Hey readers, I know it's been a while and I'm truly sorry for that. A huge cyber hug to everyone who reviewed and waited patiently.
Disclaimer: See chapters two and one.
Let's begin!
Hiro's glasses hit the floor.
"I-I'm sorry Koenma sir, but could you say that one more time?"
Koenma, assistant director of Libra, rose from his desk chair, walked over to Hiro, picked up the dropped glasses, and handed them back to his aide.
"I said that she would make a good addition to the team. Mind you her age will be a liability issue, but signing a waver should take care of all that. Plus it only makes sense to place her on the Phoenix Project with her mother having been involved and all." He stated, turning back to his desk to sort through the various files that had been placed there earlier in the day. Hiro continued to fondle the bows of his glasses.
"But sir…what if she's attacked or in the worst case killed? I don't think the medical examiner can put down 'Demon Attack' on the Cause of Death line."
Koenma placed one of the files in a stack on the right of his desk. "Relax Hiro, your concerns are unfounded. This is a government-run and government funded operation; a cover-up will be provided. Besides, if her mother could do this job without any problems, then I have full confidence Botan can too."
"Well yes, you are correct, but I still don't-" One look into Koenma's eyes froze whatever the aide had left to say. Those amber eyes which generally held the warmth of liquid gold now resembled twin tawny daggers, glinting with annoyance. It was then Hiro became aware of the fact that any more peeps out of him, and his job would be in the line of fire.
"Do you doubt my word Hiro?"
"…No sir."
"Good. After all, if you'll remember, it was my father who hired Botan, not me. If he believed she was fully capable in working in this environment, then so do I." Having closed the discussion, Koenma reached behind him, grabbed a file, and placed it under Hiro's nose. Printed upon the smooth, manila surface were the words 'I-04 Test Results'. A smart man, Hiro silently accepted his defeat along with the file from his superior. Meanwhile, Koenma was now seated behind his desk, air of cold authority replaced by a casual bed side manner.
"I'd like you to hand those results over to one of the techs working in the west wing and see if they can get this file faxed out as soon as possible."
"Yes sir."
His hand had just clutched the painted gold of the doorknob when Koenma's voice leashed his attention.
"Oh, and one more thing; if you would please, give Botan a call and tell her to report to my office at exactly nine o' clock sharp tomorrow morning. Afterword, you are to be her supervisor until she gets used to her new working environment."
What? He, Hiro, was to be Botan's supervisor? Images of what had transpired earlier at the café flashed through his mind. How on Earth was he supposed to talk to her, much less supervise her after that?
"Hiro? Are you okay?"
The aide snapped out of his frantic daze upon hearing his name, nearly dropping the file Koenma had given him. As he fumbled for both the file and the doorknob words flew from his mouth in an inarticulate garble too fast for any ear to comprehend. The only thing the assistant director was able to catch was:
"…but I'm sure things will work out. See you tomorrow!" Hiro exclaimed as he zipped out the door. After a couple minutes of staring at the closed door as if it held some clue to the other man's strange behavior a moment ago, Koenma sighed and shook his head. Such outbursts of personality and comical oddness were refreshing after all. With Hiro out of the room, Koenma pulled a letter out of his pocket that had been sitting in there since early that morning. When he had arrived he had been surprised to see Karasu, Toguro's aide, standing by his office. It was a surprise because Koenma normally never saw Karasu at the lab that early in the morning. He always came in at around eight-ish or so. He had been handed a letter with a word of advice not to open it until much later that day. Well, it was later now, and Koenma still wasn't sure whether he wanted to open it or not.
His name had been written on the front of the envelope in a flowing script which didn't seem to fit the giant of a man seen stalking the grounds of the lab. Koenma's hand twitched as he went to make a grab for the letter opener in his desk drawer then thought better of it. No, he would wait until much later, preferably when he was at home. He didn't like Toguro, didn't trust him, and this ominous letter only helped to strengthen the mistrust. Another sigh parted the young man's lips as he sank back into his chair. Just a couple more hours left to go. Just a couple more.
"How many of these does Kisaragi-sensei expect us to do?" Botan asked as she stared at the fifth page of the geometry study packet. Five paragraph proofs regarded the frustrated girl with the blank stare that often accompanied geometry problems, telling her to quit moaning and just do it. That however was the problem. Botan didn't want to do them; hated doing them in fact. In vain she tried to burn a hole through the page by glaring at it. Why the heck do I have to write an entire paragraph-okay more like three to five lines-of theorems and rules when all you have to do is look at one or two sides and say 'Hey! Those triangles are equal!' Oh I hate geometry! Botan went on cursing the class in her head while Keiko looked on, chuckling to herself.
