Lily bursted out in laughter, followed by Vanessa’s snort giggling. Evan even admitted to a chuckle of his own, looking at Beatrice and trying not to laugh more.
“‘Bucko and Ramen’? What kind of names are those? Like, honestly… at least Lily and Vanessa’s names made sense in their own right…” The man commented with a few more chuckles in between.
“They’re names. Technically nicknames, but we’re not going to get into that right now,” Beatrice responded, tightening up in her shoes.
“But Ramen? Really? Isn’t that some type of food that we have in the cabinets somewhere? I could probably go for some right now!” Lily exclaimed, holding her stomach while she continued to crack up.
“Yes, but if you hear what they are a hybrid of, then––`”
“And Bucko… what is he? Half horse? C’mon y’all, giddy up!” Vanessa squealed out. The three exploded into laughter once more while Beatrice folded her arms, shifting to her impatient side.
“ENOUGH! Pay attention!” She screamed at them, making everyone regain their composure instantly. Once the dust in the room settled, Beatrice started to speak once more.
“Let’s start off with Bucko.” Vanessa’s snort was audible once again, but a quick glance from Beatrice set her back in her place.
“I made him to be… a bit of a feisty one. He’s going to be hard to work with, trust me.” She turned her back to the group. Sighing, she looked deep in his pod, showing a bit of worry in her movements.
“Oh, wonderful. What animal did you stuff into his DNA, huh? Don’t tell me it was an actual horse,” Lily asked, crossing her arms while she was speaking. Beatrice threaded her fingers into her hair, continuing to stare at the pod immensely.
“He’s half eagle. I… I can’t remember much else,” she blinked, stopping to think for a moment before continuing. “I was… drinking at the time when I made him. I can’t remember a lot after I drink. It probably wasn’t the best decision, but I had a lot on my mind that day…” Beatrice would have gone on longer if Evan hadn’t put a hand on her shoulder.
“Do you think it’s safe to let him loose then? He might freak out, or mutate into a monster or something. By the way you’re putting it, he doesn’t seem like he’s exactly ready…” Vanessa’s eyes went up in utter shock, making her turn to Lily. All the frog girl did look back at her in fear.
Is this someone… something that they could trust?
“We don’t have many options left. I’m not separating the twins either, so they must be released at the same time.” She turned back to the two girls.
“And speaking of the twins, the other is Ramen. She’s more refined, and part jellyfish.”
“Jellyfish? I guess the name Ramen makes a bit more sense, I suppose. Those noodle packets need water, and jellyfish need water to live…” Vanessa said quietly, putting a hand on her chin.
“Yes. She’s more… compliant than anything. A quiet little being. She should be no trouble to us, unlike her brother,” Beatrice stated. She clamped her hands together.
“In conclusion, these hybrids will be tagging along with you tonight. However, they’re not going with you right away. We’ve thought this out, and you are to call for backup when needed. A surprise attack with the twins would be a great way to finally catch that dog. Understand?” Vanessa nodded, but Lily remained stagnant.
“Are we at least going to meet them beforehand, so that we can get to know them a bit?” The frog girl questioned their leader, peering at Bucko’s pod a little closer. It appeared to have a small crack on the outside glass. This was a worrisome detail to Lily, making her slink away from the containment unit.
“Oh, of course. Evan, if you don’t mind.” He nodded and swiftly pressed a few keys on an outstanding platform. Suddenly, the crack in Bucko’s pod got larger, increasing to the point where the glass containing him shattered into pieces before their very eyes. Lily, as well as everyone else shielded their eyes from the spreading material, getting annoyed from this sudden occurrence. Meanwhile, the case holding Ramen’s pod was only beginning to properly slide open.
Everyone took a step back except for Beatrice, who stood as a barrier between the three and the twins. A synonymous step was taken outward by the twins, making their first appearance in front of the general.
