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], "description": "It's time for the final battle with Von Reichter", "description_bbcode_parsed": "It's time for the final battle with Von Reichter", "writing": "[u][center]Chapter 4: The Final Confrontation[/center][/u]\n\nTarot Heart liked school, which some found odd. He wasn’t the best student nor the teacher’s favorite but he just liked being around other children his age and making friends. Mostly he was just happy not to be living on the street as a pickpocket anymore. There weren’t many other anthros in his elementary school, none in his class, but he made a few human friends. He didn’t hang out after school though, too afraid to be on the streets without his brother or Soul Heart, or Oopsy since she and Flash had started dating. Thankfully his friends understood once he told them about how he was forced to live on the streets under the thumb of his old boss.\n\nIt was an hour before school was out that a vision hit Tarot Heart like a ton of bricks. One minute he was going over math problems, then he grabbed his head and screamed and fell to the floor.\n\nThe teacher was at his desk in a moment and tried to calm him down as he muttered, “mom… need mom…”\n\n“Isn’t his mom the bear at the library?” one of the students asked.\n\n“Yeah, I think she’s miss Soul Heart,” one of Tarot’s friends said.\n\nThankfully Tarot Heart was light enough to pick up and the teacher spoke as she lifted the now fetal Tarot Heart in her arms, “Keep working, I’m taking Tarot Heart to the nurse and calling his mom. I’ll be back right away.” Everyone watched as she left then reluctantly went back to their math but gossiped about what had happened until their teacher returned.\n\nSoul Heart got the phone call about Tarot collapsing in class and ran off to make sure he was alright. Too worried to walk she made sure she wasn’t being watched and jumped across the rooftops until she landed in an alley near his school, being grateful that this old-world city had so few cell phones, less ubiquitous cameras and sub-par internet at the best of times.\n\nThe school nurse was startled that Soul Heart arrived so quickly, but didn’t stop her from looking after her son. She crouched at the side of the bed and stroked Tarot Heart’s head.\n\n“Tarot Heart? Tarot Heart it’s mom, can you hear me?” she whispered.\n\nTarot Heart opened one eye, “Yes,” he whispered back.\n\n“Are you alright?”\n\n“I saw something in my head again,” Tarot Heart closed his eye again.\n\nSoul Heart had to control her surprised and she carefully turned to the nurse, “May I take him home?”\n\nThe nurse looked at the wall clock, “Well school’s out in half-an-hour so that should be fine. I’ll let his teacher know and he can get his homework tomorrow.”\n\n“Thank you,” Soul Heart carefully nudged Tarot Heart to sit up then stand and they left. Tarot Heart stumbled partway home but thankfully with everyone still in work the streets were mostly empty so Soul Heart picked Tarot Heart up and ran all the way home while carrying him. The few people who saw this didn’t say anything or just didn’t pay attention.\n\n“I saw something big, and bad,” Tarot Heart mumbled once they were inside.\n\n“What was it?” Soul Heart tried to keep her voice level but wasn’t able to hide how worried she was.\n\n“I… don’t want to know,” Tarot Heart turned his head away, “But it’s going to be soon.”\n\n“Then just rest,” Soul Heart had reached the bedroom and she lay Tarot Heart down on the bed, “I’ll make supper in a bit,” she added as she left the room.\n\n“Thanks mom,” Tarot smiled, shuffled under the covers, and fell asleep.\n\nTarot Heart was awakened much later when he felt something stroke his head.\n\n“Hey, Tarot, feeling alright?” Flash Heart was sitting on the bed.\n\nTarot Heart nodded, “A bit, just needed sleep.”\n\n“Mom said you saw something, another of your visions about Jose?” Flash asked.\n\n“Mmhmm,” Tarot averted his eyes, “something big, but I’m scared to find out. Don’t wanna look at my cards in case… in case it’s even worse…”\n\n“Don’t worry about it,” Flash reassured him, “Mom’s just making supper, pizza tonight, just gotta wait.”\n\nTarot Heart smiled, “Yay…”\n\nBoth Oopsy and Soul Heart leaned out her apartment window. The wind was mostly still but both were feeling unnaturally cold.\n\n“How was your Valentine’s date?” Soul Heart asked the question very casually.\n\n“It was fun, not much just out to dinner and a movie,” Oopsy smiled, “Flash is quite a gentleman when he wants to be.”\n\n“Good,” Soul Heart nodded. She didn’t turn to Oopsy as she continued, “Oopsy, I want you to turn Flash Heart into a werewolf.”\n\nOopsy coughed and almost gagged, “What?!” she almost shouted before stopping herself. “Why?”\n\nSoul Heart kept her gaze out across the city, “Something big’s going to happen soon and I’ll need to stop it, and I don’t know if I’m coming back.” She stared at one of her hands, “I could have taken out Jose at any time, but I need the sustenance from Von Reichter’s monsters too survive. I figured as long as Jose was around, I would have a constant supply so I could stick around longer, for Flash and Tarot Heart especially, but now things are getting more desperate, like him not using things I can drink from.”\n\n“Like the robot circus we destroyed last week,” Oopsy mumbled, “But why do you want me to try and change him. I mean we talked about it before but I didn’t want to force it on him…”\n\nSoul Heart smirked, “He’s told me about it too, says he dreams around it sometimes but didn’t want to force it either, in case you didn’t want to. But if I don’t come back I want him strong enough to defend himself and Tarot Heart and someone like you to guide him through it.” She sighed, “after supper tonight you two should go on a date and you can ask him again, don’t force him but try to convince him.”\n\nOopsy gulped, “I’ll try.”\n\nThe sound of the oven timer broke them out of their conversation. While the three younger bears ate, Soul Heart called Lucas and asked if he’d like to visit that evening.\n\nOopsy wolfed down her portions then watched as Flash and Tarot ate more slowly. She found herself staring at Flash Heart for so long enough that he commented, “Something on my face, Dizzy?” he grabbed a napkin and started wiping his face.\n\n“Well not anymore,” Oopsy giggled, “I was just thinking: would you like to go out tonight?”\n\n“Really?” Flash looked at Tarot Heart, “I mean I’d like to but I don’t want to leave Tarot Heart alone after today.”\n\n“It’s fine, Flash,” Soul Heart hung up, “I’ll be here and you should enjoy yourself tonight.” She smiled at the two.\n\n“Alright,” Flash brightened up and Oopsy took his hand.\n\n“Let’s go!” Oopsy was up on her feet and all but dragged Flash out the door, which made Tarot and Soul Heart giggle.\n\nIt was a short time later that there was a buzz from the front doorbell speaker. “Hello?”\n\n“Hi, it’s Lucas,” the voice crackled back.\n\n“I’ll let you in,” Soul Heart pushed the door button for a few seconds then waited.\n\nLucas knocked and was promptly invited in by Soul Heart. He scanned the small living space, “Same size as my place,” he commented.\n\n“Good thing I don’t have to sleep, we only have one bed,” Soul Heart rolled her eyes.\n\nTarot Heart was watching TV if only to distract himself from his premonition earlier, but his ears perked up when he heard what his mom and Lucas were discussing.\n\n“Lucas, something big is coming and I might need to put an end to Von Reichter, permanently.”\n\n“But don’t you need his creatures to survive,” Lucas was shocked.\n\nSoul Heart gripped the long skirt she was still wearing, “I do, but I’ve let it go too long. I feel so selfish when I should have been trying to stop him before anything like this could happen. I need your help, Lucas,” she took a deep shuddering breath.\n\n“You mean to find him, or stop him,” he saw the despondent look on Soul Heart’s face. “What’s wrong?”\n\n“No, not like that. I’m not going to put your life at risk. If I don’t come back from whatever happens, I want you to look after Flash Heart and Tarot Heart for me,” she averted her eyes from Lucas.\n\n“You’re not coming back?” Tarot Heart leaned over the couch’s arm to stare at her.\n\nSoul Heart forced herself to look him in the eye, “I don’t know if I will. Something big enough to hurt you in a premonition, I might need to sacrifice everything to stop him.” She walked over to Tarot Heart and stroked his head, “Just know that whatever happens that I love you and I want you to grow up safe and happy, even if I won’t be here.”\n\nTarot Heart struggled to hold back tears, and failed as they started to leak out, “Mom, please don’t go…”\n\n“I wish I could stay, but sometimes you have to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice,” she carefully picked Tarot Heart up and hugged him tight. Tarot hugged back and started to cry. Soul Heart let him cry it out before she set him back down on the couch.\n\nLucas had approached from behind by now, “I will, don’t worry about your kids. They’ll be in safe hands.”\n\nSoul Heart turned around and gave a surprisingly bright smile, “Lucas… thank you,” she suddenly reached up and pulled him into a kiss which startled both him and Tarot Heart. Lucas didn’t refuse, instead he reached down and hugged her close.\n\nIt was what Soul Heart needed to feel, she could love and be loved even if she wasn’t human or an anthro. Instead of making her hesitate it only hardened her resolve. She wouldn’t let anything happen as long as she could help it!\n\nOoOoO\n\nOopsy led Flash Heart on their date through Meridiana’s streets, occasionally making a couple of turns but always heading in the same general direction. The sun was setting as the approached the city limits.\n\n“Should be better than the last couple study dates we had,” Flash rolled his eyes.\n\n“I needed them, Guidance is a good tutor,” Oopsy was a bit distracted.\n\nFlash finally noticed they were outside the city limits as the sun was sinking past the horizon, “So where are we going, Dizzy?”\n\n“Into the woods,” Oopsy paused, “I should have asked earlier,” she turned to face Flash with a worried expression on her face, “Would you like to become a werewolf?”\n\nFlash froze, “What? Really! I mean, are you serious?”\n\nOopsy smiled, “Yes, I am. I’ve wanted to ask for a while but I was nervous, until your mom asked me to.”\n\n“Guess she’s worried about what Tarot said,” Flash averted his gaze and then looked up to see Oopsy walking out towards the woods and he jogged to keep up with her.\n\nAs the sun’s final rays vanished over the horizon, Oopsy began to shed her clothing until she stood naked and undid her braid and let her hair fall across her back. She took a deep breath and stared up at the sky.\n\n“A full moon, perfect,” she took a deep breath as her body began to bulk up. Flash watched, able to enjoy it since they weren’t in mortal danger. Oopsy sensed this and drew out her changes, growing taller and more muscular, her ears turning pointed, her tail pushing out, her and face pushing forwards into a muzzle. She turned to face Flash and grinned as her teeth grew pointier, her feet became digitigrade, claws grew on her fingers and toes and her breasts grew as she reached her full height. Her fur blew in the wind as did her now shaggy but still beautiful mane of green hair and her eyes reflected the full moon over head.\n\nShe extended a clawed hand with pads upwards towards Flash and spoke with the grow underpinning her voice, “Come, Flash, join me in the night.”\n\nHer grin would have looked sinister to anyone else, but to Flash Heart it was an enticing invitation as he pulled off his shirt, shedding the rest of his clothing as he approached her. “Please, Dizzy,” he was practically begging.\n\nOopsy grinned then stepped forwards and slashed at Flash’s chest, just deep enough to draw blood. Flash winced but before he could react Oopsy bit his shoulder, again just deep enough to draw blood.\n\n“OW! Shit that hurt!” Flash’s swearing somewhat broke the mood as he held his chest and shoulder.