Chapter 15

Hunter approached the wide doors of the church, steeling himself. In truth, he was sort of nervous- he wasn't sure exactly how to approach someone who worshipped him. "I mean," he said to himself, "presumably this should be the easiest interrogation ever."

But how to act? Superior and self-righteous? He knew he could be arrogant and even condescending sometimes, but it was a sort of laid-back, somewhat self-deprecating arrogance, not the sort one would expect from a god.

Or should he ditch that completely? Try to show that he wasn't a god? After all, establishing a rapport with a suspect was the first step in an effective interrogation. Coming down like Zeus from his throne might cause the churchman to clam up, from fear if nothing else.

Almost before he realized it, he was standing in front of the doors to the church. Taking a deep breath, he pushed them open.

The interior of the building was sparse, almost spartan. The doors opened directly into the main auditorium, where orderly (and uncomfortable-looking) pews faced a pulpit set on a stage. Hunter glanced around, noting the pictures- one that caught his attention showed an idealized human demonstrating the use of a fire-bow. He looked at that one thoughtfully. The discovery of fire-

"Is someone there?" asked a voice, curious but unconcerned. The voice was followed by a large figure, opening an office door nearby. "The church is closed, but I-" As Hunter recognized the figure- a Siberian tiger, Father Amur, dressed in a conservative suit, the tie loose around his neck- the tiger's jaw dropped. Hunter nodded to him, suddenly nervous.

"Howdy."

Amur blinked, then bowed deeply. "My lord."

Hunter took a step forward, shaking his head. In an instant, he'd decided. Sure, it might be better as far as interrogation to pretend to be a godly figure, but- it just wasn't in him. "No, I'm just a mammal like you."

His head still bowed, the tiger shuffled back nervously as Hunter approached. "Not so, lord. You are a human, one of the Wise. And unless I am much mistaken, you are Zacharias Hunter."

"Yeah," said Hunter. "Son of Maria Hunter. I was born, just like you. I put my pants on one leg at a time, just like you. And just like you, I have questions."

At this the tiger raised his head, though still avoiding direct eye contact. "Lord?"

"Just call me Zach," he said, already tiring of the sycophancy. "Or if you insist, Mr. Hunter."

Amur shook his head. "I cannot, lord. It would be presumptuous-"

"Dammit, Amur!" Hunter took two steps toward the larger mammal, who backed up until he found himself against a wall. "Look at me."

"Lord-"

"Look at me!"

Slowly, the tiger lifted his eyes until they met Hunter's. The tiger's ears twitched. "This is not seemly-"

"My name is Zacharias Hunter," said Hunter. "I was born about fifty or so of your years ago in a system called Alpha Centauri. I'm a cop. I've made mistakes, I have friends, I have lived and loved just as you have." He shook his head. "I am not a god. I am only human."

"And what do you want of me?" asked the tiger, his voice shaking. He averted his eyes again.

Hunter sighed. "How about the truth?"

"The truth about what?"

Hunter hesitated, then took another step forward, forcing Amur to look at him. "You know what truth."

Slowly, the tiger nodded. "Prometheus."

"Yes."

The tiger moved slightly to one side, gesturing to his office. "Please enter, lord. And I will tell you the truth you need to hear."

The veteran cop gave him a suspicious glance, noting the odd phrasing, and gestured to the door himself. "After you," he said ironically.

"Of course," replied Amur. He stepped inside, Hunter following, eyes darting for a possible ambush. The office was small, with just the one door. A desk, covered with papers, sat in one corner, sized for a large mammal like Amur. Another chair stood in front of it, offset to one side. There was a set of filing cabinets, reminding him that even churches have paperwork. Amur headed toward the desk, which suited him just fine-

He had forgotten just how fast the mammals could move. So fast he could barely realize what he was seeing, Amur whipped around and, grabbing him by his shirt front, threw him into the room. He stumbled over the chair in front of the desk, managing to keep from falling by catching himself on the far wall. He grabbed the chair and held it in front of him like a lion-tamer, just in time to see Amur slamming the door shut from outside.

