Non- Negotiable Conditions Chapter 2

Bridgett watched me carefully as I sat down and kept an eye on the door with my ears jerking with each yelp that waned down the hallway. I guess she wanted my full attention because she didn’t open her mouth until I looked at her again. I folded my fingers together and perked my ears, curious about the intensity she’d watched me with. I’m still wondering if she might ask about the previous question I’d asked as I looked up at the camera and kicked myself for not noticing how well it had been hidden. Well, it wasn’t hidden, it’s just that the room was stacked from floor to ceiling with old bookcases and files no one had gotten around to putting into the new system, or junk people had thrown into the room to get out of the way, so no one had a reason to look at them too hard. Including me.

“What did you think about that interaction?”

Thankfully, she didn’t ask about the camera audio. I didn’t reply or react to the question, at least not until she started giggling.
“Strong silent type. We’d prefer you didn’t do that. We need you to be blunt, to the point, even show emotion.”

I narrowed my eyes because if they’d been watching me the last few months, long before I’d been notified of this happening, they knew that would have gotten me killed. Or at least maimed badly enough I wished I was. “Hyenas are not to be fucked with, Ms.?”

“You can call me Bridgett. Patience is a nice asset.”

“Bridgett. I don’t consider it patience. I consider it intelligence. I’m behind the curve. Please fill me in.”

“What do you know so far?”

I took a deep breath. “Three days ago, I was informed I was chosen to introduce a Subter to the Terrans. All I know is that this species has been underground for centuries and there isn’t much anyone knows about them. There are hardly any examples of them in the fossil records, let alone current knowledge. I was told they were willing and able to help revitalize water supplies, land, and wildlife.”

She looked me over and frowned. “You Haven’t been told much and you’re not happy about this?”

I hesitated as she watched with what I assumed was some kind of hope. “I’m not one to go against orders, but I have to say that I’m not the best one suited for this position.”

“Why do you think that?” At another hesitation she held her paws out. “Please, off the record if you’d like.”

“It’s….a waste of time.” This is why I don’t share my personal opinions. Ever watch the light die in someone’s eyes? If you’re lucky, they’ll have enough experience or heart to give you the chance to explain things. But most of the time, they walk away broken or angry. There’s enough darkness in the world. I don’t need to add a drop to it.

She let off a heavy sigh and chewed her lip. “Why is saving the world a waste of time?”

I guess I’m lucky today because she asked. Her ears perked as I leaned forward smiling. “I don’t need to explain the way the world is right now so this is going to be redundant. But it’s my answer. The sky is dark and sunlight doesn’t help much anymore. Nothing will grow and plants are dying off. The rain will kill almost everything it touches. Prey are starving. You know predators are hunting again because it’s easier and cheaper than buying proteins. Everything dies. Even planets. Why prolong the inevitable and cause more agony when you already see the end?”
“But you don’t hunt. You won’t even eat meat. Why is that?” I scowled and she chuckled in a deeper voice than most females registered as she flipped the locks on the brief case. “They call themselves Lofurs. The one you’ll be working with has been fitted with a collar that will allow him to speak to you, but I need to prepare you first.”

“Ok, I guess you think my personal opinions have no bearing on the outcome here. Why bother asking? He? I was told they had no sex.”

“So, you’ve looked into it or heard more than what you’ve said?” She smirked and looked at me like she knew about some dark secret I was hiding. As if I’d been anything but exactly what she’d seen or heard.

I pinned my ears back and leaned into my chair. “Rumors around base. Don’t assume it has anything to do with a false sense of hope.”

“I won’t. They don’t have a sex, but I can’t identify him any other way. ‘It’ just sounds mean. Their appearance is very unsettling and living with one is going to take patience because everything they know about us is technical.”

I almost spit the water in my mouth and pounded on my chest. Still trying to clear my throat, I gasped. “Did you say live with?”

“Yes. Accommodations have already been secured and you have a monthly stipend for personal needs and for-

“Why the hell would I live with it? Especially a species no one knows anything about? Do you know anything about what they can do, or how they could… By the whole of Evenyo, are you, all of you, mad? I may see what’s inevitable and think nature should go its own course, but I also know if you put anyone in a position where they’re being suffocated or attacked it’s a natural reflex to fight for air and avoid injury. That’s not saying anything about them- that’s saying something about me! If you or anybody else thinks I’m going into this without my claws up- you’re all nuts. No one can make me walk into certain death!”

