FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The view on the screen shook slightly and the view shifted from that of an alleyway to cracked concrete.

Officer Mulroy, sitting at the monitor let out a slightly annoyed sigh and gave a sideways glance to the officer beside him who merely shrugged. Not content with that answer. Mulroy leaned forward towards the microphone. "Your camera has slipped from its harness. The ground is a good view and all, but it's not going to help."

"Don't sass him." The other officer chuckled. "He'll make you pay for it later eventually." He knew from experience what his partner was capable of if he was goaded enough.

"Sure he will." Mulroy rolled his eyes and shifted in his seat. Being cramped in the back of a van filled with monitoring equipment with only barely enough room for the two men currently inside. He coughed into his sleeve and quickly checked around to make sure he didn't cough on any of the other monitors or the equipment that was flashing and filling the van with electronic buzzing. The stuff was expensive.

Sorry about that. Text appeared on another screen in quick succession. One of the straps came undone. The camera image shifted again, rolling sideways and then straightening itself to show the view of the alley.

Mulroy laughed. "At least that's fixed. The last time he tried to use the text communicator, it got it all wrong. Started sending me all kinds of messages. Some were quite erotic and for some reason, a lot included you." He leaned over to elbow the other officer, who was glad that was dark in the van since he was blushing.

"Glad they've got it working now." The other officer replied. There was some truth to what had been sent accidentally. If anyone found out what was happening between him and his partner behind closed doors, it would be the end of his career. He was grateful that the messages outlining some of their more intimate moments had been passed off as a strange glitch in the programming that was 'fixed' in a patch.

Continuing my patrol. A new message appeared right under the old one. The camera image then began to creep forward again, past a set of dumpsters and towards a large warehouse at the far side.

"So, now that's working again," Mulroy said and leaned back into his chair now that all he had to do was wait and watch. "Mind if I ask a question?"

"Sure," The officer replied. He kept his gaze on the monitor, looking for any sign of trouble. He knew that his partner could handle himself, but still, he worried.

"How did you manage to get a position on the tactical response team." Mulroy spoke of a new division that was created to respond to the larger number of crimes in the city. Normal police weren't properly equipped to handle the more treacherous conditions that were being more prominent, and SWAT required special training that the department couldn't afford, so they went half way and created the TRT which pulled from the best of the police force.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The other officer shoved Mulroy, nearly pushing him off of his seat. "Saying I'm not a good cop?"

"No. No." Mulroy raised his hands. "You have a great track record, but you haven't exactly gotten enough experience for this kind of work. Sure, you've handled lots of domestic disturbances in your time and only recently you've been getting more dangerous duties, but we all know why."

The other officer almost thought of it as an insult, but he understood. It was true, before, he had mostly handled smaller things and a few drug related issues. He wasn't experienced in the grittier parts of the job.

"It's all him." He pointed at the screen. "All him."

"Really?" Mulroy wasn't convinced. "It can't all be him. Sure, he's good, but he's expected to be good. He can't possibly be dragging you along."

"Oh, yes he can." The other officer insisted. "They partnered him with me and now I'm just along for the ride. Notice how it's him in the field and not me."

"Sure you're not hiding anything from me?" Mulroy said it as a joke, but it nearly made the other officer panic. There was always the worry that the secret would get out, but he knew that it wouldn't. Only the two knew and neither would ever tell anyone.

"No. Just along for the ride." The other officer leaned on the counter with the monitor and looked back to check on how his partner was doing.

"If you insist." Mulroy went back to his job of staring at the monitor and making sure that the equipment was working just fine. Unlike the others, Mulroy was just a technician. He just kept the machines working. "You knew what this call was about? They don't really tell me much whenever they send me out with the TRT."

"Uhmm," The other officer tried to recall the details of the call. It was urgent. "There were reports of erratic gunfire coming from here. Some say that it sounded like automatic gunfire."

"Uhh huh." Mulroy leaned and looked outside the van at the armored cars and the two dozen officers in body armor. "Was there anything else?"

"Yeah," The other officer nodded. "This place is a suspected gang storehouse and there were reports that a large number of vehicles pulled up shortly before. Those vehicles are still there."

"What do you think happened?" Mulroy asked. He had nothing better to do. The progress towards the building was slow. He understood. Had to be careful. Officers had died before by rushing ahead too fast only to find themselves in an unwinnable situation without backup.

"I dunno." The other officer shrugged. "Maybe some sort of set up by another gang?" He really didn't know. The drug gangs had actually been rather quiet in recent years. They still trafficked and there was the occasional violent confrontation, which his partner knew firsthand, but for the most part, activity died down.

