Chap. 10: To Never Forget
Their pace quickened as it started to pour more heavily. Their toenails clicked against the pavement as they made their way to a house in the distance. Thunder cracked and the lightning briefly lit up their faces. Finally, they made it to the doorstep of their destination.
Susan didn't bother knocking partially because she lived there and partially because she could not afford to wait due to the situation at hand. So she flung open the door, a flash of lightning again lighting up their faces;Susan's, 625's, and lastly, Kasey's, whom 625 was carrying. They rushed into the room, Susan slamming the door behind her. The three were completely soaked, water dripping from their fur and all over the carpet.
"We have to hurry, and find Jumba." Susan was still breathing heavily from all the running they had been doing. She swallowed. "He's probably in his lab. We haven't a moment to lose. We must hurry. She could be getting worse."
625 nodded, breathing heavily as well. He shifted his weight a little. "Right. Let's get going. She's heavier than she was when I first picked her up!"
"That's because you've been carrying her for a while." Susan told 625. She looked as if she were listening for something. "Everything is so silent. Everyone's probably asleep. But I bet Jumba's not. C'mon, this way to the lab."
625 followed Susan as she led the way to the lab. But he looked doubtful. "Are you sure you know where we're going?!"
"Of course!" Susan yelled back. "I see Jumba come this way a lot."
"That doesn't mean it's the way to his lab!" 625 informed Susan. "Maybe the bathroom's this way or something."
Susan stopped in the middle of the hall, looking thoughtful. "That's right... I forgot, Jumba's lab is in his ship, which is outside."
"You FORGOT that?!" 625 exclaimed. "How could you, when we have a dire situation on our hands! This isn't a time to forget! A time to forget is when everyone is healthy! A time to forget isn't now! How could you?!"
"625!! Get a grip!" Susan whispered harshly.
"Get a grip?! My girlfriend is in danger of becoming deceased, AND YOU TELL ME TO GET A GRIP?!"
Susan sighed. "I'm sorry. I lost my head."
"Now we're going to have to waste more time going back..." 625 complained.
Susan had her paw on the doorknob of a door leading outside. "No we won't. I was right, this is the way to the lab, kind-of." She opened the door. "Ta-daa! Lab is this way."
625 rolled his eyes, unimpressed, and followed Susan outside, back into the rainy wind. Then they ran across the damp grass, over to Jumba's ship. When they got to the entrance, they discovered that this wasn't going to be as easy as they thought. The entrance was not open, not inviting them in... instead, it was locked shut by the ship's security system.
"Now what? Even... Kasey couldn't get a lock like that open." 625 cringed when he said his girlfriend's name.
"No, but you can." Susan was smirking.
"What do you mean?"
"I know how to unlock it. The DNA of one of Jumba's experiments must be placed to this sensor." Susan gestured to a DNA sensor near the closed entrance. "That's where you come in."
625 backed up. He eyed Susan suspiciously. "What are you going to do to me...?"
"Just this." Susan reached forward and plucked one of 625's hairs from his head.
"Ow!" 625 rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Why'd you do that for?!"
Susan smiled, examining the single golden hair she held between her fingers. "Ah. I've always wanted to do that." She moved toward the sensor. "I did it because this is your DNA sample. Would you rather I take some of your saliva?"
625 shook his head. "On second thought, pulling out my hair is fine. Taking my saliva is disgusting!"
"For you or for me?" Susan held up the hair to the sensor, and a small laserlike light went through it. Then the entrance automatically opened.
"DNA confirmed. Experiment 625. You may go in." Said a computerized voice.
"Bingo!" Susan winked. "I've never been more grateful for your company, 625. Well, actually, I've never been grateful for your company... but I am now! Good thing you're one of Jumba's experiments!"
"Let's just get going! There's no time to lose!" 625 ran into the ship with Kasey in hand, and Susan quickly followed after him.
"Wow. This place is awesome." Susan marveled.
"I thought you've been here before?"
"I said I knew how to get in." Susan explained. "I didn't say I've ever been in here."
"So where do you think he is?" 625 asked.
"Um..." Susan thought aloud. "Jumba?!" Susan looked to 625. "What're you waiting for?! Help me call him!"
"Call him? You want me to---" When Susan gave him a threatening look, he backed off. "Fine. Jumba, are you here?! JUMBA?!"
"Jumba! Jumba!" They called in unison. But no answer came. Finally, Susan ran off, 625 barely keeping up with her. They came to an abrupt stop when they ran into another security-locked door.
"Great. Another one. How are we ever going to get Kasey help in time?!" Susan tapped her foot impatiently and shook her head, restless.
"This is all your fault, you know!"
"Me?! Well, I never---!"
At that moment, the entrance quickly opened, the two conscious experiments looking a little startled at this happening all of a sudden. But grateful looks soon replaced their startled expressions as they discovered why it had unlocked and opened.
"Jumba!" Susan seemed to be trying to keep herself from doing a victory dance. "We thought we would never find you... you have to help Kasey. It may be serious."
Jumba made his way over to 625 and lifted Kasey's limp body out of his arms. "Oh... what's wrong with inferior experiment?"
"We're hoping you can tell us." Susan replied. "Since you're an expert on illegal creations and such."
Jumba chuckled. "That I be. But how did this happen? Poor creature is barely breathing."
"She was sleepwalking and she got hit by a car." Susan explained. "It got her good;she's scarred up pretty badly."
Jumba seemed slightly amused by the cause of Kasey's injuries. "Yes. If was one of my creations, she would not even come out of car crash with scar."
"Yeah, any one of your creations save 625." Susan pointed out.
"True." Jumba agreed.
625, who had been unusually silent up until now, now looked slightly, or more than slightly, annoyed. "Stop wasting time! You have to help my girlfriend, Jumba! That's why we brought her here!"
Jumba looked surprised by 625's words. "My experiment 625 has girlfriend?... And, since when did you call me Jumba?"
"Sorry, Doc." 625 corrected himself. "But you just... have to do something for her, okay? This is a life or death situation!"
"Well, well, well. I never thought I'd see day when Experiment 625 cared about someone other than himself. Fine, if it means that much, I will see what I can do." Jumba brought Kasey into his lab and laid her upon an examining table. 625 and Susan came closer, watching with curiousity.
