FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

All characters are copyright to me, TiberiusRings. We're getting close to the end here, people. Any guesses on how you think it'll end? =)

"Let's do this," Rei had said as he stepped from the darkness and infront of the television, his suit nice and crisp, his eyes glowing bright red. Normally, this would have made him look sinister, and that was the point. He never met with prospective clients in person and always added dramatic flair to their meetings; in his mind if he didn't rattle their cages in a conversation, something was fishy.

The eyes made Garrison stumble, and by stumble, missing a few keys on the laptop in his lap. He watched his friend walk and take a seat infront of the television, the light they were using projected downwards against his knees and chest, but left his face blank, except for those two red glowing eyes coming from his face. The effect was not lost on Garrison; sinister, scary, and evil. As if, if one wanted to make a bargain with this man you were putting up more than monetary value, you were putting up a portion of your very essence.

"Woah, fuck man. What's with the glowsticks in your eyes?" Garrison smiled. He knew, deep down, it was still Rei. The man who had thrown himself back into his life, and couldn't be happier. The raccoon was a nice addition to his boring life and he was glad to have Rei back.

"It's neat, isn't it?" Rei said as he turned to look at Garrison, leaning over so his face was in the light. "I do this so anyone who talks with me knows that I'm not some pick pocket on the side of the street, and it builds up my reputation. I don't want just anyone looking to have something stolen; I want them to seriously consider this, and what I could do to them if they try to double cross me."

"So this why you're known in the underworld as 'Tiberius'?" Garrison was leaning back onto one palm, his head rolled to the side in a lop sided grin. He liked it, he should have thought up a more abstract persona like his raccoon friend had.

"Something like that, yes. It's so I can operate without using my real name as much. Not like any warrant sticks to me, evidence is always nill and the police rarely know where to search. Usually, if the theft hits the media, a witness rambles about a dark shadow and they figure its a cat." Rei said so 'matter-of-factly, waving a hand dismissively as he looked to Garrison.

"I like it, I like it a fuckin' lot." The dog gave his approval, which wasn't something he always did. Rei knew that Garrison hardly approved of anything anyone else did, and took it with a grin. "We ready still?"

"Yeah, load into the L3 server on the secondary network, use firewalls and IP scramblers. I don't want anyone tracing this message. You get a tap that even makes it into the city, kill the line." Rei said as he leaned back into the shadows once more, his hands coming to rest on his knees. Garrison noticed Rei had put on a single piece of jewelry; a gold ring with a ruby set into it. It looked like a ring Duncan used to wear.

"Alrighty-o. Loadin' her up." Garrison clicked something on his screen and typed in a few commands, more than likely passwords and key encryption algorithms. He knew what he was doing it seemed.

Rei was glad he had someone to monitor the line. That way if it cut out it didn't look like he did it on his own, it looked like there would be a hell of a lot more to "Tiberius" than most people thought. He was figuring he needed to expand anyhow. Maybe a new partnership. Garrison was the obvious choice; if the dog wanted to help him out. He could ask Drew, if they could find him.

This was, of course, if they got out of this alive. The Federal Government wanted Rei to do something, or at least talk to them. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle such a job if he ever took one, and seriously doubted the government letting him go on his merry way the moment it was done. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Big Brother was hardly something an individual could tango with and survive, he'd seen far too many smaller companies taken down over the years, and people. He did not plan to be one of those people.

The Television monitor began to blink as the camera switched on. Rei sat back and watched closely as the screen flickered and then displayed a grey office room. There was a tall potted plant in the corner, and what appeared to be a desk with a burgandy chair behind it, and nothing else. Rei knew the feed was live, whomever was on the other side of it could see Rei, and Rei could see into the office. This didn't make sense.

Rei shifted, not wanting to speak first. He wasn't going to give away he was nervous. Someone had accepted the direct link but not sat down infront of the computer. An eye flicked to Garrison, who waved a hand dismissively, obviously dodging some minor

attempt to trace their up-link. The dog was snickering as he typed something into the keyboard on his knees, leaning down close to the monitor, appearing to be a kid writing naughty stories to his girlfriend over the internet.

Finally, after a few moments of odd silence, there was movement. Someone walked around the front of the desk and sat down in the chair. To Rei's amazement, it was not some low ranking officer in the U.S. Navy. but Captain Harding. The man had a broken nose, as was evident by the whie tape plastered to the bridge of his muzzle. He looked to be favoring his left side, and he had two black eyes from the broken nose. Rei grinned in the darkness, pleased with his handiwork, but only for a moment. What was going on? Garrison's eyes were looking up now, very curious to where his friend had vanished to.

"Ah, Mr. Conner, I'm very pleased we can talk again." Harding's voice hinted at a bit of playful teasing. The wolf had no tact, and made Rei's hackles stand on end. "You can cut the dramatics, I've seen you naked before, I don't need the light show."

