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Chapter 14: Rest Stop

A few minutes later Patrick finally finds a radio station he considers acceptable to listen to and settles down for the long ride north. With my main source of entertainment now gone I try to find something else to occupy my time. Eventually I decide to talk to Twelve so I pick up the pad and pen to write a question down for her. I want to learn more about her, how did she get converted, what's her story about dealing with all that shit we had to deal with. And considering she has opened up her shell earlier upon realizing she's free I think there is no better time to ask then now. I carefully word my question and when I am finished I gently slide the pad and pencil over to her in such a way to get her attention. For she still seems to find looking out the window interesting for some reason. She picks both up and looks over what I wrote.

'I know you're someone who was converted into a Bio-morph like I was, Twelve. You just didn't end up with your gender flipped. Can I at least know your real name? I don't want to keep calling you that stupid number.' I can tell from her ear and tail movement that her mood fluctuates as she reads my question. For a moment it looks like she isn't going to answer but then I watch as she slowly picks up the pencil and starts writing. The way she is acting it seems like she is clearly afraid of even writing something down. What did Christopher do to her? But she writes none the less. When she finishes she lets go of the pencil allowing it to fall to the seat in between us before showing me her answer on the pad.

'Twelve' Is written down but also appears to be repeatedly crossed out only to have in much smaller print 'Ashley' written next to it. A real name to go with her face rather than just a stupid number, and a pretty fitting name considering her coat coloration. A shade of gray that looks close to ash gray other than a few red highlights. I wonder if they did that on purpose. Picking up the pad and pencil I flip to an empty page, I write a few more questions down before sliding it back over to Ashley to read.

'If you didn't already know, my name is Jack. Yea, its not a girls name, I know that. As I wrote down earlier I had my gender flipped when I was converted. I was tricked by a fake job interview and then drugged. How did they trick you? I would like to know so that I can get to know you better, we may be together for awhile.' She picks it up and reads through it before glancing at me, then back at the pad at what I just wrote down and what I wrote before. Ashley then she looks at my chest before her ears tilt to the sides and her tail twitches showing annoyance and jealousy as she looks at her own. Oh just great, she's is not going to like me anymore simply because someone who isn't born female looks better than her. Ashley lets out a huff and then starts writing her reply. While I wait for her to finish I take a look out the window, we seem to have left the city and are now in the country, because of this it seems Mark has also sped the car up considering the scenery is moving by faster. At least the city had buildings I could watch, or more cars. Out here there is a whole lot of nothing other than farmland and a small fraction of the traffic. I am about to look elsewhere for entertainment as I wait for Ashley to finish writing but something odd catches my eye up ahead of us from what I can see.

Up ahead on the side of the highway it looks like someone is riding a bike on the emergency lane. At first I thought it was a person but as we speed closer I notice it's a Bio-Morph. Not just any random one either, based on his markings besides the large florescent dye stain on his arm, he's the Red wolf that helped me back in the kennel when I was acting like an utter bitch. It's also not just a bicycle, but a cobbled together motorized one that looks like he raided a junkyard or two to build. Wonder where he got the fuel too? I can't tell how fast he's going as we are about to over take him. Gotta get Mark to stop the car so we can help him. It's the least I can do for how I acted before. I've barely let go of the rear passenger door's arm rest when Mark speaks up.

"I can see him too Jack. Sorry, but we are not stopping to pick him up. Considering that he has a dye stain on his arm means he must of just sawed off the tracking bracelet, which also means he had no means of disabling the R.F.I.D. chip in his back. Due to this it means that when we next enter a town the readers will pick him up and flag our vehicle as trafficking stolen goods. Which will also get both you caught as well and us put in jail, or worse. On the bright side though, if he has managed to escape on his own, make that bike on his own, and was able to drive it this far without getting caught. Assuming of course that he didn't 'just' escape. Then he has a good chance of getting across the boarder on his own. It's a rare event, but it happens once in a while. As long as luck is on his side that is." Well fuck. As much as hate to admit it, Mark's right.

That Red Wolf Bio-Morph helped me a lot back at the conversion center, and I was so full of myself and so much in denial that I treated him badly. And as much as I want to help him here to the point I still let out a whine at watching us pass by, we can't. Doing so would definitely result in our capture by the authorities the next time we pass withing a few hundred yards of a reader. I hope he makes it, no he better well damn make it because it will haunt me for years if I am not able to properly apologize for how I treated him. Even if he doesn't remember me because it's been what, nearly a year? Sighing I lay back down but before I curl up I see that Ashley has placed the pad and pencil next to me. So I pick them up and start reading.

