Covert Ops
Covert OpsBy Azelis DeLano
Originally written January 2002
Disclaimer: This story features sexual situations, violence in graphic detail, and potentially offensive environments and situations. The reader is hereby warned, and I will take no responsibility for what you have decided to read. This story and all of its characters, locations, and scenes are copyright (© 2002) me.
Zane looked out of the control house as the bus rolled in. Its flat white exterior was a sharp contrast to the moonless night. A breeze blew through his firing hole causing him to shiver. Even with his fur and the parka, the arctic air got to him.
"New shipment's in," came Russell's voice over the radio link.
"Roger that, confirming ID," replied Zane.
He activated his night vision goggles looking through the telescopic view of his AWM high-power sniper riffle. Through the green illumination, Zane saw the driver pulse a small pen light twice slow, twice fast, and once slow. Zane lit a candle in the window and quickly blew it out. The bus continued on, it's shadowed occupants about to enter a life of their nightmares. The large hydraulic electrified fence of The Camp, which bore no other name, opened slowly.
"Hey, guys, check this out. 'You mean the Tito. As for the Toto is something which is in us because of dinner!' Now, can you guess what classic movie that's from?"
Many moans were heard over the headset before Zane spoke up.
"Rush Hour 2, translated into Japanese and back into English from your Babel Fish program."
"Correct! And Zane wins my respect!"
"Hey, I'll trade you his respect for my ridicule," came Jeff's voice.
It was there the conversation died as the klaxon blared once to announce the arrivals. Zane took his place watching the courtyard for runners. It was his job, not to kill them, but to slow them down. He shivered as he remembered the sight of the last one to try to run from him. The poor bastard needed a synthetic leg, the bone had shattered so much.
This job was degrading, disgusting, just plain evil, but it must have been better than the alternative, he thought to himself. However, he had no time to continue as gunfire was heard and a wolf morph shot into his view like a bat out of hell. He always knew that, if he didn't stop them, the fence would. Permanently. Anyone within two feet was electrocuted to death, it was charged so high.
The routine of his art took over. Without thinking, he lined up the shot with a rough estimate, clicked into double strength on the sight, and squeezed the trigger, letting off a deafening explosion. The wolf fell to the ground, clutching her profusely bleeding leg. He'd only skinned her, but clipped the muscle. She'd walk again; Russell would be pleased.
This one would not quit. She started crawling for the fence. Zane literally shattered a claw-like fingernail with his next shot making her stop completely, now nursing her index finger.
"Bonus points!" came Kragg's voice. He was soon on the field hauling the wolf back. She howled with pain; howls that cut right to the core of Zane. It reminded him of an all too familiar life he'd left behind.
"Soon as we get this batch secure, change shifts," Russell announced.
Zane was more than a little shaken to find that he'd reloaded again without realizing it.
For the best sniper in the team, he had the lousiest room. It was right near the metal corridor leading to the new slave quarters. He had to put up with, not only their crying and screaming all night, but his conscience for not doing something to stop it.
"At least they're alive," he reminded himself out loud. "Mick tends to accidentally aim high too many times."
Mick was the second best sniper in the team. He would have been first if he'd not let his blood lust get the best of himself behind the trigger. But, even then, his shots tended to drift the longer he was awake which never happened with Zane.
Just thinking of the guy made him clench his right fist in an act that caused him to yip as loudly as any of the slaves. Needless to say, there was silence for a moment as they wondered if they were going to be next to experience whatever that one just had. However Zane's pain was one not easily reproduced. The digging of his claws into his soft skin-like pad was the least of the pain. Soon, the red glow subsided and, with it, the fiery pain leaving only blood where his claws had been moments ago.
Sure enough, Russell wanted to reward him the next morning.
"Superb shooting out there. Tell you what. I'm going to give you the choice of any of the newcomers you want tonight. I don't even care if they survive, you deserve some fun after that!"
Zane sighed for the hundredth time. "You know I don't buy into that forced sex shit."
Russell grabbed him by the muzzle, pulling him inches from the man's face.
"Yes, I'm fully aware, and that's why I keep quite an eye on you. Now I suggest you take me up on my offer. Unless Mick is going to be top gun again."
Russell let go of Zane who fell to the ground. Being the only morph on the team had its disadvantages.
"Fuck you Russell! You watch your back, old man. One of these days I'm not going to put up with this shit any more!"
