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"Your presence has been requested by Alpha-General Brennus for disciplinary clean-up operations in relation to your….. vandalism incident approximately three days ago." The leading canine unit operative explained.

If Rex was an idiot he would've been defeated by the SGT's words. If he was a Werecanine like Remulus, he'd probably smell the lie. Either way, he knew truth and had common sense.

Usually.

So, he went with the flow.

"Understood, Sgt."

The same couldn't be said for everyone.

"Sgt." Victor said as he stood with his hands behind his back.

"Yes, Private Fauve." The Sgt grimaced as he wrangled his hybrid hound.

"Requesting permission to join Private Rex in disciplinary operations."

For a moment Rex thought he saw the assisting canine operative panic.

"Request denied." The Sgt said without looking at Victor.

"But Sg—"

"Look, private, I get it. You're hot stuff. But don't overstep your boundaries. If you didn't burn down the damn barracks then you don't face consequences. Soldiers who overstep hit land-mines and get everyone killed. Remember that and get your ass to training."

Victor clenched his jaw angrily and shared a look with Rex.

"I'll see you later." Rex and Victor nodded to eachother before he was dismissed and ran out of The Box to join his other Inheritence Ability users in the jungle.

"Let's go."

Rex followed.

The travel was short lived despite Rex's excitement and anxiety. The wait on the descending platform was less wild than he thought. In the dark metal corridors of twisting gears and dark lights, the C-Shepherds calmed as he stroked their tails and let their wet noses bump his hands.

Thankfully the elevator was loud or else they would've heard the purring.

When the elevator came to a stop, AG Brennus' office sat at the end of an all too long hallway.

Once again the walk was shared in silence. At least until they were within about a hundred feet of the door.

The C-Shepherds didn't go berserk like they did when they caught Rex's scent, but all the calm and comfort he'd just established with them went straight out of the window as they neared AG Brennus' office.

A dozen alarms went off in his brain as they neared the door. "I haven't spoken to Imani, but yesterday I think we both would've cleared AG Brennus off the list of who Remulus is. But he's setting off the shepherds— which only I have done in the past. Could someone else be inside? Another shifter?"

Rex activated his feline senses with the partial transformation of his eyes, ears and nose in the dark.

The shepherds actually calmed. His nose twitched as the scents of bizzare chemicals, perfumes and animal furs flooded his nose.

"Nothing to work with." Rex thought as he stood at-ease, facing the door while the leading Sgt knocked before backing away and standing motionlessly in front of him.

"Cats have better ears anyway." He listened.

A myriad of breaths fell in a hushed chaotic staccato. Rex felt his pulse quicken, "Am I meeting Ultra-General Brennus now?"

It had been less than four seconds since the Sgt knocked.

"You may come in." AG Brennus said from inside his office.

Rex was led inside. The C-shepherds stuck to him like glue. He could feel their hammering heartbeats through their rib cages pressed against his sides.

"Alpha-General." The leading Sgt gave a salute before returning to standing at attention like the rest of them.

AG Brennus stood behind his desk with his hands behind his back. Like always, he was huge. An imposing man that looked like he was from the wrong time with his primal hair and classic unmodded blade. His armored longcoat was as spotless and decorated as ever.

"At-ease." He said with a booming and stale voice.

They all relaxed.

AG Brennus nodded to the K-9 unit operatives, "Thank you both. You're dismissed."

The operatives saluted their superior again and left, dragging their canine hybrid partners along with them.

AG Brennus watched them leave and only partially smiled after the door closed.

"The shepherds like you." AG Brennus laughed to himself.

"Impossible!" Someone croaked. It sounded like an old man.

Rex spun around to locate the source of the voice but found none.

"Those damn Lion-dogs don't like anyone." The old voice snarled.

AG Brennus shrugged, "You saw it yourself. They were on him like he he was dipped in catnip."

"Wait, does that work?" Another voice came from the ceiling. Only this one sounded like a young female.

"No, little girl. He's just a charmer." Another voice. Sultry and inviting despite its condescending words.

Rex had enough, "What the hell is happening?"

AG Brennus looked at Rex, "You know you aren't actually in trouble, right?"

Rex nodded, "Y—"

"Sure he is!" The old voice interrupted, "He's being given the worst job on earth!"

"I thought I was already in training for that." Rex replied.

"Killing monsters is so much more pleasant than talking with humans, kid." The old voice spat.

"Enough drama, Captain." AG Brennus said.

"A captain?!" Rex thought, "Was there a captain on Imani's list?"

AG Brennus looked back to Rex once the room silenced.

"It's time for your Rank-Up, Kalico Rex."

Rex centered himself. "Understood, Alpha-General."

AG Brennus walked out from behind his desk. "You'll soon find that most rank-up ceremonies are large events where family and friends can have fun knowing they've survived the worst this world has to offer. But the truth is, that is a lie. Drift Dimensions are not the worst this world had to offer. It's always been the shadows. The absence of light— the struggle of eyes. What can't be seen, will be dangerous." He muttered the last words like they were a prayer as he approached a closet and removed a satchel.

"In that way…" He continued, "We are inspired by nature. In this job— with this rank, your intentions and our combined goals cannot be seen. It's the only way we can maintain effectiveness. Danger. Do you understand?" He walked back to his desk.

