BG - Episode 1: Comes the Thunder - Part 2

DestinyCity was a big place, with several different blocks, form industrial to residential, to the richest district to the less rich, Downtown being the most famous of those districts. The city was big, and was the kind of place where you could find all kinds of things.

This same city was home of one of the greatest industries of the world: Davidson’s Enterprise. Owned by the Davidson family, and responsible for some of the greatest advents of the world, like new weaponry and several advents in medicine, physics and construction. They were among the richest and more influent organizations in the whole world.

Of course, with all this influence, came the rumors around them. Some said that the D.E possessed a particular army, equipped with the war technology that they decided to keep themselves. There was some who said that they conducted a series of super-secret experiences that came from genetic experiences with other dimension things. Some said that they had their own organization, like a super CIA, acting in the backstage. Some said even that they had a secret lab where they kept aliens in a freezer to study. And there were much more conspiracy theories about them and their researches and influences.

Of course, none of it diminished their position or their collaboration to the world. Most well informed people dismissed those rumors only as a paranoia or some unoccupied people searching for what to do.

D.E. was still being present and influent in the whole DestinyCity. It was present in three different buildings. The first of them, was a commercial building, where there was workings in the juridical area, and where the greatest negotiations were made, and it was where the main president worked.

The second of them was the Davidson’s Hospital, a special community hospital created to attend the sick and the ones with problems. It was a big place, dedicated to help everyone who needed.

And finally, there was the D.E Labs. A big building of several yards dedicated exclusively to scientific research. It was a big place, composed of building interconnected by them by bridges among the levels. Inside of it, there was several labs, each one equipped with the most modern technologies to research and experiment. In there, they made a few of their greatest discoveries, and they were still developing new technologies and several advances for all the areas, some still being working in sigil, for what knew, and the labs were highly restricted. This was one of the coolest places in the whole world, and it rarely allowed visitors.

And today was one of these rare occasions.

All the students of Jackson’s High looked in awe at the great buildings as their bus passed by them, many climbing over each other to get a good look at the buildings as they passed.

Rick climbed over everyone as they arrived in place.

“It is it!” he squealed “The home of all the great technology in the world! The paradise of the great mad science! I can’t believe we are finally here!” he squealed in pure happiness. Penny, who was in the front chair, hid her face with her hand, it was rather embarrassing, if they asked, she was going to say she didn’t knew him. Bernie, on the other hand, could just chuckle at his friend’s behavior. In fact, he shared a little of this excitation, going to a place like this was a chance to see things he could have dreamed about when he was younger.

“Okay, everyone!” called an elderly owl, it was Martin Lovegood, the history teacher, he made everyone pay attention to him and said “This bus is now Group 4! Everyone must follow me and remain in the group. Avoid getting lost and when we get inside do everything I say! Okay, let’s get going!” he said in the moment the bus stopped and the doors opened

“Everybody keep calm and left in order!” he said as everyone rushed to get past the doors, some almost trampling the others in their way. But he was barely listened, everybody was just too excited to be in there and get inside the building as quick as possible.

Rick rushed past everyone and tried to climb his way to the door by the other students “Out of the way! Let me pass! I need to see my dream!”

“Oh, man. He really needs to do this?” asked Penny as she got up, and Bernie only said “Well, I guess that he is very excited. I mean, this is like the place where the impossible can happen. For him is like visiting a giant comic con.”

“Yeah, let’s just hope he doesn’t get us in trouble… again.”

Soon all the students came out of each bus, and they were all standing in line, waiting for the chance to enter the building. Many were annoyed as the principal was explaining once again the regulation of security, the fact they had to stay with the group and teacher at all time, that they should always wear the visitant ID, etc.

Penny looked to the side, and her eyes widened as she saw someone in other group.

