Disclaimer: The author of this fanfiction does not own any of the trademarks used or referenced below.
"Life is cheap. Especially mine." - Heero Yuy
Re: Encounters with a Wraith
To be the queen of their own kingdom. It was every girl's dream to find happiness and a sense of fulfillment in their own little piece of the world. Accustomed to fate's penchant for discordance precisely because of how warped her piece of the world was, Sherry didn't expect much when she was told she'd be leading an entire research team in a facility built to her specifications. But when she finally took the helm, reality still managed to slap her in the face through the associates she was forced to put up with.
Sherry looked sullenly at the chaos that marred her laboratory: charts riddled with errors only a dyslexic would make, tubes mislabeled with almost incorrigible handwriting, flasks placed in the wrong shelves, clutter in their respective stations, and a lab rat still outside the holding block well after being passed over for today's procedure. The last aide didn't forget to shoot his parting pleasantries when he scurried off for lunch, but he obviously didn't want to miss out on today's special.
"...I should give these idiots their notice." Sherry sighed, well aware she wouldn't get her way this time. She'd just fired a lab tech for disposing the wrong plate a week ago, and came so close into adding another notch to that three days ago for a couple of broken beakers.
Granted, the research team the Organization cobbled together weren't completely helpless, but the follies they commit make it apparent why they couldn't ply their craft at a more prestigious pharmaceutical manufacturer or a university lab. Follies so trivial and easily avoidable that the cynic in her was convinced they could only be doing it on purpose. Deep down they probably resented being ordered around by their junior - her oldest staff could easily pass off as her father, while the youngest had seven years on her. She could go on about how she struggled through university as much as their lot did, but there's no point wasting effort into such idealistic rubbish. Unlike her aides who were only committed to this project as far as their contracts dictate, she was born and raised to be exactly where she's at, taking on the legacy of parents she hardly knew... So much for nepotism.
Finally settling on a pair of dots looking at her direction, Sherry begrudgingly resigned herself to the trifles her staff saddled her with. "Oh well, I might as well start with you. You're lucky it wasn't your turn today," she mumbled to the neglected rat as she picked up the cage. For all the grief she wanted to unleash on her staff, it was understandable why the rat got left behind: he was next in line to be injected with the serum they were working on during the day, but the subject preceding him yielded some of the most astonishing results they've ever gotten in a while. After striking out as many times as they did, everyone was all too eager to chart it, including her.
But was the rodent really lucky to have eluded his impending fate for at least one more day? No matter much she wanted to pretend she hadn't witnessed dozens of his kin perish over the last couple of days, Sherry realized the hollowness of her own words. If not tomorrow, he'll again be selected for a procedure before long. Such was their fate, and nothing will change that so long as humanity strives to evolve...
"Huh. Maybe that's why they look down on me... To them, I'm just as caged here as you are in there..."
Sherry let out an exasperated heave, perishing the thought for the time being. She had a glut on her plate that would never diminish unless she started pecking away soon. Existential dread can come later, preferably after she'd had a nice meal to palliate it in the least.
About five steps from exiting the main laboratory, Sherry had to backtrack a bit as the skin at the back of her ear suddenly began to tingle. Having spent as much time in solitude as she has, she'd learned to pick up and distinguish the energies that the people surrounding her emitted. She wasn't sure what triggered it this time, whether it was the faint set of footsteps tapping against the monolithic flooring or the unfamiliar breath pervading the quality of air she was accustomed to... Subtle vibrations palpable only to one who has spent so much time in solitude that she'd learned to pick up and distinguish energies of the few people that would come within close proximity of her. For a sixth sense it wasn't the most reliable, but she was certain someone had breached the perimeter of her surreptitious kingdom. Someone trying to be sly at that, given the lack of clamor accompanying a person familiar with the facility.
"It couldn't possibly be any of those idiots... Putting aside the unlikelihood of them feeling guilty about slacking off and coming back, they've got no reason to lurk back into their own workplace."
