FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Well, it's been a while. Unfortunately I suffered a writer's block midway through the story. Therefore, I did have huge breaks during the writing of this chapter.If there are any discrepancies, even small details, please don't hesitate to let me know. I will fix them tout de suite. Also don't hesitate to leave comments. I love them. Especially constructive criticism.

I will let all those interested know, that Hybrid Theory is coming to a close. Either ch 8 or 9 WILL BE THE FINAL CHAPTER!! So prepare to have your questions answered.

PSSO- Planet Side Security Officer

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...up. I want him ali...

...Come on, pup. Wake uh...

...Get up. Get uh....

Filius slowly opened his eyes. The colors blended so as to make one blue-grey blur. The blur slowly dissipated into the recognizable shapes of two men and the white-blue walls.

"Well, well. It's truly a good thing I own more than one defibrillator. I can't hurt you if you're not alive, pup. Then what would I do for fun on this rock? I think you could use a little more pain, but I'll give you a chance." He grabbed Filius' beaten face hard and looked straight into its golden circles, now bloodshot and dilated. "Tell... Me... What... You... SAW!!" Filius was unable to think. His head throbbed to the point where he thought the skin would be pushed off, and his body ached, especially from the cuts, gashes, and tears in his body. He simply lay there, for he was lying; apparently he had been taken off the restrained chair-board.

Xabi seemed to actually expect an answer from the previously lifeless, now barely alive, wolf. And so he waited. Seeing that he wasn't going to get a response, he scowled at the wolf, and waved his hand in dismissal.

"Take him to his cell." And so the other man, in EMPASS, took him. Filius didn't pay attention on the way there. He couldn't. It seemed as if his brain was determined to only do enough to keep his body functions going, and throw everything else out. He was thrown into his cell, as he landed blood spurting from multiple wounds and his mouth. The pristine white floor was stained with his fluids. He lay there restrained by intense pain and fatigue, as though a huge weight were crushing his bones and spirit. He coughed excessively as more blood came out further repainting the floor to a bright crimson. He thought about Magnus. What was he doing? Was he worrying about him? Of Course he was! He was his ashote, his lover. He loved him, and he missed his warm embrace, the feeling of their fur rubbing together, the warmth, the strong paws that he wished he could run into and take cover. He needed his mate to comfort him and tell him it would be alright.

In this moment of weakness, hunger, fatigue, pain, and loneliness, Filius fell asleep, hoping to god--if there was one--that this was a dream and he would wake up next to his little kitten.

But as we all know god is a huge prick, and so the next morning, Filius woke up alone, on the cold floor. The pain from yesterday had set in and had gone from a sharp, stinging pain to a dull, throbbing, background pain, as the pain from sleeping on the floor set into his arm and his ribcage. He slowly stood up and warily approached the bench checking for any irregularities in the stone, in the case that it would stab him again. He sat down slowly, and was happy to find the bench seemed to have warmed up to him. He patted it lightly. He looked to his left and where the hole was, there was a plate of bread, some slices of processed meat, and a glass of water. He poked the bread with the pad of his finger. It was hard. He picked it up, and squeezed with a negative result as the bread was indeed rock-like. He extended his claw and pierced the crust with it. He chewed on the stale baked wheat product, and then stuffed the entire thing into his mouth. He proceeded to bolt down the slices of "meat", followed by the cup of water. Oh, it felt good. His stomach, after being fed this bit, was growling and thrashing for more. He patted his stomach, as if that would make it better. He lay down on the bench, throwing caution in the air and he started to think. He felt he would be here for a while.

>>MCFC: Employee Habitation Floor 17 (Floor 57); Room H17-23

Thomas Celaya woke up in his small bed like he did almost every morning; out of breath, homesick, and full of guilt. He put his palm to his face and sighed. Oh God, I hate my life. He sat up slowly and pouted to nothing in particular. He ran both hands through his dark brown hair. His brown eyes slowly scanned his small bedroom, in the small apartment, in this huge complex. The narrow bed, the doors, one that led to the living room/kitchen, the other to the bathroom, the nightstand with his clock, whose alarm had broken several years ago, and the gray walls seemed to make him even more depressed. He missed Earth. He missed his normal human friends. He missed the huge Macro-Cities, his natural habitat. It's not that he hated the animals or anything, he just wasn't used to them. No doubt he would be seeing many of them soon at breakfast. Mr. Kartoghea hated them so much, and yet he employed them. He wasn't going to bother thinking up reasons why. He slowly shifted to his right and sat on the end of the bed and rubbed his eyes. Hmm... What time is it? He looked at the clock. 8:09. He sighed and headed for the bathroom. He undressed himself, examining his muscular self, considering shaving, and then choosing not to. He dressed in boxers and a tank top, and then proceeded to fitting himself with the first layer of EMPASS.

He was reminded of the wolf-man he was about to go torture, or at least help torture. He closed his eyes, guilt flooding his chest and making him stop to think. The wolf didn't seem like he'd done anything wrong. So he looked at the database, big deal. It's not worthy of torture, is it? Whatever. He pasted on the second layer of EMPASS. [There's something about that wolf. He seems nice. I don't know.] He smoothed out the membrane that now covered his body. He started to attach the glossy black plates to the membrane.[I'll leave the helmet up here. Gonna go get a bite to eat.] He put the boots and gloves on his feet and hands. He pressed the small panel on the wall on the side of the door. It slid open with a swoosh. He stepped out and walked to his right, towards the elevators. He pressed the up button on the panel and waited for the elevator. When the doors slid open, he saw that there was another male in the elevator, in EMPASS. But it was a cheetah-man. He sighed and walked in. He attempted to press the Mess Floor/70 button, but it was already lit. He looked at the cheetah, and he smiled at him. He returned the smile, but it was not even half as friendly or as warm as the cheetah's.

