Taming The Tiger Man - Genma Series #1

“So, we arranged to meet again this Thursday…”

Angelina listened to Paul’s voice from the phone while leaning on her comfort bed. Her eyes scanned the dark sky outside the curtain-less window and heard the helicopter sound.

“Angel, is that the sound of a helicopter from the roof of the building?”

“Yes,” Angelina replied while observing the air transportation. It landed in the distance.

Are they participants in tomorrow’s match?

Angelina bit her lip. She remembered the training that afternoon. Ramaik looked quite dexterous. He dealt with the Fire Banaspati, a Javanese mythical creature with a human body but the form of fire.

Angelina shuddered when she remembered the smell of burning flesh from Ramaik’s right arm.

“Although this is only a simulation, Inyiak will still suffer 40 percent of the damage.”

“There are only five minutes left.” The robot operator’s voice from her phone interrupted Doctor Galina’s speech that afternoon. Angelina tightened her jaw as she remembered that the organization also spied on her private conversation with Paul.

“Angel, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, Paul, good night,” she replied with lethargy.

Paul disconnected the line. Angelina put the phone back in place and flopped down. She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling.

Ramaik. I hope he will be fine.

*****

It was eight in the morning when Angelina, picked up by Nixon, arrived at Genma’s secret zoo. Fonda no longer seemed interested in coming to her room.

A Liger seen lounging in a cage stared at the two without interest before yawning widely, displaying a row of clean fangs. Angelina’s pace slowed as she began to observe the feline carnivores.

Liger, Tigon, Golden Cat, and even Ramaik himself, despite they were fighting animals, all of them were well-groomed. They had no skin diseases, had an ideal weight, and had no mild or severe infections. They were healthy.

Angelina stopped walking right in front of the golden cat kitten cage. Her gaze settled on Fonda.

That woman was kneeling and carefully examining the ear hole of one of the golden kittens on her lap.

Fonda was looking down, unaware that she was the center of attention. Satisfied with her observations, the woman placed the flashlight on her side and turned the kitten over to check its skin and fur with her bare hands. Her movements were that of an expert.

She loves her job, Angelina concluded to herself. Doctor Erick also took good care of the animals.

Angelina watched her coworkers interact with their animals before another conclusion crossed her mind. Fonda and Doctor Erick were probably victims, just like me.

A meow from the golden kitten that demanded Fonda’s attention made the woman turn her head toward the glass and realize the presence of the two. The bright red lipstick lips that curved slightly into a smile flattened before their owner set the patient on her lap to the grass.

She then rose to her feet only to give Angelina a lazy glance. “Doctor Angelina, it will be more professional for you to come in and help me examine these animals instead of standing there like a plastic doll.”

The aura of melancholy evaporated. Maybe she’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. Her colleague was just as insane as the others. “I just arrived. It hasn’t even been more than a minute.”

“Sorry, Doctor, we’ve been standing here for about thirteen minutes,” Nixon whispered as he leaned down and made Angelina’s cheek feel his warm breath.

Angelina got goosebumps. Her body shifted to move away in response while Fonda gave her a dismissive sigh.

“So, now you suppose you’re worthy to act like a zoo visitor?” Fonda sneered when Angelina had not yet walked into the cage.

Angelina’s sour face contorted even more as she stomped into the hallway that flanked the two cages. She paused at the glass entrance and searched for the open button.

A boxy object similar to the light switches at the other entrances was by the door handle. It scanned Angelina’s fingerprint as she pressed it.

The tiny red light above the switch blinked green. A golden kitten was startled by a red light that circled the cage entrance. The house cat-sized beast meowed and scampered away, hiding between Fonda’s legs and littered her black stockings with several strands of golden fur that had fallen off.

The red light seemed to pulsate faintly and gradually turned green. The glass door in front of Angelina shifted so she could step inside before it closed automatically.

The green color pulsated for a few seconds before powering off. Angelina looked at the golden kitten that now approached her leg and began to rub its body in a circular motion.

How cute. The smile on Angelina’s lips expanded. The long fur on each tip of the tiny animal’s ears adds to the uniqueness of this animal.

“3025.” Fonda’s formal voice caught her attention. The purple-haired woman opened and read the file inside.

Angelina wrinkled her forehead in puzzlement. Where did that paper come from?

However, before Angelina had time to explore the contents of the cage, Fonda had already given another order. “Check the condition.”

“Huh? Whose condition?” asked Angelina. “I checked Ramaik yesterday. He’s fine.”

Angelina glanced at Nixon. He leaned across the cage and yawned widely. The stupid man was completely unconcerned as a Liger almost as tall as him, without even standing on both feet, was opening its mouth wide and trying to bite his head from behind the glass.

The exasperated flash in Fonda’s eyes made Angelina realize her answer was wrong.

“Check 3025. I hope you will stop wasting my precious time by being stupid.”

“Who’s being stupid?!” Angelina’s tone rose several octaves. “You didn’t explain well and made me misunderstood.”

“How could you misunderstand? I did not mention Ramaik’s name at all. If you got it wrong, it’s because of your foolishness,” Fonda scoffed as she tilted her head slightly to the right. She leaned back until the file she was still holding fluttered in a fan shape downwards.

Angelina felt her cheeks heated in shame. She was lost for words while arguing with her partner.

3025 is the name of one of these golden cats, Angelina concluded. She knelt and caught the nearest kitten, then examined the inner side of its earlobe. Her guess was correct. Just like farm animals, the organization tattooed these golden kittens after reaching an age where they stopped drinking their mother’s milk.

The tiny animal let out a purr when Angelina leaned forward slightly to reach the flashlight Fonda had previously placed among the grass. She held the back of the golden kitten’s neck and opened its earlobes wide enough to be examined.

“Clean,” Angelina informed after doing the same to the other ear. Doubt struck her again when she found if Fonda neatly clipped the golden kitten’s nails.

Fonda walked a step or two while using her finger to make an imaginary tick on the file she held. “Immunization is complete.”

The movement of the golden kitten’s head pushing Angelina’s arm made her fingers immediately squeeze its neck for its irresistible cuteness. Angelina was about to open her mouth before Fonda’s words stopped her. “Today, I will check and supervise Inyiak’s fight. There are several handover files that you must check. I hope today is our last meeting.”

“Are you leaving tomorrow?” asked Angelina with widened eyes.

“I didn’t know that you’d feel lost.” Fonda curved her lips in sarcasm. “I thought you’d be happy.”

She sure is an annoying but reliable coworker.

Angelina’s lips pressed tightly together as she studied the woman before her. His task would be even more difficult after her senior’s departure.

Suddenly, Fonda pulled up her short skirt, causing Angelina’s eyes to widen at the sight of the woman shamelessly displaying thighs encased in black stockings. She took off a small bag tied to it and tossed it near her coworker.

“Parting gift. I hope I don’t find news of your death on television.”