Two days later, Kowalski decided to try the experiment again, but much zaidi carefully this time. He locked himself in his lab, using a brand-new lock that opened kwa entering a nenosiri on the keypad - a nenosiri only he knew. Nope - this time, no one would get hurt, he was sure of it.

That is… except for myself… he thought grimly as he picked up the syringe and once again prepared himself for the injection. It was much harder this time to poke himself, now that he knew what would happen afterward. His flippers shook, and he Lost confidence. What finally made him do it was imagining a better, safer, cleaner world for Katrina and himself to start in, afresh.

The pain was exactly the same as before - the same blinding sting that seemed to last hours even though it was only a few dakika - and the same sensation as he felt himself slip away into darkness…

…

Adrian opened his eyes. So the fool had decided to try this again, had he? Well, Adrian for one had no qualms about it whatsoever.

He smiled his vicious smile and ran for the door. To his dismay, he saw that Kowalski had put some sort of high-tech lock with a keypad on the door. No matter how hard Adrian strained himself - even with his noticeable muscles - he could not open the door.

This would not do. This room, this very building was stifling him - Adrian thought for a moment, then had an idea. He sat down on a chair and relaxed his whole body. He searched through his mind, through its deepest corners, all his own memories and what he dimly could remember from Kowalski's life… and finally, he found it. A warm spot where Kowalski's consciousness hid away while Adrian took over his body.

He poked his way inside. Kowalski's voice shouted inside his ears: Don't wewe DARE! wewe STAY in this room! Please, leave Marlene alone-

"Oh, what an idea! I hadn't even thought of the lovely lady… so she told on me, I see? I just might have to pay her a little visit, later… but now, where is it?" he rummaged around in Kowalski's mind, ignoring his orders. "Ah, here it is! 2597601, then? Excellent! Thank you, sir!"

NO! LEAVE HER-

Adrian left Kowalski's consciousness, and the scientist's voice was silent once more. Adrian, please with himself, jumped off the chair and strode to the locked door. He pushed the keypad.

"2-5-9-7-6-0-1..." it clicked open. "Perfect."

He silently and swiftly left the HQ. Ahh… how good it felt to be out of that place and out here, in the open! Now then, he thought efficiently, the first thing to do is see to dear Marlene…

He went to her habitat and jumped the fence and pool with a frightening ease, like he'd already done it a million times. He peered inside… oh, how sweet she looked while she slept so soundly… even her snore had a certain charm to it, as her body quaked with each breath.

"Marleeeee-eeene…" he sang out softly.

Her eyelids fluttered open. "Wh-who's there?"

"It's me - your guardian angel…"

"You!" she gasped. She sprang to her feet, pulling something out from under her mto - a small knife. "Stay back au I'll-"

Once again using the element of surprise to his advantage, he ran up to her and, just like last time, pinned her arms to the ukuta with one flipper and gently pried the kisu away with the other.

"Come now, Marlene," he said, as if scolding a child, "Is there really a need for such violence? And if so, I really thought wewe would do better than that… perhaps, sometime I could onyesha wewe how to do better…"

Marlene was nearly in tears. "Please, leave me alone…"

"Oh… you're scared." Adrian, with a smile that reminded one of mamba tears, hugged her, pressing her head into his chest. "Oh, my dear, there's really no reason to be frightened… if wewe make me happy, I'll make wewe happy, it's actually quite simple."

Then, Marlene got angry. This was HER home! "Simple? I'll give wewe simple-"

She jerked her leg up, sinking her knee right into Adrian's kidney. He grunted in pain and accidentally let her go. Marlene ran for the exit to go get Skipper, au Rico, au Julien, somebody that could help her. Adrian quickly recovered and hissed savagely in anger. He got up and bounded after her. Adrian grabbed her kwa the tail and pulled hard, not only making her fall but actually pulling her off the ground and smashing into the opposite wall. She shouted, but her cry was quickly stifled as Adrian bent over her and shook her roughly kwa the shoulders.

"I have aliyopewa wewe sufficient warning, girl! I can EASILY make your life a living hell, but only if wewe so choose it!" he shouted in her face. "Don't make the wrong choice!"

"I won't!" Marlene said, begging him. "I won't - please, please don't hurt me!"

Adrian relaxed himself again, and let out a contented sigh. "That is much better, my dear - you're finally starting to learn." He glanced at her clock - midnight! He was running out of time before he changed back into Kowalski. "I'm so glad we straightened that out, my love. But now I have to dash - I hope wewe will have learned your lesson properly kwa inayofuata time we meet."

Marlene nodded, submitting.

Adrian got up, brushed himself off, and was about to leave when he said, "Oh dear, I almost forgot - Marlene? If wewe so much as breathe a word about what happened tonight, I will know - and wewe will pay. Do wewe understand?"

