by Eric Vall
“A.B.,” I chuckled, shook my head, and then hurried toward the board of bulbs and levers. “I’m sure whoever comes out of compartment C will love you. Valerie already does, we may talk about you… behind your tank, but it’s never petty or mean.”
“We adore you, A.B.!” Valerie threw her hands into the air.
“Good, good,” the brain sighed. “Sorry, guys, I almost lost my head a moment ago.”
“No comment,” I chuckled, turned, and stared straight forward at the three compartments. “Alright… it’s time.”
“Yaaaay!” the cat-girl grinned. “I’m so excited! Aren’t you excited, Charles?”
“Yes,” I exhaled. “Now, let’s begin.”
My hand lifted from my side, closed into a fist, slammed into the bright red ON button, and lights bloomed all across the room. My machine thrummed to life, and the rows of bulbs across the top flickered a few times and then held steady. I breathed in through my open mouth shakily, reached up a second time, and gripped the lever that would change it all.
“Ready?” I whispered.
“Ready!” both A.B. and Valerie chimed.
My hand slammed downward, whacked the lever into its cradle, and felt the surge of electricity through the air. The bulbs and lights above my head flashed red and white for a few seconds, and the noises emanating from my machine no longer hummed lightly but cranked up to such a pinnacle that I winced. Blinding white light shone through all of the glass windows of each compartment, I squinted my eyes against it, and then finally lifted a hand to shield myself from it.
Static sizzled in the air, electricity flowed through the thick, snake-like cables toward the machine, and when it finally reached it, the noise reached a crescendo. The sounds weren’t the same as the first experiment, all of them came together in a strong note that almost seemed as if it were opening up a portal into a heavenly realm. Thick smoke poured out of the valves at the top of the machine, the pistons rolled blindingly fast, and the copper metal of the entire machine vibrated intensely.
“This is… fantastic,” Valerie gasped. “It’s so beautiful… I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Val, close your eyes,” I instructed. “They’re more sensitive than mine, I don’t want you to go blind.”
“O-Oh, okay,” the cat-girl nodded, covered her face with both hands, and ducked down. “It’s so gorgeous, I didn’t want to look away.”
The light flashed rapidly, the sounds heightened, and then suddenly, it all stopped. I opened my eyes, waved my hand in front of my face, peered through the smoke, and then glanced toward A.B. and Valerie.
“That’s it?” the brain asked. “No big blast like last time? No ripped metal or broken parts of the machine?”
“I-I’m not sure,” I stepped forward. “Maybe it didn’t work.”
“I’m sure it did,” Valerie coughed. “It had to, we had everything right.”
“As A.B said, this was so much different from the first experiment,” I uttered. “The machine damn near ripped itself apart when you were created, Val.”
“Maybe because we perfected the machine?” the feline-woman offered. “Maybe all of the variables were right this time.”
I crept toward the third compartment with light feet, stared into the foggy window for any signs of life, and then reached out for the door handle. Unlike before, no tail swished in the shadows beyond the pane, and I still wasn’t entirely sure if the experiment had worked. My hand gripped onto the metal handle, swiveled down, swung the door open, and then I stared inside as the smoke cleared.
“Hello?” I murmured, squinted my eyes against the heat blasting against my face, and stepped forward. “Anyone there?”
“Come out, little sister, come out!” Valerie chanted.
I wafted the smoke away from my face once more, wiped my brow, took a deep breath, and then… saw the naked form curled on the floor. My eyes widened, and my mouth dropped open as a small woman raised her head, still obscured by smoke, and shifted closer.
“H-H-Hello?” a soft, tentative voice echoed off the walls.
Chapter Fifteen
The smoke cleared, and I felt my heart leap within my ribcage as the petite woman came into view. Her honey-colored eyes fluttered open, her lips parted slightly, and the fuzzy, rounded ears sticking out of her dark, thick hair twitched. Her hair was short, pin-straight, and cut a bit above her shoulders, and her bare breasts were full given the size of her petite body, with pert, little pink nipples. Her hips were wide while her waist was thin and taut. When she twisted her body toward me, I saw the small tuft of fur right above her tailbone, and it wagged excitedly.
