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The Gate-Way Revisited: Chapter 17 Striking Back

Leo woke with a started yip teetering dangerously on his lab stool. Flailing frantically he gripped the edge of the table before him. Holofoils scattered and his quills fluttered in the air. Closing his eyes as he shook his head, Leo took a deep breath and ran his paw through his grimy headfur. Looking up, he saw a rather handsome otter smiling at him with a look of concerned amusement. The otter held a burnished steel tray topped with the most unappetizing food Leo had ever laid eyes on. A protein brick sat next to a fiber bar and a nutrient paste, everything a busy fur needed to keep going but with none of the appeal of home cooking. Spotting the exasperated look on his husband's face Kyle smiled and shrugged.

"I know it isn't much but with all of the preparations going on there hasn't been time to go to the kitchen," Kyle said with a frown. "Though there are plenty of field ration packs to go around. I promise when this is all over I'll treat you to a nice steak just like your mother makes." Leo nodded, rubbing his tired eyes. His usually bright eyes were dark and the fur beneath them seemed dull. Kyle padded over to Leo's side, shifting a pile of holofoils out of the way as he put down the tray of food. Placing his paws on the red panda's muzzle, the otter lifted his husband's head up. Their eyes locked and each flashed the other a weak smile before Kyle kissed the panda softly. The otter tuted as he ran his paw through the panda's fur. "You sir need a shower and some sleep. This has been a hard month on all of us, but you are burning yourself out." Kyle said as his ears drooped. His own fur wasn't much cleaner by comparison and his muscles ached. "You'll be no good to them or me if you're too exhausted to think." "I know. I can handle it...I have to...everyone is counting on me." Leo looked down, reaching for a fork he began to play with the block of protein before him. "Matt comes in here every day to see how things are going." Kyle nodded. "He's taken to sleeping in the infirmary next to Jake's containment, and when he isn't there he's shredding targets on the range." Leo looked crestfallen.

"You can't torture yourself, none of this is your fault and I'll speak to Matt about giving you some space. It isn't healthy for either of you to dwell so much."