"Are you done having a staring contest with the paper?" She asked. A small "Eep!" issued from the other girl's mouth as she sat bolt upright. The packet that had absorbed so much of her friend's attention and anger fluttered to the floor, papers ruffling as if they were getting a good laugh out of this as well.
"Sorry about that Keiko. I just can't stand these things. I swear Kisaragi-sensei is plotting my downfall on this next test."
"Why don't we take a break then?"
"What? We're almost done."
"I know, but to be honest I'm even getting tired of all these endless numbers, measurements, angles, and theorems." Keiko said massaging her aching temples. Truly it would be a wonder if she didn't have a headache by the time she got home. She wondered if Botan's prediction about her demise being plotted was true; only it seemed to Keiko that their instructor was going after all the students.
Botan released her pencil as if it was a rat containing the bubonic plague and hopped to her feet, leading Keiko out the door.
"Well then, why don't I make us some tea so that we can just sit and relax for a few minutes?"
"Sure Botan that would be great. Let's just not make it for too long though. I promised my mother I'd be home at around eight-thirty or so. She needs me back early so that I can get to sleep around nine to be in tip top shape to help her clean the house tomorrow." The brunette chuckled. "My mother can be a demon when it comes to cleaning house."
Demon. The word brought Botan up short. 'My mom can be a demon.' Surely Keiko meant that as a figure of speech, but what if it wasn't? What if there was some truth behind it? Just how many demons were being held in Libra versus the number that were still free? And what about the demons currently at the lab; what was to be their fate? Kurama, the boy she had met a day ago, what would happen to him? Was he nothing more than material to the lab or-
"Earth to Botan!"
"Huh?"
"Don't 'Huh?' me! I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes now! Why on Earth did you suddenly go all spacey on me?"
Botan looked at her best friend, the one who she had tried her very best on the entrance exam to get into the same high school with, the one who was always concerned about her no matter what was going on in her private life, the one she never kept secrets from…except for now. She couldn't help it. There was no sugar coating anything, she couldn't even afford to tell a single sliver of the truth to Keiko. After all what would Keiko do? Laugh? Tell her she was crazy? Or the worst part, believe every word and tell everyone she knew? No, Botan would and could not let that happen. Her only option was just to stand there and laugh it off as exhaustion. Keiko however, having grown up with Botan knew that her friend was a horrible liar.
"Botan, be serious here, is something wrong? Please, if there is, I'm here. It hasn't just been today, you've been spacing out all week. I'm starting to get really worried about you."
Those earnest, sincere brown eyes bored deep into Botan own candy pink ones, trying to find a way past the iron wall that held the one thing that could never be voiced save for behind the walls and closed doors of a local laboratory. Botan hated lying to Keiko, it felt all around wrong, but what could she do? Lose her job by loosening her lips that was what she could do. Keiko's right shoulder was given a reassuring squeeze as Botan beamed a blinding smile at her friend.
"Don't worry about me Keiko," Botan said, removing her hand only to pat the other shoulder. "My job's just had me running ragged recently is all."
It wasn't a complete lie, she had been run ragged. Just through the various hallways of the facility after she had gotten lost. Knowing she wasn't going to win, Keiko returned Botan's summer grin with a pale smile of her own and checked her watch. Her eyes seemed to bug out for a second then recede back into their sockets so far that she had to bring her watch close up to the point of touching her eyelashes to get a good look at the time.
" Keiko? Is something wrong?"
Now it was Botan's turn to be concerned. She leaned over into Keiko's view so that she could get a better look at the brunette's face. When eye contact had been established, Keiko's watch broke its hypnosis and set the girl free.
"Botan I am so sorry, but I have to head. I didn't realize it was this late already."
"What time is it?"
"8:16."
"Um…didn't you say you had to be home by eight-thirty?" Botan asked, voice rising as tentativeness crept into it. With a head that seemed to be sitting on a coiled spring, Keiko bobbed her head up and down, spun around on her heel, and raced upstairs to grab her things. On her way up Botan shouted after her,
"Don't worry Keiko, I'll drive you back to your house."
The sound of resounding footsteps echoed on the second floor, and began to get louder as their owner neared the stairwell. Belongings gathered, a flush-faced Keiko stood before Botan, attempting to politely decline the kind offer.
