Catastrophe Read online

  For a mad instant, he almost considered trying to change into his ocelot form, knowing the cat could run much faster than the man. He didn’t, though, fearful he would not be able to change back and sound the alarm once he reached his destination. Still, the notion tempted him. He also felt an urge to make a small detour past the cheetah enclosure and see if he could summon Zyl. Again, he didn’t.

  Out of breath from close to a half-mile dash, he thudded into the security office. Several guards on break looked up, startled by his hasty entrance.

  “I think we have a problem. Seven busloads of—well, they look to me like protestors—just unloaded at main. There must be close to a hundred fifty of them and they’re all carrying stuff…wrapped bundles that could be weapons or tools. I can’t imagine why whoever’s on the gate let them drive right in.”

  Two of the guards swore. A shift sergeant stuck his head out of a cubicle. “What the fuck did you say?”

  Carl repeated his warning, even elaborated on it as he described what he’d seen. Before he was done, a couple of alarms began to screech. That could mean at least two enclosures had been compromised or even breached. Guards bolted in every direction, drawing batons and tasers as they ran. Within seconds, it began to sound like a war zone.

  Not sure what to do to help, Carl dashed back to see if any of his charges were threatened. He turned on the walkie-talkie he carried to supplement his mobile phone and listened to the terse commands flying among the groups of guards.

  Recalling the puma with new cubs, he hit the cougar enclosure first. All seemed quiet there, so he continued on, from one exhibit to the next. Suddenly, he realized a cheetah ran beside him. Was it Zyl? A quick glance told him it was. Then he felt a peculiar tickle in his head and an instant later, a clear impression of silent communication began to come through.

  ::Yes, it’s me. The Weres will be standing guard…all who have been living here with their animal kin as I have. The local Were-kind cell is coming. We knew this was going to happen, just not when.::

  ::There were at least a hundred to a hundred fifty protestors or activists. I saw the busses come in. How in hell they were allowed to drive through the gate I don’t know.::

  ::There were plants in the new guards the zoo hired, some of the Warriors, I’ve been told. This was all planned. It’s been in the works for a couple of months. We had our spies, too. Several Were-kind have infiltrated the Warriors. More protestors are coming and a couple of the gates, like the one we used the other night, have been unlocked to let other groups in.::

  The chill in Carl’s gut got a lot colder. ::How many?::

  Zyl gave a twitch, almost like a human shrug. ::Not sure, probably somewhere near five hundred in all. They’ve recruited real students at the university and street people and gods know who all.::

  Carl shook his head. “Damn it to hell! Haven’t they got sense enough to realize what a catastrophe it’ll be if they release a bunch of these animals? There’ll likely be innocent people killed, the animals will suffer more, much more. They’re not equipped to fend for themselves, and the city is certainly not a good habitat for any of the species.”

  Zyl halted for a breath and shifted quickly to human form, nude though at the moment this didn’t matter much. It was early in the day and few normal visitors were in the zoo yet. The guards would have shut and locked the gates by now, and no one else should get in, at least Carl hoped not. Still, he pulled off his outer shirt and handed it to Zyl. The other man wrapped the garment around his hips and tied the sleeves to create a kind of loin cloth. It looked strange, then people did wear some weird get-ups at times.

  The two of them stopped near the cheetah compound. Nothing seemed to be out of order there so far.

  Carl looked around, hearing shouts and metallic clangs, running footsteps and other abnormal noises. “I don’t know what to do,” he grumbled. “I feel so fucking helpless, worthless. If your count is right, it’s going to be way beyond what the hundred or so security people we have can handle. I guess the head of security will call local law enforcement. They can only spare so many officers to help us, though.” A weight of dread and near-despair settled over him.

  After tilting his head a moment, as if listening, Zyl nodded. “The Were-kind group’s coming, the ones living outside the zoo. I hope Ruric is with them, maybe even Max—he’s our local boss. I know most of the guys you met at the bar the other night will be here. There are nearly a hundred of us, with the ones inside, and if most shift, we can put some serious pressure on the protestors. None of us will be overly careful about who we bite or claw or trample, either. Those idiots want war, they’ll have it.”

