FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Forward

"Agent Tag" The little mink called after the older bear and ran down the hall to him. "You sent for me?"

The bear stopped looking back at her. His gruff voice stern and forceful. "Yes, I did. Took you long enough to get here." He cut her off before she could reply, "Now, tell me about this new mutt I have to look at." He started walking again and she followed.

"Yes Sir." She pulled out a dossier of the patient in question. "His name is Kalt Vetur, used to be Kalt Vetur Wulf. He had it legally changed to drop his last name for personal reasons. He was the last of 11 pups born to his father's family and the only pup to live from his mother. Also, the first ever to have white fur and reaching puberty he developed a blue coloration to some areas of his body, neither fur mutation had not been recorded in his family history. He was raised as an only child, his next older step-brother was 10 years different in age and all his half siblings lived with their mother. His father died when he was 13 and his mother died when he was 16. He was taken in by his eldest step-sister for a short time until he moved out on his on at the age of 18. He is homosexual and this made him an outcast from most of his family. I suspect this is why he dropped his original last name.

"He mostly has led an average life, not many friends, mostly acquaintances, yet most people like him very well. He protects and provides those that need help and is very loyal to those that he does become attached to. Even though he looks like he is out of shape, most people believe he is not to be underestimated during a physical fight and often is able to accomplish physical activities that others in his physical shape could not and he shows a slightly enhanced physical agility though untrained.

"He also apparently considers himself a geek and his scholastic history shows he is very intelligent. He is quite brilliant with computers, software apps and hardware, as well mathematics. Both seem to be second nature to him."

The bear looked back at her. "Well why is he here and why should I be interested in him?"

Looking at the bear wide eyed it was clear the mink was surprised he had not been told anything. "Oh. Uh... there was an accident that has altered his DNA. The past few days he's been here he was looked over by the doctors and they couldn't figure out how to stop the changing process and it now looks to be permanent. His body is able to produce electrical current and his fur becomes luminescent. There is an added affect of this lowering the temperature around him and the surrounding area."

The bear stopped and turned to the mink. "So what is wrong with the guy? Usually someone like this is missing their marbles or disfigured."

"The state of his sanity still remains to be seen, but the tests show that he may be stable. We won't know for sure, until he wakes up fully. The theory is that his DNA was designed for these abilities and the accident was just the trigger needed to bring them out." The bear paused. As the bear turned away again, the mink put her paw on his arm to stop him. "Sir..." She paused as he stopped and looked at her. "... the doctors almost think that this was something akin to fate, that something set him up for this to happen."

The bear nodded. He knew what the mink meant, but knew it was not something to talk about. "Anything else I need to know?"

She hesitated. "Sir...."

After a slight moment, "Spit it out girl, I don't have all day."

She sighed. "Sir... his mother was Hellena Michem." She stood for another half moment then walked away leaving the bear to contemplate this last bit of information on his own.

*********

Searching for Baron

The corridor he sped cautiously down grew darker. He came to the end of this length and the next turned sharply to the right. He looked down the next corridor. It was not lit. He could barely see the far wall at the end from the light in this area. No other direction to go but this on. There was a door at the end of the next corridor, though this one was not hidden like the last one was. This one was in plain sight.

'Hmmmmm' He thought. 'It's in plain sight because it's supposed to be found or because it wasn't expected that anyone would get this far. Either is possible, but... which to believe?'

He looked behind him. No one was following. From all he could tell, he was on his own with only one person left to find. As he slowly walked down the next corridor, his thoughts slipped back again, as they had many times before, about how he and his ex had got themselves caught up in this mess.

Kalt was 18 when he started classes at the local community college. He was majoring in computer science with a minor in teaching and mathematics. His goal was to be a high school teacher, hopefully within the next five or six years, and teach computer science and math. Being an idealistic guy he was an extravert but tried not to be too outgoing since he lacked the self-confidence necessary. About the only outgoing part of his schooling was the show choir. He wasn't a professional level singer and dancer, but he was good enough to be a part of the group and he enjoyed it very well.

Between his heavy school work, practicing his singing and dancing, and working almost every night at the local Dairy King, Kalt kept himself very busy and didn't have much time to socialize. That is, until Baron walked into the Dairy King.

