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The AdvAnTAGE Project

By

Mantrid Brizon

Episode 36: The Long Road Home

Sitting in the living room, Connor relaxes with Donnie and Victoria, watching television. At the far end of the sectional couch, Louis lifts dumbbells, doing another set. He’s taken his new exercise routine to heart, and already the scrawny and otherwise frail looking man has built some muscle. His color has improved and his new and athletic form is rather impressive. Mackenzie sits beside him, eying him up and down as he lifts. He grunts softly with each repetition.

Connor rests his chin on a palm and glances at Samara, who sits on the floor, a few feet away from him. She looks at herself in a rectangular mirror propped up against the wall, a pair of scissors in her hand. She’s moistened and brushed out her hair, which she prepares to cut.

“You know, you don’t need to do that, babe.” Connor remarks.

“Mhm!” She retorts.

“Nuh-uh.” He shakes his head.

Glancing over her shoulder, she poorly subdues a grin, then setting her scissors aside, picks up her phone. Connor’s phone beeps and he finds a text from his mate.

“Shorter hair is better. It’s easier to manage and safer, as enemies have less to grab onto. I’d cut it all off, if I didn’t want to still look like a woman.”

“Yeah, I get that, but... Long hair is pretty!” He replies.

“Hmm?!”

Her eyes light up and Samara takes a moment to ponder her next move. She lifts her phone to text him, but after brief hesitation sets it aside. She then reaches for the scissors, only to stop. After another short pause, tapping her claws on the hardwood floor, she tosses the scissors into a little box, alongside her other personal hygiene items, and returns to Connor’s side, sitting with him on the couch.

“Score one for me.” He murmurs, slipping his arms around her waist.

Samara narrows her eyes, though she cannot hide her little smile.

“Well, that’s kind of surprising.” Donnie remarks, glancing over to the pair.

“Yeah. I was used to the ‘Commando Cat’ roaming around. It’s going to be weird seeing her with hair like the other girls.” Louis adds.

“Don’t listen to those assholes, babe.” Connor begins, nuzzling her cheek. “You’re beautiful already, and I won’t make you do anything you don’t want.”

“Mmm!” She coos, nuzzling him back.

“I just don’t think you have to worry about fighting. This is a new age of caution.” He continues.

“Yeah. We can’t go out inviting danger like we did in the old days. Not when we have responsibilities.” Louis adds, slipping an arm around Mackenzie and placing a hand on her toned belly.

“Hehe!” She giggles and kisses his cheek.

“Yeah... Speaking off, how far do you guys think Jack and the others got?” Connor asks.

“That’s a good question. I hope they’re at least several hours away by now. They haven’t checked in, yet.” Donnie replies.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Jack’s a big boy, and Adrian has combat training. Probably Alessandra, too.” Louis interjects.

Click-clack, click-clack. The sound of the turn signal echoes in his head, and something soft and warm brushes his face. Slowly opening his eyes, Jack finds himself pulled uncomfortably to his right, his hair dangling, lured by gravity. He looks around and sees a red, clawed hand near his face.

“Alie? Alie?!” He groans as he turns in his chair, glancing over his shoulder. “Are you alright?!”

“Mhm.” She softly replies.

Peering over the chair, she seems to be perfectly horizontal, her head jutting over his left bicep as he sits buckled into the passenger’s seat. As he regains his bearings, it’s then that he realizes why things feel so strange. The van has rolled over, and lies on its right side! He looks through the cracked windshield and sighs at the sight of the front-end damage. The hood is horribly mangled, smashed in by the tree Amanda had driven into. After crashing, the airbags deployed, and the force of the strike caused the van’s rear end to flip up. After spinning forty-five degrees, they rolled down a steep embankment, again and again.

He looks toward Amanda, who remains buckled into the driver’s seat, only to see her arms passing over her chest and dangling like wet noodles. Her right arm has a faint ring around the forearm, which seems to be turning purple. That’s when he notices it...

“Oh, shit...” Jack sniffs the air. “I smell gas!”

“Hmm?” Alessandra cocks her head.

He knows that there’s no way she cannot smell the pungent aroma, but as she’s never seen him fuel up before, always remaining hidden, perhaps she is unfamiliar with the scent, or at the very least, unaware of the dangers it poses. He feels around for his pocket knife, one of the few tools he never leaves his room without.

“Never mind. Check Adrian and make sure he’s alright, then start grabbing our bags. We’ve got to get out of this van.” He speaks with urgency.

Alessandra obeys, and standing on the door panel of the overturned van, she turns to Adrian, who lies in a heap near the back door. They’d done their best to hold on, with Alessandra being able to grab onto Jack’s seat. Adrian, however, rolled with the van, slamming repeatedly into the walls, ceiling and floor, until they finally came to a stop. Shaking the rabbit AdvAnimal, he groans. She opens his eyelids with a thumb and sees that his pupils react to the faint light around them, so she further tests him by taking a penlight from a bag. Adrian may have a concussion, but he isn’t dead. With that, she smacks him across the face.

“Ahh!” He jolts, only to wince and grab the sides of his head. “Nnnnn...”

Leaving him where he lay, Alessandra continues with her mission. She gathers their weapons and equipment that have spilled out, stuffing them into the three bags they’d brought with them. Meanwhile, Jack carefully saws at his seatbelt, falling into the door panel and groaning in pain.

