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Counter Earth Chronicles

Chapter 64: The World Right Now (The Consortium For Mutual Coexistence Part One)

Day 209 (morning)

"Alex how are you feeling?" The very sexy lioness said as she sat down to join Lady Ursa and myself for breakfast in the lair that morning.

(Man, Lea just gets hotter and hotter each time I see her. It really is amazing she hasn't been to a find a steady relationship.)

"Still thinking about a threesome with you and my mistress gorgeous." I said smiling at her.

"Ahem, you can see from his overt sexual fantasies Alex has started to heal. However he is still having nightmares from his recent mission." Lady Ursa said as she served breakfast. "The kind that awaken one from their night's sleep."

"Sorry mistress." I said quietly.

That morning we ate pancakes and sausages with lots of syrup. Well I and my she beast did. Lea wisely just had the sausage for obvious reasons (it was a carnivore thing).

"Alex can you tell me about what you experienced?" The lioness said placing her paws on my hand.

"Go ahead pet." My mistress ordered.

"Well as I mentioned earlier, my doppelganger's brother, girlfriend and myself were kidnapped from a public venue and taken to a cosmetics research, development and test facility where were experimented on for four days before we were rescued and the facility was shut down." I said eating.

"Alex can you be specific?" The sexy lioness asked me. Her face was full of concern.

I looked at Lady Ursa. "Go on pet, you need to start talking about this. Perhaps it will make the nightmares go away."

"There were slightly over 100 'lab animals' at the facility. We were housed in a long hallway in small cages with nothing but a bench to sit on and drain to well you know, relieve yourself."

Both females gasped.

"We sat there all day and every day until the scientists and researches came. The scary part was that you did not know when they were coming for you. I mean each time the guards entered the wing you hoped and prayed that they did not stop at your cage. That was the true terror." I said mortified.

"Did anyone try to resist?" Lea asked me.

""Insubordination, noncompliance or resistance was not allowed. Those who did or tried were taken to the HR wing and never heard from again. I was experimented on four times during the time I was there." I said tearing up.

"Go on Alex tell us." My she beast said.

"Day one was the night we were captured. Neil, Aurora and I were transported to the facility our clothes were taken and we were shaved and bathed."

"What were you given to wear?" Lea asked.

"Not much loincloths even the females. I wasn't bothered by it, but Neil and Aurora were."

"Tell her about the experiments pet." My warrior bear said.

"The morning of my second day I was taken to one of the labs and strapped into a chair. While there, a female researcher applied a bunch of cosmetics to my face as an irritation test, testing for allergic reactions to compounds in their lipstick, blush and eyeliner. Fortunately I didn't have any reactions just extreme embarrassment."

"You must have looked very funny." Lady Ursa said.

"I did mistress and I was forced to wear it until the afternoon when I was taken for more tests. The next one was dermal penetration. I was given additional cosmetics to see how far below my skin their chemical compounds would penetrate." I said as the two females looked on in disbelief. "My skin at that point did start to become irritated."

My mistress grabbed my other hand joining Lea.

"The third day was the worst. They came for me in the early morning while I was sleeping. I was taken to yet another lab where I was immobilized the whole day. The monsters there conducted toxicity and corrosivity tests on my face, stomach, arms, legs testing a variety of chemical compounds and observing the reactions. My arms and legs became scarred and my face very swollen afterwards." I said tearing up. "I still couldn't believe what was being done to me. I mean this is supposed to be an enlightened society!"

"What happened after that?" The lioness asked.

"I was taken to my cage for observation at the end of the day. The morning of the fourth day the experiments were halted because some special guests that toured the facility. One of them recognized me as Alexander Winter wanted rebel and contacted the knights and you know the rest of the story."

"How did Aurora and Neil fare?" My she beast asked.

"Worse mistress. The experiments that were conducted on poor Neil blinded him and Aurora had her arms, legs, chest and back scarred. I hope they are ok."

"You have feelings for these two pet?" Lady Ursa asked me candidly.

"Away from the mission, yes I did like them. Neil warmed up to me. He was like the kid brother I never had and I also warmed up to Aurora even though I was undercover. I can see why Alexander has feelings for her. They are nice individuals who went through a horrible experience just because they were human." I said seething.

"Well you will be happy to know that when the facility was raided the humans who were there had their injuries treated and reversed. So there is no physical trauma." Lea said to me.

