FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New to the story? If so, please read the previous parts first! At this point, you REALLY should! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~CHAPTER 20~~~

I stabbed my zweihander into the ground, piercing the head of a lone, legless crawler zombie that happened to be right next to me. I quickly learned that blows to the head on these guys are a necessity, since body shots make them spew a noxious, disorientating gas. That little discovery nearly cost me an arm about twenty minutes ago, but it was the end result that mattered.

In total, however, it's been nearly three hours since this fight started, and it was really starting to wear on me. I released my sword for a brief moment, noticing that the hilt had been deformed into a grip that suited my hands much better than the norm. As I stretched my arms out and cracked my knuckles, the heavy stench of death and decay filled my nostrils for what felt like the hundredth time today. Disgusting, yes, but it was a strangely effective method of keeping me going. All around me, I could see dead (as in 'actually dead') zombies in various broken shapes and forms, and what looked like an ocean of blood and slime keeping them afloat.

I hadn't strayed too far from where I'd been standing for most of the fight, so it was still me and Smith off to the side, in a spot close enough for me to keep an eye on Cali and Kyla. As far as I could tell, they were as tired as I was, but they nevertheless kept blasting zombies into oblivion. I couldn't see anyone else I knew very well around, save for Harry teleporting close by and waving hello or giving us a thumbs-up from time to time.

As the fight had gradually died down and the ambient moans and shrieks faded away in the background, Smith began telling me about what happened before he left OGD to 'attack' us. I had finally ran out of questions to ask him about what we'd be running into later on, so I decided I'd like to know more about him; our new ally, instead. I had previously thought he was kind of a badass for ditching OGD and joining us right in the middle of the war, but learning that he's an expert infiltrator and computer hacker gave me even more respect for the husky hybrid.

"...So, to make a long story short, that's how I got here. Here, fighting against mutated zombies that make the regular ones look harmless, allied with the people I was trained to see as enemies, and determined to bring down the very corporation that saved me from inevitable death. Nothing short of a cheesy sci-fi movie plotline. Got any more questions, Mr. Ossland?"

I chuckled at that last joke. "Not anymore, really. And I've gotta hand it to you, that was quite a story, Smith. But judging from how you described the OGD base, I still don't understand how you, Cali, and that doctor friend of yours are going to completely cripple the power AND make it back out without getting caught. I just think it's too much work for only three people."

Between breaths, he paused to throw an ice spear at a running zombie several yards away, sparing me the effort of having to uproot my sword, shake the dead crawler off of it, and kill the runner myself. The spear whizzed past me and hit its target literally head-on, knocking it straight down to the ground. The zombie's hard landing shattered the spear, but the damage had already been done.

"Then what are you suggesting, Greg?" Smith said with a sly grin after catching his breath and making sure the runner wasn't going to get back up. "Are you asking to come with us?"

Well, at least that saves me the trouble of having to say it myself...

I uprooted my sword and scraped as much of the crawler off as my boot could wipe. "Yes, yes I am. I feel like I'd be much more helpful tagging along with you three inside the base rather than waiting on the sidelines. I just want to be DOING something."

Smith chuckled. "Of course you do. Especially if that 'something' involves you keeping an eye on Cali, right?"

...Uuuuuugh... Seriously? Am I THAT easy to figure out?

"I... Uhhh..."

Goddammit...

I sighed in defeat, letting him know that he'd discovered my real motive. "Look, I'm not worried about Kyla because she's been training just as long as the rest of us and knows how to handle herself. But I am kinda worried about Cali for the opposite reason. She's doing just fine out here, but it's what comes after this that worries me."

I stole a quick glance at Cali as I spoke, watching as she leapt up into the air and fired a pulsing blast of napalm right down onto a thuggish zombie's head; completely burning it away in a matter of seconds and causing him to drop dead. Poor bastard didn't even know what hit him...

A few roars in the distance forced me to turn my attention back to the conversation/fight at hand. "I mean, I DO trust you with her life, Arthur, don't get me wrong." I had to pause and kill three zombies that slouched into my vicinity as soon as the words left my mouth.

"Come on, Greg, only the ladies usually call me by my first name" Smith replied as I casually took out the walkers, sounding more and more like the suave spy he had revealed himself to be. "I encourage everyone else to call me Smith. Jus' sounds cooler. But more importantly, thank you for the compliment, my friend."