She stopped digging through the brief case and closed it very slowly. Me keeping my eyes on her must have dissuaded her from the intimidation tactic or dramatic flair she was going for, but I think I saw some kind of compassion. She leaned back in the chair and glued her eyes to the door. “This isn’t something I’m supposed to tell you, Mr. Canker. But you’re the only hope we have for any kind of cooperation with the Lofurs. You don’t have a choice in the matter, but I’m asking anyway.”

I sat back and folded my arms over my chest, curling my lip. “You aren’t putting the weight of the world on my shoulders. No one is. It’s not my responsibility. I could give a f**k less about the position I’ve lost being volunteered or chosen for this. But if you want me to even consider it; I need answers. Am I still military personal?"

“Yes.”

“Title?”

“First recon commander intelligence.”

I had to smirk at that hogwash title. “Right. Next question; Why me?” I could see her fighting with herself before I chuckled. “You don’t have a choice. I do. I might get thrown in prison or have a dishonorable discharge on my record, but with the world the way is, no one will care. No one has me by the balls and no one ever will. I’d rather deal with the wrath of the hyena you just put me in the path of than walk into this blind.” She turned her eyes looking guilty and I scoffed. “What is it they want from us if they have the ability to fix everything?”

“I don’t know.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged. “If they want something I haven’t been told yet.”

“Great. Do you have any idea how many people recognize me now and how much bullshit I’ve had to deal with since it was leaked that I’m the one representing them? Dimmest, Gank, Cweller, just a few of the new words I’ve learned in the last few days, and I don’t even understand what they mean other than they might as well equate to your fucked.”

She sighed and closed her eyes, brushing her tusks along the desk. A habit many mammals with horns or tusks had under high pressure as it created a rhythmic hum in their heads that lulled tension headaches. “We didn’t choose you, Mr. Canker. They did.”

"Pardon?"

The look on my face must have moved her thoughts as she shook her head. “If it takes me telling you everything I know to consider this, then that’s what I’ll do. We don’t know how or why they choose you.” I gave her an expectant look and watched her lean back in her chair, still rubbing her tusks up and down the desk edge in front of her. “We announced this five years ago and have tried to give the public time to adapt to the idea.”
“I know that. Its common knowledge. How long have they known it was me?”

She looked at the floor and I curled my lip. “More than a year.”

“I’m nobody! I’d like it to stay that way!” She cringed and I buried my face in my paws as I rested my elbows on the desk. It wasn’t her fault. “It would have been nice if I’d been given the same consideration as the general public. I haven’t been to my house in more than three months. This is why I was stuck at the compound?”

“Yes. I know we could have told you, but proof that it was leaked was enough that our worries were founded. We didn’t want others to have influence over you or something…. worse. This is what they want. They’ve refused to work with anyone else.”

I looked up at her sarcastically and she cringed again. “They have to know something. You have to know something.”

“I swear we don’t know why they asked for you. We never knew what fields they were going to be working. We received a message about them after it was already done. We never planted seeds, tilled them, fertilized them. As far as we knew, they were dead areas. We were just informed they were ready to harvest. They’ve yielded more crops than anything in the surrounding fields for the last ten years. Then we were told to watch the wildlife population in certain areas and everything started coming back.”

I knew I looked incredulous before I said anything, but if she wanted things spoken and some emotion, she was about to get it. I got up and angrily paced the floor. At least I appeared to be angry. “You have no idea they were responsible for that! A dozen fields and fish in a few ponds isn’t proof they’re capable of changing anything significant and there is nothing special about me someone more qualified can’t take care of! Why the hell are they asking m-

“SIT!”

I was in the chair faster than I knew what happened. This isn’t a recognized command I’ve ever heard and I couldn’t comprehend how she did it. Apparently, neither could she. She was standing with her finger forcefully pointed at the top of the desk, and looked like the collision of what she’d just managed hit her as hard as it had me. I was looking up at her in awe as her face turned red. Her head dropped as she sat down and nervously played with the paws she rested in her lap. Technically she wasn’t a superior officer and had no power over me. I was obligated to listen and follow a requisition she gave me from an officer. I might get my as chewed for shooting off my mouth, nothing I couldn’t deal with. But she had no real authority over me. All I could do was stare and blink at her while I questioned the reality of the event. Why did I let her do that?

She peeked up at me and found interest in her paws again as I sat there with my mouth ajar. “I’m sorry, Mr. Canker. I shouldn’t have yelled, or spoken to you like that.”

