Author's Note
Ahh yes, Alex, the main character we know least about, hell, we know more about Ivan. This chapter and possibly the next will be his time to shine, or not. In this chapter expect to see into Alex's more personal life, what he has besides his police badge.
Alex's POV
I swung open the doors to the ZPD, letting out something you could call a howl, but of course not too loud. I never meditated, but It'd be my guess that it's similar to what I just experienced.
"Alex, got a job for you." Clawhauser spoke up as I was walking past his desk. I backpedaled and stopped in front of him with a smile.
"What would that be?" I tapped my chin, sarcastically confused.
"Well, you see, the fox that Ivan attacked wishes to speak with you." Clawhauser said. He clearly didn't know much details, asking where the fox was might even be a stretch.
"Point me in the right direction." I instructed. Why would he want to speak with me? Probably because I saved his life, sounds like a short conversation, but I had nothing to do anyways.
"He's being held for questioning, and he won't speak to anyone." Clawhauser informed me, meaning he was probably where Ivan was held previously. I strolled down to the back of the ZPD and sure enough, through the one-way glass sat a light orange furred fox, alone, who looked exhausted and dead inside. An officer opened the door for me, and I took my seat across from him. I turned around and glared at the officer, and he shut the door.
"You came." The fox coughed. I don't see why that would be surprising.
"I get that a lot." I'll kill myself later for that. "Why'd you want to speak with me, specifically?" I leaned back in my chair. "Also how come you aren't in the hospital?" The fox sighed and tapped his claws on the table.
"They gave me little treatment, and deemed my injuries to be minor." He groaned, clearly upset about that. "You injected yourself with that a syringe, did you not?" He crossed his arms. I snorted and looked away.
"Did you call me in here to threaten me?" He was after all the fox who tortured me at the warehouse, so I wasn't showing any sign of weakness.
"No, I wanted to speak with you over any officer as you know more about the super soldier project than anyone in this place." He sounded only minorly offended. "First off, call me Elliot, second, I'm going to give you some good news and some bad news." He said, closing his eyes gently. "Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely by no means against Dr. Harris, but your body is worth more than I'd ever make in my life." The fox chuckled.
"So the news?" I didn't want to wait any longer to hear what he had to say, especially since he mentioned my body. No shame.
"Actually, I changed my mind. I want to make a deal." Elliot entwined his fingers and rested his elbows on the table, moving his head to the side so he could still see me.
"Changed your mind?" Was he talking about my body being worth more than his life's worth? Stop joking in your head Alex.
"I'll give you the information you need to catch Dr. Harris, in return, you are obliged to set me free, and to make sure NONE of these officers find out about my connection to that panda." He gritted his teeth. He said a second ago he wasn't against Dr. Harris, now he was throwing him under the bus, but who am I to complain.
"Okay." I agreed. It was probably the easiest choice I've ever made in my entire life, and probably the most important, sadly.
"One more thing." He smiled deviously. "Ivan doesn't breath a word about it either." Well there goes that easy decision, how could I make Ivan not say a single word about this guy? I mean, sure Ivan never said anything about it before, but now that he is locked up for it, all bets could be off.
"How would I ensure that?" I seeked answers, "Were talking about someone who just tried to murder you, and is behind bars for it!" I said a bit too loud, but this room was sound proof, so that's reassuring.
"Still a yes? Is it not?" He muttered behind his entwined fingers.
"Well, yes, but how do I know you're being genuine? About giving me Dr. Harris, of course." Elliot didn't seemed phased by this question, as he was probably expecting it.
"When you leave this room, you will make sure that camera in the corner behind me has no footage of this conversation, and you will go to a private computer. The news I spoke of earlier will be found there." Elliot whispered, gently kicking my leg under the table. I moved my paw under the table secretly, until my paw touched his. A small rectangle fell into my grasp. I pulled it back to my side, it was USB. I slid it into my pocket and stood up, just as I was about to leave Elliot make a small groan. I looked halfway back around and shook his paw before knocking on the interrogation room door. The same officer opened it and I nodded my thanks to him.
