Spider-Cat and Cat-Pool

Chapter 5

"What, out of all the career options, made you want to go into criminal acts?" I asked the human when he was trasporting me to the next phase of torture. "Why? Your mother would probably be disappointed. So why?"

Of course, humans being as dense as they are, the ferrier didn't respond. Idiot. He probably had a major in idiocy.

Or maybe he did hear. The toss he sent me in when he threw me onto the table seemed about twice as forceful as necessary. Little sadistic, honestly.

"Thanks, it's not like I need my ribs to breathe or anything," I wheezed. Then I spotted the needles.

"Oh, fun! Gonna be a pincushion! What a fabulous job, certainly better than being a criminal." Even just snarking at the scientists had a certain sort of release. Made the experience seem less horrific, you know?

Of course, the blinding pain puts a damper on that. But doesn't the whole experience do so as well? But a cat doesn't give their enemies the satisfaction of caving, not even under the strongest winds. So I didn't cave, I glared right at the scientists, even through the haze of pain. Hopefully I made at least three of the ten uncomfortable.

--

Waking up is hellish. The pain is still there, but along with that are aches that come from being tense and clenched up. A good stretch would fix that, if I wasn't tied down.

Well, not literally. Mentally. Mentally tied down in such a way that it hurts to figure out plans to get out. And I do mean to escape. I'm not staying here to be turned into a dog following its masters. Dogs are just the loyal ones that don't question what's happening unless it becomes painfully obvious what the master is doing and has been doing for a while.

And I will never become one. It's bad enough that I have to rely on humans at the moment. But follow them? Its terrible.

Thankfully, the stretching can be accomplished in the pitifully small cage. It's cramped, but the kinks in my back are gone. My mind and body still hurts, but it can be ignored. Now I just need to think of an escape.

Pacing usually helps with that, right?

Well, it helps me. So I start pacing a bit. I shuffle through the classic escape attempts, most of them movie clichés. Claws in the lock to pick it(Latches with code locks), starvation until slipping out (no bars), escaping from the guards grips(humans versus cat; the humans have the advantage and thick gloves), playing dead (they're well-versed in anatomy and probably paranoid. Nothing is getting out without incineration), none of those will work. Then I move onto more... unorthodox options. Pretending to be compliant, faking powers, those sort of things. Of course, that takes being sneaky. And then of course there's the fact that it may not even work because the bastards running this establishment are probably paranoid.

My fur feels weird.

I look down. My fur is standing on end, and floating toward the ceiling.

The ceiling with a towel on it.

That isn't falling down.

What the heck.

Suddenly the world is turning right-side-up again. And pain is flaring over my body.

Whoever is in charge hates me. To be honest, I suppose it's mutual at this point. It's just us trying to figure who annoys the other to the point of incapacity. Most people would give in by now.

I am not most people.

And if I can walk on walls now, then that opens up a couple options for escape.

Mostly climbing onto the ceiling and into the vents.

Anyway. The fact that I can climb on walls now is pretty cool. The possibilities with that-

What is that. Why is my head tingling.

I turned around. A second later, the doors are thrown open. Humans storm in, looking like someone just killed their grandmothers.

"What's up, fellas? Couldn't resist experimenting with housepets that probably share a minimum amount of DNA with humans?" I snark, wincing as my jaw creaks a little.

Of course, humans being the big dumb brutes they are, the newcomers glare. I stare back at them cooly, drawing back to my ancestors from Egypt. Never too late to ascend, they say!

"Well, if you are just going to stand there instead of escorting me to freedom, then I suppose you won't mind if I get back to planning my esca-" As I turn around, the tingle that never left explodes into hyper-awareness. In my confusion, the nearest guard opens the cage and grabs me, stuffing me in a sack before I can do anything.

"Seriously? Nothing more cliche than cat-napping in a sack!" I yowl, annoyed.

The sack bounces as I am moved, and soon enough I am dumped on another table. This one, however, lacks the straps needed for a true experimentation process. I grin, escape is once again in my grasp! I start running toward the exit, chattering to myself.

"Honestly, you guys must be exposed to fumes or something if you are just letting me go! I could go and tell the police- well, not tell them, per se, just gesture wildly until they get the messa-"

I run into a wall.

Or rather, a mirror. One that is so perfectly placed it makes the exit look too close to be a sham.

I am in a box, and I am willing to bet the scientists are observing me.

A crackle of glass disturbs my panicked musings. I swivel my head around, until I land on the "ceiling". A black goopy has just begun to leak through a barely open hatch surrounded by cracked splinters. As if it sees me watching it, the goopy becomes more frenzied, beginning to leak down and splatter on the floor, but somehow still remaining connected to the mother-load.

"Oh dear Tefenet and Ubastet, save me from the goopy that embodies a spirit of chaos and deceit, may it touch me without harm and may it look me over without power-lust" I mutter, further backing into a corner.

Hehehehe.

Umm

Happy Holidays?

Late-ish end to the Hiatus, hopefully my muse will not abandon me so readily next turn.

Enjoy the season!