FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 16.

AVTO air transport sets me down in a special restricted area of the local starport. After I step out, I spot a very dark colored German Shepherd Rhenthar approaching me; he's one of the security officers I saw previously speaking with Ash and Casey. A sidearm is holstered under his right armpit, he's a lefty, and he's wearing tactical gear attached to a chest harness. If my mind wasn't elsewhere, my eyes would linger, he's pretty hot in that getup. He tilts his muzzle sideways, and I mirror the gesture, showing exactly the same amount of throat.

"Lieutenant Epi at your disposal, sir."

"Lieutenant, there's a ship here I need access to. The Clarkson?" I ask.

"Yep. It's a slaver ship. I knew this day would come, sooner or later. It will be my pleasure to get you whatever access you need." He smells eager, but there's a wary scent, too. "I'll warn you now, though. It won't be for long. They have friends in high places."

"Heh," I smirk. "I won't need long."

The officer leads me deeper into the starbase, and gradually we pick up a retinue of other officers, all armed. My confidence levels surge. Casey and Ash join back up with me and I explain what I've got in mind.

We're all walking toward section F, a tidal wave of fur and weapons, and I can hear some alarms ringing in the distance. Holographic do-not-pass tape has been erected, blocking off the whole area. We pass through it unharmed, and my first thought is that something has gone wrong, the slavers are getting away! This thought ceases as I realize, yes, something is wrong: for them.

We pass through the connecting hallway, and the skylift's inner doors are already open, exposing the outer hull of the parked starship. Its door is clearly locked; Epi bangs on it with the butt of his weapon.

"Starbase security," he yells. "Open up!" He doesn't wait long, and motions for two of his officers to start erecting a cutting laser on a tripod. Casey, Ash, and I are standing off to the side, watching, eager to see where this goes.

"It's too much to hope for that Marcus or even Mist is on that ship right now," says Casey.

Ash shakes her head. "No way."

"It'll be interesting to see who is on it, though," I add. My tail wags rapidly with excitement.

"We'll slag their engines if they try to take off," Epi tells us. "So be ready to get behind the safety containment field at the end of this hallway." Epi points to a row of emitters a few meters away, and I start having second thoughts about all this. I distinctly remember the last time I was near a ship that was shot at; my left arm still aches above the elbow.

The hatch abruptly slides open and a red fox Rhenthar, short and lean, glares out at Epi with green eyes the color of old money. "What the hell do you want?" he snarls. I notice that he's wearing a metal collar.

Epi ignores him and deftly steps out of the way, the security team, a dozen strong, presses in past him. The officer at the front pins the fox up against the wall in the airlock, and it seems I'm the only one listening to his swearing and shouting. A few minutes go by and Epi gestures for us to enter.

We board the ship, and the first thing I notice is the sterile quality to the air, there's almost no scent present, which is surprising. I start to become certain we have the wrong ship, my nose can't lie. But after Epi leads me up some steps, I see a long row of holding cells with small round windows at eye level, and retinal scanners next to each door.

I take a peek inside one and see a naked human, definitely not Marcus, standing in the middle with a collar around his neck. A thick cable is attached to the collar; it runs to the ceiling and is way too short to allow him to sit. He's male, and when he notices me looking, he smiles. He must be high on something strong.

The noise of questions being asked and reluctantly answered floats in the air all around us. Epi is talking harshly to the fox I saw earlier, and I spot half a dozen other crewmembers. Six security personnel are standing in a group, in a corner, with their weapons lying in a pile in front of them. They look and smell bored. There is something I notice, looking around, a general trend that I can't explain.

Everyone is wearing a collar. Though I keep catching the scent of frustration and anger, it's gone quickly. I stare up at big ventilation grates in the ceiling and notice that there's a decent amount of air moving around. Must be intentional. Otherwise, this place would stink of fear and who knows what else.

All the employees are Rhenthar, except for one, a female Terellian with a beige coat and green slitted eyes. I walk down the row of available slaves, looking into each door, but none contains Marcus. I spot a few species other than my own. But when I see a Rhenthar, a husky that reminds me of Zach but with red markings instead of black, I get very angry.

Being owned and forced to do stuff I enjoy, sure, that's one thing. But this, it's all wrong, just torture and pain and cruelty. It's evil, and I want to set every one of these guys free and stick the crew in their place.

"Ash, work with Casey, get these cells open. I want every captive removed from this ship."

Casey walks up to me. "Careful, Keman. Those collars might kill them in the process. This isn't as easy as it looks. We need their cooperation to make that happen." He nods at the fox.

