Future Fur-The Racosan War

Chapter 10(24) The last Game (unedited)

***

      Collin was sitting on the top of a building if it was not for the city below being a war zone it would be peaceful. This was the capital city of the Racosan Empire, Noshen from the reports he had read before this mission. It would be an understatement to say that he was not scared, in truth he was petrified. 

     The only reason he was on this planet was because of what a dear friend had said, "no one else can protect Zane if you can't." That statement alone is the reason he is down here on this planet, Collin knew that the last time he got into a firefight he collapsed, unable to respond to anything but fear. Zane was the exact opposite, he never slowed his offense and never yielded unless ordered. That is why all Collin was doing was sitting watching Zane under the protection of a cloaking device while Zane fired rounds from his sniper rifle into countless Racosan officers.

     There was a panicked call over the local communications network between Zane and the squad in the building he was using as a snipers post. Collin couldn't hear it, he was not part of the network but could hear the commotion from where he sat. Instead of trying to listen to the conversation Collin set his gaze directly into Zanes only visible eye from his perspective.

     Collin saw Zanes eye close as a Racosan officer emerged from the building, Zane let another shot fire from his rifle after opening his eye and smiling softly as he whispered, "I'm sorry." Collin charged from the place had been frozen since Zane started sniping from the top of the building, watching helplessly as the Racosan violently bashed his weapon against the top of Zane's head. Zane fell to his right side limp as his assailant aimed a pistol at his chest.

     The Racosan smiled as he spoke, "time for you to die like the vermin you are!" That was enough for Collin to start acting irrationally, as a result Collin grabbed the Racosan by the hand that held the pistol with his own robotic hand not caring how hard he gripped as soon as the weapon pointed away from Zane. Collin crushed the hand without trying, not that it was the worst that was to come. Within moments Collin moved the robotic hand from the Racosan's broken limb to its throat, lifting the now defenseless officer from the ground. The cloak disengaged and a low growl was released as the Racosan was lifted out over the skyline and away from the proper ground.

     Now Collin was the one smiling as the Racosan looked into his eyes showing the very fear Collon had fought only seconds before and so Collin spoke, "He is not vermin. HE IS MINE!" Collin let go of the Racosan allowing him to fall from the forty story building, in Collins mind a more respectful death than was needed but he had to tend to his husband.

     Collin looked down to see his husbands emerald green eyes tearing up as he stared at him, "Welcome back Collin."

***

     "Are you sure that's the control room?" I asked Argos.

     "Positive," was the response I got before an energy burst hit the wall adjacent to me.

     "How many?"

     "Three, one with a minigun-type weapon."

     "Alright, prepare to lock my magnetic boots without notice, think you can give me a boost?"

     "Won't pose a problem!"

     I rolled from my cover pulling out my standard issue pistol, releasing two accurate shots into the officers with standard equipment, killing them instantly. The shot fired at the heavy operations officer was absorbed harmlessly, I started moving forward as quickly as I could moving to the side of the hall as the rounds from the minigun started firing from the weapons housing. I was running out of the room and took the risk of sliding under the firing arc of the cruel weapon, somehow making it away unscathed. I continued my charge running to the other wall and looking for something I could use to my advantage. The paneling on the wall was too low grade to help me and my armor could only do so much, glass naturally wouldn't help either. I looked directly up and found my answer, a concealed power line, high voltage, but something my armor could handle better than the Racosans armor from experience. I shot the casing of the line above trying to break it free, having no luck. I put my first foot on the wall hoping the magnetic lock would engage but I didn't have time to ensure that it had, I knew I would have my answer when I held into the wall or cell to my ultimate doom. I held, not for long seeing as I jumped for the power lines casing after the first four steps but long enough. I ripped the power lines casing down and planted it into the Racosan not caring that it would kill him knowing that had the positions been reversed, he would have killed me.

