CHAPTER 6
Author's notes part 1 – chapter 6
I wish you all Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
To say Tao showed excellence at the last five "muscle training" sessions would be an understatement. Not once did he complain during inputs. (He couldn't remember he ever did, but just in case, he bit his tongue and squeezed his lips so no sound could get out.) He gave it his all in order to spite that woman: finished outputs in shorter time than he was expected to, not making any mistakes; swallowed whatever she put into his mouth and stayed indifferent to her possessive touching and playing with his hair; he only talked when she asked him something and his answers were short and plain. That's how much he hated her.
Then again… one part of him that grew bigger and louder with the days passing by was telling him to quit lying to himself. The cruel reality was…
Tao was desperate to prove how good he is, how smart and obedient he can be.
He did everything to convince that woman he didn't need to change so that she would be satisfied with him. He was great, he will try, no, he will be greater, just give him time. He'll do whatever she wants, he'll be her perfect pet and make her proud.
"Please, let me stay like this."
She didn't let him, tough. She didn't talk about enhancing, but she didn't have to. It was already decided and as the day of the beginning of the second phase of his change got nearer he was slowly starting to lose his composure. He was a mental wreck. After so much time his resolve was broken and he sobbed like a baby during his time for "sleep". If he couldn't sleep before, now it was impossible.
Tao wasn't sure what time it was. He couldn't tell the time of the day in the lab. His clock worked as doctors wound it up. So, when Dr Aris came into his room, he didn't know if she was early or late, just that her presence was unexpected. She entered alone and closed the door and Tao knew it was time. He promised himself he'll try not to show weakness. (Try being the key word.)
"Hush." She sat next to him on his bed while he whimpered. He winced at her touch, but she continued to pat his soft hair until he got tired of crying. Fingers tangled in his hair calmed him against his will, against all reason - he didn't want her to stop. "I know you don't like it when it hurts. For this experiment I need to put the tube in your throat so you can breathe normally."
By just telling him about it his body tensed up. His face turned sickly pale.
"I'm also aware that you're not a fan of that device. I decided to spare you the experience of putting the gear on you. That's the least I can do for my pretty baby. You made me so happy this past few days."
He honestly didn't know what he felt anymore. He was grateful and so very sad. She let go of his hair and took out a small box from her lab coat. The box clicked and she was now holding a syringe with a familiar white liquid in it.
"No…" Tao pleaded in vain.
"Hush." That one was far stricter than the first one. He closed his eyes when she pressed her hand on his thigh. The needle went in with no effort; it was over in a blink of an eye.
"I'll be there when you wake up, so you just relax and let time do its charm." She packed her things.
Tao's breath became shallow and barely audible. His eyes were closing and opening in slow motion. Dr Aris put her palm over his eyelids.
The last thought Tao's conscious mind registered was that the gentle hand on his face felt warm.
The empty streets were wet from a weak rain falling second night in the row. The street lamp flickered unevenly casting a yellowish light on the old rusted cargo containers left to rot just outside of harbour's official grounds.
Far from the view, behind the wired wall, a couple of men helped around the little ship that was anchored there. Nowadays the bulky containers served as a shelter for homeless, yet tonight the place was deserted. Behind the big chunks of metal hid a skinny man with dripping wet black locks glued to his colourless face. The blade of his knife was buried deeply in the cooling flesh of his latest victim, the laying body colouring muddy puddles in crimson. Droplets of salty sweat and rain creeped down the long, bony face of a butcher. They slipped over his thin lips that formed a sneer, revealing sharp teeth. The drops fell into the still blue eyes of a dead man beneath his feet.
Shark pulled out his knife with a jerk. The motion forced him to take notice of a deep cut he now sported on his chest. (That ugly rat managed to injure him.) He kicked the loser on the ground in the head and kept stomping on his face, snickering and snarling at the same time as if he couldn't decide whether to be angry or not. He finally stopped with the childish outburst when the man he killed didn't look like a man anymore.
"Rat porridge," Shark taunted.
