Author's Note: Seems like a few of you like this fic. Good. Well, for your enjoyment, here is chapter two. But that's not all, you get a double whammy as The Eternal Encore gets a new chapter. Don't you all feel special now? Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.
Meet the X Associates
As he had found himself many times, he was back on the "examination table," or as he liked to call it the "butcher's block," needles and IVs stuck into him, pumping the fluids that were the basis of the project into his body, electrodes on his forehead monitoring his brain. Probes were stuck on multiple parts of his body, sending electrical shocks into him after an interval of being filled with the mysterious liquids, his whole body restrained and tied down tightly to the cold, metal table.
He had gone through this process so many times that he was hardly phased by it. He hadn't screamed or cried out during the procedure in a long, long time, and his body always knew when electricity was about to be zapped into him. He had developed quite a tolerance for electrical surges, which was something he didn't know was a good thing or a bad thing.
At least they allowed him to wear some clothing. Even though those damn loose, gray shirts and baggy gray pants were not real suitable to be worn day in and out, at least they covered up parts of his body that he didn't want to be shown.
Finally, the shrill beeping sound that always marked the end of one of these sessions sounded, the "medic team" entering like the trained dogs that they were and pulling the tubes, electrodes, and probes off him, wiping all the small punctures he had received with alcohol to prevent infection. The moment he was cleared, cleaned, and unrestrained, he simply stood up and walked out, as if nothing had happened to him in that all that time much to the surprise of the medic's rookies.
At first he had needed a long period of time to recuperate from the sessions but now it didn't even hold him back, the amount of pain always dwindling with each injection. However, that still didn't mean he didn't feel anything from it. His veins and arteries still burned like a motherfucker with the stuff in him; his feet felt like he was walking on pins and needles; he had a huge headache that made his head throb; and his fingers were twitching and spasming because of the electricity that still coursed through him for some odd reason.
Still, it wasn't too bad. It was better than what all the others experienced since quite a few still needed help when coming out of there, a small handful needing to be literally carried out. He normally didn't care about them since he didn't like any of them anyway. To tell the truth, he was only slightly anxious when Kid was sent in there but apparently he too was building a tolerance. He still needed assistance walking once he was finished but other than that, he was fine. Unmindful of doing it, Solo would find himself hovering near the braided boy for hours on end until curfew.
Entering into the "common's room," he sat down at one of the large tables that were the only pieces of furniture in this place. The whole room served as a social gathering area, mess hall, lounge, anything for the lab rats here. Other than their assigned cells, this was the only place they had any measure of freedom.
He was so sick of all this yet he had no other choice but to live with it.
When the table he was sitting at trembled slightly, he glanced as his company, dressed also in the standard gray clothing, and gave a small smile reserved for this person and this person alone. Kid had caught up with him but he still refrained from talking. What was there to talk about anyway? Still, it would be nice to hear some sort of human voice, besides the drones of the scientists anyway.
"Are we ever getting out of here?" came Kid's sudden question, barely heard because of the boy's soft yet deep voice.
Remaining silent for a minute, Solo gave his honest answer. "Hope so. Want ta get out of here. Hasn't happened yet though."
Kid sighed in reply and they fell into yet another companionable silence. Feeling slightly generous today, despite his recent session, Solo fondly ruffled Kid's hair, enjoying the fact that Kid leaned his head into his touch. This was the closest they could get to warm, human contact. Affection was quite the stranger here. To find just a little of it was similar to finding water in a barren desert. You took what you could take and gave what you could give.
"They're running out of room," Kid spoke softly.
"Hm?" Now Solo gave Kid his full undivided attention.
"They're making us share rooms now," Kid answered looking up at him with his violet eyes, eyes that were stuck in the transition of turning into a dark crimson, the only way to tell if Kid was worried about something.
"You scared?" Solo asked.
"Kinda," Kid answered, fingering the end of his long braid. "What if they stick me with one of them?"
Solo knew what he meant by that. It was a reference to the rest of the populace here. If they had been weird beyond this drab place, they were truly freaks now, not just physically, in some cases, but mentally and emotionally as well. Some had lost their minds already…
"They ain't gonna hurt us," Solo told him. "If they were, they woulda done it already."
