Fro Ninja; It's your boy with another update for TAP, and a further glimpse into the life of our young heroes-in-training. The story's new direction with an emphasis on the characters through dialogue has gotten to be my favorite part about working on this series again. I'm also introducing some new story elements that will come into play for the next major story arc, so be sure to keep an eye out for those bits. Anyway, that's enough of me schmoozing over my own work. On with the show!
The incredible feminine smell of the cell gave The Boss a sense of relief, as it showed that the prisoner was making the cell her home away from home. She acknowledged the prisoner's lack of a smile as she entered the room with a stoic nod.
"I trust you've made yourself comfortable since we brought you in?" The Boss said.
Kaos shrugged as she sat up from the cell bunk-she smiled when she saw a mark of her body left in the cushion. Kaos's eyes switched between the Boss and the two guards by the door with a twitchy feeling growing in her hands. The Boss put her arms up as she approached the table in the middle of the spacious room.
"This is a visit, nothing more," The Boss said in a reassuring tone."I wouldn't disturb you from getting your rest,"
"After three days of being 'interrogated' by your men, I'd say I'm entitled to just that," Kaos said. "Along with soft pillows and warm foods you've graced me with, I can't imagine you doing anything untoward at this point,"
"Far be it from me to have the Supreme Leader's daughter living in less than quality conditions." The Boss said while taking a seat in a chair by the table."But our interrogations have been mostly moot from what I hear from my warden. You haven't exactly been the most agreeable to the questioning; three guards with broken jaws and five with several broken ribs. Quite the accomplishment for someone that was starving to death when we brought her in,"
"I'm photosynthetic," Kaos said.
The Boss brushed her bangs aside while stifling a laugh.
"Your psych profile failed to mention you were a comedian," The Boss said.
"I'm full of surprises," Kaos said."As well as fire that burns you to a crisp if you cross me,"
The Boss shook her head, tapping her finger on the metal surface of the table.
"Here, I thought I was dealing with the daughter of a dignified ruler," The Boss said. "Not a seventeen-year-old with a chip on her shoulder,"
"You haven't seen a chip, believe me," Kaos said.
"I was under the impression you would be more amicable than this," The Boss said." Bogard seemed to see something more than just base anger,"
Kaos raised her eyebrow.
"Bogard?" Kaos asked.
"The Blade that brought you here to us," The Boss said."The Seventh to be exact,"
"I see," Kaos said."I do hope not all of your Blades are as needlessly trusting as he is,"
"I prefer the term of reserving judgment," The Boss said.
"Oh?" Kaos grinned."Do you adopt the same principle?"
"When it's necessary," The Boss nodded.
"Then what's your judgment of me?" Kaos said."Clearly, you're looking past what you see in front of you, and I'm not a prisoner. What are you after with me?"
The Boss gave a pained smile, sensing the distrust in Pure-type's voice. The Boss snapped her fingers to the door guards. After a few seconds, he placed a datapad on the table in front of her. The Boss then gestured at Kaos to join her at the table that she reluctantly obliged. The Boss tapped the pad, and a fully holographic image came to life. The room became lit with a blue fluorescent light that gave the two a more detailed look at each other, an idea that Kaos was gradually growing disgusted with.
The holograph displayed several images of ruined cities with several people afflicted with various diseases and injuries. It also showed recorded footage of Landsmen accompanying the photos; it took Kaos a great deal not to set the pad on fire at the sight of them.
"As it stands in the world currently," The Boss said."Countries worldwide have been afflicted with emerging diseases that have gone on for several years without any resolution despite the manual reports of which are few. Not even vaccines to combat them," The Boss then slid to an image of the Landsmen giving supplies to the afflicted individuals in question."However, The Landsmen have been able to offer aid to these countries. Although they have yet to develop a permanent solution, they are efficient in distributing them on a global scale,"
Kaos furrowed her brow as she formed an inkling of what point The Boss was drawing.
"You brought me here because the Landsmen are performing volunteer work," Kaos said."And you don't like it?"
"That's quite the compliment to the men that regularly slaughter your people," The Boss said.
"From my perspective, you're no different than them," Kaos said."At least they're honest with their motives. It makes killing them more straightforward,"
"I'm glad you can see the big picture," The Boss said while going through the slides."But here's what you didn't pick up on," She then came to a genetic chart of a few civilians that P.I.T.T. was able to acquire."Many of these terminal illnesses have been reported to have unique properties that alter the genetic structure. These can result in mutation in the worst possible way. For lack of a better term, they are incompatible with our current medical technology to develop a cure, a fact that the Landsmen are no doubt privy to,"
"And you think my place in this is what?" Kaos said.
"Your people are the descendants of a highly evolved race." The Boss said. One that possesses an unencrypted genetic code even our most supremely qualified scientists couldn't decipher. Save for one, of course; you're familiar with him, I take it,"
"Karel Zaldwyck. The creator of the Ashgate Facility," Kaos said, slamming her fists on the table. The Boss took note of the dent her hands left in the metal surface with a chuckle." I hope you can tell me you are going to resume his experiments. I've been looking for a reason to burn your eyes out for the past ten minutes,"
"Nothing of the sort, I assure you," The Boss said. "Karel Zaldwyck was a madman with deluded ambition, as most geniuses of his ilk are," The Boss said unfazed by Kaos's hands flickering with fire."We are, however, trying to use his concept of using his idea for the diseases in question,"
"Do you have any idea of the countless amounts of children that were killed because of his immoral research?" Kaos said. "There's a reason the Landsmen are hellbent on destroying everything Type related."
