AN: No real violence is seen in this chapter, but it has occured... so I felt the warning necessary.
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I got up and stretched with the alarm as it went off early the next morning. It was early, but neither Molly nor I could simply ignore the work we had to do. And we had had a week off to attend Leon and Jacki's wedding. With that done, we would be expected to return to work. And so, Molly and I got up and prepared for work. I put on my uniform and after eating a quick breakfast, I made my way out.
Things were rather quiet as I made my way into the station. I ran into both Officer Barnes and Officer Jenkins on their way in. Both seemed to be getting out of the same vehicle.
"Good morning, you two," I called to them, making Officer Jenkins jump in surprise while Officer Barnes looked up and then nodded.
"Good morning, George," Officer Barnes spoke politely, "Good to have you back."
"Jeez, you scared me," Officer Jenkins gasped at the same time, "you ought to wear a bell with those silent feet of yours..."
I looked down at my feet for a moment at the spot where I was standing on the sidewalk. I hadn't actually tried to be silent as I walked.
"I wasn't stalking anything," I answered.
"Oh that leaves you open for half a dozen jokes," Officer Barnes commented, "You're either following someone around or you're hunting out of season."
"That's only two," I retorted, "and I wasn't trying to be silent on my feet, and I wasn't trying to scare anyone."
"Oh, I'm sure," Officer Jenkins nodded, "I just didn't hear you there, that's all."
I then began to lead them into the station.
"So, anything go on while Molly and I were out?" I asked, "I see you two are car-pooling."
"It's a little more then car pooling," Officer Barnes said slowly.
"Oh..." I spoke.
"I asked him to move in with me," Officer Jenkins smiled and hugged Officer Barnes' arm.
"I take it you said "yes", Fred?" I almost snickered as Officer Barnes tried to pull himself out of the hug.
"We have been neighbors for years," Officer Barnes shrugged, "I would suppose this is the next step... whatever you told her while I was recuperating has really done wonders for her confidence."
"Well, good," I commented, "because someone or something that isn't confident generally isn't going to succeed... and to be honest, I find it easier for her to be confident in dealing with you..."
"And why is that?" Officer Barnes wondered.
"So then I don't have to play the part of the matchmaker," I replied.
Officer Barnes only shook his head, "Oh well... things are going well between us, if you want to know. Other then that, things have been quiet."
"Quiet?" I asked.
"Nothing much more then a few speeding tickets, one drunk driver, and one prank call," Officer Jenkins replied.
"A prank call?" I asked.
"Some teen managed to call Officer Howard's office and asked him if his car was running," Officer Jenkins asked, "by the time we had traced it, he had hung up..."
"Turned out to be a pay phone in the school of all things," Officer Barnes shook his head.
"They still have pay phones?" I wondered.
"Apparently," Officer Barnes replied, "I don't think we're going to actually catch the kid though... our DARE officer for the High School has made inquiries, but I doubt they'll say anything."
We made our way in and began to go through the process of signing in before heading to the morning patrols, or the desk. Officer Jenkins sat down at her desk and turned to a series of reports to deal with while Officer Barnes and I prepared to head out on the morning patrol.
"How did the wedding go?" Officer Jenkins asked.
"It went well," I answered, "a few changes were made... but it went well."
"Changes?" Officer Jenkins wondered.
"You both know how all of the animal people have to deal with their respective animal instincts, right?" I asked back.
Both Officer Jenkins and Barnes nodded.
"Well, "Leona" had the difficulty of the fact that when she was first transformed, the DNA used came from a male lion," I explained, "not a lioness. Now, among many other social animals, this probably wouldn't be too much of a difference, and male and female wolves, for instance, share the same responsibilities, and with solitary animals, such as tigers, both genders have to be able to do the exact same things."
"I take it Leona's instincts were different?" Officer Barnes wondered.
I nodded, "Remember that a male lion plays little role in hunting... and without a pride, he is usually a scavenger because his mane is too easily spotted by prey animals or would get tangled in the few trees that are on the Savannah. A male lion is responsible for defending the pride's territory."
"She was gender confused then..." Officer Jenkins guessed, "Her mind and desires say one thing... while her instincts push for something else."
Again I nodded.
"Was there anything that could be done to help her?" Officer Barnes asked.
"The easiest way was for Leona to become Leon," I explained, "she and her present aides there tweaked her serum to alter genders as well as species."
"So it's..."
"Leon and Jacki Washburn, now," I sighed.
There was a silence for a moment. After a few moments, Officer Barnes spoke.
"Well... I never really understood why some people have changed their genders," He commented, "always thought that people should enjoy how God made them, so to speak... but then, there is a lot about that isn't my business and if they want to do it that way... I guess that is only their business... And as for your friends in Peoria... I'd guess that is simply something in relation to how things are changing as a result of the Animatrix Serum and all that... if having a male lion's instincts while being female was giving Leona trouble... I guess it shouldn't be a surprise to try and fix the problem. Is... uh... "he" fully functional? As it were?"
"It appeared that both Leon and Jacki are fully function in their new genders," I answered slowly, "Jacki should be physically capable of having cubs, and Leon physically capable of siring them... though they both say they're too old for that."
"Siring children isn't the only route to happiness," Officer Barnes said, "shoot... not every father is the biological parent of the kid he raises..."
"Just like you with Megan," Officer Jenkins smirked from her desk.
