FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Okay, let's see what we've got, here." Jack finished the rest of the coffee he'd taken when they left Machiko's office, got out and took a quick look around. He spotted several people looking out the windows of the admin building, staring at his monster hearse. He chuckled and walked around to the other side of the car as Taura got out.

She pointed off to the right. "Corona's already here. Must be nice to have wings."

"Yeah." Jack turned and found Corrie standing at the bottom of a set of stairs in front of one of the larger buildings. She'd probably arrived several minutes ago.

Four people sat on the steps: two draconids, a male with a human face, long black hair and bronze skin, and a female with brown skin, cyan hair, a beak and horns; two human teenagers, a blond guy and a chunky girl. Each draconid seemed to be paired up with each human, the male cuddling with the chunky girl and the female sitting a few steps below the blond guy, resting her head on his chest.

Jack and Taura waved at Corona and jogged across the parking lot.

She greeted Jack with a kiss, and nodded at the others. "This is Clyde, Andraste, Adonis and Katrilla. They witnessed the whole thing. Or most of it, anyway."

"Hi," they mumbled.

"Hi." Jack raised an eyebrow at Corona. "So, what have you found out?"

"They were in bed--Clyde in Andraste's room, Katrilla in Adonis's--when the intruders busted in."

"Andi heard a commotion outside," Clyde said with a sigh. "We took a look into the hallway, and these assholes--they looked kinda like a SWAT team, wearing armor and helmets--were roughing Cassie and Fido up. Then they turned on us."

"Cassie and Fido?" Taura said.

"Cassie's one of my friends; she told us about this place and we all came here last night." Clyde nodded over his shoulder. "Brent and Maxine are still inside, and Mitch took off before the shit hit the fan. Oh, and Fido is Cassie's boyfriend. A German-shepherd type."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

Adonis shrugged. "Sometimes humans come here looking for sex."

Jack stared at him for several seconds. "What the hell kinda place is this?"

"I know what you're thinking," Katrilla muttered. "It's not a brothel. And we're not perverts."

Jack shrugged and waved a hand at Corrie. "She's my girlfriend, so I'm not gonna judge you on that. But it does seem a little weird to go to a place like this to get laid."

Katrilla frowned at him and Clyde blushed.

"Several people were assaulted," Corona went on, "including Adonis, Andraste and Clyde. Fido, Cassie and one other person were dragged out of here and haven't been seen since."

"Tiamat's the other one," Andraste said. "She's one of the admin assistants here. She kind of looks after us."

"She took a couple of the goons down before they knocked her out." Clyde shook his head. "One of them said that she was the other one they were looking for."

"So they came here just to get those three people?" Taura said.

"Looks that way." Andraste sighed. "I thought they were coming after all of us, but they only took Fido and Tia. And Cassie, too, but they didn't knock her out or restrain her."

"Why were they singled out?"

"I bet Cassie's dad had something to do with it," Clyde said. "One of the goons said her dad wanted to have a talk with her, just before they took her with 'em."

"Great," Jack grumbled. "The one person who may know what the hell's going on, and she's probably in jail."

"Actually, no," a voice called out from behind them, "she's right here."

Everyone turned as a girl with chrome skin strode toward them from a red Mustang. She looked about the same age as Clyde and the rest.

"Cassie!" Katrilla jumped up and smiled. "Are you okay?"

"I'd be fine if I weren't more pissed off than I've ever been in my life." Cassie stormed up to the stairs and stopped, planting her clenched fists on her hips.

"Why? What happened?"

"I just finished a nice, long screaming match with my dad." Cassie shook her head slowly. "I can't believe it. He's the one who had Fido arrested! He pulled some strings and now Fido's in prison! There wasn't even a trial--they just threw him in a cell." She sobbed and raised her fists as if she wanted to pummel someone.

Clyde and the others stared at her with dropped jaws. Jack and the girls exchanged a quick glance.

"How can he be put in prison without being tried, convicted, and sentenced?" Corona said.

"I don't know how my dad did it, but Fido has a conviction on his record. He was supposedly convicted of raping me, even though he never got anywhere near a courtroom. Can you believe that? We're lovers, and he was charged with rape!"

Jack shook his head. "Jesus Christ."

