“She’s real beautiful,” said the soft feminine voice.
“She’s also deadly.”
“Deadly?”
“Yeah- that freakish thing managed to half kill a guard the other day.”
“Let me guess: Thompson.”
“How’d you know?”
“Because he borderline brutalizes anything he comes across that isn’t human. I’m surprised more of the exhibits haven’t gone after him yet.”
“You don’t like him much, do you?”
“Does anyone?”
“You've got a point.”
The guards were looking at the steel and reinforced bulletproof glass enclosure, designed to mimic a quarter-acre of deep jungle. Within it stalked what any anime fan would gladly term a ‘cat girl.’ Pacing on all fours, she was easy four feet tall; standing, she’d be just over seven feet. There was mild muscle definition all over her body, she might have been sleek and slender, but there was definitely power behind those limbs. Thompson had raised bruises and a pair of welts on her before the cat girl had finally had enough and pounced on him, landing blows hard and fast before a second guard could run in with a cattle prod. Even that had almost not worked. She limped now, slightly, though the limp was fading with the bruises. She had a pelt the color of snow, and eyes like lightning-toned gemstones that hinted at intelligence equal to anyone that watched her. She was hiding in the ‘jungle’ now, near a small cave, blue eyes peering out from among the foliage.
The guards, Samuel and Dana, were watching the pen carefully, Sam with feigned interest, Dana with the real thing. Both had second jobs; Sam worked as a bartender at night, and Dana was a surrogate mother. Dana was well into her ninth month and due to birth twins in two weeks. She looked radiant.
“Someone’s got to go on there and collect the scraps from that thing’s dinner,” Sam said.
Dana, though curious about this strange deviation from what was normally accepted as ‘nature’, shook her head, “No way.”
“I did it earlier, so it’s your turn now.”
“Flip you for it.”
“Deal, call it in the air.” Sam produced a coin from his pocket and held it out. After a moment, he flicked it, the tiny disc of metal spinning rapidly.
“Heads,” Dana said. The coin landed a moment later, and Sam peered at it, and then held it out for inspection.
“Tails, I win. Grab a bucket and hope that thing’s not hungry.”
“Lazy men, making a pregnant girl do all the work.”
“Dana, quit stalling and get in there!”
Sam swatted Dana’s rear as she waddled into the enclosure, the door closing and latching behind her. She headed into the trees, stopping a moment later. Crickets chirped, birds sang and fluttered from tree to tree.
She tripped on a root and fell down, yelping inadvertently in pain. There was a sense of something moving impossibly fast, and then she heard the door open.
“Dana! Are you all right?!”
‘Oh, sure,’ she thought, ‘NOW he cares what the hell happens to me. I saw the way this… thing was eyeing Thompson. It wanted HIM for breakfast, not the steaks he was bringing in. I probably look extra delicious, being as big as I am.’
“I’m all right, Sam, I just tripped.” She called out, rolling onto her side and getting to her feet slowly.
“If you’re all right now, you might not be. That thing’s right behind you!”
