Creatures of the night

At this time of year nightfall was still approaching way too fast. He wished for longer intervals between two phases again, for more time to prepare. But then again, was it even possible to ever be fully prepared for something like this?

Locke closed the door to his lab behind him and turned the key. He had made sure to give the others the impression he would be doing some experiments again that needed his full concentration the whole evening, possibly even the whole night, so no one would enter these rooms but one could never know. Accidentally being found in a state like that was the last he wanted.

At the current moment the lab looked tidier than it had during the rest of this month. Everything was stored away neatly, locked up, secured tightly. More precisely, it looked like the owner expected a hurricane within the walls of Haven.

"Expected time until moonrise: one minute and 43 seconds. Your heart rate is slightly increased but still within a normal range. Punctual transformation expected", a voice analysed.

Locke let out his breath. Edi had startled him but now that he calmed down again the AI's presence filled him with a strange sense of comfort. Edi could do nothing to take his pain away but at least he knew he wasn't alone. There was someone looking out for him - someone who wouldn't judge, no matter what had become of him.

"Edi, computerise", Locke silently said. His surroundings got a slight tinge of blue when he entered the digitalised version of Haven. Yet another safety measure to protect him from view but also would offer at least a slight protection for the things around him in case he ever lost control, at least as long as Edi could hold it up. A fragile cage for a creature like him.

A first wave of light pain shot through his body, the next one brought him to his knees already. Locke clenched his jaw shut tightly so that at best a small whimper would escape his throat but no loud cry of pain. A reflex that was trained on during years of transforming in Haven without letting anyone know - during a time when there was no Edi yet who could dampen any sound if needed to.
The pain in his muscles and bones increased to a nearly unbearable level. Bones rapidly stretched, muscles and inner organs grew to fit into a body twice its original size. His teeth grew longer, sharper, into fangs - unsedated root canal work would have been a more welcome feeling right now. His growing claws scratched over the ground, left gashes in virtual Haven which Edi was able to quickly close again. Just like so many times before he wished he could simply black out from it until it was all over but his wish was never granted.

When his transformation was finally over he remained lying on the ground for a good while longer, panting heavily.

"Is everything alright?" Edi asked.

It was just a rhetorical question - the AI could check anything on him at any time so he knew exactly if everything was alright or not but he still asked it every time. Locke appreciated the bit of comfort Edi tried to give him. During times like this - right after his transformation when he felt the most vulnerable - he sometimes wished the other Guardians knew and could be with him just like Edi. However, he could never bring himself to let them know.

What was happening to him - he saw it all as his own fault. Pain and isolation were the punishment for what he had caused. What the others would think of him should they ever find out he wasn't sure - he just didn't want them to know what he was responsible for. It was rather shame of his own failures than fear of their reactions that prevented him from opening up to the others.
For a long time the curse had been seen as healed. There had been no more occurrences since the time of Spectre. And then he had to go ahead and shred open old wounds by doing experiments on his own body. And for what? So he could prevent a future he had seen in his dreams? In the worst case he had also put the same burden on Knuckles. His son hadn't shown any signs yet but as far as he knew the first transformation wouldn't occur until adulthood. He hoped though that this moment would never happen.

"No", he finally replied to Edi's question. "I feel like shit."

"Your muscle structure also looks the part", Edi said. "I could heal it."

"No, it's fine, it will just have to wait till morning", Locke groaned and tried to sit up - the AI had to support him even for this little task. His tongue felt a bit heavy and it impeded his speech - one of the signs that his instincts tried to take over and pushed back the rational part of his mind. Charging his body with more Chaos energy during this state even if it was just for healing purposes was not recommended.

Sitting leaned against a virtual shelf - or maybe it was a real shelf protected by a virtual hull - he tried to focus his mind. However his thoughts kept wandering back to the times he had been forced to transform outside of Haven, either because he couldn't make it back in time or he thought it wasn't safe for the others. Running wild through the forest, waking up covered in blood with the guts of his latest prey sprawled out near him which he always hoped didn't belong to another person. At any other time this thought would have made him sick but now in his current state even the memory of blood pushed back his conscious mind into the deepest corner... A guttural growl escaped his throat...

A jolt of electricity shot through his body and Locke's mind immediately returned to reality. It took him a few seconds to realise that this was Edi's "polite" equivalent of a slap in the face.

"Thanks, my friend", Locke mumbled. With his consciousness the feeling of shame returned as well and he was barely able to look at the AI who knelt in front of him examining his face.

"Your eyes are still glazed over. Stay with me", Edi said quietly but urgently.

"I'm trying to..." Locke mumbled.

If only it wasn't so hard. He needed something to keep his mind focused. Best would have been to just go out of this room and do what he would have done each other night - just continue his duty of watching over this island - but then he would have risked being seen. His lab also offered no distraction - not much that was usable with these claws.

Edi's gaze became distant all of a sudden.
"I think we have a problem", he silently said. "Incoming call, on Luger's frequence."

The Guardian looked up, a shocked expression on his face. Why was his friend calling now, in the middle of the night? And more important, why did he have to pick a night that was least suitable? He knew he had wished for a distraction but not this. But he also couldn't abandon his friend in a time of need.

"Edi, accept the call and change my appearance."

That was one of the advantages of this place. While the real him stayed the same his digital appearance to others could be changed. Not even his best friend should ever see the monster he had become. And since the other was just a digitalised version as well Luger could have even shown up covered in blood before him and it wouldn't have caused him to lose control because of the absence of smell. Not that he ever wished for such a sight though.

The image of Luger appeared in front of him. Well, at least he wasn't actually covered in blood. But else he didn't seem fine either. He looked tired and somehow haunted - like someone who had been on the run for weeks with barely any chance for rest.