“Bernie!” she whispered nervous, nudging the dog by her side, Bernie looked at her and followed her gaze, and he saw the same ape from school. He was one foot taller than Bernie, had black fur and blue eyes, was wearing a red jacket with white shirt and long jeans pants. He looked annoyed at so much rules as he waited in a group that was (thankfully) different form Bernie, Penny and Rick’s.

“What that guy is doing here?” Penny asked, glaring daggers at the ape. Bernie simply shrugged “Guess he was invited too.”

“But he shouldn’t!” she said “That guy is a complete jerk! He should have stayed at school instead of coming here!”

Bernie knew that Penny was like that when she didn’t liked someone, but he simply said “Well, at least he isn’t in our group, I don’t think we will have problem with him.”

“Hope you are right. We better not cross ways with him.” Said Penny, as she and Bernie received their IDs. After that, all the students entered the building.

They were received by a moose in a very elegant lab coat, who greeted them

“Welcome! Be welcome, young minds, to Davindson’s Enterprise Labs!” he greeted them, and all the attention now was bring to him. “It is really an honor for us to receive the young minds of future citizens into our labs! I’m doctor Alexander Maximilian, and I’m be one of your main guides in the tour for this place. And I assure you, you will probably like what you will see. Some of you might even decide to have a job in here in the future, but I’m warning you, only the best of the best are selected to be in here!”

Everyone had their full attention to the moose as he talked “So, I guess you didn’t came here to see the babbling of an old man! So let’s get started, and be ready, what you find in here might change you lives forever!”

And so, the teams were split, and Bernie, Penny and Rick all went in their group, and passed by many parts of the labs, seeing many things. Most of it were only projects and experiments, but they were not less awesome.

There was projects involving magnetic gravitation, as for future transportation as in flying cars. There was some scientists in the labs researching for what was explained to be new vaccines based on virus that would adapt to any diseased. Some new equipment that were described as some new equipment that would help the construction systems.

But they were all projects, and were all said to be developments to a distant future, that maybe their grandchildren would came to enjoy. They also were told about many other projects, and several other plans, like new uniforms for the offices and the firefighters, and many new equipment to rescue.

Most of the explanation was too detailed to be understood, most of the students could not follow, but they understood enough to know just how cool all of this was. Bernie and Penny were excited by all of this, and Rick was almost dancing in the place as he paced back and forth, so excited at each thing. He constantly interrupted with questions like “Where do you keep the aliens?”, “Can we see the spaceships?”, “Do you have a death ray?” and “Where is the bathroom?”

Of course, most of these questions received laughs, and annoyed the guide as they went by. But there were a few serious questions of others, like about the projects, and future works of them, and other projects. Questions that the guide was happy to answer.

“Okay, so, how do you give someone super powers?” asked Rick again, raising his hand high. Everybody remained silent as they stared at him, who looked back “What?”

Penny lowered her head, and was ready to say that she didn’t even knew that guy, while Bernie only smiled, and Rick continued “Is a completely legitimate question! So, how do you do this? You give him a shoot of super medicine? You give the guy a super pill? You let him swim in some of your toxic trash?”

The guide stared at him, and said “Mr. Gorson, we are talking about serious science in here!”

“I know! That is why I’m asking about how you rally make someone go all super!”

“Mr. Gorson! Stop talking about this non-sense!”

“Go easy on him.” Said a voice, and the group turned around to see another scientist coming by a door “He is just very excited about this, I think.” This one was around 5,5 feet tall, with black fur all over his face, and a kind look in his yellow colored eyes, he looked to be at his late forties, and was wearing a white lab coat, a pair of long pants, and half-moon glasses over his eyes, he also bore a kind smile.

Penny and Bernie both smiled as they saw the scientist, who smiled back at them, they knew exactly who he was, for they lived in the same house.

The black cat cleared his throat and spoke “Hello, everyone. I’m Jefferson Speckman. I’m one of the many scientisat that work here in Davidson’s Enterprise Labs.” As he said there, many of the students started whispering between themselves. This was the man who made this trip possible, and, according to rumors, he was one of the most important guys in there.

