CoCo

Chapter 17

The next morning, Kriplespac woke up early. He got CoCo up, too. He wanted to show her something. After getting ready, the two of them went down to the lab. Nobody else was there. Kriplespac typed in a code into a keypad on the wall. A secret passage was revealed and Kriplespac took CoCo into a room. A room CoCo had never been inside before. This room was covered wall-to-wall with all sorts of weapons. That is what Kriplespac did with all the weapons he invented. He kept them here in this secret room for safe-keeping until the Tediz were ready to use them. CoCo walked around the room in awe. She wasn't exactly sure why he brought her here to this room.

"Go ahead, pick one up!" Kriplespac beamed. CoCo looked around at all her choices. She chose a machine gun, but almost fell because it was too heavy for her to carry. She put it back and chose many different guns, but could not get accustomed to them.

"Vhy don't you try one of the smaller ones?" Kriplespac suggested, pointing. CoCo looked at them and finally chose a pistol. She liked the way it felt. Once she chose the gun she liked, Kriplespac pushed a button and some targets popped out of the floor.

"Just aim and fire," he said. CoCo pointed her gun at the target, concentrating really hard. She fired a couple times, but missed. Kriplespac helped her with her aiming. She fired some more and eventually she was able to shoot the target's belly. CoCo was amazed that she had hit it!

"Ve'll have to keep practicing vith zat," Kriplespac said. "But now, let me show you ze melee veapons." He pushed a button and the walls flipped, revealing lots of close combat weapons. CoCo examined them all, but she had her eyes on a katana.

CoCo had some experience with knives, swords, and daggers. Her sister loved them and was very skilled with using them. Her sister would teach CoCo how to use them, sometimes. CoCo remembered the day her sister bought a katana. It was so powerful and deadly. CoCo was never allowed to touch that katana, she had always wanted to. But now here was her chance to finally hold one, with all its beauty and might.

CoCo picked the katana up and turned towards Kriplespac. She nodded, and he pressed a button, making targets appear. CoCo darted towards the targets and sliced them to bits. For some reason, using the katana felt very instinctive to CoCo. Like she had been doing this for years. Kriplespac was very impressed.

"Wunderbar! You seem to be a natural vith it! Now try using two of zem!" He threw a second katana at CoCo and she caught it. Absolute power seemed to surge through the twin katanas. She sliced up more targets until she got very tired. Kriplespac clapped and told her that they could practice more tomorrow. They left the weapons room to find Simon scowling at them. CoCo paid no attention to Simon and ran right past him to examine something that had caught her interest.

"I don't like it," Simon said to Kriplespac as soon CoCo was out of earshot.

"Sorry?" Kriplespac responded, confused.

"You're teaching her how to use weapons, and I don't like it. What if she uses your training against you?"

"Simon, you're being paranoid. She von't do zat."

"She is a squirrel, sir! The enemy, remember?"

"She's not like ze other squirrels. She doesn't even know vhat is going on. I've kept her ignorant ever since she first arrived here. Don't be stupid, Simon. If she had figured everyzing out, ve'd know by now."

"She could be pretending! She could be a spy!"

"How? She has no contact to ze outside vorld. I even invaded her brain, remember? She knew absolutely nozing!"

"Well, have you checked it recently? You don't know what she knows since then!"

Kriplespac started to say something, but didn't.

"Better yet, have you checked your brain, lately?" Simon added. "Sir, I think that there is something wrong with you. You don't seem to be yourself nowadays."

"Shut up, Simon!" Kriplespac snapped. "I'm perfectly fine! I'll prove to you zat she knows nozing! In fact, I'll check her brain right here, right now!"

He walked away from Simon.

"CoCo?" he said when he got close to her. "I need to run few tests on you, okay? It isn't going to hurt. I just need you to get in zat tube."

"Okay!" CoCo shouted. Willingly, she undressed and hopped into the tube.

Kriplespac and Simon went over to the super computer and activated the tube. A device plopped down on CoCo's head and the tube filled itself with green fluid. Kriplespac pushed some buttons and turned to Simon.

"Now vatch zis, it'll show you everyzing she has done since she first came here." Kriplespac pointed to the screen, which was playing CoCo's memories in fast forward. Simon watched, but something caught his eye.

"Wait, wait a minute, what's going on here?" Simon asked, pointing. "Are you two...kissing? Wait, you two are dancing here...What the-"

Kriplespac started to sweat a little. He had forgotten that by playing CoCo's memories, that he would reveal his secret love affair with her.

"Hey, hold on, you two are lying in bed together here. Talking? What are you saying?" Simon asked, reaching for control pad.

"No, vait-" Kriplespac tried to stop him. But it was already too late. Simon had pressed the button that made her memories play in normal speed.

"...I realize zat I cared about you a lot," the Kriplespac on the screen said. Simon watched as Kriplespac and CoCo scooted their bodies closer to one another."I love you, CoCo. I really do," the screen said. Simon gasped in shock when he heard that. He looked at Kriplespac, whom was shamefully staring at the ground. Simon looked back to the screen to see CoCo and Kriplespac kissing each other. Simon had enough. He turned the screen off and eyed his master in disbelief.

