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Our lovely main characters prepare to defend their freedom.

Shifting Consequences--Chapter 23: Preparedness By Zmeydros (Lucien Quinn) zmeydros.tumblr.com zmeydros (Twitter) Malfedrosti (Mal Twitter)

Lying on the bed in Bella's arms in afterglow calms Cher to the point that she dozes off. She wakes up when Bella shifts to lie on her side. The first thing Cher sees when she opens her eyes is a pair of large, impossibly white breasts. When she looks up and sees Bella's face, she gasps in fear.

Bella hugs her. "Shh, it's okay. All the stuff that happened was real. Just take deep breaths and relax."

Being wrapped in Bella's arms helps. That's right, she's an anthro doberman and Bella is an anthro orca... With a big flexible penis. God, her life is weird now.

"Now, you're still a doberman because I cast a sustain spell while you were asleep. It's only been like twenty minutes."

"A sustain spell? Does that mean I can't change back?" Cher shivers in fear as she imagines trying to explain to all her contacts why she is an anthropomorphic dog.

"No, it means that your ability to shift between different forms when you're not having sex will be retained for several hours."

"Sex is what lets me transform?"

"Early on, yes, it appears that way."

"This is very strange."

"Yep!" Bella nods.

Cher looks at the black fur on her arm, the brown fur on her belly and then crosses her eyes to look at her own muzzle.

Bella giggles.

"What?"

"The way your eyes crossed caught me by surprise."

"Oh, haha." Cher nuzzles Bella.

Bella can't wait any longer. This one question has been eating at her ever since she found out what Cher was with the FBI. "Are we in danger of being discovered? Other agents on their way, etcetera?"

"OH! OH NO!" Cher sits up and grimaces at the feeling of her fur being glued together in spots by dry cum. "Yes, there's a team coming, they think Zack Graff is here."

Bella tries to speak, but as she's about to start talking, Cher's eyes go wide and she says, "Wait, you can transform and you transfer it to others through sex, so Zack Graff could be here. I might have already met him!"

"If this Zack, or whoever, was here, what would you do?" If Bella's attempt at playing dumb is working, Cher is giving her no clue.

"That's the only way all this makes sense! I did see Zack and Glenn on the video at the gas station. That's why all the facts fit so nicely. I was right! Damn I'm good." Cher smiles feeling her new lips move across her sharp teeth.

Bella's heart starts to race. What should she do now? "Um, I don't want Zack to get caught. He didn't do anything wrong."

Cher feels her chest tighten. This is the same Bella that started the incident at the school. The same Bella that disappeared when a giant hand grabbed her. The woman that opened the door looked a lot like the woman on the tape. She's sending the covert team to the right place. Cher feels her eyes get wet. Is it safe for Bella, who can change people by having sex with them, to be out in public?

Cher looks down at her furry chest. If her compatriots are looking for Zack because he can change, then they'd incarcerate her too if they knew she was like them. Is she? "So, I'll change to look like this when I have sex. What will happen to the other person?"

"They'll be able to change too."

Cher's stomach turns and she gulps. "So, you, Zack, and Glenn can all change?"

Until she knows whose side Cher is on, Bella's going to avoid mentioning Vale. But as far as Zack and Glenn are concerned, she doubts she can hide much, other than their location, from Cher at this point. "Yes."

Cher looks deep into Bella's eyes. She can see the fear in Bella's eyes, the way she's fiddling with her hands, and the jitteriness of her movements. What is she going to do with these young adults? Give them to Mallory and turn herself in as having been "contaminated?" Tell them how she broke her orders and even slept with one of them? It would be the right thing to do according to regulations.

FUCK THAT! Even if they change other people, there's nothing to indicate that they would rape anyone. She went to bed with Bella willingly. She was horny, but at no point did she feel she had lost her free will. If she'd known she could be in this new and interesting form that has a working pussy, she would have volunteered. The sex was amazing, life-changing, and the most fun she's had in the last ten years.

Wait, has the sex disarmed her? Is she seeing all this through orgasm-colored sunglasses? She really did just sleep with a suspect. That's probably one of the most unprofessional things she could have done. Cher starts to frown in regret, then she grits her teeth and hits her thigh. How could she do that?

"What's wrong?" Bella furrows her brow in concern.

