Siege
by Christian O'Kane

This takes place a few days after Desert Campaign

   It was raining lightly when Strela arrived back on Mercy island. It had not been a pleasant trip back. She hadn't even tried to return to the Raiders after the devastating attack. The base had been very thoroughly trashed by the Americans. The mutant archer hadn't actually stayed long enough to find out how badly. Instead she had flown across the desert to a small port town. The liberal application of cash had gotten her a seat on a decrepit looking C47 cargo plane. Once in Port Oakes more money had gotten her past the airport security without difficult questions like passports or what weapons she might be carrying. The trip on the rusting, stinking, half sunken wreck that passed for a ferry had deposited her on the rotted piles and rough surface of the dock. Aside from a pair of disinterested Arachnos troopers on boring guard duty she was the only person on the dock. Few people went willing to Mercy island. And fewer stayed very long. That was why she liked living on Mercy. She could find a secluded spot where no one would bother her.

   The woman walked to the end of the pier and leapt into the air as her innate abilities had her take flight. She flew low over the buildings and structures keeping her eyes open for anyone trying to attack her. This part of the island was usually quiet but she had to make a wide detour to avoid the defenses of fort Cerebus. The troopers there were infamous for shooting first and not asking any questions.

   Below her the shattered the city of Mercy Island rolled past. What wasn't ruined buildings and twisted wreckage were piles of scorched earth and debris, all covered with dust and earth and reduced to a bland gray color. Amidst the ruins and trash she could pick out the lines of streets and alleys in a twisted maze all over the northern part of the island.

   "Wow dropping a nuke on this place would be an improvement!" The nanites inside her body commented.

   "It looks like someone already nuked the place. Are you sure the Rikkti didn't do this?"

   "No," Strela answered "It's always looked like this. at least for as long as I've been here."

   The woman landed in an area open where the ground was covered with a mix of scorched, burnt earth and building debris. Strela looked around to be sure no one was there. Then she quickly made her way out of the exposed area and into the cover of a semi ruined building. Looking about carefully she quickly got herself into the tangled warren of ruined and decaying buildings that made up the northern end of Mercy Isle.

   Several minutes of careful maneuvering took the woman to a small side alley even more rubbish filled and derelict them most. Partly down the alley was a set of trash covered steps leading down to a doorway partly blocked by a pile of brick fallen from the ruined building above. The building itself was merely a hollow shell of burnt wood and shattered brick. Anyone looking into the destroyed building would see a pile of wreckage and what looked to be the other side of the door.

   The woman moved cautiously down the steps avoiding the booby trapped ones and arrived at the door. The door itself was of badly weathered and battered wood. It seemed to be partly blocked by a chest high pile of bricks but a careful examination would reveal the bricks had been artfully arraigned to merely looked like they blocked the door. In reality the door worked perfectly and when unlocked would freely swing inward.

   She carefully examined the door for several minutes looking for even the slightest sign of tampering. When Strela was satisfied it hadn't been touched she pulled a key from her pocket and inserted it into the door lock. The key turned slowly as the lock gearing worked reluctantly. Finally there was a metallic click. The woman didn't open the door immediately but just stood ready for anything that might happen. Nothing occurred so she opened the door by pushing on it. The old metal door moved revealing a dark, brick lined space barely large enough for her to fit into. The only thing in the small space was a metal hatch in the floor.

   Strela locked and bolted the door behind her. She turned to the hatch and unlocked it. Slowly the woman pulled it open revealing a ladder that descended into darkness. The woman climbed onto the ladder and made her way down. When her body was fully down the hole the archer stopped and pulled the hatch closed. Then she locked and bolted it shut. Moving slowly she descended another twenty feet before the ladder ended in a small hallway.

   Strela moved into the hallway being careful to step over the section of flooring that was booby trapped. She closed the door being sure it was fully closed and locked before moving onward. After a few steps the woman came to a second door which she examined and opened like the first. This door opened to reveal a bare, brick lined room. She quickly closed the door and locked it. Then the woman placed a large, metal bar across the door. The door would now resist anything short of a battering ram or explosives. A small keypad was on the wall next to the door. The woman tapped a code into the keypad turning back on the alarm system.

   "A simple alarm system," the nanites commented. "But effective. We detect no tampering."

   "Changing the code to a more secure, 25 digit code," the nanites commented.

   "Twenty five? Isn't that a bit of an overkill?" She responded.

   "You can never be too secure. Where are we exactly? What is this place?"

   Strela shrugged. "Not sure but Mercy is riddled with such little hidey holes. I found the doorway and ladder soon after I came here. I think this was someone's hideout or fallout shelter. The walls are concrete lined and two meters thick. And there are two separate filtration systems both with hidden vents and special chemical and radiological filters."

   Moving through the empty room Strela came to another door. The lock on this door she opened with a different key. When opened this door revealed a room that was brightly lit and was filled with a wide variety of equipment. In one corner a very small fusion generator hummed providing power to the whole building. The power was distributed throughout the building by a web of cables that spread out from a large, metal circuit box. Placed in another corner was a small boxy thing that had hoses running into and out of it. The lettering in French on the side proclaimed it's heritage and that it was fully capable of filtering any nuclear and chemically contaminated air. It also showed that it had been manufactured in 1974.

   "What type of communications do you have with the outside world?"

   "A small satellite dish hidden on the roof," Strela responded. "I also have a tap on the main communication line running under the street but that's not too trustworthy. So I don't use it except as an emergency backup."

   "Smart idea. It's also good for us to have a backup system. Here in the Rogue isles we must keep outside communication to a minimum. Arachnos is too good at eavesdropping and tracking."

