FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

SPECIAL ACCESS

Chapter 7 – Send out men to spy upon the land – Numbers 13:2

While Silver enjoyed his gentle paw massage, and the somewhat rougher manipulation of his neck and back, Vikki, the new Chief of Staff, discussed assignments with Marcel and Bill Hanlan.

“Everyone who is on assignment overseas is to drop what they are doing and grill their contacts for any information. Re-route Johnson to Geneva where she can work on the Russian diplomats and spies that hang out there. Bill, who do we have in India?"

“No one, at the moment. As a 'friendly nation' we don't have a permeant presence there."

“Who has experience or contacts there?"

Bill looked at Marcel and cleared his throat. Marcel frowned but turned to Vikki.

“Geno has been there several times." He said grudgingly. “She has a childhood friend, a coyote archeologist, who has been working in the region. The archeologist has a … companion … that is from the region."

Vikki put a sympathetic paw on his. “I know she just got back from an assignment, Marcel, but we need everyone in the field on this one, including Geno."

Marcel pulled his paw back, embarrassed at her public display of friendship. “Yeah, we'll manage." He said, but he could still feel the warmth of her paw on his. A dozen years ago he would have died for her to touch him like that. He had loved her then, an unrequited love. Now he was fiercely committed to Geno and their adopted children, but he still wondered sometimes how it might have been if Vikki had not fallen for Silver.

“Anyway," he grunted, “Missus Brown can take care of the kids during the day, and I can take care of them at night."

He was refereeing to the retired agent who now ran the all-hours Academy daycare service. The vixen was the only FOX agent that even Silver was a little afraid of.

“I'm afraid it isn't that simple." Vikki replied. “The emergency meeting of the Red, White and Blue Group has been arranged. It's in Washington DC tomorrow."

“Great. I can fly down in the morning and be back by supper time."

“No, you can't." She said with her ears dropping sympathetically. “Because of schedule conflicts the meeting is in the evening. It's also best if you avoid the airport, all our adversaries have watchers there. Best to drive down, and besides, Silver wants you to make another stop on your way there."

Marcel could understand the restriction on flying. His alter-ego, the champion skateboarder Antony Foxx was recognisable, and traveling to places rife with intelligence agencies where no X- games were being held was sure to show up in the hostile's data bases. But he was curious as to where else Silver wanted him to go. The wrinkles in his brow showed it, and Vikki, who knew Marcel as well as anyone else, satisfied his curiosity.

“Silver wants you to check in on Henk Cobra and his partner Dunya at the Casino Naja. Something former Director Williams told him makes him think that those two serpants may know something about this."

“O- … okay." Marcel swallowed to clear his suddenly dry throat. He remembered well the trip he and Williams, then Chief of Staff, had made to the casino and clandestine listening post on the US-Canada border. He also remembered the cost of doing business with the BDSM-loving snakes.

I'm going to need a specialist, he told himself as he struggled to keep a straight face.

* * * * * * * *

In FOX junior agents normally got minor assignments from Bill Hanlan. or the Duty Officer in his absence, from the Operations Centre. Senior Agents normally got their assignments from the Director or the Chief of Staff. But these were not normal times. With Silver at the Medical Centre being treated and Vikki, Marcel, Bill Hanlan and Kain Algorath all still making plans on the fly in the conference room cryptic partial orders were being issued in order to get things moving quickly.

Initially those orders were being funnelled though Miss CC, who rolled back and forth between the conference room and her workstation. By this means Geno knew that she had to make arrangements for the kids because Marcel was going it of town and she was going to India, but she did not know why. She would be briefed on the details before she left for the airport the next day.

In the same manner Agent Jade was ordered to make sail in his disguised reconnaissance boat for the Indian Ocean by the quickest route and be prepared for a longer voyage should it be necessary. Bill Hanlan would send Hu a detailed explanation by encrypted radio message once he had a chance to catch his breath.

Delores Johnson and Dongo Fett were ordered to fly to Geneva where FOX had a safehouse. She was to work her contacts there while Dongo arranged for her clandestine return to Moscow, should it be necessary to intervene there. As the FSB considered her a known hostile agent sending her back would be extremely dangerous, and therefore it would only be done for a mission of the utmost importance. Maybe they'll send me up against 'the Asset', she thought as a toothy grin spread across her face. She had always wanted to see if she could out-fuck Silver but this clone with the big fox's DNA would be the closest she would ever get to Vikki's mate.

As the afternoon dragged on Miss CC had to leave for a consultation with her specialist about the recent advances in her mobility. Violet, the punk poodle with the purple mohawk hairdo, came in to take her place. Violet did not have the special clearance to see the material spread about the conference room, however, so Vikki had to bring the orders to the Executive Secretary's station for Violet to send them out.

Shortly after Silver returned and rejoined the rest Vikki appeared with another set of instructions.

“We're going to be locked in the conference room for the next few hours discussing some sensitive material." She told the stocky poodle in the tube top that she was still getting used to. “We have coffee and Grey Muzzle is bringing some food up from the lounge, so you won't be needed after you action this latest batch of orders."

Vikki set the paw-written orders down on the desk and turned to go, but she stopped at the door and turned back. “Thanks for filling in for Miss CC, Violet. You're doing a good job ... but ..."

“But?"

“Well, if you are going to be doing this regularly, assisting as the Executive Secretary I mean, maybe you should dress the part?"

“What?" Violet barked out with a grin. “Wear frilly blouses and heels and a bra like Miss CC? Honey," she said putting her paws on her flat chest, “these girls need a bra like a submarine needs a screen door."

Vikki turned and left as her face flushed red to match her fur. She had never had any trouble with insubordinate subordinates when she was a cop or a senior agent, but this punk poodle just got under her skin. As much as she dreaded it, she would have to ask Silver for his advice on how to handle the unruly canine.

Once the Chief of Staff was gone Violet grinned and shook her head. One of these days you're going to push Miss tight ass to far, she told herself, and then she's gonna blowwww ... and you can kiss this sweet gig goodbye. But until that day she would enjoy goading the tall scarlet vixen.

