Wolf and Cyberpunk

by RedRadRussian

In the not too distant future of 2079, cities rise, corporations rule and secrets are buried. When Kraft Lawrence hears of a lucrative opportunity, he jumps at the chance. But instead of gaining a hefty profit, Lawrence finds himself caught in-between a struggle for domination and power. A struggle that all seems to revolve around one strange young girl...

5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Containment Breach.

I felt my heart pound in my chest. The razor like fangs gleamed in the dim lighting, chilling my body to the core.

My jaw trembled, as a savage growl ripped through the young girls mouth. Her ears shot upright, her tail straightening. I couldn't break away from her demonic stare, as she tightened her grip even further. I gagged, desperately thinking of a way to escape, but was coming up short in terms of a way out. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this was the end. I'd die at the hands of a genetically enhanced killing machine, all because I was too greedy to say 'no'. What a joke!

I stopped struggling against her overwhelming might, feeling too exhausted to move. However, like a miracle from heaven, another explosion erupted from somewhere in the facility. Although it wasn't catastrophic, it was enough to distract the red haired monster. She turned away for the briefest moment, her ears twitching at the sound of the explosion, her tail dropping slightly. As she turned, she loosened her grip.

I acted on self preservation alone, propping myself against the wall I mustered the best kick I could manage, striking deep into the girl's exposed stomach. The girl yelped in surprise, as she dropped me. I slumped back against the wall coughing, as the wolf eared girl began to recover. She clutched her firm midriff with a delicate hand, but crouched into a low squat, bringing her head up and growled again. Soon she brought both her hands out to her sides, as she readied to pounce.

'Great, that just pissed her off!' I griped, as I looked for anything to defend myself with.

On the console to my left, I saw a button encased in glass. Upon the glass printed in large red letters were the words 'Break in case of Emergency'.

I glanced between the button and the two wolf like ears upon the girl's head.

'Would it work? Could I reach it in time? What if I can't? What then?'

I ran the situation through my head, but as I saw the wolf's snarl once more, I acted.

"Fuck it!" I yelled, as I lunged for the button.

The wolf pounced as my hand shattered through the glass, shards sprayed everywhere and I smacked the button. A horrid blaring sound entered my ear cannal as the auxiliary lighting began to flash. I felt pain throb through my hand, large shards of glass had embedded itself when I smashed the glass. I grabbed my wrist, trying to slow the red ooze that seeped from my hand. My attention refocused on the girl and to my relief the plan had worked. She flexed and contorted at the sounds of the overwhelming alarm, her hands covering her fluffy wolf like ears, a pained expression on her face.

She lost interest in me, quickly vaulting the railing and bounding across the lab like an animal. In a few short moments... she had disappeared up the stairs, desperate to get away from the noise.

I lay there. The alarm still droning in my ears.

I couldn't break my eyes off the lab's stairway. Terrified that the demonic wolf girl would come back.

I waited for what could have been several minutes before I started to calm down.

'Jesus...' I thought, 'Who the hell was that girl?'

My mind began racing with more and more questions, so much so that I forgot my hand had been impaled. I winced and clutched it again. The longer I waited, the more the adrenaline began to wear off. The dull throb of being thrown against the wall began to deaden the right side of my body.

I tried to stand, using the side of the nearby console to prop me up. As I stood I heard the faint tinkling noise of my now broken equipment, originating from the torn bag. I gently lifted it off my shoulder, my hand shaking from the shock. I let it fall to the ground with a dull thump. I tore the cloth away from my face, breathing in deeply, glad to be free from the stuffy mask. The sound of shattering glass and gunfire came from somewhere in the facility, catching my attention. I began to freeze up again.

I stood there, trying to think of my next move. The facility was under attack, a crazy genetic experiment was on the loose, and I probably never got the software that had brought me to this little house of horrors in the first place. I raised my hand up into the dim light and began picking out the shards of glass, gritting my teeth with every shard I removed. I got as much out as I could, before wrapping my hand in the cloth and tying a makeshift bandage. The cloth wasn't exactly clean, but it was the best I had.