"I shouldn't have slept with you." Cher sighs.

"Oh, because I'm a suspect or something?"

Cher nods. "Yeah, it compromises my perspective on this case and it could lead to me being thrown out."

"Well, I won't tell anyone about it if you don't."

That's right! She already has to cover up the fact that she came here ahead of the team. This whole mess started because this case was stomping all over her ethics. It's not right that she slept with a suspect, well, Bella actually wasn't a target of the investigation... She is technically a witness, though.

"If there's a compelling reason for me to come clean on it, I will tell my superiors. Otherwise, I'm already operating outside of my orders enough that I could get thrown out." It's not like Cher can do anything about the fact that she's an anthro doberman and got this way by having sex with a very sexy hermaphroditic anthro orca. What she needs to decide is whether she should turn them in or not.

"Oh? What orders did you ignore?" Bella tilts her head.

"I'll explain later if necessary. I shouldn't have mentioned that." Cher shakes her head. Maybe she can salvage this. She needs to talk to Zack and then Glenn so she can decide what to do. "Did I meet Zack when I walked in the door?"

"I wasn't there when you came in." Bella looks at the ground and then at Cher's forehead.

"The girl I was talking to on the couch, was that Zack?"

"Not technically, does she fit your description of Zack?" Bella backs away from Cher a bit.

Cher can hear how fast Bella's heart is beating. Wow! Those ears on her head aren't just for show. Her current line of questioning probably won't go anywhere. She hasn't gotten the idea that Bella is outright lying, but it seems that she is choosing her words carefully. She is probably protecting Zack and Glenn. Wait, she must be the same girl that assaulted Zack in the cafeteria. "Bella, didn't you attack Zack?"

Bella's lip quivers. "Yes, I got mad because I didn't understand why he broke up with my friend. The hand that grabbed me was Mal. He forced me to get anger management training in a parallel universe. I'm better now and we worked things out."

Cher starts to disbelieve what Bella said, but then she notices the way her paw pads feel as she moves her hand. What's the point of disbelieving the supernatural when she's an example of it? "A parallel universe?"

"Yeah, it's a story I can tell you later. I know I was wrong to attack him and if you think I'm dangerous, you can take me in, but please don't take Zack or Glenn. They couldn't hurt anyone." Bella starts crying.

She hasn't given Bella any reason to believe that she won't take her in. Cher puts a hand on Bella's shoulder only to be completely derailed in thought by the feeling of her paw pads on Bella's shoulder. Can she call her hands "hands?" Are they paws? Hand paws? Cher shakes her head. This is getting confusing. "I'm starting to trust you, it's just hard because I feel I might lack perspective now that I've been in bed with you." She wipes Bella's tears.

"It's okay."

Bella seems like one of those people that has a lot of trouble telling outright lies. Someone who speaks her mind bluntly and doesn't censor herself that much. It seems like it takes great effort for her to not just say whatever pops into her head. So, if this orca-human hybrid is as straightforward and honest a character as Cher's years of experience reading people suggests, she can get an honest opinion about the group.

Especially if the question isn't directly about a subject that Bella is avoiding. Making Bella nervous would help too. The more nervous a person is, the more they overthink things when they try to lie, making lies even more obvious. Cher looks into Bella's eyes. "If you lie to me about the questions I'm about to ask, I won't tell you any more details about the other agents that are after you and I will hunt you to the ends of the earth if you escape. I am the best in my division for catching lies. Are we clear?"

The intensity Cher's ice cold stare makes Bella feel a bit sick. "Yes."

"Have any of you used your gifts to harm anyone?"

"No."

"Would all of you work very hard to avoid harming anyone even if you may lose your freedom by doing so?"

"Yes." Bella nods.

"Good. Nothing about the records I saw for each of you suggested a lack of empathy or tendency toward criminal behavior. That's why I suspected my superiors were up to no good." Cher gets off the bed. "I'm going to take a quick shower. When I get out, I want to see Zack in his original form standing right here. With that show of good faith in hand, I will do what I can to help you."

Bella just stares at Cher. She can't think of a response that will not admit to Zack being there, but not be perceived as a lie. Bella fiddles with the tips of her fingers, frowning as Cher stares at her.

Seeing Bella so conflicted, Cher walks up and gives her a hug. "If we're going to get out of this mess, trusting each other would be a very good start."

