FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

* Blazing Fire *

We were all standing on the beach, waiting for Greg to show us his invention. Even Casper didn't know what it was, and something told me we might die this morning.

The tide was coming in, and we only had a couple minutes for Greg to do this before we needed to go back up on to the hill. To our left, we saw a few people building the would-be flight hatch for Theorium Industries. It was raised high above the waters, and was level with the hill top.

"Guys, you ready to witness the most powerful tool I've ever constructed?!" [Greg]

"Not really." [Me]

"Please tell me this isn't a weapon." [Penny]

"Could we just hurry it along? It's freezing cold." [Casper]

"Well fine! Maybe I'll just-" He hit a button that was connected to the raygun shaped device, and suddenly all sound was obsolete. A massive blast of light burst forth from the nozzel of the gun, and shot like a wave across the waters, forming actual waves in the water, and reversing the tide a bit. Sound slowly returned to the world, and we were just standing there with our mouths wide open.

"What, the hell, was that?!" [Me]

"You said it yourself, it's a clap of death." [Greg]

"Wait, you figured out how to turn electricity into sound? Like that?!" [Penny]

"Yeah. It was just an idea, but the lightning really helped. What happens, is it creates lightning down here in the chamber, and in the half second it takes for the sound to move, the lightning arcs across the nozzel, so the wave picks up more energy as it goes through it, and the lightning is completely dissipated."

"Right. You made one of your weapons, you happy?" [Me]

"You don't need to be so rude." [Greg]

"Actually, I do. You know why? Because now that you've used your weapon, fired it at America, someone, somewhere, is gonna realize that somethin' went down. Whether the waves tip over a ship or flood a beach or if someone sees that bright light racing across the ocean, they'll realize it's us. And they'll think, hey, if they can make a disturbance from across an ocean, maybe that tool can be used to destroy something. Maybe whoever made it can make machines that stop nuclear missiles or better yet, redirect them. Maybe they've got the ability to reduce an entire city to ash without leaving radiation. Maybe they-"

"I get it! I told you before, and I'll tell you again, I can't help it! I just think of these things, and for once I thought it might be okay to make one, just one. No factories or multiple machines, just one! Just to test my idea, and you're mad at me. It's just like before." Greg had tears streaming down his face. He was pissed, and this day was about to be ruined. Forever.

"Greg, this is different-"

"No! No it isn't! When we gave them Theorium, things were fine, but you got a bad feeling, so we stopped the program short!"

"Don't lecture me about-"

"Do you remember what was supposed to happen next?!"

"Greg-"

"Do you?!"

"... Yes. But it doesn't even-"

"They were supposed to get nutrients! All twelve were complaining about being hungry, and thirsty, but we kept them on regular food schedules anyways, because you wanted to try to fix them!"

"Greg-"

"No! I'm done with you! Had we gone through with it, we'd have succeeded! We'd have achieved a level of anthran potential that's unheard of, but you stopped it, because you had a bad feeling!"

"That's not what happened!"

"How would you know!? You weren't the one talking to them! You weren't the one diagnosing them with malnutrition! You weren't the one who had to tell them to wait for their next meal! You weren't the one who had to watch as they wasted away until nothing was left but hollow husks of things that were once people!"

"What are you-"

"I'm done with you! The next time you want help, I'm not gonna be there!" He shoved past me, throwing me to the ground, and stormed off. Casper helped me up and turned to go after Greg, but Penny stopped him.

"No, he needs time to think." [Penny]

"But... I... I don't understand... Donovan, you said you gave them pure Theorium and that's what killed them." [Casper]

"It was. I didn't know anything about what he just said. All I know is that he was the one diagnosing them, I was simply trying to give them what they needed. He always said they needed more, but... I always thought he meant Theorium..."

"Then that fits with what he was saying. ... He didn't kill them. You did. If you cut the project short, and the problems arose because it was cut short, then... then you killed them. He was right. You're a terrible person." [Casper]

"Casper, listen-"

"No. I may be weak and frail, but at least I've got Greg. At least I deserve Greg. You don't deserve Penny. You don't deserve anyone." Casper turned around and raced back towards the hill, probably trying to catch up to Greg. I turned and looked at Penny.

"Is it true? You cut it short?" [Penny]

"Penny, listen-"

"No. That's not okay." She turned around and left the beach, leaving me alone, save for the few waddle fish.

