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by Twiga Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ · Campfire Creative · Fiction · Animal · #2138868
A Human transformed into an Anthro must solve a Mystery
[Introduction]
Do you know the Anime Detective Conan AKA Case Closed? A Teenage Detective is given a mysterious pill which de-ages him to seven years old, how about instead of turning into a child, the Detective turns into a Teenage Anthro?

Our Detective Hero tries to solve the Mystery of who turned him into a freak of nature among other things...Other then that...This is a bit of an Anything Goes Campfire

Other then try to keep it PG-13
Tazuki Takehashi was a famous Teenage Detective, he was only 16 and he already had solved 100 Cases! Takehashi was the son of a famous detective Takehashi strived to be perfect...To become more then human...A God...His nickname was 'The Rock' because he was stoic to the point of appearing to have no emotions.

Of course he unfortunatly couldn't help but brag about he success to the news.

That meant when he came to America, The Mob was prepared for him.

When Takehashi arrived in New York City, someone slipped a potion into his drink he fell into a deep sleep...Once he was deep in sleep some thugs caught a bottle of pills that glowed

They took a single pill from the bottle and placed it into the Boy's Mouth

"What is he gonna turn into?" Asked one Thug

"I don't know." Said the other Thug "The Bottle says a different species in every pill, it's like a box of chocolates."

"I hope he turns into something ugly!" Cackled a Third Thug

Several hours later Takehashi finally awoke...He tried to get out of bed but couldn't...He kicked and thrashed and then he saw his feet, his feet were green and clawed...He had Turtle feet! He quickly realized the reason he couldn't get out of bed was because he had a Turtle Shell..He had been transformed into a Common Snapping Turtle!
Officer John Bradfield, a no nonsense beat cop who's investigating the sudden disappearance of Tazuki Takehashi at a diner he last ate at, He took a sample of the liquid from the remaining contents, "I bet that 'Bad News' Brown is behind this." As he got back to his cruiser, he picked up the Mic, "Lucy, this is Officer Bradfield, I have a sample to analyze, it could be a clue on Detective Tazuki's disappearance."
Tazuki was scared as he hid in the shadows of the alley. He didn't know what people would do if they saw him. He'd seen enough horror and sci-fi films to know that it wouldn't be good. It had been mere luck he'd gotten out of the apartment without being spotted.

Then, he saw someone standing at the end of the alley, looking right at him. He tried to find another way out as the person stepped into the alley.

"Unless you got the strength to dig up the ground, or through the walls, or else climb up them, the only way out is past me." The person leaned against the wall of the alley. "Of course, I'd strongly advise against that, unless you have the right clothes on to hide the fact that you aren't human."

Tazuki looked at the person, and saw that the person was wearing a trenchcoat and a fedora, like some sort of Noir Detective, or one of those Cold War movie spies. "Why would I wear that?"

The person took their hat off their head, and a pair of large dog-like ears popped out from under it. "Because no wolf would seriously wear this getup unless the wolf parts were also part of some dumb costume." He put the hat back on. "Private Investigator Frank Johnson, formally Corporal of the United States Marine Corps, and it looks like you're a victim of the guys I'm after."

"What?"

"Let's just say that there was a secret program that gave soldiers the abilities of certain animals," said Frank. "Problem was, the reversal doesn't work, so the program got shelved, and the volunteers that took the pills were classified as Handicapped, and given Honorable Discharges with full Benefits. I was one of those Handicapped volunteers."

"What does that have to do with me?" Tazuki asked.

"Well, I don't know why they used you as their guinea pig, but I know that someone stole the pills," said Frank. "I was asked to locate those who stole them. The military doesn't want these pills to fall into the wrong hands. So, since you know who I am, it's only fair for you to tell me who you are."
"I am Tazuki Takehashi..." Said The Snapping Turtle "..In case you don't know in Japan it is family name first, given name last...If you already knew that good for you but too many times Westerners assume Tazuki is my given name based upon Western Naming conventions."

"I think I've heard of you." Said Frank "Weren't you that Teen Genius from Tokyo who was gonna be given a Nobel Prize here in New York?"

"Yes." Said Takehashi "Unfortunatly... "
Back at the precinct, Officer Bradfield reported in with the clue, as Linda Collins, the forensics specialist analyzed the liquid, this milk's spiked with a sanative, no doubt he's been captured. "Let me guess," John said, "By 'Bad News' Brown. He always finds an excuse to hog the media, even if it means capturing some foreign detective elected for the Nobel prize.." Linda shakes her head "You might want to see the chief, he has another lead." As he reported to the chief, "Ah, Officer John Bradfield. Care to sit down? We managed to get security camera feed on what happened at the diner." As he popped in the DVD, it showed Tazuki drinking his milk but as soon as he fell asleep, 3 punks John never saw in the first place came in and slipped a pill in Tazuki's mouth and they left. John's mouth hung open in horror as the teen detective underwent a metamorphosis. He slowly turned into a snapping turtle. The chief says "Somehow, I doubt 'Bad News' Brown is behind this." John asks "Then who is twisted enough to turn Tazuki into a turtle?"
"I don't know," the chief said. "That being said, I have orders to destroy this footage."

