Disclaimer: I don't own GW; wish I did though!
Author Notes: Mou…dun be mad! I'm sorry! So many projects piled up at once! I had three papers to write, so I was drained and still am. Only two more weeks and I'm free! Free I tell you! Well…by the time I'm done writing this chapter, it'll probably be one week left. –Sigh- Don't lose faith though. This will be completed. I am upset however, coz I can't get into Media miner. It's always busy or something. Do any of you know if that site is having problems, or maybe it's just me? Anyways, that's about it. Thanks for the reviews you guys! Now on to the fic!
The old man walked down the stairs and headed for the two youths. An irritated frown graced his features. In only a matter of moments, he had reached the two and stopped- studying them. Without warning, he reached out and smacked them both on the back of their heads before huffing.
" First of all, you two should be working, not comparing muscles. I don't pay you to do that. Secondly, Char if you throw one more of my instruments, no matter how primitive, I will slowly and guiltlessly kill you. Thirdly and most importantly Duo- I am not a doctor. I am a professor. Do not put me on the same level as J. I consider myself higher, smarter, and better looking than that bafoon!"
Ash looked in shock as G went so far as to puff up his chest proudly. After all this sunk in, he burst out with a hearty chuckle, not believing his own ears.
~ Oh man, Heero would have a coronary if he heard that! Heh…J would too. ~
Char looked on shaking his head at the man.
" My my, aren't we full of ourselves today."
Before G could catch hold of him, he had darted to the side and was now making his exit.
" I'll let you guys talk a bit. I've got crap to do you know! See ya later Ash. See ya- ya old fart!"
With that, he was gone- leaving a grumpy professor and an amused ex-pilot behind. Left alone, the atmosphere seemed to be drained of its merriment, and so- Duo sobered up. Putting on a smirk, Duo turned his attention back to G, whom was looking at him intensely.
" So what can I do for you G?"
G gave a slight smile and his eyes held a glint.
" Ah, you've got it all wrong boy. I came to say what I could do for you."
The old man turned and walked out, calling to him over his shoulder.
" Follow me."
It didn't take long for Duo to catch up. The old man was acting weird, and he'd be damned if he didn't find out why. His anxiousness was not in vain, because G had led him to his private lab, where his tests were conducted. The doors slid open to allow them in, and closed silently once they were.
Violet eyes traced over the room as they had hundreds of times before. It looked just as it had last week. Then, the eyes came to rest on the professor, who was now motioning for him to come into one of his test labs. Quickly, he went in, not knowing what to expect.
Inside, he had the surprise of his life. In front of him were about 15 cages. In ten of those cages, there was a chimpanzee sitting there calmly.
" What the hell is this?"
G shook his head and snorted softly.
" What does it look like fool? They're chimpanzees."
" I know that! What I want to know is why there are chimps locked up in here."
G smirked, letting his yellowed teeth show. Walking past Duo, he went up to one of the cages and tapped on an I.D card attached to the bars.
" You see these? These are tags that allow me to keep track of each of them. Almost all of them are around the age of four and five. Originally, there were 15 of them, but not any more. You see, before you moved, I had had them. I'd injected the L2 virus in them and had let it develop as yours had. Now, for the past years I've been trying to create a cure for SP, and it wasn't until recently that I found something."
G paused, letting the boy take it all in. He wanted his discovery to really sink in. He wanted to give his student hope again.
" I thought it to only be fair that you got to see the first testing of the cure for Shimuteki Pesuto. If all goes well, with no side affects, then…"
Nothing more needed to be said. The room was quiet, seeing as it was closed off from the main lab. The smell was sterile despite the presence of the animals, not to mention the humans. It seemed as if everything weighed on Duo's reactions.
His deep breathing made the air feel heavy; with what- I don't know. His stillness made the room seem so much busier, when nothing else was moving except from the occasional flick of a chimp's fingers. It was as if they were underwater- and time was running out. They needed to breathe!
Professor G found himself sitting from the pressure of the tension. Rarely, he was unnerved- but when he was, he'd admit it. He shifted.