"You're welcome" I replied after wiping some congealed blood off of my face. As I learned over the past thirteen months, one of the downsides to having fur is that zombie blood sticks to you a LOT better.

"And don't worry," he continued, "I'm not being critical or anything, I actually think it's kinda cute how much you care for her safety. Doesn't mean you love her more than Kyla, it just means you're a really good person."

I let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Yeah... Good until I have to break one of their hearts sometime down the road..."

~~~

Immediately after the last zombie had finally been killed, we did a quick head-count to confirm that all forty of us were still alive. As an added bonus, nobody was severely injured; in fact most of us actually emerged from this battle completely unscathed. Tired, hungry, and especially bloody, we all took a well-deserved break to celebrate our victory over the advanced zombies.

But as we all knew, every good thing must come to an end, and Smith exemplified this by telling everyone about his plan. Some of us knew it already, but the majority did not. The three of us were to infiltrate the OGD base and set the power to deactivate by the time the rest of the cavalry arrived. That would leave the complex open to attack and utterly defenseless, ensuring us an easy victory. As an added bonus, we were to also raid the stash of OGD inhibitor serum that Smith assured us was there, and 'cure' as many hybrid soldiers as possible. By the time they'd have woken up and have things explained to them, the battle would most likely be over. All it would take is a steady dose of inhibitor serum and a single dose of Dr. Jackson's mind-control cure back home to completely rid them of OGD's influence. They'd be happy, we'd be happy, and all the bad guys would be dead.

Genius.

Not exactly a foolproof plan, but it was the nest one we had.

As I anticipated, the hardest part was reasoning with Kyla about my decision. She resisted at first, and even threatened to break up with me if I went through with it. I knew she didn't mean it, though. She was desperate to get me out of harm's way, that was all. But in the end, she came to understand my decision in more or less the same way Smith did. I kissed her deeply, saying that I'd be sure to make it up to her somehow when they caught up to us tomorrow.

With all three of us now wearing OGD armor (we had brought a second set just for who-knows-what), we piled into one of the jeeps and were unanimously wished good luck by all.

And off we went.

~~~

Eight hours later...

Smith placed his hand against the scanner on the wall, and waited for it to take a reading. After seeing that the device still had him registered in the OGD database, he then entered his password, and rested his finger above the last letter. "All right... Get ready, you two. Once I hit the 'E' key and the door opens, they'll know we're inside. From that point on, it's simply a matter of all three of us playing our parts and not doing anything stupid."

I readjusted my helmet a third time, trying to find the least uncomfortable spot for my head to rest inside. After failing to find a sweet spot yet again, I angrily tugged it off and let it drop to the ground so I could freely rub the pain out of my ears. "How in the HELL do you wear these things all the time, let alone fight while wearing them?" It was bad enough that I was going in unarmed since the OGD armor gave me no room to hide any metal to make into weapons and fight with, but this little issue was pushing it. "No matter what, it's like my head just won't sit properly in here."

Smith took a look at the helmet on the ground, noticing the serial number on the inside. "Well duh, Greg. It's probably because the one you're wearing wasn't tailored for someone with your specific head structure. Every hybrid species' head is shaped a little differently, after all. We only had a single spare with us, and the odds of it being crafted for a hybrid like you were slim to none. Finding one that fit Cali was actually just dumb luck on our part."

I turned to my original girlfriend, who took a long, hard stare at the shiny, relatively unused OGD helmet in her hands. She had been fighting with the OGD armor on all this time, but upon seeing her with the helmet, I couldn't help but flash back to our fight in the HAC arena over ten days ago. It still ached in the back of my mind what I did to her, even if I was convinced she was just another enemy for me to kill at the time.

"Ya never know, maybe you'll find a better one inside the base or something. Just deal with it for now, sweetie." She spoke matter-of-factly, but I could suddenly sense a LOT of uneasiness in her voice. This was unusual...

"And that's another thing," Smith continued, turning to Cali and speaking before I could ask her what was wrong. "Once we're inside, you, Miss Greenlaw, can't talk if they see who you are. The mind-controlled hybrids are programmed to remain silent, so everyone will be all over you if you so much as even whistle. If you've got any questions for me, ask them now."