“You have a talent for pissing people off." Doctor Gordon, the Academy psychologist had told her when Kyroo Echos had brought her back to the Academy to be debriefed and hide from the vengeful Yakuza. The rat in the white coat had added, “That is not necessarily a bad thing. Some agents have a talent for seduction, others for elicitation and a very few, like Silver, for intimidation. The point is, take what talents you have and apply them to your assignment. People who are constantly mad at you will be too distracted to notice what you are really up to."

The rat had pushed then and added, “You will be dealing with some ruthless and sociopathic people though. Just don't go too far and get shot before you complete your mission."

“Getting shot after mission conclusion is okay though?"

The rat had shrugged. “Well, it's not optimal ..."

Better get on these orders before the one-armed wonder has an excuse to replace me with that Skunk that cums at the mere mention of Silver's name, Violet decided. Let's see what we have here.

Most of them were pretty basic. Notify the Academy Forger, Joel the Lemur, to pack an overnight back and meet the Senior Agent for a road trip first thing in the morning. “Passport not required but antibiotic ointment advised" the note said. Weird, she thought. What kind of assignment would a forger get that would involve cuts, bruises and scrapes?

Other orders were to the administrative and support staff, recalling those on leave and warning them that overtime might be required for the foreseeable future. The last note was a list of off-duty agents that she was to track down and have return to Ottawa if they were not already there and place them on standby.

She went down the list. She saw Zac Ember's name. She had seen him and the snow leopard, Natasha Winters, heading for the lounge when she arrived to replace Miss CC. Probably for a couple of drinks before retiring to either of their rooms to bump uglies Violet supposed. She could deal with him with a simple text notifying him of his change of status. She did so.

Who's next? She looked at the list. Kyroo Echos, she read.

A grin grew on her face. Kyroo was on leave, but she knew that he had not left town. She knew that because whenever she was not training or studying to be an agent she was fucking his brains out.

The young arctic fox had recovered quickly after the mission in Yellowknife where he had somehow managed to guilt her into joining the good guys. She appreciated that kind of stamina, and his eagerness to learn, when it came to the one hobby of hers that did not involve killing something and eating it ... intense, mind-blowing sex.

She would not even have to send Kyroo a text because the white fox would be in his room waiting patiently for her to get off work so he could massage her aches away before eagerly progressing to pleasuring her more intimately. She was looking forward to the massage most of all, as she wasn't as young as she used to be, and the rigorous FOX training was taking its toll on her old bones.

Speaking of which, sex in the dorm rooms was getting old too. She had made love under the Northern Lights, while being pulled in a dog sled during a blizzard and while tending bar at her club in Yellowknife. She needed something more exciting than an industrialized, standardized dorm room.

Her eyes wandered over to the leather padded door to the Director's office and a grin crept over her face. Miss CC had alluded to almost being caught during certain activities on the Director's desk, and the Chief of staff said that they would be in the conference room for hours.

Violet typed one last message into the assignment portal before shutting it down. The message was directed to Kyroo and read: “Report to the Director's office, immediately." Then she called the guard post at the end of the hall and told them to buzz Junior Agent Echos though to the executive suite as soon as he arrived.

Bert, the Commissionaire on duty turned to his partner and said, “Looks like the new poodle is up to Miss CC's old tricks."

“Think we should call her out on it?"

“Hell no, if they get caught will be the most exciting thing that will happen tonight."

In his dorm room Kyroo was waiting patiently for Violet to get off duty. He had already showered, combed out his long white fur and blow dried himself because he knew that Violet liked to run her fingers though his floofy brush. He cursed when he saw the message from the Director's office because he would have to dress and slick back his fur to look presentable for Silver. There was a lot of unexplained activity at the Academy tonight, so he was not surprised to be summoned. At least he should be able to talk with Violet for a minute and find out when she expected to be free.

He was buzzed right through to the Executive suite by two inexplicably jovial security guards but was disappointed to see no one at the Executive Secretary's desk. Maybe Violet was out on an errand, he supposed. Kyroo hoped he would run into her on his way out.

He hesitated at the padded leather door. There was nothing solid enough to knock on except the wall, and that didn't seem right. There was no knob to turn either. He opted for pushing the door and found it swung open easily and silently.

He stuck his head inside the dim office. The old wood and leather of the antique furniture left behind by the previous Director seemed to absorb what little light there was.

“Director, Sir? Junior Agent Echos reporting."

A gruff voice came from the other end of the room. “Approach."

The fur on the back of Kyroo's neck stood up. He did not recognize the voice. It did not sound like Silver, yet it was a vaguely familiar. He tentatively stepped inside and let the door swing shut behind him. There was a soft 'click' as the lock engaged, heightening his nervousness.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light. The room seemed empty, but the Director's chair was tuned away from him, and it was rocking slightly. Was Silver playing some sort of mind game? He stepped up to the desk.

“Director?"

The same gruff voice came again. “Echos, you've been a bad little agent. I have half a mind to give you a good tongue lashing, but ..." The chair swung suddenly around to reveal Violet sitting naked and cross legged in it. “... I've decided to let you give one to me instead." She finished n her own voice and unfolded her legs to expose her shaved pussy.

Kyroo licked his lips. Her smooth shaved skin was one of the things he liked best about Violet. She was stocky and more muscular than the average female with no breasts at all, but her skin was sensitive, especially her nipples and around her twat. He loved to run his claws through the velvety fuzz, slowly, to tease a shudder or a twitch out of her before rubbing her pussy until it was open and wet and ready for his cock, but he rarely used his lips on her.

Violet spreads her legs wider and inched her butt forward until her cunt was even with the edge of the Director's leather chair. She hung her legs over the armrests and cocked her head at him.

“Well? Come take your punishment Junior Agent Echos."

He whined deep in his throat. On one paw there she was, spread and waiting before him. On the other there was the possibility of Silver walking in on them. He wanted to ask if it was safe but did not dare because if he did, he was sure that she would kick him out for being a wimp.

He stood there frozen in indecision for a moment, struggling between caution and desire as she sat there with a toothy grin, biting her lip as she waited to see what he would do. She must have found the situation stimulating because his sensitive nose caught a whiff of her excitement. It was enough to tip the scales. He whined again but shuffled around the big desk to drop to his knees before her.

