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“Vixy Knight,” the name was called from outside of her cell. Two prison guards and another official were there for her. “Legal name: Phillip.” She narrowed her gaze to the guards.

“My legal name is Vixy, thank you,” Vixy said. “Changed it years ago.”

“You’re being transferred,” the man said. “Grab your personal items, and come with me, please.”

“Transferred where?” Vixy asked.

“Cascadia National Corrections, Maximum Security,” the man said.

“Huh?” Vixy asked, still not moving from her spot. “I thought I was staying here since there’s not an appropriate facility for me.”

“Change in the rules,” the man said. “Can you collect your things, please?”

“What kind of change?” Vixy asked.

“Retrieve him,” he said to the two guards.

Vixy’s eyes widened. His language cued her in immediately. “No,” she said. “No no no… don’t fucking touch me!” The two guards moved in, and each tackled Vixy to the ground before picking her up, and escorting her from the cell. “You can’t do this! You can’t!”

“Not up to us,” the man said as the guards carried her off. He went into the cell and collected all of Vixy’s personal items for her.

When the van arrived at the other facility, Vixy was all the way in the back of the rear compartment, breathing heavily, trying everything she could to stay put. Guards moved into the van and picked her up and took her out of the van to go into the facility.

“Let me go!” she shouted as they dragged her through the cell block. “I can not be here!”

Prisoners in the cells all started whistling and hooting at her as they watched her get dragged inside. Vixy looked around at everyone, terrified. One of the men pulled their dick out and started masturbating, but it was quickly ended when a guard walked towards him with a baton in hand.

Vixy was brought straight to a new cell in the maximum security wing. They threw her in, and she immediately ran from them to the back of the room. “You can’t do this to me!” she shouted at them. They walked away without a word, one of them dropping a sack of her things in the cell with her.

“Vixy?” Jayce asked, looking over from the top bunk to see her.

Vixy looked up at him, and her heart calmed as she saw him. “J-jayce?” she asked. “Is… that really…”

Jayce hopped from the bed and pulled her into a tight hug. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re here!” he said.

“Jayce,” she said, trying to get his attention.

“Wait a minute,” he said, taking hold of her left hand and looking at it. “How did…”

Vixy stopped him, taking her hand back and slapping him across the face. “Jayce!”

“Sorry, what is it?” he asked.

“How am I here?” she asked him. “This is a men’s prison.”

Jayce nodded, and sighed. “Yeah,” he said. “New president signed an order… and uh… I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but all trans inmates are to be assigned to prisons in accordance with their assigned gender at birth.”

Vixy’s eyes looked into his, and then out into the prison wing from the cell door. “Are you fucking kidding me?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Jayce said. “But thank god you’re in here with me. I can… hopefully protect you.”

“Hopefully?” she asked.

Jayce shuffled a little, and rubbed his arm. Vixy looked at it and saw some scars. “Out there, as a shark, I’m pretty high on the food chain. In here, though… these people are stronger and bigger than I am. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do.”

Vixy sat down on the bed, and stared at the wall on the opposite side of the cell without saying a word. Fear was not an apt enough description of her feelings in that moment. It was out of body. Vixy was fully dissociating.

“Vix?” Jayce asked. He sat down with her, and put an arm around her. “I’m sorry, Vix. I’ll do… whatever it takes to keep you safe in here. I know you’d do the same for me. I’m not alone, at least.” She still didn’t move. Jayce got up, and said. “I’ll be right back. One sec.”

He left the cell, and a few minutes later returned. Click rushed around him and jumped onto the bed to give Vixy a hug of her own. “Holy shit!” he said. “Vixy, I can’t believe you’re… Vixy, your arm!”

Vixy nodded to him, but just stayed there.

“Kuro is in solitary,” Click said. “Rasco… he got deported. I heard that Samantha, Charlotte, Belladonna, Nat and Leanna are at the women’s facility up state.”

“We have a court date in two days,” Jayce followed up. “I’m guessing you already know bail was denied. My dad’s working on hiring a lawyer for us. He’s going to be meeting us tomorrow.”

Vixy didn’t say anything. She leaned back, resting on the bed and staring up at the bottom of the top bunk.

Jayce whispered to Click. “She’s terrified of being in here,” he told her.

“No shit,” Click said. “Vixy, I know it’s scary, but… this is maximum security. The guards are up everyone’s asses. No one’s getting away with shit. And if they somehow do, they’ll have me, Jayce and Kuro to deal with.”

“I will one-hundred percent go to solitary for you, Vixy,” Jayce said.

“Guys,” Vixy said, turning away. “Can you just… leave me alone for a minute?”

Jayce sighed and nodded. “I’ll be… right here,” he said. “I’m not leaving you alone in this place. I’ll give you a minute to sit in silence, though…”

Click nodded to Jayce, and got up to leave the cell. “Let me know if she wants to talk,” he said. “I’ll be around…”

Two days later, the whole crew was taken and sat down in a courtroom bright and early in the morning. The judge was the last in the room, and everyone stood before him, and sat down with him.

“You’re honor,” the defense attorney said as he stood up.

“Sit down, Mr. Fine,” the judge said.

The attorney sat down, and waited. “Calling to order case number 1704, the sovereign state of Cascadia vs. the defendants…” He then called on everyone’s name as he went through the list. “Mr. Fine. Where is Mr. Rahim?”

“I will no longer be representing Mr. Rahim, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “Mr. Fine was deported before I took on the case.”

“How long have you been on the case, Mr. Fine?”

“Two days, your honor.”

“Two days?” the judge asked. “Would you like more time to prepare before we begin today, Mr. Fine?”

“No your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “I’ve spent time talking to all of my clients, and I’ve been studying this case for the last four months. I’m prepared to begin.”

“Good,” the judge said. “Now, what is it that you needed to speak to me so urgently about.”

“One of my clients, your honor, Vixy Knight,” Mr. Fine said. “She’s a transgender woman who has undergone legal name change, and gender marker changes under the law. The prison system sees fit still to put her into a men’s correctional facility instead of a special case holding facility. I would like to formally request her housing be reassigned in light of this.”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Fine,” the judge began. “I have no authority in this matter. I recommend making a formal appeal to the prison housing system on this matter.”

“Your honor, if you could please put an emergency order in place,” Mr. Fine said. “Ms. Knight is at high risk for sexual assault in her current housing. This is a gross miscarriage of justice.”

“Denied,” the judge said. “Now, Mr. Fine, you are aware of the long list of charges being brought against your clients.”

“Yes, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “But no amount of wrongdoing should expose someone to rape and—”

“Mr. Fine,” the judge said. “Continue at your own peril. If you continue this line of discussion, I will hold you in contempt of court.”

Mr. Fine sat back down, and nodded. “Understood, your honor.”

“Good,” the judge said. “Mr. Kamore, you may proceed with your opening statements.”

The prosecution stood up. He was an eagle in a slick looking blue suit. When he rose, he looked over to the defense side and then to the jury. “Your honor,” he said, opening up. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Not long ago, our great city was rocked by the most violent attack in recent history. An exchange of gunfire, deployment of chemical weapons, explosions, and a manhunt across the entire city ended in the arrests of the defendants you see here. The defense will argue that these individuals were at the center of a life and death struggle, that they acted in self-defense. They’re going to present evidence in this trial that challenges the very notions of our law and our society. You’re going to learn about things that have been taking place behind the scenes for years. But let me set the record straight for you. There is no room for a self-defense argument here. Self-defense doesn’t give you the right to launch a military-style attack on a corporate headquarters. Self-defense doesn’t qualify when you engage in gang warfare, and unleash chemical irritants. When you hunt someone down and execute them. And that’s what we’re dealing with here. These defendants are terrorists. They waged war in our city.”

The prosecutor sat back down, and looked to Mr. Fine. Mr. Fine stood up, and addressed the jury. “Your honor,” he said. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. What happened here was not a gang war, or an assassination. It was not a terrorist attack. What we saw here was the result of a legal system taken advantage of by a crime boss. A company that took money to execute an illegal hunt of one of its own employees, and how a group of people fought to defend that employee. In our society, a predator is well within their rights to eat. We all know that. Predation did not play a part in this. This was vengeance taken to an insane extreme, and a victim… and her friends… who just happened to come out on top. The crux of the matter, which I will emphasize in this trial, will revolve around one simple thing: were Nick Bellatano’s actions legal. And would the defendants be here today, if they did not act the way they did.”

Mr. Fine sat down, and the trial began. After the first day of trial, everyone was taken back to their prisons, and returned to their cells. When Jayce and Vixy got to their cell, the guard closed the door, and it magnetically locked. “Lights out,” he said. “Get some sleep.”

“We’re fucked,” Vixy said as she stared up at the top bunk where Jayce slept.

“It’s gonna be a long time before we know that,” Jayce told her.

“You’re joking, right?” Vixy asked him. “You saw what was happening in there. They want to make an example out of us. In the worst way possible.”

“What makes you say that?” Jayce asked.

“They could just kill us,” Vixy said. “Easily. But they’re not. No, no, in fact, they’re protecting us. They want us alive for this trial.”

“I figured that part out,” Jayce said.

“Putting me in here,” Vixy said. “Threatening us. Watching us. They’re trying to get us mad, to get us to lash out.”

“Seems about right,” Jayce said.

“And it’s gonna work,” Vixy told him. “They’re going to destroy us. And unless we figure out why, we are never getting out of here. We’ll be hanged for… whatever they draw up on us.”

“My dad told me some stuff that’s starting to make sense now,” Jayce told her.

“What?”

Jayce looked over the edge of the bed down at her. “It’d be a lot more comfy if I could talk to you down there.”

“No thank you,” Vixy said.

“Okay,” Jayce said. He sighed and rolled over. “I’m sorry, you know.”

“Huh?” Vixy asked him.

“I’m sorry I ate your hand… and part of your arm. And your tail… for all of it,” he said. “I… I had no idea what that stuff would do to me.”

“Jayce,” Vixy said.

“What?”

“I’m not mad about that,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m scared, and I want to be alone.”

“Okay, you’re not mad at me,” Jayce said. “But… you’re scared of me. And I get that. I’m a shark. I was under the influence of a deleriant and I attacked you… to eat you.”

“Please can we stop talking about this?” Vixy asked.

“I… I want to clear the air,” Jayce said. “We’ve been sitting here like strangers for two nights now and I hate that. I love you, Vixy.”

“Fuck’s sake, Jayce,” Vixy said, frustrated with him. “This isn’t about you. Everything just fucking sucks right now, and our relationship is the last thing on my mind right now.”

Jayce went silent for a little bit, and then spoke. “I’m sorry, Vixy,” Jayce said. “But… thinking about our relationship is the only thing that’s kept me going these last six months. I just… the last time I saw you was under terrible circumstances. And I know it sucks. I can’t not talk about it. I feel terrible about what I did, but moreso, I’m afraid that… you hate me for it. That would suck more than anything.”

Vixy was silent for a little bit next before speaking. “I don’t hate you,” she said. “I still love you… I just… yes, you scare me. I’ve never been afraid of you, never thought you could hurt me like that. I know it wasn’t you… but it was. And I… I can’t unsee that so easily. But I also don’t think you should have to apologize. It’s… not your fault. I just don’t know where that leaves me.”

Jayce nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I get that. I just… wish I knew how to make you feel safe around me, again.”

“Just tell me what your dad said,” Vixy told him.

“Yeah,” he said. “Sure. The existence of EMI and its publicity after what happened has caused a social uproar. Predators are afraid of being targeted by legal loopholes that let prey hunt them down. Prey are starting up an even bigger protest about all of society. The people in power right now hate that. And they want to stand with predators. Long story short… the whole country is watching this case. We’ve started something. There are powerful people watching us right now. They want us to lose.”

“So to my previous point,” Vixy said. “We are fucked.”

“Not exactly,” Jayce said. “Our lawyer will talk to us more about it next time we meet, when he can talk one on one. The prosecution is trying hard to work the political angle. But Mr. Fine… he’s focused on the case, itself. He thinks that the prosecution’s politics are a major weakness, and that we’ll be able to win this case on the matter of the law.”

“They’re not letting me have my hormones,” Vixy said.

“Fuck,” Jayce said. “That’s fucking bullshit.”

Vixy nodded. “Yep,” she said.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

Vixy took a breath, and nodded. “I… could just use… your sympathy and understanding.”

“Tell me,” Jayce said.

“I still have testicles,” Vixy said. “Which produce testosterone. I take drugs to hinder that, and which give me estrogen. Without those… Umm… I’m going to be forcefully detransitioned.”

“That’s scary,” Jayce said. “And again, it’s bullshit. I’ll see if my dad can do anything to help.”

“Doubt it,” Vixy said. “But if I get moody, or aggressive… Just understand that that’s the reason. So on top of being afraid of someone I love… who I am roomed with… I’m also afraid of what’s coming with that. I won’t be able to control my emotions. I’m not going to be used to my mix of hormones.”

“Got it,” Jayce said. “What do I need to do?”

“You want to protect me?” Vixy asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m going to be my own biggest danger here,” she told him. “Once I start losing control, I’m gonna stop being careful. I’m gonna say shit that gets me in trouble. I need you to hold me back from those moments. And help me out if I do get myself in trouble.”

“Of course,” Jayce said.

“And as far as you go,” Vixy said. “I’m gonna need some time around you before I feel safe with you again. So I need you to be patient with me. It’s going to take time.”

“Okay,” Jayce said. “I’ll… be sleeping up here until you say otherwise.”

“No you won’t,” Vixy said.

“I won’t?” Jayce asked.

“I want the top bunk,” Vixy stated plainly. “You’re huge, and every time you move, I’m afraid the damn bed’s going to fall on me.”

Jayce slinked out of the bed, and nodded. “You could’ve told me that night one, you know,” he said.

Vixy got out of the bottom bunk, and looked at him. She shuddered a little, and nodded. “Love you, Jayce,” she said to him.

“You, too,” he told her. “Just remember, I will do anything for you. Literally, anything.”

“Thanks,” Vixy said before climbing up onto the top bunk. “I mean it. I do love you. And… I also feel terrible about this thing between us. And that’s something you can’t protect me from: my feelings.”

“I understand,” Jayce said, crawling into the bottom bunk.

The next day, Vixy and Jayce left their cell together to go get breakfast. Vixy had already made a habit of never leaving the cell without him as an escort, and he made a habit of never leaving her alone anywhere. When they ate, they ate together with Kuro and Click.

“So, Vixy,” Kuro said as he sat down with his food. “You gonna explain that arm?”

Vixy nodded slowly. “Okay, fine,” she said. “I guess it’s just going to keep being asked.” Vixy held her left arm up on the table, and pulled her shirt sleeve down. Everyone could see a clear mismatch of fur and skin color and texture where it had been chewed down through the bone by Jayce. “While I was in special placement, I got a letter from a company over on the east coast.”

“In the Hampshires?” Click asked.

“They’re based in New York,” Vixy told them. “A cutting edge robotics company called CyberWave International. They were looking for test subjects for their new cybernetic prosthetic technology. I volunteered.”

“So they just gave it to you?” Jayce asked. “For free?”

Vixy shook her head. “I still had some money leftover from EMI,” she explained. “They paid for the unit itself and I paid for the procedure. I’m on a payment plan that’s suspended pending our trial’s outcome, but I put about two thousand down on it.”

“For a new arm?” Kuro asked. “That’s a steal. What’s the total?”

“Twenty-five,” Vixy said.

“Shit,” Click said. “You’re gonna be paying that off forever.”

“I figured it won’t matter if I’m locked away for the rest of my life, or executed,” Vixy said. “But if I get out, I’m confident I can find a decent job.”

“Can’t exactly go back to EMI,” Click said. “They’re bankrupt, and the higher ups are facing subpoenas from congress.”

“I’ll figure it out,” Vixy said. “There were some restrictions, me being a prisoner and all. The parts made are lightweight, can’t constitute a weapon. Had to get all kinds of paperwork pushed through the system to allow it.”

“Don’t look now,” Kuro said, looking over Vixy’s shoulder. “But you’ve got eyes on you.”

Behind Vixy was a group of larger men, all wolves. They were all turning back to look at Vixy repeatedly. In addition to her hand, her tail was replaced, but that was original, re-grafted, and fully recovered now, but still bearing the scar of the damage she suffered.

“Just ignore them,” Click said, turning his head down.

The attention wouldn’t go unignored though. The group of them, all five of them, got up and moved over to join the four of Vixy’s group at their table.

“Hi,” one of them said. “My name’s Ketch.” He reached his hand across the table to Kuro, trying to shake his hand. Kuro didn’t react. “Not the friendly type, huh?”

“We don’t know you,” Jayce said. “No offense but would you mind leaving us to our privacy?”

Ketch looked at Jayce, and then back at Kuro. “We noticed you don’t hang around your own kind,” he said.

“Listen,” Kuro said. “I’m not interested in your group, or gang, or whatever it is you’re about to sell me.”

“What’s the deal with the fox?” Ketch asked. “He looks like a girl.”

“I am—” Vixy started, but Jayce clasped her muzzle shut.

“You are, huh?” Ketch asked, turning his attention fully to her. “How’d you wind up in here?”

Kuro took a deep breath. “Hey,” he said. “You came over here to talk to me, or her?”

“Oh, I think I know what happened,” Ketch told him without turning his attention off of Vixy. “You’re one of them trannies, aint ya? Pretty far along, but since you’re here… guessing you didn’t get the surgery?”

Jayce bared his teeth at him, and started to stand up. Two of the other wolves put a hand on each of his shoulder and pushed him back down into his seat. “Fuck off,” Click told him.

Ketch looked at Click, and laughed at him. “Bunny,” he said. “You have got to be the bravest rabbit I’ve ever met.”

“Probably the deadliest, too,” Click told him.

“Should I tell the guards you’re over here threatening me?” Ketch asked.

“Jayce might not be the biggest fighter, and Click might be well below your weight class,” Kuro told him. “But I’m a combat veteran, and I’ve been to solitary before. Doesn’t bother me much.”

“Oh, and let me guess,” Ketch said, wrapping an a—

…

…

He put his arm around me, across my back, and pulled me away from Jayce and towards himself. I was already scared, but holy shit, now… I’m terrified. And worse, I feel like a deer in the headlights. I’m frozen stiff. I can’t talk, I can’t move…

“If I lay one single claw on your friend, here,” he says. “You’re gonna tear me a new asshole?”

“Something’s getting torn,” Kuro says, staring at him.

“Just… humor me for a second,” Ketch says back. His other hand goes for my waistband, and starts to pull it back. I can feel my heart race, and my breath start to accelerate as Ketch looks down my pants and peeks at my genitals. Then, he lets the waistband snap back against my body. “Just like I thought,” he says, more to me than anyone else now. “She’s still got a dick. Or is it technically still he? I’m not up to speed on the lingo.”

“I can’t protect her from solitary,” Jayce says. “So if I have to protect her now…”

The whole group begins snickering at him. “You think you can take us?” Ketch asks. “You know, I think we have ourselves a deal. I’ve been watching you two. I know you aint fucking. You’re her SIMP. If you can stand toe-to-toe with us, we’ll leave you alone. If not…” Ketch leans in and licks my cheek. I want to pass out now. “You like it in the ass, boy?”

“No,” I say, dreading what’s coming.

The whole group laughs at me. “Well,” Ketch tells me. “Aint that a shame. Good news is… I’ll be the only one in there. The rest of my boys will have to take turns with your mouth.”

“Alright,” Kuro says, standing up slowly. “I think I’ve heard enough. Last chance. Leave… now.”

Ketch lets go of me, and stands up behind me. The rest of them all stand up with him. “We’ll talk again… real soon,” Kuro says. “Nice to meet you… Vixy.” Then, he and his crew walk away.

I start hyperventilating, gasping for air and leaning forward to catch myself in my hands. Jayce wraps his arm around me and pulls me close to him again, but it does little to calm me down.

…

…

“We need to stay together,” Kuro said after the altercation. “Everywhere.”

“Do not get yourself thrown into solitary again,” Click said. “We’re already outnumbered.”

“If only Rasco was still fucking here,” Jayce said. “Or any of his people. Vixy… are you okay?”

She shook her head, and leaned into him. “No,” she said. “I am not okay.”

“Neither am I,” Click said. “I might be able to keep myself alive against one of them, but… no guns… He definitely wants to eat me.”

“We need to stick to public spaces with lots of guards,” Kuro said. “Hopefully, they’ll intervene.”

“And if they don’t?” Vixy asked.

“Then… I’m dead,” Click said. “You’ll wish you were. And Jayce and Kuro… maybe also dead.”

“Watch yourself, Ketch,” one of the guards said as he walked closer to the group. “You.” He pointed a baton at Vixy.

“Oh now what?” Jayce asked.

“Watch your mouth, sharkboy,” the guard said. He was a lion with a fully shaved mane. “And you, fox. You haven’t showered since you got here. Let’s go.”

Vixy’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “Uh, no thanks,” she said. “I would rather not.”

“Special orders from the warden,” the guard told her. “You don’t clean, you get dirty. You stay dirty, you get sick. Next thing you know we’re fighting a damn epidemic across the whole block.”

“May I request to shower alone?” Vixy asked, starting to panic again.

“What do you think this is, the Ritz Carlton?” he asked her. “Come on, get up. We’ll be keeping an eye on you. No one’s gonna touch you. I promise.”

Jayce stood up and looked at him. “I think I should shower too,” he said. “Don’t want to get sick…”

The guard looked back to another guard nearby, who shrugged. “Fine,” he said. “Let’s get moving.”

Vixy stood up, and she and Jayce followed the guards to the shower room. Once they got there, they looked around a little before letting them proceed. “You,” the guard said to Jayce, and pointed to a shower stall with three other inmates in it. “In there. And you… that one.” The guard directed Vixy to an empty stall, and the two guards together walked her back.

“Umm… thanks,” she said, cautiously optimistic that the guards were actually protecting her in this instance. Vixy stood there though, staring, afraid to undress.

The guard sighed, and turned around. “Warden said to keep an eye on the inmates at all time,” the other guard told him.

“Just do it,” the first guard said. The second guard obeyed, turning around to watch elsewhere.

Vixy took a deep breath, feeling the first bout of relief since she got there. “Thanks…” she said, a little more sincerely. There were two bottles fixed to the wall by the faucet, one for soap, the other with a combined shampoo and conditioner. “Hey, does the commissary here have conditioner?” she asked.

“Don’t know,” the guard said, not turning around. “None of the men need it.”

Vixy began to undress, setting her clothes aside in the dry corner of the shower room. Once she was naked, she turned the shower faucet on, and stood underneath it. The water was not warm, but… not cold. She let it rain down, wetting her fur, and then grabbed the soap to start scrubbing herself with her hands.

…

…

I haven’t showered in a week. I don’t care that the water’s cold, and it smells like wet bathroom in here. I don’t care that this is the only wash I have. For the first time since arriving here, I feel safe. I almost can’t believe it. But the guards are… doing their jobs.

I hear another inmate come by. “Beat it, inmate,” the guard tells him as he tries to peak in. I keep my back turned toward the entrance, and my tail coiled around my rear.

“This shower’s almost empty!” he protested.

“So is your head, inmate, but you don’t see me complaining about it,” the guard retorted.

Peeking behind my shoulder, I see the man walk away, and continue showering. I take the shampoo and run it through my hair, untangling all the knots as best as I can with my fingers. It takes a long time, and the guards I can tell are getting impatient.

“How much longer, princess?” he asks me.

“I’m almost done,” I tell him. I begin rinsing off, rubbing the stale water through my fur and hair, getting all of the soap out of it. Then, I turn the faucet off. “Do you have a—” Before I can finish the thought, the guard hands me a folded up towel, turning only for as long as needed, and averting his eyes for me. “Thanks.”

After I dry myself, I get my prison uniform back on, and clear my throat. “Done…” I tell them.

The guard turns around, and nods. “Good,” he says. “Now, shall I escort you and Jayce back to your cell? Or can you find it from here?”

“Can you?” I ask. He shakes his head, and I nod. “Okay. Thank you… again. Really.”

“No problem missy,” the guard tells me. “And stay away from Ketch. He’s a real animal.”

…

…

Vixy walked from the shower to the hallway going back to the cell block. Jayce was waiting for her there. “How was it?” Jayce asked her.

“Good,” Vixy said. “That guard is safe to be around.”

“Noted,” Jayce said.

Later in the day, as it was approaching time for lights out and the cell doors to be shut, Vixy and Jayce waited in their cell. Vixy, instead of the top bunk, was in the bottom with him, curled up in his arms and starting to drift off to sleep.

“Well,” Ketch said as he entered the cell. “Aint this adorable.”

Jayce stirred first, and then Vixy. Ketch was there with all four of his friends. Two of them came into the room while two of them blocked the doorway with their bodies. Jayce recoiled and stood up from the bed, immediately preparing for a fight.

“Listen you two,” Ketch said. “I can be a nice guy. Really nice, in fact. So nice that I’m going to give you a choice.”

“Get the fuck out,” Jayce said to him. Vixy was shrinking back to the wall side on the bed.

“This isn’t a question for you, twink,” Ketch said, turning his gaze towards Vixy. “You two are sweethearts, aren’t you?” Vixy didn’t respond. Her heart was racing and so was Jayce’s. “Nod yes.” Vixy looked to Jayce. It was clear he was scared, and didn’t know what to do. She nodded. “Good,” Ketch said. “So here’s your choices. Because I really don’t like getting all bloody for some tail. You tell your boyfriend to go find another cell to sleep in tonight. Me and my pals will stay here, with you. If you don’t… let’s just say I have no intention of letting him retaliate… now or in the future.”

“You’ll kill him?” Vixy asked, fearful.

“He’s bluffing,” Jayce said. He was clearly afraid, and didn’t know what to do still. They very well could kill him and he knew it.

Vixy saw that. Her heart was racing, breathing heavy, and she slowly caved in, nodding in agreement. “Leave him alone…” she said. “Leave all my friends alone. If you do that…”

Ketch was smiling. “Go on…”

“As long as my friends are safe, you can have me,” Vixy said. Her eyes sunk, and she pulled her legs to her chest, hugging herself.

“Good girl,” he said. “And just like that, I don’t have to be so mean, anymore.” Ketch looked at Jayce with a smile, and waited for a few seconds before he spoke again. “Well, your mistress has spoken, sharkboy. Take a walk.”

“Vixy…” Jayce said, looking at her. “I… can’t just…”

“Go,” Vixy said, too ashamed to look at him. “Just… go.”

Jayce nodded, and started towards the door. He stopped right next to Ketch, and spoke to him softly. “If there’s a single mark on her…”

Ketch shook his head, and patted Jayce’s shoulder. “Like I said. The deal’s been made. I’ll play nicely now.”

Jayce turned away, miserable and defeated, and left the cell while the last two of the wolves came in, closing the door manually behind them. It clanged and Jayce stopped, his whole body jolting with the sound. He wanted to fight, to scream, to rip someone’s head off, but… there was no way. And the last thing he wanted to do was to go against Vixy’s decision, and risk himself, her, and everyone else he cared about in here. He thought he might go find the guard from earlier, but realized two things: first… that guard was probably at home by now, and second… that guard wouldn’t be able to protect them forever.

…

…

I am frozen stiff. My stomach has sunk and I can feel my chest falling in on itself. My tail is coiled tightly around my legs and even though I’ve made the call to save Jayce, and possibly myself, I still haven’t accepted it. What would they do to me now that they had… permission? My submission?

Ketch’s smile pierces me, through my knees. He reaches forward and grabs my right wrist, pulling it off of my knees, and then me towards the edge of the bed. “I promised,” he tells me. “Won’t leave a mark. But you have a part to play if that’s going to remain true. Are you going to behave yourself, Vixy?”

I nod to him. What else can I do?

“Off the bed,” he tells me. “On your knees.”

I step off of the bed as directed, and get down on my knees in front of him. As I move, he’s already pulling his cock out. His friends watch with excitement, some pulling theirs out as well and starting to stroke.

“I think it goes without saying,” Ketch says. “If you bite… Jayce dies. But not before you catch your own beating. Nod.”

I nod to him, and open my mouth. Too afraid to move more, I sit there, and let him act. He puts the tip of his cock on my tongue, and I close my lips around him. I’m surprised, and honestly a bit grateful that he doesn’t want my ass, at least not right now. Both hands on my head, he pulls me onto his cock, and I start to suck him.

I’ve been in this spot before. Life and death scenario. Cock in my mouth means I chose life. Like so many times before. My short stint at EMI built up my confidence, made me believe I could conquer anything. One week in this place and I feel lower than ever. At least before, I didn’t have my pride. Somehow, it stings more now than it did before.

“Good girl,” Ketch says. He pushes my head down, and I close my eyes, drinking him in and inhaling deeply. His scent isn’t too bad, at least. Doesn’t smell like unwashed musk. Smells instead like… a clean cock. I start to move my head back and forth and he gives me the latitude to do so.

The whole time, as I bob my head up and down on him, I keep reminding myself. I’m doing this for Jayce, for Click and for Kuro. They all saved my ass with EMI and Nick Bellatano. Jayce has saved me more than once. So the circle goes around. Now it’s my turn to save them.

As I suck and moan on Ketch’s cock, I think more and more about that. The thought of my friends’ safety—I let it fill me with joy. I use that to make myself care, to put on the show for the wolf. My head tilts to the side and I moan around him again. My eyes open slightly, and look up at him, before closing them again. Then, I bring my hand up. I grab hold of his balls and start massaging them.

“That’s enough,” Ketch says. “On the bed.”

I pull him from my mouth, opening my eyes again, and nod. In compliance, I climb into bed, and he rolls and pushes me around to the edge, back facing the wall, and then crawls in behind me. He takes my pants off, while his buddies take off everything else. Next, I feel his cock lining up to my asshole, and I can feel him pushing in. It’s slow and gentle at first, but then fast and hard. He slams into me, moaning as it squeezes around him.

Anal has gotten a lot easier now. I’m… I can’t believe it, but I’m used to it. The Ketch’s friends begin playing with me, touching me. One of them fondles my breasts while another strokes my side. I squirm a little, uncomfortable, feeling myself get hard from the grinding against my prostate.

One of his friends stands right next to me, and pushes his cock into my mouth, which I happily take. I start sucking him off while Ketch pushes his way deep inside of me. Suddenly, his knot pierces through, and I moan out in discomfort as it stretches my hole wide open, and lock him inside. I do my best to keep my teeth from collapsing, and I succeed.

“Fuck she’s good,” Ketch says. His friend in my mouth nods in agreement. I can feel precum oozing out, and lap it up. My eyes close again, and I try to let myself drift away.

I realize while I’m laying there, getting gang-banged, as one of my hands is guided to yet another dick to play with, that I would truly do anything for Jayce. Even things he didn’t want to happen… I moan out again as I feel that cock in my ass thrusting more and more.

As the pounding continues, the first of Ketch’s friends fires his load, shooting a thick rope of semen right into my mouth. I grimace but only for a moment, and then swallow around him. I can tell these people are not the types that would appreciate me spitting their loads out.

“God she’s fucking sexy,” his friend says. He pulls out and the next one comes in, pushing himself into my mouth and I continue my dutiful chore of sucking him off. He thrusts back and forth in my mouth and I shudder as I can feel my own pleasure rising against my desires. Me cumming is not what I want. I don’t want them to pleasure me. Because if they do…

I… feel guilty. Not only have I rejected Jayce in here because of my emotions, but I’m giving myself up to these strangers. Nice going Vixy… say no to someone I love, and yes to the people who threatened his life.

I moan again, my body shuddering. As I lap my tongue over the third cock to be in my mouth tonight, I can feel Ketch’s cock throbbing inside of me. He pumps into me, and grips my by hip and abdomen, holding me tightly as he cums, filling my ass with his spunk. My thighs squeeze and my toes curl up. I am trembling.

The cock in my mouth suddenly flies forwards with full force, driving right into my throat. I gag on him, and he pulls back only to do it again. This time, he grabs the back of my head, and holds me down. They all laugh, snickering at my predicament. The second friend cums right down my throat while he holds me down and when he finishes, he pulls me off, and I gasp for air.

After a short bout of coughing, the next one is ready. Another cock gets shoved into my mouth and I moan, a desperate plea for relief as I barely have time to prepare myself for each next movement.

Then something unexpected happens. Ketch’s hand around my belly reaches down to my cock. He starts to squeeze, and rub it. “It’s the girliest dick I’ve ever seen,” he tells me. “I love it…”

No. Fuck no. I can’t contain myself through this. I keep sucking the cock in my mouth, and moan around it, uncontrollably, while Ketch teases my tip, rubbing my precum around it. I just want this to be over now.

Tears begin to streak down my cheeks, and the fourth cock to cum inside of me tonight blows its load. I feel the thick, heavy load fill my mouth. Now, it’s all starting to overwhelm. The semen gets into every crevice around my tongue, my cheeks, my teeth. It’s slick and doesn’t rub off so easily. I can’t just swallow it down and be done with it, it… lingers.

The last one takes his cock back from my hand, and puts himself in my mouth. At the very least, they’ve given me the courtesy of going quickly. Prison life must have had them pent up. I bob my head up and down on the cock, knowing my job is nearly done, or at least I hope it is. The smell of cocks and wolf cum has surely stained my muzzle fur by now. I can’t escape the smell of sex. Not only has it filled the air, but it’s been pressed into my nose.

As I squirm in their grasp, Ketch speeds up, stroking me a little faster, and more roughly. His last friend grabs hold of my head, and Ketch grabs both of my wrists to hold my arms back, letting go of my dick. The cock in my mouth slowly slides down into my throat, but this one stays there.

With a hand on my head and my arms held tightly, I have no choice but to let it occupy my gullet. It’s thick enough that it starts to block my airway, but the real punishment comes next, when he pushes a little farther, and forces his knot into my mouth, thrusting just into my throat. I choke. I gag. But it’s useless.

“Uh oh,” Ketch tells me. “Hope he cums before you pass out…”

He wiggles inside of me, and lets go of my hands to return to stroking me. It’s too much. I moan around the cock, my throat vibrating against it. Another hand comes to my tits and starts tweaking my nipples. Next thing I know, I’m cumming. My dick spits out a small sputter of clear fluid, dripping it onto Ketch’s hand, and the bed sheets below.

I feel myself losing oxygen fast, and open my eyes to look up at Ketch’s friend. He’s close. I can see it. I try to squeeze my throat around him, and he grabs my throat, squeezing it for me, and tries to hump my face. Then, it finally happens. He blows his load down my throat as my face turns red. When he finishes cumming in me, I can feel his knot begin to shrink, unlike Ketch’s, which seems to be lasting a lot longer.

When the length is finally free from my maw, I sputter and gasp, catching my breath again. Then, I pants heavily, sitting there with Ketch’s dick still locked inside of me.

They speak to each other but the words… escape me. My mind has flown away finally, and I just lay there, Ketch’s little spoon, while his friends all leave, and the door soon after locks itself for the night.

“You did great, Vixy,” Ketch says to me. “It’s a shame they’re seeking the death penalty. I wish you’d take a plea deal for me… I’ve got a life sentence, and you’re the best company I’ve had yet…”

His vain, selfish compliments and greed sicken me. Or… maybe its all the cum. My stomach gurgles a little, and I lay there silently. Soon after, I find myself able to drift to sleep, Ketch still inside of me, refusing to leave. This night… could’ve gone better.

But I have a feeling that compared to tomorrow night, it’ll feel like a breeze.

…

I… hate… this…

“Miss Vixy,” Mr. Kamore, the lead prosecutor said. “What happened after you found out that your friend, Jayce, was marked for death by your company?”

“I… panicked, at first,” Vixy told the jury. “And then, I tracked down Melissa, my former employer who put the hit on him, and I killed her.”

“For food?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“No, sir. It was self-defense.”

“Self-defense,” Mr. Kamore emphasized. “When a predator, and apex predator, makes an order for food from your company, your first instinct is to kill them. Your company’s client.”

“It wasn’t—”

“Miss Vixy,” he continued. “I will remind you that you are under oath. What did your company list as the official motivation for the order?”

Vixy grimaced. “Food,” she said. “But that’s just—”

“And you,” he continued. “A fox, a middling predator by law, took it upon yourself to act in the defense of an apex predator, after receiving inside information from your company?”

“That apex predator—”

“Miss Vixy, answer the question, please,” he said.

“Yes.”

“And who provided you that information?”

“My boss,” Vixy said, looking over to Belladonna. “Belladonna.”

“Why did Belladonna give you this information?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Fine spoke up, standing at the defendant’s table. “My client is not a mind reader.”

“I’ll rephrase,” Mr. Kamore said. “Why do you think Belladonna gave you that information?”

“Because she knew Jayce was my friend,” Vixy said. “She wanted to help me protect him.”

“Is this a regular occurrence at EMI?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Not to my knowledge,” Vixy said.

“What do you mean by that?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I wasn’t there long,” Vixy said. “Less than three months in total. I was still new to many company policies.”

Mr. Kamore nodded. “And who, then, was responsible, to your knowledge, for informing you of EMI company policy?”

“Belladonna,” Vixy said, looking down.

“What else did Belladonna tell you about company policy?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“How much time do you have?” Vixy asked.

“Let me specify,” Mr. Kamore told her. “Were you aware of any time when Belladonna informed you of company policy that you either knew, or were later made aware, was false?”

