Radioactive Rescue

After rescuing Aqui, the theater seems to have accquired more than one new resident. Lupio appears to have found himself a stray... a radioactive one.

 

Oh, I suppose you're wondering what we're doing with a walking, talking radioactive ion, huh? Well, sit down. I'll explain it for you. I'm Lupio, by the way. I'm Miashi's caretaker, so to speak.

It all started when we went to Zesshei's mansion, or lab, really, to rescue Aqui and her little son. The lab was deep in the woods, not too unreasonably far from our own residence at the edge of the woods (which was a bit unnerving really, considering what a despicable creature Zesshei is).

Once we were inside, we split up to search more effectively, since the mansion was really quite big. I went with Scooty... and Eirio, as Kauv seemed to think it necessary that I travel with some protection (me being a pacifist and all). It was a huge house, and it wasn't very well lit. I couldn't help but think how easy it would be to get lost here.

And how right I was! It was not long at all before I was separated from Eirio and Scooty. I spotted something on a door, a shiny gold plaque labeling the room, and stopped to read it. Somehow, within the ten seconds it took me to prop my paws against the door and see that the plaque read "Cleaning Closet," Scooty and Eirio managed to disappear around the corner and into the shadows.

I glanced around for them and perked my ears, but all I could hear were the echoing clicks of my own claws on the tile floor. "Eirio?" I whispered. I didn't dare talk louder than a whisper for fear of being heard by someone other than the ones I had come with. I padded cautiously down the corridor, peering down every hall and into every open door I passed, but I saw no sign of my companions or of what we had come for. At least by then my eyes had adjusted to the dimly lit halls.

After nearly half an hour of wandering aimlessly, I came across something that intrigued me. It was, once again, a door, but this door had no plaque to identify it, and a sheet of black paper was taped over where I assumed there was a window. What would anyone need to cover a window for in a house as dark as that? I had to find out what Zesshei was trying to hide. I stood up on my hind legs, placing my front paws against the door and taking the corner of the black paper in my mouth to tear it away.

I gasped! As soon as the paper had been torn away, I was washed in a green glow that was coming from inside. What was in there? I tested the doorknob, and to my surprise it opened, so I peered inside, surveying the room for potential danger before finally stepping in. The room was dark and filled with huge cylindrical tanks full of something very green and luminous that looked like they belonged in a science fiction book, not reality.

In the far back of the room though, so shrouded in shadows that even the green glow of the tanks didn't illuminate it, was a white container of some sort. It resembled a refrigerator, and as I moved slowly towards it, I noticed a faint green glow radiating from the edges of the door. My curiosity sparked, I approached the white box and looked over it. It looked for all the world like a simple refrigerator, like something one might find in a dorm room, somewhere, but evidence suggested otherwise. What it was though, I couldn't be sure, so slowly, carefully, I pried open the door, the green glow increasing with every inch I opened it until finally it was fully open. My eyes were met with quite a spectacle!

Instead of the vials and chemicals I had half expected to find in the refrigerator (as I had now confirmed that it was indeed a refrigerator, judging by the cold air radiating from the now open appliance), there was a dog curled up inside it, sleeping! Her entire body, right down to her deep green nose, radiated a bright green glow, and around her front paws and neck hovered thin silver rings that matched the little silver balls hovering at the tips of her long ears and tail and around her forehead. I stared in shock. What had Zesshei done?! What, or who, was this?! Was she even alive? Yes, I reassured myself, I could see her chest rising and falling as she breathed.

I pressed my ears back nervously and whispered as quietly as I could, just enough to test the creature's responsiveness, "H-hello?

The moment the word escaped my mouth though, I half regretted saying anything, because the moment I spoke, the creature's eyes shot open like a flash of blue lightening, and she came tumbling out onto the floor before me, scrambling around until she managed to right herself.

Once she was standing properly, her entire body vibrating with energy and her tongue lolling out, she began to speak. Or at least, I assumed what she was doing was intended to be speech.

“Hiya!" she bubbled, "Izzizah Miashi! Hoozah yousha??

“Shhh!" I tried to quiet her, panicking... What if we were caught?

The creature stuttered a bit, then shut her mouth abruptly and obediently, almost as if she had needed to catch her tongue and restrain it before she could be quiet. I peered bewilderedly at her. She was still jittering at an astonishing pace, wagging not just her tail but her entire body. She was behaving just like was she resembled: Something radioactive, a negatively charged ion. Then, remembering where I was, the laboratory of a sadistic genetic scientist, that possibility seemed frighteningly likely. So, cautiously, I whispered, "What are you?”

Her answer was all I needed, "Mishiza razzizoactivzeh ionzah!" She barked shrilly, far too loud for my comfort. I quieted her again, then glanced around, pondering a way I might safely extract the poor creature from her current undesirable place of residence. "Mi namezeh Miashi!" the radioactive dog added unnecessarily before proceeding to prance ecstatically around the small room. Fascinating as she was, this "Miashi" was rather unhelpful to my cause as well as her own.

I sighed, giving up on any hope of secrecy. "Hey, Miashi," I whispered loudly, grabbing her attention as her orbit passed near me. Her ears perked and she skidded to a halt in front of me, wiggling excitedly. I continued to speak, "I'm gonna try and get you out of here, ok?" She gave a quick, enthusiastic nod, "But to do that, we have to be reeeeally quiiiet, alright?" She nodded again, "What I want you to do is follow me, ok? I'm going to lead you out of here so you don't have to stay in that-”

“Freezerzah!”

Yes, uh, freezerzah. Anyways, if you want to get out of here safely, you have to not make a sound. If you do, it could get us both caught, and then we'll be in real trouble, alright?" Miashi nodded once more, and skittered to her feet, wagging her tail faster than ever and looking at me expectantly. I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I figured we might as well proceed. I took a deep breath, "Ok, come on.”

With that, I padded my way back over the door and pushed it open slowly, readying myself for the challenge of attempting to sneak out of the complex maze of the lab with a hyperactive ion in tow... That turned out to be an irrational expectation, though, because as soon as the door was open wide enough, a glowing green blur dashed past me and was out of sight around the nearest corner before I could so much as blink. Slightly shocked and thoroughly unsure of what to make of the situation, I hobbled out of the room, letting the door close behind me, and wandered off in the direction of the exit, pondering what could become of the current situation. Best case scenario, my new glowing companion would be sitting safe and sound just outside the lab; worst case scenario, I had just released Zesshei's hidden security system and essentially brought about my own demise. I could only hope that the green blur I had just released into the halls of Zesshei's lab was both safe and on my side.

It turned out that I had nothing to worry about, though, because as soon as I exited the building, I was met by a blur of wagging tail, flopping ears, and lapping tongue as my radioactive friend pounced on me in a flurry of gratitude. Now all we had to do was wait for the others to come out out of the building so we could head home with our new radioactive friend (and hopefully Aqui and her son as well)... and then perhaps install a very large freezer for Miashi to sleep in once we returned, or else Miashi wouldn't be the only one who would have troubles sleeping in our household!