"Hopefully they have something other than egg-like foodstuffs and meat byproducts." The animal said to him. It was strange that the animal was speaking to him, especially since he was a human.

"Yeah." He felt he should at least try to hide his depression, frustration and confusion. "It seems anywhere there's 'Mess Hall' or 'Cafeteria', bad food is there, too." He giggled a bit, as did the cheetah. "By the way, I'm Thomas. What's your name?" He extended his hand for a shake. The cheetah was a bit taken aback by the gesture, but accepted it anyway.

"Stephen. Where do you work?" He took the human's extended hand and gave it a firm wiggle.

"I'm actually one of Mr. Kartoghea's personal torture assistants. He calls them 'fun-buddies', but for what reason, I don't know." He laughed a bit. The cheetah seemed scared for a minute, but then seemed curious. "I guess it's because he enjoys it so much he thinks it's fun." The cheetah moved his muzzle closer to Thomas' ear.

"Well? What goes on in there? What do they do to those poor furs?" Thomas looked at him, slightly defocused.

"Well... um... I'm not allowed to disclose that information... so... I won't. But I will tell you it's not pretty. Why, we just got this wolf, and... never mind. That's classified. I probably went too far telling you he was a wolf." He frowned and looked at the cheetah, who was smiling at him.

"Looks like we're here. Hope you have a good breakfast." The cheetah walked out into the narrow hallway and opened a set of double doors on his left. For a second, as he walked out of the elevator. Thomas wondered why the cheetah thought they would not see each other in the Mess Hall. As he faced the double doors he was reminded of that ugly topic that seemed so hard for humans to eliminate. Racism. On the side of the doors was a small plaque that said "Furry Mess Hall. All Furs please eat here and do not enter the Human Mess Hall." On the doors, some idiot had written in spray paint the words "Furry Filth Café". He sighed and turned around and entered the human mess hall. It was full of human employees, happily, and obliviously, munching on the lame excuses for food in front of them. He grabbed a couple things, a plastic package of cereal, a pint of milk, a spoon, some coffee, some bacon, and sat down on one of the tables alone. Being a fun-buddy didn't exactly earn you friends among the humans. You had to come into contact with "the filth" every day. It wasn't the kind of thing you professed to. And so he ate, the sugary cereal, cheering him up some, and the coffee warming him up. Along with the bacon--bacon-like product--down the hatch and he was ready to go. Well as ready as anyone could ever be to go in and torture someone against their will. He went back to his room, and grabbed the helmet, making sure the suit was sealed, and then going into the elevator up to the 148th floor. He sighed as he finally activated the HUD. It showed suit energy at the top, along with vital signs. The radar was at the top left, the map at the top right. A danger/radioactivity meter was on the left, and his ammunition, when his suit was hooked up to a weapon with the ability to communicate wirelessly with his suit. Currently it displayed a smiley face. [Oh God. I hate this suit.]

>>Phendrana City; 5.65 miles northeast of Korokos. 2645 Phendrana Main Street (0th); Insurrectum HQ, disguised as an office building.

Magnus looked around the small room, shaking with worry and caffeine. The large computer screens glowed brightly and made the surround unlit areas appear even darker. There was a desk, which had a keyboard, a mouse and a couple of empty paper cups, which had formerly contained coffee, and a seat. Two days. Two fucking days and still no signs of Filius. I wasn't like He didn't know where Filius was, it was that he didn't know how to get in there. The first day he had been in denial. Maybe he just went spying or something, he had thought. Maybe he followed a soldier that he found at the crash site. Maybe, he was finding information that no one had ever found before. But he knew Filius. In the year he had been here, he had never taken this long on such a simple mission.

Magnus had thought of trying to sneak in to the MCFC, but not only was it, currently, virtually impossible, the other Insurrectites didn't even want to think about thinking of going on a suicide mission like that. None of them thought Filius was worth that much trouble, but to Magnus he was worth everything in the world. He bit his lip and collapsed into a chair and started to cry. Not heaving sobs, but small twitches. He was able to pull himself together, and sigh.

He knew exactly who he himself was, too. He wasn't the type of fur who could go out, and go off into the middle of a fire fight. He couldn't get a new weapon and know how to build one himself twenty minutes later, like Filius. He couldn't lead, like Core Tyrargcys. He couldn't be brave and go do the kinds of things others did. What he did do was important though. He was the one who went out, hid behind someone, and did the hacking, and code breaking, and encrypting, and all that junk. Sure, he wasn't particularly bad with a gun, but he preferred not to use it. He heard a beep from the small bead in his ear. He clicked his molars together, and he heard a small click come from the bead in his ear.

"Magnus, are you still in that room? Come out, son. We need you out here in M-Com," said a gruff voice that was being transmitted to him from a couple floors down. He knew who it was.