"Oh no, you don't have to; it's just a fifteen minute walk across town. I'll be fine, really." She said, gently squeezing past Botan and heading for the door. However, a cool single bit of logic brought the hot pursuit for the door up short.
"Yeah, but you don't exactly have fifteen minutes."
Keiko hated it when Botan was right.
Resigning herself to the fact that whether she liked it or not, she had lost, and Botan would be dropping her off at her house, Keiko stepped back from the door, and retreated to the neutral ground of the living room. After ten minutes of rummaging through the house in search for shoes and keys, both girls were out the door, in the car, and on their way.
Home again, home again. Botan thought as she shut the door behind her and surveyed the living room. Early evening light that had been floating just above the floor had now sunk below visible levels as the sun continued to dip further down the horizon. In just a few minutes it would be completely dark outside. She removed her shoes and walked into the kitchen, laying her keys down on the table and took a few minutes to stare out the deck door.
Streaks of orange and pink melted into the deep indigo that was spreading across the sky. Overhead on a telephone wire, a robin said a final farewell to the day before flying off to its nest. As Botan stood observing this behind a sheet of Plexiglas, it occurred to her that in about a month or so spring would be sloughing off into fall. As she took another look at the mixture of colors in the sky she wondered if Kurama was watching the same sunset and what he was thinking about. Was it freedom? The life he'd been snatched out of? His mother? Botan couldn't be sure, wouldn't be sure unless she ever got the chance to talk to him.
She allowed herself another minute of silent reverie, then strode upstairs to her bedroom. With all her homework finished and nothing else to do, Botan decided this would be a good time to open her window, take down a book and read a bit. As she crossed her room, a flash on the bed caught her attention. It was her cell phone, proclaiming she had one new voicemail. Window and book entirely forgotten, she walked back to her bed to examine her phone. Obscuring her wallpaper was the notice along with the options down in the left and right hand corners. Keiko had been with her all evening, Yusuke hardly ever called her, and Kuwabara rarely ever used his cell, so the only thing that left was that someone from work had called her.
Anxiety flooded her veins as she stared at the phone in her hands. Someone from the lab had called. Did that mean she had gotten on the Phoenix Project? Heart hammering away in her chest, Botan pushed the green button and held the phone up to her ear. There was a crackling noise followed by Hiro's voice.
"Hey Botan, this is Hiro. Sorry to be calling so late. I just wanted to tell you that, congratulations, Koenma has agreed to put you in the Phoenix Project and that you're to report to his office tomorrow morning at nine o' clock sharp. Oh, and I'm also going to be your supervisor. Once again congratulations, and I will see you tomorrow. Bye."
She had gotten on the Phoenix Project. She had actually gotten on the Phoenix Project! Unable to believe her stoke of good fortune Botan pinched herself. A brief flash of pain skittered up her arm telling her that, yes, she was indeed awake. A giddy smile spread across her face as she clapped her hands to her chest, still clinging to her phone. This was amazing! She couldn't wait for tomorrow!
Nine o' clock found Botan and Hiro standing in Koenma's office waiting to be given their instructions. The office owner in question however, had yet to show up. Hiro turned to Botan. He had taken his glasses off and had begun to polish the lenses on his lab coat.
"Well…here we are." He said, wishing Koenma would hurry up. It wasn't like him to be late, and Hiro was already nervous enough with Botan standing next to him.
Botan nodded back, bouncing up and down on her toes. She reminded Hiro of a little girl eagerly awaiting a reward or wonderful opportunity.
The door behind them opened and in stepped Koenma looking a trifle annoyed. He slid back into his cheerful self when he saw his aide and tech standing in his office ever so patiently. The annoyance on his face did not go unnoticed however because Botan spoke up.
"Is something wrong Koenma?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Are you okay sir?" Hiro echoed.
"Yes, yes I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He said, taking a seat in the high backed green chair. Koenma folded his hands in front of him and fixed both Hiro and Botan with a level look before continuing.
"Now Botan today will be your first day on the Phoenix Project. I don't think I have to tell you this, but be extremely cautious. Not every experimental subject is apt to be complacent and willing to be worked upon," He then gestured to Hiro, "Of course that is why I have Hiro as your supervisor for the time being to monitor you while you work, along with providing help naturally."
