Radioactive: Chapter Fifteen

Radioactive

Chapter Fifteen

~Be Careful what you Wish for~

A tattered woman walked through the labs underground. She wore old torn clothing and was overall a dirty mess. People stepped out of her way to avoid getting any filth on them. Others covered their noses because of her stench as she walked by. She walked into a room and spotted the doctor, black goggles and all. The woman walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

The doctor turned around startled, “Oh, what a hideous creature—I mean, hello lovely lady have you come to—”

“Doctor, it’s me! Jumper!” the woman pointed to herself.

“Oh, it’s you,” the doctor relaxed, “You couldn’t have taken a much cleanlier form?”

“I didn’t have time,” Jumper said, “I have to talk to you.”

“If you must,” the doctor muttered as he walked around the room.

“I think we may have a problem,” Jumper followed him around.

“How so?” the doctor started to look interested.

“I saw these people yesterday, well actually it was a boy and a dog, but I still didn’t get a good feeling out of them,” Jumper started seeing the holes in his own theory.

“So boys walking their dogs scare you, now,” the doctor looked at him, “That is a good thing to know.”

Jumper sighed, “No, you weren’t there, there was something weird about the two!”

“Jumper, you’re just being paranoid again,” the doctor said, “Remember the mailman incident? It’s a mailman’s job to deliver the mail. They aren’t spying on you. We don’t want a repeat.”

Jumper crossed his arms, “Okay, can I borrow one of the mutants.”

“Absolutely not,” the doctor said, “My beautiful creatures will not leave the premises.”

“How about the ones that escaped?” Jumper asked.

The doctor looked saddened, “That was an accident. Unfortunately, the security precautions failed and they managed to escape. It wasn’t on purpose however.”

“Fine,” Jumper muttered.

“Now go get out of that filthy skin. You are stinking up the whole place,” the doctor shooed him away.

Jumper left the room and walked to his own room. He jumped into his own skin. Jumper was still unconvinced that who he met that day was more than just a boy walking his dog. Frankly, he didn’t like the way the dog was sniffing at him. He needed to convince the doctor that these new comers were something to worry about and not just some people passing through. The choice was obvious; he needed to take things into his own hands.

He walked barefoot through the hallways of the facility. No one questioned where he was headed. He was the doctor’s favorite and they weren’t going to get in his way for fear that they might anger the doctor. Jumper stood in front of an elevator and typed in a code for the keypad. He used a code that one of the maintenance workers used. Sure that worker would be in a heap of trouble but what did he care.

The door opened and he walked in. The elevator took him down to the cooler lower levels. He got off and walked down a long hallway. On either side were bulletproof windows. On the other side of the windows, were separate cells. In the cells were several creatures. Some of them rammed up against the widow growling and snarling at Jumper. Each creature was assigned a number and that number was placed on a plaque at the base of the widow.

Jumper walked to one of the windows and stopped a moment. A female mutant sat cross-legged in the center of the cell. She had blue skin and black hair; a tail snaked its way around her in a neat circle as she sat. Jumper vanished and appeared inside the cell. The girl’s black eyes opened. She screeched quietly at him, bearing sharp teeth but other than that, she didn’t move.

“Hello, Samantha,” Jumper smiled, “You remember me don’t you?”

She growled. Jumper sat down across from her.

“I mean, sure, this isn’t the form we met in but I’m sure that little detail doesn’t matter anymore with your mutations now,” Jumper talked to her. He smiled at her, “How are your new powers doing?”

The creature glared at Jumper. She bared her teeth in a brief grow.

Jumper reached out and clasped her hand, “Come on, don’t be like that. I got you what you wanted, right? In fact, you should be technically thanking me. But I won’t have you go that far. Instead, I need you to do a little favor for me.”

In a flash, both he and the creature disappeared.

~§~

“That sounds interesting,” Kaiba said as he typed at the computer, “Does that description sound familiar to you, Kiri?”

“Scanning thought Tower records,” Kiri reported, “Found a match. From the description Fang has given us the best match that I can confirm is a Body Jumper. The user sabotages another’s mind and controls their body killing the hosts mind in the proses. Each Body Jumper has an original body but must leave their body in order to control another.” Kiri looked at Fang, “This might be the cause of your observations with the boy having two scents.”

“One was the body he was controlling and the other was his own original scent,” Fang nodded.

“I will add that observation to the records,” Kiri stated.

“So why are we interested in this kid anyway,” Riu stated, “Just seems like a kid jumping bodies if you ask me.”

“He kills people when he jumps into other peoples bodies,” Duke said.

“Yeah, so,” Riu shrugged, “it’s not any out our business.”

