FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Johnny put the sidearm to the side; he needed some form of a plan. What to do and…find what this Laboratory Zero Six, as much he thought it was a stupid idea he turned on his computer and punched the coordinates that were on the pill bottle into the search engine. It showed some odd places, some typos that the engine couldn’t make head or tails of it. He changed the search engine to the one that would show places on the map, bistros, landmarks and spots of interest for tourists, those kinds of things, and…it showed him a random place overgrown by the local the forest. Just a dot on the map and nothing else, that wasn’t a good sign.

It was clear to Johnny that he will have to go there to find that “lab” in order to find out just what the hell he is part of; he then pinched bridge of his nose trying to think of some cohesive form of a plan, again. “I need to leave some messages for them.”: he thought, mainly he felt that he might not be able to come back from this, first was the easy one. He had to call his boss, Bogwood. He dialled up his number and waited; sure, it was past midnight but he knew Fred. Bogwood, or his full name being Sire Frederick Bogwood, was what they call a “nighthawk” as someone who likes to stay up late at night for whatever reason. Probably insomnia of some kind.

Bogwood answered his phone, he was enjoying a cigar and whiskey while gazing at the star-lit night sky, the frog said: “Hey lad, I am surprised you are not asleep yet. Something bothering ya? What´s wrong?” Johnny sat down for this, this is gonna get personal. “Hi Mister Bogwood, listen. Do you remember that one night when we both stayed up late at the office during Yuletide when we were both alone and just having some drinks and also ordered some food and all that? I can’t really recall which year it was but do you remember?”

Rabbit heard a faint chuckle from the other end of the call: “Well kind of, didn’t you say how you plan on “moving on”, leaving this city and try to find yourself so to speak, right?” Bunny replied: “Yeah, something like that. I talked that night how I am an orphan to you and said that I am thankful for you being kind to me and so on. And mainly about how I never knew my parents or my past.” Bogwood said: “Yeah, you told me how your life was at the orphanage and that your memory of your past was hazy at best.” Rabbit then continued: “That´s right, and then I said how if I would ever find an opportunity to find out more about myself, my parents or my past that I would leap at that opportunity. So, can I ask you for favour Ed?”

There was an audible puff of smoke from the other end of the phone, Bogwood sounded serious: “Go ahead, son.” Rabbit took a deep breath: “I am gonna have to quit, I have found something about me and well I got to follow it. I might be gone for…I don’t how long and I would appreciate if you-“ “Listen,” Frederick interrupted him: “you worked for me a good while and I got to know you pretty well. So, I tell you this. I will keep the spot open for you in case you come back. I hope you find what you seek and you will be happy with it…Johnny are you there? Hello?”

John shook his head awake:” Yeah, sorry. I just didn’t expect such a response from…then again, I should.” “Well lad,” said Bogwood: “you go and find that past of yours. Hope to see you again.” Johnny said: “Likewise, sir. And thank you.” Rabbit then hanged up.

Now the bunny had to the second part, writing a letter to Trevor, his neighbour. To summarize in the said letter, he let Trevor know that rabbit´s apartment is now his, that all he has to do is to ask the landlord and he will get the ownership. This was discussed way before with that hyena and Leon, that walrus in that dark blue tracksuit. That walrus was an athlete, competitive swimmer, won several medals and it was discussed with him before since Johnny told him he planned to move on from this city and live somewhere…else…or anywhere really. Mainly due to the fact that Johnny didn’t feel at “home” in the city much. Sure, he knew it like back of his paw but…still.

Now he had to pack up and get ready for the journey, he went into his wardrobe to get few things. Baggy camo pattern pants and a raggedy coat for camouflage just in case and a small backpack. He took the pistol with him and the holster that came with it, and put it underneath the coat. He quickly looked around the apartment and took several other things with him, nicknacks and memorophilias since he knew he isn’t gonna come back. Not really something to mention now.

Before he left his apartment, he looked back at it all, feeling a bit sad that he will never see it again but then a good feeling washed over him, knowing that Trevor will take good care of it all together with his partner. He locked the door, put the key in the envelope together with the message for Trevor and on his way down slid the envelope under the Trevor’s door. He got on his folding bike and rode out into the night, into the forest in search of that place. Lab-06.

