The Recurrence Series, part V "Time And Again" 
Written by and(c) Feb-2003 Ralcor (me),
Do not redistribute without permission.

This is the fifth part of the "Recurrence" series, four parts before this, read them first, so on.  Enjoy...


	A wide humvee-style smart car came to a stop on the flat grassland, the engine powered down as General 
Masters and General Powell stepped out.  The diminutive mouse and elderly man surveyed the scene before them.  
Furs and humans were scattered around the area, busy with their assigned tasks.  A small group, dressed in patchy 
green camouflage gear, were questioning the three furs that were apprehended in the near-by Ra’val scout ship.  
Many scientists and technicians were gathered around the alien vessel, particularly at the left hyperlight engine and 
the cables connected there, a few stood at the other end of the cables which were scorched by the process that Eric 
Draks had induced.  Close to the end of the thick wires was a sectioned off area of the grassland, a few more 
scientists were searching for and examining fragments of the Ra’val triple-ring device which had shattered an hour 
before.
	“Sanders!”  Bellowed General Masters.  Her shout directed at the fox, who was trying to explain the chain 
of events that had spirited away Alpha Team.  At hearing his commanders beckon call, he patted the scientist on the 
back as he walked towards the Generals, ducking under the barrier and jogging to stand rigid in front of them.
	“Yes, ma’am?”  John asked.
	“What the hell happened here, where is Alpha Team and Eric Draks!?”  She enquired in a some-what 
aggressive tone.
	“Major Archer and Sergeant Fyn remained onboard the Victorious.  As for Colonel Roe and the rest of his 
team, they pursued Eric Draks into some kind of energy ball, after which we lost contact and their tracking beacons 
disappeared.”
	“They just disappeared?  Nobody just disappears!”  Her voice hadn’t calmed at all.
	“Do you have any ideas, Lieutenant Colonel?  General Powell asked, the elderly man’s attitude being less 
impatient than the mouse’s.
	“It was a ring device, sir , Ra’val technology apparently.”  John reported.  “Captain Ellis has comprehensive 
details aboard the Victorious.
	“Gather your team, report back to the base.”  General Masters ordered.  “I want a full report in one hour.”  
John saluted, before turning to assemble the three other members of his team.  The two Generals walked towards 
the scout ship and the head scientist  working there.  “Mr Tanneth.”  The smaller General called out.
	“Yes ma’am?”  The man looked up from a palm computer in one hand and a ring fragment in the other.
	“Are we correct in understanding you have been studying Ra’val technology?”  General Powell asked.
	“That’s right,” the scientist responded proudly.
	“Can you transmit a message to them, requesting assistance in light of what has happened.”  He asked Mr 
Tanneth.
	“Um…maybe.”  He paused.  “I haven’t seen a Ra’val craft this advanced, I’ve only worked with simulations 
and the cargo ship recovered south of Alpine Springs.”
	“Give it a try Mr Tanneth.”  General Masters insisted, her patience faltering again.
	Before the scientist, or anyone else could do anything, a blinding light flooded over the area.  The Ra’val 
ship disappeared from where it had rested, the ring fragment from his hand vanished, as did all the others scattered 
over the grasslands.  As the light finally dissipated, the two Generals and Mr Tanneth found a Ra’val standing before 
them.  General Masters dismissed the scientist, who left to finish his research with the others, before she looked 
back to the slightly smaller alien.
	“I am Kal’Darna of the Ra’val cruiser Vora, we have retrieved all technology stolen from us by the one you 
refer to as Arctic Fury.”  It spoke slowly and clearly in exactly the same tone as when it had addressed Captain Ellis 
aboard the Victorious .  “We wish to know if there is any more stolen technology in his possession, we assume he 
is in your custody.”
	“Actually, no.”  General Powell answered.  “Arctic Fury and our Alpha Team disappeared into an energy 
sphere, created by a Ra’val ring device.”
	“I see.”  Kal’Darna said, his expression still unchanged.
	“Will you join us for a full debriefing at our base?  General Masters asked.  Before the mouse could 
continue, the bright light returned causing the two Generals to shield their eyes.  As the light died away they looked 
at an empty space where Kal’Darna had stood, then to each other.  “Now what?”
	The blinding radiance washed over the area again, specifically around the two Generals.  When it finally 
faded, they found themselves in the upper conference room of the Special Operations Base, they hadn’t felt 
anything from the transporter due to the Ra’vals’ huge sophistication compared to the Terran pad.  Also in the room 
were John Sanders and Tom Ellis, both sitting but quickly stood up as they realised they had been transported.  At 
the end of the long rectangular table sat Kal’Darna in a specialised chair rather than the other swivelled leather 
chairs.
	“This matter is of great importance,” the alien started, “so we have translocated you all here, your normal 
transportation would have wasted time.”
	“What about my team?”  Questioned John.
	“Your team and…” Kal’Darna looked towards Tom “…your first officer have been informed of your 
translocation.”
	“What’s of such great urgency?”  General Masters asked, taking a seat as the other three did likewise.

