Disclaimer: See previous chapters.
Chapter 6: Into the Unknown
A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This is an early Christmas present for the readers. Okay, time to get back on track. This is what I had originally planned to do before I got sidetracked with explaining about #3's past. In this chapter, we're about to find out where Dark Kat plans to head and just what might be in store for #3 and the rest while they're on the mission.
I fidgeted impatiently as I waited for Furston and Bristles to finish the medical exam that they had begun about an hour before. It was a routine examination that we went through about once a week and was something that I was so used to that normally I didn't make a fuss about it. But today was different.
Today was the day that I would finally be allowed to go with Master on the mission he had planned. The place that we were heading, as I had finally learned before the examination began, was Puma Dyne. This was the location where most of Megakat City's technological research went on.
The technology, if I remembered correctly from all that I had read on the Internet, was used for a variety of purposes. Some of it was for defense purposes against enemy attacks, while others were used for exploration in either the hostile environment of space or somewhere here on the planet. There was more, but most of that escaped me at the moment as I tried not to scratch at Bristles for a particularly painful needle jab.
"Yow!" I hissed, pulling my arm away when the kat was done," Did you really have to do that, Bristles? I'd think you have enough by now."
Bristles smirked," When it comes to your charm, #3, one can never get enough."
Furston smiled at this while I just rolled my eyes. I guess he thought I might be nervous and was trying to calm me down by making his signature jokes. That was nice of him, but I really didn't want to have jokes made about my charm right now. I wanted this to be over so that I could get down to the hangar where I knew that Master and the others would be waiting for me.
I think that the scientists were picking up on my impatience, since Bristles didn't make anymore jokes after that. He knew what happened when I got agitated enough and now was not the time for that to happen. So they just finished up the examination in silence, which took about another half an hour by my estimation.
As soon as they were done, I was finally allowed to leave. I jumped off the table where I had been sitting almost a little too eagerly and bolted for the door. Hot on my tail was Furston, who was to escort me down to the hangar. Bristles was to remain behind and finish logging the results from the tests they had run.
The journey towards the hangar would prove to be more trying than I first thought it would be. For one thing, my arm was slightly sore from where Bristles had stuck me with the needle and second, I had to listen to Furston give me a last minute lecture on how I was supposed to act. The first was just an annoyance while the second was just a headache that I didn't need.
"You better watch yourself, #3," Furston warned as we went deeper into the compound," This is going to be your only chance to make a good impression on Dark Kat about what you can do. If you mess this up, it might be months before he'll let you out of here again."
"I know that already, Furston," I sighed," I'm not stupid. I know how much this means."
My tone was irritable as I was trying to be blunt but polite about how this wasn't helping me. The last thing that I needed right now was Furston getting me so upset that I wouldn't be able to think straight. She needed to just stop worrying and have a little faith in me. After all, it was her faith in my abilities that had gotten this whole mess started in the first place.
Furston looked as if she was going to scold me for being so impudent with her, but she never got the chance. At that moment, we finally made it to the hangar. Once we were inside, I found that we both went silent. Furston because she knew that her chance at conversation with me had now passed and me because I was surprised with what lay before me.
This hangar was by far the biggest chamber that I had ever seen in my life. The lab where I spent most of my time could have easily fit in this place three times over and still have room to spare for all the equipment that lined the walls. I could only imagine how long it took to build this place and put everything into order.
My attention shifted away from all this as soon as I saw the Doomsday Express. It was still the same one that I remembered from so long ago, a red and black shape that was tinged with a few stripes of dark purple for the ramp. At the bottom of the ramp was Master as he waited for the other creeplings to finish loading onto the Express.
He soon glanced over in our direction and nodded once for me to approach. I gave Furston one last look as a farewell and then hurried over. From this point on, I was on my own. I could no longer rely on the support of someone that knew me inside out to make sure that I didn't screw up.
"You are lucky, my creepling," Master said when I finally came to stop before him," I was considering leaving you behind if we had been forced to go off schedule."
I didn't make any excuses. Now was not the time for that if I didn't want to annoy Master any further than I probably already had. I did make one mental note to give Furston and Bristles a piece of my mind when I got back.
I kept my silence as I followed Master up the ramp, which closed behind us as soon as we were on board. He continued on into the cockpit with me still keeping behind him. Master took a seat in the pilot's seat while I took advantage of the newfound freedom that I had right now by choosing a seat behind him.
Being allowed to move about on my own offered a bit more freedom than I had had in some time. But it also left me open to attack from the other creeplings that were assigned to this mission. It wasn't often that they had a chance to get near me without there being a set of bars between them and me.
Even with this newfound openness however, there was only so much that the other creeplings could do. The only time they dared to approach me was when Master wasn't looking. They knew as well as I did that if even one of them hurt me, there would be one less creepling in the world.
The most that they did was send me death glares and silent threats through body posture while they moved about the Doomsday Express. I responded to this how I usually did, I ignored them. I had other things to worry about than reacting to attempts at intimidation, like just what I was going to do once we reached our destination.
So while the others were either hovering in one spot or hopping about the ship, I remained where I was. I saw no point in wasting my energy on something trivial. Not when I had to prepare myself for something so important. I had to conserve what I had in order to be in top shape.
Every now and then, I would catch Master glancing at me out of the corner of my eye. I suppose he was trying to decide just what I was going to do on this trip. Well, he wasn't going to be getting much but me sitting there until it was time to act. I had no intention of screwing this up. I was going to be on my absolute best behavior until this was done and we had returned to the base.
