Here is the next chapter, I don't have anything to say, so just read it, okay? Okay!

Red Rose

Chapter 27

"Uh...Takuya?"

The brunette lifted his head, looking up to see Kouji standing in the doorway. "Yeah?"

Kouji sighed, flinching at his friend's unforgiving expression. "Look...about what I said..."

"Just forget about it," Takuya mumbled.

"Will you just listen to me?!" Kouji exclaimed, aggravated.

Takuya raised an eyebrow, but nodded nonetheless. "Fine. What is it?"

"I just wanted to say that I was sorry, okay?" Kouji rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean to come off as an asshole, but you know that I'm only looking out for your well-being. I understand that you like Zoe, but I still don't want to see you get killed because someone is after her."

This time, Takuya let out a sigh. "It's....okay. I know that you're worried and all...but don't be. Okay? When the time comes, we'll worry about it then, alright?"

"Yeah, sure," Kouji replied monotonely, his head cast down. "I'm gonna go watch a movie. See ya when you come out."

With that, he closed the bedroom door and walked away, his footsteps lightly echoing off the walls in the hallway. Takuya yawned, resting his head on top of Zoe's. By now it had been almost an hour since their return. Tommy and Nana had asked what was the matter, only for Takuya to tell them not to worry about it. However, deep down, they were all worried. Time was running out, and they had no idea how soon it would be until Zoe's enemies caught up with her....

Three months ago

"Do we really have to let her out today?" Yu Kakuzawa groaned. "I hate dealing with her....she's like a friggen zombie.""

His friend, Chief Daichi Kurama, glanced at him carelessly. "It was your father's orders to test her today. And I wouldn't call her a 'zombie', she's just a bit-"

"Weird?" Yu asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Different," Kurama told him. "Now let's get her situated and down to the testing room."

Yu sighed, but followed Kurama down the hallway nonetheless. "Alright....I just hope she doesn't try to kill me this time....."

"You were in no danger of being harmed in the last session," Kurama replied.

"She used her vectors to throw one of those twenty pound steel balls at me!" Yu exclaimed. "She aimed it right at my head!"

Kurama adjusted his glasses. "Yes, but you were behind the glass. It's unbreakable, so you know that she could not have hurted you."

"One of these days she's going to do it," Yu grumbled. "There won't be any glass or walls to stop it and BAM! There goes my head!"

"I doubt that she'll cause you to lose your head...." Chief Kurama stopped at a metal door, entering a password into the system.

He took a step back and waited patiently as the door beeped and slowly rose up into the ceiling. Once it had risen up completely, he walked into the room with his friend.

For a moment, Kurama stared the figure confined against a metal structure. The shape of the stucture resemble a coffin in its shape and it was suspended four feet into the air. Steel bars criss-crossed in front of the figure, restraining her. She appeared to be wearing a full-body strait jacket, and a metal helmet encased her head.

"Good morning, Zoe." Chief Kurama stepped forward and pressed a button on the contraption.

There was steady humming sound as the metal stucture lowered to the floor, coming to a halt seconds later. The bars steadily moved away from the girl, freeing her from the contraption. Zoe stepped forward slightly, unable to walk very far in the restraint bodysuit. Kurama unbuckled the straps at her legs, allowing her to walk.

"To the examination room," Kurama told her, nodding to the doorway.

"Yeah, let's go," Yu added, throwing the Diclonius an angry look. "We haven't gotten all day."

Zoe silently walked down the corrider with the scientists, her pace slow and steady. She payed no attention to the impatient groans coming from Yu Kakuzawa.

"Come on," he huffed, trying to shove her along. "It'll be midnight by the time we get to fucking room..."

"Yu, leave her alone," Kurama said with a sigh. "She's going fast enough. There's no need to push her."

Yu muttered curses under his breath, but kept his hands off the girl. They finally reached another door, this one nearly twice the size as the others. Kurama entered his password, allowing the door to open. The trio made their way into the room, where Director Kakuzawa and four other scientists were waiting. Nina Shirakawa was amongst the group and stepped forward.

"I'll get Zoe situated in the glass room," she said, following out her orders.