Ruling out any of her inept staff, Sherry, with the acrylic cage still filling her hands and its resident ambling about in the center, obscured herself behind one of the shelves and channeled her senses. Within a minute, the footsteps crept closer and became more apparent. Taking what comfort to be had in the idea that it wasn't her paranoia muddling her head yet again, she sifted through a rather short list of possible suspects. Beginning with Gin and Vodka was inevitable, frequent as their visits were... For all the grief those visits ultimately gave her though, they hardly ever interfered with the daily grind unless something urgent came up. Urgent matters from the Organization were usually prefaced by messages, and she hadn't gotten anything of that nature since she was notified about the new hires. Her sister, on the other hand, was out on a company trip with people from the bank she's currently working at. Without a codename for herself, Akemi would also need to clear it with upper management first before the guard would even let her in.
Crossing the names at the top of the list out, something inside of her perked up, like a spark being lit inside a dingy forest cabin in the middle of a wintry night...
"Getting a little sloppy today, aren't you...?" A light smirk creased Sherry's lips as she thought about the next likely suspect. A ghost whose black velvet locks glimmered amid the shadows he would whimsically emerge from. He never once let her know beforehand when he was coming (they don't even have each other's number, for that matter) nor was she ever able to sense his presence unlike the others, but he always seemed to do so when nobody else was around, be it during lunch or the after hours. He'd sit or lean on the edge of her table and listen to her air out her grievances about her dreary day, shooting blarneys and snarks every now and then that would either elicit a chuckle from her or make her feel flustered. Emotions that would somehow dilute her stress even by a pinch. Sometimes when she'd missed out on her breaks, he'd have takeout with him, conveniently, like he'd heard from a mile away the protests of her intestines that she'd all but tuned out. And on rare occasions when she was actually pleased with the results of the day's test or something good had happened to her, he'd stay a while and celebrate the small victory with her.
Did he somehow bug this facility and was watching her the whole time? Or was she really just that predictable that he knew how to placate her at every turn?
Sherry hated the part of her that let her defense down for this ghost. She knew he was just being kind to her. Too kind, in fact, that she couldn't help but cast doubt on his intentions whenever he came by... Too kind that she didn't mind him coming anyway despite such doubts... Without really thinking, she crept towards the door, mouse cage still in hand, savoring the notion of finally getting the jump on this annoying phantom that's been haunting her lately...
But more than these troublesome inklings that impeded her otherwise clockwork life, she hated that part for setting herself up for disappointment when the mysterious presence finally passed through the doorway and revealed to her the back of a man she didn't know, quashing her delusions in an instant.
"I've never seen this guy before... Must be someone new...," Sherry thought. Only employees and people from the Organization were allowed to enter the premises unscathed. Seeing that the intruder adorned neither a white coat nor an ID, she presumed he was with the latter.
The unknown man seemed a little on edge for a liaison, like a kid who'd climbed over the wired fence and wandered into the forest to see if the rumored bears actually lived there. He didn't wander into this wing by mistake but was well aware he'd done something he wasn't supposed to, his hands pocketed deep into his dark parka while the steps his brown leather moccasins made all but soundless as his eyes flicked through the items posted on the bulletin across the room. Too absorbed in his reverie, he hadn't noticed her at all despite the lights being on. While Sherry did not take it personally, having this stranger sniffing about irked her regardless. Sensing no imminent danger coming from him, at least not the kind she would get from Vodka or other recruits running an errand, Sherry sighed before finally breaking the silence between them, ending their little impromptu game of tag. "Can I help you?"
The sound of her voice seemed to rattle the stranger's nerves. As if she'd burrowed a gun barrel at the back of his head, he pulled his hands from his pockets and held them up in capitulation. "Oh, sorry... I just finished up a delivery and noticed the lights were on," he explained as he slowly turned around, a tincture of fretfulness palpable in his voice.
Sherry was nonplussed by this development. Putting aside her dissatisfaction over catching this fellow off-guard as opposed to the other guy, what's with this tense reaction? He should've at least been made privy of what they do in this facility before sending him out.
"I passed by the staff on their way out earlier and wondered if...," he continued only to cut himself short upon completing his pivot, his eyes finally meeting Sherry's. Affirming her relative harmlessness, the unease searing his person had mellowed and was supplanted with vague familiarity. "Are you, by any chance, Sherry?"
The scientist nodded tersely. "I'm sure you knew I was the chief researcher here before you made the delivery."
"There's that, but Moroboshi-senpai told me about you when I mentioned about coming here today," the stranger added.