“OH! I know you! You are Penny and Bernie’s dad! The guy who let us in here!” exclaimed Rick happily, making both Penny and Bernie blush as the attention turned to them. Penny surely wanted just to rip out Rick’s face, while Bernie didn’t liked that much attention turned into him.

Dr. Speckman, on the other hand, just chuckled “Yeah, my daughter and adoptive son are students of your school.” He says “And I’m very proud of both of them.”

This made Penny and Bernie smile at him at the situation was somewhat eased.

“Cool! You have some super-secret project?” asked Rick, making Speckman look at him

“Excuse me?”

“A secret project! Yah know, a new research! Some kind of great thing, like a battle armor or a super serum for giving super powers!”

Speckman smiled at him, and give a look to his supervisor, who after a few seconds said “It will come to public in one week or less, anyway.” And Speckman nodded.

The students all stared at them “You really have a super power serum?” asked Rick, barely containing his excitation.

Speckman chuckled again, and said “I cannot say I working on something like what you said.” This made Rick’s smile drop, but then the black cat said “But I can show you one new thing me and my team have been working on, if you follow me.”

Of course, it didn‘t needed to be said twice, as the team wasted no time in following the scientist cat into his room. It seemed something came out of a sci-fi movie, with several computers, and some other equipment that most o the students had no idea of what it was. And there was also a big divider, that gave view to an alternate room through a glass that seemed to be isolated of the rest of the group, and in there were a lot of visors and consoles in the wall.

Everyone was amazed at this as they looked around the room, cheking in all the things in there, and rick was the more excited of all “Wooooah! What are those!?”

“Most devices to check out radiation.” Explained Speckman, and everyone looked at the cat, who also said “Okay, who in here already heard about the test with the particle accelerator?”

Many animals raised their hands in the air, including Penny and Bernie, and Speckman said “Well, during this test, it was detected traits of a very interesting radiation, different from any other kind of known radiation.”

All the eyes were turned to him “Well, in the last few years, we conducted experiments trying to analyze this energy, and reproduce it. And after years of attempt and mistake, we finally were able to isolate and recreate this energy. We called it Omega Radiation.”

There was along silence, until Rick finally broke it “This… is… so… AWESOME!” he said as he jumped “And what does this radiation do? It turns furries into supers? It makes insect go giant?”

“Actually, we are not sure yet.” Said Speckman to the hamster “As I said, is a new kind of radiation, and until very recently it was unknown, we are still not being sure about it’s more basic properties, and that’s why we made this room!” he said walking to the glass panel that separated the room from the other.

Speckman stood in there as he started to explain. “In the room at the other side of this panel, we made a special wave producer that was programmed to emit the specific length of the radiation Omega. Once activated, it will emit Omega radiation straight in those equipment of analyses, that will record and allow us to analyze the radiation and discover just its precise properties and effects.”

“That is so cool!!!” said Rick, and many people agreed with this “yeah, in the next week, we will officially start the tests in this room. The room of the tests is, naturally, completely isolated, as the omega radiation is still a radiation, and as such, might be very, very harmful to wealth, and we need to avoid contamination and disease of any kind.”

“Why exactly you would do this kind of experience?” asked another student, a goat boy, and Speckman answered “When we discovered this energy, we also discovered that it was also present in very little quantities in the space. A new kind of radiation, totally unknown before, if correctly understood, could open new doors for the understanding of the functioning of the universe, and it could help in physics, medicine, about several other topics, in fact, this could lead to several discoveries based on this same experience of simply production to analyses.”

“Owwww.” Said many students, and Bernie and Penny could only smile to each other in knowledge their fatherly figure was doing something so important. Rick, on the other hand, was much louder “So coll!” he squealed “And those Omega-don’t-know-what can give someone super powers?”