"The hell-" he said, already rushing at the door.

Unfortunately, the door opened towards the outside. Hunter slammed against it, worked the doorknob, but something was blocking the door. There had been a brace set into the door frame, he recalled. Something to keep the door opened.

Or closed.

It was a heavy door. After several tries, Hunter realized he wasn't going to break it down by sheer force.

"Okay," he said to himself. "If he really believes I'm a god, why would he trap me in his office?"

He heard a murmur outside the door. Holding his breath, he heard the tiger's voice speaking.

"-is here. Yes, the human. He does not seem to know- yes, I know you told me." Hunter guessed he was talking on a phone, as he could not hear the other side of the conversation. "Five minutes? Yes, I can hold him that long. Yes."

Okay. So he had five minutes to escape. Hunter looked around the room. The desk held the usual accoutrements of the office- a hole punch, a paper cutter, pens. There was a small bookcase, with a series of books about religious matters. He moved over to one wall, quietly tapping it. Drywall.

It's harder than you think to trap someone in a typical room, decided Hunter.

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"We need to talk," said Barker, rounding on Nick and Judy. She had glanced around, seeing they were alone in the corridor.

Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Do we? I mean, really?"

"Yes, Wilde. What the hell was that? Do you not even understand the concept of diplomacy?"

Nick looked slightly ashamed. "I didn't mean-"

"Yeah, you did. You meant to rattle his chain, and that's exactly what you accomplished." Barker pointed at him. "We're already working under a handicap, here, Wilde."

"You mean that the captain has an irrational dislike of us?" asked Judy.

"No, I mean that Wilde is along," said Barker. "You're unprofessional," she said to the fox.

"Am not."

She gave him a flat look. "And childish."

He stuck his tongue out at her, crossing his eyes.

Barker gave him an unamused look and stalked off.

Nick grinned at Judy, who shook her head. "Do you have to make things so difficult?" she asked wearily.

"Hey, Carrots, when it's important I can be as professional as I need to be." He scowled. "It's just that I couldn't take Oakes's holier-than-thou attitude any longer. We should be grateful, he said."

Judy looked thoughtful as they resumed walking. "And what if he had a point, Nick?"

The fox gave her a surprised look. "Now wait a minute-"

"Think about it. What if it's true? What if we would have been wiped out or enslaved or, or, whatever by these aliens?" argued Judy. "What if the only thing keeping us safe were the humans, paying for our peace and prosperity with their lives."

"They didn't know that's what they were doing- if they did." Nick shook his head. "I can't believe that there isn't a way to negotiate with these Larrat, or Karathi, or whatever. It can't be that they just are what they are, and nothing can change them. Mammals don't work that-" he paused as he realized what he was saying.

Judy finished for him. "Mammals don't work that way," she agreed. "But they aren't mammals."

For a long moment, Nick hesitated, before shaking his head. "They're intelligent. They make choices." He lapsed into a brooding silence.

Judy studied him as they walked. "This isn't about them," she said quietly. "Not really."

Nick avoided her gaze. "I don't know what you mean."

"It's about you. It's about predators. It's about whether or not you can overcome your nature."

The fox turned on her so quickly that Judy took an involuntary step back. "I'm past that, Judy. I know who I am. I know how I feel." He pulled her into a sudden hug. "I just want to believe that others can have the opportunity to make the same choices."

She hugged him back before looking up into his eyes. "They're not like us, though. As different as chalk and cheese, maybe-"

"Or predators and prey?" said Nick, a rueful smile on his face.

"More different, maybe," said Judy. "It's a possibility that we have to face."

Nick was silent, then nodded. "Maybe so. I just wonder if the humans have thought about it at all like that."

"Thought about what?" said Bonnaire cheerfully as she came around the corridor. She stopped and raised an eyebrow as she saw the two in an embrace. "Well, that's interesting," she said.

Judy looked at Nick, who shrugged. "They were bound to find out sooner or later."