'That completely explains how you acted before that incident with Thirteen. I am also kinda jealous that you're better looking than me! I mean come on, why did you have all the luck in the breast department? As for what I was before being converted? Being forced into the docile Bio-Morph Twelve? Human, that's what I was. I can tell though you won't settle for that answer, you want to know how I ended up like this. So as much as it pains me to bring up these memories, I'll tell you. I grew up in a 'very' well to do family, yes I was a rich brat.' Tilting my ear upon noticing that the word bitch was written, then crossed out. Then the word whore was written in it's place before being crossed out with more lines. Only to write brat down in its place. From the shape of the letters she forcefully wrote it down for some reason.

'On the surface I looked like the typical spoiled little girl of a rich family, loved and cared for by her parents. Behind the closed doors of our house was a different story. My mother, who was more interested in the social circles and climbing the social ladder, she only looked upon me as a burden. My father, he worked for a group of people who pushed back against the Bio-Morph rights groups, he was the key in defeating them. Or that is what I heard him claim. So he earned a lot of political credit with many politicians because of this. So for the majority of my childhood I was left alone, only seeing a few fleeting glimpses of them in between semesters in boarding schools. They showed up to the occasional birthday, but it was mostly to dump some gift on me to satisfy their guilt. So when I turned eighteen I ran away from home and the boarding school I was in. I seriously doubt they even knew I was gone for months considering I had by that time outgrown the need for babysitters and maids. This was confirmed when I read from a newspaper a couple months later, that my father was running for elected office. Further in the article it mentioned his daughter as 'attending an out of the country college', the same one I was supposed to go to after I turned eighteen. I lived on the streets for a couple of years, always moving on before being driven out by the police. I also learned how to take care of myself out there.' Flipping the page I continue reading.

'Then one day I was caught in a round up of homeless people and ended up in one of those jobless centers. Prevented from leaving I turned to the only thing I could do to earn money with thievery out of the picture. I made myself a full time prostitute for those who would rather fuck a human woman than a Bio-Morph bitch. I knew that all I had to do to get out was to contact my parents and stomach both telling them why I ran away and a verbal assault about how I hurt their image in doing so. I refused to do so no matter how bad it got, no matter how many people beat me up to take what I earned or to just not pay. Looking back I wish I had, mainly to spare me what came next. Due to a trash media video segment filmed in the Kansas jobless center I was staying in. It was at one time a sports stadium, football I think from the rectangular shape of the open air tent city inside. They framed the place as an unholy den of drugs and prostitutes that was corrupting the local neighborhood. Despite the fact said neighborhood was already such a place for years before this center was set up. Just to placate the media outrage the police raided the place and hauled me off with just about everyone else as almost all of the people there were guilty of 'some' crime.' Looking up I glace over at Ashley, she's just staring at the back of the drivers seat. Written down next is a heavily crossed out line about how she must have deserved this fate. Ignoring it I continue on reading.

'Despite the sensationalist nature of the report wasn't as false as I would have liked it to be. People did do illicit acts as the way to earn money and buy stuff the government refused to give you. The police only went after those who were not covert about it before it aired. There wasn't a trail or even a court hearing for those rounded up, we were dumped into large male and female segmented holding cells. My last memory as a human is sitting against the bars in the women's holding cell trying to get some sleep while trying to ignore the stench from the stopped up toilet. Then the next thing I know I am watching the metal tube around me lower, the feeling of plastic tubes attached at both ends of me, my fur-less muzzle and the feeling of my new tail touching the bottom of the conversion tube. I was thoroughly examined like an animal, I am sure you remember that too. Then I was dumped in a kennel cage to recover. I didn't eat at first but I was force fed some kibble covered with white powder. A couple weeks later I was bought by that restaurant.' Unbuckling my seat belt I scoot next to her. I went though similar treatment after being converted and I am sure that she also got that 'fertility test' even though she didn't mention it. These are memories I know she and I would rather forget so it must have been hard for her to bring this back up. She seems to lean into me and puts an arm around me once I am right next to her.

If she told Alpha or Mauri, they seemed to have decided that I didn't need to know about it. The thought of having sex for money grosses me out right now but I can sympathize with her. You have to do what ever you can to earn money to supplement what little the government gives you in those shelters. This becomes more important if it is one of the open air ones where the only shelter you get from the elements is a patchy tarp tent. I let her hold onto me as long as she wants, kinda makes me realize how it felt for Alpha when I clung to her. Eventually though Ashley lets go and I slide back over to my seat and put on the seat belt again.