Her honey-colored eyes glittered excitedly, and she scrambled to her feet, threw her arms around me and squeezed. My eyes bulged out of their sockets at her sheer strength, and I hastily pulled away with a gasp for air.
“You,” the brunette breathed, leaned back her head, and stared up into my face. “I know you… I don’t know how I know you, but I do. We’re connected. My heart… it beats for you.”
Her voice was soft and sweet, like the soft brush of a summer breeze through a valley of lilies. She stood much shorter than Valerie and had to lean her head back to look into my eyes.
“Charles?” the cat-girl called from beyond the door.
“Charles.” The bear-girl nodded, smiled even wider, and then reached up to touch. “Charles… yes, that name, it’s so familiar.”
“How can you remember it?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” The brunette shook her head. “But, I remember that voice, calling your name through the darkness of my lost memories.”
“Charles?” A.B. grumbled. “I don’t want to do this again, waiting for you to appear suddenly. Did the experiment work or not?”
I offered my arm to the short brunette. She took it, and I led her toward the open compartment door. The bear-girl glanced at me and then through the open door nervously, but I gave her a reassuring smile.
“They’re expecting you, there’s no need to be scared,” I assured.
“Who is they?” the brunette tilted her head, twitched an ear, and then tugged at a strand of her hair anxiously. “I know that voice, Charles, how do I know that voice? Have I met her? It feels like I have… and you, I’ve met you. How?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out later,” I breathed. “Right now, I have some very important people to introduce you to.”
“O-Okay.” The bear-girl nodded.
“Did it work?” I echoed, gripped the bear-girl, and then stepped out of the compartment. “Why don’t you look for yourself?”
“My little sister!” Valerie squealed, wriggled excitedly with her tail whipping out behind her, and then launched herself forward. “My little sister! I’m so, so, so happy! Thank you, Charles!”
“Eeeek!” The bear-girl jumped, gripped onto my arm so hard that I almost heard the bone creak with strain, and pulled away ever so slightly. Her short hair shifted slightly as Valerie raced forward, and then wrapped her arms around the tiny brunette.
“Oh, I’m so happy!” the feline-woman whispered. “She’s finally here! After all the toil and trouble!”
“My dear,” I turned, looked pointedly at the brunette, and then gestured toward the ash blonde. “This is Valerie, your older sister if you’d like to call her that.”
“Me! Me!” A.B. shouted. “Do me next!”
“There’s no one else in the room except for you,” I snorted, gestured toward the tank filled with bubbles, and then spoke. “And this is A.B., or formally known as Abraham Benjamin, though no one here calls him that. He’s my assistant, and so is Valerie. They help me in the lab occasionally, but most of the time, I like to have them down here to keep me company.”
“Valerie… A.B… and,” the brunette turned, stared up at me with an open mouth before she grinned. “Charles…”
“Correct,” I nodded. “That’s the three of us.”
“Then,” the brunette uttered and placed
her hand to her chest. “What is my name?”
“Daisy!” Valerie threw her hands into the air.
“Val, we didn’t settle on that name,” I chuckled. “She needs to choose her own name for herself.”
“Daisy…” the bear-girl echoed. “White petals, yellow middle, they grow when the day is hot, and the grass is long… Pretty to look at, bitter taste, not a good food source, berries, nuts, or trout are much better.”
“My word,” I exhaled. “Y-You can remember that? From when you were a… bear?”
“Yes,” the brunette turned her head, twitched an ear, and smiled. “I can’t remember much, but most of it is wandering around, sleeping, looking for food, or evading strange people in the dark.”
“The warden, maybe?” Valerie tilted her head.
“Maybe… or poachers.” I shrugged.
“I like Daisy,” the brunette stated. “I’d like to have it as my name, Charles, I love it and… and… I love you.”
“W-Wha?” I gasped.
“I told you, Charles!” the feline-woman danced. “I toooold you she’d love you!”
“I know,” I tittered, ducked my head, and ran a hand through my messy hair. “I didn’t doubt you.”
