Memoirs
Hoo boy. It's been perhaps far, far too long since I've sat down and written anything of this nature. Between school and life, I've just had no time to really sit down and plug out something that I'd deem worthy of putting out here. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I haven't had millions of ideas flood into mind, all these years.
Damn muses.
Anyway, enjoy! It's something that's been picking at the back of my mind for a long, long time. For any of those other than me who care, it's set in the same world as "Ardring" (which I still need to work on, gaddamit). Just kind of a future vision.
"I never believed that death was something that was to be feared, or something that was meant to make you sad. I digress-- mourning a death is natural, and it's a good thing. It means that the memory of the deceased actually MEANS something; it means that their life made an impact on yours. That still doesn't change my stance, though. I don't believe that we're all here to be sad, or to cry. We're here, because we want to honour someone who was important to us in many different ways; someone who was our teacher and our student, someone who led and also followed, someone who wasn't afraid of death, but instead respected it, and looked forward to it.
"My father was a man who was never ashamed of who he was. He didn't resent himself, and he didn't hate himself-- but he hated how being who he was would make life completely unfair for those around him. It wasn't a hate of self-being, but a hate of his situation. The thing is, though, that despite all that, he didn't just stop at the hate. He strove to change, to better not only the world around him, but the world as a whole.
"I remember a lot of things about my Dad, but the thing that stuck with me the most was that he tried to do everything he could to be a "good father", though he never really knew what one was. Which wasn't a bad thing-- the unknown knowledge made him try harder, it made him continue trying to strive towards this unfathomable, mysterious goal. The only regret, I suppose, I have, is that I was never able to tell him that he went above and beyond those expectations. It was through these attempts at nothing, that he succeeded at doing everything he imagined he could. And it was through these memories that I remember him."
"Dad?" Rian asked, as he scooted forward on the park bench a little. His legs didn't even touch the ground, and he let them swing back and forth as he waited.
"What's up, kiddo?" Zerrif asked, looking up at the hybrid, bent over from tying his shoes. While Zerrif was 100% Ferret, Rian was half-ferret half-leopard, which was marked by his roselets all over his pelt, but his ferret-like face and features.
"Yanno that guy last night?" Rian asked, innocently. "Did he stay over?"
_ _
The sun crept its way through the blinds, slowly streaking lines over the ferret's face. Much to his chagrin, the first ray of light shone right over his eyelids, making him grumble and turn in place. He lightly bumped his nose against another, the touch making his eyes slowly slide open.
_ _
There beside him was a doberman, sleeping soundly as if nothing else mattered. Zerrif couldn't help but crack a small smile, before he silently, and stealthily slipped himself free of the arm draped over him, and sat up in bed. He stretched out and looked over at the clock, which blared 6:15 back at him. With a yawn, he got up, scratched his bare rump, and padded into the shower.
"Yeah, kiddo. He stayed over." Zerrif said, before he sat back against the bench. While the break had intended to be just to tie his shoes, he figured he might as well take the time to have the talk with his son. "Why, what's the matter?"
"Well..." Rian started, before he began to curl his feline tail, and relax it over and over-- a nervous twitch that the ferret had noticed the little tyke did a long time ago. "Did... he leave because of me?"
"Hey... you'll have to get up." Zerrif said, nudging the doberman's side. There was a low, gruff grunt as the doberman moved over onto his back, waking up only slightly. "Hey, come on. I gotta see my kid to school."
_ _
"Mmmh... so?" The doberman asked cheekily, grinning at the ferret in his half-sleep state. "Why don't you just climb back into bed, wake me up a little, and I'll drive you both in, hm?" Zerrif sighed, and just turned his back to the canine, walking over to the dresser. This made the doberman sit up, glaring over. "What, all last night you're into me and now you're just gonna throw me out?"
_ _
"You just don't understand." Zerrif replied, sombre but oddly firm. "Just... I'll call you later, okay? I have stuff to do."
_ _
"Which apparently doesn't involve me." The doberman snapped, getting up and quickly rummaging through the piles of clothes on the ground, finding his boxers.
