BEASTOR: Revolution

A Story By: Thomas J. Griffin

 

            In the labs of Mammals & Beyond sits a shadowy figure hunched over at a laptop; the screen creates a haunting halo around his visage, casting his face in a sickly glow. He rapidly clicks away at the keyboard at times almost violently slamming each key, though not in anger, but in passion. As he clicks away he could be heard mumbling scientific incantations which then move his hands to continue the cacophony of key clicks.

            “That will cause the mutation,” he mumbles leaning back from the machine and stroking his chin thoughtfully, “but it is a matter of controlling it! That’s where I am having trouble." he pauses eyes darting in the air searching for answers in the dark office. "Mitch! Mitch!?” he calls out, but there is no reply. He looks down at the light of the digital clock; which read that it was only 3:01. He would be the only one in the office for hours. “Damn… I will have to make coffee myself.” He storms out of the office and down the hall to the kitchen.

            He storms into the plain kitchenette of the laboratory and begins opening drawers and cabinets, looking for the some java. “Where did they hide it!” he cries, his fingers twitched in frustration. "The whole office constantly thinks I'm to be toyed with..." His grumbling trails off. “Without my java juice I won’t be able to avoid nap time!” He opens the freezer and finds a bag haphazardly closed with a happy Columbian man sitting on the face of the package, “Who puts coffee in the freezer?” as he pulls the coffee out, he finds an unlabeled bottle of glowing liquid. “Whose Gatorade is this? Don’t they know bottles of liquid can explode in the freezer?” He drops it into a waste bin and begins the alchemical process of crafting his caffeinated beverage. He exits down the hall into the dimly lit corridor lighted red by exit signs scattered about. He is floating down the hall pausing occasionally to sip his beverage, he hears a squeaking that begins to rise in pitch as he nears his office. He follows the sounds to a neighboring office whose door is slightly ajar. Pushing the door further open he peers into the darkness of the room, trying to trace the noise with his ears. He enters slowly, reaches for the wall and presses the lightswitch.

            “Ah, Hamtaro!”  He says seeing a small cage occupied by a copper and white furred hamster who was currently busying himself running on its wheel. The doctor moves his face closer to the cage to observe the creature. It takes notice of the professor and it runs up to the wall of the glass cage and then to its water bottle, laps a few times and then runs back to the wall of the cage and then returns to the water bottle. “What’s this?" the professor remarks as he notices the bottle is empty and dry. "You’re thirsty? You like electrolytes don’t you?! How about some Gatorade.” He scurries back to the kitchen and grabs the bottle from the garbage and returns to the office. Taking the bottle he pours the drink into the critters empty water container. “Mitch should really take better care of you.” He tosses the bottle into the trash. He never even considers why the liquid didn’t freeze in the cold temperatures of the fridge.

 

***

 

            A car bumps along on a windy road as the sun begins to rise. As the sun hits the windows the silhouettes of two figures inside it can be seen, one is stretched out reclined on its seat, the other sits as if stone driving faithfully into the dawn. “Sir, we should be there in another few hours.”

            “Garnblasted Julie,” The sleeping figure yells, “how many times do I have to repeat myself? Just wake me when we get there! Even my nagging mammy would never repeat herself so many times!”

            “My apologies Colonel Chowder, but I am required to give regularly report on our progress on the hour.”
            “Who in the devils well baked blazes told you to do that!”

            “You did Colonel.”

            The Colonel sighed, “I hate myself sometimes, you realize that Julie?”

            “You really should not Sir. You’re a very talented, commanding and handsome man.”

            “Uhg," The officer groaned as his eyes rolled back into his skull, "just nudge me when we get there Julie.”

            “I am sorry Sir but that contradicts my previous orders.”

            The Colonel simply lets out another groan and then rolled over to try to get to a few more minutes of sleep before the next hour would come, and the whole scenario would repeat itself, verbatim.

 

***

 

            An alarm buzzes waking a sleeping Mitchell. A arm reaches up slowly like a serpent and falls onto the buzzer striking it back into silence. It returns to its mute state standing like a sentinel for its next duty 9 minutes later.

 

***

 

            Lights went on in the labs and its staff began slowly shuffling in to begin their daily routines. Scanning, documentation, research, and even the interns found themselves busy fetching files and preparing coffee, however one intern was absent. Mitchell Harris. No one notices though, interns in this environment were simply go-getters and are only noticed when needed to go and get something. However, Professor Steinel Pluvious notices because it is his intern that is missing and right now he needs something gone and gotten for. Being a renowned researcher, though he disliked fetching, he was not above going and getting himself, if the need arose, after all he wasn't an exceptionally patient man. The issue was that the item he needed fetched was missing. Ponder as he might and thought he stroked his thin pointy goatee as fervently as he could, the memory of where certain things had gone escaped him. He was certain though that Mitch, his faithful associate, is the one who put it wherever it needed to go, and the only one who could find it for him.

            “This is unacceptable,” the Doctor whined throwing his hands in the air, “15 minutes late?! How could someone allow themselves to be delayed for such a time! Time is research, and research leads to money, which leads to even more research!” He walked into the Interns offices and popped into Mitch's cubicle. Grabbing the phone from its cradle, he punched in the numbers and waited impatiently pacing; he paced back into the neighboring office, room O18, as the ringer continued buzzing away. Steinel, immediately notices that in the nearby cage Hamtaro is making some new records on his wheel barreling along feet racing on the metal spokes of the cylindrical toy; its frantic pace intrigued the Doctor so much that at first he missed the sleepy voice on the other end.

 

***

 

            Mitch heard a buzzing and his arm slinked around reaching for the alarm. He tapped it gently, then again, but to no avail.. The buzzing continued, stretching out his clenched palm he slams it against the device so hard that it clatters off the dresser and across the room. The strike was so fierce that he yelps as he injures his internish fist. The pain helps a light to down on him “My phone!” he shouts, with the realization of the source of the sound. He falls face first out of bed and searches through his dress pants on the floor, nabbing his phone he thrusts it against his face, “hello, hello?!" At first there is silence on the other end. Mitchell tries again, "hel-" He is cut off, “I NEED MY FORMULA!” came the angry response.

