~Chapter 13~
Johan Boehner's Laboratory
Pain… his entire body screamed in pain as did his soul… They took something from him… They took something precious, and he was furious… They jeered and laughed at him, each time he bared his fangs and lunged at Them…
For the brief moment that the sweet iron taste of their blood sang on his tongue as he ripped Their throats with his fangs and claws, he felt alive… but he was still incomplete… his lips drew back, baring his fangs at Them again… They kept coming at him… he had lost count of the number of Them he had maimed and killed… They continued to come, and he continued to sink his fangs and claws into Them…
The Last dropped away… his pale hands dyed a bright crimson… in his fist, he clutched onto the still unraveling organ of the Last's entrails… gold against black narrowed… he lifted his head… he scented the air… it was thick with the scent of blood, pain and madness but not of what he seek… he threw his head back and howled a mighty roar…
His song was filled with pain and loneliness, and yet it was underlined with a faint hope that this time… that this time his howl might be answered… the last note of his song faded into nothingness… his head tilted to the side as he listened… but he heard only silence… his heart tightened in pain… he was about to whimper when suddenly…
A song! Not just any song! His match's song! He felt lighter… he threw his head back again and gave another song… on and on, the two songs echoed pass the distance to answer one another… giving each other hope and strength…
"Remarkable…" One of the technicians muttered as he observed Experiment 4215-A, the Minus version of Experiment 4215.
Experiment 4215-A had just successfully survived an entire week of new inoculation of the same gene therapy that Experiment 4215 had undergone. While Experiment 4215-A's features remained the same, it was obvious that there was more 'creature' in the Minus. And it was fascinating to the technician, who noticed that even though the animal DNA they had injected the creature with was that of the human world, the Minus' own Spiritron had given the animal feature a more draconic appearance.
If the technician was of a fanciful sort, he would have believed that they had inoculated Experiment 4215-A with Drake DNA, a dragon-like wolf.
And not only was Experiment 4215-A responding well to the gene therapy, the Minus performed spectacularly in the Arena. Experiment 4215-A moved with such speeds that not even the slow motion cameras could properly show the Minus' attacks. Experiment 4215-A attacked quickly and viciously. Never once did the Minus allow its opponent a chance to land a single a blow. It just attacked and attacked until there was none left. They would soon run out of the other experiments that they could use to test Experiment 4215-A's strength and abilities.
And now this… of course, Experiment 4215-A had previously let loose its strange howl-roar but never before had there been a response to the Minus' cry.
"Fascinating!" The technician continued as he recorded the strange communication before filling the Arena with a gas that would knock out the powerful experiment.
They had quickly learned that the best and safest way to transport Experiment 4215-A was to knock out the Minus or else it would kill everything around it and attempt to escape. The gas took several long minutes to fill the room and another several long minutes before Experiment 4215-A began to collapse to the ground. But the technician could still see that the Minus was struggling to fight against the gas' effects. He quickly annotated his observations before filling the Arena with another dose of the gas. It was another few moments before Experiment 4215-A had stopped struggling, and before the technician felt it was safe enough to move the Minus.
His Master would be most pleased with the experiment's progress… most pleased indeed.
His footsteps were light and made no sound. He had no fear of being hunted. This, after all, was his territory. For several moons, he prowled his territory and letting his Soul sing. For several moons, his Soul sang out. He was incomplete. He knew it. He did not need the Moon to tell him that he was without his other half.
The Moon had told him to let his Soul sing out for his other half. The Moon had said that his other half would hear him and sing back. The Moon had never lied to him, and he did as the Moon had asked.
At first it hurt because there was no answer when his Soul sang. Did his other half hate him? Did his other half not like the song of his Soul? The Moon gently smiled and had told him to be patient. The Moon had told him that his other half could hear his Song but could not answer, but his other half would answer… soon…
And then… he heard it. His other half had let his Soul sing. It was faint. He would have missed it if he had not be waiting and listening for it. He felt his eyes sting. His other half… his Song was so sad and yet hopefully but still sad. He did not need the Moon to tell him what to do next. He knew, and he too let loose his Soul to sing loudly. Their Songs went back and forth, answering one another and becoming more beautiful until suddenly…
He growled at the sudden silence.
They had stopped their Songs!
They had hurt his other half!
His eyes narrowed and became hard, like a pair of chipped gems. His body hummed with dangerous energy. Immediately he began pacing back and forth. His eyes glared into the surrounding darkness.
They had ripped his other half from the safety of his Soul.
They had hurt his other half as They had hurt him.
He may not have felt the physical pain that his other half had suffered, but he did feel a pain that ran deeper than the body. This different type of pain even echoed through the Moon. The Moon that he shared with his other half.
