The Adventure of the Cats' Peril Read online

  Eile stifled a yawn as she came down the stairs. She got about halfway, however, when she paused and looked around. She and Sunny had moved into their new place just a week before; they hadn't even unpacked everything yet, and boxes still crowded the foyer. Not that they had had all that much to begin with. Eile had been raised by her maternal uncle, a retired Marine Corps drill instructor, and they lived together in a tiny townhouse. When he suffered a stroke and had to be placed in a home to receive proper care, she inherited the house and all its belongings, but aside from the furniture she owned only her personal items. When she met Sunny, she had nothing but the clothes on her back, being on the run from enemies of her parents who wanted to kidnap her. They had lived together in the house for only ten days before Medb found their new home, so Sunny barely had time to acquire much of her own except for some clothes.

  Eile still wasn't used to how big it was compared to the townhouse. Though it had only two stories plus a basement like the latter, it was much bigger, with more rooms of a more spacious size, and the basement was finished. There were four bedrooms on the second floor, while the first had an office, a conservatory, a library, and a combination family and media room, along with a living room, the kitchen and dining room, and a breakfast nook. The basement contained the utility room, a safe room, and Medb's "man cave" for her personal use, along with an exercise area they had put in themselves.

  Technically, the massive woman owned the house. She had bought it to have a residence in Denver whenever she was in town, but that wasn't often, since she made her home in Cairnsford, a small town halfway between Denver and Colorado Springs. She had modified it to suit her own purposes, including putting in the safe room and making the library out of what would have been the garage. However, she let them live there as house sitters. She gave them carte blanch to decorate it as they saw fit, and when they had asked if there were any limits, she told them that she didn't care if they gutted the place and put in monkey bars and hammocks, but if they exceeded her design budget they would have to pay for any extra work themselves. Sunny already boiled over with ideas, each more outlandish and ludicrous than the last, but Eile knew she wouldn't do anything without her cooperation. She took their partnership very seriously.

  She started down again after a few moments. She understood that Medb had really acquired the house for her and Sunny. They needed a secure place to live, what with Sunny's parents being hunted by enemies they had made during their earlier careers as thieves and spies. The house sat in a gated community called Tara, which was part of the greater Lowry development project, but whereas it appeared to only have a perimeter security fence with limited car and pedestrian access, in reality it was the perfect place to live for people who wanted tight security but didn't want to appear as if they needed it.

  She went straight to the kitchen. Sunny usually got up before her, and at such times the first thing she did was make breakfast. Besides, she could hear her mangling some Italian aria.

  "Mornin', Sunny, what's--" She froze as soon as she saw her. Her partner hadn't dressed yet; all she wore was an apron.

  "Gaaah, Sunny! What if someone sees you, ya ditz?!"

  She held a bowl of batter and licked at the wooden spoon. She stared at her over her glasses, her azure blue eyes wide with surprise. Eile had to admit, seeing her like that really turned her on. If it weren't for the circumstances, she would have suggested they coat each other with the batter and lick themselves clean. From the day they confessed their lust for each other, they had had sex every night and at least once most days. Time seemed to be passing in a whirlwind, but she loved every moment of it. Partnering with Sunny had turned out to be the best thing she could have done.

  Sunny put the spoon back into the bowl and stirred it around. "Who can see me?"

  She started to say their neighbors, but thought better of it. "Well, that's true." The kitchen actually lay in the back of the room it shared with the dining area, and the windows opened onto their backyard, which was huge, easily twice as big as the house's footprint. The surrounding fence offered no obstruction to Peeping Toms, but the yard looked out onto Alameda Avenue, and the closest house lay a good distance away. Only with binoculars could anyone look into the kitchen.

  "Sorry. Wha'cha makin'?" She poured herself some coffee.

  "Pancakes." Sunny ladled a dollop of batter into a hot greased skillet. Eile was a reasonably good cook, but Sunny was the chef. In comparison, her idea of breakfast was cold cereal or instant oatmeal, a bagel, or scrambled eggs, maybe with heat-and-serve sausages. Since Sunny arrived, they had been having real bacon, omelets, French toast, eggs Benedict, all sorts of meals. Though she still did her own cooking and generally helped out, she let Sunny set the menus and perform most of the preparation. She did worry that with all that great food she would start to put on pounds, but so far it hadn't happened.

  "Any special kind?" She went over to the stove to look. Brats sizzled in another skillet and what looked like mushrooms sauteed nearby.

  "Banana with honey." A timer went ding. "Ah! Do me a favor and take out the muffins?"

  She went over to the toaster oven and removed a cupcake pan. Inside each well lay a golden-brown dome of bread nested in a paper skirt.

  Sunny flipped a pancake. "Just dump them on that plate." In the center of the kitchen sat an island cabinet with a serving platter sitting on top. Eile turned the pan upside down and the muffins dropped and bounced onto the plate.

  "Anything else?"

  "Yeah, there's some icing in the fridge."

  She opened the refrigerator and saw a bowl filled with a beige cream with a postit note attached saying, DON'T TOUCH! She removed it and retrieved a knife from the utensil drawer before returning to the island.

  "Yer full of energy this morning." She spread the cream over the tops of the muffins.

  "I've got big plans for today!" Sunny dropped more batter into the skillet. "We'll need all our strength."

  She grinned. "Uh-oh." She liked to tease Sunny about how hazardous her adventures were.

  "I'm serious!"

  "Okay, okay, sorry. So, what'd you have in mind?"

  "Well, first I thought--" A gentle buzz interrupted her. "Paper's here! I'll get it."

  "Oh no you don't, Missy!" She got between her and the foyer. "Yer not going out like that! Besides, it snowed last night, and you could catch cold. I'll get the paper."

  "Oh, poo!" Sunny turned back towards the stove.

  She padded through the foyer to the front door. Opening it, she looked out into the courtyard. Though the house was essentially shaped like a cube, an open space lay between the living room and the library, which was roofed by the upper floor. It had been landscaped into a small courtyard with a fountain, flower beds, and a path that wound around them all. The end opposite the door was closed off by a wrought iron gate, which had a metal box for mail and the daily newspaper attached to its center, with access panels on both sides. A button beside the gate set off the buzzer when pushed.

  She walked out to get the paper. Because the courtyard was sheltered by the shape of the house, the only snow that got in lay piled up around the fence. Still, she could get close enough to retrieve the paper without stepping in it. As she turned away, however, something odd caught her attention. Looking down she saw a patch of caramel tinged with chocolate beside the gate. At first she thought it was just a patch of exposed earth, but then she realized there wasn't a flower bed there, just pavement. Curious, she squatted and reached out to touch it.

  It felt like fur.

  "What the--?" She brushed away the snow around it. A small body revealed itself, curled up into a croissant shape, with the paws tucked beneath and the face covered by a tail.

  It was a cat.

  "Aw, cripes." She figured it must have gotten caught by the storm and crawled in there looking for shelter.

  Poor thing, probably froze ta death.

  Not sure what else to do, she picked it up. To her surprise, the body
wasn't stiff at all, but hung loose in her hands, and she felt a weak heartbeat.

  It's still alive!

  She hurried into the house and kicked the door closed. "Sunny!!"

  She appeared in the foyer. "What is it?! Something wrong?" Then she focused on the cat. "Where'd she come from?"

  "I found her by the gate, covered with snow."

  "Is she still alive?"

  "Yeah, but we gotta get her warm."

  Sunny held up the skirt of her apron. "Put her here, then get a towel from the dryer."

  She laid the cat in the hammock Sunny made. "I wish we had some hot water bottles."

  "Get the heating pad out of the closet. Hurry!"

  She raced to the bathroom off the library. Had the latter been a garage, the former would have doubled as a mud room. In the back, behind a partition, sat the laundry machines. Sunny had thrown some bath towels into the dryer before they retired the evening before, and she pulled one out. She then ran to the coat closet in the foyer, in front of the office. She rummaged through the storage drawers until she found the electric heating pad they used whenever one of them pulled a muscle while exercising.

  "In here." Sunny nodded to the kitchen as Eile came out, and she followed her in.

  "Clear off the island and put the pad on it."

  "Gottcha." She plugged it into one of the island's outlets. She then spread the towel on top, picked up the cat, and laid it in the center. She covered it with the ends of the towel as Sunny turned on the pad.

  "Start with a low setting, then we'll gradually set it higher."

  "Right." Sunny stood beside her and looked at the feline. It had its eyes closed, but she could see the towel rise and fall slightly as it breathed.

  "All we can do now is wait."

  Sunny nodded. "You keep an eye on her while I finish breakfast." And she went back to the stove.

  She retrieved her coffee and a stool, and sat beside the island. Except for its breathing, the cat didn't move. Every now and then, she felt the pad to see how warm it had gotten, and she set it a fraction higher about every quarter hour. Sunny dished up their breakfast and they ate in the kitchen, and afterwards she cleaned up and loaded the dishwater. All the while the cat remained unconscious.

  "I feel so helpless," Sunny said at one point.

  "Yeah, I know wha'cha mean. I just wish we knew whether we were doin' any good." She reached out and gently scratched the feline behind the ears. "Poor thing."

  The cat moved its head, opened its mouth, and stuck out its tongue as its eyes slitted open. Surprised, she dropped her hand down to its nose, and it licked her fingers.

  "I think she's getting better!" They squealed in delight as they both grinned wide enough to split their faces.