_ _
"Now wait a second--" Zerrif said, spinning around as he shucked on a plain white t-shirt, but the doberman was already at the bedroom door.
_ _
"Go ahead and call me later. No promises if I pick up or not. I'm sure I can show myself out, right?" With that, the ferret was left to mull in silence as the canine left, making sure he slammed the apartment door shut. Zerrif sighed, and just went back to his dresser, reaching inside for a hidden pull-bar, turning the insides of the wardrobe around.
_ _
"Dad?" Zerrif peeked out of the changed wardrobe, to see Rian at his door-- still dressed in his pajamas and looking rather groggy.
_ _
"Sorry kiddo, didn't mean to wake you up. Go ahead and get bathed and dressed, I'll get breakfast ready, okay?"
"Now you listen here." Zerrif said, pulling Rian up into his lap. He tickled the ferrepard's sides, enjoying the light giggle that escaped. "If ANYONE ever told me they couldn't handle YOU, I'd MAKE them leave. They wouldn't even be allowed to stay. He didn't leave because of you, don't worry."
"Then..." Rian said, trying to bat off the assaulting fingers. "Maybe you shouldn't make them leave... because of you?"
That made the tickling stop.
"I mean..."
"I know what you mean." Zerrif said, as he stood up off the bench. Rian made motions as if he were scootching forward, but the ferret picked the hybrid up, and set him on his shoulders. "But I do it because it's just better, and easier for us this way. It's... hard enough as is. I don't want to make things harder."
"But Daddy," Rian started, now atop his new perch. "I just wanted you to be happy, is all."
Zerrif grinned. "You know, you're too sweet for your own good. Gonna have to lay off the candy." The ferret joked, as he shrugged his shoulders up, pushing the ferrepard forward to balance him better. "But I'm happy enough with you. That's all I need. As long as you and I are together, I don't need anyone else."
_ _
"Daddy," Rian started, as he climbed up onto the stool that was in front of the breakfast table. The kitchen for the apartment was a rather contemporary one, with a connecting breakfast dining area to the sink and stove. "You set three plates. Do we have a guest?"
_ _
"Huh?" Zerrif asked, turning around from the stove. He frowned a little, noticing that he did in fact set a third place for the doberman, who was now probably already at his own house, grumping and trying to gain more sleep. "No... silly me." Zerrif said, smiling to hide the frown as he scooped up the plate, opting to set the eggs, bacon, sausages, and hash browns on it instead.
_ _
"Did you want someone to be a guest?" Zerrif turned off the stove at the question, and just turned around.
_ _
"Did you?"
_ _
Rian smiled at the reflected question. "I dunno. It DOES get pretty lonely here sometimes... I mean, not that I'm lonely with you here but... you know." He began to dig into the food as if he didn't even understand what he was saying, just starting to eat silently.
_ _
Zerrif walked around the breakfast bar, and took a seat on a stool beside the hybrid ruffling his hair. "Nah, I know exactly what you mean."
_ _
«It does get pretty lonely...»
_ _
"I remember he valued, and dreamt of having a family. And I don't mean just me and him, but a full family. He always strived to try and fill in that gap with someone else, but I don't think he ever realized that he did just fine by himself. I don't think he knew that he did enough for both parents, and more.
"That's not to say that everyone here isn't family. I think we can all agree that Zerrif was either a father, or a brother, or a son to all of us. I think it's that close connection that we all had, which drew us all together--which drew us all here."
"Hey there kiddo. Sorry I'm late. Been waiting long?" Rian looked up from the steps he was sitting on to see his father standing above him, smiling down. He seemed a little out of breath, like he'd just finished a good run; though he wasn't sweating.
