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Counter Earth Chronicles - Fallen Empire Chapter 23: Compromised and Violated (Conclusion)

Day 31 (Evening The Lost City)

"How did this even happen!" I shouted. "Corey and Rumble closed the ramp after we left!"

"Yes they did Alex." Shakara said assuming a grim tone.

"Let's go!" Corbin shouted. "Our families and loved ones are in danger!"

(Everyone please be ok.)

Shakara drove the blue coupe down the ramp and into the south maze. After the vehicle was inside we closed entrance.

"Overwatch check the probe's readings again, how many life signs?!" The little mongoose boy asked.

*More than there should be Mr. Mongoose.*

"Overwatch, a number!" I said.

*Seven.* The automated assistant responded.

"Professor Stern, Lady Ursa, Corey and Rumble make four, who are the other three?" My lioness asked.

"The Intendant's thugs? Others? Rejects? Monsters?" Corbin asked worriedly.

"FUCK!" I shouted.

*There is no way to distinguish who is who.*

We drove through the maze as fast as we could go soon arriving at our houses. There had been signs of fighting. The stone street near the central building and in front of our homes in particular had blood stains on them.

"Yes that is blood." Shakara said dabbing her finger in it. "But who's?"

"Who goes there!!!" I heard a voice say from the shadows.

Shakara, Corbin and I looked at the direction it was coming from.

"Mistress?!" I shouted.

"Alex!" My warrior bear said stepping out from behind our home. "It is about time you got back."

"Momma bear are you ok?" Corbin said starring at her. She looked different.

"You are injured." I shouted running up to her. I would have hugged her but she had numerous gashes and bite marks on her shoulders, arms and legs. Her sword also had blood stains on it.

"We need to patch you up and quickly." Shakara suggested.

"Negative." My perfect person responded."

"Momma bear, what happened?" The little mongoose boy asked.

"Rumble revolted." My warrior bear said.

"As in trying to take over?" My lioness asked.

"The south entrance has been breached and possibly the north, west and east as well." Lady Ursa said.

"But why?" I asked. "That doesn't make sense?"

"Alex, Rumble was truly never one of us- he was a lab experiment, a monster. It was only a matter of time before he snapped." My fierce ursine warrior said.

I looked at my perfect person, my devious person and my little brother.

"Mistress that doesn't sound like Rumble at all. He is a valued member of our community, a friend. No, family."

"Not any more he purposely left the south entrance opened. I wouldn't be surprised if his monster friends snuck into the city as well."

*Lady Ursa I am detecting three more life signs than there should be in the city.*

"Must be friends of his. He must be stopped at all costs." The former knight said.

"Where are Corey and the professor?" The little mongoose boy asked.

"They went to check on the exits in the west maze, the north maze and the east maze. Enough talk you three. Are you with me or against me?" My warrior bear asked abruptly.

(That doesn't sound like her at all.)

"Ok we are with you." I said.

"Good. Computer where are the additional life signs?"

**Right here in the city Lady Ursa.* *

(Oh crap.)

"Very well, I am going to hunt them down. If I find that traitor, I will take care of him for good."

"Something is not quite right here." The little mongoose boy said.

"Overwatch stay here, protect our supplies and help Lady Ursa find the three intruders." I said looking at my perfect person who seemed to be out of sorts.

*As you wish Mr. Winter.*

"Shakara, Corbin head toward the east maze make sure its exit to the outside world is secure and overall be careful.

"What about you little cutie?" My lioness said.

"I am going to try to find Corey and Dawn."

"Alex be very careful too." Corbin warned.

And so we split up, Shakara and Corbin headed to the east maze the one that led to Capital Stadium.

I decided to head to the north maze looking for professor Stern and Corey.

(I must be nuts going by myself.)

Regardless, I wanted Corbin and Shakara together to watch each other's backs then to have either of them go off by themselves which meant that I would be exploring by myself.

