FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter -5- Between the Panels

January 23, 9:45am PST Pages Lost Nightclub San Francisco, California ...

** Reno Nevada licked his lips, apprehension marring his brow.** "You're a big sort of fellow, aren't you?" He backed away slow and with great care so as not to stumble or make any sudden movements.

The creature approached him.

He leaned over while still backing away, put his phone on the floor, screen down, and slid it back towards the entrance. The LED of the camera flash remained illuminated.

The enormous beast continued towards him, not the light source.

Nevada frowned. "Well, you're either smart or you follow senses other than just your eyes."

"Lara hates bright light!"

"Great, the huge evil monster talks about herself in the third person."

"Too much talk!" she exclaimed. The creature lifted two enormous hands with scythe-like fingers.

Reno narrowed his eyes. His pupils dilated. "Oh shit. You're the freak-show that attacked Vincent last year."

His eyes zeroed in on round wads of flesh on the creature's chest and shoulder where its bullet wounds had healed. Nevada swallowed then licked his lips again.

He moved back to the door near the small light and gave a tug on it but it wouldn't open. It appeared to be jammed. "Shit. Dammit, I got in here. Why'd I have to close the door behind myself?" He gave another tug on the handle but couldn't open the door more than a few inches - not enough to squeeze through.

The creature approached with a leisurely gait.

"Okay, this is it. Game time." Reno lifted his left hand, closed it into a fist and tensed himself. His left fist began to glow with electricity. The room brightened considerably; he reached his right hand to his inside jacket pocket and removed a pair of sunglasses then eased them up the bridge of his nose.

The creature squinted and groaned in irritation from the brightness.

"You want a piece of me? I'm ready. You're the thing that hurt Vincent, aren't you? I'm ready for you."

"Lara cannot die. Not until all are dead."

"You wanna kill everyone? You gotta' get through me, bitch."

"They must suffer; they must DIE! All in Lara's way must die."

Reno bit his lower lip, cocked his head and said, "Not happening. Look, you're obviously sentient - whatever you are. So here's the deal. You're going to let me leave and I won't kick your ass. Then I'm going to close this door behind me and I'm going to leave."

"Door only pushes open from other side! Door cannot be pulled open!"

Reno deadpanned. "Oh." He stared at her for a moment while the realization set in, then he shouted, "Are you serious? This room is one-way-in?"

"They trapped Lara! Lara will have revenge. Lara ... is person. Thoughts and feelings. Scared, lonely, hungry."

Nevada's back met the wall adjacent to the door. He knelt, slowly, picked up his phone with his right hand and thumbed the screen. He deactivated the light and slid the phone into his pocket.

The creature kept her eyes averted due to the glowing light emanating from Reno's left fist.

He frowned and swallowed, looking at the enormous creature and it's scythe-like fingers. "Okay, look. I can't be sure that you're the one that tried to kill my brother. And I don't like when you say you want to kill everyone. But I'm sorry you're suffering down here. If you let me leave, I can't have you going out and tearing up San Francisco."

"Lara is a person," she muttered. Her voice sounded angry, but also lonely and upset.

His chest ached hearing the way she said the words. "Okay, I get it. You're a person ... or you_ used to be_ a person. Whatever. I can't allow you to go on a killing spree. So I'm going to leave and no one has to get hurt today. Do you understand?"

"Lara is a person. Lara was seven-year-old girl. Lara had ability - allergic to self and mutated. Lara is tired, lonely."

"Christ. Seven years old. What year were you born?"

"Lara born 1992. Became ugly in 1999. Became abandoned this year. Lived ugly for over a decade. Lived as a freak!"

Reno tugged on the door again. It didn't open. "What is it you want?"

She stopped, only five feet from Reno, towering over him. She squinted at the man with the glowing left hand. In a firm tone she announced, "I. Want. Revenge."

"I can't let you hurt people. I'm sorry, but I can't let you loose out there."

"I want revenge!" She drew her left arm back, holding the razor-sharp talons aloft.

"Oh bullshit," Reno quipped then dove away from the door. The creature swung at him, leaving gashes, diagonally, across the door's surface.

"Ngh!" Each grunt telegraphed her attack. Another fist-full of fingernail blades narrowly missed him. He leapt away from a third wild swing.

Clarity shined at Reno's eyes. Adrenaline flooded his body. His brain dolled out chemicals that caused him to hyper focus on the situation at hand.

Again he dove from another attack. He crashed onto his side and rolled then got to his feet and turned about. "I heard you speak in first person just now. I know you're smart. C'mon, we don't have to fight. Maybe I can help you or something."

"Doctor tried to help Lara. Made things worse. All will die."

"Figures," he muttered then looked around the room again. The walls shined, bathed in the brilliant illumination from his fist. "Where's Karla Howard when you need'er? Okay..."

"Betrayed! Alone! Tired!"

