Author's note: Sex warning is for sex that goes beyond vertebrate style of mating...
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The other two teams did not like what they'd found. As with any of the other outbreaks, military officials had also brought in units to help contain the outbreak. So far the Kats in the Vatican hadn't left St. Peter's Square where they had been transformed, but no one could know how long they would stay there. All of them wore a blue arm-badge with the UN's insignia on it, to allow the military and police members recognize them. Each team also had an Italian interpreter and supporting infantry.
"You really don't have to come with us," Jess said to the interpreter that was with hir and Sally.
"Do you understand Italian?" the interpreter asked.
"Not really," Jess answered, "but if they prove aggressive we can fight them off long enough to get away. They can outrun you."
"And what is truly to stop them from leaving the Vatican?" the interpreter asked.
"Them leaving the Vatican isn't the issue," Jess spoke, "It's getting their minds back in order, which the Foxkat Vaccine can still do, based on the data that we have."
"Didn't you tell the the main police units that the vaccine is losing its effectiveness?" the interpreter asked suspiciously.
"The Justin Vaccine is the one that is failing," Jess answered with a sigh, "but even there, the Vaccine will prevent immediate transformation... and will need another dose later, but on some level that isn't a total failure."
"Even still, will that help you calm them down if they don't understand English?" the interpreter asked.
With that Jess and Sally both admitted defeat in the argument. The continued to make their way along when they heard what sounded like heavy moaning. To that, Sally brought a finger up to hir muzzle and sneaked forward. As they made it to a corner, they looked around to see something that totally shocked and surprised Sally. They looked like a pair of giant Scorpions that where wrapped around each other in some sort of strange twisted method of mating. It looked like both were depositing sperm directly onto the ground while gripping each other with their pincers.
"Mio Dio," one of the soldiers said nervously.
"Can you get a dart into them?" the interpreter asked nervously.
Sally and Jess both looked closely at them. They were covered in shiny black chitinous armor that invertebrates were coated in, and they immediately had concerns about that. Jess also wondered how they could even breathe. Insects and arachnids had a very inefficient method of breathing that would not work well at large sizes. True at one point, insects and arachnids were larger, but at that time, the Earth's atmosphere had a much higher levels of oxygen. They grew large because of extra oxygen not because of how they breathed. An insect or arachnid that grew to such a size today would almost instantly suffocate because its method of breathing could not draw in enough oxygen in order to breathe. After a few moments, Jess noted the armor plates moving, slightly, on each Scorpkat's body's. They expanded out and in slightly, and Jess guessed that served as a sort of diaphragm under the exoskeleton to help pull in additional air.
"I'm wondering how their even mating," Sally whispered.
"Through spermatophores," Jess answered, "the male and female grip each other's pincers and the male deposits a spermatophore on the ground or some other point. The female is then positioned over it to accept it."
"You mean they don't have a penis?" Sally wondered.
"Nor a vagina... at least not one that would work with mammalian reproduction," Jess answered.
"Where's the fun in that?" Sally whispered.
"I think you two should focus on how to dart them before they decide to stick us on a sperma... whatever," the interpreter grumbled.
Sally and Jess looked again and noticed that their joints in their legs, arms, neck, and tails actually looked rather soft, like it was made out of a more organic version of an elastic They figured that might work.
"Okay, sis, you got the one the right, I got the one on the left," Jess instructed.
Sally nodded, and their fired their darts. They did hit the two Scorpkats in the neck, and the darts did sink in, but the response was NOT what they expected. They turned and looked almost lustily at the group.
"Carnoso!" one stated and began to advance, depositing spermatophores as it did so, "Carnosa non è un Scorpkat!"
"Fissiamo questo!" the other added.
Sally and Jess didn't know what was said, exactly, but the tone sounded lust filled and their human escorts were actually pulling back quickly.
"Come on... you don't want to do this!" Jess said nervously.
"Yeah, we're already Kats," Sally added nervously, not wanting to have a repeat of what happened in Cairo.
"Carnosa non è un Scorpkat!" the two Scorpkats said together.
"They don't care if you're already Kats!" the interpreter shouted from behind them, "We need to get out of here!"
Neither Sally nor Jess got a shot to get out of the way as both Scorpkats grabbed them with their pincers and second set of arms. Then using greater strength, the two Scorpkats lifted the Foxkat and Chakat into the air to prepare to deposit a spermatophore beneath their intended victims.