"Nope! Soccer practice ended half an hour ago." The ferrepard instantly regretted his words-- knowing what it sounded like to the ferret. Of course, he hadn't intended for it to have the double entendre but--
"I'm sorry." Zerrif said, sounding rather downcast. The ferrepard simply kicked off the school steps and poked his father in the stomach. "Oof--"
"It's okay. Mrs. Renebaucher stayed with me most of the time after. Besides, I knew you were coming. You always do. Even if you're late, you'll make it." Zerrif smiled a little, ruffling the ferrepard's hair as he ushered him to walk along. "Hey, Dad?"
"Yeah, kiddo?"
"I'm a little hungry." Rian said, paws on his stomach. Zerrif snickered, pinching his son's cheek.
"Good! Because I had planned to visit Corelle, maybe she'll give us some grub, hm?" He loved watching the intense glee suddenly appear on the ferrepard's face.
"Really? Auntie Corelle? She makes the best Mac-n-cheese!" The ferrepard skipped happily in front of the ferret, before realizing he'd made it a few feet away, stopping obediently and waiting. "Come on, Dad!"
"Hm? Yeah... coming." The ferret said, taking longer strides to easily catch up. "So, what'd you do in school today?" He asked, for lack of anything better to talk about. That, and he genuinely enjoyed hearing about his son's life; especially since he was unable to be as big a part of it as he wanted to be.
"Oh... nothing." Rian said, his tail curling in and out. Zerrif raised an eyebrow and leaned down to start a tickle-attack on the young hybrid.
"Whaddya mean nothing, huh? You trying to tell me you sat in Mrs. Renenebeker's class and did nothing?" The elder asked, his fingers deftly snaking in and under arms that were trying to bat them away.
"D-Daddy! S-Stop! N-No I-I a-a-hah-haha!" Rian said, before he finally wrested himself free ahead a couple paces, calming himself down. "Besides, it's Renebaucher. And no... we just did the normal stuff. You know. School stuff."
Zerrif knew all too well. He grinned, placing his hands on his hips and staring the young hybrid down. "And so what did you guys talk about today in your Class Discussion?" CD was time at the end of the day where the class would have a discussion about anything--Mrs. Renebaucher was a teacher that believed in children learning the proper answers to the questions they had. He could see the ferrepard's face blanch slightly at the question. "Rian?"
"... Dalton asked why some people have 2 moms... or 2 dads... or only one. He said it was weird when people didn't have one mom and one dad. He said he felt bad for them." Zerrif's face turned sour. "But I told him that he didn't have to... what was the word Mrs. Renebaucher said... peatea?"
"Pity." Zerrif corrected.
"Yeah, that one. I said he didn't have to pity us. Because I'm happy with what I have, even if it's just my 1 dad. Keilee said she was happy too, with her 2 moms. Mrs. Renebaucher even said that was good of us--that if we were happy, people shouldn't feel bad about us being happy. They should feel good, because we feel good."
"Mrs. Renebaucher is right. If you're happy, who cares if everyone else feels bad? Don't let what other people think of you make you unhappy. If you're truly happy with what you have, then be happy." The ferret was surprised when the ferrepard hugged him around the waist, making him stop in his tracks.
"I'm happy. I'm really happy that I have you. And I wouldn't be happier, or unhappier if you had someone else. As long as I had you."
"Ain't that just ah precious sight?" Came a jovial, alto voice. The ferrepard looked up to see that they had made it to their destination--a small diner a few blocks away from the school. The word "Lizzie's" blared in bright neon above, and a doe stood leaning against the door to hold it open, dressed in uniform--apron, visor and all. "Well come on in now, I don't wan-ta let the heat out."
"Auntie Corelle!" Rian said in glee, as he ran towards the doe and gave her a hug. She grinned, and leaned down to give him a peck on the forehead. "Auntie Corelle, can I have the usual? But I want a big-boy plate!"
"A whole dinnah plate? You've gottah be stahvin! Is this mean ol' man not feedin yah anythin'?" She joked, shooting Zerrif a playful glare. "Ah, s'okay. E's the one payin the bill anyway!" Rian giggled as he was ushered inside, and Zerrif strode up giving the doe a hug of his own.
"Hey Corelle." He said, as she hugged him back rather tight.
