Experiment #459

Shit. What would Sherman think if no mark formed? We had to finish this quickly.

"I'm...I'm kinda thirsty," Dei said. "Can we go inside and have a drink?"

"Ugh, fine," he grumbled. I heard a door opening and shutting.

"Wow, apartment number 4, huh? This is a nice place."

"Yeah, I bought it myself."

I grinned a little. Dei just told me Sherman's room number and the fool didn't even know.

I heard something being poured a minute later.

"To new companionship!" Sherman said.

This was my cue, an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

I quickly ran to the door and knocked, taking out my earpiece and putting it in my pocket.

A moment later, Sherman opened the door.

"What do you want?"

I knew what Dei was doing, so I had to keep Sherman's attention for a few seconds.

"Hey, I saw you walking in and I think you dropped something." I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out a bank note. "Is this yours?" That never happened. I knew that and so did he, but I had learned enough about him to know he was going to take the bait.

"Yeah, it is." He reached out and took it, flashing me that toothy grin. "Thanks for the help, darling."

Just for a moment I glanced over Sherman's shoulder and saw Dei put a little bottle back into his pocket. He glanced at me again before Sherman shut the door, thankfully not locking it behind him. I got a few steps away before putting the earpiece back in.

"Who was that?" Dei asked.

"Nothing you should worry your pretty little head about, baby."

I heard some gulping, then Sherman exhaling. He must have drained his glass.

I smiled again. While Sherman was talking to me, Dei had poured a powerful tranquillizer into his drink. It should knock him out cold in about a minute.

More sucking noises. Sherman must be slobbering all over Dei again.

"Oh baby, you're fucking gorgeous," he murmured.

Then there was a pause.

"That's weird. There's no mark on you yet. It should be there by now."

I froze.

"I...I don't know what you mean," Dei said. "What does it matter?"

"I know I sucked hard enough to give you a hickey. Why isn't it there?"

Then I heard the loud, jarring, unmistakable sound of a finger rubbing directly against the microphone. My heart dropped.

"What is this?" Sherman muttered.

Another loud noise in the earpiece.

"Is this a fucking wire!?!"

I started running back to the door.

"RACHEL, HELP ME!"

I tried to open the door but it had the little chain lock on it and it only opened a few inches. Fuck, I was listening for the deadbolt!

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

I heard the sound of a struggle. Our plan was falling apart at the seams.

"WHAT IS THIS? ANSWER ME NOW OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

I took a few steps back and ran, full force, at the door. Luckily my full weight was enough to bust the chain.

I saw that Sherman had both his hands around Dei's neck and pulled out my gun. I had never shot anyone before, but I had to save Dei.

"Get off him right now or I'm shooting you!"

No response.

I took the safety off and pointed it at his head.

"This is your last warning!"

After a moment of silence Dei spoke.

"Rachel, I think he's unconscious."

Tentatively, I walked up and rolled Sherman's body off the couch.

The drug had taken effect. He was out cold.

The two of us looked at each other and we both started laughing. Once we calmed down he walked up to me and I hugged him tightly.

"That was way too close," I said.

"It's okay. I knew you would be there for me."

Once Sherman was restrained and gagged I called Mallory. She said she would come over and take care of the rest.

While we were waiting we heard a knock on the door. I decided to hide while Dei opened it and saw a woman, looking concerned.

"What's going on? I heard noises."

She looked behind Dei and saw Sherman's body. She probably didn't notice the cuffs, but she could tell he was unconscious.

"What the hell just happened?"

Before I could even think Dei spoke in a soothing voice.

"I'm so sorry, miss. My daddy and his new girlfriend were fighting. But it's over now. Can you please not tell anyone? It's embarrassing."

The woman looked at Dei.

"Are you sure you don't want to call someone? You can stay with me if you don't feel safe here."

"No, I'll be fine. My aunt is coming to pick me up. It's okay."

The woman smiled and left. Once she was gone for a few seconds we both started laughing again.

"Damn, you don't miss a beat, do you?"

He chuckled. "I just sort of spoke without thinking."

I hugged him.

"You did a great job tonight, Dei. I couldn't have done this without you."

He beamed at me.

"Thank you, Rachel."

In about ten minutes Mallory came and gave us our pay before telling us to leave.

