CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A DATE WITH DEATH
"Are you okay?"
Raphael's eyes were glued to the infant on the bed. Maybe it wasn't even an infant. It was the tiniest baby he'd ever seen. It was lying in an enclosed area, separated from the rest of the world. "I'm sorry," Spirit sighed. "I should've warned you."
He took a step closer to the child, his jaw hanging open. He had not expected this. "Is it...?"
"Alive? Yes. And doing remarkably well."
He turned and stared at her. "How did you...?"
She smiled knowingly. "Simple. In theory, at least. We took DNA from the mutant and spliced it, if you will, with that of a prematurely delivered baby. One whose cellular structure hadn't totally formed yet."
"How young was the baby?" he asked.
"Twenty-three weeks." His eyes widened and she laughed. "I know. That's early. But it was exactly what we were looking for. We were contacted by the neo-natal intensive care, with the permission of the mother, to try to keep the baby alive using a recently developed... artificial womb."
"She let you take her baby?" he questioned, awestruck.
"The baby would have died without our technology. There's no doubt about that. She handed him over in the hopes that we could keep him alive. Which we did."
He looked down at the infant, unable to speak. "How old is he now?"
"That's what's so strange," she mumbled. "Once we altered its DNA, it began to progress at an incredible rate. We took it... out of the womb, just yesterday."
"At twenty five weeks," he whispered.
"But it's progressed in two and a half weeks as fast as it might have in two and a half months without the treatment."
He stared at her, not sure what else to say. He was too shocked to speak, and he knew he needed to get out of there before he stepped out of character. She smiled sympathetically. "You look so surprised. I'm sorry."
He shook his head slightly, his mind still racing. He hardly even noticed the way she was studying him. "You have pretty eyes," she whispered. "So deep."
He tensed slightly as her hand raised to the side of his face and carressed his cheek lightly. He had very little warning as she stepped closer and kissed him, claiming his mouth in a deep kiss. The situation swam into focus as he kissed her back - purely a reflex action.
He suddenly realized how close he was to the point of having her, totally and completely, and it shocked him. God, she was easy! Her desire was evident. He just needed to get to know her better, to play off her emotions.
Once he got into her heart, he knew she'd help him do anything. Even to look the other way while he got Donny out of here. But he had to move this fast, and he knew it. There was no time for foreplay. He had to get this relationship to its height before his brother was dead. He felt his body react as she reached between them and ran her fingers lightly over the front of his jeans. Maybe this was a little too fast...
He pulled away gently, and took her wrist. Too much passion in her, not enough emotion. She wasn't in love; she only wanted his body. And he wasn't about to give her that satisfaction. If he did, he'd never get what he wanted. He was fully confident in his ability to impress her in bed, but he knew that wouldn't make her love him. And that's what he needed.
He lowered his head, keeping his eyes locked with hers. He flashed her a smile and waited to see if she would make the next move. "Hey, I'll be done here in a few minutes," she whispered seductively. "You wanna go out for a drink?"
No. That was wrong. Close, but it was still wrong. "No," he answered quietly. "I need to get home."
"Are you sure?" she pressed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the baby breathe. God, that was a life. He looked away from it again. He couldn't think about that. He couldn't. "How about tomorrow night?" he offered. "You don't have to work on Saturday, do you?"
She grinned. "No."
"Then let me take you out," he suggested, forcing a smile. "For a real date."
***
Raphael watched from the doorway as Mica ran through the kata at full speed. If she knew he was there, she didn't show it. He didn't mind. He wasn't in the mood for conversation anyways.
He'd never seen the exercise before, but he knew all the moves. When her hand dropped to her belt, he knew what she was reaching for. "You're doing it wrong."
The words startled her. She let go way too soon as she was turning. The throwing star whistled through the air toward Raphael. He saw it coming, and had plenty of time to prepare. He watched its rotation, and clapped his hands on either side of it just before it came into contact with his chest. It was reflexes, more than anything. In the week that he had been working to regain his skills, they had flooded back to him at an amazing pace. He'd never actually stopped living the martial arts. He just hadn't done any serious training in quite some time.
Mica gasped. "Oh, god, I could've killed you!"
Raphael smiled. "S'okay. I'm used to it."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you mean I'm doing it wrong? That's how Leo taught me."
"Yeah, well, Leo doesn't have five fingers, now does he?"