"Core, Master Core!" He said in his most rigid, military-type voice, but as he continued, he let the exhaustion seep into his tongue and, consequently, into his voice. "I can't. I need to find a way to get Filius back. I can't lose another one." The last world was almost interrupted by a sob.

The one thing about the current Core (leader) of the Insurrectum (Brian Phillips/Tyrargcys) wasn't that he was smart and good at predicting things that might happen, and good at commanding and leading. It was that he could understand and empathize with his cohorts and subjects. Why? Well. Because he had been through just about every possible thing you could think of. And when he didn't have experience with something, he would try his best to sympathize. And seeing no real need to get Magnus up to Mission Command, besides the possibility of cheering him up, he let him be.

"Alright, son. We'll be here, if you need us."

"We'll?"

"Yes. Rector is here. He wants to see you."

"Well... fine. I'll go up for a second." He wiped his wet cheek fur, then grabbed his tail and played with it for a minute, to compose himself. Then he slowly opened the door, turning the handle slowly. He walked down the gray concrete corridor to the stairs, going down from the -3 floor, to the -5 floor. He pressed the panel next to the door and it swooshed open. He was greeted by a warm hug from his friend. It was amazing to have someone to do something so simple, and it made him feel good. At first he was surprised and didn't react beyond gaping, but then he embraced the wolf back.

"I know what happened, and... I'm so sorry. Do you know where his is?" he said quickly after letting go of Magnus.

"Yea. But you're not gonna like it. I definitely didn't. He's in the MCFC. Who knows what they're doing to him in there. I-I mean. I-I've h-heard the stories, b-but," he started to tear a bit now, "It can't be as horrible as they say. I... I wish I... I wish I could just..." He sigh-grunted in frustration. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to just go outside, and be able to just reach out and topple the giant building, catching Filius in his hands and keeping him close, blotting out the symbol of pain that stood in the center of the city, that blunt dagger pointing to the sky that could be seen from here, that every time he saw it took a part of that worry and love, and turned it to hate. White hot, choking burning hate.

But he quelled these feelings. If he was going to get Filius back, and he was, he would have to stay calm. Rector, detected these feelings, and looked at him in the way a father would stare at his son, in that loving manner that said he cared and that he would be there when the people of the world weren't. And then Rector had been like a father to him and... Filius. He had helped support them for a couple of months and always called them to see how they were doing. He was their personal mission assigner. He placed a hand on Magnus' shoulder and smiled.

"It'll be alright cutr'Magnoe. Chire-cutr'Filioe ner. He'll be alright."

"Thanks. I needed that."

"And who knows," Rector said, as he stood beside Magnus, put his arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze, the kind a father would give his son when something is bothering him. "Filius is a smart kid. I think he can handle himself, wherever he is." The older male gave the panther a warm smile, and he got one back, just as warm. Rector sure knew how to cheer him up.

"I wonder what's happening to him now, though."

>>MCFC Torture Chamber 2; 8:45 AM

Thomas stood next to the cart Mr. Kartoghea had told him to bring in. The wolf-man was strapped in yet again to the board, bare-chested. Thomas looked him up and down. He couldn't even imagine how much pain the wolf must have been in. His chest and facial wounds had scabbed, but the arm and leg wounds were too deep to heal on their own. The fur around every cut was stained crimson with the wolf's blood. It hurt Thomas. It hurt him on a mental, emotional, and even spiritual level. He felt that kind of choking sensation when you are so sympathetic with some one that you just might cry. He stood there with the helmet on and the ARMcannon held across his chest, looking very intimidating indeed. But on the inside, behind the layers of protection, from harm and the view of others, he felt a longing to see the wolf set free; to see him happy, with... his other furry friends... or whatever. He wanted Mr. Kartoghea to either, call this business off, or drop dead, so the wolf wouldn't have to endure the punishment.

But his thoughts were cut off abruptly as Mr. Kartoghea stretched out his hand and shouted:

"MR. CELAYA!" At this Thomas jumped and turned his head to face the man. He had obviously been conversing with the wolf, and had finished and called his name. "Thank you for your attention, which seems to be in short supply today. Hand me the electrodes." Thomas reached for the two metal sheets. He hesitated for a minute and then passed them to Mr. Kartoghea. He didn't hesitate; he attached the pads to the wolf's chest. He walked over to the box that the electrodes were connected to and examined it. "Well, Mr. Celaya. Are you ready for some... fireworks?" He smiled and pressed the button. Thomas shut his eyes and cringed at the sight he had to behold.

***

The pads seem to explode with, what seemed like, vibrations, sending them all through his chest and his legs. His body shook violently as his tried to scream, but the electricity shook the scream out and it sounded like his cheeks were just flapping against his teeth. His eyes wanted to roll back into his head and the pain exceeded all he had endured so far. This was because it was a sustained sort of pain. And it only lasted for about 2.436 seconds, but those seconds seemed to last minutes, hours, days. When the vibrations stopped, and the pain subsided, he finally heard what Xabi had been doing this whole time: laughing.

And so, Xavier Kartoghea kept torturing Filius, Filius kept getting tortured, and Thomas' soul continued to get eroded as he saw the wolf being broken. He knew he was going to crack anytime now. Oh how he wished that the wolf would hold out. He knew what he would do. He had to take the wolf into the cell anyway, so when he did, he would let the wolf go.

He had to. He couldn't stand this anymore. He had to do something.

