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"Good job, everyone. Everyone passed their physicals today, so you'll be happy to know no one's on probation. That being said, I don't want to see anyone slacking off or there will be consequences. Some of you had rather low stats - you know who you are - so I expect to see much better results from you lot next time around."

Twenty-four men and women stood in formation, not moving a muscle while their supervisor paced back and forth in front of them. That was Eric Cross, the captain of their division of Sanction. The rhino was thick with muscle, as was evident by the way his pure black militaristic uniform hugged his form tightly as he walked. Several pins above his left breast pocket marked him as superior to everyone else in the room. Known for his fierce and gruff attitude, Eric Cross was able to give orders without hesitation or question from lower ranking officers. No one crossed him.

Behind him stood another rhino in the very same attire, however several attributes marked him as different. This was Eric's brother, Erwin Cross. This rhino did not sport quite so many pins on his uniform, but he held almost as much authority as his brother. He was roughly the same height as Eric, tall and sturdy, but his frame was just a little thicker, a trait that wasn't as obvious from far away. What was obvious was the rather large muscle gut that pressed against the fabric over his middle. Some said it was the result of pampering from his parents; everyone knew that the Cross family had been doing quite well financially for many generations, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Others claimed that he just didn't exercise as much and easily got away with it because he and his brother were so high in the ranks. Either way, this feature of the rhino made it easy to tell them apart, but no one dared say a word about it. Not to their faces, anyway.

The people in formation stood perfectly still while Eric gave his assessment, their eyes staring straight ahead. Their stances - feet shoulder-width apart, paws clasped behind their backs, spines straight, heads facing forward - were the result of months of tireless training that got them hired in the first place. The species among them varied; they consisted of birds, canines, felines, and even a mouse stood in the front row. There was no discrimination when it came to hiring people into Sanction.

"Nevertheless, I am happy with your results as a whole," Eric continued, coming to a stop and facing his audience. "You have the rest of the day off. Except for some you who may have night watch tonight. Check the schedule on your way out. Peace, pride, and prosper!"

"Peace, pride, and prosper!" The formation echoed the mantra without hesitation.

"Dismissed."

The formation broke as they began to talk amongst themselves while heading for the exit. A line quickly formed near the door as people inspected a couple papers pinned to the bulletin board. Some people pumped their fists while a few others groaned when they found out they had night watch that night.

One wolf in particular twitched his ears in slight irritation at the news. He hated doing night watch. It meant that the chances of getting any decent amount of sleep were minimal. He would be allowed to have the next morning off, but still, no one wanted night watch.

The wolf strode confidently out of the room and down the hall. His grey fur clashed slightly with his dark attire, a pair of form fitting black pants with a tight plain black t-shirt that accentuated his musculature. He had always been in good shape, but his body had grown dramatically in strength since his rigorous training during initiation and now it was easily maintained by routine workouts enforced by bimonthly physical examinations.

Not that he minded, of course; the wolf was proud of his body. He had passed his physical with flying colors due to his dedication. He was well above the standard when it came to physical prowess, and he wouldn't have had it any other way. It made it easier to do his job; people would see a strong, confident wolf and do what he said, with the exception of a few mouthy teenagers here and there, but such was the life of a Sanction officer. It even got him some attention in the dating pool, a perk he definitely didn't mind in the least.

The wolf navigated across the facility and pushed through a final door, stepped out into a large atrium crowded with furs of varying species. He was only slightly surprised to see so many people here. These weren't his fellow officers of the force; these were civilians visiting the facility for the first day of Recruitment Week. Twice every year, Sanction held a week-long event called Recruitment Week, where they would hold a fair meant to educate people about Sanction, showcasing their functions and ideals. During this event, people would have the opportunity to learn about what it was like to be part of Sanction and even sign up to join, given they were old enough.

The atrium opened up in three directions out to the parking lots from which people streamed in through the entrances, their chatter echoing off the walls and the high ceiling. Many Sanction officers dressed in black stood behind tables with cardboard displays, talking to small crowds that lingered around their stations. It was quite an experience, but none of this interested the wolf. Deep blue eyes scanned the crowd, searching for a single individual that wasn't likely to stand out in the clutter. He found his target quickly, though, and made his way over.

A tall fox waved at him from one of the pillars beside the entrance. He was very fit as well, but more lean than the wolf. The vulpine character was dressed in a shirt and tie with a pair of slacks to match despite the hot day outside. The wolf approached with a smile.

"Hey, Nick," he greeted his friend.

"Sup, man," said Nick. His laid back personality showed easily through his speech. The fox just seemed so relaxed about everything. "I take it the physical went well."

"With flying colors," Jacob replied. He looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Where's Jasper?"

"He's right - huh?" Nick frowned and glanced around. "He was right behind me! Where'd he go?"

Jacob chuckled and headed towards a table not currently in use. He pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it on the surface, taking a pen from his pocket to begin filling out the prompts. "You're terrible at this, dude."

