Final Exam

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

06/17/97:

I could say I don't visit Mydisia Base enough, I won't
though. It is a very ugly place carved out of a large rock
floating in between two solar systems. It's a pure chance
that it even has a fold, let along the five it did have.

As I said though, I really do prefer to stay away from the
Base. I may be scruffy, but I really don't fit in there.
Right now that, as I strolled though the door and into the
bar I was just happy enough to wait for Oriana to show up.

Walking in, the room went deathly silent for a few seconds.
It couldn't have been for me, I don't present myself in that
fashion. Looking over my should I could easily see who
everyone was hushed for.

A pair of what could only be call guards had stepped into
the bar, followed by a third person who looked jumpy as
hell. All three where female and were dressed to match the
normal crowds in the bar.

Though the pair that I though of as guards wore there
clothing a bit to neatly. Yes it was wrinkled and dirty,
There boots were smudged and laced badly, every bit of
clothing looked like it had been sleep in for a month. On
the third lady (a Mouse) it looked normal, and the other two
(a Cheetah, and what looked to be a Mink) it look to
perfect. Like something a fashion designer would come up
with when trying to make a 'homeless' look.

I didn't like it one bit.

All three of them walked to one side of the bar the Mink and
the Mouse slipping into a both with some kind of
horse-morph. The Cheetah stood stiff as a board next to
them.

Pulling my jacket a bit (yes, the same old green army one, I
seam to be constantly wearing it lately) I walked over to
the bar.

"Braden," I said, address the barkeeper, who was a friend of
mine, or something close to that.

He looked over at me and grunted.

"Who's the goon squad?" I pointed towards the ladies as I
asked.

He looked over his shoulder at him, one hand resting on his
shot-gun, "Traders."

"Here? What are the trading"

He nodded. "They bring artifacts from they world, trade for
some small technology, some times other artifacts."

I frowned stuffing my hands in the jacket's pockets. Feeling
the EMD in one side, and a small multi-verse radio in the
other (A little toy Page had given me the day before and
said I could use it to call for help if I needed to). "I
don't like that," was my observation.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, one with claws. It
dug in and twisted me around. I found myself inches away
from a fox-morph, and she looked damn angry. "You don't have
to like it," she said with a growl.

"I suppose it's good that I don't then." I responded with a
smile.

She smiled back at me, and squeezed my shoulder. "Let me be
clear on this then. I think it would be in the best interest
if your liver to ignore them."

"I just want to find out what's going on here."

"I don't know, but they are my people and I don't like
anyone tampering with them." She gave me a bigger smile,
this one carried a predatory gleam to it. I would almost say
vampiric.

She moved her face so the tip of her muzzle was inches from
my face. "You understand me of course."

"Clearly," I responded, in a voice that I hoped carried
about ten layers of contempt.

She steeped back and patted the side of my face. "Good boy."
Then turned and in three steps some how vanished into the
rest of the crowd.

"Jesus," I muttered sinking down onto one of the bar stools.

Braden gave a horse chuckle. "You do attract the strange
one's child. In fact, here comes another."

I looked up to find Marn stomping in through the door.

* * *

Something had to have gone wrong, that much was clear, why
else would Marn meet me at the Bar instead of Oriana. He
stopped inside and told me that Oriana wanted for me to go
to her House back on her own world, then left before I could
do anything about it.

So I was now going along the few streets from the fold to
the House, gaining a few stares from the people I passed. I
wished I had brought the Matrix chip with me, but I wasn't
planning on needed it.

Taking the few steps up in a single stride, I forced open
the door and walked right past the startled looking lioness
manning the door.

She started to say something, but I ignored her and went on
through the inner door and into the House proper. I hadn't
been there in close to a year and a half my time, but it
hadn't changed much.

Walking through the small lobby that was at the side
entrance, I pushed pasted a few more lionesses and a couple
lions and steeped into the elevator. I punched the button
for the third floor and turned around, just in time to watch
the doors close on a couple tough looking lions who I
guessed were security.

When the doors opened on the third floor, walked out and
glanced down the hall. Unless Oria had changed rooms she was
in 353, the same room she had been given when she first came
to the House.

I walked down the hallway until I reached the symbols that I
remembered from the other times I had been here. I paused
for a second, and took a deep breath. Then knocked.

There was a shuffling, then a voice on the other side of the
door spoke. "Go away please. She's not in a condition to see
anyone."

"I think she would see me."