            “Dr. Pluvious!” Mitch inquired.

            “That’s right, Dr. Pluvious, and Dr. Pluvious needs his intern, so his intern can get his formula. Then after that maybe Dr. Pluvious should get a new intern? Hmm, what do you have to say to that?!”

            “I… Um…” He stammers. "I'm sorry?" He attempts
            "I don't need a sorry intern I need a productive intern!"

            Mitchell can feel the stress of the conversation start to strangle him, then has a thought, “I had a strange reaction to a burrito and peanut butter. It knocked me right out!”

            “What? Are you serious.” There is a moment of silence, "I wonder if we could repeat the process, turn it into some kind of sleep drug. Very interesting."
            “Yes Dr., very…” The Dr. was continually fascinated by Mitches strange diet, and awkward combinations of food. He was constantly asking him questions about his meals of cod and jelly salad, or fried egg and syrup sandwiches. It was how Mitchell became the assistant to the lead researcher at mammals and beyond. He was munching on a grilled liver and olive soup, and the Dr. was drawn to its repugnant smell, he wandered close, and then sat next to him, not saying anything just watching. He then followed him around with a notepad, and it wasn't until the end of the day when Mitch was leaving that the Dr. accosted him with questions. He ended up making a gas from extracts of chemicals within the soup to create a gas that caused confusion. A gas that was then sold to the military and won the lab a sizable grant. It was such good fortune that the Pluvious wanted Mitchell by his side if for nothing more than luck.

            There is silence on the other end of the phone and Mitch hoped the Doctors’ undying curiosity will be a panacea to his anger.

            “Interesting, well come here and bring me my formula, and then we will study closely the depth of your bowels.”

            “Yes, Dr. but,” But there is no sound the Doctor had already hung up, not desiring to waste any further time talking to Mitchell who was just an intern.

            Without further prodding Mitch grabs his pants from the floor and jumps into them then grabs a blue button down Hawaiian shirt from the hamper, before pulling a bright red clip-on tie off a plastic hanger slung on a hook on his door. All of these articles slipped on seamlessly from the daily routine of rushing out the door. He headed for the exit of his house when he heard his mothers beckoning from the lounge. “Mitchell, what about breakfast.” Every morning she asked and every morning she made him a single piece of dried toasted bread with an ashen crust. He craved more than that stale burnt toast in the morning. Sometimes he would eat it to be polite, but most of the time he would just swing by a Wendy’s on the way to work. The door opened and slammed and his mother’s bellows could be heard from the house. “Mitchell! You’re going to be hungry!”

 

***

 

            Professor Steinel Pluvious sat in a chair in office 018, watching as Hamtaro raged back and forth in his cage. The hamster was showing exceptionally odd behavior and as a result Dr. Pluvious was exceptionally interested. The critter had run on the wheel non-stop for a half hour at which point it drank more of its Gatorade just to dash back to its wheel to race wildly some more. It must have become tired of being watched because it finally turned towards the Doctor and charged at him, hitting the glass until there was a fissure crack in the strong cage, then it went back to running on its wheel.

            At that point the Doctor thought about calling Mitch again and was reaching for the phone when the intern walked into the room. “Oh, here you are,” Mitch said, he meant to remark that he was surprised that the Doctor had strayed away from his research for even a moment. At least that’s what he tried to say, but food in his mouth caused the words to come out as a garbled mess. “Mitchell, my formula, please.” He said in a monotone voice and holding out a hand as if Mitch could conjure it out of the air. Pluvious never lost a second in harrassing the boy.

            Gulping down the bite of his egg sandwich he was able to get out, “Right away Doctor.” He made his way hurriedly to the kitchen. “I don’t know why he doesn’t just grab it himself, its right…” As he opened the freezer all he saw was the drawing of a Columbian man, wide eyed and smiling as if he had watched what had occurred and found the whole thing rather funny. The formula -- designated 43-A but called lovingly Amazing Animal -- was gone. Mitch stood in horror; the Doctor had spent much of his life researching for that amalgamation of chemicals, and the past few months synthesizing that liquid. Now it was as if all that work never even happened. His job was forfeit. He dragged his feet slowly down the hall, he could hear the coffeemaker percolate in the kitchen, and could feel his phone vibrate in his pocket. He knew that was probably his mother calling to make sure he had eaten something. What would he tell her? What would he say to the woman who sacrificed so much to send him to school so he could get this job and move on in the world? Here he was on the precipice of his old life and the new, right at the edge of the doorway to his office. He held his breath as he prepared to dive into the unknown future.

            “Dr. Pluvious, your formula is gone.”

            “What?” The Doctor was frighteningly calm.

            “You had me put the formula in the fridge so it wouldn’t spoil, but I just looked in there and the only thing I found was coffee beans.”

            “Interesting!” Pluvious said.

            “Am I dismissed?”

            “Dismissed?”

            “Yes, am I fired?”

            “Fired?”
            “Fired, you know, given a leave of absence, let go, relieved of duty, discharged, pulled from action, given the boot.”

            “Yes, yes, I understand what you were saying, but why would I do that?”

            “Because I lost your formula.”

            “HAHAHA! Oh Mitchell, no you may retain your service to me, after all you didn’t lose my formula, though I do hope you can find a shoebox for your hamster.”

            “For Hamtaro?”

            “Yes for poor little Hamtaro; It seems that in my absentmindedness that I pulled out the container of my formula thinking it was just jug of Gatorade.” At this point Mitch’s jaw dropped, he knew what had happened, but the Doctor proceeded in his recounting, “Well needless to say when I saw poor thirsty Hamtaro I tried to help and gave him, what I believed was a supplement for water. Afterwards he started to display strange behavior and energy, which I originally attributed to the Gatorade, but I began developing an alternative theory, which you have just helped confirm.”