"But that still leaves emotional trauma. I wouldn't be surprised if every human who came out of that place ends up hating beastials- all beastials for the rest of their lives." I said dejected. "That did nothing for human beastial relations on this world."

"Well I think talking about what happened there has at the very least has helped you come to terms with your experiences." The sexy lioness said.

"How often should we continue these sessions?" Lady Ursa said rising from the high table and collecting the plates."

"Until the nightmares are gone." Lea said.

"Great!" I said. "Let's schedule the next session just before bed in Lady Ursa's chambers!"

"Someone is definitely starting to feel better." The lioness said as she stood up.

"Thank you, you sexy she beast." I said as I hugged my healer.

"You know where to find me if you need me." She said petting me on my head before she left.

(I certainly do.)

"Well, I need to start the day as well- I have patrol." My fierce ursine warrior said as she put on her gold-colored uniform with red cape and headpiece. "I will see you later." She said leaving.

"Actually sooner than you think mistress." I quickly went to the closet and the chest within, removed my loincloth and put on a grey shirt and cargo pants. I then followed her out the door.

" Alex why are you accompanying me?" My lady bear asked me as I followed her down the hallway.

"I need to put what I experienced during my last mission in some sort of perspective. I have been thinking about it and it is time I start experiencing Counter Earth for real- the real Counter Earth. The one you and the knights see day in and day out; the one the humans deal with on a daily basis and not the sheltered existence I have been living."

"Well the commander did say he wanted you to start assisting us in the field more." Lady Ursa said as we headed toward the loading dock. "You say that you are ready. I am just not sure if you are TRULY ready pet. You have experienced bits and pieces during your time with me and the other knights. But this will be the full on experience."

"Mistress, I am ready." I said staring at my fierce ursine warrior that August morning.

We soon entered the loading dock and I approached her hover bike and was preparing to hop on.

"No pet. Not that today."

"Mistress?"

"This one." She said turning me around to face what looked like a box of crates stacked high in the corner.

"Crates?" I asked turning to her.

"No." She said pressing a button on her wrist communicator.

The creates disappeared revealing a certain familiar blue coupe.

"Wow." I said looking at her and the prototype.

"Sir Ram and Mara ended their testing and decided to release the vehicle for field trials- only a select few are authorized to use it though."

"Let me guess, Chemar, Sanda, you and myself."

"With the vehicle's creators on occasion." My warrior bear added as she opened the dome and stepped in.

(Wow that is quite a short list.) I thought as I joined her.

"I wonder what prompted those two to change their minds?"

"Like you they perhaps thought it was time." My she beast said placing her paw on the dashboard.

_ **Recognized Lady Ursa Knight of Wundagore Senior Grade** _

"Pet?"

"Oh yeah." I said placing my hand on the dashboard.

_ **Recognized Alex Winter Specialist...** _

(Wow! Sir Ram fixed it.)

_ **And House Pet Castle Wundagore.** _

(Then again maybe not.)

"That is quite funny!" My warrior bear chuckled.

"Um, yeah. So what is the first item of the day?" I asked my she beast as she started the prototype.

"Search and rescue." She said to me as she scanned the upper right monitor in the center stack. Then the weapons monitor in the center. "We are going to after Bramble Hunter."

"Who on Counter Earth is that?" I asked.

"My she beast pulled up his file on her communicator. A travel sales-beast. He has been missing for the last few weeks. His mate and cubs have feared that he had been abducted by the rebellion. We are going to check on a possible lead."

"Where is he being held?"

"A apartment in the basement of World One." Lady Ursa said as she engaged the hover mode and we left the loading dock.

As usual the arial traffic was heavy that morning in World One as we made our way toward basement of the city. She landed the prototype a few blocks away from a twenty story dilapidated brick building. We drove up to it and parked right in front.

"Okay pet your turn." She said to me as I studied the tall building. It resembled the Winter's apartment building in World Three.

"Alex are you ok?"

"Just out of sorts mistress." I responded as I pressed the third toggle switch on the weapon's console. The copilot monitor and keyboard popped out of the glove box and extended toward me.

**Surveillance Probe Engaged**

Lady Ursa looked at me curiously as I deployed the probe from the rear of the vehicle. Deftly the spherical device launched and made its way up the side of the building. I steered it past the windows on the front of the building looking in each. The image from the probe's camera was displayed on my monitor.

Most of the apartments that morning were empty with their occupants out seeking employment or wandering the streets. The ones that were populated had people sitting around reading, eating breakfast or watching the hub. Then there was that apartment on the 8th floor.

