�That�s odd SAI, Cerb usually contacts us before we enter orbit. Are you detecting anything unusual down there?�
After a brief moment SAI completed its scan and displayed the findings, �I�m detecting a lot of activity from one of the cities by Cerb�s ranch. It looks like the girls have gone on a rampage down there.�
As I looked at the destruction on the monitor in front of me it became quite clear something was wrong.
�My god SAI, they�ve tore apart nearly half the city! I�ve seen the girls go on rampages before but nothing anywhere close to this. Besides the girls are more mischievous than destructive.�
�My sensors confirm that the damage was done by macros. Analysis of the footprints left on the ground seems to indicate two macros about the size and weight of Vikki and Nikita.�
�SAI where are they now?�
�I�m not detecting them anywhere near the city. However there seems to be some sort of dampening field surrounding Cerberus�s ranch. I can�t detect anything within 5 miles of the cabin.�
I sat down behind the controls and started to try to break through the field. Just that week I had a new enhanced, and very expensive, sensor array installed in my ship. However the field was too strong to penetrate.
�I�m beaming down SAI.� I announced while marching to the transporter chamber.
�But Johnman if you go into that area I won�t be able to get a lock on your signal. You�ll be trapped.�
�Then let�s just hope I�m still on the girl�s good side.�
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As an open road began to materialize in front of my eyes gigantic footprints greeted me. There were two sets of them that seemed to originate from the direction of Cerb�s place. A few of the deeper craters had crushed bodies in them. And the tracks seemed fresh.
�SAI this is Johnman. I�m getting ready to enter the dampening field. It looks like the girls passed through this area not too long ago. So try to keep a lock on my ETE (Emergency Transport Engager).�
After confirming SAI received the transmission I made my way down the road. Although there were no signs of the girls their paw prints were all over the place. As I got closer to the ranch more and more of them contained flattened corpses. It almost looked as though they fought off a small army.
After a rather long hike, I managed to reach the main cabin. The front door had been broken down and there were signs of a struggle inside. The living room looked as though a tornado came through. Although there was blood on the floor no bodies were anywhere to be found.
A small metallic device in the middle of the floor started to beep; it was a dampening field generator. I set my pulse pistol to maximum and blasted the thing into a dozen pieces without a second thought. A moment later my ETE indicator changed from red to green.
�SAI this is Johnman. Can you hear me?� I called into my radio.
�Loud and clear Johnman. I�m also now picking up your ETE ag...�
AAAHHHHH!!!! PLEASE� NO MORE� NOOOOO!!!!
The screams of agony caught my attention immediately and I rushed outside to investigate. The source was not far from the structure. Vikki had a fur trapped under her paw and was grinding him into the ground. She looked more pissed off than I�ve ever seen her�
�Were is he you little shit!� She growled �Tell me or I�ll squish you a little at a time.�
�Please I don�t kno� AAAAAAAH!!!� The fur screamed and Vikki started to press down on him again.
�Vikki what�s going on?� I yelled up at her.
Instead of an answer from her, a blue hand scooped me up and lifted me into the air. A big wet nose then nudged me gently. It was someone�s way of saying hello.
�Hi Johnman.�
�What is going on here Nikita?�
�The townspeople kidnapped Cerb. We�re trying to find him.� She replied in her usual carefree tone.
�Ok, but if that�s true I don�t think that guy knows where he is.� I replied pointing to the trapped fur under Vikki�s paw.
�You�re probably right.� Vikki replied and then shifted all of her weight onto the fur. As his body let out a loud crunch she smiled callously. �But that little cockroach helped snatch him!�
As I stared at the bloody paw that was cruelly grinding the fur�s body into mush I got to thinking of my own safety. However luckily over time I�ve managed to get on the girls good side.
For Vikki, I�m Cerb�s friend and someone who comes by to visit. In reality we rarely talked or interacted but I got the sense that she was cool with me.
Turning back around I looked up at Nikita who was smiling down warmly. For her, I�m the little human friend that does the religion thingy to her paws after she�s done playing. She treats me like a beloved pet, sometimes being playful and sometimes gentle. Although a little demeaning, it's a lot better than being just a bug in her eyes I suppose.
�Why did they take Cerb?� I asked.
�Who cares!� Vikki growled.
