The Story of Sparky--Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Experiment 626

     Sparky remembered there being a lot less stairs in Jumba’s house, but then again, Jumba might have added some in the three years he’d been dehydrated. He and Bandit climbed step after step after step, and after a while Sparky wondered if it was really worth all this climbing just to watch Jumba make Experiment 626.
     Finally, they came to the top step, and there was the door into the experiment making room.
     “C’mon,” said Bandit. She had to drag Sparky inside, for he couldn’t walk another step.
     It seemed that Sandy had just gotten there as well. He was talking to Jumba, and Sparky and Bandit were able to run to the other side of the room and hide unnoticed.
     “Whadda ya think they’re talking about?” whispered Bandit.
     “Dunno,” Sparky replied.
     “Probably discussing 6-2-6’s powers and stuff,” Bandit said thoughtfully.
     “Maybe,” said Sparky.
     Suddenly Bandit looked worried. “You’re buzzing!”
     Sparky realized it too. “Can’t help it.”
     “Think they’ll hear you?” asked Bandit.
     “No,” said Sparky truthfully. “They too busy talking… and experiment making not really quiet.”
     “Yeah,” said Bandit.
     “I’ll go sit over there,” Sandy told Jumba, sitting down on a stool on the opposite side of the room from Bandit and Sparky.
     “All right! You are being ready?” asked Jumba, putting on a pair of safety goggles.
     Sandy nodded.
     “Tooki ba waba!” Jumba roared, and flipped down a switch. A beam of electricity came down from the ceiling and struck the container in the middle of the room, but unlike in Sparky and Electra’s creations, it continued to strike.
     Jumba’s maniacal laughter rang throughout the room as the light reflected on his goggles. It grew brighter, and clouds of dark blue mist began to form in the container.
     Bandit nudged Sparky. “It’s working!”
     Then Jumba, finishing up his laughter, flipped the switch back up and coughed. “Is not so easy on the throat!”
     He let go of the switch and walked over to the container, where the mist was clearing and a little blue ball sat in its place. He took off his goggles and stared at the ball in wonder. “Can it be? Have I done it?”
     Bandit gasped.
     The ball opened up to reveal a cute, blue experiment that looked a lot like Song. “Ah.” He looked up at Jumba and then around the room. “Ohhhhh.”
     “Wow,” breathed Sparky.
     Bandit squeezed his hand. “It’s 6-2-6!”
     Jumba gasped. “Aha!”
     626 purred.
     “So… cute,” said Jumba, “so… fluffy.”
     626 stood up. He pressed his nose to the front of the container, up to Jumba’s nose, and sniffed.
     Jumba gasped again. “Where did I go wrong?” he moaned.
     626 pressed himself against the back of the container, growling. He then jumped on to the front (Jumba screamed) making rude noises and climbing all over the container, viciously growling at his creator.
     Jumba laughed. “What a relief!” He bent down and told the experiment, “Your name is 6-2-6. Isn’t that nice.”
     626 stood up and looked Jumba in the eye, hissing at him.
     “Now, I know, I know,” said Jumba, grabbing onto a cord. He dragged it over to 626’s container. “You want to get out and wreak some havoc.” He plugged the cord into the container, which lit up. “But your molecules need to be charged. Hmm, that’s most important part.”
     626 climbed around his container impatiently. Jumba walked away. The computer screen showed a picture of 626 and a bar that was slowly filling up and beeping.
     “Meanwhile, I’ve got a surprise for you,” said Jumba.
     626 jumped up, excited. “Ih, ih!”
     “Close your eyes.”
     626 kept one eye open, hoping Jumba wouldn’t notice.
     “Ha—no peeking,” Jumba warned him, delighted. “He cheats already.”
     “Oh, cheeky-bay!” 626 groaned, covering his eyes with all four hands as Jumba laughed.
     “Ta-da!” Jumba pulled out a little red jumpsuit, fitting for 626.
     “Aww,” whispered Bandit. “He’ll look so cute in that!”
     “Ooh! Jajiba!” 626 growled happily. “Ooh, jajabata-bita!”
     “If it’s too big, I will have it taken in,” Jumba explained.
     There was a knock on the door.
     “Uh-oh,” said Jumba.
     626 looked up, afraid.
     “Open up!” shouted a voice. “It’s the Inter-Galactic Police!”
     Sparky and Bandit gasped. “Oh no!”
     “Uh, is nobody home!” Jumba called, stuffing 626’s suit into a compartment in the container. “Check it in mail!”
