by Mel Todd
She moved over to the jaguar who curled up tighter around the two kids who were white and frozen, glaring at her. Jeans lay tattered around her body, and a bra hung oddly off her, making her look a bit ridiculous. One of the kids had light red indentations on the neck.
She probably grabbed the kid and pulled it back when I attacked. Smart woman.
The jaguar was stunning, black with grey cloud marks on it, it would have been the star of any Nat Geo special. As McKenna got closer, the cat hissed at her trying to back away from her, but not let the kids out of the range of her claws.
"Oh god that animal is going to kill those kids." A panicked voice screamed, and McKenna flinched, whirling on the woman who was starting to go into hysterics. Her fashionable business suit was splattered with blood and her face was white as she hyperventilated.
"Shut up," McKenna snapped.
"Look at it, it's going to kill them," the woman shrieked, her voice hitting a pitch that felt like a knife in McKenna's ears.
"That animal is their mother, and right now I suspect the only person here she is thinking about killing is you." The snarl came out deeper than McKenna intended and the next words were something she'd never have said in anything approaching normal circumstances. "Because right now I am really tempted to put you out of my misery. So shut up!"
The stupid idiot gulped and fell back, quiet and panting.
McKenna took a deep breath trying to get her own emotions under control and crouched down in front of the jaguar. "Look, I know you're probably terrified and focused on protecting your kids. But I need you to focus. Think about how to become human again."
Hey, it worked for JD, maybe it will work for her, cause I don’t know what else to do.
The cat hesitated then closed lids over luminous green eyes. There was again that heat and her body shifted and moved, and then a woman lay on the floor, long black hair tumbling over her body and two kids that turned into human leeches as she reverted.
"Mommy!" The twins cried and arms wrapped around her and the woman reacted the same way, wrapping them tight. She lifted eyes to McKenna and gave her a shaky smile, with wide eyes that kept darting towards everyone even as her grip never loosened.
"Thanks," her voice a whisper even as she shook in reaction.
"No prob. I'll see if we've got some clothes for you."
The woman nodded distracted as she checked over the two kids, both shaking but looking unharmed. She didn’t let them out of her arms at all.
McKenna rose to her moved and moved about confiscating weapons, then walked back out of the bank as EMT's started to show up.
"Largo, get over here." Kirk called as he looked at a now dressed JD and a camera man that was gesturing wildly though to McKenna's eyes it seemed like a performance.
"You can't take my film, you don't have the right," the man protested.
"Police investigation, you can't stop me. You'll get it back after the case is reviewed."
"That'll be too late," but the level of protest just sounded false and an itch ran down her spine.
"Officer Largo, we need to figure out what the hell happened here. Hopefully that video will help. I’m loathe to believe what I just saw, but I just saw it.” He glanced at the two of them. “I don’t know what happened, but for all our sakes I’m placing you on suspension until this can be investigated. Turn over your weapon when you get to the station. Get out of here, I don't want to see your face until this whole thing has been investigated. You too, Davidson." The captain watched them, his body tense and wary. His eyes kept darting to the bank, and the EMT's wheeling two bodies out.
"Yes, sir. Let me report to Ramirez. I assume he'll be taking over the scene?"
"Yes. Make sure you go to the station, file your reports, and turn in your weapons, then you’re on suspension. I’ll let you know when it’s been lifted. Though if this has happened elsewhere. Hell, how do I cover an officer involved killing with claws?" He shot them a half smile, eyes dark, then Kirk turned and stalked over to the director of Police! who had an odd smile on his face even as he waved his arms.
"What just happened? Kenna, we got gassed, and all that was in my mind right?” JD sounded on edge and his hands twitched.
“I have no idea, but I’m okay with being sent home. This is crazy. Did you see that? I-” she broke off and shook her head. “Suspension sounds like the best idea ever.” She fell silent as she picked up her clothes and service weapon though she tucked her back up weapon in between the pile of clothing.
"You fell silent, and I can hear you thinking. But what?"
"I have no idea how to answer IA's questions. And if it happened here, what has happened elsewhere?" Neither of them had an answer to that. She got clothes for the mom, brought Romero up to speed, gave her version of events, with the phrase "then I turned into a cougar" that still had everyone choking on it. The third suspect was almost catatonic, and her level of caring had hit non-existent. Her ability to cope had almost locked up, and she just moved on automatic, refusing to examine the crystal clear memories.
As she finished up with Romero, the jaguar walked up to her. Well the woman who had turned into a jaguar. Her face had a gray tinge to it, but she held herself upright with tight muscles and one hand holding onto each child with white knuckles, though neither child looked like they minded at all. With clothes on, she was a striking woman, dark black hair, still in disarray.
"I'm Toni Diaz and I just needed to say thank you, Officer Largo."
McKenna shrugged, "I'm not sure what I did to say thanks for. This seemed to have gone sideways in the worst way possible."
A dry laugh, just bordering on hysteria, escaped the woman, and she pulled her kids a bit closer, but she gave McKenna a real smile.
"True, but you dealt with it with a calm I sure as hell didn't feel, and you got me back to human and prevented anyone from doing something… regrettable. You saved my son.” She pulled one of the kids even closer to her. “So, thanks."