"I'm doing what I can for him." Cassie sniffled. "But I don't think it'll be enough."

"How'd your dad pull this off, anyway?" Jack said.

"He's rich and connected." Cassie crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "When you have as much money and influence as he has, whatever you say becomes the truth."

"Great." Jack sighed. "Does he work for one of the megacorporations?"

"No, but he's had dealings with them, and he has a few politicians in his pocket. He was born wealthy."

"Here's an example of what this guy can do." Clyde pointed across the street. "There was a news van parked over there. They'd been interviewing the residents and staff here for several days, gathering info for a big special they were planning to air in prime time."

"They wanted to show humans what we're really like," Adonis said. "Since most anthros live here and in only a few other big cities around the world, most humans don't know much about us and have a lot of preconceptions. These guys wanted to clear a few things up."

Clyde nodded. "They were handy, so I told them what had just happened. They started to interview us, then suddenly the plug was pulled. I guess one of them sent an update to their boss, and about twenty minutes later, the guy called back and told them to pack up their equipment and leave. And now they're gone. The whole project's probably been scrapped. How much d'ya wanna bet that Cassie's dad had something to do with it?"

"It could also be the people who broke in here last night, or whoever their handlers are. They wouldn't want anyone finding out what they did." Taura exchanged another look with Jack and Corrie.

"Well," Corona said, "tell us everything that happened--in detail. Taura can record it with her omnitool and we'll take it to our boss. She might be able to pull a few strings of her own. And if she can't, we have some friends who might be able to get your story out there."

"I don't see how," Clyde muttered. "If they're reporters, they'd probably be shut down the same way this news crew was."

"Well," Jack said with a smirk, "our friends don't work for the media. They're independent--they do it for fun in their spare time--but they have quite a few listeners around the city. You could tell your side of the story, get the information out there so people will know what happened. You up for it?"

"Hell, yeah." Cassie nodded. "Just tell me when and where."

"Same here," Clyde said.

"Yeah, me too," Andraste added, and Katrilla and Adonis nodded as well.

"Okay, good. I'll check with Otto and Shakira when we're done here, and let 'em know what's up. First, though, would you mind going over the whole thing for us?"

"I'd be more than happy to." Cassie squeezed between the two couples and sat.

"Thank you." Taura took her omnitool out of her coat pocket and traced one of her big fingers along the top surface, and the device beeped softly. Her hands shook, but she seemed to be more in control of herself now that she had something major to focus on. "You said there were others with you. Brent, Mitch and Maxine. We'll need to speak with them, too."

"Brent and Maxine are inside somewhere," Cassie said, leaning forward and clasping her hands together. "Good luck finding Mitch--he vanished last night, and none of us knows where he is." She frowned. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he had something to do with it."

"Why is that?"

"Well, he tried to force himself on Tiamat last night, and she kicked his ass. He's such a narcissistic bastard, I bet he couldn't take the humiliation. Probably went crying to someone about it, told 'em who was here, and when my dad found out, he went ballistic."

"I see." Corona let out a slow breath. "We'll definitely have a talk with him, once we find him. For now, though, we'd better see the others."

"Right." Taura sat on the steps below the others and placed her omnitool in front of her. "Shall we get started, then?"

#

"Hey, Shakira." Otto pulled a chair over from the empty table on his right and sat across from her. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." She sipped her coffee and continued typing on her pocket computer.

He scooted his backpack under the table with his foot and put his coffee cup down in front of him. "What's up?"

"Not much. Just writing some software for a new client, and enjoying the sunrise. How 'bout you? What brought you here so early?"

"The sunrise. And knowing that you often have breakfast here gave me the extra motivation I needed to haul my ass out of bed after only a few hours of sleep." He grinned and turned to look out across the city. The little cafe that he and Shakira were sitting in front of was on one of the upper floors of the Galleria, and it provided a spectacular view of the city. At night it looked like an endless see of neon, but now the sun was climbing over the horizon and the clouds, glowing pink and orange, were just as beautiful.

Shakira chuckled and shook her head. "You need more sleep than that."

"Not much. For some reason, if I sleep more than four or five hours, it screws me up for the entire day. I just end up feeling groggy and sluggish all day." True, as far as it went, but he'd also come to dislike sleeping because of the increasingly unsettling dreams he'd been having.