"Good ta see yah made it back, hon. C'mon in shug, I'll get'cha some grub too. On tha house."
"And I'm supposed to be paying all the bills or something here?" The ferret asked, smirking as he stepped inside.
"Oh, Ah'm sure ah can make yah work off what'cha owe me sometime." That earned a rather fearful look from the ferret. "What? Shit, can't a girl have some fun? Ah'll just make you work for me." The look didn't go away. "Yes, ye'll hafta wear tha skirt and apron."
"Oh. Good. And here I was thinking you were going to make me suffer." The ferret joked. That earned him a slap on the rump as the doe shut the door, and swivelled the "Open" sign to "Closed".
"One of the most important things he ever had to teach me was that no one was perfect. No one was like a god--everyone had their weaknesses, their failings, and their times where they just couldn't do what they wanted, or needed to do.
While the ferrepard sat on the stool by the diner's bar, digging into a place of macaroni and cheese that seemed far too large for him, the doe and the ferret were off to the side, chatting.
"So he jes' blew ya off, jes' like that huh?"
"I can't really blame him." The ferret said, as the doe began to wipe down the counter. He was leaning over, head propped up on a palm. "I personally wouldn't be too happy if I just said "I can't tell you" and tried to leave it at that."
"So why'dja do it then, stupid?" Corelle asked, as she calmly picked up the ferret's elbow off the counter, giving the spot under it a good scrub before letting him back down.
"I was almost late bringing Rian to school." It was a horrible reason, and he knew it. He couldn't just use his son as his reason for everything. "I really do want to tell him. I mean... he's the first guy in a long time that I feel like wouldn't mind listening. But there's a lot of external factors. He's a police officer, meaning he works for the government. Who knows what kind of views he has about us?" That earned the ferret a flick to the forehead, looking up to see a rather annoyed doe staring at him.
"Man, y'really are some sorta stupid. D'you tink dat if 'e liked ya dat much ta get angry over it, he'd care? Who 'e is or what 'e does don't matter, am I right? Y'liked him more den enough before y'learned alla dis."
"Yeah but--" Another flick.
"Yeah but nothin', shug. From what'cher tellin' me, seems 'e's the same. 'E likes ya. 'E don't know about who y'are, or what y'do, but 'e likes you. You. And yer lil'un." She motioned over at Rian, who was busy playing around with a rather chunky portion of his pasta. "OI! What'd I say about playin' wit'cher food?"
"Sorry Auntie Corelle." The ferrepard replied meekly, before stuffing the food in his mouth. " 'S rea-ey 'ood, 'bo."
"And about talkin' wit'cher mouth full?" She placed her hands on her hips in a playfully angry way, shutting up any further protest from the ferrepard as he went back to eating. With a grin, she turned back to the ferret. "As I was sayin'--Look. Ernie an' I only work so well because we communicate. If ya can't have dat, den you can't expect anyone to want'cha. Just talk to 'im. See 'ow it goes. If it goes all good, den hey you know he's a keepah. And if not--well you know how to deal wit'em."
"Corelle!" The ferret said, and she just shrugged her shoulders.
"Poor taste in humah, mah bad. But really. If y'feel dis bad over it, den somewhere deep inside ya, y'know 'e's worth a try."
Almost as if on cue, they both looked down to the ferret's phone, which was sitting silently on the countertop. "Go on, cutie. Looks like yer boy's ain't near done wid'is food, anyway. You starvin' 'im or sometin?"
Zerrif shot her a sneer as he got up, heading out the door.
Ring.
Ring. Ring.
The click of the call being picked up.
"... Hi." The ferret let out the breath that he'd been holding the entire time.
"... Hi. I didn't think you'd pick up."
"... Yeah."
"Thank you."
"To be honest, if you'd called at any point during last week I probably wouldn't have."
"So... is it okay for me to call you now then?"
"Yeah, I s'pose I've cooled down enough."
"I'm really, really sorry about that."
"... I am too. I guess I over reacted."