And so the torture lasted another three hours, all electrocution. Then Mr. Kartoghea sighed and detached the electrodes, which left crimson blotches in their midst. It was lunch time and the wolf was to be taken to his cell.

"Take care of him, Mr. Celaya." He said as he walked out the double doors.

"Oh, I will." Thomas slowly walked up to the wolf. He was panting heavily and his tongue hung out the left side. Thomas slowly detached each strap going from the foot paws to the chest. When he was done, the wolf fell over onto him. Thomas supported him with his arms. The wolf tried to speak, and succeeded, but only slightly.

"W-Whathuh heo ah you doig?" After he finished he coughed loudly as blood was splattered over his EMPASS.

"Look. I know you don't trust me, and probably any other human for that matter. But I really want to help you, so don't try to resist. Not like you could. Here come on, try to stand." The wolf, obviously realizing that trusting him was a better route than staying to be tortured, stood up and fell back into the human's arms. "It's alright. I'll help you."

"I can walk by myself!" The wolf growled. But this was an outright lie, because, again, as soon as Thomas let go of the wolf, He fell to the ground.

"You sure about that? 'Cause I don't see any walking taking place here. Just falling." The wolf slowly got up and bared is teeth with a growl, but accepted the help, if a bit grudgingly. They stepped out of the room, and sneaked their way to a door. Thomas placed his hand on the door opening panel, and it swooshed open, revealing a large room filled to the brim with EMPASS suits. "Here. I'll help you put one on. With the extra strength, you'll be able to walk on your own, not to mention fit in."

They entered an elevator and headed down to the Mess Hall Floor. And here arose the first of literally three problems the human-wolf duo would experience on their escape. The wolf needed to be fed, it was a fact. Unfortunately, he would not be able to assist him because, as previously stated, the mess hall was segregated. What he did next would definitely not earn him friends among the humans. He walked straight through the doors of the Furry Mess Hall, followed by the limping wolf. All around him he heard the hushed voices of the furs "A human? What's he doing here?" or "What the hell is this?" or even, "Oh God. I hate these humans. Always in our business." But he ignored it. He went up to the buffet and grabbed some things for the wolf. The he shoved the tray into the wolf's paws.

"Put this in your hip sac. You can eat it when we get out." He felt the eyes looking at him, the stares, the glares, the fright, and anger. He wanted to get out. Now. "C'mon, let's go." He pushed the wolf as he stuffed the food into the small bag on his right hip. As they walked towards the exit, the doors burst open, revealing the second of three obstacles. Two blue beams impacted into Thomas' chest. He fell over and the wolf ducked. He knew this had been a bad idea, but he had to go through with it. Thomas got up and saw the two men in EMPASS at the door way. He set his helmet to amplify his voice. "Everyone get the fuck out! NOW!"

Mass panic is a wonderful thing.

***

All the furs in the room jumped up and ran for the doors. The females screeched, while the males screamed. They provided a sufficient barrier and camouflage for their escape. They ran screaming like the rest and escaped. The furs were trapped in the hallway, for an elevator can only take so many bodies at once. And so the rest ran for the stairs. Thomas was a little smarter, it seemed to Filius, for they only ran down about five floors, and entered the floor.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't we be trying to get out of here?" Filius whispered into the human's audio receptor.

"There's an auxiliary elevator on every tenth floor starting at floor five. The normal elevator goes slower for safety reasons. Let's go." Filius followed the human as best he could. The hallway they were walking through was moderately upholstered and the walls were a calming beige color. But after walking through a door, they entered the part of the floor that hadn't been bothered with, because no one actually went there. Pipes lined the halls and everything was grey. They ran down this new hall way, tipping over mops and old stored packages that seemed to be arbitrarily thrown on the floor. They eventually reached a metal grate with an old-fashioned button panel next to it. The human pressed the button on the panel and in a matter of seconds the elevator came screeching to halt on their floor. Oh it was fast, alright. The elevator had a metal rung and next to it a lever with a button. They stepped in and the human looked at Filius. I had something to say, but Filius could tell he didn't like it.

"Wrap your arms around my waist."

"What? Why?!"

"Just fucking do what I say, goddammit! Do you have to be such a bitch while I'm trying to save both our fucking lives?!" Filius shut up and threw his arms around the human's waist. The human grabbed on hard to the metal rung that was in the elevator and grabbed the lever right next to it. He pulled down as hard as he could and slammed his palm onto the button.

For a moment nothing happened, and then, the elevator, which had been grasping onto the floor for dear life, had apparently given up and let go. Filius was almost in a free fall until the human used his arms to their full extent to keep himself and Filius anchored to the elevator floor. As the elevator fell as if on a collision course with hell itself, the air seemed to get startled with its approach and screeched a tune to their seemingly inevitable demise. Every time ten floors passed, a metal grate, or a brown blur is a better description, would fly by.

"Oh god! We're gonna die!" Filius said in a loud whimper. He felt the physical strain the human was going through. Maybe he could trust this human, who knows?

"No we're not!" the human screamed loud so that his voice could be heard above the wind's woeful cries. "The elevator slows down about..." he waited, and the elevator started to slow down. "Now, around the fifteenth floor, its second stop." After about ten seconds, the wind seemed to notice and calm down, slowly turning into a sigh of relief, as the elevator screeched its stop out. There was a large "5" printed the side of the wall next to the grate that the human was currently dragging open. Another screech emanated from this grate and it was opened. The unlikely pair jumped out and went back through a similar looking hallway, with similar pipes, and similarly haphazardly thrown boxes, through a similar door, into a not so similar second hallway.