  Sunny stiffened and smirked as her eyes grew as big as saucers. Eile knew that reaction; it occurred whenever she got one of her screwball notions. The only thing missing was the sound of "Doyng!" and a light bulb appearing over her head.

  "I've got an idea!" She ran for the refrigerator. As Eile watched in fascination, she took out the milk, then a cup from one cupboard and a saucepan from another. She filled the pan with water and put it on the stove, and while it heated she poured milk into the cup and placed it in the pan. She tested the milk frequently by dipping a finger into it.

  Finally she said, "Alright, it's ready!" She picked up the pan, brought it over to the island, and fetched a spoon. Dipping the spoon into the milk, she scooped some up and presented it to the cat. She had to poke it a few times to get its attention, but when its tongue came into contact with the warm fluid, it licked it up.

  "Atta girl, kitty!" Eile said as Sunny filled the spoon and offered it more. The cat lapped that up as well.

  "I think she's gonna be alright!" Sunny squealed as she spooned up still more milk.

  "Ya know, we'll probably need ta take her to a vet. I'm gonna see if there's one close by. You got everything under control?"

  "Yeah."

  She nodded, got up from the stool, and went into the office. It had been one of the few rooms Medb had furnished herself, though with the just the basics: a desk, chair, and computer. However, she had set the computer up and connected it to the Internet; all Eile needed to do was find the time to load her design software on it. She turned it on as she sat down, opened Firefox after Windows came up, and did a search for US Dex. She clicked on the Yellow Pages link and performed a search for cat veterinarians in Denver. She ignored the listings and selected the Google map, zooming into the area around their Lowry neighborhood. In addition to housing districts, the development project that had refurbished the old Air Force base had put in shopping malls and store districts to attract business to the area. Most everything she and Sunny could need was within an hour's walk from their home, and they could take buses and the Light Rail from there all over the city.

  One blue marker sat in the middle of the biggest district. She clicked on it, and got a listing for the Lowry Cat Clinic, with full information on the practice and the facilities. The name of the vet was also listed: Joyce Luasaigh, DVM.

  She memorized the phone number and went back to the kitchen. Sunny still fed milk to the cat, though it didn't appear to be licking up as much as when she left.

  "I found one." She picked up the phone and dialed the number. "They're up in Lowry Main Square, next to the Dillards outlet store."

  "Oh, I think I've seen them!"

  She nodded; she remembered them, too, though not well enough to come to mind before she did her search. The outlet store was one of their favorite places to shop. They could pick up some very nice clothes and accessories really cheap.

  The phone rang six times before someone picked up. "Lowry Cat Clinic; this is Dr. Luasaigh. How may I help you?" She noted that the last name was pronounced "Lucy".

  "My name is Eile Chica. My roommate and I found a cat by our front door this morning, almost frozen to death. We bundled her up in a towel, put her on a heating pad, and have been feeding her warm milk, but we wanted ta know if there was anything else we should do?"

  "She's been taking milk on her own?" The vet's voice sounded low, breathy, almost sultry, but her tone was all business.

  "Yah; she licks it out of a spoon."

  "Do you have any way to take her temperature?"

  "Hang on." She cupped her hand over the microphone. "Sunny, do we have a thermometer?"

  "Yeah, I'll get it." And she took off into the foyer.

  "My roommate went to get our thermometer, but it's probably just an oral."

  "That will work quite well."

  Sunny came back, holding it up.

  "We've got it."

  "Good. Insert it into her anus, but not too far. Just until the silver tip disappears."

  "Okay. Sunny, stick it in her rear."

  "What?!" Sunny turned a slight green.

  "Go ahead, she won't bite."

  Sunny edged up to the island and pulled away the towel in a hesitant manner. She lifted the tail, but as she got close, she pulled back and grimaced, disgusted. "Yucky, oooo!"

  She sighed in frustration. "Here, take the phone, I'll do it." Sunny gladly exchanged places with her.

  She inserted the thermometer as Sunny said, "Hello? Eile's sticking it in now." She sounded like she would throw up. "What? Oh, sorry! I'm Sunny; I'm her partner!"

  She threw her a look that could curdle milk. Sunny still hadn't grasped that everyone else would take that reference the wrong way.

  "How long should she leave it in? Uh-huh. Okay, hang on. Dr. Lucy said a few minutes."

  "Ask her if we should bring her in."

  "Should we bring her in? Yeah, I understand. Just a moment. She said only if the temperature is too low."

  She nodded. That would be good; she started to realize just how expensive it could get.

  "What? Okay. She says you can check now."

  She pulled the thermometer out and read it. "Ninety-six something; almost ninety-seven."

  Sunny rep
eated that information to the vet. "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah, we understand. Okay. Thanks, Doctor. See you later." And she hung up.

  She covered the cat back up. "Well?"

  "She said that's too low, though not dangerously so. She wants us to bring her in."

  Eile felt her hopes sink. She wasn't sure how they would cover the expense, but they had committed themselves to helping the cat; it was too late to back out. "Okay, if that's what we gotta do."

  "Great! Another fantastic Team Girl adventure!"

  She covered her face with her palm and shook her head. "Just go get dressed before I wallop ya one!"

  Sunny giggled as she ran for the stairs.

  When they were ready, Eile called a taxi. It arrived in short order, and Sunny placed the cat, heating pad, and towel into a carryall bag. It only took them ten minutes to get to the vet's shop. It looked like a boutique store front, which Eile thought was probably what the architects expected it to be. A sign hung over the door showing an art nouveau design of a cat, and the lettering on the door gave the clinic and vet's name, and the hours. What would have been the display window had a curtain at the rear covering the lower half, and on the shelf sat an Egyptian cat statue. Three cats lay around it, napping and sunning themselves.

  "Yoos gals want me to wait?" Sunny had explained to the lady cabbie what they were out for, and she seemed genuinely concerned. In fact, Eile felt certain she drove a bit faster than normal to get them to the vet sooner.

  Eile gave her a twenty. "Nah, we'll catch the bus home. Keep the change."

  "Thanks." She grinned and pocketed the bill. "Hope everything woyks out."

  She held the door open for Sunny, and they went into the reception area. It was deserted, except for a dozen cats lounging around; there wasn't even a receptionist.

  "Hello?" Sunny called out.

  A tall, statuesque woman with a fit build, wearing a light green lab coat, came out of a back room. She had long, billowing soft black hair with a jagged white streak running from her forehead over her crown and down her back. Her black eyes stood out against her light cream complexion in a heart-shaped face.

  "Yes, may I help you?"

  "I'm Sunny and this is Eile. We called earlier about the frozen cat." And she held up the bag.

  "I'm Dr. Luasaigh. Bring her in here." She gestured as she turned and walked into the back room. Eile followed Sunny and found herself in what she supposed was a treatment room.

  Dr. Luasaigh went behind a table. "Set her here."

  Sunny put the bag down and zipped it open, then removed the bundle. Dr. Luasaigh unwrapped the cat and examined it. She didn't say a word as she checked it over thoroughly, and Eile could only stand beside Sunny and watch in silence.

  After about fifteen minutes, she looked up at them. "She's lucky you found her when you did."

  "Will she be alright?" Sunny asked, her tone anxious.

  "She will now. She just needs fluids and a chance to warm up. I'll keep her here for a few days, but I have no doubt she'll make a full recovery."

  Eile felt more relieved than she figured she would.

  Sunny sighed and looked like she would faint. "Oh, thank goodness!"

  Dr. Luasaigh picked up the cat and carried her to a workbench, placing her on a soft pad. "Do you know who her owner is?" She retrieved IV bags and placed them in a warm waterbath.

  Eile exchanged glances with Sunny. "Uh, no, we've never seen her around before."

  "Is there some way we can find out?" Sunny asked.

  "There's no collar. There might be a chip."

  "A chip?"

  The vet retrieved what looked like a baton from a desk drawer. "A microchip implanted under the skin." She passed the baton over the cat's body. "It sends out an encoded signal when stimulated. The codes are registered in a database with the owners' contact information. Ah, we're in luck."

  The baton had made no sound or flashed any lights, but the vet held it up and read a liquid-crystal display. She then went back to the desk and used the computer to log into a website. She entered the code, but frowned as the results came up.

  "That's strange, there's no name or telephone number, just an address."

  "Then, there's no way to contact them?" Sunny asked.

  "Short of sending a letter, no."

  Eile knew that Sunny's concern was for the owner. She probably imagined some little girl crying for her lost kitty. Her concern was the vet's bill after the cat had recovered. If it had an owner, they should pay for the treatment, not her. Not that she didn't feel sorry for the cat, but she didn't feel sorry enough to pay for services they couldn't afford.

  "Would you write down the address for us?"

  "Certainly." She picked up a pen.

  Sunny beamed as the vet scribbled on a notepad. "We're gonna go tell them, aren't we!"

  "Sure, why not? They're probably frantic for news."

  Sunny squealed in delight as she threw her arms around Eile's shoulders and smooched her on the cheek. "You're the best partner ever!"

  Mortified, she hissed. "Not in front of the Doc, ya spaz!"

  Sunny crinkled her eyes and giggled, but she let her go.

  "Here." Dr. Luasaigh held out a slip of paper. Sunny took it and slipped it into her purse.

  "Thanks!"

  "You need us for anything else?" she asked the vet.

  "No, go ahead and take off."

  Sunny took her hand and they went out into the reception room. Dr. Luasaigh followed, but she didn't go any farther than the receptionist desk. Once outside, Eile opened her purse to take out her cellphone, but a short honk distracted her. As she looked up, a cab pulled up to the curve.

