Disclaimer: Still don't own any of the Tenchi Muyo! characters. However, I DO own the original char in this chapter and he cannot be used without my express permission. So HA! How you like them apples, eh?!
Author's Notes: To all those reading this fic, and the one guy that reviewed, I'm sorry this chapter too so long in getting down, but I had finals, a lot of moving and getting to know my two new roommates to deal with so that took up some time. Hopefully the next two chapters won't take as long to finish. Oh and it should be noted that this takes place in the OVA continuity. The importance for that will be revealed next chapter. Until then, I hope you enjoy this one. And for God's sake write some reviews! They help me write faster.
Threat From A Haunted Past
Chapter 2: Bad Memories
"Alright Ryo-ohki the coordinates are all set," Washu said as she holo-computer faded from existence. "I would say get there as quickly as you could, but I don't really want to get there all the fast anyway. So just...go at a moderate speed. That should do."
"Miya!" the cabbit meowed in reply.
Washu stared at the main crystal in the chamber for a moment before shaking her head.
"I should have made it so I could understand her as well," she sighed before sitting down in the commander chair.
She tilted her head back to stare out the large transparent dome overhead and watched as the stars passed by. A shudder went through her body as she thought of what, or rather who, awaited for her at the end of her journey.
*I can't believe he's still alive after all this time,* she thought. *Not only alive but still carrying on his deranged experiments. AND free somehow! Dammit, why can't the past just stay dead and buried? And if something from my past had to come back to haunt me why did it have to HIM? Hell I'd even prefer Kagato over Maytrek! At least with Kagato I could figure out whatever petty revenge scheme with might come up with formulate a plan to counter it, but with Maytrek there's absolutely no way of knowing what kind of trick he'll pull. That's what's got me so afraid. Well that and my previous run in with him.*
Washu clenched her hands into fists and fought to keep herself from trembling as long forgetten and repressed memories began to flood back to her.
~*Flashback*~
The sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the smooth, metal hallways of the Science Academy. A young, pink haired student glanced up at the numbers on the passing doors in the search for her next class. She was only a sophomore so there was still a large amount of the academy she hadn't seen and from the size of the place probably wouldn't see it all even if she became a professor. She looked down at her schedule again to make sure she had the right floor and room number in mind. The last thing she wanted to do was to have to run around to another floor and end up being late.
*1340,* she ticked off in her mind then looked up at the number oft the closest room. *And that's 1336 so the room I'm looking for should be just around this corner.*
She rounded said corner and a small smile of satisfaction crossed her face as she spotted her classroom. She pushed her way through the door and stood at the top of the rows of desks for a moment, looking for a good seat. She always preferred to set near the front so that she could clearly hear and see the teacher, but not close enough to be construed as the teacher's pet. Of course she probably was, but she preferred to think of herself as a dedicated student.
She found a seat about four rows back from the teacher's podium and made herself as comfortable as she good. As she rearranged her books and other items she picked up snippets from the various conversations going around. Popular subject seemed to be about the rumors going around about this professor.
"I heard the guy is a total freak," she heard a girl say.
"Yeah I know. Real mad scientist type from what I hear," another girl replied.
"Man I'm worry about this class. This guy is suppose to be really strict."
"I heard only a few people pass his class every semester. And a some of them were so depressed that they dropped out and just kind of disappeared."
Washu toned out the conversations as she returned her attention back to the materials on her desk. There were always talks like these when a class started. Usually by moronic students who had no respect for teachers. Sometimes she wondered how some of the professors here could put up with it. She knew she wouldn't. And even if this guy did turn out to be a little eccentric what was the harm? Some of the best professors she's ever had had weird methods of teaching, but it only made the class that much more memorable. Besides, how bad could this guy really be?
All conversation stopped when the doors at the top of the stairs opened with a loud bang. The attention of all the students was refocused onto the source of the sound. There, at the top of the stairs, stood a man in the traditional attire for the Academy's teachers. He was bald and it only added to the mad scientist look as he slowly looked over the room. He adjusted the folders in his right arm before descending the staircase to the main podium at the front of the room. Everyone continued to remain silent as he again stared at assembled bodies. He seemed able to stare straight into there souls. The rumors really didn't do him justice. The air of dread about him was so thick that it almost threaten to envelop everyone and it only served to make them more nervous. Nobody move or said anything, however, because they knew to do so would invite trouble and getting on this professor's bad side was something nobody wanted to do.
