FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Merc's Metamorphs

copyright 2022 comidacomida

Chapter 9: Terremoto

Merc may not have spent his entire life learning how to be an empowered hero but he'd had a fair amount of experience by that point. Even as Demon helped Martin's wife and daughter make ready to leave, the leader of the bunch was already checking in with their ace-in-the-hole. He sent Bruiser a mental inquiry. "Anything we need to worry about from these two or do they check out okay?"

Bruiser's response was straight forward and direct. "Wife hates El General's guts and the girl just wants to see her mami and papi happy. I got a sailboat, by the way-- lead em down to the pier."

Grabbing a few extra supplies from where they hung in the kitchen, Merc glanced to the woman as she helped her daughter get a coat on. He addressed her in English, save for the last word, which he figured would be common enough that he could respectfully use. "We have another member of our group getting a boat. Are you almost ready to leave, Señora?"

"I am... thank you."

With Martin's wife's hands full, it was Demon who ended up carrying the girl; she seemed to be enthralled with the experience, squealing happily before adding. "Me llamo Alma."

The Pitbull knew just enough Spanish to realize that she was introducing herself. "Nice to meetcha, Alma. Me llamo Demon."

The girl giggled. "Yo se! Te he visto en la tele"

Bruiser translated mentally "She's seen you on TV so she knows who you are."

Her mom quickly interjected, speaking to her daughter first in Spanish, and then to Demon. "Se educada, me amor. I am sorry. She is excited is all."

Demon smiled in response. "It's fine... ah-- es... estoy bien."

The woman smiled pleasantly, not bothering to correct the conjugation. She did, instead, introduce herself and her daughter. "That is Alma... my name is Elisa. I am grateful, but, why are you helping us?"

It was always Merc's policy to be as truthful as possible. "Your husband is an important weapon for Santagua. If we get you to safety then we're hoping that we can take him away from El General."

Although it didn't always work out, on that particular occasion honesty did indeed turn out to be the best policy. Spitting on the street as they made their way out of the house, Elisa acknowledged as much. "My husband is being forced to work for El General. We love Santagua, but this country is not what it should be and it is all because of that man."

Bruiser again confirmed that she was not being duplicitous, and that was good news for the team. Once Merc was able to confirm that Elisa would be an ally rather than a liability, he was able to select a power which would help significantly. As they made their way down toward the pier, he maintained a pace that would allow her to keep pace, watching around them for any onlookers as he said "Once we get to the boat, I have a way you'll be able to let your husband know you're free."

Elisa shook her head. "No... they do not let my husband have a radio or a mobile phone. I... I have no way of reaching him."

It only took a gentle prod from Bruiser before he opened up his mental contact to her; unlike with Merc and Demon, Bruiser started off in Spanish without hesitation, sending his thoughts directly to her. "I am able to connect minds, Mrs. Araya. My name is Bruiser, and, when you get to the boat, we will help you reach out to your husband so you can tell him that you and Alma are safe."

Merc had been in the hero business long enough to know happy tears when he saw them, and Elisa's were definitely the right variety. Looking toward him, she said simply "Gracias a dios... thank you... thank you."

He nodded in response. "Por nada."

As promised, Bruiser had the boat at the pier for easy loading. Merc's Metamorphs had occasional use for boats and, when they used them, the general policy when they were on the water was to get something small and buoyant. If stealth was important they could avoid using a motor since Bruiser was able to drag them along at a fair pace while swimming. That night was no exception, and the Orca confirmed mentally that he was in the water, ready to head north to collect Terremoto as soon as everyone was situated.

Even as Elisa took Alma from Demon to help her onto the boat she paused. "I... do not see your other friend."

Bruiser broadcast his thought. "Estoy en la agua, Señora. Soy una orca."

Rather than work through numerous questions, Merc shut down the discussion. "We do not have much time, and the less you know about us the better, Señora."

Thankfully she didn't put up much of an argument. "Yes. O-of course."

Once everyone was situated, Merc gave Bruiser a silent acknowledgement to depart and the boat was on its way. The Kangacobra inched closer to the woman and her daughter. "Please hold out your hand. Bruiser and I can connect you to your husband so you can let him know that your family is free and he doesn't have to work for El General anymore."