\n\n“Sorry,” Oopsy knelt at his side, “Now just wait, feel it within you and let it happen.”\n\nFlash just nodded and pulled his hand away from the injuries, just leaking a little blood. He stared up at the moon and took a deep breath, “Just let it happen, just let it happen…” he repeated to himself as though it were a magic spell.\n\nFlash felt his heart beating in his ear and he stumbled slightly as the feeling hit him hard. His breathing became short and rapid as he panted and felt his teeth sharpening inside his mouth. His ears started to hurt and he grabbed both of them as his panting got even faster, his eyes starting to white out.\n\n“Flash! Flash!” Oopsy crouched in front of Flash Heart who just swiped out at her with newly forming claws, which she easily dodged. Oopsy grabbed the sides of Flash Heart’s face and held it up, “Flash Heart, look at me!” she stared at him.\n\nFlash Heart found himself staring into Oopsy eyes, his breathing growing slower and more relaxed even as the pain surged through him again, his body starting to bulk up as his ears pointed and his face pushed forwards into a longer muzzle.\n\n“Diz-zy,” Flash growled, his voice getting deeper as he started to grow larger.\n\n“Yes, it’s me, Dizzy. I’m here for you, don’t worry I know it hurts but I’ll be here,” Oopsy smiled at him.\n\nFlash winced as he felt his stubby tail grow longer and stood up more as his torso and legs grew, his feet shifting to stand on his toes like Oopsy was. Oopsy stepped back as Flash grew taller and taller until he was at least as tall as she was, unable to tear her gaze from his body as his hair grew and became shaggier as he bulked up until it all ended in one large burst! Flash Heart the werewolf threw back his head and howled as the changes stopped, but the energy didn’t go anywhere!\n\nOopsy had a moment to admire her boyfriend’s werewolf form in the moonlight, much broader and more visibly muscular in the chest and a bit more hunched with arms and legs just as long and powerful as her own but with a narrower waist. She saw his eyes reflecting the moonlight as he turned to her with a hungry expression, one that got her own motor running.\n\nFlash took a step towards her and growled, his eyes showing a lust from the massive adrenaline rush of transforming. Oopsy grinned wolfishly and turned away, shaking her tail towards him. “Come, chase me Flash!” she growled then took off and Flash Heart was right behind her.\n\nFlash Heart chased Oopsy all around the forest, always a few steps behind her. Oopsy had practically memorized the forest to the point where she could put each footstep to get around without even stumbling. Flash was fast but he was unused to his new form and was barely able to keep up, but not without help. Oopsy never let him get lost but also never let him catch up. She could smell his desire and she was certain he could smell hers as well. She was tempted to stop and let him catch her, eager to let him be all over her but she needed him to tire out so he didn’t hurt her, or more likely make her hurt him back. Animals fled from the path of the two werewolves but they didn’t need to bother, neither was interested in hunting for food.\n\nThe moon was high overhead as Oopsy finally slowed down, stopping near a tree close to the road and gripping it as she leaned over. She could hear Flash Heart panting, his tongue hanging out as he finally caught up to her but slowed to a stop to catch his breath.\n\n“I’m here, Flash,” she swished her tail back and forth, “Come, take me now!”\n\nFlash Heart the werewolf needed no second bidding. As he pounced on Oopsy she gasped then moaned, her claws dug into the tree’s bark as she felt Flash Heart pounding into her from behind. This was a release she so wanted! Needed! She felt her tongue loll out as she bucked back against him and felt Flash grip her and hold her tight. All at once it stopped as both werewolves let out a massive double howl, scaring away any animals that might have been nearby.\n\nFlash was panting as he finished but Oopsy wasn’t done as she laboriously turned around to lie on her back and grin up at her panting mate.\n\n“Dizzy. I feel…” Flash growled out, just forming the words.\n\n“Done already? I’m not!” Oopsy pushed up and forced Flash onto his back, “I’ve waited forever for this, Flash, we’re mates now!” She pushed down and kissed him hard. Flash was startled but he kissed back their wolf muzzles somehow fitting together perfectly. Before long another pair of howls pierced the night, and then… silence…\n\nOoOoO\n\nJose stood nervously in front of the video of Von Reichter who glared down severely at the boy. “But father, I-”\n\n“No more excuses Jose!” Von Reichter jabbed a finger towards him, “Once again, you were defeated by CB6. My patience is at an end.” He returned his hands to a clasped position, “You will come back to the castle immediately, no delays!” the transmission shut off which left Jose shaking for a moment before he composed himself.\n\n“Frostbite, gather the fixed ideas. We’re returning to father!” He goose-stepped out of his office and down the hall.\n\n“Right away, boss!” Frostbite scurried to fulfill his order.\n\nOoOoO\n\nIt was an unusually misty morning for late summer out in the harbor. One fishing was bringing in the night’s haul when it smashed into something massive, knocking the crew to the ground.\n\n“The hell?” One sailor picked himself up, “There’s no island here.” He blinked then looked again and almost jumped back.\n\nThe “island” was a massive black mass, not dirt or rock but something knobbly and thick. The vessel’s captain was the first to approach and reach out to touch it. It felt like hard leather except-\n\n“It’s breathing!” the man shuddered as he swore could feel a pulse under his hand.\n\nA stretching sound followed by cries of fear accompanied a massive tentacle rising out of the water then swinging down to smash the boat as the sailors and fishers dove overboard, a couple grabbing life preservers as their boat was smashed to splinters. Those treading water or with preservers watched as the giant mass melted back into the fog.\n\nOoOoO\n\nFlash shivered slightly as the rising sun pierced through his closed eyes then snuggled more deeply into Oopsy’s fur. It took him a moment to remember where he was as he was slowly dragged into wakefulness.\n\n“Good morning, Flash,” Oopsy whispered to him.\n\nFlash Heart smiled and finally opened his eyes to look back at her, “Morning Dizzy.” They kissed for a moment, then Flash looked down at their naked bodies, still matted in dirt, grass and leaves from the previous night. “That all really happened? I mean, we really did all that?”\n\nOopsy giggled, “Yep, welcome to the world of werewolves, even if it is just the two of us.” She carefully extricated herself from Flash Heart and stood up to stretch. “So how do you feel?”\n\n“Different, exhilarated and,” Flash reached up to feel his hair only to find it had grown out and was still long, “long haired?” He stood up, using the tree for support.\n\n“A small side effect, my hair used to be a lot shorter too,” Oopsy reached over to brush some of the dirt out of Flash’s hair, “I like that look on you.”\n\nFlash chuckled, “Thanks, Dizzy. So now what?”\n\n“Now, we go find our clothes and…” she froze, “something’s coming! Get down!” She and Flash dropped as the sound of vehicles approached from the nearby road. Both peered up just enough to see the Jeep driven by Frostbite with Jose in the driver’s seat followed by a large truck and a pickup truck both filled with fixed ideas.\n\n“We have to follow them!” Flash whispered harshly.\n\n“Got it!” Oopsy’s growly voice made Flash turn to see her already in werewolf form. Before he could protest, she picked him up under her arm and jumped into the back of the pickup. Flash immediately grabbed a tarp he saw and threw it over the both of them as they lay in the back. The fixed idea in the passenger’s seat looked back for a moment but when it just saw the tarp it decided not to bother, just thinking it was a bump in the road.\n\nThey rode for ages, not able to tell the exact time. Flash thought he would get excited riding next to Oopsy in her werewolf form but instead he was just nervous to the point that he was gripping her side so hard she winced but managed to stop from crying out.\n\nAfter what felt like days the truck finally ground to a halt and they felt the weight shift as the fixed ideas in the cab disembarked. Flash took a chance to look out and saw the fixed ideas led by Frostbite and Jose entering a massive building, on top of which there was an observatory.\n\n“I know where this is,” Flash whispered, “We have to tell mom.”\n\n“Let’s go then,” Oopsy whispered and carefully pulled the tarp off. She was still in werewolf form as she picked Flash up on to her back where he grabbed on to her mane of hair as she jumped into the woods and took off back towards the city. The two fixed ideas on guard turned at the sound but thankfully didn’t catch sight of them. One scratched its head in confusion then went back to watching things.\n\nAs Flash Heart held on, he felt an exhilaration flood through him. Oopsy’s smell combined with the rush of running through the woods put a big grin on his face, his teeth starting to lengthen and sharpen.\n\nOopsy smelled what was happening and grinned, “Getting excited?”\n\n“Yes!” Flash let out a shout as he felt his body transforming, no longer overwhelmed like last night. Before long, Flash jumped off Oopsy’s back and was running alongside her on all fours as another werewolf.\n\nOoOoO\n\nSoul Heart didn’t sleep, but she lay on the couch with Lucas far longer than she needed to that morning. Even though she was stronger than him she liked being able to feel safe with him, or at least that she didn’t need to do everything entirely by herself.\n\nShe was up and making breakfast, deciding to go all out on a big meal especially since she was expecting Oopsy and Flash back and for them to be hungry as wolves, literally she smirked to herself.\n\nShe was just turning the scrambled eggs into a large bowl when she heard Lucas at the apartment’s front door. “Soul Heart! You have to come see this now!”\n\nSoul Heart jumped but hurried with turning the ham she was cooking on to a plate, “Just a moment, don’t want breakfast to burn.” She left the toaster, it would pop on its own, and ran after Lucas as he led her to the stairs up to the roof.\n\nLucas ran to the side and pointed out to the bay, “I came out for some fresh air and saw that!”\n\nSoul Heart stared at the massive black dome-shaped object in the middle of the bay, unable to find any words for it. A sudden spasm rocked her arm and she winced and grabbed her shaking limb. She averted her gaze from the bay and stared at her limb, clenching her fist until the feeling passed. She had used too much of her abilities against the robot circus without even a fixed idea to replenish her sustenance.\n\n“It’s gotta be from Von Reichter,” Lucas hadn’t noticed Soul Heart’s hesitation.\n\n“Yes,” Soul Heart walked to the edge and stared out at the thing, “that must be what he used all the abducted humans for.” She didn’t have to look at Lucas to see his horrified reaction, “Where did you think he got all the raw materials from. That’s why there’s almost no homeless here anymore.” She turned and walked back to the door.\n\n“What are we going to do about it?” Lucas followed her back inside.\n\n“We’re going to eat breakfast and then I am going to finish this,” her emphasis started Lucas and she added before he could interject, “Alone.”\n\n“Alone, but Soul Heart.” Lucas grabbed her shoulder as they stopped outside her apartment door.\n\n“Lucas, please, I know this is hard but I feel responsible for this. I should have spent more time looking for Von Reichter instead of delaying by fighting his monsters so I could keep feeding off them.” She took a deep breath and smiled, “I just want one more morning with my loved ones before I have to do this.”\n\n“Want me to leave then?” Lucas let go of her.\n\nSoul Heart turned to him, “No, I said I want to spend this time with all my loved ones,” she reached for him.