After a couple minutes of silence, Minerva tells him, “Take me back... to the convoy.”
 
“We are not done here. When we are done then I’ll take you back.” Fernando tells her.
 
“How are we not done? Everything that was needed to be said has been said.” She tells him.
 
“Not everything.” He tells her.
 
“Then what needs to be said that wasn’t?” She asks.
 
“You and your feeling and expectations you have for me.” He tells her.
 
She lets out a pent up sigh. She then adds, “You’re not a female to understand.”
 
“Try me.” He tells her. He then throws in, “Look. Wessen or not, you are still human. Though not you as you are born a Wessen, your parents or grandparents were human at one time, underwent a purge and forced to go through a process of being turned into a Wessen in order to be sold into slavery and destitution. So somebody in your family was turned into a Wessen and sold into slavery, then they were to have sex with a human and had you in the process.”
 
“My mother was not a slave to my father. She was his wife. He had a human wife and children but something happened and one day they never returned from market. After a few years, he finds my mother beaten on the side of the road and left for dead. He decided to take her home and heal her. After she recovered she decided to live with him and do those things a woman does for a husband: keep house, make meals, tend to the garden, do his laundry and so on. It was not too long that she was sharing his bed, and though they were never church married, they always stated that they were husband and wife. Sometime after a while, Miniya and I were born.” She explains.
 
“What was your mother before she was found on the road left to die?” He asks.
 
“She would not say.” She answers.
 
“Sound like she was a sex kitten or distraction girl and somebody was not happy with her service or not able to pay a debt. Giovanni was about to have Tracey killed when I decided to step in and gamble to win her and Miniya, which I won. I would not be surprised if that were the case with your mother and did not want you girls to know of her past.” He explains. He then throws at her, “But that does not explain your feelings and expectations of me.”
 
“Maybe like my mother falling for my father, I have fallen for you.” She tells him.
 
“You may have fallen for me, does not mean that I have fallen for you. Furthermore, owning your friend and your sister as I won them in a bet, how would you take that if I had them service me?” He says and asks.
 
“I cannot judge or make complaints as you are a man and men rule over women, Wessens and the animals. You want my sister and friend to service you; I hope to be able to service you too.” She tells him.
 
“What do you have to offer to service me with?” He challenges her in question.
 
“Everything you would want from a woman, I have to give.” She begins though wanting to say more, she does not.
 
“You ‘women’ think that you can give of yourselves, of your bodies and the man would be under your spell for you to control and manipulate him. Sucking dick, having your ass or pussy #$@!ed, I can get from any female in or outside of the convoy. So offering me your body is not a thing I would want though I would take it. So think again.” He tells her.
 
“All I have is my body to offer you. I do not know of anything else to give you.” She tells him.
 
“How about what I requested: working with the convoy, helping the others, getting supplies and things, getting ready to pack up? If you have to take the kids with you and your friends, I can get you all a large camper truck to live and move around in, that is no problem for me. If you need to practice to drive, I can get others to teach you how to drive. There are a lot of resources out there for you to have but you have to take that first step and ask. If you do not ask, you cannot get. If you ask, the worst that can be said to you is ‘No.’ because there is nothing to give. But you cannot find that out if you do not ask.” He tells her. He waits for her to give a reply does gets none, making him throw in “It is not about sex. It was never about sex, because if it were about sex I would have had sex with all those I rescued including with Lily because you all were willing to drop your panties for something like a simple cure to your problems. I am not like that.”
 
“This is a world where men rule with the power of money. If you do not have money, you have to use something else in place of money, and for girls of most age, that is sex. Even some boys will use their bodies to have sex in place of money.” Minerva explains.
 
“You think money is power? You got that all wrong. Money is not power though it can buy it. But you can get power through other means, like the end of the gun, the swing of a fist, or like I got Tracey and Miniya – winning them at a game. You need to look at the options of how to get power, and use the easiest option without resorting to selling your body in lue of sexual services instead of money. How do you think I got my power and respect of the convoy and General Jastrey’s Army? I had to defeat one of the biggest highway gangs out there and give them the ability to defend themselves. Then I went after the Lab Towns who were taking people who were purged from their homes and turned into Wessens. And finally, I ended slavery within the Northern Territories and Wessens there as equal rights to humans when I proved that Wessens were created from humans. Thus – before I came in, raping a human female carried the death sentence but if I were rape a female Wessen, probably even kill her during the rape, nothing would happen to me; after I was done, raping a female Wessen carries the same death sentence as a raping a female human. But such laws do not extend to here until General Jastrey comes to take over and enforces the new laws of the land. Technically right now, I can rape you and even kill you here and now, and nothing would happen to me. I could rape the other girls in the group and even kill them, and still nothing would happen to me. This has to stop. No one has the right to rape a girl – human or Wessen. No one can force a girl – human or Wessen – to partake in such activity leading up to sex if she feels uncomfortable with it. ‘No means no.’” He tells her in explanation.
 
She just looks at him in disbelief before saying, “Wessens and humans have equal right in the Northern territories and that rang a female Wessen like me there gets the man the same punishment as if he were to rape a female human?”
 
“Yes, and those laws are coming to Flight Town as soon as General Jastrey arrives here when she is finished with Fight Town that I had already been through. But until then – you as a Wessen are an easy target for anyone to attack and take what you have from you, whether they are human or Wessen themselves. Hell, in that which is a long list of every person out there with a penis – count me into that list for I am a man and men can rape.” He tells her. He adds, “Those pills I gave you and Abigail to heal and restore you from your injuries the Lawmen gave you, there is only a limit I can give such medicines to you if you were to be caught and tortured again, as its healing abilities will be diminished, do it often enough, and it will no longer work. Another problem is that I only have a few of them, so I cannot give anyone more than one and only if they deserved to be rescued and healed.”
 
“So if I were to be taken, attacked and violated, you would not help like before?” She asks.
 
“I will help where I can if I am there. Thing is if I left Flight Town, and you stayed, got taken, attacked a violated, I would not be able to help.” He tells her.
 
“Well, at least you will be here for a week.” She says to herself.
 
“It depends on when General Jastrey comes. It could be a week, it could be 4 days or less. It depends on when she comes.” He tells her.
 
“It is better than nothing.” She says to herself.
 
“I want to be left alone and you want to have my baby. Well, it is not going to happen.” He tells her.
 
“I do not want to have your baby, but if it happens that I got pregnant with your child, I can deal with raising it. But as your wife, girlfriend, housemate, mistress, slave, pet – however you would have me, I would want to be there for you to give you what you want and when you want it.” She tells him.
 
“You might be in love with me, but I am not with you. Being in that kind of a relationship can be very hurtful for you if things were to go in a way you did not expect or want.” He warns her.
 
“I’m not some little girl that needs protection from her feelings. I will deal with it as needed.” She tells him.
 
“Then so be it.” He says before he steps out of the jeep. He walks to the front of the jeep, still looking out to the areas around them, and as far as he can tell no one was within range to see them for miles. In short, they were alone out in the open. He keeps looking out scouting the area as far as his eyes can see.
 
Minerva steps out of the jeep and steps up beside him. She then puts her foot on the bumper and lifts herself up to sit on the hood of the jeep. For the moment she leans forward with her elbows at her knees, thinking what he would be thinking about.
 
Eventually she lets out “Why do you not like me?”
 
Without looking at her he answers, “I told you before, it is not you, it is me.”
 
“How so?” She asks.
 
“Like I told you before, the spirits pulled me out of my time to be here. I was dealing with the break-up of my girlfriend because she betrayed my trust. Therefore I’m in a state of anger that no woman is worth it and should be nothing more than a sex toy for my needs because women are not worth the strife and grief they create through drama. That is why I say, bring one bit of drama into the relationship, and I will eliminate it by eliminating you from my life.” He tells her.
 
“Which spirits?” She asks.
 
“The ones in the convoy – they either are as crows – black birds, or as those army men at the far side of the camp with the solid color uniform with the Texas Military patches.”  He tells her.
 
“Texas Spirits?” She asks.
 
“They go by many names but yes, them.” He replies.
 
“They are the ones that caused The Happening and The Chaos we are in, though there are other spirits causing other problems taking advantage of the situation that they created.” She explains.
 
“Like creating Wessens.” He says.
 
“Yeah...” She says, realizing the truth though not wanting to.
 
For the moment they remain quiet. He thinks. “Who the #$@! Hector is siding with to come up with this superior evolutionary bullcrap? Being mutated in a lab with animal DNA is not superior evolution, even if it by choice.”
 
Minerva has been sitting on the hood of the jeep, opening up what little clothing she had on to expose her underwear underneath. Eventually Fernando turns around to see her sitting, looking seductively with her clothing opened up.
 
“What are you doing?” He asks.
 
“How can fur be superior in evolution when one can get over heated in their own clothes?” She begins, “My fur is light compared to others but I get overheated easily.”
 
“As an animal, you have few sweat glands all over your body. In fact the sweat glands are concentrated on end of your nose, palms of your hands and soles of your feet.” He tells her.
 
“Well La Dee Dah... You think it’s cute being half hamster?” Minerva says as she takes off her outer layers of short sleeve shirt and cut-off pants shorts. She lays them on the jeep to sit on in just her bra and panties before letting out a sigh. “I just do not get it.”
 
“Get what?” Fernando asks.
 
“What Hector says, what the spirits have done, the turning of people into Wessens, the hell we are going though since the Chaos. All those things and more.” She says as she lies back on the hood of the jeep and palms her forehead.
 
“It is about control. It is about taking away power, ability, knowledge and education to keep certain people from advancing further.” He tells her.
 
“Advancing further?” She asks.
 
“OK. This may be hard to believe but listen up and look.” He tells her as he opens an observation screen disc in front of them. It plays out the launching history of Apollo 11 as he explains, “Long ago in my time when I was a child, man started to leave this world and go to the stars with the first jump of going to the moon. Like everything we had to learn and create the technology. Then we started to send robots to other planets to explore them and by the time the Spirits dragged me here in this time, we had space stations – buildings where people lived and worked on in space between the earth and the moon. We were preparing to put buildings on the moon and to Mars for people to live and work there. From there, we would be exploring the stars next. But the spirits argued as to whether we should be allowed to do it. And then, in trying to stop us, the Texas Spirits destroyed what we had and sent us back to ancient times as far as technology is concerned. We fought back and it is the Chaos as you know it. Since then they and other spirits have been working hard to make sure that we do not go back to the level that we were on. Turning us into mutants and Wessens lessen our ability to advance. Back in my day we had flying machines that went around the world in an hour, now we barely have blimps that takes days to go from city to city. Back then people were judged by their character and their honesty on doing a proper business, now there are many trying to rob you of your hard earned money. In those days there was no such thing as slavery, today – you have mutant, Wessen and human slaves. Though we had people in power that were corrupt they were found out quickly and arrested for their misdeeds, today there is corruption everywhere. It is through those actions that they use to keep us in our place. But little by little with people like General Jastrey, we are working on getting humanity back to the way it was. I will say that it will take years to get there but this a start and people like Hector will be no more. I can guarantee that.”
 
“Hector is too powerful to get rid of, and if you kill him, there will be somebody else to replace him.” She replies.
 
“Do not worry about that. After I am done, no one will take the seat of power that Hector has because the seat of power will be taken away and destroyed. General Jastrey will take care of the rest.” He tells her.
 
“And how will ending slavery put us back to where we were, as in before the Chaos? How is slavery holding us back?” She asks.
 
“Simple. Instead of working on problems, one is stuck dealing with slave and taking care of them, some I will say are even screwing their slaves, because they can. While they are busy having sex with their slaves, nothing is being done in the meantime. Also – in your case – you are too busy lessening the value of yourself by selling yourself in order to get goods and services that you need instead of making some sort of deal of working for what you need. It is all those things that are holding back mankind as a group and individuals such as you.” He explains.
 
“So, am I a distraction to you? Because I have several questions to ask about you.” She asks and says.
 
“Of course you’re a distraction. You are constantly pushing for a relationship that does not exist between us. You want me to stick my dick in you? Having sex with you does not mean that I do like you, as I could be having my jollies off from you while you think I am in love with you. Too many of you females equate sex with love when sex and love have little to do with each other. Any two people can have sex. Hell, I know females out there that have sex with their dogs and dogs do not care about emotions when they are pounding some young girl’s vagina. All they want is the sex and will get it as often as possible. If you think about it, it sounds like somebody you know. Don’t it?” He tells her.
 
