HUMAN

Chapter 18 - Citizenship / The Criminal Lawyer

Five months ago. . .

"Would you step on the blue cross and keep a neutral expression?" Frank said before several flashes followed after I faced the camera.

"What about my face? I'm not exactly an Anthro." I commented on the flaw of doing this in the first place. "Well, I need something to work on top of. I'll give you a common wolf for a face." He replied as he prepared, overlaying the face of a common gray wolf over my face.

I stepped forward and approached the monitor to take a closer look.

Max Gray, 21 years old, species: Wolf (Canis Lupus), Male, etc. All the details were there, but just one problem. . .

How am I supposed to look like Max Gray?

He shrugged off the question about it. "You know, after all this is done, my client and I go our own ways." He said.

Is he saying that this is as far as he'd go to help me? I can't accept that as an answer! "Yo, what? Look, I can't even create a realistic enough wolf mask for me to look like that!" I pointed to the photo ID.

He dropped what he was doing. "I don't know, kid, this is your mess. And you deal with it yourself." There was a pause for a moment. The trickles of water from the tap occupied the silence. "It's the only thing I can do. . ."

My mouth was left agape. I've traveled so far, risking the lives of others so that they could keep me away from the SIU that has been chasing me this past month. I can't let him shake me off like this.

"I'll work for you. . ."

"What?"

"Anything. Anything you need, I have the strength, the ability, and willingness to do this." I begged the only solution that came up in the heat of the moment.

There was yet another long drag of silence. Frank took a cig to think on it, and after reaching halfway through its length, he answered.

"About the SIU, how do you plan on dealing with them?"

"I'm not exactly worried about the company itself yet. Rather, my priority right now is to clear the names of those who helped me. I can bet they're facing the consequences I led them through while I practically go unpunished. It's simply not fair." I replied, and he nodded to signal me to keep going.

"They've helped me too much, and I only got them in the crossfire of this mess in return. . .I want, no, need to help them. Repay them properly. . ."

"And I'd be a dickhead if I don't do so." Frank rolled his eyes at that statement.

"Then I'll be on my own after that and continue what I need to do: release humanity's lost history, so hopefully this society won't repeat our mistakes. Even if it will happen a hundred years from now, they still need to know what happens."

"Sounds pretty ambitious for someone like you." He said. "I've done things I was surprisingly able to do. Wouldn't it not hurt to try again, yeah?" I lied. It would hurt. . .and probably a lot.

"You serious about this? I hope you're not wasting my time."

"I'd give a 100%."

He shifted his gaze from elsewhere to me. "That'll get you halfway there." He said with a hush as if he denied I'd even make it.

The cigar was used, and he threw the rest on an ashtray before huffing out the remaining smoke in his lungs. "I need eyes and ears on this one person that works in the SIU. . ." He said as he leaned on the desk.

I perked up. "Alright. . ."

"But first, we need a document of your life, Max's life." He motioned to the monitor that displayed the ID. "From where you were born, your education, previous work experience, and whatever the hell a government-held company needs to get a job there in the first place."