The Lenbrough was mostly quiet, eerily almost at this time of day. Most folks were in their homes and the streets were only filled with an occasional pedestrian or two, mainly folk who were returning home after a shift or some who were doing some late errands, but mostly the streets were empty. There was also a faint window there and there with a light shining from the inside but the most of the lights were coming from the street lights with a faint weak buzz of electricity and that light became more dimer and farther as the rabbit started to leave the city behind him. He started to go up what they called the “field road” tracks left by agricultural machines used to tend to the plots of land used for growing wheats and other plant-based goods. They were mainly laid with old broken-apart orange brick from demolished houses and barns.

Now he was at the edge of the fields and entered the forest where the lab was supposed to be, he had to make some off-road turns. The only sound he could hear was a creak of trees in the faint wind and buzzing of insects. Rabbit checked the sketch, he made in his apartment, if he was getting close and then as his went forward a bit he hit a bump with his bike, he noticed that there were tracks, like of some heavy vehicle and they were fresh. “Someone is here before me.”: Johnny thought. Johnny followed the tracks and stumbled upon a rusted fallen chain link fence, overgrown and rotting wooden guard post, and its gate arm was ripped off recently. “Must have been them.” Murmured Johnny.

Rabbit pushed on cautiously forward, hiding his bike in the nearby ditch and taking a note where he hid it. Might need it later. He started to encounter some rotted concrete constructions, like blocks to funnel traffic, guard posts and some more chain-link fences. Then he noticed shining flood lights ahead and swinging of flashlights, he hid behind a nearby tree and spied.

He saw a half-track APCs being unloaded with general military equipment, tents and such, then several Reservists. Military personal consisting of mainly volunteers, seemed that they were just locking down and guarding an area, they had just some small arms and that was it as weapons. Their outfit consisted of heavy-duty boots, camo pants, either a plain sleeves shirt with a vest on top or a light coat with a camo pattern and a patrol cap. Basic as a loadout can get for an average soldier. Johnny kept on surveying the area, they already have set up some kind of quick-to-build motor pool for their vehicles and turning their APCs into posts, like command post and what not. Rabbit was mainly looking for the entrance to Lab-06.

But then as he was trying to look for the entrance to the lab, he started to feel a weird…headache. Almost itchy. He quickly recognized it, Johnny felt like this something before. Rabbit quickly drew his sidearm and pointed it at the…figure of small stature behind him and asked: “What are you doing?”

What or rather who was behind him, was a child. It was a simian wearing a dark blue bodysuit, with a teal sweater and with a coat over it and on its head, he was wearing a pair of red pilot goggles. The monkey raised its hands and whispered: “Don’t shoot, I am not the enemy.” He sounded young, like in his teenage years. “A kid?” Johnny thought to himself. “Not a kid, I am like sixteen.” Johnny heard that echo in his head, sounded like that monkey. “Hey, stop that.” Rabbit said. That kid was a telepath.

“Look,” said the simian: “I understand that you have a right to be cautious. But as I said I am not the enemy.” Rabbit decided to holster his sidearm for now and asked: “Who are you, some kind of…infiltrator?” Simian put his hands down and said: “Not exactly, I see you have encountered my kin. You can safely assume who I am.” Johnny cocked his head to the side and then back and said: “A Psychic?”

Simian nodded: “Yes and judging by your reaction you had a run in with others like me.” John nodded, he indeed encountered a small kindergarten of psychically gifted kids one time while he was doing courier work.

As he was waiting for a green light to cross the road and then a kindergarten looking kids like ten of them and their what seemed to be a teacher stopped waited for the green too. But then those kids just stared at him intensely and then he felt like…odd painless headache. It felt like his brain was being probed with needles, after that their “teacher” just looked at the kids with a firm frown and they stopped. She then apologized for the disturbance to him and rabbit just rode on. He felt that it would be just an encounter to share over a coffee with Bogwood but now he is encountering one of them again.

“Okay” rabbit asked: “what is a psychic doing here?” “Well,” the simian started: “I am not really supposed to tell you, but what I can say is that we share the same goal.” Johnny was perplexed by that: “What do you mean?”

