Enter the Hound: The Origin of Inu

Chapter 12: Side-effects

 

            Three weeks after the escape from Genome, Austin and Nadine met with Inu and Frostfire at the local sushi bar for lunch.  They had much to discuss.

            “This is getting out of hand,” Nadine said, nervously drumming her fingers on the table as they waited for their orders.  “I swear my toilet nearly exploded when I took a shower this morning.”

            Frostfire frowned.  “I’m sorry, but what exactly does your toilet have to do with anything?”

            “I was singing in the shower,” Nadine explained.  “Just singing and minding my own business when I heard a rattling sound.  I stopped singing to listen for it, and the rattling stopped.  So I started singing again, and the rattling noise came back.  I poked my head out to see what was going on, singing the whole time, and the lid on the back of the toilet was rattling and clanging.”

            “So don’t sing,” said Austin.

            “You act like that’ll solve everything,” Nadine grumbled.  “Well it won’t.  Just what the heck am I supposed to do now, huh?”

            “You go on as you always have,” Ashley said.  “That’s what my parents always told me.”

            Nadine crossed her arms over her chest and sulked.  “That’s easy for you to say,” she whined.  “You don’t break things when you sing.”

            “Yeah, but you had that problem before you met Dr. Moreau,” said Austin.  Nadine squawked in disdain and punched Austin’s arm as hard as she could.

            “That is not funny!” she yelled.  “How can you joke at a time like this?  Besides, it’s not like you’ve fared any better.”

            Austin shrugged and shifted in his seat, scuffing his hooves on the floor.  From the waist down, Austin resembled a very muscular bull, complete with hooves and tail.  From the waist up, he was the same brawny powerhouse he had always been, save for the horns that were just beginning to protrude from his skull.

            “What’s so bad about it?” he said.  “I never have to buy shoes again.  I can wear button-down shirts that give me an excuse to show off my sexy abs.  I’m stronger than ever, the football team still loves me, and I never have to wear a helmet again.  What can I say, Nadine?  Life is pretty good right now.”

            Nadine’s lip curled in disgust.  “You animal.”

            “Viva ze bool!”

            Having no desire to watch Austin and Nadine argue, and knowing it was too dangerous to try and stop them, Inu turned her attention to Frostfire.

            “How are you holding up?” she asked.

            “Okay, I guess,” he replied with a shrug.  “Some days are better than others.  I’m not leaving behind flaming footprints anymore, but I’ve had to replace my shoes more times than I care to think about.”

            “Maybe you should invest in a pair of flame-proof boots.  There’s a place that does custom jobs...”

            “Way ahead of you.  I went to Hero-Gear and ordered a pair this morning.  Apparently Jack gets a lot of requests for that sort of thing.”

            “I’ve never been there,” Inu confessed, “but I hear he’s amazing.”

            “He’s the best that Skiffytown has to offer,” Frostfire said.

            Inu smiled a bit at the mention of Skiffytown.  It sounded like a wonderful place, full of people just like her and Frostfire.  As it turned out, the diner she and Dr. Pembroke had eaten in was in Skiffytown.  She rather liked the idea of being able to walk around in public without having to hide her ears.  She could be “normal” there...sort of....

            She started to ask Frostfire if he’d ever been to the diner, but then the food came and a brief peace settled over the table.

            “Anyway, what was the deal between you and that Pembroke guy?” Nadine asked as she pored soy sauce into her condiment dish.

            Inu didn’t look up, opting instead to savor the dark, sweet smell of the sauce that was drizzled over her dragon roll.  “He’s my father,” she said, selecting a piece and popping it into her mouth.  “That’s all you need to know, and all I’m going to tell you.”

            Nadine frowned.  “That’s not like you, Ashley-chan.  First the clones, and now your father?  What else aren’t you telling us?”

            “What’s there to tell?” Inu asked.  “Anyway, what does it matter?”

