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The AdvAnTAGE Project

By

Mantrid Brizon

Episode 42: The Crossing

The alarm blares and the red emergency lights flash, the ceiling awash with crimson glow. With shutters closed around the lower level, they’re thoroughly trapped. Unable to think of anything else, Donnie and Victoria had attempted to sneak into the Black Tower through a service tunnel. Hacking into the security system gave them the ability to watch the camera feed, allowing them to utilize several unusually large blind spots. They made it into the basement and found themselves within a parking garage.

Somehow, and without ever encountering a single person, they were discovered, even as they skillfully avoided the cameras. Lights and lasers illuminated a corridor and the pair began to flee, doing whatever they can to make their way up the tower. Turning a corner, they elude their pursuers, if only for the moment. Continuing down the corridor, they reach the service elevator.

“Oh, good!” Victoria smiles, pressing the button with her thumb. “Huh?! ... Oh, no! The button doesn’t work!” The mare AdvAnimal whimpers.

“Shit...”

“What are we going to do?!”

“We just need a way out... Somewhere we can...”

Donnie pauses as he looks to the ceiling.

“There!”

“Huh?! An air vent?!” She gasps, startled at the suggestion.

“Give me a boost up.”

“Do you think I’ll fit?!”

“You’re gorgeous, babe.” He teases.

“That’s not what I meant...”

“Come on. It’s our best shot.”

“Well... Okay...”

Kneeling down, Victoria weaves her fingers together to give Donnie a boost, but as she lifts, she heaves her mate, throwing him up and through the vent cover.

“AHH!” He yelps, as the cover bangs loudly, the frame shattering.

“Oops!”

The broken vent cover, smashed in by Donnie’s upper back, tumbles down the vent shaft and creates a most obvious echo. In spite of the pain, he manages to grab onto the edge before falling back down, and pulls himself inside. Without missing a beat, the powerful mare AdvAnimal jumps up and catches the ledge, but with Donnie too close to the opening, the weight causes the vent to pull away from the brackets. The bolts snap at the head and with a loud crash, they fall back to the concrete floor as the ceiling tiles collapse around them.

A chain reaction causes a small cave-in, blocking the entrance just as the soldiers reach them. The panicked couple look back, and as Victoria whimpers, visibly trembling at the threat just beyond the broken bits of ceiling which block the door, Donnie searches for another option. With only one way out, Donnie uses a small, twelve-inch crowbar, prying open the doors of the disabled elevator as best as he can. Seeing her mate, Victoria sticks her fingers into the crack, grunting as she forces the doors open with brute strength.

The metal creaks and binds as she damages the mechanism, the doors themselves buckling around her hands. As the soldiers dig through the rubble in an attempt to reach them, Donnie and Victoria find the service hatch in the roof of the elevator and climb out. A ladder built into a crease in the concrete wall might allow them to climb up. Peering at the ceiling, the Black Tower is so tall and the shaft so dark that it appears to be an endless void.

“D-Donnie!” Victoria’s voice tremble with fear.

“Oh... I don’t suppose this is the best time to bring up my problem with heights...” Donnie murmurs.

Looking to her mate, the man to whom she is forever bound, the petrified Victoria manages to shake off her own fear. She needs to be there for him, no matter what, and right now, he needs her strength. With an audible gulp, she clenches her fists and controls her trembling body.

“It’ll be okay...” She begins, tapping into a newfound strength. “If we can get up a few floors, maybe we can find another way up?”

“Yeah... That sounds like a plan to me!”

Victoria grabs onto the ladder and attempts to climb, but her hooves slip on the rounded rungs.

“EEE!” She exclaims as she falls against him.

Donnie barely manages to catch her, his own footing already compromised by the various mechanical obstacles atop the elevator.

“Uhm, m-maybe you should go first?” She suggests with a nervous chuckle.

“Alright.”

With a single nod and a kiss on her cheek, Donnie calms his mate. Finally regaining her footing, the mare AdvAnimal straightens herself, once again towering over her human lover.

“Just one floor, okay?” He says, turning back to her as he grips the bars.

“Okay.” She flashes an uneasy smile.

They climb slowly and steadily, but it’s clear to the mare that her husband’s feet are far superior for this task than her hooves. Still, she presses on. Upon reaching the ground floor, Donnie uses a pocket-sized flashlight to examine the door. He finds an override switch near the ladder. Flipping it, he’s able to manually open the doors with minimal effort. Meanwhile, Victoria continues to struggle in her climb, taking her time. The soldiers beneath them manage to clear the rubble, and shouts of “in the elevator shaft” echo through the abyss.

After pulling open the deactivated doors, Donnie grabs onto the edge and turns back, offering a hand to his mate. She appears so fearful, visibly trembling as she reaches out for him. Grabbing onto her furry hand, he pulls with all his might, while Victoria pushes away from the ladder. Though her fur is soft and slippery, they move quickly and she clears the gap. The pair topple over, landing in a heap on the floor.

“Ooohhh, my stallion!” She coos, gazing down at her lover.

“Air...” He chokes out.

“Oops!”

Glancing down, she can see how her large and plump breasts, each nearly the size of a watermelon, press against his collar bone and throat; the very tops of her bosoms even spill over his chin, encroaching on his mouth. She plants her palms on either side of his head and quickly lifts her upper body.

“Sorry.” She flushes beneath her fur.

“It’s alright. Come on, cowgirl. Let’s find some stairs.”

“You know, I just realized, I probably could’ve jumped up one floor...” She murmurs.

Racing through the large corridor of the ground floor, they’re startled by the lack of people. With the exception of the soldiers who hunt them, there’s no staff or civilians anywhere to be seen. A fallen page of a newspaper gently tumbles across the hall, blown by the air from a nearby vent. Why does the building seem deserted? The sudden shouting of the soldiers once again catches their attention. Donnie looks back, only to see them taking positions, a few kneeling while the others stand, their strange weapons raised.

He acts fast and twists his upper body as he aims his pistol behind them. Firing a handful of thirty-two caliber bullets from his Beretta 81BB at their pursuers causes them to hastily take cover. The couple try a door to a stairwell but it’s locked. Donnie shoves his shoulder against it in an attempt to open the steel door.

“Ow! Damn it...” He grumbles, wincing from pain and rubbing his shoulder. “Yeah, that’s a door, alright!”

“Move.”

Glancing back, Donnie’s eyes widen and he jumps aside. With a swift kick, Victoria’s hoof slams into the door just beside the handle. It pops off and falls to the floor with a loud clank as the door swings open with such force that the other handle bashes a hole in the stone wall of the stairwell, jamming it open. He marvels at her raw physical power, a large hoof print denting the door, which now has a cracked window and damaged hinges.

“Wow... Remind me never to piss you off.”

“Hehe! I’d never hurt you, my stallion, unless that’s how you wanted it.” She coos, giving his buttocks a firm squeeze.

“There! Get ‘em!” Soldiers exclaim.

The couple turn and fire, spraying hot lead from their two firearms. Donnie empties his Beretta 81BB, while Victoria uses Martin’s flashy, nine-millimeter Taurus PT911. She winces as she fires the pistol. She’s never shot a gun before. She’s hardly done anything, before meeting Donnie, having spent most of her adolescence and all of her adult life locked away in Gold Base, as a control group. As a soldier returns fire, the round whizzes by her hair and pointed, horse-like ear.

“EEE!” She squeals, dropping the pistol and diving inside the stairwell.

“What the fuck?! Who told you to shoot live?!?!?!” A soldier snarls at the other.

Her tall and voluptuous body is still quite bulky, and a leg catches her beloved Donnie in the side, inadvertently shoving him into the stairwell alongside her. They fall to the floor, only to scramble to their feet and up the stairs. They pause at the next level to try the door. Unsurprisingly, it’s locked.

“Mmrrmm! ... I’m sorry, I dropped the gun. I didn’t mean to.” She suddenly apologizes.

“I know. It’s okay, Vicky. I’m just glad you’re safe. You know I could never stand to lose you.” He replies, giving her a brief but firm hug.

“Aww!”

“We’ve just got to get out of this shaft, before they catch us.”

