The blades on the helicopter were still spinning overhead as Dr. Twist ran up, ducking his head to prevent being decapitated. His tie flew all about his face and white lab coat. The engines, though they were throttled back, roared with deafening power. The doctor was grateful for the ear protectors he wore. No sooner than he'd reached the fuselage than the sliding door slid back to allow the passenger of the long- range chopper to disembark. A crewman in a blue jumpsuit helped the formally dressed and middle-aged man step down to the cement tarmac. Dr. Twist reached out his hand and yelled over the din. "Senator Haught?" he called out. "Welcome to our island, sir! Did you have a good flight?" The gray-haired gentleman shook the doctor's hand with an air of authority. "It was too long," he yelled back. "Nobody told me the flight took over two hours!" "I'm sorry for your discomfort, sir," the doctor said, directing him toward a four wheel drive vehicle parked about 20 feet away on a muddy trail. "My employer, Mr. Woompa, has told me to do everything in my power to make you comfortable during your fact-finding mission." The two men hunched low and walked away from the helicopter. As the door slammed closed and the men got safely out of the reach of the rotors, the engine whined and sped up once more. A few seconds later, both men turned and watched as the bright orange helicopter lifted itself from the ground, turned, and raced over the thick jungle foliage, vanishing into the morning mist. Both men reached up and removed their hearing protection. "I don't suppose you could tell me something about why Mr. Woompa moved his corporate headquarters out here to this island?" the senator asked, turning to face the other man. "Sorry, sir." Dr. Twist motioned toward the jeep again. "I'm just his chief scientist. I don't know all the ins and outs of his corporation." "Well, it's damn strange; moving so much material and money to the middle of nowhere. And all the advanced genetic engineering equipment coming here as well. Not exactly normal behavior for a fast food chain." "I'm certain that Mr. Woompa will be able to answer all your questions when we get to the main building." "The sooner," Senator Haught fumed, "the better." *** "I have to admit, Mr. Woompa sure chose a pretty island to move to," Senator Haught grudgingly admitted out loud as the scientist drove the jeep along a barely-visible trail through the jungle. Occasional breaks in the foliage allowed the elder statesman glimpses of brown and green cliffs. And further down, the deep blue of the ocean was outlined in stark contrast by brilliantly white beaches. Dr. Twist kept his eyes on what passed for a road. "It has its charms," he replied. "I see that good roads aren't among them. If I had to find my own way back to the helipad, I doubt I'd make it." Twist grinned slightly. "Well, I don't believe you need worry none. Besides, we're already here." With that the off-road vehicle turned right, coming around a copse of vine-covered trees and faced a concrete and steel bunker built in the middle of a clearing among the lava rocks. It was all squared corners and white painted walls; harshly different from the organic curves and green leaves around it. About two dozen blue-glazed windows peeked out of the single story building. Senator Haught looked on the scene with some amazement. "Lord," he mumbled. "The work it must have taken to build something like this in the middle of nowhere." Dr. Twist turned the vehicle to park in front of the steel double doors in the middle of the building. "Well now, I wouldn't say it was done in secret." "No? Why not?" The scientist smiled at him as he turned off the engine. "If it were, you wouldn't be here right now." He pulled the handle and opened his door, stepping out onto the wet grass. The senator did the same a few seconds later. *** "Ah! Senator Haught! Delighted to have you here on my island, at last." Mr. Woompa was dressed all in khaki, sporting an australian rifleman's hat and a brown photographer's jacket. His middle-aged face showed only a few creases and crevices and was clean-shaven. Raven black hair adorned the top of his head and was cleanly trimmed in a military-style crew cut. He stood at the doorway to the building, smiled a toothy grin and stuck his right hand out for his visitor to shake. "A pleasure to be here, Mr. Woompa." The senator shook the offered hand without so much as a smirk. "Although I wish you had placed your new headquarters a bit closer to land." "Ah! But if I had, then you wouldn't be here to investigate, now would you?" "I see your reputation for getting right to the point is not without merit." Woompa nodded. "One doesn't become C.E.O. of the fastest growing fast food chain on the