  "Isn't that the same taxi that brought us here?" Sunny asked.

  "I think it is." She bent down to the driver's window. It rolled down, and she saw the lady cabbie grinning at her.

  "Yoos gals need a lift?"

  "What're you doin' here?"

  "I didn't have another fare, so I decided to stick around. Can I take yoos anywhere?"

  She looked at Sunny, who grinned back. "Yeah."

  Sunny took the note slip out of her purse and gave it to the driver.

  "Whew, that's way up north, somewhere's above Commerce City. Okay, hop in." She started her meter.

  Joyce watched the girls get into the cab. After it drove off, she went back into her treatment room. The cat had partially rolled over so that her forequarters and head were upright. She wavered a bit, but she managed to give her a level stare. The other cats had gathered inside to comfort the newcomer, but they stayed out of the way.

  She removed the IV bags from the waterbath. "What is your Face Name?"

  It responded in a series of weak meows, trills, and chirps.

  "Snowrunner." She connected the bags to IV lines and hung them above the cat's table. "Yes, I have heard of you. I am honored to meet you."

  The cat smiled and answered back.

  "I understand." She opened the valve on one bag and let a little of the IV fluid dribble out the needle to remove any air bubbles. She then pinched and lifted a fold of skin on the cat's side and inserted the needle, finally opening the valve further to allow the fluid to flow in faster.

  "What happened to you?"

  Her reply went longer. As Joyce listened, a cold, grim rage filled her gut. "Just like the others."

  Another short response.

  "Who is doing this?"

  She emitted a single, drawn-out, growling meow.

  Fury erupted through Joyce's nerves and blood. "Mabuse." She slammed a fist down on the exam table. The other cats in the room all voice a simultaneous bloodcurdling yowl.

  The cabbie pulled up to the curb. "Are yoos gals sure this is the place?"

  Eile wondered that herself.

  "Is it the right address?" Sunny asked.

  "Oh, this is the address yoos gave me, alright; whether it's the right one..."

  "That's the address the vet gave us."

  "If yoos gals say so. Y
oos getting out?"

  Eile looked at Sunny. "There's probably been a mistake somewhere. Maybe we should call her and double check?"

  Sunny studied the abandoned factory complex with an expression that mixed excitement with trepidation. It was a look she had begun to recognize, which said Sunny had found an adventure worth pursuing.

  "Let's check it out first. Maybe the cat belongs to the watchman, or somebody."

  She wasn't certain that was a good idea, but as long as they had their cell phones they could call for help if they got into trouble. Besides, her own curiosity had been piqued.

  "Yeah, we're getting out. There's no need ta wait, we don't know how long we'll be."

  "Are yoos two sure?"

  "Of course!" Sunny said. "We never refuse when adventure beckons!"

  "Put a sock in it, ya ditz."

  Sunny giggled.

  "If yoos're sure, then. Be careful."

  After they got out, she paid the fare and watched the taxi drive off. When she turned around, Sunny stood staring at the huge, rundown building. The whole area around it looked like a giant parking lot, and both were surrounded by a security fence. However, instead of a gate, the only barrier across the main drive was a rusted iron chain, with a battered and soiled NO TRESPASSING sign swaying in the low wind. There were no guards that she could see, though that did not eliminate the possibility of electronic surveillance. Still, she didn't see any cameras either, so who knew what was going on?

  Sunny stepped over the chain, and for a moment she panicked, half expecting something to materialize out of thin air to attack her.

  Her partner turned around and beckoned for her to follow. "Come on."

  She shook her head, chagrined at her own nervousness. It was just an old, deserted factory; what was she expecting, monsters? She stepped over the chain and walked up beside Sunny.

  "You okay, partner?"

  She covered her anxiety with irritation. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get this over with."

  They jogged up the drive through the parking area to the front entrance. They found it locked, but worked their way around towards the loading docks. There they discovered a door that stood ajar and they stepped in. It appeared to be an office of some kind, probably to handle shipping orders, with an inner door. That led into a warehouse, which was empty except for a car. They went over to examine it, and she was struck by the fact that it appeared to be a new model, well serviced and cared for, rather than a derelict abandoned with the factory.

  "That means there is someone here!"

  She had to admit it made sense, but if anything it made her even more nervous. Who would make a home in an abandoned factory?

  "Hello?" Sunny shouted. The only response was her own voice echoing in the huge chamber, and a whistling sound as a flock of startled pigeons took wing.

  "Look." Sunny pointed to the back of the room. Eile saw a door nestled between two piles of rusted, grimy oil cans.

  "Let's go." They walked across the warehouse floor, and when they reached it, they found it unlocked. It opened into what might have been another warehouse, except it was filled with pipes, conveyors, and nondescript equipment. She figured it must have been the factory floor. The machinery sat packed tightly together forming a labyrinthine pattern of paths, but one was illuminated by a series of lamps that hung from the ceiling. The rest of the chamber was cloaked in shadow, lighted only marginally by long, narrow windows of tiled glass sitting high up the walls just under the ceiling.

  "Hello!" Sunny shouted again, but as before no response came; the only sound was an electrical hum that sounded like a generator running.

  Sunny took hold of her hand, and she could feel her clammy skin, but she strode forth without hesitation and pulled her with her. She could feel her own anxiety rising by the moment, but she convinced herself it was just nerves. Even if someone did live there, chances were very slim it was anyone dangerous, like an insane serial killer, a Quasimodo monstrosity, or a mad scientist.

  She chuckled at the thought.

  "What?"

  "Ah, nothin'. I was just thinking that I watch too many horror movies."

  She felt Sunny shudder. "Oh, please don't say that!"

  "You wanna turn back?"

  "No!" She flashed a wide-eyed, nervous expression. "Just don't jinx it!"

  She scoffed, though as much to settle her own nerves as Sunny's. "Come on! There's probably nothin' more dangerous in here than a buncha rats."

  "That'd be plenty dangerous enough."

  They emerged into an open area. "Don't be such a pantywaist, ya ditz--". She cut herself off and pulled up short. She saw something on the side opposite them, something that looked anthropomorphic.

  "What?" Sunny stopped, but she didn't let go of her hand.

  She pointed at the figure, but then relaxed. It turned out to be just a mannequin of some kind. "Heh, I must be gettin' jumpy."

  Sunny followed her gaze. "What, that?" She spoke in a disparaging tone. "That's just some old dummy."

  "Ah, a cousin of yer's, huh?"

  Sunny gave her an exasperated look. "Very funny; hardi-har-har."

  Eile grinned. "I thought so--"

  It moved.

  "Eeep!" Sunny danced behind her. For her part, she froze as she watched it step into a cone of lamplight. It looked like an artist's posable mannequin, with a bulbous head, torso, hips, upper and lower arms and legs, and hands and feet, connected together by ball joints. The feet were solid and flat, like shoes, but each hand was fully articulated, with four fingers and a thumb. Its skin appeared smooth, flat-finished, and gun-metal gray, with no sign of seams, rivets, or welds. The face, such as it was, consisted of three camera lenses, large, medium, and small, arranged in a lopsided equilateral triangle in the upper middle section, with a double-set of seven tiny holes arranged in two rosettes placed side-by-side just below them. Two clamshell-shaped microphone dishes sat on either side of the head, but there was no indication of a speaker. She realized it probably wasn't designed for talking, but its most disturbing feature was the futuristic, double-barrel assault rifle it held.

  "What is it?" Sunny whispered, as it paused, its eyes rotating and sliding in and out as it focused on them.

  "It looks like some kinda robot."

  "It can't be." She sounded less than certain. "It's too sophisticated."

  "Yeah, well, I'm not waitin' around ta meet its owner. Let's get outta here."

  "I'm with you, partner!"

  They backed away, and it resumed coming towards them. Its movements were far more fluid and smooth than she would have expected, and she heard no clanking, whirring, or clinking noises, not even a hum. Even its feet made no sound as it stepped; it was totally silent.

  "Uh, whadda we do now?" Sunny twittered.

  "Run like hell!" They turned and quickened their pace, and ran straight into another one, which was unarmed. As they bounced off it, it reached out for them. It grabbed Sunny by the arm, but Eile managed to evade and dance out of reach.

  "EEEE-AH!" Sunny tried to pull away.

  She looked around and found a crowbar leaning against a machine. She snatched it up, held it in both hands, and charged the robot.

  "Let go of her, you asshole!" She swung it like a bat, and caught the robot on a temple, whacking its head off center. It tilted to one side, but it swiveled around and stared at her.

  "I said, let her go!" She swung again. The robot raised its free arm faster than she could follow and caught the crowbar, stopping it cold in mid-swing. The force was so strong it jarred her body and rattled her teeth. It pulled the impromptu weapon out of her hand and threw it aside as she backed away, and collided with a third robot that had come up behind her. It took hold of her arms before she could get away, and it lifted her off her feet.

  "Aaarrrgh!" She struggled and kicked. "Dammit, put me down, ya hunk of junk!"

  "Eile!" Sunny fell silent as the first robot reached them and leveled its rifle at them.

  She calmed down an
d the robot that held her set her back on her feet, but it did not let her go.

  "Eile, whadda we do?!"

  She looked at the three automatons, then at Sunny. "Whatever they want us ta do." She spoke in a resigned voice. "We ain't got no other choice."

  The robot that held Sunny took her purse and then Eile's. The armed robot examined them for several seconds, as if trying to figure what to do with them, then it turned and headed out of the open area as its two companions followed, bringing her and Sunny with them.

