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Arthur

"What do you mean you have no clue where he is?" I shakily spoke.

Damien let out a pained sigh, leaning against the holographic monitor with his arms folded over his chest. "I'm saying that we have no idea where he is. We lost his signal when he decided to take on a mission that was near suicidal."

"Where was he last tracked?"

He beckoned me forward. "Come."

Even though I was trying my best to hold back my frustration, I wanted to pin him against a wall and get every exact detail from him. Of course that would be considered betrayal and I would get thrown on a one way ticket out of this fleet and have my position to the Revolution stripped as well. I wasn't dumb enough to actually do something like that, but I had to hold back every single muscle not to do what I was thinking.

A million questions quickly buzzed within my mind. How long had Carlos been off the grid? How long has Damien kept this information from me? Was he still alive? Was he dead? What was so important that he had to disappear and get himself caught somewhere only to be declared MIA or KIA by Damien?

Damien was the only one who could answer me. I still wanted to know how long he had known of Carlos's disappearance and why he kept it from me up until now. One way or another, I was going to get answers whether he wanted to tell me them or not. I hated that he kept this from me since Carlos was the one who helped find me all those years ago and since then I had looked up to him as the father I had lost. I knew that was a sad thing to do, but while growing up, I felt like I needed someone to look up to so I could get stronger, and that person was always Carlos. He was there for me when I needed him most, and I would damned if I couldn't be there when he needed me most.

My general taped a few of the buttons on the screen, pulling up a holographic viewing of the planet. He then zoomed in on South America a few times, going closer and closer to the higher regions of the Amazon River. Is that where he sent Falk or was that where his last location was? I had to know.

Suddenly, a red dot blinked to life on the screen, appearing in northern Brazil. "This is the first checkpoint we told him to check in on. He told him that we needed to know what was going on down in South America."

"What exactly is going on?" I asked, leaning closer, watching the red dot slowly slide left of the continent, leaving a red tail in his wake.

Damien sighed, shaking his head. "Remember when you asked me about those...lingering slaves? Well, I went deeper into it and found that many of them came from a certain location along the Amazon Rain Forest. Though the jungles are treacherous and unnerving, our intelligence was spot on."

"So there's, like, some sort of laboratory making slaves lose their mind?" I asked, watching the red dot stop along the river.

He nodded. "That's what we think, at least. We're not for certain, but a good sum of the slaves we recorded from the plantation you worked on and the prison Falk was at came from somewhere up north of South America."

I looked intently, zooming in closer towards the dot. "No one would think there's a factory hidden inside such a deep jungle. It's an ideal spot where the media and news casters can't get to, not unless you're part of the people who work there."

"That's exactly what we think. The only problem is that we're still unsure about if there is a laboratory there or not. For all we know, the slaves could've just been captured somewhere in the northern cities and traveled up the river by plane as precious cargo. We honestly have no clue."

"But where was Carlos when his signal dropped?"

I watched as Damien brought up the red trail and where it stopped. The dot then proceeded to blink rapidly a few more times, yet its rhythm was off a few times before rapidly blinking again. After it did that, it went a very small distance before it blinked one last time before fading entirely. It was a good distance down the checkpoint but when it stopped responding, it looked like it was off in the jungle close to the river. However, it was also close to the edge of the country of Peru where the land met the ocean. It was possible he was swept at sea and his signal had been fried, but a quick check with Damien denied any hopes that I had.

"His last signal came from the Ucayali River just a few clicks down. We've tried searching for that signal dozens of times, increasing our radar by fifty percent just in case it was still there. We even tried to amplify his signal remotely but we no get response. So far, whatever happened to his signal, it was permanently removed and destroyed."

I replayed the recording a few more times, wondering if there was anything we might have missed. My eyes could see anything besides those rapid flickers coming from him, then the sudden fade, and the one last flicker. Even with a few more looks at it, I couldn't see anything that could give us any clue.

"Can you bring up a close-up on the forest where the signal was lost?" I asked.

He nodded, typing away at the computer. The image then changed until the location of the signal was maximized. The trees, around the exact point where the last flicker, came up and I could see the river and vegetation around it. I could see a red silhouette of him where he exactly was and then his body vanished instantaneously. He had to have been on a raft, and the ride there had to have been bumpy.