So I remained almost motionless during the duration of the trip. The only time that I moved was to watch the change of scenery that went on outside the cockpit window. It was mostly too dark for me to see anything except the dark shapes of mountains that we flew over and the twinkling pinpoints that I assumed were stars.
It turned out to be the stars that would end up holding the majority of my attention during the flight. Being kept in the lab for so long, I really didn't have the chance to see those lights very often. To me, they held a strange kind of beauty that both helped to calm and entrance me to a degree that I found myself forgetting about everything else while I watched them.
Eventually though, we arrived at Puma Dyne. I was made aware of that fact by the sudden jolting of the Doomsday Express as it touched down. Because I wasn't paying attention, I almost fell off of my seat and onto the floor. It was just pure chance that I managed to save myself from a spill by grabbing onto the seat arm.
Not everyone was so lucky. There were a few other creeplings who hadn't been paying attention who were surprised by the landing and that fell off whatever perch they had found. These were teased by the ones who had remained in their seats or who had been airborne.
I was almost tempted to join in since this would be the first time that someone else was being teased when I was there. I restrained myself however, knowing what would happen if I gave into temptation. If I tried to join in, the others would just turn on me and I would make a fool of myself in front of Master. Neither one being an experience I wanted to deal with, I just remained where I was until Master gave an order.
"Enough my creeplings," Master rumbled as he keyed in the code to open the Express's ramp again," It is time that we set to work."
To all of us, it was signal enough that it was time to set off again. Obediently, we all fell in line behind Master as he left the cockpit. I ended up being towards the front of the group, behind the large male who was the most dominant in this particular group of creeplings. Though I received a few glares and sneers, no one really did anything as I walked among them.
Outwardly, I displayed no emotion. My face was completely blank as I followed Master down the ramp and onto what I assumed was the roof of one of Puma Dyne's many structures. Inwardly however, it was an entirely different story.
Inside, I was surging with pride and hope. It felt good to be among my kin again, even if only for a short time. The part of my creepling instincts that remained unchanged felt safe among the others. With the other creeplings, there was a companionship that provided both company and protection.
I knew better than to allow myself to enjoy this too much however. I knew that as soon as this was over and we were back at the base, this would all end. My brothers and sisters would go back to their lives of fighting and I would go back to mine of training in the laboratory.
For the moment though, I could allow myself to relax for just the moment. I was in no danger while I was among the others. Though they may not accept me, they would not leave me to die if something were to happen. It would go against both Master's orders and their own instincts for that to happen.
After a short time, we stopped when Master held up a paw for us to halt. The others and I waited, watching as Master peered from the darkness that had been hiding us out to two guards who were standing watch next to a door. My guess was that this was how Master planned to gain entrance into the building below us. But first he was going to have to deal with the guards, who would most certainly raise an alarm if they had the chance.
"Go my creeplings," Master whispered to the large dominant male and two smaller ones," You know what to do."
The trio nodded eagerly as they bounded forward. Their sudden appearance certainly surprised the guards who barely had time to raise their weapons in defense. My brothers dived at the pair, clawing and biting at the helmets that covered their heads. The two guards retaliated sooner than I would have imagined, actually fighting off my brothers to the point where they had to retreat.
One of the smaller ones proved to be slower than the others as he was knocked out after being hit with the butt of one weapon. He slumped down while the other two returned to the rest of us. The guards, instead of taking the chance to raise the alarm, aimed their weapons at the creepling with one intention set in their minds.
In that instance, as we all stared on, I think that my training must have taken over because everything was a total blank after that. When I finally gained control of myself again, the two guards that had been aiming their weapons at my unconscious brother were lying unconscious on the ground and three of the other creeplings were carrying said sibling back to the Doomsday Express. I just stood there, totally stupefied. Had I just done that or had someone else?
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I never heard Master come up behind me. Hearing him speak so suddenly, I nearly jumped out of my skin in surprise. Thankfully, the reflexive response that appeared on my face went unnoticed by Master. It would have been so embarrassing for me to come this far and the let him see me in a moment of weakness.
"Perhaps I have underestimated you after all, my creepling," he had said.
I ducked my head at that comment. It wasn't often that Master admitted something like that to me. Usually, he kept any real thoughts on my progress, with the exception of what he felt I needed to improve upon, to himself, and almost never did he give me any praise on my accomplishments.
To give out needless praise, as I had heard Master mention once to Fishbreath when they thought that I was asleep, would only make me too prideful of myself. That was not something that he needed in a creature that was being trained to obey orders. So he kept things to the point or not at all when there was no need for something to be said. His next words to me proved as much as I continued to bask a little in the glow of honor.
"But you did not come here to fight. You are here to prove yourself in other ways," Master continued, pointing towards the door with his cane.
Knowing what he wanted and that now was not the time to be thinking of what I might be feeling, I just nodded in response. I headed over towards the door with a plan already in mind of what I wanted to do. The combination lock on the side was similar to the kind that they used on my cage back at the lab. That gave me a little bit of an advantage here, since these locks usually had the same number of possibilities and that narrowed it down considerably in my mind.
Sure there were still dozens of combinations that could be used on that lock. That alone meant it should have taken several hours for someone to crack. But after having seen the motion of the guard's hand when his back was turned to me, I had a general idea of what I should type in.
So ignoring the rest of the world, I set to work. After a moment or so of tampering, I had the lock picked and opened. It slowly swung open, the alarm never going off. I smiled to myself as I moved aside to let Master and the other creeplings enter. So far, so good.
Once everyone had gone by, I followed after them. After I was through, one of the other creeplings shut the door behind us. It wasn't enough to lock the door again, but it disguise things in case anyone looked that way and keep them from being too suspicious.
