Chapter 2 The Mad Scientist

An excerpt from The White Lion Unicorn Series Book 1: A Colony of Tiny Nekos

He was a scientist. He knew that. Why wasn’t he recognized by the others as one? He shook his head. He was a genius. That he also knew. He was the best scientist around. The best one on Platinum, but he wasn’t allowed to work in any lab, but his own.

No matter. He continued his experiments. He was human. Better than any elf or fairy who had ever existed. He was the one who knew genetic engineering better than anyone else in the world. Perhaps as well in the whole universe. So why had the Guardians always thwarted his experiments? The results were good. The crops were great and people didn’t go hungry.

But people had gotten fat and unhealthy. They were miserable and the doctors couldn’t help them get better. The biotech engineer never knew all the results of his experiments. He had no idea that hunger was still a problem in the world. He had never understood all the reasons behind hunger.

He had never seen the long lines of people trying to get food for themselves and their families. He never realized what it was like to be poor. To not have your basic needs meet. He had never gone hungry for any reason at all. Yet, he had the answers for everyone else.

He reflected on his latest creations. He had discovered to how create human and animal hybrids. He was quite proud of himself. They were quite stable as well. But it wasn’t enough. More recently he experimented with the hybrids and created tinier versions. They were cute. Perhaps too cute for his tastes.

He kept at it and soon had a whole colony he controlled and hid from the world. He had to. He wasn’t about to let the Guardians discover his latest project. He knew they would just love to stop him one more time. What was it with those Guardians? Couldn’t they just leave people be? They claimed they were for equal rights. What about his right to work and do what he was inclined to do? Wasn’t that one of their basic tenants?

Sure it was. They were just a bunch of hypocrites. Still there was one thing which haunted him about his latest project. One of the tiny nekos had gone missing. He remembered the little one quite well. Too well. He was the size of a kitten from a house cat. His skin was very pale. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. His ears, tail, and feet paws were all black. He had hands and walked upright as the other nekos did.

What had happened to that one? He shook his head. There was something wrong with that one as he recalled. Something which made it hard to keep track of the little kitten. The biotech engineer knew he made sure to make all the nekos docile and dependent. But what had gone wrong with that particular neko?

Did the tiny neko know his mother had just died and then wandered off on his own? It was possible. Why did the mother die? Oh, right, perhaps the scientist had been too rough on her. No matter. He had to find out what had happened to that neko.

If that particular neko had gotten lose into the world, there was no telling what would happen. But perhaps if he could remember when he had last seen the tiny neko, he could figure out if the creature was still alive. The scientist smiled. Yes, it was possible he could have died and his body decomposed beyond any recognition.

It was something. He looked around his lab and looked for clues. He had his memory and it was still good. He remembered a few more details. That particular neko had an older sister who was still in the colony. He smiled. Yes, he would find the tiny neko. Dead or alive. He would take care of the whole thing. One tiny neko wasn’t going to ruin his life’s work.

It was his right to work after all. He could do as he pleased with the colony. He had created them. Ergo they were his property. And he wanted that one piece which had wandered off and disappeared. How long had it been? No matter. It was just a matter of time before he found out where that one had gone.

He laughed.

Just on the other side of the lab, a tiny neko named Claira Jaen was leaning with an ear pressed against the door. The laugh made her cringe. She had heard Him talking to himself again. She knew He was talking about her brother. She knew how her mother had died. The little neko wanted nothing more than to take Him out.

But she didn’t know how. She was just a tiny neko trapped in the colony with the others. She didn’t know much of anything about the outside world. She remembered her brother. She remembered the day he had wandered off. She had followed and watched him. She was too big to follow him through the hole in the fence.

But then something wonderful had happened to him. An elf had picked him up and took care of him! Claira Jaen hoped her brother was still alive. It had been years, probably far longer than He was willing to admit. But yet there was something familiar about that particular elf. Claira Jaen wasn’t sure, but she was just learning how to use a computer when He wasn’t around.

She smiled. She couldn’t wait to use a computer again. There was so much information she could gather from the computer. She remembered when she had last used one, she saw something about a tiny neko. But then He came. She had to get away from the computer and hide.

She was waiting and listening. So far it didn’t sound like He would be leaving the lab anytime soon. She sighed. Oh, she just wanted to know her brother was safe. After their mother had died, she had nothing else in her life which had mattered more. Now if she could just learn how to read… But she knew it wasn’t something He wouldn’t allow.

But if she could learn, she would. Would the Guardians help her if she asked them? She wasn’t sure, but she figured she had nothing to lose by asking them. If they were His enemies, then perhaps they would be her allies. She smiled. From what He said, it sounded as if the Guardians would be willing to free all the tiny nekos.

It was a pleasant thought for her.

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Leon was typically quiet when he worked. He had no reason to say anything to most people. His supervisors didn’t mind that he was quiet or strange. They knew he had other work to do than rowing the boats. But he was reliable and was easy to get along with. Many of the other gondoliers were young and tended to act like overgrown boys. The supervisors were glad that Leon didn’t act like an overgrown boy.

He had a way of observing what was going on around him without showing any outward sign of it. That was something which was easily misinterpreted, but he never cared. He was grateful that he didn’t have to help people in and out of the boats. He was sensitive and didn’t like to touch people he didn’t know. If that would happen, he would absorb their energy. The results weren’t always pleasant for him.

But he never complained when he was working. He followed the schedule unless his Guardian work caused a conflict. Then he would mention it to his supervisors. They were kind enough to work with him and were always able to have someone else cover for him when he needed time off. He had earned that right after working under them for years without complaining.

Leon rowed a traghetto sometimes several hours a day with just a lunch break. On other days, he rowed his own gondola one or two trips a day. Then there were the days with lots of tourists and he would have to do several trips in one day. He didn’t mind the work, but he didn’t always like some of the other gondoliers.

He knew he was different, but he didn’t care that he was. It didn’t help that he had different colored eyes than many of the rest of them. The other gondoliers knew it was because of Leon’s mother, who was an elf from a different place. From her he had learned how to grow plants. He still grew plenty of herbs on his terrace. He also had learned from her how to make potions and elixirs.

He had her recipe book and he consulted it whenever someone asked him for a potion. Usually the other Guardians would be the only ones who asked for such things. But sometimes, elderly women asked him for some when they had complaints they didn’t want to see a doctor about. He never asked many questions about what was wrong. Many of those women had asked his mother for the same things. They always paid him. Not always with money, but sometimes with food or artist’s supplies. He was grateful for whatever the women would give him.

It had been one of his long days and he was glad to get home. He fixed himself some dinner and then cleaned up the kitchen. He sat down in his living room on a pillow and closed his eyes. He was breathing deeply and concentrating on her. He began to strengthen the summons. He tried to see her more clearly.

He saw her working on her writing. She was alone and looking sad. But she kept working. He could see it was the one thing that was pulling her back together. Something was wrong and she knew it. Lots of things had gone wrong for her and she was doing all she could do to make it better.

Leon encouraged her to come visit him. She seemed to know someone was watching her, but she didn’t know who it was. He was mainly observing and strengthening his call. He tried not to send anything else to her.