The F.O.X. Project

Chapter 23: Why Me?

Mr C sighed.
'It wasn't about you. You were meant to be the one to stop all this.'
Trent stood motionless in the containment unit.
'So I had to deal with your opposition.' He explains, gesturing to Freddy Deare's body lying beside his desk.
'This world is broken, people don't care anymore! And I'm afraid you won't make it out of this. You can't run from your mistakes anymore.'
'What do you mean? What does he mean?!' Shouts Crystal from the bars of her cell.
'Has he not told you? Drenedon over here has been working for DCC all along.'
'N-no. I don't believe you!'
'Take a look in this book.' Mr C hands Crystal a large leather bound book.

'23rd September 2021, thirty-four years ago, a dimension spanning technological phenomenon known as The Catalyst was constructed using banned technology. It ended up destroying half of Tokyo, the city Macropolis is built over. It also brought you here a week ago. Lead engineer: Drenedon Derrewick.'
Crystal closed the book. Trent is with DCC.
'You know what. I actually don't care if he's DCC. I still want to spend my time with him. I still like him.' Crystal argued.
'You are too ignorant for your own good. He must pay for his crimes against this world! He started this all!!'
'AND I AM FUCKING GRATEFUL FOR THAT!' Crystal yelled, knocking Mr C down a few pegs. 'If this world hadn't come into existence I wouldn't exist, terrible things have come from this world but also good things. Citizens have a sense of community with each other, Anthros never would have existed. And neither would you!'
'ENOUGH!' Mr C shouted, 'He must pay for his actions!'
But as Mr C looked over at Trent's containment unit and discovered that it was empty.
'Guards! I don't care what it takes. Seize Trent and bring him before me. He has to pay!'

'You don't have to do this.' Crystal explains.
'Who says that he won't return to us ways?'
'That was all before he was an Anthro!' Crystal explains, 'Trent has changed, he sees the world differently.'

Mr C stands, staring out of the window behind his desk. Looking over the desolate hellscape created by the Light Wars.
'Nobody changes, they only hide their true intentions.'
'That's not true.'
'It is, it will always be true.'
'I think the true ignorant person here is you.'
'I AM ONLY DOING WHAT'S RIGHT FOR THIS PLANET! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! IF THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN, WE ARE ALL DEAD!'
'No. He has changed.'

Four guards walk in, two are holding Max between them, they shove him into the cell with Crystal.
The second pair walk in dragging Trent, his fur is stained with blood and he is only half conscious.
The guards kneel him down in front of Mr C.
'It must be done.' He says as he pulls out a glock and points it at Trent's head.
'It must be done.' He repeats.
'NO!!' Screamed Crystal, Max just watched in horror.
Just at the last second Ash and is elite force bursted through the door. Ash tackled Mr C just as he fired the gun, he missed by millimetres and was now locked in a brutal fight with Ash.
The agents shot the guards and unlocked the cell, Crystal and Max ran out of the cell but Max noticed Trent unconscious on the floor and doubled back to help him.

Ash broke the fight and put Trent over his shoulders. He was didn't notice Mr C grab Max as he ran out of the door
after the others.

                          ♦️  ♦️  ♦️

'Is he ok?' Asked Crystal to the doctor back at Pacifico.
'He'll be fine.' They replied, 'it's only surface wounds, they'll heal.'
'Thank the Kitsune!'

                         ♦️  ♦️  ♦️
                    Two days later

Crystal sat on a bench outside the ward, Trent was due out anytime now.
She stood up as the doors opened and Trent walked out with a bandage over his head.
He sighed with relief to see Crystal and she wrapped him in a fierce hug.
'I'm so sorry.' Trent said.
'You've changed, you aren't who you were anymore.'
They kept hugging for some time.

'come on,' Crystal said, 'let's go home.'