{"sf1_id":1258322,"sf2_id":"3eg5xNwn","title":"Alcatraz Ch. XIX-Despoina","author":"Djynnerate","words":3812,"posted_at":"2017-11-04T01:42:00.000Z","tags":["Alaskan Malamute","Alternate Society","Blue Jay","Bobcat","Cat","Dystopia","Fox","Gray Fox","Gray Wolf","Hyena","Jackal","Lynx","Malamute","Mild Drama","Mild Romance","Military","Mystery","New World","Philosophy","Post-Apocalyptic","Red Fox","Sci-Fi","Science Fiction","Supernatural","Teen","Teenager","Teenagers","Timber Wolf","Wolf","Young"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1258322-alcatraz-ch-xix-despoina","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/3eg5xNwn","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/e0/d8/e0d83dbb-da65-4434-930a-4e56bb32cb57","description":"#25 of Alcatraz\n\nAnd for the 999999th time, Djynnerate finds that he has uploaded his chapter as a journal.\nIf this chapter ends up coming out late, my apologies. Didn't have access to my laptop for the greater part of a week. \nI had no idea where to go with it and there were so few directions I found I could take anyways. \nI think it's because for a moment I was acting on important plotpoints and then got back into the norm. \nI find myself getting self-conscious about every word I write. \nIs there a better word I could use? Can I thesaurus everything so I sound more intellectual? How can I hold viewers, I feel like I'm not displaying enough? \nThis one's a bit of a throwback to the old ones, plot and character dev \u003e tai. \nAnyways cool shit otw ","content":"///\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriya\u0026nbsp;\n\nWith a groan she tried to open her eyes but only saw blurry spots overlaying her vision.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWas she dying? Had she finally reached the end of her lifespan?\u0026nbsp;\n\nWell, they couldn't all make it to 20...\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut as the spots cleared and she found she could move again, the gray fox saw two people she very much despised.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTomas and Cecelia.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe extreme mental strength of the Janus body gave her a full recovery and in a matter of seconds she stood. Generally mental attacks on other afflicts didn't affect them much so they'd have to hit her with something hard.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe would hit them with something harder.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer silver-colored flame racing around her arm-\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo, nothing was happening.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTomas and Cecelia shared a look.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"We would rather solve this without violence.\" Tomas' Rhine accent heavily contrasted with his species; he was an Alaskan Malamute yet he'd never even been near Canada.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriya tried several of her tricks, and none of them worked.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe could still kill them with her bare hands but she was just as fragile, after all.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"If you're wondering, we set up an EM field that throws off all your pulses. Nothing you do here will work.\" Cecelia had a western accent, Canadian, bobcat.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBoth she used to call friends.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd then they sold their souls to the GRA.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well? Let's hear it, what's this about?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe two shared a look, husky at least a foot taller than the bobcat.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo response was given for a moment, they were telepathically communicating.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs they'd set up the field they were probably standing just outside of the parameters. Ariya would have to get there if anything bad happened...\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Who wants me dead now? Harper? DeSanta lost use for me within a week? Trojan wants to dissect my brain?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nTomas shook his head.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"This is about a certain afflict.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And who might that be?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"The one you proctored in the Scandinavian Union. The one from Gibraltar. Tai.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriya shrugged. \"What about him? He's nothing special\"-\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You sent him a message.\" Cecelia cut her off.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThey resumed speaking telepathically and Ariya looked around.\u0026nbsp;\n\nFor all she knew this was in one of their heads, maybe even hers.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe came to question reality every time she walked in a room.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAround her was some sort of concrete room- like prisoners were interrogated in.\u0026nbsp;\n\nJinn torture chambers, GRA adopted their design.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Tomas and I have come to the conclusion that the new afflict is not to be trusted. We read your mind, we saw everything. Even his past. As such we want to know the contents of the message sent.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt was a short message and she could hardly remember it, length to compensate for Tai's weakness. The distance hopefully didn't do anything bad to him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSimply: Watch your back\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriya shook her head. \"It's of no importance and Opera asked me to keep it secret\"-\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Opera was the one who told us to find it out.\" Cecelia once more cut her off, tapping her foot.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe could take them both, even without their powers. Tomas might have been difficult...\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe'd killed other Janus with physical means before, it was all about who could land the first strike, no matter how hard it was.\u0026nbsp;\n\nDraw blood once and it was all over, they'd just crumple and spasm and-\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"We decided not to ravage your mind for this, Ariya, just tell us.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe gray fox scowled.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You know, we all used to be friends. Me, you, Cecelia, and Lucian... And then you sold your fucking souls to the GRA.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Better this one than the other devil.