One Last Adventure

by Fox Cutter

The off-white fluorescent lights along the ceiling of the hallway gently illuminated the figure as it marched down the hallway. Dressed in a bunnies suit fifty years out of style, with a brown trench coat. An foot long cigar and a wooden cane complete the strange combination.

Stopping at a security door, he tapped on the glass with the end of his cane. The security guard on the other side, turned and looked at him.

The man pulled out his wallet and flashed his badge. There was a buzzing beep, and the metal door swung open. Stepping through he waved to the guard, and continued down the hall.

A few minutes later he pushed open the door to a side office, and stepping inside. Behind the desk a secretary looked up, "Hello, do you have an appointment to see Ms Calen?"

He shook his head, and held up his id, "Special agent Fox Cutter, FBI. I need to talk to her about project Buccephelus."

The secretary nodded, "I'll tell her, but you will have to put that thing out." She motioned to his cigar.

Grumbling in a raspy voice, he said, "All right, all right." Then stabbed it out in the side of his cane, the slipping it into the inside pocket of his coat.

Seconds after the secretary called in, the inside door open, and a young lady stuck her head out of the office. Her slightly brownish-black hair hung over her green eyes. "Mr. Cutter, please come in."

He nodded a bit, and went into his office. Ms. Calen was pulling something out of the top of her file draw, so he sat down in a near by chair.

She turned around, holding a file. "Please have a..." She trailed off when she saw he was sitting. Taking her own seat behind her desk, she laid the file out. "So, what do you want to know?"

He licked his dry lips, "Four months ago you took into custody two Unicorns, along with there capture, a Harold, who himself came out of the encounter as a tiger-morph, and then in a botch rescue attempt, a full tiger."

She nodded, "That's a public record, he was released into a forest resever right after. Also after the horse where transfer here for safety and security reasons, shortly after the breasts where destroyed."

Cutter ran his hand though his hair gray hair, "Well my dear, if you say so! Though I do have another question."

"What, I am a very busy lady."

He chuckled a bit, "Did you ever hear of an old how called, 'The X-Files'?"

She nodded, "Yes, my mother loved it. What's that have to do with anything."

"Well... when I finally took my fathers advice and joined the FBI, I started my own little X-Files project."

She sighed, "So?"

He reached into his jacket and pulled out his own file folder, throwing it on the desk. "Take a look at that."

She opened the folder, and looked through the papers in them, "How the hell did you get this?"

He grinned, "I'm a writer my dear. I have my sources."

She closed the folder, "What do you want?"

He leaned back a bit, "Well, I suppose most people would expect me to go into a long speal about how you can't hid this and many other things. But I won't. I agree the populous in general should NOT know about these beasts, or what they can do. Though keeping only to the truly high offices in the government is a bit much."

Leaning forward a bit, she said, "Has anyone ever told you, you sound like Mark Twain?"

Cutter nodded, "Yes, many times. Now, to tell you what I want. I want to see them."

"That is out of the question."

"I just want to see them, not to touch them, not to be changed by them. Just to see them."

She crossed her hands, and rested her chin on them, "I suppose you won't be happy until you do?"

"Absolutely not Ms. Calen."

She stood, "Then please call me Becky."

He laughed again, standing, "I once had a friend named Becky, well over fifty years ago."

"What happened to her?"

He sighed, "Killed in a car accident in late '95."

She held the door open for him, "That's a pity."

He walked out the door, holding his cane under his arm, "Yes it is, but one that has helped me at times."

"Oh, why is that Mr. Cutter?"

He grinned, "Long story. And if I'm to call you Becky, please, call me Fox."

"Fine Fox, follow me."

*

Fox stood in front of a second story window, his arms behind his back, staring out at the field beyond the building they where in. Outside one of the unicorn's grazed, and the other was wondering off in the distance.

"Well how do you keep them in? I don't see any fences."

"There under the ground," Becky explained. "See that line of dead grass, it's under there."

