Chapter 3:

So far, things had been moving slowly in regards to Mayuri's latest experiment. Illegal experiment to be precise. Veneno was alive again, though the details of Veneno's condition were still unknown to Akon. He had no way of knowing if this was really Veneno brought back to life or a clone or something else. Such details didn't matter to him at the moment so he decided to put it out of his mind for now.

Ever since Veneno was awakened from his chamber, Akon had been at Veneno's side every moment from the moment he woke up to the moment Veneno fell asleep. Mayuri had ordered him to take careful notes on everything Veneno did. No detail was too small. Akon didn't see too much to report the first day. Veneno did 'a whole lot of nothing' as Akon wrote in the notebook. He never spoke and couldn't walk. It was easy to keep an eye on him in that regard.

The clothes they had given to Veneno were temporary. Everything was temporary. Even his sleeping quarters. Mayuri had laid down a sheet, the same sheet which had once covered Veneno's tank, and used it for Veneno's bed on the floor of a closet. That was where he slept. At night, they locked it to make sure he couldn't wander out without their knowing. Other than that, Akon knew very little else about what Veneno needed. Since he couldn't make his wants known verbally, Akon had to guess at everything.

Today, Akon had to take his lunch into the lab in order to eat. He was ordered not the leave Veneno's side if he could. He managed to sneak away to get food and return before anyone had noticed. If Mayuri had found out, Akon was sure to suffer his wrath.

There Veneno sat in his closet. He looked up when Akon returned, leaning his head out the open door. Akon sat down by the wall and started to eat what little food he managed to sneak in. He opened his mouth and puased, sensing someone staring at him. He looked to the side. Veneno was watching him with hungry eyes. Akon lowered his hand, looking back. "What?"

To no surprise, Veneno didn't answer.

Akon continued to stare at him. "What is it?"

Veneno's stomach answered for him. It made a strange gurgling sound like something being squeezed. This sensation was new to Veneno. It was possible that he couldn't tell its meaning.

"Are you hungry?" Akon looked down at the food in his hand. "Leave it to the Captain not to tell me if he needed to be fed or not. Damn… What if he came back only to discover that his little experiment starved to death? Fool." Akon tore off a piece of bread and held it out for Veneno. "Here."

He didn't move.

Did he not know how to eat? It was so basic. Perhaps he didn't know it was food.

Akon held up his piece of bread and tore off a piece in his teeth and chewed it nosily, with plenty of exaggerated movements to give Veneno the idea. "See? Like this. Eating. That's eating."

Veneno tilted his head to one side. Then he looked at the bread still being held out for him.

"You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" Akon rolled his eyes and picked up one of Veneno's hands, placing the piece of bread into his palm. "There. Now eat it. Surely you can do that."

Veneno looked at the bread. He looked up at Akon. He saw the remaining bread closed in his hand. Remembering what Akon had done a moment ago, Veneno imitated his actions, lifting the bread up to his mouth and taking a bite. He chewed it and swallowed.

Akon gave him a nod of approval and sat back, relieved. "You got it. Thank God. I didn't want to have to feed you, too."

Veneno's hand reached out and grabbed the bread Akon was still holding and shoved it in his mouth. Akon jumped aside and looked down. Veneno was stuffing as much food as he could into his mouth, eating it all. All Akon could do was stare.

"Hungry, huh?" Akon said after a moment. Seeing Veneno act like this reminded him of a hungry dog, unable to wait for his master to give him the food. Akon picked up the water he had brought down with him and held it out for Veneno. "Thirsty? Here."

This looked different to Veneno. This was clear and he couldn't touch it. With Akon's help, he managed to drink it all down. He sat back, panting. That was his first meal. Mayuri had no idea of knowing if he needed food or not so he had neglected to give him anything to survive. Akon gave him food and water. That strange unpleasant feeling in his stomach had stopped. He felt satisfied for the first time. It felt good.

Akon leaned against the wall with a sigh. "Looks like I'll have to wait 'til dinner before I can eat. Unless I can sneak off again… Thanks a lot." Every last piece of food he had smuggled down was now in Veneno's stomach.

When Akon looked at Veneno this time, he noticed something he hadn't seen before. Veneno was smiling.

Akon blinked. This was the first time Veneno had showed any signs of emotion. He was smiling at him. Akon grabbed the notebook and scribbled it down. Veneno watched him curiously.