* * * * *

	A drunken rat stopped walking long enough to take another gulp from a brown wrapped bottle and hiccup 
before continuing on with his intoxicated swagger, the only sounds to be heard in the dingy alleyway were his 
clumsy footpawfalls onto the crisp snow and slurred drinking song.  He turned a corner, leaning heavily on the 
filthy stone wall of the abandoned warehouse as he moved deeper into the darkness, it was winter and the sun had 
set a few hours before.
	A sphere of flowing red light interrupted the fur’s movements and song, his eyes transfixed on the ripples 
dancing over the balls surface and the brickwork of the surrounding buildings.
	A single figure, an arctic fox, came hurtling from the sphere’s centre to land at the rat’s footpaws.  Eric 
swiftly stood up, snarling at the drunken rat who squealed in fright before turning tail and running as fast as his 
alcohol ridden body would allow.  Ignoring the fleeing rat, Eric quickly got his bearings and ran deeper into the 
alley opposite to the way the rat had entered and fled.
	The alley was empty again, until after a few seconds Tyler landed where Eric had just before.  He quickly 
was back on his footpaws, rifle raised, expecting to find the arctic fox but he’d already made his escape.  Tyler 
turned to look over the rest of the alley, only to have Jade knock him flat as she was propelled from the sphere’s 
interior.  Sarah was next to join the pile-up and finally Becca ended up on top.
	From the bottom of the mass, Tyler could see the imprint of where Eric had landed on the snow, two 
footpawprint trails leading away.  The other eventually managed to extricate himself from the furry heap, just as the 
energy sphere degenerated, plunging the four of them into darkness.  The lights on the end of each rifle projected 
spots of illumination onto the alleyway.
	“Ellis, Hope.  Follow those tracks.”  Tyler’s light pointed at Eric’s footpawprints, as he barked out his 
order.  “O’Brian, with me.”  He and the vixen jogged on the path of the drunken rat, leaving the otter and weasel to 
follow the arctic fox’s trail.
	Turning a corner, Tyler and Becca could see a dull light from a flickering street light.  Deactivating their 
lights, they took another couple of steps forward.  Two furs walked past the end of the alley, they wore shabby 
clothes, their shoulders hunched up trying to fight off the icy cold of the evening, paws in the pockets of their 
tattered trousers, they wore no sock or shoes their footpaws nestled in the snow.  Seeing the otter and vixen in full 
combat gear with weapons raised, one grabbed the other and they both hurried off.  Tyler and Becca gave each other 
bemused looks before continuing further towards the street.  The otter motioned for Becca to stop as a low rumble 
could be heard coming closer, getting louder and louder.  A vehicle resembling a smart car roared past the alley, a 
human at the wheel with a trail of foul smelling gases escaping from a pipe at the rear.  The vehicle veered towards 
a fur who gave a screech of terror before running into an apartment building, the car continued on into the distance.
	“What was _that?” _ Tyler asked Becca.
	“By the sound of it,” she wrinkled her nose, “smell of it, that is an internal diesel combustion automobile.  
By the look of it, a Puma classic.”
	“It was a _rhetorical_ question.”  He remarked in a know-it-all manner.  “How did you know?”
	“I have mock-ups of several old cars.”  She admitted.
	“Old?”  He echoed questioningly.
	“They haven’t been produced for at least a hundred years.”  Becca answered him.
	“This is weird.”  He placed a paw to his ear.  “Ellis, you read me?”
	“Yes, sir.”
	“Back to the alley.”  He ordered
	“Roger that.”  Jade confirmed.  She and Sarah were having no luck in finding Eric, they hastily returned to 
the alleyway, turning their lights back on as the entered the unilluminated section.  They found Tyler and Becca 
already waiting, Their rifles lowered at recognising their team mates.
	“So, what the hell is going on?  Tyler asked his team.  “First we’re on grassland outside London, now we’re 
here, wherever that is.”
	“I guess the Ra’val ring transported us somewhere.”  Jade suggested.
	“Where?”  Tyler questioned.
	“I don’t know, sir.”  She confessed.
	“Just being transported wouldn’t account for the old-fashioned car we saw.”  Becca commented.
	“Or the poverty that all the furs seem to be in.”  Sarah added.  “We tracked the prints to a residential 
building, only furs with a single room each at best.  I’ve never seen such poor living conditions, it’s horrible.”
	“Time travel,”  Jade piped up.
	“What?”  Tyler asked, more in disbelief than confusion.
	“Of course,” Becca agreed, “that would everything being here,” she gestured the snow covered ground 
where she stood.
	“The poor quality housing,” Sarah added.
	“And the old car we just saw.”
	“Okay!”  Tyler called, trying to stop the other three.  “What did we just figure out?”
	“We haven’t _gone_ anywhere,” Jade started, “that device sent us back through time to now, whenever that 
may be.”
	“What about the buildings?”  Tyler pointed at the closer wall, “they weren’t here before we jumped 
through the ring.”
	“They’ll be destroyed.”  Becca stated plainly, seeing Tyler blank expression he continued.  “During the 
Race Wars, sir, our past and this future.”
	“Oh, so…”
	“I have no idea why we’re here, sir”  Becca interrupted him.
	“…why?”  Tyler finished anyway.
	“Arctic Fury must have come here to alter our past for his own means.”  Jade offered.  “So we have to stop 
him before he gets the chance to change history.”
	“But if we’re here,” he paused,” aren’t we already changing history?”  His question was laboured since he 
didn’t really have a clue.
	“Damage control, sir.  We have to stop him and at the same time not alter events ourselves.”  Jade 
answered.
	“What could he want in this time period?”  Sarah directed her question to Becca.
	“Sorry ma’am, but without knowing the exact date I can’t tell what’s happened or about to happen.”  She 
answered.  “We have to ask someone.”
	“My watch says it’s June fourteenth.”  Tyler tried to joke, but got no response.  “Alright, sounds like _a_ 
plan.”  Tyler said, he walking in the direction he originally went.  “This way.”
	“Sir!”  Jade yelled, before Tyler could get too far.
	“Yes?”  His voice showed a hint of impatience, but he did stop and turn to face her.
	“We can’t take our weapons or technology into the open.  More people from this time period could see 
them.”
	“And the humans of this time didn’t think highly of furs, they may try to steal them.”  Becca added.
	“So we have to destroy it all?”  Tyler asked.
	“Yes, sir.”  Jade answered.
	“Oh, “ Tyler said, not expecting such a blatant response.  “Alright.”  He unshouldered his pack and let it fall 
to the ground with his rifle, the other three did the likewise.  “We’ll keep two pistols, our orbs and our radios.”  He 
saw Jade about to protest.  “I am _not_ running around this time, which is apparently hostile, unarmed and out of 
contact.”
	“I was going to point out that the orbs won’t work as GPS beacons, sir.”  She said.  “The navsats haven’t 
been launched yet.
	Tyler took his from his belt and held it at arms length, it flashed.  A brief message reading, ‘Navigational 
and positional satellite link unestablished’, then just showed four red dots in close proximity to each other with no 
surface or land markings present.  “We’ll keep them anyway.”
	Shortly, all their technology, save two pistols and two power cells, four orbs and radio earpieces, and a 
single palm computer, sat in a small pile.  After carefully checking that all grenades were disarmed, Tyler placed a 
single live one with a short fuse atop the heap and ran to join the others hiding around the corner.  After a blast of 
heat accompanied by a deafening explosion, the four furs examined the smouldering ash, not surprising nothing 
survived.
	“Lets go ask the date then.”  He lead his team out of the alleyway in the direction he had originally taken, 
their footpawfalls causing watery echoes to resound around them.
	As the group walked out onto the sidewalk from the alley, they looked around for anybody they could 
speak to.  There was only one fur on the otherwise abandoned street, a tiger, who watched Alpha Team intently as 
they approached.  He began to walk away, breaking into a run when they got too close, Tyler decided not pursue but 
was confused as to what had the feline so spooked.  Suddenly a young wolf came bursting out of the residential 
building the group stood beside, giggling and squealing in innocent bliss.  She stopped at seeing the four furs 
wearing unusual camouflage clothing, she looked up at Tyler.
	“What’s your name?”  The little wolf asked, smiling broadly.
	The otter returned the smile, kneeling to look at her eye to eye.  “Tyler Roe, what’s yours?”
	“Tylero, that’s kinda a funny name.  I’m Mary.”  She paused, looking at the rest of Tyler’s team.  “You’re 
new ain’t ya?”
	“You could say that.”  He answered.
	“You should see Mista Forn, he’s a nice man.”
	“Who’s Mister Forn?”
	“Mary!”  Came a screeching cry from an older wolf that ran towards them from the residential  building, 
obviously her mother.  She wrapped his arms around her daughter protectively and glared at the otter.  “Get away!  
Leave us alone!”
	Tyler stood quickly and back off slightly.  “We don’t want to harm you or your daughter.”  He didn’t get an 
answer, but her piercing glare was constant.  “Mary said we should see a Mister Forn, who’s that?”
	She narrowed her eyes and looked them up and down warily, before eventually pointing down the street.  
“Last building on the right.”  She said hastily before pulling her daughter back inside.
	“Bye Tylero!”  Mary shouted despite her mother’s objection.
	He turned back to his team, “this way then,” he gestured down the empty street in the same direction the 
wolf had.  As they went, they came to notice that all the furs they encountered avoided them as if they were 
radioactive.
	Finally they came to the final building on the right, a shop.  ‘Thorn’s All-purpose.’ was printed in large 
green letters above the door, on one glass window there was a simple white sign reading ‘all welcome’ and on the 
other window, written in black spray paint, was ‘fur lover’.  Alpha Team stepped inside, a wind chime attached to 
the door clattered musically as it closed.  An elderly man in his late sixties appeared from a door behind the 
counter on the back wall, he carried a sponge in one hand and a bucket of soapy water in the other.  He placed the 
items on the counter and looked at his new arrivals.
	“Hello, it’s okay you can come in.  Whether you can read or not, the sign says you’re all welcome.”
	Tyler looked to Becca, she had a knowledge of the time period and an ability to improvise, so he motioned 
for her to do the speaking.  She stepped forward, dipping her head slightly as a sign of respect.  “Thank you, sir.”
	“You can talk?”  He said, a little surprised.  “Not many escapees can talk, do your friends speak too?”
	Becca looked back at the rest of her team briefly before shaking her head.
	“Well don’t worry about that, my wife runs a school of sorts for folks like you.”  He looked down at their 
military clothing.  “But first lets get you something a bit more fitting, we don’t want a patrol to haul you back to 
that so-called _secret_ base they got.  You just go through to the back room,” he gestured the doorway behind him, 
“I’ll bring some clothes for you.”
	“Thank you, sir.”  Becca repeated before the four of them went through the door and into the medium 
sized room, it was nearly bare except for a table with a kettle, some cups and a few books, on the right wall was a 
door labelled ’store room’.  A few minutes later, the elderly man entered carrying a pile of clothes.
	“This is the best I can offer you I’m afraid, you may want to keep those boots of yours, I don’t have any 
shoes here.  I’ll be outside cleaning the graffiti off my windows again.”  He sighed.  “As you’ve probably guessed 
most humans more or less despise you folks, but by my reckoning, we all have to live so why can’t we do it side by 
side.”  He placed the clothing in a heap on the table, and turned to leave.
	Becca stepped forward, “sir?”
	He chuckled lightly as he turned to face the vixen.  “Please little missy, my names Charlie Thorn, not sir.”
	“Mr Thorn?”  She tried again
	“Okay, I’ll settle for that.  What is it?”
	“What’s the date, today?”
	“Oh, of course, they wouldn’t have told you that.  Today is the fifteenth of November of the year 2176.  
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have cleaning to do.”
	Alpha Team waited until the musical sound of the wind chime was heard as Mr Thorn left, before they 
began talking.
	“So, we’re escapees, from where?“  Tyler asked.  “And who are _they?_”
	“About thirteen years ago the first furs were created.”  Becca started.  “They were going to be used as 
expendable soldiers, slave labour, to serve humans in general.  But during a change of government about five years 
ago the entire plan was scrapped, they thought the idea of having subordinate creatures doing their bidding to be 
ethically wrong.  So _almost_ all of the furs were released into the world, having been granted the most basic of 
rights, others were retained by the military for research.  So _they_ would be the military and when he saw our 
combat clothing he assumed we stole it when we escaped.”  She paused for thought.  “That would also explain why 
we were avoided, to get mixed up with escapees was an invitation to be taken along with the runaway when a patrol 
found them.”  She gestured the clothing that Mr Thorn had provided.  “If we wear these, then we’ll be able to 
interact more easily with members of this time period.”
	“Alright, choose what takes your fancy.”  Tyler said, already picking out clothes for himself, the others did 
likewise.  All the clothing was tattered and generally in a bad state, but it would have to do.  “Now that we know a 
date, what’s going to happen in the next few days that Eric could have a paw in.”
	“This is actually a pivotal time in our history.  Tomorrow there will be an incident in the underground 
complex that will become the Special Operations Base, headed by a group from FUR.”  She saw Tyler’s blank 
expression.  “The Furs Underground Resistance, sir.  The day after that the conflicts between humans and furs will 
really begin, it’ll take nearly a year and a half for the Race Wars to end.”
	“So, what could he be here to change?”  Sarah asked.  “Surely he doesn’t want to stop the Race Wars, that 
would leave the furs as a second class to humans for the rest of their lives.”
	“Maybe to give the furs some kind of advantage right from the start, ma’am.”  Becca suggested.
	“Stop that.”  Tyler said, getting questioning looks from his team mates.  “If we’re going to pass as 
members of this time, we’ve got to stop calling each other by rank, we are now civilians.”
	“Yes…Tyler.”  Becca found it strange being on a first name basis with an officer.  “The assault on the 
Division base sounds like one lead.”
	“What about Robert Draks, shouldn’t he be around now?”  Jade offered.
	“We don’t have time to try and find him, he could be anywhere in the country, hell, he could be anywhere 
in the world.  Eric Draks couldn’t have gotten far, he came _here_ for a reason, now what is it?”
	“Darnall, Dr Sonya Darnall.”  Sarah started.  “She’s alive now, that _can’t_ just be a coincidence.  She 
created furs thirteen years ago, if Eric Draks got to her, he could force her into making any kind of biological 
agent against humans or for furs.”
	“That’s two leads, it’ll have to do for now…”  He was cut short by the sound of the wind chime, the four of 
them had just finished changing into the civilian clothing as Charlie entered the back room.
	“That’s better isn’t it.”  It wasn’t really a question.  “I have one last thing for you before you leave.”  He 
produced a key from his trouser pocket.  “This is for the flats next door, unfortunately it’s just one room between 
four of you but it’s the best I can offer you.”  He placed the key into Becca’s black-furred paw.  “Other folks like 
you will be a little less nervous of you now, so off you go and be sure to stay out of the human side of London if 
you want to stay safe.”
	“Thank you, si…Mr Thorn.”  Becca said, playing into her role as she again smiled and dipped her head 
slightly.
	They were lead out of the shop by the kindly gentleman.  “Don’t forget to come by tomorrow, my wife 
will be here to help all you folks with your talking.”  He then went back into his store, leaving Alpha Team in the 
near empty street.
	Tyler turned to Becca, “do you know where Dr Darnall would be?”
	“Yes, si…”  She cleared her throat.  “Yes I do.”
	“Jade and Sarah, you have to find somebody from this furry resistance thing and get any information you 
can on Eric’s activities or the events for tomorrow.”
	“Okay.”  They went off back down the street, leaving Tyler to be guided by Becca to see the creator of 
their species.

