Chapter fourteen. This is it for now, but I'll try and post more later.

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Chap. 14: Meet Nicole
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Smiling, Kasey put her paws together and bounced up and down. "You'll never BELIEVE who that experiment is."

"Well, will you stop jumping up and down like a dang super ball and tell me?!" 625 exclaimed.

"It'sExperimentNIC!" Kasey said quickly.

"What?! Speak English!"

"Experiment NIC!" Kasey said more slowly, though just as excitedly. "You know, Jade's third experiment."

625 looked confused. "But I thought she died before it could be made?"

"She did, but all of the information needed to make Experiment NIC was right there in that folder! That's why Susan wanted to take it home! She gave the folder to Jumba and he... made Experiment NIC! Well, actually, he just gave her life since technically Jade is the one that put everything together in the folder and---"

"All right, all right! I get the picture!" 625 grabbed Kasey's arm and sighed. "We'd better go after Gantu before---"

"Right!" Kasey nodded, not letting 625 finish. She ran off to go find Gantu and Experiment NIC. 625 stayed right where he was, not really caring if Kasey came back with Experiment NIC or not. Finally, Kasey did come back carrying the experiment with Gantu following closely behind.

"Give me that experiment! We're supposed to be on the same side!" Gantu complained.

"I'm on nobody's side!" Kasey insisted. "And this isn't one of the experiments you're looking for. This is one of Jade's experiments."

Gantu looked perplexed. "I thought she only had two experiments?"

"No. Three." Kasey sighed. "It's a long story."

Gantu sighed. "Fine. Your creator made useless creations. Dr. Hamsterviel won't want one of you." He put his arms behind his head and stretched. "What does that thing do, anyway? Make paper snowflakes?"

Kasey shook her head. "In the folder, it called Experiment NIC an 'Imagination Reader'. So I suppose that means she reads imaginations. But anyway, I think we should give her a name now. Jade would've as soon as she opened her eyes. What do you think? It should be a name that goes with the letters NIC."

"How about Nickle?" 625 suggested.

"Close, but no."

"How about," Gantu smiled and flexed his muscles, "Gantu?"

"Dream on, Squid Brain!" Kasey exclaimed. "No, no... it has to be something..." She snapped her fingers. "I've got it! Nicole! We'll name her Nicole."

625 looked the wolflike experiment over. "I don't know. She doesn't look much like a Nicole."

"Well, who asked you! You don't even HAVE a name." Kasey poked 625's nose with a claw.

"Yeah!" Gantu nodded. "What she said."

"Hey!" Kasey stared at Gantu. "I don't recall asking your opinion, either!"

"Yeah, Gantu! Stop bothering her! She's going to..." 625 leaned over to Kasey. "Help me out here, what exactly are you going to do?"

Kasey held up Nicole. "I don't know... I guess we've got to find Nicole here a home."

"She's not staying here!" Gantu exclaimed. "I don't need another unnecessary experiment laying around!"

"Don't worry. I plan to find her a good home." Kasey smiled.

"How? You couldn't even find us a home!" 625 reminded Kasey.

"Well, this time will be different," Kasey insisted. After she had said this, Nicole started squirming around in Kasey's arms. Finally, she jumped out of her grasp and ran to the ship's exit, which for some reason happened to be open.

625 nodded. "You're right. It's different. It didn't happen this way last time."

Kasey sighed. "Come on. Let's go after her."

"Why do I have to? I have a date," 625 excused.

Kasey looked at 625 suspiciously. "With who?"

625 backed away. "With sleep! I'm tired!"

"Come on, 625. Please?" Kasey pouted and looked at 625 sadly.

625 shook his head. "Nuh-uh. No way! That sympathy stuff isn't going to work on me!"

"Aw, but I love you!" Kasey gave him a quick kiss and smiled. "Please? For me?"

625 sighed. "Fine. If it will get you off my case!"

"Great. Come on, let's go find Nicole before she tries to cross the ocean!" Kasey ran out of the ship and 625 hesitantly followed.

Nicole sniffed around in the grass, then poked her nose up and sneezed when it got covered in dirt. When she heard footsteps start to come her way, she started to quickly run away, but she tripped and fell. She hid her face with her paws, hoping whoever it was, they wouldn't find her.

"Nicole!" came Kasey's voice, "Nicole, I know you're here. Come out. We're not going to hurt you."

Nicole poked her head slightly up, then back down when she saw Kasey. Kasey ran over in that direction, then tripped.

"Ow. I think I've found her." And she did. Nicole was what she had tripped over, and she smiled mischievously and wagged her tail. Kasey grinned. "Hey, you've got my smile!"