He nodded, and started to laugh at what he saw. "You mean that line your unicorn is now on the other side of?!"

Becky looked, and gasped. Then activating her wrist-phone she said, "Security, one is past the line. Scramble recovery team."

Leaning forward, he grinned, "This I must see!"

"Well then, lets get you suited up."

He blinked, "Well, I would be delighted!"

"Follow me then." Saying that, she turned and heading through the halls, down some stairs, and into a back room. "Pick a suit that's your size."

Shrugging of his trench coat, the coat for his suit, and the vest, "So, has this happened a lot?"

She nodded, slipping on the pants over her own, "Once a month or so, Bob find's a new way out, and when we approach him he goes back in."

"Well then," he said, pulling on his own suit, "sounds like he's testing your system. Trying to find your weakness."

"That's what we're worried about." Picking up a trank gun, her suit already one.

"I see." He said pulling on te boots, gloves, and headpiece, "Then maybe that's what you need to prepare for."

She looked him over, "Very good. Do you want a trank gun, or your side arm?" She said, motioning to his gun that was wrapped in his trench coat.

"Nope, I'll go out in just this suit if you don't mind."

She nodded, heading though another door to the outside. "Fine, but you are to stay in the jeep, clear?"

He grumbled, sitting down in the aforementioned jeep, "Yes."

Becky took the drivers seat, the reached over and pressed something on his glove, "Your suits activated now. You'll need to turn that off before you remove anything."

He nodded, as she floored the jeep.

It took less the a minitue to get to what only could be called the battle ground. The male unicorn known as Bob stood alone, around him stood 12 or 13 men hold riffles, not trank guns. Two more where laying on the ground, the suits seemingly exploded out of. One was a tiger, the other a dolphin looking miserable on the dry ground.

Becky stood in her seat, "Status report!"

One of the guards yelled back, "He's attacking this time. Full weapons in use. Stand still right now."

Fox watched this, folding his hands over the other, carefully fingering the activation switch to be off. "Looks like it's a bit to late to prepare."

Looking back into the standstill, he saw that the unicorn was staring right at him. Slowly the unicorn turned and started to gallop away.

"Stop him!" Becky yelled. The guards moved up into firing position. Fox pulled off his gloves.

Fox watch as the unicorn slowed, and turned again. Then started running.

Pushing himself out of the jeep, he ran though the guards, pulling his headpiece off, then the jacket throwing it behind him.

The stopping in the charging unicorn's path, with his hands high in the air, he shouted out, "STOP!"

To the amazement of all present the unicorn came to a sudden stop, his horn inches away from Fox's head.

"Don't do this. Not know. You will not be able to get away." He whispered.

<Tests...Harm...Run>

Fox felt the words skitter over his brain.

"If you do, the only thing that you will succeed in, is getting shot, and most likely killed. The best thing you can do is go back in there and wait." He continued to whisper so only he and Bob could here. The guards and Becky hadn't dared to move.

<Danger...Pain> there was a pause as the unicorn looked him in the eyes. <Trust>

Slowly he turned, and headed back towards his mate, inside the containment zone.

Fox slowly turned around, rubbing his neck. "Well, that wasn't so hard."

"What the HELL do you think you where doing?!" Becky yelled coming up to him.

He looked over the two transformed guards, "Helping, now I suggest you get him into some water fast." He pointed to the dolphin.

Some of the guards grabbed the two (tranking the tiger), put them in a jeep, and headed back in. In a few minutes only Fox and Becky where remaining.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you can't come into my department and start pulling his cowboy shit on me!"

He picked up the discarded parts of the suit, "My dear, this is not the time or the place to be discussing how, or why, I did what I did. Needless to say I probably saved not only that unicorns life, but that of many other guards."

"Right now that doesn't justify your actions!"

Sitting down in the jeep, he grinned. "Really?"

She grumbled, getting behind the wheel, and heading back to the building. "We'll see, after I talk to my superior."

Fox grinned, "You do that." He muttered under his breath, grinning a bit.

