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"Do you actually believe that this boy knows something about that base?" Jorek asked. They were sitting in a small room inside the interrogation room, the large glass window giving a good view on the persons inside it.

The boy had awoken a few hours after the incident on the roof, and Azuka being the good and careful doctor she was, had let him be up for a few more hours after a quick check up. She didn't however, like it at all. But after all, if the boy could run around and hiss at people, he could answer a few questions.

John shrugged his shoulders in a quiet reply, the cigarette that he was currently smoking trailing out grey,hazy smoke, if one brought to mind of how little space there actually were in the little bunker of a room they were sitting in, most people would find it extremely uncomfortable. But Jorek kept breathing at a completely normal pace, seeming not bothered in the least by the smoking lion.

"He was there, that usually means that he has seen something!" John answered after a pause, jabbing at the boy sitting in the room before them with his burning cigg.

"Yeah, but whatever happened to him at that base,he doesn't seem too willing to talk about it!" Jorek huffed before squashing his face against the glass window with a bang.

John slowly removed the cigg from his lips, raised a quizzical eyebrow at the tiger before slowly letting the inhaled smoke trail out from one of his muzzle's corners.

"What are you doing?" John finally signed.

Jorek turned around and looked over his shoulder at the lion,with a face that only could be read as "You my friend are an idiot!"

"Spying on them!" Jorek said as if it was the first thing John should have tought of.

Letting out another sigh, John pushed a little button on a console standing beside him, and the room was filled with sounds from the interrogator room. Crossing his arms and shifting his weight from one hip to the other, he proceeded to observe Azuka and the boy.

Azuka had insisted that she should be the one to ask the questions. As a female,she had an intuition that what ever had happened to the boy had been at the hands of males. Still, the boy glared with as much spite to her as he did to Jorek and John, so she could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

The boy was leaning back on the chair's back legs with crossed arms,with his feet resting on the white tabletop ,the perfect picture of lazy innocence. Azuka calmly clasped her fingers together.

"Have I not told you to remove your feet from the table five times alredy?" She inquired calmly.

The boy gave her a heatful glare,huffed but ultimately moved his legs away from the table and put them on the floor.

"Much better!" Azuka said.

The boy humphed angrily in reply.

"Oh so you're playing that game! Okey then two can play the same game!" With that said, Azuka leaned back into the chair,crossed her arms and started to gaze at the boy.

Neither said a word to the other. But is seamed that million of coversations were spoken by eye contact alone.

They sat there staring as eatch other, Azuka with her legs crossed and tapping one heel against the floor with her arms gently crossed under her bossom,and the boy sunken back into the seat of his chair with his arms tightly crossed over his chest and mouth set in a pale,stony line.

For twenty five minutes they sat completely silent.

Azuka suddenly smiled, amusement glinted in her violet eyes.

"I give up!" She said softly, one paw cupping her chin thoughtfully,the smile still on her face.

The boy raised an eyebrown. "You do?" He replied just as silently.

"Yeah, if you don't want to speak you don't want to! I don't see any point in trying to force you!" She said with a dazzling smile.

The boy bit his lip, he looked to be on the verge of crying.

"That's...that's the kindest thing anyone has done to me lately!" He all but whispered.

Azuka's gaze softened. Very carefuly she reached over the table and gently put her paw on his shoulder. The boy grimaced and very slowly coverd her hand with his own. He looked straight ahead when the tears fell, one by one, from his cheeks and down onto the table with slow pattering sounds.

Inside the one-way reflective mirror room,John's cigg had nerly burn out. He slowly removed it from his muzzle, and proceeded to slowly crush it in the ash cup that was nearby. "Good work honey...Good work!"

---

After the boy had been put back to bed,along with a sleeping pill, Azuka and John called Sala, Jorek,Cassandra, Arlen and Tamra to the Sci-Op's room.

The room itself seamed to be something out of a futuristic science-fiction movie.