"Hey, you try keeping track of that pup!" Nick protested. "One moment he's there, the next he's gone! You'd think you'd hear him leaving, at least!"

"Maybe you're just deaf," the wolf teased. "He doesn't do that with me. Perhaps he doesn't like his Uncle Nick anymore."

"That's just it! I'm supposed to be the cool uncle," said Nick.

"But you're not his uncle."

"I may as well be," Nick responded, coming over to stand next to the wolf. "He's around me just as much as he's around you. Maybe even more." The fox leaned forward and lowered his voice just a little. "You know, this wouldn't even be a problem if you were home more."

Jacob frowned, his eyes still glued to the form he was filling out. "I can't do that, Nick. You know I can't."

Nick sighed. "Yeah, I know." He reassumed his relaxed stance. "I love the kid, don't get me wrong. I just want what's best for him, you know?"

Jacob still didn't look up from the paper as his paw continued to check boxes and fill blanks. "Same here, dude. Same here."

Nick seemed satisfied with the answer and nodded toward the paper. "What's that?"

"I'm requesting this Saturday off," Jacob explained as his paw neared the bottom of the form. "Figured I'd spend some time at home with Jasper. Maybe go see a movie or something."

Nick nodded in approval. "Cool, dude. Wish I could take days off like that."

The wolf did look up this time, a grin spreading across his muzzle. "Join Sanction like I keep saying you should. Then you can."

Nick rolled his eyes. "No thanks, not my thing. I'll stick with computers."

"Your loss." Jacob's eyes widened as something occurred to him. "Hey, speaking of computers. You graduate this year, don't you?"

Nick's expression brightened considerably, his tail wagging behind him. "That's right! Four years of hard work and cheap food are finally paying off. It's not over yet, though. We're only like a month into the semester and it feels like all the professors are doubling down on the homework."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah, dude. I'm only there part-time, but it feels like I'm doing like twenty credits of coursework." Nick dragged a paw down his face. "Plus, I'm already way behind on my thesis..."

"Told you," Jacob said knowingly as he returned to the form. "All those late night gaming sessions are catching up to you."

"Yeah..."

Jacob realized he wasn't making his friend feel any better and decided to switch gears. "Hey, you'll be fine. Besides, you already work for KazCorp, so you're already pretty set, right? An IT job at a huge company like that should pay really well. Better than what I get paid, even."

Nick dismissed the comment with a wave. "Eh, I'm only an intern. Still pays well, but I could be earning much more as a full employee. And I did get hired on the terms that I eventually got a cybersecurity degree, which is fine, but," Nick sighed in exasperation. "I don't know. It's all just getting kind of overwhelming, I guess..."

Jacob gave a distracted 'hmm' as he scratched out something on the paper and replaced it with a different note. "Well, like I said, just keep your muzzle down and grind through it and you'll be alright. Hell, once you finish, we can even celebrate at your place."

A mischievous smirk spread across the fox's muzzle. "Be careful what you wish for, Jake. Remember the last time you suggested we 'celebrate' something?"

The wolf's ears perked curiously. Jacob frowned and tilted his head to the side. "Huh?"

Nick's grin grew impossibly wider as he leaned in. "When we won the championship? The basketball party?"

Jacob went pale beneath his fur before he looked down to stare a hole into the paper, his ears going down. "Nick, that's different..."

The fox's green eyes glinted. "Don't remember? Let me jog your memory." Nick began his recollection, speaking confidently with a smug undertone. "It was our senior year and we had just won the region wide basketball championship for our league. So after we left for the hotel, our captain - that's you, in case you forgot - decided we should have a little after party at our hotel room."

Jacob rested an elbow on the table and hid his face in his palm. "Nick, please..."

Nick ignored him. "So with Coach in another room, we and about half the team crowded into our hotel room and had ourselves a nice little party with food and TV. Some of the guys snuck in some beer and we had a good time. But then..."

"Nick, come on," Jacob protested. He knew exactly what had happened on that fateful night.

The fox pressed on, his mischievous grin unwavering. "Adam decided to play a bit of a prank on our captain. We gave him some more drinks...got him niiice and drunk," Nick drawled out much to the embarrassment of the wolf still hiding his face. "Before we took him out to a gay strip club."

"Nick, that was one time!"

"A gay strip club that they still let you in for some reason despite being underage," Nick persisted.

"The bouncer thought I was cute, so he let me in," Jacob muttered reluctantly.

"Exactly," Nick replied. He eyed the wolf with that grin still plastered across his muzzle. "Mind telling me what happened inside?"

Jacob looked up and glared at his friend for bringing up this topic. One look at his face, though, told him that the fox wasn't likely to drop it. His friend was very persistent when he got like this. The wolf sighed in defeat. "Someone bought me another drink..."

The fox's tail flicked from side to side. "And then?"

Jacob shut his eyes again. "He and another guy took me to one of the back rooms..."

Nick's grin could have put the Joker to shame. "And then?"