Penny rolled her eyes. Geez, could Rick at least try to change the subject?

Speckman chuckled “We are not sure about this, what we know is that this radiation, like all the others, can affect the DNA, and produce unpredictable effects. That is why we treat it so carefully.”

“Of course, changing the DNA would not be a bad idea.” Said another voice, and everyone’s eyes turned to see another figure entering the room, a 5,7 feet tall gorilla, with toned build, black fur and yellow colored eyes. He wore a white lab coat and long cargo pants. In his eyes there was some big glasses. He had his hands folded behind his back.

“Doctor Osborne!” said the supervisor as he looked deadly at the gorilla, who seemed not ot notice him, or simply don’t care. Speckman cleared his throat as he said “Students, this is one of my colleagues, Gary Osborne. He is one of the most brilliant minds I ever had the pleasure to meet.”

“And yet, your projects get preference above mine.” The gorilla said camly, as he walked inside like some kind of king. Everybody stared at him, and the gorilla simply looked “The way you talk, Speckman, makes understand that any change in the DNA would be considered some kind of sickness or curse. Curious considering it was mutation that turned us into what we are now.”

All the studens whispered among them, as Speckman looked at his colleague and the supervisor rubbed his forehead. The gorilla them spoke “In the start all the life was just a lot of unicellular creatures floating, until one thing happened, a mutation changed one of them, and it started changing, and passing those changes forward, and it, children, was what started the life we know today. If it weren’t for the alterations in the peptidic chain of the DNA of those simple organisms they would never had evolved, and we, as we are today, would never exist.”

All the students shared looks and  eyed the gorilla. It was just impression, or did the ape sounded a little… crazy?

“Many of my co-workers in here.” He said, casting a glance at Speckman and his supervisor “See the modification of DNA induced by things like radiation and chemistry, as something bad. Me, on the other hand, I’m not exactly an adept of this current of thought.”

He looked at the students “Imagine, young men and women, if we could control the DNA, and modify a few specific chains of the it to achieve any effect we desire. We could turn any being immune to diseases, we could amplify the physical resilience and strength, we could enhance the senses and give capacities the creature could not possess naturally. The possibilities would be endless.”

The students were starting to get worried about this, the ape was sounding a bit too much convinced of this, and it was rather unnerving, it was Bernie the first to spoke “But, sir. Manipulating DNA, it is very dangerous if you are not sure what you are doing. And else, would that be morally wrong?”

The ape looked straight at the dog, and Bernie felt a bit nervous about those eyes that seemed to pierce him “Yeah, I’m aware of those moral limitations. But let me say this, is some points of history, the morality had to be put aside in name of the great advances of science. And if some other scientists were willing to put aside those moral things.” He said, casting another glance to Speckman “Then there was going to have no limitations to scientific development.”

“OSBORNE!” shouted the supervisor, and for the first time, the ape seemed to take notice about him. The moose stepped closer to him and whipered angrily “We talk about this later, now get back to your labs!”

The ape took a minute, and finally went out of the door, leaving everyone in the room stunned for a while. The supervisor turned to the studnets, and said “Sorry you had to see that. Mr. Osborne is passing by some…… He is nuts!” he said bluntly, and left the room. Speckman spoke again “Okay… anybody has any other question?”

The rest of it went uneventfully, Speckman explained other questions about the emissor of radiation, about how it worked, and that it emitted the equivalent of 15 times the lethal dose of radiation omega, due to it being the necessary to be read by the detectors and analyzed.

After that, Speckman offered to keep guiding the group by the rest of the tuor, and the group accepted. As the rest of the group left, Rick stayed behind to admire more the work, and Penny and Bernie stopped to talk with their father.

“Great thing you do in here, dad.” Said Bernie “But, what is of that Osborne?”

“He is one of the scientists that work in here.” Speckman said to his daughter and foster son “He works here analyzing genetic diseases, but I guess he would really like to work with genetic experiments. He is almost obsessed about the genetic enhancement of living beings.”

