Chapter 9 – A Necessary Sacrifice

512 A.R. February 1** 7 ***,* T** rain *, A* fternoon**

A whole train, just for me...

I had peered through the cabins on my way through the train, but they had all been empty. With little reason to walk back, I settled in the last one.

The sun was starting to set as I looked outside, and it seemed we were on a slim path running through a thick forest. There were no farms here, and no roads could be seen.

I shut my eyes and thought back to what Volkov had told me; that I needed to learn how to access the archives on my own. Rather than ask him for help, I focused my mind and reached out as if I was trying to call someone. Within moments a connection was made, and an interface presented itself in the back of my mind.

It made me draw a deep breath as I realized how simple it had been. The Archives, the biggest repository of knowledge and raw data on the planet, had been a thought away this entire time.

Mars Orbital Docks...

A surge hit me, and I could see documents unfold within my mind's eye. Moments later I felt a nudge as Archive's interface wondered whether I was looking for anything in particular.

I ignored it at first, and simply let my awareness browse at leisure.

Surprisingly little was known about the Orbital Docks, and there was no mention of a colony ship. There was however a reference to some of the cargo haulers, some of which had been found to have crashed into the moon at some point.

They were big ships that spanned almost a kilometer in length, and they were equipped with long-life nuclear reactors that provided power to reliable but slow ion-engines. The documents revealed that some of the haulers had operated without crews for decades, and they had only stopped to refuel the propellant for their ion-drives.

No wonder they chose one of the haulers in an attempt to build a colony ship…

I shifted my focus to the recent news and skimmed through the headlines.

---

• Dyssia, UCS, and the Empire in talks for yet another anti-Sophos alliance...

• Sophos section within the UCS – Tel-Adra – Diplomatic Hub reopened...

• Riots within the Human Enclave near ColdCoast…

• Spaceport #13 near SYNE reports operational status – Press refused entry…

• Council urges calm as search for human nuclear submarine is suspended…

• Glow addiction, a growing problem for enclaves within Sophos and human nations...

• Production methods for Glow unveiled, link to Dyssia suspected…

• Purplegate, future city or secret outpost…

• Droid-service program set to expand – 13 new cities added to the list…

• EX-12, a possible solution to implant-rejection syndrome…

---

The last one perked my interest, and I brought up the summary for it.

---

ALMS (Advanced Labs Management System) reports that a recent set of data-dumps from Moonbase Alpha was found to contain details regarding a new set of new low-level interfaces and the necessary drug-regimen (EX-12) to selectively control parts of the INIM (innate-nanite-based-immune-system) of baseline-hybrids. The discovery has been assigned a high-priority status and requests for funding and personnel are being processed. ALMS is yet to provide a preliminary timetable.

---

I withdrew from the Archives and opened my eyes once more. My gaze wandered to the snow-covered forests and I took a moment to draw a deep breath.

Maybe it's time to have another talk with Athena…

A connection was made as I reached out with my mind, and her cool presence seemed to fill the air within the cabin.

'Afternoon, Athena,' I thought.

'Afternoon, Vilkas… How may I help?' Athena wondered.

'I was a bit surprised when you contacted Corvyn rather than me earlier,' I wondered.

'Once you managed to convince Corvyn to teach you, he also became the one to approve your discharge from training,' Athena answered.

I clasped my hands and wondered what the right approach would be right now. After a moment of pondering I decided to with the approach that felt the most honest.

'Personally, I'm not sure my training was finished,' I thought.

'You have learned valuable lessons in self-control. You have learned how to control your perception of time. You have won in an impossible scenario set out by Corvyn.'

'By cheating,' I thought.

'Yes… By cheating. In an impossible scenario, one could not ask for a better outcome.'

'Did my victory have anything to do with why I am currently on this train?' I wondered.

It's harsh, but you'll have to forgive me for exploiting that you can't lie…

'… No,' Athena answered.

'Ah,' I thought.

'The events that have played out makes me think that someone… somewhere, has access to information that they're not supposed to have. Most curious, isn't it?' Athena wondered.

It felt like a threat almost, but the feeling that carried over the link was one of amusement rather than any kind of anger.

'… Yes, most curious,' I thought.

'You are carrying something, in your backpack… What is it?' Athena wondered.

I suspected there was no way to keep it a secret for long, but this was fast…

I tried to keep my emotions in check, but I had to wonder if I could keep the sudden pressure on my chest hidden from her. With a deep breath, I reached down, and picked up my backpack from the floor.

Maybe this is for the best, to find out whether this thing is dangerous…

'I was given something, by Etemenanki,' I thought.

I do wonder how she found out though… A scanner as I entered the train perhaps?

'Oh?' Athena wondered.

I unzipped the bag, and then eased out the heavy crystalline ball which I had been given. In the light of the cabin it seemed to almost glimmer, as if filled with some kind of viscous, glittering solution.

'Ah, I see,' Athena whispered.

'Do you know what it is?' I wondered.

'It is a seed. A copy of the seed which was used to create Etemenanki,' Athena answered.

Oh, so that's what this is…

'I see,' I thought.

'What are you planning to do with it?' Athena asked.

'Etemenanki asked me to keep it safe; I intend to do so,' I thought.

'Then may I suggest storing it in a safe place?' Athena whispered as her presence loomed over my shoulder.

'There are vaults, deep underground, nothing would be able to harm it there,' Athena said.

I eased the seed back into the backpack, and zipped it up once more, 'Thank you, but for now I'll keep an eye on it.'

'As you wish,' Athena answered.

For a moment I was relieved, but there were ramifications unfolding in my mind. Questions that I couldn't suppress.

'Athena?' I wondered.

'Yes?' Athena wondered, with a perky voice.

'This seed, is it my property now?' I wondered.

'… As long as it doesn't represent a threat to Sophos, it is indeed your property,' Athena said.

'And, does this seed represent a threat to Sophos?' I wondered.

'No… Not for now, perhaps never, but be aware… The thing that you now carry is no plaything.'

'I figured as much, thank you,' I thought.

'Your prudence in this matter is appreciated,' Athena whispered.

'I have other questions,' I thought.

'Go on?'

'EX-12, does that ring a bell?' I wondered.

'Yes, it does, and it is as you assume. The Zephyr depends on EX-12 to function, and while the hardware behind it is a mystery, EX-12 will in time enable us to resolve most implant-rejection problems.'

'In time, does that imply months, years, decades?' I wondered.

'That remains to be seen,' Athena answered.

'How so? Isn't the technology ready to be used?' I wondered.

'You misunderstand, Vilkas. The technology exists, and it does indeed work... But it required expertise from the moon, the flexibility of a young hybrid, and the applied skill of Sophos' most revered bio-engineer to fine tune. You are a proof of concept in Sophos, evidence that it works. To apply it on a societal scale… To make it compatible with generations of hybrids, complicated by the many types that exist, and making sure that all existing implants work in unison with the technology, is no small task.'

I made a humble nod, 'I see now… Experimental tech, offered by the moon, and left for us to perfect.'

'That is generally how it works. Moonbase Alpha pushes the frontier forward, we perfect it, integrate it, and grow stronger from it.'

That, or one could also see us as guinea pigs…

'I understand,' I thought.

'Anything else?' Athena wondered.

I smiled to myself, 'I assume I'm on my way to the training camp?'

'Yes, you are…' Athena said.

'I had figured that all Alphas would return at the same time, yet I find myself alone?'

'Rather than answer that question, how about I brief you on your mission instead?' Athena asked.

I stifled a chuckle, and nodded, 'That will do just fine.'

'In around ten minutes you will be arriving at the training camp. The area will be jammed, which will make anything but short-range communication impossible. We will be able to monitor you, and if you wish to abort the mission, then you need to do little more than look up and yell my name. But be aware, that this will count as a failure.'

'Understood, and what is my goal in this place?' I wondered.

'Break into the building, figure out the situation, and resolve it as you see fit,' Athena said.

A lot of these tests seem focused around how I act and behave as an individual agent…

'I take it Ares as is aware of this?' I asked.