"No one at all, please." The voice said, then after a second
spoke again. "How did you know she was even here?"

I coughed. "I'm Fox."

There was a pause for about half a second, then the door was
flung open. Standing on the other side was a lioness who had
jet black hair, and tail tuft. She gave me an amazed
looking, I expected she had never seen anything like me
before.

I pushed past her and into the main room of the apartment. A
few rushed strides moved me accost the floor and to the door
to her bedroom. Pushing it open I walked in.

Oriana was sitting on the bed, half undressed her head on
her knees, her long hair hanging over her face. She was
crying hard, one of her paws in a death grip on a bottle of
some kind. From the smell in the room I guessed it was a
liquor of some kind.

"Oria?" I asked, my voice half way to a whisper.

She looked up at me. Though her hair I could see that her
eyes were badly blood shot and the fur on her cheeks matted
from her tears.

"Fox, what the hell are you doing here?" She asked in her
own language. That surprised me a bit, but did make sense as
I did have it in my translator and I could feel the other
lioness standing behind me, and she didn't have a
translator.

"Marn said you wanted to see me."

She paused for a second, then nodded her head. "I told him
that yes." She said, her eyes fixing on the bottle on her
paw. She reacted like she had no idea how it had gotten
there, then with a shrug took a drink from it.

"I don't want to see you yet," she continued. "I would like
some time to drink," she winched, "think first if you don't
mind." She seamed to look past me for a second. "Rose, take
Fox some place and fuck him." She said in a flat voice, then
taking another drink put her head back on her knees and
covered her face with her arms.

I felt a paw on my shoulder from the second time that day.
This time with out any claws though. I was pulled back out
of the room by Rose and then she closed the door.

"What did you do to her!" She demanded in a close whisper as
she pushed me down on the couch.

I raised my hands in my own defense. "This is not me, I
didn't do anything to her. This is someone else's problems
she's been tided in."

Rose frowned. "I don't believe you."

"Your choice. Right now we don't worry about who's fault it
is. We need to help her."

She nodded. "Then we need to get her out of her room. She
has a small bar in there, about thirty bottles of different
liquor and wines."

"I'll do that. First though you have a phone or something
here?"

She gave me a strange face. "Of course."

"Can you call the Grand Temple she goes to? More accurately
tell the High Priest there to get her tail over here?"

Rose frowned. "I don't think it would be a good idea to get
him involved in this."

I shook my head. "It will help, there friends."

She sighed. "Right, all get onto that," she said, standing
up, "I'll be back as soon. I hope you have her out of there
by then." She finished as she closed the door behind her on
the way out.

Standing myself, I walked over to her bedroom door and
knocked softly.

"GO AWAY!" Oriana yelled though the door.

"No Oria, I won't," I said, slowly opening the door.

She didn't respond after a few seconds. I had expect her to
throw the bottle at the door actually. Carefully I peeked
around into the room. Oriana was now sitting on the edge of
the bed, working on a new bottle, two empty one's at her
feet. These where not drinking bottles, these were made to
be poured.

Stepping in, I closed the door behind me. Oria looked up and
frowned. "Damn, that was quick, I didn't think you were that
bad at sex."

I shook my head. "She's out getting a friend of yours."

"On that's nice of her." Her voice carried contempt.

I walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. "What
happened?"

She shook her head. "What the hell do you think happened!?"

I shrugged, I had no idea and couldn't think of anything.

She frowned at me. "You'll figure it out, until then leave
me alone."

I rolled one of the empties with my foot. "No Oriana, I
don't think I can."

"NOW Fox!" She yelled.

"No Oria, I can't!" I said, I was going to say more but was
stopped by Oriana punching me in the face hard. Her fist
connected with a sharp crack against the side of face. I was
sent sprawling back onto the bed, losing my glasses in the
process.

Reaching up I grabbed my face, felling blood welling over my
nose. That is, where it normally was, it was now bent to the
side a bit, very broken.

"Thryn's eyes, I'm sorry." Oria said, suddenly next to me,
pressing a cloth against my face. "I didn't mean to do that
Fox, I really didn't."

"A bit late now," I whimpered.

I felt her arm under my back. "Come on, stand up." She said,
forcing me into sitting. She then pulled me up into my feet.
"Drink this." She ordered, forcing a bottle in my mouth and
pouring some of the liquor into my mouth. It actually had a
pleasant taste, though not enough to mask the underlying
taste of alcohol.