"No... you didn't.I mean I understand--"
"No, I did. I think we both did. But... at the same time I don't know if you really understand. I don't mind you just blowing me off but goddamnit, I'm trying here. I'm really trying. I want to try more but it's like every time you just push me away and--sorry."
_ _
Zerrif laughed weakly into the phone. "No, it's okay. I get it."
"This probably isn't the best way to be talking about this. Can I see you?"
"I'm at Lizzie's right now."
"The diner? On Penn and Jared?"
"Yeah."
"Thought they closed early on Fridays."
"I'm friends with the owner and the people that work here. Squeezed in dinner for Rian."
"Ah, so the cub's there too."
"Is that bad?"
"Just means I'll have to wear clothes."
"Funny."
"I'll be over in like, 15 alright?"
"Yeah... we'll be here a while."
"See you soon."
Click.
Zerrif let out another breath that he'd been holding in during the conversation.
"Dat him?" Corelle asked, pointing to the window of the diner. The ferret had barely sat down and finished his glass of root beer when the doe had pointed. Sure enough, there was a dark blue sedan pulling into the parking lot; it wasn't a fancy ride by any means, but it was well-maintained and looked rather recent.
"Y-Yeah." Zerrif said, still nervous. He shook slightly as they both watched the driver's door open, and the Doberman stepped out.
"Daa-yumn! What a hot piece ah meat!" Corelle said. The Doberman in question was rather tall, and very well built. He wore a tight-fitting black t-shirt under a black leather jacket, and a pair of navy jeans and some black boots. "Police officer--man, I'd call 911 for that anyday!" The canine approached the door to the diner and pulled on it, only to find it jarred. "Rian, hon, why don'tcha go an' open the door?" The doe asked, as she calmly, but firmly planted hands on the ferret's shoulders to keep him still.
The ferrepard looked up from the homework that he was doing and nodded, hopping down from the bar stool. He quickly made his way to the door, and reached up on his tip-toes to unlock it, pushing it open.
"Hi! Sorry, the diner's closed." Rian said, politely.
"I know, kiddo." The Doberman said--his low baritone rumbling through his chest. "But a friend told me to meet him here. That's him over there." The canine said, as he stepped inside, and squatted down to speak to the child eye to eye. He pointed over at the ferret, and the ferrepard looked around.
"Oh! DAA-AD! Your friend is here!" The ferrepard quickly spun around and grinned. "Hi Mister!" His tone suddenly became less formal. "My name's Rian!"
"Rian, huh? That's a nice name." The canine said, with a warm smile. "You can call me Krieger."
"Krieger?" Rian said, with a little giggle. "That's a cool name!"
"It's actually my last name--but I like it when people call me that. Do you have a nick name?"
"Nope..." The child replied, a little saddened. "How come you don't like your first name?"
"It's not that I don't like it, but I just get called by my last name all the time. So it sticks." The Doberman didn't seem to mind at all amusing the child with conversation--in fact he seemed all the more pleased by it.
"How come I haven't met'cha before?" Rian asked, and the canine couldn't fight back a resounding chuckle.
"I don't know. Your Dad and I haven't really spent a lot of time around each other, you could say. So I suppose that I've never had a chance to meet you. It's nice to, though. I've heard a lot of things about you."
"You have? That's not fair!" The ferrepard said, as he turned around to the other adults in the diner. He reached behind him, instinctively taking the canine's paw and began to lead him across rather adamantly. As he approached the ferret, Zerrif slid off the stool with a chuckle. "Dad, how come you never introduce me to your friends?!"
"I've never got a chance to." Zerrif replied, with a chuckle as he mussed up the hybrid's hair.
"You should make more effort to." The Doberman joked--although there was a serious tone behind it. Zerrif laughed nervously, and scratched his elbow.
"Come on now, Rian. Let's get back to your homework. Auntie Corelle's gonna get you some crayons from the back and you can do your Art homework."