He raised his voice, addressing the creature, and said, "Last chance. I'm not trying to hurt you. I think you just misunderstand my intentions here. Maybe that's why you took a swipe at my brother. But he's alive so I won't hold a grudge against you. I need you to back off, okay?"

"You cannot know my anger," she said. "Resentment! Anguish!"

"Man..." He took up a defensive posture. "If Falcon did this to you then we are on the same team. C'mon, now. There's no need to fight."

"Open the door for Lara."

"If you can't get that thing open, how can I?" He turned to the door and saw one of the hinges appeared dented. "Dammit. Now it makes sense."

"OPEN IT!" she thundered, causing Reno to cover his ears. She turned to the door and thrashed it again. It didn't budge. She slid her fingers into the narrow gap between the door and the frame then pulled. "If door is push open, how can it not be opened when fingers touch other side?! ARGH!"

Reno spoke in a calm voice. "Lara, listen ... it opened for me because I turned a handle and pushed it at the same time. But the hinge seems to be messed up - maybe from you attacking it. Now it won't close all the way, nor will it open anymore. You need to calm down. Okay?"

"Your fault for closing it!" she exclaimed then turned to him with a cold glare.

Reno, despite the sunglasses, could see her expression from the glow of his left hand. He swore beneath his breath then said, "Calm down. Fighting won't solve anything. We should find a way to work together, then we can..."

"Lara not smart enough to open door! Lara not needed! But Lara smart enough to know you will BETRAY her and LEAVE her here! Lara becomes all alone again! No!" She lifted her serrated fingernails high.

"If you kill me, you'll be alone again. I'm the only company you have. Why would you want to attack me?"

"BETRAYEL!" she bellowed. "Revenge!" She lunged towards Reno, hands raised above her head.

Nevada swung his left hand defensively. Their bodies collided and he flipped, end over end, and landed on the floor. The room went dark.

The moment of silence came short lived; Lara shouted in anger from somewhere nearby.

He rolled onto his back, got to his feet and tensed his left hand again. It incandesced once more. He turned to see Lara getting to her feet. She looked down at her hands where the scythe-like fingers had been diced off and burnt nearly to the cuticle. The large fingernail clippings lay strewn about the floor with blackened ends.

Reno glanced down at his glowing left fist then picked his sunglasses up and replaced them upon his nose. "You..." He put the clues together then said, "You tried to attack my left hand or forearm, Lara. How'd that work out for you, huh? You're not the only one who can't die, here. I'll give you one last chance. You're either going to help me get out of here or I'll be helping myself once I've neutralized you and any other threats in this room. Are we clear on that?"

Lara continued to look down at her hands, where her nails had been sliced off. Slowly, her head lifted. Her eyes lifted. She took a moment to stare at Reno.

"Okay, so we have an understanding now, right?"

Without further warning, Lara sprinted towards him with her hands outstretched, displaying the jagged dagger-like remains of her fingernails. Reno's eyes widened, his pupils dilated.

His mind fell back on his self-defense training classes, his boxing and high school wrestling experience ... everything happened in a flash. Nevada reached for her forearm, kicked her knee out as he stepped to the side, and guided her into the wall. Momentum did the rest.

Regardless of her size, she slammed against the concrete bulkhead and he guided her wrist behind her back. His left palm left a charred marking on her arm - an imprint of his hand, branding her.

Lara pushed off the wall and threw Reno backwards. He rolled across the floor then hurried to his hands and knees, crawling away. He glanced back, seeing her charge again, and dove away. She stopped in the middle of the room, turned about and swung at him.

Nevada sat up and reached for his torso then glanced down. His shirt was in tatters and three thin red scratches glistened on his chest. "Bullshit!" His mind raced - had he not cut her nails down to short stubs, it would have been a fatal attack instead of three lines resembling paper cuts.

Reno balled his fists up and thrust them both forward. Large bolts of white, hot, pure electricity arced from his knuckles. The hair on his arms and chest stood on end. His eyes glowed from behind the sunshades.

The energy forced Lara's lungs to expel air, causing a brief yet hoarse cry of agony. She stood there, trembling, quivering from the moment of lightening that linked her to Reno's fists from several feet away.

The beam faded and he dropped back to his elbows, panting.

Lara staggered breathless and flailed back two steps. She shuttered and then dropped straight to the ground, gasping for air and clutching at the charred wound bubbling on her torso.

He got to his feet, patted his jacket to make sure he had the canisters, then he hurried back to the door. Reno ground his teeth and, with somewhat practiced bravado, he teleported in the form of a lightning bolt. The arc of light blazed through the narrow gap between the doorframe and the door, which was stuck ajar.

Nevada came out of the bolt and tumbled against the hallway wall then fell to the floor, panting. On hands and knees he struggled another few feet up the hall then lowered his forehead to the floor to catch his breath.

A moment later, he heard an enraged shout followed by a powerful crash against the door behind him. Lara, slamming herself against it, caused the door to shut firmly back into place.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw cracks in the wall around the doorframe. The sides and the top corners showed a great deal of stress fractures but the wall held.

