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Counter Earth Chronicles

*Chapter 112: Making The Right Choice When There Isn't A Right Choice (Revival Part Three) *

Day 931 (Continued)

_ " _ The High Evolutionary's mandatory curfew remains in effect for the five cities of the empire. No one is allowed outside their domicile after 7 PM. Those who violate this order will be severely punished." The female reporter stated. It was that kangaroo my mistress liked, the one who really delved into her work at risk to her own personal safety.

"Recapping now, the mandatory curfew was established as the High Evolutionary's forces try to eliminate pockets of lawlessness- including house torching, protests and riots that have developed across the five cities in wake of the Rick Rivers incident."

"Many believe that this is a omen, a sign of worse things to come as the High Evolutionary's approval ratings continue to decline and strife and friction between first and second class citizens increases."

"Niko, has it really gotten that bad?" I asked the white skunk.

"Didn't you hear? Curfews. We have never had that before. Ever!"

"Yeah. I am still trying to catch up on what happened while I was away."

"It is really bad Alex. There is no night life at all. All the restaurants, clubs and entertainment venues shut down at 6 PM because everyone has to get home; all citizens are prisoners in their own homes after 7 PM." The she beast said to me.

"For those that have a home, I countered." As the broadcast continued.

" This evening we present a special report the High Evolutionary and the future of our world." The female kangaroo said continuing. " Watch it live tonight or on your own time." _ _

"In other news human protests continue outside the hub studios near Harbor Center here in World Five as second class citizens vocally voice their displeasure with the High Evolutionary and his policies toward his human subjects.

The protesters who ages range from adolescent to adult have been seen carrying signs vehemently demanding equal treatment and equal opportunity for the pursuit of happiness. Some have also been seen carrying signs denouncing beastials and supporters of the High Evol---"

The female beastial's broadcast was suddenly interrupted by an urgent alert. As a few more hub employees entered the cafeteria Niko and I were sitting in.

" We interrupt this broadcast for a news alert. Gasp! Our studios have been invaded by protesters. Do we know what happened?" The kangaroo asked someone off camera.

The broadcast cut to a camera in the front parking lot where Dongo, and I had been 20 minutes before. _ _

"What you are seeing is a time-lapse view from the parking lot of our studios twenty minutes ago."

Niko and I watched as the five protestors I had been talking to swelled into a large, large mob, crossed the street into the parking lot, over powering the security guard and forced their way into the building.

"We go now to Zed Zebra who is in the front hallway. What are you seeing Zed?"

The kangaroo threw to a live shot of Zed Zebra who was somewhere in the front of the building. He looked like he was going to say something before his microphone was grabbed by a homely looking female protester.

"Aren't you out of your area fella?" She asked him.

"What do you mean?" Zed asked.

"Zebras belong in zoos!" The female yelled.

"Yeah let's get him!" Another voice said as the zebra was knocked down and the mob started kicking and beating him.

"I always knew security was lax around here!" Niko and I heard one of the diners, behind us huff.

"Uh what do you think we should do?" I asked the flamingo as the magnitude of our dire situation hit me.

The male avian collected himself and turned to the other hub employees who had just entered the cafeteria with him.

"In this type of emergency there is only one thing to do... PANIC AND RUN!!!"

Niko and I watched as those who had just entered the cafeteria left the cafeteria- quickly.

In the news studio just down stairs the kangaroo reporter was not having much luck either.

" Oh my! It appears that the protestors have turned into a mob and invaded our studios. Was this planned?" The female kangaroo shuddered as pounding was heard on the door of her news studio.

*LET US IN!* *LET US IN!* *LET US IN!* *LET US IN!*

The look of horror and shock on the her face said it all.

"This was definitely planned." Niko said getting up from our table. "A planned riot."

"We have to get out of here, there is no telling what a mob like that is capable of." I said nervously.

"They are flooding in from the front door so we have only moments before they reach us here on the second floor." The female skunk said.

"But which way?" I asked.

"Follow me." The she beast said. "I have been here several times."

I looked at her.

"I was trying to get an apprenticeship." She said grabbing my hand.