"Hey, Locke. Do you feel alright? You don't look so dandy", Luger greeted and tried to force a smile.

"You are asking about ME? I am rather worried about YOU? Why didn't you rest at Edi's place like I told you?" Locke must have sounded like his own father right now but he couldn't help but feeling worried.

"He did..." Edi tried to defend him but then slowly added, "Twice... About a month ago..."

"It's not like I have much of a choice. As soon as I leave this space I will re-appear on the same place I entered. If my pursuers found out about this location I would stumble right into a trap. I'd rather keep moving."

"And you have been doing this for a month? Why didn't you contact me any sooner?" And then something else came to Locke's mind. "Who are you running from? When we parted only Spectre, Edi and I knew you were still alive. You wanted to lay low for a while but you never were in any immediate danger."

Luger let out a humourless chuckle. "My father has his ways of finding out."

"Your..." Locke stared at him hoping for a bad joke. How was it possible that Moritori was still alive? They saw him die many months ago. Or did they? What they saw was an explosion of Chaos energy but no definite proof that it actually killed him. It was possible that he was only banned into the Twilight Zone again.

"I don't know how he survived either", Luger concurred with Locke's thoughts. "Nor do I have any idea what he is planning. All I can say for sure is that he is out hunting - not just for me but as it seems anyone who shares the same ancestors. From one of my hiding places I heard his men talking about convincing Kragok or draining the blood from some Guardian."

"Sounds as if he is doing genetic experiments", Edi commented.

"Whatever it is, stay careful out there, at least until I can think of another safe place to get you to", Locke said even though he couldn't think of anything without also letting the other Guardians know. Maybe he could ask Spectre for help.

"Thank you but I also don't want to be a bother for you. I will get by, somehow. I didn't call to ask for help anyways. My main reason was to inform and warn you. Please be careful as well."

The former Grandmaster looked around as if to make sure no one was nearby. A sign that he was preparing to leave the cyber space again soon. For a moment Locke wished he could hug him but then changed his mind. There was no use in trying to hug something that was only a digital image of someone probably miles away. And so they only silently waved goodbye before stepping out into the real world again.

----""""----

Locke leaned back and let the warm water soothe his strained muscles. Changing back might never have been as incredible painful but shrinking bones and organs was no laughing matter either. The pressure on his organs nearly caused him to vomit or squeezed the air out of his lungs so he was at risk to black out from lack of oxygen.

It was still early in the morning so he took the risk of leaving his lab still looking dishevelled and with clothes partially torn to quickly get to the nearest bathroom. He wondered what one of the others might have thought if they spotted him like this. Probably that he was a raving alcoholic going crazy on the booze while he locked himself in. Mostly his mind was on Luger though. What did it matter if he, Locke, was caught sneaking around in Haven like this while his friend was in actual - maybe even mortal - danger out there without any form of protection. Yes, he could communcate with Edi via his wristband but that was all. There was not much more help he could expect from that. Even the AI only existed once in corporeal form and that was inside Haven right now. But what could he do to keep his friend save? Should he order Edi to go to Luger's location? The others surely would question his absence though. Maybe Locke could get there himself. Most of the time no one bothered if he was out of Haven for a few days - quite the contrary, they would be happy if he went outside for a change. But he still remembered Luger's warning - Moritori was looking for everyone of the same blood.

His trail of thoughts was interrupted when Edi appeared in the bathroom looking a bit distraught.

"I ... lost his signs."

Locke quickly shot up.
"What?!"

This couldn't be true, just some sort of nightmare. Why was this happening?

"There could be many reasons... it doesn't mean he is..."

Edi's voice barely reached him while he got out of the tub and the bathroom. He needed to get to his last location, needed to make sure that Luger was safe.

"I could run a scan..."

It didn't matter anymore what the other Guardians thought or found out.

"You're dripping on the floor..."

Just as long as he could protect Luger.

"MOOOO!" Edi suddenly shouted at him.

Flabbergasted Locke stopped and stared at the AI then at the trail of water he left.

"Good", Edi said. "Now that I have your attention - there could be various reasons why I lost him. Someone could have broken the communicator or interfered the signal. Maybe he is in another zone once again. To be sure I have to use the resources of Haven and run more detailed scans. As worrisome as his sudden disappearance is, I am not expecting the worst yet."

"Then do just that. If necessary I am prepared to follow him into the Twilight Zone again."

"Understood, will commence immediate scan and make plans for unnoticed departure", Edi nodded. "Might I suggest a towel as first step?"

----""""----

At least there was no need to use a massive amount of Haven's power ressources and rip open a passage to the Twilight Zone again.

"My sensors located him in something like an artificial cave under these coordinates", Edi reported. "I also detected metallic structures and machinery - could be a very advanced mining facility, or someone is about to create an underground hideout with Haven in mind. I can sense a great amount of dead organic matter as well."

Locke looked at him. "Dead organic matter? What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. It could be anything from large food storages to an underground graveyard."

The Guardian let out his breath. "Knowing what kind of sick bastards we are dealing with here I am expecting the worst. Alright, Edi, since taking one of the jets is way too conspicuous I need you to teleport me to this cave as close as possible."

The AI rose an eyebrow. "You will go alone after all?"

For a moment Locke remained silent. He couldn't ask the other Guardians for help or else he would have to give Luger's secret away. He couldn't even ask Spectre - the full moon period was not quite over yet and a Were-Echidna could sense another one of his kind...

"I won't be completely alone. I will stay in contact with you."

"As you wish." Edi didn't seem content at all but he didn't insist any further.

"I'll call for backup if all hell is breaking loose", Locke assured him. "I'll be fine."

'As long as my stress level isn't high enough to cause me to suddenly transform in the middle of this', he added in his mind.