In the middle of the big room, flanked by two solid metal stairs, stood a large oval machine of some sort. Its surface was a toxic green, large oval glass lid. It was totaly blank , no buttons of any kind on it.

There were buttons on the side of it,however. Large butttons, small buttons, buttons with texts and letters on some, and some buttons simply with colors and nothing else on them. It was approximately the size and height of a dining table. Aside from the green glass surface, it was wholly white, made out of some strange metal that neither Arl nor Tam recognized. It could possibly be titanium.

Arlen leaned himself against one of the pilars in the room, slowly flicking his sharp eyes this way or that, taking all the diffrent screens and computers in , just wondering where the hell he really was. He felt how someone looked at him, pinponting his eyes onto the being he saw just from the corner of his eyes.

Jorek was leaning against the strange white devise, arms crossed. He wore today an white shirt with a high collar, the cain to his dog-tags sometimes chatching the light of the lamps hanging overhead when he shifted his weight from one hip to the other. Going along with the white shirt was a pair of very nicely ironed blue jeans.

It made him look -as hard as it was for Arl to admit it- really handsome, stunning even, and all of these different factors, along with his posture,and of course his unatrual ice blue eyes, only added to his seemingly magnetic sex appeal. Of course, with such confidence and ego as Jorek surly possesed, he could walk out onto the street,dressed out into a four limbed trash can, and still hook up the guys and girls, Arlen mused.

Simply put, the white tiger radiated confidence.

Sala was dressed in an nice fitting black top, making her curvy, model body all the more promient. To go with it she wore a tight black skirt that stopped a bit over her knees. Very beautiful but also very cold.

Cassandra wore a nice green jacket with six black buttons and a simple pair of bleached jeans. Being quite simple clothes didn't mean that they didn't make her look quite stunning,however.

Azuka wore a white doctor's robe, with an small ID card strapped to the breast-poket . The white of the coat was cut of by the dark purple work skirt she wore, not at all to long or to short.

John was the only one who wasen't dressed in anything fancy. A white flax along with a pair of standard army pants with army camouflage, and an shiny belt. The easy choice of dressing made his impressive musculature cut against the tight flax, making his rippling six abs prominet bulgles against the white cotton.

Not that Arl was looking or anything!

"Welcome everyone! I'm sorry for calling you here,as I know that we all have had a tiring day most likely. But this is about our newest...guest, and-" Azuka started to speak but was cut of by Jorek.

"Ghost Boy..." He snickered quietly under his breath.

"And as I was saying, what I have found is...strange indeed!" She finished with crossed arms and a cold glare aimed at Jorek.

"You did check his DNA, right?" John inquired. Azuka confirmed this with a nod.

"I did and I must be honest, what I found freaks me out!"

With that said, Azuka started to glide her fingers over a little keyboard screwed to the side of the machine. Seconds later the glass surface started to glow with a deep buzzing sound. A glowing green grid slowly pooled over the radiating glass surface, like water being sucked into a light cloth. It washed over the table until it had covered the glass completely in it's glowing trails of light.

There was another quiet blip from a button she pressed and the center of the grid started to slowly bulge upwards. Higher and higer it went until it had reched about the height of Jorek's elbow. As it had reached its full height, it started to change shape. The grid started to move like water, twisting and curving into a humaniod shape. The grid coverd shape started to shimer with green energy, like a giant pale firefly. Pale skin soon started to appear on it, facial futures started to become carved into it, like an invisible sculptor was working on a statue, golden hair had soon followed.

And there on the table shaped devise, stood a life-like holographic 3D projection of the boy from the base.

Arlen's eyes became impossibly big. "H-how in the fuckin' hell did you do that!"

"Heh! Pretty neat huh? I would have told you to use your brain and think a bit, but what ever could I excpect from a school dropout!" Jorek taunted, sarcasam think in his voice, his mouth pulled into a scornful smile.

"Say that again and I'll rip out your tongue!" Arlen snarled, which had made weaker males piss themselves. Jorek, however, just snorted, beared his fangs in a sharp grin, and waved challengingly with a finger.

