FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

LYKOS

Second Skin

Chapter 23

(Wrath of the Forgotten)

Moonlight… It was a concept that predated the written word and the spoken language, a companion to humanity from its inception. It was as important to some cultures as the sun was, ever present, ever watchful, marking the passage of time. It was complex and enchanting, even magical how an inanimate ball of rock could have such a dynamic, ever changing influence on the world below. It had been part of art, culture, history and religion, but it had never been wielded as a tool of science, at least until today.

The observation room had grown still, at first with anticipation, but then with results. Months of experiments with no clear outcome were forgotten as the monitors filled with subjects transforming in the forest below. Seemingly normal individuals morphed into creatures covered in fur, mouths filled with fangs, eyes glowing an unearthly golden hue. Some shifted easily, others had far more violent experiences. It was shocking to all but a few. To Naomi it was oddly cathartic. This was the culmination of her grandfather's efforts. This was vindication.

A faint smile played at Naomi's lips. It was almost too perfect… So many people had struggled for so long just to get the populace to admit werewolves really existed. So many hunters had died trying to protect humans from a threat they ignored. Even after the blood moon eclipse, it was still this mystifying unknown lurking in the shadows, but now… now she stood atop the prototype for the device that would unveil every werewolf, to rip away their anonymity and allow them to be exposed for the monsters they were.

Naomi held out her hand, her fingers spread just a little apart as she pressed it to the window, watching the moonlight pour out from the projected image of the moon below them. It was bright and yet cool, faintly blue… bright enough that the glare seemed to create a zig zagging streak through the air just on the other side of the glass, just in front of the moon. To Naomi it was barely visible, but the same optical illusion had started to flash across some of the computer screens, interrupting the data for moments at a time, just enough to trigger an alert from one of the stations. The sound alone snapped Naomi out of her reverie.

“What is it?" She asked, moving over. The scientist looked up, anxious and uncertain.

“Capacitors ten and twelve aren't… discharging. In fact, they're still building power and feeding the others." The scientist said in barely more than a whisper. Naomi's lips pursed slightly. Any error was unwelcome, but she had proven the concept. She had her victory. The experiment had been a success. Now it became a matter of protecting the equipment for future tests. She weighed the outcomes before giving a slight nod to her own decision.

“We've pushed the limits of science enough for today. Shut down the system. We'll inspect the faulty systems and assess." Naomi said. The scientist barely moved.

“We can't shut it down… It should have shut off when there was bridging between capacitors. The capacitors should have exploded when they passed their rated potential… Whatever is happening, it is self-sustaining." he said solemnly. Naomi's concern became something far stronger. She looked around at the others before she stood back upright, straightening her jacket slightly as she moved over to the master panel on the back wall.

Nestled in between a variety of monitors showing views of the arboretum and schematics for Project Luna, there was a very important relay, one that was implemented as any master project would have, ensuring in case of catastrophic emergency that the power mains could be cut. Naomi felt the souring of the moment that her victory had gotten away from her, but any good scientist had contingencies. She lifted the protective cover back and pulled the breaker down - or at least she tried.

The breaker didn't budge, indicating that the lines had been fused from the power surge. Naomi's gaze returned to the window, looking through the glass and to the haze of blue moonlight spilling out into the arboretum, washing over the trees and the ferns, the bark dust and dirt, and the dozens of werewolves that were feeling the power of their forms awoken not by nature, but by the hand of mankind.

“Naomi, we need to consider trying to regain control of the situation from a safe distance." Chad said, moving over to her. More screens were starting to flicker as power surges jumped from the capacitors to connected systems. Naomi looked back at Chad, her eyes widening.

“There is no safe distance, Chad, not from this… Not from the werewolves. This is another one of their tricks. They always sabotage us. One of these scientists is a traitor, one of those werewolf defenders, whatever they call themselves. They did this on purpose…" Naomi said, her fingers clenching into fists. Chad reached to touch her shoulder with her hand.

“All the more reason to get somewhere safe, to get away from here." Chad said. Naomi's fists only tightened further.

“No, we can't leave. We have to save the project; we have to save it… This is the proof, this is the tool, this is everything we've ever worked for." Naomi said. Chad looked at the window and then back at his employer and his friend.

“At least consider going to your office while the engineers try to break the lines." Chad said. Naomi considered, watching scientists start to move back and forth, consulting one another. One of the computers snapped off, the smell of ozone leaking into the air as some of its components overheated. Naomi gave a weak nod before turning, heading out of the observation room. Chad moved past her, taking up point as they headed toward the elevator.

Naomi's mind ran in circles, going over the schematics for the machine over and over, trying to think of points of access that could give them an upper hand in cutting off the flow of power. Chad reached the elevator and entered his credentials, but Naomi stopped short, her eyes lifting up. The pristine white walls of the hallway had been marred. Someone had gouged out parts of the plaster… or rather something had. The damage had been inflicted by the claws of a werewolf paw.

“The area of influence pushed beyond the arboretum…" Naomi said softly, looking up at Chad, “The other subjects-"

“Could all be werewolves by now." Chad murmured, looking around. They had spent months bringing werewolves from the world over to Futurza's headquarters and now they had brought out the beast in all of them. Chad's only hope was that they had felt treated fairly enough not to kill them on sight. The elevator chimed as the doors opened and Chad grabbed onto Naomi's wrist, pulling her in. There was no chance in hell he was going to leave her exposed a second longer than he had to.

****

Thunder echoed across the Houston skyline, the clouds continuing to form and spill out from above the Futurza tower. They were seething, broiling, spilling over one another as they steadily got darker, though the odd unnatural blue coloring tinted it all. There had been some fleeting glimpses of werewolves, but even those that had not been alerted by that threat were starting to filter out of the area. Traffic was getting thicker, backing up through the middle of intersections. Police had come to investigate the first accident caused by the direwolf and that had choked things off even more. Fletcher looked at it all, feeling a strange pressure mounting inside of his chest.