During the days around a full moon that was always a risk - at that time he and Spectre gained a third instinctive reaction to threatening situations - fight, flight or transform. And it could even happen without a moon present in the sky. So far he had been successfully able to avoid these situations - now he was running right into one.

----""""----

Locke landed face down on the ground. For a moment all air was pressed out of his lungs. He struggled to stand up gasping and coughing. That was to be expected. In some way even Edi had a problem with a freak like him - the Were-form made it nearly impossible for him to teleport and on the days before and after it needed a higher amount of energy. Any other time Locke would have liked to study it in more detail but now that was the least on his mind.
The "cave" Edi had found turned out to be a metallic hill protruding out of the ground. A few metal struts lined its otherwise smooth surface. Jagged rocks and pieces of earth around it indicated that either someone had started to build it underground but then ran out of space and simply broke through the ceiling or that it had lifted out of the ground on its own.

With widened eyes Locke stared at the structure lying in the landscape like a stranded whale. In an instinctive reflex he had cowered down again but then quickly realised how useless that would have been. The grass was short, barely offered cover. Besides, if they were surveilling the surrounding area they would already have spotted him. Instead he now scanned the odd building for an entrance.

A round door, still partially underground and covered with bits of earth seemed to be the only way inside, at least as far as thr Guardian could see without circling around it. It was protected by an electronic lock. Nothing that he couldn't easily override.

"I think we can be glad you're on the good side of the law", Edi murmured over the communicator when Locke shoved open the door.

The Guardian didn't respond. Instead he checked the air for anything suspicious. A strange smell waved through the corridor he was looking into, very faint but not weak enough not to be picked up by his heightened senses, something he could not remember ever having smelled before yet it was oddly familiar. He decided to put it aside for now. There was nothing that could cause immediate danger so he took a deep breath and slipped into the dimly lit corridor.

----""""----

"This is Moritori we are dealing with, right?" Locke whispered while carefully proceeding down a hallway lined with several closed doors. "I would have expected more guards. Did no one accompany him from the Twilight Zone?"
Twice he had sensed someone approaching and quickly changed his course but else his journey deeper down underground remained without incidents.

"I can sense several different vital signs", Edi said quietly. "But none of them are moving, at least not in patterns I would have seen as patrolling. They are mostly just pacing around within a small radius."

More prisoners? Without guards?

He must have been three or four stories down when he came to a wider set of walkways overlooking inoperative machinery. The Guardian took a closer look at one of them.
"This is not a building but some sort of vehicle. Designed to stay underground for a longer amount of time but to move in case of emergency. Probably used not too long ago."

"And they broke through the ground only to leave it parked partially visible. Quite the navigational error", Edi commented.

Locke wasn't able to ponder over it for longer though. He picked up a very familiar scent and quickly spun around.
"Luger..."

His voice was barely more than a whisper but in the dead silence of the machine room it sounded like he had called the name out. He had been so worried about his friend but now here he was, unharmed and wandering around freely.

The other male had noticed him at the same time. The expression on his face was hard to read. Shock, sadness, happiness, fear, it all seemed to be mixed into one.
Locke wanted to run towards him but then...

"No, stay away!" Luger shouted and took a step back.

The Guardian stopped dead in his tracks, a puzzled expression on his face.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for getting you into this" Luger mumbled, his voice trembling. "But you have to leave. I don't want you to die as well."

"What is going on? Why would any of us die if I only do as much as getting closer."

"This is going on", his friend said and pointed at the metallic collar wrapped around his neck. "A gift from my 'father'." He spat out the last word as if it was something disgusting.

"Something tells me this Grandmaster has a weird fetish for collars", Edi piped up.

"I am allowed to walk around but I can't go everywhere and I especially can't leave or else it will react to certain sensors and ... well, let's just say the Grandmaster wanted someone of the same bloodline but he also mentioned he didn't care if he had to scrape that blood off the walls."

"So it will blow up?" Locke stretched out an arm to get his wristband with the communicator as close to Luger as possible without taking any step forward. "Edi, can you analyse if it will detonate when I touch it."

"It is made to react to sensors", Edi replied. "But it won't detonate during an attempt of being defused ... as long as you know what you are doing. It is very likely Moritori planned to take it off at some point."

"You can't be serious...", Luger whispered. He wanted to take another step back but Locke was quick to close the gap between them and grabbed his shoulders.

"I haven't come just to leave you behind again. You have to trust me, I can get you out of this and we will leave together." He tried to put as much confidence into his voice as possible. And the same time he also had to push something very unwanted back into the darkest corners of his mind, something that was far worse than uncertainty about his own abilities.
Locke wouldn't have needed to see the fear in Luger's eyes to know how he was feeling. The smell of fear alone was overwhelming, filled his nostrils, filled his brain. For a moment his vision clouded over. It was the smell of prey... A smell that made him long to hunt, to kill... And he had to strain every fibre of his body not to give in.

"...I don't want to put you in danger but ... I trust you." Luger's voice seemed to come from far away.

What was he doing? His best friend needed him. There was no time for this.
With a huge mental push Locke gained control over his own body and mind again. He took a deep if a bit shaky breath.
"Alright... time to get out the small tools again."

"I thought you would let Edi do most of the job", Luger quietly said. He held his head tilted to one side to give his friend more space to work. Despite still shivering a bit he had mostly calmed down. With Locke near him he felt safe.

"It has to be me. Someone else might get it wrong", the Guardian replied. It wasn't even untrue. As good as Edi was, there were some things he could not do. For example defusing a bomb from afar.

Locke had actually expected his "episodes" to become worse up close - Luger might not have been afraid anymore but the smell still lingered - however he had himself under control quite well. Even the Were-instincts seemed to be holding their breath.

