FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter -23- Temperance and Madness

December 30, 2049 - 11:40PM Local Lost City ...

Elvena tilted her head."Donnie, what did you just say?"

The little boy looked up at his big sister. "Vena, I said they're using werewolf hunting protocols. I can't look up the word 'protocol.' There's no Wi-Fi here. What does it mean?"

Elvena glanced at Rue, worry in her eyes. She looked down at her brother. "I'll tell you later. Who said it?"

"There are a group of people talking to each other over radio waves. But they're all standing right next to each other - why would they talk on radios from that close? Wouldn't there be noise?"

"Feedback," she said, hurrying to the window. "It's called feedback." She gazed down into the street and gasped. "Jesus!"

Rue sat on up on the bed. "What?"

"There are men in freaking fancy looking techno suits. Armored plating; visors and helmets - they're armed to the teeth. We have to move you, Rue."

Rufus slid his legs over the side of the bed and sighed. "Listen to me, Vena. Look at me, darling."

Vena turned away from the window. "What?"

"Take Donovan. He cain't be involved in this."

"What about you?"

"They think they got the element of surprise, but I'm the one who'll be prepared. Now, you get'cher brother out of here. Go high. Take him to the rooftop. There's a buildin' next to this one about the same height. That-there gonna be yer best bet."

"You can't defend yourself!"

"The hell I cain't, darlin'. Now get movin'. Ain't no time for a better plan. Go on."

Elvena drew Donnie up into her arms. "Okay, little man. You ready?"

"I missed you, Vena. Let's make like Mr. Secrets from my show. I've never jumped across buildings before. Is it hard?"

Elvena's heart melted at his innocence. "I'll carry you when we jump, okay? You need longer legs to do it yourself." She stopped in the doorway and looked back at Rue. "Don't die, okay? I kind of like you."

Rue nodded with a smile.

Elvena hurried out of the room with her little brother, leaving Rufus alone.

The werewolf stripped his shirt off, unfastened his pants and drew his underwear off. He stretched his back and popped his neck. "A'ite. Let's see what we got left inna tank."

Rue calmly underwent the transformation from human to werewolf. While less painful than a rapid transition, the aches and pain of the change lasted longer.

He lifted his chin a bit. His face elongated. His teeth grew apart as his jawline grew outward. As his molars and bicuspids became separated from the elongation of his muzzle, lupine teeth pushed up into place in the gaps.

Whiskers pushed out from where his cheeks met his nose. His nasal cavity shifted, his sinuses contorted. Cartilage, sinew, tendons, and bones shifted.

Somewhere from within the gristle and layer of fat, fur pushed up and out through his skin. His ears became pointed and shifted upwards.

Only the circumference of his skull, and his eyes remained the same.

The flesh around his nostrils became darker and moist. A different type of skin pushed up overtop, until the wet black nose of a wolf remained at the tip of his snout.

His fingernails pushed outward as rapid tissue generation created claws. Velveteen padded keratinized epithelium pushed from his palms. A carpal pad pushed from the base of his wrist. The flat of his palm became shaped like an inverted map of Tasmania on each hand. Each finger had its own pads, and his thumb remained in place instead of a dewclaw.

His lower spine extended. The tailbone pushed out and fur sprouted from the fresh healthy layer of pink dermis beneath.

His ankles changed in shape - his foot became a foot paw.

But then there was something else. The stump at the bottom of his other leg ... sprouted a fresh limb in the shape of a newly generated hind paw.

The pain of rapid tissue and bone generation was unbelievably painful, and completely unexpected.

Rue's muzzle opened and he howled long and loud in excessive pain. The howl reverberated off the plain walls and solid floor tiles.

And then ... all at once ... without further warning...

...The pain stopped. Rue caught his breath and found himself on the floor, panting hard. He felt overheated.

The shift to his wolf form blocked his sweat glands, leaving him at the mercy of the intense heat created by generating so much tissue and bone so quickly.

The dizziness passed.

Rufus sat up and looked down at his furry hands. The palm pads were tan colored but started to change to a darker tone. The dermis became smooth and thick, like an armored hide, but plush and velvety from lack of long-term contact with surfaces. Palm pads.

He opened and closed his fingers, then glanced down at his newly-generated foot and wiggled the clawed toes.

He stared for a moment at his _two feet_and sighed in sweet relief. "Karla'll be happy as hell she din' break me."

He stood up and stretched. His lower spine made a popping sound. "Ahh, there's the spot." He tilted his head from left to right, working out a crick in his neck.

Rue looked down over his body. A thick tuft of fur covered his male bits.

His ears perked up, hearing footsteps on the stairs. He pressed his back against the wall and waited near the doorway.

Someone dashed into the room. Rufus reached down, found a pair of shoulders, and slammed them up against the wall on the opposite side of the doorframe.