Unlike the one on the 65th floor, this one was lined with cells. As they walked passed, the furs... and humans... blocked by the black bars, looked up at the two EMPASS clad males. Some sneered, some chuckled, other just ignored them entirely.

"Where are we?" Filius asked in a whisper to the human.

"The first fifty floors of the MCFC are prison blocks. Earth, my planet, was filled with prisons and stuff. They opted to bring the criminals here when the prisons got full."

"Earth? What? You're from another planet?!"

"Yeah but to other races of the known galaxy, it's known as Terras, since almost every inhabitable planet is made of some type of 'earth'. We call your planet Demens. Don't know why, though." Filius looked at him questioningly and with a bit of frustration. There was something about these humans that was weird. Very weird. The Furs had always called their planet Derlunda, literally "furry planet", "or planet with fur". The human seemed to notice the wolf's emotions, and then moved to speak.

"Look, my race is here for a reason that's unknown to me. I was only a lowly employee. I was sent here because I couldn't find a job. I know you may be confused, or angry, or whatever. But the fact is, I'm feeling the same way. No offense, but I'd much rather be back on Earth." Filius continued to look at the human. He wasn't sure what he felt. This new creature that had only been revealed to him about two days ago was now talking to him on a one to one level. It was hard to believe that this thing was even talking to him. No. It wasn't a thing. It was too similar to himself, and all the other furs. It was a sapient creature, just like him, but different enough for him to feel a certain estrangement. They walked on is silence. Filius looked over once in a while to examine its features, not being able to focus on details or anything during the torture and the escape. Once he looked down to the crotch area and it stuck him. [Does he have a dick? Are we that similar?] He quickly dismissed the idea. Eventually The man caught him looking at him, and said:

"What? Why do you keep looking at me?"

"Well. I don't know. You're so... weird looking. I mean, how do you survive without a muzzle?"

"Well, to me, I would probably say: 'How do you speak or eat or even kiss with that thing?'" Filius didn't particularly like this answer. I wasn't the one he was expecting. He snorted and looked forward. They were coming up on the door that led to the stairs. They walked down in silence. Filius was deep in thought. What would happen to this human when he finished helping him escape? Would he stay here? Would they hurt him? And if he came with him into the city, would he be treated fairly? Or like a monster? It's true most people would see him as a creature. Or maybe they'd notice the similarities between their bodies and his.

Why should he care? Was it not these humans that had caused him so much pain in just two days? No. He couldn't blame him. It wasn't his fault. If he held a grudge toward the whole human race, he would be just as bad as this Xabi person. He did seem to harbor a huge antipathy for the furry race. Filius racked his brain to figure out why he would hate them so much. But he was interrupted by the human's voice.

"Shhh. Tip-toe. There are a lot of people on this floor. It's the lobby." He said in a whisper.

"Tip-toe?"

"Just step lightly!" he said in a whisper-scream.

"You could have just said that, ya know." And so they slipped past most of the people unnoticed, since they had slipped on their EMPASS helmets. They were a hundred meters out the door, and about 400 meters from the gate when they heard a familiar voice scream at them.

"Hold it! Hold it RIGHT THERE!" They turned around and saw Xavier Kartoghea standing outside the main entrance to the building, holding an ARMcannon, trained on Filius. "Thomas. I'll give you another chance. Step away from the mutt and I'll take you back." Xabi seemed to think for a second. "I'll even send you back to Earth. Maybe get you a nice cushy job as a PSSO. You'd like that wouldn't you." The human, Thomas, froze. He looked at Xabi.

"Really? You'd do that?" he asked, his voice tinged with the high pitched sound of losing your will power. Xabi nodded. Filius realized what was happening.

"No. Don't listen to him he's just going to kill you." Filius could tell that he was losing the battle for the human's will. The human walked toward the other human.

"Yes. Let's get you back inside. And then we can get you ready for your trip." The human stumbled over to the other human. The two sets of brown lenses aimed their focus at each other as Thomas stood in front of Xabi. Xabi smiled a huge, creepy smile that gave Filius the goosebumps, as the fur on certain parts of his body stood on end. It seemed as though his tormentor's last desperate effort in seizing control of the situation was working. He suddenly became very angry. He had trusted the human, and now here he was betraying the wolf after only about fifteen minutes. Thomas extended his hand slowly to grab the shoulder of Xabi, or so it seemed. Thomas smiled and said:

"Thank you," as he said this he quickly grabbed the ARMcannon surrounding the other man's arm. Giving it a quick twist and a pull, he brought the other human to his knees, and ripped the ARMcannon from the arm. He then proceeded to kicking him right where the sun don't shine, resulting in a very pained moan escaping from Xabi's lips as he fell to the ground grasping his crotch. He breathed heavily and fiercely as Thomas ran back to the wolf and grabbed his arm. They ran quickly to the gate, through the sand that covered the ground between them and the exit, Filius stumbling a bit as he was used to using all four legs to run this fast. Therefore, he was amazed at how the human could balance himself on two legs, running as fast as the wolf could on all fours. It was a type of grace that only the most acrobatic and physically trained furs could accomplish.