That silenced her.
Raph flipped the shaken like a coin, caught it between his fingers, and tossed it effortlessly at the target. It landed just inside the center circle. "That's how you do it," he grinned.
Her jaw dropped as he turned away. "Uh, wait!" He glanced over his shoulder at her and she suddenly lost the power of speech. "I mean... I..."
He smiled knowingly. "You want me to teach you?" he suggested.
She nodded slightly. "I mean... would you?"
He walked back into the dojo and kicked off his shoes before he stepped on the mat. "Difference is in the way you're holding it," he instructed her, yanking the black star out of the board. "Don't use your thumb at all. Here, give me your hand."
She held out her hand, palm up, and he placed the pointed star between the tips of her fingers. "God, that's high," she mumbled.
"More control," he explained. "Don't hold it close to your palm."
"But then how do you get the force?"
"That should all be in your arm anyhow. Your wrist just guides it."
He stood behind her, his hand over hers. He extended her arm slowly, then brought it back in. "It's all about timing," he mumbled. "You want to let go in the fraction of a second before your arm is fully extended."
"Yeah, that's what Leo said."
"Well, for once, he's right."
She laughed.
"Okay, let go of the shaken but keep your fingers against mine."
He took the throwing star between his fingers and her arm moved with his as he threw it to the target. "Got another one?" he asked. She pulled a second star from her belt. "Okay, you do it now."
She threw it and it landed on the outskirts of the circle. It was a bad throw, but she immediately realized the difference in control. She stared at it for a moment, then turned to Raphael. "Where are you going, all dressed up?" she asked, her eyes running over the dress shirt and tie.
"I uh," he started. "I got something to do."
"Something or someone?" she smiled knowingly.
"Oh, you think you know me so well, don't you?" he smirked, swatting at her playfully.
Mica ducked away, giggling. "So what's her name? Amanda? Caroline?"
"Spirit."
Mica laughed. "Spirit? Good god, is she a hooker or a dachsund?"
"Very funny."
"Yeah, I thought so," Mica grinned, resting her hands on her hips. "Seriously, though..." she grinned. Raph prepared himself, knowing she was about to ask him something she would dare ask in Leo's presence. "You ever sleep with a hooker?"
He felt his face warm slightly. "No," he answered.
She laughed. "You liar!" She pushed him backward and he stumbled a few feet before regaining his balance.
"No, really," he protested, trying to stay serious. "I haven't. I have never slept with a hooker."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, have you ever fucked a hooker?"
He cocked his head just slightly and smiled. "Prostitution is legal in Las Vegas," he informed her.
"You ass," she laughed, turning away from him. She walked to the circular board and grabbed the throwing stars.
"Seriously, though, I haven't," he answered. The embarrassment of being asked that question had faded. "Not knowingly, anyway. Let me put it this way: I never paid for sex."
She turned to look at him and immediately determined that he wasn't lying. He'd just been playing with her. "Never felt the need?" she joked.
He shrugged and adopted a familiar, cocky smile. "Never got that desperate."
"So I guess this 'Spirit' is the first, then, huh?"
Raphael sighed. "She's not a hooker. She's a scientist. And I don't have any intention of sleeping with her."
"No, just fucking her," Mica corrected.
Raph smiled and shook his head. "No. These guys are trying to kill my brothers; I don't have time for a fling."
Mica's eyes widened. "Spirit's a guy?" she cried in mock horror.
Raph crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, you're lucky I'm dressed up or I'd have to beat the crap out of you right about now."
She smiled and blew him a kiss. "See ya later, hottie. Have fun."
He shook his head slightly as he turned away. She was so much like her father it was scary. She paused as he walked out the door, and turned to him. "Raphael?"
He stopped and spun back to face her, raising an eyebrow in question. For a moment, she wasn't sure why she'd called him back. She sighed as she looked him over. "You're gonna come back, right?"
He studied her for a moment, then took a few steps forward. "Of course I am," he answered. "Why would you ask that?"
"You promise?"
He nodded. "I promise."
She walked to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "When you go back to Vegas, are you going to keep in touch?"
He considered that for a moment as he hugged her back. "If I go back to Vegas, yes. Of course."
She pulled away and brushed her fingers over the side of his face. "Your makeup's smeared."
He sighed. "Of course it is."
"Why do you wear it?"