            Mitch was flabbergasted, “So, what does this mean for Hamtaro?”

            “Only the best!” Pluvious replied, “He will be remembered in the texts as the first subject of Formula 43-A!”
            “But, what is happening to him now?”

            “Well, it has evolved and has more energy and strength than any Cricetinae creature before! However, since this was still a rather early strain of the formula it seems to have resulted in some excess frontal lobe activity that makes it excessively aggressive and it will keep moving until its heart explodes.”

            At this point Mitch had grabbed another chair and collapsed into it. The hamster had been his since he graduated from College. It had been with him through all his moves through grad school, and now this internship. However because of his “mentors” incompetence it was now no better than fertilizer.

            “Well?!” Said Pluvious. “Aren’t you excited?”

            “You killed my pet Dr. Pluvious.”

            “You really are a wet blanket Mitchell. You have to learn to be an optimist.”

            Mitch blankly stared at the Doctor. “I’m going to get some coffee…”

            “Don’t take too long we’re going to be having guests!”

            Dr. Pluvious could barely contain his excitement. The guests were military personnel who would have a huge hand in whether or not funding to his program would be continued. Originally he only had a PowerPoint, but now because of this hamster, he had something greater than a point and click presentation to show them, and hopefully this would guarantee funding so he could continue on with his obsession with genetics.

 

***

 

            “We’re here Sir.” Julius said softly.

            “What? I thought you were going to give an hourly report!” Barked Colonel Chowder.

            “I tried sir, but you were unresponsive.”

            Colonel Raymond Chowder grumbled quietly to himself and then rolled out of the vehicle. As he brushed himself off and straightened his jacket he looked around. The compound was located in the suburbs, far out of the way of the nearby city.

            “Suburbs.” He growled to himself, “What a waste of good land.” The Colonel grew up in the suburbs before he was able to join the military and explore the world. Looking back he never realized what a black hole the suburbs were. He felt that they absorbed countless amounts of resources that were used to fuel petty little things for civilians like meaningless decorations and doodads, all pieces that were for aesthetics. Come to think of it, he never cared for civilians either.

            The Military officials walked towards the compound with a determined stride, at the door they slid their one time use ID badges, and walked in, the cool temperature controlled air hit with a chill from their departure from the sun soaked exterior. Down the bluish-white plain halls they walked, and stopped at the front desk.

            “We’re here to speak with Professor Pluvious about his research. Colonel Chowder, clearance alpha theta one two three epsilon." Chowder spat out gruffly.

“Very well, I’ll page his office.”

“Why not buzz us through?”

"we can't have you just prancing around anywhere, the doctor will meet you and escort you."

"I gave you my clearance code!"

“Yes that confirms your ID but this is a secure building with secure protocols.”

“I’m a Colonel! I make protocols!”

“You don’t here, and you’re not cutting corners as long as I sit here.”

“Listen,” He paused and looked down at the name plate on her desk, “Cynthia..." he emphasized the name saying each syllable as softly as he could muster, " I have an understanding of how things work in the world,” he leaned forward and spoke quietly, “there are different types of people in the world; the ones who are chained by the rules, and others who realize rules are simply a tool, and can be… twisted.”

She looked up at Chowder with a blank stare “Colonel, She said monotonously, “I arrive very early in the morning and great those with clearance and access cards at the front door. If you don't have an access card you can't go through the door, nor do I open the door for you without an access card. If you've followed me thus far then you know that I do not open the lock on that door for anyone without an access card, an escort or with permission. Anything that could alter my opinion of how to perform job would have to be ranked much higher than a Colonel.”

“Well...” he said uncomfortably, He did not like getting chewed out by a civilian, “This better be quick.” He grunted and crossed his arms and sneered, displeased at the lack of respect his position received here. He was a master in the field of battle, served multiple tours; but as a consult for special weapons division the field of white collar and labcoats was very new to him.

 

***

 

Mitch sipped at his coffee as he sat at the kitchen table, fuming at the impending loss of his pet, and disgruntled at his inability to do anything about it. He was stuck at this position and there was nothing he could do. The Doctor did as he pleased as always, his experiments and his guests that could give grants came well before the concerns over the pets of interns. The coffee must have jostled his senses for he realized that the doctor had mentioned having guests and he suddenly blurted out “What guests?” The thought of the Doctors last words puzzled him. Pluvious usually was attached to his work. Lab or laptop, was far as he went and Mitch was pretty certain that the doctor lived here. At least he hadn’t entertained anyone as long as Mitch had been working for him, which was a little a few years now. His curiosity pushed his mourning to the back of his mind, for now, and he charged down the hall after the humming professor for some exposition on whom they were expecting.

            As he entered the interns office he saw the Doctor still was transfixed at the hamster cage, watching as it paced back and forth. The hamster looked different, bigger than it was before, and the crack in the cage glass seemed to have grown as well. “Doctor,” Mitch said. Pluvious gave a grunt to indicate he was listening if however half-heartedly so. “What guests were you talking about before?” The Doctor replied “Guests?” The hamster seemed to have pulled the Doctor completely out of reality and it took him a moment to remember what was what. “Oh yes!” He sprang as realization flooded his memory, “Where are they show them in!”

            “They are not here yet.”

            “What! Their late? What’s going on!”

            “Don’t you have to page the front to allow guests in?”

            “What? Oh right, my office.” He bolted into his office and upon entering he heard the determined beep of his phone. He pressed down on the button next to the red flashing light, and leaned in too close to the receiver, “Let them in Cynthia.” Mitch peered in from the doorway, “So who are these people?”

            “What people? Oh right the guests; why they are Military personel.”

            “The Military.”

            “Ah good your listening.”