“Well, I just want to know if you are willing to give back what I would want to give you.” She tells him.
 
“I just told you that all that I’m going to give back, if anything, will be some large stiff dick shoved into whatever hole you want it in. Feeling be damned. In the very least respect is given, though it is not Love and trust has to be earned before any emotions like Love can be handed out. But what you want is still on you, I am not on the market. If I were, I would have been on you practicing making babies on this jeep.” He tells her.
 
Minerva looks at herself, seeing how easy of a target she has made herself out to be. He turns to face her, stepping in front of her. He leans over to her, waiting for a reaction which is hardly none though she sits up and opening her legs to put her feet on the hood for balance as to push herself back towards the windshield. He grabs her legs from the inside of her knees and pulls her towards him. She falls back slightly as she slides into place against him with him in between her legs. He then puts his hands on the hood to either side of her, being above her on extended arms.
 
“It does not take much...” He tells her.
 
“OK, I get your point.” She says to him, holding back her nervousness.
 
“Then get this...” He says to her. She stares at him intently, giving a slight nod. He continues, “You can have what you want here and now or not. Either way whatever is said and done now, you will never bother me again on a relationship that does not exist between us. Now, what is your decision?”
 
“It takes time for a female to prepare for...” She begins to say.
 
He interrupts her, “Sex? Don’t take me as a fool. I have had relationships with more women that you have years in your age, and raised six girls to adulthood, and working on a seventh. Part of my medical training includes female-only illnesses and syndromes. In short, I know more about you and your body as a female than you know of yourself. So you needing time – all it takes is a switch in your brain to prepare for sex, while it take me a while for a process to build up the blood pressure for me to prepare for sex. You have the advantage here, I don’t.”
 
“Then if I say no?” She asks nervously.
 
“No is no, I’ll respect that. Thing is, will you of me?” He says to her.
 
She nods nervously before answering, “I will.”
 
He steps back from the jeep and crosses his arms. After a second of silence, he says, “Over heated or not, there is no reason for you to ever be taking off your outer layers, even to me. You should trust no one, not even me. Leaving yourself out open like that leaves you open to anyone willing to attack and rape you. I swear, no wonder Hector found you and others like you and did to you as he pleased – your auctioned allowed him too. Now put on your clothes so we can go back to camp. I got to check up on a few things before we go.”
 
Minerva shamefully nods before taking to her cut-off shorts and short sleeve shirt to put them on. As soon as she was dressed, they got into their seats and he drove off to check on Hondo.
 
- To Be Continued. -

Raven slept for almost two days straight, only waking temporarily when the airship shook, dipped, or changed noise greatly from weather or from take off and landing. Her whole body hurt, she was exhausted, and the depression from being alone and stuck in between forms drug her down mentally to dark depths that few ever returned from. With Hondo not returning, she feared the worse for him and the pain in her heart from that hurt worse than any physical wound could.  
 
 
The beginning of the third day she tried again to change forms, but her wounds were not healing well and her depression was to where she could not clear her mind at all. She gave up after a while and just lay on a blanket on the floor, panting and trying not to sob. She did not know what to do or where to even go.
 
 
 She had worked with Fernando and Hondo for so long she had nothing else to fall back on. She was an outcast by her own kind, as even those who were not out to kill her for being a traitor to the spirits agenda, rejected her for being with a human. Going back to her camper she was not sure was even an option, though the camper had been more so storage for her stuff as she had stayed with Hondo in his apartment over the barn for the last several years. She had thought it was to try to make Valentine think they were not a full-time couple either, though Raven knew she had caught them together a couple time, but Hondo told her he was sure Valentine knew anyway. Either way she knew Valentine would not welcome her back. Hondo’s kids always treated her well, but she knew Valentine would take over the home place if Hondo was truly gone, whether the kids liked it or not.
 
 
She lay on the floor half awake for the most of the rest of the day. She had not eaten since her and Hondo had eaten at Charles hotel, as she could not bring herself to eat. She had drunk maybe a couple bottles of water, but that was all she could manage. None of it aided her healing but she really did not care. She lay praying that Hondo was alive and would come back to her and if he was not she prayed for her own death.  
 
 
As they came close to the end of the third day, and probably a half day from landing in Chinatown, A wave of horrible pain swept over her. She tried not to cry out, biting her tongue badly as she tried to hold it in, but eventually the pain over came her and she screamed and passed out.
 
 
She was not sure when she came to again but she felt weak and tired, and had a hard time remembering what had happened. Her body trembled as she tried to sit up. She looked down at her hands and saw skin again. It did not click at first but when it did she took a double look at her hands, then her legs, and even ripped open her shirt to see her now fur free breasts. She tried to scramble to her feet to find a mirror but fell the first time from being weak. She finally pulled herself up and found a hand mirror and looked into it. There were a few differences, as she still had a few extra cat-like features but she had mostly changed back somehow. She thought maybe that meant Hondo was back and he had somehow used the cane to revert her. Hope filled her heart as she tried to call out to him but no sound came from her mouth. She tried again but nothing. She noticed her throat hurt a bit but it confused her. She looked in the mirror again and saw her neck around the choker was a bit red so she took it off. Her neck was red as if it had been burned slightly and it puzzled her at first. She thought back to the pain that went through her earlier and a sickening feeling washed over her being. She swallowed hard and then with a shaky hand she removed the crystal pendant from its pocket in the choker. She gasped at the sight of it and fell to her knees. Her heart felt like it fell into her stomach, and if she had eaten anything she would have thrown it up at this point. The crystal pendant was dark, not a speck of light or color shown in it any longer.  
 
 
As the realization of what it meant hit her, racking silent sobs took over her body, causing her to fall to the floor once more. Hondo was dead and with him all hopes she ever had.
 
 
-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
 
 
Hondo was not sure when he came too again, but he found himself naked and half lying on a cold, dirty stone floor with his hands shackled to the wall and his feet shackled to the floor. He was cold, hungry, exhausted, and his whole body hurt. He thought for a moment about trying to summon the cane and attempting escape, but he knew whatever they had been using on him to cause the energy feedback would be closer than before and probably set up to make all the energy used be directed at him this time, if he tried again. The chances that he would pass out and the cane would be there for them to grab and harness with their control device was too great. He half figured that is what they wanted of him too, and he could not oblige them even if it meant his own demise.  
 
 
He lowered his head again and tried to let the dark oblivion of unconsciousness over take him again, but as he did, a bucket of cold water was thrown on him, causing him to jump awake and shiver more violently. He growled and looked up at the guard who had thrown it at him. The guard leered at him as he held the empty bucket.
 
 
“Wakey, Wakey shit-bag! The professor is ready to go another round with you.” The guard said in a sarcastic tone.
 
 
“He ready to tickle me again, is he? Tell him to knock off the pillow fight bull-shit, will ya?” Hondo replied in a slightly weak and gravely voice, while still managing to sound defiant.  
 
 
The guard sneered, “Should just smash your balls with a hammer and cut them off while you are awake, that would teach you a lesson!”
 
 
“An’ I’d still have more balls than all y’all combined after.” Hondo growled.
 
 
The guard opened the door and kicked Hondo in the balls again hard, causing him to double over and dry heave.
 
 
“That should shut you up!” the guard growled.
 
 
He turned to a couple other lower ranked guard who stood by and jerked his head towards Hondo.
 
 
“Take him to the lab! If he gives you any back-talk, nail him again.” The one guard said before storming off.
 
 
“Yes sir!” The other two replied snapping to attention as they answered almost simultaneously.  
 
 
They relaxed a bit after the other guard left and went in the cell to Grab Hondo. They unlocked his hands first and bound them behind his back with a pair of shackles, to ensure he did not try to fight them too much. They then unlocked the leg irons and roughly jerked him too his feet. He could not stand too well at the moment so they held him up and half dragged him to the lab.
 
 
At the lab he was secured back to the wooden rack again. His arms, waist and legs were bound to the rough wooden frame by thick leather straps, while his hands and feet were locked into place by steel shackles. Once secured the guards moved off to the side and let him hang there. No one spoke to him or looked at him for almost an hour. He knew it was all part of trying to break his mind, and though he knew this and his mind was strong he was not sure how much more he could really take. It had been almost three days of torture, little sleep, and no food or water, other than the water that was randomly poured on him to make the electricity they hit him with conduct better and cause more pain, of the icy water they threw on him from resting and make him shiver to expend energy.  
 
 
After an hour had past, though it seemed a lot longer to Hondo, Professor Z came into the lab. He walked up to Hondo and looked at him, staring at him intently for a moment.
 
 
“Back to continue the pillow-fight, asshole?” Hondo growled wearily.
 
 
The professor looked him up and down momentarily before turning to the control panel, pressing the misters, to wet him down again, and hitting the red button, sending a painful charge of electricity through his body vie the metal shackles. Hondo crying out involuntarily as his body spasmed. The pain was excruciating and his tired body could not take a lot more. Just short of passing out the professor let up of the button. Hondo’s body sagged into the restraints as he gasped for air. He half wished they would get it over and kill him, but he knew they would not until they had what they wanted. Part of him wanted to fight, still, but it seemed hopeless. He did not know what had happened to Fernando, but he had found no trace of him. He knew there would be no rescue, not in time anyway, and he knew he did not have the strength to escape. They had him over a barrel, and the situation was beyond grim.
 
 
As he hung there, Professor Z walked up with a hot iron in his hand. He drove it into Hondo’s side forcefully. Hondo grit his teeth and tried not to yell out, and what energy he had left his body used to involuntarily fight the bindings and try to pull away from the searing pain. The professor grinned evilly as he watched him thrash and Hondo’s skin turn redder from his blood pressure rising as the smell of burn flesh rose into his nostrils and the sound of sizzling meat filled his ears. After what seemed like another eternity the professor pulled the iron away and Hondo sagged into the restrains one more as he panted for breath and tried to let the darkness overtake him. He was again doused with ice water which pulled his mind from the black oblivion he longed to go into again.
 
 
The professor stood there grinning as he looked Hondo up and down.
 
 
“As much as I do need results, I must admit that I am enjoying this thoroughly!” He said.
 
 
“Glad *pant* one *pant* of *pant* us *pant* is.” Hondo replied weakly.
 
 
“Oh? And you are not?? Tsk, tsk. That is such a shame. And now, what motivation should use next?” He asked with a grin as he waved the hot iron close to Hondo’s body.
 
 
“Maybe I could burn your nipples off?” He said waving the iron close to his chest.
 
 
“No? Well maybe I could burn off that dick and balls you are so proud of? That traitorous bitch would not love you without those, I bet!” He said as he waved the iron way to close to Hondo’s crotch.
 
 
“Go ahead *pant* you sick bastard *pant *pant* You’ve been *pant* eyein’ them *pant* Since you stripped me down! *pant, pant pant* Don’t know *pant* if you’re just Jealous *pant, pant* or a #$@!in’ pervert.” Hondo slurred.
 
 
Some of the lab help snickered and when the professor turned to them they all looked away. His own insecurities and lacking in that department made him want to hurt this outlaw he tortured, but he knew there would be talk if he did. He turned to the guards and jerked his head towards Hondo.
 
 
“Hold his head!” The professor barked.
 
 
The guards grabbed his head, though he fought back, but he did not have the energy to stop them.
 
 
“I might take your manhood yet, but maybe we will start somewhere else.” He said with a mad grin.
 
 
“I don’t swing that way, ya queer bastard.” Hondo mumbled.
 
 
Chuckles were again heard from somewhere, though not as many as before as the professor did scare them all.
 
 
“That’s not what I meant! I meant… Never mind!” The professor yelled as he plunged the hot iron across Hondo’s forehead and cheek, burning it in deep enough until his eye popped and the fluids sizzled on the iron.  
 
 
Hondo screamed in agony, thrashing to try to get away, but eventually passing out from the pains just as his eye popped. The professor pulled the iron away a few second later and then returned it to its holding rack.  
 
 
“Give him some adrenaline. I am not done, yet.” The professor said.  
 
 
A lab tech rushed up with a needle and pumped him full of adrenaline. He came back to with a start, and panted more rapidly as the adrenaline coursed through his system.  
 
 
The professor grinned, “Thought you would pass out on me and go back to your cell? Not today. I will have what I want and today!”
 