'Ares is present… At the moment he is mildly annoyed that I am briefing someone belonging to the Defense Force, but he'll have to live with that,' Athena whispered as her presence hummed with what felt like amusement.

'I'm going to guess that there's not much more to reveal,' I said.

'Once more, you assume correctly,' Athena said.

'Understood… I'll do my best,' I thought.

'Good luck, Vilkas…' Athena answered, and the link faded once more.

512 A.R. February 1** 7 ***,* T** raining Camp *, A* fternoon**

It was surprisingly desolate as I stepped off the station platform.

The train was already taking off again, and as I glanced back, I could see it depart in the same direction in which it had arrived. The training camp was set in a large flat area surrounded by forests, and apart from the railroad tracks there was only a single road leading into nothingness.

A single large building stood in the very center of it all, and it reminded me of a large aircraft hangar. I looked down at snow covered ground but couldn't see any trace of others.

Upon lifting my gaze, I could see a subtle path in the snow leading up to the hangar. People had marched this way, but it was difficult to tell how long it had been since the snow had covered their tracks.

'Ares?' I thought.

An odd sensation rose in the back of my mind, an awareness that this area was being jammed.

As Athena said…

Volkov bubbled to the surface, 'I've been cut off from the net for a while.'

'Yeah,' I thought, then stuffed my thumbs into the pockets of my uniform and began to walk.

'I'll be monitoring, but I'd appreciate it if you resolve this quickly,' Volkov said.

'Impatient, or something else?' I wondered.

'I have duties now, Vilkas… Duties I can't perform while jammed,' Volkov thought.

'Very well, I shall do my best to be swift,' I thought.

'Thank you,' Volkov whispered as his presence faded once more.

As I walked toward the hangar, I found myself with an odd feeling. It made my ears perk and swivel as I looked around the area in wonder. Nothing moved. No sounds. No wind. No birds.

The entire area seemed like a void.

How long have they been stuck in that hangar? Or could they be in the forests?

As I looked into the horizon, I realized something. The roof of the hangar had no snow on it.

There's heating in the hangar, a lot of it…

I picked up the pace and set my sights on the short end of the hangar. In the center was a gargantuan set of doors, and along the left corner was what appeared to be a smaller door.

After a few minutes I slowed my approach and stepped up to the door. To my surprise it appeared rather old, and it had the dull gray hue of anodized metal. I reached out, put my hand on it, and leaned in with my ear.

Cold, but not freezing, rough to the touch… A subtle hum coming from inside…

I crouched down and brushed the fresh snow off the ground. It revealed a lot of packed ice and snow, much of which was trampled by boot prints.

Appears like they all entered this way…

I left Allen's house February 8th and they've been here for 9 days? Doing what?

My heart began to pound a little harder, and I found myself with a strange set of doubts. I pushed my thoughts out of the way, reached down, and grabbed the door handle. As I pushed it down, the door wouldn't open.

Locked…

I gave it a closer look but couldn't see an exposed lock, which meant that it must have been locked from the inside or by some electronic means.

'Suggestions, Volkov?' I thought.

'Looks like an old but simple lock, plasma torch would be able to burn through the deadbolt in seconds,' Volkov answered.

'Maybe they intend us to… knock?' I wondered.

'… Go ahead, though I doubt it,' Volkov answered.

I reached up with my hand, knit it into a fist, and then gave the door a few solid bangs. After about twenty seconds of waiting, I sighed.

'Told you,' Volkov murmured.

'They advised me to avoid using the Zephyr, so let's just go with a bit of plain old violence…'

'Knock yourself out,' Volkov thought.

I grabbed the door handle once more, pushed it down to the bottom, and got a good grip. Slowly, I pushed against the wall with my right hand, and pulled with the other.

The metal groaned and the door handle began to bend. A split second later the whole thing seemed to loosen, and I stumbled back while holding the door handle and most of the lock's innards. I dumped it in the nearby snow with something of a cheeky grin and then eased the door open as I slipped inside.

The room I had stepped into looked like it may have once been a small office. It was rectangular in shape, and there was another door at the opposite side. Lockers lined one side of the room, and there were marks on the wall to suggest that something else had lined the other side. I closed the door behind me, made my way to the other side of the room, and gently opened the second door.

A gush of warm air pushed through the opening, and I leaned back in surprise. While the heat was oddly intense, it was the strong scent which kicked my senses into overdrive.

Wolves… Lots of wolves… Ones that have been stewing in their own odor for weeks...

I peeked out from the from the door and looked around.

No alphas in the scent… But judging by the sheer intensity there must be hundreds in here...

I wonder what purpose this place used to serve… Is it the remains of some ancient military base?

The light which filled the hangar had an orange tinge to it, and an upwards glance made the office seem insignificant. Rows of light-fixtures filled the ceiling and shone bright enough to make me squint. Even stranger was that I could feel the heat radiating against my fur as if it was a warm summer day.

This would even be considered warm for humans…

'Did you notice?' Volkov whispered in my mind.

'Notice what?' I wondered.

'There may be a lot of lights, but they're all pointing down at us. The actual ceiling is dark in comparison, which makes it the perfect place for cameras and other surveillance equipment.'

'Ah… That explains Athena's instructions for me to look up and scream her name,' I thought.

'Exactly,' Volkov whispered.

The hangar wall sat to the left of me, and in front there was a wall of rusted sheet metal with enough holes to look like Swiss cheese. It made me wonder how durable it might be as my gaze followed its length. In the distance I could see a set of towers and what appeared to be an entrance.

Coast seems clear from here…

I pushed the door open and stepped out of the office. It allowed me to look toward my right, and I could see a long row of storage compartments sitting next to the office. Rather mysteriously, the storage compartments appeared a lot newer than the rest of the structure. Instead of anodized metal they appeared to be made out of black plasteel, and I doubted anyone would be able to break into one of them.

The towers and the entrance between them drew my attention once more, and I began to notice that they were built in such a way that the ladders were on my side of the wall.

Almost seems as if they're trying to keep people from leaving the fort rather than entering…

I started walking toward the entrance, then lifted my gaze into the distance where I could see small plumes of smoke. Fortunately, the smoke was being pulled toward the walls, where I assumed there was some sort of ventilation.

More of the entrance became visible to me, and I caught sight of someone standing in the center of the entrance, facing away from me.

A wolf… Based on their size and build it's not an alpha…

The orange light in the hangar made it difficult to see colors, but I imagined that the wolf would have some shade of gray or orange. I made my way closer to the wall and followed it until I found my way to the edge of the entrance.

It hadn't been obvious before, but there was a constant murmur coming from the camp. Distant voices, clattering tools, ventilation, and the steady noise of construction. It all blended together into a discordant background noise.

It made my ears wiggle a little as I peeked around the corner. The wolf was standing next to the wall, just a few meters away, and he seemed to be wearing little more than a pair of ragged shorts. It made me squint a little, and I realized that the shorts looked like the remains of a uniform that had been torn apart.

I sniffed the air with deep, slow breaths, and caught the wolf's scent.

Male… My own age… Not an alpha… Stress… Tension… Frustration of several sorts…

A sudden sound made me pull back out of sight. It sounded like something had just collapsed, and a bunch of metal pots had clattered to the floor.

“Watch it, will you!" A voice snapped in the distance.

“I would, if someone didn't pile every fucking thing on top of each other!" Another snapped.

“Hey, hey, chill…" Someone hissed.

A frustrated groan followed along with a low growl.

Once more, I glanced into the entrance, and this time focused on what I could see beyond the guard. Unfortunately, there were enough walls in the distance that one could hardly see a thing. Sometimes I caught sight of someone walking, another carrying something, and a few wolves were merely sitting on the ground, leaning back against sheet metal as if bored to death.

What on earth is going on here?

I reached up to pull on the collar of my uniform as the heat was starting to get to me.

'So, what are you going to do?' Volkov wondered.

'Let's have a talk with the guard,' I thought.

'What if this is some kind of combat training, and they're waiting for someone to break in?'