Things were getting interesting for the both of them.

For the next couple of days, Akon kept a close eye on Veneno. Mayuri would come down whenever he had a chance to check up on them and look Veneno over. He would run some tests on him, but nothing too painful. He seemed to be trying to figure out how much Veneno knew. Veneno had improved over the past few days and had learned quite a few things. He was still mute, however. But he had learned how to stand up on his own and walk. It was like watching a baby taking its first steps. He learned quickly and was soon wandering around the lab. Thankfully, he didn't touch too many things and kept his hands to himself for the most part.

Mayuri gave Akon a change of clothes and ordered him to exchange them with what Veneno was wearing now. He also instructed Akon to start giving Veneno tasks to perform and take notes on how well he did them. They were simple tasks which most anyone could perform. Veneno was asked to bring things to them and move things around and carry boxes and bottles. They soon found that Veneno was extremely clumsy. Though he tried many times to complete the tasks given to him, he failed most of the time. When he reached for something on a table, his whole body would move forward, not just his arm, causing him to bump into the table and knock everything down. When he carried boxes, or at least tried to, his grip would fail and he would drop whatever he was carrying on the floor. Same thing went for bottles as well. They shattered on the ground every time they asked him to hold them in his hands.

As the one constantly cleaning up after him, Akon quickly came to resent Veneno. As he swept up Veneno's latest mess, he looked across the room at the man standing by a table. Veneno looked like he belonged in Squad 12 because of the uniform he was wearing. He was given a hakama to wear in addition to the lab coat he wore over his bare chest. The coat fit him like a shirt instead of how it was supposed to because he wasn't wearing anything under it. Mayuri never bothered to find him clothes that actually fit him. Even the hakama was too baggy for him. They had to hold it up with a rope, never able to find a belt for him instead. But Veneno never complained. Not that he could.

Thinking about everything that had happened so far, Akon came up with an idea now that Mayuri had left to his next appointment. "Hey, Veneno. Come here."

Veneno understood what they told him most of the time. He understood simple commands, such as 'come here' and 'go there' and 'stop'. He knew what his name was on the very first day. It seemed that he was a fast learner, but needed to be taught how to do almost everything. He even had to be shown how to eat solid foods, something which should have been instinctive.

Veneno stood in front of Akon. Akon handed him the mop he was using to clean the floor. "Clean this up," he told him. Veneno took the mop but didn't do anything else. "Clean. You know, clean?" Veneno stood there. Rolling his eyes, Akon showed him what to do. "Watch me and copy what I do, ok?"

The man with brown hair stood there and watched what Akon did. He pushed the mop over the mess on the floor. Then Akon handed him the mop again. He took Veneno's hands and placed them on the wooden stick and started to move his body for him, showing him what to do. When Akon let go, Veneno was still pushing the mop across the floor. He was cleaning.

"Good. Keep that up, ok?"

"Ok."

Akon's jaw dropped. "What did you just say?"

Veneno looked at him, still pushing the mop. "Ok."

"You can talk?!" This was Veneno's first word. He had never spoken until now. He felt around for the notebook but couldn't find it. "Where's my notebook?" He felt around in his pockets and in his jacket.

Veneno picked something up off a table and handed it to him. "Here."

Akon blinked. His second word. He slowly reached out and took the book handed to him. "Uh… thanks." He opened to one of the pages and started to write this down. Veneno looked at him curiously, the movements of his mop slowing. Akon then looked up at Veneno. Their eyes met. "So you can speak. Right?"

Veneno didn't say anything.

"Say 'ok'."

"Ok."

"So you can speak. I knew I wasn't imagining things. Can you say anything else?"

Veneno looked unsure. Did he not understand? Was that all he could say?

Akon moved closer and pointed at himself. "Do you know what my name is?"

He nodded.

"Tell me. What's my name?"

"Akon."

"Good. And what is your name?"

"My name..?"

"Yes. What is your name? Do you know?"

Veneno looked down. Did he not know? He lifted his head again and looked at Akon. "Veneno."

Akon nodded. "That's right. Very good."

For the second time, Akon saw Veneno smile. "My name is Veneno." He looked happy to be able to say that.

Akon smiled back at him. "That's right. Very good." He started to write this all down.