Nicole squealed and pounced upon Kasey. Kasey put her down and got up.

"Hey! You think this is all just a big game, don't you?" Kasey asked. Then she looked around. "Hey... whatever happened to 625?"

Nicole sniffed around, and disappeared momentarily. Then Kasey heard a howl, and seconds later 625 walked into view with Nicole nipping at his feet.

Kasey folded her arms. "Where have you been?! One minute, you were behind me, the next, you're gone!"

"I was going back to get something to eat!" 625 explained.

"Yeah? Well, you don't have any proof!"

625 pointed to Nicole. "SHE ate it! Both her and you owe me a sandwich."

"Why me?" Kasey asked. "I didn't do anything!"

"You're the one that made me follow," 625 pointed out.

Kasey sighed. "Okay, you made a point. I'll pay you back later. For now, you'll have to settle for an IOU."

625 scowled, and Nicole continued to nip at his feet. He tried to get away from her, but she was too quick for him. He then tried to kick her away, but she kept snapping at his feet. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Make her stop! Make her stop!"

Kasey reached forward and grabbed Nicole away from 625. But she squirmed around, and it was hard for Kasey to keep hold of her. She broke free again and once more headed for 625. He screamed and ran around a tree with Nicole chasing after him.

Kasey started laughing. "You two... look SO funny!"

"I am NOT TRYING to be funny! Make her stop! Please!" 625 pleaded.

Kasey smiled. "Aw. 625, you're so cute when you beg."

"Nevermind that! Just help me!"

Kasey put her paw to her chin, looking thoughtful. Then she went over to the tree, and the next time Nicole went by, Kasey grabbed her by the tail. "That was a snap!"

"Maybe not." 625 stopped running, but watched Nicole with caution. "It doesn't seem like she ever runs out of energy! What're we going to DO with her? We obviously can't keep her."

"No. We can't. You're right about that." She nodded, watching Nicole closely, who wagged her tail happily. "Oh, now I know how that Lilo girl feels when she has to find the 'one true place' for an experiment. Unfortunately, that's not something I'm good at."

"Well, I hope you figure it out soon, because I don't like the way she's looking at me." 625 backed up against the tree, and Nicole started walking towards him, smirking.

Kasey stared at Nicole, looking curious. "Uh... 625... her eyes are glowing."

625 looked into Nicole's eyes, noticing that they were glowing blue instead of brown like they usually were. But when 625 stared deeply into her eyes, his started to glow blue, too!

Kasey looked a little uneasy. "H-hey... what's happening?"

Then, suddenly, the blue light started to cover everything, until nothing but blue could be seen. It got so bright that Kasey had to shield her eyes. When she finally opened them again, the blue was gone. Everything looked to be back to normal, in fact... or at least it seemed that way. But then Kasey noticed something different. Nicole was gone, and 625 lay collapsed at her feet!

"Oh my..." Kasey ran over to him and sat down beside him, then lifted up his body a little and shook it. "625! 625! Are you all right? Speak to me!"

625 moaned, and blinked open his eyes. "What happened? My head hurts!"

Kasey let go of 625 and stood up. "Nicole did something weird just now. I think she was using her special power. She's an 'Imagination Reader'. I suppose that means she just read your imagination. But the question is, what did she do afterwards? There has to be more to it than that."

625 propped himself up against the tree. "I don't know. And I don't care."

"Well, I do. What if someone noticed what happened? All of that blue light was kinda' suspicious," Kasey pointed out. "I suppose the first thing we should do is find Nicole. Again."

625 folded his arms. "I don't want to."

Kasey raised her eyebrows. "Well, excuse me, what do you want to do?"

"I want you to leave me alone!"

Kasey blinked. "What's the matter with you? It's like someone sucked away your... imagin-ation..." Kasey's eyes got big as she figured it out. "That must be what happened! Nicole sucked out your imagination, and... what'd she do with it?"

625 shrugged. Kasey sighed.

"Okay... this is going to be harder than I thought. All right then, stay here. I'll go find Nicole." Kasey walked away while 625 slept underneath the leafy tree. Kasey looked all over the place for Nicole, but couldn't find head nor tail of her anywhere. "Nicole? Nicole?! Please come out! Don't hide from me AGAIN!" Kasey then heard a howl, and knew automatically it was Nicole. "Nicole? You come out here!"

Nicole shyly poked her head out of a bush, then came out with her tail between her legs. She yipped as if to say, "I'm sorry."

Kasey smiled. "I'll forgive you if you give 625's imagination back. I know you have it."