“Maybe if we keep going up, we’ll find an unlocked door?”

Before he can respond, they can hear the soldiers down below. Dashing up the stairs, they make it several floors up before even more soldiers appear. They converge on the couple from above and below! Left without any other options, Victoria blasts the 9th floor door off of the hinges with another swift kick. They dart down the hall, only for another door to open ahead of them. More soldiers! They take aim and fire, striking Donnie and Victoria in the chest.

“Pepper balls?!” He coughs, his eyes and nose burning from the potent dust.

“This way!”

Victoria races toward the nearest door, which appears to lead to offices.

“If we can just lose them for even a min-AHH!”

Tripping over her own hooves, Victoria falls to the floor in front of Donnie, who in turn stumbles over her legs, landing on her back. Just as he falls, he sees a strange dart sticking into the wooden office door. What kinds of weapons are they using?! Scrambling to their feet, Victoria bashes the door open with a firm kick, only for another dart to jab her in the right bicep.

“Ouch! That stings!” She whines, pulling out the dart.

“Come on, Vicky! This way!”

“Alright! I’m right! ... Right behind... You...”

Glancing over his shoulder as he races past the empty cubicles, Donnie stops in his tracks, the heals of his boots squeaking on the tile floor. What’s wrong with his beloved?! The mare AdvAnimal stumbles, her eyelids slowly closing. She leans against a cubicle wall, only for it to buckle against her weight, causing her heavy body to fall against a desk before rolling onto the floor. She falls with a thud, the air pushed from her lungs in a pained groan.

“Vicky?! VICKY!!!”

“I’m... I’mmm’kay...” Her speech is somewhat slurred.

“I’m here, babe!” He races back to her.

“Go...”

“What?!”

“Go, Donnie...” Victoria urges, attempting to stand before falling to her knees. “Dohn’let’em... Catch y-.”

Before she can finish her sentence, she collapses in a heap on the floor. A trickle of blood stains her silver fur in the spot where the dart struck her. That must’ve been some sort of tranquilizer. It’s becoming painfully clear to him; they want them alive. Unwilling to leave her behind, Donnie kneels beside the mare and reloads his pistol, only to see a canister tumbling into the room. The grenade sparks at one end before emitting a thick cloud of white smoke. As it envelopes him, however, it doesn’t irritate him the way that CS gas or pepper balls would. With his eyelids growing heavy, his body numbs. The pistol falls from his hand, clicking loudly on the floor. Moments later, he collapses on the floor, lying beside his wife.

“Wha... Where... Where am I?”

Opening his eyes, Donnie finds himself in a dark room. Though his body is still heavy, he can control his limbs to a certain degree. Unfortunately, they’re also tied down. He lay atop a bed, still clothed but disarmed and without any of his gear. He looks to and fro, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, only for them to sting as a blinding light floods the room. He winces as he tries to focus on the figure standing in the doorway.

“Mr. Donald Victor Harper.” The shadowy man reads from a clipboard. “Collect him.”

More shadowy figures emerge, surrounding him. His straps are undone, the strong, shadowy figures holding him down. Without the strength to fight, his captors find it quite easy to sit him up on the bed and attach handcuffs and leg irons, which they hook to waist chains.

“He wants to see you, Mr. Harper.”

“Who’s “he”? And how do you know my real name?” Donnie asks.

“In time, Mr. Harper... Come.”

Pushed along by the shadowy men, Donnie’s eyes take in the soft light of the hallway. It only appeared to be blinding because of how long he was unconscious. The corridor is quite elegant, with black marble floors and walls, golden sconces emitting a soft and warm amber glow. He asks about his beloved Victoria several times, but the men in bland black suits and mirrored sunglasses don’t respond. In fact, they move in such an inhuman, robotic fashion that he wonders if they might be androids. Considering the technology Sovereign Six has displayed thus far, anything is possible.

At the far end of the hall, another pair of guards in matching suits stand beside two massive doors. Opening the double doors, Donnie finds himself being led into the largest and most elegantly decorated office he’s ever seen. Gargantuan pillars of black marble line the room, the gold leaf accenting the dark colors. A massive desk fit for a board room sits before a large, wingback chair. Beside it is a slightly smaller chair of similar construction, and in these two chairs are three beings, of varying familiarity.

A pale man with slicked back blond hair wears a suit and mirrored sunglasses. For some reason, Donnie feels as though he’s seen this man before, but as he looks amongst the others, they’re all nearly identical in appearance. In the smaller chair to the man’s left, an AdvAnimal woman cradles a baby, which she breastfeeds. She’s obviously canine, and from what he sees, her fur is a single color, white as fresh snow. Her jet-black hair is pulled into a high ponytail, with a clip spreading it out like an oriental fan, while long bangs are brushed to one side of her face. It’s a most unusual style.

Her icy blue eyes look him up and down, her arms gently bouncing the baby which suckles at her breast. Looking around the room, Donnie is amazed to see Victoria! She stands against what appears to be a Saint Andrew’s Cross, her arms and legs, wrists and ankles held down with extremely thick braces of a greyish metal. A black hood covers her head, but once his eyes land upon her, a guard with a rather futuristic looking submachine gun leans over and yanks off the hood. She turns her head and blinks her eyes as they adjust to the light of the room.

“Donnie!” She exclaims the moment she sees her lover. “I knew that was your scent!”

“Vicky! Did they hurt you?!”

“No.”

“Then what’s with the bondage gear?”

“Her breed is so strong that titanium alloy and a compromising position are the only ways to keep her subdued without the use of powerful sedatives.” The man behind the desk suddenly speaks.

Donnie turns toward the man, looking him up and down. Leaning forward, the strange man slowly removes his mirrored sunglasses, folding the arms and slipping them into a breast pocket.

“Hello, Mr. Harper. I’m Mr. Sharpe. I’m glad to see you’ve accepted my invitation.”

“Invitation?! ... I don’t know what you’re talking about...”

“Of course you do. You’re here for your friends, aren’t you?”

“Maybe I just wanted a tour of the place? It looks so pretty from outside.” Donnie coolly retorts.

“Oh, please...” The Husky girl snickers. “Do you think we’re idiots?!”

Donnie takes a step back, startled by another speaking AdvAnimal. Did Sovereign Six give their loyal minions the treatment?!

“Don’t mind Krystal. She’s often more direct than I am...” Mr. Sharpe clasps his hands together as he stares right through Donnie.

“We left those tracking devices in place so that anyone left behind would catch up and be captured. Why do you think the service entrance was clear? Why were there such generous blind spots in our security cameras?” Krystal smirks.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about...” Donnie grumbles.

“And your unlicensed AdvAnimal lover?” Mr. Sharpe asks.

“She has papers, and how do you know we’re lovers?” Donnie raises an eyebrow.

“Your reaction to seeing each other told us all we needed to know. That and the fact that she’s a first generation who can talk...”

“Oops! I forgot...” Victoria murmurs, bowing her head in shame.

“I know. It’s okay.” Donnie assures her.

As the couple gaze across the massive room, straight into each other’s eyes, Victoria knows that Donnie was correct; it would’ve only been a matter of time before they were captured, and it likely would’ve been her fault. In spite of that, he still looks to her with such warmth, such love. Her heart flutters, honored to have a mate such as him, a husband so warm and understanding. She only hopes that they’ll survive the night, to continue to enjoy their relationship.

“You’re a member of an organization calling itself ‘The Four Horsemen’.” Mr. Sharpe continues.

“Never heard of ‘em...”

“Please.” Mr. Sharpe snickers. “By the way, why are you ‘The Four Horsemen’ when there were five of you? ... Actually, Dr. Chavez makes that six.”

“... Alright...” Donnie sighs, curious to see where their dialogue will lead. “Let’s say that I am one of these ‘Four Horsemen’? What am I doing here?”

“I’d like to negotiate a truce.”

Donnie is so shocked that he cannot help but laugh. He looks around the room at the armed guards, his bound lover and the strange Mr. Sharpe and his companion, Krystal. None of them appear amused.

“Wait... You’re serious?!”

“Very... You’re lucky, Mr. Harper. If you’d arrived two days earlier, around the same time as your friends, this would be unfolding very differently.” Mr. Sharpe remarks.