"Have you been able to find out for what purpose Moritori Rex imprisoned you or currently inhabits this structure?" Edi asked.

"Not at all. He injected blood samples into my body. It only made me feverish and him annoyed at me. But what he actually tried to accomplish with this he didn't say. He doesn't discuss his plans with someone who is a complete and utter failure in any regard to him."

Locke halted his work for a second and bit his lips. It pained him to hear the bitterness in his friend's voice. No matter what Moritori had become, he once had been the one who had raised Luger, who trained him, who Luger had looked up to. As a young Grandmaster he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, wanted to make him proud by becoming a good leader. However by that point in time Moritori in his mania to harm the Brotherhood of Guardians had long stopped caring about his own people. If anything he saw his son's more tactical ways of leading as weakness. Rejection, Moritori's spiral down into more and more violent phantasies and plans, betrayal - it all had been weighing heavy on Luger's heart for a long time - and now he was also kept imprisoned by someone he formerly called father and reduced to a value less than a lab rat.
Locke suppressed a low growl. At least in this regard he and the creature inside of him shared the same opinion - if someone deserved to be hunted down and ripped to shreds it was Moritori.

A silent click indicated that the collar had opened. For a second both Echidnas held their breath but nothing further happened.
"Now let's get out of here", Locke said with a sigh of relief.

"Patrol on 10 o'clock", Edi warned when they were halfway down the corridor.

Locke let out a silent curse. That would have been their turn towards the staircase and he didn't know any way to avoid the Legionnaire. The only possible thing to do was to turn around and run back to the machine room. And then what? He couldn't remember seeing any other ways leading out of it. Or maybe... He quickly jumped over to one of the doors lining the hallway and tried the handle. Locked. Luger tried the next few.

"In here! There's a short corridor behind it", he whispered.

The Guardian slipped in as well and closed the door as fast yet quietly as he could behind him. They hurried on towards the next exit at the end of it without waiting if the patrol would pass by or not. They had no way to stay hidden in here - if the Legionnaire only stopped to have a peek into this room they would be like sitting ducks. Luger ripped open the door and stumbled into a dark room, Locke right behind him. Neon lights flickered to life above their heads and the two Echidnas slowed down their steps until they came to a halt.

"What on Mobius is this place", Luger whsipered with dread in his voice, slowly turning his head.

"The mass of dead organic matter Edi sensed", Locke quietly replied. He had a vague but terrible feeling what this was supposed to be.

They were standing amidst a hall lined with rows and rows of large tubes filled with liquid and ... things. Only a few of them were still recognisable as Echidnas, even less looked as if they could still be alive. The bodies were deformed and contorted, the few still recognisable ones showed signes of ripped skin, broken bones protruding out of it, shredded cybernetics, here and there traces of longer fur. Some tubes were lined with claw marks on the inside. That was what Moritori was planning to do here, why he needed someone of the same bloodline - tainted blood. He was breeding an army of creatures of the night. Possibly he had started the experiment with his own blood samples but it either hadn't been enough or not the right kind.

Next to him Luger had sunken to the ground.
"These once were his people." His voice had a higher pitch and was barely audible. "Why is he doing this to them? Why is he turning them into these ... these monsters?"

'Yes, monsters indeed...' Locke thought with horror. Maybe that's what some of the locked rooms he passed were there for - living beings pacing back and forth behind these doors, possibly surviving experiments who had gone or were likely to go out of control.

"Safe up your tears. You might need them for yourself soon. There is no reason to lament over people who had been volunteers to begin with", someone suddenly said.

The cold and calculating voice sent shivers down Locke's spine and he felt the hair in his neck raise. It was familiar, very familiar, yet the last he had expected here. He spun around and stared at the white figure who was now standing in the way they had come from.
Finitevus spread his arms in a fashion as if he wanted to give them a mocking welcome.

"You ... Why are you here as well? How did you find us?" Locke asked and stepped between the albino and Luger. He still was the only protection his friend had.

"Seriously?" Finitevus asked sounding amused. An oxygen mask he had pulled over his muzzle slightly dampened his voice. "You run into a lab with an experiment in full progress and did not consider the possibility that someone could be watching over it the whole time? From you as a fellow scientist I would have expected better. So, no, I didn't find you since I never even looked for you - you simply appeared in front of me all of a sudden. And as for why I am here - let's just say Rex needed a place to withdraw and experiment in and he knew I had the right connections to ... someone with a passion for building large machines and too much time on his hands. As much as I dislike the idea of working with the Grandmaster, we at least have similar goals."
He disliked the idea of working with a Grandmaster? Now that was something new. As far as Locke remembered he already had been with Dimitri before figuratively stabbing him in the back and had Kragok under his control.
"Now I unfortunately have to say though that your sorry excuse of an escape attempt ends here", Finitevus said. The sneer that had disappeared at the mention of Moritori now returned to his face. He lifted up a hand and pushed some buttons on a small remote control he had held hidden in his palm the whole time. A hissing sound suddenly surrounded them, the air became heavier. Poison? No, this was a precaution if one of their successful experiments was able to escape. They should be sedated, not killed. Locke felt a familiar stir but this time not even his instincts, neither as a Guardian nor a creature of the night, had been fast enough to react. Surprise and shock had him paralysed for too long and now it was too late. He wanted to make a move towards Finitevus but it was as if the ground was rapidly spinning under him and he nearly lost his footing. He felt Luger clinging onto him, desperately trying to find support but that only caused them both to topple over.

"Sweet dreams", Locke could still hear Finitevus say in a singsong voice before the blurry world around him faded into darkness.

----""""----

Locke's eyes flickered open. He tried to move but his limbs felt too heavy. Instead he only rolled his head from side to side looking for Luger. No one seemed to be near him.
"Edi?" he asked quietly.

