Luke paced in front of the room, "Thank you all for coming to this family meeting,"
Lori yawned, "Why are we here so early?"
"Family meetings should be held at sunrise, when you're the most alert, and—" Luke looked around the room, "where's Gio?"
Gio walked in, "Sorry I'm late."
Luke: "What happened?"
Gio: "Nothing. I just really didn't want to come."
Luke glared at him.
Gio: "I can go back to bed. I slept for almost twelve hours, but I might still be tired so let's go for twelve more just in case."
Luke: "Gio, that's a coma."
Tony: "That sounds festive."
Luke: "I went to bed last night around 1am and I've been awake since 5am, so I don't want to hear any excuses about—"
Lori: "Luke, that's unhealthy, you need more sleep than that,"
Luke: "I'm the leader, which means I go to bed when I want and wake up before everyone else,"
Talon: "I left you in charge, because you're the oldest. That doesn't mean you need to ignore your basic needs,"
Luke: "I got enough sleep,"
"Hm mm, make sure he takes a nap later today," Talon whispered to Lori.
Lori: "Yes'm,"
Tony: "So what's this family meeting about anyway? Are going to talk about Jasper? Or about the A.M.? Or about the crazy mutant from the zoo?"
Gio groaned, "Do you have to be so loud and annoying so early in the morning?"
Luke: "We'll get back to the zoo mutant in a minute, but first we need to talk about August,"
They all turned to look at her.
August: "I was wondering why you guys invited me and Vinny to your 'family' meeting,"
"It's not a big deal, we just think that it's about time you head home and—" Luke turned to look at Gio when he heard snoring. "Is he seriously sleeping right now?" He stared as Gio's head tipped forward. "I feel like you're judging me even now."
"I am." Gio said, without opening his eyes.
Vinny nudged him. "Hey, what's your star sign?"
Gio raised his head, "I'm a Scorpio."
Vinny: "Really? I'm a Leo! There's a lot of compatibility there."
Gio: "Vinny, be gay on your own time."
Luke: "Anyway, about August's house—"
Gio: "As far as we've observed, those A.M. guys haven't been to your place in a few days, do you think it's safe to go back?"
August: "Even if it isn't, my parents should be back by now. I've been telling them that I've been at a friend's house, but they'll start to get suspicious if I'm gone for too long,"
Lori: "Someone should walk August home, just in case,"
Vinny: "I'll do it, I've got nothing better to do,"
August rolled her eyes, "Gee, thanks. You're such a gentleman,"
"But before I leave, I'm going to grab a healthy breakfast." Vinny said as he pulled a plastic bag out of his jacket pocket.
Luke: "Are those gummy bears wrapped in a fruit roll-up?"
"Breakfast burrito, but yeah." Vinny said in between bites.
Luke: "I pity your dentist."
Vinny: "Joke's on you. I don't have a dentist."
Gio: "Are you currently seeing anyone?"
Vinny smiled, "Not at the moment, why?"
Gio: "I don't know, I just think you'd benefit from seeing like a counselor or something,"
His smile fell, "Alright then, if that's all, we'll be heading out," he said as he grabbed August's arm.
"Wh-whoa, hey," she stumbled as she took her walking stick. Vinny grabbed his cane from beside the door and they both walked out. As they walked, they didn't talk, but August could hear Vinny's cane hit the sidewalk each time he took a step. She wasn't comfortable with the silence. "Um, I feel like I should warn you that my parents are a little weird,"
Vinny: "Well yeah, I kinda figured. I mean what kind of parents leave a blind girl home alone for a week?"
August: "Hey, I don't know if you know this, but I was able to defend myself against a couple of those A.M. goons, so I think I can take care of myself,"
"Is this it?" Vinny stopped and August bumped into him. "330 East 49th Street, right?" August nodded and he pressed the doorbell. A melodic sound rang throughout the house.
"Oh Auggie, is that you? It's been so long!" A thin older woman and a portly older man opened the door and greeted them. The woman stepped out and pinched August's cheeks.
"Mom!" She whined, "You've only been gone a few days,"
Mrs. Murphy: "And who is this handsome young man?"
"You must be Mr. and Mrs. Murphy. I'm Vinny, nice to meet you." Vinny said as he shook their hands.
Mr. Murphy: "Is he your boyfriend?"
August: "Ugh, no, dad. He's just a friend. You know I'm a lesbian,"
Mrs. Murphy: "We're still hoping that's just a phase,"
August groaned.
~
Luke: "Why is Tony asleep on your shoulder?"
Gio: "Shhh! Don't wake him up!"
Luke: "An hour ago you were complaining that he was annoying."
Gio: "I changed my mind."
Luke: "Whatever, onto the next order of business. We need to talk about what happened to Jasper,"
Lori: "Yeah, what did happen? We all woke up this morning and he was gone. He didn't even leave a note,"
Talon: "Perhaps I should search for him, while you three deal with the mutant at the zoo. I might have a better chance at finding him with an aerial view,"
"Good idea. I'll leave that to you then." Luke said as Talon flew out the window. "Now about the zoo mutant," Luke turned on the tv and it was on silent, but the image showed a female reporter next to a blurry image, with the caption 'Cheetah Mutant running wild at the Bronx Zoo, neither the zoo staff nor the local police are fast enough to catch the speedy creature'.