“Yeah, I’m going to feel that tomorrow... Okay... We have to get her down.” He says, rising to his feet and examining Amanda’s seatbelt.

By now, Adrian has stumbled to his feet. He sways as he moves, but after what he’d just endured, Jack would be surprised if he didn’t. With Adrian’s help, he begins to cut Amanda free, only to notice a trickle of blood coming from the right side of Adrian’s head.

“Are you alright?”

“Mhm.” Adrian nods.

“You sure?”

Adrian nods again.

“Alright. We’re going to get out of here, and get all of you fixed up, okay?”

Adrian smiles and gives Jack a thumbs up. They continue their work, trying to free Amanda, but the brunette begins to awaken. She raises her right arm to straighten her glasses, only to scream at the top of her lungs.

“AAAAHHHHHH!!!”

“Ow! Shit!” Jack winces, dropping the knife and covering his ears.

“OH GOD! MY ARM!”

Opening his eyes, Jack can see how swollen Amanda’s right arm appears to be, especially at the purple ring. It’s obviously fractured, but the bone doesn’t protrude through the skin, nor does it bend unnaturally. Adrian fought through the pain of her shrieking and quickly retrieves Jack’s knife, determined to free the human female.

“Don’t touch it! Don’t even move it! Just let us get you out of there, okay?!” Jack instructs, shouting over Amanda’s pained cries.

“Okay! P-please! H-hurry!” She exclaims, her breath shaking from the agony.

Adrian cuts her seatbelt with one hard pull of the knife, and Amanda comes tumbling out. She lands on Jack, who holds her tightly. Alessandra sees how the human’s large breasts smoosh against his chest, his arms around her waist as he helps her gain her balance. The rage builds within the AdvAnimal; the desire to rip her throat out is almost all-consuming. That’s when she sees her broken arm, the swelling gradually worsening. Her feet struggle to get a balance as she’s overwhelmed by the pain.

Recalling what Jose had said the night before, Alessandra struggles to subdue her urges, and even with her logical mind speaking the truth, it’s almost impossible to keep herself from attacking Amanda. Thankfully, Adrian takes over and Jack races up to his mate. He grabs her by the shoulders and pulls her into a hug. Her rage subsides and she nuzzles his face.

“You did good, Alie, now head up front with these two bags. I’m going to get that back door open and-”

A sudden whooshing is heard and Jack opens his eyes to see flames engulfing the rear of the van! The turn signal, which Amanda had accidentally activated as they flailed about in the rolling van, has just ignited the gasoline, which leaks from the punctured tank. Perhaps a wire bent through the insulation or the bulb has cracked? In any case, the flames crawl around the rear of the van and encircle the doors, only to leak inside. The van begins to fill with acrid smoke.

“Never mind! Up front, now!”

Alessandra obeys and Adrian looks back, Amanda in his arms. He watches as Jack digs a revolver out of his bag, before slinging it over a shoulder. Moving up to the front, he takes aim at the windshield and fires. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Five holes rip through the windshield, which, being shatterproof and laminated on both sides, fails to shatter. Jack stuffs the revolver into his bag as he grumbles obscenities, only to squat down and begin kicking the glass.

“Shit! Fuck! Break, damn it!” He growls with each kick.

The flames grow higher. A few more kicks and Jack has made a hole big enough to slip a person through. The flames lick the tip of Alessandra’s tail, causing her to squeal and jump forward. There’s not much time left.

“You first! When you get out, we’ll pull her through!” Jack instructs.

Adrian nods and passes Amanda to Jack. Alessandra snarls, only to look back and whimper at the encroaching fire. Adrian crawls through the hole, being careful not to cut himself. Once he’s outside, he takes off his t-shirt and sets it on the bottom portion of the hole, to shield their skin from the jagged glass. Kneeling down, Amanda whimpers and clings to her wounded arm as Jack rest her in Adrian’s outstretched hands. They carefully move her through the hole. Jack tosses their three bags through, then turns to Alessandra.

“Your turn!”

“Mm-mm!” She shakes her head.

“Alie! Don’t fuck around! We have to get out of here before it-”

Without waiting for him to finish, Alessandra grabs her mate and shoves him down.

“Alie!”

With a hand on his rocker vest and another on the waistband of his jeans, she shoves him quite forcefully toward the hole, insisting that he goes first. Once he crawls out, he turns back to her. Adrian grabs their bags and drags them away before digging through them to find the satellite phone.

“Come on, Alie! Give me those sexy claws!” He says with a worried smile.

She softly giggles as she climbs out, then rises to her feet. He tries to examine her, but she grabs onto him and keeps him in front of her. Alessandra pushes him away from the van.

“Alright, alright! I just want to make sure my girl is okay!”

“Mmm!” She grins.

“Man, that was close though, huh?!”

BOOM! Finally igniting the nearly full gas tank, the van explodes into searing flame. Jack falls to the ground while Alessandra yelps, her back and tail showered in orange balls of fire.

“Alie!”

Grabbing her wrists, he drags her away from the blaze and to where Adrian has set Amanda and their bags. Kneeling over her, Jack’s heart races. He fears the worst. Turning her head, however, Alessandra groans and looks up at him.

“Oh, shit, Alie! You’re going to be okay! You are okay, right?!” He asks in a panic.

“Mm-mm...” She whimpers, slowly shaking her head.

“Fuck... Don’t you worry, okay?! I’m going to fix this!”