"Don't even bother", someone replied. "As soon as you appeared in front of that idiot I took the liberty to disable all sorts of communication to the outside world."

Locke's blood ran cold. This was the voice of someone he had been expecting and also dreading to hear before. He snapped his head up. His vision now turned upside down he saw Moritori Rex only a couple of steps away from him whose gaze was fixated on the monitors near him.

Now with his senses widely awake and on full alert he also realised that his limbs didn't simply feel heavy - they were strapped onto the table he was lying on. More out of a reflex than the hope he would actually be able to break free he tugged on his straps. They only cut deeper into his already sore flesh. Frantically he looked around.
The only exit seemed to be a round metal door two metres above the ground. It reminded him of one of the safety doors used for gold storages. Metal stairs along the wall led down from it.
The major part of the walls was lined with shelves filled with machinery and measurement devices, books, vials and test tubes of various sizes, some of the latter contained small indefinable creatures and deformed body parts. Strangely their sight didn't make Locke feel sick but rather ... oddly curious. Something inside of him didn't feel right at all. It only lasted for a few seconds though then he was back in his horrified state, his heart pounding so hard in his chest as if it wanted to break out of his ripcage.

"That is good. Higher blood pressure will mix it into your system faster", Moritori commented.

"What have you done to me?" Locke shouted at him.

The Grandmaster didn't look like he would bother to give an answer but then someone else replied for him.
"We tainted your blood of course."
Locke's head spun around. On the top of the stairs Finitevus stood, a sardonic smile on his face.
"A soldier with incredible strength, who can use his own body as a weapon and has no repulses, no regrets, no second thoughts, doesn't that sound great? What your family saw as a long running curse only needed a century worth of research, removing some traits while refining others, to perfect it. At least in theory. But alas, when the Grandmaster finally decided on a field test there were hardly any survivors. The only original sample he had been able to work with had stemmed from Spectre. Whatever mutation that Guardian carried in him was not contagious but rather deadly. That's also most likely the reason why the Were-Echidna line has died out. Any offspring of Spectre's that even wanted to survive embryo state had to develop a natural defence mechanism against it."

"But... We developed a complete cure..." Locke slowly started.

"You developed a damn placebo and didn't even notice it. That's how well you knew your own curse thanks to always just rejecting the mere thought of it", Finitevus said. "It's not completely gone but by now it can be seen as similar to cancer - everyone could develop it but some bodies are simply better to keep their cells from mutating than others. And now thanks to you we have an even better sample to work with."

There was a moment of silence and then suddenly a vial was tossed at Finitevus which he was barely able to catch.

"If you are done roleplaying as a gloating evil overlord and explaining things to the test subject would you kindly take another blood sample? Some people are trying to work here." Moritori had stayed silent the whole time but now there was annoyance in his voice. "It's not like we have all the time in the world anymore before we have to switch locations again. We could have continued to operate in secret but no, someone had to crash our ship through the ground before I could stop him and now dragged in a freaking Guardian to draw all of Haven's attention on us."

The albino's eyes had narrowed but he still complied and walked down to Locke. The Guardian let out a cry of pain when a syringe was plunged into his arm. Finitevus just wanted blood and didn't even care to search for a more medical correct position. A shiver went through Locke's body but not even this sudden pain and the adrenaline of fear combined were enough yet to cause a transformation.

"This ship was built to strike fear in enemies, not to hide it away", Finitevus said, not without a bit of anger, and dropped the vial on a table. "People should know what they are dealing with. And I thought you needed people of the same blood line to run tests on."

"I only needed more samples of Guardian blood not the whole bloody Guardian. And people can still be struck by fear when they are run over by an army of Were-Echidnas at the right time instead of presenting them a lab full of half-finished experiments. I also wouldn't have been able to collect decades of information on Haven and the Guardians if I had told everyone I was a Grandmaster on the first day and you see where Dimitri's sudden upfront operation to take over Haven led to." Moritori's voice had remained as quiet as before but there was something in it that felt like a subliminal warning that this conversation better was over now.

"Fine, whatever, but don't come crawling should you realise you have spent another century of your life on research that led nowhere" Finitevus huffed and walked back upstairs. Moritori barely took notice of him.

It had been a strange sight. For once Finitevus didn't seem to be in complete control over everything and everyone. If anything Moritori seemed to be in charge and only willing to agree to this partnership because he needed Finitevus' connections and resources, as much as Finitevus needed the armed forces for his own plans - a joint-venture beween two psychopaths until one of them found something better.

The silence felt even more threatening than Finitevus' talk about overly powerful soldiers. Moritori might not have caused Locke any harm yet, at least not directly, but there was no doubt he would if only given the slightest reason to.
Locke had closed his eyes and tried to labour his breath. It was hard to think if he remained in this panicked state. Maybe he could break free with the help of the Chaos force. However it was not advisable to try in front of the Grandmaster.

"Now look at that... I think we have hit a jackpot."
The sudden breach of silence startled Locke even though the words were still spoken silently.
"The idiot has dragged in a pure-blood. And it doesn't even reject our sample. If anything he continues to mutate it."
Moritori was looking at him but he rather seemed to speak in his general direction than directly address him.
"This could actually be worth the trouble he might have gotten us into. Of course it still needs a few tweaks before it is perfect but..."

A sudden tremor shook the walls, caused the many vials and glass containments on the shelves to rattle and even threw some of them off.
Moritori spun around, this time he didn't even try to restrain his anger.
"What the hell is that idiot doing now?!"
With a few quick steps he was up the stairs and out of the lab. Locke could hear the door being slammed shut and locked then he was alone in a still shaking room.

