Not Hard Enough
C1: Forced Forgetting
[Disclaimer: KP and all that good stuff belongs to Disney. I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.]
"Hello, my beautiful little girl."
"Dr. Psymon, are you insane? You can't make a child!"
"Obviously, I can. I have the funds, and I have the determination. Tao will live, and she will live long and well."
"With a tail, claws, and natural silver hair? How will she go to school?"
"She won't. I will teach her at home."
"You? You are no more suited to be a teacher than I am to be a lawyer!"
"Thank you, Dr. Green, but it will be fine. Tao will be fine."
"We will see, Dr. Psymon."
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The small orange and white dog sniffed at the small, sleeping child. A silver tail twitched with dreams and restless energy. A wise old cat hopped up onto the bed and lay down on the child's back. The dog, hoping that he wouldn't do something wrong, imitated the cat and jumped onto the bed. He curled up by the child's head and closed his little black eyes.
Dr. Ion Psymon peeked around the edge of the door and nearly laughed at the sight of all the animals curled up by and on her daughter. The girl had been 'born' just one year ago. It was her birthday. Ion crept into the room and tapped the dog on the head. He jerked up and looked at his owner with a dog-grin.
"OK, Einstein, off Tao." Ion said in a whisper, "And see if you can't get Solomon off Tao's back." The dog stood up and nudged the cat with a snout. The cat opened an eye and saw Ion standing there. She was pointing to the ground with a smile. The cat stood and stretched lazily, hopping off the little child onto the ground. The dog followed suit.
"Time to wake up, Tao-Tao." Ion said in a playful voice, sitting on the bed and picking the girl up. A sleepy look was what she received. Once Tao figured out who it was, she giggled and her tail started whipping around.
"Know what today is?" Ion lifted Tao onto her shoulders, "It's your first birthday!"
Tao didn't have much of an idea of what a birthday was, but she knew something fun was going to happen.
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Three years after that, it was Tao's fourth birthday. Ion had given her one present: a necklace with a pendant made of silver. Tao was happy beyond belief. She was playing with Solomon and Einstein, Ein for short, and Ion was watching contentedly.
Phit. Phit.
Ion pulled something out of her neck. A small dart lay in her hand. She choked and her vision blurred. She was unconscious in moments.
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Tao cried in the darkness. She didn't like being alone. Her tail was curled tightly around her little body, and she didn't try to wipe her tears away.
"Be silent!" a man's voice shouted, "You are here for a reason!"
Tao looked around, trying to see who was there. The room was empty, save her. Something in a corner was buzzing slightly, and that was where the voice was coming from.
"If you want your mother to be safe, be quiet!" the voice ordered, "You will do exactly as I say, understood?" Tao nodded, not knowing if she should talk.
"Good. Send him in!"
A door opened with a swishing sound, and a burly young man walked in. Tao stared at him in fear.
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BAM! BAM! BAM! …thud.
Ion panted, rubbing her shoulder. A double-locked door, one lock on the outside and one on the inside, was her enemy at the moment. It was a thick and heavy door. Dr. Psymon felt like she'd never get through it, even with a chainsaw. However, she had a feeling deep inside her that Tao was in danger. She didn't like the feeling.
Thus, Ion stood back up and charged at the door.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
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BAM!!
Tao fell to the floor, shaking. The man walked over to her and lifted her up by the back of her shirt. He threw her at the wall again. The four-year-old hit it with a resounding crash before falling to the floor again.
She hated the sensation of pain. She hated being thrown around into walls. She hated it all. The man kicked Tao to her back. He stamped on her chest hard, nearly breaking a few ribs. Tao coughed, something red escaping her lips.
In a slow moment, Tao realized what the red meant. It meant hurt, and the kind that could make one howl. In another moment, she realized one thing that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
The man reached down and grabbed her by the neck. A split second was all it took. Tao's hands came up from her side and dug into the man's face with unholy speed. A skill she never knew she had emerged abruptly and energy flowed from her clawed hands into the man.
He screamed in agony as his blood boiled inside his burning skin. His heart stopped, his lungs singed. And then he exploded.
The red covered Tao's hands and splattered onto her face. The man no longer had a head. His skin steamed from the extreme heat, and one of his feet twitched. But he no longer had a head. What had been his head was on Tao.
Tao stared. She was shaking in horror. She knew what she had done.
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BA-CRACK! WHAM!
Ion fell onto the door as the locks finally broke. She ignored the throb in her shoulder and just started running. The floor beneath her dropped away suddenly, and she slid down what felt like a tube. A blast of air shot her out of the tube into the darkness of night.
She lay stunned for a minute or so, and then sat up. A gleam of silver caught her eye. The moon was reflecting off of Tao's hair.
"Oh, Tao, I'm so glad you're all right!" Ion ran to her daughter and hugged her tight, "What happened, sweetheart?"
"Mama…mama…"
Ion took a look at Tao. Her hands were covered in blood, and her face was splashed with it.
"Oh, Tao!" Ion gasped, "What did they do to you?"
"I hurt him." Tao whispered, "I hurt him."
"Tao, what do you mean?"
"I…killed…him…"
"What? No, Tao, no…"
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
—to be continued—