“Are they... Did you kill them?” Donnie can hardly ask the question, his eyes watering at the horrid thought.

“No. I’m going to be as forward as I can with you, Mr. Harper... I’ve been working for Sovereign Six for a very long time, but the previous leader, the man who’d been running things for nearly sixty years, has recently died. I am his replacement.”

“Okay...”

“You are aware of the problems with the AdvAnimals, are you not?”

“Maybe...”

“Donnie, please!” Victoria pleads.

“I’m not going to play games with you, Mr. Harper. This meeting is about weighing my options...” Mr. Sharpe replies with audible annoyance. “I don’t want to kill you. In fact, I may need you, but if you won’t cooperate then I can’t trust you, and that makes you a liability...”

“Alright, fine!” Donnie grumbles. “Yes, I’m one of ‘The Four Horsemen’, and we had some theories, but we didn’t really know for sure. We had a few contacts in your organization but they never really gave us anything definitive, and Dr. Chavez didn’t know anything, or didn’t want to tell us.”

“Ah, yes... Your ‘contact’... Mr. Nazarov did an excellent job of subverting your group.”

“Who?”

“Perhaps you never knew his name. That wouldn’t surprise me... He was communicating with Ms. Anderson for quite some time! He’s also one of the founding members of Sovereign Six. He’s... No longer with us.”

Donnie cannot believe his ears. One of their leadership was Amanda’s secret contact?!

“How do you think we managed to capture you? Ms. Anderson let slip one too many details. She’s a rather arrogant and cocky woman, and that, despite popular belief, is a character flaw.” Mr. Sharpe cannot help but grin.

Donnie can only hang his head and sigh. He knows in his heart that Mr. Sharpe is telling the truth.

“When the time was right, we made our move... As for Dr. Chavez, well... I think Jose didn’t want to know the truth.”

“And what is the truth?” Donnie cannot help but ask.

“The AdvAnimals... Are bioweapons.”

“What?!” Donnie laughs in shock and surprise. “Come on! I thought we were being honest here!”

“I’m quite serious, Mr. Harper. Originally, the ‘AdvAnTAGE Project’ had an entirely different goal, to genetically modify humans and fast-forward our own evolution...”

“Yeah, we know that much.” Donnie interjects.

“My predecessor believed that the world was crumbling around us, and that we were to blame. In many ways, he was right. Forcing our evolution could mitigate our suffering and allow for progress. The AdvAnimals were an unintended byproduct of the research we were conducting, but upon seeing their potential, my predecessor immediately shifted our focus. The AdvAnimals were engineered to be bioweapons, Mr. Harper... Bioweapons with a particularly nefarious purpose...”

Donnie stands frozen in shock and horror as he listens to Mr. Sharpe explaining the terrible truth of the creatures he’s grown so comfortable with. His own lover, a woman he considers his wife despite being an AdvAnimal, is yet another pawn in The Old Man’s sinister scheme. How is this possible?! How could he be so blind to all of the signals which, now that he knows the truth, are as red as flags can be? Victoria’s mouth hangs open, her eyes glossy with tears. Is that why she’s so eager to mate with him?! Is she really nothing more than a breeding machine?!

A shame washes over her at the realization that her urges, like her voluptuous form, were engineered for a most twisted purpose. The towering and powerful mare AdvAnimal can only weep as Mr. Sharpe reveals everything. Donnie struggles to stand, the chains rattling as he suddenly stumbles. Fearing that he may fall over and harm himself, a guard approaches, grabbing him by an arm. He looks to his master for direction. With a single nod and a gesture with his hand, Mr. Sharpe has Donnie placed into one of the comfortable chairs sitting across from his massive desk.

“I’m sorry.” Mr. Sharpe sighs.

“For what?” Donnie asks with a whimper, his eyes staring at his feet.

“I know how hard this is.”

“Do you, really?!”

“Yes...” Mr. Sharpe nods. “Krystal is my wife. Jade, the baby in her arms, is ours. She was given to me by my predecessor to serve as a partner and companion. I had no idea that by taking her into my bed, I was participating in my predecessor’s plan.”

“Neither did I...” Donnie shamefully admits, realizing his part in this.

“Don’t feel too bad. We know that all of the others in your group are mated pairs. A basic physical examination of the females proved that much, not that we needed it, given their behavior. You must have succumbed some time ago, and I honestly can’t blame you. I didn’t last long either.” Mr. Sharpe looks to Krystal and smiles.

“You certainly tried though, master.” She coos, winking at him.

“What do you want?” Donnie finally lifts his head, teary eyes staring at his captor.

“As I said, I want this to end.”

“... How?” He asks, wiping his eyes dry with a shirt sleeve.

“You agree to stand down, give up this crusade and go about your life. I’ll give you a pardon and Victoria will receive legitimate papers. The same goes for all of your friends. No more will be said of this, and none of you have to live your lives looking over your shoulders.” Mr. Sharpe replies.

“Not that... How are you going to fix this?” Donnie clarifies.

“Ah... I can promise you that Sovereign Six, under my leadership, is not the organization that you’ve spent all this time opposing. We’re already making an effort to reverse the damage done by my predecessor. Due to the nature of our work, and your obvious lack of clearance, I hope you can take my word for it.”

“Bullshit!”

“Donnie!” Victoria whimpers.

“Some heartless, suit-wearing monster in your organization killed my parents and a harmless old man because of documents I’d stole! I had to live on the run, hacking ATMs, using false identities, eating junk from greasy spoons and sleeping in shitty motels in the bad parts of town! I was alone for years, crying myself to sleep because of what you people did! Then I saw what happened to those poor women at Red Base... AdvAnimal men raping them, breeding them, as they squealed and squirmed... All in the twisted visage of ‘science’ and your boss’s sick aspirations... No... I’m not going to take your word for it. I don’t trust you.”

“I can’t really blame you... Perhaps we can earn it?”

Donnie narrows his eyes, his silent snarl as potent as his glare. He slowly shakes his head; Mr. Sharpe could never earn his trust. Turning toward a little speaker on his desk, Mr. Sharpe presses a button and calls to a male assistant.

“Sir?!”

“Bring them in.”

“Right away, sir!” The little speaker chirps.

Within a matter of moments, the double doors open behind him. Donnie twists his upper body as he peers over the chair, his eyes widening and jaw dropping as all of his friends are escorted inside. Connor, Louis, Jack, Martin, Dr. Jose Chavez, Adrian, Audrey, Amanda, Samara, Mackenzie and Camilla. All are unharmed and appear fed and well-rested. Martin’s lover carries their baby, Shayla, in her arms, and Mackenzie’s belly is no longer swollen. She too cradles a little bundle in her scrawny arms.

A babbling baby, wrapped up in a light blue blanket, waves a little hand to her. She cannot help but smile at her child, presenting her index finger for the baby to grasp. Louis carries another bundle in an identical blanket, while Alessandra sits in a wheelchair which is pushed by Jack. It’s clear that no one wants to put unnecessary stress on her or her unborn child. Her clawed hands rest on her swollen belly, her long and tapering tail curled around and sitting across her lap.

Rising from his chair, Donnie’s chains clank as he takes a few steps toward his friends. Only his limited mobility and an approaching guard prevent him from racing toward them at full sprint.

“Holy shit! I thought you were all dead!!!”

“It’s nice to see you, too!” Jack chirps.

“Hey, Donnie.” Connor waves.

“Did they hurt you?!”

“No.” Louis shakes his head, gently bouncing his son.

“Actually, they’ve been very accommodating.” Jose remarks.

“Yeah. They’ve been very nice to us.” Audrey adds.

“The food was good, too!” Adrian chirps.

“You sure took your sweet time getting here!” Samara growls.

“Macky! You look different!” Victoria remarks.

“Yeah. I tried two braids this time.” Mackenzie quips, a clawed hand resting on her hip, her fingertips framing her flat belly.

“Mackenzie went into labor not long after arriving. I saw to it that she was given the best medical care. Dr. Chavez was even allowed to take charge.” Mr. Sharpe explains.

“It’s true.”

