Episode 20: Man In The Mirror

I

628 still felt like he was looking at Hamsterviel. He could still see those burning, desperate eyes.

He blinked and realized he was only looking in a dusty old mirror in the Pelekais' garage. He remembered watching the saurian officers taking away a taciturn Hamsterviel and a bartering Gantu, the words of thanks from the Grand Councilwoman, and the leisurely trip back to Earth with the rescued cousins, Jumba, and Pleakley in tow. However, he remembered it all like a dream. There had been so much. Yet, it seemed there was nothing between the university rooftop and the mirror in the garage.

His ears latched onto the music from the record player beside him, using it to anchor himself in that moment.

"I'm gonna make a change, for once I'm my life,

"It's gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference,

"Gonna make it right..."

"Aloha, cousin."

628 turned to find Lilo and Stitch entering the garage. He remembered squeezing in past Jumba's chaotic array of old inventions. Now his cousins could walk through a barren space. Only a workbench, a computer console, and a few stray contraptions remained, standing considerately at one side.

"Thirsty?" Stitch waved three glasses of lemonade, each in a different hand.

"Oh. Thanks," 628 said, taking one glass in an inky hand and setting it down on the nearby workbench. "I didn't realize how long I'd been in here. Jumba moved his stuff quicker than I thought."

"Heat and Kixx got here early," Lilo said. "So they helped him out." She was holding a plastic bowl filled with scrap pieces of paper.

"What's that?" 628 asked.

"Sorry we kept you waiting. We just needed to collect some names from a few more people."

"Names?"

"Ih," Stitch said. "Youga cousin. Cousins have names, naga numbers."

"Stitch and I were having trouble thinking of one you might like," Lilo said. "There were just so many we thought would work, sort of like how you can change into so many other cousins. So, we thought it'd make sense if all our other cousins thought up a name for you, and then we had you draw one. Then it'll be like you picked it, kind of. And even if you don't like it, you can pick a different one."

"Oh," 628 said. He tried to think of something more interesting to say, but his brain wouldn't cooperate. It kept giving him Hamsterviel's eyes again. Instead, he simply reached into the bowl and drew a name.

When he read it, he felt both underwhelmed and elated. It felt like a rollercoaster was corkscrewing in his gut.

"Leroy," he said.

"Think that was Belle's," Stitch said.

"How come?" Lilo asked.

"Queen. Leroy Brown, youga know?"

"Right. She does like the obscure ones...What do you think, cousin?"

628 didn't answer immediately. He squinted at the name. He didn't know what he was supposed to feel, but he knew there should be something. It was there, but it was fuzzy, like a scrambled signal.

"You don't like it?" Lilo asked.

"I like it," 628 said. "It just...Doesn't feel like me."

"Try again?" Stitch suggested.

"...No. It's not the name that needs changing."

628 thought for a while. He found the music again.

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror,

"I'm asking him to change his ways."

"I think, first," he said, "I need to figure out what Leroy looks like."

"Great idea," Stitch said.

"You need any help?" Lilo asked.

"I don't think so," 628 said. "And anyway, you've already done so much for me...You go ahead and meet with the others. I'll see you soon."

"Sure. Your new look can be a surprise for everyone."

"Yeah."

He found Lilo and Stitch's arms wrapped around him. He could tell that they were having trouble getting a decent hug around an inky mass. Even so, their embrace was warm. He was even sad to be released.

"Pick anything you want," Lilo said. "Have fun with it."

"I'll try."

With that, they left him to his task. They turned around once to call out, "aloha, cousin Leroy!"

No, it still wasn't sticking. Not just yet.

628 went back to the mirror but caught a glimpse of Lilo's desk on the way. There was a thick, sky blue album on it, entitled Cousins in red crayon. He took it to the mirror, flipping through it while looking between his cousins' beaming faces and his own empty visage.

They were all in his head, but as he had gruelingly discovered, what he had in there was incomplete. He had numbers matched to powers and blueprints. It was all useless to him now. The album, however, filled in the blanks. Somewhere, hidden between the pages upon pages of photographs, was Leroy. It was only a matter of luring him out.

"I've been a victim of,

"A selfish kind of love,

"It's time that I realize..."

The first thing 628 noticed was a recurring shape shared by the likes of Stitch, Angel, Flute, Chopsuey, and Sparky. He looked to his reflection, nudging it into a gray version of that same shape. A round nose on an ovular head, complete with two longs ears; this would be his base.

"That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan,

"Could it be really me, pretending that they're not alone?"

Next was the color. He was spoiled for choice. He considered a cool blue like Belle or a deep purple like Kixx or Thresher. However, he felt a certain allure about Daniel's blazing red. His gray fur caught fire, lighting up his new body.

Almost got you, he thought.

"A willow deeply scarred,

"Somebody's broken heart,

"And a washed-out dream..."

He shut his eyes, pouring over all the others he'd seen before. He could have black, blue, yellow, green, or perhaps even something else altogether. Maybe even every color at once.

No, that would look silly. And creepy.

He remembered the music store and the lazy river. He remembered Flute.