Elisa was very slow in offering up her hand but, ultimately, she rested her hand into his scaled palm; Merc was mindful to make sure that he didn't inadvertently cut her with his claws. A moment later, Alma had crawled across the woman so she could take hold of the Metamorph's thumb. The little girl joyfully added "Lista!"

Chuckling to himself, Merc reached out to Bruiser with his mind, letting him know it was time. "Whenever you're ready."

Unable to copy the powers that were given to his team mates, Merc was able to locate Terremoto and help someone else mentally communicate with him, but that power had to travel through Bruiser's ability to make that initial connection. It was, in many ways, like using a computer to send a text message to someone on a cell phone, who then read it aloud to another person, and texted back the response they spoke. It wasn't perfect, but it would certainly work since the message was a simple one.

Since Merc was really just a conduit, he wasn't automatically involved in the conversation, thus he didn't know the full contents of what was sent but Bruiser was able to concentrate on using his own power and still providing a very brief overview of the dialogue. Elisa was hesitant at first until Terremoto acknowledged her. Alma, on the other hand, jumped in with both feet and directly let her father know that Merc's Metamorphs saved them from the bad men and that they were in a boat. Elisa filled in the blanks, at which point Bruiser confirmed that Terremoto would be out to join them soon.

Merc was about to ask for clarification on that last point; both 'out to join them' and the concept of 'soon' both required some elaboration. Any confusion, however, was quickly eliminated as a powerful rumble shook the entirety of the northern side of Santagua island. Even several hundred yards out in the water, their boat was sent bobbing and shaking as half the northern overlook (including El General's manor) collapsed into the water.

Thanks to the careful maneuvering of the front of the boat toward the oncoming waves by Bruiser, the group managed to stay afloat as the turbulent water battered them back and forth. Eyes focused on the sundered cliff, Merc admired the pure brutality in the way the earth split, causing two thirds of the building to crash down to the water below. If El General had thought that having his manor atop a huge cliff would be a sign of wealth or a way to survey his domain, all it took was the freeing of his 'pet Metamorph' to show that it really was little more than hubris, and the thought made the Kangacobra smile.

Bruiser's simple mental note pulled Merc back to the present. "He's here."

Demon, who must have also received the same telepathic message went to the edge of the boat and reached down. One quick yank later and a large, broad-shelled Sea Turtle was hauled through the deck, phasing right through it until he was set down. The Metamorph was just slightly larger than a standard human but, considering the width and thickness of his shell he appeared far bulkier. Loose knit pants which would have been incredibly baggy on a Human were only a little loose on him and, other than that, he wore no clothes. Terremoto looked confused for a moment, but his questioning glance at the Pitbull was gone the moment Elisa called out. "Martin! Mi amor!"

The Turtle's voice had an eerie rasp to it, but his movements on deck were surprisingly adroit despite him being a sea creature. "Mi corazon!"

Elisa and Alma ran to Terremoto who, by the time they reached him, had returned to his Human form. Still dressed only in pants, the rather unassuming man embraced both of the most important women in his life, crying right along with them. Ultimately it was Alma who was the first to speak up, proclaiming proudly in Spanish "We were saved by Merc's Metamorphs, Daddy! They came all the way from up north to save us!"

Although Bruiser was usually the most emotional of the team, he also had a head for 'order of operations'. He sent the thought to Merc even as the rope leading down to him beneath the waves grew taut and began to rotate the direction of the boat. "I'll head back toward the mainland. Keep everyone from moving around too much."

Martin was quite fluent in English and, during the time Merc was processing Bruiser's request, the man had already started practically interrogating Demon. "Why are you helping me and my family? Surely you must know that your CIA will not be happy when they find out what happened to General Muñoz. Why would they allow something like this?"

Demon, as usual, was great passing the buck, thumbing over his shoulder toward Merc. "Hey... I just work with this guy."

Martin turned to regard the Kangacobra. While most people would be at least a little intimidated by him, Martin didn't seem the least bit disturbed. "Mr. Merc... why did you and your men help my family? What do you have to gain in it? If you came all the way from your country, there has to have been a reason."

Not really interested in telling the whole story to a man who would be thousands of miles away from him in less than a day, Merc kept it simple. "We were in the area and you obviously needed some help. Where I come from, we have a saying: 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.' Does it really have to be any more complicated than that?"