  * * * *

  All at once, a burst of noise erased the quiet, the illusion of peace. Besides the Were-kind group approaching, Zyl detected what he was sure was a large group of people coming from the opposite direction. The Were-kind sounds included more pounding steps than the local group should make. From what Max had told him the previous night, at least two contingents from bands in other cities were coming, due to arrive overnight. There were some from Albuquerque, Phoenix and perhaps even as far away as Denver to help the local Were-folk with the expected confrontation.

  While Were-kind might not be fully supportive of the idea of keeping animals in zoos, they recognized that the extra care and protection could spell the difference between survival and extinction. At any rate, turning them loose into a city environment suddenly was a recipe for total disaster.

  Tilting his head to better catch the precise sounds, Zyl heard the heavy tread of some of the Weres like Ruric and Max, bear-shifters or other very large creatures. Even in human form, most were massive and powerful. The softer steps would be the cats, wolves, and the clicks and sharper noises from the hooved ones. When he turned back to face Carl, he could hear the chants from the protesters.

  “Free the beasts…give them peace! Break the bars and make this ours.” At least that was what it sounded like. The strident, angry voices blurred the words, sounding almost painful to his keen hearing.

  By now, Carl seemed to hear both groups as well. His face paled. “Oh shit. They’re coming fast. What should we do? I’d try anything to keep the protesters from harming, freeing or even scaring my charges, what? How? I’ve got three mothers with young cubs. I can’t let them be harmed, I won’t!”

  Zyl placed one hand on Carl’s nearest shoulder. “Calm down. It’ll be all right. The Were-kind will get here before the protestors. This will work out. Anyone getting hurt will be those confused so-called warriors, guaranteed.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when the Were-band rounded a corner and marched into the crescent-shaped plaza in front of the cheetah enclosure. There were at least two dozen with a big, burly fellow in the lead. He came directly to Zyl.

  “We’re here. I’ve got about thirty from Phoenix with me; we already split to head to different parts of the zoo. I’m Max’s cousin Brun, by the way. He told me to check in with you. Most of this group shifts feline. Max seemed to think that like species would be best in defending different areas here.”

  Zyl agreed. “Right. We discussed that the other night. All the San Mirabal cats were going to come here first. I see some of them are with you. Let’s spread out so we have two or more near the main gate of each feline habitat. Those are the most vulnerable spots. If anyone sights a larger force of intruders, they can sound the alarm and we’ll all move into a defensive formation there.”

  The Were band began to disperse, just as the protest group surged into the plaza. They immediately began to yell, jeer, and brandish various weapons. Zyl noted the ones who carried signs and placards used sticks much heavier than were needed to support the cardboard. Others wielded a variety of crow bars, tire tools, and even picks and axes. They were prepared to do demolition and damage. He just hoped no one had any kind of explosives. That could do severe damage and hurt animals.

  “Get out of the way, you fools. We’re on a mission. If you move off
and give us room to work, no one will get hurt. Quit serving your employers who enslave you just as they do these defenseless creatures. Don’t let them exploit you and these animals.”

  Another big shifter stepped forward to confront the unkempt, bearded leader. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Whatever you plan to try, you’ll have to go through me to do it.”

  With that, he shifted, shredding the gym shorts and T-shirt he wore. In seconds, he had morphed into a full-sized male African lion. At the signal of his shift, others of the cats began to change as well. Confronted with a group of snarling cats ranging from ocelots and bobcats to cheetahs, panthers, leopards, pumas, tigers and lions, most of the invading group skidded to a halt. Many whirled and fled, screaming with hysteria. Others froze, unable to believe their eyes or too stunned to react.

  Chapter 7

  As Zyl threw aside Carl’s shirt to shift, he watched the lion lunge at the leading protestor. The man cracked the pole of his sign across a leonine nose. It had no more effect than if he had used a fly swatter. In less than a blink, the man was flat on his back, a plate-sized paw bearing down on his chest, while hot feline breath stirred the shaggy strands of his beard.