Vixy looked up at him, and then to Belladonna. How did he know? “Yes,” Vixy said, nodding.

“What were those policies you were misled on?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“I… was told that a contract could be terminated if it was outbid,” Vixy said.

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Fine stated. “What’s the relevance?”

“Your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “I am simply attempting to establish a pattern of behavior which may have contributed to the larger crimes at the center of the matter.”

“Overruled,” the judge said.

“Explain, miss Vixy,” Mr. Kamore said.

“During a previous job,” Vixy said. “Belladonna had me speak to Nat… sorry, Natalie. She hired us, outbidding her grandfather’s bid to have her hunted down. I was later informed that that wasn’t allowed under company policy.”

“Did Belladonna tell you why she lied to you about that?” he asked her.

Vixy nodded slowly. “She said… she wanted to know I was on her side. That I wouldn’t turn her in.”

“Turn her in for what?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“For theft, or fraud… I’m not clear on the specifics of the law,” she said.

“That much is clear,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Your honor…” Mr. Fine said, raising his hand.

“Mr. Kamore, keep your commentary to yourself,” the judge said. “The jury will disregard Mr. Kamore’s last statement.”

“Apologies, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “Miss Vixy, what exactly did you see that you believe was illegal.”

“Before we executed the mission,” Vixy said. “Leanna asked the mark for extra money, to outbid Natalie’s bid. It was a rouse. We took the money and killed him anyways.”

“What were you feeling at the time that this occurred?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Fine said.

“I believe the question establishes a mens rea, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Overruled. The witness will answer.”

“It felt wrong to be taking the money at first. I thought we were betraying Natalie. I was angry that my team lied to me,” Vixy said.

“But how’bout after he was dead, and you kept the money?” he asked her.

“Once I found out Natalie was safe, I was fine with it,” Vixy said.

“No… remorse?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“No,” Vixy said, growing a little agitated.

“Why?”

“Because he was a speciest asshole,” Vixy said.

“Your honor, permission to treat the witness as hostile…”

“No,” the judge said.

“Very well. Miss Vixy. In your opinion, is a person’s biases against another species justification for violence against them?” Mr. Kamore said.

Mr. Fine stood up. “Your honor, may we approach the bench?” he asked. The judge nodded, and they both approached. “Your honor, Mr. Kamore’s line of questioning has long strayed from a relevant path. My client’s opinion on an unrelated case and peoples’ opinions in that case have no relevance here.”

“Your honor,” Mr. Kamore told him. “It is entirely relevant. I am attempting to show how the defendant has repeatedly let their feelings dictate their actions, and their decisions to break the law.”

“It’s a self-incriminating question, then, your honor,” Mr. Fine asked. “How can she answer that?”

“Quiet,” the judge said. “Self-incriminating or not, it is up to her to answer. Now, let’s move on.”

Mr. Fine went back to his seat and Mr. Kamore continued. “Once again, Miss Vixy,” he asked her. “Is someone’s biases against another species justification for homicide?”

Vixy shook her head slowly, and answered. “No.”

“So you admit then, that killing someone for being speciest is wrong?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes it is.”

“Then were you wrong when you relished in his death?” he asked.

Vixy cried a little bit, and nodded. “Y-yes, but—”

“But nothing,” Mr. Kamore said. “Next question. Was it self-defense when you aided the executions of Natalie’s grandfather and her entire family?”

“Objection your honor, my client is not an expert in the law.”

“Sustained,” the judge said.

“Withdrawn,” Mr. Kamore said. “Do you believe you did the right thing during the job to kill Natalie’s grandfather?”

“I don’t know,” Vixy said.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I just… don’t know!” Vixy said. “How am I supposed to know what’s right in that situation?”

“If you could go back, would you do anything different? Knowing what you know now?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I… no. No I wouldn’t.”

“Good,” Mr. Kamore said. “I’m glad we’ve arrived here. You wouldn’t change anything? Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Vixy said.

“Including not reporting your team members for their actions?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Wouldn’t change a thing,” Vixy said defiantly.

“What would you have done differently in the case of Melissa?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Nothing,” Vixy said. “That was self-defense.”

“Apologies, Miss Vixy,” Mr. Kamore said. “But as we’ve already established, you’re not an expert on the matter. How can you say that so assuredly?”

“Because she was trying to kill my friend, and I stopped her,” Vixy said.

“And in the case of the recent events related to EMI and Nick Bellatano,” Mr. Kamore said. “How do you justify that?”

“He was trying to kill me,” Vixy said. “And my friends.”

“So in your estimations, if someone is trying to kill someone, and you kill them first, that’s self-defense?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“That’s… my understanding, yes,” Vixy said.

“Why did you have to defend yourself?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Because Nick Bellatano put a hit on me, and my friends,” Vixy said.

“And why did that happen?”

“Because I killed Melissa, who was his granddaughter.”

“Why?”

“Because she put a contract out to kill my friend, Jayce,” Vixy said.

“Nope,” Mr. Kamore said. “Think earlier. There’s one step between those two. Think real hard. What had to happen in order for you to want to kill Melissa?”

Vixy sighed. “Belladonna told me about the hit.”

“Now… why?”

“Because Jayce is my friend, and she wanted to protect me and protect him.”

“And why was there a hit on Jayce?”

“Because Melissa felt emasculated,” Vixy said. “Because Jayce rescued me from her when she was trying to kill me.”

“Now,” Mr. Kamore asked. “Why didn’t Jayce kill her then?”

“Objection, your honor—” Mr. Fine started.

“Why do you think Jayce didn’t kill her then?”

“Because… he didn’t need to,” Vixy said. “It wasn’t necessary to save me.”

“Oh?” Mr. Kamore went in. “So it wasn’t necessary. So he didn’t do it. Was it necessary for you to kill Melissa?”

“Yes,” Vixy said.

“Why?”

“Because she held the contract. And once the person who holds the contract is dead, the contract is terminated,” Vixy said.

“Who said that?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Bell—” Vixy paused, seeing where the line of questioning was going. “Belladonna,” she said much more quietly.

“Again?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Belladonna.”

“This was after the job for Natalie, correct?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Yes,” Vixy said.

“So you already knew that Belladonna lied to you, before,” Mr. Kamore said. “Why trust her word now?”

“Because… she proved herself,” Vixy said.

“Explain.”

“When Jayce’s contract was out, the team responsible for him tortured me to get his location. Belladonna was going to give in, but I asked her not to. She did what I asked, knowing we might both be killed,” Vixy said.

“She earned your trust?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you still trust her?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Yes.”

“Unfailingly?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Yes.”

“Good,” Mr. Kamore said. “Very good. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury.” He turned to the jury to speak. “She trusts Belladonna. Belladonna breaks the rules. Belladonna lies. Belladonna breaks the laws. Miss Vixy,” he turned back to her. “If you were all freed today, and Belladonna told you that one of your friends was in danger, and the only way to save their life was to kill someone else. What would you do?”

“Objection your honor,” Mr. Fine said.

“Sustained.”

“Withdrawn,” Mr. Kamore said. “No further questions your honor. Your witness.”

Back at the prison, Vixy, Jayce, Kuro and Click were all escorted back into the maximum security wing. Once inside, they were uncuffed, and the door behind them was shut and locked. They all walked out into the common area and found a seat together.

“This shit’s fucking exhausting,” Vixy said, holding her head.

“I think you did fine,” Jayce said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Click said. “We’re still pretending like this trial can go any other way. It’s kind of annoying to drag this out at this point.”

“Do you want to die?” Jayce asked.

“No, I guess not,” Click said.

“Oh look, my toy’s back,” Ketch said as he came over to them. “Come with me, Vixy.”

“We’re talking trial stuff, Ketch,” Vixy said.

“Don’t care,” Ketch said. “You’re mine. Remember?”

Vixy looked at the others, and then went to follow Ketch away without further protest. “Okay… okay…”

Ketch walked away with Vixy in tow, who couldn’t even bring herself to look back at her friends.

“I hate that dick,” Jayce said, staring at him.

“I know,” Kuro said, patting his back. “You’re doing the right thing, though.”

“Am I?” Jayce asked.

“Yes,” Kuro said. “She trying to save you… and us… from them. We can’t take them, it’s that simple.”

“I’m letting them rape her,” Jayce said, his gaze narrowed on Ketch and his friends. “I’m just sitting here while they do it right in front of me.”

“Alternatively, you could fight them,” Kuro said. “And they’ll probably kill you. Then you’ll be dead and they’ll… still be raping her. Except she won’t have you in her mind to keep her going.”

“I fucking hate it,” Jayce said.

Kuro nodded. “Didn’t say it was good.”

“Look on the bright side,” Click said. “If anyone else comes after her, or us, Ketch and his buddies will join the fight to keep her obedient. And they do look like the toughest bastards here.”

“Click,” Jayce said as he started walking away. “I might just eat you.”

Ketch and his friends took Vixy to the showers next. The guards no longer seemed to care about protecting her, seeing she had resigned herself to her fate. “Ketch,” one of them said as they walked her to the shower. “No funny business. This is jail, not a sex club. You and your friends keep your hands to yourself.”

“You wanna hit?” Ketch asked. “You sound like you could use it.”

His friends started to hoot and holler after the comment, and guard just rolled his eyes. The wolves all started to strip down and head into the large shower stall. Vixy knew the drill by this point. She took a quick look to the guard, who wasn’t even watching, and sighed, undressing and getting into the water with the boys.

“So, Vixy,” Ketch said. “I was thinking… Jayce and Kuro, your buddies. They could do with some good friends, like us. Am I right?”

“Uhh…”

“Just think about it,” he said. “My friends and I were talking. That shark sure wishes he could fuck you again. I might give him some if he joins us. And Kuro… man’s a beast. Couldn’t fight all of us, but I doubt I could take him. Add those two to our group and no one would step to us.”

“They wouldn’t join you,” Vixy said. One of his friends slapped her ass, and pushed her against the wall to grind his cock against her ass. “Not unless you let me go.”

“Hah!” Ketch said. “Never.”

Vixy moaned as the dick behind her penetrated her asshole, pushing into her without regard. “Just… they’re not interested, trust me.”

“Maybe you can change that,” Ketch told her. “That’s what I was thinking anyways.”

“You… want… nnngg… me to convince them to join?” she asked. “That’s a reach…”

“Hey, loser,” Ketch said to his friend, pulling him back. “You act like you never fucked an asshole before. You gotta be smoother, more sensual…” Ketch pushed his cock against Vixy’s hole, and held her by the shoulder and waist, and slowly pushed into her. “Start slow… work your way up.”

“Why do I care?” he asked.

“Listen buddy,” Ketch said, huffing over Vixy’s neck. “If you treat an asshole right, it’ll treat you right.” He growled and started slowly speeding up, making Vixy moan more pleasantly. Her cock grew hard, and he pushed it against the wall. “Yeah… she likes this better. Doesn’t she?”

“Yes…” Vixy confessed to him.

Ketch pulled out of her, and went back to showering. “Now,” he said. “Try again.” His friend got back behind her, and repeated his motions, slowly pushing in, and taking his time to pick up pace. He felt her squeeze him tightly as he pulled out, sucking him in, and growled happily. “Yeah, just like that,” Ketch said.

Vixy whimpered, and closed her eyes. “So, Vixy,” Ketch said. “Here’s what you’re gonna do. Tonight, go find Jayce’s new bed. Cozy up to him. Tell him my deal. He accepts, and he gets to fuck you right then and there. He declines… leave immediately.”

“No,” Vixy said.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Ketch asked.

“Sweeten the pot,” Vixy said. “You want me to put him in that situation, we’re both gonna want something.”

“You realize the position you’re in, bitch?”

“Give me this,” Vixy said. “Just fucking give me this one.”

“What is it, Vixy?”

“Let him have his bunk back, with me,” Vixy said.

“Hell no,” Ketch told her. “Absolutely not. And for that stupid question… face me.” Vixy whimpered, and squinted, turning towards him. He reached out and smacked her muzzle hard, hitting it against the wall. “Don’t speak to me like that again.”

“Yes, sir,” she said.

“Good, I’m glad we had this discussion,” Ketch said. “I’m very confident that Jayce will come around.”

“He’s gonna see my face,” Vixy said. “He’ll know you hit me.”

“I didn’t hit you, sweetheart,” Ketch said. “You slipped and hit your head on the shower wall.” Vixy nodded to him, and turned her head back to the wall while his friend kept fucking her.

Later that night, Vixy did as she was told, about an hour before lock down. She found herself in Jayce’s new cell, where he bunked with Kuro. “Vixy?” Jayce asked. He walked to her and looked at her bruised face. “Are you okay?”

Vixy nodded. “I fell in the shower.”

“Fell in the shower?” Kuro asked, already in bed and rolled onto his side. “Yeah… sure.”

“Ketch sent me.” Vixy said. “He… has a proposition for you.”

“No,” Kuro said.

“At any rate,” Vixy said. “I have to ask. Do you want to join Ketch’s gang? If you say yes, we can fuck. If not… I got back to his cell right away.”

“I don’t want to fuck you, Vixy,” Jayce said.

Vixy frowned at him, and started to walk away.

“Shit, not like that,” Jayce said. “That came out wrong.” She kept walking away. “Vixy, I’m sorry, please don’t be mad.”

“She’s not mad,” Kuro said. “If she was mad she wouldn’t be following Ketch’s orders. He’d be upset with her if she didn’t go right back. Maybe hit her again. You want that?”

Jayce shook his head, and sat down on the bed. “I fucking hate this.”

“Sleep time,” Kuro said. “Go to sleep.”

The next day, Ketch took Vixy out to breakfast with his friends, sitting at the table Jayce usually sat at. When Jayce, Kuro and Click arrived, they sat somewhere else, and Ketch moved over to join them.

“Hey Jayce,” Ketch said. “Heard you don’t want to fuck your fox friend anymore. That’s a shame.”

“I’m not joining you,” Jayce said.

“That’s so sad,” Ketch said. He pushed Vixy’s muzzle towards him. “She really wants your dick, Jayce. How could you say no to this face?”

“Ketch,” Kuro said. “You need to back off.”

“Or what?” he asked. “You gonna fight us over it?”

“I’ll join you,” Jayce said. “If you stop raping her.”

“No,” Ketch said.

“Then fuck off,” Jayce told him. He got up and went back to their usual spot. Kuro and Click joined him.

“Alright, fine then,” Ketch said. “Vixy… bring your breakfast back to our bed so I can fuck your brains out while we eat.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, getting up and grabbing what she could off her tray to hide it in her clothes. Her eyes glanced to Jayce. There was an intense sadness there, one which could only be conveyed in the short span of time she caught his eyes.

While Vixy followed Ketch back up the stairs, Jayce and his friends stayed put at the table. Jayce dropped his plastic fork and stared at his breakfast. “Does he have to humiliate me, too?” Jayce asked.

“That’s a bit selfish,” Kuro said to him.

Later on during the day, the three boys were in the recreational yard outside. They were mostly just standing around chatting. As they talked, a goat came up to them and stood near them until he was noticed.

“Uh…” Kuro said. “Who are you?”

“You can call me Goat,” he said.

“Hey, I remember you,” Click said. “You were with Rasco when we were on Vixy’s first hit.”

“Oh yeah…” Jayce said. “You’re that little fucker who dragged her away from us at the Raven Raver.”

“Yes,” he said, nodding. “I would like to speak with you, if I may, on behalf of my master, Rasco.”

“Rasco?” Jayce asked. He nodded and stood up straight. “How is the big tiger doing?”

“He is doing fine,” the goat said.

“What are you even doing here?” Click asked. “Didn’t you get deported to Persia with all the other Sand Tigers?”

“I did, yes,” he told him. “Which is why I have come to speak with you.”

“Go on, little man,” Kuro said.

“Rasco wishes you all well,” the goat told them. “And wished that as I would be back before him I would inform you of his impending arrival, awaiting trial for, among other things, his role in the EMI plot.”

“Rasco’s coming here?” Kuro asked.

“Rasco’s… coming… here…” Jayce repeated.

“Indeed,” the goat said.

“How?” Kuro asked. “Like… he was apprehended and deported.”

“The governing body of Persia has ousted Rasco Rahim,” the goat said. “The Sand Tigers have reached an accord, as a new change in leadership has occurred. Rasco’s nephew, the crown prince, Erid Rahim, has struck a deal with Cascadia to extradite Rasco back to this country, along with his remaining loyalists. In exchange for his cooperation, Cascadia has taken the death penalty off the table in his coming trial.”

“Holy shit,” Jayce said. “Rasco’s coming here.”

“What did he want from us?” Kuro asked.

“He wishes to express to you his sincerest apologies, as his bargain with the Cascadian government includes testimony against you in your case,” the goat said. “But worry not. He intends to provide significant financial resources to aid you, and encourages you to take a plea deal when it comes. He believes it will save your lives.”

“He’s testifying against us?” Click asked. “That’s rich.”

“How’s it saving us?” Kuro asked.

“The offer will be simple,” the goat told them. “The powers that be in Cascadia are aiming at a new piece of legislature, and using this trial as a springboard to create it. The prosecutor working against you is running for senator, and will introduce this new bill once he wins. If he can close the case against you, it will help him win the election. Therefore, he is incentivized to assist you. Rasco’s financial resources are also promised if this plea is offered, and accepted.”

“Life in this hellhole versus the death penalty?” Click asked. “Great… Can’t wait to tell him no.”

“Rasco implores you consider this option, and promises that life on the inside may not be as bleak as it seems now. He will require alliances within these walls, and since he has a rapport with you, wishes to make you just such allies,” the goat told them.

“Can you talk to him?” Jayce asked him.

“Not at the moment,” the goat said. “He should be arriving within three days’ time. He will likely wish to speak with you upon his arrival, however.”

“Looking forward to it,” Jayce said.

A few miles away, in the woman’s prison, the group was faring much better. Charlotte and Samantha were setup in a cell together, as were Leanna and Nat. Belladonna was the odd one out, and sharing a cell with a stranger, or at least, she was when she was first locked away.

Penelope was her name. She was a tall, lithe hybrid animal, a cross between a deer and a hawk, and had pronounced features of both. Around her head was a crown of thick feathers. Instead of a muzzle, she had a short beak. Her back was adorned with a pair of wings, and while her hind legs had hooves for feet, her fingers were bared with long, sharp talons. She also bore a pair of antlers, that might’ve suggested she was a male, but, no, she was assigned female at birth, and had the XX chromosomes to match it. Her fur was a dull, dark brown, but her feathers were a brilliant cascade of blacks, reds, and purples.

There was a name for her type, an extremely rare hybrid animal that, in theory, shouldn’t even be possible. Her kind was associated with myth. She is called a Peryton, a category of hybrids designated to any cross-breed between an avian, and a cervid.

…

…

I know I’m not even in this scene, but it feels worth mentioning that many “mythological” creatures have been used as name designations for certain types of hybrids throughout history. Their existence is anomalous, and usually requires some sort of unknown genetic fluke since normally the two types, in this case, an egg-laying bird and a live-birth mammal, literally cannot interbreed.

Gryphons, as another example, are any cross between a feline and an avian. Kelpies are a cross between some kind of egg-laying fish and an equine. A Hippogriff is a cross between an avian and an equine. A Chimera is a hybrid between three or more different, normally incompatible species, and… they don’t exist anymore except for the rarest cases imaginable because of the hybrid sterilization act. They require an already rare hybrid, which is almost always infertile from birth, to somehow be fertile, and breed with another species that shouldn’t be compatible.

Anyways, with that out of the way.

…

…

“Penelope,” Belladonna said as the peryton returned to the cell. Penelope turned her attention to the shark, and Belladonna tossed her something wrapped up in paper.

Penelope opened the gift, and smiled as she saw what was inside: something made of meat, stolen from the kitchen. “Oh, Bell, you shouldn’t have! I love it, thanks.” She plopped it in her beak and gulped it down like a pelican. “Fishy, too? I love fish…”

“I know,” Belladonna said. “It was really hard to save you some.”

“How did the trial go, today?” Penelope asked.

Belladonna shook her head. “Not good,” she said. “The prosecutor is working an angle against me, I think, trying to paint a picture of me as some sort of a cult leader. He asked Vixy a bunch of questions that ultimately led up to her saying that I convinced her to break the rules for me.”

“Oh,” Penelope said. “And how is Vixy? Did you get to talk to her?”

“She was too afraid,” Belladonna said. “Thought she was throwing me under the bus after her testimony. But I talked to Jayce… it’s not good.”

“Oh?”

“Apparently some gang of wolves has taken her hostage,” Belladonna said. “And she agreed to do what they wanted to keep herself and the others alive.”

“Wasn’t Mr. Fine trying to appeal the decision to house her in the men’s prison?” Penelope asked. “How’s that going?”

“Slow as shit,” Belladonna told her. “He said it could take weeks, maybe even months just to get a hearing.”

“That’s insane,” Penelope said.

“And there’s nothing I can do about it, either,” Belladonna said. “That’s honestly the worst part for me. I know… it’s way worse for her.”

“You don’t have to feel so guilty about something out of your control that you minimize your own grief,” Penelope said. “That was something I learned a long time ago in here.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s the reason I’m out in two years,” Penelope said. “Or… eighteen months, at this point. I plead out, got a deal… and Jeremy didn’t. Now he’s in for twenty while I took five.”

“You don’t ever feel guilty about that?” Belladonna asked.

“No,” Penelope said. “Not anymore. I used to, back at the beginning. But as I adapted to life on the inside, I had to accept that what was done is done, and even if I had to go back, I wouldn’t change my mind.”

“I wish I could get a plea deal,” Belladonna said. “They’re trying to tie all of us to the electric chair.”

“If they do,” Penelope said. “You should take it. Jeremy was mad at first, but his last letter to me said that he understood, and that he would’ve done the same thing if he was smarter about it. He doesn’t blame me. Your friends might not like it at first, but… trust me, it’s better to do what you can.”

“If I got a plea deal, and the others didn’t,” Belladonna said. “That’d be a pretty shitty thing to do. I was the leader. I did organize everything. It’s… my fault.”

“We’re way past the point of fault and blame behind these bars, Bell,” Penelope said. “It’s you vs. them. You’ll need to make a choice eventually. They usually do offer it to someone, and first who flips gets the best deal.”

“Hey Bell,” Leanna said as she tapped on the cell door.

“What’s up, Leanna?” she asked her.

She smiled stupidly, and just asked. “Wanna fuck?”

Belladonna blinked, blank-faced, and Penelope giggled. “Done with the platitudes and flirting, I see,” Penelope said. “I can leave for a bit if you need me to.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Belladonna said. “I’m not in the mood right now.”

“Shit,” Leanna said. “I already tried Nat and Samantha. I guess I could ask Charlotte…”

“You got turned down by Samantha,” Belladonna said. “So you’re gonna go back and ask her mom, right in front of her?”

“Maybe,” Leanna said. She looked at Penelope. “Or maybe…”

“No thank you,” Penelope said.

“Dang it,” Leanna said, snapping her fingers. “Anyways, you joining us for cards after supper?”

“Sure,” Belladonna said.

“I’m in,” Penelope told her.

“Okay, see you then,” Leanna said.

“Leanna wait,” Belladonna said. The leopard girl stopped and stepped back into the cell. “I just… want your opinion. Do you think Vixy’s mad at me for any reason?”

“Why would she be?” Leanna asked her.

“It’s just… she got grilled pretty hard,” Belladonna said. “I’m just not sure how she’s feeling about it all right now.”

“Like shit,” Leanna said. “But I doubt it’s directed at you. Things suck over there. Compared to what Jayce was telling us… we got it made, here.”

“Inmate!” one of the guards said as she stared Leanna down. She was a golden retriever.

Belladonna, Penelope and Leanna all stopped and turned towards the guard, not knowing who or what she wanted. “Sorry, me?” Leanna asked her.

“Yes, you,” the guard said. “I heard a rumor that someone’s been violating the prison’s fraternization policy. Care to explain?”

“No violations, yet,” Leanna said. “I can’t seem to get a yes out of any of these girls.”

“With me, inmate,” the woman said sternly.

“Why yes, ma’am,” Leanna said as she left the cell. She turned back to Belladonna and winked at her while the guard led her away.

The guard took Leanna into one of the shower facilities that had been closed off for repairs, and pulled her baton out. She tapped Leanna’s side and pushed her into one of the stalls with the end. Leanna was giggling at it. “Oh no,” she said. “Have I been a bad girl?”

“So bad,” the guard said. She pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and cuffed Leanna’s hands behind her back before spinning her around, and pushing her on her shoulders. “So bad in fact, that I’m gonna have to write you up.”

“Oh no,” Leanna said, playing along, smiling. “Isn’t there anything I can do to make things right? There’s gotta be something that’ll convince you not to send me to the warden.”

“Maybe,” the guard said as she pushed Leanna to her knees. “There is one thing…”

“Anything, officer,” Leanna said, looking up at her.

The guard undid her pants, and pulled them down below her knees, revealing her pussy to the leopardess. “I think you know what I want,” she told her. “Let’s get to work, shall we?”

Leanna nodded, and leaned in to give the guard’s privates a taste, and then another. Then, the guard wrapped her hands around her head, petting and pulling her close, where she started to lick and slurp at the guard’s lips hungrily.

“Hey,” she said as she pulled back a little for a moment. “After this, are you gonna…” Leanna’s eyes went to the baton, and she licked her lips.

“Of course I am,” the guard said. “What kind of girl would I be to just steal an orgasm for myself and leave? Now get back in there, inmate.”

Leanna pushed back in, driving her tongue right up into the woman’s clitoris. The guard stifled a moan, trying to keep quiet while the prisoner at her out. She knew if she got caught, not only could it end her career, but it could very well put her behind her own bars. The need to be quiet added an exciting edge to the roleplaying they did for her, and she moved one hand to grip the shower faucet tightly. “Mmm… oh, fuck,” she cried out. “Leanna… you’re so fucking hungry when you’re horny.”

“Mhmm…” Leanna moaned into her pussy while she kept focusing on her clit.

Before long, the guard was moaning and shaking, barely able to stand up. Leanna pulled back when she felt that orgasm hit her muzzle, and lapped up the juices that flowed out from her.

“How was that?” Leanna asked her.

“Good…” the guard told her. “Good enough for your punishment, anyways.” She helped Leanna up and turned her around, pushing her body against the wall, and bracing her with one hand while position the end of the baton with the other.”

After lining up the hit, she pulled her arm back, and brought the thing striking down on Leanna’s ass. The leopard moaned from it, and then she felt the guard rubbing her cheek. “Let’s get these out of the way,” she said, yanking the prison jumpers down to expose her bare ass, and hit her again. Leanna squealed with mixed pleasure and pain, and bit her lip coyly. “You know, inmate… I’m starting to think you like this. I might have to hit you hard.”

“Oh no…” Leanna said. “Pleaaaase don’t hit me harder, mommy~”

“Really?” the guard asked in a hushed tone. “Mommy?”

“Sorry,” Leanna said. “Ma’am.”

The guard hit her again, harder, as promised. Leanna jumped and yelped, and then giggled a little.

“Good?” the guard asked.

Leanna nodded. “Mhm…”

“You want another?”

“Yes, please.”

The guard hit her other cheek this time, making Leanna moan and shudder afterwards. Then, the main event. The guard positioned the tip of the baton to Leanna’s pussy, and rubbed it a little bit there. “Are you ready?” she asked. Leanna nodded, and the guard pushed the stick into her, slowly at first, but then began to slide it in and out of her flesh quickly.

Leanna moaned more and more, getting quickly worked up, and close to her climax. “Yeah?” the guard asked. “You like that?”

“Yes…” Leanna whimpered.

“You wanna cum?” the guard asked her.

“Yes, please…” Leanna whimpered more.

“Good,” the guard said. “Cum for me… show me how dirty you can make it.”

Leanna nodded, and closed her eyes. The guard still held her up, but as she got closer and closer, it became hard for her to steady herself. When she did finally cum, the guard kept thrusting, giggling at her as Leanna began to cry in pleasure, and her body began to shake. Then, the guard pulled the baton out and dropped it on the ground to hold Leanna with both hands.

The leopard could do nothing but pant, leaning against the guard as she held her up. “Oh god… so good.”

“Yeah, you liked that?” the guard asked. Leanna nodded to her. “Well… good, because you’re a fucking mess, inmate. Go take a shower before I have to write you up for unpleasant odors.”

“I know you don’t think it’s all that bad,” Leanna told her. The guard giggled and gave her ass a spank before uncuffing her and letting her go.

“See you next time,” the guard said.

“If you’re here to stop me,” Leanna said, smirking back at her before marching out of the shower, after pulling her pants back up.

“Let’s be realistic, here,” Mr. Kamore said. “You two… your involvement in all of this was minimal. You didn’t fire a gun, you didn’t set off an explosion or hack into anything. You weren’t there for the shootout.”

“Can you get to the point?” Mr. Fine asked. He was in a room with Mr. Kamore, a couple of his assistants, Charlotte and Samantha.

“My point is… why should you two be tied up in all of this?” Mr. Kamore asked. “You’ve been behind bars for more than six months now. I’m not even sure how much time you would get if you got convicted and, let me tell you, out of all of the charges this case is seeing… I don’t think anything’s going to stick.”

“Fantastic,” Mr. Fine said. “So you’ll be dropping the charges against my clients?”

Mr. Kamore shook his head. “We can’t deny your involvement completely, which is why we need to make a deal. You two plead guilty to aiding an abetting in a conspiracy to commit murder in the case of Nick Bellatano,” he told them. “We’re prepared to offer you a sweetheart of a deal, time served, in exchange for you testimony. All you have to do is tell the jury what you saw, what you did, and that Kuro and Belladonna were the ringleaders behind this attack.”

“What about Vixy?” Samantha asked. “And Jayce? Those are my friends… I’ve known them since high school.”

“As have I,” Charlotte said. “At least as long as my daughter has known them.”

“Jayce is going to get a plea offer as well,” Mr. Kamore said.

“And you’re only mentioning this to me now?” Mr. Fine asked.

“I can’t give him the same sweetheart deal. Best I can do is two years, with time served,” Mr. Kamore said. “As for Vixy, well… she did kill Mr. Bellatano. By her own admission. She’s guilty.”

“It’s self defense,” Mr. Fine told him.

“Self defense is when someone attacks you and you fight back, Mr. Fine,” Mr. Kamore told him. “What your clients did was hunt and chase him down. Twice in one night.”

“After Mr. Bellatano captured and tortured two of my clients,” Mr. Fine said.

“And then there’s the other murders to consider,” Mr. Kamore said. “Look, let’s focus on the offer on the table. Shall we?”

“I’m not going free while Vixy stays in jail… in a fucking men’s prison, getting raped on a daily basis,” Samantha said. “So go fuck yourself.”

“I will continue to make offers to everyone in due time,” Mr. Kamore said. “The offer I am making right now is in exchange for your testimony. You don’t even have to testify against your friends, just Vixy’s boss, and her associate.”

“Vixy’s boss who saved Jayce’s and Vixy’s life on more than one occasion,” Samantha said.

“Mr. Fine,” Mr. Kamore said. “The offer is on the table. I’m not negotiating.”

“Can I have a few minutes with my clients?” Mr. Fine asked.

Mr. Kamore nodded, and he and his team left the room. Once they were gone, he turned to Samantha, who sat defiantly, arms crossed, and her mother, who was far more pliable in the situation. “I think you should accept this deal,” he said.

“What?” Samantha asked.

“Samantha, we need to listen to him,” Charlotte said.

“No. What? Mom! No!”

“I’m not gonna win this case,” Mr. Fine said. “I’m going to be blunt with you about that.”

“Then why is Jayce’s dad spending so much money on you?” Samantha asked.

“I knew from the beginning that taking this case on meant getting the best deal possible,” Mr. Fine told them. “You already know what forces are at play here. The deck is fully stacked against us.”

“All the more reason not to go down without a fight,” Samantha said.

“Samantha, please,” Charlotte said.

“I understand the urge to do the right thing,” Mr. Fine said. “To fight the system and the forces at work behind the scenes. But I’m telling you, this offer… it’s a dream come true in more ways than one.”

“How?” Samantha asked.

“He says he’s not negotiating,” Mr. Fine said. “That’s a blatant lie. He wouldn’t have me the offer if he wasn’t ready to negotiate. I don’t believe he’ll move on Vixy, Jayce, or the others, not right now. But on some other things, maybe.” He sighed and looked Samantha in the eyes. “You’re staring down the barrel of a terrorism conviction. Everything he said about not getting a more severe punishment is bullshit. Trust me, the death penalty is on the table, no matter what he says. For both of you. But we can take this deal, and make it something better. We can negotiate your way out of the terrorism charges. We can make a press statement that your involvement was minimal, and that you were unwitting accomplices to all of this. And there’s another thing too. There’s a lot of angles to this case. A deal like this gives me some control over what questions you get asked, and how they’re answered ahead of time. It lets me work my narrative into the story that I’m trying to tell the jury, and reduces the size of my case load. The resources I’m currently dedicating to you get diverted to your friends.”

There was a brief pause before Charlotte spoke. “You understand that Samantha?” Charlotte asked her daughter. “This is a good thing for us, and for your friends. It means we get to go home, get back to our lives.”

“And it might just mean I can spare some of your friends the death penalty down the road,” Mr. Fine told her. “You leaving this case right now… it helps. Trust me. I know what I’m doing. The prosecution doesn’t realize it yet, but they’ve just given me a bigger gift than they realize.”

“I won’t take this deal without you, Samantha,” Charlotte told her. “I want to. I don’t want to stay in prison. But I will, for you. I’m begging you, this is the right thing.”

Samantha put her head down. Tears were starting to well in her eyes, and she sunk to the table. “I’ll… never forgive myself if Vixy and Jayce don’t make it out of here,” she said, sniffling. But then, she nodded. “I trust you, mom. And… I want to believe in you, Mr. Fine. I hope you’re right. Let’s do it.”

Mr. Fine took a sigh of relief, and got up to bring the opposition back into the room. They sat down, and Mr. Fine took out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s talk.”

In the men’s prison, Vixy was sitting at the lunch table with Ketch and his friends, as usual. They had her flanked on both shoulders normally, to keep anyone from trying to move in on her in any way. Ketch almost always had a hand on her somewhere. If it wasn’t over her back and shoulder, it was under her pants, or up her shirt.

“Vixy…” Ketch said. “Vixy…”

“What?” Vixy asked him, annoyed.

“You wanna go take a shower with me?” he asked. It wasn’t a question. Vixy nodded, and started to stand up. “Atta girl.”

Across the room, Vixy saw some new prisoners being brought in. A number of the inmates in the maximum security ward had been moved out recently, and there were rumors of new high profile inmates being moved in. Ketch stopped to watch, too.

“Oh look, fresh meat,” Ketch said, smiling. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Wait,” Vixy said, seeing them come in one by one. They looked a little familiar. She had seen Goat about in the prison, too, but wasn’t counting on anything else until today. Finally, at the end of the line, a familiar tank of a tiger walked through the doors.

“Holy shit,” Ketch said, laughing. “Would ya get a load of that guy? I bet he could split you in half, huh, Vixy?” Vixy just nodded.

Goat trotted up to Rasco as he made his entrance, and led him to his cell. He intended on sharing it seemed. It was on the ground floor, in the cells surrounding the lunch tables. After he set his things down, he made his way over to the tables, to Jayce, Kuro, and Click.

“My friends,” he said to them as he took a seat. He barely fit on the bench. Goat took a seat opposite to him, and others began sitting around him. Vixy sat back down to watch and Ketch glared at her.

“Rasco!” Jayce said, wrapping his arms around him to give him a hug. “Oh I am so glad to see you. You have no idea!”

“Hah!” he said. “You as well.”

“So what the hell happened?” Kuro asked.

“Well,” Rasco said. “My nephew, he is… in-law. The crown prince of Persia. When I returned, I was forced out of retirement and to put it lightly, that didn’t work for my nephew. So, he arranged for my safe return here. In exchange, I didn’t fight it, and he took the death penalty off the table permanently for me, and my Sand Tiger friends.”

“Nice,” Kuro said.

“So,” he said. “With you already in here, I made one more request, send me to the same prison and we have a deal. Deal made. I also requested Vixy be allowed to stay with me, but they said she was in some special case prison because she has a penis. I said… at least let me have conjugal visits, and while you’re at it, throw some in for my friend, Jayce as well. Unfortunately, your country’s prison does not allow for such… leniency.”

“She’s here,” Jayce said to him.

“What?” Rasco said. “Those bastards lied to me?”

“She was in a special case scenario, until our dipshit president decided that her and all the other trans people have to be in the same housing as their assigned gender,” Click said.

“Goat is here,” Rasco said.

“Huh?” Click asked.

“Goat is a trans man,” Rasco told them. “Hides it well, but yes, it’s true. He has a pussy. I’ve fucked it, I should know.”

“Rasco, focus,” Jayce said.

“Oh yes, where is she? She should be eating with you, I should think,” Rasco said. “Trouble in… prison paradise, I imagine? What’d you do?”

“Turn around,” Jayce said to him.

Rasco turned around to see Vixy with Ketch and his friends. She looked miserable, and Ketch was trying to pick her up by the arm. “I said, shower, now, bitch,” he told her.

