FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

The Victoria Chronicles

**Chapter 10

A Load of Scrap**

Pops pulled in to Frank's scrapyard fifteen minutes after they left the Sheriff's department. Through most of the ride Vix hadn't said much other than that she had a bad headache and spent a good part of the trip looking out the window in thought with her ears flattened to her head.

Pops decided to leave her with her thoughts, he could tell when someone had a lot on their mind, and the fox next to him definitely looked like she had a lot on her mind. she had relaxed her hold and reverted back to her base form and her mood had gone from upbeat and snarky to depressed with undertones of brooding. The endorphins from her encounter with the three G-stooges had worn off and her thoughts had drifted back to her missing friends and where they could be and what they may be going through. Without knowing where to go now in her search she felt helpless and lost. Also having the emotions and instincts of two other beings now a part of her, coupled with her new gender wasn't helping matters much. All told she hadn't really had much time to come to grips with her new situation. All the recent excitement had been a somewhat welcome diversion but now that things were calm her thoughts weren't.

Pops left her alone until they pulled into the driveway to the scrapyard.

"Now Vix, I just want to warn you that Frank's already seen you. As yourself I mean." Pops said pulling up to the office/workshop.

"What! When?" Vix said spinning around to face Pops, her musings broken.

"In Kristine's clinic." Pops said in what he hoped was a calming voice. "He came in just after you collapsed on your first day with us. Don't worry, he can keep a secret. We told him about how we found you in the barn, and that you weren't an animal, but he might have a few questions."

"I'm sure." Vix replied still a bit taken aback before another thought struck her. "How many more people know about me. The fox me I mean?" she said more than a bit concerned.

"Just Frank. Don't worry, he's an old service buddy of mine. Trust me, he won't go blabbing it around." Pops reassured her. "He's a man who knows how to keep a secret."

"So...Frank, Edwin, and your family. I hope it stays a small group, I don't really like the idea of being run out of town as a monster." Vix said.

"I thought that subject had been settled." Pops said firmly. "You're not a monster, you are just different."

"Yeah...I guess." Vix mumbled.

Pops put the truck in park and turned off the engine in front of the building and got out, Vix followed behind. They didn't see Frank in the office so Pops suggested they look around the back. Vix looked around the yard as they circled the building, it was large and expansive and was a mix between scrap metal, junk and automotive boneyard.

They found Frank in the back wrenching on an old tow truck he used for his business.

"Hey Frank! Pull yer head out from under that hood!" pops hollered as he strolled up. Vix was to his side and slightly behind him as she continued to look around the yard but her eyes were drawn to something hidden under a tarp nearby. She wasn't sure, but its shape looked vaguely familiar if a bit misshapen.

"Hey! There you are." Frank said as he twisted his head around to glance in the direction of the voice. "Just let me tighten this bolt and I'll be right with you." His head disappeared again while he finished what he had been doing before extracting himself from the truck and turning around while wiping some grease and grim from his hands on a dirty rag as he came over to the two. As he walked over he took a long look at Vix.

"Frank, you've already met Victoria but you haven't formally met yet." Pops said before turning to Vix, "Victoria, this is my friend Frank. Frank, Victoria." He said as he introduced the two.

"Hey." Vix polity said as she turned around to face Frank with her paw raised to shake his hand. Frank took her paw firmly and shook it, the act and feel of her paw and blunted claws feeling a bit strange.

"Nice to meet you Victoria." Frank said, "last time I saw you, you weren't doing so well. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm doing better, thank you.." Vix said politely. "Still a lot to take in. But I'm managing."

"Sooo....." frank started, "You're a Fox." He said before continuing, "What's that like?"

"Same as it was being human really." Vix replied, "Just more fur, ears on my head instead of on the sides, better hearing, stronger sense of smell, stuff like that."

"Really? How good a sense of smell?" Frank asked.

Vix sniffed the air a bit before responding, "For breakfast you had bacon, eggs and...jalapenos?"