"Was the camera on?" I asked, I've asked before and it wasn't much a problem, so hopefully today's the same.
"You always tell us to leave it off when you're in there, so no." He hunched over with a smile. I strolled off towards the lobby.
"Closing out for the night?" Clawhauser asked as I passed his desk.
"Yeah, besides, it's way past my time." I could have left hours ago, but as far as things to do go, I got nothing. I pushed through the double doors and walked into the parking lot, my car sitting all alone, only a light pole to accompany it. My car exited the ZPD slowly, I was in no hurry, my eagerness to check the USB wasn't strong enough for me to press harder on the pedal. I didn't want to risk opening it on a ZPD computer, so I was taking it to the only personal computer I knew, the one sitting in my bedroom across Zootopia on an old desk covered in dust. I probably haven't even been in the room itself for a few weeks. The house was far away, and as you can tell, I've been really busy, so sleeping in my car became the norm. Maybe I'm exaggerating the distance a bit, it was only a thirty minute drive. I had other reasons, but I didn't want to think about it.
I started feeling giddy like I did earlier, when I was spying on mammals in the street. I felt confident, maybe a little too confident. I closed my eyes lightly and kept my paw pressed against the gas. I turned right and continued down what I'm pretty sure was the right street. I slowed to a halt and opened my eyes, dead on. I was stopped right behind another car at a red light. I fist bumped myself and pulled out my phone. The automated tracking device I stuck on Miles's car was tied to my phone, so I could see it at anytime. So far I had his home address, or at least I think, the grocery store, possibly a friend's house, and a storage garage on the edge of town. I wonder why he would go to a storage garage on the edge of town? Could it possibly be where Dr. Harris is? Such a puzzling question! I know sarcasm is detected through tone of voice, but I try my best.
I stopped at the gas station to get some gas, I haven't been driving much, but also haven't stopped for gas in a while. Gas was as expensive as ever, which wasn't necessarily new. Anyways, I'll cut to the point, the rest of the drive was boring. I parked on the street and walked up the driveway to the door. I dug out my keys and opened the door, the only light was the moon from behind me. I slipped off my shoes and silently moved up the carpet covered stairs. I closed the door behind me as I entered my bedroom. There was still some dirty clothes lying around, and my bed wasn't made. The computer screen flickered to light, revealing the dusty keyboard. I sat down in the old office chair and reached down to the actual computer itself. I plugged in the ordinary, 8GB flash drive and waited.
A folder opened on the desktop, containing other folders and documents. I searched around for a bit without opening anything quite yet. There were files on the Super Soldier Project, as you could have guessed, there were a few document title's that could possibly help the ZPD, but not many. One folder in particular caught my interests the most, a folder containing details on the actual Super Soldier Serums. The actual documents were named simply numbers, so deciphering what they meant wouldn't work. I click on one at random, a wall of text taking over the computer screen.
My eyes instantly told me who was the victim of this beloved serum. The concept paragraph was a soldier designed with accelerated healing, loosened pain nerves, and improved vision. There were entire logs, detailing the creation of the actual serum, from a single sentence to a five paragraph essay. Why would Elliot give me this? It doesn't help in catching Dr. Harris. I scrolled to the bottom of the document, the last log was a handful. The details of the serums current state made me feel nauseous, not just because it was disturbing, but because a friend of mine lives like this because of me. The heart problems Nick was having were as I said a while back in the car with Judy and him, but it wasn't going to get any better, even if he stayed out of trouble. His body was over using resources, even when he isn't doing anything. Fur growth is amplified, imitating fur lose, as fur falls out quicker. Not eating for extended periods of time can make him pass out, have a heart failure of some sort, or even die. I'm not talking about days, I'm talking about a day, maybe less. Passing out is expected, mostly when drinking alcoholic beverages. Short term memory lose can occur on occasion, or on really rare occasion destroy memories, did I mention that the heart attacks won't get any better, only worse?
I stopped reading and closed the document, hopefully Nick got the good side of things, as before I closed the document I was skimming over the possibility of death, permanent muscle damage, and blindness. The serum was far from finished, but I didn't expect that. The wooden door behind me creaked open, making me sigh.
