by Randall Boggs
Joy's Note: The relationship between Randall and Boo will be explained later on as the story progresses, but for right now, enjoy this chapter! Randall and I love your reviews so far, keep 'em coming.
Oh yeah, and a special "thank you" goes out to Sean Fogle for being this fiction's beta reader! Your opinions are well appreciated. ^_^
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Chapter Two - A Walk in My Shoes
It was later that day, after work, when I finally finished building the Scream Extractor. I stood in front of my invention, showing my boss the final masterpiece. He seemed pretty satisfied. He should have. I spent hour upon hour in the early processes redesigning the blueprints to fit HIS model of perfection. So, if he doesn't like it, I'm not gonna hesitate to let him know how I feel. I have to admit, at least, *I* was pretty proud of my workmanship. It was a big, sleek machine and it would work, I could almost guarantee that.
Waternoose rubbed his chin as he looked it over. "Well done, my boy, I have to say," he told me, patting my shoulder. "It's exactly what I've been hoping for."
I smiled confidently, my machine having gotten the "Waternoose Seal of Approval", and leaned my upper arm on the top of the SE's front nozzle. "I told you we could have done it in time," I replied, just for the record. "And it's exactly how you wanted it built. Right down to the last detail. Pretty sleek, huh?"
Waternoose just gave me a simple nod of confirmation. He doesn't seem to commend anyone, unless he thinks they really deserve it (with the exception of Sullivan, of course). I backed away from the machine and went over to the control panel, pressing a button I installed on it. The SE rose upward by a mechanical arm that was attached to it.
Soon, it hid the giant contraption in an open space near the ceiling. There were tons of pipes covering the ceiling everywhere else, but I decided to use the skylight area to my advantage. Sure, it covered the light coming in through the windows, but who cares? I'm used to working in dark rooms anyways. No biggie. If anyone ever found my hideaway (banish the thought), I figured it would hide the Scream Extractor from prying eyes.
Waternoose turned his attention towards me. "I'm very impressed with this 'Scream Extractor' of yours," he declared.
Wow. Wonder of wonders. And my last name's not even Sullivan (banish that thought too - ick!).
"Now, I'm assuming you've left the last door you've been scaring in at your station as I instructed?" he continued.
I nodded in return. "It should still be sitting out there, unless someone sent it back," I confirmed.
My boss smirked. "All right, then," he said. "Take the child out of its room and bring it in here. We'll conduct our first test-run tomorrow afternoon - promptly after work. . .Wouldn't want anyone getting suspicious now, would we?"
He sounded a bit power-hungry at that particular moment. I kinda wondered if this guy was really sane, but I didn't say anything. I'm not stupid, remember? Instead, I opted for another question. . .
"Where do you want me to put it for the night?" I asked.
Waternoose dragged a small, metal cage out of the shadows and dropped it beside me with a clang. "Just put it in here," he said. "We don't want the other employees finding it. Besides, it's just a human child. They're easy to care for. You shouldn't have any problems, if it's caged up."
I stared at the cage for a minute. Putting it in a cage made perfect sense. After all, who would let a human run loose? But still. . .it was awfully tiny. "Okay. . ." I said, momentarily drifting towards my thoughts. "But isn't it a bit. . .small - for a human, that is?"
I'm an idiot. I don't know why I cared all that much. All monsters knew humans had tiny brains - especially the young ones. So, the kid wouldn't know the difference, would it? Waternoose gave me the answer I was expecting. . .
"Nonsense!" he chuckled. "They're just humans, they won't know the difference. Now, why would you worry about a human when there are more important things to worry about? Like counting money, for example," He chuckled again and gave me a strong pat on the back - one that nearly knocked me over. "See you tomorrow afternoon - five sharp."
I forced a (pretty pathetic) chuckle along with him and nodded. "Sure."
My eyes followed Waternoose as he left. Questions were running through my mind as I did so, but they weren't exactly ones that I'd care to talk with him about. I wondered how far my boss would go to keep this thing a secret. One of the employees had already overheard me arguing with Waternoose over the short deadline of building the Scream Extractor.