            Mitch opened his mouth to inquire further but he heard a deep roar from someone behind him. “It’s about time!” The robust man growled as he pushed through the hall in his deep green uniform, followed closely by a suited associate. Mitch presumed these were the “guests” Pluvious had mentioned, his chance for questions were over, he would have to watch now to gain the answers as to who these men were and why they were here.

            The Colonel pushed the intern aside and stood in the doorway his breadth consuming the entrance. He stood and stared at the Doctor, the Doctor sat smiling back at him, until the Colonel began to feel uncomfortable. “Professor Pluvious,” Chowder said, “What have you got for me!”

            At this query the Doctor almost exploded with giddiness. “Yes, Colonel Chowder! So good to see you again! Please come, come.” He led the Colonel and his associate down the hall to the interns’ office, Mitch followed behind them. “I am so excited at what I have to show you today" as he spoke his gestures became more grandiose from the energy exuding from his imminent announcement, "I had all these other things planned out, but what has coalesced is exceedingly more brilliant then anything I could ever have plotted! It’s almost like nature’s way isn’t it!”

            “Doctor, I don’t have a fruit fly’s clue as to what you’re talking about, but I severely hope to be pleased.” Was the Colonel’s terse response.

            The cold manner of Chowder dimmed Pluvious’ original fervor but he pressed on in spite of the doubts of any Tom, Dick or Harry. “Well I have actual evidence of my formula in action, but before I rush into any presentation I need proper preparation, let me grab my notes and I will be right with you gentlemen. “Mitchell,” he called, at the cry Mitch’s head appeared around the doorway. “Get these men some coffee.” At the command, mitchell, shoulders hunched, began the trek for the miniscule errand that he was allotted. “I want mine black!” Called the Colonel after the Intern.

           

            “I do not like my coffee black Sir.” Said Julius quietly

            “Well then you should have said something while the kid was still here!”

            The two men looked at the cage as the hamster began another run on its squeaky wheel. The General leaned forward and watched it with awe and respect. “This animal," he said in a hollowed calm, "This animal has discipline Julie. Look at it charge on that wheel.” His mind thought back to his hamster he had as a child, he would watch its determination as it ran, full sprint on the aluminum wheel he had bought it, it was his first and last pet. He leaned forward and tapped on the glass. “Hey little guy,” his hard face softened as he smiled. The tapping caught the hamster’s attention and it looked dead into the eyes of Colonel Raymond Chowder. The eyes were of something else possessed, the colonel was taken aback by its glare and tried stumbling away, but it was too late. It leaped at him smashing through the weakened glass of its cage, and found a home for its teeth on Chowders hand! The Colonel cried out and swung his hand wildly, trying to dislodge the jaw of his attacker! Julius acted on reflex and drew his weapon that was holstered close to his side. BLAM!!! A single gunshot rang through the offices and the labs of the building.

            The Colonel held his hand close to him, as blood ran down it and began creating a black stain on his already dark uniform. He moaned softly to himself, he walked over to where the things corpse had fallen. It was now laying limply across the ground. His eyes narrowed, and he kicked it across the room, and weakly fell into the chair at Mitch’s desk. “Mangy Critter.”

“Sir?” Julius inquired. He wasn’t foolish enough to ask if commander was okay, such a question would be looked on as disrespectful by Chowder.

The doorway filled with curious faces, a few seconds passed and Pluvious and Mitch appeared among them, pausing before pushing through them.

“Hamtaro,” Mitch pled quietly "Lifting the critter into his hands."

“My Experiment,” The Doctor also cried.

“What about my hand you civs!” growled Chowder.

Pluvious shuffled over to the Colonel whose face had turned to an ashen grey and beads of sweat gathered in troves on his forehead, and he slumped weakly in the chair.

Timidly the Doctor asked “How do you feel Colonel.”

“I’m… I’m Feeling a bit feverish.”

“His health is deteriorating precipitously; it might prove wise to move him to the medical wing for observation.”

Nothing else was said, as they all quietly and solemnly took action. Each mourning their own care.

 

***

 

In the medical wing the Colonel laid still on a cot breathing shallowly as his lungs labored through wave after wave of pain. Julius sat by his side and held completely still except for the controlled motion of his own chest rising and falling. Anxiety was evident on her brow, her job was to protect this man and she had failed in her duty.

Mitch and Doctor Pluvious stared at them from behind glass. Mitches gaze was more indifferent as the two beings continued existing away; Pluvious however, looked upon them hoping for an interesting renewal of his project through this turn of events.

Footsteps echoed in the tiled hallway behind them, and the cacophony of their fall grew louder as it drew toward the pair. The clicking of the tall heals fell silent as the woman came to stand next to Dr. Pluvious. She was tall and slender and wore a crimson suit, her dark eyes stared menacingly through the glass at the military men. Mitch looked over at her timidly but turned his gaze elsewhere when her eyes shifted to his. She stood silently, her presence louder than any word she could have uttered. Finally her jaw gaped open and from it walked the onslaught of her forceful utterances, “I have heard about your little incident Professor.”

Pluvious’ eyes darted back and forth as he pondered what to say, “Yes Administrator, it seems we had a little mishap.”
            "Mitchell," she barked, "might I have a moment." Mitchell did not know this woman and was unsure how she knew him. All he knew was that if she didn't wish to talk with him than he was not in trouble. He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

“Perhaps I misspoke.” She purred, “This is your mishap and your mess, we have nothing to do with this, which is why I am leaving it to you and your intern to clean it up.”

“But what are we supposed to do with the poor Colonel, his condition continues to worsen! Certainly His associates report will not neglect this account?”

“Come with me Steinel,” She beckoned him with her finger and his shoulders slumped sullenly defeated. They walked down the hall and continued their discourse. Mitch, sitting on a chair outside the door stared after them until they turned a corner; he thought to himself "why am I no longer worried about losing my job."