"You seem so sure," Kid stated.
Giving Kid a rare smirk, he said, "That's because it's fact, Kid."
--
Tearing through the open sky, creating enough noise to destroy the tranquility that belonged to this wasteland, the manmade machine known to the rest of the world as a helicopter carried its valuable human cargo deep into lands that not even a ridiculously stupid person would inhabit.
That was probably why it was so valuable when it came to trying to hide something that wasn't quite legal.
If anybody knew what was being done out here, the people involved would more than likely be executed for inhumanity and human experimentation alone, not to mention the whole crimes-against-humanity spiel.
"We're approaching our destination, General," the pilot reported. "ETA: four minutes."
The General nodded, continuing to look straight ahead, his small eyes searching for anything that stuck out. Eventually, a dark, flat surface caught his eye and the General knew they had arrived. The copter landed on the surface, the General stepping out of his transport to take a look around. Other than this cement surface and the rocky outcroppings that surrounding them, there was nothing special to be looking for.
Not really surprising since the facility they were visiting was underground…
The General was a tall man, complete with broad shoulders and an air of superiority that fit him nicely. What parts of his head that weren't balding were covered with glossy black hair that was the man's pride and joy. A thin mustache mixed in with the man's hardened looks, only serving to make him look more severe. He had dressed for this occasion in his standard military uniform, his medals and patches being the only things that showed how high up his position was.
"Are you sure this is the place?" a member of his entourage of advisors questioned, looking quite disappointed at their present location.
Refraining from answering, Septum strode boldly up to an outcropping, pulling out a card key as he did so. The closer he got to the outcropping the more strange things seemed to get, such as the rocks beginning to move, parting in front of the General. His entourage followed after him, amazed at the wonder they were seeing. Hidden beneath all the rock was a metal door and a panel. Swiping the card key, Septum punched in a code and waited.
The door opened, revealing it to be an elevator. As if he had done this multiple times, Septum entered the hidden entrance, waiting only long enough for only a few members of his entourage to gather their wits and enter as well. He was not a real patient man and if none of these fools were quick, then they would be left behind.
The ride down was smooth and effortless; Septum could barely tell that they were moving at all. The annoying ding alerted to him that they had arrived and he strode briskly through the opening doors.
He ignored all the help that attempted to welcome or delay him from his appointment. He was here for a reason and chitchat was not that reason.
In his typical manner, he barged through the doors leading him straight to the man he wanted, needed to see.
Two startling, different colored eyes ensnared him upon entry, an eyebrow raising at him questioning. Stopping in his tracks, Septum barked, "Get out. I need to speak with him alone."
His entourage quickly obeyed, closing the doors behind them as Septum leveled his gaze at the man sitting behind the large oak desk before him. Steepling his fingers in front of him, the sitting man smiled darkly at the General. He looked like a simple businessman with his dark brown hair combed, his skin and face kept up and clean, his nails groomed, the only thing odd about him being his eyes.
"Punctual as always, General," the man greeted. "How may I serve you this fine day?"
"Cut the crap Xavien," Septum snapped. "You know what I'm here for. What is your progress on Project Maxwell?"
Nodding his head, the so-named Xavien, replied, "Everything is on schedule. In fact we are close to completing the first."
"Close?!" Septem yelled. "I've been waiting nearly a decade for you to come through on this and only now you are getting results?!"
"That certainly isn't true," Xavien said soothingly. "We've made a lot of progress General. If I recall correctly, didn't I say it would take some time before anything substantial came out of this?"
"I didn't think it would take this long!" Septum exclaimed. "People are starting to ask questions about Project Maxwell. Noventa is starting to breathe down my neck and he wants to know what this is all about! I can't keep him away for much longer; I need something now!"
"Good things come to those with patience," Xavien countered. "This is not something that can be rushed General, at least not something that won't have consequences in the long run. I am looking at both long and short term on this one and I will produce. I have invested too much of myself into this to let that happen."