"Moroboshi-senpai?" And there it was again, the irritating part of her, feeling elated when there was nothing to feel elated about. "What nonsense was that man saying about me?"
Armed with the meek smile of someone who knew he had no choice but to spill something untoward to his captor, he answered, "he said you'd be the person to talk to if I needed aspirin or antibiotics."
Sherry rolled her eyes. As crappy an ice breaker as it was, she could just imagine Dai Moroboshi uttering such ludicrous words. "Does this facility look like a campus clinic to you? We're not allowed to pilfer medicine from the inventory, let alone hand them over to unauthorized personnel."
Despite her scathing response, Sherry felt sparks inside of her, trying to ignite her mood with even more ridiculous delusions. "Did he... somehow mean that as a compliment? Was he going entrust me with his life in case he came down with a cold or something remotely worse? " Sherry shook her head, passing those ideas off as byproducts of sheer exhaustion. "...No, that can't be. He has nee-san for that..."
Luckily the stranger paid no attention to her brief lapse, instead affording himself a sheepish chuckle as the tension around them began to loosen. "I suppose not," he said. Having established some rapport with her, the young man proceeded along the newly-made bridge with more stilted chatter. "Speaking of which, human antibiotics work for fish too, right?"
Sherry was no expert in Ichthyology, but decided to go with the program anyway. "From what I'd read, yes. They're pretty much still the same drug, after all. That said, the pills available at pet shops are not regulated for human consumption. I suggest you go to the pharmacy like everyone else if you need them."
The visitor quirked his lips in thought before nodding. "That makes sense."
"For the record, you don't happen to be carrying any bacteria, hm?"
"Ah, no, not at all. And I did pass through disinfection earlier."
"I suppose not." With the man's inquiry settled, Sherry took the opportunity to shoot one of her own. "May I ask what brought the question on, then? It didn't sound like it was random."
"I've read about it in a fish magazine before," he replied. "I love to fish when I've got time, see."
Sherry titled her head a little and scrutinized the man, trying to decide whether to keeping believing him. The neatly cropped hair that crowned his fresh face was a welcome sight, quite the departure from the long locks her usual visitors dragged behind them like physical manifestations of the perilous history trailing after them. With some polish, he could very well be a charmer rivaling even his senpai... That didn't make him any less duplicitous than that man or the rest of them codenames however. In his case, he was trying his best to assume an amiable facade, but from where she stood Sherry could see an overcast dimming any glint his eyes effected, giving away the melancholy of one who, for the better part of his life, has grown detached from the world after suffering through lady luck's tantrums time and again.
Of course she would recognize such sight, having seen it from across the mirror one too many times... "You don't look like a fish person to me," she flat out said.
The man's eyes widened. "Eh? Why is that?"
"...You just don't seem like the happy-go-lucky type, is all," Sherry wound up mincing her words. She didn't know him and she didn't want to shoddily color him with her impressions.
To her surprise, instead of being taken aback or offended, the man broke out a short burst of laughter. "It shows, huh...," he said in between laughs. Finally, she was able to draw something out of him that was close to being genuine.
It took the nameless young man about half a minute to compose himself anew. Once done, he looked back at her, taking a moment to gauge her just as she'd gauged him. Deeming he no longer had to put up with pretenses, he took a deep breath before finally allowing himself to relax a bit. "I admit there's some truth in that, Sherry-san."
"You don't have to force yourself, either way," was all she could say in response to his confession. He didn't seem to mind.
"Perhaps... Were my nerves showing?"
"...A little."
"Guess I should work on my gift of gab a little more," he said, curling up a sheepish smile. "Senpai's pretty amazing at it, isn't he?"
"Oh please, don't let me get started with that guy..."
Apprehensive as she typically was of outsiders especially people from the Organization, it dawned on Sherry that she didn't actually hate every second she'd spent talking to him, even if he hasn't been very sincere until now. With nobody else on hand to bother their solitude, she didn't mind hearing what he has to say or was willing to say next. Not for any reason other than simply finding comfort in speaking to another living, breathing person about a topic she was interested in. Was it the result of her sister's tireless efforts in trying to get her out of her shell? Has Dai Moroboshi's attrition finally managed to break the chains that bound the gates to her kingdom shut after all these years? Was she finally learning how to warm up to people? Sherry considered such possibilities...
