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GALACTIC FEDERATION HEADQUARTERS, PLANET TURO
“Read the charges!” The Head councilperson spoke, their face stern and serious.
“Doctor Logan Croft, lead scientist of galaxy defense industries you stand before this council accused of illegal genetic experimentation!” The police captain to their right proclaimed. Logan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Captain Nate Torr had always been out to get him and now here he stood finally caught and the captain couldn’t be happier.
A hubbub rose up in court at the charge. Logan couldn’t believe the complete lack of professionalism as everyone began whispering excitedly to their neighbor. What was this grade school?
“How do you plead?” The judge demanded in their booming voice.
Logan smoothed out his lab coat, “Not guilty, of course. My experiments are only theoretical. Completely within legal boundaries.” He simply had to remain calm and he could get out of this without a problem.
The judge arched an eyebrow as they peer down at him, “We believe you actually created something.”
“Created something! Ha!” Logan laughed, they didn’t have a shred of proof and he knew that. “No that would be irresponsible and unethical. I would never-”
The vent above him rattled loudly and swung open. Then with a slam of bare feet on the metal floor, there was his experiment right at the wrong moment.
“....make more than one,” Logan concluded with a sigh.
“I came to save you!” He said extending his retractable claws turning toward the judge with a sharp-toothed grin.
“What is that monstrosity,” The captain sneered.
“Monstrosity?!” Logan cried out, outraged for his experiment, “What you see before you is the start of a new species! I call it Experiment 626.”
“More like Experiment 666, am I right?” He giggled in his childlike voice. A slow smile grew on Logan’s face.
“He is bulletproof, fireproof, He thinks faster than a supercomputer. He can see in the dark and move objects up to ten times his size. His only instinct?” Logan looked up slowly to meet the judge’s eyes, “To destroy everything he touches.”
“So he is a monster,” The judge sighed.
Logan adjusted his glasses and tilted his head consideringly, “Yes but just a little one.”
Sixes was indeed just little. He was after all quite young and hadn’t gotten the chance to finish his time in the maturation chamber and now had the appearance of a seven-year-old and was mostly humanoid. The general four-eyes that was to be expected, with an added four tentacles coming out of his back. The one thing that took some handling was his desire to run around without clothes one because they “felt icky” on his skin. Logan had managed to compromise with him and let Sixes wear essentially whatever he wanted to as long as he was clothed.
It had been a long three weeks but honestly, Logan was proud of his little monster.
“It’s an affront to nature!” The captain exclaimed angrily, “It must be destroyed!”
Logan found himself laying a protective hand on Sixes’ shoulder drawing the small creature closer to himself.
“Calm yourself, captain Torr,” The judge said hold up a hand to stop the oncoming rant, “Perhaps it can be reasoned with.”
“He,” Logan corrected. The judge shot him a look that told Logan his contribution was not appreciated.
“Experiment 626, can you show us that there is something inside you that is good?”
Sixes squared his shoulders and cleared his throat standing up very straight, “Did you know you only need the amount force that it takes to bite through a Leola root to bite through a finger of someone of your species?” He gave a sweet, if slightly manic, smile.
Adorable. Logan would die for him.
“Very good Sixes, excellent fact recollection,” he said ruffling the creature’s hair.
Sixes turned and beamed at him.
“That’s awful, place that idiot scientist under arrest!” Captain Torr shouted.
Logan gritted his teeth. He did prefer to be called “evil genius”.
He drew his blaster and said, “Sixes, run. And if they catch you, i encourage you to make full use of your abilities.”
Sixes gave a single nod and another grin then jumped into Logan’s arms and sprung upward, back into the ventilation system.
And with that, the battle began. Some guards closed in around him while others ran off, trying to track down Sixes. Logan didn’t stop shooting until he was completely overrun.
***
“WHERE IS HE?!” demanded the head council person as they enter the science bay. Virgil flinched at the loud noise.
“Still in hyperspace,” answer someone a few consoles down from him.
“Where will he exit?”
“Near a planet called Eee-arth,” Someone else responded and Virgil perked up.
They meant Earth! That was the planet he had done his thesis on back in college!
“I want an expert on this planet in here now!” They ordered.
Virgil froze. Shit, shit, this was his chance. Almost no one knew as much about Earth as he did! His legs shook as he tried to gather his things. This is it. Years of people saying he wasted his life proven wrong because he was the only doctor whose focus was this planet and they needed him now. If only he could get his hands to stop shaking.