"I do."

AG Brennus puffed out his chest, "Then come."

Rex closed the distance between them in the office, pretending he didn't hear the three unseen individuals following him. "One on the ceiling. One on the left near all the weapons and the last behind me. Slower— heavier footed. Probably the old man. The Captain."

Upon reaching AG Brennus' desk, he got a better look at the satchel. Under the industrial lights on the cieling it shimmered faintly, showing it's pressed scale surface.

"Chameleon skin." He realized.

"Private Kalico Rex has shown great promise in the areas of social subterfuge, combative awareness and disrespect of pre-established rank-structure among his peers. These qualities— while being abrasive and problematic in classic settings, are the perfect tools needed for one to function in my Chameleon IV Covert-Ops Task Force. So, as of today, Private Kalico Rex is no more."

From above, someone ripped off his rank tag on his martial-skin.

"You are now the rank of Specialist and a member of the most effect Stealth Unit in the EMRA."

"Allegedly." The Captain mumbled.

To Rex's surprise, he wasn't the one standing behind him.

"Your kit." AG Brennus referred to the satchel.

Rex took it and opened it, unfolding the bag to reveal the contents inside.

One rank tag, a new mana-stone, a clearance tag of sorts and two bracelets.

"The rank tag speaks for itself I hope." AG Brennus said.

"It does." Rex replied as he studied it. The tag— like all tags had its circlet to signify Drift Dimension clearance, but it was black. So as he pinned it to his chest, it immediately looked invisible. Showing only the EMRA flag symbol.

A Hawk carrying the head of a dragon.

Rex took out his mana stone— a dark blue shard with growing purple cracks thanks to his own mama flow.

"Did yours always look like that?" AG Brennus asked.

"Yes." Rex lied and replaced the stone at his nape with the new one. It was larger and rainbow colored with heavy electrical pulses. Immediately, he felt his suit respond to its increased power. In a flash, the textures shifted and changed shape, going from rocky and solid to flowy like dark water surfaces.

"They're called stealth-stones. Our best environmental technicians and Drift Geologists cultivated these mana stones in multiple enviroments, allowing them to sense and respond to different environmental mana signatures." AG Brennus explained.

"Cool." Rex thought before moving onto the bracelets. Rex put on the left first.

"Snipe-Gauntlet."

Rex pressed the indented portion on the underside and watched the bracelet unfurl with hardlight technology to form a compact sniper atop his wrist.

"Holy shit….." Rex recalled the weapon, "And the right?"

"Simple blade and shield."

Like the sniper it came from the underside of his wrist. Except the shield.

"It also follows the form of your wrists so it can be used to cut off circulation and such."

"Perfect for shapeshifting." Rex thought.

With nothing left in the bag, he grabbed the satchel and folded it back up.

"Welcome to the team, Specialist Rex."

Rex nodded.

It was silent for a moment. Rex looked up to AG Brennus and found him looking behind Rex.

Slowly, Rex turned around and found the others— now visible, standing at his sides.

"These are your fellow operatives." AG Brennus started, "At your right is your field-commander, Captain Camo."

The man was old. Leather faced with balding low cut white hair and a missing eye. He wore a martial-skin like Rex— which made his one grotesquely overgrown arm more obvious even with his poncho over it.

"Captain." Rex nodded.

He grunted.

"Across from him is Sgt Isadora."

She was the voice of the younger girl. She didn't look any older than ten with her curly pig tails and bronze skin with freckles. Her cuteness ended there since she wore heavy duty Kevlar Kobold armor fit with a mechanized tail and carried a slasher-assault rifle.

"Hi. You're cute." She winked.

"And you're a child." Rex replied.

She took aim.

"Respect your superior or die."

"You got it, Sgt." Rex said.

"She's actually twenty-eight. Looks can be deceiving. I would know." The last of them spoke. She approached Rex, "It's nice to meet you, charmer."

Rex took her hand. It was soft as velvet. Like the rest of her pale skin.

"Likewise."

She was tall— in that elegant way with her lithe frame and angular features. Her golden hair was tied up in a messy bun and her eyes were the most Ruby-red he'd ever seen naturally.

Without looking at AG Brennus, she said to him, "I can introduce myself, boss."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm Specialist Lyra Nightingale."

She also wore a martial skin, at least based on the material and mana stone at her nape, but it was fashioned into a skintight open backed dress. Nearly open front too based on the cleavage she was sporting.

"I don't think I need to remind you where my eyes are." She said.

"No, ma'am." Rex replied, "I'm just checking."

"Hm?"

"Are you also older than you look?"

"Asshole." Isadora said.

"Eighteen." Lyra said with a wink.

"Got it." Rex let go of her hand.

"Ok. Great. Introductions out of the way, it's time for your first mission, Spc Rex." AG Brennus said.

"What? No training?" Rex asked.

"Think of it as live event training. It's not a job that focuses your main duties. You'll be assisting the Jungle-Monkey Unit in clearing out a native tribe overrun with V-Negative that's come too close to our training areas and nearby villages." AG Brennus said, "You have forty minutes."

"Forty minutes?" Rex said, "Wait— wait, we have forty minutes to clear out a tribe of Vampires?"

"Did I stutter? Move your asses!"