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Chapter VIII: Growing Strong

Caleb was kept in the hospital overnight and his parents insisted that he stay home for the rest of the following day. He didn't complain and used the time to lie in bed, pondering the threat that was just looming over the horizon. Gnoll was much stronger than first thought. It wasn't just his powers or transformative abilities; it was his intelligence. He wasn't like the other guys that just charged at him limbs flailing and hoping to land a hit. He knew how to fight.

And what he said got to Caleb.

If the wolf were a fully-fledged super he wouldn't be hiding like he was. He'd be celebrated, fighting alongside Feral Steel and he might even get Leon's admiration. The risk of injury and death would be much lower, he would never have to worry about getting sick and injuries he did sustain wouldn't be much of a problem. Things would be much simpler.

Sort of...

Caleb sighed and rolled onto his stomach, holding a pillow against his chest. HE thought about how was lucky he, Mary and Bren had been that the Elemental Alliance was actually a threat to Gnoll or he feared he would've been taken by the Gene Stealer. Though he couldn't help wonder if it would be so bad to have baseline superpowers. Maybe he could get that, get tasked by Chimera to transform people but act like a mole?

He shook the thought from his head. He would never take anything Chimera offered. Not when there was a risk the guy would brainwash him somehow.

Still, now Gnoll knew exactly what he looked like. Same with Mary and Bren. If they so much as looked up the local newspapers, they'd see the name 'Halestorm' somewhere in the sports sections and he'd be made a target. He and the rest of his family...

Thankfully, partway through the day, Caleb got a call from Bren requesting that he come over to the Facility immediately as Elliot had come up with something. Being cooped up in the house all day was making him a little stir crazy and he couldn't help but worry about Lance being captured by a hyena, turned into one of them and then coming home to convert the rest of the family while Caleb was left unable to do a damn thing.

With the rest of the family out on their own errands, Caleb caught a ride with Mary as she was keeping Ballistic at her place since it was 'in for repairs'. Once they arrived at the Facility, he was a little surprised to find Elliot had pants on.

That was not a good sign.

"What's up?" he asked.

"What's up," Elliot mocked. "Seriously, your identity is compromised to the other Gene Stealers and all you can say is 'what's up'." He shook his head. Mary stood nearby, massaging her temples. There must've been a lot going on in Elliot's mind for her to get a migraine.

"If you must know," Elliot said, "I've got some... developments."

He didn't like the reserved tone the orca used to say those words. Normally, Elliot would be bragging about his 'developments'. The fact that he was being oddly quiet did not bode well.

"What've you got?"

Elliot turned in his seat, frowning at Caleb. It looked like he wanted to say something but instead just kept it down. "What do you want to hear first? Your powers, your identities or your enemies?"

Fearing a verbal barrage at being self-centred, Caleb said, "Tell me about our enemies."

The orca turned back towards his various monitors and began typing. "I don't know how much information got into that thick jock head of yours but there were a lot of hyenas left in Bal-Modrain when the supers got done with them. They were mostly new recruits. The staff of the prison that were recently transformed. Extensive studies have been done on them since then and it's still ongoing but they don't have me."

There was the arrogant prick they all knew and loved.

"It makes little sense but it's almost like these hyenas grow without need for nutrition or exercise. Over the past days since the first attack, they have literally been growing without eating very much. Fuck, they've been pouring out gallons of cum per hour that special cells had to be built for them. The biggest of them, Lewis Sanchez, has reached sixteen feet tall at last measurement. The others are on their way as well. And that's bad because as time goes on, they've all been showing signs of developing baseline superpowers."

Caleb stepped forward. He knocked over a Lego replica of some sort and winced as it shattered on the ground. He waited for Elliot to say something but the orca was uncharacteristically silent. "Um... You mean super strength, speed and regeneration?"

"Enhanced senses, hardened flesh and the aura."

Mary looked up, frowning. "The aura? You mean a super's ability to polarise people emotionally and synchronise with other supers?"

"The very same." Elliot nodded at his screen. It showed images of various hyenas in their cells taken from several days ago. "To the average eye, it may just seem like these guys are jacking off randomly but when you look at it, they're all jacking off the same rhythm and they all orgasm in the exact same order each time they start a new session."

Caleb made an unsure face. "Dude... you need to get a life..."

"This is serious!" Elliot snapped. He tapped the screen again. "I took extracts of the hyenas' laughter and merged them all together. It synchronises completely to form an amplified mutation signal. They're all in synch or at least getting there. It's a bloody army of like-minded soldiers capable of making more of themselves from their victims. Worse, they're all borderline supers."

That was bad. He could barely go up against Gnoll.

"What about Gnoll? Any analysis on him?"

Elliot nodded and showed what appeared to be spy satellite footage of the battle. "He has powerful sonic capabilities probably based on his transformative abilities. You reported that he mentioned that he would've been an Outsider if the Gene Stealers hadn't given him these powers. The theory goes that the Gene Stealers might be farming for Outsiders, searching for a way to make them supers but that's for the higher ups to discern.

"What I have gathered from him, though, is that he does need his voice and a significant build-up to employ any sort of sonic attack that is even remotely damaging. You have about two seconds before he unleashes something. More if it's big and covers a wide range. I _did_note, however, that his sonic attacks do _not_have the transformative signal in them so he can't use them both at the same time."

That was good. It would be disastrous of Gnoll just stopped in the middle of a crowded area, unleashed a sonic blast and everyone around him just transformed.

"His combat prowess is mediocre at best."

Caleb rolled his shoulders. His injuries had been minimal at best. Nothing as bad as football but the scratches and cuts he had suffered still showed. "Felt pretty damn good to me..."

"That's because you're a brick. You dodge predictably and move like a sack of potatoes on a slight incline. He relies too much on his superpowers to get him places. That is why I pilfered these from Bal-Mordain."

Elliot held out two, white discs. Caleb plucked one and Mary took the other.

"Anti-super field generators," Caleb said.

"You've done your research."

"I've got a paper due on it tomorrow." Caleb shook his head and regarded them. "Will these nullify his transformative signal?"

Elliot shook his head. "That's the weird thing. I don't think it will. I don't think the signal and his superpowers are the same thing. I ran simulations and it's like the two come from different sources of power. I really can't explain it more than that. If and when you fight him, you'll need the signal dampener and these babies to stop him."

Caleb nodded and pocketed the disc.

"Speaking of powers," Mary said, folding her arms and holding onto the generator. "What about Caleb's? What happened with his weapon last night?"

Elliot lifted an eyebrow and nodded. He turned back towards the screen. "I think, and this is just a theory, the reason why Caleb's weapon transformed is because the weapon was self-repairing. I think this is a side-effect of the fact that these hyenas regenerate and you used one's arm for the weapon. That power sort of transposed onto the weapon. The more Caleb used it, the more the weapon's integrity failed but at the same time, it was regenerating itself."

"Hang on," Caleb said, raising a paw. "I've used other junk over the past six months and some of them end up turning into the same weapon or having the same abilities. I admit their abilities grow stronger the more I use it and I'm sure I've had some that lost their integrity and I picked up another one, turned it into the same weapon and used it again. It never 'evolved'."

The orca shook his head. "Actually, you have." Elliot brought up what seemed to be a sorted catalogue of various weapons he had created over time. "Remember that hockey stick you used against a Dragon Knight Thrall a few months back? You used it over and over again and then it lost its integrity and vanished. All it did was conjure pucks of ice that you could fire at people and even coat you in a bit of ice as armour."

Caleb rubbed his right leg with a wince. Taking advantage of his weakness, the Thrall had seized his leg and thrown him around like a ragdoll for a bit once he was disarmed. "How could I forget...?"

"Then, a few weeks later, your dad got you the exact same hockey stick or at least the same brand but instead of just granting you abilities, it transformed into a whole set of hockey armour complete with mask."

Mary nodded in agreement. "Right but we dismissed that. We thought it was because the hockey stick Caleb used originally was from the school and the one his dad got was new."

"Now I'm not so sure." Elliot turned back to them. "I think, from past experience, we've never seen this metamorphosis because there have been gaps between the use of the weapons and none of the weapons have ever transformed on the spot like that."

"So you're saying they have evolved but we always dismissed it as being part of the random nature of Caleb's power?"

He turned back to his console, playing videos of the events of the previous night. "Maybe. That club last night was constantly generating those ghostly hyenas as well as generating those bones. It was being used far beyond the few instances of your other weapons." He leaned back into his seat, arms crossed. "I've run tests on the weapon and it looks like its lost some of its regenerative ability but it's still there. In exchange, it seems to be made from a bone-like structure that's stronger than anything we've ever seen on this planet or any others. You can probably use it for a lot longer than any other weapon but I wouldn't push your luck."

"So you're saying that thing evolved because it could regenerate any damage it suffered from my powers?"