Ashley told me her story, well, an abridged version of it. While there are some gaps in it and some specifics I would like to know. I won't ask her right now for fear of scaring her and driving her back into the shell that is Twelve. So I pick up the pad and the pencil, flip to a clean page, and write a similarly abridged version of what happened to me including that the man sleeping in the front passenger seat is my childhood friend. When I am finished I slide them both over to Ashley. She picks them up and starts reading it over and her ears move up and down as she reads it broadcasting her mood. Based on when they move I can pretty much guess what parts she is reading. Ashley suddenly leans over to me and pats my head causing my ears to perk up. I also for some reason lean into the pat's but I don't stop myself. I think she sympathizes with me so in return I move to pat her on the head as well causing her to lean into it. I don't know why but I feel closer to Ashley now, such a simple way of communicating kinda fascinates me. After she stops she takes the pencil and writes something down before handing it back to me.

'My 'father' would have called you a worthless piece of human garbage, rubbish that needs to be thrown away before they damage everything. Considering what you have done for both of us I don't think of you as such. I am in fact amazed with what you were able to do using what you could scavenge. My only attempt at escape was to walk out the front door of the restaurant when no one was looking. Not being familiar with how many pieces of technology worked, other than how to use cell phones, I didn't realize the bracelets were tracking devices along with what they put in our backs. I had other things on my mind growing up than learn these things. I don't want to tell you about what most of it was past what I have already, you may not even be interested in what it was considering you were not born nor raised female. Anyway, I only got two blocks away from the place before the police found me sneaking through an alleyway and returned me to Christopher.' From there the rest of the page is littered with half written sentences in an attempt to tell me what happened next. All of them are struck out or crossed out with violent looking pencil marks making some more legible than others. Glancing up at her Ashley refuses to make eye contact with me as curls up in her seat. From what little of what I see of her eyes, she seems to have retreated back into that shell that is Twelve. Not that I blame her, from what little I can read of what she wrote down at the end Christopher would be guilty of some very serious crimes if Ashley was human at the time. To be honest, it surprises me that he could actually be worse than the bastard Joe Snyder, the one who tricked and drugged me. I will be happy to never see either of them again, I don't know if I could control myself if I do.

In an attempt to comfort Ashley I write down that we are free now and nothing like that will happen again. A half truth if there ever was one. Neither of us are 'completely' free from this system yet, and there are a lot of people between where we are now and a place where we can be free who don't like our kind. To the point they may even do something worse than what has happened to us so far. There is still a chance we may be caught and sent back, but that is only if we run into law abiding cops. We have a better chance of being caught by people who have no intention of sending us back and just want to take out their frustration of their own life on us rather than going someplace where they can still get work.

On top of all this is the fact that I could not think of the right things to say to her to make her feel better. I feel like a failure and an idiot for even trying to talk to Ashley considering how she is acting now. Sighing I just show her my hollow words of comfort and she just says a word that in no way that applies to me. She says 'Alpha' I'm nothing of the sort, just a Bio-Morph vixen with memories of being a human male. The only reason I escaped from that place and my former owners was because a childhood friend of the old me just so happened to walk through the door. There is nothing about be that says 'Alpha Female', I was barely holding onto the Beta rank back there with all the shit I did denying what I am now. If anything Patrick has the qualities of an alpha compared to me.

Speaking of Patrick, just because he is sleeping doesn't mean I can't turn my attention to him. Ashley has crawled back into her shell for the moment and the view is still farms and countryside. Glancing at the clock only makes my boredom worse as it has only been a few hours and it's not even noon yet, but it's close. Mark does notice my restlessness and tells me that we will stop for fuel and food in about an hour at the next rest stop that comes up on the highway. Barking out an 'Okay' I return to looking over at Patrick. Sitting up I reach over and with a claw tip, gently poke his left ear.

At first nothing happens, eventually I do get the reaction I want out of him. Sleepily he bats in the general direction of my poking with his left hand. He misses me completely, that in it's self is amusing in its own way. Grinning a little I wait for a few minutes before reaching and poking his right ear gently with a claw tip on my right one. This time his reaction is more vigorous and closer to where my hand is. Should I stop? Nah, he's a heavy enough sleeper I can do this for awhile. So I wait a bit longer than between the last two pokes before reaching up with my left hand to poke his left ear again. As soon as my claw tip touches his ear, his left hand suddenly moves and grabs mine before I have a chance to yank it out of his reach. I involuntarily let out a loud yip in surprise.

