Damion plopped on the bench, and Merc sat down next to him. "Where to begin?" Merc said in thought.
"How about from the beginning?"
"Ok. " Merc proceeded to tell Damion his story. Merc had opposed the government's decision to install Universal Security. When people found out, they had resented him. Things went from bad to worse as he lost his friends, his job, and his house. Everyone said they'd take it all back if he agreed with the govenment, but he wouldn't do it. Pretty soon he ended up homless on the streets of downtown. No one would even give him their spare change, so he had no way to make money. As he wandered the streets, he came up with a plan to get money. His plan was to start his own buisiness. To be specific, planned to have a courrier service. And unlike other services, his would offer 100% secrecy. Once he had outlined the plan, he set out to execute it. He found the building that he and Damion were now on top of. It was abandoned, and no one would probably buy it, so he emptied out the A/C structure and tapped in to the building's electricity. Once he had that done, all he needed were courriers to move the information around the city. Unfortunately, few people that disagreed with the government had dared announce their opinions, so there were few people suited for the job.
"So, what does any of that have to do with why you are...the way you are?" Damion interrupted.
"Well, I was the only one on my team and I had the entire city to cover. The only way I could do my job effectively was either take steroids or something more... 'practical'."
"Like becoming that?"
"Well, this was the I best could think of. And I think it worked out ok." Damion hesitated. "Would I have to do it too?" he asked. Merc sighed. "Well, you don't HAVE to, but it's definitely reccommended."
"Do you have anybody on your team now?" Damion asked, trying to change the subject. Merc nodded, walked over to the desk, and began to type something on the keyboard. Three sreens on the wall blinked to life. Each one had a different person's picture, anlong with basic information such as their names, genders, height and weight. Damion looked at each screen in turn. Their names were: Drake, Celeste, and Kate. Each was also an anthromorphic canine, which was a little unsettling to Damion. Merc spoke up. "They're at their homes by now, except for Kate. She lives here with me, so you'll meet her first." As if on que, Kate dropped in from an opening in the cieling.
Kate looked at Damion with surprise. "What the hell?" she said. "This is Damion- the newest member of the team."Merc explained. Kate nodded and walked up to Damion. She stood about a foot taller than he did, so he had to look up at her slightly. She looked down directly into his eyes, and he did the same. "You sure you want to do this kid?" she asked. "Without a doubt!" he replied. Kate tore her gaze from Damion's eyes and looked toward Merc. Merc shrugged, and Kate looked back at Damion. "Better do it now. That way we won't waste daylight tomorrow." Merc nodded and climbed out through the hole that Kate had entered. "What are you gonna do?" Damion asked. "We're going to inject you with a serum that will transform into an anthro like us. The process is completely painless, but it takes a few hours." Damion didn't respond.
Merc returned five minutes later with a syringe sull of a grey liquid. Damion was instructed to lie down on the bench. Just before he was injected, Merc eplained how it would work: Damion would feel numb all over and regain feeling as he transformed. Merc paused. "Last chance to pull out, kid-o. No going back after this. Ready?" Damion nodded, and Merc pushed the syringe into his arm.