Veneno leaned forward, leaning on the mop in his hands. "What are you writing?"

Akon looked up. His vocabulary was larger than he realized. He could even ask questions and use words he hadn't been introduced to yet. Akon closed the book so Veneno wouldn't see what he was writing. He had no idea if Veneno could read either but wasn't about to risk him looking at the notes. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just keeping notes of things. Don't worry about it."

"Ok." The mop slipped out from under Veneno and he fell forward. Akon reached out and grabbed Veneno's arm, keeping him from hitting his head on the ground. Veneno sat there on his knees, still holding the mop in one hand. He blinked and looked up at Akon. The Third Seat helped him up. He brushed off Veneno's hakama and told him to be more careful. "Ok," he said again.

It had happened so fast that Akon had barely noticed any change. His mornings consisted of him making his commute to the lab deep underground after breakfast, if there was time, and then spending the entire day looking after Veneno. He would leave for lunch and bring some food back for Veneno to eat since Mayuri had neglected to do so on a number of occasions. After he had eaten, Veneno would return to his chores for the afternoon, which consisted of simple tasks such as moving things around carrying boxes and papers. He cleaned any mess he made, getting better as time went on. He wasn't very talkative but they made brief exchanges whenever they passed each other. Other than that, the only time Veneno ever heard Akon's voice was when he was giving him a new task to complete. He was very obedient. In fact, he seemed happy to do it. Then as night fell, Veneno's movements began to slow and he would be locked back into the closet for the night to rest. Then Akon would return to the barracks, get some dinner and then go straight to bed. In the morning he would do the same thing all over again. It had become a routine.

Slowly, Akon became aware of the changes in Veneno. He had become less clumsy and more talkative as time went on. Soon, he didn't have to be told what to do. He had fallen into a routine as well and knew what was expected of him. He could do his chores without having to be told. When he made a mess, he cleaned it without having to be told and knew how to clean the mess. He was a fast learner. In time, Akon almost looked forward to coming into the lab to watch him. He no longer had to do everything for him and could sit back and relax while he watched Veneno do everything. Veneno had learned how to dress himself days ago. He could walk and speak and eat and drink and do many other things unknown to him before with ease. Akon barely had to do a thing. All he had to do now was take notes.

Which may have been why he started to grow careless when he traveled to and from the lab. Veneno had expressed a curiosity for where Akon kept going to everyday when he wasn't in the lab. He almost always came back with food. Veneno was trained enough to know when things happened and what to do at certain times. He knew when Akon would leave and what he was expected to do during that time. He couldn't help but wonder where the food came from everyday.

Today, Akon told Veneno that he was leaving to get something to eat and instructed him to clean the tables while he was gone. Veneno agreed and set to work. He moved the things off the tables and wiped off the surface with a moist cloth. Then he placed the objects back on the tables. Today he didn't break a thing. He didn't spill anything or knock anything over so he didn't have to clean up any messes. He was finished within a few minutes. Now that his task was done, it was time for food. He turned around and faced the door to the lab. This was about the time Akon would return with something to eat. He had yet to return.

Veneno tilted his head to one side. When you called someone's name, they came. Perhaps if he called for him, he would come. "Akon." The door didn't open. Maybe he couldn't hear him. He moved closer to the door and called again a little louder. "Akon!" Still no one came.

He looked around the lab. Perhaps he should look for him. He had always wondered where the food was coming from. All he knew was that Akon brought it to him everyday. It had to be coming from somewhere. He moved across the lab and over to the steel door which Akon used everyday to come in and out of this room. Veneno put his hand on the handle and gave it a squeeze, he felt the latch inside the door shift and pulled the heavy door open with one good tug. Akon had neglected to lock the door like he always did when he left. He had grown careless.

Veneno stuck his head out the door and looked around. It was a dark, narrow hallway. To the right was a dead end. To his left was a staircase going up to another floor. He had never been outside the lab before and wanted to explore. His stomach growled. He always got his food around this time from Akon but he wasn't back yet to feed him. Motivated by hunger and thirst for adventure, Veneno stepped out into the hallway and started to move slowly toward the stairs. The tiled floor was the same as in the lab. So was the high ceiling. The familiarity gave him comfort on his journey. Once he reached the stairs, he began to notice a difference. He had never traveled up stairs before and these steps were made from something different than he was used to seeing. They were made of metal and made a strange hollow sound when stepped on. Wanting to explore, Veneno started up the stairs one step at a time. Every step echoed off the tall walls. It was a long way up. This was the farthest he had ever traveled. Veneno began to feel scared.