He placed his paws on the outside of her thighs with his thumbs on either side of the domed slit that the enticing odour was emanating from. He brought his black button of a nose closer and gave that slit a tentative lick with his pink tongue. It was warm, and sweet, and he hardly had to pull it apart with his thumbs as it opened to him.

Violet sighed as she relaxed under the care of his talented tongue. He did not do this often but when he did, he put everything into it. Already she could feel her clit growing large and hard against the rough surface or his oral appendage and feel the juices starting to flow from her, mixing with his saliva.

For his part, Kyroo was enjoying the taste and the feel of her twat. After circling her rising clit with the tip a few times he stuck his long clever tongue deep inside her and sealed his lips around the soft mound that she had shaved smooth. Not that he had anything against pubic fur, but a shaved cunt just had a purer taste, in his opinion. It was more fun to lick around the outside before the inner lips appeared too, he thought.

When he pulled his mouth away those delicate pink lips had appeared. They began swelling as he made long laps across and over them, stopping to tease her clit some more with each circuit. As they fattened up he gently took them between his teeth one at a time and tugged on them before returning to that button of sensitive flesh.

He felt her paws on the sides of his head, pulling on his ruff and his ears and he knew he was getting through to her. Her ass was rocking in time with his licking and when he glanced down he could see her cropped tail with the little tuft of purple fur on the end wagging where it hung over the edge of Silver's chair.

He redoubled his efforts on her twat, sucking her clit up between his pursed lips then flailing it with the tip of his tongue before releasing it and driving it deep between the folds of her pussy. He shook his head vigorously while his snout crushed the hot flesh against her pelvic bones, stiffening his lips to stimulate her clit some more. She responded by grinding her butt against his face while pulling him in by the fur on his cheeks.

His paws massaged her thighs. He moved one and soaked the middle digit in their combined juices until the fur on it was sodden. Then he ran his claw down the line of tender flesh separating twat from tailhole and tickled her where the flesh was puckered.

“Fuck yeah." Violet moaned, clenching her butt in a grabbing motion, perhaps unconsciously. No matter, either her mind or her body was attempting to pull that digit in, maybe both, so Kyroo obliged them. He wiggled it in, first just the claw, blunted by daily paw-to-paw combat training, then the thick black pad of the first joint. She moaned with pleasure and jerked her hips rhythmically to try to capture more of the invading digit.

He twisted it left and right, while his tongue played a staccato tune on her twat. When her moans and her thrusts started to diminish, he popped it in to the second knuckle. She gasped as he felt around inside while turning his wrist to and fro. Just as she was getting comfortable with that he drove it in as far as it would go and began pumping it in and out of her tender tailhole.

A couple of minutes of the double assault that was all Violet could take. She grabbed the sides of Kyroo's head and squashed his maw against her twat as her insides clenched and released a gush of hot liquid girl cum into his mouth. She held him there as she screamed in the soundproof room though a half dozen miniature orgasms brought by his continued tongue and finger work.

Finally, just on the point where Kyroo was beginning to struggle for breath, she released him and pushed his head back.

“Enough, enough!" she gasped as she fanned her overheated twat with one paw.

Kyroo sat back on his heels, keeping his tongue well out of range, but his digit was still buried to the third knuckle in her tailhole. He pulled it out slowly but steadily. Ding so made her cum again with a little spurt that sprayed the leather on the Director's seat.

“Oh, oh." She said, pulling her ass back a bit from where her juices were soaking into the worn leather. “Better clean that up."

Kyroo went to stand up and go search for something absorbent, but she forced him to stay kneeling.

“Oh no, snowy. We can't take the chance that Silver doesn't count the Kleenex before he leaves each day." She finished with an evil gleam in her eye.

Well, he thought as he began to lap up the puddle, at least it was just her cum and some of his saliva. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he had just cream pied her.

“Good boy." She said when he was done. She relaxed her grip on his head and let him stand up while continued to lounge naked in Silver's chair.

The sight of her, skin shaved bare except for the purple tufts in her wrists, ankles, tail and head, and the smell of satisfactory sex rising from her was having an obvious effect on him. His paws clenched and unclenched beside his hips as his zipper threatened to rupture from the force of the erection behind it.

“Not in such a rush to get out now, are ya?" She said with a smirk as his lips began to twitch. She slid forward in the chair until her head was level with his groin. “Well, let it not be said that Violet never gave as good as she got." She continued as she reached out and loosened his belt.

She was careful not to catch anything sensitive while drawing down the zipper. He had dressed in haste and wore nothing under his slacks, so as soon as it was clear his cock sprang out. It wobbled in the air, pointing straight at her, a little bead of pre-cum forming at the tip.

It was her turn to lick her lips, partially to lubricate them but also because she appreciated a warm, hard cock that was long enough to tickle the back of her throat. Not that it would make her cum, but it did feel safe and comfortable being the one in charge, setting the pace, able to bite it off and swallow it if the owner offended her.

Abandoned by her fashion model mother for being too plain and rejected by the brothel she was initially sold to for the same reason, Violet had ended up a virtual slave at a foster home in Alaska. Her foster father had raped her repeatedly, but she never let him stick his cock in her mouth, defying him and preserving her last ounce of dignity. Once she was big enough and strong enough to fight him off he never took her again. After she ran away, she sold what he used to take so that she wouldn't starve, but she never sucked off anyone for money. It was an act she reserved for real lovers, and she looked forward to doing it to Kyroo as much as he was likely looking forward to her doing it.

She leaned forward and took the tip between her lips. Bobbing her had slightly she caressed the sensitive skin there, flicking her tongue over the tip when it was inside, exploring the slit that would soon produce her creamy reward.

Kyroo was eager for more and tried to shuffle in closer. Placing her paws on his hips she held him just the right distance away so that only the tip could get inside for now. She felt him push his hips forward, but she easily held him back. She was in charge, and she would decide when and if to change things up.

After a couple of more minutes of edging, which only served to harden his already stiff member, she relented and pulled him a few inches closer. Now she had to lean back to expose the tip but could take his full length by stretching her neck. She went down on him until her nose came up against his hard abs, then pulled back until just the tip remained inside.

While her mouth was busy on his shaft, she worked one of her paws into the opening in his slacks and began to caress his fuzzy balls.