“Daisy, my little sister!” Valerie cried, wrapped her arms around the short woman, and squeezed. “And I love you! I’m so glad you’re here, I get to teach you all kinds of stuff!”
The tiny bear-girl’s eyes widened for a moment, and then she relaxed and wrapped her arms around the excited feline-woman. Daisy lifted the cat-girl off the floor with ease, and my eyes widened in a mix of horror and surprise.
“Too tight!” Valerie squealed in a strained voice. “Tooooo tight! That hurts!”
“O-Oops, sorry,” Daisy stammered. “I wanted to show you my heart beat through the affectionate touch you’ve just shown me.”
“That’s fine,” Valerie panted. “But next time, don’t squeeze too hard? You might break me next time!”
“Charles,” Daisy stated, turned and scratched at an ear. “You said earlier that A.B. and Valerie are your assistants. If that’s true, then what do you do?”
“Well, I’m the scientist,” I chuckled. “And a doctor. I created the machine you just came out of, I created Valerie and lastly, I created you.”
“You created me?” the brunette echoed and then pointed. “In this machine?”
“I did, just as I created Valerie before you,” I nodded, came to stand beside her, and gazed down into her adorable face. “The first experiment was an accident, not that I think that Valerie was a mistake, she was simply unexpected.”
“We made you on purpose, Daisy!” the feline-woman squealed. “We wanted you more than you will ever know!”
“Since Daisy is a different species than Valerie,” I started. “I think we should repeat the exams from before.”
“Good idea, Charles,” A.B. bounced. “I’ll take notes.”
“And I’ll watch,” the feline-woman grinned. “Just wait, Daisy, it’s so much fun when Charles does the exam. I know you’ll love it! He puts his hands all over you, and they’re so sooooft and waaarm. Just wait until he’s comfortable enough, he’ll put his hands other places, maybe even his--”
“Valerie!” I cut her off with a cough. “That’s enough for now, please. Will you get Daisy a lab coat to wear? I’ll have to make her some sort of clothes just as I did for you.”
“Oooo, you know what would be pretty?” the feline-woman asked, skipped away, plucked one of the pristine white coats from the hanger, and then leaped back. “Delphine’s royal blue robe! We could make her a pretty wrap dress or something. I saw it in one of the wax paper magazines you got in the mail by accident. I could probably sew it together, though I know Daisy would like it better if you made it! I love the clothes you made for me!”
“That is an excellent idea, Val,” I nodded, held out the lab coat, and helped Daisy into it.
“Looooook at you, Charles,” the feline-woman simpered, bent her legs, launched herself up, and landed on the top of one of the bookshelves. “When you first examined me, you were a blushing mess, you even had to turn around while I changed into my lab coat because you were so nervous and shy. You’re not even blushing… not even a little bit, I’m a little jealous.”
“No, you’re not,” I scoffed. “You’ve never been jealous before, and you don’t have a reason to be now.”
“You’re right,” the feline-woman giggled as her tail thumped against the wall. “I just wanted to see if you’d get flustered again.”
“I’m better now,” I smirked. “You’ve helped me be less nervous, Valerie, and for that, I thank you.”
“You’re welcome!” the cat-girl sang. “I knew you’d come out of your shell eventually. I just had to pry you out of your shell.”
“Yes, that you did,” I nodded, turned, and brought the small table of supplies over. “Alright, let’s get the examination started with.”
“Ready to go when you are, Doctor.” A.B. cried.
“We’ll start with the eyes, how does that sound, Daisy?” I asked.
“Good to me, Charles,” the brunette smiled. “As long as you’re looking at me and talking to me, I’ll be perfectly happy.”
“Uhhhmm… okay.” I coughed and then turned.
“Oooooh, there is the blush!” Valerie giggled.
“Can you see that chart on the far wall?” I pointed.
“Yes?” the bear-girl squinted. “The one with the strange man and woman on it?”
“Absolutely,” I nodded. “Can you read to me the smallest print that you can see on the chart?”
