Shade is your common rat girl. She is a few inches over 5 feet with her nice grey fur and long black hair tied back in a loose pony tail. She had her larger ringed pink tail slowly swaying side to side behind her as she walked to the bus stop to go down town for no real reason. She was in a black shirt with jeans that held her cell phone, wallet, and house keys. She just needed to get out of the house. She walked with a slow stride just enjoying the cool air around her as it tickled her furry cheeks and pink nose. She passed a trash can and a familiar smell came to her nose. She stopped and saw a partly open pack of her favorite Black Diamond cigarettes. She smiled and her tail picked up pace. Maybe this wouldn’t be that bad of a day after all. She looked and found there were still 15 of the 20 cigarettes in there. She smiled and reached to pull one out. Then a blinding flash of green light filled her eyes and she felt dizzy and disoriented for a while. She felt herself fall over into the dark ally. Then she was asleep. 

“Commander!...Commander wake up!” someone was shacking her arm and yelling for her to wake up. What were they talking about she had just tripped and why the hell were they calling her commander? She opened her eyes and saw the face of a young tiger boy. 

“Who are you?” she asked rubbing her head. 

“Private Jeffery Hardstripe. I was sent by the general. He needs you to report to him right away its urgent!” The tiger told her. Shade sat up and looked down. She was in plate armor, when…or where was she at now? She remembered picking up a pack of cigerattes. Now she was being called a commander? She had a metal breast plate that was perfectly formed to her and tight metal greeves that were tight but allowed for pleanty of movement. She followed the tiger through many different rooms all with some alien technogloy. Was she in some sort of Star Trek universe? 3d projections of ships and planets. This was to strange to be real. The tiger led her into a room with blue holograms and a deep baisin in the center with a map of a contentet or island. It was shaped like the head of a dog or something and devided into six different secotrs some were green others yellow and a few were red. There was a massive badger looking into the basin and pointing to different areas and talking to different furries about his plan to take over the red and yellow sectors. The tiger went and placed his fist to his sternuim. Not knowing any better Shade followd his lead. 

“Ah Commander sorry to wake you but the wastelands have been under contstent attack and were have just recived the horrible news that our radar command post has been taken over by the androids and their followers.” The badger told her.

“What do you need from me?” she asked.

“I need you to lead a small team to go and recover the radar post then reactivate it so we can find the androids then blow it to hell and back. I am going to give you a shadow team. In fact our best shadow team.”

“Assassins?” Shade said without even knowing where she knew that a shadow team was an assassin’s squadron. 

“Yes, they my be assassins but they need a leader. I cant just let them go willy-nilly into battle they need a leader and your one of our best besides yours truly.” The badger said patting his chest and chuckling. Shade thought it would be a good idea to chuckle and it seemed to bring a smile to his face. “You will lead them into the wastelands and get the radar tower back. From there you will activate the beacon letting us know its ours again. It will take us 15 minutes to get there after is active. That’s when all hell will break loose. Just activate the security system and fend off any adroids you can and just hunker down and wait for us to get there. Then you will be able to come back and take a nap.” The genereal told her. “Now the shadow squad in waiting for you in the hanger get your sword and get going.” The general said before saluting and then going back to looking at the map below him. 

Shade was beyond confused. Androids, radar posts, and why was she going to use a sowrd against an android army where were the laser guns and photon cannons? She thought to herself. She didn’t even realize that she had walked back to her room where she had just been woken up. She looked over and on the wall hanging on a set of pegs was a two handed sword. She reached up and grabbed the hilt. It was formed to her hands perfectly. She couldn’t beveile it. It made a perfect match down to her finger prints it seemed. The blade was a yard long and looked like anything it touched would just fall in half on its own. She looked down the blade and saw a blood slit for all the fluids of her enemies woul just travel down there and never touch her hands. The cross gard was a simple one. It was silver and protected both her hands with a spiked end that if she ran someone or something through it would leave two more holds in the dead person. She swung it around in the small room. It seemed to weigh just enough for her strength. It wistled as it cut the air. But no one explained why she would be killing metallic things with a sword. She put the sowrd on her back and a magnet held it in place. She pulled on the hilt and it came off with no resistance. She put it back on and then looked around the outside of her room…where the hell was the hanger? She looked up and saw a sign. “Hanger ” she followed the arrows as she saw them till she got to a huge wide open place with real looking space ships. Their block design and odd leg like extremies made her go wide eyed and smile. She walked over to one of them and touched the cool metal. She looked under it and saw a complex panel of grates, wires and jets. She looked over and guesed that this one might hold three or four people while some of the other bigger ones could of held 50 or more people. 

