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Suburban Anthro Animals learn all is not as it seems |
| [Introduction]
So while trying to think of a new campfire idea I had the initial idea of animals escaping the zoo and trying to live among humans as inspired by the kid's book The Great Escape From the City Zoo but while good for a picture book the idea of feral animals getting jobs and living among humans really strains suspension of disbelief but then I got an idea for an Anthro Animal story that touches on the themes of my Planet Mizzer stories without actually being Planet Mizzer which has a very specific culture Here we have anthro animals living in a bright and colorful suburban world like something out of Richard Scarry's Busy Busy World or even Bananas in Pajamas (Note there are no actual anthro fruits or vegetables among them) the various species live in nuclear families the children go to school and enjoy various wholesome activities this world is all they know no one seems to have tried to explore beyond the boundaries of this world. Little do they know they live in a highly controlled environment being monitored by human scientists conducting a massive experiment in animal uplifting for some reason or another Important Note! Note the age rating on this story! Since the world the anthros inhabit is meant to be evocative of wholesome cartoons for little kids, let's keep this story clean and concentrate more on the Platonic Cave plot |
| Name: Zachary 'Zack' Rattus Age: 16 Sex: Male Species: Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Likes: Cheese Pizza, Soda, Skateboarding, Adventures Dislikes: Creamed Spinach. School, Boring Office Jobs Bio: Zack is the closest thing in this very wholesome ideal community to a 'juvenile delinquent' he hasn't really committed any crimes but he dresses like a punk, styling his head-fur into a mohawk. He doesn't like school mostly sleeping through most classes he prefers to spend his days skateboarding he doesn't want to have a 'boring office job' like his Dad has he seems to be getting increasingly aware of how limited this world is. Once again Zack was snoring his way through math class...Much to the annoyance of the teacher and all the other students, but they had given up on trying to wake Zack and getting him to pay attention. |
| Name: Jack Longears Age: 16 Sex: Male Species: Flemish Giant Rabbit version of the Domesticated Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus) Likes: Martial Arts, Junk food, Military history Dislikes: School, Salad greens - especially the plain kind, boring stuff Bio: Jack is interested in Martial Arts, often sneaking Jackie Chan and other such movies past his folks, if possible, so that he can watch them - they are also very funny. He hopes to enter a martial arts event at some point. Jack was trying to watch some clips of a Jackie Chan movie. Key word, trying. It was not easy when one had paranoid parents. |
| After the school bell rang Zack immediatly got on his skateboard and knew he wouldn't be heading straight home, he knew his parents had been complaining about his lousy grades for some time and had been threatening to take away his skateboard but each time he had called his parents' bluff besides he knew if they ever got serious he knew a little spot in the woods on the outskirts of town where he would just hide until things blew over...For now off to the skate park! |
| Jack soon managed to get himself to a place near the skate park, where he could try off some of the moves he'd seen in the movies, or, at least, the ones that looked practical. |
| Upon reaching the Skate Park Zack saw Jack the one Animal she still felt he could call a friend. The other Animal students would refer to them and 'Zack and Jack' "Hey Jack..." Zack said as he rolled by "...Still thinking about martial arts huh?" "You're still obsessed with skateboarding." The Rabbit replied "Have you ever stopped and wondered what are those strange creatures in those movies and TV shows though?" Zack asked referring to the humans "I mean I know the movies call them 'Hum-Mins' but have you ever seen a hum-min in town? We only ever see them on TV and nobody questions it! Some Animals think they're just a different kind of animal in some kind disguise like whoever dresses up as Barney the Dinosaur!" |
| "I'm still trying to picture what lizard would dress up like that," said Jack. "Looks like they are covered in fur, in addition to being purple." |
| Zack sighed "Look Jack..." The Rat said as he rubbed his arm "...I know I've been a real pill recently but...For some time I've been having these strange dreams...Like dreams that I want to get out of this town but I can't! LIke I keep running into invisible walls..." |
| "So, let's figure out a few things, like how big is the town limits, and what's past them," said Jack. |
| So they left the skate park and began heading toward the nearest edge of town... However the conversation had not gone unnoticed! Various secret cameras all over town monitored the Anthro Animals activities... "Did you hear what that Rat said?" Said one "Said having dreams of...Wanting to leave town and being stopped by invisible walls!" "We've never encountered this problem before!" "We had no way of knowing ESP would develop in the animals!" |