"Okay!" Rian said, as he let go of the doberman's paw. He was about to run off, until he spun back around, and took the canine's paw again--catching him by surprise. He shook it with gusto, and beamed up at him. "It was very nice to meet you Mister Krieger!"
"It was my pleasure, Rian." The Doberman said, returning the shake until the child ran off to go get his supplies with the doe. He looked at the ferret--who motioned to a booth in the corner with his head, and they both sat down.
"Sorry, the diner's closed so I can't offer to get you any food."
"It's fine."
"Sucky place to be meeting--do you want a drink? I'm sure I could weasel out some drinks from--"
The Doberman took the ferret's paws in his own, and just held them together.
"I missed you."
Zerrif froze, and just gulped.
"Y-You're good with kids."
Krieger laughed, and just let the paws go. "I'm good at a lot of things. You just never give me a chance." He was surprised when the ferret's paws reached over the table, albeit hesitantly, taking his again. "But I guess I could say that I like kids. Anytime there's a presentation that's supposed to be done at schools, I go for it."
There was an awkward silence, in which the Doberman just squeezed the smaller paws in his own.
"I suppose this is where I'm supposed to say sorry, and start explaining myself." The ferret said. Krieger shook his head.
"You're not supposed to do anything. I don't expect anything of you. But I accept your apology--and I'll let you explain things on your own terms and your own time. I won't push it." There was another silence. "Look Zerrif, if you didn't--"
"I just don't want you to get hurt because of what I do. I haven't even been able to tell Rian, because I feel he's too young to just take it well."
"Take what? Zerrif, is everything okay?" The ferret slipped his paws free of the dog's. "Zerr?"
"... I'm an Altered Gene, Garrit." The ferret paused, almost expecting some sort of outburst. He was surprised when the canine just sat back, almost looking like he was rolling around the idea inside his head. "Well?"
"Well what? Am I supposed to call you out for it? Am I supposed to be angry for it?" The canine's voice was starting to rise.
"I... don't know." The ferret said plainly, looking down at the table and wringing his hands. "I kind of expected the worst sort of thing..."
"Because you're used to it?" Zerrif looked up surprised when he saw the doberman's paws come into view, holding his tightly. "Because everyone is against you? Look, I'll admit--there's a lot of propaganda bullshit out there I don't agree with. At the same time, I'm still afraid of Altered Gene's. Not because of who they re--but because they represent change. A huge change. How are we supposed to deal with this all at once? That type of fear, to me, is normal--but at the same time I'm not going to let it control me. It's just... how things are."
"Garrit..."
"Look. I could honestly care less if you're an Altered Gene, or not. I understand that in saying that, there's a lot behind trying to deal with that socially. I wouldn't care if you were one of those rebels who were the targets of all that propaganda. What I do care about is knowing--so that I'm not thrown a fast one when I least expect it." Zerrif coughed a little, and Garrit raised a brow. "... Really?"
He even made sure that I understood that he too, had failings--which isn't say that he was a failure, but that he wasn't some sort of super hero. He wasn't some amazing individual who had the world in his hand; but rather he was in the hand of the world. And so was everyone else. And if we wanted that to change, it's not like we could just become completely different people overnight.
Rian sat on the steps outside school yet again, waving goodbye to Mrs. Renebaucher as she apologized that she couldn't stay any longer. He assured her that he would be okay, and just patiently shifted towards the side of the steps, so that people coming down wouldn't trample him. Not that there was anyone left other than teachers staying late and a couple after school clubs, but at this point in the day most people didn't pay attention and just wanted out of the building.
He watched as she climbed into her deep green sedan and drove off, watching the car disappear in the distance. He hoped it wasn't going to take him too long today--he had gotten quite a fair bit of homework and he still wanted to go out and play with some friends before dinner time.
He sat there, not really keeping track of time, until he watched as a deep red convertible pulled up in front of the school. He stood up and approached it, a sullen look on his face.
"Hey there, Rian." The bat sitting in the convertible said "Your dad--"
"Working, I get it RIan said, the sadness clearly showing in his voice. The bat sighed as the child climbed into the back, and buckled himself in.