Baron was Kalt's height, around six feet tall, and looked his age. His blue eyes also matched Kalt's. However, the orange and black striped fur all over Baron's body was strikingly different to Kalt's snow white fur. The only areas on Kalt that had any color other than white were his head, beard, under his arms, and one other place, which all had blue streaks of fur. The other noticeable difference between them was that Baron seemed to be in better shape than Kalt. Where Kalt had a chubby belly, Baron seemed to be muscled and toned well.

Kalt looked up from behind the kitchen area and saw Baron ordering food at the counter. His eyes lingered. Eventually Baron looked up and saw Kalt staring. He smiled. Kalt snapped his head away for a second. Realizing his stupidity and embarrassment, he looked back. Baron was grinning at him. Kalt smiled. Baron winked.

"Hey, Kalt." A coworker was calling for him. A squirrel from farther back in the store. Kalt went to the back to see what she needed. Baron watched Kalt's tail wag as he left the kitchen and disappear from view.

The squirrel, Sharon, was short and needed Kalt to pull down a box of paper cups for her. When he was done helping he went back to the kitchen. He didn't see Baron at the counter any more. Kalt sighed and started to pay attention to his work again. Knocking out a few orders that came in, a small rush, and the kitchen needed to be cleaned up a little. Kalt was in the middle of that when Sharon called him up to the front counter to talk to a customer. He looked up and there was Baron, standing at the front counter.

Kalt walked up. "Can I help you?"

Baron looked down at the counter. "I just asked if I could meet the cook that made my order. He did a great job on my burger."

Kalt's ears flattened on the top of his head in embarrassment. "I... uh... I'm glad you liked it. Thanks."

Baron chuckled. "What time do y'all close and get out of here?"

"Tonight we close at eleven."

"What are you doing at eleven?"

"I'll be cleaning up probably." Kalt looked at the counter shyly and scuffed his foot paws absentmindedly.

"How long will that take?"

"An hour probably."

"I'll pick you up around twelve then. Maybe we can hang out and you can show me around. I just moved here to go to school."

Kalt's ears went straight up. His tail stopped wagging. The rest of his body froze. "...uh sure... uh, I mean... uh"

Baron chuckled. "You're cute. I'll see you in a few hours." He nodded and walked out.

Kalt just stood there and watched him leave. After Baron's car was out of the parking lot Kalt walked back to the kitchen. In front of him were his three fellow coworkers, all grinning at him. As usual, Sharon spoke first. "Kalt's got a date after work."

Kalt's ears flattened, embarrassed again. "Maybe." The nervous giggle in his voice was easy to hear. He pushed his way past his coworkers and went to work.

Two of the other workers left him alone, not as familiar with him as Sharon. She walked up to him. "Hey, big guy. This is good. You have a date."

Kalt looked at her with a grin. "I really don't know if it's a date or not." He was trying to regain his composure.

She chuckled. "He said you were cute."

Kalt froze, staring at the grill in front of him. She walked back up front. 'WOW, he actually said that. I thought it was in my head', he thought to himself. He shook his head and started his work again.

At closing time, Kalt looked outside. There were no cars in the parking lot. He kept to his cleaning, trying not to think about it. A little bit later, as usual, his coworkers were done before he was. He saw them out and didn't give Sharon the chance to say anything about Baron and pushed her out the door and locked it. She stood outside the glass door and stared back, grinning at him. He shrugged as if to ask "What?" She waved at him and walked to her car.

Heading back to the kitchen, he saw headlights shine through the windows. A car was pulling into the parking lot. It was Baron. He pulled up next to Sharon and stopped her. Kalt watched for a few seconds until Sharon pointed back at the building. Kalt could be seen and he knew it. She waved at him. He nodded and waved back shyly. He only had a couple more things to do and he was going to be done as well.

After finishing his work, he left out the front door. Sharon was sitting out on the hood of her car talking to Baron. Kalt slowly, and nervously, walked up to them as they were laughing. Baron looked over at him and his tiger tail started to wag happily. "Hey, Kalt."

"Hi... uh."