Reno rolled onto his back, overheated by the sudden sensation of adrenaline thinning out in his bloodstream. He eased up onto an elbow and turned his head away then opened his mouth but couldn't manage to throw up.

The dry heaving subsided, leaving him with a cold sweat. The vertigo finally passed. "God, this is what Fox was talking about the other day. Christ. Is that what it feels like to be a junkie?" he murmured. "Said to eat sugar," he muttered aloud. Reno patted himself down for a candy bar but had nothing.

Nevada got to his feet and held his hand out. He extended his middle and index finger then created a small arc of electricity between the two fingertips. He trudged forward, lighting the way with the arc between his fingers.

The hallway showed signs of smoke damage, shadows danced on the floor and wall behind him. He held his hand out then switched the arc of light between his index and thumb.

As Reno made his way back up the hallway, he switched over to his other hand to keep the first from cramping up. The ex-inspector headed back through the storeroom, passed through the hole in the back wall, and across the laboratory with the broken stasis tube.

He could hear pounding from behind, where Lara was still kicking and punching the door. He gave pause and swallowed down the feeling of guilt for leaving her alone. He rested his free hand against a fold in the broken rolling door. "Twenty-one years old and trapped in a lab. Nobody deserves that." He shook his head and sighed in a way that caused his lips to sound akin to a horse snort.

Nevada slid down the wall adjacent to the rolling door and buried his face in his hands. "Bullshit. This is all ... to much."

He drew out his phone again. Two bars of reception. He thumbed a message to his brother. 'Hey. You okay kiddo?' He dropped his head back against the wall and stared at the dim ceiling.

His phone buzzed. "That was quick," he murmured and thumbed the screen alive.

'Doing great big bro! Kind of busy right now tho! If U see Topaz before I do then give her a hug 4 me.' For some reason the sight of seeing Vincent alive and well made everything a little better.

'I just met your friend, Lara. Or Laura. However it's spelled. I'm okay. I declawed her and she locked herself in a room in San Francisco. If the Doc is back this way have him feed and rescue his pet.'

Again, with a surprising turn-around time, Vince's return text read, 'Oh! KK! I'll tell him now. Thx!'

Reno shook his head and got to his feet. He rubbed his face then ran his hands up over his bald head. After a moment to compose himself, he made his way back towards the steps and headed up to the first floor. Careful not to fall in any holes, he crossed the dance floor and left the club.

With a sigh of relief, he looked around the quiet street. In the distance, he heard church bells for mid-morning mass.

He stretched, rubbed his face again, then hurried towards the smell of the bay. Two blocks up, he spotted a cab and waved for it.

X

---

X

January 23, 2:30 pm CST Karla's Yacht, "The Busty Belle" On approach to the Panama Canal...

** Fox Parker tightened both hands** over the plastic mallets then brought his left and right hands together. The plastic air hockey mallets struck the puck and sent it back across the board. It banked off the left side then went into the goal at the far end.

Karla Howard put her two strikers onto the table and shook her hands to loosen the cramps. "Even with trying to cheat, I can't beat you. That's it. New game. It's on; now." She put the two plastic pieces, which had handgrips on the top, on the side of the table. "You and your stupid little plastic sombrero strikers. It's time to play for real."

Fox tilted his head. "You're not going to use any mallets?"

"No. I'm strictly using my eyes and my ability. It's only fair, since you have yours." She reached up to the overhead score display and pressed the reset button then reached for the puck in the chute. "My ability is mostly controlled through my eyes and my hands. I was holding the stupid thingies and so I didn't have complete control of my telekinesis. How'd you get so damn good at air hockey anyhow?"

"My sister and I play. A lot. Plus ... my ability. Agility, dexterity ... whatever. It gives me superior hand-eye coordination. Ready?"

"Let's do this." Karla tossed the puck onto the table then held her hands up. Her palms incandesced with a soft pink glow. She jabbed her hand forward, sending the puck careening across the table. It struck Fox's mallet, bounced off, and warbled on the table like a large quarter having been dropped on a flat surface.

"Damn. Hit it harder why don't cha?"

"Don't tempt me," she said with a smirk. She waited until the puck came back then she stopped it just short of going into her goal. "Ha."

"Shouldn't you deflect it with your abilities, instead of stopping it all together?"

Again, Karla smirked. "Why? I saw you bring that little plastic thing down like a hammer to stop one of my shots earlier. Same thing. Okay fine. New rule then! You can only deflect the puck. I'm gonna make you wear those sombrero thingies."

"Fair enough. And they're called mallets."

With a whiney higher-pitch, she mocked, "They're called mallets," in reply.

"Oh boy."

Karla jabbed her hand forward again, blasting the puck across the table. Instead of sliding into the goal slot, the puck's left side lifted off the table ever so slightly and hit the boarder around the table then bounced back. Frustrated, Karla cursed under her breath then tried again with reduced intensity.