She pulled the bottle out and closed my mouth, and with my
nose as it was keep me from breathing, giving me no choice
but to swallow the drink. As I did, she pressed the bottle
against my lips again. I pushed it away before she could
pour it. "Lets go sit down on the couch."

"Your right," she said, then lead me out of her bedroom and
onto the couch. As she let me sit I reached up and grabbed
the cloth that was on my nose, squeezing a bit, finding that
it made my new headache worse.

"I'm sorry Fox, I really really am, I didn't mean to hurt
you." Oriana told me, sounding panicked. "It just happened,
I was mad at you where there and... and..." she started
sobbing again next to me.

I glanced over at her blurred form. Then reached over with
my free arm and placed it over her shoulder. "It's all
right, I guess. It can be fixed up quickly, no big deal." I
winched as I spoke, it hurt a lot.

"This is pretty," Rose said from accost the room. I looked
up at her outline in the doorway and nodded a bit.

"Not to mention painful. You think you could find my glasses
in Oriana's room? I can hardly see without them."

She nodded and walked over into Oriana's room. Oria herself
was still sobbing hard. I patted her back a bit. "It's okay,
trust me."

She looked up and gave me a dirty look. "Your nose, yes it's
ok, but not the rest." She then took another drink, then
held the bottle right between her nude breasts like a child.
I adverted my eyes up a bit out of a sense of decency.

"These are yours?" Rose asked, holding out my glasses.

I nodded taking them with my free hand and putting them on,
whimpering as the rested on my nose. Next to me Oria started
to cry again, I never even noticed when she had stopped
again.

Rose walked over to the door and motioned me to follow her.
I gave Oria a quick hug and walked over, she pushed me out
the door and into the hallway, closing it behind her. "I did
what you said, the High Priest is on his way, and should be
her in about ten minutes."

I nodded, leaning up against the wall. "She, the Priest is a
female."

She gave me a small smile. "I think Oriana knows better then
you, and she calls him a he. Either way though, he'll be
here soon."

I nodded again. "Good, that should help a lot."

She glanced back at the closed door. "What kind of chance to
you think we have of getting the bottle away from her?"

"None I would think, I suggest you let her finish that one,
but don't let her get any more." I said, adjusting the blood
soaked cloth on my nose.

She tisked. "Just a second," she said and ducked into the
room accost the hall, she came back with a couple of fresh
clothes. She forced one into my free hand and I happily used
it to replace the first one.

"I'll keep her from getting any more to drink, I can do
that." Rose said, nodding a bit.

"At least until the Priest gets here, I think she will stop
then. I just wish I knew how much she can drink."

Rose shrugged. "I'm not sure, I grew up with her and she
started drinking then, but never this much."

I gave a quick nod, and winched as it caused my headache to
flare up. "Right then, you get in there and stick with her."

"Yes, first though, what are you? You look like you've been
shaved and mutilated."

I smiled. "That's good, most people call me a hairless
monkey."

"A what?"

"Never mind, now get in there."

She nodded and went back into the room, nearly closing the
door on her own tail.

With a sigh, I leaned back against the wall. I needed a
first-aid kit quick like, I didn't think it was safe for my
nose to be bleeding as it was, but I didn't want to go back
to Prid, even if it only took five minutes. Something might
happen and I didn't want to miss it.

Suddenly I remember that Page had given me that fold cell
phone thing, with the perfect timing of getting it just the
day before I needed it.

Digging it out of my pocket I quickly read over the
instructions and punched in about four dozen numbers. As I
entered the last one, it beeped at me and started ringing.
Finally the other end picked up.

"Hello," Page said, sounding half asleep over the mostly
static line.

"It's Fox."

There was a pause. "Oh... this is on that phone?"

"Yes yes, I'm at Oria's House on her world, verse 1401-27,
fold g. The directions from there are in her personal file.
Bring a matrix chip and set it for a Lioness or a female
human, that's the only two species they've seen around here.
I'm up at room 323, there's a note on the symbols for the
those numbers in her file. I need you to bring me a
first-aid kit, one of the full ones. As well as I need you
to find out everything you can about Marn and the Assassins
Guild, I don't care how you do it, but I want *everything*!"

There was some muffled conversation in the background, then
Page spoke again. "On my way." She said with a yawn and hung
up. I stuffed the phone back into my pocket and switched to
the second cloth that Rose had given me, and waited.

* * *

About six minutes later the elevator gave a ding as it
arrived on the floor. I looked up, this was the fifth time
sense I called for Page. Stepping out of the elevator was a
lioness holding a small case of some sort. She saw me and
heading in my direction.