After retrieving my gun and a few essential cables from my bag, I decided to take my chances against the battle that raged just beyond the labs walls. Luckily, I still had Zheren's card and computer safely tucked in my jacket. And after I stuffed the cables into one of my pockets, I decided it was time to leave.

'No point in staying here forever, they'd get to me eventually.' I thought, ascending the laboratory steps.

The gun rested awkwardly in my cut hands, as I pointed it up the stair way. It shook unsteadily, I couldn't tell whether it was nerves or fatigue. Every step I took felt like agony but eventually I found myself in the now ruined security checkpoint. My silver eyes widened as I stared at the carnage before me. The bullet proof glass had been smashed, dense shards were strewn across the metal floor of the checkpoint. The vault door was wide open, and beyond lay a score of dead guardsmen.

I had to raise a hand to my mouth. The Guards who had obviously been station here had been brutalized. Limbs had been twisted and bent in ways they shouldn't, throats had been ripped open, blood pooling across the floor.

'Did they even get the chance to fight back?' I pondered as I moved amongst the dead bodies.

However as I got a closer look at the slaughtered men, I realized that at least one of them had discharged their weapon. There was a small splatter of red against the white floor, followed by several drops. The drops moved away from the dead guards and rounded a corner.

It didn't take much to guess that the wolf girl had come through here. And from the looks of things, she had been injured from the fighting.

I peeked my head out around the corner to see the trail of red continue down the corridor.

My eyes widened and I threw myself against the nearest wall, my body aching as I pressed myself against it's flat surface. I peeked round the corner to see three well armed guards stationed near a sealed security door, ones they used to seal lab fires or to stop intruders.

'I think I'll stay clear of that...' I thought, as the sound of gunfire echoed from somewhere in the facility. I had to get out fast. I managed a stumbled jog, as I tried backtracking through the facility. Passing the familiar monitors which now blared nothing but static.

"When the hell are reinforcements coming?!" I heard a voice stress, probably a guard.

"We can't get a line through to the outside, our communication lines have been totally blocked off!" Another replied.

"W-what?! Oh shit, we're so fucked!" The first guard wailed.

"Calm down! The captain ordered us to keep the east wing in check, we need to stay alert!" A third guard bellowed, silencing the other two.

"I know you're scared and the odds are stacked against us... but we all know what's at stake. The captain is managing to hold the main invasion force at bay, but it only a matter of time be-"

He was cut off by a cloud of heat and shrapnel, while the solid metal door liquified. I ducked back round the corner as the wave of heat hit me. The sound of gunfire and burning men echoed down through the hall, along with the droning wind of servo moters. When the heat began to subside I took another peek around the corner and my eyes bulged.

There was nothing left of the security door and two of the guards had been shredded by the explosion, the final guard was trying to crawl away, his legs mangled by the blast. My heart sank as two wide angular figures stepped into the hallway. They stood at least seven feet tall, heavy metallic plating covering their shoulder joints and internal motors. A singular ocular sight was planted in the middle of the thickly plated head, scanning the hall for more easy prey.

They were Atherion class Drones, used for frontal assault operations and infantry support roles. These things could shrug off most small arm rounds and packed enough firepower to wipe out a full man squad in seconds. I watched the two Drones march stiffly into the hall, their powerful metal feet clanging against the now scorched floor, each wielding high grade Pulse Rifles. They quickly reached the surviving guardsmen, who began to sob at the sight of the two mechanical monstrosities. One was quick to end his misery, lifting a heavy leg before bringing it down hard onto the downed guardsman's head.

It was like watching a tomato burst under a vise.

I covered my mouth as I whipped back from around the corner, taking deep steady breaths to calm myself. I glanced down at my compact pistol, there was no way I'd be able to fight back with this. I heard the heavy footsteps of the Drones advance down the hall. It would only be a matter of time before they saw me.

I turned and ran back down the hall. If they spotted me, I'd be shredded by their rifles. I rounded the corner as the two drones stopped at the opposite end. I prayed that they would move on from this hall and sweep somewhere else.