Koenma sighed and drummed his fingers on the desk, trying to think of something else to add that would be beneficial. Botan's eyes were riveted upon him, ears and mind filling up with every word that had been said so far. Meanwhile, Hiro just watched and wondered why he had been called in at all. Back to Koenma, it was as if the floodgates had been opened, and a tidal wave of explanation and speech came rushing out of his mouth.
"As I have already said, today is your first day, so I won't overload you, but you can expect a little more work piled on, not at every turn mind you, but perhaps twice a month. Policy may require changes in the near future is all; and of course we must be moving forward in our goal. It is after all, what my father would be doing were he here."
There was an airy clap as Koenma brought his hands together.
"I'm babbling, my apologies. At any rate, the best advice I can offer you is, be cautious and expect the unexpected. Oh, and don't be afraid to report anything you see. Even seemingly pointless things turned up in lab can become monumental."
That done, Koenma rose from his chair to close his address. He clapped Botan on the shoulder as he did this, looking her straight in the eye.
"I have no doubt you will perform well Botan, but please, I cannot stress this enough, do be careful. Not every demon is as docile as the one down at the end of the hall."
How did he know about that? The confusion must have shown on her face, for Koenma chuckled.
"Hiro told me."
What? Her head snapped around to fix the aide with a sharp glare. Hiro, rather more of a sheep than a man, averted his gaze over to the nearby corner of the room. Oh yeah, she would give him a thorough questioning when this was through. The sound of a throat being cleared brought her back on track. She turned back to her boss.
"As I would be further inclined to have you and Hiro stay put for a little while longer so I can go over the various procedures you will be doing in detail, I'm afraid I'll have to let you go and find out for yourself. After all, seeing is believing, and practice makes perfect does it not?" Koenma laughed before noticing the weird look he was receiving from Botan.
"Sorry, just trying to be supportive."
Botan nodded and smiled. She then turned to Hiro who was standing by the door and glancing at it every few seconds, fearing what Botan would give him when they were out the door and out of ear-shot. Koenma smiled and turned Botan towards the door.
"Alright, we've wasted enough time standing around talking. Hiro, direct her to the east wing, and then you two can get started."
The two began heading for the door. Botan had stepped out into the hallway and Hiro was about to follow suit before Koenma's voice called him back.
"On second thought, wait a minute Hiro. There's something I would like to discuss with you. Botan see if you can find Ayame and have her show you to the east wing."
Head buzzing with information, Botan could only nod as Hiro was whisked back into the lab, not even able to offer so much as a mild protest.
With the door shut tight behind him, Koenma went back to his desk and once more took a seat in his chair. He placed three fingers on his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment to collect his thoughts. When he had finished, he looked up at Hiro. From his vantage point, the assistant director could tell his aide was worried, and he had good reason to be. If Koenma was acting like this, then something was wrong. After another moment of silence, Koenma let out a sigh, and then began to speak.
"Hiro, if you can I want you to have Botan avoid Karasu and Toguro at all costs. Mainly Karasu . I don't know what Toguro is planning at the moment, but I do know that he is using Karasu as a messenger, and that, unfortunately, he is more privy to the finer details of the Phoenix Project than myself. I'd hoped to be able to get some information from my father, but I've been unable to get to the hospital before the end of visiting hours. So, please, make sure that they have absolutely no contact with her. If it unavoidable, make sure it is limited. Two to three sentences of dialogue each between the two at the most."
Stunned, Hiro blinked a couple of times. Koenma didn't have all the details of the Phoenix Project? That made Hiro more nervous than ever; and frightened. What would that mean for Botan? Or him for that matter? God forbid, He thought, that man's ambitions put this lab and anyone in danger. Hiro regarded Koenma. The slumped over position, that marble pallor of his skin, the circles under his eyes. If Hiro was frightened, then Koenma was don right terrified. Of course he had good reason to be. His father was no longer here, and Toguro, being a co-founder, held more power than he did. Surely however, this wasn't a no-win situation?
"Koenma sir, may I ask you something? Toguro isn't scheming to place the entire Phoenix Project under his control is he?"
"No, I've considered that option myself Hiro," Koenma replied, "If he wants to do anything regarding the Phoenix Project, he'll have to talk to my father, and that means going through me, which he is not apt to do. He may however, be able to bend things slightly without having to notify me, and that's why I'm worried. Moreover, I don't know to what extent we'll have to go to in order to carry out the Phoenix Project to its entirety. Knowing Toguro, he's not going to back down easily, and sadly I can't touch him without running into Karasu."