I smiled a bit, figuring that it was Page. It was confirmed
when she spoke into the chip-control strapped to her wrist.
The Matrix deactivated, and was rather startling to see from
the outside. Starting from her head, her form billowed out
and exploded into a glitter of white light as the individual
shields broke down and deactivated. It sweep down her body
in a way, taking about two seconds, by the time it reached
her belly her face was her own again.

As it finished, I blinked hard, the flash still in my eyes.
It looked like something that would have some kind of noise
with it, but it was perfectly quite. It actually looked like
one of those ten thousand dollar a second special effects
you see in movies with out plots.

I shook my head. "I see what everyone 'wows' about." I said
with a chuckle.

She nodded, setting the first-aid kit down next to me and
opening it up. "Yes, now let me see that."

I dropped the now red cloth from my face. Page winched when
she saw it. "What happened," she asked as she pulled out
something from the kit and pressed it against my skin. It
stung for a second then faded as it administered some local
anastasia.

"Oriana punched me."

She smiled, taking off my glasses. "Nice clean to, if she
was half an inch over you would be dead."

I grimaced as she prodded my nose a bit, I didn't feel
anything, but it looked strange to watch her do it.

She frowned again then picked something up and pressed it
against my face. There was a slight stinging through the
numbness. Page held my nose in somewhat close to it's normal
place for a few seconds. She let go of it and nodded,
closing up the kit. "There, that should do it."

I nodded, picking up my glasses. "What exactly did you do."

"Put in a small set of maintenance nanites, they'll hold
your nose as something that looks normal and mask the skin
as well while they fix it. Should take a couple of days to
heal, I suggest you stay away from Oriana's right hook until
then."

I chuckled a bit putting my glasses back on. "Thanks."

She smiled. "You're welcome. Though you should really think
about getting your eyes fixed sometimes, your glasses can be
a real problem for you."

Standing, I shook my head. "I need them back at home, it
wouldn't do to be seen without them."

She started to reply when Rose stepped out into the hallway.
"She want's to speak with you Fox." She said, she then
noticed Page, she frowned then blanched. "What in the world
are you?"

"A relation of Fox and Oriana's. I have to be going now as
well. I'll look into that for you Fox." Page gave me a smile
as she finished, picked up the kit and walked over and into
the waiting elevator.

Rose shook her head. "A relation, you have strange friends
Fox. Come on though she wants to see you."

I blinked, something was wrong with that, deathly wrong. I
didn't have time to think about it as Rose grabbed me by the
arm and pulled me into Oriana's room. Oriana smiled a little
bit when she saw me. "Rose, can I please be alone here?"

Rose sighed and stepped back into the hallway.

Oriana motioned for me to come and sit down next to her on
the couch. She was looking as bad as ever, her ears so
buried into her hair they almost vanished.

I sat down next to her and hugged her again. She sighed and
brushed me off, leaning back on the couch, still nude from
the waist up. She handed me the bottle, which was about
two-thirds empty. "Drink," she said.

Glancing at the bottle I tried to guess the name, but had no
idea as I still couldn't read the written form of her
language. With a shrug I took a second gulp of it.

"Do you want to know what happened Fox?"

I nodded. "Please."

She looked down at her paws, sighing heavily. "I did the
review, just like I was suppose to. I passed with a near
perfect score."

I frowned as that rolled over in my head. The idea had been
for her to fail, but still be good enough not to arouse any
suspicion. She didn't fail though, she just said it herself.

"Holly mary mother of god," I whispered. "You're in the
Guild."

She nodded very softly. "Yes, I'm in the Guild. It's going
to be three years before I can get out. Three! In that time
I'm required to take five contracts from them. Five people
that I have no choice, I have to kill, I have to if I want
to stay alive."

I frowned, then gulped down another drink from the bottle. I
then reached over and hugged her. Just a couple of weeks
before I had made the comment that learning to be an
assassin was slowly killing her. I didn't know what being
one would do.

"I'm here for you Oriana and I'm going to be here for a
while, as long as you need me," I said pulling her close to
me, holding her tight. I would wait to go home, even if it
meant missing the window that I had at this time for when
the fold was safe to use, I would still miss it. Oriana was
a friend and she needed me, and I would be here for her.

I kissed her on the back of her head as she started to cry
again.

-----

This story is (c) 1997 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints
limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This
story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission
of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.