  When the lion spoke regular human words of warning and disdain in a deep and rumbling voice, the man’s eyes rolled back and his body went limp. Emerging from his shift, Zyl smelled the sharp stench of urine and realized the man had pissed himself as he passed out. Witnessing the fall of their supposedly fearless leader, more of the protestors fled the scene.

  At Zyl’s side, Carl’s ocelot form appeared. Although his cat-face could not truly smile, he gave a purr of approval. ::Good for you! You did it on your own. Now let’s make sure the rest of these fools don’t stop running until they’re well outside the zoo’s outer fences.::

  Carl gave his version of a feline growl in reply. ::I’m right beside you, partner.:: They joined the other cat shifters, who circled to herd the invaders into a tight group and then drive them relentlessly back toward the main gate area.

  Once the lion stepped back, two of the other men had picked up their fallen leader. Each one tucked a shoulder under his limp arms and hoisted him from the ground. While he seemed to revive a bit, he was still too incapacitated to walk, so they dragged him off, moving at a clumsy trot, while his feet bounced over the cement and cobbles of the paths. The motley feline group nipped at their heels.

  From the varied sounds in every direction, similar scenes were being enacted around each of the habitat areas in the zoo. Most of the Were-kind had gone to the areas where their beast-kin were housed to defend them. Roars and howls, screeches, whinnies and brays sounded, along with human shrieks and screams, and the sounds of a spectrum of different kinds of feet beating on the ground.

  Many of the protestors were not sure if they had really seen what looked like humans suddenly become animals. At first, they might have rationalized that some creatures had already been released or broken free of their own accord, these beasts did not appear congenial, grateful, or appreciative! Others who witnessed the shifts might have been too high and befuddled by drugs they had used to build up their courage to attempt the raid. At any rate, all of them ran, pell-mell and frantic, right past the waiting busses to vault over the barrier gates and out into the streets.

  Within an hour or two, calm settled again over the zoo—except for the press, who’d arrived just in time to witness the last of the invaders escaping, a hoard of Were-kind in hot pursuit. As many of the Weres shifted back to human form, cameras whirred and clicked, flashes flared and stunned reporters tried to capture what they could hardly believe they saw.

  After he assumed his human form, Zyl turned to Brun and Max, who had also changed back and now spoke quietly. Carl shifted also and followed close behind him.

  “We’re outed now,” Max grumbled. “Well, I guess it was inevitable. I’m not sure what the Big Man will deem best, I figure we need to open up to the media now. Put the word out we’re ready to start working with the human leaders for the good of all. What do you think?”

  Brun shrugged massive shoulders. “Yeah, that beats getting into a war where they’re shooting us on sight or something. Of course, we could fight back, it would be bloody and wasteful and…well, we’d all end up fucked in that case.”

  “Cooperation is the route if we can do it,” Zyl agreed. “I’ve said as much for some time. I abided by the code, my oath. At least the king gave us all permission to come here and make common cause, didn’t he? He had to know we’d be seen, that the media would get wind of it and they’d be recording stuff. We can’t go back into hiding now.”

  Some of the other Were-kind gathered with them. Most agreed. “We need a spokesman, a leader, someone who can talk well with the humans.”

  Zyl shoved Carl forward. “Here’s the guy to do that job. He just found out he was one of us a few days ago. He’s been living as a human all his life. I’d say he can speak to them better than any of us.”

  Panic and terror washed across Carl’s face. “Oh my God, no! Not me. I’ve always been a mouse, a quiet, timid kind of guy. A follower, not a leader. I’m the least likely mouthpiece you could find!”

  Zyl laughed. “A mouse that’s really a cat? No way, bud. You were just hiding your wild cat inside, a lion or a jaguar, only in a smaller spotted hide. Maybe we can do this together. Max, you’re a leader, a real one, you’re too intimidating. You’d scare these humans shitless if you got upset and growled at them.”