Jacob thumped his paw on the table and looked his friend in the eye. "I ended up sandwiched between two guys while I made out with one of them. They both felt me up, but it didn't go past that. I came back with two numbers stuffed in my pants. Happy?"

"You certainly were," Nick smirked with his arms crossed. "You were sooo hammered, dude."

"Coach was pissed at you guys for that."

"Worth it," Nick countered. Glancing around to make sure no one was looking, he quietly moved closer. "Besides, who's knows? Now that you've had your first gay experience, maybe you'll find another nice, hunky wolf to settle down with." He followed his sentence with a hearty slap to the wolf's shapely rear.

The wolf jumped and yipped when he felt the blow, quickly straightening as he realized what that must have looked like with him bent over the table like that. Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed. He gave a growl and returned to his paperwork, moving further down the table where the fox couldn't reach him. "Fuck you, man."

Nick looked up towards the ceiling as if deep in thought. "Well, you did try, that one time..."

"Nick?"

"Shut the fuck up?"

"Bingo."

Nick chuckled, but dropped the subject much to Jacob's relief. His eyes fixated on something behind the wolf. "I think you've got an admirer."

"Hmm?" Jacob glanced behind him to see an officer at a nearby table staring at him. It was a large German Shepherd, his dark eyes brooding as ever with his thickly muscled frame to compliment his appearance. They locked eyes for just a few seconds before the officer turned to talk to a customer who had just approached his table.

"That's Brent McAllister," said the wolf. Shaking his head, he turned back to his friend. "We went through initiation together."

"What's his problem?"

"Dunno," said Jacob, glancing back at the dog. "That guy seems to have a fetish for one-upping people, though. Or just me, really. He's kind of a jerk."

Brent McAllister had been more than just "kind of" a jerk to the wolf during their time in Sanction. During initiation, the German Shepherd would always do whatever he could to show him up, and he always got away with it. Several times during the in-seat portion of their training, the dog would correct Jacob whenever he answered a question wrong, but begin his own answer with something like a snarky "actually..." or a smug "I think what Jake meant was..." Without fail, he always found some way to get on his nerves. Then during fitness training, he would tease the wolf by doing just barely better than him on all the exercises. By doing just one more pushup, finishing the obstacle course just a few seconds before Jacob did. He would even stay just a few paces ahead of him when they went jogging, glancing backward at him every now and then with a shit eating grin that made him grind his teeth. Needless to say, Jacob did not like this guy one bit.

"Hmm," said Nick as he watched the German Shepherd go about his business. "Not sure I like that guy."

"You and me both," Jacob said as he finished off the paperwork with a signature at the bottom. "All done. Come on, let's go find Jasper so you can get back to work."

"As if I want to get back to work. Sitting in a server room for hours at a time fixing people's dumb mistakes isn't actually something I'd call fun." Nick followed the wolf as he headed further into the atrium. "You know where Jasper went?"

"I have a hunch."

............................................

Another wolf stood at one of the tables off to the side, talking to the officer manning that station. This wolf was a few inches shorter than Jacob, standing at about 5'10''. His fur was grey as well, but much darker, to the point where it was almost black. The only reference point was the tip of his tail that actually was black, giving away the true shade of the rest of his fur. The same deep blue eyes stared back at the lion he was arguing with, radiating a determination that shone clearly through his words.

"What do you mean I'm not qualified?!" He snapped. "Everything's right there on my résumé!"

"And your résumé just isn't up to scratch with what we want," the Sanction officer said impatiently, scratching at his mane. "We need people with a high school education or a GED. According to what I see on your résumé, you have neither."

The wolf kicked himself mentally for the fault. "I - I just forgot to put that on there. Just slipped my mind. I graduated from Juniper Hill last year."

"Is that so?" The lion checked the sheet of paper in front of him. The résumé was fairly well formatted; it just didn't necessarily have very believable content. People had done this type of thing before, so he was used to it. "Well, mister," he checked the top of the document. "Mister Daniel Smith, while your accomplishments are impressive enough, there's just one thing wrong with your story."

"Story?" The wolf had to keep himself from fidgeting nervously as he held the lion's gaze. "What do you mean?"

The lion gave him a grin that said he clearly didn't believe a word he was being told. "You don't look nearly old enough to be eighteen."

The wolf recoiled inwardly at the comment. People kept saying he looked younger than he actually was. Surely he didn't look that young. "But I am! I'm nineteen, actually! Here, I can prove it to you," he said, reaching into his pocket.

"Jasper!"

The sixteen-year-old wolf held back a grimace as he pulled out the fake ID card he kept in his wallet. Ignoring the call of his name, he handed the card to the lion. "Here you go -"

"Jasper Allen!"

...damn it, Jake! Jasper didn't bother to suppress his grimace this time. He turned around to find his brother Jacob by the corner with Nick standing beside him, both with knowing grins on their muzzles. The older wolf's eyes shone with amusement as he crooked a finger. "Come on, Jasper. It's time to go."

