Chapter 9 Can I Study You?

Roy and Iggy led Celia away from the police station. The hybrid herself was completely silent for most of the walk. Because Roy was unable to see her face, he had no idea why that was. Maybe she was just a little hungry? Or perhaps she was feeling calm? Maybe she was happy, or sad, or angry? Roy didn't know.

Finally, Iggy tapped Roy on the shoulder, prompting him to stop walking. He looked up at his brother.

"We have arrived at the Koopa Clown Cars. We may now remove the suit."

Roy breathed a sigh of relief. Flipping finally! Now he could actually see again! Roy reached out, about to tear a whole through the belly of the suit. Iggy, however, managed to stop him from doing this upon reminding him that the suit had a zipper. Roy, embarrassed by his own lack of memory, allowed Iggy to do the work of removing the suit. When it was completely off, Roy let out an excited whoop.

"Yeah baby! Now the world can see my handsome self!" He smiled and did a flex. "Wouldn't want to deprive you babies from being seen by the adoring masses, now would we?" he said as he patted and kissed his muscles.

"Blugh," Iggy said as he stuck out his tongue. "Must you kiss yourself? It is beyond disturbing."

Roy shot his brother a glare. He was just about to comment how Iggy did stuff that was even more disturbing on a daily basis when he noticed Celia's facial expression. She looked at the two Koopalings with wide eyes, as if she had just watched a magician successfully saw a lady in half.

"What's going on?"

Roy chuckled. "Hello, Celia. We decided to rescue you! It was us in the Bowser Suit the whole time!" He smirked. "Are you proud of us, or what?"

Surprisingly, disappointment flashed across Celia's face. However, just as soon as it was there, it disappeared, and she smiled.

"I don't know if I'm proud, but I certainly feel good." She looked over at Iggy. "Who might you be?"

Iggy took a step forward and shook her hand. "I am Ignatius Koopa, although my confidants and comrades commonly refer to me as Iggy. It is a delight to meet someone who possesses your unique features." He looked down at the hand he had just shaken. He stroked it and let out little high strung giggles. "Yes. Delightful indeed."

Celia pulled away from Iggy, her face looking frightened and her whole body trembling.

Iggy just giggled in response to this. "Oh do not fear, Celia. I have no intention of harming you. I just wish to study you."

"St….study me?"

"Why yes." Iggy licked his lips. "After all, a Koopa human hybrid is exceedingly rare, almost unheard of."

Celia's face sank. She turned to Roy, who was trying to hold back gags brought upon by his brother's creepy behavior.

"You figured it out, huh?"

Roy snickered. "Of course we did!" He puffed out his chest. "We are two smart Koopas after all." Iggy burst into laughter, hugging his sides as he did so. Roy cast him a glare before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, fine. One of us is a smart koopa."

"There we go," said Iggy. He turned back to Celia. "I am assuming that your mother is your human parent?"

Celia nodded. "Yep. And my Dad is my koopa parent."

"Fascinating," said Iggy. "So you were born via labor, like all humans are?" When Celia nodded, Iggy laughed. "Amazing! The koopa human hybrid that I studied in my pastime was born to a Koopa mother, so they hatched from an egg. It would appear that being given birth to would be the ideal method of delivery for a hybrid, as it would allow the fetus time to develop naturally."

"Eww," Roy said. "Don't talk about fetuses dude; they're gross."

Iggy shot Roy a glare. He crossed his arms. "Do you even know what fetuses are?"

Roy raised his finger, ready to chime in with his answer. Then he scratched the back of his head as embarrassment settled in. "I don't know; some kind of booger?"

Iggy rolled his eyes before he turned back to Celia. "Yes. You were lucky to survive for as long as you have. That is why I wish to study you. I want to see how your organs are configured. Obviously, the way they are has allowed you to survive, but I wish to know the nitty gritty." He leaned forward and grasped hold of both of Celia's hands this time. "Please, oh please allow me to study you!"

Celia looked as uncomfortable as a snowman in the summer. She leaned away from Iggy. "If I say yes, will you let me live?" she squeaked.

Iggy laughed. "Then it is settled! Roy and I will proceed to take you back to the castle immediately!" He hopped in his Koopa Clown car and turned on the engine. "We must move swiftly, for the day is waning."

