Appotropaic Apparatus
part sixWhen Duo awoke, it was to the soft throaty snores that whistled in his ear and the humming of electricity. His violet eyes blinked open slowly, adjusting to the lights as well as they could. What he awoke to was far different from whatever it was he had been expecting. Large lamps of harsh white light focused directly over him, though hung high on the huge ceiling. The walls, floor, everything, seemed to glitter pristine white. The atmosphere was like that of a hospital, you weren't sure what was going on but you knew it was important. Huge machines, computers ranging from obvious input terminals to monitors the size of the televised billboards of the century, stood like Titans over everything else. It was like being in a laboratory, or perhaps even some diabolical secret layer. There was nothing cheerful or hopeful in these surrounding and Duo began to realize whatever trouble he had been in before was undoubtedly smaller compared to whatever the hell he'd gotten himself into now. Only Heero was with him now. Of course, given the facts, that might not have been a good thing either.
Duo turned his head to the side and received a face full of moss green hair. Heero lay sleeping beside him, both lying on a raise platform of solid steel, which wasn't exactly comfortable, but was obviously made in the purpose of being a bed. Duo raised his hand and swept the hair from his face as well as Heero's, revealing two lightly closed eyes and pouting lips on a well aged face. Sure, it'd only been three years, but three years could change one so much, especially considering the age they had been. If Heero had had the perfection of an angel back then, he only looked more divine now, like some mythological god. He'd filled out rather well over the years, still retaining that 'damn too skinny' look while assortments of muscles Duo hadn't even known existed stood prominent from under the tight tanned shin. But his arms and legs...
Duo picked Heero's hand up from his side and held it in front of him. The blue circuitry almost glowed, even in the bright light of the room. It stretched out from his fingertips up most of his forearm. The only other devise on it was the metal ring around the wrist which was etched and carved into, tiny rivers of wire spiraling around in patters.
"What the hell did they do to you...?"
Suddenly, Duo remembered what exactly Heero had done to him. Duo sat up and glanced at his stomach. Any sign of the gunshot wound was gone. Not even a scar remained. Duo shook his head. He could remember it all to clearly for it to have been a dream. But here he was, with Heero, in some strange place, and his wound was gone.
"Interesting technology, hm?"
Duo looked up, startled. He hadn't realized anyone else was there.
Twin pools of sea green flashed behind blue tinted half framed glasses.
"James!" Duo shouted happily though with curiosity and suspicion falling over his face, "What are you doing here? I thought you had a mission and wouldn't be available for a while. I didn't expect you to bail my ass out again so soon." He added with a half smirk.
James returned it with a his hands waving about to everything in the room, "This is my mission, Duo." He walked over to the table Duo was sitting up on and ran his finger down the taunt stomach, "They healed you up nicely. I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Duo."
"Who healed me? Where the hell are we? Do you know what happened to Heero?" Duo asked in rapid succession.
James motioned to the computer in the room, "The Creator healed you, Duo. It was his will that you live and so you do. The Creator is a benevolent master, is he not?" His voice was strung with pride and admiration.
"Master? James, you're freaking me out here. That's a computer."
"So it this," James jabbed Duo's stomach with his index finger, "Veins and nerves are no different to wires and circuits. It's part of our new awakening, Duo. The Creator can do anything. He can repair your skin and internal organs by simply downloading the plans into your system. He can resurrect the dead by his will alone. The Creator will lead us to the future!"
Duo blinked back his horror, "James, you've gone fucking crazy!"
James laughed, "It's not insanity, Duo. The Creator will spread his power through the universe and we will never fear again. There will be no war, no unhappiness, no poverty. The Creator will solve everything!" he gazed deep into Duo's eyes, "You understand, don't you, Duo? You came from poverty, unhappiness and war. You understand the pain. Don't you want people to be happy again, Duo?"
"You're speaking of a utopia that doesn't exist." Duo's head was spinning. Perhaps he was taking it just a bit to fast since his recovery. "I'd love to see a world without the negative prospects but the fact is that there is no good without evil. Goodness comes from opposing what's wrong."
"There is no evil in the world, Duo," James spoke, "Only two sides to the same argument. The Creator is an unbiased leader who can solve everything. Justice, rather than favor, will govern us. The Creator will-"
"It's a stupid computer, James! What the hell is wrong with you?"
James glared at him, "I don't understand why you are so opposed to your leader. Of all people I thought you would understand what we do here."
"Like what you did to Heero?" Duo asked, "Did the Creator do this to him as well?"
"He had to be taken care of." James said nonchalantly, "All those associated with Lady Kyldre must be destroyed, or controlled. We thought it in our best interest to control him, wield him, use him as our shield and sword against the Lady."
"Is this about the new organic technology?"
James shook his head, "No. And it's not exactly new, Duo. Our master was the first to become organisized. That was years ago. I originally created the technology, you see, and the creator was my first test subject. Now look at him! Perfect! Benevolent! Almost god like. No, this isn't about organisizing. It's about the AA."
Duo instinctively held his left arm, "What risk does the AA put you in? It was created to protect against viruses."
"Is that what she's preaching?" James howled, "It's a direct attack against the Creator! I confiscated that disk from Heero and found that it was in fact a program devised to input a distinct control code into the Creator which would destroy him!"
Something snapped in place. Duo's eyes grew wide as saucers as understanding fell upon him, "You... you kidnapped Heero? And you took the disk? So that retrieval mission for the disk was a-"
"Set up. Yes. The Creator had plans of his own. If Lady Kyldre wanted to destroy him, he'd destroy her and her followers. But he needed a test subject to make sure his modifications worked."
"Me..." Duo's lips pulled into a sneer, "You fucking traitor! I trusted you!"
James smiled, "One sacrifice for so much happiness, Duo. You came from nothing and you will return to nothing. Meanwhile, the whole universe will fall under the Creators control and we will enter uncompromisable peace." He paused and snickered a bit to himself, "Apotropaic Apparatus. How ironic. It means a complex mechanism to ward off evil. Evil is in the eyes of the beholder though and now, it is the Creator thought which all eyes see."
"Not if I destroy it."
"Would you?" James asked, "Heero would protect the Creator with his life. Would you kill Heero to delay the inevitable? For trust me, one day technology will be the governmental leader."
"Not while I'm alive."
"And how much longer will that be? Hm? You know that virus on your arm is killing you as we speak. Slowly, painfully, agonizingly. I can't wait till the Lady is infected."
"If you knew I was going to die, why did you heal me?"
James shrugged, "We know the AA modifications work now. I suppose there was really no need. Perhaps the Creator wishes to wait out the viral infection and see its effectiveness."
"I won't be your guinea pig!" Duo tried to jump off the table and strangle James but did little more than fall into him. James wrapped his arms around Duo like a brother, strong and warm.
He spoke in a soft voice, "Duo... I didn't want this to happen. But the Creator willed it and I must fallow the Creator's orders... despite any personal feelings I have."
"You said you created it. Since when did the creation rule the creator?"
"Since the beginning of time, Duo. Since we destroyed our gods." James lifted an exhausted Duo back onto the steel table, "What I'm doing is for the good of humanity, Duo."
"Funny, that's what Lady Kyldre believes as well."
James pushed Duo into a laying position and watched as sleep claimed his overloaded senses.
The blue haired man sighed as he walked away, "Sleep well, Duo. And welcome to Headquarters."