Chapter 3
Heero stayed seated, eyes downcast, wings falling lifelessly off the sides of the chair. Just as Duo was about to give up, the words started.
"It was a mission." Heero muttered.
"Nani?"
"A mission."
"What happened?"
Heero lapsed into silence again. Duo felt like banging his head on the table. After ten minutes of silence, the American sighed and got up to leave the room.
"Matte." A hesitant voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Heero. Either ya wanna talk about it, or ya don't. Make up your mind wouldja?"
"I'll talk."
"You don't have to make it sound like an inquisition! Sheesh!" Duo rolled his eyes.
"Isn't it?"
"Iie! Of course not!" Duo sounded a little shocked. "Well, maybe it is a little, but I'm concerned about you. That's what friends are supposed to do!"
"Oh."
Heero crossed his arms in front of himself and pushed away from the table a little, enough to put him in the shadows.
"Mm hm." Duo prompted.
"Doctor J contacted me."
Duo hissed through his teeth.
"He had a mission for me...I accepted it. We met at a specified place. Somebody knocked me unconscious. When I woke up I was strapped to a table under bright lights. I tested my bonds, but they were made of gundanium."
Heero shifted in his chair, falling silent.
"And..." Duo urged.
"He told me they wanted to create a biologically advanced human for warfare. Using biological engineering, he could combine traits of different species and make the perfect soldier. He wanted to clone me. He kept me there for seven months. He ran tests, and eventually began injecting me with some type of serum. From what I could gather, it had strains of DNA from different species, and some of mine. This caused a metamorphosis. That is all I know." [1]
"Did it hurt?" Duo asked quietly.
"Yes... The changes included more advanced hearing, eyesight, and smell. My central nervous system was upgraded." Heero paused. "Do you see this table?"
"Hai." Duo answered.
"I can feel the vibrations of your pulse. I can feel the sounds in the apartment below this one. I can block them out, I can block it all out. Then of course is the most obvious change." Heero said bitterly and motioned to the wings attached to his back.
"How did you escape?"
"J became careless. I became the Soldier, and he believed me. I killed him and destroyed all the data. The only thing I salvaged was this."
Heero reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a vial, and slid it across the table. Duo caught and examined it.
"What is it?"
"The last of the serum. I have four more like it. It took one to change me. I was hoping Sally could examine it, and find a way to reverse what he did."
Duo examined the clear liquid. *Funny how something that looks so harmless, can do so much.*
Duo handed it carefully back to Heero who stuffed it in his pocket again. When he looked up Duo was clutching his coffee cup very tightly. His bangs obscured his lowered face.
"Duo?" Heero hesitantly reached over and touched his shoulder. Duo's head snapped up.
"I'm glad you killed the bastard Heero, because if you hadn't...I would have! That shithead!!" Duo snarled.
"There's something else. These wings, they are not like normal wings. Doctor J miscalculated on them. They have much more flexibility and durability than birds' wings' and they do not retain water, but they do not function. I don't know why. I cannot remove them, they are programmed to regenerate. As long as Doctor J's cells are inside my body, this is the form I will have, the abilities I will have."
Duo stilled in his chair. "You can't move your wings? You can't fly?"
"Iie."
Duo stared into his coffee cup. They sat in silence for a while. "Well man, that sucks."
"I believe that is understatement Duo." Heero returned dryly.
Duo scratched the back of his head. *Did the great Heero Yuy just make a joke?* "Yeah, you're probably right. Ya cold?"
Heero shook his head.
"Liar, I can see you shivering from here. A shower would warm ya up."
"I do not think I could fit."
"You can let your wings hang out the side. Just put some towels on the floor so you don't get my bathroom all wet."
Duo regarded Heero, tapping his chin with a finger. "You can use some of my clothes, I think we're about the same size."
"Duo..."
"Nani?"
"I do not want to look like a morbid priest."
"I'll have you know that I have other clothes besides those, Mr. Green-tank-tops-and-spandex!" Duo sputtered indignantly.
"Hn."
Duo rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. Heero sat for a moment, got up, and followed.