* * * * *

	Once Jade and Sarah had reached about halfway along the lengthy street, the weasel turned to the senior 
otter.  “Um…Jade, where are we actually going?”  She asked.
	“I thought I’d follow you, you seem to be a lot more streetwise than me, so I figured you’d know where to 
start.”  She explained.
	“Oh-kay, I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”  She paused for thought.  “If we’re looking for 
information, the best place to start would be a pub of some kind, there.”  She pointed across the road at a large 
building.
	“Then we’ll start there in a minute.”  Jade affirmed. She checked no-one was watching before pulling the 
palm computer from her pocket, searching through the historical articles until she found what they needed.  
Holding it so they could both see the image, it showed a gruff-looking badger the name underneath reading 
‘Raeden‘, most of the first furs only had one name.  “This is the guy we’re looking for, just don’t be too obvious.”  
Sarah nodded before they headed for the tavern.
	They stepped in, taking a second to review the scene before them.  A long wooden bar stretched across the 
far wall with several furs sitting at it, scattered around the room were round tables with more furs, along the left 
side of the extensive room were several pool tables with sounds of colliding balls.  The pair walked slowly across 
the room to the bar, getting questionable glances since they had never been seen before.  As they got closer, they 
saw another of the patrons paying his tab.
	Sarah tilted her head up to whisper into Jade’s ear.  “We have no money.”
	A triumphant laugh roared from one of the pool tables followed by a arrogant challenge to the room in 
general.  “Any takers?  A credit a ball.”
	Jade looked down at her shorter team mate.  “I have it covered.”  She looked to the imposing bear that 
announced the challenge.  “Right here!”
	As the two of the walked to the tables, Sarah felt the need to ask.  “Do you even play pool?”
	“It’s just simple geometry.”  Jade answered.
	“Oh, little girlies want to play a mans game.”  The bear mocked.  “Shove off, I want a real opponent.”
	“Bring it on.”  Jade said, almost menacingly.
	The game started poorly for the otter, eventually there was only a single of her opponents balls remaining 
on the table whilst she hadn’t potted a single one, but her chance came when the bear missed his shot.  Sarah along 
with a group others just looked on, her spirits lifted slightly as Jade sunk all her balls and finally the eight ball.  
Jade smiled exultantly, especially when she saw her opponent fuming at his loss.
	“Beginners luck.”  He accused.  “I want a rematch,” he demanded.
	“Double or nothing.”
	“Done.”
	The game started again, with the same result.  Over and over they played, the bear refusing to lose to a 
woman, and each time Jade raised the stakes.  Finally he was forced to pay-up, leaving Jade and Sarah with more 
than enough cash.
	The pair moved off to a corner to talk.  “You take that half of the room,” Jade motioned to the side closer 
to the door, “I’ll take the other.”  Sarah nodded her understanding.  “And remember, be discrete.”  The two of them 
separated to seek out information.

* * * * *

	Tyler and Becca were on the verge of the supposedly-unofficial border between the fur and human sides 
of London, though unofficial, there was an awful lot of razor wire and fencing, there was even a few guards 
guarding watching over the major roads.  Humans seemed to cross freely passed the guards, but the pair witnessed 
a rather meek-looking rabbit try to pass and then brutally turned away.  The dejected rabbit started back along the 
road, a group of three men began following her.  Noticing them, she ran, turning into an alley to hide, but her 
assailants just continued into the alleyway behind her.
	The pair looked to each other before going after them, they found the rabbit cowering in a corner with the 
three men advancing on her, her face a picture of fear.
	“Hey!”  Tyler called out, causing the group to turn and face him and Becca.  “Leave her alone!”
	“You want some of this?”  The leader of the group menacingly waved a blade, about six inches long, 
perfectly straight with a serrated back edge.
	“No.”  With an incredibly swift motion, Tyler pulled the laser pistol from where it had rested between his 
belt and small of his back, he discharged a single shot into the man’s wrist forcing him to drop his weapon.  “You 
want some of this?”  The otter asked back, almost mockingly.  He stepped to the side, leaving a clear path to the 
end of the alley.  “Leave!”  He commanded, still brandishing the pistol.  The defeated group quickly left, running 
back to the human side.  Tyler returned his firearm to behind him as Becca helped the fallen rabbit to her footpaws.
	“What’s your name?”  Tyler asked.
	“Liz.”
	“Well, Liz, they’re not going to bother you again…”  He was cut off as the rabbit wrapped her arms around 
him.
	“Thank you, thank you.”  She repeated, on the verge of tears.
	“Easy there.”  He said, easing himself from her grip.
	“Why were you trying to cross town?”  Becca asked.
	“I was only just released from the research lab, I was left outside a block of flats in on this side.  But there 
was this sign saying that if I wanted a room, I’d have to see this guy on the human half.  Those guards just laughed at 
me and turned me away.”  Her voice trailed off, her shoulders slumped and she seemed ready to cry again.
	Tyler looked to Becca and whispered, “you still got that key?”
	“Yes…s.”  She stopped herself.  “Yeah, it’s here.”  She pulled the object from her pocket and handed to 
the rabbit.  “Take this.”  She placed the key into the rabbits paw.  Liz’s eyes went wide, she looked up at the vixen, 
then lunged at her, catching Becca in the same grip she had caught Tyler in.  “Just ask for a Charlie Thorn, everyone 
knows him.”  Becca finished, trying to untangle herself from the rabbit’s arms.
	“Thank you.”  Liz said again, then dashed off.
	“Was it a good idea to fire at those guys?”  Becca asked.
	“I wasn’t going to get into a fight, besides who’s going to believe that an otter with a laser-gun managed to 
beat the three of them.”
	She laughed, “I see you’re point.”
	“Hold it, both of you!”  Came an urgent call from the alleyway entrance, there stood the two guards from 
the road checkpoint, both with rifles resembling M16’s raised.
	“Then again,” Tyler remarked under his breath.
	The first of the guards stepped forwards, moving towards Becca.  “Put your hands up!”
	“They’re paws actually.”  Tyler corrected him, raising one and giving it a wave, the other resting on his 
pistol.
	“Shut up!”  The second guard commanded.
	Becca placed her paws on her head, silently mouthing to her commander.  “Three, two, one.”  She swung 
both arms down, the first man had gotten far too close, so Becca’s swing caught the end of his rifle, it discharged 
into the ground between her footpaws.  At the same time, Tyler had pulled his pistol out and fire into the second 
man’s chest, knocking him unconscious.  Before the first of the guards could react, he suffered the same fate as his 
colleague from the barrel of Tyler’s weapon.
	Ignoring the fallen men, the otter walked up to the end of the alleyway and peeked at the now-vacant 
checkpoint, all that remained was a couple of security cameras attached to the small guardhouse and tall fencing.  
Both were simply disabled by Tyler, using his pistol.
	“Lead on,” Tyler made a gracious sweeping motion with his arm.

