt a full body tingle as their suits connected to the security server of Frost Arc. It was the moment of truth and all of them looked at one another nervously as they all waited to see if Malachi was as good as his word.

One by one their suits were verified, identifying them as employees of Frost Arc which caused them all to breathe a heavy sigh of relief. "It looks like we're ready to start this thing," San'nauk said. "So what's the next move, go to Frost Arc and start probing for weak points, or maybe chat up a few of our new fellow employees?"

"The next move isn't ours to make actually," Mei replied as she turned to Ailsa. "I'm going to give you a list of names and a tracker mod for the game, it's up to you guys now to try and get us an in with Frost Arc so we can maneuver ourselves in position to take the data key. Think your crew is up to the challenge?"