" Let's see what this something can do then ne?"
Suddenly, the room came back to life, and the old man let out his breath.
" Alright Duo, wait here. I'll go get the experiment."
~ Why won't he just call me Ash? Sheesh! Is it so hard? ~
G left Duo standing amongst the caged animals. As soon as he was sure he was alone, Duo sat down on a stool, letting his hand come up to support his head. This wasn't real…was it? Could there truly be a chance for him to live? Could he hope?
He closed his eyes and sighed lightly before giving a sad smile. How easily he let his hopes rise. Perhaps G had found something…but to go so far as to say it was a cure…
Duo jumped as the swung open.
" Here we go. You ready to start?"
Grunting, he jumped up and watched as the professor approached the cages. The balding man stopped in front of the second one and brought his hand up. A previously hidden needle glinted against the lights and the green liquid within seemed to glow.
" Ok, listen closely. I'm going to inject her with this liquid, and we'll leave her overnight to see the results. In the morning I'll check for any signs of the virus and any side effects. If everything's clear…well you know the rest."
Duo nodded.
Without any further words, G brought the chimp's arm up to him and swiftly gave her the shot. It was over in a second, and Duo could only blink as the scientist pushed him out of the lab.
" No use waiting in here boy. Go on and finish your shift. Don't think you got out of work so easily."
Duo groaned. You'd think the old man would let him rest after hearing such news. Oh no- he was going back to his hard, laborious, backbreaking job. Well, perhaps that was an exaggeration, but it still sucked!
With a shake of his head, Duo turned and left the main lab to go to other parts of the building.
~ S'not like I have something better to do I guess… ~
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" Goodnight Chris. I'll see you tomorrow!"
" Goodnight Mr. Sumitt. Thank you for giving me this chance. I can't thank you enough!"
The older man of the two laughed.
" Yes you can; and no problem. Everyone needs their chance to advance. Tonight's your night. Make sure everything goes fine tonight and that there are no disturbances. A simple security job is all it is. Do a good job and you might be looking at a raise or even a promotion! Word says that the Professor is especially concerned with tonight's security. He supposed to be working on some experiment with that pilot kid. Whatever it is, don't worry about it. Just concentrate on your job okay?"
" Yes sir!"
The older man patted the tech/ security guard's shoulder.
" You'll do okay. Relax. You won't be here alone. Char's staying late too."
" You mean Mr. Richard?"
" Yeah, Char. Anyways, goodnight kid."
" Goodnight Sir."
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The tech sighed. The night had been a long one. He was now walking down the darkened hallway, making his way to the main lab. It wasn't necessary for him to actually enter it, but curiosity and boredom had gotten to him.
As he entered, he brushed a blonde bang from his eyes, or rather his glasses, so as to get a better look. It seemed as if the place was empty, save for the lights coming from one particular lab.
Telling himself that this could be considered suspicious, he made his way over. It was a quick and silent walk, not to mention uneasy. Something in the air made him anxious. It was as if something was off.
When he reached his destination, he saw the cause. There, inside a cage, lay a dead chimpanzee. Blood trailed from its mouth and its eyes were rolled to the back of its head. Its body was splayed all across the bottom bars of the cage lifelessly.
Gasping in horror, the tech stepped back. Had an intruder done this? There were no noises…but he was on the other side of the building.
He clenched his fists nervously yet angrily at the same time. How could he have been so stupid? He should have come to the lab sooner! No he was going to be fired for his stupidity; forget the raise! It all went so wrong. What would he say once they found out?
He threw a nervous side-glance at the chimp.
~ B-but perhaps they don't have to find out. Maybe…he could hide it. They had some other chimps in the animal lab didn't they? ~
He smiled. Of course! He could change the chimps, and no one would be the wiser!
Quickly, he checked the cage tag for information.