  Max gave a rumbling laugh. “You’ve got that right. Can you two give the press a short statement right now and then tell them we’ll have a delegation to meet with some of their folks…you know, the human leaders, tomorrow or whenever they’re ready?”

  Carl looked at Zyl, anxiety darkening his blue eyes. “I-I’ll try if you’ll come with me and help.”

  Zyl cuffed his shoulder, just gently enough not to really hurt. “Yeah, I’ll come along.”

  They broke out of the circle of Were-kind and headed toward the reporters. Of course, they were both bare-assed, clothes somewhere back down by the feline area. With mind-to-mind speech, they exchanged the unlikely hope the cameras would focus above their waists. They’d have to reassure the reporters that future meetings would see everyone properly clothed.

  * * * *

  Carl could hardly believe he was doing this. At the moment the notion surfaced, he’d glanced back and forth from Zyl to the two Were-bears in disbelief approaching horror. No way could he do this. He could not even speak for the limited community of zoo vet techs, much less what he had come to realize was quite a large population of shifters or Were-kind. He wanted to squeak like the habitual mousy and shy guy he’d always been.

  Then meeting Zyl’s green glance, he felt the feline stir within him. The cat-self gave an aggravated yowl and told him in no uncertain terms that it was time to shit and git! He was going to have to both walk and talk this new vision of himself, although he’d barely met that aspect. Zyl’s approval and reassurance buoyed him. I can do this. I need to. I want to and I will.

  There were a couple of women in the group of reporters, and Carl sensed they were ogling him and Zyl with avid interest. He almost laughed when he caught Zyl’s disdainful thought. ::Sorry, girls. This is my lifetime for guys. You can look, no touching.::

  When Carl opened his mouth to speak, he found the words poured out smoothly. He sensed that Max and Brun, as well as Zyl, were telepathically feeding him the basic points, he had no trouble framing them into strong, positive, emphatic, and unequivocal words.

  Yes, Were-kind had been living beside and among humans for some time. Yes, they were aware of the protest and attempted raid in advance and did not support it. Although they sought fair and ethical treatment for animals, they did not advocate a sudden release of every creature under human control and protection. That would be tantamount to genocide because the captive animals were not able to survive without the care they were now used to.

  Still, the leade
rs of Were-kind, including their supreme ruler, were ready and open to working with any of the human leaders who would accept them as equals and partners in many issues related to animals and the environment. A delegation would be ready to meet as soon as tomorrow. Carl asked the reporters to share this message with their audience on television, radio and various print or electronic media.

  After he and Zyl fielded a few more questions, they firmly ended the interview and suggested the media representatives go back to their normal business. The day’s excitement was over. Before they got to that point, though, the zoo manager and his senior staff had all gathered there, too. They spoke briefly to the media, avoided most direct questions by issuing a short statement.

  They declared the zoo closed for the rest of the day and barred the gates as soon as the last reporter departed. Then, almost as one, they turned to the assembled Were-kind, obvious uncertainty in their posture and expressions. They all tried to appear strong and expressed determination to retain control of the facility. At least they began with diplomacy rather than a misguided show of force.

  Carl exhaled a sigh of relief. He felt sure the Weres would not take kindly to any arrogance or overbearing attitude on the zoo staff’s part. He prepared himself to try to intervene if that began to appear, he didn’t need to. Max and several of the other Weres said they’d be glad to meet with the zoo officials soon, that there had been enough uproar for one day.

  Everyone agreed and both groups began to move away, most of the Were-kind leaving, while the zoo staff went back to their normal duties. Carl made the rounds to check on all of his feline charges. None of them even seemed to be upset or stressed. Although conflict had raged around the area, no fences or walls were damaged and none of the animals had been so much as threatened. While he visited all the cats, Zyl tagged along beside him, saying very little, observing with keen attention.

  Evening came with feeding time and the normal closing time, which today only involved checking the gates to be sure everything was secure. Though no one expected the protestors to return, they were taking no chances. All the security devices were active, as were the surveillance cameras and scanners. At least two people would be observing their input in the security office all night long while the old, trusted guards would roam the grounds in pairs.