The pilot looked between them. "So a fox and a bunny, eh? How's that working out for you?"

Judy kept one arm around Nick, but turned to face Bonnaire. "Pretty good so far."

Nick pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. "Oh, good. I was worried there for a minute."

The bunny gave him a playful punch in the side. "You know you have nothing to worry about."

He grinned down at her. "Yeah, but it's good to hear. Especially in front of witnesses."

Bonnaire watched the exchange, an amused grin on her face. "So this clearly isn't a recent thing. Are inter-species relationships common on Terra?"

"No," answered Judy. "But they do happen."

"It's not what's on the outside that you fall in love with," said Nick. Judy looked at him with a smile.

"Well, then," said Bonnaire, still amused. "If I can tear you away from your girlfriend, are you still up for a flight?"

Nick blinked. "Really? I thought the captain would have to authorize it."

"Technically he could over-rule it, but the XO made the decision." Bonnaire shrugged. "Whatever, so long as I have authorization. We've got a CSP scheduled in half an hour. If we hurry, we can get you set up and you can ride second-seat with me in one of the Arewing trainers."

"Arewing?" asked Nick.

"Technically it's named after the inventor, A.R. Ewing, but everyone just calls it the Arewing. So? You ready?"

Nick looked at Judy. "Is it okay?"

She chuckled, both at the question and the look of pleading in the fox's eyes. "You don't need my permission," she reminded him.

"Um, no, of course not, but-"

She poked him. "It's fine, Nick. Just be careful."

"Nothing to worry about," assured Bonnaire. "Wolf 359 is as safe a system as there is, and I'll be in control. And I'm a damn good pilot. Besides, it's space. There's almost nothing to hit out there."

"All right," said Nick, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Let's go."

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Nick followed the human pilot into a large room with a conference table and chairs bolted to the floor. He was now dressed in a survival suit, which Bonnaire said was similar enough to her flight suit to be sufficient for safety. It was a child's size, naturally, which didn't bother Nick at all- he was used to the larger size of humans by now.

A dozen or so humans sat around the table, their conversation ending abruptly when Bonnaire walked in. "Ten-hut!" shouted a small woman sitting nearest the door. Nick saw they were all wearing flight suits similar to Bonnaire's, and made the reasonable assumption that they were also pilots.

"As you were," said Bonnaire automatically. The pilots' attention immediately shifted to Nick, standing beside her. "This is Nick Wilde, one of the Terrans we're transporting to AlphaCen. Nick, this is the squadron we'll be flying with today, commanded by Lieutenant Julia Rudaski." The petite woman who had called the room to attention nodded, eyeing the fox curiously.

"Hey," said one of the pilots, a pale man with an unruly mop of brown hair sitting in a corner. "Isn't this the Terran that cleaned out Foxtrot Company?"

The gazes of the pilots intensified. "Yeah," said another. "They said he was a fox."

Nick grinned nervously. "Hey, they shouldn't try to hustle a hustler."

"Hustler?" said the brown-haired pilot with a frown. "I thought you guys were supposed to be cops."

Nick's smile froze. "Um, yeah. Forget I said that."

Rudaski, who had sat back down, smiled. "I think I like this fox, Commander."

Bonnaire grinned back. "Yeah, he's not nearly as boring as most of the diplomats I've run across."

"Maybe we could try a hand or two of poker?" said the brown-haired pilot speculatively.

Nick looked at him. "I dunno," he said dubiously. "I don't think I'd play to win against someone who I might be flying with."

"Now we definitely need to try a hand."

"All right, all right," said Bonnaire, consulting her watch. "I'll keep the briefing, well, brief. You know the drill by now. I'll be operating an Arewing trainer for this one, with our guest in the second seat. In the event of trouble, our top priority- after the safety of the ship, of course- is to get him back safely."

"Oh, really?" said a pilot. "So if the Sierra Hotel India Tango hits the fan, everyone drops everything and protects you and the fox? Hey, can I have him fly with me instead?"