"What are they doing?!" I said staring at my monitor in disbelief as I watched a naked man whose bound hands were hanging from a ceiling support being whipped on his behind by a masked woman in black leather?!

My mistress turned to see what I was looking at on the copilot monitor. I transferred the image to the upper left monitor of the center stack.

"That is S&M." She said quietly.

"What?"

"Sadomasochism. Some couples derive sexual pleasure and gratification from inflicting pain on one another."

"That's just, just wow." I said watching the woman crack her lover's behind with the whip she was holding.

I couldn't comprehend why someone would want to do that to someone else for sexual pleasure or otherwise.

"If you like we could do that too. Consider it part of your healing process." The bear knight snickered. "Afterwards, I could rake my claws over your skin."

"Um, moving on." I blushed.

"I don't think it was good idea for you to accompany me into the field today pet." Lady Ursa said abruptly while looking at me and the visual from the probe.

"How so?" I asked my lady bear.

"You seem distracted. Alex, you have to be completely focused when you are in the field or you will end up dead."

"I know mistress. I am still shocked by the level of poverty here in the slums and what I saw at the Winter's apartment."

"Have you not seen much worse on your world?"

"True. I guess, but you never get used it." I said returning my attention to the copilot keyboard. I carefully guided the probe through an open window of the high rise to the other side of the building- its rear.

She watched as I moved the probe from window to window at the rear of the building spying on those inside. It was in a room on the very top floor where I spotted the missing beastial, a male lynx bound to a chair. He was muffling something in desperation to someone through his gag.

"OH MY PRECIOUS!!!" I heard a sinister and maniacal voice in the room say.

"There mistress. On the twentieth floor in that apartment's bedroom."

"Right. Good job." She said as she engaged the prototype's hover mode. Carefully we landed on the roof of the building while I continued to monitor the hostage inside the apartment.

"Any change pet?"

"No."

"Good keep watch. I am going in."

"No mistress." I said looking at her.

"Alex?"

"I am coming with you."

"Pet?"

"Please. I need to."

"Ok. Stay behind me and keep close." My she beast ordered.

I recalled the probe back to the prototype and followed her into the stairwell. Quietly we walked down the flight of steps from the roof to the twentieth floor of the apartment complex stopping outside of apartment 2020.

Lady Ursa looked at me for confirmation. I nodded this was the place.

She placed her paw on the door-panel. "I order you to unlock on the authority of the Knights of Wundagore." The lock recognized her paw print and opened the door to the apartment. She drew her side arm and placed it on the paralysis setting as we slowly made our way in. I held on to her cape as she painstakingly checked the kitchen, great-room and bathroom of the apartment before making her way toward the bedroom where we had seen the lynx.

Lady Ursa looked at me again as she was about to open the bedroom door. I shook my head no. I was not sensing any danger. None at all. With my confirmation she burst through the door and aimed her weapon onto the lynx's abductor a red headed man who appeared to be in his mid to late twenties reading on a bed.

"HUMAN! YOU ARE MY PRISONER!"

Meanwhile I made my way toward the bound and gagged hostage.

"You have to help me!" The terrified beastial said as I removed his mouth gag- "He's, he's crazy!"

"KITTY!" The lynx's abductor said looking up from his bed.

"Don't move!" Lady Ursa ordered the human.

"But he is my kitty! My talking kitty!" The man exclaimed.

"I am not a kitty! Well I am, but I am not YOUR kitty!" The lynx said.

"You are my kitty!" The human said getting up from his bed.

It was at that point my mistress fired her weapon paralyzing the lynx's abductor.

"Thank you for saving me!" The lynx said as I finished untying him. "That guy's a few berries short of a basket!"

"Hmm... Miles Win. Twentynine and unemployed." My she beast said reading his tracking chip. Recently lost his pet cat after she fell twenty stories from his apartment window. Became unhinged as a result of his loss and has been trying to replace her ever since."

"KITTY! I NEED MY KITTY!"

"Wrong kitty human." Lady Ursa said under her breath.

"I think you should have went for the four legged type not the beastial type." I interjected.

"You think?" Mr. Hunter said getting up. "Thank you both for rescuing me. My mate must be worried sick."

"Mr. Hunter how did you wind up here?" Lady Ursa said picking up her prisoner.

