...And Into The Fire

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

    Chapter 2

I ducked around a door, and into my work room, panting a bit
to catch my breath. I was trying to think of something to do
to save my fur, I doubted that the guards I had passed would
not be able to figure out where I had vanished to.

I flipped on the lights in the small room, blinking as the
came on. The room was as it always was; mostly one large
desk facing a bank of monitors. The desk was made up of
mostly different keyboards and other input systems.

I sat down in the chair at the desk, and tried to think of
what I needed to do. Different thoughts went through my
mind, but most hinging if I could live through the next few
days.

Rubbing my temples a bit, I tried to think of any way I
could live. Clearing from the guards reactions as I passed
them, they where already looking for me. I was just lucky to
have gotten away before the saw where I was going.

That couldn't last though. This room wasn't even suppose to
exist, if they had traced any of my cracking they probably
knew where it was. It would only be a matter of time before
they showed up looking for me.

Some how I needed to be able to move around without the
guards seeing me, but with a huge tail that came with being
a skunk, that was kind of hard.

I made a quick glance at the air vent in the ceiling, and
decided against it, that was to small for me to get into
anyways. What I really needed was some kind of disguise.

That's when a bit of the panic in my mind cleared, and I
remembered something. The Matrix chip! Fox had given it back
to me after he came back from Gratin, instead of given it
back to the R&D guys, and keep it for myself.

Getting up off the chair, I walked around the desk to the
monitors. Counting over three, and up four, I found the one
I wanted. Digging my claws under the casing, I popped the
front of it off, revealing the layer of mini-mirrors that
produced the flat screen picture.

Reaching inside I pop the Matrix chip out of a dead socket
that I had keep it in. Grabbing a cir-trics controler off my
desk, I slid the chip into it.

As the chip locked, it gave a slight beep, saying the
controller was activated, and running through my translator
chip. Raising the control to my muzzle. "Load up structure
for Otter, sex female, other characteristics based on true
form."

It buzzed at me, then said on the controller readout,
"Unable to comply, mass overlay incomplete."

'Fuck!' I thought. The error was simple, my tail was to big
to be covered by form I asked for, the pains of having a
tail that is as big as you are.

"Adjust form to centaur."

There was a beep, and the control said "Form loaded."

Putting the control around my wrist, I spoke the activation
command into it.

In a second my vision was filled with the explosion of light
the activation produced, and I found myself a bit taller
then before (or at least I perceived it as such, it is easy
to make mirrors out of force shields).

I nodded to myself, and went out the door, trying to decided
what to do next.

* * *

As the metal panel landed, I rolled off as fast as I could.
Seconds later another plasma bolt smashed into where I had
landed, sending melted metal in the air.

I wasn't in the a position to stay where I was. So, as fast
as I could with a numb arm, I worked my way through the duct
work.

Behind me I could here the guards entering the ducts as
well. I pulled myself into an off shoot just as light filled
the metal tunnel. I hear someone call out, and the noised of
people moving.

I keep pulling myself along, holding my arm close to my
chest to protect it. If they did see me, I needed to find a
place to duck into before the got to the offshoot.

The darkness was enveloping, the only light was behind me,
and it wasn't helping to light my why. It was pure luck that
I slipped, and smashed into the grill.

I felt along the vent, hopping I could get it off and try
make good my escape before the guards caught up to me.
Finding a lip to the vent, I dug my claws in under it, and
started pulling.

It only took a few seconds to yank the vent off, even with
only one arm. I scrambled inside, and tried to pull the vent
back on.

It was harder to get it back on then it was to take off.
Pulling it hard I managed to get it wedged in, as well as
ripping off a small chunk off fur.

I was just in time to, as I pulled my paw away from the vent
a light shined down the tunnel. Slowly I turned around in
the large duct, and worked my way deeper into the bowels of
the Hall.

* * *

I couldn't believe all of what Fox had been telling me.
Corruption in the Council, control by the Hammerheads, and
how he was involved in it. It was a bit overwhelming.

I agreed with him, we did need to get to someplace safe,
before it was to late.

Now there was that human, standing in front of the door. He
was big, not muscular, but big. A few inches under seven
feet, and had as much hair as a fish. But the thing that
struck me was his skin. It was white, not a darkish white
like Fox's, but white as in albino white.

Fox gave him one glance, and said "Grasion..."

"Fox," the other human said. "It's been a long time."

Fox sneered at him, I mean he actually curled up his lip,
and sneered! "Not long enough." He replied. "I though you
where in a prison on Driek."

Grasion laughed, "I was, I was, no thanks to you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Come come, do you really think I
would let you lose on any place that has an atmosphere?"

"It took me almost a year to escape from that hell hole."

"Not long enough." Was Fox's response to this statement.

Grasion looked over at me. "And who is this lady? Get tired
of human women?"

"My name is Oriana." I said.

He walked over to me, and put his hand on my chin. "Lovely
face. You have good taste in your bed partners Fox."

I moved back a step, pulling my chin from his grasp. "The
last thing I want is to have sex with him," I said, "At
least while he's human."

He laughed, the looked back at Fox. "So, surprised to see
me?"

"Always. I always hope I never have to see you again."

He laughed again. "You've crossed me, you will always see me
again."

I gave Fox a quick look. "Who is he?"

This caused Grasion to fain surprise. "What, you haven't
told her about us? I'm hurt."

Fox looked at me. "My version of the Master."

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Everyone should have an arch-enemy, he's
mine."

Grasion laughed. "That's right, and it was so nice of the
Hammerheads to asked me to take care of you. Something I'm
all to happy to do."

Fox took a step forward, looking pissed. "Oh really? The
last three times your tried you ended up getting screwed."

He nodded. "Yes, but this time my plan is a bit different.
You see, I'm not going to try and kill you."

Fox raised an eyebrow at this. "How do you intend to do
that?"

The albino cocked his head. "Simple. You see, your at least
six-hundred miles from civilization. A _long_ walk."

Fox paused for a second. "Yes, a very long walk." He spoke
the words very slowly, and coldly.

Grasion took a few steps back to the door, reaching back and
opening it. "I think you shall find it very hard to do.
Until then," he gave a deep grin, "your out of my hair. So
to speak."

With that, he turned and walked out through the teleport
curtain.

I looked back at Fox, "What did he mean, a long walk?"

He didn't say anything, just looking out the door at the
teleport curtain.

Looking at it my self, I saw it thin a bit, rippling, and
slowly fade out until it was just the wall behind it.

Then I understood. The house was built in deep forest, and
as spoken, six-hundred miles from everyone else. The only to
and from anyplace else was through the teleport curtain.
Everything went through it, including communications.

Yes, it was a going to be a long walk.