Chapter 6: Animo?
"Rose! Hurry up will ya?" Ben pounded loudly on the bathroom's door from the outside. He was giving me a headache.
"Aren't there like a thousand other bathrooms you can go to in the Plumber's Headquarters?" I asked, washing the shampoo from my head. This wasn't the bathroom inside my room but that was because mine was malfunctioning and throwing flames instead of water - I don't know if I should feel concerned about the fact that what I just thought wasn't weird at all to me. Anyway, it was being fixed and in the meantime I had to use the other ones.
"Yes but all of the other ones are either occupied or under repair!" Seriously? How can something like that happen?
"Sorry Ben, this bathroom is occupied too!" I said. I heard him almost cry out.
"Come on Rose! I really have to use the bathroom!" He started pounding nonstop on the door, making my mood lower with each hit.
"Ben, what are you doing?" I heard Rook's voice - barely over Ben's whines and loud noises.
"He's pestering! Take him away!" I yelled, hoping Rook would actually do something about him.
"She's been in there for hours!"
"I have not! You're exaggerating!"
"You have!"
"Ben, the bathroom that is on Blukic and Driba's room is unoccupied." I felt an eyebrow twitch.
"What? But they told me it needed to be repaired!"
"From what I know it is under perfect conditions." I should've known those two Galvans were behind this. The stupidest geniuses ever - maybe not even far enough to be classified as geniuses.
"Wait till I get my hands on them!" I sighed. How is it that I've actually grown used to this already?
"Rose, remember our training session." Oh, right. Anything could be easier to get used to compared to training.
"I don't think it's that easy to forget Rook!" I had to yell so he could hear me over the running water. My joints are still sore from last time...
Crrrk!
"Ow...seriously Rook, I don't even do sports...this training is gonna be the end of me." I whined out as I cracked my back again.
"Do you not think you are...exaggerating a bit Rose?" Rook asked with a small smirk as he munched on his...I forgot the name, it was very, very weird and the food wasn't far from it. Honestly if I hadn't seen the contents of the box, I would've thought he was eating Chinese food.
"No...of course not! You're just saying that because you're used to it." I retorted, stretching out my legs.
"Do you not come from an island?" I raised a brow at him as he continued eating.
"Uh...yeah? What about it?"
"I thought that agriculture was something very used in those regions." I gave out a sarcastic laugh.
"Rook, where I come from we've become almost ninety-something percent dependent on shipments from the United States. Agriculture has been long forgotten almost everywhere there." He frowned at me.
"So you did not work?" I felt self aware suddenly. Maybe he thought I was some sort of sloth.
"I did. My parents own a restaurant and as time and economy grew harsher dad couldn't afford many employees so I had to fill in with my mom most of the time." I said. It wasn't such a big deal. I just cleaned and attended a few customers here and there. It sure wasn't easy handling some customers though.
"Really? What kind of restaurant do they have?" I saw interest twinkle in his eyes and smiled slightly. He was one of the few people that actually listened to me around here.
"Seafood."
"Interesting. Not many restaurants utilize only sea creatures for the menu."
"Yeah, my dad is a great cook."
"Oh, your father cooks?"
"He's the only cook." Rook frowned.
"The only one? I thought there were supposed to be more."
"Like I said: he couldn't afford them."
"That is unfortunate."
"At least my brother helps him. I help mom attending the customers and cleaning everything."
"Then you have never handled anything regarding earthly products?"
"Actually, when I was little, with my grandpa." I glared ahead as I remembered something. "He and my brother wouldn't let me do much just because I was a girl." I frowned, crossing my arms and pouting slightly. "He got all the fun." I looked up then but made a double-take as I caught Rook grinning down at me. "What?"
"You really are a strange earthling." I felt flustered.
"Why is that?" I asked cautiously - I may not loose my temper easily, but you should always be careful of what you say to a girl.
"Most earth females I have seen would not enjoy anything that could get them dirty." I grinned back now.
"'Most'. I'm with the 2.7% that don't mind it as much. That doesn't mean I would enjoy something like a trip down the sewers though." We both shuddered at the same time. The sewers were not a pretty place. Especially when you know just where the liquid down there came from. Suddenly I gasped and covered my mouth, patting Rook on the back. "Sorry! I forgot you were eating!" It's very rude to talk about such nasty things while somebody is eating - I know I wouldn't be happy.
"It is alright Rose, I simply try not to think about it too much." I scratched the back of my head, about to say something else when the door to my right opened.
"So this whole time you guys've been just sitting here eating...?" Ben started to complain as soon as he put a foot inside.
"My Sishen Swanpoppers. Would you like some?" I raised a finger.