But fate can be a bitch sometimes. And after a few mechanical clicks the two drones began advancing down the hall, seemingly picking up their pace.

I ran, the sound of the quickened metallic footsteps echoing after me. The opened vault door blurred past me, as I blindly followed the narrow hallway, solid red door panels and closed metal either side of me.

With a quick glance behind me I saw the two Drones beginning to round the corner, they're bulky weapons poking out into the white hall. I quickly took cover in a nearby doorway before I heard the two drones advance around the corner. They shortly began their sweep of the hall, heading towards me.

I looked around wildly for a way to escape. If I broke cover, I'd be shot to bits. And seeing as my pistol wouldn't even put a dent in them, my only hope was getting through this door. I peeked around the corner to see the two Drones marching steadily down the hall. Their primitive robotic movements made them look like stiff tin soldiers, and soon they'd be upon me. However when the two began to pass the vault door, they suddenly halted.

After a few moments more, they quickly spun to their right and proceeded towards the vault door, their weapons raised high.

I furrowed my brow, I didn't know what altered their course, but It gave me the chanced I needed to escape. And that's when I realized the change in one of the door panels. The red light had been altered to a solid green, indicating it's deadlock had been lifted. Someone must've either broken the seal, possibly from the outside, or the building deadlock had lifted. Given that the remaining door panels that ran down the hall were still red, I figured it was the former.

I waited for the Drones to disappear completely, before deciding to make my move. If I wandered bindly through the facilities hallways, I'd have a high chance of running into more guardsmen, or even worse, Atherion Drones.

I broke cover, gazing at the control panel and reading what was displayed.

The door was locked with a level five encryption, this would have been a problem, But I had Zheren's card with me. With a swipe of the white and orange card, the door flashed green once, before giving off a small high pitched chime.

I heard the faint sound of shuffling behind the door's cool metal surface, someone was in there. The door opened with a hiss and I shot through it with out a second thought.

My heart was pounding in my chest, all these surges of adrenaline couldn't be good for me.

I was in a tiny room, lined with small square lockers and cabinets. By the corner of the room, I noticed a lean female figure, dressed in a lab coat.

As she turned to face me, I gazed upon the face of the strange woman, only to see the terrified face of Marlene; the research assistant from before.

"N-no not you, it is you isn't it! Oh god!" She quivered as I quickly brought my pistol up, purely on instinct.

She started to scream and the threat of the Drones hearing her and coming to investigate was too great. I had no choice and reacted. I rushed over to her and grabbed her by the mouth, forcing her up against the lockers.

"Shut up!" I whispered harshly. "Have you got a death wish or something? Because by all means keep screaming, I'll shut you up myself."

Marlene began to sob, big salty tears splashed against my hand.

I began to calm down, I needed to get out of here and she probably knew of a way out.

"Marlene right? The research assistant to Yoitsu?" I queeried in an uneasy tone.

The girl managed a small fearful nod.

"Then I guess you know the layout of the facility, how do I get out of here?" I asked glancing at the door while lowering my hand from her mouth. Keeping the pistol trained on her, just in case.

The girl was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Where's the professor?" She asked in a cracked voice.

I grimaced. What was I going to say? That Yoitsu had been murdered by his own fucked up creation?

I thought it best to avoid the question entirely.

"Just answer my question." I stated coldly.

She stiffened her lower lip. "I-I'm not telling you anything!" She seethed, glancing nervously at the gun.

She was either incredibly brave, or extremely stupid.

Maybe a bit of both.

I sighed, "If you're going to be difficult that's fine."

I holstered the pistol.

"I'll find my own way out, don't get in my way." I growled, shooting her a threatening glare.

Marlene chuckled darkly. "Huh, like we're getting out alive, those things killed everyone."

I frowned, "I'm not like everyone..."

She looked away, sadness returning to her face. "I bet they all thought that."

I bit my lip, she was right. The odds weren't good. But if I didn't risk it, I'd end up dead anyway. It's an all or nothing gambit.

I glanced around the room, looking for something, anything. When I spied the thing of my salvation, an air duct, big enough for a man to fit through.

