Disclaimer: See previous chapters
Chapter 5: What I have become
A/N: This was supposed to be a longer chapter, but after reading a review posted by Ebonezer, I decided that it would be better to put what I had on hold for now. Instead I decided that it would be better to clear up a few things and answer a few questions about #3's past. I hope that this isn't too boring and that it helps everyone better understand just what happened to the little twerp. Thank you.
Thankfully, Cox wasn't as hurt as everyone had feared. Her injury was a slight concussion that would heal itself within a few weeks and would leave no lasting marks. It meant that she would be a little behind in her work during that time, but that didn't matter. As long as she was okay, that was all that mattered to the other scientists and myself.
But there were many other things for us to worry about besides Cox's condition. There were also the preparations being made to help prove to Master that my skills were at an optimum level. That meant rigorous rounds of testing and training in the VR system, endless hours working on my vocabulary and diction, and maze after maze to test my reflexes. Basically, everything that I normally had to do, only in overdrive.
It all exhausted me to the point where I fell asleep the instant I was back in my cage each night. But I didn't care. Being a little tired was a sacrifice that I was willing to make if it helped to push things further. I would do what was asked of me without question and carry out the tasks to the fullest.
The moment of truth came at the end of the week and Master came to collect the final data for that session. Everyone had held their breaths yet again as we waited for him to review everything and give his final verdict. The suspense was one of the hardest things that I ever had to live through. It was hard not knowing what Master was going to say as he took his time going over the data.
Though it was barely passable in his eyes, Master finally agreed that what everyone boasted was true. I had exceeded the expectations everyone placed on me and so that meant that I was ready for something more challenging. I was ready to leave the safe and controlled world of the laboratory to head off into the wide unknown.
Well, there was really an exact location that I would be heading into while in the wide unknown. Where that was going to be I hadn't been told yet. That would come later when we were headed out on the Doomsday Express in the coming days.
The Doomsday Express was the aircraft that Master used as transport whenever he went on his missions. Thanks to the mishaps that sometimes happened during these missions, there had been several versions of it over the years. This model was a remake of the last one that had been destroyed by the Swat Kats about six months ago.
Now there is a thorn in Master's side if there ever was one. For as long as I can remember, the Swat Kats have always been there to foil Master's plans. A fact that certainly doesn't help to endear them to the creepling population.
Among the creeplings, the Swat Kats are a hated name and enemy. Many times they have stood in Master's way and cost many of our kind their lives in battle. Both of these are more than enough to cause many of my brethren to swear vengeance against the two kats. More than once I have heard someone muttering that sooner or later, the Swat Kats will meet their ends by creepling claws.
My personal opinion about the Swat Kats is somewhat mixed. When it comes to my kind being killed, it's only natural that I don't like them. Even when they treat me like an outcast, the other creeplings and I still share the same blood. They mean something to me on a basic level because of this and so it saddens me whenever one of them passes.
As to how I feel about the Swat Kats myself, for me alone, I really don't have an opinion. Other than what the other creeplings say and the fact that they get in Master's way all the time, I don't know too much about them. And if there's one thing that I've learned in the last few months, it's not to base one's opinions on word of mouth and only a few bare facts.
I certainly can't make too much of an assumption about them from my own experience. I only met them once a long time ago. I was still very young as creeplings go and hadn't been into battle before. At the time, I was both nervous and excited. That was my chance to impress Master and show him what I could to help him achieve his goals.
Sadly, as with many things in life, things didn't go the way that I had planned. I never had my chance to prove myself to Master. Instead, I found myself being knocked unconscious only a few moments into a battle that started when the Swat Kats suddenly appeared to stop Master's plan of the time.
By the time I came to, it had all been over. The Swat Kats had defeated Master's plan, forcing him to withdraw until another time. Needless to say, he had not been happy about this. One of the other creeplings who had helped to drag me back to the damaged Doomsday Express told me about it later.
He had said that on the way back to base, Master had practically tossed a dozen of the other creeplings around the ship. Most of them had gotten away with some bruises while a couple had suffered broken bones in their arms and a leg in one. After hearing that, I was almost glad that I was unconscious through all this. That meant that I couldn't be blamed for anything.
That was a feeling that I soon regretted. I would rather have faced Master's wrath than what was about to come. For it was not long after that I was chosen along with five others to become part of Master's experiment. We were all to undergo genetic alteration and tampering to see if we could be made into whatever Master was hoping for.