"Well you do seem like you have the chops for it." I said as she led me away.

We ran out of the cafeteria and into the hallway peeking around corners as we went. We saw the mob flooding the hallways of the building smashing windows, throwing chairs, tearing down pictures, trashing studios and terrorizing any staff they encountered.

(Unbelievable!)

"We need to find some place to hide while we warn the others." I said to the she beast.

"I think I have just the place follow me!"

Niko and I found a vacant studio in the southwest corner of the building not far from the cafeteria.

"Nice anchor desk." I said sitting down. "The background is rather bland though."

The white skunk just gave me a look as if to say, shouldn't you be doing something constructive?!

"Yeah right." I said pulling out my communicator. "Mistress? Are you there?"

"You refer to your guardian as mistress?!" Niko said looking at me.

"Long story." I said looking up from my PDA. "Hmm.... the signal is going through but there is no response."

"HIDE!!" Niko shouted pulling me behind the desk as the door to the studio opened.

"Any beast in here?" We heard a male voice say. "Oh well."

We heard the door shut as he moved on.

"Whoops, I think I should have locked that door."

"Never mind that Alex, did you see that? That protester was carrying a big stick."

"This was definitely planned." I said. "The fact that I can't reach Lady Ursa also has me worried."

"Try Dongo." Niko suggested.

I did and there was no response either. Niko did as well from her cube. The response was the same- none.

I then tried castle Sovereign.

"Castle Sovereign watch supervisor Lani speaking."

"Alex Winter Specialist Castle Wundagore requesting immediate assistance!"

"Alexander Winter, the rebel? Didn't the knight core catch you?" The female penguin asked.

"Wrong Alex Winter." I responded.

"Oh, Lady Ursa's Alex." She said as Niko looked at me curiously. "What is going on?"

"The protesters!"

"You mean that group that has been picketing outside the hub studios? We have been watching them for days." The female knight said.

(Apparently not enough!)

"Lani they have overrun the building! They swelled into a mob and are trashing the place!" I shouted.

"You are on site now?" She asked me.

"Watch supervisor they are assaulting the staff; we could be looking at a hostage situation here or worse!" I said trying to inform her of the reality of the situation.

"She must be new." Niko said under her breath.

"I HEARD THAT!!!" The female knight retorted.

"She means send help! Lady Barq, Commander Rhinox any beast!" I whisper-shouted.

"Alex!" Niko said. "There!"

"A closet?!"

"Yes."

"Help is on the way." Lani said ending the communication.

Niko pushed me into the closet off of the studio as more rioters ran down the hallway.

"This looks bad. We can't be stuck in here while our friends are in extreme danger." I said.

"Look up." The white skunk said.

"A ventilation shaft. Great idea Niko!"

Carefully and quietly I hoisted her up so that she could remove the cover and enter it. It was just large enough for the both of us.

"This must be the central cooling conduit for the building."

"What was the tip off? The cold air?" She said as we started crawling.

"You could say that." I said as I followed her watching her rump and fluffy tail.

"So Alex you work with the knights?" Niko asked me.

"Yes, I am sort of an independent contractor."

"I also heard your refer to your guardian as Lady."

"She is a knight in service to the High Evolutionary. I help her and her colleagues occasionally. In fact that is how I met Dongo, Tess and Bess."

"How is that?"

"I stumbled upon their first meeting while on a project for Castle Wundagore. I liked what they had to say, so I joined up." I admitted as we approached a fork in the conduit.

"This must be the main distribution junction for the entire building." The she beast exclaimed. "Which way?"

"I don't know. Pick one."

"Um, let's see left." Niko said.

"You lead, I will follow."

And so I followed the white skunk inside the ductwork of the building.

"Alex there is a vent here."

We stopped to look through it, it was an air intake from a conference room down the hall from the studio we were in.

"What do you see?" I asked as I watched the she beast's tail straighten right out as if she had seen something quite disturbing.

"Look."

(Oh no!)

A few rioters from the horde had taken Zed Zebra into the conference room. The poor hub reporter had been beaten and bruised.

