Chapter Text
BACK TO INTERN’S POV
Ever since the Mimic’s attack, Intern had done all they could to keep away from the reception office. They had even volunteered to load boxes sent from the Animal Corporation, containing medicines, ointment, and antidotes for different treatments. Following that horrible incident, Intern had to be patched up until half their face and torso were wrapped with bandages. They felt the bandages were too tight, and the pain was a constant ache, like a broken bone that had healed the wrong way.
On good days, Intern could move around freely and even walk into the Reception Office confidently and snatch a cup of coffee (Secretary taught him what it was for) and rush out, trying to avoid Secretary’s questioning, and sometimes, even hurt gaze.
However, on other days, Intern had to limp around the hospital, and the coffee seemed to take forever to drip into the jar. It got so bad that Intern’s vision started to blur and fuzz around the edges, and the posters pasted around the medical and treatment rooms seemed to take in....a weird, almost eerie appearance.
That black cat sitting down, wearing a doctor’s coat. Its face was smeared black with chalk, and someone had scribbled two eerie eyes on the black patch.
Or the orange, slightly chubby tabby. His eyes were glowing red, with the messy scrawl reading ‘DON’T wash your hands’ above him.
It was unnerving, eerie, and just uncanny.
Intern didn’t like it, especially since today was a bad day. A very bad day.
A headache throbbed in Intern’s skull, and the aching pain in their face and their torso had worsened. They struggled to draw a full breath, and every time they stretched on their hind paws to reach the high shelves, a stabbing pain would shoot through their chest, and they would wince.
They pressed a paw on their head, squeezing their eyes shut. They were unaware of the presence of Secretary in front of them until a cold hoof tapped them on the paw.
They lifted their head, staring at Secretary. The lavender sheep pushed a cup of coffee to them, looking concerned. A patient waited...patiently, although an annoyed look was starting to come over his face.
“You look awful,” Secretary mumbled, averting his eyes. “Drink this.”
Intern accepted the coffee gratefully, their bobtail wagging. “Thank you.”
They had gotten better at speaking. (yay!)
Secretary smiled slightly. Then his smile faded. He raised a hoof to his fluffy lavender wool on his head, a habit that Intern noticed he did when he was stressed or wanted to ask a question.
“Hey, uh-”
“Hurry up! I’m getting impatient!”
Secretary closed his eyes for a moment before returning to the counter. He stamped the patient’s form, snapped his photo, looked at it, and flinched.
“Sir, you are a cat, yes?” His voice was calm, but underneath that coat was a tremble.
The brown-and-white tomcat rolled his eyes, looking at his claws, which glinted in the light.
“What does it look like?”
Intern swallowed nervously. They edged out of the office, the office door behind them; their paw clasped on the doorknob.
Secretary rolled his eyes, but his hoof moved to the taser located in his pocket.
“Intern,” He sounded very serious.
“Yes?”
“Lock the door.”
Intern did as they were told.
Secretary moved sideways to the red button, then slammed his hoof on it. The patient stared at them, dumbfounded.
The shutters slammed shut with a metallic clang.
There was eerie silence where Secretary’s hoof was tightly held on the taser, his eyes never leaving the door.
Then a growling, deep voice penetrated the silence.
“You might’ve stolen my chance for a meal, but we’ll always be back.” The voice lowered to a snarl.
Secretary turned to Intern, who was about to barge through the door and bolt.
He raised a hoof to his lips.
Quiet.
Intern’s paw trembled on the doorknob. Then, faintly, they heard the shuffling, thudding pawsteps on the carpet as the ‘patient’ left, growling.
Secretary sighed, then pressed the plastic button, which caused the shutters to slide back up.
Disaster evaded.
“That was close,” Secretary mused, smiling.
Intern blinked. They disliked how stressful this was, how they felt that every choice they made was about to be a mistake, which could end up in blood and flashing teeth, and slime dripping on the floor.
The time had come for them to decide.
Secretary fidgeted with his hooves.
“So...” He asked, casting his eyes downward. “When are you going to check in the patients with me again?”
Intern pinned their ears back, trying their best to look as guilty as they could with their perpetual smile and their dotted eyes. They swallowed uncomfortably.
“Secretary...I decided something.” Intern growled.
Secretary’s teardrop-shaped ears angled forward, his eyes sharp with interest.
“I don’t really want to check in patients anymore.” Intern avoided looking at Secretary’s face.
All was quiet.
“...oh.”
Intern looked up, alarmed. It really sounded as though Secretary was trying his best to not burst into tears.
I can still check them in if you want me to! Intern signed frantically, watching Secretary’s eyes train their movements.
I’d just not prefer to.
Secretary shook his head. Even though they didn’t understand, they got the gist of what Intern was trying to portray.
“No, no, I get it,” Secretary said. However, his smile wavered a little. “I totally got it. It's a dangerous job. Though I wish you’d stay. It's...lonely in here without Nyx.”
Intern tilted their head at the unfamiliar name. “Who?"
Secretary’s eyes widened as he realized what he had said. “Shit! Nothing, nothing! It was nothing, I promise....”