As he rose into the sky, Celia raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it noon?"

Roy shrugged. "I don't know." He gestured toward his own Koopa Clown car. "Well, why don't you hop in? It might be a little cramped, but it'll be better than nothing."

…

"Fascinating!" Iggy said. He examined an x-ray that he had taken of Celia. He giggled like a kid during Christmas time as he looked at the image. "It would appear that that right there is the heart. It seems to have nine chambers, similar to a Koopa heart." He looked downward. "And the kidneys appear to be roughly human sized, give or take a few dimensions." He smiled. "This is amazing stuff. I am so glad that I get the opportunity to do this!"

Roy nodded. That was the thing about Iggy. He was always thirsty for knowledge, always ready to search out the answers to life's most difficult questions. Often, he would stop at nothing until he got his answers. He would resort to anything to get them, even killing. Thankfully, the only things he had killed in the past are animals. Roy could only hope that he would never decide to kill a person.

Iggy put the x-ray image away and grinned at Celia, who was sitting on an exam table. "The organs within your unique body are configured in such a way that the odds of them being so are astronomically small. If they had been arranged or designed in any other capacity, you very well might not be here right now!" He adjusted his glasses. "So, consider yourself lucky!"

Celia lowered her head. "Yeah. Lucky."

Roy's interest was piqued. He leaned toward Celia. "Are you alright?"

Celia hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Iggy laughed again. "Oh, mama. I just realized; I have focused my studies entirely on the anatomical components of your existence. I still have many other ways I can look at this." He rushed toward the hybrid. "I would imagine, given how you are a blending of two entirely unique cultures, that you have a very unique mindset. Tell me Celia; how exactly did your parents raise you?"

Celia seized up. Her fingers curled around the edge of the table she sat on, and she stared at the floor. "You mean my parent. I was raised by my mom."

Iggy blinked. "Your father was absent?"

"Yes," Celia replied with a nod. "I never got a chance to meet him." She suddenly put on a smile. "But now I have the perfect opportunity to do so. I'm sure Bowser would be thrilled to meet me after all this time."

Iggy looked over at Roy. While Roy wasn't entirely willing to dismiss the possibility yet, it was obvious that Iggy already had. The bespectacled Koopaling cleared his throat.

"Miss Patch, why exactly do you assume that Bowser is your father?"

"Because my mom told me he is. She said that they fell in love a long time ago, and that he had to leave in order to take care of the Koopa Kingdom."

Iggy raised an eyebrow. He paused before speaking up. "Well, considering that your DNA is very unique, I do not believe a DNA test would prove anything. However, I will say….and I mean this in the nicest way possible….that what your mother told you was false."

Celia flashed him a glare. "Excuse me?" She got up off the table and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you calling my mom a liar?"

"In this instance, it is very possible that she may be. After all, there is absolutely no evidence to support the claim she made."

Celia gawked. Her ruby red eyes shimmered with heat, and her teeth were grit. "My mom is not a liar! She would never do that to me! Why would she lie to me about something as important as the identity of my father?"

Roy raised his finger and cleared his throat. "Uh...possibly to make you feel better about something?"

Celia seized up. She looked down at the floor, seemingly hurt by Roy's assessment. She twiddled her thumbs before raising her head back up.

"Well, I know that my mom is not wrong about this. She can't be."

Iggy looked over at Roy. His eyebrow was miles high. Roy, however, wasn't willing to crush Celia's dreams so easily.

"I think you're right," he said. "Your mom wouldn't just do that to her own child. No parent would be that cruel."

Celia stared at Roy and nodded. "Precisely." She looked back at Iggy. "So, is it okay if I meet Bowser?"

Iggy's eyes darted between Roy and Celia before he sighed. "I suppose if you must. However, he will not be returning from his meeting with King Bob-omb until tomorrow morning. You will have to stay here until then."

Celia nodded. "Thank you."

With that, Celia started to make her way out of the lab. Iggy looked over at Roy, who was smiling. He raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? You cannot tell me that such an insane story is true."

Roy giggled. "We didn't think koopa human hybrids could survive, but one did. So who knows what's possible?"

Iggy sighed. "You are correct, but still way off base. Mark my words, Roy; that girl is going to experience a lot of heartbreak tomorrow. I just know it."