With a single nod of his head, the guards bring their KRISS Vector’s to the low-ready position, gaining the group’s attention. Donnie looks back and his heart sinks. If he wanted, this would be the perfect time to kill all of them. To his surprise, however, a guard reaches for his waist chains. Unlocking the padlock with a key, he begins to free Donnie. A clanking in the background draws his attention. Peering over his shoulder, he watches as two guards, both armed with tranquilizer dart pistols as well as their submachine guns, unlock Victoria from her device.

She wastes no time and races toward her mate, her hooves clopping loudly on the tile floor. Donnie turns toward the towering mare, who throws her arms around him and gives him a squeeze. The force of her eager embrace briefly throws him off-balance. The AdvAnimal nuzzles his head and kisses him again and again, thoroughly disinterested in their hosts, who stand by and watch.

“What’s going on?” Donnie asks, turning toward Mr. Sharpe but keeping an arm wrapped around his lover’s waist. “What’re you doing?”

“Let’s call it a show of good faith... I have a proposal and I’d like all of you to hear it.”

Mr. Sharpe motions toward the chairs, and drawn by both curiosity and the scores of armed guards, Donnie once again takes a seat. Victoria sits beside him, only to slide her chair closer to his, the legs scraping loudly on the black marble tiles.

“I understand you don’t trust me, so I’m going to be frank with you... The world isn’t ready to know the full extent of what my predecessor has done; what the AdvAnimals truly are. If you agree to stop trying to expose everything we’re doing, you’ll receive full pardons and your AdvAnimals will receive legitimate papers. Since many, if not all of you are having children with them, I can also offer you homes in Telivima. I believe you already enjoyed a tour of one of the neighborhoods when you helped Dr. Chavez escape...” Mr. Sharpe cannot help but smirk.

“Is that where all those missing people have been going? Everyone who’s been Welcoming AdvAnimals?” Amanda asks.

“Yes. Despite what you may think, we were placing people in Telivima for their own protection...”

“A likely story.” Amanda grumbles, crossing her arms beneath her bust.

“Believe me, Ms. Anderson, my predecessor wanted to keep the Welcomers, their AdvAnimals and their second gen children safe from threats. They were a vital part of his plan, after all.”

“Because a man who wants to destroy the world would want nothing more than to cater to his first batch of victims! Excellent cover story! It had me fooled!” Donnie chirps, shaking his head in disbelief.

“It’s the truth, Mr. Harper. My predecessor’s plan was a ‘long-game’. The final phase wouldn’t have been completed until I was his age, but I digress... I’d prefer it if you lived within the walls, where you’d be safer, especially since the world isn’t quite ready to know what happens when humans and AdvAnimals breed. We’ve gone to great lengths to conceal that knowledge for a reason... I can assure you, when the general public uncovers the truth, without first being properly acclimated to the concept, there’d be nothing we could do to protect you or the AdvAnimals...”

“And you don’t think that telling the truth would be better?” Donnie swiftly retorts. “I mean, if people knew the truth, don’t you think it’d be just as likely that they’d rally behind you for the greater good?”

“... No!” A visibly shocked Mr. Sharpe exclaims. “A person is smart, a person can rationalize, but people are a hive mind of fear and paranoia. The voices of fear would turn the already frightened sheep into wolves. It would be chaos, Mr. Harper, and the AdvAnimals, as strong, skilled and numerous as they are, would be forced to protect themselves. They’d likely win whatever war commences as a result of the truth... Violence is not the ideal situation. However, I won’t force you... You’re free to leave, with your pardon and their papers, but I’d like you to hear the remainder of my offer.”

“There’s more?!” Martin gasps.

“I know that you have skills, so, if you’d like to put them to good use, you can receive clearance and work for us. The homes will be nicer, and you’ll have considerably more privileges and benefits.”

Donnie chokes on his own breath and begins to cough.

“You want to give us jobs?!” Donnie chuckles from shock.

“Wow...” Amanda’s arms fall to her sides.

“I consider myself ‘freelance’.” Jack quips.

“Are you really that desperate?” Connor asks, a look of disbelief on his face.

“Believe me when I say that we could use your help...”

The sternness in Mr. Sharpe’s voice is telling. After a moment, Donnie and the others realize that this is no laughing matter; the offer is very real.

“Have you heard of Sun Tzu? He wrote ‘The Art of War’, and he had a recommendation for how to deal with spies... Give them lavish rewards and convert them. This isn’t dissimilar. You all have skills that we could put to good use. Your pardons are guaranteed, but your safety is not. The road ahead could be perilous. I’ve already drafted the order to utilize Dr. Gunderson’s treatment, which you’ve obviously replicated, and offer it free of charge as an upgrade to the existing AdvAnimals. That’s the first phase of our new plan. Research into mitigating and perhaps even resolving their flaws is already underway, research that Dr. Chavez and his wife could help expedite.”

“Bull... Shit...” Donnie grumbles.

“It’s not, Donnie...” Jose suddenly steps forward.

“He came to our cell last night and made this same offer...” Audrey stands by her mate, a clawed hand on his chest as she looks up and into his eyes. “We accepted.”

“What?! You’re going to trust these people?!” Donnie gasps.

“It’s not really a matter of trust, Donnie. This is my fault. I was on the original team. I need to try and make this right.” Jose insists.

“I extended the offer to Drs. Kyle and Carol Burnheart, as well. Once they realized I was serious about fixing things, they accepted. Considering that they’re the creators of the AdvAnimals, I think we have a real chance at success, but as the old saying goes, ‘the more, the merrier’.” Mr. Sharpe chimes in.

After a moment of silence, Victoria’s ears perk. She can hear the whispering of several of their friends, the couples whispering amongst each other. Though their positions are startling, she cannot help but share their desire for peace. Perhaps it’s in her DNA, like her need to mate, but if she could live a peaceful life with Donnie and enjoy a family, she’d do it gladly, regardless of any deals with Sovereign Six. Martin steps forward and clears his throat, an arm around Camilla’s waist.

“Alright. We’re in.”

“What?!” Donnie gasps.

“I’m sorry, bro, but I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

“You certainly are.” Camilla coos, leaning into her mate.

“This whole thing was your game. I was just the money man.”

“And a very successful one.” Mr. Sharpe nods.

Louis and Mackenzie join him, stepping forward just as Jack pushes Alessandra’s wheelchair closer. One by one, they agree to the ceasefire, leaving only Donnie, Victoria, Amanda and Adrian in defiant silence. The bunny AdvAnimal turns to Amanda, his big, sapphire eyes scanning her features. Resting a clawed hand on her shoulder, she turns to him, her expression changing upon seeing his face.

“Please.”

“You can’t be serious... These fuckers killed my brother!” She exclaims, a quiver in her voice.

“I know that, but hear me out... Do you think he’d want this for you?”

His words cut deeply, not just for Amanda, but Donnie as well. His mind races as he thinks about his parents. Amanda is at a loss for words, her glossy eyes staring into those of her AdvAnimal lover. His soft features, though inhuman, are gentle and tender. His hands slither around her as he slowly pulls her into a warm embrace.

“I don’t think he would. I think he’d want you to be safe and happy... Maybe this is that chance?” Adrian suggests, nuzzling her cheek.

“But if I quit... What was all of this for?” Donnie abruptly asks.

His remark draws the couple’s attention, as well as that of his friends, but none more so than Victoria. She leans over the armrest of her chair, her bottom lip trembling and eyes watering.

“Donnie! You told me that if you could get out, you would, that if you could stop and we could have a life together, we would. Didn’t you mean that?!” She pleads.

“Of course I did.”

“Don’t you want that?!”

“You know I do.”

“He’s right! This might be our only chance...” She all but begs him, reaching out and grabbing hold of his hands.

Staring down at their entwined hands, Donnie feels torn. He’d spent so much time trying to reveal the sinister and shadowy organization, and now he knows the depths of their evil, former though it may be. The desire to press on and keep fighting is almost as strong as his desire to abandon the fight and spend his days with the woman he loves more than life itself, the AdvAnimal who holds his heart in her hands. Gazing into her eyes, he can see her pain. Her love for him is genuine, despite the sinister nature of her creation.