'Suppose you'd need a lot of air for such a claustrophobic facility.' I mused, looking at the thick steel grate that covered the air duct's entrance. I'd have to climb the lockers to get at it, but if I could use it to get outside of the facility, I'd severely reduce the risk of my escape. It was worth a shot.

I turned away from her.

"Fine. Stay here and cry for all I care." I stated flatly before walking over to the lockers.

"But I'm not going to wait around to be killed..." I grumbled before lifting my foot up onto one of the locker handles and lifted myself up using my arms.

It was a struggle, I winced at my injuries as I sprung up onto the lockers. I bit back against it and

with one final heave, I managed to haul myself on top. I panted, out of breath from simply lifting myself up. There wasn't a lot of room available, but I managed to reach the metal grate.

I noticed that the bolts that secured the grate were weak on one side. With some repositioning and a few swift kicks, the grate came loose. I proceeded to grab the metal and with a strained grunt, I managed to pull the grate off with a loud 'CLANG.'

I hissed as I put the grate aside, hoping the noise I made wouldn't attract unwanted attention. I didn't expect it to be that loud.

"You seriously think you're going to get out of here? You got a snowballs chance in hell!" Marlene scorned.

I looked back at her, a nonchalant smile touching my lips. "That's a chance I'm willing to take."

The research assistant gave me a curious look, before turning to one of surprise as I offered her a hand up.

"Coming?" I asked extending my hand out to her.

Marlene was silent for a moment. "Why would you want to help me?"

I shrugged. "Maybe I hate to leave someone to die? Maybe I'm just feeling nice." I answered bluntly.

Marlene glared at me. "You were certainly fine about leaving your friends to die." She hissed, obviously referring to Zheren and Bailey.

I dropped my hand as a grimace crossed my face. "That was different..." I mumbled.

"How was that different?!" she seethed.

'CLANG...'

Both of our eyes widened as the sound echoed through our minds.

'CLANG...'

Slowly we looked towards the door, before another earsplitting 'CLANG' echoed around the tiny locker room. The Drones were trying to break through...

Marlene shivered, wrapping her arms around herself out of fear as she backed herself into a corner.

"Oh god, they're going to kill us... they're going to kill us all." She wailed, tears now rolling down her cheeks.

I clenched my teeth. She was a complete wreck.

The metal clanging grew louder, and small dents began to appear in the door. They were getting through.

"Marlene!" I called trying to get her to focus.

"We're dead... we're dead!" She whimpered, over and over again.

My mind raced, why was I trying to save this girl?

I had my exit, why wasn't I leaving?

"Is this what the professor would have wanted!?" I screamed over the metallic bashing.

This got her attention, she gazed over to me with dark wet patches running down her face. I glanced over to the horribly battered metal door. 'A few more hits like that, and it'll bust wide open!' I noted before refocusing my attention on Marlene.

"I know you're scared! But you have to pull through it! Yoitsu would never forgive you if you threw it all away like this!" I called as the Drones slammed against the metal door, determined to get in. Determined to kill us.

Marlene got up from the floor, her arms dropping to her sides. She stared at me with what looked like... hope in her eyes.

"Now stop being an idiot and take my hand!" I called, extending it out to her.

She raced over to me, her hand reaching out for mine.

Just mere inches away.

When the door gave...

I barely had a chance to react to what happened.

As soon as the brutally battered door slammed to the floor, the large black barrel of a Pulse Rifle came poking through. A single soulless optical sight was fixed upon Marlene. The rifle rung out with a deafening fizz, as shards of metal filled the room, whizzing towards their mark. The poor lab assistant never had a chance.

In an instant, her body was torn outwards, as the metal penetrated her flesh and erupted out the other side with a trail of gory red behind it. I stared in numbed shock at the lifeless body, still staggering towards me, shards of metal continuously tearing through it. Her once white lab coat was streaked with red, pouring down the exit wounds she had received. Her eyes lost the hope they once held, now replaced by a dull glaze. She had died before she even knew what happened.

I forced myself away, diving into the exposed air vent as the pulse rifle now pointed in my direction. Shrapnel ricocheted around the entrance to the vent as I crawled like mad. There was a bend just up ahead, If I could get to that. I'd be safe.