"I am Professor Maytrek," he stated in a loud, slightly droning voice. "And this is Biology and Physiology 201. If you will connect your datapads to the ports on your desks I will upload the syllabus to you." He waited a few seconds for the series of audible clicks to subside before pressing a button on the podium. "There, now you all have the syllabus and I fully expect you to read it and understand it after class. I will not deviate from it so should you miss a class I fully expect any assignments to be done and turned in during the next class. I will not accept anything late and it will immediately be marked as an F.
Now, I am fully aware of the rumors going around about me and I will say that some of them are true. I AM a hard grader and I DO require you to do a lot of work. This is not a class for slackers! If any of your truly wish to be scientists you must be ready to work constantly. The greatest asset a scientist can have is the ability to carry on more than one experiment at one time. And make no mistakes about it, you WILL need to this ability in this class and in life. I except a lot of you will be dropping this class shortly into the semester because it happens without fail every semester. And I am only too happy to see those students go. As I said, I have no tolerance whatsoever for slackers and students who do not wish to work!"
He paused to again survey the class as if waiting for anyone to object. When no one spoke up he nodded and then turned towards the board behind him.
"Now then, let us begin."
Washu listened intently and took detailed notes. So far it seemed that the rumors of this professor being a hard instructor and having a mad scientist/cartoon villain look were true, but the class really didn't see that hard to her. Of course that was her and she was usually really good at classes that had lot of projects. So no matter what troubles her classmates may have with this class, she was confident that she'd pass this class with no problem. Yep, no problems at all.
***
As the semester trudged along, Maytrek's promise of simultaneous projects and people dropping out both held true. Near the middle of the term only a handful of what he called the "dedicated few" remained in the class. Out of all of those, Washu had set herself up to be the favorite student and would frequently engage in conversations with the teacher during the middle of class, much to the chagrin of her classmates. She always ignored their groans of compliant though and continued on with the discussion she was having with the professor. Even though it wasn't making her very popular she could tell it was winning her over with the teacher and that's all that mattered.
***
It was in the middle of the semester that things took a turn for the worse. The class right after what many of the students called a "brutal" mid-term, they walked into the class to find projected onto the main screen in as large a font size as possible was one word: "DEATH". Each student was silent as they sat down and simply stared at the gigantic word, already beginning to feel uneasy at the impending lecture. Maytrek stood in his usual place behind the podium and watched them as they all walked in and sat down. He waited until it was the exact time for class to begin before speaking.
"I'm sure by now you've all seen the word on the screen," he started. "And you all know the power this word holds over everyone. Most believe that death is the end of life. That when you die you simply shut down. However, that is not the case. Studies have shown that fingernails and hair continue to grow and that certain synapses still fire in the brain directly following death. So what can we conclude from this?"
He looked over the room as he waited for some brave soul to answer his question.
"Anyone? Perhaps you Washu? Any thoughts on this?"
"It means that there's still a bit of life in the body?" Washu asked uncertainly.
"Yes! That is exactly what it means. That directly following death, before you body completely shuts down there is a way to bring the subject back to life. Hospitals have been doing this for years. Of course that is directly after death. A few minutes at the most. But what if you waited an hour after death? There was still some synapses firing, so it could be possible to jump start the brain and bring this person back to life."
"But...that would be impossible," one of the students remarked.
"Nothing is impossible!" Maytrek shouted, slamming his fist on the podium. "There are no impossibilities in science! There are only very difficult tasks that must be accomplished. It may take years to solve a problem, centuries perhaps, but eventually it WILL be solved!"
After it seemed he calmed down a bit, Washu raised her hand timidly to ask a question.
"Yes?" he asked her, his voice still carried a slightly annoyed tone.
"What about the person's soul? If you could restart the brain and make their body live again but not have the soul inside, wouldn't that just make them a shell of a person?" she asked.
The professor sighed and shook his head as he clicked his tongue. "Out of everyone here, I thought you would have known better Washu. There is no soul! It is an invitation of the religious right to find some fleeting hope of comfort in the face of the inevitable. If you truly believe in such a thing then leave my classroom and the field of science altogether, but it will only get in your way. And for the sake of true science there must be NO barriers. None at all! If you remember nothing else from this class, remember that. Now then, on with the rest of today's lecture."
***
A few weeks after the "death lecture" incident, Washu had been called to the professor's living quarters in the academy to be part of some special project. She would have been fooling herself if she said she wasn't a little nervous and suspicious of the situation, but it could provide her with some valuable experience on how to conduct complex experiments of her own. She already had a great understanding of the subject, but learning a few more tricks and secrets never hurt anyone.
