5

 Nadya watched Rajiv's show of strength from the other side of the Reform camp grounds. Her group, Women Over 30, had been commanded by the Ringleader (or as they later found out, Senior Commander Fabio De La Rosa of the Third Platoon) to dig up graves for the Shifters who 'just couldn't take Reform'. It was a taxing job, but most of the women had already finished their holes. Nadya, on the other hand, was still leaning against her unused shovel, watching Rajiv.

“Zap me, I dare you.” Rajiv's temper was worse than his sister's when he wanted to stand up for something, and now it showed. He got on his feet and dusted himself off, a rumbling growl escaping his raised lips.

The Sargent he was taunting swiveled around to face him and placed his hand on the taser gun at his belt. He took a step forward and so did Rajiv, their shoulders thrown back like two titans preparing for war. For a few seconds, neither man said or did anything, until finally Rajiv shot out with his right arm and grabbed hold of the gun. He pulled it back and placed the barrel against his opponent's broad chest.

Nadya stepped forward cautiously.

The man's hands slowly raised above his head. “Whoa now, let's not get hasty here, we can talk this out...” He looked over his shoulder at some of his cohorts who had already begun to inch his way, just as Nadya had done. In the blink of an eye, Rajiv had been seized and the taser gun had once again been returned to its rightful owner.

Now Nadya decided it was time to strike. She lept forward, hunched her back, preparing to transform. Soon her four orange and white paws hit the gravelly ground, and her claws extended as she pounded towards her struggling brother. Why wasn't he shifting? she thought as she ran, until she noticed the clunky black collar around his neck. It resembled a bark collar one would find on a dog, but from what she could see, its purpose was to shock Rajiv every time he tried to shape shift.

“Let him go!” She snarled, even if the Sargents and Generals couldn't understand, Rajiv would. He turned his head to give her one pleading look before he was shoved into a large army truck with the double doors latched tightly closed behind him. “No!” Nadya crouched down to remove air resistance, and sprinted as fast as her paws would allow her. Still, even with her speed and agility, she didn't make it in time. The truck rolled through an electric gate which then closed behind it, leaving nothing but a burst of Carbon Monoxide and a broken hearted tigress behind it.

I'm not going to let it end this way. She sprung up and flew halfway up the fence that surrounded the Command Central of Reform where all of the Generals, Sargents, and other Blue Army officials spent their days and received their orders. From time to time Caethe was rumored to have been seen visiting the location, but for protection no one ever knew exactly when and where the mysterious leader resided. Now, her brother has been taken inside that very building and Nadya knew this wouldn't end well for him.

The electricity coursed through her body as she clung onto the chain link fence with her elongated claws. She tried to climb higher, reaching as far above her as she could, but her muscles gave out from pure pain. She retracted her nails and fell to the ground with a loud 'thud'.

She let herself hit the dirt, stirring up a cloud of dust. She'd failed him, her only brother, and now she had no idea where he was. She couldn't even stand because when she tried, her body would dance with mini electrified seizures, bringing her back down. Vowing for revenge, she decided she'd be back for him as soon as she had help.

“I got her boss!” a Staff Sargent called to his Commander and snapped a shifting collar on her, too. It shocked her like the fence had every time she tried to morph into her normal form. “You're gonna get me a promotion!” the young boy sneered. He was not older than 16 but his body had been shaped into the same hideously oversized bulkiness that the other Blue Army members seemed to have. 40 years ago this boy would probably have gone to college, raised a family, and lived a long and prosperous life. Now, he was brainwashed and vile with little hope for a happy future. Nadya almost felt empathetic towards him, if it hadn't been for his relentless tugging and excessively tight grip.

Nadya was yanked up by her forearm which still ached tremendously. The Staff Sargent led her to the same men who had helped capture her brother, and then handed her off to an even bigger man. She winced with every movement but kept on her paws, for if she fell, she would end up like her Rajiv, or worse. Insubordination would have to wait until her body could take it.

Lucas crawled into Kain's tent, taking advantage of any and every shadow he could find. It was the morning of their trip to Terra Nova, and he hadn't slept all night, too excited to close his eyes. The sun hadn't risen yet, so he found it very easy to maneuver unseen; of course, he kept in his lion form in case one of the Rebels happened to be awake.

He took a huge bite from one of the snow piles near him and snuck inside, creeping up to Kain and releasing the now-melted liquid onto the sleeper's face. Kain flew up squealing like a newborn piglet, and Lucas smothered him immediately.

“What the fu- LUCAS? Oh you suck!” Kain mumbled from behind Lucas' massive paw, and then boxed the lion's ears.

“Hurry up and get dressed you big baby, we have to leave now.” Lucas tossed him a jacket and then waited for the human to make himself decent.

Walking outside, the brothers surveyed the desolate camp grounds. It wouldn't be too difficult to escape for a few days, or however long this operation would take since Kain and Lucas went on 'adventures' often and most of the Outlanders expected it by now, practically running themselves when their leader wasn't around.

Pulling his coat closed and wrapping a red and blue striped scarf around his neck, Kain stifled a yawn. “So what is the plan?” he asked, hoping there was one.

Lucas sniffed the snow-covered ground as they walked, and then looked up. “Well, I was thinking,” he began in his I-have-an-idea-but-I-doubt-you-will-agree voice, “when we get to S16, you'll go up to the main gate dragging me behind you on a leash. I'll be in lion form in case anything goes wrong, you see. Then, when the guard asks who you are, you tell him you're a citizen volunteering at the Shifter Monitoring Department and you noticed I had gone missing. You found me hiding out in the woods and managed to trick me into coming back with you. They'll give you access to the first part of the building so you can give me to one of the Handlers, and that's where I come in.”

Kain listened intently, but wondered if this would actually work. What if they recognized him? He was sort of a huge role in the current news at the moment, seeing as he was the leader of the very group fighting against the Sectors, the Blue Army, and the Old Earth Assembly. It was highly unlikely he could just waltz in and lie to the guards' faces without one of them identifying him. Then again, Lucas' plans had never failed them before.

“You listening, dude? Okay. So, when we're inside, you'll sneak into the locker room and hide out in the showers until I come and get you. I'll probably get led to a cage in the Feline Hall, which is right next to the security office. I'll 'subdue' the guy and go to the office to jack a pair of keys and uniforms for the two of us. If I can, I'll find a pair of key-cards too, but we can get around that, if you know what I mean.” Lucas bumped Kain and winked as if to say, “we'll beat up some douchy scientists and steal their cards.”

The snow that had fallen the night before had stopped, and every step they took crunched beneath their feet.