Jumba pressed some buttons at a computer, and a beam of light quickly scanned Kasey's body. Jumba seemed to be watching the computer monitor thoughtfully. Susan and 625 came over to it as well, but neither of them could interpret what was on the screen.
"What does that all mean?" Susan wanted to know, speaking for 625 as well.
"She must have had horrible collision with car..." Jumba mumbled, barely speaking audibly. "She is bleeding internally..." When Susan and 625 gasped, Jumba added, "but not heavily."
625 looked torn. "You mean... Kasey...?"
"625, don't get carried away." Susan advised, although she looked just as concerned. "He said she's not bleeding heavily. You can help her, can't you, Dr. Jumba?"
Jumba looked into the two worried, hopeful faces of the two creatures looking up at him. He sighed. "I suppose I can... I've created creatures, so why not repair them? Of course, she was designed very poorly. Easily prone to injury, her body is like a regular Earth creature's. But I will give it best shot."
"Jade probably designed her that way on purpose, since she loved Earth so much... I guess she never imagined this happening." Susan sighed. "So, how are you going to go about helping her?"
Jumba continued to examine the computer monitor. "She is getting worse. If we do not act quickly..." Jumba stopped himself from finishing his sentence when he saw the looks on 625 and Susan's faces. But just by that silence, they got the message.
"You have to tell us there is something you can do, Doc. There MUST be something you can do!" 625 exclaimed.
"Well, there is one chance. I could give her a sort of upgrade..." Jumba looked to the experiments as if requesting their permission.
"Well, I don't think it would be honoring Jade's memory if you tampered with her creation." Susan pointed out.
"It will only be small upgrade. She will still have her inferior DNA, but she will be more well protected from things like this. Her injuries will be healed in this process. What you say?" Jumba offered.
Susan cringed somewhat. "Well, if it's the only way to save her, then..."
"Doc, waitaminute!" 625 exclaimed. "Shouldn't you get her consent as well? After all, it IS her body."
"625, she's unconscious. We can't ask her for permission! Duh!" Susan rolled her eyes. "But if we could, I can assure you she'd give us her consent. I know for a fact she wants to live... for a certain reason." Susan smirked at 625.
625 seemed to be silent with embarrassment as he didn't say anything in return as he usually would. But Jumba had an "I-know-something-you-don't-know" look.
"Actually..." Jumba began, "there is a serum I have made that if injected into her it will make her conscious. But it is very risky. And works only for short time. And she shall be in terrible pain if you force her conscious."
"Why is it that when you think something is a good thing there happens to be many bad side effects that it's not worth it any more?" 625 wondered aloud. Susan and Jumba both stared at him.
"So I take it it's a no on serum? I should go ahead with upgrade?" Jumba looked somewhat excited.
"All right, but don't turn her into a mutant or something. I like her fine as she is." 625 told Jumba.
"That's sweet, 625, very unlike you. But she is already mutant." Jumba reminded his creation. "Now, I need space for work."
Susan practically had to drag 625 away from Kasey, but his eyes never left her until the security door locked once more as they stepped outside. They both looked speechless. It wasn't a situation when feelings could be put into words.
Finally, Susan broke the silence. "Don't worry, 625. She's going to be okay. If Jumba can't do it, no one can." Susan knew she practically read 625's mind, for he shifted uncomfortably.
"What do you think we should do in the meantime?" 625 asked unenthusiastically, not looking up from the floor.
"I don't know, just wait I guess..." Susan replied, not looking up from the floor either.
625 didn't bother pointing out that that's what they were already doing as he would do in practically any other situation. So they waited, and waited, and waited...
When the security door finally flew open, Susan and 625 had practically fallen asleep on the floor. But when they saw Jumba they immediately sprang up. Please, let it be good news, they thought with their fingers crossed.
"She's conscious." Jumba reported.
Susan and 625 began to look slightly happier.
"You mean," 625 asked hopefully, "she's going to be all right?"
"Yes. Operation was success. She is conscious, but still very weak. You may go in to see her, if you want." Jumba looked to 625. "Although, she is acting very peculiar. She keeps saying your name over and over."
"What name?" Susan mumbled under her breath.
They all went in and over to Kasey. She was still on the examining table but now had her injuries bandaged and was moving back and forth with her eyes closed, chanting "625... 625... 625..."
When the two experiments looked up at Jumba questioningly, he said, "Don't look at me! Computer claims her conscious. It may be some kind of brain injury. 625, you may be able to snap her out of it. After all, your name she's calling."
625 looked at Jumba then at Susan, then finally at Kasey. He looked somewhat scared. "What can I do?!"
But the only reply that he got was Jumba and Susan shooing him to go on. So, reluctantly he stepped over to Kasey's side. Then he looked back to Susan and Jumba.
Susan looked annoyed. "Say something to her, already! Your voice may be enough to snap her out of it."
625 leaned over to Kasey, who was still tossing and turning. "Kasey, K-Kasey...? Are you in there?"
Kasey instantly stopped turning. She groaned softly. "625? Is that you?"
"As far as I know." 625 replied. "You awake?"
"As far as I know." Kasey repeated 625's words, and opened her eyes, looking up at him. She shivered a little. "I feel so weak and exhausted, and sore... what happened?"
Susan came closer, looking at Kasey with pitying compassion. "You sleepwalked again. And while you did, you... got hit by a car. Jumba was the one that saved you. He gave you an operation and a bit of an upgrade so something like this won't happen again. You'll be fine, you just need rest."
Kasey looked perplexed. "Who... who are you? And who is Jumba? Who are these people, 625?" Kasey clung to 625 as if he were her only hope to live. 625 cringed as Kasey's claws dug into his flesh.
"Aha! She does have brain injury." Jumba seemed proud that his theory had been correct.
"Partial amnesia?" Susan guessed. "How come she can't remember us, but she can remember 625?"
625 might've said something sarcastic to answer Susan's question, but he was too busy being sliced into by Kasey's claws. Instead, Susan got her reply from Jumba. "Well, these things happen sometimes. Car crash must've given her temporary brain injury. She only remembers one thing that was locked in her mind. And that was 625."
"625?" Susan questioned. "I know she's in love with him, but... why can't she remember me?! She has known me longer than she has known 625. We're experiments of the same creator. We used to sleep in bunk beds. Why can't she remember me, too?! I'm her best friend!" Susan looked somewhat hurt.