Once he reached the top of the long staircase, he wanted to turn back. He had no idea what was up here. He gulped, nervous. He started to hear voices and moved closer to where they were coming from. He traveled down another hallway and stopped. People were running from room to room carrying various objects around and talking loudly. He planted his back to the wall as a man passed him by carrying a tray of tools over to a strange-looking machine. Veneno had never seen so many people before. He only knew three people and they were the only ones who came into his lab. So there were others.

"One side."

Veneno moved out of the way as another man passed him by. This man looked different from Mayuri and Akon. He had dark skin and no horns. More people passed him by, each one different from the other. Some looked human and others did not. This was very exciting.

"You there, what are you doing standing around?"

Veneno turned around. A chubby man standing about chest height to himself was standing behind him, looking impatient. Veneno didn't know how to answer this man. "I was just looking around," he answered honestly.

"Well, enough of that. Here." The man shoved some tools into his arms and pointed down another hall. "Make yourself useful and take these to 713b, got it?"

"Uh…"

"Go! Move it! The Captain's got us all working around the clock on these damn projects. We need all the help we can get."

"Ok." Veneno was shoved down the hall, his heels dragging across the smooth surface of the floor and over to a room where several other people were working. They were all wearing the same outfit he was, only they fit them better. A man waved him over to a machine and Veneno went over to him. "Yeah?"

"Hand me a ratchet, would you?"

Veneno looked down at the objects in his arms. "Uh…"

"This one here." The man took the tool from the pile in his arms. "Are you new or something?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so."

"Well, learn fast or get lost, got it?"

"Got it."

Another man called him over to the corner of the room. "Hey, you! Come here! Quickly!"

Veneno turned on the ball of his foot and in no time found himself standing beside the man who called him. Veneno looked down at his legs. He had never moved that fast before. That was amazing! He looked at the man but he didn't seem to have noticed.

"Hand me that bottle in your hand and fetch me one of those over there."

Veneno turned his head and looked at the beaker on a shelf by a bookcase. After handing the man the bottle, he went and retrieved the beaker filled with blue liquid. He handed it to the man. The man started to lift it up to a vile of green puss. Veneno frowned, remembering something that happened to him in the lab when he had mixed those two things together. "But if you mix those, it will bubble and burn a hole in the wood."

"I know what I'm doing." He started to pour the mixtures together. On contact, it started to bubble and spill over the side of the beaker. "Whoa!" The man jumped back. Veneno shoved an empty glass under the bubbling goop, saving the table from being ruined. The man let the goop drip into the glass and looked up at Veneno. "Thanks for that."

"You're always doing that, you klutz. Next time the guy tells you it's gonna blow, listen to him!" another man yelled from across the room.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry."

"Hey, you." Veneno turned around and found a stack of papers being shoved into his face. "Set those things down and takes these reports to the lab upstairs. And be quick about it."

"Ok." Veneno set the things down and took the papers in their place, leaving the room. He just had to go to the lab upstairs. And to be quick about it. He looked down at his legs, deciding to try that thing again. He bent his knees and sprang up. In a flash he found himself on the other side of the hall by a staircase. Smiling, he flashed up the stairs, moving quicker than the eye could see. He reached the lab upstairs and found even more people rushing around like a swarm of cockroaches. "I… was asked to deliver these," he said holding up the papers.

Someone snatched them out of his hand. "Thanks."

Another man handed him more papers. "Take these and deliver them over there."

"Ok." Veneno flashed away again and reappeared on the other side of the room. "Do I give these to you?" he asked a man near a computer.

"No," he answered. "You take them in there." He pointed into a room to the right.

"Ok." Veneno went into the room and looked around. There were so many computers in this place. Some were small and others stretched to the ceiling. "Um… where do I put these?" he asked, the papers becoming heavy in his hands.

"I get them. Thanks." A woman took the papers from him and over to a computer. "You many go now. Oh, wait, wait." She pulled something out of a pile near her desk. "Take this to Third Seat Akon, ok?"