Unfortunately, there was no one to react to it.
"My, my, someone's tetchy."
Shark was surprised to see such a well-dressed man here as this was not a place for one. His surprise lay mostly in the fact that he didn't notice the intruder's presence. (The little posh shit creeped up on him. That was a first.)
"You one of those Russian pricks?" Shark barked making sure the blond saw his sharp blade. "Too bad, comrade, I got him first. Money's mine."
"I assure you I haven't the faintest idea to what you're implying." Yuri corrected his glasses.
"Right, so you're not here for the frog? Carlo Vinchenzetto will give a lot of money for this asshole's head. I bet even the Russians heard about the dispute among the Italian mob up the east coast." He leaned the tip of the knife on Yuri's chin. "I'm warning you, four-eyes, this here's gonna go right through your bowels. I've already killed four bounty hunters today." Yuri's closed eyes were reflected on the blade. "Offing one more may even make this day more memorable; set a new record for sure."
"Interesting. However, I'm not a member of mafia. I am not here for the reconciliation of your benefactors. I'm here for you."
Shark slammed him against the wall. As he cited in the warning – with one powerful thrust, the blade went easily through.
"Pah ha ha ha!" Shark scoffed at him. "That was stupid of you! Ya think I'll let myself be gutted by a pretty boy like you? I've been in this business for many years, rookie! Next time you wanna collect a hit, try not talking too much about it!"
The laser came out of nowhere. It sent Shark flaying with such velocity and strength that he actually made a shallow body-shaped dent in the ramshackle wall behind him. Yuri sighed and pulled out the knife like it didn't hurt at all. (Which didn't.) Shark was – mildly put – shocked, which was probably why he was still wide awake. (That didn't actually happen, did it? That man shot a laser from his finger.)
"Do try not to move. The wound on your abdomen just got serious." Yuri commented, attention set on assessing the damage his own costly suit took. No dry cleaning could wash that blood off. There wasn't much of it, true, but his blood was not an ordinary one. (Tsk.) That's what he gets for wanting to make a point. Dumb people like Shark needed a flashy presentation to understand certain things.
"What… Who the fuck are you?" Shark hissed.
"Someone wants to meet you. I'm a mediator." He straightened up his jacket and the smile was once again on his face.
"What?"
"I do believe you'll like her proposal, Shark."
"Proposal?"
"You like blood and mayhem. She's offering you every single war on the planet. I think that would be a nice challenge for you, hmm? Killing millions and destroying countries sounds much better in your little diary than chasing rats for small fries."
"That did sound better," Shark thought. "Too good, in fact, to be true." Then again, this guy was not human. Humans can't shoot lasers and Shark knew what he saw. It certainly peaked his interest.
"You won't need to worry about money, nor about anything else."
"I just have to be a lap dog for that bitch?"
"With no leash."
"Huh..."
"And who are you people? You claim to be so powerful, but I never ever heard of ya."
"That's the point, don't you think?" Yuri was playing with the knife, watching his reflection and fixing his tie that went fabulously with the fabric of his suit. He needed to get another one just like this.
"So I get the powers you have?"
"Not exactly, but yes." Yuri looked at him. "And you get to meet other super humans. I can't even imagine how fun it will be to take your rightful place in the food chain."
And that was it. The crazy grin on Shark's face said it all.
It honestly puzzled Yuri how Dr Aris picked out her pets. Shark was a bloodthirsty bastard even without the help of drugs and tests. A hungry dog, stupid enough to be easily controlled, which made him a perfect soldier for the Union. Yuri knew all about his insanity; he knew everything about every single candidate for DA5 because he monitored them for so long. That's why he knew how to approach them without making the whole thing too tiresome.