“We can't just let Marco go it alone, not again, not after he just got out of that hell hole." Duncan said. Yom nodded in agreement. Udo, however, glared at his companions and held out his hand. As it passed some unseen and invisible barrier, white fur started to sprout as the digits contorted and shifted, claws forming from his fingernails before he pulled his hand back and it started to return to normal.

“I agree with the sentiment, but we're not going to have stealth on our side." Udo said. All three wolves jumped when Fletcher's cell phone went off. Fletcher pulled it out and turned it on, his heart racing.

“Marco?" he asked quickly.

“Is he okay?" Yom asked.

“Is he in there? In the middle of this?" Duncan asked. Fletcher ignored them both, though the look on his face was grave. At the end he nodded and turned off the phone. Udo was wide eyed.

“What did he say?" Udo asked. Fletcher looked at the wolves.

“It's not going to be easy. Everything's stacked against us… He wants us to meet him at the Annex building. Haku will be coming out with as much evidence as he could find. Duncan, he wants you to get his parents and the evidence to safety." Fletcher said. Duncan was a bit surprised, but rather than feeling offended, he understood. He was a protector of Marco's pack, of his family. He'd do his duty. He gave a nod.

“When do we set out?" Yom asked. Fletcher looked back across the intersection, seeing where Cira was sitting. She had pulled out her cell phone, getting a call from Marco at that moment.

“Now." Fletcher said, stepping out from the corner and walking forward. He was a little disappointed that nothing happened as he crossed whatever boundary had stretched out from the tower. As Yom and Udo fell in behind him, they had a much more drastic response. Fur began bristling from their skin as they crossed, their eyes shifting to a bright golden hue. Yom's ears pushed up into points, Udo's teeth sharpened. Bones started to creak and crack as they advanced. Duncan brought up the rear, his beard pushing out from his face, growing wilder and untamed, the hair spreading up his cheeks and across his neck. His shirt grew tighter and tighter until he had to unbutton it, discarding his shirt into an alleyway… He'd have to remember to come back for it when he had Haku with him or things would get awkward very fast.

Every step forced the wolves to shed their humanity as their changes manifested. Udo winced, Yom made soft clicks in his mouth, Duncan grunted. It was an abbreviated transformation, feeling forced and… wrong, somehow. It didn't have the grace or the mercy of the moon. Yom fell forward onto all fours, but Udo managed to stay upright. Fletcher kept going, flanked by the three wolves as if he didn't have a care in the world. It was a guise, of course. He was laser focused on his task, knowing that he had to do whatever it took to help Marco. This time they would face whatever was ahead together.

****

For every werewolf that transformed, the change had a slightly different feeling, a different meaning and impact. For some it was euphoric, a release of an unbridled pressure, the venting of an untamable heat. For others it was a struggle, a painful transition as one form was manipulated, broken and reshaped and forged into another… and for some it was a literal end, a death of their identity and their body before something else took its place...It was an experience that they all felt only one time a month, an experience every werewolf had shared in a unified, symbiotic state… until this, until Futurza.

Luke's pack had seemingly taken to it well. The experiments had been mild over the months… They had been a bit confusing, a bit boring, but Luke had shown them how to get everything on track. He'd helped them each become part of a more unified whole. They had found their part, no longer runts of a pack, no longer omegas. They were betas, and he was their alpha. They felt safe near him, indulging in their usual full moon antics. They hunted, they played, they fucked… but Luke wasn't taking part, not this time.

The Alpha sat on his haunches, his tail rushing back and forth in the barkdust. His fur was pale, paler than it had ever been. His eyes were distant, unfocused… Trying to see something that wasn't fully there. His lycan eyes glowed with the same pale blue moonlight that was shining across his fur. He looked into the crack in the sky and he heard the whispers pouring out from the other side… and he felt the building rage in his heart.

One of his wolves tried to say something to him, but Luke couldn't tell if it was Milo or Enzo. He could only hear the whispers growing louder and louder, echoing in his head, but they weren't words… not as such. They were emotions and feelings, ideas expressed in memories, in his memories, in their memories. Luke felt an ancient wind blowing through his fur, seeing a place he had never seen before…

It was night, the fields stretching out before him. Sheep were grazing, the stars were out in full force… He'd never seen a sky with so many stars. There wasn't an artificial light for hundreds of miles around. The trees blew back and forth, swaying. There was a scent in the air of summer grasses, no doubt why the sheep loved it so much… but there was another smell, the smell of blood.

Luke grunted, grabbing at his heart, feeling an aching pain as he fell to his knees. He looked across the field at the castle in the distance, candles flickering from the windows. When Luke took his hand away from his chest, it was covered in blood. His growing claws had cut through the fabric and the skin as well. Luke sprung to his feet and stumbled backwards, tripping over a traffic cone.

The impact of the concrete shook him from the first vision, the blue velvet sky replaced by the eerie haze of the eclipse. Sirens blared from car alarms going off.Storefront windows exploded into showers of glass across the sidewalks. There were screams, gunshots, and then a deep, unsettling growl. Luke felt the hot, sticky, foul drool dribbling down across his forehead and nose as he looked up into the red eyes of a direwolf.

The beast snarled, betraying its huge yellowed teeth, its purple tongue, its grizzled chest. Its fur was matted with sweat and blood and who knew what else, and its shaft was huge… It throbbed with intent, the base swollen into a knot before the monster even tried to impale its first victim. Luke looked up at the beast and then did what any rational being would, he rolled onto his stomach, pushed off with his feet and broke into a sprint. He managed to get a good twelve feet before a huge clawed paw wrapped entirely around his waist, closing from his ribs to the other side.