"Do that again Jack and I will yank your tail when your not looking!" Mark lets out a laugh at this as I gently try to tug my hand free from Patrick's grasp. His tone of voice shows he's not 'that' angry at me for teasing him like this and he lets go of my hand after the fourth try of trying to pull free. A second later he moves in his seat to look back at me and Ashley and of course he can see the pad sitting on the seat cushion between us.

"I see that you're bored now that you already had a conversation with Twelve and she is finished talking for right now?" Nodding once to his question I do pick up the pad and paper a second later. Now that I know her name I feel it's rude to call her by that number, so I write down 'Her name is Ashley.' and show it to him. Patrick nods before patting me on my head politely, and then as he moves his hand away he flicks one of my upright ears causing me to let out another yip as it starts to twitch a few times. Rubbing it I look back at him and see what I think may be a playful grin on his face? I'm not sure though and since this little oddity hasn't gone away since last night I make a mental note to ask about it when I find a doctor, or maybe a psychologist.

" There, we're even now. It's good to hear that Ashley's shell has opened up a little, maybe with time someone can help her recover from what ever happened to her. God knows it has to be something bad enough to cause someone to withdraw like this." Nodding I pick up the pad and pencil and flip to an empty page to ask a question I have been meaning to ask for awhile.

'Are their any teachers of 'the tongue' where we are going to be in Canada? Spending the rest of my life writing down what I want to say is not very appealing.' Once finished I show it to Patrick and he nods.

"Quite a few, but only a hand full will teach runaways in the process of getting the proper paperwork which you will be once you get there. I'll ask mom to notify the one we use that we will have another 'tutoring lesson' available to him once we get to the safe house." Okay, that is something I can use to look forward to. Having to write everything down like some stupid mute makes me feel worthless so being able to speak, even if it is not English is something I need in the confidence department. I am about to write down a question about this person and what I should expect once I get to the safe house. Not to mention past the few days of hiking I am not looking forward to, but the inertia of the car both changing lanes and slowing down draws my attention to look through the front windshield. We've reached our only pit stop on this trip according to Mark as we pull into the humongous parking lot of a convenience store and rest center. It's a welcome sight compared to the farmland and empty fields I've seen so far.

Upon reading the sign I see it's a traveler associates rest stop. Never heard of them but considering the size of this place it must be some national chain. We pull up to the front of the place where a smaller sign indicates there are gas and diesel pumps for older cars like us, under it is another sign that has an arrow that points to the back saying chargers and battery exchanges are in the back. Mark pulls up to a stop next to one of the few empty pumps here as the rest have older and beat up cars and trucks in the process of being fueled, I wince at the listed prices for the grades.

A steady stream of electric cars drive by us to the back of the station to recharge or exchange their batteries. While I see that behind us a couple of semi's are filling up with diesel, only to whine out loud when I notice both are carrying larger model residential containers.

"The one thing I learned after realizing I couldn't stand by idly and that I had to help Bio-Moprhs like this was I couldn't save them all. Choosing my battles became paramount because if I chose a loosing battle I could end up in jail, or if I am unlucky, I could be converted into a Bio-Morph myself." Another whine escapes my throat, I know Patrick is right, but it hurts me to the containers and whoever is inside being stuck like that. The sound of Mark rummaging around under his seat makes me turn around and look at him, just in time to see him pull out two intact gps tracker bracelets! Jumping at the sight of them I am reaching for the door handle to make a run for it when he speaks authoritatively out loud causing me to stop and for Ashley to wake up and look at him.

"Calm down Jack! Their dummy bracelets, the dye sacks and the gps unit's have been taken out. Yet on the outside they look intact and we even made sure they give off the correct LED lights like the active ones. It's to make the people here think both of you are owned. Seeing two Bio-Morphs without these raises questions we rather not have asked about what we are doing and who we are." Mark hands one to me then 'tries' to get Ashley to put hers on. It does look and feel similar to the ones we used to have to wear, overall though it is lighter without the rest of the internals. There is no other choice but to trust Mark on this so I click mine shut around my wrist, then test opening it up to find it does with little effort once I press a similar button to the one that was on the old one which did nothing. With it back on my wrist Ashley stops fighting back at Mark's attempts to put one on her wrist and just does it herself.

