EXODUS

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 27
Butterfly Factor
 

Todd Farbes swore as he slipped a little on the thin, smooth ice before grabbing the handle to the door of the building that was labeled Immersion Therapy via a bronze placard on the wall closest to the pathway that had been completed before the weather had turned cold. There were several parkas hanging on hooks in the foyer already, all of them in dark blue with the Furmankind Institute insignia on both shoulders. White name tags indicated that not only were Dimitri Kavalos and his medical team already inside, their coats also bearing dark gold Caduceus symbols embroidered on the backs, but Ásmundr Gustavsson as well. The American put his own cold weather parka on an available hook and made sure that his boots were as clean as he could get them before pushing through the second set of doors.

After the frigid temperature outside, the Institute information system indicating that even without the steady breeze that the high for the day was minus eighteen degrees, Celsius, the next room felt as warm as a sauna and Todd tugged the scarf around his neck open, the ends dangling loosely and swinging back and forth as he walked to the security desk. “Have they pulled her out yet?” Farbes inquired as he withdrew his pistol and cleared the chamber with a racking of the slide after ejecting the magazine and handed it over for safe keeping by his underling. Even though he was the proviso head of Institute security, Todd made sure that he followed the rules that he’d established so his staff would be ensured of doing the same. As it was, Sigge Joresson was one of the more professional hires that had been authorized to Farbes when he began to assemble his security staff and the former corporal from the Swedish Army took his job very seriously.

“I am thinking so,” the young man behind the desk said as he locked the weapon in a strong box incorporated into his kiosk, the placement set so that he could secure items while still keeping visitors in clear view. “Herren Gustavsson arrived only a few minutes ago,” the Swedish man said. “Doctor Kavalos began the waking and cleanup process of Frö Kane for almost…” he paused to glance at a gold and silver ring on his right middle finger, the latest European trend of wearing a small analog watch set in a ring meaning most of the staff at the Furmankind Institute had them in some form or another, “two hours now. He said he wished for her dignity to be spared from too many eyes.”

“Sounds about right for the Doc, Sigge,” Farbes said with a grin. “I think that our good doctor has taken something of a fatherly shine to Halley and the others.” He stepped to the door that looked no different than those that would be found in any office building around the world though the glass was actually the latest in transparent armor with a glassteel core and the frame was high tensile strength alloy encased in stainless steel. The lock required both a security card and biometric input in the form of a retinal scan. “Hard to believe that forty-six days have passed since she went in, huh?” he asked as the laser in the scanner used a low powered beam to read the pattern of his retina and compare it to what was on file.

“We have been very busy, Herren Farbes,” Sigge agreed simply, still not comfortable with the less than formal behavior that was encouraged at the Institute.

Ásmundr had made it clear that he wanted only the best security precautions implemented and Todd had agreed. The pair had spent several long weeks when the Furs had first arrived in developing solutions for protecting the individuals that Ásmundr had helped rescue and even the former Special Warfare veteran admitted that short of using high explosives that the most critical facilities were virtually impenetrable should the need arise.

The lock for the door disengaged with a barely audible click, though it would have held solidly even if a small car crashed into it, and Todd nodded once at the other man before pushing further into the building. Desks that held computers that would monitor the floatation tanks sat quietly in stand-by mode with the units unoccupied. The one that had been part of the tandem unit that Halley had been housed in indicated that it was sterilizing mode as the gelatin that had supported the young woman was flushed out and scalding hot water and detergents were used to scour the interior from integrated jet nozzles. Todd only glanced at the screens as he headed to another door that led to a set of short stairs, foregoing the elevator platform, and stepped to the lower level.

The floatation tanks lined either side of the second level, each one save the unit that Halley had used waiting and ready for occupants. At the end of the dual rows was the ‘clean room’. Far from being a sterile chamber, it was the area where emerging Furs would get cleaned up from the time in the tanks and allowed to adjust to their altered physiologies. The walls were lined with easy to care for chairs and couches with numerous padded handholds spaced evenly about and the floor was a soft, spongy material that was also water repellent. A small knot of people surrounded a figure that rested on one of the overly padded couches along the wall and parted just enough for Farbes to get his first look at Halley Kane.

