Chapter 4 - Name that Mutant

Since it was Monday and he would have to leave for school soon, Nicky didn't have much time to figure out where his little friend had gone; although, like every other time the ant had disappeared, he was sure he had gotten into trouble.

And Nicky was right to believe so. When he came home that afternoon, he walked into his room to find the ant lying back in his own bed, reading Nicholas' personal copy of The Bible.

"Dude!" Nicky whisper-shouted, closing the bedroom door and carefully snatching the book, "This is my dad's! If he finds out it's in here, he'll think I took it."

"But wouldn't your father appreciate you finally delving into these religious beliefs?" the ant inquired.

"He knows I don't care enough ta read the actual book. It'd just be weird."

"If you say so."

Nicky didn't say another word after that, and made sure the coast was clear as he went to put Nicholas' book back on his nightstand.

"I find it intriguing that you don't like this religion all that well. It's rather inspiring, in my opinion, especially that 'Adam' character," the ant began with air quotes, as he followed Nicky in curiosity.

"Oh, yeah. Adam from the Book of Genesis," Nicky sighed in realization.

The insect quirked an eyebrow in disbelief, "I thought you said you didn't care enough to learn about this."

"Ok, so I know some stuff."

"Well, that's good. Before you so rudely interrupted me in a good book, I didn't get to read Adam's whole story. Would you mind telling me the rest about Adam and his partner, Eve?"

"Sure. Did you know that they were both created in God's image?"

"Yes, but that's as far as I got."

"At first, Adam was all alone, even though the Garden of Eden was beautiful and the animals were magnificent, he still felt incomplete. That's why Eve was created." As Nicky went on, the ant became more and more fascinated by the story. "When their love started ta bloomed, an evil snake named Satin told them to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Eve was tempted and convinced Adam to eat some, too. The fruit's poison made them finally see the good and evil in this world. After that, mankind has never been the same."

"Amazing," the ant breathed in awe.

Nicky suddenly grinned in realization, "Ya know, in a weird and twisted kind of way, you're a lot like Adam."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You were both created by a mysterious force, you're the first of your kind—and you were never meant to be alone."

The ant looked at the boy in surprise at first, but he couldn't help but smile back at him in gratitude, "Did you just subtly say we're friends now?"

"Maybe. That bein' said, I think I've got the perfect name for ya."

"You know, to be honest, I really do like the name 'Adam'."

"Me, too. But check this out…"

Before Nicky continued, he grabbed a notebook and pen from his desk, and scribbled a couple words onto it. The first word was 'Adam', and the second one was 'Atom'.

"What's this?" the ant questioned in confusion.

"Your signature move is the Atomic Punch, which is amazing! You're a little bug with the power of an atomic bomb, so I think it's only fitting that we call you Atomic Ant."

The ant pondered Nicky's decision for a moment, putting his finger on his chin while humming, "That's a very good idea. But how about—Atom Ant?"

Nicky laughed, "Perfect. See? Told ya you were smarter than you let on."

Old feathers were whisked away and dried blood stained the operation table, as the smell of bird filled the dim office of Albert Von Gimmick. The robin that attacked the store was motionless, as it was safely strapped down onto the table while Albert cautiously worked on him.

"Any other scientist in their right mind would know not to try after this point. If not for me, there would be no hope for you," the mad scientist told the bird, sparks flying from a welding torch as he added the last adjustments to the robin's talons, "But I'm not like every other astronomer or engineer. Oh, no. I've got another trick up my sleeve."

Albert eventually finished fixing the new mechanical parts on the bird's talons, and stepped aside to wait for the metal to cool; over half of the robin's left wing was gone, and replaced with a precise arrangement of metal feathers; the talons on its right foot were no different, as the whole foot was nothing more than a mechanic limb with even longer and shaper razors for claws.

"All you need is another drop of this, and you'll be invulnerable—like a certain previous experiment of mine," Albert growled in disappointment at the thought of the ant that escaped, but he grinned when he knew this bird would not end up the same way. So, he used a tear dropper to extract one drop of his special blue liquid from the vial in the safe, and placed the single tiny drop onto the bird's chest.

Before long, the red feathers on its chest began to sizzle as the cyan liquid seeped into them, and the robin suddenly awoke and thrashed violently to escape. The rage in its burning yellow eyes, the ferocity of its new metal claws, and the viciousness in its hissing made Von Gimmick even more confident in this animal's potential.

"Calm yourself. You will go nowhere until you come to terms with me, but I'll admit that I like the fire in your eyes. It's truly intimidating," Von Gimmick began with a chuckle, but his smile soon faltered and turned to a glare as he leaned closer to the bird, "Now, tell me—how did you obtain my Forbidden Fruit Serum?"

At that, the bird's actions to escape ceased, and it stared quizzically up at the old scientist; eventually, it remembered its deformity, and glanced around the room until it spotted a computer. As soon as the bird focused on the machine, it whirred to life and the screen lit up, displaying a sentence, It was your ant.

Albert gasped in fright and amazement when it saw the sentence type itself, and he was even more bewildered when he realized it was all the bird's doing. He quickly began to undo the leather straps on the table, letting the robin stand back on its and ruffle its feather to a more comfortable position.

"How are you doing that? And why are you doing that? Can you not speak?" Albert asked with great curiosity.

Again, the bird quickly looked at the computer before looking back at Albert, and another sentence appeared on the blank screen, I tried to consume your project after your threw it away, and the remnants of your serum on the ant clung to me, leaving me with no tongue.

"You lost your tongue, eh?"

Yes. Now, I seek revenge on that insect for taking away my ability to ever taste again. By the way, how did you know I came upon your serum?

"I created it. I could practically smell it on you. And there was only one explanation as to how you gained your electrical abilities: It was because of me and my invention."

Well, thanks to you, I've lost a limb and gained a mission. I expect an apology.

"Oh, you won't get an apology out of me, but I can offer you some far better." Von gimmick grinned as he went on. "You see, you and I want the same thing: To take down that wretched little insect once and for all. If you help me, you can get the revenge you desire. Do we have a deal?"

A wicked grin stretched across the robin's face, the computer beeping upon their command to get Albert's attention, Of course.

"I'm glad we could agree. Now, I'd like to go over a few more necessities. Are you male or female?"

The bird gave him a deadpan look, That's for me to know, and for you to never find out.

"Fine, fine. I was only curious. It wouldn't matter anyway, though. The name I have picked out for you is quite ingenious. Considering your inability to speak, and that you caused quite the commotion at the store—I think the name that suits you is Mutiny."