ORIGIN
New blood joins this earth
And quickly he's subdued
Through constant pained disgrace
The young boy learns their rules
With time the child draws in
This whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts
The young man struggles on and on he's known
A vow unto his own
That never from this day
His will they'll take away
CHAPTER 1. - L.E.A.S.H.
The halls in which Kurt were walking through were white, pure and clean. Kurt was a man who did things by routine. Every day he would wake up, have his coffee - decaf - and read the newspaper while idly going through various reports. After that had been checked off he took a shower and got dressed for the day. Today he was wearing a blue sweater and black lab trousers. He'd then pick out his white lab coat and throw it on. His ID badge was neatly hanging from his breast pocket. Grabbing a stack of files on the way out of his room, he'd begin to walk to his destination. Kurt lived on site which was handy. He hated commuting and everything it represented, mainly people. People stuffed into trains and buses, forced to smell what everyone else had for breakfast, or in many cases, the result of not cleaning themselves in the morning. Disgusting. Kurt adjusted his glasses, pushing his floppy hair out of his face as he moved to avoid one of the other workers. Tutting under his breath, he stopped in front of a door and removed his glasses, wiping the lens clean with his sleeve. Moving forward - glasses in hand - he tapped a number combination onto a keypad which revealed a retina scan. Pressing his eyes into the slot, he waited patiently as his eyes were scanned, checked against a database of authorised employees and finally cleared.
"Identification confirmed, welcome to your lab Doctor Matthews." Came the cool voice of the building's AI system. Of course, the men chosen to configure the AI had chosen a Female voice. As the door clicked open, Kurt placed his glasses back over his eyes and opened the door to his lab.
Walking into darkness, the room lit up with a gentle hum. Placing down the stack of files on his desk, Kurt slumped down into it and sighed. He wasn't a morning person. Reaching under the desk, he clicked a button down and a terminal flipped up out of the surface with a pleasant whirr. Smiling, he shuffled forward and logged into the system. His lab worked on a separate server from the rest of the building, giving him unique access and security. But of course, he was head of the Project, he had requested as such. Briefly going over a few emails from the Project Sponsors he rolled his eyes. It was always the same. They wished to know how it was going, what the time table for completion was and when they would start seeing results. He could understand where they were coming from in a way. After all, there was a lot of money pooled into this Project. Starting off in the tens of millions it had since evolved until just last week when it passed the historic milestone of a billion Dollars. Kurt smirked as he remembered reading how angry the Sponsors were at this. Peasants, they'd soon see the result of his work. It wasn't just money that had gone into this, Kurt had poured his energy, sweat, blood and tears into it. This was his masterpiece, his magnum opus. But enough time had been wasted already, the days were short and It was almost ready. Kurt could taste it in the air, everyone was on edge. His supporters eager to see if he could fulfil the promises he'd made.
Standing up with a groan, Kurt placed his hand on his lower back and rubbed it softly. He needed a new bed that was for sure. Yawning he looked around his lab for a second, taking it all in. This was where he'd spent 23 hours of the day in for the past 3 years. it was filled with various whiteboards and blackboards and many normal lab instruments. His desk was a mess of paperwork, each piece filled with equations and formulae that any normal person would have trouble reading let alone understanding the science and mathematics behind. Stepping around his desk, Kurt began to walk towards the back of his lab, there was an open doorway leading to a darkened room waiting for him.
Walking into the darkened room, he flipped a switch that turned on the lights. It was a simple place, a single desk and a few shelves that stored dusty and now useless equipment. But the real highlight, the pay-off was the metal medical slab sitting in the centre of the room. Above hung a series of state of the art mechanical arms. Each end held a different purpose. A few had needles which led to different liquids stored in the bulk of the arms. While the others were more fitted to long-term sugary and re-modelling.
"Good morning." Kurt said as he walked over to the slab, placing his hand down on the cold metal surface he lowered his head to look at the subject laying on it. Kurt grinned as his Projects eyes shot open with a soft gasp.
CHAPTER 2. - IT BEGINS.