"We've theorized that the current of the river, which has gotten progressively worse over the years, flipped his raft over and caused him and his team to sink and drown. The depth of the river has also risen due to the rise in the rain this year, making it a muddy suicide river that will drag you down until there is no hope left."

"But that's not it, I'm guessing," I didn't mean it as a question, more as a statement.

He sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "There's also the possibility that there is a laboratory there and they took him hostage. If that's the case, then he's probably going to be the test subject of their new toys."

"I have to go and find him," I stated, standing straight up, not even waiting for Damien to reply.

As I marched out of the room, Damien grabbed my shoulder and stopped me. I could feel his tense grip as he held me in place. "I know how you must feel, Arthur. I realize that he was close to you and dear to your heart, but I cannot authorize a suicide mission such as this."

My body trembled as I felt the urge to pull myself away from his grip, knowing that would only make matters even worse for me. My mind was already flustered with the thought of losing Carlos to some terrible scientist who could be performing dangerous and lethal experiments on him, or I might find him drifting out at sea already dead. I shuddered. I could only hope that it never came to that, otherwise I would have to admit that Damien was right.

The problem was we didn't know if he was dead or alive yet. Sure, his signal was gone but things like that happened more often than we could keep up with. I could see his point though. The Amazon was dangerous during this time of the year, and it was still infested and crawling with all sorts of dangerous feral animals, parasites, and other things that could kill me if I wasn't careful. I would need to follow exactly where Carlos had went in order to get the best results and that meant would need extra supplies in case things went sideways.

This was a job for more than two people. Damien was right. I just couldn't keep myself cooped up in here, not knowing if my friend was dead or alive or not. It wasn't right. If he was alive, I needed to rescue him. If he wasn't, I still needed to go and hopefully find his body...or what might be left of it.

I shuddered at the thought again.

Damien gripped my shoulder tighter, bringing me back into reality. "Arthur, I just cannot allow you to go."

I turned to face him, all seriousness in my gaze. "If it was one of your family in his place, would you not do the same for them?"

The question seemed to throw him off, almost like he wasn't expected to be hit by a curve ball. Damn it! I should've known better than to throw his family into the mix! He was sensitive about them, and I had no authority just talking about them like that. I was in some serious shit now.

He locked his eyes on me and furrowed a brow, almost baring his white teeth at me. His body replaced fixated in place while we stared at each other, neither one of us backing down from this fight. I needed answers, and he was in the tight position of calling it in or calling it off.

Silence filled the area between us until he sighed, rubbing his eyes. "If it was one of my family, I wouldn't hesitate to go and save them. Even if I knew they were dead, I'd still want clarity." He then looked back at me. "As much as I don't want to, I'll authorize the mission. But you are to find Carlos and his crew as quickly as possible then return to the fleet, am I understood?"

I nodded. "Crystal."

He beckoned me to follow him, though I could see that exhaustion was getting to him. All these hours of pure work that required every ounce of energy from him had to have taken its toll on him. We all knew he wasn't invincible, but he was still our fearless leader who would never turn away from an opportunity that might change this war in our favor. Still, being the general of a large fleet like this, and having to coordinate attacks, supplies, and troops, all at once had to be taxing on his mind.

I felt guilty putting him through even more strain even as he began to debrief me on the mission. He was already stressed out to the fullest, and I only added to that stress just a ton more. I was going to have to make this up to him one day when we have the chance, otherwise I was not going to have a sound conscience until I did.

He brought up the map once more. "You and a team of six others are to investigate the whereabouts of Carlos and his missing crew. You have a grand total of six days to complete the mission before I call it off, and your time will only begin once you have landed in South America--Brazil to be more precise."

The screen shifted until it showed Carlos's path until his last known location. Damien placed two fingers on the hologram then pulled it from the screen, sending it right into a thin data chip and handed it to me which I quickly slid into my communicator, immediately receiving the same data he transmitted.

"This is all the known data we could muster from what he sent us," he went on. "Start from where he did and work your way down until there's no trail left to follow. I'll provide enough supplies to last the duration of the mission, as well as a duo of life boats for you to travel downstream. They'll be fitted with a cloaking device that will mask your position from any enemies in the area."

