Guardian Angels
Episode 30: "Feral"
Luke Martin and his small team of Hollywood Humane Society agents sat around a table at a local restaurant for lunch. "So, everyone, how has your experience with this team been so far?" asked the leopard.
"I like it. It kinda makes me feel like I'm part of the Guardian Angles or something," said, Becky Walms, a Genoid dobberman.
"You and the Guardian Angels. If there was line of merchandise for them, you'd have the entire collection," remarked a kangaroo named Leslie Rhyms.
"I do have every piece of Guardian Angel merchandise," Becky agreed and everyone laughed.
In the middle of the round of laughter, Luke's radio squawked and the dispatched said there was another report of animal abuse somewhere. Quickly, the team finished their lunches and headed out to the site. The house they came upon was rundown and looked vacant. That was, until they got closer. As they got out of their vehicles and approached the building, they noticed the bones scattered in the yard, some with flies still swarming around them. "Those look like animal bones," remarked Julie Stien, a white horse.
As they neared the house, however, the smell got worse. "I smell death," Leslie commented.
When Luke peered in a broken window, he was shocked by what he saw. The floor was practically covered in blood and there were several bodies of different animal species on the floor. But what really caught his attention was the dismembered leg of a Genoid near what appeared to be a dog fighting ring. "Well, Becky. You wanted to meet the Guardian Angels. Looks like you're about to get your chance. This case is out of our jurisdiction."
[center]* * *[/center]
Becky instantly wrapped her hand around Saipia's pink-furred hand the instant the wolf stepped from her car. "Oh my god, I can't believe I'm actually meeting THE Saipia. I am your biggest fan. And, by the way, I love your new uniform."
"Why thank you, Officer, it's always great to meet a fan," Saipia replied with a smile. "But, I think there are more important things to do, at the moment than get all starstruck."
"Right. Sorry, it's just that...I mean, you're the reason why I became a cop. Well, an animal cop, but I did try to become a police officer," the dog rambled.
"Saipia's the reason every Genoid becomes a cop, though," Erica remarked as they approached the open door of the house.
When Saipia and Erica caught sight of Luke the both smiled and each gave him a hug. "Luke, it's good to see you," Saipia greeted the older leopard.
"Yeah. You, too, Sai. I see you've been keeping my little sister out of trouble for the most part. Although, she's still limping a bit, I see," Luke returned.
"I'm actually only here for a little bit. Layta doesn't have a treatment today, but I'm still pretty useless in the field. Sucks the bullet had to hit me in flesh and blood. Any lower and I would've been fine," Erica explained.
The male cat smiled, as his nosed picked up on his sister's scent. "Yes. I shall have t0 meet your new girflriend sometime. However, I did not call you guys out here to catch up. This," Luke motioned to the bloody room around them, "is very serious."
Saipia's prosthetic eyes scanned the room instantly reading fingerprints, DNA and other pieces of evidence. She was even able to analyze the leg near the ring. "Right. That is the leg bone of a Genoid bulldog. However, there are DNA and fingerprints from several other Genoids and a lot of exotic animals. I mean, lion, leopard, tiger, even a pack of wolves."
"Please, tell me that all that information isn't from your fancy body," Erica said.
Shaking her head, Saipia responded with: "No. I can feel the wolves. I may essentially be a machine, but I will never lose the wolf in me. And I can smell the lions and the leopard and the tiger. I've spent enough time around them, I better recognize their smell anywhere."
"So, someone's been running a high end fighting ring with Genoids?" Becky questioned.
Erica nodded. "I'd say they were pitting the feral animals against their Genoid counterparts. And I wouldn't be surprised if they bred both Genoid and animal. Who ever is at the top of this thing is one crazy bastard and probably not someone we want to mess with."
As Erica spoke, Saipia's eyes caught sight of a flier on the floor hidden by an arm. Picking it up, she wasn't pleased with what she read. "Yeah, those two really are crazy. Although, this is definitely new for them."
Erica took the flier from her boss. "Ryan and Peter? Those to crazy bastards are behind this? Well, at least we know what they've been up to since Peter got out of jail."
"Right. But, because this is those two, we are going to have to think outside the box to shut this ring down. Knowing them, they won't be stupid enough to be here while the fights are going down, and the only reason why their names. Are on those fliers is because someone they hired was an idiot and I wouldn't be surprised if that leg belonged to him. No, we won't be able to catch my former brothers in this. But we can, at least just this fighting ring down. And to do that, we will be going undercover," Saipia said.