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nCaught off guard by Tomas' response, maybe there was still some good in him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut he was still a corporate slave.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You know, you're after the wrong secret. Opera's cooking up a whole new unit to kill and replace us.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nThere was dead silence.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCecelia and Tomas shared a look.\u0026nbsp;\n\nA slow grin stretched across the bobcat's face.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"That's ridiculous, Ariya. Come on, just tell us.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What?! Fine, if you don't believe me just wait! Tai's going to be first if Lucian isn't already dead, god only knows what Trojan wanted him for, and you'll be next! But you know who isn't going to get stabbed in the back? Me!\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriya knew there was no way she could convince them but she hoped they were in someone's mind because otherwise the cameras would have surely picked up that audio...\u0026nbsp;\n\nOh, fuck it all. She didn't care anymore, she had a month or two left before her 2 decades were up. The only thing that kept her going was the GRA's guarantee to provide for her sister.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd the fact that killing Opera on the spot wouldn't have the best political outcome.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Just close down the mindscape, Tomas. We aren't getting anywhere with this and these 3-way connections are hard to hold up.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nBefore Ariya could do anything, she blacked out again.\u0026nbsp;\n\n///\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe found she was standing upright, as was everyone else, and barely kept her composure from collapsing upon consciousness.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer memories before they'd effectively captured her mind began coming back slowly, she was standing in one of the hallways to the Janus Dorms.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAriya realized it had been a month since she'd stayed there, her room empty.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe'd moved in with Amira, one of the bargains she'd made after Opera requested her for bodyguard.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer hand absentmindedly brushed her old door.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBehind her the two whispered, looking at her.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTurning to face them, they glanced uneasily at her.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"We will look into this... New unit. Tell lies all you want. But that was a reconstruction of a Jinn torture chamber, one I've been in.\" Tomas said coldly.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And we could have done any number of things to you in there, because I reconstructed the instruments too.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n/|\u0026nbsp;\n\nReyna\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe prized folder in one hand and the handle of her door in the other, she watched Kyle furiously root through Marshall's briefcase, looking for what she had.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe wasn't going to join their little hunting party; instead, she was doing things herself. In fact she'd already taken anything interesting on Isaac (and a few other things) before Marshall last left.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIsaac.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTai. Though she'd figured him out.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSurely there wasn't any bigger secrets the cat was hiding.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut who else was hiding something?\u0026nbsp;\n\nReyna closed her door quietly, waiting until Kyle started to speak louder in his words to do so. He couldn't suspect her but she wagered he'd find the Trojan file she'd left.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe jackal would have taken that as well but she was pressed for time.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAfter a moment she heard him ever so slightly make his way downstairs, only so much a timber wolf in boots could do in the way of stealth.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAt least, from the Trojan ear.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIsaac's room was right beside hers at the far end of the hallway, and there were a few empty rooms besides them for when the squad eventually got even bigger.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe fox unsettled her; especially since Tai's Janus instincts began kicking in.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe recognition of prey.\u0026nbsp;\n\nOr perhaps a predator.\u0026nbsp;\n\nEveryone was unsettled when Tai and Isaac had their strange moment, but she in particular knew what it meant, having studied the Janus afflicts under Trojan jurisdiction.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\nMore than often it was looking at autopsy.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIf she was letting anyone else in on her witch hunt it was going to be Tai, but...\u0026nbsp;\n\nApparently the cat was in love with her, making it shaky at best.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe recognized the Janus eyes, as Trojan's Janus division was what Ramses was prepping her for, but Reyna could never live such a docile life as a scientist. So here, she was a spy.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot a double agent, but something like that.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTrojan simply wanted someone sent in to watch for G201's Janus, she'd almost been sent to Peru to watch G049's. The jackal was simply reporting back.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt wasn't anything bad at all, Ramses just wanted tabs on the cat.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAt least, that's what she told herself.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBesides Kyle and Riddick none of her teammates had their suspicions about Isaac. Mealtimes were vivid- particularly dinners where Isaac would recount old war stories and the like.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAt least morale improved.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Reyna? You in there?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer heart stopped and started again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShoving the folder under her mattress, that damn brogue could only belong to one fox.\u0026nbsp;\n\nReyna shakily opened the door, but forced herself to calm.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Can I help you?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt was the same thing Riddick said and she looked to the door closer to the stairs and across the hallway.