Waternoose figured that he had heard too much and banished him somewhere in the Himalayas (illegally, mind you). You all probably know him. He's the "Abomidable Snowman".
Anyways, I grabbed a canister cart from the corner of the room and began pushing it out the entrance tunnel. But the scream canisters on the cart weren't actually canisters, it was a cleverly disguised box. Waternoose had provided me with it, so that we could kidnap kids one-by-one after he was convinced my Scream Extractor had proved itself.
But, for the moment, I was using it to collect our "test child". I rolled it into the hallway and hastily moved towards the Scarefloor, looking over my shoulder every once and awhile. I really didn't want anyone to spot me doing what I was doing, so it made me a bit on-edge (boy, that's an understatement).
I used Scarefloor F's back door. Why? It's too risky to use the front door. Roz is forever sitting at her office grading and filing that paperwork she loves so much. She lives here or, at least, that's what it seems like. I pushed the back door open and stuck my head in, taking a careful look around. When I was sure the coast was clear, I ducked back out into the hallway to retrieve the canister cart and shoved it onto the floor. Don't ask me why, but I kept looking around. I guess I just had that feeling I was being watched. . .
But at least the door was still standing there - right where I left it. I slowly approached the door and clicked the cart's handle into place so that it would stay upright. I was, at the time, unaware that Sullivan had been lurking around just before I came in. But, anyhow, I didn't bother to disappear as I headed into the kid's room. I was gonna try not to scare her, because I didn't want to take the risk of her jumping out of bed and running to her parents' room. Or waking them with another ear-piercing scream.
I did some research before coming into the kid's room. The profile that came with the card key said that her room was a Level 2 threat. You humans aren't aware of what that means, I'm sure. That means that her parents' room is nearby and they have a dog.
I entered the room slowly, hoping that I wouldn't appear threatening enough (which was a definate first for me). I stepped foot onto her blue carpet and looked around the whimsical room. There was a little table and chairs, her unmade bed, and a teddy bear sitting on it. . .but no kid. I scratched my chin in puzzlement. I could've swore she was there an hour ago.
Call me a moron, but I got down on all eights and glanced under the bed - just to make sure she wasn't hiding under there. As one would expect, I didn't see anything aside from a few toys and dust bunnies.
Odd. . .
I stood, hearing her dog scratching at the door from outside. I figured that now was a good time to make my exit. I was just wasting my time. I made my way towards the closet, but something made me stop. I glanced down at her table and saw a drawing. Absentmindedly, I picked it up - looking at it out of pure curiosity. I was surprised to see it looked so much like me.
I haven't seen drawings half as good as that in the MI daycare and our monster kids were much more intelligent than some stupid human kid. At least, that's what I was taught. If that was true, then how come she could draw such a good likeness of me? I suddenly broke out of my thoughts when the kid's dog began to growl and bark loudly.
I HATE dogs. And don't even get me started on cats. . .
So, I let the drawing drop back to the table and headed for the closet, before the darn mutt woke up everyone the house. It seemed to know I was leaving, because it momentarily shut up and scratched the door. I turned the knob and opened the closet door. The fact that the kid wasn't inside anymore was now becoming more of a suspicion than a mystery.
So, I paused for a moment in the doorway, a thought suddenly entering my mind. Did I really hear sounds on the Scarefloor before I entered the kid's room? Nah. I shook my head at the thought, dismissing it as nothing (big mistake), and looked around one last time before pushing the cart out of the Scarefloor.
Suddenly, I stopped mid-step - and sneezed. Yeah, I know, I don't even have a nose. But I suspected I had caught a virus of some sort down in that cold lab of mine. It's the only time I ever really sneeze. Not like I would tell my boss about it, though. It really wasn't that bad. Now, SKIN SHEDDING is bad. It's the only time I really VOLUNTEER to take a vacation. By comparison, having a cold is a walk in the park. I just shook it off and kept going.
Man, Waternoose was NOT going to like hearing that the kid was gone. . .