The monkey started to explain: “Well, look I wanna get into that bunker and well…so do you. So, I am giving you a deal, help me help you. What do you say?” Bunny wasn’t very sure about this “deal”, sure an extra pair of hands would be nice but…he wasn’t sure what his goal was. A psychic on his way to explore an abandoned scientific base. Had a whole lot of wrong written all over it. Johnny decided to risk it, the child didn’t seem malicious.

“Okay, how can I trust you?” he asked. Simian replied with: “Hey, you can trust me. I am not into the whole “backstabbing business”, okay?”

“Fine. We shake on it.”: said Johnny and extended his paw and waited for the monkey to shake it, and the simian did so.

“Okay, before we go on, I could know your name. Can you tell me your name?” asked John. Chimp nodded and said: “Friends call me Dart; it’s a codename I was given. It´s good meet you Mister Temple.” “Good,” said Johnny, then as he turned around, he looked back the kid: “and stop with the mindreading thing for now.” Dart nodded in response

Both of them sneaked a bit closer, still out of the sight of the military personnel on the scene. Johnny and Dart saw the entrance to the bunker, but going into the open is terrible idea so bunny turned to the simian and asked: “Any ideas?” Dart´s eyes zipped around and then focused on one of the Reservists and pointed at him, it was a rabbit with almost the same fur colour like Johnny´s and he was moving away from the rest to the edge of the base. Dart commented: “I read his mind, he is about to take a leak, that would be out chance to knock him out and you take his uniform.”

Johnny shrugged: “I don’t think I can knock him, what about you?” Dart responded: “Let me take him out then, I will just overload his brain and that will knock him out and then you take those clothes of him.” Johnny agreed to that plan.

The reservist went to the side, away from the bunker and the rest of his group, once he was finished doing his business, he clutched his head and fell over into a nearby ditch. Johnny then took his clothes, and hid the reservist and his own clothes in the same ditch and then talked to Dart: “Okay, the uniform is a bit not my size but I should split in. I can’t believe we are doing this. So, what now?”

“Simple,” started Dart: “I will simply dull everyone’s senses in the base with my mind, I will be basically invisible for them and you simply just approach the entrance to the bunker. I am sure that all of these Reservists won’t pay attention.” Then Johnny asked: “But what about the door? We don’t have a key.” Dart reassured him: “I have something for that, don’t worry.” Johnny nodded and made his way to the entrance.

That monkey was right; everyone was either busy setting up the small base of operations or engaging in some small talk. Setting up the small motorpool and tents and what not. Johnny took a look at the metal sliding doors of the bunker that led into the lab, there was a keypad and a keycard reader. As bunny was examining, he heard mechanical whirling and heavy stomps behind him and ran away from the doors into the open to avoid detection to avoid attracting suspicion, however unfortunately. “Hey, private!” Mechanical voice spoke to him; Johnny turned towards it and saw a tall metal figure.

It was a bull, clad in Power Armour. Seemed also like an older model, judging by the marks of wear. “Listen, son.” He sounded gruff and mature. “What are you doing, kid?”: the armoured bull asked. “Um, guarding the perimeter?” The bull eyed the rabbit with suspicion, then fixed his gaze on the bunker and then back at the rabbit. “Do you know what’s in there, son?”: Bull asked. Johnny shook his head: “No, sir. No idea at all.”

“So, you don’t know at all too.” Bull stomped and shouted with rage: “These paper shuffling jackasses how the hell do they expect me to be in this operation.” There was frustration in his voice. “Hey listen, you wouldn’t be at some kind of briefing, right?”

Johnny shook his head. “This is ridiculous”: the bull started ranting: “, after all my years in Military this is one bizarre operation. They wake me up in middle of the night-“ He then went on and on. Johnny was stuck; he didn’t know what to do. Rabbit and the simian were close to being caught and now they have large bull in power armour ranting and will probably attract attention.

Johnny looked towards Dart, who was finicking with the keypad, and started to think and hoping that Dart was reading his mind. “What do I do?” he thought, and thankfully Dart was indeed reading his mind. “Try taking his mind off it.” Dart thought. Johnny didn’t understand what he meant by that, so Dart added: “These power armour users tend to decorate their armours, maybe chat about it.”

Johnny nodded and glanced at his Power Armour. It had signs of use, scratches and signs of projectile impacts also bunch of signage that some troops like to doodle on. Such as tally marks, nicknames or callsigns and even some faded pin-up art.

