A Different Point of View
By Randall Boggs


RANDALL'S NOTE: I couldn't bear to say much about my life after banishment, so I left off a bit after my last scene in the movie. I hope you've enjoyed hearing my side of "Monsters Inc". But I also hope you've learned something about looking beyond outside appearances and taking a closer look at what's on the inside before you jump to conclusions about someone. As I like to say, "Beauty is only scale-deep". ^_^

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Chapter Six - Battle In The Door Vault

I entered the main MI hallway and spotted Wazowski and Sullivan running straight towards Scarefloor F. Perfect. I was right on their tails! I ran towards them. And then, wouldn't ya know it? Some blockhead wheels his scream canister cart right in front of my path.

"Move it! Look out, you!" I lept over the cart, knocking over some of the canisters in the process and glanced back at the monster. "Idiot!"

Momentarily, I lost sight of Sullivan, Wazowski, and the kid. But I knew where they were heading and I wasn't about to give up now. I shoved another monster outta my way and walked onto the Scarefloor, scanning the large room for the two offenders. I finally spotted a movement of blue and purple fur and pointed.

"There they are!" I called, no longer very worried about other employees seeing me.

I narrowed my eyes at the two, Fungus approaching my side, and began stomping towards them. I had the full intent to end this now. No more games. No more chances. I gave them way too many chances to keep out of this as it was. It was no more Mr. Nice Monster anymore; this was more serious than losing my job. The extent that Waternoose was attached to this scheme was clear to me. He'd do ANYTHING to keep this a secret - and flatten anyone who happened to let the secret get out. That would include me.

So, yes, you could say I was a bit desperate. . .And anyone in my situation would be too.

Anyways, I was gonna go over there to give them a piece of my mind, when suddenly the P.A. system came to life. "Attention employees, Randall Boggs has just broken the all-time scare record!"

It was Celia.

Before I could take a step further, my path was blocked by dozens of monsters. Shocked by the announcement and the coming onslaught, I took a step back as Fungus and I were surrounded by this crowd.

"Huh? No I didn't!" I exclaimed, trying to push through the forest of co-workers. "Get out of my way!"

Now, you might be wondering why in the world I'd pass up the opportunity to be called the new "All-Time Scare Record Holder". Well, it's very simple: I didn't do it. You see, I'm not willing to take credit for such an accomplishment if I didn't rightfully earn it. Sure, I wanted to break the record, but I wanted to do it rightfully - fairly. Unlike what you hear from Wazowski, I don't cheat - at least, I don't TRY to.

"Get off of my tail!" I demanded, completely fed up by now. "Let me through!" Finally, after some persistant pushing and shoving, I broke out of the circle.

Leaving Fungus to fend for himself, I resumed my pursuit of Sullivan, Wazowski, and the kid. Ceila had bought them just enough time to make their getaway. I found the both of them hitching a ride on one of the doors as they were all sent back to the vault. They weren't getting away that easily though; two could play that game.

I slithered up the metal docking rod and lept onto the yellow door that hung right above me. Then the conveyor began to move us towards the vault. Personally, I had no idea why these guys were trying to ruin my life by taking this kid from me. I thought, nearly the whole time, that all of this was just a personal assault on me and my career. Really! I didn't know Sullivan had any real attachment to this kid until it was. . .well. . .too late.

We rode through a dark tunnel and Wazowski was blabbering on about something "simple yet insane". As they rode a few doors ahead of me, I figured that I'd start closing the gap between us; perhaps I'd have a better chance of grabbing the kid before we had something serious going on here.

I approached the light at the end of the tunnel and it opened up into a gigantic room filled to the brim with doors. I've never been there before and, yes, it was quite a sight to see. But, sight-seeing aside, I wasn't enjoying the ride; I had work to do. I kept my eyes on the door Sullivan and Wazowski were riding as I sat comfortably on my own door. When I found the opportunity, I lept to the door ahead of me in an attempt to close the gap even more until I was only one door away from them.

I was gonna make the final jump, when I was cut off at an intersection. My door went one way and theirs went another. I let out a growl of frustration as I watched their door diminish into a speck. How was I gonna get to them now? It didn't take me long to come up with a solution. Looking at the door I was riding on, the idea hit me. Swiftly, I slithered down the door frame and opened the door, hopping inside an Indonesian kid's room.

I scanned the area and headed out of the hut. Standing outside, in the humid jungle, I thought surely there would be another hut nearby. I scared a couple of pesky dogs and ran inside another home. Took me about five seconds to find the closet and I opened it, finding myself in exactly the place I wanted to be: a few doors down from Sullivan and Wazowski. In fact, I was so close I could hear them talking.