Luke clawed and kicked as he was hoisted up off the ground, and then he screamed out as the fangs bit down into his shoulder, puncturing through fabric and flesh in one swift movement. The pain blossomed outward along with the blood, mixing with the red haze of the lunar eclipse, all of it becoming a fog. The red hue of the dog drained away until the mist was illuminated only by the distant blue moon shining down through it like a spotlight.

Luke stood in the middle of it all, aching and stinging, battered and bruised and scared. His hair clung to his forehead with sweat, his limbs shook. He hadn't felt that way since he'd first been bitten, since he'd been turned into a werewolf. Luke turned to the left, then the right, trying to find a way out. It wasn't until he turned back to face the way he had come that he saw someone else standing in the mist. It was another young man about his height, even his build… Luke took a step forward, then another, realizing the guy had the same shade of blond hair… and the same faint kiss of freckles on his shoulders.

Luke's echo raised his head, his eyes gleaming an intense shade of blue. His ears were pointed, his cheeks covered with fuzz. His lips parted, revealing sharpened canine teeth. Luke froze, staying where he was before he tried to take a step backward, but the fog swirled around them thicker and his echo didn't seem to get any further away. His counterpart looked into Luke's eyes with a strange focused intensity.

“You can't turn away from this, you can't ignore what they've done… To you, to your brothers, to those that came before…" The voice was Luke's, but it didn't come from his lips. The words echoed through the dog, growing louder. Luke could feel them vibrating through his bones.

“I don't want to be here..." Luke murmured, “I don't remember how I got here…" He said, feeling cold and scared. His reflection roared.

“This is the crime that the hunters commit even now, that the humans commit over and over again!" the beast roared, “They kill their own to try and achieve power and dominion over the gods. They kill their own because they think they are different. They imprison them out of paranoia. They hunt them down and trick them into revealing themselves. No matter how much they advance, they commit the same crimes over and over… They forget their past, they forget where they came from and they are doomed to repeat their mistakes over and over. This time it will be different. This time they will learn a lesson they'll never forget." The shade growled.

“I don't know if I'm strong enough to teach them…" Luke said. This time the beast smiled, reaching out, his clawed hands caressing Luke's chin.

“A wolf is strongest with his pack, and together we will ensure the humans feel the wrath of the forgotten. They will know the pain and misfortune that comes with trying to defeat a curse like me…" the shade whispered before he leaned forward, kissing Luke with his own lips. The reflection evaporated into mist and moonlight, pouring into Luke, infusing him with the memories of a hundred lifetimes,

Luke's eyes snapped back open in the arboretum, a deep and vibrant blue. He looked up at the artificial moon and the tear in reality in front of it, and he felt the faint electrical pulses from the device attached to the back of his neck, relaying information into the rest of the building. He understood so much more now… He knew that had been one of the first ways the curse had reached out to start manipulating the system, to bring down their oppressors… Their own technology had been the sword on which they would fall.

“Are you alright, Luke?" Milo asked, looking up from where he was. Luke turned, reaching down, running his clawed fingers through Milo's thick mane. The wolf leaned into the scratches, his tail wagging. Luke smiled softly, his muzzle contorting.

“It will be okay, my pup… I'll make sure of it." Luke said, his voice a bit strange. Milo felt worried about his alpha, but something swept over him, bringing him in line and reassuring him at the same time. Luke slowly lifted his head, no longer looking at the fake moon. This time he was trying to picture just where the one responsible for all of this would have run off to.

****

The twenty fifth floor of Futurza tower was quiet. That was no surprise to Tevin. That floor had always been quiet. It had no laboratories, no common rooms, no offices. It had been converted into a living space for the volunteers and he had been a glorified babysitter. The day seemed even quieter than normal; the duty roster had been painfully plain. There were no experiments that day, no group activities… and yet something felt off.

Tevin stood by the staircase, dressed in his Futurza security guard uniform. It was black with navy blue highlights, his badge silver emblazoned with a stylized F and Z connected together. At twenty years old, Tevin was the same age as most of their volunteers. Tevin had shaved his head just like his dad and brothers and he'd tried to cultivate his first mustache, the black strip of masculinity contrasting against his mocha skin. He stood as he had for hours before realizing that his relief had not arrived for his break. Tevin's brow furrowed as he reached up to tap the com on his shoulder.

“Twenty-Five Bravo to control… Anyone going to cover my personal?" Tevin asked curiously. Rather than getting a response, his com chirped, and the lights turned red. The tiny display screen filled with an error code before even the error numbers started to flicker and jump around. Tevin grimaced at that. Maybe there had been a change, but they couldn't tell him because his com was defective.

As if adding insult to injury, the overhead lights flickered and snapped off. The hallway was plunged into darkness for a moment before orange emergency lights kicked on from the ceiling. The only other source of light came from the windows to the outside world at the end of two ancillary hallways. Tevin sighed slowly. That was just what he needed when he was already late for a break, but he had a job to do.

The guard walked down the hallway between the dormitory doors, deciding to check on dorm three first. He could have checked on any of them, but he'd had a good rapport with the boys in dorm three. They were good inner-city kids, the sort of kids Tevin might have hung out with. They liked video games, junk food, basketball, wrestling… Especially Ollie. Tevin had done his best to show his interest as friendly, but that one-time Ollie had shown off his wrestling singlet… Tevin sometimes thought about that at night.

Three quick raps on the door broke the quiet, although as Tevin waited for a response, he heard a strange lurching and grinding inside the room. The ground vibrated slightly, there was a scrape at the door and then it opened to reveal a hulking eight-and-a-half-foot tall werewolf covered in thick, downy, soft layers of reddish brown fur. His eyes were a bright gold, just like the thick earrings that hung from the pointed ears on his head. They were the same earrings that had looked far too big on the red headed wrestler from downtown Houston.

“Ollie?" Tevin asked, his jaw dropping, then dropping further when he saw the huge, glistening, pulsing cock extending from the beast's waist. The guard's eyes darted back into the dorm, seeing a grey wolf and a white wolf spit roasting another from both ends. The red wolf growled with contentment.

