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Counter Earth Chronicles

Chapter 119: Something Awful This Way Comes (Knight Watch Part Three)

Day 970 (continued)

"What happened here?" Sir Ram asked studying the scene.

"For that matter what could do that to a prototype?" I asked.

The silver prototype was riddled with laser burns, its glass dome was smashed and both side-pods had been deployed- one appeared to be destroyed. It looked like it had been in a fight and lost- badly. Kind of like the first blue coupe Mara and I were in when we encountered the Animalitia. In the corner of the repair bay of the dealership were the remnants of the Rebel Hunters' hover bikes, smoldering- all destroyed. In between the vehicles were bloodstains and paw prints as well as shell casings and more laser burn marks.

"It looked like a small war happened in here. Should we get out and look around?" I asked the he beast.

"No. It could be a trap."

"Right, let's check the area first." I said.

**Surveillance probe engaged**

"Why didn't you launch the probe?" The he beast asked me.

"Because I am using its scanning capabilities first. A little trick I learned from Overwatch."

The big horned sheep and I studied the images we were seeing on the immediate grounds- laser burns and bullet casings on the walls, floors and ceiling.

I then switched to infrared.

"Anything?"

"It is clear Sir Ram the entire building. No sign of Catch, the Rebel Hunters or their prey." I said.

"Launch the probe and check the property. Something bad happened here." The ram ordered me while getting out of the blue coupe.

"Overwatch."

*Yes Mr. Winter?*

" Try contacting Catch and the Rebel Hunters." I said studying the video feed I was seeing from the probe.

*There is no answer from any beast.* The automated assistant responded.

(What happened here?)

I moved the probe from the interior of the repair bay to behind the building where I discovered more blood stains and boot prints.

"Overwatch take over the probe, Sir Ram has to see this."

_*As you wish Mr. Winter.* _

The beastial scientist was studying the remains of the silver coupe when I approached him.

"Find anything?" I asked the evil beastial.

"The deflector system failed. That is why the prototype is in this condition. It also looks like the Rebel Hunters were firing at the prototype and it at them! What type of madness is this?"

"Sir Ram, there is more behind this building." I showed the big horned sheep the bloodstains on the exterior wall of the building and on the ground which he carefully studied. "Is it from the Rebel Hunters or their prey?" I asked the he beast.

"The five of them were removed from here. See those drag marks and those markings there?"

"They aren't seal, walrus, owl, panda or armadillo paw prints. Those are boot markings as in footwear." I said looking at them carefully.

The ram contacted Sanda and informed him of our findings. The caracal was none too happy with our findings. He sent another team to collect samples and to study what remained at the abandoned dealership. Sir Ram also contacted Mara to inform her of what had happened. She arranged to have the silver prototype transported back to her lab for analysis.

"We should go too; the knights have a mystery and there is much work to do."

"That and our prototype is in need of repair as well." I countered.

It was around 9 AM when we returned to the castle. Sir Ram went to check on a few things while I returned to the lair to catch up on some sleep.

The problem with working the night shift, is that when you return home everyone else is out at work. That was the same for the trio and my she beast who I didn't get to snuggle, kiss and cuddle with at all. I ended up sleeping on the sectional for six hours before I was awakened by an impromptu alarm clock, a video call from an evil beastial.

"Get up specialist!"

"Greetings to you sir knight." I mumbled.

"We are going back out in twenty minutes! Are you well rested?"

"I think so. Any word on what happened to the Rebel Hunters and Catch?"

"No. The commander wants every available knight looking for them." The big horned sheep said.

"Well, I am not a Knight of Wundagore I countered."

"No, you are a contractor and a good luck charm. I know two bulldogs that owe you their lives- so you are coming regardless. Mara's lab! Twenty minutes boy! Not a moment later!" The evil beastial said ending the communication.

I ate, bathed and was dressed in the space of twenty minutes just in time to meet Sir Ram.

"Good afternoon my favorite test subject!" The wicked goat lady said as I walked in. She was seated on a stool next to what was left of the silver prototype studying a pad. Sir Ram was repairing the blue coupe's left side-pod at a desk nearby.

"Afternoon Mara, Sir Ram." I said.

Both of them were deeply involved in what they were doing.

"Did you find out who's blood was at the abandoned dealership?" I said to the Knight of Wundagore.