\n\nLucas caught on and reached out for her too, “I love you, Soul Heart.”\n\n“I love you too, Lucas,” they both kissed for a moment. “Now let’s eat breakfast.” She opened the door to let him in. She paused at the entrance and looked down the hall, “Flash and Oopsy are late,” she shook her head, just hoping they were busy in the woods before she turned to sit in on breakfast.\n\nOoOoO\n\nJose goose-stepped through his father’s lair and past several giant tanks with Frostbite on his heels. Von Reichter sat waiting for them in front of a massive computer, hands tented and smiling at him for once. If Jose were anything resembling normal, he would have been disturbed.\n\n“Ahh, Jose, welcome home. And you too Frostbite.”\n\n“Thanks, Professor Cold Heart, Uh I mean Doctor Reichter,” Frostbite saluted. Von Reichter sighed, having long ago given up trying to make Frostbite not greet him by his first cover name.\n\n“Why did you call me home, father?” Jose kept his tone level.\n\nIf Von Reichter detected the annoyance under the surface, he ignored it and motioned for the two to join him at the computer, “Come here and see.” He spun his chair to face the screen and with a few taps brought up a view of the bay, and the giant black monster floating in it, a freighter not being able to change its course soon enough to avoid passing by it. “Watch the freighter,” Von Reichter input a command. On the screen a colossal black tentacle rose from the water and smashed the ship to pieces.\n\nJose was very much impressed and gave an enthusiastic fist-pump as he smiled at the destruction, “Remarkable! But what is it?”\n\n“I call it the living island,” Von Reichter grinned as he began inputting more into the computer. Jose leaned over in time to catch his father type ‘THE LATE CB6’ in. Von Reichter glared back and Jose feigned innocence while pulling back.\n\nVon Reichter finished his command which made an otherwise invisible single eye to begin blinking bright red, “It’s a bomb,” he switched the screen to a digital map of the city and the bay, “At midnight it will reach the center of Meridiana and explode,” a skull symbol appeared in the middle of the city’s map and a small light representing the living island began to move towards the city.\n\n“What?!” Jose was aghast, “But it’s my city! You said I could have it!”\n\nVon Reichter looked at his son with pity, “Oh, Jose, it’s just a city and after this the rest of the world will be forced to stand up and take notice,” he turned back to the console, “and I’ll have the chance to implement countermeasures against them.”\n\nJose just huffed then stormed off with Frostbite following, “But it’s my city,” he pouted.\n\nOoOoO\n\nIt was getting closer.\n\nSoul Heart had gone back up to the roof to watch the… thing in the bay. It had started moving closer some time ago and now she could make out a faint red blinking somewhere near its top; that couldn’t be good. To make things worse Flash and Oopsy still hadn’t returned even as the day wore on.\n\n“No more stalling,” Soul Heart glared at the living island then turned and marched back inside.\n\nSoul Heart didn’t really pay any attention once she entered her apartment and undressed, leaving her dress on the floor as she shapeshifted into CB6 and pulled out his outfit.\n\n“Mom, where are you going?” Tarot Heart Bear asked from the couch where he sat with Lucas.\n\n“To finish things with Von Reichter,” CB6 put on his glasses.\n\n“When are you coming back?” Tarot Heart had his hands on his tarot card deck, afraid to try and answer the question himself.\n\n“I don’t know if I am.” CB6 walked over to Tarot and picked him up in a tight hug, “Just promise me you’ll grow up happy, I’ll make sure you can grow up.”\n\nTarot Heart nodded, not able to hold back the tears as CB6 set him down, “OK, mom…”\n\nCB6 walked to the window then paused as she felt Lucas had walked up behind him, “Lucas, if I don’t come back, please look after them for me.”\n\n“I will,” Lucas put a hand on CB6’s shoulder. The brown bear turned around and shared one last kiss with Lucas before he jumped out the window. Lucas touched his face where he still felt the fur from him, “I love you, Soul Heart, CB6.” He sighed and closed the window.\n\nCB6 jumped across the rooftops on the way out of the city. First, he’d have to find Flash Heart and Oopsy and get them somewhere safe and then find Von Reichter. He slowed down as he reached the end of the city and paused to look at the bay. That thing was getting closer, it would reach the shore before too long. Even if he had a full reserve of sustenance, he doubted he could freeze and shatter something that big like with the floating eye Jose had set loose on the city a couple weeks ago.\n\nCB6 felt another spasm rock down his arm and he froze, the pain was much more intense this time and he was forced to wait for the pain to pass. He wished he’d tried to do this sooner, but that was his mistake for not trying to find and stop Von Reichter. He jumped down and ran into the countryside.\n\n“Mom! Over here!” the growly voice made CB6 freeze and turn to be face-to-face with a pair of werewolves. One was Oopsy, with a sack slung over her shoulder, but the other was yellow and clearly masculine.\n\nCB6 smiled, “Flash Heart! That’s you right?” he walked closer and reached up to the yellow werewolf’s muzzle.\n\n“It’s me mom, it worked.” Flash nuzzled CB6’s hand, “sorry we’re late but we found something: Von Reichter’s lair!”\n\n“Really?!” CB6 was instantly alert, “Where?”\n\n“That old observatory at the end of the cape,” Oopsy pointed out across the bay.\n\nCB6 could just barely make out the observatory. It was built years ago but eventually abandoned when funding dried up for whatever was being researched. No one really paid it much mind as it was too far from the city for anyone to want to go poking around, not because they were afraid it was dangerous but because the trek out there wasn’t worth it nor the cost of gas. It was the perfect place for Von Reichter to hide and keep an eye on the city.\n\n“Thank you, now I need to finish this.” CB6 clenched his fists.\n\n“We’ll take him down, no problem!” Werewolf Flash raised one of his clawed hands.\n\nCB6 shook his head, “No. I might not be coming back from this and I’m not going to let either of you die, that and there might be some of Von Reichter’s monsters still lurking around that you’ll need to take care of.”\n\n“It’s because of that thing, isn’t it?” Oopsy pointed with a clawed paw towards the living island, still approaching the shore.\n\n“Yes. You two need to turn back to bears and go home,” CB6 turned back to the couple.\n\nFlash looked embarrassed as he clenched his paws together, “Umm, I haven’t figure out how to shift back on command yet…”\n\n“And it’s still light out,” though they had saved the city numerous times they were still mostly rumors and rare sightings so two werewolves running across town after most work was finished might make the oncoming panic worse.\n\n“Don’t worry, I have a place we can hole up until he changes back and things calm down,” Oopsy put a hand on Flash’s shoulder.\n\n“Good, go there and just… be safe,” CB6 said before he took off at a run to get to the observatory.\n\n“This way, hurry,” Oopsy tugged Flash’s arm and they ran through the city.\n\nThankfully the panic of the approaching island had a lot of people trying to flee the city and if any saw the werewolves, they were already too panicky to care much.\n\nOopsy led Flash into an old subway tunnel and off to a rather large side office a short ways in. “Welcome to my home,” Oopsy gave a wolfy grin.\n\nFlash gaped, it wasn’t big but it was surprisingly well furnished with a queen-sized bed, television, fridge, stove with oven, microwave, sink, cupboards, bathroom with shower and a large shut-off computer console to one side of the room. “Where did you get all this stuff, Dizzy?”\n\n“It was already here,” Oopsy concentrated and was able to shift down to her bear form. She set the sack down which had the clothes they had shed last night in it. “I think it was a station manager’s office where they could just live without needing to leave. Place still gets power for some reason.” Oopsy sat down on the bed.\n\n“Right, I used to sleep in subways before they were all closed down,” Flash nodded. Merdiana had dug them out ages ago but had mostly abandoned its train system for busses due to expense, leaving large areas of the subway system abandoned. “So now what?”\n\n“Come here,” Oopsy beckoned to the still wolfy Flash Heart. He obeyed and sat down on the floor in front of her as she took the sides of his face in her hands, “Look at me, focus on me and who you are. You are a wolf but you are a bear as well, just relax.” Oopsy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Flash Heart mimicked her actions and before too long felt himself shrinking and compacting. A minute later he sat naked on the floor as his bear self.\n\n“Wow, it’s really that simple?” Flash Heart stood up and checked himself over to make sure everything was where he left it.\n\n“It’ll take some practise,” Oopsy just sat there, admiring Flash’s body in the room’s light.\n\n“What should we do while we wait for mom?” Flash turned to face Oopsy, only just now seeming to realize they were both naked in what was basically her bedroom.\n\nOopsy gave a sultry look and beckoned Flash towards the bed, “Oh, I think we can find a way to occupy our time, something to take the edge off things.” She crawled backwards onto the bed until she was lying sideways and facing him.\n\nFlash grinned and climbed on with her, “I love the way you think, Dizzy.” He kissed her.\n\n“And I love you you’re into this,” Oopsy kissed back.\n\n“I love you, Dizzy.”\n\n“I love you, Flash,” and before long they were in each other’s embrace. Part of them knew it was a bad time but they both needed something to distract themselves from what could be their impending doom.\n\nOoOoO\n\nJose was stomping around in a circle in the control room, mumbling to himself for ages as Frostbite watched.\n\n“It’s my city! My city! He can’t just take it from me!” He threw himself on the chair in front of the screen which still showed the map and the island as it finally reached the dock and started crawling through the city.\n\nJose stared at the screen, then got a sinister grin on his face, “Oh we’ll see who loses everything, father,” he typed furiously at the keyboard until the small screen asked for a password.\n\n“Password, what password!” Jose grumbled before he had a flash of memory, “That’s it! THE LATE CB6!” he entered the password and the interface let him in. Jose grinned as he entered the command, “Living Island, it’s time to come home!” The skull showing the island’s target disappeared from the center of the city on the map and then reappeared at the location of the observatory and the dot representing the island began moving back towards the observatory.\n\nJose jumped down from the chair, “Frostbite, let’s go!” He ran off with Frostbite following.\n\nOoOoO\n\nThe living island had crushed half the dockyard under its mass when it suddenly slowed to a stop. People fleeing stopped to stare as the giant… thing started to back away.\n\nOopsy and Flash lay together in her subway office apartment but both perked up when the rumbling stopped. Too curious, they ran outside even and watched as the living island slid back out into the water and they hugged in relief before they returned to the apartment now that the tension was broken.\n\nAround the rest of the city the evacuation stalled. Was the thing really going away? Was the danger passed? Some believed so and wanted to go home which just made the traffic jams worse.\n\nOoOoO\n\nCB6 ran non-stop, not stopping to check the progress of the island, the rumbling in the distance was all he needed to know it was still moving. For once in his life, CB6 was feeling exhausted due to lack of sustenance, he couldn’t even spare any to ice the ground and speed up his journey.\n\nIt was late into the night by the time he arrived at the observatory and the massive castle lab beneath it. He just stood and stared for a minute before nerving himself and charging for the door.