 
“You *PANT sick *PANT* Fu-*PANT*-ckin’ *PANT* Bas-*PANT*-tard!! *PANT*” Hondo growled between rapid breaths as his chest heaved rapidly.
 
 
The professor grabbed a knife and walked up to him with it.
 
 
“Gonna *Pant* cut *Pant* my *Pant* balls *Pant* off *Pant* an’ *Pant* play *Pant* with *Pant* them? *pant* I know *pant* you want *pant* too.” Hondo taunted as his breathing slowed a bit.
 
 
The professor growled and slammed the knife into Hondo’s thigh and got close enough to whisper to him. Hondo groaned at the pain and tried to pull back from the professor, but he had no where to go.
 
 
“Do not think I could not or would not! I have instruments and plans for torturing a human, wessen, or spirit on every part of their body! I can made you feel pleasure and part way through take that part leaving you forever feeling unfulfilled! I can cut, burn, electrocute, freeze, beat, puncture, and smash many, many body parts and leave you alive! But I choose what, when, and where! You might have lasted longer than most but do not think I have had some last longer! I could make this pain go on for months, maybe years if I wanted! I could break you body, mind and soul! I could make you want to hurt yourself and make it so the lack of pain was torture so you would beg me to cut off parts again! I am only limited by the durability of the subject I inflict my torture upon and even that I can enhance if I so choose! You believe in some almighty creator and worship him?! I say worship me for I can give or take life as I so choose and no one will stop me! Maybe your God is out there somewhere, but I am here so I am greater than him! Do not pray to him who does not show himself! Pray to me that your suffering will not last and that I will let you die before I take everything else from you, including your very mind and soul!!” He hissed in Hondo’s face.
 
 
Hondo winced a bit and through grit teeth spoke in a low growl, “Is your breath *pant* part of the torture, quack? *pant* if not, eat a damn *pant* mint, please.”
 
 
The professor growled angrily and pulled the knife from Hondo’s thigh and plunged it into his left bicep. Hondo groaned and sucked air through his teeth as the jagged blade sunk into his arm. He hoped pissing the professor off would made him angry enough to kill him, but though he was getting angrier he had not killed him yet.
 
 
The professor turned, leaving the knife in Hondo’s arm for the time being, and walked back to his desk.  
 
 
“Physical pain is not working fast enough, it would seem. Time to move back to mental.” He said.
 
 
“Not the drugs again… I got high yesterday.” Hondo mumbled.
 
 
The professor turned back to him with a smile and laughed.
 
 
“Drugs? HaHaHaHahaaa! No, not drugs this time, my friend. No, this time I have something a little different. Something other than you to torture and carve on. A traitorous little ex-bird, shall we say, that maybe means something to you?” He replied with a grin.
 
 
Hondo’s brow furrowed questioningly for a second, but the pain to his face made his relax his features for a moment. The professor snapped his fingers and a metal frame with someone tied to a frame, like the one he was on, was wheeled into the room and placed across from him.  
 
 
“I have a little surprise for you.” The professor said as he walked over and pulled the sheet off the person.
 
 
Hondo gasped as he saw who was there.
 
 
“R..r..raven? How.. I.. I told you to go without me!” He stammered.
 
 
“I.. I couldn’t! I’m sorry!” The feline spirit woman said as she hung nude from the frame, strapped just as he was.
 
 
The professor smiled and walked up to him, “You are not happy to see your traitorous little lady friend? Or are you just, what is the term… #$@! buddies?”
 
 
“#$@! you! I’ll kill you!” Hondo roared, his anger giving him some new energy.
 
 
The professor yanked the knife from Hondo’s arm with a grin, “I think not, but I might kill your little girl friend.”
 
 
He walked over and stabbed the knife into her side and she screamed out in pain.
 
 
“Maybe I will cut her a bit.” He said.
 
 
“Noo!” She screamed.
 
 
“Stop, you bastard!” Hondo yelled
 
 
He grabbed a wire and clamped it to her feet restrains then picked up what looked to be like a welding stinger and held it up.
 
 
“Maybe I’ll fry her assets.” He said as he plunged the stinger against her breasts sending electricity coursing through her body.
 
 
As she gurgled and twitched Hondo screamed out profanities and threats at the professor but he only smiled gleefully, pulling the stinger away only after several seconds.
 
 
He set the stinger down and squatted down and pulled her legs further apart as her lungs gasped for air.
 
 
“Maybe I could let all the men in here take turns #$@!ing her while the other take turns whipping her!” He said with a sadistic grin
 
 
“Do not touch her! I’ll kill you!!” Hondo roared.
 
 
The professor stood up and pulled the knife from and  held it in his hand as he shook his head at him.
 
 
“You do not get it, do you? You are no longer in control. You are no longer the hero. You are not her savior. You are no longer the strong one. You are not H.I. Sackett anymore! You are a weak, pathetic throwaway toy, that I can use and dispose of at any time, just like she is. You are helpless, and I am the strong one now.” He said.
 
 
“Damn you.” Hondo growled, trying to not fall apart, but the woman he loved was across from him and her eyes begged him for help.
 
 
His heart was breaking and his mind was racing but he saw no options. The professors smile widened as he saw the realization of it all fall on him.
 
 
“You see, we knew for a long time that you would take torture on yourself, but we were not sure how much. I applaud your ability to hold out and self-sacrifice, but it is all a fool’s gesture in reality.  You see it, do you not? You can sacrifice yourself, but at the end of the day who protects them when you are gone? Who protects her? What is your sacrifice good for if we still take out her and the rest once you are gone? You are all that is left between them and us, correct? Well, not you are not and we, well..” He paused and drove the knife into Raven’s heart, “We do as we please, and you have lost!”
 
 
“NOOO!” Hondo screamed as he watched Raven’s face turn pale and blood start to trickle from around the knife.
 
 
If fury and agony he stretched out his hand and the cane appeared. He flicked his wrist so that the canes crystal spun it around and drove the crystal into his thigh to push it before spinning is again towards Raven to try to teleport her out of there. The professors machine caused a complete energy feed back on his, though, sending the energy coursing through his body. As it hit him he saw Ravens face go completely white and her body sag into its restraints as she stopped breathing.  
 
 
The professor ran to the console, and turned the power dial up and hit the button, causing electricity to flow through Hondo’s body at the same time. Hondo was angry, though and fought the pain longer than before.
 
 
“Guard, club him! Knock him out!!” The professor screamed.  
 
 
A guard rushed forward and using his rifle as a club hit Hondo in the head as hard as he could, causing him to slump forward, and into unconsciousness and drop the cane. The professor let off the button as the cane fell and one of the guards stooped to pick it up.
 
 
“Stop!” The professor yelled, but it was too late.
 
 
The guard was hit with a bolt of lightning that seemed to come from the cane itself, and fell to the floor dead. The professor shook his head angrily.
 
 
“Fool!” He growled, “Everyone knows you cannot touch it without the control harness attached!”
 
 
The professor snapped at one of the techs who put on a protective suit that was had steel threads woven into the fabric. The lab tech swallowed hard and grabbed up the control harness. She stopped down and carefully slid it onto the cane and snapped it in place around it. The cane sparked as the harness snapped into place and the lab teach shrieked and jumped back. The professor shook his head and sighed.
 
 
“It will not hurt you now.” He said.
 
 
“He’s still breathing, though.” Another tech said who was monitoring vital signs.
 
 
The professor frowned, “Well, he won’t breath for long.”
 
 
He walked up to the console and opened another panel, turning a different know, which turned the machine out of safe mode.
 
 
“Step back from him everyone, unless you want a spark to jump to you!” The professor said loudly.
 
 
Everyone stepped back as he pressed the button and watched Hondo as his body jerked violently once more. After about half a minute he let off and his vitals were checked by one of the lab techs at the machine and then again at him physically. The tech nodded solemnly.
 
 
“He is dead.” The tech said.
 
 
The professor nodded, “Good. Not take him to the morgue and have them incinerate him today! I have heard rumors that he could heal, even when thought dead. They are probably just rumors but we cannot chance it.”
 
 
The techs nodded and started to take his body down and put in on a gurney.
 
 
“What about the other one?” a tech asked.
 
 
The professor looked at Raven, “No use wasting the incinerator on a clone; throw her in the body pit.”
 
 
The tech nodded and went to help the other’s with Hondo’s body.
 
 
Professor Z walked over to the cloned Raven and sneered, “One day I will capture you and make your love’s torture look like play time compared to yours! One day…”
 
 
(to be continued…)

On a hilltop some miles away from the lab a rat-spirit appeared in a red flash of light, holding one of the time-lord canes with a rather large control harness attached to it in one hand and a female canine spirit in lab tech garb in the other. After letting her go, the female lab tech stood shakily looking at the rising column of fire, smoke, and ash in the distance.
 
 
“Professor Z, what .. what happened?!” The woman asked in a timid, fearful voice.
 
 
“Looks like either my orders to dispose of Sackett were delayed, we had a mole in our operation, or that device that Dr. Eric, that so-called engineering genius, built to keep us hidden from other time-lords failed, which I told him it would!” Professor Z snarled in reply.
 
 
“But… but… does that mean… are we all that’s left?” She asked shakily.
 
 
“Yes. While we have superiors and comrades in other sectors, we are all that’s left from here. You know what that means, right?” He asked
 
 
She shook her head.
 
 
“That means I have been promoted. “ He said with a grin.
 
 
“Wh..what does it mean for me?” She asked timidly.
 
 
He gave her an appraising look up and down, “Turn around for me.”
 
 
She gave him a puzzled look, “Turn around?”
 
 
“Yes! Turn around so I can see all sides of you.” He replied in an annoyed tone.
 
 
She spun around a couple times hesitantly as he appraised her with judging eyes. He nodded after a moment but continued to frown.
 
 
“Yes… Not bad but hard to judge with those loose-fitting scrubs… Take your scrubs off.” He ordered.
 
 
“Professor?” She asked, a look of shock on her face.
 
 
“Did I not save your life?” He asked
 
 
“You did but..” She stammered
 
 
“Then what do you owe me?” He asked cutting her off.
 
 
“But professor…” She started to retort in a begging tone.
 
 
“What Do You Owe Me?!?” He half yelled.
 
 
She hung her head and whispered, “A…a life debt.”
 
 
He grinned slightly, “That is right… now strip!”
 
 
She took her scrubs off and having only pantie on under neither she stood with her head hung and her arms across her breast.  
 
 
“Spin around.” He ordered flatly.
 
 
She turned slowly, looking at the ground the whole time as her face turned red from embarrassment.
 
 
“Put your damn arms at your side, girl. Now!” He barked
 
 
She put her arms down to her side as her face turned even redder. He walked around her looking her up and down as one might a side of beef that hung in a butcher shop. He nodded after a moment as he spoke to himself out loud.
 
 
“Firm, tight ass… smaller breasts, but they will do…. Fairly athletic… yes… I’ve #$@!ed better but she will do.” He mumbled out loud.
 
 
A look of horror swept over her face as she realized what was to become of her. She had a boyfriend who worked elsewhere so he would be alright as long as this was not a coordinated attack, but now she would lose him and all hopes at a happy life and family. Among the spirits if a life debt was owed it must be paid as requested but the one it was owed. This was one of the highest laws in the spirit realm, and she had no option unless she chose to run. If she did run, her siblings and parents could all be held accountable for her life debt. This was the law and she could not do that to her family.
 
 
She stood there as he appraised her further, grabbed roughly at her breasts and shoved a couple fingers up inside her womanhood as if she had not feelings at all. Tears fell down her cheek but she stood silently and endured.  
 
 
After a couple minutes the professor stepped back with a nod, “At least you are firm and fairly tight, though I doubt a virgin. You will do. You will work as my personal assistant, maid, cook, and, when I desire, sex-slave. I own your ass, pussy, mouth, hands, mind, the whole works, understood?”
 
 
She closed her eyes and nodded as she tried not to burst out crying.
 
 
“Good. Now get dressed. Though I may own you, it will not look good teleporting into the Minister of Science’s office with you in the nude… Once we get a room there, you can show me if you have any skills in bed. Pray they are satisfactory as the price for not impressing me will be extremely painful, to say the least!” He said as a wicked grin crossed his face.
 
 
“Y.y.y.yes s.s.s.sir.” She stuttered, as she felt her heart breaking inside her.
 