"Research that your sister was also a subject of," The Boss said.
"My sister was a unique case," Kaos said. "My father issued her for the treatment to extract further power from her. Every other child was sent to the facility to improve their meager abilities, but all it did was turn them into ugly and putrid monsters. The very purity that existed in their blood was nowhere to be found, "
"A decision made by the previous Supreme Leader, right?" The Boss said.
Kaos nodded.
"My grandfather was a malicious man. But he had a vision that stirred the rest of my people into carrying out his wishes. My father is the spitting image of him,"
"So that's two generations of men that would spite the world for the sake of power," The Boss said with a deep stare into Kaos's eyes."Wouldn't you want to be the first to change all of that?"
"By doing what, exactly?" Kaos folded her arms."I'll have you know. I have no intention of working with the people that killed my friend and are holding my Huey hostage,"
"He's not a hostage," The Boss said. "He's one of our agents and an integral part of our plans as much as you are,"
"I don't believe you," Kaos said.
"Not surprising," The Boss chuckled."I can see it in your eyes. You have a natural distrust of people."
Kaos rolled her eyes while playing around with a tiny fireball in her hands, which set the door guards on edge before The Boss put them at ease.
"I learned at a young age that people are only as good as their word," Kaos said."Everything they say or do hides who they actually are. Nothing about them is real. So what's the point in trusting anyone,"
"But you trust Jones?" The Boss said.
Kaos stayed silent and flicked the fireball against the wall, which fizzled on impact and left no scoring whatsoever. Kaos smiled at The Boss.
"You had no intention of releasing me this whole time, did you?" Kaos said.
"We're trying to make a difference here, Ms. Amacus," The Boss said."You can be a part of that. You don't have to inherit a dark legacy when you can create your own."
Kaos looked at the security camera that was continually blinked red whenever she moved. She figured it was broadcasting to somewhere in the base, which meant one thing.
"Let me speak to Huey, and then I will give you my answer,"
Aegis Base
Training/Gym Area
Third Person P.O.V.
"So how is this supposed to be helpful for team building, exactly?" Huey said as he blocked a haymaker from Karina. Just behind the two, Carly and Zeo had been trading blows while Carly was charging towards the basket. To anyone passing by, it would look like the kids were playing a hyper-aggressive basketball game without any sort of protection. Karina, wanting to avoid menial rehab as much as possible, spontaneously came up with the idea of sparring in the form of a basketball game after binge-watching videos brawls occurring at N.B.A. games. Despite his reluctance, Huey took the exercise rather quickly. Keeping up with Karina's chaotic and erratic fighting style combined with her warping ability is no easy feat; Huey blocked almost every blow Karina threw at him using both his instincts and telepathy. After ten minutes, however, the score of Huey and Zeo versus Karina and Carly was tied at 47, with 50 being the end goal. The experience between the two was becoming apparent as Huey's defense was growing sloppy the second.
"It's supposed to help watch each other's backs and build reflexes," Karina said while pivoting around Huey, hitting him with an elbow to his lower back, hooking his arm, and tossing him over her back."Plus, I like beating your ass," She smiled and charged towards Zeo, who had just crossed up Carly and was heading towards the basket.
Huey shot up to his feet and followed suit only to get intercepted by Carly, who gave a swift roundhouse kick that he blocked and countered with a quick sweep to her leg. Carly quickly recovered into a handstand and twisted her body around repeatedly with leg strikes that landed on Huey's face every few seconds. Although he had sparred with Zeo a few times before coming to Aegis Base, she had always mentioned that her sister took after her mother to fight technique-being more fierce and agile in her execution. From what Huey learned from Zeo, the fighting style of the Southern Wolf Tribe was measured by twelve tiers. Each wolf had to learn specific techniques that represented each of the tiers and demonstrate them in a match against the tribe's instructor. The methods would be judged based on three factors: intensity, fluidity, and style-with both Zeo and Carly have learned up to the third and fifth tiers, respectively. As Huey learned from each blow he took, the difference between just two tiers was almost cosmic.
Karina and Zeo came head to head in the middle zone under the basket. Karina gave a few feints of snatching the ball to intimidate the young wolf, which didn't so much flinch at.
"I bet you five dollars and a date with Huey you miss," Karina said.
Zeo offered no response except a smile that took Karina aback; Huey predicted that Karina would undoubtedly try and get into her head at some point. She almost giggled with how right he was before realizing that wasn't the only weapon in Karina's arsenal, with her feints becoming actual swipes during her dribbling. Zeo attempted to cross-up Karina, who blocked her at every interval. From the peripheral sight, she could see Huey struggling against Carly's vicious assault, with every blow poking holes in his already flimsy defense. Zeo knew Huey had the instincts of a fighter from their sparring sessions, but the experience couldn't match up.
