Part 8

Aftermath

At approximately 3:30AM local time, a break in alarm was picked up by the afterhour's dispatch of the Zashara Police Department. Due to the hurricane current landfall over the city, they were unable to send anyone over until after the storm had passed on. When it did after an hour and a haft later, they sent out two patrol cars over to investigate the alarm. When they arrived and committed a quick search around the perimeter, they found nothing out of the ordinary.

The two Water Dragon Officers, in their traditional black uniform and cap with golden badges gleaming off from the moon light, then approached the door that sounded the alarm in the back of the building. Another two objects follow them at their rear. The robotic spheres hovered in the air with Ingrav technology, which allow the heavy and complicated devices to defied gravity. The Police Bots, levitated behind their commander's, waiting for their orders to be sent to them via the officers cerebral implants. The order of instructions was programmed from the police thought's, then wirelessly transmitted thru the air over to the Bots computer processer's. The two policemen order the two bots to do a breach and the Bots flew over ahead of them to the door.

One of the Bots protruded a small thin piece of mal-metal, and it smoothly fitted into the door lock. The other Bot provided cover for the first, should something come out the door when they breached. The first Bot made quick work on the lock and slowly pulled the door open. The two officers follow in behind them, pistol's drawn.

After a full sensor sweep and visual inspection, they determine the building cleared. They then waited by the front door, now unlocked as they notified personal of the intrusion. A few of the morning work crew arrived shortly later, surprise by the notice of the break in, but never less gotten right to work. A short time later, Shinda Gone arrived, still drowsy from the rude awakening from the alert by her PDA. Luckily for her, the Hurricane still hasn't moved on when it came, so she managed to have breakfast at least before driving over. At least that part of the day was going well. But after hearing the report, she frowned.

"A cage was open?" She asked, standing there at the entrance.

"That and a storage room seemed to be ransacked. We know the one cage housed wildlife inside it, but it seems they were trying to escape by what we seen. If you let us, we would like to ask that we see your building surveillance tapes."

"Yea, sure." She said and had the two officers follow her to the room with the recorders.

____________

After the officers filed the repots and left, Shinda was left to mange her own investigation, despite being angry by some of the charges sent to her.

"Failure to secure equipment, and failure to properly contain dangerous animals?! What short of nonsense is this?" She said sulking along as she made her way to the storage room. When she arrived, she was stunned by how much more of a mess the room really was, then what the tapes could only show. Haft of the racks was turned over, and all the equipment laid scatter beneath on the ground. Some of the boxes were open. One case had empty bottles and jars which lay broken, and scatter about across the ground. Another box had delicate mechanical parts, some of which were unusable now.

But what had her more worry then damage equipment was the breaker box. The power to it was cut off, and a Human electrician was currently working on it. When the fallen spear gun fired, (thankfully not into one of Moko's pack members), it struck into the box, which caused a massive short circuit. The shockwave of energy discharge fried the security camera and everything else in the room with sensitive computer chips. What had her more worry though was that the Darjeets also had chips in them as well.

The small, body power GPS chips are put into each pup while at their first check up. This was to help keep track of everyone, including if somehow one escaped. They never did before, but that was part of the procedure so they kept on with the injections. Now with the box having discharge like it did, Moko and his family chips had more then likely been destroyed. They wouldn't be able to track then via satellite, well beside Gentoe. He was still a possibility. . .

"Um Shinda, you have a second?" One of the Human janitors came up behind her while she was in thought. She turned around to greet him.

"Yes, what is it?"

"It's Oscar, he wants you to come to him when it is most convenient for you. I suggest soon. They are . . . doing my job." He said frowning.

"Hun?" Shinda asked confused.

"You have to go see it yourself. They are acting so strange today."

"Guess I'll go check it out now. Thanks for letting me know."

__________

When she arrived at the door into Oscar's pack enclosure, she was waiting for some short of surprised. What she saw instead when she entered, told her they still have much to learn from the Dragon Seals.

