After the fact
#1 of After The Fact
After the fact...
I don't think I really have to put the warning here in this day and age, now do I? But I'm doing so on general purpose
18 and up only please
I don't remember much of the accident, other than tooling along a back road and a heavy bang on the nearest pothole. Damn Township. I do seem to remember the windshield coming at me fast though. Everything's black after that.
Next thing I remember is the pain. At least one broken bone, somewhere. My knees were killing me, too, for some reason. Then I heard a heart monitor. Counting the beats, there were too many of them. I groaned.
"Doctor..."
It was a distinctly feminine voice.
"Lie back down; the Doctor will be here in a minute"
Gentle hands pushed me from the upright bolt I had automatically assumed. I couldn't see a blasted thing other than what looked distinctly like cloth fibers...rather blurry ones, too.
"Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital" I heard a quick hiss and the pain in my knees and elsewhere dissipated.
"Why are my eyes covered? Did I loose one or something?"
There was silence from the other end, as I only heard rustling cloth and a quiet squeak of rubber (I thought) as the doctor came in. I didn't even blink at the sensitivity level of my hearing or the distinct pull of ear muscles. That was normal for me, anyway.
The two talked sotto voce for a few minutes, and then I heard the doctor lean down
"How are you doing cub?"
Cub? That go my attention fast, then I noticed a distinct animalistic whiff
"Calm down son"
"Doc, why are my eyes covered?"
"We found you pretty well frozen"
"Ah, they were marbles then?"
Well...yes" the doc sounded surprised...and I felt myself grin...a LONG grin
Whoa...
I was starting to put two and two together fast, and reached up...when I felt a muzzle, the grin broke out again
YES!!
I swear I heard two heads turn and look at each other.
"I can see something, now, doc, mind unwrapping me?"
"You really should rest, young man"
"Stop 'young man' ing me, doc. I know what you found"
I peeled up the eye bandages myself, and looked squarely into the muzz of a shocked looking red panda. , then peeked over to look at the nurse. Inevitably, a vixen, though thankfully not the overly busty kind I'd always disliked.
"You found something you didn't recognize in a storage freezer full of bodies, or the remains thereof, didn't you?"
The doc nodded, stunned.
And the minute I hit the air...I changed?"
"How did he..." the vixen began, as the doc waved her off. "Go on, cub"
I grinned at that "thanks. For me, this is a dream come true" I blinked a couple times, to bring things into better focus, though I couldn't see my own muzz yet. I resisted looking down at what would be, I knew, now handpaws instead of hands...though what of, I was waiting until later to find out.
"A dream come true? What do you mean?"
"I'd like some answers first. Where, when, and how I'm doing, then I suggest you get your military personnel in here for a debriefing. I gather THAT hasn't changed, yet"
The vixen shut her yap, which had practically fallen on the floor. The doctor audibly swallowed, then opened the door (an old manual type, I saw), and said to the guard I knew was standing outside "he knows, Commander"
Imagine my shock when in marched one of my own story characters. A Humpback whale named Bale Cetac. I promptly saluted.
"Commander"
He leaned down to take a peek. "How did you know my rank if you've never seen me before" he fluted...sounding just like I had thought in my head.
I grinned a little evilly, and tipped my head to indicate a whisper. When he leaned a Tympanic membrane my way, I whispered as quietly as I dared "the same way I know you have an embarrassing spot of unwanted hairs"
Cetac bolted upright quickly, distinctly blushing, and I chuckled.
Never mind, commander...if you want a debrief...I'll talk to the Admiral of the fleet, if possible. I believe he's a Zebra?"
Three looks went round the room.
"I'll arrange it" the Commander said, and slipped outside to call in, out of earshot.
"now, if you don't mind...I'd like to take a look at my new bod, thank you very much" the doctor nodded, and I clambered out of the bed, noting no IV pole, and ignoring whatever state I was in. I headed straight for the bathroom.
Other than the urinal being narrower and up higher than usual, it looked 20th century enough. I promptly scooted over to the mirror. But what was in the mirror surprised the hell out of me, because it wasn't what I expected. Especially to see neon green slit pupiled eyes and a jet black muzzle looking back. Other than the streak down the middle of my muzz and forehead, there was a great silver wave of extremely long headfur. I took a peak straight down. The silver chest splotch was there...and so was a concealing pair of pajama bottoms. Pulling the waistband out, I had a peek at THAT, too.
"Well, I'll be damned"
The last thing to check was the tail, so I brought it forewords. Yup, poofy fox tail, but only one. I was a bit disappointed.