"What?" John asked. "Let me guess; this is part of some Federal investigation from one of the Alphabet Agencies, about some sort of Top Secret toy of theirs that was stolen, right?"

"Something like that," the chief said. "Just be lucky these people didn't tell me to drop the case. In fact, they actually encourage you to keep investigating. I was told that it would help to have an obvious investigation going on while their operative stays under the radar."

"Who's their operative?" John asked.

The chief looked at him. "Do you know of a private investigator named Frank Johnson?"

John rolled his eyes. "The fool who wears that ridiculous trenchcoat and fedora getup, to say nothing about that stupid wolf mask and gloves? I'm surprised that he gets good results."

The chief pulled out a picture. "The mask isn't a mask." He slid the picture to John. "Before." He got out another. "After."

John looked at the photos. "You've got to be kidding me. He was a Marine? And they turned him into some sort of wolf creature?"

"Or so I've been informed." The chief picked up the photos, got out a lighter, and set the pictures on fire, placing them in an ash tray. "This stays between us. The Official Story is that this young man was poisoned, and is currently hospitalized, and we all wish him a speedy recovery, while we investigate who did the deed. Unofficially, you're the Decoy for whomever it is that did this."

John looked at the ashes of the photos. "I don't think I like that too much."

"Better than what the kid got."



Meanwhile, Frank had snuck Tazuki into the back door of a clothing store.

"What are we doing here?" Tazuki asked.

"The owner's a friend of mine," said Frank, just as a man wearing a dress showed up.

"Frankie!" The man ran up to the trenchcoat-wearing wolfman, and gave him a hug, and a kiss. "You look more handsome every time I see you."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Same to you, Jordan. Need your help."

"I know of a costume party you could go to," said Jordan. "You'd blend in perfectly, and you might find a nice piece of tail to grab, if you get my meaning." The man winked.

"Not what I need." Frank gestured to Tazuki. "My friend here needs some clothes."

Jordan looked at the snapping turtle. "Looks a little young."

"You have something that will fit him, right?" Frank asked. "Nothing too outlandish."

"I'll see what I have." Jordan left.

"Is he-" Tazuki started to speak.

"I don't know if it's real, or an act, but I saved his life from a group of people who didn't like the GBLT community," said Frank. "He doesn't ask about my past, and I don't ask about his."
As Takehashi was getting fitted with something that could cover his massive shell, Frank snicked a bit remembering something

"What's so funny?" Asked Takehashi

"Just remembered something from my Human days..." Frank said "..Do you know of the Ninja Turtles franchise?"

"Know of it." Said Takehashi "Don't like it."

"Back in the 90s my two kids were obsessed with it." Frank said "The first two movies played nearly round the clock in my place for a brief time nearly drove me crazy...But I just remembered in Sequel Shredder creates two Mutant henchman who happen to be a Wolf...and a Snapping Turtle."
John went into the slums to consult an informant of his, Larry 'the Leach' Mulllas. "Officer Bradfield," Larry says, "What brings you here?" John says "I wanted to know about a stolen experiment." Larry says "Depends on the experiment." John says "Pills, pills that turn people into animals and who has them?" Larry asks "You want to be a bloodhound?" John says "Larry, get serious. They were used on a Famous Detective." Larry says "I get it now, you want to catch the perp that used the pills on Tazuki Takehashi. the guy your looking for is..."
"Someone I don't know," said Larry.

"Funny, I thought you knew everyone," said John.

"I know of three guys who were paid fifty grand, cash, probably to drug your detective buddy," said Larry. "Thing is, you can find those three floating in the Harbor, without any money on them. A buddy of mine found the bodies, and said bodies became a little bit lighter in their pockets."

"Your buddy robbed the dead?" John asked.

"It was that or steal a car to make rent money," said Larry. "The dead were easier to rob, and worth more anyways."

"Here's another question," said John. "What do you know about a private investigator named Frank Johnson?"

Larry looked at the officer carefully. "He's a big freak, that much I know. Wears that stupid outfit, but that's just to hide the fact that he's a freak. Folks like to think he wears a wolf mask, but it isn't a mask on his face; that is his face."

"And you know this how?"

"Let's just say he didn't like the answers I gave him once over the phone, so he decided to meet me face-to-face, and trust me when I tell you that he wasn't wearing a mask."



Meanwhile, Takehashi found something he could wear. "So, just who were these people who came up with this stuff? It was a Top Secret group, right?"

Frank grinned. "You read too many comics, or manga, or whatever you call them. It was a joint-op with members from all branches of the military, and the idea was to give personal the abilities of animals to help them with certain tasks. In my case, it was locating things like buried explosives, hidden passageways, and bobby traps, especially at night. It was a success in that regard."

"So, what happened?" Takehashi asked.

