"The Experiment"
Chapter 9
Sandy poked her head in the door of the Lab. "Mr. Curtis... I heard you wanted to see me?"
"Yes," replied Frank, "come in, Sandy."
She joined us in the Lab, looking warily at Curtis, but she had a smile for me. "I've got a surprise for you..." Frank said. "Next month will be your first birthday!"
Sandy blushed. "I know. I was kind of hoping... no one would make a big deal."
"It'll just be you and me and Steppenwolf, then," Frank said, "is that okay?"
She looked at the floor, but she was smiling. "I guess so."
"Well, the thing is, now that you're getting to be an adult, I think it's time we gave you a little more responsibility."
"More responsibility?"
Mr. Curtis nodded. "As you know, Sandy, we let the older monsters on this ranch train the younger monsters. Just as Steppenwolf has been working with you, we want you to start helping out with a baby monster, showing it how to fight, how to train, and what is expected of it here on the ranch."
"And there's more to it than just training," Frank added. "Just as Steppenwolf became your friend, we want you to be a friend to the new monster."
"I think this is a great chance for you." I said. "I was about your age when I started working with the young monsters on my old ranch." I smiled at her. "And you'll be surprised at how good it makes you feel..."
Sandy bit her lip. "But I don't... I don't really know that much about fighting," she said. "You're so good at it, and I'm... well, I'm not that good."
"You're actually a lot better than you think," Frank told her. "You've come a long way, very quickly. You're a lot stronger than most monsters of your age. A lot of that has to do with Steppenwolf's training," he grinned at me, "but a lot of it is YOU."
"You have a long way to go before you're actually able to help with the real training," Curtis added. "Maybe about six months to a year from now, you'll be ready. But we want you to start with a baby so that by the time you're ready to help with the training, it'll be ready to train."
"And I know you'll do fine." Frank added.
She looked at me. "So... you'll still be training me?"
"Of course." I smiled at her. "I'll be there to teach you how to train the other monsters, too. You don't have to pick it up all at once. You can learn as you go, just like you did when you were learning to fight."
Sandy was still a little unsure of herself, but I could see the excitement in her eyes. She pressed her hands to her lips, staring off into space across her folded fingers. "So... I'll be training one of the monsters in the baby stable, then."
"Actually, we had a specific monster in mind," Mr. Curtis said.
"Oh?"
"We want you to train a new monster, one we'll Combine here in the Lab. You can start with it right from birth, teach it what you know, get to know it."
Frank was starting to look a little nervous. Sandy didn't notice it, but I did. They hadn't said anything about this, when we talked before. All of a sudden, I started to get that queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach again.
"And you have more to offer than just fighting ability, Sandy," Frank said. "You can help her in other ways, too. You'll... You can share... your experiences with her, help her understand... about herself."
Curtis nodded. "She'll be just like you, Sandy, a little sister you can help raise. And you'll be invaluable in helping us raise her. Monsters always do best at raising their own kind..."
Sandy had become very still and quiet. The excitement she had felt before was completely gone. In its place was a growing tension, so strong I could smell it. But neither Frank not Curtis seemed to notice. Or maybe they didn't want to notice.
"It's time that we thought about creating our next Pixie/Henger," Curtis was saying. "The time is right. You've survived the stage that killed both of your predecessors, and developed your new body in ways we hadn't even expected. You've..."
"YOU'RE GOING TO CREATE ANOTHER ONE?!!!" Sandy's voice was so loud that I had to turn my head away. "YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS TO SOMEONE ELSE?!!!"
"I think that I can control the transformation this time..." Frank began, but Sandy cut him off.
"No! I won't let you do it! I won't let you put another Pixie through what I went through! You just CAN'T!!!"
"Look, I understand how you feel..." Curtis began.
"No you don't!" Sandy turned on the man, her fists clenched. "You don't give a DAMN about how I feel!"
"Sandy..." Frank warned.