"Okay now that you have those on, going to get us some food and drinks. Is soda alright with both of you along with something simple like a hot dog?" Both Ashley and I nod yes in answer to his question. "Alight then. Patrick, you can fill up the car and keep an eye out. If either of them needs to use the facilities, make sure to escort them and act like their owner so no one is suspicious." Mark hands Patrick a credit card from his wallet before exiting the car and heading for the store. I only watch him until he is lost within the crowd of people and the occasional 'pet' Bio-morph heading for the convenience store. My attention is drawn to Patrick as he opens the passenger side door and exits before opening the door next to me. Afterwards he steps over to the fuel pump and gets to work on filling up the car. As he does so I unbuckle my seat belt and get out of the car to stretch my limbs, Ashley moves directly behind me and stays close enough that my tail brushes against her. Wincing at the near triple digit dollar amount on the pump for filling up this old car I decide to just go over where the sun is shining nearby to wait and relax. Ashley continues to follow me like my shadow as I do so. With it being early spring it is still a bit too cold in the shade for me as compared to the sun. Standing there and stretching out my limbs again I watch as someone from a nearby pump walk over to all three of us with determination in their step's. No her steps, the person is a woman. It was hard to tell at a distance due to her near obese physic. Her clothes scream of either a farmer's wife or someone who can barely have ends meet. Though to be honest that could be one in the same considering. To me though she looks and smells like an uneducated hic, but also trouble. Odd how I can smell that over the stench of the gasoline.

"You'all know this ain't no animal park for them right?" She drawls out this accusing question in a thick North Dakotan accent. Great, she's one of 'those' people. Why did she choose us and not one of the people I saw bringing their 'pet' Bio-morphs here. From what I can tell Patrick calmly looks back at her while continuing to pump gas into the car. How big 'is' the tank on this thing? Her reaction is to just disgustingly point in Ashley's and my general direction as we stand in the sunlight mere feet from the car.

"Excuse me?" Patrick politely replies as he pulls the nozzle out of the car after it clicks 'finally' indicating it's full. Putting it back into the pump the terminal on it instantly spits out a receipt that he grabs and pockets. Only then does he stand facing her directly.

"You heard me, put em on a leash city boy so they don't bite some poor kid or somthin." Scowling at Patrick she puts her hands on her hips.

Luckily for us no one else seems to be paying attention to the scene she is making. I'd rather not be the center of attention right now if I can help it Ashley just stays behind me and puts her hands on my shoulders while I keep my ears erect trying to keep an eye on her to so I can run if she goes after me or Patrick. I will not let some hic hurt my friend!

"Both of them are well trained and won't attack anyone, not unless they do something stupid like trying to hurt them. Do you happen to work here? If not then I don't think you have the authority to tell me what I can and can't do." He states in a calm and professional manner while putting the fuel cap onto the car and closing the panel it sits behind. It's the best way to handle such a situation as getting agitated normally just plays into the hands of the other person. This obese north Dakotan hic though looks like someone physically slapped her across the face after hearing Patrick's last sentence.

"Livin here is all the authority I need ta tell you city folk what ta do. We don't take too kindly to these sins against god's marvelous creation" She makes a shooing motion with her hand in our direction, I resist the urge to put my ears back and growl. "Nor do we like people who treat them better than the soulless and dangerous animals they are." The land whale seems to have recovered quickly from Patrick's verbal hit and storms closer to him, both invading his personal space and trying despite her near comical weight, look intimidating. I'm amazed that he has yet to react to her actions when I have to restrain myself from trying to come to his aid. Mainly because in doing so I would be proving the land whale right.

"Which means you have no legal authority in the slightest. So if you do not like the fact that I am letting the two of them stretch their limbs after all being inside our car all morning as we drove from the medical center. Then you can just leave the station yourself, we will be heading out in a few minutes when my colleague returns with some snacks for all of us." Ignoring the fact she is standing less than two feet away from him, he just walks around her. Then grabs the squeegee before going about cleaning the splattered bugs off the front windshield. This tactful way of ignoring her by Patrick does not go unnoticed by the land whale. Her face becomes red and scrunches a bit. Is she trying to make an angry face? I can't tell. Either way she storms back up to him, each forced footfall of hers causes her bulk to jiggle.