Marlene nodded again. Adrian smiled to himself, and left without another word.

…

Ah, a most productive visit, Adrian thought to himself. He knew Marlene would do as he alisema and not blab. Most helpful, indeed - well, to him, anyway.

He had also told Marlene that he would see her again, and he was almost sure he would… but there was always the off chance that the fool scientist would not take the drugs again, to save Marlene… Adrian thought about that. To never be alive again? To never walk on this Earth again, and with no one and nothing to remember him kwa - Kowalski and Marlene, sure, but he was quite sure they would want to forget him as soon as possible… the thought was unbearable. Even if Kowalski came to his senses and shut him up for good, Adrian felt that he deserved to be remembered! The swali was… how?

He only had about a half-hour to do his deed - Kowalski had taken a smaller dose of the injection, and Adrian had already spent so much time with Marlene, not to mention the time taken to get the password…

Adrian smiled. He wanted to do something… bad. Really bad.

He sat down on a ledge and sifted through the memories he'd retained from sharing the same brain as Kowalski, searching for something to do…

He came across something that might have some sort of an opportunity - a snake, kwa name of Savio, who lived in the Reptile House. Apparently, from what Adrian could tell, he'd eaten about four of Kowalski's friends, then covered himself with slick lies after each meal. He was later defeated kwa some elephant.

That memory irritated Adrian. While he admired the snake's tenacity, he saw that it was one thing to kill and eat another animal, and it was quite another to become a liar and a… a hypocrite because of it, denying his actions to save his own tail! Adrian remarked to himself that if HE killed anyone, he would never deny it, he would be proud… wait a minute…

Adrian chuckled darkly to himself. What a splendid idea…

…

About ten dakika later, Adrian snuck into the Reptile House, now armed with some necessary items for his plan, mainly a few quarts of gasoline (stolen from the zookeeper's cart) and some matches. He looked around trying to find this Savio's enclosure. He didn't need to look far - it was right in the middle of the wall. It wasn't hard to find Savio either - he laid all curled up upon the plastic branches in his enclosure, sleeping peacefully.

Adrian grinned like a maniac, knowing the time had come. He hid his things behind a trash can and slunk his way up to the glass keeping Savio inside. He tapped the glass with his beak four times.

Savio blinked his eyes open. "Who's there?" he said.

Adrian alisema nothing, but tapped the glass twice more.

Savio looked down. "Who are you, and why have wewe disturbed my sleep?" he alisema in a distinctly South American accent. He did not recognize Adrian's form at all, Adrian was happy to see.

"I am your greatest dream, and your worst nightmare." Adrian replied vaguely.

"What do wewe mean?" Savio replied suspiciously.

As he spoke, Adrian paced the floor slowly. "I know who wewe are, Savio. I know wewe hunger for zaidi that what the zookeeper can give you. wewe were born in the wild rainforest of the amazon - born with the mind of a hunter. Since being taken from your homeland, wewe have hungered for zaidi than merely chakula - wewe have thirsted for the thrill of the chase as well. But wewe have not had that for a while now, have you? Not since those penguins - not me, kwa the way - locked wewe and all opportunity away like a common zoo-dweller. Well, Savio, I am here tonight to challenge you, mano a mano, winner takes all. And I do mean all - I may be no mammal, but…" as much as Adrian hated his scientific counterpart, he quoted, "isn't victory sweetest after you've tasted defeat?"

"Indeed it is." Savio licked his lips, already able to taste the sweet, meaty victory in his mouth. He frowned, and said, "As much as your offer pleases me, o desperate and suicidal one, there is one problem: the penguins locked me in here, and there is no way I can get out. So now, go away so I can return to my sleep."

"Not so fast, serpent: that is where wewe are wrong." Adrian said. He walked up to the right side of the glass and touched a brick in the wall. He pressed down and easily slid it away, revealing a strange high-tech scanner. Adrian placed his flipper upon it. The scanner moved across the screen a couple of times, then beeped. A loud 'click' was heard, and the glass fell down upon the floor.

I suppose at least one good thing came out of sharing Kowalski's body, Adrian thought to himself.

Savio could hardly believe it. He was… free? He poked his head out about a foot into the air, where the glass used to be, testing to see if it was truly gone. Feeling nothing, he laughed joyfully and launched himself out of the small space. He circled himself around Adrian.

"Now then, penguin." Savio alisema menacingly, "let's make this quick, I am most eager to stretch my muscles."

Adrian, unflinching, merely said, "As am I. wewe first."

Savio hissed and snapped at Adrian. Adrian deftly dodged the snake's mouth kwa jumping in the air and landed about two feet away on the floor. Once again, he began to sing:

"Animals trapped behind bars in the zoo
Need to run rampant and free!"