He opened his muzzle to snarl in their face but immediately recognized the 'intruder' as a woman. He closed his mouth and stepped back. "Nicky?"

"R...Rufus? Jesus Christ, is that you?"

Rue stepped back a bit more and posed. "In the fur." He tilted his head at her. "How could you tell it was me? You ain't seen me like this a'fore."

"Your voice."

"It's deeper than normal, cause my chest a bit larger in this'a here form."

"It's your voice. I can hear it. It's just a lower key."

Rue brought his paw to the scruffy fur beneath his maw. "Damn. You can distinguish voice patterns, too? Your hearing is amazing. How close are those jobbers out there?"

"You know they're coming?"

"It's why I changed my form, hon. Lil' Donnie could hear their suit-ta-suit comm. transmissions. Elvena took th' kiddo outta here."

Nicky stepped away from the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. She put her head in the doorway and paused to listen. "It's ... they're checking all the buildings. They're not here just yet." She looked down and blinked. "Wait, I thought ... your foot came back!"

"Happened inna' trans-fur-mation, heh." Rue went to the window and glanced out. "I ain't see anyone inna streets. You wanna head fer the roof?"

"I don't have a gun."

"Damn. You'd need Conner 'r Fox to reprogram their weapons to shoot fer you. That's a'ite. You be defense, and I'll be offense."

"Let's go up. If Elvena is on the roof, we'll have to keep them safe."

"I gotta better idea."

Nicky shook her head and shrugged. "If you have an idea, let's do it."

"You go up onna roof. Keep Elvena movin' in the direction away from them-there foot soldiers. You can hear'em comin' from a mile away. I'll make a shit-ton of racket and draw'em away."

"Rufus, they'll kill you!"

"As you can plainly see..." Rufus lifted his foot and wiggled his claw-tipped toes. "I dun' break all that easy."

"Are you sure? You won't have anyone to watch your back?"

"You help Vena. She got precious cargo. That's damn important. I'll be fine."

Nicky nodded. For some reason, she didn't feel afraid of the large black wolf from this close. "You're ... not so scary, werewolf."

Rue smiled. "Even monsters got hearts 'n souls. One day soon, you'll make it up top and meet a girl named Laura Báthory. Ask about her story. Now get movin' and keep the Loupe kids safe."

"You heard me call you a 'monster,' huh?"

Rue grinned. "Go on, now."

"I'm sorry I said that stuff about you earlier. You're not a monster."

"Yeah? Betcha those yuppies lookin' for me will disagree sum'fierce."

Nicky nodded towards the window. "Hurry up. They're coming up the stairwell."

"No." Rufus took her by the wrist and guided her to the window. He helped her up onto the ledge. "You go up."

"They'll..."

"Go. Thank me later." Rue took her by the hips. Having his paws on her waistline felt oddly familiar, but he knew she wasn't the other Nichole. "A'ite, right foot up, like you's taking a step."

Nichole lifted her right foot. Rue reached a palm beneath her shoe and boosted her up. "G'on. You can pull yerself up. You got this."

Parker pulled herself with a grunt. She felt a hand wrap around her wrist. "Elvena!"

"I've got you," Vena told her.

Rue pushed Nichole's foot up and Elvena pulled her upwards. Nicky climbed the rest of the way up to the rooftop.

Rue could hear Nicky saying, "This way, follow me you two! Rue is going to distract him."

"Oh, God," Elvena murmured.

"No, it's okay. He grew his foot back in the change."

"He_what?!_"

Their voices faded.

Rue sat in the windowsill with his arms across his chest.

The first soldier came in through the bedroom door. "Contact! I have target in sight! Lock onto my suit!"

Rue remained calm, sitting in the windowsill right on the ledge. "Y'all lookin' for_me_?"

"Jesus it's creepy when you freaks speak."

"Oh. Well, I'll jus' hush right on up, then."

The soldier approached cautiously. "Where are the others?"

"Other wolves? They're on the surface, ya goof."

"No, you fucking dog. Where are the others that came down here with you?"

"She's behind me," Rufus said calmly.

"What? You're in a window."

"She's outside. Reckon I'm here to keep you busy while she gets away."

"Move, you freak." The soldier approached, keeping his weapon up. "Where?!"

Rue brought his left foot up and kicked the gun upwards. It fired into the wall. The werewolf grasped the man by his wrists, put his foot against the man's stomach, and leaned back.

Rufus fell backwards through the open window, pulling the soldier with him. The weight of the suit caused them to tumble about until both of Rufus' feet were on the man's abdomen. He kept a strong hold on the soldier's forearms.

The ground rushed up and collided with the soldier's armored back. Rufus rolled off the body of the man who broke their fall. He pivoted on his right footpad and kicked an assault rifle away from the man's grasp.

The soldier was motionless, flat on his back. The gun clattered out into the street.

