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Autotomy, chapter 1 - Introduction

– “Oh oh oh, we’re in the blue one today, I see!” –

Date: January 6, 2010

Place: Portanova - GSD Perimeter

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Poorly discarded on the bed, deprived of the shape that he used to give it with his own body, Jack’s black suit appeared drab, worn out, almost pathetic in the way creases adorned its surface like wrinkled fringes.

The hare contemplated its miserable state for a moment, before looking away with a sigh and concentrating instead on the large wardrobe that spread out before his eyes… consisting of three jackets, three pants, three shirts and three ties, for a total of twelve items of clothing – not including the black suit, his favorite, which at present was laying on the bed, devoid of any elegance.

Twitching his nose, Jack finally decided to take the gray suit; he was fully convinced of what he was about to do as he would have been to tie a rope around his neck, but he still overlapped it to his body, checking out the final result in the adjacent mirror. It didn’t take long to realize how much of a fool he had been. “It’s… it’s too gray. Why on earth had I thought that buying this was a good idea?”, he hissed through long incisors. Gray suit on gray fur… He would have looked like cement. The hare shook his head and immediately discarded the choice, as he wondered, once again, what the chances were that, just the night before, the campus laundry would be flooded by a water leak, thus making it unapproachable.

The night before that day. The day when he would finally be assigned to his first intercontinental mission… and also the day when his reliable black suit decided to blow him off for the first time since he had bought it. The irony was strong in that, to the point it deserved a laugh, if only Jack had time to have one; too bad the appointment with Colonel Kohle was at 10 A.M. and he was still deciding which suit he should have betrayed his monochromatic partner with, just as his Rolex read 9:28 on its face. It was not like him to be this potentially late… at least, not like Agent Savage, who had made punctuality one of the key points of his etiquette. Jack couldn’t waste any more time on such a prosaic matter, but neither could he show up in front of one of his superiors dressed up like an idiot; this would have violated another one of his key points, namely, being presentable in all situations, and it was not something on which Jack was willing to compromise.

His eyes lay on the suit hanging in the middle of the closet. Jack took it, hesitantly, and watched it close; looking for any details that could have possibly made him look ridiculous in front of Kohle – and any other mammal that would take part in the meeting – he was relieved to not find any, and although the hare still had no clue of how he would be wearing it, since he had never put it on before, at least he hoped he wouldn’t look like a piece of asphalt that had escaped from the streets: one with black crosswalks, no less.

Anyway, time was running out and he had to speed things up. “It can’t be that different from wearing my usual suit…” he told himself. But, in spite of the encouragement, it still took a huge effort for him to avoid locking eyes with the crumpled clothes calling his name from the bed behind him. He still felt like a traitor – he was a traitor – and denial was the only viable option to avoid guilt.

More or less.

*

“Oh oh oh, we’re in the blue one today, I see!” The Colonel’s laughter echoed through the office’s walls, vibrating with overwhelming mirth in Jack’s sensitive ears. “New tasks, new look; seems appropriate, yup.”

“Actually…” Jack was about to explain that it wasn’t quite the case, but he ultimately judged it to be ineffectual for the purpose of the upcoming conversation and decided to let it go. It wasn’t important what Kohle thought, as long as it did not affect the subject of that meeting. “I’m glad you like it, Colonel.”

“Although, I tell you, it’s odd to not see you in black; you don’t even look like your usual self… well, not that this is necessarily a bad thing, don’t you agree, my boy?”

“No, um, of course it isn’t…”, the hare mumbled as he silently started to question his stylistic choices, then going on to wonder if there had ever been a choice in the first place, or if he was actually doomed by others’ expectations to dress in black and white for the rest of his life… a question that was more likely not meant to be answered, he was afraid. “Will someone else join us at today’s meeting?”

“Yes. They got held up a bit, but they should make it in time. In the meanwhile…”, Kohle added, “Let me ask you a question, Jack.”

There was a sudden change of atmosphere that didn’t escape Jack’s attention. The hare found himself reflected in the big, dark eyes of the dog, which were now fixed on him with an attentive and inquiring glimmer shining through them. “Sure, what is it?” He asked, trying to conceal the discomfort that had crept over him.

The Colonel leaned towards him slightly, paws crossed under his chin. “You see, this is an informal question that I ask to all the Agents who request to be assigned to an intercontinental mission”, he explained, “We could call it a standard procedure, in a sense. As you well know, GSD pays close attention to the psychological profile of the mammals working under it.”

Jack couldn’t say he did not know, indeed, but knowing didn’t prevent him from still being surprised, “I thought I had passed all of my aptitude tests”, he replied, not hiding his perplexity. “Has something happened which invalidated my previous scores?”