Daisy leaned back, blinked in quick succession, leaned her chin out, and then bit her lip nervously. I glanced up at Valerie, the feline watched intently as her tail swung lazily below, and she gave me a soft smile when she noticed my gaze.
“The female anatomy,” Daisy read off in a low voice. “small intestine… big intestine… pelvis, uterus, colon… the rest of them are smaller and blurry.”
“Huh,” I exhaled. “A.B., Patient Two has average eyesight, though I would suggest eyeglasses in the future in case it starts to deteriorate. Eyesight is comparable to that of the average northeastern brown bear of this region.”
“What does that mean?” Valerie quipped.
“Most bears have eyesight that’s almost as good or better than that of a human’s,” I told them. “So, Daisy’s eyes are as good as the next person’s.”
I turned back toward the bear-girl, gulped loudly as she leaned close to my face, sniffed once, and then tilted her head. The brunette’s eyes were huge, and a golden-honey color that reminded me of sweet nectar.
“You have an interesting eye color, Charles,” Daisy sighed. “They’re like grass… the lush grass of summer, swaying in a midafternoon breeze.”
“Grass?” A.B. tittered. “I mean, she’s right, your eyes are green, but that’s not as descriptive.”
“Then what color would you call them?” The bear-girl tilted her head.
“I’d say like forest green, or emerald.” The brain wobbled.
“Forest green?” the bear-girl repeated. “Isn’t that a fancy way of saying grass green?”
“But there are so many different shades of grass!” A.B. interjected. “How could you just choose one from such a broad scope?”
“Enough,” I chuckled. “Both of you. Also, A.B., take note that Daisy can also hear you too, just like Valerie. I won’t need to take a blood sample from her, this is definitive proof that it’s because of the tiny amount of my blood. Moving on, let’s do reflexes, shall we?”
“Sure,” Daisy yawned, stretched her thin arms over her head, and leaned back. “But can I take a nap soon? I’m suddenly feeling exhausted… and maybe a snack too. Do you have any berries, Charles?”
“I’m all out, I’m afraid,” I chuckled. “But I’m sure I could buy some for you, whatever you need, just ask, and I’ll provide.”
I reached for the small t
able of instruments, plucked up the reflex hammer, held it in my fist, and guided Daisy toward the edge of the examination table.
“Can you relax both of your legs for me?” I asked. “I’m going to tap your knee with this lightly.”
“Will it hurt, Charles?” the bear-girl retracted her legs, curled them to her chest, and pouted. “I don’t want to do it if it’ll hurt.”
“No, no.” I shook my head. “It won’t hurt you, not at all.”
“It won’t!” Valerie nodded. “He did it to me, too, it barely feels like anything!”
“Alright, Charles,” Daisy breathed, scooted forward, and hung her legs off of the edge of the table. “I trust you.”
I brought the reflex hammer back, tapped it against the crook of her knee, and watched as the leg sprung forward, a little slower than average. I nodded once, came around to the other side of the table, and repeated the action on her other knee. The leg shot up at the same speed, Daisy’s rounded ears twitched, swiveled, and then laid flat as she glanced up at me.
“Patient Two’s reaction time is a little slower than average,” I stated. “Much less than Valerie’s reaction time, but that’s to be expected. I’d say that the timing was basically an average human.”
“I-Is that bad?” the bear-girl stammered.
“No, of course not.” I shook my head. “Everyone is different, and you were an enormous bear a few minutes ago, and we did catch you lumbering around the forest.”
“S-S-So, it’s not bad?” Daisy pouted.
“No, my dear,” I chuckled. “Absolutely not. Let’s move on to the ears, eyes, and mouth, shall we?”
I rested the reflex hammer back on the instrument table, grabbed the small flashlight, tilted Daisy’s head back slightly, and then lifted the light. I held it close to her enormous eye, flipped it on, and looked for any changes in the dilation.
“Hmmm, Patient Two’s eyes dilate the same amount as a human’s,” I uttered. “But, the eyes do have the tapetum lucidum lining.”
“English, please.” A.B. groaned.
“The reflective layer behind the eye,” I tittered. “Allowing Daisy to have night vision, just like dogs, cats, and foxes.”