Rue chuckled. "God, I wish one of them Parker goofballs could'a seen that lil' trick. I damn sight impressed m'self, heh."

Gunshots came from the window. Rue scrambled away. He dropped to all fours and galloped across the street, headed between two buildings. "C'mon 'n get some, ya' dickheads!"

One of the soldiers leapt from the window. He landed on all fours with a grunt and stood up, unfazed by the drop. He lifted his rifle and headed off after Rue.

The man crossed the street. His eyes glowed in reflection from all the information coming up over his HUD visor. He squinted, ready for anything.

A warning came up in the upper corner, reading, "Proximity alert! Detected: Elevated levels of adrenaline from left!"

Before the soldier could act, a pair of claws sank through his armored neckline. The man felt a mishmash of hot and cold in his throat.

The man suddenly felt weightless. He struck an alley wall and dropped face down on the ground. Blood from the wounds on his throat rushed up into his helmet, between his face and the HUD visor.

In shock, the man sat up, causing the blood to drain back down into the chest cavity of his armored suit. He got to his feet and then wobbled, unable to maintain balance.

"Careful now, hoss," said the werewolf with a chuckle. "I was bettin' the neck would be the thinnest armor, cause you gotta be able to turn yer heads to look 'round the area, yeah? You better put pressure on tha'."

The man opened his left hand and touched his right fingers to his left palm, as if typing on a keypad. The armor thickened around his neck, adding pressure to his throat. It slowed the bleeding. He stumbled again and picked up his rifle. "You ... fucking animal..."

"I know you is, but what'm I?" Rufus smacked the man's left arm out, snatched the rifle away and broke the weapon over his knee. Electrical components created an arc of white light. The weapon shorted out.

Rue approached the man in his suit. "B'hold! Here, in this alley, is the most dangerous animal in the world. This animal is responsible fer millions of deaths every year. Now witness as a giant black wolf leaves the dangerous animal, peacefully."

"Wh-what?"

Rufus took the man by his helmeted head and drove him face-first into the side of a building, cracking the suit's visor. "Okay, maybe not completely peaceful-like ... but I'll let'cha live, shithead." Rue walked out of the alley.

The soldier sagged to the ground. He reached a hand up and put additional pressure on his throat, so as not to bleed out.

The visor showed the soldier a diagram of his wounds. A voice prompt said, "Non-lethal injuries sustained. Maintain consistent pressure for most effective initial treatment."

Out in the street, Rue clapped his paws together. He hooted and hollered like a drunken redneck. "C'mon, boys! I've done put two'a you slobs outta this-here fight! Let's go, now! The big bad wolf gonna huff and puff and blow all you tin-dicks down!"

He hopped up and down to keep his heart rate up. "What're those things made of anyhow?! Foil?? Damn, my claws dice through them things like warm butter! And what about them fancy visors y'all wearing? You can't see me in'em or something? I'm right here!"

A small cylindrical device bounced out onto the street. "Aw hell naw." Rue drew his foot back and kicked the grenade hard. It flew in through the window of a building.

Nothing happened. Rue blinked and tilted his head. "What the...?"

One of the men in suits scooped it up and hurried to the window. He cocked his arm back and started to launch the grenade back out of the building. It exploded in the windowsill.

The shockwave threw Rufus onto his tail. He felt dazed momentarily and his ears rang. The first thing he felt after the disorientation faded was pain in his foot.

At first, he thought a piece of shrapnel from the grenade may have injured his foot but upon closer inspection, two of the claws on his foot paw were broken. He reached down and flinched, having broken the digit. "G'dammit. I musta kicked it too hard."

Rue got to his feet and winced. "That smarts like'a bitch." He hobbled into the alley again, stepped over the wounded man on the ground and kept moving until he made it to the next street over.

Rue ducked into a building and sat on his tail. He reached down and pinched the broken toe between his thumb and forefinger. With a grunt, he pulled, setting the jammed bone straight.

He tensed up and grimaced in displeasure. "Sonnuva..."

Rue took a deep breath. "C'mon, hurry it up." His body began to reset the bone. Tendons healed. It wasn't perfect, and his foot still ached, but the pain became manageable. The werewolf exhaled. "Damn." He rubbed his foot. "That was faster than I expected."

"You're welcome."

Rufus looked up at Evan Balmoral.

Evan grinned. "I glassed the break. I saw you kick that grenade. That had to be the most bad-arse thing I've ever seen, Rue. It went clear through the window."

"I ain't ever been happier to see your face, son. Where's the others?"

Evan hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Johann and Charlie are taking Elvena and Donovan to the elevator. Reinforcements are coming. Karla's son can hear their radio chatter. He said they called for help and reported our location. How's the foot?"

"You did a damn good job, healin' my toes."

"No, I mean your foot. I see you have both of them. It grew back, huh?"