 

***

            In the administrators office Pluvious sat surrounded by the walls whose color and texture resembled an overcast sky. The administrator continued her reprimand, “I realize that Chowders man will not censor his report professor, I'm not ignorant, however, if he does mention anything it will be about you and your botched experiment, this facility will take no responsibility for your actions.”
            “But the facility funds me.”

“Not anymore, if we continue to associate with you and your experiment, the military will pull out all funding, we could face exposure and suit, all contracts might be canceled all because of what you have done.”

“It wasn’t my fault! These events could not possibly have been foreseen. I...”

“You have done a great deal of good for this establishment Professor, which is why I have hesitated to dismiss you. I am giving you a chance to clean up this mess, take your blood sample from Mr. Chowder, so you can continue your research, and make the rest… disappear.” She waved her hands open palmed in front of her as she concluded. “Take your useless intern, and do what has to be done.”

 

***

 

Mitch had returned to the room and kept looking at Julius, he empathized with her. Something that was under her care might me lost. Her sunglasses that she had worn indoors were now off and she seemed older more tired, less like a machine and more human. She looked helpless in this situation, in spite of all her training she had received and everything she had done in life to prepare; nothing had made her ready for this. She was like Hamtaro, powerless in spite of all his evolution and instinct. Mitch decided to walk in and talk to the woman.

 

Julius stood as Mitch walked into the room. “Sir.” She said monotonously.

“Mitch.” Mitch corrected.

“You’re the professors intern?”

“Yeah, I fetch coffee and things like that?”

“You’re not very good at your job.”

Mitch paused “Thanks?” came the sarcastic reply “and what makes you say that?”

“Because we still haven’t gotten our coffee.”

Mitch corrected him, “I did get it, its just getting cold on the counter upstairs.”

“No need to be defensive, we share that same quality, we both do what must be done to help those who are above us without hesitation, with few or no questions.”

“I’d rather be an intern with a gun.”

“Perhaps, but it comes with a weighty responsibility." There was a long silence, then Julius' lips opened and then words came harnessed in apprehension, “So what will happen to the Colonel?”

Mitch looked at her, and stroked his chin thoughtfully, it took a moment till he responded “I don’t know.”

“You really are an intern.”

“What does that mean!”

“That answer is negligible.”

 

The Professor entered amid their banter and brought a close to the conversation, the professor himself seemed to have grown paler within the past hour and appeared to shake as if the facility had dropped 10 degrees. “It seems that we need to do something about our guest,” He said, “being that it might be wise to move him to a more specialized facility.” The professor made his way over to the Colonels bedside, rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a syringe and a handful of vials. “I am going to take some samples to research personally; hopefully I will be able to find something to find some sort of vaccine that might help our situation." Connecting the vial to the syringe he began filling it with the Colonels mutating blood, after one was full he continued to the next.

“What do you want us to do Sir?” Julius asked mechanically, as she stood to attention.

“Once I am done, if you gentlemen could help the Colonel to his car that would be most prodigious, I will join you once I bring these samples to my office.”

“Shouldn’t we grab a gurney?” Asked Mitch.

“No, no, no, the Colonels back is fine, it’s just that he’s weak, your shoulders will be plenty helpful.” The Professor said as the last vial flooded with the red fluid.

 

The Professor made his way to the intern office, he pulled the garbage bag from the cheap plastic receptacle, and then rolled the hamster into it carefully with a pen, and then scrounged around till he found the bullet casing and tossed that into the bag as well. “Can’t leave a mess can we,” he said as he glanced around the room to make sure he hadn’t missed anything.

 

***

 

In the Professors van Mitch and Julius sat waiting for the professor, the Colonel was laying on a small cot in the back and moaned despairingly. Mitch looked back at the Colonel to see if there was anything he could do, that’s when he noticed something strange. The Colonels left hand had grown in size as if it became swollen, and it had grown patchy sections of thick hair, his fingers long and distended and his nails were now pointy, sharp more like talons then fingernails. “Julius look!”

Julius turned and grimaced, “I am sure me and the Colonel have been in hairier situations.” Mitch stared at him not sure what to make of the comment, and whether it was accidental or a purposefully placed pun.

“Well this is the worst I’ve been in,” Mitch replied. Julius lowered his head and stared at Mitch with judgment in his eyes. “Interns.” She mumbled.

The professor opened the door and pushed in two black bags with him. “What’s that?” Mitch asked turning in his seat to look at the Doctor and his parcels. “You’ve been asking an awful lot of questions today Mitchell.”

“Well I was just curious.”

“You realize you assist me; you’re not here to question why, that doesn't help me you just do. That is extremely important to remember right now”

Chowder groaned, “Where are you taking me?”

“To the hospital Colonel, just to the hospital.” The professor assured him.

They pulled out of the lot, and the Professor gave directions that were alien to Mitchell. He wanted to make sure the professor wasn’t mixing up left from right under the current duress of the situation, but he chose to sit quietly to avoid another reprimand.

“What’s happening to my Colonel Professor?” The professors eyes looked up and met Julius’ in the rearview mirror, and then darted away.

“That’s rather a complex answer, but I will try to recapitulate so you can understand. I created a formula called Amazing Animal, which enhances an animals natural attributes. They would be able to run faster hold their breathe longer, jump higher etcetera, etcetera…”

“What does this have to do with the Colonel?”

“Ah, and here is where chrononicity comes in; that is if you believe in such a thing. I accidently gave this formula to my intern’s pet hamster, which resulted in aforementioned mutation. The critter barely stopped running since it absorbed the compound. I attribute that to one of the effects of the unfinished formula.”

“Which is?” Julius prodded.

“Well, this prototype causes a creature’s aggression to” he paused “'go out off whack,’ I guess would be the best way to put it, and its adrenaline levels go through the roof. Hence, it would cause a normal humans heart to explode soon after taking it rather than the optimal outcome of one achieving a new type of homeostasis.”

“So what is going to happen to the Colonel?” Julius said for the third time, now very uncharacteristically frustrated.