| "So, what do you think is past the town limits?" Jack asked. "Something like what's in those videos?" |
| There was a border of 'Woodland' all around the town to put some distance between the Animals' homes and the very edge of town for reasons Zack and Jack were about to find out. What seemed like more woodland with bushes and trees and sky with clouds above...Zack walked right into it! And the area bumped into...The images wiggled a little bit like the disturbed image of a TV screen! "Holy Moly!" Zack exclaimed as he touched the wall and realized what it was "It's a TV Screen! A giant TV Screen!" |
| "Why would someone do that?" Jack asked. "Film one section of a woodland to make it look like it belonged to another location? That, and the power bill would be high." He looked around. "How many?" |
| They began feeling around on this TV Screen wall...It kept extending to both sides and up as Jack tested by hopping as far as he could hop...A chill went down their spines as they both began to get the feeling that the sky above them was no real sky at all just a TV Screen programmed to show the 'sun' moving through the sky in accordance with nature and then showing the night sky when it was supposed to be night...But that left so many questions! If they had no sky...Where did the weather like rain and snow come from? Meanwhile the observers were beginning to panic... "A rat and rabbit have discovered the boundry!" "Should we have them eliminated like previous examples?" "No!" Came a deeper voice on the PA system "Some of the older animals remember the previous specimens who mysteriously vanished...If we kill these two teenagers it will set off alarm bells in the senior citizens that what happened to their peers was not a mere accident...We must go about this...Delicatly..." |
| "I think that we should tell someone about this," said Jack. "Heard a story or two about someone that vanished, without a trace. This might help to explain a few things. I think we get someone trustworthy in the law enforcement and fire departments to look into this. Still, if stupid movies have taught me anything - we need proof that something is going on. Let's see if we can bring one or more of these things down." |
| Jack rubbed his chin as he thought about who to tell first... "I think we should tell Mrs. Tortimer first..." Jack said "...That Tortoise is the oldest animal in town so she probably has the best idea of what's going on." |
(Don't you mean Zack?  I suppose that's the danger of rhyming names.)"But, first things first, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but we need to take one or more of these things," said Jack. |
| I meant Jack because the Rabbit seemed the more...Sociable of the two where Zack was kind of a loner and a punk who doesn't get along as well with the adults So meanwhile as the humans monitored Zack and Jack's actions...A very old man was sitting in his chair twiddling his fingers... "It's not yet time..." He said to himself "...The animals are not yet ready to be revealed to the public." |
| Name: Fina Draw Age: 15 Species: Black Panther Gender: Female Likes: Flowers, cooking, sketching wildlife, gaming, and playing acoustic guitar Dislikes: Bullies and the orphanage Bio: Living in the orphanage since birth, Gina Draw has always been shy around others. Infact, this was her first real year to start school. "Um... Maybe you shouldn't." Walking out of a stray shadows, the two spot a new student, Fina Draw, walk to them. |
| "What are you talking about?" Zack asked All the humans watching held their breath they had no idea what the Panther was about to do... |
| "This is evidence that proves that someone, or something, has been lying to us," said Jack. "Makes one wonder what is true, or real." |
| Rubbing her head from a rising headache, Fina began to think. "To think, I came out here to draw... Think about it, if we remove it, whatever, or whoever, set this up may come after us. Or worse our friends, family?" |
| "Um..." Zack said "...I did just realize...This...TV wall...If it extends in all directions and even the sky is part of this one big TV wall...Then how do we...Takes pieces of it? If it's one big screen taking off a piece might cause the whole thing to blow up." |
| "Then, what do you think we should do?" Jack asked. "No one will believe us without evidence." |
| Walking up, Fina placed a hand on the screen, just being a bit curious as she felt a bit of a shock from the static. Why don't we t-try and research it a-a bit? Find any clues about who, or what put these here?" |
| Zack thought "Do any of you have camcorders?" He asked "Maybe if we could film ourselves bumping into the sky to show that it's not real..." |
| "Yeah, I do." Pulling her phone out, Fina turned her camera to record and stood at the ready. "So, um... Who wants to be the fool? Hehe... he?" |