Fox deflected the shot with his left hand then struck the puck with the other mallet in his right.

The two players worked furiously, causing a barrage of clicking and clacking sounds.

Patience came into the room, cleared her throat, and said, "We'll be entering the canal lock shortly. We're in the queue and we'll need to set the chronometer to Eastern Time. There's a little bit of a line. Two tankers in front of us. For some reason, the police are conducting a warranted search of ... I don't know. Something. They're checking boats, which means that they will need to speak to the owner of this one."

Fox brought one of his mallets down atop the puck and stopped it. He reached down on the side of the air hockey table and flipped the switch then said, "We'll finish this later."

"Oh yes. We most certainly will, Parker." Karla vanished.

Fox turned to Patience, saw her look of confusion, and smiled. "She's a good 'loser' for the first few times ... then she gets frustrated and starts really playing to win. Then she gets cranky. When most people give up and call the game unfair, she becomes even more aggressive."

"It probably does _not _help that..." Patience stopped mid-sentence.

"What?"

She licked her lips then shook her head. "Nothing. It's nothing."

Fox furrowed a single brow. "Oh? Does this have something to do with how she's been acting a little hormonal lately?"

"I ... hadn't noticed."

"You suck at lying," Fox laughed. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone if she isn't ready to announce it."

"Announce what?" asked the woman with a faint smile.

"Obviously Karla is either pregnant, due for her period, or having some sort of reaction to her change of dietary habits. As in ... you know, her new relationship-only sex ... thing."

Again, Patience licked her lips.

"Pregnant huh?" Fox stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I could tell by the way you glanced to the side when I mentioned it. You reacted differently to the other two. No biggie. If she's not ready to tell anyone yet then it's no big deal. I shouldn't be stressing her out over a game. Stress is bad for a pregnancy."

"Perhaps it would be gentlemanly to let her win every once in a while," Patience said.

"Perhaps you're right. I'll bring on the pain after she's recovered in a year. Then it will be a fair fight."

"No it won't," Patience replied with a chuckle. "Because in a year, she'll be exhausted from motherly duties."

"Ha! So I was right! She is pregnant."

Patty opened her mouth then froze, gawking in reply. "You tricked me."

"I did no such thing. You outted yourself. Actually, you only confirmed what I already figured out. So you never actually told me anything I hadn't already concluded. And your secret ... and Karla's secret ... they are safe with me. But that means we gotta keep her from getting stressed out."

"She's already stressed out," Patience said with a sigh. "She's unsure whether to tell Johann and Eric. She's worried it will cause friction between the two."

"Damn. Hadn't thought of that angle. No wonder she's not ready to say anything just yet."

"Exactly."

Fox offered her a smile. "Evan's a lucky guy. You're a classy low-drama girl. And you're a good friend for not telling Karla's secret."

"I become dramatic, I've learned, when confronted with danger. I showed my dramatic side to Karla the day I met her."

"Oh, everyone reacts to that sort of stress differently. I'm just saying he's lucky he's dating a girl that doesn't start drama. Anyhow, I'm going to keep an eye on our demoness so that she doesn't get herself worked up over anything." He smiled at Patty in passing.

"Fox, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"I have a science question and I was hoping you could answer it, but I'll understand if you don't want to, or if you don't have an answer."

"Go on."

"Are you a Chimera?"

"You mean like that three-animal mythological thing?"

"Technically that's where the term comes from in genetics. But if you're human and kitsune, are you genetically both?"

"I'm told that mom's genes are inferior to human genetics. They take over, and I'm completely human." He looked down at his palms then back up at her. "Why do you ask?"

"When Aris Falcon initially approached me in person, I turned him down but not before we had a conversation. Probably one of the most riveting scientific conversations I've ever had, but I thought he was leading me on with science-fiction at the time."

"You've got my attention."

"He mentioned having worked on two twins, a brother and sister with supernatural grace and agility, who were genetically created chimera twins."

"I don't understand. I've always been told I'm fully human. Topaz too."

"He said he created you because the mother was genetically difficult to breed naturally. But he also mentioned he gave you the genetics of someone who died over ten thousand years ago. That way you would be composed of two sets of genetically distinct cells. I didn't know how old Sinopa was when we learned she was your mother. I simply assumed."

Fox looked at his palms again then lifted his eyes and shrugged. "Ten thousand years ago, huh? Mom was born in the late 1700's or something. Actually, is it weird I don't know how old my own mother is?"

"You don't sound nearly as skeptical as I was, and I have several degrees. I see you looking at your hands when I bring it up. May I see?"

Fox held his hands out towards her. There was a spot on his palm that was slightly darker than the rest. "I always assumed it was hormones. Like when women have a 'pregnancy mask' discoloration. Topaz had a simpler explanation - it might be a birthmark. But I also have this faint discoloration in other places, and it isn't much like a birthmark."