"I wasn't eating. I was waiting for my food." I looked at Ben expectantly while he just made a face at Rook's choice of food.
"You and grandpa Max...couldn't you had given me a little help out there?" He started opening the bag slowly, a bag that I was glancing at pointedly.
"You should've said something." Rook replied. My eyes stayed glued to the Burger Shack brown bag.
"Like what?" Open it...I'm hungry!
"Like: 'Rook, Rose, help me.'?" I looked at Rook briefly when he said my name but returned my attention to the bag.
"Well I didn't need help I- hey!" I grabbed the bag, ignoring Ben's protest and opened it up, expecting to see two neat burgers and my cheese fries. My nose scrunched up and I pushed the bag into Ben's chest.
"Dude that is gross! What happened to the food?" Ben looked inside and an exasperated expression crossed his face.
"Aw man! Look at this!" He pulled out a hand and I almost barfed at how nasty the ice cream looked mixed with the cheese and fries, backing up against Rook - who also looked slightly unnerved. "There's chili cheese fries over the burgers and hot fudge Sunday over the whole thing!" Suddenly he brought it to his mouth. I covered my own mouth and closed my eyes. That is disgusting... "Not bad."
"Rose, are you alright?" I heard Rook ask me, his voice was extremely close because I had almost sat on him. Realizing this I went back to my original place.
"I don't know which one is worse: the stuff Rook eats or Ben's eating habits." I saw them both looking at me. I looked at Rook's food, then at Ben's chili covered face. "Nah, Ben is worse." He gaped at me.
"Are you kidding me? The stuff Rook and grandpa Max eat are way worse!"
"We humans are all addicted to junk food, the difference I make is the way we eat them...trust me their real nature is revealed." Ben looked at me weirdly. He totally didn't get it.
"You have a very good point." Rook said.
"Whatever." I patted Ben's back only to receive a glare. I only grinned back. "Lately I've been getting attacked by more monsters than Tokyo."
"I thought that was normal." I glanced at Rook, then at Ben. I'm still hungry...
"These things aren't normal. I mean who would want to sick freaky monsters on me?" I was about to comment about being hungry but Rook said something that left me staring.
"Dude! Who wouldn't want to sick freaky monsters on you?" The um...accent you could say didn't sound the way it should. I blinked. Did he just say that? I noticed how his expression fell when he glanced at the two of us. "I've...been working on my conversational earthling." Suddenly I felt very, very bad. He was trying to fit in. Just like I was trying so very hard to fit into this new alien world. He was trying to be normal. I was trying to be abnormal. Weird.
"Don't worry Rook, it was...pretty good." I smiled encouragingly up at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He smiled back. Now that I think of it...I guess were kind of even. He praises me as much as he can when we train - I know he only does it to make me feel better - and now I praise him for trying out our slang-talk. It can be hard.
"Wait a minute...there is one nut-ball who totally does the mutant creature thing." We both turned to look at him. He grinned. "Dr. Animo." Animo?
"Dr...Animo?" I looked up at Rook with a confused stare, thinking he would know who he was, but then he said that. Guess I'm not the only one behind.
"Yeah. Guy's been after me since I was little." Rook started pressing things in the screen that was on the dashboard. "Freaky frogs, mutant bats, prairie dogs, name it."
"I'm not familiar with this 'nut-ball' of which you speak, but a Dr. Animo is currently in a holding cell in Plumbers Headquarters."
We started driving back to headquarters. I kept tapping my foot. I was hungry but didn't want to impose-
"Are you alright Rose?"
"Yeah, that leg of yours is starting to bug me." I looked down and realized that I was moving my right leg which was closer to Ben's.
"Sorry. I'm just...never mind." I felt dumb for not telling them.
"What? Don't tell me you're scared of Animo." I moved my head slowly to look at Ben. A smug grin was on his face.
"I don't even know the guy." I said monotonously.
"Aw, don't worry! Rook and I'll protect you!" He slung an arm around my shoulders. I glared at him. (1) Bruto...
"I'm not afraid of whoever that guy is - I'm just hungry because 'you' happened to ruin my food." All the while I said this I kept leaning closer in a sort of threatening way, also I was pretty sure my eyes were glowing - Ben had backed away.
"That wasn't my fault! It was that freaky thing! If you had been there to help me you would still have your food!" I held up a fist almost to his face, lighting it up with blue, crackling energy. He gulped. "Right...totally my fault." I put it back down and crossed my arms. Man...I'm hungry.
"I'm telling you Rook it's gotta be Animo."
"That is what you are telling me."
"When we're done proving that you're wrong Ben, can we get something to eat?"
"Certainly Rose." Rook answered before Ben could.
"I am totally right Rose! You'll see!"
