In which Joe becomes a mystery to his own brother, Macy frowns and smiles and machinery is thoroughly checked.
Joe watched them from the doorstep; his older brother, the partially Scandinavian girl with the too big scarf and his smiling best friend with Frankie on her lap.
He silently thanked God that they were left oblivious, especially Kevin and his 'girlfriend'. Joe couldn't bear the thought of shaking them out of their little dream world of laughing, being their original selves and shyly staring into each other's eyes. He couldn't tell them they were guinea pigs— DNA donors for some scientific project.
It freaked Joe out, at the least; he had no idea what it would do to them. You never really knew how Kevin was going to respond to things and Joe was fairly sure it was the same with Anya.
He briefly looked up when Ben walked past him, with a cup of decaf latté for Stella, noting vaguely that the slightly taller boy had forgotten the sip of milk Stella liked.
He was grateful though, that Stella had a new friend to take her mind of things when he, her best friend, was scatterbrained all over the place. He felt guilty enough, so he wasn't complaining, even though Ben wasn't exactly the company he'd have picked for Stella.
He sunk back in his trail of thought, back to the strange happenings. He just came back from Vanessa Page's room. Where the pretty girl and her younger sister lay in stillness.
Joe still felt guilty that he hadn't jumped to their rescue earlier, but he kept telling himself that it had been the best option. At least they were going to be fine, in the end.
The black mark on Vanessa's arm still stared at him in obvious accusion.
"Joe?" Kevin said, softly smiling at his younger brother, who still looked worried out of his guts, even though the doctors said Kevin was allowed to go home within the week. "Are you going to come in?" The bubble felt incomplete (and a little invaded) without Joe. Ben was a nice guy, but he wasn't Joe.
His brother's deep brown eyes, very different from Kevin's own hazel ones, just stared at him and Kevin cringed at the worry, the fright, the doubt and a strange form of curiosity.
"Joe…?"
But the second Lucas-son turned around, his back towards Kevin as he started to walk away.
Kevin felt Anya's curious stare, but his eyes followed Elvis, who walked behind Joe like he'd done just that all his life.
The dog had been let upstairs after a full-mode tantrum, courtesy of Frankie and Kevin was surprised that the dog, who adored the youngest Lucas, would leave with Joe, of all people.
Had he missed something?
Last time Kevin checked, Joe and the dog couldn't stand each other. Joe was constantly irritated by the retriever, though he loved animals and Elvis wouldn't have anything of Joe's.
And yet, here they were, walking away from him, Kevin, side by side.
Had the world gone mental when he was out? Had something happened?
The question 'who are you and what have you done with my brother/dog' seemed strangely appropriate here.
He locked eyes with familiar blue orbs and he shrugged at Stella's questioning gaze. He didn't know anything either, but something was wrong with his not-so-baby-brother.
Joe, at the same time, was equally lost in his thoughts, something he seemed to be doing very often.
He was wondering if Macy would be angry that he'd stayed away for so long, though he'd technically only been gone for 2 and a half days.
He was wondering how the Humanoid was doing; if it had changed while he'd been gone, if something had happened.
Maybe the thing had finally woken up… Maybe he didn't like Joe that much after all. Maybe had turned on his creators.
It could all be very plausible, since Joe and his family were kind of cut off from anything but Kevin's favourite TV shows.
Mostly, he was worried about how he was going to tell Macy about what he'd seen with Penny and DZ.
He wasn't sure, but he at least had to try to do something. Maybe he'd turn out to be a hero, or he would ruin Macy's career, but he had to try. He wouldn't let innocent people get hurt any longer. Penny had betrayed her own father, that much was sure and Joe was the only one that could help.
He absent mindedly petted Elvis's head as they reached the New Industrial Labs.
Joe had innocently asked his father about it this morning, before he witnessed the attack. He had not been able to control his own curiosity and he'd found out the company was way larger then just the humongous place Macy worked in, though it was one of the main buildings. There were several more –and even larger— buildings all over the country. They weren't connected, only in the fact that they were funded by the government and did something with science. As far as Tom had known, one building didn't even know what another company was up to.
And neither did the grounded public.
He'd also warningly told Joe to stay away from the place, after Joe had said it was a question for school, even if he was interested in doing science at Horace Mantis.
Way too late for that, Joe thought when Abby happily waved at him when he entered.
"Hey, Joe." She said, just before Elvis attacked her legs with happy-licks. "Hi, little doll! Hi, Elvis! Oh, you're such a good boy! Good boy!" She laughed and Joe was tempted to leave the dog with her, if he hadn't needed his familiarity so much.