"Yes boy. It belonged to Catch and the Rebel Hunters."

"Oh no! What about the silver prototype?" I asked staring at the wicked goat lady.

"Many of the vehicle's surveillance and defensive systems were disabled just after it arrived at the target location including the camera on its hood and the deflector system. I am still repairing the damage to the right side-pod as well."

"That would explain why the vehicle took heavy damage and probably why it was on its roof." I said to the goat lady. "Is it normal procedure to send out a prototype with just a driver and not a copilot?"

"Good point boy." She countered. "We should change that policy right away."

"What about the automated assistant?" I asked the goat lady. "Was it able to tell you anything?"

"I have been trying to bring that on line as well."

"Mara how long before it can return to duty?" The big horned sheep asked his lover.

"Hmm... I think I restored the automated assistant." The wicked goat lady said. "AA I want you to display the entire visual record starting with the prototype's arrival at the abandoned hover vehicle dealership."

Despite Mara's order, the automated assistant had plans of its own.

*DESTROY* *DESTROY* *DESTROY* *DESTROY*

!!!

"Get down!!" I screamed tackling the surprised she beast.

**Side-pod Engaged**

**Laser System Engaged**

**ZYZTTT!!!** **ZYZTTT!!!**

Two lasers shot out from the left side-pod of the silver prototype over both Mara and myself scorching the walls of her lab. Much to our surprise.

"MARA!" Sir Ram shouted.

"It did that by itself!" The wicked goat lady said.

"Shut it down!" The he beast said to his lover.

"Trying!" Came her response. But the silver prototype continued its attack.

**Machine Guns Engaged**

**Bang-Bang-Bang-Bang-Bang**

The vehicle started shooting at the walls of the lab destroying cabinets, counters and anything left unsecured.

"Rammy! It won't shut down!"

**Electric Pulse Engaged**

(OH FUCK!!)

Sir Ram drew his service weapon and fired at the left side-pod before it could discharge the lethal ball of electricity. There was a small poof as the weapons deployment system was disabled.

"You ok?" I said.

"I am boy." The goat lady said petting me on my head.

(Uh, you are welcome.)

"It engaged it's Code Black directive all on it's own!" Mara said looking at Sir Ram and me.

Something was incredibly wrong. The last time I saw a prototype act like that was when Sir Ram and I were ambushed and about to be executed by the Liberate Counter Earth Now movement. He uttered that command and the prototype executed the rebels who were trying to execute us.

"Doesn't that directive have to be initiated verbally?" I asked.

"It does." The ram said holstering his weapon.

"Right, it is going to be a long time before this prototype is returned to service." I said looking at the damage to the lab.

"Mara disable the rest of the systems." The evil beastial said to the wicked beastial. "Find out why it just tried to kill us and if this could happen to the red and blue prototypes. Come boy."

"Be safe out there Rammy."

"You be safe in here nanny." The big horned sheep said kissing his lover.

(Those two are the perfect couple.)

I followed Sir Ram to the loading dock and to the original prototype. "What do you think caused the prototype to do that?" I asked him.

"I don't know human." He said as we entered the loading dock. "I just hope Mara gets to the bottom of it."

"So what is our mission this afternoon?" I asked watching him reinstall the repaired side-pod onto the blue coupe.

"The same, routing out pockets of lawlessness and restoring and keeping order." He said powering on the prototype.

**Recognized Sir Ram Knight of Wundagore Senior Grade**

**Recognized Alex Winter Specialist Castle Wundagore**

"What about Catch and the Rebel Hunters?"

"All available knights are searching for them." He said as we took off from the castle.

So that fall afternoon I went back out on patrol with Sir Ram at 4 PM three hours before the curfew. The he beast decided to start our shift in the entertainment district which was bustling with activity as many of the populace of World One were attending performances in concert halls, theaters and auditoriums. We landed the blue coupe and drove to a street corner and just watched the crowds.

"It looks like everyone is behaving themselves, no protests or demonstrations." I said checking the prototype's status.

"Seems that way." The ram said as we watched a micro vehicle of some sort fly by.

"Sir Ram what is that?" I pointed out to the hover vehicle. It looked like a flying golf cart with a large trunk.

"That is a automated personal transport vehicle." He said studying it. "They started becoming popular last year. It is a quick way to get from here to there."