Back and forth she went, working her cheeks to produce warm, lubricating saliva as well as enough suction to bring the veins to the surface. When she could feel them standing out against his steely shaft she held her head still and pulled on his hips to encourage him to drive it in, then she pushed him away again. After a couple of repetitions she dropped her paws and let him dictate the pace.

Kyroo was quick to catch on. He put his paws on either side of her long, floppy ears and held her in place as he rocked his hips back and forth. All she needed to do was to squeeze her lips around his cock and twirl her tongue inside to keep it lubed.

He started off with long slow strokes, relishing the warmth and wetness of her maw and the movement of her tongue on him. When he was as far in as he could get, he could feel the muscles of her throat constricting around the tip. When he was almost out, he could feel the suction as her cheeks hollowed while she drew much needed air in though her snout.

It was not long though before he picked up the pace, fucking her face with abandon while she snorted and gagged around his thick cock. Saliva was dripping from the corners of her mouth as she gasped for breath and pearly white teeth flashed as she closed around him again. She gave no sign that she wanted him to slow down or stop, and his desire was relentless.

Just about the time she was wondering if he was going to flatten her snout like a pug with his incessant pounding she felt him shudder, loosing the pace for a moment. She knew that he was about to cum, and she grabbed the loose material on the sides of his trousers to pull him deep inside her. Sealing her lips around his shaft at the same time and working the tip with the back of her throat.

Cum he did, in a great burst of spooge that she could feel force its way past her tight lips and through the tube that rested on her tongue. It hit her in the back of the throat, but she was prepared and began to swallow right away. One shot, two, then three and forth went down as her lips worked the base of his cock.

When he stopped twitching and moaning she pulled her head back, drawing her pursed lips along his shaft to drain out the last bit of spooge. Once his cock, softer now but still erect, was clear she licked the tip clean then leaned back to let him watch her run her tongue around her mouth to suck up any lingering dollops.

“Good to the last drop." She grinned. She put a paw on his cock and squeezed it. She was please to note that it was already filling back up with blood. “My twat is aching for more action. Ready for round two?"

Kyroo looked around as she stroked his shaft back to life. “Where? On the desk?"

She looked at the polished wood and the big square of green blooper paper in its leather holder, noting how each pen and pencil was neatly lined up with their tips in line with the edge of the blotter.

“Better not. There is no way we could clean that up and the supply room is locked until morning." She tilted her chin at a large leather armchair on the other side of the desk. “I wouldn't mind being draped over that piece of kit though, and leather is easy to clean," she added, “as you well know." She paused and gave him a challenging look. “You don't mind cleaning up, do you?"

Kyroo answered by scooping her up in his arms and carrying her around the desk. On the way he did note, however, that there was a paper towel dispenser visible through the partially open door of the Director's washroom.

“Looks like my night for cleanup duty."

* * * * * * * *

Marcel used a nondescript sedan from the Academy carpool for the drive to Washington. He left early, before the kids were up because it was a ten-hour drive, and he had a stop to make on the way.

He drove south from Ottawa with the rising sun on his left. Marcel, who had only learned to drive after joining FOX was smooth and confident behind the wheel thanks to a lot of practice in the last few years, and an Anti-Terrorist Driving course that Silver had signed him up for.

“For when you need to move faster than hat skateboard can carry you." The bigger fox had told him, probably referring to their escape from the castle on the Russian Don river more than a dozen years before.

The small black fox glanced over to the passenger seat where Joel, the FOX forger and resident pervert, was curled up snoring against the arm rest. The skinny lemur had no idea why he was riding along with Marcel on this mission. Neither Marcel, Vikki, nor his mate, the recently retired Director Tancred Williams, had told him.

“You'll enjoy it." Was all that Tancred had told his submissive mate after Marcel had consulted with him privately on the matter. Joel had noted the thin-lipped grin that Tancred usually reserved for introducing a new torture device into their love life but as Marcel was a famously strait-laced, by FOX standards, he went along.

Joel woke up as they were taking the exit from Highway 401 to the International Bridge and Interstate 81. The 1000 Islands Tower tourist attraction was already visible in the distance.

“Hey!" Joel said with some alarm as he sat up. “We aren't going into the States are we? I don't have my Passport! No one told me to bring it."

“Relax." Marcel replied. “You're staying on the Canadian side of the border."

“And you aren't?"

Marcel did not answer, but before long he turned off the highway where a sign indicated the road to the Naja Casino.

“Going to try our luck at the tables?" Joel asked. “Challenge some big terrorist financier? You want me to mark some cards or something?"

“No. Nothing like that."

“Then why did you bring me along?"

“I need a specialist."

Joel frowned in confusion. “But forgery is the only thing I'm good at."

“Not quite."

Before Joel could ask any more questions they arrived at the casino. The big neon sign was unlit, but the motif of two intertwined cobras was pain to see in the early morning light. The 'Open' sign over the door was still lit though. This casino was one of the few in Canada that was licensed to operate twenty-four hours a day. That license had been bought with the knowledge of where many political bodies were buried.

It was also convenient for FOX because they had a sort of partnership with the owners, who advertised the Casino as a safe place for the underworld to launder money, exchange illegal goods, form alliances and make their nefarious plans. They recorded everything that went on for their own advantage and protection, and passed anything that posed a treat to international security on to FOX to act on as they would.

Since the actions FOX were wont to take did not involve courts, evidence or disclosing sources those people acted upon never found out where the leak came from.

Marcel was not surprised to find the owners, a pair of cobras named Henk and Dunya, waiting for them at this early hour. He had learned that the pair of former assassins seemed to know more than they should.

“Welcome Agent Ebony." Henk, a tall, fit snake with emerald green scales on his back and hood said as Marcel's eyes adjusted to the dim light of the casino's interior. “Or should I say, Mister White?"

Before Marcel could ask how the snake could know about his promotion Henk's mate, a red cobra with a huge bust slithered up to Joel and rubbed him under the chin while her forked tongue sampled the breath coming fast out of the little lemur.

“And this must be Joel." She hissed. “The former Director's mate. How is our friend Tancred, by the way?"

“How did you know he had retired?" Marcel asked. “There has been no official announcement yet."

“Oh, word gets around."

“Word gets around fast."

“Yessss. It does, doesn't it?"