I nodded. "Sounds promising. Thank you, sir."

Before I could walk out, he stopped me again. "Be careful, Arthur. I have a bad feeling about this, and you know I don't have bad feelings about a lot of things, right?"

"Yeah, I know," I replied.

He sighed. "Tread lightly."

With a quick nod, I made myself out the door to uncertainty.

Damien allowed me only three hours to prepare for my departure, which was just enough time to get my bearings together. The only duffel bag I was taking held a pistol, rifle, and an assault rifle all fitted with suppressors with extra cartridges in case I needed extra firepower. My diving gear, protective gear, and normal attire were all things I could take as well; the normal clothes would allow me to blend in with the people of the country so I could go in without looking suspicious.

By the time I was finished, I had only half on hour until it was time to deploy. Damien came by a few times somewhat advising against me going on this mission, almost as if he knew something that I didn't. He assured me he knew everything that there was to tell me and spared no expense telling me all the details, fearing that if he did then it would only jeopardize the entire mission.

At first, I was hesitant to believe him considering he had kept this information from me for the last few days, but he was still my general and I had to trust in him. If he left out something, I would be more than sure to come back and get it out of him.

That was a big if though. This mission was dangerous, probably not as dangerous as many of the other missions I went on but still dangerous enough to put myself and the other soldiers beside me at risk. Damien told me that only the best of the best were coming with me, even going on to say that their service was personal since they valued Carlos and his methods. He wasn't just an inspiration to me, but he was a renowned man across our fleet as the best man for the job. Now that he was missing, his men were worried and needed to find out what happened to their esteemed commander.

We had common goals at least. I finally zipped up my bag and exited my room, making my way up to the flight deck. I walked by a few soldiers along the way, also passing by Falk's chambers. I felt the urge to tell him I was departing for a mission, but I decided to go against it knowing that he was probably worn out from training with the other lieutenants. Besides, if things went accordingly, I wouldn't need to rely on him for help. That went the same for Zoey as well. With luck, maybe I could be gone and be back before they even realized I was gone.

I made my way up the long staircase to the flight deck and walked towards the chopper close by, finding the six others already waiting for my go on the mission. I could see three guys and girls, all of which were as deadly as they were..."charming". Each were trained killers, assassins, spies, soldiers, etc., that could outmatch a platoon of Overlord soldiers within only a few seconds.

As I neared the group however, I noticed a face that I didn't expect to see. She met mine and flashed me one of her pearly white smiles, running up to me and wrapping her lean yet strong arms around me.

"Didn't expect you to almost be late," Zoey giggled.

"What're you doing here?" I asked, baffled.

She smiled. "Damien already filled me in on what's going on, so don't worry. He asked that I go on this mission with you since we work well in a pair."

I was about to tell her no but she was right. We did work well in a pair, even better in a trio, but Falk wasn't here. I took it that Damien thought it was best that he not go on the mission.

Knowing that I couldn't talk to Damien now, I had no choice but to accept that Zoey was going on this mission. She was persistent as well, so I didn't expect her to back down from the challenge either. If she wanted to go on a dangerous, life-threatening mission with one of her close allies, there was nothing stopping her when the time came.

I sighed, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Alright, let's get going. We have six days to find and save the man who saved me."

Jupiter

"I explicitly told you not to add sugar, you useless misfit!" Jupiter scolded, slapping one of the many servants across the face, sending him onto his knees sobbing. The raccoon sobbed lightly, dropping the small tray with the coffee his master ordered.

The panther growled deeply as he watched his servant boy shake, trembling at the might of his master. There was nothing stopping Jupiter from utterly beating the boy in front of everyone who was present in the room, since he was nothing more than another failure of an investment he foolishly made. He still stood while his slave was taken out of the room by a group of soldiers and another was brought in carrying cleaning supplies.

"Clean this mess up," Jupiter sighed with exasperation, rubbing his tired eyes while the new servant quickly bowed and began to mop up the floor while Jupiter left the room.

The door slammed behind him as he stormed his way through the wide halls, angrily eying the dozens of soldiers standing at their post inside the large laboratory. Though this estate was not his to call home, he was still a Task Master that held large amounts of power and authority, and he was not about to let lazy slaves like these mess up on his watch. Even the soldiers needed proper authority.