The tiger inhaled deeply, and stood up from his seat. Ketch was totally oblivious right up until the point that he was right behind them. “Vixy,” he said. “My adoring servant. I am both sad, and gladdened to learn you are here.”

Vixy looked up at Rasco with a relieved smile. Freedom at last. “Hey, buddy,” Ketch said. “I know you think you’re tough because you’re the size a car, but maybe you can’t do count. Hey!” Rasco took Vixy’s arm out of Ketch’s hand and started to pull her away from them. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, asshole?” he shouted. It would be the last time he raised his voice in this prison.

Multiple inmates, who had all arrived with Rasco, all stood up, at attention, and turned towards Ketch’s group. What’s worse was when he looked to the guards for protection, they casually turned away. “Uhhuhuh…” Ketch said. His tail curled around between his legs. “Uhh… I mean, by all means…”

Rasco raised his free hand and backhanded Ketch so hard that he went flying into the table, clattering and banging against the metal construction bolted to the ground before tumbling to the floor. “What’s your name?” Rasco asked him.

“Ketch,” Vixy said. “His name’s Ketch.”

“Stupid name,” Rasco said under his breath. “Ketch. You and your friends. You work for me now.” It wasn’t a question. There was no room for response as Rasco walked Vixy back over to the other table, and sat her down between himself and Jayce.

“Now,” Rasco said. “With that settled. I wish to catch up. How is your trial going?”

“Not great,” Kuro said. “They’re looking to try and make deals, I think. Pin everything on me and Belladonna, and offer shorter sentences to everyone else.”

“Huh?” Vixy asked. “Wait, I need to catch up, too. What’d I miss?”

“Oh… yeah,” Click said. He looked at Jayce. “You wanna tell her?”

Jayce nodded. “Samantha and her mom plead out,” he said. “They’re free. And they’re going to testify against us.”

“Against me and Belladonna, specifically,” Kuro said. “I’ll be honest, I was willing to die in the line of duty more than once in my life. This doesn’t phase me. If you all get the chance to make it out alive, fucking take it. Forget about me. Forget about Bell. We all knew the consequences.”

“Hell no,” Vixy said. “I am not leaving you and Belladonna to the electric chair while I walk free. Either we all get out of here, or none of us.”

“Vixy has spunk,” Rasco said. “A respectful trait.” He nodded. “I’ll admit, when I bribed that senator, I was not expecting this. The prosecutor must’ve already been planning something.”

“Wait, this was your idea?” Vixy asked him.

“Not so much,” Rasco said. “I figure, make deal for life sentence. And we live here… like kings, and queen, apparently.”

“Well, thanks… actually. Twice I guess,” Vixy said.

“You thank me later,” Rasco said. “I pay off most of the guards here. They won’t touch us. I paid to have some homely comforts brought as well.”

“How rich are you?” Vixy asked.

“Very much so,” Rasco said. “Can’t have anything to communicate with the outside world, but can have nice bed, couch… and you, since I’m so infatuated, little fox, get to share with me.”

Vixy looked at Jayce, who looked back at her with a blush. Unlike Ketch, Vixy and Rasco had a bit of a rapport, and Jayce was familiar with it. While she hadn’t been with Rasco since their mutual declaration of love, Vixy had gone back to him one two other occasions after their first encounter. She liked him, and Jayce knew it.

“Uhh…” Vixy said. “This is… awkward.”

Rasco looked at Jayce, and the glances they exchanged with one-another. “Oh, no,” he said. “I would not dream of separating you two, clearly in love since the last time I saw you. He can come too.”

Jayce blushed even more deeply after Rasco said that. Rasco was known to be bisexual at this point. “I,” he said. “Uhh… uhh… Oh. Okay.”

“Look at him blush,” Rasco said. “I love it when someone like him suddenly becomes a bottom at the first sign of a stronger man.”

“I do kinda owe you for saving Vixy,” Jayce said.

“Okie dokie,” Koru said as he stood up. “I think I’ve… eaten enough for today. I’ll leave you to it.”

Click stayed put, not talking, but watching intently.

“Oh,” Rasco said to Jayce. “So I take it you plan on paying me back… personally.” He then looked to Click. “And what about you, rabbit?”

“Oh, I uh…” Click started. “I… can I just watch?”

“Fine by me,” Rasco said, shrugging. “Just ask these two.” He then turned to Vixy and sighed. He patted her head with his massive paw, and then began stroking her hair slowly. “You though, you’re going to need special attention after what you went through. I have never been… assaulted before, but… I’ve had friends who have. I won’t touch you more than this, until you ask for it. No one will. For you, I intend to make your recovery as comfortable and slow as you wish it.”

Vixy purred as he spoke in such a sweet, soft tone. The strokes through her hair made her quiver and then relax. She leaned against him and nodded. “Thank you,” she said.

“Same here,” Jayce said. “I remember what it was like after Grecken’s crew got to you. Take all the time you need. And you’ve saved me multiple times now.”

“You won’t hate me for not wanting you right now?” Vixy asked, looking over at him.

“Vixy,” he said, looking down at the table, and then to her. “I… feel terrible for the past few weeks. I couldn’t protect you. I’ve always been able to protect you, and I couldn’t. I let you down.”

Vixy pulled off of Rasco, and the tiger let her go easily. She leaned into Jayce and hugged him tightly. “Jayce,” she said, tearfully. “Don’t feel guilty. You’ve always protected me, that’s true. But this time… I got to be the one who protected you. They would’ve killed you if you got in their way. Every thing I had to go through… it was for you. I still love you. And I do still want you, physically and emotionally. Just… physically, I need some time.”

“I understand,” Jayce said. He took a deep breath of relief. “You have no idea how much it helps me to hear you say that.” He hugged her back, and kissed her neck. Then, he looked up at Rasco. “And Rasco,” he said. “If it wasn’t for you… I don’t know how much longer either of us would’ve lasted. You came in here and did what I only dreamed about doing. I owe you, big time.”

“I’ll be happy with some sex,” Rasco said. “I’ve always wanted a blowjob from a shark.”

Jayce blushed, and snorted a little. “Well,” he said. “I mean, yeah sure… I’m fine with that, but I mean… I mean more than that. You need me for something. You have me. Call on me and I’ll be there.”

“You know,” Click said. “For an international terrorist, you’re a big softy, Rasco.”

“No need to be hard with friends,” Rasco said. “Except in maybe couple places. But I save my anger for my enemies, and my true bloodlust for my friends’ enemies.”

“My paragon,” Goat said as he sat down next to everyone. “I’m happy you found Vixy out of her trouble. I stand by, ready for whatever you need.”

“Would you mind fetching Vixy’s belonging’s from Ketch’s cell,” Rasco said. “Bring them to the cell next to mine, and move Jayce’s things there as well.”

“What of the existing residents?” Goat asked.

“Tell them to move, or they can talk to me.” Rasco said.

“Are the guards really gonna just let you run this place like you own it?” Click asked.

Rasco nodded. “Funny you say that,” Rasco said.

“No,” Click said, snickering. You’re joking, right?”

“Not directly. A… loophole of your country. I have friends who hold my accounts. They withdraw from them, and purchase the prison. They give the warden and the most senior guards a fair bonus. My name’s not on any paperwork,” Rasco said. “But it’s mine, all the same.”

“I never thought a day would come when I would be grateful for private prisons,” Vixy said.

“God bless Cascadia,” Rasco said with a sneer. “Land of opportunity.”

Not long after that, Goat returned to tell them that their things had been moved as requested, and the group left the table and headed to Rasco’s cell. The maximum security wing of the prison was starting to feel much less like a prison, and much more like a den of debauchery.

Rasco pulled the mattress from the top bunk of the bed and put it on the floor next to it. Then, he sat down on the bed, and leaned back. “Not the most comfortable place I’ve had to sleep,” he said. “Not the least, either.”

Jayce and Vixy sat down on the mattress on the floor, and Goat crawled behind Rasco and sat upright, putting his hands on the tiger’s shoulders to massage him. Click stood leaning against the wall opposite the bed.

“So, uhh…” Jayce started, as if he didn’t know how he should be acting.

Rasco chuckled at him, and reached to his head to pet it. “Relax, shark,” he said. “I can see you don’t usually do this.”

Jayce shrugged and nodded. “Well,” he said. “It’s been a while.”

“You don’t ever go down on Vixy?” Goat asked.

“Mostly he just fucks my ass,” Vixy told them. “He’s basically the only one I let do it, and… I’ve come to really enjoy it. He jerks me off while he’s inside of me usually.”

Jayce nodded. “Most guys I pick up don’t really want to top me,” he said. “Nor do the girls.”

“I’m guessing they think of you as a big, scary shark, and don’t bother asking what you like, just assuming so…” Rasco mused about.

“Yeah,” Jayce said. “You don’t seem like you enjoy bottoming.”

“I don’t,” Rasco said. “Ever. If I put any part of you in my mouth, expect to lose it.”

“Damn,” Jayce said. “So, not once?”

“No,” Rasco said. “I tried when I was much younger, but found I didn’t like it. I found the experience demeaning and humiliating. I wondered how anyone could bring themselves so low until I had more experience. I asked one of my earlier partners why they did it for me, when I found it so unpleasant. To my surprise, they liked it. My naivety in the ways of pleasure were laid bare, and I began to learn then that I’m not a selfish lover, just a top.”

“I’ve always been vers,” Jayce told him. “My first experience with guy was an awakening. I thought I was straight until then. But… holy shit, I liked it. So much. I couldn’t deny it then. Traversing bisexuality in my youth was a bit confusing at first, but I guess I matured since then.”

“I always thought myself straight,” Rasco said. “For just about the longest time. I didn’t have my first experience with a man until Goat.”

“We had been intimate before I came out,” Goat told them. “He was confused at first, but over time, accepted me. My parents did not. And so I have been by his side ever since.”

“So are you bi, gay… what fancies you?” Click asked.

“I am not sure these categories apply to me,” Goat said. “I have never experienced attraction or romantic desire with anyone except for Rasco. He is the only one I would find myself with… at least willingly.”

“What was it like,” Vixy asked him. “With your parents, I mean… in Persia.”

“Persia at the time was not as socially accepting as it is today,” Goat said. “It is still not highly accepting but at the very least, I can roam freely without the threat of assault over my identity. When I was younger, I could not leave Rasco’s side. Moving to Cascadia vastly improved my social life. My parents… my father… attempted to murder me. I had already joined the Sand Tigers and when I was able to call for help, Rasco himself answered. He put my father in the dirt, and my mother never spoke to me again.”

“When you told me what caused the altercation,” Rasco said. “I don’t think I understood what I was hearing exactly. It was my first exposure to transgender identity. But I was attracted to him then, and I was still attracted to him after he told me, even though I admittedly still saw him as a woman. It wasn’t until he began the process of transitioning that the challenge really began for me. There was a lot of acceptance I had to learn.”

“And you learned well, and graciously, my love,” Goat said to him. “You were also much scrawnier then.”

“So you two have been together for a long time?” Vixy asked.

Rasco pulled Jayce in closer, and started to nudge him down to his crotch. The shark blushed at first, and then snickered as he started to undo the tiger’s pants, pulling them down to expose his cock.

“Together is a complicated term for Rasco,” Goat said. “My discovery of identity not only helped him understand himself, but helped me to help him. It took some time for us both to realize, but he does not experience a romantic attraction to the degree you may be familiar with. For him… sex and desire… is entirely physical.”

“It’s true,” Rasco said. Jayce licked his lips before taking in Rasco’s cock, starting to kiss and lick the tip of it. “The closest I feel to a romantic attraction is what I feel for Goat. His patience with me, and mine with him… I doubt I could replicate it with anyone.”

Click and Vixy both watched Jayce as he started to suck off Rasco. “One thing that I’ll never get past,” Click said. “Is that no matter how large, either by muscle or by fat, someone is, their cocks and pussies are… just about the same size as if they were skinny.”

Vixy laughed at him, and nodded. “I know, right?” she asked rhetorically. “When I was a kid, I had that realization with a teacher. It was such a weird thought to pop into my head, that the fat teacher leading the class I was in had a very… normal sized dick down there between his legs. It disturbed me at first, but as I got over it, I realized that hey… that’s normal, you know. Big dicks, small dicks… you either have ‘em or you don’t. No amount of weight or muscle mass changes it.”

Jayce pulled off of Rasco’s cock at the commentary, and glanced back at them. “What a weird fucking thing to think about,” he said. “What, were you picture like… a huge, massive cock dangling off your professor before then?”

“I tried not to…” Vixy said. “The whole idea was really gross to me at the time. I was still kind of a kid. As an adult, that same idea… helps me be comfortable with my own body. I have a penis. It’s not that big, it’s not that small… and it’s not going to change that much. At least, not much more than it has since I started hormones.”

Jayce was already back to sucking Rasco off before Vixy finished speaking. The tiger reached towards Vixy and pulled her close to him, petting her shoulder as she watched the show. “Bunny,” Rasco said.

“What?” Click asked him.

“You like to watch,” he said. “But… do you ever partake?”

Click shook his head. “Usually not,” he told him. “Predators make me nervous when it comes to sex. The line between hungry and horny for some of you is dangerously thin for my tastes.”

“That’s fair,” Vixy said. “I often feel both to some degree if I feel either.”

Jayce made a slurping sound as he pulled back up off of Rasco’s cock to speak again. “Yep,” he said. “Hungry and horny are basically the same for me.”

Rasco pushed his head right back down onto him. “You don’t need to talk, right now, shark,” he said. The blush on Jayce’s face grew as he wrapped his maw back around the tiger’s cock and continued sucking, bobbing his head up and down more fervently. “Much better…”

Vixy’s eyes were locked onto Jayce, and she smiled as she watched him go. It was amazing how quickly things took a turn, and she took a deep breath, feeling relieved to be where she was at. Watching her lover and best friend giving oral sex to someone else she liked was a lot of fun. “I can’t believe we never did this before,” Vixy told them. “I kinda like watching you giving head.”

“He should do it to you more often,” Rasco said, stretching a little.

“You’re right, he should,” Vixy said, snickering at the remark.

“Vixy, I am curious of something,” Rasco said, looking to her.

“What’s up?” she asked him.

“You ever plan for a reassignment surgery?”

Vixy shook her head. “No,” she said. “I’m… I don’t know, I guess I’m just not sold on it. I’m not confident that I’ll be happy with the results, like, as far as physical sensations go. I think as long as I’m unsure, I’d rather just stick with what I’ve got.”

Rasco nodded to her. “If you ever do decide to get a pussy, I will be happy to pay for it,” he said. “As long as you promise to let me fuck it once it’s healed.”

Vixy laughed at him and nodded. “I appreciate it,” she said. “But there’s no need to promise something that’s pretty much a guarantee. The other thing is that even if I do go that route, I still won’t be able to get pregnant.”

“You wish to be a mother?” Rasco asked her. She nodded. “Fascinating. Why not adopt?”

Vixy shook her head. “I… want to experience the whole process: pregnancy, childbirth, and… I want my child to be a reflection of me and my partner. I want it to be mine.”

“I understand that,” Goat said. “Only I don’t want to carry a child. It would be… disturbing to me. Rasco paid for my sterilization to prevent just that. Have you heard of a womb transplant, though?”

“A little bit,” Vixy said. “Handful of successes, brand new. But it still wouldn’t be mine. I want it to be mine.”

“I see,” Goat said. “That would be significantly harder to accomplish. Perhaps some day they will advance medical science more, and it will become a possibility in the future.”

“That’d be cool,” Vixy said.

Click snickered at the thought. “And you’d have half-shark, half-fox kids running around. I wonder what that’d look like.”

“Even so,” Vixy said. “It’d be unlikely. Sharks aren’t mammals. They’re fish. The fact that they give live birth won’t change that.”

“It’s possible,” Rasco said.

Vixy looked down at Rasco’s crotch, and Jayce sucking him off, and then back up at his face. “Are you even enjoying this?”

Rasco nodded. “I am,” he said. “I hope your boyfriend is enjoying it as well.”

Vixy looked down at Jayce, who was nodding as he fervently licked and suckled the tiger’s dick. “Yeah,” Vixy said. “He’s doing fine. I’m just wondering because you don’t seem very into it.”

Rasco laughed at her, and shook his head. “Don’t confuse my stony expression for a lack of enthusiasm,” he said. “My expression has always been somewhat muted, even during sex.”

“It’s true,” Goat said. “The first few times I was with him, I thought he disliked me. Later I found out I was very wrong about that. He relishes far more in other peoples’ expressions, though.”

“I’ll remember to be nice and loud next time I fuck you, then,” Vixy said, looking at him with a sly smile.

“Good,” Rasco said. “It’s important for me to know my partner is enjoying themselves. If they aren’t, I am not interested.”

“Could you tell I enjoyed it the first time with me?” Vixy asked him.

“Of course,” Rasco told her. “Especially in the moment during your phone call with Belladonna.”

“What do you mean?” Vixy asked him.

“She mentioned you ate someone’s shit,” Rasco said.

“Oh fuck, we do not need to talk about that.”

“I took the cigar out from my mouth, and you had a look in your eyes,” Rasco said. “It wasn’t relief. It was disappointment. You wanted me to keep using your mouth as an ashtray.”

“I did,” Vixy admitted. “I never did that before and it was really difficult and unpleasant. But… I found myself enjoying it for how degrading it was. Would you have actually killed me if Belladonna didn’t follow through?”

“No,” Rasco said. “I would’ve kept you. Your friends would’ve died, though. Not you, shark… but your other friends. You, bunny, and the rest of your team.”

“Doubt you could’ve pulled it off,” Click said, confidently. “Nick tried to kill us. He failed.”

“I helped you with Nick,” Rasco said. “And some of my men, and two of your team members did die in the process.” He shifted a little bit, and pushed Jayce’s head down farther. “Keep it up, shark. I may be close to finishing.”

“You’re a monster in close combat,” Click said to him. “But I’d put a bullet in your head before you got close enough for that to matter.”

“He’s a pretty good shot,” Vixy said. “Might be a fun contest to see play out, if it were possible.”

“I would simply have to adapt, and stalk you from the shadows,” Rasco told him. “I don’t often have to hide, to employ stealth, but believe me, I can.”

“And I’m also pretty skilled in hand-to-hand,” Click said. “Professionally trained. Multiple disciplines.”

“And you think your training and your discipline could match my raw strength?” Rasco asked him. “I don’t think so. You might be able to hit me, might be able to dodge me and hit me again. But at the end of the day, you could not injure me. So it doesn’t matter.”

“I think we might need to settle this with a real match,” Click told him.

Rasco laughed and nodded. “If the opportunity presents itself, you are on,” he said.

Click nodded. “It’ll be a fun contest,” he said. “Speed versus strength.”

Vixy reached a hand down to Jayce’s head and began to stroke his hair while he bobbed up and down on Rasco’s cock. “You know, it’s kind of fun watching you suck someone off,” she told him. “I might want to do this more often.”

Jayce blushed at her comment, and cooed around the tiger’s cock. His lips tightened, squeezing his shaft while his tongue rubbed up and down the side of it. Rasco in turn began to pet Vixy’s head, stroking her hair, while he felt himself starting to get closer to orgasm. “I would not mind it,” he said.

Jayce nodded in agreement, and sped up his movements, trying to get the tiger off. Rasco let out a low growl as the pleasure began to fill him, and leaned back. Goat moved off to one side to lean against him, and watched the show right along with Vixy and Click. Jayce’s hand moved up to the base of the shaft, and held it in place with a firm grip while he worked harder and harder to satisfy the tiger.

Suddenly, Rasco moaned out, and tensed up. His cock splattered the inside of Jayce’s mouth with a thick, creamy load of his semen, which kept pumping for a short while. “That’s good,” Rasco said, gripping Jayce’s head as Vixy let go. He pulled Jayce up and off of him. The shark’s mouth was dripping with spunk, and he looked at the tiger with a dumb smile. “Thank you, shark boy. It was pleasurable.”

“Glad to be of use to you,” Jayce said, smirking at him.

“Me too,” Vixy said. “You looked like you enjoyed yourself.”

Jayce nodded, and Rasco let him go. He collapsed into Vixy and hugged her tightly before pulling her into a snuggle on the mattress. “It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I can suck you off next time, if you want.”

Vixy shrugged. “Maybe,” she said. “Not sure if I’d prefer that with you or not.”

“You don’t want a blowjob?” Jayce asked her.

Vixy smirked at him. “I mean, maybe,” she said. “I’ve just come to enjoy certain things with you quite a bit, and… I don’t see much the point of changing a good thing.”

“We can still do what we’ve done before,” Jayce told her. “And we can do new things, too.”

“I really like feeling you inside of me,” Vixy said. “And the way you touch me while you do it. If you want to suck my dick, then, I’d be fine with that. But you wouldn’t be doing it for my pleasure.”

“Alright,” Jayce said. “I’ll keep that in mind. Vixy prefers to give head and receive anal. Do you want some tiger cum?”

“Huh?”

“I still got some,” Jayce said. “If you want me to share…”

“Eww, Jayce,” Vixy said. “That’s gross.”

“I think it’s hot,” Rasco said.

“No, I don’t want you backwash tiger cum, Jayce,” Vixy told him. Jayce swallowed audibly, and smirked at her. Somehow, out of all the things Vixy enjoyed and experienced, that grossed her out. She gagged a little. “What? You eat it, too…”

“It was just… the show you made over it,” Vixy said.

Rasco laughed at the two of them. “I think your reaction was funnier than the bit,” he said.

Later in the day, out in the recreation yard, Ketch and his friends were off to one corner of the area, using some weights, when Vixy approached them, alone. She walked up to them, and stared at Ketch while hi finished a bench press rep.

“Ketch you got a spectator,” one of his friends said as he took the bar from him.

Sitting up, Ketch caught his breath, and looked at her. “Uh,” he said. “What do you want? I think it’s pretty clear you don’t want to be friends with me, so… why are you over here?”

“Take of your pants,” Vixy said, glancing towards one of them.

“Uh… no thanks?” the man said.

“What do you miss us or something?” Ketch asked her. Their attitude was dismissive at best. “Buzz off, will ya?”

“No,” Vixy told him.

There was an instinct in Ketch. Something that irked him about being told no, about her telling him no, specifically. She wasn’t allowed to say no to him until just earlier today and he wanted to hit her. “Yes,” he insisted.

Vixy turned back to the other friend. “Take them off,” she said. The fox had a serious look to her. It scared them, and she could tell.

“We’re leaving,” Ketch said as he got up from the bench.

Moving around them to stand in their path, Vixy repeated herself. “Take off your pants.”

“What if I don’t?” he asked.

Stepping up to him, she got right in his face, eyes glaring and ears pinned back. “You will,” she said to him. “You don’t have a choice.”

Nervous about the situation, Ketch put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Just fuckin’ humor her,” he said. “That fucking tiger will maul us if we fight back.”

“Man…” The wolf shook his head, and followed her command, pulling his pants down and exposing himself to her. “You happy? Can I go now?”

“No,” Vixy said. More and more eyes were on the group now. None of Vixy’s friends were there, it was just her. She took a step back, and pointed to Ketch before snapping, and pointing to the ground. “Get on your knees, Ketch.”

“Fuck no, dude,” the friend said, shaking his head. “I don’t want to do this.”

“You’ve got some balls, Vixy,” Ketch said, staring her down. Vixy reached out and slapped him across the muzzle. He snarled and was about to strike, but stopped himself, but she slapped him again anyways. “Ack! If you think that I—” She slapped him again, and then grabbed him by the ear, and squeezed as tightly as she could. “Fuck you.”

“On your knees,” Vixy told him tugging at his ear and pulling him in front of his friend.

“I’m sorry, bro,” his friend said to him.

“Can you at least not look at me like that?” Ketch said.

“He can, and he will,” Vixy said. “And you’re going to look up at his pretty brown eyes, and he’s going to look back into yours.”

“I get it,” Ketch said. “I was fucking awful to you and I deserve this.”

“No,” Vixy told him. She leaned down to speak to him closely. “You don’t get it. You deserve so much more. You’re going to do this. And you’re going to play pretend, like I did. Not just for you, but for every predator that has ever cornered me in an alley, hit me up at a club, or pretended to be my friend. Put his cock in your mouth, and treat it like it’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted.”

Ketch started to shake as she spoke to him. “I… can’t,” he said.

“You can’t?” Vixy asked. “It’s easy. Open your mouth, and wrap those salacious lips around his fat cock and start sucking you degenerate, foul, waste of oxygen.”

“I mean that I can’t pretend to like it,” he said.

“If I’m not convinced,” Vixy told him. “I’m gonna try again tomorrow. And tomorrow. And tomorrow, until you can. So you better learn quickly. And get to work.”

Nervous and afraid, Ketch leaned forward, and clasped his friend’s dick in his maw, and closed it slowly.

“This aint cool, Vixy, we’re both straight,” his friend said.

“All prey are bisexual,” Vixy told them. “If we can’t perform today, then you two are going to become very, very familiar with each other. You got it?”

Ketch nodded, and locked eyes with his friend as he started to suck on him. He had to fight his reflexes to avoid gagging, but it wasn’t just his homophobia or his distaste for the scene making him nervous, but Vixy herself. She wielded power better than him. Instilled fear better than him. And knowing that she was doing this to punish them and not to teach them made it all the worse.

His friend couldn’t watch, and looked away, closing his eyes. Vixy saw, and Ketch saw this, and saw her disappointment. He pulled off of his cock and breathed angrily, but directed that anger at his friend. “Look at me,” he said. “If I have to do this again because you’re a fucking coward… I’m gonna rip your damn head off.”

“Cute,” Vixy said to him. “But no heads are being ripped. Not until you get this right for me. I won’t let either of you out of this that easily.”

Ketch resumed his dutiful sucking, reaching up to take his friend’s shaft in his hand and started stroking it. The other wolf looked down at him, but he was very squeamish about it, not wanting to look. Ketch growld around him and bared his teeth over his cock and his friend started to play his role. He forced a smile, and looked at him, and even reached a hand to Ketch’s head to stroke his hair, and scratch his ears.

Vixy took a step back, and leaned against the wall to watch the performance. “That’s better,” she said. “Gosh, I will never understand how they let canines think that they were apex predators.”

The other three friends were not watching and Vixy looked at them. “Hey!” she shouted. “Eyes front. Take notes. You’re on tomorrow.”

Ketch’s friend made an uncomfortable moan as he sucked him off, and Ketch flinched at it, expecting him to cum. Vixy laughed at him and patted his back. “Oh my gosh,” she said. “Guys do not cum that quickly. Especially when you suck them off. Bob your head some, Ketch. Let it rub on your tongue and your lips.”

Ketch’s eye twitched once, but he obeyed, starting to do as he was told and moving his head up and down. His friend moaned again, and placed a hand on Ketch’s shoulder to prop himself.

“Atta boy,” Vixy said. “Now moan a little. He can feel it. The sound, the vibrations channeling from your tongue and your mouth onto his skin. It feels good. I know you know it feels good, too. Do it.”

Just as instructed, Ketch moaned around his friend, and the other wolf growled softly as he felt it all in his cock. They took eyes from each other as they began to make more sounds and Vixy used a hand to turn their gaze back to one-another. “Come on, you’re so close… and so close, I bet.”

At her direction, they locked eyes again. “Let yourself feel him in your mouth,” Vixy whispered to Ketch. “Study the taste… the texture. It’s addicting once you start to recognize all of that.” Ketch growled a little, mostly from frustration, but also to continue his lesson in using his vocals to pleasure his friend’s dick.

“I’m… fuck… I’m gonna…” his friend was tensing up. “Shit, can we stop, please? I’m doing what you say.”

“No,” Vixy said. She stood up and put her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it slowly. “Enjoy this. Feel his mouth around you. Lose yourself to the sensation until the only thing you’re focusing on is your dick and how good it feels.”

“Ahh…” The wolf was shuddering a little. He felt a tickling sensation as his climax approached, and his breathing increased.

“It’s good to warn your partner before you finish,” Vixy said. “Let’s them know what’s coming. Gives them a chance to slow down to make it last longer if they can, or to speed up, to push you over the edge and to get their reward.” Her gaze turned back to Ketch. “And it is a nice reward, isn’t it?” Ketch didn’t respond. “Oh, silly me. You’ve never eaten cum before. Finish him. Let him spray it all over your tongue, and savor the taste.”

Ketch moved faster, trying to hurry along with this humiliating scene, and as instructed, he finished the other wolf off quickly. His friend moaned again as his cock throbbed and squeezed cum out into his maw, shooting it in thick, sticky ropes. Flinching at the moment of climax, Ketch almost pulled away, but stopped himself. “Oh, good boy,” Vixy said. “I can tell you’re not so enthused. But I appreciate the effort. We’ll try again tomorrow. For now… swallow your treat, and smile at your friend. Thank him. And thank me.”

Ketch swallowed around the cock as he pulled off, forcing the semen down his gullet with a grimace. He looked up at him, and nodded. “Thanks,” he forced the sound out through his teeth. “Thanks, Vixy…”

“Same time tomorrow,” Vixy told him. “Don’t be late.”

As Vixy walked away, Ketch stood up and started spitting on the ground. She smiled as she heard him. The scene was over so she wasn’t going to punish him any longer for now. His friend looked away in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, bro,” he said. “It… it felt good and I couldn’t hold it.”

“Can it,” Ketch said, teeth gritted. “Just… don’t fucking mention this to anyone. Ever.”

Vixy made her way back inside, heading for the showers, where she met up with Jayce in one of the shower stalls. There were other inmates inside and as she casually stripped to come join them, a couple started to hoot and holler, but she didn’t give a single fuck about that.

“Hey, Vix,” Jayce said, watching her. This was a huge change of course, where before she was cautious to only shower when she could be alone, or as alone as Ketch let her be. “What are you?” The fox got down on her knees in front of him as he was turning to address her, and immediately took his cocks, starting to lick at them both while holding and pumping one of them. Her other hand wrapped his thigh and braced onto him. “Ohhoh… fuck, Vixy,” he said. “Right in front of everyone. Are you sure?”

“Mhmm,” she sounded off to him before wrapping her mouth around one of them, and started to suck on it.

…

…

I could give a shit who was watching. After so many days, multiple weeks, of being that asshole’s sex slave, I was free. I just took my power back from him and had no intention of ever forcing them to do that to each other again, but making them afraid that I might. That was the best part.

Second best… The best is now. I feel confident, powerful, and like I’m doing this of my own volition again. It’s freeing.

“Vixy!” one of the guards shouts. I ignore him. “Vixy Knight, I have a write-up for you.”

“Hey, bitch,” Jayce shouts over the shower walls at the guard. “She’s a little busy. Come back later.” The crowd chees at the defiance, and the guard, while looking serious, isn’t about to tangle with this many people. He turns and leaves without another word.

Now I’m also filled with a sense of adoration and pride in that shark, on top of everything else. My shark. I smile proudly as I continue to suck his cocks, switching from one to the other on occasion. I am so lost in the moment that I can barely savor it. Before long, he cums in my mouth and on my face. I swallow what I can catch and rinse the rest off in the shower as I get up to clean. My performance earns me a standing ovation of sorts.

Life in prison… in the wrong housing… as long as its with Jayce, honestly… I can get behind it, now, I think.

As he stands beside me, smiling, rubbing along my side up and down sensually, he gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Love you, Jayce,” I say softly, so only he can hear.

…

…

“Vixy Knight,” another guard shouts over everyone. Vixy turns her attention this time. “Wrap it up, you have a visitor.”

Vixy was led to a private room where she sat down at a table. At the opposite end of the table there was a bunny in a blue dress who had a tape recorder, a note book, and several pens out. She clicked the recorder on, and set it at the middle of the table while Vixy was seated.

“Okay, here we go,” she said, seeming to give herself a little pep talk. “You got this. Hello, this is Jennifer Waltson of the Furcadia Herald, and I am sitting down with…”

Vixy stared at her, confused.

“Your name,” Jennifer whispered loudly.

“Uh… Vixy Knight?” she said, questioning what was happening.

“Thank you for speaking with me, Vixy,” Jennifer told her. “Or would you prefer Miss Knight?”

“Vixy’s fine…” she shook her head though, and looked around. “What is this?”

“Oh, sorry, introductions,” she said. “I’m a reporter with Furcadia Herald. I’m here to, hopefully, with your permission, do an interview.”

“Why?” Vixy asked.

“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know,” she said, nervously chuckling. “You’ve been in prison.”

“Hold on, hold on,” Vixy told her, raising a hand to calm her down. “What’s this about, exactly?”

Jennifer cleared her throat, and pulled a folder with a few different sheets and magazines out of it, and slid it across the table to Vixy. As she poured through it, she was even more perplexed than before. The magazines had her name and face plastered on them, along with her friends’. The news clippings were sensational hit pieces, talking about her, what happened to get her here, EMI, and…

“Prey Lives Matter?” Vixy asked, looking up at Jennifer. “What is this about, exactly? Why are we all over magazines?”

“You probably don’t realize it yet, but you’re famous,” Jennifer said. “Or… infamous, depending on who you ask.”

“Why?”

“Well, that’s just it. After your arrest following the slaying of Nick Bellatano and the whole calamity at EMI… no one can stop talking about it,” Jennifer said. “Like it or not, you’re a champion of the people, you all are.”

“What do you mean? How?” Vixy was only growing more confused. “Why does anyone care about us? And… what does this have to do with—”

“Let me explain,” Jennifer said. “For… as long as Cascadia has been a country, predators have had nearly unlimited rights over prey. They can do basically anything to us.”

“You realize I am a fox, right?” Vixy asked. “And you are a rabbit…”

“This is bigger than that,” Jennifer said. “This is about… the established order, and… breaking it all down to liberate all animals from the confines of tyranny.”

“Tyranny…” Vixy said.

“After your arrest,” Jennifer slowed down to start explaining. “The news broke about Nick Bellatano, and his connections to the government, police, and businesses across Cascadia and his further interests around the world. The proverbial lid on some of the deepest darkest secrets in our society was blown clean off. The FBI raided his home, his warehouses, and what they’ve uncovered, at least what they’ve released to the public has changed something. People are angry. Not just at him, but at our whole government, at the whole system. And at the center of it all is you and your friends. A band of both predator and prey that worked together and fought them to defend yourselves and each other from the most brutal elements in modern society and you came out on top. People… people on your side… they see you as heroes fighting a corrupt system of government that divides people and restricts their rights in favor of the ruling class.”

“I’m a fucking poster child?” Vixy asked, seemingly annoyed by this fact.

“You and everyone else you fought with,” Jennifer said.

“Why me though?” Vixy asked. “Why not talk to Belladonna or Kuro?”

“I tried,” Jennifer said. “Belladonna clammed up and won’t speak to me. Kuro laughed me out of the interview. You’re… next on my list.”

“If my friends aren’t willing to talk to you, why should I be? Also… when?”

“Today,” Jennifer said. “Not too long ago I tried to talk to Kuro. Actually I thought you were housed in a special facility, but when I found out you were here…”

“I think I should speak to my lawyer, first,” Vixy said, getting uncomfortable.

“No, no, please, please hear me out,” Jennifer said.

“Why?”

“You’re lawyer is a great lawyer. He’s probably going to win this case, at least that’s what hopefuls like myself believe, but… there’s something bigger going on here,” Jennifer said. “After I learned about the deal Samantha and Charlotte made, I knew I had to try and talk to you all.”

“Huh?”

“They’re going to offer you a plea deal,” Jennifer said. “All of you.”

“Even Bell and Kuro?” Vixy asked. “Why?”

“Because of what’s going on outside of these walls,” Jennifer told her. “It started as protests, but now… there’s riots. They’re calling them the Prey Riots. Lower species of Cascadia are using your case as a tipping point, to spearhead a movement to demand rights and protections from predation. And it’s not just here. The Hampshires, France, Germany, the whole world is starting to mobilize.”

“Great,” Vixy said. “Sounds like me and my friends might actually get out of here.”

“No,” Jennifer said. “That’s exactly it… I’m here to ask you, to beg you… do not take the plea.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Vixy asked. “Samantha and Charlotte took it. If they’re going to spare all of us—”

“Because it’s what they want,” Jennifer said. “A plea means… a confession. You admit that what you did was wrong, and that will break this movement. People will leave it. We can’t let that happen.”

“Pfft,” Vixy scoffed at her. “Why the hell not? I don’t give a shit about prey rights. I’ve survived well enough in this world. Hell, I’ve probably killed more prey and for sex than predators have attacked me.”

“I know,” Jennifer said. “I… I did my research. I know your stomping grounds. I know… your type. That’s kind of why I was hoping I could convince you.”

“Because you’re a tasty little bunny that I might wanna get my rocks off to?” Vixy asked, confused and insulted. “Is this a honey pot?”

“No… well, okay, I confess my approach may be a bit reductive,” Jennifer said. “But it’s for the greater good. You’re listening at least! That’s a marked improvement from my last two attempts.”

“I’m still not sure that I should be…” Vixy said.

“I know you’ve committed your fair share of predation,” Jennifer told her. “I don’t hold that against you. You’re a fox. You do have to eat. This isn’t about stopping predators from eating altogether, it’s about… living together. In peace. Without the fear of predation.”

“Is such a world even possible?” Vixy asked her.

