22 February 2012
"What do you mean, it isn't over yet?," the fox asked the ferret.
"The Plum Island Research Facility must be destroyed," replied the ferret. "Burn it, J-47...burn it to the ground!"
The fox shook his head in the negative. "You've neutralized those guards, but they're still alive inside there. Researchers are inside, too. We're free of them now...no one needs to die."
The ferret was unswayed, however. He looked inside the fox's eyes, and repeated, "I said...BURN IT TO THE GROUND!"
The fox's expression grew blank as the ferret's will began to dominate him. "NO!," screamed the cat. "You can't mentally dominate one of your own!" With that, the cat wrapped his forelegs around the ferret and teleported him a quarter mile away, far beyond the range at which his powers of dominance were effective.
The ferret was outraged. "How dare you do that?!," he sputtered. "Maybe I'll control you first, and then make the fox burn down the facility!"
"How do you know that before you do that I won't teleport you underground, or perhaps into solid rock, and leave you there?" To illustrate his point the cat grabbed the ferret and immersed them both neck-deep in the earth.
"Alright, you win!," conceded the ferret. "Just take me back!"
"If you behave!," admonished the cat. In a moment he teleported them both back to where the fox stood, having come to himself.
"Maybe I should just burn you to a cinder, R-21, instead of the building!," declared the angry fox to the ferret.
"Cool down, I was wrong, and I'm sorry," placated the ferret, holding up his paws submissively. "Maybe we should just each go our separate ways," he suggested.
"No," said the cat firmly. "We were genetically engineered to each have special powers, and to use them cooperatively to achieve a goal."
"That's right," agreed the fox. "But we don't have to use our powers as weapons in some war or covert action."
"The pursuit of the government will be relentless," warned the ferret. "What would you suggest that we do?"
"Rumors exist of others of our kind out there," stated the cat. "Somewhere, there's supposed to be a snow leopard with god-like powers who's building a colony of other genetically-augmented animals."
"We should seek the others out," advised the fox, "and our chances of survival and success in the world of men are best if we stay together."
...and with that thought in mind, the trio of animals nature never intended set forth to find others of their kind as well as a place in this world...
(The End...?)
The Augments V • Opuss № I