"I didn't say 'evolve'," Elliot sneered. "Evolution is the change in the inherited characteristics over successive generations. This isn't that. It is a metamorphosis." He began grumbling. "'Evolution' was misclassified after a string of shitty, cutesy, Japanese monsters began taking little kiddies from their beds and night and turning them into trolls."

Caleb frowned. "Oh yeah... You're talking about the Great MMO Disaster right? Where Nintendo finally caved and nearly ruined society as everyone tried to live in the fictional land where little critters run around, fight each other and kids are taught to steal one another's money for that world's equivalent of scout badges?"

"Yes and thank god that was way before our generation," Elliot said with a sigh. "You know I still have a cartridge of one of the games?"

Mary gasped, pressing her hands to her lips and even Caleb staggered back in horror.

"That's illegal!"

"Yeah but think about it this way," the orca responded. "That game nearly brought the world to an end. Imagine what Muscles of there could do with it?"

Caleb pointed an accusing finger at him. "Keep that fucking thing away from me."

Elliot waved a hand over his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Anyway, that weapon of yours. It's still in storage and my guess is that it can change again if you give it time and enough uses. It won't regenerate as fast as it was before so there's always the risk that you might overuse it and cause it to vanish. I say give it a nice long gap between uses."

The wolf nodded. "Would be nice to have a consistent weapon."

Bren's voice suddenly erupted from behind them. "And consistent clothing."

All three of them turned just as the tiger came storming in carrying what appeared to be two duffel bags. He set them down on a table and unzipped one.

"Upper management call," he said. "Gnoll confirmed last night that this is Gene Stealer work and we're in talks with the supers to leave them to us. We have the experience and six of those spandex wearing yahoos got butt raped like night. Suffice to say they're considering it. However, we can't just go around in our usual attire without some form of disguise. My memory wiping camera can only do so much."

He held out what appeared to be a black hoodie and tossed it to Caleb. It had the emblem of hollow diamonds drawn on the chest. The fabric felt... different. It was looked like cloth but felt more like metal. As he ran a paw against it, he felt its abrasive surface graze against his pads.

"What's this stuff made of?"

"Microfibers," answered Bren, handing a different attire to Mary. "If you put it under a microscope, you'll find that it's actually _incredibly_small metal panels that are arranged to look like abrasive scales. Anyone who rubs at you with enough force will be cut by them. Further, because its metal, it has a high heat temperature resistance. We've implemented electrical grounders that will absorb electricity to a degree. Your biggest problem would be the fact that it can't absorb kinetic shocks as well as Mary's."

"And the two diamonds?"

Bren rolled his eyes as he handed Caleb a pair of black cargo pants. It seemed to be made of the same fabric as the hoodie. "It's actually a 'W' and an 'M'. The W on the bottom the 'M' on the top. You know? For 'Weapons Master'."

"I personally would've gone with 'two of diamonds'," Elliot said.

"Right." Bren nodded at the hoodie. "The hood is weighted and equipped with an optic jammer. To anyone looking at you, they'll only see a black void. They won't be able to see your actual features."

Caleb held out the hoodie in surprise. "That's neat. How long does it last?"

"For as long as you need," Bren answered.

"How? If I remember reading correctly, during the Third World War, optic jammers took a hell of a lot of energy."

The tiger shrugged. "Oh the US government mastered perpetual motion and thus energy a long time ago. The aliens that visited and gave us the secrets were quite helpful."

Caleb wasn't sure if Bren was being serious or not but decided it was probably best he didn't ask. Mary was given a long, black coat seemingly made of leather but gilded with silver. The silver was actually the same microfiber metal that Caleb's hoodie was made of and if she was skilful enough, she could use them to her advantage. She too had a hood that hid her features. Bren explained that unlike Caleb's, hers sacrificed durability to the elements in exchange for kinetic dampeners, meaning she could take heavier blows. She was also given a pair of slim, leather pants. She tried on her coat and the moment she did, lights began flashing across the fabric.

"Another thing about the clothes being made of metal," Bren said, nodding to them both. "We've managed to wire some incredibly thin optic fibres in there. Your sleeves act like consoles when activated by pressing a button on the sleeves. Nano-technology infused with the microfibers will allow you to change the basic shape of your clothing, Mary. It's part of the kinetic dampeners. When you get hit, the nanobots rearrange the metal in such a way that they dampen the shock. If you need to make a hasty get away as well, you'll be able to switch the clothing to something a little less conspicuous. Give it a try."

Mary, curious, pressed the button on her sleeve which was made to look like it was just a cuff button. A display danced across her wrists. Smiling, she pressed one of the buttons. Caleb watched in awe as the black cloth began to shimmer and vibrate like water. The coat wrapped around herself to form a rather slimming red dress.

"This is a girl's dream come true," she said, hugging Bren tightly. "A dynamic closet! I love it!"

"Don't I get fancy tools like that?" Caleb asked, feeling a little jealous.

Bren laughed softly as Mary kissed his cheek and began fidgeting with the colours and shape of her dress. "Unfortunately, all we could fit was the ability to change the colour."

Caleb found the console on his wrist and after a tests, found the hoodie and pants changing colour.

"It's still experimental technology," Bren said with a shrug. "After the attack on Bal-Mordain, we got a heap of funding and this sort of stuff doesn't come cheap."

"Congratulations," Elliot said mockingly. "Barbie can now pull off the perfect cosplay of an ancient videogame organisation that was defeated by a kid wielding an oversized key and the power of his heart. And Muscles just became the emo I always knew he would be."

Caleb flicked an ear at Elliot. "Wow, that was sort of lack lustre. Something eating you up?"

The orca sighed and slumped into his seat. "That obvious huh?" He turned back to his consoles. "It's just... I don't understand why Gnoll is doing this. For the past two weeks, it's just been him and his hyenas. Usually, we get Gene Stealer attacks from different Gene Stealers. Maybe we get hit twice by the same one if they're out for vengeance but Gnoll..." He shook his head. "It's just out of character for them... I keep getting this feeling that it all amounts to something bigger... Something we're missing."

A terrible sense of forbidding fell upon the crowded room.

Something big was coming and not knowing frightened him.

He thanked Bren for the clothing and stuffed them into the duffel back before leaving. There was no telling when the rest of his family would be returning so he needed to get back as soon as possible. With Mary and their new equipment, they returned home. He thanked her for the ride and asked if anyone was home. Thankfully, no one was yet though apparently his parents were just fifteen minutes away and Lance wouldn't be far behind them.

Caleb quickly got back in the house, hid his clothes in his closet and dove into bed, pretending that he had been sleeping most of the day. It came as a surprise when a light touch woke him.

"Oh thank God," his mother sighed, a look of relief crossing her face. "I was worried, Cale."

"Whu...?" he asked sleepily. "About what?"

"Well, you did suffer a head injury, honey," she answered seating herself lightly on the edge of his bed and running a paw through his hair lightly. "The doctors said to keep watch on you in case something happened."

"Oh." It took him a second to realise that he had apparently been in an accident and not fighting a supervillain. "Right... Sorry... Just... Still a little out of it, I guess." He sniffed the air lightly. "Is it time for dinner?"

"Yeah," she replied, smiling wanly. "Roast chicken pieces from AFC."

Caleb suddenly sat up. The descendent of Kentucky Fried Chicken - American_Fried Chicken - produced some of the greasiest, fat-laden, totally unhealthy fried chicken in the world and he _loved_it. His brother always taunted him about being skinny when he was younger and his attempts to bulk up included munching on a _lot of AFC chicken. It quickly became his favourite food until Coach wanted him to focus more on his speed than strength and suddenly, it became an extremely rare treat. His father enforced a rule that if he so much as licked a bit of popcorn chicken, he had to do a hundred laps around the block. And David Hale would know. He _was_a wolf after all.

"Is dad okay with this?"

"It was his idea, honey."

Suddenly, his heart plummeted. AFC that his dad thought of? That did not bode well.

"Um... What's the occasion?"

Lillian Hale froze. Then she quickly turned her head. "Sweetie! Get up here!"

David Hale was up the stairs instantly, looking a little annoyed.

"Dad...?" Caleb asked.

"Son," David said softly, staying at the doorway. "Doctor's orders. You're not going to play in the game tomorrow."

...

Caleb took a second to absorb those words.

Then...

"What!?" He was leaping out of his bed but the sudden movement and having just woken up caused him to waver and stagger. His mother caught him and set him back on the bed. "How... What... Why!?"

"I don't like it either," David grumbled, eyeing Lillian crossly. "But, you did_suffer an accident just last night and I've been informed that if you get tackled on the field in the _normal course of play, you might trigger something and cause more damage."

"But I'm fine!" He spun towards his mother. "Mom! I'm fine! Look! I don't even have a scar! I'm just bruised! There's nothing to worry about!"

She gripped his paw tightly. "Caleb, we're just worried for you and don't want you getting hurt. We'll go watch the game but you won't be participating in it."

"That's even worse!"