As she stepped into the section with the living quarters of the professors, she couldn't help but smile. Those professors that had earned tenure or a great deal of respect among their peers where offered free housing within the academy, housing that was noticeably better than those the students were given. It didn't matter to her too much though, because eventually it would be her living in this section waiting to help out a student. It was all just a matter of time. Her smile widened with that thought and she sped up in her pace, eager to see what the professor wanted help with.
Upon reaching the right door, she pressed the doorbell to announce her presence.
"Who is it?" she heard the professor's voice ask almost suspiciously through the intercom.
"It's Washu. You wanted to see me?" she asked back, suddenly feeling a little uneasy about the whole situation.
The response to her question came in the form of a lock unclasping and the door slowly opening to reveal Maytrek standing directly in front of her, blocking most of her view of his apartment. After several long, drawn out seconds he stepped back and motioned for her to come in. She gulped invariantly before walking inside. To her surprise it was actually very well furnished and well lit. She turned back to face him as he closed the door and walked over towards her.
"I know, you where expecting something a little more...mad scientist like, correct?" he remarked.
"Well...um...kinda," Washu admitted, looking down at the floor in embarrassment.
"Believe me, I've heard all the rumors. And only...some of them are true. But enough of that, please have a seat."
Washu gave her teacher an odd look for his last remark, but shrugged it off and sat down on the couch. She folded her hands on her lap and watched as he sat down in a chair in front of the couch and stared her directly in the eye. The were several eternity spanning seconds as he continued to look at her with his infamous classroom stare. She wrung her hands together nervously and concentrated on a painting on the wall behind while he continued to examine her, as if he was looking into her very soul for...something. Finally, after what had seemed like a lifetime, he broke his stare and eased back a bit in the chair.
"Now then, I suppose you're wondering why I called you here," he stated.
"Yes," Washu managed to squeak out. She still couldn't believe how nervous he was making her. In fact, something about this whole situation felt off.
"It's because I need an assistant for a very important experiment."
"You're asking me to help you? Um...professor I'm honored, but wouldn't someone with more experience be a better choice?"
"No. My colleagues would not truly understand the important of this work, nor would they understand my methods. Besides this is a very good learning opportunity for you to get some true lab experience. And out of everyone in the class I found you to be the more skilled and qualified to help me."
"Thank you professor. I won't let you down."
"I would certainly hope not. Now then if you'll just follow me I'll-"
He was interrupted by the vid-phone beeping in the next room. After a muttered curse he excused himself and left to go answer it, leaving Washu alone in the room. For a moment she simply stood and looked over the room one more time, still amazed at how normal the place looked. Even though she did have a great deal of respect for her teacher, she did have to admit he did give off a very creepy, mad scientist/cartoon villain feeling. But aside from that uncomfortable moment where he was staring at her, things where actually going quite well.
After a bit she began to explore the room and was immediately drawn to a bookshelf displaying all of Maytrek's science awards. Over the years it seemed he had acquired a generous collection of them and it was easy to see why the Academy put up with his eccentricities. Having someone with this many awards and accolades on staff was definitely something to brag about. As she continued to look over the multiple plagues displayed on the shelf, she unconsciously ran her hand down the side of it. She let out a small gasp when her hand hit some kind of object and a light clicking sound was heard. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she guided her fingers around the object and found a small crack there. Wedging her fingers inside, she glanced around the corner to see if Maytrek was returning and when it was clear he was not she pulled on the case with all her strength. Much to her great surprise the bookcase swung back on a hinge, revealing a small doorway to her. She gave one more glance around the room to make sure it was safe then stepped through the door way to enter a small room.
The second she did an automated lighting system switched on to reveal a scene of absolute horror to her. The room was filled with bloody tools laying about haphazardly on tables and benches scattered about the small space. Filed much more carefully were the true exhibits of this horror show: body parts from both outside and inside. The top counter of a case was nothing be jarred heads floating in some kind of preserving fluid, a look of true horror frozen on each of them. Below them where jars containing eyeballs, some apparently belonging to the heads just above them. A surgical plate of hearts, lungs, and other vital organs lay in the middle of bloodied papers and research instruments. Arms and legs hung from giant hooks sticking out of the walls. Worst of all was a fresh body laying on an operating table in the corner of the room. It's chest had been cut open and the organs taken out and place on trays right beside them while strange wires and tubes still connected them to the body. The stench of death, rotting flesh, and perversion fluid hung in the air, mixing together to make a uniquely foul odor.