Zeo and Karina took their time going back and forth, with the former attempting a leeway towards the basket and the former keeping her from doing so. Soon Zeo slipped up with trying to outplay Karina with her arm stiffening up when going for a shot and being blocked; Karina smacked the ball out of Zeo's hand with such force that it got knocked back slightly, causing her to tumble. Karina scooped up the ball with Carly tossing Huey over her shoulder with a hip toss, both of them dashing towards the opposite basket and scoring from the two-point line.
Carly and Karina high-fived, sending a razor-sharp clapping noise through the gym.
"Nice work with the J," Carly said.
"Right back at you," Karina said."We're making these losers work for it,"
Huey stood up and pulled Zeo up off the floor.
"You okay?" Huey said.
"Other than finding out your teammate is a bit of an asshole," Zeo said."I'm fine. I've taken harder bumps," She smiled.
"Glad to hear it," Huey said."Because we need to turn this around,"
"What's the plan?"
"It's simple," Huey said."We get them individually tied up with handling the both of us; when the other comes in for the assist, we curb-stomp them as well while going for the basket."
"That sounds more complicated than you're letting on," Zeo said.
"It's gonna be more simple when we actually do it," Huey said."Trust me," Zeo nodded at Huey's words. Huey then called for the ball to be checked; he and Karina stood face to face, gripping the ball with a confident smirk.
"Hope you and your girlfriend are ready to eat this three," Karina said.
"You wish," Huey said. Karina lobbed the ball to Huey; once it landed it in his hand, she immediately went for an elbow strike that Huey speedily dodged by leaning backward."I thought we were playing basketball, not football!" Huey twisted his body and dribbled down the line, with Karina following in pursuit.
"We are!" Karina yelled, trying to snatch the ball away from Huey."Playoff basketball. Cryptic-type style," She then warped in front of Huey and went for a roundhouse that Huey flipped over and passed over to Zeo. Zeo ran towards the basket while dealing with Carly's defense, intercepting every approach towards the net. Carly blew a kiss to Zeo.
"No hard feelings, sis," Carly said, delivering a palm strike that Zeo caused to bounce off the ball she put up to block it. Zeo quickly bounced the ball up from the ground and went for a leg sweep takedown that knocked Carly down to the floor. Carly hastily recovered on her right hand and pushed herself off the land into a double-spin kick that Zeo parried and tossed over her shoulder by her leg, which sent Carly flying off the court. Carly then bounced back off the ground to go for a counter-attack only to get intercepted by a wall of flame that stretched a few feet across the outside line. Just as Carly was trying to understand what the hell was happening, Huey popped through the flames.
"Crotch!" Huey wrapped his legs around Carly's head and used the momentum to flip her towards Zeo, who was set up to receive her for a quick reverse suplex on the floor. The ball began to come back down from the high altitude. Huey then ran towards Zeo as she stood up; she cupped her hands, and using every ounce of her strength, vaulted him in the air to catch the ball. Seeing that Huey was inching closer to the basket for a slam dunk, Karina focused on opening a rift beside him to block his shot. Instead, the rift opened up just above the rim; before she could figure this out, she was already charging full speed in the rift. The momentum carried her upwards through the rift, with her head coming into complete contact with Huey's face and nose. His body ended up getting blown back by force; a deafening silence spread through the gym as the back of Huey's head made contact with the hardwood floor. The others immediately forgot the score, the circumstances behind it, and the fact that Huey displayed his new ability in front of them when they saw the pool of crimson from around his head.
Aegis Base
Infirmary Room.
Two Hours Later
The slow beeping of the heart monitor screen isn't what caused Huey to realize he was in the infirmary as he opened his eyes. It was the sight of a girl standing over him with a warm smile and her big blue eyes hidden behind her thick oval glasses. A smile formed from cheek to cheek when he made eye contact with her, with his unconsciously reaching upward.
"Am I dead?" Huey said.
The girl giggled before grabbing his hand and gently placing it down.
"No, you're in the infirmary, silly," The girl said."You were knocked out for about two hours. Minor concussion with some slight bleeding from the back of the head. I managed to wrap your head with gauze and bandages, so you should be fine." His head felt like someone had attached a layer of bricks to it with how difficult it was to lift it off the pillow to sit up.
"Try and take it slow," The girl said. Huey followed through with her request, noticing her gentle voice with a commanding tone, and placed his head back on the pillow. Huey couldn't help but follow the girl-who he assumed was a nurse, around the room for the next couple of minutes. She looked about his age and treated him, and operated the complicated equipment of a military-grade medical unit with no issue. It didn't take much guessing to know that she was someone that The Boss had personally employed. Huey then looked around the white-walled room, focusing on all the objects in the infirmary, especially with the illuminating light making everything look like a bloom filter sent a tingle in his head. After testing that his eye coordination was still functional, she gave him a plate of ice chips.
"How are you feeling?" The girl said to Huey as he took a bite of one of the chips.
"Like my friend just headbutted me in the face over a game of basketball," Huey said.
"Yes, I heard as much from her," The girl said and pointed to the end of his bed, showing Huey the sleeping face of Karina by his foot."She hasn't left for not even a second.
Huey took another bite of the ice chips while smiling at his slumbering friend.
"You big softie," Huey said and then glanced over at the nurse."She didn't give much trouble, did she?"