"I'll take care of him myself." She looked at Sherman's still unconscious body with disdain.

We left and this time I heard the deadbolt click behind me.

The two of us were drained by the day's events and went to bed not long after we got home. As usual, Dei was in my arms, he never wanted to sleep if I wasn't holding him.

He spoke after a minute of silence.

"Rachel, I've been wondering something."

"What's on your mind?"

He wriggled out of my grasp so he could sit upright.

"It's about whatever Nightingale did to me that makes me attract people. Does it affect you?"

I turned on the light and sat up, too.

"I thought about that, too. And I think it does affect me, at least a little."

He pursed his lips.

"I don't like that."

"Like what?"

"I mean...what if I'm making you help me? You did so much to save me, but...was it of your free will?"

"Absolutely. I helped you because I wanted to. You don't have to worry about it."

"How can I not?" he looked upset. "How much of what we formed is even real?"

"Don't talk like that! You're my friend, Dei. I know that's real."

He hung his head.

"I mean, Sherman talked about all the things he wanted to...do to me. Do you want to do those things, too?"

"Of course not!"

"But how can you be so sure? If I pull you in, why wouldn't it make you want the same thing all those other people want?"

"You're thinking too much about this. If you just want me to be your friend, I respect that."

He spoke again, barely in a whisper.

"But...what if that isn't want I want?"

I put my finger under his chin and made him look at me.

"What are you saying, Dei?"

I saw his eyes get shiny.

"When all those people said those things to me, called me beautiful or gorgeous, it didn't make me feel happy. It all just seemed like words. But when you tell me I did good, I feel warm on the inside." He put his hand on his chest.

"When Sherman was kissing me, it felt wrong. It felt gross. But then I imagined what if would be like if you touched me like that, and now I can't stop thinking about it."

He stood up.

"I...I love you, Rachel. You saved my life. You helped me be a human. If I'm really pulling you in...I don't want you to fight it."

He took off the briefs he was wearing. Suddenly he was as naked as he was when we met.

"If you want to touch me, or kiss me, or make me your special one...please do so. I don't want the only person to kiss me to be Sherman. Do what you want to me."

"Dei...this is a lot. Why are you saying this now?"

"I saw your face when I was in danger. You care about me more than anyone else ever had. I want you to be happy. I have to know, what do you want, Rachel?"

I blinked a few times. I remembered the rollercoaster of emotions I had gone through that night. How mad I was at Sherman for even touching Dei, how upset it made me to hear him talk to Dei in a sexual manner. Why should I care? It wasn't real.

Maybe...maybe I felt jealous. Maybe I wanted to be the one saying those things to him, doing those things to him.

Dei really was beautiful. He was small and delicate and had this aura of innocence. His lips looked so soft, his eyes so wide and trusting.

What if this entire time, I was fighting how I really felt about Dei? Because now I was seeing him in a way I never had before.

But how much of that was real? Was it fair to him for me to act like this?

Maybe I was the one overcomplicating things now.

"I...I don't know what I want. I don't know what to tell you."

He got back on the bed.

"That's okay. Take your time. But don't hold back anymore, okay? I know you love me now, so love me how you want."

He snuggled up to me again. I sat there in silence for a bit, looking at the boy who just laid out everything for me. My feelings were a jumbled mess, but his were clear as day. He loved me.

And I loved him back. But was it the same love he felt for me? And how do I show it?

Maybe I should start small.

Leaning down, I kissed his cheek. His skin was so soft. He sighed happily.

Instantly, I wanted more. I wanted to kiss his lips, touch all over his body.

But I stopped myself. Things were confusing enough already. There was no reason to keep pushing and go too far.

"I love you, Dei. Is that good enough for right now?"

He nodded.

"I love you, too, Rachel. You'll always be good enough."

I turned off the lights and we relaxed again. I realized that he was still naked. But I didn't care. It felt...right. Maybe Dei being my lover would work. Maybe this is what we were meant to be.

Hugging his body, I slept.

*****

I was woken up early the next morning by the sound of heavy rainfall outside. Dei was still asleep, which was rare. He only ever seemed to need about 6 hours of sleep a night, so he was almost always awake before me. But he would always still be in my arms. After that first day it became almost a safe haven for him.

