His head pounding, arrows of pain shooting through along his back and into his body, Alec suddenly awoke. Unable to see through his eyes at first, bright light and a blinding headache obscuring his vision, he lurched to all fours in confusion. Scrambling away from the light, he suddenly impacted with something strong and sturdy.

Alec whirled onto his back, already trying to shuffle away as he looked up. Looking down at him, something vaguely humanlike towered, covered in what appeared to be dull gold armor. But the thing was massive, a few feet taller than a man but far wider and bulkier. It had no face, a completely flat surface of the same dull metal glistening where it should have been.

Moving backwards only a few feet on his back, Alec ran into another one of them. Whirling away from it, Alec scrambled to his feet only to almost run into yet another of the silent, still things. Moving fully around he found himself completely surrounded by half a dozen of the things. None of them made any movement but they clearly blocked all escape.

Trying to calm himself, blinking his eyes to banish the bright spots obscuring his vision, Alec summoned up his inner strength trying to speak in a loud, demanding voice, "What's going on here? Who are you? What have you done to me? Answer now or my guards will…"

None of the armored things made any move or sign that they understood. They merely stood where they were, towering over Alec and blocking his escape. Confused and frightened Alec tried again, summoning up images and sounds of his stern, confident father, "I demand a response! What are you doing? Why have you taken me!" The creatures did not move. "Answer me damn you!"

Breathing slow and deep to calm himself, Alec looked about him, warily eyeing the creatures. They were all identical, massive hulks of metallic armor fused together so well Alec could discern no way that those inside could come out. Most eerily, their shoulders and hips seemed fused together as well, almost as if they had melted solid.

The bright light that had first confused and frightened Alec came from beyond one of the creatures. Trying to follow its path, Alec looked upwards.

He was in a giant room, the walls and ceiling the color of dark brown metal. The ceiling was covered in vast coils and tubes that ran through holes in the walls towards the center of the roughly circular room. They fed into what looked like some kind of giant pillar formed by thousands of wires and lights. It was from the pillar's base, below what he could see from behind the creatures, that the light poured.

Shielding his eyes with his hand and looking down at the floor as the light fluctuated and changed color, bright beams of it spilling through the few spaces between the creatures and illuminating the floors, Alec realized the floor was made of metal as well. Beneath Alec's bare feet he could feel the cold dull metal vibrate with energy, the air in room seeming to move and whisper with barely contained power.

Suddenly shivering as he realized how biting cold the room was, the metal seeping his warmth through his feet, Alec was suddenly surprised by a loud, slightly rough voice echoing through the room, eerily perfect and clear despite the heavy humming of machines.

"Cut power! The platform is purged already! Prepare the mammaloid. And get the human specimen ready. Use the same coordinates, but change the flow level up by ten percent!"

The creatures around Alec suddenly sprang to life. Moving far faster than their mass and armor should have allowed, two of them took Alec by surprise, each one grabbing one of his arms in bulky, massive hands as the others shuffled away. Lifted off the ground by the creatures, Alec was roughly brought forward, his line of sight finally cleared.

About a dozen yards away the pillar of wires and lights descended from the ceiling and stopped abruptly maybe twenty feet in the air. Beneath it a large circular platform of smooth silvery metal sat a few inches above the dull brown floor. As Alec watched in confusion, the silvery metal seemed to glow, apparently the source of light. But the metal was beginning to dim, and the room grew quieter, both emissions soon stopping altogether.

On the metallic surface a form lay sprawled and as Alec watched helplessly, two of the shambling metallic things rushed forward and picked it up. Bearing their burden away quickly, a strange creature regarded them with momentary interest before turning back to the metallic pillar and strange platform.

The creature was one of the strange lizardmen that lived far to the south of Krevia, deep in the wastelands and deserts of the equatorial region. It seemed unaffected by the chill in the room despite its physiology; it wore only a loincloth and was devoid of markings or decoration. Its ruddy red skin flickered in the shimmering light, almost seeming to burn with energy.

It moved with precision and purpose as it stalked across the room. Standing next to some sort of console covered in glowing lights, the creature lifted its head and turned towards its right.

Along the far side of the room there were dozens more of the creatures that now held Alec. They worked at various consoles and stations, their massive arms moving with amazing precision and dexterity. It was to these that the scaly creature turned, addressing them once more in that eerie voice.

"Confirm that the matrix is cleared and put the next specimen in place. Prep the emitters and charge the pad! Puras attach a tracking device! Maybe it'll work with an endotherm…"

As Alec watched in confusion, two more of the metal-men lurched forward, their arms barely holding the large form of a struggling meth-wolf. The creature fought and spat, clawing and howling as the indifferent metallic figures dragged it forward onto the softly glowing silver platform.

But as they reached the platform's center, the creature suddenly went limp, its body dangling and loose when before it had struggled and fought. Gently placing the creature down, the two metal figures let it go and quickly moved away.

Under the watchful gaze of the saurian, another creature moved forward, lithe and graceful. Bounding lightly up to the platform, a pitch-black catwoman, a creature as wondrously beautiful as it was rare, knelt down next to the form and attached a device to the creature's limp wrist. Making sure it was secure, she quickly moved away from the platform and to the saurian's side, giving him a quick, business-like nod.

The saurian turned to his station, making a few more commands, before turning back towards the catwoman. Giving her a curt nod, the saurian suddenly vanished! Shaking his head the small bit that he was able, Alec looked in astonishment. The saurian was indeed gone, nowhere to be seen! The space he had occupied was quickly filled by the seemingly unconcerned catwoman.

Giving the workstation a quick study, the catwoman turned to face the platform, flicking a final switch as she did so. Giving up his futile efforts to break the creatures' stonelike grips, Alec could only hang and watch as well.

The silver platform slowly rose in the air a few feet, no visible force or construct holding it. Slowly it began to glow and hum, the metal seemingly to shift and vibrate as the creature lay limp and helpless. Within seconds the metal was blazing, pouring hot white light outwards and illuminating the room. Unable to look at it any longer, the humming in his ears growing to a definite roar, Alec squeezed his eyes closed. But even then, the light pierced his eyes lids, seemingly to burn its way into his brain.

Finally the light seemed to dim, the platform's unearthly roar dying back down to hum. Opening his eyes cautiously, Alec could see nothing there; the massive creature was gone! Confused, he turned his head back to face the catwoman.