\n\nOddly, the door wasn’t locked and CB6 easily slipped inside. He shuddered as he gazed around. It wasn’t the same lab where he was created but the familiar setting made him shudder. Not knowing the layout, he skulked around the alien-looking machines before he entered another door and gasped, barely able to stop himself from shouting out. The whole room was full of giant glass tanks each containing a horrific monster that looked like something out of an old sci-fi B-movie floating in a vat of green glowing sustenance. He reached forwards and touched on, part of him feeling for the other monsters like himself, but unable to walk among humans.\n\nHe had no time to contemplate as the sound of a door opening announced the arrival of a fixed idea. It glared at CB6 then charged at him, slamming its fist down at the brown bear. CB6 easily dodged back and threw his own punch, only for it to have no effect on the hulking monster. He only had a moment to realize how weak he was before the fixed idea grabbed him and squeeze him before it threw him overhand into one of the tanks, cracking the glass.\n\n“Weak!” The fixed idea stated as it cracked its knuckles while it advanced on the fallen bear.\n\n“Damnit!” CB6 swore as he forced himself into a sitting position, if only he had some… what was that on his head? He looked up and saw sustenance leaking out of the tank he had hit. No time to waste he tilted his head back, catching a small trickle in his mouth. That was enough as he felt a burst of energy right as the fixed idea was ready to smash him and he sprung up, punching the monster in the gut and sending it reeling which let him jump up and smash the monster on the head. The fixed idea crumpled and needing the nourishment, CB6 used a tiny ice dagger to slice an opening in the creature’s neck and drew out the fixed idea’s sustenance and drank it down as renewed strength flooded into him.\n\n“Ahh, very good, CB6. I wouldn’t have expected any less from one of my creations.”\n\nCB6 rounded on the voice and found himself face-to-face with Von Reichter, who wore a psychotic smirk and seemed to radiate pride as he stared at him through his monocle.\n\n“Von Reichter,” CB6 readied himself to pounce, “Time to do what I should have done a long time ago!”\n\n“On really, you think you can stop me?” his voice was mocking.\n\n“I could snap your neck in an instant,” CB6 advanced on Von Reichter.\n\nThe blue-skinned scientist stepped back and his smirk vanished, though his voice didn’t lose any of his edge, “Without sustenance, you will also die.”\n\nCB6 stopped dead in his tracks. It was true, despite hating the man and everything he represented, without Von Reichter CB6 would lose his only source of sustenance, not that he had been able to get much lately anyway, and he’d leave Flash and Tarot without their mother. But if Von Reichter wasn’t stopped then they might not have a future, with or without Soul Heart.\n\nVon Reichter saw he was getting to CB6 and smiled sinisterly again, “I could free you from it, make you able to survive without sustenance.”\n\nThat made CB6 stop, “What?”\n\n“Yes, in fact I have one creation that doesn’t depend on it.” Von Reichter beckoned for him to follow then turned and walked past all the giant specimen tanks, and CB6 followed.\n\n“Ahh the sustenance,” Von Reichter mused as they walked, “during the war they wanted a super-soldier solution but with such a short time frame I didn’t have time make any creations and just trying to make regular people stronger would have been too difficult and costly, so instead I worked another angle: to make it so soldiers could march and fight for days without even needing to stop to for relief. The sustenance! It could fully nourish anyone who drank it and keep them awake and active for almost a week before they finally collapsed from exhaustion and so efficiently used by the body that they could march all day and night, outlasting the enemy. It turning out to be addictive was unplanned, but not unwelcome.”\n\n“You used it on humans?” CB6 wasn’t surprised.\n\n“Of course, I had to start somewhere,” Von Reichter stopped in front of the large computer console, “They could recover with enough time but my creations, like you, would always need it to survive, except for one: Frostbite. During my time as ‘Professor Cold Heart’ I continued my experiments and even though my brain was addled by an incomplete cloning process I managed to create Frostbite, and he doesn’t need the sustenance. Fortunately, he was too dumb to betray me and I was able to eventually pull the secret out of him despite having lost my notes. It would take time but I could use the same process on you, if you pledge your loyalty to me.”\n\nCB6 grit his teeth, “And the giant monster?”\n\n“Ahh, the living island,” Von Reichter began typing on the computer, “You arrived just in time. Any minute now it will reach the center of Meridiana and explode,” he turned on the screen, then jumped back as he saw the living island right on the cape and heading right for the lab. “What?! But how… Jose!”\n\n“So your son sent it right back at you,” CB6 grabbed Von Reichter and spun him around to face him, “the explosion might still destroy the city. Stop it! Now!”\n\nVon Reichter started to sweat, “I can’t! Once the countdown starts it can’t be stopped!”\n\n“Then move it into the forest! That might contain the explosion,” CB6 let him go and Von Reichter hastily entered new coordinates, if only to stop the thing from crushing the lab, and directed it towards the forest nearby.\n\nCB6 breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the island moving away, at least now everyone would be safe.\n\nVon Reichter carefully backed away from CB6 for a moment then turned and ran to a large switch on the wall, typed on a keypad and threw switch. A loud hissing and sloshing made CB6 whirl around to see all the giant jars slide down, flooding the lab with sustenance as all of the monsters stood up and slowly marched towards CB6.\n\n“Have to go now!” Von Reichter stepped back past two advancing monsters.\n\nCB6 readied himself for a fight as the monsters converged on him, only for them to turn to Von Reichter as two moved to barr his way as the rest converged on him. CB6 moved to join them when one of the monsters, a thick-limbed humanoid with a frog-like mouth, gently grabbed her shoulder then pointed with one hand towards the exit.\n\nCB6 understood, but still formed a spear of ice in his hand, “HEY! PROFESSOR COLD HEART!”\n\n“Don’t call me that!” Von Reichter turned right as CB6 threw the spear, which pierced through his chest and knocked him down.\n\n“Cold Heart suits you,” CB6 turned and ran for the exit as the rest of the monsters converged on Von Reichter, his life ebbing away.\n\nCB6 pulled the sustenance from the floor and up into his mouth as he ran, drinking as much as he could since this would likely be his last chance ever, even if he was overdoing it, and even grabbed a vial off a table as he ran to store some for later. The ground shook as the living island continued into the forest and the countdown grew ever smaller.\n\nCB6 saw the exit door ahead and charged ahead, slamming into it.\n\nThe island’s eye flashed faster and faster until it was a solid red.\n\nA massive explosion ripped through the forest, observed by everyone in Merdiana, the size of a small nuclear warhead as the heat washed over the city but thankfully didn’t do more than knock people off their feet as the forest absorbed most of the blast.\n\n“MOM!” Tarot Heart burst into tears from where he stood at the window with Lucas, who was also crying but held the small black bear close in an attempt to comfort him.\n\nFlash and Oopsy had emerged just in time to see the smoke and crater that were all that remained of the cape. They hugged, neither able to express their grief through anything but crying.\n\nOoOoO\n\nA week passed…\n\nAfter the explosion the town went silent and people slowly untangled the messy evacuation and returned to their lives. The disappearance of Soul Heart from the library was noticed but many assumed she had died in the panicked evacuation, along with a few other unfortunates who died in the panic.\n\nFlash, Oopsy, Lucas and Tarot Heart drove out to see the pandas, mostly to check on them and make sure they were alright. When they arrived at the pandas home, Perfect and Polite emerged, both with bags under their eyes and looking exhausted.\n\nPerfect smiled, “We were hoping to see you soon.”\n\n“We’re just happy you showed up before the moon,” Polite nodded then yawned.\n\n“Happy to see you too,” Oopsy gave Polite a hug. “We were worried about you after the explosion.”\n\n“We were worried too, he gave us such a fright,” Polite let go.\n\n“But now he’s better, he was going to go home tonight,” Perfect motioned for them to enter the cave.\n\nThey didn’t need to, as CB6 emerged from their home. His glasses were missing and what was left of his trenchcoat and other clothing was in tatters but he smiled as he stumbled towards them. Slowly shifting into Soul Heart once he saw who was waiting for him.\n\n“MOM!” Flash Heart and Tarot Heart both shouted and almost pounced on her in a big hug, which she gratefully returned.\n\n“Soul Heart!” Lucas stayed back to let her two adopted sons hug her but he still smiled, “We thought you were dead.”\n\n“So did I,” Soul Heart set Tarot Heart down, as he had jumped into her arms. “I made it outside and ran when I heard it explode. I don’t know how far I flew but… it shredded me.” Soul Heart touched where the clothes had been shredded, as though something had cut through right through it from above, “I’ll spare you the details but it hurt and I had to lie there as I forced myself back together and let myself heal. A couple monsters escaped and barely survived so I had something to replenish myself with, and make sure they didn’t roam or suffer. I stumbled through the forest until the Pandas found me.” She motioned to the pandas, “get some sleep, and thank you.”\n\nThe two pandas nodded and retreated into their home.\n\n“They stayed up so long to make sure I was alright,” Soul Heart sighed\n\n“As long as you’re back,” Flash smiled, “I didn’t want you to miss our graduation.”\n\nOopsy nodded, “More than just school. Flash is coming along quite well as a werewolf.”\n\nSoul Heart smiled, “You’ll have to tell me about it, at home. I know I can’t get tired but I feel like I really need some rest.”\n\n“I’m just happy to see you again,” Lucas walked up alongside Soul Heart as they headed back into the city.\n\nSoul Heart stood up and kissed Lucas, “Thank you, also I have this.” She carefully fished the half-full vial of sustenance out of an inside pocket of the torn trench coat. “I know you’re a biologist but maybe you can find a way to replicate this.”\n\n“The sustenance?” Lucas took the vial, “I can try but no promises. How much umm…”\n\n“I had plenty, and if I don’t have to go out and fight monsters I have enough stored for a long time,” Soul Heart assured them. Privately she hoped it was enough, “I just hope I don’t need to be CB6 for a long time, if ever again.”\n\n“Don’t you like being a superhero, mom?” Flash asked.\n\n“I wouldn’t call myself that, and I don’t want to if it means I won’t be around for you the rest of you.” She sighed, “let’s just go home.”\n\nOoOoO\n\nThe underworld was quiet. Jose hadn’t recalled the Tecnos he had installed and with the severely depleted manpower and all the weapons lost in his first attempt to consolidate the gangsters their activities had dwindled to a trickle.\n\nThe Joe Tecno just sat in the office alone most days until one day, Jose returned.\n\nFlanked by two fixed ideas and Frostbite, Jose goose-stepped into the office, “I see you’ve kept running things.”\n\n“Not much left to run, sorry boss,” Joe apologized.\n\n“Oh don’t worry about that.” Jose pulled himself up on to the desk, “With father gone it’s time for me to really rule the city!”\n\n[b]THE END… FOR NOW[/b]", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Chapter 4: The Final Confrontation