“I knew you'd come for me, Tevin… I knew you couldn't resist." The red wolf grinned, showing off his fangs. Tevin was about to ask what had happened, how they had changed, but a paw wrapped around the back of his head and pulled him forward. Ollie was so big that Tevin didn't even have to kneel to get a mouth full of cock. The tip pushed through his lips and past his teeth, spreading his jaw wide… and then came the taste.

The eruption of cum was instant - salty, musky, as thick as pudding. It filled Tevin's mouth in a moment and forced him to take a gulp, then another, then another. At first it was an instinct not to have it come out of his nose, but with each gulp he became more relaxed, feeling a heat spread through his body. Ollie held the guard to his cock and smiled with glee, watching the youthful mustache the guard had grown get thicker, longer, fuller. It dropped down the sides of the guard's mouth as his cheeks began to darken with stubble pushing through, growing out.

The heat was potent and powerful, filling his veins, rushing to his extremities. He could feel his heart pounding more than his best workout, sweat beading across his brow. His uniform jacket grew tight as his pecs swelled, his sleeves tightening like vices as his arms grew. Even his pants strained as his ass cheeks grew larger, rounder and bigger. The red wolf drooled, its tongue hanging out of his muzzle. He started to slide back and forth, fucking Tevin's face, watching him mature and grow with every gulp.

Tevin's eyes had glazed over with lust as he greedily drank from the werewolf, the brown turning gold. The stubble on the guard's cheeks pushed out into a beard, the hair growing longer and softer, descending down from his jaw by an inch, then two, then three. His ears were pointed, his fingernails darkening from ivory to tan then brown and finally black, sinking deeper into his fingers as the flesh grew over the top to anchor them.

A pop echoed from somewhere within Tevin's body, then another. Cartilage shifted, bones grew, ligaments stretched. The greedy, hungry bearded face of the guard began to push forward, warping and stretching. His lower jaw slid under Ollie's enormous wolf cock, well maintained teeth growing up into sharp and wicked fangs. Tevin's upper lip followed after, pushing out, the muzzle growing around the phallus he was nursing from.

Ollie growled with heat, grabbing onto Tevin's changing skull, bringing his hips back before thrusting forward, hitting the back of Tevin's throat a few times before Tevin shifted and let the cock slide down deep. Ollie threw his head back and howled, cumming even harder. As he thrust, he fed Tevin directly, watching his back spread wider and fuller, his arms thicken. Velcro popped loose, a button shot off, fabric strained and then split down the back, revealing a fur covered, muscled spine.

The Futurza uniform gave up entirely, becoming rags clinging to the forming werewolf's body. Black fur erupted from his pits and chest. Tevin's pants strained and struggled before splitting out, revealing his tight bubble butt and a forming tail above his pulsing hole. Tevin reached down with clawed hands and pulled the shredded pants away, letting his long, fat, purple cock spring upwards, sending a spray of pre across Ollie's legs before it started to drool. The last few drops of his human cum leaked out before the sperm got thicker, yellowish, tainted and virile. It began to pour openly and easily as Tevin felt his cock get heavier and stronger.

The flesh holding his cock to his loins anchored deeper, keeping it aloft as more and more blood pumped in, stretching the mushroom shaped tip out into a point. His urethra doubled in size, veins bulged, and his cock just seemed to keep going. His balls swelled heavier; his bush having grown into a forest. Tevin sniffed the air, smelling his own musk mixing with that of the werewolves - not just the wolves of the dorm, but the whole floor. He heard so many of them making love, a few fighting, but they were all animals, they were all like him, like he was now…

Tevin's nose grew dark and moist as it turned upwards, nostrils flaring as he came into his lycan nose. Whiskers grew out from the beard that was becoming fur. His ears migrated up his skull, taking position up top as his shoulders and hips ached. The joints shifted, making it so Tevin could move as an animal was meant to, if he needed to. He reached up, wrapping a large clawed paw around the base of Ollie's cock only to realize it had grown puffy and swollen, forming into a fat knot.

The guard growled, sending waves of vibrations into the wrestler's shaft, making the red wolf drool even more. Tevin bobbed his head back and forth a few times before he went for it, impaling his throat on the cock, getting his wolf lips over the knot. Ollie howled and threw his head back, his howl growing louder as what had been a steady, constant orgasm became one of true note. The pressure built, the eruption intensified, and he came directly into Tevin's belly, filling the stomach of his first werewolf convert.

As the last changes on Tevin's body solidified, his massive shaft joined in the reverie, becoming a fountain of wolf spooge that arched up and came splattering down across his black fur, soaking into the carpet. Tevin the guard was no more. He was a werewolf, a male, intent on fucking or fighting. He had been given the curse, but to him it felt like a gift. Changing so fast from human to feral wolf seeped into his brain, rewiring the synapses. Ollie was his mate, his Alpha, his partner, but that was just the start of it. They could do anything together, they WOULD do anything together, and he would make sure his Alpha lived a very, very happy life...

****

The elevator ride down the tower had felt like an eternity, Marco standing behind his father, the distorted image of a seven-and-a-half-foot-tall black werewolf warped across stainless steel like a misbegotten shadow of the scientist before him. They had been lucky so far, going from an empty office down an empty hall, but Marco knew their luck wouldn't hold for long. He could smell other wolves in the air… more than he'd ever smelled before. It made one decision easy for him, though he wasn't sure how his dad would take it when the time came.

With a slight shift in inertia, the elevator came to a stop and the doors parted, looking out onto a matte black wall with hundreds of horizontal grooves running along it like painted over wood panels. There was a dull blue glow pouring from a wall of screens off to the side, but they were all flickering between static and computer code. Somewhere in the static Marco could swear he heard a steady whisper. Haku stepped out of the elevator fearlessly, rounding the corner. Marco winced and followed after, trying to keep his dad safe. Each step Marco took brought with it the echo of his claws off of cement and wood.