"You mean like a taxi?"

"What is a taxi?"

A quick transport vehicle that we had on Gaia. But it wasn't automated the passenger was driven by a driver who they had to pay at the conclusion of the trip."

"Well there is no driver on these little human. They are completely automated." The ram said as we watched it take off.

"Hey Sir Ram."

"What boy?"

"Is it normal for the passengers to be waving their hands and arms?"

"They are probably just seeking attention." The he beast grumbled.

"But they are waving them from the trunk!" I countered.

"So they are seeking a lot of attention boy." The ram said to me.

I called up the feed from the front mounted camera of the blue coupe as the personal transport vehicle flew away.

"I don't think so!"

The beastial knight looked at the footage. There was no one in the interior! It was a hand and a paw waving desperately from the trunk trying to get some beast's attention.

"I think the passengers are being taken against their will- you know kidnapped!"

The beastial knight looked at me and I at him. Sir Ram said nothing as he started the pursuit. But first we had to make our way through the crowds before we could catch up to it.

"These crowds!" The ram grumbled. "Don't lose sight of it!"

"Right." I said pressing the third toggle switch on the weapons console. As the copilot monitor and keyboard emerged from the glove compartment, I started typing.

**Surveillance probe engaged**

"I have them, keep going south." I ordered the big horned sheep.

It was about a half mile or more before we cleared the crowds and engaged the hover mode of the prototype. Sir Ram pushed the blue coupe hard to catch up with the automated personal transport vehicle.

As we caught up with it, we saw that the hand and paw in the trunk of the vehicle were waving even more frantically.

"They were definitely not going where they wanted." I said to the knight of Wundagore. "Any ideas on how to get them down?"

"Not without severe bodily injury. I mean if it were just the human- I would use the static pulse or the tractor hooks, but there is a beastial in there as well."

"If I were trapped inside the trunk would you use the same weapons on me?" I said giving the ram a dirty look."

"Not now boy." He said thinking out loud. "I think I know of a way. How high off the ground are we?"

"About 800 feet." I responded looking at the stats from the probe.

"What is immediately below us?"

"City blocks Sir Ram. What do you have in mind?"

"A controlled descent." The he beast said as he maneuvered the prototype over the automated personal transport vehicle. He then landed it on its roof and then tried to force it down to the ground. But the vehicle tried to wiggle left or right to get out from under the blue coupe.

"I got an idea." I launched the probe and placed it behind us to get a better vantage point. Every time the vehicle moved I would direct Sir Ram to adjust accordingly.

"Left! Right! Right! Left! Speed up! Slow Down!"

Sir Ram was able to force the personal transport vehicle to land in the middle of a street. As soon as we parked the blue coupe in front of it, it tried to take off again.

"Sir Ram!" I shouted.

**Side-pod engaged**

The he beast quickly scanned through the weapons menu and made a selection.

**Static pulse engaged**

A ball of electricity struck our target disabling it. We quickly left the prototype to check on the unwilling passengers.

As I popped open the trunk, I found a female white husky and a brunette human female huddled together shaking badly.

"You two alright?" I asked them.

"That is the last time I share a ride with you!" The husky growled at her companion.

"Hey it wasn't my fault!" She shot back.

"This never happens when I share a ride with..." The she beast started to say.

"With a what? A non-human?" The brunette said growling at the husky.

"You two what happened here?" Sir Ram said joining me. "You first Lori Long." The he beast said after scanning the woman's shoulder and reading the results.

"I was on my way home after just seeing a movie at the Movie Palace. I didn't feel like walking so I decided to catch a ride." Ms. Long said.

"That's right I had just come out from the Movie Palace and I didn't feel like walking either. We ended up hailing the same transport." The female husky said. "So we agreed to share."

"After we sat down, the vehicle forced us into the trunk and took off!" The female human added.

"That's right and we didn't even tell it where we were going!" The female husky added.

"Well you are safe now." I said to the two females. "You know you two shared a unique although horrifying, experience. Such things have been known to bring those who experienced it together." I said smiling to the two.

The husky and the human continued to stare each other down.

(Or maybe not.)

"BOY!" Sir Ram said to me.

"Right. I will go and call this in. Sir Ram has some further questions for you."