He opened his eyes, discovering that Leroy's were a glowing purple.

Of course they were.

"They follow the pattern of the wind, you see,

"'Cause they've got no place to be,

"That's why I'm starting with me!"

Only a few things were missing. Just one or two small yet essential details that would make the Experiment in front of him undeniably Leroy.

He traced the length of his new ears, leaving behind rippling notches along their edges like the undulations of a wave. He thought Leroy would enjoy the water.

He elongated a tuft of fur on his scalp, stretching it until it formed an arrow shape just between his eyes. He blew up at it, and it waved in the air before settling back down. He wondered if Angel would like it.

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror,

"I'm asking him to change his ways!"

Had he done it? Had he found him?

He went to the workbench, getting his glass of lemonade and bringing it back to the mirror.

Almost...

He smiled.

There he was.

"And no message could've been any clearer!"

"Aloha, cousin Leroy," Leroy said, taking a sip.

"If you wanna make the world a better place,

"Take a look at yourself and then make a change!"

The lemonade was delicious.

II

As Leroy left the garage, enjoying the air in his new fur and the dirt under his new feet, he wanted to head straight away to the backyard. He wanted to show everyone the new him as soon as possible.

As much as he wanted that, he couldn't stop thinking about Jumba and the myriad of inventions he'd taken away. He was also intrigued by the putrid, corrosive odor in the distance.

He followed the dirt path from the Pelekais' house, through a maze of palm trees, and into a clearing in the forest. He found Jumba, already having traded his lab coat for an orange Hawaiian shirt that seemed to be struggling to contain him. He faced a wide, sickly green puddle that frothed and seethed as it consumed several metallic remains. Their jagged, bent edges seemed to be reaching out to Jumba, begging to be saved. Jumba paid them no mind.

"Aloha?" Leroy said.

Jumba darted around. His four eyes were dark with befuddlement for barely a second, and then they lit up with recognition.

"Aloha, little one," he said, surprising Leroy with his soft tone. "And what will we be calling you from now on?"

"Leroy."

"Leroy," Jumba repeated. "Are you liking new name?"

"I love it."

"I am glad. It is being perfect for you."

Leroy stood beside him, watching as the machines slipped further and further into the plasma puddle.

"Some of them were great successes," Jumba said. "Water bottle that makes drinker thirstier. Compressible tank that fits in pocket and then expands on ground. I was thinking every grand idea from my evil genius brain was brilliant. Now, these inventions are only pieces of silly old scientist who could not see family in front of his stupid, four-eyed face."

"Well," Leroy said, "you could've dismantled them, then sold the pieces or used them in new inventions."

Jumba shook his head. "I am remembering every microscopic detail of all of my creations. Any money or new inventions would only bring back same memories."

Leroy focused on a bubbly patch chowing down on the melting barrel of some sort of cannon.

"Is that what we do now? Try to forget?"

Jumba was quiet for a while. A bird calling in the distance nearly drowned out the bubbling of the plasma.

"No," he soon said. "We change. I have kept only the things which will be of help to you and your cousins. Lilo has done so much work that I should have been doing from very beginning. You are not needing creator to tell you what you can or cannot be. You are needing father to help you become what you wish to be."

He looked down at Leroy. "Look at you now. I design you to be all Experiments rolled into one, and yet, here you are, in design of your very own."

Leroy gazed down at his new body. He still felt a welcoming snugness about it, not as if it were brand new, but as if it were something old that he'd rediscovered after many, many years.

"Hamsterviel told me..." He said, "that you had my pod locked in a safe."

Jumba nodded. His eyes glistened as the plasma did. "Being evil genius...It is fun in moment but hurts in later days. Making Experiment 628 was exciting, but then frightening as I wonder what terrible new evil I had created. Seemed better to not be knowing."

"So..." Leroy said. "Did you wish you hadn't created me?"

He blinked and found Jumba kneeling to his level, embracing him in his massive arms.

"All of you..." Jumba said, "are my ohana. I would never, in a thousand years, wish any of you away. My worst failures are the many, many things I have done that would make you think otherwise."

Leroy viewed the world through a film of tears. There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn't find the words. Instead, he simply held Jumba. Somehow, he felt that Jumba already knew everything he would've told him.

There was a loud, acidic hiss. Leroy looked over Jumba's shoulder to find the plasma having the ground for dessert.

"Um, Jumba...?"

"Yes, yes, not to be worrying." Jumba straightened up, taking a pellet from his breast pocket and casting it into the puddle. A sheet of white spread over it, and then it crumbled to dust on the dirt.

"See?" Jumba said. "Only things that will help now."

Leroy watched the white dust as it settled into the ground, standing out against it while also blending in. A breeze came, scattering the dust over the forest floor. It joined with rocks, bushes, and trees, standing out but seeming like natural parts of them.

"Yeah," Leroy said. "I hope so..."

III

It was almost dark by the time Leroy made his way to Lilo's backyard. The place glowed orange with torchlight. His cousins were scattered about, many of them in camping chairs or lying on blankets.

Pleakley moved between them, handing out glasses of lemonade from a tray perfectly balanced on his fingertips.