Intern’s ears were grated uncomfortably at the crudeness of his speech. They shrugged their shoulders, the light grey sweater warm against their short, thick fur. They decided not to probe any harder than they needed to.
But that name still stuck with them.
***
“First day on the job! Woohoo!”
Nurse’s happy bark assailed Intern’s ears as they shyly handed herbs over to the salmon dog, where her tail was wagging into a frenzy.
“Wait until you meet Paramedic! He’s always holed up in the Surgery room or the emergency wing. I remember him patching you up when you got shredded by that Mimic!”
Intern quirked a wider smile (Not possible hell nah) to hide their discomfort.
Nurse force-fed the patient waiting on the bed for the herbs, which she mixed with two spoonfuls of maple syrup. When the patient had chugged down three glasses of water to dilute the bittersweet taste, she turned to Intern with a bright smile on her muzzle; canines bared.
Intern was reminded of the Mimic.
“You know what? Since there are no patients that need treatment right now, why don’t you go visit Paramedic? Go on! He’s probably in room 8!”
Intern, having nothing to do, had no choice but to nod and agree.
They stepped out of room 5, crossing the hallways; tiles cool under his paws. They spied the shopkeeper nurse sliding the shutters shut, sighing about having a ‘long day’. Maybe it was true. They had worked the morning, afternoon, and evening shift after all.
Soon, they reached the Emergency wing, where a constant air of fear and urgency hung in the atmosphere, making it stifling and unsettling.
Intern walked until Room 8, the surgery room. It was dark turquoise, lined by three long white counters lined with antibiotics, scalpels, scissors, and bandages.
And amid it, cleaning IV surgical lights, beside a power generator, was the paramedic.
“...hello?”
Paramedic was a light brown, deer-like creature who wore a dark green ambulance uniform under a lighter green sleeveless shirt and an open neon green vest with pockets and an additional chest pocket. Wrapped around his neck was a black stethoscope. His face featured slit eyes, and his mouth was covered by a blue surgical mask. On his head were two big antlers, slightly more vibrant than his skin color.
He turned around, his muzzle and nose hidden by a blue surgical mask.
“Oh, hello,” he said. He was polite to a fault, but his eyes quirked up, signaling that he was smiling. “I remember you. I patched you up.”
Intern waved with their paw, trying to sound thankful. “Yes. I don’t want to check in anymore, so I... I want to volunteer to be an animal who cures patients.”
“Sure.” Paramedic waved a hoof, which was holding a sheet of wet wipes. “We need more hires, too.”
Intern perked up. “Really? You mean it?”
Paramedic nodded, his graceful antlers catching the light. “Yep. Hopefully there won’t be any emergencies soon...” His face became worried before pulling down his mask.
“There had better not be any, since we don’t have Nyx anymore-”
The deer slapped a hoof over his mouth.
Intern blinked, their ears perking up. They stared at Paramedic with one good eye.
Nyx. The familiar name sparked curiosity.
Intern wanted to learn more. They had to play along. If not, the hospital staff would shut themselves down, aware that they had let something slip.
Intern raised their paws and signed. One of them? Was there another agent?
Paramedic flinched, as if Intern had struck him personally. “No,” he said firmly, his eyes deep pools of a vulnerable secret that he could not bear to unleash. “It's nothing.”
Intern panicked internally. They had to ask the question, to choose their words carefully, or they would never be able to find out who Nyx was. Was he a type of spy, like Secret Agent appeared to be? Or was he something else entirely?
Please, Paramedic. I have to know.
Paramedic froze. There seemed to be a barrage of hard answers passing through the deer’s dark eyes.
“Okay,” Paramedic said, sighing heavily. “You deserve to know. But listen- no matter what I tell you, you must never bring this topic up to Agent. Understand?”
Intern nodded. “Yes.”
“Nyx was the Hospital’s previous Security Guard. He helped Agent look at the cameras. Has Secretary thought you that?”
Intern nodded. The sheep had instructed him all about the cameras, apologizing profusely for his folly which had caused Intern to get hurt.
“Good. It can be tiring for a lone animal in the Office, so Agent dealt with the patients- and anomalies, while Nyx told him if it was an anomaly or not.”
Intern nodded. This seemed normal, even for them. A normal Security guard and a normal Agent. What could go wrong?
A lot, actually.
“Nyx and Agent were very close,” Paramedic continued, looking uncomfortable. “Close close. That kind of thing. Every day they would be caught fooling around in the Office.”
Intern flicked their ears, surprised. They couldn’t imagine a cheerful, laughing Agent.
“The staff, Secretary, Nurse, Head Nurse, were all very fond of the duo. And for a while, the Hospital had peace.”
“Until...” Paramedic forced the words out of his throat. “Until Nyx got killed. By a Mimic.”
Intern froze. What the heck?
“It was a normal day,” Paramedic said, voice trembling. “Agent and Nyx were together, as always, in the Office. They worked diligently, but the coffee machine broke.”
“Coffee keeps us working. It helps us to push through the night shift. But since it wasn’t working today, Nyx and Agent soon got tired. And... unbeknownst to them, they accidentally let a Mimic in. That Mimic was very good at disguise. It got past the cameras. Or maybe Nyx was too sluggish and forgot to check.”