Being stuck in this office for the last few years, and not being around people causes me to forget things. I’m a predator, technically she’s prey. I’m a lot bigger than her. I can look intimidating if I’m annoyed and animals are reverting to something primal. I just stood up in front of her waving my arms around with a slightly raised voice. She didn’t even flinch when Maltese was dragged from them room by his mate. Then again, none of that was aimed at her and she may have known it was coming. I probably scared the hell out of her. It’s easy to forget your size when you’re at the lowest totem for so long. She’s about five feet tall while I’m over six. Hell I have to look down at Maltese and haven’t given much thought to it until this moment. Warthogs are known to be able to take care of themselves. Still, I think I’m a little impressed she got up. I cleared my head with another blink and sighed. “It’s…ok. I should have thought before I moved. It was my mistake. You’re just here to deliver a message. I’ll listen. Sorry.”

She looked up with a small smile that was laced with as much appreciation as it was embarrassment. I couldn’t deny the nervous tension in the room I’d caused, but tried to smile as she walked back into the conversation as easily as you’d walk into a comfortable room. Though she was much more soft-spoken at this point.

“We thought the same and said as much about the fields and he crops. In retort to our comments, they pointed us in another direction as an act of faith. It’s not just a few, Mr. Canker. It’s in every county, every city, every river, every pond, even the oceans.”

I sat unable to think as she grabbed several pictures from her brief case and tossed them in front of me. Nothing but piles and piles of fresh fish. “Fish? These could have been taken years ago.” I couldn’t move when she pulled a bottle of water from the same briefcase and rolled it across the table. The motions I went through the grab it were automatic, but all I could do was stare as I held up the lens that warped the world behind it and tilt my eyes between it and the gray froth I’d been drinking. How far was their reach? How were they capable of doing something this…big? “Clean water? I haven’t seen anything like this since… We can’t even purify it enough to get it this clear. Forgive me for asking, but is this bullshit?”

“Every day the soil and water we test look better. We don’t know what they’re doing, but we need to find out. As for what we know about them. It’s not much. They’re given a specific place or orientation at the time of their birth, based on some kind of test. Each one of them has a specific task in their lifetime. Ale’s task was to come here, it’s all he’s studied since the day he was born.” I raised a brow and she shrugged. “He knows our language, or at least enough to communicate proficiently. But he has nothing as far as social capabilities and understanding. His vocabulary is sound enough, but it’s like talking to a child.”

It was a testament to her honesty how she kept her physical movements open with how she leaned back and opened her arms. Especially considering I’d just come off as hostile towards her. She didn’t hesitate to speak or keep eye contact. She was a little frustrated, something easy to spot by how she kept tapping one of her tusks, but there was no deception in her words or movements and if she’d met one…

“You’ve met one? How old is it? What do they look like?”

She nodded as my curiosity perked. “I can’t even describe what he looks like other than he’s supposedly one of the most attractive in their wren.”

“Attractive.... They consider others attractive but have no...” I shook it off at her matched confusion. “What’s a wren?”

“Some kind of nest, I think. From what’s been described, areas are sectioned off and there's one who births children in each wren while the community raises them. His age hasn’t been determined because they don’t seem to keep track of time. They don’t talk like us. They sing. His communication device uses a system that changes harmonic vibrations to vocalizations. It’s really quiet fascinating.”

I thought about it for a second and only came to one conclusion. “Bee’s. Bee’s talk a little like that by vibrating their wings and bodies. They use pheromones, like ants too. So, they’re like bee hives or an ant colonies?”

“No. They’re mammals and have indicated they’d reveal the origin of their species when the time is right.”

“How can you be sure they’re mammals? You can’t describe what he looks like, at all? Or is that you don't want to?"

“I…” she shook her head and scowled. “Alright...He has no fur and looks like he has fabric ears. Short nose, a little like a rabbit’s but longer. There are…I don’t know how to describe it. There are marks on his face that look like stripes, but when you get closer, they appear to be stretch marks. Some kind of scars maybe? At the sides of his mouth there are circles that puff out each time he breathes. He’s very short and pudgy. Almost an absence of a mouth. It’s very small. He eats with his tongue and doesn’t appear to have teeth. When he arrived, he was draped in something they thought would be acceptable as clothes and explained they didn’t wear any. There’s no reason for them to cover themselves. They’re homeothermic and maintain their own temperature. It is a mammal trait. We couldn’t check his blood. It has something to do with their skin being reactive. He doesn't do well in bright light. It doesn't seem to hurt him, but he’s mentioned it making him uncomfortable so we avoided cameras and bright lights. We were allowed to try to make a few things for his wardrobe, but it was difficult because his body is so strange. Almost like rolls of fat on someone overweight, but solid as stone. No neck to speak of. His paws drag the floor behind him because his arms are longer than his torso. Overall, he’s probably as wide as your shoulders. Unlike his torso his arms are long and spindly. His feet are just… he doesn’t really have legs. If he has knees, they’re pointed the wrong way and he walks on his toes. His fingers are much the same. Instead of three fingers and a thumb, they have four fingers that have balls on the end. I really can’t explain it any better.”