Gone was the woman that he’d grown accustomed to seeing since the mass rescue from the island bunker complex off the coast of Alaska. Instead of an elfin girl he found a figure that combined human traits with those of a cat. Some of the female’s features were similar to other Furs, including the Late Wyatt Renner, while a few were rather unique. Halley’s ears were a bit larger than most of the others that had been dubbed Felis and her cheek bones and muzzle seemed a little more delicate. She still had about the same overall mass, but once slender and shapely legs were now the digitigrade appendages that were the norm with the other Furs. Farbes did notice that her tow claws weren’t extended like the others that he’d helped free and recalled Kavalos and others talking about small refinements to the base physiology of the Furs that would take place with future volunteers, retractable toe claws being one of those tweaks.

By far, though, Todd found her fur coloration to be the most striking. While Wyatt, and even Julie Valance, had golden hued base coats that were liberally speckled with dots and dashes of darker fur, Halley was almost uniformly black with her patterns showing up in a dark brown, almost auburn shade. The pattern reminded the American of the ripples on the surface of dark, still water after a pebble had been thrown in and radiated out from her sides with the ripples meeting over her chest and stomach in a sort of curved chevron pattern separated by a narrow swath of white that ran from just below her throat to her lower stomach. There were tiny smudges of the same brown on the catwoman’s dewlaps where her long whiskers emerged. Her nose was also black instead of the normal salmon pink that many of the other Felis sported.

Halley’s tail looked to be almost entirely black save for the tip that stuck out from behind her and swished lazily back and forth, the last thirty centimeters accented with five auburn bands. The only area that seemed a little off was the portion of her head between her ears where her white blond hair made the coloration seem washed out, her hair and fur the same length until it grew out a little more.

All of this was made clearly visible as the only thing that covered the Fur was a large towel draped over her upper thighs to conceal her most private of places. It seemed as if being essentially nude in front of those she knew the best was a moot point as Halley drank down another small disposable cup of some liquid, expediting the process and different shape of her mouth by tilting her head back and simply pouring the contents into her opened maw that had the added effect of displaying teeth that were meant to shear meat and two sets of long, glistening fangs in the upper and lower mandibles. As she gulped down whatever it was and lowered her head, Halley’s eyes fixed on Farbes and a smile tugged her feline face into a pleased expression. Gone were the pale blue orbs that had looked at him before, her eyes now looking like marbles of orange, milky hued sardonyx with vertically slit black pupils.

“Ta-da!” The Fur said softly while giving the man a halfhearted smile that again revealed sharp feline teeth. She raised her arms in triumph before letting them flop back down as if even that was tiring, though considering she’d been in the tank for over a month the lack of strength was understandable. The motion also had the effect of lifting her still modest breasts higher even though her black and reddish brown fur was more than enough to provide ample coverage for modesty’s sake it was more than enough to make Todd pause in his approach as his gaze slowly swept down Halley’s new form and back up.

 “Wow…” the man breathed with a surprised expression.

“Maybe it would be best if you put a robe on,” Dimitri suggested as he grabbed a thick garment from the seat next to the Fur. “I know you aren’t what the rest of us would consider completely nude, but it is a little distracting, Halley.”

“Perhaps that isn’t a bad idea,” Ásmundr agreed having turned away while his cheeks and forehead reddened considerably.

“Spoilsports,” Halley admonished with a breathy chuckle that had the distinct sound of a purring thrum to it. Her orange eyes hadn’t strayed from Todd’s in the slightest as he gazed at her and there was almost a challenging element to them as the Fur pulled the robe on, unaware that she made the gesture seem fluid and sensuous. “Personally I think our esteemed head of security likes what he sees.” She turned on the charm as her expression became almost winsome and she leaned forward a little with her paw-like hands gripping the edge of her seat. “Isn’t that right, Todd?”

The man didn’t trust himself to answer immediately and forced his attention to the Greek standing slightly to the side. “So everything’s okay? She’s alright? No…er, what did you call them…malformations?”