"Merda, aggirare la parte di loro! Pronti i fucili VERI, e li uccidono!" the interpreter ordered.
Sally and Jess both watched what the Scorpkats were doing and kicked hard with their rear legs, trying to get the Scorpkats to let them go before they could be lowered onto the spermatophores.
"I don't want to be raped by an arachnid!" Sally screamed out, remembering Cairo, "I don't wanna be raped! I don't wanna be raped!"
Their kicks did nothing as their Scorpkat's exoskeletons. Jess fought hard too, though also in failure, but shi could also sense hir sither's panic. Being raped was never something that was easily adjusted to. Sally did okay after Cairo, but it was also clear to Jess that shi was touchy on the subject. Shi loved the Jackkat shi gave birth too and shi and Charlie raised it well, but shi didn't talk about Cairo that much, and when shi did, Sally did so in a tone that did not leave room for argument. And now these two Scorpkats were making hir relive that experience.
The sound of heavy gunshots, however, put a stop to that. The Italian soldiers had switched the dart guns back to the Beretta AR70/90s that they also had with them. Only two of the soldiers actually fired, but they each fired five shots, and at such close range, even the Scorpkat's exoskeletons couldn't protect them against bullets flying at 950 m/s, especially at what was point blank range. Sally and Jess were dropped as soon as the first rounds were fired, and thankfully no spermatophores had been placed yet, but they did still watch in horror as the two Scorpkats turned to face what was the more dangerous opponent. In doing so, they gave the soldiers a better target soon after the two were dead on the ground.
"You... you didn't have to..." Jess stammered.
"They were about to rape you," the Interpreter answered, "and your vaccine had NO effect on them other than to alert them to our presence."
"How... how could it not have an effect?" Sally whimpered, "The Foxkat Vaccine is supposed to remove the lust and infectiousness..."
"And it's no longer working," Jess answered, "We'll need DNA samples from them... see how or why they were immune to the Vaccine..."
"What do we do?" Sally wondered, "If the vaccine isn't working anymore..."
"There is only one thing TO do," the Interpreter answered, "to stop the spread of the Virus here and to save humanity, we KILL them all."
"WHAT?" Jess gasped.
"Your vaccine is no longer working, and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Foxkat Vaccine also help hold your forms?"
"Well... yes, it wouldn't turn a human into a Kat, unless specifically altered to do so, but it would allow for us to actually mate with lust filled Kats to cure them of their lust without being affected by the Virus," Jess said slowly.
"And that didn't work," the Interpreter answered.
"Yes," Jess nodded, not liking one bit where things were going.
"Therefore, they could have turned you INTO Scorpkats, crazy lust filled Scorpkats and thus continue to spread the problem," the Interpreter answered.
Sally visibly shook.
"But we can't just kill them! We've got to find a way to cure their lust and help them from there," Jess spoke.
"We do not have time for that," the Interpreter said firmly, "The Vatican is contained, yes, but if they go beyond the Vatican... and the darts no longer affect them... they could infect all of Rome and spread into southern Italy before you do find a replacement for the Foxkat Vaccine. By that time... it will be too late to save Italy and the world as there will simply be too many mindless sex crazed Scorpkats to change back."
There was a brief silence for a few moments.
"Look, I'm not against Kats," the Interpreter said slowly, "you've actually made life a lot more interesting... but we can not just keep having outbreak after outbreak after outbreak and we can't just keep going where we accept between ten to thirty percent of major cities becoming Kats against their will before it stops. It must END at some point."
"But they'll burn through the lust phase at some point," Jess pointed out.
"Says the person who said the Foxkat Vaccine would put them back in their right mind," the Interpreter answered, "and that didn't happen. It's been six years since the last outbreak, perhaps the scientists that stole your friends' ideas have actually spent time studying in order to alter it and found some way that went outside the box, as it were. We cannot let things spread like this. It must END."
"But..." Jess began.
"We appreciate your wish to help, and you will get samples from them to make a new vaccine or to find one, but since the present vaccine doesn't work, we have only one option," the Interpreter said firmly, "You are to return to your hotel immediately as you are no longer needed."