continent by beating about the bush." "Yet, you moved all the way out here, into the bush itself. Together with all the other mysterious activities... I find the whole thing to be puzzling." Mr. Woompa never dropped his smile and gestured for him to come with him down the hall. He began walking, with Dr. Twist keeping a respectful distance behind him. "Well, since I'm not on American soil, I don't see why I should have to tell you anything. But I will; for no other reason than I feel like it. What sort of mysterious activities are you referring to?" Senator Haught snorted at the notion that anyone would dare to suggest that they didn't have to comply with any order he gave, but decided not to press the issue so long as Woompa cooperated. He withdrew a small notecard from his coat pocket he'd prepared beforehand and glanced at it. "Well, it is a matter of record that, for years now, you have been pouring large sums of money into the Organization for Wilderness Defense; an ecological organization that uses violent and destructive means to stop the development of undeveloped areas." "I'm allowed to give my money to whomever I please, Senator," Woompa's voice echoed in the bare cement hallway along with their footsteps. "I've made no secret that I think mankind needs to stop expanding into the wild and leave what little wilderness remains alone." Haught scowled. "Our growing populace needs room to grow," he said. "Not if the price includes making thousands of species extinct, it doesn't." "That's not for you to decide, Mr. Woompa." Woompa glanced across at him, his blue eyes sparkling. "We'll see," he said, almost mockingly. "What other activities are you interested in investigating while you're here?" Haught looked at his notecard again. "Even stranger is your purchase of very advanced genetic engineering equipment. And your hiring of the best scientists and engineers in the gene manipulation field. You've single- handedly taken our best and brightest away from American shores and brought them to this spider-infested rock." Mr. Woompa nodded. "I'm also allowed to hire anyone I please, as well. Once again, I've broken no laws; especially considering this island is outside U.S. jurisdiction in the first place." Senator Haught narrowed his eyes. "Is that why you moved your company headquarters out here? To escape U.S. law?" he asked. "Or are you just trying to avoid paying taxes on your enterprise?" Mr. Woompa turned to face a set of double doors in the wall and pushed them open. "To escape the law," he said, waving the senator and Dr. Twist inside. "Too many rules and too many nosy people in government; present company included." Senator Haught was beside himself. How dare anyone talk to him that way! "And are you avoiding the law due to the numerous disappearances of so many people in your restaurants?" he snapped, bringing up his final concern. "Is that why you're hiding out here?" Woompa nodded again. "I can't believe it!" Haught said in astonishment. "You, a mass murderer? Why?" Mr. Woompa stopped in front of another double door marked "HIGH X TRAINING. DANGER!" He turned and stared hard at the senator. "And who says that all those people are dead?" he asked, his eyes boring into the elderly man's head. "Have you found any bodies? Any at all?" "Don't you give me that lawyer double-talk!" Haught shouted. "More than 700 people have been reported missing at your restaurants around the country over the past two years!" "Really?" Woompa looked behind the senator and spoke out loud. "Are his numbers correct, Beth?" "Actually, the correct figure is 1385 people," a soft feminine voice said behind the senator. The senator spun around to confront whoever managed to sneak up and follow him so closely without his being aware. He opened his mouth to give the person a verbal thrashing. Upon seeing the person speaking however, the only sound to escape his mouth was a small gurgling gasp! Standing there behind him was a 6 foot tall red and white animal, walking erect on its hind legs. Senator Haught glimpsed what could only be described as a tail jutting out from behind her. And it was clearly a her; the gray haltertop she wore covered her chest, but did nothing to disguise the subtle curves of her figure. She was wearing a white skirt, (which allowed her tail to sway freely, the senator noted) a belt with a two-way radio set, and a small mike and headphone piece with the speaker clipped to one of her large reddish ears. The senator let out another small squeak as he stared at the tall fox. "Ah!" Woompa cried. "I see you've just met my secretary. Beth, this is Senator Haught. Senator, this is my assistant and my right arm, Beth." Beth smiled, revealing her pearly teeth as she extended a hand to shake with the