Tarot Heart liked school, which some found odd. He wasn’t the best student nor the teacher’s favorite but he just liked being around other children his age and making friends. Mostly he was just happy not to be living on the street as a pickpocket anymore. There weren’t many other anthros in his elementary school, none in his class, but he made a few human friends. He didn’t hang out after school though, too afraid to be on the streets without his brother or Soul Heart, or Oopsy since she and Flash had started dating. Thankfully his friends understood once he told them about how he was forced to live on the streets under the thumb of his old boss.

It was an hour before school was out that a vision hit Tarot Heart like a ton of bricks. One minute he was going over math problems, then he grabbed his head and screamed and fell to the floor.

The teacher was at his desk in a moment and tried to calm him down as he muttered, “mom… need mom…”

“Isn’t his mom the bear at the library?” one of the students asked.

“Yeah, I think she’s miss Soul Heart,” one of Tarot’s friends said.

Thankfully Tarot Heart was light enough to pick up and the teacher spoke as she lifted the now fetal Tarot Heart in her arms, “Keep working, I’m taking Tarot Heart to the nurse and calling his mom. I’ll be back right away.” Everyone watched as she left then reluctantly went back to their math but gossiped about what had happened until their teacher returned.

Soul Heart got the phone call about Tarot collapsing in class and ran off to make sure he was alright. Too worried to walk she made sure she wasn’t being watched and jumped across the rooftops until she landed in an alley near his school, being grateful that this old-world city had so few cell phones, less ubiquitous cameras and sub-par internet at the best of times.

The school nurse was startled that Soul Heart arrived so quickly, but didn’t stop her from looking after her son. She crouched at the side of the bed and stroked Tarot Heart’s head.

“Tarot Heart? Tarot Heart it’s mom, can you hear me?” she whispered.

Tarot Heart opened one eye, “Yes,” he whispered back.

“Are you alright?”

“I saw something in my head again,” Tarot Heart closed his eye again.

Soul Heart had to control her surprised and she carefully turned to the nurse, “May I take him home?”

The nurse looked at the wall clock, “Well school’s out in half-an-hour so that should be fine. I’ll let his teacher know and he can get his homework tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Soul Heart carefully nudged Tarot Heart to sit up then stand and they left. Tarot Heart stumbled partway home but thankfully with everyone still in work the streets were mostly empty so Soul Heart picked Tarot Heart up and ran all the way home while carrying him. The few people who saw this didn’t say anything or just didn’t pay attention.

“I saw something big, and bad,” Tarot Heart mumbled once they were inside.

“What was it?” Soul Heart tried to keep her voice level but wasn’t able to hide how worried she was.

“I… don’t want to know,” Tarot Heart turned his head away, “But it’s going to be soon.”

“Then just rest,” Soul Heart had reached the bedroom and she lay Tarot Heart down on the bed, “I’ll make supper in a bit,” she added as she left the room.

“Thanks mom,” Tarot smiled, shuffled under the covers, and fell asleep.

Tarot Heart was awakened much later when he felt something stroke his head.

“Hey, Tarot, feeling alright?” Flash Heart was sitting on the bed.

Tarot Heart nodded, “A bit, just needed sleep.”

“Mom said you saw something, another of your visions about Jose?” Flash asked.

“Mmhmm,” Tarot averted his eyes, “something big, but I’m scared to find out. Don’t wanna look at my cards in case… in case it’s even worse…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Flash reassured him, “Mom’s just making supper, pizza tonight, just gotta wait.”

Tarot Heart smiled, “Yay…”

Both Oopsy and Soul Heart leaned out her apartment window. The wind was mostly still but both were feeling unnaturally cold.

“How was your Valentine’s date?” Soul Heart asked the question very casually.

“It was fun, not much just out to dinner and a movie,” Oopsy smiled, “Flash is quite a gentleman when he wants to be.”

“Good,” Soul Heart nodded. She didn’t turn to Oopsy as she continued, “Oopsy, I want you to turn Flash Heart into a werewolf.”

Oopsy coughed and almost gagged, “What?!” she almost shouted before stopping herself. “Why?”

Soul Heart kept her gaze out across the city, “Something big’s going to happen soon and I’ll need to stop it, and I don’t know if I’m coming back.” She stared at one of her hands, “I could have taken out Jose at any time, but I need the sustenance from Von Reichter’s monsters too survive. I figured as long as Jose was around, I would have a constant supply so I could stick around longer, for Flash and Tarot Heart especially, but now things are getting more desperate, like him not using things I can drink from.”

“Like the robot circus we destroyed last week,” Oopsy mumbled, “But why do you want me to try and change him. I mean we talked about it before but I didn’t want to force it on him…”

Soul Heart smirked, “He’s told me about it too, says he dreams around it sometimes but didn’t want to force it either, in case you didn’t want to. But if I don’t come back I want him strong enough to defend himself and Tarot Heart and someone like you to guide him through it.” She sighed, “after supper tonight you two should go on a date and you can ask him again, don’t force him but try to convince him.”

Oopsy gulped, “I’ll try.”

The sound of the oven timer broke them out of their conversation. While the three younger bears ate, Soul Heart called Lucas and asked if he’d like to visit that evening.

Oopsy wolfed down her portions then watched as Flash and Tarot ate more slowly. She found herself staring at Flash Heart for so long enough that he commented, “Something on my face, Dizzy?” he grabbed a napkin and started wiping his face.

“Well not anymore,” Oopsy giggled, “I was just thinking: would you like to go out tonight?”

“Really?” Flash looked at Tarot Heart, “I mean I’d like to but I don’t want to leave Tarot Heart alone after today.”

“It’s fine, Flash,” Soul Heart hung up, “I’ll be here and you should enjoy yourself tonight.” She smiled at the two.

“Alright,” Flash brightened up and Oopsy took his hand.

“Let’s go!” Oopsy was up on her feet and all but dragged Flash out the door, which made Tarot and Soul Heart giggle.

It was a short time later that there was a buzz from the front doorbell speaker. “Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Lucas,” the voice crackled back.

“I’ll let you in,” Soul Heart pushed the door button for a few seconds then waited.

Lucas knocked and was promptly invited in by Soul Heart. He scanned the small living space, “Same size as my place,” he commented.

“Good thing I don’t have to sleep, we only have one bed,” Soul Heart rolled her eyes.

Tarot Heart was watching TV if only to distract himself from his premonition earlier, but his ears perked up when he heard what his mom and Lucas were discussing.

“Lucas, something big is coming and I might need to put an end to Von Reichter, permanently.”

“But don’t you need his creatures to survive,” Lucas was shocked.

Soul Heart gripped the long skirt she was still wearing, “I do, but I’ve let it go too long. I feel so selfish when I should have been trying to stop him before anything like this could happen. I need your help, Lucas,” she took a deep shuddering breath.

“You mean to find him, or stop him,” he saw the despondent look on Soul Heart’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“No, not like that. I’m not going to put your life at risk. If I don’t come back from whatever happens, I want you to look after Flash Heart and Tarot Heart for me,” she averted her eyes from Lucas.

“You’re not coming back?” Tarot Heart leaned over the couch’s arm to stare at her.

Soul Heart forced herself to look him in the eye, “I don’t know if I will. Something big enough to hurt you in a premonition, I might need to sacrifice everything to stop him.” She walked over to Tarot Heart and stroked his head, “Just know that whatever happens that I love you and I want you to grow up safe and happy, even if I won’t be here.”

Tarot Heart struggled to hold back tears, and failed as they started to leak out, “Mom, please don’t go…”

“I wish I could stay, but sometimes you have to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice,” she carefully picked Tarot Heart up and hugged him tight. Tarot hugged back and started to cry. Soul Heart let him cry it out before she set him back down on the couch.

Lucas had approached from behind by now, “I will, don’t worry about your kids. They’ll be in safe hands.”

Soul Heart turned around and gave a surprisingly bright smile, “Lucas… thank you,” she suddenly reached up and pulled him into a kiss which startled both him and Tarot Heart. Lucas didn’t refuse, instead he reached down and hugged her close.

It was what Soul Heart needed to feel, she could love and be loved even if she wasn’t human or an anthro. Instead of making her hesitate it only hardened her resolve. She wouldn’t let anything happen as long as she could help it!

OoOoO

Oopsy led Flash Heart on their date through Meridiana’s streets, occasionally making a couple of turns but always heading in the same general direction. The sun was setting as the approached the city limits.

“Should be better than the last couple study dates we had,” Flash rolled his eyes.

“I needed them, Guidance is a good tutor,” Oopsy was a bit distracted.

Flash finally noticed they were outside the city limits as the sun was sinking past the horizon, “So where are we going, Dizzy?”

“Into the woods,” Oopsy paused, “I should have asked earlier,” she turned to face Flash with a worried expression on her face, “Would you like to become a werewolf?”

Flash froze, “What? Really! I mean, are you serious?”

Oopsy smiled, “Yes, I am. I’ve wanted to ask for a while but I was nervous, until your mom asked me to.”

“Guess she’s worried about what Tarot said,” Flash averted his gaze and then looked up to see Oopsy walking out towards the woods and he jogged to keep up with her.

As the sun’s final rays vanished over the horizon, Oopsy began to shed her clothing until she stood naked and undid her braid and let her hair fall across her back. She took a deep breath and stared up at the sky.