“I know you’re skeptical,” Jennifer said. “A lot of people are. That’s why this movement has been so divisive, especially for apex predators who have never been threatened by predation once in their lives. This… getting back to Nick Bellatano.”

“Okay…”

“They found a correspondence between him and the CEO of Advent Chemistry,” Jennifer told her. “A scientist working for them made a breakthrough discovery in the field of biochemistry: a way to produce synthetic muscle tissue. Safe for consumption.”

“Huh?” Vixy asked, her ears perking. “So what like… predators don’t need to eat prey anymore, I could go pick up rabbit meat at a grocery store the same as a head of lettuce?”

“Now you’re getting it,” Jennifer said. “This was three years ago. That scientist… dead. His research, nowhere to be found. Bellatano suppressed it and killed him to cover it up. All to protect the predators’ power over prey. To protect the status quo.”

Vixy sat back in her seat. “Holy shit…” she said.

“This movement,” Jennifer said. “It’s changing things. People believe that this can be done, for the first time ever. Predator and prey… living as equals. The unrealized dream. But it all hinges on this case.”

“How?” Vixy asked. “I still don’t follow that part.”

“Without any proof that this research ever existed, that it actually worked,” Jennifer said. “People don’t believe. To many, it’s false hope. Fake news. That’s why me and so many others are watching this trial so closely. That’s why there’s so much political attention on it. It’s not about self-defense. It’s about establishing, in court, the unlimited right of predators to hunt and eat prey, and the lack of any right for prey to fight back. If you plead out… they win. And under a plea agreement, there’s no room for appeal.”

“So to you… to this… movement,” Vixy said. “It almost doesn’t matter what the verdict is. As long as we fight it?”

“Exactly,” Jennifer told her.

“What if you’re wrong about me?” Vixy asked. “What if I like the status quo?”

Jennifer nodded to her, and took a breath. “It’s a chance I have to take. As long as one person forces this trial to its completion… we win.”

Mr. Fine came into the room in a hurry, and pointed at Jennifer. “You,” he said. “Get out, right now.”

“This trial is bigger than your clients, Mr. Fine!” Jennifer shouted. Prison guards entered the room to escort her out. “You don’t get to sacrifice the whole world for them!”

Mr. Fine sat down where Jennifer was, and took her recording device off the table. He stuffed it in his pocket and looked at Vixy. “What did you tell her?” he asked.

“More like… what did she tell me…” Vixy said to him, staring him down. “Why didn’t you tell us any of this?”

“My client,” Mr. Fine said.

“I know, you’re just trying to do the best for me and my friends,” Vixy said.

“Is Jayce’s father,” Mr. Fine said. “And his wishes are very clear to me. You, and more importantly, Jayce, go home.”

“What about the others?” Vixy asked.

“You have no idea how made you are,” Mr. Fine told her. “Once I get you out of here, and I will get you out of here, you’ll testify. You’ll say whatever the plea deal says you’ll say, and then you get leave Cascadia for greener pastures. There’s no sweeter deal in this for either of you.”

“Leave?” Vixy asked. “I don’t want to leave. Furcadia is my home. Cascadia is my home!”

“As long as you stay here,” Mr. Fine said. “You’re in danger. Outside of these walls, people want you dead. And not just the ones you pissed off by killing Nick Bellatano. Regular people now. I’m sure that reporter told you all about that.”

Vixy shook her head. “Not that part.”

“The prosecution is preparing to offer a plea deal to Jayce. And you’re next in line after him,” Mr. Fine said.

“And what happens to you after we leave the country?” Vixy asked. “Are you going to stick around and protect my friends, too?”

“I can’t,” Mr. Fine said. “Belladonna and Kuro are fucked. Leanna probably, too. Natalie… you don’t even want to know what they have on her. Click is the only other one I have chance with.”

“So as long as I’m still here, and Jayce is still here,” Vixy said. “You’re stuck with us?”

“No… Vixy, don’t do it,” Mr. Fine said.

“And what about everything else, huh?” Vixy asked, growing angry. “All this… stuff I just heard. Artificial meat sources. The end of predation. You don’t care about any of that? It’s a better world for everyone.”

“Not everyone,” Mr. Fine said. “And to those people, you’re a threat. They will stop at nothing to see you, and everyone you currently care about, dead. And they are very powerful people, Vixy. You can’t fight them the way you fought Bellatano.”

“I’m guessing the only reason I’m so important for you is because Jayce won’t leave without me,” Vixy said. Mr. Fine nodded. “Cool.” The fox stood up, and started to walk towards the door. “Then I’m not leaving. You can tell Mr. Kamore that he can mine and Jayce’s plea deals, and shove them where the sun don’t sun.”

“Don’t be an idiot!” Mr. Fine shouted at her as she walked back out of the room, escorted by guards. “This is life and death for you, you know! As your lawyer… ahh fuck it.”

When Vixy got back into inmate housing, she booked it for Jayce in his cell, and closed the door behind her. “No running, Knight!” one of the guards shouted after her.

“Jayce!” she said.

“What’s up Vixy?” he asked.

The door opened. “Vixy Knight, you’re getting a write-up,” the guard said as he opened the cell. “Jayce, your lawyer wants to see you.”

“No plea!” Vixy said as Jayce stood up.

“Huh?”

“No matter what happens, do not plead out,” Vixy said. “There’s something going on. Something bigger than just us and this case. We can’t plead out, trust me!”

“I do, but,” Jayce was confused when he spoke.

“Let’s go, Jayce,” the guard said.

“I won’t take any deals,” Jayce said. “But you have to tell me what’s happening when I get back, okay?”

“I will,” Vixy said. “Thank you.”

Jayce nodded, and followed the guard out of the cell. Vixy then left the cell and went to look for Click. When she found him, he was have an arm wrestling contest with another inmate and it looked like he was winning.

“Come on, you little rat,” the otter said as he tugged and pulled. “You really think you can beat me?”

“I am beating you,” Click said as he pulled his arm farther and farther down.

“Click,” she said as she moved towards them. Click was immediately distracted and the otter pulled his arm down the other way in the moment.

“Damn it, Vixy!” Click said. “I fuckin’ had him!” The crowd around them clapped and cheered.

“Oh yes,” the otter said. “Looks like we’ve got a new reigning champ in town.”

“This is important,” Vixy said. “And private. We need to talk. Right now.”

“Okay…” Click said as he got up and followed her away around a corner. “What’s this about?” he asked her once they stopped.

“We’ve been out of touch with the outside world,” Vixy said. “No TV, no internet… and no friends left out there to give us updates.”

“No shit,” Click said.

“A reporter just came to talk to me,” Vixy told him. “Her name was Jennifer, and she was a rabbit with chocolate colored fur and dark brown eyes.”

“Why’d she want to talk to you?” Click asked her.

“Apparently, there’s a lot going on out there,” Vixy told him. “She said that we were at the center of this massive political firestorm and social upheaval. She said that when the FBI raided Nick Bellatano’s home, they found evidence of all kinda of other crimes and cover ups involving businessmen, politicians, police, you name it. But listen to this… among those was a document that indicated that he killed a scientist who was working on synthetic meat.”

“Synthetic… what?” Click asked.

“Now, there’s protests and riots going on all over the world, and… she said some people think we’re heroes and others… not so much.”

“This is crazy,” Click said. “You believe all of that?”

“I wasn’t sure, but… she was very clear about something,” Vixy said. “We cannot make a plea deal. If we do, we admit that we did wrong, and… something to do with politicians trying to give predators more rights against prey trying to hunt them down. We can’t admit fault. It’ll break the movement that’s happening right outside these walls.”

“Okay,” Click said. “But still, any proof?”

“While she was talking to me,” Vixy said. “Our lawyer busted in with prison guards to have her removed, and… heavily implored that I not listen to her and take the next plea deal offered. I think he’s trying to talk Jayce into taking one right now. But what he told me… he’s not looking out for you, Click. He’s only interested in getting me and Jayce off the hook. He basically said everyone else is just fucked.”

“Son of a bitch,” Click said. “What should I do? We gotta tell Kuro.”

“We will,” Vixy said. “But Kuro and Belladonna both already talked to the reporter, and dismissed her out of hand.”

“Well does Kuro know what you know about Mr. Fine?” he asked.

“I don’t think so,” Vixy said. “So I was going to find him next.”

“What happens if Jayce pleads guilty?” Click asked.

“I don’t know,” Vixy said. “I’m pretty sure I’ve convinced him to reject the offer for now. I already told Mr. Fine I would never accept it after what happened.”

“Is there any deals coming for the rest of us?” Click asked her.

Vixy shook her head. “He said you’re the only other one he might be able to save from the death penalty. Everyone else… he’s lost hope for them. But the reporter said differently. She said that people are hopeful that we can all get acquitted. I don’t know how, but… maybe she knows more than she told me. Maybe she didn’t have time to tell me.”

“Most likely,” Click said, nodding. “And I’m probably not getting an offer.”

“Doesn’t sound like it,” Vixy said.

“Fuck,” Click said kicking at the ground in anger. “And even if I did… I can’t fuckin’ accept it, can I?”

“I don’t think you should,” Vixy said.

“Neither do I,” Click said. “I put on a tough fucking facade, Vixy, but this is different. I can’t go down as the rabbit who sold out all preykind forever. What do they think about the predators working with us?”

“I didn’t get the full spill,” Vixy said. “But… something about predators and prey working together to protect each other is what’s inspired all this going on. I think the fact that we’re working together and holding strong… I think as long as we can do that… I don’t know if we’ll ever see the light of day outside of this place. But we might at least not die. If things go well… I got a feeling, Click. I think… I think things are about to change.”

Click took her hand, and then her whole arm to brace her tightly. He nodded. “I hope so,” he said. “You won’t take that deal? You won’t leave me here?”

“Hell no,” Vixy told him.

“I know you’re a girl,” Click said. “But right now… you’re my fucking brother in arms, and I hope you don’t take offense to that.”

Vixy smirked, chuckling a bit. “As long as I can be your sister in arms, instead.”

“Hell yeah,” Click said. “Let’s go find Kuro.”

The two of them found Kuro in the yard, lifting weights alone. “So let me get this straight,” he said. “You talked to that reporter. You heard her ridiculous fairy tale, and now you want me to… do what?”

“Don’t take any plea deals,” Vixy said.

“According to you,” Kuro said. “I’ve got a snowball’s chance in hell of even getting one, and less than that of escaping the electric chair. So… why does it matter?”

“Come on, Kuro,” Click said. “We fought together, we bled together.”

“And I will never forget that,” Kuro said. “But it sounds to me like you two got it made, and me… I’m gonna get left behind.”

“I promise you—”

“Your promises will mean jack shit to me at sentencing if you get life and I get death,” Kuro said. “I believe you, of course. The reporter I have a little more trouble with. What you said about Mr. Fine… that tracks.” He nodded a bit, and then shook his head. “To hell with it. I think I’m going to go with the public defender.”

“That is a terrible idea,” Vixy told him.

“He’s got no hope for me,” Kuro said. “I barely had any in myself. At least with a new attorney, I know they haven’t already given up.”

“Get real,” Click said. “Public defenders give up before they even meet their clients.”

“Maybe Rasco can help me out,” Kuro said. “Get me a deal for life instead.”

“Didn’t you just hear what I said?” Vixy asked. “We can’t plead out.”

“No, Vixy,” Kuro told him. “You can’t plead out. My life’s on the line, and yours isn’t. I gotta make decisions for myself, not the whole fuckin’ world.”

“Mr. Fine is probably still your best shot,” Vixy told him.

Kuro shook his head. “Listen,” he told them. “I’ve been an assassin, a bounty hunter, a soldier, and a loner through all of it. I’ve trusted people with my life my entire life. I’ve lived long enough for most of the people who trusted me with theirs to die. I don’t have a game plan after this is over. I wasn’t expecting to see home again. But I’ll be damned if I don’t save myself now, after all the other bastards who died saving it. Besides, even if that reporter is telling the truth, and even if she’s right about all this, the whole Nick Bellatano thing isn’t the only thing I’m on the hook for. I’m not getting out of this. But you can. And you can do it a hell of a lot better without me getting in the way.”

“What are saying?” Vixy asked.

“My role in all this is done,” he said. “I’m going to see Rasco can hire a new attorney for me, and instruct him to seek a plea deal for the weapon possession charges, and take the fall for the helicopter and the bomb. I was there for all of it, and I supplied those chemicals. Those charges disappear from your case and your odds improve.”

“What about the whole hunting predators thing?” Click asked.

“Who cares?” Kuro asked. “It’s one thing if an apex predator says it’s okay to hunt predators. The important thing is that you two don’t. And Nat doesn’t.”

“So that’s it, then?” Vixy asked. “You’re… copping out? Giving up?”

“I’m saving my own ass,” Kuro said. “And giving you lot the best chance I possibly can.” They didn’t leave, they stayed and looked at him, watching as he casually continued his work out. “What are you waiting for?”

“So we’re just supposed to leave you here?” Click asked.

“Well shit,” Kuro said. “I expect once you’re out you’ll be bringing me some better food when you visit.”

While Kuro was talking to Vixy and Click, Jayce was in an interview room with Mr. Fine, his dad, and Mr. Kamore and his associates. The tension in the room was thick.

“God damn it, Jayce,” his father said. “Just take the fucking deal!”

“No,” Jayce said.

“Like I said,” Mr. Kamore told them. “This offer will only be presented once.”

“Damn, that’s crazy,” Jayce told him. “You must be pretty fucking desperate to slap a guilty verdict on this case. You afraid you’ll lose?”

“Jayce, I don’t know what Vixy told you,” Mr. Fine said. “But she’s wrong. She’ll take the deal too, trust me on this, it’s a good offer.”

“It’s a shit offer,” Jayce said. “One in which I abandon my friends. I’m not doing it.”

“Mr. Kamore,” Mr. Fine said. “May we have a moment.”

“Sure thing,” Mr. Kamore told him. He and his team got up and left the room, leaving Jayce, his dad, and his lawyer.

“Jayce,” Mr. Fine said. “What did she say to you?”

“She said I shouldn’t plead out,” Jayce said.

His dad huffed, and looked at Mr. Fine. His anxiety was rising. “Mr. Fine… if she’s trying to get a better deal by throwing my son under the bus—”

“She wouldn’t fucking do that,” Jayce shouted. “She’s my friend. She’s saved my life and I’ve saved hers. Multiple times. We’re not going to betray each other.”

“Jayce, please listen to me,” Mr. Fine said. “This case isn’t winnable. I’ve gone over this again and again. There’s just no way I can save everyone. But you, Vixy and Click have a real shot of getting out of this unscathed. Samantha and Charlotte are already back home. Two years in here, with your fucking girlfriend. Come on, it doesn’t get better than that…”

“Five years for her,” Jayce said. “Life for Leanna. And death for the rest of them? No. I don’t think so. Do you have any idea what happened to us in here?”

“I’m aware there was some unpleasantness,” Mr. Fine said.

“I sat there… for weeks!” Jayce shouted. “I couldn’t do anything. While those bastards raped her on a daily basis. She shouldn’t even be in here. Good job with that, by the way.”

“I did all I could,” Mr. Fine said.

“I don’t believe you,” Jayce told him. “Rasco came in here, and in two seconds, everything was fixed.”

“Rasco is a terrorist, Jayce,” his dad said. “I don’t want you talking to him.”

“I’m a fucking terrorist, right now,” Jayce said. “Look. You called it right. If Vixy pleads. I’ll plea. If she doesn’t, I’m staying right fucking here.”

“Jayce—” Mr. Fine started.

“Mr. Fine,” his dad spoke. “Could I have a moment with my son?”

“Okay,” Mr. Fine said, nodding. He got up, and left the room, going to wait with Mr. Kamore and the others.

“Dad,” Jayce said, shaking his head. “I love her.”

“I know,” he told him. “And… I would give anything to have your mom back. You know that. What I’m doing here…” He looked down, and then back at Jayce. “I want what’s best for you, and as a father, sometimes… I can only guess what that is. I don’t know Vixy that well, or your other friends. I don’t know what will happen if Vixy pleads out and you don’t. I don’t know what will happen to you if the opposite and… I don’t know even if you both get out of here, if things will actually work out at all. You are my son, and I trust you to do what’s right for yourself. Not because of what some girl says.” Jayce rolled his eyes. “And not… because of what I say. You have to make this choice, I can’t make it for you. I want you home, alive. That’s all I want. But I also want you happy. And I’m afraid that I just won’t be able to get that. That’s the best thing for me though, and you know… coming to terms that, that may not be the best thing for you. It hurts to think that. It really does. But that’s why I hired Mr. Fine. He’s the best. He’ll get you… the best deal possible. And if he says he can’t win this trial, I believe it. And I’m scared. For your life… and your love.”

“Dad…” Jayce said, looking at him, tears starting to well up.

“And you know what,” he said. “Jayce. If it was me in here, and your mother. I know what I would do. I would do whatever she told me to. You are too old for me to make decisions like this for you. I don’t want to lose you. I hope you know that… that I love you, and I hope that you love me. And if you love Vixy more than me, I… I shouldn’t be mad at that. I should be happy for you.”

“I do love you, dad,” Jayce said, sniffling after the speech. “I do.”

“I can decide that I love you enough, to let you make this call for yourself,” he told him. Then, he knocked on the door for Mr. Fine, who came back into the room.

“Oh boy,” Mr. Fine said as he came back. “I’m hoping these tears are coming with something good.”

“Mr. Fine,” Jayce’s dad said, nodding. “I’m not longer interested in prioritizing my son. He’s in charge, now.”

Mr. Fine sat down, and took a deep breath before nodding. “Okay,” he said. “Okay. If you don’t mind… taking your leave. I need to discuss the case with my client privately.” Jayce stood up before his father left, and they shared a heartfelt hug before he walked out of the room. Then, he sat back down. “Okay, Jayce,” Mr. Fine said. “What’s your priority?”

“First,” Jayce said. “I need to know what’s going on. Why did Vixy tell me not to take the plea?”

About thirty minutes later, Mr. Fine walked out of the room and up to Mr. Kamore. “Mr. Fine,” he said. “Are we ready to speak with your client?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Mr. Fine said. “We won’t be making a deal, today.”

“Are you sure your client doesn’t want to hear our offer himself?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“It’s been made clear to me that none of my clients are interested in pleading this case at the time. It’s been a pleasure.” Mr. Fine walked past them and headed for the exit. Mr. Kamore scoffed, shaking his head, and followed out after him a few moments later.

“What do we do now?” one of the assistants asked him.

“Now,” Mr. Kamore said, frustrated with the outcome of the meeting. “Now we go talk to Belladonna before Mr. Fine puts together a meeting with her.”

“I thought Belladonna was one of the people we had to get a conviction on.”

“I know,” Mr. Kamore said. “The board has changed. Our plan needs to change, too.”

“What about Vixy? She might still take a deal.”

“Highly unlikely,” Mr. Kamore asked. “We have to reach Belladonna, right now.” The group left the building and headed for a car.

When Jayce returned to his cell, Vixy and Click were already waiting for him. “Lights out one hour,” a guard called out to everyone.

“Jayce!” Vixy said as he walked back in. He took her and hugged her tightly. “How’d it go?” she asked. “You didn’t…”

“No,” Jayce said. “I didn’t take the deal. Mr. Fine is working under my direction now, after talking with my dad. He explained everything. The reporter, the news, the riots… everything.”

“You might know more than we do, now,” Click said. “Tell us.”

“We’re going to win this,” he said.

“How?” Vixy asked. “That’s the one thing I don’t understand is how we’re going to win.”

“The jury has been sequestered,” Jayce said. “As of this morning. The judge is worried about the influence of news media affecting their verdict. Mr. Kamore… knows it. He knows things are going downhill fast for him. He’s under pressure to get a conviction from just about every office above him, but it has to be the right convictions. He needs us to say that predators deserve more rights. Even if he gets a conviction, as long as we say no to that, he loses. He loses his upcoming election. He loses his job at the DA. He loses the support of the president. He also can’t afford a hung jury, and there’s prey sitting on it.”

“So…” Vixy said. “I’m not exactly following.”

“The case that Mr. Kamore’s superiors are trying to get him to argue is impossible to win. That’s why the plea deals are so important to his case,” Jayce said.

“We better get Kuro up to speed, then,” Click said.

“Why?” Jayce asked. “What’s Kuro doing?”

“He’s hiring a new lawyer,” Vixy said. “He’s gonna plead out.”

The three of them went and found Kuro as he was playing a game of cards with some other inmates. He saw them all, and looked around the table. The rest of the inmates each took a breath, set down their hands and walked off.

“This should be good,” Kuro said.

The three of them sat down around him, and caught him up to everything that was going on. Once they finished catching him up, he sighed and nodded. “Alright,” he said. “Sounds like the game is on for real now. Just one question. What about Belladonna, Nat, and Leanna?”

“Mr. Fine will catch them up,” Jayce said. “We got this.”

“It sounds like we do,” Kuro told him. “But if you’re wrong. You know how this ends.”

“I’m painfully aware,” Jayce said.

“And what of Samantha and Charlotte?” Kuro asked. “They already took a deal.”

“It was only part of Mr. Kamore’s plan,” Vixy said. “Without turning more of us, I don’t think he has a case.”

“Inmates,” a guard said, speaking up. “Return to your cells. It’s lights out.”

“We’ll talk more tomorrow,” Kuro said, standing up. “Stay out of trouble, everyone. No sense in making our situation worse now.”

The group disbanded and each went off back to their cells. Vixy and Jayce, sharing a cell, cuddled up together that night, and it was probably the most comfortable either of them felt since arriving.

The next major bit of testimony came from Nat, but before she got up to testify and everyone was assembled in the courtroom, there was a noticeable difference on the defense. As everyone was assembled, Mr. Fine arrived late and sat down with the others and his team, just before the judge.

“Mr. Fine,” Vixy whispered to him. “Where the hell is Belladonna?”

“She plead out,” Mr. Fine said quietly, and without saying much else. He looked nervous about that fact, or maybe like he didn’t have all the facts himself.

“What?” Vixy asked. “No… you’re shitting me. How? Why?” Still whispering.

“She fired me,” Mr. Fine said. “I didn’t get to talk to her.”

“She fire you?” Leanna asked from farther away.

“All rise…” the court baliff announced the judge’s entrance.

When everyone sat back down, Mr. Kamore stood up first. “Your honor,” he said.

“What do you mean she got fired?” Leanna asked Mr. Fine. The volume increased slowly.

“I just found out,” Mr. Fine said.

“Mr. Fine,” the judge said. “Is there something urgent you need to discuss with your clients?”

“No sir,” Mr. Fine said, no longer acknowledging the conversation.

“At this time, the prosecution calls Natalie to the stand,” Mr. Kamore said.

Mr. Fine turned to her, confused, and then back to prosecutor. Finally, he looked at the judge. “Your honor,” he said. “I wasn’t aware my client would be testifying today.”

“Mr. Fine,” the judge said. “Are you telling me you and your client are not prepared for your defense today?”

“No, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “But it was my understanding that Belladonna would be first on the stand, today.”

“Mr. Kamore,” the judge directed attention to him. “Were we prepared to question Belladonna today.”

“Yes, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “However there are extenuating circumstances. Miss Belladonna has accepted a plea deal under her new attorney, and her testimony is being revised as of this morning.”

“So we can’t call on Belladonna today?” the judge asked.

“Not at this moment, no, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Objection, your honor, this is… highly irregular,” Mr. Fine said.

“Irregular as it may be,” the judge told him. “It is not against the rules of the proceeding. Now, do you have any legitimate reason to request continuation at this time?”

“No, your honor,” Mr. Fine said.

“Then let’s proceed,” the judge said.

“The prosecution calls Natalie to the stand, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

Nat got up, and looked to Mr. Fine who only gave a nod in response. With no idea what questions were going to be asked, and the lawyer seemingly double-blind-sided, there was no choice but to continue.

After Nat sat on the witness stand, Mr. Kamore began asking his question. “Natalie,” she said. “Do you prefer Nat or Natalie?”

“Nat’s fine,” Nat said, leaning forward into the microphone.

“Alright,” Mr. Kamore said. “Nat, first question, how do you feel about predators?”

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “Relevance.”

“Overruled,” the judge said, stonewalling him. “Answer the question.”

Nat took a breath, and nodded. “I… think they’re… okay?” She wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Okay?” Mr. Kamore asked. “Would you care to elaborate?”

“I’m sorry, I guess I don’t understand the question,” Nat said.

“Do you,” Mr. Kamore said. “Hold any bias against predators?”

“I… uh…” Nat was struggling. “I have predator friends.”

“Okay,” Mr. Kamore went on. “When you meet a new predator, a stranger, who you’ve never met before, would you be inclined to think that they are dangerous?”

“Yes, obviously,” Nat said.

“So,” Mr. Kamore said. “You are biased?”

“I don’t think—”

“Nat,” Mr. Kamore said. “You just said that meeting a predator would make you afraid. Without any other prompting.”

“Yes, but—”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a prey animal,” Nat said. “Predators are dangerous.”

“All predators?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“No, yes, I mean…”

“It’s a simple question, Nat,” Mr. Kamore said. “Are all predators dangerous?”

Nat looked over at her friends on the defense side, and then to the crowd. She took deep breaths, unsure how she should answer. “I… no.”

“So why would you assume that every strange predator is dangerous?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“Because they… can be,” Nat told him. “And it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“It’s better to be safe,” Mr. Kamore said, nodding. “And assuming that all predators are dangerous is the safe thing to do. Why?”

“Because predators eat prey,” Nat said.

“Good point,” Mr. Kamore said, nodding. “Excellent point. And because any predator may be looking to eat any prey, every prey should treat every predator as a potential threat if they want to stay safe, like you do?”

“I…” Nat stumbled in her words and thoughts before nodding slowly. “Yeah, I suppose.”

“So, what do you do if a predator threatens you?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“If they threaten me, I usually look for a way to run, and if not, then I fight,” Nat said. “Or I get—”

“Immediately, if you can’t escape, you fight?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“If I have to,” Nat said. “Like if they attack me.”

“How do you define a threat?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Umm…” Nat thought for a moment. “If uh… If… someone tries to grab me or pulls out a weapon.”

“Or if they’re a predator you don’t know,” Mr. Kamore said. “That’s what you said a minute ago. Strange predators are threats. And it’s okay to fight if you feel threatened, isn’t it?”

“I,” Nat stopped to think for a moment. “No, if I am threatened, not if I feel threatened.”

“You don’t think you would attack a predator just for feeling threatened?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“No,” Nat said. “Not just… for feeling it, no.”

“Have you ever held that opinion?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“No.”

“Are you sure?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“Positive,” she told him.

“You never said anything about launching an attack to kill all predators in the whole world?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Huh?” Nat asked.

“Your honor, I would like to enter into evidence an audio clip obtained from the investigation into EMI,” Mr. Kamore said. “I was made aware of this clip after speaking to Belladonna this morning.”

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “Goes against discovery. I wasn’t made aware of this.”

“I was only made aware of it this morning, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “And it’s discover was inevitable.”

“Objection overruled,” the judge said. “Let’s hear it.”

Mr. Fine connected his phone to the tv, and played an audio file through it, a recorded phone conversation.

“Nat,” Belladonna said in the recording.

“What’s up?” Nat asked in the background.

“Did you say anything about killing predators back there?” Belladonna asked.

After a minute of total silence, Leanna’s voice came in. “You did, Nat,” Leanna told her.

“Yes,” Nat said. “I did.”

“What did you say?” Belladonna asked.

Nat started sniffling in the background. “I said… that… I said it could be used against predators,” she said.

“No,” Leanna said. “You said we. You said we could use it against predators.”

“Yeah,” Nat said. “That’s what I said.”

The recording ended, and Mr. Kamore disconnected his phone before walking slowly back up to Nat. The whole court was in shock, but in particular, the predators on the jury. Mr. Fine put his head in his hands and took a deep breath.

“Was that your voice in the recording?” Mr. Kamore asked. Nat looked down, and didn’t speak. “Natalie… was that you?”

“Yes,” she muttered.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“Yes,” Nat said. “I said that. But I—”

“You openly advocated for genocide against predators,” Mr. Kamore said. “Why?”

“I… I…” Nat was starting to pant. She really didn’t know what to say, now.

“Your honor,” Mr. Fine said, standing up.

“Sit down, Mr. Fine,” the judge said.

“Why?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I don’t know,” Nat said. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, or you don’t want to tell us?” he asked.

Nat just shook her head, closing her eyes, and began to cry. “I was mad.”

“You were mad?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“My family… was murdered,” Nat began. “By my own grandfather.”

“Why?”

“Because my mom was a rabbit, and my dad a coyote, and my grandfather was a speciest,” she explained.

“Your… coyote grandfather?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Yes.”

“What happened to your grandfather?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“I…” she began. “I… defended myself. He was going to cook and eat me.”

“How did you defend yourself?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I shot him,” Nat said.

“That’s it?” Mr. Kamore asked. “You just shot him? Did you shoot anyone else?”

“Yes,” Nat said, getting angry thinking about it.

“Who?”

“My cousins,” Nat said. “My uncles. My aunts. Everyone. They were all going to eat me and they already ate my parents and I shot them in the head while they choked on each others’ blood and meat!”

“What else happened?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Your, please,” Mr. Fine said.

“Sit down,” the judge said.

“I poisoned them,” Nat said without waiting. “I poisoned them with a drug that made them cannibalize each other before I went out there and finished the job.”

“Is that what ‘it’ was in the recording? This drug?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Yes,” Nat said. “Belladonna made it. She called it Mad Max.”

“And what does it do, exactly, to your understanding… and as a first-hand witness to its effects?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“It makes predators ravenous,” Nat said. “So hungry and bloodthirsty, with such little judgment and awareness that they’ll eat anyone… even each other… even themselves.”

“To clarify,” Mr. Kamore said. “You wanted to poison all predators with this drug?”

“No,” Nat said looking up at him.

“Then who?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I… I guess I don’t really know what I was talking about,” Nat said. “I… wasn’t thinking about who.”

“Because you felt threatened by all predators, right?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Yes,” Nat said.

“No further questions, your honor.”

The second Mr. Kamore sat down, Mr. Fine was up to start asking questions. “Nat,” he said. “When you said that you wanted to use this drugs on predators, was there anyone you didn’t want to use it on?”

“Yes,” Nat said.

“Who?” Mr. Fine asked.

“My friends,” Nat told him. “Vixy, Leanna, Belladonna… Cherry and Nox.”

“Why?” Mr. Fine asked her.

“Because they’re different…”

“How can you be so sure of that?” Mr. Fine asked.

“They… helped me.”

“So because they helped you, and they had a personal relationship with you, you trusted them?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Yes,” Nat said.

“Do you trust me?” Mr. Fine asked.

Nat nodded. “Yes,” she said.

“How’bout them?” Mr. Fine said, pointing to the jury and the healthy mixture of predators sitting there.

Nat looked to them, and slowly nodded. “Yeah…” she said.

“Why?” he asked. “You don’t know them. You said that you feel threatened by predators you don’t know.”

“Because…” Nat said sniffling a little bit. “Because I was wrong.”

“How can you be so sure?” Mr. Fine asked her. “What if you’re wrong now, and all predators are dangerous?”

“I was angry,” Nat said. “And emotional. And my own family… I was never able to trust my own family. And if I couldn’t trust predators in my own family… how could I trust any of them?”

“But you trust some of us, now?”

“I do,” Nat said.

“I’ve eaten prey before,” Mr. Fine said. “Even rabbits. Do you still trust me?”

Nat nodded. “Yes…”

“Why?”

“Because… you’re helping me,” Nat said.

“Why did you shoot your family?” Mr. Fine asked. “They were already as good as dead eating each other. Why shoo them?”

“Because…” Nat started. “They didn’t need to suffer like that. I chose to end it faster.”

“You changed your mind?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Yes,” Nat said.

“Why?”

“Because I saw what it was doing to them,” Nat said. “It was horrifying. I got what I wanted at that point. It was needless for it to continue.”

“So tell me this,” Mr. Fine said. “Why do you initially want suffering, but then change your mind once you see it?”

“I think… because I say things when I get angry and I don’t really mean them,” Nat said. “Or not just angry… but afraid.”

“And your family made you afraid?”

“Yes.”

“And predators… we make you afraid?” Mr. Fine asked.

Nat shook her head. “No,” she said. “Not anymore.”

“Why?” Mr. Fine asked her.

“I made friends with some predators,” Nat said. “They’re not all like my family. And I’m stronger now. I took my power back from my family. I’m not afraid anymore.”

“Are predators threatening?” Mr. Fine asked.

Nat shook her head. “I… no longer feel threatened by them.”

Mr. Fine turned to the jury, and spoke directly to them. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “Nat grew up in a speceist family. She learned speceism. And now, free of her family, she’s no longer speceist. This is someone who grew out of her prejudices, not someone who clings to them.”

Back in prison, Vixy talked to the others about what they learned about Belladonna. “I can’t fucking believe she did that,” Vixy said.

“We don’t know the context,” Kuro said. “We need more information.”

“She fucking betrayed us,” Click said. “She saw the writing on the wall, and chose to save her own skin instead of standing with us.”

“There might be a good reason, is all I’m saying,” Kuro said. “We should be slow in our judgments.”

“She gave the prosecution Nat’s genocide confession,” Vixy said. “I can’t think of much worse things to turn over than that.”

“Forget about that,” Kuro said. “We can’t do anything about that. What’s our next move?”

“Next move?” Vixy asked.

“We should be ready,” Kuro said. “Anything Belladonna knows about us… assume it’s going to come out in court. We need to be prepared for every eventuality.”

“I’m not even sure what I would expect to be used against me,” Vixy said.

“Well start racking your brains, everyone,” Kuro said. “It could be the difference between life and death by the end of this trial.”

“We’re still not pleading, no matter what?” Jayce asked, looking at Vixy.

“No chance,” Vixy said. “Mr. Fine is going to win this case, even if I don’t see how, yet. And every one of us that defects… pokes a hole in his plan.”

“Now that we can agree on,” Kuro said, nodded. “I don’t know, but despite everything, I still have a good feeling about our outlook.”

In the women’s prison, Leanna made a b line for Belladonna’s cell the moment she got the chance. She marched up the stairs and went there to find her, but found only Penelope instead.

“Oh hey, Leanna,” Penelope said as she arrived. “What’s up?”

“Where is she?” Leanna asked.

“Who, Bell?” Penelope asked. “You didn’t hear?”

“Hear what?” Leanna asked, snarling, growing angry.

“Oh, just… a guard came in after she left this morning to talk to her lawyer and cleared out her stuff,” Penelope said. “He said she got transferred to minimum security.”

“Fuck!” Leanna shouted.

“Inmate,” a guard called out. “Voices down. That’s a warning.”

“What’s wrong?” Penelope asked her.

Leanna scowled, and huffed. “She fucking turned us in,” she said.

“For what?”

“She made a deal,” Leanna asked. “Behind all our backs. She was our leader, our commander… we trusted her, I trusted her!”

“Inmate,” the same guard called out, started to move towards her. “That’s enough. Come with me, now.”

Leanna growled and turned towards the guard. “Oh yeah? Come with you?” she asked. “Time for you weekly blowjob, asshole?”

“That’s it, on the fucking ground, inmate,” the guard said. He went into full sprint and another two guards started running up after him. Leanna groaned and got on the ground, on her belly, hands behind her head just in time for the three guards to manhandle her, cuffing her and pulling her up. “Maybe some time in the hole will calm you down.”

“Maybe some time in the hole will calm you down,” Leanna said sarcastically. The guard smacked her on the head, not too hard, just enough to get his point across. “Okay, shutting up,” Leanna said.

“Leanna,” Nat said, watching her get dragged off. “What the fuck, Leanna?”

“Shut it,” the guard said to Nat. “Or you can join her next door.”

“Okay, damn,” Nat said, quieting down and walking away.

It was later, out in the recreation yard again, where Vixy met up with Rasco and the others. Rasco was pumping iron, lifting weights that by all accounts no one else could probably manage, bicep curls as he sat.

“Vixy,” Rasco said, acknowledging her. “What can I help with?”

“Oh?” Vixy asked, shaking her head. “Nothing, I just thought I’d join you.”

“How much you weigh?” Rasco asked her.

“About 190 last I checked,” Vixy said. “I was more like 150 before I got the job at EMI.”

“Muscle mass,” Rasco said. “Weighs more than fat. And depending on your diet and your activity can make you look big and strong, or skinny and… not so strong. You work like me and you’ll be able to look like me too.”

“Uh, no thanks,” Vixy said. “I kinda prefer looking like a girl.”

“Don’t be sexist,” Rasco said. “I’ve seen strong women. Big, muscular women who can nearly match my strength… but not quite. You think I think any less of them for it?”

“No,” Vixy said. “It’s more just… not my style, I guess. I like being skinny. Though… the strength I’ve gained since then has definitely been a boon in a lot of ways.”

“How is boyfriend?” Rasco asked.

“He’s alright,” Vixy said. “As far as I know. Belladonna… she… she plead out.”

“Must’ve been a golden opportunity for her,” Rasco said. “Probably thanks to you refusing the deal. She should be on her knees, groveling before you for that. You saved her life without even meaning it, and may have damned yourself doing it.”