She led the Diclonius through a metal door that led to yet another room just as the others took their seats. There was a thick, unbreakable glass wall separating the rooms, giving Kakuzawa and his employees a clear view of the spectacle. Shirakawa led Zoe to the center of the room, where she proceeded to unbuckle the rest of the restraint suit. Zoe stood there, silent and docile. She allowed the suit to be pulled and removed completely, revealing her naked body.

Yu Kakuzawa stiffened in his seat, fidgeting slightly. His eyes scanned up and down Zoe's body, taking in everything. He looked at her large, round breasts, staring at the pink nipples. Yu's vision traveled down her slim waist, her graceful hips, her long legs, and finally, the juncture of her thighs.

"You alright?" Kurama glanced at his friend, raising an eyebrow.

Yu cleared his throat, tearing his gaze away from the girl. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine..."

Miss Shirakawa gently lifted the helmet encasing Zoe's head, letting the girl's blond hair fall freely down her shoulders and back. Her twin horns shone in the bright lights overhead. Zoe lowered her head down, letting the hair cover her face as she adjusted to the brightness.

One of the scientists, Aoyoma, took out a piece of paper, reciting the same information that he had been reading for the past ten years.

"First Name: Zoe

Last Name: Unknown

Sex: Female

Age: 18

Date of Birth: Unknown

Height: 5'4 (163 cm)

Weight: 110 lbs (50 kg)

Eyes: Green

Hair: Blond

Place of birth: Unknown

Backround: Not much is known about the girl. She was discovered at the age of four after a series of grisly murders. She broke into several houses, staying the night once she slaughtered anyone inside. One night, the police were called to a house to investigate 'mysterious' noises. When they arrived, the family inside the house was found dead, with Zoe in the bathroom. When they pursued her, the girl managed to escape, disappearing from site for nearly four years. At the age of eight, she was seen at a carnival, where she proceeded to kill several patrons. Once she killed another family on a train, she got off and was immediately taken down. Has been at the facility for ten years now."

"Never get sick of hearing it," Director Kakuzawa said with a smirk as Miss Shirakawa joined them. "She's definitely a special one."

"Yes, she's the only one who is capable of normal reproduction," Chief Kurama observed.

"Since she has been doing so well with the other experiments, I've decided to try something new with her," the director said.

The others looked at him questioningly. Kurama was the only one, however, who did not seem surprised.

"What are you trying out with her?" Yu asked, frowning.

Kakuzawa chuckled, pushing a button. "Instead of hurling metal spheres and disks at her, I'm doing something else."

Just then, long, thick beams of metal shot out from the sides of Zoe's room. There were eight of the all together, all of them heading right towards the girl. Without even lifting her head, she easily deflected the beams. Some of them bent and twisted, while others were broken into pieces. More continued to shoot out of the walls, the beams darting as fast as bullets. It was as if Zoe was surrounded by several machine guns with enormous rounds of ammunition. The pieces of metal proved not to be a challenge as Zoe kept her gaze to the floor.

"Incredible," one of the scientists muttered, watching in awe.

"Seems like there's nothing she can't do," Shirakawa observed. "She has the ability to destroy full buildings without much effort...."

Kakuzawa smirked. "I knew that she would have no problem with this. I need to find something even more powerful for her to train with...this will prove to be quite a challenge."

He pressed the same button again, ceasing the objects. The walls closed back up, concealing what was contained inside. Once again, Zoe stood completely alone inside the glass room.

"This was almost a waste though," Kakuzawa grumbled. "I should've known not to bother...but I suppose we can at least take another sample while she's out."

He nodded towards a group of nearby security guards, signalling for them to make their move. Although it had been deemed safe enough for Shirakawa to release Zoe from her restraints, it was much riskier to get her back into them. The guards hurried into the room with Zoe, their guns pointed at her.

"Don't move," one of them warned.

The Diclonius did not reply, nor did she even flinch. Her head remained down, almost like she was asleep standing up.

"Okay, now very easily, we're going to put these back on," the leader of the group said, holding up Zoe's bodysuit and helmet. "Okay, you ready?"

