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What the ALF recruits did not know as they left the briefing room was that, not far off, another briefing was being done, in the headquarters of the NSPD- New Seattle Police Department. It was on a multitude of patrol officers about to be issued into a high Ahd’Me activity area.

”the ALF use either degree 0-1 or degree 8.0 as spies. Degree 8.0 Ahd’Me are very rare, but are virtually indistinguishable from animals, and thus are very dangerous. The city senate is attempting to pass a law that all fauna be deported from the city, but most of the voters are unwilling. Animal rights activists and all that. Degree 0 Ahd’Me are very human-like, but you must remember they are not. It is better to use traditional spy-catching methods, rather than look for animal traits. Degree 1 Ahd’Me are difficult, but not impossible, to find. Usually, you will have to do a strip search to determine this. Look for superfluous body hair, strange birth marks that resemble stripes or spots of an animal, strange facial figures, et cetera.”

“Remember- 98% of known Ahd’Me in New Seattle are members of the ALF. If the Ahd’Me, when caught in questioning, declares he is not, the onus of proof is on him, not you.”

A young man raised his arm. He had hard features, those that could only exist on a soldier.

“Yes, soldier?”

“Officer Julian LeCroix, sir,” the young man said in salute.

“Proceed, officer.”

“This is a rumor I noticed you failed to address- are Ahd’Me really shot on sight in certain areas?”

The presenter furrowed his brow, as if he was thinking about something, calculating. That was only for a split second, then he responded.

“Nonsense! All Ahd’Me are questioned before any action is taken. Patrol officers are encouraged, if they encounter an Ahd’Me, to arrest them by the most peaceful means possible.”

“What about other officers?”

The smile that came with the previous response faded into a scowl.

“I sense these questions are pointed, Officer LeCroix. What are you getting at?”

“All I’m saying is, the rumors aren’t totally unbacked. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”

He did. Everyone did. About three months ago, VNC, or Veritas News Channel, was hijacked by an anonymous source. It showed what was apparently a police video of a SWAT team massacring unarmed and unarmored Ahd’Me.

Though the state said it wasn’t true, a lot of people believed it was. Apparently, Julian LeCroix wanted answers.

Again, the furrowed brow and scowl vanished mysteriously, as if they were never there. “Officer LeCroix, we all know those tapes were phonies. You could see that the uniforms were green. The NSPD SWAT is issued blue uniforms.”

“I’ve reviewed the tapes. Apparently the color balance was off, and there was an inordinate amount of yellow, which discolored the screen. I restored the tape to the normal color balance. The uniforms were blue.”

“And why should we trust you, Officer,” Finally, all masquerades of humor were thrown away. The presenter had asked a question obviously meant to persuade the audience to his position; “When we have credible evidence that the balance was perfect?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you are making very threatening accusations when you yourself are not so credible to make them. Now stand down, and no more questions or comments from you for the remainder of the presentation, if you please. I would also like to see you in my office after the briefing.”

It was decided that Julian LeCroix was no longer fit to work on the NSPD on account of fraudulent charges against the very organization he was under. Though his comrades believe he was retired to New Houston, he was executed in his home on December 8, at 2212 hours.

--

Various murmurs finally aroused as the newly initiated members slowly came out of the briefing room.

“Alright,” Gabriel said, approaching the group. A lot of them looked at him with a prejudice that is reserved for the young. Gabriel was 25, hardly at a leader’s age, and, being a fox-based Ahd’Me, he looked younger than he really was- he could pass for a pre-teen. But, as the Colonel had once said, he made Alexander the Great look like Gandhi.

“I’m here to pick the members for my squad,” he said, projecting well enough to silence even the quietest murmurs. However, there were several snickers, which he ignored.

“Warren Hunt, Donald Montero, Idina Williams, Akki Korcs. Step forward.” The way he projected his voice made it sound very adult, years older than his real age. It sounded unnatural coming from such a small and seemingly young being.

Warren, feeling so out of place being raised as a nice boy of young and now being at the front of a major upcoming war. He knew it was his duty to his family. Thus, he knew he was doing the right thing. He stepped forward towards Gabriel. A man, who Warren knew he could trust. Age doesn't make the leader, its whats inside that counts.

"Sir, Warren Hunt ready to do my duty. Pleasure to meet you."

He extended his hand for a hand shake to Gabriel.