"My breaths not that bad, is it?" Frank said before looking over to Pops, "No really, I brushed my teeth and everything after breakfast! I even used mouthwash!"

"Wintergreen." Vix said simply.

Frank looked to Vix then back to Pops in astonishment.

"Yep, she's full of surprises alright." Pops said, Vix looked away slightly in genuine modesty.

"Yeah, well..." Vix trailed off.

"Well anyway, I suppose you're here to see your Jeep." Frank said as he turned and walked over to the object under the tarp, "Now I gotta warn you, this is how I found it in the woods. Wasn't easy to pull it out without doing any more damage. Not that I think that would make it much worse." Frank pulled off the tarp and revealed what was underneath. Vix was right that the shape looked vaguely familiar. But even without the tarp it was hard to identify the wreckage as a one driving vehicle not a few days ago.

The Jeep was complete wreck.

Vix walked up slowly, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. There wasn't one part that wasn't damaged in some way. From the shattered glass littering the interior to every mangled piece of sheet metal, calling the Jeep totaled would have been a massive understatement.

Vix walked around it slowly, taking in all there was to see, there wasn't much to say really, so she tried denial first.

"This can't be Ben's Jeep. It was still mostly intact when I was shot." She said.

"This is how I found it Victoria." Frank said and pulled something from the back of the wreck. "Here's one of the plates." He said handing it over.

Vix took the plate and turned it over. Wiping off some dirt she read the letters and numbers embossed on the stamps metal. It was Ben's Jeep alright. Alright, denial wasn't working but she was feeling a very familiar emotion rising to the surface. It was an emotion she had become all too familiar with over the last few days. Anger.

Pops notice that Vix had balled her fists, and said fists were shaking.

"Vix? Are you ok?" Pops asked concerned.

"...No! no I'm not ok!" Vix said, her voice a bit shaky. "I want my friends back! I want my friends to be ok!" Vix replied. She turned her head slightly and Pops and Frank could see the tears running down her face. "It's not right that I enjoy my freedom while they are who knows where, enduring who knows what!"

Vix slammed her fists into the hood of the wrecked Jeep, collapsing the already heavily dented hood and crushing bits of the motor underneath. The whole vehicle, what was left of it, shook violently on its suspension.

"Whoa." Frank said quietly and taking a half step backwards. Pops put a hand on Franks shoulder and shook his head, indicating that Frank should hold his ground. They both had seen far worse than this in their military careers.

"Vix, I said I would help, and Frank will too. I'm know this isn't easy for you, I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through, but Frank and I will do whatever we can to help."

Vix calmed down slightly. She ran an arm across her face to wipe the tears from her eyes before replying, "Thank you. But if you don't mind, I would like some time alone." Vix said before her ears perked up. "I think you're about to get visitors anyway. If you don't mind I'm going to make myself scarce."

"Ok. Frank and I will be out in front if you need us." pops said before nudging Frank on the arm, indicating that they should head around to the front. "Come on Frank, let's go see what your customer wants."

Pops and Frank left Vix and headed to the parking lot.

"Is she going to be OK?" Frank asked Pops.

"She'll be fine. She just need some time to calm down. She's been through an awful lot in a short amount of time. We just need to give her some space for a bit." pops replied.

"I've never seen someone get mad enough to double fist a hood like she just did." frank said with a little bit of concern and just a touch of admiration. "What kind of shit dis she go through to produce that?"

"Well, first off, what I'm about to tell you stay's between us. You got that?" Pops said with more force than his usual laidback demeanor would.

"Of course." Frank replied, and then thought for a fraction of a second more before saying, "Why do I get this nastiest feeling we're back on those missions we used to do?"

"Ha! You're not far off Frank, but yes, that kind of secret." Pops said before continuing. "I don't know all the details myself, she's keeping some of her past close to the chest, as it were. But she's been through a lot in the last few days from what she has said to me. First, she and her friends were camping when they were apparently jumped by some guys in suits and a bunch of armed men."