Cali took a deep breath and shook her head. "No. I'm clear on what we have to do inside there and how I need to act. I know I have to give off a strong 'Don't fuck with me' vibe, since you said that most people here were kind of afraid of the 'Red Death.' I... I just wish I wasn't so afraid of them, though. It wasn't until we snuck right up to here, ready to infiltrate, that it dawned on me just how intense this is. I'm suddenly so nervous about this whole thing that it feels like my heart's gonna burst right out of my chest."

I should've guessed...

Luckily, I knew just what to do. I gently removed the helmet from her hands and placed it into Smiths, and then pulled Cali into a tender, comforting hug. Much like Kyla two nights ago, my loving embrace appeared to instantly quell her worries. Now it seemed my presence here was completely justified.

Cali nuzzled her head against mine, sighing with relief and holding me close. "Nothing's going to burst out of your chest" I sarcastically said to her. "This isn't Alien, after all. If anything, this is more like any given James Bond movie. And IF we slip up and the bad guys put us in a bizarre and overly-elaborate death trap, you've got me and Smith to back you up."

She giggled and hugged me tighter. As contagious as her laughter was, I couldn't help but chuckle at my own joke. "You're the best, you know that?" she said. "Even in light of the most important part of our half-assed mission, you still find time to make me laugh AND get my confidence up. Thank you, Greg. I really needed that."

I pulled her head away from my own and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You know me; it's what I do. Feel better now?" She smiled and took her helmet back from a snickering Smith, playfully punching him on the shoulder before doing so. "Oh stop it, Arty. Let us finish having our moment first, and then we can play secret agent."

"What I don't get," he replied, "is why you wouldn't just teleport away if things go awry. I'm pretty sure you've fully grasped that power already, haven't you?"

Cali shrugged and took a deep breath before tying up her hair and slowly placing the helmet onto her head. "I have, but it's still... hard to do if I'm under stress, while casual teleportation comes to me easily. And besides, there's no way I'd leave either of you stranded here. But... I'm not gonna let it worry me. Let's go, guys."

I grabbed my own helmet from the ground and dusted it off, then put it back on despite the renewed pinching pain in my ears. "This is for HAC. For HAC, and all the innocent OGD's. Everyone else, God help you."

Smith patted both of us on the back, and finally tapped the final letter on the touch screen's password prompt, spelling out the word 'MELANIE.' As the three of us looked onwards, the partially-hidden stone door slowly slid open, revealing a long, dimly lit corridor. As the three of us stepped inside, lights flickered on overhead, illuminating our path and gradually shutting off as we walked past them. After coming to another locked door, Smith quickly entered in his user information once again, but this time the door slid open and revealed the inner workings of the OGD base.

And holy CRAP was it BIG. This was only the first basement floor of the base, as Smith previously mentioned, but it was centered around a giant chasm that was so deep you couldn't even see the bottom. All over, there were chambers, bridges, and much more; some of them connecting the center to the stone wall, others in small isolated areas. I saw labs, testing chambers, and things I couldn't even begin to categorize.

In a nutshell, it was truly the stuff of supervillains.