  Medb's voice sounded over the taxi radio. "Are you certain?"

  The female cabbie grinned, even though the massive woman couldn't see it. "Yeah, it matches yoors criteria, ten fer ten. Mabuse has gotta be there."

  "You mean you hope she is, for the sake of your bonus. But never mind that now. When did the Girls go in?"

  "About ten, fifteen minutes ago."

  "I can be there in two hours. Keep an eye open for them. If they come out, let me know."

  "Hey, I've gotta living to make, I can't jest sit here doin' nothing."

  "You will be well compensated, do not worry, but if it makes you feel better, start your meter."

  She grinned again. "I already did."

  "Then you have nothing to complain about. Medb out."

  The driver shook her head in amusement and switched off the radio. She placed the earpieces of an iPod in her ears and opened her paperback edition of Ulysses as she adjusted her seat to be more comfortable. She figured it was a good thing she stocked her ice chest with drinks and snacks that morning. She was probably in for a long wait.

  The robots dragged the girls deeper into the factory, following the lighted path around the defunct machines. Finally they reached a central location, where sat an elevator shaft. It looked newer than the rest of the equipment around it, and Eile figured it had been put in by whoever created the robots. The armed automaton touched a switch and part of the wall slid open, revealing the inside of a cab. The ones that held them entered, pulling them inside, while the armed robot stayed behind. The door closed and the cab descended. She looked for a control panel of some kind, but couldn't see anything, and she had no idea how deep they went.

  After a handful of seconds, however, the cab came to a stop and the door opened onto a short corridor. Another armed robot stood as if waiting for them, and it immediately turned and headed up the passage. The robots that held them forced them to follow the new one, and they passed two regular office doors that stood on either side opposite one another. The hallway terminated at what looked like the door to a restaurant walk-in freezer, and the armed robot opened it and stepped inside. Their escorts pushed them after it and followed, and the armed one closed the door behind them all.

  The room looked like a laboratory of some kind. It was oval-shaped, and divided in half by an armored wall with a vault-like door and an observation window of thick glass. Work benches with equipment, glassware, and various other kinds of scientific objects and supplies lined the walls of the front half of the room, while a control station sat under the window. A man stood in front of it with his back to the door, looking into the isolation chamber beyond. He was nearly as tall as Medb, but with a rail-thin, lanky body; he looked like Alan Alda from behind. He wore a white lab coat that hung past his knees, and his hands were covered with rubber gloves. His head was topped with an unruly mop of short, frizzy, silver-white hair, which looked as if he had just stuck a finger in a light socket.

  The robots brought the girls into the center of the room, but then released them and stepped back. The man did not turn around, and seemed too busy conducting some kind of experiment to be distracted. Eile stepped to one side so that she could see into the chamber, and spotted a cat inside a Plexiglas cage sitting on top of a table. It had electrodes attached to shaved areas of its body, and she jolted as she realized it writhed and screamed as if in agony. To the man's left lay a panel that showed the feline's lifesigns, and even she could figure out that they looked distressed.

  "Talk!" the man ordered. She felt surprised at how highly pitched his voice was, something like a countertenor. He turned a dial and the cat's cries and convulsions became worse.

  "Comply!" There was almost a desperate quality to his voice. "Come on, you can do it!" He turned the dial again. She felt sick to her stomach watching the cat suffer, and she glanced at Sunny. She had gone pale as she stood, trembling slightly, with her mouth open and her eyes bugged out.

  "Give me something; anything! Talk to me, and I'll stop!" He turned the dial again. The cat collapsed and gasped as its whole body quaked uncontrollably.

  Even as Eile considered intervening, the cat gave out one last ear-splitting shriek, jerked its limbs, and lay still. It readings flat-lined, and she understood it was dead. The man leaned forward, bracing himself against the station, as he hung and shook his head.

  "Shit," he murmured, "what a waste." Then he straightened up and spoke in a louder voice. "Remove the carcass." A robot appeared from one side, went up to the cage, and opened it.

  Sunny glanced off towards where it had come from, and visibly startled. "Oh, my word!"

  Alarmed, she came around the other side of her partner, and saw that cages covered the wall on that side of the chamber, most of which contained cats.

  The man seemed to realize that he had visitors. He turned around, and she felt shocked to see that 'he' was in fact a woman. She was elderly, probably in her mid-fifties. Her lab coat was double-breasted, something Eile had seen only in comics or horror movies, and perched on top of her head were a pair of rubber goggles, but unusually she also wore a lacey, white cravat around her neck that hung down her chest. Her narrow oval face, with its sharp, angular features and dark cream complexion, had a kindly, grandmotherly appearance, but her caramel eyes behind the big, round glasses had a wild look that disturbed her.

  "Well, what do we have here?" One of the robots stepped forward and handed her their purses. "Unexpected guests? What a pleasant surprise. Please, sit down." She indicated the stools that sat next to one set of benches.

  Sunny looked at her; she shrugged and they complied. They didn't have much choice, and she figured defiance would do no good.

  "My name is Dr. Elizabeth Rebecca Mabuse. And who would you fine young ladies be?"

  She frowned. Why did that name sound familiar?

  "Um, well, I'm Sunny, and this is my partner, Eile."

  She grimaced; she had visions of throttling Sunny once they got out of there, but if Mabuse found her introduction unusual or disturbing she didn't betray it. "Your full names, please."

  Sunny glanced at her again, a look of trepidation on her face.

  "I don't think so," Eile replied.

  Mabuse did not look at all angry. In fact, she just shrugged her shoulders. "No matter." She opened the purses, taking out their wallets. Eile cursed her shortsightedness. Their ID's would have everything.

  "Hmm. Eile Chica. 'Other Girl'; interesting name."

  She blinked in surprise; what was that about?

  Mabuse looked at Sunny's ID, but then her eyes snapped open wider as her head jerked back slightly. "Sonne Hiver?" She glanced up at them. "Are you the daughter of Maela Hiver and Oda Jaeger?"

  She felt her stomach clench as she broke out in a sweat. If she was one of their enemies, she and Sunny were in serious trouble.

  "Er...ah, no!"

  She felt surprised. Sunny had never lied before; at least she never heard her do it. She sometimes wondered if she was capable of it.

  Mabuse raised an eyebrow. "You're not a good liar, my dear, but no matter, a DNA test will tell us for sure."

  Sunny shot her a panicked look. Eile figured it was too late in any event. "Alright! Yes, she's their daughter. They're in danger, and we're supposed ta keep a low profile."

  "I wouldn't call breaking and entering a low profile."

  Her temper flared. "Hey! We didn't break anything! The friggin' door was open."

  Mabuse frowned, but apparent
ly from confusion rather than anger. "Which door?"

  "The one by the loading dock," Sunny replied, "that leads into the office."

  Mabuse sighed. "The lock on that door never did work right." She stuffed their IDs back into their purses. "Well, no matter. You needn't worry, I bear your parents no ill-will. In fact, you could say we're old acquaintances." She walked over to a bench and put the purses on its top before sitting on a stool.

  "Now then, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

  Sunny glanced at her, and she shrugged. "Go ahead, tell her."

  "Okay, um, we found a stray cat this morning, buried in the snow outside our house. We took her to a vet and she found a microchip implanted under her skin. When she scanned it, it gave her this address. So we came here to let her owner know we have her and she's safe."

  "Is it a medium-sized cat, slender build, with large triangular ears, blue eyes, and short, yellow-beige fur with reddish brown points and highlights, and white feet?"

  "Yes, exactly! Is she yours?"

  "Yes, and I'm anxious to get her back. Is she still at the vet?"

  "Probably. She said she wanted to keep her for a couple of days."

  "Good. That cat is part of a very important research project, and it's vital that you return her immediately."

  "What sort of project?" Eile asked, suspicious.

  Mabuse fixed her with a pointed stare. "That's none of your concern."

  "You're not gonna torture her, are you?!" Sunny squealed.

  Mabuse screwed her face into a look of disgust. "I'm not a sadist. I don't inflict unnecessary pain."

  "That cat we saw when we came in looked like she was in agony," Eile said.

  "I said 'unnecessary' pain."

  "She's had a hard time," Sunny said. "She was caught in last night's storm and nearly froze to death. She's still too weak to be part of your study."

  Mabuse nodded. "All the better."

  Eile felt her temper flare. "Now look here, we're not gonna give her to ya just so you can put her through one of those experiments we saw!"

  "Yeah! You'll just hafta continue without her!"

  Mabuse's face set into a stony mask. "You really don't have a choice here."

  Eile felt butterflies dive-bomb her gut. "What's that suppose ta mean?"

  "It means, either you deliver the cat to me today, or I'll use the two you in one of my other projects instead. I have several on-going, and some require human subjects."

  Her gut froze. "You wouldn't dare!"

  "On the contrary, I have no empathy for you whatsoever. I see you no differently than I would any other test subject; you're just a different type."

  "We've got a friend," Sunny said, "named Mayv. If anything happened to us, she wouldn't rest until she found you and barbecued you."

  "Medb hErenn?"

  Eile's heart sank. "Yeah."

  "She and I are old friends. She's been hunting me for years. I see no reason to believe this time she would catch me."

  "Aw, cripes." She gazed at Sunny, who gave her a sad look of defeat. "Okay, we'll get you yer cat."

  "No, not together. Only one of you needs to go, the other will remain here as a hostage. You, Eile, will stay; you, Sonne, have one hour to return with the cat. If you fail, if you take too long, or if you try to get help, especially Medb's, I will use Eile in one of my other projects, a particularly nasty one. Do I make myself clear?"