"Kalt," Sharon cut in, "This is Baron. He's a tiger from upstate and he's here to go to college to be an engineer." Her eyebrows bounced a couple times. "They do a lot of math he says." Kalt gave her a look. She understood. "Well. I think it's time for me to get out of here before I embarrass him." She hopped down from her car hood and walked over to the driver's side door. Kalt walked over to her, once he was sure she was all the way in, closed the door behind her. She started her car. Raising her voice slightly to be sure Baron could hear her clearly, "Ok. I'll see you tomorrow night, Kalt. Ohhhhh, wait. You have the next couple nights off. That's convenient." She winked at him. "I guess I'll see you after that." She was grinning as she pulled drove away.

Baron was chuckling. "She's awesome. You have a great friend there."

"Ya. Though she's a pawful sometimes."

"I can see that." Baron chuckled again. He walked up to Kalt. "So, a big dog like you, do you think you will get along well with a big cat like me?"

Kalt grinned at him, his tail wagging behind him, "Ya. I think I can. You seem like a nice guy."

"Just you wait... you're gonna see just how nice."

Kalt's ears stood up.

"So, she said you don't drive and usually walk. Can I take you somewhere?"

"She has a big mouth." They both laughed.

"Squirrels usually do. They love to chatter about anything they can." Baron rubbed Kalt's shoulder for a second. Kalt pulled back a little. Baron's expression changed and his ears, which had been straight up, relaxed a little. "Uh, listen, Kalt. I hope you don't mind, I move fast, but I can slow down."

"Maybe you should. I've never dated before. Well... well, another guy that is. I only came out to everyone less than a year ago."

"Ok. We'll take it as slow as you want, but I do believe in love at first sight."

Kalt's jaw dropped open.

Baron sighed. "I did say I was going to take it slow, and here I am talking about love already." He stepped back and leaned against the passenger door of his car. "I'm sorry, maybe this was a bad idea." He looked at Kalt to gauge his reaction.

Kalt sighed. "Not a bad idea. Just, let's get to know each other first."

Baron smiled. "Cool." He stood up straight again. "So what should we do?"

Kalt laughed. "Well, I probably should go home and get cleaned up first, then we can see what we want to do at that time."

"Sure. No problem there. If I may ask, how long does it take you to get ready?"

"About 30 to 40 minutes. I have a lot of fluffy fur as you can see."

"Ya, I see it. It's beautiful."

"Maybe, but try to shower and brush it in 10 minutes." Kalt chuckled.

"Ok. Let me take you home then I'll come back and pick you up... say an hour later?"

"No."

Baron's ears fell flat.

"You can come in and check out my apartment while I shower if you want."

His ears popped up again. "Really?"

"Ya, you into geeky stuff?"

"I want to be an engineer. What do you think?" They both laughed.

"I have tons of geek stuff for you to keep yourself occupied while I shower."

"Cool." Baron opened the passenger door for Kalt, who stepped inside. Then he ran around the back side of his car and got in to the driver's seat. "Just tell me where to go and I'll get you there."

Kalt gave him directions as they drove. They were only about five minutes away by car to Kalt's duplex apartment. When they walked in, Kalt immediately walked Baron around the apartment. Kalt had a big DVD and comic collection. They started talking about those for a bit before they realized they had already spent almost an hour talking instead of Kalt getting cleaned up. Kalt excused himself to shower and change.

Half way through the shower, Kalt heard the door open. "Um, Kalt. Can I come in?"

Kalt was a little weirded out by the intrusion. He was just finished shampooing his fur and was about to rinse off. "What do you need?" He stood there behind the curtain.

"I just gotta piss really bad. I hope you don't mind if I do while you're in there."

"Um... sure." Kalt had been in locker rooms before and this stuff never bothered him. He tried to think about it in the same way. He heard the toilet seat raise and then heard Baron's stream hit the water.

Kalt instantly felt his sheath growing slightly. He tried not to think about it and continued to rinse himself off.

Baron gave a sigh of relief as the stream slowed. "Thanks, man. I'm sorry to bother you like this. I just couldn't hold it anymore."

"That's fine. Just don't flush."

"I'm glad you said something. I was about to." Baron chuckled. "Ok. I'll leave you alone and see you in the living room."

"You don't have to." Kalt said, regretting it right after. "I mean. You can stay in here to talk until I'm ready to step out. It won't be but a few minutes from now."