"In the name of science, and purely of science, can I ask where the other discoloration is?"

Fox pursed his lips together and glanced away as if shy. "Somewhere intimate. Er, you know. Private, rather. Just the first few inches, towards the base. Also I have it on the bottom of both feet, but they don't really match. I guess if I was a dog like Rufus Darken, it would be akin to having spots, heh."

"Interesting. A chimera is a human or animal born with two genetically distinct sets of parents, which would give you tissues that is a mixture of two different genetic inheritances. Topaz has these faint darkened spots?"

"Yeah, but hers are even harder to find. She has one on the heel of her foot, one beneath her breast, and one of her inner thighs where her leg meets the trunk of her body. And we both have a bit of a marking on our scalps but, you know, we have hair so nobody sees it. So what does that mean?"

"Your parents are Jon Parker and Sinopa. And your other parents are someone from the Esoteric Community. I assume your other genetic parents had slightly darker skin than Jon Parker's skin tone."

"That makes sense."

"It does?"

"It's a long story. But whoever the other set of parents are, if your guess is accurate, they were human. Because I can tell you that we had our DNA tested, and it came back human."

"You were tested? How recently and what for?"

"When mom told us what she learned back on New Years, Topaz wanted to seal the proof with science, you know? She left for the day, swung through Hawaii, used money to persuade a local lab that worked with a Child Support office in Honolulu. She brought them my mother's cheek-swab sample, and something belonging to my father. Money gets you anything you want. We had results the next day. They're our parents. Both the results came back really strange. That's the day we learned we have two blood types, and two sets of parents. She covered up the results and, that night, broke in and deleted the records from their computers. Covered our tracks. Then she paid for a helicopter to bring her back out to the yacht. This was the day before we arrived at the island."

"Two blood types is rare, but not uncommon for a human Chimera."

"The whole thing is rare but not unheard of and newer DNA tests account for this sort of thing now. But both sets of results showed we are human. So."

"So you never heard the term Chimera the way I used it until just now. I understand. Did they say anything about your mother's DNA sample?"

"Uh, that's why Topaz has to cover our tracks. They," Fox trailed off and laughed. "They thought she was an alien or something. Or some sort of undiscovered sub-genus of human or something. They were all excited, wanted to publish a paper about it. Wanted to meet the owner of the cheek swab. Couldn't let that happen."

"I see. So you are a Chimera, but not as a human and kitsune. You're the son of two distinct human types of genetics."

"Yeah. It's, uh ... weird I guess. There's a lot of conjecture about why we're like this. Topaz and I, I mean. Someone suggested that Dr. Falcon did this because he wants something from the two of us."

Patty frowned. "He wants your child."

"Weird, right?" Fox rubbed the back of his neck then stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I mean, you know, we're brother and sister. And we have these weird complicated feelings for each other that we shouldn't have. I did some research on the Internet. It seems that siblings that aren't raised together from a young age sometimes experience something called GSA."

Patty nodded. "Genetic Sexual Attraction is a documented psychological reality. Some suggest it was part of our innate programing to keep human sub-groups pure. Whites would mate with whites. Blacks would mate with blacks. Asians, and so-forth. It was suggested by some that it would keep the human race from turning into one group. Think of it as the reverse of wolves."

"Oh. I get you. Because all dogs came from wolves, it would be like trying to mate all dogs back together and eventually trying to create a wolf again."

"Exactly. There was a master race of humans, according to my research and work. And they split off and bred themselves to become subgroups." She paused and held her hands outwards, using gestures to help explain her words. "There were once only wolves. Now there are hundreds of breeds of dogs. That was the basis for my study on how there were so many different types of humans. Was there only one Neanderthal? Were there different colors of Neanderthal? That's how I started my work. Eugenics can be horrible, but it can also be fascinating. Then I began to wonder why did Homo sapiens become so many different sub-groups?"

"What does that have to do with GSA?"

"There's a part of us that looks for someone similar to ourselves. Dogs do not have this instruction set instilled in them. They mate based off of pheromones and time of season."

"Okay, I'm with you. Go on."

"So I considered the possibility that we were programmed this way on purpose. Perhaps this is so that we don't become a master race again by accident."

"Well that begs the question - why breed humans differently to begin with? What was this 'master race' thinking?"

"A wonderful question, Fox. Have you considered it may be their way to create people with various abilities. You want a dog that has hair instead of fur, like a poodle, or hollow bone sections for buoyancy, like a Newfoundland, then you breed them into that. All dogs descend from a wolf. So if you want a human that has special abilities, you would breed out the master race to have special features that starting race - the wolves - do not have."

"Eugenics is a weird topic to a lot of people."

"Yes. Being black and Russian, I have seen white people who view me as a lesser person. And they are angry to hear that the European-descended white person is closer related to the Neanderthal. And African-descent people go further back as a Homo sapiens line. But I believe there was a race that walked alongside both and managed to remain pure longer. But once Neanderthal genes, with their robust immune system, and the Homo sapiens genetics began to come together, pure Neanderthal began to die out. I can only imagine the intense racist hatred the two groups had for one another at the time."