“A full moon, perfect,” she took a deep breath as her body began to bulk up. Flash watched, able to enjoy it since they weren’t in mortal danger. Oopsy sensed this and drew out her changes, growing taller and more muscular, her ears turning pointed, her tail pushing out, her and face pushing forwards into a muzzle. She turned to face Flash and grinned as her teeth grew pointier, her feet became digitigrade, claws grew on her fingers and toes and her breasts grew as she reached her full height. Her fur blew in the wind as did her now shaggy but still beautiful mane of green hair and her eyes reflected the full moon over head.

She extended a clawed hand with pads upwards towards Flash and spoke with the grow underpinning her voice, “Come, Flash, join me in the night.”

Her grin would have looked sinister to anyone else, but to Flash Heart it was an enticing invitation as he pulled off his shirt, shedding the rest of his clothing as he approached her. “Please, Dizzy,” he was practically begging.

Oopsy grinned then stepped forwards and slashed at Flash’s chest, just deep enough to draw blood. Flash winced but before he could react Oopsy bit his shoulder, again just deep enough to draw blood.

“OW! Shit that hurt!” Flash’s swearing somewhat broke the mood as he held his chest and shoulder.

“Sorry,” Oopsy knelt at his side, “Now just wait, feel it within you and let it happen.”

Flash just nodded and pulled his hand away from the injuries, just leaking a little blood. He stared up at the moon and took a deep breath, “Just let it happen, just let it happen…” he repeated to himself as though it were a magic spell.

Flash felt his heart beating in his ear and he stumbled slightly as the feeling hit him hard. His breathing became short and rapid as he panted and felt his teeth sharpening inside his mouth. His ears started to hurt and he grabbed both of them as his panting got even faster, his eyes starting to white out.

“Flash! Flash!” Oopsy crouched in front of Flash Heart who just swiped out at her with newly forming claws, which she easily dodged. Oopsy grabbed the sides of Flash Heart’s face and held it up, “Flash Heart, look at me!” she stared at him.

Flash Heart found himself staring into Oopsy eyes, his breathing growing slower and more relaxed even as the pain surged through him again, his body starting to bulk up as his ears pointed and his face pushed forwards into a longer muzzle.

“Diz-zy,” Flash growled, his voice getting deeper as he started to grow larger.

“Yes, it’s me, Dizzy. I’m here for you, don’t worry I know it hurts but I’ll be here,” Oopsy smiled at him.

Flash winced as he felt his stubby tail grow longer and stood up more as his torso and legs grew, his feet shifting to stand on his toes like Oopsy was. Oopsy stepped back as Flash grew taller and taller until he was at least as tall as she was, unable to tear her gaze from his body as his hair grew and became shaggier as he bulked up until it all ended in one large burst! Flash Heart the werewolf threw back his head and howled as the changes stopped, but the energy didn’t go anywhere!

Oopsy had a moment to admire her boyfriend’s werewolf form in the moonlight, much broader and more visibly muscular in the chest and a bit more hunched with arms and legs just as long and powerful as her own but with a narrower waist. She saw his eyes reflecting the moonlight as he turned to her with a hungry expression, one that got her own motor running.

Flash took a step towards her and growled, his eyes showing a lust from the massive adrenaline rush of transforming. Oopsy grinned wolfishly and turned away, shaking her tail towards him. “Come, chase me Flash!” she growled then took off and Flash Heart was right behind her.

Flash Heart chased Oopsy all around the forest, always a few steps behind her. Oopsy had practically memorized the forest to the point where she could put each footstep to get around without even stumbling. Flash was fast but he was unused to his new form and was barely able to keep up, but not without help. Oopsy never let him get lost but also never let him catch up. She could smell his desire and she was certain he could smell hers as well. She was tempted to stop and let him catch her, eager to let him be all over her but she needed him to tire out so he didn’t hurt her, or more likely make her hurt him back. Animals fled from the path of the two werewolves but they didn’t need to bother, neither was interested in hunting for food.

The moon was high overhead as Oopsy finally slowed down, stopping near a tree close to the road and gripping it as she leaned over. She could hear Flash Heart panting, his tongue hanging out as he finally caught up to her but slowed to a stop to catch his breath.

“I’m here, Flash,” she swished her tail back and forth, “Come, take me now!”

Flash Heart the werewolf needed no second bidding. As he pounced on Oopsy she gasped then moaned, her claws dug into the tree’s bark as she felt Flash Heart pounding into her from behind. This was a release she so wanted! Needed! She felt her tongue loll out as she bucked back against him and felt Flash grip her and hold her tight. All at once it stopped as both werewolves let out a massive double howl, scaring away any animals that might have been nearby.

Flash was panting as he finished but Oopsy wasn’t done as she laboriously turned around to lie on her back and grin up at her panting mate.

“Dizzy. I feel…” Flash growled out, just forming the words.

“Done already? I’m not!” Oopsy pushed up and forced Flash onto his back, “I’ve waited forever for this, Flash, we’re mates now!” She pushed down and kissed him hard. Flash was startled but he kissed back their wolf muzzles somehow fitting together perfectly. Before long another pair of howls pierced the night, and then… silence…

OoOoO

Jose stood nervously in front of the video of Von Reichter who glared down severely at the boy. “But father, I-”

“No more excuses Jose!” Von Reichter jabbed a finger towards him, “Once again, you were defeated by CB6. My patience is at an end.” He returned his hands to a clasped position, “You will come back to the castle immediately, no delays!” the transmission shut off which left Jose shaking for a moment before he composed himself.

“Frostbite, gather the fixed ideas. We’re returning to father!” He goose-stepped out of his office and down the hall.

“Right away, boss!” Frostbite scurried to fulfill his order.

OoOoO

It was an unusually misty morning for late summer out in the harbor. One fishing was bringing in the night’s haul when it smashed into something massive, knocking the crew to the ground.

“The hell?” One sailor picked himself up, “There’s no island here.” He blinked then looked again and almost jumped back.

The “island” was a massive black mass, not dirt or rock but something knobbly and thick. The vessel’s captain was the first to approach and reach out to touch it. It felt like hard leather except-

“It’s breathing!” the man shuddered as he swore could feel a pulse under his hand.

A stretching sound followed by cries of fear accompanied a massive tentacle rising out of the water then swinging down to smash the boat as the sailors and fishers dove overboard, a couple grabbing life preservers as their boat was smashed to splinters. Those treading water or with preservers watched as the giant mass melted back into the fog.

OoOoO

Flash shivered slightly as the rising sun pierced through his closed eyes then snuggled more deeply into Oopsy’s fur. It took him a moment to remember where he was as he was slowly dragged into wakefulness.

“Good morning, Flash,” Oopsy whispered to him.

Flash Heart smiled and finally opened his eyes to look back at her, “Morning Dizzy.” They kissed for a moment, then Flash looked down at their naked bodies, still matted in dirt, grass and leaves from the previous night. “That all really happened? I mean, we really did all that?”

Oopsy giggled, “Yep, welcome to the world of werewolves, even if it is just the two of us.” She carefully extricated herself from Flash Heart and stood up to stretch. “So how do you feel?”

“Different, exhilarated and,” Flash reached up to feel his hair only to find it had grown out and was still long, “long haired?” He stood up, using the tree for support.

“A small side effect, my hair used to be a lot shorter too,” Oopsy reached over to brush some of the dirt out of Flash’s hair, “I like that look on you.”

Flash chuckled, “Thanks, Dizzy. So now what?”

“Now, we go find our clothes and…” she froze, “something’s coming! Get down!” She and Flash dropped as the sound of vehicles approached from the nearby road. Both peered up just enough to see the Jeep driven by Frostbite with Jose in the driver’s seat followed by a large truck and a pickup truck both filled with fixed ideas.

“We have to follow them!” Flash whispered harshly.

“Got it!” Oopsy’s growly voice made Flash turn to see her already in werewolf form. Before he could protest, she picked him up under her arm and jumped into the back of the pickup. Flash immediately grabbed a tarp he saw and threw it over the both of them as they lay in the back. The fixed idea in the passenger’s seat looked back for a moment but when it just saw the tarp it decided not to bother, just thinking it was a bump in the road.

They rode for ages, not able to tell the exact time. Flash thought he would get excited riding next to Oopsy in her werewolf form but instead he was just nervous to the point that he was gripping her side so hard she winced but managed to stop from crying out.

After what felt like days the truck finally ground to a halt and they felt the weight shift as the fixed ideas in the cab disembarked. Flash took a chance to look out and saw the fixed ideas led by Frostbite and Jose entering a massive building, on top of which there was an observatory.

“I know where this is,” Flash whispered, “We have to tell mom.”

“Let’s go then,” Oopsy whispered and carefully pulled the tarp off. She was still in werewolf form as she picked Flash up on to her back where he grabbed on to her mane of hair as she jumped into the woods and took off back towards the city. The two fixed ideas on guard turned at the sound but thankfully didn’t catch sight of them. One scratched its head in confusion then went back to watching things.

As Flash Heart held on, he felt an exhilaration flood through him. Oopsy’s smell combined with the rush of running through the woods put a big grin on his face, his teeth starting to lengthen and sharpen.

Oopsy smelled what was happening and grinned, “Getting excited?”

“Yes!” Flash let out a shout as he felt his body transforming, no longer overwhelmed like last night. Before long, Flash jumped off Oopsy’s back and was running alongside her on all fours as another werewolf.

OoOoO

Soul Heart didn’t sleep, but she lay on the couch with Lucas far longer than she needed to that morning. Even though she was stronger than him she liked being able to feel safe with him, or at least that she didn’t need to do everything entirely by herself.

She was up and making breakfast, deciding to go all out on a big meal especially since she was expecting Oopsy and Flash back and for them to be hungry as wolves, literally she smirked to herself.

She was just turning the scrambled eggs into a large bowl when she heard Lucas at the apartment’s front door. “Soul Heart! You have to come see this now!”

Soul Heart jumped but hurried with turning the ham she was cooking on to a plate, “Just a moment, don’t want breakfast to burn.” She left the toaster, it would pop on its own, and ran after Lucas as he led her to the stairs up to the roof.

Lucas ran to the side and pointed out to the bay, “I came out for some fresh air and saw that!”

Soul Heart stared at the massive black dome-shaped object in the middle of the bay, unable to find any words for it. A sudden spasm rocked her arm and she winced and grabbed her shaking limb. She averted her gaze from the bay and stared at her limb, clenching her fist until the feeling passed. She had used too much of her abilities against the robot circus without even a fixed idea to replenish her sustenance.

“It’s gotta be from Von Reichter,” Lucas hadn’t noticed Soul Heart’s hesitation.

“Yes,” Soul Heart walked to the edge and stared out at the thing, “that must be what he used all the abducted humans for.” She didn’t have to look at Lucas to see his horrified reaction, “Where did you think he got all the raw materials from. That’s why there’s almost no homeless here anymore.” She turned and walked back to the door.

