Lot 118
Chapter One .:.
The Creation
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The small uncharted island off the coast of Neopia might come across as a simple deserted isle. Its bearings remained a secret to all but those who've seen it before. But what was established in the creamy white sands near the water's foaming edge was a tangible building. Yes, there were tales of mirages and beguiling shapes in the trees and cliffs. However, none of these things could hide the matter that this was, in fact, a laboratory. And there were human inhabitants just as well as a menagerie of strange animals...
The building's structure seemed ordinary. But contrary to its appearance, what lay inside was an immensely complex network of corridors and chambers, complete with barred cells and the residents thereof. Certain rooms contained the whimpers and yelps of creatures, and others held only an uncanny hush. The predominate feature of this place, though, was the large experimentation room.
Today, two scientists were stirring in that very room. The air was filled with the soft tinkling of glass being packed together as a figure clad in white pushed an assortment of flasks away from the observation desk. The gurgling of strange chemical mixtures was another prominent sound in the vicinity, and so was the collective sigh of what appeared to be a female voice.
A petite woman drummed her fingers on a book, drawing a mask away from her face to allow long, sleek locks of dark brunette hair to spill across her narrow shoulders. Her eyes were of an almost grayish blue, and they were focused on her partner, who was clacking away on his computer.
"is it finished yet?" she asked rather exasperatedly, staring harshly in his direction.
"Almost," came the curt response of the man who was obviously deep in contemplation.
On his screen was the intricate design of DNA cells. Though impossible to detect by anyone other than the scientists themselves, these strands were the genes of a red roan Shire stallion and that of a killer whale. Thus far, it'd taken almost a year to disassemble them and fuse them together again. And, finally, with a last click of the mouse it was complete. Should this experiment fail, they would start again from scratch. Any single defection in the cells could mutate the desired product into a failure. Hence, they both wore latex gloves and face masks to protect themselves and the DNA.
"Riley, prepare Lot 118," the man said, and she did just that.
Grabbing a ring of keys, she set off briskly down the hall, unlocking the cell gate to the lot and stepping inside. Pulling a small gadget from her coat pocket, Riley pushed a series of buttons and the room temperature and clarity of the air appeared in neon green lettering on its screen. She returned it to her pocket and strode into the middle of the room where a large, Plexiglas tube dropped from the ceiling to touch the floor. A lever protruded from its right side, and Riley stood there beside it, hand wrapped confidently around it.
"Ready for experiment Scarlet Arc, Scott," she yelled.
Her comrade collected the altered genetics and placed them on a clear, plastic film. The liquid combination gleamed a milky white as he placed it in a similar tube inside the lab, pulling the lever to open it up. The tube retracted to the ceiling, and he placed the film on a round metal tray at the bottom. Pushing the lever back brought the tube to its previous place again, only this time the DNA was inside it.
Scott returned to his computer, typing out the command for heat activation. The liquid suddenly began to froth, expanding in a mass of tissue-like bubbles. A shape was being formed. The scientist watched in awe as the creature began to twitch. A red light flashed on, and he pressed the command to send it to Lot 118. A sucking noise like that of a large vacuum pulled the half-built creature up into the tube. There was a long pause as it settled for a moment somewhere inside to finish the transformation.
Riley shrieked. The creature fell to the ground on her side of the tube, and she immediately pulled the lever. Rushing out, she quickly locked the door and gazed in from the bars. Scott joined her.
"It's not breathing," she mused aloud, and Scott shook his head and sighed.
On a tablet, he wrote beside the caption Lot 118; Peophin Experiment - Failed.
But miraculously, there was movement. The creature flicked its tail, which looked to be that of an orca. There was a clank of something hard meeting the cement, and suddenly a front pair of hooves pushed the animal upright. It had a powerful body like that of the stallion with the tail of the killer whale. Its dominating color was a vivid crimson, and its mane was azure blue. There seemed to be a gold metal plate covering its forehead and the top of its sleek muzzle, encrusted with a single ruby in the center. It had the ears of a horse, and fin-like projections settled at the sides of its face. Eyes of the deepest sea green stared blankly at the astonished scientists. Riley ran immediately to the phone.
Scott, however, called her back.
"Get a rope! This animal needs to be in water. Now!"
Indeed, the Peophin had toppled over rather limply, flexing its caudal in alarm. The grunts that came from its mouth were longing gasps. Scott pulled open the door and hooked an arm around Scarlet's chest, supporting its massive empennage with the other arm. Riley rushed in and looped the rope around its neck, the rest of the length collected in her free hand.
The pair burst out onto the beach, racing toward the shore. Lowering the creation into the water, Scott took control of the rope and gave it slack to swim out a bit from the mainland.
The sun glimmered on the waves, giving the sea a sort of starry appearance. Scarlet Arc upturned her viridian eyes and, as she saw the beauty of the water, she bolted. Her powerful muscles propelled her just as swiftly as a bullet from a gun through her liquid haven. She was free! This was true bliss. There was a formation of coral up ahead, its flashy colors inciting sheer curiosity and desire. Fish scattered from her majestic chassis as she whinnied and struck out with her forelegs in a gesture of unprecedented euphoria. But as she lurched forward, the roped tugged her back. She choked out a furious neigh, spinning backwards against her restraints.
Meanwhile, both Scott and Riley were struggling with the rope, pulling on it hard in an attempt to bring the Peophin back in. Scarlet Arc would have nothing of the sort.
"Riley! Get out there! The line's going to break!" His frantic yell seemed to float right by her ears though, for there was a moment of intense tension on the rope, and then both were pulled forward into the water.
Scarlet had kicked the tether away from her, breaking free of the loop around her neck. Almost tauntingly she reared out of the water, practically standing on her tail and staring out across the surface, snorting at the two scientists. The man, however, pulled a camera from his pocket and shot a picture of the creature as it leapt into the air, body curving into a perfect arc before it dove into the sea once again and dashed away.
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Writer's Commentary :: Yep, my first fan fiction for Neopets. This is basically the life story of my Peophin, Scarlet Arc. The species is copyrighted to Neopets, but I came up with my own account of how it came to be. ;D Comments and constructive critique are encouraged. Let me know how I've done with this chapter!