"So, you wanna go to the park today?" The bat asked, as he started to drive off. Rian stayed silent. "I don't have to work tonight so we--"
"I have homework to do. And I was gonna play later with friends." Rian replied, opting to not say "But I guess that isn't happening anymore". The bat pulled up to a red light, and then turned around.
"I'm really sorry. No one expected him to stay late. He should have been back by now. Really." Rian just shrugged his shoulders.
"He's late. It happens. Let's... just grab some dinner and I'll just get started on homework. Maybe we can go to the park after?" The ferrepard tried to force a smile although he knew the bat could tell. "I'm sorry Klein, I just--"
"Nah." Klein replied, as he turned back around in the driver's seat just in time before the light turned green. "I understand. We all have plans, and it's natural to be disappointed when they don't turn out the way we want them to."
Rian sighed. He hated when that happened. He hated when he had to "make do". And most of all, he hated how right at that moment, all he wanted to do was see his father.
"It was a weird lesson, to learn. He always told me to set my expectations high for myself, but at the same time taught me not to be disappointed if I, or someone else couldn't live up to these expectations. It taught me to be forgiving, but at the same time to not be complacent. Most importantly, it taught me that if I, or someone couldn't do something, that instead of just sitting idly by, we had to actively make the effort to change it. Even when things seemed out of our control, even the slightest change could make a difference.
"Even if it seemed like our choice was wrong, even if it looked like we were going to ruin everything with just our choice, we had to see it through until the end. That was our responsibility."
"I'm not doing it anymore. I refuse." Zerrif said, as he calmly placed some sort of mechanized handle on the table in front of him. He was in a rather bare room--a steel book-case in the corner that was bare, but clean was the only other piece of furniture in it. "I'm not turning my back on everyone, but I'm not going to do it."
_ _
A rather large wolf sat in the chair opposite Zerrif, and just raised an eyebrow at the handle that had been placed on the table. It was the handle to a beam katar, and the highly advanced weapon was pointed towards him menacingly, though the blade had been sheathed. "Yes, you are. You can't avoid it every time."
_ _
"But if I can avoid it, I'm going to. I'm tired of doing things this way. Not everybody deserves to die." Zerrif said simply, before he stared at the wolf. A simple motion of the lupine's head made the ferret set back in the chair, and he sighed.
_ _
"Are you telling me that you'll just let threats walk around? You'll let people who remember you, your face, the group, the organization live?" The wolf asked, challengingly. Zerrif slammed his paws on the table.
_ _
"For fuck's sake, Bryant, I'm not naïve! I wouldn't jeopardize the mission or the group for something that stupid. But I'm not going to go around expressly killing people if I don't need to!"
_ _
"You ARE a naïve little shit." The wolf said, although he made no visible movement to strike. Still the ferret winced and tensed up a bit at the words. "What if they escaped, and gained intel? What if they learned about Rian? What if they came after you, or him? Don't you see that this isn't needless violence? It's preventing a future fuck up!"
_ _
Zerrif sat back in the chair. "That wouldn't happen. That's never going to happen."
_ _
"You can believe what little reveries you want to believe. And for all I care, go ahead and leave the miserable fucks alive--but when shit hits the fan and they start coming after you, or your kid, I'm going to tell you I told you so. You'll receive no sympathy from me. Smug assholes like you don't even deserve that much."
_ _
"I won't need it." Zerrif said, adamantly. He stood up, and turned his back on the table--leaving the katar there.
_ _
"And where the hell do you think you're going? I'm not done with you."
_ _
"I am. As far as I'm concerned, if you want an assassin you've got dozens already. You don't need one more. Call me when you've got an assignment for me that I'll be fucking okay with." The ferret left the room, slamming the door shut, storming down the hall. He passed the bats on his way, barging through the twins and continuing around the corner.
_ _
"Zerr--" Klein started, but the ferret was already gone. He turned around to see the wolf there, holding out the musteline's katar to them.