Washu placed a hand over her mouth as the lunch she had just an hour before threatened to come back up on her. She closed her eyes and prayed to any deity out there that when she opened them she would be back in her bed in the dorm and that this was just some bad dream. Unfortunately, her prayers fell on deaf ears because when she reopened her eyes the scene had not changed in the slightest. Indeed it seemed much worse now because it forced to her to face the harsh reality of the situation. Another wave of nausea washed over her and this time she was unable to keep her lunch down. She grabbed onto a nearby table to steady herself as she relived her earlier meal and after it was all out of her system she stood upright, inadvertently taking a blood smeared datapad with her. Still in a daze she looked over it and found it to be a report on one of the subjects in the lab. What surprised her though was the name, it seemed so familiar somehow.
*Wait. This was one of the students from class. One of those that supposedly withdrew from the whole school after not being able to handle the class. Then that would mean...*
Her thoughts trailed off as she looked at the scattered body parts around her once again. The sick feeling in her stomach grew when she realized that most, if not all, the people that had been sacrificed here for this man's twisted work where students of him just like herself. Her body went numb as she began to think of why exactly he had called her here. This is what he wanted. He wanted her to become part of this...this...horror show! He wanted her to be his new subject. He wanted to carve her up just like he had done so many before her. Her legs felt weak and began to shake under her own weight, but she forced herself to stay standing. Her strength grew until she was finally able to move again. She spun around and was about to run out of the room and apartment altogether when she suddenly saw Maytrek blocking her escape. She let out a horrified gasp and back away from him.
"So I see you've found my little laboratory," he said as he stalked towards her. "This is what I wanted you to assist me in."
"You wanted me to help you...kill people?" she croaked out, her voice and body getting weaker by the second.
He scoffed at her. "If you want to limit yourself to society's morals then yes I suppose it would be seen as 'killing people'. However, I tend to think of it as utilizing resources. After all, we experiment on small animals in class all the time. What is the difference between them and these," he did a sweeping gesture around the room.
"I...I don't know. But there is. They has to be!"
"Please Washu. What have I told you time and time again? You let nothing stand in the way of science. Not even silly legalities put in place by an unwilling society. They could never understand true genius and so they must place limits on it."
"If it means doing something like this then I agree with them."
Maytrek sighed and shook his head. "You disappointed me Washu. I thought out of everyone in the class, indeed in this academy, you'd be the one to understand my work the best. What I am doing here is for the benefit of mankind. I am conquering death! Imagine it, being able to bring people back to life hours, days after they died! It will be the greatest scientific achievement in history! And I'm offering you a place in that history. So please, come aboard as my assistant won't you?"
Washu stared at her professor as he slowly approached her. She had never been as scared in her life as she was right now. A part of her mind told her to say yes to his offer and continue living, but the other part knew it would be wrong. How could she live and help in the killing of others? The simple answer was she couldn't. There was no way she could justify this to herself, nor should she have to. This was just plain wrong! The man in front of her was not the professor she had admired and looked up too, he was a homicidal maniac. With a courage she didn't think herself capable of, she stood straight and stared him directly in the eye, her determination burned behind her own.
"No!" she scream forcefully. "I will NOT be a part of this! I won't kill people just to feed your insane ego."
"Very well then. If you won't be my assistant then you'll be my newest subject," he said as he picked up a knife as he passed a table.
Washu's new found courage was quickly replaced by her fear once again and she continued to back up until she bumped into a work bench. Her hands desperately searched for something-anything that would help her fend off the impending attack. She watched with fear filled eyes as he drew ever closer to her, raising the knife for the attack. Finally her hand fell upon something heavy and acting purely on instinct she grabbed it and swung it forward just as her attacker closed in. The object hit him on the side of the head with enough force to send him spiraling out of control and cause him to crack his head on the edge of another counter top. He slumped to the ground unconscious and with a slight trickle of blood running down the side of his face.
It was only after she had calmed down that Washu had noticed the object she knocked Maytrek out with was a severed arm. She threw it down with a loud whelp and legs finally found the strength to carry her out of the room and out the apartment altogether. She ran down the corridors of the Academy, looking for someone that could help her in any way. Really she didn't care who it was, she just wanted to put as much distance between herself and that madman back there as possible. She just had to get away. She had to keep running and never look back. Never, ever look back.
~*End Flashback*~
Washu's eyes snapped open and she let out a small gasp as she bolted up right in Ryo-Ohki's command chair. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself while the memory still bounced around in her mind.
"Dammit," she muttered. "I thought I repressed that memory. I guess this whole thing's just bringing up a lot of bad memories that I'd rather keep forgetting. And if just the idea of going to see Maytrek has got me this worked up how am I suppose to handle it when I actually SEE him?" She shook her head violently. "Come on Washu, don't start doubting herself now! You're not that scared, naive student anymore! You've handled some of worst situations imaginable since then! Just keep your wits about you and you'll do fine. At least...I hope so."