“I’ve already appraised Halley of the one instance that occurred during her time in the floatation tank,” Kavalos said as he retrieved a business slate and began to enter data into it regarding some of the changes to the young Fur’s vitals. “She was right,” Dimitri said with a quick glance at the newest Savannah cat anthro and wink. “A proper mix of the same prepared solution that she used for her initial injection to the affected area took care of the malformation before there was a chance for anything resembling permanent damage.” He set the slate down and picked up the Fur’s wrist, his fingers finding her pulse after a moment and studied the face of his watch, one that was specifically designed for medical professionals. “Halley is as fit a member of furmankind at this point as I think it’s possible to become. Of course we’ll do a more concise examination shortly and continue to monitor the rest of the changes that will occur over the next few months, but for now her transformation is apparently right on schedule.”

The savannah cat looked up as her wrist was released. “Can you hold that exam until after I eat, please?” Halley interjected with an almost desperate look. “So I’m good for the moment?”

“I’d have to say yes,” Dimitri answered as he took note of her heart rate. “You know that you still have minor changes to go through, but the major physiological restructuring is at the same point you said it should be in your personal logs and the description of the overall procedure from the Fort Freedom records. I think five more months and you’ll be completely done with the process.”

“But I can get out of here, right?”

“Yes” Ásmundr answered for the group. “I’m not sure what your hurry is, though.”

The Fur fixed the tall Swede with a level gaze. “Food. That’s my driving need to hurry at the moment. I’ve just gone over a month without eating real honest-to-God food and I feel like I’m starved!”

“Good thing the new dining hall right across the quad is finished then, right Ásmundr? Otherwise we might all be in danger,” Todd teased the Fur with a wink and short laugh. “You got anything warm to put on?”

Halley shook her head as the others backed away a little, her hand snagging a pair of the shorts and a pullover top that had been part of the clothing that the Swede had designed for Fur usage from the seat next to her. She let the robe fall away before sliding her pink padded feet into the legs of the shorts, this time her rich fur didn’t conceal her as she rocked back to slip the garment the rest of the way on and Farbes again found himself staring at the show that was put on. It didn’t seem it was intentional and when Halley noticed where the man was looking her ears turned a vibrant pink before folding down in an unconscious show of embarrassment.

The Fur was able to shimmy the clothing under her rump without standing before donning the top then took a few moments to adjust the way her fur lay under the garments and the set of her tail in the notch in the back of the shorts. “Don’t have any shoes either. You said there was snow outside?” she asked Ásmundr.

“We had some fresh flakes fall last night and there are a few patches of hard, thin ice that the staff hasn’t gotten to yet, but the paths are mostly clear. I would feel better if you had something on your feet, though.” Gustavsson looked around for a moment. “I suppose keeping a stock of seasonally appropriate clothing and footwear here would be prudent. Let me send someone to get you something to wear…”

Halley’s moan of frustration vied with the sudden, loud rumbling from her stomach. “I hate sounding all whiny, but I’ve got to get something to eat soon, guys and I don’t know if I have the energy at the moment to walk very far.”

“C’mon, kitty,” Farbes said with a sympathetic expression that turned into a grin. “Have whoever it is bring a parka and those boots for Furs to the dining hall.” He turned sideways and pointed at his back with a thumb hooked over his shoulder. “I’ve carried field packs heavier than you and you can wear my parka. It’s not so far that I can’t lug you piggyback over there if it’ll keep you from chewing on the rest of us.”

The grateful expression that Halley gave was more than a little cartoonish and she tried to stand before yelping softly and falling back on her buttocks and tail with a surprised, wide-eyed look. “Damn. I forgot that my feet don’t work that way anymore,” the Fur softly snarled at herself in a self-deprecating tone. “Balls of the feet…balls of the feet…” she mumbled and tried standing again while accepting a hand from Ásmundr and Dimitri both. Halley’s legs were a little unsteady though her gait firmed up with every step as she gained a certain amount of confidence. “Have to remember that that isn’t really my ankle anymore,” she said with a claw tipped finger pointing at the sort of reversed joint of her right leg. “Wow. That muscle group works better than I thought it would. Did you make that change in the genetic restructuring?”