He glanced past her, out the other side of the cafe, which opened into the interior of the mall. A few people were walking around, but there would be many more later. He kept most of his attention on Shakira and hoped that she wouldn't notice him staring at her. She was wearing one of her usual loose-fitting T-shirts and a pair of denim shorts that showed off the curves of her hips and thighs quite nicely, and it wasn't easy to keep his eyes from wandering back to her.

"Anything new going on with you?" Shakira said as she continued typing.

Otto shrugged. "Just kicking around a few ideas for the next podcast."

"Ah, glad you mentioned that." She leaned back and had another sip of her coffee. "I was thinking we should try something a little different, instead of the usual goofing around."

"I'm all for trying new things. What've you got in mind?"

"The other day I ran into this chimera--a Lynx type named Frankie--who works at the clothing store where Corona and Taura got their new dresses a few days ago. He asked how they like the dresses and then we chatted for a while. He's got a great personality; he can be a real smartass." She chuckled. "I figured he'd fit right in."

"Sounds good. Maybe we can generate some publicity for his store, too."

"Exactly what I was thinking." She smiled and finished her coffee. "He mentioned the trouble his store was having, keeping up with all the competition from the big clothing chains and department stores. So I figure we can get Frankie on the show and talk about his store, get him some attention." She grinned. "And since quite a few corporate people--or at least their kids--listen to the podcasts..."

"The ones who have anthro girlfriends or boyfriends will drop by to pick up some new threads for their lovers?"

"Stranger things have happened."

"Yep. Did you talk to him about being on the show?"

"I suggested it, and he said he'd drop by on his next day off."

"Good." He finished his doughnut and glanced over his shoulder at the menu board on the far wall. Coffee and a doughnut worked well enough to get him started in the morning, but he'd need something more substantial than that.

Shakira kept typing for a moment, then her expression shifted slightly. "Say, Otto, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Sure, go ahead." He turned to face her again.

She hesitated a moment before continuing. "It's about the conversation we had a few days ago. About those dreams you've been having."

He nodded and sipped his coffee. He'd been trying not to think about the dreams, but maybe talking about them would help more than keeping it all bottled up.

"I wasn't sure I wanted to bring it up," she said, keeping her voice low. "But I want to be sure you're okay."

He nodded. "I'm always a little unnerved when I wake up, but I get over it quickly enough." He turned his cup slowly and added in a softer voice, "Mostly."

"Those dreams haven't stopped?"

"They're getting more frequent. And they still feel more like memories than dreams."

She nodded. After another brief hesitation, she spoke again. "Feel like talking about it?"

"I guess so." He took a deep breath and spent a moment gathering his thoughts. The bizarre dreams had started years ago, but they'd been infrequent until recently. They ranged from glimpses of surreal environments to full-on nightmares. "Well, the one I had last night is a good place to start, I guess. I only remember bits of it. I was on a mountain, I think. There was a cliff on one side, seemed to be several miles high. The sky had two suns, both of 'em blue, so the sky looked weird." He frowned as more pieces of the dream bubbled to the surface. "I was being chased by...something. Didn't get a clear look at it, at least not that I can remember."

"Creepy." Shakira raised an eyebrow. "And it seemed more like a memory than a dream?"

"Yeah. My dreams are usually pretty disjointed." Otto tossed her a lopsided grin. "And ninety percent of them are about sex." He shrugged and drank some more coffee. "These, on the other hand, are a lot more coherent. If I could remember more pieces of them after I wake up, I think they'd make perfect sense."

She nodded. "Still think they're related to...what happened to you when you were little?"

"Yeah." He hadn't remembered being shot until recently--around the time the weird dreams had started ramping up, in fact. It had happened when he was six or maybe seven years old; he'd been walking down the street, heard screeching tires and gunshots--it had been a drive-by shooting and he'd simply gotten caught in the middle of it--and before he could figure out what was happening, he'd been hit in the shoulder and chest. He remembered falling, feeling cold pavement under him, everything fading away...and then his heart had stopped.

He had died.