 
Her emotional distress was not missed by the professor, though, but he got off on it and reveled in the thought of breaking her will, heart, mind, and soul. He was disappointed that she was not more defiant, but she would do. Once she was dressed he grabbed her roughly and pulled her against him.
 
 
“Off to the Ministry of Science and then we find more time-lords!” He said almost triumphantly.
 
 
In a flash of red they both disappeared.
 
 
-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
 
 
In a flash of blue light Hondo and Raven, of whom Hondo had no idea was a clone, appeared back at Charles’s hotel, in the side alley away from prying eyes. It was early morning, he guessed from where the sun was in the sky, and though Hondo had been restored his body was tired. They had been gone from here almost three and a half days, but after what he had been through it felt like years.  
 
 
Raven leaned against him, staying in the arm her wrapped around her as they walked up to the side door and knocked. No one answered at first so he knocked again louder. A recognizable voice called out and another scolded from inside.
 
 
“Keep your knickers on, I’m on my way!” Charlies voice call out, though it sounded a bit rough still.
 
 
“Father, you should not be up!” a female voice scolded.
 
 
The female voice, though not as familiar, Hondo knew belonged to his maid, Beatrix, who had only found out her real name and that Charles was her father after he had nearly died.  
 
 
The door swung open and Hondo saw the old man leaning on a cane, a bandage over one eye, his arm in a sling, and his one leg wrapped. As he looked at Hondo he squinted a bit before taking on a surprised look.
 
 
“Bloody hell! Get in side!” He exclaimed as she shuffled out of the doorway.
 
 
Hondo and Raven entered quickly and he shut the door behind them.
 
 
“What in blue blazes are you two doing back?!” He exclaimed.
 
 
“Didn’t expect ya to be excited to see us, but I needed to make sure you are alright.” Hondo replied
 
 
“You should have been gone for the Americas, lad! We were not sure you made it with the ruckus all over town that night. What happened?” Charles asked.
 
 
“Looks like you should sit before you fall.” Hondo replied.
 
 
Charles nodded and led them to the living room where Beatrix joined them to check on Charles.
 
 
“You should be sitting, Father! I told you I would be right out.” She scolded as she helped him sit in his chair.
 
 
“I might be old and wounded but I am not helpless.” He groused.
 
 
She looked between Hondo and Raven with a worried, questioning look.
 
 
“What happened with you two? Father was worried you got into a fight and got caught.” Beatrix asked.
 
 
“I… I was not worried at all! He’s a scrapper and I knew he could handle himself.” Charles groused.
 
 
Hondo sighed and nodded, “Well, we did get caught.”
 
 
“What?!?  What happened?! How did you escape???” Charles exclaimed half coming out of his chair only to have his daughter place a hand on his arm to try to get him to settle down.
 
 
It was evident to all that she worried about her father, and wished to make up for lost time. She also feared losing him again after so recently finding him, but she knew there was only so much she could do.  
 
 
Hondo sighed, “Well, for starters the ship was guarded by Russian hunters the spirits had hired, an’ the whole operation was lead by a mad-man of a rat-spirit named Professor Renaldo Zucker.”  
 
 
He filled them in on what happened that night as best he could, though he had some blanks on what happened to Raven. Beatrix gasped and covered her gaping mouth as she listened to what happened and Charles swore under his breath and shook his head.
 
 
“… an’ then I blacked out. When I woke up my bare ass was strapped to a cold metal gurney an’ it was three days of torture until they wheeled Raven out an’ started in on her to break me…. We’d have been dead if Fernando had not of came and got us.” Hondo said as he finished up.
 
 
“You poor dears. You are lucky your friend came to your aid.” Beatrix replied as she shook her head, still trying to process it all.
 
 
“Yes, that was fortunate… How did he know you were in trouble? And didn’t you say he was missing, from some explosion or wot not?” Charles asked.
 
 
Hondo furrowed his brow and nodded, “I am not sure. We did not get to talk ‘bout it, but he acted like we had not talked since I left Japan… I’m startin’ to wonder if it was a decoy, that it was not him at all but somehow they faked him, whether a decoy or somethin’. Hell, they could have had a clone too. All I know is he sounded like Jefe, knew the right words to say, an’ at a distance looked like him.”
 
 
“They can clone people?” Charles asked.
 
 
“Supposedly. I have not been able to prove it but I’ve seen documents that support that theory and Raven said she was told they had the technology.” Hondo said as he turned to look at Raven for her support on that.
 
 
Instead of nodding on agreement or saying anything she wore a confused look on her face.
 
 
“Right?” Hondo asked her.
 
 
She looked at him with a lost look and shrugged, “I…I don’t know… I guess I might have said that…”
 
 
“You are probably just still shaken up, you poor thing. I’ll get you some tea, if you would like.” Beatrix said.
 
 
Raven smiled and nodded, “That would be nice.”
 
 
As Beatrix left Charles turned to Raven with a questioning look.
 
 
“We heard how they got Hondo, but how did they get you, my dear?” He asked.
 
 
She looked between them with a half frightened and half blank stare, “I… I don’t remember.”
 
 
“You remember leavin’ me an’ headin’ for the ship?” Hondo asked.
 
 
She looked at the floor for a moment then back at him, “No… All I know is something happened and I couldn’t…. I couldn’t…”
 
 
Hondo looked at her with worried eyes, “Are you feelin’ alright, darlin’?”  
 
 
She nodded, “I feel fine but… The more I think the more I feel confused.”
 
 
Charles frowned, “You both must be exhausted. How about I have Beatrix whip you up something to eat and then you both get some rest, eh?”
 
 
Hondo nodded, “That might not be a bad idea…. Charlie, … I think you might not be safe here.”
 
 
“Not safe? Why?” He asked.
 
 
“There lab is a crater, now. It had to be destroyed, but we do not know what info they gave out. The spirits or Hunters could come back here if they thought there was some info to be had. They won’t be trackin’ us for a while as they probably think we went up with it.  If the higher echelon spirits know you knew anythin’ ‘bout us they might suspect you notified someone ‘bout us bein’ taken. You know how hard they can be to convince that you know or did nothin’ when they think you did.” Hondo said.
 
 
Charles nodded, “You are right, but I cannot leave. I am too old to start over. Take my daughter with you and leave an old man to die in his own home.”
 
 
“No!” Beatrix exclaimed as she appeared in the door with some tea for Raven.
 
 
She handed the tea to Raven, who thanked her, and then she turned to her father.
 
 
“No, father. I will not lose you again. We either both go or both stay!” She said
 
 
“My dear, I cannot leave. Some of your mother’s things are here, and they are all I have left of her besides you. I built a life here from the ashes of despair and misery. I cannot leave and I cannot lose you.” He replied to her softly, in a shaky voice.
 
 
She knelt down beside him and gazed into the old man’s eyes.
 
 
“I was as good as dead before you bought me at that slave auction. I am yours twice. Your slave and your daughter. If you cannot bare to leave this place then we will both stay.” She said.
 
 
“You were never a slave to me. The price I paid for you could not begin to pay back what I owe you for failing to protect you, your mother and sister.” He said sadly.
 
 
“I never felt like a slave either, but I am yours and I know no other life.” She said.
 
 
“I just want you to find a good man and have a family of your own, somewhere safe.” He replied.
 
 
“I am staying here. Maybe someday I will find a husband but I am yours first, for whatever is needed. What is needed now is for us to lay in supplies and look at some security updates to the old place or whatever we need to do. My place is beside you and your place is here so we will stay here together.” She said.
 
 
The old man sighed, “As stubborn as your mother.”
 
 
“And as stubborn as you too, father.” She said.
 
 
He chuckled and shook his head, “If you have stubbornness from both of us I have no chance at winning this, do I?”
 
 
She kissed him lightly on the cheek and smiled, “I will go get the room ready again for your friends.”
 
 
He shook his head as she left, “She is her mother all over again.”
 
 
Charles turned back to Hondo and sighed, “I guess we will be staying on here then, old chap. We might both be balmy, but we are balmy together.”
 
 
Hondo chuckled and shook his head, “I reckon so. I hope they stay away for your sake.”
 
 
Charles nodded, “Thank you, old chap. Now, I am sure you wish to go rest and maybe get some food… You have any bags or need clothes washed?”
 
 
“These are all the clothes we have at the moment. Will probably go after our stuff after we rest.” Hondo said.
 
 
“Well, I am sure Beatrix would bring some food up to the room and take your clothes and get them washed up quick.” Charles said.
 
 
Hondo nodded, “That would be appreciated. Don’t need clothes to sleep anyway.”
 
 
Raven blushed slightly at the thought of him naked. She had seen him naked in the torture lab, and though her was hurt she could still see his well-formed body and ample equipment in her mind. She did not remember seeing it before then, but she half wished she could now, though she was sure they would be in separate rooms.  
 
 
Charles and Hondo talked a bit more as Raven quietly sipped on her tea and they waited for Beatrix to return. About fifteen minutes later she reappeared.
 
 
“The room is ready if you are. I can show you up to it, if you would like.” Beatrix said.
 
 
Hondo shook his head, “I know the way, but thanks.”
 
 
“Would you prepare them something to eat to leave at their room and pick up their clothes to wash? What they are wearing is all they have.” Charles asked her.
 
 
“That I can, if you just leave them outside the door. I will knock when I leave to food so you know to come grab it without being disturbed… You wish me to pick up some new clothes for you?” She asked.
 
 
Hondo shook his head, “We will get our stuff soon enough. They are not looking for me or blocking me now so we should be fine with these for now. I look forward to wearing my own clothes again, as I am sure Raven is. These are the dock-worker clothes I was given to sneak on the ship and Raven’s I found in a lab.”
 
 
Raven looked at him questioningly, “These are mine clothes, I thought.”
 
 
Hondo looked at with a raised eyebrow and shook his head, “They are none I’ve ever seen you have. Plus you weren’t wearin’ clothes when you left me.”
 
 
“I was naked?!” She exclaimed.
 
 
“Of course, you were in your animal form!” Hondo exclaimed.
 
 
“Oh…. I guess I just don’t remember any of that.” She replied.
 
 
Charles and Beatrix looked at each other with a worried look then back at Raven. Hondo stared at her for a while, looking into her eyes.
 
 
“What did they do to you, darlin’?” He asked softly.
 
 
She looked down, I… I don’t know. I wish I did.”  
 
 
He sighed, “We’d better go get some rest. Maybe you’ll feel better after a shower, some food, an’ some sleep.”
 
 
She nodded, “Yeah, maybe I will.”
 
 
Hondo stood up and she stood up with him, “We will probably leave at dark, so we’d better go get some rest.”
 
 
Charles nodded, “Make sure you stop and let me wish you luck before you leave.”
 
 
Hondo nodded, “That I will, old friend.”  
 
 
With that Hondo headed out of the small, private living room, down the hall, and up the stairs to the bedrooms.  
 
 
Beatrix turned to her father with a questioning look, “Old friend? How long have you known him?”
 
 
Charles sighed, “It was right after the happening, so almost sixty years now.”
 
 
“He is sixty?! I’d never guessed it. You save him as a baby, I take it?” She asked.
 
 
Charles chuckled, “He was not a baby when I first met him. He looked not much different than he does now, I dare say. We fought together for a while, him, I and his mate Fernando, who is one of the most talented and fearsome time walkers out there. Hondo is the only other one who comes close that I know of.”
 
 
“What? That would make him over eighty!” Beatrix exclaimed
 
 
“Try over one hundred. He is a time walker, mind you.” Charles said.
 
 
“I’ve heard the term but don’t understand it.” She said.
 
 
“Well, you go get their dinner and do their washing while I have a bit of a nap, and then we will sit down with a cuppa and some crumpets and I will tell you what I know.” He replied with a smile.
 
 
-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,
 
 
Raven followed Hondo up to the room and paused at the door as he walked inside.
 
 
“Where… where is my room?” She asked hesitantly.
 
 
“Not want to share with the old man anymore?” He asked with a teasing grin.
 
 
She gave him back a weak smile, “Oh, that’s not it at all. Just wasn’t sure.”
 
 
She timidly entered and looked around as if she had not seen it before.
 
 
“Why don’t you get a shower.” He said.
 
 
She nodded and headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind her as she went in. Hondo sat down on the edge of the bed and wen over things in his head.
 
 
 It puzzled Hondo as the second restored him and when he fixed up Raven had done the same. He had figured to gather some information, reset some supplies, get some messages to some of his contacts, and then go get their stuff from the shipping container that was in Chinatown by the Mississippi inland sea before meeting up with Fernando, but now he thought he should take Raven to Fernando first to see what was wrong with her.  
 