“You might not want to stand there when we start that.” a female voice came from behind her. She turned and saw two furries walking up to her. A female reindeer and a male dragon. She was shocked to see the duo. 

“Sargents Tiladon Blackwing and Jessica Snowdagger reporting for duty.” The dragon said in a gental tone. 

“Uh…commander Shade Rose.” Shade quickly said not knowing what else to say. 

“You know how to fly that jet ship?” Jessica asked pointing to the small ship behind Shade. 

“Not that well you?” Shade asked looking at the female. She was gorgeus. She should be a supermodel not some assassin. Her thing figure and large breasts were hidden behind a tight dulled black leather outfit. Her hard hooves clopped on the ground as she came to rest in front of the rat. Her long brown hair with its natural blonde highlights was hanging around her head stopping somewhere behind her. She had the deepest green eyes Shade had ever seen. She had a small black stip going across her muzzle and a set of six point antlers on her head. Shad elooked but didn’t see a sword on her but at each hip was a long metal bar with a handle coming about 5 inches from one end. She wondered how she was going to do any damage to a metal body with those things. 

“I could drive that thing blindfolded.” Jessica boasted. Tiladon shook his head and put his hand to his forehead. Shade saw that his body was covered in black leather too but his right arm was covered in a metal glove going from shoulder to finger tip. It looked like an old medevil gauntlet. He had a few inches on Shade and he only seemed bigger with his massive black wings. His face and what hide was showing was a light tan. He had a set of short black horns coming from his head and a trail of just as black spines going from between them to the end of his six foot long tail. He opened his eyes an she could see that his iris was blood red while everything else was white. He looked fierce and the long rifle over his shoulder made it more so. Tiladon noticed her looking at the rifle. He smield and pulled it over with a shake of his sholder. 

“Here give it a try. I modified it. Just don’t point it at anything you don’t was a huge hole in.” he handed it too her. It was a long rifle all right just bigger then a yard in length. The body was thick and heavy with a single red dot sight. It had a large clip under it with large bullets in it. She handed it back to him where he put it on his shoulder again. 

“Okay…uh…well lets get going. Unless you guys need to do anything.” Shade said glad to be on their side. 

“Nope lets get rolling.” Tiladon said and he and Jessica went to the back of the ship where the hatch came down and the three boarded it. Inside were four large black leather chairs that were ripped and torn. The controls were very complex and Shade knew there was no way she could fly it. She was glad Jessica could. The controls looked like a normal airplanes but there was a second set on the arm rest of the first two chairs that she would put her arm into. Jessica sat down and started flipping switches and pressing buttons before a hydrolic squeal filled the air and the ship started to lift up. Jessica slipped her hand into the arm thing and it lurched forward. 

“Damn controls are so fucked up.” She cursed the machine. Then it gave a final lurch and it became a much smoother ride. Tiladon put a had set on and informed the tower that they were heading out. 

“Good luck and stay in one piece.” The radio told them all. 

“Yeah…that would be good.” Shade said. Tiladon chuckled and they flew out into the sky starting to darken with rain. 

“Looks like you will get to show us if you can fly blindfolded.” Tiladon told the reindeer who flipped him off. Tiladon chuckled and they speed up. Shade was so confused and decided now would be the best time to start asking some questions. 

“Can you guys answer a few questions for me?” Shade asked. 

“We can try.” Tiladon said and turned his chiar around. 

“What year is it?” 

“2175.” Tiladon told her. 

“And were going to face androids?”

“We should be but we can always hope for a smooth ride.” Jessica said not looking away from the black sky. 