  "But we hafta stay together!" Sunny looked genuinely frightened.

  "Then consider this an incentive."

  "Look," Eile said, "we give you our word, we won't try any funny stuff."

  Mabuse shook her head. "Those are my terms; take it or leave it."

  She sighed and looked at Sunny. "Then you'd better hurry."

  Sunny gave her a shocked expression, as if she couldn't believe her ears. "No, I'm not leaving you here!"

  "Sunny, listen to me, I'll be all right, as long as yer back in time with the cat. Don't worry about me, just go get it done."

  "How do we know we can trust her?" Sunny gave the mad scientist a suspicious glance.

  "'Cause she's holdin' all the cards. She'd have nothin' ta gain by breakin' her word."

  When Sunny looked uncertain, she took her hand. For once, she didn't care if someone else saw it. "Sunny, please, I'm dependin' on you. Don't let me down."

  Sunny looked into her eyes, and she saw strength hidden behind them. Her original thought had been just to get her out of there and somewhere safe, but now she realized the scatterbrained ditz might just be able to pull it off after all.

  Sunny smiled and crinkled her eyes. "Don't worry, partner, I told you I'd take care of you, and I will. You can count on me." And she leaned forward and smooched her on the cheek.

  Embarrassed, she hissed. "Not in front of the mad scientist!"

  Sunny giggled, but she sobered as she stood up. "I'll need my purse."

  Mabuse handed her the bag and snapped her fingers. One of the robots strode forward.

  "This unit will show you out. Remember, you have one hour, starting now."

  Sunny narrowed her eyes at her as the armed robot opened the door. "You just keep your word, or Mayv won't hafta barbecue you." She then followed the robot out, after which the armed robot closed the door again.

  Mabuse glanced at her. "Your friend seems quite remarkable, and very loyal."

  She didn't reply, but as frightened as she felt, she couldn't help feeling proud as well.

  The robot took Sunny to the front entrance and opened the door for her, but didn't follow her out. She ran across the parking lot, taking out her cell phone at the same time. Just one hour; she didn't know if she could make it in time. Who knew how long a cab would take to get there? And what if there was heavy traffic?! The thought of Eile strapped naked to an examination table while robotic machines did all kinds of hideous things to her sickened her even as it turned her on. She had to get back in time!

  She stopped at the curb to the street, and as she made to dial a number, she heard a short honk. Looking up, she saw the cab that had dropped them off coming towards her. Eile would have wanted to know why it was still there, but she didn't question it; she just felt glad it was.

  As soon as it pulled abreast of her, she yanked the passenger door open and threw herself inside.

  "Where's yoos partner?"

  "She's in trouble! I need to get back to the vet as fast as possible!"

  "Wouldn't yoos rather go to the police?"

  "No! If I try to get help, that mad scientist Mabuse will use her in an experiment! Please!! There's no time to discuss it, just go!"

  "Right, then! We're off!" And she roared away, tires squealing. "I kin have yoos there in twenty minutes."

  She didn't relax, but she felt better once they were on the move. She felt gratified the cabbie had been so understanding.

  Maybe a little too much so. It suddenly dawned on her that she didn't bat an eye when she mentioned mad scientists and experiments. Did she know what was going on? Was she involved somehow? Did she work for Mabuse?!

  She shook her head. Eile's suspicious nature must be rubbing off on me. None of that really mattered. She had to trust someone, or Eile was a goner.

  They arrived at the vet's in eighteen minutes flat, thanks to speeding and running a few red lights. Sunny threw the cabbie a twenty and ran out up to the storefront. Fortunately, the clinic was still open. Dr. Luasaigh came out of the treatment room to meet her.

  "May I help you? Oh, you're one of the girls that dropped off the hypothermic cat. I'm sorry, but there's been no change, and there probably won't be for a day at least."

  "I'm not here for that, I hafta take her outta here."

  "What?" She looked suspicious. "No, I'm sorry, but I can't let you have her."

  "But it's a matter of life and death!" She screeched in a near-hysterical voice.

  "You're right. That cat is very ill; she could die without proper medical treatment."

  "But you don'
t understand!" She felt on the verge of tears. "Eile's being held hostage. If I don't get the cat back in forty minutes, something terrible will happen to her!"

  "I beg your pardon? Who has her? What's this all about?"

  "It's a mad scientist named Mabuse! She's using cats in some experiment, torturing them to make them talk! She wants kitty back now. She says she'll use Eile in another experiment if I don't return with her in time!"

  Luasaigh actually looked shocked, but she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I truly am, but I cannot release the cat to you. You're not her owners, and from what you've told me, she'd probably be killed."

  "No, please!! You hafta help me! I can't lose Eile, not like this! I love her so much! Can't you please let me have her?!"

  The look on the vet's face told her that she really did feel for her predicament, and her decision had been a very difficult one, but she would have to refuse once again. However, before she could speak, Sunny heard a weak and plaintive meow come from the treatment room. Dr. Luasaigh turned around and hurried inside, and Sunny followed.

  She saw kitty lying on her side with her head raised, a couple of IVs stuck into her flank. As the vet approached her, she meowed and trilled at her.

  "Are you serious?" Dr. Luasaigh leaned over her.

  Sunny blinked in shock; are they talking to each other?!

  The cat responded with more meows, chirps, and trills.

  The vet shook her head. "I cannot allow that."

  The cat answered back more forcefully, at least as much as her weakened conditioned permitted. Dr. Luasaigh sighed and nodded. "Very well, if you wish."

  She straightened up and turned to face her. "She volunteers to go with you."

  She felt flabbergasted. "She--what?!"

  "We have no time for explanations, not if we're to get there in time."

  "We?"

  "Yes." The vet had a dark, foreboding look on her face. "I'm coming with you."

  "What was that again?" Medb asked.

  "Sunny came outta the factory alone, and demanded I take her back to the vet. She said Eile was in danger from a mad scientist."

  "That must be Mabuse. Is she still with the vet?"

  "Yes, I--wait. They're coming out. Sunny's gotta cat wrapped in a blanket. They're going to a van in the parking lot across the street."

  "Are they getting in?"

  "Yes, the vet's driving."

  "Very well. I will be there within the hour. Follow them, and tell me where they go."

  "Right." She hung up her microphone, started the cab, and pulled away from the curb several car lengths behind the van.

  Eile didn't move from her stool after Sunny left, and she watched Mabuse as she cleaned up from her experiment, prepared for the next one, and recorded the data. Afterwards she filled a beaker with water and set it on a hot plate on a bench next to where Eile sat.

  "If you don't mind my askin', how'd kitty escape in the first place?"

  "Through carelessness on my part." She walked over the damaged robot and examined it. "I let them out for some exercise when I clean the cages, and I left the isolation door open a crack." She tried moving the robot's head. "They hadn't shown any inclination to leave the room before, but kitty, as you call her, bolted out before I could stop her. She managed to get into a ventilator shaft while I contained and anesthetized the others, and by the time I tried to track her down she was gone. I assumed she got lost and was killed by the machinery, but apparently she found her way above ground." The mad scientist glanced at her. "How did this happen?"

  "I smacked it upside the head."

  Mabuse flashed a surprised look. "With what?"

  "A crowbar that was lyin' around."

  The mad scientist raised an eyebrow. "You must be stronger than you look. These units are designed to be impervious to .50 caliber machine gun and anti-material rounds."

  "I hit it as it was turning its head."

  She frowned but nodded, and turned her attention back to the robot. "You must have overwhelmed and locked one of the gyros as the servos overcompensated. No matter, it's an easy fix." She touched a spot on the robot's upper back. It went stiff, like someone being paralyzed, and she figured Mabuse had turned it off.

  "Did you build these things?"

  Mabuse took a device out of her pocket, switched it on, and played it over one shoulder. "I not only built them, I created them." She sounded rather pleased with herself. "I also invented their fundamental technology, including the artificial brain that controls them, the synthetic muscles and nerves that drive them, and the skin that covers their metallic skeleton." She shut off the device and slipped it back into her pocket before lifting and folding back thin layers of what looked like rubbery plastic to expose the mechanism beneath.

  The sight of it made her feel a bit queasy. "I just wasn't aware robotics had advanced that far."

  Mabuse spared her a smirking glance as she fished another tool out of another pocket. "It hasn't. Are you interested in that field of study?" She stuck it down inside the shoulder, and when she activated it Eile heard a soft hum. It sounded like a sonic screwdriver from Doctor Who.

  She shrugged. "Eh, kinda sorta. I'm interested in any futuristic stuff like that, but nothin' too technical. Sunny, though; she could probably converse with you as an equal; almost. She's really inta science and technology, but she's not much of a reader, except for the Internet. Did you also write their programs?"

  "Just the hardwired 'instinct' software, and the basic personality matrix; they developed from there on their own."

  "On their own?"

  "Yes, they have artificial intelligence, but it's not complete."

  "How d'ya mean?"

  "It took me some time to perfect the matrix. I designated this design as Model 375--Generation I, which means I made 374 previous attempts before I achieved success. However, the 'mind' that emerges from this matrix has sapience but no sentience or consciousness, hence the 'generation one' suffix." She paused a moment as she concentrated on her work.

  "Sapience?"

  Mabuse shifted to a new position. "Yes, that means it can solve problems and learn from experience. You really whacked this unit good."

  She felt herself blush, but she also smiled with pride.