Lab Specimen # 2
Gender: Female
Age: 4
Habitat: EarthWith swiftness he never knew, the young man went to get a proper substitute. After he got the replacement, he'd worry about cleaning the cage and disposing of the body. But first…
…As he made his way back, chimp in his arms, he found himself bumping into another. The chimp shifted a bit, but stayed relatively quiet. The tech, however, was a different case. The man nearly screamed as he found himself face to face with the manager, Char.
" M-Mr. Richard!"
The other man held an amused look on his face.
" What'cha got there Chris?"
" I-It's just a chimp the Professor asked me to bring into the lab. I just remembered a few moments ago…so that's what I'm doing Sir."
Chris waited tensely, thinking that the younger man wouldn't buy his story. Amazing that his boss was only 19 while he on the other hand was going on 29.
He started as the other man smiled.
" Alright then. You need any help?"
" N-No, but thanks. Goodnight Sir."
" G'night Chris."
With that each man left his separate way, and the night was still once more.
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Duo yawned as he stepped into the lab once more. G had called him over, saying that it was time to show him the results. Currently, the said man was giving a small smile, which was a very rare sight indeed. Before he could say anything about it, the balding scientist spoke.
" We've found you a cure Duo."
He couldn't help it when his eyes bugged out, nor when his mouth fell open, giving him a fish look.
" I've run tests over her several times and each time the results are the same. She's completely healthy. It's as if the disease never existed within her. No side effects have occurred either. It's as if she's a completely different chimpanzee!"
Duo took a moment to process what was being said to him. It was a concept that he had long given up on. Surely he wasn't wrong? Surely he was going to die?
He looked at the doctor, watching his lips move silently.
…But G wouldn't lie. G didn't give false hope. So…he was telling the truth. There was a cure. He had a cure…
Professor G blinked, stunned as the young pilot, now known as Ash, hugged him. It wasn't playful as expected; rather it was warm, caring, and…emotional! This was something he had not felt since his childhood! What a shock it was to his old body!
Gently, he pushed the boy back and gave a sincere smile, which really did hurt his face. It's not like he contorted his face like that everyday.
" So what will you do now Duo? Do you want to try the cure?"
The chestnut-haired youth grinned, his eyes slightly moist.
" You bet your saggy ass I do!"
Rolling his eyes the old man came over to Duo, needle in hand.
" Stand still for a minute will you."
Doing as he was told, Duo watched as G pushed the needle into his flesh and injected the cool liquid within his bloodstream. Afterwards, the needle was pulled out, and G stepped back.
Duo stood there, looking at him blankly, and not a sound was uttered. All of the sudden, the boy screamed. He did it repeatedly, each scream sounding more painful than the last. He crashed to the floor, going into seizure. His mouth was foaming now, and he was still screaming. He was still screaming!
Nearby workers rushed in to see the commotion. Quickly, G instructed the to grab a hold of the youth until he calmed down. It took seven workers to hold him as he thrashed about violently. A thin line of blood ran from his lips down the side of his face. His lips themselves were turning a bluish color as they opened once more to let out an ear-piercing scream…
What seemed like an eternity of horror was actually only five minutes. Duo's cries had become fainter now, and some he gurgled. His eyes no longer saw, and he could feel nothing but pain. It was only after a few more struggles that he lay still, his eyes finally closing.
~ It was too good to be true… ~
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OwariWOOT! I finished another chapter! Finally!!! I can't apologize enough for the wait, but again, gomen nasai! I got Finals in 2 days! WAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! The HORROR!!
…On a lighter note, let me explain Duo's name. Everyone but himself and G call Duo Ash. That's why it kept changing like that. Char switches between the names though. Oh, and I dunno if I told you, but Duo looks different in this fic. I'll explain later on. Chapters should be up quicker. Give me a week or two and I'll see. I'm supposed to be going away to a summer art came on June 16, so I'm not sure. Savor this long chapter! I wrote it for you guys!!!
A thanks goes out to my reviewers, readers, and supporters!!!!! A special thanks to Emily Hato and Kentra for bullying me into finishing this! (Way to make a girl feel guilty –sigh-)
That's it for now. Until next chapter, ja ne!