I remembered the second time he had sleep paralysis. It was a week after we escaped and I woke up to him sobbing in my arms. But when I looked at his face it had this strange mix of both happiness and sadness on it.

"Rachel!"

He turned around and buried his face in my chest.

"The monster c-came back! It was right there!" He pointed at the side of the bed right next to him.

"It never g-got that close before. We—I was so afraid, but I could feel you h-holding me."

He sniffled.

"You said it can't h-hurt me, but it was so real. But you were there this time. Thank you so much!"

I hugged him tightly, petting his hair.

"It's okay, Dei. I can only imagine how scary it was, but you got through it."

In the present, Dei stirred a little in his sleep.

He was basically a cyborg, but there was nothing robotic-seeming about him in the slightest. His skin was soft and warm. He had no body hair, but that didn't seem particularly odd given his stature.

I wondered a lot about him. Would he age? I wouldn't know how. What would that mean for our relationship? I was 26 and he could be 18 forever. How would he feel five years from now? Or ten or twenty?

Not to mention how mixed up my own feelings about Dei were. It was all just so much.

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt Dei wake up in my arms. He turned around and nuzzled my chest a little.

"Good morning, Rachel."

"Good morning, Dei."

After a moment's hesitation I gave him a little kiss on the forehead.

"You want me to make breakfast?" he asked.

I was a little surprised, expecting him to want some answers concerning the previous night, but he seemed content waiting.

"Sure."

I watched him put on his clothes and walk to the kitchen. As he left I decided to not sweat the details and take my time. He was right; what we had going was good enough for now.

I joined him in the kitchen.

*****

The two of us had completed our second job when I got the phone call. It was a normal job, Dei wasn't put in danger like he was the last time, and we got a decent payment for it. We were at home and I was having a really good day when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

When I picked it up, I saw that it was from Tara. My sister and I reopened communication when I was settled down and knew I wasn't being tracked by Nightingale or Damascus. I didn't bat an eye and picked up.

"Hey, sis. What's up?"

I heard heavy breathing on the other side, no answer.

"Tara? Tara, what's wrong."

"Rachel...I'm scared. You need to help me."

I froze. Dei noticed and looked over curiously.

"What's going on? What's happening?" I asked.

I heard her sob on the other end of the line.

"Rachel...these people k-kidnapped me. I don't know where I am. They said they need to t-talk to you."

I sat up straight and felt my heart racing as I heard the phone get passed.

"Hello, Rachel," a familiar voice said. "I hope I got your attention."

"Mars!"

He chuckled. "Mars is what I was called in Damascus. Now I'm under different employment. But I guess you can still call me that."

"What the fuck did you do to my sister?!?"

"Oh, I just repaid you. You took something from me, I'll take something from you."

I scowled. "This is about the experiment."

"What else would it be? Did you ever stop to think about who your little stunt would affect? I'm the one Damascus punished for you going rogue like that. They weren't happy."

"Mars, I'm sorry. I'll give you back the money you paid me. Just let Tara go! She has nothing to do with this!"

"The money can't fix what you did to me. This is about my pride."

My mind was racing. I never, never told anyone I worked for about Tara. Mars had to do some serious digging, expensive and illegal digging to found out who she was and where to find her. As scared as I was I also felt my blood boil.

"If you lay a finger on her I'm going to make you wish you were never born."

"I'm not planning on touching your sister. I just want to make a simple trade. You bring me the experiment and I'll let her go."

I looked at Dei for a moment.

"I..."

"Come on, Rachel. You can't possibly care more about that thing than your own flesh and blood sister, can you? What would Tara say?"

"SHUT UP!"

He laughed.

"You have 24 hours to get to our location."

"What does Damascus even want with this experiment?"

He chuckled again, but this time I heard no joy in the sound.

"I left Damascus. My last job is for Nightingale. They know where you are now, too. So either you bring the experiment, or they kill Tara, hunt you down, kill you, and take it back anyway. Your choice."

I didn't say anything.

"Still undecided, eh? Maybe your sister can persuade you."

A moment later I heard her voice again.

"Rachel, please help me! I don't know what's going on! I don't want to die!"

I felt myself tear up.

"You're not going to die, Tara. I'm saving you."