"Are they. . . Cleaning?" she had to asked herself, staring in amazement. The pack was hard at work tiding up their enclosure. The females have brooms and mops, standing on their hind legs moving back and forth across the floor.

One haft of them swept away the dirt and dust from the floors, and the other haft used the mops and washed what's left of the filth. The males were doing the grittier work, using bottles and rags as they cleaned the walls and the surfaces of the room, even cleaning the cage itself. The pups were also doing their part. The younger ones were picking up their toys and putting them away in their toy bin, as the older pups were changing out the dirty water from the cleaning buckets with fresh water. While tracing the older pup's paths as they went, she then just realized that somehow, they got their cage door opened. Those pups were running in and out of the enclosure, and out to the hallway to a janitor office nearby, which is from where they gotten all the supplies from.

Then there was Oscar, who and a few others were doing something that the Aquarium banned them from using years ago, since that first visit from Mishwi. Oscar was scrubbing the walls along his friends; despite he was cleaning right up to the ceiling, over 8 times high as he was tall. Not one was using a ladder, nor stools, yet they could reached that far away.

Starting from Oscar's back just behind the shoulders separated by his dorsal fin spine, two thin yet fluid water streams flowed with grace high above the pack chief's back. The water streams curve and sway high in the air above the old Darjeet, right to the tip's which formed two small tentacles. The brush handles were somehow grip tightly by the budges of water at the end, like he had two extra hands. Despite the sight, Shinda frowned at this.

This little skill had caused worries to them after they first learned it. They thought that they could use the water tendrils for the wrong reasons; despite their continuous pleading they would be careful. They even requested for someone from the local Magi Guild to come to help them be trained more properly, despite it was denied by Shinda’s boss. One pack member, Kelift have even gone as far to threaten the guy because of the refusal. That was the final cause of the ban, but they still knew how to use the spell years later. She wouldn't be surprised if the pups knew how to as well.

"Why they didn't they escape with the others when they have a chance?" Shinda wondered. It was then that Oscar, who had arranged this little work party had just finally realized she was in the room. Oscar brought the brushes back down, delicately putting them back into the buckets. Then the energies fueling the water tendril spell were cut off from the body. Gravity then had retaken its place, and the water streams had fallen back to the earth, splashing the ground around him. Some of the others Darjeets rushed over with mops to soak up the spilled water away, as Oscar came over to talk to her.

"So what you think of the place? Were hard at work getting it ready for when you guys finally release us into the wild."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Shinda was perplexed, but she didn't like what she just had heard.

"You know, the Darjeet project ya'll been running for these last 20 years. With Moko pack finally out there, we want to join them after they find a proper home for us. So getting our cage cleaned up is at least what we can do for all the years ya'll help us to become independent of ourselves."

"Oscar, that not what's going on here." Shinda didn't know how to break the news to them. Whatever had happen last night, they seemed to believe they were going to be freed finally. The other pack members also had stopped working to hear into the conversation.

"Oscar, where did you hear this?"

"Last night. A young pup named Gentoe came here after he and the others escape, and so we planned out how we're all going to meet up later, after ya'll release us. Oh and the other pack too. I sent someone to let them know as well. I bet they will be excited about seeing the outside just as much as we are."

Well that explained everything, and again told her that they underestimated their intelligent's once again. The fact Oscar planned all of this, in such a small amount of time, shown they might indeed be ready for the wild. In fact they have been for years now if they would be given more lessons in survival training.

"Oscar."

"Yes Shinda?" He asked politely. The others came over to listen in. Oscar had gotten their hopes up, and saying anything else could make them distrusting of them. If the care takers can't work with them no longer, then the program would come to a standstill, and moods might degenerate to rebellion. Then again, her job was on the line here, and she knows what the rules are.

"There something you should know, and please. . . I beg you not to take it too hard but I just simply can't. . ."