One of them waddled towards me, but I didn't see it as I started back to the hill, and tripped over it. It started screaming at me. Like it should. Like they should. Like they did. Like I deserve.

* Indefinitive *

Hours went by. Maybe days. Could've been a whole week, and I wouldn't even know. Me and Greg used to be best friends. We'd come up with brilliant designs that could revolutionize the world. And then he mentioned Theorium's potential. He talked about how everything we know about Theorium is only the tip of the ice berg, and we still had a lot of information to cover. He said we needed to take it.

He said we needed to ingest it, and he said we needed to become part of it. He talked about the power in Theorium, and if we could only get it right, just once, we could change the world.

And then we did. The subjects were all healthy, and all the vitals were normal. Everything seemed fine. Everything was going well. Too well. I didn't like it. I told Greg we needed to turn it around, figure out some way to remove the Theorium. We agreed we'd give them a set meal plan, and follow the right regulations, but in luxury. In a way that they would like.

According to Greg, they were always hungry. I started checking the vitals, and they were haywire. High blood pressure one minute, lower than conceivably possible the next. Cognitive activities sky rocketed, and then began to die. As did the test subjects. When the first one died, I didn't understand. She was the one who was the most stable. When I asked Greg, he said the others killed her. They all admitted, supposedly. They all claimed to have choked her out, forced their hands into her eye sockets, and clawed out her womanhood. They mutilated her body, and I didn't believe it was true until the body was removed. I nearly vomitted when I saw it. She was once beautiful, and they disfigured her.

Three days later, another died. He had taken the spot of most stable. He wasn't disfigured. He had taken his own life. Not by violence, but simply by duct taping a pillar to his face. I didn't understand why they were dying. Greg said it was because of the food. They were starving, and I'm sad to admit that their weights were the only consistent results. They were starving.

For the next week, they dropped like flies. They died sequentially, until the least stable was left. Greg insisted on giving him more food, and I gave in. The man's strength came back, and faster than it should've. We thought we'd finally fixed him, and stopped checking his vitals. Then one day he jumped over the edge of the walkway. He dropped down the fourteen miles into the abyss. No one had been deeper than the fourth floor until that moment. And it didn't even count, since he had died.

Once, a few days ago, me and Penny had been together. She was always supportive. Always there for me. On our first date we'd fallen in love. We skipped the tradition of waiting multiple dates, and got right to it. We weren't a one night stand, though. We were more. Two months in, I couldn't hold back any more. I asked her father for permission, and she said yes at our next date.

I few weeks went by, and we started planning our lives. She wanted three kids, and I just wanted to make her happy. She asked when I wanted to start, and I told her to wait until after we were married, simply so we didn't look like whores. She laughed and said she'd wait. So we did. Two years went by, and we were so close to the wedding, that it broke everyone's heart when Greg made that acursed weapon. I still don't know how long it's been. I haven't left our home since she left me at the beach. I still cried when I thought about her.

And then my bedroom door opened. There she was, tear soaked fur, and wearing what I guessed was the same outfit from that day. I looked at the clock. It'd been seven hours, and both of us were drained.

I heard Greg's voice from down the hall, "Penny, is he up yet?"

I didn't understand. I gave her a questioning look, and she began to explain, "America saw the light. Thousands of US citizens reported seeing the light, and feeling a bit of a shake when it went by. The government wanted information, and we had none. They'll be here in twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes?!" I jumped out of the soaked bed, but the blanket caught my leg, and I slipped and fell onto my clothes from that day. I saw Casper's face turn red, he'd been standing behind her the whole time. He turned away, and I quickly got up and started getting dressed in the bathroom while Penny continued to explain.

"Honey, you need to realize that they launched from Hawaii, that's only a few hours away."

"By helicopter- a-and! That's still not twenty minutes!"

"Well, I thought it'd be best to wait, but... I found out they were coming by helicopter so, that's why you only have twenty minutes."

"Oh. And one last question, when did you get over us?"

"I didn't, because there never was anything to get over."

"What are you talking about?" I stepped out of the bathroom for a second, and was beginning to put on my tie.

"We had a fight, that's all. I still love you, Don. And, god you aren't thinking of wearing that tie, are you?"

"Really? I've been trying to figure out what I did wrong, and all you can think of is this blasted tie?"

"Yes, it is blasted, wear this one instead." She handed me another tie, and she knew I didn't care. "Don, I talked to Greg, and he admitted that he wasn't giving you very much information. He also admitted to volunteering to being with the subjects. Don, I don't blame you for what you did. I'd have done the same thing. So would've Casper. Even Greg said he'd have done it."