He looked up at Hiro, all air of dignity and power gone. Now all he appeared to be was a frightened young man with hardly any options left.
"Keep your eyes open. The only thing we can do now is sit back and observe. And please, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Keep Botan away from both of them."
Hiro nodded. "Yes sir."
Endless white halls stretched on either side of her as Botan followed Ayame to the main lab area of the east wing. All around her were the various sounds of the lab. Machines beeping, people running back and forth, papers being shuffled, and the constant droning of many voices. Ayame led Botan past on open door wherein one man was peering into a microscope while the other scribbled down notes with the speed of the wind.
"I'm surprised the Koenma agreed to let you on the Phoenix Project." Ayame said, turning her head around and smiling.
Botan nodded back. Why did everyone seem to be saying that lately? Did news really travel that fast around here? Then again, she was the youngest worker here, but still. It didn't make any sense, not to her at least.
The sound of Ayame's heels clicking on the tiled floor accented the beat of the background noise enveloping the two. Botan's thoughts whirred inside her head at a frenzied pace. What exactly would she be doing once she got started? Would she be dealing with dangerous demons? How many demons here were like Kurama? What about Subject 0013? Was he or she still alive? Were there any female demons?
Unbeknownst to Botan, Ayame had stopped and was talking to a co-worker of hers, in fact, discussing the condition of Subject 0013. Unbeknownst until, Botan slammed right into the back of Ayame.
"Oops! I'm so, so sorry Ayame!" Botan exclaimed. Great, her first day on the job (so to speak) and she'd already flubbed it up. Ayayme turned around and smiled, assuring Botan she was fine. Embarrassed, Botan bubbled out a couple more apologies before falling silent. However, Ayame had turned back to talk to the person in front of her and had ceased to listen. With no one attention focused on her, Botan took the time to look around. Hallway, hallway, open door, multiple closed doors, people everywhere; no signs of a demon anywhere. Were they being tested on behind one of the closed doors surrounding her? It was possible, hell it was more than 80% likely. A tapping on her shoulder brought Botan's focus back on track. Ayame smiled and gestured to the man standing in front of her.
"Botan, this is Karasu. He's Director Toguro's aide. Karasu, this is Botan."
Immediately she didn't like him. Karasu held a strange air about him as he peered at her through opaque yet steely eyes. It almost seemed as if he was suspicious of her. He then smiled, although it did nothing to help the queer, goth like image of his face.
"Ah yes, this is the lovely lady I've heard about."
Somehow being called 'lovely lady' by him made her skin crawl. Karasu stretched out his hand. Not wanting to be impolite, she shook his it. Cool, clammy fingers closed around her own and long nails nipped the back of her palm. What was up with this guy? His pallor, his skin temperature, and that creepy aura, geez he very well could have passed for a corpse! He let her hand fall and Botan pulled it back a bit too quickly. If Karasu saw, he took no notice. He turned back to Ayame, smiling that creeper's smile once again.
"If you will excuse me, I must be getting back to work. Thank you for your report Ayame, keep the subject monitored, and let me know if anything unusual occurs."
Ayame nodded, "Yes, of course."
He waved as he walked off; his eyes passed from Ayame where they stopped dead on Botan.
"If you need anything Botan, please don't hesitate to come and ask me. I would be glad to help. Good day to the both of you."
A turn of the corner and he was gone. Oxygen swelled her lungs, letting her know that for that brief moment, she'd forgotten how to breathe. Help? From him? No chance! Botan made herself a mental note to stay as far away from that creep as possible. Besides, Hiro was her supervisor, she would come to him if she needed anything.
Botan turned around and squared her shoulders trying her remove that shiver that was locked between her shoulder blades. Ayame took no notice of this and led her through the doorway that Karasu had been standing in.
Bright lights stabbed at her eyes. Shielding herself from the electrical attack, she took a formal look around the room. Various machines of every size stood up against the walls, testing tables with straps dangling from the sides stood near the center of the room, there were tables that held drawers upon drawers of equipment. Near the back a group of five scientists were examining an extract of skin cells from a lizard demon. All at once Botan felt lost in that sea of white room. It was as if she had been sleeping inside a rose bud, only to wake up and see it unfurl into a bright, new world. Ayame stood behind her, watching Botan take everything in, seeing her face light up with a mixture of confusion, awe, and wonder. She smiled.
"Botan, welcome to the Phoenix Project."
Phew, finally! I thought I'd never come here. Thanks for being patient with me dear readers, I really appreciate it.