Rufus grinned. "It happened durin' the change. Makes sense, really - I grow a tail, teeth, and claws every time I turn. I never lost a limb a'fore. Good t'know it comes back."

"That's pretty sick. But if you lose your tail when you revert, will you lose your foot when you revert?"

Rufus stood up. A frown tugged at the corners of his maw. "I sure as sh- er, heck hope not."

Even grinned. "Part time cripple - you'll still get all the best parking spots. Be positive."

"Always an optimist." Rue pulled Evan into a 'bro hug', adding a firm pat on the back. "Thanks fer the help." He drew back and looked down at his hands. His claws were chipped and mostly broken. "Shit."

"What?"

"Oh, sorry bud. Didn't mean to ... anyway, look at my claws. I jammed'em into some guy's armor. I was so keyed up, I didn't even noticed I broke'em."

Evan took Rue's paws into his hands and rapidly crafted sapphire claws, which attached to the broken section of his original nails.

Evan released Rue's hands. "Be careful you don't cut yourself or anyone else. This is sapphire. It has a nine on the MOH scale."

"Wha's the scale go up to?"

"Diamond is the king, weighing in at a ten. Fingernails are a little over a two, and your claws were probably closer to a three or four, at best. You want to go dice those suits open? Now you can. The claws will probably fall off when you change back."

Rue replied with a devious Cheshire smile. "This'a here's the best Christmas gift I ever got. Let's go try out the new..." The wolf paused. His grin broadened. "Can you make'em serrated on the under-side?"

"Uh ... sure." He took Rue's paws into his hands again and carefully made small teeth-like markings on the bottom of each claw. "Knife blades are around five or six, I think. Tempered glass should be a six or so. This doesn't mean these claws won't snap, but they sure as heck won't scratch easily. It's easier to crack a diamond than to scratch its surface."

"So they'll work on those suits right?"

"You're more likely to break your fingers than these claws I made ya. I mesh the glass and saphire in a way that makes my creations far sturdier than normally crafted glass and saphire weapons. You will be hard-pressed to shatter them. You've seen me make swords right? They won't break like traditional glass weapons. Be careful, okay?"

"Sure thing." Rue stretched his fingers back and clapped his palms together, carefully. "I'm ready to scrap with these yuppies. I took down three so far." Rufus grinned at Evan, adding, "I let two live. You proud of me?"

Evan smiled a bit. "I appreciate that. But this is war. Let's focus more on our survival. Whatever happens ... happens. I want to go home to my wife and daughter."

Rue nodded in understanding. "Don't let this war change you."

"Like I said, I need to get home to my family."

"You're a lucky dog, son. You hang back and cover my tail. I'll be the wrecking ball. You be the sniper, or watch my six. We'll get'cha home to yer family, Evan."

Evan patted Rue's shoulder. "Let's go, Chewie."

Rue grimaced. "Why you get to be Han Solo? That ain't fair - you already _got_a girl. It's my turn to be th' dashing rogue."

"Suck it up, Chewie."

"Nah, you more like ... Lando Calrissian."

Evan laughed. "Why, because I'm black?"

"Nah, because you got strong-armed by Darth Falcon, but turned around and helped out the good guys 'cause you got morals 'n honor." Rue grinned. "C'mon, now ... you ten times more handsome than Billy Dee ever was anyhow."

"God, you're a trip, Rue. How's the toe?"

"Good to go." Rufus emerged into the street and stretched. "Let's go nuckin' futz, yeah?"

"These guys are about to find out that we're a real pane in the glass." Evan grinned. "That was the name of my store."

"Heh, heh. I like it." Rufus looked around the deserted street. "C'mon, I saw'em back this way."

"No, wait." Evan contorted his hands. He closed his fingers into crooked fists. A set of glass stairs crafted seemingly from thin air. "Let's take the rooftops. We can see better." He hurried up the stairs. "Watch your step, Rue. No handrails!"

Rufus took the steps on all fours. His claws left scratch and scrape marks on the glass steps.

Once they made it to the roof, the steps turned to silica powder, which waft out like a puff of dust on the street below.

Rue looked back the way they'd come.

"That stuff is nasty to breathe in," Evan said. "Silica dust has tiny hooks that latch inside your lungs."

"Ayup, tha's why construction types wet concrete before cutting it."

"Yup." Evan extended a hand outward towards the street below. "There we go. I turned it to beach sand."

"You a regular boy scout, Evan."

"For five whole years. I got into that stuff when I was in fifth grade."

Rue laughed. "Really?"

"Yeah, my mom thought it would help with my social skills. I liked it. I had my 'Arrow of Light' plaque hanging up in my old store. It might even still be there, but I doubt it." Evan made his way up a slope.

"This is steep as a mother."