   Moving through an open doorway she went up a flight of brick steps that although worn were still sturdy. Slowly the woman made her way up the stairway.

   "Does anyone else live in this place? Or just you?"

   "There are no civilians in this area," Strela responded. "Only gangs, the Infected. and the Snakes. Everyone else has already fled this place. Lord Recluse keeps Mercy Island like this deliberately. He uses it as a training ground for people with super powers."

   After a minute of walking up the very long flight of steps she came to another door.

   "Is there anyone else in the building?"

   "No, I'm the only person here. The first two floors are gutted and stripped as is the attic above. That leaves me with the entire third floor." This door was metal and had a large metal lock that opened soundlessly when she inserted the key.

   The kitchen that was revealed when the door was opened was good sized and was packed with all the modern appliances and conveniences. A soft white light overhead showed off the linoleum floor and counters. She peered into a doorway in one wall and saw a well stocked pantry that held enough food to keep the woman fed for six months.

   "What about water and sewage?"

   "I do like everyone else here does," she responded as she moved out of the kitchen and into a room with a small dining table and four chairs. On the center of the table was a bouquet of plastic flowers. "I've an illegal tap into the sewage line and a water main. I've a filter on the water main to be sure all I get is pure water."

   Passing through the dining room she came to a room dominated by a large HD, LCD home theater television system. A few chairs and a soft couch filled out the rest of the room. Strela walked to the couch. She pulled back the curtains to reveal a window completely darkened.

   "So you have to go through 4 doors and all those steps and tunnels but you still have windows?"

. "The window is armored, darkened and permanently nailed shut."

   "Do you have more than one way in and out? Do you have an emergency exit?"

   "Of course!" she answered. "There's a hatch in the bathroom that leads up to the roof but I don't use it too much. It's too exposed."

   The last room was the largest. A big king sized bed piled high with soft pillows and a brightly colored quilt. A door in the far wall led to a closet the size of a small room filled with clothing and an assortment of bows and quivers filled with arrows.

   Only after she had thoroughly checked every room and every window and door did Strela start to relax. She made her way back to her bedroom and then to her closet. The woman stripped off her armor and placed it in the closet on the appropriate hooks.

   "Premises secure," the nanites announced. "Or as secure as we can make them."

   The woman made her way to the bathroom and stripped off her clothing. She stood in front of the full length mirror and examined her own body. It was still fit and trim, not overly muscled but definitely not the slim, young woman who had arrived in Mercy Island all those years ago. There was also a lot more scars both physical and mental.

   "Are you still offering to change my body?" Strela asked the nanites as she looked at her body.

   "Of course! We have a complete update on your current form if you wish to see it."

   "Yes. I'm curious to see what someone else thinks of my body."

   A large amount of information suddenly appeared in her eyesight giving information about herself. Name, date of birth, place of birth, schools attended, her military record, height, weight, hair color, detailed description of every scar and birthmark and an accurate listing of her powers. She examined them all but one line caught her attention: "Reproductive ability; 0%. Sterile." Strela stared at that one line for several moments as her whole body tensed up.

  The nanites sensed what had caught her attention. "Of course we can correct all the small faults."

   "That is not a small fault,  It's a small gift from the Soviet Union when they decided to improve my abilities. I will pay them back someday," she snarled as the old memories came back to her.

   "We can correct that anyway," the nanites answered. "What was done to you was wrong and poorly handled."

   "Very badly handled."

   "Can you stop the flashbacks?" She asked earnestly.

   "We can remove the memories involved completely."

   "Don't remove them," Strela said slowly. "Just stop the nightmares."

   "We can do that probably but this is new territory for us. We've never tried to alter a mind. Even for a good cause the ethics involved is complex."

   "No tool or device is completely evil," the woman said slowly. "Just how it is used. After all nuclear research gave us the atomic bomb but it also led to the creation of nuclear medicine and atomic reactors."

   "We are consulting with the Dept of Defense and Vanguard mental health experts. Their guidelines are helpful."

   Slowly the bad memories faded replaced by the memory of her tenth birthday party.

   "Better?"

   "Yes," the woman responded as her body relaxed again. "Much better."

   "We need to go carefully. And there is a small risk involved that grows with the more extensive the modifications we make."

   "I understand but what you did is all right so far. So let's leave it at that."

   "All right but you really need to speak with a mental professional. Instead of someone who is just tinkering around like us."

   "Someday perhaps," she answered coldly. "When I find a doc I can trust."

   "We know of several . . . "

   "Don't push," the woman snarled.

   Several moments of silence followed.

   "So," the nanites asked slowly. "Have you decided what changes to make to your body?"

   "What species?"

   "Do I have to change species? I like being human," she countered.

   "Phooey. Being human is so boring! No tail, no fur and not even a nice coat with spots like a leopard or a cheetah."

   "SPOTS! Yuck. Spots make you look fat. Everyone knows that. Stripes are the way to go! Tigers! ROAR!"

   "What about solid colors? Wolves, foxes, lions."

   "You've only mentioned canines and felines,"  Strela asked. "What about antelope, zebras and horses?"

   "NO HORSES! NO HORSES! NO HORSES!" the nanites said frantically.

  "Why no horses?" Strela asked, a little unnerved by the nanites reactions.

   "Well, ah," they stuttered. "Let's just mark it up to some bad past experiences."

   "And besides, we don't see you choosing anything but a predator species. Do you really want to be something at the lower end of the food chain?"

   The woman pondered how quickly the nanites had changed the topic of conversation. She considered pressing the issue but everyone was allowed to have their secrets. "Well what species DO you have?"

    "At the moment we have access to the DNA of 75,573 separate species and the partial DNA of 33,112."

