Before Perfection
by The Great Red Dragon
Chapter 11
And so it was: everyday, from ten in the morning, 'till three in the afternoon, the Shark helped out at the animal shelter. I didn't know what he did outside the room I was in, but every day I would hear him moving about the place, cleaning the equipment and this and that.
He always kept a friendly eye on me. I didn't move or do much anything at all, but I would always sense his eyes looking at me.
And always before he would leave, I would feel his finger on my back, making the same simple, affectionate strokes as the night before.

I liked it. I wouldn't have admitted to it back then, but it always gave me a warm, reassuring feeling: I like I was protected, secure, and safe.

I wasn't too fond of the doctor. 'Dr. Hartrum', as I came to know him, thought of me as an ordinary house-pet. The idiot even gave me a name!
I still resent being called...'Snuggle-Ball' to this day.

I remained almost unmoving for all my time there. Not only because I was trying to heal faster, but because I didn't want anybody to know that I was intelligent, and know what I was. If they were to discover that I was extra- terrestrial, I would be on that slab under the knife faster than an ice- cream falls from its cone.
I only ate at night (I might add that the food was awful), and barely moved throughout the day. My eyes stayed shut tight, and my other appendages remained hidden inside of my body.

As the days went by, my body became stronger, although I showed no sign of it.
At the time, I was trying hard not to get attached to my surroundings. But it was difficult, it truly was. My cushion was so comfortable, I was finally getting something to eat whenever I needed it, and the space of the cage I was in was relaxing. It felt really good to just be pampered a bit.
But I had to remember who and what I was: I was Experiment 541, an uncontrollable machine of mass destruction. I was the prime-fighting species of the universe!

But somehow, that didn't seem right when I was in Riley's presence. When I heard him speak of me, it was like I was something special, something significant, like the survivor of a great accident: the great sole survivor.

"Well, of course I was!", I would tell myself.
"I am 541, and everything and anything thrown at me I could take. I am THE life-form."

But Riley told the truth of it, without fear or hate...only with knowing.
You know, it's just the 'knowing' of something. He spoke of me as if he was proud of me! Nobody had ever been proud of me. My own creator felt that I wasn't worth keeping alive, just a slug on a rock.
Oh, if only he knew!
But the thing that really changed the tune of things happened on what must've been the seventh day at the shelter. I knew at once that something was different as I woke up: I felt my old strength again.
I knew that I was powerful once more, that I was in top-form again.
My first thought was to get the Hell out of this place. Nobody could restrict me, I would be able to break out of my cage easily enough, and any person I met...well, their bad.
But then logic kicked in: if I were to create a huge scene during my escape, then they would certainly know that I wasn't a dog or something. They would send out a search for me, and possibly the military would get involved.
Then I would've had it. With no weapons, I would be easy prey to men, even though their technology was more shallow than what I was used to.
I would wait until the night fell to make my escape. Nobody would notice my absence until the next morning. Yes, that was it!

"...But what about Riley?"

He cared and worried about me. I hated to think of his reaction if I simply disappeared in the morning.
It might just be too much for him...

"Get a hold on yourself, 541!", the inner demon inside of me commanded.
"The only person you need to care about is yourself. YOU need to be the survivor. You don't need Riley."

And for a time I actually believed that...namely, until lunch was over.
The Shark hadn't been in the room where my cage was at all today.
That was a first.
However, my mind was so pre-occupied with making my escape the coming night to worry. Then, at one-thirty, I caught his scent as the door opened.

"Hey!", he called over to me, by way of his usual greeting.

His footsteps echoed in the near-empty room as he crossed over to me.

"How are you? Feeling any better?", he asked.

I didn't give a response; he didn't expect one.

"Good news! Dr. Hartrum says you're really getting better!", he continued with enthusiasm.

"Well, whoop-de-do for dear Dr. Hartrum; give him a lolly-pop", I thought to myself sarcastically.

Riley continued.

"He says you'll be able to walk soon, that you'll be as good as new in a few weeks!"

"That doctor's got his timeline mixed up", I thought, considering that I was already one-hundred-percent fit.

"But he says you're well enough for me to take you out for a while."

"Huh?"

This came as a complete surprise to me.

"Like, out of the cage?", I asked non-verbally.

"But that's only if you want to...", Riley finished slowly.
"Do you?"

I remained still: he would be the one to decide.

"I...I'm gonna lift you out of there, okay?"

"Alright", I thought.
"Do so."

-CLICK-
I heard my cage being opened, and soon after I felt his hand: soft as always, as he gave me a pre-stroke before bringing his other hand in. Carefully, I felt his left hand being slid under my legs and his right hand went around my shoulders.
This was where I started getting kinda tense. I wasn't too keen on being touched by a human, and the thought was kind of uncomfortable.

"Just wait", I told myself.
"Think about tonight. You'll be out of here by nightfall. Keep it together..."

