Chapter 58

The laboratory, which had recently relocated to a skyrise following pest control, was in an even more intense state of disarray than usual. Beakers and test tubes were littered across every available surface. There was an out-of-order elevator shaft, with only crossing yellow tape smothering its great black mouth. Blueprints and graphs were taped to the walls. More specimens had been collected, floating dormant in jars. Deformed babies, mostly. One had three eyes; another had four hands, two blossoming from each wrist; another still had its legs fused together like a mermaid's, lacking genitalia.

It was horrific to say the least. Oswald couldn't look away for the life of him.

"Gorgeous, aren't they?" Barker, mistaking the mayor's shock for admiration, stroked on jar with affection. "They're all aborted embryos. To think, the doctors didn't even want to use them in stem cell research! What a waste. Luckily, I talked them in giving them to me. With the correct tactics and patience, I'll be able to find out all about their malformations!"

"Charming." Oswald dryly commented. Quickly straightening his coat, he glanced back. Edward, with his hands folded behind his back, was examining the lab with wide eyes. He was clearly taking mental notes, judging by his expression. Further back, Ruby was leaning against a wall with both arms folded. The sight of her wilted Oswald's spirits. She had barely spoken since he'd announced the unschedueled training sessions. She had just looked at him with blank, bloodshot eyes before getting up and walking off. In the car, she'd had her headphones firmly planted over her ears. Now there was no music pounding in her ears, but she nevertheless looked removed from the picture. A ghost, almost.

Oswald cleared his throat. Hoping against hope that his plan would work.

A metal door screeched open, then slammed shut. Heads turned. Oswald felt his stomach tighten like a fist. Tabitha Galavan, sister to one of his greatest foes, killer of his mother, was strolling towards them like they were old friends meeting for lunch. Clad in her classic, tightskin black leather, she petted the whip curled at her waist. Her long dark hair, pulled up in a high ponytail, swished with every step. When she caught Oswald staring incredulously at her, she smirked. Stopped before the group of men. "Sup?" She tossed her ponytail back.

Oswald turned sharply to Barker. "What the devil is she doing here?"

"'She' has a name." Tabitha quipped darkly.

"Who cares?" Oswald spat at her before reverting his attention to Barker. "Well?"

"You needed an adversary." Barker explained. "And because this was a last-minute meeting, I didn't have the time to prepare a robot. Especially since I'm remodeling them to be less lethal in combat, given the last time you were here."

Oswald winced. Brushed his side with a wary hand. He shook his head. "No, this won't do. Not in the slightest."

Barker held his hands out. "I'm sorry! This was the best I could do."

"What about the homeless crack addicts you used to herd in?" Oswald asked.

"After the ones I brought stopped coming back, no one else would accept my invitation." Professor Barker gave a small cackle. "I even offered them the substances they're addicted to, yet they still declined. That's fear, if I ever saw it."

Oswald scoffed, ready to call off the session altogether, when Ruby's chill voice cut through the air. "Let's just get this over with." All of a sudden she was standing beside the mayor, yet refusing to look at him. Oswald gave her a helpless look, yet her stone-like visage refused to even turn towards him. He sighed. Ruby caught it and spoke, "If you want, I can handle her myself."

Oswald blinked. "You don't want to-?"

"Why would I?" Ruby asked. "I don't need any help, I can take her down alone."

There were no words to describe how hurt Oswald felt in that moment. The only comparable scenario was walking outside, expecting to find a sunny day, only to see dark clouds roaring overhead. Edward must have sensed his friend's pain, for he quickly said, "Ruby, I thought the whole point of these meetings were to strengthen your fusion's-"

"Cobblair." Ruby and Oswald simultaneously said.

"Cobblair," Edward respectfully repeated, "and their abilities. After such an extended period without training, it wouldn't be a good idea to face off Tabitha alone."

Ruby seemed to think about it for a moment, her indigo eyes impossible to read. At last, she shrugged. "Whatever." Moved so that her back faced Oswald. The mayor gave his chief of staff a shocked look. "Why would she listen to you rather than I?"

"You're her boss," Edward winked playfully at him, "it's in the job description for her to ignore you."

Oswald sighed, nevertheless appreciating the joke. Lord knew he needed it. "I'll be sure to edit it, then." He moved towards Ruby, then turned his back. Their spines touched, their hands joined. A glow swallowed them whole, blinding the by-standers. When at last it settled down, a creature stood where two once had. But it was not Cobblair.