“Still, it could explain why people have been going missing quietly,” Kaiba said, “Our Body Jumper takes a form that his next victim will feel comfortable will, maybe even taking the form of a friend or family member, then he’ll lead them to where ever the experiments happen.”

“Makes sense,” Jekyll noted, “He doesn’t seem like the kind to actually do the experiments.  He seems like the supplier, supplying enough test subjects for the doctor to do his work.”

“So our new goal is to find this jumper,” Kaiba said, “Great, let’s get to work.”

A heavy object crashed into the building. Brick and mortar caved in on all of them. They were thrown to the ground. Kaiba covered his head as debris fell. He felt the floor underneath give way and fall through. When things settled down a little Kaiba sat up. He coughed as the dust settled.

The side of the apartment had a huge hole in it. On the roof of the neighboring apartment was a mutant. It’s levitated in the air as it screamed at the team below. It raised its arms in the air, lifting two vehicles in the air and throwing them at the damaged apartment.

“Move!” Kaiba called out.

Everyone got to their feet. Kaiba ran toward the gap in the wall. He jumped down and was followed by the others just before the two cars crashed into the building. Kaiba landed on his feet. The creature screeched at the survivors.

Jekyll landed closest to him, “Finally, a little excitement happens. How are we going to deal with this one?”

Kaiba got to his feet, “She can’t attack all of us at the same. We’ll split up and surround her at all sides.”

“Roger!” Ing reached up and grabbed the apartment roof ledge.

“Where do you think you’re going!?” Kaiba yelled at the android.

“What? Sorry! I can’t hear you over my being awesomeness!” Ing pulled himself up onto the roof.

He jumped up and grabbed onto the creatures leg. The creature screamed and flew off leaving a blue light trail behind her making it easy to track her. Kaiba sighed and clenched his fists.

“Come on!” he called, “We have to take that thing down before it causes anymore damage!”

“The mutant or the kid?” Fang smiled.

“Both,” Kaiba stated. He looked at Kiri, “Come with me.”

“Right,” Kiri nodded.

“Then let’s move!” Fang turned into a wolf and ran down the alley.

He was followed by Kaiba and the others. The trail to follow the mutant was easy even as the blue light in the sky started to fade. Riu and Duke climbed onto the roof and traveled by roof top. The creature tried to kick the little android off her leg. When she saw the others coming, she screamed and lifted a rooftop water tower and threw it at Riu and Duke.

“Read it and weep, babe!” she pulled out two daggers that looked similar in make to the blades braided in her hair. She threw a dagger at the creature fused with electricity. Lightning crashed down on the creature as it screamed. Stunned the creature fell to the ground.

Ing grabbed on to the roof ledge and held on as the creature fell below. Duke grabbed onto his arm and pulled him onto the roof. The creature fell on the ground. Fang lunged at the creature but she stretched out her hand and used her powers to throw him across the street. He hit a wall and was momentarily stunned. With the creature distracted, Jekyll threw knives at the creature striking pressure points but not killing her. The creature screamed in pain. Kiri ran forward only to be picked up and pushed back. The creature reached out a hand at Kaiba and screeched. Her screech was cut short when a broadsword fell from the sky and cut her in her chest.

Kaiba looked up and saw Duke on the roof. Riu waved hello as she stood over his shoulder. Ing called down to the others, making a lot of noise. Kaiba sighed and rolled his eyes.

Jekyll sighed, “Why can you keep these creatures alive long enough for me to examine them?”

Like Brothers Should Be

To the brave Anonymous who set me straight…

A Little Insanity

A Spin-Off

~Like Brothers Should Be~

*Warning! The Characters May Be Completely Different!*

“Fang! Fang! Wake up! You promised you’d take me fishing! Come on!” a voice pushed its way through his dream, “Please, Fang?”

Fang opened his eyes, slowly at first. His back was to his younger brother’s bed. He felt his brother’s hands pushing against his back, trying to wake him. The sun hadn’t even crested the horizon. There was only the pre-sunrise glow that entered the room through the single window in their room. Fang stayed still a little while longer hoping his brother, Shadow, would end up leaving him alone.

“Fang?” Shadow climbed on top of the bed and leaned over Fang’s body to get a better look at him.

Shadow sighed and sat down on his ankles. Fang could sense his brother’s disappointment. He opened his eyes and pulled his pillow over his head.

“I’m up,” he groaned, “Just give me a few minutes, will ya?”

Shadow smiled again and jumped down from the bed, “Mom made us a special breakfast so don’t take forever, okay?”