* * * * *

	“Hey there sweetie.”
	“Hi, there.”  Sarah had to endure the worst of all the chat-up lines as she moved from table to table, so far 
she had nothing to show for it, except about twenty promises of ‘a good time’.  This was the last table, she sat down 
opposite a semi-drunken mink.
	“How would you like a night with a _real_ fur?  He offered.
	“Oh, I don’t know.”  She replied lustfully.  “I wouldn’t mind seeing that Raeden, I hear he’s a _real_ fur.”
	“I wouldn’t know about that, I’ve never met the guy.”  He paused to take another shot of vodka.  “But I can 
still show you a good time.”
	She laughed dryly, “maybe next time.”  She stood up and walked off, looking for her team mate,  she 
stopped in mid-stride with surprise.  There, slumped over the bar, was Jade.  Sarah sat down beside her, placing a 
paw gently on the otter’s back, Jade lurched up off the bar to sit upright.  She looked left then right, her bleary eyes 
trying to focus on Sarah.  “What are you doing?”  The weasel asked.
	“Hu…wha?”  The stammered, blinking several times before realising who was speaking to her.  “Oh, 
Sarah.”  She cleared her throat loudly.  “I got talking to this cougar, he said he knew that badger-guy.  It took 
about…um…_many_ drinks of something just to get his name, I can’t remember what it was, then it took _more_ 
drinks to find out he just wanted a date, and then he left and you came over and…um.”  She squinted, running a paw 
through her headfur and blinked again, her face went blank.  “What was I saying?”
	“You’re drunk.”  Sarah stated blatantly.
	“I am _not_.”  Jade sounded almost offended.  “I’ve only had,” she began counting to herself with the aid 
of her fingers, but soon ran short.  “Oh,” she said with a laugh as realisation of how much she’d drunk finally sunk 
in.
	“Hey, weasel!”  Came a call from across the room.
	Sarah turned, her gaze could have burned straight through the speaker.  It was the badger, Raeden.  He 
stood alone looking at her from the entrance, everyone in the room had gone silent, they too watched her.  Feeling 
suddenly very uncomfortable she turned back to her team mate, murmuring through clenched jaws.  “I need your 
gun.”  Jade just looked back and smiled before collapsing backwards onto the floor, Sarah rolled her eyes as she 
heard the otter begin to snore gently.  She took this chance to kneel beside her team mate and discretely take the 
pistol and push it down the side of her boot, covering it with her trousers before lifting Jade and supporting her.  
“What do you want?”
	“Looks like you could use a paw.”  He replied, avoiding the question.  A pair of paws descended on Sarah’s 
shoulders, holding her steady, as another fur from one of the tables stepped up with a shotgun.  “Let’s go.”
	Sarah was lead out at gunpoint whilst another couple supported of furs supported Jade, they were taken out 
onto the now empty street, anyone not trying to drink away the days problems would be asleep.
	“What do you want?”  Sarah asked again.
	“You first, why are you and your otter so interested in my activities?”
	“You’re Raeden?”
	“And if I am?”
	“We’ve heard a lot about you’re actions against the humans,” she paused, “we want in.”
	“You?”  He said, trying to not to burst out laughing.  “Want use can a drunk and a weasel be?”
	She surveyed the group, beside Raeden stood a gerbil with a disturbing stare, a pair of foxes had laid Jade 
down on the pavement, and the mink behind her holding the shotgun.  “What’s wrong with weasels?”  She asked 
indignantly.
	“In my experience they’re useless at everything but running away.”
	“Try me.”  She said menacingly.  “I’m not going anywhere.”
	“Fine,” he stepped back, allowing his four underlings to stop closer.  “Real-life situation, our enemies will 
always outnumber us and outgun us, what do you do?”  It was a rhetorical question, Raeden expecting her not to 
answer with words.
	Quickly summing up her position, her first priority was a shotgun aimed between her shoulder blades.  She 
spun, kicking high to catch the gun-bearer over the head, he dropped the gun as he fell to the ground, with a swing 
of her leg she sent the firearm spinning down the street.  The first of the foxes rushed her, when he was close 
enough, Sarah rolled backwards as she got a footpaw into his stomach, throwing him over herself to land on the 
already fallen mink.  The second of the foxes moved forward, slower though, his arms raised ready to exchange 
blows.  The first jab Sarah dodged, and the second, in frustration he tried a similar spinning kick, Sarah sunk to one 
knee to avoid the spin and rose up with a forward kick which connected heavily with the fox’s jawbone.  She turned 
abruptly to confront the gerbil that snuck around to attack from behind, he slashed with his overly-sharpened claws, 
one set catching her right upper arm the other just short of her belly.  He lunged at her, his snapping jaws trying to 
clamp down on her neck, caught off guard by the sheer savagery of the assault she fell onto her back, the gerbil 
going right over her.  The others were already back up and ready for another round, she spring back onto her 
footpaws, from her stooped position she drew her laser pistol.  She stood upright, aiming for Raeden’s striped 
head.
	“Call them off.”  She demanded.
	He burst into deep laughter.  “No need to take things so seriously, it was just a test.  You passed by the 
way.”  With that, her four other foes backed away, all but the gerbil returned to the bar.
	“A _test!_”  She was shocked by how easily Raeden had dismissed the confrontation.  “That _thing_ would 
have ripped my throat out with half a chance.”
	“Nah, he was just playing.”  Raeden patted the savage gerbil heavily on the back.  The sound of an 
approaching engine caught their attention.  “Hide your weapon.”
	Sarah did as she was commanded, just before a humvee slowed to a stop in front of them.  Five men in 
military clothing, two in the driver and passenger seats, one was standing a heavy rifle emplacement, the last couple 
sat either side both carrying the M16-type rifles.
	The fur on the gerbil’s neck stood visibly and his legs tensed ready to pounce again, just as he was about to 
lunge for the vehicle Raeden caught him by the tail, tugging him back.  The rodent looked back at him, baring his 
teeth and hissing angrily, but with a scolding glance from the mighty badger he calmed down slightly.
	“You, badger!”  The driver addressed Raeden in an unfriendly tone.
	“What?”  He replied harshly.
	“An incident was reported at border-check four, what are you mangy furs up to?”
	“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
	“You!”  He pointed to Sarah, “come here now!”  She hesitated slightly before walking up to the driver-side 
door.  “You’re new.”
	“Um…yeah.”  She wasn’t sure what to do.
	He grabbed her roughly by the shoulder, pulling her closer.
	“Hey!”  She protested to no avail.
	He ran a device over the side of her neck, right shoulder and down her arm, ignoring her wound there.  He 
looked at the device’s screen.
	“Clean.”  He put the device down.  Turning to Raeden he warned, “you’d better not be lying,” then drove 
off.
	Sarah watched the humvee speed away as she walked back to the badger, rubbing her shoulder.  “What was 
that about?”
	“It’s that latest military trick, any furs in their _care_ are electronically tagged.  If they find a runaway, 
they’re either killed on the spot or hauled off.  In situations like that, there‘s nothing we can do.”
	“Outnumbered and outgunned.”
	“You catch on quick.”  He glanced at her injury, a dark red stain was growing over her normally blue 
jumper.  “Come with me, we’ll do something about that shoulder.”
	With Jade leaning heavily on her left shoulder, Sarah followed the pair back into the tavern.  Everyone 
turned to look at them, then a voice rang out across the room.  “She pass?”
	“Yep!  She bested four of our own.”  Raeden declared to the room, his statement met with laughs at the 
beaten and congratulations for Sarah.
	As she was led into a back room she asked, “does everyone here know about you?”
	“Of course, and they’re all perfectly loyal, that’s why no-one would say a thing to you.”
	The room was empty, no furniture, no decoration, just the wooden door and four stone-block wall.  
Raeden appeared to take amusement from Sarah’s confused expression, he stepped up to the far stone wall and 
placed his paws on two separate blocks, pushing hard they arduously moved inwards.  With a couple of clicking 
sounds followed, another of the blocks lifted on the left wall to reveal a glass slab which he placed his right paw 
on.  The room reset itself and the floorboards in the centre slid away to expose a pad.
	“Bet you haven’t seen one of these before.”  Raeden stated.
	“Um…no.”  Sarah replied, playing along.
	The badger stepped forward to stand on the dark-frosted glass, gesturing for her to do the same.  “They’re 
perfectly safe.”  She moved to stand opposite him, leaving just enough room for the gerbil behind her.
	An increasing glow enveloped the room and as it died away, the four fours found themselves standing on a 
slightly raised platform in a large room, down one side and leading into a tunnel was a neglected metal track.  In 
front of the group stood a young vixen, probably ten or eleven, she  brandished a pistol and relaxed at recognising 
the badger.
	“Welcome back Mr Raeden.”  She piped up in quite a high-pitched voice.
	“Hey, Fern.  I see your mum finally let you carry a gun.”
	She held up the weapon proudly.  “Yep, she said I could watch the pad with my dad.  He’ll be back in a sec.”
	“Go find him, I need to speak to him.”  Fern nodded eagerly and ran off down one of the many tunnels 
leading out of the room.  Raeden turned to Sarah.  “What do you think of our pad?”
	“It was certainly unusual.”  She said in mock awe.
	“We stole it from the humans only two weeks ago.”
	“Can’t they detect the energy output of it, I mean it must use a lot?”  She asked, trying to play down her 
knowledge of the technology.
	“You’ll find out that we’re careful, we’ve set up interference fields all over out area of town.”  Again he 
noticed her wounded shoulder, motioning for her to follow him.
	As they walked, Sarah looked around her.  “What is this place?”
	“It used to be an underground train station which fell into disuse about sixty-or-so years ago, we found it 
only three months ago.  It’s become our base of operations against the humans, an armoury, a medical centre, a 
homeless shelter, any and everything we need.”  He gestured towards a group that were pulling up the train tracks.  
“We’re slowly adapting it to suit our needs.”
	They approached a tunnel entrance, whilst Raeden and Sarah with Jade continued on, the gerbil left them.  
Sarah waited until he was out of earshot before asking.  “What’s up with him?”
	“Who, Nicky?  You’ll just have to ignore him, he’s not right in the head.”
	“What happened to him?”
	“We were both in the first group of furs, the guards at the military installation where we were kept had 
quite a liberal attitude towards brutality against us _lesser_ species.  Over time we all grew a huge resentment 
against them, but none of us more than Nicky.  Until this one time he launched himself at one of the human’s 
throat, killed him instantly…”  Sarah winced, thinking that the gerbil almost did the same to her.  “…As retribution 
they took a knife to his neck.  The scientists there had more empathy for us, they had Nicky up and biting in no 
time, but they couldn’t save his vocal chords.  Ever since, whenever he gets close to a human a kinda mist’ll fall 
over his eyes and he’ll kill ’em in a damned bloody mess.”
	They emerged from the semi-lit tunnel into a smaller, but still substantially sized, room.  It was 
partitioned off into sections, each holding a couple of beds with small piles of clothing and food, some had 
personal belongings.
	“This is where the homeless, or anyone else needing a place, stay.  All new arrivals will pass through here 
at some point, along with all of us with a price on our heads.”  He gestured to one of the unoccupied sections.  
“You and your otter friend can rest here, I’ll send a medic through.”
	“Thank you.”  Sarah said as she laid Jade down on a bed.
	“Anything for a fur.”  Raeden strode off the way he’d entered.
	Sarah quickly got back up, searching around her designated section and those surrounding it for anyone or 
anything that could hear her talking, finding nothing she laid down on the bed opposite Jade.  Feigning tiredness she 
rested her head down on her paw, activating her radio and speaking quietly.
	“Tyler, can you hear me?”
	“Yeah, what is it?”
	“We’ve made it into the underground resistance and met with the leader, Raeden.”
	“Well done, where’s Jade?”
	“Um, she’s here.”  She glanced over to the still sleeping otter.  “She’s just a little…drunk.”
	“Drunk?”  Tyler said in a surprised tone.
	“It’s a long story.”
	“Have you found any evidence of Eric Draks anywhere?”
	“Not yet, I’ll begin my search soon.”  She spotted a husky carrying a first-aid kit emerging from the 
tunnel.  “I have to go.”

* * * * *

	“Keep me posted.”  Tyler finished, he turned to his vixen team mate.  “Sarah has made it into the 
resistance and Jade’s got drunk.”
	Becca smiled, picturing the Second Lieutenant drunk.
	“How much further until we get to the building where Dr Darnall works?”  Tyler asked, not physically tired 
but tired of all the condescending looks and calls of abuse from the humans around them.
	“It’s at the end of the road we were on.”  She answered, the pair had to stop in another alley to respond to 
Sarah.
	“Good, let’s go.”
	The building at the of the road was massive, a tall glass skyscraper at least seventy or eighty floors high, 
dwarfing all other structures around it.  The pair entered into the lobby, it was relatively bland with a long reception 
desk across the centre of the room, behind that were a few lifts and a couple of sets of stairs, in front of the desk 
was a waiting area with small tables and chairs.  Murmuring from people at the tables could be heard at the sight of 
the two furs entering the building.  They went to join a queue leading to the receptionist, a woman wearing a neat 
grey suit with a ID tag pinned to the front, parts of her conversation could be heard.
	“Good morning sir, how can I help you?”  She said sweetly to a man who showed his ID card.  “Of course, 
up the lift to your right.”  A lady was next, she asked something.  “Yes ma’am, if you’ll wait over there he’ll be right 
down.”  Then it was their turn, as she looked up at them, her face a mix of surprise and disgust.  “What do you 
want?”  Her voice flat, almost unfriendly.
	“We’d like to see Dr Darnall, please.”  Becca said shyly.
	“Dr Darnall is extremely busy, she doesn’t have time for…visitors.”  Tyler knew she wanted to say ‘for the 
likes of you’.  “Please leave, I have people to attend to.”  Not ‘_other_ people’, she wouldn’t even acknowledge that 
furs were people.
	“But…”  Tyler started.
	“Would you like to escorted out?”  She threatened.
	“No, ma’am.”  Becca said, as they were wandering towards the exit they heard the beginning of her next 
conversation.
	“No sir, I have no idea what business they have here.  Now, how may I help?”  Her tone once again sweet 
and kindly.
	Once back outside, the pair found another alley to formulate their next step.
	“Now what?”  Tyler asked.  “We can’t get in the front door, climb the sides, go in through the roof.”
	“How about underneath?”  Becca offered.
	“Through solid ground?”  Tyler said incredulously.
	“No, in this time there should be extensive networks of underground sewers, they had primitive waste management facilities.”  She began looking around the alley floor.  “We just have to find…ah…a cover.”  She 
stood over the circular man-hole cover.  She knelt down to pull at four latches around the circumference, another 
lever rose in the centre.  Giving it a twist, the latches sprung back into position showing that the cover had been 
unlocked, she lifted it out the hole to reveal a ladder leading down into the gloom below.  The blast of stale air was 
repulsive, causing the pair to shy back from the opening.
	“I’ll go first.”  Tyler said decisively, stepping onto the first rung of the metal ladder and beginning his 
descent.  Becca followed close behind, replacing the cover before hurrying down.  The two furs walked along a 
raised section of stone beside a flow of murky water.  “How is it you know so much about this time and the cars 
and stuff?”
	“That would be because of my mother, she’s a mechanic, I used to help out in her garage.  We worked 
mainly on smart cars, but there was always the nostalgic types with diesel fuelled cars that would stop by.  I always 
wanted to be a mechanic just like her.”
	“Then why are you here?”  Tyler asked, slightly confused.
	“My dad, a retired Colonel, wanted me to join the military.  He wasn’t the kind you could say no to.  
Though my skills as a mechanic did come in useful every so often, I turned out to be a better marksmen.”  
	“What about the knowledge of this time?”
	“My grandmother, she would regale us with stories passed down from _her_ grandmother while my 
mother and I would work, her name was Fern, she had an eventful cubhood .  It was a lot of fun, on my time off I 
still go visit the garage, you know quality time and so on.”
	“Mmm, you definitely know how to have fun.”  He said almost mockingly.
	“I’m having fun now.”
	“You go girl.”
	She laughed, it echoed off the off the grimy walls.  “What about you, how do you spend your free time, if 
you don’t me asking?”
	“I suppose spending time with my family, or there’s always lying on a deck-chair a cool lemonade in one 
paw and a fishing rod in the other, my son Danny close by being all excited about catching tiddlers.”
	They turned a corner.  “That’s what we need.”  She pointed at a hatch in the wall, it was about half the size 
of a door, just big enough for them to squeeze through.
	It lead into an elevator shaft which seemed to continue up and up and up off into the heavens.
	“This could take awhile.”  Tyler said in a resigned tone.  “We’d better get started.”

