Tzreek glided down from his nest.

“Look at you!” He squawked. “The mighty golden Lion, one of the first twelve hybrids, plunderer of Daar Nokport, rumored to be immortal now trapped like a little whelp. Caught by a simple forcefield! Don’t you feel a little foolish? Don’t you feel just a little stupid?”

He gloated as he stooped to pluck a strip of one of the fallen lions' flesh. One of the Lizards lifted its bloody maw from a pile of steaming entrails and hissed dangerously in a low warning tone, as its tail lashed, in response to the theft of meat from its kill.

“Ooo they are feisty little critters, aren’t they?” He said to Silhouette.

It did not respond.

Tzreek ignored them, and held out the raw strip of meat, before Haru. Then he gobbled it down, like a heron swallowing a fish.

“Mmm! So fresh, but there is an unsavory note in there, what is it now? Ah, that’s right, it’s the flavor of uselessness! See because of your poor judgment and pride they would not serve so therefore their only purpose is meat for the pack!”

“I wonder what a celebrity like you will taste like?” He said, snapping his beak in open and closed short menacing clicks, pantomiming the act of chewing.

“Enough!” Silhouette snapped. “Keep your grimy beak shut until I give you permission to once again open it!”

“You’re no fun!” Tzreek chirruped, and with a hop he flew back to his nest, where he was immediately comforted by several of his hens.

“Listen to me!” Haru addressed the chittering masses through the forcefield.

“I am very displeased with your actions. But I know it was done at his behest, and he is a liar who cares nothing for you! Despite your attack and your treachery, I will spare you, if you stand up to him and release me from this prison! Do you know where I have been all this time? I have been arranging a safe haven for our den; and the ability to take our loved ones who are still ensnared by the Drydellians with us!

There is a way out of all of this! We no longer must be on the losing end of a bloody war with the Drydellians; we can take our loved ones and escape out to the jungle; I have made contacts that can take us to the hybrid colony. It is a beautiful place where our kind can live together in harmony! Do not let Tzreek deceive you any longer! If there is any of the sanity leftover from your former selves inside your minds, you will see reason and no longer aid such a fool and a tyrant!”

The assembled hybrids were silent as their minds began to examine the possibility of leaving Drydellia and starting over in a place with no more conflict. Then a tittering of laughter swept over them like a foul wind, which spiraled up into a cacophony of howls and growls that were all directed as ridicule at Haru.

“What a lurid fantasy you weave! It would have been more effective if this was your old den! But I think you’ll find that this den is quite immune to seeing reason!” Tzreek shouted down from his nest.

“I would not lie to you.” Haru said simply into the storm of derisive laughter.

Tzreek held up his hands for silence, the pack quelling in obedience.

“It seems the pack has spoken. He squawked to his menagerie. “But before Haru’s well deserved execution, let me say my farewells to the old grey lion, my dear loyal pack, and until then, take your leisure and some refreshment!”

The pack howled their approval and began drinking and talking amongst themselves.

Then the Den Master flitted down, and walked a slow hopping circle around Haru’s forcefield, speaking in a low tone, so that only Haru could hear him.

Moloch adjusted his helmet's aural enhancer carefully, dialing it into the area around the forcefield, so that he could hear their exchange of words. Then he broadcast it over the Legion's comm channel so that everyone else present could listen as well.

“You have been gone for too long, old Haru; so, let me catch you up on the current situation. This whole time I have been working with my inner circle to control this Den and use it for the Drydellians benefit, and as a reward for my faithful service, myself and my selected few, live a life of privileged luxury.”

“The slow incremental elimination of the old pack? Me! The deaths of those bothersome elders who kept pestering me with Haru, this Haru that, once again me!” He gloated.

Haru's face was a mask of barely restrained rage.

“Drydellians? What possible service could you offer to those fiends?” He gritted out.

“Think of our den as controlled opposition. Such a thing can be very useful to them! Firstly, there are no more raids on the Drydellian Palace. Remember when you attacked it as retaliation? That little stunt you pulled really infuriated them. It made them feel unsafe! We also pretend to smuggle employees out of Drydellia, but we just turn them over to the supervisors for cryo, and should they want to make an example of one they will put them on trial, but most of the time, boom, zoom! Straight to the ice!” he made a wild pumping motion, “But lastly and most importantly, there is the fear part! Before, when you were running the show, it buoyed the Employees confidence when they knew that Drydellians feared us and that they needed them to protect them, but now the opposite is in effect. The employees rely on the Drydellians for safety with all the drainers that are out on the loose, they are simply terrified.”

Tzreech gave a very pleased cackle.

“I will clean up the drainers when they have finished serving their purpose.”

“I helped the employees hybrize as a way to strike back against their tyranny, not enable it!” Haru shouted.

“All of those employees are dead, Haru. I specifically recruited new members based on a new criteria, mercilessness, greed, and lust for power!" Tzreek said, as he counted off the odious qualities one at a time on his fingers. I have accomplished more in a single cycle than you ever did in the five when you lead us!”

Haru crossed his arms, standing very still with an air of resignation.

“Where does Silhouette and her new reptilian hybrids fit into your scheme? I can’t imagine the Drydellians are very supportive of their plans.” Haru said.