They talked for a bit as Kalt finished up. When he was done and ready to dry off, Baron gave him his towel over the curtain rod. Kalt thanked him and Baron left the bathroom. Kalt peeked out and he saw Baron was gone.

He dried off, got dressed, then joined Baron in the living room. There they chatted through the night. Baron eventually lying down on Kalt's couch, laying his head on Kalt's lap. They continued to talk until Baron fell asleep.

Kalt stared at him and rubbed the fur on his head. He smiled as Kalt did that. He was asleep as far as Kalt could tell so the reaction was natural. Kalt himself fell asleep in a haze of contentment.

Over the next few years, Kalt and Baron became very close and started dating. The times they spent together were amazing. And the sex... it was the better than either of them had expected. Baron was mostly a top and Kalt mostly a bottom. They seemed to match in mostly everything.

Kalt dropped the teaching idea in favor of just computer science and programming. He and Baron both transferred to the same university after their two years at the community college and started to collaborate on projects together. As with all relationships, there were some good times and bad times, but they knew they would always overcome the bad times because the good times were so damn good.

One night, Baron was working late in one of the labs and Kalt decided to take him dinner. Maybe he could help, he thought. When he walked in, he was greeted by a big warm smile, a kiss, and a hug.

"What brings you here, hon?"

Kalt held up a Dairy King bag of food. "I brought you dinner." He put the drink he had with him next to Baron's computer station.

"Awe. My loving dog." Baron kissed him again and took the offered bag. "I'm starving. I have not eaten anything since breakfast at the apartment."

"I thought that was the case. I didn't want it to be another 14 hour day for you between meals." Kalt looked around while Baron started eating. "Still working on your project tonight or do they have you distracted again on something else?"

"Luckily I have time to work on my project. Just the next step to see if my design will work so far as expected."

Kalt stepped up to the device Baron had been working on. A new style of generator that used coolant chemical reactions to produce electricity.

"My design is simple. I really just hope that I have not just wasted a full year developing it."

Looking at him and smiling, Kalt offered encouragement. "Hon, you have never had anything fail on you."

"Not yet." Hugging Kalt, he pushed his crotch into Kalt's hip.

"What do we have here?" Kalt pushed his paw down the front of Baron's pants to find what was pressing on him. "Looks like you are a little horny, hon."

"I have been cooped up in this lab all day away from my awesome and sexy dog. Of course I'm horny."

Kalt rubbed the sheath of Baron's cock between his digits. "Do you think we have time to do anything about it now?"

"I can take a break." Baron grinned and held up a paw and one digit. He backed away slowly, letting Kalt pull his paw out. He went to the door, locked it and pulled the shade down over the lone window. Turning out the lights, the room was bathed in a bluish light with some mist, both coming from the new generator. Kalt thought it looked neat, especially since it made his fur seem to glow in the dark. Walking back over to Kalt, Baron said, "Now, where were we?"

Kalt turned to face him just in time for Baron to press their muzzles together. They kissed passionately, their tongues rubbing together furiously. Kalt unbuttoned and removed Baron's shirt. Baron pulled Kalt's t-shirt off of him and threw it off to the side while Kalt unbuckled Baron's belt and pants, pushing them down. Baron did the same to Kalt's pants. They only broke the kiss to take Kalt's shirt off.

Now mostly undressed, Kalt turned around and offered his tail ring to Baron. Baron pulled some sterile lube out of a drawer and lubed up Kalt's hole. Kalt moaned as he leaned across the work desk. Baron wasted no time pushing his cock into Kalt's hole. The barbs on Baron's cock were painful to Kalt to begin with, but he was used to it and the pain passed quickly.

Baron fucked Kalt without mercy. It was loving, but they liked it ruff. They figured that out the first time they had sex. The ruffer the better for the both of them.

Kalt's own cock was sticking out of his sheath and was dripping onto the floor. He moved back to meet Baron's forward thrusts and pulled forward slightly when Baron pulled away.

As horned up and as ruff as they were going, it didn't take long before Baron shot into Kalt, filling him full of his tiger seed. Kalt loved the feeling of Baron in him, and Baron hit all the right spots inside... as he was being filled, Kalt was cumming all over the side of the bench and the floor.