*

Sitting in Becky's office, Cutter grinned to himself. Outside he could here her talking to someone else. Most likely her superior.

Standing up and walking a bit, he was rather pleased. Not only had he seen the unicorns, and nearly touched one. He was alone in Becky's office with out have to make up some kind of distraction.

Opening the file she had left on her desk, he flipped through it, reading through the papers inside. Most where on test on the unicorns, and a few on Harold, finally he reached the one he wanted.

Reading over it, he grinned. "The Bill Clinton memorial National Forest," he muttered to himself reading though it. "And a tracking frequency." He pulled out a pad and wrote the number down. "Smart move tracking him. He may be of aid someday." He laugh to himself, "Mainly me."

Closing the file, and making sure everything was where it should be, he sat back down in his seat. A second later Ms. Calen came back into her office, followed by a 50ish looking man in a suit.

He grinning, moving over to him, and offering him his hand. "Well you must be Becky's superior, Mr. Benson I presume."

"Yes," he said coldly, "Ms. Calen has told me about your little stunt."

"Well!" he said, sitting down. "I deemed it necessary at the time. If I did not do what I did not only would you have lost more guards, but your unicorn as well."

"That is none of your concern. What you should be worried about is what I will tell YOUR superior."

He raised an eyebrow, "Oh, do tell. All he knows is that I'm here to observer and help in a delicate operation. Telling him my actions would be a breach of security."

Benson fumed a bit, and sat on the edge of the desk, "Well then I will go farther up."

"To get far enough up to tell somebody, they will care more that he is alive, and no of how." He said this pulling out a fresh cigar, "mind if I smoke?" The, not waiting for an answer he reached over to the desk and picked up a pencil, and proceeded to make a hole in the end of the cigar with the pencil point.

Crossing his arms, Benson said, "Are you sure about that?"

Lighting the cigar with an old lighter, he grinned, and blew some smoke, "This is a conspiracy sir, one that I whole hardly agree with! You will have to go above the President herself to find someone to tell."

Fox could just see Benson grinding his teeth. "Well then, I see I have no choice but to forget it ever happened, and tell you to depart from these premises now, and do NOT attempt to return."

He stood, and bowed a bit, "Worry not about that fact sir, I shall not come back here!" Then turing to Becky, he took her hand, and kissed it (his cigar in his hand). "It was a pleaser meeting you my dear lady, may we meet again someday."

The with a final puff of smoke blown at Benson, he walked out of the office.

*

Three days later, in his home outside of Phoenix Arizona Fox sat behind a cluttered desk, working on tuning a small long range radio. Dressed in a ratty pair of sweets he looked a bit flustered.

"Damn you." He said, stabbing out his cigar in a nearby, and full, ashtray.

Picking up a screwdriver, he adjusted a small screw internally. Suddenly the phone next to him rang, causing him to jump, and slid the flat end of the screwdriver over his hand, cutting a long gash.

"Damn!" He yelled, dropping the screwdriver, and picking up the phone, "Yes?" he grumbled, wrapping his hand in some cloth.

"Mr. Cutter?" He heard a voice on the other end ask.

He grimaced, "Mr. Benson, is that you? To what do I owe the honer of you calling me?"

"We need you to come back here." He said.

Fox raised an eyebrow, wiping some blood off the blueprints to the building where the unicorns where held at night. Making sure he didn't smudge his notes on security. "And why should I? You sir, made it perfectly clear that I was never to return."

The was a pause, "That is because Bob... the unicorn you stopped, is asking for you."

He laughed, "For me? Why sir, then I would be delighted. I'll head over right away." The he hung the phone up.

Reaching over to turn his equipment off, he was that it was registering. Looking closely at it he saw it reading a moving location a few hundred miles distant. "Well well well, there you are Herold, and still alive to. That's a plus," he gave a quick glance to a small vile on the desk, "I hope you don't kill me when we finally meet."

Then with that he headed out the door, and to the train.