If Marco had learned anything in the process of being kidnapped and experimented on in a secret facility under a lake, it had been that stealth was a vital part in any operation. That had been a luxury he lost when he'd been forced into his wolf form in front of his own father. As he turned the corner, though, he came face to face with the scope of Futurza's dedication.

The bare floor looked as if it had been hewn from stone with a razor's edge, perfectly flush with the matte black walls that absorbed light. Great angled pillars rose up from the floor to the ceiling at alternating angles at perfectly space intervals, creating a triangular space down the center that felt like walking through an ancient tomb. It was not a place made for enjoyment or casual work. The computer desks were clustered for productivity, but that productivity was gone. Every computer screen was glitching.

“I don't think I like your working conditions." Marco commented, trying to keep his dad comfortable with a bit of humor. Haku gave a weak smile.

“Well, I would say that it had decent benefits, but I'm not sure I'll be able to use them after this." Haku said. Despite his retort, his eyes were focused on his surroundings. He was mission focused, but something wasn't right. He'd never seen the Futurza systems go down and he'd never seen the Annex so empty. Even if the scientists had left their posts, where were the guards?

There was an element of fear, but at the same time, Haku felt comfort knowing that he and Marco were together, that they finally knew the truth about each other. He wondered if working for Futurza had helped brace him for his son's revelation. He knew that werewolves could be good people, and he certainly knew his son could be. The fact that his son was a werewolf seemed… oddly natural.

“There it is." Haku murmured, spotting their target. He sped up a bit as he approached the end of the long hallway, swinging around the podium-like desk the guard usually stood at. His fingers went to work, flying across the console, trying to enter the credentials they had stolen from Chad, hoping that that particular system was working while all of the others seemed to be breaking down.

“Is there really a back door into this secret base?" Marco asked, still feeling a bit wary. His voice was deeper, reverberating with grit and gravel from his larger chest cavity. Haku looked up with a bit of a smile.

“This base is part of a publicly traded corporation and is an OSHA regulated workplace. There have to be emergency exits…" Haku said, pressing enter. Marco's ears perked as he heard a series of clicks, three doors unlocking in sequence. Haku moved over, held his breath and then pushed on the bar. Despite the red and white warning label on the door, an alarm did not sound. The door opened, then the next, then the last.

Light poured in from the outside world, forcing Marco's eyes to adjust. As they did, a figure stepped through the doorway. Fletcher's eyes shimmered with an orange hue, but his smile was as priceless and original as it always had been. Marco pushed forward and rested his paws on Fletch's shoulders, leaning down to lick his face. Fletcher chuckled softly, getting the big wolfy licks before he stood on his tiptoes to kiss Marco's nose.

“I missed you too, big guy." Fletcher said as Yom, Udo and Duncan moved in behind him - or at least tried. The hallway hadn't exactly been designed for werewolves. Yom ducked down, taking up most of the space, the wind blowing through his dark fur and mane. He leaned over Fletcher and licked the top of Marco's head. Marco raised a paw, rubbing his muzzle affectionately. Haku smiled a bit despite himself. He'd seen a few packs in the experiments, and a few that had formed as a result of them, but for the most part it had been lone wolves that came to the facility. This was a glimpse at a real pack.

“What's the plan, Marco?" Udo asked, hearing a rumble of thunder as rain started to fall outside, the droplets splattering across the cement. Marco sobered; the reunion short lived. He rose back up to full height.

“Duncan, I need you to get my dad to safety." Marco said. Haku straightened up at that.

“Now wait just a minute, we're in this together… I know my way around." Haku said. Marco shook his head.

“I know you do, but we're dealing with big things here. This has gone beyond Futurza. I can feel it. I'm going to be able to focus a lot better if you're safe with mom, okay?" Marco asked. Duncan felt a little deflated at being sent away, but he understood the importance. Haku was his Alpha's family. Fletcher and Yom squeezed in through the doors, Udo following after, making room for Haku to exit.

“Mister Iona, sir?" Duncan asked, the rust colored werewolf seeming oddly formal despite his body bristling with muscles. Haku looked back at Marco for a long moment.

“Just be sure you come back home on time, alright? No staying out late…" Haku said. Marco bowed his head just a bit.

“You got it, dad." Marco replied. Haku hesitated for a moment longer before he turned, following Duncan out. Marco watched them duck down as the rain got heavier and harder, trying to make it to cover. Udo looked around at the Annex, his ears flattening against his head. He could feel something wasn't right. Everything about the effect was unnatural.

“So, like I said… What's the plan?" Udo asked. Marco looked at the three, at his first pack, at his family and friends and boyfriends. He was asking them to go into danger, but he knew they wouldn't hesitate. They would do what had to be done.

“Somewhere in this building, the powers that be turned on their ultimate weapon. It doesn't hurt us directly, but it robs us of free choice. It forces the outcome on us. It's like the airport attacks. The hunters used our own changes, our own strengths to mark us and take us down. We have to get to the center of this and shut it down." Marco said.

“We're not scientists…" Yom replied.

“It might not need a lot of help; this place looks like it has seen better days. Those aren't screensavers." Fletcher said, moving over to one of the workstations, his eyes studying the flashing code, “That's some kind of computer virus."

“How can you tell just by looking at it?" Yom asked. Fletcher shook his head.

“I don't know… It just feels… unprotected." he said softly.

“My gut still tells me we need to get to the heart of this thing." Marco said.

“I trust your heart." Udo smiled.

“And I trust your gut." Yom added.

“And my axe!" Fletcher said with a grin. Despite having been forced into their feral werewolf forms, Fletcher could see all three beasts recoil in pain at his dated reference. Marco shook his muzzle but grinned despite himself.

“Alright, let's see if the stolen password will get us one more trip." Marco said, leading the others back towards the elevator. No matter what they were going to come up against, Marco knew one thing - he stood a lot better chance with his pack at his side.

