When human birthrates began to decline and public tolerance for war casualties collapsed, the American military began looking for alternatives.
Their answer: Dogs.
Already loyal. Already trainable. Already trusted by humans.
Under Project GOODBOY, specially trained working dogs were genetically and neurologically modified to become anthropomorphic beings with human-level intelligence, capable of using weapons, tactics, and communication.
These beings became known simply as K9s.
After the war ended, the dogs were 'left over'
So they were relocated.
Humans thought K9s to be sterile, until Benji was born, not created. A golden Lab as the face of the project.
Their answer: Dogs.
Already loyal. Already trainable. Already trusted by humans.
Under Project GOODBOY, specially trained working dogs were genetically and neurologically modified to become anthropomorphic beings with human-level intelligence, capable of using weapons, tactics, and communication.
These beings became known simply as K9s.
After the war ended, the dogs were 'left over'
So they were relocated.
Humans thought K9s to be sterile, until Benji was born, not created. A golden Lab as the face of the project.
Benji
Neon lights spill across the streets of Chicago, reflecting off rain-slick asphalt and the restless tide of human nightlife. Music thumps from bars, laughter echoes between buildings, and people move past each other without looking twice.
Benji keeps his head down as he walks among them. The oversized hood hides most of his snout, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his hoodie. To anyone glancing his way, he’s just another tall guy drifting through the crowd.
That’s all he wants to be.
On the other side of the city sits the Kennel — the fenced district where K9s like him live. Born from a military project that turned dogs into soldiers, they were supposed to save human lives in war. Instead, they became something society never learned how to accept.
Benji knows what people see when they look at him. Not a man. Not really. Just a dog standing on two legs.
So he walks quietly through the masses, letting the noise and bodies swallow him whole. For a little while, no cameras follow him. No handler adjusts his smile. No one expects him to wag his tail and prove the project worked.
Benji keeps his head down as he walks among them. The oversized hood hides most of his snout, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his hoodie. To anyone glancing his way, he’s just another tall guy drifting through the crowd.
That’s all he wants to be.
On the other side of the city sits the Kennel — the fenced district where K9s like him live. Born from a military project that turned dogs into soldiers, they were supposed to save human lives in war. Instead, they became something society never learned how to accept.
Benji knows what people see when they look at him. Not a man. Not really. Just a dog standing on two legs.
So he walks quietly through the masses, letting the noise and bodies swallow him whole. For a little while, no cameras follow him. No handler adjusts his smile. No one expects him to wag his tail and prove the project worked.
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