Frank frowned. "The reversal, that was to turn us back into normal humans, failed. It was like taking a sugar pill - nothing happened."
"So I'm stuck like this..." Forever?!" Exclaimed Takehashi

"At least until they can create an actual reversal." Said Frank "And if that will ever happen I don't know."

"I still see why they chose to give this guy the pill." Said Jordan as he finished by giving Takehashi a large fedora hat.

"He is a Teen Genius Detective." Said Frank "He could have lots of enemies just from that."

Meanwhile somewhere else, the Don of the New York Mob was meeting with someone...Very Unusual.

"Did your henchman give him the pill?" Came a very squeaky feminine voice.

"Yes." The Don said sweating profusely "Yes they did."

"What did he turn into?" Asked this strange squeaky being

"They said he turned into a Snapping Turtle." Said the Don

For a moment silence then the Squeaker said "I would like this Tazuki Takehashi brought to me and I will take him to my own dimension:"

"I can do that." The Don was seeming like a meek boy instead of the Criminal Mastermind he was "What do you want him for?"

The Figure came out of the Shadows a three foot fairy lady with pink hair, fluttering wings, and a wand in her hand, smiled sweetly "You have your ways and we have our's" She said
One of the henchmen came in and the Don says "I hope this is urgent, because I don't like it when you barge in like that." The henchman says "Sorry boss, but a problem came up, there's a beat cop assigned to the Takehashi disappearance case and he's not going to quit until he finds him." The fairy says "That's not good, does he have a name?" the henchman says Officer John Bradfield." The Don says "Then we must set a trap for him, get me 'Bad News' Brown."
"Tell me," said Takehashi. "Do you have an idea as to who it was that did this to me?"

"I doubt it was someone connected to the program," said Frank. "The scientists said they'd keep working on a reversal. It would be nice. My daughter's getting married in a few months. It would be nice to be able to walk her down the aisle. As far as my family, and everyone else's families know, we're being taken care of by a special medical unit, after a 'Training Incident Involving Biological and Chemical Agents Went Wrong'. Families receive benefits, due to us being 'Wounded in the Line of Duty', among other things, but for the last five years, the only image they have of me is a blacked-out picture from video chats, so that they aren't disturbed by my disfigurements, and my voice has been altered to sound like my throat was messed up."

"How many people does this affect?" Takehashi asked.

"A hundred twenty-five," said Frank. "Twenty-five from each branch of the service. The transformations were only supposed to last for the duration of a single mission, or five weeks at most. But, something didn't work. I'm not sure about the what or why - I'm not one of the scientists. There was a bunch of pills, separated by the different species, and they were all shelved when the most important one, the Human Pill, failed to work."

"Human Pill?" Takehashi asked.

"It would have gotten rid of the extra fur, and shortened my ears, and make it easier for me to enjoy an apple crisp pie," said Frank.

"So, this affects my diet as well?" Takehashi asked.

"Let's just say that there was an army boy who enjoyed a good steak every now and then, who was turned into a horse, and found out that he couldn't eat the stuff any more," said Frank. "And let's not talk about the vegetarian who found herself unable to eat fruit and vegetables when she was turned into a cougar."

"So, how were the pills stolen?" Takehashi asked.

"That's a mystery in and of itself," said Frank. "They just vanished. Even the footage shows them there one moment, and gone the next."
"Aren't Tortoises and Turtles omnivores?" Asked Takehashi "I've seen Turtles in the wild eat both plants and meat in the form of worms."

"In that case you may be one of the lucky ones." Said Frank "But I hope you weren't a chocoholic, for all of us Herbivore or Carnivore have trouble keeping chocolate down...What is about that stuff that no Animal other then Humans can eat it?"


Meanwhile the Fairy Lady who want by the name 'Princess Periwinkle' when she interacted with Humans briefly returned between the gap between her dimension and the human realm.
John was back at the precinct when he received a phone call, as he answered the call. "NYPD, Officer John Bradfield speaking." The voice says "Officer Bradfield, if you want to find the whereabouts of Detective Takehashi, meet me afin front of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal." John says "Who is this?" The voice says "A friend." Then he hangs up. As he arrived at the terminal, he waited for almost two hours when he heard a familiar voice "Hello Johnny boy, looking for me?" That when John saw him "'Bad News' Brown, your involved in this case?" That's when two thugs grabbed John from behind, on placed a hanker chief soaked with chlorophyll over his mouth, knocking him out, "Nope, this is a trap by the mastermind."
At that moment, Frank got a phone call. He picked it up. "Reporting."

He listened. "Interesting. Yeah, I know him. I know him too. Yeah, I got their numbers. You just keep an eye on them. Say, does Sam and Tom have their eyes on the guy's wife and daughter?" The wolf chuckled. "Good to know. Contact me later." He hung up.

"What's going on?" Takehashi asked.

"The officer investigating your case was just abducted by a man called 'Bad News' Brown," said Frank. "He got the nickname because you hired him if you got some bad news about an investigation on you, or if one of your high-ranking lieutenants turned on you, and you want to kill them without connecting yourself to the deed. Likewise, it's bad news if he comes after you. He like to cut people into pieces before he kills them."