“In Room 7, when Nyx was alone, the Mimic pounced on him. It took him by surprise, and he couldn’t move away in time. And he-” Paramedic shook his head. “By the time Agent realized something was wrong, it was too late. Nyx...he was barely alive. He died...apologizing to Agent and the staff. He...he passed in his best friend’s paws.”
Intern was horrified. They had a paw over their mouth, and even though they had a perpetual smile on their face, their shock was evident.
Intern shook their head. They tried to offer words of condolence, but nothing seemed to come out, via words or signs.
Paramedic, who had sensed their horror, sighed gravely. “It was a tragic accident, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of. It's just a reminder of how we must always be careful.”
Intern broke through their dread-induced brain fog. Do you keep photographs of Nyx?
Paramedic nodded, though it took some effort to do so. “In the cupboard under the Reception Office’s table, that table bordering the check-in-window. The cupboard where Secretary keeps the anomaly photographs.”
Intern nodded. “Thanks.”
Paramedic watched them go. “You’re welcome.”
He didn’t tell anyone, but he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
***
Intern hurried to the Reception Office; driven by an urgency they had never felt before.
They rounded the corner and skidded.
And slammed into a wall of black fur and crisp white fabric.
Intern let out a very un-rabbitlike yelp.
“Watch where you’re going,” a cool voice said.
Agent stood over them, his yellow eyes cold. Intern flattened their ears, which was not very possible for both since half of their face was bandaged tightly.
“Sorry!” They apologized, flustered.
Agent said nothing, just gave them a hard once-over, before stepping over them. Intern felt Agent’s shadow pass over them, and the tip of his tail brushed the top of Intern’s head.
After the cold feline disappeared from Intern’s point of view, the flustered rabbit got to their paws, dusting their light grey sweater down.
It hurt to breathe.
Intern hurried into the Reception Office, where Secretary was lounging in the metal chair. He flicked an ear in Intern’s direction, acknowledging their presence.
“If you’re looking for coffee, I’m drinking it. But I’m not saliva conscious.”
Intern shook their head. Instead, they crouched down beside Secretary, who looked in their direction, but did not say anything. Intern’s lungs ached. The sharp pain intensified when they knelt, but they ignored it and instead pulled out a rusted metal drawer. Sticking their paw in, they grabbed a random bunch of photos and pulled them out with a little too much force.
“Oh sh-” (Hooray Intern can curse)
Intern felt on their back. Wheezing, they propped themselves up on their paws, shaking.
They had struck gold. In their right paw was a bunch of photographs.
And they all had a light grey cat accompanied with a black cat. Whether it was them toasting over coffee, or laughing until their bellies hurt, the pale-furred feline was always seen with the black cat.
Agent. And Nyx.
Intern pointed to the photo.
“This is Nyx, isn’t it?”
Secretary’s eyes were wide behind the glasses. He shook his head.
“How did you know?”
“Paramedic told me everything.”
Secretary rubbed his face with his hoof, groaning. “Of course he did.” He fixed Intern with a serious look. “Intern, you must never ever talk to Agent about Nyx. Never.”
Intern nodded. They looked back down at the photos, saw how the duo looked so purely happy together.
Can I look through these?
“Sure,” Secretary mumbled, turning back to the check-in window. “Just don’t look at them when Agent’s around.”
Intern begin to flip through the photos, pausing at each one to observe them carefully.
Agent ruffling Nyx’s head fur, while Nyx tried to dodge his paw.
Nyx, seemingly breathless with laughter, after Agent tased the plant instead of the ‘patient.’
Agent, with a soft expression where Intern never thought was possible on the black feline’s face, while he raised a cup of coffee in Nyx’s direction.
Intern twitched an ear, silently laughing inside at those sweet photos.
They had never looked close enough before, but now, Nyx looked a little like Head Nurse. (No they are not related in any way.) He had soft, almost white colored fur, like fresh snow. The tips of his ears were a pale, icy grey, and so was half of his long, winding tail. His eyes were the shade of fresh greens springing up from the ground during spring, and a fang poked out when he smiled.
Intern felt a stab of affection. They continued looking through the photos, shaking their head in affection or simply wagging their bobtail.
Secretary also smiled to himself. Everything seemed peaceful, where a rabbit and a sheep shared a moment of simple quietness and reveled in the simplicity of looking through a lost one’s photos, reliving memories of them through captured smiles and laughter.
Of course, that was, until Agent walked in.
The room seemed to freeze over.
His piercing yellow eyes swept through the room, landing on the photos in Intern’s paws, then raking painfully slowly over to Secretary, who had frozen.
Intern was stunned. How had Agent walked in so quietly? Maybe it was a feline thing.
That’s not the time to think about it right now, Intern scolded themself.
Agent’s eyes hardened. His voice was a low snarl. His claws slid out, puncturing the wood of the door. The feline’s calm demeanor was replaced by a fierce predator, ready to pounce and maim its prey.
Secretary mouthed words at Intern.
We are so dead.
“Where the hell did you get those photos?”