“As I said, it’s a routine question I ask all the mammals who are about to leave for long-term missions outside the national territory. This has no direct connection with our pre-recruitment aptitude tests”, Kohle answered, wearing a rather neutral expression. “And even if it wasn’t, there is no protocol that forbids me to ask you all the questions I want.” A smile appeared on the Colonel’s face, but Jack did not feel particularly reassured by that. “So, are you ready?”

“…Of course.” Jack was very aware of the difference in rank between him and Kohle, which automatically placed him in a disadvantaged position he had very little leeway from. The young mammal emptied his mind in preparation for the question that Kohle had in store for him; there was no point in trying to imagine what it was about, because he knew he would have ended up losing himself in the mental labyrinth of his thoughts in the attempt – which was something he definitely couldn’t afford to do, not at this time and in this place.

“Well, it’s a very simple question, actually.” The dog straightened up in his chair, closed his eyes for a moment and, when he opened them, he asked in a firm, imposing tone: “Jack, are you fully aware of what it means to be assigned to a mission overseas?”

“I am, sir.”

Kohle shook his head. “Not so fast, my boy. You didn’t even think it over for a split second, did you?”

“With all due respect, you’re wrong, Colonel; I’ve thought about this for a long time, even before asking to be assigned to one of them. It’s only after I came to a conclusion that I applied for the role. I know what I’m up against, sir.”

“… I’m afraid you’ve misinterpreted my words, Jack.” He let out a sigh that didn’t bode well for Jack and continued: “I meant now; after I asked you the question, you didn’t ponder your answer, but just repeated the one you had already came up with at the beginning. Am I wrong?”

“I’m… not sure I follow you, sir”, Jack admitted, “What do you mean by ‘now’?”

“Literally speaking, the present time.” Kohle pulled away a paw from his chin and used it to indicate the desk he was sitting in, which separated them. “At this very moment, Jack, do you really know what it means to participate in a mission like the one you’re willing to leave for?”

Jack remained silent. Admitting for the second time that he did not understand the question was not only something his pride wouldn’t have condoned, but also a potential threat to whatever goal the Colonel had in mind when starting that conversation. At the same time, there was no way Gregory Kohle would have accepted silence as an answer, so that wasn’t a valid option either. “I’m… not in the habit of questioning my own decisions, once I’ve made them”, he tried to explain, carefully selecting every single word that came out of his mouth. “That’s why it would be extremely difficult to answer your question, Colonel… not in the way you would like me to, at least.”

Another silence followed those words. Heavy silence; alarming, too, because it was difficult to read – was the Colonel surprised? Disappointed? Had Jack overstepped the line? But just when the hare started to consider every possibility, the dog spoke again: “I admit that you’ve made great use of diplomacy. Or maybe, you were just being honest, since it was your only option left. Whatever is the case…” A series of claps followed that statement, but Jack needed a few seconds to realize that the Colonel was applauding him and many others to decide whether it was a positive reaction or not. The severity showing on the dog’s face seemed distant, although not completely gone, and a peaceful smile was now painted in the curve of his muzzle. Not peaceful enough to make Jack lower his guard completely, but still enough to ease the tension that had gripped his stomach.

Ah, why was he still so bad at dealing with anxiety? “I beg your pardon, Colonel, but… I don’t think I understand.”

“Oh, that’s for sure. I would have been surprised if you did!” Kohle claimed, wiping away the last remnants of that heavy atmosphere with his powerful laughter. Then, he picked up his smartphone, gave it a quick glance and put it away again with a chuckle. “Rejoice, my boy, for our little talk has just come to an end. Now it’s time to get down to business… well, almost time”, he grinned, nodding toward the door. Just then, Jack heard a toc toc behind him and turned his back as Kohle exhorted whoever was outside: “Come on in, my dear.”

Cynthia Walker crossed the office doorway with a quick, slightly unsteady pace; she was holding a small gray notebook under her arm and carrying a gym bag on her other shoulder. “Sorry, I’m late! Have you already started?”, were the first words the vixen said. She was a bit short of breath, enough to tell Jack she had probably raced to get there, whereas the gym bag suggested that she had been elsewhere before coming to their meeting.

Then, what was a laboured Walker suddenly became a surprised one, when her amber eyes eventually rested on Jack’s figure for a moment; the snow white vixen, whose fur contrasted sharply with the red tailleur she wore, slowed her pace almost to a stop and blinked, as an unsure voice asked: “Mr…Savage?”

Jack lifted a paw in greeting, as surprised as she was but far less willing to show it. “Good morning, Ms. Walker.”

“What is this, Cynthia? You look like you’ve never seen Jack before!” Kohle teased.