Jack digs frantically through one of the bags and finds the large medical kit, one of the few things they always bring with them. Using the silver infused gel, specially mixed for burns and deep gashes, he turns to Alessandra and freezes in horror. Her orange outfit, the skimpy, gypsy costume that it is, flakes away from her back. The smooth and warm but dense hide is no longer crimson with black spots, but darkened and parts of it are charred. He can only hope that she’ll heal quickly and without infection. Kneeling beside her, he pulls on the medical gloves and prepares what little supplies he has.

“I’m going to take care of you, okay?” Jack’s voice shakes. “You’re not leaving me yet. I won’t make it without you.”

“Aww.” Alessandra coos, then winces, her glossy eyes looking up at him.

Jack does his best to treat her wounds. He smears the silver infused gel onto her back and works it into her burns, only to gently and lovingly bandage her wound. He takes a series of painkillers and gives them to the AdvAnimal. Shortly after Jose arrived, they checked their travel kit for compatibility, so he knows the medicines will have the desired effect. Alessandra lay in the grass, using her forearms for a pillow as she watches her human lover, her back covered in white gauze. Still overwhelmed by the excitement and terror of the crash, he takes a moment to catch his breath.

“Alright... We need to get picked up before someone drives by and notices that van.”

“It’s too bad we didn’t crash on the highway.” Amanda speaks with a quivering voice.

“Yeah, but if we did people would notice.”

“Exactly!”

“And see both of them...” Jack points out the AdvAnimals. “How’s your arm?”

“It fucking hurts! Next stupid question!”

Adrian examines her arm for a moment, only to check the medical kit.

“Hey, buddy, where’s the sat phone?”

Adrian points to one of the bags, and Jack finds it lying in the grass beside it. To his horror, it’s smashed and unusable. Due to their poor security, they rarely use cellular phones, and Jack had left his at the manor. Amanda destroyed hers shortly after joining them, and the older phones that Alessandra and Adrian possess can only dial 911, a feature built into every phone. That, however, is unacceptable, considering their situation. Jack sighs and leans back in the grass.

“Great...” He murmurs, holding up the shattered satellite phone. “Well, at least it’s not raining!”

Jack watches as Adrian shows a startling degree of medical knowledge. He shushes Amanda in a rather sweet way as he hastily sets her arm and wraps it in a splint. He then strokes her face as she cries, and offers her two pills for the pain, the proper dosage. He couldn’t have read the bottle, because it has no label. He’d have to have known what the pills where by sight.

“Are you okay, buddy?”

Adrian turns to him and smiles, but Jack pokes a finger against his head, near Adrian’s trickle of blood. Adrian presses a palm against it, winces and nods anyway.

“People are eventually going to drive down this road and notice a fire. That smoke might already be bringing people over. We need to leave, on foot, and hike back to the house.”

“Are you fucking joking?!” Amanda snarls.

“Or you could lay here and explain it to the police. I’m sure they’ll have a lot of questions, like why you were driving a van with a salvaged title, registered to dead guy.”

“... Alright... Let’s go.”

Though they’re barely a thirty-minute drive away, they covered more than twenty miles in that time, easily a full day’s hike for healthy and uninjured adults.

“Time for all that cardio to pay off!” Jack chirps, rising to his feet and bouncing on the tips of his toes. “Need me to carry you, Alie?”

“Mm-mm...”

“Are you sure? You could cling to me like a big, sexy backpack!”

“Heh...”

“Not up for jokes, huh?” His smile fades.

Pushing herself up, Alessandra shocks everyone by proving to be quite steady on her feet, despite the severity of her injuries. Carrying two of the exceptionally heavy bags himself, Jack ensures that she never leaves his sight. Adrian wears a bag on his back, but as Amanda stumbles and struggles with the pain of her broken arm, even with the medication taking effect, the rabbit AdvAnimal is soon forced to carry her. He cradles her like a bride as he inches through the thick Kentucky forest, avoiding the branches and denser shrubbery.

Using Alessandra’s incredible sense of direction, she guides them back home, her clawed fingers leading the way. The sirens in the distance prove that Jack’s fears were justified. Even in broad daylight and on a desolate road, the fire and smoke has already attracted attention. They attempt to avoid the roads as they make their way back home, crossing them when they’re clear and staying in the forests as much as possible. When they encounter a field, they move along the edge of it, staying within the forest. It’s better to circumvent any area that gives them too much exposure.

After hours of walking, Jack finally notices something unusual. Wherever they go, the woods are silent. He doesn’t even hear a bird in the sky. Checking his watch, they’ve been walking for hours. It’s just before noon and the forest should be teeming with life!

“Hey, do any of you notice that?” He asks, glancing back at Alessandra, and Adrian, who still carries Amanda in his arms.

“Notice what?” Amanda weakly replies through gritted teeth.

“Exactly... It’s so quiet... It’s like all the animals disappeared.”

Adrian and Alessandra glance to each other, while the rabbit AdvAnimal shrugs his shoulders. Amanda, who continues to clutch to her wounded arm, lets out a frustrated sigh.

“Maybe they went to a swap meet?” She retorts.

“Oh, look who’s got jokes!” Jack chuckles.

“Whatever... How much longer until we get there, anyway?”

“I don’t know... Seven or eight hours?” Jack shrugs.

“What?!”