The only things that I recall from that time come in the form of brief flashes of feeling pain and being trapped in the dark. And since these were probably from when I was conscious, I can't be too sure of all the details of what was going on with the others or what was being done to us. What I do know is that soon, where there had been six, there would only be one.
Because for one reason or another, the other five had slowly died off over the course of two years. The first one to go had been #6, a large male that was about four years old and a prime example of creepling physique. He had been in many battles and had survived with only a few minor scars as testament to what he had experienced in his life. He passed away about five months into the initial alterations.
A female labeled #2 and a male known as #5 were the next to go. The two went within a week of one another about a year into the project. Just as with #6, there was no apparent cause as to why they died. It was just assumed that they were either too weak to survive alterations or something had simply gone wrong during the sequencing.
A male called #1 went after the project was fourteen months old. The difference between his demise and that of the others was that he deteriorated very slowly over the course of several months. Many attempts had been made to halt the process but nothing worked. After five months of a slow death, #1's pain finally ended when he went during the night.
The last to succumb to whatever had killed the others was the male known as #4. Like me, he had survived the majority of the alterations and it seemed almost certain that he would make it through to the final stages. But then, just two months before everything was completed and we were to be awakened, he too died.
His death was the last major blow to the project. #4 was seen as the strongest creepling chosen for the project and many hopes had been placed on his survival. He was supposed to be the one that made everything worthwhile and that the deaths of the other four would not be in vain. So when he went, it was almost certain that the project would be terminated soon after since I was the only creepling left.
From the beginning, I was seen as the weakest creepling. The others had either been physically stronger or more intelligent than I was. My size, though I was larger than #5, wasn't among the most imposing and my fighting skills were moderate at best because of my calmer disposition.
Of course, I wouldn't have been chosen in the first place if it weren't for my calmness. Thanks to this, everyone felt that I would be perfect for the experiment simply because it would be easier to handle me than if I had an attitude like the other creeplings. So when the other five were taken into the lab for the first and final time, I went with them to begin a two- year period of lost memories and darkness.
Now I suppose one might wonder that if I was unconscious during all this, then how would I know what had happened to the others. A reasonable question that I might understand someone asking, since I know that I definitely would if I weren't familiar with the situation. The answer of course, lies in the one kat who has proven to be more of a friend to me than anyone else.
I know what I do thanks to Furston. She told me one night when no one else was in the lab. She may have been adamant about sticking to Master's schedule and teaching methods, but there were times when Furston would tell me things. It was usually when there was no one else around and only after I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone about what I had learned. Then she would explain certain situations to me and clear up any misunderstandings I might have about the world.
In this particular instance, I think she explained everything to me because she knew how confused I was when I realized that I was the only creepling used for testing. I kept seeing the others come and go as they wished while I was restricted to the laboratory and its adjacent chambers. I couldn't see why I wasn't allowed to be with them like I had in the past. It wasn't fair to me.
After almost a month of this, Furston had broken down and told me what had happened to everyone else. In her opinion, it wasn't right to keep me in the dark about the losses suffered in the experiment when I was feeling so upset. In her own words, I deserved to know the truth about who I was and what had made my life what it had become.
When I initially heard the story, my heart sank in a way that both confused and distressed me. I couldn't understand why I had lived and why my brothers and sister hadn't. Being as naïve as I was back then, I believed that we all should have made it together or not at all.
Within a very short period however, I got over this silly innocence. I learned soon enough that being the sole survivor was more than just being with others who could share my fate. It was learning to endure what was soon becoming my existence of constant testing and training for something I still don't know anything about.
At the same time though, I gained a better understanding of just why Master was so adamant about my remaining in the lab for so long. He had put a lot into this project, lost so much, and gained so little. I was the only thing he had to show for almost two and a half years worth of work. That was obviously something he didn't want to waste and in many ways, I couldn't blame him.
Yet at the same time, none of that really mattered to me right now. All that mattered was the mission ahead and whatever part Master wished for me to play in it. I had to remember that if I was going to do a good job on this. I couldn't let my concentration wander until this was over. So as I sit here in my cage waiting for morning to come so we can make the final preparations, I clear my head and await what is to come.
A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but it really was just for explanations. And I hope that there was enough to explain why #3 is the only creepling who is being trained by Dark Kat and the scientists. It doesn't tell exactly what the training is for, but I plan on revealing that later on in the fic. Until then, thanks for reading and I hope that everyone enjoyed this. Later.