The human used the ARMcannon to dispose of the two unarmed guards at the gate. He stepped into the small room and pressed the correct combination of buttons to unlock the gate. The gate clicked, signaling its compliance and Filius pushed it open. Thomas came up behind him and gave him a push as they both ran. Filius new exactly where to go.

"Follow me!" He screamed at the human.

***

Thomas looked in awe as the wolf tumbled forward on to his four paws and burst forward with speed. He doubled his efforts and caught up to the wolf as they both panted heavily, the wolf's tongue hanging out of the left side of his muzzle. They ran through the streets cars whizzing by as they crossed intersection after intersection. Thomas soon got curious.

"Where... are we going?" Thomas asked between gasps of oxygen-filled air to keep his muscles going. The wolf seemed to look back and seemed to notice they were out of sight of the tower. He started to slow down, as did Thomas. He wondered when the control had switched from himself to the wolf, but dismissed the thought because he was much more interested in their destination. The wolf eventually stopped running, and Thomas followed suit. The wolf got back on his foot paws only and placed his paws on his knees, panting heavily. He placed a hand on Thomas' shoulder and got back up.

"Even with EMPASS, that was a lot harder than I thought! My legs are killing me! I gotta get me some rest. Anyway, about where we're headed. I left my car out on the other side of the city wall. I need to get it. Then we can go to... well. I don't know where you can go now. As far as I know, we Furs don't know how to travel long distances in space, so you're stuck here. But, where you should go... I don't know."He took out some of the food Thomas had given him, and chewed on it. He looked at Thomas with eyes full of regret for the bad news. Thomas was completely crushed. He had rejected Mr. Kartoghea's offer thinking that saving the wolf's life would form a kind of trust and acceptance so that he could stay among them, possibly safe from the wrath of Mr. Kartoghea and his mini-army of EMPASS clad humans and furs. But apparently he was mistaken. "I'm sorry it's just that... I don't know... I guess I'd take you with me, but the other furs wouldn't exactly accept you. I mean, to me you look like a freak. So... I'll see you later... maybe. I hope you... well... find someplace to stay." And with that, he walked off in a westerly direction, eventually turning a corner and disappearing from Thomas' line of sight. Thomas just sat on one of the conveniently placed bus stop benches and threw his face into his palms.

"DAMN IT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

***

Filius quickly got to the familiar gate with the two snake guards after leaving the human. He quickly got out and found the car exactly where he had left it. He jumped into the seat after opening the door, only to remember that he had been stripped of everything in the MCFC, including his car keys. He quickly recalled how to hotwire a car and bent down under the steering wheel, removing the plastic cover and fiddling with the wires; stripping this on and that one and twisting them together and stripping two more wires and touching them together briefly. Soon the car gave a shudder and a loud roar as it revved and came to life. Filius smiled as he stuffed the wires back into the compartment, making sure not to let the wires touch again. He shifted it into the drive position and head back into the city to take the east gate out to Phendrana. At his point his brain started to wander off as it usually did. It suddenly took a sharp turn back to the human. What would happen to Thomas? Would he be ok? Was he still where he had left him? Had some furs come up and done something to him. He felt these feelings of remorse and guilt, and was confused. Why was he feeling such emotions toward this human? He had only really known him for maybe twenty minutes, and was already feeling as if he'd betrayed an old friend. He moaned with displeasures he jerked the steering wheel to the left and turned onto a new street. He knew what he had to do.

***

Magnus stalked the plain steel walls of the dormitories, thinking solemnly about Filius and his possible predicaments. He wasn't in the dormitories because he needed to be there, he was walking and had just randomly been taken here by his momentarily autonomous legs. He suddenly realized where he was and sighed. He was so hopeless. He wanted so bad to have the wolf back in his arms. He wanted to caress the soft white and blue fur, to kiss those lips, to taste his mouth. He longed to have him back and finally be at peace.

He thought back to when he had met Filius. He had taken to him in his time of loss, when he had lost the only person he thought had truly understood him and loved him. But he was mistaken, for Filius had come to match and even supersede Parumunus, but these thoughts hurt him. A year may alleviate the pain, but it doesn't seal the hole. He didn't want to say such things about Parumunus, but they were true. Filius was much more kind, and lighthearted. He had warmed up to him after only a small period of time. And well, there was the fact that it was a bit taboo to mate out of your own species, so it was quite the personal thrill.

He walked more, thinking of Filius and Parumunus, when eventually he stumbled upon a young female badger that was walking downcast as well. Her dark grey, fur clad body was well shaped. She had the curves most males liked. Despite this, she wasn't wearing something provocative, or something that showed off her first class body. She wore a suit, grey, though a lighter grey than her fur, with a white shirt that barely allowed her breathing room, and a grey skirt that reached past her knees. When she realized who she had bumped into, a smile sprung up onto her muzzle.

"Magnum! How are you? How're you coping?" she said full of surprise, calling Magnus by his alias.

"Celine. I'm fine, I'm... ya know... getting by. I miss Filius a lot though. I hope he's alright. Core was really nice, like he always is." Celine. A friend of both Magnus and Filius. Her name wasn't really Celine, that was her alias. Her name was actually Jessica Sicre, but when you were a member of the Insurrectum, and were at one of the hidden bases, aliases became more terms of endearment, rather than codenames. If you weren't too close to someone you'd call them Aux, and then their alias, such as Aux Celine, or Aux Magnum; it was more formal that way.