Leaping gracefully up to the slot, I peeked around a door. Sure enough, there they were. Then, suddenly, I heard the kid laughing and then a rush of energy as her voice filled the vault. The doors came to life again and I, again, lept on the approaching door; it was heading straight for them.

Sullivan's voice sounded urgent now and I could hear what he was saying: "Get it open!"

Looks like I was gonna be stuck playing a game of "cat and mouse". But, unfortunately for them, I was REALLY not in the mood for games. . .

"Give me that kid!" I shouted, leaping in after them.

*WHAM!*

The door slammed in my face and pain shot through my head like a San Francisco earthquake; I slumped down to the track below my feet. If I didn't feel good before, this one really did me in. My mood was downright sour now as I pulled myself to my feet and threw the door open. I jumped inside to find myself on a very Hawaii-like island; palm trees, sand, beach, blue sky - the whole shebang. But Sullivan and Wazowski weren't there.

I followed their footprints in the sand to an adjacent home and follwed them to the vault once again. I threw the door open and quickly looked around me. No sign of them. But, thanks to my wonderful sense of smell, I used my tongue to taste the air and followed them though, yes, another door. Surprising, huh?

This time, I ended up somewhere in Japan. Still no sign of those two and the kid. Yet again, they had managed to keep a step ahead of me. So, was I gonna give up? Ha! No way. I simply followed them, led by their faint scent trail. I could tell I was gaining ground. Back in the vault, I spotted them right ahead of me, riding a couple of doors down to one of the many maintainence platforms they have there. I lept comfortably from one door to another with ease and followed them to the platform.

Though they tried to lose me, it's too bad they never counted on me using my tongue to track them down. Heh heh.

I was gradually catching up. They were so close I could feel it! I flung another door open and jumped inside a room in Paris, growling fiercely. I expected them to be there, but they weren't. So, I dropped the growl and went out the open door up ahead of me. I stopped for a moment at the doorway, wondering to myself why they left it open for me. But I figured it was a stupid thing to be wondering about and prepared to jump to another door, when it slammed closed.

My fronds were painfully pinned in the gap between the door and the frame. I winced as the door not only slammed on my fronds but rammed into my head as well. I felt dizziness and sharp pain all at once. It was terrible. Outside I could hear Wazowski taunting me as I carefully held my head near the door.

"Hope that one hurt, Lizard Boy!" he said, laughing.

I was hurt alright. Mentally and physically. But his mocking words cut me deeper than anything physical ever could. I hated being called "Lizard Boy". It was basically a racial slur to my species. But that just made me all the more angry with them. I carefully opened the door, my brain throbbing in my head as I stood upright again. My fronds didn't feel much better. But I ignored the pain and narrowed my eyes at Sullivan and Wazowski as they began growing smaller and smaller.

I growled from deep within my throat and caught up to them, quickly hopping from one door to another in my usual fashion. That little "prank" was the last straw for me. I had had it with them; in other words. . .they were going down. Literally.

Vanishing from sight, I waited for the right moment to pounce. But, suddenly as I came, I saw the kid starting to slip out from Sullivan's grip. Quick as lightning, I slid under Sullivan's feet and snatched the kid before she could slip out totally. He gasped in surprise, calling out her name again. Then I slithered to the top of the track and appeared, the kid now in my own arms. I smiled deviously and laughed, taking the pin out of the door. . .thing. . .whatever ya wanna call it. I'm not gonna get technical here.

They then plummeted towards the very, very distant ground below, screaming and shouting and all that.

I simply smirked to myself and threw the pin down with them. "Nice working with ya!"

Standing there for not a moment longer, I lept across to another door. Now, here's the question of the moment: What do I do with the kid now? That ran though my head. Sullivan and Wazowski were gone; I had the kid. I smiled in a satisfactory way as I lept to a brown door up ahead. The kid fussed a bit in my arms and tried to wiggle out of my grip - but I held her close, preventing a nasty fall.

The kid seemed to be smart enough to get the message; if she fell, she wouldn't survive. Immediately, she quieted down, though a look of uneasiness still overshadowed her face. It was as if she had calmed down a bit more around me and realized I wasn't gonna hurt her. Hey, don't get any ideas here, I wasn't meaning to do her any harm in the first place. If I was, I could've just let her plummet to the ground with her buddies.

I'm not heartless; she was getting her chance.

Finally, I settled on a decision: I was gonna return the kid back to her room and tell Waternoose that I killed her along with Sullivan and Wazowski. Then maybe I'd be able to keep my job, sustain minimal punishment, and I wouldn't have to go broke. Now, that would be degrading. Yeah. I didn't have a very good paycheck (unless you consider $4.75 an hour for maximum labor "good") and job opportunities for reptile-monsters are rare these days (actually, I can't remember a time when it was any different).