...But in the end her pragmatic self couldn't reconcile with the idea of meeting this new acquaintance halfway across the bridge he'd laid out, unable to see any merit in forging another bond she didn't need. They were nothing but cogs in the machine that was the Organization. Theirs was a world where camaraderie stood for nothing more than the benefit of one party and the ruin of the other.
Sensing she was beginning to pull away, the young man took it upon himself to try to salvage the conversation. "For what its worth though, you don't strike me as a mouse person either," he said, drawing attention towards the cage she was holding the entire time.
"This specimen here belongs to the facility," Sherry explained, belying being defensive by pretending to have missed the implications in his words. She wouldn't be surprised if some of her staff saw her in that light. "I was going to return him to the isolation racks when you came in."
"Oh, right. Sorry about that," he said before backing away a couple of steps. "I shouldn't have blocked your way with that in your hands."
"It's fine. It's not that heavy to begin with."
"I can carry it for you if you don't mind…. Consider it my way of making it up to you for the trouble."
"Well, if you insist then..."
While the isolation racks were only a few doors away from the main laboratory, the hallway between the rooms seemed to stretch out between their lethargic pace and the silence pursing their lips. She didn't mind the awkwardness so much, but the runner opted to keep the ball rolling.
"What's with using mice for experiments anyway? I could never put a finger on why it has to be their species," he asked.
Sherry could tell he was feigning curiosity at this point. As someone who was obviously assigned to perform other tasks for the Organization, he had no business knowing what they actually do in this facility. Hell, he'd probably get in trouble if Gin or someone else found out he'd lingered about longer than he should've. He realized all of this, yet he refused to leave on a somber note, perhaps out of sheer politeness if nothing else.
Having already spared him a couple of dead minutes, Sherry figured it wouldn't hurt to grant him just a smidgen more of her confidence. "Mice genome is very similar to ours. Hence, they tend to share the same symptoms and immune responses to various infections and diseases, making them perfect for modeling…," she began answering. "They also reproduce quickly and don't require much to maintain."
"Sounds practical," he thoughtfully remarked. "So basically…. You expose them to all sorts of diseases in order to figure out how to treat them?"
The chief researcher nodded. "Right now, we're inducing apop- We're putting them under duress to see how their body reacts to the treatments we're currently developing." She had to watch her words, not so much for his better understanding as it was her trying to keep the finer details under wraps. As far as she was made aware of, only the top of the hierarchy were privy to the project they've been working on this whole time, and only a handful of codenames were granted permission to handle the prototypes out on the field.
"...And if the treatment doesn't work?"
"Well if they don't survive, we have to process the remains postmortem…. Excise their skin, harvest parts and organs and preserve them for further study. If they somehow manage to live through the medication," she shrugged in between, "You get the picture."
Noting the lack of an immediate response from the young man, she added, "It doesn't sound very thrilling, does it?"
She wasn't surprised to see him stymied by her exposition. It takes a certain level of detachment (and in some cases, insanity) to be able to speak so nonchalantly of committing harm to a living organism that was in her hands just a few breaths ago. Detachment that couldn't be attained without repetition and reinforcement. She could only imagine how tough it's going to be for a complete outsider like him to digest.
He mulled over her revelations for a hot minute before finally speaking. "I wouldn't call it 'thrilling,' but I get why you have to do it. Otherwise, we'll never figure out how to cure everyone else suffering from these illnesses."
"I hope you're not patronizing me there."
He shook his head. "Not at all. In fact, I think you're pretty cool, being able to do all of that at your age..."
"Not the first time I've heard that, but I'll take the compliment, I suppose," she smiling wryly.
She didn't have to stop the young man in his tracks by the time they reached the door to the isolation racks. Moreover, he even led the way inside as if he'd worked there for as long as she has. He must've memorized the floor plan already while he was probing the wing earlier, she assumed. The room had four six-story racks, one on each side and two on the wall opposite the door, each of them connected to the air duct via ventilation tubes. The multilevel polycarbonate cages had mezzanines to increase floor space, and were expansive enough for the specimens of all sizes to roam, frolic, and stretch as they please. She made sure the habitats were equipped with filters, feeders, and automatic watering, and that they were always flush with odds and ends for them to burrow in and build shelters with. Not hindering the specimens' natural growth and instincts was the least she could afford them as far as decency goes. The Organization probably ended up spending more on this one room compared to other, bigger labs, but the idea of getting better results off of healthy specimens sells itself nine times out of ten.