Lilo, Victoria, Snooty, Stitch, and Angel shared a blanket, enjoying Plasmoid and Reuben's duet, backed by Angel's guitar.

"I hold you in my arms,

"As the band plays,

"What are those words whispered, baby,

"Just as you turn away?"

It was a soothing sight. At least, it was until Leroy spotted a few certain cousins.

Houdini, armed with a deck of cards, delivered an impromptu magic show for Heat and Kixx. She wiped her eyes with her cape as they applauded.

Spooky and Sparky, the latter reclining on a portable generator, were engaged in a game of Trivial Pursuit with Chopsuey and Daniel. Sparky's grayish-gold fur sizzled with electricity.

Felix and Elastico held each other close as they curled up on their blanket. They were smiling, but their faces seemed fragile, as if they might shatter if they released one another.

Drowsy's head rested on Remmy's shoulder. He listened intently with wide eyes as Remmy read from a book of poetry.

Slushy sank deeper into a cooler filled to the brim with ice cubes as if it were a hot tub. There were still traces of red about him. He lit up when Dupe came by to offer him a bowl of chocolate ice cream decorated with whipped cream and syrup.

"I saw you last night,

"Out on the edge of town,

"I want to read your mind,

"To know just what I've got in this new thing I've found..."

Looking at them, Leroy felt as if there was already enough of him there. Even if it was Leroy sitting down to join them, would they only see Experiment 628 infiltrating yet another of their peaceful gatherings?

"So tell me what I see,

"When I look in your eyes,

"Is that you, baby,

"Or just a brilliant disguise?"

"Hey, you finally made it."

Leroy spun around. Flute had appeared beside him.

"Uh, yeah," he said. "...Didn't think I'd beat you here."

"I just wanted to go inside to clean my flute quickly," she said, holding up her namesake instrument. "It was getting a little spitty."

"Right..."

"You look great. I like the ears."

"Oh. Thanks. Nearly everyone else had straight ones, so I thought mine might look good bumpy."

"It suits you." Flute made to join her cousins but stopped after a few steps when she found Leroy staying still.

"You coming?"

Leroy didn't answer. He folded his arms and looked down at his feet, pinching blades of grass between his toes. It was still strange to think that he had his own toes now.

Flute's hand sank into his vision. He looked up at her; she was smiling a sad sort of smile. It sent Leroy back in time to the street outside the music shop. He remembered her roaring at him, spraying spit onto his inky face. He remembered her stopping for a moment and then speaking to him as if he were an old friend. And he remembered how frightened he had felt.

He took her hand.

He blinked, and then was sitting beside Flute on a blanket at the edge of the gathering. Somehow, he felt as if he had been there forever.

"Alright, folks," Reuben said as he and Plasmoid closed out their duet. "I'm sure ya could all listen to Plaz and me all night, but I think we need a break. Anyone else wanna show us their pipes?"

He scanned around, his eyes lighting up when he spotted Leroy.

"Howsabout our new cuz?"

"Me?" Leroy said. He was met with a symphony of agreement.

"You know any songs?" Flute asked.

"Well...I think I remember one I listened to in the garage earlier."

"How'd it go?"

Leroy racked his brain for the lyrics. Once he found them, they climbed towards his lips and tried to escape. Meanwhile, his eyes darted between Slushy, Houdini, Drowsy, Spooky, Sparky, and Felix. They may as well have been his only audience. He remembered their eyes freezing behind glass and was sure they'd be the same here. Instead, he found that they were thawing. When he saw it, the words broke out.

"Day after day, I'm more confused..."

Angel and Flute instantly backed him with a riff. It was identical to what he had heard hours ago; they might have plucked the sheet music from his brain. He stopped for a second, surprised by how quick they were, and then carried on.

"Yet I look for the light through the pouring rain,

"You know that's a game that I hate to lose,

"And I'm feelin' the strain,

"Ain't it a shame..."

Stitch started clapping along with him. He was joined by Lilo, then Victoria, then Chopsuey, then Daniel...

"Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul,

"I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away..."

Reuben and Plasmoid, despite apparently needing a break, chimed in with him.

"Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul,

"I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away..."

They were then joined by Houdini, Heat, and Kixx.

"And when my mind is free,

"You know a melody can move me..."

Then Sparky and Spooky.

"And when I'm feelin' blue,

"The guitar's comin' through to soothe me..."

Felix and Elastico.

"Thanks for the joy that you've given me..."

Slushy and Dupe.

"I want you to know I believe in your song..."

Drowsy and Remmy.

"Rhythm and rhyme and harmony..."

And then they returned it to Leroy.

"You help me along, making me strong..."

And then everyone joined him, their voices echoing into the stars.

"Oh, give me the beat, boys, and free my soul,

"I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away,

"Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul,

"I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away..."

They carried on for what felt like ages, but Leroy didn't want it to end. He felt warm. He felt light. He felt like Leroy.

And yet, he couldn't wait for it to end. He wanted to discover what he could do to keep feeling like Leroy tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that.

But he knew it would all come. Until then, he could just drift away.