Moving from room to room, Donnie paces back and forth. Victoria sits on the edge of the couch and beside Mackenzie, who snuggles with Louis as they watch TV. The mare’s sapphire eyes follow him as he moves to and fro, never letting him leave her sight. Now that she knows her own inclinations, she feels guilty for never being able to give him much time alone, even though he has yet to complain about it. Emerging from the kitchen with a platter of pizza rolls, chips and a host of drinks, Connor, Samara, Jose and Audrey take their seats on the couch.

“They’ll check in when they’re able to, man. Stop worrying.” Connor remarks, setting the platter on the coffee table.

“That’s easy for you to say. It’s getting kind of late, and not counting all the recent stuff, we haven’t done anything this dangerous in... Pfft! A decade?! We were already cooling off on the spy shit, working on gathering data remotely, then after we got the girls, we just sort of... Stopped.” Donnie replies, leaning against the archway. “The past week was the craziest it’s been in a long time, and now when things really heat up, Jack leaves to do Amanda’s bidding.”

“You’ve got a point there, Donnie, but Jack knows how we do things. Hell, he probably knows standard operating procedure better than you!” Louis retorts.

“Yeah. Just come over here and watch some movies with us.” Connor adds.

Turning to Victoria, the towering mare AdvAnimal scoots over, closer to Mackenzie. With the warmest of smiles curling around her broad snout, she bats her eyelashes so innocently and pats the empty space beside her.

“Alright...”

Taking a seat beside his mate, the mare quickly latches onto her human. With arms pulling tightly, she closes her eyes, nuzzles his head and coos. Even though she’s always watching him, she missed feeling him.

“Mmm!”

“You’re so warm, Vicky.” He remarks, nuzzling the nape of her neck.

“Hehe!”

“And you smell nice, too.”

“Don’t start anything. I’m already comfortable and I don’t want to flee.” Louis quips.

“What are you guys watching, anyway?” Connor asks, picking up a handful of chips.

“I don’t know. Whatever’s on.” Louis shrugs.

“It’s ‘The Other Guys’.” Jose answers, pressing the info button on the remote.

“I. Think. It. Funny.” Audrey remarks. “You. Like. Muffin?” She asks, turning to Jose.

“I like it, pumpkin.” He replies, smiling warmly at her and caressing her cheek.

“Muffin?” Connor raises an eyebrow.

“That’s what she likes to call me, because I call her ‘pumpkin’... Food jokes... Yeah...” Jose’s face flushes.

“I see!” Connor smirks, subduing a laugh.

“It’s going to take me forever to get used to her talking.” Donnie comments.

“I doubt that. In time, she’ll be as normal as you or I.” Jose remarks.

“How much time?” A curious Louis asks.

“Well, we need to space out the treatments to give her mind time to grow. She’ll need about a dozen or so, twice a week, so... End of next month.”

“That fast?!” Louis gasps.

“Yes. That’s all it takes to unlock her full capacity for speech and comprehension.”

“You know, Presh...” Louis turns to Mackenzie. “I always wondered what your voice sounded like.”

“You don’t already know?” Connor snickers.

“Huh?!” Louis looks to him, furling his brow.

“Ahh! Ooh! Mmmhhmmm!” Connor teasingly mimics pleasured moans.

“Oh, that... Yeah, I really get her squealing!” Louis confidently replies, stealing Connor’s thunder and causing Mackenzie to flush. “But I’d love to hear actual words. Imagine all the conversations we could have!”

Returning his attention to Mackenzie, the mouse AdvAnimal finds herself staring into Louis’ eyes. The tension builds as he continues on and on, imagining the myriad of conversations they could entertain each other with, but inside of her is a deeper fear. Unable to hold back, she does something few have ever seen before. Slipping away from his grasp and rising from the couch, she darts away, her little feet moving her almost silently as she dashes for the hallway. In seconds, she’s fled the room.

“... Louis?” Donnie’s eyes are wide with shock.

“Uhh... Be right back!”

He chases after Mackenzie, wondering where she’s going. Moving down the hall, he looks to and fro, hesitating to call out to her as he knows the other girls are listening. In short order, he finds her in the study, standing near his exercise equipment and staring at it. Are her hands covering her face? Is she crying?! Stepping closer, he’s eager to comfort her, only for her to turn and whimper.

“Macky! Precious! What’s wrong?!” He asks, taking her into his arms.

To his shock, Mackenzie wriggles away. She sniffles and points to his exercise equipment. Louis scratches his head. Realizing that he doesn’t comprehend her, she takes out her phone, but for some reason, she’s reluctant to type on it. It takes some pressuring and assurances on Louis’ part before she begins to draft her note. After quite some time, she passes him her phone, only to bury her face in her palms and quietly cry.

“I want to talk to you, but I’m afraid. I’m afraid that if I’m treated and my mind is repaired, that I’ll discover I don’t actually love you. I found you attractive from the moment we first met, and I love your scent. It’s like the sweet smoke of a fire, but now I know that it’s pheromones I’m sensing. Despite my attraction, I’ve been subtly pushing you to become more masculine ever since I’ve known you. I’d long hoped that you would take me and make me yours. When you finally barged into my room and took my virginity without asking, it was the greatest day of my life, up until we mated on the couch and you impregnated me.