One of such scribbles read: “Oscar Mike.” Across his chest plate. Johnny pointed at it and asked: “Oscar Mike?” “Huh?” asked the bull and then quickly looked down at his breastplate: “Oh yeah, it’s a nickname I received during the WW.” Bull´s entire personality shifted from agitation to being calmer, Johnny assumed that he liked to talk about himself or just share about himself. Or just wanted to get some good distraction from being, as they would say: “stuck in a chicken shit outfit”.

“A WW?”: asked the rabbit.

“Yeah,” answered bull: “The Wizard War, I used to be lifted by the Heavy Duty Helicopters all the time across the frontlines constantly. From the Southern to Western and then to Eastern and so on, can be a bit nauseous and well since they saw me constantly, they started calling me Oscar and after that Mike, I figured that would an alright call sign and it sticked. So, I earned the nickname like that.” Then The Bull nicknamed “Oscar Mike” asked Johnny: “So who are you, son?”

“Uhhhhh.” Stammered Johnny, he didn’t have time to check the tags that rabbit reservist wore. “Psst, hey.” It was Dart again: “His name is Kaiden, Reservist Foster.” Rabbit then thought: “Thanks.” “Son? I asked you something.” Said the bull. “Sorry, sir!” Said Johnny: “My name is Reservist Kaiden Foster, sir!”

“Leave that whole “Sir this and that.” at the door, son.” Said the bull. “Now why don’t you tell me what were you actually doing yourself?”

Johnny took a glance at that metal door to the lab and then back at the bull and said: “I was inspecting it, seems to have a combined lock consisting of a keypad and a keycard reader.” Mike shrugged: “Okay,” he then also took a glance and then back at the rabbit: “That’s a one heavy duty door, I don’t think even my Mark II Armour here could do any damage to that. Might need a techie for this.”

Then rabbit heard a digital like noise came from the Bull´s Power Armour´s helmet, Bull looked to the side towards the established command vehicle, APC with a hastily erected satellite dish, and then back at rabbit: „I gotta go, just got message from the command that I will have to meet someone soon. Probably that jerk who woke me up late and showed me here into this chicken shit outfit. Stay vigilant sonny, capiche?” Johnny nodded and gave a light salute; the Oscar gave up a half-way on doing his own salute and walked off.

John took a quick glance at the bunker door and saw Dart examining the pad, he made his way over to him and asked: “Seems to be pretty secured, any ideas?” Dart looked at the bun and answered: “Yeah, something like my ace up my sleeve. Watch.” Dart then wiggled his fingers at the keypad and it unscrewed itself from the wall, revealing to being attached to a messy bundle of wired. Dart then gently let it hang.

Dart then said: “And now for some mechanical surgery.” And shoved his monkey paw inside the panel past the wires, he then exclaimed: “Aha, there’s the port.” He then produced a small data pad from his coat and connect it to the said port in the wall; he then tapped on it and input bunch of executive commands and the door slid open with a faint ding sound. “And we are in.” said Dart, then he looked at Johnny asked: “Well, you coming?” Johnny nodded and followed Dart into the bunker, Dart then waved his monkey paw around and the panel just screwed itself back into the wall and the door shut behind them, enveloping them in darkness.

Both of them had some source of light, Johnny found a pocked chest flashlight on him and Dart had a small flat one on his coat. “So uh, what are you looking for, Dart?” asked Johnny. “You know I could tell, but instead you go first.” answered Dart.

“Okay,” started John “I am looking for answers.” Then Dart nodded: “Fair, I am looking for some info or data on what they were doing here. Let us go then.”

They both started searching, aiming their flashlights revealed dust covered and cobwebs riddled concrete hallways. There was decayed surveillance cameras covered in moss mounted on the walls with their wires hanging out, rusted or rotten doors and pure white abandoned furniture. It all looked together like some kind of abandoned hospital waiting room, a waiting room which was too big. Johnny started to feel an odd kind of unease, like all his senses were firing off at nothing.

Dart noticed this and asked him: “Are you okay? Something wrong?” John took a deep breath and tried to push it all back, the feeling the weird burn of the nervousness: “No, I am good. It should pass. Hopefully.” Both of them pushed on, there were stairs leading down. Both of them went down the stairs, they led to another floor below. It was way larger than the last one. Way larger, and what they both saw was some kind of large medical complex.