“Look I’m not from around here and I'm really confused.” Tiladon cocked an eye brow. Shade began to tell them how she was just walking to the bus stop and she found a pack of her favorite cigerrats when she just woke up in the bed. Jessica turned her chiar and faced the rat. 

“Well if that’s what you think then okay. I have heard strange things happening.” The reindeer said and turned back around. 

“If were going to be fighting androids why are we using swords and lead bullets where are the lasers and other things like that?” 

“Well we use swords because they were made to kill and they do their job well. Lasers and things proved only to help the androids so we use uranium tipped bullets. They will put a hole in just about anything. The swords are made of a speaical kind of carbon steel that is hardened so much that it will never brake, dull or bend. It will cut through the androids like warm butter. We wont just be facing the androids but their followers.” Tiladon began to tell her that in 2089 the first set of androids we finally finaihsed the problem was that they were made to smart and evolved into their own nation and began to attack the furries of the world. Those they turned to their cause called themselves the Cyborgs. The resiatnce that she wa aprt of was the Black Rose. They were slowly taking control of the robots and their friends. The war had a minor stand still with some peace but that lasted only a coulpe decades before there was a misunderstanding and a new war broke out the war they were fightning right now. 

Shade sunk in her chair…this was too much. She rubbed her head and the chiar leaned back.

“You look like hell try and sleep we wont be there for a while.” Tiladon told her and turned his chair around and flipped a switch and the light dimmed. Shade couldn’t think of anything better to do so she curled up in the chair and fell asleep. Then in a blinding flash of light her history in this world came back. She remembered as a child sitting in the dark coners hiding as the armies of robots marched past. She remembered her parents being killed by them and how she at the age of 12 joined the resistance and began to train to get back at the machines. She remembered her training, she remembered how to fly the ships and all the battle manuveres of the sword. She remembered everything. She opened her eyes and was still being flown in the ship. She sighed and closed her eyes again. 

“Shit!” Jessica yelled. Shade woke up with a start. “Where the fuck did they come from?” Jessica yelled flipping more switches and the ship rolled around as the sounds of bullets flew past their ship. Shade stood up and went over to a the dark metal box and pushed the button and a shoulder mounted RPG was in there with three shots. She grabbed the launcher and one of the rockets. 

“Hold the ship still while I take them out!” Shade yelled. The ship sped up but it leveled out and Shade pressed the button above her and the top hatch opened the wind rushed it but she brought the RPG out and put her eye to the aiming device. The ship behind them was in the shape of a cresent moon with three guns all firing on the small ship. Shade waited to get a shot. “Come on you scrape heap just give me…one clear…shot.” She whispered to herself. It came as the moon leveled out. The rocket gave thump as it was fired and the rocket sailed through the air and slammed right into the left wing of the ship where it detached itself from the main body and spun towards the brown earth below where it exploded into a huge fire ball. She cheered but the wind around her ears drowned her cheer out. She went back in and the two chered for her. 

“Hell of a shot commander. Now lets get that tower before were seen by to many more ships.” Jessica said and took a hard left. 

“Okay land a few meters away from the tower so we don’t get shot down I'm sure they have the security system up.” Shade told them getting a nod in reply. They started to lower to the ground. Then the engines shut off and they landed with a hard thud. 

“Nice landing.” Tiladon told Jessica who chuckled and undid her safety belt. The three got out of the ship and bringing their arms out to the ready started to make their way to the tower that was a mile or so off. Jessica took her “tunfa” as she called them out and twisted her wrist with a click two curved blades were at the end where she held on like small scythes. 

“So that’s how you will do damage to anything.” Shade said as they all ran down towards the tower. 

“Yep they haven’t failed me before and I don’t think they will fail me here.” Jessica said as she jumped over the puddles of filth. Shade stopped and raised her fist for them to halt. There was dead silence…then a distance away the metallic hiss and clunk let them know an android was around. Shade pointed at Tiladon who took off to the top of a pile of garbage and then Jessica who disappered as she ran around the edge of another pile. Shade crept her way forward sword raised to strike. She found the back of the android in front of her. She tip toed of to it then with a hiss her sword rent the things head from its lower half making oil and hydrolic fluid spurt from the neck of the thing. It fell to the ground with a thud and she looked around…nothing. That couldn’t be the only oe in the area and another one or two had to of heard that. She walked forward and out from the pile in front of her one sprang out. She saw the hard metal body it looked like a human but it’s red eyes started to scan her and then it takckled her knocking her sword out of her hands. It reached its arm back to kill her. A blur of movement behind the metal thing made it stop and the red eyes powered off letting her know it was dead. Then the arms fell down along with the head. Jessica reached out and pulled shade up. 