*

Three hours later, he stood stepping inside the door of the unicorn's night holding area, wiping the rain from his face.

"Why are they inside now? It's not night." He asked Benson, who had brought him inside.

"The rain shorts out the barriers. They can get out then."

He nodded, and moved towards one glass sounding the pens, "Which one is which?"

Benson moved next to him, "The one on the left is the male."

Cutter nodded, and moved over to that glass, feeling the electricity running though it even though he wasn't even touching it. On the other side of the glass the unicorn turned and looked at him, once again in the eyes. Passing over his mind he could almost hear a word, but was unable to understand.

Next to him Benson blanched, "He wants you to go inside the pen."

He looked at him, "How do you know? I could barely tell he was try to talk, let alone what he was saying."

"Some people are can here them better then others."

Cutter ahhed, and moved to the door to the pen, "Well, care to let me in?"

Benson looked at him, "I would rather not."

"Well, you must. He wanted me here, and you brought me, I suggest you let me in as he asks. I take full responsibility for anything that happens."

He grumbled, but reached over and placed his hand on the plate next to the door. There was a pause and the door popped. "Go in then."

Cutter nodded, opened the door, and stepped inside the pen, the door closed, and locked behind him. Looking across the small room he grinned at the unicorn, "Well Mr. Stein. You called for me, and I have arrived."

<Welcome> he heard.

"So, why have you brought me here?"

Taking a step forward, the unicorn 'pathed <Trust>.

"Well, that is a good reason, but I wish I could hear more." He grinned a bit stepping forward a bit himself. "But I appear to be unable to hear you well."

The unicorn nodded, then suddenly lunged at Cutter.

With a practiced motion, dating back from his 20es, he leaned back, and grabbed the unicorn's horn with his good hand. Once again stopping it an inch from his face.

There they stood for a minitue, nothing appearing to happen. The slowly the Bob backed away.

Shaking his hand, he sighed, "Trying to change me? What changed your mind? My striking good looks?"

<No.>

"What then?" Cutter demanded.

<A small change so we could talk.>

Cutter blinked, then started laughing. "It took you a minitue so we could talk?!"

<Yes. And use your mind, many ears can here us.>

<Ah, I see> he grinned, enjoying the ability to 'path. <So, for what reason did you bring me here.>

<To thank you for saving my life yesterday. I was acting foolishly.>

<Well, I can understand why you wanted to get away. I would to in this situation.>

The unicorn tilted his head. <Really? Did you know my mate was with a child?>

Cutter blinked. <Really! Well my good unicorn. I appeases you've been busy.>

The unicorn nodded, Fox could swear it was grinning.

<Also, we have something more in common.>

<what?> Bob asked.

Cutter grinned, <Your escape. If you can wait a day or three, I will have you and your mate where even the government can't harm you.>

Lowing his head, Bob looked at him with his pure blue eyes. <How can I help?>

<Stay alive. I'm about to go and get some needed help.>

Stein nodded, <Harold, I know what you planned. The injection won't be necessary. I've all ready given you the ability to change him back to the half tiger half man form. Then back later. I'm sure he will help you. If you can find him.>

Fox grinned slightly, <I can, and I will. Plan on seeing me again soon.>

With that he gave a small nod, and knocked on the door. A second later it opened, and he walked out.

"What happened in there?" Benson asked. "For a minitue there it was like he was going to change you as well."

He shook his head, and lied, "Some kind of show of force, you know, to show me who was boss. Hurd instinct or some such."

Benson nodded, "He did nothing to you?"

"Nope. Hell, my hand is still hurting!"

Benson nodded again, "Very well, come now, I'll show you out."

*

Twelve hours later, in the middle of a restricted forest. Fox sat down on a log with a huff. Glancing at the tracker he saw that he's goal was still moving around.

He set it down and rubbed his temples. "The forest is no place for an old man."

Reaching for the tracker, he heard the snap of a twig behind him. Slowly he turned his head. Behind him, ready to jump at him, as a tiger.