But Celine's smile disappeared when Magnus said the name, a depressing frown creasing her muzzle. "I hope he's alright, too. I know you loved him very much. Magnum, I'm sorry."

"He don't worry, Celine, It'll be okay," Magnus said, completely betraying his inner thoughts, where pandemonium ruled as he thoughts conjured images of Filius dead, rotting on the floor. "I'm sure Filius is fine. H-He'll... He'll be back. I know it..." Celine came up and gave Magnus a tight hug, the kind of rib crushing hug that good friends give to each other when they truly need comforting. She was a strong woman, despite her frail frame. She then gave him a light kiss on the check and walked on in her previous direction, waving good bye as she walked. Magnus smiled for a second, before the grotesque images filled his mind again, like mud obfuscating pure water. What was clear for a moment was now murky again, with only one chance of re-purification, the return of Filius. He walked on and eventually got to a dead end. He leaned against the wall, and slumped onto his ass, grabbing his black tail and playing with the fur at the end. He proceeded to swishing it in front of him and trying to catch it, each time, the tail being faster than the paws. He eventually stopped the game and looked down at the floor in front of him and started to sob.

After about 30 minutes of straight crying, during which time furs that exited the rooms that lined the dead end hallway gave him strange and/or pitiful looks, the small ear piece in his pocket beeped and grabbed it and looked at it. He sighed and placed it to his ear, pressing the button as he did.

"Yeah?" he asked. The voice that responded was the same rough, kind voice he had heard earlier today; it was Core Tyrargcys, saying:

"Come down to M-Com, Magnus," through the sound of his voice, he could tell he had a smile on. "We have a surprise for you." The speaker clicked, signifying that he had been disconnected, and he stood up, putting the small device in his pocket again. He walked toward elevator, wonder what this surprise would be. He really, truly hoped that it wasn't an attempt to cheer him up through some insignificant object or action. Although he would appreciate it, he didn't need or want it right now. He approached the cold metallic doors of the elevator as he touched the down button on the panel. The elevator dinged, and he stepped inside the brown interior. It was lined with brown cushions, in between which were hints at the light brown wooden paneling behind it. He touched the button of the floor he wanted to go to, and then the elevator car smoothly glided down.

He stepped out into the large room. There was something weird about it though. The screens were on and erratically changing, as usual; the computers were humming loudly, as usual; the steel walls were cold and unwelcoming, as usual; but, all the people were gone. Everyone, except Core Tyrargcys. The old bulldog beamed at Magnus as he walked. He was standing on the large circular pedestal, which had a wall around it except at the front, where the stairs allowed access to the main controls.

"Come up here, son." He said voice happy and kind. Magnus approached the stairs. As he walked up, he noticed Rector was sitting on the padded seats that were attached to the wall that surrounded the pedestal and access panel in front of him. He too was smiling. Magnus got up to where the two older males were smiling at him. He looked at them both with a look of confusion. "Look at the Comm Screen."

As he turned around, a video message was opened from the panel Rector had in front of him. On the screen was the most beautiful sight Magnus had ever seen. He looked at the face on the screen. Its fur was white, pure white, besides the specs of blue, and the blotches of crimson blood. The right ear was perked up and swiveling, while the left one was plastered against his head, only half its normal length, and bleeding. The blood and injuries slightly worried Magnus, but the joy of seeing his mate still alive overwhelmed it 1000 fold. His muzzle pulled back into a smile with a newfound alacrity, at seeing the face of the wolf.

"Filius!"

Filius opened the small camera in the roof of the car. The small lens stared at him as the LED blinked red twice then lit up yellow. He pressed the button on the side, and the LED turned green, signaling that it was recording. He had of course parked the car, before commencing the recording, and was in a parallel parking space outside a nondescript office building, made entirely out of one-way windows, it seemed. He looked straight into the lens and said:

"Core, Master Core. This is Aux Filius. I've been trapped in the Matrian Correctional Facility and Capitol. As you may now, I sent you the access codes, as well as memorized them. I escaped... with help. I've got a surprise for you." Here he paused for a moment, then continued. "I don't have time to send a detailed message, so I continue when I get to Phendrana HQ. And... And tell... t-tell... Magnus... that... that I missed him." He pressed the button, on the side of the camera, and slipped the bulbous lens back into its compartment. He revved the car once more, and drove off in the direction he'd left the human. After countless streets, he finally arrived at the block, and was relieved to see the human slumped against one of the buildings, face in palms, convulsing to the familiar rhythm of quiet sobbing.

He slowed down and park over on the next block. He thought he'd give him a nice surprise, and sneak up on him. Maybe it'd cheer him up. Although picking him up would probably cheer him up quite enough. He got out of the car and walked around the corner, searching for the human where he had seen him. His head was still in his hands, but it seemed as though he had stopped crying. H walked slowly and silently and then sat down right next to him, careful not to make a sound. He slowly extended his finger, and his claw, and gave the human a firm poke in the shoulder. The human jumped up and gave a short scream of surprise, then realized who it was.

"So, why are you here?"

"Oh well I guess you want to stay here, alone. So, I guess I'll be go-"

"Wait," the human interrupted. "I didn't mean it that way. Of course I don't want to be left here alone. But I thought I was going to be." He looked at Filius.