Kasey looked frightened, being in a room with people she didn't remember, save 625. "Can we go home? 625, take me home!" She ground her claws deeper into 625's flesh, and 625 gave a gasp of pain.
"If she gets plenty of rest and is not disturbed, I am sure she will get full memory back." Jumba advised.
"I hope so. Because it'll be kinda' hard to be friends with someone who doesn't even know who you are." Susan complained. "So, what do you think we should do to make her feel comfortable and relaxed?"
"Do what she asks. She wants to go home, so she should be taken back to Gantu's ship." Jumba replied. "And she wants 625 personally to take her there. So, do it."
625 tried to pry away Kasey's claws. Finally, she stopped clinging onto him and looked angry now instead of frightened like before.
"Take me home now!" She demanded. "I don't know who you people are, but you don't want to get on my bad side!"
"Yeah, now she remembers she has a bad side, but she STILL doesn't remember me!" Susan whined.
"Susan, everyone has a bad side." Kasey pointed out.
Susan's eyes brightened. "You remember---!"
"That your name is Susan... isn't it? Or is it Sarah?" Kasey looked unsure.
Susan sighed and hung her head. "Oh, it's hopeless."
"Well, look on bright side. She could've exploded." Jumba pointed out.
Susan and 625 looked at Jumba, mouths agape. "She could've what?!"
"Exploded!" Jumba repeated. "You know... KABOOM?"
"You mean... by letting you go through with this ridiculous operation, we were risking Kasey exploding?! Why didn't you tell us?!" Susan exclaimed. 625 looked completely speechless. For once.
"Well, she didn't, did she?! Operation was success! No kaboom." Jumba reminded them.
Susan sighed. "Well, 625, I suppose we should take her home."
"What do you mean 'we'? She only wants me to take her home, remember?" 625 looked somewhat proud by this fact.
"I don't care! I'm going with you. Just in case you need help taking care of her, and you probably will, since even though she's your girlfriend you probably wouldn't want to even lift a finger for her, except when she's in danger, huh?" Susan put her paws on her hips.
"Not true! You make me sound like some lazy jerk."
"Well, if the shoe fits..."
"I don't wear shoes!"
"You guys... SHUT UP AND TAKE ME HOME NOW!" Kasey shouted, panting.
Now it was Susan and 625's turns to look frightened, somewhat intimidated by Kasey's outburst. 625 nodded. "Okay... we'll both take you home." He looked to Susan. "Come on, Chocolate Hair!"
"Chocolate Hair?! And what does THAT crack mean?!" Susan exclaimed as she followed 625 and Kasey out of Jumba's ship.
The trio were now all back in Gantu's ship, Kasey once more on the couch, except now she was sitting up with blankets around her and a tray in front of her with a ham and cheese sandwich and a glass of orange juice on it, courtesy of 625. Susan was on the floor in front of her, looking up at her eagerly while Kasey seemed uncomfortable by this. 625 was sitting in a corner, eating another ham and cheese sandwich.
"Come on! You HAVE to remember me! Don't you remember the time Jade's ship spun out of control, and it was so much like a roller coaster ride that we had fun, except for you because you got so dizzy that you happened to barf on my bed, which I got really angry about later? But then we all had a good laugh afterwards. Don't you remember that? Huh?" Susan pleaded.
Kasey blinked. "No, but... can you please stop pressuring me?! You're making me feel uncomfortable."
"Yeah, leave the girl alone. It's bad enough she has to look at your face all day." 625 remarked.
"You stay out of this! This is probably all your fault, anyway!" Susan shot back.
"My fault?! What did I do?!"
"You're probably the reason why Kasey started sleepwalking again in the first place!"
"Oh, you're so pathetic!"
"You guys! Stop it!" Kasey demanded. "You're both making me uncomfortable. I'm supposed to be relaxed if I'm expected to remember anything."
Susan sighed. "She's right. I probably shouldn't even be here."
"That's what I've been saying ever since we got here! But does anyone ever listen to 625, oh nooo! Who cares what he thinks, right?!" 625 complained.
Susan looked hurt. She stood up. "Okay, okay... I'll leave now, I guess. You two have fun."
But Kasey held out her paw in a "stop" gesture. "No. You stay. Maybe I will remember something. You DO seem familiar."
Susan smiled. "Really? You mean it?" Kasey nodded. "Thanks! I'll stay, then." She sat back down. She looked triumphantly at 625. "Ha! In your face, Sandwich Boy!"
625 muttered something unintelligible under his breath, and finished his sandwich. Then Kasey finally took a bite out of her's, looking as if things couldn't be better. She swallowed, then noticed she was being stared at. "What?"
"It's just that... when you got hit by that car, we thought we lost you. It seems like a miracle that you're sitting in front of us right now, eating a sandwich like it's just another day. You may not have your full memory, but we're just thankful you're alive." Susan explained. 625 didn't say anything, but you could tell he felt the same way.
Kasey began to nitpick her sandwich, breaking off pieces here and there and then leaving them idle. She sighed. "I'm really not in the hungry mood." She blinked, playing with her claws. "I feel lost. So lost and alone. Can't anyone help me? Can I even help myself..." She closed her eyes. "I need to be by myself for awhile." She looked at Susan and 625, urging them with her eyes to let her be for awhile.
Susan got up. "Okay, okay... we'll both go in the galley for a bit, and let Kasey have her alone time." She nodded, and headed for the galley.
625 edged towards Kasey, and her eyes followed him suspiciously as he did this. This seemed to somehow intimidate him, for he quickened his pace and grabbed the sandwich pieces on Kasey's tray. "As long as you're not in the hungry mood, I'll take this, because I am."
Susan smiled, then shrugged. "Yeah, we know." She watched 625 as he walked more quickly to the galley, and she headed after him. She seemed to be amused. "Ha, you're afraid of your own girlfriend..."
Kasey sighed once more. She knew nothing... nothing at all anymore, except one thing. The only thing that she could remember was her boyfriend, it seemed. But why nothing else? Why was everything so dark, how come everyone could see the light but her? Why did this tragedy have to be her fate... why couldn't the light of knowledge and understanding reveal itself to her...?