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I was thinking I'd train Tai a bit, just to get to know him better, and I was told you were the one\"-\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"No!\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nIsaac tilted his head away and narrowed his eyes.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I... My apologies, but we are on a strict regimen that must remain uninfringed.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Oh, but I heard Kyle\"-\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Kyle is informed of the regimen, it allows for two trainers and two trainers only.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"That's... Oddly specific.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"It is the Trojan way.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nAn awkward silence passed between them.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well... If there's anything at all I can do with him, just let me know. I'll be happy.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nWith a smile, Isaac walked off.\u0026nbsp;\n\n...\u0026nbsp;\n\nMaybe she was wrong.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe seemed harmless. Clueless, even, that his teammates were going behind his back.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut he wasn't a simple Jake or Alvin, whose experience held them here. He was more capable than the average soldier, his service in Glasglow attesting.\u0026nbsp;\n\nReyna hadn't had a chance to decode the dossier, so she would wait until tonight.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTrojan code took a long time to decipher, and the paper on Isaac she'd accidentally left was an indicator as to which code it was...\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer first friend in a decade was slowly dying.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIsaac came to her door at the worst of times.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe'd abandoned vigilance; the first event leaving her an emotional wreck.\u0026nbsp;\n\nA Trojan's tragedy.\u0026nbsp;\n\nJust her luck.\u0026nbsp;\n\n|/\u0026nbsp;\n\nLynx\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Lynx? Report in, please...\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nI gave a groan, Gynezis' voice over the comms waking me up for the countless time.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo point in slowing breathing. I'd given away that I was awake with my noise.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd if I was still alive, which I was pretty sure I was, I was captured.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo point in moving either, if this was Ajax I was cuffed to a steel chair.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut opening my eyes to see the figure in the chair across from me, it wasn't Ajax...\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo, this was much worse.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You still pissed about what I said? Look, I'm sorry, maybe smiling kitty-cats do strike fear into the hearts of our enemies, but you don't have to give me the silent treatment.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy wrist bracer was detached and across the room, missing the component with the tracking mechanism.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"...You aren't dead, are you?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia smiled and walked over to the bracer, now that I had woken up.\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI'd stabbed her in the throat, then blown her up, which sent her off the roof of the fucking Washington monument.\u0026nbsp;\n\nOr rather, pinnacle.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt was a very famous incident, the whole top got blown off and I had to time my jump with a secondary explosion on the lawn- one to get pedestrian attention so they wouldn't see me falling...\u0026nbsp;\n\nI won't get into it.\u0026nbsp;\n\nA fight between assassins takes you weird places, don't ask.\u0026nbsp;\n\nPoint was, I'd killed her. She was supposed to be dead.\u0026nbsp;\n\nJust another person from my past, come to haunt me.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThis time in the form of my sister.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Gynezis. It's been a while.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Katia?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I have your little friend.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well, she's in good hands. Pardon, I thought you were dead.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia cast a playful look back towards me.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe was my senior by 6 years, myself being around 17 or so.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI still had no idea how she got into Jinn but she did. At twelve. She dragged her baby sister along with her and we managed.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBetween her, Gynezis, and Ajax, they taught me everything I knew.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe'd left when I was still training.\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy first assignment was to kill her.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd it was all too easy.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"May I speak to Lynx, if you will?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia smiled faintly, and turned off the bracer.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWe never did look alike but we were both Lynxes, if my name wasn't a giveaway.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAbout names, since we were raised by ourselves and Jinn we had none. Katia gave herself one but I gave myself a plethora of assassin codenames, discarding each one as I attracted more attention.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI wanted something untraceable, identities I could just throw away.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs such, I was no one.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI wasn't even Lynx.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs I said we never looked much alike for sisters. Otherwise I'd never confer this.\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia's fur was dark gray and her eyes were a vibrant green, her hair dark brown and long, something Jinn never permitted inside their military code.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWe were of commensurate height but I weighed very little, maintaining strength through supplicants so I could attain extreme speed as a result.\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia leaned in.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Still going around wearing masks, I see. Why don't you take that thing off, we're safe here...