Oh, they should know better. He may be a guest, but they were still the lowest of the lowest class. They had no say in private and important matters like he had to go through constantly, and he knew they couldn't fathom the responsibility of running many estates around the globe with hundreds of slaves at his disposal and have to keep up with each on a regular basis. He was a man who had all the rights in the world to do as he pleased and all these slaves together could not stop him from doing whatever he wanted.

The man still had class though. He still had mercy within him, but when a slave thought they could stand on his same level, that was when he had to put them back in their place. They were not equal to him. They were the insects who should bow to his will at a moment's notice.

Speaking of which, one passed just by him in a hurry. He cleared his throat and immediately the slave stopped and turned around, immediately falling onto his knees, recognizing the power the panther showed just in his stature.

At least this one knew where he belonged.

The panther quickly dismissed the boy and walked away, making his way through the complex and intricate laboratory-like house. Most of the insides of the beast was white with scientists clad in white coats walking around with clip board and test slaves, charting off any new findings or breakthroughs they might have made in their effort. Jupiter couldn't simply walk by without seeing one or two of them at the same time, some keeping slaves close on a chain while others walked alone.

He walked towards one of the large windows that overlooked the entire jungle area around the lab. He could see the muddied river, the bushy green leaves of the trees, and the dark clouds that loomed over the horizon. For midday, it wasn't that bad of a sight.

It wasn't the view that made him stay though. His eyes locked on his reflection. At first, he almost thought he was looking into the past. His face was perfect, smooth, chiseled and devilishly handsome. It was free of the four claw marks. As he looked closer, he saw his own reflection but stared even harder, remembering his reflection before the event six years ago. Those scars never healed and were permanent along his eye--four long slashes that traveled down his upper cheek.

"All thanks to that boy..." he muttered to himself, gritting his teeth. He kept his arms folded behind his back while he remembered that moment all those years ago.

You need to know when to hold your tongue, fox. He had said, holding the fox by throat in the air. The boy clung to his arm and struggled, fighting back even when he knew he was vastly outmatched against the strong and powerful panther yet still tried to break free.

That's when it happened. The fox finally lashed out and slashed those sharp claws across his face, forcing Jupiter to let go and allow the fox one more day of life until he joined his parents.

It was his worst mistake. The next morning, he searched and searched...and searched for that fox. There was no sign of him anywhere. He remembered personally searching the entire compound dozens of times until the humidity finally got to him, forcing him to call off his search for the time being. His soldiers searched as well, returning to the panther with the information he feared the most. The boy had escaped and more than likely found the Revolution.

The anger he felt that day was unmatchable. He remembered going completely berserk, flipping the various tables around his home, shattering many of the fragile items, and even beating many of the slaves around his home. They obviously screwed something up while he wasn't watching, so he was just reminding them that mistakes were not a part of who he was.

Oh, how his family reacted after seeing him rampage. They were scared for their own lives, staying as far away as they could from the angered man in case he forgot who they were. He didn't forget though. Though his mind was foggy at the time and all he sought was revenge for the loss of who was going to be a testament of his authority. For the next week, he secluded himself from everyone else, finding that interaction even with the slightest person threw him off edge. Alcohol soothed his mind for short periods of time, but once they wore off he felt as if it had just happened.

In all his years of keeping his slaves in check, he finally slipped up and allowed one to walk out his own door long before he even realized. Why had he been so angry? It was one slave, and they were all replaceable. He shouldn't have been worried or even angered. The panther literally lost his leveled head for the next month of drinking and seclusion.

He looked deep into his reflection once more, still finding the scars of that same fox still marking his face now and forever. With fool's judgment, he allowed the same boy to escape under his careful watch. He couldn't figure out why he loathed that fox so much as he revered him. The boy was able to do something no other slave had ever attempted to do and managed to get away with it even after all these years. Jupiter was still surprised every time he remembered the look into those serious and angered eyes of his. It matched only his own once he lost his temper during the aftermath.

Jupiter chuckled deeply.

"Your son was just as courageous as he was foolish, Henry," Jupiter chuckled in a monotone voice. "I never would've thought that things could play out in such a round table fashion. I underestimated you...and him."