Zerrif held his breath, trying to breathe as deeply as he could, while trying to remain silent. He couldn't risk being heard; even though the guards nearby probably wouldn't hear it with the alarms going off. He was sure they'd seen his face when he'd attempted to gain access through the retina scanner with the fake eye-contact. They'd realized he wasn't an actual security guard when he couldn't come up with an answer to why he was trying to enter a restricted room, and when he had been to slow to take both out, the alarm had been pulled.
His heart pounded and he tried to take a few more quiet breaths, that alarm blaring overhead. Having ducked into a supply room, he nestled himself in between a supply crate and the wall, his cramped position wasn't helping his air supply any. He could hear the thumping of boots over and over, passing by his hiding point. Shadows of bodies washed over him continually; but no one seemed to think that he would be hiding in perhaps what was an obvious place.
Fuck! If he'd only killed those two when he had the chance, he'd have avoided this mess, while making a slightly more manageable one. He'd have at least been able to avoid the alarms, if only for a little longer. At least until the bodies had been found. Maybe then he'd have been able to get to his target room, get the other Altered Genes out, and gotten off without much of a hitch.
He chanced a peek out around the corner of the box, seeing two guards stationed at the open doorway that led back into the hallway. He could just spy a camera in the hallway, scanning back and forth for any intruders, and grit his teeth. He reached into his pocket, his hand finding the container empty; and suddenly he was mentally berating himself for leaving the damn thing in the interrogation room with the wolf.
He was down one weapon; though he could easily use his off-hand knife for a kill, he wouldn't down both guards at once. And with that camera scanning the area where they were standing, he wasn't going to get away with it either. But still, it was only a matter of time until this room would be more thoroughly searched. It was only by a matter of chance now that he hadn't been caught--a few guards had already stepped in and taken a quick scan, but never bothered to look more closely.
It was now or never. He took in another breath and stepped out from behind the crate, tossing his knife at one guard. He caught him straight in the neck, and the other guard quickly turned to see where the knife came from. He raised his gun towards the ferret's general direction without even looking, having caught the blue blur of the laser blade in the corner of his eye.
Zerrif charged at the second guard, hoping to get in close before that gun fired; but he never expected to skid to a halt when the second guard suddenly coughed up blood, keeling forward. As he fell, he could see his katar lodged in the other man's back, horizontally between his ribs. "Man, aren't you lucky that we were just about to come down this hallway?" He heard a familiar voice say. A smile crept along his face as the twin bats stepped into view, though Klein was busy focusing his attention on the camera, a small remote of sorts in his hands.
"We weren't going to make a move until we saw that dagger come outta nowhere, and pin that guy in the neck." Klein explained, as he finished doing whatever he wanted to do to the camera. It continued to scan back and forth, but never seemed to focus on the three. Zerrif bent down and pressed a switch on the hilt of both weapons, causing the laser-blades to flicker a couple times before disappearing.
"Shouldn't we be saving chatter for another time? We still have to get out of here." The ferret remarked--though he felt innately safer now that he had both of his weapons with him. Prius turned away to look down the hall, pulling out a small handheld device as he scanned a screen.
"This way. Were you able to complete the primary objective?" He asked, as the three of them set off. Zerrif nodded. "And the other?"
"No." He said, sullenly. Prius nodded silently, and just turned to Klein. The twin bat pressed a couple things on his remote, and Prius' screen began to flash.
Self-Destruct Sequence Activated.
"We should go." Prius said. Zerrif nodded sadly, and just followed the twins towards their created extraction point.
"That was the main thing about my father. Despite the fact that he was childish, despite the fact that he was imperfect, despite the fact that he may not have seen the big picture--he at least saw his responsibilities through to the end. He wasn't afraid to shoulder responsibility if he took it upon himself. Now, it's our turn to see things through. It's our turn to take this situation that we have inherited, and to do our best to ensure that things go the way we want them to. It's our turn to take this responsibility upon ourselves, and do with it what he intended.
"If not for him, and not for ourselves, then for the next people in line. We at least owe them at much."
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