She attended to the station, touching nothing but studying it carefully. After a long moment, she gave a nod to herself and stepped away. She motioned for the two servants who had attended the creature to leave, and then turned to face Alec. But seeing him stare back at her, confusion and fear lighting his face, she suddenly stopped, her paws clenching together.

Realizing that he might be the next one to endure the strange machine, Alec spoke out again, addressing the mysterious black catwoman. "Who are you? What is going on here?"

The catwoman merely stared into his eyes, her own deep gold pools unreadable. She considered him a long moment before finally turning away.

Struggling ineffectually against the silent guards Alec yelled at her, "Wait! Please, what is happening? Why have I been taken? I've done nothing; harmed no one!"

The catwoman paused, finally turning herself around. Surprisingly Alec saw a look of deep compassion and sadness on her face. She stared at him for a second, finally opening her mouth to reply.

But she was suddenly interrupted as the saurian reappeared. Appearing in midstep, just as quickly and unexpectedly as it had left, the lizard-creature moved toward the platform. Its look of mild curiosity was gone however, its muzzle clenched and teeth revealed in an unconscious look of frustration.

Stalking up to the platform, it examined the silvery metal surface in evident anger, hoping to glimpse the answer to some problem in the platform's shiny face. When it was evident that no new knowledge would be forthcoming the saurian whirled and faced the ebony cat, almost roaring in frustration though shockingly his lips and mouth seemed not to move

"The transport was not successful! I felt the essence but couldn't consolidate it! It wasn't condensed enough! Again! Same time period, but with a sentient!" Turning toward Alec he ordered the metallic creatures, "Position the human and prep the emitters!"

The silent figures instantly went into action, lurching forward and carrying the struggling Alec. His eyes widening in terror as he was brought forward to the platform he cried, "Wait! You can't do this! I haven't done anything." Looking to the catwoman he pleaded, hoping it was compassion he had seen earlier, "Help me! PLEASE!"

But before she could respond, Alec suddenly felt himself go limp. Like the animal before him, the moment he entered the radius of the platform, his body went still and silent. Alec couldn't understand it, he raged and screamed inside his mind, but his body gave no response.

Beneath him, he heard the platform beginning to hum just as before, the silvery surface of the cold platform suddenly shimmering and growing warm. He heard the saurian's voice again, unnaturally piercing the deep hum, "Initiate capture sequence, full emission." Alec tried to brace himself, fear gnawing at his mind.

Suddenly he heard a new voice, soft and melodic, barely audible over the machines growing noise, but filled with enough concern and confusion to make it through, "Wait! Something's interfering with the capture! I'm getting a feedback in the matrix! There's another essence there!"

The saurian yelled, perfectly audible even over the roar of the now burning platform, "WHAT!? That's…The last entity…We didn't wipe the matrix! It's still in there! Abort capture! We'll burn out the circuitry!" With disturbing detachment, his body suddenly tingling in the light Alec realized why, even over the roar, the lizard could be heard; he was speaking in Alec's mind.

Caught up in the light, surrounded by the roaring of machines, Alec felt himself dissolve…

…And suddenly come back. Her eyes searing, his ears pounding painfully, Alec felt herself come back together. Like before, she could feel no sensation, his entire body seemingly numb and disconnected. But suddenly he felt the need to retch, his throat trying to heave but unable, as the thick, putrid smell of old oil filled her nostrils. His mind reeling at the sensations, he lay there on the platform as the light subsided, the ear-shattering humming going with it.

For a few long moments, she could only lie there unmoving, eyes catching only part of the vast room. Suddenly Alec saw movement, and he slowly watched the saurian stock into view. The creature's eyes were wide, peering with great interest down at her limp form. The saurian suddenly leaned down, its footclaws clicking loudly on the platform as it bent to inspect Alec.

Peering down at her helpless form the saurian suddenly spoke in Alec's mind, its thoughts directed toward the sleek panthress. "What has happened? The human's form…it's…been suffused. Melted. For a moment I felt two essences…but now there is only one!" A pause as the thing considered her form, "The matrix, what's its status?"

A long moment later he heard the voice of the cat-thing, her cool composure suddenly gone, her voice almost breaking under some emotion. "The matrix…It reads fine. Its empty, the residual essence is gone…That thing…The human…What's happened? What's going on?"

The saurian responded in absolute silence, its voice clearly audible, growing excited as realization sank into it, "I don't know...this creature has two essences…yet it only has one! I feel both of them! But they're mixed…merged…I can't isolate either of them!" The saurian turned his head to the panthress, his face unmoving but excitement clearly evident in his mindspeech, "This is amazing! The matrix wasn't purged of the last creature and then we attempted to have it capture the essence of another. It must have formed some kind of feedback! The two essences merged and the result was reconstituted into a single body! Two creatures have become one!"

For a long moment he heard nothing, the saurian looking over her limp form at the panthress. But after a long moment she heard a response in the light lilting voice of a catperson, "That's….how!?!" The sound of claws lightly clacking against the metal floor told him she was slowly coming closer, cautious and wary.

The saurian turned back towards her, its scaly eyes seeming to burn his fur, to peel back the layers of his body and reveal something beneath. "I'm not sure…combining mana is a simple process, but mana is unformed potential, simple and pure. A creature's essence is mana that has already been formed and structured; it is complex and very sensitive. It can be ripped apart to its components but this…combining two essences…it should be impossible! And yet…"

The saurian suddenly stood, stepping back a few paces before giving another mental order to its minions, "Pick it up and take it out of the stasis field! I want to see if it can function."

Two of the lumbering metal creatures strode forward, bending quickly and easily, lifting her body, carefully pulling him forward. But as they moved, their stocky metal bodies resounding off the metal floor, she realized they were smaller, slimmer. But then he got a full look at the saurian and realized it was smaller too. She was the one who had grown!

As the creatures pulled him off the platform, she could suddenly feel her body once more and his mind rocked with horrifying discovery. His body was warm and the metalmen's fingers were strangely cushioned; he was covered in a coat of fur! He could feel tapered thin ears on his head flatten themselves in surprise, and a thick tail hanging behind him out of a ripped hole in his pants. He could tell all of his clothing was ripped, unable to contain his now shifted body; bulging muscles and new shapes existing where there had been none before. His chest felt heavier, his center of weight thrown off. Even worse, as he tried to open his mouth to scream, to shout and yell and the saurian and demand to know what had happened, he felt his lips, pull back not onto a flat face, but a long muzzle, sharp long teeth gnashing where his small flat ones had been before.