Lori: "If no one else can catch it, what makes you think we can?"
Luke: "We don't have to keep up with it in order to catch it, we just have to predict where it'll go and then block off its exits from there,"
Gio: "I see, we're going to lure it into a corner,"
Luke: "Exactly,"
"Hey guys, I'm back," Vinny entered, "you would not believe how friendly August's parents are. Although, I highly doubt you'll ever meet them."
Luke sighed, "Now remember, we're only trying to capture this mutant, not harm it,"
Lori: "Good luck getting that through to Gio,"
Vinny: "Oh please, you wouldn't hurt a fly!"
Gio: "You're right! Because a fly is an innocent creature that never knowingly did anything to anybody. You, however, I would maim."
Luke: "Anyway, let's stake out the area until nightfall and see if the mutant shows up,"
Lori: "Roger that Captain,"
Luke: "Gio, come on, let's get moving!"
Gio, motioning to Tony asleep on him, "And wake him up? I'm not a monster!"
"Gio!" Luke shouted.
"Ugh, fine," Gio groaned, "here, Vinny. You watch Tony for us," he picked up Tony's sleeping form and dumped him into Vinny's arms.
"Wait! I don't think I'm good with children! And they're gone..." Vinny's shoulders drooped as he stared at the kitten in front of him. Tony wasn't that much younger than him, but to Vinny, Tony was a baby. He was much too small for his age, his limbs were short, he had big eyes that stared into your soul like the void and he was far too innocent to be part of the same family as Gio and Lori.
Tony suddenly stirred and woke up. "Hm, where is everyone?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.
Vinny: "They uh, left to deal with the zoo mutant,"
"What? They left me behind again? Ugh, when will they finally let me go on a mission?" Tony whined.
Vinny didn't know how to answer that. He had never had siblings before, but he knew how it felt to be left behind. He also knew how it felt to be protective of those around you and at the moment, he wanted to protect Tony. "Do you—want to watch tv?" Vinny asked, hesitantly. He wasn't sure how to take care of a child. He didn't even know how to take care of himself, but Tony nodded with an innocent smile and Vinny turned on the tv to something child-friendly.
~
"See anything?" Lori asked.
"Not since the last time you asked, five minutes ago," Luke said through gritted teeth.
Lori: "I'm sorry, I'm just bored. I thought a stake out would be more exciting,"
The three were perched in the trees, a couple of blocks away from one of the entrances. Luke was looking through a pair of binoculars while Lori played with his tail and Gio was on his phone. Every once in awhile, Gio would text something funny to Lori, sometimes it was about Luke. Whenever Lori saw his text, she would giggle aloud and Luke would glare at the both of them, before going back to surveying the scene.
Just when Gio was about to send a meme to Lori, he got an alert from his news app. "Guys!" He shouted, "The mutant was just spotted at the sea bird aviary,"
Luke: "Let's go!" All three leapt into action.
Between the children's zoo and the fountain, the sounds of squawking and chirping could be heard amongst the occasional screams of delight as kids ran from one enclosure to the next. Suddenly, those screams of delight turned to terror as a figure ran through the area, nearly bowling over small children as it passed by.
"We've got a 10-11 in the aquatic bird house," one officer said into their communicator. "possible 10-33, be on the lookout for 10-45s, currently in pursuit, try not to alarm the public,"
"Did you hear that?" Gio asked.
Lori: "I heard it, but I didn't understand any of it,"
Luke: "He said it's in the aquatic bird house, so that's where we're going,"
The three moved silently into the building. Thankfully it was nearly empty except for two officers and a couple with their child.
Luke: "Gio, take care of the people. Lori, lock the doors once they're out,"
"Roger," they both said as they moved.
Gio climbed up and hid in the darkness of the rafters above the small crowd. "He tells me to take care of the people, but does he tell me how? No," Gio grumbled to himself. Suddenly he felt the railing below him give out and he fell straight down. "Crap!" He shouted as he landed on top of one of the policemen. The couple just stared at him in shock. "Hello?"
"Kitty!" The child cooed and the parents screamed as they grabbed her and ran out. The other policeman dragged the unconscious one behind him as he ran out.
"Well, that takes care of that," Lori smiled as she jumped down and locked the doors behind them.
Gio: "Not my finest moment, but it works,"
Luke: "Ok, now that the exits are blocked off, let's corner it,"
The penguins flapped their wings and chirped at them as they passed by, nets in hand. Lori nearly fell over when the mutant ran past her, but they saw it turn its head and screech to a stop at the sight of them.
"You're mutants, just like me!" She gasped. She was a cheetah so she had a thin, sleek body covered in pale fur with spots and stripes down her face. Her tail flickered nervously as she ran up to Lori. "You have to help me!"
