FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Samuel Nevrus stepped from the white tile onto the old-looking wooden boardwalk. He looked back and watched the white linoleum disappear behind the grey wooden facade. He turned and stepped out onto the dirt road.

The desert air cooled quickly as the sun set, moreso here in the shadow of the town hall building. Nevrus looked up at the clock tower. Almost six, as always. The street was almost empty now since there were no artificial lights in this section of the park.

Nevrus sighed as he looked down at the road itself. He didn't know exactly how many lives ended on this dirt. He could know exactly with a short trip to the record's offices, but he really didn't want to know. Whatever the number it was too many. One would have been too many.

He walked slowly around the hall building into the red light of the setting sun. He looked across the barren desert and closed his eyes as he felt the last heat of the day soak into his black fur.

A desert planet by virtue of its vertical axis, the only sentient life on the planet consisted of what had migrated there from elsewhere in the universe. And that was restricted to a handful of research stations and one oversized theme park.

And the only sentient lives to be extinguished on the rock were those that ended on the street behind him. Hell, aside from the damn duels no one had died even in the amusement park. No one had wrenched their restraints open and fallen from a roller coaster. No one had choked to death on a nacho. No one had drowned in the water park. They had a perfect safety record aside from a few minor injuries but those hardly...

"Do you know why it was always at high noon?"

Nevrus jumped. He turned slowly, heart beating out of his chest. The yellow marked tomcat cocked his head as he watched the jaguar.

"Why must you do that?"

"Mine first," Clarence stated simply.

"What?"

"I asked if you knew why they always held the duels at high noon."

Nevrus stared in disbelief. He was not in the mood to be Clarence's playtoy. Not that would have had any choice in the matter. "No, I don't."

Clarence pointed toward the horizon, "The sun. At high noon, the sun is directly over head. It's not in anyone's eyes. It's about fairness. I didn't get that at first. I wanted duels at all hours of the day. Then I was actually watching one and saw the gazelle squinting. It wasn't until after she had been shot and killed that I realised what had happened. I'm still mad at myself for that one."

"Because we have to be fair."

"Of course. Each duelist needs to have equal opportunity for victory. We still have duels at all hours, though. But I learned my lesson. Had to rotate the entire street ninety degrees and built up the town hall building so it would shade the street in the afternoon. Not to mention requiring the duelists to wear hats. I should have done that anyway. Everyone should wear a hat in this desert. Come on, I've made us dinner reservations."

"No,"

"Oh, don't be like that." Clarence shifted his weight and angled his head. "I know you don't have anything to do."

Unfortnately Dr. Nevrus knew all to well who his boss was. "Fine."

Clarence started walking. "Of course, that's all just a Hollywood thing. The wild west wasn't really all that violent, compared with anywhere else. And when someone did kill someone else they usually just shot them there and then and didn't mess around with all that honorable combat crap. Most actual duels were fought by the well-to-do as matters of honor, and usually at dawn or dusk to better avoid any lawmen who might frown on such activities. So Hollywood just came up with that high noon thing as a bit of romanticism. They probably just thought high noon was a neat time for a duel and didn't even think about the position of the sun. So I really just came up with a reason for their idea that has no actual basis in anything. Do you like that?" he stopped and pointed in the direction of Nevrus' door.

"Like what?"

"The decoration on the door to surgery?"

"The barber pole?"

"Yes."

"I suppose you are going to tell me that doesn't have basis in anything, either."

Clarence laughed, "No, actually it does. Keep walking, we'll be late. See, years ago barbers doubled as surgeons. And it is interesting that in the actual wild west, someone getting a haircut was the entertainment. Not to mention surgeons use to be part of traveling performers. Gypsies, circus acts, medicine shows."

"What's your point?"

"That everything associated with your door, both what goes on behind as well as its own greeking, was more actual entertainment than the duels that go on in the main street."

"Then we should strive to be more period authenic."

"As much fun as seeing you get the 'Fred the Barber' treatment would be, the novelty would wear off quickly."

