Well, Haven't we gotten into a pickle, time for chapter 3.
Every pup gasped once Rocky gotten to this part. Chase's jaw dropped to the ground, Marshall had a scared look in his eyes, Skye was leaning into Chases shoulder crying, and Rubble fainted on the spot, the only pup who looked fine was Zuma. Zuma stared at Rocky with a hurtful, yet relieved gaze, as if he was hiding something as well. The other pups did not catch onto this however, and continued bawling their eyes out.
"So would that make you a ghost?!" Marshall exclaimed, sniffing Rocky all over, and touching Rocky's fur to see if it would pass right through.
At this point Rocky had cried a little from his horrifying past, but his face was mostly filled with grief and sorrow. He looked at Zuma, nodded, and then continued with his story.
"I haven't finished my story yet, there is still lots to it." Rocky answered.
Rocky suddenly jolted awake, eyes flying open, breathing heavily, heart pounding, coughing hard. He looked around frantically to see what had just happened. All he remembered was that he just drowned in water. Rocky tried to get up, but soon realized that there were iron chains that held him down tightly. Next to him, he saw the scientists dressed in aprons like uniforms cheering and high fiving each other with blood caked gloves.
Rocky was extremely confused, and suddenly realized that he couldn't feel his forelegs or his back legs, yet they still seemed to move whenever he wanted. It almost seemed like he was controlling another pair of limbs with his mind. Rocky hoped that it was just anesthetics, but even with anesthetics he still couldn't move his legs. Something was horribly wrong with him.
A scientist walked over to him and said "Congratulations, you have just cheated death" The scientist told Rocky, "You are the only successful fella in Project Reincarnation."
Rocky took sometime to think about what he just said. Cheated death? Is that even possible? This had to be a dream, just a really bad dream, but everything just seemed so real. Suddenly the experiments just made sense. All the pups, all the deaths, they were failed experiments, none of the other pups survived. Rocky had been reincarnated from death, pulled back from the dead somehow. The room that was label Suffocation, one of the pups in the kennel room was suffocated to death in there, and wasn't able to be pulled back from the dead like Rocky was. Rocky shivered at the thought of who might have been suffocated. In the mean time, Rocky wanted answers about his current situation.
"H-How did y-you do it?" Rocky stuttered, still feeling nothing in his limbs and paws.
"Well it was simple, really. We had to jump start your heart, as well as give your heart an extra boost. We attached a machine around your heart, which helps regulate your heart and we also added some physical ability enhancers in your legs as well, just to see if it would work. Seems like it was a success!" the scientist replied.
"W-what do you mean 'ability enhancers'?" Rocky questioned, "Does it have to do with why I can't feel my legs?"
"Hm, it could be one of the side effects. You see, we used a metal called living metal. It apparently has a unique property that it will grow with the body of an animal or human if it replaced a part in the body, like a bone or organs. We figured that it if could help the body and grow with it, it could also support a dying or freshly killed animal by regulating the heart from the stress right as they were dying. Project Reincarnation was the name of the experiment, and it turns out it was success." the scientist explained as he smiled.
"But you never explained why I can't feel my legs anymore, it is anesthetics that's causing it?" Rocky asked.
"Oh, about that, we had to cut away the nerves around the bone because the living metal actually replaces the bone, and once in a body, will grow with the body. Don't worry, losing feeling in your limbs isn't so bad, it's more durable than bone and can automatically heal whenever it gets dented." the researcher replied happily.
Rocky thought about it, no feeling in my legs for life? I guess it couldn't be too bad. At least I'm still alive, at least i can live to see another day. Rocky was then released from the chains that bound him to the table and was put down onto the cold hard ground. Rocky almost immediately fell over. It felt weird not being able to feel the ground, it felt like he was just a floating mass that just hovered above the ground. One of the scientists helped Rocky get back up to his feet, bracing Rocky as he took his first step with his new legs. Rocky thought it would be hard, but it turns out it was barely different from walking before, just different in the sense of feeling. It felt like he was controlling a car with his mind, whenever he though of moving forward, it moved forward, but it wasn't as easy as he initially thought, and still needed to adapt to it.
Still Rocky couldn't bear the fact that he couldn't feel anything with his paws anymore. He couldn't tell if something was smooth, rough, pokey, wavy by feel, none of that. Then he realized that he would never be able to feel the lush green grass run through his paws any longer, feel the wind pass his paws, feel the trees as he climbed them, nor could he feel the fur of his future mate He could never feel the freeness of running, the thrill of running. Just the thought of this made Rocky tear up. Rocky started to bawl right in front of the scientists.
"What's wrong Rocky? Happy that you made it and now can live a privileged life?" the scientist asked.
"N-no, I-I wanted t-to feel th-the thrill o-of r-running outdoors a-at least o-once. It's going to be s-so hard that I w-won't be a-able to feel a-again" Rocky cried.
"Well, I'm sorry about that Rocky, you could have told us before. Anyways, it seems that some therapy needs to happen for you to get back on your feet and start adapting to your new limbs. You also need to freshen up before you leave" the researcher replied, completely dropping the subject.