I go back to stand beside the lieutenant and the fox looks at me. He actually smiles. I look closely at the collar around his neck, and sure enough, it's a Mark 6.

"You must be Keman. We've been waiting just for you." My world threatens to screech to a halt. How the fuck does he know me?

" Shut up!" I bark, letting my anger burst outwards to cover up my intimidation. "Tell me about Mist, did he sell you any humans recently?"

The fox laughs. "Sell? No. But he's been looking to buy one. All my stock up there..." he gestures at the steps I just came down from. "That was per his request, the humans. Not good for much, I think." I scent honesty. What. The. Fuck?

"What's he looking for? Why the sudden interest in humans?"

"My name is Jack," he growls at me. It's high-pitched, and almost cute. "As in, I'll tell you jack shit about anyone's business."

Epi shoves Jack against the wall and his head bounces off the dull metal. "Answer his questions or I'm gonna jack your shit ," he barks.

Jack yips and slaps a paw against the back of his head, his ears go sideways and his little sharp teeth are all showing. "You just earned yourself a demotion, lieutenant." He looks at me. "Why don't you ask him yourself, mister big bad wolf. We're supposed to take you to him." What... the hell is that supposed to mean? I hear metal boots clattering just outside the airlock. Soldiers in green armor pour in like a swarm of angry ants.

Epi looks at me and shakes his muzzle. "Told you." His body scent has turned resigned, his ears are flat.

A bulky yellow Labrador Rhenthar marches up to us, holding out a piece of parchment while soldiers pile in behind him. "I'm Sergeant McVeigh from the 42nd infantry unit, National Guard, and am hereby authorized to cease this intrusion immediately, per orders from General Macarthur himself, as seen here." He flaps the paper around at anyone looking at him. "A digitally signed copy is available for your review." He stares at me, one of the few obvious civilians present, like maybe I'm in charge. "Do you want this to go easy, or hard?"

Ash explodes, shouting. "This ship is full of slaves, what the fuck? Arrest them all!"

McVeigh shakes his head furiously. He gestures at the collars half the people in the room are wearing. "The sexual practices this pleasure service offers are none of my or your business. If you have a problem with it, too bad."

"Pleasure?" Casey pipes up, sounding confused.

"No, no... you've got it wrong," I exclaim. "There are slaves waiting to be bought, in those rooms right up there." I gesture at the stairway leading to the long hall of doors with small windows. He doesn't look.

"Again, I'm going to tell you." He puts his muzzle right up next to mine. "You're all leaving ."

Jack laughs. "That's right. Get the hell off my ship! Everyone except you, Keman." He has a smug scent now, and his ears are flat. "You should stick around so you can talk to Mist."

"What?" My eyes go wide and my ears shift around. "He's here right now?" Starport security is filing out behind me, one by one. No fucking way!

Jack shakes his muzzle. "No, but our holosuite is set up to let you talk to him before we head out. He's very eager to speak with his wayward pet." My pupils dilate from the reference, and I'm glancing at the officers behind me, wondering if I should join them. I don't like this at all. But I turn to stare at Ash and Casey, because I want to talk to him, I need to talk to him!

"Oh, no... don't even think about it," she says.

"Ash, I need to-" Casey doesn't let me finish.

"We're not leaving you here alone!" He crosses his arms, glaring at the sergeant.

"Yeah. To hell with that." Ash firmly grabs my arm and pulls me towards the airlock. I'm leaning against her, though, putting weight into my hind paws. "We've left you behind one too many fucking times to walk out on you now. Don't be stupid, Keman." She pulls at me again, but I'm still only moving slowly.

"Private Williams," the sergeant glances at the soldier next to him. "Please escort these civilians from the premises. You're authorized to use force if necessary." The soldier drops his energy carbine from his shoulder into firing position, the barrel held low, towards the floor. He thumbs the safety and the power supply chimes twice.

"Look around you!" Casey shouts at me. He goes to grab my other arm but I knock it away, I free myself from Ash and back up. I'm still trying to decide. Fuck...

Ash goes to grab my arm once more, but I keep it out of the way. "I need to talk to him, Ash!" There's growl in my voice. "This could be my only chance, I can't pass it up!" I stare at Jack, then all the holding cells. Fuck, this is the lion's den, the middle of the meat packing plant, and I'm just a cow.

"Send us the comms information?" I ask Jack, but I already know what he's going to say.

"Nope. It's through us or nothing."