All Bella can think to say is, "OK." She hugs Cher back.

Cher lets go and walks into the shower.

The moment Cher's in the shower, Bella follows her in. "I need to rinse off a bit before I go talk to anyone."

Cher gropes one of Bella's breasts and then stops herself. "You really test my resolve."

"Of course I do, I'm the hottest thing you've ever seen." Bella smirks.

"I want to disagree with you, but--" Cher smacks Bella's voluptuous ass. "I can't think of a counterexample." She's never wanted to smack someone's ass like that. Just how repressed was she?

Bella chitters when she is smacked. "I knew it." She rinses herself off while Cher watches her. Her routine is full of sexy poses.

Cher's giggling by the time Bella leaves the shower. She starts washing her fur. It feels nice to get the mess out of it. Such a relief to not have that strange sensation of hairs being stuck going the wrong direction. As she smooths out the hairs, washes her breasts, her stubby tail, her ears, she feels more and more attached to her current form.

It's so fascinating to have whiskers, digitigrade ankles and feet, paw pads, long pointy ears, and a canine nose. So much of her life was filled with the same repetitive routine. Spending time as something not quite human is a nice change of pace. She's seen people in fursuits going to conventions, mascots, and anthropomorphic characters in animated films, but she never once thought about what it would feel like.

Now she knows. It's not an experience she would have gone out to get on purpose, but now that she has it, she may as well enjoy it. She plays with her whiskers feeling the calming sensation of them being stroked with the grain. The feeling of awe she'd nearly forgotten from being a little kid seeing an amusement park for the first time is back. Nothing could have prepared her for the ride she's on now.

Hopefully, Zack will be there when she gets out of the shower so she get some questions answered and some plans made.

* * * * *

Bella walks over to the far end of the room where Zack is talking to Glenn and Vale. They all look up at her. Vale says, "So, what happened?"

"She turned into a slender doberman and seems pretty happy, but she wants to see Zack in his original form when she gets out of the shower. She seems willing to help us." Bella puts a hand on the back of an unoccupied dining room chair and leans.

"Let's just all transform into Zack's original shape and have her guess which one of us is real?" Vale chuckles.

Glenn laughs along with Zack.

Bella giggles. "She said that we need to build trust, so I'm thinking that would be a bad move."

Zack shrugs, "Well, if she gives me trouble, I can just shock her unconscious or we can overpower her and tie her up so we can flee."

"There are other agents on the way, so I think getting her help is really important." Bella looks at Zack.

"Well, I'm not surprised." Zack gets out of his chair. "Bella, I hate to say it, but you should probably revert back to human form just in case the agents show up before we're expecting them."

Bella frowns as she thinks about her human form. Her skin burns, her face and tailbone crack, her blowhole and cock slit start to seal up. As she changes, she considers having a human penis and balls, but decides against it--she doesn't want to give the government any reason to suspect she's abnormal.

Zack gets out of Glenn's clothes and starts to transform. Getting taller will probably never feel normal. The way his spine cracks and his body widens as his legs extend must feel a bit like being on the rack. Lucky for him, it's not painful enough to feel like torture.

Zack can see Bella blushing as she watches him. He smiles at her. "I think I'm going to meet her naked. I'd like to be able to transform into my disguise and get back into Glenn's clothes at a moment's notice."

"I won't complain." Bella hugs Zack from behind pressing her naked body against his.

"As much as I like what you're doing, you should probably get some clothes on." Zack cranes his head to kiss Bella on the cheek.

"Oh, okay." She lets go of him and walks toward the bedroom.

Glenn says, "Bella, you might want to change your face a bit and such just in case some of them have seen your picture."

Bella looks back at Glenn. "Maybe I'll go blonde... No. Ginger with curls!" Bella's hair starts to change into a bright-but-natural shade of reddish-orange as she continues walking to the bedroom.

"Looking good!" Glenn says.

Vale chuckles. "Make sure you don't lose your soul when you make the switch."

Glenn laughs. "Wow, that episode of South Park was a loooong time ago."

"Yes, but I still think of it whenever I see a redhead." Vale smiles.

"Oh, I'd almost forgotten about that one, thanks Vale." Zack follows after Bella.

"You're welcome." Vale smiles.