The answer didn't seem to placate him. Crossing his arms, his appraising gaze remained on the Kangacobra, but it did lose some of its accusatory edge. "I owe you more than I can repay for saving my wife and daughter, Mr. Merc... if you are hoping that this means that I will move earth and water for you--"

Merc raised a talon to stop him. "No. We're not here to recruit you and you don't have to pay us back. Once we get to Chile you're free to take this boat and go anywhere you want... I think most countries would be happy to take in an asylum seeker from Santagua whether they know you're a Metamorph or not."

Demon snorted. "Any country 'cept the USA, maybe."

Thanks to Bruiser's skilled swimming, the boat made great time and even in the darkness of night Merc could already see the shadowy blackness of the coast rapidly approaching. Merc looked back at Martin. "I know you may not be used to good things happening to you, Mr. Araya, but this is just that. If you want to run then good luck to you. If you want to find a way to help your people get past the military dictatorship then good for you. Frankly, it's none of our business.... fair?"

Merc held a talon out for the man to shake. Martin stared down it for several long moments, almost like a wary shopper wondering if he's about to buy a lemon at a used car lot. After a lengty pause, however, he accepted it and gave it a firm grip. Martin spoke plainly "You have a strange way about you, Señor Merc."

The Metamorph smirked. "And you have a pretty damn strong handshake for a librarian."

Despite having spent months as an indentured servant to a military warlord, Martin Araya apparently hadn't lost his sense of humor. "Until recently I also worked as a miner two hours a day."

* * * * * *

Merc's Metamorphs had scarcely a half hour left for their transformations by the time the boat touched the beach. Bruiser had selected an open, unoccupied area for them to go ashore and, as the Orca started walking the boat up into the sand Demon hopped out to assist. Merc stayed on board until they were firmly ashore, at which point he hopped out and helped the Humans transfer onto the beach. After that, he stepped back to let Bruiser say the goodbyes for everyone; the Orca was always good at that.

Keeping off to the side, the Kangacobra simply waited for everyone to part ways. He knew that they were running out of time to get somewhere away from prying eyes thanks to the itching in the palm of his glove-covered talon; it did that sometimes when he was toward the end of his transformation. It also caused his mind to wander as he wondered just how many more times Martin would ask what the catch was, or the number of times Elisa would want to thank them. Sometimes being a Metamorph could be socially exhausting.

Merc had to admit that he had a begrudging respect for Martin Araya. Not only had the man successfully survived being a tool for a military dictator, but he managed to escape, and brought El General's mansion down in the process. There was certainly a keep intelligence in the librarian-- especially since he was so hesitant to trust the altruism of a group of Metamorphs. The Kangacobra honestly hoped that the Arayas would be able to find freedom and happiness after escaping, but part of him wondered if they had truly gotten away.

That darker thread of thoughts began to fill up more and more of his mind. What if Santagua got Martin back? Things would probably return to the status quo; his family would be held hostage, forcing him to become the nation's slave Metamorph-- their task would have failed and The Rook would probably cancel the contract... Merc's Metamorphs would have their identities revealed. For the first time, Merc actually questioned the policy of leaving loose ends. It was one thing to give a man and his family their freedom, but with Terremoto running wild there was still the ever-present threat of Santagua reclaiming him. Certainty, Merc knew, meant that Terremoto would have to die.

The Kangacobra was pulled from his dark thoughts as Martin stepped into his view, holding a hand out with a reserved smile. "I... believe I am ready to believe that sometimes good fortune can be good fortune."

Scratching at his left palm through his glove, Merc shrugged. It would be easy to activate his third power-- electric touch would do quick work of a Human; it would be painless and it would solve their issues. Holding a talon out, however, Merc did no such thing. He accepted Martin's shake and, as his only reply, offered a succinct "Stay safe out there."

The three Metamorphs left the Humans and the boat, walking inland from the beach as they parted ways. Helping Bruiser with their combined gear, Merc kept chewing on the inside of his cheek in thought, continuing to mull over just how dangerous it was to always play the good guy. Still, he reminded himself, Merc's Metamorphs didn't kill-- and DEFINITELY didn't kill good people; despite having been coerced to work for El General, Martin did seem to be one of the good ones.