When both of their orgasms stopped, Baron pulled out, huffing and puffing. Kalt looked back at him with a long grin. Baron relaxed, falling onto Kalt, trying to be playful. Kalt's paws slipped on the marble work desk and hit the drink cup. It fell over, the lid falling off. They both looked at it, wide eyed as it spilled the entire contents of soda inside the generator.

Seconds later, they were both blinded by a bright light.

Kalt woke a little while later when he felt himself floating. He saw a man he didn't know wearing a white shirt standing above him. The man spoke at someone else at Kalt's feet. It took a couple seconds for his words to kick in. ".... seems to be awake." He looked at Kalt and pulled out something from his shirt pocket. It was a small flashlight he shined into Kalt's eyes, one at a time. "How are you, son?"

Making a quick assessment of his feelings, both physical and mental, Kalt answered, "I'm ok. A little dizzy, confused, and hot."

"You're going to be alright, son. You've survived the explosion rather miraculously."

"Explosion?" It all came back to him. Kalt quickly looked around. "Baron? Where's Baron?"

The men looked at each other, then back at him. The second guy at Kalt's feet asked, "Was someone else here with you when this happened?"

"Ya. My boyfriend. I brought him dinner while he was working. Where is he?" He looked around. The lab had been on fire and was still wet from the sprinklers. There was nothing salvageable from Baron's generator and his computer had been destroyed as well.

The second man looked at the first. "When we got here you were the only one here."

Kalt tried to get up. "I've got to find him. Maybe he's hurt."

The men pushed him back down. "Son, you need to stay where you are. We need to check you out at the hospital and make sure there are no problems we can't see."

"NO, I GOTTA FIND BARON!"

They pushed him back down again. Then they stepped back, their eyes wide.

Kalt stood up off the gurney. He felt weak and dizzy. The room started to spin. He looked at the floor and saw it getting closer. He heard a scream, a loud thud, and a couple more explosions before he blacked out and hit the floor.

When he woke, Kalt looked around. It looked like a hospital room.

"Ah you're awake. About time."

Kalt swung his head over to look in the direction where the voice came from. A brown bear in a military suit stepped closer to Kalt's bed. "Who are you?"

"I'm Agent Tag. You're Kalt Vetur Wolf."

"I dropped my last name legally about three years ago. I'm just Kalt Vetur now." He looked at the bear. "You said your name is AGENT Tag. Not Officer Tag or Sargent."

Tag looked at him and realized he didn't miss any inflection in the statements. "They said you were smart."

"Who said?"

"Your classmates and your teachers. They said you were good at details, a great guy, didn't start trouble, always there to help anyone who was in trouble... in short, they spoke highly of you and your integrity."

Kalt just looked at him, trying to figure out what the bear was getting at.

"So, Kalt Vetur... I'm trying to figure out why someone that everyone says is such a great guy... would electrocute a couple paramedics that were trying to help him."

Staring into his eyes, Kalt's jaw dropped open but he was speechless. He didn't know what the bear was talking about. "Um... I think I need a lawyer."

"See", the bear started talking again, pacing around the bed Kalt was lying in, "I don't think you have any idea what I am talking about. Do you?"

Kalt reluctantly shook his head.

Before he could speak the bear continued. "... and, I have a feeling you have no idea what has happened to you."

Closing his mouth this time, Kalt wanted to remain silent and listen to the bear, hoping he would tell Kalt everything he wanted to know.

"When you were found in the school lab, you were unconscious... at least nearest we can tell." Agent Tag stopped pacing. "Now before I continue, I want you to tell me everything you remember. And I mean EVERYTHING. Starting from when you first got there."

Kalt sighed. He told Agent Tag everything. He told him about taking dinner to Baron, about how they kissed and hugged, though when it came to the juicier part he left that a little vague. Tag just nodded and waved his paw in a "go on, continue" motion. When it came down to the actual explosion, Kalt couldn't remember everything that had happened other than seeing the bright flash of light. Then he remembered the two men talking to him, trying to hold him down when he wanted to find Baron... That's when Kalt paused. He remembered the look in their eyes. The look of fear as it crossed their faces.

"What's wrong, mutt? You're boyfriend cat is not here, so I don't think he has your tongue."

Kalt gave him a dirty look and growled a little.