Bad enough that he had bailed on the team in the last game but now he was sitting this one out? High school wouldn't be very nice to him after that. If the star receiver couldn't even make it out into the field, what good was he?

"Just until halftime," he begged. "Come on, mom! I need to be out there!"

"I've already talked to your football coach," she responded, holding up her paw to end the discussion. "You're sitting this one out. Besides, it's only a test game, right? It doesn't matter."

"Every game matters!" both he and David shouted. The two exchanged glances, offered one another a brief smile before turning back towards their mutual enemy.

Lillian Hale rolled her eyes. "Boys." She turned towards the door, still blocked by her husband. She cleared her throat. David stood his ground... for about two seconds before stepping side. "Now come down for dinner, Caleb. We brought you spicy strips."

Caleb's tail began wagging and he flashed a snarl at it. "Traitor."

David Hale sighed and shook his head. "She knows the way to a man's heart is his stomach. Come on down, son. You're staying home tomorrow as well and apparently, she wants Lance to babysit you so you don't try and sneak off without us."

"What!?"

"Yes. She's that good."

*****

Their mother had forbidden any 'hankey pankey' overnight - not loudly of course. When morning came however, Caleb found that he had overslept. He stared at his alarm clock in surprise and found that it had been unplugged. It was a habit of his to plug it in every night so that he would be woken up. He wasn't sure what time it was but the house was surprisingly silent.

Caleb emerged from his room drowsily to the smell of bacon, eggs and chicken sausages. He made his way downstairs, flinching when his claws tapped against the floorboards. When no shout of 'claws' came, he proceeded downstairs where he found Lance making breakfast.

"Morning..." he greeted.

Lance beamed at him. "Hey there. I made you breakfast."

"Thanks. Um... Did you hear my clock go off?"

"Nah. I unplugged it last night while you were asleep. Figured you'd need the extra rest after what happened on Wednesday."

He had slept through Lance - huge, lumbering Lance - sneaking into his room and unplugging his alarm clock? "Wow... I must've been out..."

Lance brought over the pan of greasy bacon and sausages to the breakfast table, setting them out for them both. "I was a little worried when you didn't wake up. You were sleeping pretty heavily."

Caleb had always been a light sleeper. He had to be to catch any phone calls from Bren or Mary. That he had slept heavily at all made him worry a little.

"Um... Thanks, I guess." He sat down at the table and picked up a fork and knife. "And thanks for breakfast."

Lance smiled at him and sat down right beside him. "No problem!" His big brother began eating - as wolves do - by shovelling the foot into his muzzle and barely chewing. Caleb was no different and scarfed down the meal. He was halfway through when Lance spoke again, muzzle full of food.

"I got us tickets to see that new movie with that pro-wrestler turned actor. You know. The remake of Hercules?"

Caleb lifted an eyebrow, a piece of bacon hanging from his muzzle. "Really? I've been meaning to see that."

"Yeah. One o'clock screening. At the Millennium Theatre at Casino Boardwalk."

The Casino Boardwalk? That was one of the most expensive places to do _anything_in West California Island. Expensive hotels, high rolling casinos and high-end restaurants littered the ocean-side length of road. He had gone there once as a kid when his parents were celebrating their anniversary but never again since.

"Why there?" he asked. "Isn't the Northview theatre just as good?"

Lance shrugged. "Blame Mom. She said that if we went somewhere expensive, you'd be less inclined to decline."

As his father had said, Lillian Hale was that good. She knew him well. She also knew that with the prestige that came with going to the theatre, neither him nor Lance would be inclined do play out the cliché of making love in the back of the movie theatre.

"Alright," he grumbled. "What're we going to do until then?"

Lance hummed softly and bobbed his head from side to side. "Well, I actually need to go to the warehouse for an hour or so just to help out a bit. Mom is paying for the movie but I still need the cash. You wouldn't mind accompanying me, would you? Mom would kill me if she learned that I let you out of my sight for on second."

Caleb's tail struck the leg of his chair loudly. "I'm not a kid, you know. I can take care of myself."

"Not when our mom thinks you might go to sleep and never wake up, apparently," Lance answered. "Come on. If you're feeling stir crazy, you can help out a little. Putting your body through some exercises might actually help convince Mom you're not as close to death as she thinks."

That didn't seem like a bad idea at all. He hadn't been to practice in the past few days and though his battle with Gnoll have been strenuous, he craved come exercise in a controlled environment. Though what he _really_wanted was a punching bag. Not to unleash some pent up aggression but rather to just push back all the fears, possibilities and worries that flooded his mind.

"Sure. Sounds like a date."

Lance choked on a piece of bacon and Caleb quickly stammered an apology.

"I - I mean -!"

"No, no," Lance murmured, blushing lightly beneath his fur. "I mean... It sort of is like a date. You get to see where I work then we got to a movie afterwards. If I had enough money to book a decent place, we could have dinner too."

Caleb stuck out his tongue. "Okay, first of all, you know I hate romantic bullshit like that. And my definition of a date would be way different."

His brother gave him a coy smirk. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

Caleb shrugged and finished off his breakfast. "I dunno... Maybe start off with a morning run and then go off to the mainland mountains for some paintball. Hike around maybe. Camp out under the stars. Movies only if it's got lots of explosions and guns. If we're talking really ritzy, I wouldn't mind taking a trip to the Moon Base and hitting up Luna Park."

Colonisation of the Moon had begun over seven hundred years ago and it had quickly become one of the most expensive places to live. Even the Mars colonies and the various space stations weren't as expensive. Luna Park was one of the most expensive theme parks known to man because it tended to take advantage of the moon's low gravity. Entrance into the park cost an arm and a leg. _Getting_there cost the other ones.

"You are such a jock!" Lance laughed. "Paintball? Hiking? That's your idea of romantic?"

"It's not about being romantic," he countered. "It's about doing things I like with someone I like." He decided not to add the fact that if that 'someone' didn't like what he liked, then the basis of their relationship wouldn't be very stable.

"Lucky for you I like paintball," Lance snickered. "Leon and Abby hate it because the paint gets stuck in their fur. Hiking sounds like a good idea too but with all these recent supervillain attacks, I do not want to be caught in the middle of nowhere being chased by a psycho." He straightened and snapped his fingers. "Oh! How about we do the next best thing to paintball! Laser tag!"

Caleb's tail wagged excitedly. "Hell yes!"

"Alright! So after the movie, we shoot some little shits and then off to the football game, yeah?"

His mood suddenly darkened, his ears lowering slightly. It had made his father so proud when he had his growth spurt and joined the football team. Dad practically creamed himself when he learned Caleb was to be the star receiver. That he wouldn't be playing... It made him feel useless. Just as useless as he was against Gnoll...

"Oh... Um..." Lance began. "Sorry, Cale... I... erm..."

"It's okay," Caleb said, rising from his seat. "Let's just have a good time, okay? Let's not worry about the game."

Caleb announced that he would take a shower and headed back upstairs - flinching when his claws tapped against the stairs. He fished out a fresh set of clothes. He caught sight of his new uniform as an Outsider. They had been overconfident. Every mission had always ended in some degree of success. The Thrall would be put down and witnesses would have their memories wiped. But Gnoll... He had gotten away. They couldn't wipe the Gene Stealer's memory... and now Gnoll knew who they were.

Shaking his head free of the thoughts, Caleb went straight to the shower, shutting the door behind him and stripping down. In the open shower, he turned on the warm water and sighed heavily as the droplets began to run through his fur and soothe his worries away.

They had to catch Gnoll now... more so they had to stop the Gene Stealers. Gnoll would no doubt contact the other Gene Stealers and impart their identities. Though they wouldn't know his full name, they would just know him by 'Caleb' and that he was a black and white wolf with blue eyes. That could be anyone. They didn't have his scent or a DNA print or a blood sample. They would just have to guess.

He just hoped none of them were fans of local high school football. Then again, it was high school football. College football was the big thing, right? Maybe some local news outlets would cover West California High's exploits but that would be drowned out in the swarm of college football coverage. An internet search would yield results but there would be no guarantee they would find him.

Besides, now the Elemental Alliance was onto them.

They would have other things to worry about.

Just as Caleb reassured himself, he found two, big, strong paws wrap around his waist and a body brimming with muscles press against his back. He froze especially when Lance's muzzle came close to his neck, a slick tongue sliding across his cheek very lightly.

"Look, I know you're bummed about the game," Lance began softly. "I know it must kill you inside not to be playing out there. You trained for months, worked so hard and now you're sitting out the game. But I'm going to make sure that's the only low point in your day." Lance's lips pressed against his cheek, making him shiver and his cock stir in its sheath. "We'll hit up laser tag, go to a movie, have lunch out somewhere then, after the game, I'll take you to Bedrock Beach."

Caleb froze and spun towards his brother. He expected to see Lance's cock full and erect but he was a little surprised to find his very naked and very wet brother not at all hormonal. "Isn't that where you take girls to fuck?"

