As the brief sizzling of popping sparks faded, Brad hovered over the destruction, a sinking feeling weighting him down at his core.
The damn cat had destroyed the Chronivac and stranded him as a tiny, undeniably insignificant housefly.
What could he do? He continued to survey the scattered wreckage of what had proven to be a surprisingly vulnerable piece of advanced technology with his new faceted red eyes.
Absorbed by the aftermath of the destruction, he paid scant attention to the buzzing of his wings as they carried him over the cracked and crumpled exterior of the device, which looked like the scattered debris field of a crashed jet to the tiny insect.
His tiny heart began to beat even faster than his wings when he heard the warning hiss of the feline responsible for this unmitigated disaster.
The stealthy feline had adopted a new approach, sneaking up on the buzzing bug and then batting it out of the air onto the hard floor.
Huge paw still raised and positioned to slam down on the insect, mouth agape to show sharp fangs, the cat meowed loudly again as it stared at its prey.
Brad, his brain still rattled after the blow, crawled on his six wiry legs and prayed the cat would refrain from delivering a crushing blow before he could get airborne.
He hadn’t crawled an inch when the paw swatted him, sending him careening across the tile. The cat chased after him, now toying with its latest catch. The cat waited for him to move again, then batted him in the other direction across the smooth tile floor.
Only the timely arrival of the insect’s giant husband put a pause to the game. Preceded by the slamming of the front door, Mark strode into the kitchen, stopping to deposit keys and other items in a communal bowl, before he noticed and recognised the cat.
“Babe!” Mark shouted. “Are we cat sitting?”
At that moment, his transformed husband struggled under the weight of the feline’s heavy paw pad. Only Mark’s surprise arrival diverted its attention.
In an instant, the cat rubbed along Mark’s calves, purring loudly, a sound like a jet engine to tiny Brad.
Mark called out again, still getting no answer. He stooped and picked up the cat at the same instant he noticed the broken fragments of a new device.
“Uh-oh,” Mark spoke to the cat. “I hope you didn’t break one of the hubby’s toys.”
Brad buzzed weakly, the sound making the feline tense in Mark’s arms.
“Mark! Help me!” Brad buzzed, vibrating his wings more energetically, getting himself airborne the instant before the determined cat sprang out of Mark’s arms.
Surprised, the big man didn’t quite know what had gotten into the cat until he saw it batting with its front paws at a dark, winged insect trying without much success to gain altitude.
“Oh? You’re after a bug?” Mark laughed. “Well, you take care of that pest while I look for Brad.”
Leaving the room, Mark called out his husband’s name again.
“Mark, come back!” Brad buzzed. “Please, Come ba—aaahhh!”
The cat’s paw knocked into his frail form, causing him to careen like an out-of-control badminton shuttlecock through the air to crash against the vast refrigerator door. His tiny body dropped back onto the tiles as the feline, all sharp eyes, as well as claws and teeth, advanced toward him.
Hot, fetid breath that reeked of tuna blew over his stunned form as he struggled to regain some mobility.
He had no choice! If he didn't try to save himself, the cat would finish him. With reluctance, Brad...