“Okay, He definitely should have woken up by now.” Said the voice Shaggy was calling number two.

Voice number three gave a grunt in response and Shaggy felt his body shift on the shoulder he was riding on. Still pretending to be knocked out. He had even feigned unconsciousness as the group of men forced his naked body into a new set of clothes. Shaggy didn’t want to think about where they got the clothes from, but they smelled terrible.

“He had a building dropped on him. We’re lucky he’s alive at all.”

“Isn’t that weird?” Four asked. “He ain’t got a scratch on him. Least not that I’ve seen.”

The four male voices continued to banter back and forth as Shaggy checked his health. Judging by the numbers, he could tell how long they had been walking. Simple math told him they had been traveling east for around 30 minutes. While the grunts seemed obliged to yammer on and on, their leader, Rita, kept annoyingly quiet. Shaggy tensed his wrists and ankles against his bonds again.

The manacles held firm as he flexed against them. Which was impressive, given his enhanced strength. But in a virtual world of enhanced mutants and aliens, it wasn’t surprising. But Shaggy thought that he had a way out of them. He had just been too timid to test it. His Regeneration was still halted, and he really didn’t want to risk getting blasted to pieces by a bunch of trigger-happy grunts.

Also, he was kind of interested in what they were going to do with him. Shaggy figured he was in for some imprisonment and maybe a beating. But it would also get him close to a Rakgu Captain. Which was beyond interesting. He also wondered if they were going to be stupid enough to feed him. Even prison slop would kick-start his Regeneration. He was pulled from his thoughts as the person carrying him shifted his weight again.

“What do you think Scholer is going to do to him?” Three asked.

“What’s it matter? She’s gonna break him, then interrogate him, and then kill him. And we will know nothing about any of it.” One said.

“Stupid bitch.”

Four snorted. “Dude, leave it alone.”

“What!” three almost shouted. “She’s just some whore who slept her way to the top.”

“Yeah, you go ahead and tell her that, Kyle.” Two said.

“You think I won’t?” Kyle asked angrily. “She’s got nothing. She showed up down here a year ago and already she’s a Captain? I smell bullshit. Meanwhile, the real Captains like Tillani are stuck babysitting an arena.”

“Okay asshat. First off, she got where she is because she killed everyone else in her way. But she did it carefully, and she obeyed the family’s rules. Mr. Raks can respect that. Second, that Arena is the biggest cash cow in Under-Town. So Mr. Tillani babysitting it is a pretty cushy and respectful job. Last, you always bitch about Rita and Scholer and the other women Mr. Raks has promoted. But the second you get in front of them, you clam up. So when we get to Missus Scholer’s place, you can either tell her how you really feel or I can tell her for you.”

After his tirade, One shifted Shaggy on his shoulder again and hurried his footsteps. Shaggy thought he could hear Kyle grumbling again as Four tried to quietly assuage him. He wasn’t sure where two was but the scent trails he could still see told him the guy was slightly behind One. Rita’s scent was still in the lead.

The group traveled in continued silence for another twenty minutes. Shaggy was almost fully healed, and he was contemplating running again. Then, for the first time in their trip, Rita spoke.

“Toli, bring him inside. The rest of you can get out of here.”

Shaggy felt Toli look behind him, probably at Kyle. When no one said anything, Toli grunted and started moving again. The sound of feet hitting stone steps was followed by a squeaky door opening and Shaggy felt himself enter a house. A series of scents cascaded around his nose and he was sure he could even smell blood. A loud rapping sound resounded in Shaggy’s ears as Toli carried him through the house.

“Enter.” A woman’s voice demanded imperiously.

Another door opened and Toli and Rita walked through. Shaggy spotted another scent trail as they entered the room. This one was the yellow color of a mutant. Toli unceremoniously dropped him to the floor as Rita spoke up.

“Ma’am, we found this Phreak in a collapsed building at the edge of our turf. The Phreaks were looking everywhere for him.”

“Hmm.” Scholer’s voice sounded neither interested nor bored. “Do we think he is part of their leadership?”

“With the way the Phreaks are organized these days. That could be it. For all we know, he’s one of the leaders vying for Leo’s old spot.” Rita explained.

“Hmm.” Scholer said again. “Very well. My... friends will be by shortly, anyway. We can question him then. You are dismissed.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.” Rita said, but Shaggy only heard one pair of footsteps heading toward the door.

“Toli?” Rita asked.

“Was there something else?” Scholer asked.

Toli’s tentative voice spoke up after a few breaths. “I feel I should tell you, ma’am, that some boys are becoming a problem.”

“She doesn’t need to-” Rita started, but Scholer must have indicated for her to be quiet because she quickly stopped talking. Toli continued.