"We're all scared and concerned over Jake but we have to focus." "You don't understand, I'm the only one here who has any chance of figuring this out." Leo moaned. "I have spent the last few weeks combing over every strand and clump of protein in Jake's DNA and aside from the obvious differences, I haven't found a damn thing that would make him change but not Shawn. The further down the helix I go the more I hope that maybe the next sequence will hold the key, but at the same time the more I study the less likely it seems this is the route to saving Jake." Kyle pulled Leo up out of his seat and held the panda to his chest as he caressed his back. "I know you're stressed and you've been working really hard. You're right, you might be the only one who is smart enough to fix this. We can and will try every lead and clue and we're not giving up until Matt's mom sings." Leo looked up with sigh of amused exhaustion. "Thanks, I know the clue is here and I feel like I am really close. And you are going to apologize to Matt for that after. I promise if you let me get back to work I will take the night off and we can have some us time." "I like the sound of that," Kyle said smiling again, "I'll have a surprise waiting for you." Kyle's tail swayed as he turned and with a flash of mischief Leo reached out and squeezed the otter's back end through his battle fatigues. Kyle turned his head with a yip and grinned at the panda, "Save that for later handsome." He grinned and padded out of the lab, being sure to sway his hips provocatively for the panda as he left. Rubbing his eyes Leo took a bite of the rather bland protein brick. Clicking the sensors in his gloved paw together caused the table before him to resume the projection of before. Leo's paw and fingers twitched as he manipulated the image of the two dna sequences before him. His other paw was kept busy dipping the fibrous bar into the rather unappealing nutrient paste on his plate. The first week of his search had been a tedious skim of Jake's DNA to label out every last sequence currently understood by the scientific community. Most of this could have been handled by the computer Leo thought, had the pile of scrap not decided to throw a fit and refuse to cooperate with him. He still hadn't had time to debug the system and it would have taken much too long. He resigned himself to slowly going through and comparing each piece of code himself. Shawn's DNA had taken much longer. While similar, Leo was forced to double check each sequence he was able separate as a working code from the helix. Using his fingers to scroll down the labeled list of DNA Leo found himself back amongst the junk DNA he had been looking at before he passed out. Junk DNA was hardly a term he was fond of, but of all the DNA he had ever looked at the particular sequence before him had no known purpose. Admittedly, Leo considered, a great deal of DNA was still as yet unmapped. As he chewed the rather tasteless meal Leo used his second paw to bring up Shawn's DNA next to Jake's. Spinning through the helixes as he went, Leo soon found himself looking at the sequence of DNA on Shawn's helix. Checking against the records Leo noted that it was considered to be junk DNA. Interestingly enough it was not in Shawn's DNA. Where he expected to find it was just the next sequence in the line. While not a large surprise, his curiosity was piqued. So far a great deal of the DNA had been different or out right absent. This would not have been cause for concern had the sequence not been so very strange. The sequence in question was nestled up against the sequence responsible for growing brain matter. Stifling a yawn, Leo sliced his finger through the floating sequence, removing it from the strand. Snapping his fingers a third image popped up, that of a single cell. Cocking his head Leo watched as the cell bobbed before him in the holoprojector. With a flick of his fingers he caused the cell to expand, cutting away the outer later to get at the DNA of the virtual cell. Wiping his paw across the interiour of the cell he erased the previous DNA of the hologram. He plucked the cut sequence he had taken and thrust it into the cell before him. Closing it and shrinking it with deft gestures, Leo snapped his fingers and waited for the program to use the virtual cell to decode the sequence for him and act upon the orders buried within it. The cell sat there and almost seemed to say "well what were you expecting fireworks?" Leo sighed and looked over the line of code before the sequence he had clipped. Looking closely he saw something was wrong with it, it looked like any other protein sequence that acted as a standard key code. Normally these key codes simply told the follow up sequence whether it was "on" or "off" whether the sequence would create a cell or simply sit by. However this code sequence seemed to be different. The pattern seemed entirely random. Frowning, Leo swiped his paw over the strange section, cutting it quickly and pasted it into the cell. Reaching over he tapped on the holographic cell with his finger and activated the new protein key. The cell began to waver in the air and warp. It began to send pulsing signals along the virtual neurons he had connected to it. Leo watched as the signal raced up along the line of nerves that appear as the program strove to visualize the actions of the cell. Tapping a quick sequence onto the table Leo reached out and gripped the thin air over the table. Thanks to the sensors in his gloves the table reacted. As he pulled up on a handle only he could feel, a holographic brain ghosted up over the table, connecting to the neurons and the signal that had been spinning around a loop Leo had made. A few more quick gestures of his paw, and the panda sliced open the virtual brain, creating a diagram that would have made any biology teacher jealous. Connecting the neurons to the brain Leo watched as the signal being sent reached the brain and the chemical reaction began. He watched as the brain began to light up like a christmas tree. First the signal reached the virtual brain's "primitive brain," flooding out in a wave of chemical signals. One after another the limbic system and neocortex lit up, flooding the virtual body within the program with hormones, and chemical signals. Adrenaline flooded the virtual body from the kidneys as fight or flight kicked in and the limbic system began out raw red signals of absolute rage into the rest of the brain. Leo watched, amazed as these rage signals smothered the cerebrum in a wash of emotion. Both the reasoning centers, and judgement centers went dark under the deluge. Tapping out quick commands a heart rate monitor appeared. Rarely were such things needed but never before had Leo seen such a reaction. The virtual heart was hammering away like that of a an olympic athlete. Leo's eyes widened as he watched this unfold. The brain before him was becoming a seething ball of rage, aggression, and adrenaline. Before his eyes the flood of chemicals swept over the pituitary gland in the cross section brain before him. Sending out chemicals of its own, the brain began to flood the body with a soupy mix of hormones. Working quickly Leo projected a humanoid form onto the desk before him, watching as it writhed and squirmed in the air before him. The chemicals bursting from the brain into the body caused it to twitch and spasm. Muscles began to grow and pupils dilated as bones twisted and changed. The pituitary gland was further causing the body to change itself as only the thought of self preservation and rage filled judgement centers. Within moments a feral form stood before him where the humanoid had been. Leo covered his maw in shock and awe as his eyes widened. "I'm going to need more tests!"

*** Ethan sat crouched in a tree, more like a bird than canine, watching his targets below. Far beneath the canopy of the forest, three furs had been making camp. The young wolf had been following them for several hours. Directly beneath him a burly badger knelt fiddling with his pack. From his brow down the back of a his head, a white stripe of fur had been raised into a mohawk. It was tangled and uneven from the weight of his helmet, which lay discarded on the ground next to him. Beside him a tall racoon stood at attention, his bushy, ringed tail perfectly still as he scanned the area immediately in front of him. Lastly an older, greying groundhog rested against one of the other trees eating some foul-looking substance from a can. A quick glance of the party's gear had told Ethan everything he needed to know: Corporation scouts. He didn't know where the rest of their crew might be, nor even what this mission might bring if successful but that was of no concern to him. Somewhere on the way from depression to acceptance, the wolf had detoured into indifference. Nothing mattered to him anymore. The rapid succession of events over the last month had numbed him almost completely, but that just made what came next even simpler. The badger beneath him stood suddenly, and Ethan took his cue. Giving a light tap to a sensor in his boots, a gentle hum passed through the silent hunter's foot pads as the shock suppressors went active. Wind rustled through the grey wolf's fur as he slid from the safety of his tree branch. Ground rushed up to meet him, but his landing went virtually unnoticed. It wasn't until his paws gripped the badger's skull that anyone noticed his presence.