"Not at all," The girl said."She was pretty emotional and disquiet when she brought you in, but she quieted down when I told her your injuries weren't fatal. There were two other girls here as well, but I had to say to them the infirmary had a one visitor policy, so they would have to wait outside."
"I see," Huey said and then glanced at the five other soldiers fast asleep in the other gurneys. Most were hooked up to IV machines with breathing tubes fastened across their faces. "Makes sense when you have this many patients."
"Are all of them from previous assignments?" Huey said.
"That's right," The girl said."These are the returnees from an operation taking place in Ukraine. I'm not sure on the details, but fifty men went on that mission; ten came back with four succumbing to their injuries,"
Huey tightened his fist when he heard the utterance of the Landsmen on someone's tongue once again. Hearing precisely who they were and what their motives were only bolstered Huey's hatred for them. The sight confirmed for him that they were yet another enemy that P.I.T.T. would eventually have to face. They were a formidable force to him and a Pure-type; the proof of what they did to the average man was an even tougher pill to swallow.
"Most of them won't make it through to the next day," The girl said."The least I can do is make their last days as comfortable as possible," Huey heard the sound of her glasses being adjusted a slight sniffle and turned around to face her.
"I'm sorry," Huey said.
"It's fine," The girl said as she pulled herself together."I've gotten used to it, really. Even though I'm just a volunteer here, I love taking care of people. It's a sign that people depend on me to make their lives better," She then continued to give Huey nominal checkups for his sight, reflexes, and breathing; despite the recuperation given to him, Huey gradually felt his condition improving with every second.
"Just out of curiosity," Huey said."Did you happen to collect some blood from me?"
The girl yelped like she was about to jump out of her skin.
"Oh, I knew I forgot something!" The girl rushed to the medical cabinet on the far side of the room, tripping on the wire connected to the M.R.I. machine sitting on the corner of a table wrapped around an abundance of lab equipment. Within seconds, they all went collectively crashing to the floor in tandem with the nurse falling face first. Huey hopped off the bed with a slight throbbing in his head and went over to help the nurse up.
"You okay?" Huey said.
"I'm fine," The nurse said with a pained smile. Huey was awestruck when he saw how much taller the girl was than him, as well how lanky her proportions were when helping her stand up."If you can believe it, this happens pretty often. I've lost count of how many beakers I've broken over the last month,"
"I can definitely believe it," Huey said."The requisition staff must love you."
"If you mean Brian Lewis and Linday Clarkson down in the base stock area, then yes, we get along extremely well,"
Huey shook his head. Clearly, sarcasm wasn't the girl's strongest suit. Straightening herself out once more, she gave Huey his blood collection and placed it in a screening machine; after only a few minutes, the device provided a beeping sound signifying that it had finished reading his blood. The nurse took her time going over to the machine to collect the results. After studying the various outcomes, she gave Huey a copy before giving him the clear to leave the infirmary. Huey skimmed through the paper but understood very little of the material presented that it was his first time receiving a blood test. He then spotted the nurse's name in question at the top of the page and unconsciously said it aloud.
"Dr. Jeanette Miller," Huey said.
"At your service," Jeanette said with a smile. "I'm usually here in the infirmary during the week in the mornings to the afternoon, so if there any more problems, feel free to visit."
"You said you volunteer here, right?" Huey said. Jeanette nodded."What's your official position on the base?"
"Well, it's not just one position I have," Jeanette said."I work in the bio-engineering department with Dr. Michaels and. I also do part-time work in medical research laboratory downstairs, but my primary profession is genetic therapy and replication."
A light just blinked on in Huey's head as Jeanette finished that sentence. He suddenly grabbed her hands and looked intensely into her eyes.
"You're the one I've been looking for," Huey said, making Jeanette's face shrivel like a prune, with her mouth struggling to put words together for a response. Huey realized the effect of what he said and let go of her hands. "Oh shit, not like that! I mean, you're plenty attractive, but I meant your skill set is what I'm looking for," Huey's words came out as clear as a stuffed water pipe, with each one causing Jeanette's face to turn different shades of red.
"My skillset?" Jeanette said."Do you have those kinds of interests?"
"For the love of," Huey said. He took a deep, reassuring breath, urging Jeanette to do the same. Tripping on his words in front of a female was undoubtedly a first for him."Listen to me. You said you're a specialist in genetics, right?"
Jeanette cleared her throat, attempting to regain her composure. At least long enough to answer Huey's question, of which an eager feeling began to well up in her.
"That's correct," Jeanette said."I wouldn't call myself a specialist, though. But I studied gene therapy in college and wrote my thesis on genetic enhancements carried throughout generations. The leader of P.I.T.T. signed me on after a...particular incident."
"That being?" Huey said.
Jeanette looked down at her feet, trying to hide from meeting Huey's eyes."I might have accidentally recreated the genetic formula that the 13 Blades use."
Huey's eyes grew wide."That is an incident that can get the Boss's attention alright." Huey said. "But you said, 'recreated.' Do you know who made the original formula?"
"Unfortunately, all current records on the person's identity have been erased. However, the formula itself was officially published in a genetic engineering research magazine 10 years ago by a man named Scott Lewis. The formula is a simple sequence meant to rearrange specific physical traits for genetic enhancements to manifest in the body. Apparently, the formula's genetic sequence is sampled from the D.N.A. of an exceptionally powerful Pure-cryptic-type and was fused with non-type D.N.A."