"Get to The Hahkota ," I growl at Ash. "That's an order. What the hell else are we going to do, turn around and walk away?"

"Keman, you'd be giving yourself to these assholes. You know what will happen when we leave. Do you like wearing a collar?" Ash asks. Well, yes, actually . I don't say that, the joke would be in poor taste. Still, I feel an overwhelming urge to stay behind and talk to Mist. Like something in my mind won't let it out of its jaws. Like I somehow don't even have a choice. I rationalize it the best I can. It'll put me closer to Sin.

"You just don't get it," I shout, desperation creeping into my voice. "I need my Alpha back, without him, I'm done!" I'm starting to see red, "he brought me into this world, and I owe him my life. You can't understand what that's like, and I don't have time to explain."

Ash and Casey stare at me, her ears are sideways, and both are obviously confused. I realize that I haven't mentioned much about Sinclair, and the real past I own with him. I swallow, feeling embarrassed and guilty.

"There's something you haven't told us," Ash says quietly. Her eyes drill into mine, Casey stares at my feet. My scent is obvious.

"You guys need to leave, right now," barks the soldier. "Don't make this go bad. You seem like nice people, just walk away."

Ash grabs the shoulder of the last starport security officer as he's passing by. She tugs at his harness. "We need this, quick." He glances at Casey and me, and gets the message. He unsnaps the buckles holding it on and hands the whole thing over to her. She slides it up onto my arm and snugs down the straps, placing the sidearm under my left armpit. "This is so incredibly stupid, Keman," she says, holding her ears flat. Bright blue eyes stare intently into mine. "You had better explain everything when this is all over."

Then she's walking away, turning her head to stare at me briefly. Casey shakes his muzzle and follows her out. I watch as my friends leave, and I'm guessing I won't see them again for a while. I just know it; this isn't a quick trip to a holosuite. But we'll figure something out, we always do.

The last soldier steps out of the airlock and Jack walks over and slaps the close button. It seals shut and locks. I turn my head and eye the various employees at the corners of my vision. The fur along my spine stands straight out, and I reek of distrust and anxiety.

"Everyone, go back to your duties." Jack says calmly, he holds his paws out to me in a disarming gesture. "I'm no threat to you, Keman... this is all just business," he says, smiling. "Follow me..."

He heads up the stairs to the holding cells, and I start to follow him. I pull the weapon out of the holster and glance at it, seeing that it's similar to the blaster sitting on my ship. Different make, same design. Mostly aluminium construction, heat sink in the grip, charge indicator along the side. Compensated emitter, tritium night-sights. I click the safety and feel my confidence rise a couple of notches, staring at Jack's back.

I follow him past some of the holding cells, noting that there is one up ahead standing open. My muscles tense up, if Jack stops in front of it, I'm putting a hole in his head faster than he can turn around. I feel like I have no qualms with killing someone from behind. Honor is a human concept, designed to make losers not feel so bad about why they lost. But Jack doesn't stop there.

Peering in, I see a small Rhenthar, mixed-breed, floppy ears. He's scrubbing the walls with a bucket of chemical cleanser. He pauses to look at me.

"C'mon." I jump from that, darting a glance at Jack, he's waiting two meters ahead.

"I don't trust you, not even slightly." I growl. "This place is evil and you know it."

"Evil?" He laughs. "You're wrong about that," he says. "You think I like them all sitting in there?" Jack points at the row of cells and shrugs. "If it wasn't me managing their buyers, it would be someone else. I didn't make the galaxy this way, it is what it is."

I keep up with him as we walk further down the hallway, staying close. "They only represent credits to me," he says, stopping. He turns around and stares. "Same as you," he eyes my sheath, the 'site calming ring snuggled down around the base. "I could sell you for a pretty penny, no doubt about that."

"I'm not for sale ," I snarl, raising the weapon to a forty-five degree angle from the floor.

"Of course not," he purrs. "Mist said to treat you like you're his property. Nevertheless, I'll tell you right now, if you actually threaten me or anyone else on this ship, you won't make it to pulling that trigger. And I don't mean death. So you should just put that away and not even bother." He turns around and walks away.

"I've got money, probably more than Mist. Ever think about that?" I ask, walking quickly to catch up.

Jack stops and turns to stare at me again, wagging a finger back and forth in front of my muzzle. "Ah ah. It's not just having money." His red-tipped tail flits around behind him. "It's who you know and what you've done to earn it. Without both, in the right avenue... I'd never get a chance to spend it."