            “Friends don’t keep secrets.”

            “That’s a lie, and you know it.”  Inu locked eyes with Nadine across the table.  “Everyone has secrets, Nadine.  I never withheld anything from you that I thought was important.  I didn’t even know Dr. Pembroke still worked for Genome until the day we went to the facility.”

            “‘Still’ worked?  So you knew that he was involved with those horrible experiments?”

            Austin place a hand on Nadine’s arm, but she slapped it away.  Her eyes were hard and cold, her voice accusatory.  Ice clinked against the sides of the glasses as the table began to tremble.

            “It’s not what you think,” Inu said.  “He wasn’t respon--“

            ”He helped that nut-job turn us into...into...”

            “Into what, Nadine?  Freaks?”

            “Yes!”

            All the water glasses broke, sending shards of glass flying into their food.  So much for lunch.  Silence fell over the restaurant as people turned to see what had broken; then the whispered started as customers and staff alike began to point and stare.

            Inu remained eerily calm, her eyes never leaving Nadine’s.  “And just where, pray tell, do you think these ears of mine came from?” she asked, her voice low and even.  “I got them honestly, Nadine.  Both of my biological parents were victims, too.  She escaped, but he stayed behind in case the experiments started again.  He may have needed a kick in the teeth to get in the game, but he’s the reason you’re standing here, so show some respect.  If anyone’s gonna talk bad about ‘im, it’s gonna be me.”

            Having spoken her mind, Inu rose from her seat and placed enough money to cover her meal and the tip.  Frostfire did the same and held his arm out to Inu, who took it and followed him out of the sushi bar.  Austin lingered a bit, gazing at Nadine and shaking his head.

            “You need to calm down, Nadine,” he said as he fished out his wallet.  “You aren’t the only victim here.  You think you have it rough?  Remember the blonde chick?”

            “Kittie,” she said softly, tried to avoid Austin’s gaze.  “Her name was Kittie.”

            “More like Polekittie now,” said Austin.  “Half-girl, half-skunk.  Nope, I wouldn’t trade places with her for the world.  Walt got off okay, but...”

            “The big guy?”

            Austin nodded.  “Yeah.  We got to talking in the tunnels.  Nice guy, loves to hunt.  I talked to him the other day.  His vision is off the charts.  He can’t wait to go hunting again.  But anyway, remember that couple making out in the waiting room?”

            “Jack and Jill.”

            Austin nodded.  “I don’t know about him, but I saw her in town the other day, and she was sporting a santa hat and a little cottontail in back.  I don’t know about you, but somehow I don’t think those have anything to do with Christmas or Playboy.”

            “Female rabbits ovulate every time they become sexually aroused,” Nadine said.  Her voice was soft and flat.  She turned her head toward Austin, smiling vacantly.  “Did you know that?”

            Austin shook his head.  The distant look in Nadine’s eyes was unnerving.

            “I hope she’s using protection,” Nadine continued.

            Austin nodded.  “Yeah, me too.”

            Standing, Austin placed his money on the table and waited for Nadine to join him.  She just sat there, staring at nothing.  Austin sighed.

            “Are you going to be alright?” he asked.

            Nadine nodded.

            “Do you want me to wait for you?”

            Nadine shook her head.

            “If two trains leave different stations at the same time traveling at top speed on a collision course with each other, and train x is faster than train y by 3/10 of a second, what time will Superman have to leave the Fortress of Solitude in order to stop the trains from colliding in order to be back in Metropolis before the next major crime takes place?”

            Nadine nodded.

            Austin frowned.  “Okay, that’s it.  I’m taking you home.”  He reached his hand out and touched Nadine’s shoulder, only to be knocked to the floor by the force of a sonic shriek.

            “What the hell was that?” he asked when he managed to pick himself up again.

            “G above high C,” Nadine answered.  She blinked and stood, leaving her money on the table as if nothing had happened.  “Are you coming?”