Robbie wondered where Jenny was, Spike was still with him, safe and sound, but the fawn was beginning to worry about where his mommy was. Robbie could share the fawn's sentiment. Jenny had gone with the husky to negotiate Spike's fate, and had yet to return. Jenny hadn't left the park, or they would have known about it. And Robbie doubted that the huskies would have forced Jenny to leave the park, and thus leave Spike defenseless, they'd have an all out riot among the deer guests on their paws.
All he could do was keep Spike distracted, and wait for Jenny's return, and learn what ultimate fate Jenny could manage to pull like teeth from the Managers concerning Spike.
++++++
Hannah was a doe, an ironic species, for a stalking horse.
"So how is our stalking horse coming along?"
"She's doing fantastic, medically there are no side effects of the forced high speed tissue regrowth. Physiologically, she might be a bit more apprehensive around bears from now on but she can function in society well enough. In fact, this break in the middle of her year here at the park might be good for her, giving her some decent reminders of civilization, while at the same time reinforcing her doe persona. I suggest that we create a 'phase in' period for park guests who visits are more than one month's time, or otherwise have been totally assimilated in the park's subculture, and thus would need time to assimilate back into human culture."
"Very well. Sounds logical. So how are the wedding plans I'm hearing so much about?"
"Going right on track, with no new signs of complications. We're in the clear on that field I think."
"Good, very good. And the pregnancies?"
"No new pregnancies yet, but I've heard that some of the guests are now seriously considering, or trying, to have the child they were planning to have some years down the road, here in the pack, if it means the free medical and bored. They're just struggling with the idea they'll have to be furry and naked all that time."
"Have any asked yet about a human template for children after they're born?"
"None. They just assume."
"Good, let them keep assuming. Don't try to lie if they ask, we'll be sued out of existence, but don't go around handing out the information if it's not asked for."
"Heh, you know, if not for the interactions with the huskies, I betting some would forget there -was- an outside world beyond the electric fence."
"People accept the reality around them, and there are very few things the sentient brain can't adapt to given enough time and effort. Will Hannah be released back into the park on time for the wedding?"
"I think so yes."
"Make sure that she is. Being there for that event should hammer in once and for all what she'll be spear heading. She is a stalking horse that practically fell into our laps. She means everything to the project of creating a feeling in culture that will allow us to assume our true forms without losing public face."
"And with Hyper Evolved Animals being the newest minority, we'll be seen as aiding a minority. Miss J I hear is getting frustrated at having to keep her human form for as long as she has."
"She'll endure, like the rest of us are. How's the conspiracy nut?"
"Still barking up the wrong trees as normal. Nothing to worry about, in fact-"
+++++++++
"So did you see the alien bodies?" The white mongoose asked leaning towards Hannah closely and eagerly. Monty was terrified of women normally, but for the truth, sacrifices could be made.
Hannah sighed, how had Monty gotten to see her? "No Monty, I haven't. And I'm pretty sure there are none."
"How can you just shrug it off? Technology like this, whose to say it's not alien?"
"Whose to say it's not magic?"
"Don't be absurd. Magic doesn't exist."
Hannah just sighed again. "Monty, I haven't been probed, I don't have any 'lost time' I haven't found anything inside my body that shouldn't be there. And I haven't had any dreams of little gray men poking me."
"So did you see any our kind being reprogrammed for black ops missions?" Monty was so far off base he wasn't even in the ball park's city block.
"No Monty I haven't. Look, I can understand your concern. But trust me, as far as I've been able to tell, the Management are not out to randomly turn guests into brainwashed super soldiers."
"I see they're very good at covering their tracks. But don't worry Beauty Queen Hannah, I've discover the truth behind this park if it's the last thing I do!"
Hannah felt a headache coming on, at the rate Monty was going, he'd likely get a clue around the time he died of old age. She wondered how Jackie and Keith were doing.
++++++++++
"Now just calm down." Jackie said, "It's okay."
"Calm?! Calm?! Dad and me went on this wilderness hike so he could teach me to be manly man! Not I'm gonna end up picking flowers and asking if they ask make me look pretty!!!" The TG, a panther sadly enough, and her non-TGed bear of a single parent (only about fifty times more friendly and sociable than Maggie had been, and was shocked to find most of the lady bears kept to themselves, and was confused why most guests were sacred of him) had arrived in the park that dad. With the boy taking a chance (as his father said no one went through life without taking chances), and hit the random button, and boom.
Keith stumbled over his own words. "Well, at least you're a predator... and not a field mouse, or a raccoon, or a deer, or a buffalo or a cow."
"But I don't wanna be a girl! I don't wanna be attracted to guys! I don't wanna think girly thoughts, or do girly things! I LIKE karate! I like boxing! I don't wanna not like those things!!"