****

Naomi was silent on the ascent to her office, the pull of gravity tugging at her stomach only adding to the sinking feeling she already felt. She stood behind Chad now, something she never did before. She had been the trailblazer, the leader. He had been the safety net to protect her from her folly. This time, she might have pushed things so far that even he couldn't save her. The elevator slowed even more than usual, lagging before it stopped, and the doors parted. Naomi couldn't immediately see beyond Chad, but the distinct lack of light was an immediate warning that something was wrong.

Chad looked out across the spacious office, past her desk and through the honeycomb lattice that hugged the outside of the tower like a shell. He looked out to the billowing, broiling cloud that hung over Houston. He hadn't seen clouds like that in years, not since the day he had met Naomi. Somehow these clouds seemed even angrier. Naomi edged around Chad, her heart racing even more. It wasn't the storm she was concerned about, it was the fact that the lights in her office were flickering - lights that were tapped into a completely independent power grid.

“No, no, no…" Naomi said, racing over to her desk, looking at the blank screen. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, but the computer offered no response. She pressed the restart button, but nothing happened. She slammed her fist against the keyboard before moving over to Chad's workstation. She tried her credentials there, but nothing came up. The computers had been bricked.

“Naomi, we can't stay here. This whole building is filled with werewolves." Chad said softly, “We have to get somewhere safe. I have to protect you."

“Don't you think I know that?!" Naomi snapped, looking back at him, her red hair falling across her face, “Generations of work, whether my father knew he was helping to set us up for this or not… Contingencies, backups, trap doors… And it still ends the same way, with fire." she whispered, looking out across her office… It had been more of a home than her home had been these last few years. The glass and steel furniture were so clean and orderly, every piece of art had been perfectly placed.

Naomi took a long breath before sighing, closing her eyes. She returned to her desk, opened a drawer, withdrawing a flash drive. The black plastic device was slipped into her pocket before her hand grabbed the last thing from her desk she needed - the photo of her grandfather and his fellow military officers. She looked at his picture, knowing that he would understand her failures and the need to fall back. Perhaps they were more alike than she'd ever realized.

“I'm ready." Naomi said. Chad nodded at that, moving over to his workstation, entering a code to unlock a cabinet. He pulled out a duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder.

“I am too." he said. Naomi's brow quirked a bit.

“What is that? What do you have just lying around in case we have to retreat?" she asked. Chad smiled, gesturing for the elevator.

“A good protector is always prepared." he answered. Naomi guffawed at his trite answer but returned to the elevator. Chad stepped in, taking up point, ready to defend her. He pressed the button for the lobby and prayed for a safe journey.

****

Marco had been a werewolf in a canyon, on a college campus, even a secret underwater research facility… but it was hard to adapt to being a werewolf in an elevator. It was also hard to move. As humans, the elevator could hold a good ten to fifteen people, but Yom's shoulders alone were a good three and a half people wide. He flexed his paws, his claws gliding down the stainless-steel walls of their transport. Marco had squeezed up to the front as much as possible, leaving Fletcher off to one side and Udo squeezed between the larger wolves. Marco turned his head to look at Fletch.

“You doing okay?" Marco asked. Fletcher grinned.

“Just getting dirty ideas, you know me. I just wish this was the time." he grinned. Marco growled happily and leaned down, kissing the top of Fletcher's head.

“I promise you we're going to have so many good times after this." he whispered. Fletcher nodded at that. Yom cleared his throat a little.

“You still have to tell me more about that double knot thing Duncan said." Yom muttered. Even though Marco's face was covered in fur, Fletcher could have sworn he saw the alpha blush.

“If I had control over that sort of thing…" Marco trailed off, feeling the elevator slow as it reached its destination. The doors parted, opening up on the most unusual sight any of them had ever seen. Through the doorway before them was what appeared to be, for all intents and purposes, a forest during night-time. The tree trunks stretched up, there were ferns and dirt and barkdust, and pale blue moonlight filtered through the trees, caught in the dust in the air. Marco stepped out first, lowering from traveling on two legs to all fours. As he made room, Yom followed suit.

Marco's large canine nostrils flared as he sniffed, smelling the trees, the plants, some small animals that had evaded capture, werewolves, humans, fear, rage… and danger. It was almost overwhelming. Marco glanced back, watching Udo drop to all fours and leave the elevator as well. While it was true that they could travel standing upright in their feral form, they hadn't practiced it much during their full moons. They seemed to prefer being on all fours, embracing the animal on the one night they were forced to be one.

“Priority access requested. Vacate the lift." The elevator announced in a voice none of them had heard. Fletcher looked at the panel, watching all the buttons go dark. He winced and stepped out, watching the doors shut behind him. As they shut, the indicator on the support column simply indicated that the elevator was going up.

“So much for our ride…" Fletcher said softly.

“They had to have other elevators to build all this, bigger ones. We'll find a way out." Udo said reassuringly. Marco, however, had turned his gaze to the moon in the distance, casting its rays out through the haze. It was so bright, almost too bright… and the illusion had been disrupted by the damage incurred. A large tree had fallen, smashing through a large window above the false moon. Inside there was a dull orange glow of emergency lights and the flicker of equipment gone haywire… but that wasn't what was calling out to Marco, what was drawing him in… His attention was pulled toward the crack in front of the moon, floating in the air… He hadn't noticed it at first, but how could he not now?

Marco took a step toward the moon, his paw pressing down into the soil beneath his feet. The leaves of a bush brushed against his fur. Humidity beaded across his nose. This felt like nature, but he knew it wasn't… He could feel the looming presence of the tower high above him, the pressure of the electrical grid feeding the artificial moon… and something else, something familiar, something he had felt before. The memories came back in jagged, sharp fragments, clashing against one another. Marco clenched his eyes shut.