"I have no authority?!" She borderline screams in Patrick's face. "I can get tha police here in five minutes, I'll tell them those animals there attacked me! I'll watch gleefully as they crack ya face against this pretty little city slicker car of ya's!" She slams a hand down onto the hood, the fact it doesn't do any damage shows how well built an old car is. "You and ya job stealing Bio-Morphs aren't welcome here!" And now she screams hysterically in my friend's face. She is not only starting to draw attention to us from the other customers fueling up their old or classic cars. I am also very close to just dashing over there and biting her! The only two things holding me back is Ashley still clinging to my shoulders and the fact it would play right into her hands. Still a decent sized part of me realizes we wouldn't even BE in this mess if I hadn't gotten out of the car, so I guess this is all my fault too. I am also surprised at how Patrick is keeping his calm, by this point I would have expected him to punch her. The human me would have by now too. Patrick pulls out his wallet and opens it to show a metal badge, to me it's obvious the badge is fake but to this hic land whale it seems genuine enough. She stiffens up and shuts up.

"And I'll just inform them that you were interfering with the transport of state property. Both of them are valuable assets of North Dakota's fish and wildlife department. They are on their return trip from getting this year's check up, vaccine rounds, and heat blockers. So I will say it again, if you're so offended by the sight of them. Kindly return to your vehicle and leave, we will be departing momentarily." The atmosphere instantly changes, what felt like was going to gent up with a physical attack suddenly goes back to normal. Even the passer's by who had paused to gawk move on with their business. It seems logical that they would have a cover story in case of being confronted by anyone but law enforcement considering the outfits they gave us. Still that's a brave move to try and impersonate a government official to avoid confrontations. I only stare as the land whale waddles away muttering expletives and cursing the governor of North Dakota. She gets into her beat up pickup truck, starts up the screeching engine and floors it out of the rest center. Sighing a little Patrick looks over at the both of us who are still standing in the sun. Ashley has not let go of my shoulders yet either.

"I think it would be a good idea for you two to wait in the car until Mark gets back. We don't want another one of these 'people' getting offended at your presence." Nodding I reach up and slowly remove Ashley's hands from my shoulders, not letting go of them I lead her back into the car. Once we are both inside he closes the door behind us and goes about cleaning the other windows on the car. There must be a long line inside the building because even after Patrick finishes with the windows and gets into the car himself Mark has not returned yet. So after lowering the window a little I pick up the pad and pencil and write out a couple questions for Patrick.

'So what was all that about saying you work for the state of North Dakota?' Tapping him on the shoulder I follow up by handing him the pad of paper while keeping the pencil in my hand. As I wait I move to the half sitting and half standing position I need to take so I don't sit on my tail in these seats rather than laying down. He of course takes it and reads it over.

"As you have probably guessed, it's just a cover story for bringing Bio-Morphs up this way to the parks. So far no civilian has questioned the badge's validity. It of course won't work on law enforcement officers and the like because they get constant training on how to spot the latest fakes, so we avoid them at all possible. After you two we will most likely change the story just so we don't get too predictable." That is what I thought the answer would be, still, I had to ask. We are also lucky the land whale believed it, a confrontation with the cops would not have ended well. Anyway, that is one question down. So when he hands the pad of paper back to me I flip the page and write down the question I have been meaning to ask him.

'So, there is something I have been meaning to ask you since last night. Why were you in that area in the first place? You had no way of knowing I was there so what made you stop at that god forsaken restaurant?' I'm so curious to find out the answer I lean against the back of Patricks seat as he reads what I wrote down.

"I don't know what to say other than it was dumb luck. We were on our way back south from dropping off a trio of Bio-Morphs as well as a load of 'product' at the safe house we are heading to. All of us were hungry, but none of us could decide on where to go to eat. So Mark decided on a number guessing game, the closest one won. If no one got close then mark won. I felt like Japanese and I got the closest guess so I won the game, we looked up the closest Japanese restaurant and the one that owned you and Ashley was on top of the list. To be honest, it scares me to think that if I hadn't won we may never would have found you. Or found you after it was too late and you would be like Ashley is now. I am just glad that it happened. Even if the food wasn't as good as the prices would suggest. I've had better Japanese cuisine from smaller places. Liked the décor sans the slaves though." The food was over rated!? It looked so damn good compared to the shit they fed us that for the first month it was TORTURE looking at it and smelling it without being able to even eat the leftovers of customer's meals. Besides that though it is disturbing to learn that my freedom was up to a game of chance. Laying back down on the seat I let out a sigh, I have heard people at the jobless center say god doesn't play dice. If there is one, to me it seems like that not only does he play dice. He's one of those gamblers that casino's ban because he plays too much. That's an amusing thought, god, creator of the universe. Banned from casino's in his own domain. While shaking my head and mulling over the fact of how lady luck seems to rule my life, Mark opens the drivers side door and enters the car carrying both a large bag and a tray of drinks. Both Ashley and I have our ears perk up and we both smell the air to try to see what he brought other than knowing it smells good.