The dichotomy is agonizing. Though he’s certain that his parents would’ve been horrified by his choice of lover, in the end, had they known the depths of his feelings for Victoria, they likely would’ve urged him to pursue her and embrace happiness in whatever form it so chooses. He gulps, realizing that all of his pain, the long struggle and sleepless nights, has only led him to this point. Life or death? Happiness or despair? Taking a deep breath, Donnie closes his eyes, a single tear running down his cheek.

“Okay...” He nods. “I’ll stop.”

“Oh, Donnie!” Victoria exclaims, all but leaping from her chair as she embraces her beloved.

Adrian turns to Amanda, the last holdout. Overcome by Donnie’s conversion and Adrian’s words, she nibbles on her bottom lip for a moment before slowly nodding her head. Her brow is softened in shame, but Adrian is quick to act. Lovingly caressing her cheek, he steals a passionate kiss.

“This isn’t defeat, Mandy.” He whispers into her ear. “It’s a new beginning.”

“I hope so...” She whimpers, clutching tightly to his body and resting her head on his shoulder.

Smiling at the sight, Mr. Sharpe leans back in his chair, only to turn his head and extend a hand to Krystal. Sharing his pleased expression, she reaches out with a clawed hand, giving him a tender squeeze.

“So...” Donnie sighs, wiping the moisture from his face as he looks back at Mr. Sharpe. “What happens now?”

“Now you’ll be processed. You can decide what you’d rather do, return to your homes or come to Telivima. If you don’t want to help us in our endeavors, don’t feel obligated to accept; the offer will remain open, should any of you change your mind.”

With that, Mr. Sharpe waves a hand toward the double doors. His guards move in and Donnie and Victoria rise from their seats. As they’re about to leave, Donnie pauses. Glancing over his shoulder, he clears his throat, as it debating whether or not to speak.

“Is there something else, Mr. Harper?”

“Yeah... I had a pistol when I got here. We both did.”

“I saw.” Mr. Sharpe smirks.

“Mine had a lot of sentimental value...”

“And you’d like it back?”

Donnie nods his head. To everyone’s surprise, Mr. Sharpe rises from his seat and opens a drawer. Removing their confiscated firearms, the magazines removed and slides locked back, he makes his way across the massive room. As he approaches Donnie, he first stops to pass the Taurus PT911 to Martin, whose wide eyes stare at the firearm.

“How did you know this was mine?!” He asks.

“Your fingerprints were on it. AdvAnimals don’t have fingerprints.”

Mr. Sharpe continues toward Donnie and the pair stand face-to-face, within arm’s reach. The expression on Mr. Sharpe’s face disturbs Donnie. Why does he look so sad?! Reaching out a hand, he presents the thirty-two caliber Beretta pistol, dropping it and the empty magazine into Donnie’s hands.

“Thanks. You have no idea how much this means to me.” Donnie murmurs, staring down at his father’s pistol.

Mr. Sharpe doesn’t respond, merely motioning with his head for his guards to continue. They politely usher their guests out of his office, leaving him with his family and their personal guards. Instead of returning to his wife and child, Mr. Sharpe stands by the corner windows and stares into the night. He gazes at the lights of the city and appears to be deep in thought. However, Krystal can hear his breathing, shaky and emotional. Rising to her paw-like feet, her shoes click on the marble floor.

“Danny? Master?” She asks, standing beside her mate.

Turning toward her, she’s shocked to find that he struggles to hold back tears. He tries to prevent his guards from witnessing his distress. Human and with inferior hearing and vision, only her response would surrender the truth. To maintain his dignity and strength, she uses her free hand to clandestinely wipe away a tear while leaning in for a passionate kiss. As their lips part, she nuzzles his cheek with her snout, allowing her fur to soak up the moisture on his face.

“Are you okay?” She whispers into his ear.

“I killed his parents with that gun, staging it as a murder suicide... It wasn’t the first time I’d killed innocents for him, but something about it stuck with me... And he didn’t even realize who he was talking to... A monster.” He whispers back.

“You’re not a monster. You’re my Daniel.” She quietly replies, her tail wagging happily as she nuzzles his face.

“I’ve done so many evil things, Krystal.”

“That was the old Daniel, and you killed him. My Daniel is a good man. He’s trying to reverse Emery’s work and save the world, for his sexy-ass wife and nosebleedingly cute daughter.” She coos, giving his neck a sensual lick.

He cannot help but chuckle, and pulls back so that he may gaze into her vibrant eyes. After a moment, her smile fades.

“Are you okay?” He quietly asks, nuzzling her cheek.

“That girl, the human... I murdered her brother... She doesn’t know it’s my fault, and it bothers me.”

“I know...”

Pulling Krystal into another warm embrace, he nuzzles her cheek and gives her a kiss.

“That was the old Krystal. My Krystal doesn’t kill innocents.”

“Mmm!” She happily hums, giving him a squeeze.

Hearing her babbling, the couple direct their attention toward baby Jade, who babbles as infants do, her big eyes gazing up at her father. Unable to resist her, Mr. Sharpe lovingly taps her big, pink nose.

“See? Everything’s going to be alright.” Krystal remarks, gently bouncing their daughter in her arm. “We’re going to raise a horde of adorable, stable and good-natured kids, and the world will be saved because we’re awesome.” She adds as though she were trying to convince herself.

“I know.” He says with a smile, petting Jade’s little head.

Episode 42.5: It’s The End of the Story as We Know It

“Here you go. Virus free and ready to get back to work.”

“Thanks!” The customer chirps.

“Sorry.” His wife bows her head, her vibrant, auburn hair cascading over her shoulders.

“It’s okay, honey.” The man replies, slipping an arm around her waist and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I was never mad. I needed a few days off, anyway! Just you, me and the kids.”

“I beefed up your firewall, too, by the way.” The man behind the desk adds.

“Thanks! I appreciate that!”

“I’m still sorry. I told them not to play around with your work computer, but they don’t listen!” His wife continues.

“Kids will be kids. At least they weren’t looking up porn.” Her husband laughs. “Come on, honey. We should get back before Davy forgets he’s watching them.”

After paying for the service, Alexander Webb thanks the man once again for his work, before heading for the door. Autumn, his deer AdvAnimal wife, walks beside him, ever his faithful companion.

“Alright, you’re up!” Donnie chirps, glancing at the pair waiting in the background.

“Hi, Donnie!”

“Hey there, Stevie! Man, you’re shooting up like a weed!”

“Yeah. He’s growing fast and furious.” Stephen’s AdvAnimal father messes up with hair.

“Dad!” Stevie complains.

Though only seven-years-old, Steven now has the appearance of a young teenager, is body filling out and revealing his masculinity. He’s no longer the scrawny and naïve little fox boy with the adorable lisp, whom Donnie and Amanda had met during their initial infiltration into Telivima.

“You know, only a few years ago, you were barely this tall.” Donnie remarks, holding a hand up to barely the height of the counter.

“Don’t remind me. I need new clothes every few months! I can’t get attached to anything!” Stevie complains.

“Well, that stops eventually, then you’ll be wondering where the years went.” His dad remarks, placing a laptop and ticket atop the counter.

“True! Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.” He says, picking the laptop up from the counter.

“I’m not sure what’s wrong with it. I think it’s got a virus or something.”

“Yeah, I’ve been seeing a lot of this, lately. That’ll happen, especially when you let them play around, unattended.”

Donnie glances at the young AdvAnimal, the fox boy’s ears drooping as he hangs his head.

“I’m sorry, dad. There were so many games and I just kept downloading the free trials, and-!”

“It’s alright, Stevie.” The fox man chuckles, slipping an arm around the boy and pulling him into a one-armed hug. “But be more careful with what you click on next time, okay?”

“Okay.”

“So, when can you get a look at it?”

“Well, I’m closing up in a few, but I can get to it tomorrow morning. Early afternoon tomorrow or the day after, at the very latest. Either way, I’ll call you when it’s ready.” Donnie replies, examining the information on the ticket.

“Good! You have a nice day.”

“You, too.”

“Bye, Donnie!” Stevie waves.

“See ya’, Stevie.”

