The Future Will Change

About an hour later at the TV station in middle of the city…

Aria had gotten out of her car wearing a hoodie that covered her sharky features. Her skin tone was now a slate gray but her multi-colored hair was still the same.

Meanwhile, Aidon had driven to the address that Aria had provided and met up with her there as he parked his SUV nearby. He, Luna, and Aoife would all get out to meet her.

“...damn,” Aoife gave a worried frown as soon as she saw the condition Aria was in. “Looks like it hit you pretty hard. But it seems like you’ve managed to hold onto your sanity.”

“Yeah thanks,” Aria rolled her eyes, “Come on, we need to get inside quickly before anyone sees us.”

The group hurried towards the TV station where Aria called up her friend. A small building on a street corner at the edge of the city near a radio tower where the signal was broadcast from. They were let inside, and met with a young man who had recently been turned into a chipmuk!

“...hey, Cable, I--” Aria glared at him, then took off her hood. “...damn, it looks like it got to you, huh?”

“Yeah,” Cable sighed and shook his head, “As soon as you called and asked me about what was going on, I knew I wasn’t crazy. The fact that I’ve been turned into a munk is…” He looked at his paw-hands, then up at everyone else, “...yeah.”

“We need to be quick,” Aria went on as he walked up to his desk, “Where did the signal for Enchanted Torment even come from? Was it submitted from a company or an individual? Details, buddy.”

Cable opened a filing cabinet at his desk and looked through it. “...no idea. Looks as if it just appeared out of nowhere one day. Must have been broadcast from somewhere else.”

“Damn,” Aria grumbled.

“But we can still see what we can find at my terminals,” Cable suggested, “Follow me.”

Everyone followed the chipmunk guy to the terminals in the back of the TV station beyond where the streaming server’s supercomputers were located. There, upon several computer monitors, Cable would type to bring up information about Enchanted Torment.

“That’s odd,” he muttered out of confusion as he adjusted his glasses to get a better look at the screens, “Nothing’s really coming up for this. This hasn’t ever happened before.”

Aoife tilted her head at the screens and tried to look for any abnormalities within them. An average joe like Cable wouldn’t be able to pick up on it, but an experienced paranormal investigator like her had seen this sort of thing before.

“Hrm…” In particular, she noticed her compass device twitching violently towards the upper-right monitor.

Aidon noticed how deep in thought the oni gal was, and spoke up. “Ms. Aogami? Do you see anything out of the ordinary?”

“Somethin’ like that,” the oni stepped forward and past Aria. She then looked at the chipmunk guy, “Say, love. Wouldja mind openin’ that file for me in the uppa-right?”

Cable turned and was met with the oni gal’s ripped set of blue abs, then looked up and noticed her…rather well-endowed chest, but quickly shook his head to avoid staring. “I-I uh…yes. No problem!”

Aria scoffed at this, noting how quick Cable was to react to Aoife’s request. ‘Oh sure, he suddenly starts figuring things out when Ms. Floatation Devices shows up.’

Once Cable found the file that Aoife had asked about, the oni stepped forward and tapped the screen…

ZAP!

“Ah!” She immediately pulled her hand back upon feeling a sting from the screen’s interface. “Damn thing’s got magic imbued in it. It must be the source of the curse.”

“What do you intend to do?” Luna asked.

“Smash it to bits and break the curse, obviously,” Aoife commented as she cracked her knuckles.

But just before she could even executed her idea--

The screens flickered and revealed what appeared to be a hooded figure with a white, ghost-like mask covering their face on each individual monitor. Their voice was distorted as if altered by a voice changer.

“I don’t think you should do that.”

Everyone paused and looked up at the monitor out of confusion. Was this the individual behind the curse in the first place.

“Oi! Who in the snuff are you?!” Aoife shouted.

“Are you the one that’s turning people into furries?” Aria asked, “If so, why?”

The masked individual would continue.

“I know about the public’s perception of magical creatures and mutated beings. They’re all so weak and feeble-minded. Easily falling victim to the little crumbs of hype and sensationalism they can get their grubby little hands on. Like wild animals rummaging for food…”

“Self-indulgent bellend--” Aoife grit her teeth, “Quit talkin’ in riddles dammit! Explain yourself!”

The distorted voice would cut right to the point. “If you wish. Then so be it. I’m looking to conduct an experiment of sorts. To see how animals like humans react when their own kind are turned into beasts. It’s going to be a fun time. After all, humans are so preoccupied by their screens, their devices--they sit at home and merely wish to substitute real experience through fantasy. Video games, television, fanfiction…it’s all a farce.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Aidon yelled, “You blindly assume all humans are the same. What does that make you? In fact, who even are you?!”

The voice hesitated for a moment when they noticed Aidon, and continued, “Who I am is irrelevant. But I think you’ll find out soon. After all, there isn't much fun without a chase. You all have seven days. I will be sending you instructions with clues to track me down...if you can. In the meantime, good luck and we'll see who comes out as apex predator.”