Jasper glared at his brother as a couple of mocking "ooh"s sounded from the other people in line. The lion grinned and handed back the résumé. "Come back in a few years and we'll talk, pup."

_ The nickname angered him even more. He snatched the paper away from the lion and stalked back toward his brother. When he reached him, his eyes were narrowed in a laser-like glare. "Why'd you stop me? I almost got in this time!"_

_ "You know exactly why," Jacob admonished. "And by the looks of it, Tygan wasn't buying a word of anything you told him."_

_ "Tygan?"_

_ "That's his name. It's on his uniform." Jacob waved to the lion behind the table, who waved back with an amused chuckle. "If you want to join Sanction - once you're old enough - you're going to have to start learning people's names."_

_ "Well, sorry I'm not good with people like that," Jasper retorted. "I'm not like you."_

_ "Then maybe Sanction isn't for you," Jacob suggested. His brother opened his mouth to retaliate, but Jacob hushed him. "We can talk about this later. Right now, we need to leave for your appointment."_

_ Jasper huffed. "Fine."_

_ Nodding in approval, Jacob turned and headed back the way they had come. Nick, who had remained silent during the exchange, approached the younger wolf and walked alongside him. "Hey, kiddo."_

_ Jasper flicked his ears in annoyance. "Hey, Uncle Nick." Even to this day, that nickname stuck fast._

_ Nick continued in an attempt to comfort the wolf. "So how has your day been so far."_

_ Jasper looked forward at his brother's back as he walked ahead of them, his glare having softened somewhat with a tinge of sadness. "Fine..."_

_ They quickly found Nick's car in the parking lot and piled in. Nick chatted casually with Jasper as they drove, helping the young wolf's mood to steadily improve along the way. Jacob left them to it, opting to watch the scenery outside while they moved with the traffic._

_ Despite the implication of its name, the downtown area of Juniper Hill was bustling with activity. Huge skyscrapers towered over busy streets, their metal exteriors glinting in the sunlight. The roads were almost always packed, either with automotive activity or crowds of people passing by. Juniper Hill had once been a rural area in northern California, but time and technology had caught up with it. What was once large stretches of farm and country terrain had been replaced with all the telltale signs of city life. The cherry on top came in the form of the tallest building in the city, a huge hundred story pillar with the logo of a silhouetted wolf's head displayed at the top. This was one of the main offices of KazCorp._

_ KazCorp was one of the four monopolies that ran the country in the thirty-first century. They were a collection of companies dedicated to all developments in science and technology; they were responsible for distributing the results of said developments as well. Phones, computers, the Internet, cars, all research and technology was funded and managed by KazCorp._

_ The next corporation was Bounty, which was responsible for managing food, whether it be from flora or fauna. It was their job to collect, treat, and distribute food to stores all across the country. Most restaurants were sponsored by Bounty, and the few that weren't were usually either new businesses or family restaurants that found their own supplies. Universally though, Bounty was known to bring food of the best quality to the tables of citizens. From the farm to the shelf, Bounty handled it all._

_ Then there was Venue - arguably the least important of the four - which had a monopoly on all things entertainment. That included music, movies, videogames, even sports since they were still largely televised nationwide. Despite the lucrativeness of the company as a whole, it was still generally considered irresponsible to pursue a full career in music or sports. It was still relatively difficult to build a career on such an ambition, but it had been made easier over time due to Venue reaching out to budding artists and athletes to offer them sponsorship._

_ Lastly, there was Sanction. They were responsible for enforcing law and order across the country. They controlled the police force, the court systems, the government, even the military. Sanction believed in enforcing justice and keeping the peace within their beloved country and so far, they had managed it well enough. The division Jacob was employed at in Juniper Hill had its own problems to deal with within the city, but it was the same in every other town. Rules were made to be broken, and that's why Sanction existed._

_ This was thirty-first century America. This was how they managed to keep the country up and running. Four major corporations all working together run a nation. With their combined force, they managed to pull it off with little trouble._

_ The hospital wasn't far away from where they had left, so they arrived relatively quickly with about a half hour to spare. Nick pulled over by the front entrance to let the two passengers out._

_ "Good luck, kiddo," Nick called as they got out. "Hope you get an Air Brand like me!"_

_ Jacob scoffed. "No way, dude. Water is better and everyone knows it."_

_ Nick stuck out his tongue playfully. "Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that." When the doors shut, he rolled down a window. "You sure you don't want a ride back?"_

_ "No, we'll take the bus; it's fine," Jacob replied. "You need to get back to work. Don't worry about us."_

_ "Alright, suit yourself," said Nick. "See you both tonight."_

_ "Yup, see ya," Jacob said with a wave. The fox rolled the window back up and drove away._

_ The hospital wasn't at all difficult to navigate and they had been there many times before, so they quickly got checked in and sat in the waiting room. Jacob occupied himself by watching the television display in an upper corner of the room. It was on a news channel at the moment, showcasing a headline that seemed all too familiar: "Nonconformist Vandalizers Strike Again!"_

