Golden Hearts-Chapter 12-The Secret of Claudandus

The TV flickered with Static, and then a male human voice spoke out and said "This Lab is my dream. Pharmarox has compromised on our financial needs." The screen changed to an old laboratory, oddly familiar in some way. Three human men where in the room moving about, turning on machines, getting equipment ready.

"My assistances are Ziebold and Grey. I know that my tissue bonding glue will revolutionize medical science." An older human took a dark grey cat with yellow eyes and gently pet its back first, then laid it down. I then watched with wide eyes as he strapped down the cat to a table. Then, one human being reached back and pulled out a scapula and cut a small slice in the back of the cats head. And then another man handed him a small test tube filled with some sort of chemical.

"The first experiment had failed." The voice said and then dripped some of the chemical onto the wound. I watched in horror as the chemical ate away the flesh, digging deeper into the cats head. The cat twitched violently and the voice spoke out saying "The mixture edged out and made its way through the skull and into the brain." The cat fell still and the voice said "I can only conclude that the malic acid solution must be diluted further."

The screen flickered again to a different point in time to the video and the screen showed two cats, a black and a brown cat tied down to the table again. Both squirming and calling out. The oldest man took a scapula and then first cut a slice again down the back of its head. Then it all repeated again as they dropped one drop of the chemical onto the cat's wound.

Again the same thing happened. The skin burned away, showing us white skull for a moment, before that too started to be burned away by the chemical. The doctors walked away like nothing was happening, although the cat on the table called out in pain, twitching horribly.

"It simply defies logic." The voice said and the screen fizzed up once before it turned to a different point in time. One man held a cat a soft brown one with golden eyes. I was scared for a moment that I would have to watch it over again, but instead the man put the cat on the floor and pets him.

"This morning a scrapping young stray found its way to the lab. We've made him our mascot." The cat took a few paces forward and then the screen jumped ahead in time to where the lab was quiet, darker and the three men gathered around a table.

"So many experiments. So many failures. Now we only have our nameless mascot as a test subject." I watched as the cut just behind the brown cat's shoulder, and then applied the mixture. I got ready to see the gruesome sight again, but this time, it did not happen. The wound banded together and healed!

"A miracle! I applied the mixture and it worked!" The screen flickered to a few seconds ahead in the video and showed the oldest of the men, the one doing most of the experiments, placing the brown cat back in his cage.

"It seems that our stray preformed an incalculable service in medical science." I then watched as they closed the door and placed a name tag on the door. When I read it, I could not believe my eyes.

"We have named our successful subject, Claudandus." And with that, the screen flickered again to where Claudandus was now tied to the table once again. The men crowded around him.

"We had to perform a dissection on Claudandus. Some factor in his genetic makeup enables him unlike the other subjects to absorb the mixture without ill effects. He must be a mutant." I then watched in horror as they cut Claudandus open, drilled into his skull and preformed other sickening deeds. Oh Claudandus…

The screen flickered once again to a different time just showing the lab and then the voice said "Pharmarox has cut our funding by a third. But I am Professor Preterius! A shortage of experimental animals? No problem…" The screen flickered again to a different section of the lab. And I watched as the other two scientists left the lab.

"Alright. Leave if you wish Doctor Ziebold. Sacrifice! Scientific progress demands sacrifice!" And along hearing those words, the camera moved over to where you could see a corpse of a cat laying on the medical table. A first I thought it was Claudandus, but this cat was black.

Static filled the screen and it change to show Preterius lighting a few candles for light. He talked softly, clearly under the spell of alcohol.

"Thanks to my ingenious breeding program, some of the females have produced kittens! Thus insuring a supply of subjects for the future." The screen changed to where it looked to Claudandus's cage and Preterius called out saying "I wonder if you're still capable of producing offspring Claudandus!" Preterius then banged on the cage, and gave a dry laugh.

"Suddenly I have a vision of a new and entirely unique extraordinary race of cats! A super race!" He babbled on hitting the cage. The screen changed, and somewhere I knew this gruesome and sad tail was coming to an end.

The screen changed to where it showed only the cage of Claudandus. The cat inside was hidden from the shadows. Preterius laughed slightly and said "Yes Claudandus…talk to me!" He then giggled some more and said "Fascinating idea. The animal…eh..." He trailed off bringing back his thoughts and said "Has no sense of humor." I watched as Claudandus walked forward half into the light.

Only half his face showed, slightly growing old, his brown fur glowed in the candle light, and his gold eyes showed hatred and agony deep within. Suddenly the screen started up in static, and continues to show static, but Preterius wasn't done speaking.