"Just make sure you're in there 10 minutes after your shift tonight, or I'll put you there permanently."
The day went by uneventfully, albeit faster than Zane could have ever imagined. And soon Russell was announcing the shift change.
"After the showers are finished, you're all out of here. And don't forget our arrangement Zane."
Russell's voice held enough venom that no other member of the team dared ask any questions to either of their comrades.
Zane took his time getting there, but he knew Russell would be timing him. Sure enough, he rounded the corner to find the bald man with a stop watch in his hands. It emitted a beep.
"9:52:46 is getting a little close. But you're on time, so you'll keep your hide. For now."
He opened the door for Zane and locked it behind him. Every morph in the room was instantly silent, staring at him. What could a male be doing in here? He can't be one of the guards, was the general thought. Zane listened for Russell's retreating footsteps to fade into silence.
"Happy birthday, Zane."
It was Mick.
"Of all the fucking low bitches to be guarding me..." Zane uttered under his breath. Mick jabbed him in the side with the other end of his shock wand.
"Get busy, mutt, or I'll fry yer ass. I'm sure Russell wouldn't mind losing one sniper when he's got me."
Zane hung his head in defeat. The female morphs could hardly believe what they heard. He wasn't a captive? He started to wander around, looking for one in particular.
"Where's the one I shot?"
Now, not even one of them dared to breathe, the silence hung thickly in the air.
"Uh, she's in the exam room. Is that the one you're choosing?" asked Mick, not quite sure he believed this either.
"Take me there," were Zane's only words.
One voice spoke up from amidst the other females. "You son of a bitch! What the fuck are you trying to do? How can you sell-"
She was cut short by a loud crack from the shock wand. Her limp form fell to the ground, shivering sporadically.
"Let's go," said Mick.
They ended up wandering out of the main building to the storage shed across the court yard. Apparently, the physician needed her to himself, and had an emergency to attend to, so left her out there. He was being dealt with, taking time on the clock for pleasure.
Mick stood by the door, intending to watch the entire event for his own entertainment. Zane walked quickly over to the wolf who was still bound by leather restraints and a leash holding her to the wall. He snapped the restraints on her paw with his claw, quickly put a small slit in her wrist before wrenching her to her feet. She gave a loud yowl.
"What the hell is this? I sure as hell didn't do it with the AWM," he said, presenting her wrist to Mick.
He walked over to examine it, the blood becoming more visible as it stained her fur. Zane threw the wolf toward him, the leash catching her throat. She fell, but not before Mick caught the wrist. He set down his shock wand to examine it.
"What the fuck was that damned physician thinking. I ought to slit his throat. I was planning to..."
A loud crack followed by a constant crackle and Mick fell to the ground, gurgling blood. Zane pulled the shock wand out of the back of his neck, tossing it aside. The female wolf tried to lunge at him, her fear having completely taking over. She would kill him now or die herself. The leash caught again, and she fell inches short.
"Stay here," was all Zane said. He walked over to the door. Mick hadn't locked it. He pushed it cautiously open, making sure not to step outside. He took off his jacket and threw it out. A metallic ping followed a distant thunderous crack as the sniper's bullet passed through his jacket and the door effortlessly. He faintly heard Mick's headpiece.
"Zane's gone bad! Shoot to kill! Repeat, shoot to kill!"
Zane muttered some obscenities as he jumped to one of the cross members making his way into the metal rafters. He ungloved his right paw and waited.
Into the area was tossed a flash bang. Zane shielded his eyes best he could, but the noise still hurt like hell. Tom and Will charged in, MP5s on full auto. They knew he was in here and needed only find him. Tom shot up a desk at the other end turning it into Swiss cheese. Will, however, saw the female wolf's gaze and followed it. He hit the ground hard as a fireball bored through his kevlar vest and into his chest. Tom turned and started firing, but Zane was already in the air, a deadly sword poised above the young man's head. It penetrated the helmet easily and disposed of his last enemy for the moment.
Zane pulled the sword from the head, using his foot-paw to hold the deceased still. He took no notice of the blood, but sheathed it. The female wolf was now more confused than ever. In the place of the scruffy looking wolf in camo gear now stood a Samurai warrior, clad completely in shining white armor. He leapt effortlessly back to the rafters, peering out a small hole in the corrugated metal ceiling. He held his sword like a gun and concentrated. A white flash of light shot from the sword through the air to the main building. The sniper fell to the ground, though he was already dead.
