Ch: 47 The pain within
AJ and Adora stood just outside of the aquarium and were running on all fours toward the other side of the zoo where the penguin enclosure was. "AJ what is going on here?" Asked Adora as they ran. "When I was a toddler, Blowhole secretly knew of the penguin's plan to train me so he sent lobsters to secretly seal a small blood sample from not only me but my siblings as well to make more than just a single minion to do his bidding." He answered. "But AJ wouldn't they be younger than you?" She questioned. "When they were newborns Blowhole speed up their growth by only altering their DNA for a short time to the point that they were my age. He then slowed their growth back to normal so they age just like we do at the same average speed." AJ said. "Well if they are clones, why is zit zat they have black fur and not tan." She asked as they stood in front of a map of the zoo. While scanning the map for the penguin enclosure, AJ replied. "Blowhole wanted to make clones but if they were identical to my siblings and me then not even he could tell the difference. So while he was about to use our blood to make the clones, he altered it so they would have black fur... Found them." He said trailing off. Without another word, AJ and Adora ran to the indoor enclosure for the penguins.
When they arrived to the building AJ tried to open the door only to find that it was locked. He then held up his paw, extended his claws, and said. "I can pick the lock, but it will take a second." As he picked the lock Adora felt compelled to say something to AJ that she had just realized. "When Blowhole captured you and tortured you when you were little, Alexzander dyed his fur to your fur color. Zat is how everybody zhought he was you. It must have felt like he replaced you didn't he? I can't imagine what kind of pain that was like on top of the pain of ze torture and mental scars zat dolphin forced upon you. Zis is what cases so much of zat pain I zee in your eyes, right?" Adora said in almost a whisper.
AJ paused after the door lock clicked unlocking, turned to her and, said. "When I found the circus again, I was so insane that I couldn't even speak normal and the clones had dyed my fur black so I would look like a clone. Alexzander convinced everyone to lock me up in this zoo and chained me up in an empty train cart. That night when he snuck into the cart to mock me, I freed myself then, tortured and hit him until the sunrise when the others found us by which point I had beat him within an inch of his life." He said with no emotion in his voice. He then put a paw on her shoulder and said. "Adora, my angel, I trust you more than anyone else I know and will tell you more when we get back to the train, but now we need to save the penguins."