 
Fernando’s bed partners annoyed him somewhat, but at times Raven did the same to Fernando. They both took care of the others partners when needed for the other but things had not been the same since Valentine got angry. Back then they were all friends. After Valentine had burned Fernando’s friendship, though, it had not been the same. Fernando and Hondo were still friends, though they both had gotten harder in some ways, but Fernando and Raven had never become more than work partners.  Hondo and Ichi never saw eye to eye after their deal in fight town, where they all almost died because of her, and him and Min had a falling out after a mission gone sour where she refused to listen to him and almost cost Raven her life and did cost them the lives of a loyal contact. Fernando took the blame for it, saying he did not make it clear to her to follow Hondo’s orders, but Hondo never saw it that way.  
 
 
Though they were not as close as a whole as they used to be when Hondo and Valentine were together, they all still worked together and Fernando still would help her for his sake. In all actuality, there were times when Fernando seemed to worry about her more than he did with Valentine, though they were not friends. Raven said she had tried but he had held her at bay. Whatever it was, everything seemed to change the most the day Fernando and Valentine stopped talking. Hondo never knew what it was and neither would talk about it. Hondo had wanted to apologize to Fernando for Valentine but he was getting tired of apologizing for her. The situation with Raven he did not understand, but he did not know that Valentine had been the one to sell raven out, like Fernando knew.
 
 
Had Hondo known he might have done or felt different, but he did not. He was worried about Raven though and the only person he trusted to look to for answers was Fernando and maybe one of his daughters, if Fernando deemed they were needed.  
 
 
Hondo stood up after a moment and shook his head. He was not sure if they needed to hurry to Fernando yet or not. He would let her get some sleep first, and then see how things went.
 
 
He stripped off his clothes and threw them in the hall before heading into the shower. He did not try to walked quietly or open the door quietly, but his did it all naturally. He grabbed a fresh towel from the shelf and put it on the rack by the shower and then opened the shower curtain to join Raven.
 
 
Raven had gone into the bathroom and closed the door. She laid a towel out beside the shower and then carefully took her clothes off and laid them on the edge of the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror for a moment and looked at her reflection. She knew something was wrong inside her, but she did not know what. She knew it was not the first time they had shared a room, as it was often necessary, but her memory seemed fragmented. She felt that they had been together as more than work partners and friends but it did not all fit in. It felt right to be close to him and have his arm around her, but she had a hard time remembering when they had done so before. The way he looked at her and talked to her was as if they were lovers but she did not remember seeing him naked before the lab. She knew she had as she felt like they had made love before she was changed from a raven to a feline spirit, but it was more of a knowledge of the fact than a memory of it happening.
 
 
A sound behind her caused her to turn as she saw Hondo, naked get in the shower behind her. She tried to cover herself with her arms a she gasped in surprise.
 
 
“What are you doing!” She half shrieked.
 
 
“What am I doin’? Getting’ a shower!” He replied half annoyed.
 
 
“Together?!... I mean… do we shower together?” She said relaxing a bit but still covering herself.
 
 
He reached out a hand to her be she shied back a bit before stopping. HE passed and pulled his hand back.
 
 
“Raven, its me. We do this all the time!” He said in a worried tone.
 
 
“We.. we do this naked.. together?” She asked hesitantly.
 
 
“What happened to you, darlin’?” He asked again.
 
 
She shook her head, “I..I don’t know…. Please, tell me what we are.”
 
 
Her voice was scared and pleading and her eyes begged for answers.
 
 
“You came to us to help us fight the spirits.” Hondo said
 
 
“You and Fernando, I remember that and… and I remember I got turned into a feline spirit… the rest after that is foggy.” She said sounding like a scared little girl.
 
 
“That was ‘bout twelve years ago. We became good friends because of that an’ my wife an’ I tried one more time to make things work but we did not work... I would not divorce her, though, as I was afraid what she might do to herself if I did, but we separated an’ you became a more lovin’ wife an’ partner to me than my legal wife has been since before the happenin’.” He said.
 
 
“So, we sleep together? Get naked together?... have sex together??” She asked shakily.
 
 
He nodded and tried to give her a soft smile, “Yes. Normally I couldn’t keep clothes on you if I wanted to! An’ we are more sexually active than most, I reckon.”
 
 
“So, we are close and… we are lovers?” She asked.
 
 
That an’ more. We are partners in life, the best of friends, a mission team, an’ lovers.” He replied
 
 
“I thought you and Fernando were a mission team and best friends?” She said
 
 
“We are, after a fashion. He an’ I were a team long ago, he the leader an’ I his right hand. Now we work together more so as equals, though I doubt I’ll ever equal him. He still leads, after a fashion, but we often work apart now since he trusts me to do my job. Like I was his right hand, an’ am still at times when needed, you are my right hand. Our friendship is also different. There are things that as guys we do not talk about that I can talk about with you an’ things that you might not understand that I can talk with him about.” He replied.
 
 
“And Valentine? What of her?” She asked.
 
 
“Like I said, we separated. She an’ Jefe do not talk anymore, why I am not exactly sure, but she had not worked with us for almost eight, up until a few months ago. It was not long after the last mission she worked with us on that you an’ I got together seriously. I did not speak to her much after we separated and had spent no real time with her until we headed to China as we needed her expertise. After the explosion that I thought took out Jefe, we had to all go on the run an’ I lost touch with her. I did not dare contact her when we were bein’ followed. She… she was actin’ odd the last few times I saw her. You thought she wanted to make things right but did not know how… Is any of this ringin’ a bell?” He replied.
 
 
She looked down and shook her head. She did not understand how they could have been so close and none of it registered. After a moment she looked up at him with that sad look in her eyes that made him melt inside.
 
 
“Make love to me.” She whispered.
 
 
“Are you sure?” He asked.
 
 
She nodded, “Yes. Please take me. I… I need to feel it…. I need to feel you.”
 
 
He slowly closed the gap between them and pressed his large frame against her much smaller body. HE could feel her tremble against his body, as he pulled her into him and held her. He placed a hand at the small of her back to hold her against him as he ran the other up and down her back and across her shoulders. She looked up into his eyes with a scared and pleading look, like a tiny, starving orphaned kitten begging to be saved.  He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, then on her cheek, and then he kissed and nuzzled her neck. She moaned softly and placed her arms around his neck and pulled his head into her body. None of it felt familiar to her, but it felt so good.
 
 
He pushed her back against the wall and side his hands under her firm ass to lift her up so he could kiss, lick, and nuzzle her breasts. She moaned again softly as she laid her cheek on his head and entwined her finger into his hair. After he played with her firm, white mounds for a bit he lifted her up slowly, kissing down her belly as he did so.  As he lifted her so her legs could rest on his shoulders, she spread her thighs for him to have access to her most sensitive areas. As he kissed and licked the inside of her thighs she groaned, arched her back as she tried to move her womanhood to his mouth, and pulled his hair as sexual tensions built inside her petite body. When he finally quit teasing her and used his mouth and tongue on her clit and the surrounding areas she came and came hard, as if it were her first time being pleasured.
 
 
He continued a while until she was a quivering mass, her juices ran freely, and her moans had turned from high pitched squeaks and sighs to guttural groans. He lowered her down and she clung to him to steady herself. After she had regained some of her mental faculties she reached between them and grabbed his firm member and stroked it. It felt huge in her hand as it was but it swelled even further at her touch. Her mind started to wonder how it would fit inside of her, as though he said they had done if before she had no memory of it.  
 
 
As she stroked his member she looked up into his eyes with the pleading look again.
 
 
“Please… please put it in me… take me… make me your bitch!” She begged, her voice with each word sounding more and more desperate.
 
 
He turned her around, bent her over so the water hit her back and spread her legs a bit so he could access her better. Her reached a hand up to her pussy and tested her opening with his fingers. She was wet, extremely wet and tight, much tighter than he remembered her being, though loose was something she had never been. He then grabbed his member and rubbed it up and down the lips of her flower. She moaned again softly as he did so and her body quavered with anticipation. After teasing her for a moment he moved the head of his member to her womanly entrance and started to push his throbbing dick into her body. She tensed up a bit as it hurt, hurt like she was a virgin taking not only her first penis, but a very large first.  
 
 
As he tried to slide into her, she felt tight, tight like the first few times they had made love. Her body had grown used to him and had learned to accept his member without a lot of resistance, but now it seemed to fight his entering her. She was wet enough so that was not the issue, but she squirmed and groaned as if his efforts hurt her.
 
 
“I don’t remember you bein’ this tight! Are you alright?” He asked.
 
 
She bit her lip and nodded, “Yes. It hurts a bit but… just keep going!”  
 
 
He wondered if whatever the second had done to her to heal and revive her had brought her body back to a prime virgin state, as he could think of no other reason for this. He grabbed her firmly at the hips and pushed himself in. She shrieked and shuttered as the head of his member finally pushed up firmly against her cervix, and he had to grab her by the waist to keep her from falling. She recomposed herself and held on to a bar in the shower and braced her feet.
 
 
“Don’t worry about me! Just take me!! Take me like you own me and don’t care!!!” She said through grit teeth as he held her and did not move.
 
 
He sighed a confused sigh. He had to admit to himself that it turned him on some, her wanting him to just take her forcibly like that, but he had never heard her or seen her like this. He shook his head after a moment and started thrusting. He had to pretty well hold her up as he did so as she shook, shrieked, groaned, and moaned like a wild woman as he thrust into her.  
 
 
“Harder! Faster” She growled through still clenched teeth.
 
 
He pounded her like a blacksmith would pound hot iron to mold it into a usable piece, hard, swift, and with skilled precision. He changed her positions several times, continuing to pound on her at her continued begging and growling requests. At that rate of pounding and because of her tightness he did not last as long as normal and he came about fifteen minutes into their session. As his balls let loose their seed and he filled her with his sperm, she begged for more.  
 
 
After some further foreplay, as he needed to give his member some time to recover, they went at it again. They did it in the shower, on the bathroom floor, on the bedroom floor, on the coffee table, and any other point he could brace her off of until she was a moaning mass of senseless flesh. As he approached coming a second time she could not even speak anymore. Her tongue hung out of her mouth like a panting dog, her eyes were rolled back into her head, her body hung trembling from where he had her braced, and all she could issue forth for noises where guttural grunts and groans. He came again, harder than he had the first time, pumping another load into her as she came again for the twentieth time or so, he was not sure as he lost count. As his member bucked into her he collapsed down on the floor and held her against him and they let their adrenaline die down and lay panting for air.  
 
 
Her sweaty body shook in his arms as he held her, but it felt good to him. They had some wild nights and days together but something about her attitude and begging him to pound her harder released the full animal in him that he had not let loose in a long time. After several minutes he got up and had to half carry her to the shower as she could not walk at the moment. She sagged in his arms, making it so he had to wash them both. Once washed he dried her off and them himself as she leaned against a wall, and then he carried her to bed.
 
 
Once she was in bed he gathered up her laundry and the towels they used and put them in the hall. HE then collapsed beside her and pulled her to him again, but she seemed disinterested in holding each other, which was not like her at all.  
 
 
“You not want me to hold you?” He asked.
 
 
“If you want to hold me you can. I’m just tired.” She said weakly.
 
 
Usually she demanded snuggling after and said it was one of her favorite parts, but since she was not interested he let go of her. As they lay there a nocking at the door was heard and then the retreating of light food steps. With a sigh Hondo stood up and went to the door. The clothes were gone and a tray of small sandwiches, cheese, and fruit, along with some water and a bottle of wine sat there. He brought the tray in and set it on the chest-of-drawers.
 
 
“Got some food, here.” He said.
 
 
“Not hungry.” She replied.
 
 
“Not hungry? Somethin’ is wrong with you! I’ve never seen you not hungry, especially after makin’ love.” He said.
 
 
She shrugged, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Just not feeling like myself, I guess. You eat. I’ll eat later.”
 
 
He shrugged and poured himself some wine. He ate a couple small sandwiches, some of the fruit, and a couple pieces of cheese before taking a shot of whiskey and lying down. As he laid down she turned away from him and stared at the wall. He sighed in frustration as he knew she was not acting right at all.
 
 
“I love you, Raven… You know that, right?” He said softly to her.
 