But no, that wasn't right! None of that was wrong! Her fur and muzzle, tail and teeth were all as they should be, but other things were new and different, and wrong! Her paw was twisted and lengthened, her short toes now stretched outwards as tapered fingers, her sharps claws jutting out at the ends. Her head and face were wider, her eyes almost flat within her skull. Her legs and arms had changed, longer and far bulkier, strong muscles moving beneath her rippling fur, and they hung at her sides or beneath her, not jutting out from her body as she was forcibly carried!

Alec's mind screamed in confusion and shock, her's howling back at him every bit as loud. Alec struggled to lift his head up, to curse and scream and rage at the saurian, to make him let Alec go and fix whatever it is he had just done. But the other side, the other part of him, fought harder and stronger, his fear added to her animal shock. She pulled Alec with her as she acted out of sheer terror and mindnumbing confusion.

Untangling herself, she suddenly shot her paws downward to hit the metal floor. Bracing herself, using an old technique Alec's uncle had long ago taught him, she rammed her right side against one of the massive metal creatures, pulling her arm from the other's grip. Shocking Alec/her, it worked, one of the creatures stumbling to the side and almost toppling, the other unable to maintain its grip.

But she was unable to make any move before the creature to her left quickly turned, reaching out its massive arms for her. Growling deeply in cornered rage, she threw herself forward, pushing aside its arms and hitting its chest. The creature fell backwards, the room clanging as its metal form hit the ground with her on top of it. Alec was stunned; when he had struggled before, it had been to no avail, the metal creatures' strength seemed that of the mountain, cold and unbreakable. But now he had strength of his own, and a fevered rage to go with it…

As the thing hit the ground, it showed no concern or notice but merely reached its arms upwards, clutching her to it and catching one of her arms. But her other one remained free, and with a vicious growl she pulled it back, claws splaying. With a terrific force she brought it slashing down, her claws scouring deeply into the things' blank face, cutting through its surprisingly malleable metalskin.

The metalman shivered and shuddered, black oil suddenly gushing out of its wound. Its arms clutched her tight for a long moment, then suddenly let her go as it started to flail and convulse. Pushing herself quickly away, she scrambled to her hindpaws, standing out of habit, but unsure of how to balance herself. The metal creature on the ground continued flailing, its massive dull hulk unable to right itself as gouts of black oil poured out of its head.

As Alec panted and shook, shocked by what she had just done, he suddenly felt herself grabbed from behind, two massive metal hands gripping him around the chest, pinning her arms and lifting her off the ground. The metal appendages merged together, forming a strong loop around her body as she struggled furiously.

Unwilling to be captured once more, she suddenly jerked her muzzle downwards, opening it wide and quickly biting down on the thing's now merged hands. Her jaws clenched with tremendous strength, her teeth sinking into the hot metal. She could feel several of them cracking and breaking as she bit down on the metal thing, but even as hot gouts of its oily blood poured into her mouth, she kept biting forcibly down.

The thing bucked behind her, struggling to stop her but unable to release before she bit clean through its arms, a hunk of its malleable and oil-drenched metal weighing down and burning her throat. As a chunk of its arms were ripped free, its stumbled back a few steps, the holes in both of its arms gushing more of its black blood across the floor.

She collapsed to the ground, spitting the metal and oil out in disgust, her entire body wanting to retch but aware she couldn't. Shaking herself she scrambled back up on unsure and new legs, looking back to make sure the thing was incapacitated.

Suddenly Alec's new senses alerted him to something moving behind him. He whirled, almost falling on his new paws, as She turned.

The saurian was only a few feet away, looking down with some slight expression of interest at the first metallic creature. In kneeled, reaching out a scaly paw to inspect the thing's wound. After a moment it rose, turning its scaly snout and flat blue eyes towards Alec.

It spoke not in words but in thought, and as if to itself, "Amazing! Neither of its component forms could have done that! Combining those separate essences not only created an amalgam, but an augmented result! It's unsure of itself, unused to its new form, but look what it did! This is astounding, a new creature from old ones, a creature of far greater ability. But how?"

The saurian slowly moved forward, its eyes suddenly seeming to blaze with a cold light. Alec/her felt almost as if were in the apparatus again, light pouring throughout it, exposing and revealing it to the saurian and his glowing eyes.

Fear, confusion, and a new emotion, fierce red hatred, poured throughout Alec, and she braced her legs against the ground. With a fierce roar she leapt forward, her arms reaching out to grab the saurian and tackle him to the ground, her muzzle opening in sweet anticipation of his scaly throat.

But she as she hurtled forward, she suddenly felt herself stop. She didn't screech to a halt, nor did she hit something and fall backwards. Instead she merely seemed to hang in time, her body unable to move as it was gripped by an infinite weight. She tried to shudder and scream, to struggle and break free of the hideous pressure that threatened to crush her bones and flesh, to suffuse and drown her. But to no avail. Her eyes were held motionless, looking straight into the saurian's.

He regarded her with a steady interest, not the least bit disturbed by her attempt assault. Alec tried to groan in horror as he heard the saurian's voice reverberate in his mind once more, "Hmmm.… Fast, strong, cunning. This creature shouldn't be, and yet here it is, hail and hardy….Puras prepare a chamber I want to study this… thing… whatever it is."

With a small smile on the saurian's part, Alec's mind went blissfully black…

And was suddenly light again. Part of Alec's mind wanted to keep his eyes closed and away from the light, she knew that the dark could hide oneself, could keep you safe when your were hurt or scared. But Alec felt differently, his monkeymind horrified of the darkness, and so he managed to gingerly open his eyes.

Alec was lying sprawled on her side, a few feet away from the saurian. The red-scaled creature stared down at her from behind a glass wall, the panthress behind the lizardman and to one side. While the saurian stared at him with unabashed interest and curiosity, the panthress looked at her feet, only glancing up occasionally with a look of deep consideration and maybe just a hint of sadness. Alec thought she saw sympathy there as well.

Beneath her furred form Alec could sense cold rough stone, and the air itself seemed dank and chilled. Part of her mind instantly thought of the caves where she birthed her first litter, but Alec recognized it as a dungeon or prison. But he could hear no screams or cries, no sound of shackles shaking.