Also, he wasn't quite sure if Elvis would let him in the first place.
"Hey Abby, is Dr. Misa in?" He asked politely, leaning against the counter.
He was trying to look relaxed, but he found his leg was anxiously bouncing when Elvis pressed his nose into it.
"Yeah, she passed a few hours ago. Hop along, I don't think she's busy, I just saw her come back from a break." Answered Abby, pointing towards the white hallway Joe had come to know.
"Thanks, Abby." He hurried into the passage, walking straight through the door.
He didn't see Macy or big Rob at first glance and he was momentarily confused (and a little frightened, the Humanoid was still here, after all)
Then he heard voices in the back and realised they probably hadn't moved it yet.
"It's constantly trying to start up his programs and the machinery." Macy's voice worried. "I am thinking of stopping the flow of sedatives early and to just turn the key and see what happens. He's already stronger then we ever expected. I must say I don't know what will happen now, Rob."
Joe turned the corner and smiled at the familiar expression of worry on Macy's face.
"What key?" He asked, before he beamed at a startled Macy. "Hi again, Dr. Misa."
"Joe! How nice of you to return, I thought you'd given up on us?" She petted Elvis fondly, before she watched him go lie down beneath the table in obvious content.
Joe smiled shyly. "Like you said. Curiosity gets the best of me."
She smiled at this and chuckled loudly when Rob's big hand fell down on Joe's shoulder, almost making his knees buckle underneath the man's power.
"Glad you're back, pal. It all seems just a little more boring without ya." He said in his gleeful baritone.
"Now, Rob, that is not very nice." Macy scolded him, before she grabbed Joe's bicep and pulled him along. "It's very interesting here… Come on, Joe. You want to see something cool?"
Joe wasn't exactly sure if their definitions of 'cool' were quite the same, but it was already too late to stop.
His eyes widened as he took in the completely still body of the Humanoid and its opened scalp.
He goggle-eyed at the gap in the boy's head, a pulsing blue light illuminating the hole within the black curls. It looked like the entire back of its head just had been taken off.
It was lying on his stomach, so Joe couldn't see the face.
He quickly walked closer, taken by a strange wave of courage. He watched as the machinery spun within the small space and his eyes started to tear at the bright blue light, but he kept them open as he realised he was looking into the thing's head!
"That's awesome." Joe whispered and both the scientists laughed.
"We're checking if it is still working as perfectly as he was." Macy explained as she reached a hand inside the gap. Pulling out a little card. "Turns out your face is very evident on its memory card." She joked.
Joe was confused again. "Doesn't the machinery work well, then? You said he—it was perfectly fine, last time."
"It was and he still is, but that was just the biological part of the Humanoid complexion. We haven't even started the 'robot-part' yet." Macy calmly explained, as she walked towards one of the buzzing computers, dazzling Joe with the information.
Hadn't even started the robot-part yet… And the thing had already been so strong and alive without it.
"What does it take to start it?" In answer, Macy held up a medium-sized silver key with a odd shape and an even stranger ending that had been lying on the desk with tools. "This is what it takes. The key." She explained and her previous speech suddenly made sense to Joe.
"But he's trying to start them by himself?" He questioned, examining the little radar-thingies, white buttons and neatly laid out wires in the head.
It was weird, he sort of expected the Humanoid to have a brain or something.
"You heard that, huh?" Macy smiled again as she took the card and another device-thingy and walked back to Joe. "Yeah, the programs are reacting to the quick growing of the body-tissue. It's like it wants to start helping. It's truly amazing. My grandfather would be so happy."
"And proud." Joe added, for he was sure Macy's grandfather would've been proud of Macy, who was a downright genius in Joe's eyes.
Macy looked away, a sudden red colour adorning her cheeks. Her hands quickly disappearing back into the boy's head. Professionally prodding around.
"Are you blushing?" Joe teased, loving the light-hearted atmosphere.
Once more a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. "Yes she is, mate. Nice move, old Martin Misa would've been so proud. If only she would believe it and stop working so hard to prove something."
Joe downright refused to let this confuse him.
"So, when are you going to start his— Err… programs?" He asked, glancing down the body before him. Happily surprised that it didn't creep him out like it used to. The scenery seemed so serene. He felt like it al just clicked.
"Well… Actually, I was waiting for you, partially, and for the okay from my supervisors." Macy walked away from the Humanoid, still not showing her face, hiding it behind her long dark hair as she checked the machinery.
Her answer made Joe cringe.
"Yeah… About that." He started, hesitatingly.