Evan reached back and took Rue by the forearm. "I've made spikes for my shoes. The rooftops flatten out just ahead." He was weary of the werewolf's new claws, and helped Rue up to the top of a section of roof.

It flattened out. They stood side by side, looking out over the residential district.

Rue squinted, facing the elevator in the distance.

Evan cupped his hands and created two lenses in his palms.

Rufus laughed in regards to Evan's usefulness. "You all fulla tricks ain't you?" He carefully used his palms to guide Evan's wrists until they were the proper distance apart, so that the image became clear in the two lenses. "A'right! I can see good!"

"Did they make it?"

Rue nodded. "Hell yeah, they did! Elvena, Donnie-boy, and Charlie are at the elevator now. Charlie's saying something to her." Rue paused. "Elvena looks a bit upset. Whatever Charlie told her, she looks like it got her in tears."

"We'll ask Charlie when we see him."

"A'ite, Karla's kids are on the elevator now. The doors shut. Oh shit! That crazy woman is attackin' Charlie!"

"Crazy woman?"

"C'mon! Let's go!" Rufus pointed to the street level. "Make a pole or a slide or something!"

Evan made a thick glass pole. Rue leapt at it and slid to the ground. He took off in a sprint with Evan hot on his heels.

They raced up the street together. Johann saw them and hurried after them. "What's going on?!"

Evan, between panting, called back, "Your brother needs help!"

Rue shouted, "It's that crazy tail lady! The one that Sinopa said was gonna be a problem!"

"Sigyn," Evan panted. "God, I haven't run like this since I was twenty!"

Meanwhile, fifteen blocks away...

...Sigyn brought her left hand up and caught Charlie's right fist. She lifted her right hand and caught Heimdallr by his forearm. "Neither of you can begin to comprehend what I have seen."

Heimdallr jerked his hand back, shocked by her strength. "Your resolve is ... how?!"

Sigyn narrowed her eyes. "The most either of you know of me is that I have endured. I have been transformed from a girl of innocence, to a wife of compassion, to a mother of love, and finally I became a being of mourning. But now ... Now I am a woman scorned, filled with wrath, and hate, and anger."

Heimdallr rubbed his wrist, where his forearm was bruised from the power of her grasp. "What magical enchantment have you bestowed upon yourself to...?"

"Shut. Up." She cut her eyes from one to the other. "I endured the loss of my children. I have seen suffering, and have experienced loss. I have been tortured by the gods, punished to be a caregiver of my husband for ages. Heimdallr, Odin is the one who made me the vengeful woman I am, now."

"What would make you wish to bring about the onset of Ragnarök?!"

Sigyn released Charlie's hand. She turned to face Heimdallr directly. "My loyalty is to my husband and my son. My son. The one forced into the form of a wolf so that he might devour his brother - I was punished to watch my children destroy one another. My surviving child will revert to his human form on the eve of Ragnarök. I must continue to endure so that I can touch his face one last time and tell him I forgive him for his actions against his brother."

Charlie opened and closed his hand, shaking off the physical pain. "You were emotionally abused by Loki. You were..."

Sigyn backhanded Charlie to the ground. "Silence, Tamamo! For too long, you have viewed my gentleness as a weakness. But I am more than what remains of my lore. I do not act because I wish to be vengeful."

"Then why?!" Heimdallr demanded.

"My actions are to give my surviving son the life stripped from him when he was turned into a wolf against his will."

Charlie sat up with a grunt. "Loki has confused you into..."

"No," Sigyn said. "I am a woman scorned. I am a product of what the gods forced upon me. I asked Loki to help me - that I might be reunited with Váli and kiss his forehead. I do not blame him for Narfi's death - I place that blame upon Odin and his ... henchmen. Loki is a proper husband who has done everything I have asked. He returns the loyalty I have shown to him by staying at his side for so many ages."

Charlie got back to his feet. Sigyn struck him again, knocking him back to the ground.

The goddess narrowed her gaze at Charlie. "Trying to use the telepath to read my next movement, Tamamo? You cannot read_what you do not _comprehend. The mind of mortals, like the one you inhabit, is inferior. You are a child, Tamamo."

"I am thousands of years old," Charlie said in a stern tone.

"Yet still a child," Sigyn snapped. "You speak words you've heard spoken by others. By comparison, I am a dictionary. Like a child without a teacher, you cannot fully comprehend the depth of knowledge you have come face to face with, nor do you understand how to grasp it."

Heimdallr stepped in front of Sigyn, acting as a shield to Charlie's body. "You were once a gentle woman. A face of innocence. The host for Tamamo is an innocent boy. He is someone's son. He is someone's brother."

Sigyn stared straight through Heimdallr but addressed him with a calm tone. "I struck Tamamo to the ground, where she belongs. I could have removed the head of her host, but I am not as cold as you think."

Charlie got back to his feet again. "Sigyn-sama, you would murder billions to be reunited with your son?"