Her attention was suddenly brought to bear as the saurian kneeled, its beaded loincloth hanging between his legs and hitting the ground with a soft ratting sound. With its cold reptilian eyes the saurian looked into Alec's own, saying nothing but merely gazing for a long moment. Finally it spoke, this time speaking in words and not in thought, its long scaly muzzle opening and a soft grating voice following, "Do you understand me?"

She struggled with herself for a moment, part of Alec wanting to back away from the strange creature, a growl of warning and desperation already building in his throat. But another part of her mind fought forward, keeping her still and mustering as much confidence as he could. "Who…What have you done to me?"

The saurian didn't respond for a moment, as if considering whether or not it should deign to respond. Finally it spoke again, ignoring Alec's question. "Do you know who you are? Do you remember anything?"

Struggling down a desire to howl for assistance, she responded, "I'm…we're…" He suddenly realized he didn't know. Part of him wanted to say he was Ban Tallin's son, foremost merchant of the Sol provinces. That he was a merchant himself, a denizen of the cities, and the sprawling spires and busy markets.

But part of her rejected that. She'd never been to a city or a market! Never 'talked' with one of those gangly and loud naked ones. She lived in the forests! She hunted and played and mated with her pack; she raised pups and drank from streams and feasted on the hot blood of furred creatures.

The more he struggled with it, the more She became confused. What was She? Who was he?

The saurian watched all of this with great interest, his quick darting eyes, cold as snow, seeming to take it all in. After a moment it slowly rose, and spoke once more in mindspeech, "Its confused…unsure. Its emotions and thoughts are hard to read…they're in turmoil. Almost as if…"

It suddenly addressed the catwoman, its saurian eyes still studying Alec's/her body, "I need to prepare a few things. Make sure it is safely contained. Have more technicians activated and have all the temporal equipment checked. I want to make sure we have a meticulous record of what happened and what damaged resulted. I'll be in the western storage rooms."

As the saurian suddenly stood, the catwoman nodded deeply, her lilting ethereal voice responding, "Yes Lailokos…." She paused for a moment, slowly blinking her deep golden eyes. She seemed to be considering something, and finally spoke quietly, "The creature…What do you intend to do with it?"

Lailokos turned to her, staring into her ebony face and golden eyes for a long moment. Alec wasn't sure how, but She could tell the catwoman was waiting breathless for the saurian's reply.

But the lizardman ignored her, giving a her a last command in his rather harsh and cold voice, "Have several of the portable micro-analyzers brought to the storage rooms, I believe I'll need them." With that, the saurian turned and quickly stalked down the hallway and out of Alec's line of sight. The catwoman looked after him, her eyes unblinking. Finally she exhaled and gave a long deep blink.

Opening her eyes, she turned around to the wall opposite the cell. Set within the dark red sandstone was a panel, much like those She had seen earlier in the metallic-room. The catwoman danced her paws over the controls, making a few adjustments and confirming her commands. Finally she finished and turned the way the saurian had gone, taking a few steps down the hall.

But She had seen the catwoman's eyes quickly dart to the side as she turned to go down the hallway. Her golden eyes had given a look of great distress and emotion to Alec for the smallest moments.

She wasn't sure why, but Alec couldn't help himself, that look of compassion was the only thing She had seen since… He couldn't even remember, different memories and conflicting images pouring in Her head. But whereas the saurian's minions seemed lifeless, and the saurian himself was utterly heartless, the catwoman had an air of life and compassion to her. Alec called out.

"WAIT!…Please…don't leave!…What…what is happening? Where am I?"

The catwoman went suddenly still as the deep rough voice called after her. She stood still for a moment, maybe debating whether or not to turn. But in the end, she couldn't ignore the desperate emotions of that voice, its fear and confusion clearly evident. Puras turned, the beads hanging from her green tunic slowly clacking as she twisted to face Alec/Her.

The catwoman took a deep breath, blinking her eyes before locking them with his. She answered quietly in her lilting beautiful voice, "You are in a holding cell near the temporal chamber. After the accident, you were put to sleep and brought here until Lailokos could deal with you."

Alec gulped down the sound of her voice, trembling lightly as she spoke and quickly responding, "What has happened to me?…And how did I get here?"

The catwoman stared into his eyes, a look of sympathy and compassion flickering in her golden orbs. "Two beings were somehow…merged. You are the result. One of the beings was a wolf, taken from woods not far from here. The other was a human from a travelling caravan that Lord Lailokos had his constructs raid for sentient test subjects. Both were brought here."

Alec struggled to remember, Her mind reeling and fighting itself, "The chamber…what was it?"

Almost despite herself, Puras took a few steps forward and responded quietly, "That is a temporal nexus; a device built by Lailokos to transport matter through time. He can do it himself with simply a thought, but he doesn't know how to transport things other than himself. The wolf and human were brought there as…test subjects. The machine attempts to turn objects to energy and send them back in the past where Lailokos can reassemble them. But the process has been ineffective…and in your case disastrous. There was an accident, we tried to store the essence of the human with that of the wolf…you are the result."

Alec fought through the conflicting thoughts in his head, Her will wanting to yell and scream for help and release, but he managed to ward it off. "The saurian…."

Puras shook her head slightly, unconsciously letting out her breath. "That is Lailokos. He is the lord of this place, though he is only a recent visitor"

Alec remember the cold lifeless eyes, the unnatural grip that held him like a doll, the voice speaking through the roar of machines right into his mind. "What is he?"

Puras licked her lips slightly. "He is…for the lack of a better word…a god. A being with abilities I can’t even describe…he…." She suddenly shook her head, sighing slightly again. "I shouldn't be here, I must attend to my duties."

But before she could turn away from Her, Alec called out again, "Wait! I…I don't understand any of this. Why am I being held? Can't you just let me go?"

Puras turned back to look at him, her eyes full of conflicting emotions. "I….I can't even free myself let alone you! Lailokos is master here, we are all just subjects."

Alec's fear was slowly being suffused with something else, something deeper; Her rage and frustration. He fought it off, asking a last question, "What…is going to happen to me?"

The catwoman stared at him for a few moments longer, before suddenly looking away, her black muzzle hanging open for a moment. "I…don't know. I will try to find out…." She shook her head again suddenly, "But for now I must leave." She turned, walking down the passageway and out of Alec's sight. But after only a few steps she looked back over her shoulder, her voice thick with sadness and a deep kindred compassion, "I'll come back. I promise." With that, Puras disappeared down the passage.