“Fascinating,” said Dart as he was scanning the place with his flashlight: “All this equipment must be at least several decades old. Look there’s Colloco 86-X an ancient piece of computing tech, sir. Uh, sir?” When Dart looked over to face the rabbit, he seemed…gone. Like the bunny wasn’t present. He was just eerily slowly wandering around the place and just staring at things for uncomfortably long time. To Dart he looked just like a…husk, it concerned him and started to follow him around and observe him. But for John…he was going through hell.

Johnny felt like the walls around suddenly grew appendages and started dragging him around, he felt like his body fell asleep. All the buzzing of nerves in his body and every step felt like silent agony. He felt his own tears on his cheeks just drop from his face on the floor; he started to get weird visions. Those nightmares, they were taking place in this concrete coffin. He gently opened one door to a what looked like a holding cell and stared at the wall, he recalls holding a young hare in his arms…and then they took her away from him. “Sister…” he silently muttered.

He then wandered to another cell door and looked into it, the cell was way too big for himself and it was built to last out a siege from the outside for some reason, he recalled an Ursun in an orange jumpsuit. “Michael? Misha?”: Johnny muttered. He started to get a headache, his vision blurred and his entire body felt numb. He blinked and suddenly he was somewhere else, he was strapped to a chair.

He quickly looked around, in front above him of him was a small observation room. Wires decorated the entire room, cables thick as trees dragged along walls and floor and there were small stainless-steel tables on wheels with rusted surgical instruments covered in dried blood and weird small cages and rusty storage containers. It all felt old and tried. Everything felt around him…larger. Like if he shrunk down.

“Another failed experiment, doc?” a voice said, it was deep and irritated. Johnny determined that it came from that bulky silhouette standing in the observation room. “No, unlike the other two. The one who escaped and the other failed, which I need to remind you was your decision. In the end this is the last one.” This one was feminine, fitting of the petite and small stature next to that brute. Her large round ears suggested to be some kind of rodent. Johnny remembered some kind of rat lady, wearing white lab coat, might be her. As for the brute all that came up to him was orange fur and black stripes, rest was completely blank.

“Don’t talk back to me like that! I outrank you remember!?” the brute raised his voice at the rat. “Frankly, sir. Your anger issues are showing again.” She replied with a snark. “Doesn’t matter.” The brute dismissed: “I need to know, if it was a success or not. So, tell me.” He commanded. The rat sighed and said: “Yes it was, throughout the screening and examination he is perfect. Perfect in every physical health-related way.”

There were seconds of silence, then the brute spoke with vile glee: “Yes, I can already imagine it. The rows of them, for me.” But then his happiness was interrupted with a protest from the rat: “I must protest, that wasn’t part of the the deal. That is not what he wanted. This is not what HE would want!”

“He was dying.” Proclaimed the brute: “People close to death proclaim the oddest of things.”

Rat raised her voice: “You intervened, this project was meant to be something else before you showed up and-“ But the brute cut her off: “Need I remind you that if you insubordinate me, I have full authority to mark you as a traitor to the crown? This entire experiment is meant to be as non-existent! If this would get out into the public, there would be ton to pay!” Both of them remained silent for a second and then the brute said: “Just continue with your work and I will do mine.”

There was an audible click of a button, it came from the observation room, and John felt a sharp pain in his neck and immediate dizziness. He started to profusely sweat and his whole body started to itch and his vision blurred.

“Sir?” He heard a disembodied voice call to him.

“Please wake up, sir?” It became more clearer to him, but still too far.

Bunny silently mouthed: “Help…” Then he started to feel someone gripping him at the shoulders and shake him.

“Snap out of it!” He heard and awoke.

It was Dart, trying to snap him out of that weird…trance. Rabbit quickly glanced where he was. Johnny was sitting down in some kind of steel chair which covered in worn leather and the entire room seen better days, the observation deck has fallen off due to wear and disrepair and the floor, wall and ceiling panelling were either rotting or fallen of as well. Root and moss have settled in as was with the rest of the bunker.

The simian was just staring at the rabbit all bug eyed: “Are you okay? You just kind of walked on your own into this room and sat down then had like a…nightmare. Sir, with all due respect I think you need to tell me what are you actually doing here.”