As we headed deeper into the Puma Dyne compound however, I found myself being the one who was suspicious. I had absolutely no clue as to where we were going. There were too many doors to keep track of and the hallways seemed to twist and turn every few steps. It made me feel as if I was in a maze that had neither end nor beginning. It seemed to go on forever.
An end came eventually though when we stopped in front of a pale white door that looked almost exactly like the others we had passed. The only difference was the plate label bolted to the door. One quick look and I knew that it said: 'Computer Research and Formulation.'
No need for me to guess just what that meant. I had been in a lab long enough to know what went on in one, whether it was for multipurpose tasks like Master's was or for singular activities like this one obviously was. The only real question that I wondered about was what kind research went on in that room. Knowing the meaning of what was on the door did not really tell much about that.
The answer to my question would come soon enough as Master directed me to unlock this door as well. It was far easier than the first and I had it picked in less than a minute. As with the first, it slowly swung open to reveal the room within. This was entered in the same order as before, only this time the surroundings would prove to be quite different.
The room wasn't really the kind of lab that I was expecting. The kind I was used to had all sorts of equipment that were used for testing things and gathering data. This place was nothing but a room lined with computers and consoles. More than I had ever seen in my life.
It was the computers that Master directed the other creeplings towards. He said that they were to turn on the computers and to start downloading the information onto special disks that had been given to some of the others. Once that was done then everything was to be deleted and then we would be leaving.
For once, it paid to have spent a good part of my life confined to a laboratory. Unlike some of the other creeplings who had never been around much technology and had only been taught to fight, I at least had a general idea of how things worked. So I didn't have any trouble when I headed over to a computer myself to start working.
I hadn't been given a disk like the others, so I couldn't download anything. In fact, I hadn't even been told to do anything else except pick the locks and to keep up. So I could have just sat back and watched everyone else until their task was done and we could leave again.
Yet for some reason, I just couldn't stay still right now. I'm so used to being kept active in a laboratory that it seems almost wrong to do otherwise. So I couldn't help myself from doing what I did next.
Without bothering to wait for instructions, I plopped down in front of a computer. I felt about for a power switch and turned it on. In a flash, the screen came to life. Flashing on the surface were images of number and symbols that usually went with science work. Most of the images were formulas and codes whose meaning were beyond my understanding. The most that I could make out was that this was some sort of chemical compound that was either used in metal works or bomb construction.
It was somewhat of a surprise that the computer that I had turned on had this kind of program running though. Normally, one had to go through a series of commands and files in order to reach a specific program. At least, that was what happened in the lab whenever Furston and the others were working. There were exceptions to that rule however, which I had also seen many times in the lab back home.
It was a good chance that someone had been working on this particular program earlier and had forgotten to turn the computer off before leaving. That had happened at least half a dozen times in the lab when Furston and the others were working on something. The problem itself was solved when either the person who had left it on came back to turn it off or someone else decided to have a heart and do the other a favor.
Whatever the reason why this one had been left on, I just knew that this was at least some of the information that Master was looking for. This was a good thing and would probably keep me from getting into trouble if Master was upset that I had gone near a computer. Though at the moment, it really didn't matter one way or another.
Master was too busy directing the other creeplings to notice what I was up to. I guess with so many of his own around, he wasn't worried about me getting into trouble. So he didn't even know that I had gone up to a computer and was now contemplating the file before me.
Well, Master might not have noticed my actions but someone else did. Chattering angrily at me, another creepling came from behind and broke my train of thought. He was growling two commands to me. The first was the demand that I move aside so that he could work and the second was that I remain where he could see me while he did so.
The latter proved my earlier suspicion that Master had given orders at some point that the other creeplings were to keep me out of trouble. This one, an older male that had one bent ear, had obviously taken that order more seriously than the others. I mean, the second order was a lot more stressed than the first, giving me the impression that he meant business.
To be honest though, I really didn't want to obey my brother's orders. Now that I had found this formula, I was really interested in what it was for. It wasn't often that I got to see something like this for myself without someone else glancing over my shoulder, telling me that I need to memorize it before time is up.
But since I didn't want to make a scene, I did as I was told. I jumped off the seat, allowing my brother to take my place and begin downloading what I had found. I watched him in silence for a moment, slightly impressed that he was able to do his work so efficiently for one who probably spent most of his time squabbling with others about who got more food or not.
All around me, the others were working almost as efficiently as the brother who had taken my place. They opened whatever files they found, downloaded them onto the disks, and then deleted everything that was on the computers. It was an operation whose purpose I didn't understand at the moment but one that went so smoothly that I knew that it would be done in a few moments' time.
If that assumption was true or not, I would never know. Because fate, being the fickle thing that is, decided that our mission would not live up to the successful appearance that it had taken on by this point. For about halfway through the downloading and file deletion, a sound reached my ears that caught the attention of every creepling in the room.
They were the sounds of someone approaching the room where we were situated. Whoever it was, they were not making an effort to hide themselves. That was definitely proven to me when I heard a voice yelling through the door.
"This is the Enforcers, Dark Kat. Come out with your hands up, we have the room surrounded," the voice ordered.
To me at least, 'Enforcers' had only one meaning that caused me to go into instant attack mode: target. I had been trained from almost the start to attack anyone dressed in a specific uniform and occupation on sight. If these truly were the kats whose images that I found fought so often in the VR chamber, then it meant that I might soon find myself fighting for real like I had when we arrived.
Not too surprisingly, the other creeplings fell into the same mode that I had. No one left their seats, but many of them were already flexing their claws and chattering anxiously for the battle that they sensed coming. But no one did anything else yet. We had not heard anything from Master, who had taken to glaring at the door where the voice had come.