The door behind her slammed open, causing her to jumped. The pack seemed not effected by the intrusion, but never less they weren't smiling anymore. A tall, but lean man came through. He was in his fifties, although he still looks like he was in his early thirty's. With blacken hair, and a grin of self arrogant's, the guy was skilful in making any subject of debate to goes his way, whatever he was right or not. It is a skill that gotten him to be the owner of this Aquarium.

"Can't tell them the truth straight to their long snouted faces can you? You were never the type to be outspoken, even when it displeases your own interests. Well I can tell the truth, you guys wanna hear it?"

"Mr. Wilson, they are distress enough as it is. I don't think angering them would be advisable. . ." Shinda started to say, but the stubby man cut her off.

"Last time I check, I was the head of this little Aquarium, am I not?" It was clearly put in as a question. She knew this conversation wasn't going to end well. Sure he may have been promoted into running the Aquarium here, and had the experience in both management and his own field into marine biology, but most consider his involvement into the Darjeet program a utter failure in term of time scale.

It was because of this Baboon, thinking that the animal's they had created were far more intelligent then what they were developed for, was why they were studied for another 10 years, rather than having them trained them to be released into the wild. This was what has caused all of this mess

today. In truth though, it was the scientific community board that demanded the extra time spent to see just how intelligent the animals could become. Mr. Wilson thought that a great excuse to put off all survival training and replace it with Math, Science, and Social Studies.

Now after 20 years since the program started, the original problem they created it for, the Margeti Fish had run rampant, and for the most part unchecked. In that time frame since the Boggle Seal genocide, they had put numerous other species into being endanger, some into extinction as well, wracking havocs on the balance of the food chain. If the problem isn't worked on soon, then the fishing market would start to fail, which was one of this planet main trades for the two galaxies.

If that goes under, so dose Araqurin economy. Too bad that this man doesn't seemed to notice this coming problem. He had put it off for far too long, and then last night came and past. If he was still too stubborn to realize that still, then perhaps now was the time for drastic measures.

"Yes sure, you are my boss after all." Shinda said as natural as possible, despite the bitter taste in her mouth.

"Good, glad to see you still have some sense in that fish brain head of yours."

The man just called her a fish brain. Things were about to go south here real quick now. To the Darjeets, fish brain means an utter fool, and Shinda was a great friend of the packs here. They wouldn't allow whoever this man was to insult their friend like this. To her surprised though, it wasn't one of the adults that started to yell back at Mr. Wilson, but one of the pups.

"Mis. Shinda is our friend. Don't be mean to her! Were not supposed to be mean to each other." An 4 month old pup came up behind Oscar.

"Seaka! This is not the time. The man runs this place; we shouldn't interfere in what they do towards each other."

"Yes, kindly listen to your mentor. He is a lot more wise then the lot of ya'll." Mr. Wilson replied back, mocking them. The Pack didn't take the words too kindly though. A coupled of the males tensed up. Their dorsa fin scales started to stand up straight. Shinda never had trained in the magical arts, but she was sure that some of them were preparing to channel, tapping their bodied supplies of Magicka to use at an instant.

"We all just as smart as you, and were not as mean." Seaka shouted back.

"Well I guess the mean part is true. We Humans have to be tough to make it as high as I have, but don't go expecting to take me on a science quiz anytime soon. I do have an E plant in me and that makes me far smarted then any normal sentient."

"Wilson. That's enough." Shinda just barely managed to say without hinting out any anger. Mr. Wilson, however taken it as defiance.

"You should not be this deeply involve into this Shinda. To you, they seem to be a nice little family, wanting to play all day, and have no damn care to the world. But to the rest of us sane folk, they are nothing but caged animals with an higher intelligent. The only reason we kept them here as long as they have is because they can think, and that got the whole scientific community all giddy about it. The reason we even follow their blighted demands is because they provide us all the money we need to keep our studies running and this Aquarium open. Without them, we would more than likely had closed long ago, and all the animals here transfer or euthanized. For that I can't have it. So to answer ya’ll demands. . ."