     The door in front of me opened to reveal the control room, the lack of officers barricading the path was strange. The only thing stranger was the tidy piles of ash surrounding a male Sergal with white and red fur, he was taller than me and had oddly familiar orange eyes. The thing that worries me was the patches of missing fur scattered about what fur could be seen and there were probably more under the clothes he wore but who I was staring at had a story, not that he had lived through all of it yet.

     He noticed me looking at me and turned around, "Argos, search the core and find the leaders of the Racosan Military."

     He spoke when I approached him, probably seeing me in the window, "I am sorry you saw that mess, I promise I had no intention of causing it. Anywhere I go it seems I can only cause chaos and destruction, not that I want to do that. I only want a place that I belong!" He turned to me with tears in his eyes, though I am sure this is the first time he had met me it was clear he had some degree of trust in me.

     "Arun, it's okay. Sometimes things happen," I said with a smile. The missing patches of fur started to regenerate quickly when he looked at me in confusion.

     "If I may ask, how do you know my name?"

     "This is not the first time I have run into you but this might be the first time you have ever encountered me. You have a unique ability, to say the least, but that is why I know your name. In one my last encounters with you, I learned that your name was Arun Darkline." I reached into a pocket in my overshirt and handed a piece of paper to Arun. "I was asked to make sure you got this message, you don't have to read it now but do read it eventually." He nodded but I had a few things left to say, "One day, Arun you will find the place you belong, I know it and I think that might be sometime in the future. Just know that if I live through this feel free to get in contact with me, I am Tanem Jax. If you go to the planet Saltaner just ask where you can find me, someone will know."

     His tears had become lighter since I started talking to him, "thank you." He hugged me just before something lower in the building exploded and alarms started sounding.

I      looked at Argos who nodded confirming my suspensions, "Arun, you need to go, I have a way out but this building will not be here much longer!" Arun nodded before fading into thin air. "Argos, report!"

     "The building is unstable and likely to fall away from the city itself, I predict that we will be safe until we hit the surface of the planet."

     Argos posted back to my Armors memory banks and showed up on my shoulder as another explosion recoiled through the frame of the building, "and the mission objective?"

     "I have the location!" I started running down the hall hoping that the sky bridge was still intact linking the building to a taller building that was also on the outskirts of the floating city. Another explosion ripped at the building, this time I knew how bad it was because I could feel the building shift to the side.

     I continued to move toward the bridge so I could get there before the building started falling from the city itself instead of learning, "Argos, I need you to patch me to Kandor, I don't think I need to stress the situation." I could hear the channel patch into my earpiece, "Kandor, I need a lift! Unfortunately, if you are busy you will have to bring friends along!"

     Kandor seemed calm in his response, "I take it the falling building is the extraction point?" I confirmed quickly and stated that it might best to make use of the remains of the sky bridge, "I'll be there, but you have to jump, besides you alone will fall slower than the building."

     Another explosion tore at the structure under my feet as I rounded the corner, I could tell the building was falling when I was starting to run on an incline. Argos promptly activated my magnetic boots to keep from falling back into the building, it was only a few meters left till I hit the edge of the building and made it to the bridge. I rounded the last corner, the bridge was mostly intact and seemed to have ripped a chunk from the other building. I reached for the pistol I kept in my back hidden near where my tail connected to the rest of my body, it was a sudden urge, an urge of danger and my instincts were taking over. I removed the pistol from its housing and started shooting the glass of the sky bridge before jumping through the weakened barrier. The only thing I could do was hope that Kandor was close enough to save me from whatever I needed to run from. 


***

     Nathan Veers had come to respect Dr. Guis, though today would be the first time he had heard her make a request, he had only hoped he would not be the person in charge at the time. "Nathan, I know you don't have a lot of experience dealing with these situations but even if you ask Commodore Balitar, she will tell you to do exactly as I have done."

     "Doctor, I am double checking with the commodore. I am sure you are right but any deviation without authorization will come back on me." The channel closed and a new one was opened by Volen Tec, "Commodore, Dr. Guis says we need to back off, Regan a is going into labor!"

     "This is Balitar, back off, use longer range and remote weapons to render support to the rest of the fleet, we will protect you."

     "Thank you, Commodore."