And yet here he was, without so much as a scar where the bullets had hit him. He'd done a thorough search of the city's hospital and police records and had found nothing; no children with wounds like his had been admitted at that time, and certainly none had been DOA when they were brought in. Yet he'd found articles on numerous news websites showing the aftermath of the drive-by, complete with the victims' bodies sprawled on the ground--and one spot where a small body had been, a pool of blood that couldn't have come from anywhere else, but no corpse.

He'd copied all the articles and records and given them to Shakira a few days ago. She'd looked into it herself and had come to the same conclusion--either he really had been gunned down and somehow walked away without a scratch, or he was imagining the whole thing.

The former seemed more likely than the latter, as improbable as that was.

He shrugged again and released a long sigh. "I don't know how they're connected, but I'm sure they are."

Shakira nodded and patted his hand. "Try not to let it get to you. I'm sure we'll find a reasonable explanation for it all."

"I hope so. If we don't, it'll mean that I really am going nuts."

"Hey, don't talk like that. I've seen enough in the files you showed me to convince me that there's something to this. Whatever it might be, you're not crazy." She patted his hand again nodded at the menu board above the counter. "Maybe some food will help you feel better. Breakfast is on me today, if you're still hungry."

"I was just thinking about ordering something, but I can pay for it myself."

"Don't worry about it. If you insist on making us even later, you can always buy me a cup of coffee or something, sometime." She chuckled and winked at him. "And just because I'm buying you breakfast, it doesn't mean I expect you to put out, so don't get your hopes up."

Otto laughed, then he sighed and shook his head. "Damn, for a second I thought I actually had a shot."

Shakira laughed and rolled her eyes, and turned back to the menu board. "Okay, what're you hungry for?"

He let his gaze caress her body for a moment, and suppressed a sigh. If only she could understand how I feel about her, instead of thinking it's a joke or a teenage crush.

He kept it to himself, and focused his attention on the menu.

#

"It just occurred to me that, after what happened last night, I don't even know your name."

Ramirez raised an eyebrow as she sat at her desk in the corner of the front room. "Lola Ramirez."

"Lola. That's pretty."

"Thank you." She smiled, tapped one of the icons on her computer's monitor, and gazed out the window while she waited for the connection to the NCPD's server to be established. The desk faced the windows, like all of her furniture did; she didn't like having her back to windows or doors. In addition to making her feel a little safer, it also gave her the opportunity to watch the sun rise whenever she had a moment to sit here and contemplate the view.

The computer beeped softly to tell her that the connection was active. She entered her username and password, and glanced at the draconid. "And your name is?"

"I don't have one yet, actually. For now, I just have a serial number that I didn't bother to memorize." He shrugged at her surprised look. "Some of us were given names by the geneticists or lab techs, but most of us didn't get names after we were released. Some of us are still waiting to go through the process."

"Ah." Ramirez nodded. She knew the basics--that the bioengineered chimeras had to be placed in facilities where they learned how to live among humans while someone created names and identities, and then they were released into the city to make lives for themselves. She also knew that quite a few of them either slipped through the cracks or skipped the orientation sessions and went out on their own before they were ready.

But she didn't know much beyond that which was relevant to her job. She didn't like to admit it, but a lot of her apprehension about the city's chimera population was probably due to her own ignorance.

"I've been thinking about picking a name for myself," he continued with another shrug, "but haven't found one that I really like yet. I'm open to suggestions."

Ramirez shrugged back. Only one name sprang to mind immediately--Hiroshi, her husband's name. But that would be...weird. Not only that, but it would probably just remind her of the day she lost him.

On the other hand, there was something about him that reminded her of Hiroshi. His quietness, his nervousness upon meeting her for the first time, and the calming effect he'd had on her--all of them were traits that Hiroshi had always carried within him.

Maybe it just fits him.

She took another sip of her coffee, thinking it over for a moment, and suggested the name to her companion. He thought it over and the corners of his beak quirked slightly in an attempt to smile.

"Hiroshi. I like the way it sounds."

"It was my husband's name. You kind of remind me of him. Your attitude and some of your mannerisms, I mean."

"Really?" He raised a brow ridge. "You said was...?"

"Yeah." She looked away, trying to focus on the information on her monitor instead of her memories. "He was killed in a car accident six years ago."