"Take what has already been downloaded and destroy the rest, my creeplings. Our time here is finished," Master ordered.
Reaction couldn't have come quicker. Everyone started working like crazy. Those that had been in mid-download just removed their disks and then took Master's order of 'destroy' to a limit that didn't surprise me. They literally tore the computers apart, causing sparks to start flying from the metal corpses. Those that had finished did about the same thing, even the male that had been watching me.
As for me, I jut moved towards the door. I too itched for battle as my instincts and training started to take over. It was hard for me to control these urges even though I didn't want to. I really wanted the chance to take the opportunity to participate in a real battle instead of one of the holograms in the VR chamber.
Master must have seen my movements, because he ordered," You will not be fighting, my creepling. You will carry the disks while that is done by the others."
I stopped in my tracks and turned back to protest my Master's order. He really couldn't be serious about that. He surely couldn't mean that I couldn't fight. Even if it wasn't like me, now that I was here, why keep me from doing what I was trained to do? Wasn't that why he had allowed me to come on this mission in the first place?
Whatever I might have said, it was lost forever as the door suddenly burst open and shots started being fired. Hot pain shot through my back as one of these blasts caught me in the back. Completely in shock, I stumbled forward as I shrieked in outraged pain. I landed unceremoniously as the pain spread from the shoulder where I had been initially hit and down through my back. For the briefest instance, I was reminded of the pain that I had felt during my last session with Fishbreath in command.
That was simple compared to what I was feeling now. Then the pain had come in bursts that eventually subsided and left only the sensation of needles being thrust into my skin. That was something that I was more used to and could deal with once I had calmed myself down.
Now though, I was in no mood or state to calm myself down. Right now, my preservation instinct was kicking in on full drive. Mixed in with the pounding of the urge to get away before I was injured further were the unmistakable sounds of battle erupting and I was right in the middle of it.
Part of the fight was being fought by my own side, which I recognized from all the creepling screeching and Master's booming voice giving orders as the former leapt over me towards their targets. There were others sounds, voices that I didn't recognize. I knew only that they were the voices of kats who were our enemies, the Enforcers.
My thoughts became broken after that as I felt a pair of paws clamp down on my arm and pull me to my feet. I screeched in pain a second time as whoever had me started to drag me behind them. I tried to struggle, but my own pain and the strength of the other kept me from pulling away.
An angry chattering told me that it was the creepling that had taken to watching over me in the computer lab. He must have decided to take Master's order even further and get me out of trouble completely. So while the others remained to fight, he had dodged the battle, gotten me, and was now making a break for it.
I will never know how we managed to make through unnoticed or relatively unscathed. I do know that we soon left the battle of our kin and the Enforcers far behind as we headed towards the roof. At least, that was where I think we were heading. It seemed the most logical to my distressed mind.
By the time we reached an area that I could recognize, I had regained some of my senses. At least enough to know that the danger we had supposedly left behind wasn't gone yet. There was still something waiting for us as we got closer to the exit.
My companion must have sensed it too because he suddenly stopped and growled. I just followed his lead since it was becoming harder for me to ignore the pain and concentrate on much else. The other creepling ignored my condition and instead started sniffing the air around us.
Growling at me again, he got behind me and pushed me further down the corridor until I started to stumble onward alone. He chattered, ordering me to make it back to the Doomsday Express as fast as I could and to wait for Master there. I was confused that he wasn't coming with me, but I obeyed. I continued on while he remained behind to handle whatever was following us.
A short time later, I managed to find my way back to our entrance. A cool breeze racing over my body was the signal that I had indeed made it out. Taking this as a good sign on some primal level, I started searching for the Doomsday Express. If I could get to that, then it would be safe for me to rest and wait someone to come and treat my wound.
The wound in question had gotten worse from all the stumbling and moving around that I had done. I could now feel the pain shooting through all parts of my body, even those that hadn't sustained injury. This only furthered my body's desire to give into the release of unconsciousness that would surely reveal my pain.
So I began my search. It was a great deal harder than I would have first suspected. For one thing, even though I had a general idea of where the Doomsday Express was, I didn't know its exact location. It also didn't help matters that it too dark for me to see straight and that I wasn't able to focus properly. So like before, I had to stumble around in order to find what I was looking for.
And just like before, it was blind luck that led me to find what I sought. For eventually I found a plane-like craft not too far away from where I thought the Doomsday Express should be. It had an open ramp that led into a cargo hold just like the Express did, since Master hadn't bothered to shut it when everyone was let off.
Once I found this, I started stumbling up it without hesitation. The incline was a great deal steeper than I remembered, but I could still manage it. As I drew nearer to the opening I knew was at the other end of th ramp, it suddenly occurred to me that this might not be the Doomsday Express. If it wasn't, then I would be in big trouble. Not only with whomever this plane belonged to but Master as well. Either one would probably skin me alive for being stupid enough to choose the wrong plane.
As the pain in my back and shoulder intensified however, I found that I didn't care. I just wanted to be somewhere away from all this fighting and yelling. So I climbed through the opening and into what I assumed what a cargo hold. Once there, I lost all control over my body as my strength gave out. I collapsed in a heap gasping for breath and just gave into the darkness that I been fighting to keep out of my mind.
A/N: I hope that the pace has picked up enough for everyone, because this is where things start to really get weird. Now that #3 is out of it, her fate is kind of uncertain for the moment. But don't worry, this isn't the end of the little creep. I have something planned for her but that's going to have to wait until next time. Until then, thank you for reading and I hope that everyone liked this.