The scientists grabbed Rocky and hauled him into a bathtub where they planned to scrub Rocky to clean him, but because of Rocky's traumatic experience, his body and mind started to go into full panic as soon as the soapy water touched his fur. Rocky started to flail about, eyes wide, heart beating rapidly, attempting to jump out of the tub, but his new legs wouldn't let him. Rocky lost all instinct of swimming and the sheer panic was enough for Rocky to faint.
As soon as Rocky woke up, the scientists had already freshened up Rocky. Rocky now had a clean coat of fur, all shiny and lustrous. Apparently the scientists had washed Rocky while he was fainted, thanking him that he fainter because it was much easier when he was unconscious than trying to clean him while he gave himself a panic attack.
After Rocky's second traumatic experience, Rocky was then carried off and put into another cell, but this time, it seemed more like a mini house than a cage cell. Instead of a barred door, it was more of a wooden door with more locks. The walls were no longer gray, but green and a pale yellow. On the wall there was a giant floor mirror that Rocky could gaze into. There was a mini water dispenser that refilled a water bowl and a treat dispenser for whenever Rocky got hungry or thirsty. The floor was covered in the best granite Rocky had ever seen, polished and shined to perfection. The ceiling was a pure, smooth looking white that looked like glass. The best improvement, however, was the doggy bed in the corner. To Rocky, he had always slept on the cold floor of the cage and was never treated to anything as soft and comfy as a puppy bed. There were many windows around with views to the outside that Rocky had long hoped for. It was all that Rocky wanted.
Rocky was overjoyed with the new improvements to his housing, almost completely forgetting about his situation, and was notified that he was to be picked up at 12 in the afternoon for physical therapy until he could walk on his own. In the meantime, Rocky was given a stroller that supported his body from the bottom and would be using it also to help him train. The stroller was also green and had padding all along the holding area, giving Rocky a gentle push, just like lying into a pillow. There were wheels on the bottom of each support leg helping Rocky roll right along as he walked. Right before the scientists left, they gave Rocky a doggy bone that he could chew on and toughen up his teeth.
As soon as the scientists left, Rocky went straight to the puppy treat dispenser and poured a large helping of treats of all assortments, after all, it had been a while since he ate with dying and all. Rocky's legs were another challenge. Rocky would occasionally miss a step, causing Rocky to slightly bump into the stroller legs. Rocky was glad that the stroller was there, or else navigating through his new house would have been a nightmare. Rocky was also very determined to learn how to walk again, so all day and all night he walked around his little lodge. After a few hours of tripping and failing, Rocky began to get the hang of walking with the support, he even began to run a bit. After taking a glance outside once he got the hang of walking again, he saw the moon, another mesmerizing sight to Rocky and began to stare at the moon, all bright and glorious. The light reflected off of Rocky's eyes and the glimmer of the moon made Rocky woozy. Rocky soon fell into a deep sleep, only the loud knocking on the door woke him up.
"Rocky? It's 12, time for your training" the instructor said in a comforting voice.
"Huh? Oh yea, let me get a bite first" Rocky replied.
Soon Rocky walked out the door and his instructor was surprised that he could already walk pretty well on the stroller. Rocky's instructor was a pretty lady, a bit short, but had a kind and sweet face, just like a supermodel. She wore a white uniform, not a lab coat, but a nurse's outfit. Rocky stared at her, eyes wide and jaw dropped open. Never before has he seen a human so beautiful and kind. He always thought humans were cruel and inhumane beings. The instructor began by seeing how well Rock could walk straight, from his front door to the other side of the room they were in. The instructor proceeded by removing Rocky's aid as Rocky seemed to walk just fine with it. Rocky stumbled a bit when the aid was removed, but was able to walk to the other end with few stumbles. With a few repetition, Rocky was able to walk without falling over and was also able to run a short distance. One thing Rocky noticed was his stamina never seemed to wear out. He could walk or run over and over again and he would be completely fine. The sores that would have been there Rocky would no longer feel, which Rocky considered to be a benefit. He spent the rest of the training session running around the front part of his house, yipping and playing with the instructor who had a few toys like a tug toy.
Soon training was over, and he was dismissed to go back into his pup house. Just one day of training allowed Rocky to walk without aid, and it made Rocky wonder how long it would take for him to be back to his usual life. Rocky still found it hard to sit down properly, as it was kind of wonky, his rear end always seemed to just slam down onto the hard granite floor, causing Rocky to cuss, since he could still feel pain from the legs up. In the end, he gave up trying and began gnawing on the bone he was given yesterday.