Professor Barker frowned, then quickly began to review his mental notes. Edward just crossed his arms, unsure of what to say. Tabitha examined her opponent, wondering if its fighting skills would be as mixed-up as its appearance.

Standing before them was an androgynous figure taller than Oswald, but shorter than Ruby. The similarities with Cobblair ended there. Its curly, thick hair was bizzarely divided: mostly pitch-black on one side, but gray-blonde-brown on the other. Their clothing, too, was split diagonally: one side mimicked Ruby's indigo sweater and black leggings, while the other resembled Oswald's dark blue suit, complete with a sapphire-blue tie cut evenly in half. Ruby's opal necklace sat atop the collarbone, yet the earrings were absent. On each hand, horrifyingly enough, were ten fingers rather than five. Some held heavy rings, while others didn't. The skin was blotchy: mostly peach like Ruby's, but carried patches that called Oswald's pallor to mind.

The face was no less strange. It was still round and chinless, with a beaky nose and large ears. But there was one crucial difference. Instead of two eyes, one indigo, one icy-blue, there were four. Two sets of eyes, one where the eyebrows would normally be. One was clearly Oswald's, right down to the slight almond shape and dark lashes. The other could only be Ruby's: large and round, not to mention bloodshot.

It was everything that Cobblair wasn't. Barker didn't like it, nor what it meant. He was about to speak up when Cobblair turned to him. "C'mon, we're itching for a fight."

Barker shook his head as he stepped forward. "No. You two are not balanced. It could be dangerous."

"For her, maybe." Cobblair nodded at Tabitha. Cracked all twenty of their knuckles.

"Oh, God..." Barker darted towards his desk. Began searching through the drawers. When he found the syringe of interest, he was quick to pocket it. He looked up just in time to see Cobblair standing before Tabitha. "You're a wanted woman, Tabitha Galavan."

Tabitha extracted her whip. "Tell me something I don't know, freakshow."

Cobblair grinned. Their teeth were too many, and too jagged. "We don't want you alive." They leapt twenty feet in the air, brushing against the ceiling lamps. Tabitha stood her ground. Still air-born, Cobblair thrust their hand forward. All ten fingers stretched forward like ropes. They fractured the cement where Tabitha had once stood. The fingers shortened as their owner returned to the ground, crouching like a cougar. They turned to see a panting Tabitha rising from the ground.

Not for long. Glaring at Tabitha, Cobblair swung their arm. The skin peeled off like an old orange, slicing through the air. Tabitha lunged right just as the skin-whip sliced through the crate behind her. It was cut cleanly in half like a piece of cheese. Then, its purpose fulfilled, the skin returned to its owner. Slowly wrapped itself back around the exposed muscles and veins. Cobblair admired the work before grinning wickedly at Tabitha. "Oh, yeah. Let's play, whip lady!" They cackled.

Tabitha scowled. Reaching into her belt, she extracted four daggers - one between each finger. "Combat isn't 'play'." She growled.

"Not if you lose." Cobblair agreed. They lunged.

"What's going on?" Edward asked the doctor. "Is...is this behavior normal?"

"No." Barker didn't look away from the horrid spectacle. "Cobblair is a mixture of both Ruby and Oswald, both physically and mentally. Thus, they inherit the most dominent traits of its creators. Yes, like Oswald, they can be competitive, and like Ruby, they are fierce. But I've never seen them act so savagely before." He turned to Edward. His eyes, normally wild with insane thoughts, were lucid with concern. "Has...something happened to them lately?"

Edward frowned. "What do you mean?"

"In a relationship, platonic or otherwise, a bad mood in one can quickly infect another. Particularly if their bond is close. Has one or either of them gotten upset lately? Hurt? Angry?"

Edward gulped. Remembering that recorded message with a chill down his spine. "Unfortunately, yes. Ruby basically just discovered that she caused her father to have a fatal heart attack. And...I don't know." He shook his head. "She's been behaving oddly lately, particularly around Oswald. And...I stopped enjoying it a while ago." He admitted sheepishly.

Barker bit his lip. "That settles it, then. Cobblair can't stay." He quickly reached into his pocket and extracted a horn. Blowing it loudly, he managed to grab the fusion's attention. Albeit the hostile and annoyed kind. When Edward turned to the creature, he gasped. Cobblair had turned their arms into rubber ropes that were currently suspending Tabitha twelve feet into the air. Spikes were running along the skin. Ready to pierce. Cobblair's four eyes narrowed dangerously at the professor. "Fool!" They spat. "Trying to interrupt our battle!"