It took me a good thirty minutes to make my way through the maze. I was able to remember where Corey put the traps and markers to alert us if the city had been compromised. Fortunately none of them had been activated.

Several times, I felt that I was being watched, but I didn't see anything. I eventually made it to the end of the maze and the entrance to the cave system we had sealed shut. It all was still in tact.

It took me another thirty minutes to make my way back to the city. It was eerily quiet. I assumed my warrior bear was still on the hunt. I then headed toward the west maze. I hadn't seen the two other humans in the north or south maze so that meant Shakara and Corbin were going to encounter them in the east maze or I was going to encounter them in the west one.

(I hoped.)

It took me another thirty minutes to make my way through and avoid Corey's traps and alerts which also had not been triggered. Eventually I ended up at the trap door leading to the forest and the Grand Kingdom's territory. It was there I found Corey and professor Stern in a scuffle.

"This is all your and Rumble's fault!" Dawn shouted at the snarky teen.

"How is it our fault?!" The teen retorted.

"You are constantly coming and going on your little forest hunts and one of you two left the ramp door to the south maze open!" The professor retorted. "If you have been more careful we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Wrong!" Corey shouted. "Rumble and I are always careful entering and leaving!"

"Then why was the entrance opened?"

"I don't know ok?!"

"Guys, guys!" I said running up to them.

"Alex? When did you get back?" Professor Stern said.

"About an 60 minutes ago. Shakara, Corbin and I found the entrance to the south maze wide open."

"We were just discussing that." Corey said grumbling at Corbin's adoptive mother.

"Hey, what matters is that this section is secure. The north maze as well." I said as the two started grumbling at each other- again.

"That is good." The dark haired teen responded.

"Well not that good, the scans indicated three more life signs in the city than there should be."

"I see." Dawn said.

"Any idea who they are?" Corey asked.

"No. Overwatch couldn't determine who they were." I said. "We need to head back."

"So they could be the Intendant's goons, Others or monsters." The teen said.

"Lady Ursa is trying to determine that now." I said as we made our way east.

"They are monsters- Rumble probably made some friends and is trying to take over." The professor said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where did that come from?" I asked.

"Come on Alex. Rumble and this twerp here are outsiders." The blond archeologist said. "They never belonged here."

"What was that?!" Corey shouted.

"You are living with a former lab experiment who was manufactured by some corporation along with the other creatures running topside- have you ever thought about that Corey?!" Dawn shouted judgmentally. "He probably is gathering an army to find and devour all of us."

"So despite all we have been through you still don't trust him!"

"No, I don't." Dawn said. "I suspect that Lady Ursa is right."

That did not sound like the Dawn Stern I knew at all. Corey didn't sound like himself either.

"Enough you two! Rumble is a trusted and valued member of our community this talk is meaningless." I grumbled.

"So you two are against me then?" The professor concluded.

(What is going on here?!)

"No one is against anyone. However, both of you don't seem like yourselves. What happened while we were gone?"

That question I posed my sister's doppelgänger and the snarky teen opened up a very big flood gate.

"We struggled for five days is what happened." Corey said to me. "We then ran out of food and Rumble and I were forced into hunting after the snowstorm while the three of you were having fun.

"Yeah what took you so long to get back?" Dawn asked me.

"Complications, challenges and dangers. Corbin, Shakara and I found out how messed up the outside world is right now."

"And the food?" Corey asked.

"Not all of The Madam's sites were accessible- some were fiercely guarded, some were inaccessible, some had been raided. "

"If you had taken me and Rumble instead your mission would have been less challenging Alex." The snarky teen said.

"I don't think so the challenges would have remained regardless."

"So how bad is it?" Dawn asked.

"The five cities have been destroyed. World Two was less destroyed than the other cities."

Dawn and Corey looked at me.

"About a block of the city was undamaged." I said.

"We should relocate there." Corey stated. "From what you are saying that is the most intact of all the cities."