"Of course it is," Huey said, rolling his eyes."But if the formula was published, why were you brought in for recreating it? Anyone who read a D.N.A. sequence could make it and become Superman if they wanted, right?"
Jeanette shook her head."It's not that simple to recreate." Jeanette said. "It contains a hidden sequence loop that is hard to decode by normal means. Most genetic researchers who attempted to replicate the sequence found syntax errors in their writing code that couldn't be traced back to an origin point. As a result, the science community deemed it an impossible task to decode it. Until me, that is," She said as he lifted her head back up.
"What did you do that was different?" Huey said.
"I read it backward," Jeanette said.
"You're joking," Huey said.
"I'm pretty bad at telling jokes, so no," Jeanette said. "As you can see," She wiggled her giant purple glasses."I'm pretty visually impaired, so it's hard to see without my glasses, and it's a challenge to have them on while looking at a bright computer screen for thirteen hours straight trying to decode a D.N.A. sequence."
"Let me guess," Huey said."You took off your glasses while you were coding and accidentally entered the code in reverse?" Jeanette nodded."So how did the Boss find out exactly?"
"Her organization tapped the computer I was using to decode the sequence at my college, and they were able to track what I was coding," Jeanette said."After two hours, two men in suits knocked on my dorm door with The Boss in tow. She told me how impressed she was that I managed to disclose the formula and offered me a position here at Aegis Base."
"You're telling me the Boss came all the way to a college girl's dormitory because she cracked a D.N.A. code?" Huey said.
"That's right," Jeanette said."Apparently, they've been attempting to replicate it for some time now for an upcoming project. From what I hear, it will give them a massive advantage in the conflict with the Forsaken,"
"I see," Huey said. He searched his mind for some kind of leeway that would help him understand the Boss's motives. He couldn't find anything given her enigmatic existence. Who was she really, and what was she intending to do as far as utilizing this formula. Anyone could conclude that she wants to create a new kind of super-soldier like the Blades, but could there be more to it?
"So since you're an expert in genetics and good at replicating D.N.A. formulas, maybe you can do the same for someone who has a particular condition?" Huey said.
"It depends," Jeanette said. "What are they afflicted with?"
"It's not so much an affliction as it is a rare feature," Huey said.
Jeanette's eyes lit up as Huey said the word 'rare,' quickly grabbing a notepad and a pen and eagerly awaited for him to elaborate. He then glanced over at Karina to make sure she was still asleep and went back to Jeanette.
"Okay, so for starters," Huey said. "Do you know a guy by the name of Karel Zaldwyck?"
The next day...
Bio-Engineering Wing. 5th Floor
"Why exactly are we are here again?" Karina said. She and Huey were posted up by the wall of the research laboratory section. The sight of lanky scientists awkwardly exchanging looks with Karina began to drive her up a wall, even threatening to twist their pelvis past their backs if they so much as breathe in her direction. Although the ten minutes they had been there seemed like an eternity, Huey did keep his friend away from wigging out at the drop of a dime-entertaining her with his usual run of bad humor. Huey checked his phone for the time-reading five minutes past three in the afternoon, as well as any missed messages.
"We're here to visit someone," Huey said.
"I thought you stopped making nerds for friends since the three stooges we went to school with," Karina said.
"This one has tits," Huey said.
"Color me impressed," Karina said."What's his name?"
"I can see you've perked up since yesterday," Huey said with a smirk. "Watery eyes are a new look for you," Karina punched his arm.
"Shut the fuck up, will ya?" Karina said."I have a bad bitch reputation to uphold." She sighed and thought to herself,:: I am sorry though::
:: No harm done," Huey responded to Karina's thought. :: You were probably shocked at what had happened;::
:: That's an understatement,:: Karina said. :: What the hell was that flame thing you were doing?::
:: I don't know,:: Huey shrugged. :: While I was fighting those psychos at the hospital, I thought about not being able to protect Kote and everyone else, and the next thing you know, boom; fireworks in my hands,::
:: That was the ability Terry had, wasn't it?:: Karina said. :: I thought you told me he disappeared into your subconscious::
:: He did,:: Huey said.:: But I think I've always had this ability; it felt like riding a bike again after a long time. I think Terry was some kind of implant in my head. Some sort of personality put in there so I could get back my memories,::
:: Like someone created him?::
:: It seems like it,:: Huey said. :: I still have memories of him, but nothing besides that. The presence of him chilling in my brain, nothing.::
:: And in exchange, you got a wolf god as a visitor:: Karina said. Huey nodded with a forced smile. :: Anything new on the front, by the way?::
:: Just the same dream:: Huey said.:: I know I said he's trying to get to Kote through me, but it feels he's calling me personally. He wants me to do something to him::
:: Like what?:: Karina said.
Huey paused. Nothing he could think could smooth over what his theory implied.
:: He wants me to kill him.:: Huey said. Karina was tempted to swear at the top of her lungs until Huey covered her mouth, which didn't look strange to the various onlookers. After a few seconds, Karina took Huey's hand from her mouth.