"The same men making people disappear around the valley?" Frank asked.

"From what she told me and what Sheila has said it sounds like the same men, yes. Anyway, they took her friends right in front of her and to add insult to injury when she tried to stop them they shot her and left her for dead."

"Ouch. Yeah, I'm starting to see where the anger is coming from." Frank said.

"Oh I'm not done yet." Pops said before continuing, "She was left for dead, and if you are to believe her, and I do, she did die out there. But she was saved by some sort of creature. I don't know what it was, and I'm not sure she does fully either, but whatever the case this creature saved her life by sacrificing its own. The result is what you see now."

"So she's actually--"

"Yes. She was once human like you or I." Pops said. "And I think there is some resentment there towards Percii."

"Who's Percy?" Frank asked, trying to keep up.

"You see that fancy piece of metal on her wrist?" Pops asked. "Well that's Percii. He's some sort of super AI or something. And a far more intelligent than any computer we have ever created. Anyway, she has a bit of a grudge against him. I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing that he did far more than just change how she looks to us now. But I'm not gonna pry. And neither should you." Pops added sternly.

"Ok, I get it. I remember what it was like back in the day." Frank said reproachfully.

"Anyway, I think you can agree that she has way more on her mind than any sane person should." Pops said.

"Yeah...I'm getting flashbacks from what we went through in the service just thinking about it.

"I think for her it's far worse. Oh, and before I forget, don't mention the name Smith around her if you can help it." Pops said remembering, "There's a very bad taste in her mouth from that guy. He's the one who shot her, and from what Percii said a very very bad person."

"Sounds like some sort of super villain the way you're putting it." Frank said with one eyebrow raised.

"I'd wager he's worse than any you or I have ever dealt with, and would sooner shot you than look at you." Pops said darkly.

Frank didn't reply. He got the point when he looked at pops face. He had only seen his friend use that face a few times before. And each time he had it was because some very bad shit had gone down. Frank was bright enough to know the reproductions of that face.

"What can I do to help Sir?" Frank said, slotting in the _'Sir'_as if they were back doing those off the books missions they were too frequently sent on in the bad old days of their service to their country.

"Keep your ear to the ground." Pops said. "Keep an eye out for anything weird or out of the ordinary and let me know ASAP. There's things going on in our town, and I don't like it. Vix is involved somehow whether she wants to or not. But she's on our side, and I want to help her however I can. So should you."

"If you trust her that much Sir than I will to." Frank said, "I'll keep a lookout. And I may still have some contacts I can tap."

"Keep it low key for now." Pops warned. "Outside of the people in town I know we can trust I don't know how far this spreads. I don't want to show my cards off to anyone who may be listening."

"Got it." Franks said smartly and quietly just before they rounded the building.

In the parking lot they found a truck parked with a small trailer behind it with a rusty old rusty motorbike strapped to the trailer. The man was just getting out of the truck as Pops and Frank rounded the building.

"You run this place?" The man asked as they walked up.

"Yes, I do. What can I do for ya today?" Frank asked.

"I have this old bike I want to get rid of."

"Alright, let's see what ya got." Frank said.

The three walked back to the trailer where strapped the trailer was an old classic motorbike. Frank took a look at the bike, it was in a sorry state. The handlebars were bent, the tank was dented with a few leaks where the metal was creased and there appeared to be a hole in the engine block.

"Looks pretty beat-up." Frank said after giving it a cursory look. "About all I can do is give you scrap value for it. Shame too, it was a fine bike in her day."

"In all honestly, all I care to do is offload the thing. Found it in a shed and it takes up too much space I don't have to spare." The man said.

"Well let's go do a bit of paperwork and I can at least give you the scrap value. It will at least put some gas in your tank for your trouble." Frank said as he led the man into the office. "Pops, if you don't mind too much, would you start unstrapping the bike? I'll help you unload it after I finish business."

