Mendel Colony was where it all began. It is now just an empty shell of what it once was – a place filled with so many hopes and dreams. It was an accident that led Kira Yamato, Mwu La Flaga, and Rau Le Creuset on that god-forsaken place. It was near impossible for someone to arrange a flight there because of various reasons. I had talked to several individuals and none were willing to even allow me to borrow a rented shuttle.
I knew a very powerful and influential individual who would be more than able to help me. I had hoped that I would not cross paths with her during the course of this project but it seemed that I had no choice. It was inevitable, I suppose, and impossible, seeing that she was somehow connected to the project itself as well. Yes, it was still a bit early for us to meet again after everything that has happened. But I learned as well that pride was a small price to pay for attaining one's goals.
It was then that I decided to pay Cagalli Yula Athha – current Head Representative of Orb – a visit.
In the middle of the conversation, she suddenly looked at me straight at the eye.
"Shinn… you know you're always welcome here, right?"
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Chapter One – Homecoming
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Many people have become famous for their achievements in science. Students see it as an inconvenience to them. Being made to remember each and every one of those people, along with their achievements, it was no wonder that science evolved into the taxing subject that people remember it to be.
But what people often forget is that science is an important aspect of life itself. For it is because of science that mankind has come such a long way from being the descendants of monkeys as Charles Darwin had projected.
Science had lead to an interesting discovery of Gregor Mendel's. Genes - unit of inheritance, a piece of the genetic material that determines the inheritance of a particular characteristic, or group of characteristics. And he had observed it on, of all things, garden peas. He had paved the way for a new branch of science: genetics.
As science progressed and technology grew, the knowledge attained from genetics was used for genetic modification of food. Then, the first cloned sheep, Dolly, was born. But the subject of human cloning was considered taboo and was shunned by most.
Years and years passed, wars were fought and ended, and the world gradually changed including its views on certain issues. But nevertheless, research was done in secret and it resulted in two things –two very important things that led to mankind's ultimate fate.
Human genetic modification and cloning.
Human cloning was possible. According to theories backed by years of research, it was possible. But along with it came many problems and issues. Cloning was illegal and was still considered taboo. But genetic modification was not. And genetic modification had seemed much more appealing and beneficial for mankind.
Another name was added to the list of famous people in science that students hated so. George Glenn. He was the first ever human whose genes had been modified and enhanced. His achievements had proven how better his kind were to normal un-modified human beings.
He had used a term to describe his kind.
Coordinator.
Because for him, his kind were the coordinators of human evolution.
Years passed and a space colony was built on Lagrange point 4. It was aptly named Mendel colony and it hosted several genetic engineering businesses and companies. It served as a research institute solely for the purpose of genetic modification.
It was a place where the rich and famous were seen, following the trend of having their offsprings genetically modified to become a step closer to being perfect. But the process was not perfect and resulted to unsatisfied parents.
Many scientists had dedicated their lives to finding the solution to this particular problem. One of them was a man whose name didn't quite make it to the list of famous people in science. Ulen Hibiki. Dr. Hibiki was very devoted to his cause. He was willing to use any means possible to attain his goal – the Ultimate Coordinator. A coordinator that was biologically perfect.
Dr. Hibiki had the will, the strength and mind to make his goal possible. But he missed one thing – the resources.
And that was why Al La Flaga deemed him perfect for the job he had in mind.
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In exchange for financial support and funding, Dr. Hibiki would produce a Coordinator clone of La Flaga. They had different dreams for mankind but they were the same when it came to their dedication. It didn't take much for La Flaga to convince Dr. Hibiki.
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"Cloning is illegal!"
"Laws will change. After all, they are something set by people."
"But…"
"It's a technology we've attained after much hard work. What is the point of not using it? You want the research funding, don't you?"
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One year after their fateful arrangement, Al La Flaga Jr. was born. He wasn't an exact replica of Al La Flaga as the laws of cloning observed. No, he was a genetically enhanced version of Al La Flaga - the result of one man's fanatical belief in his superiority among other individuals and of his fervent desire to live forever.
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"Is this really me?"
"Well…"
"No matter… he will be the heir. Not that woman's child."
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Al Jr. spent the early years of his life in Mendel Colony, under the scrutinizing gaze of various doctors and scientists. They had all concluded the same thing. He was highly intelligent, had immense spatial awareness, and physical attributes, among others. After making sure that all his vitals were normal, he was sent to the La Flaga household to take his place as Al's 'heir'.
