Chapter 8
My
Beloved Monster
------------------
Author's Note: Okay,
I noticed that a lot of you like to review on the first chapter.
That's fine, but I might pass you when answering reviews. So, if you
would like for me to reply to your reviews, please review the latest
chapter, thanks. So, without further introduction, here are your
reviews:
Brax: Well, I'm glad you
like my story so far. Thanks for reading. And......interesting
insight.....but none of that will happen. Sorry.
Amazon:
I updated again! Yay!
Seravy: Interesting name. Glad
you like the story. ^^
Jesscheaux: Hey, girlfriend!
Haven't heard from ya for a while. I'll do my best with the tech of
absorbing. There'll be a lot of that this chapter.
Suiceene:
Wow, a lot of people are asking me the same question. Well, there is
certainly going to be some problems with absorbing 17 and 18. Why
don't you read on and find out?!
Aymei: Whoa, this is a
big review. I'm glad I gave you a good laugh. Sorry I didn't update
soon enough. I'll try harder next time.
Goten's girl:
LOL! That's so cute!
D.M. : Thanks for the idea.
Sara:
Glad you liked it.
Shasta And Co: ......I don't have a
candy ass......and thanks for the complements. Uh...so, why do people
threaten others to keep writing fanfics?
Axis Rivkahson
Battousai: A Ruroni Kenshin fan? Nice to meet you. I'm sorry I
didn't update soon enough, but here ya go.
Heafuru: Hi,
thanks for reading my story. I'm sorry for not updating soon enough,
I know it's been months. Here you go, I hope this satifies you.
^^
raven: Cheer up, I've updated. And you can't absorb
me, silly, or I'll never finish this fic. ^^
Demonic SSJ
BRolly: Well, here's the next fic. Does that answer your
question? ^^ As for your request......sorry, no Z guys in this
fic.
Juu Juu 2003: Thank you very much. And if you do
write that fic, let me know. I'd love to read it!
^^
----------------------------
Last time:
Gero
remained absolutely silent, about to lose his cool and his
concentration.
'Two more fighters......two more
fighters........two more fighters.....'
He glared over at 17
and 18 for a "push the button" threat, when he took his
first good look at them. Although they were bickering like a married
couple, Gero pointed out the qualities in each of them. Both were
very strong, thought quickly in battle, had powerful artificial ki,
and an everlasting power source............
He turned away
from them with a smile.........and he started to chuckle.........
"I
do believe I have found the answer to all my problems......" he
said to himself, typing in new calculations to his computer.
".......and I can kill two birds with one
stone......."
-------------------------------------
((Song:
"Never Ever" by Ayumi Hamasaki, "My Beloved Monster"
Opening Theme))
itsuka ha umareru mae kara kitto
kawaranai
mono sagashitsudzukete ha
mitsukete ushinatte toki ni
hito
wo kizu tsuketa yoru mo atta
moshimo tatta hitotsu dake negai
ga kanau nara
moshimo tatta hitotsu dake negai ga kanau
nara
kimi ha nani wo inoru
kono sora ni kimi ha nani wo
inoru
--Translation--
Sometime, surely before I was
born,
I was searching for something unchanging.
I'd
find it, and lose it, and sometimes
there were nights where I
hurt people.
If just one of your wishes could come true,
If
just one of your wishes could come true,
what would you wish
for?
What would you wish for, here, under this
sky?
-----------------------------------
Over the next
couple of days, 17 noticed his sister and 21 were becoming closer to
each other. They were usually hanging out in the same room, talking
about whatever, mostly enjoying each other's company. They seemed
perfectly content with being with each other.
It almost made
17 sick, but he ignored it.
Gero will lose interest in that
mistake, and get rid of it. 18 will forget all about it....
Life
went on in the bunker, until one
day........
-----------------------------------
"21!"
Gero called into the living room. He saw 21 and 18 sitting on the
couch together, talking.
".....been outside, 18?"
"Once
or twice. Gero doesn't let us out much. We're a secret weapon or
something like that, and he doesn't want anyone to see us. Hey,
you've never been outside before, have you?"
