"GOODNESS MAU5…" Thomas sighed. His voice sounded like a strange mix of grief and disappointment.
Guy stood next to him, looking down at their creation… at their child; now in a crippled state.
Mau5 lay on the air mattress, his head rolled to the side. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply. His jaw… still shattered, fell awkwardly open and gnashed in a horrible position.
He slept… he had lost so much energy; he could do nothing but sleep.
Guy turned to his robotic companion. "THIS IS GOING TO GET OUT… RAVEN IS GOING TO BE HUNTED DOWN AND KILLED. SHE KNOWS TOO MUCH. SHE WON'T LAST LONG…"
Thomas continued to gaze down at the sleeping Mau5, his visor blank as he thought.
Guy's monitor on his helmet lit up on the sides and an icon of an unhappy face appeared. "HONESTLY, THOMAS… WE SHOULD NOT INTERFER WITH THAT CHILD ANYMORE. SHE HAS CAUSED US MORE PROBLEMS THAN PLANNED. IT WAS HER CHOICE TO RUN AWAY… SHE WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES."
Thomas still did not stop thinking. He had heard Guy's words, and considered them with his own thoughts. He knelt down next to Mau5, to get a better look at the damage. He observed the cuts and scratches on his arms, the tears and missing chunks of fur on his face, and the indent on the bottom of his broken jaw line.
"PLEASE TELL ME WE WON'T GO AFTER THE GIRL AND GET HER BACK. I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER ANYMORE." Guy's helmet turned a bright red, expressing his rage. "WHATEVER SHE DID, SHE CAUSED TOO MUCH PAIN TO MAU5. SHE COST US A HUGE DENT IN OUR WORK."
"I KNOW…" Thomas finally said. "WE WON'T GO AFTER HER."
He rose to his feet and looked over at his friend. The word 'human' appeared on his visor. "MAU5 IS TOO HUMAN. HE IS GOING TO EXPERIENCE HUMAN EMOTION AFTER ALL THIS. LOSING RAVEN IS GOING TO BRING A HUGE BURDEN ON HIM. WE CANNOT BRING HER BACK AND RISK HER RUNNING AWAY AGAIN. SHE WILL WANT TO… AND PROBABLY TRY AND GET AWAY EVERYTIME SHE IS TRAPPED WITH US."
Guy nodded, for he agreed. He then looked down at Mau5, a question mark popping up on his screened face. "WHAT COULD MAU5 HAVE POSSIBLY DONE TO DO THIS TO HIMSELF?"
Thomas shook his head. The word 'Another' appeared on his face. "HE DID NOT DO THIS TO HIMSELF…"
Guy thought on his words, and then an exclamation point appeared, showing he started to understand something that Thomas had considered.
"YOU REMEMBER MAU5 MENTIONING THAT RAVEN WAS FRIENDS WITH A MUTANT? A LABORATORY EXPERIEMENT THAT HUMANS HAVE CREATED?"
Guy nodded. He remembered well. Their memory was strong.
"THIS IS ENGLAND. THIS IS WHERE THAT CREATURE LIVES. MIGHT IT NOT MAKE SENSE THAT IT CAME AND DEFENDED RAVEN… AND GAVE HER A QUICK AND EASY ESCAPE?"
Guy nodded again. "THAT EXPLAINS THE UNUSUAL WOUNDS."
Thomas made a sound like an electronic sigh.
"BUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO TELL THE AUTHORITY? THEY PROBABLY WOULDN'T BELIEVE THE TRUTH." Guy said.
Thomas was quiet for a while... He was contemplating an idea. "THIS CONCERT WAS A BIG ONE... MANY PEOPLE WERE HERE... MAY CRAZY, OUT OF CONTROL PEOPLE."
Guy looked over at Thomas again, the question mark reappearing over his face.
"THIS WAS A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. SEVERAL FANS WERE DESPERATE TO SEE DEAD MAU5 AFTER THE SHOW. THEY GANGED UP ON AND GOT PASSED OUR ONLY TWO BODY GUARDS, MADE A MAD RUSH TO THE BACK STAGE ROOMS, AND IN THE PROCESS... SEVERALLY WOUNDED MAU5 AND-"
"-KILLED RAVEN?" Finished Guy.
Thomas nodded. "PRECISELY. MAU5 GOT THE SCRATCHES FROM A WOMAN'S FAKE NAILS AND THE BROKEN JAW FROM AN ELBOW OR FIST WITH ALL THE COMMOTION."
Guy's head lowered. He seemed skeptical about using this story. "AND WHAT ABOUT RAVEN?"
"SHE TOO WAS SCRATCHED AND BEATEN... HOWEVER, A PARTICULAR MALE TRIED TO DRAG HER OFF AND TAKE HER AWAY, WHICH WE ALL CAN ASSUME WOULD HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTED RAPE. SHE RESISTED AND FOUGHT BACK, SO THE MALE WAS GIVEN NO CHOICE BUT TO PULL A KNIFE ON HER BEFORE SHE MADE TOO MUCH NOISE."
"AND WHAT OF THE BODY? DON'T YOU THINK THEY WILL WANT EVIDENCE THAT SHE IS ACTUALLY DEAD?"