He turned back to the Darjeets.

"No, you will not be release, probably never. The group that escape earlier will be rounded up, if they aren't already dead, and brought back. Ya'll will continue to live here for the rest of your lives. Perhaps in the future we will have a fourth pack solely trained for outdoor survival, but you guys are domesticated. Those kinds do not survive for long in the wild, and if we do release you I bet in a week you will all crawl back, begging for your cushy lives back." But Oscar would have none of that, as he replied.

"If you train us in survival like you used too, I could take that bet and show you that we more then capable to survive out there, and be happy too." Oscar said calmly, if only so by the grit of his sharp, pointed teeth. The rest of the packed seemed quite upset now. Some of the male's even bared teeth.

"I am sure we could eventfully . . . teach you the skills. But Oscar, facts are facts. You guys won't make it out in the real world. We can not have anymore of you guys escaping either. For now on were taking up stricter security."

He headed to the open door, and with a loud clang he slammed it shut. Then with the Darjeets watching, he put out a heavy duty padlock, and locked it in place. He then taken out a set of keys for the lock, and handed one to Shinda. She had taken it slowly, despite her show of disapproval.

"Do not let this happen again, or I will wear your hide as a swim suit next time I'm out for research. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." She said as clearly as she could without going for the man throat.

"You big meaning!" Seaka shouted in anger. Oscar had to use his hand claws to shut her mouth, and prevent her from specking out further. Mr. Wilson only looked back once while walking out to reply.

"I know, and how wonderful life is to be mean." With that, he was out of the enclosure and gone. Most of the pack was still visibly upset. Shinda was sure that they would never now trust her ever again. All the years of building up a friendship gone in one, single moment. "Burn that man!" She thought darkly.

"Oscar, what he said isn't true." She tried starting to say.

"I know. . . he won't force us to stay here. I'm sorry for all the trouble our grandkids had made for you, but we simply can't stay. We will be planning our own escape soon as well."

Shinda gaped by the mention.

"Oscar, I must imply to have a little more patience with us. That part he said about surviving out there is true. You guys just don't know how to, not even when the knowledge was still fresh!"

"Then you're people better start teaching us again. I will try to keep my pack in check for now, but even I can't stop them from wanting to leave for long, not after this."

"I got it Oscar. I will do whatever in my power to get you and the other pack ready for release. I can do that for you at least, if our friendship still holds something." She stiffens off a bit at the end. She didn't know if they were even friends no more. But her mood lifted when Oscar replied.

"Of course we are still friends Shinda, and forever we shall be. You at least listen to us when others don't. You comfort us when we are sad and depress. You play with us and teach us valuable life lessons, when the others just want to test our math skills. We are what we are because of you. We will be friends still after this, but we just can't be guinea pigs no more."

"What about Gentoe?" Seaka asked then. The pack turns their attention to her now.

"What about him, and his family? I want them to be ok." Seaka asked, as she dipped her head, for not knowing their fate. Gentoe was the only other Darjeet he ever seen before out side of her own pack, and for some reason, she can't stop thinking about him now. Oscar brought her closer to him, in a light embrace.

"I don't know what has happen to them, but I will do all in my power to see them return safely. Let's hope they are all still ok, for Dragons sakes.' Shinda said as she finally left the room.

_________________________

Hours later now around mid afternoon, Shinda was alone. She was standing in the main exhibit as the two Boggle mates swan lazily about in their tank. Luckily this wasn't one of the days that the Aquarium was open to the public. Shinda didn't think she could handle work today, with all of what happen last night, but it was her boss that had her in a sour mood.

"Calling me a fish brain did he? He's the one running this little project. Why, I do think our little science board is going to all over his case real soon." She thought menacely. The man deserves at least that much, if not more.