Johnny pondered for a bit; he wasn’t sure if he would believe him. With the whole having nightmares and the said nightmares being connected to this place, but then again, he could just rip it from his own mind at this point. Then he just gave up and decided that it would better to share it with him, maybe he will get the kid´s trust that way.

Rabbit took a deep breath and looked at Dart: “Okay, I am gonna tell you why. It all started with these nightmares.” He continued, about how he had them for some time and then they became more vivid and real and then later on they started feel more closer and closer, he even shared the one with the TV Head person in a coat and also that the medicine that was intended to supress the said nightmares which then had coordinates to this place and so on. “And I feel that they are connected somehow to my past, and mainly connected to this place here. This bunker. I just can’t really put my finger on it but my entire body is screaming about this place. I just need to know, maybe I will finally feel a bit at peace.”

The simian listened to the whole thing with focus, he had few questions there and there and concluded: “Seems that what you shared mind have to do indeed something with this place indeed, I studied one time that people tend to be almost lost in like a trance with places that made a huge impact with them. Their old homes or even schools, or just places where they spent their childhoods that could be described as intense. If anything, else I believe we will find your answers here, so let’s explore some more and see what we can find. Okay?”

Johnny nodded and got up from the chair and followed Dart. In a bit they encountered what seemed to be a main room, a nerve centre of the whole Lab-06. Rows of interconnected consoles with monitors all around, plus monitors that seemed to serve as an overall display for many things that would happen around the lab. Serving to display statistics, messages and notifications. There was a big one on the wall, opposite of a bit far console that seemed to be the main one to control it all. The duo decided to rip out a small panel that was underneath it to check if it could be turned on along side the computer unit that would run it.

“Looks like it needs some juice.”: said Dart. “Well,” started Johnny: “I don’t think the breaker is gonna be working, fuses are probably too rotten to work.”

Dart just waved his hand in assurance towards the bun: “Nah, don’t worry. I brought this.” He produced out of his coat a small flat looking electrical box. “A power bank?” asked Johnny.

“Not quite,” answered Dart: “it functions as such, yes. But it’s more a small reactor that you could power entire buildings with it. Although how old this machinery is, we a little time before the circuitry start to burn. So, we have to be a bit fast.” Johnny nodded and understood.

Dart fiddled a bit with the console, after few presses of keys the large monitor turned on. Bathing the room in cold blue light, a command line showed up at the screen. Simian started to type away various commands that allowed him to access different data, looking for the ones he needed to retrieve. After few scrolls through a sea of texts of examination records and such he found it. Project Gemina. “Bingo.” Said Dart.

He then opened and started to look through it, it was partially corrupted but what was there is what Dart was looking for, but for Johnny it looked nothing but gibberish to him. Dart then plugged a small USB Drive that he got from his coat and it quickly downloaded into it, as he was reaching to unplug the Drive his wrist was grabbed by John. “Wait.” Said the rabbit, he was shaken and breathing rapidly.

“What wrong?” asked Dart. Johnny looked at the screen in fear and then back to the monkey. “I want you open that project file.”: Johnny said and pointed at the screen. The file itself was just bunch of numbers, random for the Dart but…meaningful for the rabbit. Johnny knew those numbers.

Dart´s looked into rabbit´s eyes and then at the screen, he then nodded and opened it. Johnny intensely stared as the lines of text started to appear. Mostly names he didn’t know, but there were few that popped up he…definitely recalled. Then, a line of text he feared that appeared. “Subject successfully cloned.”

Johnny stumbled backward, he started to feel ill. He braced himself against the console and…started to hear voices in his head. He started to remember: “Yes, he has his ears.” One of the voices said and then another: “The polynucleotide strand is just exact copy, all is going according-“ “copy-“ “clone-“ “doppleganger-“ The voices started to overlap one another, John felt like he is about to throw up and losing balance.

Tears started to swell in his eyes. “Sir?” asked Dart, but Johnny couldn’t hear him. Rabbit started to mumble and then started crying: “COPY! DOPPLEGANGER!” He then fell over on his side into a fetal position and started to twitch while still yelling those same words. He then suddenly stopped with his eyes wide open and motionless; he barely drew breath.

A cold shadow of simian shape covered him, it was Dart´s standing over him looking horrified.