The Shark, as it turned out, was as gentle holding me as he was petting me. Even though I could feel his muscles underneath the blanket he was holding me in, his arms were like a cradle. It was very comfortable.
After making sure that I was completely serene [I was, thank you very much], he began to walk from the room. I sat in an upright position, a slight jerking motion rippling through my body with each step he took. I remained motionless, acting weak. My eyes were only half-opened.
He carried me through several hallways, pointing out rooms, people, and other animals to me. He talked as if he thought I was intelligent.

"This is where we keep the other dogs", Riley said as he pushed open another of the plain, white doors, marked 'kennel'.

I turned to the direction, and found myself looking down a long, well-lit room. Excited barking uprose as the door was opened.
A line of grayish tile separated two rows of cages (all of them larger than mine) that held dozens upon dozens of dogs.
Now, just so that you know, I'm not at all fond of dogs, and they're not very fond of me. I was in a fight with one a few nights before getting hit by that car. The mutt backed off once I hit it over the head with a trash-can lid.
But oh, what a noise all of these guys were making! They were barking in seven different languages, at least!

Riley started to lead me through the mayhem, naming all of the dogs by name [at least he wasn't as corny as the dear doctor had been]. I shut my eyes and closed my ears and I leaned slightly against The Shark's chest. I would've liked it if he had just stayed that way for a...few hours...
-Whoa!
All of the sudden, I felt him lifting me up, and he held me in front of a dog's cage.

"This is Bruno", he said.
"He kinda looks like you."

"T'ya", I thought sarcastically.
"Whatever."

The pitiful little mutt that sprang forward looked like a Zondaik on four legs (regular Zondaiks have only three). This dog was obviously young and naive, and he skipped forward merrily and stuck his nose through the cage bars.

SPLAT!

I spat him in the face with the force of a small projectile. He toppled backwards and scurried into a corner, letting loose an array of high-pitched howls.

"Hey!", Riley said loudly, pulling me back.
"What did you do that for?!"

"Consider yourself lucky", I thought arrogantly.
"I wanted to bite him."

I laughed evilly in my moment of glory-
SMACK!

…He slapped me on the nose...
Just like Jumba had done.
Just like Jumba...

My first instinct was to fight back. Destroy anything in sight, anything that moved.

"Now!", my evil, primitive brain urged.
"Do it now!"

I raised my fist unknowingly, ready to attack...
But then...I felt Riley's hand on my head again: soft, and in a way; forgiving.

"I'm sorry", he said quietly.

It was easy to hear, now that the entire kennel had gone quiet.

"It's my fault."

"Huh?", I thought abruptly, my mind momentarily off of destruction.
"What's he talking about?"

"I...I know you're cranky. Who wouldn't be, after what you've been through? No, I shouldn't have done that...I'm very sorry, buddy."

He tapped my head lightly.

"Can you forgive me?"

.........
He was forgiving me? It wasn't my fault?
...I was at a loss. This was something new to me. It didn't give my cocky, arrogant side a chance to show itself.
I was so stunned that I didn't even notice as we left the kennel. I didn't notice the dramatic change of light as we re-entered the hallway; a difference that usually would've blinded me temporarily. I didn't notice the continuing stares that my abnormal form attracted. I was too deep in thought...about what I had just heard.
We walked around for another half an hour more, although I wasn't paying attention at all. I only came back to reality when Riley brought me back to my room. It had gotten a bit dimmer than before, so The Shark switched on the light before moving further towards my cage.

"I hope that was fun", he said as the lock on the cage clicked open.
"But you must be tired now. I'll leave you here, okay?"

He lifted me up and carefully slid me back onto the cushion. Even though the pillow-like thing felt as good as always, it felt even better to be in Riley's arms. The lock clicked again as the cage closed. I heard Riley walk back to one of the gray-ish cabinets and pull out a bag of the stuff I was fed...I had a suspicion that it was dog-food.
The tray that connected into the cage tinkled and twanged as it was filled.

"There you go. You can eat again", Riley informed me.

I remained silent, and Riley stood there for a while, just looking at me. My eyes were closed, so even though I was facing him, I couldn't see him.
He sighed heavily.

"Get well soon, okay?", he urged in a plea.
"I can't stand to see you like this."

"Oh, Riley...", I thought.
"If only you knew..."

"I'm gonna be back tomorrow, okay?", Riley continued.
"I'll be here earlier than I was today."

More silence followed. Then, I finally heard his footsteps start for the door.
...But wait!
He was turning around and walking back to me. I opened my eyes a slit, and saw him fumbling with something on his neck. My eyes closed as he came nearer. Again, he stopped in front of my cage.

"Here", he said.
"For good luck."

He reached through the bars and fastened something around my neck.

"Hope you like it..."

He stroked my head one more time.

"See you tomorrow."

His footsteps began to fade again, and then there was that click of the door. I opened my eyes and looked down at my neck and chest.
It was his scorpion pendant.
I stared at it for a long time; sliding it through my clawed fingers and feeling its texture.
I realized that Riley, The Shark, had given me one of his most prized and precious possessions.
Like I meant something to him. Like I was a friend. An equal.
I stared at the thing for so long that I completely forgot about pondering my escape plan. Hours past, and before I could realize the time, I was fast asleep, with the scorpion pendant resting inside of my clenched hand.