Fatum
Universus
By: Sango Ai
A/N:
I don't have much to say other than to apologize in advance for any
stupid mistakes I make in the future. I need to finish my story
completely though before I go back and fix the mistakes I've made
previously or this story will never get completed. It's unfortunate
but that's the way I have to work. Now to my
review-replies:
AgiVega: The land of Limbo (the in-between stuff that has to be there) is horrible! Thanks for bearing with me.
ArtyChick: Thanks for the "random trivia thing." It's not that big an issue in this story but it's good to know. I don't actually have my own copy of the EC unfortunately. Thanks for reviewing.
Me You, obviously: Holly is worried about the general danger of all that they're about to go through… And on the subject of Ariana: My theory on fairy aging is that for the first five or so years of their life that they age much the same as humans. (Seeing as Opal Koboi not only had the mental but the physical capacity to dismantle a hard drive at the age of two.) Ariana is different from the rest of the fairies though and is still both physically and literally fourteen (ish). This, again, is something else that'll be hard to explain. And normally she wouldn't be allowed to work for the LEP at such a young age but that too will be explained later. I'm sorry for being so arcane. Thanks for reviewing.
Chapter Four: Anthony
Anthony Spiro descended the stairs in the rented corporate building to the basement that had been converted into a laboratory, damp, dark, and cold as it was. Anthony liked it that way; but then it was not as though Anthony actually did any work in the laboratory. He understood most of what went on there but was too proud to do any of the work. Besides, he wanted nothing to be directly connected to him on the outside chance that their operation be discovered. Other people did his dirty work for him, one in particular.
"Daegana!" he called, maliciousness less than veiled in his voice.
He smiled to himself as he heard a glass vial hit the floor and shatter as he came to the stairs' landing.
"Yes, Anthony?" said the meek voice of a pale, small framed human girl that had wavy dark drown hair and large, expressive, gray eyes.
"Don't presume you have the right to call me by my first name," he said coldly, "Now clean that up."
Daegana kneeled without question and began picking up the glass with her gloved hands.
"I've come to check on your progress," Anthony continued, "Is your project complete?"
Keeping her head bowed and her eyes fixed to the floor, "No, An-Sir, I have only just been able to complete compiling the database that will enable the DNA recoding."
"And what's your excuse for that one, Daegana?" Anthony asked testily, "I gave you DNA samples for all of them… there are only six."
Daegana risked looking up, but not into Anthony's eyes, "Yes, sir. But seeing as they are different species I had to make their DNA compatible without killing the humans as well as the fairies. If I hadn't performed some alterations on the program rejection alone would have killed all of them, then you'd be left with nothing."
A vein pulsed in Anthony's temple, "Smart puppy, aren't you? See that you complete not only the blueprints but also the machine itself within forty-eight hours. I don't have time for this. Undoubtedly the LEP will send one of their beloved officers to catch up with us; I need you to see that this is completed before that happens; I'd hate for you to have to take the fall for me," he said, his voice bone chilling.
"But…" Daegana began, but swallowed her protest. She knew what would happen if she questioned Anthony too much.
"Yes, Daegana?" he asked, looking into her eyes dauntingly.
She again looked at the concrete floor, "Nothing, sir."
"That's what I thought you'd say."
Anthony turned around and began ascending the stairs again, "Someone will bring you some food later," he said evenly. He did not hate Daegana, truthfully he didn't even dislike her, but someone in a position such as Daegana's had to be kept humble.
When Anthony left the basement he went, wordlessly, to his living quarters. They were also in the corporate building, in an old wing that had been converted into a bedroom, an elaborate bathroom, and a kitchen. Anthony could have financially afforded his own apartment but he was too eager for his plan to be completed to leave the building. Besides, he did not want Daegana getting out of hand in his absence. He did not like the fact that he had a subordinate that was smarter than he was, but he had a knack for intimidating her into thinking she was not, a useful thing to have as it turned out.
Though it was still early Anthony flopped down on his bed and turned on the television. He did not see any point in doing anything else. Until Daegana completed her task his plans of world domination would have to wait.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Sorry it took so long. Please review. Anthony is a bit… contradictory I grant you. But it's really just pretentiousness.