Grinning his raised his hands, "No, you wouldn't want to attack an unarmed man. That wouldn't me much of a hunt no would it?"

The tiger seemed puzzled, swishing it's tail a bit.

"I know who you are, even if you don't any more. I need your help Harold, if you would help me."

The tiger lowered his head, and bared his teeth at him.

Cutter turned a bit, "If you will hold still, just for a second. All I want to do is touch you." He leaned forward a bit.

The tiger seemed to bulk, but didn't move.

Slowly Cutter placed his hand on top of the tiger's head. The instant he did there was a massive electric shock, and a loud snap, instantly he pulled his hand back. He's eye's going wide as he saw the tiger blur, and reform in to the tiger-morph Harold had been.

Slowly he looked up, murder in his eyes, and stared at Fox, "Why?"

Leaning down he said, "Because I need your help. Your rescue failed, and I need your help to save the unicorns."

Sitting up, he looked at his paws. "How?"

"Stine gave me the ability to do it. He said I also can turn you back when it is all over and done."

Harold looked up at him, "That is good then."

He nodded, pulling out some clothing he had brought with him, "Put this is, and don't worry, there is a hole in the back made for your tail."

He picked up the clothing, and looked over it with obvious distaste, "How did they capture them again?"

"You I'm afraid. The time it took to heal, and finish changing you was enough to get a trank gun out. And they rest, as they say, his entropy."

He sighed, pulling on the pants, discarding the shirt. "So you decided to rescue with my help."

Fox nodded, "Yes." He then pulled out a small control box, and hit a button on it.

Harold instantly slap a paw to his neck, and growled, "What the hell was that?!"

Fox put the controller away, "I just destroyed the tracker in your neck. That's how I found you. It won't do having someone finding us because of that."

He nodded slowly, "Yes... it is."

Fox stood up himself, bringing his foot down in the tracker, destroying it. "So, are you in?"

Harold gave him a fanged grin, "If I wasn't, do you think you would be alive now?"

"Good point."

*

It was midnight, a day later, and both Fox and Harold sat inside the cab of a trucked, modified to hold horses safely.

Picking up his CB, Fox spoke into it, "Ok Mike, let her rip."

Suddenly above them there was a crack of lighting, and the Oklahoma skys started to give rain.

"How did you do that?" Harold asked from the passenger side.

He grinned, "I have a friend at the weather net. He's helping us a bit."

Giving the truck some gas, it moved out of the trees, and over to a small building. A hundred feet away he could see the line of sparks marking where the underground barrier was.

Pulling a grenade out of his pocket, he pulled the pin out with his teeth, and through it at the building.

"Hang on." He said, and gunned it. Behind them the building exploded, and the lights in the builds all suddenly went dead.

Keeping the gas peddle down, he drove towards one goal. "You got the scan card?"

Harold nodded, "I do."

Slowing down as he neared the hold pens for the unicorn's, he turned the truck so that the back end faced the door. Hopping out in the rain, he started to open the doors. In the distance a siren started to wail.

"Go Harold, we have maybe 70 seconds before they find us."

Harold ran inside the building, a minitue later he came out, followed by the two unicorns, who both went into the back.

Closing the doors there was a burst of gunfire, which Fox felt go past he head. Running he dived into the drivers seat, and gunned the truck.

Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a pistol and handed it to the tiger, "Here, use this."

He nodded, take a few shots at the guards. Pulling to the left, Fox aimed the truck through some fencing, and onto the access road. Behind him he could see cars starting to follow.

"Damn there quick." He muttered, "make sure there secure back there, the buckle up, this is going to be one hell of a ride."

Harold moved into the open back, and strapped the two down tight. Then moved back to the front, and fastened his own seat belt.

"There gaining." He said.

"I know," Cutter replied, grinning.

He looked at the human, "How do you plan to lose them?"

Hitting a button on the dash, there was a loud thumping as small stub like wings fell from the roof, and unfolded attached to the side. "Like this." The speaking into the CB again, he said, "Drop it!"

