Milo

Chapter 14

Boxes were scattered around Dr. Gautron's house, packed neatly with things from his beloved lab that he would leave very soon. He was sad about leaving, as he had grown a fond liking to most of his coworkers throughout the years. He had no idea what to do for a living after he left. His reputation would be ruined and the whole world would know it. He had stuck his name out in the world as a revolutionary scientist who claimed he could save the world from a disease that has been around for decades, and he blew it. Just blew it.

A lump formed in his throat as those thoughts came to mind. He took another sip of his coffee to wash it and his thoughts away. Suddenly, Cass came trumping down the stairs, loosely handing onto the banister. She had just woken up, and the bags under her eyes were as prominent as ever. She had gotten very little sleep last night thinking about her father and what she would do without him. Milo trotted politely behind her down the stairs, eyes bright and tail tracing the shape of the baseboards.

"Good morning, Cass." Dr. Gautron greeted, with a bit of a sing song tone in his voice.

"..Morning."

It was obvious to Dr. Gautron that Cass was not mentally prepared for the day, or what was yet to come in the near future.

"Did you want something for breakfast?" he asked.

'...Sure. Cereal will be fine."

Dr. Gautron got up from his seat to make Cass a bowl of cereal, poking around in the pantry cupboards for a box of cereal. Cass made it to the kitchen table and pulled a chair out, making a loud, squealing sound against the hardwood floor. She sat down and huddled her knees close to her face, staring down at her bare feet. Dr. Gautron came back and placed the bowl of cereal in front of Cass. She placed her feet back down on the ground and began to eat her breakfast.

The three left the house at 7:25, a tad bit later than usual. The city wasn't very lively today, there weren't nearly as many people walking out on the street today. It was chilly and cloudy, and October was coming quite fast. Cass looked out Dr. Gautron's car window while he was stuck at a red light and saw a man buying a newspaper from a newspaper stand. She looked closely at the newspapers encased in the colourful, plastic box. The headline read "SCIENTIST'S BREAKTHROUGH CURE BACKFIRES." The printing underneath the headline was too small for Cass to read, and the clear plastic panel displaying the newspapers was thick and dirty, making the printing blurry and even harder to read. She looked away and shivered. The traffic light turned green again and Dr. Gautron drove off, closely following the red car he was behind. Milo was curled up neatly on the front console, purring ever so quietly.

Dr. Gautron pulled into his parking spot in the lab. He exited the car and walked up to the doors of the building, opened them up and held them for Cass. But something was odd. There were two security guards standing in front of the hallway that Dr. Gautron took to get to his office. They weren't normally there. Dr. Gautron walked in, Cass following closely behind him as she always had to. Dr. Gautron approached the security guards and stood over them - they were a tad bit shorter than Dr. Gautron, but they were much more bulkier and muscular than him. The guards looked up at Dr. Gautron, their bald and freshly waxed heads shining in the white lights of the room. Cass peeked from behind Dr. Gautron and recognized one of the security guards- the one who gave her a death glare when she tried to escape from the white van. The guard looked down at Cass and gave her that same, unnerving look again. She quickly returned to her hiding place behind Dr. Gautron's back.

"What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?" Dr. Gautron addressed politely.

"You should know very well what the problem is, Dr. Gautron. We've talked to you about it yesterday but you completely ignored us."

"Just get to the point already. I've got work to do in my lab and I promise I'll be out of this godforsaken building by tonight, if that'll make you happy."

"You're too late, Dr. Gautron. There's no way we can let you in, no matter how you can convince-"

The guard's words were cut off when Milo leaped out of Cass' arms, over Dr. Gautron's shoulder, and landed on the security guard, his claws digging into his muscular figure. Milo's toungue slid out of its collar and wrapped around the guard's neck, like a boa constrictor crushing the bones of its prey. The other security guard tried to remove Milo, but Milo turned around and hissed ferociously at him, spitting a green substance at his face. It bubbled on his skin and made his skin sting and break out in a rash. He stumbled backwards and held his face where Milo spat at him. Dr. Gautron's eyes widened as he watched the cat's actions play through.

"Come on, Gautron! This is our chance to escape! Get a move on!" Cass yelled, grabbing his wrist and running to his office.

Dr. Gautron stumbled and eventually caught up with Cass, glassing hanging off of one ear when her forceful grasp and pull caught him off guard. Milo jumped off of the guard and ran towards Cass and Dr. Gautron, who were stuck at the secured metal door that lead to the office compartment of the building. Dr. Gautron's hands quivered as he entered the passcode to unlock the door.

"INCORRECT PASSWORD. PLEASE TRY AGAIN."

"Hurry, Gautron! They're gaining on us!" Cass shrieked, looking back at the guards who were now running as fast as they could, trying to get back at the two.

Dr. Gautron tried the password again.

"INCORRECT PASSWORD. PLEASE TRY AGAIN."

"Come ON!" Dr. Gautron yelled through gritted teeth. The guards were almost within arms' reach of them.

Suddenly, Milo turned around and faced the guards once again. His eyes rolled back and the tongue escaped its collar again, this time growing to a size that was almost twice the size of Cass. The tongue sweeped across the floor at the guards' feet, knocking them both flat on their faces.

Dr. Gautron tried the password again and finally got it right. The two ran through the door once it opened, unknowingly leaving Milo behind. Milo turned around and noticed the door was opened. He ran as fast as his little cat legs could take him before the door sealed shut.

The door almost closed on Milo's fluffy tail. His heart was racing as it tried to provide enough oxygen and power to his muscles. His tongue slipped back into its collar, making a large slurping sound that caught the attention of Cass.

"Milo! You're okay." she beamed. The cat leaped into her arms and meowed at her when she caught him.

Dr. Gautron frantically fumbled around in his pockets for his lanyard. He found it and swiped the glossy tag through the door's lock. He swung it open and made sure he held it for Cass, too. Cass and Milo ran in and slammed the door shut behind them. Cass leaned up against the door, holding it shut from the guards. Dr. Gautron huffed and puffed, trying to catch his breath again. He hadn't done this much running. He was a scientist, after all. His chest rose and fell and his mouth was gaped open. His glasses still hung on one ear and his cheeks were red. Cass pushed back at the door as best as she could, trying to keep the guards out. Even Milo pitched in, holding the door closed with his tongue. They were braced and ready for impact.

But nothing could prepare the three for what was to happen next.