“I know us low level guys have carte blanche to work under whoever we want. It’s all the same to you Captains. But more and more guys are coming into our ranks and... well... bad-mouthing the way you do things, ma’am. It’s starting to seem intentional, Ma’am.”

Scholer gave another thoughtful sound before asking. “Do you agree, Rita?”

Rita said nothing but must have showed agreement because Scholer sighed loudly. “What about you, Dog-man? Did you notice the same?”

Shaggy froze as he realized he had been addressed. Sighing, he opened his eyes and sat up on the hardwood floors. As he shifted his hands back to human ones, he took in the room they were in. Two large open windows were on the eastern wall, while the south and west walls were full to the brim with shelves and books. Behind him was the door, but a big tan human man was standing right in his way.

Nearby, a woman with frizzy, bushy hair was standing looking at him, surprised. Probably Rita. Scholer was seated behind a large ornate desk in the middle of the room. Shaggy thought she looked very young to be a Captain in the Rakgu family, but what did he know? She brushed a lock of platinum hair out of her face as she waited for his answer.

Shaggy felt the cuffs around his wrists clunk to the floor as his hands got thinner and they fell off. Shaggy wrung them out as he forced a smile. This was probably not a good place to start, but if he had to fight his way out, the window would probably make a good exit.

“Yeah, I’d say you have some problems with your guys.” Shaggy said.

As he spoke, he tried something new and tried to focus on his legs. Maybe if he made them more wolf-like, they could burst from the manacles. Something must have shown on his face because Scholer waved a hand.

“I wouldn’t try to break the leg-manacles. They have been enchanted for someone with enhanced strength. So they might cut your feet off. You lucked out with the arm restraints, though. I knew I should have sprung for the resizing rune.”

Shaggy sighed and shrugged. “Being cheap can have dire consequences.”

Rita and Toli shook themselves from their shock at that remark. Toli moved to restrain or attack Shaggy as Rita growled.

“You fucking Phreak. Watch who you're talking to like that.”

Shaggy ducked Toli’s wild grab and regrew his claws. His sharp claws were inches from Toli’s chin when they stopped. Shaggy grimaced. He felt like he had jammed his nails into sludge and he could barely wiggle them. A glance back showed the slim, blonde Scholer standing behind her desk with a hand raised right at Toli and Shaggy.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“None of that now. We shouldn’t be rude to our guests.”

Toli backed away as Shaggy felt the force holding his claws relax. He shook his head as he let his claws recede.

“Telekinetic.” He grumbled.

Scholer gave a small chuckle as she returned to her large cushioned seat. “Yes, well, one does not rise in the ranks of the Raks without some form of power.”

Shaggy nodded as he spread his arms. “So what now?”

“Well, my friends are going to get you a seat and then they are going to excuse themselves while we have a small chat.”

“Ma’am, I don’t-”

“Hanna that’s-”

Toli and Rita said, but Scholer waved them off. “Leave it. I’ll be fine. Our dear Dog-man will not do anything untoward. Although I expect another escape attempt in the future.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t try.” Shaggy grinned.

“Quite.”

Scholer and Shaggy stared each other down for almost a full minute, but eventually Shaggy sighed and looked away. He could at least hear what she wanted to say. Toli moved outside the room and returned with a slim wooden chair. Rita continued to glare at Shaggy as he took a seat right in front of Scholer’s desk.

“Okay, Rita and... Toli? You both can leave, please.”

Shaggy decided to press his luck. “Isn’t it customary in these types of settings to have snacks? I was buried under a building for a while.”

Scholer eyed him wearily before she came to a decision. “Rita, bring us some refreshments. Toli, I want you to handle the dissenters currently in our ranks.”

“Handle, Ma’am?”

“Yes, dear. Handle them.” Scholer said with a resolute finality.

Shaggy gave Scholer a showy grimace as Rita and Toli left the room. “Is that wise? Taking out your own grunts can’t be good for business. Let alone interpersonal relationships in your organization.”

“Oh, please.” Scholer said, waving her hand. “Two-bit thugs are a dime a dozen down here. Also, please, call it a gang. That’s what it is. Despite Mr. Raks’ insistence that we are a business.”

Shaggy stretched his manacled legs as they waited for Rita to return. Scholer seemed to study him like an interesting bug she had found. But Shaggy tried to look at everything else in the room. It was a very classy-looking study. Lots of books, fancy shelves, and the smell of ink pervaded the room. Soon the frizzy-haired Rita returned and, after dropping off a tray of drinks and cookies, she left.

Shaggy immediately grabbed a cookie and threw it into his mouth. He saw Scholer pour herself a drink, and the two settled back into their chairs. Shaggy eyed the young woman for a few seconds. She was probably late-twenties, with a sharp angular face and a stern expression. She reminded Shaggy of a middle-school teacher, except for the telekinetic abilities. Scholer was dressed casually in a simple blouse and jeans, and Shaggy was certain he could see a gun holstered to her hip.