“What are we going to do about it?” Lucas followed her back inside.

“We’re going to eat breakfast and then I am going to finish this,” her emphasis started Lucas and she added before he could interject, “Alone.”

“Alone, but Soul Heart.” Lucas grabbed her shoulder as they stopped outside her apartment door.

“Lucas, please, I know this is hard but I feel responsible for this. I should have spent more time looking for Von Reichter instead of delaying by fighting his monsters so I could keep feeding off them.” She took a deep breath and smiled, “I just want one more morning with my loved ones before I have to do this.”

“Want me to leave then?” Lucas let go of her.

Soul Heart turned to him, “No, I said I want to spend this time with all my loved ones,” she reached for him.

Lucas caught on and reached out for her too, “I love you, Soul Heart.”

“I love you too, Lucas,” they both kissed for a moment. “Now let’s eat breakfast.” She opened the door to let him in. She paused at the entrance and looked down the hall, “Flash and Oopsy are late,” she shook her head, just hoping they were busy in the woods before she turned to sit in on breakfast.

OoOoO

Jose goose-stepped through his father’s lair and past several giant tanks with Frostbite on his heels. Von Reichter sat waiting for them in front of a massive computer, hands tented and smiling at him for once. If Jose were anything resembling normal, he would have been disturbed.

“Ahh, Jose, welcome home. And you too Frostbite.”

“Thanks, Professor Cold Heart, Uh I mean Doctor Reichter,” Frostbite saluted. Von Reichter sighed, having long ago given up trying to make Frostbite not greet him by his first cover name.

“Why did you call me home, father?” Jose kept his tone level.

If Von Reichter detected the annoyance under the surface, he ignored it and motioned for the two to join him at the computer, “Come here and see.” He spun his chair to face the screen and with a few taps brought up a view of the bay, and the giant black monster floating in it, a freighter not being able to change its course soon enough to avoid passing by it. “Watch the freighter,” Von Reichter input a command. On the screen a colossal black tentacle rose from the water and smashed the ship to pieces.

Jose was very much impressed and gave an enthusiastic fist-pump as he smiled at the destruction, “Remarkable! But what is it?”

“I call it the living island,” Von Reichter grinned as he began inputting more into the computer. Jose leaned over in time to catch his father type ‘THE LATE CB6’ in. Von Reichter glared back and Jose feigned innocence while pulling back.

Von Reichter finished his command which made an otherwise invisible single eye to begin blinking bright red, “It’s a bomb,” he switched the screen to a digital map of the city and the bay, “At midnight it will reach the center of Meridiana and explode,” a skull symbol appeared in the middle of the city’s map and a small light representing the living island began to move towards the city.

“What?!” Jose was aghast, “But it’s my city! You said I could have it!”

Von Reichter looked at his son with pity, “Oh, Jose, it’s just a city and after this the rest of the world will be forced to stand up and take notice,” he turned back to the console, “and I’ll have the chance to implement countermeasures against them.”

Jose just huffed then stormed off with Frostbite following, “But it’s my city,” he pouted.

OoOoO

It was getting closer.

Soul Heart had gone back up to the roof to watch the… thing in the bay. It had started moving closer some time ago and now she could make out a faint red blinking somewhere near its top; that couldn’t be good. To make things worse Flash and Oopsy still hadn’t returned even as the day wore on.

“No more stalling,” Soul Heart glared at the living island then turned and marched back inside.

Soul Heart didn’t really pay any attention once she entered her apartment and undressed, leaving her dress on the floor as she shapeshifted into CB6 and pulled out his outfit.

“Mom, where are you going?” Tarot Heart Bear asked from the couch where he sat with Lucas.

“To finish things with Von Reichter,” CB6 put on his glasses.

“When are you coming back?” Tarot Heart had his hands on his tarot card deck, afraid to try and answer the question himself.

“I don’t know if I am.” CB6 walked over to Tarot and picked him up in a tight hug, “Just promise me you’ll grow up happy, I’ll make sure you can grow up.”

Tarot Heart nodded, not able to hold back the tears as CB6 set him down, “OK, mom…”

CB6 walked to the window then paused as she felt Lucas had walked up behind him, “Lucas, if I don’t come back, please look after them for me.”

“I will,” Lucas put a hand on CB6’s shoulder. The brown bear turned around and shared one last kiss with Lucas before he jumped out the window. Lucas touched his face where he still felt the fur from him, “I love you, Soul Heart, CB6.” He sighed and closed the window.

CB6 jumped across the rooftops on the way out of the city. First, he’d have to find Flash Heart and Oopsy and get them somewhere safe and then find Von Reichter. He slowed down as he reached the end of the city and paused to look at the bay. That thing was getting closer, it would reach the shore before too long. Even if he had a full reserve of sustenance, he doubted he could freeze and shatter something that big like with the floating eye Jose had set loose on the city a couple weeks ago.

CB6 felt another spasm rock down his arm and he froze, the pain was much more intense this time and he was forced to wait for the pain to pass. He wished he’d tried to do this sooner, but that was his mistake for not trying to find and stop Von Reichter. He jumped down and ran into the countryside.

“Mom! Over here!” the growly voice made CB6 freeze and turn to be face-to-face with a pair of werewolves. One was Oopsy, with a sack slung over her shoulder, but the other was yellow and clearly masculine.

CB6 smiled, “Flash Heart! That’s you right?” he walked closer and reached up to the yellow werewolf’s muzzle.

“It’s me mom, it worked.” Flash nuzzled CB6’s hand, “sorry we’re late but we found something: Von Reichter’s lair!”

“Really?!” CB6 was instantly alert, “Where?”

“That old observatory at the end of the cape,” Oopsy pointed out across the bay.

CB6 could just barely make out the observatory. It was built years ago but eventually abandoned when funding dried up for whatever was being researched. No one really paid it much mind as it was too far from the city for anyone to want to go poking around, not because they were afraid it was dangerous but because the trek out there wasn’t worth it nor the cost of gas. It was the perfect place for Von Reichter to hide and keep an eye on the city.

“Thank you, now I need to finish this.” CB6 clenched his fists.

“We’ll take him down, no problem!” Werewolf Flash raised one of his clawed hands.

CB6 shook his head, “No. I might not be coming back from this and I’m not going to let either of you die, that and there might be some of Von Reichter’s monsters still lurking around that you’ll need to take care of.”

“It’s because of that thing, isn’t it?” Oopsy pointed with a clawed paw towards the living island, still approaching the shore.

“Yes. You two need to turn back to bears and go home,” CB6 turned back to the couple.

Flash looked embarrassed as he clenched his paws together, “Umm, I haven’t figure out how to shift back on command yet…”

“And it’s still light out,” though they had saved the city numerous times they were still mostly rumors and rare sightings so two werewolves running across town after most work was finished might make the oncoming panic worse.

“Don’t worry, I have a place we can hole up until he changes back and things calm down,” Oopsy put a hand on Flash’s shoulder.

“Good, go there and just… be safe,” CB6 said before he took off at a run to get to the observatory.

“This way, hurry,” Oopsy tugged Flash’s arm and they ran through the city.

Thankfully the panic of the approaching island had a lot of people trying to flee the city and if any saw the werewolves, they were already too panicky to care much.

Oopsy led Flash into an old subway tunnel and off to a rather large side office a short ways in. “Welcome to my home,” Oopsy gave a wolfy grin.

Flash gaped, it wasn’t big but it was surprisingly well furnished with a queen-sized bed, television, fridge, stove with oven, microwave, sink, cupboards, bathroom with shower and a large shut-off computer console to one side of the room. “Where did you get all this stuff, Dizzy?”

“It was already here,” Oopsy concentrated and was able to shift down to her bear form. She set the sack down which had the clothes they had shed last night in it. “I think it was a station manager’s office where they could just live without needing to leave. Place still gets power for some reason.” Oopsy sat down on the bed.

“Right, I used to sleep in subways before they were all closed down,” Flash nodded. Merdiana had dug them out ages ago but had mostly abandoned its train system for busses due to expense, leaving large areas of the subway system abandoned. “So now what?”

“Come here,” Oopsy beckoned to the still wolfy Flash Heart. He obeyed and sat down on the floor in front of her as she took the sides of his face in her hands, “Look at me, focus on me and who you are. You are a wolf but you are a bear as well, just relax.” Oopsy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Flash Heart mimicked her actions and before too long felt himself shrinking and compacting. A minute later he sat naked on the floor as his bear self.

“Wow, it’s really that simple?” Flash Heart stood up and checked himself over to make sure everything was where he left it.

“It’ll take some practise,” Oopsy just sat there, admiring Flash’s body in the room’s light.

“What should we do while we wait for mom?” Flash turned to face Oopsy, only just now seeming to realize they were both naked in what was basically her bedroom.

Oopsy gave a sultry look and beckoned Flash towards the bed, “Oh, I think we can find a way to occupy our time, something to take the edge off things.” She crawled backwards onto the bed until she was lying sideways and facing him.

Flash grinned and climbed on with her, “I love the way you think, Dizzy.” He kissed her.

“And I love you you’re into this,” Oopsy kissed back.

“I love you, Dizzy.”

“I love you, Flash,” and before long they were in each other’s embrace. Part of them knew it was a bad time but they both needed something to distract themselves from what could be their impending doom.

OoOoO

Jose was stomping around in a circle in the control room, mumbling to himself for ages as Frostbite watched.

“It’s my city! My city! He can’t just take it from me!” He threw himself on the chair in front of the screen which still showed the map and the island as it finally reached the dock and started crawling through the city.

Jose stared at the screen, then got a sinister grin on his face, “Oh we’ll see who loses everything, father,” he typed furiously at the keyboard until the small screen asked for a password.

“Password, what password!” Jose grumbled before he had a flash of memory, “That’s it! THE LATE CB6!” he entered the password and the interface let him in. Jose grinned as he entered the command, “Living Island, it’s time to come home!” The skull showing the island’s target disappeared from the center of the city on the map and then reappeared at the location of the observatory and the dot representing the island began moving back towards the observatory.

Jose jumped down from the chair, “Frostbite, let’s go!” He ran off with Frostbite following.

OoOoO

The living island had crushed half the dockyard under its mass when it suddenly slowed to a stop. People fleeing stopped to stare as the giant… thing started to back away.

Oopsy and Flash lay together in her subway office apartment but both perked up when the rumbling stopped. Too curious, they ran outside even and watched as the living island slid back out into the water and they hugged in relief before they returned to the apartment now that the tension was broken.

Around the rest of the city the evacuation stalled. Was the thing really going away? Was the danger passed? Some believed so and wanted to go home which just made the traffic jams worse.