Dimitri shook his head. “Believe it or not that’s still Emily Lesko’s original plan after consulting with veterinarians and different kinesiologists on the necessity of increased muscle mass to support digitigrade legs.”

“Huh,” the Fur grunted. “The evil old biddy got that right…” Halley held her arms out for balance as she got used to the feeling of her newly configured feet and legs before blinking in astonishment. “Now I know why Wyatt and the others were so happy at this point in their transformations. All the aches and soreness are almost completely gone. That’s one good reason for me to be happy. The little stuff is almost negligible after what I was going through and unlike the others I got to sleep through the worst of it.”

Farbes could almost understand how Halley felt. He’d undergone almost the same revelation, though of a different nature, when he’d graduated the boot camp phase of the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, and realized that the scrawny kid he’d always seemed to be was gone and that he’d actually developed much more muscle and physical definition accompanying increased stamina that also marked a substantial reduction in soreness as he progressed. “Not hurting is always good,” he said with a snort of amusement. “But I thought we were going to go get you something to eat, remember?”

Before Halley could respond her stomach growled again, extremely unhappy at the long neglect it had suffered and the savannah cat put her paw-like hand over her belly in part embarrassment and partly in dire need of food. “Okay, okay. We’re going,” she replied testily, though it was unclear if she were talking to her own body, the man that waited for her, or both.

***

The dining hall staff was a little bemused when the head of security entered the building with an unknown Fur riding piggy-back on him, a parka draped over the anthrofeline against the frigid air outside. Todd let Halley down near the serving line and carried the still adjusting savannah cat’s tray to one of the tables that sat near a window so both could look out while they ate. Farbes chose it because of the nature of his job and wanting to literally keep an eye on things, Halley because the last thing she wanted after the floatation tank was to feel confined. The Fur placed her order and the two individuals talked quietly about the rather uneventful time that she’d been asleep in the capsule that protected her body from the most drastic changes her body had gone through.

Food was brought out in short order and Halley dove into the myriad of dishes with gusto, conversation with Farbes on hold until she’d sated her hunger. Only when she was done did the savannah cat pick up the thread of conversation again. The devastation was impressive and Todd looked at the plates that lay empty, bowls that had had their contents ravaged and a substantial pile of chicken bones that had even had the ends nibbled off so that Halley could get at the marrow within and a number of plastic milk cartons that were scattered about. He leaned back with a cup of black coffee and shook his head in amazement. “Feel better?”

“Definitely better,” Halley mumbled as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed to mere slits as she ran her padded fingers and palms over her stomach. “I think I’m ready for a nap!”

“Didn’t you get enough sleep in the tank?”

The Fur shook her head. “That wasn’t real sleep. That was induced. A real bed, though I think the cat portion of me would be happy with a bit of carpet and a pillow in the sun…though a sunlamp would work for a happy little snooze…”

When Halley’s eyes opened they were soft and warm with hugely round pupils, perhaps a little drowsy as she regarded the man across from her for a few silent moments. “Everything alright?” Todd asked in concern, his cup halfway to his mouth.

Halley nodded. “Just full and…introspective,” she replied with a slight smile.

The man snorted in amusement. “The full I can certainly understand,” Todd said as he gestured with his cup to the debris contained on the numerous dishes before taking a sip. “What are you feeling introspective about?”

The savannah cat shrugged, turning the motion into a stretch as she extended her legs forward and raised her arms while staying in the chair before drawing her feet up and wrapping her furred arms around her knees. “Everything,” Halley finally answered cryptically. “When I was first approached to join Lesko’s staff I didn’t know what was going to happen…what she planned. Then, way too late to back out, I discovered what was going on…” The Fur smiled ruefully. “You know, when I learned just what Wyatt and the others were becoming it never crossed my mind that I would do the same thing to myself by choice.”