A silence reigned for the better of 5 minutes until Zane quickly jumped down, the explosion of a HE grenade on his tail. He shook off the shards of metal before cutting away the last of the restraints on the female.
"C'mon!" he yelled over another explosion. Pausing briefly enough to drench his paw in the blood of Tom, he cut a hole in the opposite wall and flew through it, the other wolf in tow.
"We'll never make it!" she protested, stumbling into the snow.
Zane made straight for the fence, licking the blood off his paw. He nearly choked on it, but kept his pace. 20 feet from it, he could hear the buzz of the electricity plainly.
"Hold on!" he shouted, stopping and scooping the female into his arms.
"YAH!" he shouted, heading straight at the fence.
A hole blew out of the fence right as he leapt through. A deafening crack sounded before both landed in the unplowed snow on the other side. The female wolf was terrified when Zane didn't move right away as she also smelled burned flesh. But he did move, slowly. She looked into his golden eyes. They were glazing over from the pain.
"Go. Run. I'll hold them off."
She didn't move.
"I said go, damnit."
Already the pain was overcoming whatever control Zane had possessed over it.
She ran off a few yards before turning back.
"My name's Rei."
There was a group of furs waiting for her not more than a mile away. Rexor, the leader, greeted her hastily.
"I'm glad you made it. We feared Zane had been completely corrupted by them, but we see we were now wrong. Come quickly. They may pursue at any time."
The gentle rocking of the jeep over the road rocked Rei to sleep. When she awoke, she found others that, like herself, had come in on that bus. And others with her she didn't know. Her wrist was bandaged and her leg had been well dressed. Even the dull throbbing in her finger was lessened than before. Her back side, thank Gaia, was no longer sore from the physician's twisted desires. She found she had the strength to run to the nearest guard.
"Where's Zane?"
The guard, a tiger by the name of Adam, didn't know what to say, but Rei read his expression like a book. Zane had not come back.
The following weeks were hard for all of them, though the joy of never having to be a slave again pushed them through it. Seth, their medic, found he had trouble keeping up with all the injuries the captors had caused to the furs. Many of them were sexual in nature, and many of the females were weary of another male seeing them naked again. However he was a master at his art, and was keeping up with the ever expanding list of ailments.
Still Rei waited by the tunnel entrance, and still Zane did not come back. But she would not give up. Others joined her vigil from time to time, but they had only seen him long enough to surmise that he was helping them escape. One frequent visitor was Dom; a silver fox. He'd always bring Rei her food and wait silently with her.
"I don't get it. He shot me. Literally shot me! But when he decides to break free, I'm the one he comes for first. Why?"
"Rei, do you remember what happened when he jumped through the fence?"
She turned quickly away from Dom, hiding her face and her silent tears.
"If you'd have made it all the way, you'd have died. More than likely, he was trying to save your life."
She looked at him through a kaleidoscope of hot tears. He gently wiped them off with his paw before licking her gently on the cheek.
"Why don't you come sleep with me tonight instead of right here. I think you'd rest much better."
Rei was frightened of his intentions at first, but soon realized that he had none. She accepted.
The weeks dragged on. Rei and Dom continued to grow closer as friends slowly growing into intimacy. A nip here, a lick there. Many of the original slaves had left, but a few remained, like Rei and Dom, waiting for a new life to find them. And still waiting for Zane, though Rei knew it was probably futile by this time. She spent a couple hours at a time by the doorway looking out into the constant blizzard of high winter. It turned into an hour at a time. Every other day. Twice a week. Until she lost all illusions of Zane returning. It was at this point that her relationship to Dom grew quickly. Within a week, they were mates.
A figure clad in a brown ragged robe slid in one night while most were asleep. The sentry on duty knew who it was, but the figure put a finger to his lips. The sentry, while beaming with joy, nodded. He moved silently on.
Rei was having a restless night. Dom was on duty as a guard. He'd taken up a post with the group. She tossed and turned, needing someone to be near her. The nightmares still crept up on her when she was alone. They were just as horrible as the few days she spent in captivity.
She sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for morning. She couldn't stay here any longer. It only left her empty, even with Dom. She didn't want to leave him, too, but thought it best. To make matters worse, they were at the peak of their relationship.