     The door lit up, blasted by a plasma gun.
     “I’m in the tub!” shouted Jumba.
     Sparky screamed, but nobody heard him. The door blasted apart and three aliens in protective suits jumped into the room. They pointed their guns at Jumba. “You are under arrest for illegal genetic experimentation!”
     Jumba tried to cover 626’s container with his arms. “You idiots! You will to ruin everything! Ow! Ow!”
     One of the police officers grabbed Jumba’s arm, and one grabbed his leg. “Yeah, yeah, tell it to the council,” said one.
     Bandit gasped. “No!” Sparky held her back.
     Jumba grabbed onto 626’s container, but his hands slipped and they dragged him away. “Let… me… go! Ow!” He fell to the ground.
     A police officer took off his mask. “You two: get the evidence!”
     The others circled 626’s container.
     “Oh, stop, stop!” cried Jumba, for one of them was about to pull out the plug. “His molecules aren’t fully charged!” He attempted to lung at them, but the officer had his arms in handcuffs and was pulling the scientist away. “Don’t—”
     They pulled out the plug.
     “No!”
     Red lights flashed. “Warning. Warning. Warning.”
     “Ohhh!” cried Jumba, horrified.
     The officer tossed the cord aside.
     “Warning: Electromagnetic bonding incomplete,” beeped the computer.
     “No! No! No!” cried Jumba, as he was dragged out of his lab. “There’s no telling what will happen! Let me go! Nooooooooooo! What will become of my little monstrosityyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?”
     “Jumba!” cried Sandy jumping out to save his creator.
     “Look, there’s another one!” shouted one of the police. “Seize him!”
     They did. Sandy struggled, but it was no use. He just wasn’t strong enough.
     “6-2-5—use your powers, you miserable excuse for an experiment!” said Jumba crossly.
     Sandy glared at him. “You think I’m not trying, Doc? I don’t have any powers!”
     “Yes you do!” cried Jumba.
     Suddenly Bandit turned to Sparky. “Sparky—you can use your powers! Scare them!”
     Sparky grinned. “Oka… taka!”
     A flying yellow blaze was all you could of Sparky as he flew around the room. The police pointed their guns at him, but it made no difference—the experiment was just too fast for them.
     Sparky flew over to 626’s container and pushed the button to open it. 626 growled at him.
     “It’s okataka,” Sparky told him.
     “What… you… doing?” asked 626 slowly.
     Sparky grinned. “Rescue.”
     626 cocked his head. “Why?”
     “We’re family,” Sparky told him. “Meega can’t just… leave you.”
     626 smiled at him, and then pushed Sparky out of his way. He growled and headed straight for the policemen. Yanking Sandy out of their grip, he threw the experiment aside and stole the policemen’s guns.
     The aliens screamed and backed away as 626 pointed their own guns at them. “Don’t move.”
     They held up their hands. “We… we won’t.”
     Sparky gasped—the third policeman was sneaking up behind 626, who hadn’t noticed. “6-2-6! Look out!”
     It was too late. The policeman took back his guns and gestured towards the others. “C’mon, let’s take the idiot scientist and get outta here!” And off they ran.
     “Jumba!” cried Bandit, reaching out to her creator.
     “Bandit!” cried Jumba. “Warn the others! Dehydrate them and take them to me! Name 6-2-6—”
     The head policeman stuck his arm in Jumba’s mouth. Then they escaped out the door.
     “Jumba…” Bandit sank to the floor.
     “He’s… gone,” breathed Sandy. “I… I can’t believe…”
     626 looked around. His ears drooped. He had no idea what was going on.
     “Jumba said name 6-2-6,” Sparky remembered.
     626 looked up. “Huh?”
     “How about… Blueford?” asked Sandy.
     626 growled. “Nah.”
     “Smashy?” asked Bandit.
     626 shook his head. All three of them turned to Sparky.
     “Hmm…,” said Sparky. “Maybe… we name him… Stitch?”
     The others looked at each other. Then they all burst out laughing.
     “‘Stitch’?” cried Bandit. “That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard!”
     “‘Stitch’?” cried Sandy. “That’s the dumbest word I’ve ever imagined!”
     “‘Stitch’?” cried 626. Then he paused. “Stitch… meega likes it.”
     They stopped laughing.
     “You actually like it?” cried Bandit. “You like Stitch but you turned down Smashy?”
     626 nodded. “I like Stitch.”
     Sparky beamed. “Stitch it is.”
     Stitch smiled.