Macy looked up with worry; her hands halfway down the Humanoid's exposed back as she watched Joe nervously rub the back of his head.
Joe gulped as he stared at the door, or rather; the neatly polished bronze plate that said: "R.L. Coler; CEO"
Hesitatingly, because he was still a bit shaky from Macy's reaction, he raised his hand to knock.
Before his hand touched the dark wood of the door, a monotone voice told him to enter.
Joe's heart raced into his throat as he spun around, beyond startled.
"Please enter." The monotone voice repeated and Joe quickly opened the door.
The room was surprisingly normal for the office of the president of the New Industrial Laboratories. Even if it was on the highest-flipping-floor (without elevator) and slightly oval.
It was decorated with soft whites and brown. With a leather couch and even some plants.
A fairly large desk formed the top of the semi-circular room and a large black chair was turned towards three windows that reached from the ceiling to the floor and looked over the city below them. Some paintings, landscapes and more modern ones, decorated the walls along with pleasantly shining lamps. A beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling and Joe's chin dropped almost to the ground as he realised it was actual crystal.
"Hello." A pleasant male voice suddenly said. Surprising and easing Joe at the same time.
The chair slowly turned around and Joe was greeted with the sight of a man in his late forties, with light hair, glasses and a flamboyant scarf tied around his neck instead of the formal tie Joe saw men wearing everywhere. He wore a brown jacket and he stared at Joe as if he was a little confused.
"And who may you be?" The man, who was presumably R.L. Coler, smiled at Joe with curiosity.
"I'm Joseph, Joe. Joe Lucas." Joe quickly said, realising he'd been gawking at the man. "I'm here because I have something… Err, important I have to— discuss with you. Mister. Sir."
Joe nervously pointed his gaze towards the expensive looking carpet.
"Well then! I'm Robert Lincoln Coler. Have a seat." Robert Lincoln Coler chuckled and Joe was happy he wasn't a grumpy bald, suit-and-tie kind of men, like Joe had expected.
He walked towards the chair Coler pointed to and sat down on the edge, just in case he had to move quickly.
"Well then, Joe. Hop along; I don't have too much time on my hands."
"I saw your daughter sedating another person for the N.I.C.H.O.L.A.S. project even though I was promised this wouldn't happen again." Joe blurted.
Coler's eyebrows rose until they almost touched his hairline. (And that was really something, since his hair had already decided to slightly creep back on his head)
Joe felt a blush creep up his neck and colour his ears.
Slowly, Coler's hands went to a black device on his desk, Joe followed his movements and swallowed when Coler pushed a bright red button.
"Evie, darling, re-schedule my appointments for the next hour, please. Something— Important came up." He spoke slowly.
"Consider it done, Mr. Coler."
"Thank you."
Robert Lincoln Coler leaned over his overly large desk and stared Joe straight in the eye.
"Now what did you say about my daughter doing something she is entirely not supposed to do?"
Joe laughed happily when he returned to Macy's lab (he found that there were lots of them like hers, so he decided to refer to it as that) and Elvis half-jumped into his arms, licking his face.
Before the big turn he would've thought that was extremely disgusting, but now he was just relieved that his talk with Robert Li— Mr. Coler had gone so well.
The man had listened to everything Joe said, musing in silence.
His eyes flamed though, when Joe was done and he had almost launched himself out of his chair as he started pacing, assuring Joe that this was going to have serious consequences for his daughter and that he would find out exactly what was happening here.
Joe even found the courage to tell him about Vanessa and her baby sister. At that point Coler had almost started crying and said that the Page's would soon find a nice amount of mysterious money on their bank accounts to make up for the trouble.
He'd thanked Joe with fury, but had asked him not to worry too much. His exact words had been: "I don't want someone as young as you worrying about things that are obviously mine and my daughter's mistakes. Please feel free to watch the Humanoid project with Dr. Misa, since this obviously interests you –it's the least I can do— and leave this to me. I will make sure this is handled appropriately!"
Then he'd stormed out of his office, leaving Joe on his own to sigh in relief.
It had gone better then he'd ever expected.
"Joe!" Macy greeted and laughed as Elvis, in all his doggie hyperness, attacked her face too. She was seated by the Humanoid with her clipboard. "It went well with Mr. Coler, didn't it?"
Joe just stared at her, raising his eyebrow just a little.
Macy laughed. "He just called me, in the time it took you to get down. He told me a few things –I'm so relieved! — and gave me the ok I was waiting for." Her whole face lit up as she smiled. "But he sternly told me to wait with it until you arrived. Not that that wasn't always the plan." She summoned him to come closer.