"I am nothing if not loyal. But I have no loyalty to Odin, those close to him, or the humans of this realm. Loki and I have decided to cleanse this world. Only the worthy will survive."

"Why?!" Charlie wiped blood from his upper lip. "Why would you do that?"

"I will be a mother again, Tamamo. I will be the mother of Earth. With a mother's love, the people will flourish and live to their true potential." Sigyn stepped around Heimdallr and glared at Charlie, staring through him to Tamamo within. "You are incapable of understanding. However, I hold immense respect for Sinopa. I would be honored if she were apart of my future for Earth. She understands the trials and sufferings of both motherhood and loss. She would understand what it takes to clean the sullied, so as to make a cleaner, better world for her children. That will be the legacy I leave for Váli."

Heimdallr guided Charlie back a few paces. "Sigyn, Ragnarök is not the answer."

"Sitting in the Hot Springs for ages, I have considered many possible outcomes. Ragnarök is eventual. Whether it happens today, tomorrow, or the following day, it is an eventuality that has been predicted since the beginning of time."

Neither Charlie nor Heimdallr replied.

Sigyn lifted her gaze. She saw an anglo saxon, an African-American, and a black-furred werewolf running towards her.

Her eyes danced between the three, as if sizing up each and every characteristic detail.

Sigyn stepped away from Heimdallr and Charlie. She walked towards the approaching werewolf and his human friends.

She opened her arms to Rue the way a woman would reach for a walking infant, stumbling towards its mother for the first time.

The ancient goddess smiled. "Come to me, spirit of Fenris. I will release you from your burden of living. I will deliver you to the embrace of your dead mate." Her hatred for wolves boiled in her heart.

She saw a flashback of Váli's transformation. She recalled her son, the wolf, tearing out the throat of Narfi. "Deliver to me your spirit, that I might return it to Fenris. There is only room in this world for one wolf, and he will be the devourer of Odin."

Tamamo spoke through Charlie from behind Heimdallr. "Yours is a shrine, a place of remembrance for the fates of Narfi and Váli - a shrine for those who are unjustly killed. A place for those who have been driven into mental illness by circumstances beyond one's ability to control. The Hot Springs, where you soothed your husband, and mourned your children ... let us help heal your..."

Sigyn waved her hand. The mere act threw Charlie back to the ground. Heimdallr grunted, protected only by his shining white armor.

The goddess turned her focus back to the approaching werewolf. "Come to me, werewolf. Just as a mother has brought you into this world, the new mother of the world will take you from it."

An immense wall of fire roared between Sigyn and Rufus.

Rufus stumbled back, lost his balance, and slid to a halt, sitting on his backside. He looked up at the pillar of flame that blocked his path.

Sigyn sneered at the fire. She glanced back at Charlie. "You would dare...? Wait, you did not cause this fire. If not you, then who is responsible?" She looked around.

Stepping from the flames was Sinopa Guillot and Karla Loupe. The three women came face to face with one another.

Karla crossed her arms beneath the expanse of her bust.

Sinopa drew her katana and placed the glowing blade on the ground at her feet. "This _must_end."

Sigyn glanced from Sinopa to Karla, and back to Sinopa. "Shizuko, you are welcome to accompany me. The succubus would understand me as well. We are mothers who know pain that no person should endure. Allow me to light a candle for your souls."

Karla turned to Sinopa and whispered, "She's bat-shit crazy, Red."

Sinopa remained stoic. "Karla and I have, without the aid of our husbands, found our children and put our families back together. We can help you find another way to bring the love of a child back into your life. Killing billions is not an acceptable answer."

Sigyn exhaled in silence. "Ragnarök was slated to begin when my husband became free. I saved the world by staying at his side to fill the bowl for as long as I have. And in that time, I grew angry. I grew resentful. The two of you were unburdened, and restored your families. I am moved by your strength, but I could not leave my husband's side. He was bound to writhe and struggle until the onset of the end. The acid would have burned away his flesh, but it would have burned away his restraints as well."

Karla opened her mouth but Sinopa reached over and stopped the succubus with a mere touch on her arm.

Sigyn tilted her head. "I am tired. I am tired of enduring without my child. I am tired of the sickness in the world. I am tired of allowing Odin to sit proud, knowing what hurt he has caused. I am tired_of mourning. I am tired of saving the wretched and the scum of this world from a horrible end. I will become the mother of the world anew. With Loki at my side, I will mother the new children of this world and nurture them. Only then can humanity reach its full potential. It will be done _without the wars of so-called 'heroes' like Thor and Odin. Humanity is capable of so much more than war and hate and battle and rage."

Sinopa sighed. "I appreciate what you stand for, but not the way in which you have chosen to pursue these changes. Change must be gradual in order to stay in effect. Abrupt changes are like fashions to humans. They are brief, and then they pass. You cannot accomplish your goals with an abrupt change."