"Didn't think you'd be home." A wolf sat down on my bed as I slowly spun my chair around.
"Where is your car?" I asked quietly, my nighttime instincts giving in.
"Inside the garage." He squinted his eyes. So he really did clean the garage. Okay I'm sorry, I didn't want to mention that this wasn't my house, it was my brother Kyler's. Sure I help pay the bills here and there, but it's technically his house. "Didn't want to see me, did you?" He accused with a monotone voice. I stayed silent and stared at him, the computer screen light reflecting off his face. "We need to talk about mother." He looked down at the bed sheets next to him. I pressed my teeth together, already feeling upset at the mention.
"There is nothing you can say to make me change my mind." I gritted my teeth. Our mother has terminal cancer, and has been in the hospital for around a year now. She isn't expected to live for another six months, and Kyler wanted to put her down, to end her suffering. I felt the fur on back stand up, which made me pull my head back in an attempt to hide it. It wasn't common for my fur to do that, and I felt a bit a shame.
"Do you know the fox all over the news, the officer?" He changed the subject in a split second, making me even more angry.
"Yes, and why the hell did you bring up mother if "
"He can cure cancer." Kyler cut me off, looking me in the eyes. I started shaking my head, running my paw through the fur on my head.
"I am not asking him." I growled, making Kyler lean back slightly.
"Don't you love her?" Kyler leaned in this time, baring his teeth like I did a moment ago.
"Oh I'm sorry, who uses their damn paycheck to give her the support she needs?" I yelled back, our snouts only a foot away from one another, his breath hitting mine.
"I pay for the roof above your head!" I could see the saliva on his teeth, not to mention every aspect of his facial expression, even the slightest twitch of his eyebrows, my enhanced vision wasn't always a good thing.
"I stayed with her for days after she was diagnosed!" I shot back, no shame for the fur on my back anymore.
"I visit her everyday!" He yelled so loud I'm sure the neighbors have already filed a complaint. "Where were you when she was crying into my shoulder yesterday?!" He breathed heavily through his clenched teeth.
"Maybe I was thinking about how I was tortured into attacking my best friend..." I panted, losing the will to scream. "Maybe I was stopping a murder yesterday," I paused for a moment to catch my breath, "or was it the part where I thought about how I injected myself with millions of dollars worth of research into my body?" I arched my back and put my elbows on my knees, using my paws to hold my head up. A paw slid over my back, and I lifted off my knees as my brother wrapped his other paw around me as well. I returned the hug, we argued a lot, but in the end, brothers were brothers. After a few moments of dead silence, with the exception of the heavy breathing coming from both of us, I spoke up. "I'll ask him." I sniffled as he let go and returned to his spot on the bed.
Kyler stood up and left the room soon after, leaving the door just cracked. I spun the chair back around to face the computer, I wanted to read about myself a bit, I opened a document at random, but closed it since it was supposedly Ivan's. After a small bit of searching I found the serum that described myself: greatly enhanced senses and reflexes. As cool as it was, surely there had to be some side effects. I scrolled to the bottom of the document and began reading the final log. Seemingly the only side effect was that things such as being paranoid or too emotional can cause my senses to act up, my brain over processing every little thing I send to it. All of this is mostly speculation and theory, so it may not even apply to me.
My breathing was no longer shaky like it was, it was still surprising how emotional I was getting. Guess that's from holding it in for too long, just like having to pee during a movie but not wanting to miss anything, so you hold it all in. Anyways, my mother was barely forty three, her birthday was a few months ago, which she didn't even smile the whole time we were with her, she did cry, a mixture of happiness, that we gathered a portion of our family to visit, and sadness that a few of them may never see her alive again. I don't know why I'm bringing this up again, it just makes me feel better to think it out, contrary to what I said earlier.