"No, Romao, your status as the most expendable pilot in the Fleet is too valuable to sacrifice," said Bonnaire dryly. "In the event of combat, I suggest you enact Procedure Omega."

"Procedure Omega?" said Romao, puzzled. "What's that?"

The pilot next to him leaned over. "That, newbie, is the following. One: Place flight seat back. Two: Bend over. Three: Place head between your legs. And Four..."

"Kiss your ass goodbye," chorused the rest of the pilots.

Nick blinked and looked around at the laughing pilots. Even Romao was chuckling, though with a slightly worried look on his face. Bonnaire looked down at him, but misinterpreted his surprise as worry. "Relax," she said. "It'll be fine. Safest part of the Human Stars."

The fox sighed. "I really would have thought you humans would have learned not to say things like that by now."

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Hunter dialed a number on his cell phone, then pinned it between his shoulder and ear as he wrenched the blade of the paper cutter away from the rest of the apparatus. The phone was picked up almost immediately. "Zach?" asked Tavi, worry in her voice. "What's up?"

"Amur trapped me in his office," explained Hunter. He slid the blade of the paper-cutter across the drywall, horizontally, until he had found both studs. "And I think he called someone to come and get me."

"Okay, I'm coming in with Shepherd-"

"Wait, rookie." Hunter, having found the studs, next started to cut vertically along the inside of each stud. He grunted as he forced the blade into the sheetrock- it really wasn't designed for this. "If we snatch him now, he'll probably clam up. Our best bet is to wait until whoever he called gets here, then grab him. Find out who the next crook up the chain is."

There was a pause. "I still feel like I should come in now," said Tavi dubiously. "What if they plan to kill you?"

"Amur tossed me across the office like a toy," said Hunter. "If he wanted to kill me, he could have. They want me alive." For now, he thought but did not say. No sense in worrying Tavi anymore than he needed to. "Besides, I have an exit strategy." He gingerly pushed on the drywall, the piece he cut out nearly popping out already from the slight pressure. Hunter smiled. "I mean, he forgot to take away my cell phone. I don't think he's exactly a criminal mastermind."

"Okay," said Tavi reluctantly. "Keep the line open. I want to know the second anything happens."

"I'll holler for help when I need it," promised Hunter.

"There's a car pulling up now," said Tavi suddenly. "Looks like a wolf is coming out of it."

Hunter paused. "You sure? Anyone else with the wolf?"

"No, just the wolf. You were expecting something else?"

He shrugged, though naturally Tavi couldn't see that. "I don't know. I half expected a human. Or maybe even a Drex."

"The wolf is going inside."

"Okay," said Hunter. "I'm going to be trying to hear what they say, so keep it down."

Hunter moved to the office door and put his ear against it.

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"Engine checks complete," said Bonnaire. Nick heard her through his headphones, as they couldn't communicate directly while in the ship. He suppressed a thrill of excitement as he looked around him.

He was about to go into space! Granted, he was already in space- but in a fighter!

Around them on the flight deck of the hangar, humans hurried back and forth. The hangar itself was a large, open area with various starstrike units- mostly fighters and bombers that he could see- parked along the edges. When a ship was ready, it moved on a track to the middle, where it faced a large airlock. One human- Bonnaire's crew chief, she'd said- was standing near the front of the Arewing. He cocked his head as if listening, then nodded and gave Bonnaire a thumbs-up.

"Looks like we're next to launch," said Bonnaire. In confirmation, the fighter lurched slightly and moved along the track to face the airlock. The door opened and they moved through.

As the door closed behind them and the air started whistling out of the airlock, Bonnaire's hands danced over the control panel. "Reactor at full." A low hum and slight vibration filled the cockpit. "Grav engine on-line. Disengaging docking clamps." There was a thump and the fighter raised slightly off the airlock floor.

Another voice came over the radio. "Yankee Delta One-Six, airlock will be opening in five. Have a good flight, Blue Falcon."