"Sure. Why not." Pops said as he hopped up onto the trailer.

He had half the straps undone when Vix came round the building.

"Feeling better?"

"Meh, I hate feeling helpless to do something." Vix said walking up to the trailer. She was wearing her human disguise again. "Sorry for my outbursts. I guess I'm still sorting through some baggage."

"It's fine. I've seen worse." Pops replied shrugging it off. "At least you're more constructive with it. So to speak."

Vix had nothing else to add so she looked at the bike instead. "Where's Frank?"

"Doing business in the office. He should be back soon." Pops said loosening the last strap. "Could you give me a hand unloading this?"

"Sure." Vix said before hopping up on the trailer.

Vix held the bike steady as Pops removed the last strap and as soon as it was off she bodily picked up the bike and carried it to the edge of the trailer before hoping down and placing the bike down. She gripped the handlebars and straightened them before pushing the bike back and forth a bit before pulling on the brakes in turn.

"Well the bearings and brakes seem alright." Vix said resting the bike on its kickstand. "What's up with it? It's a cool old bike."

"Well the bars were bent, but you seem to have dealt with that." Pops mused, "But the tanks all banged in and doesn't hold gas and, oh yeah, there's a hole in the block."

"...I think I can fix it." Vix said after some thought.

"You--you think you can fix it!" Pops said incredulously.

"Yeah. I think I can. With a few tweaks and some clever use of alien tech." she said pulling her multi-tool out of her pocket and twirling it around in her fingers before putting it back into her pocket. "Think Frank would mind if I do a bit of scavenging?"

"Er, normally he might. But honestly I think he's gonna want to see this. Hell, I want to see this!" Pops said scratching his head wondering how the vixen was going to pull this off.

"Back soon!" Vix said before scampering off and disappearing among the piles of scrap metal and old cars. There was a brief flash of her tail as she reverted before vanishing from sight.

Pops removed his baseball cap and scratched his head. He genially wanted to see what the clever vixen had hidden up her sleeve. In his experience a motor with a gaping hole in the block was worth its weight in scrap and not much else. A few minutes later Frank and his customer stepped out of the office.

"Thanks for your business." Frank was saying as he and the man walked over to the man's truck. "Now let's get--oh, Pops, I said I would help you get it down from the trailer."

"Not a problem. Victoria gave me a hand." Pops said.

"She did?" Frank said looking around, "Where is she now?" Frank asked.

"Scrounging." Pops replied simply.

"For what?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Pops replied.

The man looked from one to the other then shrugged. He didn't know who this Victoria person was, and frankly he didn't have the time to find out. "Well thanks for taking that load of junk off my hands." He said, "But if you don't mind I have a long drive back home."

"Hey, no problem. Have a safe drive." Frank said shaking the man's hand.

The man stowed his tie-down straps and checked his trailer before getting into his truck and driving out the gate. Frank waved him off then turned to Pops. What is Victoria scrounging for?"

"Parts I think."

"Parts for what?" Frank asked.

"The bike. She thinks she can fix it." Pops said.

"The bike. This bike? The bike with the hole in the motor?" Frank said. "This bike right here?"

"That's her plan I think." Pops replied.

Frank looked at the bike in thought for a few seconds before responding. "This bike?"

"Hey I know what you're saying." Pops said, "But she completely rebuilt the engine in my shop last night. Without help. It now runs like new. That kind of work I want to see for myself."

"Which tractor" Frank asked.

"The Mule." Pops replied.

"The Mule! That old death-trap? The tractor that if you don't feather the throttle just right it'll buck you outta the seat when the number three cylinder sticks?" Frank said in disbelief. "That tractor?"

"That tractor." Pops said. "Now the motor purrs like a diesel powered kitten."

"Shit!" Frank exclaimed. "Now I'm curious."

It was just then that Vix reemerged from the yard with an armful of scavenged parts. "Talking about me again?"