"Negative. There is extreme danger there- gangs, cults, monster, Others, Rejects running around."

"But that is the most obvious place to restart civilization. Get that situation fixed and then spread out from there." The black haired teen said.

"No Corey. Although some of the knights did survive the cataclysm- but what is left of the knight core there is powerless. They can't maintain order."

"You grownups think that you know everything!" He retorted.

"That is because we do!" The professor said chastising the teen.

Corey and Dawn traded barbs as we exited the west maze and returned to the center of the lost city.

As we made our way back I met up with Corbin and Shakara, like Corey and Dawn they were also bickering.

"Is there any male you won't lift your tail for?!" Corbin said shouting at the lioness.

"I think maybe one or two adorably cute." The dark tan lioness said.

"For the last and final time it is Corbin! C-O-R-B-I-N!"

"Ok you two what is this about?" I said to my lioness and little brother.

"Um, I don't know, I just felt really annoyed with Shakara for some reason." The little mongoose boy said.

"Maybe it is because she is so sexually ravenous! I mean all the time! Does she have an off switch?!" Corey said.

"No, it is because she has better pair of girls than I do!" I Dawn bemoaned.

"Enough!" I said silencing everyone. "Shakara did you find anything in the eastern maze?"

"No the exit was secure." My devious person said.

"Of course it is, the mechanisms I placed in that maze would have alerted us if it had been breached! Why did you feel you had to go check? Don't you trust me?"

"Corey that is not the case." I said.

It was at that point I started growing irritated with all of them.

"We have intruders." I said as the stillness was broken by fierce ursine growling.

"I HAVE FOUND YOU TRAITOR!" Lady Ursa said walking up to a unoccupied house next door to professor Stern's. "QUIT HIDING LIKE A COWARDLY JACKLE!"

There was no reaction. Lady Ursa taped on the front door with the tip of her sword. It opened wide revealing a sitting were-wolf staring right at her.

"Thinking about leaving your boy?" My fierce ursine warrior said goading him. "You probably corrupted him as well." She said charging.

The were-creature dodged the sword thrust and darted behind my warrior bear slashing her back. The force of the attack pushed her forward further into the abandoned home.

"...only traitor here is you..." Rumble grumbled. "...you are a poor leader and will turn us over to ONE in the end..."

"HOW DARE YOU!" My she beast said turning around just in time to see a brown blur coming at her. She calmly stepped back with her arm outstretched at just the right second catching Rumble unaware close-lining him.

"URK!" The were-creature wheezed as my warrior bear turned the close-line into a bear hug and then back flip. Rumble's head hit the floor hard dazing him momentarily.

The were-creature shook his head as he tried to recover. Just in time to see a sword tip being thrusted right at him.

The were-beast darted out the door of the abandoned home into the street where he had more maneuverability.

"Here little puppy!" My bear knight said looking for her prey.

She was set upon from the left, right, up and down by a brown blur which knocked her sword to the ground as soon as she left the house.

"Very well, fang and claw then!" My bear knight said.

"Grrrrrrrr-RAWR!!!!" The were-creature roared.

"Your destruction is at hand dog!" The bear said charging again.

I watched the two warriors from our community fight. My she beast was slashed, gashed and bitten. Rumble had received his licks too and gave as much as he got.

The former lab creature had the speed. My mistress had the knowledge and experience.

"Go get him my lady." Dawn shouted. "Take down that monster!"

"You can do it Rumble! Don't take that from her!" Corey shouted.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Everyone stop! We are all friends here! You know, family!"

My requests were ignored. I looked behind me and I saw my lioness and my little brother yelling and shouting at each other.

"You are too horny! Would it help you to keep your legs crossed and your tail down?!" Corbin shouted.

"This from a boy with a micro penis and chubby balls." The dark tan lioness retorted.

Next to them Corey and and Dawn were on the ground shouting and wrestling.