_ Jacob rolled his eyes at the headline. He had seen reports such as this one too many times. Brand technology had been around for years at this point, but only recently did a small group of rebels seem to have a problem with it. Jacob simply didn't understand the issue. Magic wasn't anything new in this day and age; it had been around for as long as he could remember. Scientists today had figured out how to integrate magic and technology, using said technology to issue Brands to the public. Brands allowed a person to perform a certain "brand" of magic, one of the four elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. Sure, some people tried to scam the system by getting Brands other than the four already established. Those Brands tended to be quite erratic and volatile, however, which is why they weren't openly sold to the public. Jacob agreed that those people needed to be stopped, but things like vandalism were never the answer. Just wipe the Brand and start over, problem solved._

_ "Does it hurt?"_

_ The question pulled him out of his thoughts as Jacob looked at his brother. Gone was his grimace of annoyance, replaced by a definite nervousness that was characteristic of someone getting their Brand without knowing what to expect. The young wolf fidgeted in place, playing with the tip of his tail that rested on his lap._

_ Jacob smiled reassuringly. "No, not really. The needle stings for about a second, but after that you hardly feel a thing."_

_ Jasper's eyes widened in fear. "T-There's a needle? Why didn't you tell me?"_

_ Jacob cursed silently. He had forgotten about his brother's fear of needles. "It's just one! It doesn't hurt much, I promise."_

_ Jasper didn't look completely convinced, but he nodded. He went back to fiddling with his tail._

_ Jacob set a comforting paw on his brother's shoulder. "Hey, it'll be okay. Really."_

_ "Jasper Grimm?"_

_ Both wolves looked up at the sound, spotting a female cheetah in a lab coat holding a clipboard as she scanned the room. Jacob nudged his brother to follow him as he got up and approached the cheetah with a smile._

"Hi," he greeted, offering his paw. "I'm Jacob Grimm, Jasper's brother."

"Hello, Jacob," she replied, shaking his paw. Her cheerful smile faltered slightly when she got a good look at him. Jacob had put his uniform top back on since the hospital was rather chilly inside, so he now stood in full uniform. The doctor managed to keep up appearances though and the smile was back a second later. "I'm Dr. Sanders. Hi, Jasper."

Jasper managed a weak "hi."

"There's no need to be nervous. You're in good hands here," said Sanders with a professional air. "Please follow me, gentlemen. We'll be heading downstairs for your appointment."

The hospital was three stories high with an additional basement floor dedicated completely to Brand technology. Magic was serious business and unlike any other implementation society had dealt with before. Therefore, it was imperative that they invest plenty of time and money in it.

Once they reached the bottommost level of the hospital via elevator, Sanders led them down a few corridors and into a room near the back. This room was large compared to most offices, but that was because this was no ordinary doctor's office. This was more of an operating room, with various workstations and machinery on one side of the room, including the standard equipment necessary for taking one's vitals. On one wall was a large rectangular panel of glass, and on the other side was a single chair one might find in a dentist's office. The chair was surrounded by more gadgets and machinery with more empty space on either side occupied only be wires and cables connecting the machines to the other room.

Jacob's appraisal of the room was cut off by a sudden gasp behind him. Jasper had frozen in place and was staring terrified at the Branding chair behind the glass.

Concerned, Jacob grasped his brother shoulders. "Hey, don't worry about the chair, okay? It's going to be alright."

The poor wolf was visibly shaking. "You...y-you didn't say there was a chair!"

"It's just somewhere to sit that's away from us," Jacob explained, which was half true. "You need to be in a separate room so we don't get hit by the radiation -"

"Radiation?!"

"If I may offer a word," Sanders interjected from her workstation. "The entire procedure takes about a minute and you won't feel anything other than a slight bit of warmth from the Branding energy. I've done this procedure countless times and had it done myself. I can assure you there's nothing to worry about."

Jasper calmed down a little, but still seemed very nervous. He jumped when a crisp knocking came from the door.

"That'll be my assistant," Sanders muttered. "Come in!"

In walked a grizzly bear in a pristine white lab coat. His eyes glinted behind a pair of glasses perched on his muzzle. "Greetings, gentlemen. You can call me Dr. Thomas and I'll be helping administer your procedure today."

"Hi," said Jasper, his voice still shaky.

"If you don't mind, we'd like to take your vitals and then get you situated in the chair," said Thomas as he moved to one of the medical displays. "Shall we?"

Thomas quickly took Jasper's vitals and then led him through a door to the other room. Meanwhile, Sanders went to another display on a large screen against the wall, giving Jacob another weird look as she passed. Once Jasper got hooked up to the machines in the Branding chair, the screen lit up with diagrams portraying Jasper's vital signs. Sanders took a look at the diagrams and frowned, tapping the screen a couple times to access more information.

Seeing this, Jacob walked over to stand beside the doctor. "Is something wrong?"