He grinned. "Ordinarily, I don't. But when impersonating someone who looks nothing like me..."
She smiled. "Oh, okay. I get it." She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Be careful, okay?"
He nodded. "Of course."
Leonardo caught him as he was on his way out the door. "Where are you going?"
Raphael looked up and met his brother's cold stare. "What, are we fifteen again?" he answered simply. "I'm gonna go meet with Spirit and try and get Donny out. That okay with you?"
"You know, we can't just keep waiting for you to make some kind of move here," Leo shot. "They're gonna end up killing him, if they haven't already."
Raph sighed. "I'm doing the best I can."
"And expecting me to sit here and do nothing, right?"
"There's nothing you can do right now, Leo," Raphael reminded him. "I'm not going to allow you to go and get yourself killed because..."
"You're not going to allow me?" Leonardo cried. "Just who do you think you are, Raphael? You've got no right to be here, telling me what I can and can't do!"
Raphael hid his eyes behind his hand. This was eerily familiar, and yet at the same time, it wasn't. He sighed as he lowered his hand again and shook his head at his brother. "What happened to you, Leo?" he wondered out loud. "You're so bitter and angry that you don't even think anymore."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "How dare you..."
"Leo..." Raphael half-laughed, not even sure what to say. He was right, and shocked by his realization. He looked away for a moment, shaking his head in disbelief. Finally, he looked back. "Is it me?"
Leonardo didn't answer. His face remained expressionless and Raphael sighed as he got his answer. He dropped his eyes and sighed deeply. For a long time, it was silent. Then Raph looked back up, and studied his brother. Neither of them spoke as memories flooded back to them.
"You remember... how we used to fight all the time?" Raphael started quietly. Leo didn't answer. It was obvious that no answer was needed. "I was... so angry at the world and you were just... the available target." Raph looked away again, considering that. Leo didn't speak, although he almost wished he would. Finally, he looked back up and met the ice cold stare. "But even through all of those things I said, and all those things I did... dammit, Leo, you gotta know I always loved you. This whole family."
No response. Raphael sighed and shook his head in a mix of disbelief and just plain giving up. He sighed. "I didn't run out on you, Leo," he informed, emotionless. "When I left, I was running away from something that hurt. It had nothing to do with you."
"I could care less why you left, Raph," Leonardo shot back.
"Then why did it change you so much?" Raphael demanded, almost laughing at the ridiculousness of this situation. "What the hell happened to you? You nothing like the leader I remember. You're bitter, you're angry... so full of hate and confusion that you can't see what's right in front of you."
Leo's eyes narrowed as he glared at him. "And what's that?"
"That I've put my life on hold for you. And I jeopardized everything I've worked for in order to try... just try to get Donny out of there alive."
Leo looked away. "You want me to thank you?" he snapped.
"What are you gonna do if he's dead?" Raphael asked. Leonardo's eyes slid closed. He didn't want to think about that. "What are you gonna do when I'm the only thing in the world that you've got? You still gonna hate me?" Leo didn't answer. "I said I'm sorry. And if I didn't, I'm saying it now. And you better make a decision right now to forgive me. Because if he doesn't make it, I will be the only thing you've got."
Leonardo's eyes slid closed as bitter hurt pierced through him. Raphael didn't know. He had no idea what he'd put them through. They might have still been living in peace if he hadn't gone with that damned scientist, fifteen years ago. Regardless of what he said, Leo's own testimony matched with the public reports. The bartender's account of Raphael leaving with an unfamiliar man was witness enough. He'd tried so hard not to believe it, and even harder not to get bitter about it. But it was impossible. He couldn't change the truth. And he couldn't change the way he felt about it. He'd been betrayed by one of the few people he'd ever trusted, and he couldn't let that go no matter how hard he tried.
He remained still and silent, and watched as the human man walked away. He could never know what he'd done...
***
The restaurant was almost empty. Raphael's eyes darted to anything that moved as he sat in the far corner with Spirit, listening to her life story with feigned interest. The only thing that did catch his ear was the fact that she and Catherine were actually sisters. He guessed that was how she'd pulled this job. He tucked that away for future use and smiled at everything she said. This was going well, actually. Just as long as she didn't expect him to start talking about himself.
"So what's this all about for you?"
He raised an eyebrow, questioning her, and she laughed. "You're so into our work," she pointed out. "You can't tell me it's all about the science for you."