"No."
"Maybe
I can sneak you out sometime......"
"But.......but
going outside without permission is......"
"Yeah.
But Gero won't let you out. It's not fair that you've never seen
sunlight before....."
Gero gritted his teeth, then stood
straight and cleared his throat.
"Ahem!"
21
turned sharply around to see Gero, and stood up on
instinct.
"Doctor! Oh....uh.....did you need
something?"
"Siddown, 21." 18 insisted. "He
just wanted to end the conversa....."
"21,"
Gero said firmly, "I want you down in the lab.
Immediately."
"Very well." 21 agreed, blinking
in surprise. Wondering what Gero would want with him, 21 just headed
for the lab. 18 stood up.
"What's up?" she
asked.
Gero smiled at her.
"I found out how to
make him perfect."
18's face lit up in
happiness.
"Really?! That's wonderful! I knew you could
do it, doctor!"
"Of course!" Gero beamed. "I
can do anything, and you should know that." He then put on a
serious look. "Unfortunantly, you won't be seeing 21 for a few
days."
18 blinked.
"Can't I just visit him in
the lab?"
"No." Gero shook his head. "I'm
sealing off the lab until I have completed the upgrades. This is
going to take my full concentration."
18 nodded in
understanding.
"Alright. Just don't take too long."
"I
will try not to." Gero assures, then walks away.
18 sat
back down and smiled.
"How exciting. Finally, 21 will be
perfect, and the old man can get off the poor guy's
back."
-----------------------------------
Only
Gero, 21, and 19 were in the lab.
"Seal off the lab, 19."
Gero ordered. 19 nodded, and punched the command on the door console.
The doors swung shut, and the hum of the electro-magnetic locks
echoed into the room.
"Why are you locking the door?"
21 asked.
"So that 17 and 18 won't screw this up."
Gero answered, powering up the culture tank. "You know how they
are, trying to ruin everything that I do."
".........."
21 lowered his head as 19 got out the surgecial tools from a
cabnet.
"Now, now, 21.......you don't want those punks to
forever ruin your chances of being perfect, now do you?"
21
shook his head violently.
"Good." Gero nodded. "Now,
this is what is going to happen for the next couple of days. You will
sit in the vat for one day, letting your skin soak in the additional
proteins and mierals the new DNA is going to need. Afterward, I will
have to operate on you to get rid of any android machinery in your
body."
21's hands went directly to his head. His computer
brain was up there, and Gero was going to TAKE IT OUT?!
"But....."
21 studdered, feeling like he was about to cry.
"But.....doctor......my......you...."
"You have
no reason to worry." Gero assured. "When you are perfect,
you will be completely organic. No mechanics in your body whatsoever.
You will have a real brain." He smiled. "Also, you won't
have to worry about limited energy. Your power source will be
everlasting, just like 17 and 18."
"............"
21 was confused and afraid. He didn't know what to think. Gero led
him to the tank and placed him inside. After the bio-android was
completely submerged, Gero released the extra protein into the water
along with a tranquelizer. 21 went to sleep in a few minutes.
Gero
then walked over to 19, arranging the surgecal tools.
"We'll
need everything at our disposal." he ordered his helper android.
"We'll take him out of the tank in two hours, and begin building
the absorbion canal in his back."
"What?!" 19
squeaked in horror. "But you told him......"
"I
told him all of that to keep him calm." Gero lied. "Now
arange the equipment, quickly. We both have a lot of work to do
today."
19 did as he was told, but wanted to know what
was happening.
"Doctor, what are you going to do to 21?
Are you going to kill him?"
"Of course not."
Gero huffed. "What a stupid question. I am going to make him
perfect. You see, 19, the last two individuals needed for 21's
perfection are none other than 17 and 18. We are preparing him for
the DNA transfer."
"If we needed their DNA, why
couldn't you draw blood from them?"
"Oh, no, 19. We
can't do that." Gero shook his head. "I have a much better
method that won't need blood. We just need both
androids.......whole."
"I don't understand."