Gabriel smirked. Someone who liked nicities, for a change.

"Glad to meet you, Mr. Hunt. We don't have very many titles here, except for the Colonel. That's just for him though- he's a little screw-balled, in case you didn't notice."

Akki was mildly surprised by the voice this seemingly young Ahd’Me could produce, but she soon came to the conclusion that he was much older than his appearence led to believe.

She got to her feet and approached him, extending her hand in welcome.

"Hello," she said kindly, "I am Akki Korcs. I hope I will be of some use to this organization."

He looked at Akki with a warm smile. "You will be," he said. "Glad to have you here."

"It's an honor." She said witha smile. "Can I get some more details on exactly what we're going to be doing?" She ran her fingers through her hair and looked at the other members in the group, wondering what their life stories were.

"Yes, i am most intrigued in what our first assignment is. Or, to put it simply, what do we need to do and what is the most efficient way to do it?"

Warren looked around the room and his eyes fell upon one of the squad members, Akki Korcs, a fox...cat...no, both, Ahd'me. He decided to introduce himself.

"Hello.." Warren stumbled for her name again, "Is it Akki? Well, anyway, I am Warren Hunt, pleasure to meet you. Apperently we will be teaming up for the next...uhhh, well, i dont know how long but I am assuming we will be in the same team for a while now, dont you think?"

He then turned to the rest of the group who has yet to speak. "And to the rest of you, I am Warren Hunt, I look forward to working along side all of you."

Gabriel smirked. A glimmer, half-excitement and half-confidence, found itself in his eyes. His carnivorous teeth temporarily seemed to take on the complexion of those of a vampire.

"You'll know soon enough. I want you all to know eachother before we go to the tram. Then we'll on our way to something of a mock mission. I want to make sure that you're the right people for the job. I've read your files, and already I'm impressed. Let's see if those records hold true to your real talents."

Anyone could tell there was more to be known, and if they gave half a thought past that, they'd know he wasn't going to tell it just yet.

Idina was standing slightly to the group’s side, she still felt a little odd, her life had gone through a dramatic turn of events over the last couple of months. She still felt like an outsider to the rest of the Ahd’Me.
In her head she kept wondering how many of her new team mates knew she used to be a cop, and how may that thought less of her for that, she had to admit, she was not the ‘Whiter That White’ example of what a cop should have been, she had bent the rules on occasions.
She closed her eyes took a deep breath, looked Gabriel Straight in the face and said
“Idina Williams, Sir” resisting the almost inbuilt urge to salute, which was a relic of a former life “I’m glad to be here Sir, and I hope that my skills can prove useful here”
She went to shake his hand as well.
She was impressed that someone who looked so young could have such a commanding manner, She thought she better wait and see before jumping to any conclusions on this guy.
“Oh, and It’s nice to meet you all” she turned to the rest of the group, well there was little point in forgetting to be polite, especially when the group of individuals that stood there may well save her tail in the near future.
As she stepped back towards the group, she remarked
"Alright, I'm ready to go Opo when you are Gaffer"

Donny rose from his seat, brushing back his white hair, stopping a second to scratch his ears. Try not to get us all killed will you? He said in all seriousness. Taking a beanie out of his pocket, he put it over his fox ears. leaveing most evidence of his animal traits hidden, ecxept any visable white hair, but he just said he was german.

You can just call me your front man, no one cares about a guy wearing a hat this time of the year, makes for a perfect disguise...

"Alright," Gabriel said. "The tram leaves in about ten minutes. Let's go."

They exited, going down into underground stairs.

"The city believes all these trams are shut down," Gabriel said. "If they knew that we just re-wired all their power sensors, it'd be impossible to use this tram."

He let the plastic tram doors admit him, and the group was almost the last to enter the subway, when-

"Sir!" said a wolf Ahd'Me in camo.

"What is it, Jameson?"

"I have orders to get you a new recruit, sir. He was supposed to be in your squad."

"I handpicked my squad. There's no members missing."

"Sorry sir, orders are from up the chain."

"Who could-" he stopped himself. He knew.

Donovan Sharp. A sort of captain of captains that had little, if any, tolerance for Gabriel's tactics. Gabriel prefered to use less brute force and more inquisitive methods than Donovan- Donovan would have blown up buildings where Gabriel would get a contract signed to have it demolished.