Tag backed away and his tough expression softened and became blank. "Easy, son. Calm down before you hurt someone."

The machine next to Kalt, something that was attached to him by wires gave three beeps then it exploded. Kalt and Tag both turned away from it out of instinct, putting their paws over their own faces for protection. That's when Kalt saw the glow.

He pulled his paws away from his face and looked at them. His fur was luminescent. It was giving off a light and there were arcs of electricity flowing over his paws and arms. He felt scared. His heart beat faster, his breathing increased. His glow became brighter and the arcs of electricity happened more often with greater size across him and sparked away from his body.

One spark shot out from his right paw, hitting the TV mounted on the wall above where Tag was standing. It exploded in pieces and sparks went everywhere.

Kalt looked around. The entire room looked brighter, even the shadows were only shades of what they were before. That's when the memory came back. He remembered what had happened in the lab.

When the drink spilled into the generator, it started to spark and explode. He was scared and wanted to get to safety, but he couldn't just move out of the way and let Baron get hurt. Kalt stood up and held his arms out, in a gesture to protect his beloved tiger standing behind him.

The coolant in the generator splashed out in the explosion, hitting Kalt full force. Some of it entered his mouth and his eyes. He remembered feeling like he was vibrating as it splashed all over him. That's when he felt some paws grab him from behind and start to pull at him. But he didn't move. All he heard was screaming. At first he thought it would have been his own voice, but then he realized it was coming from behind him. That's when it all went black the first time at the lab.

After a few weeks in the hospital, Kalt's doctors told him that the coolant combination that Baron used in the generator reacted with Kalt's body chemistry, changing his DNA in at least two different ways. The first was seen when his fur became luminescent. The light was from generating its own electricity which, given enough power, would discharge around him into the air, conductive objects, or people.

The second effect of the accident made any point hit with his electricity was shocked and dropped in temperature. It was unknown how, but the electricity pushed all the heat from the area of impact and wherever it flowed. No evidence could be found to suggest if either effect would harm Kalt in any way.

Kalt did learn a few other things in those weeks other than about what happened to him. He had been out for three days after the accident. According to the doctors he talked to, he was unconscious until his DNA change was complete, like a metamorphosis. During this time he had been moved to a military hospital in Washington D.C.

He was the he was not going to be charged with murdering the two paramedics. It was clear that the accident was just that, an accident. There was no way Kalt knew what was going on, nor did anyone believe he did it on purpose.

As the days went on, he was told that there were other people in the hospital that had been changed. Some just developed mutations on their own, others were from some type of accident like Kalt was. The only difference of all the patients in this hospital and Kalt was that he had not gone insane, he looked like he had before, and he had no physical hindrances. Most of the patients lost one or a combination of those factors.

From day one, he was told that he was not allowed to leave. Because of his condition he was to stay at that hospital until they could cure him, if it were possible. Until then he was going to get some training to help him learn to control his abilities. The hospital staff seemed to genuinely want to help him, but he suspected that they wanted to also understand his condition so they could use it for military applications. When he asked Agent Tag about this, Tag just gave him a disgruntled look and didn't answer. Kalt took it as a sign to drop the matter.

Though it was frustrating and difficult on him, after about a year of training it was deemed that Kalt was able to control his abilities enough to reenter society. Not only could he keep his powers from flaring up uncontrollably, but so he could direct how the power worked and what it hit. It was almost instinctual for him once he stopped fighting it. During that year, he received help to learn about the power inside him, but he was able to continue his education and was given a tutor, a mink named Misty, and a personal trainer, a bear named Dack, to assist with both areas. He could tell something was different about these two as well, but never got any full sense of what that was.

Kalt was not upset just intrigued that no matter how hard he worked out and ate well, he was not able to get rid of his chubby belly. For some reason that stayed the same shape but according to his doctors most of the fat that would have given it the original shape had gone and was replaced by muscle.

He was determined to return to his home town again and refused to be given a new identity. Working with Tag he was able to come up with a story for the past year that would satisfy Tag's surperiors and not force Kalt to lie. Since the lab explosion was public knowledge, he could use that as the basis of what happened to him, that he was hurt bad and needed rehabilitation in a specialized hospital since the explosion dealt with some hazardous materials. Also, he was not allowed to message anyone about where he was and his condition since he was under quarantine and it would be too difficult for him to have visitors he could not see. All of which was the truth.

