My Werepanther System: Starting with Nine Lives

"You understand what you've done. Don't you?"

"Yes, Alpha-General." Rex said as he stood at parade rest, "I was reckless. I didn't think my actions through— I made a poorly thought out impulsive decision and put the lives of others— including myself, in serious danger."

Rex turned and looked at Imani as she stood next to him.

She looked angry— even as she tried to hide it behind a fake look of guilt and embarassment.

He didn't even have to explain the plan to her when they arrived back to The Box three minutes late. By military standards that was outlandish.

And perfectly according to Rex's plan. He had the perfect alibi to act a fool and follow his impulses in the jungle.

Everyone already thought Rex was the rugged bad boy Imani took a sudden superficial interest in. They had pictures of them together on the internet doing who knew what kind of numbers. It would only be natural to assume when the two went missing that it was for the common reasons two young adults went missing.

Sex.

Yes. Sex.

Not because Rex and Imani needed space away from drift soldier life to avoid a possible shapeshifter god in hiding. Not because Rex needed to find his first Aspect Weilder to begin growing his Panther Kingdom.

That was never even the plan. The last part at least. But the half-goblin was different. Different due to his similarity to Rex.

Something he knew would only grow more rare as he came closer to his goal of becoming a Drift Soldier.

If he didn't get dishonorably discharged for allegedly having sex with Imani Price, princess of the Drift Soldier Military Industrial Complex.

"I'm not feeling too good about you, Kalico Rex." Alpha-General Brennus said as he sat at his desk, looming over them like a beast in proper clothing. His hair was just as long and spiked like an angry animals ears as before.

"I'm not feeling too good about you either." Rex thought in reply, "The second part of my plan was getting to talk to you again. After speaking with Remulus, I know there's things that make him tic. I can expose you….. if it's you. If I get the chance."

"Did you hear me, Private?" Alpha-General leaned forward, looking more deeply into his face.

"Yes, Alpha-General."

"Three times." He held up three scarred and thick fingers, "We've faced eachother three times now. Got another global achievement for me?"

"How does the idea of turning a half-goblin into a werejaguar sound?" Rex thought before shaking his head, "No."

"Oh— just fraternizing with your fellow Drift-Soldier, then?"

Rex nodded.

"Speak or don't for the rest of your enlistment, boot!" His voice shook the room.

"Yes, Alpha-General!" Rex's mind was elsewhere, thinking about the half-goblin. The boy with no name and bloody history. The boy who'd been recruited into a new war. Because that's what life was. War. It was everywhere. You participated in wherever you had the best odds to win. Rex knew the half-goblins odds were best with him. He also knew he needed help. Remulus had soldiers. So he needed his own.

He only hoped his instinctual understanding that Panther would guide her kin was accurate and the half-goblin would find him again at the time of their next meeting. If he was alive by then.

"Get on the ground." Alpha-General cut into his thoughts after Rex failed to reply again.

Rex dropped down into the push-up position.

Alpha-General Brennus got up, all six and a half feet of him. His padded suit added to his width, making him take up the air in the room as he walked around his desk and stood with his back to Imani so he could look down at Rex.

"Start pushing."

Rex began cranking out push-ups with ease before abruptly slowing as a boot hit his back and slammed him to the floor.

His vision blurred and knocked off the focus of the half-goblin and his own investigation as his brain bounced around his skull.

"Keep pushing, private. If you can survive a grenade, you can survive this." Alpha-General Brennus said.

Rex started again, driving his palms into the ground with all the effort he could manage.

He shook as he rose.

"One." AG Brennus counted.

Rex went back down.

"Do you know who that is that you were sucking face with?" AG Brennus asked.

"Yes, Alpha-General."

"Then you know the very well being of our financial base is at stake when you mess with her, correct?" AG Brennus asked.

"Y—"

"Gundam enhancements. Drift Armament Research. Gene splicing equipment for the Cerberus Shepherds. The martial-skins the both of you wear. You put it all at risk. And you know I know, don't you?"

Rex was lost as he tried to push back up with the boot in his back.

AG Brennus pushed harder.