Joe quickly walked by big Rob and the panel he was standing behind, secretively pushing buttons.
"Wait for me to do what, exactly?" He asked carefully, knowing Macy's antics a little by now. He didn't want to get his hopes up.
"To activate the Humanoid system!"
Once more shocked, Joe stared at her for a second, after which he turned to the still form of the Humanoid on the table.
It was closer then he'd expected, but he didn't even take a step back. He just smiled.
"Really?" Joe exclaimed, excitement building in his chest as he beamed at it. She nodded.
The Humanoid was going to be activated and Joe was going to be there! All thoughts of Penny, the danger he'd found the company to be in and all the fright for the unknown creature were immediately forgotten. His curiosity was overpowering everything and he felt himself bounce slightly on his heels.
He crossed the last few feet of distance between himself and Nick\ the Humanoid and stared down at the boy.
"You hear that?" He laughed. "You're going to be activated. You're going to help the world!"
Macy laughed with him. "That he will! I am sure it'll be wonderful! Shall we start?"
"Oh yes!" Joe almost shouted.
"Then I'm going to need you to step back a little, it's not dangerous, but you're not exactly certified either."
Macy was all business again and Joe was glad, he didn't want anything to go wrong. Both for Macy and the Humanoid.
He pulled Elvis with him as he went to stand beside the large, dark form of big Rob and the panel, similar to the one that had risen from the Humanoid's old tank.
"Okay, Rob, I need you to lift all the blocks that stop the activation process, while I am going to stop the drug-flow. After that, the machinery should start up on its own and we only have to insert the key and start the fifth' phase." Macy said, almost as monotone as the voice Joe heard upstairs.
Her hands darted over the Humanoid's back and when she pushed an invisible button, his backside opened up like a two-piece-window.
Joe's eyes widened as they reflected the blue light that came from within the body on the table.
Macy's hands disappeared within and Joe couldn't see much more of what she did, neither did he understand much of what big Rob was doing on the panel beside him, so he just curled his fingers in Elvis' fur and watched the boy's face.
Macy's hands withdrew from the Nicholas boy's insides and closed him up before she started to pull the wires from his skin.
Joe watched with interest as little spasms ran all over the pale body and looked as Macy's serious mask started to disappear, only to be replaced by a slight smile.
She turned around and pulled something from the pocket of her lab-coat. She extended a familiar object towards Joe.
"You want to have the honour?" She asked.
Joe only nodded eagerly, as he took the odd-shaped key. Macy guided him towards the table and stroked the hair from the Humanoid's neck.
"Right there. In the neck, push with power and precision. Be very careful, but sure of yourself. It should be fairly easy, but make sure to use a smooth movement when you turn, okay?"
Joe nodded as he concentrated and brought the key to Nick's neck. It was shaped just like the top of the key, one line crossed by three smaller ones.
Slowly, he inserted the silvery metal and he was surprised by how smoothly it disappeared inside the body. He pushed further until only the top of the key was left and then he turned.
Almost immediately after he let go of the key the Humanoid started to tremor more harshly and Macy gently pulled him back.
"Now what?" Joe asked.
"Now we wait." Macy answered.
Clicks and beeps came from deep within the body and Joe heard a faint buzzing as the Humanoid finally came to life. Sort of.
Joe almost took a step back when the brown eyes fluttered open, but there was too much adrenaline pumping through his veins.
The humanoid sat up in one smooth movement as he pushed himself upward from his position on his stomach.
Then, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his neck started to pull his head from side to side in sharp movements.
Joe swallowed and almost walked forward to help, but just like with Vanessa, something stopped him. This time, it was big Rob's hand.
"It's okay, he's just checking if all his systems are properly working." Macy's voice soothed and Joe's mouth formed an understanding 'Oh'.
They watched as its arms moved unnaturally, bending in ways they shouldn't and eventually clicking into place.
They heard all sorts of soft noises from deep within him as its knees bend backwards and his skin stretched over its small, but sturdy frame.
Then everything suddenly stopped and the Humanoid became completely silent. Or rather, a human kind of silent, as his chest still rose and fell.
Then he turned towards them and opened its mouth, once more displaying its pearl-white teeth.
"Hell-o." It said in a strained, but melodic and most of all perfectly controlled voice. "How can I be of serv-ice?"
It's morning, early in the morning (which is early in the evening for most of you *coughamericanscough* lucky people)
I'm tired, dead beat and more tired.
But I worked hard on this and I wanted to update. I hope this lives up to your expectations.
Especially since I came up with a few scenes in the shower… *ahem* TMI.
review?