Officer Barnes only sighed and turned to me, "Let's go before things get mushy while we're on duty."
I only shrugged and followed him out.
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The morning patrol went rather quietly with no major incidents to report of. With no major crises to deal with, Officer Barnes went over the cycle of drug busting raids that went on every year during the summer. I suppose it was a sort of "on the job training" thing for me, as winter was beginning to rapidly disappear from the mountains as summer approached.
It was mostly a rundown that a lot of meth dealers liked to use various rancher's lands as labs for manufacturing their drugs. They could hide their activity from people by setting up shop in ravines, among trees, and behind hills... and by doing it outside, it would be difficult to sniff out where the labs were. The outside breeze would dissipate the scent rather then having it collect and linger in one area.
"Who does this?" I asked as we rounded a corner and headed up another street.
"Usually they've been some goons that have ranged the entire country to sell the stuff," Officer Barnes answered, "now, they're in no way organized... they just try to wander around and set up shop where they can. They come here during our summer for much the same reason you and Molly came out here. To get away from people... now, there are some locals that do get involved... no one's perfect, and they end up bringing their teenage kids into it..."
"And we're to stop them before one of these labs blows up and kills someone way too early," I commented.
"Generally that is the expectation," Officer Barnes sighed, "although to be honest, there have been one or two times where by the time we've found the spot they've set up their lab in... the fatal explosion has already happened... and we're trying to identify who they are or rather who they were."
There was a silence for a moment as we drove along. After a moment, Officer Barnes sighed and then shrugged.
"But maybe with your heightened senses we'll be able to get there sooner then in the past," Officer Barnes said optimistically, "we can send the repeat offenders to a long term jail sentence and we can get the kids back on the right path. Show them that they don't need to wreck their lives to succeed."
"I don't know what meth smells like," I commented, "You may want an actual canine unit for that."
"If it comes to identifying something, we would," Officer Barnes nodded, "all you would need to be able to do is identify if it doesn't smell normal. Meth labs, even though the ones outside are hard to track by scent because of the convenient breezes blowing to "ventilate" the lab, do have some lingering odor. If we stumble across one... I'm sure you'd smell it..."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence I guess," I spoke and was about to continue when my ears perked at sounds coming from nearby, "I..."
It sounded like kids screaming, and not in a particularly good way. I turned my head toward the sound of the screams.
"Officer Wayne?" Officer Barnes asked after a moment, "You okay?"
"Turn toward the elementary/pre-school building," I spoke in a somewhat nervous tone.
"What is it?" Officer Barnes asked and turned onto the next road that would allow us to turn toward the school, "what's going on?"
"Something's scared the kids," I said nervously, "I can hear them screaming."
Officer Barnes sped up almost immediately. As we drove along, a second noise rose up, though much loader then the screams of the children. Even Officer Barnes heard it faintly.
"RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
"That sounded like a Mountain Lion!" Officer Barnes gasped as a second cry then answered the first.
This one was far more powerful the Mountain Lion cry we had just heard and had been made by a far larger animal then a Mountain Lion.
"RRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" came Molly's roar in response.
"Hit the siren!" I urged as Officer Barnes as he sped up.
We raced along the roads until arriving at the area where there seemed to be complete pandemonium. Kids were screaming and rushing for the doors while nervous teachers were trying to maintain some semblance of order. Our dispatch officer did report that backup was on the way as well as animal control. As we approached the grounds, an aide noticed both of us and came running.
"It was a cougar!" he said nervously, "hurdled the fence and went after a girl!"
"Where is it?" I questioned him.
"Did it get the girl?" Officer Barnes added.
The male aide pointed toward a sort of wooden playground set nearby.
"I don't know," the aide spoke, "I was way by the swings over there, looking after my group... I think Ms. Wayne..."
"Mrs. Wayne," I corrected, "Molly is my wife... but anyway, thank you for your help and please get to safety."
Officer Barnes and I then rushed toward where the aide said the Mountain Lion was. I took the lead with my own claws extended while Officer Barnes drew a sidearm. We arrived at the spot to find that part of the situation was already in hand. Molly had a young and practically emaciated Mountain Lion pinned on its back, her jaws wrapped around the smaller cat's throat.
"This is Officer Barnes to dispatch," Officer Barnes spoke, "Backup and animal control are not necessary for capturing the animal."
"Come again?" came the dispatch officer's answer.
"The animal is a mundane Mountain Lion," Officer Barnes answered, "young and apparently starving. An aide said it went after a kid. Officer Wayne's wife has dealt with the Mountain Lion."
"She's wrestled it into submission?" the dispatch officer gasped, apparently forgetting that Molly as a mature tigress likely outweighed the Mountain Lion by at least one hundred pounds.
"She's killed it," Officer Barnes answered and then turned and then gasped, "and send for an ambulance!"
That part caught me by surprise, and I turned to where Officer Barnes had turned. And there laying in a corner of the equipment was a little girl, likely in pre-K, Kindergarten, or perhaps first grade at the oldest, with Mrs. Fitzpatrick nervously applying some pressure to a wound to the girl's stomach. The Mountain Lion had apparently gotten close enough to slice her open before Molly could attack the mundane cat. The girl had evidently passed out from the pain, or had hit her head against one of the wooden beams of the playground equipment.
"Oh dear lord..." I gasped.