Donnie watches the father and son as they return to their car. There, the AdvAnimal’s wife, a voluptuous, blond-haired human waits for them. Sitting in the passenger’s seat, she leans partially into the back seats, entertaining two much younger children. Checking the clock, Donnie’s heart races. It’s finally closing time! Shutting off the lights of his small computer repair shop, Donnie locks up and heads for his car. The 5.0L V8 engine roars to life and he cannot help but squeal the tires as he turns out of the small parking lot at the rear of the strip mall, where his shop is located.

Zooming out of the alley and through the parking lot, he races home. With a window down and an arm resting on the door, the wind flutters his long, jet-black hair. He glances at the houses and the many families as they water their lawns, take walks and barbecue, their children, all second generation AdvAnimals, frolicking in the well-manicured grass. They play little games and chase each other in circles, while a few ride bicycles at considerable speed. It’s like a scene right out of a 1950s sitcom, as though the town of Mayberry had come to life.

In retrospect, he’s glad he gave Sovereign Six a chance to change. He wasn’t sure he could trust Mr. Sharpe when they met, three years earlier. After all, everything that’d happened was Sovereign Six’s fault. However, with The Old Man and his cohorts, the original Sovereign Six all dead or retired, Mr. Sharpe made good on his promises. Within weeks of the meeting, where he and his friends were granted amnesty and even protection by the organization, Mr. Sharpe revealed Dr. Gunderson’s treatment to the world.

Any first generation AdvAnimal could receive it at their local Welcoming center, free of charge. Furthermore, Telivima’s existence was eventually exposed, as was a believable cover story. The world had seen more than a few incidents by Puritan groups, some staged by Sovereign Six during The Old Man’s reign, but many committed by genuine rogue extremists. It made all the sense in the world that, upon engaging in consensual sexual relationships with their AdvAnimals, those who’d Welcomed the creatures would want to live in peace and safety.

What better place for that than a city protected by walls with no gates, guarded by security with the best weapons and vehicles, supplied by airlift, and hidden by the government? Only a few dozen died during the many collections, and the rest, kept in the dark by their protectors, unwittingly made Sovereign Six’s case. Within months, most forgot all about the disappearances and the secrecy. Knowing that their loved ones had been whisked away to the private city nestled deep within rural Vermont gave them peace of mind, and as more and more AdvAnimals received the treatment, there were also far fewer incidents requiring cover ups.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jose Chavez and his wife, Audrey, worked diligently alongside Drs. Kyle and Carol Burnheart, who came out of retirement to try to fix the fatal flaws in their creatures of science. If they couldn’t find a way for the AdvAnimals to breed with each other, they could at least limit their sex drives and subdue the females’ insatiable urge to breed continuously. Three years of constant research hasn’t yielded much results, but they can never stop trying. Ring, ring, ring! Checking his phone, Donnie cannot help but smile.

“Hey, cowgirl.” He answers.

“Hey, stallion! Are you on your way, yet?!” Victoria whimpers.

“I’m turning onto our street as we speak.”

“Yay! You can help me pack! I’m almost done making the cake!” She chirps.

“Pack a cake?!”

“It’s the cookout today, remember?”

“Oh, damn... No!” He chuckles.

“What would you do without me?” She giggles.

“I shudder to think.” He replies, a warmth in his voice.

Pulling into the driveway, Donnie darts inside. He stops in his tracks, nearly falling over as he tries not to step on the most recent addition to their family. Walking clumsily on the floor and near the front door, Jenny, his five-month-old daughter, peers up at her father.

“Hi, daddy!” She exclaims.

“Jenny! Were you waiting for me?” He asks the little girl, picking her up by the armpits.

“Uh-huh!” She nods.

He looks at his daughter for a moment, a warmth in his core. With a shiny coat of black fur that matches her father’s hair and big, blue eyes, the little horse AdvAnimal waves her stubby fingers. Though barely half-a-year old, she’s already the size of a human toddler twice her age, and just as capable. Pushing the door closed with a foot, he walks through the house and heads straight for the kitchen.

“Hey, hubby!” Victoria chirps.

The towering, silver furred mare AdvAnimal stands by the island, prepping Tupperware. She wears her usual attire of a poodle skirt, matching tube top and a blue cardigan, with the addition of a frilly, white apron tied around her waist. Her swollen belly protrudes quite nicely, as she’s four months pregnant with their third child, another son.

“Hey, wifey. MMM! It smells good in here!”

“Doesn’t it?!” She grins from cheek to cheek.

“I got the cake, momma!” Lance exclaims.

Victoria’s eyes grow wide with horror. Turning toward their eldest son, Lance tries to pull the baked cake out of the oven, two large mittens covering his little hands. Though he’s two-years and three-months-old, conceived almost immediately after Donnie and Victoria had moved into Telivima, alongside their friends, he’s bigger than the average eight-year-old human. His size has more to do with his breed than anything. The young boy’s predominantly black with silver buckskin fur glistens as he stands in only shorts, peering into the oven, the air distorted from the heat.

Victoria turns, bringing a hand to her gaping maw as she calls out to her eldest son. He ignores her. Acting fast, Donnie pulls a cloth from the handle of the refrigerator door and hastily wraps it around his hand before racing toward Lance’s side.

“It’s okay! I got it, momma! Where do you want me to-WOAH!”

Lance exclaims in his own way as he trips over his own hooves, a common occurrence for the clumsy youth. Grabbing the edge of the pan, Donnie manages to balance the cake in one hand and his daughter in the other. She giggles as her father stumbles, his son reaching out and grabbing at his belt. Without missing a beat, Victoria uses oven pads to grab the cake pan from her husband, who finally succumbs and falls against the cabinetry. Lance finds himself sprawled across his dad’s lap. Peering up at him, Lance’s brow furls and his big, blue eyes narrow with shame and embarrassment.

“Sorry, pappa. I thought I had it.” He whimpers.

“It’s alright, bud. Sometimes shi-, er... Stuff happens.” Donnie hastily censors himself.

Victoria giggles at the sight, the cake sitting neatly atop the island. After giving his daughter a kiss, he sets her down on the floor and pats her back, encouraging her to play, only to then hug and nuzzle his son, then his wife, and finally her pregnant belly. With greetings now out of the way, Donnie collects the Tupperware filled with food, while Victoria and their kids smear the icing on the cake, while eating a large portion straight from the bowl. With the deserts packed, the family walk together, along the sidewalk and toward the park near their neighborhood. Along the way, they’re joined by some familiar faces.

“Hey, Donnie!” Connor chirps. “Glad you could come!”

“Yeah. We were sure you were you going to forget this time.” Samara adds.

The cat AdvAnimal cradles her young son in her arms, while their eldest daughter skips beside them. Conceived just before Lance, she plays a little game, trying to see who can jump over the most blocks without touching a crack. Each child can leap no less than three blocks without a running jump.

“Me?! Forget?! Never!” Donnie boasts, glancing over to Victoria, who cannot help but smirk and roll her eyes. “So, what’s the occasion this time? You’re having a lot of these block parties, lately.”

“Oh, the usual. Someone had another baby. It was Cammie this time, right?” Connor turns to his wife.

“Yeah! ... I think... Or was it Paige?”

“Don’t bother keeping up with them.” Connor laughs.

“Why not? It’s so much fun.” Samara coos, flashing her husband a lusty grin and eying his form.

“That’s not what I meant...” Connor’s face flushes.

“What’s fun, mommy?!” Their daughter, Sarah glances back.

“Nothing!”

Reaching the park, Donnie and the others find a large gathering already well underway. Standing by a few public grills and some picnic tables, Jack pokes a smoking pile of what looks like charred meat as he talks with Louis. They notice and wave to their friends, only for Mackenzie to interrupt, pointing out how burnt the meat is. She giggles as the duo scramble to salvage the food, while Alessandra can only shake her head and smile at her husband, her young son in her arms. Despite being nearly forty-years-old, their husbands often still act like teenagers.