Bonnaire's voice was slightly tight as she answered. "Acknowledged, Control." She shook her head.

"Blue Falcon?" asked Nick curiously.

"My call-sign," she explained. "Don't ask."

"Ask what?"

"Anything."

The airlock doors suddenly shot open. "All right," said Bonnaire, cheerful again. "Let's show these kids how to fly."

The fighter shot out of the airlock and into open space.

Nick gaped.

Around him, there was nothing but infinity.

Gingerly, he reached out and touched the glass of the cockpit. Not actually glass, he'd been told. It was a sort of transparent alloy, so tough he could have shot it with his carbine from back home and not so much as scratched it. "Oh, my God," he said quietly.

Bonnaire glanced back at him, controlling the ship with smooth movements of her joystick. "It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" she said quietly. She looked around herself. "For I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and touched the face of God," she said.

Nick spread out his gloved palm against the cockpit's "glass". "What's that?"

"An old poem," said Bonnaire. She looked at the Nike they had just left, and grinned. "Hey, want to do something fun?"

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"Conn, Tac. Yankee Delta One-Six is requesting permission to do a fly-by of the Nike," said Oakes's tactical officer.

The captain didn't look up from the form he was studying. "Denied."

The main screen suddenly shifted, automatically tracking as an Arewing flashed by the ship's exterior sensors. There was no sound or shockwave in space, but the Arewing passed so close that several bridge officers flinched. Oakes looked up and swore. He punched a button on his console, opening a line to Bonnaire's ship. "Dammit, Blue Falcon, permission was denied."

"Sorry, sir," came back the cheerful answer. "I hadn't received that."

Tosetti sighed. "I'll have a word with her, sir."

"See that you do," said Oakes sourly. "I don't care if she is one of the best pilots in the Fleet. She doesn't need to pull stunts like that."

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Hunter heard Amur speak first. "My lady, welcome."

A feminine voice answered. "Where is he?"

"Trapped in my office. I called as soon as I could."

"You did well," answered the unknown voice.

Amur's voice was hesitant. "My lady, if he is- if he is the one we have sought, why then does he not come willingly? Why was it so important I trap him here?"

"He is wise," answered the female voice. "But he is still not ready. His path has been chosen for him, from everlasting until everlasting. But he doesn't know the path, not yet. Soon, it will shown to him. Soon, he will see he has no choice but to walk it. And our salvation will be complete."

Hunter shivered at the certainty in the wolf's tone.

"He is through here," said the tiger. Hunter heard the door being unlocked.

He backed up until he was adjacent to the hole he had punched through the wall, and, trying to still his pounding heart, waited.

"Hunter," whispered Tavi.

"Quiet," he ordered. "Just wait a minute."

The door opened.

Amur was first, ducking his head slightly as he came in. He watched Hunter carefully, though still with some awe in his eyes.

Next came the wolf.

She was somewhat above average size for a wolf, easily Hunter's height. Her coat was a rich, full red- he frowned. Weren't red wolves usually a bit smaller in size than this?

The wolf looked down at him, and he blinked at the lack of expression in her eyes. "Zacharias Hunter," she said in greeting.

"That's me," he agreed. "And you are?"

"A friend," she said, still studying him.

"Really?" He looked around. "What do you do to someone who isn't your friend?"

She took a step closer, and he shifted his stance. The big wolf smiled at that. "That won't matter, Mr. Hunter. Because whether you believe it or not, I am your friend. I am the one who will show you the way."

"What way?" asked Hunter, curious despite himself. "What are you talking about?"

"The way. The truth. And the life. The way that will lead to redemption- yours, and that of others."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Well, that's not at all useful. Brass tacks, huh? What do you want from me?"

Amur spoke. "You swore an oath, lord. We want to hold you to it."

"An oath?" said Hunter, puzzled. "I swore an oath when I became a police officer. To serve and protect the people, to ensure their rights, to bring peace, order to chaos. What's that got to do with anything?"

"We're offering you the opportunity to do exactly that," said Amur. "To do it perfectly. To become-" he hesitated.

