Ashen woke up and licked her lips. Her eyes flew open and she raised her head, wondering what time of day it was. There were no windows in the lab so she couldn't see the sun. It was probably a good thing but she wanted to know if it was time for her to leave her crate.

"Whisper," she asked as her eyes dilated a bit. "Whisper do you know what time it is?"

Whisper snorted and rose to her paws. "No I don't wear a watch," she flashed before she stretched out, groaning in the effort. Her back was on fire but what hurt even more than her back was her shoulders. She felt as though someone had taken her bones and pushed them through her flesh. She didn't even want to look at herself for fear that she would hate what she saw.

She leaned forward and stretched out her muzzle from the bars of the cage. She tasted the air and didn't detect any Terrans. "I think it's safe," Whisper explained as she stretched out one of her aching paws. She extended her claws and twisted it into the lock. It opened and fell to the ground with a clank. She then opened the latch and leaped out, instantly regretting it.

"Great Starbound that hurt," she grunted as she hobbled over to Pallid's crate. She undid the lock and opened the door for Pallid. She smiled and Pallid lifted his head.

"What are you doing," asked Pallid as he turned his head away.

"What do you mean," asked Whisper in amusement, trying to hold her own pain. She knew that Pallid was in more pain and despair than she'd ever be in so the group had agreed that they would never complain about their pain or lives for that matter when Pallid was listening.

"You shouldn't be wasting your time with me," he growled harshly as his shoulder tensed a bit since that was one of the only parts of his body he could move on command.

"That's the most stupid thing I've every heard," Whisper snorted in amusement as she padded up to Pallid and was about to lick his ear comfortingly but he turned his head away and Whisper's eyes widened a bit in shock. "Nothing has changed, Pallid. You're still the smart and handsome tom."

"Yeah right," muttered Pallid and if he he could he would have lashed his tail. "I'm useless and you know it!"

"Pallid," chided Whisper as she leaned forward but Pallid turned his head again and Whisper couldn't help but allowing hurt to show in her eyes.

"I can't walk, can't run, can't do much! I just stay here all day and feel like a waste of space," he muttered and Whisper flicked her tail to and fro, not caring if it was offensive to Pallid.

"So you don't care about me," Whisper asked as she tapped her paw impatiently. "I didn't think so."

"No," corrected Pallid quickly as he forced himself to look at her and when he saw the devastation in her eyes it made his heart ache. "I love you more than anything Whisper. I love you more than a friend and you know that."

"Yet you won't allow me anything," she pointed out. "You won't let me see you and you certainly won't let me be anywhere near you. I stayed with you when you were first injured and tried to make you feel comfortable and you don't care."

"That is not it at all," argued Pallid with fire in his eyes. "I'm not worth you Whisper. I love you but I'm not worth you. You're beautiful and smart and perfect and I'm just me."

"You are perfect to me," assured Whisper as she took a step forward and this time Pallid allowed her to touch her nose to his.

"Great, great," mumbled Ashen as she rolled her eyes, able to hear the whole conversation although she didn't want to. "You're both perfect now can someone let me out?"

Whisper purred in amusement and padded out of the crate before she leaped and clasped onto the bars of Ashen's crate. "Sorry," she apologized as she extended her claw and twisted it into the lock. It fell onto the ground and she undid the latch. She leaped down and Ashen pushed her head against the door as it swung open.

She leaped down, swallowing her pain and looked toward Pallid who looked embarrassed that she had heard their conversation. "You know what," she asked as she shoved her head under Pallid's shoulders and forced him on his front legs, his hind quarters dragging. "Let's walk."

"Walk where," asked Pallid as he tilted his head in confusion. "And in case you don't know I can't walk."

"Maybe not like us but you can walk," Ashen barked as she looked to Whisper who nodded in agreement. "You just take one step forward with your shoulder and drag your hindquarters. You may be slower but you can get places."

Pallid didn't seem to want to try but he decided he'd humor Ashen. He let out a breath and placed one of his shoulders forward before he dragged his hindquarters forward. It took major effort but he smiled in relief when he realized he could actually move.