"Fine, then. Tell him to get over here, the tram leaves in five."

A few minutes passed. then, a rat Ahd'Me -rare, Gabriel thought to himself- came jogging into view. He was about 6'8", with an empty bullet casing hanging around his neck.

"State your name, sir."

The lumbering newcomer before him did. Gary Williams was his name.

((Sorry, I really want to get this briefing thing done and overwith.))

"Ah, well. The challenge can be done with five as much as four. Or more accurately, four as much as three. I will only be present as an observer.

"The challenge is this- we've used an abandoned part of the slums for a sort of city course. We've planted some degree 0's and 1's as mock bystanders, and a couple of our agents will be present in some stolen NSPD uniforms. Your goal is to reach the end of the course, which will be a red barn surrounded by a chain-link fence, without getting noticed.

"Normally, when you do this course, one of you is allowed to be captured, and the others can still complete the course with only a minor mark off. I won't allow this leniency even with an extra member. Some sections of the city go on red alert if they see an Ahd'Me on the streets. And I won't lie- some will have an easier time of it than others. You may be able to walk straight to the exit, or you might have to stick to the shadows, time and place your movements carefully. It all depends on your Ahd'Me degree, and, of course, what you're good at. Just know that as an Ahd'Me, you usually have a different posture than humans. You might not be aware of it, but it can make you really noticable if someone picks up on it.

"And don't forget- the bystanders have eyes and ears too. We're giving you some heavy coats. They're adjustable- one size fits anywhere from 3'10" to 7'6". He tosed a hoodie to each member.

"If you get caught, raise your hands. The mission will not quite be over, however. Your comrades will have to escape. Both mock officers are armed with paintball weapons. You'll find some of your own in the large inner pocket of your jacket. Do not draw them until you see the officers draw them. Your goal is to keep the officers from finding you, by any means- shooting or running- hiding will only work for so long, but its your choice. Don't bother about getting to the original goalpoint, either find a way off the course without being shot or hit both officers.

"If you all reach the barn without being caught, you succeed with a ten out of ten. If you all reach the barn by simply shooting anyone that opposes you, you can still succeed with a seven out of ten- average score. If one of you is caught, and the remaining survive, you pass with a six- below average score. If any more than two of you are caught and/or hit with the marker, you fail. If the course is incomplete after ten minutes, you fail.

"Finish the course by whatever means you find necessary. I will be interested to see how this turns out. Note that all of you must reach the goal for you to succeed perfectly. Oh, and one more thing...never think what you have not been told does not exist."

He left them with that cryptic note, as the subway showed it would be stopping at the next station in about thirty seconds.

"Any questions?"

"Two sir. What happens if we're caught by ligit cops and when do we start?" Gary rolled his shoulder and tugged the hoodie over his head. It fit, just.

Warren pulled the hoodie over him and it fit quite well. "Sir, is this a team score or individual. I want to make sure that no one can get a bad score just because one person screws up. If so, then our plan might have to be a bit more....complicated. I personally like stealth though."

Donny rejeted the hoodie, cold didnt bother him, and the beanie was a better disguise. If I wear the hoodie, it would just look like im trying to hide something, as for the gun, it can fit in my pant's pocket [because if they were small enough to fit in the jackets, then they must be shrunken, perhapes their normal gun sized, due to advances in technology. Right?] As for your little individual score, if we stand alone we will be crushed, together we are strong. However, if one of us falls, the rest will weaken.

Bt the idea of real cops wandering around too worried him a bit. If they pull a gun and he takes out his paintball gun, they'd shot him without hesitation, and it be legal...

Idina, who had already put on the hoodie, pulled out her USP and removed the mag, pulled back on the slide to eject the chambered round and placed it back in its holster, just in case she thought, as soon as she saw any weapon aimed at her, her instinctive reaction would be to draw her handgun, better avoid friendly fire. She caught the ejected 9mm round and placed the mag and round in her back pocket.
"Expect the Unexpected" Idina murmured.
"What happens if we fail the course?" Idina asked Knowing full well she had never been know for subtly, and she believed that she was the most probable one to be noticed in her current form, she always did prefer the direct approach.
"Don your right; we all need to watch each others backs. Your least conspicuous, You think you can act as scout for the rest of us?" she turned to face Donny; she had to admit the hat worked wonders, he was almost unrecognisable as Ahd'Me.