I eagerly await the day when I can birth our child, but I’m afraid that I pushed you to be strong because you aren’t exactly what I wanted. What if I picked you because the other girls had their eyes on the other men? I certainly didn’t want to fight them. What if I’m changing you to make us more compatible, and that when I’m no longer feeling the bonds of my damaged mind, my infantile emotions, I will wake up realizing that I’m the mate of a man I simply settled for? I want to love you so badly, but what if the treatment takes away what feelings I already have?!

I don’t mean to hurt you, but when we mated and became one, when you claimed me, you promised that we would always be honest...”

“Wow...” A stunned Louis stares at the screen, his mouth agape. “I... I don’t know what to say to that...”

Mackenzie sniffles, glancing up at him, over her shoulder.

“I’m not going to lie, that really hurt...”

“Mmrrmm!!!” She whimpers, her eyes narrowing as the tears stream down.

“But I still think you should get the treatment.”

“HMM?!” She blinks, visibly shocked.

Snatching her phone, she swiftly types a message.

“Aren’t you afraid?!”

“Well, I am now, but only a little, and that’s entirely your fault.” He replies with a warm smile.

Reaching out a hand, he rests it on her shoulder and pulls the five-foot-nothing mouse AdvAnimal into a warm and loving embrace. As she softly weeps, her spindly arms clinging to him, he pets her head and quietly shushes her.

“It’s okay, Presh. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Just think about it for a minute... If you’re this afraid about how you’ll be affected, your worried about hurting me. I think that says a lot. I think your feelings are deeper than pheromones and me being the only penis available for you.”

“Heh...” She tries not to laugh, burying her face in his chest.

“If you love me this much now, then when you get the treatment, I think you’ll just become a normal stalker girlfriend.” He adds, giving her cheek a little kiss and slowly swaying with her.

“Hehehe!”

“I still want you to do it, but I won’t make you. I just really want to talk to my wife. What do you say?”

With another little sniffle, she pulls back enough to gaze up and into his eyes. Staring into her amber orbs, he smiles so warmly and brushes the tears from her furry face, only to lean in and kiss her lips with such passion! Unwilling to disappoint him and unable to resist, she sniffles and then nods her head.

“Good girl.” He smirks, before stealing another kiss.

Returning to the living room, the pair reclaim their seats as if nothing unusual has happened. Victoria, Samara and Audrey all glance to one another, having heard Louis’ end of the conversation. After a moment, Connor clears his throat.

“You, uh... You two alright?”

“We’re fine. Hear anything from Jack or Amanda, yet?”

“No... In fact, I’m going to call them!”

Donnie promptly snatches the satellite phone from the coffee table and speed-dials the other phone. The all watch and wait. After only one ring, it plays the bland voicemail message. With eyes wide, Donnie pulls the phone away from his ear, stares at it for a moment and ends the call.

“... What?” Connor finally asks.

“It’s off...” Donnie murmurs.

“Oh...”

“That. Bad?” Audrey asks.

“When we leave the manor, we always take a satellite phone and we always leave it on. That’s been the rule for more than ten years. Something must’ve happened!” Donnie exclaims, growing increasingly concerned.

“If it did, there’s nothing we can do. With no information and no contact, we’re just going to have to wait.” Louis remarks.

“What?!” Donnie gasps.

Hearing his frustration and growing anxiety, Victoria shifts her body, leaning against her lover and wrapping her arms around him to comfort him.

“He’s right. They’ll call us when they can, and if they can’t, we can track the van from here.”

“Why not check it right now?!” Donnie asks.

“Give it until three in the morning, then I’ll be worried enough to check.” Connor retorts, picking up another handful of chips.

Making their way across another street, Jack groans as he shuffles down the embankment. They’ve managed to avoid all contact, keeping out of sight of any passersby, but it’s been a long walk. The sun is nearly set, and the dusk is swiftly approaching. The soreness and hunger pains are beginning to set in.

“It’s moments like this when you really take cars for granted...” He says with a sigh. “You know, I remember one time when I was a kid, I went with my dad to some camp. We were going to meet my cub scout troop. Anyway, my dad’s car broke down on the way there, and we had to walk three miles back to town to get to a pay phone and call a tow. I thought that was a long walk! ... Man, those were the days.”

“You don’t say...” Amandra grumbles, still gritting her teeth.

“You’re lucky, you know.”

“Hah! Shows how much you fucking know!”

“I’m serious! You could be walking this whole way, or laying beneath a tree waiting for me to bring back help. Instead, you’ve got Mr. Universe over there, carrying you all day long like it’s nothing. You just have to deal with his sweaty fur, which he’s really going to need to wash, by the way...” Jack glares at Adrian, whose bunny ears flop with embarrassment. “You don’t even have to carry any of these heavy-ass bags!”

“Oh...”

Amanda’s face flushes as she shies away. Shifting her eyes, she looks up at Adrian, who continues to cradle her in his arms. He looks down to meet her gaze, and as always, flashes her the warmest and most innocent of smiles. She cannot help but return it, though she does her best to hide it. She hates to admit it, even though Jack and the others know the true nature of their relationship, but she likes the way Adrian smells. His damp, sweaty fur has a musk so appealing, so alluring, so soothing; she’s certain that it’s this musk that’s easing the pain of her wounded arm, and not the medication.

