chapter 10

It was a night about a week after we'd had sex and it was late. Axel stood up and looked around, wearing a pair of black short-shorts and a white t-shirt. He walked out of the room.

It didn't appear to be his typical late-night snack or something to that nature. Something had worried him. I stood up too, waiting for him to reenter. I heard the front door slam and I ran into the hallway, putting on my glasses.

"Axel, is everything all right? Who was at the door?" He was on the ground, doubled over in pain. I saw Dr. Lawry and a small Asian man--Jomei Tanaka. Dr. Lawry held a very large needle in his hands, and it appeared he'd already injected Axel with something.

"How did you get in here? Get out!" I shouted. Axel groaned, still on the floor. I walked towards him and he stood, straightening up. His shirt was ripping at the arms. He was larger, even more so than usual. "Axel, are--are you okay?"

"AX3," Dr. Lawry said smirking. "I would like you to fight Casey Kirby." Axel ripped the shirt open, throwing the tattered remains to the floor. His belly was rounded out, with a slight happy trail. It was large, but perfectly in proportion with his large arms and legs. He walked towards me and I noticed the aggressive stride. I stepped back. He took a swipe at me, but I ducked. I stumbled into the kitchen and fell back. He kicked me in the side, and like that day he pushed me onto the coffee table, it knocked the air out of me. My glasses had fallen off my face.

"What did you do to him?" I shouted at the pair. They had followed the two of us into the kitchen, looking on at us--at Axel trying to kill me.

"AX3, a moment please." Axel stood up straight, feet planted firmly on the ground. "Well, first off, I would like to thank you Mr. Kirby for looking after my things for me." This was Mr. Tanaka. He didn't speak with a thick Japanese intonation like I thought he would, but instead he spoke with a New Jersey accent.

"Fuck you," I said, shaking. "Just get out of here. Just leave us alone."

"I'm sorry, but that is not possible." He smiled sympathetically, and it was much more believable than Dr. Lawry's fake-ass grins. "However, to answer your first question, I have given AX3 a drug Dr. Lawry and I have been working on for the last month. We have hardly slept trying to hurry and get AX3 out of your hair."

"He wants to be here, and I have no problem letting him stay," I said pleadingly. Were they going to have Axel kill me? I stood up, finally better able to breath.

"You see," Dr. Lawry interjected. "He was lacking the ability to take direction. Not anymore." He smiled. "He's perfect--well, almost. He appears to have eaten his old self. Though, some of his growth seems to be the doing of the injection. That was unforeseen." He chuckled.

"He's gotten too big. You can just let him stay here." Both men laughed. "I'm serious. I already know Doe ended the project. She doesn't want him anymore. Just change him back and leave. Please." I was standing near the drawers in my kitchen, butt against the counter.

"We're sorry, but we can't do that." Tanaka looked from me to Axel, a slight frown on his face.

"AX3, you need to knock Casey Kirby unconscious," Dr. Lawry commanded. Axel walked over to me. I pulled out a knife from one of the drawers.

"Axel," I said, knife shaking. "Don't do this. This isn't you. You're better than this." My side hurt from the kick. He grabbed my wrist. His breathing was deep, and I saw his substantial belly shaking. He squeezed harder and I dropped the knife. His other hand around my neck, he lifted me off of the ground.

I was starting to cry; the life being choked out of me. He walked me over to a wall and set me down. I think my wrist was broken. He looked down at me, his face cold. With his massive hand, he grabbed the side of my head. Those electric eyes I had looked into a million times were so cold. They were the last thing I remembered seeing before he slammed my head against the wall.