 
She sighed, “I… I wish I did. I believe you, but… I wish I knew it inside of me.”
 
 
“Get some sleep. We’ll talk more later.” He said to her, his voice betraying the worry he tried to hide.
 
 
She did not reply, but just lay there turned away from him. None of it brought back the memories of what he spoke of nor the feelings he had claimed she had. It all felt hollow to her, all devoid of meaning. She knew her pussy would hurt later, as the pain was excruciating at the beginning and she could hardly walk after, let alone put her legs back together, but for not it all felt numb, as did the rest of her. She had pushed him, begged him to pound her hard. She had hoped something would jar a memory loose or let her remember an old feeling, but she felt nothing. Despite the pain the sex was mind-blowing, that she could not deny, but it was still just sex. She did not feel anything for this man, she did not want to please him back, nor did she want him to hold her. She would take some of what they had just done again anytime, but she knew it would always just be sex. She felt guilty about it too. He was giving her his all, and she could see he did it out of love and care but these she could not return. The worry in his eyes and in his voice haunted her. He loved someone she did not know, some woman she had supposedly been but was no longer.  
 
 
They both soon fell asleep. Hondo’s dreams were mixed, part of loving the Raven he knew and partly reliving the horror he had faced in the last several days, especially the parts where they hurt her. Raven did not dream at all as she slept, her mind black of connections and emotions. Her fear had been real at the lab, and her lusts were real, but there was no love in her heart or care in her mind for this man who called himself her mate.
 
 
-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
 
 
{Back at camp}
 
 
Tonya had fallen asleep in the chair beside Hondo, half laying on him as she slept. He was exhausted but sleep did not come to him like he would like. He felt weak and vulnerable, and though it was not a feeling most liked, he liked it a lot less than most. Maggie went to get a shower, after she made him promise not to leave when her back was turned, and had it not been for how weak and tired felt, he probably would have snuck out.
 
 
 Instead he just lay there thinking. He was afraid that things with Tonya liking Hector were far from over, but there was not much he could do there. At least he had less fear of her running away now, though from what he was told by Maggie and Molly, he would be urging her to apologize to both Fernando and the little Wesson woman who had been with him. He knew Fernando was not big on apologies, but he knew that Tonya needed to do this. Being a free wessen and his daughter was a new life and she had many lessons yet to learn in that life.
 
 
As he lay there his thoughts turned to Valentine. His heart hurt as he thought of her. He felt like he had been betrayed, all the pain and anguish he put himself and the other through to find her and she threw it back in their faces. He blamed himself for not finding her and letting her go off alone, but he was not sure how he could have found her faster and making her stay instead of looking for Zoey would have been a fight and lost time. He was not sure what to do about her right now. He had promised her to be hers forever, but she did not seem like she even wanted him now. He felt a hollow spot inside him with her not here, but there was an anger and frustration building at her too. He found himself wondering why she could not be more like Molly. Molly was a bit demanding at times and did not always show her emotions well, but she treated him well, despite being part of the reason her fiancé had died. Why could Valentine be more like that? That’s all he wanted from her, to be treated well.
 
 
-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
 
 
The two guards from the army stood out front with Marvin and Karl, each pair taking turns randomly circling the building to look for trouble. Jewel was fairly quiet, though the guys talked freely. They tried to get her to join in but she would just smile politely and turn away again. It was not that she did not like their talk but she felt bad about accusing Hondo of rape, and in front of his daughter and a couple of the women he had helped in one way or another. She felt pretty small and embarrassed about the whole deal. She hoped it would not make it back to her commander, but her main worry was how Hondo looked at her and how the other men in her outfit, of whom she had to fight besides, would look at her for falsely accusing a man, who was seen as a leader and a hero by many in the group, as a rapist. She had meant the best in helping Tonya, but had drawn all the wrong conclusions. There was no malice in her accusation, but she did what she felt she had to. Her own past made her jump the gun there, and that was something she had fought against for years. She had seen other women cry rape in the military before, and even if they were justified in doing so, the other who had done so falsely and maliciously had ruined it for the rest of them. If her fellow soldiers found out she would be an outcast for sure. No one would have her back ever again.
 
 
Molly sat in a rusty chair, that sat against the building, watching them all. She had smoked about three of Hondo’s cigarillos and had bummed a couple cigarettes off of the soldiers, but they were doing little good in keeping her awake at the moment. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep and her whole body was half slumped from exhaustion. Her worry over Hondo had kept her up all night and her trusting no one else to guard him effectively had kept her up all day. She stared half vacantly across the field in front of them, fanaticizing about him taking her in his arms and having his way with her. She had loved James, but this man was one of those not found often, and she coveted his love.  Had James still been alive she would have been faithful to him, as she really did love him, and even thinking of another so soon made her feel guilty. Feeling guilty was about all she did anymore other than feel sad and alone. She did not want to feel those things though. She wanted to feel loved, she wanted to be held, she wanted love made to her, and wanted to be told she was safe in the arms of a strong man who loved her. Though he was down and wounded, she still knew Hondo was a strong man. She could have been badly hurt or killed last night, and though he seemed to trust her to do her job and fight, he took several blows for her that she was not sure if James would have even taken.
 
 
As she sat there her head picked up a bit at the sound of a jeep approaching. From a distance she knew it was Fernando. She sighed a sigh of relief. Fernando was the only other one she trusted in this outfit and if he was coming here, he cared too and that gave her some amount of peace.
 
 
 

Maggie came out of the bathroom towel-drying her hair. The noise of her exiting woke up Tonya from her nap so she as up and looked at her groggily. Maggie looked at Hondo, who looked like he really could use more sleep but refused to let himself.  
 
 
“You look exhausted, Master Hondo. You really need to be resting.” Maggie said.
 
 
“I’m sittin’ here an’ that’s restin’. Also, don’t call me master. I’m no ones master.” He replied grumpily.
 
 
“But.. but I’ve heard Marvin and Karl call you and Fernando master, plus… well, I don’t have anyone else to call master.” She replied.
 
 
“You are free now, don’t you understand? No one is your master now!” He replied almost angrily.
 
 
She frowned and looked down at the floor. Her shoulders slumped a bit as she stood there in front of him in her now damp robe.
 
 
“But… I don’t know how to be free and… I’m too scared to go off on my own.” She replied meekly.
 
 
Hondo sighed, “I didn’t say you hafta leave. Just that you are free an’ no one is your master.”
 
 
“But it’s not safe for wessens without masters out here.” She replied.
 
 
He sighed again and shook his head, “Damn it all…. Listen, if it makes you feel better you can tell anyone who asks that I or Val are your masters, but here you are a free woman, understand?”
 
 
She looked up at him with big sad eyes and nodded timidly, “Yes Sir. I’m sorry… I just am lost on what to do with myself now. I got thinking in the shower on what I’m to do or where I’m to go and it all scared me.”
 
 
“So, you decided you wanted me for your master?” He asked
 
 
“You are strong, brave, and caring, even if you do get a bit gruff at times.” She replied.
 
 
“I’m sorry for the gruffness, but its just who I am, I reckon. The rest I don’t know ‘bout. All I know is I’m useless in this damn bed!” He groused.
 
 
“You risked yourself for us and now you need to rest. We all understand and want you well.” She replied.
 
 
“It’s partly my fault, isn’t it? I got you hurt for pushing things… I’m so sorry, papa.” Tonya said a bit sleepily still as she leaned against his arm.
 
 
“I just wished you trusted me more.” He said to her.
 
 
“Are… are you sure you aren’t wrong about him?” She asked softly.
 
 
“Wrong about who?” Hondo asked, though he was afraid he already knew the answer to his question.
 
 
“Hector.” She said softly.
 
 
Maggie gasped, “Tonya! How could you ask that after what he did?! Have you seen your papa’s wounds??”  
 
 
Tonya nodded, “I’ve seen some of them and I feel really bad about it all but… isn’t it possible that they just don’t understand each other??”
 
 
Hondo frowned and moved away from her, which caused Tonya to look at him with hurt in her eyes.
 
 
“I’m not sure why you’d even ask me that after all that has happened. I have risked my life for you more than once and had that asshole try to kill me twice now an’ you ask if I’m mistaken??” Hondo asked incredulously.
 
 
“But papa…” She started to retort.
 
 
“Don’t but papa me! He may have filled your head with sweet lies but he showed both Jefe an’ I who he is! I do not want to hear his name ever again. You so much as hint at him an’ I don’t care how bad off I am, I’ll come out of my grave if needs be, pull your britches down and spank your bare ass so hard you’ll #$@!in’ stand for a week!!” He growled.
 
 
Tonya shrunk back from him and stared at the floor as she tried to hold back her tears.
 
 
He sighed and sat back as he was tired and getting worked up drained him more than he would ever admit. The way she shrank back from him and the sadness in her eyes made his heart break too. He wanted to pull her to him and tell her it was alright, but the fact of the matter was if she did not learn to trust him it would not be alright.  
 
 
“Now, I love you, but I have to demand that you trust me on this. I also demand that you apologize to Fernando. You understand me?” He said firmly, but softer than before.
 
 
She nodded and spoke timidly, “I understand papa, but… I don’t think Uncle Fernando will listen to me. I’m not sure he even wants to be my uncle either. I said things I shouldn’t have so I don’t blame him.”
 
 
Hondo sighed, “Maybe he doesn’t but you will try to apologize and you will mean it. If he wants nothin’ to do with you after, that’s up to him. You have to try, though.”
 
 
She nodded but stared at the floor as she sat slumped in the chair.  
 
 
With both of them being somber and sullen, the atmosphere in the room was depressing. He was already fighting an inner depression of his own, and none could blame him after all that had happened, but their added depression was more than he could take at the moment. After a moment he sighed and turned to Maggie who stood by still clutching her robe to her but staring at the floor like she was lost in thought.
 
 
“Maggie, go get that woman soldier. The one who thinks I rape teenagers.” Hondo said.
 
 
Maggie half jumped when he said her name. She nodded at him and hurried out the door to get the woman he requested.  
 
 
Tonya’s face turned a bit red and it was visible even through her thicker fur, at the talk of what Jewel had accused Hondo of earlier. IT was not the accusation that made her blush so much as the thought of her own actions that had been the reason behind the accusations. She half wished he had just taken her and made her his sex kitten. It was humiliating to be a sex slave like that but being a slave was familiar to her and there was no one else she’d rather be that for than him. She rather have him as her father, though, but she knew she hurt him and knew she could not repay him for what she had done. Giving herself to him would at least ease her conscience and take away her freedom of choice that had gotten her into this mess and still haunted her mind. As his slave she had no future other than his will. As his daughter she knew she would make mistakes, possibly hurt him again, and her heart still fought with her over Hector. Freedom had many choices and options, many scary to her and many threatened to hurt worse those who had saved her if she made the wrong choices. Freedom had seemed great but now she was wondering if it was really as good as some said it was.  
 
 
Maggie came back in with Jewel at her heals. Maggie walked to the foot of the bed while Jewel approached the bed side and snapped to attention. She saluted and held the salute as she stood there.
 
 
“Sir! You requested to see me, sir!” She said loudly as she stood there waiting for a return salute.
 
 
“Stand at ease, damn it all! Do I look like an officer to you?” He snapped.
 
 
“Yes sir!” She said.
 
 
“I was looking for a no there.” He replied flatly.
 
 
“Sir?” She said in a questioning tone.
 
 
“I help lead an’ protect the camp but I’m not a soldier nor an officer. Respect is required as long as I do my part, but respect as a person, not a military member.” He replied.
 
 
She nodded and stood at ease, “Sorry sir. I did not know.”
 
 
He sighed, “It’s alright. I have a favor to ask of you.”
 
 
“Anything sir, and I mean anything.” She replied.
 
 
He did not miss the connotations implied but chose to ignore them.
 
 
“Maggie needs some clothes. Not had a chance to outfit her properly anyway. Tonya is short on clothes as well. I need you to take them to the camper so Maggie can get dressed and then take them into town to buy some clothes.” Hondo said
 
 
“But Master Hondo…” Maggie started to argue but was cut short.
 
 
“We talked about the master thing! You’re only to call me that when needed for your protection!” Hondo growled
 
 
She shrunk back a bit, “Sorry… But, I have the clothes I came in and a change that Val gave to me. I will be fine.”
 