When she did not reply, he stepped forward. As the other guards and scientists watched the spectacle, Kurama stiffened. Through the hair falling into Zoe's face, he could see a single green eye. It darkened a shade and filled with malice. Before he could shout for the guards to wait, Zoe made her move.

She viciously ripped the guard's arm out of his socket, throwing it across the room. The girl then proceeded to rip his head off just as the others opened fire.

"Shit!" Director Kakuzawa stood up, his face will with fury. "Stop her!"

The other scientists watched in horror as the glass room filled with blood and bits of bone. Zoe ripped the guards into pieces, ferociously yanking organs and limbs from their bodies. The bullets stopped mere inches away from her, then clattered to the floor. A loud beep was heard and the glass room was sealed, locking Zoe inside. Mists of gas began to fill the room, surrounding the Diclonius.

"What is that?" Miss Shirakawa asked, wide-eyed.

"A gas that has been installed in the room should any of the subjects ever cause an emergency. It will not kill her, but it will render her unconscious, and when she finally wakes up, she will feel sick for several days. She'll be knocked out until tomorrow at least," Kakuzawa told her. "Once she's down, I'll send more guards to retrieve her. That room will have to be cleaned and disinfected...."

The female scientist looked at her boss, somewhat surprised that he was more bothered by the mess, rather than the demise of the six guards. After about five minutes, Zoe continued to stand within the sealed room, the slightly toxic fumes around her.

"Won't be long now," the director muttered. "Anyone else would've been out cold by now. But not her....."

After what seemed like an eternity, Zoe's knees finally began to give away. She slid to the floor, where she then toppled to the side. Her blond hair was fanned around her head, exposing her face for everyone to see.

"Hard to believe a girl who looks like that can cause so much damage," Aoyoma commented.

"Well, believe it." Kakuzawa hit a switch, stopping the gas. "You saw it with your own eyes."

Once they were sure that the Diclonius was unconscious, three guards went in to retrieve her. They were wearing gas masks, protected from the powerful fumes. They hauled her onto a gurney, covering her with a sheet from the chest down. The trio then wheeled her out of the glass room, back into the examination room.

"Okay, get a blood sample," the director demanded Kurama. "Have it analyzed to see if there are any changes. Once you're done, bring her back to her chamber and keep her locked up until further notice. I'll be in my office if you need anything."

He walked out of the room, leaving the guards and scientists alone with Zoe. Kurama went over to her limp body with a large syringe and an empty blood bag. He gently slid the needle into her arm, getting ready to extract the blood. However, Zoe's arm twitched, causing Shirakawa to gasp in surprise. Yu Kakuzawa immediately slipped her helmet back over her head, disabling her deadly vectors. Now that there was no oncoming danger, Kurama was free to take the sample.

Zoe laid there silently, not even flinching from the thick needle. She had lost track of how much blood had been taken over the years. How many times a needle had been jabbed into her, leaving bruising holes. By now, the facility had taken hundreds of gallons of her blood, as she regenerated lost blood more quickly than a normal human and had about a pint taken each day. As soon as Kurama had extracted the pint, Zoe was wheeled back into her room.

Her head was spinning and filled with pain, though she did not let it bother her. The scientists heaved her off the gurney and quickly restrained her in the bodysuit, then locked her up in the chamber she had become accustomed too. The darkness used to frighten her, but now she found solice in it. She no longer felt claustrophobic and the tightness of the restraint suit eventually became unnoticed by her. The scientists locked her away, glad to be rid of her for the day.

"Fucking freak," one of them muttered as they left room.

Zoe stood in the chamber, remaining completely quiet. Some days she would be forced into the chamber, while on others, she would be confined to the room where Kurama and Yu Kakuzawa had retrieved her from. It all depended on what was in store in her. For now, she was simply treated like how everyone saw her; a caged animal.

Okay, that is the end of this chapter. I'm so tired and out of it...meh.... Anyway, please review and I'm hoping to get another chapter up at some point. See ya! And did you catch the bit of irony? Yu Kakuzawa was worried about Zoe causing his head to detach...which is how she eventually killed him ^_^