With that last glimpse of the catwoman moving down the hall and disappearing into darkness, Alec's world shifted. When he'd awoken he'd been afraid and confused, dazed almost beyond thought and alone in new surroundings. A single glance from the saurian had been enough to make him want to shrivel in terror, the cold flat eyes hinting at something truly unnatural. But the catwoman's grace and beauty, her soft compassionate eyes had given him an anchor, someone to attach to, to give comfort in the dark. When she left, he despaired, alone and on his own once more. But She however…

Alec couldn't explain it, and She couldn't reconcile it, but for all his emotions there were yet more. When She awoke in the cold cool and disgustingly dank cell, Her instinct had been to flee and hide, tail between her legs and ears flat. With no place to go She only grew worse, angst and fear mixing in the dark. With the saurian She known the same dead presence as smoke and clay, the glare of a hunter to a prey too small to bother eating. But now She knew her back was against the wall, She was alone in the dark and surrounded by enemies. Her fur bristling with cold panic She now moved from instinct, raging with death's terror.

Unable to help himself Alec scrambled to her feet. She'd learned long ago; when you're alone, you are food…you are nothing. The only way to live when alone is between the high peaks of mindless anger and the low valleys of terror. Now she raged.

On her feet She skittered back awkwardly on all fours, her claws raking the stone floor as she rammed her back to the wall. She scanned the small low room wildly, desperately looking for a place to run or a foe to strike. The dark walls, slick and cold, seemed to push themselves towards her, the air stale as her cell seemed to shrink and twist, threatening to crush her flat. Her heart screamed in her chest, beating so hard it hurt as She instinctually flattened her ears to her head, her muzzle open just slightly, lips pulled back over long rows of sharp canine teeth.

Alec didn't know how he did it, but he growled from deep in his throat. A rush of blood echoed in his ears, quickly growing louder; building in intensity. The walls kept moving and the faster She moved her eyes the closer they seemed. Gripping the wall behind her, she dug her claws deep into the stone, her growl growing deep and hot; her vision blurring. She had to get out, She had to run to safety or to battle, she couldn't stay here alone in the cool dark.

With a sudden snarl of desperation She turned to the side and threw herself forward. Her whole body slammed against the cell's single glass wall. The opaque wall shook hard, her body jarring as it bounced back from the hard surface.

Bracing herself against the ground She rammed herself forward again, slamming against the wall and once more getting thrown back as it shook in its deep setting in the stone walls. Growling hard, her teeth clenched She ran forward again, pushing her footclaws hard against the ground and pushing herself meteorically against the glass.

Thrown backwards so hard She fell, She quickly scrambled back up to her feet, losing all reason. Slavering lather from her already bruised muzzle the werebeast howled in rage and challenge, running herself forward and hurling her whole body against the glass. Her head hit it hard, bouncing off the glass and rocketing backwards. She distinctly heard a wet sharp crunching sound, her whole body aflare with pain. She slammed back against the ground, her vision dying out as her head smacked against the hard ground. The last thing Alec saw was the surface of the large glass wall, smeared with blood and slaver, a small crack pushing its way down the glass from the ceiling.

Alec had no idea how long it was till he next really awoke. The blackness never truly receded; it stayed with her the whole time, always threatening to consume his thought and consciousness. But far from resisting, Alec welcomed blessed escape from the nightmares.

The first time the darkness began to give way, She awoke slowly, lethargic thick pain swirling in her head and oozing through the rest of her. She'd tried to curl herself up, to roll over onto her side only to find that she was restrained, cold unyielding straps of metal over her ankles and wrists, her throat and waist.

Alec panicked, struggling ineffectually as his eyes attempted to dart open. But he found them strangely sluggish, refusing to move open at anything more than a crawl, convulsing and shivering as they did so. But it hardly mattered, as Alec opened his eyes he was hit with a light so strong he thought his eyes would burn out. Trying to throw his head to the side, Alec quickly pulled his eyelids closed, whimpering only to find her mouth full of cold steel that propped her jaws apart. Full-blown terror struck her and she struggled and pulled, fighting with every bit of her body's sore strength. It had no effect.

She suddenly felt something move at her exposed stomach, pushing itself hard against her exposed furry abs, cold and unrelenting as it slowly moved downwards. It quickly poked her painfully, still moving forward, her skin prickling as she felt its hard, hot and hideously sharp tip. Alec struggled and shifted, trying to move, but within seconds the sharp thing sliced into her skin. Sickening wet pain tore into Alec's mind as the long thin thing pushed itself into her guts, hot and metallic, making her flesh pull back in horror as it skewered her belly.

Her desperate mind howled and whined, screaming for her pack, for sweet release and freedom. Alec's eyes flew open, the bright light burning them deeply but the horrid hot pain in his stomach letting him easily forget it. As the sharp torture moved itself to Alec's very core, pure pain subsuming his whole mind and letting the darkness flood back in She got one blurred look…of the saurian, hunched over him and watching intently as a long glowing needle, almost a thin spear, was driven into her stomach by the hand of a lifeless golem.

That hideous dream repeated itself time and again, the darkness soon becoming a comfort to Alec, the light only bringing pain and suffering, the feeling of cold steel and the even colder lifeless gaze of Lailokos.

Time stopped having any meaning as Alec struggled to stay in the darkness and away from the nightmares of pain and exposure. He tried to forget the probing metal and remember her father and mother, siblings and business, his pack and the joys of rutting or hunting; anything other than the horrific smile of the demon-saurian; all to no avail.

Some time later She once more found herself in the darkness, the hint of light slowly pulling at her. Alec tried to resist, struggling back into the cool easy embrace of unconsciousness but suddenly found himself stopping, a single sensation hitting him. She was curled up, free and tight, his paws wrapped around herself, her legs against her chest. No cold metal or harsh restraints seemed present.

Slowly, very cautiously, Alec moved out of the darkness. He awoke sickeningly sore and desperately tired, his whole body aching inside and out. But She wasn't restrained, and no scorching light met his slow attempts to open his eyes.

Alec was back in her cell, curled up against a cool stone corner. She was alone in the relative darkness, apparently forgotten once again, his nightmares now clearly visible as something far more sinister. The glass wall stood a dozen feet away, clean and unbroken.