Nevrus stopped himself from asking Clarence to clarify. He followed the tomcat in glorious silence into the train station. They went up the stairs to the gangway and across to the platform of Clarence's choosing. They sat down on the benches of the open railway car.

Only then did Nevrus realise it odd that they were taking the model steam trains that ferried the guests about the park rather than the employee use maglev trains in the tunnels deep beneath them. Not that Clarence did anything that wasn't odd. He only did normal things so people would think it odd for him.

Clarence stretched out his arms as the train pulled out of the station. Then he set them down and leaned in close to Nevrus. "Did you know this was all my idea?"

"What?"

"This whole actually killing people thing. All me. Don't tell the others I said that. They like to think it was a joint effort."

Nevrus had no idea what to say. "Sure, we all were members of the same classic film club, and we were all interested in the westerns, and we all said how neat it would be if actual duels like that actually existed, but I'm the jaded son-of-a-bitch that looked at the universe and said all we had to do was build it and there would be idiots who would happily shoot one another there. And you have no idea how hard it was not to quote Field of Dreams in that last sentance.

"Of course, as far as actually developing the park we had our own areas. Therin had her waterpark, Gudrun the amusement rides, Henry the hotels and prostitution, and Lily the theatres. There was overlap, of course. And now that Lily has passed on and Gudrun..., has decided to pursue other interests the rest of us have taken over their areas of expertise. Then there's this place."

The train halted in a new station. Nevrus knew where he was. This was the red light district of Westland. Nevrus avoided this section. Clarence led the doctor out into the city. Neon lights shown down advertising their various vices. Sex, booze, and gambling in a every flavor known to man and fur.

The crowd of drunken revellers was still small as the night had just begun. Still Nevrus felt suddenly chlostrophobic as he pushed through them. Clarence led him to a building at a corner that had a neon sign that read simply 'Steakhouse.'

The two were shown to a booth shortly after entering. Clarence ordered them each a beer. "Order whatever you'd like. The have the best porterhouse in the galaxy, here."

Nevrus picked up the menu and looked at it while continuously looking up at his boss. Clarence appeared to study it like he was about to be tested in a class he hadn't attended all semester.

The waitress brought the two beers. "Ready to order?"

"Yes, we'll each have a porterhouse, medium rare, baked potato, sour cream. We won't need any appetizers."

"Okay, soup or salad?"

Clarence stared at Nevrus.

"Soup," the jaguar said slowly.

"Leopard noodle or Tomato."

"Tomato."

"And for you, sir?"

"Salad with raspberry vinegarette."

"Very good, sir, I'll get that in for you?"

"What? It would have been weird if we both ordered the same thing. And why the hell did you order soup in this desert? Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes, me being a bloodthirsty bastard with no faith in humanity."

Clarence leaned across the table, "See, bloodlust is a simple matter of evolution. Sure, the pacifists of the galaxy say that violence doesn't solve anything, but that simply isn't true. For example, if you're backed into a corner by a hungry leopard and your choices are stab it or attempt to work out your differences through rational discussion, guess which course of action does not let you live to pass on your genes. Animals trying to eat you, animals you can eat, rivals competing for resources; there are very few cases where killing something isn't an evolutionary advantage."

"Somehow I'm not worried about being eaten by a leopard."

"Well, not now. But that's not my point. My point is evolution. Ever since the first time one bacterium absorbed another, who was better at killing whom has been evolutionary law. That's only a few hundred years of modern advance and comfort versus billions of years of evolution. Of course for the most part we do overcome that natural urge and act civilly around one another. But that urge, that desire for blood is still there. All I did was create a context where it was okay.

"Duelists themselves aside, look at the crowds. Most wouldn't dream of watching anything like this anywhere else. But here they jump and chear for the kill more than anything."

The waitress arrived with the soup and salad. Clarence thanked her and began to dig in. "Anyway, that's how I came up with what I did. But I got sidetracked. I wanted to talk about fairness, that was my whole point with the sun thing.

"See, not everyone in the universe approves of this whole actual killing thing."