"I have endured for long ages pondering this. I disagree. Wiping away billions of germs and keeping only a handful of useful bacteria is my way to cleanse the globe."

Karla shook her head. "Can't let you do that, Goldilocks. We're trying to do our part to make the world a better place for _our_children to be happy and healthy. You want to kill everyone? No. You would make the world a miserable, empty, lonely place."

"I respected you," Sinopa added. "But you have become a victim of circumstance. The transitions of your life were all extremes - you were an innocent child-bride. You were a faithful wife and a nurturing mother, and then you were a mourning woman. You were nurturing, you were grieving, you were a soother, and you were the epitome of a broken heart. But after so many trips between the springs and your husband's side, and after mourning your children for so long, you've let yourself become a woman scorned. You've become filled with hate. You've been driven mad with your hunger for vengeance."

Sigyn nodded. "Perhaps. I've listened to what you had to say. I now wish to attend my husband. I will allow the werewolf to live for now. But his fate is already in the stars. It is only a matter of time."

Karla opened her stance. "No. We rumble now. This ends now. The sooner I stomp your ass back to the hot springs, the sooner I can go home to my family and put all of this behind me."

Sigyn opened her hands outwardly. Everyone was thrown to their backs. The pillar of fire faded.

Sinopa sat up with a grunt. She got to her feet and stomped on the handle of her sword at the very end. It flipped up into the air. She grasped the handle and pivoted on her heel.

The kitsune swiped her flaming blade through empty air. Sigyn was nowhere to be seen.

Karla sat up, wide eyed. "Damn, Red. That was smooth. I wish she was still standing there when you did that. I'd have loved to see you..."

"Karla, I would have mourned her death. However, I doubt I am capable of being responsible for it. Long forgotten by her worshippers, let alone the human world, she is the mother of my race. She is far more complex than you can understand."

"I won't mourn her." Karla got to her feet. "She started out as a classy girl who let herself go until she became trailer trash. To hell with her."

Sinopa turned to Karla. She sheathed her sword and, in a respectful tone of mourning, said, "Karla, she is symbolic of what you or I could have become had we allowed our pain to get the better of us."

Karla opened her mouth but paused. She frowned and nodded with a sigh. "I guess. Gotta admire her staying power. I doubt I could have put up with Eric's whining for as long as she put up with Loki."

Sinopa sighed and turned away from Karla. She walked back towards Rufus, Evan and Johann.

Karla blinked. "What? What did I say?"

Sinopa approached Rufus and hugged him gently. "Rufus-san. I am glad to see you are well."

Karla smiled weakly to Heimdallr and Charlie. "You guys okay?"

"Yes, thank you," Charlie said.

"Same," Heimdallr added.

Karla made her way behind Sinopa. She looked Rufus over and smiled. "Oh, Ruebear, you're all better. How?"

Rue relinquished the hug with Sinopa and turned to hug Karla. "You thought you was too rough with me, eh Blondie? Gimmie some credit, girl, I'm not as breakable as ya' might think."

Karla put her hand on his furry chest and tussled his pelt a bit. "Good, I'm glad." She slugged Rue in his shoulder. "That's for worrying me. Jerkface."

Rufus chuckled. He reached down and ruffled Karla's hair. "Where's Reno?"

"Preparing. We'll be heading for Falcon after we get some rest. What brought you out here?"

Rufus hooked his thumb back towards the residential district. "There are a shit ton of dudes wearing fancy armored suits. They want to rumble." Rue held his paws up and showed off his sapphire claws. "Lookit! Evan made me ones to replace the ones I ripped off and broke. I'mma pry apart those stupid suits up like a can opener. You want in on it?"

Karla rubbed her chin. "I need to say goodbye to my kids before they..." She saw Rue's paws lift. "What?"

"We was under attack, Karla. We got'em to the surface so they wouldn't be caught in the middle."

Karla bit her lower lip. She wanted to see them together just for a few hours. She took a deep breath and nodded with a weak smile. "Thanks, Ruebear. Thank you for looking out for my babies."

Nicky made her way up the block with a sizable weapon slung over her shoulders. "Hey, you guys, the tin-cans are setting up a perimeter blockade. I got myself a sniper rifle that wasn't designed to interact with their suits. It fires real bullets, too."

Evan looked the weapon over. "I can make that scope way more accurate. It's all about optics."

"By all means, let's get it set up and calibrated."

Johann approached his brother. "You okay?"

Charlie nodded. "I am fine. A bit tired, and embarrassed that she was able to throw me to the ground in such a fashion, but ... I am fine, Johann." Charlie thought better on Johann's concern and said, "I wish to speak to you in private. There is something I feel the need to share with you, Johann."