  "Anyways, I simply call this model 'Type One'. I am working on a new matrix that should grant sentience once the personality develops. That's the ability to comprehend feelings and empathize." Eile heard a snap. "Ah, good, that has it." Mabuse switched off the device and pocketed it.

  "So, what yer sayin' is, yer tryin' ta create a robot that can think for itself."

  "Essentially correct." Mabuse came around the front of the robot, grasped its head with both hands, and carefully twisted it until it faced forward, oriented straight up and down.

  "What makes you think you can control it?"

  Mabuse turned and gave her a puzzled look. "What was that?"

  "What's ta stop it from going berserk and killing people, even you?"

  The mad scientist chuckled as she walked behind the robot and took out her "screwdriver" again. "You've been watching too many schlocky sci-fi movies."

  "Actually, I was thinkin' of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics."

  Mabuse glanced up at her for a moment, and her astonished expression also displayed respect. "Kudos, my dear. You're more perspicacious than most people of your age."

  She felt herself blush again, and she tried to hide it under irritation. "Yeah, well, I like ta read. I've read all his robot novels, plus most of his short stories."

  "I use something similar in my hardwired instinct programs, as well as built-in safeguards triggered by certain code phrases, but do not make the mistake of thinking they cannot take human life. They will, if they decide there is no other choice." Eile heard another snap. "Finished." Mabuse deactivated her tool for the last time and put it away as she turned the robot back on. It seemed to relax, and it turned its head to look at her as she came back around to face it. She held up two fi
ngers pressed together and moved them back and forth in front of its face, as it turned its head to track them.

  "There, good as new." She placed the skin flaps back over the shoulder and resealed them with the first tool. All the while the robot watched her, and Eile could almost imagine it appeared grateful.

  When she finished, Mabuse returned to the workbench and removed the beaker from the hot plate. Its water boiled vigorously, and she set it on a square ceramic tile.

  "Would you like some tea?" She retrieved a couple of cups from a drawer under the bench and a box of tea bags.

  "Um, no, thanks."

  Mabuse gave her an indulgent smile. "You think I'd try to drug you?"

  "Yeah, maybe."

  She nodded. "Very well. You chose the teabag, and I'll drink from it as well. Would that be fine?"

  "You could have taken an antidote."

  Mabuse chuckled. "You've been watching too many melodramas."

  "Again? I told you, I like ta read; I got it from a book."

  "Oh? Which one?"

  "Strong Poison, by Dorothy L. Sayers."

  Mabuse nodded, looking impressed. "I know that one. Good mystery. I also misjudged you a second time; I won't do it again. However, I can assure you, I won't do anything until the hour is up, and--I'm sorry, what did you call her?"

  "Sunny. It's a nickname based on Sonne."

  "Of course. She still has twenty-five minutes."

  "Okay, I'll take tea. You can select the bag."

  Mabuse removed two of them and dropped them into the hot water. "You may find this a bit strong. It's a genetically enhanced variety I developed myself."

  Eile grinned. "Heh. Sunny can make coffee that'd float a horseshoe."

  Mabuse pulled out a stool and sat down. "How long have you known her?"

  "About three weeks now. Though we first met last year online while playing Otherworld. That's a role-playing game."

  "I'm familiar with it."

  "Well, we got ta know each other pretty good, but only by our characters' names."

  "I see. She called you 'partner'. Is there some significance to that?"

  Eile had a pretty good idea what Mabuse hinted at, and she decided to sidestep it. "It just means we're roommates."

  "Her display of affection seemed more intimate than that."

  "That's because she's the touchy-feely type. It's who she is and what she's does."

  "Your own reaction suggests something different."

  "Yeah, well, I'm just the opposite. Anyways, I don't see what business it is of yours."

  "Sunny is very special to me. I have a keen interest in her wellbeing, and everything that might impact it."

  Eile wasn't sure if that was a threat, but as long as Mabuse had opened the door, she decided to walk through. "You said you knew her parents; how?"

  Mabuse took a moment to pour tea into each cup and hand her one. "How much do you know about Sunny's conception?"

  The question caught her off guard. Normal people just didn't ask something like that, unless--

  "Geezus!" No wonder her name sounded familiar. "Yer the mad scientist that created her!"

  Mabuse flashed an amused leer. "You make her sound like the Frankenstein Monster."

  "Well, you tell me: how far off am I?"

  "How do you know so much about it?"

  "Mayv told me, back when Sunny and I first met."

  "Oh, I see. No matter. All I did was combine eggs harvested from Maela and Oda to form zygotes, and implanted some of them in their wombs. Only one survived, and that became Sunny. I did not manipulate her any more than that."

  "Okay, but why? That's what I don't understand."

  "Have you ever heard the phrase, 'nurture versus nature'?"

  "Yeah, isn't it suppose ta be the question of whether we inherit our talents or acquire them from our experiences?"

  "Essentially correct. I had heard of Maela and Oda through my underworld and intelligence contacts. They struck me as being extremely talented at their professions, more so than the average thief or spy-assassin. It made me wonder whether their abilities were natural talents innate to their biology, or had been acquired through their training. I decided to test that question, but to do so properly I had to conceive of a long term project: essentially, I had to produce a child from their genes and raise it in a controlled environment, to see what abilities if any manifested themselves, and which were based on her nature rather than derived from how she was nurtured."

  She sighed, and Eile saw a wistful look on her face, as if she thought of what might have been. "She was to be my magnum opus, the work on which I would base the rest of my life. But Medb interfered. She rescued Maela and Oda before Sunny was born. I followed her life as best as I could after that, to try to salvage something of the project. I even tracked her here to Denver after her abortive kidnapping, hoping to help her in some way, but I could never locate her. I stayed, despite the risk to myself, on the chance I might learn what became of her, but I never thought that one day she would just walk into my lab."

  "Risk to you?"

  "Hmm? Oh, yes, my apologies. Medb has sworn to kill me."

  "Kill you? Why?"

  Mabuse gave her a pointed stare. "As you said to me, I fail to see what business that is of yours."

  "Alright, fair enough. But why did you start that 'project' in the first place? What were you expectin' ta gain from it?"

  "I was expecting to achieve an answer to the riddle of nature vs. nurture, but I doubt that will happen now. The project is a failure and Sunny is my biggest disappointment. But mostly it was out of intellectual curiosity. I had a question and I wanted to find an answer. As simple as that."

  "Is that what this is all about, too?" Eile gestured at the lab and the isolation chamber with its captive felines. "Just a question you want answered?"

  "That's the basis of all scientific research: answering questions, simply for the sake of finding the answers. In this case, the answer I'm seeking is proof that cats are self-aware beings, persons like you or I."

  Flabbergasted, Eile could only say, "I beg yer pardon?" She couldn't have been more surprised if Mabuse had told her she was trying to create an army of zombie cats.

  Come ta think of it, I'd find that more believable.

  "Have you ever wondered about cats?"

  Eile wondered if Mabuse might be a bit cracked. "How do you mean?" If she was, the best thing she could do was humor her.

  "Don't they seem rather intelligent to you?"

  "Well, yeah, sure, they're pretty smart."

  "Perhaps a bit too smart?"

  Eile squirmed, uncomfortable. Yeah, she's definitely stark raving Looney Tunes.

  "I've never really thought about it."

  "Well I have. There was a time when people feared Communist infiltration of American society, and later they dreaded disguised space aliens living among them, but no one considered the possibility that there might already be a foreign intelligence in our midst, observing, recording, perhaps even testing us. Why do they hide from us? What do they want? How can we know what their motives are?"

  Despite herself, Eile could see what she was driving at, but it sounded so fantastic and paranoid that she couldn't conceive it to be anything but mad ravings. "Even if yer right, why assume they're sinister? They're pets, after all; maybe they're watching out for us."

  "Then why not reveal themselves, if their intentions are benign?"

  "But what makes you so certain they're against us?"

  "Cats are inscrutable; you can never tell what they're thinking. Think about it. With a dog you can tell immediately how they feel; can you say the same about cats?"

  That caught her off guard. "Like I said, I've never really thought about it. Well, yeah, if you have one, you can tell from their body language, and the sounds they make. Like, they purr when they're happy--"

  "They also purr when distressed or in pain, so that is hardly a definitive sign. And that's the point: how do you know their b
ehavior is not simply deceptive?"

  Eile felt her frustration growing. "You claim yer a scientist! Aren't you suppose ta be objective? You sound like yer interpreting things ta fit yer own preconceived assumptions."

  "Sometimes, science can only advance by reinterpreting known facts in a novel fashion. The key is to be able to prove the reinterpretation is correct."

  "Using torture?! What the freakin' hell can all this pain and suffering tell you that more humane methods can't?"

  Mabuse stared back with an unemotional expression. It made her wonder if she was capable of human feelings at all.

  "I have no desire to cause pain for its own sake, but some suffering is needed to force the cats into revealing their sapience. Only that way can I prove my theory."

  "But how's that workin' out?"

  "Unfortunately, I've gone through a dozen cats so far, with no evidence of sapience. But, really, I am only just beginning."

  "Maybe that should tell you somethin', though."

  For the first time she displayed some genuine feeling: she narrowed her eyes and frowned in what looked like irritation. "I am convinced I'm right. All I need to do is find the right set of conditions, and I feel I am very close. Nothing can induce me to end this project."

  "No, I meant...cripes. Okay, yeah, I did mean maybe yer wrong, but I also meant maybe torture ain't the way ta get results. Why do ya suppose general science considers it unethical?"