"Just what the hell was that?" Simon wanted to know. "Huh? Sir? What is going on between you two?"

Kriplespac realized that there was no way around the situation. He looked Simon in the eye and said, "Yes...It is true. I do love her."

"Love her? Are you kidding me? She is a squirrel! And you love her? What do you see in her anyway? It's not like you two share the same interests. She is hardly intellectual. If tits were brains, then she'd be a fucking genius! But they're not! She is nothing but a horny, busty bimbo who only wants your dick!" Simon shrieked.

"Simon, you must understand zat she is not my enemy, here," Kriplespac replied sternly. "It is zat damned Conker. I hate him ze most. He ruined me and I'll get my revenge on him. Ja, I'm avare zat CoCo is a squirrel and zat I kill hundreds of zem everyday. I know zhat she is stupid. But she is not like ze rest of ze squirrels. She is loyal to me!"

Kriplespac breathed heavily. Simon stared back at him, not sure what to say. Finally, Simon let out a deep sigh.

"Okay...If you say so...Sir, I hope you know what you are getting yourself into," was the only thing Simon had to say. He left Kriplespac and walked over to CoCo's tube. She saw him and smiled. She had not heard anything said between him and Kriplespac. The tube was sound-proof.

"Let her out," Simon said. "I wanna talk to her. Alone, please, sir."

Kriplespac pushed a button, releasing CoCo from her tube. He eyed Simon.

"Don't worry, sir, I'll take her back to her room when I'm done." Simon said, still looking at CoCo.

Kriplespac stood there, looking at Simon. Then he turned and left the lab. Once he left Simon approached CoCo. He picked up her clothes and helped her get dressed.

"Where did Krip go?" CoCo asked as Simon laced her corset.

"He had to go do some things. Don't worry," Simon responded blandly, tightening her lacing.

"Oh."

"CoCo, what do you think of Kriplespac?" Simon asked, trying to sound friendly.

"Oh, I think he is great!" CoCo beamed.

"Oh yeah? What do you think is so great about him?" Simon said.

"Well, I don't really know that much about him..."CoCo said, twirling a strand of her hair around. "He doesn't tell me a lot about what he does around here. But I don't mind. It is his business, not mine. He's really smart and really brave because he created you Tediz and he is your warlord. I'm not exactly sure what you guys are fighting for, but it seems pretty important to him."

"Don't you get even a little bit curious about what goes on around here?" Simon asked.

"Well, yes, sometimes I do. But I usually don't let that bother me. Krip tells me I wouldn't understand anyway. Which, I guess he is probably right. I'm not very smart." CoCo frowned.

"Hmmm. Well, what do you two do up there in that bedroom?"

"Ummm, well. We talk and stuff," CoCo said, her eyes darting around the room.

"Seriously? That's all you do? Just talk?"

"Well, um, no. We do other stuff..."

"Such as?"

CoCo didn't answer.

"C'mon, CoCo. You can tell me. We're friends, right? Don't friends tell each other everything?" That was obvious lie. Simon did not consider CoCo his friend. But he knew that it was the only to get through to her puny brain.

CoCo looked at Simon. "Yeah," she smiled. "Okay, sometimes we listen to the phonograph. I even taught him how to dance! I like dancing with him. Sometimes I dance dirty with him. But I think he likes it." She giggled.

"Go on," Simon said.

"And sometimes we lay in bed and talk. He does most of the talking though. But that's okay. I like hearing him talk. His voice is so cute!"

Simon forced himself to smile.

"And sometimes we-we-um..Well, sometimes we kiss."

Simon raised his eyebrows. "Oh, well, do you like kissing him?" Simon said, trying to appeal to the gossip-girl inside of CoCo.

"Well, yes, I love kissing him," CoCo blushed. "I love kissing him alot." She stared off into space. "...I love him..."

Simon was silent, not sure what to ask her next. Swallowing he said, "Well...um, that's great, CoCo. Do you want to be his girlfriend?"

"Yes!" CoCo exclaimed. "I already do consider him to be my boyfriend...I mean, he told me he loved me for the first time, yesterday. I think he meant it! Yeah, I think he really does love me! Just like I love him. I hope that, someday, we'll be married. I wanna marry him. And I want to have babies with him, too! Oh, Simon! He is the most perfect man for me! Whenever I am around him, I get this feeling. I'm not sure what it is, but I like it. I think this feeling tells me that he's the one. He's the one that I love and he's perfect for me. We belong together. I've never felt this way about anyone else."

"Wow," Simon whispered to himself. "She's soooo cheesy."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing, I didn't say anything," Simon said quickly.

CoCo sighed and had a dreamy look in her eye. Simon decided that it was time to take her back to her room. So, he escorted back.

"Well, good night, CoCo. Have wet dreams! I-I-I mean, have nice dreams!" he said.

"Hey, Simon," CoCo said. "Thanks for having that talk with me. You are a true friend..."

Simon put on a fake smile. "Sure thing."

She closed the door and Simon locked it.

"Freak," Simon said and he walked away.