Sandy was furious, so angry that she was shaking. "All you care about is your Pixie/Henger! And I had to pay the price for it!" Tears came to her eyes, but she wiped them away. "You put this... this THING in me, and..."
She hid her face in her hands, unable to continue. Frank put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sandy. I really am. I made a lot of mistakes, and..."
Sandy looked up at him, the anger returning, although the tears were still running down her cheeks. "How can you even THINK of doing this, when you SAW what it did to me! When you saw it... devour me... from the inside out..." Her voice choked.
"That's why we want you to help us, Sandy." Not surprisingly, Curtis was frowning, and his voice held that tone of someone who was used to his orders being obeyed without question. "Now that we know what to look out for, and with you to help her through it..."
Sandy looked away from him, disgusted. Then her eyes met mine. The look of heartache, of betrayal in her eyes was more than I could bear.
"Them I can understand, Steppenwolf... but you? I thought you were my friend..."
"I didn't know, Sandy. I swear, I didn't know."
She turned towards the door, wiping away tears. Frank tried to stop her, but she shoved him aside. She ran out of the Lab, and out into the field beyond. A few startled monsters watched her run past, and muttered to themselves.
Days passed, and I continued my own training, since Sandy was avoiding me. Inferno met me on the training grounds, and asked if I minded a rematch of our first battle. I wasn't sure what the Dragon was up to, but there wasn't really anyone else there on the ranch who could challenge me. I needed the practice, so I agreed.
Inferno chatted amiably as we walked to the sparring ring, commenting on the weather, which was getting colder, and the tournaments that he had entered recently. I didn't buy his nice guy act, but I did appreciate that he seemed to be trying to put our first meeting behind him.
"I'm not going to go easy on you, Gray Wolf," he was saying, although he was being good natured about it.
"Well, don't think I'm going to be nice to you because I beat you last time," I said. "If you want to even the score you're going to have to work for it."
We approached the ring. There was a rope blocking off the entranceway, and I ducked under it. Inferno sort of half hopped over it, half fluttered his wings. "We don't need referees, do we?" Inferno asked me, grinning slyly.
"Actually, your friend Brom doesn't like me very much," I told him. "I'm hoping that without him watching, we can have a real fight, without having to worry about what certain trainers will think."
"That was my thought," Inferno agreed. "Brom takes care of me, but he can be a pain sometimes. Sometimes I get tired of doing nothing but what he wants me to do."
I studied the Dragon carefully. This was a very different Inferno from the one I had fought before. But was this who he really was, or was it all just an act? I never did find out whether it was Brom or Inferno who had ordered Crimson to attack me. So was he the cause of my problems here, or was he just another one of this ranch's victims?
"Ready?" I nodded. "Then let's fight!"
Inferno began with his usual tactic, trying to take to the air and blast me with his fire breath, but I leaped at him, clearing the distance between us before he could gain much altitude. I again landed on his head, and bit into his ear, but he shrugged off the attack. He turned his head as if to snap at me, but couldn't reach.
"If you had a long neck like a FIMBA Dragon, that would work," I said, rolling off of his back, and landing on all fours on the ground. I dodged as he swiped at me with his tail.
"Yes, you come from that other continent, don't you?" The Dragon said. He lumbered forward, and I danced around, keeping him busy. "I've never seen one of those Dragons."
"They're not as big as you," I said, "but they're taller. Not as compact."
He swiped at me, and I leaped in. I turned a flip, kicking against his chest. Lightning flashed from my paws as I struck him. He hissed, drawing in his breath, but kept up his chatter.
"I bet you've fought lots of dragons, huh?"
"None as strong as you," I said, honestly. "But most were faster. I fought a Laguna for the Dragon Tusk once."
"Laguna?"
"Ragnaroks," I said, the IMa name for a Dragon/Monol.
"If he'd have hit me, he'd have killed me," I added, leaping aside as he whipped at me with his tail.
"And if I hit you... ?" He asked with a smile.
"I don't plan on letting that happen," I replied.