My mom wasn't the greatest parent in the world, but she did her best with the cards she was dealt. She had me when she was only nineteen, alongside Kyler: non-identical twins, he was shorter and had darker fur. On the contrary, my father was the kind that would ask his kids to play baseball, teach them how to drive, how to tie their shoes, how to slow dance, and how to knock the shit out of anyone who bothered them. Our dad did all of these, the last one paid off at the warehouse I guess. I never did anything official, unless you count the police academy, but it was mostly self taught, including my father of course.
I turned my focus back to the computer, renaming the folders which precious documents resided: safety first. The USB ejected and found it's way into my pocket. I was about to leave the room, but realized not only was I still in uniform, but my standards for looking, and smelling good clearly went out the window. I haven't washed this thing is days, last time being at the local laundry mat, which was somewhere in the neighborhood of a week ago. I kept two sets of casual clothes in my car, but they probably needed a good wash as well. I stripped down and opened my dresser. The amount of clothes I had made it seem like I was stockpiling for the apocalypse, if clothes were edible, of course. Every drawer was jam packed full, plus the closet was back to back with shirts. If that wasn't enough, I had a stack of T-shirts and pants hung over the end of my bed, washed and ready to go. I put on a pair of blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt and a button up, blue plaid shirt, which was left unbuttoned.
I carried my uniform outside into the darkness of the hallway, looking over the balcony to the first floor. I walked towards the top of the stairs, where two doors were closed. The master bedroom was Kyler's, he did pay for the place after all, and I wasn't here near as often as him. I knocked gently and waited patiently, looking down at the carpet. After about seven and a half seconds the door opened, Kyler holding it open just enough for me to see his entire figure.
"Hey." He croaked. Hopefully he will wash my uniform for me, or at least let me wash it.
"I was just wondering, can you possibly wash this for me?" I said, ending with a higher pitch, giving the impression that I didn't want to ask out of fear of being rude.
"Sure." He said, taking the uniform off my arm into his own. I wiped my forehead in my imagination, at least he wasn't going to hold a grudge.
"By the way, did you know that there are 1,439 carpet bristles in this area." I changed the subject, marking off a portion of the carpet with my paws in the air. Why the hell did I say that?
"Wow, that's really something." Kyler said, clearly unamused. I don't think he even knew about my abilities, perhaps I should tell him. Would that be a good idea? If I told him, he'd think I'm crazy, and I'd have to prove it to him somehow, not to mention he'd think I'm a freak, but if I didn't, he could find out on his own and confront me for keeping it from him. He does know about Nick though, so that would make it more believable.
"There is also 2,338,943 strands of hair on the front of your head." I paused with a smile, "I didn't include the rest of the head because I can't see it." The smirk on my face probably made him think I was messing with him.
"Quit playing games, do you want me to wash this or not?" He groaned, rolling his eyes. I was far from done, the finale was approaching. Kidding, anyone can make up random numbers though, I needed something not easily staged.
"Kyler, you left your credit card on the nightstand over there, I pointed behind him across the room." He sighed, probably ready to counter again, but I wasn't finished. "The card number is 5831935803837382." I bent over slightly and half closed my eyes.
"Like you've never seen my credit card." He walked over to the nightstand, leaving me at the door.
"The expiration date is July, 2018." I ended with a high pitch voice again. "I can smell pizza, did you eat pizza today?" I scratched my chin jokingly.
"Yeah, for diner." He said, his back still facing me as he placed his credit card into his wallet.
"I can also smell another wolf, Lindsay, isn't it?" I walked into the bedroom, my eyes closed as I deeply inhale through my nostrils.
"Lindsay? You've only met her once." He turned to face me. I think I was starting to get to him.
"How'd the date go?" I asked politely, making him roll his eyes once again.
"Why are you acting like this? He motioned towards my body with a paw. Damn it, I was losing him, I needed more, which wasn't a problem. A pain in the back of my head told me to stop, but my will to prove my brother wrong was too strong, this was no game for him, only for me.
