Chapter 12

For a full week, Gene kept by the clone and educated him.

He explained various things like common sense, but there was one he had to ensure gets into the mind of this clone was feelings and a sense of right and wrong. Gene made a special device just for that, he hooked it to the console and then explained to the clone what he would be doing. "I am going to activate various memories of mine, but we are going to be connected, you will feel emotion for the first time, okay?" he asked.

"Okay…" the clone replied.

With that Gene spent the day reliving memories he cherished and those he wished to forget. The clone asked questions along the way, since it was a while different sensation to him. Gene happily explained what was occurring and how the emotion should feel. The clone grasped on to the concept quite quickly.

When the lesson finished, there was silence from the clone. "Zenko…" he said suddenly. "I can see this lovely young girl in my mind… I feel… I feel as if she is everything to me…"

Gene was fascinated, it was starting to pick up bits of Bad's memory on its own. "She will be your little sister when this is all said and done. The Neo Heroes that turned Bad into something he isn't… had targeted her in order to get Bad to cooperate. Luckily they never succeeded…"

The teeth grit on the clone, a look of anger followed. "I can protect her?" he asked.

"Yes, you and Bad will protect her. She is going to have a boyfriend name Pac, he is going to look very unusual to you, but rest assured, he is a good man and has taken very good care of Zenko in Bad's absence."

"When do I get my body?"

"We first have to take your mind out of this one, Prodigy needs to obtain and fix the one he is going to be in possession of, but rest assured, you will have one. I vow to you. So much so I am going to keep your consciousness in something special so the moment Prodigy is done, you will be in your new container."

There came silence from the clone. "I don't know if I can believe this," he said. "I am being used to make a new body for one Metal Bat, yet promised one in return. How do I know this is true?"

"You still in here!?"

Gene jumped as Prodigy appeared. "Knock!" he demanded.

But he blew off the demand. "I couldn't help overhear this, I got something to set his mind at ease. I got a temporary container for him to live in until I get his up to spec. Would that work for ya?" he asked aloud.

Silence came once more. "Can I go in it now?"

Gene was stunned, he turned to Prodigy who nodded his head. "It's all ready, it's not pretty to say the least, but you will be able to see the world and take in what's around you."

"Please, let me into it."

Gene was stunned however agreed. After all, Bad is getting anxious. Prodigy left as Gene summoned the telepaths to the room.

Ger was the first to answer the call followed by Snoop. "This should be enough. We are doing a mind transfer, one way." He explained.

"I'll take care of it," insisted Snoop. "This is my specialty after all!"

"Yeah, yeah, show off…" muttered Ger.

"Gentlemen, at ease, you are both skilled and those skills are appreciated here."

Prodigy returned a short time later with a droid, yet within it was a clear dome and a brain. "Where did you get…"

"You aren't the only one who can clone!" Prodigy smirked. "Besides, this one is an empty one. It needs a consciousness, then after we use this to put into the new one. But this will hold him for now."

It was a bright red robot body, Gene remembered Prodigy used these as lab hands until he made something better. After installing the brain into the droid, he gave the nod to Snoop who began to glow. It used one tentacle on the pod and the other touching the head of the droid. Then a bright green blue happened. The droid suddenly perked up and looked about the room. It stared at its hands before turning to Gene. "This… is mine?"

"For now, temporary!" Gene insisted. "Besides, Prodigy is going to make you something a lot better, after all, you made requests right?" he asked with a wink.

"What do I do?"

"Explore if you desire to. Take in the ship. I'll even bring you down to earth…" but he paused as the droid began to focus on the cloned body. It approached the tube and stared into it oddly.

"Who… was that me?" it asked.

"In a sense, yes."

"Why am I so small?"

Gene snickered to that, part of the reason why Knuckle always called Bad 'Short Stack'. "It's just the way Bad was made. Rest assured, Prodigy is going to implement your requests…"

The droid turned to Gene oddly. "You meant every word didn't you? I wasn't going to be thrown away…"

"We learn to value life. I got to know you quite well and I think you are going to make an excellent edition to the heroes of this world. You will be the bane of existence to the Neo heroes!"

There came an odd sound from the droid. "Bane…" he muttered. "I like the name, is can be a name can't it?"

"Indeed, in fact that does sound like a good name! Bane!"

"I wish to be called that,"

"No problem… Bane."