This was his best and probably only chance. He never thought that he would ever feel like this but right now he was outright thankful for Finitevus' presence in this building.
Arms glowing with Chaos force he braced himself against his restraints once more. They were made to withstand the force of a Were-Echidna - not just that, they were also made to hurt, to tell whoever was chained to this table that they were up for a world of pain if they kept resisting. Locke let out a scream. By now his arms must have started bleeding. But when it already seemed as if not even Chaos force was enough to burn through some of them finally snapped. He now hung half off the table, retching and coughing. The pain in his body now didn't only stem from his wounded arms alone.
'Don't lose it! Keep yourself together! Don't you fucking lose it!' it screamed inside of his mind. He still had to find Luger and get out of here. There was no way in hell he could let a transformation happen now. With all the willpower he could muster he dragged himself back up to free the rest of his body, then he slid off the table. The shaking had subsided a bit but still his legs nearly gave in a few times when he stumbled up the stairs. There he was facing another problem. He never had to crack a safe - at least not from the inside. The metal didn't seem to be thick - whoever made this room seemed to rely way more on the painful straps than a door - but since it was opening to the inside it was impossible to just blast it out of the doorframe. Maybe he could at least bend it enough to crack its locks or make it possible to lift it off its hinges.

"Locke! Are you in there?" He suddenly heard from the other side of the door. The voice was muffled but it definitely belonged to Luger.

"I'm here! Oh thank goodness you're alright" he shouted back and felt a bit of relief wash over him.

"Stand back! I will get you out of there."

Locke barely managed to stumble down a few steps again when something hit the door with a loud crash, bent it inwards and cracked its hinges. Luger then put his weight against it to push open the damaged door even further. He breathed in sharply when his gaze fell onto the Guardian's wounds.
"What in Edmund's name did they do to you?"

"Just a flesh wound", Locke replied and tried to grin. It must have looked like a painful grimace. "Don't worry, it will heal fast." It was true, thanks to his healing abilities most of his wounds had already healed. What remained was mostly the dried blood on his clothes.

When he squeezed through the gap his eyes stopped at something that looked like a frozen arm firmly latched into the door. For a few seconds he just stared at it dumbfounded.
"You cracked a door with an arm? How...?"

"PVC-pipes, esasily inflammable materials and whatever other stuff you can find lying around in a lab. Sometimes I think I have been spending way too much time around you", Luger replied absent-mindedly while checking Locke's now barely visible wounds. "Suitable ammunition is harder to find. Nothing that could help us get out of here fast enough." His voice trailed off and the Guardian could hear bitterness return in his tone. "Nothing that could cause enough harm to this son of a bitch..."

Locke opened his mouth, wanted to say something, but he just couldn't find the words. What could he even have said? Empty promises and often repeated phrases?
Another tremor prevented him from having to say anything. This time the ground shook harder than before and if he hadn't held onto Luger it woulf have knocked him off his feet. Somewhere in the distance an alarm went off. Luger's eyes suddenly widened.
"Shit!" he whispered. "There's a safety breach..." He grabbed Locke's arm and dragged the Guardian behind him as he started running.

"What does it mean?" Locke shouted, trying to get heard over trembling walls and an alarm that got louder with each step.

"Did you notice locked doors on your way before you found me? Some of them were locked for a reason. But now thanks to all these earthquakes some sort of evacuation protocol seems to have been initiated - I can't say for sure but I have heard that sound often enough during my time as soldier and I know what could happen."

Only metres behind them a door flew open so hard it crashed against the wall. Something big and heavy stomped out of its former prison. Locke only had the chance to take a short glance over his shoulder but that was more than enough. Compared to this monstrosity his own blood-covered Were-form could have won a beauty prize. This one didn't follow them yet - it was still too confused about its newfound freedom - however as they ran they could hear more doors open, more and more heavy footsteps throughout the many corridors. It was only a matter of time until one of them scented prey and would take the lead. And then a loud howl was heard. The hunt had begun.

Luger dragged Locke down another corridor. They changed directions often, tried to not get cornered. By now a good dozen of the creatures were after them. These things weren't fast, at least not yet, but they were relentless. A door burst open right next to them. They barely were able to jump out of the way before they were hit by claws. Locke sent a blast of Chaos energy against their assailant. The recoil of his own attack caused him to stumble back but at least the Were-Echidna also retreated with a pained yelp and gave them a few precious seconds to change directions once more and gain some distance between them and the creature before it took up pursuit once more. Another one rushed around a corner and jumped at them. Locke pushed Luger out of the way but then was hit by a massive body that slammed him against the wall. For a second he could feel hot breath in his face, then another outburst of Chaos energy also drove this attacker away. He sunk to the ground but was quickly dragged up by Luger again.

They kept running, stumbled up yet another flight of stairs. Locke barely took notice where they were going. He only followed Luger's lead while at the same time tried to keep the aching in his muscles under control. He was exhausted, feared for both of their lives and worst of all was not sure how long he could still keep it together.

"We must be pretty close to the top exit already!" he heard his friend shout and the same time he also heard the loud growls behind them.

"Watch out!"
Luger's warning came too late. A heavy weight crashed down on both on them, pinned them to the ground. Locke felt sharp claws dig into his neck, heard Luger cry out in pain. Another Chaos blast, another yelp. As soon as the creature was off Locke formed a shield of Chaos energy, a weak wall that blocked the corridor and kept the Were-Echidnas that now ran up the stairs at a distance. That was all he could do - all to buy Luger a bit of time to find the exit and escape the building. He now was sure that he wouldn't be able to make it out together with him.
His whole body convulsed. Even keeping up this weak barrier demanded every bit of his remaining strength already.

"Locke, what's wrong?"
He heard the worried voice, felt a warm hand on his shoulder. In a way it was calming. A friend by his side... But he couldn't stay.