�OK, so do you know where they took him?�
�We lost his scent downtown after chasing the ones that took him.� Nikita replied, �Vikki thought this one could tell us something.�
�THAT�S IT!� Vikki growled, �Let�s go get him.�
�Wait Vikki,� I pleaded, �You don�t even know where to look.�
Vikki let out an angry growl, �Then we�ll tear that city apart until we find him.�
�Johnman this is SAI, please take a look at your interface.�
As requested I pulled out my SIC (Ship Interface Console). That�s when I saw what SAI found.
�I think I may have a better idea.� I announced.
Nervously I tapped on my SIC, accessing the ship�s onboard sensors. After making a few adjustments I hit pay dirt and a small dot appeared on the SIC�s display. I switched the display to a holographic projection so the girls could see it too.
�Vikki do you see this little flashing light, that�s Cerb�s communicator. I gave it to him the first time we met to keep in contact. Since it straps on like a wristwatch he usually just keeps it with him.�
Vikki calmed down a little, �So you can find him with that then?�
�Yes but he�s underground. I�ll have to go get him. You girls will have to wait here.�
In reality Cerb was in an above ground building. I didn�t like lying to the girls but it was a necessary evil. If they went for him there probably wouldn�t be a city left. Besides I was pretty sure I could use my transporter to get him out quickly and safely without the loss of any more lives.
�Alright.� Vikki replied reluctantly. �But only if you leave one of those thingies down here for us.�
�Agreed.�
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�Johnman his signal is definitely coming from the third building on you left.� SAI reported as I made my way down the city street.
Surprisingly the fur citizens of this small metro paid no attention to me. Being the only human in a crowd of furs you would think I would stick out like a sore thumb. But that didn�t seem to be the case. Instead they seemed to almost be going out of their way to avoid me. Strange???
Finally I reached the stairs of the building Cerb�s signal was coming from. It was an old abandoned church of some kind. The windows had boards on them and the structure seemed to be falling apart. All religious statues and symbols had long since been removed. All that was left now was an eerie dilapidated shell of a once great landmark.
Drawing my pulse pistol from its shoulder holster I set the power level to maximum stun. Then I tactically entered the building. Once inside a damp odor overtook my senses. And it was impossible to see because it was almost pitch black inside. The only light visible was coming from a stained glass ceiling and a few cracks in the boards that replaced the windows.
Slowly I walked down the center aisle of benches. Something was moving at the far end of the church. I still couldn�t see what it was but I could hear it. To make things worse I was beginning to get the feeling I was being wa...
SLAM!!!
That was the sound of the main door closing behind me. Then, as if on cue, my ETE went from green to red.
�Shit!� I yelled while pulling out my communicator and ducking for cover behind one of the nearby benches. �SAI this is Johnman� SAI do you read me? It�s a trap!�
Just as I got my off the transmission a barrage of blaster fire flew over my head. From what I could tell, it was coming from at least three different positions. They had me totally pinned down.
�John� unable to� signal��
�SAI I�m taking fire! Get me out of here!� I yelled into the mic but was only answered by static this time.
It didn�t look like I was going to be beaming out any time soon. Returning fire didn�t help since the blaster flashes were preventing my eyes from adjusting to the dark. I was screwed!
�JOHNMAN!� A familiar voice yelled, �Is that you?�
Peaking my head up around the corner of the bench I saw something. Way in the back of the church, hidden in the shadows, was a silhouette. I could almost see a shape when my new friends fired their weapons, which they were doing at the moment.
�CERB ARE YOU ALRIGHT?�
�JOHNMAN THEY�RE IN THE��
His sentence was stopped before he could tell me anything useful. It sounded like someone shoved something in his mouth. A moment later the blaster fire stopped.
�Ah good, I was hoping it was you.� A mysterious voice said from the shadows.
�Who are you?� I shouted out from the cover of the benches.
�The person who�s job it is to protect this city.�
As I peeked around the corner of the bench a figure came into the dim light. I was able to make him out clearly, a fur. From his clothing I assumed a member of the city�s government.
�You see Mr. Johnman your friend here and his two giant monsters have been terrorizing my city for two years now. They have caused substantial damage and countless lives have been lost in their little rampages. Now it stops.� The fur explained in a cold calm voice.