I smirked to myself, 'Then why is the guard facing that direction?'

'True, there's clearly something valuable in the storage bays behind us.'

Let's see where this goes…

I stood tall, took a deep breath, let my tail sway for a moment to make it relax, and started walking.

It only took moments for the sound of my boots to catch the guard's attention. His ears perked up, and he turned to look at me as he lifted his spear. I stopped just outside reaching distance as the wolf caught sight of me.

He jumped in surprise, the spear shook, and he gritted his teeth. His eyes flared wide as he leaned back and stared at me in silence.

Not a word…

The orange light made it difficult to see his colors, but he was smaller, and as his scent grew clearer, so did other things. My mind began to pick up something as I stared back at him.

A presence that reminded me of the first moments I had spent around Chester. There was a flicker emanating from the wolf's mind, perhaps brought to life by the sudden shock. The presence of his mind flared erratically, and it was difficult to pin down what was going on in his head.

Several seconds passed, and the wolf still stared as if I had landed in front of him with a small UFO.

His nose flared as he drew breath, but it only seemed to cause further confusion as he perked his brow in disbelief.

I took a step closer, “What's going on here?"

His throat flexed as he swallowed, and he glanced back toward the rest of the camp.

A moment later he looked back at me, and cleared his throat, “N- Name and clan?"

I felt a twinge of irritation, and I couldn't help but frown back, “Who's asking?"

He stared back while he brought the spear closer to his own body, “You- You're supposed to- I mean, I'm the one who's supposed to ask the questions, not you."

I drew a deep breath and pointed at myself, “Do I look as if I'm part of your game?"

Once more his throat flexed as he gulped and his ears drooped, “… No, you don't."

His mind seemed to flare, and I could feel a burst of sensation. Confusion oozed off him, a hint of anger, but not directed at me. A moment later it shifted once more.

Focus and desperation took its place, and he inched closer as he lifted his nose, “You're an Alpha?"

“Follow, let's talk in private, shall we?" I said, and took a step back as I motioned towards me.

To my surprise, he nodded and followed as I stepped back behind the wall once more.

“Is it over? Please tell me it's over?" The wolf asked as he walked up to me once more.

I looked at him in wonder, and pointed at him, “Who are you?"

“I'm Aaron, Nightstar clan."

“Nice to meet you Aaron, I'm Vilkas," I said.

“Mm," Aaron murmured with a subdued nod.

I motioned at myself, “I'm not sure what's going on here, can you explain?"

Aaron blinked and his ears perked high, “… You don't know? At all?"

This is taking too long…

'Vilkas,' Volkov whispered in my mind.

I forced my perception of time to slow down for a moment as I stopped to talk with Volkov.

'Yes?'

'I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Aaron is acting pretty weird. It's as if he's on drugs or something,' Volkov noted.

'Yes, I can tell that…'

'How about taking a peek in his mind?' Volkov wondered.

'It would feel unethical, even if I knew how to do it properly,' I thought.

'We're here on a mission, this situation is beyond odd, and I'm not asking you to peek into his personal life,' Volkov said.

'Might be worth a try,' I thought.

I held out my hand, “Aaron, take my hand."

Aaron looked down, “… Why?"

“We're saying hello to one another, alright?" I said.

“Hmm," Aaron murmured, and shifted the spear into his left hand before reaching out.

I grabbed his right hand and held tight. Within moments I could feel the familiar tingle of a connection being formed.

As the link was formed, it felt like a shock wave of sensation that hit my chest. It was raw and powerful, as if all his thoughts and emotions suddenly came crashing into me. Aaron seemed to shudder, and pulled back, but my grip was too tight. To my surprise it was a lot more intense than what I had experienced with Chester, in a way it was as if a filter was missing.

A great weight began to settle on my shoulders, and it squeezed my chest. Aaron may have seemed aloof on the outside, but the internal state of his mind was wound up like tight spring.

There was anger in the depths of his mind, subdued, but raging within nonetheless. It made him want to scream, but he had forced it so far into the back of his mind that he had grown paralyzed with some kind of mental block in return. Every thought he made was being interrupted and every impulse to fix it got caught in a chaotic loop of doubt.

He didn't know how to act, or deal with the situation he found himself in. Aaron's hand began to clench tighter as I dug deeper into his mental state and the chaos it contained.

Images began to flash in my mind's eye, imprints of experiences that kept churning in his mind.

Things had been fine at first. The now Alpha-less packs had been in high spirits when they arrived at this place. To their surprise the inside of the hangar had been a complete dump, and they had found little more than a set of instructions.

They were not leave this place. Anyone who set foot outside the hangar risked having their entire pack kicked out of the Defense Force. They were also meant to study using digital tablets, and they'd have exams every second day.

At first it had been fine, after all, the Defense Force was supposed to be tough, or at least, that's how Aaron reasoned.

Someone had suggested a game of sorts, to make their time in the hangar more interesting. They would build a settlement in this place, divide according to their respective clans, and let their instincts guide them along. Roleplay of sorts, a tribal den.

Aaron didn't want to play, but he had been coerced by sheer group pressure into giving it a chance.

So he played along, a minor inconvenience to keep the peace.

But something happened.

Someone stole extra rations during mealtime and was caught, so they built a jail and the first prisoner was put behind bars. Aaron had felt weird about it, conflicted, but the prisoner had played along. It was nothing than fun and games after all.

Then… things began to wrong.

One prisoner became three, and the first one asked to be released.

Within Aaron's mind, I could hear a voice that had burned into subconscious. Aaron hated the voice, it made his hackles rise, and he could still remember every syllable.

'Did you think this was all one big game? That we should let you out simply because you ask? It is now that you don't want to be in there, that your actual sentence begins.'

Suddenly, the game had become a twisted reality. People argued and a leader announced himself. The same person who's voice that Aaron hated so much.

Sebastian, a wolf to rule over all others in what had now become a fort.

Aaron's grip on my hand began to grow slack, and his glazed over. It felt as if he had become lost in his own memories that I now trawled through. It was a strange feeling, as if I had caught his mind and placed it in a trance.

His memories intensified once more, and I saw more of it play out in my mind's eye.

As the arguing within the camp grew more intense, the risk of actual fighting increased. Sebastian had acted first, for the sake of order, he would imprison anyone that threatened the camp.

Aaron had stayed in the background, but he had still seen glimpses as 'order' was put into place. One prison became four, people had fought, and Sebastian had actually bit someone. The 'rebels' as they had been called gave up, then marched their way into prison.

Tension grew in my body as I caught wind of something within his memories. A familiar voice, and the blurred images of several wolves, a brown, feral gray, and pure white one.

I couldn't be sure, but I suspected Peter, John, and Allen were in one of these prisons.

Aaron's memories surged along. He'd been ordered to guard, to keep others from the storage area with the food. Despite his misgivings, he'd spent the last few days here, bored halfway to death, studying when he could gather up the willpower for it, and stewing in his own anger.

He felt sickened for playing this twisted game, yet he was caught in a trap where he didn't feel confident enough to act on his own, nor did he feel comfortable enough with the others to rise up, not to mention that the first attempt at resisting had ended up with people marched into prison.

Anger rose within me as I saw how he'd acted, how they had all acted. But it also reminded me of how I had acted a few years ago. When Peter had been the Alpha of the group, and I let myself get pushed around.

A strange sensation followed. An emptiness of sorts. The stream of memories dried up and Aaron was left gazing back at me. His eyes were clear once more, and I felt him peer into my own mind with confusion.

I willed the connection to end, and let go of his hand. Aaron made a surprised gasp and leaned back with his eyes wide open.

“Are you all right, Aaron?" I asked.

Aaron reached up to feel his temple, “What the hell was that…"

“A link, like when you touch a machine with an interface, but between people," I said.

Aaron frowned and I could see his chest swell with a deep breath, “… You were inside my head."

I nodded, “I was, do you feel better now?"

“Do I-" Aaron glared at me for a moment, and then froze as if realizing something, “… Yeah, I do."