"Yeah," Lance replied with a sly smirk. "When I thought I was straight. I'll admit that Leon and I used to have competitions. Who can make the girl moan the loudest, who can last the longest and sometimes even who can get the _most_girls."

"Okay... eew."

"Hey." Lance gently cupped Caleb's chin. "You're the only one I want to make happy, Caleb. Don't worry about Leon or anyone else. It's just you and me today, okay?" Then a playful twinkle entered his eyes. His other paw moved to his brother's crotch, squeezing the rapidly growing meat there. "And, if you don't mind, I didn't have any milk with my breakfast this morning."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Okay, that was just corni_eeeeee_!" He shuddered in pleasure, falling backwards and catching himself on the knobs of the shower. Lance's tongue pressed up against the lip of his sheath, teasing the tip of the member that was just starting to poke out. He sucked in a breath of air through his fangs, wincing in ecstasy as Lance went to work, running his tongue up and down Caleb's sheath while gently massaging his furry balls.

His tail wagged happily in tandem with Lance's throwing droplets of water to his right and left. His cock inched out of his sheath, throbbing and already dripping with need. It felt like forever since he had last jacked off. In fact, he hadn't been able to since the day he discovered he was adopted. The hospital would find out if he did and he did not want to explain while the sheets bore the marks of semen and the rest of yesterday, he was busy with Elliot and Mary or grumbling about how his mother had effectively put him in lockdown.

He really needed to cum.

"Oh fuck..." he murmured, bucking his hips. He whimpered softly, his cock pressing against Lance's muzzle. His big brother grinned and slowly took the entirely length into his muzzle. The hot breath of his brother made him shudder. Suddenly enveloped by his brother's hot flesh from all corners, his cock let out a joyous squirt of precum and pulsated, slapping slightly against the back of Lance's throat as if being the bigger wolf to take more.

Lance slowly wrapped his lips around the base of Caleb's cock, drawing back with the utmost slowness. Caleb whimpered and gasped as those tight lips rolled up inch after inch over his member. As they passed over a knot of thick veins, he felt his knees go weak but his brother's big, strong paws gripped his thighs, keeping him standing. Lance then began drawing forward again, his breath rushing down Caleb's member and making the wolf shudder.

Caleb was suddenly left gasping when his brother gave his cock one last teasing lick. Whimpering in need, he suddenly found Lance's paws around his shoulders and their lips meeting in a passionate lock. He dove straight into the offered muzzle, tongue thrashing with the desire to taste his brother. He detected a faint saltiness, no doubt the remnants of his own precum. Lance gripped his strong pecs, squeezing them and growling lustily. In return, Caleb squeezed Lance's iron butt, fascinated at how they fit his paws perfectly.

Lance suddenly switched positions with him, pressing his back against the shower wall.

He grinned at Caleb, his hot, soaked body showing off every muscle on his chiselled form.

"I've always wanted to do this," Lance growled. He lifted one very large foot. "Here, grab this."

Caleb, drooling slightly at his brother's very large calves, gripped the meaty appendage and marvelled at just how hard every muscle there was. He couldn't keep his eyes off Lance's huge feet either. Lance then rested the leg on Caleb's broad shoulders before lifting the other. Caleb was a little surprised when he found himself suddenly supporting Lance's entire weight on his shoulders, pinning his brother against the shower wall to keep them both up.

That... and his brother's pink pucker was right there, hovering inches away from his cock.

"Go on, bro," Lance said, licking his lips suggestively. "You know you want to."

God how he wanted to. But he wanted to savour the moment. This wasn't just some five minute fucking. It was with his brother, Lance Hale, someone he loved dearly and whom he would do anything to protect. Hell, Lance was trying to protect him too. He smiled and reached around Lance's huge thighs, gripping the bigger wolf's cock.

Lance's eyes boggled as he gasped.

"Hell yes, I do," he growled back.

Thanks to his flexibility as a canine, he bent down, sliding his muzzle past Lance's mountainous, vascular legs and pressing his nose against Lance's crotch. His brother's crotch fur was thick and despite the soaking they both received, the musky scent of his brother was still there. Trusting his instincts completely, he pushed his tongue out and pressed it against Lance's huge, churning balls. The mere touch made his cock squirt in anticipation. He could feel his own cheeks starting to burn. This was the first time he had ever given anyone a blowjob and he was not sure what to do.

However, Lance had given him plenty of material to go on. He gently angled Lance's throbbing member towards his muzzle, the strong scent of his brother emanating from it. For the briefest of moments, doubt flashed in his mind. More than anything, this would confirm his sexuality. Guys fucked other guys occasionally and remained straight, right? But if they started sucking another guy off, that made them a cocksucker... and gay. He pushed that thought from his mind, unwilling to let doubt complicate his already complex life. He was gay and he was in love with his brother. That was his life. Not _all_of it but it was his life.

Caleb closed his eyes and drove forward, wrapping his muzzle around Lance's cock. The sensation of the throbbing member in his mouth was odd. Long squirts of precum tantalised his tastebuds. It was salty, almost bitter but he quickly grew to like it. It was warm and comforting. He pushed, careful not to graze his fangs against Lance's cock. His brother let out a long, pleasured moan. Lance bucked his hips. Caleb choked a little as the cock drove down his throat. He swallowed the gag reflex back down and just took a long breath, sucking the long ropes of precum from his brother's tank.

"Oh shit, Cale..." Lance moaned. "Shit... Stop teasing me... Stick your cock in me!"

Caleb smiled softly and pulled away from his brother's member. He had to admit that he wanted that thing in his muzzle more often. He felt a little... empty without it. A devilish grin crossed his features as his own cock, hard and dripping, edged towards Lance's ass. Some powerful force just seemed to drag it to where it belonged - buried in his brother.

He gripped the base of his pole, squeezing down on the knot a little. The waves of pleasure that rolled up his body was intoxicating and a gentle reminder how long it had been since he had last orgasmed. His tongue hung out of the side of his muzzle as he pushed the tip of his cock into Lance's ass. His brother arched his back, letting out a loud moan.

Caleb growled lustfully. Two inches of his member pushed into his brother and its course was secure. He gripped Lance's huge legs with his paws, steadying himself as he pushed deeper and deeper into his brother. Lance was panting, staring at Caleb with half-glazed eyes. He looked goddamn sexy dripping wet with his fur clinging to every muscle tightly and cock throbbing against his perfectly cut abs.

A growl rippled from Caleb's throat as he hilted into Lance, the bigger wolf letting out a moan. Lance's paws found his own cock, gripping it tightly and proceeding to pleasure himself. Lance's ass gripped Caleb's cock tightly, making the younger of the brothers growl even louder. He slid in and out of his brother, working a steady but increasing pace.

"Ah! Ah! Urgh!" Lance grunted. "Fuck!" He wiped the water from his face and grinned up at Caleb. "Don't tie, bro. Got places to be, ya know."

Caleb whimpered.

"Fine." Lance reached forward and grabbed the back of Caleb's neck. He pulled Caleb forward, wincing as the younger wolf's knot pushed completely inside of him. There was soft pop and Lance shuddered. Caleb fought the urge to go wild with his brother's ass. His lips over Lance's, their eyes meeting.

"Happy, stud?" Lance muttered without the smallest hint of regret in his tone.

"Not yet," growled Caleb. He pulled back, his knot still firmly in place and making his brother moan. "Not until I fill you." He thrust back into Lance, his pace more feverish than before. Lance's entire, body vibrated, enormous muscles tensed in pleasure. His juicy pecs bounced with every shockwave and his cock was spewing precum in increasingly thickening spurts.

Caleb's entire body began pushing into every thrust. His feet began sliding across the shower floor. A feral growl rippled from his throat as he was forced to pull back, lowering Lance to the ground where he resting over his brother, cock still firmly in place. He dove straight for Lance's muzzle, gripping the back of his brother's head and pushing their lips together tightly. Both their bodies moved in tandem, every thrust sending shocks through them both.

Lance's cock pressed up against their abs. Compressed between two sets of hard muscle, it quaked and violently erupted in a burst of pent up semen. Lance broke their kiss, letting out a shuddering moan as his hot seed seeped in between them. Every thrust Caleb made pushed more and more cum out of him. A smiled crossed his features as he held his brother tightly against him, his own hips bucking with every thrust.

Caleb suddenly gave one more thrust and then his body was wracked with spasms. The younger wolf gasped before being reduced to a panting mess. He gave short grunts every time his cock let out another shot of wolf cum.

The two brothers lay in the shower, their fur being drizzled with the warm waters and evidence of their love making being washed down the drain. Caleb licked his brother's shoulder lovingly, sighing with contentment.

"Hey... Don't you have to be at work...?" he asked softly.

Lance shook his head, arms wrapped tightly around his brother. "Nah. I can skip one day."

*****

Laser tag had been fun but cut short due to the football game and they were against little kids but it was still fun. Caleb was surprised just how good the kids were and wondered if the government was using games like laser tag and paintball to train the next generation of soldiers. He made a note to personally ask Bren about that.

