Dang! Just when I was hoping on getting something to eat, here comes The Government. I mean, really. I would like to think of myself as being patriotic, but only to a point, and the point has been getting rather fine these days.
"Hello," said one of the agents, "I'm agent Jackson."
He motioned to the other men, "This is agent Johnson." Nod.
"Agent Hooks." Nod.
"We're from the government, and we're here to help you." He sounded rather sincere.
Yeah, right. Yessir! I believe you!
"Hello sirs," I replied. Growowowowwwllllll
They all looked at each other. "Is there something wrong, here?" Jackson asked.
"No," I started, "It's ju-"
"It's just that we, "Dr. Taggart broke in, "were going to go and get something to eat."
The MD asked in wide-eyed innocence, "Please feel free to accompany us."
The agents looked at each other again and nodded.
"Ok, " Jackson stated, "Agent Hooks will go and secure the area."
With that Hooks started off down the hallway.
"Just don't kill anybody!" I jokingly called down.
The two agents looked grim.
"A-heh, heh." Uh oh. So much for jokes. This could get ugly.
As we walked, I started limping a little, it seems that my escape earlier, not to mention walking miles on hard, stone surfaces has left my hooves a little sore.
The others noticed it right away. "I'm ok," I said, "The pounding of my feet on the concrete and asphalt made them a little sore."
"That must be from your run-in with the gang members," Johnson said.
How did they know that? I was starting to feel a little more nervous, so I started to talk to Dr. Taggart, "Well, Doctor, I would like to thank you and Nurse Barbara for helping me."
He looked up at me, "Sure, Mavra," He smiled, "That is what I am here for. I want to help people."
"Just the same, thank you." I added, "I just wanted you to know that what you've done for me will help to carry me over whatever else comes next."
"What?" He asked quizically, "What do you mean."
"Nothing, just that. And thank you."
Now that I wasn't in a situation that had me constantly stressed out, I noticed that my voice was a bit higher, although rather husky. No doubt due to a second pair of lungs and a long windpipe. It just seemed to hit home rather suddenly.
As we walked through the cafeteria doors (I had to duck, how tall was I? At least seven feet.), all of us saw that the cafeteria was empty, except for Agent Hooks and a lone worker. Yup, sure want to cut down unneeded contact!
The Doctor walked over to the food lineup, "How about some jello, Mavra?"
I looked at the quivering mounds of multicolored cubes, "Uh, isn't that made from cow hooves?" I asked.
"Yes, but I don't oh. . ." He realized, "I'm sorry, forgot. Hospitals, jello, y'know."
"S' okay," I reassured him. "I'll just go and get something I'm pretty sure about."
With that said, I clomped over to the salad bar and picked up a serving bowl of salad. The worker just stared at me in disbelief.
"Excuse me," I said to her, "Do you have any 1000-island dressing?"
She just stared, looked down, and offered the nearest bottle.
"Thank you." I said as I clomped back over to the table where the remain agents and medicos were. They were seated, I just sat on my haunches. Even then I was a bit too tall for the table. Then I started eating, and eating, and eating! and eating!! Long since past when I normally would be gut-busting full, I was felt like I was just starting! I went back for two more whole serving bowls of salad, along with two bowls of fruit. I guess three months gone and turning 'Taur does that. After consuming the fruit, I finished off the last of the salad. The others were long since done.
I started to feel sleepy so I asked, "What time is it?" Since this whole business started, I never really knew.
"About 2:20 am." Replied agent Johnson.
"Oh, thank you, " I yawned, "I'm feeling rather tired. Must be from all of the excitement. I think that . . . . ." I never finished, for I suddenly lost conciousness. The last fleeting bits I heard were some startled shouts, yelling, and some more shouts.
* * *
I was cold. The water in the bathtub must've cooled off. I'll just turn on the faucet and get this tub steamin! I opened my eyes and saw that I wasn't in the tub. I wasn't home. I wasn't in the light either. I was in a dim twilight, with light coming down from a crack in the ceiling twenty feet above me. I was a centaur, and I was in chains. At least I still had my t-shirt. My hands were bound, but I was still able to get up easily (I'm still amazed how I do that!), but the motion brought the sounds of chains to life. All four of my ankles had manacles about them, like larger versions of my wrists'. The chains led off in different directions, except my hands which were chained to a nearby concrete pylon. I knew that I was in a serious situation, but I couldn't help but start getting silly. Life hasn't been to straight with me lately, so I started clanking my chains and uttering famous movie lines like:
"I am not an animal! I am a human being!" Or I was at least.
"Sanctuary! Sanctuary! The bells! The bells!"
No response. Hmph. After all this trouble I've gone through and no response.