Fox rubbed his chin. He thought about what she said and looked back at the silent air hockey table. "Humans have been obsessed with the idea of a master race on-and-off for ages. The Thule society, for example. The Nazi Party looked at their research and built a political machine off of their assumptions regarding a master race."

"Yes. Fox, GSA is not your fault. It is simply stronger for you because you saw one another in your nearly-adult bodies, and had a psychological attraction. It's an attraction that is partially constructed by instinctual programming in all of us."

"What Topaz and I feel for one another seems a lot more, well, powerful than just plain old attraction."

Patience nodded firmly. "Yes, I noticed she becomes another person when you are near her. I believe you are not necessarily a victim of GSA. When Dr. Falcon spoke to me, he also mentioned that he created the twins to become a sound breeding pair. He said that he genetically altered them to produce a pheromone that only the twins would detect from one another, prompting and urging them to mate. He said the baby would be both their own and a Chimera belonging to other parents. You and Topaz have the same and different parents."

"Huh? Different parents?"

"Your mother and father are Sinopa and Jon Parker. But your other mother and father would be 'parent group A.' Topaz would have a different set of genetics, making her second parents 'parent group B.' When the two of you mate, the child would be the offspring of parent group A and parent group B. The child would be born as ... dear God."

"What? Patty, no offense, but this is really starting to confuse me. I think the conversation is getting way over my head. Can you explain it in really blunt laymen terms?"

"It's conceivable to assume," she trailed off and cleared her throat. "I hypothesize that your child would be the final artifact that Dr. Falcon requires. A First Age human being created by your joining."

"Couldn't he just clone someone? I understand he's into that stuff, too."

"Perhaps the child is someone who needed to be born naturally in order to accomplish a task or function that only the original could perform?"

"You're really losing me here."

"Let's say, in theory, that Dr. Falcon needed a human whose eye could pass a retina scan."

"Okay, I'm following you so far."

"Right. But the scan that concerns Dr. Falcon is more thorough than a retina scan, making it harder to cheat the scanner."

"Okay, right."

"So he needs to have a subject become born who is capable of passing that scan."

"But what I'm stuck on is why?"

"Because what if the scanner belonged to technology that was thousands of years ago? And what if the only person who could activate the scanner was already dead? All you would need to do is create the perfect sequence of events that would lead to the properly made mother and properly made father to give birth to a properly made child."

"That's a lot of work just to do what you're proposing."

"Yes, it is. With the right genetic manipulation, he could have you and Topaz give birth to that person. Then take them from you and use them."

"Jesus."

She nodded and put her hands into her pockets. "It goes to show just how controlling Dr. Falcon can be, considering the level of perfection he would need to achieve to make all these events play out in such a way. It also explains why he kidnapped each of you this past summer. He wanted to check up on his science project."

Fox folded his arms. "This is why Topaz and I shouldn't have kids. This is why we should..."

"Fox, no. No, no. I think you're going about this all wrong."

He furrowed his brows. "What?"

"This child might be the only one who can do what Dr. Falcon needs. That is true. And, by not having a child, you would deny Falcon his plans. But he could simply create another set of parents to birth the child he needs. Then you have no control over it. If anything, you should fool Doctor Falcon. If Topaz has children with another man, but has a relationship with you, Dr. Falcon will think that child is the one he's after."

Fox's eyes widened. "If Topaz had a kid with someone else and Dr. Falcon thought the child was mine, it would throw a huge wrench into his plans."

"Yes. You can still have the relationship that you crave with her. It will let Dr. Falcon think you're together. Then when Topaz winds up pregnant, he will have no reason to try again. This buys you time. It buys all of us time. When he comes for the child, you will be ready for him. The child will not fulfill whatever prophecy or design that Falcon has planned. It will set him back."

"That's genius!"

Patty smiled. "And you will continue the relationship with Topaz that you crave. It is taboo, yes. Strange, perhaps. But let us face facts, Fox. If you deny what you've been programmed to need in life, your life will be a struggle. If you were born gay and forced yourself to be straight, you would be miserable and repress what you psychologically require to have a healthy, fulfilling life."

"Do you think that is why Topaz is always so grumpy?"

Patty nodded firmly. "She desires her brother. No other man will completely satisfy her needs."

"True. She's tried dating other guys. It always went south."

"Ah, you see Fox? On that notion, she has turned to the embrace of women instead. Then, recently, Vincent Nevada saved her life. So she has developed feelings for him that superseded her innate programing. That level of trust and the feeling of safety is very important to women."

"Yeah, I sort of helped Topaz out of a sticky situation once. She really clings hard to people that make her feel safe."

"I understand. But now she's in a complicated situation. She has trained herself to seek affections from women, she has developed feelings for Vincent, but in the end ... she will only be happy with you."