He growled deeper as he stalked the length of his cage.
They think that They can cage him?
They think that They can control him?
He drew his lips back, baring his fangs.
He would teach them that They were wrong.
He would teach them that They cannot cage him.
He would teach them that They cannot control him.
And when he and his other half were together again, as the Black and White Face of the Moon, they will kill them all…
"Fascinating…" Miitchu muttered as he reviewed the notes from his technicians, "It would seem that once the Minus was no longer in Experiment 4215, the subject became aggressive… the subject's speed, strength and abilities remain the same… we still, however, have not managed to recreate the scenario of the subject using Celestial Spiritron… but we did manage to see a slight influx of its pressure."
"Meaning?" His Master demanded.
"Meaning it's there under the surface; however, we haven't found the right trigger to bring it to the foreground and keep it there for us to utilize as a weapon against the Minuses."
"What were the conditions of the original outburst of Celestial Spiritron?"
"That would be when we first placed Experiment 4215 into the Arena… the subject was in a life-and-death situation when the energy was released."
"Hmm…" Master Boehner looked thoughtful, "and you have recreated the life-and-death situation?"
"Attempted to, Sir."
"Attempted to? What do you mean by that?!" The Master snarled.
"We have placed Experiment 4215 against every opponent and program that we had believed would best defeat the subject; however, Experiment 4215 has defeated each one without so much a hint of distress or a hint of releasing the Celestial Spiritron." Miitchu explained.
"Even against a Mega-Minus?" Master Boehner asked.
A Mega-Minus was a Minus that they had experimented on by removing their masks. They had discovered that by removing the mask of a Minus, the Minus would gain powers equivalent to a Soul Reaper… these Mega-Minuses had more of a humanoid appearance and even possessed a Soul Sword. They also quickly discovered that the best way to control a Mega-Minus was to destroy their Soul Sword. Once the Mega-Minus' Soul Sword was destroyed, they were quite obedient to commands…
"Yes'sir, even against the Mega-Minuses that we had."
"Has Experiment 4215 revealed its Soul Sword at least?"
"We also have tried to force the subject to summon it in hopes to control the subject, but it never manifested."
"Intriguing." The Master muttered to himself.
"And what of Experiment 4251-A?"
"Progressing nicely." Miitchu stated, "When we initially assessed Experiment 4215-A's power level, it was already that of a high level Mega-Minus. Currently the subject's power level is equivalent to at least three Mega-Minuses."
"And it's Soul Sword?"
"Unfortunately it too hasn't manifested."
Silence fell over them as Master Boehner thought.
"Let's put both Experiment 4215 and 4215-A in the arena together."
"To fight each other?"
"Yes, let's see which is the stronger of the two, and perhaps we can force them to reveal either the Celestial Spiritron or even their Soul Sword."
"Very well, sir." Miitchu bowed.
Even encased in darkness, he knew that he was just thrown into the Pit. He knew from scent and feel of the place. They could not smell it, but he did. His sense of smell heightened just as equally as his other senses, and his nose can pick up the faint scents of fear, anger, pain, blood and death. The air of the Pit carried much of the same… the scent of the Others he had fought, but there was another scent and presence hidden beneath all of the pain, blood and death.
He knew the scent. It was familiar to him. It called to his Soul. He hated having to scent the comforting smell in the Pit, but the scent did ease him. It told him that the other of his Soul was still alive and still fighting. It gave him hope, and hope gave him strength…
But this time…
This time, the scent of his other half was stronger. It filled the Pit more than the other scents. Did that mean his other half had just fought? Did that mean he could see his other half?
He stilled in the Pit. He felt the small hairs at the nape of his neck rise. He felt it in the air. He was not alone. There was another. The Other knew he was there too.
The air became thick with tension.
But the scent was stronger.
It confused him.
Small and faint whimpers escaped pass his lips. He tensed. He had just told the Other where he was. He readied for an attack.
An attack that never came, but an equally soft and pained whimper answered his own.
Curious, he let out a low growl.
A growl answered back.
Confused but with a small seedling of hope growing in his heart and soul, he cautiously stepped out of the comfort of the shadows. He blinked. His eyes adjusted to the light. His footsteps were light, barely making a sound. He let out a mix of whine and growls, hoping to meet the Other, hoping that the Other knew of his other half.
Suddenly the air changed.
The Pit echoed with a yip, and he found himself tumbling head over heels as something plowed right into him.
Tumbling a few more times, he opened his eyes and found himself staring into twin pools of molten gold against the purest of black.
*SHIRO!*
*AIBOU!*
Stay tuned for the next installment of Bleach - A Breed Apart come December 1, 2013.