“Well I am not exactly sure; Hamtaro bit the Colonel so only a miniscule amount of the actual formula may have been transmitted. However, this additional mutation of his hand may have resulted in some of Hamtaro’s own genetic material being transmitted along with the formula, resulting in additional mutation.”

“This formula? This formula is causing all of this?” Mitch asked in shock.

“Yes, it’s quite fascinating isn’t it? The Colonel like Hamtaro is becoming something altogether new, and in his case something other than human.” His eyes glowed with passion.

"So he is becoming a beast or something?" Julius cried.

"A Beastor" Pluvious repeated eyes staring into the nether stroking his chin, "not a terrible name but I rather call it…" He paused for effect "a BEASTORIUS PLUVIOUS!” The car grew quiet and Mitch was now staring at the professor wondering if this professor was off his rocker Julius also had an eye on him now and the other on his  professor and Julius also had one eye on the man and another on his charge. The professor turned red and hunkered down in the back trying to take attention off of him. Suddenly his hand shot out and he pointed “Turn here,” came the demand.

“Sir, this is a dump.”

“Yes, yes, I am aware of that fact, I need to dispose of these materials so an accident like this is unrepeatable.”

Julius stopped the car, but hesitated to turn, he looked at the doctor, then at the Colonel then at the bags. He glanced around the lot--the gate was up and there was no one at the entry shed. "What are you waiting for Julius?" the professor nagged "I am risking my career disposing of the facilities property, all to try and prevent another tragedy!" It didn't feel right to Julius, but after more coercing from the professor he pushed softly on the accelerator and turned slowly into the dump.

“Pull right there.” The professor reached out and pointed to a barren section behind some hills of trash. “Excellent.” At that moment the Professor bore from one of his bags a big black flashlight and slammed it into the side of Julius head. The woman fell limp into the window, her skull bouncing off it, leaving a patch of blood, and onto the steering wheel where it rested.

“Professor!” Mitch cried out in horror, blood continued to run from the wound on Julies’ head. “What are you doing?”

“What did I say about asking questions before?”

“But this is insane.”

“Do you want to lose your job intern?”

Mitchell heard the threat, but it failed to move him, he simply sat quiet.

            “I need your help Mitch, I am sorry for your hamster and your loss, but what I am about to do is for our job security.” Mitch said nothing. “Alright Mitch, if you refuse to help than at least remove yourself from the vehicle.” Mitch opened the door and stepped out of the car, at the same time the professor pulled out a beaker of chemicals and a box of matches from the same bag as the flashlight; he also pulled out another flashlight and laid the two matching lights on the ground. He walked around the car and poured the chemical carefully on key places of the vehicle. As he did this he spoke to Mitch, or perhaps he was simply talking out loud to calm himself. “You see this chemical has a highly corrosive base, however it has one thing in it that is altered, there is an agent in it that prevents it from burning through something, but this agent itself is consumed when heat, in this case fire is applied to the substance. So basically I am making a chemical timebomb. I lay the match on the chemical, the fire burns out the dampening agent and then the chemical eats through to the gas tank and the engine causing a very nasty fire, and consuming all evidence of this afternoon’s catastrophe. Mitch stared at the professor still unresponsive. “What Mitchell? Are you still angry about the damned hamster? I am sorry; will that aid in the remedy of your emotional trauma of losing something you have placed wasted emotional energy and time into? You really ought to find something better to relieve your catharsis than moping.”

            Mitch looked at the Professor and then began to walk away, plodding home by foot. “Mitchell,” the Professor cried after him, “where are you going? It’s almost nightfall." Mitch kept walking as the professor called after him, "It will be pitch black before you even get near your home! I brought a flashlight for you!” He continued unhindered by the pleas of his employer. “Alright, enjoy your nocturnal stroll. I will see you at the facility tomorrow.”

 

            About ten minutes into his walk he heard the explosion of the car, but he didn’t even let that shake his pace. He walked until he reached home, and then he walked until he reached his room and fell face first on the mattress, and was asleep.

           

***

 

            Inhuman eyes opened at the sound of a loud noise, yes that must have been what woke it. It could feel warmth... too much warmth and saw fire consuming this little box that it was in. It had to escape. It had to survive. It swung its forearm into the door and it fell away as easy as if it were knocking over blocks. It leapt into freedom and ran from the hungry blaze. Turning it saw another figure lying against the wheel of the car. For a moment recognition flashed across its eyes. It grabbed the driver’s door handle and pulled it from its hinge. It tore the seatbelt from its socket and grabbed the buttoned shirt of the motionless figure and dragged it a few yards from the vehicle. It looked down at the woman trying to remember until it heard another noise, a rustling and he dropped the still form and went to explore the graveyard of junk.

Peaking from behind a old hotrod long past its prime, it saw another creature picking through the filth and it walked cautiously towards him. He turned and looked at it. “What the hell are you?” the man cried at the creature. The creature only responded with a shallow growl, “Go away, don’t you know I get bothered enough by the police.” He turned back to what he was doing and the creature got closer now breathing heavily on the man’s back. “That smells absolutely horrid… and we’re in a dump! Stop breathing on me!” The creature was taken aback by the man’s angry yells, and strafed to the front of the man, cocking his head curiously.

“I said get out of my face!” Yelled the man, as he hauled back his fist and threw it square into the things nose. The creature backpedaled and let out a squeal. It glared at the man who had already gone back to scavenging. Lunging forward it barreled into him and sent him flying; the man fell to the ground and slowly began to rise. The creature came forward and helped the man to his feet and then off them by grabbing him by the throat and lifting him into the air. The man slowly gave way to oblivion as the creature choked the life out of him. Dropping the man to the ground the critter shoved him into his cheeks and scurried to one of the piles of garbage and began burying him among the rest of the refuse.