Jess prepared to advance on the Interpreter to try and make a point, but with no intention of doing any harm. The soldiers gave hir no chance to do so, as the first man fired at point blank range and hit hir in the shoulder. Jess screamed in pain and was actually pushed back by the bullet. The bullet went clean through hir shoulder, destroyed her scapula and splattered blood over Sally's face. The bullet after going through Jess only missed Sally by inches. Jess dropped to the ground and clutched at hir shoulder.
"Why?" Sally gapsed.
"You insist on taking the lead in a situation in which you have no control," the Interpreter answered, "You represent the UN, but your methods did not work and we do not have time to devise new ones. I'm sorry I've had to do this, but we MUST protect Rome. You will get what you need to devise something new in the future, but that is ALL you will get as your methods have not worked here."
The interpreter then moved on with the soldiers following her.
"You are to return to your hotel and remain there until after we have cleared the Vatican," the Interpreter said firmly and activated a walkie talkie and spoke into it, "Il Foxkat vaccino non è riuscita. Uccideteli tutti."
Sally and Jess were alerted to what that meant when a few seconds later the sound of cannon and machine-gun fire echoed from the St. Peter's Plaza entrance to the Vatican. Shortly thereafter, death screams replaced the lust filled moans as the Italian army and police killed every last Scorpkat gathered there. Sally just held hir sither to hir for a moment when hir own cellphone buzzed. It was Maurice.
"Maurice!" Sally gasped as shi answered, "You've got to do something! The Foxkat Vaccine didn't work! The Scorpkats tried to rape us! The Italians have turned to lethal force to prevent them from spreading things further."
"I know," Maurice gave a pained sigh, "Couple of Scorpkats chased my team up onto a roof... the vaccine didn't work... and while I hate such violence... it was either be raped and transformed by a virus we can no longer stop or kill them... no one will ever say they'd rather be raped than see their attacker die."
Sally slowly nodded. Despite hir horror at seeing Jess shot, shi did agree. Shi didn't want to be raped by the Scorpkats and had been hoping that the soldiers would come to hir and Jess's rescue. Maurice didn't see the nod.
"I'm sure," Sally said slowly, "but Jess didn't accept killing them that easily... and well... that lead to an argument..."
"What happened?" came Nikole's voice in the background, sounding nervous about something.
"They shot hir... shot to wound and only hit hir in the shoulder, but shi won't be going anywhere for awhile and may need her left shoulder blade surgically rebuilt," Sally said slowly.
"OHMYGOD, ISSHIOKAY?!" Nikole yelled loudly and quickly that hir words went into one one word.
"Shi'll be fine, but will need medical attention," Sally said slowly.
What Maurice said next horrified hir even more.
"I'm afraid that I have worse news then your sither and Nikole's mate being wounded," Maurice said slowly, "Snowy and Charlie got jumped and taken into the catacombs underneath the Vatican. I got a text message from hir... it looked like it was rushed and shi sent it to the wrong person or sent it to both of us... but the scientists have evidently learned a lot since Moscow... they injected Charlie with something..."
"No!" Sally cut him off.
"Shi's becoming one of them," Maurice finished.
"NO!" Sally roared back and then dropped to the ground crying into Jess's waist where hir humanoid torso met hir taur half.
Jess gave a pained grunt and turned to pick up the cellphone with hir good arm, "They tried to rape us, Maurice... the Scorpkats. I don't think killing them was the answer... but I can not deny that the soldiers when they did so had the best of intentions for Sally and I. Unfortunately it's reopened the wounds that Sally had concerning when shi had been raped in Cairo... and at the moment I'm in no position to help. You and Nikole will need to handle it."
"Okay then," Maurice said with a sigh and hung up.
Jess then slowly climbed back to hir feet, while Sally was still in tears. Eventually shi moved around Sally so that shi could use hir good arm, "Come on, Sis... I'm the one who's supposed to be hurt and I'm sure that Snowy and Maurice can turn Charlie back."
"What if they can't?" Sally answered, "What if he ends up totally mindless? I had all I could do to talk Charlie into not mating with me in Fee City... and Li Sang's followers have upped the ante... what if shi can't go back? What if shi loses hir love for me? For our kittens? Oh God... they took my mate from me!"
"If they can change Charlie into a Scorpkat, we can change him back into a Chakat," Jess answered, "You must be positive. Now... come on. I'm going to need your help to sign things once we get to a hospital."
Sally got up slowly and hugged Jess's good arm while Jess tried to cradle the bad arm with it. By that time ground was silent as the sounds of gunfire stopped... dead silent.