He seems like a jerk.” Said Penny “I wonder if all gorillas are like that, did you saw the way he looked at you?”

Speckman said then “Yeah, I admit he is a bit difficult to live with after a while, but if you can get close to him time enough, you see that deep inside he is a good person.”

“I’m not sure about this.” Said Penny, and Speckman knew it was time to change the subjects “Well, I need to help the group not get lost. If you tell your friend that this part of the tour is over, you can catch up with us soon.” He said and winked at them, as he left the room.

Penny and Bernie turned around to see Rick seemingly playing with a computer, as if trying to figure out something. Penny groaned and Bernie chuckled as they walked to their friend. “Rick! These are not for playing games.” Said Penny, catching the hamster off guard.

“What? What? What is that!?”

“The group moved on.” Said Bernie “We gotta catch up with them.”

“Already? I thought we were going to see it working!” Rick whined, and Penny just said “Could you stop being such a crying baby? We need to go.”

Then the group was ready to leave, until they turned around and meet another one in the door, Penny groaned as she knew who it was, it was the same ape from school, and he looked at them smirking.

“Hey there.” Said the ape, and Penny said “Get lost, jerk! We have to catch jup with our group, and you should also go with yours before they leave.”

The ape laughed “Those losers? I lost them a while ago. I don’t need to be in a group. I go where I want to go.”

“So you should consider go to other side.” Said Penny, as she tried to guide her friends to outside, but the ape stood in their way. He evaluated Penny, and said “Yah know, for a pretty kitty you got quite a fool mouth.” He said, almost seductively, and this just left Penny speechless.

The ape laughed “Yeah, I have this effect on ladies!” he said, and turned his attention to “So, daddy made this for you? So what, you are half cat? It must have been an interesting marriage. You like chasing mices and climbing trees?”

Bernie looked at him fiercely, and he spoke “I’m adopted.” Bernie said, and the ape smiled “Oohh, so your real parents left you! And the cats gave you home. Oh, poor doggy.”

This made Penny angry, she was not going to let that jerk talk that way with Bern!

“Listen here you jerk!” she said at his face “You can do whatever you want of your life, but you cannot threat to others like that! If you are just a loser who likes making others feel bad, I just can pity you!”

The ape was stunned by the way that cat talked to him, even being smaller, but this shock was soon replaced with anger “Nobody calls me a loser!” he said in anger as he towered in her direction, and Bernie once again wasted no time in stepping on his way.

The ape stared at the dog who was now between him and Penny “You want another one in the guts, puppy?”

“You go walking jerk!” said Rick, as he hid behind Penny and Bernie “You catch Bernie off guard last time, but now he can kick your ass!”

The gorilla snorted, and Rick yelped and hid from sight. Bernie just stared in his direction fiercely, without any sigh of fear. The ape looked at him, and at the room around, and he had an idea.

“Puppy, you like challenges?” he asked, making the three look at him puzzled. “I have a challenge for you.” He said “I heard about that ‘radiation room’. If you enter there, I’ll leave you and your friends alone. Otherwise, I’ll follow you for the rest of the day!”

The animals looked surprised at him

“Are you mad?” screeched Penny “That thing is dangerous!”

“Well, if your friend is a coward, then guess I can walk just after you all day, kitty.” He said, smirking and winking at Penny, making her stare at him. Bernie looked at her, and back at the ape “I’ll do it.”

All the eyes turned shocked at Bernie.

“What?” said Penny and Rick

“What?” went the ape, he really did not expected the dog to accept, he thought he was simply going to chicken out, but he could see by the look on Bernie’s face that he was serious.

“But if I do, you have to leave my friends alone. Got it?” Bernie said, looking fiercely at the ape’s stunned eyes.