Nearing the edge of the forest for the twentieth time, they’re approaching one more road. This road, however, they all recognize. Amanda perks up when she realizes that they’re right around the corner from the manor, though it’s still several miles away. Peeking through some brush, Jack waits for a car to pass. It’s the only one on the road. As soon as it does, he begins to cross, only to stop when he sees an animal watching him from just across the street. It’s the first animal he’s noticed since they left the crash.

The dog cocks its head as it watches him. It has a wild and somewhat primitive appearance, and may even be a wolf-dog. Seeing the human approaching, the dog opens its mouth, flashing a familiar canine smile. It pants and wags its tail. Just as Jack waves to the dog, it bows its head and takes a step forward. However, it stops in its tracks as soon as the bushes rustle and his companions emerge. Seeing the AdvAnimals, the wolf-dog lowers its front half and stomps its paws. Narrowing its eyes, it lets out a little growl, then whimpers, turns and sprints away, running as fast as it possibly can.

“Huh...” Jack looks back at Alessandra, who smiles at him. “That dog took off like a bat outta hell...”

“Are we almost fucking there?!” Amanda whimpers.

“Almost.”

“Then let’s please keep going!”

Pacing back and forth in the hallway and glancing at the front door, Donnie walks in endless circles. He cannot shake the feeling that something terrible has happened. Worried for her human, the towering mare AdvAnimal makes her way across the room and into the hall. She stops him by catching him as he turns around and pulls her mate into a warm embrace. A few nuzzles and tender kisses distracts him from his worries, long enough for her to lure him back into the large living room, where there rest of their friends wait patiently. Perhaps more relaxation and time with his friends will help ease his troubled mind?

The other men have continued to spend time with their girls, relaxing on the massive, sectional couch and watching films. Nightfall has long since enveloped the manor, and though Donnie tries not to dwell on it, Jack and Amanda haven’t called yet. Even Victoria’s loving embrace doesn’t fully take his mind off of the fate of his friends. Perhaps she should entertain him, privately? Suddenly, Mackenzie’s ears twitch and she turns her head. A split-second later, Samara leaps into action, sliding off of the couch, rising to paw-like her feet and drawing her pistol.

The sudden commotion from the girls startles the men, who cannot help but notice that they all appear to look toward the back door. They glance between each other for a moment as they slowly rise from the couch.

“What’s wrong?” Connor asks.

“Did you hear someth-”

Louis stops mid-sentence, as a door closes in the distance. The men quickly gather near the archway to the hall, but Samara and the other AdvAnimal girls seem to relax. Samara even holsters her SCCY pistol as she walks past Connor.

“Guys?!” Jack’s faint voice calls out from the far end of the mansion. “Guys, where are you?!”

“Jack? What’s wrong, Jack?! Are you okay?!”

They move as a group toward the rear of the mansion, only to find a startling sight. Jack carries most of their gear, Adrian cradles a wounded and whimpering Amanda in his arms, Alessandra’s clothes hang from her body with obvious charring, her back covered in gauze, and all of them have leaves and dirt staining their hair, skin and clothes. The branch of a small shrub hangs from Adrian’s tail, and though he tries to shake it free, it won’t come off.

“What the hell happened to you guys?!?!” Donnie demands.

“How long has her arm been like this?” Jose asks, stepping up to Adrian and Amanda.

“I don’t know. Half the day, I guess, ever since the crash.” Jack answers.

“Crash?! What crash?!” Connor gasps.

“We rolled the van. It’s gone.” Jack replies, briefly glancing at Amanda.

“Where?” Louis asks.

“Not sure. I think about thirty-minutes down the road.”

“What the-”

“How?!” Donnie blinks, overcome by shock.

“I’ll tell you later. We’ve got wounded, here.” Jack says as he passes the bags to Louis and Victoria.

“Help me get them into the basement. I haven’t set up the workspace completely, as I was counting on the new warehouse to be renovated first, but it’ll have to do.” Jose instructs the others, glancing at Adrian’s head wound.

Adrian doesn’t hesitate to switch the focus onto Amanda. Still cradling her in his arms, he follows Jose and Audrey as they take them toward the basement.

“Pumpkin?”

“Hmm?”

“Could you prep my tools and make sure they’re sterile? Grab some anesthetics, too. We may need to operate.”

“Oh-kay.” She nods.

“Operate?!” Amanda gulps, her face frozen in fear.

“It looks like a simple fracture; the skin isn’t broken. We can use the new portable ultrasound, which I’d ordered for Mackenzie, and see what we can see. It’d be better if we had an X-Ray machine, but it’ll have to do.” Jose begins.

“Yeah, okay, but... Operate?!?!”

“If the break isn’t severe, we may be able to set it without surgically implanting pins or rods. Either way, you’re going to be in a cast for some time. At least six or seven weeks.” He casually explains.

Amanda’s heart drops and her face sinks. Why did she have to let Jack’s words affect her so severely? Had she simply admitted to her sexual relationship with the bunny AdvAnimal, none of this would’ve happened. Taking her downstairs, the basement is crowded with boxes, but much of their medical equipment has been unpacked and prepared, just in case of such an emergency. Using the ultrasound machine, Jose is able to pinpoint a break, though it was obvious with the swelling and broken blood vessels on her forearm.