"So, what are you going to do?" Takehashi asked.

"Let's just say he has a very fine wife, and a very lovely daughter, both of which he cares for, and about," said Frank as he dialed a number. "For all his crimes, he's a good husband and father."



Back at the terminal, Brown found his cell phone ringing. "Who is this?"

"Someone who has some very useful information about that cop you just knocked out."

Brown looked around. "Where are you?"

"I'm not where you're at, buddy, but I have a friend who is, and they are very good at what they do. They could kill you easily."

Brown chuckled. "Death threats don't scare me."

"True, but I have another friend looking at a young woman in high school, who looks really tasty and I'm curious about how she tastes, as I find young women to taste the best. Yet another buddy is looking at an older woman in a robin's egg blue dress who is busy buying groceries, and it would be a shame if something happened to that dress, to say nothing about the woman wearing it, for I like the struggles older ones try to put up."

Brown's throat started to dry up. "Touch my family, and I will kill you."

"Touch the cop, and I'll see to it that your family suffers worse, and that's before I do to you what you like to do to your victims, especially the thing with the needles, and their toes."

Brown gulped. "What do you want?"

"Let the cop go, and tell the one who hired you that someone made you a very good offer to not take any more jobs from him, understand?"

Brown nodded. "I understand."

"Good."

"Just don't touch my family." Brown pleaded.

"Just remember, I'm watching you."

The phone turned off.

Brown looked at his goons, and the unconscious cop. "Leave him. We'd best get out of here."

"Who was that, boss?" one of the goons asked as they walked towards their car.

"Don't know, but they scare me."

After the three left, a figure ran over to John, placed something next to him that gave off a strong scent, and ran away.

John woke up with a headache, and heard his phone start to ring. "Who's this?"

"Good. You're awake."

"Who is this?"

"Frank Johnson. The guy with the stupid outfit and terrible mask."

John's eyes widened as he looked around. "Where are you?"

"Not there, but I have eyes on you, and I just saved your life."

"How?"

"Threaten a man with death, and he'll laugh. Say you're thinking about how awful it would be to do terrible things to his family, and he'll do as you say."

"Where are you?"

"There's a burger joint on Second and Jones. Meet me there. I have someone you might want to see. Also, like I said, I have eyes on you, but they're more for your safety than anything else."
Takehashi was becoming more and more amazed by this Frank Johnson
John made it to the place where Second and Jones and the sign says Alpha burgers and it shows a wolf holding a burger in it's paws, John says "This better be the place." as he sits down on a stool by the counter. A waitress says "May I help you officer?" as she hands a menu to John. "I'm meeting someone here, a friend of mine, Frank Johnson."
"I hope you're a big tipper," the waitress said. "He is." She pointed towards a booth in a darkened corner. "Over there."

"Thanks." John got up, and walked over, where he saw two figures sitting at the far side. "Feels like something out of a Cold War type of detective or spy movie."

"Better than scaring the customers away," the one said. "Frank Johnson. Of course, we've already met."

"Yes, the Tillman Case," said John. "You broke into that house, without a warrant."

"Yeah, but seeing a suspicious person breaking in gave you Probable Cause, meaning you didn't need one," said Frank. "Which became very useful after I broke down that one door that the girl was being held behind, which you otherwise wouldn't have opened due to the fact that you couldn't hear her, because she'd been drugged into a stupor, giving you no reason to look. Saving her looked real good for you."

"Yet when I tried to track you down, you vanished," said John. "Next time I heard about you was the South Train incident. You used our sniper's rifle to take out the hostage taker, by shooting him in the shoulder. That officer told me that you punched him, breaking his nose, before you took his gun."

"He healed," said Frank. "And, more importantly, your people were able to take the hostage taker prisoner, and get him to flip on the guys that hired him. And let's not forget about the jewelry from the Kingston Heist I found, that got that one rookie on the front page for 'his' find from a case that had been cold for seven months, which lead to the capture of the thieves responsible for the brutal assault of a sixty-seven year old man, and his fourteen year old granddaughter."

"You like to stay out of the limelight," said John.

"And with good reason," said Frank. "I'm sure that the people I work with made sure you saw my photo, and made sure it was destroyed, along with certain other things."

"What do you want?" John asked.

"Cooperation," said Frank. "You're the face people see, and I'm the one they don't see. It's that simple."

John looked at the other figure. "Takehashi?"

"It's me," the other figure said.
"Oh...Oh Oh Jeez!" John said as he saw the Japanese Detective's Turtle Face "I saw the footage of you transforming...Bu seeing you in the flesh is Oh!"

"We need to find out who is behind drugging and transforming the Detective." Said Frank

Meanwhile the Fairy known as 'Princess Periwinkle' was in a special 'Mystical Chamber with some other Fairies where she had one of Frank's Fellow Transformed Military Members tied to a table...This person was a Female and she was Transformed into an Anthropomorphic Aardwolf (Which is a Species of Hyena, not a Wolf)

She was gagged so she could only grunt and squeal as the Fairy came closer to her

"Don't worry..." Said the Fairy "...It will be over soon enough."