“I’m fucking mad at her,” Vixy said.

“Why?” Rasco asked.

“She betrayed us,” Vixy said.

“No, she did not betray anyone,” Rasco told her. “If your life is at risk, and you make a move to save yourself after someone turns down the chance to do the same… this is not betrayal. It is completely reasonable. You can’t be mad at her for taking the door you closed on yourself. Just because you are noble, do not expect everyone else to rise to that standard. Otherwise… what’s the point of nobility?”

Vixy nodded a little bit. “Fine,” she said. “But I’m still sore about it.”

“She was your leader,” Rasco said. “You should be able to expect loyalty to a point. But if you don’t take the chance to save yourself, what is she to do? She already did her part, you had a way out of this. She didn’t. You didn’t take it. She did. Not being noble, and not being loyal, are two different things. It’s fine to be upset about the circumstances, but words like betrayal shouldn’t be used lightly. Feelings of betrayal… are not always correct.”

“So what? I’m just supposed to keep being friends with her?” Vixy asked him.

“I did not say that,” Rasco said. “You can choose whether or not her lack of nobility reaches your standards of friendship. But just know, if I was in her shoes, I would have done the same thing. If she is not noble enough for your friendship, then neither am I.”

“I…” Vixy started, but couldn’t think of a way around that argument.

“If you can’t forgive your friends for being less noble than you,” Rasco said. “Then you will not have many friends for long. That’s arrogance. That’s self-righteousness. You will cut friends out of your life faster than you can make new ones. Sometimes, it pays to just accept that you are the most noble among your peers, and not to hold it against them for not living up to your standards. It feels worse because of the situation you are in. To you, right and wrong seem obvious. But it takes true nobility to choose what you perceive as righteous at the expense of your own life.”

Vixy sat down, thinking about it. “So what you’re saying is that… it’s okay to feel bad about the situation, but that it’s not necessarily okay to be mad at someone about it.”

“You can be mad at someone,” Rasco said. “But in my profession, it pays to keep focused, and remember who you’re mad at.”

“What if I’m just mad at everything?” Vixy asked. “Mad at the whole system?”

“The world doesn’t care how angry you are, Vixy,” Rasco told her. “People do. And anger… changes none of it.”

“Heyy… Vixy,” Ketch said, gritting his teeth as he spoke to her.

“Huh?” Vixy asked, looking at him. “Why the hell are you coming up to me?”

“I haven’t heard from you in a couple days,” Ketch said, still speaking through his teeth. “I was wondering if we might be… cool?”

“Cool?” Vixy asked, shaking her head. “No, I just forgot you existed, but… thanks for reminding me. All the memories of all the threats you made towards me and my friends are flooding back into my conscious mind, as are all the times you raped me, and had your friends rape me. The very sound of your voice is like a magnet to ill-gotten feelings and… this… burning hatred deep in my being. So no, we are not cool. We will never be cool. Me forgetting about your existence is the best you can hope for from me.”

“Sorry,” he said, turned away. “I’ll leave you alone forever.”

“Too fucking late,” Vixy said. “Go bring one of your friends over here so you can suck his cock.”

“My friends… aren’t so much friends anymore…” Ketch said, teeth still gritting.

“Damn, that’s crazy,” Vixy said. “You better find someone to practice on, quickly then…”

“I… can’t,” Ketch said to her.

“I’m sure one of the guards wouldn’t mind, then,” Vixy said. “You’re going to be in here a long time, and my goal is to make sure you’re a professional cocksucker before I leave this place. I don’t take failure well, Ketch.”

“Rasco,” Ketch said. “Could I… potentially earn your favor in some way?”

“No,” Rasco said. “I only like getting my dick sucked by people who enjoy sucking dicks. You clearly have no taste.”

Ketch stood there, eye twitching at the two of them. Vixy looked at him, and raised a brow. “Uh… bye.” Ketch turned around and walked away quickly after that.

“He is very lucky to be alive,” Rasco said. “Why do you let him live?”

“Don’t want to get in more trouble while I’m trying to win this trial,” Vixy said. “Why don’t you want to make him part of your crew?”

“I don’t trust him,” Rasco said. “In the slightest. Once you leave here… if you leave here… I might just eat him, myself.”

“Too bad I won’t be around to see it,” Vixy said.

“I’ll tell you what his flesh tastes like,” Rasco told her.

“I… already know that,” Vixy said. “Flavorless. Probably not worth the meat on his bones.”

“Vixy…” Rasco said.

“Yeah?”

“A rather… morbid question, if I may ask,” Rasco said.

“What is it?” Vixy asked him.

“Should you be sentenced to death,” Rasco said. “How will you choose to go?”

“Do I get a choice?” Vixy asked him.

“You will,” Rasco said. “I have had friends face this decision before. Either way, your meat is eaten. You are either hanged or bled. Hanging is fastest, but… there is a secret third option they will not present.”

“What is it?” Vixy asked.

“Auction,” Rasco said. “Only known by those wealthy enough to participate and those they share with, though such a thing is discouraged. You get sold to the highest bidder, and they get to eat you instead. No self-defense is allowed and they are likely to bind you tightly before hand so such a thing is not possible.”

“Why don’t they normally ask us?” Vixy asked him. “Why keep it a secret?”

“The legality is… questionable,” Rasco told her. “To allow the wealthy to take the meat of a prisoner for themselves for a premium is to also take meat from cheaper markets. Keeps the meat prices higher. Live eating is of course much more painful.”

“Who even gets the money?” Vixy asked.

“Ninety percent to the state,” Rasco told her. “Ten percent… to those of the prisoner’s choosing. Normally, this money is supposed to compensate victims and families of victims, but by keeping it secret, the state pockets much more money for themselves.”

“Why are you asking me all of this?” Vixy asked. “I got a feeling, but…”

“If you choose auction,” Rasco said. “I can afford you. And while it may not be the most pleasant death, I can treat you to one I feel you deserve.”

“You want to eat me?” Vixy asked him.

“I am a tiger,” Rasco said. “Not a moment goes by when I look at any other creature that I do not think about what they would feel like between my jaws. The more time I spend with them, the more I think on it. The more I think, the more I want it. Yes, I would delight in eating you. But I am in control of my animal instincts. I know you do not wish to die, and as my friend… I do not wish for it, either. But if no other options prevail… it would haunt me to know the government sold my friend’s meat to the open market.”

Vixy sighed, thinking about it, and slowly nodded. “I think… maybe?” she asked. “I’d rather Jayce was the one… if that happened.”

“I will speak to him,” Rasco said. “Propose the same offer. Buying both of you may be trickier, but I could do this… for you. A final gift. Jayce and I can share in your meat, and then I can consume him.”

“If you can do that,” Vixy said. “And it comes to that.” She nodded, taking a breath. “Yeah. I’d go for it.”

“I know how you treat prey,” Rasco said. “I will do you the service of a climactic end, either way. If I cannot afford both of you… it will only be you, and you must accept that.”

Vixy nodded again. “It would be… sad,” she said. “But I don’t think it’s an offer I’d want to decline. You have a deal. If I land on death row… I’ll ask for auction.”

“You handle the existential fear of death with a grace I can only imagine,” Rasco said. “A trait I’ve only seen among prey. In a way… I envy you.”

“Nick was graceful,” Vixy said. “In his own way. He didn’t back down. He stood up and faced death without a hint of fear. I wanted to make him afraid, but… he wasn’t. I asked him how he wanted it to end, and he said… properly. Without mercy. No humiliation. No ceremony. I even said I felt like I should say a prayer. But his last words were already spoke: shoot me dead, pretty fox. And I mean it. He didn’t have the slightest inkling of fear. His eyes never blinked. His voice never cracked. He didn’t even tuck his tail between his legs.”

“Will you be afraid if the time comes, when I eat you?” Rasco asked her.

“Yes,” Vixy said. “The thought… is both terrifying and exciting. The fear… makes it so.”

“I would like to think I would show as little fear as the master Bellatano,” Rasco said. “But I’m not even sure I could muster. In fact, I already dealt myself from death once. Took life in prison instead. You may have killed the only person in the world who could face death so boldly.”

“Sounds like you respect him,” Vixy said.

“How could I not?” Rasco asked. “Ketch breaks down at the thought of his own sexuality. Belladonna will abandon her closest friends to avoid it. I already gave up my freedom to live. Even though you don’t run from death, you still admit that without the fear pumping adrenaline through your veins, you couldn’t face it, not really. Nick Bellatano… stood there and looked death in the eyes without flinching. He knew it was going to happen, and he didn’t try to change a single thing to escape it. Yes, I respect the late Bellatano. I can only hope that whether my end comes from age or fang, I can face it with as much steadfast determination as he did.”

“You’re a hybrid, correct?” Mr. Kamore asked Leanna as she took the stand. We all knew that he was trying to get under our skin now, trying to get us riled up, confused, and saying things without realizing the implications.

“Uhuh,” Leanna said.

“Snow leopard on one side, clearly,” Mr. Kamore said. “What else?”

“Antelope,” Leanna told him, flat-toned and straight-faced.

“So you have a prey parent?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“Yep.”

“Do you sympathize with prey more often than predator?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“I am a predator,” Leanna said. “I hunt and eat meat.”

“But you are a hybrid,” Mr. Kamore said. “So an apex predator you are not.” Leanna remained silent, and Mr. Kamore looked at her.

“Objection,” Mr. Fine said. “That’s not a question, your honor.”

“I’ll rephrase,” Mr. Kamore said. “Legally speaking, are you defined as an apex predator?”

“No,” Leanna said, trying to keep her attention elsewhere.

“How does that make you feel?” Mr. Kamore asked her next.

“Annoyed, I guess,” Leanna told him.

“Would you rather be purely leopard?” he asked her.

“I’m fine how I am,” Leanna said.

“But given the choice,” Mr. Kamore went on. “If you could choose, right now, to be a pure-blooded snow leopard, and get rid of your prey lineage and DNA, would you?”

“I guess not,” Leanna said.

“You guess?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “My client doesn’t need to answer impossible hypothetical questions.”

“Withdrawn,” Mr. Kamore said. “Leanna. Has being a hybrid ever disadvantaged you?”

“Yes,” Leanna said.

“How?” was the next question.

“When I was in school, I was bullied for it,” Leanna said. “When I tried getting a job for the first time, I learned really quickly to just not write it down on an application. No one would consider hiring me for any roles that were seen as predator roles.”

“Plenty of prey are able to get those kinds of jobs,” Mr. Kamore said. “Why was it any different for you?”

“Bulls, bison, boars, moose, sure… the bigger, stronger seeming prey. But not the skittish, nervous-wreck that is the antelope,” Leanna said.

“Are you skittish? A nervous wreck, as you put it?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“No,” Leanna said.

“Really?” Mr. Kamore asked. “Have you ever had any mental health crises?”

“Yeah, I have…” Leanna said, starting to get uncomfortable.

“Have you ever felt suicidal?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

Leanna didn’t answer at first. She looked down, and thought about lying, but chose not to. “Yes,” she finally said.

“And have you ever attempted suicide?” he asked her.

“Yes…”

“How often do you have these thoughts?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Objection, relevance?” Mr. Fine said.

“Your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “The defendant’s ongoing mental state speaks to their judgment and self-control.”

“Proceed,” the judge said.

“I think about it a lot,” Leanna said, turning her gaze up to him. “And I’ve attempted multiple times. That’s what you want to know, right? The last time was shortly after Vixy started working with us.”

“This was related to Natalie, correct?”

“While she was staying with us, I allowed her to stay in my room. She found a keepsake from a former—team member. It triggered the suicidal thoughts and I went to jump off the roof. Vixy talked me down… more or less.”

“Team member,” Mr. Kamore said. “Now I’ve had a lot of coworkers, and I’ve had one or two die before, but I can’t say I’ve ever been suicidal over their deaths. Can you explain to me how well you knew this team member?”

“Her name was Sandy,” Leanna began. She started to get choked up, though. “I… we… we were very good friends.”

“Just friends?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“We were close…” Leanna said.

“How close,” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I loved her,” Leanna said. “We were lovers.”

“Lovers…” Mr. Kamore asked. “Was she prey?”

“A predator,” Leanna told him. “An otter. And she was a fine hunter.”

“How did she die?” Mr. Kamore asked. “She is… dead, isn’t she?”

“She was shot,” Leanna said. “While we were on a job.”

“Did you see it happen?” Mr. Kamore asked.

Leanna nodded, and started to cry. “Yes,” she said. “I was right behind her. I saw it happen right in front of me.”

“What did you see?” Mr. Kamore asked. “Tell me… exactly.”

“It was a shotgun blast,” Leanna said, tearfully. “Twice… she fell to the ground and… and…”

“And what?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “Mr. Kamore is badgering the witness. She is clearly in an emotionally distressed state.”

“Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “Is there a point to this line of questioning?”

“When you looked at Sandy’s body,” Mr. Kamore went on without answering. “What did you see?”

“She was missing her head,” Leanna said, starting to enter a panic. “It was gone and there was blood everywhere.”

“Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “That’s enough. If you continue this line of questioning, I will have no choice but to hold you in contempt of court.”

“Withdrawn,” Mr. Kamore said. “No further questions.”

Leanna was panting still on the stand, and Mr. Fine stood up to try and start asking questions, but her nerves had clearly won the battle. “Your honor, my client is in need of emergency treatment,” he called out as he rushed onto the stand to hold her up.

“See the jury out of the room and get medical staff in here,” the judge ordered the bailiff.

…

…

I should be there with her. After a rescue attempt was made, Leanna passed out on the courtroom floor. They took her to a medical facility for monitoring. I already knew what happened. Another panic attack. Maybe another oncoming suicide attempt. Ironically, she was taken to the same facility I was taken out with. 24/7 suicide watch, I heard.

It’s not fair. They think they can help her but she needs her friends. I need to be there and I can’t be there.

I might’ve been able to look past Belladonna saving her own skin. But what could possibly have been gained from disclosing that story? The only point it could have is cruelty. Bella did this. I won’t forget it. I just can’t fucking believe it right now.

Jayce found me in my cell in the bed, and climbed in with me to curl up around me, cradling me in his arms. We’ve been here for hours, now.

“Jayce…” I say to him. It’s the first thing I’ve said all this time.

“Yeah, Vix?” Jayce asks me.

“Do you think she’s okay?” I ask him.

Jayce nods, and brushes his fingers through my hair. “She’ll be okay,” Jayce tells me. “They’re not going to let her do anything to herself.”

“I don’t understand,” I say. “Why would Bella turn on her like this?”

“Remember when you told me about that time that she gave me up to keep you from being tortured?” Jayce asks. I nod. “Maybe she’s being threatened, or someone she’s trying to protect is being threatened.”

“I can’t think of anyone she would want to protect more than Leanna,” I tell him.

“Vix,” he tells me, pulling me in close. “You can’t keep focusing on that. We don’t know what’s happening, or why. And we can’t do anything to help Leanna or Nat right now. We got each other, though.”

“Lights out!” I can hear the guards call out. The cell door rolls shut, and a magnetic lock seals it in place. It’s the worst time of the day for me. Hearing those sounds is the most visceral reminder that I am not free here. Once the cell doors are locked, only a guard can open them, and even if they do, for any reason, we can’t go anywhere without escort. But usually unless we’re sick or injured, they don’t let us out.

On the bright side, they stop looking into the cells in a little bit. After going through with a flashlight shining in to make sure we’re all accounted for, no more than two to a cell. While Rasco’s ownership of the prison makes things a lot more easy-going, the rules of the facility don’t change. The guards just put in less effort enforcing them.

The light shines over me, and the guard calls into the cell. “Where’s Vixy?” he asks. They don’t dictate which cells we sleep in at night, but they do track where we are, and make sure our movements are predictable.

“Here,” I say loudly and clearly, raising a hand.

We’re… not supposed to be screwing around like we have been. It’s one of the rules the guards don’t care too much to enforce, as long as we’re not egregious about it. The punishments for breaking the rules are honestly not really anything to be scared of. “Accounted,” the guard says, and moves on. Our clothes were on, so it didn’t look like we were doing anything intimate. At the moment, we weren’t.

If I get in trouble, I get a write-up, most of the time, unless there’s a physical altercation. If the guards sense real violence going on, everyone involved usually gets thrown into solitary confinement for… well, however long they feel like. The write-ups don’t really do anything. If I get a lot of written infractions, then I might be forced to sit down in some bullshit therapy session, or might lose yard privileges for a day or two. They can’t ban me from the yard for too long, though, because I’m legally required to have access to it for a certain amount of hours in the week. I did get commissary funds frozen once. That’s a bummer. Usually you have to steal something for that to happen.

Long story short, we don’t have many privileges, so there’s not a lot they can take away from us. And like I said, most guards just don’t care. However, it’s a bad idea to get on any of the guards’ bad side. They have a tendency to just look the other way as long as no one is being sent to the infirmary. But if you piss one of them off… they’ll return the favor. They’ll force you to separate if you’re ‘too close’ to another inmate. They’ll find ways to humiliate you through a malicious compliance sort of process. Or they’ll just use anything that looks like you’re being too aggressive to lock you in solitary.

They do technically have the power to reassign you to a different cell, like… if you’re having ongoing issues with a cell mate, but that’s one of the things I’m basically immune to with Rasco in my corner.

With the lights out, Jayce pushes an arm up under my boobs, and kisses my neck. “We’ll be okay,” he tells me, whispering into my ear. Then, he starts to slowly caress my side, and hums a gentle melody for me. Usually that means he doesn’t want sex, or doesn’t think that I do. To be honest, I’d let him do whatever he wanted to do to me, and he knows that. But ever since we’ve been in here, he hasn’t really wanted to, I guess.

“Jayce,” I say softly.

“Yes, Vixy?” he asks.

“How are you feeling?” I ask him.

Jayce shakes his head, and shushes me slowly. “Don’t worry about me,” he tells me. I can sense his worry and his fear, but he’s trying not to let that out around me. It’s sweet. I never really enjoyed the sappier parts of romance before, but ever since I told him that I loved him for the first time, that part of our relationship has grown increasingly strong, and I savor it, now, more than I ever thought I would.

I must’ve drifted off to sleep. I open my eyes as I feel Jayce moving behind me. He kicks and twitches, and I can hear him whimpering and huffing randomly. He’s having a nightmare. This is… not common for Jayce, at least not when he sleeps with me. I wiggle a little bit, that usually helps calm him down, but this one must be pretty rough, because instead of calming, he suddenly digs his claws into me.

I’m used to Jayce’s rough treatment. Hell, I usually beg for it. But there’s a huge difference between Jayce’s intentional, held back scratches, and his unconscious, flight or fight reflexes. His claws bury themselves in my skin and wince at first before screaming out in pain. My scream doesn’t wake him at first, and the next thing I know, he bites my shoulder.

That wakes him up but not before I’m screaming, blood pouring from my open wound and soaking the bed. He jolts and pulls away immediately, and looks at me, assessing the situation. Jayce has bitten me before, but playfully, not a serious bite.

“Help!” I hear him shouting. He puts his hands around my shoulder before grabbing some sheets and wadding them up to try and stop the bleeding. “Guard! Help!”

Shortly after, lights go on, and I can hear the magnetic lock on the cell door discharge. The first guard in sees the situation, and asks, “What happened?”

“I was sleeping and I must’ve had a nightmare and I bit her,” he says. The guard is already moving in to take over, putting pressure on my wound.

“What happened?” the guard asks me next, trying to establish whether or not this was intentionally.

“Yeah,” I say, panting and nodded a little. “It was a nightmare.”

“I’m so sorry, Vix,” Jayce says. “I didn’t mean to, I swear.”

Other guards start coming in, and two of them pull Jayce out of the cell to put him in cuffs. I guess I can’t really blame them. They don’t know what’s happening.

“I know…” I say, but not loudly enough for anyone but the guard to hear me.

…

…

The cell was more like a basement laboratory. In it were no windows, and fluorescent lights. One of them was going out, and would hum and blink every few seconds. The large room was divided in two by a massive archway. On one side was a bed, a toilet, a sink, and a single plywood box with some personal things. The other side of the room had metal tables bolted to the floor. Glassware was stacked on them and on shelves above and below. A metal cabinet with no door held all kinds of chemicals.

Belladonna sat on a metal folding chair, a large mask covering her face to keep herself from breathing in fumes, and a pair of safety goggles spanned her forehead, covering her eyes. She wore a dirty lab coat, stained with… who even knows, and gloves, specially designed with hardened tips to encapsulate her clawed fingertips.

The shark hummed away as she worked, dropping chemicals into vials with eyedroppers and filling tubes and mixing solutions. It was a… desolate tune, not one filled of hope of any kind.

On the wall behind the main station was a video monitor, where Belladonna could watch another shark in another dark, damp, windowless cell. That shark was chained to a bed, had red hair like Belladonna, a curved snout like Belladonna, the same body colors, except… was a bit younger. A fair bit younger.

The sharp sound of a radio buzzing in rang through the room. “Good afternoon, Bella,” a static-ridden voice called out. “Today’s meal is a barbecue rabbit thigh. Would you like it served now or later?”

“Now’s fine,” Belladonna said, a droning to her voice only matched by a burnt out office worker.

“Has any progress been made since we spoke yesterday?” the voice asked.

Belladonna shook her head. “The stability of the formula is… questionable at best. The delivery system you’re asking for isn’t something I can formulate very easily. I could make it a 20 mL fluid dose, like I said before.”

“We’ve been over this,” the voice said. “The boss wants a pill.”

“Odorless, tasteless, dissolves easily in liquids, undetectable in a standard drug screening,” Belladonna droned on. “I know. I know. And if your boss wants something so complicated, he should give me a proper lab, and a team of scientists.”

“You know how secret this project is,” the voice said. “Do you need any chemicals?”

Belladonna nodded. “I’m running low on sodium acetate, and could use some better masks. I’ve been coughing up my lungs down here.”

“I’ll see if we can get a proper respirator,” the voice said. “One more thing.”

“What is it?” Belladonna asked.

“Kuro is next on the stand,” the voice said. “What can you tell us?” Belladonna looked at the monitor and didn’t answer for a moment. “Bell. We’ve done this song and dance before. Don’t waste time…”

“Kuro had a hard time in the military,” Belladonna said. “He saw combat allies die in front of him, and his time there made him hardened. He… told me a story once though. He killed a kid and his mother, on orders from a commanding officer, as part of a torture for the kid’s older brother. The father was next, and the brother finally cracked, gave their team what they needed. Then, the shot them both dead anyways. He said he still has nightmares about it.”

“Any names?” the voice asked.

Belladonna shook her head. “No,” she said. “I don’t even think he knew their names. The CO was a sergeant Brenden Dowell, if I recall correctly. Some of his nightmares involve Brenden ordering to kill people he cares about.”

“You’ve done well,” the voice told her. “Your sister survives another day, thanks to you.”

“You’ll let her go?” Belladonna asked. “Like you promised?”

“When a guilty verdict comes in,” the voice said. “She’ll be free. And you’ll be free once you have that formula.”

“What if the jury doesn’t cooperate?” Belladonna asked. “What will you do, then?”

“Get back to work,” the voice said.

Vixy wasn’t put under for the operation. Despite the severity of the wounds, nothing required any extra incisions. After using a local anesthetic and pumping painkillers into her system, the surgeons, two of them, got to work on stitching up each of the tooth marks over Vixy’s shoulder and neck. Her carotid artery fell right outside of the clean row of cuts. The procedure lasted three and a half hours.

“You’re very lucky to be alive,” the doctor said after the sewing was done. “Your carotid was missed by under two millimeters. Your kidney was another quarter of an inch deep from the claw wound. This is some of the most extreme surface wounds I’ve ever seen.”

“It hurts like a bitch,” Vixy said.

“I bet,” the doctor said. “I’ll up your dosage of morphine for now, but I can’t give you too much.”

Vixy raised her arm with the handcuff holding her to the bed. “Can this go?”

“I’m afraid that’s not up to me,” the doctor told her. “We’re going to keep you here overnight. No one’s ever written home about hospital food, but I bet it beats prison food.”

“Probably,” Vixy said. “What if I have to piss?”

“I’ll… ask the guards about the handcuffs,” the doctor said. “In the meantime, can I just say… you are one brave bastard, Vixy.”

“Huh?” Vixy asked.

“Sorry, I realize there’s no outside media allowed in maximum security,” the doctor told her. “You and your friends are all anyone seems to be able to talk about. Especially after you rejected that plea deal.”

“What are they saying about us?” Vixy asked him.

“Well, a lot of people think you should’ve taken the deal. But there’s a lot of people who think it was heroic of you not to. You’re… standing up for prey rights, according to some. According to others… you’re only doing this as a big middle finger to predators.”

“I heard a little bit from a reporter who snuck into the visitation rolls,” Vixy said. “What exactly do they think I’m doing that’s so important?”

The doctor looked around suspiciously. “Now… where did I put that damn remote?” he asked as he pulled the remote from a drawer, and set it down in Vixy’s lap. “Well, I guess some mysteries will never be solved.” Then, he left, and Vixy stuffed the remote under her bed sheets.

Shortly afterwards, two prison guards entered the room, and one of them uncuffed her. “Doctor asked us to uncuff you,” he said. “But don’t try anything. You’re six floors up, and we’ll be watching the door from the outside all night.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Vixy told them. “Can you just do me a favor and knock before you come in with dinner? I uh… need a little me time, if you catch my drift, and I might not know exactly when that will be.”

The guard rolled his eyes. “Sure,” he said. “We’ll knock. But we won’t be waiting for permission.”

“Understood,” Vixy said.

Once the door closed, Vixy didn’t hesitate. The TV was out of field of view of the door’s glass window looking in, and she turned it on and flipped through channels until she found a news station.

“And tonight’s story,” the anchor said. Vixy had the volume muted and closed captions turned on quickly. “P.L.M. protests that erupted for the ninth time since the trial over the murder of Nicholas Bellatano, that began when protesters occupied the Furcadia town square, are reaching their sixth consecutive day. Police remain on duty, many working more than forty hours of overtime this week already, to contain the protests, and to prevent protesters from moving into government buildings. Businesses in the area have been shuttered since the occupation began, and some fear that the disruption may spell disaster for business owners and their employees.”

“I haven’t been able to go to work for four days, now,” an interviewee said in the next segment. “My paycheck is tomorrow and it’s going to be, you know… what’s that? Thirty-two hours short. I got bills to pay, man. These protesters need to go home.”

“It’s like, you know,” a different interviewee spoke. “Even when we can get back to work, we can’t just get back to work. We have to check our restaurant for damage. We have to clean up. There’s going to be spoiled food and we’re going to need to ship in new products. It’s crazy, man.”

“When asked earlier,” the anchor said. “President Tommy Glump had this to say.”

“You know, there’s a lot of bad things—very bad things happening in their little tent city, or you know, what they’re calling it, the tent city is what I’m calling it,” a voice spoke over a phone call static backdrop. “I called the mayor and you know what the mayor said. The mayor begged me, she said, Mr. President, I think you need to call in the national guard. I told her I would call in the national guard, but they haven’t even tried yet. You got the police—they’re just sitting around, but that’s not what they want to do. If you talk to them, you know what they want is to—but it’s horrible. The mayor doesn’t want to take responsibility for this. I told her to tell her police force out there to do what they gotta do. If—I tell ya if I have to call the national guard, people—oh boy, they are not going to be happy. I asked my secretary, Johnny… I said, look, Johnny, can we send in the national guard to clear this up? I didn’t just say that, I actually said can we clean this bull**** up so people can get back to work? Well, you know he said, Tommy, If we send in the national guard troops, they’ll be mad at you. I said I don’t care if they’re mad. They’re already mad at me. Let me tell ya, they hate my guts already. Go ahead and send in the guard, and tell them to clear the park out and if the protesters don’t wanna go home, you know—I can’t say it on television, but you know what I said. You know? But inside… the people who have left the tent city, prey included, they left and they tell the police horrible things about it. They say, for example you know, hey, I got raped by this guy. You need to go arrest him. But the police just shrug and they say the mayor told them to stay out. We’re not allowed in. It’s terrible. So they’re raping people in there, and they’re probably hurting each other. And you know, you know what else? They can’t stay there forever. Eventually they’ll run out of food, they’ll run out of water. And if we have to, you know, we can just say hey, you people… we’ll let you starve, or you can go home.”

“Joining us now to discuss the ongoing protests is Senator Roslyn Ardwine of Northern California,” the anchor said. “Senator, we’re happy to have you.”

“I’m happy to be here,” the woman said. She was a cougar by the looks of it, but clearly a hybrid, too, sporting fox shaped ears and noticeably orange tinted fur.

“Well, it’s a been a long eight months,” the anchor began. “This trial kicked off one of the largest—excuse me, the largest protest the world has ever seen. For those who maybe don’t understand what this is all about, what’s your take on the situation?”

“Well,” Roslyn said. “At its core, these protests, and this trial… they’re about predation. And they’re about the rights of prey animals to… simply put, just live. They’re saying that the way they are treated is unfair, and it’s hard to argue with that.”

“What’s this trial have to do with anything?” the anchor asked. “Why was this the match that lit the fire we’re now surrounded by?”

“Prey animals have always had the right to self-defense,” Roslyn said. “The limits of what that self-defense entails however is the crux of the issue here. If predators limit the ability for prey animals to defend themselves, legally speaking, the deck already feels stacked against them. They don’t want to put up with it anymore. And even though most of the people on trial are predators themselves, this trial really tests the boundaries of what can be considered self-defense. A lot of people are angry, because what the government prosecutors are trying to say is that even when a predator has as much power and influence as someone like Nick Bellatano seemed to have, potential prey of his hunting sprees aren’t allowed to fight back. I think that’s ridiculous, personally. We know the level of corruption surrounding the Bellatano crime family. The evidence we uncovered since that night has exposed so much about our government. And to many people, it just seems that no matter how bad an apex predator is, they can just get away with anything. And the state wants to lock up the only people who fought back when all they did was try to protect themselves.”

“So you don’t think this is about all the charges of terrorism, and the public threat?” the anchor asked.

“No,” Roslyn told him. “That’s what the president wants people to think. If we want to talk about terrorists, Nick Bellatano was a terrorist. The president promised to be tough on crime, but it turns out that all this time, he and his cronies have had deep running connections with the most vile criminals in our society. To cover it up, to protect themselves, they’ve weaponized the department of justice to make a show of this trial. Because ultimately, what they really want is as world where prey aren’t allowed to defend themselves. They call it predator rights. Predators already have rights. Predators have more rights in this country than any class of citizen has ever had in the history of the world.”

“Historically speaking,” the anchor said. “Haven’t predators always enjoyed the right to hunt? They do need to eat, after all.”

“What people don’t realize is that they never needed the right to hunt,” Roslyn said. “We have ways, we have had ways, to feed predators without giving them an open license to kill and rape prey whenever they see fit. The problem now is that the unlimited rights and privileges that this country has given predators has allowed them to overpopulate, and instead of telling predators to reduce their population by relatively reasonable means such as reducing unplanned pregnancies and limiting their household sizes like they do in China, the government has instead said… no, we can’t tell you how many kids you can have. In fact, we don’t even want you to stop unplanned pregnancies. The solution to them is that it’s somehow on prey to overpopulate in response. It’s prey responsibility to produce more children to feed predators. How is that fair? Apex predators that must eat meat, that cannot survive without it have reached a population higher than ever before in history. Twenty-eight percent of our population is apex predators. Only twenty-two percent are herbivorous. How can this possibly be sustainable?”

“And you, yourself, are a hybrid, right?”

“Exactly,” Roslyn said. “Hybrid births have been on the rise ever since Darcy vs. Jones. For thirty-six years now, predators have had the right to prejudicial hiring, to sexually assault and rape prey animals, and even to force pregnancy on them all in the name of sparing them predation. Predators don’t even need to pretend to want to eat prey anymore. They can, with unlimited right to do so, so as soon as a prey rejects a predator, they’re dead. I don’t care what anyone says, forcing someone to have sex with you under the implied threat of predation is rape. Plain and simple.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more on that one,” the anchor said.

“And it’s not enough,” Roslyn said. “Some predators, including elected officials, want to do away with even the right to self-defense by a prey animal just trying to walk home from work. It’s insanity. And they have failed every step of the way. They tried to get the defendants to plead out and say they were wrong for defending themselves. Luckily, they wizened up. Not all of them, but enough of them.”

“Speaking of plea deals,” the anchor interrupted her. “What do you think happened to Belladonna? The supposed ring leader of this pack?”

“I don’t know,” Roslyn said. “They’re hiding her. They have to be. And there’s no doubt in my mind that they have something over her. Because that’s what they’re doing to everyone else. They tried to paint Nat as a genocidal speceist. They failed. They got Leanna to break down in court, asking questions not even remotely related to the trial, just to throw off the defense. The prosecution is using bullying tactics plain and simple. Kuro is set to testify tomorrow. He’s a combat veteran. I can’t wait to see what lows the prosecution will be willing to sink to in order to disparage him. Because succeed or not, they’re going to lose support of some veterans in this country.”

“I think you’re right,” the anchor said. “But I want to talk specifically about Belladonna. Some people say that she’s being protected, that she’s gotten out of a death sentence and even possibly jail time in exchange for betraying her friends.”

“I doubt it,” Roslyn said. “Her younger sister—”

“Oh, do you believe this conspiracy?”

“Her younger sister,” Roslyn repeated, “Went missing less than a week after her arrest. There is no doubt in my mind that Belladonna’s plea deal and subsequent disappearance are connected to that.”

“Holy shit,” Vixy said. “Bell has a sister?”

“You don’t really think that someone would hold a child hostage in order to try and win this case, do you?” the anchor asked.

“I can’t be sure of that, but I can tell you that our President does not have a problem with harming children. That I believe fully,” Roslyn told him.

“It makes too much sense, doesn’t it?” the anchor asked.

“Exactly,” Roslyn said.

“We do have another guest we need to bring on to discuss the ongoing case,” the anchor said. “The defense attorney for the infamous Bellatano murder case, Mr. Fine. Mr. Fine hello. Can you hear us?”

“Loud and clear,” Mr. Fine said.

“Now I wanted to ask you something, Mr. Fine,” the anchor said. “Up until very recently, it seemed like your strategy was to get the best deal possible for your clients. That seems to have shifted to an all out fight to the death. What changed?”

“My clients changed,” Mr. Fine told him. “When this trial began, I was given a list of goals by my client. These are the things we want to accomplish. This is what we want you to try and do. Well, given a change in circumstances and resolve, my clients decided to throw that list out. And yes, it is related to the evolving social and political climate happening in our country.”

“How much do they know about all this?” Roslyn asked.

“Not a lot,” Mr. Fine said. “My concern is that the more they know, the more the prosecution has a chance to play politics with this case. As a lawyer, my job is to serve in the best interest of my clients, and that means seeing this case to the end, and not putting my clients in a position where they have to make concessions.”

“In other words,” the anchor said. “They’re in it, all or nothing now?”

“Yes,” Mr. Fine said. “They don’t want to be political pawns in this game for my opposition. If anything, they agree with prey rights completely.”

“Have you asked them directly about it?” the anchor asked him.

Mr. Fine shook his head. “No,” he said. “It’s my job to focus on the facts of the case. That’s how I’ll win.”

“You seem very certain of a victory,” the anchor told him.

“The prosecution is focusing too much on judicial and political theater,” Mr. Fine said. “The more he does that, the weaker his case in court becomes. It’s self-destructive. And yes, my clients are being made examples of. They’re being tormented by their own past. But right now, the public is just seeing them be bullied. And I think a smart jury will see that, too. If the prosecution isn’t going to make me defend their actions in this case, and instead focus on their mental health, their past, their shortcomings… I say go for it. I welcome the distraction. It means they’re wasting their time.”

“How closely is the President directing the prosecution on this case, Roslyn?” the anchor asked.

“Far too closely,” Roslyn said. “And I do think the prosecution knows that this is a bad strategy, but the President listens to no one. He wants this trial to go a certain way, and he thinks he’s getting what he wants, because he’s a child. In reality, he’s holding back his own team that he hired to take on this case.”

“Mr. Fine,” the anchor asked. “As an apex predator yourself, what’s your take on prey rights?”

“Prey lives matter,” Mr. Fine said. “And what Roslyn expressed before I got on is absolutely correct. There is an incredible imbalance in our society between predator and prey. The government just wants to force the burden onto prey in our society instead of imposing reasonable restrictions on hunting rights. I don’t know why this has to be said, but predators should not have ever been given the green light to sexually abuse their prey. It’s a disgrace to animal rights, and to personal dignity. What will they do after they take away the right to self-defense? Will they extend hunting rights to teenagers? To children? Will they ban prey from representation in government?”

“Exactly,” Roslyn said. “There’s just no end to the demands the right will make to appease apex predators in this country. No offense, Mr. Fine.”

“None taken,” Mr. Fine said. “You’re right. I want to be perfectly clear: these are not rights that I, personally, have ever asked for. And I have many apex predator friends who feel the same way. The President will be very shocked come mid-terms how little support from us he actually has. Which is why he’s trying so hard to stop prey from voting. A majority of predators do support him, unfortunately, so if only predators get to vote… he wins.”

Vixy turned off the TV and hid the remote as a knock came to her door. The guards walked in, one of them carrying her food, which she took gratefully and began eating. When they left again, she turned the TV back on.