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: To all those reading this fic, and the one guy that reviewed, I'm sorry this chapter too so long in getting down, but I had finals, a lot of moving and getting to know my two new roommates to deal with so that took up some time. Hopefully the next two chapters won't take as long to finish. Oh and it should be noted that this takes place in the OVA continuity. The importance for that will be revealed next chapter. Until then, I hope you enjoy this one. And for God's sake write some reviews! They help me write faster.
Threat From A Haunted Past
Chapter 2: Bad Memories
"Alright Ryo-ohki the coordinates are all set," Washu said as she holo-computer faded from existence. "I would say get there as quickly as you could, but I don't really want to get there all the fast anyway. So just...go at a moderate speed. That should do."
"Miya!" the cabbit meowed in reply.
Washu stared at the main crystal in the chamber for a moment before shaking her head.
"I should have made it so I could understand her as well," she sighed before sitting down in the commander chair.
She tilted her head back to stare out the large transparent dome overhead and watched as the stars passed by. A shudder went through her body as she thought of what, or rather who, awaited for her at the end of her journey.
*I can't believe he's still alive after all this time,* she thought. *Not only alive but still carrying on his deranged experiments. AND free somehow! Dammit, why can't the past just stay dead and buried? And if something from my past had to come back to haunt me why did it have to HIM? Hell I'd even prefer Kagato over Maytrek! At least with Kagato I could figure out whatever petty revenge scheme with might come up with formulate a plan to counter it, but with Maytrek there's absolutely no way of knowing what kind of trick he'll pull. That's what's got me so afraid. Well that and my previous run in with him.*
Washu clenched her hands into fists and fought to keep herself from trembling as long forgetten and repressed memories began to flood back to her.
~*Flashback*~
The sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the smooth, metal hallways of the Science Academy. A young, pink haired student glanced up at the numbers on the passing doors in the search for her next class. She was only a sophomore so there was still a large amount of the academy she hadn't seen and from the size of the place probably wouldn't see it all even if she became a professor. She looked down at her schedule again to make sure she had the right floor and room number in mind. The last thing she wanted to do was to have to run around to another floor and end up being late.
*1340,* she ticked off in her mind then looked up at the number oft the closest room. *And that's 1336 so the room I'm looking for should be just around this corner.*
She rounded said corner and a small smile of satisfaction crossed her face as she spotted her classroom. She pushed her way through the door and stood at the top of the rows of desks for a moment, looking for a good seat. She always preferred to set near the front so that she could clearly hear and see the teacher, but not close enough to be construed as the teacher's pet. Of course she probably was, but she preferred to think of herself as a dedicated student.
She found a seat about four rows back from the teacher's podium and made herself as comfortable as she good. As she rearranged her books and other items she picked up snippets from the various conversations going around. Popular subject seemed to be about the rumors going around about this professor.
"I heard the guy is a total freak," she heard a girl say.
"Yeah I know. Real mad scientist type from what I hear," another girl replied.
"Man I'm worry about this class. This guy is suppose to be really strict."
"I heard only a few people pass his class every semester. And a some of them were so depressed that they dropped out and just kind of disappeared."
Washu toned out the conversations as she returned her attention back to the materials on her desk. There were always talks like these when a class started. Usually by moronic students who had no respect for teachers. Sometimes she wondered how some of the professors here could put up with it. She knew she wouldn't. And even if this guy did turn out to be a little eccentric what was the harm? Some of the best professors she's ever had had weird methods of teaching, but it only made the class that much more memorable. Besides, how bad could this guy really be?
All conversation stopped when the doors at the top of the stairs opened with a loud bang. The attention of all the students was refocused onto the source of the sound. There, at the top of the stairs, stood a man in the traditional attire for the Academy's teachers. He was bald and it only added to the mad scientist look as he slowly looked over the room. He adjusted the folders in his right arm before descending the staircase to the main podium at the front of the room. Everyone continued to remain silent as he again stared at assembled bodies. He seemed able to stare straight into there souls. The rumors really didn't do him justice. The air of dread about him was so thick that it almost threaten to envelop everyone and it only served to make them more nervous. Nobody move or said anything, however, because they knew to do so would invite trouble and getting on this professor's bad side was something nobody wanted to do.
"I am Professor Maytrek," he stated in a loud, slightly droning voice. "And this is Biology and Physiology 201. If you will connect your datapads to the ports on your desks I will upload the syllabus to you." He waited a few seconds for the series of audible clicks to subside before pressing a button on the podium. "There, now you all have the syllabus and I fully expect you to read it and understand it after class. I will not deviate from it so should you miss a class I fully expect any assignments to be done and turned in during the next class. I will not accept anything late and it will immediately be marked as an F.