"So what should we do with our zebra fellas?" One of the rioters, a gruffy looking man wearing a dirty jacket, white shirt and brown pants said.

"Ride him like a horsey!" Came one response from a female protester.

"Aw, I was thinking something more creative like scaring him so much that he soils himself." The gruffy protester said.

"I am pretty close now; what are you going to do to me?!" The zebra asked horrified.

"Haven't quite figured that out yet." Another of the protesters said. This one was a tall female. She was dressed in dark clothing wearing a ghost mask.

"We do demand some retribution though." The gruffy protester said.

"For what?" Zed asked trembling.

"For the way you first class types treat us second class types." The woman in the ghost mask said.

"What do you mean?" The zebra said nervously.

"Do you ever watch what originates out of here? Program after program is for you animal types. What about those of us without fur, tails, hooves, claws and fangs?" Another protester yelled.

"There are programs that feature humans in them." Zed responded.

"Yeah we are depicted as thugs, criminals, destitute and poor. That has to change. I would be more than happy to advise you all and to help make decisions around here. But wait, you won't hire humans." The woman in the ghost mask said. "There needs to be equal representation Mr. Zebra."

"Hey fellas! You know who that is?" A short chubby looking man carrying a stick shouted.

"No, enlighten me." The gruffy protester said.

"That is Zed Zebra- you know that host who was paddled on air for mistaking the high mucky muck's favorite food!" The short protester said. "I remember he was black white and red afterwards!"

"Hmm... I am in the mood for a little retribution right now." The woman wearing the ghost mask said. "Let's strip him!!"

"Damn, he is hung like a horse!!!"

The rioters ripped off the zebra's clothing before pinning him to the floor of the conference room where he was then paddled on his behind until it was swollen and red.

"We have to do something!" Niko squeaked.

"We can't help him." I whispered to the skunk girl.

"But he is being assaulted!"

"His bottom is, the rest of him is fine for the moment. Niko if we go in there, we are going to be overwhelmed and share his fate or worse."

"Right, we need to check on our friends first."

So we backtracked to the junction.

"Let's take the one on the right." Niko said as her cube sounded off. She answered it. It was our boy genius aardvark from World Four. "Cinder we are a little busy right now."

"That is why I was calling! I heard you have protesters and/or rioters at your location!" The little aardvark said.

"You are a little late with that! Tell me something I don't know!" Niko shout- whispered.

"Um, it is being aired right now on the hub!" The little aardvark said. "Here I am patching it through."

It was the kangaroo who was still conducting her news program within the same studio we had seen before, but the set was packed with humans.

"This is Kaili with an update something profound has happened at our studios this afternoon. We here at the hub have become the story. I am here with some protesters who have invaded the building."

"Professional protesters." A voice off camera said.

"You mean you do this for a living?" Kaili asked.

"Yes, I am unemployed and don't have anything else to do. So why not?" The off camera protester said.

"You look familiar. Weren't you involved in that donation scam to cure color blindness for all children on Counter Earth?" Kaili said looking at the professional protester.

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't" He responded.

"You know color blindness was cured a long, time ago." The kangaroo said looking at him.

"I- I don't know what you are talking about, besides you are OUR prisoner!" Came his quick retort.

"So why have your invaded our building?" Kaili asked those present trying to maintain her composure.

"Yes you over there."

"To protest your master's unfair treatment of us." A young woman said holding a sign. "We want to be treated the same as you animal people. This is the only way to get the message across. I know we will be punished, but this is the only way to get the word out we are not vermin, we deserve the same opportunities as you furred creatures!"

"Does your message include destroying the building, attacking and terrorizing our employees?" The kangaroo asked.

"Heh heh can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs." A scruffy looking protester said as he walked onto the set and started feeling up the reporter. "Hey is that pouch fully functionable?" He asked undoing Kaili's pants.

"Her oversized breasts are!" A disheveled female said as she reached under the reporter's silver shirt and started rubbing them up and down and then down and up. _"Boingie! Boingie! Boingie!" _

"Hmm.... indeed." The female roo said disgusted.