* * * * *

	“Thank you very much.”  Sarah said to the departing medic who had bandaged up her upper arm.  Three 
deep slashes had to be stitched before the bandage was applied, there was no doubt that Nicky was deadly.
	A loud groan caught her attention, she turned to see Jade trying to ease herself onto an elbow.  She 
stepped over to help her superior up.
	“Not too fast.”  She said quietly, obvious that her team mate had one hell of a headache.  The otter rubbed 
at her forehead with her free paw.
	“Where am I?  What happened?”  She asked, squinting to try and see past the alcohol-induced haze.
	“We’re in what used to be an underground train station which is now the base of operations for the 
resistance.  As for what happened, long story short, you got drunk, I got in a fight, Raeden took a liking to me and 
accepted us into there force which seems to include every able-bodied fur in London.”  Sarah summarised the 
events that Jade had missed.
	“Oh.”  She rubbed her forehead again, trying to reduce her persisting hangover.  “What about Arctic Fury, 
any sign of him?”
	“Not yet, but I’m working on it.  I was going to ask Raeden when he got back.”
	“Where is he?”
	“He went to speak to Fern’s father.  Oh, Fern is a young and very enthusiastic little vixen who helps out as 
a guard, if you need _anything_, she’s the one to ask.”  Sarah had grown a fondness for her.  She looked past her 
lying comrade and saw Raeden walking out of the dark tunnel, she stood up to greet him
	“Your friends finally awake.”  He turned to Jade.  “Hi, I’m Raeden.  No offence, but you look like you 
need some coffee.”
	She laughed weakly, “I guess so.”
	“Coffee!”  Fern seemed to just appear from around a corner.  “I can do that.”  She went skipping away, her 
bushy tail swaying happily.
	“Mr Raeden…”  Jade started.
	“Raeden’s fine.”  The badger corrected.
	“Anyway, there was five in our group.  We know where two of them are but we were hoping you knew 
where the other is.  He’s an arctic fox, goes by the name of Eric.”
	“Haven’t seen him, but I’ll do some asking around.  If he’s in London, we’ll find him.”
	“Thank you.”
	“I need to speak to you.”  His statement directed at Sarah, she got up to follow the badger out of the living 
area of the underground.  Just as they were leaving, Fern came dashing in clutching a steaming white polystyrene 
cup, she sat down and handed over the coffee and began immediately chatting away.
	As they walked Raeden talked.  “The humans have taken things too far.”
	“How so?”
	“In three days they plan to bomb us, they really are that stupid.  Their _secret_ reports say we’re planning a 
pre-emptive strike against them…”
	“Which you are now planning.”  She interrupted.
	“Of course, I can’t sit back and let it happen.”
	“Of course.”  She said defensively, her paws raised.  “I didn’t mean to mock.”
	“Five in your group?”  He asked thoughtfully.
	“Four at your disposal.”  She corrected.  “How can we help?”
	“With everything going on, I can spare very few people to pre-empt this assault that the humans are 
planning.  I could use you and the others from your group, especially if they’re able to handle themselves as well as 
you obviously can.”
	“I’ll have to discuss it with them but I’m sure that they’ll want to help.”
	“Thank you, I’ll leave you to go back to your friend.”  He sped up his pace.
	“Hang on.”  She said, placing a paw on his shoulder to make him stop and turn.
	“What is it?”
	“Two things.  First, why are you so willing to tell me everything, after all we only just met?”
	“You’re one of us, and if you’re going to help then you need to know everything that we do.”
	“What about security, what if I was a spy for the humans?”
	“You’re a fur, one of us.  You’d never betray your own kind.  Besides, a human would never consider using 
a fur for anything other than a slave or a throw-rug.  Trust me on that one, what was the other thing?”
	“Why did you take me away from Jade just to ask for our help?”  Her confusion evident in her voice.
	He laughed deeply.  “I wasn’t taking you from your friend, I was making sure Fern was preoccupied while 
we talked.  She is the biggest gossip I’ve ever met.”  Sarah smiled widely.  “Now I have things to do, I’ll speak to 
you later.”  He walked quickly away from the weasel who turned to return to her team mate and her friend the 
gossip.