He dodged Savio's incoming tail, this time landing on juu of it and easily snapping the end of his spine, eliciting a hiss of pain from Savio. He pulled hard on the snake's struggling body several times, jerking Savio's head closer and closer. No matter how violently Savio resisted, it did not matter to Adrian. He continued as he pulled:

"Predators live kwa the prey they pursue-"

He looked right into Savio's eyes. Savio opened his mouth to bite his foe; Adrian simply caught a hold of his mouth and snapped off his fangs as if they were twigs. Blood poured out. Savio screamed. Adrian shouted over him:

"This time, the predator's ME!"

He swung Savio's body around like a lasso…

"Lust, like a raging desire
Fills my whole soul with its curse…"

… and whipped Savio's head into the wall, distinctly hearing the skull crack.

"Burning with primitive fire
Berserk and perverse!"

Savio, however, kept himself awake under the literally mind-blowing pain, and was angrier than ever. Hoping to catch Adrian in a viselike grip, he rapidly slithered after him. Immensely enjoying himself, Adrian danced around the room, dodging and ducking out of the way.

"Tonight - I'll plunder heaven blind
Steal from all the gods!
Tonight - I'll take from all mankind
Conquer all the odds!"

Deciding enough was enough, he jumped and grabbed hold of Savio's head and ran with it in his flippers…

"And I feel I'll LIVE on forever-"

… on the word LIVE, he came to a ukuta and forcefully ground Savio's head into it, making him scream again.

"With Satan himself kwa my side!"

He dropped Savio, who fell to the floor. He could not songesha - the pain in his head was too much. Adrian, finally able to really use his muscles, piled all of Savio's body up in a heap and heaved the snake high above his head, then threw him in a clump back into the enclosure.

"And I'll onyesha the world to not turn back
On the name they'll remember as Adrian Black!"

He grabbed the gasoline and belly-slid back to the unfortunate snake. He smiled before jumping into the habitat, landing on a branch, and pouring the gasoline onto Savio's body.

"What a feeling to be so ALIVE!
I have never seen me so ALIVE!"

Adrian jumped out of the enclosure, slammed the glass back on, and grabbed a couple of matches. Ninja-style, he climbed the ukuta and launched himself into the opening that led to the air vents. He slid to where he knew Savio's enclosure was and opened the vent, breaking the lock.

"It's a feeling I'll never give back!"

He lit the match…

"It's the feeling of being Adrian -"

… and dropped the flame inside, quickly putting the cover back on and sitting on it. When he felt the metal covering quiver with the force of the explosion, he belted joyfully:

"BLAAAAACK!"

His song was over. Out of curiosity, he slid out of the vent, jumping out of the opening and onto the floor. He smiled with satisfaction when he saw Savio's enclosure - to see him writhing in agony, with the flames not merely licking at, but eating up his huge body. Adrian could hear his screaming from behind the glass… ah, it was like muziki to his ears. Eventually, though, the screaming passed and the snake fell limp, succumbing to the fire.

Savio was dead.

Adrian chuckled, then began laughing out loud, with the moto sparkling in his dark red eyes. No, he would never forget this moment, never forget the feeling of the muziki and joy and adrenaline rushing through his veins.

Suddenly, he felt a pain rising up inside his head. The drugs were wearing off. Adrian grunted and fell to his knees. He twitched a few times, gasping, then came to a halt…

…

Kowalski did not open his eyes, though he could feel himself easing back into his body. He was afraid to see what Adrian had done this time. He remembered Adrian breaking into his mind and stealing the nenosiri out of the lab, but no more… What horrible thing had occurred? It couldn't be pretty…

Kowalski cracked an eye open and looked up. His eyes flew open, and he gasped - it was Savio! His whole enclosure was on moto - he was on fire! But the worst part was… he wasn't doing anything about it, he was just laying there… Savio was… already dead.

Kowalski's eyes filled with tears - he had not cared much for the snake, but he was as much a living being as he was… and Kowalski had sworn his flippers would never take life away again, after the experiments… what had he done?

Without any other hesitation, Kowalski turned around and broke open the glass case holding a moto extinguisher and took it out. He ran to the other side of the room, and opened Savio's enclosure with the flipper-scanner he'd installed - unpleased to see it was already open - and quickly extinguished the fire. No one else would get hurt tonight, if Kowalski could help it.

After the flames were well put out, Kowalski dropped the empty canister, exhausted. The full measure of what happened began to sink in… Adrian had killed another animal, willfully… joyfully…

Kowalski knew he had a decision to make. This time, he would make the right one.

He turned tail and ran.
_____________________________________________________________

Is it bad that I had fun uandishi this chapter?

The song I used is "Alive Reprise", and Savio is supposed to represent the Bishop of Basingston.

http:/ www. Youtube .com /watch?v=W8cbwD1RhMs