The movie and lunch were all pleasant. Nothing spectacular save for the fact that he was spending time with his brother. Caleb felt giddy all over as he stood beside Lance, went to the Casino Boardwalk, watched a movie and then spent the afternoon before laser tag pointing out mistakes and laughing at corny jokes.

They were back at home by four thirty, enough time for Caleb and the rest of the family to get ready to head to the game. Abby complained vocally about going to a game that Caleb wasn't even playing in but Arthur the otter thankfully convinced her that it would be fun. Apparently, he was a fan of football but more on the intellectual side. When Caleb asked him about it, Arthur explained that he always dreamed about being a professional football scout. The otter warned him that while he was a good team player, he tended to favour his right too much and that could make him predictable. He also needed to build up on strength a little more as he relied too much on his speed to get the winning touchdown.

Caleb went back upstairs with those thoughts and made a note to bulk up a little more so that he could be truly unstoppable on the field. He was packing some of his belongings for the trip - just some minor things like his tablet, a camera and his new iMe 10 when he spied his FBI issue uniform. Briefly, he considered leaving it. Then, fearing another Gnoll attack, stuffed his belongings into a duffel back along with his football gear and carried it back downstairs.

His mother asked him what he was bringing and he said it was his football gear, just in case the team needed him and, in a heart-warming movie moment, she would let him go despite her fears of his injuries and go win the game. She just rolled her eyes at him and told him to get into the van.

With the entire family, plus Arthur, in the van, they drove to West California High where a crowd was already gathering at the football field. Once again, the holographic screens were floating through the air, running a few advertisements and spewing high school propaganda here and there. This time, the team was against the Millendew Bombers. Arthur mentioned that the Bombers had a great defence but their offense was severely lacking. That didn't bother Caleb as much. He knew that their offense was great especially with Lars there but it was their defence that needed work. He hoped that the team really didn't need him on the field to score the points.

He sat beside the rest of his family on the bleachers, the scents of countless furs and humans in the air. A few furs were spraying some anti-scent into the air. That was the problem with crowded areas. Sweaty, overexerted macho men and cheering fans tended to generate a lot of scents that some of those more sensitive species couldn't ignore. For Caleb, he was used to it. He went into a locker room full of guys who had just finished workouts or hard training. He could handle a strong scent.

As he sat down, he caught one particular scent that caught his attention.

He glanced to his right and spotted Mary sitting beside Ben a few aisles down.

"Huh..." he said aloud. He quickly picked up his phone and sent her a text. He gone one back almost instantly. "Hey, I'm going to chat with Mary," he told his family. With an approving nod from his mother, he headed down to where the two were seated.

"Hey guys!" he greeted, grinning broadly. "What're you two doing here?"

Ben waved at him brightly while Mary just shrugged. "What can I say?" she responded. "Watching big guys smash into each other is a turn on." She inclined her head to the side. "Your mom still keeping you under quarantine?"

"It was a miracle I got to go here at all," he responded. "But I'm fine, really. She's just paranoid."

"I should know," she responded, tapping the side of her head.

Of course she could assess his mental health. Now if only she could convince his mother.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Ben," he said, nodding to the werewolf. "Where have you been?"

Ben shrugged absently. "Oh, you know. Avoiding jail. The usual." His expression turned apologetic. "Sorry I couldn't be there to help you on the day of your accident."

Naturally the werewolf shouldn't have come to their aid at Bal-Mordain. If any of the supers caught them, poor Ben would be hauled off to the prison just a short train ride away.

"Is Lars playing today?" he asked, concerned for his friend's safety. No doubt Firebrand would have joined the foray in Bal-Mordain.

"Of course. He heals fast." Ben nodded towards the field. The game was starting. "Wish you were out there?"

"More than anything," he murmured in reply. He glanced back at the two. "Hey, Alex isn't here?"

The two exchanged glances before turning back to him.

"You didn't hear?" Ben asked. "Alex is in hospital."

Caleb went rigid. "What!? Why!?"

Mary sighed softly and reached over her crutches to her phone. She sifted through several internet articles before handing it to him.

On the screen, it noted that students at West California High School had been suspended for beating up a fellow student. The name 'Alex Connery' flashed across the screen and 'hospitalised but in stable condition'.

"What happened!?" he cried, panic flooding his system.

"Gregory tried hitting on members of the football team," Ben said bitterly. "They took offense. They would've beaten him to a pulp if Alex hadn't intervened. Thing is, those guys were on a rampage and they took out their anger on Alex instead, making Gregory watch as they sent the guy to hospital."

Caleb growled, his paw threatening to crush the phone he held. "Those bastards! All because he was gay!?"

"You know it isn't that, Caleb," Mary said, taking the phone gently from him. "Gregory was being very... pushy. While there were homophobic slurs thrown around, it was not because of that. I knew a few of the players are gay but Gregory... He was just trying too hard and it disgusted them. When he tried much too hard, they pushed him away but then he just insisting... Alex got in between them and..."

Caleb growled loudly. His eyes flicked towards the field. The players were pouring out onto the field to the cheers of the crowd but he could see none of them - on the Raptors' side anyway - were really looking forward to the match. None of them waved at the crowd or put on their usual showmanship.

And with good reason.

Part of the team was suspended...

Caleb retreated to where his family was seated, trying not to feel too glum. When Lars' name was shown, he cheered just like the rest of the Raptor fans even though Lars was shown barking at the team, trying to get them psyched. None of it seemed to work.

The Bombers won the coin toss and they chose to defend, starting off with their strong side.

Lars and the offense jogged out into the field. Caleb sat on edge as the first play was made. Lars handed the ball to another player and bolted to block. A pang of guilt hit Caleb as he knew they could've covered more ground if he was out there. The Raptors made short passes, not daring to make any really long plays lest they lose the ball. By the fourth try, they were just halfway into the Bombers' side of the field. They weren't playing at their best.

The defence came out and the Bombers send out their own offence in return. Arthur had been right. The Bombers' offence was terrible. But that made it all the more insulting when they scored a touchdown on their second try.

"The Raptors' defence could use some work," Arthur noted.

"It's not just that," Caleb murmured. "Part of the team was suspended from school because they beat up a guy trying to defend another guy who was hitting on them. How messed up is that!?"

His father grunted softly. "Head in the game both on and off the field."

At the end of the first quarter, the Raptors were down 10 to 2. Caleb had guzzled a three whole large soda out of stress by that time and had to excuse himself to go to the toilets. The Raptors were losing badly. More than anything, he wanted to go out there; be the returning hero to really lift their spirits. But his mother had explicitly given him that 'don't even think about it mister' look.

When she got that look, there was no use trying to negotiate.

He entered the toilets to the smell of anti-scent and the faintest hint of urine. He also smelled... hyena. A growl came up from his throat when he saw a red-haired hyena dressed in nothing but a pair of shorts and a tank top that hid his midriff.

"Gnoll," he growled.

Gregory looked up, one eyebrow raised. "I am sorry, friend Caleb?"

Caleb shook his head. Gregory was not the hyena he would willingly punch but he was a hyena he would have punched if given the chance and if it didn't get him suspended.

"Nothing," he grumbled, standing at the farthest urinal from the hyena.

He heard something zip up and prayed that Gregory had decided to leave well enough alone and leave. Unfortunately, the scent of hyena grew stronger and the Russian stepped up beside him. Caleb instinctively moved closer to the urinal to hide his cock from the man that had hit on him a few days ago... not to mention dispirited his team.

"Look," Gregory said in his American accent. "I know what I did. I'm sorry. I guess I thought you might've been open to... experimenting with me."

He flashed the hyena a penetrating stare. "You're not as hot as you think, Gregory. You've got the body but you've got a rotten heart if you think you can feel up a guy like that and hope to get lucky. Hell, you got my teammates suspended!"

"I know, I know." The hyena lifted his paws. "I apologise. You have been nothing but accommodating to me and a good friend. I hope my rash actions will not spoil that friendship."

The sad thing was, the guy seemed really sincere and Caleb could never turn down someone who was being honest with him. Still, he wanted to rant a little. He shook off, zipped up his pants and turned to the hyena. "I don't know what you were thinking, Gregory, but not everyone wants to fuck you just because you throw a sexy Russian accent at them. We're in the thirty-first fuckin' century. I mean, Wolf Christ, Gregory! Do you really think every football player is a closet gay who will pounce upon the closest available guy's ass the moment they get a chance!?"

Gregory's eyes narrowed. "Aren't they?"

"No! Because I'm gay and I don't give a fuck who knows!"

That surprised the hyena and he took a surprised step back. "What? But you...?"

"Yeah, I rejected you. I left you on that curb and drove off. Why? Because your attitude is shitty. Not every buff guy is in a closet and not every gay guy is a raging hormonal cocksucker that will fuck anything that moves." He straightened, growling at the hyena. "Stop sticking to your stereotypes; of gays, football players and of Americans. You might actually get some tail that way."