I heard the thick meaty thump of Marlene's body hitting the floor of the tiny room. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt sorry for her. Adrenaline surged through my body as I heard the sound of heavy metal coming towards the air duct's entrance.

I shuffled around the corner, pulling my legs close to my chest to hide as much of my body as I could. The Drone shoved it's gun into the air duct and let loose with the rifle. Metal collided with the corner, pinning off in all directions. I felt pain surge across my cheek as a stray shard of metal clipped me. I winced from the pain and the rifle fire ceased. I heard the mechanical clicking noises emanate from the entrance, before the gradually disappearing sound of metal footsteps echoed down the vent. It had left as quickly as it had appeared.

I sat there in the dark. Alone.

It took me a while before I slowly shifted out of my fetal position and lay on my back in the enclosed space.

"I had her... I had her... I had her... I had her... I had her..."

It took me a while before I realized I was whispering that.

I closed my eyes and sighed. 'This fucking job gets better and better.' I thought sourly as I began to collect myself.

I had no idea where the air vent would lead me, nor did I know who these Drones belonged to and why they were attacking Wheaten. I reached into my pocket and retrieved my phone. To my luck, the app I used to monitor Trevino's computer was still running. The green line that indicated the flow of traffic passing through the node had raised considerably. There was a lot of traffic going through it. And when I tried to view who the comms chatter belonged to, it came up as an unclassified source.

My brow furrowed, someone had managed to mask their communications signal. And I had a hunch it was the same people who were relaying orders to the Drones.

I rolled onto my stomach and began to crawl. 'No point in being stuck here.' I thought.

As I moved through the ducts I'd often pass grates that covered the ventilation duct's openings. They'd reveal nothing but gory slaughter. The facility's personal had been totally wiped out.

Often I'd spot Drones marching past the grates, heading towards some unknown destination.

They were crawling all over the facility. I continued crawling though the shaft, hoping to find some kind of exit from this wretched place, when I heard a noise.

It was a cry. A cry of sheer desperation and exhaustion. It was coming from one of the grates within the duct, it was just ahead of me. I slowly shuffled forward, trying to stay as quiet as possible as I moved towards the grate.

Light came pouring in from the outside, illuminating the dark air duct in which I was crawling. I craned my neck to peek outside, trying to find the source of the desperate cries. And as I gazed through the slits in the grate, my eyes widened.

Below me were four Atherion Drones, each with their backs towards me. But before them lay what could have been three, maybe five decimated Atherion Drones. Their plates were shattered, the internal components had been ripped out and scattered. But what surprised me the most was the wolf eared girl, standing at a dead end.

She had been trapped between a swarm of Drones and a heavy duty security door. Her naked body was covered in scratches and bruises, her blood red eyes staring murderously at the remaining Drones. Her lips curled back into a snarl and I noticed she cradled her left arm protectively. It had been cut pretty bad, a stream of dark red dripped from the wound and onto the floor.

The Drones had their rifle's raised and trained on her, but for some reason they had not opened fired.

In a sudden flash of movement, the savage wolf girl lunged at them, growling insanely. The Drones swiftly responded, opening fire around and in front of her. She stumbled, some kind of instinct kicked in as she cowered, trying to shield her self from the Drone's fire. She cried out, and that same cry of desperation rang through the facility, a human cry.

My jaw slackened, as I watched her back up to the security door once more, and the Drones retook their original positions. 'Did they want her... alive?' I thought, furrowing my brow.

That's when I caught her staring. She was looking right at me. Her red eyes no longer screaming murder, but begging for pity.

I felt something click, call it fate or divine intervention, maybe I felt this was a way to amend Marlene's death. I don't know what it was exactly, all I knew was that she needed help. My help.

I bit my lip as she threw herself again at the Drones, only to be forced back against the wall with their relentless fire. She screamed that desperate cry of hers once again.

There had to be something I could do!

I glanced down at the destroyed remains of the Drones, she could beat them.

All she needed was a distraction...