It was all true. Jupiter had underestimated his prey. The only miscalculation he had ever made and it just happened to be one of his greatest defeats. Oh, Jupiter knew the fox was still alive to this day--there was no questioning what he knew by pure facts. If that fox was dead as dead could be, he would've known about it a long time ago. Maybe the Revolution did train their soldiers to last.

He scoffed. "It's a shame even my own sons, if I can even still call them that, are weaker than your son. Though they're strong and merciless, they lack the creative aspect I...adore about yours. He's strong, smart, hardheaded, persistent, and cunning--just as you were when we were once close. You lucky fuck."

Over the years, he found that he didn't want to kill the boy anymore. With his new look, all slaves that saw him knew what true unyielding fear was meant to be like. They knew not to cross him. Ever. Those that thought they could were immediately punished until they remembered their place in society.

Even when he thought the boy was nothing more than a nuisance to him, he thought about all the possibilities someone like him held. His strength could push him through the toughest of obstacles with ease. His wits could solve many problems before they proved too much for him to bear. His persistence...that would push him to great lengths of stamina and resilience, even up against someone such as Jupiter's own power.

He growled, slamming his fist against the wall, surprised it didn't shatter. "Bah! Why can my own sons not be him? Even with the best teachers and all my contacts, they still fall short of what I need!"

Jupiter's sons Ryxen and Rein were nothing but cruel and merciless when it came to handling a slave. Though he appreciated their ruthless character, he wanted them to have a bit of mercy inside their soul as to not accidentally kill a slave who shouldn't have died. Their accidents had cost the man a fortune in replacements, nothing that his big wallet couldn't cover, but he was furious at the both of them for being so careless and brash. Even their teachers spoke ill about them and how they did poorly on their work. Money wasted, as Jupiter put it.

"They only took after me in my power," Jupiter groaned. "They've learned nothing of responsibility, those foolish, ignorant, brats. I hope that they can at least run the plantation in my absence. If not, I'll be more than happy to discharge them of their position."

Anger fueled Jupiter once more! The thought of his son's screwing up all of his work in just a few days only made the panther's rage build up within him until he felt like slamming his fist against the window once more, finding no crack within it either. His friend obviously made this glass unbreakable by his standards.

"Why?" he questioned. "Why can they not be him?"

Being a Task Master, he had plenty of resources and contacts. His allies brief in him on information that he might find useful, and they never seemed to disappoint him. Many times, they reported a Revolution break in where they took as much data possible then left in a hurry.

The boy happened to be on many of those tapes. Not only did he just collect data--useful data--he also killed key men needed for the Overlord to work efficiently like a well-oiled machine. With each man he helped put down, he hindered Jupiter and his leaders' ability to work better since allies of the Overlord were falling rapidly. The footage never ceased to amaze the feline. He watched many recordings of the boy and his allies, watching their style which always seemed to constantly be evolving, making it very difficult to discern what they might do next. Whenever he watched the footage, he watched the boy most of all. Oh, he was a warrior of a soldier, and his friends were not far behind his stature. He was aggressive with his attacks, pushing forward even through the thickest enemy wave and walked away from the fight with barely a scratch sometimes.

Jupiter himself once admitted to commending the fox's aggressive and powerful up and close fighting. It was evident the Revolution spared no expense when training their special operation units. They were destructively delightful. Each seemed to have a style akin to only themselves, while others rushed and attacked like beasts on the battlefield. However the fox was trained, he seemed to acquire attributes from both sides, making him a larger threat than Jupiter ever thought. He was an animal up close, slashing throats of Overlord men like butter, breaking bones with smooth and carefully calculated movements, and incapacitating men with even the most simplest of moves.

He chuckled. The boy grew stronger each year, and his talents often progressed with his strength. Though he and his followers were a major problem to Jupiter and his leader, he found that he could not simply kill the boy. What good would that do for himself? Sure, his leader would have a lesser headache, but Jupiter would end up losing what could be one of the best investments in his life.

"Perhaps I could convince the boy to join our cause," Jupiter sighed. "I doubt he'd even consider such a ludacris offer being a very patriotic Revolutionary, but I suppose there's no harm in trying."

He heard someone clear their voice behind him, breaking his train of thought. He immediately turned around and grabbed the person by the throat, picking them up into the air. Jupiter recognized the face by the slave he forced to bow.