Lori: "We can help you if you just calm down and let us—"
"I've lost my friend, Shirley! You have to help me find her,"
"Slow down," Luke put a hand on her shoulder, "what does your friend look like?"
"She's a golden retriever! She was mutated along with me! We were just zoo animals when a weird gas got into the enclosure and turned us into—this," she gestured to her face. Gio shivered at the mention of a dog.
Luke: "We promise we'll help you find her. Do you have a name?"
"The zookeepers call me Simone,"
Luke: "Nice to meet you Simone, I'm Luke and this is Gio and Lori. Tell us where was the last place you saw your friend?"
"Just outside the butterfly garden! She loves butterflies!" Simone began crying hysterically. "We got separated when some weird guys almost grabbed us, but I—" she couldn't finish her sentence she was crying so hard.
"Cheetahs are known for having a lot of anxiety," Gio whispered to Lori.
Lori: "That explains a lot,"
"They're so anxious that they need companions to calm them down. In this case, I assume hers is this Shirley." Gio grimaced, "I hate dogs. Let's find her and get this over with as quickly as possible,"
Luke: "Stick close to us and I guarantee you, we'll find her,"
"Oh, thank you!" Simone nearly started crying again as she followed the three out of the enclosure. Once they were sure there weren't any people nearby, they ran towards the butterfly garden.
Luke: "I don't see any sign of her,"
Simone sniffed the air, "But I can smell her! She's here! Somewhere..."
"Hey, what's that black van doing there?" Gio pointed to a large vehicle outside of the building.
Lori frowned, "How much you wanna bet that's the A.M.?"
"Only one way to find out," Luke said as he jumped up and the others followed him as he trailed behind the van from the trees. The vehicle drove out of the zoo and towards the city. "If we don't do something quickly, we're going to lose them," Luke hopped out of the forest and onto the top of the vehicle. The driver noticed a slight bump, but didn't think anything of it.
"I don't know where they think they're going, but we have to stop them somehow," Gio told Lori.
"Let's try to block their path!" Lori shouted.
"Good idea! Simone, follow me!" Gio motioned and they both ran ahead towards a mountainous region. They ran up and started kicking at some large rocks until they rolled down the hill and onto the road.
"Whoa!" Luke tried to dig his claws into the roof as the car swerved to a halt in front of the rocks. The driver got out to inspect the damage, while Luke used a claw to open the doors in the back. Gio and Lori jumped onto the roof while Simone hid in the trees. With a flick of the wrist, he had the doors open and inside, a giant robot dog greeted him. "What the—!" Before he could get in another word the robot kicked him in the face and he fell backwards.
"Whoa!" Gio leaned over the edge of the car, "You're an ugly hunk of metal. Who built you, a twelve year old?"
The robot climbed out of the vehicle and inside, Luke could see the figure of a dog-like mutant laying motionless on a gurney.
"Shirley!" Simone shouted and leapt into action.
"Simone, wait!" Luke shouted, but it was too late as the robot swatted Simone away like an annoying fly. Angered, Luke jumped onto the robot's face and clawed at its eye panels. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're not taking another mutant!"
While the robot was distracted, Gio and Lori snuck into the van.
"Who are you?" Shirley tried to look up, but her body was tied down.
"We're friends of Simone and we're here to help!" Lori said as she unfastened the straps around Shirley.
While that was going on, Gio noticed some vials of a strange liquid hanging from the wall. "These look interesting," he mused as he pocketed several of the vials, right before the van shook with the impact of the robot colliding into it.
"You're free! Come with us!" Lori shouted as Shirley jumped up and ran out with Lori and Gio right behind her.
The robot turned to see the three running off, "No!" It shouted in a deep, mechanical voice.
Luke stuck his tongue out at the robot and ran off, joining the others.
~
"Oh, I can't thank you enough for saving my friend!" Simone cried as she hugged Shirley so tightly that Shirley looked as if she might pop.
"You're very welcome," Lori smiled.
Luke: "But you should know that those guys could come back. You're not safe out here on your own. Come back to our hideout with us and we can keep you safe."
Simone and Shirley shared an uncertain look between them.
Simone: "Look, as much as we'd love to join you in hiding, we can't. There's just no way we can stay cooped up inside someone's hideout no matter how safe it is,"
Shirley: "We know how dangerous it is out there for creatures like us, but the more we hide, the more we make humans afraid of us. I think the best thing we can do is show them how harmless we are and that we're really just friendly creatures,"
Luke: "But the A.M.!"
Simone smiled confidently, "Now that we know about them, we can handle them ourselves,"
"That's right! No one can outrun my Simone!" Shirley laughed as she hugged Simone and they ran off together, hand in hand, to who knows where.
"Well, that was... something," Gio muttered.
Lori elbowed him, "On the bright side, the A.M. didn't get them, so I consider this a win for us,"
"I guess," Gio shrugged.
Luke: "Let's head home, I'm sure the others are just dying to hear what happened,"