'Could I do it?' I thought, pondering the implications if I got involved. Was she too wounded to do it?

It was a crazy idea.

But if I could pull it off, I'd give her a chance.

I reached for the pistol in my jacket, pulling it out slowly before aiming for one of the bolts in the grate.

With a sharp intake of breath I fired, praying that this would work.

The grate loosened with the shot and I swiftly brought my leg up and kicked it out. With one hit, the grate fell loose, hitting one of the Drones in the head.

I grited my teeth before wildly firing three shots at the group of Drones. My shots ricocheted off their thick armor like it was nothing. However, their detection subroutines kicked in, and the two that I managed to hit turned to face their ocular sights towards me.

It was all that she needed. Realizing her assailants were distracted, she rushed to the unaware Drones.

With incredible form she leaped upon one, nimbly climbing up to it's head before brutally wrenching it off in a flurry of sparks. The headless drone began to fire wildly, metal ricocheting through the hall. The wolf girl wasted no time, jamming her hand through the Drones neck and tearing out what looked like the Central Processing Unit. The Drone froze, before losing balance, toppling to one side as she deftly jumped off of it.

The Drones refocused their attention upon her, one lining up their weapon to fire. It was far too slow.

The girl lunged forward, landing on both her hands before bucking the Drone into a wall with a deafening crash. Some of the Drone's plates shattered as it hit the wall with incredible force, it lay motionless, frozen by the crash.

The other two began to back away, raising their weapons, trying to fire. Again too slow. She dashed to the side before launching into them, her bare hands finding the gaps in the plating. With a savage growl she ripped them off their frame work before tearing into their exposed electronics and wiring. It wasn't long before both Drones ceased functioning.

She had done it. She had won.

Her victory was short lived. One surviving Drone, the one who had been crushed into the wall, sprung out and grabbed her by the throat. The girl gagged as the metal fingers constricted tightly around her throat. She tried breaking it's grip with her remaining strength, but she could barely hold off the jointed finger like vice. She groaned in pain as the damaged Drone's grip grew tighter.

'She's going to die!' I screamed in my head.

Her neck was going to break like a twig if I didn't do anything.

She cried out in pain, it was such a human cry.

I reacted.

Without thought or reasoning, I jumped out of the air duct, landing upon the tiled floor with a thud.

The Drone had it's back to me, ever tightening it's grip on the girl. It's heavy plates had been broken from it's fall before, it's delicate and fragile electronics exposed.

I ran at the Drone from behind before shoving my gun up through one of the gaps in the plating.

'BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!'

Each shot caused the Drone to lurch violently. I must've done some damage to it, for it's body began to twitch and jerk, dropping the wolf girl. She fell to the ground limp, coughing and wheezing as she clutched her throat. At least she was alive.

The Damaged drone tried to face me, sparks flying with the tiniest movements. White smoke fizzled out from the inside.

My brow furrowed, and with a final 'BLAM!' The Drone seized up and toppled to the side with a mighty crash.

Things were now silent in the hallway.

The only sound I could register was the thrumming of my own heart. I sighed and staggered, a dull pain echoing through my body as the adrenaline wore off. My gaze wandered to the so called 'Subject Eight' who now backed up against the wall, her hair quivering as she moved away from me.

She was bloody and beaten all over, hardly the fearsome sight she was before. She still had a large cut running down her arm, it had reopened and was bleeding again. I looked around for anything that might help.

A little way down the hall was a medical bay. I staggered towards it as fast as my body would allow, opening up the door with the swipe of Zheren's card. I returned to the girl shortly, a first aid kit in hand.

I slowly knelt before her, holstering my gun as I did so.

It didn't look like she had any strength left.

I slowly shuffled towards her, wincing slightly as she snarled at me. I put the kit on the floor and took out a bandaged, moving as slowly as possible. The girl's fearful eyes began turning to one of curiosity, her ears perking up as she looked at the bandage. I edged a little closer, pondering how she would act, I was only inches away from touching her.

I raised my hand, she tried backing away from it, only to be met with the wall.

"It's ok..." I murmured, I didn't even know if she understood me.