"Mr. Win contacted me for assistance on some vacation plans; he needed help planning a vacation. So he met me in my office. As I was showing him possible travel destinations, I started feeling very dizzy. I soon passed out waking up here where I have been his hostage for the last fourteen days."

"It must have been very difficult for you." I said assuming an apologetic tone.

"It was, he petted me and fed me on a daily basis and forced me to use a litter box! I was completely weirded out when he started brushing my fur and said that I was HIS kitty."

"You are my kitty!" Mr. Win mumbled.

"Madam knight what is going to be done to him?" The lynx said staring at my she beast.

"Kidnapping of beastials is a serious crime. He will be judged and punished. Most likely his sentence will be experimentation to see if his mental state can be 'fixed'. Lady Ursa said solemnly.

Mr. Hunter called his mate who was more than relieved that he was alive. She drove by and picked him up. Lady Ursa called in her capture and had him similarly picked up.

As we were preparing to leave the high rise:

"So Mr. Win is going to be 'fixed' mistress?"

"Yes Alex, probably."

"He doesn't need to be punished. He needs mental help to find out why he acted the way he did when his cat died." I said dejected.

"That is not how the mentally ill are treated on Counter Earth pet." She replied.

"There aren't any mental institutions or mental hospitals?" I asked surprised.

"No."

"The mentally ill are just fixed?"

"Correct."

(Really enlightened.) I thought as we climbed back into the prototype and resumed patrol.

"What if the 'fix' doesn't fix the problem mistress?"

"Then they are 'repaired' again and again."

(Oh geez.)

One of the best things about being in a unmarked hover vehicle was the ability to blend in with the other arial traffic and to see the citizenry from World One go on about their daily activities some of it good, some of it bad.

Three hours later we were parked near North Park on the north side of the city enjoying the warm August weather. Well my mistress was. I was listening to the latest Sura song.

"Really pet you can't find a better use for our resources?" My lady bear said chiding me.

"Well, it is the latest song from Sura mistress."

"Yes it is pet which you are listening to in one of the most powerful weapons in all the empire." She said to me raising an eyebrow. With that shoot down I started performing systems checks for the next twenty minutes reminding myself how awesome the prototype was.

"It is really amazing what type of power this cute blue coupe has mistress."

"Having power is one thing pet, but knowing what to do with it and how to wield it is something else entirely." My lady bear rumbled.

(Interesting analysis.)

"Grrr, what is that?!"

"What is what?" I asked as I looked to where she was staring." There was some sort of commotion a block away from us.

"Alex! The front camera, pull it up!"

I tapped the upper left monitor on the center stack engaging the front mounted camera on the prototype.

"Zoom in!" My warrior bear ordered. As I did we observed what was going on.

A woman who appeared to be in her late forties was leaving a flower boutique shop not five hundred feet from us. As she got into a nice red convertible she was approached by a badger who pulled her right out of her vehicle right into the street, jumped in and drove off backing over several bystanders on the sidewalk and hitting her!

"Do you see that?!" I shouted.

"Disgraceful!" My ursine warrior grumbled.

"What do we do?! We can't pursue and also see to the injured."

"Remember what I said about knowing what to do with power?" My she beast asked me as she powered on the prototype.

We started chasing after the stolen car which converted to hover mode and lifted off from the street, while I called in for assistance with the injured. Lady Ursa pressed the prototype hard to catch up to the now flying red convertible until at last we had it in our site.

"Aren't we going to engage hover mode?" I asked my she beast.

"No need to Alex."

She then went to the weapons console and pressed the first of the three buttons that controlled the side-pods.

**Side-pod Engaged**

My mistress calmly selected the tracker tracer from the weapons menu on the center monitor, lined up the cross-hairs on the windshield with the bumper of the convertible and pressed the left toggle switch on the weapons console.

**Tracker Tracer Engaged**

**THWOK!!**

"Bulls eye!" I said as the tracer landed on the bumper of the convertible.

"Now pet let's see to the injured and wounded." My lady bear said turning the prototype around as we headed back to the scene of the theft.

We quickly parked and ran over to assess the injured. Four people were injured including the owner of the red convertible and three others on the sidewalk all who had been run over by the convertible when it was stolen.

The owner of the convertible started shaking badly when Lady Ursa approached her. A typical human reaction to the to seeing one of the High Evolutionary's enforcers.

"Lie still." My she beast said to the woman. "You are the victim here."

"Why did this happen to me?" She exclaimed. "I wasn't doing anything wrong!"