"Let's head back to my place. Or do you want to wait until after we fight those guys?"

Karla waved at the brothers in a dismissive fashion. "Go, you two. This is my fight. I have some issues I need to work out." She turned towards Rufus. "You want in on this fight, fuzzy-butt?"

"Hells yeah, I want to test out my new claws."

Karla approached Evan. "Would you be offended if I asked you to sit this one out?"

"What? Why?" Evan frowned. "Don't you guys need help?"

"It's not that," Karla said. "Every chess piece has importance. If those guys use the elevator to New Atlantis, they might figure out how to take it back from our friends. Evan, you're one of the power players. I want you and Nicky to take up defensive positions and keep this elevator secure. Conner and Eric have the other section secured."

"What about everyone else?" Heimdallr approached Karla and looked her over. He towered over her demure stature. "What do you require from the rest of us?"

Karla rubbed her chin. "Your part is to fight Loki. Go find Raul, or get some rest. Vincent and Reno are preparing. They're across town looking for some sort of power core thing right now." She gestured to Johann and Charlie. "You two go talk. Get some rest. Be ready to fight your asses off in a few hours. We'll be going after Aris Falcon, Loki, and his crazy wife soon."

Rufus gestured to Sinopa. "Darlin', are you coming to fight the tin cans?"

Sinopa bowed to Rufus and Karla. "It would be my honor to fight alongside the both of you. Karla, you should be made aware that the technology used to craft the suits of armor make it so your powers are less effective."

Karla grimaced. "Yeah, I know. They're designed so that any one of us can't fight all_of _them at one time. The three of us, though ... we make one hell of a team.

Evan turned to Nicky. "Let's find a good place to set up where we can keep an eye on the elevator."

"I think I have just the place in mind," Nicky told him. "You can tell me about some of your adventures with Reno. I admit, I'm curious to hear about his heroics."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," said Nicky with a chuckle. "I always teased him about how life isn't a comic book or an action movie. Guess I was wrong. Did you guys do anything interesting?"

Evan nodded. "Yeah. Lots of stuff. My favorite story to tell is about how we saved a school full of children. C'mon, let's go get you settled into a good sniper nest and I'll tell you all about it."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Nicky guided Evan across the street to one of the many numerous abandoned buildings.

Charlie and Johann continued off, together, with Charlie divulging to his brother the secret that he was hosting Tamamo's consciousness.

Heimdallr ambled off to find Raul.

Karla looked from Sinopa to Rufus. She cracked her knuckles. "Are we leaving any survivors or what?"

Sinopa unsheathed her sword. "To leave a warrior in pain, bleeding out on the battlefield, is a horrible fate. A warrior deserves the honor of a proper ending in battle. Suffering is ... never preferable; it is disrespectful to one's foe."

"God, how Klingon." Karla thought back to when she had stomped on the limbs of injured soldiers earlier. "I've been letting these slobs live."

"Same," said Rue. "Well, two outta three, so far."

Sinopa shook her head. "I leave it to you, but if we flood this city, they will suffer immensely before drowning. I prefer to offer a clean, painless ending to my foes whenever possible."

Rue nodded. "A'ite, then. We cain't let these slobs get up to New Atlantis or they'll cause problems later. Anyone who gets in our shit needs to go to Sto-vo-kor, right, Karla?"

The succubus chortled. "Yeah, Ruebear. Or Valhalla. I don't judge religious beliefs anymore. Let's give these yuppies their glorious battle deaths."

"Well aww-right!"

Sinopa closed her eyes, shook her head, and tried to suppress a smile. "One final battle to clear the immediate area of threats, hai. The three of us will make an exceptional offensive team."

Karla withdrew survival bars from her handbag. "Okay. Everyone get your snack on, then we'll go and whip some tin can tails."

"I suggest you place your purse somewhere safe," said Sinopa. "And remove your earrings, lest someone attempt to grasp hold of them."

Karla unfastened her earrings from her ears. "Fine." She put them into her purse and stuffed a sugary high-calorie homemade survival bar into her mouth. She teleported her purse away, knowing exactly where she'd placed it. "So those guys were drawing a line in the sand? They were setting up a defensive perimeter or whatever?"

Rufus shrugged. "I'll sniff'em out."

Sinopa gestured for Rufus to take the lead. "Please, Rufus-san, lead the way." She took Karla's handout and placed a piece of the chewy bar into her mouth. "These are far too sweet from my preference ... yet they grow on you. Karla, your confections saved my soul in the land of Yomi."

"Oh, uh ... I'm glad you liked'em Red."

Rufus stuffed the high calorie bar into his muzzle, chewed and swallowed. "Yeah, it's all sugar 'n salt. Daddy likes!"

"Daddy," Karla scoffed. "Daddy my ass."

"Aw, c'mon Blondie. Cut me some slack. A'ite, girls. This way!"