He let out a deep growl. "You have ten seconds to tell me why you thought you could disturb me with your vial presence."

The boy coughed and grabbed the panther's strong arm. "M...Mrs. Waltz...wants to see...you."

With his anger quickly subsiding, he decided to spare the boy's life. He proved he was capable of staying in his place, so Jupiter found no reason to hurt the boy even further. He released the boy's throat and allowed him to fall onto the ground, coughing roughly as he tried to gulp down as much air as possible. The slave boy trembled and quickly crawled away, bowing once more in front of Jupiter as if nothing had happened.

"Tell Mrs. Waltz I am on my way," Jupiter stated, turning back around to face the windows once more.

As he heard the boy scurry away, he made a mental note to keep him as a prized token. Perhaps this investment wouldn't prove to be useless.

Sighing, he turned around and made his way towards the Waltz' laboratory. He found it odd that it wasn't located in the center of the large make-shift home, but it was spread out across the eastern section of the laboratory. She stated that it was a better location due to the view of the jungle, making her work smoother as she found herself staring at the beautiful jungle. He thought she was absolutely crazy for thinking such a notion. This jungle was just teeming with dangerous ferals who could tear apart anyone they saw as a meal.

The guards towards the main laboratory parted ways and allowed Jupiter entrance, closing the door behind him. He took a nice long look inside the neatly organized room. The space was large where different tests simultaneously went on where one group of scientists were working on some weird chemical while another group was testing a slave on their scientific treadmill with an assortment of cables strapped to him. He saw many desks coming out of the wall with researchers hard at work scouring the globe for more intelligence on whatever they were searching for, obviously very busy.

At the far end of the room was Adrianne. Even though she was a raccoon with a slim and toned physique, anyone should know better than to judge someone by the size. She was easily a foot and a half shorter than him, yet she made up for that with her deadly poise and assortment of weapons that were stashed across her body. If she felt as though the time permitted, she would use them on whomever. Her long brown hair streaked all the way down her back yet was tied back into a suitable ponytail, keeping it away from her eyes while she worked.

Like the others, she wore the same white lab coat and blue jeans, her goggles masking her face while she talked with one of her many other associates. As he walked over towards her, one of her science brethren came up and handed me a coat, goggles, and gloves. Even with a low growl, they insisted and said it was all for safety.

The man reluctantly donned the coat, pulled the goggles over my eyes, and strapped the gloves over my thick hands. With a nod from the professor, he allowed me to continue forward. He walked slowly, examining the room with careful measure. The walls had to be made of something strong enough to resist explosives and bullets and acid, the floors were thick and hard marble as I almost glided towards Adrianne, and the windows overhead had to be made out of the same stuff he was beating on earlier, which meant there was no breaking this chamber.

Softly, he chuckled. Adrianne spared no expense designing this place and took extra precautions with her and her associate's safety. If anyone tried to break in, they were going to have to bring something that she never thought of; otherwise he doubted they would be able to get in, let alone out.

Adrianne turned her attention towards Jupiter once he was close enough, holding out her hand. "Ah, I'm glad you could join me, Mr. Thalum."

The panther smiled, shaking her hand respectfully. "I'm glad I could be of assistance, Adrianne. Tell me, what do you need me for? One of your slaves said you sent for me."

She nodded, beckoning me to follow her. "Yes, yes, yes. Indeed. I believe I've made one of the most important discoveries on this planet."

He raised a brow. "Oh? And what might it be?"

Her smile broadened until I saw her sharp fangs. She looked slyly at me. "Come, I'll explain it to you once we're in the test chamber."

She led us through the double doors and towards the elevator, hitting one of the many buttons on the panel before we descended into the lower depths of her home. It took a few minutes of utter silence until they reached the destination and walked onward. She must've been into the color white since most of her walls and her floors were covered in the stuff.

Jupiter looked over the assortment of rooms that were laid about her home. Some said 'TESTING FACILITY' with numbers indicating which room they were while others were simply labeled as 'STORAGE' or 'RESEARCH'. We passed by many of the rooms which Adrianne quickly set aside as they reached a specific one labeled 'TESTING FACILITY 11-2'.