OoOoO

CB6 ran non-stop, not stopping to check the progress of the island, the rumbling in the distance was all he needed to know it was still moving. For once in his life, CB6 was feeling exhausted due to lack of sustenance, he couldn’t even spare any to ice the ground and speed up his journey.

It was late into the night by the time he arrived at the observatory and the massive castle lab beneath it. He just stood and stared for a minute before nerving himself and charging for the door.

Oddly, the door wasn’t locked and CB6 easily slipped inside. He shuddered as he gazed around. It wasn’t the same lab where he was created but the familiar setting made him shudder. Not knowing the layout, he skulked around the alien-looking machines before he entered another door and gasped, barely able to stop himself from shouting out. The whole room was full of giant glass tanks each containing a horrific monster that looked like something out of an old sci-fi B-movie floating in a vat of green glowing sustenance. He reached forwards and touched on, part of him feeling for the other monsters like himself, but unable to walk among humans.

He had no time to contemplate as the sound of a door opening announced the arrival of a fixed idea. It glared at CB6 then charged at him, slamming its fist down at the brown bear. CB6 easily dodged back and threw his own punch, only for it to have no effect on the hulking monster. He only had a moment to realize how weak he was before the fixed idea grabbed him and squeeze him before it threw him overhand into one of the tanks, cracking the glass.

“Weak!” The fixed idea stated as it cracked its knuckles while it advanced on the fallen bear.

“Damnit!” CB6 swore as he forced himself into a sitting position, if only he had some… what was that on his head? He looked up and saw sustenance leaking out of the tank he had hit. No time to waste he tilted his head back, catching a small trickle in his mouth. That was enough as he felt a burst of energy right as the fixed idea was ready to smash him and he sprung up, punching the monster in the gut and sending it reeling which let him jump up and smash the monster on the head. The fixed idea crumpled and needing the nourishment, CB6 used a tiny ice dagger to slice an opening in the creature’s neck and drew out the fixed idea’s sustenance and drank it down as renewed strength flooded into him.

“Ahh, very good, CB6. I wouldn’t have expected any less from one of my creations.”

CB6 rounded on the voice and found himself face-to-face with Von Reichter, who wore a psychotic smirk and seemed to radiate pride as he stared at him through his monocle.

“Von Reichter,” CB6 readied himself to pounce, “Time to do what I should have done a long time ago!”

“On really, you think you can stop me?” his voice was mocking.

“I could snap your neck in an instant,” CB6 advanced on Von Reichter.

The blue-skinned scientist stepped back and his smirk vanished, though his voice didn’t lose any of his edge, “Without sustenance, you will also die.”

CB6 stopped dead in his tracks. It was true, despite hating the man and everything he represented, without Von Reichter CB6 would lose his only source of sustenance, not that he had been able to get much lately anyway, and he’d leave Flash and Tarot without their mother. But if Von Reichter wasn’t stopped then they might not have a future, with or without Soul Heart.

Von Reichter saw he was getting to CB6 and smiled sinisterly again, “I could free you from it, make you able to survive without sustenance.”

That made CB6 stop, “What?”

“Yes, in fact I have one creation that doesn’t depend on it.” Von Reichter beckoned for him to follow then turned and walked past all the giant specimen tanks, and CB6 followed.

“Ahh the sustenance,” Von Reichter mused as they walked, “during the war they wanted a super-soldier solution but with such a short time frame I didn’t have time make any creations and just trying to make regular people stronger would have been too difficult and costly, so instead I worked another angle: to make it so soldiers could march and fight for days without even needing to stop to for relief. The sustenance! It could fully nourish anyone who drank it and keep them awake and active for almost a week before they finally collapsed from exhaustion and so efficiently used by the body that they could march all day and night, outlasting the enemy. It turning out to be addictive was unplanned, but not unwelcome.”

“You used it on humans?” CB6 wasn’t surprised.

“Of course, I had to start somewhere,” Von Reichter stopped in front of the large computer console, “They could recover with enough time but my creations, like you, would always need it to survive, except for one: Frostbite. During my time as ‘Professor Cold Heart’ I continued my experiments and even though my brain was addled by an incomplete cloning process I managed to create Frostbite, and he doesn’t need the sustenance. Fortunately, he was too dumb to betray me and I was able to eventually pull the secret out of him despite having lost my notes. It would take time but I could use the same process on you, if you pledge your loyalty to me.”

CB6 grit his teeth, “And the giant monster?”

“Ahh, the living island,” Von Reichter began typing on the computer, “You arrived just in time. Any minute now it will reach the center of Meridiana and explode,” he turned on the screen, then jumped back as he saw the living island right on the cape and heading right for the lab. “What?! But how… Jose!”

“So your son sent it right back at you,” CB6 grabbed Von Reichter and spun him around to face him, “the explosion might still destroy the city. Stop it! Now!”

Von Reichter started to sweat, “I can’t! Once the countdown starts it can’t be stopped!”

“Then move it into the forest! That might contain the explosion,” CB6 let him go and Von Reichter hastily entered new coordinates, if only to stop the thing from crushing the lab, and directed it towards the forest nearby.

CB6 breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the island moving away, at least now everyone would be safe.

Von Reichter carefully backed away from CB6 for a moment then turned and ran to a large switch on the wall, typed on a keypad and threw switch. A loud hissing and sloshing made CB6 whirl around to see all the giant jars slide down, flooding the lab with sustenance as all of the monsters stood up and slowly marched towards CB6.

“Have to go now!” Von Reichter stepped back past two advancing monsters.

CB6 readied himself for a fight as the monsters converged on him, only for them to turn to Von Reichter as two moved to barr his way as the rest converged on him. CB6 moved to join them when one of the monsters, a thick-limbed humanoid with a frog-like mouth, gently grabbed her shoulder then pointed with one hand towards the exit.

CB6 understood, but still formed a spear of ice in his hand, “HEY! PROFESSOR COLD HEART!”

“Don’t call me that!” Von Reichter turned right as CB6 threw the spear, which pierced through his chest and knocked him down.

“Cold Heart suits you,” CB6 turned and ran for the exit as the rest of the monsters converged on Von Reichter, his life ebbing away.

CB6 pulled the sustenance from the floor and up into his mouth as he ran, drinking as much as he could since this would likely be his last chance ever, even if he was overdoing it, and even grabbed a vial off a table as he ran to store some for later. The ground shook as the living island continued into the forest and the countdown grew ever smaller.

CB6 saw the exit door ahead and charged ahead, slamming into it.

The island’s eye flashed faster and faster until it was a solid red.

A massive explosion ripped through the forest, observed by everyone in Merdiana, the size of a small nuclear warhead as the heat washed over the city but thankfully didn’t do more than knock people off their feet as the forest absorbed most of the blast.

“MOM!” Tarot Heart burst into tears from where he stood at the window with Lucas, who was also crying but held the small black bear close in an attempt to comfort him.

Flash and Oopsy had emerged just in time to see the smoke and crater that were all that remained of the cape. They hugged, neither able to express their grief through anything but crying.

OoOoO

A week passed…

After the explosion the town went silent and people slowly untangled the messy evacuation and returned to their lives. The disappearance of Soul Heart from the library was noticed but many assumed she had died in the panicked evacuation, along with a few other unfortunates who died in the panic.

Flash, Oopsy, Lucas and Tarot Heart drove out to see the pandas, mostly to check on them and make sure they were alright. When they arrived at the pandas home, Perfect and Polite emerged, both with bags under their eyes and looking exhausted.

Perfect smiled, “We were hoping to see you soon.”

“We’re just happy you showed up before the moon,” Polite nodded then yawned.

“Happy to see you too,” Oopsy gave Polite a hug. “We were worried about you after the explosion.”

“We were worried too, he gave us such a fright,” Polite let go.

“But now he’s better, he was going to go home tonight,” Perfect motioned for them to enter the cave.

They didn’t need to, as CB6 emerged from their home. His glasses were missing and what was left of his trenchcoat and other clothing was in tatters but he smiled as he stumbled towards them. Slowly shifting into Soul Heart once he saw who was waiting for him.

“MOM!” Flash Heart and Tarot Heart both shouted and almost pounced on her in a big hug, which she gratefully returned.

“Soul Heart!” Lucas stayed back to let her two adopted sons hug her but he still smiled, “We thought you were dead.”

“So did I,” Soul Heart set Tarot Heart down, as he had jumped into her arms. “I made it outside and ran when I heard it explode. I don’t know how far I flew but… it shredded me.” Soul Heart touched where the clothes had been shredded, as though something had cut through right through it from above, “I’ll spare you the details but it hurt and I had to lie there as I forced myself back together and let myself heal. A couple monsters escaped and barely survived so I had something to replenish myself with, and make sure they didn’t roam or suffer. I stumbled through the forest until the Pandas found me.” She motioned to the pandas, “get some sleep, and thank you.”

The two pandas nodded and retreated into their home.

“They stayed up so long to make sure I was alright,” Soul Heart sighed

“As long as you’re back,” Flash smiled, “I didn’t want you to miss our graduation.”

Oopsy nodded, “More than just school. Flash is coming along quite well as a werewolf.”

Soul Heart smiled, “You’ll have to tell me about it, at home. I know I can’t get tired but I feel like I really need some rest.”

“I’m just happy to see you again,” Lucas walked up alongside Soul Heart as they headed back into the city.

Soul Heart stood up and kissed Lucas, “Thank you, also I have this.” She carefully fished the half-full vial of sustenance out of an inside pocket of the torn trench coat. “I know you’re a biologist but maybe you can find a way to replicate this.”

“The sustenance?” Lucas took the vial, “I can try but no promises. How much umm…”

“I had plenty, and if I don’t have to go out and fight monsters I have enough stored for a long time,” Soul Heart assured them. Privately she hoped it was enough, “I just hope I don’t need to be CB6 for a long time, if ever again.”

“Don’t you like being a superhero, mom?” Flash asked.

“I wouldn’t call myself that, and I don’t want to if it means I won’t be around for you the rest of you.” She sighed, “let’s just go home.”

OoOoO

The underworld was quiet. Jose hadn’t recalled the Tecnos he had installed and with the severely depleted manpower and all the weapons lost in his first attempt to consolidate the gangsters their activities had dwindled to a trickle.

The Joe Tecno just sat in the office alone most days until one day, Jose returned.

Flanked by two fixed ideas and Frostbite, Jose goose-stepped into the office, “I see you’ve kept running things.”

“Not much left to run, sorry boss,” Joe apologized.

“Oh don’t worry about that.” Jose pulled himself up on to the desk, “With father gone it’s time for me to really rule the city!”

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