I gently nudged the skunk girl.

"We need to move on, Cinder monitor the situation, let us know if it changes." Niko ordered the little aardvark. "I think she will be okay... for a while."

"Ok." Cinder said ending the connection.

I continued following Niko studying her fluffy tail and the feminine butt attached to it.

We crawled past room after room, studio after studio in some we saw hub staff huddled inside hiding from the mob. In others we saw humans trashing and destroying rooms taking their frustrations out on this building which was a entertainment medium which used to connect all within the empire.

Suddenly my communicator went off.

"Alex here."

"Alex this is Lady Barq. What is your status?"

"Hiding from the horde. The studios have been over-run."

"Who is with you?" The large female badger asked.

"I am with Niko, a friend."

"We are outside." The badger warrior said. "Commander Rhinox is trying to reach their leader but he is having great difficulty."

"That is because their isn't any, just a mob of humans taking their frustrations out on the studios and the employees within." I responded.

"Affirmative we tried activating the building alarm to make it look like there was an active fire on site in order to scare them out, but that has failed. It looks like we are going to have to clear them out by force, room by room, floor by floor." The badger warrior said solemnly.

"That is going to lead to a lot of injuries and possibly deaths too." Niko said.

"It looks like we don't have an alternative." Lady Barq said. "This is going to turn into a hostage situation- soon."

"Alex!" Niko whispered. "Listen!"

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't beat the life out of this so called instigator." We heard an irate man say.

"No!" Neil screamed.

"Stand by my lady, I think we have found our friends." I said to my mistress' colleague and rival as Niko and I approached a vent high over the studio set we had left Neil, Dongo and Yama Kite in.

The set had been just one protester on it. A portly one who was wearing what looked like pajama pants and a white shirt. He was carrying a makeshift club. The angry protester had some how gotten by my bear knight and attacked Dongo. The hyena had been beaten and bruised shielding the avian while Neil was trying to talk him down.

"You are taking their side?" The man shouted at Neil

"I am not with them." Neil said to their would be assailant.

"Looks like we are here." I said.

"I am with the Consortium For Mutual Coexistence we were meeting with some staffers about some important matters when you and the mob interrupted us."

"Your the group that is trying to improve relations between humans and beastials aren't ya?" The man said. "Nice try, but our lives will only improve when these animals are gone- no more being dominated, no more derision by them or their leader."

"Ok you are mad, I get that." Neil said standing in front of Dongo. "But how is hurting them going to make things better?!"

"It will make me feel better!" The man yelled.

"I have a brother who was possessed by something and fell in with a group that believed what you believe. He claimed he was trying to bring about change- remake the empire for the better. But in doing so he and others hurt so many for their cause. In the end, he was captured and punished for what he believed in. So trust me, this is not the way." Neil said bravely protecting Dongo and Yama as the man tried to attack them.

"Did you hear that Barq?" I whispered.

"Affirmative situation is grave. We are moving in!"

"Madam knight please delay that. I think I know of another way." Niko said pulling me.

"What are you thinking?" I asked the she beast.

"We just have to return to the main distribution junction." The white skunk said sinisterly.

We quickly backtracked through the conduit to the distribution junction where the air was sent throughout the building.

"This looks to be the place. See that is the vent drawing air from the outside." I said as Niko looked at the vent and then me. "Niko what are you thinking?" I asked her.

"Using my 'strength' to resolve this as situation as quickly as possible with as few injuries as possible."

"OH NO, NOT THAT!!"

"Alex, do you have a better idea? The knights are about to rush this place and gain control of the building by force. We need to convince the rioters to quickly and peacefully disperse; it is the only way." The she beast said removing her pants.

"Butt, I mean but, everyone is going to stink for the better part of a week!" I protested.

"Yes, but our friends are in terrible danger, your guardian is probably being overwhelmed guarding that news set. It won't be long until the rioters get past her." The she beast said as she gave me her pants and then started to remove her undergarments.

(Man, Neil was right about that girl.)

"Alex to Barq, my friend has an idea, she is going to force everyone in the building to evacuate. Including the rioters."