\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Fuck you...\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia was never above mockery.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I haven't seen you in so long! It would only be fitting if our reunion was... face to face.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Please...\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'll get a mirror- I know you haven't seen yourself in ages...\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nI hadn't. She was right...\u0026nbsp;\n\nI'd take off the mask to brush my teeth and shower and everything but I never looked in mirrors.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs far as I was concerned the mask was my face.\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia grabbed at the release switches on the edge, unflipping them.\u0026nbsp;\n\nRemoving the mask, she broke into a rare grin as she saw me.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Poor sister... Hiding so much beauty behind that mask...\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"P-please...\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy voice was always somewhat distorted with the inhibitors in the grin of the mask and hearing myself shocked me.\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia slowly and smugly swiveled a large mirror over to me.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI looked down at the concrete floor.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe put a hand on my chin to lift my head but I jerked out of her grip.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Oh, come on... No one's perfect...\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia got on one knee and I couldn't avoid looking her in the eyes.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo, she was perfect.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe was so fucking perfect, everything I could have been, the life I threw away.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI hated my mask.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI hated myself.\u0026nbsp;\n\nFor a moment I threw away the identity I'd become most attached to, the one I'd held the longest.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI drained the insanity that came with it and allowed it to pour out of me like a waterfall, suppressing a feral scream.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI found I was breathing heavily.\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy face was so sensitive that I felt a bead of sweat coalesce from the pressure I was under, much less the heat.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHeat.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI wasn't in Norway.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI had to get out of there somehow, I had to get back to-\u0026nbsp;\n\nKatia roughly jerked my chin back up, abandoning her playful demeanor and I found myself looking at...\u0026nbsp;\n\nMyself.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI began violently quivering as I stared into my own eyes, I'd forgotten what shade they were without the mask's red tint...\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"This is torture for you, isn't it? Sister?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe had nothing else to call me, after all.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs soon as I got out of this chair I was going to rip her apart with my bare hands.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd if I was sure of anything...\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt was that I was going to get out of this fucking chair.\u0026nbsp;\n\n/|\u0026nbsp;\n\nReyna\u0026nbsp;\n\nBanging her fist down on the bathroom counter, the jackal couldn't place the code.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe'd locked her door and then went into the personal bathroom, locking that door. No one could see her doing this, or...\u0026nbsp;\n\nIf all the Trojan logos that seemed to trail Isaac were correct, it would be death.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIn Trojan, family ties didn't mean anything except who you'd be behind and who's back you'd go behind.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe first sheet was menial information such as age, height, weight, species, and a brief description.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd then six more pages of gibberish numbers and letters not broken into paragraph.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd she could read Trojan codes better than Euro Common.\u0026nbsp;\n\nClosing her eyes and massaging her temples, out of the small window she could see the sun setting.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt came to her but she quickly dismissed it.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo, this was the only way.\u0026nbsp;\n\nEither that or give up altogether, she needed to know what was on this sheet.\u0026nbsp;\n\nKyle had seen the code indicator.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs unlikely as it was that he'd memorized it, a few digits and she'd be on her way.\u0026nbsp;\n\nOf course, that meant letting up that she was in on it too.\u0026nbsp;\n\nReyna, Riddick, and Kyle.\u0026nbsp;\n\nA triangle of resentment.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe only three with enough foresight.\u0026nbsp;\n\n|||\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt was three days later when Marshall came back, just as distracted as before.\u0026nbsp;\n\nFor a moment she saw surprise on his face when he saw Isaac, forgetting the fox was even there.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe higher-ups were overworking him, naturally.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe'd called everyone downstairs into the commons for another meeting, and she was the first down.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe wondered if Marshall even noticed she'd swiped the dossier...\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Alright, this will come as a surprise but you'll all have to get used to this sort of thing going forth. Copy?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe wolf's voice snapped Reyna's thoughts.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Opera DeSanta is going to meet with the president of Thailand. As you all know, Thailand is the only GRA-controlled territory in all of Southeast Asia, aside disputed Vietnam and Malaysia. This is high stakes with Jinn so close-by and as such she needs a specialized escort.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhich was where they came in.\u0026nbsp;\n\nOf course the roster of G201 wasn't to be taken lightly, especially with the two additions, but Tai was the real reason they were going so high-stakes.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHaving studied the Janus afflicts extensively, she was quite surprised in the faith GRA had in the Janus afflicts, they really didn't know how ineffective they were.