“Come on you should know camafloge is bitch and here is there heaven.” Jessica told her. a bang filled their ears and they both looked to ther left and a headless stump of another robot was collapsing to the ground. Shade made a ciclre in the air with her finger and Tiladon joined them as he folded his wings. They tunred and ran along a path. Three androids stopped in front of them. Shade roared then swung her swoard forwad and relieved their upper body from their lower side. Another jumped out and was punced on by Jessica who dug her blades into its eye sockets. She jumped off and tackled another severing head from neck. A bolt of lightning sent one of the androids that had jumped out of a trash pile to the ground. Shade looked back and where the metal glovehad been on Tiladon was his arm that was black as his wings with glowing blue veins. She turned and arced her sword up and cut another right up the middle. She kicked out and ran forward into another one who soon lost its head. Tiladon dropped to a knee and the thumps of the silnced gun filled the air and robots were becoming headless or gaining a huge hole in their torso. Shade had just ran one through and pulled her sword out. She let out a roar/squeek and the androids that had started to circle Jessica were soon dispatched by the two females who were covered in the black oil and red hydrolic fluid. Tiladon passed a pile and thrust his arm out. A shockwave slammed into a pile of rubble sending everything in the pile 30 feet away in a shower. He though he saw a robot but was wrong. He ran forward and caught up to the females. 

“You know there is something about you two being covered in that shit that is some what sexy.” Tiladon said checking his clip that he unloaded and dropped the extra bullets into his belt that Shade knew would combaine other bullets together and fill a clip. Tiladon put a fresh clip in and racked the gun. They took off in the direction of the tower trying to get there with out more encounters. They reached the tower and the turents on the rim of the building all turned to the trio and began to fire. The powerful Vulcan cannons torn piles of garbage apart. They all ran around the piles trying to find cover from the rain of bullets. Tiladon stood up and more lightning his all three of the turrents. They all went crazy and began to randomly fire. He controlled the turrents and pulled one completely off and the other turned and blew each other up. Tiladon stopped his handy work and ran up behind Shade. Shade ran up and grabbed the one on the ground and finding the right switch the drum of the 7 barrels began to spin. A small division of androids came out and she press another button. The rain of lead came from the gun feed by the near limit supply in the building. Soon the only thing that let people know there was an android army there was the pile ob dead metal in front of the door. Tiladon went up and pushed his arm out again sending the bodies out clearing the door way. The three ran inside. Tiladon turned and touching the control panel over powered it causing the thick metal door to slam down. Jessica jumped into a pile of robots and her blades seemed to dance through her opponents sending limbs, oil and anything else over the walls ceiling and of course the floor. She stood there breathing over 7 or so dead bots. Shade went up the stairs first and found the control room bunkered down with androids all with gun attachments. The spray of lead was locked by the wall that separated Shade from a painful and disgusting death. The wall was littered with bullet holes. Shade sighed then reached into her waist puch and pulled out a plasma grenade. She activated it then turned and tossed it in the room. There was a panic then a “Thump” then the room was still. She looked in and dead bot parts were everywhere. She sheathed her sword and went up to the control panel. Jessica came in and looked over the panel. 

“Hmm…looks like a standered bot lock out code.” She set her fingers to work and the screen in front of her lit up with numbers and letters. Shade knew it was a decoding program that was stored deep in ever hard ware that the resistance made. Jessica set to work getting the system on line. 

“What should I do?” Shade asked. 