"How are you going to do that?" The badger asked.

"Um,never mind." I said staring at the half naked white skunk. "But before forewarned you are about to experience a mass exodus."

"Right we will be ready. Barq out."

"Man a week of tomato baths." I said as the white skunk passed her panties to me then turned her rear to the distribution junction.

"It used to be, but I refined my cleaning method. It will only be three baths and a couple of hours. If you want, I will scrub you personally after Neil of course." Niko said lifting her tail and aiming at the junction.

I crouched down in the vent and covered my eyes while the skunk girl pinched my nose.

"You said only three baths?" I asked looking up at her.

"Three baths give or take." With that, the white skunk sprayed, sprayed, sprayed and sprayed some more.

***FSTTTTTT** **FSTTTTTTT** **FSTTTTTT** **FSTTTTTTT** *

I watched as a viscous, noxious liquid squirted from just under her tail forming a nasty aerosol- like cloud that traveled through the junction and down the conduit.

Niko's inner strength permeated the building via the distribution junction into every hallway, every closet, conference room and studio.

****FOOOOOOOOMMMM*****

Her pinching my nose was not enough.

"AUGH!"

"How do you feel Alex?"

"My eyes are burning, my head hurts and I can't breathe!"

"Hopefully everyone else is feeling that way too, but let's make sure." The skunk girl said as she fired two more blasts of viscous noxious fluid from the base of her tail.

"Niko!"

Below us we heard a rush and rumble as the mob quickly evacuated the building trying to get away from the noxious odor. The hub staff was probably right behind them.

"Remind me not to ever, ever startle you." I said as I passed back the she beast's clothing.

_"RIOTERS YOU ARE PRISONERS OF THE KNIGHTS OF SOVEREIGN GIVE YOURSELVES UP NOW!!" _

We heard from a loudspeaker outside. The vast majority of rioters vacated the building. Upon their exit they were shot with the knights' glue canon and hauled away to be judged and punished.

There were a few stragglers but they were also captured as the knights painstakingly cleared the building.

As Niko and I emerged from the closet of the studio we were met by several junior knights who had their glue cannon aimed at us.

"Paws up!" A puffin ordered us.

"Well at least it isn't any one from the mob." I said relieved.

"Oh that smell!" A chinchilla groaned. "Were you responsible for this?"

Niko nodded.

"It was the only way to clear out the horde with minimum casualties." The skunk girl said.

"How are the others?" I asked.

"Hold." The puffin said as she scanned my tracking chip. "He is cleared."

Niko and I were taken out to the parking lot of the of studios which was a mess. Several hover vehicles had been heavily damaged during the rioters assault. Fortunately Lady Ursa's hover bike and Dongo's vehicle weren't that heavily damaged. But that didn't matter at the moment.

"Mistress!" I said as I ran to greet my bear. She Dongo, Neil and Yama Kite were being treated by healers.

"Not too tight pet. I am still a little sore there." My bruised and batter bear said.

"Where?" I asked.

"Everywhere."

"What's a matter with you Alex?" A female badger asked approaching us. "Can't keep your mistress away from the job?"

"Hmm?" I asked the senior knight of Sovereign.

"I heard she was supposedly off duty until further notice...."

"Regardless she is a hero." The brown avian said. "She somehow kept the mob out of our conference room and reaching the back lots- there were a lot of productions going on there."

"So the damage was confined to just this building?" The white skunk asked Yama.

"You know this was a example of a larger problem." Dongo said turning to the show-runner.

"This was just a minor incident." The avian said trying to brush off what had happened that afternoon.

"I don't think so." Neil said. "Remember sir, I had to protect you from them- they really wanted to hurt you."

"Mr. Kite you are very lucky my group was here today." The hyena said as he started to lecture the avian. "Your program does nothing to promote peaceful relations between first and second class citizens it only damages them."

"It also derides and makes fun of those who are less fortunate who, don't have a voice and you saw the end result today." Neil said piling on.

"Mr. Kite this has to change." Niko added. "It must change."