Sanders jumped a little at the sudden intrusion, scowling when she saw him standing there. "Why are you guys from Sanction always so nosy?" She muttered, turning back to the screen.

Her rudeness took the wolf aback. He had never gotten such disrespect from a doctor of all people. "Just making sure everything was alright," Jacob replied.

Sanders rolled her eyes as if she had expected that sort of answer. "Yeah, I know."

That was all she said before moving to a table with a collection of assorted bottles. She took a small glass and filled half of it with water. Grabbing a small bottle containing a white powdery substance, she carefully measured out a miniscule amount and dropped it into the water. The liquid fizzed and bubbled for a moment, then turned a rich blue color.

Sanders took the solution and went behind the glass, offering the glass to Jasper. "Here, drink this."

"What is it?"

"It will numb your body while the procedure is underway," Sanders explained. "And it makes it easier for me to interface to your Neurochip."

Neurochips were another major token of current technological development. Since the brain works very much like a computer might, scientists and technologist had begun researching how to integrate a microchip with organic matter. This resulted in the creation of Neurochips, granting a person increased memory and faster reflexes due to the addition of more "processing power." Neurochips were implanted into the brain at birth and developed with the person as they grow up. An ingenious invention, it was believed to be the gateway to further research in cybernetics. Brands were augmented with Neurochips and effectively "installed" into the brain, allowing the wearer to perform his magic at will.

Jasper took the glass and inspected it before drinking its contents, wincing at the horrible taste. Sanders collected the glass from him and returned back to the screen where Thomas had returned was doing his own work.

"Are we ready to begin?" Thomas asked.

"I believe so."

"Alright," the bear said in a businesslike tone. He tapped a spot on the screen twice. "Initializing sequence in 3...2...1..."

Jasper yelped as metal restraints sprang out of the chair around his wrists and legs. He struggled and whipped his head around in a panic. Jacob caught his eye and gave him a reassuring look, mouthing "you're okay." The lights in the room dimmed as more power was redirected toward the Branding equipment, leaving Jasper's room well lit. The machines on the other side whirred loudly and they worked to do their job.

An overhead light above the chair switched on to illuminate Jasper's body where it sat. A syringe positioned just above his wrist filled with a small amount of liquid before descending to pierce the wolf's skin. Jasper winced and looked away as the automated syringe injected the substance into his arm.

Jacob let out a breath. Good. Jasper had successfully managed not to freak out at the needle. Now for the easy part -

A bloodcurdling scream came from the chair. Jacob looked back at his brother to see him crying out from an intense pain, tears streaming down his cheeks. The wolf paled. The Branding procedure shouldn't hurt, except for the needle, and that was done with. Something was very, very wrong.

Jacob rushed over to Sanders, who was frantically flipping through displays on the screen. "Stop the procedure! Now!"

The cheetah did nothing except stare appalled at a diagram of Jasper's vitals and body composition. "This...I've never seen anything like this before...what is this?"

"Are you fucking deaf?! Let him out!" Jacob shouted frantically, unable to bear the sound of his brother in such pain. Behind the glass, Jasper was struggling desperately against the restraints, but they held fast. As they watched, his fur began to pulse between black and his natural dark grey color. This needed to stop. "Turn it off!"

What appeared to be pitch black shadowy smoke rose off Jasper's body. This was definitely not ordinary smoke though; it moved slowly and thrashed around erratically in the form of shadowy tendrils, as if it was alive in some way. Some of the black waves pulsing through Jasper's fur moved down to collect on his right wrist, forming a black discoloration there in a shape Jacob couldn't quite make out.

Meanwhile, Jasper was still screaming and begging to be let free.

"Stop the machine!" Jacob shouted again, seizing Sanders and forced her to face him. "Do you hear me?! Stop the procedure!"

_ _ "It's finished!" Thomas exclaimed, watching the screen. "The procedure is complete!"

The lights came back on as the machinery in both room died down, leaving them in relative silence save for Jasper's whimpering from his chair. His restraints disappeared and the smoke emanating from his body dissipated. At the sound of a beep coming from the screen, both doctors scrambled to the other side of the glass and made a beeline for the chair. They grabbed Jasper, roughly pulling him front his seat. Despite, his exhaustion, Jasper yelped in fear and shock.

Enraged, Jacob burst into the room as well, shoving the doctors away. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! GET YOUR PAWS OFF HIM!" He inserted himself between them and his brother, arms outstretched to the side. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" He inquired, baring his fangs.

"He sabotaged the system!" Thomas retaliated, shaking with fury. "He's a damn Sealbreaker!"

"...a what?"

"He exploited a loophole in the system in order to get a Brand other than one of the original four," Sanders explained no less angrily than her assistant. "It's what they do!"

It took Jacob a moment to process what he had just heard.

"...A Sealbreaker?" Jacob muttered in disbelief. "No...he wouldn't..." He glanced behind him at Jasper.