   "Why so many species?"

   "We are working with several universities and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to obtain the complete DNA of every species on the planet. As final safeguard. It means NO species is extinct forever."

   "That's really profound," she said, truly impressed by the nobility of it. "You will save the planet in spite of humanity's stupidity."

   "Not all humans are so foolish," the nanites responded. "After all we are merely expanding on projects already started and run by humans."

   "What species do you recommend I choose?" She  asked the small machines in her body.

   "Wolf!"

   "Lion."

   "Leopard!"

   "Snow leopard!"

   "Tiger!"

   "Cougar!"

   "Brown bear!"

   "Black bear!"

   "Grizzly bear!"

   "Jaguar!"

   "Eagle!"

   "Hawk!"

   "Why just the living species? You're being prejudiced against the extinct ones."

   "Extinct species?" Strela asked. "Which ones?"

   "Wooly mammoth!"

   Wooly mammoth? You have to be kidding. She'd never be able to use a bow with those tusks in the way."

   "Maybe she could use her tusks as a bow and string them? She could do both and have two bows at the same time!"

   "All right maybe not the mammoth but what about an American lion or a member of the saber tooth family?"

   "That's an interesting idea!"

   "What about the mythological ones? We can do a minotaur or a satyr."

   "Could you do a centaur?" She asked.

   A long string of numbers and pictures flashed across her vision for a moment. She caught brief glimpses of horses, her own body and various body parts. Then it all stopped leaving an image of herself, nude revealing every scar and blemish of her body. "Perhaps but it would take some serious remodeling."

   "Certainly would be a great work of art!"

   "True but unfortunately it is not available at this time."

   "Lioness," Strela said calmly. "What if I became a lioness fuzzy?"

   "The term is furry."

    "Fuzzy, furry, whatever it's called. What would I look like as a lioness humanoid?"

   A figure appeared in her eyesight. It stood upright on two legs like a woman but seemed to be an even mix of woman and lioness. It was tall and well muscled but had the sinewy grace of a feline. The leonine head had a muzzle full of sharp teeth and her hands were tipped with impressively sharp claws. All of these facts the woman took in but one detail really caught her attention.

   "Are my breasts really that big?" She asked.

   "This is an exact simulation and all dimensions and proportions are correct."

   "They can't be that big," she countered.

   "We should investigate the alleged discrepancies."

   "We'll do like the government does and start a committee."

   "We could call it the titty committee."

   Strela muttered a curse under her breath. "Being with you IS like being in a Three Stooges movie."

   "Well you started it," the nanites joked.

   "Don't blame us, blame genetics!"

   Strela sighed deeply. "All right what other forms can you give me?"

Four Hours, 1 bath and a bowl of okrosha soup later:

   The woman was stretched out on her couch sipping on a cup of hot tea.

   "We've been through 257 separate configurations," the nanites commented in a tired tone. "And you STILL haven't chosen."

   The woman sat up suddenly and put down the cup of tea. "Afghanistan.".

   "Afghanistan?" the nanites asked. "You want to be an entire country?"

   "No, many years ago I was in that country on a mission," she explained. "I was way up in the mountains and was honored to catch a glimpse of a snow leopard!"

   "Uncia uncia, Snow leopard!" The nanites commented. "A good choice. Sensitive hearing and olfactory senses coupled with the reflexes."

   "And let's not forget those teeth and claws! And now for the other modifications. Our own additions. First off replacing your old muscles with polymer strands interacting with cellular sized motors.  Nervous system will be replaced with Optican crystal strands increasing  reflexes 158%. Calcium based bones will be enhanced with bioplastic increasing their strength 256%. Replacement of skin with a biodurralloy/polymer alloy that improves defense 347% but retains same flexibility and sense of touch. Built in targeting optics to go along with the long range communications we've already installed. Both thought controlled. No need to install gravitic units for flight. Your own mutations are doing fine with that already."

   "That will make things a lot easier. More room to work with and more space."

   "This is my body you're talking about and not some new car," she commented sarcastically. "How long will the change take?"

   "4 minutes, 15 seconds," was the response. "And we can begin immediately."

   "If you want."

   She put down her tea, stood up and made her way back to her bedroom. Once there the woman stripped off the tee shirt and jeans she had been wearing and dropped them on the bed. "Let's do it now," Strela said calmly. "Right away."

   "Please buckle and return your trays to their upright condition and prepare for takeoff."

   "Beginning restructuring sequence. This won't hurt but it will feel really funky." 

   Strela felt an odd power surge through her entire body. It didn't hurt but it was unlike anything she had felt before. She realized that it was the nanites who seemed to be everywhere all at once. Working, changing, adapting her body. Resequencing her DNA to something else entirely. She felt her bones and muscles shift as her organs changed and moved about.
 
   "We're undoing the damage those butchers did to you. Allowing your body to go back to its natural forms and mutations."

  "Your reproductive system has been fully restored."

   She felt a wave of relief flood through her mind. "Thank you," Strela said earnestly.

   "You're welcome," the nanites said. "We're downloading all the information we can glean on the people who messed things up so badly."

   "We WILL locate those butchers and see that justice is done."

   Her legs grew longer and changed joint and structure as she changed species. Her skin took on a gray color as it rippled in an eerie way as the muscles beneath were moved and changed. "Just tell me where they are and I'll settle things."

   Strela saw her arms get covered with a thick, gray fur and smiled as the black spots slowly appeared.

   "Ocular adaption sequence starting," the nanites warned. "Please close your eyes for a moment as the process can induce momentary vertigo."

   Reluctantly the woman closed her eyes.