Shadow’s foot falls receded out of the room. The door slammed shut and Shadow made his way down the stairs. Fang waited a moment before rolling over in bed. He looked around their room. There were two beds, one on either side of the room, splitting their room, in essence, in half. On Shadow’s side of the room there were toys scattered on the floor. The bed was a mess and the thumb tacks that pinned up hand drawn drawings were in disarray and held the pieces of paper every which way. There was a shelf over the bed. On it was a stuffed teddy bear with only one eye left and a box. The box read ‘Treasure Chest: Keep Out!’ all over it in crayon. There was a picture of a sepia photo of Fang and Shadow. A six year old Shadow took up most of the picture showing off the two gaps in his smile. Fang, ten years old, stood in the background with a piece of string in his hand. One end of the string held the pair of teeth and the other end was tied to their bedroom door.

With effort, a fourteen year old Fang rolled out of bed. He made his bed. Unlike his brother’s side of the room, his was neat and organized. Everything had a place. Any pictures on his wall were in a homemade frame that he built in their father’s shed and were hung with a single nail. All of his toys were organized in their designated boxes under his bed. There was a shelf over his bed as well. It carried a special toy rabbit. It was in perfect condition. He too had a box. It contained only the most perfect things that he found around the farm like leaves that hadn’t been eaten into, or acorns that had the perfect sized top, or even a smooth pebble. There also was a picture of Fang’s shelf. It was a sepia photo of their family picture where everyone was neat and clean and smiling. Fang admitted that he was a bit of a perfectionist for being 14 years old. He also knew that Shadow, his 10 year old brother, was the complete opposite.

“Fang! Hurry up!” Shadow called from the kitchen.

“The fish aren’t going anywhere!” Fang shouted back.

Fang made his way down stairs. There was a small four person table in the center of the kitchen. Their mother wasn’t currently in the kitchen. It was safe to assume that she was out in the garden. There were two bowls of oatmeal. Shadow’s had pieces of fruit in them while Fang’s was simple with a drizzling of brown sugar in it. Fang first took a sip of his water while Shadow nearly downed his class or fresh orange juice. The brothers sat across from each other. They were opposites, it was pain to see. Fang had neat short hair while Shadow’s could house a family of birds quite nicely. Fang’s clothes were simple, a t-shirt and shorts, but they were without holes. Shadow’s clothes had so many holes and stitches that there were holes on top of stitches. Fang ate his breakfast quietly while Shadow was face deep in his oatmeal.

When they were finished, Fang and Shadow walked up stairs to brush their teeth. As Fang brushed, he stared at the broken mirror in front of him. It was something he found incredibly annoying. His eyes followed the crack as it cut across his face from the lower left end to the upper right corner. He looked at his brother’s reflection to distract him from the imperfection. He moved his toothbrush from the right side of his mouth to his left. Shadow looked up at him briefly and copied him, brushing on the left side of his mouth. After that, Fang brushed his front teeth. Shadow followed suit. When Fang was finished, he opened his mouth and brushed the tops of his teeth. Shadow did everything exactly as Fang did. It was amusing, a nice distraction from the crack in the mirror. After rinsing their mouths, Fang exited the bathroom with Shadow close behind.

They walked outside, making sure to put on their tattered shoes on the way out. That was the one thing that Fang couldn’t seem to keep in perfect condition, especially with all the chores he had to do. Two metal lunch boxes sat on the front step.

Close to the farm house was the enormous barn. Behind the barn was their father’s shed. They waved as they saw their father on his tractor in a distant field. They knew he couldn’t see them but it was just something they did.

Fang opened the little shed. It was used for many things like wood working, father’s tools, mother’s gardening utensils, and most importantly their fishing equipment. Shadow ran past his brother and collected their fishing poles that were made of the longest sticks they could find. Fang had just off any sprouting branches and sanded them until they were without bark and smooth. Their mother gave them some of her strongest string to use as line and their father took time at the end of his day to make them hooks and small weights. Shadow looked at Fang with a huge smile on his face. Fang grabbed their tackle box and fishing net. He set all the items in a deep-seated wheelbarrow. Together they wheeled the barrow out of the shed. Shadow went back in and grabbed a few empty cans and a small bucket.

Being the oldest, Fang took the responsibility of wheeling the barrow to where it needed to be. Shadow walked by his side, rambling on how much fun they would have. Their father had been very merciful in letting them off their chores for the day, saying how kids should be allowed to be kids. They walked down the gravel path that went into the woods by their house. There was a bridge and a small creak where the two boys stopped. Shadow grabbed the empty cans, took off his shoes, and ran down to the moist soil by the water’s edge.

Fang went down beside his brother. He squatted as he fingered as the moist dirt. Shadow was on his hands and knees digging in the soil. Fang found a worm and asked Shadow for a can. When he received it he placed the worm inside then placed some dirt over it so it wouldn’t dry out.