Kurt got to work, removing his lab coat, he hung it up on a small hook by the door. Looking down at his sweater, he sighed, annoyed when he found several creases on the fabric. Brushing them out, he returned to the slab and looked up, reaching for a bright light, similar to one that you would find in a dentist surgery. Flicking it on, he positioned it over the body of his Project.
"There, how is that? I can certainly see you a lot better now." Kurt smiled pleasantly, petting the body on the chest, giving the fur a little scratch. Scribbling down a few notes about the condition of his Project, Kurt placed the pad down on the side and returned to the head of the slab, looking down at his life's work.
The red eyes of the Project looked around the room in alarm, as he breathed quickly, gasping for air as if it was the first time he got a taste. Eventually his eyes focussed on something above the light, there was a mirror fastened to the ceiling. Eyes growing wide as he saw himself for the first time, he saw a large Rabbit looking back at him. The Project indeed had the form of an Anthro Rabbit. Taking a moment to study himself, the Project saw that quite amusingly, one of his ears stood up on end, no matter what he did to try and push it down while the other flopped over one of his eyes. His fur was a dark grey and his eyes were red, it was all so confusing for him at the moment. Kurt would soon clear things.
The Human smiled as he watched his Project get a look at himself for the first time.
"Like what you see, hmh? Well I'm glad. We could have given you any image, but we settled on a Rabbit for the... heh, cute factor. Watership Down was one of my favourite books as a child too..."
Kurt stretched his fingers out, brushing the neck of the Anthro Rabbit strapped to the table. Rubbing the fur, he looked at his fingers and smiled.
"But I'm sure you're wondering why exactly you're strapped to this table inside of my lab. Allow me to explain, this is the first time we've been able to get you awake. Thanks to my own genius, I developed an enzyme that would bond with you, allowing you conscious thought without it overloading your mind. That, is something we don't want. Believe me, your mind is..." Kurt took a deep sigh, smiling wistfully. "... It is a thing of utter beauty."
The Human then took to walking back and forth in front of the Anthro Rabbit as he continued.
"We bred you from a test tube, I was given a blank cheque to create you, and create you I most certainly did. Though it wasn't without... Hnh... Loss." A cruel smile crept onto Kurt's lips, betraying his calm demeanour. There was a horrific history to this story, one that Kurt had to live with, though he found no problems with it, there was no progress without loss. "But I digress... The reason you are what you are, is because my employers wish to take back this planet. Long ago now it was home to one species. Homo Sapiens, or Humans if you please." Another pleasant smile. "But nature decided to play a little trick on us and before we knew it, there was a rival species that also called this Earth their home. The Anthro."
Kurt's calm face crunched inward at mentioning the Anthro species. He turned and shuddered. "Disgusting creatures... no sense of morals or Humanity. They do as they please, no order to them you see! Still clinging on to their Animalistic nature. Though there are many that recognise they have to change in order to adapt, so many act unruly and cause chaos. My employers wish peace on the planet once more. However, though they could wipe out the Anthro species many times over, they do not wish to enact Genocide, no, too many problems in the past come from that mindset. So they tasked me with coming up with a solution, and here you lay. My Project..." Kurt stroked the Anthro Rabbit on the cheek, earning a flinch for his efforts. Smirking, giving a small laugh, Kurt moved away.
"I suppose you find it odd that the solution to the Anthro problem is an Anthro himself? Well, life isn't without its little ironies..." Kurt held his hand over his mouth, chuckling. Turning towards the Anthro Rabbit, Kurt then laid it all out. "So how will you aid us in providing a solution? It's all in your head, your mind is capable of... anything. However, there is one purpose for you regarding the Anthro's. You will use your mind to enslave every, single, Anthro on this planet."
This caused the Anthro Rabbit to give a wheezy gasp, eyes wide. He still didn't understand what was happening, this wasn't real... it couldn't be. Eyes watching Kurt as the Human sat down on the end of the slab.