The news had moved on from the chat with Roslyn and Mr. Fine. Vixy got to see footage of the protest going on. There were what looked to be thousands of people marching through the city streets, all amassed around the town square, right in front of a government building. People carried signs calling for her release, her friends’ release. Signs that said not guilty. Signs that said arrest Tommy Glump. Signs that read predators for prey rights, and I thought rape was illegal, and fund synthetic meat.

“Justice for prey lives!” was what they chanted, and a response chant was “Freedom for all lives!”

“It’s pretty incredible, isn’t it?” the prison guard asked. He had snuck into the room while Vixy was focused on the TV.

“Shit…” Vixy said.

“Sorry, Vix,” the man said, taking the remote and turning it off. “Can’t let you watch that.”

“Are you sorry?” Vixy asked sarcastically.

“Yes,” the guard said. “I know it seems like I’m the bad guy, but trust me, I’m rooting for you.”

“Hard to believe,” Vixy said.

“That’s fine,” the guard said. “I have a job to do, so that doesn’t matter.”

I can still taste her blood. It’s… honestly, it’s delicious. I love Vixy. I always have. It was love at first sight, I knew the moment I first met her that I wanted to make her mine. I just… I don’t know, maybe I was selfish or just too afraid of what might happen. A shark and a fox. A proper apex predator like myself shouldn’t be using her for anything other than a quick fuck and some good eats. That’s what most of my friends told me, anyways.

I guess we’re not really in control of who we fall in love with or why. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want her any less as food. This is the second time I’ve bitten her. I mean… like really bit her. The first time was when I was hopped up on that drug and I took her hand, and now this.

I’m fucking hooked. No prey has ever tasted as sweet as the one I love most. There must be something psychological going on, not just physical. But sharks are like this, I’m told. Once we get a taste of something, it becomes our new fixation. And I confess, ever since I ate her hand, I’ve been fixated.

I… I want to eat her.

She is fucking delicious.

Even when I smell her, it makes me hungry, crave more of her meat. And this… this just made that craving all the more intense.

Fuck. I am getting to a point where I cannot control myself. If this is the damage I can do without even realizing it… I’m so afraid. What if I can’t stop myself next time? What if I actually do it?

I don’t want her to die. I love her.

Being a predator can be hard, sometimes, too. I need meat. I cannot survive without it. There is no ethical source of meat, so I accepted a long time ago, as all predators do, that we do what we must to survive. Biological drives to sate our hunger are strong. Evolution has made it so. We cannot ignore hunger. We must eat.

So many predators become jaded to that fact. We accept that we cannot control our instinct and it takes us over. We start to see preykind, even middling predators, as lesser beings. I’m guilty of it. I’ve done it before. It just depends on how well I know someone, I guess. Or does it?

I do want to eat her, even though I know her better than anyone. I want to fuck her, but if she didn’t consent would I just be taking it from her? Would I just not care about her feelings and her desires?

If I did… end her, would I forget about it eventually? Would she just become one of the other countless prey animals I killed and ate?

They didn’t even punish me. A potentially lethal assault and I’m just back to my cell, back to my bed, like nothing happened. I keep asking if she’s okay, but… no answer.

The morning comes and I am woken up by the sound of my cell door opening up. When I look up, I can see the fox I love entering in. My first instinct is to jump from bed and give her the biggest hug, but… I don’t know if that’s okay. She’s probably scared of me… she’s probably realized how dangerous I am to be around and is just here to collect her things to move to another cell.

“Jayce?” she asks me while I am trapped in my own head.

“Oh,” I say, snapping back to reality. “Hi, Vix.”

“You okay?” she asks me.

Am I okay? What? “I almost killed you,” I tell her. “Are you okay?”

She nods to me. I can see the sutures all over her neck and shoulder, the bandages wrapped around the more severe wounds. Wounds that I caused. “I’m alive,” she says as she sits in the bed next to me. There, she takes a deep breath. “A little shaken, but alive. Uh… I gotta talk to you about something.”

This is it. She’s done with me. I’ve hurt her too many times and this is the last straw. “What is it?” I ask her. I hide my nervousness well.

“While I was in the hospital, I snuck a little bit of news viewing,” she tells me. “The protests and everything. It’s all just as big as that reporter told me. Bigger, maybe. We did the right thing, I’m sure of it. But there’s more.”

“Yeah?” I ask her, still waiting for the punch.

“Belladonna has a sister,” she tells me.

“Huh?” I ask. Wait… what?

…

…

“Belladonna has a sister,” Vixy said, looking at Jayce as his face transformed to surprise. “And both of them are missing.”

“Wait, wait,” Jayce said. “How come she never told you?”

“I don’t know,” Vixy said. “I get a little more pissed at her every time I learn something new. She was the one who always demanded no secrets. But that explains everything!”

“How?” Jayce asked.

“Well, obviously, they’re threatening her sister. It’s her one weakness,” Vixy said. “She can take as much punishment on herself as anyone. But when Grecken’s team tortured me, instead, she folded. I had to beg her to do the right thing. If they’re threatening her sister… she’ll do whatever they want her to, give them whatever they ask.”

“But… who are… they?” Jayce asked.

“I don’t fucking know,” Vixy said. “Could be a government spying thing, could be backed by a corporation, could be Nick Bellatano’s family and friends.”

“So you still trust her?” Jayce asked. “Despite… everything she’s done to hurt you and our case?”

“Well, yeah,” Vixy said. “It makes sense, now. Kuro is on the stand today. They were saying that the prosecution might try to dredge up his military past, but I don’t know how exactly.”

“We should warn him,” Jayce said.

“No, no,” Vixy said. “That’s just the thing. Mr. Fine did a TV interview last night. Not only is he totally aware of what the prosecution is trying to do, but he’s letting them do it because according to him, they’re sabotaging their own case. They’re going to spend their entire turn calling witnesses making personal attacks against us and he’s only going to worry about that. The less they focus on the facts of the case and the law, and the more they focus on us, personally, the weaker their case becomes.”

“So… what should we be doing?” Jayce asked her.

“Not a damn thing,” Vixy said. “Let them say whatever they want to. Let them drag up our pasts and our worst mistakes and don’t even anticipate it. The prosecution will keep breaking us down and all it’s going to do is make us look sympathetic.”

“Sounds like Mr. Kamore knew he was going to lose this the moment we walked on the plea deals,” Jayce said. “So now…”

“All he has left is to try and confuse the jury, and try and make us look guilty by the way we respond,” Vixy said.

“So… don’t react with anger,” Jayce said, nodding. “Break down. Cry.”

“Exactly,” Vixy said.

“What if that’s not Kuro’s reaction?” Jayce asked her.

Vixy nodded, thinking for a bit. “Okay, maybe… we do need to give him and Click a heads up. Alright, let’s loop them in.”

The fox started to get up, heading for the cell door, but Jayce didn’t follow. He shuddered a little, and took a deep breath. “Hey, Vix…” he said in a soft tone.

“What’s up?” Vixy asked him.

“I uh…” Jayce started. “I’m sorry. About… you know. Biting you. Eating your hand. I…”

“You were not in control of yourself,” Vixy told him. “Neither of those times. You don’t have to be sorry. It’s not your fault.”

Jayce shook his head. “No,” he said. “No, it is. I’m the one who did those things to you, Vixy, and… I have to be honest, I’m not sure that it won’t happen again.”

“When it does, we’ll deal with it,” Vixy said. “It’s okay, I promise.”

“It’s not okay!” Jayce said, raising his voice and standing up. “I hurt you. I’m going to keep hurting you. I’m a shark, and… I can’t help it. As long as you’re around me, I’m putting you in danger, Vixy.”

Vixy stopped, and closed the cell door to move back towards him. “Hey,” she said, shaking her head. “I know you. You’re… never hurt me. You’ll… never make me feel unsafe.”

“Don’t lie,” Jayce said to her. He sat back down, shaking his head. “What happens when I don’t wake up next time? Or when whoever wants to hurt us locks us in a room together with no food?”

Vixy sat beside him, and rested her head on his shoulder. “I guess you’ll eat me,” she said.

“How can you say that so nonchalantly?” Jayce asked her. “We’re talking about you… dying. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I know,” Vixy said. “And I don’t want to die, either, but… Jayce, I love you. And I know you love me, too. As scary as the thought of death seems… I’d be more afraid of not being able to be with you, anymore.”

“Yeah. I’m also afraid of that,” Jayce said. “But if I eat you. I won’t be able to be with you, anyways. I… was so scared you were afraid of me. And I keep asking myself, how many times I have to lose control… how many times I have to take a bite out of you, before you walk away? I thought today was going to be the day, honestly.”

“I’m not breaking up with you,” Vixy told him. “Not over some bite marks. Besides, they’re gonna look bad ass once they heal.”

“Stop it,” Jayce said, shaking his head. “Just… stop it with the tough act. I’m supposed to protect you. But I can’t protect you. And instead, I’m hurting you. Slowly… killing you.”

“Just like you promised you would,” Vixy told him, taking a serious tone.

“Huh?”

“On the boat,” she said. “After Melissa. Before Nick. You promised me that the next time I asked you… you would do it.”

“I did,” Jayce said. “And I… I will.”

“It doesn’t sound like it,” Vixy told him. “Jayce… you already accepted my eventual death at your hands. I’ve already made it clear that I’d rather you eat me than I die any other way. You promised me. I knew the moment I confessed my love that that was how it was going to end between us. I’ve accepted that. I’ve accepted that being in love with you, sleeping with you, would have certain… risks… consequences. If you didn’t think this kind of thing would happen, I hate to tell you, Jayce, but that’s just naive.”

“I didn’t,” Jayce told her. “I never thought for a minute that I’d be an active threat to you. I thought that if it did come down to a life or death situation, I could grant you your final wish if you asked. But everything else. How am I supposed to love someone that I can’t stop fantasizing about devouring alive?”

Vixy blushed a little, and nodded. “You do fantasize about it?” she asked.

“Yes,” Jayce said, somberly as ever. “I do. I can’t forget your taste. It’s… you are delicious to me. And that’s what scares me the most.”

With a smile, Vixy leaned in and kissed his cheek. “That’s… scary, but… honestly, I really like hearing that from you.”

“How can you possibly say that?” Jayce asked.

“You’ve known I was a vorephile since the moment we met,” Vixy said. “I’m glad you like how I taste. The last thing I’d want is for you to dislike it. The fear is… honestly part of the love, for me. And I completely understand the hunger is part of it for you. I’ve felt the same way about some of my meals.”

“I’m afraid to lose you,” Jayce said.

Vixy nodded to him. “You’ll have to make your peace with that sooner or later,” she told him. “That’s a choice you already forfeited, part to me… part to fate. I need that from you, do you understand me? I need you to savor the final moments when I ask for them. It’s what I want more than anything, that if I am to die, I want you to enjoy me, completely, as a predator and a lover. Okay?”

Jayce nodded to her, and kissed her back on the cheek. “It’s going to take some time to accept it,” he told her. “But I promise I’ll be ready when the time comes.”

“And in the meantime,” Vixy said. “Please don’t feel guilty about biting me… or liking it. Because believe it or not, I want you to.”

“I’ll… try,” Jayce said.

After that, Vixy and Jayce went to find Click and Kuro, and met up with them just before they got called for transportation to the courthouse. They caught them up by the time they arrived, and sat down at the defense table before the judge arrived.

“Leanna,” Vixy said, sitting next to her. “Are you okay?”

Leanna nodded. She didn’t look it, but she said, “I’m fine.”

“We figured out what happened,” Vixy told her. “Or at least… we have our suspicions. Bell and her younger sister are missing. We think they’re being held hostage.”

“Younger… how do you know about that?” Leanna asked, trying to be quiet.

“Wait, you knew?” Vixy asked. “Never mind, time limit. Look, they’re trying to get us to act out in court, to make the jury hate us. We just need to keep our cool, and we’re in the clear. Mr. Fine will do the rest.”

“He will?” Leanna asked.

“He’s being careful about what he tells us,” Vixy said. “He doesn’t want to taint our statements, and is going to flip the jury back on our side.”

“All rise,” the bailiff called out. Everyone stood up as the judge entered the room, and took his seat.

“Be seated,” the judge said. “Mr. Kamore, are you ready to call your next witness?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“Proceed.”

“The prosecution calls Kuro to the stand,” Mr. Kamore said. Kuro stood up, and walked to the stand gracefully. After he was sworn in and took a seat, Mr. Kamore began. “Kuro… you were a soldier, correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Kuro said. “7th infantry, Pluto battalion. Served three tours, retired private first class.”

“Thank you for your service, private,” Mr. Kamore said. “What was your experience as a combat veteran in Persia?”

“I saw a lot of action, sir,” Kuro said. “Met the enemy in gunfire on multiple occasions. I have three confirmed combat kills.”

“And two civilians, right?” Mr. Kamore asked.

Kuro nodded, and took a deep breath. “Yes, sir.”

“Was it an accident?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Objection, relevance?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Your honor, the defendant was one of the chief planners in the attack on EMI,” Mr. Kamore said. “I’m simply trying to establish a sense of right and wrong, and whether or not civilian casualties were considered before executing the attack.”

“Proceed,” the judge said.

“It was not an accident, no, sir,” Kuro said.

“So you intentionally killed two civilians in the line of duty?” Mr. Kamore asked him. “Why?”

“I was ordered to, by my commanding officer.”

“So, even though you knew it was unlawful order, you still obeyed, is that correct?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Yes, sir,” Kuro said. “I’m not proud of it.”

“I looked into the report,” Mr. Kamore asked. “According to the statement you wrote, your CO commanded you to shoot a mother and her son in front of another son to extract information from the enemy. Is that true?”

“Yes, it is,” Kuro said.

“Did your CO get in trouble?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“No, sir,” Kuro said.

“Why not?”

“I couldn’t say,” Kuro said. “Court martial decisions are above my pay grade.”

“How did you feel about it, when shot them?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Bad.”

Mr. Kamore looked around, a little surprised. “That’s it?” he asked him. “Just… bad? Would you care to elaborate?”

“I would not, sir, no,” Kuro said.

“I’m sorry, let me rephrase that for you,” Mr. Kamore said. “Please elaborate.”

Kuro took a deep breath and nodded slowly. “I felt guilty. In the moment, I pushed those feelings down, and kept going. I had a duty to do so. When I got the chance, I revisited those feelings. They haven’t left me. Not completely.”

“If you were in the army again, and your commanding officer again asked you to shoot a mother and her child, would you do it?” Mr. Kamore asked.

Kuro looked at the jury, and then at Mr. Kamore.

“Objection, your honor. Speculative,” Mr. Fine said. He could tell the jury would not like the answer Kuro was about to give him.

“Sustained,” the judge said.

“Your honor,” Mr. Kamore said, trying to interject.

“Sustained, Mr. Kamore,” the judge reiterated.

“Redirect,” Mr. Kamore said. “Kuro, do you believe that what you did was the right thing to do?”

“I don’t know,” Kuro says. “Part of me thinks it was.”

“Even today?” Mr. Kamore asked him.

“I was much more sure of it at the time,” Kuro said. “Even though it pained me in the moment, I followed the order without question. But yes, even today.”

“Why was it the right thing to do?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“It worked,” Kuro said. “Plain and simple. The job got done.”

“You seem… very sure of yourself,” Mr. Kamore said.

“You have to be sure of yourself when you’re in the line of duty. Doubt gets you killed,” Kuro told him.

“But even today,” Mr. Kamore said. “You said you were not proud of it. You said you feel guilty about it. But you still think it was the right thing to do?”

“As I said,” Kuro said, nodding. “Only part of me does.”

“What does the other part say?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“The other part of me…” Kuro went on. “That part tells me I should have aimed my gun at my CO instead, or even at myself, and pulled the trigger.”

“What part of you was calling the shots when you were planning the attack on EMI?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Both of them,” Kuro said. “I take into account all my experience, and all my conscience.”

“All your conscience still thought a large scale assault on a business was the right thing to do?” Mr. Kamore asked. “Why?”

“My friend, and longtime ally, Belladonna, was in danger. The people she cared about were in danger,” Kuro said. “I chose to protect my friends.”

“Even if other people, innocent people, got hurt?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“EMI had been taken hostage by a known criminal kingpin,” Kuro said.

“That wasn’t my question,” Mr. Kamore said. “Did you consider that innocent people could have been hurt in your attack?”

“Yes, of course I did,” Kuro said. “And I—”

“And you planned it and executed it anyways,” Mr. Kamore said. “Knowing that innocent lives could have been destroyed in the process.”

“Objection, your honor, badgering,” Mr. Fine said.

“Withdrawn,” Mr. Kamore said. “Kuro, did any innocent people get hurt?”

“No,” Kuro said.

“Are you sure?” Mr. Kamore said. “How can you be sure?”

“I’m positive,” Kuro said. “No innocent people got hurt.”

“Could they have?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“It was a possibility, yes,” Kuro said.

“Objection, your honor, still speculative,” Mr. Fine said.

“Overruled,” the judge said.

“A helicopter went down,” Mr. Kamore said. “A gas bomb went off. How much of a risk do you think this was to the general public?”

“I couldn’t know for sure,” Kuro said.

“Exactly,” Mr. Kamore said. “Who crafted the bomb?”

“Nox,” Kuro told him.

“And were you familiar with Nox’s skills, nay… his intentions? Did you know for sure that that bomb wasn’t going to affect a wider area than it did?”

“I did not,” Kuro said.

“For all you know, Nox could’ve made that bomb powerful enough to gas the entire block, isn’t that right?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Objection, leading,” Mr. Fine said.

“Overruled,” the judge said.

Kuro took a deep breath. “No, I couldn’t have known.”

“Who provided the materials for the bomb?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I did,” Kuro said.

“Who provided the majority of the weapons and ammunition?”

“I did.”

“Was it your plan for the helicopter to crash into the parking lot?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Of course not,” Kuro said.

“Did you order your friends to shoot at the helicopter?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I… I don’t remember,” Kuro said. He was starting to get nervous.

“You don’t remember?” Mr. Kamore asked rhetorically. “You were on the roof, weren’t you?”

“I was.”

“That helicopter could’ve easily left the property and crashed into a number of neighboring blocks, including homes, schools, businesses,” Mr. Kamore said. He was also getting worked up in his questioning. “Do you feel any regret for that?”

Kuro looked around and nodded. “Yes, I do. If that happened—”

“You would’ve felt horrible,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Yes,” Kuro responded.

“So let me ask you again,” Mr. Kamore said. “Did you or did you not give due consideration to the innocent lives of those that you put at risk?”

Mr. Fine sat back, and took a breath. Kuro was all out of defense in this argument now, and Mr. Fine didn’t have anymore objections to offer. Kuro looked at the jury and then to Mr. Kamore. “No,” he said. “I didn’t.”

“Just like you didn’t consider the lives of civilians you killed in combat,” Mr. Kamore said. “Like you said, no hesitation, no question. You followed orders.”

Kuro nodded. “Yes,” he said, a solemn expression on his face.

“It sounds an awful lot to me like you took the war home with you,” Mr. Kamore said. “Kuro. Do you hate the government?”

“No,” Kuro said.

“Are you afraid of the government?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“No,” Kuro said.

“We found a stockpile of weapons, ammunition, explosives at your home,” Mr. Kamore said. “Not to mention the weapons you used in the attack at EMI. Why do you have all those weapons?”

“Just in case,” Kuro said.

“In case… what?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“In case I might need them,” Kuro told him.

“For what?” Mr. Kamore insisted.

“In case I needed to save myself… or my friends, if they ever needed my help,” Kuro said.

“To do what, exactly? What did you think you would need saving from?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I don’t know,” Kuro said.

“Do you know what we call that?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“No, sir.”

“Paranoid,” Mr. Kamore said. “You are a trained soldier hording illegal weapons… because you are paranoid. You don’t even know what you’re afraid of, do you?”

“I suppose not,” Kuro said.

“If you were not available to your friends,” Mr. Kamore asked. “If you did not provide weapons and planning and materials to your friends, what would have happened?”

“I don’t know,” Kuro told him.

“Would the attack on EMI have happened?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Probably not.”

Mr. Kamore turned to the jury and spoke to them direct. “Ladies and gentlemen, this man armed a small army, and planned for a domestic terrorist attack. No further questions, your honor.”

Mr. Fine stood up after he was called, and went over to Kuro. He knew from the beginning that Kuro and Belladonna would be the hardest ones to defend. And now, the moment was coming. “Kuro,” he said. “First of all, thank you for your service. Forget who you thought you were afraid of. Why were you afraid?”

Kuro thought for a moment, and took a deep breath. “Serving in the military, I was witness to many tragedies. I took part in some of those. I don’t know what specific thing I was afraid of, but, I was afraid something could happen.”

“Did it matter where that something came from or what it was?” Mr. Fine asked.

“No,” Kuro said. “Maybe I was paranoid.”

“Is paranoia common among combat veterans?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Yes, of course it is,” Kuro said. “I could quote the statistics as I’ve heard them, but I’m sure it’s common knowledge how many of my brothers suffer from some form of PTSD.”

“Indeed,” Mr. Fine said. “And do you know any others, personally?”

“Yes,” Kuro said. “I’ve been to group therapy sessions, and meetups with my fellow soldiers after I retired. I would say, I know a lot of them.”

“And compared to yourself,” Mr. Fine said. “How well, by your estimations, do you think they hold up?”

“Well enough,” Kuro said. “I know a couple of them who committed suicide.”

“And you’ve contemplated suicide, yourself, you said, right?”

“I have, yes.”

Mr. Fine nodded, and took a breath. “Do you know if any of the other combat veterans in your social circles have weapons at home?”

“Every single one of them,” Kuro said.

“You did have quite the stockpile,” Mr. Fine said. “Does anyone else?”

“To my knowledge, no,” Kuro said.

“You don’t seem so sure,” Mr. Fine said.

“We’re all fully aware of the legal status of some of these weapons,” Kuro said. “We all know better than to make mention of owning anything illegal. I never told them.”

“So do you then, believe that others may have been hoarding illegal weapons like you?” Mr. Fine asked.

“I couldn’t possibly know,” Kuro said. “I would believe it if someone said they did.”

“Did anything that any of your friends or their friends say that night make you think that they might be the aggressors in this?” Mr. Fine asked him.

“No, sir,” Kuro said.

“This man isn’t a terrorist,” Mr. Fine said, turning to the jury. “He’s a loyal soldier, who trusts his friends, even if it gets him in trouble. No further questions.”

“Next witness,” the judge called out.

“Your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “Before we proceed, I’d like to address an increasingly worrying matter with you in chambers.”

“Okay,” the judge said. “If your team could join us, Mr. Kamore?”

“Of course,” Mr. Kamore said.

Once they got into the judge’s office, he sat down and both men and their teams stood there to speak. “What is this about?” the judge asked.

“The whereabouts of Belladonna are still unknown,” Mr. Fine began. “It is my understanding that her plea deal included a prison sentence of no less than 5 years, and agreement to testify on behalf of the prosecution.”

“It’s unfortunate, Mr. Fine,” Mr. Kamore said. “But you can’t possibly think that I’m clued in on her whereabouts.”

“It is concerning,” Mr. Fine spoke. “Your honor, that Mr. Kamore seems to have information about my clients that he seems to have coincidentally been made aware of only recently. This seems to suggest that he had extensive time to speak with Belladonna privately, and given how quickly she vanished, I have questions about how he has come to acquire this information.”

“Oh come on,” Mr. Kamore said. “I got to talk to Belladonna. I also have my own research team. I have witnesses that have provided statements and other evidence.”

“It is, your honor, the prosecution’s burden to provide their evidence to the defense,” Mr. Fine said. “I have not received any corroborating evidence of some of the things that have come out in this case. Neither video nor audio recordings, or even a transcript.”

“Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “It seems to me that your team has failed to provide the legally required information. How did you come by this information?”

“We took what we learned from our initial interview with Belladonna,” Mr. Kamore said. “And have been investigating her statements ever since.”

“If the prosecution cannot produce the necessary evidence, your honor, I suggest a mistrial,” Mr. Fine said. “Otherwise, I will be forced to appeal any subsequent conviction as a result, and an appeals court will rule in my favor.”

“Agreed,” the judge said. “Mr. Kamore. I am ordering you to release any and all documentation and evidence that you have uncovered since Belladonna’s plea deal.”

“It may take my office some time to gather this information together,” Mr. Kamore said.

“You have 48 hours,” the judge said. “If you fail to produce such materials within that time, I will be forced to dismiss this case.”

“Your honor, the president will not like that,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Excuse me?” the judge asked. “Do you want to run that by me again?”

“Sorry, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

“I don’t care what the president wants,” the judge said. “This is my courtroom, and until such time that this case falls out of my hands, no one, not you, not the media, and not the president will get to make demands of this proceeding outside of the law. Is that understood?”

“Yes, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Until the evidence has been produced for the defense, this trial is in recess,” the judge told them. “I expect a copy of the email to notify the court when this has been completed.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Your honor,” Mr. Fine said.

“What else?” he asked.

“On the matter of Belladonna’s disappearance,” Mr. Fine said. “Without the ability to question her as a witness, I’m not entirely sure the prosecution can satisfy the burden of proof required to convict. I am… formally request a dismissal on those grounds, regardless of what corroborating evidence the prosecution has.”

“That may be considered,” the judge told him. “But no less sooner than the time at which the evidence is produced to the court.”

“Thank you, your honor,” Mr. Fine said.

They cleared the room after that, and the judge came out of chambers to sit back down at the head of the courtroom. “For the time being,” he said. “And due to unforeseen circumstances, this court will be on a 48 hour recess.” He hit the gavel against the podium, and got up to leave.

“All rise,” the bailiff called out. Once the judge left, the courtroom began to clear out.

“What was that about?” Vixy asked Mr. Fine when he sat back down.

“If you’d like to discuss my defense strategy, we can do so in private later,” Mr. Fine told her. “I will arrange a visit to see everyone about this tomorrow.”

“Okay…” Vixy said.

“Try not to eat each other before we can see the end of this thing, for me, will you?” Mr. Fine asked, leering at Vixy’s bite marks, and then to Jayce.

“How much longer is this going to go on?” Jayce asked him, while he had his attention.

“We’ll be concluded within a week… two weeks at most,” Mr. Fine said. “That’s my prediction, anyways. A sequestered jury means everything needs to move faster. The longer they can’t go outside, the more likely it is they’ll reach a guilty verdict.”

“They’ve only had to wait a couple weeks,” Jayce said. “We’ve been locked up for months.”

“They’re uh… not gonna care about that,” Mr. Fine told him.

“One more thing,” Jayce said. “I’ve been… having nightmares. It’s getting dangerous. Is there anyway I can get some sedatives or relaxants or… something?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Mr. Fine told him. “In the meantime, maybe keep to your own bunk. Or better yet, a new cell mate… someone you can’t chew in half so easily?”

Jayce looked to Vixy, and then nodded. “Yeah,” he said, sighing heavily. “It’s probably for the best.”

…

…

The look in her eyes. I’ll never unsee it. I could tell in that moment, more than when I ate her hand, more than when I nearly killed her two nights ago, more than any moment I or anyone raped her or nearly killed her. This moment I feel her heart break. She doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t do anything. But her eyes sink. I can sense her heart go still for a moment.

I inhale, slowly, my gaze locked to her. She’s never made me afraid before. I’ve been afraid for her… but now… I’m afraid of her. Of how she feels. How she’ll react. What did I just do?

“I’m sorry, Vixy,” I say softly. “I love you… I promise I do.”

There is no response. Just a silent passing as she walks by me. And I feel empty and cold now.

Vixy, Jayce, Kuro and Click were led into the interview room by guards, uncuffed, and sat down at the large table. Leanna and Nat were already there, having arrived by van moments earlier. Finally, Mr. Fine and an associate of his, along with Jayce’s dad, entered the room and sat down.

“Okay, everyone,” Mr. Fine said. “We’re all here. Let’s begin. I understand that there are some concerns with your defensive strategy. So I put this meeting together to give everyone a chance to talk it out. Express your concerns, offer any additional information, and collaborate as it were. Who wants to start?”

There was silence in the room. Mostly because everyone was afraid to start talking over each other. Vixy cleared her throat when the air was still, and took the floor. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll go. While I was at the hospital, I saw firsthand the news reports on the protests, and all the political craziness surrounding our trial. It looks bad at first glance, but… something is happening out there. There’s a change coming. Whatever it is, I know our fates in this trial are going to be a part of it.”

“I’ve also heard,” Leanna chimed in. “From various sources. A newbie in the prison, one of the guards feeding me some information. It sounds like things are pretty crazy out there.”

“And Leanna told me,” Nat said.

“I told them,” Vixy said, gesturing to the others.

“Is there a question you wanted to ask?” Mr. Fine said.

“Can you just… I don’t know, help us understand a little bit. How does this help us? Or hurt us?” Vixy asked.

“You’re right to have reservations,” Mr. Fine said. “Throughout the course of this trial, the prosecution’s strategy has had to keep pivoting. Partly in response to the evolving social unrest, partly at the president’s own direction, and partly because you all decided no deals. It’s weakening his case, dramatically. He has to get a certain outcome and… the entire administration is riding his ass over it. The lack of focus in his case, and the pressure he’s under… that’s what I’m hoping I’ll be able to exploit to win. On the flip side of that coin, there’s a lot of very powerful people watching this. They want things to go a certain way, and I can’t anticipate every move they come up with.”

“How does Belladonna’s disappearance tie into all this, exactly?” Jayce asked.

“All I have are my speculations,” Mr. Fine said. “But I think our opposition has made her… disappear. I don’t know how they’re getting the information they’re getting lately, but it would seem to indicate that they are still talking to her, wherever she is. That’s why I pressed the issue before the judge today. If the prosecution doesn’t provide evidence to how it’s acquired all of its information, the judge is going to toss the case.”

The eyes in the room all lit up with relief. “Now, let’s not get overconfident,” Mr. Fine told them. “I fully expect them to produce something, and then it’s going to take my team some time to pour through it. In the meantime, the trial goes on. I’m hoping that we’ll find a slip-up, that they’ll leave out some important detail or ask about something they don’t hand over. That’s where the pressure comes in. I’m doing what I can, legally, to amplify it. And that’s important here. They’re playing dirty. We have to play by the rules.”

“Dirty how?” Jayce’s dad asked.

“They’re pushing this narrative that you’re all bad people,” Mr. Fine said. “And that you’re going to continue to do bad. It’s entirely prejudicial. I have a fine line to walk, though. I can’t call out every prejudicial question Mr. Kamore asks, he’ll change his strategy and I won’t be able to anticipate his next move.”

“That’s why you’re just trying to show the jury that we’re not who he’s making us out to be,” Kuro said, nodding. “Makes sense. What happens when it’s your turn to call witnesses?”

“I flip the script,” Mr. Fine said. “While he’s building his entire case on biases and trying to create emotional responses, I’m going to present hard evidence. As your defense, I have the advantage that way. My words, and the words of my witnesses will be the last the jury hears.”

“What evidence do we have to support us?” Vixy asked.

“A lot, actually,” Mr. Fine said. “For starters, we have the evidence against the Bellatano crime family, all but proving that Nick and his crew were committing crimes in the process of trying to go after you, giving you no choice but to defend yourselves. I have evidence that Nick Bellatano incited EMI employees into engaging in this illegal manhunt, and witnesses that will speak to that fact. But most importantly, I have a star witness who I helped cut a deal.”

“Who?” Leanna asked.

“Reginald Braven,” Mr. Fine said.

“Who’s that?” Vixy asked.

Leanna smiled. “That’s that lion that was part of Grecken’s crew. He’s alive?”

“Yes,” Mr. Fine said. “And thanks to me, he’s only serving a two year sentence on what could have been fifteen for manslaughter… and other charges. The prosecution doesn’t know about him, yet. And that’s another advantage as the defense. I don’t have to disclose to the prosecution.”

Vixy glared at Mr. Fine. “That asshole tortured me and nearly sodomized me with a steel rod. You got him two years?”

“You’re staring down the death penalty,” Mr. Fine told her. “And thanks to me, he’s going to cooperate fully on the stand.

“What’s he going to say that’ll help us, anyways?” Vixy asked.

“He’s going to confess,” Mr. Fine said. “That was the deal. If he doesn’t, the plea deal goes and he’s back on trial. But he’s got a lot to tell… about Grecken’s brutal and illegal tactics. About Nick Bellatano encouraging the execution of fellow EMI employees. Most importantly, about EMI’s business dealings under the table. After this trial is an even bigger one.”

“What do you mean?” Vixy asked.

“RICO,” Mr. Fine said. “What’s left of EMI, and a handful of their business partners, and a few government officials… they’re all going down. Big time. I’m working as an assistant to that case. In fact, the team I’m with over there… that’s where I first heard the theory about Belladonna being kidnapped.”

“When did you get involved in that?” Jayce’s dad asked.

“They reached out to me early,” Mr. Fine said. “I said no. Then, you guys decided no deals. Once that happened, I reached back out to them.”

“Why not work with them the whole way through?” Nat asked.

“They wanted your testimony as part of your plea deals,” Mr. Fine said. “I felt that seeking such an arrangement could be detrimental to my representation. It’d be an ethics violation. But now, with no deals on the table, no need to distance myself.”

“Do you need us to testify after this trial?” Vixy asked.

“It would help,” Mr. Fine said. “But I think it’d be best for you to focus on this one at the present.”

“Alright,” Kuro said. “Well, here’s to hoping the prosecution fails to present all the evidence for the judge.”

“Like I said,” Mr. Fine said. “I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up on that. They’re bound to present something. The real slam dunk will be catching something missing after the fact.”

“What happens if we’re not guilty?” Nat asked.

Everyone looked at her, as if unprepared for her question. “Then great,” Leanna said after a second.

“It’s a valid question,” Mr. Fine said. “A lot of defendants who are given a not guilty verdict have a lot to grapple with after a trial. Going back into the private sector after an event like this can be difficult, especially something this high profile. People will recognize you for a few years at least. It can present challenges when it comes to finding work, fitting in socially, or just going about your daily lives. What happens if you’re found not guilty though isn’t something I can answer so easily. Largely, it will be up to you. Your old job is gone, of course. So, where normally, there’s legal protections for a job put on hold due to a trial, that simply won’t be the case for you.”

“It’s not just our jobs,” Click said. “We lived on site. All our belongings are there. We have no living arrangements.”

“Not to mention my house might still be in legal limbo,” Kuro said. “Jayce is the only one guaranteed to have a home to go back to at this point.”

Jayce looked at his dad for a moment, hoping he might say something. “I can’t take everyone in,” his dad said. “Vixy is welcome to stay with us, of course. But I’m sorry, I guess I’m just not as sure about the rest of you.”

“Let’s not jump the gun on this one right now,” Mr. Fine said. “For now, it’d do everyone good to focus on the trial. I can see about getting the judge to sign off on releasing your property, Kuro, if a not guilty verdict comes back, but… one step at a time.”

“You don’t think I’m getting off on everything, do you?” Kuro asked.

“Well…”

“No,” Kuro said. “It’s okay. I understand the main fight has to be for the bigger crimes. I didn’t think I was going to get off on the weapons.”

“I’m doing what I can,” Mr. Fine said. “But keeping everyone off of death row is my first priority here.”

“I understand, I said,” Kuro said. “Anything else?”

“Not unless you guys have any other questions for me,” Mr. Fine said.

“Why is Vixy still in men’s housing?” Leanna asked him.

“Actually,” Vixy said. “With Rasco in there, I think I’m alright.”

“It’s still a valid question,” Mr. Fine said. “And still one I have no capability of answering. The paperwork is trapped in the bureaucratic nightmare that is our federal court of appeals. If it even gets before a judge before this trial ends, it still might have a time limit that the bureau of prisons is likely to ignore. Long story short… if you get life in prison, Vixy, I can probably get you out of there, eventually. If you get the guilty verdict they want, you’ll… be executed before that happens. And if you’re not guilty, you’ll be out before it does.”

“Vixy was raped, repeatedly,” Leanna said. “Is there anything to do about that?”

“It’s fine, Leanna,” Vixy said. “I appreciate you standing up for me, but… it’s over.”

“There are options to be pursued,” Mr. Fine said. “But I’m going to have to refer any civil case regarding that to another lawyer. Between this case and the EMI case afterwards, my hands are full. I’ll reach out to some colleagues about this.”

“You really don’t have to,” Vixy said. “Let’s just… get through this trial for now.”

“Hey Vixy,” Leanna said, staring at her. “Can I say something?”

“What?” Vixy asked.

“First of all, fuck you for not caring about your own well being,” Leanna told her sternly. “You think I’m letting this one go after the shit you pulled with me on the roof? Hell no. I’m fighting for you, girl, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. So get used to having friends in your corner, okay. I ain’t going anywhere.”

“Leanna, you really don’t—”

“Secondly,” Leanna continued, cutting her off. “This thing that happened with you… it’s a symptom of all the problems our fans are fighting for out there. It’s not just the fact you were raped, which is an injustice on its own, it’s the context that a dominant, stronger, higher caste predator took that from you just because he could. The news reports, all these protests… they’re right. Something’s got to change. I don’t know, maybe… you don’t believe in that stuff, but I do. I know Nat does. Your fight isn’t just about you. It’s about all of us.”