Rei did not lean forward, or remove the glowing contacts in his eyes. What he did do was flex a hand on his knee, which activated the small computer at the base of his neck. It was a vocal reprocessor, a lovely little invention. It wrapped around the back of his neck and touched his throat with two transparent fiberoptic cords. It was making him sound different, raspier, harsher, and less like the man he was.

"Captain Harding. I see you've had nose work done."

The snide attitude of the wolf vanished instantly as he glared across the monitor. The wolf was put in his place easily, and Rei was recording the conversation, obviously. If the wolf gloated about rape, it could end up in the hand of the Associated Press, edited to cut out the finer details, but enough to screw one horny captain over, ten fold.

"Where is...Ensign Mitchell?" This from Rei, who did not move, the vocalizer hiding his voice so well. He loved this little device, he really, really did.

"The Ensign is a bit indisposed. We decided to remove him when we found out he would be talking to the great Tiberius. We need to talk about that mission we brought up earlier, Conner."

"I don't work for the Federal Government and I don't owe the country anything. I will not do a job for an organization who wishes to put me in a cell." Rei was trying to be cold and calculated. He was thinking of Garrison though. For some reason he wanted to hold onto the dog. Was he actually developing a relationship with the handsome mutt? Naw.

"You haven't even heard the logistics, yet. It could be well worth your while, Conner."

"Let me put it another way, Captain. You detained me and I got away, and you can't find me. I'm hidden so damn well you don't know what to do, so you're talking to me over a video comm. You think if you get one last chance to discuss it with me I may, just maybe, will take this job. If you don't begin to act like I'm the one in control here I will end this feed right away and go on my business, which I do have a lot of, Captain."

The wolf growled a bit and slammed a hand onto the table, quickly leaning closer to the camera, his lips pulled back in a snarl that showed fierce anger. He knew, if Rei had been there in person, Harding would have knocked him on his ass for that comment. Good! Get the wolf angry, get him mad so he'll slip up and say more than he wants to. Rei could manipulate this wolf to no end and was glad Harding was easy to read.

"Fucking coon!" The wolf was growling, but finally sat down in his chair. "I hate civilians. You think you know everything since you're the people of a great country, but a military defends a great country."

"I don't need a Basic Training lecture, Harding. Business, now, or I end this right away." Rei had his hand up, about to signal Garrison to end the conversation with a single button push.

"WAIT!" The wolf said, growling lowly as he glared to the glowing eyes across the screen. "Business. Remember the satellite data you stole from NuTech? The one we wanted and the copy you then destroyed? We needed that data."

"Needed. Past tense. What happened?" Rei was curious now, his ringed tail swishing quietly behind him in the darkness. "Someone has the data that we didn't want." Harding was leaning back, his hands on the arms of the chair. "We know you don't have it, you'd have gotten rid of it the moment you did, but wherever you sent it, someone else stole it, am I right?"

Rei didn't know. He hadn't tried to contact Drew since he got free, figuring the young fox was hiding somewhere. Apparently something bad had happened; the data they had was in someone elses hands, which meant Drew was in someone elses hands. He was worried for his small friend now.

"Who do you think has the data?" Rei would not give up he had a partner in that theft, he was going to try and shield the young fox as best he could, he did not want to see Drew thrown into prison.

The wolf sat there, squirming in his chair as he glared to Rei across the screen. He watched the raccoon's eyes flick about lazily as he stared into them, and then spoke up. "We believe a person of interest has the data, a very dangerous person of interest that we need to stop at all costs, and that includes you."

Rei gripped his knees, growing impatient with the round-about conversation he was having with the Captain. He huffed as he looked right at the captain. "Name, Captain. NOW!" He was angry, but the shout came off very loud and dangerous, and the effect was not

lost on the injured wolf.

"Dashford. Duncan Dashford!"

Rei felt the world slip out from under his feet. Duncan? He was here? His head began to spin as he felt his stomach lurch. He hadn't expected that name to come up. Duncan...was back? Duncan wasn't dead? What the hell was going on. He felt sick to his stomach, and then held his hand up. "Captain...Stay in the office, I will contact you in a moment." And with a signal to Garrison, the signal was cut. Rei doubled up and rolled off the couch and onto the floor, holding his stomach.

Garrison put the laptop down and quickly ran to his friend, curling an arm around his waist. "Rei! Are you allright?" The accent and foul mouth seemed to be on pause. He helped Rei sit up and not curl up onto the floor. Rei swallowed hard, trying to keep his gullet down and not on the new sofa.

"Duncan...is here? I thought he was dead." Rei said softly, looking into Garrison's eyes. Rei was afraid. Was his job to fight Duncan? To steal something from him? Steal from the man who gave him everything and a chance to live? What the hell...