On the last day at the hospital, Tag was walking him out to the Humvee that would take him to the airport. "Ya, they went ahead and set up a house for you. A rental. We'll help you with everything for six months but after that you're on your own. Just remember to keep those strange powers of yours under control or we'll have to bring you back and you won't be allowed to leave ever again." He chuckled at Kalt.

Kalt had become used to having Tag around. He was almost the only good friend he had the whole past year. "I'm gonna miss you, Tag."

Tag snorted at him. "That's Agent Tag to you, kid, don't forget it." They laughed and shook paws. "You'd better get moving before the transport to your plane leaves you behind. Good luck, Kalt."

"Good luck to you, too, Tag." He chuckled.

Kalt opened the back door of the Humvee. Tag walked up towards him. "Oh, by the way. They found your friend. The tiger. He's not in your home town anymore and he's not quite the same person he used to be. But, if you hear from him, let us know immediatly."

"WHAT???"

Tag closed the door.

Kalt scrambled to open the door, but the handle wouldn't work. The driver just looked back at Kalt using the rear view mirror. "You can't open it from the inside. I'll let you out when we get to the airport." The Humvee started moving. The drives looked back again and his eyes widened.

"YOU'RE GONNA STOP NOW AND LET ME OUT OR YOU'RE GONNA SEE WHAT A PICKLE FEELS LIKE IN A LIGHT SOCKET!"

Agent Tag was walking back to the door to the hospital, grumbling to himself and hoping that his superiors were wrong about what they thought Kalt would do next. He heard the tires of the Humvee screech. He didn't have to turn around to see what was going on. He lowered his head and sighed. 'They were right, damn them. He was on his way to trying to have a normal life.' He sighed. He turned around, trying to look surprised but concerned.

The driver of the Humvee got out and closed his door. He stepped away and just looked back. He called out for Agent Tag. "Sir? Sir? What do I do? He wants out?"

"Then you better let him out soldier before he..."

The door exploded out off the Humvee, sparks flying from inside. Kalt stepped out, his eyes glowing and his fur surging with power. "TAG!!!!"

Tag stepped up trying to appear unafraid. "I thought you were going home, kid."

Kalt walked towards Tag. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BARON?" There was a metallic crackling sound to his voice that Tag had never heard before. Kalt stopped only three feet before he reached Tag knowing it was the minimum safe distance to keep from hurting him.

"You're gonna have to calm down, mutt, or you're gonna be put down." Tag motioned around the area.

Kalt looked around and saw soldiers ready to shoot him if he showed any more violent tendencies. He tried to settle down. His anger would not subside, but he was able to get his fur and eyes to stop surging. He sighed. "Just tell me what you know about Baron."

Tag stood there. "You're gonna miss your flight and the information about him is not the concern of a private citizen. It's soldier's work."

Without thinking for a second, Kalt answered the statement with a statement. "Then make me a soldier. I want to know what's going on with Baron."

Tag stepped up and whispered into Kalt's ear, "If you do this, there is no turning back. The government will own you for the rest of your life."

Kalt whispered in return, "That's what you all wanted when you were training me this past year anyway. You're just using Baron to get me to do what you want. You never wanted me to be free."

Tag pulled back from Kalt. It was true that his superiors wanted that, but Tag was upset that he was the instrument they used to get what they wanted.

Tag snorted. "Fine. Follow me."

Kalt pushed the memories aside as he reached the end of the hallway and studied the door. A wooden door with a normal door knob and an old skeleton key lock under the knob. Kalt slowly touched the knob. Nothing happened. He grabbed it and turned. The door unlatched and opened easily.

It was black in the room. The light from the last hallway was not strong enough to shine on anything past the doorway itself. Kalt sighed. He stepped in and off to the side of the door so he could try blending into the darkness.

He sniffed the air. There was a scent. But it was faint and, though familiar, it was different from what he remembered. It's possible it was a scent from across the far area of the room or could be something lingering from earlier. Either way he had to find out for sure.

Surging his fur would make him an easy target in the darkness, but it was the only way he could see anything in the room. Ears straining to hear any slight sound, his nose sniffing deeply, he closed his eyes. He balled his paws tight into fists. He readied himself to have to jump out of the way if necessary.