 

***

 

The silver Corolla rolled into the cage of its white lines, in the parking lot of MAB Labs. Cynthia its driver, sat their at its reigns and looked at the building that was her own overlord, a place that had consumed 5 years of her life. She wanted something more, she didn’t want to stay there or walk towards that building, she wanted to run away. She turned off the car but she didn’t pull out the key, her hand rested on it and she looked at the silver and black rubber as if it would give her an answer to what she would do. “It’s just like a band-aid,” she quipped as she ripped the key from its hole.

She walked towards the building, her white blouse contrasted against her dark skin and flapped in the wind of the dark day which seemed to echo her own lifes despair. She surrendered to this path of fate. In the end, she needed the money. She looked through the smoked glass of the door, glass that would stop a car if the need arose, and could see her reflection, she looked tired. “This is just how life is,” she said to herself as she swiped her card through the reader. A light flashed green, and the door swung open. She allowed herself again to be consumed by the building that had become her home and prison, heedless of the large shadow that followed her through that gate.

 

***

 

The alarm was buzzing and probably had been buzzing for over an hour, but it wasn’t the alarm that shook him into consciousness. It was the phone vibrating in his pant leg. He pulled it out and lifted it to his face, “Hello,” he weakly greeted.

“Yes, Mitch, ah your late.”

“Is that why you called me Doctor”

“Um, no actually it was to ask you for your help.”

“My help,” Mitch echoed

“Yes, you see there seems to be some sort of beast or…” The Doctor paused.

“A Beastor?”

“I’m sorry, I was distracted; that thing just shoved an entire intern in his mouth. But as I was trying to tell you it seems to be some sort of beast or monster. I have to say it seems quite intent on murdering everyone here.”

“Okay, a Beastor monster, so you want me to help how?”

“I don’t care! Come at it with a crowbar; whatever you can do, just do something!” The Doctors panic was uncharacteristic of him, especially since he saw most things as science projects.

“Why don’t you do like anyone else would, and call the police?”

“That is not a feasible option!”

“Why?”

“What did I say about the questions yesterday?”

“You know Steinel, I am more than an intern.”

“What did you call me?” The Doctor waited for an apology for ignoring his credentials but none came. “Fine, just please come and help because, honestly, I have no desire to die!”

Mitch hung up the phone. He was smiling; this was the first time in a while, if ever that he had been more than an intern.

He walked downstairs and grabbed his dry piece of toast broke it in half and dipped it into some wild berry jelly. “Mom, do we have a crowbar?” He called to his mother. “No, honey, but there is an umbrella by the front door!” Turning to the front he saw the black umbrella leaning against the door. He grabbed it by its wooden handle and threw the door open, as he looked out rain pummeled the earth outside. He opened the umbrella, and heard his mom yell, “I hope you didn’t just open that in the house!” Ignoring her he walked confidently out the door, “Enjoy your day,” his mom called after him.

 

***

 

He drove haphazardly to the facility parked crookedly and walked through the halls. He heard someone crying. The desk was ripped from the floor and cast against the wall. He heard weak cries from underneath it. Summoning all the strength he had he hoped it would be enough, a life of being at a desk doesn't equip one for heavy lifting. Fortunately his shove did the trick and gravity did the rest; Cynthia sat there with multiple scratches and a shard of glass was sticking out of her leg, it also looked like her clavicle had been cracked in two. “Cynthia,” he called to her and in spite of any pain she had she crawled towards him and threw her arms around his neck, “Mitch I hate my job.” He smiled, he couldn’t agree with her more.

“Where’d that Beast go?”

“Down the hall, it’s been killing everyone!” He left her huddled at the front by her desk and went down the hall; emergency lights were glowing and flashing painting the halls red, the offices matched the hall as they were littered with blood and their dead or dying occupants. He could hear some filling the facility with moans of pain, his former workplace had been effectively turned into a war zone.

He followed the trail of destruction into the medical wing, and that’s when he saw the woman in crimson lying against the wall. She was looking dead at him, he almost looked away at her piercing stare, but he realized that she was dead, and her glare was meaningless. All her power ended right there in death and suddenly life as an intern didn’t seem that bad. Pressing on he passed the rooms of patients that were fortunate enough to have been exposed to viral agents that left them quarantined. Their ill fate also proved to be providence as they had been untouched in the monsters rampage.

He came to the rear of the building a place he had seldom gone; there he saw a door that led to the buildings subbasement was, a steel door which had been thrown open  as if it were nothing and jammed into place. “Steinel!” he called down the dark steps, he heard a thrumming of computers down below, and then he heard a cry and a growl. “I’m coming Doctor!” he charged down the steps almost tripping twice, the light from the basement was dim, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the low levels of light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's when he saw it. A large beast 3 meters tall hunched over in the small confines of the basement, what little light reflected in its dark hollow eyes. The large broad body was clad in a stained ripped army uniform, and it was holding the Doctor by his throat. The beast pressed the Professor up against the wall, Pluvious’ legs swung wildly as he tried to escape the things grasp. “Let him go!” Mitch yelled, but the creature looked back, and took barely any notice of him, and return back to his murderous intent. “Do you know who I am?” He shouted, the beast continued to ignore him as the Doctor choked for air. He ran at the creature screaming, “I am one damned disgruntled intern!” He smashed the umbrella over the creatures head and it bent in half! Now he had its attention, it turned swiftly swinging its arm and almost caught Mitch on his temple. Throwing Pluvious aside into a stack of boxes he turned his full attention on the mans furious assistant. He walked menacingly toward him and as it got closer he could see a name blazened across the remains of the clothes breast. The name on the beasts’ coat screamed in all capital letters, CHOWDER. The beast of the man was now only a monster. Mitch brought down the umbrella for a second swing, but the thing grabbed the soppy wet weapon and then smacked Mitch to the floor. He  crab walked back as fast as he could but the creature quickly closed in on him. Its hairy taloned hands reached forward to rip out his throat.