"Apparently so, Rei-Rei. C'mon man, snap out of it. Don't get sick on me. Just breathe. C'mon, stand up. Walk it off." Garrison helped Rei to his feet, holding him up with an arm around his waist, Rei's arm slung over his shoulders to help him remain up.

Garrison's face was pressed close to Rei.

"Duncan... I thought he died. When the building exploded. I thought he died." Rei was talking in a soft whisper. He had clicked off the voice changer, and was speaking in his real voice. Garrison began to walk him slowly away from the sofa and toward the more open space of the living room. Garrison was right, walking was making his stomach settle down abit, but it was hard.

Garrison walked him infront of the large windows that overlooked Manhattan. He half expected to see rain pouring down on the night city, and figured fate would be too cliche and melodramatic to do that, and thankfully mother nature had decided to forego being a whiny bitch and just keep the sky clear. He held Rei up as they looked out. "What, exactly, happaned that night, Rei?

No one knows, everyone who knew Duncan figured he died. You barely made it out alive."

Rei swallowed, leaning his forehead against the cool glass. He was talking about a man he loved, who protected him when he needed it, and litterally saved his life more times than he could count. He had just begun to move on and develop feelings for a certain dog in the room, and now this. Why did his life have to unravel so oddly at the worst times?

"It was.. well, I don't remember everything," Rei began, speaking quietly as he knew he had to hurry this up, or Harding would go away and they would lose credible information. He pushed it out of his mind that he could have to fight Duncan; something he had done times in the sparring ring, but never won. "We had a mission, swoop in, grab, and eliminate. He did his job and I did mine.

The company was BioFirm. That company that was developing some genetic gel that could regrow tissue. My job was simple, steal the database. Duncan's was to eliminate the head scientist, something about illegal experimentation. The building is gone now, as you know. It blew up."

"Yeah..that was one fuckin' huge explosion. It rocked the city." Garrison said, listening attentively.

"We went in and when we got to the lab floor, we split up. Duncan said 'If this ends up badly, it's all yours.' and then left the corridor, going to the left, I went right. I found the databse easily and was able to copy it all. Our mission wasn't to destroy anything. We didn't cause the explosion--Well, I take that back. I didn't cause the explosion. I went looking for Duncan, expecting to find his job done as easily as mine. I went to the left, as Duncan had. But, I heard yelling, Duncan shouting something, I can't remember what. The next thing I knew, the building rocked. I heard Duncan shout again, something like 'RUN!'

and I figured he was talking to me. I ran. I managed to break a window and leap out.. I remember falling a couple stories and hitting the roof of a building next to BioFirm. I broke a couple ribs and sprained a wrist, but I was okay. I ran. I managed to get a block away until the building exploded."

"Fuck. Duncan was inside?"

"As far as we knew. I remember thinking he got out; he always got out. Duncan didn't mess up that badly. But when I got home, he wasn't there. I waited two days and he didn't come home. On the third I got an automatic e-mail. It gave all of his posessions. He had some system rigged that if he wasn't active in some computer that his fortune would transfer to someone. It's how I got the apartment the feds are watching; it was his."

"Jeez-us!" Garrison shook his head and looked out at the city below, frowning a bit. "Duncan was a-fucking-mazing. I didn't think an explosion could kill someone like him."

"Yeah, I didn't believe it either. But, it looks like he did make it out, if we can believe Harding. Why would he do that, though?"

"Iunno, man. Duncan always followed his own drummer, hell, he had his own fuckin' band. Only one way to find out. We can ask him." Garrison tightened his grip on Rei, sighing.

"No. You are not going with me. If I even go, if this is even true." Rei turned to Garrison, frowning. "I lost him, I don't want to lose you. Please, promise me you'll stay away from wherever I may be going." Rei sounded desperate, a soft voice even.

"Fuck...Rei. Mushy stuff..." Garrison looked down, as if he was a puppy who was getting scolded. He shifted his grip on the raccoon and curled his arms around his body, clinging to him tightly as he hugged Rei in a tight hug. "I don't do mushy stuff well, but I will for ya. And I'll stay away. But if you don't call, I'm fuckin' coming in with a gattling gun and about 20 mercenaries!"

That made Rei smile. It felt good to smile. He leaned into the hug and returned it, nuzzling his cheek and giving him a soft kiss on his cheek. He was happy he went back to Garrison, now more than ever. "Okay, that's fine with me."

"C'mon, Rei-Rei. Lets talk to this fuckin' military guy and see what we can find out." Garrison helped Rei to the sofa, having him sit down and handed him his bottle of water he'd had next to him. Rei twisted the cap open and then took a deep, long mouthful of cool water before screwing it back on.

