FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The world rang, covering's Bret's words. "I'm okay," I said. I took his hand and got to my feet. I was sore, but didn't seem to be bloody. Which was good, and bad. I could move, but I had nothing to draw a sigil with. The ringing was still too loud to hear more than muffled pops to go along with the flash of gunfire in the dust heavy air. It looked like they'd blown the whole entry wall to cause this kind of debris flying about.

I stepped toward the door and there was the crackling of static, the smell of ozone, then the flash of lighting. Not a stunner blast, actual lighting, inside the building, coming from the entrance. The attackers had magic.

"I'm going to kill him."

"What was that?" Bret asked.

Fuck. I couldn't have him wander and see what was going on. I turned and pushed him back. "I don't know. I think wiring's been exposed and is arcing." I forced him down behind the desk. "I need you to stay here while I deal with this." I took out my gun and flicked it to bullets. If magic was involved, a stunner wouldn't be useful.

"Is this going to be safe?" the hare asked.

"A lot safer than out there. Bret, I have no idea what's going on, but those are gunshot you hear. I'm going to be my best to send someone to protect you, but you need to stay here. Alice already hates me enough. I'm not giving her your death as an excuse."

He forced a smile that didn't last. "I think that's a good idea."

I patted his shoulder and headed for the door. The dust was settling down, and I saw forms enter from what was left of the lobby. For this kind of damage, they'd taken the time to put a lot of explosive. Why hadn't the cameras picked them up doing that? Because they didn't look at this side of the entryway.

I leveled my gun on the woman stepping over the debris. Hesitated, then lowered it and shot her in the leg. She fell with a cry and the two men next to her turned, saw me, but I shot them in the leg too.

I ran to the counter and peeked over it. Jacob screamed on seeing me. Louise was next to him, hands over her ears and rocking.

"Jacob!"

"Boss?"

"Get Louse out of here the instant you have a chance. Somewhere quiet and dark."

"We're being attacked."

"I know, I'm going to deal with that, you keep her safe."

"O--okay."

I turned and someone startled. I shot her in the leg. The indicator light turned red. I was out of bullets.

After this I was following Tom's example and carrying a bullet only gun, fuck the police and their rules as to who could and couldn't be fully armed. Guns meant the range.

I ran for the locker room.

I beam of white light burned the wall as it tried to catch up to me. I caught a glance of a man projecting that light from his hand. I was going to kill Damian after this.

I made it in and found myself dodging a punch.

"Sorry Lider," a slim otter said with a Spanish accent. She pivoted and caught a large dog's hand, twisted and brought him down to his knees, then she kicked him in the face.

"How did they get in here so fast?" I asked Jasmine as I punched a zebra. He staggered back, growled and threw himself at me.

"These chicos were already here."

I impacted the wall. And planted my knee in the zebra's balls. He crumbled with a plaintive expression. "What do you mean, they were already here? No visitor's are allowed here without being cleared by me first."

"That's Tony." She indicated the zebra, like I should recognize the name. She indicated the lion. "Walter." The poodle next to him. "Brice." And the coyote. "Zack. They were hanging out, talking and just stated attacking me after the explosion."

"Zack? He just got back from vacation. He and some of the guys were guys were going out of state to do some hunting. He couldn't stop talking about how much fun he had when he got in this morning." Oh, now he was definitely dead. "Are you telling me he fucking turned my men against me?"

A yell of rage came from deeper in the room, then a body crashed through the lockers.

"Michael!" Jasmine called as she ran to the large otter who was getting back to his feet.

A panther walked around the locker. "Hey Mister Brislow," he greeted me. "Sorry about the mess. I just need to deal with these two. I'll be with you right after that."

"Larry? What are you doing?"

"My job."

"Jasmine and Michael are your coworkers." I felt around, with the number of Society men I employed there had to be at least one within range with a power I could use.

The panther snorted. "Come on, they're straight, you can't think they're worth anything. They're trash, and our job is to keep the city clean, right?"

"No, we keep the city safe." I couldn't tell what most of what I was feeling as power did. Once this was over I was going through everyone and cataloging their powers.

"Right, safe from people like them."

I felt one, a sense of things moving fast. Super speed I knew how to handled. I tapped it and ran for the panther.

I picked myself off the floor.

That hadn't worked the way it had when I'd practiced it with Martin's cousin. Where I'd expected the world to slow. Instead I'd crossed the distance between me and the panther in a blink, but I hadn't been able to stop. I bounced off him as he flew back in the lockers.

Fuck cataloging. I was practicing with every power in the building. What did the owner of this one do with it?

Jasmine and Michael stared at me as I stood.

"Yeah, I guess I'm going to have some explaining to do after this, won't I?"

"Da," the big otter said. "He pointed, and I flew back. Not normal."

"Are you two willing to take me at my word when I say I will explain this, but that now isn't the time?"

The couple looked at one and other and nodded.

"Good. There's a hare in my office. I need the two of you to go there and keep him safe. Get him out of the building if that's possible. Jacob and Louise too if they haven't made it out yet."

"Got it," Jasmine said. "What are you doing?"

"Going for a gun. I can't do much without one."

She looked at the panther, but didn't say anything.

I ran for the stairs and hurried down them. I burst in the gun range to the sight of Kevin standing in front of a group of men huddled down, gun drawn shifting his aim from one to the other of the three men before him, anguish on his face.

I felt for something I could use from the huddled me and recognized telekinesis. I wouldn't be able to do much, but any distraction would give Kevin a shot.

I grabbed the middle man's gun and yanked it up. It flew to the ceiling, dragging the man holding it. The two made a dent in it before falling back down.