One rapid twist, and the badger's neck snapped like a twig. He was dead before he realized what happened. The groundhog now stood at the ready, a gun in his paws, and fired four quick shots. Each found only the nearby racoon as Ethan pulled the fur in front of him, using him to block the projectiles. Pushing the dying scout before him, he charged, knocking the gun from the groundhog's paws. A quick swipe to his legs, and the eldest fur found a knee at his throat pinning him to the ground. Ethan had the gun now, and pressed the barrel to the only remaining soldier's forehead.

"Blink and there's a bullet with your name on it," he growled at his prisoner. The groundhog looked up into Ethan's cold eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked his captor gruffly.

"Information."

"Then you may as well shoot me now, son.You're wasting yo-" His words were cut short as the wolf's knee pressed down firmly into his neck, blocking his airways.

"See...I could do that...or I could just ensure you wish you had given me what I want." Ethan's words came cooly. Under his weight, the groundhog had started to squirm from lack of oxygen.

"So here's the game: pick your poison. You can either give me what I want, in which case all you get is a bullet to the brain...Or I can crush your esophagus." He briefly removed his knee for his prey to answer.

"The hell kinda choice is that..die or die?" the groundhog gasped, attempting to push Ethan off of him. Once more the wolf's knee pressed down into his throat.

"It's the only choice you've got right now so I suggest you choose carefully." There was a brief struggle again from the elder fur before finally conceding he couldn't overpower the wolf. He nodded frantically and Ethan released his neck.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Picking flowers, what do you think? Gah!" The groundhog cried out as his impertinence gained him a punch to the side of his head. "We're just here to make sure the convoy was safe to pass."

Gasping the groundhog continued, "Ever since you assholes started showing your teeth we've had to waste our time on the look out for you."

"Great job of it you did too." Ethan sneered

"Right and what do you think they'll do when we don't check in?"

"Oh I'm counting on them coming to look for you,"

"Bah you might have surprised us but the others will be ready for you"

"Now what is on the transport?" Ethan asked tapping the muzzle of his pistol against the ground hog's head.

"Just some supplies for the company."

Ethan snorted, "Oh come on now, security is normal but you've got a whole army coming up the road. Clearly there is something important on those trucks, and you're going to tell me exactly what it is." The canine's clenched paw collided with the operative's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"I t-told you. There's nothing on the trucks," the groundhog wheezed. Ethan became enraged and yanked the prisoner up bashing his head into a tree, and twisting his arm to the breaking point.

"Liar!"

"Ahhhh! It's the destination!!!"

The torture stopped as Ethan considered the words. Destination? Could there really be nothing on the trucks? They were going somewhere?

"Where are they headed?" he asked, loosening his grip.

"There's...a site...a few kilometers from here...We think the Builders may have had a research station there..." the groundhog gasped.

Builders? Of the Gate-Way? If that were true it could set our technology years ahead...or theirs, Ethan thought, "How do I know you're telling me the truth?"

"You don't."

A thunderous boom and it was over. The bullet had entered the groundhog's temple and exited the other side, off into the forest. With a thud, he slumped against the tree, lifeless.

"Thanks for the tip."

***

Kyle yelped and jumped up grabbing his tail, whirling around he glared as he spotted Leo. The panda was smiling sheepishly and held a tuft of otter fur between his fingers. "What was that for?!" Kyle demanded patting his throbbing tail, preening his fur looking for a bald spot. "I needed some DNA but you moved. I only wanted one hair." Leo said, putting the fur into a glass vial. Kyle rolled his eyes. "There are more fun ways of getting DNA you know." Leo's eyes widened and he blushed. "Yes well I have to be getting back to the lab. I think I'm finally getting somewhere!" "When can I come and see?" Kyle asked as his tail stretched out behind him once more. "Come down soon and I will explain what I'm doing." Leo leaned over the back of the couch and kissed the otter softly. "I promise to make up for pulling your fur later." He said with a wink. Kyle grinned and plopped back onto the couch. "Sounds like a plan." Blowing a kiss as Leo turned to go.