"Really? ... Huh... Well, how do I look?" I finished tucking in my shirt and looked at her. I glanced in the mirror and my first thought was that I looked very professional. And then I saw the matted fur under my eyes, darkened and soaked in tears.

"You look nice. You looked better with the other tie, though."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Heh, yeah. Come on, lets go out to the surface of the island. You dad said it should be us who talk to them, since we're the only ones who know how the device works." I followed her downstairs and outside, where Greg and Casper were standing, waiting for us. We headed to the surface and by the time we got there, the helicopter was powering down and someone wearing a nicer suit than mine was getting off.

He was a golden lizard with eerily red eyes, but I could tell by the way he walked, all high and mighty, that he was one of those reptiles who were technically dragons, and demanded being referred to as so. There were guards on either side of him, each holding a massive machine gun in each hand. It seemed a little over the top.

Casper soulleted, and one of the guards snickered. The lizard held out his hand and introduced himself to me, "Good afternoon, I'm Agent Saturn. Mind if I have a word with you?"

"Let's stay up here for that." [Greg]

"I wasn't talking to you, fusk."

"Well you're gonna want to, 'cause he's the one who made that device." [Casper]

"Wait, are all of you in this together?" [Agent Saturn]

"Yup." [Penny]

"Just great. So, can we go in? Or, do you people live in tents, like it would appear."

"Actually, we're gonna stay here for that." [Me]

"Why? Got any other weapons you're hiding?"

"Where would we hide them? Look around! It's a metal forest, there's no where to hide anything!" [Me]

"Nice try, but there's a single reason I was chosen for this mission, and that's because I'm the only person who knows anything about Theorium Industries. So, take me downstairs, would you?"

"I don't know, you might trip into the river of electrified acid." [Greg]

I saw the guards glance hastily at the river, which was only a few feet away from them. The inched away from it, but Saturn stood still.

"I know Theorium, and quite frankly I'm a little pissed that you got away with forging a company around it. You know, the only reason this company-"

"Country, actually. We're a thing called a micronation. Yeah, we didn't join the UN, mostly because no one knew we existed, and those who did... thought we were only a company." [Penny]

"You're better educated than I thought. So you're aware that the only reason it didn't become a governmental project is because World War II began when it was made. Lucky timing, right?"

"If you're implying that we started World War II, than you're just as dumb as every other American. No offense, Casper." [Me]

"None taken." [Casper]

"Can we just talk about the weapon you made?" [Agent Saturn]

"Sure. What do you want to know?" [Greg]

"If we can have it. That kind of tool can't belong in the hands of a company, especially one that isn't certified to manufacture and sell weaponry."

"Oh, no. That's not for sale. And if it were, we'd pull the Theorium coil out of it. You wouldn't know how much energy you needed to power it." [Casper]

"We'd get a coil from one of your damnable espresso machines."

"That's less than polite." [Penny]

"Damn, you weren't offended by it enough. You get the point, though, don't you? Give us the weapon, and we'll leave."

"Um, no. No, I don't think that's a good idea. Especially since you keep calling it, weapon. It's not a weapon. It was simply a test to create directional sound. It worked." [Casper]

"You needed a speaker that shoots light? Sure you did. And I don't have a faggot for a son-"

Suddenly Greg moved forward and slammed Saturn up against the helicopter's hull, "Don't say faggot, you worthless piece of heterosexual shit!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings, quear? Do you wanna go crying to your homo boyfriend?"

I was surprised to see Casper pull a classic, six shot revolver out of his pocket, "He's not my boyfriend, he's my fiance. If you want the Shockwaver, there's gonna be some conditions."

"You don't have power over me, fag." [Saturn]

"Shockwaver?" [Penny]

"I know, I just thought of it!" [Casper]

"Saturn, listen. There's gonna be some rules, here. If you want the shockwaver, you're gonna need to abide by them. Got it?"

"That depends on whether or not you cross the line." [Saturn]

"First, leave us alone. We aren't going to hurt anyone, not intentionally. And if we do, it's probably their own dumb fault for getting in our way."

"Not a chance."

"Second, we want land on American soil. Not a lot, just enough for aircraft testing."

"Not happening."

"Third, we're a micronation, and on that American soil, our flags go above yours."