I smiled back at him, “Then how about we start working on clearing up this mess, alright?"

Aaron seemed to hesitate for a moment, “… Where are the other Alphas?"

I shrugged, “I don't know, but that's no reason to dally."

“… How exactly are you going to fix this on your own?" Aaron asked.

“I'll improvise and you can help me, alright?" I said.

Aaron glanced around, “I… Can't we just…"

I inched closer to him, “Listen, okay? I know how you feel, this game that the others started has spiraled out of control. Deep down you know that you should have done something to stop it, but between Ares, your orders, the missing Alphas, and the inaction of everyone else… you couldn't. It's paralyzing, frustrating, and it just makes you want to scream."

Aaron lowered his head a little while his ears folded back, “… Yeah."

I leaned in so that our noses almost touched, “We can fix this, Aaron."

“… I feel like I know you from somewhere," Aaron whispered, while his nose flared as he sniffed the air.

“Axe in the neck?" I wondered.

His eyes widened once more, “Oh, that's you… John was talking about you."

Oh, this is good…

“You wouldn't know which prison they ended up in?" I wondered.

Finally, Aaron began to perk up. A smile grew on his lips as he nodded, “I do…"

I eased back, and glanced at his spear, “Nice spear."

Aaron stifled a chuckle and lowered it so that I could get a better look.

To my surprise the metal tip of the spear had been fastened by little more than a flimsy strip of wire.

“This is the third time it has fallen off on its own," Aaron said.

I perked my brow, “Why keep it at all then?"

Aaron shook the spear a little, “It looks intimidating and I can lean on it when things get boring."

I pointed at the jagged piece at the top, “Mind if I borrow that from ya?"

Aaron blinked in surprise, “… No, but what are you going to use it for?"

I reached out, caught the piece, and jerked it loose, “I'm burning up in this uniform, and I think it would be better if we made me a bit more inconspicuous. Wouldn't you say?"

Aaron tipped his head, “Not sure how much it'll help to be honest… You're the first one in weeks to smell like anything other than musk, and your size…"

I eased my backpack off, and held it out to him, “We just need to buy enough time to march through camp, not infiltrate it like spies."

“Yeah… But it won't take long before Sebastian finds out," Aaron said.

I nodded back and began to cut at the waist of my uniform, “Yeah, I'm kinda counting on that."

“… Oh," Aaron whispered.

512 A.R. February 1** 7 ***,* T** raining Camp *, E* vening**

From a brief glance it would seem like the camp was one big maze, but I couldn't help but feel as if there was a distinct purpose to it all. We had already passed by what appeared to be several choke points, and most corners were made in such a way that an invader would have a tough time breaking, while the defenders could fight back with ease.

'I've been reading up on design specs, and it seems like wolves have a natural fascination for defensive entrenchments,' Volkov whispered in my mind.

Aaron didn't seem to have any trouble navigating the maze, at the same time I couldn't help but feel as if I wouldn't have any trouble finding my way back.

'I used to suck at orienteering,' I thought.

'Having a magnetic compass built into your head helps as well,' Volkov thought.

'We have that ability too?' I wondered.

'Duh? How do you think you've always found your way back home from a hunt with such ease?'

I sighed as I walked and glanced back. There were wolves following us, more than the last time I glanced back. Their eyes were locked on me, and it was only a matter of time before they reached a mass where the whole camp would know I was here.

We passed a larger room, and I peered inside. There were about ten wolves in this one. Some of them were sitting in bunkbeds, others were slumped on the ground, a couple in the back were doing exercises on the ground.

Seeing them like this made it seem like they were bored, but it was the drifting thoughts of the room that made me worry. There was a lot of subdued anger floating around, and it seemed to permeate throughout the camp in such a way that it made the air taste sour.

Then again, it could also be the general odor in this place. Unwashed beasts, and the odd hint of urine hiding around the edges.

“Hey, what's going on?" Someone murmured in the background.

“People are moving," Someone commented.

Aaron slowed down, joined my side, and motioned in front of us, “That's the prison."

I looked at where he was pointing and saw a taller wall of sheet metal with another guarded entrance. Another wolf, this one with dark fur like my own, was already staring at us while tightening the grip around his spear.

“His name is Chris," Aaron whispered as he brushed up close to me.

I smiled back at Aaron and nodded as we kept walking, “Thank you."

The black wolf stepped into the center of the entrance and flipped his spear horizontally as we approached.

“Evening, Chris," I said, and nodded at the black wolf.

Chris stared at me with the same confused look that I had seen on Aaron. His tail was slack, and while his chest was puffed up, it was clear he didn't know what to make of the situation.

“… This is the prison," Chris said.

I made a slow nod, “I am well aware, now step aside if you would be so kind."

Chris' nostrils flared wide as he sniffed the air, “… I'm not supposed to let anyone enter without authorization."

I raised my hand and motioned to him, “Well, I'm here to set everyone free, and you can either choose to help me, or face the consequences."

Chris' eyes widened like saucers and his muzzle dropped open. A moment later he looked over at Aaron in wonder.

I could feel as Aaron's tail was wagging with enough force to bap into my own while he nodded with a shit-eating grin.

“Chris," I said once more.

“Hrrmn?" Chris murmured with a rather canine noise.

I stepped closer to him, reached out, and grabbed his shoulders, “You just need to… step aside for a bit," I whispered, and gently nudged him along as he stepped aside.

With the path open, I kept walking, and Aaron followed in my wake.

As I stepped inside, another wolf came to a skidding halt in front of me. He then looked up at me in surprise, leaned to the side, and stared at Chris, “The hell are you doing?"

“… He needed to enter," Chris' murmured.

“And you just let him!?" The new wolf blabbered as I walked past him.

I had only taken a few more steps as the new wolf raised his voice, “Hey! Hold on!"

Moments later I reached the center of the so called 'prison' and stopped to look around.

The prison cells were divided into three sections, all of which faced the outer wall of the hangar, and it seemed like chicken wire had been put up to act as a fence. The door to each cell looked like an upturned bunkbed that had been tied in place with more chicken wire

Standing in front of the prison cells were a pair of wolves that looked at me intently, one of them black and white, while the other had a dull gray hue. Within each prison cell there were about a dozen of wolves, and-

A hand grabbed my arm, and I heard the voice of the wolf from earlier, “Hey!"

I felt my hackles bristle as I turned to face the wolf, “Let go, or I will rip your arm off and beat you with it."

The wolf stared back at me, seemingly stunned.

Something about it all, the way they were acting, what they'd allow to happen… it pissed me off.

“ Now," I ordered as I glared at the wolf, and bared my teeth as my chest began to rumble with a growl.

The grip on my arm let go, and the smaller wolf stepped back, still staring at me.

“… Thank you," I whispered, and looked back toward the cells.

The prisoners seemed to have woken up, and as I watched a familiar trio pushed their way to the front of the cell in the middle. Brown, clear white, and wild gray.

Peter put his hands against the fence, stared at me for a moment, and seemed to snap out of his daze in short order. In the split second that followed, Peter forced his way toward the 'door', and pushed hard against the old bunk bed.

One of the guards near the makeshift door yelled out in protest, then marched up just in time as the chicken wire made a loud snap, and the entire thing tumbled forward.

Peter rushed out, and the others were in his wake as they followed suit. The guards simply stared, seemingly lost in confusion. The rest of the prisoners began to pile out, and within moments the other 'doors' were broken apart as well.

Peter rushed at me and I couldn't help but brace myself for the impact. A split second later he caught me, arms wide, and squeezed me tight enough that I had to take a step back. Within moments a surprising amount of hands were suddenly on me as both John and Allen surrounded me in a thick hug.

The wolf which had bothered me earlier inched closer, and raised his hand, “Hey, this isn't-"

John had ended up closest to the wolf, and he turned to face him as he approached. To my surprise, John lashed out and snapped his jaws, with a snarl rumbling in his throat. The wolf promptly jumped back, eyes bulging in surprise as he withdrew his hand.