Smith took a second to admire my and Cali's reactions. "You formally welcomed me to HAC, Greg, so now let me return the favor. Welcome to Optimal Genetic Developments. Or, in other words, Cali, home. But don't get too comfortable; because we're gonna bring this place down brick by brick if everything works out."

~~~

And no sooner had we gotten inside that the inevitable happened, and we found ourselves face-to-face with the enemy.

It was nobody special, just another random, helmeted OGD soldier. Except this one's armor was different from the rest, in that it sported a silver circuit-like design on the outside, much like Deadpool's tattoos from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He walked past us without as much as a wave or nod, allowing me to exhale a silent breath of relief. However, after a few more steps I heard him stop, and could almost feel him turning around to address us.

"Hey. You three."

CrapcrapcrapcrapCRAP!

It felt like my stomach was tightening into a series of knots, and I could imagine seeing Cali's eyes going wide with apprehension behind her visor. Nevertheless, Smith silently took control of the situation and turned to face the lone OGD soldier. Cali and I followed suit, only after taking a moment to remember that Smith knew exactly what he was doing.

"Yes, soldier?" Smith asked.

Much to our relief, however, he only asked us how to get to a distant part of the complex, stating that he was still relatively new and was bad with directions. His voice had a deep mechanical backdrop; probably due to a voice changer inside his helmet. Why he'd want to sound like Darth Vader, I had no idea.

"Right then. Thank you, I'll be on my way" he said.

"You're welcome" Smith replied.

The unusually armored hybrid saluted us in a professional, militaristic manner, to which the three of us responded with our own. Smith previously explained to me and Cali that the mind-controlled hybrids were capable of some levels of communication and displays of loyalty, and this happened to be one of them. Nobody'd think it suspicious of us at all.

Except... It might've been my imagination, but the mystery man seemed to take an extra second to stare at me before walking away, as if trying to see right through my armor. However, considering I didn't say a word to him or do anything stupid, I dismissed this little factoid immediately.

After a solid five minutes of navigating through the sinister yet fascinating complex, and thankfully not running into anyone else, we stopped outside a lab meant for quick, physical testing on OGD hybrids. The name on the door read 'Hybrid Testing and Physical Examinations, Dr. Melanie Sanchez, Ph.D.'

"This it?" I asked Smith.

"Yep" he replied. "It's 5 pm, so my friend should be in her office right about now. If not, we'll just go in and wait for her."

He knocked on the door, and we could hear someone on the other side walk over to open it. But the person opening the door wasn't Melanie; it was an older, male doctor in a white lab coat. "Can I help you three?" he asked.

I didn't see this coming, but just like Smith told us, we let him do the talking.

"Oh, hello, Dr. Hibbard. We have an appointment with Dr. Sanchez scheduled for five o'clock."

He silently nodded and stepped aside, beckoning us into the room. Once we were inside, we could see another doctor, who had most likely been chatting with the older one for a while. She was Hispanic, with dark brown hair tied up into a bun, average sized wireframe glasses, and wearing a lab coat of her own. Her eyes were hazel-colored, and perked up a little upon seeing us walk in.

"Hello, Dr. Sanchez. We're here for our physicals, as per your request."

Despite not having seen her friend in over a week, Melanie seemed mostly unfazed by Smith's sudden reappearance. But I could tell she was trying to hide her joy, so the older doctor wouldn't ask questions. "Ah, thanks for stopping by, SA-757. I take it these two have appointments as well?" I could tell from her accent that English wasn't her first language, but hers was still as flawless as my own.

"Yes, ma'am" he answered. "These two are in the special program, and the higher-ups requested that you examine them before any further field testing."

Why's he stressing those words so much?

Melanie took a good look at the two of us, most likely completely unaware of who we were. "Ah, I see. And I take it you have some information for me regarding the fight against Human Advancements?"

Oh, I get it. They're using some kind of password system here. Very sly, Smith. Very sly indeed.

"Yes, ma'am. I think I've got some data that you can really work with."

"Very well, let's get to it, then" Melanie finally concluded. "Dr. Hibbard, could you please leave us? These tests may take a while, and I don't want to bore you."

The older doctor stood up and straightened his lab coat, bidding Melanie and the three of us a cheery farewell as he stepped out of the room.

However, as soon as Melanie closed and locked the door, everything about her changed in a heartbeat. She ripped the band from her tight bun to let her dark brown hair flow free, and hastily removed her glasses and tossed them onto a nearby table. She took a good look at Smith followed by a trembling breath, and swiftly pinned him against the wall in one of the hottest lip locks I've ever seen. Hot, despite the fact that I've never seen a human make out with a hybrid before, nor have I ever even considered it.