“At least your extreme age has not dulled your wits.” Tzreek said.

“They have no idea about Silhouette, while I work for the Drydellians today, who's to say who Tzreek works for tomorrow? Tzreek fluffed his feathers and spread his hands. "Silhouette is not some average hybrid, as you have seen firsthand. There is real talent and funding behind it. It is going to use the cryo vault to make many more reptilian hybrids, and then we will see how the Drydellians like that, when an army of reptiles erupt from beneath their feet under my command and take over this whole level. Then a new treaty will be ratified with a level just for hybrids, with me as their leader.”

“Silhouette would just give you leadership?” Haru said.

“Silhouette has no interest in such things, it wishes to make this the first level of many within the pillar city of Zerzura, that are controlled by hybrids. These reptilian creations of theirs are the key to our dominance.”

“You both are fools. If such a thing happened the legion would descend upon you, for the Republic harbors no love for hybrids.”

“Then we will deal with them should they appear! They can’t be much stronger than the constables that we slaughter with impunity every day.

“Then what a fool you are. I offered a real option, a path to a peaceful life for everyone here. The Republic does not own the jungle as they own the pillar cities. They fear it! Yours is a shortsighted future full of constant war. Why don’t we leave this place and take the chance to save ourselves and start over in the jungle! It will be hard, but each hardship won will belong to us alone!”

Tzreek thought for a moment, cocking his head to the side, and blinking his large bird eyes. “Yes, that might be a good option for everyone, but definitely not the best option for me. Afterall what is the point of having power if you don’t use it for yourself?” Tzreek said.

“You are a greedy vile being Tzreek! You have betrayed our original values for petty benefits! I will not help you in any way, and if given the chance I will end you and this Silhouette at every opportunity!” Haru said in a cold hard tone.

“You are wrong Haru. I betrayed you for power, pleasure, and ducats. Lots and lots of ducats. Besides, they were always your values. I only value what I can get for myself! Then he cocked his head to the side and chirped a raspy note. “But I am not without mercy. Give me the gene-sequence for longevity that you have so greedily kept for yourself all these cycles, and I could be convinced to grant you a stay of execution. Then after some time, when things have settled you can take your leave and go roleplay a wild animal in the jungle by yourself!”

Haru said nothing for one long moment.

“I would rather die today, then help you live any longer than you should.”

Tzreek clicked his beak in displeasure.

“Very well Haru. Then don’t blame me for being merciless. I might not be very skilled as a genesmith, but no one has ever complained that I was an inadequate torturer.” He said with a malicious gleam in his eye.

“I invite you to do your worst.” Haru said resolutely.

“Then my worst you shall receive! Fetch my torture implements at once!” Haru demanded, pointing at Stephen.

“At once Den Master!” The goat-man said, as it bobbed its head in subservience and took off at a brisk trot, disappearing down one of the access tunnels that lead off into the other parts of the den.

“By the Light.” Moloch said. “What have we stumbled upon here?”

“This is deviant scheming in the first-degree brother! We need to make sure we capture this Silhouette at all costs and return it to the Legion Ziggurat for interrogation. I think it would be best to put down the rest.” Krasus said.

“And the Drydellians?” Moloch asked.

“Let's just deal with one problem at a time.” Krasus replied.

“I hope the Drydellians are not harboring any malevolent intentions.

“I think it's safe to assume they are.” Krasus said.

“Agreed. Ready check, brothers.” Moloch said quietly into his comms.

The legionnaires hit the ready button on the side of their helmets. Moloch could see from his HUD readout that they were all in position and ready on his command. Then their attention was drawn back down by Tzreek’s shout.

“Haru the proud, has decided he would rather die than join us!” Tzreek said

The assembled hybrids, hooted, cackled, and hissed their pleasure at the announcement.

“It is a shame that he is unwilling to lend his strength to our cause, but his disposition is such that he is incapable of serving, only trying to grasp for power that is no longer his. It is with sadness that I must condemn you. But before you are put to death, you have decided to selfishly withhold gene-sequencing secrets that you would rather take to your grave than share with us. So I have decided that you must be tortured for the greater good, as much as it pains me to do, we cannot permit such precious knowledge to be lost!” Tzreek said in a tone of false sincerity.

“Therefore, Haru the Golden Lion when you had at last spilled every last one of your secrets, you are sentenced to be provender for these new whelps. May your blood and bones make them strong!” Tzreek said.

The den howled and cackled at a deafening volume.

Instantly Nassim materialized beside Moloch.

“Uh hey dudes, you’ve got about like fifteen seconds.”

“Before what?” Moloch asked.

“Before a whole murder of crow-men burst in through those windows and try to murder you dudes. Was that redundant, using murder twice like that?” Nassim mused, tapping his glowing index finger to his lips, right before his eyes went wide and he vanished from view.

“Legionnaires! Turn around! we are under attack!” Moloch called out into the comms, just as all the windows behind them shattered. Large black feathered creatures burst through the windows of the mezzanine level, descending upon them with deafening shrieks throwing themselves at the legionnaires who were crouched in preparation for ambush.