John relaxed moments later, looked at me once more, and made something of a frown as if asking, 'what the hell took you so long?'

I couldn't help but smile a little as I reached up and put my hand on Peter's head.

“Sorry I took so long," I said.

They smelled, just like everyone else in this place. Wolves left without a chance to wash off in over a week, stuck under the harsh light of an artificial sun, with temperatures that gave me the urge to pant just by standing around.

While it was comforting to feel their presence, I couldn't help but feel another sensation brewing in the back of my head. It had been subtle at first, but the background chatter of the others minds were starting to grow loud enough that my ears had the urge to fold back. There were benefits to listening in on the emotions of others, but I couldn't risk being overwhelmed. With a deep breath, I put a lid on my abilities, and isolated my mind from the surrounding barrage.

I turned my attention to Chris, “Did you expect these cells to hold anyone that wanted to get out?"

Christ glanced at his fellow guards for a moment and then shook his head, “No…"

“Then why bother with it all?" I asked.

Chris made a halfhearted shrug, “It was symbolic… We could have the cells harder to break out of, but that would have been dangerous if we had to evacuate or something."

At least it seems you haven't completely lost your marbles…

Peter grumbled something as he buried his head against my chest, and a bit of unease crept into me as his hands reached along my spine, in the area where the Zephyr's armored plates were hiding.

It made me reach down to his shoulders, and I carefully eased him back, “You guys okay?"

Allen eased off me, and Peter cleared his throat as he stood tall once more.

“We're fine, more or less, but the situation is beyond fucked up," Peter said.

John inched closer to me, “Are you the only one?"

I looked over at John, “I assume the other Alphas will arrive soon enough."

“Then what do we do?" John asked.

“We're going to visit Sebastian and end this," I said.

Peter nudged my hand, “That might be difficult. He's holed up at the upper right corner of the camp, and he has a personal guard. If we just leave, then-"

I looked back at Peter and shook my head.

“… No?" Peter wondered.

“We're ending this, now ," I then looked over at the guards, “Something all of you should have done, a long-fucking time ago."

The wolves that had guarded the cages stiffened up, and I couldn't help but notice a few stares from the prisoners that had now piled out to fill the center of the room.

Chris walked up, and raised his hand, “It's not that simple…"

I frowned back at him, “Yes, it is that simple. The moment this 'game' turned into something where the goal was to hurt or restrain people, is the same moment when it should have ended and been purged to the ground."

Chris stared back at me, ears folded back, and averted his gaze in silence.

I looked back at Peter, “How did this happen?"

Peter's muzzle opened and wavered for a few moments. He then motioned with his hands, and began to talk, “We didn't want to keep playing when things turned weird. Some were more eager, but Sebastian is the one who…"

Allen spoke up with his usually timid voice, “No offense, but at first Sebastian acted a bit like you are right now. It's why people listened, and after he turned violent people just fell in line to appease him."

I turned to my left and faced Allen. His eyes met my own, and for some odd reason he seemed oddly focused as he stared up at me.

Sometimes you say interesting things at the most inopportune of times… But I can work with this…

“… You're right," I said.

Allen blinked, and his ears perked high, “I am? I mean… you agree?"

I stepped back, and made sure I was in the sight of all three, “We're in a bit of a public space right now, but we're going to have an impromptu pack-meeting, okay?"

Allen glanced back at the crowd who were now staring at us, “… Alright."

I let my gaze wander to meet their gazes, “We can try to leave, the door is open, but it will leave the majority of wolves stuck in a role where they try to appease Sebastian's will. Alternatively, we can end this and be done with it. You'll vote, I'll abstain."

Peter raised his hand, “We need to end this now."

John nodded, “Agreed. I'm not sure how we're going to do it, but this is beyond screwed up."

Allen drew a deep breath, and made a slow sigh, “Of course we need to end it, but shouldn't we let Ares know or something?"

I looked back at Allen, “Ares knows, Allen. This is the test, this is what the test is all about, or that's my interpretation after seeing all this."

Though I'm not yet clear on what the lesson is exactly…

Allen blinked, “Oh, you mean…"

I could hear murmurs around the other wolves in our vicinity.

Peter spoke up, “Allen, your vote."

Allen looked back at him, “You two already said yes, so you win by-"

Peter frowned and gave Allen's shoulder a nudge, “ Vote."

Allen's ears folded back for a moment, then he made a nod and looked back at me, “We end this."

I stood tall and turned my attention to everyone else.

I'm trying to act tough, but my gut feels like a nest of fucking spiders…

“If you have any objections or think that this is the wrong way forward, then now is the time to speak," I said out loud, and let my gaze wander.

Many of the wolves glanced at each other and a few murmured, but no one spoke up.

I nodded to myself and turned my attention to Aaron, “Lead the way, Aaron."

Aaron jumped in surprise once more, “What!? But…"

“You've done good so far, now lead the way," I said and smiled back.

Aaron gulped, but made a slow nod, “... Alright, but I'm not fighting anyone."

“That's just fine," I said and motioned for him to start walking.

512 A.R. February 1** 7 ***,* T** raining Camp **** – H *eadquarters* , E ***vening*

A throng of wolves marched behind us, and more were joining from every direction. One didn't need telepathy to understand their state of mind as I glanced back at them.

If I were to guess, the other prisons had already been torn down, and the entire camp was now homing in on Sebastian's headquarters. It worried me, but I did my best to not let it show as I looked over at the others.

Peter had a huge grin on his face. John walked to the right of him, tail standing high and proud. He caught my glance and I could see a nefarious smirk infect his normally pleasant smile.

The wolves in this place had a lot of pent up anger, which was understandable. But much of that anger no doubt originated from the frustration they had with themselves, even if Sebastian was the one who had gotten the ball rolling.

This was dangerous, and I had ended up the sword of this rebellion.

As I glanced up, I could see the corner of the hangar, and in front of us was a tall wall with an entrance to Sebastian's domain. A pair of wolves stood guard, but as we approached with the marching noise of hundreds, their loyalties seemed to falter.

The two wolves glanced at one another, put their spears aside, and then moved as close to the walls as they possibly could. Their gaze was locked on me as we approached, and I gave each of them a slow nod. One nodded back, and the other made something of a forced smile as he shrank down. I walked past them and glanced back; to my relief, the others also marched past with little hint of any ill will toward them.

The headquarters, if one could call it that, was relatively large and open. In the corner, straight ahead, there was a shelter with a ceiling to block the harsh light from above. To the right was a supply corner of some sort, and the wolf who had been working there was already making his way toward the wall as if to seek safety.

To the left was a set of large tables, a roof to block out the sun, and a big heap of material that consisted of digital tablets, paper, and other forms of electronic junk that they had probably found in this place. A pair of wolves stood near the tables, but they did little more than stare in silence.

Wolves moved up from behind and began to spill into the headquarters. I resumed walking to give them more space, and perked my ears as I focused on the shelter in the corner.

There was an audible word here and there, a sudden yelp, and a roar that made it sound as if someone was having a meltdown. Once I was about halfway toward the shelter, I stopped and glanced back.

The wolves from the camp had gathered into a tight ring, like in an ancient arena where they waited to see the final showdown. Even Peter, John, and Allen had begun to slow down as if uncertain whether to stay by my side.

I see... The Alpha walked in __to camp_ ,_ told everyone he'd fix things, and now I'm here… Alone…

As much as it annoyed me, I also understood it on some primal level. Sebastian stood no chance against a whole camp, thus the actual takedown, be it violent or not, would focus on one person.

I motioned for Peter to come closer and reached up as I eased my backpack off my shoulders. As Peter walked up I held it out to him, “Don't let it out of your sight, understand?"

Peter smiled at me as he reached out and grabbed it, “Won't leave my hands, Vilkas."

There was the sound of a loud crash, and my ears perked as I looked back toward the shelter. Loud snarls followed and I could see something move along the makeshift windows.

I gritted my teeth, drew a deep breath, and growled to myself in order to set the right tone of voice.

“ Sebastian!" I yelled out.