“You must have some urgent business, showing up at this hour." Henk said. “Come to the office and we can see how we can help you."

Marcel noted that the snake had guessed that FOX needed something from them, and that he had not said 'if we can help' but 'how we can help' with the confidence of a negotiator that already knew all his opponent's secrets.

Marcel swallowed. The last time he was here, some ten years prior, he had gotten no farther than the bar, and even then had run from the casino in terror after hearing the two cobras' proposition for him. He put a paw between Joel's shoulder blades and pushed the lemur ahead of him like a shield as they followed the snakes to their private quarters.

Once they were inside the sound-proof office Marcel told Henk and his partner about the cat-bat Rasielle that they believed had escaped the fire which had killed her brothers. He did not reveal how they knew, but Henk's knowing nods told him that the cobra might already know the source. He described the thefts that Rasielle was believed to be involved in.

“She is believed to working with a rogue agent." Marcel concluded.

“The Asset, yessss." Henk replied.

Marcel concealed his shock. The snake's sources were as good as theirs, perhaps better, but did he know about the cloning experiments?

“We have heard that the Asset is a unique blend of several species." Henk said, confirming that he did without being asked. “Thisss is of particular interest to us."

Marcel glanced at Dunya, who only seemed interested in Joel at the moment. She was poking and pinching the little lemur with a wicked grin.

“Tancred Williamsss has told you about the result of our coupling, that day you ran away?"

Marcel nodded. Williams had indeed told of how the snake's had managed to use his sperm to impregnate Dunya. When he had dropped in a few months later to see how things were going they had shown him the still-born fox/cobra crosses. Henk and his mate kept them in a frozen tomb below the casino.

“They never would have survived had they made it to term." Tancred had informed him when Marcel went to ask permission to use Joel to entice information from the snakes. “They had arms but no legs, and their necks were spread out like cobras' hoods." The big golden fox had shuddered. “And the fangs, Marcel. Not just canines, but long, thin fangs."

Tancred had refused to say more, but the implication was obvious.

“You tried the same techniques as Fuchs did, with similar results." Marcel replied to Henk.

“Yesss. But we have not given up, and this Rasielle and her 'Asset' intrigue us. We have been keeping track of her movements, as much as we can."

“FOX would be grateful if you shared what you know about her whereabouts, and anything else you can find out about her 'Asset' and what they are up to."

A cruel smile grew on Henk's face. “You know what the cost of doing business with us issss?"

“Yes." Marcel answered as coolly as he imagined Silver might.

“Are you going to run away screaming again." Henk asked with a challenging glint in his eye.

Marcel, who had many more years of experience and many more souls on his conscious since their first meeting, simply replied, “No."

“You can't linger here though, you are on your way to an important meeting, are you not?"

That got a rise out of Marcel. “How the hell did you ..." He stopped and composed himself. When he got back to FOX he would have to look into how it was the snake knew so much about ... about everything.

For now, he took the same pose he has seen Silver use when he was pretending not to be upset or disadvantaged. He sat back, rested his right ankle on his left knee and grasped it with his left paw while letting his right rest on his lap.

“That is why the lemur is here." Marcel tilted his head toward Joel, who was vainly trying to squeeze back in his chair to stay out of Dunya's reach.

“Huh?" Joel's ears pricked up and swivelled toward Marcel. “Who the what now?"

Marcel kept his eyes locked on the cobra's. “Williams understands that you prefer a dominant role when not engaged in mating and he assures you that Joel will be much more enjoyable in the submissive role that I could ever be."

“Uh, Marcel ..." Joel interrupted. “Remember what you were telling me about consent before you erased those tapes I made of you and Geno? I, uh, I think I understand the concept now and ..."

“Williams said if the lemur is any trouble just give him a few slaps on the snout with a riding crop and he'll settle down."

Henk grinned. “I always suspected that Tancred was hiding something special from us. I thought it was you when the two of showed up he the first time, but now I see that I was misssstaken."

Marcel shrugged, secretly impressed that there was one thing about FOX that the cobra did not already know. “It's okay. A lot of people have made incorrect assumptions about me."

“To their detriment, no doubt."

Marcel flashed him a quick grin, wondering if this was how Silver felt when he faced down formidable foes.

Henk laughed and slapped Marcel on the thigh. Marcel was proud that he did not flinch when the snake's big, scaly mitt touched his leg.

“One more thing. A little quid pro quo. If and when you confront Rasielle and defeat her, which I am certain you will, can you try to find her research and share it with us? Dunya and I are still desirous of producing a fox/snake cross ..." He gave Marcel a piercing look “... should a suitable partner present themselves."

“I promise that we will try. If you can assure me that the knowledge will go no further."

“We have a deal then. Continue on your journey. We will pass whatever we discover directly to FOX through the established channels. And don't worry about Joel, we'll send him back to Ottawa in one piece ..." he shot an amused glance at the lemur, who was smothered between the large breasts of his mate “... mossstly."

“Marcel ... buddy ..." Joel squeaked from between the scaly red globes of Dunya's breasts.

“Sorry, Joel. Sometimes you got to take one for the team, and today is your turn."

“This is about the webcams I hid in your bedroom, isn't it?"

Marcel said nothing, just stood and straightened out his clothes as he nodded good bye to his hosts.

“Don't leave me!" Joel screamed as Henk slid back a bookcase to reveal a fully equipped dungeon while Dunya pried Joel's fingers off the overstuffed chair. He swore at Marcel as the small black fox stepped though the door that led to the casino, and freedom. “You're as bad as Silver, you vindictive bastard!"

Marcel stopped halfway though the door with his paw on the knob. He stepped back into the office and turned to look at the struggling lemur. Then his face lit up.

“Gee, thanks, Joel."

* * * * * * * *

The drive to Washington DC was uneventful, and it gave Marcel time too reflect.

Not about the situation he had left Joel in. The ring-tailed pervert had it coming after all the schemes he had pulled on Marcel and Geno in his attempts to make a profit in the porn market. Maybe the cobras will record it and put it on whatever site hard-core BDSM lovers subscribe to, he supposed. That would be ironic, he thought, for Joel to become a star on someone else's porn site.

What occupied Marcel's mind was all the effort people were putting into cross-species fertility, and what appeared to be an imminent breakthrough in the field.