"Not a problem. Take care."
McKenna flashed an almost real smile at both kids, who looked at her with half smiles as their mom pulled them away.
“Let’s get back to the station, finish up the paperwork, and enjoy our enforced vacation.” JD muttered a bit. “I get that this is an unusual situation, but I hate that we’re being punished for something I sure as heck couldn’t control.”
McKenna shrugged. “Life sucks. We know this. We still need to do our admin stuff and follow the rules.” She flashed him a smile. “There is one good thing about all this.”
“Oh really? And what would that be? We turn into dragons next?” JD said as they walked to the squad car.
“No more film crew!” her voice gleeful as they walked to the car.
JD chuckled shaking his head, some tension leaving his body. “Point. Though not sure all your video problems are over.”
McKenna shrugged. “They aren’t following me right now, and I’m going to ignore the fact that they taped me naked. Not like anyone will ever see it.”
“Maybe. Come on. I want to get back to the station, get real clothes on, and go home. This day is one for the record books.”
Chapter 3 - Bigger than a Breadbox
911 Systems across the nation are reporting a huge influx of calls and wait times are skyrocketing. Emergency response officials acknowledge that there seems to an inordinate amount of calls about wild animals. They are asking right now, that unless you are in active danger, to lock your doors and stay inside. If by some odd occurrence they are in the house with you, please go to your car and stay there, then call the authorities. If there is a life-threatening issue, please provide first aid and hold until someone can get with you. ~KWAK News
She couldn’t argue with that and they got in the car, pulling out quietly, letting all the other officers deal as they headed back to the station. While the radio was on, they didn’t talk or say anything. Her mind running around like crazy and just skittering off the reality of what happened today. Her clothes
and other possessions were piled neatly on JD’s lap. The jangling ring from her phone startled her, and JD had to dig for her phone, still on her belt.
He held it up to her displaying a number she didn’t have in her phone but had the prefix for the station. “Answer it, please.”
“McKenna Largo’s phone,” his voice curious as he put it on speaker.
“Davidson, good. Is Officer Largo there too?” A female voice asked, one that sounded vaguely familiar but that she couldn’t place.
“I’m here. Who is this?”
“Officers, my name is Abigail Thomas, I’m a dispatcher for the 911 system here. I need your help.” Her voice sounded low and whispered, and McKenna shot JD a frown. Officers were never contacted directly by dispatchers, it always came over the radio system.
“I don’t understand, why are you calling us?”
“I heard about the bank and saw the vid on my phone. But the news is being contested. I’ve got a domestic where the husband is freaking out saying his wife turned into a fox. No one wants the call as there’s been a shit ton of weird stuff today. Can you take it please? I don’t have anyone else to send, and you two are the only ones that might understand what is going on right now.”
What video?
McKenna pushed the question back, trying to figure out exactly what was going on with the world today. Even with every moment crystal clear in her mind, it still seemed unreal.
“Please? I’m really scared for him, but since he’s crazy and I don’t have anyone I’m worried.” Her voice cracked a bit. “I know I’m breaking every bit of protocol, but something has happened to a lot of people not just you and Davidson. Please?”
McKenna sighed and glanced at JD. He shrugged and flipped on the siren.
“Give us the address and names.”
“Thank you!” Abigail rattled off the street address and name of the caller. “Hurry?”
McKenna pushed down on the gas as she headed towards the address. “We can’t show up in gym clothes. Where can we get changed?”
JD glanced out the window, looking around. “There, AM/PM, we can use the bathrooms.”
A quick nod, she crossed to the lane needed and pulled in, leaving the lights running. They sprinted to the bathrooms, ignoring the looks of staff and customers, and did the fastest change job ever. Two minutes later they were back in the car and headed towards the address.
“I feel like we’re going in blind. Kirk will have our heads if he ever finds out,” her voice remained flat as she drove.
“Probably, but neither of us could live with something really bad happening if we didn’t go either.”
“True.” McKenna shook her head as they pulled up at the house. It looked quiet, but everything today had not been what it seemed, so she placed no trust in it.
They emerged from the car, listening carefully and approached the door. Still not hearing anything that struck her as odd, she knocked calling out loudly as she did. “Rossville Police. We received a report from this location.”
There was scrabbling inside, a weird high-pitched yipping, then the door was pulled open by a man, Asian in heritage, with wide eyes, hair ruffled so badly that it stood up almost straight, and stress lines at the corners of his mouth.
“Thank god you're here. The first two operators told me they didn’t have time for pranks. I don’t know what to do. My wife turned into a fox and that makes no sense. That can’t happen. She doesn’t even have nine tails.” His voice cracked on that last part which made no sense to McKenna at all. She focused on the parts that she did understand.
“It’s okay, sir. May we come in?”
“Please, please.” He stepped back and waved them into the house. “She’s in the kitchen, well the fox is in the kitchen. I don’t know if that is my wife anymore or not.” He choked as he said the word and the amount of pain in that voice made her heart clench.
“It’s still your wife. I promise.” This much McKenna felt sure about promising. She had never not been her while she was the cougar. Confused and disoriented, yes, but still her.