"You can't possibly understand the amount invested in you. You'll return the Humans to their rightful place and when your work is done, I get to keep you myself, as my pet." Kurt then stood up and left the lab for a few minutes. During that time, the Anthro Rabbit struggled, but it was of no use, the metal bars kept him quite secure. The Human returned with a branding iron, that was red hot. Another unsettling smile crept onto Kurt's lips as he moved closer. "This is to let everyone know who you belong to. It is your serial number that will allow others to identify you as mine." Kurt held out the iron and used his free hand to tilt the Rabbit's neck. More gasping and panting came from the poor Anthro as the brand was pushed against his fur. A sizzling sound filled the room, but it was unheard over the painful screaming of the Rabbit. Kurt held the iron against the fur for a few moments, removing it, he placed it on the side and smiled. "There, I apologise for the pain, but it was necessary. Your serial number is J4R4MY. Hmh... Almost like. Yes it is, I think I'll call you Jeremy." Kurt chuckled, walking around, he stood at the head of the slab once more, placing his hands down either side of Jeremy's stomach, he bent his head forward and kissed the top of the Anthro Rabbit's head. "Sleep well, my Son... I'll be back for you in the morning." Kurt then took his leave, shutting out the lights as he entered the main lab area for some number crunching.
He left the Anthro Rabbit in the dark.
Alone.
Scared.
CHAPTER 3. - DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?
While Jeremy "slept", Kurt got to work in typing up a report. Heading it with the title of L.E.A.S.H. he first explained what it stood for. It was the entire project summed up in a few letters, Kurt thought of it himself and he was quite proud of what it stood for. Legal Enslavement of All Sub Humans. It explained how Kurt felt about the Anthro race as a whole, perceiving them as chaff at best. An anomaly or a virus. It would be a few hours until the report was done with, but he took comfort in knowing that it was one of the last he'd have to type.
Unbeknownst to him, his Project, Jeremy, was indeed sleeping. But they were more nightmares than anything else. They showed him visions of a dark future, the sky was red, and the crackle of thunder shook the world to oblivion and back again. It was raining and there was no sound except for the booming thunder and the splashing of the rain. Jeremy was standing on top of a building. His face was contorted and malicious looking. He held out his arms, fingers stretching. Electric energy pulsed from the gaps of his fingers as he screamed, power flowing through his body. There was a spike of energy and his fullest power was released. He saw before him, every Anthro crumble to dust, a look of horror on their faces. Kurt appeared next to him, wrapping an arm around his neck, whispering his delight as it was done with, he could rest now, forever.
Back in the waking world, Kurt was having some trouble with his computer. The screen had frozen a few minutes after starting his report. Annoyed beyond measure, he tapped the little screen, sighing. This means he'd have to phone tech support and get them here to fix this. He hated messing with those greasy tech guys. However, he'd never get the chance to finish his report as a high pitched whine began to flow through the entire building. Kurt stood up at once, looking around in alarm. Several glass instruments cracked, before exploding into a million different pieces. His computer screen exploded and the Human covered his ears, screaming out in pain. Hands trembling, he answered his phone to hear the screams of many come through the receiver.
Jeremy began to thrash on the metal slab, growling and snarling, his back arched as subconsciously his mind was causing destruction and rampage through the building. Eventually his power hit something that it shouldn't have, causing half of the building to go up in fire. The fire alarm wailed through the complex, urging everyone to evacuate. Jeremy's body twitched violently as his dreams continued to torture his mind.
Kurt crawled to his desk and pulled himself up. The high pitched whining had faded out, but everything was going up in smoke, literally. He had to get out. Grabbing as many files of data as he could carry, he wiped some blood from his face and groaned, walking to Jeremy's chambers. About to open the door, he gasped, ducking out of the way as the heavy metal door was ripped off of its hinges and flung away like nothing. Fear rose up from within Kurt as he headed inside Jeremy's room. He saw the Anthro Rabbit thrashing around, like he was possessed by a demon. The Rabbit had begun to scream, over and over. He couldn't wake up...
"Help..."
CHAPTER 4. - THE END IS THE BEGINNING IS THE END.