"What is that prosthetic brain of yours thinking? I don't like it when you think outside the box," Erica commented.
"And you should be able to help out with this plan. But, I'll explain it to you at the precinct. For now, we need to gather evidence and clues because we'll need to do our homework if this is going to work," the canine replied with a sly smile.
* * *
"You want to do what?" James asked as the Angels met in around their desks.
"It's the best way to catch these guys and it'll be one of the few times both my teams can work together," said Saipia.
"But, don't we need a human to enter us?" Candy questioned.
"Not according to the rules. Anyone can enter animals, but the rules also say if you're a Genoid, you probably will be tossed in the ring yourself," replied Erica who leaned against a desk with her arms folding in front of her.
There was a moment of silence. "So, who did you have in mind to enter us into the competition?" asked the maned wolf.
Saipia smiled wickedly. "We need someone who won't alert anyone to who we are, but we also need someone who wold actually be crazy enough to participate in something as illegal as a Genoid fighting ring. And he's already agreed to helping out. In exchange, any money he makes off of us, he gets to keep."
"You're going to get that one guy that you always told me and Layta to stay away from when we were little, aren't you? I can't believe you are friends with someone like that," Erica half scolded.
"I never said he was a friend. He just owes me several favors and since this could easily get him killed in several ways, it will make us even. There are some people you don't want indebted to you," Saipia replied.
Erica gave the commander a confused look. "We are talking about your brother, right?"
"Oh, so we finally get to meet your brother, huh?" Jimmy questioned.
"Robert isn't someone I'm very proud to be related to. He's way too much like my dad. And technically he's my half brother," Saipia retorted.
"Right. I met him once, and he constantly gave me the 'I want to have sex with you whether you want it or not' look," Erica added.
"Exactly why I always told you and Layta to stay away from him. And after this, you probably won't see him again. And I plain on everyone being in our feral bodies before we encounter him. Rozzie and I will deal with Bob and then, we will meet you all at the agreed location. And don't worry about him selling it, he'll probably enjoy this too much," ordered the pink wolf.
* * *
"There is no WAY I'm going near that bastard, Saipia," Rozzie spat quietly so Miti couldn't here.
"That bastard is your brother," Saipia argued.
"No, that psycho is Miti's father. He raped me, Saipia. While I love my daughter, I do not want her EVER knowing her father, you understand me? We will not be taking part in this mission and if you so much as ask to bring him around here, I'll kick your ass into next week, is that understood, little sister?" growled the African Wild Dog.
The wolf sighed in understanding and disappointment. "Yeah. I understand. I'll find someone else to go with me."
"Good luck. While I do not want the task myself. I understand your plan, and if I had come up with it, I would have thought of Robert, as well. However, watch your back. I don't care what deal you've struck with him, he'll betray you if he wants to," said Rozzie.
"Right. Too bad for him, he's going straight to jail as soon as this mission is done. I have a couple other people that could probably pull off Robert's role, but, I've been asked as a special favor from a friend to get him out of the his current state and in exchange, my friend sent me over enough evidence on him for a few lifetimes," replied Saipia.
* * *
Will and his Guardian, Karen stood guard to Saipia's rear while she talked with her half brother. "You'll be meeting us tomorrow at this address." the canine handed a note to the scruffy human. The officer did her best not to throw up from the stench of human waste, liquor, beer, various drugs, sex and blood. The man obviously hadn't taken a bath in a few weeks, but that would actually work in her favor.
Robert opened the note and looked at it before eying his sibling like she was a piece of meat. "You know, Tiffany, I really do love your new body. And pink is definitely your color," he commented as he reach out his hand to brush her cheek.
Saipia snatched up his hand and quickly bent it backward while squeezing it just enough to cause him a lot of pain. "You lay a finger on me, and you'll loose it. You have your orders. I would suggest you do them as your told or our little deal is off. Just remember the next time you see me I'll be in feral form. And trust me, I'm much more of a bitch then than I am now."
"That's a little hard to believe," Robert commented when the wolf released his hand.
"She speaks the truth," said Will with a smirk as the three of them left.
* * *
As Candy stepped into her control pod with Kammy's help, she gave the lioness an odd look. "Aren't you going to be joining us?" she asked.