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"Care for him and educate him well. Don't let him turn out like that idiot."
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It was in that mansion that he met Mwu La Flaga, the real son of Al. They had met only once. But that few minutes would remain etched in their minds forever. It was in that mansion that Al Jr. had shown signs of an unstable condition…
…and character.
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It had started out as a normal day for him. He had eaten breakfast at promptly seven o'clock in the morning, had been called by his private tutor at nine, had been praised exactly twenty-nine times by said tutor, had eaten lunch at precisely twelve o'clock in the afternoon, and had gone on his daily ride at three.
He grew up to the adoring praises of his tutors, and to the amorous treatment of his father. Sometimes, his father took him to the big mansion near the house where he was staying at. Frankly, he couldn't ask for more. Of course, being the intelligent boy that he was, he couldn't help but feel that something wasn't quite right. About what, he had no idea, but he vowed to find out what it was someday.
Because Al La Flaga Jr. was supposed to always have the answer to everything.
His day-that-was-like-no-other was coming to a close with him sitting on a couch in the library, reading a book. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly time for dinner. He stood up to return the book on the shelf when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.
He released his hold on the book and instinctively clutched his chest with his hand. The pain had become worse and had affected his breathing. He collapsed on the carpeted floor and tried vainly to breathe through short, ragged gasps.
It was then that a certain word escaped Al Jr.'s parched lips for the first time.
"Help…"
It was in that position that his guardian found him a few minutes later – hands clutched in his chest, body unconscious and curled up in a fetal position on the plush carpet. Al was informed about his son's condition and the former immediately arranged a shuttle bound for Mendel.
It was in Mendel that Al Jr. was born and it was in there that his judgment was passed.
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"His telomeres are short."
"Telomeres?"
"It is a region of DNA at the end of a chromosome that protects the start of the genetic coding sequence against shortening during successive replications. We had run several tests on him and we have concluded that it is hastening his ageing process. It seems that the body cannot cope up with it, and that causes the seizures."
"Yes, but you said this would be perfectly normal for the first few years! I thought his ageing was already under control!"
"It appears that I have made a miscalculation. There were several factors – important factors – that were not considered."
"Dr. Hibiki. You of all people should know that I am not a scientist, and thus, does not understand all the gibberish that you spout!"
"Mr. La Flaga. Al La Flaga Jr. was cloned from you, his genes, his cells, everything was copied from you. And that also includes the age of your telomeres. Telomeres shorten as a human being ages."
"You mean…"
"He is a 40-year old man, trapped in the body of an eight year-old child."
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Al Jr. didn't need to hear the rest of the conversation. He felt his lips curl into a sneer at the sudden revelations. So, he was a clone – a failed experiment. It was an eye-opener for him – of mankind's greed and of their unquenchable thirst for the unattainable.
Because of those desires, his life was reduced to nothing and seemed to be as insignificant as the lives of lab rats and guinea pigs. He had been played for a fool, betrayed by someone he called 'Father', given life only to be snatched it away from him.
Al La Flaga was the proof of the greed that resulted to him – a failed experiment.
And he would pay.
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"The master and his wife are still inside!"
"Mom…Dad…"
He stood in the shadows a good distance away from the burning house. The fires of hell were punishment enough for a self-obsessed bastard like Al La Flaga. He took one last look at the hellish scene before him and then he walked away, never looking back, never feeling any remorse for what he had done.
Emotions like those were for humans.
And a clone like him was anything but human.
A new life deserved a new name.
And hell-be-damned if he was going to use that greedy bastard's name as his own for the rest of his life.
That day Al La Flaga died, and Rau Le Creuset was born.
Le Creuset…
French for The Crucible. An eye-opener, that play was. It was in fact one of the plays that he had enjoyed watching with his so-called father. A very fitting name for one tasked to pass judgment on all humanity by penalty of death.
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Tensions between Coordinators and Naturals, the un-modified humans, had forced the Coordinators to leave the Earth and settle on space colonies at Langrage point 5. These colonies were then dubbed the PLANTs, or Productive Location Ally on Nexus Technology.
Their demands for independence from the sponsor nations on Earth had made them into the nation of Coordinators. They organized a Supreme Council, the executive committee which governs the PLANTs and controls the ZAFT – the Zodiac Alliance for Freedom Treaty – forces.
Rau Le Creuset went on to become one of the first enlistees of the ZAFT military. He graduated with high honors and was ranked as a red-coat. He then met a genetic engineering scientist, Gilbert Dullindal.