*** Plopping onto the lab stool Leo dug around in his lab coat for the vial. Pulling it out, he slotted it into the table edge. The stainless steel edge was dotted with ports for vials and tubes as well as all manner of information. The black slab that served as the holographic board began to glow and with a flash a double helix was floating over the board. Next to it was a ream of information about Kyle: his height, weight, diet, age, everything on file and everything that could be pulled from his DNA. Pulling on his sensor gloves Leo grabbed the holographic DNA and stretched it out until it hovered flat over the table. Scrolling along it with the tip of his finger he searched for the sequence he had found in Jake's DNA. Without looking, his left paw reached over and seemed to pull a second strand of DNA from the table, his own. Stretching and zooming in on the sections in question, Leo quickly had the two sections bare before him. Just as in Jake's DNA both sections were the same, absolutely identical. Yet unlike Jake's strand of DNA both Leo's and Kyle's DNA did not have the same active on/off key before the sequence. "Eureka" Leo said with a smile. "Eureka eh?" Kyle said wrapping his arms around the panda from behind. "Finally made a breakthrough?"

"You'll never believe what I found. Look here." Leo said as he pulled the two strands of DNA up over the table. "I looked through your DNA, my DNA, Jake's and Shawn's. In the first three we find this sequence here. Yet Shawn doesn't have it."

"When I copied the sequence and placed it in a virtual Shawn, the program went rabid. But when I placed this line of DNA code from either of ours nothing happened. Something mutated Jake's DNA code line and caused this mutagenic sequence to go live."

"So in theory could you cure it?" Kyle asked, laying his head on Leo's shoulder.

"In theory, if I could create a virus to deactivate this line here." Leo said as he pointed out the offending line of code. "It is entirely possible that Jake would return to normal."

"That is fantastic babe! Everyone will be so relieved!"

"Well let's just hold off on the celebrating for now. This is just a theory and even if I can perfect a virus to do what we want, I have no way to know yet if it will fix Jake."

"If anyone can do it you can."

Let's hope so, Leo thought.

***

On the edge of the forest, the Corporation caravan made its way to rendezvous with their...or at least toward their last known position. When the recon team hadn't reported in, radio chatter went silent. Ethan had been listening to them for what time he could. The badger's discarded helmet had still been tuned into the Corporation radio frequency. It didn't take long for him to determine the groundhog had been telling him the truth about the Builder site. It took less time for him to rig his trap.

Once again perched in a tree, this one near the road on the edge of the woods, Ethan looked through his binoculars toward the approaching convoy. The trucks bounced and shook as they made their way along the pitted roadway. He ignored the wind gauge and target locks that popped up. Each of the drivers was highlighted in the binoculars, complete with weak points to their armour, matching the details of the trucks they rode. Slowly he scanned along the road, grinning as his gaze rested on the tell tale lumps of the anti-tank mines he had buried. Easily picked out if you knew where to look, they blended in as just another rut and bump along the road, and at the speed the drivers were going they would never notice.

The binoculars plotted out the path of the trucks and a number appeared top center of the lense counting down the distance to impact. Ethan licked his lips impatiently as the rumbling trucks grew louder. He watched the stones begin to scatter and dance along the roadway as the convoy approached. The first truck drew into the kill zone. Suddenly the world was lit up by a brilliant flash of orange. Then a rumble thundered out as the blast of one of the mines engulfed the first truck and its unlucky occupants. Flipping high in the air, the carcass of the truck slammed down onto the front of the one behind it. Ethan rose to cheer, his eyes widened suddenly as he saw a shredded half tire hurtle towards him from out of the dissipating ball of fire. Groaning Ethan was slammed off of his perch by the force of the collision. Tearing through branches that did little to slow his fall, Ethan hit the ground hard, the tire bouncing off his chest, knocking what little air remained in his lungs before bouncing off further into the woods. He groaned and gasped, trying to fill his lungs. His entire body hurt. Through the blood pounding in his ears he heard a second and third explosion, followed by screams and shouts as the convoy fell into chaos. Suddenly his ear piece crackled, he had turned it off earlier but the fall must have jarred it. "Ethan....Ethan come in...where are you?" The noise of the explosions was dying down, and only the roar of burning vehicles remained. "Had a little chat with the Corporation just a minute ago," he groaned. "What?" "It was a blast."

"Nevermind, just get back here. We think we've come up with a solution to our problem with Jake. Over."

"Wonderful," Ethan said with a grin, head lolling back as he passed out.