Still, he would find some way to blame the workers, including her for becoming lazy in their job supervising the Darjeet project. In a part of her mind she was scared, and worry she was going to get fired. When she finish grade school, all she wanted to do was work in marine biology.

Havening live on Araqurin all her life, she always stared into the oceans during her free time as a child. She enjoyed swimming in the oceans and even learn how to subbed drive when she was only just 10.

Now that the years had past, and gotten her Degree's, she thought her promotion to management for the local Aquarium after the sudden retirement of the formal colleague, made her life just perfect. Then after what had happen to the Seals, and the creation of the Darjeet Project she had a chance to actually have her name put into the Danager Alliance long history. Now all the people would only remember, was that she allowed a pack to escape and get killed out the in open world, and was fired after it all was cleaned up. Not exactly something to be remembers for the rest of her life, if she can help it at least.

"What have I done to deserve all this stress?" She said out loud. As if she was directing the question two the reminding Seals, their continuous circle of swimming abruptly changed to figure eights. Even after all the years of studying them, they never figure out why they do that short of swimming patter. Theories from a part of a mating ritual, to directing others to where schools of fish could be found were speculated, but no proof to any theory has been discovered. Now more than likely . . . never would be.

Despite standing right at the railing, exactly where Moko's pack had just hours before, she study the Seals, just as they had. She had to watch the video from the sercitry room, as she has no inserts installed in her head to watch from her peripheral vision. She likes her own self being normal, as it just felt right to her. But there was times she did wish she had at least an Electronic Cerebral Implant for the features, enhance vision and increase senses. At least that much if she ever gets around to it. Going back to that video of the exhibit room, seeing the pack coming to some short of conclusion, she tried to do the same. What had they seen that they haven't? What made them stared so intently, before Link had

broken their trance?

"The Boat ready to go." Shinda jumped.

Kaimana, her co worker was standing behind her, looking with concerned over his boss. The Gerinsi Water Dragon lived on the other side of island, and had taken him a longer time to come when the notification came and woken him, but by what he had hear that had transpired between his boss and Wilson, he was glad he arrived just minutes later to avoid it. He was sure he would of had been talked down to, turning back the hands of time, making him think and act like a hatching again if Wilson caught him. He had a milder temper then his boss, but even he was displeased after what she had told him.

"Are you all right?. . . Sorry I didn't mean to scare you like that." He said apologetically, hands raised.

"No it's all right, I was just thinking on a few things that's all." She said truthfully.

"About Wilson? You really shouldn't beat yourself over him. He's been always a jerk, and noting can change that." But Shinda shook her head. It was then she told Kaimana about what she and Oscar talked about earlier. Kaimana had always trusted his boss before, even to go far as to defend her partaking with the Darjeets development against Wilson over a decade ago.

But when he told him that she had agreed that Oscar, and the others will be released soon too, he didn't know what to think now. Promising something that might not really happen could jeopardize everything they had achieved with the project, if that promise is not honor at the end. Then again, he knows his species history all too well.

"You know, my own race wasn't much different to the Darjeets in a way. Sure after the Alliance created our elders, and promise them their own future independents. Then they dumped them on Gerinsi to fend off by themselves, as they watched from space. Several thousand years later we created a strong enough civilization, with no outside help. Well then there was the Gods war and then they came in to stop all chaos from breaking loose. . ."

"The Point?" Shinda said, having to stop Kaimana from one of his endless history lectures again.

"The point is, we were also caged, and watched every minute, hour, to every day for thousands of years. Yet, we had freedom to do whatever we wanted; because they at least knew it was right. Darjeets can be just as intelligent as you or I, and yet they don't have that freedom. It isn't right and I think they should be let go if they wish it. We'll still need to watch them so they don't get into trouble, but they do have that right. I been meaning to talk to you about my feelings about it for years now, but I just never had the courage to." He said despairing.

"Well I'm happy that you did. Now if we could only work on your ability to call me ahead then making my heart skipped from fright."

"You know I would have called you from my E Chip if only you had one, or even from your PDA." He replied, as his mood lighten up.