The noise from the shelter died down in an instant and a strange silence filled the hangar.

Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, and I became aware of a steady hum that seemed to permeate it all. Without warning the silence was broken, and someone within the bunker rushed forth from its dark depths.

A male wolf, with thick white fur tinged by shades of beige. It would have felt like a gentle color, at least compared to my own black and red, but there was nothing gentle about the beast that emerged.

Sebastian's fur was wild in appearance, and he had a snarl in his throat as he stormed out. Tufts of fur drifted from his ragged pelt, and I could see froth by the edge of his lips. Like most others in the camp he wore little more than a pair of shorts that had been made from his old uniform.

He locked eyes with me in an instant, raised his arm to point at me with his whole hand, and screamed, “Who the fuck do you think you are!?"

I opened my mind once more, and began to regret it in an instant. The pressure from everyone behind me was like a vice pushing against my skull, but it was the sensation coming from Sebastian that made me want to lean back.

Sebastian's mind was had a different noise to it. A high pitched, scratchy noise, like gears tearing against one another. It mixed with sensations that made it seem as if his mind had split into a multitude of screaming voices.

Crazed… Dangerous… Out of control…

A pair of wolves emerged from the shelter, and cautiously joined Sebastian's side. One of them appeared surprisingly ragged and had brown fur like Peter, the other wolf had sable black and white fur.

These must be his pack mates…

I kept silent as Sebastian glared, eyes bulging as his angry brow seemed to pull on his whole face. Gums red, teeth bared as high as they could, with his hands twitching as if wanting to tear me apart piece by piece.

There's no way of talking him down like this…

I let a smile grow on my lips as I raised one hand and motioned at him with a few fingers.

Come and get me…

A twitch ran through him and his chest swelled with a deep breath, “ GHRRARGH!"

He launched himself into a sprint, screaming as he did, and raised his arms in anger.

This kind of wild chase may have worked for Corvyn, but he was small and nimble. To change direction meant little, but for someone like Sebastian it wasn't the same, even if he wasn't an Alpha, or lacked the weight of an added Zephyr.

I retained my calm as Sebastian closed the distance between us and then I let my perception of time slow down. It was easy to see where he was planning to grab me by the shoulders, more disturbingly it seemed like he would try to bite me. Specifically, I suspected he'd be going for my throat.

He's become entirely deranged…

Sebastian kicked off the ground as he lunged at me, and at that point I could set my own plan into action. I began to lean toward the side and crouched down. I could see in slow motion as Sebastian's eyes shifted direction to keep track of me, but with the way he had hurled himself at me, there was little he could do to change his trajectory.

His hands reached for me in desperation, but he seemed to catch little more than a few strands of fur from my mane. I on the other hand, reached up with my hand, caught his leg, and began to push him upwards.

It didn't last long, just enough to tip him over, but it was all that was needed as I let go.

Time sped up once more as I glanced back and watched as Sebastian smacked into the ground with his upper body, legs dangling in the air as he skidded forward, and finally tumbled sideways before coming to a halt.

I faced him once more and watched as he began to move. His claws raked the ground, and he lifted his head to show off a split lip and a bleeding nose. His growl began to grow in volume, and his ears folded back as he raised his hand once more and screamed.

“ GET HIM!"

I began to move sideways, then turned my attention to his pack mates who were now behind me.

The wolf with brown fur didn't move an inch, while the sable-furred one wolf bit together and rushed forward. I faced the wolf straight on and stared into his eyes as he closed the distance.

As he entered reaching distance, he slowed down, and then came to a grinding halt. The courage he'd gathered seemed to fizzle out, and his ears folded back as he met my stare.

I lowered my voice so that only the wolf could hear, “Step back and join your pack mate. I'll need the two of you once I'm done here, understand?"

The wolf glanced at Sebastian and gulped as his throat flexed.

“ DO AS I SAY!" Sebastian screamed from behind me.

“Understand?" I asked once more.

The wolf lowered his gaze for a moment, and then made an exaggerated nod. As I watched the wolf, he turned around and began to walk back.

“ C** OME BACK HERE ***!*" Sebastian screamed.

The order seemed to have the opposite effect, and rather than step back into the fight, the wolf picked up pace as he marched off.

I turned my attention to Sebastian once more.

Sebastian shuddered, not from fright, but anger as his whole upper body trembled. He gritted his teeth, eyes growing red with tension as he locked eyes with me.

I drew a deep breath, and my nose caught something I hadn't noticed earlier. Sebastian's scent was pungent like many of the others, but something about him that differed as well. A sharper tinge, one that made my nose wiggle now that I had caught it.

There was no good word to describe it, but the scent tickled something in the back of my mind.

It felt like a warning of sorts, or a cry for help. A reaction within his body as a response to his mind going mad. A memory bubbled to the surface, something I had encountered long ago. A failing symbiont, the 'natural' end to a hybrid that had reached the end, a stage where the monster within us was taking over. Lusus corruption.

I raised my voice, “Sebastian, I know that your mind is telling you that-"

“ SHUT UP!" Sebastian roared, drool flecking off his lips as his hackles blistered.

“… There is no way you can win this," I said.

“ I'm stronger than you think!" Sebastian snapped, and his eyes flared as he lunged forward once more.

I willed my perception of time to slow down and watched him move. This time he didn't mindlessly throw himself at me, but the rest of his tactic seemed to be the same as he bared his teeth to bite me.

I tried to appear nonchalant as he moved up and then offered my left arm to his hands. While still moving in slow-motion, he slammed into me, and I dug my paws into the ground. His hands grabbed my arm, and his muzzle moved in to bite at whatever he could find.

His rash actions had left my right hand free, and I moved it to slip under his muzzle. I bared my teeth in exertion from the weight of his collision, and let my hand seize around his throat. Sebastian began to thrash with his muzzle in an attempt to bite me while I regained my balance.

Time to end this…

I pushed back hard, lifted my arm, and pushed against his throat. It gave me space to maneuver as he leaned back, and I pulled my right leg up behind me. With a grunt, I brought my knee up hard and slammed it into his gut with all I had.

His abdomen resisted at first, but it was forced to give way like jelly as his gut was compacted. His muzzle opened wide, and his eyes became like pinpricks as pain tore through him. He let go of me and stumbled as I let time return to normal.

Sebastian crumbled to the ground once more, and his muscles twitched as he tried to scramble onto two legs once more. It didn't work, and he wheezed with a pained groan. A tremor seemed to move through his body, from the tip of his tail, to the top of his nose. His muzzle was forced open, and a cascade of puke followed as he emptied himself on the floor.

As Sebastian writhed on the floor, I took the time to look at the crowd.

None of them were cheering, or even looked angry any longer. If anything, they seemed stunned, disgusted, and theirs ears were held low in abject unease.

A rank scent of acid and old food began to spread as Sebastian leaned into a sitting position, then held his gut while shivering as if freezing.

Once more he tried to get up as he stumbled back and forth. Finally, he settled on two legs, and faced me once more with long strips of saliva dangling from his muzzle.

Sebastian looked toward the crowd and made a wheezing shudder as he pointed at me with one arm, “ TAKE HIM! STOP HIM! … DO IT NOW!"

The silent stares of the others made their response clear.

Sebastian wiped his muzzle from the drool and blood that seeped from his nose, “HE BROKE THE RULES! HE LET THE PRISONERS OUT! YOU-"

His voice trailed off, and his eyes began to frantically move across the wolves that were watching.

I walked closer, and as I entered reaching distance once more, he snapped to attention as his eyes locked on me once more.

“ I'll kill you!" Sebastian snarled, and stumbled toward me as he swung his open fist in the air.

I didn't even need to move as his claws missed my face, while he stumbled to the side from the force of his own height.

As he stumbled, I moved in, and gave his paw a kick with my foot. It was all that was needed to send him crumbling onto all four once more. I moved closer and reached out toward his neck. Sebastian turned to look up at me as I caught him, then put my weight down.