He looked down and stabbed his food. "Isn't it for you?"
She laughed, and hesitated for a moment. "Do you know why Catherine became a scientist?" she asked.
He considered that. "No."
"It was kind of backwards in our family, you know? Usually it's either the oldest or the youngest who gets favored. But not in my family. My mom and dad always played favorites, and I was the one they liked." She took a long drink as she considered that. "I don't really know why," she finally continued. "I guessed because I was smart, and I said from the time I was small that I wanted to be just like Dad."
Raphael was beginning to see what she was saying. "So Catherine was... your older sister?" he guessed.
She nodded. "He tried to convince her to be a scientist or a doctor, but she went for a carreer in teaching. He more or less disowned her after that. After one semester, she quit her job and went back to school."
Raphael shook his head in disbelief. "Just to gain favor with your dad?"
"Well, she said it was because teaching didn't pay enough. But yeah, that's what I think."
Raph studied her. She was getting a kick out of this. She enjoyed the fact that her sister was jealous of her, if in fact she was. "And even then," she chuckled. "She struggled so hard to get through med school. She just hates that it's so easy for me."
"You think it's easy?"
She shrugged. "It's a hell of a lot easier for me than it was for her. I just... get science. She didn't. She had to work so hard for it. And now she doesn't really even like the work."
Raphael's ears perked. He could exploit that, he knew. "What makes you say that?" he asked.
"She just... doesn't have the stomach for it. It's like she sympathizes too much with the creatures."
Damn. Why hadn't he seen that before? "Well, that's not all bad," he protested. "I mean, it keeps you all from doing anything inhumane."
She chuckled. "Sometimes when you're dedicated to something, you do whatever it takes. She's not dedicated like the rest of us are, and that slows us down."
"Because you can't do things that are inhumane?"
She shrugged. "These aren't people we're talking about, John. They're freaks of nature. Animals."
He felt the hairs on the back of his neck bristle at the words. Hate flooded through him in that instant, powerful and undeniable. "You know," he started coldly, "I thought your father kind of disproved that theory when he was able to turn them human with drugs. It's not like his drugs gave them a soul."
She smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Looks like I hit a sore spot."
He looked away and didn't answer, struggling to get his anger under control. Any small part of him that had been considering enjoying this time with her was gone instantly. He wanted to get as far away from her as possible.
"It's just that I've never understood how it wouldn't be worth it to sacrifice the life of an animal in the name of science when even human lives are lost for it."
"So you experiment on humans, too?" he challenged.
"We try new drugs on volunteer patients all the time in the medical field," she explained. "After they are tested on animals. But sometimes even then, they have adverse results."
Raphael didn't really care to continue this conversation. But he knew he had to keep up appearances. "I didn't know that," he mumbled.
"Oh John..." He tensed at the patronizing tone. She reached across the table and placed her hand against the side of his face. "I'm sorry. Let's not talk about it anymore, huh?"
"No," he agreed, pulling away. "Let's not."
He already knew all he needed to know.
***
"Nice," Raphael approved as he looked around Spirit's apartment.
"Yeah, it kind of is, isn't it?" she grinned. "You'd be surprised what kind of money they pay me, even as an intern."
He ran his hand over the back of the leather couch. "I guess..."
She eyed him carefully, crossing her arms over her chest. "So... you got someplace to be tonight?" she asked.
He shrugged as he turned to look at her. "Actually, I... kind of wanted to talk to you some more. About the project."
She noded slightly. Interesting. "What about it?"
"You said you... had another one of the mutants."
"Yes, that's right."
"You think there's any chance I'll ever see this mutant?" he laughed. "I mean, your teammates don't seem too eager to help me out and I was thinking... you know..."
She grinned knowingly. "...that you want me to take you to go see him?" she suggested.
He shrugged, a lopsided smile on his face. "Yeah, maybe."
She sighed. "Well, I'm going to go in tomorrow," she informed. "Are you going to be there?"
He nodded. "Definately."
"Then it's a date?"
He smiled. "Yeah. A date."
She sighed as she looked away. "Before I take you to go see him," she mumbled. "There's something you should know."
"What's that?"
She smiled wickedly as she met his stare, and he tensed as he saw her entire demeanor change in an instant. It was if she'd changed from angel to demon in a fraction of a second.
"I know who you are."