As a precaution, Jose takes a needle and vial from Audrey’s surgical tray, only to give Amanda an injection that swiftly knocks her out. Slowly opening her eyes, she’s briefly startled by the smiling face staring back at her. Lying in a medical bed that hadn’t been set up before receiving the shot, she finds Adrian sitting at her bedside, watching over her. Hearing her stirring, Audrey glances over her shoulder as she stands near Jose, at a distant workbench across the room. She turns to her lover and rests a clawed hand on his shoulder. Amanda blinks several times as she tries to shake off the grogginess of the sedatives.

“So, uhm...” She clears her throat as she begins examining herself. “Looks like it’s done.”

“Mhm!” Adrian nods.

“Oh, lovely... Just what I’ve always wanted!” She facetiously chirps, lifting up her wounded arm, now encased in a thick cast.

“Mmrrmm...”

Moving closer, Adrian pets Amanda’s head, gaining her attention. She looks into his eyes, gazing with longing. For the first time, she doesn’t even bother to see if anyone else is watching.

“Thanks, Adrian...”

“Hmm?”

“For being here... I... I’m so thankful you were here, when I woke up. Honestly...” She pauses and glances from side to side, before leaning closer. “Yours is the only face I wanted to see. How crazy is that? Heh...” Her cheeks take on a rosy hue.

With his smile ever present, Adrian scoots closer and holds out an arm. Meeting each other halfway, the pair embrace. Amanda buries her face in the soft fur of the bunny AdvAnimal, who smells like he’d had a nice, hot shower not too long ago.

“Mmm...” She coos, sniffing the nape of his neck. “You know, Adrian... It, uhm... It felt really nice, having you by my side. I guess you do love me, huh?” She quietly asks, nuzzling his face before giving him a soft kiss on the side of his muzzle.

Adrian’s smile fades, his eyes glancing away. He slowly nods his head.

“Looks like those sedatives finally wore off. How are you feeling?” Jose asks as he approaches her bed.

“Like I broke my arm.”

“Well, that’s something. Luckily, you didn’t have a severe fracture. I didn’t even need to open you up to set it.”

“How long have I been out?”

“A few hours. I didn’t want you to feel anything as I worked on you, but it gave us enough time to dig out the rest of the medical equipment and give you a place to rest.”

“Well, you did a good job, Doc. Thanks.”

“Of course.” Jose smiles.

“They. Coming.” Audrey remarks.

“Huh?” Amanda furls her brow.

Hearing the clopping of hooves, everyone turns their attention toward the stairwell. Jose looks to Audrey and motions with his head, only to glance back at Amanda.

“If you need anything, we’ll be right over there.”

As Jose and Audrey head back to his workbench, Adrian takes hold of Amanda’s hand. The clopping grows louder, and within seconds, Victoria and Donnie emerge from upstairs, walking side-by-side. Behind them are Connor and Samara, followed by Jack and Alessandra, who now wears fresh bandages on her back. Even Louis and Mackenzie accompany them, at the back of the line. They make their way toward Amanda’s bed, only for the girls to lag behind, giving their men time to speak to her. Adrian rests another hand over Amanda’s, giving her a comforting squeeze.

Reaching the foot of her bed, the men form a crescent. They look uncomfortable as they glance to her and then at each other, only to turn their attention toward Amanda’s new cast.

“Glad to see you survived.” Connor quips.

“Barely.” Amanda teases.

“How long will you be laid-up for?” Donnie asks.

“Doc?” Jack glances back.

“That cast can’t come off for seven weeks. Maybe eight, just to be safe.” Jose replies, leaning against his workbench and watching the confrontation.

“Oh, good. Just in time for Halloween! Maybe we can dress you up like a witch?” Connor jokes.

“Ha-ha...” Amanda glares.

“Since you’re already lying down... We should talk.” Donnie begins, an unusual sternness in his voice.

“Look, I’ll be okay, and as soon as I’m healed, we can get right back to it!” She exclaims.

“That’s what we need to talk about.”

“I don’t understand...”

“Yeah, I think you do.” Jack sighs, glancing at his work boots.

“We aren’t doing this anymore. This mission or yours is officially over.” Donnie curtly explains.

“What?! Why?!”

“Well, that last trip didn’t go so well, if you know what I mean.” Connor half-jokingly replies.

“Listen, guys, I know this has been a setback, but we can still fight them!”

“No.”

“But guys, we-!”

“Stop talking, Amanda!” Donnie speaks over her.

“...”

“We never did like this plan of yours, but we went along with it. We rescued the Doc and his lady friend, and even your new buddy. We killed some of their people, we got them to fast-track their plans, whatever those may be, and at every turn, they outmaneuver us. We helped you out because we felt bad for you, and because you briefly inspired us, but it’s time to face reality. We’re in way over our heads, and we all have too much to lose...” Donnie pauses to glance back at the girls, who stand a short distance behind them.

“Yeah. With Macky pregnant, all of us have been doing some serious soul searching. Meaning of life type stuff.” Connor chimes in.

“I’m not willing to risk my wife or our baby for this.” Louis interjects.

“And I love Victoria; I won’t risk losing her or being lost to her. I’m sorry, Amanda, but this is just too damn risky. We’re done.”

“You’re just going to give up?!” She gasps.

“We didn’t say that.” Jack murmurs.

“We’re going to try a different approach. Something a little less precarious.” Donnie continues.

“This was just a setback!” Amanda insists.

“No! This was a fucking disaster! You not only nearly killed yourself but Jack, Alie and Adrian, too! You crashed a van that has a fake registration to a stolen social security number, you risked getting caught by walking home with two unregistered AdvAnimals in broad daylight, and you sacrificed some of our valuable equipment, too!”