Rex swallowed down a snarl and shut his eyes as they began to glow purple.

"I said I'd be watching you, didn't I?"

"Shit." Rex forgot. More accurately, he didn't think the man meant literally.

"I see the other students make attempts to remind you. To save our base. And what do you do? You take the challenge head on. That's why you have no friends, Rex. That's why you have all the enemies in the world. You're at the bottom acting like you have the accolades of your namesake. Rex. King. You are no king. A soldier can't be king. You live to fight a war you have zero control over hailing from a family no one has heard of."

Rex felt like his arms were on the verge of snapping. How one leg could unleash so much downward force was inhuman.

Too inhuman. Rex focused his senses, taking note of how effortless his strength output was simply based on his lack of heavy breaths.

His investigation was back underway.

"You're nothing but an undisciplined soldier with a superiority complex. But we can fix that. Private Price, you're dismissed."

There was silence.

Rex looked up at her after a few seconds. At the same time, AG Brennus turned to face her.

She stood straighter, sharing a glance with Rex.

He knew she knew the plan. He knew she was smarter than to waste a free in person investigation. He knew she knew Remulus' main weakness. What triggered his rage and involuntary bursts of aggression.

It was then that he realized something about Imani Price. Something irrefutable. It explained why she traveled the world as a teenager in search of some truth. Why she didn't kill Rex. Why she actively helped him.

She was insane.

"Private Price, you are dismissed."

She looked up at him. Blue eyes scanning the man as she spoke, "No."

Alpha-General Brennus took his foot off of Rex's back.

The vein in his neck bulged. Was the muscle expanding? Was he transforming? Was Remulus about to rise again?

He took a step closer to I—

"WAIT!" Rex said as steam spun from his lips.

Alpha-General Brennus turned to look at Rex. Then back to Imani.

"Oh well aren't you two just cute."

"….what?"

Imani sighed, "My apologies, Alpha-General." She left without looking at Rex.

Her work was done.

Rex stood up, watching as AG Brennus took his seat.

He stared calmly at Rex. Then he chuckled and pointed at him.

"That's not a global achievement. But that was absolutely impressive."

Rex was so confused it wasn't even funny.

"It said on your data sheet that you're resourceful. It also said your relationship with one Victor Fauve could've been forced for advantageous purposes." Alpha-General Brennus explained.

"Oh— what the hell…" Rex thought.

"You're doing it again aren't you. Now with Imani. You're trying to get closer to her family, aren't you? Impressive. You're more charming than the jungle-monkeys gave you credit for."

"I am…?"

Alpha-General Brennus clapped his hands, "I have a proposition for you."

"Uhh…—"

"You'll be ranked up to Specialist and join a covert operatives lineup known as Task Force Chameleon Five."

"What does that entail, Alpha-General?" Rex asked, deciding to go with the flow for now. "This could get me closer to the other canididates since AG Brennus more or less just cleared his name. But now I have another question. Isn't his older brother dating Imani's mother? Is he also on the task force. Am I on a task force with Ultra-General Brennus? If I can get closer to him along the way then let's go."

"Missions and operations that don't involve battlefields and Drift Dimensions. You're resourceful, charming, and have powerful connections without your own base. It makes you mysterious and enticing. You're a unique weapon I'd like to add to my arsenal."

"So what would you want me to do, Alpha-General?" Rex asked.

"Speak plainly, Specialist Rex."

"Ok." Rex felt like he was in the twilight zone.

"Your current mission as member of The Chameleon Five Covert Ops unit is to get closer to the Price Family. Imani Price's Mother, Tiyanna Price, has us at a donations cap and often keeps others from donating to us for the sake of anti-monopolizing laws. Your ultimate mission is to get us past those. The problem with these oligarchs and tech giants is they do the math that makes sense for our world— not the world we're fighting to regain. The one without portal filth and endless war. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Rex said.

"Then you're dismissed. You'll be found at another time to be given upgraded gear and badges."

Rex left feeling more confused than when he entered.

All in one day, he'd made another werepanther, started a base-shifting rumor and been ranked up to steal from the family of the woman who could've killed him a day ago…