Then they both snarled,loudly at the other. Claws became visibly ejected. Sharp, dangerous fangs gleamed in the sharp white, neonlight shimmering down from the lamps above.

"That's enough! Both of you, stop!" John barked.

Just as with the incident in the chopper, both tigers forced themselves to relax,retract their claws and just stood there and glared at each other.

John huffed, why could those two never cooperate with each other without trying to tear the others throat out?

"Now honey, what did you find when you cheked the boy's DNA?" John asked without removing his eyes from the two glaring felines.

"Well, either is parents have some real explaning to do, or he's one big genetic spoof!" Azuka replied, still moving her fingers over the keybored's metal buttons.

"And why is that ?" Jorek replied, having finaly stopped glaring at Arlen.

"Well, to begin, I have found feline DNA in his orginal!" She replied curtly, and stared to tap a row of keybored buttons.

"What kind of feline DNA?" Cassandra piped in.

"One of the Big cats; Lion, if you want to be even more spesific." Azuka said, still typing away at the machine.

Small lines stared to appear on the 3D picture of the boy. The places on the body that the lines marked were the eyes, the head, the nose, the mouth and the hands.

"His five senses has become incredibly sharp, as sharp and precise as our own, his reflexes, balance and agility too," Azuka finished. Beside the holographic image of the boy, an DNA helix appeard after another quick string of keybored buttons being pressed by the sharp-minded doctor.

The DNA helix was mostly blue, but there was spots of green too on it, all over it in fact.

"The Human DNA is blue and the green is Lion DNA; as I'm sure that all of you can see, it is still human in orgin, but also feline."

"Have you figured out the reasion behind why his DNA looks...like this?" Jorek asked and made a gesture to the holograms with his paw.

Azuka let out as sigh, "No, and it irritates me so! I can't figure out what caused his genetic material to look like...that!" She huffed, finding no better way to say it. She looked about redy to tear her fur of.

"Well don't go crazy trying to find out!" John lovingly chastised his wife.

"Oh I won't, you know how much I love a good brain nut to crack!" She replied with a smile.

"Okey hold on a bit now! You guys must be crazy or something!" Arlen suddenly grolwed, still irritated at Jorek.

"Feline DNA in a human? Cut the crap! You can't actually beleive that shit!" Arlen continued to sneer.

What made him even more irritated was that now everyone-except Tam- looked at him as if he suddely had sprouted a new head, quoted Shapespear and on top of it all danced the Chiken Dance.

"Do you want to see the charts?" Azuka offered in a neutral tone, but with a wicked smile. Arlen felt how his face burned with an angry blush all the way up to his ears; the inside of them were surly glowing red by now. He realized that, if he was to see the charts, Azuka would ask what was on them. And he ,of course would not, could not read them, besides, he alredy looked like an idiot and didn't want to make it worse, so with clenched jaws he shook his head.

The wicked smile turned into a knowing one,maybe even a kind one. Arlen snorted mentaly at that.

"Are we done now? It is you assholes fault if my manicure and pedicure are ruined," Sala stated so cooly that the room could have been an freezer instead of High-tech room with cutting-edge and advanced technology.

With that she turned around, her high heels clicking and left the room without even being dissimissed. Most CO's would be really pissed of, as such behavior would be seen as very disrespectful. Hell, anyone would see such behavior as annoying and disrespectful!

And yet, all the furs in the room-minus Arlen and Tamra-seemed to be so used to it that they didn't even react.

"Ehhh... I apologize for Sala's lack of manners, she is headstrong and proud, It will take some time to get used to!" Azuka said, looking and sounding embarrassed. She awkwardly rubbed her neck.

"Why the heck are she so...bitchy?" Arlen said jabbing his thumb at the door from which the dark haired female with the freezing demeanor had left through.

"That's classified information I'm afraid..." Azuka trailed of, unsure if the black tiger wanted a more detaild explanation.

But Arlen just let out a snort,shrugged his big shoulders and crossed his arms over his sculptured chest.