"Oh." He kneeled beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should pick a different name; this one would just keep reminding you of what happened."

She looked at him for a moment and sniffled, then reached up to touch his hand. "No, it's okay. Maybe giving you his name would keep his spirit alive." She blushed. "That probably sounds silly. But it seems like something he would've said. Maybe your name can be Hiro, just to keep it from being too weird."

"Well, then, I would be honored. Thank you."

She smiled, patted his hand again, and returned her attention to the computer. She accessed the vehicle records and entered a general description of the van the strange man had been driving. She hadn't gotten the license plate number and wasn't certain about the model, but she had to start somewhere.

"You seem like a nice guy," she said, trying to fill the silence while waiting for the search to run its course. "Hiroshi was one of the nicest guys I've ever met, so you have that in common with him, too. He always went out of his way to help someone who was in trouble or comfort someone who was upset." Her eyes stung and she let out a sound that was sort of half chuckle and half sob. She pressed her hands against her eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Hiro rubbed her back and put his arm around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"It's okay. I'm the one who decided to talk about him. I just...it's been so many years, and I still miss him." She got herself back under control, wiped the last of the tears away, and opened her eyes. Then she realized that she was leaning on his shoulder. That startled her a bit, but what surprised her even more was that she didn't want the moment to end.

What the hell's the matter with you? There are too many things that are way too hinky about this. Don't make it any weirder than it already is. She let out a slow breath, patted his hand again, and went back to her search.

He kept his arm around her a moment longer before starting to move away. She reached over without thinking about what she was doing, and held his hand to her shoulder. She froze, wondering why the hell she had done that, but she pushed her surprise aside and kept working. Hiro's brow ridges shot upward, but he let his arm settle around her and did that little smile thing again. He nodded at the screen and said, "What are you looking for?"

"I'm trying to see if I can find that van in our records. If he's ever been pulled over..."

"Records?"

"The Neon City Police Department. I'm a plainclothes detective. I was transferred here about six months ago. Still trying to get used to this place."

"Oh. Enjoying your new job?"

She snorted. "No."

"Ah. That's a shame."

"Yeah. But then, for a long time before coming here, I've felt like I haven't made a difference. So it's nothing new."

"That doesn't sound fun at all," Hiro muttered. "Why do it, then?"

She laughed. "I ask myself that a lot. There are days when it seems like all the years I've been a cop have been a waste of time. Seems like, for every criminal I put away or operation I help shut down, a dozen more take their place." She shrugged. "I wanted to make the world a better place. Most of the time it feels like one of those 'one step forward and two steps back' things. But I have to keep trying, for Kim's sake."

He looked at her with his head cocked to one side for a moment, then nodded. "I hope you succeed, then. And soon."

"Thanks." She smiled and nodded at the screen. "I can make a good start by finding the prick who's been messing with us."

"Any luck with that van?"

"Nope. I didn't get that good a look at it, and didn't catch the license plate, either. And I've seen dozens of vans just like it all over the city." She sighed and picked up her coffee. "I want to see if the driver is in our database, but I'm not sure what he looks like. I know I saw him pretty clearly--I stared right into his face from only a few feet away--but I don't remember it."

"I saw him look at you, and you just kind of went limp. That must've been when it happened. I'm guessing the same thing happened when he looked at me. I was fine until he looked into my eyes, and then everything turned blurry and the next thing I knew, he was gone and I wasn't sure why I was standing in the street."

"Yeah, when he looked at you, you stopped and stood there, staring off into space, while he hauled ass outta there in his van." Ramirez groaned and rubbed her hands over her face. "Christ, this sucks. We can't identify him or his vehicle."

"Well, can you have someone check for fingerprints or something? I saw that in a movie a couple days ago. You have some kind of powder that you use to find fingerprints, right?"

"Among other things, yeah. But I'd rather keep this one quiet. I can ask my partner for help, but he's the only one I really trust. And I don't want the fact that I picked up a chimera, took him home and fucked him without so much as saying hi to him first, to become common knowledge around the station. Uh, no offense, but..."

"None taken." He raised one brow ridge. "Does it really matter what other people think, though?"

"It shouldn't, but it does." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Something like this, if twisted around to look like it's something it really isn't, could cost me my career."