With the young man securely holding the bottom half of the acrylic cage, Sherry gently scooped up the test subject. Something inside of her ached a bit as she felt this diminutive life slide into in her palm, oblivious to the fact that many his brethren had perished in its grasp. She tried her best to stave off the pressure and put him back into his designated habitat. Closing the cage door, she looked on as the rodent reacclimated himself with his designated home, the evanescent bond they just shared dissipating in the hygienic ether.
"Well, that's that." Sherry was about to take the now-vacated cage from the recruit when she noticed him staring gravely at the habitat. His eyes were muted, seemingly incurring an unrequited sense of affinity with the denizens rummaging inside the artificial home. "Is something wrong?"
"...Nothing... Just wondering how mortifying it must be, looking at these cute little critters and realizing how cheap their lives have become," he finally said, his voice laced with the grimness that was engulfing him from when she approached him. Whatever was bothering him then, his face divulged that it had leapt back into the forefront.
"Trust me... You wouldn't want to know more than half of it," she retorted.
"Perhaps not... If only the world was strong enough to forge a different path..."
She didn't say anything more after that. What was there to say, anyway? Even she amazes herself at how nonchalant she'd become about the blood sacrifices she'd partaken in, the memory of young Shiho Miyano marveling at those colored animal encyclopedia pictures looking more and more distant as days go by. But no matter how much her own reality pained her, she had to keep a straight face... And the greater good of mankind was the only justification she needed for it.
...If only she was strong enough indeed...
Save for a few choice pleasantries, both Sherry and the young man remained silent upon stepping out of the isolation room. Distant even, the rapport they've fostered over the last few minutes fading away as soon as she'd relieved him of the glass cage. There was always going to be a hint of sadness with every parting be it from a close confidant or a new acquaintance, but like with the specimen earlier, Sherry was convinced she'd get over it as soon as she settles back into her routine. The runner apologized one more time before leaving, and for her part, she promised not to report him in case he got in trouble for lingering in the facility for too long. Not that it would be too difficult to downplay if someone decided to nag her about it: she needed the extra hand since her inept staff couldn't be bothered to staff for five more minutes, and his happened to be free at the time. He solemnly thanked her before walking away.
As the view of his back began to shrink, it occurred to Sherry that she wasn't able to get a name from him. Rather than call out to him and ask for one, she decided it would be best to keep him anonymous and end their brief convergence right there, preemptively mitigating any semblance of attachment she might harbor down the line. She'd already made a mistake with some perverted senpai who had ingratiated himself into her closed circle... It'd be foolish to repeat it with anyone else.
Sherry never saw the young man again. As time went on, the memory of their encounter plummeted into nothing more than a delusion she might have lulled herself into at a very strained moment in her life. A dream that might have left an impression at one point but was ultimately forgotten, devoured by the flames that would later reveal the truth she chose to ignore for so long...
...Or so Shiho Miyano thought.
Chapter End.
Author's Notes: When I saw certain bits of trivia in detectiveconanworld, I knew I had to do this story eventually.
This particular piece is a tribute to my very first foray into fanfiction, which was a crossover between this franchise and Gundam Wing. It will always be a challenge hitting the right beats for characters who do not get as much time in the spotlight, let alone ones who are unlikely to get any further development - as is the case with Hiro (he didn't even have an appellation for Shuichi, hence). That said, i'm always game with doing stories between underutilized characters and unusual combos, figuring there is more story to tell with them.
I've conveniently placed this story sometime before Hiro suffers his fate so his headspace is, for the most part, no longer what it was in the prequel manga (and soon-to-be anime as of this writing). It probably won't be as in-character as one might expect, but I'll probably adjust things retroactively in case they add more relevant bits about him.
As probably hinted, there are plans to bring this into the post-canon timeline where some of my recent entries reside in (bringing a certain senpai along with it), but I had so much fun working on this that I figured I'd let it stand on its own for a while.