“No, um…” Walker grumbled, her shoulders moving up and down in a slightly irregular rhythm, “I… did not expect to find him here, today.” She left her bag at the base of the hook near the entrance – “I didn’t have time to take it to my office”, she explained briefly – and walked over to them, occasionally glancing at the hare until she made her way around the desk and sat down next to Kohle.

Jack was not sure how he should interpret Walker’s reaction. If they were alone, perhaps he would have dared to ask for explanations… but since the Colonel – who, among other things, seemed to take an unusual pleasure in having his gaze shift between the two young mammals – was there as well, the best choice was to pretend it did not matter.

Pretend, indeed. “So…” improvised Jack, “Will Walker be showing me the details of the mission?”

“That’s correct”, the vixen said as she opened her notebook, “Generally speaking, you will refer to me as the coordinator of this operation, Mr. Savage.”

“Remarkable”, was his comment, to which Walker reacted by raising a single eyebrow. “Ah, it wasn’t meant to be sarcastic. I really think it’s, well… remarkable.”

“It is not the first time that Cynthia has been charged with coordinating a mission either”, Kohle explained, placing a paw on her shoulder with a tender smile, “Isn’t it true, my dear?”

“Colonel, please do not neglect formalities. This is not the time or place for being affectionate.”

“Oh, you’re right, you’re right! Forgive me, Agent Walker, I wasn’t trying to disrespect you.” He gave her a little pat, which she did not seem to like very much, and then turned back to Jack, winking, “She’s so cute when she gets angry, don’t you agree?”

“Er…” Even assuming he knew how to properly answer such a question, Jack was not entirely sure he wanted to participate in the debate, particularly while Cynthia Walker was staring at him with those darting eyes of her, eyes that forced him to loosen the knot of his shiny new blue tie just a little as he replied, prudently: “With all due respect, sir, I don’t believe this should be our topic of conversation.”

“Me neither”, said Walker, her muzzle hidden behind the laptop screen as she began to type on the keyboard. “But apparently, I’m the Colonel’s primary source of amusement.”

“Oh, I don’t know, actually. I think you’re tied with Jack in this regard.”

“Well, now that makes me feel better.”

To be perfectly honest, the thought of following Walker’s instructions didn’t quite satisfy Jack. Although he had already heard about his coworkers’ skills, it still felt odd to picture her working at a higher level than his; even mortifying, in a way. But he absolutely would not dwell upon these considerations of his; therefore, he needed to find something else to focus on. “Anyway…” he started, trying to sound as neutral as possible as he tossed a thumb behind his back, “How come the black bag, Walker?”

“Oh, that. I was holding a practice for new recruits before coming here.”

That was not exactly the response Jack expected. “I… wasn’t aware that you were also in charge of training. I have to say I’m surprised.”

“I held a basic shooting lesson with short-range weapons. Unfortunately, some unexpected events occurred and I lost more time than I had planned to, which is why I arrived late for the meeting.”

“Did someone get injured?”

In the face of that question, the vixen stopped typing on the keyboard and gave him a mildly annoyed look, “Yes, one of the younger recruits. Needless to say, I had to aid them, but… how is this information related to what we’re about to discuss here, Mr. Savage?”

“It… isn’t? I was just, like…” He cut himself off as he very briefly caught a glimpse of Kohle sniggering, “No… never mind. So, um, regarding my mission…”

“…” Golden eyes perused him for a long moment, before the vixen eventually allowed the awkward moment to just pass by. “I’ve opened the file with all the details”, she said, “But first, let’s start with some introductions.” Walker moved the notebook to her left side, so that it would not block her view of Jack. “Do you know Dr. Quanah Sandford?”

“Sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before?”

“He’s a surgeon at the GSD Clinic – formally, the Pelorosso Hospital. Or, at least, he was until about a month ago.”

“What happened to him?”

“He resigned”, the Colonel replied, “maybe we didn’t pay him enough, oh oh oh!”

“This is not a laughing matter, Colonel”, Walker snapped, exhaling a resigned sigh when the dog shrugged, amused. “In fact, Dr. Sandford suddenly quit the 8th of last month, that is, twenty-nine days ago, without specifying the reason for his resignation. From the small internal investigation I conducted, it turned out that none of the medical staff knew of Sandford’s intentions, which led me to assume that it was not a premeditated decision.”

“That’s with the premise that everyone has told the truth”, Jack noted, “which would be hard to prove.”

“Just as it would be to prove otherwise. I agree with you that every possibility should be taken into account, but it is impossible to start an investigation without choosing a trail to follow, so let’s assume that no one has lied, and that Sandford’s resignation has been driven by some unexpected circumstance”, stated Walker, firmly.