Zack turns around for a moment. "Glenn and Vale, you two find the stairwells in case we need to use them for our escape. Don't go near them if you hear any people moving around on our floor. I don't want you two to get ambushed."

The shower water is still running when Zack gets into the bedroom. He sits on the bed and watches Bella get dressed while he waits. She soon notices and looks at him with her new green eyes. "You like my freckles?"

"They look great on you."

"Do they look good here?" Bella squeezes her breasts together.

"Yes," Zack blushes.

"How about here?" She turns to the side and jiggles her ass.

"Yes," Zack feels himself hardening.

"And here?" Bella bends over and parts her pussy for Zack.

"Oh yes!" Zack's cock throbs. Bella has retained her voluptuous proportions and he's imagining her riding him while they both transform. "I'd rather not have a raging hard-on when I'm talking to Cher."

"Aww, is my body making you hard?" Bella pulls up a breast and licks her nipple.

His penis is now poking out of his sheath. No matter what he does or how many times he transforms, his penis has a sheath in all his forms. The only way he can have a phallus without a sheath is to have a really big clit. The head of his erection looks like Bella's whalehood. He curls it and then looks away when he feels himself getting even more aroused.

"Okay, I'll stop." Bella puts on her panties and bra.

"Thanks." Zack looks at the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Bella is just sitting next to Zack on the bed with her arm over his shoulders. Both of them jump when they hear a clattering and then a yelp from the shower. Zack dashes in to see Cher sitting on the floor rubbing her elbow.

"I'm not used to these feet. I think I'm done anyway." Cher's face goes from wincing in pain to a perky-eared wide-eyed expression of excitement. "It's you!"

"Yeah, Zack Graff at your service." Zack bows and then opens the shower door and shuts off the water. He puts his hands under her arm pits and helps her to her feet.

"Thanks." She takes a couple experimental steps.

Zack grabs her a towel and eyes her elegant and slender anthro body. "You're beautiful!"

"I am?" Cher smiles.

"Absolutely. The doberman colors are spectacular and the mixture of lightly toned muscles and slight curves has all the grace of the breed you love."

"How do you know I like dobermans?" Cher feels a ear fold down while the other is still standing straight up.

"When people transform, it is into a form of an animal they're emotionally attached to." Zack strokes her cheek.

She presses against his hand. "That's a good trait for your powers to have."

"Yes it is." He takes his hand away. "You'll be easier to dry if you revert to human form and you'll be less likely to spook your compatriots. Just imagine your previous form."

Cher thinks about her previous form, but nothing happens because her mind drifts to the fact that she's standing right next to a naked Zack. She really did find him.

"Concentrate," Zack says.

"Oh, right." Cher concentrates again remembering her previous form--the form she put clothes on without any real care as to whether they looked good on her. She feels a tingling across all the fur on her body and then a slight burning sensation.

When her legs crack, she stops from the sickening feeling of the bones changing shape. "It hurts."

"That's okay, it's normal for it to hurt a bit. Keep going. I am really sorry that you have to go through this, though. I know it can be unpleasant, but it gets easier the more you transform." Zack puts a hand on her shoulder.

She concentrates again and feels a soreness in her jaw as well as at her tailbone. She grits her teeth, but the strange sensations cause her to start breathing fast. What if she can't change back? "I'm not sure I can do this."

"Mind if I distract you?" Zack rubs her inner thigh with his free hand. "You probably didn't notice the pain the first time because of all the pleasure."

There's a smell in the air that has Cher feeling very in need of touch. She looks into Zack's eyes. "Go ahead." When Zack starts rubbing her clit, she starts concentrating on changing again. She moans in pleasure and groans in pain and discomfort as her body shifts.

When the paw pads start going back into her hands, she winces a bit and Zack responds by putting his middle finger inside her. She grabs on to him and gasps. She feels her ears move down her head and her hair grow back as her muzzle recedes back into her face.

She opens her mouth when her teeth start grinding against each other from shifting while her jaw is clenched. Zack fingers her tenderly, slowly. It feels like he's just pleasuring her without trying to fuck her or make it overly sexual. He is the antithesis of a person that should be locked up. She feels her feet change along with her breasts. She bucks her hips trying to get Zack to go a bit harder. She's almost done transforming!