Dr Aris choosing Shark was no mystery. Krantz, on other hand, knew what discipline is, was scared of the doctor and had uncontrollable lust for power. In a way, the man had a messiah complex. He thought the world needed stronger men and one mass cleansing he was oh so happily willing to provide. And while those two could work nicely together, Yuri wondered how Dr Aris thought mixing them with someone like Takeo or her dear Tao was a productive solution. Sure, they had by far more potential then Krantz and Shark ever will, but they lacked that something. And that one component was crucial. No matter how much she thought she can change them, manipulate and brainwash them, creating that something in a person was out of technology's reach. It takes years of assiduous work to break someone and make place in the cracks for bloodthirst and insanity. To prevent any relapses and loss of the required attributes was yet another jarring obligation.
Tao and Takeo being like that, of course, made them more fun, and Dr Aris liked to play.
"Oh, well, as long as she can control them long enough to fulfil her intentions with the DA5 project, it doesn't matter," Yuri thought. Besides, whether they had that something in them or not, every person can be controlled.
"Oooohh... I get to beat the shit out of the guys like you?"
"If you can." Yuri was standing close to him now, watching Shark from up high.
"We have a deal, pretty boy."
Yuri corrected his glasses again and pointed his finger at Shark's forehead. A ray of light exploded.
"Don't call me pretty."
Takeo was cold, which was unusual, considering he wouldn't get cold even if he rolled in the snow with nothing but a T-shirt and pants on. (Ha… Maybe I should do that.) He wondered what kind of a face Koichi-san would make. Perhaps the kids wouldn't be frightened of him anymore if he acted like an idiot from time to time.
(Uh… maybe he shouldn't do it, after all.)
Rin-chan would definitely find out and it would turn awkward. Not that it already wasn't awkward enough with her around. This night might change that a little.
"Shit."
Should he buy her something? Like flowers or sweets? Did she plan to eat at his place? He had only yesterday's curry in the fridge. They should order food. Definitely. Maybe he could ask Mimi-sensei to give him some leftovers from her famous cake. Rin-chan had a sweet tooth. (Yeah… that was a good plan.)
He was about to go inside, toss the newspapers on the boss's table and beg their cook for a favour, when he saw a strange man at the door.
I was waiting for you.
The kick to his gut brought him back to his senses. He groaned, and sound shook him to consciousness, eyes shooting open, only for pain to blossom in his head. Closing them helped, but behind his eyelids now lay shards of glass. There was something… wrong.
His body felt weird. Between his fingers, there was a slippery liquid that stuck to his skin. Takeo moved his hand a little and the lukewarm fluid followed it making a bubbling sound. Bubbles. There were bubbles hitting his ears, crawling along his temples and then popping above his head. The hair brushing against his cheek startled him.
(His hair was… floating? Was he… under water?)
And there was something in his mouth.
It was heavy, firmly squeezing his throat and covering his nose, pulling his head down into submission. The alien object left him feeling caught in a deadly grip of jaws. Despite knowing it all to be a product of his clearly over-reacting mind, Takeo could feel himself sinking further bellow. He wanted to see again, to make sure, but his eyes still burned. Takeo then moved his hand and realised it wasn't listening to him.
"Alright, don't panic. You're not drowning. You seem to be breathing normally enough. Just breathe."
The thing in his mouth must have been helping him with that. There was pressure on his tongue when he tried to swallow. A tube was stuck deep inside his throat. (A… medical breathing tube?) Takeo really didn't want to panic but something was telling him he was not in the hospital. He guessed that could have been the case since he got his ass kicked.
(An attempt of robbery? Who in their right mind would want to rob him?) It was obvious he had absolutely nothing valuable. Koichi-san and the others probably found him dazed in the alley and called the ambulance.
But why would he be under water then? It made no sense.
(The attacker… Did that man do something to him?)
His eyelashes twitched. The sticky green water was burning his eyes, but he had to bear with it if he wanted to find out where he was. It all looked very hazy from the water tank. He appeared to be in an uninviting room with a very tall ceiling. Near the walls on the side were long tables with machines and computers on them. He could see them being operated by a couple of people dressed in lab coats. A muffled sound came out of his mask. There was no use calling for help; even bubbles were louder than him and the people in the room were obviously not paying him any attention.