"Damn. But if Vincent gets her pregnant and we let everyone think it's mine, Dr. Falcon's plan will be jacked up, right?"

"At the very least, it buys you enough time to stop whatever plans he has. It means he will kidnap the child. But now you know what to expect and you can plan for it."

"But what if he figures it out after kidnapping Vincent and Topaz's child?"

"Let's assume that Dr. Falcon is mortal. You only need to wrench his plans long enough for him to grow old and die without fulfilling his objectives."

"God it's hard to wrap my head around all of this but I think we're on the same page. I'll talk to Topaz. I'll convince her that Vincent should father her children. In the mean time, her and I will make it public that we're an item so that Falcon thinks the children are mine. I'll have a man-to-man with Vincent so he doesn't feel awkward about the love triangle."

"As much as I disdain the thought of creating a soap opera, Fox, I believe this would be a wise decision for the sake of having control over Falcon's plans."

Fox approached Patty, hugged her and kissed the side of her face. "Thank you for giving me an option. Topaz and I have been so conflicted about everything. It feels really good to have a clear idea on how to go about living our lives."

She smiled and returned the hug. "I'm glad I could help." She cleared her throat and asked, "Did you and Topaz have your DNA tested against one another?"

"Yeah. We were born together, but the test came back looking like we weren't even related. It's almost like we were two different kids who shared the same surrogate mother. But we think alike. We have more in common than the average identical twins. And certainly more than fraternal twins. It's hard to explain."

"So, genetically, you two are a sound breeding pair?"

"Yeah, apparently. Long story short, let's just say our kid, if her and I had one together, won't have webbed feet or anything. But yeah, other than that, we're so similar it's scary."

"I understand. And you both have the same power, same eyes, same hair, same smile, and same teeth - you've a very similar bite mark. The features are amazingly similar, especially for fraternal twins."

Fox nodded. "Especially for fraternal twins who are genetically engineered to be unrelated. Thanks for the talk. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can't wait to meet this guy, Vincent. This could be the answer to all our problems." He offered Patty a genuine smile then headed topside and made his way up to the bridge.

X

---

X

Around the same time...

** Reno stepped out of the cab** , paid the fare and a tip, then made his way up the gravel driveway from the dirt road. He headed into the front door of his parents' house, took off his jacket and shirt and grabbed another shirt strewn across the bed of his childhood bedroom. He pulled his jacket back on but took the two canisters from the pockets and put them on the bed.

He glanced out the window then blinked with surprise. He hurried out of his bedroom, down the hall and out the backdoor. "Holy sh-- er, smokes, guys, look at this thing!"

Nevada moved around the nearly finished 1966 Chevy Chevelle and marveled at the sight of it. The hood was open and a chain held the engine in place. Wilfred and Johann worked over it, trying to secure the engine to its mounts. Evan slid out of the back, where the seats were freshly reinstalled.

"Hey, Reno!" Evan dusted his palms together then stretched. "Did 'ja find anything cool back at that place?"

"Yeah. I found the gypsy, Abigail, and I found two canisters that might be empty. But they might have something Fox can use. Long story."

"What was the left of the club?"

"It was empty. The place was burned out and forgotten. I, uh, was just snooping around in the basement of the club."

"How was it?" he asked.

Reno licked his lips with a weak smile. "Not safe. So if you're ever feeling curious, do yourself a favor and don't go there. A condemned building is not a place to go for sight seeing. Anyhow, I'm really surprised. You guys have this thing just about assembled."

Wilfred looked up from the hood and said, "We'll need you to test it out in about an hour or two. A serious test drive. I'll follow you around for a bit. If everything goes well, you can take me back to the rental place and I'll return mine. But I want to test the Chevelle really hard first. Really put it through its paces, you know?"

"Sure, man. Anything you want, Lucius Fox."

Wilfred smirked. "Oh, I'm not Chris Lloyd anymore? I'm suddenly Morgan Freeman? Look, I just don't want this thing to break down while you're driving cross-country with it."

"Yeah. I appreciate that," Nevada replied with a firm nod. "We'll put it through its paces for sure."

"Well great," Wilfred said then leaned over the front of the car again. "You can help Evan finish reinstalling the upholstery."

Evan feigned a slight smile. "It's not the most illustrious job for a superhero but ... it is what it is."

Reno shrugged in reply. "This is one of those moments that are between the panels in the 'Comic of Life.' You can't fit every moment into every pane, after all," he said. "It'd make for a boring read."

"I suppose you're right." Evan held his hand outwards, palm up, "Hand me that epoxy, Batman."

Reno replied with a smirk, picked up the tube and passed it over to Evan. "There ya' go, Robin."

"Ohh no. I'm more of a Nightwing kinda' guy. I might be younger and look up to you for being a detective, but I can handle myself and even get my own comic series."