"Er, yes. How could you tell?" Frank said nervously.

"I'm starting to tell when people swear in disbelief about something that they are probably talking about me." She said smiling and dumping her pile of rusty treasure near the bike and getting to work tinkering.

"One question though." Frank asked as he watched her work, "What do you plan to do about the hole in the block?"

"Well..." Victoria said as she pulled the multi-tool out of her pocket and started scanning the motor, "First I am hoping that the metal from the hole is still inside the motor. If it is then it should be a simple job of just feeling the whole back in with the original aluminum."

"And if it's not?" Frank asked.

"If it's not," Victoria said as she poked the multi tool inside the hole and continue to scan, "Then I will have to get creative."

The two men watch Victoria and she worked, the multi-tool making little trips in hums. Eventually she found what she was looking for.

"...aaannd there! All the pieces are still here." She said as she pulled the tool out from the hole and extracted three pieces of fractured aluminum. The pieces hovered in the air a mere inch from the end on the tool. She placed her free hand under the metal and with a imperceptible movement of the hand holding the tool the three pieces fell into her hand when the sounds ceased. Then she brought up a holographic display on the tool and examined it. The trouble spots of the motor were highlighted in flashing red.

"Seems the rest of the motor didn't suffer too much damage." She said while looking at the readout. "Bearings are ok. Journals are a little worn but no more than just regular wear. What oil is left needed changing long before the motor broke, valve stems are a bit warped but I think I can straighten them out. Yeah, shouldn't take too long." She said as the humming of the tool started up again but with a few added tones and chirps.

"What?! Just like tha--" Frank started when Pops shushed him.

"Hold up. She's more clever than you think." Pops said. "Let's just watch."

"What is that device she's using?" Frank asked fascinated.

"Some sort of multi-tool she called it." Pops replied, "I watched her repair a fractured screen on her phone last night within a few minutes."

As they watched Vix slowly moved the tool back and forth along the top of the motor in-line with the valves pushrods. When she was satisfied they were straight again she started moving the end of the tool in circles around the top of each head above were the pistons would seat inside the cylinders. She then moved on to other parts of the motor, pausing here and there for a minute or more depending on what she was foxing or reconditioning. The last thing she did was to fill in the hole in the block. For this she started with the smallest piece and placing it in the tools grasping field she used the fine settings on the tool to maneuver the chunk of aluminum into its original placement before fusing it back in place. She did this for each piece leaving the largest for last. Five minutes later the hole had been closed with no signs that it had ever existed.

"That...That's amazing." Frank said. "How did you do that?"

"I manipulated the molecules until the metal fused itself back into one piece." Vix said as she rescanned the motor. "While I was at it I tweaked the alloy so it will be harder for it to happen again." she said before glancing over her shoulder. "Of course, it would have helped if the last person had changed the oil and kept it toped up."

"You can do that?" Frank asked in disbelief.

"I can with the right tools." Vix said as she moved on to the tank.

In a few more minutes she had pulled out the dents, straightened the metal and sealed the holes. She then started attaching some of the parts she had scrounged from the various hills of scrap and cars in the yard. She attached a taillight from an old model-A so the bike had a break light, and then installed a brighter and slightly larger headlight from the fender of an old delivery truck she had found on the lot. She fixed some cracked and UV crazed signal indicators and a small rack onto the back fender before giving everything a final onceover.

Satisfied with her work she turned to Frank. "Got any gas and oil I can use?" Vix asked.

"Uhm, sure. Let me just go get some." Frank said, his mind still spinning from what she had just accomplished.

As Frank walked over to a nearby storage shed Pops walked over to where Vix was standing. She was give the bike a few more once-overs to make sure she had everything in order.

"As many times as I've seen you do things like this Victoria I still find it hard to believe." He said.

Vix turned to look at him and gave a small shrug. "As many times as I've done those it's a bit surreal for me. A week ago I never could do things like this. Nor would I have believed anyone who had told me otherwise."