"Sometimes bad things just happen." One of the other victims said to her.

Lady Ursa performed a quick assessment. "You have a broken arm, leg and pelvis."

Hearing that the woman started sobbing.

"It could have been worse." I interjected.

"How is that?" She asked turning to me.

"You could have been killed."

I quickly walked over to the three other victims a woman and two of her friends who had also been run over by the convertible. Fortunately no one was killed but the woman and her two male friends had similar fractures in their arms and legs.

"You three are lucky to be alive after all of that." I said to them.

I assisted my mistress in obtaining first hand accounts of the incident from the four while we waited for medical services to arrive. When they did, they assured all of them that they would be made whole very shortly and they were.

(The technological sophistication on this world never ceases to amaze me.)

"Come pet." Lady Ursa said placing her paw on my shoulder.

We returned to the prototype. It had been at least a good thirty minutes since the woman's car had been stolen.

"Is the tracer still active?" I asked.

My fierce ursine warrior pressed the tracker tracer on the weapons menu and a map appeared on the upper left monitor showcasing the vehicle's it location. It was still moving.

"Yes." My lady bear said as she engaged the hover mode and we took off in pursuit.

We found the convertible about twenty minutes later on the west side of World One. The vehicle's thief still behind the wheel.

"Any ideas?" I asked turning to her.

My lady bear looked at me.

"I think the vehicle's owner would like to get her red convertible back with as little damage as possible."

That ruled out all of the offensive weapons including the static pulse. If we used that, it would cause the convertible to fall from the sky killing the driver and anyone the vehicle landed on.

"Let's try persuasion first." Lady Ursa said pressing the PA system button on the weapons menu. "You're up pet."

"You, in the red convertible! You are driving a vehicle that you willfully stole and does not belong to you! Stop by the order of the Knights of Wundagore or else!" I said warning the driver.

The driver turned around to look at us and just sped up.

"It looks like we have a runner!" My lady bear cackled.

We chased after the pursing vehicle. Matching its moves in the arial traffic turn for turn.

"So have you figured out what the or else is yet mistress?" I asked turning to her.

"Tractor hook, but we need to soften up the thief first." Lady Ursa said given me a devious grin.

"Good idea." I pressed the third toggle switch on the weapons console and started typing on the copilot monitor and keyboard as soon as it emerged from the glove compartment.

(What could we use to make that thief stop? I got it!)

"I got it mistress! But it is going to take a moment to set up!"

"Wait for my command pet." Lady Ursa said.

That was the one flaw with the prototype. Despite the amount weaponry available, when using said weaponry in succession it took time to set up.

Since Lady Ursa was busy driving and matching the convertible point to point, I had to get everything set up. I pressed the third button on the weapons console.

**Side-pods Engaged**

I opened both side-pods on either side of the prototype. I then selected tractor hook from the weapons menu.

"That is set up. Now for the show stopper!"

**Holo-projector Engaged**

"Here have a nice big fat building!" I said pressing the return key on my keyboard.

The prototype projected a huge 50 story building right in front of the red convertible startling the thief! He slammed on the brakes and covered his head thinking he was about to make a big splat. _ _

Seeing the convertible come to a dead stop, we also slowed down to within a 500 feet of our target.

"NOW!" My she beast said lining the cross-hair on the vehicle's bumper.

I pressed the left toggle switch on the weapons console.

**Tractor Hooks Deployed**

**THWOKK!!**

From there Lady Ursa forcibly, very forcibly pulled the convertible back down to the ground causing the driver to bounce out of the vehicle as it landed- hard.

"Cover me Alex!" My warrior bear said preparing to confront our vehicle thief.

I quickly disabled the holo-projector, transferred weapons control to my monitor and keyboard and set up a weapons lock on the thief who was splayed out on the ground.

"Ready."

My mistress open the dome of the prototype and approached the badger who was still groaning and moaning from his forced landing.

"Looks like you forgot to engage the passenger restraints." My she beast said picking up the thief by the scruff of his neck. "Why did you steal this vehicle?"

"And how would you know that how madam knight?" The badger moaned.

"Because I watched you do it! You also ran over four of your fellow citizens during the commission of your crime, including the owner of the vehicle you stole."

"I was just having some fun with humans!"

(Fun with humans?! Was this some sort of new hazing ritual?!)

"Besides that woman doesn't deserve to own a nice ride like that. No stinking, furless, tail-less squishy deserves to! Who does she think she is?" He said smugly.