“Leanna’s right,” Nat said. “We can’t let predators keep bullying us. We have to fight the laws that let them. You know… a while back, I thought maybe I could turn you around to my side, to fight back against the predator ruling class with me. But it turns out, you were right. All of this… it convinced me to find a better way to fight.”

Vixy thought about it for a few moments, and then nodded to them. “Okay,” she said. “Mr. Fine, if you could refer me to your colleagues. I’m interested in pursuing this case.”

“Good,” Mr. Fine said. “If I can find you the right attorney… you may skip the need to find a job if you get out of here. At least for a few years, assuming you stay with Jayce. And… if you wind up with a death penalty, it’d make for a pretty good stay of execution.”

“Uhh… wait,” Vixy said.

“What?” Mr. Fine asked.

“I… I’ve thought about that,” Vixy told him. “Actually, umm… talked about the potential end with Rasco. I… how’bout I just say that in such an event, I have plans, and a stay of execution might interfere with them.”

“What do you mean?” Mr. Fine asked her. “Because if you’re saying you’d rather just die quickly if you don’t get the result you want… you’d be the first client I’ve ever heard of say that.”

“I promised Rasco he could eat me,” Vixy said. “As long as he let Jayce join him…”

“What?” Jayce’s dad asked.

“He said that there’s this… under the radar scheme where the ultra wealthy buy death row inmates who ask for it. If I gotta go anyways… I’d… just rather it be this way, and if I’m put on hold, then… Jayce will be dead before me,” Vixy said.

“Fucking what, Vix?” Jayce asked. “I did not agree to that.”

Vixy glared at him. “You did, though…”

“Not in that context,” Jayce told her. “That was if there was no other way out, like if it was your last chance. That doesn’t sound like it to me.”

“Fucking vorephile,” Leanna said, shaking her head at Vixy.

“So what? I’m just supposed to get a free ride?” Vixy asked. “Live… months… maybe years without you, without any of you? That sounds shitty.”

“Once again, though, Vixy,” Jayce said. “You’re perfectly fine putting me in a position of living without you.”

“So I’m fucking selfish,” Vixy said. “Whatever. It’s my life. If I can choose how it ends, then that’s how.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that before,” Kuro said, looking at the lawyer.

“It’s true,” Mr. Fine said. “I’ve known about it ever since my first criminal case. And it’s completely illegal. Knowing this plot is at hand, I… I have an ethical obligation to report it.”

“Wait,” Vixy said. “What’s going to happen to Rasco?”

“I can’t be too sure,’” Mr. Fine said.

“Rasco is the only thing protecting me in there,” Vixy said.

“Yeah,” Jayce said. “He’s protecting all of us. You can’t turn him in.”

“Okay, look,” Mr. Fine said. “I can hold onto this information for now. But it’s going to come out eventually. And as long as you’re my clients, I’m going to do what is in your best interest, and that means making appeals, fighting rulings, doing everything I can to delay your sentencing from taking place in a worst case scenario. I know you might think you have good plans of your own, but I need you, Vixy… all of you, to trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

“Okay,” Vixy said. “Fine… I’ll… wait, or whatever. But if Rasco vanishes from our prison block… that asshole Ketch might get his boys back together and take revenge. We humiliated him.”

“Prison politics isn’t exactly my scope,” Mr. Fine said. “I’ll file a complaint with the bureau of prisons ahead of finding you a representative for the rape case, see if maybe they can move Ketch to a different block. But in the meantime… I suggest you consider making peace with your enemies. You’ve got plenty of them out here, you’re shooting yourself in the foot by making them on the inside, too.”

“As if it was her fault she got gangraped,” Leanna said, looking at Mr. Fine in disbelief.

“Prison sucks,” Mr. Fine told her. “It’s one of the worst places you can be. And trust me, the guards are not there to help you. I can’t help you inside either. So one way or another, you’ve got to do what you need to in order to protect yourselves. Unfair as it may be… if you don’t, you’re screwed. My job is to try and get you out. Anything I do to take my focus away from that, especially when it comes to picking fights with the judge and the legal system, is going to hurt your chances.”

Leanna nodded, taking a deep breath. “Fine,” she said. “Just… don’t forget about us in here.”

“I won’t,” Mr. Fine said. “Any other questions?” There was silence in the room, and people started shaking their heads. “Okay… good. I’ll see you in two days.”

When everyone got back to the cell block, they dispersed and went to find their cells. Vixy was in a cell with Click now that she had left Jayce’s cell open, and Kuro wound up moving in with him.

“Fuck making peace with Ketch,” Vixy said once she got back to her cell, and laid on her bad.

“Honestly,” Click said. “Fuck that. He’s a shithead.”

Vixy side and rolled to her side, facing the room. Click sat down on his bunk on the bottom. “Thanks for letting me take top bunk.”

“No problem,” Click said. He pulled out a book to start reading.

“Click…” Vixy said.

“What’s up?”

Vixy looked down to see him reading, or rather, to see him stop his reading for her. “Never mind,” she said. “It’s not important. Keep reading.”

The days past uneventfully as they waited it out, hoping the prosecution would fail in their duty to turn over the evidence in their case. When the next trial date came, Vixy and the others all got into the prison van, as per usual, and were taken to the courthouse. Once they all sat down, the judge made his way in, and they were once again seated after the bailiff called out.

“Did they turn it over?” Vixy asked Mr. Fine, sitting right next to him today.

“Yep,” Mr. Fine said. “There’s more. In addition to a mountain of paperwork that may or may not have relevant information… they brought her.”

“Huh?” Vixy asked.

“Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “Your next witness?”

Mr. Kamore rose, turned to Mr. Fine and the defense table in solemn acknowledgment. But whether it was frustration or pride was hard to say. “Yes, your honor,” he said. “The prosecution calls Belladonna to the stand.”

A wave of hushed gasps moved throughout the court. Leanna stood up, and turned to the door as it opened. Murmurs and whispers grew louder as Belladonna was led to the front of the courtroom by the bailiff.

“Order,” the judge called out, slamming his gavel. “Order… Mr. Fine instruct your client to sit down.”

Mr. Fine looked to Leanna and motioned for her to sit. She took her seat but her eyes remained locked on Belladonna as she walked up to the stand.

“Your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “I would like to state for the record that the production of this witness is miraculous at best. And at worst, an ill-timed, intentional maneuver to prejudice the jury. As I have been unaware of of Belladonna’s whereabouts for the past week, I can only assume that the prosecution deliberately hid the witness away to avoid cross-examination.”

“Your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “As we discussed in chambers, the concealment of Belladonna as a witness to this case was paramount to her protection. Fear of resentment from her former friends and colleagues, as well as the possibility of revenge, warranted such a move.”

“If that’s true,” Mr. Fine said. “The witness could have been called to testify earlier, as was arranged. Furthermore, my clients are locked in a maximum security facility 24/7. They would never have the opportunity, even if they had the motive.”

“The defendants, in fact,” Mr. Kamore said. “Are comprised of a former soldier, and multiple highly trained operatives that routinely performed assassination for hire. We couldn’t take any chances you’re honor.”

“Your honor, given the circumstances, we cannot be certain that the witness is free of tampering by the prosecution,” Mr. Fine said. “Or that she isn’t making these statements under duress. I object to this witness’s testimony in its entirety, and move to dismiss whatever testimony she may have or intends to provide us here today. It’s a severe violation of due process.”

“You are free to make your argument in an appeal,” the judge said. “But I have heard it all from both of you and as you know, I’ve already made my decision. The witness will testify today. Your protest in noted.”

“Very well, your honor,” Mr. Fine said, sitting back down.

“Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “You may proceed.”

“Very good,” Mr. Kamore said. He straightened his suit collar, and walked towards the witness stand. “Belladonna,” he talked to her directly. “In a statement you made to us, which I will remind you you signed, you stated that yourself, and the defendants, launched a covert, military-style operation against your former employer in order to assassinate one Nick Bellatano. Is that true?”

“Yes, it is,” Belladonna said.

“And in that statement,” Mr. Kamore said. “You gave us the exact motivation for this assault, did you not?”

Belladonna nodded. “I did, sir.”

“What did you tell us?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Nick Bellatano was a criminal element,” Belladonna said. “He was a competing interest in our company’s business who aimed to take over EMI financially, and continue operating it as a legitimate business. He was close to a rival of mine within the company named Grecken, and… in fear of retribution within the workplace, we orchestrated a plot to prevent Bellatano from seizing our operation.”

More hushed gasps and murmurs swept the court. Leanna had a dead-eyed stare directed at Belladonna. “That’s not true,” Click even blurted out.

“Order!” the judge called. “I will have order in my court room.” He slammed the gavel again.

“Who was informed of the intentions of this plot?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Myself, Nox, Cherry, Click, Vixy… and Leanna,” Belladonna said. She breathed deeply as she said that.

“You fucking liar!” Leanna yelled out at her.

“Mr. Fine!” the judge called. “Restrain your client or I will order the bailiff to do it for you.”

Mr. Fine stood up and went to put his hands on Leanna’s shoulder and arm. He leaned down to whisper to her. “Don’t lose it now. We’ll have our chance to answer this…”

“The jury is instructed to disregard the defendant’s outburst,” the judge said. “Next question.”

“Belladonna,” Mr. Kamore said. “For clarification’s sake. You’re telling us here today that all of the defendants, save for Kuro and Jayce, were fully aware that this was not a plot to defend your friends from being targeted by Nick Bellatano?”

“Yes,” Belladonna said. “I am.”

“You also said in your statement,” Mr. Kamore said. “That you knew there would be a possibility of innocent lives lost, due to the size and scope of this operation. Did you not?”

“I did,” Belladonna told him.

“What reason did you have to lie when you first entered your plea of not guilty?” Mr. Kamore asked her.

“It wasn’t my idea,” Belladonna said.

“Then who’s idea was it?” Mr. Kamore asked.

Belladonna pointed to Mr. Fine and said. “His,” she said. “He told me that if I lied, and said what he told me to, that he could get us out of this.”

“Objection!” Mr. Fine shouted as he stood up again.

“Order!” the judge shouted. The crowd in the court was unable to be quieted down so easily for a few moments. The judge slammed the gavel on the bench repeatedly. “Quiet… order!” When the noise finally died down, he turned to Belladonna. “Belladonna,” he said to her. “Are you aware of how serious these accusations are?”

“Yes, your honor,” Belladonna said.

“And under penalty of perjury, you are saying that this accusation is true?” the judge asked.

“Yes,” Belladonna told him.

“Your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “I move to have Mr. Fine removed from this case immediately pending a full investigation.”

“Counselors,” the judge said. “My chambers, now.”

The two followed the judge back into his office while the courtroom erupted in noise. Guards moved in and began to clear the room, escorting the jury out first, and then members of the audience.

“Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “This was not discussed with me when you spoke of Belladonna’s intended testimony.”

“Of course it wasn’t, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “I am just as surprised as you are about this development.”

“Bullshit,” Mr. Fine said.

“Furthermore, the defense’s language is contemptible and ought to punished,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Quite frankly, Mr. Kamore, I’m inclined to agree,” the judge said. “Are you fishing for a mistrial here?”

“No, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “I just believe it’s important that the truth comes out in this case.”

“Belladonna and her sister both mysteriously went missing the second she plead out, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “And now, miraculously, as Belladonna has been recovered and her sister has not, the prosecution expects us to believe that Belladonna’s testimony can be trusted? And she just happens to stand up there, and say that everything up to this point has been a lie?”

“If you’re so afraid of what my witness has to say about you,” Mr. Kamore said. “Then maybe you’d be willing to go under oath, and tell us all exactly what your theories are.”

“Mr. Kamore has done everything he can to sabotage this case from the beginning,” Mr. Fine said. “Every twist, every turn, is designed to try and elicit a response from my clients that would be entirely prejudicial to the jury.”

“The witness is here, now,” the judge said. “Reliable or unreliable as her testimony may be, such matters are ultimately up to the jury to decide.”

“Exactly, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

“But you hear me, Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “If you or any witness testifying on your behalf makes another insinuation about this court or Mr. Fine’s conduct, I will order you removed from this case. Do you understand?”

“Your honor, you cannot possibly expect me to control—”

“Do you understand?” the judge asked again.

Mr. Kamore inhaled deeply. “Yes, your honor,” he said. “It won’t happen again.”

“It never happened,” the judge said. “I am going to order the jury to disregard Belladonna’s last statement.”

“Your honor, in the interest of justice—”

“The jury will disregard,” the judge said. “And you take whatever accusations you have in your back pocket and save them for a different trial. We are here for the charges the people brought against the defense, and nothing else.”

“It’s going to be hard for the jury to disregard such an accusation,” Mr. Fine said. “The prosecution has already poisoned this case against me, your honor.”

“You will proceed with cross examination,” the judge said.

“I wasn’t finished with the witness, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

The judge sneered at him. “Oh really?” he asked. “You’re not finished yet? Do I need to hold you in contempt?”

“No, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Good,” the judge said. “I will have order in my courtroom. Do you both understand me?”

“Yes, your honor,” Mr. Fine said.

Mr. Kamore nodded. “Yes, your honor.”

“Good,” the judge said. “Let’s return to business.”

The courtroom was half empty when the judge and the lawyers returned to it. They all sat down, and the bailiff brought the jury back in to sit down as well.

“Now,” the judge said. “I am instructing the jury to disregard the witness’s last statements, and I have ordered Mr. Kamore’s questioning concluded. Council… your witness.”

“Thank you, your honor,” Mr. Fine said, standing up. He walked towards Belladonna and looked at her, and then to the jury. “Do you have any family?” he asked her.

“Yes,” Belladonna said, looking at him peculiarly. She was not aware how much Mr. Fine knew about her situation.

“Describe them for me,” Mr. Fine said.

“My mother and father live in Sacramento,” Belladonna said. “Just on the border. Just on the other side of the border, anyways. I haven’t seen them since I moved to Cascadia a number of years ago. I… also have a younger sister.”

“When was the last time you saw her?” Mr. Fine asked.

Belladonna looked at him, then at the prosecutor. Mr. Fine stepped in her view. “I’m not sure, I…”

“You’re not sure when the last time you saw your sister was?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Objection,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Overruled,” the judge said.

“Let me rephrase that,” Mr. Fine told her. “When was the last time you spoke to her?”

“It’s been a while,” Belladonna said. “At least two years.”

“You answered that very quickly,” Mr. Fine said. “Did you speak to her in person or over the phone?”

“On the phone,” Belladonna said.

“Okay, so let’s try this again,” Mr. Fine said. “When was the last time you spoke to your sister face-to-face.”

“When I left home,” Belladonna said.

“You didn’t have any trouble answering that time,” Mr. Fine said. Belladonna started to get nervous. “It seems to me you knew exactly the last time you saw her in person, and have a pretty good idea of the last time you spoke with her on the phone. It stands to reason the last time you saw her then was when you left for Cascadia… is that true?”

Belladonna shook her head and then nodded. “Yes, it… I think.”

“This isn’t a complicated question,” Mr. Fine said, shaking his head. “When was the last time you saw your sister?”

“On the news,” Belladonna said. “Yesterday.”

“What do you mean by that?” Mr. Fine asked.

“She’s… been kidnapped, sir,” Belladonna said.

Mr. Fine nodded, and stepped away a little bit. “I see…” he told her. “I’m sorry to hear that. Do the police have any leads?”

“I… I don’t know,” Belladonna said.

“Why not?” Mr. Fine asked. “Surely… even in witness protective custody, you surely would’ve been given updates on the case. They haven’t told you anything?”

“No,” Belladonna said.

“Weird,” Mr. Fine said. “Did you… see the footage of her kidnapping?”

“You have footage?” Belladonna said.

“Yes, it’s been on the news,” Mr. Fine said. “I thought you said you saw her on the news. As a concerned family member, surely you at least keep up with the news, right?”

“Not… as well as I could, I suppose,” Belladonna said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Mr. Fine said. “Not to me. You might also be interested in knowing that the police do, in fact, have a lead.”

“What?” Belladonna asked. But Mr. Fine’s attention was elsewhere, locked onto Mr. Kamore to see his reaction, which was a pittance of annoyance, and just the slightest hint of surprise decorating his eyes. “What leads?”

“I’m asking the questions here, Belladonna,” Mr. Fine said, turning his attention back to her. “It’s also been on the news. When did you see her on the news, exactly?”

“I uh… two days ago,” she said.

“Two days ago…” Mr. Fine said. “Where were you when you saw it?”

“What do you mean?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Objection, your honor, the witness is under my protection,” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Mr. Fine,” the judge said. “Is this relevant?”

“Oh very, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. He laughed a little bit. “In fact, if you would be so kind, your honor. I have a news clip from three days ago I’d like to show the jury.”

“Objection,” Mr. Kamore said, growing nervous.

“Overruled,” the judge said.

“Thank you, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. He pulled a video up on his phone, and showed it to the judge first, and once the judge gave him the nod, he showed the clip to the jury. It was a very short clip, showing a camera capturing the moment Belladonna’s sister was kidnapped and shoved into the back of a van. Mr. Fine then returned to Belladonna. “Belladonna, you said you saw this news two days ago. But you didn’t know there was a lead in the case. Correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Belladonna said.

“Then let’s try this again,” Mr. Fine said. “Where were you… two days ago… when you saw the news?”

“I… can’t say,” Belladonna said.

“Why not?”

“I was… in an unknown location, under protection as a witness,” Belladonna told him.

“Very good,” Mr. Fine said. “Was it live?”

“Huh?” Belladonna asked.

“Was the news live when you saw it?” Mr. Fine asked her, once again stepping into her field of view, blocking her from seeing the prosecutor.

“No…” Belladonna said.

“If it wasn’t live, how were you watching it?” Mr. Fine asked. “Was it a recording? Where’d you get this news from?”

“I don’t know,” Belladonna said, sniffling.

“What’s wrong?” Mr. Fine asked.

“I… I’m fine,” Belladonna said, trying to stifle herself.

“I would like the record to show that the witness is crying,” Mr. Fine said.

“Let the record show it,” the judge said.

“What’s wrong?” Mr. Fine asked again.

“I can’t… I can’t…” Belladonna said.

“You can’t what?” Mr. Fine asked.

“I can’t say,” Belladonna said.

“How did you get the news?” Mr. Fine asked. “When you saw your sister, what did you see, exactly?”

“I don’t know,” Belladonna said, starting to cry.

“I remind you, that you are under oath,” Mr. Fine said. “Have you told the truth here today?”

Belladonna shook her head. The judge saw. The jury saw. But Mr. Kamore didn’t. She shook her head, just for a second, and then said. “Yes…” trying to force it into a nod.

“Your honor,” Mr. Fine said, looking to him.

“The record will show,” the judge said. “That the witness shook her head.”

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Overruled,” the judge said. “Mr. Fine… please take a seat.”

“Of course, your honor,” Mr. Fine said, returning to his seat.

“Miss Belladonna,” the judge said. “I’m only going to ask this once. You’re only going to get one chance to answer this, so you need to think very carefully about whether or not you’re telling the truth. Understand?” Belladonna nodded. “Are you under duress?”

Belladonna breathed deeply, and nodded slowly. “Yes,” she said.

“How?” the judge asked.

“I… I’d like… I’d like to answer Mr. Fine’s earlier question,” Belladonna said.

“Explain,” the judge told her.

“I saw my sister… through a video monitor… in a prison cell. They threatened her. I had to do what they wanted. They’ll hurt her now… because of this.”

“I understand,” the judge told her. Then, he took a breath, and looked over the courtroom. “Mr. Kamore, please rise.”

Mr. Kamore slowly stood up. “Yes, your honor?” he asked, both nervous and agitated.

“I… am signing a warrant for your arrest for witness tampering and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, two counts,” the judge said. “Bailiff, if you could please take Mr. Kamore into custody. Belladonna, please rise.”

Belladonna stood up next.

“Belladonna, I find you guilty of perjury,” the judge said. “You are to be taken into protective custody pending examination and questioning by detectives at a future date to be determined.”

Court officers escorted Mr. Kamore and Belladonna out of the courthouse through separate doors, and once they were gone, the judge took a deep breath. He looked to Mr. Kamore’s team sitting at the prosecution’s table. “Will the people be ready to proceed with their case?”

One of them stood up, stunned by the development. “Your honor,” the woman said. “My name is Ms. Dovue, and I believe I must ask for an extension.”

“Denied,” the judge said.

“Okay,” Ms. Dovue said. “Then… it is my understanding that the prosecution intended to rest its case pending Belladonna’s testimony.”

“Oh, good,” the judge said. “Mr. Fine… will you be ready to call your first witness tomorrow by 8AM?”

“I’m ready now, your honor,” Mr. Fine said, standing up, looking to the prosecution’s table, and seeing the opportunity he had. “If the people are ready to proceed.”

“I believe they are,” the judge said.

“Your honor, if you don’t mind,” Ms. Dovue said.

“I do mind,” the judge said. “Today has been… a sad day for this court. Given the circumstances, I will have no choice but to declare a mistrial if the people are not ready at this moment.”

“Can I have… five minutes?” Ms. Dovue asked.

“You can have forty-five minutes,” the judge said. “Court is in recess for lunch.” He hammered the gavel down and everyone began to disperse.

As everyone sat back down in the courtroom, new attendees and witnesses were allowed in, replacing members of the crowd that got too rowdy and had to be kicked out before lunch. Additionally, Mr. Kamore made a return, having made bail quickly and took a seat back at the lead prosecutor’s table. He didn’t look at Mr. Fine, or anyone else except for his team.

“All rise,” the bailiff began his return to court procedures.

When everyone sat down, the judge looked at Mr. Kamore, first. “Mr. Kamore,” he said. “I’m surprised to see you back here so quickly.”

“Posted bail fifteen minutes ago, your honor,” he said. “And as I have not been lawfully removed from my office, I have returned to my post to continue my work.”

Mr. Fine shook his head and had a little chuckle. “Is something funny, Mr. Fine?” the judge asked.

“Sorry, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “I’ll try to keep my reactions under check.”

“See that you do,” the judge said. “Is everyone ready to proceed?”

“Not quite, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “Given exigent circumstances, I’d like to call another witness.”

“Too late, Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “Your second rested your case.”

“Yes, that’s why I said… exigent circumstances,” Mr. Kamore said again.

“No,” the judge said. “Any other issues?”

Mr. Kamore shook his head. “No, sir.”

“Good,” the judge said. “There had better not be. I’d hate to have you taken out of here in handcuffs a second time today.”

“Won’t happen, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Mr. Fine,” the judge said. “Your first witness?”

Mr. Fine stood up, undid the top button on his suit and took a deep breath. “The defense calls Mr. Reginald Braven to the stand,” Mr. Fine said.

The lion stood up from behind the defense, and walked through the aisle toward the witness stand. The bailiff took his oath, and he was ready for questioning.

Mr. Fine nodded, and began his questioning. “Mr. Braven,” Mr. Fine said. “Is it true that you worked for EMI at the time of the attack?”

“Yes, it is,” Braven said.

“What was your position within the company?” Mr. Fine asked him.

“I worked on a delivery team, as they called it, the same position as many of your clients—the defendants. It was my job to follow the commands of my team leader, Grecken, in order to secure high value targets for predatory purposes.”

“What qualifies as predatory?” Mr. Fine asked him.

Braven nodded. “It is my understanding that targets of our contracts are often eaten by the buyer. Sometimes they have us kill them and deliver them dead, other times alive. The buyer might not always end up killing the target if we deliver them alive, but that’s their prerogative.”

“Who was the last target of your team, officially, under company operations?” Mr. Fine asked.

“The defendant, Jayce,” Braven said.

“Do you know why he was targeted?” Mr. Fine asked.

Braven nodded. “We always get a report of some kind that gives us insight into the motivation the client has, as well as a brief history. In Jayce’s case, it was revenge.”

“Revenge,” Mr. Fine said. “Is it common to hunt down and eat an apex predator for revenge at EMI?”

“It wouldn’t say that it’s uncommon,” Braven asked. “My team prided themselves on taking on some of the more challenging predators. Larger, faster, stronger… overall more dangerous.”

“And was Jayce a… particularly dangerous target?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Not particularly,” Braven said, shaking his head.

“Then why did your team take the contract?” Mr. Fine asked.

“The price on his head was too good to pass up,” Braven said. “And the challenge didn’t come from Jayce’s own strength or ferocity, but other obstacles we would have to navigate.”

“Explain…”

“We were informed that Jayce’s closest friend, and potential paramour, was a coworker,” Braven said. “Another one of the defendants, Vixy Knight.”

“And is Vixy particularly dangerous?” Mr. Fine asked.

“We didn’t consider her as dangerous, no,” Braven said. “But the team she worked with, including the other defendants, Leanna and Click, their leader, Belladonna, and the deceased Nox and Cherry. Grecken had a history with them. With Belladonna in particular. A grudge, it seemed. And Belladonna’s team had a reputation for breaking rules, going to extreme lengths to fulfill a contract, or more recently, ripping them entirely for their own benefit.”

“What happened recently?” Mr. Fine asked.

Braven nodded and took a deep breath. “One of the clients was the grandfather to one of the defendants, Nat. Instead of fulfilling the contract, Belladonna took pity on Nat, and made her an offer instead, to kill her grandfather, and her whole family, who wanted her dead.”

“We heard that story earlier in this trial,” Mr. Fine said. “Is it true that Nat’s grandfather was a known speciest, who only wanted to kill her because of her status as a hybrid?”

“That was my understanding,” Braven said.

“And what are your thoughts on that case?” Mr. Fine asked. “Do you approve or disapprove of Belladonna’s actions that day?”

“I disapprove,” Braven said. “It goes against company policy. As far as Grecken was concerned, it was cheating. Grecken wanted the contract, and Belladonna pulled strings, cut corners, and broke rules to take it on, and changed it.”

“Were there any other times you knew of in which Belladonna broke the rules of EMI in order to protect people she liked?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Of course,” Braven said. “It was common, actually. That was her reputation. One such instance involved breaking a contract to save a captured team member. I believe the mark on that contract wound up aiding Belladonna’s team in the assault at EMI.”

“What was his name?” Mr. Fine said.

“Rasco Rahim,” Braven said. “Grecken didn’t touch that contract because Mr. Rahim was a known terrorist, and not only dangerous in his own right, but well protected by many resources. Rahim discovered his son put a hit on him using EMI, and captured Vixy Knight in order to negotiate a new deal. Belladonna accepted it in order to save Vixy’s life.”

“Is that considered an appropriate thing to do at EMI?”

“No,” Braven said. “Not at all. Belladonna broke a contract. It shouldn’t have happened that way.”

“In your opinion,” Mr. Fine said. “Would her team have been able to pull off killing Mr. Rahim for this contract?”

“No,” Braven said. “It was a suicide mission from everything I heard. Not worth any amount of money.”

“Have you ever broken EMI rules?” Mr. Fine asked.

Braven took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes,” he said.

“What rules?”

“EMI employees were forbidden from openly hunting down coworkers, unless they were the mark on a contract,” Braven said. “Not even for basic predation needs. Doing so would get you fired. But I think… it’s safe to say I may have gone beyond that.”

“Howso?” Mr. Fine asked.

“My team and I held Vixy Knight and Belladonna hostage in her own office at EMI when we were hunting down Jayce,” Braven said. “We… I led this assignment. It was my orders that resulted in the torture of Vixy Knight.”

“Torture?” Mr. Fine asked. “Is torture something EMI condones?”

“No,” Braven said. “If a client wants a mark alive to torture, that’s their business, but we don’t even do that for a client.”

“What did you do, exactly?” Mr. Fine asked him.

“A member of my team held Vixy up so she couldn’t escape,” Braven said. “Belladonna refused to give us information we were looking for, so I ordered a team member to bite her tail off.”

“That sounds painful,” Mr. Fine said. “And this was also to torture Belladonna, then… given you knew how much she cared about her team members?”

“Yes,” Braven said. “And yes, it was painful. I’ve never heard a scream like that before.”

“Are you sorry for you actions?” Mr. Fine asked him.

“I… would like to think so,” Braven said. “But saying sorry is an easy thing. I’m not sure there’s a sincere enough apology for what I did.”

“Was that all you did?” Mr. Fine asked.

“No,” Braven said.

“What else?”

“I took a steel rod, and threatened to sodomize her,” Braven said. “It was at this point that Belladonna relented, and gave us what we needed.”

“Jayce is still alive,” Mr. Fine said. “So I assume whatever you were given wasn’t very fruitful?”

“The contract was canceled for another reason,” Braven told him.

“I see,” Mr. Fine said. “What reason?”

“Vixy Knight,” Braven said. “In… what I can only describe a stunning and heroic display of bravery and foolishness, hunted down the client, and killed her.”

“Isn’t that against the rules? It’s gotta be… that’s a huge interference in business,” Mr. Fine said.

“Technically, it’s not a welcome action,” Braven said. “But given the circumstances, legally speaking it was considered self-defense, since she was doing it to save someone else. And given… the actions I took, our boss overlooked the transgression.”

“Who was the client?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Melissa Ren,” Braven said. “Though we later discovered Ren was a fake surname.”

“Who was she, really, then?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Melissa Bellatano,” Braven said. “Granddaughter of Nick Bellatano.”

“The one who… tried to kill Vixy?” Mr. Fine asked.

“And, to quote, everyone she cares about,” Braven said.

“Did Nick Bellatano go through EMI to take revenge on Vixy?” Mr. Fine asked.

“Not exactly,” Braven said.

“What do you mean by that?” Mr. Fine asked.

“He came in… with his crew… walked past security and went straight to upper management. Talked to our boss, and brought all of our team leads into a meeting. It was not the normal procedure by any means,” Braven said.

“Was this against the rules of EMI?” Mr. Fine asked.

“I’m not sure if it would be considered a violation of company policy or not,” Braven said. “But it was definitely… unconventional. He didn’t go through the proper channels, and teams didn’t bid on the contract like we normally do.”

“What happened instead?”

“He hired all of us,” Braven said. “My understanding is that he not only bought out every single team in the building to deliver live targets to him right then and there, but… I heard when Grecken killed another team lead, he applauded it.”

“Objection, hearsay,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Sustained,” the judge said.

“Forgetting that,” Mr. Fine said. “What do you know happened?”

“I know that after the meeting dispersed, it was immediately a free for all. Grecken ordered us to go to the on site residence of Belladonna’s team and clean house. We failed. They escaped. A manhunt began… everyone started searching the entire city, turning over every stone. But we soon discovered they had already left.”

“What happened next?” Mr. Fine asked.

“They attacked,” Braven said. “Or at least, that’s the next thing I heard. You see, in their initial escape, I sustained gunfire and was moved to EMI’s medical facility, where I spent the remainder of the event. From there I heard it all. Gunfire, explosions, a helicopter crash, it sounded like a war zone.”

“Have you ever been deployed in combat?” Mr. Fine asked.

“No,” Braven said.

“So when you say it sounded like a war zone, this wasn’t from personal experience?”

“More like… something you might see in a movie,” Braven said.

“So breaking the rules… at EMI… and breaking the law, even… seems like it was… commonplace,” Mr. Fine said. “Everyone you’ve talked about, even your boss, ignored the rules when it was convenient. Is that a fair statement?”

“I suppose it is, yes,” Braven said, shrugging. “I guess… at the time, being so wrapped up in everything, I just… you know, I made mistakes. If I could go back, I’m not sure if I would make them again, but I might. That was the culture there.”

“So this wasn’t some… singular, problem child, so to say,” Mr. Fine said. “It was endemic. The whole company culture was like this?”

“It was,” Braven said into the microphone.

“No further questions, your honor,” Mr. Fine said. Then he looked to Mr. Kamore and said, “Your witness.”

Mr. Kamore stood up and went over to Braven. “Mr. Braven,” he said. “I take it, from your testimony, that you weren’t a witness to many of these events yourself, correct?”

“Not directly, no,” Braven said. “The only part I played myself was a shootout in the hallway.”

“So you don’t really know what exactly was said and done between Nick Bellatano and your boss, correct?”

“I suppose not.”

“Are you a predator, Mr. Braven?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I’m a lion,” Braven said.

“That’s right,” Mr. Kamore said. “An apex predator. You have to eat meat.”

“Yes,” Braven said.

“But you were able to restrain yourself when it came to company policy around not eating coworkers,” Mr. Kamore said. “How did you manage that?”

“There was plenty provided for us by the company, and on the job,” Braven said.

“What is your favorite type of meat?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Objection, relevance?” Mr. Fine asked.

“I assure you my intention is to show the jury just what this situation is really all about,” Mr. Kamore said. “Predators hunt and eat when they are hungry. They don’t blow up buildings in a rampage.”

“Objection, prejudicial,” Mr. Fine said.

“Keep it civil, Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “The jury will disregard the last statement, but I’ll allow the questioning to continue.”

“Mr. Braven,” Mr. Kamore said. “If you could be so kind?”

“I like deer, and antelope,” Braven said. “Cervids, in-general.”

Mr. Kamore looked to the jury, and nodded. “I see an antelope on the jury. Do you think maybe… you would be so inclined to eat him?”

“Your honor…” Mr. Fine said. “You know what, never mind.”

“Try to avoid making threats, Mr. Kamore,” the judge said.

“Not a threat,” Mr. Kamore said. “In fact that’s exactly what I want to point out. You need to eat… it’s a survival fact, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Braven said.

“How would you do it?” Mr. Kamore asked. “If you were to devour… an antelope, no one in particular. How would it happen?”

“I would find one that doesn’t look too strong, or too young,” Braven said. “I’d stalk him or her, and I’d play it carefully. Antelope can still be dangerous, so it’s something to watch out for. But when I feel like I can attack without being harmed in return, I typically make a low leap and trying to tackle them sideways.”

“And then?”

“Then… I eat,” Braven said.

“No… torture? No… gearing up?” Mr. Kamore asked. “No need to find a whole team and prepare bombs and extra ammo?”

“No, of course not, that’d be silly,” Braven said. “If it takes that much to hunt down one prey, it’s not worth it.”

“You seem an honorable predator,” Mr. Kamore said. “In your opinion, despite however… unconventional Nick Bellatano’s directions were, would you say it was still a good hunt? Not… over the top?”

“I don’t think so, no,” Braven said. “I made… a lot of mistakes in going too far at EMI, but my role in the attack was not one of them.”

“And would you say the same for the defendants attack?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“I suppose, well… I can’t say so with confidence, I wasn’t actually there for the majority of it.”

“Just based on what we know,” Mr. Kamore said, clarifying.

“I have my doubts, but I wasn’t there,” Braven said.

“No further questions,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Next witness,” the judge said as Braven was stepping down from the witness stand.

Mr. Fine tapped the desk, thinking, and looking back and forth between the jury, Mr. Kamore, and Braven, taking in all their reactions, trying to gauge the next move.

“Mr. Fine,” the judge said. “Your next witness?”

Mr. Fine nodded, stood up, and said. “The defense calls Vixy Knight to the stand.”

Vixy leaned towards him, and whispered. “This wasn’t your plan,” she said. “I thought you didn’t want to call me as defense…”

“Trust me,” Mr. Fine said. “I know… exactly what I’m doing.”

Vixy stood up slowly, and walked towards the witness stand. The bailiff swore her in, and she followed suit. Then, still perplexed, she looked at Mr. Fine.

“Vixy,” Mr. Fine said once he was ready. “What’s your favorite meat?”

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said. “Uh… it’s… prejudicial?”

“Your honor, my opponent asked the exact same question not ten minutes ago,” Mr. Fine said.

“I’ll allow it,” the judge said. “Sit down, Mr. Kamore. The witness will answer the question.”

“I like… rabbits? Bunnies?” Vixy said, as if asking a question.

Mr. Fine nodded. “Not bad,” he said. “I’m sure there are… other predators who can relate. Why do you like them so much?”

“I don’t know, I guess I like the taste or… well, I do find them kind of cute?” Vixy asked. “And for some reason… that just… gets me going.”

“Okay, okay,” Mr. Fine said. He looked to the jury, and walked towards them. “Vixy, there’s two rabbits on this jury. Which would you be more inclined to eat on any given day or night?”

Vixy blinked at him, shocked, and leaned forward. “What the fuck are you doing?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“Please just… answer the question,” Mr. Fine said.

Vixy looked to the jury…

…

…

No seriously. What the fuck are you doing? Aren’t you my defense lawyer? In this moment, I suppose I… have to answer the question. Mr. Fine… is smart. He knows what he’s doing. My… honest answers are part of his plan. I have to answer honestly.

As I scan the jury box and look between the two rabbits, I make out their appearances. The very line of questioning has made them both nervous. One male, brown, rubbing his shoulder. The other… female, I think. Probably, might be queer. I like queer. Harlequin… black and white. Exotic looking. And those eyes. She’s scared, but… something about her says that she wants me to pick her.

“The harlequin,” I say.

“You’d kill her and eat her?” Mr. Fine asks me.

“I uh…” I stammer. Everything about this feels like the wrong move. I clear my throat and nod slowly. “If… we weren’t in court, and I was on the hunt, as it were, and came across her… yeah I think I would probably pick her out of a crowd.”

“Why?” he asks. He’s smiling, giddy even. He… wait, he wants me to get into it. He wants me to show my desires.