“I need you to focus on my voice. Follow them to this moment." the voice was an echo, a memory, a moment that already had passed. Marco saw three moons, each in a different phase. Marco lost grip on that moment, seeing instead a decayed and dying forest drained of color and life by a swirling portal, then the museum back in Echo Creek.

“One of us, one of them or not at all…" the warning had been uttered many times, the conditions of the curse, the danger of transforming others.

“No, I don't have time for this…" Marco growled, “I need to be in my moment, I need to be at the present. I need to be here."

“Not quite, at least not yet…" Came another echo. Marco growled at that, feeling his persistent rage at that particular colloquialism of the keepers. His fur bristled; his claws dug in… but then he quieted his rage. He was not just a beast. There was balance in him. He was a man, he was a wolf, he was both at once. Marco stopped, took a deep breath. He thought back to when he had stepped through to the spirit world, when he had existed between the moments, when past and present and future had touched and everything finally made sense.

Marco remembered when the dreams of the future had become the memories of the past, when he had seen his pack safe and sound and known they would be alright. He remembered when he had saved Fletcher, when he had saved Yom, when he had saved Udo - each in their own way. He had been forced to learn the lessons of the werewolf lifestyle. He'd been clumsy, he'd made mistakes, but he'd found his path. He'd found a way to be himself, to help people, to do the right thing.

When Marco's eyes finally opened, they were no longer their typical amber shade. They had brightened to an intense, vibrant turquoise color. It had been several months since Marco had felt that crystal clarity. It was a peace of mind, a determination of spirit. Ren had said it came from being enlightened, tied into a higher purpose. There was no doubt in Marco's mind at that moment. He lowered his head, sniffing the ground before he started picking up the pace, moving through the underbrush with ease.

Yom glided in beside him like Marco's personal shadow, keeping perfect pace. Udo sped up to fall in behind them, nearly galloping. Each stride Marco and Yom took required Udo to do at least two. Fletcher winced at the back of the pack, but this was his time to shine. He took a few breaths, focused his breathing, thought about Marco and his pack. He had to protect them, he had to keep them safe and do his part.

Fletcher's hands flicked open, claws bursting from his fingertips. Hair trickled down his cheeks, growing out into thick sideburns as his eyes shifted from caramel brown to orange. His upper lip started to get puffy as his canine teeth began to ache and swell, descending downward as they formed into sharp teeth. Soft brown fur grew out from his elbows and chest, his shoes tearing as claws grew out through the front of them. Stitches popped and snapped as the material was torn apart before two large paws erupted from their confines.

Fletcher looked down, a grin crossing his saber toothed mouth. Encouraged by the changes, he knew he could push it further. Fletcher took a step, then another, breaking into a sprint. He felt the air washing over his skin, his hair whipping in his self-induced speed. He was running faster than he ever had before, but it wasn't enough. Rayne clenched and unclenched his hands as they grew larger, longer, and thicker. His fingertips swelled up, his palms got puffy, paw pads forming as golden-brown fur began to grow out of the back of his hand, wrapping around the flesh.

What had started as sideburns grew out across the rest of Fletcher's face, framing his mouth as a short beard before growing out into a mane. He felt his skull throb and ache, the brow bone pushing out over his eyes. His mouth became too full of teeth. His ears stung as they pushed into points. His chest rose with each breath but didn't sink back as he exhaled. It bulged with muscle as his pectorals thickened and his abs hardened. Fletcher knew it was time.

As Fletcher lunged forward, pushing off from his feet, he landed on all fours without losing any momentum. His shoulders, hips and knees had all contorted to allow him to travel as his pack did. Fur covered the rest of his face, his back, his stomach. His shirt was stretched to the breaking point until it tore and fell off, discarded in the forest. Fletcher's skull continued to warp and twist, pushing into a muzzle that seemed half-way between a feline and a canine. His hearing shifted as his ears did, reorienting to the top of his head… and a long, thin tail swayed behind him as he moved, catching up to Marco, Udo and Yom.

Marco looked back, surprised and appreciative of Fletcher's form. He was impressive, powerful, handsome - though he'd always been handsome to Marco. A grin crossed the Alpha's muzzle, though none of them could match Fletcher's grin. They were finally together in all things, able to take on any challenge. They just had to be sure that this particular quest would not be their last. The four bounded ever closer toward the artificial moon, radiating its light over another pack that stood directly in their way.

****

The lobby of Futurza Tower had been an architectural marvel and an exercise in the beauty of symmetry and mathematical precision. Water continued to bubble down the textured panes of glass in the fountains that formed a central corridor across the lobby while ferns and benches balanced them out. The water continued on undaunted, but the lighting had gone out in the lobby. The television screens that constantly touted the advancements and prowess of Futurza were dark. Even Sal, the dutiful security guard, was not at his post.

The doors of the elevator groaned as they were forced open by hand, the elevator having stopped a foot shy of being flush with the floor. Chad grunted and got them wide enough to squeeze through, dropping down to the floor below. Naomi sat down on the elevator floor and scooted forward, but before Chad went to help her down, she pulled off her shoes and tossed them aside. High heels were not a good fit for trying to make an escape. Chad offered Naomi his hand and she stepped down out of the elevator, though her eyes darted up as a figure stepped out in front of them, barring their path to the entrance.

“Director…" The voice growled; fangs bared. The beast's fur was golden like straw, his shoulders powerful and his claws wicked. He left nothing to the imagination, everything on display. Naomi looked at the beast without fear, settling on his golden eyes. An almost merciless smile crossed her lips.

“Poulson. You're looking well." She replied. Andrew snarled at that and lunged, but before he could get to Naomi, something slammed into his muzzle so hard and so fast that he spun, stumbling to the side. Naomi looked over at Chad, watching as the staff he had withdrawn from his duffel bag unfolded itself the rest of the way, the tip locking into place as a five-sided crook. The entire staff crackled suddenly as electricity coursed through it from base to tip.