Chapter 6: Into the Unknown
A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This is an early Christmas present for the readers. Okay, time to get back on track. This is what I had originally planned to do before I got sidetracked with explaining about #3's past. In this chapter, we're about to find out where Dark Kat plans to head and just what might be in store for #3 and the rest while they're on the mission.
I fidgeted impatiently as I waited for Furston and Bristles to finish the medical exam that they had begun about an hour before. It was a routine examination that we went through about once a week and was something that I was so used to that normally I didn't make a fuss about it. But today was different.
Today was the day that I would finally be allowed to go with Master on the mission he had planned. The place that we were heading, as I had finally learned before the examination began, was Puma Dyne. This was the location where most of Megakat City's technological research went on.
The technology, if I remembered correctly from all that I had read on the Internet, was used for a variety of purposes. Some of it was for defense purposes against enemy attacks, while others were used for exploration in either the hostile environment of space or somewhere here on the planet. There was more, but most of that escaped me at the moment as I tried not to scratch at Bristles for a particularly painful needle jab.
"Yow!" I hissed, pulling my arm away when the kat was done," Did you really have to do that, Bristles? I'd think you have enough by now."
Bristles smirked," When it comes to your charm, #3, one can never get enough."
Furston smiled at this while I just rolled my eyes. I guess he thought I might be nervous and was trying to calm me down by making his signature jokes. That was nice of him, but I really didn't want to have jokes made about my charm right now. I wanted this to be over so that I could get down to the hangar where I knew that Master and the others would be waiting for me.
I think that the scientists were picking up on my impatience, since Bristles didn't make anymore jokes after that. He knew what happened when I got agitated enough and now was not the time for that to happen. So they just finished up the examination in silence, which took about another half an hour by my estimation.
As soon as they were done, I was finally allowed to leave. I jumped off the table where I had been sitting almost a little too eagerly and bolted for the door. Hot on my tail was Furston, who was to escort me down to the hangar. Bristles was to remain behind and finish logging the results from the tests they had run.
The journey towards the hangar would prove to be more trying than I first thought it would be. For one thing, my arm was slightly sore from where Bristles had stuck me with the needle and second, I had to listen to Furston give me a last minute lecture on how I was supposed to act. The first was just an annoyance while the second was just a headache that I didn't need.
"You better watch yourself, #3," Furston warned as we went deeper into the compound," This is going to be your only chance to make a good impression on Dark Kat about what you can do. If you mess this up, it might be months before he'll let you out of here again."
"I know that already, Furston," I sighed," I'm not stupid. I know how much this means."
My tone was irritable as I was trying to be blunt but polite about how this wasn't helping me. The last thing that I needed right now was Furston getting me so upset that I wouldn't be able to think straight. She needed to just stop worrying and have a little faith in me. After all, it was her faith in my abilities that had gotten this whole mess started in the first place.
Furston looked as if she was going to scold me for being so impudent with her, but she never got the chance. At that moment, we finally made it to the hangar. Once we were inside, I found that we both went silent. Furston because she knew that her chance at conversation with me had now passed and me because I was surprised with what lay before me.
This hangar was by far the biggest chamber that I had ever seen in my life. The lab where I spent most of my time could have easily fit in this place three times over and still have room to spare for all the equipment that lined the walls. I could only imagine how long it took to build this place and put everything into order.
My attention shifted away from all this as soon as I saw the Doomsday Express. It was still the same one that I remembered from so long ago, a red and black shape that was tinged with a few stripes of dark purple for the ramp. At the bottom of the ramp was Master as he waited for the other creeplings to finish loading onto the Express.
He soon glanced over in our direction and nodded once for me to approach. I gave Furston one last look as a farewell and then hurried over. From this point on, I was on my own. I could no longer rely on the support of someone that knew me inside out to make sure that I didn't screw up.
"You are lucky, my creepling," Master said when I finally came to stop before him," I was considering leaving you behind if we had been forced to go off schedule."
I didn't make any excuses. Now was not the time for that if I didn't want to annoy Master any further than I probably already had. I did make one mental note to give Furston and Bristles a piece of my mind when I got back.
I kept my silence as I followed Master up the ramp, which closed behind us as soon as we were on board. He continued on into the cockpit with me still keeping behind him. Master took a seat in the pilot's seat while I took advantage of the newfound freedom that I had right now by choosing a seat behind him.
Being allowed to move about on my own offered a bit more freedom than I had had in some time. But it also left me open to attack from the other creeplings that were assigned to this mission. It wasn't often that they had a chance to get near me without there being a set of bars between them and me.
Even with this newfound openness however, there was only so much that the other creeplings could do. The only time they dared to approach me was when Master wasn't looking. They knew as well as I did that if even one of them hurt me, there would be one less creepling in the world.
The most that they did was send me death glares and silent threats through body posture while they moved about the Doomsday Express. I responded to this how I usually did, I ignored them. I had other things to worry about than reacting to attempts at intimidation, like just what I was going to do once we reached our destination.
So while the others were either hovering in one spot or hopping about the ship, I remained where I was. I saw no point in wasting my energy on something trivial. Not when I had to prepare myself for something so important. I had to conserve what I had in order to be in top shape.
Every now and then, I would catch Master glancing at me out of the corner of my eye. I suppose he was trying to decide just what I was going to do on this trip. Well, he wasn't going to be getting much but me sitting there until it was time to act. I had no intention of screwing this up. I was going to be on my absolute best behavior until this was done and we had returned to the base.