"Never
mind." Gero insisted. "Forget I said anything. Have you got
the tools ready?"
"You mentioned installing
something in his back............should I get the hollower?"
"Yes,
yes, good. Some bones will be hollowed out, yes...."
19
did as he was told, silently.
Only something of catastrofic
proportions could come from
this........
-----------------------------------
tsuyoku
hoshigaru kimochi no soba de
dokoka akirame oboehajimete
ha
mitsukete tebanashite toki ni
jibun wo kizu tsuketa
yoru mo atta
moshimo kimi ni sashidaseru mono ga aru to
sureba
moshimo kimi ni sashidaseru mono ga aru to
sureba
kawaranu tashika na omoi
--Translation--
Despite
my strong desire,
I started giving up.
I'd find it,
release it, and sometimes
there were nights when I hurt
myself.
If there were something I could give to you,
If
there were something I could give to you,
It would be my
unchanging, certain
thoughts.
-----------------------------------
An entire
week went by.
17 noticed that 18 had grown very quiet, and
kept to herself. She didn't talk to him at all.
Only natural.
Gero and 19 locked themselves in the lab with 21, there was no one
else to talk to at all.
He had tried to get her to say
something several times.
"Let's go break into that lab
and see what they're doing."
"........" would
be 18's reply.
"I could go for one of Gero's beers. How
about you?"
"........"
"Wanna skip
outside and scare wild animals? C'mon, 18, it'll be
fun!"
"........"
".........wanna go
shopping for clothes?"
"........"
For an
entire week, nothing felt like a good idea to 18.
At the end
of the very quiet week, 17 had enough.
"Look." he
said roughly to his sister, who was sitting on the edge of her bed.
"I know you miss him, and Gero said it would take a while. So,
stop being so moody about it."
"........" 18
stared down at her boots, not saying anything. 17 groaned, and sat on
his bed.
"Just answer me. You're in love with him, aren't
you?"
"........." 18 hesitated.
Then,
she nodded her head.
"So, cut out the brooding already.
You'll see him again, okay?"
"........."
"Geez,
you're impossible." 17 groaned, getting up and walking out. He
slammed the door behind him, leaving 18 to
herself.
".........."
Yes.......
Yes,
I do love him.......
I'm so worried about him.......
I
just can't shake the feeling that something is
wrong......
".........."
Then, 17 burst
into the room, followed by Gero calling them.
"18!"
17 called. "It's Gero. He says he's done!"
18 looked
up in shock, then pushed past 17 to get out the door and headed for
the lab. He was right behind her.
"I knew that would do
it." 17 smirked to himself.
He was eager to see how 21
turned out himself.
-----------------------------------
honno
sukoshi demo waratte kureru nara
mada koko ni ikiru imi mo aru
yo ne
honno sukoshi demo motomete kureru nara
mada koko
ni ikiru koto yurusareru kana
--Translation--
If
you'll laugh for me, even just a little,
then there's still a
reason for me to live here.
If you'll search for me, even just
a little,
then maybe my living here will be
forgiven.
-----------------------------------
Gero
ushered them to the lab, standing just outside the lab doors. He
insisted 17 and 18 walk in first.
"You two missed him so
much." Gero said, waving his hand to the door. "You both
deserve some time alone with him."
18 nodded, heading in
first. 17 trailed in behind her.
"Where's 19?" 17
asked. Gero frowned at him.
"He's in my chambers,
cleaning up. Now, go on. I'm sure you're dying to see 21."
17
nodded, then walked into the lab. He almost bumped in 18, who had
stopped directly in front of him.
"Something's wrong."
she said, looking around.
"Huh?" 17 scratched his
head.
Then, the lab doors slammed shut, and the
electro-magnetic lock started to hum. 17 instintively ran for the
doors and tried to bust them open with his shoulder.
"What
the hell?!" 17 shouted. "He locked us
in!"
"17....."
"What?!" He
whipped his head over to her. He then got his first good look around
the room. Everything had been picked up and placed in its proper
drawer or container. Nothing, not even blueprints, were left about.