She yawned, feeling rather tired. Well, she figured sleep couldn't hurt. She laid down, and in a matter of moments was sound asleep. Everything went black as slumber captured her, holding her in it's grasp as her unaware mind gave itself over freely, not knowing what would be waiting for her in the unconscious state...
...Tires screeched. Headlights veered closer, and closer... picking up speed, then turning abruptly, but not in time. There was a horrible collision, and screams pierced the cold darkness. Everything was mostly blurry after that, but then muffled voices began to call... worried, scared voices. A siren was heard, but only for a while... then those voices seemed to be discussing something urgently... the air was stale yet damp, and you could almost feel the melancholy hanging in it like a thick fog...
...Those images seemed to repeat theirselves over and over in Kasey's unconscious mind. She tossed and turned, reliving that horrible moment in her life, the moment when she almost had to hand over her life and everything that came with it. Finally, her eyes snapped open and she sat up, breathing heavily.
She tried to call somebody, but her voice didn't seem to want to work for her. It came out in unintelligible murmurs, as her body was shaking from the nightmare. Finally, after seconds of trying, she was finally able to form words again. "Susan, 625...! Where... where is everybody? Please, someone... someone... anyone... come here!" She lay back down. "Please..."
She heard footsteps in the hall, and barely had the strength to turn her head to see a very sleepy-looking 625 leaning against the wall. She couldn't help but smile a little. 625 smiled in return somewhat. "Well, Susie-Q went home earlier, so you're stuck with me. What you want?"
"I had a dream..."
"Oh?"
Kasey nodded, sitting up once more as 625 joined her on the couch. "Well, more like a nightmare. It was awful..."
"Well, it was just a dream. It can't come true." 625 pointed out.
This seemed to make Kasey feel worse rather than better. "No, but it DID come true! My dream was about the car crash. I remember it. I remember..."
"Do you remember everything now?"
"I do..." Kasey replied, but she didn't look too happy as might've been expected of her. "I can remember everything, now. The nightmare seemed to jog my memory, as awful as it was, but I've been doing a lot of thinking."
"You always do a lot of that." 625 stated. "I've always thought that you think too much. Why DO you have so much on your mind, anyway?"
"The real question is, how can I not?" Kasey replied. "There's always a lot to think about... life, mysteries, the universe, people, us, and why medicine can never taste good, even when the commercial people SAY it's going to taste good, but it never does..."
625 held his head. "All of this philosopher's mumbo-jumbo is giving me a headache..."
Kasey didn't seem to notice his complaint. Instead, she was looking upwards, as if the ceiling held her focus. But, she did not comprehend that she was staring at the ceiling. She was thinking, as usual. "You know... there's something I've been meaning to ask you, 625."
"All right. Go ahead."
Kasey now looked down at the floor. She sighed. "What... how do you... how do you feel, being an experiment? How do you feel, knowing that you were just a scientific experiment and nothing else, that you have no parents... that nature never really meant for you to be..."
"Wait, hold on, time out!" 625 did a "time out" gesture. "Is this a question to me, or to yourself?"
Kasey didn't even really have to think about that one. "Maybe it is sorta' to myself... but still, how do you feel about it?" Kasey looked at 625 as if his answer meant more to her than anything else in the world.
"All right, I guess. What's the big deal?"
Kasey rocked her head slightly back and forth. "It's a very big deal. Don't you ever feel... different from everyone else? Don't you ever feel jealous of those that... were born naturally?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong... but isn't everyone supposed to be different?" 625 questioned.
"Well, yeah." Kasey agreed. "But some people seem to be more different than others. And me, I feel really different." She stared at her paws, having a look of reminiscence on her face, obviously recalling a memory. "The first thing I remember... is when I first came into the world. When I first opened my eyes... I didn't know anything. Who was I? Where was I? Where had I come from? Who were those faces looking at me eagerly, then happily as they realized I was awake for the very first time? I felt so lost, helpless, and confused. And having temporary partial amnesia made me relive those feelings." She frowned, looking like she was in great sadness. "I often wonder why I am here. Everyone that was brought here by nature has a purpose, but what about us? What about creatures that were created not by nature, but by science? Are we really meant to be here...?"
"Well, look at it this way..." 625 began, "maybe our creators were brought here by nature in order to create us. Maybe that was their purpose, to make us, and if so, maybe nature really did have a part in our creation."
"That's a nice way to look at it." Kasey smiled. She yawned, and leaned back against the couch. "In a way, now, I am sort of glad that this car crash happened. It made me think about things I haven't thought of in a long while."
When Kasey didn't get an answer, she looked over at 625, and she discovered that he had fallen asleep. She wasn't the least bit offended, in fact, she smiled. Suddenly, she didn't feel so sad or alone anymore. She felt strangely happy, like she wanted to laugh out loud, as she chuckled a bit. She knew... no matter how sad she would ever get, she would be happy again sooner or later, even for just a brief moment. And she wasn't alone. She would never be alone. She had her best friend, Susan, and her boyfriend, 625, who didn't cease to amuse her. And they were both experiments, too, so they should know how she felt. Her eyelids drooped as all of this heavy thinking made her tired.
A sharp sound in Kasey's ear made her wake back up. She looked to her side and noticed that 625 was snoring right into her ear. She shook her head and pushed him to the other side of the couch, and he fell onto his back by the sudden force.
"Huh?! What?! What happened---?!" 625 exclaimed as he woke up.
"You fell asleep and then started snoring." Kasey explained. "Well, if you want to sleep out here on the couch, then go ahead. I'm going back to my room, even if it is a storage room." Kasey got up from the couch and headed into the hall.
"Good night, then." 625 didn't seem to want to leave the couch, as he shifted comfortably. He closed his eyes and unenthusiastically urged Kasey to go on with his paw.
"Okay, okay." Kasey looked as if she was trying to keep from laughing. "See you in the morning... or whenever I'll wake up." With that, she walked out of the room, and that night you can be sure they both rested peacefully.
THE END
To be continued
Well, that's it for now. Four new chapters should tide you over. And if you're one of those people that doesn't like my stories... then why were you reading the four new chapters for?! x.x; That is one thing about people I don't understand. (I guess they just like to torture people---like me! But I'm lovable. XD) Anyway, I'll be back probably in three months if you're lucky. Or unlucky, depending on if my return is good for you or not. Ha. Believe me, you don't want to be in any rush to read chapter eleven---it's the worst chapter out of all of them. But, oh well.