He loved Geno, and he loved all four of their adopted kids, but he secretly longed for a child of his own, someone to carry his genes on, and he knew that Geno felt the same way. At the moment, however, that was impossible, or at least, almost impossible, he corrected himself.

The Americans had managed it, barely, with their cat-bat fusions. Most of the progeny had been sterile, but Saira Rasielle had been a super breeder, capable of producing offspring with any fertile male, or so she claimed. And now she had produced a fusion of several species by combining the American and Nazi research with that of the Soviets.

He wondered how long it would take the commercial sector to come up with fertility treatments for the thousands of inter-species couples that could not breed together now should her research become public knowledge.

He also wondered what a cheetah/fox cross would come out like. A monster, like the legless, half-furry, half scaly fetuses Tancred had seen in the cobras' crypt? Or something new and beautiful.

He sighed and put such thoughts out of his mind. Even if they did track down the manic cat-bat and get her research he could never release it for his own benefit, it would not be right.

Besides, he told himself, cheetahs were picky breeders. They could not even breed with other felines like the lions and tigers could, so what hope did he and Geno have?

The meeting in Washington between FOX, the CIA and the British Secret Service was not going to be held at the CIA headquarters in Langley, or any of their other well-known facilities. The known locations were monitored by hostile intelligence services who added the photos of anyone going in or out to their databases for later identification. With his public persona being that of the somewhat famous skateboarder Anthony Foxx, Marcel's face was sure to be picked up right away and then his cover would be blown.

The British rep to the Red, White and Blue Committee probably would not appreciate being outed either, so the meeting was to be held in a location more secret than 'The Farm' outside of Norfolk, more subtle than 'The Ranch' in Nevada and less obvious than 'The Garage' in New Jersey.

Following instructions that he had committed to memory, Marcel arrived just around supper time at a location near the Mormon Temple of Washington DC known simply as 'The Waffle Palace'.

Marcel was surprised to discover that the location was, in fact, a Waffle Palace Restaurant. He knew that like FOX, the CIA operated a number of front companies, but he was not aware of this one. He wondered whether they owned the entire chain of the popular brunch restaurants or just this franchise.

He parked the car and walked through the front door where he was confronted by a bright-faced female otter that asked, “Table for one?" in an overly cheery voice.

“No, I'm with the Bluenose party." He replied as instructed.

“Oh!" The otter squealed, while out of sight below the podium her paws hovered over the defence system that had detected the weapons the small black fox was carrying. “And which guest are you?"

“Mister White, but I have to apologize, I forgot the wine." he replied, completing the code phase.

Her paws reappeared. “That's okay, we're well stocked here." She puffed up her chest as she spoke. This Canadian was kind of cute, she thought, and a bit familiar looking. Maybe he would be interested in a drink or two afterwards?

“Follow me." She said, picking up a pair of menus before she turned her well-shaped tail to him.

Marcel noted that her hips seemed to be swaying much more than necessary as she led him through the main dining room and down a short hallway partially obscured by decorative panels then up a short flight of stairs. There she used a pass card, a fingerprint scanner and an eye scan to open the door. They passed though and it closed behind them, trapping them between armoured doors.

Now it was Marcel's turn to be scanned, sampled and verified. Apparently he passed the tests as the second door opened right away. He wondered what would have happened if the staff at FOX had failed to send the right info down. The otter waved him through the second door, remaining behind in the trap until the door closed behind him. Her clearance was not high enough to permit access into the secure facility built over the restaurant.

There were already two others in the room. One, a tall blank panther stuck out his paw and introduced himself as Blue, their American host. The other, a red fox, gave Marcel a disdainful nod and said, “Red, Mister Red."

Like FOX in the past, the British SIS, formerly known as MI-6, tended to hire foxes almost exclusively. Their Counter-Intelligence counterpart, MI-5, on the other paw, hired agents from a wide spectrum of species, the more nondescript the better. Silver had warned Marcel that the SIS agents could be a bit 'snooty'.

Marcel ignored the snub and shook the panther's big black paw. “I'm White." He told him.

The panther grinned. “No you're not. You're as black as I am."

Marcel was startled for an instant, then he grinned as they continued to grip each other's paw. “I guess that's why back home they dubbed me Agent Ebony."

The panther wrinkled his forehead in an exaggerated show of surprise. “Ebony? Isn't that a kind of wood? I thought you Canuks used colours."

Marcel shrugged. “They didn't realize how soon the options would run out when you don't reuse the old code names."

“True. We retire all old code names too. Out first OAS agent was 'Triple-A', followed by AAB, AAC etc. We've had so many over the years that now I'm the last of the three-letter club, Triple Zee. Not 'zed', mind you, 'zee'.

He released Marcel's paw and turned to indicate the fox in the blue blazer and grey slacks. “And our colleague here is Double-Oh Ninety-Five."

“Starting to get up there too." Marcel observed.

The fox waived it off. “We had a lot of attrition at the end of the Cold War."

Their host lead them to a table that was laid out with a charcuterie board and a selection of wines and beers.

“You like?" He asked when Marcel hesitated.

“Sure, it looks great, but I was sort of expecting waffles."

“The restaurant is a cover, not a culinary statement. It makes a good cover because you can see all types going in and out during the day. At night though it's mostly families with a bunch of kids. Once they start screaming for ice-cream and dessert waffles you'll bless the sound proofing up here."

“Can we get started." Red said impatiently. “I have a late flight to catch."

The panther waved his paw at Marcel. “Your Agency called the meeting."

Without revealing how they had found out, Marcel revealed what they knew of Saira Rasielle's activities and 'The Asset'. When he was done The American agent pressed the tips of his digits together in front of his face.

“This is very concerning for us. Although the Super Soldier program was an Army initiative the CIA was somewhat involved. Congress will not be happy when they find out that Rasielle managed to succeed where we failed."

“What concerns Silver," Marcel replied, “is that we still don't have enough pieces of the puzzle to figure out what her game is."

Red snorted, managing to put a couple of hundred years of derision for the colonials into it. “That's not surprising. I can't believe that they made that brute the Director. There are plenty of good British agents nearing retirement that would have taken the job. So much for Sir Wilber's legacy."