   The changes were happening faster now and she felt her skin shifting and Strela felt dizzy for a moment as she saw lights in spite of her eyes being closed. Suddenly she was assailed by a storm of new sounds and smells that threatened to overwhelm her.

   "She is having trouble adjusting to her enhanced senses."

   "They all have that problem at first. Making adjustments to hearing and olfactory processing centers in the brain. Enhancing information processing centers."

   The level of sounds and smells did not go down but suddenly it was not so bad. She could pick out the smell of the okrosha that she had eaten for dinner. She could even catch a faint whiff of the coulibiac she had cooked two days before. And the whole room seemed to be filled with the smell of the strong tea she had been drinking a few minutes before.

   "You may open your eyes now. It might take some time to fully adapt to the new additions and the targeting systems."

   She opened her eyes slowly. Everything looked the same but somehow everything was different. She could not see beyond the walls yet at the same time she could. She could hear basic background noises the same as always but now they were defined and he could make them out like they were right in front of her.

   The first thing she noticed was that her nose stuck out further, she poked around it, it was wet and very sensitive. Her mouth didn't feel right. It felt... longer, wider and the teeth were different. She ran her tongue over the long, sharp teeth that now filled her mouth. 

   She held up her hands and looked at them. They had claws, nice, sharp claws. No need to carry a knife anymore. Her knife was now built in!

Then she looked at her new fur. It covered the area that had once been bare, that she spilled the nanites on. The fur on her wrist was a pale cream color, on the other side it was gray and covered in black spots. The spots covered her arms and legs but not her chest and stomach. She ran her hands through her fur and was amazed by how soft and luxurious it felt.

   She saw something new, a tail. Her tail swayed about, back and forth behind her. It was a very long tail that dipped and curved back up at the ground.  Her legs seemed to go on forever and looked to have an extra joint. "My legs have changed."

   "That type of leg is called digitigrade," the nanites explained. "It is more efficient for running."

   The new feline slowly flexed each of her limbs slowly feeling the powerful muscles in each of them. "Oh, now this is nice."

   The leopardess looked at her clothes, which she had left in a pile on the bed. "Nothing will fit me anymore. I hadn't thought of that."

   "Not a problem! We altered your body, we can alter your clothing to match."

   "OH YES! Finally we can get rid of all that tacky stuff. Get some GOOD clothing."

   She walked over to her closet and flung open the door. Walking past the wide variety of clothing hanging neatly on hooks Strela took down her armor. It was a bit battered and the camouflage pattern on it looked weathered but its plastic and ballistic cloth had protected her in many fights.

   "Get rid of that camouflage pattern. No more mellow browns and greens. You're going into combat. Use colors that clash! Show that you mean business. Be flamboyant!"

   The vest in her hands suddenly changed colors becoming the brightest, loudest shades of green, red and yellow she had ever seen.

   "No. That looks like it was caught in an explosion at a paint factory," she growled and shook her head. "Back to the greens, blacks and browns."

   "Aw, you're no fun!"

   "This is for combat. It's not supposed to be fun. You want fun clothing create a line of designer, fashion clothing!"

   "OH! Now that's a great idea. I could share our wild, creative spirit with the world! Our new fashion will sweep the world!"

   She muttered a curse in Russian and Chechen. "Great. I've created a monster."

   "We can do a line of designer combat armor! Bold colors and energetic emblems. We can do flashy commercials on TV and radio and youtube! There are loads of Supers who love to show off!"

   She tapped the chest plate in her hands with one clawed finger. "Can you stick to the topic at hand and change this to fit me."

   The clothing in her hands shifted and slid in her hands altering its shape and size to fit her new form. It also returned to its normal coloration.

   "How quant it uses Kevlar and simple plastic polymers."

   "Try it on. It will fit now."

   She loosened the buckles and straps and slipped the armored vest on. It took a few moments of adjusting of the straps and buckles but the armor fit nicely. Strela took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. There seemed to be nothing out of place. It was tight in all the right places and loose in all the right places.

   The feline picked up the pants that went with the top. It was made of kevlar and plastic and was fairly bullet proof. She noticed a hole in the seat. For a moment Strela thought the nanites had ruined it. The she realized the hole was for her tail. The pants took some effort to get on as she had to get both legs and her tail all in the right holes.

   "It fits perfectly!" She exclaimed as the feline examined herself in the mirror.

   "Of course!"

   "We've increased the protective qualities of the armor 27%." The nanites commented. "But you should consider acquiring new, better armor."

   "Agreed. The stuff you have is SO three weeks ago. I mean this material is twenty years out of date."

   "It was cutting edge when I took it and left the Soviet Union," Strela responded.

   "That was over 20 years ago."

   "And before the Rikkti invasion."

   "Two Rikkti invasions, the Pretorian invasion and at least 14 wars of various sizes."

   Suddenly the muffled sound of a dog barking erupted from the blouse that lay in a rumpled heap on the bed. She walked over to it and reached into a pocket where a small cell phone rested. Strela carefully picked up her cell phone and fumbled with it trying not to scratch or damage the fragile piece of electronics with her new, clawed hands,

   "Never mind that we'll route the call straight to you."

   "Routing the call now."

   "Onto her sight a little symbol of a telephone appeared and blinked. Then the word "Connected," appeared over it.

  "You might want to say hello."

   "How?" She asked.

   "Just act like you are talking to us."
   
   "Hello," Strela thought out loud. "Who is this?"

   "Is this the person we dealt with earlier?" A male voice said.

   "That depends on who YOU are," Strela answered enigmatically.

   "There is a 97% chance this is coming from Fort Darwin. The signal signatures are classical Longbow,"  the nanites commented.

   "You sold us some very helpful information a few weeks ago," the voice said. "The information on the Q ship was very helpful."