"Hell no. I had to deal with Saipia the last time she was in feral form. That is much more than enough," said the feline as she punched in a series of commands in preparations for Candy to gain control of her feral puppet.
"She can't be that bad, can she?" questioned the rabbit.
Kammy gave her a knowing smile. "And you're a rabbit. A word of advice: whatever she does while in feral form, she really does mean well. If you go along with what she tells you, you will survive. Don't be too afraid of her."
"Great, now I'm nervous," Candy said and Kammy laughed as she tapped the "enter" key on her keyboard and the officer's Genoid body quickly went limp.
A door quickly closed over her true body, and the whole chamber rotated one hundred-eighty degrees. The back of the chamber quickly opened to reveal a fluffy, white and brown rabbit, feral rabbit. Kammy smiled at the little creature and picked her up. Carefully, she walked her up the stairs to where the others were waiting. As soon as she opened the door to the basement, Saipia spoke up. "Finally! What the hell took you so long! Although, as a rodent, you're probably going to be pretty useless."
"Why does she get to talk and we don't?" Candy asked, via an integrated intercom built into the puppet.
"Because my real body is prosthetic, just like this one. It is a simply task to transfer functions from body to body," Saipia commented.
Kammy scoffed as she put Candy down in a chair. "You can ignore her. She's the first Genoid and she had me build her a special feral body a long time ago. All us Fifteen should have a feral form like her. I just didn't have a year or two to develop your feral bodies like I did back then, so your bodies are pretty basic."
"I do not like being ignored," Saipia muttered.
"We know that. But you do need to talk less, Sai," commented Isan in her feral body.
"Don't make us kick your ass," Erica said out load.
"And I made Erica's body a while ago, as well. Although, I had to make her body a male one," Kammy said quickly.
"Something which always takes me a while to get used to. I wish you would have made me a female body," said the leopard.
"Quit your bitching. Robert is coming. I don't want him to realize who you all are. I only told him that I'd take care of providing the animals. Even I won't be saying much from here on," growled the feral white wolf.
"That's a good thing 'cause your talking when you're in feral form is annoying as hell," remarked Avron in his big, feral lion form.
Saipia instantly crept over to the dark-maned beast and snarled cruelly in his face. "You had better watch your tone, Avron. Just because we're in feral form doesn't mean I can't still kick your ass."
Before anyone else could say anything, there was a loud, deliberate knock on the door. "I still am amazed that you gave Robert your address," commented Kammy who walked casually over to the door. "You're lucky as hell Layta's teaching at the moment."
"I didn't. He followed me," Saipia replied.
"By the way, Saipia, after this is over, I want to have a talk with you," Erica said.
"As do I," chimed Avron. "It has been a long time since we have worn these forms, and we have learned a lot since then. I would assume that Erica has come to the same conclusion that I have about just why you're constantly so cranky in your feral form."
Kammy opened the door and instantly moved away from the man who entered. "Well, well, it looks like my sister has got some pretty sexy friends."
"Careful, Robert. The animals you see here are from my own personal collection and they're very loyal to me. I suspect if you tried to lay a hand on me, they'd rip you to shreds. Besides, Saipia gave very strict orders to only make sure you get these animals. Her delivery boys will take them to the designated location. You should go there and wait for them," Kammy replied as every animal in the place gave the human hungry looks.
Nervously, the man nodding his understanding and quickly turned to leave. "Right. This is her plan, after all. I'll meet you guys at the meet up spot."
* * *
Before they could enter any of the fights, Robert had to get someone to take a look at his animals and Genoids. And that inspector had to be a part of the fighting ring they were investigating. However, what Saipia and the others weren't counting on was seeing Ryan and Peter personally doing the inspections. "Crap! That's extremely unexpected," Saipia muttered as the two black wolves approached them along with the human.
"You've got some very nice specimens, here, Mr. Stein," Ryan commented.
"And such variety. Lions, wolves, a tiger, hyena, leopard, cheetah, even a maned wolf. I'm very impressed," Peter added. "But, I do not understand why you have a rabbit. Unless you're trying to offer me lunch."
"She's for trainin'. You'd be surprised at how much hanging lunch in front of their faces can get them riled up," the surprisingly well groomed Robert replied.
"Right. Well, everything appears to be in order. However, they'll have to pass a physical and I want to see them in action. If they can entertain and bring in money, they're worthless," Ryan announced.