Merc's Metamorphs were under the cover of thick subtropical vegetation when they resumed their Human forms, which was just fine for Frank, especially since his palm hadn't stopped itching ever since they got ashore. He felt instant relief as the height, muscle, scales and fur all melted off of him, leaving him a human once again; the night was even warm enough that he didn't care that he was naked. The three of them still had to check into a hotel, of course, so the nudity wouldn't last, but he was perfectly happy to celebrate a minute and a half of total freedom.

As Frank and his boyfriends slowly picked their way through the vegetation, Juan kept looking back toward the beach. Eventually he added words to his distracted glances. "I'm not sure leaving them all alone like that was the best way to handle things."

Chance chuckled. "Oh? Would you rather change back in front of em so they know who we are and offer to split a hotel with em?"

Juan scowled. "That's not what I meant."

The white guy rolled his eyes, stepping closer so he could wrap an arm around Juan's shoulders. "I know what'cha mean, Juan. They're FINE. Santagua lost their Metamorph-- they don't have a stinger. Without Terremoto they're a snake without fangs. That enough animal metaphors for ya?"

Despite himself, Frank couldn't help but smirk. Chance had a certain way about him-- a bumbling, stupid kind of blindly-careening-through-life style but every now and again he had a knack for helping people; it was just one of several traits Frank loved about him. He was just about to say something to that effect when his cell phone buzzed; he had an incoming text. Pulling it out of his pocket, Frank stopped walking when he saw that it was from The Rook. He read it aloud to his team. "Mission Complete. Funds are in the account with a little bonus. Good job."

Juan and Chance both spoke a single word each at the same time. "Why?" and "What?", respectively.

Frank's initial reaction was to open his bank app, but he responded to the text first. He had a number of questions he could have asked, but the first one to make it out was an attempt to comprehend exactly how their blackmail-turned-employer considered doing business. "Why do we get a bonus?"

The Rook did not take long in providing a response, almost as if the objection was anticipated. "You completed the task in an acceptable manner and maintained your well-known caveat of not resorting to killing anyone. There is no better way to undermine the authority of a ruthless regime than to strike a telling blow without any deaths."

Frank looked up from his cell. "Apparently The Rook likes a non-violent approach to getting business done. We're getting a a bonus because I guess our blackmailer thinks that's a good thing."

Before either of his boyfriends could comment, another text popped up and Frank read it aloud. "I look forward to working with you again in the future. Perhaps this will become a friendly arrangement if you find my patronage worthwhile."

It was possible to feel Juan's scowl without even needing to look at him. "I don't like the idea of someone blackmailing us..."

Chance was a little more pragmatic. "Well... yeah... that IS pretty shitty but, you know, playing devil's advocate and everything: it isn't always that easy to hire the right kind of 'special team', y'know? Hey, Miguel-- Miguel? ....Miguel!"

Frank was so caught up in his own thoughts that Chance had to call out his pseudonym three times. "Huh? Oh... what... uh... Sam?"

Chance, aka 'Sam White' pointed at his phone. "What's the pay day?"

Having been too distracted by the texts to open up his banking app, Frank did just that, and froze, standing on the side of the road staring at his phone. "Holy shit."

Chance walked up beside him, a concerned look on his face. "What? We didn't get stiffed on the mission fee did we?" He peered down over Frank's shoulder and likewise paused in place. "Oh my damn!"

Juan walked around the other side. "ONE POINT TWO--" his sudden outburst suddenly quieted down as he hissed between his teeth. "million?!?"

The found a very nice hotel for the night.

* * * * *

Waking up with a hangover wasn't a standard procedure for Frank but it was common enough that he knew what it was the moment the morning light greeted his eyes like a red hot needle to the forehead, followed by the dull, tooth-clenching rhythmic ache that seemed to be alternating being brought on by his heartbeat and the sound of Chance trudging along the floor toward the bathroom, scratching his bare ass as he went. Closing his eyes again, Frank realized it must have been his boyfriend getting up that awoke him. He snuggled up with Juan, who was laying on his other side to make up for the coldness created by Chance's absence.