Frank came back toting a five-gallon can of gas and a few quarts of motor-oil suitable for an old bike. "Here ya go Victoria. Five gallons of high-grade gas and some oil." He said as he put down the heavy can.

"Thank you." Vix said taking the oil from franks arm. She filled the motor with fresh oil then moved on to fill the tank.

"Uh, you want me to get that for you? It's a bit on the heavy side." Frank said as he started to move towards picking up the gas can.

"Nope. I got it." Vix said ignoring the comment on her gender and physical condition. She took the can from his hands and hefted it one-handed like it was empty. Popping the cap on the bikes tank she pureed in the gas with a practiced hand without funnel or spilling a single drop. Once it was filled she put down the can and replaced the cap.

"Now let's see if she starts." Vix said after making a few last minute adjustments to the carb. She swung a leg over the seat and turned the key, then she gave the starter lever a few kicks. The motor didn't even cough.

"Huh. I was half expecting it to do something." Frank said slightly disappointed.

"Don't forget that it hasn't seen gas on who knows how long." Vix commented.

She gave the bike a few more kicks and eventually after a few more attempts it finally caught briefly before stalling again. she kicked the starter again and the motor caught. It ran rough till Vix tweaked the carb till it smoothed out into a throaty purr. Vix gave the throttle a few twists to rev the motor. She listened carefully to the motor, her ears twitching as she listened for any signs of trouble. When she was satisfied that everything was fine she toed the shift-peddle and eased the clutch out.

Vix rode around the yard a few times following the twisting trails between the scrap piles and rusting cars. She shifted into higher gears along the straights and braked along the turns, enjoying the wind blowing through her long hair. Eventually she came to a side on halt a few yards away from Frank and Pops before killing the motor.

"Enjoy the test drive?" Pops asked.

The ear to ear grin on her face said all that needed saying. And a fox can give the biggest of grins.

"More than you think." Vix said hoping off the bike. She ran a paw over one ear to smooth out an errant strand of long red hair that had blown free for her hair tie before continuing, her long triangular ear flicked a few times from the contact. "So what are you going to do with the bike now? Surely it's worth more than scrap metal now." Vix asked out of curiosity.

Frank rubbed the stubble on his chin in thought for a bit. "Well..." he said as he circled the bike. He really hadn't thought much about it. Originally he would have just wheeled it into the yard and stuck it in a hole for the day some of the remaining parts were needed. Now though...it was worth a lot more to the right person. With a little work, some pictures posted online, some wheeling and dealing he could make a tidy profit.

But he was thinking along the lines of something else.

"You keep it Victoria." Frank said.

"What? No, I couldn't just take it for nothing and it's worth far more than I can afford at the moment." Vix said taken aback.

"Well...I really don't have much call for motorbikes. Never really had much demand for them." Frank said glancing at the bike before looking back at Vix. "But I do have an idea. I've seen your mechanical skills at work, and I could use someone around here who knows the right end of a hammer. Plus, you need information about the whereabouts of your friends. I have regular dealings with people along the day here at the yard and when I'm out on the flatbed or 'hook 'n chain' job. It's amazing the things you hear while pulling someone from a ditch or picking up salvage."

"Actually, Lady Victoria, he makes a valid point." Percii cut in suddenly.

"Who's that?" Frank said looking around for the disembodied voice.

"Frank, meet Percii." Vix said rolling her eyes at once again being called 'Lady Something or Other'. "Percii, this is Frank." She said holding up her left arm and pointing a finger at the bracer on her wrist.

"Uhm, hello Percy." Frank said

"A pleasure I'm sure." Percii replied. "Also miss, it's not polite for a lady to point."

"And since when have I ever acted like one?" Vix said tiredly, with a touch of sarcasm.

"Amazing." Frank said looking at the small wrist AI before continuing. "Anyway, what do you say?"