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Later that night, I made it to my apartment for some much-needed rest. But, somehow, the fact that the kid was gone kept me awake. I paced near the window. Waternoose was gonna chew me out if he found out what happened. And, believe me, I didn't want him to find out. He'd be quick to blame it on me, I'm sure. And, if she really got onto the Scarefloor, the kid couldn't have gone far. Short legs don't get you anywhere very fast and that's a fact.
It was only a matter of time before SOMEBODY found her, though, I knew that too. And who knows what the CDA would do if they found a real, live kid running loose. Heh. Actually, it might be amusing to watch them wander around aimlessly, searching odd places like pizza stores and mortuaries for a kid that's probably not far from their yellow noses. . .
Then an engenious idea hit me. I COULD just forget about the kid and randomly kidnap another from the millions stored away in the door vault. It's not like Waternoose knew the difference (or cared) anyways. That would be easy and I'd FINALLY get some sleep. Besides, if the authorities caught the first kid, they wouldn't be able to trace it back to me and Waternoose specifically. They'd probably get rid of the kid one way or another and we'd simply use the next one. But, for some reason, something. . somewhere inside of me pulled at my heart. It was one of those annoying things that you just can't ignore.
One thing. Yeah. ONE thing kept me from making that doomed decision to leave her to the CDA. It was that drawing. Don't you dare call me a softie - or you're gonna seriously regret it! But. . .still. . .the thought of that kid lingered in my mind, as if she had something I didn't. Come to think of it, many kids (monster ones) I pass by on the sidewalks of Monstropolis give me the same feeling. Frankly, I can't figure out what it is I'm striving for from them and it annoys the heck outta me. . .
Besides, I don't even like kids. Last time I was assigned to work the weekend at the company daycare, I thought I'd die. I didn't make it through very well - I only lasted, oh, the first day maybe. By the time I was through, half the kids were crying while the other half were complaining about another kid hitting them, me ignoring their requests, or something. I couldn't, for the life of me, keep up with all of them. Ugh. Now I know why their parents send them to daycare. . .just to get a BREAK from the chaos that comes with having a kid around!
Anyways, the soft spot (small one, mind you) in my heart was compelling me to do something about the kid. I gazed out the window at the city, torn between doing what was "right" and taking the easy road. I finally opted for doing what was "right" because, suddenly, my views of human kids just weren't quite the same. I was going to find her, if for nothing else, but to keep the city from dropping into chaos if she was found (not to mention getting a nasty scolding from my boss for supposedly "letting her into the Monster World").
So, I headed for the door. I figured that I'd have to start looking at Monsters Inc, where the kid first got out, then work my way out from there. But I couldn't hold back a regretful sigh as I made my way down the stairwell. So much for a full night's sleep. . .
I emerged out of the entrance of the apartment complex (aptly named "Herp Housing", because it's the only part of the community where reptile-monsters are really welcomed). It was cool that night, so I was glad I had grabbed my coat before I left. It was fall at the time. Though I don't recall the exact day it was when everything happened, it's still clear in my mind every detail of my ordeal.
I headed across the street and strolled down a couple of blocks, before I noticed something very odd. I lived in downtown Monstropolis, so it was normally busy at this time of night. But this scene was more or less chaotic! I slowed my pace substantially, just to watch monsters flee past me in the opposite direction that I was heading. A couple shoved me aside in their haste to get away from something (man, and everyone says I'M pushy. . .).
My suspicions were suddenly raised. I've NEVER seen such mass chaos as this. The CDA were whizzing by in their armored vehicles, sirens blaring and helicopters hovering above my head. It was like an armed criminal had just escaped jail and was now terrorizing the community. But I knew better. This kind of thing wouldn't be happening, unless there had to be a human involved. . .a human KID.
My fronds jerked upright at the sudden realization, though it was still hard to believe. She couldn't have gotten that far that fast! I weaved through the panicked crowd and nearly collided with a CDA agent that was standing up ahead of me. I tried to walk around him, but he held me back with a gloved hand, as if he was boss of the place.