There was another crash of lightning, and then the clouds above started to decent to meet the road ahead, "What the hell is that!"

Fox grinned, as the swirling mass touched the ground ahead, "You should watch more classic two-d movies! Hold on!" With that he gave the truck as much gas as it could take, and drove it into the tornado in front of them.

There was a sickening lurch, and the truck lifted off the ground, slowly rising into the maelstrom. Fox let go of the wheel, and hit another button on the dash, which turned on the computer control.

Glancing over at Harold, he was the hunter was digging his claws into the dashboard. "You ok?"

He nodded a bit.

"How about you two?" he yelled back.

<We're fine> Came Bob's voice in his head.

Leaning back in his seat Fox chuckled evilly, "Well, lets see them try to track us in the clouds."

Harold looked over, "How?"

He adjusted his seat a bit as there continued to rise into the clouds above, "as I said, I have a friend at the weather net. I got him to make us a supercell so big it would get us to a safe destination."

"How long will it take?"

He shrugged, "A few hours, and it's going to be bumpy, so I suggest you get some sleep, all of us."

With that he leaned back himself, and took his own advice.

*

He was awaken at the feeling of a Harold's paw shaking his shoulder.

"I'm up. What is it?" He ask rubbing his eyes.

"Where going down." Harold explained.

Fox nodded, grabbing onto the wheel, "Well then, where almost there."

Keeping a tight grip on the wheel, he waited as a second twister lowered them to the Earth. Slowing down as it went. Fox's eyes when wide as he was where they were. "Oh shit." he said, hitting a button on the dash putting him back in control.

"What's wrong?"

He twisted the wheel a bit, "Where about 300 feet to high. Hang on guys!"

Around them the winds slowed, and the truck started to fall, giving Fox a look at the ground as it rapidly approached. "Oh... This is going 'ta hurt!"

Seconds later the truck plowed into the growing, skidding around trees and animals. Fox pulled on the wheel hard trying to keep some control. Finally the truck skidded to a stop a few feet from the end of the clearing they had crashed in.

Panting a bit, he rubbed his left arm, "End of the line, Yellowstone National Park, everyone out."

After a few minutes of untangling, they all stood outside in the clearing. Harold had a broken arm, but that was the only injury to speak of.

Fox looked over everyone in the early morning sunlight, still rubbing his arm. "Well, thank you for giving an old man one last adventure."

Harold nodded, cradling his own arm. "Are you all right?"

He nodded, "Just a strained muscle."

Nodding a bit, Harold walked over to Bob, who touched his horn to the arm. Harold blurred again, and became a full tiger once more.

Fox grinned, sliding done the side of the truck to the ground.

<Are you sure you're all right?> Bob pathed.

<I was right about a strained muscle.> He pathed back, <It's my heart>, he path falling to the ground.

Bob moved over to him, and lowered his horn almost to his arm. <Do you wish me to transform you?>

Slowly Fox nodded, "please." he whispered.

As the horn touched his arm, nothing seemed to happen for a few seconds. The slowly he felt the pain seep away. Opening his eyes, he looked at what he could see. His hands and arms where covered with a soft red fur.

Looking over himself, he grinned, "I'm a fox morph, and a young one at that."

<Not just that, I made you what you should have always been. A nine-tail, you are a magic of your own now.> The unicorn path, the female unicorn, and Harold already gone into the woods.

Fox's slitted eyes widened even more, "I'm... a Fox spirit? A Kitsune?"

Bob nodded, then turned and followed his mate.

Fox looked at the woods, then himself, thinking of what he was. He was near immortal, and had the ability to do many things.

Looking back at the woods, he could only think of one think to do for the next few years, and he did it.

If anyone had been watching, the would have seen his new form blur on it's own, and his clothing fall. Then crawling out from under they would have seen a small red Fox appear. Then with a slight yerf, run into the forest, following his friends...

One Last Adventure copyright 1996 by Fox Cutter.