But aside from that, it was like watching myself and Kyla go at it when I returned after the initial OGD attack. It felt like a lifetime ago, but I distinctly remember walking in to the safehouse lobby, seeing her sitting there safe and sound, and an indescribable happiness swelling up inside me. I smiled inside my helmet at that fond memory, but my grin faded as I remembered who was standing right next to me.

And as the two of us stood awkwardly, both Smith and Melanie tried meager attempts at a normal conversation between breaths, though they were hindered by each other's different rhythms of mouth work playing out at the same time. Their hands were all over each other, grabbing clothes, armor, fur and hair alike.

"Oh, Arty...Mmmph... I missed you so much... The past ten days were just... Mmmph... I'm so glad you're back..."

Smith moaned with pleasure, despite being partially silenced by Melanie's mouth pressing against his own. "I told you... Mmmph... That I'd be back." He gently took a hold of Melanie's head and pushed it back slightly, giving himself space to talk and stare lovingly into her eyes. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, Mel. And I know it's already out in the open, but I need to say it out loud: I wanna be so much more than friends with you. I know it feels kinda weird, but there's no denying it. I love you, Melanie Sanchez."

Her eyes lit up like fireworks. "Oh, Arthur Smith... I love you, too." With that, they locked lips once again, though much less fast-paced this time around. Slower, yet much more fervent.

It seemed that Smith left out a few details about this 'friend' of his...

"Man, is that what we looked like when we used to really get into it, Cali?" I asked as I removed my helmet and tried rubbing the pain out of my ears again.

She timidly chuckled while taking her own helmet off and placing it on a nearby table. "Uhhh, considering they've got the whole 'cross-species' thing going on, I'm gonna have to say NO. But I think it's sweet, though. I was starting to wonder how a nice guy like Arthur couldn't have anyone here that loved him like I... and Kyla... love you. But I'm glad to see I was wrong."

As Smith and Melanie gradually came back down to earth from their mutual high, the latter finally remembered that there were other people in the room speaking in the background, and one of them happened to be the object of nearly every OGD's anxiety. Her expression, though still full of love for Smith, was now just as filled with shock.

From that point, it didn't take Cali long to realize that she was now the metaphorical elephant in the room. Nevertheless, she put on a friendly face and offered Melanie her hand.

"Uh, hi. I'm Cali. Cali Greenlaw."

Melanie hesitantly walked over and accepted Cali's introductory shake, but her tension eased up upon seeing the redhead up close and hearing her voice for what I assumed was the first time. She quickly turned back to Smith, as if to silently ask for a confirmation on what was happening. Fortunately, he seemed to be able to tell exactly what she was thinking. "It's the real deal," he said. "Thanks to a little HAC love, Red Death is gone for good, and all that remains is the sweet, though still relatively hot-headed Cali Greenlaw."

Cali grinned and shrugged, unsure of what to say to follow up Smith's introduction. But Melanie seemed to be warming up to the real Cali pretty quickly, much to her relief.

"Wow... I'm sorry, I just never thought I'd hear you talk, let alone see you actually smiling" she said. "I bet Arty told you about your, uh... reputation around here, but if this is the REAL person behind all the stern and creepy glaring, then I'm glad to finally meet her."

Cali chuckled. "Thanks, that means a lot to me. If I ever did anything mean to you before, when I wasn't myself, then I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it" Melanie replied with a smile. "It wasn't your fault, and that's all that matters."

Then, the scientist turned to me. "And let me guess... You're Gregory Ossland, the one who fought, bound, and interrogated Arthur, right?"

I really didn't know how to respond to that. "Well, uh, yes when you put it that way, but---"

Unprovoked and without warning, she promptly slapped me in the face.

"Ow! What the HELL was that for!?"

Her brow furrowed darkly. "THAT was for almost killing him in Boston. But..."

"But what?" I cautiously asked as my cheek continued to throb.

Slowly, she switched from angry to happy and hugged me. "This is for making him, and by extension, me, finally see the light. I'm not sure if it was your intention or not, but thank you."

I was understandably confused, but I went along with it and gently hugged her back. "You're welcome, Doc. I guess..."

Smith and Cali just stared the entire time, neither of them wanting to interfere. But as soon as Melanie let me go, Smith took charge of the floor.

"All right, you three, enough bonding time for now. We've got work to do..."