| Zack kind of felt bad for Fina he knew she was an orphan but didn't think much of her because she had come off as such a wallflower at school...Or perhaps it would be accurate to say shadow... So as Fina and Jack filmed with their phones, Zack touched the screen again and again showing he couldn't go past and instead the screen just had a 'wavy pattern' every time he bumped into it... Jack looked at Fina and remembering she was an orphan he suddenly remembered if the ones who went missing some time ago were two Panthers... |
| "We can only hope." Looking to the time, Fina realized she had to leave if she wanted to make it back to the orphanage before curfew. "Well, I-I guess I'll see you two to-tomorrow." As she put her phone away, she never seen the picture of her parents fall out of her pocket as she left and disappeared into the woods. |
| Thankfully as Zack and Jack were about to head back to town themselves Zack stepped on the picture (And all the animal people have bare feet, for some reason shoes drive them crazy) Quickly reconized of the feeling of the thing he was stepping on and both the Rat and the Rabbit were able to see what the picture because they both had good night vision...Even if they knew now that wasn't the actual moon and stars up in the 'sky' Jack looked at Zack "I think we should go to Miss Tortimer first before we do anything else..." |
| Arriving back at the orphanage, Fina entered just a couple of minutes before curfew. "Few. Made it with time to spare." Walking up the stairs, she lowered a secondary stair case leading to the attic, finding peace in her room. Turning on the light, she sat at her desk before looking at the footage she took. "Does this make us friends?" |
| Zack and Jack finally made it to the home of old Mrs. Tortimer the Tortoise Widow, she was sitting in the rocking chair on her porch. |
| "Well, what do we have here?" she asked. "Well, we have some questions," said Jack. |
| Humming, Mrs. Tortimer gestured for the two to have a seat and made a couple of glasses of tea with cookies. "Now then, what questions do you need answered?" |
| Zack looked at Jack to do the talking because he knew the Rabbit was better at speaking than he was. "Um..." Jack said "...This might come off as an odd question but have you ever heard of anyone going...Missing?" Mrs. Tortier sighed "It's happening again..." |
| "It's happened before," the turtle said. "Someone goes past the town limits, and then they vanish." "Do you know what's going on?" Jack asked. The turtle shuddered. "Aliens of some sort," she said. "Tall yellow and or white creatures. They grab you and take you away." "How do you know about their color?" Jack asked. "I saw what happened to some that tried to explore the outside," the turtle said. "I saw them get taken. I had been in my garden shed, looking for something, when I heard the noise. I watched through the window, and saw those creatures come and take them. There was nothing I could do - it's not like I'm fast, or got teeth and claws, or horns, or anything I could have used to save them." |
| "In fact, the two in this picture were investigating the disappearance. They were a husband and wife with a little girl. The poor dear..." Taking a sip of her tea, Mrs. Tortimer shuddered a bit. "The both of them left there daughter at the orphanage as they went to investigate the areas of the disapearences, only they never came back." |
| Zack and Jack looked at each other both felt fear they were really in for it now! Meanwhile the Old Man knew he had to do something but feared if he did the same thing as before the Animals would all figure it out and there would be mass revolt! |
| "What do you think these aliens do?" Jack asked. The turtle looked at him. "I can think of a dozen things, none of them nice, and certainly not fit for children to think on." |
| Thinking about all they theard, both Zack and Jack bid Ms. Tortimer goodbye, leaving her to enjoy her night. |
| As Zack went home to his family his Mom was stirring a pot of stew (Zack just realized no one has ever questioned where meat for the carnivores and omnivores came from, as far as everyone knew it just appeared on the grocery store shelves) "Good evening Zack..." His Mom said obviously relations were strained at the moment because of Zack lousy performance in school |
| Jack managed to make it to his home, and watched one of the Jackie Chan movies he had. In it, Jackie Chan's character was talking to someone dressed in a white outfit, which made them look very big and bulky, and more alien than what the humans already looked like. "Is that the type of outfit Ms. Tortimer was talking about?" he asked himself. |
| At the orphanage, Fina just finnished her homework along with her dinner, but began to review the video she filmed earlier with Jack and Zack. "Why do I get the feeling I seen this before...?" |
| Meanwhile the Old Man decided this time to instead send some large spider shaped robots who could make nets "I want you to only capture, not kill." The Man told the robots "These Beasts have very good noses for the stench of death..." |
| "I wonder what's going on," Jack said, as he looked at the outfit on the film. |
| The next day, Fina was just arriving at school, still wondering about the other day. "Wonder if my parents... Could they of managed to go beyond that wall...?" Reaching into her coat pocket, she took notice of something missing. "Wait, what the? Where did it go? Did I drop it?" |