* * * * *

	“Oh yeah, this is easier.”  Tyler said, breathing a sigh of relief.
	He and Becca had scaled nearly thirty floors when the left descended from a higher floor, on its way back 
up the pair decided to just hitch a ride, taking seats on the topside of the elevator.  Whoever was inside wanted to 
be near the top which made their job that little bit easier.  The lift finally stopped on the seventy-fifth floor, leaving 
only five more to get to the roof, which they managed in short time.
	“Standard search pattern, work from the top downwards, looking for either Dr Darnall or Arctic Fury.”
	“They likely to have cameras everywhere but no security personnel at higher levels, so I’ve modified our 
orbs to disrupt their carrier signals, all they’ll see is temporary static wherever we are.”
	“Let’s get started then.”  He lead the way through the various ventilation ducts and air conditioning 
systems scattered around the roof until they found a roof access leading to a white metal stairwell and onto the 
eightieth floor.  Despite the seething mass of activity on the bottom floor, this level was abandoned with the lights 
dimmed.
	Tyler pulled out his pistol, activating the lamp positioned just under the barrel and pointing it to the 
ground to hide the spot of light from anyone who may be watching.  Becca followed behind him, her acute vulpine 
eyes cutting through the near-blackness.  The level wasn’t separated into rooms, but partitioned with glass and 
metal into neat little office-type cubicles.  They systematically searched through each of them, finding no evidence 
of either the doctor or fox.
	They moved onto the seventy-ninth floor, it was poorly illuminated like the level above, but was structured 
differently.  It was separated into four large laboratory areas, the walls between the rooms and the long corridor 
had tinted windows.  On inspection into one of the labs, they found that the glass wasn’t tinted but was a one-way 
mirror looking in.  Inside was they found a chair with attached restraints with tools and instruments ordered neatly 
in trays and on side benches, it appeared they experimented on much more than microbes and tissue samples.
	Again they moved down a level, this time more than their shadows followed them down.  Half this floor 
was bare, nothing but the carpeting, the half opposite them was walled off except for a metal door on the far right.  
The lights turned on, both Becca and Tyler scrambled for cover, but finding nothing in the bare room they stood 
either side of the door.
	“Place your weapon on the floor.”  Came a voice, seemingly from the centre of the empty room.
	Tyler looked for the voice’s owner, pistol raised ready.
	“Do it now, before I call security.”  The voice insisted, not threateningly but in a matter-of-fact tone.
	Tyler did as he was bid, putting the weapon on the ground.
	“Now kick it into the centre of the room and turn towards the door.”  Still the voice had no body.
	He did and then both turned to face the door through which they had just entered.
	“You can turn back again now.”  They did, and now in the centre of the room stood a leopard.  She was in at 
least her early sixties, over her black-spotted golden fur she wore loose blue trousers with a lighter shirt under a 
white lab coat, she was clutching the pistol in both paws.  “Who are you?”
	“I’m Tyler and this is Becca.”  His paws raised slightly at the threat of the weapon.
	“Maybe I should be more specific, where did you come from?”  Her voice still unthreatening, but now 
curious.
	“Um,” Becca’s jaw moved but words wouldn’t come.  Remembering what Mr Thorn had said of a secret 
base she offered.  “From the military institution.”
	“No way, those so-called scientists couldn’t synthesis basic chemicals let alone create furs.  And your not 
one of mine, so I ask again, where did you come from?”  Her tone becoming harsh as she finished.
	“We…we, um.”  She looked to Tyler having run out of possibilities, hoping he’d have an idea.
	He took a step forward, so that he could shield Becca with his body if it came to that.  “Who are you?”
	“Not that’s it’s any of your business, but I’m Sonya Darnall, owner of this complex.”
	“You mean your one of Dr Darnall’s associates.”  Tyler said.
	“No, I _am_ Sonya Darnall.”  She said again.  “And don’t call me doctor, I don’t like that title.”
	Tyler turned to whisper to the vixen.  “How can the creator of all furs, be a fur herself?”
	“It’s a long story.”  Sonya answered before Becca had a chance.  “The advantage of being in part a feline, it 
gives me _excellent_ hearing.”
	“Fine, you’re obviously a smart enough not to fall for our deceptions, so we’ll level with you.”  Tyler said.  
“The two of us along with two others have been transported back in time to stop an enemy from our time from 
screwing up our history and your future.”
	“Uh-huh.”  She said sceptically.  “I suppose other countries may try to create their own furs, and you two 
could be part of their experiments.”
	“Look at the weapon in your paws.”  Becca instructed.  “It’s far beyond anything of this time.”
	“It could just be a prototype weapon from the army.”  She was trying for excuses now.  “The only thing 
they’re good for is developing weapons to increase the death count of the world.”  She mused.
	“How about this?”  Tyler reached into his pocket.
	“Ah.”  Sonya warned, tightening her grip on the pistol.
	He pulled out the black orb, the object seemed to spark the doctor’s feline curiosity and she watched on 
with interest as Tyler manipulated it.  Eventually he placed the orb on the rough carpet and took a step back, it 
glowed and a representation of the pistol class the same as Sonya held hovered between the three furs.
	The leopards jaw hung open in disbelief.  “How is this possible?”  She lowered the firearm and stepped up 
to the lustrous orb, she waved her arm through the projection, it shimmered slightly but the image continued to 
float in midair.  She picked up the orb and the projection raised accordingly, when she closed her paw around the 
small sphere, the image dissipated.
	“A small look at things to come.”  Becca said.
	“Say I was to believe that your from the future, what are you doing on the seventy-eighth floor of my 
research building?”
	“We’re searching for an arctic fox, we thought you being around in the same time period as he transported 
us here wouldn’t be a coincidence, so he might have come to see you.”  Becca answered.
	“Have you seen him?”  Tyler asked bluntly.
	She turned around and started towards the metal door.  “Come with me.”  The pair followed her.  She 
punched in a combination into the keypad lock beside the door and it slid into the wall to the left.  On one side of 
the newly revealed area were ten reasonably-sized glass enclosures, all but two were empty, in the two occupied 
ones were moderate furnishings with several of green plants to make the occupants more comfortable, one was a 
sleeping wolf and another was a stoat who was hiding behind the leafy foliage.
	“These are the only furs, beside ourselves, in this complex.  I’m slowly habilitating them so I can release 
them into the normal fur community.”
	“Yeah about that,” Tyler started, “how can you be a fur?  Surely a fur creating all furs would be a…a…”
	“Paradox.”  Becca finished for him.
	“Yeah, one of those.”
	“As you may have guessed, I wasn’t always a fur.  During one of those awful military funded experiments, 
there was an accident and I was exposed to experimental genetic material, it played hell with my own genetic 
structure.  I began to show features indicative of a fur’s body.”  She held the tip of her slender tail in her free paw.  
“The sprout of a tail, fur clumps, and so on.  I couldn’t remedy the problem, so I decided to complete the 
transformation, modelling my appearance on the feline that had died during the original procedure.  Now I have the 
appearance you see today.”
	“What about your colleagues, surely they lost all respect for you after the transformation.”
	“Luckily for me, most of my workmates are very enlightened people and accepted me, knowing that inside 
I was the same person they had always known.  As you may have realised during your time in this period, most 
humans despise furs but some, especially the scientists who work here, hold a respect for their rights as sentient 
beings.”  She sighed.  “Unfortunately, my condition is on a  need to know basis, and I’m confined to the top ten 
levels of this building.”
	“I’m sure you’d be welcome on the fur side of London, after all you are one of us now.”  Becca pointed 
out.
	“I’m not sure which side I’d want to be on.”
	“What do you mean?”  Becca asked.
	“There’s hostility building in the air, we’re on the verge of a full scale conflict.”  Sonya noticed the look 
passed between Becca and Tyler.  “I’m right aren’t I?  How long is it, a week, a month?”
	“We can’t tell you.”  Tyler said solemnly.
	“If we told you anything about your future, we could contaminate the timeline.”  Becca added.
	“Aren’t you already contaminating the timeline, just by being here?”  Sonya asked thoughtfully.
	Before Tyler could answer, he heard Sarah’s voice in his ear.  “Tyler?  Come in.”
	He looked to Sonya and said, “personal call, be back in a minute.”  He left the enclosure area and returned 
to the empty room where they’d first met the doctor, leaving Becca to answer Sonya’s question.
	“We’re working on damage control.”
	“I should probably give these back.”  She handed over the pistol, which Becca tucked down the front of her 
cut-off jeans, and the orb which she pocketed.
	“I know it may sound kinda strange, but can I shake your paw?”  The vixen asked hesitantly.
	“I guess.”  She responded, extending her paw which Becca shook firmly.  “So I’m famous in the future, and 
its not for being a fur.”
	“Um, yeah.  You’re little cover-up most have worked well.”  What Becca wouldn’t tell her was that before 
the war started she’d change sides to aid the furs, no records concerning her after that time.  Despite the furs 
coming to know who she really was, the destruction of the conflicts would raze a lot of information concerning 
actual events over this year and the one’s surrounding it.
	“There’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”  Sonya asked, seeing the distant look in Becca’s eyes.
	“You now I can’t say.”  Becca said almost regretfully.
	“Hey there campers.”  Tyler announced his return.  “Sorry doctor, but we have to get going.”
	“Where?”  The two females asked together.
	“Well, I’ll tell _you_…” gesturing Becca, “…on the way there.”
	“You’re going back to the fur side aren’t you?”  Without waiting for an answer she continued.  “Take us 
with you.”
	“Us?”  Tyler echoed.
	“I can’t leave them here.”  She motioned to the two furs in the enclosures.  “Please, if you take us it’ll be 
easier for us to get to the fur side.”
	“How?”  Tyler asked doubtfully.
	“Yes or no.”  Sonya insisted.
	“Yes, fine.  Now how?”
	“Watch.”  With that she turned to her desk at the far end of the room, she picked up a phone and dialled, 
waited a few seconds before speaking.  “This is Dr Darnall, I want the bottom floor cleared entirely and Dr Rothery 
is to be sent to the seventy-eighth floor immediately.”  She replaced the phone on its cradle, pulling a pad of paper 
from a drawer shot quickly scrawled a note before turning back to Tyler.  “Now we wait.”  She walked up to the 
wolf’s enclosure, picking a keycard from her lab coat before shrugging it off.  At swiping the card through the lock, 
the glass swished off to one side.  Sonya stepped inside and placed a paw on the sleeping wolf’s shoulder, waking 
him gently.  She then moved onto the stoat, taking his paw and walking him out of his enclosure.  She extended her 
free paw, the wolf hesitantly stepped forward to take it.  Both of the furs tried hiding as much of their bodies as 
they could behind Sonya, seemingly scared by Tyler and Becca, having never seen them before.  She walked out 
into the empty part of the floor, still holding their paws, with the two team mates walking behind.
	The elevator door opened and a man stepped out, he wore all white clothes and a characteristic lab coat.
	“Hello Robert.”  Sonya said in a friendly manner.
	“Sonya, I assume we’re releasing the last two of the furs.”  He looked past at the two furs in question, and 
noticed Tyler and Becca standing behind them.  “Who are they?”
	“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”  She smiled as he raised an eyebrow.  “Is the ground level 
cleared.”
	“Yes, and the truck is waiting outside.”
	“Let’s go then.”
	They all piled into the lift, descending down to the bottom floor, as Dr Rothery had said the floor was 
abandoned.  As walk through a metal arch to pass the receptions desk, red lights flashed and a warning noise rang 
out across the room.
	“They’re armed!”  Robert exclaimed.
	Sonya placed a reassuring paw on the alarmed man’s shoulder.  “Relax, it’s okay.  Let’s just get out of 
here.”  He nodded, and they all followed him outside.  On the street was an unmarked white van, all the furs 
clambered into the back as Robert climbed in the drivers seat.
	After driving for about ten minutes the van was stopped at a border checkpoint, one of the armed guards 
stepped up to Robert’s window.
	“What’s in the van?”  He said in a superior tone.
	Robert pulled out an ID badge from his pocket and held it up for the guard to see.  “More furs for release.”
	“Great.”  The guard said sarcastically.  “More of the fuzzy beasts to keep track of.”
	“Can we pass?”
	“Carryon.”  He took a step back from the van as it began to move away.
	After another few minutes of driving they stopped again, Robert got out and walked round to the back 
door, opening it to reveal the fairly shaken passengers.  They all got out, and Sonya turned to Tyler.
	“Where to now?”  Sonya asked.
	Tyler had a quick look at his surroundings to get his bearings.  “This way.”  He took the lead with Becca by 
his side, Sonya had to take both of her furs by the paw before they’d follow.
	“Wait!”  Robert yelled, almost desperately.  He pulled Sonya off to one side to speak to her.  “You’re not 
coming back?”
	“No Robert, I’m not.  I belong here.”
	“Why?  You belong with your friends, your own kind.”  He insisted.
	“I’m touched that you can see what I used to be, but everyone else will see the fur I’ve become.  I created 
these amazing beings, I live my life for them, I can’t do that from a human position in this world.  Do you 
understand?”
	“I guess so, we’ll see each other again once equality is finally reached.”  He smiled and returned to the 
van, driving away from her and back to the human side of London.
	Turning this way and that through the dimly illuminated streets, using the directions Sarah had provided, 
the group of five finally arrived outside the tavern.  There waiting from them was Sarah, Jade, Raeden and Nicky.
	Sarah stepped forward to do the introductions.  “Tyler and Becca, fellow escapees, this is Raeden, leader 
of the resistance, and Nicky, psycho gerbil.  Raeden Nicky, Tyler Becca.”  She looked to Sonya and the furs still 
clutching her paws.  “And, um…”
	“To-be habilitated furs and Doctor Sonya Darnall.”  Becca said.
	“Wait a minute, that’s not Dr Darnall.  She’s just a fur she used, what was it, ‘to make us feel 
comfortable’.”  Raeden corrected.
	“You’re wrong Raeden, I am Sonya Darnall.”
	“You can’t be, I mean you’re a…a”
	“A fur, yes.  It’s a long story.”
	“But…”
	“You were always a stubborn one, Raeden”  She interrupted knowingly.
	Raeden looked to Tyler.  “She’s the real thing.”  Tyler said.
	“Doctor, welcome.”  He hugged her warmly, see as she didn’t have a spare paw to shake.  “Come in, I have 
a few things I want to show all of you.”
	“We’ll follow you in.”  Sonya said, placing a paw on Tyler’s shoulder to keep him behind with her.  Once 
alone she began speaking.  “The one who introduced us, she’s one of yours?
	“Yes.”
	“And I’m guessing you haven’t told the general fur population that your from the future.”
	“No, and I and the timeline would appreciate it if they didn’t find out.”
	Sonya smiled.  “Of course.”
	They stepped inside, finding Sarah waiting to guide them through to the pad in the back room, where 
Raeden, Nicky and Becca were standing ready.  The badger activated the transfer the same way as earlier.
	Once in the underground Tyler and Sarah went with Raeden and Nicky to discuss what would have to be 
done, leaving Jade and Fern to show Sonya and Becca around.

* * * * *

	“But our scientists have deemed time travel to be impossible.”  General Powell said.
	“Meaning no offence, your civilisation is technologically juvenile in comparison to that of the Ra’val.”  
Kal’Darna corrected him.
	“How many of these devices were built?”  John asked.
	“Two.  The first was lost on this planet after the crash of a transport vessel, in the country once known as 
New Mexico.”
	“If you’ll excuse me.”  General Masters stood up from the table and quickly left the conference room.
	Kal’Darna watched her leave before continuing.  “The second was stolen by Arctic Fury.”
	“Can’t they use the ring they went through to get back again?”  John asked.
	“No.  The ‘ring’, as you put it, was not translocated, only an exit aperture would be briefly present before 
closing.”
	General Masters came back into the conference room.  “Kal’Darna, your first ring wasn’t lost.  It’s in 
storage at this facility.”
	“Why were we not informed of this?”
	“It was shipped here before the Race Wars, all the records concerning it were destroyed, nobody knew 
what it was until you showed us the representation of it.”  General Masters explained.
	Without saying anything, the alien disappeared from his seat in a familiar wash of white light.
	“I wish he’d stop doing that.”  General Masters commented.
	After a few seconds Kal’Darna reappeared in his chair.  “We have translocated all Ra’val technology from 
your storage level.”
	Almost on cue, red lights began flashing around them.  A soldier came running into the conference room.
	“Sirs,” he saluted, “several items of equipment have been removed from level nine.”
	“It’s alright, call off the alarm.”  General Powell ordered.
	“Yes, sir.”  The soldier left, soon after the alarms ceased.
	“Isn’t there anyway of helping them?”  Tom asked.
	“Nothing.”