The next few days were extremely productive, and in the end, Rocky was able to walk, run, jump, duck, sit, lay down, and even use his mechanical parts to boost him through most actions such as running and jumping, giving him a faster sprint and a higher jump. Rocky was overjoyed knowing that soon he would be released outside and get adopted by a caring and loving human. The last training session was an overview of how much control Rocky had on his new body. Rocky, after an intensive obstacle course comprised of many hoops, tunnels, and balancing beams, retired to the comforts of his home and sat down to gnaw on the bone he was working on. Rocky took a glance at a blueprint the scientists gave him to improve. Ever since Rocky listened to the staff really well, the scientists saw Rocky's curious gaze at machinery lying around the lab and decided to teach Rocky a bit of mechanics. Rocky dove into that topic like a dolphin, asking about every little detail and how each part would work as a whole. Rocky spent nights studying everyday objects like clocks and fans and took them apart to study them, then put them back together. Sometimes Rocky would even improve the system, removing parts that were unnecessary to function the contraption in also increasing it's speed or proficiency. As expected, Rocky excelled at this subject, and just after a few days was better than most technicians in the lab. Rocky was also allowed to take a few spare tools and parts into his home to work on projects. Rocky decided not to work on the blueprint and continued to gnaw. As Rocky gnawed on the bone, a weird voice spoke.
"Hey Rocky, how's it going" the mysterious voice asked.
Rocky snapped his neck up, looked around and saw no one. Rocky shrugged it off and continued to gnaw on his bone.
"Do you not remember me? I was your best friend, Gray, from a long time ago?" the voice named Gray said.
"Uh, that does seem familiar, I just can't remember where. Can you come out please? Maybe if I saw you I would remember" Rocky replied.
"I'm not a physical pup, I'm in your mind, your spiritual buddy, remember?" Gray responded, slightly annoyed.
"Oh, yea, that Gray! I haven't heard you in a long while, how's life been in there?" Rocky asked joyfully. Rocky seemed to remember Gray, and had that feeling that Gray had been a part of his life for a long while, but never seemed to remember why, he had never met him, but knew he wasn't an enemy, but a friend, Just as though they knew each other in some other worldly relation that Rocky couldn't pin down with his paw.
"Rocky, I have to warn you, the place you're in is very dangerous, they all have been lying to you" Gray said in a cautious voice.
"Oh really," Rocky responded sarcastically, "Where's your proof, everyone here has treated me so well, look around, I have all that I want, a nice bed, food and a great view of the outdoors, as well as parts to satisfy my hobby"
"Rocky, most of what is going on is fake, the scientists are just manipulating you, tricking you to fall into their trap. Here, to prove I'm telling the truth, I need you to loosen the window and see what's actually outside" Gray suggested.
Rocky thought this was a stupid idea, but still did it to prove Gray wrong. He took a screwdriver to the window and unscrewed it. The window popped right out and in a flash Rocky was outside.
"See, I told you nothing-" Rocky started until he banged into a wall. "What?" Rocky questioned.
Rocky felt around and realized the "outdoors" was just a screen filming a scene outside. Now that Rocky thought about it, everything did seem like the outdoors was very repetitive, always sunny, never thundered, never rain, heck, it never even went cloudy. Rocky backed up in disbelief. The researchers were manipulating him, and jumped back into the house and reattached the window.
"But why, how could they do this, why would they do this" Rocky pondered while pacing around his "house".
Rocky started to contemplate all the other actions they did. They never did let Rocky wander around the facility without constant supervision. He was also never allowed to go outside just to play, and was also denied of knowing why the scientists did what they did. Rocky was slowly starting to believe that what Gray said was true, his life was a huge lie and they were most likely denying him more information that he deserved to know.
"What other stuff are they hiding from me?" Rocky asked after thinking about it for a good 30 minutes.
"I told you it wasn't real. Other than that, you should hear the researchers conversations. Go up into the vent above you and take the first right you see." Gray suggested.
Rocky did exactly what Gray said and started to maneuver into the vent. After climbing into the vent, he took the first right and saw right below him were three researchers. They were discussing plans about a procedure they were doing. Conveniently enough, they spoke in the area that was soundproof from inside Rocky's living quarters.
"So when are we going to harvest? It's getting a bit overdone. Soon it might overtake the lab." one of the scientist asked.
"Let's give it a little bit, give it more time in the light, it has no idea anyways" another researcher replied.
Rocky started to question the the "it" was. Rocky started to think that "it" was a out of control plant, and needed samples from a leave or fruit and killed before it overgrew and took over the lab until the third replied, "Guys, Rocky is becoming way too aware, and those parts are expensive, we need to harvest them first thing tomorrow, now that we know it works, and now that the living metal has shown growth."
Rocky listened in disbelief. They weren't going to let him go to an animal shelter, nor were they talking about an overgrown plant. They cared more about the parts and resources than about him. Rocky climbed back into the home and sealed off the vent. Rocky sat down and thought of a plan, a plan of pure genius that only he could think of, one that the scientists would never see coming. Tonight Rocky was going to breakout, and no one was going to notice, a stealthy getaway.
Ok, Rocky is not going crazy in this story, this is all explained in the story, just don't expect it in the next chapter, as the next chapter is about the breakout. Also, just before someone asks, it is not confession, singular, but confessions, plural. I'm pretty sure I alluded to many small details that make Rocky's past much more complex. Like always, please notify me if there are mistakes that I overlooked in editing and tell me where I can improve as a writer. Thanks for reading!