Hiro's eyes widened a little. "Oh. Damn."

"Right. Though sometimes I wonder if it would be that big of a loss. I have to keep reminding myself that I can't help prevent this kind of shit from happening again if I'm not a cop anymore. Someone could take a bit of information like this and use it to totally screw me over--cause problems for me outside my job, as well. Maybe even prevent me from getting another job somewhere else."

"Oh. I won't say a word to anyone about it, then." Hiro frowned and shook his head. "What a nasty place you work in."

"Yeah." She sighed, then she swirled the rest of the coffee in her mug and chugged it. As she did so, a sudden thought struck her. "Hey...I'm gonna see if what happened to us was done to anyone else. If so, there may be some clues that'll lead me to the bastard." She entered more commands into the keyboard.

"Good idea. I just automatically thought we were the only ones this had happened to."

"So did I, at first. But there's someone out there who can apparently control people's minds and since he used his abilities to make us put on a show for him, I'd be surprised if he hasn't done this before. Or if we really are his first victims, you can bet he'll try it on someone else sooner or later." She shook her head. "Some people can be really sick, twisted bastards."

"I guess so. And some humans call us monsters."

"As opposed to what, I wonder?" Ramirez muttered, leaning forward to study the search results on the screen. She frowned. "Huh. There are six other cases just like ours; two--sometimes more--total strangers hooking up and having sex, and none of them able to explain why. It was like they were watching the whole thing but were unable to stop it."

"And look at this." Hiro pointed at the screen. "The file status. Closed. Each one, closed. And look at the dates."

"Yeah, I see that. Each one was closed a day or two after the investigations began, yet nothing conclusive was ever found." She tapped the one at the top of the list and a new window appeared, showing details of the case, and her frown deepened as she read. "This report...there's hardly anything in it. Statements from the victims, but nothing was followed up on. No arrests were made. Hardly anyone was even questioned."

"And yet the cases were closed."

"Right." With a sigh, she went back to the first one and read the report again, more thoroughly this time, and one little detail caught her attention. "Huh. When the victims' bedroom was examined, samples of semen found on the sheets and floor were analyzed, and it wasn't all from the, uh, male 'participant.'" She slumped back in her chair and grimaced. "Which probably means the creep stood there and jerked off while watching his victims screw. I think I'm gonna puke."

"So that's what that must've been," Hiro muttered.

"Huh?"

"When we were in your bedroom, I noticed two distinct scents; one of them was different from mine."

Ramirez stared at him and blinked. He shrugged.

"My nose is pretty sensitive; I noticed it when I walked past the spot where you'd dropped your shirt last night."

Her mouth fell open and she checked her shirt for unusual stains as Hiro continued.

"I didn't give it much thought until you mentioned the same thing happening in that report."

"Eww!" Ramirez grimaced, but felt a faint surge of hope. "I'll check the rest and see if a pattern develops. Then I'll see if I can find a detailed analysis of it, cross-reference it with the other cases, and see if they match. Maybe it could be used to identify the son of a bitch."

"I hope so."

"Yeah, me too." A realization sank in and a burst of anger surged through her. "The cocksucker was watching us. He watched us humping it out and masturbated in my goddamned bedroom!" She shuddered. "Christ, I feel like I've been raped."

"I guess we both were." Hiro sighed. "We were both forced to do something we wouldn't have done otherwise." He glanced at her and added, "As I said before, I don't mind what happened between us, in and of itself. But I don't like somebody messing with my mind." He looked away and his voice was quiet when he spoke again. "And...I don't like knowing that I wasn't strong enough to stop it."

"Take it easy. I don't think anyone could've stopped it. Don't be so hard on yourself."

He shrugged. "I just don't like the fact that I was totally helpless. That guy could've done anything to us and we wouldn't have been able to prevent it. That scares me." He shook his head. "I don't like feeling scared, either."

"Neither do I." She reached up and flicked her finger gently against the tip of his beak, and tried to smile. "I'm gonna find this asshole and put him away. Then we won't have to be afraid of him anymore."

"Good. I've never felt fear before. Not like this, at least. I've been nervous a few times, but this is way beyond that." Hiro shook his head and frowned. "I don't like it."