“Pray, that they don’t send an army at us before Jessica can get that unlocked and the renforcements get here or else were dead.” Tiladon told her. Shade sat down on the floor and just looked at the head of a dead android. She picked it up and marveld at the smoothness of the fake skin. The white eyes were empty without the fimilar red glow. The synthetic brown hair looked just like the real thing. She tossed the head over to her left and it knocked something open. She looked over and it knocked open a weapons cabnet. She got up and went over. There were axes, maces, hand guns, long rifles, machine guns and a bunch of grenades. 

“Why didn’t they get into this before?” Shade asked. 

“I don’t know…nothing has been touched.” Tiladon said looking at all the full clips of ammo. 

“The general said it was a hostal take over. I didn’t notice any blood or find any bodies. The androids never despose of the dead. They cant smell them and so leave them to rot.” Shade said. 

“Guys…we got a problem.” Jessica said as more numbers ran across the screen.

“What is it?” Shade asked not able to decri all the data as fast as Jessica.

“This was never under our control. Infact it was made to look like a radar tower. Were in control of 50 nuclear bombs. Were sitting on a nuke mine field.” Jessica said. “The robots disgused it to look like our stuff. I cant believe it…we ar now the three most powerful things on the earth. We could wipe out the entire robot race from the face of the earth.” Jessica said. 

“that’s right Jessica.” The three turned and on the screen was the general. 

“Why didn’t you tell us what it was?” Jessica asked.

“Because we didn’t want you to think your going to your deaths. I’m sorry but some must be sacrificed in order for the rest to live.” The general said. 

“You Bastard!” Jessica screamed at him. “How many waves are coming to kill us?” 

“At least three devisions.” The general said. 

“Fine…but were not going to let you get these nukes.” Tiladon said. 

“Oh why not?” the general asked. 

“Because were going to launch them.” Jessica said and started to work her way into the computer. 

“If you try and use one to protet yourself with them your going to blow yourselfs up.”

“Well like you said were going to die anyway.” Jessica said. Shade was in shock. She slid down the wall and onto the floor. “Okay I'm in. Lets send these nukes to get rid of some unwanted friends. Like the Dark Rose HQ.” Jessica said and the general froze. 

“No! You will destroy everything we have worked for!” He said. 

“You have to sacrifice some to let others live.” Jessica said. Then pushed a button and the ground shook as a gate was drawn away and the missile took off.

“Damn you!” the general said and the screen went black. 

“Are we really going to die here?” Shade asked. 

“Nope.” Tiladon said and went to help Jessica. 

“What are we going to do?” Shade asked. Tiladon twised a key on the wall and the base began to sink into the ground. 

“Every nuke base is eqiped to dive under ground in case of a nuke going off. Too bad the general forgot about that.” Jessica said. 

“So how will we get out?” Shade asked. 

“Well each base is equipped with a three year supply of food for a 20 man divison so we should be good for a few years.” Tiladon said as they were lowered into darkness. 

“Were going to kill the world?” Shade asked. 

“No just get rid of those who shouldn’t be alive.” Jessica said and started to imput more locations. She pressed a button and the ground shook again. 

“Where are those going?” Shade asked. 

“The robot city is going to get four of them. A few big outposts will get one and then known high robot population area’s are going to get one. I only launched 12 of them. So it wont be to long before we can get out.” Jessica told her. 

“Okay well I'm going to go and find this food.” Shade said and got up to find the cafetira. She went down the stairs and down a few halls. She found it. It was a small place with a TV and a pinball machine. She went into the back and opened the fridge. Sure enough tons of dehydrated food was there. She pusehed some things around and then found another pack of Black Diamond cigarettes. “Now were talking.” Then without thinking she reached in and pulled one out. There was another big flash of light and she found herself in an ally way. She was laying down on some trash bags in the ally. 

“Hey you okay?” Someone asked. She looked over and…was that Jessica? Sure enough the female reindeer stood there with Tiladon holding onto her sholder. His arm guard was the same it had to be them. 

“Yeah I'm fine…what year is it?” she asked. 

“2008” Tiladon said. 

“You look hungry want to join us for breakfast?” Jessica asked. 

“Are we going to get attacked by any androids?” Shade asked. 

“Lets hope not.” Tiladon laughed at her joke and the three went to breakfast without any events what so ever.