"Jeremy!" Kurt screamed, fighting through the pain, he approached the Anthro Rabbit, but would not be allowed to get much closer. A barrier of kinetic energy was keeping anyone and anything away from the Rabbit. A blue coloured shield wrapped around his form as a pulse of energy sent Kurt flying out of the room, smacking into a large bookshelf. He crumbled down to the floor and would not get up again.
As Kurt passed out, Jeremy awoke to the wailing of an alarm and the screams of many echo through the building. Gasping and panting, he looked around, trying to move, only to find himself still strapped to the table. Letting out a defeated sob, he stared at the metal strap on his left wrist. Holding the look, it popped open. Knowing what to do, he looked at each of the other metal straps and they all unlocked, freeing the Rabbit. Hopping off of the slab, he hugged his stomach, walking out of his room, he saw a downed Kurt. Biting his lip, he sighed, throwing the Human over his shoulder.
Heading for the door leading out of the lab, Jeremy found that it was locked by voice recognition software. Placing his paw against it, he closed his eyes and pieced a jigsaw together in his head, a moment later, the door slid open to hell. The entire building was now on fire and it would soon collapse. No one paid attention to Jeremy as they were all fighting to get out while they still could. Following the signs towards the nearest exit, Jeremy groaned, weighted down by the Human on his back.
His face soon covered in dirt and ash, the Anthro Rabbit pushed on until he kicked open a seemingly forgotten fire exit. Pushing himself to get free of the building, he continued on until dropping to his knees beside a grassy hill. Allowing Kurt's body to fall away, he turned around to watch as the complex collapsed in on itself. Jeremy couldn't see anyone else around, he figured that he, along with Kurt were the only ones to make it out alive. Standing up, leaving Kurt behind, Jeremy walked towards the burning rubble. Shielding his eyes from the fire, he blinked, spotting something. Bending down, he held up a large black jacket. Inside one of the many pockets was a set of matching, fingerless gloves. Deciding to hide his nakedness, Jeremy slipped into the gloves and pulled on the jacket, it was very long, coming down to his knees where the tips flapped in the wind.
Turning away from hell, he returned to Kurt, who was still unconscious. Jeremy could have killed him, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Something stopped him, he didn't understand what it was. Mercy perhaps? Maybe... Humanity? Jeremy didn't want to know. He left Kurt face down in the grass, praying the two wouldn't meet again. Their fates however, were bound to one another, regardless if he wanted it or not...
CHAPTER 5. - THE CITY.
Jeremy spent a few days walking from ground zero. The complex was completely surrounded by a large wood, protecting it from anyone that wanted to snoop around. Soon though, Jeremy passed through the wood and sighed, sitting down as he saw the skyline of a nearby City ahead. It was The City, one of the main places to be these days. The divide between Anthro , Human and Hybrid was split even down the middle.
It took him another day to reach the City limits. Entering from the south, he walked through a dirty and dangerous looking neighbourhood. It was mostly populated by Anthro's of various sub-species. Coming across a large, disused building, he blinked, it was covered in what looked to be a large white sheet. Another mystery building, Jeremy would stay away.
Thankfully, he soon came to the end of the bad neighbourhood with no one giving him any trouble, the Rabbit kept his head down and grunted as his shoulder bumped into someone.
"Oof..." Jeremy looked up, brushing the silver hair out of his eyes as he saw that a rather well-built Husky was the one he'd knocked into. "I-I'm sorry, please forgive me..." The Rabbit shuffled aside, moving away from the Husky.
"Hey wait!" Came a call from behind. Jeremy turned and blinked to find the Husky holding up a picture of a Skunk. "Can you tell me if you've seen this guy around these parts? I'm looking for him." The Husky smiled. Jeremy took a closer look and shook his head.
"N-no I haven't... Good luck though. Bye." Without another word, he turned and walked away quickly, leaving the Husky behind.
Seque watched the strange Rabbit leave. "Huh... odd guy... Oh well." Shrugging his shoulders, the Husky turned towards the bad neighbourhood and spotted the same mysterious building that Jeremy had laid eyes on. Grinning, he headed for it...