But with each bite of food, he could feel his healing kick in. He wasn’t sure that the platter of snacks was enough to keep him running, but it couldn’t hurt. After a few cookies and sips of coffee, Scholer tapped something on her desk and the air became tense. Shaggy wasn’t sure what happened, but it felt like the air was suddenly primed with electricity. It felt like his back teeth were vibrating.

Scholer put her hand up in a placating gesture as Shaggy nearly leapt from his chair. “Sorry about that. The wards are pretty powerful, and they can surprise you if you aren’t ready.”

Shaggy glanced around and realized that he could no longer get any scent trails from outside the room. Even the normal hum of the people outside was gone. They were encased in total silence. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and Scholer gave him a wide grin.

“Privacy is scarce down here. Unless, of course, you pay the Mages’ exorbitant fees. We can pretty much say whatever we want while they are up, though.”

Shaggy stuffed another pair of cookies into his mouth. “And what do you want to talk about in such privacy?”

Scholer glanced down at her desk and opened a drawer. After some mild rummaging, she pulled a slim wallet out and tossed it to Shaggy. He missed the catch and the flip-fold wallet fell open into his lap. He gaped at the silver star and ID. The badge identified that Laura H. Daranoes was a Detective with the Austin Super Powered Police Division. The SPPD. Shaggy groaned as he glanced back up at Scholer.

“Your undercover.” Shaggy slunk in his chair as he imagined the headache that was coming his way.

Scholer giggled as she nodded. “Yep. Almost a year now. Started as a low-level grunt and worked my way up. With some... creative maneuvers, of course. I’ve done pretty well for myself down here.”

“How do you get away with killing people as a cop? Your grunts outside claimed you killed your way to the top.”

“Ha! I just had my colleagues in the department ‘disappear’ a few of my competitors. A great many of my detractors are in out-of-state prisons under assumed names.”

Shaggy scratched his head. “And ordering Toli to ‘handle’ the dissenters?”

Scholer stood and walked around the desk, sighing. “It is a grey area. I can’t be held responsible for how he interpreted my words. But at this point, I’ve been forced to make some hard choices, anyway.”

At Shaggy’s questioning gaze she explained as she leaned against her desk. “I have been out of touch with my handlers for three months now.”

“What does this have to do with me? You know I could just tell the Raks and you’d be shit out of luck, right?”

Scholer smiled as she nodded. “Yes, you could. But with your current contentious stance with the Rakgu family. I doubt anyone would listen. People have been throwing around that type of rumor since I moved up to Captain.”

“Doesn’t change the question. What do you want from me?”

“I want you to head topside and check on my handler, then get word back to me.”

“Why the hell would I do anything you say? You’re aware I’m a criminal, right?” Shaggy said as he chugged down some lukewarm coffee.

Again, Scholer waved him off. “Please. You’re small time. SPPD only concerns itself with the scum that try to take their empires topside. What you kids do down here in the dirt doesn’t concern us.”

She sneered as she continued. “The Raks are starting to have a greater presence topside, though. So I was sent down to see what was going on. But now I’m cut off. So I’ve had to make do with what I’ve built. But now I have an unaffiliated criminal to make use of, and I can make it worth your while.”

Shaggy’s ears perked up as he went to grab more cookies, only to realize they were gone. “How are you going to do that?”

Scholer chuckled again. “Please. I’m a well respected Captain in the Rakgu crime family. I can make your life down here infinitely easier or insanely difficult.”

“Bah! I’m already at war with one Rak Captain. What’s another?” Shaggy stood and shambled over to the eastern windows and looked out.

The windows were frosted over, and he couldn’t make out anything through them. Shaggy was sure they had been clear when they had walked in here. It was probably another ward or something. He was trying to gauge the thickness of the glass as Scholer laughed harder behind him.

“BHAHAHAHAHAHA! You mean your little tiff with Tillani? That’s not a war, little Dog-man. You're a nuisance for him to throw his grunts at. I assure you, you barely register on his radar. Sure, you may have pissed him off. But he’s not stupid enough to get into a major scuffle with a bunch of thugs. He has bigger things to worry about.”

Shaggy smiled as he grew his claws and tapped the glass. A sharp rap came from the glass. It was pretty thick, but not impossible to break. Whatever wards were in place were obviously not for protection. Scholer continued to chuckle behind him as he turned and glanced at his leg manacles. He could see writing etched into the metal.

“Well, I can’t help it if he continues to underestimate me.” Shaggy shrugged and sat back down in his chair.

Scholer still had a bemused look on her face. “I think it’s you more overestimating yourself. But whatever. I just need you to do this one thing for me, and I’ll let you go on your way.”