Jackie had made the very big mistake of telling the new girl about the man equals girlie girl running joke of the park. Now the girl was running in circles, clawing at the TF exit door, and basically having a break down.
"Er, no one says you can't do those things as a female still, you're just trading a bit of your strength in for faster reflexes, and you're back to normal in three months anyway."
"BUT YOU SAID ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO STAY THAT LONG BECOMES GIRLS ON THE INSIDE!!" Now she was crying. "I don't wanna stop being a guy on the inside!"
Jackie and Keith looked at each other, hoping beyond hope that Hannah returned soon.
++++++++
"So what will you do now Hannah?" Su Yin asked when it was her turn to visit. Hannah noted how hungrily Su Yin looked at the books. Book, of all the things Su Yin had endured in the park, the lack of books had been the worst obstacle the collage Prof. had to over come.
Hannah tried to focus. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you were almost killed, nearly everyone was scared that you had been killed. Some were sure you had been. Some even think the park is lying about you still being alive. And you meanwhile are getting tastes of human culture again for the first time in over six months... so what will you do now?"
"...I'm going to keep going. Yes, I've been reminded how it's going to be torture to learn how to type with these clumsy armored fingers. But I can't go back to who I was, not anymore. I've come too far down my chose road to stop now. Besides, there are going to be others besides me."
"If you contract doesn't just make a permanent fixture of the park after you've completed your psychology courses."
"If that's how it turns out, then so be it." Though Hannah doubted it, after learning what the Management wished to do.
"All right. It was always your choice... Oh and Marth is waiting to see you next."
"Marth?" Hannah was surprised.
"Apparently he wants to talk to you about something." Su Yin gave no further explanation than that.
+++++++
"So how was it?" Katie asked, just glade to see Zack, and of course Harry, were both alive, and not needing to be put through the TF Room to be put back together themselves. Naomi's opinion on males was not a secret, and doth her huskies were worried each time she was set up to punish a male member of their pack.
"I don't want to talk about it. Not now. Not ever. Not under brain surgery, not on my death bed." Harry muttered.
"Ditto." Said Zack.
Katie stared... she had never seen Zack or Harry so... distracted, so, belittled. Whatever Naomi had done to them, it was powerful. She looked down, for once, on purpose, and saw that both still had their male parts. At least it wasn't that. Well, she couldn't tell in Harry case due to his 'act of good faith.'
"So... how are the flowers coming?" Harry asked, changing the topic as soon as possible.
"Huh? Oh! They'll be here on time, don't worry, they outta arrive the day just before the wedding. Enough time at least for the bride maids to pull something together. I hear the bucks are even looking for some black body paint to use as markings, just to show they can look good for the occasion too."
"Looks like great minds do think alike." Harry said, soundly somewhat like his normal self.
Katie couldn't take this anymore, seeing Harry not be Harry was too much.
She grabbed him, and dragged him straight to her room, pulled him inside and locked the door.
"Uh, Kat'?"
"Harry. First I want you to understand, there is STILL no way I'm showing myself off to everyone and their grandma! And I still prefer if the rest of you guys would learn to keep some things private. However, I don't know what Naomi did to you, and you won't tell me. And like it or not, the only person I am EVER going to sleep with is my husband on my wedding night. -But-" She grabbed the side of Harry's hand and pulled them down, nothing she hadn't seen before already, so the shock value was kind of lost.
It did surprise Harry though, if not for her statement, Harry would have thought she wanted to do it.
Finally, Katie pulled her dress off. Harry had seen it all before, when they had gone out to interact with the guests.
Katie then leaned her back against the door, her arms crossed. "There. You happy?"
"Katie?"
The twirled then struck a few artistic poses. "You wanted to ogle me? Now's your chance." Katie began to do some warm up stretches. "For the next twenty minutes, I'm going to do ballet in this body for the first time, firs time I've done ballet in five years period in fact. And you can just sit there and watch."
Harry, stunned, with the pants around his ankles, just sat there on her bed, and indeed, watched as Katie danced.
++++++++
"Marth?" Hannah asked surprised.
"That's the name you gave me." The buck replied. "I'm... really happy to see you're all right. Maggie got expelled from the park."
"I heard."
"L... L... Leticia's wedding is soon." Hannah could tell he stumbled over the sentence. "And, the bucks asked me a favor."
"Stay as far away as possible?"
"No. It wasn't that. The thing is, I didn't know who else to ask for advice. ... you're the only one I really know that well around here, and... I wanted to ask your advice on something."
"Yes?"
"The deer they.... they asked me if... I could be the one to give away the bride since Leticia's father won't be here to do it... and... I wanted to ask you. If I should agree... or not. I'm not sure if I can trust myself to make the right decision or not. So I wanted to ask you."
Hannah looked at Marth, surprised.