“Now, Red ..." the panther began, but Marcel had already leapt to Silver's defence.

“I know that Silver didn't go to university, but his experience is unmatched."

“Didn't go to university!" The British fox scoffed. “He couldn't even spell it; and neither can you, I'll wager."

Silver had warned Marcel that as a matter of course his personnel file would be released to the Americans and the British when he became the liaison agent. “The Americans won't care that we took you off the street, so to speak." Silver had said. “They do the same when they spot talent. The Brits, however, only take university graduates these days. Those that make as far as the Double-Oh section are mostly okay, but the current liaison guy is a stuck-up prick."

“Funny attitude from someone in the same line of work." Marcel said as he engaged Red with narrowed eyes.

“Do not try to wrap us all in the same package, White. We're not all brainless thugs. I have a double honours degree from Oxford and a Graduate Degree from Cambridge. I joined the Double-Oh section to bring some academic rigour to their plans and some finesse to their operations."

Marcel had not had time to look up the other's files, so he was at a disadvantage, but the panther leapt in to save him. “Say, Red, what were your degrees in again?"

“Latin and Linguistics, with a graduate degree in Ancient Languages." Red sniffed.

“Yeah, bet that comes in handy in the field. Anyway, I think that we may have one of Silver's missing pieces." He leaned forward and looked Marcel in the eyes. “Two weeks ago, someone broke into our experimental weapons depot in Los Alamos and stole a prototype bomb."

“What kind of bomb was it? Radiological, Biological, Chemical? Nuclear?"

The panther shook his head. “None of the above. It was a gravity bomb."

Both Marcel and the British fox looked puzzled. “You mean it falls from the sky, like those in the Second World War?" Red asked.

“It can, but that is not it's function. When it goes off it negates the gravitational pull of the earth over a certain radius, freeing anything in that radius from the earth's grip."

“And then ... what? All the enemy tanks and artillery fly off into space? That's not very sporting."

“Not very practical either." The American replied. “Negating gravity just makes things lighter, not mobile. You need to apply some force to make things rise up. Something about Newton's laws. Anyway, that's why it never went beyond the prototype."

Marcel did not know who this lawyer Newton was, but he knew that a crazy creature like Rasielle would be drawn to an equally crazy weapon. “Do you think the Asset took it?" He asked.

The panther nodded. “Almost certainly. The way it was taken duplicates a case we have on file when one of our, uh, contractors, a dragon interestingly enough, stole a similar device from North Korea in exchange for some particular gemstones. A remote impenetrable arsenal, surrounded by elite military units, restricted airspace, the whole nine yards."

Marcel's brain was racing. “What can she want with a bomb that doesn't work?" At least, it doesn't worth on earth, he thought, where the ground is tightly packed. “Could she use it over the water maybe? To loosen up a few kilometres of ocean and push it up into the air with her submarine to fall back to earth, causing destruction and devastating floods?"

“She wouldn't need the rocket for that." The American mused.

Marcel noticed that their British colleague was uncharacteristically quite and pensive.

“You know something, Red?"

The fox swallowed. “We may have had an incident that could, conceivably, be related to these other thefts. Our space program, you see, has recently ... misplaced ... a key component."

Marcel and the American leaned in expectantly.

“I didn't mention it earlier because it isn't related to the military space program or anything else offensive. It's entirely defensive, really."

“Spit it out." Blue demanded.

“Heat shielding."

“Like for re-entry?" Marcel guessed.

“No, no, no. Much more sophisticated than that. These shields were for our new Solar Explorer. We intend ... intended ... to put our solar probe closer to the sun than any before it. With them protecting your payload you could get right inside the corona, close to the actual surface, such as it is."

“The surface of the sun is unstable." The panther noted. “It's a constant battle between the immense gravity of the sun and the explosive forces that occasionally blow huge amounts of charged solar matter into space. It's what causes the Northern Lights."

“Did you learn that at university?" Red inquired.

“No, PBS. Last week's episode of Nova talked about it. They said that while these ejections can take out communications networks and overload electrical grids it was theoretically impossible to get one big enough to harm the earth, because of that balance."

“The question is," Red observed, “what would happen if someone used the Chinese rocket with its Russian fuel and our shields to set off your gravity bomb close to the surface of the sun?"

“I don't know," Marcel said as the other two lapsed into silence, “but I bet that Silver knows someone who does. I'll need report this to him right away." He turned to Blue. “Do you have an inter-agency comms unit here?"

“Sure do." The panther answered. “It's right over ..."

His instructions were cut short as a speaker over the inner door to the secure area went 'ping' and the light beside it turned red to indicate that someone was in the trap.

“What the ...? I reserved this secure room for the entire evening. No one with access is expected."

“Your otter with a message, perhaps?" Red speculated.

“She would have called." Blue began as he stood and took a step toward the door.

Suddenly the light turned green and with another 'ping' the inner door slid open. There, in the opening, they could see the otter from the reception desk, staring wide eyed at nothing. This was likely because of the large bloody hole between those eyes.

The otter's body fell to the ground to reveal a creature that looked like a bobcat that was pointing a large silenced pistol at them.

“My God!" Blue exclaimed. “It's Helman ... I ... I think." The panther suddenly looked scared.

“What's wrong?" Marcel cried.

“He looks like Matt Helman," Blue replied as his paw twitched near the opening tin his suit jacket. “but I knew Helman. He's dead." Then to the intruder, “How did you get in here?"

The bobcat laughed. “I helped design this place, or at least part of me did." He said as he stepped over the lifeless body of the otter. “Helman built a master code into the system in case he ever needed to use the facility without the Agency's knowledge."

“How did you know that?"

“I know everything that everyone who contributed to my DNA knew up to the point it was collected." It said with a self-assured grin as it waved the muzzle of its gun between the three agents. Then a troubled expression crossed its face. “Mostly."

“You are the Asset." Red concluded.

The cat seemed top morph before their eyes, turning into a suave, sleek red fox. “Two points for Hufflepuff, old chap." It said with a slight Scottish accent.

The shock of seeing the creature change into the image of a famous British agent shocked Red into going for his gun. He barely got his paw under his blazer before the tube on the end of the assailant's gun spoke twice in a muffled voice.