"This is a restricted area," he said, his voice sounding fuzzy through the speakers they have in those yellow suits. "Please move away, sir, or you will be decontaminated."
Okay, I didn't want to get decontaminated (that's just nasty - especially if you don't even have fur), but I just HAD to know what was going on. I compromised the situation by taking a glance over the agent's shoulder. I was a bit surprised to see - of all places - the Harryhausen's restaraunt. CDA agents were grabbing monsters and dragging them off to be decontaminated. Screams and helicopter blades echoed through the air, adding to the uncontrollable chaos. Media vehicles pulled up outside the crime scene (you would figure that they'd be the FIRST ones here) and began to speak with any eyewitnesses they could stop long enough to interview.
I glanced at the CDA agent and asked him one of the stupidest questions. . .
"What's going on?" I asked, having to raise my voice now to be heard over the approaching helicopters.
"We've had a security breach," the agent replied. "They say a human child is loose in this building."
That's all I needed to know. I clenched my fists and looked away thoughtfully. I can't believe I hadn't gone out to look for that kid sooner. I made eye contact with the agent again and thanked him, before walking off. I had the feeling (or maybe it was hope) that the kid had been smart enough to run outside. But I really wasn't getting my hopes up. I was, at least, going to double-check the perimeter (geez, I'm starting to sound like a military commander or something) in case I was right.
But an odd sound made me stop again. . .
A loud, zapping sound filled the air and I quickly glanced over my shoulder. A glowing green dome immediately covered the sushi restaraunt. It glowed and fizzled as it stood there. Then everything inside it was disinegrated with a ground-shaking boom. One would think an earthquake hit, the ground was trembling so much.
When the dust and smoke cleared, the restaraunt was toast - literally. All that was left behind was a mound of dust and an angry owner, shaking his balled tentacles at the CDA as they calmly relinquished the green dome. If the kid really was inside. . .she would have been dust by now.
But I noticed something that had probably changed my mind about heading home. As the helicopters moved off, their searchlights began scanning across the city. It was as if they knew the kid had gotten out and had only destroyed the restaraunt to ease the fears of the monsters, that were running around in a panic. I wasn't fooled.
I simply shook my head and continued on my way.
Just then, a news reporter came running up to me and shoved his microphone in my face. The camera monster zoomed in on my 'surprised-yet-annoyed' expression. "Hello there!" the reporter said cheerily, grinning. He reminded me - in appearance AND personality - of Fungus. "We saw you talking with the CDA over there. Care to share anything with us?"
I blinked, looking at him as if he were an idiot (which, it seemed, he was). "No," I replied simply, turning around to walk off. Maybe they'd go bother someone else.
"But you're an eyewitness, are you not?" he insisted, still as cheerful as ever. I seriously thought his face would crack with the smile he had.
But I kept going, not making eye contact with him. I recognized this guy from Monstropolis News and I didn't like the organization he was from. Monstropolis News was well-known for skewing facts and editing out parts that they thought weren't "juicy material" to boost their ratings. I was not going to let these two make a clown out of me on local TV, so I pretty much tried to give him as many clues to "beat it" as I could. But, by golly, he's not very perceptive. . .
"No," I repeated a second time, trying to keep my voice even and stern. He had to get my point eventually, so I changed to a more straight-forward message. . . "Now, don't you have some other monster you can interview?"
The reporter refused to let me off the hook, practically following me with the camera guy right behind him. "Ah. . But my reporter's instincts tell me you have something to say to me!" he insisted, grabbing my arm to stop me and hitting me in the back with the camera bag that was slung over his shoulder.
Okay, he wanted me to tell him what I had on my mind? I'd tell 'im. . .
I stopped, pretending to think for a moment. "Y'know, you're right," I replied, a smug smile forming on my face.
"I knew it! What is it, sir?" the reporter declared victoriously, shoving the microphone in my face expectantly (he almost hit me in the nose, he was THAT close).
I finally and decisively socked him in the face.
"Shut up."
Then I left to continue my search in peace. Y'know, now I understand why his name is Ear Ittation. . .