"Well I think that was all for today, dissmissed!" John said after an small awkward pause.

One by one the furs made for the door, until Arl was the only one left, he stood at the door, and was just going to push down the handle to open it and leave when Azuka's voice intrerupted him for the second time that day.

"Just a second, Arlen!" The tiger in question bit back a groan when he heard that, turned around and tried to look as less irritated as possible. All he wanted to do now was to go to his room, brush his teeth and fall asleep. His muscles ached, he had a headache, and on top of that he was still mad for the arrogant comment from the white bengal tiger earlier. The situation had a vauge feeling of Déjà Vu to it.

"Yes?" He grimaced at the gruff, annoyed tone his voice had taken on. But Azuka seemed to not pay his irritation any notice. She was always so serene and calm in all situations. If the truth should be told, it was almost a little unseteling, her almost unnatrual calm.

"He wanted to see you..." Azuka said, oblivious to his inner musings. Arlen looked up, not remembering when he had lowerd his head,and met her eyes.

Arlen frowned and quirked an eyebrow in apperant confusion.

"Who?"

Arlen got the distinct impression that she wanted to roll her eyes at him, but seemed to restrain herself.

"The boy." She said evenly. For Arlen however, it felt as if his stomach had dropped from a skyscraper. That boy seriously freaked him out.

She had seen his obviously uneasy exspression and could not keep herself from rolling her eyes, but her face held a small smile.

"I gave him a sleeping pill before our little meeting, he should be sleeping heavily by now..."

Arlen noded wordlesslly in reply.

---

Azuka couldn't have been more wrong. The boy was wide awake,or at least looked to be, sitting up against the metal headbord of the bed, white sheet draped over his outstretched legs and bit of the stomach. He had crossed his thin arms over his equally thin chest. His luminous eyes where gazing out into the empty space of the room, gaze glazed over and dreamy.

He awoke from his dreamy state however when Arlen and Azuka walked into the room. His eyes flicked instantly to them, like to searing darts.

Arlen couldn't keep from flinching sharply when he saw the boy. The nickname "Ghost Boy" as Jorek had named him, was very fitting. The boy's cheeks looked even more sunken then before, but maybe that was the shadows making.

Azuka seemed to be very surprised that he was awake. She hid it well from the boy, but Arlen's sharp eyes caught it; a glint of bewilderment, intrigue in those violet eyes.

The boy gave them something of a indignant stare, not really a glare, mixed with something akin to curiosity.

Arlen tensed up when those white eyes quickly fluttred over him.

"Well, I think I'll leave you two alone!" Azuka cheerfuly said.

Arlen immediately snapped his head towards her, mouth an open black hole and eyes all but bulging out of their sockets.

"What!?" Arlen yelped.

"Is that a problem,Mr Blacktiger?" Azuka calmly replied with an raised eyebrow questioningly.

Arlen's round tiger ears flicked about for a second, before standing on alert on his head.

"....No Ma'am." He finally answerd.

Azuka noded once. "Good! Now if you excuse me, I have some paper work to deal with!" She then turned on her heel and with swishing tail left the room with soft click from the door.

Arlen walked over before slouching down in one of the chairs standing against the large glass window's frame. He found himself staring out into the room, bearly making out the shape of the large white cabinet standing against the wall, a little to the right side of the hospital bed.

Arl nervously fiddled with his paws, which rested in his lap. He felt how he started to cold sweat under his midnight black fur.

A motion in the corner of his eye made him snap his head in the sudden movement's direction.

The boy was still in the same posistion as before. Back resting against the metal headbored of the bed, half of his face wailed in dark shadow. The white eye that was visible, pinpointed onto him, gleamed in the sharp light from the hallway outside the room.

Arlen cleared his throat awkwardly before trying to speak. "Um...So what did you want with me?" He could not help but rub his neck uncomfortably. It did not help at all that the boy remained just as silent as before.

He actually contemplated rising form the chair, and just leave the room. Seriously.