The three of them had a wild night after checking in; they'd arrived well after the downstairs restaurant had closed and the hotel had minimal room service, and so they'd celebrated with far too little food and far too much alcohol. It had been wild... but not quite as wild as the sex. There was alot to celebrate-- especially since they'd made enough money that they wouldn't have to pull any Metamorph missions for the rest of the year. Collectively it was almost enough to completely cover their degrees!

Aside from the hangover, Frank felt sore in all the right ways; between Juan and Chance he figured he'd gotten off at least five times... and he still felt sticky, but he didn't care. The sound of the toilet flushing heralded Chance's return. Opening one eye, Frank saw his boyfriend returning; one of his reasons for being sore swung freely between the white guys' legs. Pulling him back into bed, Frank mumbled "You sure you didn't shift back into being Demon last night?"

Chance stroked his head and kissed his neck. "Pretty damn sure... already used it up and, besides-- not like I can shift without you, right? Why?"

Frank smirked. "Feels like I got knot-fucked."

On his other side, Juan grumbled, squirming under the blankets as he mumbled "Told you it wasn't a good idea for both of us to screw you at the same time."

Wondering if his boyfriend was just joking with him, Frank realized after a moment that he probably wasn't. Although he wasn't completely against 'catching' on occasion, Frank was usually far more inclined to be sandwiched from either end than have two guys behind him. Then again, he reasoned, he HAD been drunk... REALLY drunk. Rolling his eyes, he scratched at his glove with his right hand and snuggled back into bed with his two boyfriends, enjoying the moment.... for all of five seconds until a cell phone's alarm went off.

Juan groaned, stretching out an arm to the night stand to grab his cell and silence it. "Ugh... fifteen minutes until we have to check out."

Chance slipped right off the mattress and made his way over to the kitchenette, starting up a coffee maker. He also grabbed a mostly empty bottle of pisco. "Coffee... or hair of the dog that bit'cha?"

Frank groaned, rolling out of bed even as he smirked. "You can't go all Pitbull unless I change too, remember?"

The white guy scowled. "You're lucky I don't have a pi--" He fell silent when Juan tossed a pillow at him, striking him in the face. Suitably armed, Chance returned the favor, targeting Frank with unerring accuracy.

* * * * *

The three checked out on time, having had just long enough to each get dressed and down a cup of coffee. They had a short walk ahead of them until they could get to a safe place to transform and, from there, Merc would use his traveling powers to get them home; as usual, that would mean a long day for Frank. The three chatted idly as they went. It wasn't long before Juan's thoughts circled back around to Martin and his family. "I hope they'll be alright... fleeing home like that can't be easy."

Chance slid an arm around Juan's shoulders and gave him a comforting side-hug with a huge, shit-eating grin on his face. "Don't worry about it, Babe... while you were securing the boat and 'Scales' was chatting it up with Martin I made sure his lady got a few hundred... US Dollars goes a long way down here, right?"

Frank certainly had been to busy trying to convince Martin that they could be trusted to have paid much attention to Demon but, thinking about the soft-side Chance had, it only made sense; the Brooklyn accent and dour attitude often made Chance come across as something of a hard-nosed asshole but he really was a sweet guy. Juan almost melted at the admission, hugging Chance. "You're just a big softy, aren't you, Osito?"

Once the three were on the outskirts of town, Frank began looking for a suitable place to go to change over into their Metamorph forms. "I don't see a way we'll get back in time to catch our classes today."

Juan sighed. "True... but at least it's only one."

Chance snickered. "Yeah-- your grades are good enough you can miss that EASY."

Frank shot right back at Chance. "I guess that means YOU should be worried then, huh?"

Laughing right back in his face, his boyfriend responded with a middle finger. "Nah-- it's called being PREPARED, asshole. I did all my homework and classwork online already. I'm not missing shit."

The banter continued throughout their trip back home. Although his teleportation ability couldn't take them all the way back to the dorms, Merc was able to get them back to the same state and, with a dozen-or-so jumps they were back in the park, returning to their Human forms. It was early afternoon by the time they walked into their joint apartment, at which point Frank gave each of his boyfriends and admitted he was tired, returning to his room so he could collapse on the bed.

Yawning, he took just enough time to strip down of everything but his ever-present glove. By that point, Frank was so exhausted he didn't bother noticing the streak of black goo that had oozed out from beneath it. He, in fact, wouldn't notice that it was leaking black ichor until the following morning.