Fourteen: Compromisation

Nichelle Trudery felt like a complete and utter recreant for abandoning Jim Misanthrope to his fate, whatever that fate might be. Try as she might, she could no longer blame their frantic retreat on Elmer's panic or the bipedal dog's obvious fear of the basement. She and Tott--well, she--should have calmed the others down and ventured into the contaminated cellar to check on Jim. No one knew how far he had fallen nor the nature of the contamination nor even if the sign indicating the danger was still relevant.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Tottchell Zizzzard, who had stretched out his long body in the back seat.

"We get out of here, as I have been saying all along," Elmer insisted.

"No, we have to go back for Jim," said Nichelle, "You guys know that, surely."

They had stopped on the side of the road just outside Goofy Ridge and let the dog out of the car. Unlike most canines, this one seemed not to love riding in the vehicle. In fact, it appeared the creature was carsick. No one spoke for a few moments, as Elmer and Tott absorbed Nichelle's exhortation. They agreed with her, she knew, and must have been riddled with the same guilt that was jolting her. Their silence amounted to consent.

"No," said Elmer, "I don't see that we do. I think it would be a mistake."

Nichelle shot a glare at Elmer, one ablaze with profundity, with reminders of the past, with indicators of his responsibilities toward his friend. Or perhaps the look simply carried disgust. Elmer ignored her. She turned to the backseat, eyeing Tott for signs of resistance. Without even speaking to him, Nichelle knew he would go back for Jim if she pressed hard enough unless Elmer actively recruited him as an ally, which was unlikely. Elmer displayed little but disdain for Tott most of the time; he liked Tott, but rarely showed respect for his feelings or opinions.

She got out of the car to check on the dog, pocketing the keys as she did so, fearing faintly, distantly that Elmer might slide across the seat and take off without her. She did not really think he would attempt this, nor did she imagine even the pliable Tott would permit such an extreme course of action. Still, she was taking no chances.

The strange beast they had found at the Monolithic Chemical Company lifted its weary head when she approached and made a sound, half bark and half moan. Though there were no obvious signs of illness or injury to the alleged dog, the creature was clearly uncomfortable. It occurred to her now what needed to be done, that there were two important things to accomplish, one of which might serve to distract and preoccupy Elmer long enough for her and Tott to return to MCC and locate Jim. Unfortunately, she wasn't certain Elmer could be trusted even with this much less risky assignment. She motioned for the upright-walking dog to accompany her and it grudgingly obeyed.

"Elmer," she said, "I'm not going to try to cajole or guilt you into going back to get Jim."

"Thank you," he muttered, without looking at her.

"Instead, I want you to take this animal to a veterinarian."

"What?" Elmer demanded, as though he had been asked the most confounding trick question possible.

"Will you do this for me? I know you don't want to go back to that contaminated basement, but I have to. Tott can go with whomever he likes, though I suspect I'll need him more than you will. Meanwhile, you can go to the vet and see what you can find out about this... er, dog."

As she spoke, she noticed Tott nod from the back seat, indicating he would go with her.

"That's not a dog, that's an experimental freak," said Elmer. "Besides, who can afford a vet bill? Not me. And this creature doesn't belong to me in the first place."

"Elmer, you're not using your brain. I know you're afraid to under the circumstances, but listen for a minute. Do you think once the vet sees something like this that there will be any demands for money? All you have to do is say what happened and where you found the thing. Like you said, it's not your dog. The vet can do whatever, but my guess is under the circumstances, they'll do everything they can for it because, like us, they want to know what the hell it is."

Elmer's averted eyes and shaking head revealed what his mouth wouldn't say. You're right, Nichelle, you're right and I'll do this so you'll stop thinking I'm a jerk and a coward.