Suddenly, I heard a loud, annoying banging coming from behind me. I looked and then I wish I hadn't. There was Sullivan; not dead, not hurt, not even scratched - hanging on to a door directly behind me. One could say I was shocked. Oh, what an understatement that is. . .

All of my plans suddenly crumbled. In a rush, I flung the door I was riding on open, leaping inside and shutting it behind me. I stood in the darkness, my mind racing. How in the name of Monstropolis did Sullivan survive? And where was Wazowski? Why did they STILL want this kid? Did they hate me so much that they were willing to do anything to ruin my life? It was utterly confusing and, right there, I felt much like a cornered animal; just trying to survive and having nowhere to run to.

I wrestled with the thought of killing Sullivan and Wazowski myself; making sure the job was done right. But I wasn't sure. Nonetheless, Waternoose's words still taunted me, echoing in the back of my mind. . .

Finish him off!. . . .There can't be any witnesses!

Should I really kill them off? The thought, I'll admit, was VERY tempting. I mean, after all they had put me through, it was one of those options on the "extreme" side of the spectrum.

I thought of the agony they had caused me throughout the last year of my career and the past few days; it made me think about that option seriously now. They're the kind of monsters who wouldn't hesitate to confess everything to the authorities and have me arrested. . .and fired. . .and Monstropolis-knows-what-else. The risk was one I'd rather not take.

I instantaneously blended into my surroundings and gently set the kid down on the carpet; she would be the bait. Then I waited, clinging to the ceiling. It would all be over with in a few moments. . .

Just then, the door burst open and in came Sullivan. I was a bit surprised to hear the kid call out, "Kitty!" Sullivan replied with an equally happy greeting. That's when I began to realize what he was really pursuing her for. They had some kind of emotional connection. I also realized what I saw in her that I was craving: love.

Yeah. Pretty pathetic, I know, but I hardly ever felt that when I was her age. I began to feel suddenly jealous of Sullivan's bond with her. What was it she saw in him that she didn't see in me? I treated her as well as one in my position could. Sure, I hate kids, but I just don't know how to act around them. I, myself, had to grow up faster than I wanted to. Childhood was barely a fog for me; I couldn't remember what being a kid was like.

Finally, all these feelings muddled up inside of me, I channeled all of my aggression into one explosive swing. It hit Sullivan full in the face, the impact causing him to tumble out the doorway. Now, only his hands were keeping him from plummeting to the ground, several hundred yards down. I stood right in front of him, my emotions and anger finally boiling over.

"Look at everybody's favorite scarer now," I announced, glaring at him fiercely as I spoke. "You stupid, pathetic waste!"

I then brang my foot down on his fingers, a slight crunching sound coming from them as he let go. He now hung by one hand. The door swung side-to-side as I continued my speech - most likely the last one he'd ever hear from me, before I got rid of him.

I leaned into his face, letting him see my displeasure. "You've been number one for too long, Sullivan," I said solidly, placing my foot on his other hand and pressing down. "And now your time is up!"

I stood up straight, applying more pressure to his fingers, then leaned in once more. "And don't worry," I added, my voice still edged with anger. "I'll take good care of the kid."

"No!" Sullivan cried.

Just before I could give his fingers the final crunch, I felt something hop on my back and grab my fronds. Of course, it was the kid. She pulled back roughly on my fronds and I yelled out in pain, rearing backwards. I automatically reacted by changing to every color of the rainbow. She continued to inflict pain on me as I ran into a wall shelf, sliding down it. Now, understand this, she pulls my fronds left, I go left; she pulls them right, I go right. I have no control over where she pulls my head. I just don't want her to pull my fronds off.

Then she grabs this convinent baseball bat off the floor and starts bashing me over the head with it. Understandably, I'm a bit - no, alot - angry with this. Even this KID's taking Sullivan's side! I guess two-year-olds are kinda oblivious to hurt feelings and all that. Either that or she was wrapped up in being the little heroine and saving her obnoxious, spotted throwrug.

Finally, as if to add insult to injury, Sullivan grabs me by the neck and pulls me towards him, this sickening smirk on his face. He had me. I fought the best I could against him, but it was in vain. He was only choking me and I was only running out of oxygen, so thus I was running out of the energy to fight.

Then the kid began roaring at me. I simply looked at her in frustration, my mind fixed on getting a good breath of air - which Sullivan wasn't obliging to give to me. I finally relaxed, hoping like crazy he'd loosen his grip for a moment so I could breathe normally again, but instead he taunted me. . .