Shaggy brought his legs up and sat cross-legged in the chair. He began scratching, idly, at the leg manacles with his claws. He hid his grin as his claws gouged a small bit of metal from the restraints. He coughed and continued to scratch. Pretending his ankles itched.

“Well, that’s a lot of trust you’re placing on little ole me. What’s stopping me from leaving here and going to the nearest Rak Captain and spilling the beans? I hear Saul is on Main Street.”

For the first time, Scholer stopped smiling and looked a little sad. “Well, that’s the thing-”

A knock at the study room door interrupted her, and she went to answer it. Shaggy glanced down and checked his work. He had managed to scrape a large gouge in the rune on the manacles. He could only hope that it was the right one. It looked like there were several runes. After a quick whispered conversation at the door, Scholer returned.

She was holding a clear tube in her hand. A fleshy slug looking creature was inside the tube, beating its fleshy body against the glass. She set the unsettling thing on her desk and turned back to him. He playfully pulled at his manacles as if to say they were annoying him, but she ignored him.

“I am sorry about this, but I need you to not fight as my little friend here goes to work.” She waved at the tube.

Shaggy shivered involuntarily. “Mind control worm?”

Scholer chuckled again. “Something like that. You know humans weren’t the only thing to mutate, right? Some flora and fauna did, too. This little guy is a heavily mutated parasitic flatworm. Highly suggestible and capable of following any orders I give it. Also, once you’re done, you won’t remember much of what happened during this conversation.”

“And what happens to me, oh mighty police woman?” Shaggy asked as he scratched harder at his restraints.

“Would you stop that!” Scholer snapped. “You should come out of it fine. You may have trouble with motor functions, but that’s a price I am willing to pay.”

“Jesus lady. Just go up yourself, or send one of your goons.” Shaggy said as he stopped scratching and focused on shifting.

Scholer picked up the tube and moved closer. “Sorry, dear. I can’t leave Under-Town and I can’t have my people figuring out what I am doing. While this may not be the cleanest way, it’s certainly safer for me. Once you are back, I’ll do my best to curtail Tillani.”

Shaggy’s voice lowered to a growl as his bones began to pop. “Sorry, lady. But I’m gonna say no.”

Shaggy felt his body twist, and he grunted in pain as his body grew. He felt his leg manacles try to grow tight around his legs before they snapped and fell to the floor. He fell to his hands and knees and he felt Scholer try to hold him in place with her power, but she must have underestimated the strength of his wolf form, which allowed him to charge at the window.

He grimaced as the shift finished and he slammed through the window. It shattered, but Shaggy felt several of his bones break and then snap back into place. His newly revived healing was already getting a workout. Shaggy’s body was also pelted with shards of glass, and he felt the cuts healing as he turned and charged northward.

“STOP HIM!” He heard Scholer shout behind him.

Shaggy could see and hear more and more Raks coming out of the woodwork as he ran away. He even felt large bullets tear into his flesh as he zigzagged around buildings. Shaggy mentally sighed as he felt the bullets holes heal slowly. He didn’t want to see how long his healing would last, so he turned west and headed for Main Street, hoping he could shift back and get lost in the crowd. He lamented the loss of his clothes again, but he just shook it off. They smelled horrible anyway.

Naked was almost his normal state now. While Shaggy loved the transformed state, he could not wait to learn to transform with his damn clothes. He was just happy that he left his armor with C’eereni. As bullets showered around him, he thought about what he had just learned.

Apparently, a high-level Rak Captain was an undercover police officer. He had not expected that. While he wasn’t too sure about her methods, he was more than happy to keep her secrets for now. It was a hell of a secret to hold over someone. With their current plans for the Raks, it wouldn’t matter if he kept this one little secret to himself. At least until it would benefit him more.

Thankfully, the Raks weren’t animal people and Shaggy was able to easily outpace them. But they were everywhere for a while. He kept ahead of most, but at almost every corner he saw more suited Raks. Now he saw why people kept telling him they were screwed if the Raks came at his crew full-force. They certainly had the numbers to crush his small crew completely.

Once he approached Main Street, and people started giving him a wide berth, Shaggy shifted back. He stumbled naked into a clothing store and robbed the poor owner. When the Raks in charge of protection tried to stop him, Shaggy gutted them both and moved on quickly. He really hoped people kept underestimating him, because it was really coming in handy.

With a new set of clothes, fully paid for by the two dead Raks, Shaggy rushed northward again. He did his best to get lost in the crowd as they moved through the street. The crowd seemed to avoid the Arena though. Supposedly a bad shoot-out had gone down over an hour ago. Shaggy tried not to grin as he heard people speculate about what had happened. He kept his head down and hurried back to the bar as the rush of people crowded around him.