“As a private Intelligence agency, GSD has to pay meticulous attention to the flow of information in and out of its boundaries. In particular, we cannot allow data of a certain importance to fall into the wrong paws”, Kohle explained, “Which means…”

“… That an eye should be placed on anyone who can potentially leak confidential information on the outside”, concluded Jack, gaining a nod of confirmation from the vixen. “Therefore, I suppose my mission will consist of…”

Walker interrupted him with a short laugh. “Not so fast, Mr. Savage, we haven’t finished the preamble yet.” This time, she turned the laptop toward Jack and pointed her sharp finger at what looked like an extract from a digital newspaper; the news, which was dated January 2, 2010, reported a photo of two mammals, a cheetah and a gray wolf, in the act of shaking their paws, followed by a two-column article. “See the cheetah in the picture? It’s him, Dr. Sandford.”

“‘Wolfconn is getting a new owner’”, Jack recited the title, but after giving the article a short reading, he added: “There is no mention of his name in there, Walker. The cheetah in the picture is called Dafna Honduras.”

“We are reasonably sure that this is Dr. Sandford. We did a facial recognition search against our database, and a profile match of over 87% was found.”

“Still, 87% is not 100%. Unless they have distinctive features, animals of the same species all look a bit alike, I’m afraid.”

“We have more than one reason to believe that the cheetah mentioned in the article is Mr. Sandford”, Kohle interjected, “An additional investigation was conducted in this regard, which allowed us to confirm the actual identity of the mammal with more than enough accuracy for our purposes.”

“It follows that GSD has an absolute need to find out what kind of event had brought Dr. Sandford into this story, and why under a new name. This”, concluded Walker, “will basically be the point of your mission, Agent Savage.”

“So, I gather that I’ll have to conduct an investigation.”

“Namely, yes. However, it is extremely likely that you’ll be called upon to perform different types of operations in order to answer our questions; operations that, in most cases, will require you to act on your own, even in potentially dangerous situations.” The vixen looked at him, frowning, and Jack realized he didn’t know how to read the expression she was now showing him, much less how to explain the feelings that came up somewhere inside of him. “Usually, missions of this nature are assigned to older agents, with significant experience, precisely because of the high risk they entail. That’s why…” The look on her face softened enough to not be misinterpreted for a reproachful one, but the hare could still perceive thinly-disguised traces of disapproval in it. “Are you… completely sure of your choice, Mr. Savage?”

“It’s a matter I’ve profusely discussed with Colonel Kohle before you arrived. As I’ve already clarified this morning, my choice was made upstream of a long deliberation, and I can assure that wasn’t, by any means, the result of a hasty decision.”

“… I see”, was her final comment, pronounced after a long pause and with a note in her voice that hinted at the existence of more complex emotions than she was willing to manifest – not like Jack had any doubt that he wouldn’t be able to understand them, anyway. “I rest my case, then. Shall we move on to the mission’s details, Colonel?” Walker asked, turning to him with a sour expression.

“I believe it’s time”, Kohle agreed, “Any questions before we start, Agent Savage?”

The hare gave Walker a wary look, which she didn’t seem to want to return as she obstinately kept her focus on the dog sitting on her right side. Jack would call her attitude juvenile, to say the least, but he couldn’t completely discharge the odd discomfort that had come with all that talk about experience and risks. It was almost like the vixen had just tried to dissuade him from participating in the very operation whose specs she was about to disclose, and it didn’t make much sense, in his modest opinion.

Unfortunately, there was very little Jack could do about that – aside from being bothered with unnecessary thoughts – so he simply replied: “No, sir, I’m fine; please let’s start to discuss the matter”, nodding toward the Colonel as he tried to not be annoyed by Walker’s sudden cold treatment.

Which turned out to be a much tougher task than he expected it to be.

___________________________________

📂 Leggi in ITALIANO: clicca qui

So, here we are with Autotomy’s first chapter. An ambitious project, the one I’ve started, and I sincerely hope I’ll be able to not disappoint you.

This story is meant to be an important piece of the timeline in which Jack, Cynthia and other characters live. It will mainly be from Jack’s POV, but you can expect more characters to tell part of their story along the way. My only hope, is that you’ll find this delightful. I’d love nothing more. 😄

For the original link of the story on AO3, go here.

For a complete map of all the stories and comics in their temporal sequence, please consult the story’s timeline! 👈

For the other stories and comics, please visit this page: 📚 AoiRemArt Comics & Stories

Please remember that this is aoimotion and rem289’s common blog, in which we’ll post all our works made together, past and future!

For more information, check this post: ❣️ AoiRemArt Inauguration

Author: aoimotion

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