She cocked her head, blinking curiously. She didn't look like she was afraid of me.

"Your arm's hurt, I can help." I offered, moving ever more slowly towards her.

She stopped backing away, her ears twitching with curiosity. She watched my hand as I touched her bloody forearm. It was so tender, yet also softer than cotton. I'd never felt anything like it.

I exhaled sharply, my heart was racing in my chest, I was afraid she was going to lash out at me for making a wrong move.

Focusing on nothing else, I wound the bandage firmly around her injury. Making sure that the bandage was enough to keep the wound closed. After tying off the bandage as neatly as I could, she quickly investigated her new dressing. Her ears flickered and her tail slowly swished as she lightly touched the bandage.

I began tending to the rest of her wounds, applying plasters to her smaller cuts and grazes. It was amazing she pulled through with so little injuries. As I applied the plasters, I cleaned the gory red off her arms and body. That's when I realized, that it wasn't her blood...

Images of the torn apart squad flashed in my mind.

I shook it off.

'She won't do that to me... will she?' I thought nervously.

I had every right to be nervous, she had ripped a whole squad apart and took down several Drones after that. She was a killing machine.

'Why am I helping her?!' The rational part of me screamed.

As I thought this over, the girl was busy feeling her plasters and dressings. Her eyes blinking rapidly and her ears twitched with curiosity.

It was kinda cute.

I continued with her treatment, reaching into the kit and removing a standard medical injector. This is when things got complicated. All it contained was some antibiotics, so her wounds wouldn't get infected. However as I went to press the injector to her skin, her eyes widened with fear and she grabbed my arm in her firm grip.

She began snarling again.

'Did she have a phobia of needles?' I thought with a gulp, terrified that she was going to tear out my throat.

I gazed into her eyes and said in a low voice, "Trust me..."

Her snarl vanished and she fixed me with a strange look. It was a look of someone who had never experienced kindness before.

I took advantaged of her distracted state as I pressed the injector onto her arm and pressed the button.

There was a small hiss and the clear liquid was administered into the girl's arm.

She yelped in surprise and quickly rubbed the spot on her arm, pulling it away from me. She frowned, obviously displeased by my actions.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad!" I groaned.

She rolled her eyes and looked away from me.

My mouth dropped open.

'She could understand me?' I thought.

"Hey... listen..." I said slowly,

She returned her cool red gaze back to me.

"You wanna get out of here don't you?" I asked.

She blinked, before slowly looking to the door.

"So... how about this... I get you out of here and in exchange you fight off anyone who gets in our way. Deal?" I asked, standing and offering her a hand up.

She looked at the hand and then up to me, her head cocking slightly.

'Ok, maybe she can't understand me...' I thought as I bent down and helped her onto her feet.

She wobbled for a moment before clinging to me for support.

"Whoa! Take it easy." I said, surprised she so readily accepted my help. Maybe I had earned her trust?

I felt her warm naked body against mine, her body heat radiating through my jacket.

I quickly took my hooded jacket off, removing the gun and holster before placing the jacket around her shoulders. I quickly zipped it up, keeping her decent.

…I thought it was appropriate.

She tugged at the jacket, her nose twitching as she sniffed the fabric. Her tail wagged, I gathered she was pleased with it.

'A word of gratitude would be nice' I griped in my head, re-securing the holster and gun around my chest. I checked my gun, nine shots left...

"It's going to have to do." I sighed. "Come on, let's go."

I Helped her walk to the heavy security door. Quickly moving towards the door panel and opening the door with Zheren's card. I didn't know where this door would lead, but I knew more of those Drones would show up sooner or later... we had to move.

With a heavy clunk and a hiss, the security door released it's lock.

The door slid open and the bright lights of neon city lights glimmered against the gray skies of lower LA.

City air flooded the hall and my mouth fell open. Somehow, this wolf girl had found an exit from this hell hole. Before us was an extensive open topped loading dock, leading onto a street beyond. The flashing red and blue lights of the LAPD emanated from a line of armored police cars that barricaded the street.