The main computer also had on a protective titanium shield so that
nothing could get to it.
The lab, which was supposed to be
messy and strewn with lab intraments was spotless.
"This
is messed up." 17 shook his head. "What is Gero
thinking?!"
Then, 18 picked up faint sobbing from a
corner of the lab. She walked over to investigate.
He was
sitting in the corner, facing the wall, hugging his knees to him. His
tail was thrashing around on the floor like an angry cobra about to
strike. 18 froze upon seeing him.
"21?!"
17
peeked over her shoulder, and narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, he
doesn't look any different to me. What the hell is Gero
thinking?!"
21 moved his head a little, then quickly
moved it back to where he had it, crying.
18 moved closer to
him, careful to avoid his tail. His syringe seemed to be sharper and
longer than she remembered it to be. She knelt next to him, and put
her hands on his shoulders.
"21......."
He
swallowed back a sob.
"Quick......." he choaked.
"Get away....."
"What?"
"Get
away from me......quickly......I can't look at you....."
18
grew concerned.
"Why not, 21? What's wrong?"
"I......"
he tried to say. The words couldn't bring themselves out of his
throat. They were stuck. They were just too horrible to say with his
own voice.
"What did that bastard Gero do to you?!"
17 demanded. "I'll kill him!"
Suddenly, 21 whipped
his head over to 17, staring him in the face. 21's eyes were glowing
red, and he stood up slowly. 18 backed away from him, now
frightened.
"21....."
21 suddenly smiled at
17, a very cold, evil smile. He started walking towards 17, never
taking his eyes off the android. 17 got nervous and backed
away.
"21......what are you doing? Why are you looking at
me like that? You look like you're going to eat me or
something......."
21 chuckled, a very low, evil chuckle.
He kept walking, swinging his tail over his shoulder and pointing the
syringe in the direction of 17's throat. 18 stood up in alarm.
"21,
what are you doing?!"
17 narrowed his eyes at the
bio-android in suspicion.
"Wait a minute.........you
wouldn't suddenly want to pick a fight with me, that's not like you.
It's Gero, isn't it?! He programmed something weird in you, didn't
he?! Why is he making you do this?!"
"To be
perfect." 21 said in a low voice, a voice that didn't sound much
like his at all. "To be perfect......I need
you.......dead."
Then, 21 lunged. 17 got out the way and
bumped into the wall. 21 turned to him in a flash, and snarled. 17
got a good view of 21's razor sharp fangs before leaping out of the
way again. This time, 21's head smashed into the metal wall, and he
growled in pain. 17 ran to another corner of the room and took a
defensive position.
18 backed into the opposite corner and
watched in horror.
"21?! What are you doing?! Stop!"
If
he heard her, he didn't respond. He stood back up, rubbing his head,
and staring right at 17 with an angry hiss.
"What the
hell is your problem?!" 17 yelled. "Alright, so I lied to
you about 18, but that doesn't mean you......URK!"
While
he was talking, 21 suddenly flew at the android and pinned him to the
wall by his throat with one hand. 17 brought his feet up and closed
them around 21's neck to strangle him out of the grip. It was a
failure; 21's neck was too thick.
18 decided to jump into the
action, pulling 21's arm away from 17's neck with both her hands. It
took all her strength to move his arm a little.
"21.....stop
it! Please, stop!"
He turned his head to her with a
snarl, and whipped his tail at her. She was knocked to the other
wall, and she dropped on her bottom.
"18!" 17
yelled, then he struggled fiercely, kicking at 21's face and pounding
on the bio-android's wrist. "You bastard! No one does that to my
sister and gets away with it!"
21's tail raised over his
head and pointed at 17's face. 17 then grew afraid. Gero had
reconfigured 21 to kill him and 18!
He wanted to live! He
wanted 18 to live!
17 fought back harder with his feet,
gripping 21's wrist to try and wrestle it off his throat. It seemed
to have no avail........
