FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Ow!" I yelped as some science nerd, dressed up in one of those spaceman suits, jabbed a huge needle into my arm. "Could you please try and leave some vein there for the next guy!? Damn it!"

"Stop being such a baby!" the man teased. "We're just trying to help."

"You're the fifth person to come in here with needles, and all of them have gone into that vein ," I growled at him. "Now, could someone just tell me what the hell is going on?"

One day, five blood drawings, three vials each. In the bathroom, looking in the mirror, there was something subtly different that I couldn't quite place. Then again, they said they didn't know which canister got broken open, so for all I knew I might be turning green. My skin looked normal. So did my black hair. My eyes were still a sharp blue that almost hurt to stare at for too long. Nothing was different, and yet something was off. "I need a shower," I sighed to myself, turning it up until it was almost too hot to touch before taking off my paper gown and climbing in.

"God this feels good," I sighed, thinking about what could be going on outside this hospital. Then I heard the door to my room sliding open through the noise from the shower. It had this loud squeak that I couldn't imagine anyone missing.

"Good news," I heard my actual doctor yell through the door to the bathroom. "You're not contagious."

"Great!" I yelled back, faking enthusiasm. "I don't suppose that means I can leave?"

"Unfortunately, no," the doctor said back. "Panic is setting in and we'll need your help around here."

"Great," I sighed to myself shutting the water off. "Is there any chance someone could run to my apartment and pick up a few changes of clothes then?"

"Actually," I heard Lucy, one of my friends on the force yell through the door. "I grabbed your spare from your locker."

Shutting off the water, I threw a towel over my body and ripped the door open. "Lucy!" I yelled hugging her. "It's great to finally see someone who doesn't talk like a robot!"

She handed me my favorite red leather jacket, black jeans, and dark blue tank top, along with a matching set of underwear. "I thought you could use a little comfort," Lucy said shrugging. "You weren't the only one of us exposed to... whatever this is. Have you noticed anything... off?"

That's when I noticed she was wearing her saint Mary pendant. "I can't put my finger on it, but yeah," I said, first looking for the doctor, who had disappeared, and then looking at the window. "Anyway, let me get dressed and I'll be right back out."

When I came out, dressed in the outfit Lucy had brought me, I saw her lying back on the bed and looked her over. Brown hair, still brown, she still had her tan, and when I got closer, her eyes were still green. Nothing was different.

"Hey," I said, examining her pendant again. "Did the doctor say he was going to need your help here, too?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "People are dying from this. The way he talks about it, it's like he knows something."

I clenched my teeth, and noticed the pair of socks on the nightstand. I slipped those on; knowing Lucy probably hid a pair of shoes nearby. For some reason, she liked messing with people like that. "So," I said as I thought out loud. "If he's making it that obvious, then he does know and wants to tell us, but why wouldn't he?"

Lucy lit up like a Christmas tree and sat bolt upright. "Wait!" she almost yelled. "You mean Synthethec might be..."

I nodded and grinned as I spotted a shoe box under the chair in the corner of the room. Inside that box was a pair of brand new combat boots, in my size. "And now you've outdone yourself," I said looking down into the box.

Putting the boots on and lacing them up, I felt such a rush of excitement. "Wow," Lucy said with a nervous laugh as I stood up. "You look like you're out to kill."

In the lobby, there were doctors scrambling around, nurses running left and right, and gurneys lined up against the walls, filled with sick people. Some people looked just fine to me, despite the angry scowls on their faces.

"One in five people are getting sick from this," the doctor said, beside me. "I don't know what kind of gas that was, but it's making some people's organs disintegrate."

"What precautions are you taking?" I asked him, squinting at everything around me.

"Unless you plan on engaging in sexual intercourse with someone, you're not contagious, and even then you might not be." The doctor replied raising an eyebrow. "We don't know."

"If I may," a man in a suit and gas mask said, stopping in front of me. "This "red haze" is a vector virus we were trying to perfect for the soul purpose of selectively rewriting genes within the human body. Due to an intentional act of sabotage, this virus was released. As you can see, it wasn't perfected."

"And what, exactly, were you hoping to accomplish with this virus?" I demanded.

"As much as it may disturb you," the man sighed. "Some people in this world like fur and would pay through the nose to have it growing from their bodies. We had hoped to sell specialized injections to rewrite their genes to make them more like an animal of their choice. There would, of course, be safety precautions in place as per the proper administration of this virus."

Rubbing my temples, it was hard to imagine anyone actually wanting to be turned into a walking shag carpet, and I couldn't help asking, "And what's going to happen to the people whose organs don't disintegrate in their bodies?"

"Most likely, they will become more like one of the many other animals on earth. I doubt it will go much beyond that," the man said. "People should be able to go on with their daily lives until we can perfect the virus and release it to the public, free of charge, to reverse the effects. And I am personally paying all funeral costs for those who die from this."