After he rested his eyes Takeo looked around hoping to see the blond who ambushed him, yet the strange man was nowhere to be found. Takeo closed his eyes again, calm losing to the panic with every second that passed. Desperate want to collect all of his strength and break the glass arose within him, but only thing to shutter was his plan. He couldn't even make his limbs move.
"No, don't panic."
Takeo took his time. Slowly, he managed to move his fingers, his hand. He winced cursing. "Shit. That man broke his right arm."
(Goddamn it.)
He needed to calm down. He still had his left hand which was fully capable of knocking a person's teeth out. Lifting it, he tried to reach the glass; however, it was further away than he thought it was. He pushed a little with his legs. Since he was in the water, why wouldn't he swim? Except, he wasn't getting anywhere. Either his legs were too weak or this water was too thick. He barely scratched the surface of the glass, when he noticed something. There were other water tanks in the room and a couple of them were also occupied.
In the closest one to him, floated a man with long curly hair and a nasty looking wound on his bare body. In the one further down the room there was an unconscious young man with unnatural white hair and no arms.
Something truly horrifying formed in Takeo's mind. It made him see dark spots. The noise of the bubbles popping near his neck made him shiver. The burning spread to his face and chest and he had to close his eyes. He kept them tightly closed letting the dark grow stronger. It was deep and cold and it didn't let him go.
The lab would become lively every time Dr Aris came to visit. She'd usually have a small round table brought to her in the middle of the room where she could sit, enjoy her herbal tea that was good for smooth skin and observe all of the water tanks at once. Doctors would dance around her like puppets on strings in the theatre and grant her every whim. They were especially polite in her presence and they would always start the visit with some excellent results they gathered from her pets. (God forbid something was wrong with one of her souvenirs.)
It didn't matter whose fault it was, all of the doctors would get punished for it.
That's exactly what happened when she found out one of her babies woke up during the soaking. She completely lost it. The ignorant low life pig doctors, as she called them, tried to hide it, probably thinking it was no big deal. They increased the sedative and assumed the problem was solved. If it wasn't for Yuri, she would have strangled them one by one with a stethoscope. They didn't understand the green liquid could harm 'her babies' if not used correctly.
True, she didn't like the dark colour of Takeo's eyes; that will need to be fixed. Even so, he had great vision and she wanted to make it even better. She needed to enhance his abilities, power up and rewind the nerves before she could change the colour. It would have been such a waste of time if Takeo destroyed his nerves by looking in the water.
Judging by the scans she could get from inside the tank, there was no apparent damage, except for the slight burn. Nothing she couldn't easily fix with some medications. Nonetheless, Aris couldn't risk an error of judgement, so she decided to carry out further examinations, which by default meant taking Takeo out of the tank.
Needless to say, that didn't sit well with her, not by a long shot.
It took a lot of prepping and a whole day to conclude the tests. Fortunately, for those, her baby didn't have to be responsive, which made everything a hell of a lot easier. Dr Aris was eager to say 'hi' and console her pet, telling it she will make it all better. (What could be a better introduction than opening your eyes for the first time and seeing your mother?) Strange as it may sound, Aris was not in the mood for a heartfelt greeting, knowing that she will most certainly take out her frustration on poor Takeo if he starts whining. She was not about to ruin her first impression.
After an OCT scan and an MRI, Dr Aris could – and did, in quite a loud voice – laugh in satisfaction. There was nothing wrong with his eyes and she could resume with the enhancing. Takeo has proven to be a promising specimen. Delicate by the looks of him, yet very resistant. He was quite a catch and as a reword she pecked him on the forehead before sending him back to soak.
Aris was so happy she almost considered to lighten the punishment of the pig doctors. Almost.
After that incident another group of doctors came to relieve their colleagues. It was so bothersome to repeat the process of her experiment. She beard with it, though, because doing every stupid little thing by yourself was even more troublesome.