He started a Flutter, but I braced myself against the gust. As he was recovering, I leaped back and let go full force with a Blizzard. He wasn't even able to react before I again leaped forward, flying through the air to strike him direct in the forehead.
Inferno was stunned for a few moments. When his head finally cleared, he grinned at me. "Okay, I'll give you that round."
His grin bared a mouthful of sharp teeth, but I grinned back at him. After all, he wasn't the only one with fangs.
We returned to our respective positions. I nodded when he asked "Ready", and then he said "Go!" But neither of us moved. I watched him closely, for any sign of his flame attack, but he was waiting for me, as well.
He grinned again. "Didn't fall for it."
"So it would seem."
I danced around on the edge of his flame range. I kept watching him for any sign of movement, but he was obviously waiting for me to come to him. I remembered how he had slapped me aside when I leaped at him, in that first fight. Obviously a direct attack wasn't going to work.
I kept jumping forward and back, not letting him get comfortable with my range. I continued to creep forward, however, getting closer and closer, until I was just within Combination range. I leaped at him, but he dodged my backflip. He slashed at me, but his attempt was half-hearted, and I was able to avoid it easily.
I leaped back to Blizzard range, and lowered my head, gathering my power. I opened my mouth to exhale the blast of frost at him, and Inferno brought up his wing as a shield. As he did, however, I leaped forward. The Blizzard had been a feint, I had actually been gathering my Lightning, and I let it go as I leaped over his head. Not expecting at attack from above, he was unable to block the sheet of crackling energy, and he jerked backwards.
"Nice move," he said, as I settled into a position just outside his arm's reach.
"Thank you."
We began the dance again, circling each other, watching for an opening, slashing with our claws or fangs, then darting back. "You're a bit faster," I told him. "You've been training."
"Thank you," he said. "Curtis was right. I've been concentrating too much on building up my strength."
"It's made you a better fighter," I said.
He raised an eyebrow. "Compliments, Gray Wolf?"
"I tell it as I see it, Inferno."
"Indeed." He swiped at me again, but he was still not really trying. And I was getting winded. I realized that he was using a variation of my technique on me, letting me get tired, while he saved his strength for use when an opening presented itself.
At least he was learning.
"You've been training, too," he commented. "That backflip attack of yours really stings."
"I do the best I can."
"You've been training that Pixie/Henger, too. Sandy, isn't that her name?"
I dodged a claw. "Yes, her name is Sandy," I said, cautiously.
"You're pretty fond of her, I'll bet," he made the comment sound offhand, casual.
"She's a friend..." That disquieting feeling was back. Was he going to threaten her? Was that what this was all about?
"I'd like to fight her some time. I hear a lot about her. She must be good if she was trained by you."
"You might do best to stay away from her. She doesn't do well when she's backed into a corner."
"Yes... I heard about that. Too bad. It must be a heavy burden on her."
I couldn't keep my lips from curling into a snarl. "She isn't happy. That's for sure."
"I heard about that, too. My sources say she charged out of the Lab, yelling at Frank and Curtis. She must be under a lot of stress to yell at a trainer like that."
Suddenly, the Dragon lunged forward. Red lightning seemed to gather around his body as he came at me. The lightning flowed into his arm as he pulled it back, and then he slammed his fist into me. I was thrown through the fence around the ring, which I punched through as if it was made out of paper.
As I recovered my senses, Inferno was waddling towards me. He looked back over his shoulder at a crowd of monsters that was gathering. "Why don't we call it a tie, Gray Wolf," he said. "Two rounds is enough exercise for me, and we seem to be attracting too much attention."
I put a paw to my head, and wasn't surprised to feel blood. Not much, though. "A tie, then. Thanks for the... exercise."
The Dragon chuckled, a low rumbling sound. I held his gaze.
"Remember what I said about Sandy," I finally said. "I'd hate for someone to get hurt... because of her."
"Oh, I won't forget. As you said, who knows what she might do if she was pushed too far..."
The Dragon lumbered off, leaving me to face a crowd of confused and curious onlookers.