In one swift action, he opened his eyes, unleashed his fists, and surged his fur. The light from his fur filled the small room and he was able to see well. There was no one there. He stepped away from the wall and looked around for clues.

In the middle of the room was an unmade bed. On the pillow was a single rose tied by a ribbon to an envelope. On the front of the envelope was written, "Kalt, my love." Kalt picked up the letter and the rose.

Looking around the room, which was set up like a four star hotel room, Kalt found a computer. The hard drive had been removed and taken. There were no clothes in the dresser or the closet. There were signs that, up until very recently, this room had been occupied.

Kalt heard voices coming down the hallway. His ears turned towards the door way and he tilted his head to get a better idea of who it was. At least one of the voices was Tag's. Kalt quickly put the letter in his pocket and held onto the rose.

Tag, followed by four other soldiers, entered the room. "Kalt." Tag sighed. "I was worried."

"I'm ok, Tag."

Tag looked around the door frame. He flipped a switch and two lights came on. Kalt stopped surging. Tag looked directly at Kalt's face and could tell there was something wrong. "Are you ok?"

"I'm ok. There was nothing here but this." He held out the rose to Tag. "And the computer on the desk is missing its hard drive.

Tag took the rose and looked it over. Nothing unusual about it. It was just the same as the ones left at the last five places they went searching for Baron. "You didn't find anything else?"

Kalt hesitated for one second as he thought.

"WELL?" Tag insisted. The other soldiers looked around the room on their own.

Cocking his head to one side, Kalt replied, "No. Nothing else."

Tag stepped up to Kalt. "You sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

Tag patted Kalt's shoulder. "Why don't you go back to the jeeps? We'll look around and see if we can find anything. I know how hard it is on you, especially today."

Kalt nodded and walked out of the room.

Half way to the jeeps, in private, Kalt opened the envelope. There was a small picture and a letter.

My Dearest Kalt,

You've found the sixth rose I've left for you. Six roses. One for each year that has passed since we last saw each other. If you're feeling anything about that day, I suspect it's that you and I are not together any more.

I still don't know exactly what has happened to me and you, but I'm gonna try and find a way to fix it. I just wish you would not try and stop me. If you want to stay like you are, that's fine with me, but I want to get back to normal. Maybe then, when I'm normal again, we can be together like we were before. I really do miss that.

Each time, when I look at my paws, I think of you. I don't know if you have seen a current pic of me over the past year so I've given you one with this letter. You can see how the white fur is still slowly going up my arms replacing my orange. I don't mind the white fur or the fact that my stripes are turning blue. I actually like the fact I'm starting to match you. It's just the other stuff that bothers me. The pain and the feelings of hatred towards everyone.

At the moment, I feel almost like I once did and I feel sane. This feeling is happening less and less often any more, I think. I think I'm losing myself to whatever has happened to us. Even now, as I'm writing this for you, I feel like I'm slipping away.

Kalt, I still love you and I miss us. One day I hope. One day.

I'm slipping Kalt. Slipping away again. I love you still.

Don't try to find me. Don't try to stop me. I'm afraid I'll try to kill you if you do. No. I will kill you. Come for me Kalt Vetur. Come for me and see which one of us lives and which dies. I don't think you have the guts to try to fight me. You love me too much to do that and I know you all too well. You are not able to do what it takes to stop me.

They don't know what was unleashed that day and what was freed. They will know. They will feel my pain as I give it to them

Come for me, Kalt. You are going to pay for what you have turned me into. It's your fault. If it wasn't for you being there that night, none of this would have happened.

Tag found Kalt on the ground next to the jeep, the other soldiers staying away from him not sure if it was safe to approach him. He was sitting, his knees against his chest, tears falling from his eyes. The letter and picture on the floor next to him.

One look at how the letter started out, and Tag knew why Kalt was crying. He folded the letter up and put it in his pocket before anybody else saw it. Helping Kalt to his feet he opened the jeep door and they climbed in. Shortly after, they left for the base to debrief and recover. Tag knew that Kalt would not let this rest. He just hoped that it would not kill Kalt before they were able to get to Baron and cure him... if that were possible.