But before he got the answer, he was pulled back, and turned around to see Penny’s mad face “Are you crazy!?” she screeched at his face “Do you have any idea how dangerous it is in there? What kind of problem we could get if you are in there when someone arrives?”

Bernie looked at her “I just want this guy to leave us alone. And remember what dad said? The room is safe for now, they will only activate it next week. There is no danger.”

“It is a RADIATION room! Radiation causes cancer! Have you forgotten about this?”

“I think Bernie should go in!” said Rick, Making Penny look at him as if he had suggested they should rob a back. “I mean, if the room is safe than there is no danger, and the guy will go away!”

And before any of them could say an answer, Rick turned to the ape and said “Okay, big gorilla! Bernie will go inside, but in two conditions! First, you will leave us alone for life, and second, you go there inside with him!”

“Are you nuts!” Penny said as she slapped the back of his head, and they barely noticed the stunned face in the ape’s face.

He was cornered now, if he backed away he would be a coward, and he did not wanted that in his reputation. After a few secopnds, he said “Okay! But the dog comes with me at the same time!”

Bernie looked at him, and said “Okay.”

“I’m the only reasonable person in here!?” Penny screeched again, and was mostly ignored, save for Bernie “Penny, relax. We are just going inside, stay a minute or two, and then we get out and go back to our groups, nothing bad will happen.”

Penny looked at Bern as he said “I promise.”, Penny looked in her eyes, and said “I must be as crazy as you to agree with this.”

Soon, Bernie and the ape where in front of the door, and both looked at Penny and Rick, Rick gave a thumbs up to Bernie, while Penny simply nodded, a worried look in her face. Bernie looked at the ape, and counted “One… two… three.” And then they opened the door, and both of them entered the room.

It should be a square of 12 x 18 feet. In one end, there was what was described as the receptor, and it seemed as a big glass mushroom, seeming to have some kind of receptors in it. Probably it was to detect the waves of energy.

On the other end, there was  what seemed to be the emissor, it was like a beam laser, with spheres in each one of the four arms that were supposed to product the emission of waves, all directed straight at the receptor. Behind it, there was the glass panel that separated the other room, and he could see Penny and Rick. Rick waved at him, and Penny was still looking worried.

The ape looked around, and got closer to the equipment as he lost his fear, and he even made a few poses near the equipment. Bernie also walked closer, and was able to examine the equipment closer, it seemed very interesting. Bernie was no professional to know this, but it seemed very interesting.

Penny looked at Bernie and the ape as they were inside the room, and she was still worried, mainly because they were so close to radioactive related items, and Rick was just excited “Oh man, they are so lucky for being so close to that cool stuff!”

“I just hope nothing happens.” Said Penny, and Rick said “Oh, come on, Penny, why are you so worried? What can happen of wrong?” as he said that, he lowered his hand and accidentally he hit a button. Immediately, the door of the room closed.

Bernie and the ape looked at it, and Penny screeched “What have you done!?!?” as she almost hit him with her fist. And Bernie said “Penny? Rick? What happened?” his voice was muffled from inside the room, and they also heard the voice of the ape “Hey! Let me out!”

“Oh! Ah! Sorry… I-I’ll fix it!” said Rick as he tried each button trying to hit the right one again, and Penny said “No! Don’t touch anything!” But it was too late, a alarm started ringing only in the room as a red light went on.

Everybody seemed to freeze as a computer voice said “Omega radiation emissor activated, getting the emission ready.” Inside the room, Bernie and the ape could hear a buzzing as the glass globes in the emissor started to light up lightly with a purple luminosity.

“LET ME OUT!” the ape screamed at the top of his lungs as he slammed the door “LET ME OUT OF HERE!”

Rick was crazy now, hitting every single button in the console, trying in vain to undo what he had just made. Penny ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked, it didn’t moved a single inch.

“Let me out!” the ape shouted “I don’t want to die here!” and the buzzing was just getting louder as the light in the bulbs intensified. The ape was in complete panic, Bernie was also scared, but he knew who to deal with it far better.