So I remained almost motionless during the duration of the trip. The only time that I moved was to watch the change of scenery that went on outside the cockpit window. It was mostly too dark for me to see anything except the dark shapes of mountains that we flew over and the twinkling pinpoints that I assumed were stars.
It turned out to be the stars that would end up holding the majority of my attention during the flight. Being kept in the lab for so long, I really didn't have the chance to see those lights very often. To me, they held a strange kind of beauty that both helped to calm and entrance me to a degree that I found myself forgetting about everything else while I watched them.
Eventually though, we arrived at Puma Dyne. I was made aware of that fact by the sudden jolting of the Doomsday Express as it touched down. Because I wasn't paying attention, I almost fell off of my seat and onto the floor. It was just pure chance that I managed to save myself from a spill by grabbing onto the seat arm.
Not everyone was so lucky. There were a few other creeplings who hadn't been paying attention who were surprised by the landing and that fell off whatever perch they had found. These were teased by the ones who had remained in their seats or who had been airborne.
I was almost tempted to join in since this would be the first time that someone else was being teased when I was there. I restrained myself however, knowing what would happen if I gave into temptation. If I tried to join in, the others would just turn on me and I would make a fool of myself in front of Master. Neither one being an experience I wanted to deal with, I just remained where I was until Master gave an order.
"Enough my creeplings," Master rumbled as he keyed in the code to open the Express's ramp again," It is time that we set to work."
To all of us, it was signal enough that it was time to set off again. Obediently, we all fell in line behind Master as he left the cockpit. I ended up being towards the front of the group, behind the large male who was the most dominant in this particular group of creeplings. Though I received a few glares and sneers, no one really did anything as I walked among them.
Outwardly, I displayed no emotion. My face was completely blank as I followed Master down the ramp and onto what I assumed was the roof of one of Puma Dyne's many structures. Inwardly however, it was an entirely different story.
Inside, I was surging with pride and hope. It felt good to be among my kin again, even if only for a short time. The part of my creepling instincts that remained unchanged felt safe among the others. With the other creeplings, there was a companionship that provided both company and protection.
I knew better than to allow myself to enjoy this too much however. I knew that as soon as this was over and we were back at the base, this would all end. My brothers and sisters would go back to their lives of fighting and I would go back to mine of training in the laboratory.
For the moment though, I could allow myself to relax for just the moment. I was in no danger while I was among the others. Though they may not accept me, they would not leave me to die if something were to happen. It would go against both Master's orders and their own instincts for that to happen.
After a short time, we stopped when Master held up a paw for us to halt. The others and I waited, watching as Master peered from the darkness that had been hiding us out to two guards who were standing watch next to a door. My guess was that this was how Master planned to gain entrance into the building below us. But first he was going to have to deal with the guards, who would most certainly raise an alarm if they had the chance.
"Go my creeplings," Master whispered to the large dominant male and two smaller ones," You know what to do."
The trio nodded eagerly as they bounded forward. Their sudden appearance certainly surprised the guards who barely had time to raise their weapons in defense. My brothers dived at the pair, clawing and biting at the helmets that covered their heads. The two guards retaliated sooner than I would have imagined, actually fighting off my brothers to the point where they had to retreat.
One of the smaller ones proved to be slower than the others as he was knocked out after being hit with the butt of one weapon. He slumped down while the other two returned to the rest of us. The guards, instead of taking the chance to raise the alarm, aimed their weapons at the creepling with one intention set in their minds.
In that instance, as we all stared on, I think that my training must have taken over because everything was a total blank after that. When I finally gained control of myself again, the two guards that had been aiming their weapons at my unconscious brother were lying unconscious on the ground and three of the other creeplings were carrying said sibling back to the Doomsday Express. I just stood there, totally stupefied. Had I just done that or had someone else?
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I never heard Master come up behind me. Hearing him speak so suddenly, I nearly jumped out of my skin in surprise. Thankfully, the reflexive response that appeared on my face went unnoticed by Master. It would have been so embarrassing for me to come this far and the let him see me in a moment of weakness.
"Perhaps I have underestimated you after all, my creepling," he had said.
I ducked my head at that comment. It wasn't often that Master admitted something like that to me. Usually, he kept any real thoughts on my progress, with the exception of what he felt I needed to improve upon, to himself, and almost never did he give me any praise on my accomplishments.
To give out needless praise, as I had heard Master mention once to Fishbreath when they thought that I was asleep, would only make me too prideful of myself. That was not something that he needed in a creature that was being trained to obey orders. So he kept things to the point or not at all when there was no need for something to be said. His next words to me proved as much as I continued to bask a little in the glow of honor.
"But you did not come here to fight. You are here to prove yourself in other ways," Master continued, pointing towards the door with his cane.
Knowing what he wanted and that now was not the time to be thinking of what I might be feeling, I just nodded in response. I headed over towards the door with a plan already in mind of what I wanted to do. The combination lock on the side was similar to the kind that they used on my cage back at the lab. That gave me a little bit of an advantage here, since these locks usually had the same number of possibilities and that narrowed it down considerably in my mind.
Sure there were still dozens of combinations that could be used on that lock. That alone meant it should have taken several hours for someone to crack. But after having seen the motion of the guard's hand when his back was turned to me, I had a general idea of what I should type in.
So ignoring the rest of the world, I set to work. After a moment or so of tampering, I had the lock picked and opened. It slowly swung open, the alarm never going off. I smiled to myself as I moved aside to let Master and the other creeplings enter. So far, so good.
Once everyone had gone by, I followed after them. After I was through, one of the other creeplings shut the door behind us. It wasn't enough to lock the door again, but it disguise things in case anyone looked that way and keep them from being too suspicious.