........then, 17's heal came down on
21's right eye. The android screamed in pain, letting go of 17. 17
dropped to his behind as 21's tail stabbed into the wall instead of
his face. 17 got up and ran to 18 in worry as 21 held his injured
eye.
"18, are you alright?!"
He noticed she
was frozen, and staring at something by her right hand. He looked,
and he froze too.
It was 19's severed head, and parts
remaining from his mechanicle body.
"Oh God....." 17
gasped, then he looked up at 21. The monster was glaring at the both
of him, his right eye webbed with black veins and starting to water.
He hissed at them, showing his fangs and flat teeth. 17 stood back up
as 21 started walking towards them.
"I can't believe Gero
did this to you!" he yelled. "You wouldn't do this to me
and my sister, you're too soft! That old bastard programmed you to
kill us, didn't he?!"
21 didn't respond, and just kept
walking towards them. He pointed his tail at 17 again, making the
android flinch.
"21," 18 shouted at her friend,
"please snap out of it! It's us!"
He ignored her.
The syringe on his tail suddenly expanded and opened up into a
funnel. 17 backed against the wall in fear. He did not want to know
what that funnel was for.
18 stood up and rushed to 21 in
desperation.
"21, please! Don't do it!"
He
just knocked her aside with his hand and continued walking towards
17. The android moved along the wall, away from 21, until he was
backed into a corner.
"Oh, that does it!" he shouted
at 21, trying to be menacing while in complete terror. "That's
the last time you......" He gulped before he could continue.
".......hit my sister. I'll make sure.......you.....pay for
that......" 21's funnel was beginning to rise over 17's head,
and 17 just spat things out in fear and anger. "YOU TRAITOR! YOU
SELL OUT! YOU MONSTER!"
21 suddenly froze with a gasp,
and backed away in fear. His eyes stopped glowing and retained their
pink color. The funnel shrank back into a syringe, and his tail
drooped down to the ground. Blinking at 17, he quickly swung himself
into a squat, covering his eyes and curling his tail around his
feet.
He just completely changed in a split second.
"What
are you waiting for?!" he shouted at 17. "Get out of
here........before I hurt you both! Please, go! Hurry!"
"What
in....?!" 17 blinked. 18 got up and rushed back to 21's
side.
"21?! Are you alright? What happened, you suddenly
started attacking us....."
21 breathed in heavily in
realization, then he looked at 18 for a split second before latching
onto her with both hands and sobbed onto her shirt. Confused, but
wanting to be comforting, she hugged him to her.
17 calmed
himself down and started thinking seriously about what was going on.
The attack started when 17 spoke up, and stopped when he shouted
something......
He looked at 18, crossed his arms, and hissed
at her with a "pssst!" to get her attention. 21 kept crying
as she looked up at her brother. They communicated through eye
contact.
--He was set off in psyco mode with my voice, and
stopped by......I'm not sure.....--
--A password, 17. Gero has
done this before. Some of his earlier androids went into attack mode
and back to normal by a verbal password. I guess he programmed
something like that into 21......--
--So......whatever I said
set him off, and something else I said shut him down?--
--Yeah,
something like that.......--
--You better ask him, then. I'll
just stay quiet and stay outta sight.--
--Okay.--
Ending
a conversation that lasted only a fraction of a second, 17 headed
into the dark corner 21 was first spotted in. 18 raised 21's head so
she could look him in the face.
"21....." She
paused, seeing that tears were streaking down his face and dripping
onto her shirt and jeans. His injured eye was looking a little
better.
What is it like to cry?
".....what
happened to you? You just tried to kill 17, and you wouldn't even
listen to......"
"The doctor." 21 answered,
wiping his tears away. "He.......I don't know what he did to
me.........but........he said I needed the two of you to be perfect.
He said........I would know what to do the minute I saw and heard
you........" He choaked back another sob, and muttered
something.
"What?!" 18 asked. "Can you say that
to me?"
"I think....." 21 breathed as more
tears went down his cheeks. ".....he wanted me to.......eat you
both......"
17 was about to exclaim "What the....EAT
US?!", but he clamped his hands over his mouth to keep him from
making a sound. 18 asked for him.