Their pace quickened as it started to pour more heavily. Their toenails clicked against the pavement as they made their way to a house in the distance. Thunder cracked and the lightning briefly lit up their faces. Finally, they made it to the doorstep of their destination.
Susan didn't bother knocking partially because she lived there and partially because she could not afford to wait due to the situation at hand. So she flung open the door, a flash of lightning again lighting up their faces;Susan's, 625's, and lastly, Kasey's, whom 625 was carrying. They rushed into the room, Susan slamming the door behind her. The three were completely soaked, water dripping from their fur and all over the carpet.
"We have to hurry, and find Jumba." Susan was still breathing heavily from all the running they had been doing. She swallowed. "He's probably in his lab. We haven't a moment to lose. We must hurry. She could be getting worse."
625 nodded, breathing heavily as well. He shifted his weight a little. "Right. Let's get going. She's heavier than she was when I first picked her up!"
"That's because you've been carrying her for a while." Susan told 625. She looked as if she were listening for something. "Everything is so silent. Everyone's probably asleep. But I bet Jumba's not. C'mon, this way to the lab."
625 followed Susan as she led the way to the lab. But he looked doubtful. "Are you sure you know where we're going?!"
"Of course!" Susan yelled back. "I see Jumba come this way a lot."
"That doesn't mean it's the way to his lab!" 625 informed Susan. "Maybe the bathroom's this way or something."
Susan stopped in the middle of the hall, looking thoughtful. "That's right... I forgot, Jumba's lab is in his ship, which is outside."
"You FORGOT that?!" 625 exclaimed. "How could you, when we have a dire situation on our hands! This isn't a time to forget! A time to forget is when everyone is healthy! A time to forget isn't now! How could you?!"
"625!! Get a grip!" Susan whispered harshly.
"Get a grip?! My girlfriend is in danger of becoming deceased, AND YOU TELL ME TO GET A GRIP?!"
Susan sighed. "I'm sorry. I lost my head."
"Now we're going to have to waste more time going back..." 625 complained.
Susan had her paw on the doorknob of a door leading outside. "No we won't. I was right, this is the way to the lab, kind-of." She opened the door. "Ta-daa! Lab is this way."
625 rolled his eyes, unimpressed, and followed Susan outside, back into the rainy wind. Then they ran across the damp grass, over to Jumba's ship. When they got to the entrance, they discovered that this wasn't going to be as easy as they thought. The entrance was not open, not inviting them in... instead, it was locked shut by the ship's security system.
"Now what? Even... Kasey couldn't get a lock like that open." 625 cringed when he said his girlfriend's name.
"No, but you can." Susan was smirking.
"What do you mean?"
"I know how to unlock it. The DNA of one of Jumba's experiments must be placed to this sensor." Susan gestured to a DNA sensor near the closed entrance. "That's where you come in."
625 backed up. He eyed Susan suspiciously. "What are you going to do to me...?"
"Just this." Susan reached forward and plucked one of 625's hairs from his head.
"Ow!" 625 rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Why'd you do that for?!"
Susan smiled, examining the single golden hair she held between her fingers. "Ah. I've always wanted to do that." She moved toward the sensor. "I did it because this is your DNA sample. Would you rather I take some of your saliva?"
625 shook his head. "On second thought, pulling out my hair is fine. Taking my saliva is disgusting!"
"For you or for me?" Susan held up the hair to the sensor, and a small laserlike light went through it. Then the entrance automatically opened.
"DNA confirmed. Experiment 625. You may go in." Said a computerized voice.
"Bingo!" Susan winked. "I've never been more grateful for your company, 625. Well, actually, I've never been grateful for your company... but I am now! Good thing you're one of Jumba's experiments!"
"Let's just get going! There's no time to lose!" 625 ran into the ship with Kasey in hand, and Susan quickly followed after him.
"Wow. This place is awesome." Susan marveled.
"I thought you've been here before?"
"I said I knew how to get in." Susan explained. "I didn't say I've ever been in here."
"So where do you think he is?" 625 asked.
"Um..." Susan thought aloud. "Jumba?!" Susan looked to 625. "What're you waiting for?! Help me call him!"
"Call him? You want me to---" When Susan gave him a threatening look, he backed off. "Fine. Jumba, are you here?! JUMBA?!"
"Jumba! Jumba!" They called in unison. But no answer came. Finally, Susan ran off, 625 barely keeping up with her. They came to an abrupt stop when they ran into another security-locked door.
"Great. Another one. How are we ever going to get Kasey help in time?!" Susan tapped her foot impatiently and shook her head, restless.
"This is all your fault, you know!"
"Me?! Well, I never---!"
At that moment, the entrance quickly opened, the two conscious experiments looking a little startled at this happening all of a sudden. But grateful looks soon replaced their startled expressions as they discovered why it had unlocked and opened.
"Jumba!" Susan seemed to be trying to keep herself from doing a victory dance. "We thought we would never find you... you have to help Kasey. It may be serious."
Jumba made his way over to 625 and lifted Kasey's limp body out of his arms. "Oh... what's wrong with inferior experiment?"
"We're hoping you can tell us." Susan replied. "Since you're an expert on illegal creations and such."
Jumba chuckled. "That I be. But how did this happen? Poor creature is barely breathing."
"She was sleepwalking and she got hit by a car." Susan explained. "It got her good;she's scarred up pretty badly."
Jumba seemed slightly amused by the cause of Kasey's injuries. "Yes. If was one of my creations, she would not even come out of car crash with scar."
"Yeah, any one of your creations save 625." Susan pointed out.
"True." Jumba agreed.
625, who had been unusually silent up until now, now looked slightly, or more than slightly, annoyed. "Stop wasting time! You have to help my girlfriend, Jumba! That's why we brought her here!"
Jumba looked surprised by 625's words. "My experiment 625 has girlfriend?... And, since when did you call me Jumba?"
"Sorry, Doc." 625 corrected himself. "But you just... have to do something for her, okay? This is a life or death situation!"
"Well, well, well. I never thought I'd see day when Experiment 625 cared about someone other than himself. Fine, if it means that much, I will see what I can do." Jumba brought Kasey into his lab and laid her upon an examining table. 625 and Susan came closer, watching with curiousity.