"To become what?" demanded Hunter.

Amur looked to the wolf, who answered. "To become Prometheus, Mr. Hunter. To save the world. To bring peace."

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Nick watched in awe as they passed the Nike, more sedately this time. "That's a big ship," he murmured.

"The largest class in the Fleet," agreed Bonnaire. Her voice sounded tinny and attenuated through the cockpit intercom. "Though I've heard it doesn't hold a patch on the old United Terran ships. Hell, most of our technology is based on theirs- some of it we don't even entirely understand, like the AI. That's why your rooms are so hard to deal with."

"The United Terrans?" asked Nick, curious. Wasn't he a Terran?

"The ancient human empire," explained Bonnaire. "When we first expanded out from Terra, that was what we called ourselves."

"What happened?" asked Nick. "How could so much knowledge be lost?"

"First there was whatever disaster led to us losing Terra herself," said Bonnaire.

Nick settled back in the seat, feeling vaguely annoyed. "That wasn't our fault," he muttered. He saw Bonnaire shrug in front of him.

"Maybe it wasn't, but whatever happened, a good chunk of human knowledge disappeared when we did from Terra. The disruption led to a civil war- we think; the records are a bit spotty- and then to the First AI war. Since the AI's had so much control over our information technology, a lot more knowledge was lost."

"I see," said Nick. He looked again at the Nike. If that was an example of what they had now, how much could they have done before?

Well, raise mammals to sentience, for one.

"Enough history talk," said Bonnaire. "You want to have a go at flying this bucket?"

Nick blinked. "Is that safe?"

"Eh, safe enough," said Bonnaire, not able to see how Nick winced at her casual reply. "Don't worry, I can take control if anything looks like it's going to go wrong."

She quickly explained the basic flight controls. "Okay, you have control."

Nick nodded, gripping the stick. "All right..."

As soon as he did, the ship shuddered and yawed. "Ease up," said Bonnaire, amusement in her voice. "Think smooth. You said you were a hustler, right? So smooth-talk her."

Nick loosened his grip slightly and concentrated on making his movements slow and precise. Though still a bit jittery, their flight path evened out. "Not bad," approved Bonnaire. "Bring her around to two seven zero, positive one-ten."

Keeping his eyes on the sphere that showed their heading, Nick slowly eased into the new heading. "How's that?"

"Well, it was smooth. More like an old lady driving an oil tanker as far as speed, but good enough," said Bonnaire. "Now-"

There was a buzz and a screen in front of Nick- Bonnaire had said it was the sensor display- lit up. "What's that?" said Nick, panicking. "What'd I do?"

Bonnaire had exploded into a flurry of motion. Nick barely had realized he had control taken away from him before she spoke. "Unknown contact. Contacts," she said as more dots showed up on the sensor display. "Yankee Delta One-six to Nike."

"Nike."

"I have multiple sensor contacts, consistent with grav drives," said Bonnaire crisply. "Bearing to your position is-" she read out a set of numbers. "They are showing acceleration of forty decimal five six gees."

"Acknowledged."

"What's going on?" asked Nick.

"Don't know," said Bonnaire, bringing the ship around in a tight curve. Nick watched the stars race past the cockpit. "We've got a bunch of new contacts. Probably starstrike craft, with their engines shut down. Now they're all accelerating towards the Nike. One thing's for certain, though."

"What's that?"

"They aren't friendly."

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"Become Prometheus?" echoed Hunter. "What's that supposed to mean? I spoke to him, you know."

"It will all become clear in time," said the wolf. "Now, however, it is time for you to come with us."

"Hang on," said Hunter. "I just want to know one thing."

"What's that?" asked the wolf impatiently.

"Who are you?"

"You may call me Pandora," she replied.

"Pandora?" said Hunter skeptically. "Can I see some ID?"

She moved towards him, with Amur trailing behind her.

"Guess not," muttered Hunter. He snatched up his phone, hidden under a piece of paper on the desk.