Chapter 5: What I have become
A/N: This was supposed to be a longer chapter, but after reading a review posted by Ebonezer, I decided that it would be better to put what I had on hold for now. Instead I decided that it would be better to clear up a few things and answer a few questions about #3's past. I hope that this isn't too boring and that it helps everyone better understand just what happened to the little twerp. Thank you.
Thankfully, Cox wasn't as hurt as everyone had feared. Her injury was a slight concussion that would heal itself within a few weeks and would leave no lasting marks. It meant that she would be a little behind in her work during that time, but that didn't matter. As long as she was okay, that was all that mattered to the other scientists and myself.
But there were many other things for us to worry about besides Cox's condition. There were also the preparations being made to help prove to Master that my skills were at an optimum level. That meant rigorous rounds of testing and training in the VR system, endless hours working on my vocabulary and diction, and maze after maze to test my reflexes. Basically, everything that I normally had to do, only in overdrive.
It all exhausted me to the point where I fell asleep the instant I was back in my cage each night. But I didn't care. Being a little tired was a sacrifice that I was willing to make if it helped to push things further. I would do what was asked of me without question and carry out the tasks to the fullest.
The moment of truth came at the end of the week and Master came to collect the final data for that session. Everyone had held their breaths yet again as we waited for him to review everything and give his final verdict. The suspense was one of the hardest things that I ever had to live through. It was hard not knowing what Master was going to say as he took his time going over the data.
Though it was barely passable in his eyes, Master finally agreed that what everyone boasted was true. I had exceeded the expectations everyone placed on me and so that meant that I was ready for something more challenging. I was ready to leave the safe and controlled world of the laboratory to head off into the wide unknown.
Well, there was really an exact location that I would be heading into while in the wide unknown. Where that was going to be I hadn't been told yet. That would come later when we were headed out on the Doomsday Express in the coming days.
The Doomsday Express was the aircraft that Master used as transport whenever he went on his missions. Thanks to the mishaps that sometimes happened during these missions, there had been several versions of it over the years. This model was a remake of the last one that had been destroyed by the Swat Kats about six months ago.
Now there is a thorn in Master's side if there ever was one. For as long as I can remember, the Swat Kats have always been there to foil Master's plans. A fact that certainly doesn't help to endear them to the creepling population.
Among the creeplings, the Swat Kats are a hated name and enemy. Many times they have stood in Master's way and cost many of our kind their lives in battle. Both of these are more than enough to cause many of my brethren to swear vengeance against the two kats. More than once I have heard someone muttering that sooner or later, the Swat Kats will meet their ends by creepling claws.
My personal opinion about the Swat Kats is somewhat mixed. When it comes to my kind being killed, it's only natural that I don't like them. Even when they treat me like an outcast, the other creeplings and I still share the same blood. They mean something to me on a basic level because of this and so it saddens me whenever one of them passes.
As to how I feel about the Swat Kats myself, for me alone, I really don't have an opinion. Other than what the other creeplings say and the fact that they get in Master's way all the time, I don't know too much about them. And if there's one thing that I've learned in the last few months, it's not to base one's opinions on word of mouth and only a few bare facts.
I certainly can't make too much of an assumption about them from my own experience. I only met them once a long time ago. I was still very young as creeplings go and hadn't been into battle before. At the time, I was both nervous and excited. That was my chance to impress Master and show him what I could to help him achieve his goals.
Sadly, as with many things in life, things didn't go the way that I had planned. I never had my chance to prove myself to Master. Instead, I found myself being knocked unconscious only a few moments into a battle that started when the Swat Kats suddenly appeared to stop Master's plan of the time.
By the time I came to, it had all been over. The Swat Kats had defeated Master's plan, forcing him to withdraw until another time. Needless to say, he had not been happy about this. One of the other creeplings who had helped to drag me back to the damaged Doomsday Express told me about it later.
He had said that on the way back to base, Master had practically tossed a dozen of the other creeplings around the ship. Most of them had gotten away with some bruises while a couple had suffered broken bones in their arms and a leg in one. After hearing that, I was almost glad that I was unconscious through all this. That meant that I couldn't be blamed for anything.
That was a feeling that I soon regretted. I would rather have faced Master's wrath than what was about to come. For it was not long after that I was chosen along with five others to become part of Master's experiment. We were all to undergo genetic alteration and tampering to see if we could be made into whatever Master was hoping for.