Reno held his smirk, rolled his eyes with a chuckle, then said, "Okay, okay. Just don't get yourself shot and turned into a paraplegic like Barbra during her time as Batgirl."

"You got it. I liked Oracle. She was smart. Sometimes I feel like Patty is as close to Oracle as our team gets."

"I hear you, bud."

Evan leaned down beneath the back seat on the driver side.

Reno crouched over the back seat from the passenger side, and lifted a flap of carpeting so Evan could apply the epoxy.

X

---

X

4:30pm AST Bermuda ...

** Rufus put down his pool cue** and bowed to Topaz, arms out. "Yer' skill is undeniable. Y'beat me in Air Hockey, two games. Ain't never gone scoreless before. And you even sharked me in eight ball. Thanks fer takin' my mind off of my friend. You really helped me unwind. I know there's nothing we can do for a few days. And Bermuda, a few beers, and some billiards was jus' what I needed to cut the tension. I feel guilty I'm enjoyin' myself ... but I won't be any good to him if I'm stressed to hell out."

"Exactly." Topaz blew the excess blue chalk off the top of her cue then twirled the stick about, lined up a shot for the eight ball and struck the cue, causing the little white ball to jump over a striped ball then hit the eight ball.

The black ball dropped into a corner pocket then the reverse topspin on the cue caused the white ball to roll back away from the pocket, safely. "I learned pool English from my aunt when I was growing up. I practice playing air hockey against my brother."

Kuda hopped up on the pool table. His tail dangled down the side.

"Kuda, this is a bar. You're not even supposed to be here. Get down before they kick us out."

The fox settled down on the siding around the pool table.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I said get down, not 'lay' down, you dummy."

The miniature fox looked away and sighed through his nose but didn't move.

Rufus put his pool stick up on the wall then turned back to her and the table. "Anything you cain't do well?"

"Manage a healthy relationship," she said. "Look, I spoke to Fox on a sat-phone last night. They should be at the Panama Canal real soon. It won't be long. So, how do you fare in a fight?"

"You don't want to see."

"Actually ... we should go somewhere private and train. It keeps the body and mind sharp and focused."

"Reckon we'll have t' go train then. That's fine. Always good to bond 'n build a lil' rapport with another fighter, reckon."

"So why wouldn't I want to see you fight?"

"Cause it ain't perdy, darlin'. Don't much matter, though. The next enemy in our path ... we cain't even fight'em. We need that foxy chick, Sinopa."

Topaz eyed him for a moment then put her pool cue up on a wall rack. "Why?"

"Because. She cain't be swayed by Sire. His abilities dun' have any effect on'er. Gives her an advantage. Plus I understand she's quite good with fire."

"She's my mother." Topaz blinked. "Well ... I sort of just ... spit those words out without intending it. I, uh, think I have a little trouble with that fact, though. It still sounds weird to say it out loud."

"Pardon?"

"It's a recently learned fact. I'm not quite ready to come to terms with it. But from what I understand ... it's true."

"Well. That's new. Since you dun' seem to wanna talk about it ... how about we change the subject? So! What's new?"

Topaz shook her head. "I should have her come here, right away, so we can take down this punk bitch, Sire, and then we can all relax and practice to ready ourselves for a fight against Aris Falcon. She does this thing with mirrors. Could be here in a matter of minutes."

Kuda stood up from the side of the pool table, stretched with a yawn, curling his tongue, then hopped down to the floor. The little fox paused, sniffed at the bar floor then lifted a forepaw and sniffed. He sniffed at the floor again, then his paw once more.

"What's your problem, Kuda? You step in some sticky, dried up beer or something?"

The little fox lifted his head and snorted disdainfully then fell into step with them as they headed away from the tables to let someone else play.

Topaz shrugged at Rufus. "Anyway, yeah, she can come through reflective surfaces somehow. It's a little creepy to me but like I said she could get here fast."

"No rush, Ladybug. Sire will present himself when it's time. Then we have Sinopa whoop his ass. If we go down to his turf, it won't be an easy fight."

"Fair enough."

Rufus rubbed the thin layer of scruff on his jawline then asked, "So what's the plan?"

Parker shrugged. "We stay here for the next two days or so. We keep Greg Watson alive because he'll be useful to us later on. We wait for Reno and Evan to get to Miami. When Karla, Sinopa and the rest of the group arrive, we'll attack Sire. I know how to lure him out."

"How'zat?"

"Just leave that to me." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "C'mon, this bar is beat. Let's head back to a place I know of; we can spar or something. I like to throw a few punches when I'm riled up. It clears my mind."

"A'ite. You got it, sister."

Kuda followed them to the entrance then stopped and looked up at a sign on the wall by the exit. It had a picture of an animal with a circle over it and a slash through it. He trotted over to the trashcan directly beneath the sign, lifted his back left leg and peed on the side of the can.

After several seconds to mark the side of the can, he scratched his paws at the floor tiles then darted off after Rufus and Topaz.

X

X

---

Next chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/661046