Ramirez patted his hand and nodded at the monitor. "I'll talk to these people. Once I get hold of the reports on the semen analyses, I can do a DNA match and identify the scumbag. And once I interview the victims and fill in the blanks in these files here, I'll have a case against him."

"Good."

"I'll get some more info from these files and then we'll head down to the station so I can talk to my partner and start digging into this mess."

He smiled again, and Ramirez couldn't help smiling in response. His beak wasn't quite flexible enough to pull off the effect, but his eyes and brow ridges were surprisingly expressive; his smiles seemed to radiate more from them than from his beak. The overall effect was quite charming, in a weird way.

Well...better get down to business. She returned her attention to the computer. She tapped one of the icons to access the analysis results and a new message box popped up. She took one look at it and her mouth fell open again.

Access Denied.

"What the hell?" She waved a hand at the screen. "I should be able to access this!" She glared at the screen as a new suspicion formed. "I think someone's blocking me."

A sudden click from the front door made both of them snap their heads around to look at it. Ramirez thought it was a lockpick at first, then realized that it was a key going into the lock. Still, she prepared to duck behind the desk and pull Hiro down with her, just in case.

The door swung open and Kim stepped through, yawning.

Ramirez let out a relieved sigh. "About time you got home, kiddo."

"Hi, Mom." Kim took off her duster and draped it over the back of the couch before turning to greet her mom with a smile. She froze at the sight of Hiro. "Oh. Uh..."

Ramirez realized that Hiro still had his arm around her. Uh-oh. I'm gonna have some explaining to do.

"Ah, Kim, this is, uh...Hiro."

Kim shifted her stare to Ramirez. "That was Dad's name."

"Uh...yeah. Hiro didn't have a name yet, and I needed something to call him, so...um....it was the first thing that popped into my head."

"Ah. You must be one of the chimeras who were just released from the labs, then."

Hiro nodded. "I'm still waiting to be processed, so I didn't have a name until a few minutes ago."

"Ah." Kim smiled, but arched an eyebrow at her mom, asking a silent and obvious question. Ramirez blushed.

"Um, Hiro, this is my daughter, Kim."

"Nice to meet you." Hiroshi stood and held his hand out. After hesitating for barely a second, Kim smiled and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, too." She gave Ramirez that look again. "So, Mom, is there something you haven't been telling me?" Her smile turned sly and she winked, and Ramirez blushed again. "Have you two known each other long?"

"We met last night," Hiro said, and Ramirez's blush turned even darker.

"Really? How'd you meet?"

"Kind of a long story." Ramirez gave Kim what she hoped was a stern look. Kim blinked a few times and then grinned, obviously getting the wrong idea.

"Way to go, Mom." Kim winked again and gave her a thumbs-up. "Glad to know you finally started looking for other fish in the sea. Gotta say, though, I didn't expect you to hook up with--"

"It's not like that." Ramirez felt her face growing even hotter. "I'll explain later. As much as I can, at least." She stood and nodded at the door. "I wish I didn't have to rush off now that you're home, but there's an urgent matter I need to take care of down at the station."

Kim gave her a look that said, "There's always something more important going on." A look that Ramirez was too damned familiar with. She sighed and walked over to give Kim a hug.

"I'm really sorry. But this is major. It's part of the whole 'I'll explain later' thing. Okay?"

"Okay," Kim sighed and shrugged. "I'm tired, anyway, so I'll just microwave something for dinner--uh, breakfast, I mean--and then hit the sack."

"Actually, there's a lot of weird shit going on right now, which could be related to one of the cases I'm working on." Ramirez dug her phone out of her pocket. "And it could turn dangerous, so I want to get some protection for you. Just in case."

Kim had taken a few steps toward the kitchen door, but now she froze and turned to stare at her mom.

"I'm gonna call that friend of yours, Corona, and ask her to keep an eye on you," Ramirez continued. "I'll wait here until she shows up. You may want to pack a few things; I don't know when this'll be over."

Kim kept staring at her, eyes wide and mouth open, for a long moment before she could speak. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you as much as I can while we're waiting for Corona to arrive." Ramirez sat on the couch, dialed Corona's number and waited for her to answer.