* * * * *

	“You’re Fern?”  Becca asked in a surprised tone.
	“Uh-huh.”  She answered innocently.  “What’s your name?”
	“Becca.”
	“That’s a pretty name.”
	“Um, thanks.  You’re Fern?”  She asked in again in a higher pitch.
	“Yeah.”  She said slowly, starting to get confused.  “What’s wrong?”
	“Nothing.”  Jade intervened.  “Why don’t you go and play.”
	The young vixen ran off, shouting behind her.  “Bye Becca, bye Jade.”
	“What’s wrong?”  Jade asked the amazed Becca.
	“That’s my great, great grandmother.”  She said in a hushed but excited tone.
	“Really?”
	“What’s going on?”  Tyler had appeared behind the two females.
	“That is Becca’s great, great grandmother.”  Jade answered.
	“Can you _believe_ it?  That little girl is going to be my great, _great_ grandmother.”
	“I’m sure you’ll enjoy talking about this over a car engine.”  Tyler said bluntly, ignoring Becca’s hurt look.  
“We have more important things to do, come on.”
	Becca and Jade followed Tyler through to a make-shift meeting room where Raeden, Nicky and Sarah 
were already waiting.
	Sonya walked past the closed door of the busy meeting room, finding an eager Fern with her ear flat 
against the door, a smug little grin on her face at nearly getting away with it.
	Sonya crept up behind the vixen.  “Hello there, little one.”  Fern stood bolt upright trying to look innocent 
but failing miserably.  “I don’t think you’re supposed to hear what’s said in there.”
	Fern looked down at her black-furred footpaws, her ears flattened against her head.  “No, I guess not.”  She 
mumbled regretfully.
	“I still haven’t seen everything in this place, would you mind showing me the rest?”
	“Yeah!”  Fern said enthusiastically, taking Sonya’s paw and leading her towards the living area.
	“You’re Dr Darnall, aren’t you?”  Fern asked curiously.
	“Yes, but Sonya’s fine.”
	“You created my parents?”
	“That’s right.”
	“Fifteen years ago?”
	“Thirteen years.”
	“How come they’re older than thirteen?”  Fern asked, becoming confused.
	“A process called maturation, I don’t think you’d understand it.”
	“Oh.”  She paused, but only briefly.  “You used to be a human, didn’t you?”
	“Yes I did.”  Sonya admitted.
	“Is that why you let your tail drag on the floor sometimes?”
	Sonya laughed, looking back to see that her tail was indeed dragging across the ground.  “I guess so.”

* * * * *

	“This is the facility from where the army intends to launch its bombing.”  Raeden was walking around the 
table, distributing paper maps of the complex he was talking about.  “The entire facility is underground, there are 
two access points, one here and the other here…”
	Tyler leaned back in his chair, placing his arm across his face with his paw pressing against his ear.  
Murmuring under his breath.  “That’s our Division base.”  Only his team heard him, over their earpieces.
	“…Neither way will allow us undetected entry, but it’s the best we have.  From there…”
	“If you’d excuse us a moment.”  Tyler interjected., without waiting he continued.  “Jade, Sarah, Becca.”  
They all stood and followed him out the door.  “Are we going to give our best efforts to help with this?”
	“What do you mean?”  Jade asked.
	“We have infiltration training, we know that base inside and out, we have technology to get us through any 
defence the humans can offer, we know of a third way into the base.”
	“We do?”  Becca enquired.
	“There is a ventilation shaft, hidden amongst the forestry, but it’s still there.”  Tyler said.
	“We will do this.”  Jade said.  “Because we’ve already done it.”
	“Care to explain that rather cryptic statement?”  Tyler asked.
	“After the assault we’re about to undertake, the base will be as good as abandoned due to the extensive 
damage caused.  Once the peace talks have taken place and the Confederation is formed the base will be converted 
into Special Operations Base and the R&D facility.  During this conversion a lot of thought went into security, the 
ventilation shaft having been breached during this time period was reinforced and secured so it wouldn’t happen 
again.”
	“Looks like we’ll be giving our best efforts for this.”  Sarah summarised.
	“Let’s do it.”  Tyler finished, leading his team back into the meeting room.
	Raeden and Nicky looked up to him as if to ask, ‘what’s going on?’.
	“We have a better plan.”

* * * * *

	It was about 6am, Tyler was leading his team, Raeden, Nicky and seven other furs through the leafy 
undergrowth of the forest that the base had been built underneath.  After about half an hour of scouring through the 
green mass, some of the furs were beginning to lose faith in Tyler’s ability to find the camouflaged ventilation 
shaft.  Jade came jogging forward to the front of the line to walk beside Tyler.
	She whispered, “do you know where we’re going?”  Trying not to sound as if she doubted him.
	“Yes, Jade, I know _where_ we’re going.  The trouble is _getting_ there.”
	“Well that’s what over a century of growth will do to a,” _thud_, “Ow.”  She lifted her footpaw to see it 
stuck under a metal handle.
	Tyler stooped down to untangle her footpaw and clear away some of the overgrowth.
	“Looks like your sense of direction is better than mine.”  He smiled.  “You’ve still got to work on that 
sense of balance though.”
	She glowered at him as he pulled two blocks of plastic explosives from his pocket, squeezing them 
underneath the lock of the shaft’s covering.  He forced the detonator into the plastic and ducked away, after a few 
second delay the hatch blew of the shaft with a hollow booming noise.
	One by one they descend the ladder within, down sixteen floors to the lowest level of the base.  The 
corridor they exited into was unguarded, Tyler once again took the lead, Raeden waited to ensure everyone got out 
of the shaft before following on behind.
	The noise of a metal door opening caught all of their attention, they all turned to see one of the furs trying 
to go in the opposite direction.  It took only an instant of eye contact for Tyler to recognise who it was, Eric Draks 
had managed to disguise himself as part of the infiltration group.  The otter began pushing his way through the line 
of furs, trying to get closer to the elusive fox.  
	Sarah stopped briefly beside Raeden to hurriedly say.  “We have to stop him, you keep going, we’ll catch 
up.”  Then she went running with her team.
	“Nicky, go with them.”  Raeden ordered.
	The gerbil nodded and bounded after them.
	“Why are we heading for a storage room?”  Tyler asked Jade in the rush.
	“I don’t think it always was, I think it used to be a secondary control room.”
	“Great.”  He finished in an angry tone.
	Off ahead of them they could hear laser discharges quickly ensued by sounds of pain, the five of them ran 
past a fallen security patrol.  They turned a corner and were met with a closed metal door.
	“Get this open _now_.”  Tyler barked, he paced back and forth beside the barricade as Jade stepped up to 
the locking mechanism.  She looked to Nicky and back to Tyler, he nodded his approval and she brought her 
computer out from her pocket.  She detached a segment from its back and inserted it into the keycard lock.
	“Jade!”  Tyler insisted in an aggravated tone.
	“I’m working on it.”  She answered, her attention obviously distracted by her task.  “Done.”  The door 
rolled into the roof above, none of them waiting for it to fully open, just ducking underneath and into what was 
indeed a control room.
	Along everyone of the concrete walls was lined computer after monitor after terminal, lying around the 
floor were several dead humans, technicians, soldiers, it didn’t matter to Eric.  Standing at one of the terminals was 
the fox, working with a laptop computer he must have taken from the future.  Tyler fired two shots, the first frying 
the fox’s computer and the second impacting his side and stunning him enough to make him fall to the ground.  
Sarah and Becca went to scoop him off the floor and hold him securely, Jade moved to the computer terminal 
where Eric had been working.  Tyler was about to confront Eric before Nicky got in his way and eyed the otter 
accusingly.
	“I don’t have time to explain.”  Tyler said forcefully to get Nicky to back off.
	“You’d better take a look at this.”  Jade announced.
	“Watch him.”  He ordered Sarah and Becca before looking over Jade’s shoulder.  “What’s up?”
	“The primary control centre has started the countdown to launch.”
	“What can we do?”
	“Nothing.”  She worked her way through the base’s computer terminal.  “He’s changed the target to the 
central residential area of the human’s side of London, _and_ he’s overridden the entire system, there’s nothing 
anyone on this base can do, not even me.”
	“Ideas?”  He asked, his patience all but given out.  “Anyone?”  He noticed that Nicky hadn’t stopped glaring 
at him.  “Stop looking at me like that, we’re here to pre-empt an assault against furs not start a war.”
	Nicky gestured to Eric, who was still unsteady having been shot.
	“He’s insane, slightly more than you are.  I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”
	Nicky just narrowed his eyes and of course said nothing.
	“If we seal the launch doors?”  Becca offered.
	“Where can we do that?”  Tyler asked Jade.
	“Only from the silos.”  She answered, she was distracted by something again.  “That’s where Raeden and 
everyone else should be.”  When Nicky wasn’t looking she gestured for him to look at the monitor, on the screen 
was a photo and several representations of the Ra’val ring device.
	“How did you find that?”  He asked in a hushed tone.
	“I was searching their inventory for anything we could use to stop the launch and just stumbled over it.”
	“Still need to work on your balance then?”  He ignored her glare and kept looking at the screen.  “Where is 
it?”
	“In a storage room here, what will be the upper conference room.”
	The main lights grew dim and emergency lights began flashing all round.
	“Great!”  Tyler said.  “Where are the personnel quarters?”
	“Level fifteen.”
	Tyler rolled his eyes.  “This gets better and better.”  He said sarcastically.  “We have to get to that ring.  If 
we run into soldiers, non-lethal shots.  Jade and Sarah keep a tight grip on Eric, Becca and I’ll take point, you take 
the rear.”  An evil glimmer was forming in Nicky’s eyes, but he followed behind as commanded.
	As they passed the entrance to level fifteen on their way up the stairs they were spotted by several of the 
humans, being greeted with calls of alarm and angry bullets which buzzed past and buried themselves into the 
concrete walls.
	Nicky’s urge reached breaking point, a red mist fell over his eyes.  The dropped his rifle with a metallic 
clatter and just ran into the middle of the group of pursuing human’s, his claws flailing, his teeth snapping, his legs 
kicking.  
	“Nicky!”  Tyler yelled, about to turn back but was stopped when Sarah’s paw landed on his shoulder.
	“You can’t help him.”  She said gravely.  He nodded his understanding and, having no choice they 
continued on their way.
	Nicky ripped and shredded at the human’s around him, he was too close for them to use their guns and the 
savagery causing them to hesitate in horror.  They finally pulled combat knives, finishing what the military guard 
hadn’t been able to.  Nicky went the way he’d always dreamed, taking many a human with him and ankle deep in 
their blood.  He died with his evil grin imprinted on his muzzle and his lust for retribution finally quelled.
	Because of the almost-heroic gerbil’s distraction, Alpha Team and Eric made it up to the storage room 
with only a few minor incidents.  The room was eerily quiet, there were no alarms installed here.
	“Find the ring.”  Tyler ordered.  He picked out the radio that Raeden had given him from his pocket.  
“Raeden, come in.”
	“I hear you.”  The sound of gunfire could be heard in the background.  “We couldn’t stop the countdown or 
neutralise the missiles, so we’ve sealed them in.  When they try to launch they’ll blow up half their base.”  There 
was a pause with heavy gunfire.  “I’ve lost four of my furs.”
	“You better make that five, Nicky’s dead.”  Tyler corrected sadly.
	“Let me guess, heavily outnumbered, close-quarters combat in a bloody mess.”
	“That’s about right.”
	“The way he’d planned.”  He forced a laugh, but his voice revealed his sorrow.  “We’re on our way back 
out, what about you?”
	“I’m afraid we’re a write-off, we’re not getting out of here alive.”  Tyler lied.
	“It was an honour, Tyler.”
	“Same here, Tyler out.”  He discarded the radio and ran to where Jade had found the ring.  It had been flat 
packed in a wooden crate, a two smaller devices were in with it.  “Can you make this work?”  He asked.
	“I think so, I just need a little time.”  She answered.  A buzz rang out from the door, someone tried to open 
it, but Jade had sealed it.  It was followed by a bang and a faint call for help to get in.
	“That’s something we’re rapidly running out of.”  He commented.  He turned to where Becca and Sarah 
now had Eric knelt in a corner.  “I don’t suppose _you’ll_ help?”
	“Why should I?”  He asked back.
	“Because I asked nicely?”  He said in an icy tone.  “Or maybe because if we don’t get out of here we’ll be 
killed.”
	“It’s better than rotting in your detention area.”  Eric retorted.
	Tyler flexed his claws in aggravation as he walked back to where Jade was working.
	“What have you got?”
	“This one appears to be a power supply and this one the control system.”  She reported.
	“They look the same to me.”
	She laughed lightly.  She started by connecting the control to the power supply and a screen appeared, a 
ream of alien text appeared on the control’s surface and a expressionless voice spoke in an alien language.
	“Translate english.”  She said in a hopeful manner.  Amazingly the alien text became English, but the voice 
didn’t change.  “I can do this.”  She told herself.	
	Tyler went back to the door just as there was another thud against it.  “Will this hold?”
	“Let’s hope so.”  Becca answered.
	“Take him over there.”  Tyler pointed to behind a few boxes further away from the battered door.  The 
banging against the door becoming more frequently.
	“Got it!”  Jade announced.  Tyler looked over her shoulder at the alien device, though it was in English he 
still couldn’t make sense of it.  “Zero physical translocation, and temporal translocation of…”
	“Stop.”  Tyler interrupted.  “Will this get us home?”
	“Technically we are home, physically speaking.”
	“Will this get us home, _temporally_ speaking?”  Tyler asked firmly.
	“Yes.”
	“Let’s go then.”
	Jade hefted the surprisingly heavy control and power devices and pushed them into a port on the side of 
the ring, then took a couple of paces back.  The ring began to float upwards, rotating itself so it hovered vertically a 
few inches from the wooden crate it had been packed into.  It began to spin, slowly at first but rapidly gaining speed 
eventually becoming a blur.
	“This is it!”  Tyler called out.  “Take cover!”
	The red ball of energy began to form in the centre of the spinning ring, it split for the first time.  Arc’s of 
lightning began striking randomly around the room, starting small fires on the wooden crates and showering sparks 
off metal objects.  Suddenly the door blew inwards, the humans must have finally found themselves some 
explosives.  But at the worst possible time.  One of the red arcs shot straight through the now-open door, striking 
several of the oncoming humans, their smouldering bodies falling to the ground.
	The ball of energy had finally reached its full size, everyone ducked out the way as the three rings 
shattered, flinging pieces in all directions.
	“Go, go, go!”  Tyler yelled above the gunfire.