Jumba pressed some buttons at a computer, and a beam of light quickly scanned Kasey's body. Jumba seemed to be watching the computer monitor thoughtfully. Susan and 625 came over to it as well, but neither of them could interpret what was on the screen.
"What does that all mean?" Susan wanted to know, speaking for 625 as well.
"She must have had horrible collision with car..." Jumba mumbled, barely speaking audibly. "She is bleeding internally..." When Susan and 625 gasped, Jumba added, "but not heavily."
625 looked torn. "You mean... Kasey...?"
"625, don't get carried away." Susan advised, although she looked just as concerned. "He said she's not bleeding heavily. You can help her, can't you, Dr. Jumba?"
Jumba looked into the two worried, hopeful faces of the two creatures looking up at him. He sighed. "I suppose I can... I've created creatures, so why not repair them? Of course, she was designed very poorly. Easily prone to injury, her body is like a regular Earth creature's. But I will give it best shot."
"Jade probably designed her that way on purpose, since she loved Earth so much... I guess she never imagined this happening." Susan sighed. "So, how are you going to go about helping her?"
Jumba continued to examine the computer monitor. "She is getting worse. If we do not act quickly..." Jumba stopped himself from finishing his sentence when he saw the looks on 625 and Susan's faces. But just by that silence, they got the message.
"You have to tell us there is something you can do, Doc. There MUST be something you can do!" 625 exclaimed.
"Well, there is one chance. I could give her a sort of upgrade..." Jumba looked to the experiments as if requesting their permission.
"Well, I don't think it would be honoring Jade's memory if you tampered with her creation." Susan pointed out.
"It will only be small upgrade. She will still have her inferior DNA, but she will be more well protected from things like this. Her injuries will be healed in this process. What you say?" Jumba offered.
Susan cringed somewhat. "Well, if it's the only way to save her, then..."
"Doc, waitaminute!" 625 exclaimed. "Shouldn't you get her consent as well? After all, it IS her body."
"625, she's unconscious. We can't ask her for permission! Duh!" Susan rolled her eyes. "But if we could, I can assure you she'd give us her consent. I know for a fact she wants to live... for a certain reason." Susan smirked at 625.
625 seemed to be silent with embarrassment as he didn't say anything in return as he usually would. But Jumba had an "I-know-something-you-don't-know" look.
"Actually..." Jumba began, "there is a serum I have made that if injected into her it will make her conscious. But it is very risky. And works only for short time. And she shall be in terrible pain if you force her conscious."
"Why is it that when you think something is a good thing there happens to be many bad side effects that it's not worth it any more?" 625 wondered aloud. Susan and Jumba both stared at him.
"So I take it it's a no on serum? I should go ahead with upgrade?" Jumba looked somewhat excited.
"All right, but don't turn her into a mutant or something. I like her fine as she is." 625 told Jumba.
"That's sweet, 625, very unlike you. But she is already mutant." Jumba reminded his creation. "Now, I need space for work."
Susan practically had to drag 625 away from Kasey, but his eyes never left her until the security door locked once more as they stepped outside. They both looked speechless. It wasn't a situation when feelings could be put into words.
Finally, Susan broke the silence. "Don't worry, 625. She's going to be okay. If Jumba can't do it, no one can." Susan knew she practically read 625's mind, for he shifted uncomfortably.
"What do you think we should do in the meantime?" 625 asked unenthusiastically, not looking up from the floor.
"I don't know, just wait I guess..." Susan replied, not looking up from the floor either.
625 didn't bother pointing out that that's what they were already doing as he would do in practically any other situation. So they waited, and waited, and waited...
When the security door finally flew open, Susan and 625 had practically fallen asleep on the floor. But when they saw Jumba they immediately sprang up. Please, let it be good news, they thought with their fingers crossed.
"She's conscious." Jumba reported.
Susan and 625 began to look slightly happier.
"You mean," 625 asked hopefully, "she's going to be all right?"
"Yes. Operation was success. She is conscious, but still very weak. You may go in to see her, if you want." Jumba looked to 625. "Although, she is acting very peculiar. She keeps saying your name over and over."
"What name?" Susan mumbled under her breath.
They all went in and over to Kasey. She was still on the examining table but now had her injuries bandaged and was moving back and forth with her eyes closed, chanting "625... 625... 625..."
When the two experiments looked up at Jumba questioningly, he said, "Don't look at me! Computer claims her conscious. It may be some kind of brain injury. 625, you may be able to snap her out of it. After all, your name she's calling."
625 looked at Jumba then at Susan, then finally at Kasey. He looked somewhat scared. "What can I do?!"
But the only reply that he got was Jumba and Susan shooing him to go on. So, reluctantly he stepped over to Kasey's side. Then he looked back to Susan and Jumba.
Susan looked annoyed. "Say something to her, already! Your voice may be enough to snap her out of it."
625 leaned over to Kasey, who was still tossing and turning. "Kasey, K-Kasey...? Are you in there?"
Kasey instantly stopped turning. She groaned softly. "625? Is that you?"
"As far as I know." 625 replied. "You awake?"
"As far as I know." Kasey repeated 625's words, and opened her eyes, looking up at him. She shivered a little. "I feel so weak and exhausted, and sore... what happened?"
Susan came closer, looking at Kasey with pitying compassion. "You sleepwalked again. And while you did, you... got hit by a car. Jumba was the one that saved you. He gave you an operation and a bit of an upgrade so something like this won't happen again. You'll be fine, you just need rest."
Kasey looked perplexed. "Who... who are you? And who is Jumba? Who are these people, 625?" Kasey clung to 625 as if he were her only hope to live. 625 cringed as Kasey's claws dug into his flesh.
"Aha! She does have brain injury." Jumba seemed proud that his theory had been correct.
"Partial amnesia?" Susan guessed. "How come she can't remember us, but she can remember 625?"
625 might've said something sarcastic to answer Susan's question, but he was too busy being sliced into by Kasey's claws. Instead, Susan got her reply from Jumba. "Well, these things happen sometimes. Car crash must've given her temporary brain injury. She only remembers one thing that was locked in her mind. And that was 625."
"625?" Susan questioned. "I know she's in love with him, but... why can't she remember me?! She has known me longer than she has known 625. We're experiments of the same creator. We used to sleep in bunk beds. Why can't she remember me, too?! I'm her best friend!" Susan looked somewhat hurt.