| Then she also noticed Zack wasn't in school! The Rat had been kidnapped from his bed in the middle of the night by the spider robots originally the other one was going to get Jack but Zack put up such a struggle even chewing through the first one's net, you know what they say about cornered rats that both of them had to work together to bring in Zack... |
| "I wonder where Zack is?" Jack asked, looking around. "Not like him to be late without saying something." |
| "Hm... Actually? Is it just me..." Looking around, Fina felt her fur stand up a bit from a strange feeling. "Or do you feel like something, or someone, is watching us? Unknown to the two, a few spider bots took up positions outside the school grounds, waiting for a opportuninity to strike. |
| When Zack finally came to he quickly realized he was strapped to a cold metal table and his wrists and ankles were bound. "Oh...Crud..." Zack said remembering what had happened the previous night with the two spider robots in his room and his struggles able to free himself from the nets they tried to put him in with his sharp teeth eventually led to them knocking him out with a sediative |
| "Kids and their stupid toys," the landscaper said, as the lion swung their hoe, and smashing one of the robots. "Someone thinks that they can use them to do something illegal." A second robot tried to move, only for a screwdriver to pierce its operating systems, due to an excellent throw. As for the third, it left. "Hey Bob, what's with the ruckus?" the principal, an elephant, called out, sticking their head out the window, and saw the mess. "Someone brought some funny toys that were doing something illegal," said Bob. "Just don't get us sued," the elephant said. "That looks expensive." |
| At the end of the day, both Jack and Fina watched as a transport truck hauled away with the smashed robots. Scratching her chin, Fina wondered what went on. "Don't see that everyday." |
| Meanwhile Zack saw an old human man enter the room "Who are you?!" Zack asked "I am simply a guardian..." The Old Man said "...I'm grateful we were at least able to get you, because you seems to be the one who has developed ESP...With your dreams..." |
| "I wonder if those things had something to do with Zack being missing," said Jack. |
| Thinking of Zack, Fina, saw a few spare pieces fall out of the truck and walked over to it. Looking left, then right, she took hold of the parts and placed them in her bag. "Maybe you should go check his place, see if he's there. I could try and figure this stuff out while your doing that." |
| Zack had some weird suction cups placed on his head and the old man was looking at some computers "Maybe it was your ancestors..." He murmured to himself "...Those rats were used in some medical experiments..." |
| At the ophanage, Fina made her way to her room in the attic, letting the workers know she was gonna be busy with something important as she began to take the mechanical spider apart. "Okay, got the legs off. Now for the head. |
| When Jack reached Zack's house he saw the house was in a terrible state Zack's mother was inconsolable sitting with her head in Zack's Dad's lap while Zack's younger twin siblings Brother Bink and sister Dink (Yeah the parents kind of phoned it in when naming the twins) Were sitting quietly by themselves worried they were going to be kidnapped too |
| With Fina, she just Finnished deconstruction of the weird robot spider. "Hm... No manufacturer name, code, or serial number..." |
| Meanwhile Zack realized he needed to ask why for all this even though he might be killed "Why..." The Rat-Boy said "...Why change us like this and do all this?" "You are an experiment..." The Old Man said "...Humans nearly destroyed themselves and their world with a war so we uplifted different species and had you live in that society to see if different species could get along peacefully." |
| When Jack got to the old turtle's place, he found her with some visitors over. "You sure about it?" she said, talking to a bat. "Got the abduction recorded and everything," said the bat. "That, and the incident at the school. I think that we might be able to do something now. Wish that I could have saved the rat though." "Let's hope that the kid is still alive." |
| It was just five hours later, and Fina had fully rebuilt the machine, and watching as it currently was acting like a puppy dog. "Okay... Didn't expect that that to happen." |
| The Old Man continued "Our hopes were to prove if all species both predators and prey could live side by side then surely so can the different races of man!" |
| Jack looked at Mrs. Tortimer. "Um, what's going on?" The turtle looked at him. "You're not the only one trying to gather proof about what's been going on," she said. "Between your friend's abduction and the incident at the school, Might get enough folks who would be willing to fight, and not just pretend to ignore the oddities, like where carnivores get their meat from." "Tell me it's not like that Soylent Green movie," said Jack. "I don't believe so," the turtle said. |
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