"Someone who worked hard to be able to afford something nice like that! Who are you to say what a person is allowed to own!" I shouted at the thief.

"Alex."

"Sorry mistress."

Lady Ursa researched our vehicle thief. He turned out to be a prejudiced rich teen from a well to do family in World One who didn't like seeing humans trying to raise themselves up in class, status or stature. To him humans belonged in the slums, no where else.

"Len Prescott. You are a bad beastial and my prisoner. You will be judged and punished for actions today." Lady Ursa said as she shot the well to do thief with the paralysis setting on her weapon.

"Who does he think he is!" I growled at my mistress as she stepped back into the prototype. "Is he saying just be someone is human that they can't own nice things? Only beastials can?!"

"Calm down Alex. The important thing is he has been captured and no one was killed. The owner's vehicle has been recovered and the victims' injuries have most likely been healed by now."

"Yes, mistress you are right. But he still makes me mad."

"Pet shouldn't you be finishing up?" My she beast said raising her eyebrow.

"Yeah, almost done. I said as I removed the tractor hooks from the red convertible."

(Damn, that is a really nice car.)

Mr. Prescott was picked up by some junior knights and taken back to Castle Wundgore for judgement. Lady Ursa contacted the woman who owned the convertible and informed her where her vehicle was. The woman was elated that it was still in one piece- more or less. She thanked my fierce ursine warrior of Wundagore for what she had done. My mistress just smiled and said that she was welcome.

"What is our status?" Lady Ursa said looking at me.

I checked the right upper monitor.

"Good. The prototype is functioning within normal parameters. Not bad for its first full day in the field."

"Sir Ram and Mara want to be made aware of any anomalies we encounter."

"The only thing I noticed is that certain functions take time to set up if used in rapid succession."

"You mean like using the halo-projector right before the tractor hooks?"

"Yes mistress- it takes some planning to do."

"I guess that is why there is a copilot." She said turning to me. I blushed in response.

With that we resumed patrol for the next hour. My mistress saw that I was still fuming about the uppity badger.

"Let's stop off for lunch." My she beast said breaking the silence. "Do you want to go any place in particular pet?"

"No." I huffed.

"I have just the place then."

It was just the place indeed. The Wild's restaurant on the east side of the city. Lady Ursa treated me to lunch and we got to catch up with Mr. and Mrs. Wild and Lolly.

"Greetings Alex, Lady Ursa." Mr. Wild said greeting us at the door. "Table for two?"

I nodded.

"How are you two this fine day?"

"Great Mr. Wild." Lady Ursa responded. "You and your mate seem fine as well."

"I can't complain. But I sometimes wonder if Diana would be happy living elsewhere- a nicer home, a better neighborhood."

"Anywhere I can be with you dear." Came the response from behind the bakery counter. "It doesn't matter to me."

(Now that is true love.)

Diana greeted us as we sat down at the same table we had that day the Pyramid Bank was robbed. After poking around with the menu, I decided to order the tunafish salad. My she beast also joined me.

"Something troubling you pet?" Lady Ursa said noticing that I was still out of sorts.

"Yes mistress. It pains me to say this, but you were right. I was not prepared to go with you on patrol today, to see what you and the other knights see on a regular basis."

"Elaborate." She said staring at me with those gold color eyes of hers.

"Mistress, my time here on this planet has taught me that there are two Counter Earths. The one beastials inhabit and then the ones humans inhabit. During my eight months on this world I have lived a sheltered existence that hid me from much of the 'human experience.' The only time I was exposed to it was during the knight's missions."

"There was also your investigation of Mike Anger." My lady bear added.

"Yes and that mission too. I didn't really understand, truly comprehend the magnitude of suffering until recently. It started with the time I spent with my doppelganger's family and continued today. I can see why there are dissidents of the empire and why there is a rebellion."

"It is not all bad pet." My she beast said trying to cheer me up.

"But it is not all good either. Granted things are a little better than they were 118 years ago but there is still suffering and misery on this world. I saw it with Aurora Cross who was unable to find employment to support herself and was living with friends."

"You didn't tell me about that."

"Species prejudice mistress. Aurora had tried to find a position in her field but was turned down by employer after employer who didn't want to hire a qualified human. Instead they chose to hire a beastial any beastial even those without experience. That is just wrong." I huffed.

"Go on." My warrior bear said giving me her undivided attention.