"And what have you to show for it?" Septum sneered, crossing his arms over his chest, glaring down at the sitting man.
Quirking an eyebrow, Xavien drawled out, "Would you like to see what I have thus far?"
"I would love to," Septum answered sarcastically.
Standing up as if he hadn't heard the sarcasm, Xavien grabbed a white lab coat off a coat rack as he headed for the door, putting the coat on as he walked. "Follow me then, General. You'll be quite educated once you see what's been accomplished."
Snorting, Septum glared at Xavien but followed anyway. He towered over the man easily and yet this was one of the few people that the General wouldn't cross. His full name was Janus Hans Xavien, the founder, owner, and C.E.O. of X Associates, Incorporated, XAI for short, and probably one of the most politically powerful men on the planet. Despite looking harmless, he was incredibly ruthless and dangerous, responsible for a quarter of all political assassinations in the past ten years. It was fortunate that Xavien had focused his talents on the business world, else Septum would be out of a job…
He dogged after Xavien, his entourage nipping at his heels, as the man led him deeper into the underground complex. Xavien's pace was practiced, sure, confident, and experienced as he ultimately led the General and his entourage to an observation room which had an entire wall made solely out of a two-way mirror.
Seeing nothing, Septum looked at Xavien with a look that was asking if this was a joke. However, before he could say anything, Xavien stated, "Look down, General."
Following the direction, his eyes widened slightly. Long tables spread out across an enormous room, boys of all ages in groups or by themselves populating it. It wasn't just the presence of the boys that was wondrous, no. It was the fascinating sights that captivated him. From far up here he could see one boy juggling fire as if it was no mean feat while another occasionally blasted ice at a fireball. One boy was levitating two younger ones, letting the two fly around the room while they acted out a scene from a war movie, one that was on the tip of the General tongue.
Others, such as small fireworks, webbing, even wind dazzled the General and his entourage. Looking up at Xavien, Septum asked, awed, "Is this possible?"
"Better believe it," Xavien replied with no little pride. "This is just only the first batch General. Each and every one of them are not only being trained physically but mentally as well. A good soldier is one that can think on their toes and improvise, not a mindless robot that follows all orders to the letter. That is the reason why it is taking so long for your results. I don't deliver defective weapons, General."
"Do you know what we can do with them?" the General asked, still awed. "The possibilities are endless!"
"You don't even know the half of it," Xavien stated, smirking cruelly. "Once we are sure that all are stable, we will begin working on the next phase of the project."
"The next phase?" Septum asked, confused.
"Why just stop with creating super soldiers, such as these, when you can continue to create more of them through breeding? Haven't you noticed that there are only males down there? All female subjects were unable to adjust or adapt to the results of the experiments. We are still trying to figure that one out, by the way, but think General. They are weapons that can not only fight for you but can continue to make more of them. By manipulating their thoughts at an early age, you can make them not only utterly loyal to you, but also the perfect cold-blooded killer. Imagine keeping all the good, healthy, normal men at home while sending these tools out to do your dirty work?"
"Incredible," Septum whispered, looking up at Xavien. "This is a commander's wet dream!"
"It's that and more," Xavien agreed.
"Tell me, which ones are the closest to being completed?" Septum asked eagerly.
"#11085 and #12093," Xavien stated. "They are those two right…there."
"Which one is which?"
"You'll find out soon enough. You see, there is one last test for those two to undergo. In the next couple days, one of them will be dead and the other will have proven their self to be the perfect super soldier."
"So when should I expect something from you?"
"By the end of the week General. By then, most of the bugs will be ironed out and your weapon will be ready for duty. Hell, you can even demonstrate it in front of your colleagues if you wish."
Grinning wickedly at Xavien, Septum said, "I know I haven't said this to you before but you are a genius Xavien!"
"Oh stop!" Xavien replied in mock-modesty. "But seriously, General, you have yet to see the full scope of Project Maxwell. Allow me to show some of our other specimen."
Leading the way, Xavien smiled wickedly, enthused about being able to showcase his work to a receptive audience.