“It’s not like you can’t afford to replace it!” She exclaims.

“Is this some sort of game to you?!?! You’re playing with our very lives, and we rather enjoy living!!!” Donnie snarls.

“They’re going to check the van, and if the fire didn’t destroy all of the evidence, it’s highly likely that they’re going to concentrate a search down the street from our house...” Louis interjects, a sternness in his voice.

“If I hadn’t thought to rig it into a trap car years ago, the police might think it was for something other than smuggling contraband. If we’re lucky, they’ll think it got hit trafficking guns or dope or something and start questioning the local dealers.” Jack remarks to his friends.

“But that report might still land on some Agent’s desk. We’re going to have to lie low for a few more months, just to be safe.” Connor adds.

“Thanks for that.” Louis grumbles as he glares at her.

“See? Now we have to clean up your mess. That’s why this is over.” Donnie redirects the conversation back to Amanda.

“But I gave up everything to help you guys fight Sovereign Six. I left my condo. I quit my job. I broke contact with everyone I knew and went through the trouble of setting up a cover story and then hunted down and contacted you guys. I still have high-level contacts that can help us. I mean, I even broke my arm for you!” She exclaims, lifting up her cast.

“You were the one driving the van!” Jack swiftly retorts.

“I didn’t mean to crash it...” She murmurs, her voice soft and defeated.

“Jack told us all about it while you were unconscious.” Connor remarks.

“Yeah. We know what you two were talking about, just before the ‘accident’.” Louis adds.

“...”

“We’re not here about that, okay? Whatever your relationship with Adrian, it’s not our business. We just wanted to tell you that this is over. No more hasty plans, no half-baked schemes; we sure as shit aren’t going to look for bases to infiltrate or satellites to hack. If we’re even still going to oppose Sovereign Six at all, we’re going to need to come up with a new, relatively safe approach...” Donnie explains.

“That’s an oxymoron...” Amanda grumbles.

“Maybe, but we sort of have these lives with those beautiful ladies back there, and that’s a lot to risk for people we don’t even know and will never meet.” Connor smirks.

“How mercenary of your...” Amanda sighs.

“Maybe we can still use those contacts, or something... We might be able to wake people up slowly, over time, through activism or something. We’ll figure it out later. Until then, consider yourself off-duty.” Donnie finishes.

“Well... What am I supposed to do? I’ve got nothing but the clothes on my back.” Amanda meekly asks.

“We talked about that, too.” Connor remarks.

“You can stay as long as you like!” Louis chirps.

“As far as we’re concerned, you’re one of us, a part of the crew. If you want to live here forever, go right ahead. If you want to go back to your old life, assuming that’s even an option for you, we won’t stop you. We just want you to know that we’re not charging up against them like that, not anymore. I’m sorry...” Donnie says, resting his hands on the foot of her bed.

“Yeah... Me too...” Amanda whimpers, her head bowed and eyes staring at her lap.

“Look, uhm... You should get some rest. We’ll catch up with you later, okay?” Jack speaks with a warm, inviting tone.

“‘Kay...”

After an awkward silence, they return to their AdvAnimal girls, only for the lot of them to head back upstairs. Placing her face in her good hand, Amanda whimpers. Unable to hold back, she begins to weep. Adrian drapes an arm over her shoulders as he leans back on her bed, doing his best to comfort her. She turns, rests her head on his shoulder and cries into his chest. As he pets her, running his claws through her thick and full hair, she tilts her head back and looks up at him. The bunny AdvAnimal flashes a little smile and brushes her tears away with a thumb.

“You’re too good to me...” She says after a little sniffle. “But I think I need to be alone right now.”

With a single nod of his head, Adrian begins to scoot away. Fearing that she’d shooed him, Amanda’s heart races. She reaches out and grabs onto him. As soon as he looks back, she pulls at him as she leans in, stealing a long and rather passionate kiss.

“Please come back.” She whispers, as their lips part. “I need you.”

Adrian strokes her cheek, only to nod again and hold up his index finger. Making his way toward the stairs, he can hear Amanda shifting, rolling over in bed. He stops and glances back, his smile fading. Even with her back turned, she looks so sad. He can hear her whimpers, and it bothers him that he doesn’t feel badly for her. Now aware of his own flaws, the AdvAnimal turns to Dr. Jose Chavez and his companion, Audrey. Approaching the human and his AdvAnimal girl, he gently taps Jose on the shoulder.

As soon as he turns toward him, Adrian pantomimes the act of writing. Jose doesn’t speak a word. He simply passes the AdvAnimal a memo pad and pen from a pocket of his lab coat. Adrian glances over his shoulder, as if worried that Amanda might see what he’s writing from her bed. Returning the memo pad, Jose reads the message.

“Amanda believes I love her. Everything I have done was to procure and protect a mate. If there were more human females here, I know that I would want to breed with all of them. I feel nothing for her. Even now, her tears don’t affect me. I don’t want to feel nothing. I don’t want to hurt her in the future by mating with another female. She deserves better. May I please undergo the treatment?”

“Sure.” Jose speaks softly, crumpling the note and tossing it into the half-full utility sink, destroying it. “We can start whenever you’d like.”

“Mmm!” A delighted Adrian embraces Jose.

“You’re welcome.” The doctor chuckles.