The LAB

Chapter 11

            Electrical currents buzzed loudly in the air, crackling in the dead silence between machine whirring and metal clanking. Chains rustled as monitors beeped, and stressed wheezing was the only sound that wasn't from a machine in the room. The Blazer stood, bound to the lift it was perched on with chains holding the tires onto the beams of metal, and a muzzle tightly strapped to its front. A makeshift eye guard was strapped on as the test began. The room was cleared as several injections were given, made of some DNA altering compounds. The machines hummed and the loud cracks of current struck the Blazer. The beast struggled against the binds at the sounds, already in panic and pain from the injections alone. Once the bolt of electricity struck its frame, the muzzle snapped off. The Chevy's jaws opened wide in a roar of the greatest pain anything had endured. The strength of the noise itself rattled the walls and even cracked the glass of the viewing room. Workers scrambled to safer areas, as the roar soon died down with the lessening of power. Soon, everything fell silent, and even the workers held their breath. All eyes locked onto the beast on the lift, standing limp and blood dripped from its jaws.

In an instant, the sides of the Blazer seemed to melt, the drips stopping at a certain point before expanding. The chains around the body snapped off as a large set of wings expanded from the top of the blazer's sides. A smaller set of webbed membrane melted out behind the wings at the sides of the rear window, right as the window itself melted downwards to the floor into a fanned and rather thick tail. Everyone silently noted down the transformation, noting the smaller wings and every twitch they made. Nobody was prepared for what was to come. As they all went about their work, the wings rose and gently removed the eye guard with the clawed thumbs. Within an instant, claws were unsheathed on the tires and the wings beat the air frantically, pushing several things with force and ripping others from the ceiling. The beast roared out, the chains holding it in place soon snapping as the lift was left bent and broken. Alarms blared out as sedatives were loaded and fired at the now uncontrolled beast. Now airborne, the subject targeted the very workers landing sedative darts into its side. A few short moments of panic before Humvees lunged in and not only chained up the beast but pinned it to the floor, two on each wing and two on the front and rear. It didn't take long for the sedatives to do their thing, and the raging beast was soon asleep.

"What do you think of it?" A Humvee spoke up in the darkened room, his paint had more scratches than his Boss had issues. Devan grinned, looking on as the workers chained up the beast with various harnesses and dragged it away.

"Perfect, it will be perfect for what I have planned." The Honda looked to his old friend and even embraced the larger vehicle in a hug.

"Is it wrong to want twenty of them with four baker's dozen of hounds?" The Humvee only chuckled, "No sir it is not. I'd actually recommend ten more of each for more entertainment." Both vehicles laughed, their shared delight in such dark matters. Their joy on such subjects was shared just as much as the tests done to themselves. They both calmed down enough to share a fanged grin to each other before Devan broke the silence.

"Alright, now to get more like that one, and to improve the slow aging thing. I don't want to look older at all you know." The Humvee chuckled, "Right you are boss, also, would you like the wing strain to be added to a few hounds as well?" Devan paused, then smiled, "I like the way you think. Have it done! Oh and stop by later for drinks. We have a party to plan down at the City Hall!" Both exchanged smiles as the larger car left the room.

"Kid, come on, wake up." Larry reached a tire through the bars, lightly shaking the blazer all chained up in her cell.

"Come on, kid, get up please!" With a groan, her eyes slowly opened.

"Wha.. where... where am I?" Larry sighed in relief and pressed his front against the bars.

"Thank goodness you're alive." Jaslo slowly found her tires and made an effort to right herself. Grunting out as heavy chains bound her sides and rear, in some attempt to keep in her new strain for control.

"How are you feeling kiddo?" Larry asked, only able to pick up so much from the younger beast. Jaslo huffed and glanced over to him, "Well I don't feel like I'm dying anymore... but I have no idea what they did to me this time. All I know is that I feel, stronger, if that makes sense." The older Mustang nodded and gently stroked her sides, trying his best to avoid moving the chains.

"Whatever they added this time, it was enough to scare them it seems." Jaslo just chuckled under the weight of the chains, "You shoulda seen their faces. All but that one." Larry raised an eye ridge, not saying much else for his question.

"Yea, smaller car, she just like, pat me like you do sometimes. She even gave me fresh apples! Like on those special days, but just because she could." Larry was stunned to hear about a worker who was still rather sane.

"Could you scent her out if they came around here again?" Jaslo snorted and chuckled, "Please, I can still scent the Honda that reeks of hound from the other section. Course I can!"

The night was oddly calm in the lab under the surface. It was cleaning day, so no fights were to be held until the arenas and exam rooms were cleaned roof to floor. Every beast took this as a night to fully rest in peace, well, not every beast. Now separated by bars, Jaslo and Cougar lay against the small metal pillars, side by side. Through the bars, they groomed each other like good bonding lions after a day's hunt. They even exchanged purrs and clicks in the darkness. Of course, the silence was never a thing, and Jaslo raised her front to let out a long and low howl that echoed down the halls. The distant return howls of the hounds on other levels was barely heard, but was also not really a bother to the hall of cages beasts.

"How's Cunner doing?" Jaslo asked lowly, her fangs scratching at the Humvee's furred sides.

"Not too well actually. He was recovering but another fight was wanted and now his wound was reopened." Cougar chuffed and nipped at the Blazer's fender through the bars.

"I'm honestly unsure if he'll make it. They had him fight some reptile beast and neither won. Some worker was saying how he's been poisoned or something, but I don't really know. It's hard to tell when you're not there." Jaslo pushed him with a tire, looking into his eyes with worry.

"Poison? Can a beast even do that? Last time I heard of that it was just a rumor and I heard that one died from being unable to control its own power." Cougar shrugged on his suspension and looked out at some of the empty cells.

"They said the flight thing was just a myth and yet here you are!" Jaslo snorted and plopped her front down onto the cold floor.

"I hate you."

"Same to you." As soon as silence returned, so did the breaking of it with a long howl once more.

A shadow of a figure zipped around the edge of the complex, striking some device into the ground. The vehicle was quick, small, and very silent as it mapped out the edge of the complex from above and slammed small devices into the dirt. At the last part of the circle, it froze in the headlights of a lab worker. The female Audi froze, her headlights showing her something she could not explain. A Nissan Sentra with a large scar on the corner of his mouth looked back at her with vibrant purple eyes looking back at her. A robotic voice sounded without his lips even moving.

"Leave this place, and don't return. Leave no warning where you go. This is my only notice. Goodbye." Before she could even say another work, the beige Nissan zipped off across the dirt road. A small transmitter on his mirror blinked, and she now understood how he spoke, but still didn't get who he was. In a bit of panic, she bolted off down another road headed home.

"I have no idea who you are stranger, but I hope nothing bad will happen in my absence!"