"Well..." Vix said thinking. She looked at the bike and then around the yard. She had held much worse jobs in the past. And a set of wheels would be of benefit. Glancing at the bike again she made her decision. "Throw in a set of tires that aren't dry-rotted and you have a deal."

"Done." Frank said extending his hand. Vix returned the gesture and he gave her paw a firm handshake, which for him was a bit surreal. Her paw was both hand-like and paw-like at the same time. Her blunted claws pressed lightly into his hand a bit and her paw-pads felt like soft leather. "Let's go fine you some tires." He said.

"Well it seems like you're in good hands." Pops said, "But I have work to do at home. You gonna be ok here Victoria?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine." Vix said as she scratched an ear. "If I have a problem I'll give you a call."

"But you don't have my cell number." Pops said, slightly confused.

"No, but I'm sure Frank does." Vix replied smirking knowingly.

"She's got ya there Pops." frank said laughing.

"What out for her Frank. She's a clever one." Pops said before turning to go to his truck.

Vix griped the handlebars of the bike and rolled the bike forward, the kickstand snapping into place as the spring pulled it past the balance-point. She follow Frank into the garage as she pushed the bike along behind him. "So, out of curiosity, have you ever worked in a garage before? No offense, but I've not seen many females working this kind of work before. Or ever for that matter."

"You know, funny thing." Vix said as they passed the threshold of the tall garage door. "No one's ever commented on my gender before now."

"Well...I mean..what I meant to say was...I don't mean that--" Frank stammered as he back peddled.

"I'm just messing with you." Vix said laughing. "Actually, I have worked a variety of jobs. Some farms, a factory job once, some retail, security guard for a year. You know, just the regular stuff." She said as she pushed the bike into the middle of the bay.

"Never quite found a job that stuck, huh?"

"Not so much that as the jobs never lasted too long." Vix said as she looked around the shop. "Some closed up while others decided that my position was redundant or some shit like that."

"Ah, bad luck then." Frank said knowingly. "Yeah, the job market hasn't been what it once was."

"No, it hasn't. It was better thirty years ago." Vix replied.

Frank gave Vix a quick once over. "I know I'm about to commit a faux pas, but you don't seem that old to me." He said cautiously, "How old are you?"

Vix gave him a wide grin. "How old do you think I am?" She asked. Frank had the distinct impression that he was being baited. But his curiosity got the better of him.

"Appearance wise...I'd say about, mid-twenties?" He said guardedly.

"Ha! Not even close!" Vix said laughing, "But thanks for the compliment. Try again."

"Hmm..." frank thought for a few seconds while trying to examine Vix without outright staring. "Mid-thirties?"

"Nope." Vix said smiling before saying, "All I'm revealing is that I'm over forty. And that's as far as I'm going."

"No way." Frank said amazed. "You don't look nearly that old. What's your secret?"

"Well, pops said that you're trustworthy, so I suppose I can tell you this." Vix said narrowing her eyes slightly and become in serious for a moment. "But I'm a hybrid of sorts. My body consists of three distinct species. Human, Vulpine and other."

"What's the 'other'?" Frank asked suddenly a bit more curious about this anthropoid.

"To be honest she hasn't told me her species name, but the other in my makeup is from another dimension." Vix said.

"What, like an alien?" Frank said as he searched through a rack of tires along the side of the shop.

"Something like that." Vix said running a paw behind her head nervously.

"Well no matter." Frank said as he turned back to the rack. "I think you look fantastic whatever your age is." Unseen by Frank Vix blushed a bit at the compliment. Frank search a bit more before locating a pair of relatively unused motorcycle tires and after flexing the rubber and checking them for cracks he pulled them off the rack and brought them over to a nearby workbench. "Here ya go. Two low-mileage tires. Out of curiosity, why don't you just wave your doohickey over the old tires and reconstruct them or something?"