"Please, come quick! They—"

The call cut off and I sat as still as a statue for a few seconds. Then I heard a notification on my phone and saw that her cell phone had texted me some coordinates. My hands were trembling.

"Rachel, what's wrong? What happened to Tara?"

I looked up and saw Dei standing right in front of me, looking just as shaken as I was.

Dei knew about Tara. He knew how much she meant to me, how much I loved her. He never questioned it. Even though most of the money I made went to her and we had to live in squalor, he never said a word.

"Rachel, talk to me!"

"I...Dei, I..."

"JUST TALK TO ME!"

I was taken aback, that was the first time I ever heard him raise his voice to me like that.

I relented and told him everything. More tears had fallen by the time I was finished. All I could think about was my sister, scared out of her mind, fearing for her life.

And it was my fault.

Dei sat back down when I has done. He looked me right in the eye.

"You have to do this."

"Don't say that! You can't go back there!"

"We don't have a choice! This is your sister, you can't lose her! I'm not worth it."

"Dei, I don't want to lose anybody! Just because she's my sister doesn't mean you're expendable!"

"Please, it'll be fine."

"How can you be so causal about this?!? You're throwing your life away! Don't you care?"

Dei began crying, too.

"I don't want to go back there, either. But your sister is more important than me. We both know that."

He put his hand on mine.

"If Tara dies, she's never coming back, but if they take me..."

He sobbed.

"You can come back for me, right? You can save me again."

He leaned against me. Suddenly I was the one comforting him.

"I know it's selfish, but if you can...if you want...you could rescue me one more time."

"Dei, it isn't as simple as that."

"I know," he whimpered. "I don't want to be an experiment again, but I...I don't want you to lose Tara, either."

I held him for a minute as we cried together.

"R-Rachel, you don't have to save me again, but please save your sister. I don't want to be the reason why you lose her. If I know y-you're happy, I'll be alright. Maybe I c-could try to escape."

I looked into his eyes. I saw nothing but pure love and devotion in them. Those were the eyes of a boy who trusted me with his life. A boy who would do anything for me.

My will hardened. I wasn't going to lose either of them.

"Dei, we have two options here. The first one is to try to get Tara back and escape with you at the transfer, but that'll be really hard. We have no idea what they have planned."

He nodded.

"The other option is that we let them take you and I'll get you back. But that's going to take a while."

"I don't care how long it takes. I know you'll come for me."

"Are you sure?"

He smiled.

"I know you keep your promises. I'll wait."

I felt myself tear up again.

"Trying to escape on your own is probably a bad idea. There's no telling what they'll do to you if you get caught. But I swear on my life that I'll come back for you. No matter what it takes. Just stay alive."

He nodded again.

I looked down at my phone. The coordinates were pretty far. If we only had 24 hours, we didn't have too much wiggle room.

"Dei...we'll have to leave soon."

Neither of us spoke a word as we got ready. The silence was heavy in the air and I felt suffocated by it, but I didn't know what to say.

Before we got to my bike I stopped him.

"Dei, I don't know if we'll have time for this later, so I want to make sure I say goodbye for now."

He nodded, eyes shining with tears.

I bent over a bit and gave him a light kiss on his lips.

"We'll see each other again. I promise."

He nodded, crying his eyes out.

With a heavy heart, I started the bike.

*****

The exchange point was a clearing in the middle of nowhere. About fifty feet away, I saw Mars and my sister.

My phone rang and I picked it up.

"In five seconds, both of them will start walking. I have six gunmen. No funny business."

He hung up.

I looked at Dei.

"It's time. Count to three and then go over there."

He nodded. A few seconds later he began walking and it took every ounce of willpower I possessed to not stop him.

The period of time where both Tara and Dei were walking felt like it took forever. It was torturous, wanting to stop it but knowing I couldn't.

After an eternity, Tara was next to me. The phone rang again.

"Stand there for ten minutes. This is my last job. Don't come looking for me."

I never planned to. Damascus was an organization where leaving to work for a rival was punishable by death. Mars was going to run as far away as he could. I knew I'd never hear from him again.

Tara tried to talk, but I shushed her and didn't take a step until the ten minutes were over. After it was done I fell to my knees.

"Rachel, what's going on?"