"Eat us?!"
21
pointed at his tail, but couldn't say anything. 18 looked at it,
remembering how it opened into a funnel. A horrible thought came into
her head of how Gero wanted 21 to kill them. By sucking them up
through 21's tail?!
She remained quiet, hugging 21 and lightly
stroking the small of his neck. 17 hissed at her
again:
"Pssst!"
She looked up at him for
another eye-relayed message.
--Ask him about 19.--
She
nodded and looked back down 21.
"What happened to 19, 21?
You didn't......actually....."
21 sobbed again, clutching
18's shoulders. Right when she thought this meant he did kill 19
against his will, he shouted the answer into her lab.
"Gero!"
he yelled. "Gero!"
18's face fell with shock! Why
would Gero mame and dismantle the only android left who was loyal to
him?!
"Why?" she asked 21. He sniffed and wiped back
tears before answering.
"When.....Gero finished the
operation.......he told us......" He sniffed again. ".....what
I was to do......with you two...... I was afraid, and 19.........he
objected. He said that I shouldn't......kill my friends....."
He
cupped 18's face with one hand softly.
"19......said.......17
was my friend, and you.........that I loved you........ He was going
to rush upstairs.......and warn you.
Then.......Gero.......he......"
"Shhh...." 18
soothed, putting her hands on his wet cheeks. "It's okay. I
understand. 21, you didn't do anything wrong. 17 and I are fine, you
didn't hurt us."
"But......" 21 kept sobbing,
"it's true! 17 is my friend........even when he hurt me.....and
when I was afraid of him.......he was my friend.......and......."
He looked right into her soft eyes. "I do love you........I love
you so much, 18! I........don't want to hurt either of you!"
18
leaned foreword, and kissed 21's forehead.
"I love you
too, 21. And 17 cares about you too, even though he won't admit it."
17 rolled his eyes, trying not to say anything as 18 continued. "Now,
we have to do something about this, and we have to act now. Gero
locked us in until you kill both of us. We have to deprogram that
attack mode out of you."
"Can't." 21 shook his
head. "I don't have machinery in my body anymore. The command is
programmed into my DNA. Only yours and 17's DNA can destroy it."
18
thought a minute, then helped herself and 21 back to their
feet.
"Then, we'll give you our DNA." she looked
over at her brother. "17, get out the sugery tools. We're going
to give him a blood transfusion."
17 shrugged at 18.
"I
dunno how Gero's crap works."
21's eyes flashed again as
he went back into attack mode, and he turned to lunged at 17. 17
moved out the way, yelping "crap, not again!" as 18 got in
front of the bio-android.
"Oh no....what was the
password....." she growled, putting a hand up to 21's face to
block his vision. "17, what did you yell at him before?!
Hurry!"
"Uh...." 17 thought as 21 tried to
wrestle 18's hand away from his face. "I shouted at the top of
my lungs 'you traitor, you sell out, you monster.....' "
21
calmed down as his eyes stopped glowing. He shook his head around as
if just waking up from a long nap. 18 turned sharply to 17 while
turning 21's back to her brother.
"17, don't say another
word! Got it!"
He nodded, taking off his bandana and
gagging himself with it.
"Now get me those sugery tools."
she ordered. "We're going to make him perfect ourselves, if Gero
won't do it."
-----------------------------------
moshimo
tatta hitotsu dake negai ga kanau nara
moshimo tatta hitotsu
dake negai ga kanau nara
kimi ha nani wo inoru
moshimo
kimi ni sashidaseru mono ga aru to sureba
moshimo kimi ni
sashidaseru mono ga aru to sureba
kawaranu tashika na
omoi
sou kawaranu tashika na omoi
nee koko
ni
--Translation--
If just one of your wishes could
come true,
If just one of your wishes could come true,
what
would you wish for?
If there were something I could give to
you,
If there were something I could give to you,
It
would be my unchanging, certain thoughts.
Yes, my unchanging,
certain thoughts.
Right
here.
-----------------------------------
TO BE
CONTINUED!