Disclaimer: Disney owns Suite Life and a ton of other stuff. I don't (Darn) so here we go...
"The way this tunnel is glowing is weird but cool." Cody stopped crawling as he stared at the glowing tube surrounding him. "It's like it's coming from the tube itself. Like its natural. Amazing" He reached out with his right hand.
"I don't that's a good idea."
Cody stopped and turned around to looked into a pair of eyes. Their blue irises shined in the glow from the pair's translucent surroundings. The face's shape was similar to him. It looked like his older brother...
'Its only glowing. I'm mean really glowing. Blue even" Cody watched as "Zack" pointed something out to him.
"Yeah maybe but we don't know what will happen if you ever touch the sides. I mean its glowing under us too." Cody glanced down as "Zack" continued. "So its may safe but I'm not sure."
Cody glanced down, biting his lip as he thought about it. The tube's bottom looked solid but its glow caressed every inch of their skin touching it.
"Yeah you're right, I guess I got over excited." Cody lowered his hand to his side, but he smiled as he stared back toward the phenomenon." It's just so cool. A smile worked its way on to "Zack's" face as they progressed down the glowing tunnel. Their blue-outlined forms moved slowly. Their unknown progress swallowed up with the light filling the tunnel.
...
"Where are they?"
I felt the question swim away with the my curiosity and anger riding the crest as it impacted the others. I felt the presences in my mind's currents. They were quiet for a few seconds. I felt their hesitation tremors cascade out. They answered me anyway. They had to.
"We have no idea.." Lu was the head of security. "You see, Zaka, after you were separated from the two subjects you were trying to dispose of, the transmitter signal in the brain controller band around one of their heads was interrupted. And the second human..."I detected the frown as he said the word "...was never equipped with one since he was part of the new crop of clones.
Lu's irritation bubbled up underneath as he continued. The joys of being naturally telepathic.
"We discovered the remains of the band in the hallway where the signal was lost." I closed my mind as I briefly thought about what Lu revealed. I lowered back my mindwalls and spoke.
"I presume you started a full-scale search of the area?"
"Of course" Lu replied.. Did I detect annoyance and offence?
"We turned up nothing besides the band remains in the main hallways and the main crawlways were on lockdown."
"So they disappeared?" I countered. I could not hide my temper. Not after I saw it all happen. The wall in my face and my work on the other side... Even through my own mental waves, I detect disappointment and something else in Lu's answer.
"Unknown. This has never happened before. We've always had the experiments under full control. Our personal control." Well my telewave receiver could be ripped out and I still could see what Lu meant. It could only be one thing. It's my creation after all
"The Human Experimentation Unit is not responsible for this. I've checked, we've had system power issues across the board before it was activated. HEU was not involved."
"I understand your defense of HEU but its only reasonable for it to be looked at and eliminated the possibility of its involvement."
Lu's dedication to his craft overwhelmed me but I stood firm. I was in charge.
"I'll take your option under advisement for the time being." Lu's response was obvious. He had no other choice. It was the way things worked.
"Thank you, I'll get back to the search." Lu's presence faded and I focused on the second guest of this meeting. He decided to stay silent until now. He knew better.
"So, Flic. how's progress with the human females?"
"Steady, Dr. Zaka. No real issues. I admit we have finished adapting to the multitude of complications with this half of the specie. As you know, it forced us to undergo some adjustment in order to deal with them. But they are no problem anymore." A strong confidence gripped Flic as I handled myself. It was so strong, Flic's presence seemed stronger than before. It was better than the relief first sensed when the issues, non-life threatening, just aggravating, first surfaced. Of course back then Flic was afraid to fail.
All these complications have seriously tempted me to doing something about these humans but no rules are rules. We have to have the data results be affected as little possible to ensure the most natural results. Of course, having the simulations countered that possibility but they were the best possible compromise we could have. Its not like we could just taken thousands of subjects now could we? That many missing would have stood out.
Of course we did find a way to get the beginning samples and we fell into the perfect way to test everything out at the same time. Of course all this was found out by monitoring their communications and realizing how they recuperated.
To think they may be a threat. Their young is helpless until long after being born. Meanwhile we gene splice and maturate ours to the point where they are practically fully grown. So clean and efficient.
Well better get back to Flic.
"That's good. It appears these humans are just as complicated as we thought." I felt the agreement in my junior's colleague but she added to it.
"Just think of all these complications another opportunity to gather data. Its more direct than the first stage." Flic was correct. The first stage was all surveillance, no physical contact. Of their communication networks.
Our current situation with the two escaped test subjects might allow to accelerate things on a few fronts." I could not let this opportunity pass. "Especially on the physical limitation fo external stimulus. Plus since one is a genetic copy of the other, it gives us something to match up against. Those neural controllers implanted in the humans' neck will assist us with that."
I felt Flic's pride soar to me as I mentioned her device.
"As a matter of fact, it could reveal more about their psychology too." I stopped myself. There would be time later to figure out more possibilities. We had to move on.
"All right, what the other projects?" I felt a shift from Flic. A dimming of his pride.
"Your genetic idea seems to be progressing but at a lot slower pace than everything else. We've not failed but we are hitting all the goals." Flic's nervousness sped toward me. But I decided to ignore it. He knew to tell me if anything serious arose. He probably just did not like disappointing me. Then again an apprentice does not embarrass the master with mistakes.
"And the telepathy?"