senator. Haught quickly backpedaled, trying to keep his distance. Only the concrete wall prevented him from bolting and running away. His eyes were wild with fear and focused on Beth. "Pay up Woompa!" Dr. Twist said with a laugh. "20 bucks. I told you he'd freak on seeing his first trans." Mr. Woompa frowned and reached into his pocket, shaking his head the whole time. He pulled out a bill and handed it to the doctor. "It was a gamble I had to take," he sighed. Then he turned to the terrified senator once more. "Really, senator. There's no need for hysterics. She's only my secretary, after all. You could at least be polite and shake her hand." Senator Haught looked from person to person, still in a state of shock. Then he turned and looked at Beth, who was no longer smiling, but still had her hand out. Slowly, carefully, he reached out towards Beth's extended hand and clasped it in his own. He shuddered as he felt her velvety skin gently squeeze his hand. "There now," she said to him. "See, that wasn't so bad. I don't bite." "Unless she really likes you…" Dr. Twist added with a deep chuckle. Beth took her hand back and turned to Twist, scowling. "I swear to you doctor, we are going to put you into that machine of yours someday. And when you become a trans and we're on equal footing, I'm going to pound you like a cheap two-penny nail!" "Sorry Beth; I need him to stay human for a long time to come," Woompa interrupted. "You'll just have to content yourself with whipping Twist at raquetball for awhile yet." Beth grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Your day's coming, doc. You should know better than to tease the animals." "Er, excuse me," Senator Haught said, recovering slowly from his fright. "But just who, or rather, WHAT, is… is… that?" He pointed a shaking finger at Beth. "What the hell have you done, Woompa?" "Done?" Woompa leaned on his black cane as he watched the trembling Haught. "My dear man, I'm far from done. But if you ask what I am doing, well… "You've met Beth, of course. She's one of those people who have come to my restaurants around the country and were never heard from again. And if your intelligence people were worth a damn, you'd know that all those people who disappeared were members of the Organization for Wilderness Defense. She's hardly dead, as you can plainly see. Neither are any of the other volunteers. All 1385 people who vanished are here on this island, in training." "In training?" Senator Haught regained his arrogant demeanor. "In training for what?" "I'll show you," Woompa said with a smirk. He pushed on the door marked "DANGER" and held it open for the others to pass through. The door led to the outside; the far side of the building, Haught noted. In front of him was a small clearing where the trees had been torn down. And in the middle of the clearing was what looked like a bulldozer, sitting motionless in the center of the field. "I've taken the liberty of preparing a demonstration for you, Senator." Woompa announced. He then turned to his secretary. "Beth, if you'd be so kind…" he asked her. Beth then pressed a key on her radio, and spoke something softly into the microphone. On cue, the four camouflaged coyotes that were hiding in the brush leaped up and raced across the clearing. Haught stared in wide-eyed disbelief as the four commandos rushed toward the bulldozer with inhuman speed. He suddenly realized what sort of military benefits were possible for someone with animal traits as the group of warriors leaped onto the machine, and together pulled small satchel charges from the utility belts each of them wore. All four slapped their charges onto parts of the heavy bulldozer, then immediately ran off again; disappearing into the jungle once more. A scant few seconds later the charges detonated, and Haught dropped flat on the ground. The explosion ripped the engine of the bulldozer to shreds, leaving burning wires and fuel lines as testament to the effectiveness of the attack. It had taken only seconds to accomplish. "Excellent!" Woompa called out as bits of metal and dirt rained down about him. He, Dr. Twist, and the fox, Beth, hadn't bothered to duck. They were still erect while Woompa clapped his hands in delight. "Well done, my warriors! Well done!" He looked down at the prone senator laying at his feet. "Are you getting a good view down there?" He laughed. Senator Haught stood up unsteadily, dirt and mud smeared all over the front of his expensive suit. "What the hell was that for?" he asked. "You wanted to know what we were training for. I thought it best to give you a demonstration." "You're going to war with Caterpillar?" Woompa laughed again. "Heavens no, good man. We are going to war with all those developers who think they can just waltz into a