“She looks more attractive,” I say. “To me, at least. I prefer a more feminine persuasion, normally. Plus, I… hope I’m not wrong, but my gaydar’s kinda going off. Just based on looks I think she’s probably in the queer community, like me.”

“Like you?” Mr. Fine asks me. “What an odd way to choose someone to eat. Why?”

“I… don’t know,” I say. I genuinely don’t know. He’s asking me for introspection I’ve never thought too hard about. Wait, except, I do know. “Because I’m a vorephile.”

“A what?” Mr. Fine asks.

“It’s slang, or close to it,” Vixy says. “It refers to someone, usually prey, who… fantasize about being eaten.”

“Wait, wait wait,” Mr. Fine says. “So you’re telling me that when you look at this juror, you what? You imagine… being her? Getting eaten?”

I nod and laugh at myself a little. My blush is filling my cheeks. This is what he wants, isn’t it. For me to show my vulnerabilities. “Yeah,” I say. “It’s a little embarrassing, I guess, but… I hear a lot of prey have it, especially a lot of prey who also eat meat. Most of my prey have it, anyways.”

“Without asking,” Mr. Fine says. “Can you… tell if she’s a vorephile?”

I nod. “I mean,” I say. “I have a suspicion. Sometimes prey, like myself… it’s a look, a yearning. I know that look when one fantasizes about being a meal. I see it in the mirror all the time. She wanted me to pick her, I think.”

“You think?” Mr. Fine asks.

“I can’t know,” I tell him. “Not for sure, not right away, anyways.”

“What do you mean?” he asks me next.

“I make them want it,” I tell him. “It’s… a game to me. That’s the fun in it. I don’t just tackle them and eat like Braven does. I… cherish and celebrate my living meals. I want to give them exactly what they want, because I fantasize about it, all the time.”

“What do they want?” he asks. “Is it… the same, usually?”

“Most of the prey I hunt are hanging out in the same types of places,” I tell him. “Clubs, bars… socialite settings. Mostly I pick people who are also looking for something else, so it lines up. I’m looking for the same thing.”

“What is the thing?”

“Sex,” I say. “I like prey who enjoy their final moments in… ecstasy. That’s how I want to go.”

“You fantasize about it, often, you said,” he asks me. “Any particular activities… or partners you hope to engage with?”

I nod, and point towards Jayce. “I, yeah… Jayce,” I say. “If it were to happen right now, I’d want it to be with him. I’ve known him since high school. He’s seen me kill, how I do it, how I tease… it’s the exact way I want to be teased. I’ve been slowly teaching him how I want to be eaten so if the time ever comes… he’ll make it perfect.”

“And that’s what you’re trying to do,” he asks me. “When you devour prey. You want to make it… perfect.”

“I can’t, always,” I tell him. “But I can get pretty close. Once a prey has accepted their fate, they can let loose a little. Tell me what they want, and I’ll give it to them.”

“You said not all of your kills end in sex,” he says. “What’s an example of a time that didn’t happen?”

“Nick Bellatano,” I tell him. “I wasn’t after him for a fun night. I was trying to save myself. It wasn’t a romance, but a duel. I had him down for the count. I asked him… what he wanted.”

“What did he say?” Mr. Fine asks.

“He conveyed to me that he didn’t want ceremony, mercy, or pity. I think he intended to stare death in eyes, with a straight face. He said… shoot me dead, pretty fox.”

“And so that’s what you did?” Mr. Fine asks.

“Yes,” I say as I nod. “A quick, clean death. For a man who would not cower from his fate, nor wish for some alternate ending. No final bouts of pleasure or remorse. Just… bang. Dead.”

“What if he had asked for something?” Mr. Fine asks me next. “What if he wanted a blowjob before he left this world?”

“I…” I think for a moment, blowing air through my lips. “I don’t know if I could have feasibly acquiesced. Would have been difficult to keep a gun on him while I sucked him off. I might’ve tried.”

“This man,” Mr. Fine says. “Who tried to kill you. Who tried to hunt down and torture everyone you cared about. You would’ve tried to grant him such a ridiculous request?”

“I don’t think it’s ridiculous,” I tell him.

“What about Melissa, did you give her a last wish?” he asks.

I shake my head. “Melissa fought to the very end, there wasn’t an opportunity.”

“One more question,” Mr. Fine asks me. “If you could buy rabbit meat, synthesized in a lab… would you still eat live rabbit?”

“I don’t know,” I say. I think about it for a moment, and then shake my head. “No, actually. No, I think I’d rather keep them around. I like rabbits. Not just for food. If I didn’t have to eat them to get a proper taste, well… I doubt I would. I’d probably just want to keep a few around me for my other lusts, but… no, why would I eat them? Unless… they asked me to, anyways.”

“What?” Mr. Fine asks me. “Who would want to be eaten? Who would… ask their partner to eat them?”

“Are you… asking me to answer that?” I ask him.

“Yes, please,” Mr. Fine says.

“I would,” I say. I smile. The feeling is liberating. “I… already have. After I killed Melissa, and learned about the danger coming my way, I asked Jayce to eat me.”

“What the hell,” Mr. Fine says, still smiling. “Why?”

“You know,” I say, giggling a little. “I guess I can’t really be too sure. But I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want him to.”

“You want him to eat you?” Mr. Fine asks me.

“Yes,” I say. This… feels so liberating. Gosh am I this weird?

“Some might say you’re suicidal,” Mr. Fine says.

“Who cares?” I ask. “We live in a world where predators eat prey. It’s open season on us out here. So who cares if I want it? Why do predators get to judge me for embracing my role in life?”

“No further questions,” Mr. Fine says.

…

…

“Your witness,” Mr. Fine said to Mr. Kamore as he sat down.

“No questions, your honor,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Next witness,” the judge said.

“The defense calls juror number 3 to the stand,” Mr. Fine said, standing back up.

“What?” Mr. Kamore asked. “Your honor, that’s… that’s not allowed. It’s prejudicial, or… something.”

“I’m going to allow it,” the judge said. “Juror number 3, please take the stand.”

The harlequin rabbit got up, abiding by the courts demands, and took the witness stand. She was sworn in, and Mr. Fine walked up to start asking her questions.

“I’m deathly curious,” Mr. Fine began. “How accurate was my client’s estimations of you?”

“Uhum…” the rabbit blushed a little, and nodded. “Spot on, I’d have to say.”

“You’re a vorephile,” Mr. Fine said. “like my client?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I guess I am. And… you know what, after that, I’m not really afraid to admit it.”

“Amazing,” Mr. Fine said. “You don’t want to die, do you?”

“No,” she said. “But… part of me would feel jealous if she picked the other rabbit. I’m… valuable, I guess?”

“So, let me paint a picture here,” Mr. Fine said. “You’re at a club one night, hanging out with your friends, wearing a sexy dress. A similarly well-dressed fox comes to greet you. You can tell they want to eat you. What do you do?”

“I… I don’t know,” she said.

“You don’t run?” Mr. Fine asked.

“No,” she said. “If she wanted to eat me right there, I’d already be dead. So maybe she wants something else. Lust and hunger usually cross lines for predators. If she’s hot, I… might go for it.”

“Not expecting death, though, right?” Mr. Fine asked her.

“Maybe,” she said. “It’s a risk. And… shit, I take a risk every damn day just walking from home to work, and work to home. But if I can risk getting mauled and eaten in my commute, then… it’s not that much of a stretch to take the risk for a potentially… really fun night.”

“You’re not going to be upset,” Mr. Fine asked. “If she takes you somewhere secluded, and after giving you what you hoped for, didn’t let you go home? Had you for dinner?”

“Predators have to eat,” she told him. “I’m not naive, I know that.”

“Would you still be okay with being eaten,” Mr. Fine said. “If there was an alternative source of food in which… no rabbit had to die?”

The rabbit looked over to Vixy, and felt bold after listening to the fox’s own confession, and nodded. “If it was consensual, mutual… yeah, I think I would be okay with it.”

“No further questions, your honor,” Mr. Fine said as he sat down.

Mr. Kamore stood up, and walked straight for the witness stand. “This is ridiculous,” he said. “Can I eat you?”

“Objection, your honor,” Mr. Fine said.

“Overruled,” the judge said, laughing a little.

“No,” the juror said.

“I’m not asking permission,” Mr. Kamore said. “Is it possible? Can I eat you?”

“I’m sure you could if you tried,” the rabbit said, resentfully.

“But you wouldn’t… consent to me eating you?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know you,” the rabbit said. “And quite frankly, I don’t like you.”

“Would you consent to Vixy eating you?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“Probably not,” the rabbit told him.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know her,” the rabbit said. “But I’ll give you this, she’s got a better chance because I don’t dislike her.”

“She wants to eat you,” Mr. Kamore said.

“Mr. Kamore,” the judge said, but then looked at Mr. Fine. “Mr. Fine. Are you going to object?”

“Nope,” Mr. Fine said.

“I said, she wants to eat you,” Mr. Kamore said. “Are you okay with that?”

“Oh no,” the juror said. “The fox wants to eat a bunny? I’m shocked…”

“Permission to treat the witness as hostile?” Mr. Kamore asked.

“You want to threaten a juror?” the judge asked. “Did I hear that right?”

“This is absurd,” Mr. Kamore said. “All prey want to be eaten apparently, if only they get to choose who does it.”

“Not a crazy concept, if you think about it,” the rabbit said.

“I don’t recall asking a question,” Mr. Kamore said. “Call your next witness, Mr. Fine. I’m sure it’ll be quite a show.”

“Your honor,” Mr. Fine said. “The defense rests.”

Mr. Kamore threw a pen at the table and it bounced off and into the gallery. He then sat down and crossed his arms.

“Contempt, Mr. Kamore,” the judge said. “That’s contempt for you. Any closing statements?”

Mr. Kamore stood back up, and took a deep breath as he contemplated his thoughts, composing himself before he approached the jury. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” he said. “I stand before you today because of matters of law. Not to try and make a statement. Not to play politics. The defendants in this case don’t contest the charges against them. They took up arms, prepared bombs, and a plan of attack, and executed a military style raid on a business. There’s no denying that. These people here…” He gestured to the defense table. “They knew what they were doing. They knew the dangers involved. When faced with grave threats, they didn’t go to the police. They didn’t run. They attacked. You have been given a duty here today to stand with the law, not a privilege to deny it. Whatever feelings you may have about these individuals do not matter. What matters… is what they did. And what they did… is break the law. People died because of what they did. Let’s not forget that.”

Mr. Kamore sat back down at his table, and looked over to Mr. Fine, who stood up next to deliver his own closing statements. “Yes,” he said. “You are here to uphold the law. We are all here to uphold the law. Mr. Kamore is absolutely right about that. But don’t be intimidated into believing that there is only one outcome here. You have the lives of these defendants in your hands now. You’ve heard the facts. You’ve heard the evidence. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury… if this case was so cut and dry, we wouldn’t be here today. We’re here, in fact, because whether or not the defendants committed a crime is up to debate. It is in your hands, not my fellow lawyer, and not the judge. Deciding someone’s guilt or innocence has nothing to do with taking the law into your own hands. In fact, that decision is the most important part of our legal process. You have to decide, but before you do, I just have to ask you all one thing… just one thing: if that were you, sitting at that table. What would you have done? If you would’ve gone to the police, that’s fine. If you would’ve run, that’s fine, too. My clients chose to fight. To defend themselves. Did they cross a line? I don’t think so. Given the extraordinary circumstances they were in… maybe they could’ve run, or gone to the police, but what then? To them, they did the only thing that would protect themselves. It is my hope that that’s what you will all see, too. My hope that you vote not guilty, not because you dislike the law, not to… throw the law away, but because that is the law. If we can’t defend ourselves in the face of grave danger… well, we may as well live our lives as livestock.”

After Mr. Fine took a seat, the jury was led back into a private room to deliberate the matter. Mr. Fine sat back, and looked across the aisle, and then to the judge. The judge stood up. “I imagine the jury’s deliberation in this case will take some time. Until such a time that the jury comes back with a verdict, this court is in recess.” With a slamming of the gavel, the courtroom was dismissed, and everyone began filing out.

The courtroom was filled again. The defendants had all filed into their seats, and the place was packed. Camera crews were inside the courthouse, and crews were making sure everything was ready, doing all their last minute checks. “All rise,” the bailiff called out.

Everyone stood up and the judge moved into the courtroom, taking his seat behind the bench. After he tapped the gavel, he called the court to order, and looked over to the jury box. “Court is in session,” he said. “And I understand the jury has reached a verdict?”

“We have, your honor,” the first jury called out as he stood up.

“Very good,” the judge said. It had been three days. A long deliberation had taken place, and speculation as to how the jury would render their verdict was abound. “Let’s proceed. On the charges of possession of illegal weapons, how do you find?”

“On the charges of possession of illegal weapons,” the juror spoke. “We, the jury, find the defendant, Kuro… guilty on all counts.”

There was a slight hush in the courtroom, and Mr. Fine looked over and nodded to Kuro, still confident, despite the ruling. “On the first eight charges of manslaughter in the first degree, taking place at the EMI headquarters, how do you find?”

“We the jury, find the defendants, Vixy, Kuro, Click, Leanna, Nat, and Jayce,” the jury spoke out. “Not guilty.”

Everyone was holding their breath now. The next charges were the ones that really mattered. “On the charge of murder in the first degree, taking place at the EMI headquarters, how do you find?”

“We the jury, find the aforementioned defendants, not guilty… by reason of self-defense,” the juror spoke out.

There was a palpable excitement in the air, optimism on the rise, as everyone rooting for the defense became hopeful. Mr. Kamore wasn’t showing any emotion yet, still hopeful on some final charges.

“On the charges of manslaughter in the first degree, taking place at the studio building, how do you find?” the judge asked.

“We, the jury, find the defendants… not guilty, by reason of self-defense,” the juror spoke.

Mr. Kamore sighed and put his head in his hands, shaking it back and forth.

“And on the charge of—” the judge began to speak but as he did, the doors in the back of the room opened up, and armed men started moving through the room towards him. “Excuse me, we are in the midst of a proceeding here. What is the meaning of this?”

The head of the men, as they were all in uniform, approached the judge. “Your honor, I have a warrant for your arrest,” the man said. “This court proceeding is operating in violation of the Presidential Justice for Terrorism Order.”

“The what?” the judge asked. “That’s absurd. The president has no authority over this courtroom.”

“He does now,” the man told him. “Mr. Fine, I have a warrant for your arrest as well. Please turn around.”

“What?” Mr. Fine asked. “You can’t do this.”

“This is illegal!” the judge called out.

“If the jury could remain seated,” the man called out. “Jurors number 1, 3, 7, 9, 10, and 12… you are under arrest. Clear the room.”

“Alright, out, everyone, out!” another man shouted. “Turn that camera off. Leave it! I said leave it!”

The armed men all started putting everyone in handcuffs and rifling through pockets to empty them out. “This is unconstitutional,” the judge said. “I am an elected judge. You cannot arrest me. You cannot arrest jurors.”

“You are all under arrest for seditious conspiracy to commit treason and domestic terrorism,” the man called out to everyone. “Sentencing has been handed down by the president.”

“No trial?” Mr. Fine asked him as he was moved away. “No witnesses. No evidence. This is wrong! You can’t do this!”

“Shut up!” the man said, hitting him with the back of his rifle. Mr. Fine snarled, his nose bleeding.

The armed men lined up everyone who was arrested at the front of the courtroom and put them down on their knees, including all of the defendants. Another man in military uniform walked in with papers, and two others behind him. They walked around the bench and he sat at the front. “Calling this court marshal to order,” he said. “By order of the Justice for Terrorism Act, I hereby find you all guilty of the crimes you have committed against Cascadia. Terrorism will not be tolerated here any longer.”

“Terrorism?” Mr. Fine asked. By now, Mr. Kamore and his team had left. The remainder of the jury was escorted out of the room, as were all the reporters and witnesses. “What you’re doing is terrorism.”

“You are hereby sentenced—”

“Wait!” Vixy shouted. “Wait. I request my sentence be carried out by private auction!”

The man at the bench nodded. “You are all hereby sentenced to death. Your meat will be sold to market, and you may choose your method of execution from approved options.”

“Private auction!” Jayce called out. He didn’t know exactly what Vixy was planning, but followed her lead anyways.

“Yeah, that one,” Leanna said. “Private auction.”

“What are you doing?” Mr. Fine asked them all.

“Following Vixy’s lead,” Nat said. “Private auction.”

“Private auction,” Click chimed in as well.

“Private auction,” Kuro also demanded.

“What is the meaning of this?” the officer captain asked. “Have you all gone mad?”

“Private auction?” the third juror asked, looking at the rest, and then nodded. “Yes, private auction.”

“For the record,” Vixy said. “It’s just to choose who eats me…”

“I don’t think you understand how a private auction work,” the captain said. “But suit yourself.”

“I don’t accept that,” Mr. Fine said. “This is illegal!”

“That’s enough of this,” the new judge said. “Guards, carry out your sentencing on the rest.”

The men all pulled their guns up, and pointed them to the backs of everyone else’s heads. There was little ceremony. Much protest, but in the end, loud bangs rang out and every single one of them who didn’t demand a private auction was shot and killed on the spot.

“Take the remaining convicts and prepare them for sale,” the man behind the bench said.

“Yes, sir,” the captain said. Everyone left was picked up, and escorted out of the room. Hoods were thrown over their heads and they were led to a prison transport van, each of them chained in one by one.

“Vixy,” Leanna said. “There’s a plan, right?” She was starting to tear up. “Please tell me there is a fucking plan!”

“Quiet!” one of the guards shouted before hitting her with the rifle butt.

…

…

What the hell just happened? I cannot speak because I am in shock. There is no plan, not for Leanna. Not for Nat. Not for the bunny on the jury. The plan was straight-forward and it was already in motion. Rasco buys me, buys Jayce. Jayce eats me with Rasco, then Rasco eats him. That’s all I got. Control over my death.

But what the hell was that? We won… I know we did. But then… something else happened. Now I am here.

Mr. Fine was shot dead right in front of us, along with several members of the jury. The judge… shot dead. That’s not supposed to happen. I’m not supposed to be here.

The fog around me is enclosed so tightly that I can’t even see or hear anyone else. The process of being auctioned off comes next, and I am not prepared, mentally or physically, for what comes next. Still in hoods, we are dragged from the van at the next stop, and forced to march blindly towards something wholly unknown. It isn’t long before hoods are adorned with earmuffs. We cannot see or hear… I cannot see or hear. I do not even know if my friends are still around me.

The earmuffs and hood are suddenly removed once I’m alone in a mostly dark room. But while the room is darkened, and I cannot see the faces around me, I am in a spotlight. The chains come off, clattering on the floor, and are removed. Then, other people, wearing masks, remove my clothes without even asking for my cooperation or warning me what they were doing. Hands grope and squeeze, take measurements.

“What the hell,” I say, starting to push them away. “What’s going on?”

“The product will be silent.” The voice is robotic and eerie. Someone is masking their voice through a robotic distortion.

“The product?” I ask.

“The product will be silent,” it says again. “Or it will be punished.”

Those hands come back, doing whatever work they’re intent on doing. I push them away again, starting to feel afraid. “The product will not resist.”

“Fuck you,” I tell it.

Suddenly, all the hands move away and I am shocked, electricity running up from the floor to my feet and I fall to the ground in pain. Once the shock ends I gasp and pant, trying to catch my breath.

“The product will not be hostile,” the machined voice says. “The product will obey all instructions.”

“Can’t you just talk to me?” I ask. Then, I get electrocuted again, for twice as long. I writhe in pain on the floor, and shake my head as I catch my breath again.

“The product will be silent and obey all instructions,” it says again. Afraid to speak, I just nod slowly. “The product will stand.” I get up from the floor, and stand up straight. This time, when everyone around me starts working again, I don’t react. I let them touch, poke, prod, measure.

“The product will read the indicated script,” it then says.

I look ahead as a light comes on, illuminating a short script like a teleprompter. I squint to try and read it.

“The product will begin reading when the text is large enough to see,” the voice said.

The size of the script increases and I’m able to make it out more clearly. “Hi,” I say, reading along. “I am a red fox…”

“The product will begin again,” the voice says. “The product will smile when speaking.”

My eye twitches but I obey, smiling towards the text, apparently being recorded. “Hi,” I start again, putting a little more pep in my voice. “I am a red fox. I am five-foot-eleven, and weigh two-hundred-fifteen pounds. My meat is grade A—” I hesitate. This is fucked.

“The product will continue reading,” the voice says. “The product will restart the sentence.”

“My meat is grade A, eighty-six percent lean. I am pre-operative transgender female, and I am a confirmed vorephile. My cup size is thirty-double-C, and is naturally grown from hormone supplements, which I began at age twelve. I am currently twenty-eight years old. I was convicted of multiple murders and terrorism, and have consented to being sold on private auction to be executed by predation.”

The words stop appearing. I look around. All of the people touching me are gone now and I am alone. One person comes behind me, though. “The product will place its hands in front of its waist.” I obey, and the person comes around to the front, and places some much nicer looking, but no less secure handcuffs around my wrists.

“The product will proceed forward,” the voice says.

The walkway in front of me lights up for me, and I walk onto it, and towards the end of the room as a door opens up in front of me. When I walk through, I am in a room with glass walls, stripped nude. I stop at the end of the walkway, and look around nervously. Beyond the glass are barely visible outlines of people.

Suddenly, a number lights up in the glass in front of me, just over my head. $16,000. Surely, I’m worth more than that… Wait, is Rasco even in this crowd? I try to peer through the glass, trying to make out the familiar, large shape of the tiger, but I can’t see enough detail. The number changed to $17,500.

“Can I speak now?” I ask softly. I don’t think anyone can hear me. After a little longer, the bid, or what I can only assume is the bid goes up again, this time $20,000.

The next few minutes, that’s all that happens. I stand there, looking around, trying to make out Rasco’s figure behind the dark glass as the number slowly ticks up. If Rasco isn’t there… even if he is… I’m being sold as meat. My life is over.

Like… really over. I can’t stop thinking about it all of the sudden, and I start to feel myself get week at the knees, tears beginning to form on my cheeks. The last few moments of my life, watching a number tick up… my worth… to some rich asshole who wants to eat me… displayed in bright neon letters above my head.

I’ve had brushes with death before, but not like this. None have ever been so certain as this one. And there is nothing I can do now. I cannot fight, cannot run… I can probably scream but what’d be the point now? How much will the others sell for? How much will Rasco be able to bid even if he is out there.

I start to sink, and then fall to my knees. The tears are real now. I must look so pathetic, staring up at the glass as everyone watches me break down. The gut wrenching, soul-crushing feeling inside of me builds until it is an exhaustive, overwhelming force-wall of pressure… fear and sadness. For all the talk of how I wanted to go, I could never have imagined it like this. I almost wish now for any other way, and I think I understand what Nick meant when he said he didn’t want the added humiliation.

In any other scenario, I would have accepted this. I would have even been turned on by this. But with how close I got. With all that’s been going on around me. The hopelessness of if it all…

I can’t I can’t

I can’t

I… can’t I can’t I just… I can’t

My sobbing turns to wailing as I bury my face down into my arms. But my tears only make the ticker go up. Maybe they cannot hear me, but they can see me, and they like what they see.

A girl… naked and broken down… reduced beyond tears, beyond words. This is what they’re really paying for: my defeat. My humiliation. It is beyond anything I can conjure, and I have in me no courage or strength left to fight it. So I cry.

I just cry.

And I keep crying, sniffling, and wailing.

I could be two years old in here, a toddler knowing only the misery and pain of loneliness and fear.

Sold. The lettering changes. Sold. $66,000. Sold. $66,000.

I lay on the floor like that, refusing to get up. Four people come behind me, all masked, and pick me up, and take me out of the room, back into the room before, and then into another room. They put me on a bed of silk sheets in a windowless room, and shut the door.

The end is lasting a lifetime, and now I just wish it were over already.

…

…

Vixy was later brought into another room, this one more well-lit. The walls were concrete, and iron bars for doors on each exit blocked all possible escapes. One of the doors opened after Vixy was brought in, and Jayce was led out into the room with her. He also wore cuffs. He was also stripped bare.

Finally, guards started coming in, eight in total, all armed with rifles, and stood at each of the doors. Rasco came in with them, and walked out, still in his prison jumpsuit. “Oh thank god,” Vixy said, breaking her silence for the first time since auction. “Fuck, I thought…”

“You thought what?” Jayce asked her. “We’re done for… we’re getting eaten now.”

“Maybe,” Vixy said. “But… at least… I’m happy it’s with you by my side.”

“I’m not,” Jayce said. “I’m not happy at all. I hope you know that. This isn’t how it was supposed to end and I’m not happy with it.”

“I’m sorry,” Vixy said.

“Vixy,” Rasco said as he approached. “Jayce.”

Vixy looked up at Rasco, afraid on many levels, but feeling a tinge of relief. “Rasco…” she said. “I thought maybe… you couldn’t afford us. I was afraid.”

“Of course I can,” Rasco told her, leaning down to one knee to speak to her. “But you know… if you didn’t break down crying the way you did, would have been much cheaper.”

Vixy laughed and wiped her eyes, still tearful. “You’ll have to forgive me for that one,” Vixy said. “I don’t have any time to pay you back.”

“So what now?” Jayce asked him. “You just gonna eat us both? They’re here to make sure of it, right?” Jayce motioned to the guards. “If not, they’ll just shoot us, yeah?”

“That is the idea,” Rasco said to him. “Why so aggressive? Are you not willing to give your lover the death she has asked for? The death I helped pay for?”

Jayce shook his head. “We won,” he said. “Not guilty. We were not guilty. This is bullshit. It isn’t fair!” He shouted, and turned away from Rasco for the moment. “And this… I didn’t agree to this. Where are the others? All dead or still waiting?”

“Waiting,” Rasco told him.

“So we got to go first, huh?” Jayce asked. “Well, I’m sorry to say, Vix… but I can’t do this. I can’t eat you like this. I don’t want to. So you may as well start with me. Just make it quick. Or else I’ll make a run for the guards, and that’ll be the end of it.”

“Jayce…” Vixy said, looking in his direction. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m not doing it,” Jayce said. “I refuse.”

Vixy quivered a little bit, and took steps towards him. “You… you promised me.”

“I’m breaking that promise,” Jayce told her, without turning back around.

“You promised me!” Vixy shouted at him.

“I’m sorry, Vixy,” Jayce said. “But I can’t do it. Not now… not after everything.”

Rasco walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “That’s disappointing to hear, Jayce,” he said. “I thought for sure you would give the girl what she wanted. But… if you’ve made your choice, I still plan on starting with her. If you want to join at any moment, come to me.”

“No!” Vixy said, shouting at him. She got up close and put her hands around him. “No, don’t do this to me. Please don’t do this to me.”

Rasco pulled Vixy back, a hand on her shoulder and took a deep breath. “There is a time limit,” he told her. “If we have not begun soon, you will go to the next bidder.”

“Fuck!” Vixy shouted. She turned towards Rasco and looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “Fuck… It was him, Rasco. It was always supposed to be him.”

“I know…” Rasco said. “How should I start?”

Vixy broke her sobbing, wiped her face, and then offered Rasco an arm, holding it out high for him. The tiger took her arm in his hands and licked it up and down, tasting her. “You’ll be exquisite,” Rasco whispered to her. “I’m sure of it. I promise I will savor your flesh… every ounce.”

“Thank you,” Vixy said softly, whimpering, afraid and sad.

“If indeed,” Rasco said. “Jayce doesn’t want to, and… if it ever comes to that.”

Vixy didn’t even notice the shift in tone. It took her extra time to process his last few words, but when she did, she blinked and looked him.

“I think that’s enough teasing the poor little thing,” another voice spoke. Vixy was so worked up, and so was Jayce, that they didn’t even notice that other people had entered the room. When Vixy looked up, she saw a woman dressed in a suit, a cougar… mixed with a fox.

“Huh?” Vixy asked, looking over to her. “Wait a minute… you’re…”

“Senator Roslyn Ardwine,” she said. “And you’re Vixy Knight. I must say, I pictured you a little bigger.” There were more people in here, too. Some of Rasco’s men, and some other suited furs with sunglasses and earpieces. “It’s an honor to meet you in-person.” She extended her hand to shake it while it was still out. “And personally, I’d like to thank you. You just won me an election.”

“What?” Vixy let her arm down, and Jayce began to look back over his shoulder. “I don’t understand, what’s happening?”

Rasco smiled, and licked his lips. “I’ll have to savor your flesh another day, fox. That’s what’s happening.”

“The helicopter is ready,” one of the suits said to Roslyn. “Take-off in fifteen minutes.”

“No time for chit chat, Vixy,” Roslyn said. “It’s time to go.”

Vixy took one step forward. “Where are we going?”

“Someplace safe,” Roslyn told her.

“Wait…” Vixy said. “What about the others… my friends. The juror.”

“All coming with us,” Roslyn said. “Now, hurry up, let’s go.”

“But… the guards, the trial… the… the execution…”

When Vixy looked around at the prison guards, she saw they all had their backs turned. They were in on it. She took another step forward, and then looked back to Jayce. “J… Jayce,” she said to him.

Jayce looked down, ashamed, and shook his head. “I’m sorry…” he said. “I couldn’t do it… I should stay.”

“What?” Vixy asked him, moving towards him, next. “Why?”

“I failed you,” he said. “You asked one thing of me, just one… and I couldn’t do it. I don’t deserve this.”

Vixy looked down, and away, but shook her head. “I know,” she said. “And it hurts me to think about. But right now… we just got the luckiest break of a lifetime, and we have to go. Jayce… the only thing that could possibly hurt me more right now is if you didn’t give yourself a chance to make it up to me.”

“Clock’s ticking,” Roslyn said.

“Please, Jayce,” Vixy told him. “We can work on this. Let’s just go, first.”

Finally, Jayce relented, and nodded. He turned around and started walking, eyes still averting Vixy’s gaze. Vixy turned after him and walked behind the senator. “Okay,” she said. “We’re ready. Now… what’s happening here?”

“What’s happening is there’s going to be a revolution,” Roslyn told her. “One of those cameras in the court… it stayed rolling, live. The whole world saw what happened in that courtroom. Right now, there are riots in Furcadia. Deadly riots. The president has called in the national guard and enacted martial law. The people will not abide.”

“So what, then? We all just leave?” Vixy asked. The group, guarded and led by Rasco and his men, walked through the jail. There were no guards in sight. “Where are we going?”

“South,” Roslyn said. “Los Angeles. We’re set to touch down in California in less than four hours from now. The helicopter will take us to a private airfield. There, we have a private jet already chartered.”

“We’re fleeing the country?” Vixy asked.

“Yes,” Roslyn said. “You and your friends are quite the phenomena right now. Your safety is our highest priority.”

“Why?” Vixy asked. “It just… who cares if we die?”

“Everyone,” Roslyn said. “Everyone. When you told that false judge you wanted to be auctioned privately on national television, it blew a lid open. And in the same moment, you inspired people. Everyone thought you had a plan. Few knew you didn’t. People put their hope in you, Vixy.”

The group got out of the prison and onto the parking lot where a helicopter was waiting for them. Vixy and Jayce were handed some clean clothes by someone in the helicopter and immediately started getting dressed. Kuro and Click were already onboard. “Why though?” Vixy asked. “I’m just… some random fox…”

“You do us a favor and let me worry about the why’s,” Roslyn said. “The people need a symbol, and like it or not, you’re it. Now get in the helicopter. Let’s get out of here.” After everyone loaded up, the helicopter took off and headed for the airport.

…

…

While on the helicopter, the conversation continues, but I’m tuned out. Something else in on my mind. I can’t quite put my finger on it but we are missing something here. Belladonna and her sister. We basically doomed them both with Belladonna testimony at trial.

Landing at the airport, the plane already waiting for us, I step out of the helicopter and look around. Leanna and Nat are there waiting for us. “No one knows you’re gone from the prison, yet,” Roslyn tells us, checking her phone.

“What’s the plan?” I ask.

“You and your friends are flying with me to LA. It’s a diplomatic mission for me, but at the same time, we’re smuggling you out of the country,” Roslyn tells me. “Rasco and his people are joining us, but they’ll be departing us soon afterwards for Persia.”

“Why?” I ask. “I thought he had a sweet deal with his cousin or nephew or whoever.”

“New deal,” Rasco says. “I am going home. California, Mexico, and United States are working to remove little shit from power. Sand Tigers have a part to play and that’s my end of the bargain.”

“Dropping the terrorism for freedom fighting?” I ask him.

“We’ve always been freedom fighters,” Rasco tells me. “Only difference is now we have more support from big governments.”

“So that’s it,” Leanna says. “We’re out of here. We’re safe…”

I shake my head.

“We aren’t?” Click asks. “Seems like we are…”

“We can’t leave,” I tell them.

“What are you talking about?” Roslyn asks me.

“Guys… the job’s not done,” I say. “Belladonna is still out there and so is her sister.”

“What are you saying, exactly?” Roslyn asks me.

Kuro smirks, and nods. “She’s saying we’re not going with you.”

“Let me and my people handle Belladonna,” Roslyn says.

“Like you handled the trial?” Kuro asks her, shaking his head. “Don’t think so. Think we’re a bit more effective on our own, to tell you the truth.”

“Come on,” Roslyn says. “You don’t realize how impossible this is, and how much we’re risking just by getting you out of the country. We won’t get another opportunity, and like I said… the people here need their hope. They need to know you’ve all made it out!”

“They’ll find out one way or another,” Nat tells her. “This is important. I’m in.”

Leanna nods to that. “Not leaving Bell behind, no way,” she adds to it.

“Aint letting you go in without me,” Click tells us next. “You can count on it.”

“And what the hell are you all actually going to do?” Roslyn asks us. “Without Mr. Fine, you have no connections, no leads.”

“Actually, I think we do,” Leanna says. “Mr. Fine told Belladonna on the stand that they had a lead in the kidnapping case, and he looked right at Mr. Kamore while he asked. I think he was gauging his reaction. Mr. Kamore is connected directly to her somehow. And Belladonna herself was taken into protective custody by the judge. Hacking police records should be easy.”

“There’s nothing I can say right now to get you on that plane, is there?” Roslyn asks us all. We look at her, and she just gives the biggest sigh I’ve ever seen. “Okay, alright. I’ll spill the beans…”

“What beans?” Kuro asks.

Roslyn smirks at him, and nods. “With your guys’ skills, we were going to put you to work. And shit… what you’re talking about. What you want to do. That’s exactly what your first assignment is going to be. Your… exile comes with a job offer. New names, new homes, a paycheck.”

“Who exactly is this ‘we’ you’re talking about?” Kuro asks.

“I am part of a coalition of political figures that is trying to fulfill a decades-long mission,” Roslyn tells us. “To re-unite the United States of America.”

“So… what, then?” I ask. “We just go with you, and you send us back here to find Belladonna and her sister?”

“No,” Roslyn told us. “Because they’re not in Cascadia. They’re in Texas.”

“What?” I ask. “How?”

The currently controlled United States of America includes territory extending from Washington D.C. to Atlanta, Georgia, going north and south, and as far west as the middle of Wyoming. It is a broken, fragmented country with virtually no political power. It still runs the federal government as if it were still the old United States, but has no real authority over the other old US territories and states.

North of D.C. is a territory called The Hampshires, which includes all of the old states up to Vermont and New Hampshire, and extends westward past Chicago, and just past Minneapolis, also contain most of northern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The Hampshires have a strong alliance with Canada, and western Europe, and there have been talks of this region being absorbed into Canada.

The Republic of Texas controls the territory extending as far out as the east coast, and from Atlanta, Georgia down to parts of Florida, covering all of the old American Deep South. They are a deeply religious, conservative nation that refuses to acknowledge any mention of reunification. What’s left of Florida has joined with Cuba in a pact with Mexico, becoming the new Mexican Federation.

The Republic of California cuts Sacramento in half, and extends south to the Mexican border, and to the east as far as Las Vegas, Nevada, and south from there to Phoenix, Arizona. Most of Colorado considers themselves to be a part of California, but is cut off completely, and so is often referred to as it’s own state. California, Colorado, Canada, and the Mexican Federation have strong ties, and somewhat strong ties with the Hampshires.

Then there’s my home, Cascadia. Cascadia controls old Canadian territory, extending into Alaska, parts of Alberta, and the entire northwestern parts of the old US, going as far east as the Dakotas, and as fare south as Salt Lake City, our nation’s capitol. Cascadia considers itself a trade partner with the US and the Republic of Texas, but neither of those states consider Cascadia that close of an ally. In fact, Cascadia’s borders are closed to pretty much everyone these days. And in fact, Cascadia is closer to being what the old US was in terms of geopolitical power, often turning its nose up to the far more conservative Texas and far more liberal California.

“There’s no extradition,” I continue. “So how did they keep her out of the country and bring her back for trial?”

“They didn’t,” Roslyn explains. “She was kept here until the trial. We only know where she is because they moved her. And… we suspect her sister is in the same place.”

“So… what now?” I ask.

“Come with me,” Roslyn says. “We are putting together a plan.”

…

…

With that, everyone boarded the plane, and took their seats. After few minutes, the plane took off, and made its way for Los Angeles.