Pandora's eyes widened. She turned to glare at Amur, who quailed at the smaller mammal's sudden wrath. "You let him keep his cell phone?" she demanded.

"And locked me in a room made of drywall," said Hunter. "You just can't get good help these days."

"What?"

In answer, Hunter threw himself through the wall.

With one section all but cut away, he easily smashed through the single sheet of dry wall on the other side. It didn't even hurt- much. He stumbled but kept his feet, shaking his head to clear the sheetrock dust from his eyes. It looked like he had just come out into a corridor of some kind.

"Get him!" shouted Pandora from inside the room.

That was a clear signal that it was time to leave. He started down the corridor, which looked to run along the outside of the auditorium, in the direction where he thought the front door was. At least the tiger wouldn't be able to fit through the space between studs he had used to escape-

Behind him, the wall buckled outward, the splintered ends of the wooden studs ripping through the drywall. "Oh, right," he muttered. "Bigger and much stronger." To his surprise, though, when he looked back he saw that the mammal who had smashed through the wall was actually the wolf. "What?"

The wolf turned and her eyes narrowed as she saw him.

Hunter ran.

He'd had a head start, which was the only reason he got all the way to the front door. Impossibly fast, the wolf raced up to him, and pounced. The air was knocked out of his body as he was thrown to the floor under her weight.

He managed to roll, throwing the wolf off of him, but she recovered faster than he could, pinning his shoulders to the floor. "You cannot escape," snarled the wolf. He blinked at her teeth, inches from his face.

"Tavi!" he shouted. "Now!"

The front doors of the church exploded inward.

The wolf barely had time to look up in surprise before a metal arm smashed into her, throwing her clear across the auditorium. She smashed into a set of pews, hitting them with enough force to crack the wood. Hunter got up, catching a glimpse of a stunned Amur further down the hallway, before turning to look at the wolf.

"Who said anything about escape? I was just distracting you until I could call in the tank." he wheezed. He sighed. "Although no one could survive that." He eyed the broken benches and the limp body of the wolf and turned to the tank. "Dammit, Shepherd, I thought lethal force wasn't supposed to be authorized."

"Orders temporarily countermanded on this occasion," responded the tank, unperturbed.

Behind him, Tavi came running up, her tiny baton raised. She stopped when she saw Hunter. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Hunter. He raised an eyebrow at Tavi's baton. "What were you going to do with that, pick their teeth?"

"You use what you got," said Tavi. She looked around. "Where's the tiger?"

"Took off, I expect. I-" A noise caught his attention. Both he and Tavi turned to look back at the auditorium.

Pandora rose.

The wolf slowly picked herself up. One arm was clearly broken, sticking out at an odd angle. She turned, and both Hunter and Tavi grimaced when the arm jolted back into place with an audible click. "Hunter," growled the wolf. She looked at Shepherd, who moved protectively between Tavi and the threat.

"Threat detected," said Shepherd, his voice emotionless. "Target exhibits greater than usual resilience."

"Yeah," said Hunter uneasily. "That's one way to put it." He looked at Shepherd. "Think we can take her?"

"Threat masses approximately three hundred kilos, which is dense for its body size," said Shepherd. "However, I do not believe it presents much of a threat."

"Hear that?" shouted Shepherd to Pandora. "My tank just called you fat."

The wolf crouched slightly, looking from one to another. "The path is set, Hunter," she called. "You cannot hide behind this device forever."

"I don't need to," said Hunter. "Just until I see you behind bars." He eyed the wreckage of the pews, and then glanced at the wall she had broken through. "Really, really thick bars. Maybe electrified."

Tavi kept her eyes on the wolf. "Hunter, maybe you should consider not taunting the evil, seemingly invincible wolf-thing?"

"Nah, that doesn't sound like me at all." He narrowed his eyes at Pandora. "You going to come quietly?"

The wolf, in answer, bared her teeth.

"Okay, your funeral." He looked at the tank and pointed at the wolf. "Hey, Shepherd? Fetch."