I considered this an odd description, but nothing I couldn’t deal with. Considering how quickly she answered, his appearance was something that either bothered, or intrigued her. “Reactive skin?”

“Its pale white, almost scaly in a few places, hardens when something touches it, and this is going to sound strange.”

“Everything you’ve said sounds strange.” I smiled and she sighed.

“Yes, well. There are small plates along his sides and down the only part of his chest you can see. They almost look like stitches or hooks, but I wasn’t willing to get any closer to investigate.”

I tilted my head watching her try not to move. Something about what she was saying and how she was reacting didn’t sit right. She’s hiding something. “Anything else?

“I’d say if that wasn’t enough, it’s his eyes that will bother you more than anything else.” I lifted a brow when she shivered. “They’re sunken in and blacker than ebony. Hollow and shiny like they’ve been polished even though they don’t seem to fit in the sockets.”

There it is again. She’s good at keeping her reactions hidden. “Hollow? You’re going to have to give me more than that.”

She shivered and this time I leaned forward watching the fur on her arms stand up. “Are you afraid of it?”

“……..N-no.” I chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

“Riiight. Bridgett, you wanted me to be direct and show emotion. I promise I won’t yell if you do the same. You’re asking me to walk into this. I have no reason to.” I had to take the pose. The one General Skelar took every time he wanted me to know he was disappointed or didn’t buy what I was saying, cupped a paw over my mouth, rested the other arm in front of me and narrowed my eyes before I tipped a brow with a very disappointed and expectant look on my face.

She looked at me and her face twisted into a sour expression as her arms lifted. “He’s just weird looking, ok?! Like a deformed furless baby even a mother wouldn’t want to touch!”

Don’t laugh. I can’t laugh. I covered my mouth with a paw and bit my tongue because I can’t laugh. She’s being serious and I don’t want to hurt her feelings after I upset her earlier. She’s not afraid of the thing. She thinks its gross. Like a bug someone doesn’t want in their house. I’m fighting off the visual of her jumping on a chair and screaming. Why the hell do I think this is so funny? I no longer have any kind of fear going into this. I just have to keep nodding, crunching my gut until she’s done and act like this is something I understand.

“When I say his eyes are sunken in and hollow- I mean it!”

It shouldn’t be this funny. I’m digging my claws into the flesh behind the arm I’m holding over my face trying to distract myself. The only reason she can’t see it is because I already had my paw wrapped around the bottom of my arm on the desk, but I’m not sure she’d notice right now anyway. She’s so serious, and so animated. My eyes are starting to water…it’s worse than trying to hold in a sneeze.

“They’re slanted like they’re almost closed, but you can see his eyes move when he’s watching you. It’s like a black marble rolling inside the bottom of a grey bottle? There’s nothing behind his eyes but empty space! They look like they’d fall out if he opened them any wider. He has to move his head back and forth to look around, but because of the rings around his body he can’t tilt his head back very far or look directly up. I just….he seems so innocent and sweet. But I don’t want to touch him.”

It should be illegal to hold in laughter. I haven’t had something make me want to laugh like this in years and I know the muscles in my stomach are going to remind me later and make it start all over. I shook myself and cleared my throat trying to get my internal organs straight again so I could respond to what she was explaining. Or at least act like I wasn’t dying from the laughter I’d just lost, and used the loss to fuel the somber expression I aimed at her when I dropped my paw from my face. “And you... want me... to live with the thing?”

She looked so defeated. “Mr. Canker, I can’t imagine how you’re trying to make sense of this, because even I can’t. There's an apartment in the Primwood Arena that will house both of you in separate quarters that adjoin to a single living space. They seem to want nothing other than getting to know how things work here in exchange for helping us. They’ve asked for you as their guide.”

I huffed and shook my head. “I’m a skeptic. Things can seem one way and be something else.”

