 | No one knew about me. I was invisible. I was the ghost that walked through your halls at night. I was the quiet, friendly neighbor walking in front of your house. I was a breath on the wind. No, I was none of those things. I was a cat. A cat, but so much more. The head scientist at Project Rising Spirit had brought me into his office one day. A stray - could have been just your standard tomcat - but I was so much more. Yes, I was a cat. But I was also an industrial spy. I walked across the front of the lab doors for weeks before I figured out which one would be my mark. He was a quiet sort, I knew the type, and I knew how to play to his weaknesses. And when I stepped in front of him as he came up to the lab doors, I did my best to *almost* trip him. |
“What the..?!” He looked down. “Oh, well hello there, kitty.”
I did my best to look frail, to look afraid.
“You poor thing. You know, I just might have some fermented brassica oleracea in my office.” And I was in.
My objective was clear: get into Rising Spirit, see what they were doing, and get back out. My company wanted me to report back soon. We needed to know how far they had come with the nanites.
Once I was in, the kindly scientist gave me the promised food, and quickly forgot about me. He was a Busy and Important Man. And just like that I was free to wander as I pleased, sauntering down the halls, darting into high security areas between the feet of security and medical staff.
I found my way to their records. And I spent the better part of three whole days reading. Reading, and eating leftover ham sandwiches. Well… reading, eating leftover ham sandwiches, and knocking random things off of the lab shelves. I couldn’t help it. It’s my nature.
On the third evening, I struck pay-dirt. The folder was labeled Project Bloodshot. As I read, I began snapping pictures of the charts and graphs and lab reports and research documents with my tiny Hello Kitty GoPro4Kidz camera. But while I was recording the crucial information my company needed, I was also absorbing what I was reading. It described a man… an innocent man, who Rising Spirit was making into a monster. Adding false memories into his brain, enhancing his body to become stronger and nearly indestructible. And I felt for him. He reminded me of someone… the chiseled jaw, the muscular torso, the bulging biceps. Yes, he reminded me of my own Pops.
And it was at that moment I knew I couldn’t let this go on. I would get that data to my company, but I would also save this man.
It took me two more days of slinking the halls, roaming the stairwells, before I found the medical suite where he lay. He was covered in scars, tubes and intravenous fluids and monitors hovering all around him.
I jumped up onto his chest. Stared at him. And when staring for a couple minutes didn’t wake him, I bopped him on the mouth a few times.
I did my best to look frail, to look afraid.
“You poor thing. You know, I just might have some fermented brassica oleracea in my office.” And I was in.
My objective was clear: get into Rising Spirit, see what they were doing, and get back out. My company wanted me to report back soon. We needed to know how far they had come with the nanites.
Once I was in, the kindly scientist gave me the promised food, and quickly forgot about me. He was a Busy and Important Man. And just like that I was free to wander as I pleased, sauntering down the halls, darting into high security areas between the feet of security and medical staff.
I found my way to their records. And I spent the better part of three whole days reading. Reading, and eating leftover ham sandwiches. Well… reading, eating leftover ham sandwiches, and knocking random things off of the lab shelves. I couldn’t help it. It’s my nature.
On the third evening, I struck pay-dirt. The folder was labeled Project Bloodshot. As I read, I began snapping pictures of the charts and graphs and lab reports and research documents with my tiny Hello Kitty GoPro4Kidz camera. But while I was recording the crucial information my company needed, I was also absorbing what I was reading. It described a man… an innocent man, who Rising Spirit was making into a monster. Adding false memories into his brain, enhancing his body to become stronger and nearly indestructible. And I felt for him. He reminded me of someone… the chiseled jaw, the muscular torso, the bulging biceps. Yes, he reminded me of my own Pops.
And it was at that moment I knew I couldn’t let this go on. I would get that data to my company, but I would also save this man.
It took me two more days of slinking the halls, roaming the stairwells, before I found the medical suite where he lay. He was covered in scars, tubes and intravenous fluids and monitors hovering all around him.
I jumped up onto his chest. Stared at him. And when staring for a couple minutes didn’t wake him, I bopped him on the mouth a few times.
| I finally got a groggy, “Whaaaa?” When I saw it was him, it was Bloodshot, and he wasn’t beyond saving, I began pulling on hoses, gnawing on tubes and batting at wires. He finally had to get my attention with a gentle, “Quit messing in the trashcan, kitty. I’m over here,” and then I got to work rescuing him from that cursed hospital bed. Finally, he was free. I was going to fetch him some food and drink, but there were dogs in the experimental lab they’d been running tests on, and well, dogs are good for that kinda thing, so I made the dogs do it. Before long, the dogs had fetched Bloodshot enough food and drink to be steady on his feet. |  |
I led Bloodshot to the escape route I’d planned for myself, and we were Outside again. Out in the cool night air. Out, and ready to seek our revenge. Bloodshot, his revenge against Rising Spirit. Me, my revenge against the guy who left a ball of scotch tape on his desk that I started playing with and it got stuck to my paw and I couldn’t fling it off and then it got in my whiskers which I hate so I jumped three feet in the air and the tape ended up stuck to my tail where I couldn’t quite reach it.
As he walked away, Bloodshot stopped and turned back to me. “Thanks, kitty. You’ve saved me, and I owe you my life. But man, you sure smell like sauerkraut.”
And off he walked into the cool night…
As he walked away, Bloodshot stopped and turned back to me. “Thanks, kitty. You’ve saved me, and I owe you my life. But man, you sure smell like sauerkraut.”
And off he walked into the cool night…
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