Jasper quickly shook his head. "I didn't do anything! I swear!"

"Don't lie!" Sanders snapped. "There's no other way this could have happened."

Jacob shook his head. "He's not a Sealbreaker. He wouldn't do this. I sure this is just a natural, innocent mistake."

"Dark Elementals aren't natural!" Thomas retaliated.

That took Jacob by surprise. "Dark - what?!"

"That is none of your concern," said Sanders. "The only thing you need to worry about is that he will be imprisoned for this." She took a step toward them. "And you too if you don't back down."

Jacob growled. An odd rumbling sound could be heard from the walls. "I said stay away!"

Both doctors continued to advance toward them. "Please step aside, Jacob."

"No!"

The rumbling in the walls increased significantly, followed by the sound of creaking metal. Suddenly water burst out of the walls and quickly began to flood the room. The water gathered at the doctors' feet and rose up to form a large glob around them. Thomas and Sanders thrashed around, trying to escape, but Jacob growled and concentrated harder. The water then froze around them, leaving them encased in a large chunk of ice.

Jacob relaxed and glanced around the room. The floor was wet and there was still water spraying from the pipes in the walls. Thomas and Sanders were frozen just a few feet away from the chair.

"Come on," Jacob instructed, walking quickly to the other room.

The large LED display had gone black, but he noticed a clipboard with various notes on it beside one of the computers. He took the notes, crumpled them up, and shoved them into his pocket. He glanced behind him at Jasper. Now that he was closer, Jacob could clearly see his Brand. Compared to the others, it was nothing special; just a single black dot about the size of a quarter.

So this was the Brand of a Dark Elemental.

"Here," he said, taking off his uniform top and handing it to Jasper. "Put this on. We don't want anyone to see your Brand."

Jasper nodded wordlessly and put it on. The coat was rather large on him, but it would have to do for now. He followed Jacob out of the room. They found the nearest exit and left the hospital as quickly as possible without attracting attention.

The bus ride home was fairly uneventful. Neither wolf said a word the entire way home as if afraid a single utterance would instantly blow their cover. This gave Jacob some time to ponder what had just happened during the past half hour. Just this morning, the only thing on his mind was passing his physical and then spending the rest of his day at home relaxing after Jasper's appointment. Instead, he would be fretting over how to cover all of this up for the foreseeable future. If the truth got out, Jasper would go to jail, he would likely be fired from Sanction, and then he wouldn't know what to do with himself. Without Jasper, he had nothing.

After the bus ride and a short walk, they arrived at their house in a small neighborhood on the edge of town. The house was empty when they entered, but this was no surprise. It had been this way for three years, just the two of them. After the death of their mother and their father's "departure," the house had been noticeably empty since.

They had always been a bit of a broken family. Their father had left them shortly after Jasper was born, leaving their mother to raise two young children by herself. Later when Jacob was 19 years old, and Jasper 13, their mother was killed in a car accident. Jacob inherited most of her money and the house, and had been taking good care of Jasper ever since. They had been a reasonably wealthy family, so it wasn't hard to keep Jasper in school.

Jacob looked over at Jasper, who had collapsed on the couch to stare at the blank television. The appointment had to have been quite jarring for him. "Are you okay?"

Jasper took a moment to think before responding. "I don't know."

Jacob shook his head in disbelief. "I'm sorry about all this. We'll figure this out. I promise."

Jasper pulled back his sleeve and examined his Brand. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"I can't go back to school, can I?"

Jacob's ears dropped against his head at the realization. "Sure you can," he said unconvincingly, "You'll just have to keep this a secret."

"But I can't. It'll come up eventually," Jasper responded. "And besides, we're both criminals now."

Jacob frowned. "No we're not. We -" He stopped himself once he realized what he was saying.

"Yes we are," Jasper continued. "You froze two people in a block of ice, destroying most of their equipment in the process and I -" He paused to think for a moment. "Well, I'm a so-called Dark Elemental, so I'm a criminal by default."

"You're not a criminal!" Jacob stated firmly. "You did nothing wrong!"

Jasper shook his head, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. "I wonder what Mom would think of this..."

Jacob stared at his brother on the couch. Jasper didn't often bring up the subject of their parents. "She would want us to do what we thought was best. She always trusted our judgement."

Jasper 'hmphed," seemingly not satisfied with the answer. He laid there in silence for a moment before speaking up in a curious tone, "Hey, Jake?"

"Yeah?

"...What was Da - I mean," he stuttered. He cleared his throat and finished. "What was Richard like?"

Jacob's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he looked away from the television. Richard Baxter had been their father until he left them. Jasper had been too young to remember much about him, but Jacob had hated him ever since.

"He..." Jacob began. "He was irresponsible. To be honest, I think he only married Mom for the money. And I don't think he ever wanted kids either." Jacob growled. "Hell, he only barely tolerated me." His expression turned into a curious frown. He shifted his gaze toward Jasper and tilted his head slightly in question. "Why?"