"She's not scared of you anymore," he said.

"Rawwr!" the kid roared again.

Sullivan then leaned into my face, smirking. "Looks like you're out of a job."

Those were words I dreaded to hear and my eyes widened; I gulped down the lump that was rising in my throat at the mention. In that moment, I knew getting angry with Sullivan wouldn't get me anywhere. My expression instantaneously turned from an angry one into a pitiful, pleading one.

Was he going to kill me instead? Or something else? I couldn't think of anything worse than what he had just told me, because that meant I really was bound to go bankrupt along with the shame I'd, no doubt, get from these two telling their story to others. I wiggled my neck in Sullivan's grip, managing to get him to loosen it a bit. I took a big gulp of air as he carried me like a dead chicken out the door.

The kid approached the edge of the doorway and Sullivan picked her up into his arms. I watched as she threw the tentacles of her costume around his neck and hugged him. Sullivan smiled warmly at her and whispered something unintelligible, making the both of them chuckle. It made me sad just watching them; it was as if I wasn't even there. That pitiful expression hung on my face as Sullivan carried me and the kid to one of the platforms.

I was too emotionally-depravated at the moment, I didn't even bother to say anything. The weight of the endless days of sleeplessness, work, effort, and everything that had occured were finally catching up with me. It wasn't because I was a wimp - no way - I simply didn't have the energy or motivation to fight anymore.

Sullivan lept down to the platform, where Wazowski was waiting. I saw a door setting against the railway and, suddenly, the idea hit me like a freight train. My eyes widened again and I struggled in Sullivan's grip as he set the kid down and dragged me by the neck to a spot right across from Wazowski. . .and the door.

"Sullivan, please, just listen to me for a moment," I whimpered, my voice stooping to a pitiful plead for help; for someone to understand. "I-I can explain!"

"All right, come on, over the plate," Wazowski interrupted me, opening the door.

Sullivan seemed to pay no attention to my pleads, either, pathetic as they may have been. I couldn't believe I was stooping so low as to beg these two to have mercy on me, but right now was no time to let my pride get in the way. I was beyond desperate now. I knew they were going to banish me heaven-knows-where and I definately DID NOT want to go without getting them to hear my side of the story.

Unfortunately, they weren't that accomodating. . .

"Let's see the ol' stuff here, pal," Wazowski continued, crouching like a baseball catcher.

Sullivan grabbed my tail and neck, then began swinging me towards the open door. "Come on, now, chuck him, chuck him, baby. Hum baby. Hum baby. Here's the pitch!"

"Wait, please, don't, don't, don't!!" I begged as the time came nearer to the big toss. "Noooooo!" Then it came; Sullivan chucked me through the door and Wazowski slammed it shut.

The last words I ever heard from them was this: "And he is - outta here!"

I skidded across the wooden floor. In a panic, I got up and flung the closet door open. To my horror, Wazowski had already deactivated the door - or worse. I grabbed my head in defeat and slunk to my knees in silent sorrow. I couldn't cry; I didn't have the energy. It scared me to think I was stuck in the middle of nowhere in the HUMAN WORLD without anyone but them knowing. No one would be able to find me. I'd live the rest of his life here!

I heard some footsteps approaching behind me and I slowly got up, turning to face them. I took a couple of steps into the light, so I could see them better. A human kid in a red "Pizza Planet" cap was standing there, then he pointed at me.

"Mama, 'nother gator got in the house," he said.

A lady approached his side and stared at me. "Another gator?!" she exclaimed, turning to her son. "Gimme that shovel! Come on!"

My eyes widened again and I glanced at the door, only a few feet away from me. But before I could make the move towards it, the lady slammed her shovel down upon my head - hard. I cried out in pain. Then she responded by hitting me again, and again, and again, and. . .well, you get my point. I was completely in pain, not sure if my arm was still there cuz it was so numb, and tried to crawl towards the door.

"Get 'em, Mama! Get that gator!" the son rooted, hopping up and down.

"Put a pot of jambalaya on the stove, son! We're gonna be havin' gator tonight!" the lady said, turning to him after a few more shovel whacks.

Yup, you got it right. They weren't trying to get me out; they were trying to KILL me! I was determined not to become somebody's dinner, so I took advantage of the distraction she was creating for herself and flung the door open. I then crawled down the stairs and glanced over my shoulder.

"The gator's gettin' away! Hand me my rifle!" she exclaimed, putting the shovel down and heading out of view.

I quickly made myself invisible and slunk into the swamp, luckily evading more pain and becoming part of a pot of jambalaya. . .

THE END
(maybe ^_~)