�What makes you think killing us will stop the girls? Hell, it will probably only piss them off more.�
�We�ve been planning this for some time now. Sure at first those monsters will rampage but they will eventually go away. The city was evacuated of all but a few hundred volunteers who are ready to give their lives to satisfy your macro�s need for revenge. Everyone else is in hiding in the mountains. Once they leave we can rebuild, in peace.�
�But you can�t kill Cerb, so you should just let him go.�
�You�re right Johnman we can�t kill this troublemaker. But we can put him someplace he�ll never be found. And his big friends will only look for so long before they give up��
That�s when the fur shined a flashlight on Cerb who was in an open coffin. It all became clear at that moment. Apparently they found Cerb�s communicator. They must have figured I would help the girls find him even after his untimely funeral. So they waited for me to come and now they have both of us.
Well I had no intentions of just giving up and letting them kill me. And I sure as hell wasn�t going to let them bury my buddy alive without a fight. So I pulled out my backup pistol and charged it.
With a pulse pistol in each hand I jumped out from behind the bench and started firing at anything that moved. I was able to take two of the thugs who came out of the shadows by surprise and stunned them. Then as the rest ducked for cover I ran towards Cerb and continued firing in all directions.
He was almost in arm�s reach when the bolt of energy hit me. The force of the charge knocked me on my back. As I stared up at the stained glass ceiling I could feel conscious slipping away. Then everything started getting dark, so very dark�
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My head was throbbing as I started to regain consciousness. Although not quiet coherent yet, I knew I was no longer in the church. It felt more like bed? As my vision started to clear up I could see the sky overhead. But oddly enough, I was in a bed. A bed in the middle of an open field!
�Thank god you�re awake!� A fur in a white coat announced.
�What happened? Who are you?� I asked weakly.
�My name is Dr. Zilco. Your big furry friend there snatched me on the way out of the city.� He replied pointing to blue husky that just walked over.
�But I was shot.� I replied and looked down at my bandaged torso
�You had a blaster wound in your stomach. Luckily that body armor you were wearing absorbed a lot of the energy. However you�ve been unconscious for over 8 hours. You almost slipped into a coma but��
�8 hours???�
�Yes 8 hours.� The doctor replied and looked up at Nikita, �He�s going to be fine now. Just as I told you.�
Slowly I worked my way out of bed. The doctor rushed over to help me but was pushed aside by a gigantic blue hand. Its owner gently scoped me up and inspected my injured body. After getting back on her feet, Nikita then pinned the doctor to the ground with one of her toes.
�If you are lying to me�� She growled and pressed down a little.
�Please, I swear he�ll be fine.� The doctor begged grasping for air.
The husky hesitated for a moment then lifted her toe up, �Then get out of here!�
Dr. Zilco made a run for it. Obviously he didn�t want to stick around just in case Nikita changed her mind, a wise decision. As he ran out of sight the husky gently nudged me with her big wet nose.
�What happened?� I asked, still weak and disoriented.
�When your ship stopped hearing from you it told Vikki and me where to go. We found the church and rescued you guys.� Nikita explained while continuing to check me over.
�What did you two do to Cerb�s kidnappers?�
The husky turned around and pointed to a cage on the ground next to Cerb�s house. Inside were about a half-dozen furs. They looked completely terrified, with good reason.
�We squished most of them but grabbed those ones on the way out. Cerb said they were the bosses and Vikki has something special planned for them.
�Were is Vikki and Cerb.� I asked trying not to think of what Vikki had in store for the caged furs below.
Nikita took me to a large clearing about a half a mile away from the ranch. Right in the middle of the field was Vikki laying on her back. Snuggled in between her breasts was Cerb. Her shirt was pulled up over him like a blanket. The pinewolf had the biggest grin I�ve ever seen on his face.
Relieved, I got up and stroked Nikita�s big blue muzzle. �Thank you. You saved my life.�
She smiled for a moment and then her trademark mischievous grin returned, �Good now that we got all of the mushy feely stuff out of the way��
�Nikita� Wait� Don�t��
But my pleas were ignored as her muzzle opened and that enormous tongue came out.
SLURP!!!
The playful husky giggled at me. She knew I hated being licked. It was a bad habit she picked up from a certain sleepy dragon.
�NIKITA!!!�
Credits: Cerberus, Nikita, and Vikki are all characters copyrighted to Cerberus. Used with permission.