Nearby, a horde of children, varying in age and belonging to everyone from their old group, shriek and chase each other in circles. They’re playing a game that only they comprehend. Harriet, her husband Ozzy, and their brood of eight children, sit with the Burnhearts at another table. As friends of Dr. Jose Chavez and Audrey, they attend virtually every gathering. Even Madison, Harriet’s human sister, sits with her own husband, Stefan, a bunny AdvAnimal with milk chocolate colored fur, whom she’d met after expressing an all too human desire.

The Old Man let her choose her mate from the database of potentials, what seemed like an exceptionally generous offer at the time. Though he was difficult to control before being given the treatment, Stefan is now a loving and devoted husband to her and their five children, who gleefully join the others in play. Turning toward their parents, Sarah’s and Lance’s big, glistening eyes and wide, toothy grins beg for permission to partake. Their tails sway and flick in unison. Victoria turns to her husband, who nods his head and waves a hand. Samara does the same, preferring it when Connor takes the lead.

“Sure!” Connor chirps.

“Knock yourself out, bud.” Donnie adds.

“YAAAAY!!!” Their children exclaim.

Racing toward the others, Lance promptly trips and falls into some grass, while Sarah leaps gracefully over him, bounding toward the other children.

“I meant that figuratively!” Donnie chuckles.

“I’m okay!” Lance assures them, brushing himself off before darting toward his friends.

“That kid is something else.”

Upon reaching the adults of the group, Victoria and Samara set out the Tupperware full of deserts, which Victoria has long since perfected. Her culinary skills are unmatched, inside or outside of Telivima. She and her husband have even entertained the thought of her opening a bakery. Donnie and Connor catch up with their friends.

“Hey, Donnie! How’s it going?! It’s been a minute!” An excited Louis asks.

“Yeah, it has! So, who’re we waiting on?” Donnie replies, his eyes scanning the crowd.

“Marty and Cammie. She just had another baby.” Mackenzie answers.

“I knew it!” Samara boasts.

“Those two breed like you wouldn’t believe.” Louis laughs.

“Look who’s talking.” Jack snickers.

Louis’ cheeks flush as the smile is wiped from his face. As the horde of children move like a wave, passing them by, four of Louis and Mackenzie’s five children are among them. The fifth is cradled in the mouse AdvAnimal’s arms, suckling at her mother’s breast, and the dainty mouse has already announced yet another pregnancy. Jack pats Louis on the shoulder and pulls him into a bro hug. Though he’s done considerable work building up his muscles as well as his nerves, he’ll never cease to have his vulnerable and shy moments.

“Be proud, buddy. You’re beating Alie and me!” Jack exclaims.

“It’s not fair. Macky almost always has twins, and she gives birth a month sooner than me!” Alessandra teasingly whimpers.

“So, Connor...” Jack begins, draping an arm over his shoulders.

“Here it comes.” Alessandra murmurs.

“How’s my baby treating you?” Jack asks.

“You need to let go, man. This isn’t healthy.” He replies, lifting his arm off of him.

“I just want to know!”

“You gave me the El Camino!”

“I know, but...” Jack sniffles and wipes an imaginary tear from an eye. “I just miss her so much!”

“You and those cars.” Alessandra softly chuckles.

“Don’t complain. I know how much you love that Ford Roadster.”

“I love the comfy bench seat.” She coos, gently tugging at the collar of his denim vest, before kissing his lips so passionately.

“Don’t I know it.” Jack grins, returning the favor.

Racing around a corner, a bunny AdvAnimal girl with the colorations of a Siamese cat zooms toward the others at incredible speed. Another seven children follow along, of varying ages and all with a cheetah-like appearance. They aren’t quite as fast as the bunny. Seeing the little band of AdvAnimals, Donnie and his friends turn to see even more familiar faces approaching. With their home only two blocks away, Amanda, who works in Martin’s office building as an accountant for Sovereign Six, walks hand-in-hand with her husband, Adrian.

It was the job she’d held before joining Donnie and The Four Horsemen, and so it made sense to carry on with it. Aaron and Paige Mizrelli follow along, as the couple also work in Martin’s building. While Aaron works from his private office as a legal consultant, his AdvAnimal wife volunteers at the daycare center on the ground floor. Like all female AdvAnimals, she has a fondness for children, and is naturally very nurturing and protective of them. It’s not uncommon for the mated females to volunteer their time in this fashion.

Sovereign Six is quite understanding, and many office buildings have such daycare centers, so most people take their children who aren’t yet of schooling age to work with them. The gang of children seamlessly invade the horde of already frolicking kids, leaving their parents to walk casually toward the adults. Aaron and Paige are quick to monitor the children, while Amanda and Adrian approach their friends. To their shared surprise, Amanda’s belly appears a little larger than the last time they’d seen her. Is she eating more?

“Hey, Mandy!” Alessandra, Mackenzie and Victoria all chirp.

“Hi.”

“How’s everybody doing?” Adrian asks.

“We’re good. You?” Connor replies.

“We’re fine... Buuut we have some news, don’t we, Mandy?” He turns to her.

“Yeah... So... Becky’s going to have a brother or sister.” Amanda murmurs.

“Really?! Oh, wow!” Victoria gushes, her hands on her cheeks.

“That’s wonderful!” Mackenzie squeaks.

“Huh... And here I thought you were just getting fat.” Samara teases.

“Screw you, too.” Amanda rolls her eyes but subdues a grin.

“Huh... Weren’t you planning on not having kids or something?” Connor asks, scratching his head.

“Yeah. I thought you told Alie that you were on birth control?” Jack remarks.

“I was... Both times... Apparently, Adrian’s so potent it doesn’t always work.” Amanda sighs.

“Oh...”

“Sorry, babe. You know you wouldn’t have it any other way.” Adrian teases.

“You mean you wouldn’t have it any other way. You don’t listen to me when I’m trying to tell you what I want, like ‘not inside’ and ‘pull out’.”

“You never say that stuff! It’s mostly incoherent wailing.” He quips.

“Yeah...” She sighs, her lips curling into the faintest of grins. “It is.”

With a playful smack to her buttocks, Amanda lets out a little giggle. Slipping his furry arms around her, one beneath her breasts and the other above, Adrian holds her from behind and nuzzles her neck with his snout. Her lips curl into a wide grin as he kisses her so tenderly. Despite her feeble protests, it’s clear that she’s reveling in the attention.

“You know you want this.” He teases, a hand rubbing her belly.

“Maybe when we’re having sex, but afterwards, when I’m sane...” She retorts, her smile unaltered.

Suddenly, a black Lexus SUV with a golden pinstripe, Sovereign Six’s updated color scheme, pulls up along the curb. Hopping out of the car, Martin waves to his friends as he darts around the front end before opening the door for his wife. Camilla cradles their newborn in her arms, paying special attention to the infant, their first son. Meanwhile, Martin opens the rear door, only for his four daughters, each of them barely eight months apart, to come bounding out. The golden-brown Salamander-like AdvAnimals race toward the other children, their long, tapering tails bouncing and swaying, their tall, elf-like ears swept back from the wind.

After a brief greeting, Martin and Jack wrestle over who’s going to serve the food, their behavior harkening back to their days on their high school football team. A Champaign Mercedes SUV pulls up, immediately gaining Donnie’s attention. It parks along the side of the road, only for Dr. Jose Chavez to emerge from the driver’s seat. He helps Audrey out of the car, as she is heavily pregnant. Meanwhile, their twin boys who are about Lance’s age, and a daughter about a year-and-a-half younger, all leap out of the backseat and race to join the other children. Like all AdvAnimals, they move with incredible speed, clocking 20 MPH or more.

“Hi, Donnie!”

“Hey, Jose!”

The two men embrace for a moment, only for Jose’s expression to change. Donnie agreed to stop fighting Sovereign Six, and has been a resident of Telivima ever since, but he could never completely remove himself from the dark and shadowy world he spent so much time in. Though he has no intention of betraying the organization, who have been exceedingly open and true to their word, he cannot help but learn the ins and outs of every development. With authorization by Mr. Sharpe himself, Jose regularly briefs him.

“Hey, pumpkin, Donnie and I are going to take a short walk.” Jose turns to his wife.

“Okay, but first...”