That wasn't like Bruce's telekinesis.

I shoved the other two away with a thought. Kevin followed them, but didn't react as one of the men raised his gun at him.

I tacked him as the shot rang and felt the burn in my side.

Kevin was under me mumbling something. Eyes closed tight.

"Kevin, snap out of it."

The man got to his feet, and I slammed him against the wall hard enough bones had to break.

"Kevin!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He repeated over and over.

"Kevin, talk to me." I got to a crouch. None of the three men moved at this distance I couldn't tell if they were breathing.

"I couldn't shoot them." Kevin was crying. "I couldn't."

"It's okay."

"No! I'm supposed to be able to do this! I want to help you protect people. So I have to be able to shot them."

"But you're scared you're going to kill someone else."

The otter nodded.

"Kevin, That's normal. I'm going to bring in a therapist after this and they're going to be a lot better at explaining this to you, but not wanting to kill is a good thing. No you just need to remember you don't need to shoot them in the chest. Aim for a leg, you're a good enough shot you can manage that."

The surprise on his face was almost comical.

"Are you going to be okay with that?"

He nodded.

I headed for the gun locker and telekinetically ripped the door. "Who's the telekinetic among you?" I asked the group as I put on two shoulder harness. None of the men spoke. "I know one of you is a telekinetic. Speak up." I put a magazine in two gun and holstered them. I added magazines to the harness.

"I--I'm a telekinetic." The rabbit was standing.

"You're with me. We're heading back up. Kevin, You stay here and keep the others safe." I grabbed bundles of zip-ties and threw him one. "Retrain them. Remember, if you need to shot, go for the leg, they're going to survive that."

The otter nodded. "Yes sir."

I motioned for the rabbit. "Come on. I need you with me."

"Isn't it dangerous up there? Wasn't there an explosion?"

"It is, but we need to stop this, and I need your help."

"I don't know what I can do. I'm not really good."

"But you're powerful, right?"

He looked at me suspiciously.

"Haven't you practiced your power?"

"I know how much I can lift."

"That's it?"

The rabbit shrugged.

Okay, I needed to add power training, somehow.

"Well, stick with me."

"I'd rather stay here where it's safe."

I grabbed his arm. "And I'd rather be home with Eddy. Unfortunately this is life and we don't get what we want." I dragged him up the stairs. The locker room was as I'd left it. The men still unconscious. The sound of fighting came from the other side of the door, but distant. The dining hall?

As I stepped out a man in what was left of the entryway saw me and leveled a machine gun at us. I extended my hand and thought 'wall' as he pressed the trigger. The sound was deafening, and the rabbit tried to run but I held him.

The bullets came to a stop a foot from me and fell to the ground. I let go of the rabbit and raised my hand. Broken concrete listed form the ground and flew at the gunman, burying him.

"How--how did you do that?" the rabbit asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Stopping the bullets. You can't do that."

I stared at him. "What are you talking about? This is your power."

"No, you did it."

I opened my mouth to explain I was copying his ability when I realized the implication of what he said. I wasn't limited to what he could do with his ability. That required further investigation, but later.

"Come on, we need to head for the gunfire."

"No!" he ran off and was faster than I'd expected. He was out of my range before I could grab him with his own power.

With a curse I unholstered a gun and headed for the dining hall. I passed the infirmary on the way and was surprised to find Doctor Merlin there, with a man writhing in pain on the floor.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine. The idiot didn't realize that as a physician I know precisely where to hit to cause the most amount of pain with the least amount of damage."

"Never get on your bad side, got it." I threw him a zip-tie. "Secure him."

"Before you go, there's something you should see, Mister Brislow." The hyena crouched and pulled the man's shirt up. "The work isn't of the same quality, but this looks very close to the kind of scaring the tiger had."

I nodded. The patch was sloppy, but it was definitely marks. And that was Jeremy. One of Zack's hunting buddy. Was I going to have to get everyone checked each time they came back from vacation?

"I'm guessing you have a lot of questions for me, Doc."

"I do. But I expect they can wait until you've dealt with this. The bulk of the fighting seems to come from the dining area."

"That's where I'm heading. Stay in here."

"That was my plan."

I continued and stopped by the dining hall. Peeked in and started. The capybara was blinking from place to place. Appearing next to someone with a gun and sending them flying back before vanishing again. I thought I was looking at a teleporter, in spite of having been told that was impossible anytime I brought it up, but when he was close enough, I felt for his power and he was the speedster I'd copied.

He moved so fast it was like he was teleporting, but now I could see the dust follow in his wake. Each time he stopped, it was with his shoulder into someone before they went flying.

Small burst, transferring the energy on impact. So that was how he used his power.

I heard shuffling behind me and turned to see Tom coming toward me, Helping Oscar. I glanced in the dining hall, but that was handled.

"Is he okay?"

"I found him unconscious in the ward room. Fortunately he barely caught any of the explosion."

"What exploded?"

"Based on the pattern, the blood in the center, but it looked like Harry was doing a good job of ripping those things the lion painted on the floor before that happened."

"Harry Trupe?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't he the guy who arranged the hunting trip?"

The badger shrugged. His gun was out of the holster and pointed at the capybara as he appeared next to us, a gust of wind catching up to him.

"This location is secure," the capybara said.

"Can you zoom around and check the rest of the building?"

The capybara shook his head. "Bursts is all I can do."

"By the sound of things I'd say it's over," Tom said.

"No, this is over. Now we're going to have to deal with the aftermath."

The capybara tilted an ear.

"This is going to draw the police; which means Alice is going to show up."