"Go! Get out ... of here! Leave me..." Locke brought out.

"But... What about you?" Luger stuttered. "I can't just leave you here to die. If necessary I can carry you."

The Guardian's head snapped up and he bared his teeth. "I said LEAVE!" The Chaos wall flickered for a second but then he had himself under control again. In an almost pleading tone he added "Right now behind this wall... it's not them who are most dangerous to you... It's ME!"

The former Grandmaster had recoiled a bit, might it have been at the sight of Locke's growing fangs or just because his friend had suddenly shouted at him but now he slid closer again.
"Listen, I might not know what's wrong with you but my decision is final. You are my friend and I am NOT leaving without you." There was so much determination in his voice. If he hadn't been in so much pain it would have made Locke chuckle. Only a few hours ago a similar scene but with reversed roles had played out.
"You are not them. I trust in you."
Between waves of pain he could barely hear Luger's voice anymore. His claws dug into the ground while he stifled cries of pain into whimpers. His vision became white for a moment...

And then he felt how his Chaos wall shattered, heard a loud growl, a scream of pain and the thumps of a body hitting the ground and rolling over the floor.
His transformation had just been completed but his usual exhaustion was immediately washed away by the sudden adrenaline rush. He jumped to his feet. His vision was still blurry but he didn't care. He could hear and smell his target  and that was good enough for him. The other Were-Echidna barely had the chance to realise what hit it before teeth sank into its throat. Locke let go as soon as the other wasn't moving anymore and spit and gagged out its blood. It tasted bitter and oily. He sensed another Were-Echidna slowly coming closer, spun around again and rushed to where Luger was lying. He now stood over his coiled up friend like a mother animal protecting her young. The others were growling back at him but were only slowly drawing circles. They were confused - what they were facing here was one of their kind but at the same time he also was different.
Locke decided to use this short moment of confusion, closed his eyes and concentrated. Focusing on his Chaos powers was hard in this state and the new barrier was the most pathetic construct he ever created in his life but at least it gave him a moment to check on Luger. His friend had his face partially covered by his arms but what Locke saw made his blood run cold. The cybernetics on Luger's cheek and over his eye were shredded open, half of his face glistened with fresh wet blood. He kept his jaw clenched shut tightly so he wouldn't cry out in pain. There were scratches on the rest of his body too, parts of his clothes shredded open, but the wounds on his face were by far the worst. Locke silently cursed but his attention was quickly drawn away again when the first Were-Echidnas attacked the barrier. He wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer and there was no way in hell he was able to fight off nearly a dozen of his kind. They were doomed.

Suddenly he felt a strong source of Chaos energy in the air, way stronger than what he would be able to channel, especially now as long as he was in his were-form.
A loud thump was heard over his head. Something crashed against the metal, shredded bits off the ceiling then the one outside seemed to lose patience with this way of getting in. A bright green explosion ripped a gaping hole into the ceiling, showered the were-Echidnas and Locke who had thrown himself protectively over Luger with shrapnels.
Someone jumped down the hole and landed directly in front of the Guardian - fur as dark as the night it belonged into, body smaller in size than Locke's but powered by increased muscle mass, Chaos energy and fuelled by rage. He faced Moritori's army but shortly turned around to take a glance at the two other males behind him.

"You alright?"

Locke stared into these red eyes, his mouth slightly agape in surprise. "Y-you...", he sputtered. "How...?"

"Thank your AI", Spectre growled. "Decided to sound the alarm as soon as his connection was severed. Took its bloody time though to locate your new position."

"I'm sorry", Edi's voice suddenly replied in a matter of fact tone. "I couldn't search for your signal anymore. Only for metal buildings that I was locked out of." With the roof above them gone his connection with Locke was no longer jammed.

By now the first few enemies had recovered from their stupor. They slowly rose from the ground, shook dust and metal pieces off their ragged fur and drew closer. Their former hesitation had now completely disappeared.

"Get your friend and run!" Spectre shouted. He didn't even look back to see if they actually followed his order before he launched himself at the nearest opponent.
And Locke knew it was better not to disobey. Once he had worked himself into a bloody frenzy Were-Spectre was barely capable of telling friend from foe. As carefully as he could he picked Luger up. Before he had mainly seen his claws as weapons, something that could only bring death. It almost surprised him that he could also do something so gentle with them. Luger dug his hands into the long fur, buried his face in Locke's chest.

For a short moment the younger Guardian looked back. Spectre had been thrown to the ground. One of the creatures was about to jump onto him but before it could even touch him the dark furred Echidna stretched out his claws and ripped its chest open.
Locke forced himself to turn around again. As much as his Were-side would have loved to watch or even take part in the fight, the Guardian in him knew they only had this one chance to get out. He took a run and jumped towards the gaping hole. Mid-flight he turned so he wouldn't land on top of Luger. His side crashed against the edge of the hole but he quickly stretched out an arm, dug his claws into the hull and managed to drag himself outside completely. Slowly he stood up. Strong winds tugged his fur as he turned and looked around. The land stretched out far below him.

"We're flying! This thing is a goddamn airship!" he shouted out. How were they supposed to get off? He could not teleport. In this Were-state he could not even be teleported.

"Hopefully Spectre can buy us some more time. A jet might be here soon", Edi said.

"A jet?" Locke asked bewildered. "How many other people have you alerted?"

"Uhm, well..." Edi hesitated for a moment. "There was no possibility to contact Knuckles..."

So basically every single Guardian minus Knuckles knew what he had been doing the past couple of hours. But at the moment he didn't care just as long as it meant that he could get Luger to a safe place fast. The other male still pressed himself tightly against Locke's chest. At least his wounds had stopped bleeding by now - Locke couldn't smell any more new blood.