Now that person he knew. "Ok!" So these people knew who he was, too. That was amazing. He flashed out of the room, retracing his steps. When he made it to the staircase leading down to the lab where he first started, a hand reached out and grabbed him. "Ah!" he yelped and tried to get a look at who it was.

"What are you doing out here?!" Akon said in a very loud whisper.

Even though Akon's tone was angry, Veneno greeted him with a smile, happy to see him. "Hi, Akon!"

"What are you doing outside of the lab?" he asked again.

"You weren't back so I wanted to look…" He noticed the horrified expression on Akon's face. "What's wrong?"

Akon dragged Veneno down the stairs and back into the lab, slamming the door shut and locking it. Akon never let go of his hold on Veneno's sleeve. After running a hand through his short dark hair, he turned to Veneno and asked, "Did anyone see you?"

"Well… Yeah."

Akon didn't look pleased with his answer.

"They wanted me to help so I did."

Again, Akon didn't look pleased by his answer.

"Did I do something wrong?"

He let out a sigh. "You weren't supposed to leave the lab without me knowing about it, ok?"

"Why?"

"Because…" Akon didn't know how to answer that. He couldn't tell Veneno the real reason why. He had to come up with something. "Because… it's dangerous out there and you might get hurt or hurt someone by accident. Ok?"

"Oh. Ok. Sorry." Veneno looked really upset. Akon didn't mean to upset him. He was sensitive to other's emotions, it seemed. Suddenly, Veneno held something up. "I was asked to give it to you."

"Oh?" Akon took the paper from Veneno and read it. "Oh, this thing…" he sighed. "Since I'm doing other things, I haven't been around to help them out. I have to fill this out."

Akon noticed the sad expression on Veneno's face and tried to think of a way to fix this. He looked over at the table and knew how to take Veneno's mind off of things.

"I'm not mad at you, Veneno. Just worried. But hey, look. I got some food for you."

Veneno's eyes widened and he looked over at the table. Grinning from ear to ear, he flashed over to it and started eating.

Akon's jaw dropped when he saw what Veneno had done. It looked like he had used a flash-step. "How long have you been able to do that?" he asked, shocked.

"Hm?" Veneno asked, in the middle of a bite. "I just did it a few minutes ago when I was up there. They told me to hurry up so I kind of did it. Is that ok?"

Akon nodded, taking out his notebook. "No, no. That's fine. That's great. Good job. Uh… just a second." He scribbled it down in his notes. Veneno had never displayed that ability before.

Veneno shoved the rest of the food into his mouth and looked around at the lab. Now that he was finished eating, he had more tasks to complete. He looked at Akon, swallowing. "What should I do now?"

"Huh? Oh. Um…" All these tasks were meaningless aside from learning how Veneno performed. These chores were just a test of his motor skills, his ability to follow directions among other things. "Uh… why don't you bring that jar over to this table right here, alright?"

"Ok." Veneno got up and went over to a shelf. "Which one?"

"The, uh… the one with the lizard inside."

"Ok." Veneno picked up the jar in both hands and started to walk it over to Akon. He stopped. He looked down at the tiny creature floating in the glass jar. It looked like it was frozen in terror. Or pain. It wasn't moving. This pose didn't look natural. Veneno lifted the jar to his face, getting a better look.

This creature. This jar. It seemed so familiar to him. A tiny creature in a jar. Trapped. On a shelf. In the dark. In a lab.

Veneno's temple started to sting slightly. Then a dull throbbing pain spread throughout his head. Veneno had never felt pain like this before. Was this pain? It felt strange. The pain was getting worse.

Akon looked up from his notes and saw Veneno standing unusually still. He was holding the jar close to his face, frowning. "Veneno?"

"Huh?" He looked away from the jar, now looking at Akon.

"Are you ok?"

"I… yes." Remembering his task, Veneno took the jar over to Akon and set it down on the table. "My head felt a little funny."

"Still?" Akon looked concerned.

"Not really. It went away." Veneno looked worriedly at Akon who hadn't stopped staring at him. "Am I ok?"

After a moment, Akon nodded his head and looked back at his notes. Then he looked at the animal trapped within the jar sitting on the table, inches from Veneno's hand. "Yeah," he said slowly. He stared at the jar. "I'm sure it's nothing."

Dun-dun-DUN!

Things are starting to happen.

Please review! ^-^