Gregory lowered his gaze, eyes cast down. For a long moment, he said nothing. Caleb waited an entire minute for a reply but when none came, he let out a derisive snort and strode past Gregory, purposefully bumping the guy's shoulder.

"Wait."

He stopped but didn't turn.

"What I did... it was terrible. I guess... I came to this country looking for something we don't have. Ever since I was a little boy, I dreamed of coming to an American high school, living an American drama and being... American. I did not want to hurt people."

"Yeah?" he growled back. "Well dramas usually end in people getting hurt. That's why they call it a drama."

"I know. And I am sorry. I suppose... I should stop looking for the stereotypes because people will surprise you."

He could feel Gregory smiling. Caleb turned and the hyena was holding himself and swaying slightly. For a second, he couldn't understand that stance. Then, he realised it was because...

"You found someone... didn't you?"

The hyena turned to him, smiling faintly. "I did. Someone... I never expected. I should have learned from that experience but I didn't. I was... stuck in my ways despite being proven wrong once already. Again, I am sorry."

Caleb couldn't stay mad at the guy. Not anymore. "You were an asshole but you admitted to it. That takes a big man to do that kind of thing." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So I guess we're good."

Gregory beamed and let out his hyena laugh. Caleb hoped he didn't look like he was flinching. "I am glad. As a form of apology, would you like to come over to my place?"

His eyebrows rose. "Uh..."

"No need to worry!" Gregory laughed. "Our other friends are invited too! Maybe you can meet my significant other, yes? Maybe you'll meet yours."

A wave of relief soothed away his fears of yet another invitation for sex. He laughed softly. "Okay. Good. What time and where?"

There was a strange glint in Gregory's eyes as he turned around and waved absently over his shoulder. "I will tell you soon. I must still make arrangements. You'll get my invitation."

"Huh?"

Then the hyena was gone.

Caleb shook his head, puzzled at the encounter. He quickly left the toilets and returned to the bleachers. The second quarter was well on its way with the Raptors falling behind. Most of the highlight-reel segments were on the Bombers' side. It almost looks like Lars and the others were just going through the motions, doing the plays without playing dynamically. The Bombers could read their moves easily and preyed upon it.

"Well folks," came the announcer's voice over the speakers. "Here we are at halftime."

Caleb bolted to his feet and grabbed his gear.

"Dear..." his mother warned.

"I'm not going to play, Mom," he insisted. "I just want to talk to the team."

She eyes him warily. They squared off against one another, staring each other down. Arthur, who sat between them, squirmed beneath their piercing stares. Lillian Hale did little more than flick an ear and to Caleb, that was good enough.

He turned and bolted for the locker rooms to the announcer shouting, "So we'll take a little break and come back refreshed! But before you go, I've got a joke for you!"

It was sad if the announcer was trying to get the crowd excited with a joke. His phone began to ring but he ignored it completely and shot into the locker rooms. The rest of the team were already inside, throwing their helmets to the ground and kicking locker doors angrily.

"Well look who it is," growled a teammate. "The Halestorm came a little late this time."

"At least it didn't cut out short!" snapped another.

Caleb ignored them and strode to the front of the locker room. He set his bag down and stood in front of all of his teammates, Lars included.

"Look, I know what you're all thinking," he barked. "Yeah, we're several guys down but we're still a team. We're down 16 points but we can still make this!"

"Who's 'we', Hale!?" shouted someone. "You ain't playing."

Right... How could he turn that statement around? "You're right, I'm not. But neither are you! From where I was sitting, it looked like you were just tossing the pigskin around without playing the game! Every game counts and you're going to spend the second one of the year losing again? Is that how you want to spend the whole season?"

WHAM!

Someone threw a helmet. "We'd be winning if it weren't for you, Hale!"

"Well that shouldn't be the case!" he argued back. "You should be winning because you're a team! Not because of me or Lars! Two people don't make a team. Those guys that got suspended don't make the team! We're all a team!" He pressed a paw against his chest. "And though we're not out on the field right now, you can bet your ass that we're cheering for you! All of us are out there with you guys! Don't let us down!"

No one moved but they looked to be in better spirits. It was time to bring it home.

"And come on guys," he said. "These are the Millendew Bombers! They suck! Do you really want to be beaten by a team that sucks?"

There was some grumbling.

"Fuck no!"

He jumped as Lars jumped up next to him. The Doberman grinned at him, bumping his shoulder lightly.

Lars thrust a fist into the air. "We're the fucking Raptors! We're gonna murder those Bombers! They can drop their nukes on us, set the skies on fire and even crash their fuckin' planes into our faces but we'll just stand there, laugh at them and fuck them dead! Why? Because WHO ARE WE!?"

"We're the RAPTORS!" came the unifying shout.

"Yeah!" Caleb roared, thrusting a fist into the air right beside Lars. His phone buzzed again. If it was buzzing, it wasn't anything important. If it played 'Waiting for You', then it was an emergency. Probably just his mom calling him to get back.

"So let's go out there and tear them a new one!" Lars roared. "Raptors on three! One! Two!"

"RAPTORS!"

The energy in the room was at an all time high and Caleb was on the verge of tearing his clothes off, letting out a victory howl and throwing on his uniform. He wanted to get out on the field, crash into some guys, catch a long pass and score a touchdown! But he knew that if he did, his mother would bolt his tail to the ground and never let him leave the house again.

A heavy paw slapped his back and he turned to find Coach Davis smiling at him. "You give one hell of a speech kid. Right on time too. Ever think of coaching after your graduate?"

Caleb shook his head sadly. "I dunno, Coach. My mom wants me to take up medicine or something. Maybe my dad will whittle her down eventually."

He slapped Caleb's back again. "Well, I know you've got hero quality in ya, kid. Just wish I'd see it more on the field."

"I'll try, Coach."

"Not at the expense of national security, son."

"Yeah. Of course."

Davis led the cheering, psyched up team out onto the field, leaving Lars with him. The big Doberman grinned at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Thanks," Lars said. "I don't think I could've ever brought them together like that."

"And you're the superhero with the aura," he chuckled.

"MY aura just intensifies their feelings, remember? If they're feeling bad, they just feel worse. If they're psyched, they get fuckin' pumped!"

"Then I guess we make a pretty awesome team, huh?" Caleb responded, punching his friend in the ribs lightly. "I make the inspiring speeches and you use your superhero voodoo to make them all crazy."

His phone buzzed for the third time and he rolled his eyes. Excusing himself, he reached for it and found that it was Mary.

"What?" he barked. "I'm bonding with the team, here!"

"Well did you hold them down!?"

He froze when he heard laughter in the background... and not the good kind.

"Wait... What?"

"Caleb!" shouted Ben. "The announcer! He's a hyena! He's turning everyone!"

Fear instantly shot through his heart and the first thing he could utter was, "Lance..."

"We're trying to evacuate everyone!" Mary exclaimed. "But they're turning faster than we can get them out!"

"What about Lance? My mom!? My dad!? Leon and Abby!?"

"I don't know! I can't - Oh no... It's -"

The phone went dead.

"What?" Lars demanded, his eyes wide. "What's going on?"

"They hyenas are here," he replied, immediately turning around and heading towards his duffel bag. It had been his backup plan to join the team for the second half if they weren't inspired. His mother wouldn't be able to do anything about it and his father would cushion the blow of his disobedience. Now, he was just grateful he had brought his FBI gear alone.

He unzipped the bag and pulled out his hoddie and pants. Lars had taken out his own phone and was shouting at someone on the other side, probably someone from the Elemental Alliance. By the time Caleb was dressed, Lars had shifted back to Firebrand.

"Whoa! I can't see your face!" Lars exclaimed.

"Optic jammers," Caleb grunted, rushing past him. He seized a football from where it rested and shot out of the locker rooms. His eyes widened as the field was filled with moaning, groaning and laughing players. The bleachers were likewise populated.

One player beside him, a teammate lunged at him, seizing his pants. The guy's eyes were wide in fear, tears rolling down his human face but the maniacal grin on his features and his laughter spilling out between his lips uncontrollably.

"Please - Hahahaa - I can't - Hehehe - stop... laughing! Hahahaha!"

Suddenly, the player pulled away, rolling onto his back and bucking his hips into the air. There was a resounding_tearing_ noise as his cock exploded out of his pants, sending his cup flying away like a rocket. The player's eyes stared at his monstrous, black, pointed member... then he pointed it at it and burst out laughing, slamming the ground with his growing hands.

"That's right, folks!" laughed the announcer. "We're all here to have a good time!"

"The speakers!" Firebrand shouted, pointing at the hovering platforms housing several speakers. "We need to take them down!"

Caleb tossed the football in his paws idly through the air. It emitted an ethereal blue glow, sprouting feathers that danced across his paws. He then tossed it to Lars. "Go long!"