"The only way for things on this world to get better, truly get better is for first and second class citizens to come together and work together for a better tomorrow." Dongo said concluding the lecture. As Barq, Lady Ursa and I looked on.

(I couldn't have said it better myself!)

"Our group is a representation of that." Neil said. "So is my employer who is another visionary."

"So you are not poor Mr. Winter?" The brown avian asked.

"No, I am not." My doppelgänger's brother responded.

"Two humans and three beastials interesting concept." The avian said surprised.

"We are working for a better world for all of us. If I were you- I would reboot that show of yours to look for positive stories throughout the empire. At the very least it would give your viewers hope about the future." Dongo said.

"Ahem, I think the five of you are done here." The badger lady said.

"We are?" Lady Ursa asked.

"You all stink!!!! You best head home and clean up." Barq ordered us. "Oh and good work Niko."

"Oh man it is going to at least three tomato baths to get rid of Niko's stench!" Neil complained.

"Quit whining." The white skunk said pushing Neil towards Dongo's vehicle.

Niko ended up taking us to her home - a gorgeous five bedroom apartment at the north east end of the city where she lived with her parents who were travel agents.

For the next few hours Lady Ursa, Neil, Dongo and myself bathed and bathed and bathed to get the skunk smell off of us. Niko personally tended to Neil. I think the skunk girl felt indirectly guilty for spraying him again.

Lady Ursa and I tended to Dongo as he did to us. During that time I discovered that his spots did cover his body- all of his body.

While awaiting turns in the shower, we caught up on enormity of what had happened at the hub studios. The Knights of Sovereign Castle caught sixty one rioters whom invaded, assaulted the staff and trashed the building. Several tried to even burn it to the ground. For the time being broadcasts were moved to another building in the back lot while the main building was being patched up.

The staff at the studios didn't suffer any casualties. Zed Zebra was black and white and red again. Other staffers were cut and bruised but most importantly alive. My mistress' favorite reporter- Kaili was groped but otherwise ok. She received some great interviews from the protesters that had invaded her studio which she aired on a special.

After our multiple baths, we all headed back for home. Dongo drove Neil back to World Three and Lady Ursa and I headed back to World One. We managed to get back just before curfew.

"Mistress do you think Yama Kite will actually listen to what Dongo and the others suggested?" I asked as we left the loading dock.

"I don't know Alex. If he doesn't want what happened this afternoon to happen again he should. At any rate you did good today."

"Actually it was Niko who had the idea. You did a pretty good job of holding the line too."

"I was overpowered again just like at the prison. But it felt great to get back into knight work again."

That evening as we were sitting down for dinner...

"The siege at the hub studios damaged our offices, injured our staff, destroyed our equipment but it also reaffirmed our resolve. Despite all this, we will continue to provide you our viewers with quality programming and entertainment." A all too familiar avian said beginning an editorial.

"Really have they learned nothing?!" I said exasperated.

"Remember what I said pet?"

"Yeah, yeah I know that program may be offensive to some, but it is entertainment to others and is not breaking any of the master's laws and so it will be allowed to continue despite what happened today." I said disgusted.

" However in light of what happened today our staff has decided to start a new program- feel good news- in which we will focus on positive, uplifting stories from around the empire." Yama Kite said concluding.

"Well, I will be." I said to my she beast.

"Well that is something positive." Lady Ursa said as there was chime at the door. "Come on in!"

"Can Alex come out and play?" A goofy dragon said sticking his head around the corner.

"Sorren!"

"We heard you came back from vacation." A grey minotaur said entering the great room.

"Tauren!"

"What's wrong squirt forget how to find your way home?" A lovely coyote said appearing next to her bull.

"Lurie!"

"Where have you been?!" The goofy dragon asked us. "Just kidding."

"We heard about your vacation." The 'yote girl said. "How are you two doing?"

"Getting tired of telling the story." Lady Ursa said.

"Maybe one more time." I said hugging each of my dear friends.

When I reached the red dragon he started acting peculiar; sniffing me all over my body.

*sniff* *sniff* *sniff* *sniff*

"Hmm.... there is something different about you....

(Um....)

To Be Continued....