:: I'm gonna need you to explain that one," Karina said in her mind once more. :: How do you go from, a Wolf God is trying to get to Kote through you, to he wants you to kill him?::
:: I can't really put it into words,:: Huey said. :: It was the same feeling I got when I first saw my father. The sensation of wanting to destroy him, but it wasn't me,"
:: You might be reading too deeply into this,:: Karina said. :: The last thing you would want to do is kill him, at least purposefully,::
:: That's reassuring,:: Huey said.
:: It's what I do,:: Karina said, patting Huey's shoulder.:: Besides, we'll handle that when we get to it. We should deal with the here and now, like why the fuck are we still waiting?::
"Speaking of which," Huey said, waving to a familiar face exiting the laboratory who awkwardly waved back and walked over to the two."Karina Zaldwyck, this is Jeanette Miller. She works in the Bio-engineering wing and was the one who patched me up,"
"I-it's a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Zaldwyck," Jeanette said, rubbing the sweat off her right hand and held it out to Karina. "I've heard much about you from Huey." Karina glanced between Jeanette's face, her hand, and then to Huey.
"What the hell is going on, Huey?" Karina said."Don't you already have Zeo? Are you seriously messing around with a science chick of all things?"
"Messing around?!" Jeanette said."Oh! I would never do such a thing. My relationship with Huey is purely professional. I mean, we have a mutual interest in genetic theory and scientific matters, but it doesn't go beyond that. I'm not even attractive, so I would never think of myself as a potential love interest for his affections. It's definitely not any of that, I assure you!"
Huey sighed. "You can stop joking anytime now, Karina," Huey said.
Karina smirked at the flustered expression Jeanette made and took her right hand in a handshake.
"I couldn't resist," Karina said."Cool to meet you as well, Jenny,"
"Jenny?" Jeanette said with a nervous smile. She pointed towards herself. Karina nodded.
"No hard feelings, yeah?" Karina said, shaking Jeanette's hand."I mean, you looked like you were about to barf, so I figured I would get you to relax a little,"
"I see," Jeanette said. "I wasn't aware you had such a sense of humor,"
"You get used to it," Huey said."Anyway, should we get this show on the road?" Jeanette nodded to Huey's words and produced a small tablet from her lab coat pocket.
"About that," Jeanette said."I managed to reserve an examination room in the medical wing. We'll have free reign to conduct our experiment however we choose."
"Examination room?" Karina said."Experiment?" Karina instantly understood what was going on when Huey winked at her."You didn't,"
"I did," Huey said."I gave Jeanette the skinny on your whole problem. She said she would help us make a suppressant pill for your Berserk factor,"
Jeanette glanced at Karina with excitement welling up inside her. "I can't believe that I'm talking to a survivor of-" Huey and Karina both covered Jeanette's mouth before she could say anymore, which again didn't look strange at all. Huey suggested they make their way to the room Jeanette reserved rather than stay in one spot.
On their way to the elevator down to the medical wing, Karina brought the surplus of microphones hooked up all over the base to Huey's attention. Once they came onto the elevator car, Huey focused his mind on reaching out to Jeanette.
"Jeanette, this will feel eerie but don't freak out," Huey said.
"Freak out?" Jeanette said. :: At what?:: Her breath escaped her mouth almost instantly the moment she heard her own voice. :: What is this?! Why can I hear my own thoughts?!::
:: It's a,:: Huey said. :: I don't even have a name for it yet, but we're talking inside our own heads. Kind of like a mind group chat. Karina is here too,::
:: Sup,:: Karina said.
:: Extraordinary,:: Jeanette said. :: It's like a telepathic communication using theta brain waves as a relay point; unconscious thoughts becoming auditory to others and vice versa. A Brain Chat.::
Huey and Karina exchanged a mutual look.
:: I like how she just explained your own power better than you.:: Karina said. :: And gave it a cool name at that::
:: Smarter than both of us combined, that's for sure:: Huey said.::But the reason I did this is that we don't want everyone to know about Karina's condition. Especially the fact that she's from Ashgate,::
:: I understand,:: Jeanette said.::Probably for the best, I'm terrible at keeping secrets::
:: I'm shocked:: Karina said.
The elevator smoothly stopped on the fifth floor, and the three made their way to the exam room, taking care not to draw any attention. Jeanette stopped Huey and Karina in the middle of walking down the hallway in front of Room 404, which had an I.D. card scanner by the side. Using her I.D. card-hers in particular granted her access to almost all restricted areas on the base-the lock disengaged, and the group went inside. It didn't take long for Jeanette to get the equipment up and running in the room, from setting up the examination computer, creating a case file for the experiment; as well as asking Karina to sit down on the patient's bed.
"So, just to recap," Jeanette said to Huey. "You plan to develop a suppressant pill for Karina's berserk factor to reduce the stress it has on her body?"
"Something along those lines," Huey said."I learned that he couldn't get the Berserk factor working correctly; the genetic structure he was using was too broad to narrow it down to natural science, so he had to use his own D.N.A. as a foundation."
"I can finish that for you," Karina said, taking a breath."When he made me, the berserk factor was too dominant for my body to contain even with his D.N.A. When the ancient beings went into that state, they could heal their injuries with no problem. The best thing he could do was to have the factor increase my strength when I'm about to kick the bucket and have it meld my injuries. He was going to use another method that involved strengthening the fetus I was born from, but that blew up in his face, literally."