"Well, I felt bad about leaving someone alone. And Core Tyrargcys is a pretty accepting fur; I don't think he'll have any objections. So I think it'd be ok for you to come with me after all. It's the other furs I worried about though. So be prepared to face some stares and awkward silences, 'k?" The human looked at Filius, for a second then nodded as he stood up. "I'm sorry for leaving you here, even if it was for, like, what? Five minutes?"

"It's ok, at least you came back." They walked around the corner to the car, Filius entering the driver's seat, Thomas sitting in the passenger's seat. The sleek, black sports-skiff raced on in a northeast direction, heading for the outskirts of the city. They would travel on the interstate until they got to the next major city, Phendrana. Filius thought he should try to make conversation.

"So, I haven't officially introduced myself, although you probably already know my name. I'm Filius Wolfe, and well... I'm a wolf. Obviously."

"Well, you already know my name, but I'm Thomas Celaya, and I'm a human, obviously. So is 'Wolfe' a common name?"

"Well yeah, how'd you... Oh yeah, I'm a wolf, and my last name is Wolfe," Filius chuckled and continued. "Yeah it's pretty common. Anyway, tell me more about yourself." The human ran his fingers through his brown hair. He sighed and began to talk:

"Well... I'm from Earth, or Terras, as you know. I was born to a Cuban Father, and a French mother," He stopped here, seeing the confused look on Filius' face at the nationalities he had just named. "French and Cuban. France and Cuba, they're countries back on Earth. As well as the United States of America, where I was born. I spent most of my childhood wasting away my 'brightness' in school, where I completely slacked off. My parents basically disowned me after college, and then I was sent into the UNAFSN, United Nations Armed Forces and Space Navigation. They sent me here, and well, that's it my life story. And you." Filius looked at him with a smile and said:

"You'll have plenty of time to know what I'm all about when we get to our destination. But what I can tell you now is, I was born in Manicipium, a Matrian colony. By the way, Matria is the country you're in, If you didn't know. I wasn't treated too well there, where I met... someone... who brought me here last year. Since then I've acclimated myself, and am living a semi normal life... you know... except for the torture and stuff."

"Sorry 'bout that. But it was my job." Thomas sighed, and looked out the window into the sky. "I miss Earth."

"Is that why you were crying?"

"Well, yeah. Have you ever been away from your planet for six months?" Filius shook his head. "Didn't think so." And so they drove, heading to Phendrana City, where he would have to explain the human to the others. It wasn't something he looked forward to. Eventually, after a short amount of time, they arrived at the steel building. At the top of the building was a large set of light-up red letters that read "Amalgamated Foodstuffs Corporation". An uninviting company name, if there ever was one. They put on their helmets and walked into what looked like the normal lobby of a normal corporate building. The walls were made of yellow tinged steel. On the right- and left-hand sides were brown padded chairs where a few furs were currently sitting; straight in front of him was the acronym, "AFC" in big red stylized letters. In the left corner near the company logo was a desk, behind which sat a receptionist. The white tiger behind the desk had to be at least fifty years old. She reclined in the rolling desk chair, reading an obscure magazine/newspaper, the kind you find at supermarkets with the outrageous stories in them.

Filius walked up to the desk, his face disguised by his helmet, as well as Thomas', and said in a strange voice that made him sound ten times older, and 20 times more stupid:

"Ma'am, I've got 'bout sixty-six boxes o' stuff I need to deliver out back. I've been drivin' for fifty-two miles now, and I need me a go twelve hours o' sleep. Oh and my 'sistant's comin' along." The tiger looked at him with a look of confirmation in her eye, quickly tapped a button on the panel on her desk.

"Go right ahead." They went out the doors again and Filius led them to the back of the building. There was a blue glowing panel on the back wall of the gray building. Filius tapped it and a section of the wall was pushed in and pulled to their left. Where once there was wall, there was now elevator. They stepped inside and Filius pressed one of the buttons.

Thomas looked at Filius and asked: "So what was that all about? With the tiger?"

"Wha...? Oh! Yeah. It's a code. She's an agent, you know, one of those that are kinda retired and stuff. 665212. 66 boxes, 52 miles, 12 hours. It's not too complex, but it gets the job done."

"Oh." The elevator took them to the -5th floor. When the doors opened, they were in a hallway. On the left was a plain, hinge door. To the right was a sliding automatic set of double doors. Filius went up to the double doors, and took off his helmet. He pressed the button on the panel and the doors swooshed open. In front of him was what he was waiting for this whole time. Magnus stood in front of the steps that led to the pedestal, where Core Tyrargcys and rector sat. Magnus turned to see Filius at the door. They exchanged facial expressions of joy that was unbelievable. Filius ran for Magnus, as Magnus did the same, as half way, they met in a passionate kiss were their tongues danced and were happy to touch each other again.

A few days. That's all it had been. Yet it seemed like an eternity, where the two lovers had been apart. Magnus and Filius separated and suddenly, Magnus' ever muscle tensed. Filius looked at Magnus' face and then at the two furs standing in the pedestal, all three were looking at a point behind Filius. Suddenly he remembered what, in his moment of happiness he had forgotten. Thomas had taken off his helmet, and now was staring at Filius and Magnus in disbelief. Filius turned to see him, then turned back to the furs in front of him, and said, in a small voice:

"I can explain..."