   She couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad I was able to help Longbow. And anything that hurts the Council is good."

   The official name of the organization was the Longbow division of the Freedom corporation. To the legitimate governments of the world they were a superhero organization that was a little too militant for their liking. Arachnos called them an annoyance and meddling amateurs. The countless villains that have fought them have far harsher names. The men and women in the red and white costumes were a common sight in some parts of the Rogue isles. What the soldiers lacked in actual super abilities they made up for with idealism and large amounts of high tech firepower. In spite of being called an annoyance, the group was becoming a serious problem, interfering with Arachnos operations all over.

   Strela had tangled with them on several occasions. She had a scar on her left side from the high powered rifle of a Longbow rifleman. More recently she had sold them information about Council activity. No matter what she thought of them personally anyone that harassed and annoyed Arachnos and the Council was good.

   "We need your help Strela," the voice on the phone said. "We'll pay $20,000 for your help."

   "When does the job start?" She asked.

   In the distance she heard a loud explosion. Walking to a window she saw a plume of smoke rising from the direction of fort Darwin. "Never mind. I'll be there in ten minutes." There was a second explosion and the sound of gunfire was audible even through the bulletproof glass of the window. "Make that five!"

   "This is a major assault on the fort. This time not only are supers involved but Arachnos troops as well," the nanites commented.

   The urgency pushed her to move faster and long years of training and experience helped. In moments she had her armor on and was headed for the door with a bow in hand and two quivers on her back.

   She was scarcely twenty meters from her home when she came upon a dozen Arachnos troopers attacking a trio of Longbow soldiers. The troopers were clad all in black and had the red spider symbol of Arachnos on front and back. For decades Arachnos had been a mysterious organization known for its terrorism, murder and constant attempts at world domination. But they owned the Rogue Isles and their leader Lord Recluse ruled it like the brutal dictator he was. But like everything he did Recluses ran Arachnos and the Rogue isles in a confused and chaotic manner. Different factions constantly battled each other for control and it left places like Mercy island in a state of constant chaos and warfare.

 She quickly nocked, aimed and fired an arrow into the middle of the troopers. It hit the ground at their feet and exploded with a blinding flash and an ear splitting bang that sent the Arachnos goons stumbling backward, too stunned to do anything else. Several more arrows finished them off. Strela kept an arrow nocked and ready as she scanned the unmoving bodies of the troopers.

   "Who are you?"

   Turning to the voice Strela found herself looking at the Lowbow soldiers she had just helped.

   "Who are you?' The one Longbowman asked again. The man was dressed in the skin tight red and white suit and was cradling an assault rifle.

   "I'm Strela and I'm here to help," she responded.

   "Strela is human," another solider countered. This one was a woman whose black hair was pulled back into a pony tail. The heavy pistol in her hand was aimed at her.

   "I was human but I've had some improvements done."

   "What are you?" A snow leopard?" the man asked.

   "A clouded leopard. A very endangered species from the Himalayan mountains," the feline responded.

   The man slowly looked her over. "And how many leopards were killed to get you like that?"

   "None," she snapped. "None were hurt but several were inconvenienced."

   The man just glowered at her.

   "That was a joke," she said.

   "Wow, tough crowd!" The nanites commented.

   "Seriously, no animals were hurt," Strela pressed.

   The male Longbow looked at her, smiled then blushed a bright red.

   "What?" Strela asked.

   "Nothing," the man stuttered.

   "Admit it Ed," the female Longbow said. "The first thing that came to mind was a pussy joke."

   "Don't we have a battle win?" He responded.

   "Come on, admit it."

   "Never."

   "We need to get to Darwin," Strela ordered. "We're too strung out to make a stand here."

   "Easier said than done," the Longbow Rifleman responded and pointed off to the right. "Hellions."

   Looking in that direction Strela saw a score of the people charging at them waving an assortment of clubs, bats, axes and hammers. Several were carrying already lit Molotov cocktails. All were dressed in black pants, red vest and a white shirt. Emblazoned on the shirt was a red goats head emblem surrounded by mystical emblems.

   "You have to learn to stay out of other people's business," the archer commented to her attackers. Strela loosed an arrow that raced into the middle and exploded sending clouds of green gas wafting through the air. The attack dissolved into chaos as the people doubled over, coughing and choking. She followed up that gas arrow with an explosive arrow. The blast shattered the group and sent Hellions flying in all directions. When the smoke cleared the only Hellions left upright were running away.

   Strela didn't waste any time with the Hellions. Instead she turned towards fort Darwin. They were at one end of a long street and the fort at the other. The street really didn't have a name anymore. In the distant past it had once been a wide boulevard paved with the best stones and lined with many tall, beautiful buildings filled with luxurious shops and homes. People could walk along and window shop all along the avenue. Now the buildings were battered, torn, burnt out  wrecks. Where there had been windows displaying goods for sale and doors leading inside were now just boarded up openings in burnt out walls. Streets once filled with cars and trucks were now filled with the burnt out shells of cars and trucks. And stone and bricks fallen down the ruined buildings lay scattered all over.

   The group stood at one end of this road and their destination; Fort Darwin at the other. Even at the best of times it was a difficult trip. Now it was out right dangerous. Everywhere she looked Strela saw groups of people locked in combat.

   In front of them a group of Longbow were hunkered down amidst the burnt out remains of a truck. They were being fired on by unknown people shooting at them from the safety of brick buildings on either side of the street. Further on another group of people were in a firefight with another group around the turned over remains of a large statue.