"Sounds plausible." Mulroy scratched his head and wished that he had brought a drink in with him. He was getting parched and while he could ask for a cup of water, Mulroy wasn't the kind of person to ask for any favors, even if it was just a glass of water. He had grown up poor and his father had been too stubborn to reach out for any kind of aid even though it was there. It made him grow up thinking that he had to suffer through his own mistakes. He was slowly growing out of it.

"What? You have a better idea?"

I can smell something. A new message appeared on the screen, interrupting the two. The camera feed was a lot closer now to the building which stood ominously tall and quiet. I think it's blood.

"Smell something?" Mulroy blurted out.

"Remember who he is," The other officer said and went for the microphone. "Proceed with caution."

Don't I always?

The other officer grinned even though on the inside he felt worried for his partner. A lot could go wrong real fast and he was stuck in a van hundreds of yards away if something did go awry.

"You two get along real well don't you?" Mulroy asked though he was keeping his focus on the screen. It was getting around that time where something happened in the movies.

"Kind of have to." The other officer was glued to the screen as well. "Plus he grows on you quickly." Or in you. He added in his mind.

"I don't know, Curtis," Mulroy said. It wasn't that he thought there was bickering going on between the two, it was just hard to imagine the kind of relation the two had. One being a dog and all. As much as Evergreen said that their new breed of super dogs were just as smart and bright as humans, Mulroy couldn't believe it. They were just really well-trained dogs to him. He kept that unpopular opinion to himself. "Just never thought of you as being the kind to be showboated by a big thing like him."

"Hadrian isn't a showboat," Curtis insisted. "Being how he is... Cameras are just attracted to him like magnets." For the first month, cameras were everywhere. Going to work? News vans waiting just outside of home and they waited outside for him and Hadrian to leave for patrol. They no longer swarmed, asking questions, but they followed, just waiting to see the super dog to go into action. It was only recently that the second super dog, Nero, was sent out. He was working in El Paso and so with more coverage, the news got over saturated and now they were backing off.

"Couldn't turn on the television without seeing you and the dog. Especially during prime time." Mulroy pantomimed changing the channel on the screen.

Curtis was slightly annoyed by Mulroy's disregard for Hadrian. It wouldn't have killed him to use his name at the very least. Everyone at the station had gotten used to Hadrian at this point. They talked to him as if they really believed that he was a person. To Curtis, Hadrian was. He listened at the end of the day and now that he had a thought-to-text converter, he could talk back and the kinds of conversations that he could carry, Curtis would have thought that Hadrian was a human.

I'm at the door. Hadrian checked in. I can't hear anything, but the smell is stronger now. Blood and... something else that I can't identify. I'm going in.

"You need to stop him now." The two turned around to see the chief. "Stop him now." He pointed at the microphone.

"Chief Jackson?" Curtis said and the Chief Jackson pulled his mighty mass into the back of the van, rocking the vehicle and tried to push his way past Curtis, but the confining interior made it difficult.

"Move." He breathed into Curtis' face due to the proximity.

Curtis did his best to move out of the way. "What's going on?" He asked and sucked in his gut as he tried desperately to let his boss squeeze on by.

"This comes right from the top," Chief Jackson finally got on by. He had to take a moment to catch his breath. He really regretted letting himself go. Once he had stopped going to the gym, age and his slow metabolism hit him hard. "They want the scene untampered with until a special team arrives."

I'm in.

Everyone turned to the screen.

At first, Curtis thought that Hadrian had entered a painted room, but that couldn't be. The warehouse was made of metal, gray metal.

"Wha..." Mulroy was about to speak. His eyes widened and he got up and slipped between the chief and Curtis as if he was oiled and ran out the van. Shortly after, there was the sound of something wet hitting concrete as he lost his lunch. That got a few other officers to walk to the van to investigate.

"Back out! BACK OUT!" Chief Jackson yelled at the others. He was getting a little green around the gills.

Curtis could only stare at the scene. There was blood everywhere. It coated boxes, furniture, the ground and went up the walls. In that blood were bodies. More like pieces of people. Indiscriminate chunks of meat tossed around randomly. It was impossible to tell how many people the pieces had belonged to. He could only tell that it used to be a lot of people.

Jesus. I'm going to be sick. The image shuddered and turned away from the scene. I'm... I'm backing out. I think this is beyond me. Send backup. I'm backing out.

"Get out of there." Curtis heard someone yelling. It was him. He had grabbed the microphone and was yelling into it.