"Mother was crying into your left shoulder, the nurse shook your left paw, even though the right paw is usually used. You got a small piece of popcorn stuck in your bottom back molar, at the movie theater you drank pepsi, ate popcorn of course, and accidentally spilled the pepsi on your pants." I squinted my eyes and smiled, revealing my teeth. "Not the pants you're wearing, the ones in the hamper over there, the smell is quite easy to pick up on." Kyler's eyes were full of confusion and shock, this was comedy gold for me.
"But, but, but " He stuttered, raising one finger at a pitiful attempt to question my abilities. I wasn't doing to this to show off, as it may seem. I was doing this just to mess with him, but everything I've said so far was true to myself.
"Guess scents stick around for longer than you thought, you should have scrubbed extra hard in the shower this morning." I chuckled, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, which he shook off without using his arms.
"Explain!" He turned up the volume, backing up from me. Ahh yes, the part where my brother realizes he is wrong and resorts to yelling.
"The fox on the news, Nick, he isn't the only one who has super powers, remember when we were yelling at each other? I told you I injected myself with millions worth of research." I was smiling like I just won the lottery for some reason, I should be upset about being an crazy outcast, but I felt exhilerated.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He quieted down, now standing as far back away from me as he could, his paw almost hitting the nightstand. I sighed, my overwhelming excitement dropping dead in an instant.
"I'm sorry. I thought you'd be as amazed as I was, it's a bad habit I aquirred just earlier tonight." I sighed, looking away from him.
"Can you cure cancer?" He asked slowly, making me roll my eyes.
"No." I groaned, making him chuckle nervously.
"Sorry." He paused, "Well it's amazing and all, just scary." He slowly returned to his previous position, which was standing closer to me. "So you can smell better and shit?" I could take that literally and ask why'd that'd even be a super power, but that'd be childish.
"Extremely enhanced senses and reflexes." I raised a finger and closed my eyes, as if I was a fancy professor. The air around my leg shifted, and I swung a paw downwards. I slowly opened my eyes to an extent and looked down. Kyler's foot in my paw.
"Just testing." He said in defense as I let him go. I grabbed his fist a mere inch away from my face, making him flinch in surprise, holding it effortlessly, as he had stopped pushing. "Double checking?" He chuckled nervously. I let go and joined him with a light laugh of my own.
"Maybe dad just raised a good fighter." I grinned, putting my arm over his shoulder once again, this time he took no action, leaving my arm at peace.
"Shutup." He said with a smile, before departing from my arm and sitting down on his bed. "Okay, go do what it is you do, I got a super hero costume to prepare." He shooed me away with no effect.
"Super hero costume?" I said slowly, smiling awkwardly.
"No, dumbass, your uniform." He held my police uniform into the air, inspecting it. Damn, had me excited there for a second. Not really, I'd probably look like an idiot if I wore a costume, not a chance.
"Just don't make it green." I sighed a sigh of joy as I left the bedroom, leaving the door open.
Author's Note
Stupid Facts
1. Alex and Kyler were never meant to fight, Kyler was planned to just accept Alex's decline to ask Nick about saving their mother.
2. In the very early planning for this chapter, I considered having his mother or father be in the house instead of a brother.
3. Elliot originally just gave Alex the USB with little conversation, but it made no sense for him to do so, so he in return I had him request immunity.
4. I wanted to use the F-word during Kyler and Alex's fight, but this story is rated T, and I'm too much of a pussy to risk anything.
5. Deadpool references, damn it.
6. I was going to make Alex listen to a song in the car, but I didn't want to just say 'I turned on the radio and listened to a song' and I couldn't think of one to use.
7. This is the longest chapter since chapter twelve, and the longest ever including the author's notes.
8. I wanted to use a unique name for Alex's brother, I didn't want to just use something generic that I've heard a dozen times before, so I used Kyler, the name of an old friend I knew in elementary school.
9. Even I thought it was a bit ridiculous that Alex was able to deduce all that stuff to Kyler, but the Super Soldier Project doesn't fail to disappoint in the science side of things.
Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter at much as I did, it was probably one of my favorite to write so far.
Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, and if you'd like the next chapter to follow Alex as well!
I check every day to see your reviews, and I enjoy reading them just as you enjoy reading this story, so please feel free to leave one for me!