"Sorry about taking so long to get everything. They were very busy, only one clerk was on duty, and I had a hard time deciding on what may be best for you two to eat. Both of you are still at the stage that too rich of food will make you sick. So I settled on some simple hot-dogs, in case you want some more flavor I got some condiments as well, just keep the bag with you in case they make you sick." While Mark explains why he was late, Patrick removes two hot-dogs laying inside a plastic clam shell from Mark's bag and hand each of us one. I say 'thanks' while Ashley just looks utterly surprised at getting such a meal. As for putting anything on it? I don't like the idea of being sick inside a moving vehicle so I opt not too. As I start eating it I glance over and see that Ashley is already half way through hers, Either she was hungry or missed the taste of a basic hot-dog. Eh, I just eat mine a bit slower, savoring the taste of it as its like gourmet food compared to the slop they fed us at the restaurant. While eating I feel the car move, then accelerate as Mark takes us back onto the highway. Politely handing the empty container back to Patrick I realize that I have nothing to do now and a long ride ahead of me.

Given a choice between blankly staring at the interior of the vehicle or watching the scenery pass by. I decide on watching the North Dakotan wilderness and farmland roll by as we cruise down the highway. The farther we get from the rest stop the less traffic we pass by or passes by us, eventually we seem to be the only car on the highway as far as I can see in front of us and behind us. Only to be broken up by a less than pleasant sight occasionally a semi hauling a wilderness model residential container comes into view before we pass them by. Sighing I turn my attention back to the interior of the car as Patrick finishes scanning the normal and satellite radio stations for anything to listen to. He just mirrors my sigh and shuts the entertainment system off entirely. Meh, the oldies station playing eighties and nineties music wasn't that bad. Sure the electronica in the eighties songs was a bit harsh on my ears but at least the songs were understandable. Don't know whats worse, being utterly bored, or not having any room to move about other than sitting up or laying down. Maybe they brought something for entertainment? I pick up the pad and pencil and write that down.

'Did you bring 'anything' for entertainment while we wait? A deck of cards? A portable game system? I will even settle for a book to read if you have one.' Unbuckling my seat belt I move to hand Patrick the pad of paper. He takes it, reads it, and hand's it back before turning around in his seat to face me.

"Sorry but no, this was more of a spur of the moment transport so we didn't pick anything up for you like that. Considering what you will have to do once we get there, I think it may be a good idea for you to take a nap so you will have some strength. After we get to the safe house both of you are going to head out once it gets dark enough to avoid being seen by the townspeople. Once you put enough distance between you and the town you will be able to travel safely during the day." I think he gives me a confident smile before moving to face forward. Dammit! I'm so freaking bored right now, and the feeling cooped up in this car is not helping matters. My tail hits the seat showing my frustration and I don't even put in the effort to stop it. The noise though doesn't even bother Ashley who is lightly napping. The noise of my tail hitting the seat though does draw Mark's attention while Patrick seems to be ignoring it.

"I'm a little curious, Patrick, how old was Jack before he was converted? And a question for you Jack, was their a sheet of paper stuck to your kennel door after you were converted? And did you get a chance to read what it said on it?" The question surprises me and causes my tail to stop hitting the seat. Why does he want to know what was wrote on it since it doesn't matter anymore? Eh, a conversation is a form of entertainment so I might as well humor him and answer it. I did get a chance to read it before I tore it up in anger so if he wants to know what was on it I will tell him. Picking up the pad of paper and pencil I start to write it down, but I don't finish before Patrick is able to answer his part of the question.

"He had just earlier turned Twenty Eight years old before he was kidnapped." He answers with some curiousness in his voice. Yea I know I lost about twelve years or so considering the paper said my physical age was sixteen. Next to my new tiny stature being bellow the age of being an adult hurt just as much. Anyway I show Mark my answer after Patrick says his. Good thing the road is basically empty otherwise it would be more dangerous to read something while driving other than how much it already is. 'Yes, according to the date of birth on it I would be about sixteen years old. I'm not a kid though so don't even THINK about calling me one!' Thankfully he reads it quickly and is back to focusing mainly on driving. Last thing I want is for us to have an accident.