“We know. Considering the exams they allowed, and all the information they’ve given us openly, we don’t believe they’re dangerous. But the way they’re built, they’d be difficult to injure. They seem secretive when letting us know much about how they live, but just as childlike in their honesty when asked anything. It may be because we don’t know how to ask the right questions. We need someone we can trust to keep an eye on him and help him navigate things until we’re sure of their intentions.”

“I’m not even sure what agency or agencies are behind this, but the Primwood Arena? Their canopy protects the whole province from the rain. That’s uptown on a level most people can’t afford in a few lifetimes... It’s unlikely they’ll admit anything we’d consider dangerous if they’re going so far as wearing clothing to blend in. I have just as many reasons to distrust you and any agency you’re representing, Bridgett.”

Her ears pinned back as she closed her eyes. “You do. You have to understand that Ale is the only one we’ve met or been allowed to interact with personally. All our other communications have been through technology they shouldn’t have access to. It's caused quite the scare. But all I can tell you is what I know and what I’ve seen. I’ve been told you’re a go with the flow kind of guy. You…haven’t said no.”

“They offer help, but pose a significant threat, while appearing to be harmless?” She nodded as I shook my head. “You can’t reverse the tech to find out how they’re seeing anything?”

“No. We can’t even figure out how they’re entering the system.”

“No idea why they chose me, at all?”

“I’m afraid not, Mr. Canker. It seems that Ale hasn't been given the full picture on anything and may be a…”

“Guinee pig.” I huffed as I looked back at the door. “Is General Skelar behind this? Does this have anything to do with what happened before?”

“Ale asked for you by name….What happened before? How does General Skelar fit in? Do you know him?” When she cocked her head like a confused cockatiel I had to smile. She had no idea what I was talking about.

“Bridgett, do you know General Skelar?”

She crinkled her nose and nodded. “We’ve met several times. He came in after the initial contact, but as far as I know wasn’t directly involved again until the Lofurs asked for you. He assessed the first contact, determined there wasn't a threat unless they made a hostile demand and concurred on keeping things silent unless something warranted action. Why?”

Well holy s**t, I can still be surprised. The old wolf has known about this for a while but didn’t throw my name in the hat. He never said a word. I should be used to that by now. Not that we ever talked much anyway, but still.

“Mr. Canker?”

“Uh, no it doesn’t matter. If this Subter is in same boat I am- Why not. I have nothing better to do and nowhere to be. I need to make arrangements for my family home before I move in and meet the guy.”

"Really? You're agreeing?"

"Yep. You talked me into it."

“You aren’t living on base?”

“Not since boot camp. My family home is only a few miles outside the compound.”

“You’re serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Do you think I’m lying?”

“No! No! This is wonderful! Tell me what you need and I’ll help you get things in order.”

I shrugged. “I’m not in the best neighborhood and need to board the place up, pack essentials and put some things in storage. Nothing I need help with. Just have some food for me when I get there. You already know I don't eat meat. All pastes, powders, and protein packs. Is there a projected timeline for integration?"

“Er….Not really. It all depends on how well Ale is accepted, perceived, and his personal tolerances. We’re hoping for a year of acclimation, but it could be longer? There are a few other rules.”

I had to sigh, but saw it coming. “No weapons, right?”

She cringed. “And the-

“Don’t tell me. I’m sure I’ll figure it out. As long as I can bring my clothes and there’s food, I’ll live. I’ll also defend myself with whatever I can get my paws on if necessary and have a guard up until I know he’s not trying to kill anyone.”

“Of course. I'll pick you up here in the morning, around nine?”

“That'll work.”

"Mr. Canker, may I ask why you're agreeing to this when you understand you don't have to?"

"Other than wanting to know why they chose me and you talking me into it- F**k if I know."

She giggled and shook her head. “You'll have to be careful what you say around him. There are some things he just doesn't understand."
"Then we already have something in common."

"One more thing." I stood getting ready to make a few calls and the warthog smirked as she handed me a small slip of paper. I stumbled into the wall, blinking at it and looked back when she giggled. “That’s your monthly stipend. If you can give me your bank details tomorrow, we can arrange for it to be a direct deposit each month. Ale will be provided everything he needs by his own species, other than what you introduce him to. But we hope to encourage you to be just as generous with him as they have been with us.”

“This is directly from the treasury?”

“Yes.”

All I could do was nod as I caught my weight and imagined how the f**k a monthly stipend was more than my yearly salary. Too many other questions had me struggling to quiet my mind as I went along with the foreseeable disaster.