He turns and points at a door next to us, it doesn't have a window. It slides open and I peer in, it looks like a standard Holosuite. A couple of chairs in front of a metal table in the center. Hologram projection equipment rests in shelves along the back wall, with a mass of cables leading to emitters spaced around on the floor in front of the table.

"Have a seat, Mr. Wolf." In certain areas of Rhenthar culture, wolves and foxes are at odds with each other, though I've never understood why. I ignore the jab.

I walk in and sniff around, knowing full well that threats can easily escape my senses. The Rhenthar I saw earlier, the one cleaning the cells, walks in with a small metal briefcase and sets it on the table. I eye it suspiciously.

"What's that?" I ask.

"Something Mist indicated you would need," Jack says. "I don't know what's inside; he sent it to us via hypertransport." He doesn't spare it more than another glance before both of them walk out. I spot flickering status indicators on the equipment mounted to the wall, something is happening. I sit down on the short-bottomed chair, about as comfortable in it as if it were red hot; I holster the blaster at the same time.

"Ah, Keman." I hear his voice all around me, and glance at the equipment, wondering where the display is. The lasers in the floor finally res his picture into view, and suddenly I'm staring at a life-size version of Mist. Fear whispers in my mind, my heart starts to race. He's staring right at me; bright green eyes exactly the same as when I last saw them.

" Why?" I blurt it out. "Why would you make me put a collar on Sinclair?"

His ears go sideways and he leans forward. "Your accusatory tone is not appreciated nor is your question. My business with my brother is mine , and mine alone." He was always slick with words, and that neither confirms my fear that he intentionally used me as a tool, nor anything else really. He continues to speak before I can get another word in.

"It's true, though. I did send you out to perform a duty for which you were so well qualified. Retrieve something precious for me, the mind of my brother. Then you'd be hot on my tail, eager to be back. Open up your gift. I had it made special, just for you."

This is... off. It feels like I've somehow lost control of the situation, and I desperately search back in time for when I last had it. When was I really in control? Just before Mist took me. Jimmy and Nod, probably still at Yoshi. On this mission to get my alpha back, Mist has had all the cards the whole time.

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I pop the catches on the briefcase and lift it open. I don't look inside right away; instead, I glance up at Mist, to see his expression. It's one of amusement. I look down and see shiny black things...

That's a collar, all by itself.

But the rest, I can't...

Everything is made of an oily black material, my gaze seems to slide right off it, as if it catches the light wrong. I touch a fat blue tube wrapped in clear plastic, about a foot long. It feels like there's soft goopy gel inside, but I can see there's a slender hardness running down the center of it, made of metal. It joins a pair of tubes, each about six inches long. Those are semi-rigid, covered in clear gel. Tube isn't even the right word, for there is no part that's perfectly round, the shape is irregular on all three. They're sticking out of a heavy molded L-shaped bracket, full of little slits. Also black, and as my finger pads can attest, it's made of cold metal. The slots carved through the material are maybe to lighten it, or perhaps for breathability. I have a sinking feeling about this, about where those tubes might go.

The collar has no buttons, screen, or anything besides two "D" rings, at opposite ends. It's made of the same black metal as the bracket. Three gold nubs face inwards, equally spaced. I try to lift it up, but it's slippery, and very heavy. I stare at the tubes, and notice that the bracket the tubes attach to has a very specific shape to it, all smooth curves. I spot a "D" ring on it, and suddenly I understand which the top is and what part is the bottom. It goes under my chin. Those tubes go in my nose, and that fat one goes all the way down my throat.

No way, that's not possible.

It's way too big in diameter, is my throat even that big? I see that it narrows, where it enters the bracket. I tongue the empty sockets at the front of my mouth, thinking it might just fit in the gap, and I glance up at Mist, shaking my head back and forth, my ears are shaking from holding them so flat. The irregularities, the parts that look like ribs, all the weird curves each tube tends toward. A mirror of my nasal passages, and throat, he must have taken molds while I was on his ship. A black egg rests in its own depression, about the size that comes from a chicken. I pick it up, it's heavy also, and I look at Mist in horror.

"What's all this for?"

"You." A wide, sharp smile.

"But... no." I shake my head, ears still flat. "You let me go... I thought we were done."

"You thought wrong. Put it all on." He crosses his arms.

"No... stop this, Mist. Stop it!" I yell.

He holds his paw out towards me and squeezes something imaginary, maybe my throat, or my nuts. He snarls. "You know I hate that word, put that collar on and I won't punish you for saying it to me. I told you before, you'd be wearing one for the rest of your life. That one has no unlock mechanism. Which makes it perfect for you."