The last bits of fur change to skin as her nose goes from canine to human. A couple more pops from her ankles later, she feels completely human again. She takes the towel in one hand while she guides Zack's free hand to her left breast with the other. "Mmm, Just hold me for a moment. I really like the feeling of your chest against my side. I haven't felt a male body in a really long time."

Zack holds her feeling his cock slide out against her thigh. She reaches down and grabs it making him moan.

"Like Bella's?"

"Were you thinking about Bella's?"

"Yeah."

"That's how it works."

"That is really interesting." Cher looks down thinking about having him inside her and then she blinks. What is she doing? She lets go of him. "Thanks, I think I'm good now."

Zack pulls his finger out of her causing her to moan. "Okay, so I'm here, now what?"

"I dry off." She starts using the towel.

Zack tastes his middle finger. Metallic, musky, not bad at all.

Cher blushes deeply when she sees him taste her juices. She dries off a bit more and Zack steps out of the shower to give her room.

"Okay, so, there are other agents on their way? I'm leaving my freedom in your hands." Zack says, feeling his heartbeat pick up a bit.

Cher looks at Zack, thinks about how he and Glenn looked like very decent people on paper. Zack seems genuinely concerned about her wellbeing. "Is Glenn every bit as nice as you?"

Zack nods. "Perhaps even nicer."

"Why did you break out of jail?"

"Because I was told by one of the police that the FBI was coming for me and I knew that my transformation had been caught on camera. This isn't a day and age where the government will see something like that and let you run around free." Zack shrugs. "I didn't have much time to think about it. Both Glenn and I thought running away was worth the risk."

That's it. Cher needs no more. If these fugitives are a genuine harm to anyone, she has no evidence to support that claim. A plan starts to form in her mind. "People genuinely are happy with the transformations you cause?"

"As far as I can tell, people find it freeing, new, sexy, and exhilarating. I'm sure there are some people that have very little attachment to animals or nature. I'm not sure they would transform."

"Well one member of the team that's on its way probably wouldn't transform. I have a feeling he's on it because he gets along well with the person who set the team up. We'll need a way to make sure he doesn't know what happens."

"I can cloud his senses and make him sleep through whatever you're planning." Bella offers.

"We'll need to do that." Cher walks over to her clothes and puts on her undergarments.

"What are you planning?" Zack asks.

"I want to find a way to subdue them all, then transform them one by one. If they share the fact that they can transform like us, I'll be able to turn them into allies against the craziness that has taken over my department." Cher hops a bit when she pulls on her pants.

Bella's eyes widen. "You really want to transform them? People you work with?"

Putting on her blouse, Cher says, "Yes, is there a way to take away the ability to transform if they don't like it?"

"Mal, would you be willing to do that?" Bella asks.

A floating white glove with "FAK!" embroidered on it in black thread appears. "As long as I can carefully remove their memory of the experience and other little details that would give Cher away."

"So, you're the entity that sent me texts and caused this sexually transmitted transformation? You had me questioning my sanity. It wasn't fun."

"But, the question is, are you having fun now?" The glove does a flip.

"Well, more fun than I was having before. Way more risk involved. I forgot what that felt like." Cher sighs. "But, I'm afraid you're going to cause huge problems. If there's a mass panic about people being able to transform, many lives could be lost."

"PANCAKES! If I caused mass panic and lives were lost, I could be fired, so I'm hoping you'll use your influence to improve the government that employs you. The government overreacting is as dangerous as the public overreacting."

Bella and Zack laugh at Mal's breakfast-themed exclamation.

"I-uh-I'm not sure I have much influence at all." Cher looks away from the glove.

"Just find people that you think would enjoy your gift and share it. With the power Bella delivered to you, you will find allies easier to come by. I want you to be a promiscuous tomato!"

Zack tries not to laugh as Bella chitters.

"A promiscuous tomato? Transforming many of my coworkers? I'm not sure that's the right thing to do. It's a bit subversive." Cher shakes her head.

The glove points at Cher. "It's up to you, but I can assure you, the people you feel most sexually drawn to will be people who will enjoy the result. I have given you a sense of people's inner desires that rivals Zack's. With that in hand, you can make people's sexual dreams come true. You'll spice up their lives and, if you play your cards right, you will start improving your government from the inside out."