"Great job Pallid," praised Whisper as she smiled broadly. "See you're not useless!"

Ashen wagged her tail before she pointed her muzzle toward the end of the crates. "Now let's see how far you can go. We need to see if everything is alright with Somber and Grenade. They'd usually be here by now."

"Good idea," agreed Whisper as she padded alongside Pallid, keeping pace with him and making sure she wasn't going too fast.

Ashen took the lead as she watched others pass them, heading to the Social Circle. They headed the opposite directions and dipped her head to a few foxes, cats, and wolves as they passed. They smiled back and she couldn't help looking at all of their wounds and cybernetic implants. You couldn't see the injections but you could see what they did to them. Some looked larger and stronger, others seemed faster and more agile, while other their already intelligent mind was improved. Other had paws like Grenade and Whisper so they worked like a Terrans. Others now walked on their hind legs like a Terran and Ashen was getting more used to that. Some even were beginning to wear clothes like Terrans.

"Ashen," Whisper meowed, interrupting Ashen's daydream.

She turned her head and met Whisper's eyes. "Yes Whisper," she asked, her voice hollowed as she thought of how much the Terrans were turning creatures like her into them.

"Did you hear what happened to Grenade," she asked, her eyes widened in shock and admiration.

"No, should I," asked Ashen as she flicked her tail. She looked to Pallid and she could tell that he already knew. She hated being the last one to know things.

Whisper shrugged before she bounded in front of Ashen and walked backwards while Ashen continued forwards. "Grenade woke up in the middle of his surgery and he spoke, like a Terran!"

"Is that even possible," Ashen gasped as the fur along her spine bristled. They really were becoming like Terrans.

"It seems to be," pointed out Pallid smartly but Ashen ignored him and continued looking at Whisper with round eyes. She then realized that Whisper was looking at her up and down, as if examining her. Ashen knew there was more to this story than what Whisper had told her so far.

"Also," Whisper began once she realized that Ashen wanted her to continue. "They say that the Terrans gave you the same thing that they gave to Grenade to make him talk."

"Just us two," inquired Ashen although she was disgusted that it was her that would be able to speak Terran. Why would she want to communicate with those who were causing her unbelievable pain each day?

Whisper nodded slowly. "As far as we know but who knows what the Terrans will do."

"They probably want to make sure it works with you two first," cut in Pallid as he continued dragging himself as quickly as he could. Ashen slowed, realizing how fast she was moving and that Pallid was panting as he tried to keep up.

"Well we know it worked with Grenade," purred Whisper as she lashed her tail. "Maybe she'll tell the Terrans to leave us alone."

"And how stupid is that," grumbled Ashen as she wrinkled her nose. "Then they'll just lash out at us more."

Whisper hung her head in understanding before Ashen halted at Somber and Grenade's crate. "Somber," she barked as she leaped against her brother's crate. She stuck her nose between the bars and whimpered. "Somber, you awake?"

"I am now," he grumbled as he rose to his paws and padded to the entrance of his crate. He pawed at the lock but he couldn't open it. "Darn it!"

"I got it," assured Whisper as she leaped onto Ashen's shoulders and stuck a claw into the lock and turned it. The lock fell and she undid the latch. Somber leaped out, dipping his head to Whisper in thankfulness.

"Where's Grenade," asked Ashen as she lashed her tail as Whisper climbed down from her flank.

"Where do you think," grumbled Somber as he threw his head toward his crate. He muttered under his breath. "He hasn't said two words to me in hours. I'll ask him questions and he won't answer."

Ashen dipped her head. "Open it Whisper and I'll try to talk to him," she barked while Whisper nodded in agreement. The she-cat climbed to Grenade's crate and undid the lock and latch.

"Good luck," she meowed before she leaped down and began to talk with Somber and Pallid. Ashen wished she could talk to them but she wanted to make sure Grenade was alright. It wasn't like him not to answer when Somber or her asked him a question and that worried her.