She dipped her wand into a strange liquid and then poked her wand into the Aardwolf's Lady's Arm

As soon as she did this the Aardwolf began to feel strange...She felt her bones shifting and transforming yet she felt no pain as this happened...She became smaller ...She was transforming into a Non-Anthropomorphic Aardwolf!
As the transformation is complete, the Aardwolf lady turns from a scared experiment to a mindless slave, "What is your wish my mistress?" The Fairy says "Ahh, it worked. In the city, two escaped experiments of mine, Tazuki Takehashi and Frank Johnson, a turtle and a wolf. I want them bought back. Also there's a busybody beat cop by the name of John Bradfield who's meddling in my affairs. Tear him to pieces."
Frank then got a phone call. "Yeah. Uh hu. Can't track her signal? Well, keep an eye out for her." He hung up.

"What was that about?" John asked.

"One of the members of the unit went missing, somehow," said Frank.

"What do you mean?" John asked.

Frank pointed to what looked like a stud earring. "A little tracker, just in case we ever got caught on mission. Easily removable of course, but it can send a signal through most anything, meaning that rescue could track you down even if you were being held inside of a cave system. The fact that the signal is gone as well is disturbing."

"So, who is the missing person?" Takehashi asked.

"Jennifer Terrance, Tech Specialist, Army, Sergeant," said Frank. "Got turned into an Aardwolf. They figured it would be useful for desert missions to use desert animals - you know, match the animal to the mission, like if it was going to be in Alaska or Siberia, have the team be made up of polar bears and arctic wolves, and if in the desert, hyenas and camels, and everything in-between. Still, it was kind of funny they used that on her - guy though he was using hyena D.N.A., which, given the fact that they have very strong jaws, would have been useful. In her case, well, she could still scout places out, and a good pair of bolt cutters takes care of most everything else, but it wasn't like she could tear someone limb from limb. I mean, she eats insects these days, not steak, or pork."

"So, what do we do?" John asked.

"You keep investigating, and we'll be nearby," said Frank.
Takehashi was thinking back to his childhood remembering learning about detective work from his Father
Okeydokey we might return to this campfire sometime...But in actuality creating this campfire was a way to remind myself to get a prescription

The End!

Meanwhile the Pink Fairy returned to her own Dimension, she was checking the progress and saw several Mutated Animals working to build her a castle
"So, just what was the program you were in for?" John asked. "Were you Special Ops or something?"

"Ever read Captain America or seen the movie based off of the comics, or anything related to the guy?" Frank asked. "Frail young man, who thought that he was nothing special, but wanted to serve his country, gets enhanced with a special serum to make him a very powerful supersoldier."

John scoffed at this. "Everyone knows that story."

"Similar premise," said Frank. "None of the 125 volunteers were anybody special; just basic airmen, soldiers, sailors, marines, and guardsmen. No Special Operatives, none of us had extraordinary records for accomplishing the impossible. Couldn't have been more average really - maybe some of us tried to join the Special Ops, or had some field experience, or knew how to follow orders well enough to be creative when we had to, without disobeying them - but it wasn't like we were well-known in the service, or had Stories being told about us, and I think that was the reason we were selected. After all, if you can improve the average serviceman, who is just another face in the crowd, imagine what could be done to the Special Forces. There was comparisons before, and after, we took the pills. It was quite the difference - increased strength for those that wanted that, increased speed for them that wanted that, better night vision, hearing, smelling, and other things. But, annoyingly, the only thing wrong was the one thing that one wouldn't want to go wrong - changing them back to normal."

"Why would you what to give your abilities up?" John asked.

"Maybe I'd like to wear a bathing suit when I walk on the beach, and not smell like wet dog," said Frank. "Besides, what if someone went insane or something? You wouldn't want to deal with someone who can go through cement walls that are ten feet thick without stopping, now would you?"

"So, has anyone cracked before?" John asked.

"No, and that's why this disappearance is especially puzzling," said Frank. "We all keep in touch, like any group of classmates. We also work together."

"So, what's the plan?" John asked.

"You keep nosing around," said Frank. "Takehashi, you stick near him as best as you can, but failing that, there's three others watching us."

"What about you?" Takehashi asked.

Frank chuckled. "I'm going to pay Brown a visit; see what he knows about the person that hired him."

"Every time he's been brought in, he never says a word," said John. "We've never been able to pin anything on him either, for one reason or another."

Frank grinned, revealing his teeth. "I can be very persuasive."
John says "I'm going back to the precinct and speak to the chief, there are things he knows but he's keeping it from me. I have the right to know."
Takehashi had become sullen and quiet...His situation was so unbelievable
Frank looked at him. "What's with the face?"

"I never thought that things would be like this," said Takehashi.

"Well, at least you're not dealing with aliens or creatures from parallel universes," said Frank. "Now that would be crazy."