Once in a while, when she paid them a visit, they would amuse her with charts and diagrams until she was satisfied and as soon as the charade was over she would get up and correct her lab coat. From that moment on, she was a doctor. A god who came for her creatures. Everyone would go silent. You couldn't even hear a fly, only the buzzing of the machines.
A month passed since the enhancing started. Shark's cut on his belly and Takeo's broken arm were healed. There were cords coming out of their backs that were used to inject the subject with certain drugs that then reacted with the green fluid through the subject's skin. Their muscles, their bones, nerves and receptors, everything was reaching a second stage of human evolution. Enhanced modified humans.
Super humans that unlike those pig Crombel's projects still looked like humans.
Perfect spies and soldiers.
The mask on their face that covered mouth, nose and neck served for breathing and feeding. Infusion wasn't enough on the long run. In addition to it, the liquefied food, which resembled baby formula, was pumped through the tube directly to the stomach, providing necessary nourishment for the body. A special substance was added to the nutrition and its job was to accustom the subject's stomach and body to poisons and starvation. The part of the mask, that wrapped itself around the subject's neck, followed their life signs. There was also a needle in that collar that regulated the amount of sedative in the subject's body. The device stuck on their head recorded their brain activity.
Everything was going by the book. A book written in blood.
Dr Aris marked today's check-up as a successful one. She glanced towards Tao whose head devise was a bit different from the others. She was wondering if her additional experiment would work and after a month there was progress. The roots of his hair were turning black.
(Ah… she was such a genius.)
She took a risk and decided to play a little with his hypothalamus, a tiny region at the base of the brain whose job is to set off an alarm system in the body when it feels threatened. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts the adrenal glands, located atop the kidneys, to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Now, that was a problem. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone which controls fight-or-flight reaction. The overexposure to cortisol was disrupting Tao's body processes.
Headaches and insomnia she could overlook, since they didn't matter and could be regulated with drugs. Memory loss was no big deal as long as the memory that was erased wasn't the one she needed for the continuation of her project. Concentration impairment, however, was something that could hinder – if not completely destroy – the fruits of her labour. She needed his quick and focused mind. (That was his only job and he will do it properly.) His ghastly looking hair and annoying crankiness were a nuisance, but she was dealing with them accordingly. The point was to stop his mind from sending signals of being threatened.
(How rude of his hypothalamus to see her as danger. There was no reason for her pretty boy to feel so stressed out when everything was going according to plan. It must be some bug in the system. Lucky him, he had her to fix it.)
"How's the brain activity?" She asked one of the doctors.
"All of the subjects are currently in REM sleep cycle. We tend to keep them that way, as you requested. There are moments when subject Takeo comes to near waking, but we now know how to predict it and stop it before it happens." The doctor answered and continued with a nuance of fear in his voice. "Subject Tao… his brain activity is off the chart, it's beyond normal. You did say his would be higher, but… it's becoming ridiculous at this point, we are starting to fear that…"
"Ah… Let me see." The man showed her the diagrams. He relaxed a bit, seeing she was not about to bite his head off in the fit of rage. "As I thought, he's working. Pay no attention to it. Call me only if it drops, which I doubt will ever happen."
"Are you sure? This could lead to brain damage. Worse, it could leave him brain dead."
"That's why we're enhancing their entire bodies." She smiled.
"Um… there is one more thing we wanted you to look at." He presented her with more papers. "About the libido problem, as you call it."
"Ah! Is it time to start injecting anaphrodisiacal drugs?" She took the papers from him.
"We're almost there. We just wanted to check whether you'll be doing it chemically or…?"
"I'm not operating on them for that. I want them to stay men."
The doctor scratched his grey beard thinking that was just one of the many contradictions this woman was able to utter with no remorse. As if she was talking about the weather. Those were the reasons, however, why she was so brilliant and why he found himself absolutely terrified and fascinated by her at the same time.
"Ah, but I don't want my babies to waste time on lewd stuff. It will distract them from their missions. They'll travel a lot, I need to keep them under control." She sighed. "Ugh, if only I could rip out love itself. Honestly, it's so hard to make a perfect balance when we create our robots."