Bucko stood tall, even a bit taller than Beatrice by a few inches. His solid white hair drooped over one of his eyes, with a yellow highlight sticking in the middle of it all. He was staring at the ground, his fists clenched and his arms tightly by his side. His shaky breathing was a bit odd, as Beatrice had noticed this small detail right away.
He wore a brown shirt, with thick outlines protruding near the back of the cloth. His jeans went down to his ankles, and with dark shoes to tie his ‘outfit’ together. His sister, on the other hand, looked far more different than him.
She appeared more free, although a more timid and scared feeling relayed from her face. Her light blue hair that curled as the strands fell down towards her shoulders was her most distinguishing feature. However, she adorned a flowing white and yellow dress, it covering her tall and slim body. Something felt electric about her overall, yet it was being held back in some way.
Lily could tell. She scowled at the duo—they already looked like bad news to her. And with Bucko’s containment unit just shattering like that… what could that mean?
“W-Welcome, Experiments 08 and 09,” said Beatrice, who was the first to speak up. Though, her voice was a bit unsteady, which was something that no one had witnessed up until this point.
“My name is Beatrice, and I am your creator. Your master, if you will. With consulting from our little team here, we have decided to call you under the nicknames Bucko,” she paused to point at the boy. “And Ramen.” She shifted her finger to the girl.
“Your one and only objective is to capture Dagger, a human and canine hybrid. I’m sure your teammates will debrief you about that later.” Beatrice was about to say something else, but was cut off by Bucko.
“Teammates? As far as I know, I don’t do teams.” Bucko spoke with a dark and condescending voice. Everyone in their mind was taken aback and shocked when his voice was heard, including his own twin.
“Well, that is where I step in, young man. You are to follow my orders or face consequences. I hope that you understand this, Bucko,” Beatrice said, putting her hands on her hips. Bucko’s eyes wandered behind Beatrice’s body to look at Lily. He smirked, making Lily start to feel uncomfortable. She was glad that they were being away from each other at the start of this mission.
“Uh, hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you, um…” Ramen approached Vanessa with her hand outright. Vanessa looked down with wonder. What was this?
“That’s called a handshake, my child. Just grab her hand firmly and waggle it around. Do it in an orderly fashion though, so you won’t look weird.” Evan called out from the platform, in the process of trying to store it away. Vanessa glanced into Ramen’s eyes, following Evan’s directions.
“So your name is Vanessa… that’s a wonderful name…” Ramen spoke to herself. Vanessa blinked, listening closely to the small pops and fizzles that were coming from her hair.
That must be where she keeps her electricity…
“If I do say so myself, your hybrid is pretty cool,” the shapeshifter applauded Ramen. The jellyfish girl beamed back at her, putting a hand behind her head.
“Well, I suppose so… I’m not much of a pride person, but I guess I just have this… and I have to live with it… forever…” she trailed off with her statement, leaving the two at a weird stance.
“Alright, my children, gather around! We wish you all a safe mission. Please, do not let us down this time. All of you are extraordinary in our right, and I know you have it in you to capture this one person. Now, get out there!” Evan proclaimed to the hybrids. Vanessa flashed the phone that was given to her by the two scientists, which was acknowledged with a nod from Evan. Heads shifted towards Beatrice, who plainly scoffed at them.
“Work as a team. Do not disappoint me.” Vanessa and Lily nodded in return and headed outside towards the city.
Ramen followed their footsteps, but only to the door that closed before she got there. She then turned to the window that sat next to it, and stared out into the nightly area. Bucko groaned and rolled his neck, placing his hands in his pockets and leaning up against an empty pod. Evan stared at the two in bewilderment, taking notice of the difference between the twins.
“One’s observant, and one’s irritated.” Evan spoke, stepping next to Beatrice with his arms behind his back. She sighed, putting an elbow on his shoulder.
“They’re more than that. Especially Bucko. He’s the one that’ll surprise you.” She seemed to be thinking out loud rather than speaking to Evan. Nevertheless, he agreed, shifting his eyes on Bucko, who decided to let his wings sprawl out of his shirt and into the air.
“He’s already surprised all of us.”
-~-
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