"I also saw it while we were on our way to the hover vehicle show at the City Center in World Three." Aurora, Neil and I were harassed by some beastials teens who wanted a bribe to pass through their neighborhood."

"You didn't tell me about that either pet. What did you do?"

"I convinced them to let us pass without paying."

"I also saw what it was like having dinner with the Winter family. They didn't have much, their apartment was very, very, very small. I mean who should live like that? Who could live like that? Who wants to live like that?"

"The ultimate slap in the face was from Beastial Beauties who were abducting human citizens right off the street to experiment on! How could that be allowed to even happen?"

It was then that the Wilds brought our lunches over to our table. They had overheard part of my conversation with my mistress.

"It culminated today with how the empire treats the unhinged and mental ill and that vehicle theft from a prejudiced first class citizen who did not feel a human should be allowed or privileged to own nice things. What I am saying is that it sucks to be a human on this world."

"Not every human is suffering on this world Alex. Look at Mr. Wild he is doing fine for himself."

"He is the exception that proves the rule. For each Mr. Wild or Adam Legend there are dozens of Aurora Crosses and Neil Winters mistress, I now completely understand why the Legend family tried to leave, why Alexander Winter joined the rebellion and why Mike Anger was a sympathizer."

It also reminded me of my conversation with the man-spider earlier this year where he challenged me and my beliefs:

Let's say this come together theory of yours is right and does need to happen. What are YOU doing to promote it?

What exactly are YOU doing to resolve the equality issues between the classes?

What are YOU doing to prevent second class citizens from feeling disenfranchised and joining the rebellion?"

What are YOU doing to convince beastials and humans that they need each other?"

What are YOU doing to make everyone lives better collaborator?

What are YOU doing to help the less fortunate? The helpless, the powerless, those who don't have a voice? Your missions with the knights are just treating symptoms of the overall disease. But what are you doing to treat the underlying cause?

Only making the disenfranchised feel better about their lives and themselves will resolve this." So what are YOU doing to make their lives- our lives better?"

"Mr. Winter it is indeed tough being a human in the current climate. Very tough, but don't let that get you down." Hue Wild said.

"I wish there was something I could do." I said dejected.

(But what?)

"You can keep moving forward dear." Diana Wild interjected. "Change does takes place, it is not all at once but in small steps. Take for instance our establishment where humans and beastials can dine together. Here everyone is equal no one is better than another and we respect each other."

"You two are true pioneers." I said to the interspecies couple.

Just then Corey arrived.

"Hi Momma, Poppa I am home and guess who I brought- Mia!

"That's fine dear." Mrs. Wild said greeting her son.

"Hi Mr. & Mrs. Wild." A brown haired ten year old girl slightly shorter than Corey said.

"Always a pleasure dear." Mr. Wild said.

"Mia, is every thing ok?" Diana Wild asked sensing something was wrong.

Lolly seemed to notice it too. The husky walked over and started licking the girl's hands.

"No. I think that I have been abandoned." Mia said crying.

At that point Lady Ursa and I turned to look at the young girl.

"Mia, what happened?" Hue Wild asked.

"My mother said that she was tired of raising children. She had been really stressed trying to support us. So much so, that she started questioning if she should have even become a parent. Many times I have heard her crying herself to sleep at night. Yesterday she told me that she had reached her breaking point and that I would have to find somewhere else to live."

"Oh my gosh." Mrs. Wild said.

Hue looked at Diana and she returned his stare. It looked like Mia's mother had fallen on hard times and had just given up.

It was at this point that Lady Ursa and I turned our attention to their conversation.

"What happened child?" My she beast said standing up from our table.

"She told me that should could no longer take care of me with daddy being gone and no money coming in. I didn't think she was serious. Until she didn't show up today to pick me up from school. I waited an hour before Corey said that I could come home with him." The girl readily admitted. "Please Mr and Mrs. Wild will you be my parents? I promise I would make a great daughter and besides, Corey and I are good friends."

"Hue and Diana's mouths dropped wide open in shock." Like they were caught with their pants down. Yeah, I know centaurs don't wear pants.

At that moment my heart broke really broke. What type of parent abandons their child regardless of their financial situation?! I got up from the table and my unfinished meal in the restaurant walking past the Wilds, Lolly and Mia and back to the prototype, got in and broke down.

Lady Ursa soon joined me.

"Alex?"

"This world has got to change mistress!" I said between my tears. "It can't continue to go on like this!"

To Be Continued....