"In other words, it's incomplete," Huey said. "I thought of making a special kind of drug that would take away the pain she gets when her berserk thing wears off. A special kind of painkiller designed exclusively for her,"
"I'm positive painkillers don't work in the way you intend," Jeanette said." They're made to reduce pain, not eliminate it temporarily."
"But what if the foundation was used with a factor that causes recovery rather than alleviates it?" Huey said. Jeanette and Karina looked at him with confusion."What if the drug contained blood sampled from a person that possessed a healing factor, with a recuperation period faster than eating a grand slam breakfast? Suppose we were to reverse engineer that and turn it into a suitable solution Karina could use whenever she came down. In that case, we could create the miracle medicine you're talking about."
"Healing factors?" Karina said."Are you talking about Pure-types?"
"Got it in one," Huey said."What do you think?"
Jeanette scanned the meaning of Huey's words. She couldn't say it was impossible. Past vaccines used compatible blood samples to be developed, but this was anything but a regular drug. Huey looked at Jeanette as she pondered and paced in the room, an activity that was irritating Karina. She then stopped and glanced at Huey.
"Honestly?" Jeanette said."I'm not even sure if it will be effective. Even if we could use a Pure-type's healing factor for the drug, it would still have to be compatible with Karina's blood type."
"It wouldn't hurt to try, right?" Huey said.
"I suppose not," Jeanette said."Plus, it does sound rather intriguing. First things first, to find out the compatibility, we would need a blood sample from Karina." Jeanette took out an extraction needle from the drawer under the lab computer.
"Easy enough. Karina, you don't have a problem with that, right?" Huey said and turned around to Karina, who was nowhere to be seen. He searched the room and saw, or even felt, no presence from her."You gotta be kidding me,"
"Where did she go?" Jeanette said."I didn't hear her exit the room. It's like she teleported."
"Yup, that's exactly what happened," Huey said. "Girl is a raging walking storm, curses like a pirate and is an unstoppable badass, yet is afraid of needles."
"Well, she is still a girl," Jeanette said.
"I know that," Huey said. "But I don't think she knows."
He ran out of the room to look for signs of where she might have gone with Jeanette, needle in hand, the following suit. Huey and Jeanette ran down the hallway, asking the various soldiers of Karina's whereabouts, to which they didn't have any idea. Huey and Jeanette went back downstairs to the bio-engineering wing; nothing. Huey figured since Karina hadn't been allowed outside of the base yet, she would warp to familiar locations. The two then checked most of the sites. The mess hall; nothing. The gym/training room with sweaty older men working out; nothing. The loading and hangar bay area; nothing. Pretty soon after twenty minutes, the two had searched virtually every angle of the base but came up short every time.
"She really doesn't want a shot," Jeanette said. "The sick kids I used to give shots wouldn't go this far,"
"Most sick kids can't open rifts within the fabric of reality," Huey said, which did make Jeanette giggle a little. It was gladdening to Huey to see at least one of them was having fun. Huey then concentrated his mind and attempted to locate Karina's brain waves. After a few minutes, he discovered her in the least likely of places. The roof, or rather the helipad for incoming aerial transportations. After some convincing on Huey's part, the two got past the security clearance for the top and found Karina overlooking the entire desert valley. Huey slowly walked over and sat down next to her. He was silent for a few minutes and offered her a chocolate bar bought from one mess hall vendor on the way back to his room from the infirmary yesterday. Karina snatched the bar without a single utterance and threw it off the roof.
"I hate sugar," Karina said.
"And shots too, apparently," Huey said.
"You wanna make something of it?" Karina said, glaring at Huey."Yuck it up if you want. It's funny, right? A badass bitch like me is afraid of taking a shot."
"I'm not laughing," Huey said. "It's fine to have some weaknesses, Karina. We're not all perfect, you know,"
"Fuck that," Karina said. "I'm immaculate compared to you. You can't ball for shit, and you can't resist trying to get your dick wet for five minutes when you meet a girl. Having issues like that seem pretty big compared to me, don't you think?"
"They do; you're not wrong." Huey said."But what's wrong with having them?" Karina stood up and started to walk away from Huey."Karina, I told you I'd help you, and I meant it. Jeanette can help you control what's wrong with you,"
"Nothing is wrong with me!" Karina said, warping right in front of Huey. "Don't you ever say that about me again,"
"Then why don't you want to take the blood sample then?" Huey said. Don't you trust that I want to see you become better?"
Karina stepped back. "I never said that," Karina said."You're one of my best fucking friends Huey. I trust you slightly more than I do my own conscience. I just don't want to take the shot, that's all."
"It's the only way for the pill to work," Huey said."I'll be there with you the whole time, I promise,"
Karina opened her mouth, about to refuse once more but closed it when she noticed Jeanette walking over to her and Huey. Jeanette struggled to meet Karina's gaze. Karina noticed she still had a knife in her hand and placed it in her pocket. Jeanette fidgeted around, searching her mind for what to say to put Karina's anxiety at ease. Jeanette chose the most innocuous but probably the oddest of all the things she could have led with.
"Do you like to sing?" Jeanette said. Huey and Karina both felt like they just got hit by a drone falling off its axis.