As we headed deeper into the Puma Dyne compound however, I found myself being the one who was suspicious. I had absolutely no clue as to where we were going. There were too many doors to keep track of and the hallways seemed to twist and turn every few steps. It made me feel as if I was in a maze that had neither end nor beginning. It seemed to go on forever.
An end came eventually though when we stopped in front of a pale white door that looked almost exactly like the others we had passed. The only difference was the plate label bolted to the door. One quick look and I knew that it said: 'Computer Research and Formulation.'
No need for me to guess just what that meant. I had been in a lab long enough to know what went on in one, whether it was for multipurpose tasks like Master's was or for singular activities like this one obviously was. The only real question that I wondered about was what kind research went on in that room. Knowing the meaning of what was on the door did not really tell much about that.
The answer to my question would come soon enough as Master directed me to unlock this door as well. It was far easier than the first and I had it picked in less than a minute. As with the first, it slowly swung open to reveal the room within. This was entered in the same order as before, only this time the surroundings would prove to be quite different.
The room wasn't really the kind of lab that I was expecting. The kind I was used to had all sorts of equipment that were used for testing things and gathering data. This place was nothing but a room lined with computers and consoles. More than I had ever seen in my life.
It was the computers that Master directed the other creeplings towards. He said that they were to turn on the computers and to start downloading the information onto special disks that had been given to some of the others. Once that was done then everything was to be deleted and then we would be leaving.
For once, it paid to have spent a good part of my life confined to a laboratory. Unlike some of the other creeplings who had never been around much technology and had only been taught to fight, I at least had a general idea of how things worked. So I didn't have any trouble when I headed over to a computer myself to start working.
I hadn't been given a disk like the others, so I couldn't download anything. In fact, I hadn't even been told to do anything else except pick the locks and to keep up. So I could have just sat back and watched everyone else until their task was done and we could leave again.
Yet for some reason, I just couldn't stay still right now. I'm so used to being kept active in a laboratory that it seems almost wrong to do otherwise. So I couldn't help myself from doing what I did next.
Without bothering to wait for instructions, I plopped down in front of a computer. I felt about for a power switch and turned it on. In a flash, the screen came to life. Flashing on the surface were images of number and symbols that usually went with science work. Most of the images were formulas and codes whose meaning were beyond my understanding. The most that I could make out was that this was some sort of chemical compound that was either used in metal works or bomb construction.
It was somewhat of a surprise that the computer that I had turned on had this kind of program running though. Normally, one had to go through a series of commands and files in order to reach a specific program. At least, that was what happened in the lab whenever Furston and the others were working. There were exceptions to that rule however, which I had also seen many times in the lab back home.
It was a good chance that someone had been working on this particular program earlier and had forgotten to turn the computer off before leaving. That had happened at least half a dozen times in the lab when Furston and the others were working on something. The problem itself was solved when either the person who had left it on came back to turn it off or someone else decided to have a heart and do the other a favor.
Whatever the reason why this one had been left on, I just knew that this was at least some of the information that Master was looking for. This was a good thing and would probably keep me from getting into trouble if Master was upset that I had gone near a computer. Though at the moment, it really didn't matter one way or another.
Master was too busy directing the other creeplings to notice what I was up to. I guess with so many of his own around, he wasn't worried about me getting into trouble. So he didn't even know that I had gone up to a computer and was now contemplating the file before me.
Well, Master might not have noticed my actions but someone else did. Chattering angrily at me, another creepling came from behind and broke my train of thought. He was growling two commands to me. The first was the demand that I move aside so that he could work and the second was that I remain where he could see me while he did so.
The latter proved my earlier suspicion that Master had given orders at some point that the other creeplings were to keep me out of trouble. This one, an older male that had one bent ear, had obviously taken that order more seriously than the others. I mean, the second order was a lot more stressed than the first, giving me the impression that he meant business.
To be honest though, I really didn't want to obey my brother's orders. Now that I had found this formula, I was really interested in what it was for. It wasn't often that I got to see something like this for myself without someone else glancing over my shoulder, telling me that I need to memorize it before time is up.
But since I didn't want to make a scene, I did as I was told. I jumped off the seat, allowing my brother to take my place and begin downloading what I had found. I watched him in silence for a moment, slightly impressed that he was able to do his work so efficiently for one who probably spent most of his time squabbling with others about who got more food or not.
All around me, the others were working almost as efficiently as the brother who had taken my place. They opened whatever files they found, downloaded them onto the disks, and then deleted everything that was on the computers. It was an operation whose purpose I didn't understand at the moment but one that went so smoothly that I knew that it would be done in a few moments' time.
If that assumption was true or not, I would never know. Because fate, being the fickle thing that is, decided that our mission would not live up to the successful appearance that it had taken on by this point. For about halfway through the downloading and file deletion, a sound reached my ears that caught the attention of every creepling in the room.
They were the sounds of someone approaching the room where we were situated. Whoever it was, they were not making an effort to hide themselves. That was definitely proven to me when I heard a voice yelling through the door.
"This is the Enforcers, Dark Kat. Come out with your hands up, we have the room surrounded," the voice ordered.
To me at least, 'Enforcers' had only one meaning that caused me to go into instant attack mode: target. I had been trained from almost the start to attack anyone dressed in a specific uniform and occupation on sight. If these truly were the kats whose images that I found fought so often in the VR chamber, then it meant that I might soon find myself fighting for real like I had when we arrived.
Not too surprisingly, the other creeplings fell into the same mode that I had. No one left their seats, but many of them were already flexing their claws and chattering anxiously for the battle that they sensed coming. But no one did anything else yet. We had not heard anything from Master, who had taken to glaring at the door where the voice had come.