Barker stepped forward, even though his fists were shaking like leaves. "Listen to me. One of you is not emotionally stable, and it's only going to affect the other. You need to separate. Now."

"NO!" Cobblair's leg stretched across the room. Collided with Barker's abdomen. He crashed into the wall with a solid thunk. Before he could hit the ground, however, two many-fingered hands grabbed his shirt. Pulled him up so that he was looking into four eyes. "Let us do our job!" Cobblair shrieked in his face. "You called us here, so we're going to see it through." Roughly dropping Barker, Cobblair spun around. Four daggers flew towards them. Their body split apart like dried Play-Doh, connected by only shiny red veins. The daggers sliced through empty air, penetrating the wall just above Barker's head. Coming together, Cobblair laughed. It was a horrible sound. "You think you're something?!" In a flash they were beside Tabitha. Roughly grabbed her by the ponytail. Lifted the screaming woman into the air.

"YOU-"

They punched her high in the air, then leapt after her.

"AIN'T-"

Joining their hands, Cobblair brought them down on Tabitha's head.

"NOTHING!"

Tabitha crashed into the floor, creating a small crater. Cobblair, still in the air, smirked wickedly at the sight. Slowly descended. Once they reached the ground, calmly and at ease, they approached the fallen warrior. Her ponytail had come undone, her ebony waves curtaining her face. She was panting weakly, her body broken like a porcelain doll's. What a satisfying sight. Cobblair reached down. Grabbed Tabitha by the throat and lifted her up. Peered at her bruised, bleeding face with intense eyes. Two icy-blue, two indigo. Their voice deepened. "This is for my mother." The free hand transformed into a spike. One of flesh, bone, and sinew. But a spike all the same.

"No! Stop!" Barker shouted.

Cobblair thrust. But not in Tabitha. Cobblair's eyes widened to the size of kiwis. Their spike-arm had cut into Gertrude Kapelput. For the first time, Ruby saw her. A large ageing woman, with frizzy blonde hair and watery blue eyes. She wore a faded but elegant gown, with plastic jewel rings on her red-nailed fingers. That dress, so fine. The color of mustard. Now, it was turning red. Gertrude stared down at the murder weapon as though she couldn't quite believe it. Then, she looked up. Her expression was one of the most heartbreaking that either of them had ever seen. 'Why are you doing this to me?' Those eyes begged. 'I am your mother. I love you. I took care of you. Why would you hurt your mother?'

Before either could muster a reply, Gertrude burst into ashes. Blowing away in the dust. Their arm reforming, Cobblair began to hyperventilate. "Was that your?...Mother? Yes, it was. It is my fault she died. Oswald! No!" Their voice kept climbing up and down the octave scale as their members conversed.

"Cobblair!" Barker's reassuring voice cut through the mist. "Breathe! Stay calm!" Cobblair squeezed their eyes shut. Then, opened them. There were no ashes. No Gertrude. Just an unconscious Tabitha lying at their feet. No more wounded than she'd been a minute ago.

"What's-?" Edward shook his head. "Are they hallucinating?"

"Wait." Barker held up a hand. "Let's see if they can calm down." He tried to smile. "They can."

Cobblair swallowed. Their past fury and blood-lust forgotten. "Y-yes. I...we..." The mist took over again, shading the world in hues of blue and black. Standing before them, all of a sudden, was Jasper. His face was deathly pale, his eyes bulging and bloody. He was clutching his chest, wheezing, as he lumbered towards them. "Jasper...Dad..." Cobblair's voice grew higher, more feminine. "I-I never meant...okay, maybe I did at first...but then, I didn't want you to die! I-I even saved you and Mom. How could I know you had a weak heart?" But Japer kept walking, his glazed eyes accusing. Cobblair squeezed two of their eyes shut: the indigo ones. "I-I'm sorry! Mom was right. I never should've been...no." The voice deepened. "It's okay. It wasn't your fault." Cobblair shook their head, bending over from the sheer weight of guilt. "I keep telling myself that," the voice grew higher, "but it's no use. It's just too much!"

Jasper, too, turned to ashes. Multiplying, the black flecks flew overhead. Began to form. Twist, break apart, fuse, then swirl. Cobblair watched with huge eyes as at last the ashes took form. It was a man who had touched both of their hearts. Whom they both mourned in their own way. Whom they had both loved.

Elijiah Van Dahl towered over them, his expression grave on a gray face. His suit was black, with a white rose in his breast pocket. Just like what he'd worn in his own coffin. He glared down at them with black, soulless eyes. So unlike the kind eyes that had warmed them both. 'You let me die,' he seemed to say. 'You did this to me.'