* * * * *

	“But our scientists have deemed time travel to be impossible.”  General Powell said.
	“Meaning no offence, your civilisation is technologically juvenile in comparison to that of the Ra’val.”  
Kal’Darna corrected him.
	“How many of these devices were built?”  John asked.
	“Two.  The first was lost on this planet after the crash of a transport vessel, in the country once known as 
New Mexico.”
	“If you’ll excuse me.”  General Masters stood up from the table and quickly left the conference room.
	Kal’Darna watched her leave before continuing.  “The second was stolen by Arctic Fury.”
	“Can’t they use the ring they went through to get back again?”  John asked.
	“No.  The ‘ring’, as you put it, was not translocated, only an exit aperture would be briefly present before 
closing.”
	General Masters came back into the conference room.  “Kal’Darna, your first ring wasn’t lost.  It was 
stored in this facility for a short time.”
	“Why were we not informed of this?”
	“It was destroyed during the Race Wars because of a raid of some kind.”  The mouse explained.
	The lights in the room dimmed ominously, the group looked around themselves curiously unsure of what 
was happening.  A rippling red ball of energy seemed to unfold out of nothingness above the table they were sitting 
around, the edges of the sphere grew to within a hairs breadth of the table and ceiling, but no further.
	“What’s going on?”  General Powell asked in an alarmed tone.  “What’s that?”
	“An exit aperture.”  Kal’Darna responded calmly.
	Before anyone else could say anything three figures were hurled from the centre of the sphere, it was 
Becca and Sarah holding Eric between them, they landed on one edge of the table and fell onto the concrete floor.  
The next figure was Jade, she came out at a different angle, falling to the floor on the other side of the table.  
Finally Tyler flew from the middle of the energy ball, landing flat on the table and sliding a little to stop in front of 
the Generals.  Almost immediately afterwards the sphere shrunk into the nothingness from where it came and the 
lights of the room returned to their original illumination.
	“Permission to drop in, sirs?”  Tyler asked half-heartedly, picking himself off the tabletop.
	“It appears everything has been settled.”  Kal’Darna said.  “We will contact you in the future to arrange 
questioning of Arctic Fury.”  With another sweep of blinding light the alien disappeared.
	Once the confusion of the situation had subsided Tyler spoke up.  “General Masters, General Powell, 
meet Arctic Fury.”
	“Mr Draks, welcome to the Special Operations Base, we have a special detention cell waiting for you.”  
He looked to Becca and Sarah.  “Private, Sergeant, would you escort him.”
	“Yes, sir.”  They said together before near-dragging the arctic fox away.
	“What happened, Colonel?”  General Masters asked.
	“Time travel, ma’am. We spent a lovely couple of days in the past, it‘s nice there that time of year.”
	“I think this will make an interesting report.”  General Powell commented.
	“No, sir.”  Jade said.  “We can’t tell you about the things that happened in the past.”
	“Why’s that?”  He asked, almost indignantly.
	“Some of the things we experienced and knowledge we collected were never recorded in history, we can’t 
disclose anything about the past, I’m sorry sir.”
	“Then what did you do for the last hour and a half?”  General Masters asked curiously.
	“After descending from the Victorious, we pursued Eric Draks into an older district of London, after a 
lengthy chase we caught him and returned here.”  Jade answered.
	“And we all lived happily ever after, ma’am.”  Tyler joked.

* * * * *

	The next morning after a hard-earned night of sleep on base, having been too tired to get home, Tyler 
wandered the base looking for Jade.  Eventually finding her within her lab, several computers were scattered around 
the room along with various technical objects which Jade seemed to collect considering the sheer number lying 
around.  As he stepped into the room, the otter nearly tripped over one such item, eventually navigating through the 
mess to see what Jade was looking at.  On the computer screen was a personnel file, a picture of a vaguely familiar 
woman was on the right.
	“Who’s that?”  He asked curiously.
	“Dr Darnall.”  She answered.  “Or at least how history remembers her.”  She pointed to a line of data.  
“And look at this, history records she went missing under mysterious circumstances, the same day that we were 
there.”
	“So her furry secret never got out?”
	“Doesn’t look like it.”
	“Is the rest of history okay?”
	“I think so, it appears that we were supposed to take part in our own history.”  She stopped for a thought.  
“Or maybe we weren’t supposed to travel back in time and when we did our original history was changed into a new 
version but we didn’t realise because technically we’d remember the new version rather than the old version which 
would never have happened.”
	“Done?”  Tyler asked, having been completely confused by Jade’s rambling.
	“Yes, sir, sorry sir.”
	“Good.  We have something we have to do, come on.”

* * * * *

	Becca stood up from the car engine, taking a rag from her toolbox and wiping her greasy paws on it.  
Standing on the opposite side of the cars engine was her mother, still bent over the engine, a wrench in one paw and 
an oily rag in the other.  Becca’s grandmother walked into the garage holding a tray of drinks.
	Becca took one of the drinks.  “Gran?”
	“Yes dear?”
	“Did your grandma Fern ever talk about a vixen named Becca?”
	A smile grew across her muzzle at the thought.  “She did indeed, an excitable and friendly vixen as I recall.  
When you were just a tiny cub I could see you turning out the same, so your mum named you after her.”
	“Thanks gran.”  She laughed to herself at the thought of being named after herself, sure that the sheer 
strangeness of it would amuse anyone.  She noticed the clock hung on the wall.  “I’d better get going.”  She washed 
the last of the grease off her paws, grabbed a jacket and ran out the door.

* * * * *

	Sarah was standing in the centre of London, in front of her stood a smooth marble wall, name after name 
was engraved on it, each belonging to a fur killed in the Race War.  The wall had been found in an underground base 
not that long ago, soon after it had been found a human version was created which now stood alongside the furs 
monument.  There was a single wreath leaning where the two walls met, a symbol that the fallen souls should be 
remembered together rather than as the separate bodies they had died within.
	Sarah took a step closer to read a small section of the fur wall, recoiling slightly in surprise.  One line of 
the many names read, “Andy, Nicky, Sarah, Jade, Tyler, Becca, John.”  She stepped back from the monument the 
thought she could have was, ‘wow’.
	She turned as she heard footpawfalls on the stone ground, walking across Memorial Square towards her 
was Tyler, Jade and Becca.  They stood all in a line in front of the two walls.
	“Attention!”  Tyler ordered, they all saluted.  Paying respects to the furs that only briefly met under the 
strangest of conditions, noble and brave people that they had the honour and privilege of getting to know them 
before they died.  They would always be remembered for who they were, not how history recorded them.

To Be Continued...


Look out for more instalments still to come.
Any questions, comments, suggestions?  E-mail me, ralcor1@hotmail.com