Now, I am fully aware of the rumors going around about me and I will say that some of them are true. I AM a hard grader and I DO require you to do a lot of work. This is not a class for slackers! If any of your truly wish to be scientists you must be ready to work constantly. The greatest asset a scientist can have is the ability to carry on more than one experiment at one time. And make no mistakes about it, you WILL need to this ability in this class and in life. I except a lot of you will be dropping this class shortly into the semester because it happens without fail every semester. And I am only too happy to see those students go. As I said, I have no tolerance whatsoever for slackers and students who do not wish to work!"
He paused to again survey the class as if waiting for anyone to object. When no one spoke up he nodded and then turned towards the board behind him.
"Now then, let us begin."
Washu listened intently and took detailed notes. So far it seemed that the rumors of this professor being a hard instructor and having a mad scientist/cartoon villain look were true, but the class really didn't see that hard to her. Of course that was her and she was usually really good at classes that had lot of projects. So no matter what troubles her classmates may have with this class, she was confident that she'd pass this class with no problem. Yep, no problems at all.
***
As the semester trudged along, Maytrek's promise of simultaneous projects and people dropping out both held true. Near the middle of the term only a handful of what he called the "dedicated few" remained in the class. Out of all of those, Washu had set herself up to be the favorite student and would frequently engage in conversations with the teacher during the middle of class, much to the chagrin of her classmates. She always ignored their groans of compliant though and continued on with the discussion she was having with the professor. Even though it wasn't making her very popular she could tell it was winning her over with the teacher and that's all that mattered.
***
It was in the middle of the semester that things took a turn for the worse. The class right after what many of the students called a "brutal" mid-term, they walked into the class to find projected onto the main screen in as large a font size as possible was one word: "DEATH". Each student was silent as they sat down and simply stared at the gigantic word, already beginning to feel uneasy at the impending lecture. Maytrek stood in his usual place behind the podium and watched them as they all walked in and sat down. He waited until it was the exact time for class to begin before speaking.
"I'm sure by now you've all seen the word on the screen," he started. "And you all know the power this word holds over everyone. Most believe that death is the end of life. That when you die you simply shut down. However, that is not the case. Studies have shown that fingernails and hair continue to grow and that certain synapses still fire in the brain directly following death. So what can we conclude from this?"
He looked over the room as he waited for some brave soul to answer his question.
"Anyone? Perhaps you Washu? Any thoughts on this?"
"It means that there's still a bit of life in the body?" Washu asked uncertainly.
"Yes! That is exactly what it means. That directly following death, before you body completely shuts down there is a way to bring the subject back to life. Hospitals have been doing this for years. Of course that is directly after death. A few minutes at the most. But what if you waited an hour after death? There was still some synapses firing, so it could be possible to jump start the brain and bring this person back to life."
"But...that would be impossible," one of the students remarked.
"Nothing is impossible!" Maytrek shouted, slamming his fist on the podium. "There are no impossibilities in science! There are only very difficult tasks that must be accomplished. It may take years to solve a problem, centuries perhaps, but eventually it WILL be solved!"
After it seemed he calmed down a bit, Washu raised her hand timidly to ask a question.
"Yes?" he asked her, his voice still carried a slightly annoyed tone.
"What about the person's soul? If you could restart the brain and make their body live again but not have the soul inside, wouldn't that just make them a shell of a person?" she asked.
The professor sighed and shook his head as he clicked his tongue. "Out of everyone here, I thought you would have known better Washu. There is no soul! It is an invitation of the religious right to find some fleeting hope of comfort in the face of the inevitable. If you truly believe in such a thing then leave my classroom and the field of science altogether, but it will only get in your way. And for the sake of true science there must be NO barriers. None at all! If you remember nothing else from this class, remember that. Now then, on with the rest of today's lecture."
***
A few weeks after the "death lecture" incident, Washu had been called to the professor's living quarters in the academy to be part of some special project. She would have been fooling herself if she said she wasn't a little nervous and suspicious of the situation, but it could provide her with some valuable experience on how to conduct complex experiments of her own. She already had a great understanding of the subject, but learning a few more tricks and secrets never hurt anyone.
As she stepped into the section with the living quarters of the professors, she couldn't help but smile. Those professors that had earned tenure or a great deal of respect among their peers where offered free housing within the academy, housing that was noticeably better than those the students were given. It didn't matter to her too much though, because eventually it would be her living in this section waiting to help out a student. It was all just a matter of time. Her smile widened with that thought and she sped up in her pace, eager to see what the professor wanted help with.