~~~

I violently shook my re-helmeted head, just to make sure the uncomfortable pinching sensation was finally gone. "Okay, this is much better. I have no idea why I didn't think of this earlier."

Melanie sighed. "You never thought it'd be a good idea to just rip out and re-mold the helmet's inner lining? Geez Greg, you're not a very good ferrokinetic."

...Seriously? You've known me for less than an hour, and THAT'S what you're going with?

To defend my skills, I casually took one of the metal pens sticking out of Melanie's coat pocket, held it up to her, and quickly reshaped it into a tiny sword, letting the plastic components on the inside fall out. I then transformed it into a small shuriken and then a small chain, feeling that I'd successfully proven my point. Melanie rolled her eyes as I slid it underneath my glove and made it wrap around my upper arm, feeling that she wouldn't want a useless, deformed metal rod anymore. "I'd like to think I AM a very good ferrokinetic. I'm just one that apparently lacks common sense from time to time."

"Fine" she groaned. "I take it back, you are a good ferrokinetic."

"Thank you" I smugly replied. "And besides, sneaking in here was the only important thing on my mind, so you can't really blame me for only thinking about our mission."

Currently, our group had momentarily split up; Smith and Cali went in one direction to sabotage the base's power generators, while Melanie and I took a different path to secure several vials of the power inhibitor serum from the chemical storage lab they had been stashed in. She was one of OGD's top scientists, so nobody'd think twice if they saw her moving chemicals from A to B.

As we rounded another corner, the lab we were looking for immediately came into view, guarded by two OGD soldiers in full armor. I was about to walk over, but Melanie suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me back around the wall.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked her in a hushed voice.

She looked nervous all of a sudden. "Did you see that?" she replied. "There were soldiers guarding that lab."

"So?"

She reduced her voice to a whisper. "You don't get it; there are never soldiers guarding that lab, or any other one that doesn't involve... live experiments for that matter. There are too few soldiers left to spread out around the complex like this, which means they're there to protect that lab in particular."

I think I was beginning to understand. "So... This is bad?"

Melanie groaned. "YES, Greg, this is bad. I wasn't prepared for this... We have to go back to my office and wait for Arthur and Cali. Re-think the plan."

I had no choice in the matter. The two of us went back the way we came, comparatively quicker than we came. But after a minute of backtracking, something else began to feel wrong. I couldn't wrap my head around what it was at first, but then it clicked. All it took was a few quick sniffs to confirm it.

"Melanie," I whispered to her, "we're being followed. I can smell it."

Her eyes went wide, and her stride quickened ever-so slightly.

"Don't turn around; just keep leading us back to your office."

She nodded her head in agreement, and by the time we got back to square one, the presence following us seemed to vanish. But we weren't out of the woods yet. Cali and Smith were already outside the office, waiting with tense looks on their faces.

"Guys... something's wrong here." Smith said. "The power room was---"

CLICK.

Oh shi---

Before I could complete my thought and Smith could complete his sentence, four OGD soldiers appeared in front of us from behind the support pillars attached to the walls, all of them aiming rifles at our heads.

Four of them, four of us. And they seemed determined not to miss.

Move! NOW!

In one swift motion, both me and Smith grabbed Melanie and Cali respectively by the waist and forced them behind opposite support pillars on our side, just out of the shooter's line of fire as a volley of lead flew right by us. It continued for some time as the gunmen tried to flush us out by weakening the structural support of our impromptu shield.

But the second we heard the sound of the last bullet case hitting the floor, Smith and I acted swiftly and ruthlessly. Simultaneously, we dashed out of cover and right up to the four OGD soldiers, determined to take them all out before any could reload. With my speed boosting, I was the first to act. I ran up to the two soldiers on the left, jumped up and kicked the rifles out of their hands, then followed up by bashing their heads into each other's with my hands as I landed on the ground. Disoriented and hopefully in pain, they reeled back, giving me a perfect opportunity to pick one of their guns off the floor and shoot them both in the head.

Those OGD helmets may make their wearer look intimidating, but they sure as hell weren't bulletproof.

Who says I need a sharp, pointy weapon to be an effective killer?

As I watched them fall back from the force of the impact, I could see that Smith had already dispatched the other two soldiers by jamming their weapons with small ice spears, then swiftly freezing them in place while unarmed.

"Plan's gone to shit everyone, we've gotta get out of here!" Smith yelled.

But as quickly as those words left his mouth, I heard a loud THUD behind us, and could feel the ground vibrate a little. I instantly realized that someone had dropped in right behind me and Smith, but that was the least of our worries. Before either of us could react, our new assailant gripped both of us on the back, and let loose what felt like a thousand volts of pure HELL.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

Oh God, the pain! EVERYWHERE! So INTENSE!

Every single one of my nerves was on FIRE! I screamed so loudly that I couldn't tell if Smith was yelling in agony with me or not.

But just as quickly as it began, it ended. The two of us collapsed onto the floor, involuntarily twitching and unable to stop. My ears were ringing like church bells and I could feel my body rapidly going numb from the electrical surge. I was surprised it didn't kill me, since it was MUCH more powerful than the lightning bolt Ross involuntarily hit me with two weeks ago.