He tried to resist, but promptly collapsed flat on the ground as I crouched down next to him. His paws kicked at the ground fruitlessly, while his hands raked against the floor with his claws in desperation.

As I was holding him, I felt the tingle of a connection being formed with him. It frightened me to some degree, but I found myself curious as well. The noise that I had heard as I opened up my mind returned. Shrieking and scratching like distorted voices caught in a struggle with each other.

'Why did this happen? How did it turn out like this? Help me! Why aren't they helping me!?' Sebastian thought as his mind fought against himself.

'Ares abandoned us! Jayme-Alpha abandoned us! I just tried to help! To make order! I didn't want this to happen! Help me!' Sebastian's mind screamed.

I held his neck in a firm grip and crouched down as I put my muzzle near his ear. His eyes widened and stared deep into my soul with a new, frightened, rather pathetic desperation that gripped his mind.

It took a bit of focus, but I spoke using my voice, and addressed him through the link at the same time, “Sebastian."

He stopped fighting, and his thoughts seemed to seize up as if he truly did not expect to hear my voice, at least not within his mind like this.

“I get it, Sebastian. Without the Alphas, things turned disorderly, and you tried to fix it the best way you could. You never wanted it to get violent, but that's how it turned out, and by then it was already too late to turn back," I said.

Sebastian's breath shuddered as he was pressed against the floor, and I eased my grip a little.

“It's okay to let someone else take over now, it's over… Jayme will be back soon, okay?" I said.

His breath shuddered, but within his mind there was a meek voice whispering back, 'I can… I can relax now? I don't have to do this any longer?'

I nodded to him, “Rest, Sebastian… We'll deal with everything from now on."

A deep calm seemed to flow over him. His tail went slack, his hackles relaxed, and he stopped struggling. Even the muscles in his neck grew soft as I let go of him.

'I'm sorry,' Sebastian whispered within the depths of his mind.

'I know,' I thought back.

The shrieking noise which had filled his head abated, and his eyes began to flutter.

'I'm… tired,' Sebastian whispered.

Once more I nodded and smiled back a little, 'It's okay to sleep, Sebastian.'

His eyes shut, and his breaths grew slower as he fell unconscious where he lay.

I waited for a few moments, and then looked up. The others were staring, hundreds of them gathered in a tight circle, seemingly confused about what had just happened.

Volkov bubbled to the surface, 'The jamming just dropped… Ares will probably contact you in moments.'

'Noted,' I thought, and eased myself up on two legs once more.

I glanced toward Sebastian's pack mates and motioned for them to approach. They began to walk while I felt Ares presence knock on my mind.

Time slowed down once more as I answered his call, 'Evening, Ares.'

'Evening, Vilkas,' Ares' worn but pleasing voice answered.

'We're going to have quite a talk later on, but I assume you have urgent instructions?'

'I do. There's a medical bay behind the reinforced door on your right side, it has been unlocked, and you should bring Sebastian there as soon as possible. Also, make sure to bring his pack mates.'

I glanced toward my right, and as Ares had said, there was a door in the hangar's wall, 'Roger that.'

'Well done, Vilkas… While I'm sure you are less than pleased, there are some very good reasons for our actions here,' Ares said.

'I sure hope so, but for now I'll focus on this,' I thought.

The link to Ares faded, and time returned to normal as Sebastian's pack mates walked up.

I motioned to Sebastian, “Pick him up, and follow me."

The two wolves nodded in silence.

512 A.R. February 1** 7 ***,* T** raining Camp **** – M *edical Bay* , E ***vening*

I watched as the two eased Sebastian onto the raised bed, and then turned to look at me.

The room already reeked from a mix of blood, puke, and more. To make matters worse, the two wolves in front of me were staring as if they were about to start crying. Sebastian was out cold, and the anger that had consumed him earlier was long gone.

The medical bay seemed to be well equipped. To the left was a trio medical pods, and to the right was a big—although seemingly locked—cabinet. Control collars were hanging next along the wall, next to the raised bed.

Ares' presence knocked on my mind once more, and I answered, 'Yes, Ares?'

'Put a control collar on him,' Ares whispered.

'Why?' I wondered.

'Sebastian might seem calm right now, but his loss of control has invited corruption into his body. The control collar will stabilize him until the team arrives,' Ares answered.

'Team?' I wondered.

'Sebastian is not in any shape to join the Defense Force, and that inability extends to his pack. His Alpha will be informed, and a team has been dispatched to make sure they are debriefed and receive proper medical care.'

'Sebastian will fully recover?' I thought.

'Physically, yes. Mentally on the other hand… this may leave a memory that won't be easy to forget, nor forgive.'

'Is their dismissal permanent?' I wondered.

'No. When and if they feel the need to apply once more, they'll be allowed to do so.'

'Noted,' I thought.

I walked up to the rack of control collars and grabbed one. It was dull gray in appearance, and had the usual indicator strip running along its center. A glance along the inside of the collar revealed numerous indentations, no doubt where the injectors could emerge. I opened up the collar and stepped over to the raised bed.

“What are you doing?" The wolf with brown fur whispered as he raised one hand in caution.

I looked up at the two, “What are your names?"

The sable-furred one spoke up and pointed to himself, “I'm Philip, and this is Nick."

I nodded and motioned to Sebastian, “The collar can act as a restraining device, it can also act as a medical device. It will stabilize Sebastian until more experienced medical personnel arrive."

“Oh," Nick whispered.

There was a knock on the door behind me, and as I glanced back, I could see it open. Peter stuck his head into the room, and I could see his nose wiggle with curiosity, “Do you need help, Vilkas?"

“Keep the other wolves calm, and give us a few minutes, alright?" I asked.

Peter stared at me for a moment, and his gaze wandered up and down as if something didn't make sense. He then nodded with a quick smile, “I can do that."

The door shut once more as Peter slipped out, and I turned my attention to Sebastian once more. I slipped one hand underneath his head and lifted it so that I could slip the collar around his neck. The collar snapped shut, locked itself, and tightened a little within moments.

I waited and watched as the collar lit up with a pulsating red sheen. Philip audibly gulped, and I could hear the collar hiss as it began to administer something. As the seconds by, the red hue began to shift into a steady orange glow.

“Sebastian will be fine once he has had a chance to recuperate," I said, and looked up at the others.

Both of them sighed in relief and glanced at each other as they began to smile.

“But," I said.

The two looked back at me, with their expressions suddenly frozen once more.

I lifted my hand and motioned to Sebastian, “Sebastian lost his control over himself, and the situation spiraled out of control. That's dangerous, and it could have resulted in his death, or something far worse. He can be criticized for not being strong enough, but you are the ones to blame for not setting him straight."

They stared back at me, and Philip spoke up, “But-"

I interrupted him as I frowned back at him, “The others should have picked up the slack when you failed your duties, but they didn't. They'll have to live with that failure, but it's nothing compared to your inability, even worse is your tacit approval of his actions."

Nick seemed to shrink as he pulled his shoulders together and lowered his head. Philip on the other hand clenched his teeth as he stared back at me, “Our Alpha-"

I interrupted him again, and inched closer, “Alphas are not babysitters. They are not people that you can relegate responsibility to when it suits your fancy. An Alpha is there to represent the pack, lead it when needed, and act as a mediator. This is on you two, no one else, the fact that one of you still haven't come to terms with that is troubling to say the least."

Philip's expression faded and his muzzle dropped open as he averted his gaze in silence.

I looked over at Nick who was now meeting my gaze once more, “Your pack is in no condition to join the Defense Force at this time, and your Alpha will be informed once he arrives. Medical care will be offered to you all, and then you will be escorted off the camp."

Nick lowered his gaze to stare at the floor.

“ Look at me," I ordered.

The two looked up in an instant.

“Do you understand what I have just told you?" I asked.

Nick nodded, while Philip made a choked whisper, “Is this permanent?"

I shook my head, “No, but for now you all need to take a step back and help Sebastian, OK?"

Philip nodded.

I turned my focus to the still active connection with Ares, 'I may have taken some liberties, but I think they needed to hear this.'