"How kind of you," I said sarcastically, crossing my arms. "And let me guess, you're hear with papers for the families of the deceased, who want this virus studied further, to sign so that you can take bodies away by the truck load."

"You know business all too well," he said behind the mask, bowing to me, and I could imagine the grin on his face.

"My advice," I said, cocking my head slightly and looking him square in the eyes. "If you see me, and think for a second that I'm within earshot, think twice before putting any moves out there. I want you to be the honest business man, and as long as I'm nearby, I'll make sure that happens. Do I make myself clear?"

I saw him gulp past the bottom of the mask. "Yes ma'am."

"How did you do that?" Lucy whispered, watching the man push past me.

"It's called a cold glare for a reason," I replied. "It doesn't take more than an ounce of energy and makes anyone who isn't an ego maniac shiver. My eyes probably help." When I looked at Lucy she nodded slightly. Then I turned that glare on her for a moment and watched her edge away from me before bumping into a nurse and apologizing while I stifled a laugh. "Come on, we have to help out."

The rest of that day, I spent most of my time on crowed control; the basics, mostly. Throwing a few big sweaty guys into lobby chairs when they were harassing a doctor, or consoling a woman who was breaking into hysterics over her dead child or significant other, but my favorite was that pair of guys who came in to volunteer. When I told them the extent of what was happening and asked if they still wanted to help, they gave eachother that long-time lovers stare and I almost broke into a laugh at my own obliviousness.

"Well, that's all I can do for today," I said sitting down beside Lucy. "What about you?"

Lucy groaned, opening her eyes and looking at the clock. "I was spent two hours ago. By the way, you woke me up."

She was sitting up with her head pressed against the wall. In all honesty, I didn't think she was sleeping. "Sorry about that," I said in my best attempt at an apology. "But have you seen those two?"

"Max and Kenneth?" Lucy asked. "They were over here talking to me before. They take the same palates class as I do."

"You take palates?" I asked. "I never would've guessed that."

"Can I go back to sleep now?" Lucy replied.

"Come on," I said standing up and offering my hand. "I live three blocks from here and the doctor cleared us to leave. You can crash at my place."

She groaned again taking my hand. Pulling her to her feet, I helped her out to my squad car, setting her in the passenger seat. "I don't think I've ever seen your place," she sighed and began snoring lightly.

It was a quick drive, even with the red haze covering everything. The clock in my squad car read three fourteen and I was barely tired. When I parked and got out, I went to the passenger side door, pulling Lucy out and supporting her over my shoulders. The moment we got into the old apartment complex that I lived in; she started sniffing the air and opened her eyes a little. "An apartment?" she asked.

Smiling, I got us into the elevator, hitting the button for the top floor and watching the door slide closed. "I think I can manage from here," Lucy said, yawning and standing for herself.

Pulling out my keys, I got the one ready for my apartment's door. The door to the elevator slid open, and I walked to my door, Lucy following behind, rubbing her eyes. Unlocking my apartment and stepping in, I grabbed the rope on the wall, just inside the door, for the Murphy bed. You know the kind I mean. It folds up into the wall.

Lucy looked around tiredly, while I set the coffee maker for the morning. "It's nice here," she said as she took to the couch. "How much do you make?"

I thought about it for a moment before I answered. "Do you remember when you showed me your first paycheck?" I asked her.

"Hmm, yeah. Why?"

"Add another two zeros onto the end and you have what I get paid for my poetry each week," I replied, smoothly.

That woke her up. "Five hundred grand!?" She yelled. "A week!?"

"I'm a cop because I love it,not because I need a job," I said calmly. "Just keep this a secret back at the precinct, okay?"

"You write poetry?!" Lucy squeaked.

I pointed to the shelves next to the TV and she wandered over, picking up one of my favorites and opening to a page somewhere in the middle. Then she started reading aloud, "In the fire of the soul, the peace of the heart, love shines brighter than even largest celestial body, and my love for you, even brighter."

With a smile on my face I watched her examine the signature at the bottom. "You!?" she screamed. "My last..." then she cleared her throat, stopping herself short.

"It's alright," I said to her, knowing what she was thinking. "She came into the precinct and dropped off those muffins for you."

Lucy froze, closing the book. "Then you already know," she sighed. "You and how many others?"

"About you being a lesbian?" I asked. "Just about everyone thinks I have a crush on you for bringing in the muffins."

"But you didn't..." she stopped, thinking. "Oh. Do you?"

I shrugged and sighed, thinking; it's too early for this. I need sleep. "I'm too tired for this."

"No!" Lucy almost yelled. "No deflecting. Answer my question."

"Good night," I said grabbing the spare blanket and throwing it at her. Then I went to my room, leaving her with the choice of sleep, or screaming at a soundproof vault door.