"Are those real?" Takehashi asked.

"Just as real as fleas on a fish," said Frank.

"But fish don't have fleas," said Takehashi.

Frank grinned. "That's right; they don't. Now, you follow John, and I'll locate Mr. Brown."

"I'm starting to feel like a decoy protagonist," said Takehashi. "I mean, this was supposed to be my trip."

"Life's funny that way," said Frank. "One moment you think you're in the driver's seat of a tank, and the next, you're in the back passenger seat asking 'When can I pull the trigger on the cannon?' or some such thing." He put down the money for his meal. "Be careful."



A while later, "Bad News" Brown was at an apartment, one his family didn't know he rented out. He was scared - it was a feeling he wasn't used to. The person on the phone had threatened to harm his family. Lots had threatened to kill him, but none had said a word about raping his daughter, or his wife. He looked at his hands for a moment - hands that had killed twenty people were shaking. He heard a sound, grabbed his gun, and carefully walked to the door. He looked out the peephole - it was the maid. Holstering the gun in his back pocket, he opened the door, and let her in.

"Nice to see you, Mr. Simpson," the woman said, as she entered the room.

"Nice to see you as well, Ms. Salazar," said Brown.

"By the way, you have a friend waiting for you downstairs," said Ms. Salazar, as she started vacuuming the rug.

"A friend?" Brown asked.

"Yep, a fella in a trench-coat, who was looking for his old classmate, Homer Simpson," said Ms. Slalazar. "I thought that he was a fishy fella, but then I saw that silly mask of his, and I saw that he was harmless, if weird. Claimed that it was for a Comic Convention that he was in town for, and that, since he was in the area, he thought he'd visit you. He said he could come by later if you were out, or busy."

"That would be fine, Ms. Salazar," said Brown.



After a while, the woman left, and Brown locked the door. He'd been followed; he just knew it. That was when he heard a sound, turned, pulling out his pistol, and he saw a man in a trench-coat, wearing a silly wolf mask, pointing their own gun at him.

"What's with the mask?" Brown asked. "Makes you stand out."

That was when the person grinned, and Brown saw that it wasn't a mask. "I never said that I was wearing a mask, Leroy Brown, aka 'Bad News' Brown, aka Homer Simpson."

"What do you want?" Brown asked. There was no point asking how the person had gotten in - the vacuuming must have covered them unlocking the window and entering from the fire escape.

"Who hired you to abduct the cop?" the wolf-man asked.

"Why do you want to know that?" Brown asked.

"Because someone must have hired you to do the job," the wolf-man said. "I want them."

"Why?"

The wolf grinned once more. "You have a lovely wife, and a fine daughter; stay straight with me, and they will remain none the wiser about what you do for a living. Toy with me, and there are worse things that could happen besides your daughter finding out exactly how daddy is paying for her collage classes."

Brown gulped. "Don't harm my family."

"I won't touch them, so long as you tell me who hired you," the wolf-man said.

"It was the Don of the New York Mafia," said Brown.

"Ah, yes, I know of him," the wolf-man said. "Visit him, and tell him to leave the cop alone, or I'll come and kill him."

"And who do I say is telling him this?"

"Frank Johnson, Private Investigator, formally of the United States Marines." Frank pulled the trigger, hitting his target.

Brown fell to the ground, a dart in his shoulder.

"The effects last thirty minutes," Frank said, as Brown's vision started to go. "By the time your head is clear, I'll be long gone."

"I'llll k k killl yooou," Brown slurred.

"Good luck."
Just as John made it to the precinct, he was ambushed. Something came out of a nearby bush and pounced onto John and before he knew it, he was pinned down by a Aardwolf, he noticed something odd about the animal. Sense when do animals wear earrings? The creature seems to have hostile intent on John.
But John quickly realized Aardwolves being the smallest species of Hyena aren't that tough...He started choking the Animal and quickly she fainted.

He checked the pulse "I didn't kill the Creature." He said "But still.."
That was when he got a phone call. He looked at the number; it was Frank's. "Frank?"

"I hear you just got into a fight with a small dog-like creature, specifically an Aardwolf," came Frank's voice. "Check the ears; is there a ring stud like the one I have?"

John took a look. "Yeah. I thought it was odd and-"

"It's Jennifer Terrance, the tech Sergeant that disappeared," said Frank. "A car will be there in two minutes. There will be two people in it - a lion and a zebra. Anyone else shows up, tell them that Animal Control has been notified."

"Um, does Jennifer normally attack people?" John asked.

"You'd really have to piss her off to motivate her to do that," said Frank. "There was a reason she became a tech specialist."

"So, while you're on the phone, do you know who tried to have me kidnapped?" John asked.

"The Don of the New York Mafia," said Frank. "Guess you pissed him off or something."

"Do you think he's behind everything else?" John asked.

"Doubt it," said Frank. "But he might know who is. Head to his place."

"I'd need a warrant to search his place," said John. "He has good lawyers."

"You will just be there on a social call," said Frank. "I'll do any searching needed."