I did call the operator of the personal transport vehicle that had gone rogue. The beaver was surprised because it had never done that before. He conducted a few diagnostic tests remotely and determined that nothing was wrong before we had to forcibly disable the vehicle.

Sir Ram and I stayed on site until the beaver got there and was able to look over the vehicle again. He was dumbfounded as to what had caused it to behave that way.

"I will have to take it in for repairs."

"How many of these does you operate?"

"I have ten operating around the city." The beaver told me. "Now before you ask this is the only one to behave like this."

"Ok. Well at least no one was hurt."

"Boy!" The evil beastial said calling me back to the blue coupe.

"You bellowed?"

"Springer is requesting additional assistance. We have to go." The ram warrior said.

"I jumped in and we headed to the north just past the city limits into the countryside to assist junior knight Springer. Upon our arrival we found the buck trying to fend off a big brawl between a human family and a adolescent sergal."

"Thank goodness, a little help here!" The junior night called out.

"Alright you filthy stinking humans over there now!" The ram yelled stepping out of the prototype.

"Junior you are here with me." Springer said pulling the sergal away from the family.

(Hmm.... this could get interesting.)

I zoomed in on the front mounted camera of the prototype and listened.

"One at a time!" Sir Ram said as he scanned each of the human family's tracking chips.

A overweight man in a white shirt and shorts started. "That beastial nearly destroyed our house!"

"It is not much of house." Sir Ram said staring at the rundown grey shack now just part of a shack.

"That is not the point sir knight!" A boy said. "My brother and I were playing on our porch when we saw that dragon-lizard thingie doing doughnuts on the street just before he crashed into our house."

"He just missed my husband and sons." A homely looking thin woman said. "Now look at our house! This is all we have!"

"We want him punished knight." The man said.

This looked like a simplistic case. The rear of the green hatchback the adolescent was riding in was sticking out of what remained of that family of four's home.

"Wait! It is not my fault!" The teenage sergal protested. I was driving- playing with the automation when my hover vehicle started acting on its own! Honest I swear!"

"Really?" Springer said looking at teenager.

"It started swirling and doing doughnuts before crashing into their house!" The sergal protested as Sir Ram looked on.

"Did you try to stop it?" The man said to the teenage beastial. "Yeah I did. But I couldn't control my vehicle- it was like it had a mind of its own."

"A likely story." The man's wife said. "You knights are going to do something about this right?"

"Yes we will do something." Sir Ram said looking at me.

"Right, calling it in." I said.

Springer took the adolescent to be questioned further, his hover vehicle was removed from the family's now severely damaged shack.

"So who is going to fix our house?" The husband asked as Springer led the teenager away.

"We will let you know." Sir Ram said before driving off.

"So what is going to happen to our teenage sergal?"

"He will be questioned further and if he is lying punished." The ram said.

"What about the family's house?"

"Nothing. They will have to repair it themselves." The knight said to me.

"Hmm...." I said. "It really doesn't look like they could afford that."

"Too bad for them." Sir Ram said driving off.

(Thank you for that large dose of humility with a side of empathy.)

I continued to think about that call as afternoon turned to evening and the curfew approached. Meanwhile the prejudiced knight of Wundagore decided to assist Coal and Chemar on an undercover mission.

"Welcome to the Pleasure Palace! So my friends what is your preference?" A a shady looking yellow fennec asked the donkey and cheetah who approached his store front which took up part of a city block."I have just about anything you need- males, females, humans, beastials, even partial humans or partial beastials depending on your perspective!"

"Are you seeing this?!" I said to the ram.

"Yes and you better be recording all of this!" Sir Ram grumbled at me.

"But of course." I said as we continued to watch the junior knights who were disguised as tourists.

"Take this one for instance." The fox said gesturing to a chained blond satyr who looked quite dazed and confused. "Her breasts are quite large but her pussy is so soft. Or if you want to trade up I have beautiful centaur- her breasts are a bit small but that ass! Or if you are in to males- I have a nice quarter horse that is hung like, well you know. Or if rears are your thing I have a hippo who is very self conscious about his physique; he has a strong pleasant upper body with an equally strong tight butt!"

"I have a thing for otters. Do you have any of those?" Coal asked the proprietor.

"I have five, two females and three males. They are quite good entertainment especially if you want to kiss, snuggle, and yiff either sex."