Jasper now looked extremely uncomfortable. "Well...Mom always said that I looked a lot like him...I just wondered if..."

Jacob's breath caught in his throat. Was he about to suggest what he thought he was?

"...never mind."

Jacob still stared at him. "Jasper, what - "

"I don't want to talk about it."

Jacob helped to press further, but knew when to drop the subject. He headed toward a hallway leading to his bedroom. "Listen, I'm gonna go take a nap. Come wake me up if you need anything, okay?"

"Mhmm."

Jacob left him to ponder and continue into his room, shutting the door behind him. His bedroom setup was relatively simple with a bed and nightstand, with a closet on the opposite wall. A full body mirror sat next to the window, to the side and out of the way. This was his safe space, and the wolf liked to keep things neat and simple.

Jacob sighed and pulled off the black t-shirt he normally wore underneath his uniform. He would have to get his coat from Jasper later. Once his torso was bared, he removed his pants as well and stepped in front of the mirror in just a pair of dark blue briefs.

He studied his muscled form in the glass. No, not just his form; on any other day, he'd have no qualms about treating himself to a flexing session in the mirror. The wolf was no stranger to a bit of narcissism now and again. This time, Jacob was looking for something else. In the mirror, he saw just an ordinary wolf. Not Jacob the Sanction officer and enforcer of justice in the city. Just normal old Jacob, basketball enthusiast and gym rat. That was how he liked it.

His eyes drifted down to the teardrop tattoo on his right wrist. His Water Brand. He was proud to have a Water Brand; it had gotten him out of some nasty situations in the past, including the events of today. If only the circumstances of its procurement had been genuine...

A nineteen-year-old Jacob stood in a dark alleyway, umbrella in paw and shielding him from the harsh downpour the morning had brought about. His heart beat rapidly, not because he was supposed to get his Brand that day, but because of the reason he was there in the first place. His eyes were fixed on the entrance, scanning the people passing by.

_ Someone turned into the alleyway and his heart began beating faster. As the stranger got closer, he saw that it was a shifty coyote; his dark fur and unusually light strides made him all the more intimidating. He stopped and stood near the wall opposite Jacob, lighting a cigarette and sticking it into his mouth._

"Terrible, this weather, isn't it?"

_ Jacob noticed a discolored patch of fur on the coyote's right arm. It was what looked like a tattoo of a single tongue of flame: the Fire Brand._

_ Jacob looked back up and noticed the coyote was still waiting for a response._

"Only because my umbrella's broken," he said, trying to hide his nervousness. "I've always preferred rainy days."

_ The coyote quickly plucked the cigarette from his mouth, threw it on the ground, and stomped it out. "Hate those things," he muttered under his breath. Reaching into a bag that hung around his shoulder, he retrieved a small, black square box that looked as if it could carry jewelry. He gave it to Jacob._

"It's in there," he explained. "Drink it within two hours of the procedure."

"This'll give me a Water Brand?" Jacob examined the box carefully, not daring to open it in public, even if they were hidden away from most eyes. "This actually works?"

The coyote scowled. "Look, kid, I didn't make the stuff. I just sell it. Now, where's my money?"

_ Jacob reached into his inside coat pocket and brought out a large wad of cash. He shoved it into the coyote's paw and continued to stare at the box._

The coyote gave a small chuckle, flicking through the money quickly. "All this money and I get hardly any of it."

Jacob looked up. "You don't keep the money?"

The Sealbreaker shook his head. "Nah, I only get a small bit of it. I keep tellin' them I don't get paid enough for this, but they never listen."

"How much do you get paid?"

The coyote raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Why you askin', kid? Lookin' to join?"

Jacob looked away, watching the morning crowd again. "Maybe. My life's gotten kind of chaotic recently and I need a way to fix it. I'm kind of desperate."

The coyote scoffed. "You don't know what chaos is. Billions of people complain nowadays 'cause somethin' ain't goin' on the way they want it to and they say it's chaotic. They don't know the half of it. Once you've got nothin' else to lose - that's_chaos."_

_ Jacob looked back at the coyote, startled at his sudden break of character. As he began to think about the Sealbreaker's words, the coyote began walking away._

"Well, I gotta go. I don't get paid to talk to customers." He headed back toward the crowd. "Take care of yourself, kid."

_ Just like that, he was gone. Jacob glanced back down at the small box in his paw, pondering whether he really wanted to go through with this. Then he quickly shook off his doubts. He needed to do this. For Mom. And Jasper._

_ Determined, he set back off into the open._

Jacob gently brushed his fingers against his Brand on his right wrist. He had ended up contacting a Sealbreaker in order to fulfill his duty as Jasper's guardian. His mother had been a Water Elemental and he wanted to take her place and continue her job. Jacob could only hope that he could be a good enough "dad" for Jasper.

Jacob forced his gaze away from the mirror. This wasn't good for him. He needed to sleep. The wolf abandoned his reflection and got in bed for what would prove to be a restless slumber.