The only things that I recall from that time come in the form of brief flashes of feeling pain and being trapped in the dark. And since these were probably from when I was conscious, I can't be too sure of all the details of what was going on with the others or what was being done to us. What I do know is that soon, where there had been six, there would only be one.
Because for one reason or another, the other five had slowly died off over the course of two years. The first one to go had been #6, a large male that was about four years old and a prime example of creepling physique. He had been in many battles and had survived with only a few minor scars as testament to what he had experienced in his life. He passed away about five months into the initial alterations.
A female labeled #2 and a male known as #5 were the next to go. The two went within a week of one another about a year into the project. Just as with #6, there was no apparent cause as to why they died. It was just assumed that they were either too weak to survive alterations or something had simply gone wrong during the sequencing.
A male called #1 went after the project was fourteen months old. The difference between his demise and that of the others was that he deteriorated very slowly over the course of several months. Many attempts had been made to halt the process but nothing worked. After five months of a slow death, #1's pain finally ended when he went during the night.
The last to succumb to whatever had killed the others was the male known as #4. Like me, he had survived the majority of the alterations and it seemed almost certain that he would make it through to the final stages. But then, just two months before everything was completed and we were to be awakened, he too died.
His death was the last major blow to the project. #4 was seen as the strongest creepling chosen for the project and many hopes had been placed on his survival. He was supposed to be the one that made everything worthwhile and that the deaths of the other four would not be in vain. So when he went, it was almost certain that the project would be terminated soon after since I was the only creepling left.
From the beginning, I was seen as the weakest creepling. The others had either been physically stronger or more intelligent than I was. My size, though I was larger than #5, wasn't among the most imposing and my fighting skills were moderate at best because of my calmer disposition.
Of course, I wouldn't have been chosen in the first place if it weren't for my calmness. Thanks to this, everyone felt that I would be perfect for the experiment simply because it would be easier to handle me than if I had an attitude like the other creeplings. So when the other five were taken into the lab for the first and final time, I went with them to begin a two- year period of lost memories and darkness.
Now I suppose one might wonder that if I was unconscious during all this, then how would I know what had happened to the others. A reasonable question that I might understand someone asking, since I know that I definitely would if I weren't familiar with the situation. The answer of course, lies in the one kat who has proven to be more of a friend to me than anyone else.
I know what I do thanks to Furston. She told me one night when no one else was in the lab. She may have been adamant about sticking to Master's schedule and teaching methods, but there were times when Furston would tell me things. It was usually when there was no one else around and only after I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone about what I had learned. Then she would explain certain situations to me and clear up any misunderstandings I might have about the world.
In this particular instance, I think she explained everything to me because she knew how confused I was when I realized that I was the only creepling used for testing. I kept seeing the others come and go as they wished while I was restricted to the laboratory and its adjacent chambers. I couldn't see why I wasn't allowed to be with them like I had in the past. It wasn't fair to me.
After almost a month of this, Furston had broken down and told me what had happened to everyone else. In her opinion, it wasn't right to keep me in the dark about the losses suffered in the experiment when I was feeling so upset. In her own words, I deserved to know the truth about who I was and what had made my life what it had become.
When I initially heard the story, my heart sank in a way that both confused and distressed me. I couldn't understand why I had lived and why my brothers and sister hadn't. Being as naïve as I was back then, I believed that we all should have made it together or not at all.
Within a very short period however, I got over this silly innocence. I learned soon enough that being the sole survivor was more than just being with others who could share my fate. It was learning to endure what was soon becoming my existence of constant testing and training for something I still don't know anything about.
At the same time though, I gained a better understanding of just why Master was so adamant about my remaining in the lab for so long. He had put a lot into this project, lost so much, and gained so little. I was the only thing he had to show for almost two and a half years worth of work. That was obviously something he didn't want to waste and in many ways, I couldn't blame him.
Yet at the same time, none of that really mattered to me right now. All that mattered was the mission ahead and whatever part Master wished for me to play in it. I had to remember that if I was going to do a good job on this. I couldn't let my concentration wander until this was over. So as I sit here in my cage waiting for morning to come so we can make the final preparations, I clear my head and await what is to come.
A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but it really was just for explanations. And I hope that there was enough to explain why #3 is the only creepling who is being trained by Dark Kat and the scientists. It doesn't tell exactly what the training is for, but I plan on revealing that later on in the fic. Until then, thanks for reading and I hope that everyone enjoyed this. Later.