   The archer pointed to a window close by on her left where a good amount of weapons fire was coming from. "We'll clear this side first. I'll take the ground floor, you get the second floor." She nocked an arrow that had a fat, cylindrical explosive head. After a moment of aim the archer loosed the arrow. It flew through the air and straight into an open window. A moment later there was an explosion and flames and smoke shot out that was followed by flaming wreckage and bits of burnt flesh that might have once been an Arachnos trooper.

   Suddenly the fire that had been directed at the trapped Longbow now turned on them but not for long.

   One of the people with Strela was carrying a large 7mm gatling gun. Its 5 rotating barrels were electric powered. BRAAP!!!!! The sound of the gun firing drowned out everything else. The wall of the building erupted in a storm of fire as the gatling guns bullets ripped through everything.

   When the gun stopped firing silence descended over the area. They all remained tense and alert waiting for someone to attack but nothing happened.

   "Let's get moving," the feline ordered. "We can't wait here."

   The group started moving down the street but the going was slow. They would only get a short way before having to stop and deal with more attackers. Along the way they met up with other Longbow soldiers. Soon what had started as just her was a group of a dozen people all of them heavily armed.

   They moved past the wrecked cars and debris that lined the street. All weapons were ready as all eyes scanned the buildings around them for sign of trouble, The buildings pulled back creating a small plaza that was dominated by a large statue of metal and stone.

   She wasn't sure if the statue was supposed to be abstract art or had been more conventional art and had been blasted into an abstract shape. All Strela knew was that it had always been like that. The snow leopard archer leaned against a piece of twisted steel that was either blast debris or art. "I'm hot. Can you cool me down?"

   "Body heat is rising 32% faster than expected."

   "All that thick fur. Snow leopards are a mountain cat. Tall, cold mountains."

   "Perhaps a warm weather species would have been better? Lion, leopard, jaguar."

   "You can do that now?" she asked. "It's not like I'm just changing my socks."

   "Of course we can do this easily. We're just changing DNA. That will result in only small changes."

   "You make it sound like I'm just changing my shirt."

   "Well you are still mammalian, still partly human and still feline. We're only changing small parts.  Of course your cybernetics will not change."

   "How long will it take?" She asked.

   "35 seconds."

   She looked around and saw that they were alone for the moment. But that could change in an instant. "Do it. Quickly."

   She felt a rush through her body and Strela saw the thick fur on it shrink down to more thin and light hair even as it turned from gray to tan.

   "Done."

   The first thing Strela felt different was the coolness of the air. A soft breeze blew across her arms and face lightly tickling her.

   "This is better!"

   "Heat levels are down 23% already and dropping."

   "How do you feel?"

   "Cooler!" Strela said calmly as she examined her new leonine form. It was stockier and bigger than the leopard. Stronger too. "But not much else feels different."

   "We did say it was a minor modification. In humans changing race would be even easier. Those changes are trivial."

   Strela nodded her head in agreement. "There must be a life lesson in there somewhere but not for me. I've never let a person's race bother me."

   "What if we took all the racists in the world and changed them to another race. See how they reacted!"

   The feline archer gave a short growl of amusement. "Now that would be fun!"

   A bullet ricocheted on the ground in front of her. Looking up she saw a dozen Ararchnos troopers charging at them. 

   "An idea for another time," she snarled. "We need to get rid of this filth first."

   The Longbow with her were already responding as a large volume of fire erupted ripping through the black clad troopers charging them.

   Strela nocked and loosed an arrow straight into the middle of the troopers. When the projectile hit the ground it exploded with an ear splitting boom and a dazzling bright light. She followed up that arrow by grabbing three and loosing all at the group almost like a shotgun. Three of the attacked tumbled to the ground. The other four didn't last much longer.

   "Are you going to keep doing that?" The one Longbow asked.

   "Do what?" Strela asked.

   "Keep changing species," came the blunt question.

   "A lady is allowed to change her mind occasionally," she responded enigmatically.

   "I can understand that," the man said. "Vitani."

   "Vitani? My name is . . " Strela started to say but stopped and glared at the man.

   The Longbow soldier smiled sheepishly. "What? Yeah. I'm a fan of the Lion King movies. And admit she looks like Vitani from the second movie," he said and pointed to the feline super.

   "Ok. I can see that but no more Lion King jokes," she snarled.

   "Incoming!" One of the Longbow shouted and fired a burst from his assault rifle off to the left.  Without hesitating the archer spun around and nocked an arrow, all in one smooth motion.

   She saw a dozen gang members charging at them. They were dressed in a ragged variety of clothes. All were carrying weapons; some a knife, others an axe or baseball bat and two were carrying small submachine guns. Each of them had their face covered by a skull mask made from a real human skull.

   Strela snarled revealing an large set of impressively sharp teeth. "I'm tired of these stupid distractions." She loosed an arrow at the group. It landed just in front and went off with an ear splitting crack and a dazzling flash.

   The fight that followed was short and one sided but it ended with all the enemy dead.

   The female Longbow looked at one of the prostrate attackers for a moment. "Skulls. Another gang of thugs to worry about."

   "Did Recluse hire every band of thugs in Mercy Isle?" The man snapped.

   "It seems so," Another responded.

   "Let's get going," Ed said. "We have to get to the fort."

************

   Fort Darwin was typical of something built by Arachnos; large, monolithic, soulless structure of ugly concrete and steel. But the walls were thick and strong and had withstood many attacks over the years. The structure had brooded over the shattered ruins of Darwin's Landing of Mercy island since it had been constructed back in 2005.

   They arrived to find Fort Darwin in utter chaos. Smoke and flame enveloped the entire structure. Looking around she saw fighting happening all over. Longbow soldiers were fighting Skulls, Hellions and Arachnos. Smoke and flames were everywhere. Her sensitive nostrils were filled with the smell of burning wood and plastic. But behind those strong scents she could pick up the smell of fresh blood and burnt flesh.