"Well… If I may say… Dr Aris, physical attraction is the first step, if not the crucial one in the process of falling in love. You don't have to worry about any deep emotional relationships of that kind."
"Hm…" She was contemplating that for a moment. "I like you."
"Thank you," he said with relief.
"Oh dear, what a cruel thing to do." Yuri was smiling near the entrance to the lab.
Dr Aris let go of papers and walked to him clapping her hands together in excitement. It seemed like she already forgot about the others in the room.
"Tell me the good news, Yuri."
"Alas, doctor, he did not lose weight, quite the opposite."
"Agh!" She face-palmed herself. "I so do not deserve this."
"He is skilled as ever."
"But fat!" She shrieked in annoyance. "Haven't I showed you his picture from two years ago?"
"I was the one who took it."
"He had abs! Abs, Yuri! How could he do this to me?"
"I believe it's depression."
"I'm the one who's depressed here!"
"Should I cross him of the list then?"
"You'll do no such thing!" She was more than serious. "He's perfect, I need him for balance and diversity."
"It's settled then?"
"Fine!" She huffed and took a loud step towards the door. Yuri could hear her grumble in the hall. "As soon as I finish this stage, bring him here. I need time to prepare for him."
"As you wish, doctor."
"I guess not everything is in physical appearance," Yuri thought with a wry smile.
Author's notes part 2 – chapter 6
Some fun facts (that you probably already know):
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging test. OCT uses light waves to take cross-section pictures of your retina (the third and inner coat of the eye which is a light-sensitive layer of tissue). This allows your ophthalmologist to map and measure their thickness. These measurements help with diagnosis. OCT is often used to evaluate disorders of the optic nerve as well. The OCT exam helps your ophthalmologist see changes to the fibres of the optic nerve.
Optic nerve is a nerve at the back of your eye that connects to your brain. It sends light signals to your brain so you can see. Damage to an optic nerve or damage to its pathways to the brain results in loss of vision.
Marie Antoinette syndrome is a sudden whitening of the hair. (Some say it's real, some say it's not. People use it in their stories so I'm using it too, because I think our bodies can do even stranger things under stress. I also read somewhere long ago the change doesn't have to be permanent, which I think makes at least a bit of sense? My mother lost some of her hair when she was in a car accident. Most of it grew back after some time. Don't know if those two conditions can compare, but hey, we're talking about fiction here.)
The majority of dreams (certainly the most memorable and vivid ones) occur during REM sleep. The muscles (aside from those controlling the eye movements and other essential functions) become completely paralysed and unresponsive during REM sleep.
Chemical castration is castration via anaphrodisiacal drugs. Unlike surgical castration, where the gonads are removed through an incision in the body, chemical castration does not remove organs, nor is it a form of sterilisation. It is generally considered reversible when treatment is discontinued. When used on men, these drugs can reduce sex drive, compulsive sexual fantasies, and capacity for sexual arousal.
Some drabble:
So, yeah, I did some research. In the end, it's just my imagination so it's highly possible it's all rubbish.
There isn't much romance in Noblesse, even though there are very attractive teenagers and men around. There may be some crushes, but it's all so innocent and cute, which is fine. (I don't count nobles, they are just too… classy to even think about sex the way humans do, I've got no idea how they reproduce.)
Concerning the modified humans, I believe it's highly probable they were made oblivious of the notion. Take animals for example. They are calmer when they don't have any urges of that sort. Love and other emotions are the risk so why leave them intact? At the same time, taking away something that kind of defy us as individuals, leaves place for far deeper feelings ex-humans can have towards others.
One more thing. Since we all know Dr Aris is addicted to beauty, doesn't it keep you up at night the fact that she has Shark and Hammer in the DA5? Not to be rude, some may find those two attractive. Like my fabulous, quick witted beta reader, for example. It was love at first google search for her and S(exy)Ha(i)rk(ink)™. And you know what, she may be on to something! :D
Till next time!