“No, no, NO! I can’t end in here! This is all your fault!” said the ape as he pointed an accusingly finger to Bernie, who said “How this is my fault? You was the one who gave the idea of we entering in here!”

“You made me come with you! And Why you had to accepted? You should have chickened out! Then I was going to have the rest of a nice day! You jerk!” The ape shouted, blind in anger as he jumped over Bernie. But the dog was shifter, and jumped out of the way, and the aspe hit his head in the metal part of the emissor, not form far had enough to damage it, but strong enough to stun himself.

Penny had left the door, and was back at the panel, and looked to the glass, to see the ape clutching his head next to the receptor as the lights of the emissor intensified.

“What the heck is he doing?” asked Penny, making Rick also look.

Bernie looked as the ape groaned and tried to get up in front of the emissor, he was barely on his feet when the voice said “Activating the Omega Radiation Emission!” and the buzzing became unbearable, and the globes shone bright.

Bother animals became action less. The ape was right in the way of the emission!

Bernie was motionless for a few seconds. The man was going to be hit by radiation, and he was there. He looked at the ape, and the emissor, and in there, he did the only thing he could think about doing in that moment: he ran straight to the emissor, and supported his body with his arms. He was using his own body as shield!

When Penny and Rick saw that, their eyes widened, and so did the ape’s, as Penny screamed “BERNIE! NO!” but it was too late.

As the emission started, the lights on the whole labs went off, startling many of the presents in there, that were unaware of what was going on.

Inside the room, the emissor sent purple colored light right into Bernie’s body, an quantity of energy that hit square on his chest and spreaded to the rest of his body. The sensation to Bernie was like something was passing through his body, and flooding through him, still with a warming feeling, and yet, something totally indescribable.

To the viewers, the dog had his mouth wide in a mute scream as there was a strong purple light into his body, so bright that it was possible to see his bones through his flesh, skin and clothes. It was like an alien view, and for Penny and Rick, it was terrifying, for it was happening with their friend, and they could do nothing to help.

What none of them could see was what was happening in microscopic level. The waves of power hit each cell, each part of his body in each components, from the flesh to each single fur of his body. And each part of his nerves were tingling with the energy as it hit them, but never went back or through. The energy spreaded from cell to cell as it was accumulated and overcharging the cells.

It all laste for ten seconds, and after that, the equipment finally shut off. In the whole labs, the light returned, and everyone resumed their activities, none of them wondering just for a second that something strange was happening.

Back in the room, as the light faded, Bernie went limp and fell to the ground. The door immediately unlocked and opened. And Penny didn’t even waited it to open completely as she ran inside, not caring about radiation or contamination.

“BERNIE!” she screamed as she ran in his direction, and Rick came soon after her. The ape was just motionless as he looked at the fallen dog in front of him. The dog had just saved his life. And now he was there, probably dead as the cat held him.

Penny turned his body and looked at his face, he seemed pale, and touching her she could feel his body seemed to be hot. She was worrie “Bern? Bern? Ber, talk to me! Bern? BERNIE!” she screamed, tears going down her face, and then, Bernie groaned, and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, before opening them fully.

He looked at the cat, and said “Penny?” she hugged him close at this, and sobbed. Everybody took a few moments to recover form what happened, and Bernie asked “What went in here?”

Everybody was surprised that he seemed not to remember, but he remembered as soon as they explained to him what went. Bernie was surprised that he felt okay even after that, just a bit tired.

Penny insisted they should go to see someone, but Bernie kept assuring that he was okay, and after a while, Bernie finally was able to convince her to let him take them back to the group.

So, Bernie, Penny and Rick went their own way, while the ape take his own way, not before giving one last look at the dog. And they resumed, without having any effects form what had just transpired.

Or so was what they thought.

If only they could see what was happening to every cell in Bernie’s body…