Chapter 12
He didn't sleep. He wasn't tired, not that he would have slept even if he was tired. He didn't deserve the luxury of sleep, especially since his mother was somewhere in danger…pain even.
No.
There would be no sleep, dreams, or anything like that. He deserved to be awake, staring up at the ceiling of his room at headquarters trying to come up with a plan of some sort to find his mother.
Not that he was making any progress.
Running a frustrated hand through his molten locks, the Turk dragged himself out of bed and plodded to the bathroom. If scrutinizing the shadow darkened ceiling of his bedroom wasn't helping then maybe a scalding shower would.
Well, it might burn some ideas into his foggy head, anyway.
He opened the misty glass shower door and shed the sweatpants and T-shirt he had been 'sleeping' in. He didn't bother with the lights…there was no since in shocking eyes that were adapted to the dark shadows of his quarters which were occasionally illuminated by blunt servings of lightening.
Reno turned on the hot water only to find himself backed against the cool shower wall to avoid the icy waterfall.
Damn showers…
After waiting long enough for the water to warm up, he settled for lukewarm. Why did the water temperature have to fuss when everything else was already bugging him?
After his brisk shower he dressed and headed to the little kitchenette for some coffee. It was just after five thirty, too early for the café to be open but his own caffeine-rich brew would suffice. He took a seat at the window in the living room. Parting the blinds so that he could watch the magnificent display of lighting across the Midgar sky.
Storms were really something else from so high up at HQ. He squinted as a particularly bright arm of lightening snaked its way through black storm clouds, revealing that they weren't black but a smoky grey.
Grey…grey like my walls, grey like my thoughts, grey like my life…
He had spent all night wracking his feeble brain for ideas and came up with nothing. Life had always been bleak…and empty…and grey ever since SHE was stolen from him twenty years ago. Gangs, stealing, killing…it was all one dull grey blur.
And the grey just darkened a few shades…
Reno cut off is own thoughts, scowling at how he always "thought too damn much" when he was by himself too long. For second he toggled the idea of going next door to see if Rude was up yet. But Rude was no morning person. He reported for work as early as was required of him, but no earlier. Besides, Rude had his own problems to chew on when he woke up.
The corner of Reno's mouth was tugged by a humorous smirk. Who would have thought that blonde chatterbox would catch his bald friend's attention? She was probably up then, come to think of it. She likely got up before dawn to put her face on. He could imagine her now, meticulously applying her mascara as if she were always readying herself for a hot date. And if Rude played his cards right…
…she would be.
He sat his empty mug on the counter grabbed his Turks jacket. As he slipped into his shoes his left hand shot to his abdomen to greet an unusually sharp bout of pain. He leaned against the door for support as small droplets of sweat beaded his forehead. He stayed that way for what seemed like forever but was really less than a minute. When the pain died he straightened up and frowned in confusion.
What the hell was that all about?
He cautiously opened the door, expecting the pain to return full force. But there was no sign of the mysterious ailment. He suddenly thought he should tell someone. He didn't normally have pains like that…they could be serious…
He immediately squashed the idea. It was probably just a stomachache. If he couldn't make coffee, that was his problem. Besides, he had more important things to worry about.
/\^/\^/\^/\
She clawed the floor of her cell, desperate for release. Still wearing the thin hospital gown from yesterday, Giovanna writhed on the floor no longer trying to suppress her screams of agony, which at this point were reduced to pathetic wails that barely carried past the thick glass wall of her cell.
Like cramps from hell the pain ripped through her abdomen mercilessly. She wanted to die, begged for it, but her pleas were nothing more than pathetic screams, thanks to the pain. She curled into a near fetal position, trying to hide from her torture. On the padded floor her nails made a dull ripping noise that was easily drowned out by her lamentations.
What had they done to her?
"You sure that's normal, Lao?"
Lao-Anne's head jerked in both surprise and annoyance when she realized Cole was in the room.
"Am I sure *what* is normal?"
"That," he replied pointing at the display Giovanna was putting on in her cell.
For a brief moment the scientist considered whether or not it was normal. She knew there would be some discomfort, maybe even pain but she didn't expect much in the way of what Giovanna was experiencing.
Perhaps she is weaker than I thought…
"Why wouldn't it be? I never said this operation would be enjoyable and her comfort is a rather small sacrifice for what my labors will bear," she replied somewhat testily. "And besides, I'm the scientist here. You just concentrate on what I'm
paying you for."
"I was just sayin'," he replied defensively.
"Well don't say. That's my job."
"Hey, she stopped," Cole exclaimed, eager to redirect Lao-Anne's attention.
Once again facing Giovanna's cell, Lao-Anne saw that Specimen B had indeed stopped writhing and twitching. She rolled onto her back slowly, her chest heaving with the exertion. Fiery red strands stuck to the sweat on her neck and forehead. The rest pooled around her head in a wavy puddle of limp silk.
Her two captors watched her intently while she lay there catching her breath. If not for the ragged rise and fall of her chest they would have assumed her dead. She wearily wiped away any remaining tears of pain.
"What…did you do to me?"
It took a while for Lao-Anne to realize Giovanna had spoken. Her voice was horse and barely audible through the thick glass of her cell.
"What?" the scientist demanded while taking a few steps towards the cell.
"What did you do to me?" Giovanna asked again in the exact same volume. She honestly couldn't speak any louder than that.
"I've injected a few specialties of mine into your body so that it will cease the production of its own ovum."
"Why does it…hurt so much?"
"Well, I've injected you with a sort of poison that is destroying any eggs already there. It shouldn't damage any other organs, just ovum," she explained mock reassuringly.
Giovanna thought hard about what she was just told.
Destroy her egg cells…
Why would they do that to her? She hadn't asked for any of this. She couldn't remember doing anything wrong to deserve it. All she wanted was to be back with her son, spending time with him.
Giovanna was silent for several minutes. Lao-Anne waited expectantly for her specimen to ask any more questions. After a few minutes she appeared unconscious. Figuring she should check for a pulse and any weakening vital signs, Professor Hojo unlocked the cell and went in. Cole raised a questioning eyebrow at her but she ignored it.
"What are you trying to do with me?"
Lao-Anne jumped back a little at Giovanna's sudden speech. She'd thought the girl was unconscious.
"What do you mean 'what am I trying to do'?"
"Why did you inject those things into me? What are you trying to do?"
Lao-Anne allowed herself a confident smirk. "That, young lady, you'll find out soon enough." She pulled another syringe of pink fluid from her lab coat and kneeled by the redhead. "You should rest while my poison does it's job…wouldn't want you wearing yourself out again." She injected the substance into the soft flesh below the joint of her elbow. Giovanna was immediately unconscious.
"Come Cole," Lao-Anne ordered while she left the cell. "I think it's time we collected Specimen A."
He followed her to her office after one last look at the unconscious redhead.
/\^/\^/\^/\
Author's…excuses:
Really sorry that took so long. If anyone is curious…my AOL crashed and my D drive decided to stop operating so my big sis couldn't reinstall 6.0. I ended up having to use 5.0 just so I could check mail and load this. Plus (don't worry-last excuse) I haven't had as many chances to use the comp as I usually do…sisters trying to fix it and all. Well, I'll definitely work hard to get the next one up sooner. Thanks to anyone who is still reading this and for the reviews!!
By the way…
Is it me or is FF.net on the fritz again? I couldn't even get in the other day…
Anyway..Xiexie ni!
~::DrunkpoOdle::~