Todd nodded slowly. “I think I have an idea why you did it. I don’t know if I could have done the same, but I think I can understand.”

The admission genuinely surprised the savannah cat. “Enlighten me,” Halley replied with an expression that was partly amused and partly challenging.

“You loved him,” the man answered simply before topping off his cup with an insulated plastic carafe that sat surrounded by the detritus of Halley’s meal. “Anyone that saw the two of you together could tell. I think…I think that this was a way of holding onto him, for you to share in what you had a part of doing…of what he’d become.” He looked at the Fur and held her eyes with his. “Maybe if things had gone differently you’d have done this anyway and the two of you could have had a life together. Maybe children as well.” Todd chewed on his lower lip in thought. “Would you still call them children or would they be kittens?”

“Both terms would be applicable,” Halley answered, her tail flipping back and forth behind her. “Furs aren’t completely animal or completely human, so certain definitions are a bit more flexible.”

“Okay,” Todd agreed.  “But I think that the two of you would have stayed together despite your efforts to end your relationship. It was something special. Even I was a little envious.”

“You?” Halley asked in surprise.

“Me,” Todd said with a chuckle. “But then my one serious relationship only lasted a few months before my blushing bride confronted me with divorce papers after I got back early from an extended deployment.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” the Fur said softly, her ears twitching down in chagrin.

“It’s no big deal. She found out that being a Navy wife wasn’t all that great. Being alone for weeks on end can be rough and why settle for one guy when she could go to anywhere off base and have her pick of young men that would be more attentive than a husband that wasn’t there.” Todd smiled ruefully as he took a sip from his cup. “It was for the best anyway. I had my thing to focus on and thinking about what she might or might not have been doing could have distracted me at the wrong moment.”

The two were silent for several moments, each lost in their own thoughts until Halley broke the silence.

“You…you’ve lost people, haven’t you? People that you cared about, I mean,” the Fur inquired in her soft, thrumming voice.

“Yes.”

There was an odd tone to the answer and it caused Halley to look up at the man’s eyes, whatever he felt at the rather forward question was guarded behind a mask of completely neutral expression, a sort of defensive posture that Halley had seen in some of the prisoners back on the island and before their memory wipes. “What…what does it mean when you think of someone and all you can recall are the good things and times that you had with them instead of the bad? I mean…that is…”

“It means you’re healing,” Todd said quietly, the mask dropping away as he reached across the table and took the savannah cat’s fingers in a reassuring squeeze. “It means that you’re getting on with your life.”

“Am I?” Halley asked with a shiver. “I minored in psychology because I needed something else to fill in my schedule and it was an easy class. I know that there are stages to grief and losing someone that you cared for, but knowing and experiencing it are two different things. I was young when I lost my parents and, if anything, it drove me to study genetics and medical sciences so that I could do something like Oliver McEwen so someone else wouldn’t have to go through what me and my sister did. With Wyatt…”

Todd picked up the conversation when the Fur trailed off into silence for several moments. “And now with Wyatt you’re remembering more of the good times and less of the bad,” the man supplied and smiled when the savannah cat nodded. “That’s actually a good sign. It doesn’t mean that you’re forgetting him, but you are getting on with the business of living and the good things are more important to remember. Let the negative go, keep the positive.”

“And it’s not wrong? For me to think of…you know…some of the things that I’ve been denying myself?” Halley inquired with trepidation.

Todd shook his head. “It’s all part of the process. Trust me on this. And if you’re talking about what I think you are, well, that’s one of the oldest means of reaffirming life that I can think of.” He leaned forward and looked Halley directly in her orange eyes. “It’s okay to move on. It’s been well over a year, kitty-girl,” Todd said in a tone of good-natured and friendly teasing in an effort to lighten the serious edge the conversation had been developing. “Get on with living. Remember Wyatt, but think about what you need and want for a while. It’s time to worry about you.”

The savannah cat nodded and smiled appreciatively, the expression making it to her eyes. “Maybe you should become a psychologist,” she suggested. “You have a way of making things sound simple. I know psychology but you make it more…personal. Believable.” Her expression brightened slightly. “Attainable.”