[1] Oooookaaaaay. In case you haven't noticed I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about here! ^_^ I thought I'd leave it as obscure as possible. ^_^;;
Heero stayed seated, eyes downcast, wings falling lifelessly off the sides of the chair. Just as Duo was about to give up, the words started.
"It was a mission." Heero muttered.
"Nani?"
"A mission."
"What happened?"
Heero lapsed into silence again. Duo felt like banging his head on the table. After ten minutes of silence, the American sighed and got up to leave the room.
"Matte." A hesitant voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Heero. Either ya wanna talk about it, or ya don't. Make up your mind wouldja?"
"I'll talk."
"You don't have to make it sound like an inquisition! Sheesh!" Duo rolled his eyes.
"Isn't it?"
"Iie! Of course not!" Duo sounded a little shocked. "Well, maybe it is a little, but I'm concerned about you. That's what friends are supposed to do!"
"Oh."
Heero crossed his arms in front of himself and pushed away from the table a little, enough to put him in the shadows.
"Mm hm." Duo prompted.
"Doctor J contacted me."
Duo hissed through his teeth.
"He had a mission for me...I accepted it. We met at a specified place. Somebody knocked me unconscious. When I woke up I was strapped to a table under bright lights. I tested my bonds, but they were made of gundanium."
Heero shifted in his chair, falling silent.
"And..." Duo urged.
"He told me they wanted to create a biologically advanced human for warfare. Using biological engineering, he could combine traits of different species and make the perfect soldier. He wanted to clone me. He kept me there for seven months. He ran tests, and eventually began injecting me with some type of serum. From what I could gather, it had strains of DNA from different species, and some of mine. This caused a metamorphosis. That is all I know." [1]
"Did it hurt?" Duo asked quietly.
"Yes... The changes included more advanced hearing, eyesight, and smell. My central nervous system was upgraded." Heero paused. "Do you see this table?"
"Hai." Duo answered.
"I can feel the vibrations of your pulse. I can feel the sounds in the apartment below this one. I can block them out, I can block it all out. Then of course is the most obvious change." Heero said bitterly and motioned to the wings attached to his back.
"How did you escape?"
"J became careless. I became the Soldier, and he believed me. I killed him and destroyed all the data. The only thing I salvaged was this."
Heero reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a vial, and slid it across the table. Duo caught and examined it.
"What is it?"
"The last of the serum. I have four more like it. It took one to change me. I was hoping Sally could examine it, and find a way to reverse what he did."
Duo examined the clear liquid. *Funny how something that looks so harmless, can do so much.*
Duo handed it carefully back to Heero who stuffed it in his pocket again. When he looked up Duo was clutching his coffee cup very tightly. His bangs obscured his lowered face.
"Duo?" Heero hesitantly reached over and touched his shoulder. Duo's head snapped up.
"I'm glad you killed the bastard Heero, because if you hadn't...I would have! That shithead!!" Duo snarled.
"There's something else. These wings, they are not like normal wings. Doctor J miscalculated on them. They have much more flexibility and durability than birds' wings' and they do not retain water, but they do not function. I don't know why. I cannot remove them, they are programmed to regenerate. As long as Doctor J's cells are inside my body, this is the form I will have, the abilities I will have."
Duo stilled in his chair. "You can't move your wings? You can't fly?"
"Iie."
Duo stared into his coffee cup. They sat in silence for a while. "Well man, that sucks."
"I believe that is understatement Duo." Heero returned dryly.
Duo scratched the back of his head. *Did the great Heero Yuy just make a joke?* "Yeah, you're probably right. Ya cold?"
Heero shook his head.
"Liar, I can see you shivering from here. A shower would warm ya up."
"I do not think I could fit."
"You can let your wings hang out the side. Just put some towels on the floor so you don't get my bathroom all wet."
Duo regarded Heero, tapping his chin with a finger. "You can use some of my clothes, I think we're about the same size."
"Duo..."
"Nani?"
"I do not want to look like a morbid priest."
"I'll have you know that I have other clothes besides those, Mr. Green-tank-tops-and-spandex!" Duo sputtered indignantly.
"Hn."
Duo rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. Heero sat for a moment, got up, and followed.
[1] Oooookaaaaay. In case you haven't noticed I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about here! ^_^ I thought I'd leave it as obscure as possible. ^_^;;