"Well, I could, but that would take longer than you'd think." Vix said as she took the tires from Frank and examined them, "Every molecule would have to have their hydrogen bonds reworked, and all the cracks would need stitching back together after reconstituting the rubber's structural stability." She said as she put the tires down again and crossed the shop to s set of tool chests along the wall near a tire changing machine. While she rummaged for a wrench and socket to take the wheels off the bike so continued. "It is actually faster and easier in this case to replace rather than repair."

"That's a lot more science than I've heard for a long time." Frank said scratching his head. "Pops was right, you are full of surprises."

"It's just basic chemistry with a bit of atomic science." Vix said as she found what she was looking for and went over to her new to her bike to start removing the front wheel from the forks.

"You mean your tool is nuclear?" Frank said suddenly concerned for his health after she said atomic. "Do I need to worry about radiation when you use it?"

"No." Vix said, "I mean the science of atoms. Not nuclear fission."

"isn't that the same thing?" Frank asked. "I mean, that's basically what happen in reactors, right?"

"If I was changing the composition of atoms themselves sure. But I'm not changing the atoms from one to another, I'm manipulating molecule arrangements. That's more chemistry than atomic. Moving atoms around is easier than you think. That's basically what chemistry is." Vix explained.

Frank thought about this while he watched her work. She quickly had the wheel off the bike and with the help of the tire changer had the old tire off and the new tire on in no time. After she had the wheel back on the front forks Vix moved onto to the back. The back took a little longer because of the chain drive, but it hardly slowed her down as she expertly undid everything and after a few minutes had repeated the process with the back tire and was tightening the last nut.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone change tires so quickly." Frank said amazed. "Even I don't move that fast. And I do this as a leaving."

"I may have a few additional advantages." Vix said with a bit of modesty.

It was then that Frank's cell phone started ringing. "Excuse me Victoria, business call." He said before picking up the call. "Hello. Frank's Scrap and Towing. How can I help you today?" he wondered into the direction of the office after listening to the caller and rummaged through some papers on his desk for a pen and paper.

Vix meanwhile poked around the shop. It was like most garages she'd seen around. Perhaps a bit more grungy and dirty, but that probably had more to do with the scrapyard aspect then it being a repair shop. After a few minutes Frank came back out to the bays.

"Ok Victoria, got a Drop 'n Hook on the other side of town." Frank said. "Guy was run off the road by another car and ended up in a drainage ditch. No injuries, but the car is stuck and needs pulling out. feel like going for a ride?"

"Sure. Got a spare set of coveralls?" she asked.

"I'm sure I got something." Frank replied, "But they're going to be a bit large on you."

"I'll manage." Vix said confidently.

"Well let me see what I can dig up." Frank said before disappearing into a backroom that did triple duty as a janitors closet, locker-room and washroom. After rummaging through a few old lockers he found a pair of coveralls that an old employee left behind. They were smaller than what he used, but were still a size or two larger than the vixen. Vix accepted them and removed her flannel, leaving just her tank underneath. Putting them on she rolled up the sleeves to her elbows and rolled the cuffs of the pants. They were still a bit baggy on her, but at least she wouldn't trip over her paws.

"Ok. Ready." She said after making a few adjustments.

Frank shut the garage doors, put a cardboard sign in the office window stating he was out on a recovery job and would be back soon-ish, and led Vix to his tow truck. Vix got in the passenger seat they headed out the front gate.

While Frank drove down the road Vix looked out the window at the scenery while she thought about how her life had changed over the last few days. With Some notable exceptions she had to grudgingly admit that her new life seemed better than her previous one.

That said, she was still unsure whether the price was worth the reward. And she still had to find this Smith guy, put a stop to his machinations, and rescue her friends. But first she had to get more information. Hopefully frank was right and she could gain some new information to fill in a few more pieces of this puzzle. She just had to be patient for a little longer. If Visalth was right, an opportunity would arise.

She hoped that her friends would be ok for just a bit longer.