For a long while She simply lay there, back against the wall, feeling safe in the darkness and afraid to move lest it end. But slowly she felt the need to move, her muscles strangely sore and cramping. Carefully Alec pressed his paws against the cold stone floor and pushed herself up to sit.

But that simple motion caused him to double over in pain, his whole body protesting and her muscles spasming wildly. She clenched her teeth hard, eyes squeezed shut and claws clamped tightly into her own paws. The pain receded, but only after a seeming eternity of searing and sickening agony. Finally Alec was able to let his breath out, shuttering and sobbing as he did so.

But even still he could feel his body ache and shiver, slowly moving without any command. Visions of long needles, probing metal and harsh restraints poured into Her. Instinctually Alec carefully raised his muzzle, looking down at himself for the first time.

Alec had always been rather tall, but he had been slight and thin. She had been large for her species, strong and solid yet easily fast enough to catch most prey…and now.

Alec was huge, much larger than She remembered; he couldn't tell exactly, but he seemed truly massive, far taller than he had stood before. And She was heavily muscled, strong rippling brawn clearly visible all along her form despite the covering of….fur? Thick and deep, Alec stared down at himself in awe to see a coat of grey and white fur covering her large form. His arms, legs, and sides were all deep grey, but his inner thighs and arms, his chest and stomach were all pure white.

Alec gave a bark of shock as he followed his eyes down his form to his paws. Instead of the large but roughly round pads and thin strong limbs She'd had before, She found her…footpaws? had shifted and changed like the rest of her body. They were digitgrade now, a large pad in the shape of her old paw resting at the bottom with the foot angled up and backwards behind it. Her forepaws had changed as well, the furry digits growing longer and thinner, more dexterous but still strong. They were tipped with dark black claws, fearsome and sharp, easily capable of rending even the golems' metallic skin.

But most disturbing of all, as Alec looked down at himself he realized his chest was wrong! It felt heavier than it should of, more massive. And a single look told him why; he had breasts!

Large and round, they were covered in pure white fur. The only portion of each of their large spherical surfaces uncovered was a large jutting nipple, pink and smooth. Alec could only stare down at himself, her large heavy breasts supple and smooth with their furry covering, their firm weight easily felt. And beneath them there were more!

In a line down Alec's chest and upper stomach, several more sets of nipples could be seen. None of the furry breasts were anywhere as large as those over her pecs, but they were there, slightly swollen and jutting, still larger than She remember them. They followed the curved contours of her fur as it angled downwards, just inside the shifting of the white to grey fur.

Her eyes followed the line downwards, noticing that the white-furred surface was slowly shrinking, angling inwards towards and over her groin. And the sight there left Alec simply breathless, her mind reeling.

Hanging between her legs was a thick, heavy furry sheath. Long and pure white, it hung a bit from a length of loose furry skin. Beneath it a surprising large sac dangled. It was covered in soft short white fur, and two oval and very heavy balls were clearly visible within the loose sac, hanging but warm. All together they gave the impression of startling virility and pure male masculinity, the ready equipment of almost any young male. But beneath it…

Starting just beneath his swollen hanging balls his furry skin split open, a long deep slit following. Pink and skinless over its heavy lips, Alec had a long deep pussy set beneath his balls and just between his legs. The short white furred lined its whole expanse, followed by the pink soft lips and the slightly closed valley of his actual passage. Every bit the functional organs of a female, they were set just beneath Her male ones.

Alec looked down helpless at herself, involuntarily taking a sharp hard breath. The sight disturbed her beyond action, his mind reeling from the implications…and the simple fact that he couldn't tell which set disturbed her more. She was supposed to be one sex, not two! But which one? He couldn't remember, her mind was split and confused, and so he could only lay there stunned and shocked.

It took only a few more minutes of long hard staring to realize that something else was wrong with her body; there were several large scars and a few patches of fur looked to have been shaved away. A large surgical mark, just recently closed went from her belly up his chest, and another long one visible down the length of his thigh. A space just beneath her right nipple had been shaved, and a small scab marked a circular entry point. There was a much larger but still similar one on her stomach.

Alec almost instantly realized what had happened. They were marks of surgery and experimentation, slowly healing and painful reminders of hideous exploration. His whole body was sore and sickened, and She knew why…

The saurian….Lailokos. It was all his fault. Sitting there in the darkness, afraid to move for fear of another paralyzing jolt, Alec involuntarily gave a growl of desperate rage. That creature…that thing had made her this way! Broken his mind and twisted her body! It had taken him against her will and locked her up in a pit of a dungeon. And now he had violated and experimented on him; strapped her down and split her open, probing deep for some sick purpose.

Despite herself and a sharp jolt of pain, Alec's muzzle opened slightly, teeth pulling back to reveal clenched teeth shuddering in a growl of pure animal rage and human hatred. Helpless and alone, hurt and frightened, She took solace in pure rage. And it quickly found a target…

Unbidden and straight from his nightmares the saurian suddenly strode down the hall and turned towards Alec's cell. The red-scaled creature quickly stopped to stand just inside the slight arch of the stone wall and the glass barrier. Despite her cell's deep darkness the creature's eyes locked instantly upon her.

Alec instantly scrambled to her feet, his back still against the wall and her claws bared. But She instantly regretted the action, doubling over as hot deep pain shot through her body, threatening to let unconscious slip back into his mind. But through force of fear Alec managed to keep his eyes on the saurian's dead ones, her teeth bared in pain/rage.

For a long moment the saurian merely stared at her hunched and tensed form, looking for all the world like some sandstone carving. But it suddenly spoke, this time bothering to use words and sounds, its harsh unused voice devoid of life, "What to do with you? Such an amazing creature…it's survived what would have killed any other specimen. It was literally vivisected, yet it still breathes and thinks in its own twisted way. It even seems to understand what has happened to it! But still….Puras what do you think?"

The saurian turned its head without looking away, calling into the shadows down the hallway. After a long second a black form strode forward, the light just outside her room doing little to banish it. It slowly came to stand beside Lailokos, its head down, staring at the ground. It was another long second before the figure could bear to look upwards, deep golden eyes blinking once at Alec's abused form.

Puras breathed in sharply but silently, Alec's ears just barely detecting the rush of air. She could see the same aura of compassion in the panthress that he had seen earlier, but it seemed subdued and restrained.

Quietly Puras spoke, "About what Lailokos?"

"The creature of course…It has proved an excellent study, but I've learned all that it can teach me. It has taken several weeks, but its scientific importance has reached an end. The matter of its servitude remains however. You can sense its mind; do you think it could trained or is its use over?"