I jerked my head around to look behind me, and could see what looked like a faint blur of a person standing there. At least it looked like a blur until it turned black. Black and silver... It was the hybrid with circuit-tattooed armor we ran into earlier. Even in my sensory-deprived state, I could tell that he was the one following me and Melanie back here. He took a second to determine that Smith and I weren't going to get up any time soon, and turned to face the girls. Their faces were frozen in horror at what had transpired; even more so now that they had to deal with THIS fucking guy.

And he was completely focused on Cali.

"T-tele-p-port, Cali! GO!" I wearily stuttered.

She hesitated, taking a split second to assess the situation and weigh her options. For a horrible moment, I thought Cali's indecision would cost her. But as the OGD started to approach her, she quickly dove across the hallway, crashing into Melanie as they both hit the floor. Impulsively, she grabbed Melanie's waist and teleported away, taking the scientist with her and only leaving behind the familiar wisps of black smoke.

I closed my eyes and sighed inwardly with relief. Until just now, I had NO idea that Cali could teleport someone else through physical contact. I'm pretty sure that she didn't know that herself, actually. It could've been instinct; it could've been a lucky guess. Regardless, I wasn't going to argue with it.

They got out! They're gonna be---

There was a sudden sharp pain in my neck.

My eyes snapped open, and I found myself staring right down the barrel of a small black pistol at an angle, held by our powerful enemy. He casually aimed the gun at Smith and landed a shot right in the same spot as on me; where there was no armor plating covering the neck. I could see it wasn't a bullet, but a small dart; a tranquilizer. This guy clearly wanted me and Smith alive, so it explained why the electricity didn't outright kill us.

He squatted down and unceremoniously ripped my helmet off, then threw it across the hallway. Still with the mechanical voice, he chuckled to himself upon seeing my face.

"I knew it was you in there, Ossland. The salute you gave me earlier... the way you moved your arm blew your cover. That was a generous tip, but the cameras hidden in this guy's lady-friend's office confirmed it." He certainly seemed proud of himself, but also somewhat halfhearted in his gloating. "It doesn't make me any happier about what comes next, but I'm glad to have you right where I want you. I've come too far, sacrificed too much, and you're not gonna stop me now."

I gasped for air, suddenly finding it very difficult to breathe even after the twitching had died down. "Stop you...? What the... fuck, man, I don't even... KNOW you..."

I was struggling with all my might to stay conscious, but whatever nasty concoction was inside that dart was now coursing through my body and quickly bringing me under. I could see that two new OGDs had caught up to us and picked up an already unconscious Smith, hauling him away to God-knows-what part of this evil complex. In my deliriousness I tried reaching out to my comrade, but my shooter gently brushed aside my arm with his tranquilizer gun.

"It's useless to resist, my friend. I'll give it another ten seconds until you're snoozing. But don't worry Greg, I'll take good care of you. The LAST thing I want is you dead. Hurting you, unfortunately, is unavoidable."

That... didn't sound like the typical bad-guy sarcasm. Kinda sounded like he was being serious...

"Whaaa...? Who... Who are you?" I could barely even form words anymore.

I wasn't sure if it was the tranquilizer's effect making me see things or not, but to answer my question, the soldier's helmet seemed to melt away and fuse with his armor.

And... The hybrid inside was...

Wait... WHAT?

For the second time this month, my heart must've skipped a dangerous number of beats upon seeing the face behind the jet-black visor.

He cleared his throat and began speaking in his real voice; one that I knew all too well. "It's been a while, Greg. I wish the circumstances were better, but I'm actually very happy to see you. And I hope you missed me, because I'm a little short on friends right now."

No... NO!

"You... you're! Uuungh..."