She leaped into his crate and saw him laying in the back. His black pelt made him difficult to see but Ashen saw the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Everything else seemed to be as still as if could be. His back was facing Ashen and she saw that now he had wires down his back to his hind legs. You couldn't see any of the implants but he saw the sloppy sealed up scars. She knew that fur would grow over them eventually but they'd always be here. His shoulders and top of his spine were a mess. Implants and wires shone everywhere and she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She knew her own body couldn't look much better but she had been here a lot less time than Grenade had been.

"Grenade," she barked gently as she lowered her head into her shoulders. When he didn't answer she took a step forward. "Grenade please. It's me, Ashen."

Ashen saw his ear twitch so she knew that he heard her. She sat down to show him that she wasn't going anywhere. She licked her lips before she licked a paw and drew it over her ears. She then began grooming her chest fur and tried to clean up some wound on the base of her back. She wasn't sure how long she was there before Grenade finally spoke.

"Why are you here," he asked in such a raspy and quiet tone that Ashen had to lean forward.

"I'm here for you," she replied as she puffed out her fur a bit in pride. "Somber said you weren't speaking so I thought you just needed someone who understood what you're going through."

"Going through," he echoed as he managed to sit up, his back tensing a bit and Ashen could tell it hurt. His back was still turned to her but when he spoke she saw his pearl white teeth gleaming. "Why would you know what I'm going through?"

Ashen took a step forward but saw Grenade's fur bristle as a warning so she stopped and sat back down, her tail wrapping around her paws. "I know that you spoke and so does the rest of the lab by now and I know I haven't bur I have the ability to, I believe."

"I wouldn't," Grenade suggested, grunting in the effort as he finally turned to face her and Ashen's breath was caught in her throat. His eyes looked almost haunted while there was a large nick on his ear. His muzzle looked scratched and while the scars would heal they looked extremely painful. She saw dried blood under his nose and the only way he could have lost that much blood from a nosebleed was if he had been hit.

"What happened," she gasped as she felt terror coarse through her veins.

Grenade raised a paw and brushed it under his nose, trying to claw off the crusted blood. He curled his lip. "Terrans. They tried to get me to speak and this is what happened!"

Ashen felt the weight of his words weigh on her more than they probably should. "Grenade I'm so sorry," she began but realized that saying sorry for the Terrans helped no one. She just hung her head, her breath caught in her throat. She didn't want to say anything that would make it worse for Grenade but she just couldn't say nothing.

"They find joy in this," growled Grenade, his teeth now bared in a full snarl. His muscles bunched and Ashen knew that he was barely containing his pent up rage. "They smile when they whip me and they laugh when my blood drips. Who finds joy in this?!" As much as if sounded like a question it wasn't and Ashen knew it.

She understood to a degree what he meant. She hated it here but there was nothing she could do about it. Anytime the Terrans saw them they wanted to make them live in pain. "Sick, maladjusted Terrans," she confessed as she brought herself a paw-length away from Grenade.

He narrowed his eyes to slits up to him and took in a heavy breath. "They killed my sister, her daughter, they won't kill me," he declared as he extended his claws and Ashen realized how sharp and deadly they were. They could slice through a Terran's throat no problem.

"They won't get us," agreed Ashen as she slammed a paw against the ground and felt her muscles tense and ripple. "They can torture us, lock us up, and even implant us with things that should never be in anyone, but they can't destroy us and do you know why?"

"Because we're not worth killing," asked Grenade out of the corner of his eyes.

Ashen shook her head. "Because we have purpose. We have a fire in us to live." She curled her own deadly claws. "They will never be able to extinguish this fire."

"I feel like they already have," confessed Grenade but Ashen was determined prove him wrong.

"We're still here, aren't we?" Ashen flashed her teeth in a smile. "As long as we're together and as long we have friends who support us there is nothing those Terrans can do to us." Her tail thumped against the ground. "They can hurt us and torture us but we will continue to fight. Will you fight with me Grenade?"

Grenade turned and smiled, something that Ashen hadn't seen before. "Always Ashen," he meowed as he turned and dipped his head. "Will you?"

The question took her a bit by surprise but she didn't hesitate when she spoke. "Always Grenade, always."