Kasey looked frightened, being in a room with people she didn't remember, save 625. "Can we go home? 625, take me home!" She ground her claws deeper into 625's flesh, and 625 gave a gasp of pain.
"If she gets plenty of rest and is not disturbed, I am sure she will get full memory back." Jumba advised.
"I hope so. Because it'll be kinda' hard to be friends with someone who doesn't even know who you are." Susan complained. "So, what do you think we should do to make her feel comfortable and relaxed?"
"Do what she asks. She wants to go home, so she should be taken back to Gantu's ship." Jumba replied. "And she wants 625 personally to take her there. So, do it."
625 tried to pry away Kasey's claws. Finally, she stopped clinging onto him and looked angry now instead of frightened like before.
"Take me home now!" She demanded. "I don't know who you people are, but you don't want to get on my bad side!"
"Yeah, now she remembers she has a bad side, but she STILL doesn't remember me!" Susan whined.
"Susan, everyone has a bad side." Kasey pointed out.
Susan's eyes brightened. "You remember---!"
"That your name is Susan... isn't it? Or is it Sarah?" Kasey looked unsure.
Susan sighed and hung her head. "Oh, it's hopeless."
"Well, look on bright side. She could've exploded." Jumba pointed out.
Susan and 625 looked at Jumba, mouths agape. "She could've what?!"
"Exploded!" Jumba repeated. "You know... KABOOM?"
"You mean... by letting you go through with this ridiculous operation, we were risking Kasey exploding?! Why didn't you tell us?!" Susan exclaimed. 625 looked completely speechless. For once.
"Well, she didn't, did she?! Operation was success! No kaboom." Jumba reminded them.
Susan sighed. "Well, 625, I suppose we should take her home."
"What do you mean 'we'? She only wants me to take her home, remember?" 625 looked somewhat proud by this fact.
"I don't care! I'm going with you. Just in case you need help taking care of her, and you probably will, since even though she's your girlfriend you probably wouldn't want to even lift a finger for her, except when she's in danger, huh?" Susan put her paws on her hips.
"Not true! You make me sound like some lazy jerk."
"Well, if the shoe fits..."
"I don't wear shoes!"
"You guys... SHUT UP AND TAKE ME HOME NOW!" Kasey shouted, panting.
Now it was Susan and 625's turns to look frightened, somewhat intimidated by Kasey's outburst. 625 nodded. "Okay... we'll both take you home." He looked to Susan. "Come on, Chocolate Hair!"
"Chocolate Hair?! And what does THAT crack mean?!" Susan exclaimed as she followed 625 and Kasey out of Jumba's ship.
The trio were now all back in Gantu's ship, Kasey once more on the couch, except now she was sitting up with blankets around her and a tray in front of her with a ham and cheese sandwich and a glass of orange juice on it, courtesy of 625. Susan was on the floor in front of her, looking up at her eagerly while Kasey seemed uncomfortable by this. 625 was sitting in a corner, eating another ham and cheese sandwich.
"Come on! You HAVE to remember me! Don't you remember the time Jade's ship spun out of control, and it was so much like a roller coaster ride that we had fun, except for you because you got so dizzy that you happened to barf on my bed, which I got really angry about later? But then we all had a good laugh afterwards. Don't you remember that? Huh?" Susan pleaded.
Kasey blinked. "No, but... can you please stop pressuring me?! You're making me feel uncomfortable."
"Yeah, leave the girl alone. It's bad enough she has to look at your face all day." 625 remarked.
"You stay out of this! This is probably all your fault, anyway!" Susan shot back.
"My fault?! What did I do?!"
"You're probably the reason why Kasey started sleepwalking again in the first place!"
"Oh, you're so pathetic!"
"You guys! Stop it!" Kasey demanded. "You're both making me uncomfortable. I'm supposed to be relaxed if I'm expected to remember anything."
Susan sighed. "She's right. I probably shouldn't even be here."
"That's what I've been saying ever since we got here! But does anyone ever listen to 625, oh nooo! Who cares what he thinks, right?!" 625 complained.
Susan looked hurt. She stood up. "Okay, okay... I'll leave now, I guess. You two have fun."
But Kasey held out her paw in a "stop" gesture. "No. You stay. Maybe I will remember something. You DO seem familiar."
Susan smiled. "Really? You mean it?" Kasey nodded. "Thanks! I'll stay, then." She sat back down. She looked triumphantly at 625. "Ha! In your face, Sandwich Boy!"
625 muttered something unintelligible under his breath, and finished his sandwich. Then Kasey finally took a bite out of her's, looking as if things couldn't be better. She swallowed, then noticed she was being stared at. "What?"
"It's just that... when you got hit by that car, we thought we lost you. It seems like a miracle that you're sitting in front of us right now, eating a sandwich like it's just another day. You may not have your full memory, but we're just thankful you're alive." Susan explained. 625 didn't say anything, but you could tell he felt the same way.
Kasey began to nitpick her sandwich, breaking off pieces here and there and then leaving them idle. She sighed. "I'm really not in the hungry mood." She blinked, playing with her claws. "I feel lost. So lost and alone. Can't anyone help me? Can I even help myself..." She closed her eyes. "I need to be by myself for awhile." She looked at Susan and 625, urging them with her eyes to let her be for awhile.
Susan got up. "Okay, okay... we'll both go in the galley for a bit, and let Kasey have her alone time." She nodded, and headed for the galley.
625 edged towards Kasey, and her eyes followed him suspiciously as he did this. This seemed to somehow intimidate him, for he quickened his pace and grabbed the sandwich pieces on Kasey's tray. "As long as you're not in the hungry mood, I'll take this, because I am."
Susan smiled, then shrugged. "Yeah, we know." She watched 625 as he walked more quickly to the galley, and she headed after him. She seemed to be amused. "Ha, you're afraid of your own girlfriend..."
Kasey sighed once more. She knew nothing... nothing at all anymore, except one thing. The only thing that she could remember was her boyfriend, it seemed. But why nothing else? Why was everything so dark, how come everyone could see the light but her? Why did this tragedy have to be her fate... why couldn't the light of knowledge and understanding reveal itself to her...?
She yawned, feeling rather tired. Well, she figured sleep couldn't hurt. She laid down, and in a matter of moments was sound asleep. Everything went black as slumber captured her, holding her in it's grasp as her unaware mind gave itself over freely, not knowing what would be waiting for her in the unconscious state...