Lars arched his arm back as he would normally, one arm bent and the other stretched forward for aim. His biceps bulged as he tensed... and then let the ball fly. The instant it left his paws, the football suddenly broke supersonic speeds, emitting a rippling boom that threw Caleb, Lars and the surrounding players back several feet.

BOOM!

The speaker platform erupted into a shower of metal and sparks, completely shattered.

"Awww! Who's that ruining my fun?"

The announcer's voice was softer and the laughter had died somewhat on his end but with each person in the audience and every player laughing, they didn't need the announcer anymore. They needed Elliot's anti-signal device!

Unless...

"The signal," he whispered softly. "You need to hear it..."

"Yeah?" Lars said. "So?"

His eyes switched to the Doberman. "We just need to find something loud enough that they can't hear it!"

"What are you -?"

Before he could finish, Caleb was bolting down the field, shooting straight towards the microphone in front of the bleachers. It was used by the umpires for announcements and the school principal to welcome the group.

A massive shadow suddenly appeared to his right. A hyena, bursting right out of his Bombers football uniform, lunged at him, yellow eyes flashing and cock dripping. Caleb threw himself to the ground and tore a pawful of grass from the field. The blades let out the usual ethereal glow and he threw it at the player. Thick vines erupted from his paws, curling around the players instantly throwing the guy several feet into the air.

Caleb shot towards the microphone -

BOOM!

And froze when a sixteen foot monster landed in front of him.

Lewis Sanchez leaned down and sniffed him, his muzzle alone big enough to consume Caleb's entire upper torso in one gulp.

"Heh... No scent..." the hyena rumbled. "You a new hero on block, kid?"

"Yes but I am not!"

WHAM!

Lars shot out of nowhere and slammed a flaming fist right into the hyena's left pectoral. Sanchez staggered back one step. The surprise on the hyena's face faded into a maniacal grin. The flames that bit into his chest died and the burnt fur and skin just dropped from his mountainous muscles leaving nothing but pink flesh behind; flesh that quickly regrew its layer of fur.

"Oooh! And the surprise newcomer, Firebrand seems to have burned out!"

The announcer let out another laugh. Caleb winced, unable to think of Lance turning into one of those hyenas. He glanced to his right where his teammates groaned and laughed in ecstasy. They tore their football uniforms off their bodies, revealing chiselled muscle beneath that just grew and grew with their increasingly maddening yellow eyes.

Caleb rushed forward, using all the speed he could muster.

WHUMP!

A mighty first suddenly slammed hard onto his flank, sending him crashing to the ground.

"You got a nice new costume," Sanchez growled, hoisting Lars up in one massive paw. "But don't think I don't recognise you, kid. I know I shouldn't let you anywhere near me or you're turn me into a fucking weapon!"

Caleb growled and places his paw squarely on the turf beneath him. "I don't need to touch you to make a weapon."

The blades of grass beneath him let out an ethereal blue glow. He immediately rolled to the side as the blades grew and shot towards Sanchez, becoming hard as steel and sharp like any blade. The hyena gasped and leapt back. His right arm was completely skewered by the blades. His trumpeting roar drowned out the laughter from everyone else.

"You're gonna pay for that, fucker!" roared the hyena. "I'm the fucking Madman! No one fucks with me!"

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Huge slabs of solid metal suddenly sprang down from the skies, striking the ground behind Lewis 'Madman' Sanchez to make three, perfectly square metal towers. Beneath them was another of the speaker platforms.

Caleb's eyes followed the length of the tower... and spied one of the greatest superheroes of the West Coast. Iron chorded muscles constrained beneath a slate grey and white spandex uniform, metal bracers wrapped around his forearms and a simple grey mask over his eyes...

Feral Steel.

"Sorry Madman," growled the super, standing proudly with his arms crossed atop his tower. "Your payment is overdue."

Caleb winced at the line but neither Feral Steel nor Madman seemed to notice.

"Ooh! And now we have -"

All other words from the announcer were cut off. Huge slabs of metal descended from the skies and speared each of the remaining speaker platforms, effectively silencing the guy. Feral Steel, the leader of the Elemental Alliance, and the most powerful super in the Alliance. He had the power to summon slabs of metal and manipulate their shape and gravitational fields as he wished all on an atomic level. His entire suit was made of similar metal microfibers as Caleb's uniform allowing him to simulate flying. As one of the supers that had been active the longest, his powers had even evolved to the point where he could manipulate the metallic elements in the body.

And he was very anti-Outsider.

Feral Steel strode forward, his foot hovering over the edge of his tower. In that instant, a small slice of the tower slipped out from the rest, making a small platform to catch his foot. Step by step, more of the slices came out, forming a hovering staircase that the hero used to descended to Madman's level. The hyena growled and tore his arm free of Caleb's solid grass blades. He staggered away while hordes of other hyenas joined him. The players on the field had slowed their transformation but they were all mostly huge and their cocks were out.

Caleb glanced towards the stands. There were partial hyenas there as well. He just hoped that they weren't beyond saving.

He felt a presence nearby and he froze.

"So you're the Outsider we've been told about. Weapons Master."

He slowly turned around, meeting Feral Steel's cold, blue eyes. "Yessir..."

"I take it by your very quick appearance with little backup that this was a chance encounter." The super's eyes narrowed. "Do you go here?"

Crap...

"I... I could say the same thing about you," Caleb stammered. "You were here awfully quick. Got a kid here? Maybe you teach?"

Feral Steel's lips twitched slightly from his trademark frown. "Clever. Stay out of my way, Outsider. Leave this to the professionals and fully-powered."

Caleb nodded, more than happy to let the super take care of the multitude of hyenas. "Don't let them anywhere near any of the other civilians or partially transformed. Their laughter emits a signal that transforms anyone within earshot range."

"Got it. If you feel like helping, go shut up that announcer. I think he's still trying to get something working."

Caleb glanced at the announcer box and saw the silhouette of a hyena there, cackling away.

"Got it."

He turned and bolted down the field. Hyenas instantly gave chase. He spied the shadow of Feral Steel over him and watched in utter awe and admiration as the superhero just flicked his wrists at the hyenas. Enormous towers of metal sprang from the ground, tearing through the turf and striking the interceptors. Hyenas were sent whimpering and laughing high into the sky.

Some of the hyenas still managed to slip through. They were fast! Not 'superhero' fast but still pretty fast.

Caleb growled and switched straight into wide receiver mode.

A hyena came darting at him for his right. He threw himself to the ground, rolling forward. The hyena overshot him, colliding with the ground and eating dirt as he laughed. Another two came rushing at him from ahead, side by side and leaving very little by way of room to escape. Caleb charged straight at them. They laughed in glee. At the last moment, he slid feet first right between their legs, leaving the two stunned.

Caleb shot to his feet. He reached the Bomber's 30 yard line just as another three hyenas came charging at him. One from the right, one from behind and the last from straight ahead. He angled towards the left bolting past them across 20 yards. A hyena clawed at him and he just felt it graze the back of his hoodie.

"Weapons Master!"

He glanced towards the stands.

Mary.

She tossed him a large foam finger. It fluttered in the air and spun wildly. Growling, he pushed his legs to their limit, crossing the 10 yard line and leaping into the air. A hyena seized his left leg. Before the guy could pull him down, he pressed his other foot against the man's face, kicking off and sending him the last few feet into the air to -

Thwap!

Catch the foam finger.

"Yes!" he cried, spinning in the air and pointing the finger straight at the hyenas. The finger glowed.

PEW!

The ridiculous noise came from the tip of the finger which exploded in a blast of confetti and fireworks. At the same time, a blast of searing, white light erupted from the tip and collided with the nearest hyena. The man was thrown ten feet into the air and hurled back from the 10 yard line back to the Raptor's 40. He only stopped because he collided with Madman, stunning both the gargantuan hyena and the two supers engaging him.

Caleb hit the ground, lifting the foam finger towards the other two hyenas who stared after their thrown comrade in horror.

"This wouldn't be the first time I've given someone the finger," Caleb muttered.

PEW! PEW!

Both hyenas were hurled back and out of bounds.

Caleb turned and bolted towards the announcer's box. There was a flight of stairs leading to the structure and he hurried to mount them.

"Hey!"

He froze and turned around.

"Lance!?"

His brother stood a few feet away, a look of surprise on his eyes. Caleb pulled his hoodie off. "Caleb! What...? What are you wearing? Why... What's with that finger? What did you do? Why did it glow?"

Caleb's world was suddenly imploding but he was very happy that his brother was safe. "Wait! Where's Mom and Dad? Abby and Arthur? Leon?"

Lance shook his head. "Mary told us to suddenly get out of our seats and your friend Ben practically pushed us back here. Said something about the only place the speakers can't get to? I... I don't understand! Caleb, what's going on!?" He seized Caleb's shoulders and shook him. Caleb's hood fell back and he found himself staring into his brother's eyes... and then beyond them.