Nicole yipped shamefully, looking up at Kasey with sad eyes. Then she went off in the direction Kasey had came in, and Kasey chased after her. They made it back to the tree where 625 was, and Nicole went up to him. She hit him with her paw and his eyes flew open, then were locked with hers like before. Again, they glowed blue. When they stopped, though, something else began to happen. Both 625 and Nicole's forms began to get fuzzy, as if they were going to fade out! Desperately, Kasey went over to 625 and grabbed him... at the exact moment that they DID fade out!

"Hey, Kasey! Hey, hey, hey! Wake up! Hellooo?!" Kasey opened her eyes, and saw 625 sitting beside her. And he was eating a hotdog. Kasey sat up. "Where are we?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but it really does seem familiar! And there's plenty to eat here!" 625 pointed with the hotdog to everything around them.

Kasey blinked. He was right! The ground looked like it was made out of bread, and there were giant bottles of ketchup and mustard scattered around like trees. And there was food all over the ground, especially sandwiches. Kasey blinked again. "Wait a second... I think I know why this place seems so familiar to you! And why I'm lying on a giant slice of bread." Kasey shifted uncomfortably, then continued. "This is your imagination! At first, Nicole only took it. Then when she gave it back, she must've accidentally sent us there! We're in your imagination, 625!"

"That's what I thought. Wanna' sandwich?" 625 picked up a sandwich from the ground and offered it to Kasey.

Kasey stood up. "No thanks. I'm not very hungry." She sighed. "It looks like we're AGAIN going to have to find Nicole. I know she's here, too. And she's the only one who can put your imagination back in your head where it belongs." Kasey poked 625's head, as if that would help prove her point.

"But I have my imagination back!" 625 insisted. "We're both in it right now."

"Yeah. Literally," Kasey countered. "We're not supposed to be in it LITERALLY. Heck, I'm not supposed to be in it at all! This is your imagination, we don't share it. But we're stuck in it. That's why we have to find Nicole, so we can get back home, with your imagination in your mind and ONLY in your mind!"

"Aw, do we have to? I could get used to living here." 625 took a bite of his hotdog contentedly.

Kasey rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I know you could." She sighed. "So, where do you think Nicole could be?"

"I don't know," 625 replied unenthusiastically. "Why're you asking me for?"

"Well, for the umpteenth time, it's YOUR imagination," Kasey reminded 625. "I thought you'd maybe have SOME idea where she could be."

"Well, good luck." 625 laid back and continued to eat his hotdog.

Kasey put her paws on her hips and stared at him. "As I said, it's your imagination. I need you along to show me around. You should know something about this place, since, you know, it's from your mind and all."

"Can't you wait a little while? I'm comfortable where I am, thank you very much."

"You can bring the hotdog with you. Now come on. You don't want your precious girlfriend to get lost, do you?" Kasey pouted, looking at 625 sadly.

625 turned away. "Oh, come on! That's not fair! Why do you always pull guilt trips on people when you want to get what you want?"

Kasey smiled. "Because it works."

"All right already. Fine. I'll go with you." 625 slowly got up and went over to Kasey.

Kasey nodded. "That's more like it. Now let's get going before something else happens!" Kasey started off somewhere, and since 625 had no choice, he followed her.

As they walked along, everything around them began to get darker. Both of them started to look nervous.

"Um... 625, what's happening? Why is everything suddenly starting to get all dark and nightmarish?" Kasey asked.

625 looked thoughtful. "I... uh, oh yeah. There's this nightmare I always have..."

Kasey looked worried. "Nightmare? What kind of nightmare? What happens in it?"

625 shrugged. "I don't remember. I always forget about it when I wake up."

Kasey groaned. "As if THAT helps... don't you remember anything about it? At all?"

625 shrugged again. "Not really."

"Well, do you remember if it was an especially bad dream?"

625 nodded. "Yeah. It was the worst one I had..."

Kasey swallowed. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no..."

"What?"

"Whatever happens here, will really happen to us. Nicole made your imagination like a real place. Meaning whatever we do here, whatever happens... happens as if it were real. Meaning your nightmare will really happen to us if we don't do something!" Now Kasey looked really worried.

625 held his head. "Oh, that can't be good..."

"No! It's not! I just wish I knew where Nicole was so we could get the heck outta' here!" Kasey sighed, then stopped and looked around as things got even darker. 625 stopped as well and they both looked cautiously around at the pitch black darkness now covering the land. Then they started to hear footsteps. Then they saw shining red eyes in the distance, coming closer. "And that, THAT DEFINITELY can't be good..." As whatever-it-was got closer, the two experiments screamed and desperately clinged their arms around each other.

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THE END

To be continued
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Review nicely. I'll put up chapter fifteen soon (whenever I manage to get around to it, that is). I know it was short, but the next one is longer, and a bit better. (I hope)