Shadow’s head jerked up. He smiled as he saw a large cricket in a nearby piece of grass. He dove for it, cupping his hands over the insect. Fang waited for the result. Shadow looked back at his older brother and smiled victoriously. He held up the tiny creature by its wings.

“Look!” Shadow exclaimed.

“I see,” Fang said as he started digging in the dirt again.

Shadow looked at his catch then at the open can, “Where should we put it?”

“In a can,” Fang stated, “Just break its legs so it can’t jump. You’ve already ruined its wings. It shouldn’t be able to get away.”

Shadow nodded and did what Fang recommended then placed the cricket in a can. He watched it for a moment at the bottom of the can, “What other bugs are good for fishing?”

“I don’t know,” Fang shrugged, pulling a nightcrawler from the ground, “I’m pretty sure that a hungry fish will eat anything smaller than itself. This one’s a long one.”

Shadow’s eyes widened with interest as Fang showed him the long thick worm, “That’s bigger than the ones we usually get!”

“It’s a nightcrawler. They usually come out after it rains when the dew in on the grass but it’s really wet here and it must have gotten lost or something.”

“Cool!” Shadow said, though he didn’t really understand a word of it.

They dug in the dirt and caught bugs up until noon. When the sun was at its highest, they took a break. Fortunately, Fang remembered to bring the lunches that their mother had made for them. The two boys sat on the bridge, their legs dangling over the edge and at their lunches. They talked about childish boy things like who the best super hero was and how annoying girls were (Except their own mother of course. She seemed to be the only sane girl in the world).

After making sure that they had enough water in their canteens they set out toward the river. The creek that they were currently sitting fed into a larger slower river. It was perfect for fish and perfect for those catching fish.

Fang pushed the wheelbarrow along the path. Eventually they reached the river. Fang showed his younger brother where the best fishing spot was. It was under a large tree. There was an old dock that wasn’t used much anymore. There was plenty of shade and room on the dock for fishing. After they situated everything Fang helped Shadow put a worm on his hook.

“I want a nightcrawler!” Shadow complained.

“You’re not getting one,” Fang stated.

“Why?”

“Because I say so.”

When Fang was ready, he threw his line in to the water. The weight their father made helped the line sail far. Fang sat on the edge of the dock. Shadow had watched him closely and copied everything Fang did before sitting beside his brother. When Fang took a drink, Shadow took a drink. When a fish made off with Fang’s bait, Shadow feigned disappointment and pulled his line in even if he didn’t have to.

“You still have your bait,” Fang said as he re-baited his hook.

“I thought I lost it,” Shadow answered, his eyes watching carefully as Fang used one of their prized insects.

Over all it was a very uneventful day. There caught a few small fishes but they threw them back. That way the small fishes could grow into big fishes and they could catch them later. But other than that, there was nothing to write home about. Fang was a little disappointed. He looked over at his brother expecting to see him upset about the day’s events but to his surprise Shadow had the biggest smile on his face. There was dirt and sweat all over Shadow’s face. His fingernails were filthy from digging in the dirt. There were scrapes and cuts up and down his arms and legs. Fang could almost swear that he saw something move in his brother’s hair and yet Shadow looked like the happiest boy on the face of the planet.

“What are you so happy about?” Fang asked.

Shadow looked confused, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, we haven’t caught anything good all day. Why are you smiling?”

Shadow smiled again, “Because I didn’t really want to go fishing,” Fang glared at him a moment, “I wanted to go fishing with you. Hey! I think I caught something!”

Fang looked, “No, it’s just another little one.”

He looked at his brother again. All Shadow had really wanted was to spend time with his brother. It didn’t matter that they were doing just as long as they were together. Even though they were complete opposites and Fang could spot every one of Shadow’s imperfections, they were brothers and that was how it was going to be.

“Hey, Fang?” Shadow asked.

“Yeah?”

“After we’re done, do you think you could cut off the hook on my fishing pole?”

“Why would you want me to do that?”

“So I could put it in my treasure box.”

“Why would you want to put a used fish hook in your treasure box?”

“So I can remember this day for the rest of my life. Forever and ever and ever. Would you, Fang? Pretty please?”

Fang paused a moment, “Fine. But the next time you want to go fishing you can’t wake me up until six in the morning. Got it?”

“Okay!”

As the sun started to set and the boys were growing hungry they packed up their fishing supplies and headed home.

“Can we do this again tomorrow?” Shadow asked.

“We have chores tomorrow.”

“The next day?”

“More chores.”

“The day after that?”

“Chores.”

“How about the day after the day after that?”

“Shadow…”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s ask dad, alright.”

“Okay!” Shadow smiled, “Fang?”

Fang sighed, “Yeah?”

“You’re the best big brother I’ve ever had. The bestest ever!”

Fang smiled, “You too, Shadow.”