WHEN we last saw our heroes, the team had just extracted themselves from the lake below the fox’s den. CONFRONTED with the possibility that there might be engineered animals besides the Ferocious Felines, the professor investigates. UNKNOWN to them, a larger syndicate exists, with an even more sinister plan that Chillwave could ever have devised WAKING up from its encounter with an icy wall, the fox tells its tale…. “No tell anything. My masster… not… want ssspeak you,” the fox spat; strapped to a rock projecting out from the den wall. “You… kill me.” It laughed, spitting out teeth and blood. “We ain’t gonna kill you, Mac. You’re much better at putting a bag on yourself anyway.” Void Cat pointed to the mud floor in front of the fox. Several teeth lay in a pool of blood. Shadow’s lip curled in revulsion. “You must be more careful, my friend. Dis is not good for your smile,” she said, wiping the fox’s mouth with a rag torn from a piece of cloth found in the den. It was part of Shadow’s first combat costume, still made from her Soviet cat collar. “Ssstop… nicey,” the fox growled, garbling out the words. It could speak, but with nowhere near the vocabulary or elocution the ferocious felines had. The professor cleared his throat and stared at the fox. He looked at its face while it spoke, like analyzing a sample of bacteria found in the bottom of a pond. “Do you remember anything about your life before?” He asked the canid. “Before? What asssk, hooman?” the fox addressed him without looking up. The professor cleared his throat again, then repeated his query. “Before you were engineered to speak, what was your life before? Do you remember any of it?” “No before. Born this,” the fox answered. “You mean, you were a kit that could speak?” The professor raised an eyebrow and rubbed his bearded chin. “Yesss, all ssspeak,” the fox answered after considerable strain. “All? How many of you mugs are there?” Void Cat asked, her whiskers vibrating. “Not telling. You mussst kill,” the fox reiterated, then violently shook in its bonds, trying to loosen them enough to break free. “You’ll be free soon enough,” Sifu said to the canid, her eyes cool and harsh. “We won’t hurt him, da?” Shadow asked, wiping the fox’s face one last time, the bleeding finally came to a stop. Sifu’s expression was unchanged. “Listen, Mac,” Void Cat said as she stepped right up to the face of the fox, her nose barely an inch from his. “We know you’re gonna drop the dime on us to your masters. But I’m gonna cut you in on a proposition: we let you go, and give you time to hotfoot it away from here, and you tell us who’s pulling your strings. We know it isn’t Chillwave, that palooka doesn’t have the smarts. You’re more like us than you want to admit, and we don’t want to lose you, even if you’re on the wrong team.” The fox looked at her, and its face softened. “Don’t know. Chillwave fed, gave den. He… hasss other massster. Kit following you for monthsss.” Shadow pointed to the fox as it spoke, mouthing the word “Kit?” To which it nodded. “Okay, Kit,” Void Cat said, sitting back from her close quarters with the fox. “You’ve been following us and Chillwave set you up in these swank digs. Are there any more out there like you looking for trouble?” Kit gazed at the four standing in front of him. His eyes watered as he attempted to not reveal any more to them than he already had. He struggled against the straps holding him there. “Pleassse, let go. Or kill. Can’t… betray…” Kit shook, then went limp in the straps. He sighed softly and hung his head. “Let him go,” Void Cat said, as she tried to take the straps off, but found her lack of opposable thumbs held her back. Reluctantly, Sifu reached over and with one movement, cut the straps dropping them to the muddy den floor. The knife was in and out so quickly not even the felines could see it. “Free?” Kit asked, then licked his wrists. “Yeah, you’re free to go. We don’t torture like some people do. It ain’t our style.” Void Cat stepped forward again, staring into Kit’s eyes. Behind her, Shadow loomed and lifted her paws in front of her face, cracking her knuckles. “I want you to tell all your buddies about us, Mac. Several times we could have had you taking a dirt nap, but we didn’t. We’re not like you, not in that way.” Void Cat cleared her throat making sure she had the distinction correct in her mind. “But we’re not chumps, don’t think we're soft on you mugs. A truly strong person is merciful, but not some palooka. Get me?” Kit nodded slowly, then motioned with its head to the tunnel through the snow Shadow and the others carved to get to the den. “Beat it,” Void Cat said, cocking her head in the same direction. In an orange blur, Kit disappeared into the snow, leaving tracks as it did. “Do you think that was a good idea? What if they come back after us?” Sifu asked. “What’s gonna stop them from doing it anyway? They know what they know. Showing mercy will keep the thugs in order and maybe get us a stoolie. Did you see how close he was to spillin' all the beans?” The professor rubbed his beard and grunted to himself, nodding approvingly. “I think it’s time we get ourselves home. You’ve been wandering around in the cold too long.” He spun his index finger in a circle, implying they wrap up and leave the den. “I really wish we had gotten a sample of fresh blood before he scampered off. I can’t use what's on the ground there.” The professor pointed to the pool of blood with the teeth sticking out. “That sample is contaminated with who-knows-what. I’d really like to get that DNA analyzed. Maybe I can find out about where it was manufactured, or the technology they used to alter the sequences.” The professor looked forlorn, then stood up with a sigh. “Do not worry, Professor,” Shadow said, holding up her old Soviet costume, the one she had wiped the blood from the fox’s face with. “Ve haf all ve need.” The professor smiled. “That’s my girl.” What can the professor learn from the fox DNA? Where is the forested hideout that they have been heading to for so long? Who is this secret other master and where does it fit into the devilish plans of Chillwave? Find out in, “From the Other Side” on the next thrilling episode of “The Adventures of Void Cat and Shadow!”