Thomas paused before that answer came to him. "MARIE IS OUT PROOF. IF WE HAVE HER REPORT AND SAY SHE LOOKED OVER THE BODY, WE SHOULD BE FINE."
A frowning icon appeared on Guy's helmet. "I DON'T KNOW, THOMAS. WHY SHOULD WE STICK OUR NECKS OUT FOR RAVEN? LOOK AT WHAT SHE CAUSED..." He said, gesturing his hands out over the sleeping Mau5.
Thomas looked at Mau5, but did not answer. His visor was blank again.
"WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HER? SHE'S AN OUTSIDER..."
"SHE'S NO OUTSIDER. SHE EXPERIENCED OUT LIFE, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SHORT. SHE WAS FAMILY."
Guy shook his head. "BUT SHE DIDN'T THINK OF HERSELF AS FAMILY. THAT'S WHY SHE RAN OFF."
Thomas lowered his head. "I CONSIDERED HER FAMILY... AND MAU5 DID TOO." His voice was firm in his opinion.
Guy made his own electrical sigh.
"BESIDES, GUY, I KNOW MAU5 WOULD WANT RAVEN SAFE."
Again, a frowning face came upon Guy's helmet. "MAYBE... BUT AFTER THIS, HE WILL BE FEELING MANY HUMAN EMOTIONS... THAT MIGHT INCLUDE ANGER AND A DESIRE FOR REVENGE."
"MAU5 IS A KIND SOUL. HE'LL NEVER BE DRIVEN TO THAT." Thomas said, his voice softening now.
Guy's helmet went blank as he stared. He had a suspicion for why Thomas was really defending Raven... that it might be relative to how Guy felt towards Marie. But he could also see Thomas's point. Mau5 may be spiteful and mad now, but he would eventually remember the old emotions he felt for the girl.
So finally, Guy caved in and agreed. "OKAY WE'LL GO WITH THAT STORY."
Then Thomas turned and looked behind him in the hallway. "NOW WE JUST NEED TO SOMEHOW GET DANIEL AND JAMES TO AGREE TO BE BEATEN UP SO THAT THEY LOK LIKE THEY WERE ACTUALLY ATTACKED AND OVER POWERED BY A CROWD."
"I'M SURE THEY WILL CONSIDER IF WE TELL THEM THAT THERE JOBS WILL BE SAFE." Guy replied.
A smiley icon scrolled over Thomas's visor along with the word 'indeed.'
…
This pain was growing. It was like a virus… the first virus that he could not with stand. It was growing under his skin, in the back of his skull, in his lungs and in his heart. He breathed and could feel the pain rattling inside him. It was unbearable.
The flight back to France was horrible. He couldn't remember it all. He had lost it again, gone mad. Terrible words were bashed from his mouth.
"I won't leave! No, no! Fuck you all, I must not leave! Raven! Raven! I can't leave!"
Daniel and James practically had to hold him down while Daft Punk drugged him up. Temporary peace and contentment. But it wouldn't last… the pain was still there, the drugs just covered it up. Once the plane landed, they exited the private runway of the airport and they returned to their cozy studio, the burning pain returned.
It burned while Mau5 lay on the table, strapped down as Thomas and Guy worked on fixing his broken jaw. They prodded him, cut at the bone and fed him thousands of different pain relief medication. He could still feel the physical pain, and it was nowhere as bad as the mental pain.
He cried, screamed and wailed. Daniel was holding him down for extra support, Guy and Thomas were busily trying to fix his face as fast as possible. They sewed in artificial fur around his eyes and ears, they tweaked the nerves that were destroyed around his mouth… it kept going.
On and on.
STOP. STOP! PLEASE JUST STOP!
But it didn't.
Mau5 sat in his room on the floor. His sheet white room. There was a full body mirror opposite of the door. He would not look at the mirror; rather his back was turned to it. His head was held low and he stared down into his lap.
This pain. This pain.
He felt the sorrow bubbling up in him again. He gripped his body tightly with his arms as he burrowed his face into his chest.
'MAU5, WE REALIZE YOU ARE SUFFERING. WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER. WE EXPECT YOU TO NEED TIME. LOTS OF TIME.'
Mau5 reflected Thomas's words and the pain swelled. "I don't want time! I... I..." Mau5's shrill voice began… he felt his hands shaking. "I want…" He was about to cry for Raven again. But he stopped… No, he didn't want Raven. That wasn't what he really wanted.
He whipped his head around and glared into the mirror. He saw in the mirror, the horrible, ugly image of a mutant, red rodent leering back at him. Rage began to build with the pain.
"You know why she left. You know!" Mau5 sputtered, his body beginning to quiver. "She didn't want to live with a Mau5. She wants to live with people, with other humans!" He felt the rage burst to a burning life as he saw the reflection in the mirror mimicking him; mocking him. "Stop staring at me!" He screamed at his reflection. "Stop! You're awful! You're hideous!"