Marcel dove behind a large chair but he saw the smoke coming from a hole in Red's head and another in his chest before two more shots tore through the stuffing, barely missing him. He peaked around the side in time to see Blue raise his pistol. It only made it halfway up before three shots in rapid succession destroyed his chest.

Moving automatically, Marcel pulled three throwing knives from one sleeve and lay them on the floor away from him. Then he pulled three more from his other sleeve and famed them out in his paw. He rolled out from behind the couch and threw them where he guessed the Asset to be. The centre knife went straight for the spot he had aimed at, while the others went a bit to each side. None of them struck the creature, however, because he was no longer at that end of the room.

Realizing that the asset must have closed in on the chair and circle around the other side, Marcel dropped his left paw to where he had placed the other knives, intending to flick them at the fox when he came around the chair. But the creature did not come around, it came over, and landed right on top of Marcel's paw with an audible crunch.

Intense pain shot through Marcel's left arm, but his right kept going for the emergency gun hidden under a flap of fake fur near his tail. The Asset grabbed his wrist just as he got his paw on the gun's butt. There was more pain as he twisted Marcel's arm up and around in a manner that would shatter it if Marcel attempted to fight back. It was a move Rusty would have been proud of because he had invented it, and he had only taught it to the senior agents at FOX.

“Don't feel bad." The Asset whispered in Marcel's ear as he plucked the small pistol from his paw and threw it across the room. “I know the guy that trained you, intimately, and even though I don't have any of your DNA I can anticipate your every move."

“You don't know everything that Silver does." Marcel gasped. “He's changed since the Werewolf took his spooge to add to that soup you call a heritage."

“That may be true." Behind him Marcel sensed the creature begin to change again. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that it was still a red fox, but now it was taller, with softer features. The shoulders slimmed down, but the chest expanded as breasts rose up under its shirt. Even its smell changed, and Marcel recognized the scent of Vikki.

“Yes, my instincts tell me that the old fox has changed, did change, by the time I ... she ... became pregnant. Perhaps he continued to change. Perhaps you have also." It said while idly caressing the fur on Marcel's neck in an almost tender manner. “You were a punk when Silver met you, and Vikki did not think much of you either, at first. But she started to feel ... sisterly affection ... for you. She was aware of your infatuation, but you never stood a chance against Silver. She was hot for him from the get go, even when she was mad ay him." The doppelgänger patted Marcel's arm afectionately, just as Vikki did sometimes.

Marcel was getting severely creeped out. This amalgam of professional spies had just killed his two allied counterparts and was about to kill him, but here it was talking about Vikki's intimate secrets, and teasing him like an older sister might.

Marcel was certain that he was going to die, but maybe he could introduce some doubt into the clone's mind before he did, make it second guess itself into making a mistake that Vikki and Silver could take advantage of.

“You'll never get away with your plan to blow up the sun." He warned. “FOX has all the details and it's only a matter of time before they track you down."

“Oh, so they haven't tracked me down yet? Thank you for that. And while I doubt that they know 'everything' it really does not matter at this point. The plan will go ahead, and the world will be reborn into the paradise that the original people intended it to be."

Marcel recognized the rhetoric of the Humanists, the cult that Rasielle had belonged to.

“With the blood of all those pragmatic people in you how can you believe that mumbo jumbo?"

Conflicting emotions fought for control over the face that the creature wore for a moment, but confusion, doubt and pain gave way to determination.

“Say goodbye, Marcel."

Marcel could feel the muzzle of the silencer ruffling the fur on the back of his neck. One shot though the spine would be all that was needed. Silver had taught that to both him and Vikki. He closed his eyes and made his peace with the world.

But the shot did not come. Instead, he felt the silencer vibrate and then sway back and forth indecisively through his fur. Then the creature cried out in the way Vikki did when she was frustrated.

It picked Marcel up with a roar and flung him across the room to land in a heap beside the dead otter. Still in Vikki's image it strode across the room for the security door, which still stood open. It paused with a paw on the handle before pulling it closed.

“Don't follow me, Marcel." It hissed with green eyes ablaze. “I won't spare you again if you follow me."

The light above the door turned red. Then the speaker pinged in a different tone as the trap was cleared from the other side. The last sound was the muffled crash of bullets tearing through metal and circuitry as the creature destroyed the door controls. Then the door light went out and Marcel was alone, trapped in a secret room with three dead bodies.

He worked his one good paw to get the blood flowing again as he crawled over to Blue's body. The American had confirmed that there was a communication terminal somewhere in here. Marcel was sure that he would find it, but if there was a key card or other device needed to unlock it the panther would have it on him.

He passed Red's body, reflecting that, as Blue had predicted, the double honours degree had not been much help, but he did not have the time or inclination to gloat. He reached the body of the panther and began to search it carefully. The whole time though, one question kept going through his mind.

Why didn't the Asset kill me too?

Kain Algorath © Marcus X Light

Ophelia Cassidy Sommer © Devil Kitty

Joel Grigori © Joel the Lemur

Geno © Coyotek

Dongo Fett © Dongo Fett

Zachary Ember © EmberWolf

Grey Muzzle © Grey Muzzle

Kyroo Echos © Kyroo Echos

Natasha Winters © EmberWolf

Violet © Gray Muzzle

Saira Rasielle © SilentRampancy

Carlos © Carlos the Penguin

Dante Draco © Dante Draco

Henk and Dunya © Henk Cobra

The FOX Academy series:

Book I – The New Breed

Book II – The Werewolf of Odessa

Book II.5 – The Love who Spied Me

Book III – The Curse of the Yellow Monkey

Book IV – Wait for No One

Book V – Dawn of Vengeance

Book VI - Unnatural Selection

Book VII - Rogue Sword

Book VIII - Firestorm

Book IX - Diamonds in the Rough

Book X – Agents Lounge

FOX Flashback Novels:

Scarlet Necklace

The Finland Express

Other FOX tales:

Accounts Payable

A gambler's Share

An Opus for a Penguin

Casino Naja

Daffodils

Deep Thunder

Fear

Hard at Work

It's a Wonderful Furry Life

La Vie en Rose

Life of the Party

Not a Bed of Roses

Rest Stop

The Dead of Night

The Mark of Cain

The Volunteer

When Worlds Collide (a FOX/MLP crossover)