I awake, and see the MRTI standing nearby. He doesn't look happy. He sees I am awake and comes over. He sighs, "Well, it could've gone better. Still it was our first try at anthro, and I'm sure we'll get better. Ah, well, a keeper will be along for you soon enough." He turns and leaves.
"Wait. What's wrong? The deal's still good, isn't it?"
"What? Oh, yes, you only need to serve a month. Can't really have you at the petting zoo though, would scare the children half to death, don't you know. Still you can do your community service at the freak show scaring teenage girls and guys. Just do what they tell you and you'll be fine." He walks away.
I try to get out of the bed and realize that I'm strapped to it. I struggle. Just outside the door, I can hear the man say to somebody, "It's in there, all yours now."
Two men enter a short skinny one and a fat tall one.
"What d'ya suppose it is? A mutant kangaroo?" the fat one asks.
"Nah," replies the smaller one lifting my ear, "More like what the monster woulda looked like if Dr. Frankenstein had to finish his work with rabbit parts."
Rabbit parts? Frankenstein's rabbit? This had to be a joke.
"No, guys, my name's Penny. I'm a man who volunteered for one month's community service here at the petting zoo," I say, "Could you guys unstrap me."
"A man named Penny? Right, Penny's a girl's name - short for Penelope, ain't it?" said the shorter one shaking his head.
"Penny's my last name!" I said in an exaperated voice.
The short one looked over his shoulder at the fat one, "We got a talker, Joe, better muzzle it or it'll chat our ears off."
"Right boss," said the fat one producing a leather mask that resembles the one Hannibal Lector wore in Silence of the Lambs.
"Oh, no, you're n-tugh!" I shout as the fat one fits a gag in my mouth and straps the muzzle into place.
"Now that's better," says the short one patting my muscular furry belly. "Say, Joe, what do you think we should bill this exhibit as: Frankenbunny? Harvey the Hulk? The Rabbitator?"
"Rabbitator? He don't look like a potater. He's kind greenish, I think Frankenbunny is good, but the animal trainer may have other ideas," the fat guy said running his finger significantly up and down his cheek. I then noticed that the short one had a scar on his cheek. I made the connection animal trainer plus scar meant whip. I hoped I was wrong.
"Right oh, let's get this gurney out of here," the short one said grabbing an end of my narrow bed. Turns out I was on a gurney when I woke up. They wheel me out the back way to the loading dock and wheel me into a plain white truck that smells of animals. They bungee cord me and the gurney to the wood slats on the inside of the truck.
"You know boss, he said that he only signed up for a month's community service. Does that mean we have to bring him back in a month?"
The short one laughed, "Bring it back? This is a bill of sale, not a lease agreement. These community service agreements always have a liability release clause. The doc will probably give the guy's family a harmless bunny rabbit, and say that Mr. Penny had a rare reaction and permanently transformed into a bunny rabbit. I know that's what I'd do, if I were him." He nods significantly.
The two slam the doors and moments later the truck lurches forward.