"Shocking."

"I know. See we get away with it because we're soveriegn. We're allowed that soveriegnity because we donate tons of money and equipment to the various research statitons on the planet."

"So no one makes any signigicant attempt to do anything about this because it would start huge protests about governments infringing on small states. As well as costing them the valuable research that we're funding. The governments of the galaxy don't want that headache to keep a few dumbasses from killing one another.

"But that's one reason we need to keep things fair. That's why I have every step of the process documented by multiple personel and then that documentation verified by still others. To verify that everyone was given equal opportunity and was there voluntarily. That's part of why I draw out the whole entry process, to give ample time for anyone to back out. Forfeiture is allowed up until the bell.

"It's good when furs forfeit. And as much as it irritates Therin, it's good when you save a losing fur from the brink of death. It shows that we keep to our own rules. That helps those governments rationalize leaving us be. Compared to the religous cults that are kidnapping, torturing, and killing innocent furs we're fairly tame."

"Here you go," the waitress brought the steaks, "are you still working on that?"

Dr. Nevrus hadn't touched his soup. "You can take it, I'm not going to eat it."

"You'd better eat that steak. Best you ever had."

Nevrus cut a token piece and popped it in his mouth. He couldn't stop his face betraying the cat was right.

"I told you. The secret is dry aging. With meat printers it's all about freshness and variety. Can have any cut of any animal. Can have a steak twice this size made of shrew. As such all the old preservation techniques and the flavors they create are all but lost.

"Anyway, back to what I was saying. It's like I was telling Fiona about her relationship with Alex, we have to maintain the appearance of integrity."

"Fiona was in a relationship with Alex?" Nevrus said between bites of his steak.

Clarence grinned, "It's a good thing I don't pay you for your observation skills, doctor. Anyway, yes. Of course I told her I'd allow them to continue dating, I can't expect too much when the nearest civilization is a small research outpost two thousand kilometers away. She still broke up with him, though."

Nevrus made a mental note to discuss the matter with Alex. He probably didn't know he was on the wrong end of Clarence's mind games.

"Have you read the Code Duello?"

"The what?"

Clarence sighed, "I'll take that as a 'no.' The code duello is the specific outlining of the duel rules. You should read it, since you work so heavily with the duels. In fact you should go through the whole process. Signing up, being read the rules, selecting a weapon."

"Trying to trick me into getting shot?"

"No, medical personel are prohibited from dueling. You'd know this if you read the rules. When you speak to Alex be sure to mention to set you up a time for this."

Nevrus took a moment to register what was just said as Clarence grinned. "You manipulative bastard."

"On a related note, I want you to start removing yourself from the surgery."

"What!? No!"

"Calm down. The simple fact is you are head of the entire medical department here, not just the surgery. I need you acting as such. Your Dr. Kelly has come a long way, and you should be focusing on training others."

"As a concession, I'll let you establish a psychology ward. If someone survives the duel they can have a bit of mental healing in addition to the physical. And, no, not before, since that's what you're thinking."

"Therin won't like that."

"Yes, I know she chewed you out over that fox you talked out of competing again. And as much as I agree that we need idiots to keep competing again, once again we need to appear as though we're doing our part to give everyone a chance to not make the stupid decision of competing."

"So if I just stopped helping people here it would hurt you more than anything?"

"Yes, but I'd fire you long before it got that far. Besides, you wouldn't let someone die just to one up me."

Nevrus knew that, it was the main reason he never attemped any kind of sabotage. Still, he tried one more jibe, "Why not, if they're just going to go around again and get themselves killed anyway."

"See, that's your problem. You think about it the wrong way around. You're not saving victims so they can try and get killed again, you're saving murderers so they can try and kill again. Hell, if you really want to think about it the person who kills the other was acting in self defense," Clarence laughed.

Dr. Nevrus just stared.

"Anyway, I think I'll pass on dessert," Clarence stood. "You can order some if you want, they know put it on my tab. The bread pudding is excellent." Clarence walked off. Dr. Nevrus sat and thought.