He stood up, hunched over. His eyes were beginning to glow a slight red color. "You're a MONSTER!" He took his fist tightly and swung hard at the mirror. A huge trace of cracks rushed across the entire surface. He struck again. Another scattering pattern of cracks appeared. Again… more shatters. He had hit the mirror so many times, that pieces of it flew off. They fell to the floor or flew past his face, or got wedged deeply in his skin on his fists.
He finally stopped. He stared at the broken mirror. It wasn't really a mirror anymore… he couldn't see a reflection of any kind in it.
Then the tears came again. You really are a monster... He took his bloody hands and rubbed his eyes. His long, gnarled teeth gnashed. And then the words came…
"I want to be human…" He sobbed. "Raven, I want to be like you."
But he was not human. He was cursed to live like… this.
"MAU5?" A voice said behind him.
Mau5 still stood, hunched over, covering his large, bulging eyes as he cried.
"MAU5, WHAT DID YOU DO?" Even though he was sure they were upset about the broken mirror, they talked softly, trying to comfort him.
Guy had walked up behind him, and put two metal hands on his shoulders. The helmet face of one of his creators light up and the image of a frowning face appeared. "MAU5… ARE YOU OKAY?"
Mau5 did not wish to speak. He did not want to hear his own voice anymore. He had become rather sick with everything about himself.
With no reply, Guy just brought Mau5 into a hug. He tried his best to comfort the rodent DJ, who stood almost a foot taller than him. He remained silent as he let his friend release his grieving.
"I PROMISE EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE FINE. THESE EMOTIONS WON'T LAST FOREVER, EVEN THOUGH THEY SEEM LIKE IT NOW. YOU WILL BE FINE, MAU5. YOU ARE STRONG. YOU CAN OVERCOME THIS."
Mau5 slowly nodded his head between his sniffles and squeaks. He remained still and let Guy hold him. He knew his wise creator spoke the truth… but he was impatient. He wanted this burden lifted now.
It however, was not that simple. Even though he was not human, he had to experience these human emotions. He would have to experience the pain that all other humans felt from a great and terrible loss.
…
This had been a trial and error. But they all have learned from it well.
It had been almost five years since Raven, the young, English girl had escaped away from the robotic beings. Mau5 had discovered a taste of the outside world. And now, not only did he want more of that, but also he wanted to be apart of that world.
Daft Punk had used this to their advantage. It challenged their skills to make their creation as close to a human as possible, but still have him deliver the message they were sent here to give. They had even surpassed what was thought of as impossible.
"MAU5, KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED. DON'T TRY TO OPEN THEM DURING THIS PROCESS."
For three years, Thomas and Guy both worked more on tweaking Mau5's brain waves. They experiment and had hit a success. They found a way to take out the original animal DNA they had coded in him. They found it, struck it down, and rebuild Mau5's design. His mind had become complete. Now it was time to give him an identity.
"GUY, HAND ME THE NOVOCAINE. MAU5, WE'RE ABOUT TO PUT ASLEEP. ONCE YOU WAKE BACK UP, THE PROCEDURE WILL BE COMPLETE."
He could hardly wait.
Marie had worked with Mau5 on helping him come up with an identity. They had met with a special doctor who specialized in human features and faces. He studied them to help give mental therapy. The doctor, Herald G. Zimmerman, had helped Mau5 design his own identity.
In his honor and thanks, Mau5 took apart of the doctor into his identity. He had created a name for himself, a real human name. This was the last day he would be officially called Mau5.
The novocaine had hit him and he was out. He went into a blank and deep sleep.
…
…
…
"CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
He struggled to reply. His mouth felt strange. It was… small. Different.
"Y..yes." He managed. His voice was the same, but somehow it had a different tone to it.
"TRY AND OPEN YOUR EYES."
He twitched slightly. Gradually, he opened his eyes and looked around the room. Everything looked bright… but it was so beautiful. He had not seen the world like this before.
His gaze fell onto Thomas, then Guy. They were both smiling at him, in their robotic way with the smiling icons on their faces. He felt himself return the smile. It was strange to smile. The skin on his face wrinkled differently. He then took his hands and felt his face. No fur… just skin.
"Where…. Where is a.."
"OVER HERE." Thomas said, gesturing to the wall to his right.
He struggled to walk, the novocaine still making his body weak. He made it over to the wall. His eyes went wide as his fingertips touched the edges of the small mirror softly.
Who was that staring at me...?
He looked long and hard. There was a feeling of absolute joy trying to come out, but he was still in so much surprise and shock.
"THIS IS YOU NOW. YOU ARE NO LONGER MAU5." Thomas said.
His hands came away from the mirror and back to his face. He felt the form of his new face. The shape, the texture… so smooth. So real.
"THIS IS THE NEW YOU," Thomas paused. "JOEL ZIMMERMAN."
"Joel…" he said, grinning again. The face of a young man beamed back at him. The hazel eyes, the short brown hair, the sharp nose… they were all real. He was absolutely amazed. "Joel… you are human."
Both the members of Daft Punk stood proudly as they watched their fully human creation marvel at what he had become.
All of this was his. This was he. He was Joel. He was…
"I am human."
...
...
...
End.
...
(AN: Thank you everyone for readying my story! I also appreciate all the reviews. Stay tune for an upcoming epilogue to this story of Mau5in Around! :))