"Heh, I wouldn't dream of calling you one. Your answer does explain why you are so antsy. When they converted you they thrust you back into puberty." Wait, does that mean my chest and hips are going to get even bigger?! They are big enough already! My ears fold back and my tail poofs a little at the thought of this. I want to be taller though! Maybe as tall as Alpha who is only a little shorter than I was as a human. "Not only does that mean you have most likely not stopped growing." God I hope so! "But also considering my luck you ended up being one of those who have a lot of energy during this phase. Ashley seems to be the opposite though you two seem so close in age that I can't tell how old she is. It also explains why you have been playful towards Patrick. I don't suppose both of you acted like this when you two were younger?" Well yea we joked around a bit, doing harmless jabs at each other as well as other stuff. I don't see how strange it is to do it, especially when he's just asking for it like with the ear thing earlier. Patrick again answers before I can basically write this down for mark to read, dammit I hate not being able to speak.

"To be truthful, when we were in a good mood we pulled pranks each other in similar ways. Not as frequently as she has done since we rescued her." Pausing he moves in his seat to face me. "Don't take it the wrong way Jack. I don't mind that you're acting playful and part of me is happy that not everything about you has changed. Still, I am a little worried at how frequent you do it. I have to keep reminding myself that there 'are' parts of you that have changed wither you know it or not." Tilting my head I look back at him, I am sure I'm remembering things is correct. That I am not doing anything different than I did back then. Yet, considering the evidence of changes in my mind and thought processes makes me call into question if my memories of back then are still accurate. Patrick pats my head and goes back to facing forward while I lay down and curl up a little on the seat.

The lone fact remains though, I'm bored and I'm tired of being cooped up on the back seat of this car. Sighing with a whine at the end I get back up and look out the window in hope the scenery has changed. It hasn't changed that much, stupid farms and boring wilderness still litter the countryside. The only addition are the rusting hulks of saw-horse oil pumps dotting the landscape. Remains of an oil boom that happened long before even my human mother was born. The mid day sun is nice though as it streams through the window on me so I lay back down on the seat. Well that was only entertaining for a few minutes, how many more hours to go? Moving my tail around me I let the last few inches of my tail lay in between my front paws. A few minutes later I start to bat it about with my hands, the simple motion and rhythmic fashion of the movements seem to sooth my antsy nerves. I don't even notice at first that in the process I am causing the seat to squeak. I also don't know it's annoying both Mark and Patrick as they just seem to be sitting there like they have been. The body language cues that I knew as a human seem to be missing as well, oh well. Ashley though seems to be sound asleep, if she wasn't I guess I would find something else to do.

"Cut that out Jack! I know you're bored right now. But can you please stop making that noise?" One of my hands is suddenly grabbed by Patrick's as soon as he speaks up. It's a gentle but firm grip and its obvious that he wants me to stop now despite the polite wording of his statement. Okay, I'll stop. Mainly because you just gave me something better to do! I grab onto his arm with my other hand and hold onto it firmly. Patrick gives a light tug to get his arm back but I don't budge. Heh, sorry, your arm is mine now! I let out a light yip at him to be playful as he looks back at me.

"Boy did that backfire." Mark chuckles as Patrick and I enter a short tug of war with his arm. One that if we were serious I would loose, but he seems to use just enough strength to keep me on my toes. Literally as I have to use my feet to gain traction on the seat. I guess when he slows down in trying to pull his arm back that he's had enough, so I should let go. Except I want to do one last thing, I wet my tongue up and give him one long lick on his arm before letting go with another yip and a playful warble.

"Yuck! vixen slobber all over my arm." Patrick jokes as he wipes it clean on his shirt, I just grin at his reaction. But I lick my lips as this has also given me a good dose of his scent as well and for some reason I find it rather pleasing in a way I don't understand. Well that was a bit of short lived fun, just hours more to go. As I curl back up Mark turns the radio on and tunes it to just anything that I guess sounds good to him. Most likely to drown out any noise I make if I go back to batting my tail around. With my luck the station he has to stop on is some country and rock station, I don't mind rock music but I hate country. Instead of batting my tail around I use my hands and tail to cover my eyes and ears. It doesn't completely help as I can still hear the radio. Right now it's playing some country song about some blue collar worker lamenting the fact that bio-morphs took all the jobs, cursing them out as he drinks himself into a stupor on his front porch. Huffing I push harder with my hands to try to block more sound out. I don't know when I fall into a light sleep, all I know is it feels like it happened after laying like this for a decent while. Either way sleep is a blessing right now as I don't have to hear the music.