  "I couldn't say, being as I have never been a part of 'general science'. However, many years ago I decided that I would pursue the truth no matter where it led, and that I would not let anything stand in my way: not sentiment, not fear, not prejudice, not ignorance, and certainly not the foolishness of small-minded, petty little men with no vision."

  "But what about morality, or simple decency?"

  "My only morality is the scientific method, and the greatest indecency would be to deliberately restrict your investigation because of foolish social mores."

  Jesus, she's dangerous! No wonder Mayv wants ta kill her!

  Before Eile could say anything, she heard a beeping signal. Mabuse went over to a desktop computer and tapped a key. She frowned; for most people, a minor reaction, but Eile got the impression the mad scientist was smoldering with repressed rage. "Sunny returned sooner than I had expected, but she violated our agreement: she brought someone with her."

  Eile jumped up and sprinted towards the monitor. An unarmed robot moved to intercept her, but Mabuse waved it off.

  "That's the vet we took the cat to." The camera view showed them standing just outside the front entrance. "Her name's Dr. Luasaigh. She probably wouldn't release it unless she came along. She's harmless."

  Mabused looked confused, as if she didn't know how to proceed.

  "Look, you want yer cat, or me?"

  She grimaced, but nodded. She typed a command on the keyboard, and Eile watched as an unarmed robot opened the door and let them in. It then escorted them out of sight of the camera.

  Mabuse glanced at her, a stony expression on her face. "Go back and sit down. If you move again, the armed unit will shoot you."

  Eile didn't doubt her. "Yeah, right." She went back to the stool, and presently the armed robot opened the door. Sunny walked in, holding the cat, as Dr. Luasaigh followed her. Sunny came right up to her, but the vet walked to the middle of the room as Mabuse watched her.

  "Are you okay, partner?"

  "Yeah, for now. I'm just glad you made it."

  Sunny crinkled her eyes and smiled.

  "You would be Dr. Mabuse," the vet said. "I am Joyce Luasaigh, DVM. I am the cat's veterinarian."

  "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Doctor. Now, I would advise you not to interfere. Please go stand beside Eile."

  Dr. Luasaigh nodded. "As you wish." She walked over and stood between Eile and the isolation chamber.

  "Sunny, give me the cat."

  Sunny looked at kitty, who peered out of a fold of the blanket, then turned her attention to Mabuse. "Please. She's too sick. She could die before you learn anything. Let us take her home, and we won't tell anyone what you're doing. We give our word, all of us."

  Eile studied Mabuse, hoping to see a glimmer of sympathy, but her expressionless face indicated that her heart was caste in concrete.

  "Hand it over, now, or I will use your two friends in my other projects, and force you to watch."

  Eile sighed. "It's no use, Sunny, do as she says."

  Her partner gave her a look of anguished pity, but stepped up to the mad scientist and gave her the bundle.

  "Would you like to give me a hand?" Mabuse sounded almost kindly, as if offering a conciliatory gesture to mollify her.

  Sunny flashed an expression of shock and anger. "No."

  Mabuse's own expression didn't change, but her voice returned to a deadpan tone. "Then go sit with your partner and do not interfere."

  Sunny acquiesced as Mabuse opened the isolation chamber and took kitty inside. Eile watched as Mabuse removed the blanket, used an electric trimmer to shave fur off of places on the cat's body, and attached sensor pads connected to wires to her skin. She then placed kitty inside the Plexiglas cage, closed the lid, and came back inside the lab, closing the isolation door behind her. Stepping up to the console, she activated the display screens, and Eile recognized the cat's vital signs. Next she turned on data recorders and activated the microphone and speakers as she placed a hand on the pain dial.

  "I will give you a chance before I begin. Talk to me; say anything, just a few words is all I need. You've witnessed what happened to the others. Don't force me to hurt you. Don't sacrifice yourself needlessly. Talk to me, and I'll return you to Eile and Sunny."

  Kitty lay on her side, too weak to move much less speak, but she managed a soft, plaintive meow.

  "What's this all about?" Dr. Luasaigh asked in a quiet voice.

  "She's a crackbrain," Eile whispered back. "She's got this screwball notion that cats can think like people, that they're the center of some kinda conspiracy that could threaten the human race."

  "You can do better than that," Mabuse said. "Try again; I'll give you one more chance."

  "We've gotta stop her!" Sunny said. "Somehow..."

  "I'm open to suggestions, ya ditz, but with those robots watchin' us I don't see there's anything we can do."

  Kitty meowed again, even more pathetically, as if pleading for her life.

  "If that's the way you want it." She turned the dial. Kitty shrieked and jerked, and began trembling.

  "Talk to me, and I'll stop." She turned the dial more. Kitty started screaming and convulsing, but didn't say a word.

  Mabuse continued to exhort her to speak and kept increasing the pain in small jumps, but kitty refused to speak, or couldn't. Eile didn't want to watch, but she couldn't look away, and even if she did, she couldn't block out the sound of the crying cat. She felt sick with revulsion; she figured she could throw up at any moment. Sunny just stared in paralyzed rapture, while if anything Dr. Luasaigh seemed to grow furious with each moment, except she kept it bottled up inside.

  Mabuse suddenly stopped. She stared at the readings for a few moments, then uttered: "Eureka!"

  "What?!" Sunny said.

  "These brainwave patterns; they're nearly identical to human patterns!"

  "What do you mean?" She stood up.

  "Come, see!"

  Sunny went up to the console before Eile could grab her. "Sunny!"

  But she seemed to ignore her as she stood beside Mabuse. "They started out as a purely feline pattern, but as the pain has gotten worse, they have morphed into a human pattern. Watch!"

  She turned the dial again. Kitty screeched and bucked her entire body.

  "You see that? The pattern is almost entirely human now!"

  "Oh, my fabulous gravy!" Sunny's voice sounded awed and mystified. "You...you may be right!"

  "Sunny, no." Eile recognized that tone from whenever she became fascinated with some idea or experience.
The thought that her beloved partner could find the torture of another living being acceptable for any reason so shocked and disgusted her that she felt sick again.

  "You've never seen that before?" Sunny asked.

  Mabuse shook her head. "Not in any of the other subjects, no." She grasped the microphone. "Yes, that's it, you can do it! I know you can. Talk to me!"

  Kitty lay on her back, gasping for breath, her legs and tail twitching wildly and uncontrollably, like the first cat they saw just before it died, but she still managed to keep up a constant yowling. Then something else emerged from the speakers:

  "Help ... me."

  The voice sounded thin, high-pitched, and with a meowing-like quality, and the words were barely audible.

  "Say that again!" Mabuse cried.

  "Help me." That time it sounded louder.

  "Repeat!"

  "Help me!" It sounded much more urgent, and unmistakable. "Help me, please!"

  Whatever spell that had held Sunny transfixed broke. She turned, a wild look of desperate panic on her face, and she grabbed the mad scientist's sleeve. "Stop it! You have what you want. You've proven you theory. Stop it, now!"

  Mabuse tried to shake her off. "No, I need more! I must have absolute proof!"

  She reached for the pain dial, but Sunny clutched her arm and tried to pull her away.

  "Let go of me!" She pulled her free hand away from the dial and grappled with Sunny, to make her release her. "Units, defend!"

  The unarmed robot that had been keeping an eye on Eile and Dr. Luasaigh turned and made for the struggling women. As soon as its back faced them, the vet confronted the armed robot, throwing out an arm with the hand balled into a fist. Eile saw a bright sphere of light flare and engulf the fist. As the robot raised its rifle, a blinding beam of light shot away from the globe and slammed into the automaton's chest. It didn't burn through, but struck like a battering ram, throwing the robot against the wall and shattering it into dozens of pieces. The robot that had stepped away from them spun around and made to attack, but she threw out her other arm, and another beam of light smashed through its chest, breaking it apart.

  Dr. Luasaigh paused long enough to glance at Eile. "Go!"

  Eile jumped off the stool, picked it up by the legs, and ran at Mabuse, but at the last minute she veered right. She raised the stool over her head and brought the seat down on the console, targeting the pain dial. A shower of sparks exploded, she heard circuits pop and wires crackle, then the whole panel shorted out with a sharp snap like a bolt of lightning striking a lightning rod.

  "Units, restrain them!" Mabuse said as flames erupted from inside the console. She and Sunny suspended their wrestling match and fled the damage. The other two robots advanced towards them, but Dr. Luasaigh took both of them out at the same time. Eile smashed the stool on the next console, and it too exploded into flames.

  "Stop it!" Mabuse shrilled. "You don't know what you're doing!"

  "Oh, yeah?!" Sunny grabbed a stool of her own and hammered at the last console. Eile joined in as three more robots filed into the room. Dr. Luasaigh destroyed all of them with one shot.

  The third console erupted, and immediately a klaxon rang, sounding an alarm. Mabuse pushed them both out of the way and approached as close as the fires would permit. Despite the destruction a few displays still worked, and shielding her face with her arms she examined the readings.

  "God damn it! You've triggered a positive feedback loop in the power relays! It's building towards an explosion!"

  Eile and Sunny retreated from the blazing consoles, but Eile saw the fire burst through wall and floor panels as it spread along the wiring.

  "What can we do?!" Sunny squealed.

  Mabuse hurried over to the isolation door, but she opened a panel box and lifted the armature of a knife switch up into the closed position. She jumped back seconds before the locked exploded. The robot inside the chamber pulled the door open and came out, but it ignored everyone except Mabuse.