"You are nothing but a awkward nerd who doesn't know how to interact with her own species!!!" Corey shouted.

"This from a teen who is sleeping with a lab animal!" Dawn retorted.

In front of us Lady Ursa and Rumble were fighting like it was or life or death. I decided to quickly run back to the prototype.

*Why is everyone fighting?* Overwatch said as I sat down.

I pulled up the scans from the probe I saw the seven of us here in the center of the city. I also saw the three additional life signs one looked like it was right on top of us and the other two were approaching from the south.

(Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!)

"We are fighting each other as the invaders are moving in!" I said to the automated assistant.

*It looks like Rumble is going to win.*

Hearing the automated assistant say that I was flooded with emotion. No rage. That escaped lab experiment was going to best my mistress! It was probably him who left the entrance to the south maze open! How dare he!

"Overwatch ready electric pulse target Corey Collins."

*Mr. Winter don't you mean static pulse?*

"No. Electric pulse and then use the missiles on Rumble." I said. "All of them."

*That will kill the both of them. Mr. Winter.*

"That is the objective." I remembered myself saying as I was overcome with rage from out of no where.

*But they are friends and valued members of this community. Our community. You even spied on them to make sure that they weren't agents from the Grand Kingdom Alex.*

"They are the primarily cause for the invasion Overwatch."

*And you know that how Mr. Winter? We weren't here when the city was breached.*

"I just do! Are you going to target them or not?" I shouted to the automated assistant.

*No Mr. Winter I will not.*

"Fine then! I will do it myself!"

*It appears that you have fallen under the influence of the same thing our colleagues have Mr. Winter.*

I ignored Overwatch as I made my selection from the weapon's menu. Electric Pulse. I then lined the cross-hairs on the screen with the black haired teen who was wrestling with my sister's doppelgänger. And was about to press the fire button.

*I can not allow you to fire on our friends Mr. Winter.* Overwatch said.

The automated assistant then activated the cover for the weapon's console eliminating my access to the three toggle switches and three side-pod activation buttons.

"OVERWATCH!!"

*I will not Mr. Winter. You are not behaving rationally.*

"You may have prevented me from accessing the weapons console but you forgot about the button on the steering column."

I then attempted to press the fire button. That is right, attempted.

*SWACK*

"AUGH!!!" I shouted.

"Sorry son you were about to do something that you would have regretted for the rest of your life." I heard a voice say as I lost control of my body.

There was also another, a second voice.

"What did you do?!" I heard it say.

"He is only stunned. Say, this is that wonderful weapon the Knights of Wundagore use!" The first voice said.

"From the looks of it they were tracking the monster." The second voice said. "Those seven blips are the city's inhabitants. Those over there appear to be us."

"Which means that last one is my quarry!" The first voice said. "Stay here and take care of young Alex."

I tried to get a good get a look at who had stunned me but the best I could manage was to slump over the steering wheel of the prototype.

"Greetings dear, may I borrow that?" The voice said to Lady Ursa and Rumble who were still tussling.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched a figure move at blinding speed toward the roof of the house next to Corbin and the professor's. It then swung at something hard, very hard. There was a loud death cry. I watched as a tall beige creature, white face, long arms and slit like eyes and mouth tumbled from the roof hitting the ground. It reminded me of the monster I had encountered in Capital Stadium only that one was black.

Day: 32

I awoke sometime later in the infirmary.

"Little cutie?" Shakara said rubbing my head.

"Oh, what happened?" I said staring at the dark tan lioness.

"We almost were annihilated- by each other." She said checking my vitals.

"What about the additional life signs we detected?"

"Yes. One was hostile. Fortunately for us the remaining two were not." She said stepping out of the way as another beastial appeared behind her.

"Greetings Alex." He said. It was the first voice I had heard.

"Commander Rhinox?!"

"Nice place you and the others have here. The security is very lax though." The warrior said to me.

Alex Winter February 1st, YOE 34