I zoomed in on the footage from the micro probe that Coal was wearing as he and Chemar followed the sex slaver to another room of his posh establishment where we saw more of his wares- beastials, humans and those in-between all naked, chained and all dazed. As if under some spell.

"Do you have any cheetahs? Chemar asked.

"How about her?" The fennec said feeling up a she beast who was similarity chained to the wall. "She is on the small side- but has a nice rack and pert bottom. She is yours for the right price. If you want to give her a litter of cubs that is extra." He said as he placed his paw tip inside her sex.

"If you don't mind me asking um- ."

"I am known as the Proprietor Mr. Coal."

"Ok Proprietor you have quite the inventory. How did you convince your merchandise to work for you especially in these conditions?" The donkey asked.

"Let's just say, that I have the magic touch." The Proprietor said.

"What you are watching boy in the culmination of a lot of work." Sir Ram said to me.

"I can tell."

"You see that naked cheetah?" Sir Ram asked.

"Yeah the pretty one that seems oblivious to what is going on." I said.

"She contacted us."

"Why?" I asked the he beast seated next to me.

"She was experiencing the 'missing time' phenomenon. She couldn't remember how she spent her evenings at all or why she felt so tired when she got up in the morning. She thought she was one of those who was being abducted by the KLIS."

"Really?"

"She wasn't though, she would wake up in her bed in the morning with semen stains on her person and paw marks all over he body."

*Actually she was one of many who was experiencing this. * Overwatch interjected. _*Junior Knights Chemar and Coal investigated and discovered this individual who calls himself the Proprietor is believed to be running a sex shop with employees who don't know they are employees.* _

"Wow, that is sneaky. If the merchandise doesn't know they are merchandise..."

"Then you don't have to given them any benefits." Sir Ram said to Overwatch and myself. "Now shush!" The he beast said as we continued to watch the footage from the microprobe Coal was wearing.

"Magic touch eh? More like mind control. Isn't it?" The cheetah said confronting the fennec.

"You a running a forbidden sex shop!" Coal said.

"How is it forbidden?" The fox snickered.

"Does your product even know they are working without pay?" Chemar asked.

"That is the beauty of it." The fennec said.

"Now now there is no beauty in selling a person's body without their knowledge or even their consent." Chemar said.

"Says who?" The fennec asked.

"The knight core." Coal said. "You Proprietor are a bad beastial."

"And our prisoner." The cheetah added.

"Don't think so!" The fox said clapping his paws.

There was big flash of light that blinded the two junior knights as the fox started running for the front door.

"Sir Ram! Alex!" Coal shouted.

"Stay sharp boy our target is on the move." The ram said.

We watched as the Proprietor ran out of the front of the building whistling- loudly. Up the block a distinctive black and red hatchback powered on and started moving toward his direction.

"Looks like we have a chase on our hands!" I said.

Sir Ram did not even power on the prototype. He selected grenade launcher from the weapon's menu and was lining up the cross-hairs to the approaching red and black vehicle.

"Sir Ram?" I asked looking at the evil beastial.

"There is no one in that vehicle it is automated."

"Another one- interesting." I said.

"No chases today little human. I am going to save the master from having to judge and punish this fennec filth for selling his victims' bodies without their knowledge!"

"Sir Ram?"

The knight of Wundagore was about to press the fire button as soon as the black and red hatchback picked up the Proprietor. The hover vehicle didn't, it bumped its master knocking him into the building. The fennec bounced off of the building and landed in front of his vehicle which then drove over him and continued down the street.

"Well that is something you don't see everyday." I said.

Coal and Chemar soon caught up with their target, well his remains anyway.

"Yowsers, you can't put that back together." Coal said looking at the fox.

"Sir Ram?" Chemar asked.

"His vehicle knocked him into the building and then ran over him." The big horned sheep said astounded.

We quickly joined the junior knights to investigate the remains of their target, emphasis on remains.

"There was simply nothing to save." Chemar remarked. "Or to put back together."

"Another automated vehicle." Sir Ram commented.

"That killed its owner?" I asked.

"Are we going to have to clean this up?" Coal asked.

"You are forgetting the big picture, that vehicle just killed its owner and drove away." Chemar said.

Sir Ram, Chemar, Coal and I watched as the black and red hatchback continued down the street- driving away just as evening was turning into night as if controlled by some unforeseen force.

To Be Continued....