I exited the bathroom, sighing contentedly, and grinned
"Doctor," I said putting a paw out for a shake" thanks for hauling me out of the freezer"
"Your quite welcome, youngster"
"Oh, I'm no youngster...I'm over thirty"
The nurse did a take at that "nuts"
I sat on the bed, and engaged the doctor in follow up talk, flirted with the nurse a couple times. Cetac eventually did come back in.
The admiral has agreed" he said "under the condition that it is recorded for posterity"
I nodded "of course, Commander"
he went back out the door, and, after a few more minutes getting through medical BS (and getting the name of a good Optometrist...my eyes were still fuzzy), I signed off on the paperwork, bid the doctor farewell, winked at the nurse, then broke her heart by telling her I was a Tail Raiser.
"Dammit, why are the cute ones always tail raisers."
"Cause some of us are raised more by our damn than our sires"
"Typical" she said with a pout
"Don't worry," I said with a wink "I'm gonna donate a little...you may get lucky."
She blushed beet red under her white markings "how did you..."
"You're, uh...distinctively emitting musk around me"
The doctor laughed his ass off at that.
* * * * * *
I joined the commander out in the hallway after getting fully dressed, finding out about the tailstrap I had imagined for years in a hurry. When I had stopped in the mirror to look at myself again, I thought I looked good, despite the distinct blur and distortion in my vision.
We hustled down the hall, and at the main desk, I signed out proudly under the name that I had long ago given myself for the shape I and others had seen me in...Andrew James Silvermane.
Cetac cornered me in the hallway past the desk
"How the HELL did you know I had that patch of fur?!"
"Mr. Cetac, don't get snippy with ME. You'll find out when I talk to the Admiral. And I suggest you brace yourself for when you get home. You've got a wonderful surprise coming"
He started "what surprise?"
"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, now, would it, hrm? I will give you a hint though. Stock up on food, especially pickles"
He only gave me a puzzled look as I smirked broadly.
Headquarters was impressive once we got there, though it did take practically forever. Someone's transporter wasn't working, and we had to take physical transportation way out in the Ocean, then a tube down to the Ocean floor. Fleet Admiral Quagga was a LOT thinner than I'd expected.
"Would you care to explain," He began in a rich African accent laced with a touch of French, "why you have requested to personally explain yourself to me"
"Well, Admiral..." I began, and launched into a long speech explaining how I had somehow seen these events and what was coming 10 years before I had arrived in the world, and the fact that I was part of a group that had seen themselves more like them.
"I was definitely surprised, of course, to show up here...seeing people that I thought I had created in my imagination. I put two and Two together, as it were, and figured I had changed as well. I just didn't expect to be this particular species."
The Admiral raised a brow "very interesting story" he slid an electronic notepad toward me "this is what occurred at the facility where you were found." I thumbed through the story. they had found a "to be revived later" type commercial quality freezer...but all but two other bodies had decomposed to pretty much nothing but freeze dried meat when the facility had taken a hit during the great accident. One person simply stayed dead, and could not be revived; the other had lost her mind during the morph process, and was in a facility for the mentally impaired.
"You mean...out of fifty preserved bodies, I am the only complete survivor?"
The admiral nodded "indeed. Nor have we located any other such facility"
"Hmm...There would have been some in the larger former cities, but those would have mostly been vaporized, I think"
"The one in which you were found was in the ruins of a smaller city area"
I nodded in return. "Very lucky, then"
He stood, and put out a two fingered hand "it has been a pleasure M. Silvermane. Please make sure to keep these events quiet until we can properly release them."
I took the hand. "Of course, Admiral"
We left the facility, and Cetac looked at me questioningly.
"You saw all this...and us in your head?"
"Yeah, I musta had a dimensional link." I shrugged
"So, what's going to come up that we have to deal with?"
I looked straight at him. "I hadn't got QUITE that far yet, only some vague ideas. I don't quite know all the details." I added the later in a louder voice in case I was being picked up. "Though I do know the Qurasti will continue to be trouble"
He snorted. "They always were. Now what's this about...Pickles?"
I laughed. "Ask Andee"
"You know my mate?"
I only smirked "you'll see"
* * * * * *
A week later, I was installed in a large apartment. It took some time to get used to the comm system and a lack of physical money. Problem was I had to sign for everything with a retinal scan when it came to credit chips for things that couldn't be done with the replicator. I was soon pigging out on everything I could possibly want to eat, and the 3V wasn't bad either, though one thing never seemed to change...they still ran soap operas all afternoon.
The days themselves were lonely as hell, and I was getting a wee bit horny. Unfortunately, the building I was ensconced in was suffed with mated couples.