"Take what has already been downloaded and destroy the rest, my creeplings. Our time here is finished," Master ordered.
Reaction couldn't have come quicker. Everyone started working like crazy. Those that had been in mid-download just removed their disks and then took Master's order of 'destroy' to a limit that didn't surprise me. They literally tore the computers apart, causing sparks to start flying from the metal corpses. Those that had finished did about the same thing, even the male that had been watching me.
As for me, I jut moved towards the door. I too itched for battle as my instincts and training started to take over. It was hard for me to control these urges even though I didn't want to. I really wanted the chance to take the opportunity to participate in a real battle instead of one of the holograms in the VR chamber.
Master must have seen my movements, because he ordered," You will not be fighting, my creepling. You will carry the disks while that is done by the others."
I stopped in my tracks and turned back to protest my Master's order. He really couldn't be serious about that. He surely couldn't mean that I couldn't fight. Even if it wasn't like me, now that I was here, why keep me from doing what I was trained to do? Wasn't that why he had allowed me to come on this mission in the first place?
Whatever I might have said, it was lost forever as the door suddenly burst open and shots started being fired. Hot pain shot through my back as one of these blasts caught me in the back. Completely in shock, I stumbled forward as I shrieked in outraged pain. I landed unceremoniously as the pain spread from the shoulder where I had been initially hit and down through my back. For the briefest instance, I was reminded of the pain that I had felt during my last session with Fishbreath in command.
That was simple compared to what I was feeling now. Then the pain had come in bursts that eventually subsided and left only the sensation of needles being thrust into my skin. That was something that I was more used to and could deal with once I had calmed myself down.
Now though, I was in no mood or state to calm myself down. Right now, my preservation instinct was kicking in on full drive. Mixed in with the pounding of the urge to get away before I was injured further were the unmistakable sounds of battle erupting and I was right in the middle of it.
Part of the fight was being fought by my own side, which I recognized from all the creepling screeching and Master's booming voice giving orders as the former leapt over me towards their targets. There were others sounds, voices that I didn't recognize. I knew only that they were the voices of kats who were our enemies, the Enforcers.
My thoughts became broken after that as I felt a pair of paws clamp down on my arm and pull me to my feet. I screeched in pain a second time as whoever had me started to drag me behind them. I tried to struggle, but my own pain and the strength of the other kept me from pulling away.
An angry chattering told me that it was the creepling that had taken to watching over me in the computer lab. He must have decided to take Master's order even further and get me out of trouble completely. So while the others remained to fight, he had dodged the battle, gotten me, and was now making a break for it.
I will never know how we managed to make through unnoticed or relatively unscathed. I do know that we soon left the battle of our kin and the Enforcers far behind as we headed towards the roof. At least, that was where I think we were heading. It seemed the most logical to my distressed mind.
By the time we reached an area that I could recognize, I had regained some of my senses. At least enough to know that the danger we had supposedly left behind wasn't gone yet. There was still something waiting for us as we got closer to the exit.
My companion must have sensed it too because he suddenly stopped and growled. I just followed his lead since it was becoming harder for me to ignore the pain and concentrate on much else. The other creepling ignored my condition and instead started sniffing the air around us.
Growling at me again, he got behind me and pushed me further down the corridor until I started to stumble onward alone. He chattered, ordering me to make it back to the Doomsday Express as fast as I could and to wait for Master there. I was confused that he wasn't coming with me, but I obeyed. I continued on while he remained behind to handle whatever was following us.
A short time later, I managed to find my way back to our entrance. A cool breeze racing over my body was the signal that I had indeed made it out. Taking this as a good sign on some primal level, I started searching for the Doomsday Express. If I could get to that, then it would be safe for me to rest and wait someone to come and treat my wound.
The wound in question had gotten worse from all the stumbling and moving around that I had done. I could now feel the pain shooting through all parts of my body, even those that hadn't sustained injury. This only furthered my body's desire to give into the release of unconsciousness that would surely reveal my pain.
So I began my search. It was a great deal harder than I would have first suspected. For one thing, even though I had a general idea of where the Doomsday Express was, I didn't know its exact location. It also didn't help matters that it too dark for me to see straight and that I wasn't able to focus properly. So like before, I had to stumble around in order to find what I was looking for.
And just like before, it was blind luck that led me to find what I sought. For eventually I found a plane-like craft not too far away from where I thought the Doomsday Express should be. It had an open ramp that led into a cargo hold just like the Express did, since Master hadn't bothered to shut it when everyone was let off.
Once I found this, I started stumbling up it without hesitation. The incline was a great deal steeper than I remembered, but I could still manage it. As I drew nearer to the opening I knew was at the other end of th ramp, it suddenly occurred to me that this might not be the Doomsday Express. If it wasn't, then I would be in big trouble. Not only with whomever this plane belonged to but Master as well. Either one would probably skin me alive for being stupid enough to choose the wrong plane.
As the pain in my back and shoulder intensified however, I found that I didn't care. I just wanted to be somewhere away from all this fighting and yelling. So I climbed through the opening and into what I assumed what a cargo hold. Once there, I lost all control over my body as my strength gave out. I collapsed in a heap gasping for breath and just gave into the darkness that I been fighting to keep out of my mind.
A/N: I hope that the pace has picked up enough for everyone, because this is where things start to really get weird. Now that #3 is out of it, her fate is kind of uncertain for the moment. But don't worry, this isn't the end of the little creep. I have something planned for her but that's going to have to wait until next time. Until then, thank you for reading and I hope that everyone liked this.