   Strela had been surprised that Longbow had attacked and managed to take the place from Arachnos. Lord Recluse rarely took such things lightly. What really surprised her was that he was doing something as blunt as outright attacking the place. The villain preferred to use others in some complex and obscure plan. The idea that Longbow had forced Recluse to act so boldly made her happy. She bared her teeth in a smile as her feline tail whipped back and forth.

   "How long till reinforcements arrive for Longbow?" Strela silently asked the nanites.

   "At least 30 minutes. There is a major raid in progress against the Longbow base on Agincourt."

   "Of course. It's to keep them from coming to help here till it's too late." Suddenly a half dozen bullets slammed into Strela's chest plate and pain raced through her body! Trying to ignore the pain she turned in the direction the bullets had come from. She saw a large, black spider the size of a horse coming at her. It's long, spindly legs were of metal and plastic and its robot body was protected by armor plating. Behind that were four more just like it. All were charging straight at the group.

   "Spiderlings," Strela muttered as she nocked, aimed and loosed an arrow at the advancing robots. Her arrow caught the lead spiderling dead square and penetrated deep into the body. That first arrow was quickly followed by two others. The spider lurched to a halt and flames and black smoke billowed out before collapsing to the ground. The other four spiderlings scuttled past the remains without a moment's hesitation. The chain gun on the bodies spitting rounds at Strela. 

   The soldiers with the feline weren't inactive and their weapons ripped into the others. A pair of rounds ringed off of her armor but she ignored them. The spiderlings kept closing but the feline archer stood her ground and put arrow after arrow into the lead creature. In moments the robot was swinging its front legs at her. The razor sharp claw on its tips sliced through the armor protecting Strela's leg.

    "Injury is minor and no poison is present," the nanites announced.

   She ignored the pain and danced backward as she loosed an arrow at her attacker. Its fat, explosive warhead penetrated through the armor plating before exploding. The entire robotic spider exploded sending pieces flying in all directions.

   Strela nocked another arrow as she looked around for another target but all the spiders had been destroyed.

   "Your mysterious contact is back on the line," the nanites commented. "Putting him through right now."

   "Get to the infirmary," the voice ordered bluntly without bothering with introductions.. "It's under direct attack."

   A small map of the fort popped up in her vision. One corner had a flashing red exclamation point.

   "Understood," Strela answered. "I'm in motion already!"

************

   The infirmary was a small room tucked into one corner of the fort. Its concrete lined walls were painted white and the floors were highly polished. Rows of hospital beds lined one wall. Five machines were lined neatly against the back wall.

   Bolts of electricity danced along the delicate machinery. A man laying in a bed screamed in pain as the electricity danced along his body. His hospital gown already starting to smoke.

   All this pain and destruction were coming from one source. A man wearing a full body suit that was painted a bright yellow. His gloves and boots were bright red as was the lightning bolt painted onto his chest. His hair and face were the same red color and both glowed with electrical power. The look on his face was one of pure delight like a child with a new toy. He had already smashed a lot of the equipment but this villain was taking his time and enjoying the pain he was inflicting.

   "You like attacking the helpless and wounded?" Strela snarled a second before her arrow hit the villain in the back. A loud explosion enveloped the man and sent the man crashing into the machine he had just been trying to destroy.

   He stood up  and touched his forehead from which a trickle of blood was flowing. The man narrowed his eyes and snarled at her. "I'm going to burn all your fur off kitty!" Lightning ran along the full length of his body with little bolts dancing along his fingers and even across his face. Small jets of power came off his hair making it stand on end. His hands glowed as electricity danced along his hands and arms. He swung his arm like he was throwing something and a ball of electricity raced from his hands and straight at the lioness.

   Strela twisted her body but the ball of electricity struck her on the side sending a jolt through her whole body. She didn't hesitate but nocked and loosed another arrow at the electricity using villain.

   "We have no information on him," the nanites commented. "Opening a file on him. What to call him? Who is he?"

   The man scowled and clapped his hands together. BOOM!

A crack of thunder rolled into Strela. She was sent stumbling backward as the thunder echoed through her whole body. She cursed loudly in several languages as she tried to get the ringing out of her head.

   "He's street trash," Strela commented as the ringing slowly subsided. She  loosed another arrow at the man. "A low life who is out to take whatever he wants and have fun. Mercy Island is filled with ambitious want to be's like him."

   The man waved his hands over his head and shouted something but Stela couldn't understand what it was. A huge bolt of lightning raced from his hands and towards the feline archer.

   The bolt hit her with all the power of an avalanche striking a small village. Mind numbing pain seared thru every single part of her body.

   Through the pain she heard the nanites sending warnings. "Major electrical overload. 500,000 volts. Protect vital system and prevent cardiac arrest. Brain functions are protected."

   She stumbled backwards and slumped down against a wall.

   "There is nervous system damage."

   As suddenly lightning had hit her it stopped. It took several moments before the pain subsided.

   "Major systems damage."

   Strela looked up to see the villain standing there. There was a look of delight on his face and he had a wide grin. "It looks like you've had a Fatal Shock," he joked as electricity danced along his whole body.

   "That jolt was twice lethal levels for a normal person."

   "Good thing you're not normal."

   The grin of delight on his face vanished when Strela slowly stood up and growled at him.

   "Don't let him do that again," the nanites commented.

   "I didn't want him to do it the first time." The feline archer reached into her quiver and pulled out a special arrow The head itself was cylindrical instead of a sharp point and was painted white and blue stripes.

   "Chill out!" She snarled and launched the arrow.