...Tires screeched. Headlights veered closer, and closer... picking up speed, then turning abruptly, but not in time. There was a horrible collision, and screams pierced the cold darkness. Everything was mostly blurry after that, but then muffled voices began to call... worried, scared voices. A siren was heard, but only for a while... then those voices seemed to be discussing something urgently... the air was stale yet damp, and you could almost feel the melancholy hanging in it like a thick fog...
...Those images seemed to repeat theirselves over and over in Kasey's unconscious mind. She tossed and turned, reliving that horrible moment in her life, the moment when she almost had to hand over her life and everything that came with it. Finally, her eyes snapped open and she sat up, breathing heavily.
She tried to call somebody, but her voice didn't seem to want to work for her. It came out in unintelligible murmurs, as her body was shaking from the nightmare. Finally, after seconds of trying, she was finally able to form words again. "Susan, 625...! Where... where is everybody? Please, someone... someone... anyone... come here!" She lay back down. "Please..."
She heard footsteps in the hall, and barely had the strength to turn her head to see a very sleepy-looking 625 leaning against the wall. She couldn't help but smile a little. 625 smiled in return somewhat. "Well, Susie-Q went home earlier, so you're stuck with me. What you want?"
"I had a dream..."
"Oh?"
Kasey nodded, sitting up once more as 625 joined her on the couch. "Well, more like a nightmare. It was awful..."
"Well, it was just a dream. It can't come true." 625 pointed out.
This seemed to make Kasey feel worse rather than better. "No, but it DID come true! My dream was about the car crash. I remember it. I remember..."
"Do you remember everything now?"
"I do..." Kasey replied, but she didn't look too happy as might've been expected of her. "I can remember everything, now. The nightmare seemed to jog my memory, as awful as it was, but I've been doing a lot of thinking."
"You always do a lot of that." 625 stated. "I've always thought that you think too much. Why DO you have so much on your mind, anyway?"
"The real question is, how can I not?" Kasey replied. "There's always a lot to think about... life, mysteries, the universe, people, us, and why medicine can never taste good, even when the commercial people SAY it's going to taste good, but it never does..."
625 held his head. "All of this philosopher's mumbo-jumbo is giving me a headache..."
Kasey didn't seem to notice his complaint. Instead, she was looking upwards, as if the ceiling held her focus. But, she did not comprehend that she was staring at the ceiling. She was thinking, as usual. "You know... there's something I've been meaning to ask you, 625."
"All right. Go ahead."
Kasey now looked down at the floor. She sighed. "What... how do you... how do you feel, being an experiment? How do you feel, knowing that you were just a scientific experiment and nothing else, that you have no parents... that nature never really meant for you to be..."
"Wait, hold on, time out!" 625 did a "time out" gesture. "Is this a question to me, or to yourself?"
Kasey didn't even really have to think about that one. "Maybe it is sorta' to myself... but still, how do you feel about it?" Kasey looked at 625 as if his answer meant more to her than anything else in the world.
"All right, I guess. What's the big deal?"
Kasey rocked her head slightly back and forth. "It's a very big deal. Don't you ever feel... different from everyone else? Don't you ever feel jealous of those that... were born naturally?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong... but isn't everyone supposed to be different?" 625 questioned.
"Well, yeah." Kasey agreed. "But some people seem to be more different than others. And me, I feel really different." She stared at her paws, having a look of reminiscence on her face, obviously recalling a memory. "The first thing I remember... is when I first came into the world. When I first opened my eyes... I didn't know anything. Who was I? Where was I? Where had I come from? Who were those faces looking at me eagerly, then happily as they realized I was awake for the very first time? I felt so lost, helpless, and confused. And having temporary partial amnesia made me relive those feelings." She frowned, looking like she was in great sadness. "I often wonder why I am here. Everyone that was brought here by nature has a purpose, but what about us? What about creatures that were created not by nature, but by science? Are we really meant to be here...?"
"Well, look at it this way..." 625 began, "maybe our creators were brought here by nature in order to create us. Maybe that was their purpose, to make us, and if so, maybe nature really did have a part in our creation."
"That's a nice way to look at it." Kasey smiled. She yawned, and leaned back against the couch. "In a way, now, I am sort of glad that this car crash happened. It made me think about things I haven't thought of in a long while."
When Kasey didn't get an answer, she looked over at 625, and she discovered that he had fallen asleep. She wasn't the least bit offended, in fact, she smiled. Suddenly, she didn't feel so sad or alone anymore. She felt strangely happy, like she wanted to laugh out loud, as she chuckled a bit. She knew... no matter how sad she would ever get, she would be happy again sooner or later, even for just a brief moment. And she wasn't alone. She would never be alone. She had her best friend, Susan, and her boyfriend, 625, who didn't cease to amuse her. And they were both experiments, too, so they should know how she felt. Her eyelids drooped as all of this heavy thinking made her tired.
A sharp sound in Kasey's ear made her wake back up. She looked to her side and noticed that 625 was snoring right into her ear. She shook her head and pushed him to the other side of the couch, and he fell onto his back by the sudden force.
"Huh?! What?! What happened---?!" 625 exclaimed as he woke up.
"You fell asleep and then started snoring." Kasey explained. "Well, if you want to sleep out here on the couch, then go ahead. I'm going back to my room, even if it is a storage room." Kasey got up from the couch and headed into the hall.
"Good night, then." 625 didn't seem to want to leave the couch, as he shifted comfortably. He closed his eyes and unenthusiastically urged Kasey to go on with his paw.
"Okay, okay." Kasey looked as if she was trying to keep from laughing. "See you in the morning... or whenever I'll wake up." With that, she walked out of the room, and that night you can be sure they both rested peacefully.
THE END
To be continued
Well, that's it for now. Four new chapters should tide you over. And if you're one of those people that doesn't like my stories... then why were you reading the four new chapters for?! x.x; That is one thing about people I don't understand. (I guess they just like to torture people---like me! But I'm lovable. XD) Anyway, I'll be back probably in three months if you're lucky. Or unlucky, depending on if my return is good for you or not. Ha. Believe me, you don't want to be in any rush to read chapter eleven---it's the worst chapter out of all of them. But, oh well.