Reaching out with her clawed hands, Audrey motions with her fingers, beckoning to her husband. With his cheeks already flushing, Jose steps closer. First, they share a loving embrace, but soon Audrey places her hands on his shoulders and, with her eyes closed, presses her black nose firmly into the nape of his neck. With a long and audible sniff, she inhales his scent, her eyelids fluttering and her tail swaying with a strange spasm. Her claws run through his neatly trimmed beard as she gently places her hands upon his cheeks, sighing with what sounds oddly similar to sexual gratification.

The red panda AdvAnimal then barrages her mate’s lips with kisses. Even the other AdvAnimals raise their brows or otherwise giggle at the sight. Audrey’s addiction to her mate is like no other. According to the Burnheart’s research, that’s what a perfect pheromone match looks like.

“There!” She sighs, finally releasing him. “I have my fix for the next twenty minutes. Hurry back, muffin! I love you!”

“Okay, pumpkin. I love you more!”

“Aww!”

With affection exchanged, the mildly embarrassed Dr. Chavez motions to Donnie, who waves to his wife and children as he walks away. Together, Jose and Donnie march along the sidewalk, waiting until they’re far enough away from the AdvAnimals’ before speaking. It’s more than a block before they’re truly out of earshot.

“So... Any news?”

“No...” Jose sighs.

“No?!”

Donnie raises a brow as he examines Jose’s features. The middle-aged scientist and doctor keeps his hands tucked inside of his pants pockets, his head hanging forward as he stares only a few concrete blocks ahead of them, his shoes dragging every now and then.

“So... Not going well, huh?”

“Nope...”

“That’s alright, Jose. You’re a genius!” Donnie begins, draping an arm over the doctor’s shoulders. “I’m sure that oversized brain will work something out!”

“I don’t think you understand, Donnie...” Jose abruptly turns and pulls away. “We’ve learned so much under Mr. Sharpe’s leadership, more than we did with a decade under The Old Man. It’s been one discovery after another.”

“How is that a bad thing?” A perplexed Donnie cocks his head.

“Because what we’ve learned is... Unsettling... Their genetic makeup seems to be fundamentally incompatible. We’d always assumed they were male and female of the same species, because why wouldn’t we? However, while the AdvAnimals may appear similar, and first gens share the same manufacturing process, they might as well be entirely different species. At the cellular level, they’re wholly unique creatures, kind of like cats and dogs; they’re mammalian and share many qualities but they’re not the same.”

“Some of them look like cats and dogs.” Donnie chirps, trying to lighten the mood.

“Heh. You and Jack always know how to brighten up the darkness... To be honest, Donnie, a part of me fears that we’ll have to fall back on ‘Plan B’...”

“All those pills are going to get expensive. Maybe I should buy stock in Johnson & Johnson?”

“I’m trying to be serious, Donnie.” Jose sighs.

“I’m sorry. Listen, doc, just try not to let this get you down. It isn’t over until the big boned lady sings, you know? I mean, he released the Type Z’s years ago, and has been pairing them up with people left and right. That’s a small town full of subjects right there! Wasn’t that something you were really hoping for?”

“Their rapid cell division and diverse genetics does allow for more potential to resolve the issues, as we’d hoped, but it’s still not progressing at the estimated speed. The Burnhearts and I have been plugging away at this, with full staff, for three years, and we have nothing to show for it!” Jose shouts, showing his frustration.

Donnie acts fast, startled by how disturbed his friend appears. He stops in his tracks, rests a hand on Jose’s shoulder and gives him a light-hearted shake.

“Hey, it’s okay, doc! Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’ve got more than fifty years before this is a serious problem, right? ... Right?!”

“According to our calculations, their level of population growth is remarkable. Each female currently averages six children, and none of them will reach menopause for another two decades... With the present level of mature and sexually active AdvAnimals, we’ve conservatively estimated approximately 6,985,740 births per year. Telivima will be at capacity within two more years, and upon releasing the most recently matured first gens, that’ll jump up 900%. This is including the second gens who will reach sexual maturity by that point...

There are also the first gens who were being grown in purple base, right beneath our feet. Even though Mr. Sharpe ceased first gen development three years ago, when the very last batch mature and meld with the second gen population, in another ten years or so, those figures will easily quintuple, which gives us a total yearly growth rate of-”

“Okay, stop. Your math hurts my head.” Donnie chuckles, interrupting Jose.

“Sorry.”

“Quit fretting over the decimals, doc... Fifty years, right?”

“Perhaps... Maybe... Give or take a few years!”

“Then you’ve got this!” Donnie chirps.

“Do I?”

“Well, you said it yourself; when all else fails you resort to ‘Plan B’. That one sounded simpler, anyway. All you have to do is find a way to curb our girls’ insatiable appetite for our delicious sperm.”

“Ugh!” Jose laughs and winces at his joke. “You didn’t need to make it sound like food; we’ll be eating dinner soon!”

“Why do you think I said it?” Donnie smirks. “Anyway, stop worrying. The best and brightest minds on earth are working on it, and I’m standing next to a shining star.” He adds, patting Jose on the back.

“Thanks, Donnie.”

Donnie motions with his head and the men continue their walk. It’s such a pleasant and wholesome neighborhood they inhabit. As they turn another corner, making their way back toward the park, they both watch as a brown bear AdvAnimal pushes her son’s bicycle. Training wheels sit near their sidewalk, which his human father collects.

“Wow! Look, daddy! I’m doing it!” The little bear gleefully shouts to his father.

“You sure are!”

A few minutes later, Donnie and Jose see the park in the distance, now on the other side of the block. Seeing a patch of little, blue flowers, Donnie stops and takes a knee, picking several. Jose glances back but doesn’t say anything. After a brief pause, he leaves Donnie alone to gather Victoria’s favorite flower. With the stems clutched in a hand, Donnie looks toward the gathering and cannot help but notice something striking, something that makes his heart sink and a knot form in the pit of his stomach. When he tallies the AdvAnimals, they outnumber the humans six-to-one.

Watching his son playing with Sarah, they wrestle on the ground over a basketball. Sarah claims the ball, kicking away from Lance as he laughs and gives chase. Donnie dwells on Jose’s words, disturbed by the fact that the two children may never find the other compatible. How much longer before his son comes of age? A decade? No. It’ll probably be only eight more years before he’s an adult. That’ll be roughly the same time for Sarah. Will he then seek out a mate or possibly several? Just because Lance can feel love, that doesn’t mean he’ll find it or even desire it. How many children will his future escapades create? One? Several?! A dozen?!?!?!

Seeing his daughter as she rides in the comfort of her pregnant mother’s arms, watching the older children playing, Donnie cannot help but worry. In barely a dozen years, Jenny will also be fully grown, physically, mentally and emotionally matured. She’ll also begin seeking out a mate, though there’ll be none in Telivima. What will happen then? Will people still be Welcoming AdvAnimals into their homes or will her kind have agency by then? With the freedom to rule her own life, she could go anywhere in search of a mate. In any case, whenever she finds one, she’ll certainly be far more loyal than any male AdvAnimal could ever be, and possibly more insatiable.

Is there a young boy somewhere, innocent and blissfully unaware of the possible future, playing video games or riding his bicycle with his friends, unknowingly waiting to meet Jenny? Will he realize the gravity of their relationship? Will they teach him about the AdvAnimal’s quirks in school? Will he even care, instead content to have a doting and devoted wife who wants nothing more than to care for him and procreate continuously? Closing his eyes and shaking his head, Donnie forces the gloomy thoughts from his mind. Perhaps it won’t be all bad? By then, the brightest minds in Sovereign Six might’ve come up with an adequate solution. Who’s to say?

Seeing her mate approaching, Victoria flashes a toothy grin and waves. She bounces Jenny in an arm and points out her father to the little girl, who then waves with the gleeful vigor of a small child. Donnie waves back, displaying the flowers he’d picked for his wife and daughter. Meanwhile, Jose endures a tight embrace and a barrage of kisses and nuzzles from Audrey, who truly struggles to go even fifteen minutes without him, despite her treatment.

“No matter what happens in the future...” Donnie murmurs to himself, walking across the field to rejoin his beloved family. “In fifty years, I won’t have to see it...”