"Of course. Don't worry, these guys are by far the best you'll ever see," said Robert.
"I hope so. But, be warned, if have wasted our time, we will kill you and feed you to your own animals," said Peter.
Robert swallowed his fear as the two big male wolves quickly left. "You do know that they'd be the one's that'd be most likely to eat you," said Saipia.
"And you know those guys? Damn, Sai," Robert said as he turned around, fulled expecting to see his sister standing before him. Instead he saw nothing but the animals in their cages.
"I've got a good question: how are we going to pass inspections?" Tessa asked.
"These bodies aren't what you think. They're borrowed from a good friend of mine. Kammy used..." Saipia started but then decided to skip a lengthy, technical explanation. "...Don't worry, the real animals are fine and they'll have their bodies back once this is over. However, I've been told to not to damage these bodies."
"But we're being entered into fighting ring," said Jimmy.
"And only the new bodies are from your friend. The others really are from Kammy's private collection. Well, all except Saipia's body. That would be her own little pet," said Isan.
"Corisa is NOT a pet," Saipia half spat. "And I've got a plan in place to prevent the animals from being harmed. And Candy, you are the key to that plan."
"Me? But I'm just a rabbit," said the rabbit.
"I know. But you do have extensive hand-to-hand combat training. I'm sure you'd be able to fight your way out of a situation even in that form. And a situation is what you'll be fighting your way out of. You are going to be our little star. I want everyone to at least pretend to loose to her. Fighting with her shouldn't damage these bodies too much. However, you must keep control of your bodies. While you mostly control those bodies, there is still a little bit of the feral animal in there," explained the white wolf.
"Which is another reason why you're so irritated being in feral form. We REALLY need to talk after this," Avron chimed.
"Wait, do all of Isan's family have degrees that require high I.Q.s?" asked Candy.
"Yes. Apparently, my father choice to combine them with the smartest lions he could find. Most of the new technology and medical practices are thanks to them," said Saipia.
"Most of us 15 have high IQ's. It was a side effect of several factors. But, at the moment, we've got bigger issues. Like what if your ex-brothers catch on to your little scheme?" Isan questioned.
"Don't worry, I've always got a backup plan. However, I did have the hindsight to bring along my own psychic," smirked the wolf who glanced to the large female tiger.
"And I have seen victory here. Saipia's plan will succeed beautifully. Like it always does," Lyst replied with a wink.
"So, do you always consult her before missions?" Synder asked.
"Not all. But usually," Saipia answered.
"I can't believe I'm you guys turned yourselves in to feral animals. That's so unattractive," Robert commented.
"It's just temporary," remarked Saipia.
* * *
Everyone passed inspection with flying colors and immediately were put into training for a main event that night. Ryan and Peter were on hand to oversee the training, and Saipia couldn't help but smirk. If they were actually going to watch over everything, including the fights, she might be able put them behind bars, as well. "Slight change of plans everyone, we're going to smoke these guys out as quickly as possible," she informed everyone through the com line.
"Just try not to do anything too stupid," said Isan.
"Don't give me that, Isan. Besides, like you should talk, considering all the stupid things you've done," Saipia muttered silently.
"I can talk because my IQ is higher than yours. Now, go kick some ass so we can get our own bodies back," said the lioness.
"Isan, I have the same IQ you do. And I need everyone create a massive diversion on my signal. I want there to be so much noise that we don't even have to call in backup. Show them why it is not a wise idea to have so many wild animals around," Saipia retorted.
"What about me, Commander?" asked Candy.
"I think you'll be perfect to start the chaos. While everyone's distracted with the first fight, all you need to do is mistake a finger for a carrot," the white wolf replied.
"First round, Corisa the Wolf versus the reigning champion, Kan the Tiger," shouted the announcer.
Saipia glanced back to her team with a sly smile while a woman picked up Candy, taking her for just an ordinary rabbit. Her entire team silently nodded their understanding before their commander moved towards the stage. "How will I know what her signal is?" asked Candy.
"She just gave it to you. Any time your ready, Candy. I would wait until the fight has officially started, though," answered Erica.
Casually Saipia entered the ring and calmly took a seat opposite a growling, snarling, obviously underfed tiger who had to be retrained by heavy chains. "It's so nice to see some fresh meat. And you smell as if you're pretty close to death already," growled the beast.