"Do I like to sing?" Karina said. Jeanette nodded with her eyes meeting Karina's furrowed expression for the first time."I never tried it before, so I can't really say. I probably have a crap singing voice, though,"
"I have a massive fear of crowds," Jeanette said."I can't stand to be in a room with more than five people around, especially when they all start talking. So much noise fills my ears, I get nervous. For the longest time, I could never speak to anyone besides my sisters,"
"And?" Karina asked.
"My older sister suggested I learn how to sing."Jeanette said."She said it was the quickest way to overcome shyness. At first, I hated the idea of being in front of others since I would always break down, but I grew to love singing so much that it never bothered me as much as it used to. So whenever I'm nervous about something, I just sing to myself."
Huey glanced at Jeanette."That's why I heard someone singing when I was asleep." Huey said. "That was you?" Jeanette nodded.
"So you're saying I should sing to get over my fear of shots?" Karina said with her hands clutched to her stomach as if she wanted to burst out laughing."Sister, I know I just met you like an hour ago, but that is the dumbest thing I've heard anyone say."
"Karina," Huey said.
"No, she's right," Jeanette said."It is pretty ridiculous in concept. In fact, I don't even think the two are related in any context,"
"Not even remotely," Karina said.
"But doesn't that also mean you have nothing to lose by trying it?" Jeanette said. To Huey's surprise, Karina didn't offer a response. It was the first time she humored something that didn't involve her shoving her fist down someone's throat or threatening to do so. Karina folded her arms when she saw Jeanette's innocent smile, not wanting to be the focus of it. Karina took a few seconds to look between Huey and Jeanette to know if she had a good chance of making a run for it until she remembered Huey's ability to locate people. She weighed her options against her own penchant against needles and her own embarrassment and decided, 'fuck it.
"Alright, fine." Karina let out a huge sigh. Jeanette clapped her hands in delight, earning her an annoyed look from Karina. "What's first, then? Are you gonna ask me what my favorite song is on the radio or something?
"Well, we can start with the basic notes," Jeanette said, gesturing to Karina's stomach."The best notes come from your stomach and exit through your mouth. Follow along with me,"
True to her word, Karina bit and tried Jeanette's singing lessons, which were effective after ten minutes to Huey's impression. According to Jeanette, Karina had a decent singing voice, whose true identity they would discover a little later. Jeanette Miller, of the world-famous singing group The Chipette. The singing lesson went so well that Jeanette administered the shot to a slightly less fearful Karina and received a blood sample for the experiment.
"Thanks for your help," Huey said, helping Jeanette gather her supplies out of the exam room. He made sure Karina was out of earshot before saying it.
"Oh, you're quite welcome." Jeanette said, finalizing her report on the computer before shutting it down."Lieut-I mean, Karina certainly is an exciting person. She has a vibrancy about her that's rare for someone her age."
"That's a nice way of saying someone is complex," Huey said.
"Complexity is what sets humans apart." Jeanette said, giggling."She reminds me a lot of my older sister. She was always vocal with her thoughts, but never her feelings,"
"She sounds like a fun person to be around if Karina's anything to go by," Huey said.
Jeanette took Karina's blood sample findings on a small thumb drive and placed it in her lab coat pocket. Huey assisted her with a quick sweep of making sure they weren't forgetting anything and came out of the room. Karina waved at them down the hall, beckoning Huey, in particular, to get a move on.
"So how long until we see results?" Huey said.
"It shouldn't take more than a week," Jeanette said. "But I'm currently working on a project directly from the director so that it might be longer."Jeanette hugged the supplies she was holding tightly."It's a shame. I'm really intrigued by the idea of it all, but I don't have the time for it,"
"I can come by the lab sometime and help you out," Huey said.
"Oh! I could never ask that of you," Jeanette said.
"No, really. It's fine." Huey said."It was my idea in the first place, so it's only fitting that I should participate in making it happen. I mean, I'm not a specialist in gene therapy, but you can fill in those gaps. You taught Karina to sing, so maybe you can teach me about genes."
"Are you certain?" Jeanette said."Gene therapy is a complicated subject and not to mention, boring."
"I'm pretty studious." Huey said."Provided I have a good teacher,"
Jeanette's supplies suddenly fell out of her hand when she noticed her face becoming warmer. She snapped down to quickly pick them with Huey's help.
"Well?" Huey said. Jeanette fidgeted before silently nodding."Cool, we'll pick it up first thing-"Huey then heard the unwelcome chime of his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. Taking it out revealed a text message that went straight to his screen. It took him little time to read, as it was only six words. Six words sent a surge of emotions through Huey's chest as he took off to the elevator, past Karina.
'Kaos wants to talk with you.'
Chapter 28 END
Fro Ninja; What an ending. I wonder what Kaos wants to talk to Huey about. Hopefully, it doesn't get too physical. And the relationship between Jeanette and Karina was definitely a treat to watch as I think it will do Karina good to have a girl the same age as her around, and it will be cool to see how it changes her. Anyway, if you made it this far, don't forget to favorite, comment, and give a follow. I'm trying to get my name out there and even churning out more stories, so be sure to share this with your friends. That's all from me, y'all. Remember, One Love!