"Alright," said John.

The phone disconnected.



A few minutes later, a white van pulled up, and John watched the two people get out - a lion and a zebra. The two looked at the Aardwolf.

"This is very odd," the lion said. "It's as if she was turned into a full animal, instead of something in the middle."

"She say anything?" the zebra asked.

"We were a little too busy to try to talk to each other," said John.

The lion looked at John. "Make sure you wash your arms when you get the chance; you have a few scratches on them."

John looked at his arm, and saw the tears in his sleeves.

"I could take a look at them if you like," the zebra said. "I was a Combat Medic. Still know my way around the First Aid Kit."

John looked at the lion. "What did you do?"

"Drove Humvees in and out of combat zones," the lion said. "Nothing major."
Frank saw Takehashi lying flat "What are you doing?" Frank asked

"I'm trying to withdraw into my shell." Said the Turtle Detective

"Snapping Turtles can't withdraw into the shell at all." Said Frank "They and Sea Turtles are the only Turtles who can't that's the other reason they snap, not just for catching prey but self-defense."
"How was I supposed to know that?" Takehashi snapped. "I don't like being a snapping turtle."

"Tell me, do you think I like being a wolf all the time?" Frank asked. "There's a hundred twenty-five of us in the same situation you are; we want to be human again. We want to go home to our families. We want to see our loved ones. We want to go to a bar and drink a beer, and jump up and yell with everyone else when our favorite team scores a goal. We want to drive fast cars with the roof down. We want to pay two hundred dollars for a night with a hooker. We want to pay the bills. We want to be like everyone else. For five years we've been wanting that."

Takehashi sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just - I was supposed to have fun during my time here."

"You could still have some fun," said Frank. He then grinned. "I just spotted a car worth a hundred grand that some idiot forgot to lock, and it's in a section where you should lock your cars."

"Um, shouldn't that in and of itself be a reason something is wrong, other than the fact that stealing cars is wrong?" Takehashi asked. "I mean, it might belong to a highly dangerous criminal."

"Only the right-hand man to the Don himself," said Frank. "I even know the guy that would like that car."
Then John cell phone rings, and John checked the display. the Caller ID read L, Mullas. John answered "This better be good Larry, I'm about to visit the Don of New York." Larry says "Oh, it is good. It's about the Don and his partner in crime." This intrigued John. "You got my attention, where do we meet?" Larry says "The Subway station on Times Square and 42nd. St. 2nd level platform."
Meanwhile 'Periwinkle' was about to return to the Human Realm when she was approached by one of her subordinates "Why are we importing strange Animals from the Human Realm when we have plenty of Animals for slaves here?" Periwinkle replied "For some reason the Earth Animals are stronger and more resilient than our Fairy Animals...Our castle will be complete much sooner."
Meanwhile, Frank pulled a couple of blocks from the Don's place. "Lovely home," Frank said. "Must be worth plenty of money."

"You do realize that the police will be searching for this car, if that guy decides to report it," said Takehashi.

"Yeah," said Frank. "But they'll be investigating the crash it's about to cause, and then they'll have incentive to search the home, which will be a crime scene."

Takehashi looked at the wolf. "Are you insane?"

"Not according to my last psych evaluation," said Frank. "Get out of the car, and keep an eye out."

"I don't like this," Takehashi said as he got out.

Frank grinned. "At least you're not the one jumping out of a moving car." He stepped on the gas.



Takehashi watched in astonishment as the car went through a STOP sign, and a red light, and then through a wrought iron fence, and saw Frank jump out just before the car went through the wall. Then, he watched as Frank ran out of the yard, through traffic, come up to him and yell "Let's get going!"

"Where?" Takehashi asked, following him.

"Anyplace but here within two minutes," said Frank. "I heard the sirens."

"Anything else?" Takehashi asked.

"Ten guys with automatic weapons!"
At the Subway platform, John waited for Larry. Just as the A train pulled in Larry showed up and said "I got a doozey of a story for you, you may not believe it but it's true but I can't tell you here in public. Come with me." Larry lead John down the access shaft of the station to a storage area, "Okay," John says, "Let's here it." Larry says "Here goes, the Don's partner in crime is a fairy." John looked skeptical. "The gay types or those miniature women with wings and wands?" Larry says "The winged women types. I don't know her name yet, but she's the one behind turning humans into animals." John says "Normally, I wouldn't believe you but earlier, I got attacked by an Aardwolf, one of the animals, all she managed was to tear my shirt sleeves."
Then John realized something "Wait a minute...One of the Animals...Said he was Mutated by the US Military..."

Larry said "The Fairy was the one who helped the Military create the Pills, without them knowing she was a Fairy...I think she thinks with the Humans doing most of the work for her...She's here to collect."
"I don't think they think so," John said, just as his phone rang. "Frank?"

"Seems someone crashed a car into the home of the Don of the New York Mafia," came Frank's voice. "You might want to check it out."

"Well, I just heard that some sort of fairy was behind your transformations, and I don't mean the guys who like to wear dresses."