   The projectile raced through the air and hit the man in the chest.

   Whump!

   The arrow exploded enveloping the man in a white cloud of snow and frost. In moments that had hardened into solid ice that encased the villain from shoulders to feet. His face was quickly covered with a downy layer of frost.

  Strela didn't pause to admire the results but at high speed starting shooting arrow after arrow at the man. She understood that the ice wouldn't hold him for long.

   The frost on the man's face melted revealing a scowling look. Bolts of electricity danced up and down his body. Pieces of ice flew off in all directions and cold water pooled on the floor. He bellowed loudly and raised his arms over his head and a huge ball of lightening appeared in his hands. Strela's arrow hit him in the face and exploded with the power of a grenade.

   He stumbled backward flailing his arms. In spite of the power of the explosion the man still had his head but his face was covered with blood. He fell to the ground and lay there sprawled out. Suddenly his prostrate form was enveloped with a silvery light and then he was gone. Ironically enough he had been saved by the same type of mediporter technology he had been trying to destroy.

   Strela turned to the machine the man had been attacking. Usually such machines had smooth surfaces that were sleek and clean. Like anything in a hospital should be. It should also be working silently. Instead this machine had large rents and tears from which blue smoke poured. And above the snap and crackle of something burning was a dull rattling noise.

   "The mediports are only operating at 25% capacity."

   "Longbow is taking heavy casualties. The waiting list to mediport is growing longer by the second."

   Strela walked over to the mediporter. To her untrained eye it simply looked like a round platform with a glowing ring above it. But the simplicity of its looks hid the advanced technology inside. It was part of a complex system that monitored certain people. When one of those people was badly injured the system activated and teleported that person straight to the infirmary. Once there the regenerator and other equipment would heal the person in minutes.

   She noted a pair of nurses and a doctor who were racing among the patients pulling off burned and smoking clothing and bedding. But Strela paid them little notice. Instead the feline placed both hands on the damaged mediporter. "Can you fix it?"

   "Examining now."

   Power supply damaged. Working at only 12%. Rerouting power."

" Repairing damaged circuits."

   The machine suddenly burst into life as it started to glow and hum loudly. Strela stepped backward as the glow intensified. Loud polka music suddenly filled the air. The light dimmed and there was a figure standing in the middle of the mediporter. The man was wearing the torn and burnt remnants of a Longbow uniform.

   A nurse hustled up to the new arrival and firmly pulled him off the mediporter. No sooner had the man cleared it than the massive lifesaver activated again.

   "Move!" The nanites ordered. "There are four more to repair."

   Strela stepped over to another one of the mediporters and placed her hands onto it. It was only when all of the mediporters were working again did she step back and relax for a moment. 

   "Ah, what's with the polka music?" She asked.

   "Vitani!" Came the order over the radio. "Get your furry tail up here."

   "Where are you?" The feline asked using the nanite created radio in her body..

   "Rampart," came the answer. "Top of the fortress."

   "I'm coming!" She turned to where four Longbow soldiers were just getting out of the mediporter. They were checking their weapons and reading themselves to get back in the fight. "You four stay here and defend the infirmary. If that electric using moron comes back call me over an open channel but I doubt it."

   The archer quickly moved out of the infirmary and stepped into the courtyard that made up the ground floor of the fort. Off to her left a flight of steps led upward. A pair of spiderbots scuttled down the steps at her, their guns blazing away. A fusillade of bullets ricocheted off the concrete around her and bounced off her armor. Three sharp arrows destroyed the spiders. Strela had to dodge the wrecked bits as they tumbled down the steps past her.

   When she reached the top of the steps she saw Longbow troopers locked in a ferocious firefight with scores of Arachnos troopers, drones and spiderbots. In the center of the chaos was a tall figure in the black and red metal armor of an Arachnos Arbiter. This man was undoubtedly the leader of the attack and a powerful super in his own right.

   The arbiter waved a massive three foot long mace over his head. "FEEL THE WRATH OF ARACHNOS!"

   "OH SHUT UP!!" Strela snarled and snapped off an arrow that slammed into the arbiter's helmet and sank into his forehead all the way up to the fletching. There was a look of sheer surprise on the man's face before he tumbled over backwards. His body was claimed by the Arachnos mediporter before it even hit the floor.

   She nocked another arrow and aimed her bow at a group of troopers. "Go home," she ordered. And snapped off a arrow. The projectile exploded in their midst sending men and robots flying in all directions. "Show's over."

   The battle ended as suddenly as it had begun with the remaining Arachnos withdrawing from the fort. Strela didn't let up and neither did the remaining Longbow soldiers. Instead they kept shooting  picking off the survivors. The path of the Archnos withdrawal was littered with shattered wreckage and dead bodies.

   "See to the wounded," Strela ordered out loud. "And be sure the enemy dead really are dead. Also lets make a sweep of the place be sure the spiders didn't leave any explosives and booby traps behind." In moments the remaining soldiers were hustling about. Through it all Strela stood in plain sight giving orders. Her calm demeanor and firm tone steadying the raw nerves of the remaining Longbow soldiers.

   It was ten minutes before reinforcements arrived in the form of a VTOL aircraft filled with more soldiers. She noticed that there were several holes in the fuselage and one engine was trailing a plume of smoke. The first person off was a Ballista - the heaviest of heavy hitters for the Longbow. He was wearing heavy armor that completely covered him from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.

   "You're late," Strela commented simply as a score of Longbows soldiers streamed pasted them both.

   "We ran into hostile traffic," the Ballista answered. 

   "So I see," she answered calmly and simply.

   "What's the situation?" The man asked.

   "You missed all the fun."

The end