A hardly audible noise caused her to look toward the door. It was open and she saw a cloak float passed. For some reason, she felt compelled to follow whoever it was.
She walked through several corridors, following blindly what she knew must be ahead. She could neither hear nor see nor smell what she was seeking, only knew to keep moving. She came to the end of the hall to a door. The nameplate had been removed. As she was reaching for the handle, the door opened a crack. Cautiously, as her fears were beginning to overcome her curiosity, she entered.
The room was lit bright as day with trees, grass, and even a stream alive inside. She could hardly believe what she saw, it seemed so real. The door closed, and she could not find it again. It was as if it had led her into the middle of this landscape only to leave her there.
"I hear you'd been waiting for me," came a voice from somewhere within the forest.
It was a voice she knew, and took off at a run to find.
"No, don't come looking for me. I can't bear to see you again."
She skidded to a stop, dumbfounded.
"You may not have felt it, but there is some connection between us. A connection that, if allowed to grow, would literally bond our lives together. I can't let that happen. I..."
"You what," she asked.
"I care about you too much."
She stepped into the forest. "Zane. Let me see you. Please."
As if with a sigh, the wind parted the hangings of a willow tree to reveal a cloaked figure for a moment before draping again. Rei ran over and barreled through. She lifted the hood and stumbled backward. Zane removed the robe completely. His white armor, what remained of it, was stained red, burnt, cracked. His fur was matted with blood, some areas completely burned off. Only half of his left ear remained. His right paw was nothing more than a skeleton, the flesh was so weak. His eyes no longer held the soft shine she remembered from the first time she saw them. All that remained in perfect order was his sword, now without a scabbard. It reflected the artificial sunlight in a rainbow of colors onto the ground. Rei noted how beautiful it was when not stained with blood.
"I'm not who you remember," is all he said.
Rei said nothing for a long time. Feeling now uncomfortable under her gaze, Zane began to replace the robe. She stopped him with a quivering paw.
"No. I want you as you are."
"What? But I don't..."
Rei stopped him with a long passionate kiss while her paws started to trace patterns all over his back. Zane pushed her back.
"What are you doing? I don't want to draw you into this, too!"
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's worth it to be with you."
"You have no idea what I've been through."
"What does that have to do with it?!"
"Are you willing to put yourself in the same situations I have?"
Rei was quiet.
"I didn't think so. Dom's waiting for you. He'll give you a much better life than I ever could."
With a snap of his deformed paw, she was back in her room just as Dom walked in.
"Ah, you're still up? Not the dream again, was it?"
"Dom! Zane's back! I saw him."
Dom was very worried by this. "Rei, he's not coming back. I'd have known if he did. I was guarding the door. The only one to come in was the delivery boy with a message for Quin."
"Was he wearing a brown cloak?" Rei asked excitedly.
"No, he was in his usual uniform. The navy blue pants and shirt with the silver chain across his chest."
Rei's spirits fell. Had she just imagined it?
"I can see you're upset tonight. How about if I just leave you alone?"
"NO!" she shouted, jumping up and clinging to his paw. "I can't let the dreams come back."
There was a raid on the outpost the next day while Dom was on duty. He was the first one killed, but not the last. In the end, the Liberators won, but not without heavy losses. Rei retreated again to her room, refusing to come out for any purpose. They had to cut a hole in the bottom of the door to give her food.
Reality and her hallucinations gradually merged into one. The medics had long since cut away the door and had her in the sick bay under constant surveillance. She was dangerously unstable. Many people and furs came to visit her, but they were all out of pity. She knew nothing of the visits when in a fevered dream, and disregarded them as a dream when awake. And she was getting worse by the day.
The doctors that were brought in feared the worse. She'd be dead within a day, they all said. And one last visitor came to call. He was an elderly wolf, looking as if he'd crawled all the way here to see her. He only had the use of his left paw, and constantly kept himself wrapped up in a blanket to ward off the chills he always felt. But he needed to see her.
The doctors knew it wouldn't hurt Rei any more, but they were worried about the old wolf. If she were to die while he was there, surely that would impact him beyond belief. In the end, they submitted to his ever growing concern for her.
They were alone, Rei awake but not knowing it. The elderly wolf spoke with a rough voice barely more than a whisper.
"I tried to keep you out of it. I thought if I ignored you, it would go away. I was wrong, and I apologize. I don't know if you can hear me, but we will be together soon."