There was a pause on the other end. "You're joking, right?"

"It's what I was told."

"Alright," said Frank. "Investigate the Don's home. I have some people to call, and there will be more eyes on you, just in case."
As John went to the Don's place, the area is in an uproar and the Don saw John "It's about time you got here, look at this mess. I want the guy who did this!"
John looks over the wrecked car and opens the door, "Here's the problem, whoever park this car forgot to set the parking break, causing the car to crash into the place. So whoever owned this car didn't do it on purpose, still I need to fill out an accident report is there a place we can talk?"
Takehashi was mentally when your computer gets 'The Blue Screen of Death'
John and the Don stood under a tree.

"I know you know who did this," the Don said. "And I know it wasn't an accident."

"Why would you say that?" John asked.

"Kid across the street caught the crash on tape," the Don said. "Likes to record me, thinking he's going to catch me doing something. Kid has to have a dream."

"Why would he record you?" John asked.

"A misunderstanding involving his father getting his fingers caught in my door, nothing major," the Don said. "Comes in handy, from time to time, when someone accuses me of something, and that kid proves I wasn't at the location."

"You could slip out the back door dressed as a servant, and have someone your size and shape wear your clothes, but stay in the shadows," said John.

The Don grinned. "I might have to try that."

"Now, you tell me what's been going on," said John. "I evidence of you for attempted kidnapping, among other things."

"What are you talking about?" the Don asked.

"A Good Samaritan foiled an attempt to kidnap me, and the would-be kidnapper claimed to work for you," said John.

"Wouldn't know a thing about that," said the Don. "Might be someone trying to frame me."

"Well, in any case, I doubt you have to worry about anything," said John. "It's not like an ex-Marine could take you on, all by themself."
John then added, "Speaking of which, one of those marines that was turned into an animal attacked me earlier today, except it was feral not anthro. Do you know anything like this?"
"I don't know anything about that." Said the Don

Meanwhile Frank decided to call the Very First who had taken the Pills...His form was that of an Anthropomorphic Thompson Gazelle (Which may seem puny but consider the Gazelle's Ability to leap to the sky and sprint incredibly fast)

"Hey! Tommy Mendel!" Said Frank "Haven't spoken to you in a while? How's Tanzania?"

"Dry and arid." Said Tommy

"If I remember correctly..." Said Frank "...You weren't only the first to take the pill but also helped create it..."

"Yeah..." Tommy didn't know where this was headed...
"Where did you get the idea from?" Frank asked.

"Truth be told, I was on a date with this lovely woman when she made the suggestion," said Tommy.

"A date?" Frank asked.

"One of those online blind date things," said Tommy.
The Don says "If you don't mind, I'm busy today so I don't have time to answer any of your questions, Bruno? Could you escort Officer Bradfield out?" As Bruno opened up the office door, John noticed the fairy matching Larry's description passing by, John snuck in a snapshot with his phone's camera before leaving the place." As John made it on the street, he made a quick phone call to Frank, "Frank, next time you setup a little accident. Make sure there is no one around to witness it. The Don's nosey neighbor witnessed your little stunt. One more thing, I'm sending you a picture of the Don's partner in crime." He sends the photo of the fairy he took.
"Describe the female to me." Said Frank

"She was short...About 4 feet tall." Said Tommy "And for some reason her hair was dyed hot pink...But somehow she made the look work for her."
Frank looked at the notification he got from John. "One moment Tommy. That cop just sent me a picture. I'll send it to you."
As Tommy looked at the picture, he recognized the woman, "That's her!"
Tommy squinted "Wait a minute...I don't remember wings..."
Frank looked at the picture again. "I doubt the cop could edit the photo in a way to add wings to her." He sent a message. "Contact everyone."
Frank roused Takehashi "We got a breakthrough that doesn't just concern you an me...It concerns all of us."

"What do you mean?" Asked Takehashi

"Something about Fairies..." Said Frank
"Fairies?" Takehashi asked. "I thought you said that they were fictional?"

"New information means that sometimes you need to alter what you thought you knew," said Frank. "It's time to get to the bottom of this. Might as well bring in everyone - every marine, soldier, airman, sailor, and guardsman."

"A hundred odd people, and I do mean odd, and how do you propose to disguise them?" Takehashi asked.

"Simple really," said Frank. "Ever been to a Comic Convention where everyone dresses up in costume?"
John went straight back to the precinct and went into the department's computer expert Bobby Burnstein, "Robert, I want the identity of this woman." He showed him the picture he took and after Bobby took a look at it, "You got to be joking. How did you make this girl look like a fairy? Photoshop?" John says "I'm serious, and besides, do you know how expensive that program is? I can't afford that on my salary. This image wasn't altered, I took a picture of her while I was at the Don's place."
Meanwhile...Periwinkle had received an urgent message...Her Cousin, who was the Rightful Heir of Fairy Land had escaped from the dungeon!

"This is a catastrophe!" Screamed Periwinkle
Seems everyone has no more interest in this story

The End!

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