“Talk about putting the lunatic in charge of the asylum,” the man commented with a grin. The smile faltered when Halley reached out and wrapped her paw-like hand around her companion’s fingers reinitiating the previous contact, the pads warm and soft where they contacted with his skin and the involuntary thrill that ran up his arm was enough to sober the human instantly. There was something a little different about the touch this time as the Fur slowly rubbed her thumb pad over his knuckles, the needle sharp claw grazing the hair on the back of his hand but not touching the skin.

“Do you think I can come talk to you again if I start feeling down? I think that I feel…I don’t know. Maybe a little better than before. I…it’s just…” The Savannah cat sighed in mild frustration. “I feel better but I think it comes from knowing that I’m not alone in what I’ve gone through and that hearing more than one person say it’s okay to move on is what I was needing.”

Todd nodded slowly, unsure whether or not to pull his hand away or to leave it where it was. “Anytime, Halley. You’re a friend. Wyatt was my friend. A lot of the Furs are friends. Some of them are about the finest actual friends I’ve ever had. Of course you can talk to me when you need.”

Halley wanted to say more, her perspective of the man sitting across from her changing in both subtle and profound ways. Farbes had been a friend, but at the time she’d either had Wyatt or was still mourning his loss and Todd had been something of a neuter in regards to gender. Now it was as if a filter had been removed and she was seeing that he was not only a man, but an attractive one who was also attentive. It was enough to cause a small bit of confusion, not unlike the time in Halley’s life when she’d discovered that adolescence had brought on a new way to see boys as intriguing rather than weird or gross.

The awkward moment was broken when one of the recent new hires for the Institute staff entered the dining hall with a plastic crate in her arms. The package didn’t look overly heavy but the size certainly made the burden a challenge to get through the door. She headed unerringly towards the table where Halley and Todd sat and put the box down. “Frö Kane? President Gustavsson instructed me to bring this to you,” the woman said in excellent but accented English.

“Oh?” the Fur intoned and lifted the lid, unaware of the relief on Todd’s face when she let go of his hand.

Inside the crate were several packages of garments designed specifically for furs with the sizes on small stickers attached to the clear plastic bags, two pairs of sandals that were little more than layers of varied spongy material and soles of hard, textured rubber with adjustable straps, oddly shaped boots that had bottoms similar to the other footwear, a thick ankle length Turkish style robe and a quilted parka in dark blue. Thick mittens with a shell of weatherproof nylon in the same color as the parka were also in the box.

“Ásmundr thought of everything, didn’t he? These look comfortable and warm!” Halley exclaimed as she pulled the boots out and tried them on, her feet almost instantly warming in the insulated confines. “Oooo! I like these!” she exclaimed as her fingers were able to readily tighten the straps that were made from Velcro and also used large paddle shaped locks that could be easily manipulated by individuals with shortened and claw tipped fingers. “Why do the mittens have such thick palms, though?”

Todd snorted. “Don’t you guys sometimes go on all fours?”

The Savannah cat blinked, the thought of using all four of her extremities having slipped her mind for a moment. “It’s all the food I ate,” Halley replied defensively with a hint of humor. “Like I said I’m ready for a nap and not using my brain.”

“I don’t think you’re going to get that nap,” Todd said with another grin as several figures entered the dining hall in a boisterous mass, then barked out a soft, short laugh as Julie Valance who led the coterie launched herself at Halley, nearly toppling both Furs into the next set of chairs and table as the recently awakened Savannah cat was caught in a fierce hug.

“You’re out!” the lighter colored Savannah female enthused as she rocked Halley back and forth while other Furs from all four types awaited their chance to greet the newest member of their rather exclusive community.

A rolling diatribe from the effervescent Julie followed for quite some time, the enthusiastic Felis hardly pausing to draw breath. By the time Halley was able to put a little distance between her and the other Fur it was in time to see Todd’s back as he slipped out of the dining hall. A small pang of regret manifested in the latest addition to the ranks of the anthrocats before Halley was hauled back to the immediate moment and the friends that had missed her.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.