Naomi stood there in stunned silence, looking at a weapon clearly developed with Futurza insights, but one she'd never seen or heard of. Still, Poulson hadn't been dismayed from his vengeance for long. He turned back and charged again. This time Chad broke into a sprint, swinging the staff so the crook caught around Poulson's neck. He yelped at the charge, but then the bodyguard used his body weight to slam the werewolf to the ground. He clawed and scrambled, yelping as another burst of electricity was released.

Poulson suddenly rolled, throwing Chad with the sudden change of direction. He grunted as he came crashing down into one of the fountains. Poulson snarled and reached out for the actuator on the staff, trying to get it to release a charge of electricity. Naomi gasped at that and ran, lunging. She landed on Poulson's back and started using her elbow like a hammer, coming down at the back of his skull, his spine, and any meaty point she could reach.

The werewolf reeled back, rearing up onto his hind legs. Naomi toppled from him, landing on the stone floor. Chad sprung from the water, soaked through to the bone. He used every ounce of momentum he had to slam into Poulson's chest, knocking him backwards. The werewolf fell once more, grunting. Clawed hands swiped, cutting through Chad's fine clothing, sending a spray of crimson into the air.

“Chad!" Naomi shouted, but Chad was still moving. He reached up with both hands, wrapping them around Poulson's muzzle, trying to keep him from snapping or biting. No human had the strength to keep a wolf's muzzle shut, but Poulson seemed to be struggling. Chad growled, looking Poulson in the eyes, his irises shifting from periwinkle to orange in moments. As he gazed into the eyes of the beast intent on hurting Naomi, his upper lip pushed out slightly, the point of two saber tooth tusks descending downward.

Poulson squirmed, trying to get up, but even Chad's fingers had developed claws as hair pushed out from the sides of his cheeks, forming bushy sideburns that contrasted with his otherwise short kept buzz cut. Chad stretched up as high as he could get while still holding Poulson's muzzle shut before he came down, bringing his skull crashing down against the werewolf's. The impact was audible, and Poulson went down for the count, slumping to the ground.

Chad panted from exertion, taking half a moment before he stood up. Water still dripped from his clothing, forming a puddle on the floor. He turned to return to Naomi, only to feel the cool edge of a metal crook slip around his neck. Naomi stood there, wide eyed, her lips twitching as she looked at Chad, her friend, her bodyguard… but upon seeing his face, his tusks, his eyes, the chaos in her heart only deepened. Chad held perfectly still.

“I am not a werewolf." he replied. Naomi twitched.

“Bullshit…" She retorted. Chad grimaced.

“I am a Komainu… We're protectors, we keep people safe… I am your protector." Chad said softly, “I always have been." His words sounded earnest, they sounded just like what he had said when they met, but Naomi still felt shattered. The one person she felt she could trust in the entire world had transformed before her eyes… but he had done so to protect her.

“H-H-how many of you are there?" she asked, her finger still resting on the button that could very well kill him.

“I thought I was the only one until a few months back. I tried to track another down on that business trip to New York during the summer…" Chad said. Naomi still wasn't entirely convinced. She looked deep into his eyes, searching.

“You didn't stop me from doing the experiments, from any of this." She said, though it sounded more like she was telling herself than asking a question. Chad remained still.

“I only tried to pull you back from the edge when things seemed too risky, or when you looked like you might go off the rails." Chad said. Naomi frowned.

“You always were making me special tea; you could have poisoned me…" She said.

“My blends were to help steady you, to make it easier to focus. You tend to get very passionate about things." Chad smiled. Naomi took a breath and straightened her posture.

“And now?" she asked. Chad smiled more.

“Now I suggest we get as far away from here as possible, it's the only way I have a chance of keeping you safe from whatever is happening." Chad answered. Naomi gave him one last look before she shook her head and withdrew the staff, offering it back to him.

“That's a very cool weapon." she admitted. Chad grinned wide, moving back to grab his duffel bag, slinging it back over his shoulder.

“I've got a mask too." he said, walking with her toward the door. As they approached, Naomi slowed, looking back.

“Where… are the guards?" Naomi asked. Chad sniffed the air a few times before he lowered his head.

“They aren't guards anymore… All I smell are werewolves." Chad said. Naomi's muscles tightened at that, but she turned back with Chad, the two moving across the lobby and pushing out of the doors. They were hit at once with the tiny pinpricks of the cold rain peppering down across them. The very air itself seemed to shake and rumble as lightning jumped from cloud to cloud. There was ozone in the air, electricity. They made it a few yards from the tower before Naomi looked back.

There wasn't a single light on inside the tower, but there was certainly movement… White fur, black fur, brown, gold and red… The building was packed with werewolves all basking in the unseen light of an artificial moon, reaching outward, sustaining itself, exerting its influence. Somewhere deep down, Naomi wondered if it had been sheer lunacy to believe that humans could stop something supernatural like that… Had she been cursed from the start? Chad made it to his car and unlocked it, opening the door for Naomi.

“Get in." he said. She looked back at her protector, her keeper. His fangs had disappeared, his eyes were back to normal. He looked as he always had, and he had always been there. If his goal was to have her killed, he had thousands of opportunities. Maybe she hadn't been cursed. Maybe she just hadn't realized what her blessing was. Naomi climbed into the car, sliding over the central console and dropping down into the passenger seat, buckling herself in. Chad climbed in after, slamming the door shut.

The car sputtered to life, the lights snapping on. The windshield wipers started to sway back and forth, trying to beat back the rain as they pulled out from the curb, driving around some of the debris and damage caused in the initial chaos. The car hesitated at the intersection before driving on, leaving the tower behind. The crackle of thunder broke overhead as a bolt of lightning struck the top of the tower, bypassing the lightning rod and hitting the building itself. The electricity crackled as it arced off of the HVAC towers, several components exploding. As the storm clouds darkened, it was clear that this was just the beginning.