Puras blinked once deeply at the suggestion, obviously surprised by the question. She spoke quickly however, terrified of her master's implied words, already knowing where they might lead, "I think that it could easily be trained for service; its will is already weakened! And it has shown its physical worth several times: by destroying two of the golems and by almost breaking free of the barrier."

The saurian stayed completely still, considering Alec with its flat eyes. It took Alec a long moment to realize that its irises were slowly shifting colors; from one color to the another and then back again, slowly bleeding away to leave only another color in its place. The effect was terrifying, especially since the saurian seemed to have no idea it was happening.

"The physical prowess of the other mergers is already proving superior…and I think you are being far too optimistic about being able to 'retrain' the specimen. Its original components' memories were not wiped prior to the merger; they are now there, combined, and removing them would simply erase all the other functions it needs for survival. No, I think its ability to serve could never be fully trusted."

Puras' ears flicked slightly, her mind racing as she scrambled for another excuse, "That may be true, but at the very least shouldn't you keep it simply due to the fact that it is the first specimen? It has been merged the longest and may begin to show signs of any unknown conditions in advance of any of the creations after it."

The saurian immediately spoke, almost cutting her off, "No, I studied completely. As I said before, there are no aftereffects of the merger; it is complete and apparently entirely stable. It is also irreversible. No, it would appear there's no reason to keep it alive any longer." The saurian seemed about to move when the catwoman spoke in a surprisingly loud protest, almost cutting the saurian off.

"Wait! We can't simply…what about its sentimental value? It is the very being ever merged! The first creation of many! And at the very least it could be used for experiments in…learning ability or social interaction…or even in successful breeding!" The catwoman's tail had been flicking in agitation, but was now perfectly still in apprehension, her teeth biting into one of her lips as she waited for her lord's answer.

Surprisingly the saurian turned to her, its muzzle line turned down slightly as it stared straight at her, "Sentimental value?…Puras what are you thinking? Sentimentality has no place in our experimentation. And social interactions are hardly something I would ever need these creatures for…do you have an ulterior motive for suggesting it?"

Puras' ears went instantly flat, and she instinctually took a step backwards, her tail going limp as she almost melted under the saurian's dead gaze, "No!…I merely suggested…" She was cut off as the saurian spoke, a small hint of wonder, the first real emotion Alec had yet heard from the thing, tinting its harsh voice.

"You do don't you? I have allowed you the freedom and privacy of your own mind, but I hardly need to break it to see the…compassion in your eyes….You feel for this creature don't you? Why? For what purpose?"

Puras closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the saurian's visage for just a moment as she composed herself. Slowly she opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "Lailokos, there's no reason to….The specimen is harmless! It hasn't hurt anyone! Its afraid and alone, confused by what it has…become. Why not simply let it go?"

The saurian looked at her for a long moment, shocking Alec by giving a sudden blink of surprise at the panthress' words. "Puras! Compassion for such a lowly organic subject…there's no reason for it! It is simply the recombined essence of two specimens, nothing more. And the specimens themselves were unworthy of consideration, merely the fleshy animal denizens of yet another useless plane. I don't understand your…confusion. And I cannot simply let the creature leave. If it were found by one of the others they would be able to discern its nature and realize that is an artificial combination. They would easily find this place and the others that we are creating. And possibly even the matrix. It would lead them not only to our failed time travel experiments but also to the vastly more useful merging process! That is unthinkable. With these weapons I may just gain the last needed edge to beat the others! But if they possessed them we could rest assured that they'd soon be turned against us! No, you know better."

Puras took another step back at the saurian's cold speech, her lips quivering in repressed terror and revulsion. But Lailokos seemed unaware of either action, his eyes simply staring into her own. For a single long moment it looked as if she might respond, possibly even protest. But with a sudden realization, she closed her mouth and simply looked back at her master.

Taking the catwoman's silence as a sign that she had was considering his words, the saurian slowly turned back to Alec. For one last long moment Lailokos stared back at his prostrate creation, barely seeming to see it with his otherworldly eyes. Finally he spoke again, softly but easy to hear nonetheless. "Part of it is a wolf…have fed him to the wolf specimens, it seems only appropriate that we return it to its own. Then have this cell prepared to hold several more new chimeras. The upper levels have already been filled to capacity."

With that the saurian suddenly stepped backwards and turned away, quickly walking into the darkness, leaving only Puras and the huddled Alec for a long moment. Puras could only stand there, staring helplessly in shock at Alec. She was still for her part, hunched in pain and terror, mind reeling from the demon that was Lailokos. But before she could say anything, the saurian's harsh voice echoed back to both of them.

"Puras! Come! I need your assistance to oversee the dungeon's retrofit!"

With a last helpless glance to Alec, Puras turned and went down the stone hallway, disappearing into the darkness.

Alec could only sit there, muscles cold and clammy, her pain forgotten in the horrible pronouncement. Slowly She sank her muzzle down between her knees, sobbing in dark despair, lost in tired terror and the cold loneliness of the dank dungeon.

The next thing She knew, a soft furry paw had taken ahold of his shoulder and was shaking him hard. Alec's eyes shot wide open, her body instantly jerking forward in a startled lunge. But the paw caught her, holding her still. Another one quickly moved over her muzzle, clamping it down and keeping him quiet.

In the room's darkness, lit only by the soft light from the corridor outside, it looked to Alec as if he were being held by the darkness itself. But as her eyes scanned they quickly caught a hint of gold and his ears detected the clack of beads.

Hunched over her, the panthress had her paws restraining and quieting Alec, her golden eyes looking down at him without blinking. Leaning forward Puras spoke softly, "Listen to me. We're going to have to hurry! Quickly get to your feet!"

For the only being to show any signs of compassion in her memory of long nightmares Alec struggled up the wall and to her feet, his body still sore, but strangely sedate and mobile. He wanted to ask a question, and after a long moment the panthress noticed and slowly removed her paw.

"What's going on?"

The ebony catwoman quickly replied, her eyes already turning towards the corridor and the opening, now devoid of the glass barrier and open to the hall, "I'm….setting you free. Lailokos ordered that you be executed, but he'll never bother to see that it happened. He trusts me to do my…duty." She said the last word with surprising force and anger. But she quickly calmed herself, turning back to Alec and giving him a helping paw to stumble forwards. "We will have to hurry. I oversee the control of the golems, but if I change their routine too much Lailokos may notice."