The doors opened and allowed them inside where they saw a few other scientists working hard on different things. It wasn't much different than the floor they were previously on, but in the middle of the room stood a few other scientists all crowded around a slave strapped to one of those mechanically moving tables. It appeared to be a wolf who almost looked as though he was slightly struggling against the restraints.

Before Jupiter could ask questions, she continued to walk forward, leaving him a little ill before he followed by her side. Her smug smile remained for the entire trip as we reached the slave, hearing him whimper softly even though he was muzzled with leather straps.

She stopped, turning to me. "As you can see, I have a perfectly healthy slave strapped to one of our work benches ready for testing. Though he might be struggling right now, he won't be for much longer. In fact, he's about to obey every order anyone gives him for the remainder of his life."

"And what do you mean by that?" Jupiter questioned, Adrianne's statement obviously peaking his interest.

He heard her giggle. "Come, allow me to demonstrate. First we need to get behind the blast doors."

It took a few minutes of preparation until the test was ready. The wolf remained exactly where he was while every other scientist in the room stood behind the closing glass doors, locking in place as they sealed off the chamber. Many of them looked antsy, as if they couldn't wait until the test began. Others among them still looked apprehensive, rubbing their arms nervously.

Adrianne was handed a controller of some sort, flipping it open until she clicked away at an array of buttons. Jupiter looked up with everyone else as they watched a thin mechanical tube descend from the ceiling above with a needle at the end. The wolf continued to struggle and whimper as the needle drew closer towards him. He was desperately trying, all in vain, to escape.

The needle eventually reached him and hovered there until Adrianne smiled and pressed another button, forcing the needle to slowly slide into the wolf's arm, making him spasm uncontrollably until Jupiter saw the faint glow of liquid quickly inject itself into the slave's body. The wolf continued to struggle until the liquid was gone and the needle slowly slid out, allowing him to limply lay there on the pedestal.

Adrianne giggled and tapped a few more of the buttons, allowing the blast doors to open. "Follow me. Let us see if it actually worked."

Jupiter was still at a loss of words yet followed Adrianne without question. What was she trying to accomplish here? Was her goal to make a slave pass out from anxiety because that clearly worked. For some reason, he felt as though that wasn't even close to her goal.

The other scientists stayed behind while Jupiter and Adrianne stood in front of the pedestal. She tapped a few more buttons on the remote control, allowing the buckles to slide off the slave's body. He continued to lay there, obviously out cold from the entire ordeal even though he was basically free of his restraints.

The raccoon smiled, clearing her throat. "Slave, awaken."

It was instantaneous, and one of the creepiest things Jupiter had ever laid his eyes on. The slave woke up and turned his face towards Adrianne. The emotionless look in his eyes startled Jupiter has he found more of the brown color in his eyes than the actual pupil. He looked stiff as a board yet continued to follow every order Adrianne have him.

"Stand up before us and bow," she ordered, watching as the slave obeyed without question, standing up and bowing in the most graceful and vivid movement Jupiter had ever seen. "Punch yourself three times in the face, slave."

"What the hell?" Jupiter cursed, watching as the slave obeyed and slugged himself in the face all three times, hard. Even as a thin trail of blood began to drop from his nose, the slave still stood at attention and didn't move a muscle.

Adrianne chuckled. "Slam your head against the table."

He followed the order without question, turning around and slamming his face against the table. She told him to do it more times, and he did it again and again and again until Adriane was bellowing with laugher. The slave stood back up with his muzzle dripping with blood, staring at both the raccoon and the panther with the most stolid expression that it nearly made Jupiter sick to his stomach. It was like he didn't even feel the slightest bit of pain in doing those harmful acts.

Eventually, Adrianne found the energy within herself to stop laughing and face the startled panther. "Go ahead, give him an order."

Jupiter was almost at a loss of words, yet he did order the male. "Well, slave, bow before me like an Egyptian servant."

The boy did as he was told, getting on both of his hands and knees, bowing his head, then leaning over and outstretched his arms. No words come from him, not even a grunt of pain while his blood dripped onto the floor.

Adrianne smiled. "You see, Jupiter, I've just created a formula to permanently control the subconscious of a person's mind. No matter what we say or do, they will follow it without question, and they will never disobey. This is now the ultimate form of slavery."