Mitch closed his eyes and waited for the claws to sink sickenly into his neck and wondered not what it would feel like but what it would sound like. He knew looking at those sharp fingers that it could squish into his flesh and muscle as if it were soft as playdough. The racing thought pushed out a scream, a cry that was quickly silenced, at first he thought it was the action of the creature ripping his larynx from his throat but instead it was the sound of a gunshot that dwarfed all sound in the small space and left his ears ringing. He heard the muffled resonance of the gun repeat itself, another three shots discharging the sound echoing in among the concrete walls of the room. Silence again. Then another three shots. Another pause. Finally a succession of rounds until all he heard was a loud muffled clicking.

 

He opened his eyes to take in what had happened. He saw that the creature had turned toward the stairwell where Mitch had come. Blood was pouring from multiple wounds of the Beastor’s back, and as Mitchell rose and began to circle the mighty corpse he saw that its face and chest were dotted in similar wounds. its eyes dark and lifeless, even the reflection of light in them were faded. Mitchell tried to force his legs to stop shaking finally surrendering to his bodies whims and found a wall to support himself. He looked over to where the Professor had been cast, but the man was strewn out like a doll  lifeless on the floor, a crimson river flowing from his head and spilling onto the concrete floor. “Looks like you’re not an intern any more.” Mitch looked towards the direction of the voice; he knew the voice and quickly recognized the black suit and the dark sunglasses and the woman who wore them wore. "Julius" he said relieved, “Looks like our errand running days are over.” Mitch said, attempting to lighten the sullen atmosphere, but Julius didn’t respond. She deftly holstered her weapon and walked towards the stairs, and began to ascend them. Mitch listened as the stomp of her heavy leather shoes fading up the stairway until there was just silence.

 

***

 

            As he wandering through the offices and labs of Mammals & Beyond on his way out of the facility, he looked over the carnage that was wrought by the mutation. Bodies strewn to and fro, and some of his co-laborers had emerged from locked offices, and hiding places. Some to tend to their fallen labmates, others to go home to seek a new line of work. Mitch heard a squeaking noise from the intern’s office. He walked in to find a man in crimson sitting near his desk, leaning back in his rolling chair and playing with Hamtaro’s wheel. As soon as he spotted Mitch, he got up and went towards him, “Ah, intern, you’re all right!” He bellowed cheerfully, as he patted Mitch on his shoulders, “Wonderful, you didn’t happen to see the Doctor around have you?”

            “I suppose you mean Steinel.”

            “Hey, hey, hey, let’s not be disrespectful here! He’s earned his title! So let’s hear it, was Professor Pluvious well?”

            “His title doesn’t really hold much water when he isn’t breathing.” The man eyes went wide and filled with a sort of grief. Mitch suspected it was more because of what Pluvious added to their company rather than Pluvious innate value as a human being.

            “Well that is a shame…” He looked to the floor, and then back up at Mitch with a smile, “Well intern, it was good having you with us, but without a Professor to aid, your pretty much useless. Soooooo…”

            Mitch rolled his eyes, “So I’m terminated.”

            “That’s one way to look at it, but hey, you didn’t call the police, that is worth a good hardy recommendation, to any position you want!” He grinned; his white teeth pushed his eyes up till they were nothing more than a series of lines and wrinkles.

            That’s when Mitch decided it would be best to walk away. As he left he heard the man say to himself "oh well," and start whistling, and spinning the wheel again.

 

            Mitch sat outside the facility, glad that the trauma of the Beastor was over, but feeling impuissant at the same time; he had lost a lot in the midst of all of this. First he had lost his hamster and then, his employer, and as such his employment. He also felt he had lost a bit of his sanity too, but whether that was good or bad he wasn’t sure. What he did know was he wasn’t returning to the life of an intern anytime soon. He wondered what he would do now that he was in a limbo between this insanity and normality, and that’s when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He reached in and pulled out his phone revealing that he had three missed calls dated from yesterday, and three voice mails, all probably from his overly concerned mother.

He dialed his voicemail and he heard it click and the automated voice came on notifying him of the messages. “You have three new voicemails.” “Mitchell,” came the first voicemail, it was dear old mom, “I hope you got something to eat before you left I…” he deleted the message before it ended.

“Message deleted, next new message.”

“Mitchell, I don’t want you going hungry...”

“Message deleted, next new message”

 Then a voice came on the line that he had never heard before. “Mr. Mitchell Harris, this is Tim Dianza with MUTT, Medical Utilities for Trauma Treatment. We looked over your previous internship experience and feel certain that someone with your credentials would fit in well with one of our departments. Call 914-555-7867 to schedule an appointment.”

            He closed the phone, his ennui fading. At least that was one bit of good news, and thankfully this job had nothing to do with genetics, or interning.

 

***

 

In a garbage dump next to a burnt out car laid a cracked container, out of the bottle leaked a sickly green glowing liquid which poured its contents into a stream that emptied out into a nearby puddle. A mangy stray dog meandered up to the sitting water and lapped it up quenching its thirst. As it finished its libation its eyes began to glow and it let out a beastly roar.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

Coming Attractions: BEASTOR: Reborn

 

            The Medical Utilities for Trauma Treatment was busy with activity the healthy wheeling the injured too and fro from one room to the next. One man was wheeled in on a blood stained cart, the liquid oozed from gashes in his chest and he shook with shock as his body struggle to heal the gaping wounds. The cart was wheeled up to Mitch Harris, a  research intern turned nurse. “This man needs to be put on a monitor and given a saline solution stat!” cried the nurse. “What happened to him Phil,” Mitch curiously asked.

            “Looks like he was attacked by a beast or something.”

            “A Beastor,” Mitch whispered.

            “Yeah something like that.” The word echoed in Mitch’s head, “A Beastor.” It had been years since the incident at Mammal and Beyond Labs and he had hoped he would never have to hear that word again. He shook himself out of the fearful cloud that had temporarily overtaken him and grabbed the sides of the gurney wheeling it down the hall...