I didn't even feel my head hit the floor. I had already passed out.

~~~

"Greg... GREG, WAKE UP!"

As I slowly regained consciousness, the first thing I noticed was that I was sitting down in a small room, with Smith to my right and two armed OGDs guarding the door. I tried getting up, but my and Smith's hands and ankles were bound to our seats with leather straps. It didn't look very strong, but I was in no physical condition to try and break free. Even if there were metal chains holding me in place, I'd be stupid to try and use my powers to break free thanks to those damn guards.

For now, I should try and get a gist of what's going on and what's going to happen to the two of us.

"Sssmith... Whassgoingon?

He at least looked happy to see me awake. "Thank God you came around just now, because they just sent for the guy that zapped us to wake you up. With another generous zap, I'm betting."

...Oh, right. THAT...

Now I was just pissed. "Jesus CHRIST!" I shouted. "I can't freaking BELIEVE this!" Unlike the 'Cali Curveball,' the shock value had already worn off, leaving only anger in the pit of my stomach. "Why? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!?"

Smith rolled his eyes. "Yes Greg, we've been captured. I'm pretty upset about it too, but shouting isn't going to get us out of here."

He obviously didn't get it. I tried to calm down and explain it to him. "No, Smith, that's not it. I'm pissed because... because..." It hurt to even think of the words I was about to say. "Because the guy that knocked us out was a HAC hybrid. Used to be a HAC hybrid... And one of my friends..."

Smith stared at me, bewildered. "What? How do you know?"

It pained me to replay the last five seconds of our ambush in my head. "I know because he showed me after you passed out. I just... I just can't believe this..."

"I'm sorry, Greg" Smith said after a moment's silence. "Even I've never been in this kind of situation before. Would you at least tell me his name, though? If I already read up on him while he was at HAC, it'll better our chances of beating him if we---"

The door opened, revealing the last person I wanted to see right now.

"Oh, speak of the devil" Smith said casually.

"Literally..." I muttered under my breath.

He dismissed the soldiers guarding the door and stood in front of us, taking a long, hard stare at me. He didn't even acknowledge Smith's presence, despite him, the OGD traitor, being a more valuable hostage. He stared at me and I stared back, even though I couldn't see his eyes through the helmet. If there was even a shred of conscience left underneath that armor, I wanted the hurt in my eyes to bring it out of him.

A whole minute passed before he spoke. "Look, Greg, I know you're pissed---"

"Cut the crap" I spat out through a choked breath. "If this... If this is REALLY happening, if it's really YOU under there, then at LEAST have the decency to talk to me face-to-face."

"Fine. I guess I owe you that much."

I wasn't imagining things earlier; this time I could plainly see the helmet slowly melting away from his head. I understood now; his entire suit was made out of nanobots. That's why it was able to discharge electricity, camouflage into the background, AND freely shapeshift like it did just now. All through the power of its wearer's technopathic mind.

He brushed a strand of black fur away from his eye and put on a sarcastic, lukewarm smile. "This better?"

"No" I sighed. "No, I don't think it's ever going to be better. At least not between the two of us..."

He chuckled.

"......Delta One."

"Ah, I knew you'd go there..." said Isaac while shaking his head. "But actually, it's DI-727 now."

Hearing him say that... Hearing him embrace his new OGD identity... it made me want to just snap.

"I thought we were FRIENDS, Isaac! You were like the brother I never had!"

"We ARE still friends, Greg. That hasn't changed between us at all!" It seemed that some of my dismay was finally getting to him. "Didn't you hear me back in that hallway? I said I'm NOT going to let them kill you."

I wouldn't have any of that. "Didn't you hear ME ten seconds ago? You betrayed us! Betrayed me! YOU ARE NOW THE ENEMY! You joined up with the organization that... that..."

He finished my sentence for me. "The organization that brought your girlfriend back to life and pit her against you?"

"YES! FUCKING THAT!!!"

Isaac definitely looked upset now. "Ah, that... Yeah, I know ALL about that... Unfortunately, it's the whole reason why I'm with OGD now..."

"Wait, what?"

He sighed deeply, and then squatted down to once again face me on an eye-to-eye level. "Despite our appearances, we're all still human on the inside, Greg. And when tragedy strikes, it often drives us to make... choices. Some would call them horrible choices; others would call them understandable choices. And sometimes, those choices are just too surreal to pass up, no matter what the cost may be... But that, my friend, is a story for another day. So now that you're both awake, let's get to the Q and A..."

~~~

~~

~

Well, for the ONE person that saw that ending coming a mile away, I hope it's EXACTLY what you wanted it to be. I almost wasn't gonna do it, but I figured LITA wouldn't be a very good story without another giant plot twist.

For everyone that didn't read the journal, I'm sorry that it's been nearly a month and a half since the last chapter, and I admit that it's because I got lazy; something I actively tried to avoid from minute one.

But for now, I hope y'all enjoyed this BIGASS chapter!

Rate, comment, and subscribe!

Also, I'm thinking of going back and giving every chapter an individual name. Just a small idea, but I'll let you guys tell me if it's a good one or not.

Until next time, Awesome Greg out.