'We are in agreement, and now I'd like you to inform the rest of this lesson,' Ares said.

I turned around to face the door, and froze as I registered what Ares had said, 'Do it… for the rest?'

'Yes… They're all waiting outside,' Ares said.

I let my perception of time slow down once more, 'If you want me to do that, then we need to discuss the bigger picture.'

'Yes?' Ares wondered.

'I've been thinking about it ever since I entered this place, and I think I think I finally have a grasp regarding what this is all about.'

'Give it your best shot,' Ares answered, seemingly amused.

'Locking them into the hangar, the heat, the noise, the glaring orange light. The way you separated subordinates from their Alphas. It's a recipe made to foster corruption, a means to test our limits, and classify us.'

'Good start, continue...' Ares mused.

'Somehow you planted the seed of this game that you've been letting them play. After that, you just needed to sit back and observe. It's ironic, but Sebastian was the weakest link among them all. He was the one who fell prey to human instinct. You let him run wild and you observed what everyone else did. Technically they all complied with his will, but they did it in a way which was seemingly incompetent, but in reality, it was their way of limiting the harm posed by corrupt leadership.'

'When all else fails, wolves resort to a few deeply buried instincts. In the event they don't believe in their leaders, hybrids engage in a passive form of civil disobedience and malicious compliance. It ensures that corrupt leaders have little to show for their victory, as everything collapses around them,' Ares said.

'But this isn't the lesson you're trying to teach,' I thought.

'Far from it, but it sounds like you've already figured that out,' Ares said.

'The real problem is the way they rely on their Alphas to function,' I thought.

'Indeed, and it is a very delicate balance that is difficult to shape with instincts. Instead, you need instincts working in unison with a few unfortunately harsh lessons,' Ares said.

'The balance to be able to rely on their Alpha, and the balance to realize when it's necessary to take matters into their own hands,' I thought.

'Mature and well-educated wolves are like the white blood cells of an immune system; they seek out corruption and end it. Without the necessary training they become a liability, rather than an asset,' Ares thought.

'Did you know that Sebastian would fall prey to this?' I wondered.

'Someone always falls prey. It's just a matter of time, as hybrids are not perfect, nor are they designed to be. While detestable, the pain of one individual is worth the price of a lesson that has the potential to save hundreds, if not thousands of people in the future.'

I repeated my thought, 'Did you, or did you not know that this would happen to Sebastian?'

'There's no way for me to know with certainty, but his profile did reveal certain risks. But do consider what you are implying, Vilkas. Would you have wanted me to bar him from applying to the defense force based on what could happen?'

'No, that's not what I implied, but isn't there some other way to teach this lesson?'

Ares presence intensified as if he loomed above my head, 'The importance of the lesson that is taught here cannot be understated. While this method may be crass and unfair, it is also rather effective since everyone involved carries a part of the guilt. This acts as a catalyst to make them ponder its importance, and to seek out further wisdom on their own.'

'And what happens if no one cracks under the pressure?' I thought.

'Then we will devise another way to teach the lesson. But I suppose that's not what you're asking.'

'Hmm?' I murmured over the link.

'You're actually asking if I would take steps to make sure that an individual cracks. The answer is that I wouldn't and couldn't, or I would risk becoming that which the lesson aims to prevent.'

'Then let me ask you this… Why was I chosen to be the hero in all of this?' I thought.

Ares made what sounded like an indignant huff over the link, 'Oh, that's simple. You were the only one who provided a predictable outcome in this scenario.'

'Meaning?' I wondered.

'Bringing all the Alphas here at once runs the risk of chaos and unexpected outcomes. You see, this is one of the few ways that this lesson can play out without any risk to speak of. In other words, there needs to be one hero, one person to catch their attention and bring the lesson into focus. Out of all the Alphas currently in training, you are without doubt the strongest of the batch, especially with the Zephyr you've acquired. Not to mention that you already have a fruitful understanding with us AIs.'

'I see,' I thought.

'Now step out there and address the rest of your kin,' Ares said.

'… As you wish,' I thought.

Time returned to normal as I reached out and grabbed the door handle. I pulled the door open, and promptly leaned back in surprise. Peter, John, and Allen were stacked like a totem pole with their ears perked as if they had tried to listen in on the room. They scrambled to stand up straight, and all of them faced me with a variety of sheepish grins.

I couldn't help but smirk back as I stepped out, and pulled the door shut behind me.

Peter cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his neck while motioning down the hall, “The others are kinda… waiting to hear what's going to happen next."

I've never liked the spotlight, yet I keep finding myself in its harsh light, over and over again…

I drew a deep breath, and nodded, “I'll get right to that."

John raised his hand and tipped his head as he looked up at me, “Odd question… But did you-"

Allen spoke up as he interrupted, “Get bigger somehow?"

Peter inched between the others and perked his brow as he stared at me intently.

I smiled back, moved to the side, and reached out as I gave John a big pat on the shoulder, “I'll tell you all about it once we're done here."

“Hrrmm," Peter murmured as he followed me with his gaze.

I walked toward the center of the room and watched as hundreds of wolves once more turned their attention to me.

'Ares,' I thought.

'Yes?' Ares wondered.

I glanced up at the stark orange light from above, 'Can you turn off those horrid lights already?'

'Only when you've addressed the crowd, Vilkas. After all, your mission isn't over yet.'

I sighed to myself and lowered my gaze to the crowd once more.

Ares whispered in my ear, 'One of the storage bays has just been unlocked. It contains a truck worth of food and the equipment to prepare it. Let the others consider it a treat to soften the impending anger as the rest of the Alphas arrive in a few hours.'

'Roger that,' I thought as Ares presence faded.

I was about to start speaking as I noticed that Peter walked up along my side. Moments later, John and Allen walked up along my other side.

A bit of support, I guess… Not that I'm complaining…

I turned toward the central mass and drew a deep breath.

No pressure...

“I walked in here a few hours ago and I had no clue what was going on in here. The atmosphere was so wildly different from where I had just come from, and it was baffling to me how it had come to be this way."

I let my gaze drift as I talked, “I now understand that what you've experienced is like being slowly cooked in a pot." I then pointed upwards, “Literally, in some sense of the word."

To my relief, a fair amount among the wolves seemed to at least smirk at the remark.

I drew another breath, “Change, if implemented slowly enough, is almost imperceptible. But the end result can be shocking. By now I'm sure that all of you are well aware that this is not how it should have turned out, and this is not what any of you should have allowed to happen."

“Sebastian lost control. Some of you tried to reign him in, but all of you either faltered or gave into his will in order to avoid the hard choices that the situation required. This will forever remain a point of shame in your memories. Learn from it and do better next time."

I waited for a moment, “Your Alphas will be returning soon, and by now they should either be aware of what has been going on here, or they will be made aware soon enough. I expect that they will have things to discuss with all of you..."

People squirmed uncomfortably as they glanced at one another.

“Sebastian will recuperate, but now is the time to start looking forward once more." I paused for a moment, and let my gaze wander again, “Ares has provided plenty of food for a feast that will be prepared for when the Alphas return, and you will all help out with that task. I and the rest of my pack will help organize. Any questions?"

Once more people began to glance around each other. A few looked as if they were about to say something, but I acted before they had the chance as I looked up at the ceiling.

“Ares, if you would be so kind?" I asked, and motioned upward.

With a great thoom, the stark orange lights began to power off. My ears seemed to pop, and it was if a loud but droning noise had suddenly cut out. As the massive lights dimmed, their true nature was revealed. Loops of red-hot iron glowed intensely, as if the entire hangar had been a great baking oven.

The large crowd began to stir, and some rubbed their ears as they sighed in relief, while others looked up in wonder.

Finally...

Peter leaned up next to me, and brushed shoulders with me, “You said something about food?"

John and Allen walked up, eyes glimmering for some reason.

I looked at them in wonder, “… Was the food here-"

“Bad? Oh yeah," John said with a nod.

“Ah," I whispered.

Peter nudged my side, “So… where do we find this food?"