The man bit his lip put nodded and pointed down a hall. She could see at the end of the hall a white counter top. “Please stay here, sir.” McKenna glanced at JD, question in her gaze. He shook his head and made a walking motion with his fingers. She nodded, figuring he wouldn’t have any issue with this. Though she had no idea how fast she could shift if she needed to, but she shouldn’t need to. Domestics were always dangerous, and she had handled many, she could handle this one also without needing anything besides her training.
“What is your wife’s name?”
“Mei,” he stammered out, then shot a fast look to us. “I don’t want her hurt, I just want my wife back.”
“No worries, sir. I have no intention on hurting anyone today.”
After all, it’s just a fox, not a wolf or a cougar like I became.
Redirecting her focus to the end of the hall she walked slowly down it. When she had reached the threshold of that room, she called out softly, remembering how sharp her hearing had been.
“Mei? I’m Officer Largo. I’m here to help, it's okay. I’m going to enter the kitchen now.” Her voice remained low, soothing, as she turned the corner and blinked. There in the corner was a red fox with brilliant black tipped tail and ears. It looked like a normal fox, except that it had to weigh upwards of a hundred pounds. Normal foxes rarely got above thirty pounds, and this one, well if she had run across it any other day, it would have scared the daylights out of her.
But, given the day she lived, this only surprised her a little. It helped that the fox huddled in the corner, wearing a skirt around her middle, looking terrified, which looked odd on a fox’s face.
“Mei, I want you to listen to me. I know this is scary. I really do know.” The fox tilted her head watching McKenna, and she saw the disbelief in the arched brows and laid-back ears. “I changed a few hours ago. But you can change back.” The fox froze, complete attention on McKenna.
“I want you to think about being Mei. What it feels like to have fingers and arms, to be able to talk, to stand. Remember what it feels like to be human.”
With a flick of ears forward and back, the fox closed its eyes tight.
Please let this work.
Even though it had twice, she still couldn’t believe it was that easy, but in a moment the fox began to melt, merge, and shift into a woman. In two minutes, there was a half-naked woman crouched on the floor breathing hard. McKenna grabbed a shirt from where it lay on the floor and handed it to her.
“Mei, are you okay?”
The woman looked up at her, eyes wide, lips trembling. “That didn’t just happen. What just happened?”
“You changed into a fox. But I don’t know why. You should be okay now.” McKenna had no idea how to console her or answer those questions. They were the same questions in her head.
She rose and walked over to the door. “Your wife is okay. You can come in.”
The husband rushed in, and his wife started sobbing as she threw herself into his arms. McKenna slipped out of the kitchen and over to JD.
“I say we leave. There was no crime, we aren’t officially here, and I just want to go home.”
“Station first, but then yeah.”
They slipped out of the house, headed to the station. They filed their reports in a vacant room, avoiding other officers by unspoken assent. They snagged the desk sergeant turned in the paperwork, and the suspension forms, which had been waiting for them in their emails. So nice of Kirk to be so efficient.
Getting out of the station took a weight off them, and they stood outside looking at the parking lot.
“Fudge, I got a lift to work today, as my oil is getting changed.” JD said as he looked at the parking lot missing his distinctive ride.
"Need a ride home?"
"Please?" JD said.
By unspoken consent neither of them turned on the news radio, preferring to drive in silence. She even flippe
d her phone to mute, not wanting any more last minute calls. Might as well enjoy being suspended.
"So, I turned into a bear." JD broke the silence as he looked out the window.
"Yep, and I turned into a cougar."
"And when we turned back, we were naked."
"Yep."
"You enjoy it?" His tone made it obvious he was trying to lighten the mood.
McKenna snorted. "Well I didn't run screaming. And you've got no room to throw stones. I'm pretty sure every moment of my nudity was filmed."
“True, though they probably got my gorgeous ass, too.” JD flashed her a smile, and she rolled her eyes even though she smiled. McKenna recognized him avoiding as much as she was, because she couldn't think about this, not yet.
She left it at that, let him off at his small house and then headed to her apartment. McKenna had no desire to have any of the responsibilities of a house owner. Her apartment had everything she needed, which right now was whiskey and quiet.
Letting herself in she dumped all her stuff in a pile on a chair and headed straight for the shower. The hot water washed off the blood, the smell, and made her feel more human. A phrase that had totally different connotations for her now.
Dressed in a tank and leggings, she poured herself a tumbler of whiskey and sank down into her chair and stared at the wall.
"What the hell just happened?"
Chapter 4 - Viral
The animal sightings we reported earlier have been verified, but no answer is forthcoming from the authorities as to the source of these animals. Speaking of animals, have you seen that video that popped up? The fat cop chick stripping and turning to a big cat. You know it has to be faked; I'm waiting to see what movie it is a trailer for. But I have to admit the best special effects I’ve ever seen. Maybe Sony got hacked again, and the hackers released parts of the film pretending it was real? ~ Harvey Klein radio show
McKenna's mind didn't find any answers as the whiskey disappeared. None of this made any sense, and even worse, she couldn't seem to focus on it, her mind kept shying away if she poked at it.