Rei smiled blankly at him. To her, this was nothing more than a recurring joke her mind was playing on her.
The wolf took off his blanket, instantly giving over to violent shivers. His frame was weak as if he'd been depriving himself from food for a very long time. He did his best to walk over despite the chills. He bowed his head while he slit her wrist lightly, just enough to allow blood flow. He did the same to his bad paw. The sense had long since left and he was not as tender with himself. He held his paw and hers together, letting the blood mix. Gradually, a finger moved on his bad paw. It was accompanied by a howl of pain as the nerves started to grow back. But he held on for dear life. For both their lives. The doctors rushed in and quickly pulled him from the girl. He threw them off balance with his sudden display of power. It was enough to slip away, but nothing more. To the girl he returned.
Just as he did so, the heart monitor uttered a flat tone. His eyes painfully began to tear, once again adding moisture. The doctors left him alone. None could bare to tear him away again.
Tenderly, almost as if frightened, he licked her on the lips.
"Goodbye, my Rei. May Gaia return your soul to the Earth from which it came."
The room grew darker until he could not see. His legs failed him and he lost all senses.
This was different. It was not the pointless world she was used to. No, this one had a definite purpose, one she could feel spread throughout her entire being. But there was only light. White light and nothing more.
A voice, soft as a rose petal, sweet as honey, deep as the river spoke to her. "He is waiting for you Rei. Go to him. Go and he and you will be one."
She muttered, "Zane."
A paw touched her softly from behind. She turned around.
A gray wolf was standing there. He was just a hair taller than herself. On his hip rested a diamond sword in a ivory scabbard. His right paw was host to a white glove with golden weavings over it. His eyes were a golden yellow that shined in the ambient light with a glint of passion. He wore nothing, like her.
"Rei," he mouthed with a smile as wide as could be.
She flung her arms around him, holding him as tight as she could possibly do.
"I love you," she cried, fearing to lose him again if she let go. Her tears ran down through her fur to his shoulder. His ran into her headfur. A light as pure as ever light could be leapt from tear to tear. Rei herself now had a diamond sword and a white and gold glove. And with it came the power of Gaia surging through her entire being. A power that stirred a need deep within her. More then to mate, more than to be together. To merge. To become one with her savior, her love. She began nipping and licking him furiously. He laughed.
"Slow down! We have all the time in the world."
"I'm not waiting any longer," she gasped between bites and licks.
Zane gave her one continuous lick from her stomach between her breasts up her neck and under her muzzle to end with nipping her lower lip. It completely paralyzed her with pleasure. "Who said anything about waiting?"
Rei fell back but, having nothing to land on or gravity to pull her down, merely hovered. Zane descended on her, starting with the pads of her right foot-paw and taking small licks all the way up her outer thigh and her flank ending with her ear. He was about to repeat with the other side when Rei grabbed him and pulled him down on top of her.
"No, I can't wait. Not any more. Not ever again."
Zane gave a smile that excited Rei beyond belief. "As you wish, love."
He started slow, running his paw over her sex again and again, once and a while trailing a finger slightly inside her. When he was satisfied she'd not take much more (before pinning him down), he let himself fall onto her. The rush of feeling was amazing. Not just physical, but mental and emotional as well. It transcended anything either had felt. They lost all control of their bodies as their souls danced with each other giving more pleasure than sex alone ever could.
It seemed to last an eternity, and both wished it could last longer. But their bodies, while much stronger than ever they had been, had reached their limits. Zane, however, still licked at Rei's ear, teasing her. She giggled uncontrollably.
"Would you stop it? You're going to kill me if we do that again."
There they stayed for the longest time.
Justin glanced nervously around. He heard running footsteps, but could not locate them. He backed even further into the alcove he'd found, able to do nothing more than wait. His heart throbbed loudly in his ear, and he was afraid that it was that which would give him away.
The three guards rounded the corner and, spotting him cowering, laughed before taking their dirks and advancing on the poor kid.
"Hey, over here," came a voice from behind.
The guards turned around and, after a short pause, charged at whoever was behind. They quickly fell.
Justin could hardly believe his eyes. Before him were two wolves clad in shining white armor, both with swords of a workmanship he'd never seen before.
He scrambled out of his hiding place, half ready to run.
"We must go quickly," the female said.
The kid got onto his knees, his hands clasped before him. "Thank Gaia!"