 
He shook his head, “No. You need a couple pairs of boots, a couple outfits, a couple pairs of jeans if you get dresses, a couple skirts or dresses for lookin’ nice in case we have to go to an event or dress ya up, somethin’ to sleep in, a light jacket, a heavy jacket, a hooded sweatshirt, a rain slicker, an’ anythin’ else that you might need.”
 
 
“I.. I don’t need sleepware.” She said, blushing a bit.
 
 
“Then get a robe or two. I don’t care if you like to sleep bare-assed, but if somethin’ goes haywire you’ll need to have somethin’ to thrown on!” He retorted.
 
 
Her blushed deepened as she nodded. Jewel smirked a bit but the smirk was gone with one glance from Hondo.
 
 
“You think you can handle that?” Hondo asked her.
 
 
Jewel nodded seriously, “Yes sir… What about your daughter? What does she need?”
 
 
Tonya looked up at him sullenly. He glanced at her then back up at Jewel.
 
 
“She could use a good pair of hiking boots, three pairs of pants, five shirts, and a light jacket. If you find a good vest or hat then one of those too. Would like her to have a nice skirt and blouse for going out, if we ever find a nice place to out to. She has some socks and underwear but if she needs a couple more pair grab them.” He replied.
 
 
“Papa?” Tonya called out quietly.
 
 
“Somethin’ else you need?” He asked.
 
 
“Maybe a couple things, but I wanted to ask you…. You said we are free now but… we were told wessens who died their hair to hide the bright colors would be killed. While most do, I’ve seen some wessen from further east who were not made to have hair like we do…. Can… can I dye my hair?” She asked
 
 
“Really hate the pink, eh?” He asked
 
 
She shrugged, “I guess. Never had a choice before… I know I’ve messed up a lot and don’t deserve to try new things or even be your daughter but… I’d like to try something different.”
 
 
He sighed and thought for a moment then nodded, “Alright. Once you get done shoppin’, though, I want you to come back here so we can talk more.”
 
 
She nodded and spoke softly, “Thanks papa.”
 
 
He then turned to Maggie, “In my pants pocket there should be ten gold coins. Grab them to use for payment. If you need more you’ll have to get it out of the bronco.”
 
 
Maggie’s eyes got wide, “I can’t imagine spending five gold coins on myself! It should be more than we need!”
 
 
Hondo nodded, “Alright. Check on Val while you are down there, please. If she wants you to stay there tonight that is fine.”
 
 
“You sure you’ll be alright?... I mean, I’d rather come back here if you are here.” She replied.
 
 
“I have things I should be doin’ elsewhere.” He grumbled.
 
 
“No! You need to be resting. Please promise me you’ll not go do things today at least.” She replied.
 
 
“I reckon I don’t have need to do anythin’ foolish at the moment, an’ you can come back here as long as Val isn’t alone an’ you’re not hoverin’ over me like I’m ‘bout to die!” He replied a bit more sharply than planned.
 
 
Maggie looked down and spoke very softly, “But… you almost did.”
 
 
“What was that?” Hondo asked pretending like he did not hear her.
 
 
She shook her head, “Nothing. Just please be careful. We need you.”
 
 
He nodded back at her but did not say anything.  
 
 
Maggie grabbed the coins from his pants and then joined Tonya who had just stood up.
 
 
“We’ll tell Molly we’re gone in case you need her.” Maggie said.
 
 
“Don’t bother Molly!” He barked. “She’s exhausted an’ should be here sleepin’ instead of me.”
 
 
Tonya looked up at him then looked back at the floor, “Papa, please be careful. If something happens to you I’d not be able to live with myself.”  
 
 
Hondo waved them off, “Just go get your shoppin’ done. I can’t rest with this jabberin’.” He replied.
 
 
They followed Jewel out to a jeep and they climbed in, Maggie in the front and Tonya in the back. They waited for the one jeep filling water to be done and followed them back to camp.
 
 
Molly watched them go and hoped Hondo was sleeping, but she knew it was probably not so. She decided she would go check on him after she finished this cigarette. After they left her head picked up a bit at the sound of two jeeps approaching. One she knew was coming for water but the second she had to squint to make out who it was. It was still a ways off, but even at that distance she knew it was Fernando and his wessen follower.  
 
 
Molly did not know the girl other than to know she was a hamster wessen. There were not a lot of them around, really, and those that were around were usually maids or sex kittens. She dressed skimpily enough to make her wonder, but her demeanor did not scream out sex kitten and she definitely did not look like a maid. Many wessen women dressed like that anyway. Some because they had fur and found it too hot to dress too heavily, some to get attention from the men to hopefully convince them into helping them even if it meant screwing them for a while in trade, and some because it to the animal DNA in them it felt more natural.  
 
 
Molly admitted to herself that given the right group or amount of privacy, it would be hard to keep clothes on her too. Admittedly, she would like to not have clothes on with Hondo, but even as tired as she was that thought made her blush a bit. Still, she did not understand wearing that little out and about. Ture her white tank-top was a bit revealing in the cleavage, but she almost always wore a jacket too. She shook off thinking about it as it was not her worry anyway if Fernando had found a wessen skank to screw. That’s all the wessens had been to most anyway, someone to do work and to screw without consequences. Fernando and Hondo showed they were fighting for a better life for them all though, and that they were different from the other would-be rescuers who had come along, so they deserved some wessen pussy if they wanted some. ‘
 
 
She sighed a sigh of relief. Fernando was the only other one she trusted in this outfit and if he was coming here, he cared too and that gave her some amount of peace. She crushed out her cigarette and sat back with her shotgun across her knee as they approached. The first jeep headed inside to fill water barrels while Fernando’s jeep stopped in front of her. As he and his follower climbed out of the jeep she just watched them. They passed her by without saying anything, but she did not mind. She was extremely tired and them just being there made her feel better.
 
 
 
Hondo waited until he heard the jeeps engine roar to life before he slid out of the bed with a groan. He hurt like hell and felt as weak as a new born kitten but he was not going to let that stop him from trying to do his job.  
 
 
He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment to collect himself before he struggled to his feet. On top of being sore and weak, he found his joints stiff and not cooperating with him at all. He managed to get his feet under him enough so he could half shuffle and half stumble across the room to get his clothes. He grabbed them off the chest-of-drawers that stood at the far end of the room and leaned against it as he pulled his pants on. His shirt, pants, vest, hat, and boots were all he could find. He knew he had fresh socks and under-britches in the bronco but he figured he could free-ball it for now. After the jeans we up he leaned against the dresser for a moment. He heard a couple jeeps approach and one stopped short of the hanger door.  
 
 
He was not sure who was coming now, but he tried to get his shirt on quickly before someone came in. His body did not cooperate and he barely had it half on as Fernando and Minerva came into the room. to suck it up and make himself look stronger and more agile than he felt, but he figured it must have not worked from the look on Fernando’s face. As he made a move like he was headed to the door Fernando intercepted him and blocked his path.
 
 
 
“Easy Hondo. I do not know where you are going but you need to take it easy.” Fernando tells him.
 
 
“There are thin’s to do an’ check up on.” Hondo replies.
 
 
“Not in your condition. You need to rest and recover. You can walk around and look things over but you are not to get involved.” Fernando tells him. He then breaks down what is going on, “The Major’s men are coming in and out to get water from the hanger for the camp. Another group of the Major’s men are getting lunch at Maddie’s place and giving them out to those in the camp. You should have gotten something to eat while I was gone. Zoe and Macey are with Ruth and her nephews in their camper and being cared and fed by her. Everything is handling itself as it should be. Later today the Major’s men will get meal for dinner, and I will be exploring other areas. I found the flight school and a vegetable market on the far side of town. So, unless you want to go exploring with me, there is nothing much to do.”
 
 
Hondo lets out a disgruntled sigh.
 
 
“Look, you do what you want to do. But you better not stress yourself and end up in that bed again. You need to rest and heal. So, you know what needs to be done and how to do it.” Fernando tells her.
 
 
“Will that be all?” Hondo states angrily.
 
 
“Give yourself the time. My timing says we leave in about a week’s time. Four days at the earliest. So that gives us time to get some things together and recover from the stress we been through – you having going through the most of it. Only problem we - you - have to deal with is with Tonya and her stupid ass falling for that scumbag Hector. She is in complete denial and might try to run away. If she runs, it’s on you what happens next but I’m not accepting her back.” Fernando tells him.
 
 
“She’s my girl so I will deal with her.” Hondo tells him.
 
 
“Do so.” Fernando tells him, he adds, “I’ll be around and bring over something to eat for dinner. Ruth is doing the cooking with Ichigo’s help as Val is being a bitch with everyone, not just with you so I do not care if she gets fed or not.” Fernando tells her.
 
 
Hondo nods.  
 
 
“I’ll be seeing you later.” Fernando tells him. He then turns to Minerva, “Let’s go.”
 
 
Hondo stood there until they left and once gone he sagged against the chest-of-drawers again. Fernando had enough to worry about without his weak ass being in the mix. He did not want to look weak for him, and it was not some macho thing completely either. Being weak only added to the worry and it did not help out the group. He felt useless and embarrassed to be in such a state as this, so he hid it behind an overly gruff façade. Exploring with him might have been a good time, but then Fernando would have been watching over him instead of watching what he needed to as he knew he could not hide his weakness from him then.  
 
 
He sighed after a moment and stumbled to the bed again, where he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots on. He grabbed his pistol belt from the headboard of the bed, where it was hanging, and slung it over his shoulder before carefully standing up and heading out into the hanger.  
 
 
As he went out into the hanger he sighed at the sight of the person walking towards him. It was Molly. She quickened her step towards him when she saw him and headed him off as he tried to walk away from her.
 
 
“Hondo stop!” She called to him as she trotted up beside him.
 
 
“Got things to do.” He said as he tried to move off towards the bronco only to have her block his path.
 
 
“No, you don’t! You need to rest and heal!!” She argued.
 
 
“I’m fine! Now leave me alone!” He growled.
 
 
He tried to push past her but she grabbed his arm to which he groaned from the pain it caused and sucked air through his teeth. She let go of him suddenly and gasped.
 
 
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!” She exclaimed.
 
 
“Just leave me alone!!” He barked at her.
 
 
He saw her back off with hurt in her eyes and he realized what he had done. He held his arm to take weight off his sore shoulder and sagged back against one of the benches. He frowned as he looked at her as she now hung her head.  
 
 
“Molly, I’m sorry. I just…” He started to say before she cut him off.
 
 
“Why do you men have to be like that?” She asked.
 
 
“Like what?” He asked in an almost annoyed sounding tone.  
 
 
“Acting all tough. Have to bark and growl when things are wrong or act invincible when things are dangers.” She said
 
 
“Molly I..” He started to speak again but got interrupted.
 
 
“You men can’t just let us women be there for you, or anyone be there for you. You bark, growl, snap, and play tough when we just want to help you! I bet you even growled at Fernando, didn’t you?” She asked
 
 
“Well maybe but…” He started again.
 
 
“He cares too! The one other person here we can trust and you push him away too? Why? Why can’t you just rest and take care of yourself and let us help you and care about you? James was the same way… Hell, about every man I’ve known was like that!! Why? Why won’t you be honest with us about your weakness and let us be there for you? Why?!?” She asked.
 
 
He stood there looking at her blankly for a moment without saying anything.
 
 
“Nothing? You have nothing to say?” She asked incredulously
 
 
“Wasn’t sure I was supposed to talk yet, since I was interrupted that last several times I tried.” He said flatly.
 
 
She looked at him with a half angry, half hurt look. He sighed and shook his head.
 
 
“Hell, Molly, I don’t know why I’m like this or anyone else is. I’m sorry if I hurt you in any way. I know you’re tryin’ to help an’ I know you an’ Jefe care. I…I just can’t take bein’ down an’ useless like this. It scares me to think ‘bout what could happen that I could have stopped if I was at my post. Maybe as a whole, us men worry that if we are down for too long some will see that we aren’t really needed, that things can roll on without us. I don’t know. All I know is layin’ there alone, feelin’ weak an’ useless like that is depressin’ as hell.” He replied a bit gruffly.
 
 
She walked back up to him slowly and placed her hands on his arm.
 
 
“But we know we need you and we understand. We also want you well. Please take care of yourself. We do care about you…. I’m sure Maggie will be furious that you got up.” She said.
 
 
“I told her I didn’t have plans to do anythin’ foolish. Didn’t promise I wouldn’t get up, so she can’t get upset.” He replied
 
 
“Pushing yourself before your body is ready is foolish, and you know it!” She argued.  
 