We got into the elevator. While they simply stood in the middle I was leaning against one of the walls, tightly gripping the metal bars behind me so they wouldn't notice my nervousness about elevators. My stomach grumbled so I clutched it. I. Am. So. Darn. Hungry!
The elevator opened and we started walking towards Dr. Animo's holding cell, me ignoring everything they were saying because the rumbles in my stomach distracted me greatly. When the doors to the cell opened however I became more cautious and tried to ignore my empty stomach.
I glanced inside the cell as soon as it opened. This was not what I had been expecting at all. I guess I must've seen too many movies because I was picturing a wall full of scratches and lines counting the days and basically a plain cell. The bunk beads were filled with crazy stuffed animals. On a corner there were two that seemed to have been separated from the rest. One was blue and had a shark head with the typical body a teddy bear would have except for one of the lower legs being two green tentacles. The one next to it was a purplish-pink sort of monster with five eyes and damaged antennas with a little cotton ball at the end of each. "I like stuffed animals...but these really creep me out." I said picking up one from the lower bed.
"What did I tell you guys? The crazy is right in front of us." He grabbed the plush I was holding to make a point.
"Conversely, the prisoner himself, is not." Good point Rook. Ben threw the stuffed 'thing' at him.
"See? I told you he was the one attacking me!"
"The force field has not been tempered with." I imagine Rook was talking about the green door-thingy. Great! I'm starting to sound more like Ben...
"Then there has to be a vent...or an access panel or something. There always is in these places. Why is that anyways? Do they want prisoners to be able to escape?"
"The vents are all sealed with ola-molecular grits." I looked down at the ground in thought after Rook said that.
"Then how in the world did he manage to escape? Besides, this is Plumber's Headquarters, don't they have extensive security?"
"Where are all these ants coming from?" I walked over to Ben and knelt down next to him where a small group of ants were marching from and towards the toilet.
"Ants are very common here on Earth, there are well over two thousand species." Rook said. Dang, I'm from here and I didn't know that.
"...but what are these ants doing...here." He started pushing back the toilet to reveal a secret passage. Ben grinned smugly at me and Rook. "Still think Animo's not the one attacking me?"
"Touché." I said as I crawled behind Ben into the passage. I cried internally as I realized my lunch - better say dinner - would be rescheduled. We went a few ways before we reached the end. I eagerly jumped out, not feeling as eager as I realized where we were.
"Bleh! Seriously? This has got to be a jinx..." I muttered as I pinched my nose.
"Jinx?" Rook asked from behind me.
"It's like when you say: "Things can't get any worse." But right after that something happens. Kind of like bad luck. Just superstition I guess..." Rook nodded in understanding before turning on a light from his Proto-Tool.
"These sanitation ducts run under the whole city. The escaped prisoner could be anywhere."
"Maybe not just anywhere." Ben pointed at the trail of ants. We started following them, making a few turns. My hunger was really hard to forget.
Grrrrrrrr...
I didn't know whether to cry with laughter...or embarrassment. Rook and Ben tensed up and got into fighting positions, expecting some sort of mutation to come from somewhere. I watched for only a second as Rook pointed one way with his Proto-Tool and Ben had his hand over his readied Omnitrix. I slumped, glaring at the two for being such a couple of...boys. I started walking away.
"That was my stomach (2) cabezas de chorlito." They relaxed, looking confused - well, Rook was.
"No way, seriously?" Ben started laughing as they both followed after me - hey, I was following the ants. I rounded a corner, still scowling at Ben's laughter when something in front of me caused me to stop.
"But that's not!" I yelled, hoping they would get the cue to get over here. Too late. I saw the giant ant's mouth open, a strange yellow light glowing inside. Realizing it was going to fire at me I ducked instantly, hearing the boys' yelps. They didn't compare to my shriek of surprise when the ant brought down it's mouth, which went straight through my stomach. I was intangible, but still, it was disturbing. For some reason it made me feel more weirded out when I knew my stomach was literally empty.
"Rose!" I heard Rook yell. Heh, he probably thought I was stabbed. I guess we're even from the stomach-thing, literally. I rolled away from it, leaving it stuck to the ground.
"I'm okay!" The ant's pinchers removed themselves from the ground and it started going for me. "Or not..." I muttered before a black cable tied itself to and around the ant's mouth. I saw Rook was the one trying to hold it back - unfortunately it just cut through and pounced him. "Rook!" I concentrated and fired blue energy beams at it, barely affecting it. "Hey, come on! These things can't be that strong!" I gotta think of something and fast!
(1) Bruto - A word in Spanish that basically means "dumb".
(2) Cabezas de chorlito - It's a Spanish expression for "dumb" or "dummies".