"Why did you do it...?" It was a silent whisper in the pitch dark room.

The boy's suddenly whisperd question made Arl snap his head up and look at the boy once again.

"What?... What kind of question is that?" He replied quietly back.

He saw how the boy moved his thin shoulders in a shrug. His shoulder bones poking and moving with rolling movement under the white sick cloth he wore. Arlen had to surpress a gag of disgust.

"So let me get this straight, you want to know-"

"Why you saved me...yes." The boy finished.

Arlen shrugged his shoulders, much like the boy had done earlier, in reply.

"So you don't know?" The boy answerd, and the pale side of his face that was visible twisted into and soft yet angry indignant smile.

Arlen rolled his shoulders again. An element of helplessness creeping into the gesture.

"How can you not know why you saved someone?" A glint of steel glimmred in the snow-white eyes.

"Instinct maybe?" Arlen tried. The boy's face turned into confusion instead on silent anger, and he gave an unsure nod.

How...how about if I ask you some questions now, would that be okey?" Arlen tried.

The boy turned tense and guarded in a few seconds, shields blocking all emotion from reaching his eyes. He gave a stiff nod, a silent confirmation for Arlen to continue.

"That...thing that you did to me in the crubbled bilding," Arlen tried to chose his words carefully, as silent waves of hostility moved from the boy in tides.

"Do you have any ideas as to what that was?" He finished as best as he chould.

Instead of replying with an answer, the boy answerd with a question of his own. "What's your name?"

The completly innocent question took Arlen of guard completely.

For a few seconds he didn't know if he should reply or not.

"Arlen Blacktiger...but call me Arl." He said after a pause.

The boy sat on the bed, arms around his tucked legs and chin resting on them.

He was studying Arl through half closed, dreamy eyes.

It hit Arl suddenly, that as tired as he himself was, it must be nothing compeared to how the boy must be feeling.

As if on que, the boy yawned and plopped down on the pillow. He then dragged the cover over his slender, to skeletal form.

Arlen slowly rose from the chair and made his way to the door.

"Wait, don't go please!"

The sudden plea from the boy made him freeze at the door. He turned and looked over his shoulder.

The boy sat up in the bed, face an alarmed expression, on the verge of panic.

"Please don't go...stay with me?" It came out more like another question then a command.

Arlen glanced longingly at the hallway outside of the room.

All he really wanted to do was to ignore the boy's plea and rush out of the room. The boy freaked him out, he just could not stand to be in his presence.

But seeing the white eyes that shone with unshed tears, that thought was evaporated in an instant.

With as sigh he trotted away from the door, and went back to the chair and sat down.

"At least tell me why you keep me prisioner here all night, eh?"

The alarmed and panicked look was gone from the boy the second Arlen moved away from the door. He had layed down in the bed again, facing side-ways so he could look at Arl.

"I have been alone for so long... I don't want to be alone anymore!" He whispered.

That is a reasonble argument...I guess.

Arlen snorted, shrugged and tried to make himself comefortable.

"Then I guess I'll be staying here tonight!" Arlen chuckled.

A small smile came to the boy then, and it made Arlen smile a bit in return,too.

"Thank you Arl!" The boy whispered again.

"Heh...your welcome... But go to sleep now, so I can leave sometime huh!" Arlen replied and scratched his ear, an awkward blush burning on his cheeks and the inside of his ears.

The boy giggled, but ultimately closed his eyes, with the small angelic smile still on his face.

His breathing grew deep and rythmic. His face relaxed. And Arlen felt a pang when he saw how young the boy actually was.

He then took it onto himself to guard the boy through the night, from what he did not know, but he would still be there when the boy woke up in the morning.

For all his odd and scary attributes, he was still a boy; a young child. And if there was one thing Arlen hated on God's green earth, then it was suffering children.

He must have dozed off, and before he chould react, Arlen was soon sleeping just as heavily as the boy. Dreaming dreams that he would have forgotten when dawn awoke him to another day.