"That's a lot to think about. I've never wanted political power, especially not political power garnered by sex. Let's see how subduing the covert team goes. I don't have much choice with them. I either put Zack and Glenn in Mallory's dysfunctional care, or I find a way to protect them." Cher puts on her business jacket.

"That's the spirit. Blades of pompenstance." The glove spins. "Now, don't expect me to step in and disable all their guns or something like that. I am only able to meddle in this reality so much at this point and I don't want to generate the expectation that I will save the day whenever things get difficult."

Zack nods. "Understood. We'll work out a plan."

"Be like the pretty bagel you are, don't let them steal your citrusy cream cheese." The glove takes a bow. "I bid you adieu."

"Okay, planning... Well, I can do this." Zack holds out his hands and sparks jump between them.

Cher's eyes widen. "How far can you project those?"

"Not sure, at least six feet or more." Zack holds his hands farther apart.

"Okay, is it safe for the person you shock?" Cher takes a step back.

"Never tried it on anyone, but Mal insists that he wouldn't let me kill people with it." Zack stops.

Bella looks out of the bedroom door. "Let's go to the table and plan along with Glenn and Vale."

Cher puts on her socks and shoes.

"Yeah." Zack walks out of the bedroom. "I need to change so I can change into Glenn's clothes."

Bella and Cher follow him. Cher fastens her belt on the way. Zack grabs Glenn's clothes on the way and starts getting shorter as his breasts fill in. Vale and Glenn look at Cher suspiciously.

Vale is the first to speak. "So, is she going to help us?"

Moving his jaw as it cracks, Zack nods.

Glenn looks at Bella. "Whoa, getting in touch with your Irish heritage?"

"I'm not Ir--oh, haha. Yeah, I wanted to try out this look ever since I saw 'Brave.'"

"Great movie." Glen smiles.

Vale shrugs. "I went in expecting a Pixar film and soon realized I was watching a Dreamworks or Disney film. That tarnished my initial impression. I still liked it, though."

Cher thumps her hands on the stone inlay on the otherwise cherrywood table. "Sorry to be the cop in this situation, but it's part of my training. I need all of you to focus on formulating a plan. We only have a couple hours. Jovial camaraderie needs to take a back seat."

Bella nods. "Okay, there's a team coming. Like four agents?"

"Yes, four or five." Cher nods.

"Well, we already know I can shock them." Zack says as he gets dressed.

"And just in case he has a chance of killing anyone, I'll let Zack hold my zapper so he can mimic its electrical output." Bella gets up and grabs her purse.

Glenn leans back in his chair and looks at the far wall for a moment. "Can we get them to go into the basement? If we flood an area down there, Zack could zap them all at once."

Cher smiles. "That's a great idea!"

"But how do we get them to go to the basement? The person up front will tell them our room is here." Vale pokes at the edge of the table.

"Which one of you is Glenn and which one of you is someone I've never met?" Cher looks at both Vale and Glenn.

"I'm the one you never met." Vale says. She looks nothing like her old self, but there's no reason to tell Cher that.

"Do all of you vouch for this person's character?" Cher looks at each of them.

Bella, Zack, and Glenn say. "Yes."

"Good, now about how we get them to go downstairs..." Cher puts a finger to her chin.

"I don't know how your organization works, so I'm not sure." Zack shrugs.

"Well, I was supposed to do a stakeout and notify Mallory if I saw you leave." No way that she can think of would be something that Mallory wouldn't get mad about. Cher steels herself. If that's the way it has to be, then that's what she'll do. "I'll tell Mallory that during my stakeout, I saw no movement in the hotel room, so I asked the person at the front desk. Then I'll tell her that the person at the front desk saw someone that wasn't part of the staff hanging around the door to the basement."

Glenn gets a twinkle in his eye. "That's great! Wait until shortly before the time they're supposed to show up to tell her and they'll be more disorganized."

Cher shakes her head. They're planning an ambush on her fellow agents! This is a terrible idea! What is she thinking? "Wait, we can't go on the offensive. It would legitimize your fugitive status."

Bella sighs. "So you start planning with us and now you have cold feet? You're the one that suggested we subdue them."

"I could try to convince Mallory to call it off. That you are not the right people." Cher looks at all of them. Her heart is pounding. She's not cut out for this. She doesn't want to betray either side.

"We're in your hands, if that's what you want to try, go ahead." Glenn leans forward and puts his arms on the table.

