Lorraine, Dr. Lawrence, and I were walking down the halls of the CDC hospital. CDC employees were moving in and out of patient rooms with armed guards stationed throughout the building. In every patient room was a hybrid, either lying in bed or staring out the window. They were all dressed in bleach-white clothes. They appeared well-fed and well taken care of, but seeing them, there was still a knot in my stomach. They were miserable.
"They don't belong here," I said.
"This is the only place where we can safely monitor them and keep them isolated from the public," said Dr. Lawrence.
"But they can't live like this. They need access to the outside, they need stimulation, they need care and love. They look like adults but they still have their animal personalities. You met my girls, they're like kids. They don't have the fortitude to live in such sterile conditions. At least when these people were zoo animals, they had some kind of natural home. You talked about putting my girls and I in a facility where we can be observed, but I'm not going to put them in a place like this."
"Considering that all this here is your doing, I wish you could be a little more appreciative as to the work we've put in. We're trying to figure out and understand the cluster-fuck you left us!"
"Look, they at least need some toys or something," said Lorraine. "They aren't lab rats to be kept in a cage or prisoners to be locked up."
"Wait, stop!"
A man's voice drew our attention and we all turned back to see a doctor at the end of the hall and a young woman running towards us. I recognized her, dirty-blonde hair with the largest ears I have ever seen, and short, but with wide eyes. She stopped in front of me, the fennec fox I had transformed, Lola. We both stared at each other, unsure of what to say. She slowly raised her hand, as if to wave to me, and I mirrored the act, pressing my palm against hers. The last time I saw her, we had been just like this, but with a pane of glass between us.
"You're the man from before," she murmured. "I wanted to see you again."
"And I wanted to see you too, every minute of every day."
She then leaned in and hugged me, her face buried in my chest. "Master!" she whimpered.
I embraced her, as if trying to shield her from the world and keep her safe in the sanctity of my arms. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I wasn't there when you needed me. I'm sorry I forced this life on you. I never stopped thinking about you."
I glanced at Dr. Lawrence, and the look on his face told me he now understood what I had been talking about. Next to him, Lorraine was wiping away tears as if watching a sad movie. "That is just so sweet!" she squeaked.
"I don't like it here," Lola said.
"I know you don't, but there is a big house being made ready for all of us so that we can live together. It'll have lots of space both inside and outside, and while it's being prepared, I'm going to do what I can to make this place more comfortable for you."
With Lola's hand held in mine, I moved through the hospital, meeting each and every hybrid I had created, while Dr. Lawrence took Lorraine to do the same. This was my second time seeing them, but for many of them, this was their first time meeting me, yet they all seemed to recognize me as soon as I entered the room. They could tell I was their Master as if with some sixth sense. Those who had seen me at the zoo once they transformed were happier than the others, as they had evidently been waiting for me to come back. Those who were seeing me for the first time had more of an "ah ha" moment, as if meeting me had finally answered some question they had been mulling over or scratched an itch in the back of their mind.
Armed guards were stationed throughout the hospital, but most often around hybrids who were aggressive or dangerous, like the alligators. Apparently, they were known to lash out at anyone who tried to perform any tests.
The most guards I found stationed in front of the lioness's room, Neija. I flashed the guards the card that Dr. Lawrence had given me and they let me in. The shades of the hallway windows were all drawn and for obvious reason. Standing by the window was Neija, stark naked. All the other hybrids wore the clothes given to her, but she had torn them to shreds. She was just as gorgeous as I remember, with skin like bronze and a figure radiating both strength and sexuality. She had the legs of a sprinter, the ass of a volleyball player, the stomach of a swimmer, and the chest of a porn star.
"Neija," I said.
She turned to me with a look of bored annoyance, but when our eyes met, she stiffened. I could see it, her brain making the connection by the power of an instinct she didn't understand. She knew who I was, she knew of our bond. We stepped towards each other, her eyes wide as dinner plates. Stinging pain, it came in an instant, the result of her slapping me across the face and slashing me with her nails. I have a garbled hiss of pain and staggered back, covering my bleeding cheek.
"Get out, bastard," she cursed.
"Wait, Neija, I'm the oneβ"
"You're the one that made me this way, I know. Did you expect me to kiss you? To be so happy that I would throw myself at you? Where have you been? You turned me into this and then you abandoned me, you abandoned all of us. Now you think you can just walk right in and expect us to nuzzle your hand like obedient pets?"
The harshness of her voice and the guilt they invoked hurt more than the cuts on my cheek. Like Betty, she was much more mature and intelligent than the others. She had only seen me once before, yet she knew who I was and hated me for it. "I'm sorry, for everything. I didn't have a choice. I needed the world to see what was happening so I could get help. I had to do something public, something big, so that it couldn't just be covered up."
"So what am I, just the means to an end? You created me so I could make your life more convenient?"
"I created you to make sure that your kind would be kept safe."
"My kind?! This is not what I'm supposed to be! You decided to turn me into this!"
"You're right, I turned you into a person, but that means you can now live as a person. The world can't simply ignore this, ignore us. I'm sorry I dragged you into this, but I am going to take responsibility. I'll do whatever I can to protect you and make you happy."
"Live as a person? All that's changed is that I have a new cage."
"There is a home being made for us where we can live together."
"What makes you think I'd want to live with you?"
"Because I love you!" The words came out before I could stop them. I don't know why I said them, maybe just a pathetic attempt to alleviate my guilt, but it made her freeze. "Not one minute went by that I didn't think about you, worry about you. I loved you from the moment I saw you, I knew that I would do anything to keep you safe and happy. I made each of you what you are and I will love you until the day I die."
She turned around and returned to the window. "Get out," she said, keeping her back to me.
"Neija..."
She turned around, eyes filled with fury. "Get out! And don't ever say my name. You don't get to act like you know me."
I had done all I could, nothing I could say would extinguish her anger. I left the room, leaving her to simmer.