"Oh. . . yea sorry about that." Shinda had turn off her computer shortly after the alert, so she never got the message. She pulled it out and turned it back on. Sure enough the message was in the inbox. Even with old technology like this, she still prefers it over to implants.

"You know what my stance on that is. We had been through this before." She said hotly.

"You will give into it eventfully. Just a matter of time, then we can chat in our heads all day."

"Sure, if that a fancy of yours. Dream it every night?" She replied sarcastically.

"Can't wait for the day, I'll even pay for the operation." He smiles. Sometimes she hated it when he becomes generous like this. Sometimes she thinks he spends haft his paycheck for charities, and the other haft for his friend's. Not like anyone need money much though. Cost of living had dropped to near record lows in recent years after the last major war. Some costs almost were non existences, like for food and medicine. There hardily any poor people in the two galaxies, unless they choose to be and live a more secluded life.

"Anyhow, I got the Sea Guardian loaded with equipment and gear. Not sure if the GPS locators will do any good though. That EMP might have fried all of the injected chips, but it's still worth a shot with finding Gentoe at least."

"Any shot's worth it." Shinda replied. They both had seen video feed of the door closing behind Gentoe, just before the spear gun fired and hit the breaker box. The room was shielded from such effects, so even with the door partly open after it discharged, Gentoe might still be able to be found using GPS.

"I just hope they are all right out there. I'm more afraid about how that storm might have affected them. I don't even know if they are still together out there." Shinda said with a sigh.

"No clue and we also have to take in other facts like for them to be able to catch their dinner for once, and avoiding predators from their own dinner too. Longer this takes, the less likely we will find them alive." Kaimana added. The Water Dragon may be nice, but sure can be a realist pain in the butt too. However, Shinda think they will be all right, well at least Moko and Mieka will be.

She knows they can channel the same ability as their grandfather Oscar demonstrated just hours earlier. Kaimana may have that chip and had practice channeling, but she did read a little before into the study of Magicka, and knows that with proper use, they could use Magic to greatly increase their odds for survival. She was pretty sure the older pups could use the spell too. As for Gentoe though, he was the most valuable for being younger.

"For our first trip out, we should follow the Hurricane path. The storm probably carried them with it, and there are a lot of smaller islands west of here. Perhaps some people might of have even seen them on some of them.

"Good as any area to look then any I supposed. However you know we can't stay out there till night fall. If a Criberler finds us. . ." Kaimana said worrying.

"We will only stay out till near sun down, I know that our boat can't handle one of those, but if we're going to get anything done, we better go now while we still got daylight left."

"Then let’s cast off. I'll be captain of the Sea Guardian, and you can scrub the poop deck."

"Oh very funny of you." With the two of them smiling, they started to head of the boat, leaving the two Boggel Seals behind.

The pars of them swan for another good hour before tiring for the day, and then they headed to the surface. They climb up to the beach, feeding off frozen fish laid down for them earlier. Then they snuggled together, like they have ever since the day they were saved from their species fate. For the two, life was easy, but even they knew it could have been far grander, if it wasn't for the fish which killed their family and friends.

They had known about the connection from the animals that visited them from early morning. They knew they had some of their blood within them.

They even know they were created to replace them. They would die off, but the creatures would fill that hole of the normalcy of life. They would bring the balance of the ecosystem back to the region, and bring harmony once more. Whatever caused that fish such an evil adaption. . . . wasn't naturally caused. Hopefully whatever fate comes for the replacement of theirs, they do hope them a happy and prosperous life ahead of them.

With that, the two fallen asleep dreaming of their ancestors, awaiting the day they would reunite and swim together once more. That day is still a few years off however. Despite having lived in captivity for over 25 years now, they still know life is better than death. They knew they would still play some role furthered into their replacements future, and that's better than nothing to still cling on to life for just a little longer if anything, as long as their ageing bodies would allowed it to be.