"No. I'm not gonna let it-" His phone went off, and Greg let go, stepping away from the helicopter.

"Hello? ... Yes, good afternoon, sir. ... Yes, we can get the weapon, they're just being difficult. ... No, sir, we haven't gotten it yet. They have conditions. ... Uhh... I'll just hand the phone to them." He handed the phone to me, "It's the president. Be respectful."

I held the phone to my ear, "Hello?"

"Hello, to whom am I speaking?"

"Uhh... Donovan Parker."

"Ah, well, Agent Parker-"

"Just call me Don, I'm not an agent."

"Well, Don, I'm President Bill Clinton. I hear you have conditions, before you hand over the weapon."

"Yeah, we do. You know, we didn't mean to make-"

"I don't want your story, I just want to know what the conditions are. Money? Funds? You name it."

"There's three- at the moment. First, we're a micronation. We're not just a company."

"I know. I've been reading your nation's files. Why is that a condition?"

"Stop treating us like a company."

"Fair enough. What next."

"Stop interfering. I know you haven't in the past, but stop. We didn't mean to make a weapon, it just happened. We weren't planning to use, my numbskull friend decided to build one, and he, unfortunately, succeeded."

"Not gonna happen. You may be a micronation, but in a sense, America birthed you. All your founders came from America-"

"Yeah, but two families are from Australia, and another three are from Britain. This isn't American soil."

"Right. You're a nation. We won't interfere. You happy now?"

"And we want land on American soil."

"No."

"Not national land, just company land. We're beginning air craft testing, and it'll be a few more months before our small pad is built, and even then, it probably won't be big enough for some of the supposed designs. We need space."

"Do you understand how much of a wimp that makes America look like? Backing down to a tiny island like you?"

"Shouldn't be a problem, we aren't part of the UN."

"Why?"

"No need to be. We're just a humble micronation that you're pitching a fit over. You think we could take down an entire country with one unique weapon, that weaponizes sound? Of course not."

"You say it like you have plans."

"I say it like you're assuming. I'm not an idiot, Bill. I know how people think. Give us what we want, and we'll be happy." Someone tapped on my shoulder and I turned around to see Greg. "Wait, one last condition."

"What now?!"

"Legalize gay marriage in whatever state you give us space in."

"No."

"It doesn't need to be a big deal... At the very least let my friends' marriage be allowed."

"It just won't be recognized. Officially. Or religiously. Or in any other aspect of society."

"Then make it recognized."

"Why do you care? Are you his lover?"

"No, but he's my best friend. I've known him my whole life, and here at Theorium Industries, we value each other. Apparently a whole lot more than you do in America." There was silence for a minute. I glanced at Saturn, who had a shocked look on his face, the first emotion he'd shown since he got here. The guards looked nervous, but Penny, Greg, and Casper all looked proud to by employees of Theorium Industries. No, citizens, of Theorium Industries.

"I hate you."

"That sounds like a personal problem."

"But not for the reason you think. For being right. Just a second-" I heard murmuring in the background, and then he spoke again, "Sorry, needed to get everyone out of the room. I'm making sure that no one is monitoring this conversation. You're right. I've seen the way people treat each other here. We abolished slavery, and we tore down racism... but it's still here. Not as noticeable. More exceptable. We seem at harmony, but there are still racists, and it's rampant. Television shows with only husky characters and others with only lizard characters. Same for the cobras, and the hyenas. Entire portions of cities segregated by race rather than by class or occupation. We're split, and it's not directly visible, but we are, and it's there, and it won't ever heal. I honor you, Don. I really do."

"Why?"

"'Cause you had the guts to admit it. I'll give you land, and I'll let it be national. Feel free to raise that flag higher than the American flag. You deserve it."

"What flag?"

"Make one. Make it modern. Use symbols of science rather than political symbols. Show your love for one another, and don't forget that's what your country stands for. Maybe this science stuff isn't all bad." There was a click and the line went dead. I handed the phone back to Saturn, who still seemed in shock.

"Y-you... you dared to say that to President Clinton?" [Agent Saturn]

"Thing is, he agreed." There was an awkward pause.

"So... He gave in to your stupid conditions?"

"No, he gave in to our brilliant conditions, and he made them more. He gave up some of America to Theorium Industries. I don't know what or where it is, but he did."

"What ever, it can't have a city on it, or have a major road running through it, or be part of any state, since no state would let that happen."

"Who cares. It'll happen, and things will get very interesting."