"My age has nothing to do with my ability to rip you to pieces. Besides, you're a hell of a lot closer to death than I am," Saipia commented.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Candy sniffed the fingers of the woman who was holding her. As the announcer called for the start of the match and the chains were removed from the starving tiger, the rabbit bit into one of the fingers in front of her, severing it. The woman instantly got a shocked look on her face, knowing something was wrong. Candy spit out the first finger, and quickly bit off another. It wasn't until the second finger was gone that the woman screamed in agony, quickly dropping the white leporid. The distraction worked as everyone in the room turned their attention to the woman. "My fingers! It bit off my FINGERS!" she screamed.
With Kan distracted, Saipia quickly ran past him and headed straight for her former brothers, with her mouth wide open. It was only at the last second that Peter saw the wolf and punched it away. "What the hell?" he snapped.
"I really wish you wouldn't do that, Peter. Corisa has been my friend for a while and she already doesn't like me much when I'm in her body, and I don't think she'll take to kindly to me damaging it," Saipia said as she rolled to her feet a few feet away from the two black Genoid wolves.
"Saipia! You little bitch! I'll rip you..." Peter started before Ryan stopped him.
"Obviously, she's trying to expose this little venture to the public. If we get caught here, we could go to jail for a very long time. Instead of wasting time fighting with her, I suggest we get our asses out of here," Ryan suggested as Kan quickly bit the head off of one of his handlers, feeding the chaos.
"I suggest we do the same, Angels. We wouldn't want these bodies to get injured in anyway. The Hollywood Humane Society can take it from here. Although, I suspect there will be quite a mess to clean up," echoed Saipia. Nodding in understanding the Guardian Angels and the other 15 quickly left the arena, as the distant sound of police sirens drew closer and closer.
* * *
As Saipia came up the steps from her basement followed closely by Corisa, the door to her house opened and Layta entered. "Mother, why does Corisa look pissed?" the younger wolf asked.
"Because your mother got her punched in the face by Peter," Erica said.
Layta turned her head and when her eyes fell upon Erica's feral form, she smiled and snatched up the leopard. "Oh my word, you're so cute in that body. And you're completely male! I've got to have a little fun with you like this before you get changed back into a Genoid."
"Wait, Layta, this body belongs to Kammy, and I don't think she'd want you playing around with it like that," Erica argued.
Kammy had just come up the steps, looking for who was remaining. "I've got no problem with you two having a little fun. However, I have no idea if Kyja can get you pregnant or not, Layta, so I'd very careful, if I were you."
"Right, because if Erica doesn't get your pregnant in this form, it won't be Erica's baby, but Kyja's," warned Saipia.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful," Layta commented while carrying Erica off to her room.
"Well, that was certainly interesting," said Isan. "Are you sure that's smart, Kammy?"
The younger lioness shrugged. "Kyja has been looking for a mate lately, anyway. Besides, I think Layta's been on birth control pills since she's been back."
"I don't think birth control pill were designed for inter-species relationships. Besides, what they're doing is technically illegal," Saipia commented.
"It's also technically not. Anyway, I start filming new episodes of my cooking show tomorrow," Isan replied and left.
"So, Saipia, what are your reasons for not liking your feral form so much?" Avron asked.
"Well, my OCD is part of it. But, to be perfectly honest, it has to do with Losola, really. When I was paired with her, her soul and Tiffany's combined and greated my soul. Yet, I could feel and hear both of them. I remember things from both lives. For some reason, when I'm in Corisa's body, I can Corisa yelling at me. At first I thought it was Losola, but this voice speaks only in the language of the wolves, which is really distracting. But, she always makes me feel like taking that form takes away my honor or something," Saipia explained.
"You shouldn't be hearing Corisa's thoughts, Sai," Kammy said flatly."
"It's not the thoughts of her mind, it's her soul. Don't you know I can sense wolves. I can feel their souls. And despite what you think, when I we inhabit their bodies, they're not entirely asleep," said the blue wolf.
"You feel like you're dishonoring a good friend. Like she's your sister," Avron remarked.
"Yeah. She I guess you could say that," said Saipia as she smiled and gave the feral wolf a loving rub between her ears.
Next Time:
What would happen if a bank robber was psychic?
How would you stop her
If she knew what you were going to do before you did it?
You hire your own psychic, of course.
Episode 31: "Fortune Telling"