forest and level everything in sight. "See, long ago it became clear that the only way to defend the land was to become a part of it. Otherwise, the damage could be done long before anybody could get around to try and prevent it. But to live in the wild, you have to be somewhat wild yourself. Not a lot of grocery chains or running faucets in the wilderness, you know." "That's where the genetic bit came in," Dr. Twist spoke up. "We had no shortage of volunteers to guard and protect what is left of the wild. But we needed a way to let them survive like the very animals they were willing to protect. Suddenly it came to us; what if animals could themselves protect the forests?" "So they found a way to convert us from human form to Transhuman form," Beth added. "Trans for short." "So now I have an army; a thousand strong," Woompa said while stamping his cane on the wet dirt. "Soon, they will guard and protect what little is left of the wilderness from the evils of development. With force, if necessary." "That's impossible! How are your soldiers going to be supplied with explosives and tools if they are living a feral existence in the middle of nowhere?" "My chain of restaurants has trucks traveling all over the country in the dead of night," Woompa explained. "It's really simple to carry weapons as well as Big Snacks. And even simpler to instruct the drivers, who are members of the same group, to drop them off here and there for their fellows to use." "You're mad!" Haught cried. "You are talking about starting a bloody civil war here!" Woompa shook his head. "Not at all," he explained. "I'm creating a way for the wilderness to protect itself from rampaging humans and their demolition machines. Destroy the machines, and you destroy man's power. Simplicity itself." "Never! There's no way in hell I'm going to let you get away with this!" Woompa cocked an eyebrow and looked amused. "And what do you plan to do about it?" he asked. "I'll stop you. You just watch. I'll see to it that every truck in your fleet gets searched for weapons at least 10 times a night. I'll have the navy come in here and blast this island back to the stone age. I'll make sure that you spend the rest of your life watching fungus grow in the corner of your cell in Fort Leavenworth!" "But to do all of that, you have to get off the island first. Now don't you?" Woompa and Dr. Twist both let out a sardonic laugh, and Haught began to feel nervous. But if he was going to get through this he knew he had to play his cards from a position of strength. "You wouldn't dare touch me," he bluffed, hoping his suddenly sweaty brow didn't reveal how scared he really was. "If you hurt me, I'll be missed. Others will come, with big guns and bad attitudes." "That's assuming your chopper ever got here," Woompa said. He then nodded to Beth, who almost immediately began talking into her microphone again. "But alas, your chopper is about to experience some kind of mechanical problem and crash into the sea. All I have to say is that you never arrived, and that's that. You were never here; you died when your chopper went down." "Which isn't too far from the truth," Twist added with delight. Haught backed away from the trio, eyes wide with alarm. "Now… Now lets not do anything we will all regret," he said while moving into the center of the field and onto the ruined bulldozer. Woompa shook his head in negation. "The only thing I regret is thinking that somehow, someway, you might have been able to see things the way we see them; that the world is dying, and if we don't act fast there won't be anything left to save. But I can see now that Dr. Twist was right all along. You aren't interested in saving anything. That makes you part of the problem." "You are betraying civilization, Woompa! You are betraying mankind!" "All to save the world." He turned to Beth, who looked adoringly back at him. "It's a fate I can live with. Beth, do me a favor, and do something about this little problem, would you please?" He pointed to the bulldozer, and the trembling figure upon it. Beth nodded, and Woompa and Twist turned their backs on Haught to walk back into the building while Beth spoke into her microphone again. Haught cursed angrily at the pair as they vanished from his sight. He then turned to face the 3 black-dressed canines coming slowly toward him from the brush. They were carefully easing forward, menacing with their masks and knives. Haught looked about for anything he could use as a weapon, but found nothing. He could have sworn that the three monsters were smiling at him, taking their time in reaching him. He couldn't be sure, with the masks and all. But in a blinding flash of pain he understood the reason. His last thought was that there were four coyotes, not three.