A loud clank suddenly sounded behind him. Locke spun around. One of the Legion's Were-Echidnas had reached the edge of the hole, was dragged back before it could pull itself up but two followed right after it. Spectre couldn't keep them all inside any longer. He took a few steps back. He couldn't fight them, not with Luger in his arms, he couldn't run from them for long. And there still was no sign of Haven's jets. There was only one other way he could think of...

"Hold on tight, I am going to do something absolutely insane now!" Locke shouted against the wind.

He felt the grip on his fur tighten and heard how Luger mumbled something. He wasn't quite sure but it sounded like, "Nothing new."

The two creatures rushed towards him. Locke took a few deep breaths then he turned, ran towards the edge of the airship and jumped.

During his fall Locke tried to coil up around his friend. If this wasn't working he could only hope that his transformed body was either sturdy enough to also survive a fall from that height or could absorb enough of the impact that at least one of them got out of this alive. No, there was no room for doubt. It had to work.
"Edi!" he shouted. "Computerise!"

The first digital room around them was shattered on impact. At least he only plunged through fragments made of data and Chaos energy, no splinters that could harm them. Then his back crashed against a more solid ground. For a moment all air was pressed out of his lungs. But as painful as it was, at least they were still alive and for now as long as Edi was able to keep this bubble intact they were safe. Locke remained on the ground a little longer catching his breath and waiting for the pain to subside. He could feel Luger's rapid heartbeat against his own chest.

"Edi, can you heal his wounds?" he asked the bubble around them.

"His flesh wounds, yes. His cybernetics have to be restored by someone else." He paused for a moment before he continued, "Against the risk of a certain infection however I can't do anything and as far as I know there is no definite cure."

"It doesn't matter", Luger quietly said. "At least I won't be alone..."

Locke lifted his head a bit and looked at his friend. Not being lonely anymore... For a second he actually wished that Luger had been infected as well but the next moment he felt guilty for this thought so he stared back at the ceiling. But maybe it really was possible to have company during that time of the month without anyone else needing to be infected. Something inside of him had changed since he had been injected with tainted blood. Moritori didn't need bloodthirsty monsters - he wanted an army of overpowered soldiers who still could follow commands and tell allies from enemies. A balanced combination of savage instincts and clear minds. And combined with Locke's own mutations his experiment had finally shown its first success. The thought of Moritori continuing this research was terrifying yet it also had shown at least one good side.

"A jet has arrived", Edi announced. "I will navigate them towards this position and then I will let go of you. Prepare for another drop."

Luger looked up at Locke. One of his eyes was still swollen shut and there was still a gap in his cybernetics but at least the rest of his wounds had disappeared. A pained smile showed on his face.

"Your relatives might not be too happy if a formerly dead enemy Grandmaster dropped into one of their jets."

"And neither might they be happy about me transforming inside of Haven each month without ever telling anyone", Locke replied. "Do I look like I give a fuck?" Part of him would have preferred if everything had stayed a secret but now that he was forced to show the truth he also felt a bit of relief.

The bubble around them started to dissolve. A bit further away Locke could see a smoking airship on its slow way towards the ground. One of Haven's jets was about to dive underneath them, its top part was opened so they would land inside of it. Locke felt the surface under his back disappear completely but this time his fall was only a short one.

"Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain speaking. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 13,000 feet at an airspeed of 200 miles per hour. The time is 3:25 pm. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side we are expecting to land in Haven approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule", Sojourner's voice greeted them over the intercom.

"Locke, thank goodness you are alright. You at least could have told us why you were leaving", Sabre's less light-hearted voice was heard as well. Neither of them seemed especially bothered to have a Were-Echidna on board. It made him wonder how much Edi had told them in advance. At least it might have saved him a bit of the trouble of explaining everything on his own later on.

It finally was safe for Locke to loosen his grip around Luger's body. The former Grandmaster tried to stand upright for a moment but then rather preferred to sit on the ground right next to Locke.

"Thank you for getting me out of this mess..." he quietly said. There seemed to be more he wanted to add but apparently he wasn't able to find the words for it. It wasn't necessary though, Locke could see it in his eyes - the fear of what he might have become.

"Just because you had been attacked there is no absolute guarantee you will also have to transform next month", he tried to assure his friend. "And even if so, I will be with you. Can't deny it will be painful but after a while it will be just like yet another hated routine."

"It's like explosive diarrhoea - you just want it out and get over with it", Edi piped up. Locke rose an eyebrow at this strange comparison but at least it seemed to have the intended effect. Luger started chuckling.

"Thank you", he said to Locke a little while later, a slight smile still on his face, then he added, "To both of you."

The jet steered towards the sinking airship and lingered for a while until Spectre dropped through the roof as well. He looked exhausted but mostly unharmed.

"Got rid of these mutants and wrecked some havoc in the labs and the machine room", he reported. "The two bastards responsible for this however were nowhere to be found. Possibly escaped through warp rings. Though I destroyed most of it now I think it's possible that they previously had been able to take part of their research with them."

Locke bit his lips. This was bad. Really bad. The loss of his lab and most of his data might have thrown Moritori back many years but he could regain everything, especially if he had been able to keep his latest samples.

"What does it mean for us? Is he planning another attack on Haven or the city?" Sabre asked.

"We saw what he already was able to accomplish. Knowing what he is researching on, how many resources he must have invested in and who he is working with I doubt that it will just be another attack."

Locke's gaze met Spectre's and for a moment he could see a glint in these red eyes. Was it uncertainty? Worry? He suddenly had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"If he is able to complete his research before we can find him", Spectre continued, "be prepared for a full-on Were-creature war against all of Echidna-kind."