I'm slowly shaking my head, trying to look away but it's as if his eyes refuse to let go of mine, I can't escape his stare. I finally break free and glance at the doorway, Jack is standing in it next to a big Mastiff Rhenthar, and both are wearing spray-on gloves. I look back at Mist, nervously tonguing the empty sockets at the front of my muzzle. He notices.

" That's right , you've been such a good boy , leaving your teeth out so you can wear what I've paid for. And your claws, are they still dull?" I stare down at them and swallow. "You know you want the reward that waits for you on my ship." My sheath stirs when he says good boy , all on its own, and I hate him for it.

I close my eyes and am entirely uncertain what to do. I squeeze my paws shut so tight, I want Sin back... I want Sin back!

"Keman." I open my eyes and stare, Mist is now standing next to Sinclair. Sin's bent over on a metal frame, it's holding him on all fours, and he's strapped to it with his muzzle pinned shut to a rod sticking out. His muscles stand out, and he glances at me. His eyes widen in recognition, and he closes them. I see a tear trickle down from a corner.

I fly up out of the chair, it falls over behind me. I rip the blaster out of its holster and snarl, growling as loud as I can. I'm seconds from tearing all the equipment in the room to pieces. Shooting someone, anyone. I point it at the two Rhenthar in the doorway and they lean away, vanishing. Mist is holding up some sort of handheld device, shaped like a gun with a stubby tip. He's looking at it closely.

"This is where it all started, with his betrayal." He lovingly runs a paw down Sin's back. "This tool is used to extract wetware from corpses. And although this is virtual, I'm certain you know how real it can feel, Keman."

"Stop!" I scream, hardly able to see through the redness in my vision. The blaster is hurting my fingers, I'm squeezing it so tightly. My body shakes all over from adrenaline overload. Reality has slowed to jerky starts and stops, I start panting.

Mist shakes his head. "Your words won't stop me, only your actions can." He pushes the device into one of Sinclair's nostrils and shoves it in a few centimeters. I hear Sin let out a sharp whine, and that's it, I simply lose it. I'll do whatever it takes to save my alpha.

I almost knock the case off the table, grabbing at the collar in my fury. He wants me to wear a fucking collar, fine! I'll wear a fucking collar! I try to pick it up, but it falls from my grasp, it's so slippery. It's split open next to one of the "D" rings, maybe that goes to the side. I look at the prongs facing inwards, if they go to the left and right of my throat, then the split is at the front. It's bending in my paws like hot taffy, flowing like liquid. It feels as hard as tritanium when I try to bend it faster than it's willing to move. Like memory foam made of metal inside. I would normally be fascinated with this construction, but the fucker is rushing me.

"Hurry up, Keman. I'm not patient. I'll pull this trigger and the next thing you'll hear will be your precious alpha screaming at the top of his lungs, as I rip something from his brain that should never have been put there to begin with."

I'm having a very hard time holding the collar in my sweat-covered paws, it's so slippery, and it keeps flexing and flowing, I almost drop it again and then grab it by the rear "D" ring, lifting it up above my head to lay both sides around my neck.

I attempt to push the two ends together, but it's tight, oh shit, it's too tight. I stare up at Mist, but he's only looking at what's in his paw. He's going to pull the trigger anyways, and then I'll still have to do this because there's so much worse he can do. I push the two ends together as hard as I can, and they touch, but they don't engage, my fur is in the way, it's getting stuck between the mating surfaces. I try a couple more times, finally there's a sharp snap, and when I let go, the tightness remains.

A tightness that I know I'm going to feel for the rest of my life.

I feel a soft vibration in the collar and it fades, I stare up at Mist and his ears go sideways, he's probably in communication with the collar. He turns slowly to look at me, then pulls the tool out of Sin's nose and tosses it onto the ground. On Sin's nose, a drop of blood slowly leaks, out and down into his mouth. His eyes open and he stares at me, my heart shatters worse than when Snow died. It's worse, because he's real. It's worse , because he's still alive and this isn't yet over.

I reach up and try to pull the warm collar away from my windpipe, it's so damn tight. I run my blunt claws all the way around, trying to get my fur out from under it. It sticks out sharply when I'm done. That makes it a little bit better, but not by much. It's designed to be tight.

"Muzzle up, Keman. You can do it, and if you can't, my people behind you will be more than happy to assist."

I dart a glance back at Jack and his friend and I point the blaster into the doorway. "Don't fucking come near me!" I yell. They only watch, amused.