"You were right, it appears to have worked on them after a small experiment. We wiped their memories afterward. But we discovered something." I embraced the excitement flowing out from him as lic continued.
"It appears these human have a slim chance to have telepathic ability too. It's not proven and all data suggests it could be different than ours, but it's there." I paused before answering. This could change things...
"All right, stay on it. All the discoveries could come in handy with what's going on. We'll link up later."
I waited for the junior science project leader to pull himself out of the link and opened my mind to the external.
...
"H.E.U?"
"Yes, Dr. Zaka?" A flat voice responded in its usual efficiency as its holographic head appeared next to her. The glowing head hovering above its imaging station.
"I need you to recheck on the status of all the human test subjects. All age groups. Leave nothing out. Understand?"
"Of course Doctor, It might take some time to compile everything." Zaka's eyes (as they were) stared back at the steady image.
"I realize that H.E.U. Also send me all the reports on the hallway security protocols. I need to figure out what happened."
"Right away, Doctor. It should not be a problem." Zaka looked down her feet. H.E.U. recognized the act of annoyance when the hologram saw it. It was in his programming.
"Make sure, we have someone get rid of this Carey suit while I go over everything in my office."
"Understood Doctor."
Dr. Zaka walked away from the floating only to turn around.
"You might as well see if you could assist Lu with searching for our lost humans. Focus on the maintenance crawlways."
"I anticipated Lu might need help so I created a search pattern. I will initiate that now."
"Excellent! I will leave to it." Zaka turned away.
H.E.U.'s holohead floated in semisolid form in the work area's open space for a few seconds. Something crossed his features only for it to fade as H.E.U proceded on its tasks.
...
"Cody?"
Cody's head whipped around to stare at his companion shrouded in the bluish glowing light.
He felt something eating his insides. Looking at "Zack" behind him made it even worse on too many fronts.
Its wasn't the boy's fault as his own logical mind decided to mess with him to figure everything out. It wasn't easy considering the boy's presence just increased his torment.
"Yeah?" The feeling was back stronger and Cody hated it. It was unfair but the feeling was natural. Just there. Cody wanted to run away from it, launch it into the sun. Do something, but he couldn't do it.
"I think we should stop. We know where are or how long we've been in here."
Cody frowned as he twisted himself in the tunnel to sit down to release pressure on his legs. He rubbed them down, giving him time. His "brother"mirrored him as he waited. Cody's insides contorted.
"You're right" Cody would have laughed under different circumstances as he impulsively thought to grab his cell phone from his pocket. Only to realize he did not have it or any pockets for that matter. He watched puzzlement on "Zack's" face as Cody's hand returned to join its partner on his knees.
"Tired?" The one word question pulled Cody to the present.
"Yeah. let's see if we can't find another widened area. I want to be able to stretch without hitting you."
"Me too. Cody did not return "Zack's" smile as he leaned back unknowingly. Against the tunnel's sides.
"Zack" started to shout but it was too late and he watched as Cody's bald head impacted. Cody's eyes widened to planet-sized as he stiffened. Precious seconds passed until Cody snickered then chuckled. he regained control of himself slowly and smiled at "Zack"'s expression. A fusion of relief, shock and confusion along with an outstretched hand trying to grab something or someone. "Zack" looked at his own hand, pulled it back and smirked back.
"Well I guess you're alright."
"Yeah I guess"... Cody touched his bald head. The smile died. "..I am." Cody watched "Zack's" smile turn to concern.
"See if we can find something more comfortable than this." Cody banged on the tunnel's sides and started crawling. "Zack" followed quietly.
...
A short time later, they both stopped and they stared at the open space. It basked in the blue light as the rest of the tunnel so far. It was as wide as both boys were long combined. However there was something different about this one.
"Something's on the tunnel's sides." Cody looked toward "Zack's pointing and crawled toward it. His mouth dropped open. The tunnel's had flattened out to hold a large panel with a screen and what looked like buttons and a small dome Cody braced himself with the wall as he crouched toward it. Just barely not touching it.
What is it?"Cody almost fell forward into the device as "Zack" gripped his shoulder lowering himself beside Cody.
I am not sure, It could be anything..." Cody yawned before he could finish and started to go wobbly. "Zack" grabbed him before he fell.
"Why don't we try to sleep then look at it after? I don't think its going away."
"Ok..ay" Zack pulled Cody to his feet and led him to the other side of the chamber.
"You know, this area big enough so we can stand."
"Just peachy, I want a nice soft bed." "Zack" laughed at Cody's return as he laid him on the ground and sat down next to him.
"They don't have that here, but at least its quiet. Is it alright if I sleep near you?"
"Don't care." Zack flinched at Cody's biting return as he laid down. Cody turned his own face away, looking at his semi-clear reflection. "Zack" lifted his head to look at his friend staring silently at his face from above him. he watched as a tear left Cody's left eye and dropped to the floor. "Zack" said nothing and watched Cody until both he and Cody fell asleep.
...
The two humans were sleeping, inches separating the two in the quiet compartment. Not knowing a glowing holographic head was staring at them from a projection in the panel. It lasted for only a few seconds. An eternity for a complex, calculating program. Then it was gone and the standard soft blue glow from the maintenance crawlways' materials themselves blanketed the humans.
Okay, another chapter done and I've tried to eliminate some confusion from the story. I hope I accomplished that. I opened the story a lot here and I hope you have enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave another comments or questions (good or bad) in the review. Thanks...Until next time.