Vale hits the table. "I know exactly what's going on. You don't want to betray the FBI."

"I-well, no I don't!" Cher glares at Vale. "If you worked with the FBI for well over a decade, would you want to betray them? After all the lives you saved? All the crimes you averted?"

"There's no doubt in my mind that this is hard, but you have to pick a side or this situation will turn into one giant mess." Vale throws his hands apart as if they're part of an explosion.

"Well, let me try calling first, then we can plan accordingly." Cher gets up from the table. "I'll be back in a few."

"Cher, wait." Zack gets up and stands in front of Cher. "The team isn't due for a couple hours, why don't we just leave? We'd have more time to prepare or get the FBI off our trail completely."

"While I'm on the phone, prepare to leave. If I don't succeed in convincing Mallory, we can discuss you running. Mal's suggestion that I could get allies to fix problems with my department is part of the reason I wanted to subdue the team. It's just that I am having trouble adjusting to the idea of doing something overtly violent to them and making all of you a higher priority target." Cher steps to the side. "I want to use what little time we have to create the best case scenario. May I go now?"

"Look, what will we do if you've suddenly decided not to help us and you tell the team to show up early?" Glenn furrows his brow.

"You'll have to trust me. Plus, you're not ready to leave right this minute. If you take your car, you'll be found very quickly." Cher starts walking toward the front door.

Vale gets up. "Cher, you're really testing my trust."

"I know." Cher opens the door. "Whether you stay or not is up to you." She walks out and closes the door behind her.

Zack turns around. "Let's get everything together. Think about whether you want to run or you want to stay. The moment we are ready to go, we will vote."

Everyone dashes over to their loose clothes and bathroom items and starts gathering them up. Glenn pulls out a roll of big black trash bags and says. "Come and get one of these for your dirty clothes."

Zack grabs his toothbrush off of the bathroom sink and some random clothing and brings it over to Glenn. He puts the dirty stuff in one of the trash bags. "I'm going to go clean up any errant cum."

"Wait." Glenn looks around in his bag and pulls out a squirt bottle. "Use this, it's a cleaner I mix up myself that is safe for fabric. Has a bunch of good stuff in it."

"Thanks!" Zack runs off to the bathroom and grabs a towel, then he goes over to the couch and uses the cleaner on any spot he can find.

Bella walks up behind him. "Tatha eta graim deem salla salla crine spansendine." All the stains on the couch and carpet within ten feet glow cyan. Then little spots of the color float upward away from the floor pooling into little spheres. "This is probably my mom's favorite spell and she doesn't even know it."

Zack gapes at what he's seeing. "Do you even have to do laundry?"

"If I keep up with it, no. If I have a pile, it is actually a bit too much work. Getting odors out and stains takes a bit of doing. The messes we made are more fresh and I know what they are composed of." Bella moves her hands and the globs go together into one big glob about the size of a grape. Bella guides it with her as she walks over to the toilet and tosses it in. Then she turns to the bed and casts the same spell.

Zack watches from behind as she casts it. Strands of green, red and then purple follow her fingers. Once all the cyan drops are collected into a cyan glob at least two grapes in size, she guides it over to the toilet and flushes it down. "There. I think we're all ready now."

The moment Bella walks back into the bedroom, Zack says, "One last thing, pull out your zapper. If we meet resistance during anything we plan, I should know what sort of shock to produce."

"Good idea." She walks over to her purse and pulls it out.

When she turns it on, Zack and Glenn jump at the sudden loud buzzing sound it makes. Glenn yells, "JESUS!" along with his jump.

"Sorry." Bella stifles a giggle.

"No problem. I just wasn't expecting that." Glenn starts zipping up his bags.

"I could feel it in the back of my mind. Lots of discharges, more voltage right at the beginning and then less as it stays on." Zack holds his hands about a foot apart. "Like this?" The zapping sound is near identical.

Glenn walks toward Zack and Bella holding a big green duffle bag. "Zack, the amperage is the important part. You'll need more volts the farther you want it to go, just don't exceed the amperage that the zapper puts out and the person you hit with it should be fine."

Zack nods. "Okay, now we vote."

Vale says, "Wait just a moment. I need to get my phone charger."

Zack sighs. He's not even sure how he's going to vote after Vale packs his last item.