By the time the panther FBI agent returned to the group, Steve the skunkmorph lawyer had insinuated himself into it without anyone actually noticing--an impressive achievement, as people do tend to notice skunkmorphs. "None of these people has the authority to speak for the park. Zack is third in command of the security division and Megan and Gunther are staff scientists. You speak to me as head of the legal department on Park decisions, until an actual manager shows up. Now, what is this crap about people's original files being lost? That stuff is backed up five different ways. I know because we in the legal department made it quite clear when the Park was being set up that if anyone was ever unable to return to their original body for any reason there would be a massive suit for damages which we would undoubtedly lose. This information can't be just 'lost' in anything short of the apocalypse. Now I suggest before anyone makes any hasty, stupid decisions, that we find some actual programmers? Because these systems are unique, and its easy to make mistakes if you don't have experience with them. My name's Steve Washington by the way, nice to meet you."
Working with the remaining programmers--interesting that so many of them had hastily left two steps ahead of the cops--enabled the FBI and Park authorities to delimit the problem. The vast majority of "original" profiles, as well as the files needed to reboot the transformation chambers, could be found on backup servers. The ones that couldn't were Agent Sherman's, which had apparently never existed in the first place, and the stags and "type II" does of the order of the Stag, whose transformations had taken place in a manner designed to leave as little of a record as possible and which the programers involved had managed to delete in their hasty exit.
Oh boy, thought Steve, between this and Susan the ex-bearmorph, I'm going to be putting in a lot of overtime for a while. I hope Dan finds being a gay male skunkmorph awesome enough not to join the line at the courtroom.
The question now was whether to reopen the chambers and start transforming people back, as the Park people wanted, or hold everyone for questioning, as the FBI wanted.
++++++++++++++
Agent Sherman had his doubts about Max's story. He had spent most of her career chasing serials, and mostly, they lied about everything. And, of course, this Goldie had been the one to bring Max in, so the motivation was embarrassingly clear. Still, it had to be followed up.
Fortunately, Goldie didn't ask for a lawyer to be present. Agent Sherman could imagine few things more awkward after last night than facing Steve on the opposite side of the table.
"Give your name"
"Goldie."
"I haven't got time for this crap. Your real name."
The husky shrunk even further. "James Gorman, but Goldie is my real name."
"OK, James, give me a description of your time as a wolf in Transformation Park."
The recollection was rough on Goldie, and Agent Sherman wasn't interested in making it any easier. He demanded exact descriptions of all the incidents where James had brutalized his fellow guests, and of course wanted particular details of every encounter with Max. Tears were streaming down Goldie's face.
+++++++++++++
"Zack!" yelled Sam. "They took Goldie! We have to save her!"
++++++++++++
By the time Goldie had recounted her story under Agent Sherman's relentless questioning, Agent Sherman had come to the conclusion that Max's story was bullshit. The kind of petty cruelty the "Lone Wolf" had practiced was disgusting enough, but clearly far beneath the notice of the federal government. But Goldie might still have her uses. Imprison her next to Max and see if Max broke down. Plus, it would be a good chance to let the Transformation Park Huskies know who was boss.
The question was whether to consult Tasha Yereminiva, the panther woman, on whether or not to hold Goldie. Technically, the Max matter was Sherman's case, but clearly all of the Transformation Park cases were going to be intertwined, and word around the Bureau was that the panther woman really didn't like being cut out of things. She had been a hard-working female agent trapped under a glass ceiling--something Sherman could identify with--and had decided that one way to move up was to acquire the claws and teeth that made her as physically intimidating as some of the top male agents, and at the same time to specialize in anthro-related crime, something the Bureau was only beginning to get into at the time. A brief vacation at Transformation Park, and no one recognized the formerly mousy Tasha.
While Agent Sherman was deciding whether to call Tasha or just go ahead and lock up Goldie, he heard a husky barking at the door. "Let her out, let her out! She's a good person now! She captured Max! Let her out!"
"Sam?" said Goldie, with the first, tiny smile on her face since she had been arrested.
+++++++++++++++
Right now, Jeremy thought. Inexperienced bucks never realized the power of the kick, as Jeremy had observed all the way back in the first buck tournament.
Suspended on Vinny's mighty antlers, Jeremy sent his right hoof smashing into the rival buck's throat. It felt like hitting a stone wall--there was clearly something unusual about Vinny's neck muscles, but he felt the rival buck, already straining to support Jeremy's weight, start to give. Follow with the left before Vinny could respond, and Jeremy let go of Vinny's antlers and landed lightly on the ground as Vinny collapsed. "Give?" he asked, with his hoof on Vinny's already-damaged throat. "Give." Vinny gasped out as the huskies converged with a stretcher.
As the new does began to converge on the winner, led by Cherry, Jeremy felt a familiar grip on his ear. "Sorry girls, he's mine!" hissed Leticia, as she led her buck away from the tournament grounds.
++++++++++++++
The jaguar-morph opened the door to see a human male in a dark suit. The human flashed a badge. "Agent Johnson, FBI. Here to see the Minotaur."