Upon reaching the right door, she pressed the doorbell to announce her presence.
"Who is it?" she heard the professor's voice ask almost suspiciously through the intercom.
"It's Washu. You wanted to see me?" she asked back, suddenly feeling a little uneasy about the whole situation.
The response to her question came in the form of a lock unclasping and the door slowly opening to reveal Maytrek standing directly in front of her, blocking most of her view of his apartment. After several long, drawn out seconds he stepped back and motioned for her to come in. She gulped invariantly before walking inside. To her surprise it was actually very well furnished and well lit. She turned back to face him as he closed the door and walked over towards her.
"I know, you where expecting something a little more...mad scientist like, correct?" he remarked.
"Well...um...kinda," Washu admitted, looking down at the floor in embarrassment.
"Believe me, I've heard all the rumors. And only...some of them are true. But enough of that, please have a seat."
Washu gave her teacher an odd look for his last remark, but shrugged it off and sat down on the couch. She folded her hands on her lap and watched as he sat down in a chair in front of the couch and stared her directly in the eye. The were several eternity spanning seconds as he continued to look at her with his infamous classroom stare. She wrung her hands together nervously and concentrated on a painting on the wall behind while he continued to examine her, as if he was looking into her very soul for...something. Finally, after what had seemed like a lifetime, he broke his stare and eased back a bit in the chair.
"Now then, I suppose you're wondering why I called you here," he stated.
"Yes," Washu managed to squeak out. She still couldn't believe how nervous he was making her. In fact, something about this whole situation felt off.
"It's because I need an assistant for a very important experiment."
"You're asking me to help you? Um...professor I'm honored, but wouldn't someone with more experience be a better choice?"
"No. My colleagues would not truly understand the important of this work, nor would they understand my methods. Besides this is a very good learning opportunity for you to get some true lab experience. And out of everyone in the class I found you to be the more skilled and qualified to help me."
"Thank you professor. I won't let you down."
"I would certainly hope not. Now then if you'll just follow me I'll-"
He was interrupted by the vid-phone beeping in the next room. After a muttered curse he excused himself and left to go answer it, leaving Washu alone in the room. For a moment she simply stood and looked over the room one more time, still amazed at how normal the place looked. Even though she did have a great deal of respect for her teacher, she did have to admit he did give off a very creepy, mad scientist/cartoon villain feeling. But aside from that uncomfortable moment where he was staring at her, things where actually going quite well.
After a bit she began to explore the room and was immediately drawn to a bookshelf displaying all of Maytrek's science awards. Over the years it seemed he had acquired a generous collection of them and it was easy to see why the Academy put up with his eccentricities. Having someone with this many awards and accolades on staff was definitely something to brag about. As she continued to look over the multiple plagues displayed on the shelf, she unconsciously ran her hand down the side of it. She let out a small gasp when her hand hit some kind of object and a light clicking sound was heard. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she guided her fingers around the object and found a small crack there. Wedging her fingers inside, she glanced around the corner to see if Maytrek was returning and when it was clear he was not she pulled on the case with all her strength. Much to her great surprise the bookcase swung back on a hinge, revealing a small doorway to her. She gave one more glance around the room to make sure it was safe then stepped through the door way to enter a small room.
The second she did an automated lighting system switched on to reveal a scene of absolute horror to her. The room was filled with bloody tools laying about haphazardly on tables and benches scattered about the small space. Filed much more carefully were the true exhibits of this horror show: body parts from both outside and inside. The top counter of a case was nothing be jarred heads floating in some kind of preserving fluid, a look of true horror frozen on each of them. Below them where jars containing eyeballs, some apparently belonging to the heads just above them. A surgical plate of hearts, lungs, and other vital organs lay in the middle of bloodied papers and research instruments. Arms and legs hung from giant hooks sticking out of the walls. Worst of all was a fresh body laying on an operating table in the corner of the room. It's chest had been cut open and the organs taken out and place on trays right beside them while strange wires and tubes still connected them to the body. The stench of death, rotting flesh, and perversion fluid hung in the air, mixing together to make a uniquely foul odor.