"Get down!" he cried, throwing Lance aside. He lifted the finger just as the hyena threw himself at him.

PEW!

The hyena took the full blow on the chest, sending him soaring high into the air and well into the carpark.

"Are... Are you a super!?" Lance exclaimed.

"Outsider," Caleb said, turning to his brother apologetically. "Mary is too. And Ben... Well Ben is actually Blood Wolf."

"Blood Wolf!? The notorious supervillain!?"

"Yeah... and Lars is Firebrand."

"The superhero!?"

"Yup. Did you know they were secretly dating and then that turned to shit when they found out each other's normal identities!?"

Lance gripped the sides of his head. Caleb feared he would start laughing and transform but the wolf's eyes were wide in horror. "Wait... So... your government job...?"

"It's still a government job. I work with the FBI. The Outsider Program is built around training Outsiders like me to use our powers and we take care of the little things the supers can't be bothered with."

"Holy shit..." Lance shook his head, giving Caleb a slightly manic smile. "You're living the dream, Cale. Football star in high school _and_superhero."

"Yeah. Add to that my best friend is a gay superhero, my other friend is a werewolf supervillain, I'm adopted and I'm madly in love with my adoptive brother." He started heading up the steps.

"My life is _just_super," he added sarcastically.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Lance asked.

"To stop the announcer! He's the guy that started this." He froze and then turned back towards Lance. "Stay here!" Then he thought again and tossed his brother the foam finger. "Point and shoot, bro. Point and shoot."

Caleb was bolting up the stairs again, glad to hear that his family was perfectly safe and sound. Now he could focus on one thing and one thing only: stop the announcer.

He stood at the door, took a deep breath and steeled himself.

The door broke down with a crash.

Thunk.

He froze. There was a slight pain against his neck on the left side. Something was jutting out from there... something... metallic. He reached up and pulled it, a slight stinging sensation causing his skin to tingle.

"Oh no..."

It was a dart.

The kind that was designed to inject something into the victim.

His eyes lifted.

Gnoll stood right beside him, a little gun in his paws. The hyena smirked and lowered the weapon.

"So nice of you to come here personally, Caleb Hale," laughed the Gene Stealer. "I knew you couldn't resist my invitation."

"What...?" Caleb staggered back, away from the hyena. His neck where the dart had landed was starting to feel numb.

"Last time we met without any disguises between us," Gnoll said, striding towards him. Caleb moved away from the doorway. His legs gave way out from beneath him and he fell to the ground. His entire body felt so weak all of the sudden. "I offered you the opportunity to join the Gene Stealers. From a former_Outsider to a current one, I can tell you that it's _so much better having a full arsenal of evolving powers plus all the fringe benefits like super speed, strength, regeneration, endurance and never getting sick or infected with any biological agents." He pointed the gun again at Caleb. "Like the one I just shot into you."

"You what!?" Caleb tried to rise but found himself too weak. His whole body locked up and his head felt like it was made of lead. He could barely think.

"Oh don't worry. It's nothing serious. Just the same serum that turned me into the hyena that I am now." Gnoll grinned broadly. "Welcome to the winning team, Caleb Hale. I'm sure you'll have a blast."

The Gene Stealer turned and left.

Fear pulsed through Caleb's system. Gnoll had made him a Gene Stealer... Worse, a Gene Stealer just like him! He was normally immune to becoming a hyena but not to the serum that had originally turned Gnoll!

"Oh shit..." he gasped, trying to scramble to his feet. He managed to prop himself up on the announcer's dashboard. "Mary... Mary..." he pleaded, knowing full well that she could hear him. "Help... Please!"

A loud groan suddenly erupted from him. His paws felt like there were huge pumps flooding them with blood. He stared at them in horror, watching their form grow bigger, meatier and veins pulsate against their back. He groaned loudly as the sensation rippled up his forearms. The black and white of his fur faded, becoming a soft tan flecked with jet-black spots.

"Oh shit..." he gasped. "This is really happening... Fuck... I'm turning... I'm... Hahaha... Oh fuck..."

Caleb clutched the side of his head as he was suddenly overcome with the overwhelming sensation to laugh. He clamped his paws over his muzzle but the laughter just burst out between his lips, forcing him to double over. Ever heaving guffaw required more and more air. To accommodate to the demand, his chest expanded, his pecs flaring up and pressing up against the fabric of his hoodie.

Desperate, he tore off his hoodie, leaving his shirt to tear right down the middle as his chest burst right through it, his fully erect nipples trailblazing their way. He panted between laughs as he kicked off his pants. His cock burst right out of his boxer shorts, stretching out farther than he could have ever believed possible.

"Shit... hahahah! Fuck! It's so big! Lance would be split open! Hahahaha!"

He grunted as the pumping feeling flooded his back. Caleb was forced to straighten. The sound of stretching flesh and tightening muscles rippled across the announcer's box. He felt his spine lengthen, each vertebrae growing longer and bringing him closer and closer to the roof. Caleb groaned, shutting his eyes in pleasure. He reached up, pressing his paws against the ceiling in a vain attempt to keep himself from growing further but his legs took up the growth when his spine stopped.

The invisible pump suddenly shot all its attention into his left arm. He grunted as his entire arm was thrown to the side, his shoulders bulging wildly. Bones grew and hardened rapidly beneath the thick layers of muscle. As his skin stretched and rapidly repaired itself to his new size, intoxicating strength flooded his mind, clouding his thoughts and pushing the laughter further and further to the surface. His biceps pumped into new sizes he never thought he'd achieve no matter how hard he worked out. His forearms bulged suddenly, the intense blast of strength causing his much longer arm to snap out and smash right through the announcer's console. He barely felt the hard metal biting into his arm or any resistances.

He pulled his paw out of the hole he made. The hard metal that bit into his flesh was slowly pushed out of his muscles, the wounds healing rapidly and leaving his arm completely unharmed. The laughter that followed filled with both triumph and mania.

His right arm was next and the sudden explosion of mass caused him to stagger to his right. He crashed to the ground, grunting and laughing as his cock was pressed against the hard, floor. Long ropes of precum squirted from his cock, matting his now tan chest fur. That seemed to act as a fertilizer for his growth as his chest and pecs grew even more. The sound of rocks grinding against one another filled the announcer's box as his pecs bulged and pressed against one another, forming an impassable valley right down the middle of his torso that led into the eight hard hills of his abdominal muscles.

His already thick, muscular legs built for speed and running bulged out, forcing him to permanently take a widened stance. It was all relative as his balls dropped further, he heavy furry sacs supporting to, coconut sized testicles that were constantly churning. He could feel their stores overflowing and understood why the hyenas were always constantly leaking. They balls just would not stop pumping out cum! They had to be permanently hard or they'd explode!

And he loved it!

"Hahahahah! Fuck yeah!"

He flexed his right arm, watching the huge muscles there bulge out to dwarf his head. The veins crossing them pushed past the short, tan fur that overtook his black and white patters. He liked the new colouring. It made him less monochrome. He giggled uncontrollably as the change in fur colour tickled.

"Caleb!"

He spun around.

Mary and Ben stood at the door, eyes wide. Behind them was Lance.

His cock squirted at the sight of his brother. He licked his lips, enjoying how his muzzle began to shorten, becoming much squarer and building muscles that could deliver a bone-crushing bite. Slowly, he rose to his full height, his rounded ears brushing against the ceiling and his golden eyes flashing with a predatory hungry. His cock led in front of him, a mighty spear. Every step he took seemed to shake the room.

"Like the new me, bro?" he giggled, flexing both his arms and bouncing his pecs. "Fuck, dude. You should try it! My cock won't fit in you but you know what? Once I make you in a sex 'yena, you'll be take me all!"

He laughed -

But was suddenly silenced when Mary appeared directly in front of him. He looked down at her, confused.

"Caleb..." she said softly. "I'm sorry."

WHAM!

Mary always had one hell of a kick. Caleb had seen it against multiple Gene Stealer Thralls and against his own father.

But he never, ever thought he'd be on the receiving end of it...

... let alone directly to his balls.

*****

"What the fuck just happened!?" Lance cried, practically frantic. "Is... Is that my brother!? Why is he suddenly a hyena!? Why is he huge!? Why!? Why!? Why!?"

Mary had to take control of the situation. Feral Steel and Firebrand were taking care of the hyenas on the field and the other members of the Elemental Alliance were quickly arriving. The transformed football players were beyond help but those in the bleachers were slowly reverting back. They would be okay.

But Caleb... Caleb wouldn't be...

She reached down and plucked the dart that lay beside her friend.

"We need to get him back to the Facility," she announced. "Help me get him to my car."

"But -" Lance began.

She spun, storming over to the big wolf and glaring at him. "If you _ever_want to see your brother again, you will do _exactly_what I say? Got that!?"

Lance shook his head. "You owe me an explanation!"

"I'll explain once we get Caleb quarantined before he turns anyone else! Now move!"