  Mabuse looked at them, her face its normal expressionless mask of cement. "Release the cats and get them out. Hurry! Unit, attend!"

  Eile glanced at Sunny, who nodded with a determined look on her face. They dropped the stools and raced inside, and as Sunny carefully removed kitty from the box, Eile opened each cage. Once free, the cats jumped to the floor and ran into the outer lab. Eile helped Sunny remove the sensors and wrap the cat in the blanket. She was unconscious, but her breathing and beating heart indicated she was still alive.

  They followed the cats out, and found them congregated around the feet of the vet. The robot worked what few controls on the consoles still worked, oblivious to the holocaust even as the flames melted its skin, while Mabuse tried to keep the fire under control with an extinguisher. Eile rushed over to Dr. Luasaigh, but Sunny hesitated behind the mad scientist.

  "Come on! We've gotta leave, now!"

  Mabuse paused and looked at her. It seemed to Eile her expression displayed maternal concern and pride.

  "No, I have to retrieve my data. I must salvage something of this project. All of you, get out while you can. I've opened an emergency exit beside the elevator that will take you to the surface, but you must leave now, before the generators blow." She then returned to fighting the fire.

  Eile grabbed Sunny's arm and tried to pull her away. She resisted at first, still concerned for Mabuse's safety, but finally she turned around, and together they followed Dr. Luasaigh out into the corridor. After clambering over the ruined robots they ran towards an open door in an alcove on the left side of the lift door. Inside they discovered a spiral staircase. The cats raced up the steps as they followed and the vet brought up the rear. To Eile it seemed to take forever to reach the top, and soon she heard multiple muffled explosions from far below that nonetheless shook the building.

  They finally emerged inside the factory. They hesitated when they spotted the armed robot standing nearby, but it didn't move, and they ran past it. They followed the illuminated path as the building continued to periodically shake, finally reaching the warehouse where the car sat. They ran through the office and out into the parking lot, and once in the open the cats scattered in all directions. Dr. Luasaigh raced towards a van that sat on the street as Eile followed with Sunny. They reached it in short order, and almost as soon as they did, numerous small explosions erupted out of the ground, demolishing the factory and its immediate surroundings. It collapsed in on itself and sank, disappearing into a hole in the earth.

  Medb stood beside the cab and looked down at the driver. "It would appear that I arrived too late."

  The cabbie winked. "Yoos can't win 'em all."

  "Ach, of course not. Still, it appears that Team Girl escaped without mishap. I will visit them tonight. I imagine they will have a very interesting story." She turned to walk away.

  "Hey! What about my bonus?"

  She paused, and regarded her over her shoulder. "Since I was unable to capture Mabuse, nor can I verify she was even here, you have not earned it. However, in compensation, and recognition of your loyalty, I would appreciate it if you would help me keep an eye on the Girls, especially inform me of their movements. For that I will pay you a monthly stipend. As for your fare today, you may add a generous tip when you bill me. Just do not make it too generous." She then stepped away, and vanished from sight.

  The cabbie chuckled as she shut off her meter and recorded the total on her tally sheet. "Don't worry, it'll be just generous enough."

  After a few minutes all became quiet, while all that was left of the factory and Mabuse's lab was a column of thick black smoke rising out of the ground. They stared at the tableau for some moments, until Dr. Luasaigh suggested they leave before the authorities arrived.

  Once they were inside the van she drove back towards her clinic.

  "Will kitty be alright?" Sunny asked.

  "I dare say she will be. I'll check her out when we arrive, and I'd like to keep her for few days, just to make sure she's okay, but
I think she'll make a full recovery."

  "Thank goodness."

  Eile felt glad, too. She had grown quite fond of kitty over the course of their adventure, but there were some aspects that mystified her. "Hey, Doc--"

  "Call me Joyce, please."

  "Um, okay, Joyce. We don't wanna sound ungrateful, 'cause we really appreciate you helpin' us out back there and all, but--"

  "How did I destroy those robots?"

  "Yeah, that."

  "Well, you may find this hard to believe--"

  "Right now I think we'd believe just about anything!" Sunny said.

  "Very well. I am a high priestess of Bast, the first in over a thousand years."

  Eile glanced at Sunny, and her partner flashed a skeptical look that nonetheless suggested she didn't entirely doubt it.

  "You mean, the Egyptian cat goddess?" Eile said.

  "Essentially, yes. You see, I channel the power and will of the Great Mother, but I retain my own human personality."

  "Huh. After what we saw, we can't really dispute that, can we?" Sunny shook her head.

  "I understand. I took a calculated risk. Not knowing anything about you two, I didn't know if I could trust you, but I decided to take a chance."

  "Whaddya mean?"

  "No one must know what I am, not even Medb hErenn. So I must ask you girls to keep this a secret for now."

  "Why can't Mayv know?"

  Joyce looked uncomfortable. "It's...complicated. Suffice to say, this is on a need to know basis, and she doesn't need to know."

  "Fair enough."

  "Just one thing first," Sunny said. "Was Mabuse right? Are cats self-aware beings, like people?"

  "Sunny--"

  "No, it's all right. I suppose under the circumstances you have a right to know. The answer is yes, but this too must be kept secret. Furthermore, no cat will ever reveal this secret to any human, not even you two. They would die first. Even kitty must keep the secret, or face the wrath of her own kind."

  "Thennnnnn, why did she speak?"

  "Yeah. And for that matter, what about Mabuse's recordings? Would they be enough ta let the cat outta the bag?"

  Sunny giggled, and Eile shot her a peeved look.

  "You know what I mean, ya butthead."

  "Kitty said nothing, and there are no recordings. I made all of you see and hear what I wanted. Assuming she is even still alive, if Mabuse was able to salvage her data, which I doubt, all she will have are recordings of normal feline brainwaves and a cat howling in agony, nothing more."

  Eile chuckled. "Good one, Joyce. And I suppose we can't tell Medb about this either."

  The vet smiled. "Actually, she already knows. She had been initiated in the Central Mysteries of the Bast cult millennia ago, and she can speak both the Common and Sacred feline tongues. Still, I wouldn't say anything. She must keep the secret as well, and it would be dangerous for you to tell even her, in case someone else may overhear."

  "But Mabuse still knows," Sunny pressed, "even if she can't prove it."

  "Knowledge of the secret itself is not a sin, only telling others about it. As long as she says nothing she will be safe, though her life may be forfeit because of the feline lives she has snuffed out in pursuit of that knowledge."

  "Forfeit!?" Sunny squeaked. "As in, killing?"

  "Yes. Cats guard their privacy jealously, and they are quick to punish any transgression, even with death. That's why it's imperative that you say nothing about this to anyone. Even I cannot protect you if you are indiscrete."

  "Okay, we get the picture!" Eile said. "We swear, we won't tell anyone anything about what we know."

  "And we won't treat kitty any differently from a normal cat. Uh, I mean ... uh ..."

  "Never mind, I understand, and thank you."

  They continued on in silence for some distance, when Eile said, "So, what're we gonna owe ya for yer services, when kitty's better?"

  "It's on the house. In gratitude for your inestimable service to felinekind."

  "Hey, thanks!" That at least was welcome news, but then she got an idea. "Still, we really should pay you somethin'. I run a web and graphic design business outta our home. I can do a website, a newsletter, brochures, business cards, ad campaigns, whatever you need, as a one-time project free of charge. Once that's done, we can negotiate an optimization and maintenance package, plus any new stuff you might want in the future."

  Joyce shot her a startled expression, but then smiled. "I've wanted to do something like that for some time now, but I haven't been able to afford it. Thank you; I accept."

  Good, 'cause hopefully it'll generate more work from yer patients' owners as well.

  "What'll happen to kitty?" Sunny asked. "After she's better I mean. You wouldn't send her to a shelter, would you?"

  "No. If she wishes, she can stay in my clinic. Otherwise, once she's healthy enough, she can go where she wants. But until then she will need a lot of love and care."

  "Couldn't we adopt here?" She looked at Eile with sad, soulful, puppy dog eyes.

  "Of course we can, ya ditz. But would she wanna stay with us?"

  "That would be her decision," Joyce said, "but you have three things in your favor. The first is that she must live as a pet or a stray to keep the secret, and it would be better for her to be a pet. Second, you saved her life, and she will be grateful. Third, she was willing to sacrifice her life to keep Eile out of danger, so I imagine she is already fond of you two."

  Sunny perked up and flashed a mischievous grin. "I knew it! I thought you two were talking about that."

  "Yes, indeed."

  "Talking?" Eile asked.

  "I'll tell you later, partner. Meanwhile, we need a name for this sweet girl. Um, does she already have a name?"

  "That's a tricky subject, but considering how much you know already, I see no harm in explaining it, but not right now. Besides, if you call her by her feline name, you would technically be violating your promise."

  "Oh, right!"

  "So give her a pet name, like you would if she were just a normal cat."

  "Hmm." Sunny examined one of kitty's white paws. "I know! How about Snowshoe Kitty?"

  "That's not very imaginative, ya ditz."

  "No," Joyce said, "believe me, it's quite appropriate. She could never express it, but I believe she will be honored by that name."

  Eile smirked in disbelief, but she reached out and scratched the cat behind the ears. "Then Snowshoe Kitty it is."

  Sunny laughed. "Welcome to Team Girl, Kitty!"

  +++

  For more information on Eile and Sunny, Team Girl, see the official site [https://www.teamgirlforever.com/].

  Back to TOC

  +++

  Biography of Snowshoe Kitty