Washu placed a hand over her mouth as the lunch she had just an hour before threatened to come back up on her. She closed her eyes and prayed to any deity out there that when she opened them she would be back in her bed in the dorm and that this was just some bad dream. Unfortunately, her prayers fell on deaf ears because when she reopened her eyes the scene had not changed in the slightest. Indeed it seemed much worse now because it forced to her to face the harsh reality of the situation. Another wave of nausea washed over her and this time she was unable to keep her lunch down. She grabbed onto a nearby table to steady herself as she relived her earlier meal and after it was all out of her system she stood upright, inadvertently taking a blood smeared datapad with her. Still in a daze she looked over it and found it to be a report on one of the subjects in the lab. What surprised her though was the name, it seemed so familiar somehow.
*Wait. This was one of the students from class. One of those that supposedly withdrew from the whole school after not being able to handle the class. Then that would mean...*
Her thoughts trailed off as she looked at the scattered body parts around her once again. The sick feeling in her stomach grew when she realized that most, if not all, the people that had been sacrificed here for this man's twisted work where students of him just like herself. Her body went numb as she began to think of why exactly he had called her here. This is what he wanted. He wanted her to become part of this...this...horror show! He wanted her to be his new subject. He wanted to carve her up just like he had done so many before her. Her legs felt weak and began to shake under her own weight, but she forced herself to stay standing. Her strength grew until she was finally able to move again. She spun around and was about to run out of the room and apartment altogether when she suddenly saw Maytrek blocking her escape. She let out a horrified gasp and back away from him.
"So I see you've found my little laboratory," he said as he stalked towards her. "This is what I wanted you to assist me in."
"You wanted me to help you...kill people?" she croaked out, her voice and body getting weaker by the second.
He scoffed at her. "If you want to limit yourself to society's morals then yes I suppose it would be seen as 'killing people'. However, I tend to think of it as utilizing resources. After all, we experiment on small animals in class all the time. What is the difference between them and these," he did a sweeping gesture around the room.
"I...I don't know. But there is. They has to be!"
"Please Washu. What have I told you time and time again? You let nothing stand in the way of science. Not even silly legalities put in place by an unwilling society. They could never understand true genius and so they must place limits on it."
"If it means doing something like this then I agree with them."
Maytrek sighed and shook his head. "You disappointed me Washu. I thought out of everyone in the class, indeed in this academy, you'd be the one to understand my work the best. What I am doing here is for the benefit of mankind. I am conquering death! Imagine it, being able to bring people back to life hours, days after they died! It will be the greatest scientific achievement in history! And I'm offering you a place in that history. So please, come aboard as my assistant won't you?"
Washu stared at her professor as he slowly approached her. She had never been as scared in her life as she was right now. A part of her mind told her to say yes to his offer and continue living, but the other part knew it would be wrong. How could she live and help in the killing of others? The simple answer was she couldn't. There was no way she could justify this to herself, nor should she have to. This was just plain wrong! The man in front of her was not the professor she had admired and looked up too, he was a homicidal maniac. With a courage she didn't think herself capable of, she stood straight and stared him directly in the eye, her determination burned behind her own.
"No!" she scream forcefully. "I will NOT be a part of this! I won't kill people just to feed your insane ego."
"Very well then. If you won't be my assistant then you'll be my newest subject," he said as he picked up a knife as he passed a table.
Washu's new found courage was quickly replaced by her fear once again and she continued to back up until she bumped into a work bench. Her hands desperately searched for something-anything that would help her fend off the impending attack. She watched with fear filled eyes as he drew ever closer to her, raising the knife for the attack. Finally her hand fell upon something heavy and acting purely on instinct she grabbed it and swung it forward just as her attacker closed in. The object hit him on the side of the head with enough force to send him spiraling out of control and cause him to crack his head on the edge of another counter top. He slumped to the ground unconscious and with a slight trickle of blood running down the side of his face.
It was only after she had calmed down that Washu had noticed the object she knocked Maytrek out with was a severed arm. She threw it down with a loud whelp and legs finally found the strength to carry her out of the room and out the apartment altogether. She ran down the corridors of the Academy, looking for someone that could help her in any way. Really she didn't care who it was, she just wanted to put as much distance between herself and that madman back there as possible. She just had to get away. She had to keep running and never look back. Never, ever look back.
~*End Flashback*~
Washu's eyes snapped open and she let out a small gasp as she bolted up right in Ryo-Ohki's command chair. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself while the memory still bounced around in her mind.
"Dammit," she muttered. "I thought I repressed that memory. I guess this whole thing's just bringing up a lot of bad memories that I'd rather keep forgetting. And if just the idea of going to see Maytrek has got me this worked up how am I suppose to handle it when I actually SEE him?" She shook her head violently. "Come on Washu, don't start doubting herself now! You're not that scared, naive student anymore! You've handled some of worst situations imaginable since then! Just keep your wits about you and you'll do fine. At least...I hope so."
To Be Continued...