With a few testing tugs, I gauged the strength of the hand chains. Then with all of the effort I could muster, I yanked as hard as I could against my wrist bonds. They all but popped out of the pylon. Unfortunately, I was struck in the head by the whiplash effect.
"Oooww!" I cried, rubbing the my sore forehead, but still no response from the outside.
With a four more encore performances, five more welts, and three curses, I was free. And jingling all along the way. I walked around apparently a large concrete room, with only a large set of wooden double doors as an exit. I examined the door. It was a strong steel-banded thing with rivets through it. So mustering up all my courage, I turned and removed the pins from the hinges of one of the doors and angrily pulled it down and smashed it. It felt good to finally be blowing off some steam. But as I pulled it down, a brilliant shaft of light shone through the opening, blinding my dark-adapted eyes. As I slowly walked through to newly-opened portal, I saw an agent (Hooks?) standing, phalanxed by five men a side, each holding what looked like cattle prods.
"Congradulations," He said, "You've successfully completed the basic strength and intelligence test."
"Goody," I sarcastically answered, "Does that mean I'm a Jedi Knight now?"
"Oh, no." He replied, "This is only just the beginning."
"Hmph." I started, "So why did you drug me? I had nowhere else to go. Why didn't you ask?"
I didn't really expect him to believe that, even though Mom (my own mother!) had turned me out.
"I hardly expected cooperation from such as you."
Such as me? Bigotry already?
"So where was it?" I realized and snapped my fingers, "Ah, the dressing."
"Yes," He said rather smugly, "It is a sweet barbituate that has been known to work rather well on horses."
Continuing, "It was a simple matter to add it to the dressing, which was already sweetened." One more smarmy crack, "Horses really seem to go for it. But now is the time for you to be put through your paces. Get her."
"Oh no you don't!" I exclaimed and made a failed attempt to break through the blockade.
I was able to tag three of the cattleprodders with the chains, but the remaining seven were all over me with those prods. I can honestly say that I discovered a new level of pain that day. If those stun-guns are anything like cattle prods, I can personally vouch for their pain inflicting potential.
I was moved into another area, this one much more secure, and then for the next innumerable weeks, put through the most dehumanizing(?), decentaurizing, de-whatever-you-want-to-call-it tests, experiments, more tests, and more experiments. I do not want to go further into it than this. It was that bad. The only good (hah! good!) thing that came from this was that I learned what my limits were. I basically ate only plant matter, with the occasional ultra-lean meat, could run 30 mph with sprints up to 40, and my upper body strength was about five times that of what my normal would be. That and the hard rubber shoes I was issued.
I felt like things were coming to a head when I overheard some guards talking in the distance. Most of the conversation was incoherent, but I distinctly heard the phrase "breeding project."
SAY WHAT!!??
On what was to be my last day, a group of 16 men (I've gotten little more dangerous by then) with prods were moving me out of the area I've been in for weeks. It was late in the day, with the sun nearing the horizon. Agent Hooks was leading my entourage towards the direction of the setting sun. I didn't say or do anything, for I knew it would get me nothing but the business end of a prod. There just wasn't any way out that I could see. As we moved along, I suddenly recognized where we were. All this time I was being held at the Washington Park Zoo! It was in the new elephant area that was being constructed where I spent most of my time! As we walked towards the front gate, I saw a group of figures outlined by the sunlight. Someone in the group called out. A male voice.
"Where do you think you're going, kidnappers?"
Agent Hooks chuckled, "We are going about our Federal-mandated business, out of the way."
"That isn't going to happen." Was the reply.
"And just who are you calling kidnappers?" Hooks motioned around, "Only humans can be kidnapped, do you see anybody beding kidnapped?"
"No, " said the voice, "But I do see you pushing around a centaur that doesn't want to go with you. Do you, Mavra? Or should I use your previous name?"
Who the heck were these people? The figures spread out. More people came out, and more, and more! and more!! There were police officers with them too! At least a third of them wore uniforms!
"Police!" Said a different voice, one with authority, "Drop you weapons! Mavra, or whatever your name is, come over here!"
I started over and saw familiar faces, that of family! Friends! Families of friends! I was in a state of near shock. How, why? The one figure that had called out before came towards me; it was Dr. Taggart! He smiled at me.
"You didn't say you had such a large family," he jokingly admonished me, "You should have said something."
"I - I didn't want to get them involved." I stammered.
As more people that I knew and loved came around me, some patting me on my side, one special person came up to me. Tears were starting to form on all fronts.
"And you didn't say that some of them could be so stubborn." Dr. Taggart added.
Mom! My mother came up to me, recognized me through my change, didn't say anything. With her biting her lower lip, failing to hold back her tears, she just reached up to me, I kneeled down to her, she took my head in her hands and kissed my forehead.