The voice went on saying "What did he say? That I should release him from his cage? And face him in hand to hand combat? What's this? I got to save Claudandus?" Enough was enough, and I reached over and pressed a red button on the VCR. The screen went black, and the secrets of the tape were now reviled. I sat back, staring down at my paws feeling guilty and full of sadness for those cats that died at the hands for useless medical testing. And yes, yes Claudandus too.

Suddenly insane laughter filled the room and Francis and I spun around. Out of the open basement window, Kong shoved his way through. He dropped down landing on the dead rat, splattering its blood on the ground. Francis leaped down and I leaped to the side, moving through the cover of the boxes.

Kong laughed and then said "I promised you that we would have a little get together in the not too distant future!" Francis slowly moved to the side, trying to move past Kong and said "I sure love to stay and chat but I got more important things to do." The two cats slowly started to circle each other.

"Well you're going to squeeze me into your busy schedule." Kong said and Francis resorted by saying "Kong, Don't you think we should talk seriously about what's important?" Kong smirked and then said "Excuse me but you got something serious on your mind?" He then laughed.

"I need your help." Francis started and then added "To find the crazy man who is killing all our brothers." Kong laughed and drew closer to Francis. And then said "You already found him Cutie."

"You? But Kong Why?" Francis asked astonished and I gasped slightly leaping up on a box and then another till I towered over the two cats, but neither noticed me.

"Ha! Why?" Kong broke out into laughter and then added "Well, let's just say that like you, they didn't show me respect."

"I'm not saying you're not a tough guy but your motive doesn't seem to convince me." Francis said as he backed up. And Kong boxed him in near the wall and said "Oh well then let's see if I can convince you." Another pair of laughter filled the room and I looked to the basement window and saw Herman and Herman looking down at Francis.

"Is this fair?" Francis asked and his eyes drifted over to mine for a moment and I nodded to him. He looked back to Kong and the large cat bellowed in laughter and said "Fair? Hell no!" Bunching my mussels, I got ready to make the leap.

Suddenly Kong leaped and Francis darted to the side. He leaped up a stack of books to a shelf and disappeared behind a corner. Kong went after him first, and I leaped out of my hiding place and tackled one of the Herman brothers. We tumbled down the pile and I landed carefully on my paws while Herman hit his shoulder hard. His brother leaped down growling at me.

"That hurt!" Herman 1, the one I just attacked said and rose to his paws. I hissed at them and then before they could move forward I darted forward and dashed to the side before swinging around and delivering a sharp blow to Herman 2's head. He leaped back, with his ear starting to bleed. I then launched at the other one battering him, but the other turned on me quickly scratching his claws down my back. I swung around and slammed my front left paw across his muzzle making him go off balanced and topple over.

Suddenly Francis ran past me, just escaping Kong and yelled "Run!" And with that, I swung out at Herman 1 once, and then followed Francis to the open Basement window. Francis took a straight leap up while I jumped to a box, and then out the window.

Outside the rain poured down hard, and lighting flashed, thunder crackled and all I knew what to do was just to run away. Francis dashed across the yard with me hot on his heels and we leaped over a fence, just as we made it over, I heard Kong and the Hermans come out of the basement as well.

We darted across the next lawn, passing by two garages and leaped up onto the wall first, the top of the garage. And onto the next one. Kong was just a yard behind us, keeping pace with everything we did.

We leaped down into the garden below, but I landed on uneven ground and a hard stinging feeling came to my shoulder. But I didn't stop; I rushed forward passing Francis who paused for a moment. A long ally way stretched before us and as I drew near the wall, Herman and Herman were there waiting for me.

Taking a daring leap up, I twisted to the side and knocked both the toms off, but behind the wall lay a pool of water. Twisting in the air I splashed deep into the cold water, but my paw hooked the side of the wall and I pulled myself up. I was panting hard but couldn't stop. Francis leaped the wall, missing the pool of water. He paused for a moment and then grabbed my scruff hauling me out of the water. I nodded my thanks and then we moved swiftly away, just in time to see Kong leap over the fence, and splash down into the water.

A gate lay ahead of us and instead of jumping, Francis and I slipped through the metal bars and into the next garden. My paws felt heavy, and my wet fur was just weighing me down even more. I could not run from them anymore. And as I walked ahead, Francis stopped short and stared down at his paws, a horrified look on his face.

I joined his side and at first I saw nothing, but when light flashed I saw the body of a light blue she-cat lay stretched out, her neck slashed, and her belly sliced open, showing tiny bodies of her unborn kittens. And with a sickening feeling, I recognized this cat as well.

It was Solitaire.