What should've been a purely physician-patient relationship grew into a semblance of a true friendship.
Gilbert knew of his condition and was able to formulate a much effective and advanced prescription. It helped alleviate the pain that came with the seizures and it also helped slow down his ageing, but it still wasn't enough to completely cure his condition. Sooner or later, his body will no longer respond to the medication, Gilbert warned him of that.
But he couldn't die yet. Not without fulfilling his plans first.
He had heard of several rumors about the incident at the Mendel colony and because of his connections, he was able to do a thorough investigation of the place right after it was abandoned and sterilized.
The name Hibiki was forever etched in his mind and he recognized it almost immediately when he saw the plaque attached to the door. The office had been long abandoned even before the Mendel incident. He opened the door and discovered many, many important facts about him and the people related to his being.
He was about to leave when he felt something. He could hear soft crying at the back of his mind. He was certain that he was the only one in the colony. It had been abandoned for close to four days now due to the biohazard accident. It had been sterilized with a bombardment of x-rays three days ago, exactly one day after the accident.
But the crying was so close by. He could clearly hear it in his mind, could almost feel the deep sadness and loneliness that came with it. They said that there were some portions of the colony that were unaffected, so it was possible that someone might have been left behind.
And as if drawn by some invisible magnet, his feet began walking on its own accord towards a random direction. After several minutes, he was surprised to learn that he was in the deepest part of the colony. He stopped in front of a closed door, where the sound obviously came from. Not only his mind could hear it, his ears heard it as well.
He glanced at the dilapidated sign in front of the door.
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Specimen 65-09-27-01
Gene Source: Al La Flaga
Specification: Genetically Enhanced Clone
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He recognized the rows and rows of cryogenically frozen fetuses that he had seen in the other room for what it really was. Every time a clone would die from premature ageing, a new one would be awakened to take its place.
'In that way, the greedy bastard really would have lived forever,' he thought with disdain, his lips curling into a sneer. 'Must have been Hibiki's idea. I doubt that greedy bastard knew anything else except for his foolish notion of immortality.'
He stared at the door for a few moments. Behind that door, he was sure, must be someone exactly like him. One who looked just like him. One who would understand the complexities of his mind. One who shared the same fate as he did. The person behind the door was also him.
For the first time in his life, Rau Le Creuset found someone that he wanted to look after. He let a smile grace his normally mocking features and opened the door.
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Beneath the darkness of the room, a very young child with blond hair and blue eyes was huddled in a corner. Had the circumstances been different, he might even be considered an adorable little angel. But he wasn't an ordinary child – never was, never is, never will be.
He hugged his knees closer to his chest and buried his face in them. He had always felt lonely on that place. But for some reason, it seemed as if the place had grown more distant, cold, and aloof. Even his only visitors – the weird men in white clothing – had stopped coming. He was too scared – and too hungry – to do anything.
He settled on crying.
He had been crying for so long that he had grown used to the sound of his own sobs when he heard the door slowly creak open. He lifted his head to look at the person who opened it, but it was too bright.
The person approached him and as the boy's eyes adjusted to the lighting, he saw the smiling face of a blond. The white mask that the man was wearing covered the upper-part of his face, preventing the child from seeing his eyes. The man knelt beside him and gently stroked his head. He stared at the man through tear-stained eyes, his cries slowly reducing to sniffs, until they were nothing more but hiccups.
"Do you have a name?"
A name? He had heard one of the weird men in white clothing call him something, but he wasn't sure because it wasn't addressed to him. He shook his head slowly, sadly.
The man stood up. "Let's go, Rey," he said simply.
"R-Rey?"
The man nodded. "That's your name. Let's go," he repeated.
'Rey' stared at the man's outstretched hand and took it tentatively. And with that they walked out of the dark room, with the blond man closing the door behind them.
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Author's Notes: Thanks to MidnightReverie, my first ever reviewer for this fic.
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Addendum: Chapter revised for the nth time. Some things I changed: 1) Rau's original name was Al La Flaga Jr. 2) The clones' (Rau and Rey) telomeres are short, not only because of intentional ageing (in Rau's case), but also because their cells came from a 40-year old man. So, naturally, their cells are also 40-years old.
I apologize if I tend to revise the chapters a lot. I just want this fic to stay true to canon as much as possible. Although, I'm technically ignoring the Astray Manga. Why? Simply because I have not read or seen it. Wouldn't want to butcher the characters.
Source: Wikipedia.