 
He chuckled and shook his head, “You have a real carin’ side to you, Molly. Why do you try to hide it?”  
 
 
“Because it got me hurt before when I was a young girl. I could say the same about you too, but you’d just brush it off and change the subject on me like you just did now!” She exclaimed in an exasperated tone.
 
 
He chuckled at her again, “Just statin’ what I saw, is all. Speakin’ of which, you look exhausted.”
 
 
“You should look in the mirror. You look like hell.” She replied flatly.
 
 
“I’m bein’ serious! You should go rest. I’ll keep watch for ya.” He said to her in a softer tone.
 
 
“I’m being serious too! You should be in bed still! I told Maggie that we should have hid your clothes.” She replied.
 
 
“Who’s changin’ the subject now? You need some sleep.” He replied a bit more firmly.
 
 
She turned away from him, “I can’t sleep. I tried earlier a couple times. Every time I do I either see James’ die again, you getting hurt and dying, or a mix of them and other things! I close my eyes and it’s all nightmares.”
 
 
She turned back to him, “Besides, I care too much about you to let you go off and hurt yourself again when you should be resting.”
 
 
Her voice was soft and sad as she spoke to him, her eyes glistened a bit, and her full lips beckoned him in. He shook his head slightly to pull himself from the thought of kissing her. He had Val still, though an anger at her was growing inside of him. Molly was here, so close, and so available, though, it made it hard for his mind not to wander a bit.
 
 
He sighed after a moment and shook his head again, “I can’t just lay in there by myself right now.”
 
 
“I’ll go and sit with you if you want.” She said as she looked at him hopefully.
 
 
“How ‘bout we move that old couch to the front door so I can see out an’ we sit there an’ rest for a bit?” He asked.
 
 
“I’ll move the couch! You just stay there!” She said as she trotted over to the couch.  
 
 
She moved the old thing to the door and grabbed a clean blanket to throw over it. Hondo limped over to it and eased himself down before she could try to help him, though she did try to get to his side to help him but was too late. She grabbed her shotgun again and sat down beside him gently. She sighed contentedly as she leaned up against him.
 
 
“I’m jealous of her, you know?” she said softly after a bit.
 
 
“Jealous of who?” He asked
 
 
“Your wife… I wish I could be the one giving you all those things that a wife can give a man. She doesn’t know what she’s missing out on, or how badly she’s hurting you both with this attitude of hers.” She said.
 
 
“I’m sorry, Molly, but I love her.” He replied.
 
 
“I know but… can we at least have this moment? As friends at least?” She asked.
 
 
He nodded, “I reckon so. Just don’t get your heart set on more. I love her an’ I couldn’t hurt her by leavin’ her, but I don’t want to hurt you either… It would be too easy to give in an’ be with you for now but It would not be fair to any of us as we both know I’d go back to Val sooner or later, I’d feel guilty, an’ you’d feel hurt, used, an’ alone.”
 
 
She sighed, “You’re a good man, Hondo. I know you’d never want to hurt me like that. Honestly, though, even if we had just one night, I’d cherish it forever.”  
 
 
-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
 
 
Jewel pulled the jeep to a stop just short of the camper. Maggie climbed out first and headed to the camper door, while Tonya hung back, unsure that seeing Val was a good idea or not.
 
 
Maggie tried the door but found it locked so she knocked softly and stood by patiently. The door cracked opened after a minute and a pair of eyes peered out from the darkness within.
 
 
“Val?” Maggie asked.
 
 
 As the door opened the light from outside spilled in to show it was Val standing in the doorway. Her eyes were red and her hair hung loose and wild about her head. She clutched the thin robe she wore tightly against her body as she stood there. She looked like a train wreck.
 
 
“Maggie? Wha.. what do you need?” She asked.
 
 
“Just my clothes, If I could. We are going to town to do some shopping.” Maggie replied
 
 
Val looked past her to see a female soldier standing by a jeep and looking at her with a judgmental glare and Tonya beside her with her head hung down, staring at the ground.
 
 
“Tonya?... you okay?” She called out.
 
 
“Do you really care if I am?” Tonya replied in a sad, cold tone of voice.
 
 
Val’s frowned deepened, “Tonya, I’m sorry. I really am… I… I’m a wreck, I know. I’ve hurt you bad and don’t deserve forgivness, but know I’m sorry and I’m tryin’.”  
 
 
“It’s papa you should be apologizing to, not me.” She replied flatly.
 
 
“No, I owe you many apologies too.” Val said sadly.
 
 
“You say you’re sorry but you haven’t even asked about him.” Tonya replied again flatly.
 
 
Val turned back to Maggie with a startled look, “How is he? How’s Hondo? Did something else happen?”
 
 
Maggie looked at Tonya then back at Val and shook her head, “No, nothing else happened. He’s still really weak and tired, but he should be fine with rest, if we can get him to stay in bed!”
 
 
Val’s frown deepened and she looked over at Tonya who still looked at the ground. She started to open her mouth to say something but Maggie grabbed her arm, drawing her attention. She shook her head at Val, who heaved a big sigh in response.  
 
 
“Can I come grab my clothes?” she asked again.
 
 
“Uh.. I’ll grab them and bring them to you.” She said.
 
 
Maggie looked around, “But… I need to change.”
 
 
“Change behind the camper.” Val said.
 
 
“Someone will see me!” Maggie retorted as she blushed in embarrassment at the thought of being caught changing outside.  
 
 
“I’d let you in, but….” Val started to say
 
 
“Is your sister still here?” Maggie asked.
 
 
“My sis..??.. Oh yes! She is and she fell asleep in the recliner.” She said.
 
 
She had no clue Maggie knew about the other Valentine let alone that someone was telling others that it was here sister and not her possible future self.
 
 
“I’ll be really quiet and change in the kitchen, I promise.” Maggie said nervously.
 
 
 
 
(to be continued…)
 

Everyone has been served their dinner when Fernando enters the camp. He walks to where Ruth was as she was cleaning up the serving table.
 
“Good afternoon Ruth. How well did it go today?” Fernando says as he walks to the table.
 
“Things went well as expected.” Ruth replies. She asks, “Are you here for Hondo and his group’s dinner?”
 
“Yeah, I am.” Fernando replies as he almost forgot about them dealing with that old man and his granddaughter.
 
Ruth steps inside the Dub box camper and pulls out two large brown paper bags with the tops folded down which she places on the table. She explains to him what it is, “It’s Rice and chili the army made for us, with a vegetarian chili for the Wessens. There is salad and some garlic bread they also made, a chicken soup and a vegetarian soup. I put in a few juices and a couple of beers the army handed out to the adults. Spoons, forks, knives are all in there as well as a small tub of butter and another tub of jelly.”
 
“Thank you very much. I’m sure they will appreciate it as I will. I should be coming late so let Ichigo take the girls to the camper and the children get ready to sleep in the campers. The night time teens will be coming out soon to do their night duty, so you are in charge in my and Hondo’s absence. The army has their standing orders through the major. Leave the Dub Box unlocked for the children to go in to sleep later.” Fernando explains.
 
“I’ll make sure these things get done.” Ruth tells him.
 
“Thanks. I’ll be back when I am done with Hondo.” Fernando tells her before he starts to walk away with their meal bags.
 
He walks through the camp and parking lot area where the guards were patrolling. As he approaches the exit/entrance, an all too familiar voice calls to him from the distance. He turns around to see who it is.
 
“Fernando, wait! Wait up!” Minerva runs to catch up to him.
 
He waits for her at the entrance of the parking lot. It takes her a few more seconds to get by his side.
 
“Where are you going?” Minerva asks, slightly out of breathe.
 
“Going to see Hondo and give his crew their meal.” Fernando tells her.
 
“But without the jeep? It’s a long walk.” She asks.
 
“The major’s men are going to work on the two Jeeps for me as I requested. And as you know, I’m not going to walk that entire distance.” He tells her.
 
“OK. But...” She tries to say.
 
“But what? You want to go with me? The answer is no. You are to stay behind to go get your kids washed up and ready for bed time. Though ‘Lights Out’ is at 10PM, it is better for the younger ones to sleep earlier. You cannot do that if you are with me. So I’ll see you later tonight when I get back. Now go take care of those kids.” He tells her.
 
Minerva just stands there, almost in shock in not getting things done her way. All she can do is watch him walk away before he disappears in a bright flash of light.  He reappears at the side of the hanger outside of everyone’s view. He walks out from the side of the hanger to the front. The last of the jeeps were gathering together with a couple drums of water in each to be used for clean up and making breakfast tomorrow. He walks into the hanger, greeting Karl and Marvin there.
 
“Hello fellas. Sorry I’m late but I have dinner for you all. Hondo, Maggie and/or Molly around?” He says and asks as be unpacks their meals on the work bench.
 
“I think they are upstairs.” Karl says.
 
“OK.” Fernando replies. He explains, “This pile is for vegetarian dishes, and this other pile is for meat dishes. It is rice and chili the army made along with a salad garlic bread, and a soup; again, vegetarian – no meat here for you guys and meat for Hondo and Molly. I’m not sure what Maggie eats but as a Raccoon Wessen I think she can eat meat. Spoons, forks, knives. A tub of butter and another tub of jelly, and juices. The beer is for Hondo. Serve your selves”
 
The men look over the meal and nod.
 
Marvin points out, “Thanks you. Without you and Hondo, we would be starving. As freed Wessens.”
 
“Yeah. Not even when I worked for my old master did I eat this good.” Karl adds.
 
“I’ll be right back.” Fernando tells them before he goes upstairs.
 
Maggie and Molly were in Hondo’s room, where Fernando told them about the food he brought in. Hondo was in Tonya’s room. As Maggie and Molly go downstairs to get their share of the meal, he goes into Tonya’s room there and opens the door to walk in.
 
Hondo yells out without looking who is at the door, “I Told You I Wanted To Be Left Alone Wit’ My Daughter!”
 
“You did not tell me anything, but dinner is here: Rice and chili, chicken or vegetarian soup, Garlic bread. There is a bean chili and a meat chili – take your pick. And there are a couple beers for you - Hondo.” Fernando explains.
 
Hondo and Tonya turns to see Fernando standing by the door.
 
“I’ll be around for a while so I can see you eat. I need you to get better, Hondo.” Fernando tells him.
 
Hondo lets out a sign before he asks Fernando, “Did you eat yet?”
 
“I eat after everyone has eaten. You guys are last because I was late, I was dragged to some old guy’s house to heal his daughter that Hector and his men beaten to an inch of her life and had her friends raped and killed last year.” Fernando tells him.
 
Hondo scowls for a moment but at the details of the news Fernando said or that he said it. Tonya gathers her strength and yells, “YOU LIE!!!”
 
“This was a human girl not a Wessen girl, but in either case I did what I could to get her out of the condition she was in. A condition of what Hector and his men put this poor girl through.” Fernando says as he steps into the room and towards them. He stops just a couple feet up to them and points to Tonya’s crotch, “As a virgin consider that what you have between your legs, under your tail and your damn mouth as a gold coin you found in a mud puddle, because as soon as you give it away to some idiot like Hector, then all that which you have of your self will be as worthless as the mud you found the gold coin in. Think about it, understand it, live it. Because if I found out Hector touched you in any way, I’m going to touch him back and rip out what part I touch. And that is not a threat – it is a promise to both you and Hondo because Hector is a criminal, a rapist, an arsonist, a thief and a liar. I can forgive him for most things except for him being liar, because you can never trust a liar. Hondo and I had never had to lie to you or to anyone else. We are taking in people on our little adventure to Texas – people – Both Human and Wessen. Not once we had to ever trick anyone into staying or leaving, and we gave away money, cars, camper trailers, supplies, fuel and food to help them with this journey. We could had left them high and dry, let the slavers have their way with them – with you. But we didn’t. We never did, we never had too. So, I do not care about anyone or anything unless I put my time and effort for them. And I am putting my time and effort to helping Hondo and in helping you. If you think I’m a liar – like I said – you can never trust or forgive a liar. Hondo – I’ll be downstairs and make sure no one takes your beer.”
 
Fernando begins to walk away to get out of the room.  With the door open, he is heard walking down the stairs. Tonya begins to cry but Hondo shakes her.
 
He gives her shake to get her calm down, “Come on girl, let’s go and eat.”