Tears poured from all four of Cobblair's eyes. They backed away, horrified, from the vision. "No..." They took several more steps back. "No..." Before their eyes, Elijiah decomposed. Became little more than a gray skeleton. The sight broke both their hearts. "No..." Cobblair took one last step...and felt the temperature drop twenty degrees.

The vision was torn away like a dusty veil. Blinking, they acclimated to reality. Took it all in. The floor beneath them was no more. The light was rushing away like a frightened mouse. The scent of old cement and mold overtook their nostrils.

"COBBLAIR!" Edward and Barker both hurried towards the empty elevator shaft. They bent over it just as the fusion was swallowed by darkness.

Cobblair blinked, falling, before twisting around in the air. Below was nothing but a dark abyss. Terror shot through them like a spear of ice. A scream tore from their throat. At the same time, their body began to glow. Split apart. Oswald cried out as the tunnel met his vision. With every encroaching second, death felt closer. More real. And he was not ready to die. Not by a long shot. "Ruby!" He shouted. "Let's reform Cobblair! We'll climb back up, it will be okay!" He looked up, trying to give his friend a reassuring look. What he saw, instead, prodded at his sentiments.

Ruby was curled up in a ball, her hands covering her eyes. Tears spilled from between her fingers, floating upwards like little jellyfish. "I wish I'd never been born!" She howled.

Oswald's lips pressed together. He reached out, grabbed the hem of Ruby's shirt, and pulled them together. Holding her tightly, he whispered. "It's alright."

"Nothing's alright!" Ruby sobbed. "I-I didn't want to face any of it! I just wanted to be mad! I..." She took a shaky breath. "Everything's just falling apart! I just can't handle it!" She ran both hands through her hair. "I don't want to hurt anymore!"

"Ruby, look at me!" Oswald demanded.

With some hesitation, Ruby obeyed. Her indigo orbs were bloodshot and glassy. Swallowing, Oswald wiped some of her tears away. "Ruby, we're not meant to carry the weight of the world. That's why people have each other. Please. I want to help you." He cracked a tiny smile, trying to break the tension. "But you have to let me."

Ruby stared at him for an impossibly long time. Thousands of different emotions and conflicts ran through her irises. At last, she squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, they had ceased the waterworks. "Okay." She croaked.

Oswald smiled. They both leaned in.

Edward was pacing back and forth, trying in vain to reason with the police. "Twenty minutes?!" He yelled. "They will both be nothing but stains by then!"

"They're not gonna die!" Barker yelled at him. "Not while I live. They're the most fascinating specimens I've studied in years!" He peered back down the black shaft, hollow as a dead man's skull. "It's a long way down. Maybe they're-"

A blinding light erupted what seemed like miles below. Barker gasped, then squealed like a fan girl. "Look!" He pointed frantically at the fading luminescence. "Look, they-they've re-fused!"

"Oh!" Edward hung up. Appeared by Barker's side. As they waited, listening to the increasingly loud metal groans, he turned to the scientist. "I've been meaning to ask. Why do they glow whenever they fuse?"

"Ah, easy." Barker grinned. "The human body is able to generate 11,000 watt hours. When combined, especially in a process this particular, the cells begin to light up. It's like a bunch of dim lightbulbs suddenly doubling: because there are more, there will be more light." He gestured. "Hence, the glowing."

Edward shook his head in amazement. "Incredible."

"Yes." Barker agreed. "But difficult. As you've seen, fusion requires maximum balance from both participants. If one starts losing control, then the other will as well." He sighed. "I simply hope that this helped work out the kinks, as the mayor had hoped."

It was then that the metal noises reached their pinnacle. Both men turned in time to see long limbs, not unlike a spider's leg, rising from the blackness. They sank into the metal as though it were butter, and hoisted themselves up like so many hands on a rock-climbing wall. Attached to them was a figure. It soon came into the light, and both men were relieved to see it. Cobblair, hair now fully black and the clothes a bit more coordinated (they wore Ruby's leggings and shirt, coupled with Oswald's jacket and shoes), emerged from the shadows and into the light. Their head was bowed, their limbs limp. Once they reached the ground level, they collapsed on their knees. The spidery legs sank back into Cobblair's spinal cord, from whence they came. Cobblair sighed with exhaustion, then burst into light once more.

Oswald and Ruby sat side-by-side, both looking as though they hadn't slept in weeks. But as they got up, Ruby shot Oswald a secret smile. He returned it.