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIn her studies only five Janus members had actually risen to full potential across the GRA or Jinn.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAll had gone insane and been put down by Black Ops.\u0026nbsp;\n\nMaybe it was best they die...\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs she looked at Tai again she took it back viciously, inwardly scolding herself.\u0026nbsp;\n\nA few murmurs but no one was especially appalled at the news, after all this was their second time bodyguarding such a high official...\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd hopefully not their second time in combat.\u0026nbsp;\n\nReyna just wanted to know when they were going to be rescuing hostages, pushing assaults...\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd then eventually assassinating and silencing whistleblowers...\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"When will we be leaving?\" Isaac's brogue once more pierced through the veil, youthful and vigorous.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Tomorrow. Like I said, you'll have to get used to this. Hostage situations aren't exactly planned months in advance.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nMarshall walked out, Kyle pursuing him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe had to get into contact with the timber wolf over all of it, preferably before tomorrow.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs much as she didn't want to...\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt wasn't the first time she'd gone after GRA's secrets.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut it was damn near the last for Trojan's.\u0026nbsp;\n\n|/\u0026nbsp;\n\nRiley\u0026nbsp;\n\nEyes opening, she took in the surroundings.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt was her flat, no one else in the bed... Thank God she'd made it home okay.\u0026nbsp;\n\nYawning, she stood back up.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe'd taken the week off to spend some time with her grandfather in Ottawa but she missed nightlife, coming home last night was all sorts of mistakes.\u0026nbsp;\n\nFixing herself coffee, she put her back to her kitchen's counter and watched the door.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot likely that any psychos in kabuki masks were going to attack her, at least now, but...\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe rubbed her temples and collected her mug, sitting down at her monitor.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBefore anything she checked security camera footage from the last week, and no one came in.\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe didn't notice the loop or the red-gold slip of paper she'd just set her mug on. It didn't mean much, but the predator had been playing with her prey as usual the week previous.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSomewhat relieved, she checked her emails.\u0026nbsp;\n\n7 sims she hadn't been there for recently, they were on the 9th simulation now, good for them-\u0026nbsp;\n\nA new squad member?!\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What the hell?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe bluejay exclaimed aloud, then double checked there was no one else in the apartment.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo advance notice or anything of the sort... She had a good week or two on Kyle.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd Marshall hadn't phoned in either?\u0026nbsp;\n\nThey had him working his ass off after that database breach last month anyways... She couldn't blame him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nClicking on his database link she began to read up, powering through 5:48 AM with what strength caffeine and paranoia gave her.\u0026nbsp;\n\nRed Fox. Isaac Broderick. Irish. Last name wouldn't have been more obvious if he was a MacGuffin....\u0026nbsp;\n\nIn his picture his fur was a devilish red, and he had a devilish smile to go along with it.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot bad at all...\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe'd found herself a lot of guys in Coast City, she had never gotten around in Ottawa.\u0026nbsp;\n\nMaybe Isaac had some more pictures, just for 'research purposes', tactics, experience-\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What the hell?!\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nAgain?\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs she began scrolling down over half of the database entry was encoded.\u0026nbsp;\n\nChecking his history once more he wasn't Black Ops or anything of the sort. As Squad Support she could email a few people and get access like she had with Kyle but this was something else entirely.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut after she tried to do the same with a few other people they'd just restricted her access to the entire page. She was never good with codes, anyway.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt would be a shame to lose all those pictures.\u0026nbsp;\n\nEr, statistics. She meant the statistics.\u0026nbsp;\n\nFatigue came over her again and her head hurt from whatever happened last night.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTaking a regretful look at her coffee mug, she downed the last of it and went on with the day.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe bluejay would be getting an email about whatever it was Marshall called her about in Ottawa, the next mission or something.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs she walked over to her window, next to the small kitchen, the first rays of the sun broke over Coast City's concrete-glass jungle.\u0026nbsp;\n\nMuch to do.\u0026nbsp;\n\n///\u0026nbsp;\n\nAgain SORRY for the delay, I had stuff going on. Thanks for being patient\u0026nbsp;\n\nI actually wrote a journal on Writer's Block to hold everyone over but it never uploaded, I must have hit the refresh button or something idk\u0026nbsp;\n\nSorry for the low wordcount too.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\nA certain wolf staked the release of an entire sequel to his 20-something-odd story on this chapter's release so pressure was kinda on\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd I didn't realize but I featured pretty much all the prominent females (apart from Opera) in this chapter coincidentally.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSince this is a throwback chapter and I used to 'sign' them\u0026nbsp;\n\nMuch to do\u0026nbsp;\n\n-Djynn\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Alcatraz","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1249641-alcatraz-ch-xviii-prospice.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1264784-alcatraz-ch-xx-trenches.json"}}