Alec stumbled, but found her body surprisingly steady and strong, Puras' paw on her back calming him and adding assurance. As they rounded the cell's corner with the hallway Alec quietly asked, "Why are you helping me? And where are you taking me?"

Puras responded slowly her eyes searching the halls ahead but not really seeming to see them, "I'm going to take you a telepad room; it'll send you away from here. I'm not sure where though…maybe a forest; someplace away from people. And away from the golem patrols…As for why I'm helping you…." Puras eyes closed tight for a second, her throat tightening for a moment. She quickly recovered, silently padding down the hallway, just ahead of Alec. After a long moment she responded.

"You were not the first captive held here….Lailokos long ago decided that normal mortals were little more than the sum total of their parts. Before he discovered the merging process this whole place had only two living beings in it; him…and me. For every task he designs some new automaton, a creation that can do it faster, better. There are more golems here than there are leaves in a forest, and they all follow Lailokos commands without thought. They are soulless and merciless just like him. But Lailokos sometimes finds it…useful to have another sentient mind to attack his problems, to give him perspective. And so he keeps me around, against my will." As the catwoman spoke, she slowed her pace without noticing it, her eyes seeming to stare at something Alec couldn't see. Her voice slowly started to

"He's kept me around for…hundreds? Thousands? of years. He pulls me from one world to the next, letting me explore with him, discover so many things…but he also pulls me away from them, forcing me to leave and stay at his side. Until this world, things had been…better. Never had they truly been good; I can't deceive myself like that. But they had been tolerable! And sometimes even…enjoyable. But here he's changed. He built the nexus, and discovered how to merge different essences. Now…he's gone mad! He's making dozens…hundreds more! Warrens are being dug to breed them, and he's already started planning entire strains of them! He's says they're 'perfect'; capable of being made to adapt to any foe he makes…"

Puras shook her head hard, waking herself up from her reverie as she paused to lean against a cold stone wall. After a moment she turned to face Alec, looking at him with her deep gold eyes full of emotion. "I can't stop him…I'm not sure I even should. But what he's done to you….I couldn't let it continue. I couldn't let him kill you! I can get you out of here safely…at least someone can escape him."

Alec's mind was split and confused. Part of him wanted to say something to the catwoman, to reach out a paw and comfort her and sadness he saw deep in her eyes. Could what she say be true? Could she really be the slave of a monster thousands of years old? One that was making an army of….him?

But another part of her mind was far more focused on the present, on the cold darkness of the long tunnels and the seemingly winding and directionless path the catwoman was leading him on. Her sensitive hearing picked up the shambling clinks of moving golems, a few dark shapes moving at the edges of his vision. But the panthress walked on, steady and perfectly silent. Alec quickly learned that if he didn't keep his eyes directly on her, she'd disappear from his view entirely.

Suddenly the catwoman stopped once more, Alec almost running into her in the dark, barely able to see where her body ended and the darkness began. She quickly moved once more, but instead of continuing down the hallway, she gracefully slipped around a corner, disappearing into the arched entrance of a room along the wall.

Alec quickly followed, turning around the corner and suddenly finding himself in a small shallow circular room. Suddenly a soft light poured from a large globe suspended from the ceiling, the catwoman's paws lingering over its switch for a moment.

The room was simple, open to the hallway, it contained only a high dome ceiling and a strange circular apparatus set into the floor. Pure white, it looked like a marble disc that had been placed into a deep ridge within the stone. But as Alec cautiously got closer he realized that long thin cracks of silvery metal crisscrossed its face, making seem to shimmer even under the soft light.

She turned towards the catwoman in confusion, unsure of what was happening only to see the panthress working on another glowing station set into the wall; her graceful clawed paws dancing over the controls. It took a long moment for the catwoman to work, her ears twitching in concentration and growing impatience. But finally she turned to face Alec, her whiskers pushing forward a bit as she spoke with urgency.

"Quickly, get onto the platform! I can only keep active for a little while without it being noticed!"

Alec looked at her confused for a moment before she gestured to the white disc with one of her paws. Carefully he got onto it, finding the surface surprisingly slick and cold. Getting onto it confusedly, he turned and called to Puras, "How can this help us? We need to escape!"

Puras ignored him for a moment, turning back to the control panel on the wall. She called back over her shoulder, "This platform can teleport…move you from one to place to another without walking! I'm going to order it to take you to a large forested location on the south of the continent."

Alec's ears went flat at the information, and he instantly protested, "It's going to send us someplace? How? That doe-"

Alec was cut off by a hiss from the panthress, "We don't have time! Just get ready, I'm going to send you…"

She instantly protested again, her heart racing as she realized what Puras had said, "Wait! You're not coming with me?"

Puras slowly turned, looking at him with her large and sad golden eyes set in their ebony frame, "I can't…Lailokos would look for me no matter where I went, this world or another…and he'd find me instantly. If I went with you, I'd only bring punishment down on us both. This way he won't know you've escaped…and I can keep going."

She could barely keep herself from giving a loud bark of frustration and anger, only managing to keep it in by clenching his teeth and growling deep in her chest. His own savior was going to have to stay behind, the servant of that…thing! For a long dark moment, everything that had happened to the new creature in the last few weeks came flooding back.

Memories of dark hulking shapes crashing through the woods, sharp strong nets tangling her limbs and pulling her up. Of a caravan burning and smashed, monsters straight from some mechanical hell pulling apart his friends and servants. Of a room of bright lights and cold oil, and an event which split their minds. Unimaginable pain and gross violation, cold metal slabs and harsh restraints. And most of all of the dead flat eyes and soulless face of a demon…Lailokos

Quietly, almost in a whisper but one that both he and Puras could hear, Alec spoke, "…I'll come back. For you…and for him. He won't get away with this."

Puras slowly turned, looking at him with a look of genuine amazement. For a moment it looked as if she'd say something, her small pert lips quivering. But deliberately, she stopped herself, taking control and giving Alec a long steady look. Slowly she gave him a small nod, her eyes deep with compassion and consideration. She reached a paw outwards and placed on the controls, "…Be well. And keep your eyes open, I'm not sure what lies ahead."

With those words, delivered in the catwoman's lilting but subdued tone, Alec's world dissolved away, and for a moment all was swallowed up by darkness.

End of part one