People crowded behind police lines, while men dressed in masked tactical suits holding sleek black assault rifles held them at bay. I didn't know how the police would react if they saw the naked wolf girl. They were the last people we wanted to piss off now.

I quickly hugged the wolf girl close to my body, bringing her out of her awed state.

She was seeing the outside world, possibly for the first time. She frowned at me in confusion as I got the hood of her jacket and pulled it over her head, covering her wolf ears.

Her copper tail still poked out underneath the jacket, but there was nothing I could do about it.

I ushered her along as fast as I could across the loading dock. The power had been cut from the dock's lighting, giving us plenty of shadow to conceal ourselves. There was a side passage that ran down the side of the facility. I needed to get back to the van I came here with. As for Trevino... I'd deal with that bridge when I came to it.

I glanced over to the group of Police, it looked like they were just blocking off the area, waiting for back up. 'I guess the explosion must've tipped them off.' I noted as we both reached the side pass.

The dock ended in a ledge no more than a meter high. I jumped off of it, landing upon the ground below with a thud. I turned back up to the girl.

"Come on, it's not that high." I said in a hushed voice.

She looked at me for a moment before stepping off the dock. She landed with perfect form, her bare feet daintily landing upon the ground. I looked down the side passage, it was the same one where Zheren, Bailey and myself entered Wheaten.

"I guess things do come full circle." I mumbled.

I cautiously began walking down the alley, fully expecting a Drone to come bleeding out of the wall. I turned to see the strange girl gazing up into the dark skies, her mouth falling slack as she took in the surroundings with her crimson eyes.

I sighed, before storming back over to her.

"Come on!" I hissed, grabbing her wrist and leading her down the alley.

Upon seeing more police stationed around the entrance of Wheaten. I quickly hugged her close to my chest, putting myself between them and her. She made a small yelp in surprise as I brought her in close, but she didn't seemed to be bothered by it. We exited the alley and walked out onto the street, I spotted the dozens of police that surrounded the entrance. Heavy Assault rifles resting snugly in their gloved hands.

Luckily there was a group of onlookers nearby and I quickly moved behind them, blocking ourselves from the watchful eyes of the police. The girl kept turning her head wildly, observing all the sights and sounds. A look of confusion and fear flashing across her face. I pulled her back into me, as I skirted along the growing crowd.

As we brushed along the side, I managed to pick up a few snippets of conversation as we walked.

"What happened here?" One asked. A man.

"Looks like, the feds have come to secure Wheaten..." Another added ominously, a girl this time.

"You don't think it has anything to do with that explosion we heard earlier?"

I lost track of the voices, losing them amongst the crowded police barrier. I looked over at the building it self. Black smoke was billowing out of many of the gaps, but the structure itself looked relatively unscathed.

'How did those Drones even get in?' I noted with curiosity before reaching the opposite side of the street. The wolf girl was mesmerized by the sights and sounds of the city. Her crimson eyes darting left, right and center, her ears twitching wildly beneath the obscuring hood, picking up the slightest sound.

Walking along the sidewalk attached a few glances, a bit of her tail was still poking out from the jacket.

But the commotion at Wheaten was drawing most of the attention. Whenever a person would get too close, the girl would press her self against me and a small snarl would tremble at the corners of her lips.

She was afraid of them... Can't say I blame her...

Eventually we turned down the tight alley that lead to Zheren's van. The one which I assumed was given to him by his benefactors. I released the wolf girl from my grasp, before moving towards the van. I grabbed the back door and swung it wide open.

Trevino Jumped at the sound of door opening, minimizing whatever game he had been playing.

"L-Lawrence? You're back a-already? Wow. You look terrible!" The blubbery man stammered.

I didn't answer him. I just fixed him with a cold gaze, my mind processing what I needed to do. I needed to get rid of him. I needed to disappear and quick. He was in my way. The last loose end...

He continued talking, completely oblivious to the situation.

"Where's Zheren and Bailey? T-There not with you? What h-happened in there? I completely lost con-"

He cut himself off when he saw the wolf girl standing behind me.

"W-who the hell is that?!"

I drew my pistol and fired.