Garrison hit a few commands on his screen and the television flashed twice, the image of Harding drumming some fingers on the table was there, looking perturbed to say the least. "Finally. Are you done?" The wolf did not sound pleased, but he would be polite still since he obviously needed Rei.

"I had to control myself. It is not often a ghost of your past jumps from memory into reality. What makes you think it is Dashford and someone using his name as an alias?"

"Ah," the wolf nodded his head and pulled out a pen drive from his pocket. He slipped it into the computer port and moved the mouse. On Rei's screen an image appeared. It showed a brown wolf, standing at about six foot two, approximately Duncan's full height. The wolf had the scar along the cheek that was also something Duncan had. "This image was taken two weeks ago, obviously of Dashford."

Rei looked closely, motioning for Duncan to enlarge the image. There was no more doubt in his mind, this was Duncan; the gun in his hand was a kind of special firearm Duncan used. The barrel was square and had a built in laser guide at the base of the barrel instead of the top. The hilt was boxy, designed to fit that hand like a glove. What really made it obvious it was Duncan's weapon was he could see the letters. S.A.C.R and the remainder of the word hidden. Duncan used two guns, Sacred and Contempt. The other gun was not seen, but he knew Duncan had the gun. Rei had never found either weapon after the explosion. Rei made sure to have the picture saved to his own system so they could look at it more closely.

"That looks like Dashford, but it could be someone else; but this doesn't matter much to me, what do you need me for, Harding?"

"We need you," The wolf began, looking away from the monitor, leaning forward to place his elbows on the table. The wolf did not want to continue, which was very obvious. "To stop Dashford. No one alive knows him like you do, you were his apprentice, were you not?"

Rei wasn't sure how much he should admit, but he huffed. "Not in the exact sense. He did not train me to be a hired assassin, he trained me to be the best thief in the known world. I'm not a match for him in combat, I don't think anyone is."

"But you know his ins and outs, he trained you, and frankly, you know his combat abilities better than anyone alive."

Rei knew this was coming, but he wasn't sure what to say. They wanted him to take Duncan out, but as he had told Harding, he was not an assassin, he'd never even killed before. What was he supposed to do? He knew if he fought Duncan he would more than likely lose, but... if Duncan was doing something illegal?

"Duncan stole the software and codes for a military satellite, didn't he?" Rei asked instantly, not thinking about the question and just asking it. He made sure Garrison was listening, having a computer friend listening in would be invaluable if any technical information was forked over.

Harding just nodded his head lazily, and pushed another button. A picture of the planet appeared in another corner of the TV, a blue line showing the orbit of a satellite appeared. "This is USMC Sat 1134C. It's a new low orbit research satellite. Translation, it has heat shields, and can reenter orbit without any problems. He sent a message saying Manhattan would be purged in 54 hours.. which came in yesterday at 3 AM. Time is of the essence here, Mr. Conner. Are you going to let Manhattan be deciminated due to your pride?"

Rei wasn't sure how to respond to that. Dropping a satellite on the city? That didnt' sound like Duncan, but then vanishing into the night didn't sound like Duncan either; he was not sure how to judge his next answer. How was he supposed to respond to taking on Duncan? The man who had taught him all of his skills, well, most of his skulls.

"Give me all the data you have on him and I'll do what I can, but there's a good chance I could die. I also want my record cleared in every military and federal branch; I do this and somehow walk out alive, I think the feds can look the other way. I also want all your files on me and them to be purged from your database. If you want this, we start clean. I also want you to resign your comission." Rei smirked. What, was he going to be nice to the man who raped him?

Harding looked shocked, watching Rei closely and then huffed, his ears flattening on the side of his head, gritting his teeth as tight as he could but then nodded. "Very well. But if you fail, you spend the rest of your life in a federal prison. I'm

sending over all the data we have on Dashford's reappearence." Harding hit a few buttons, and then the screen went dead. Files were being loaded into the laptop on Garrison's lap.

Rei stood up then and removed the vocal changer on his neck and then pulled out the glowing contacts in his eyes, tossing them to the floor; he could easily make a lot of them, and for now he didn't feel like being proper about where he put things. He was going to have to fight Duncan, he just agreed to it. Man, what was he thinking?

"Rei, you know this shit is deeper than anything you've ever messed with, right?" Garrison said as he stood up, walking over to the raccoon and frowned, tilting his head to the side. "Think you can beat 'em?"

"I don't fucking know, Gar. He made me who I am today; I'm as skilled as he made me. I don't know what I can do to beat him."

Garrison thought for a moment, rubbing his chin then as he looked back outside to Manhattan. A smirk formed on his face then as he glanced to Rei. "Then use things he hasn't seen you use."

"What?" Rei blinked, and then saw Garrison's smirk. It hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Right. Lets get to work."

To be continued...