I pick up the various pieces and really don't know where to start. The long blue gel tube, I know that goes down my throat, but the end isn't round nor does it snap when I pinch it. Fuck, it's huge! I pick up the egg, and it's rather heavy, where does it go, up my ass? I glance at Mist, shaking my muzzle.

"Swallow that. Be a good boy... swallow for Mist..." He smiles huge; my ears go sideways, remembering the last time he said that.

I glance at its smooth surface and hesitate. Can I get it down? I put it in my mouth and go to swallow it. But it's too big... too fucking big. I spit it into my hand and glance at it, then Mist. I put it back in my mouth and gag, oh shit that hurts... but it goes down. Gulp. It feels heavy in my stomach.

I pick up the weird half-muzzle, put the big tube into my mouth, it's flexible but has a metal core, then I notice the clear cover is only a wrapper. I tear it off to expose a glistening wet surface underneath. I put it back in my mouth and gulp it, sliding it in further... I get it down a couple of inches and then choke, pulling it back out. My throat goes on high alert, my gag reflex comes alive. Now I can't even get it in an inch. My paws are shaking while I keep trying, this is impossible!

"Help him." Mist says. "Keman, this is for your own good. Muzzles equal good behavior, and you'll be helping me out over the next few months. More than ample time to prove me right." I hear them walk into the room while he's speaking, and I grab the blaster, can't touch me if you've got holes in you! I turn quickly and feel a sting in my neck, I look down the sights, seeing Jack's huge grin, smile at this, motherfucker. I squeeze the trigger, but it's frozen. Won't... squeeze!

"Nuh... erf." Can't... move! My legs give out and I slide to the floor in a pile of bones and fur. It feels like I've fallen into a lake of tar, my skin is turning numb. Expert paws roll me onto my side, and my world reduces to soft-spoken words passed back and forth.

"Here."

"Hold him... right there, clean that off. Open his mouth." Fingertips touch my jaws, my mouth opens, but I can't tell how far.

"Watch his vocal cords, ok... further."

A cold sensation of pressure works into my throat. My gag reflex has dwindled to something only theoretical.

" Swallow, Keman..." Loud words, a paw briskly rubs my throat. I can't breathe... I gulp and feel rising pressure, a tightness in my throat, it gets even bigger. The cold goes deeper, then deeper still.

"Close his mouth, ok swallow again, don't make me force this, and then it won't hurt later."

I gulp, but there's too much in my throat, I can't swallow. Tubes squeeze into my nostrils and sink deep, I swallow again and they abruptly pass behind my eyes, it almost feels like. I swallow again, again, and again... full. So full... but I'm breathing through my nose just fine now.

"Wait, no further. Close his mouth, watch the gap. There you go." The egg in my stomach shifts, like two magnets striking each other. The tube pulls against the back of my tongue and I feel the bracket under my jaws press against it firmly.

I weakly try to open my mouth but the tubes in my nose won't let that happen, they have metal inside and the plate under my chin has no padding... no give. It's pinned against my jaw like a hook. I can't open my mouth... but the world is so blurry, I stop caring. I try to look at Mist, to give him my last effort of hatred, maybe I can squeeze some sympathy from him, but. I can't turn my head.

They lift my body up onto a curved, wheeled cart, it's low to the ground and has a softly padded curved surface with depressions for my chest, arms and legs, even a dip for my sheath. It's like I'm on all fours, but with no weight on my paws. Simple Velcro cinches down my wrists and ankles, and they wheel me out of the room.

It feels weird, like I'm floating... my muzzle points forward, I can see where we're going. I know that cell I saw earlier, it's mine. They wheel me inside and carefully transfer my limp form to the floor. A long leash is pulled from the ceiling and attached to my collar; I hear a loud snap from an electromagnet. Constant tension against my neck.

"He's 'sited, see the calmer ring?" A paw pulls my sheath back. "Put a Foley in him, 20 French. He can't pee on his own. We would have had to do the same with Rhino."

I can't move, nothing works. I can barely swallow, and when I do, I'm not sure if anything actually happens. I shut my eyes, there's nothing to see. Plastic tearing, a reel ratchets nearby, click-click-click. I feel something poke into my dick and slide in deep. Deeper, pressure at my bladder, the 'site squirming around inside me. Calm words spoken close to my ear.

"Told you this is just business, Keman. I haven't hurt you even when I should. Here's my final proof that I'm not evil. Lemme see that?"

Hiss, sting... in my neck.

I feel a rush of pleasure and then promptly pass out.