“How much time do we have?”
“Projected landing time is three hour twenty-two minutes.”
The councilperson sighed, “We’ll have to gas the planet.”
No he couldn’t let them destroy his planet like that! That gas would kill the majority of the life forms there!
“Who hold it!” Virgil cried before the order could be sent to tactical, “Hold- hold on! Earth’s actually uh-” he fumbled with his papers and he walked toward the councilperson.
“It’s a protected wildlife preserve, er- your excellency,” He tacked the moniker on as an afterthought.
“We’re using it to rebuild the spider population because its an endangered species.”
Virgil loved spiders they were gorgeous creatures. Many had deadly venom and they spun webs from a sort of string that came from their own body! He adored them.
“Am I to assume you are the expert?” They said slowly.
Virgil nodded trying not to let his anxiety show too obviously, “Uh yeah, yeah I am.”
He fumbled, shifting his papers to one arm and held out his open palm to the councilperson, “Doctor Virgil Nervex at your service.”
They ignored it, “Can we not simply destroy the island he landed on?”
“Fuck no!” Virgil burst out before pulling back, “I- I mean no we can’t. The spiders feed on other insects that tend to congregate around the primitive humanoid life forms that live there. To destroy an island could throw their entire food chain into chaos.”
He quickly pulled out a piece of paper from a folder that had a diagram of a human on it.
“Are they intelligent?” They asked looking at the diagram.
“Ehhh?” Virgil rubbed the back of his neck, “Not particularly. They’re prone to panic at the slightest sign of danger.” That’s why Virgil liked them actually, he could relate.
“I suppose that rules out our military forces invading and finding him then,” They said with a scowl, “A quiet capture would take a level of understanding of 626 that we do not have. Who then, Doctor would you suggest we send for his extraction?”
“I’m not sure Mx, your best bet is probably whoever knows the most about him.”
They nodded, their expression unreadable, “Come with me.”
***
Logan was flat on his back on the hard ‘bed’ they provided him with, in his cell. The conditions were truly unacceptable they hadn’t even replaced his glasses despite two of the four lenses having been shattered in the brawl. And there was nothing to do but lay there and hope that Sixes was alright. Logan was never one for feeling useless.
Then his cell door opened with a hiss.
He sat up quickly adjusting his glasses and peering at the visitor with his two good eyes.
It was the head council person and someone else. Their skin was purple, they had only two eyes, and based on their teeth were likely venomous. Logan cursed himself for not having thought to give Sixes venom. Every time he met a new creature he found himself taking note of all the traits he should have given his experiment. Maybe if Sixes had venom he wouldn’t be in danger right now.
But then Logan processed their presence here and realized.
There was only one reason for the councilperson to have come to pay him a visit.
Logan smiled slowly, “He got away.”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“He is quite… tenacious. Some might say unstoppable although logically speaking that is not quite true.”
He was so proud of his little monster and tried to imagine how he might have escaped. He must have taken a police cruiser. And he knew from experience that when Sixes piloted a ship it was quite literally impossible to predict where you might end up.
“Which is precisely why you will now bring him back.”
“Excuse me?” Logan’s stomachs dropped.
“I’m am willing to offer you your freedom for his capture.”
Logan thought quickly, calculating what might be the correct response to this. He had no intention of capturing Sixes for the council but he did need to get out. He had already exhibited affection for Sixes so it would not be plausible if he immediately jumped at the chance. He needed to show some hesitance but allow himself to be easily persuaded to their side.
“If- if I bring him back… you won’t hurt him will you?” Logan asked hoping his performance was convincing.
“No, he will simply be exiled to a desert asteroid to live out the rest of his days peacefully. Do we have a bargain?”
“I suppose so, this cell is quite uncomfortable.”
“Whoa whoa, That is a fucking delicate planet, who’s gonna control him?” The purple man demanded.
“You will,” They said, strolling out of the cell.
The purple man looked as if his worst fear had been confirmed. He slumped down as the door shut behind them.
“Well then… I guess… Hey there. I’m doctor Virgil Nervex and I’d rather be doing anything else,”
Logan smirked, strolling forward and somewhat finding it amusing how Virgil shuffled backward as if frightened.
He stopped a few feet away and tightened his tie, keeping his tone calm and conversational, “Tell me doctor, on what poor ‘delicate’ planet has my little monster been unleashed?”