"Come on." Chief Jackson grabbed Curtis by the arm and pulled him away. The officer let himself get pulled away. "He's coming back. Let's go sit down."

Curtis stared at the alley where Hadrian had gone at first to investigate. Each moment felt like an eternity.

Chief Jackson had taken him over to where the cruisers were parked and set him down by one. The chief was in full damage control mode, making sure no one saw what was in the building and no one outside of the van had.

Mulroy was sitting in his own cruiser, nursing a cup of water. His skin was pasty and white and he refused to talk.

"Hadrian's back." Someone announces across the radio and Curtis stood up. He looked across the parking lot to where Chief Jackson was.

The Chief looked over as well and gave a single nod. Everyone knew that Hadrian and Curtis were close. To separate them unnecessarily would be cruel.

Curtis brushed himself off and took a deep breath. He felt better, but the images were fresh in his mind as he walked over to the perimeter where Hadrian was.

The giant dog was being tended to by the on scene EMT who was wiping something from the side of Hadrian's mouth with a rag.

"Heya buddy," Curtis said to Hadrian, whose tail gave a weak wag.

"He's alright. Just a bit shaken," The EMT said. "I'd take him somewhere quieter and sit him down." He didn't comment on the mystery of what was seen in that building.

"Thanks," Curtis said to the EMT and did just that.

The two walked off to the side and Curtis kneeled down to look at Hadrian at the face. "How are you holding up? I saw."

I'm fine. Hadrian reassured the man, the words appearing on Curtis' PDA which he made sure was the only PDA to get the message. It was a neat trick that Evergreen did, allowing Hadrian to communicate better using an implant. The two were careful about what was said on the PDA's though since they were turned in every month for updates. I puked a little, otherwise I'd give you a lick.

"Whew that was something else." Curtis scratched Hadrian behind the ears right where he knew he liked it.

Hadrian leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. I'm just glad we didn't show up when that was happening. Whoever did that, really must have hated them. God, the drug wars are horrible.

"You can say that again," Curtis replied and his PDA buzzed as another message came in.

I'm just glad we didn't show up when that was happening. Whoever did that, really must have hated them. God, the drug wars are horrible.

Curtis laughed and punched Hadrian in the shoulder. "You knew just when to crack a joke don't you?"

Hadrian did his best imitation of a smile he could.

"Officer Curtis? Hadrian?"

Curtis stood up and turned to see someone approaching. "Yes?"

He pulled out a badge and stopped a polite distance away. "Special Agent Trenton. Department of Homeland Security."

"What's Homeland Security doing here?" Curtis asked.

"Important business, son." The Special Agent put away his badge. The badge was official and the uniform had some resemblance to a border patrol uniform, being mostly a dark olive green without the patches. "I'm going to have to ask that Hadrian comes with me?"

"You know him?" Curtis looked over to Hadrian who shook his head. "What is this about?" He then asked Agent Trenton.

Agent Trenton sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I've got my orders. I'm here to collect Hadrian and bring him with me."

Hadrian's hackled raised slightly. There was no reason for this. The only people who ever came by and asked for him directly were reporters and people from Evergreen. I'm not going anywhere. Curtis showed the agent the message.

Agent Trenton looked between the PDA and the large dog. "Look. I can't force you to do anything. You're too strong, but orders are orders and you are obliged to come along. I can get Chief Jackson." He pointed behind him at all of the police cruisers where everyone else was. "Don't make this hard. Surely you understand."

Curtis did understand. Orders were orders. There was no reason to get angry at this man. He was just the delivery boy. "Mind if I tag along then. He's my partner."

"Sorry, but my orders specifically said Hadrian. No one else."

That crushed Curtis. He actually contemplated refusing to let Hadrian go.

"It's alright." An older man in a suit with a patch of a pine tree on his chest walked onto the scene. "Officer Curtis can come along as well. Wouldn't want to separate the two after all." He gave Curtis a friendly smile. "Jarek Sobol. From Evergreen. When I heard that they sent a fed to collect you, I had to come here myself. I knew that there would be a misunderstanding."

What's this about. Evergreen had always come to our home after work and they let us knew when they were coming.

"This is different, Hadrian," Jarek said and readjusted his circular glasses. "I think it's time you and your 'partner' here learned a few truths. Secrets tend to go sour if left hidden for too long. I'm sure that both of you would agree." He gave a closed lipped smile to the two. "A lot of people are in agreement that one secret has gone quite rancid. If you two would come with me and Agent Trenton here, we can have a nice talk about secrets."