Ace's intentions
#7 of I'm Real (scales & wings)
here is my next chapter... well side chapter cuz it's from the view of Ace but it is long enough by my terms to be a full legnth chapter so i'm just putting that out there
anyway i'm hoping this will add a little more understanding of Ace's relationship with himself and everyone else at the lab
Enjoy
I'm real (scales & wings)
Ace's intentions
When I was assigned this project I didn't really know what for, I wasn't a biologist
I was pulled into this, and they asked me many questions, must have been regular procedure
They asked about my physical health, they didn't need to ask all of it was on file in the labs
They scanned my anatomy into a computer, I still didn't understand, what did they need me for?
They then took a few DNA samples
Blood, scales and even a sperm sample, were they doing another checkup on me?
They then briefed me on the project, they were making another biological creature... but this one was different
They were going to mutate the cells that they had taken from the samples and create a whole new creature
A dragon
It took a few weeks but they finally got started on cell splitting, the mutation had taken place and they had survived the initial radiation
I was a little amazed I didn't think that it would work, they then put the cells in a stimulation tank to speed up the growing process
After some time I had noticed a second tank being set up
I asked the project manager about it but all she told me that there was a new placement for it
I then asked my friend Carlos who was working with me on this, he had told me the cells had split off from each other and started growing into separate life forms
A realization had occurred to me
These two creatures were my children; they came from part of me
Both of my kids had left home to go off and live there lives
I really do feel alone... my late wife, may she rest in peace, was in a tragic accident... it was after my second son had left home
Why is it that the people I love the most leave me? ... Am I truly meant to be alone?
I still miss her... I wish she could see her children now, and how much they have grown
When my second son left, my adopted son, Ferron, he didn't know she died, I never had the heart to tell him, I don't want to ruin what happiness he has found from the trip he never came back from, I just want him to live his life... he's had so many problems in the past
I really never had time to spend with both of my kids, I loved them so much but I never wanted to let them down... ever since I took this job, I've been missing out, on a life that I could have spend with my family
Now I have a chance to see my children grow, and this time I'll be there, this job won't be in my way anymore, if they're here with me
I feel responsible for them even before there birth, but... will they truly know me?
Could I ever really be there father?
I want them to be true; I want them to exist like people not experiments
As the months went by I had noticed one of them was growing faster than the other, and Carlos was assigned to look after it
He had a large file on it somehow; it was to be given memories from a digital format
A design plot was made for its growth and the changes were to be made in the stimulation tank taking effect almost immediately
Wings, horns, and an extra chamber in the chest that held flammable gas
It truly was a dragon just by looking at it you could tell
I continued to watch as they grew in the tanks, I was getting excited they were soon to be released from there tanks and be born into the world of the living
Finally after 5 long months of waiting one of the tanks was to be opened
Carlos had been set to help with the creatures overall control on it's new body, and he was set to determine if the creatures could be anything more than feral
I watched from the sidelines as the tank opened and the creature seemed to almost fall out
They called in a help team to carry the creature to one of the simulators for rest
I guess I would have to wait before I could see how the creature was doing
About 2 days later I was on my break in the cafeteria
"Hello Carlos" Doc said he was sitting across the table from me "who's the little guy"
I looked at the small figure standing next to Carlos
I couldn't believe my eyes it was the dragon and he looked like such a small child, he was adorable
"This is Dachii our most recent bio construction experiment" Carlos told him
Carlos looked at me and asked "Could you watch him Ace? While I get him some food"
"Sure thing... just hurry back" I said
Carlos had seated Dachi next to me and left
"Hey little guy" I said, I pulled him closer I couldn't resist, all I can say is he was cute
I started rubbing his head, his skin was smooth his scales hadn't grown out yet
"you remind me a lot of my son" I said, I don't know why but he did, my first son when he was a child I remember we used to just sit for hours watching something on TV just keeping each other company, though now I felt sad, was I just using him to replace the feelings I have for my children?
I started to scratch his head slowly he was really taking the effects of this, he was like putty in my hands now, I hope he feels he can be comfortable around me... I want to know him more, I want to see him grow, both body and mind
Carlos had come back with the food for them, I helped sit Dachii up on the seat properly and let him eat his food
The way he munched down the food was adorable to, he was spilling stuff al over himself, a very messy eater but I guess that makes sense this is his first time
When he seemed to be finished he looked quite happy, he then let out a loud belch
I chuckled at that, how could such a small body make such a loud noise?
It looked like they were done Carlos had cleaned up the mess on Dachii and they were setting out to leave
I waved to them as they went; I want to hear his voice someday... I want to be the one leading him home someday
I finished eating and decide to end my break for now I only had one hour of work left I might as well finish it
As I entered the hall I started thinking
Where have I heard the name Dachii before? it sounds so familiar but I just can't remember from where
I get back to work for the rest of the hour, looking through files and checking up on the simulator status
When I finished work I didn't feel like going home, no one would be there
No one who would smile and hug me as I got home... no one to say I love you
I might as well stay here; at least they gave me a decent room
I open the door to my room and change my clothes; I look at my computer... nothing, only spam
I'm exhausted and there isn't much else to do...
I lie in my bed and cover myself up, I think about what my life is now
My wife gone, both of my kids left, most of my relatives live out of the country... I really am alone
My life is just a sad mess... I think only my friends that work with me here is the only reason that I haven't killed myself yet
Carlos took me to see a psychiatrist after my wife died, I don't know if I should be grateful, they only convinced me just to keep living this miserable life, but at least I know he's there he's been looking out for me since we met
I wonder why
My tiredness leads to my sleep but it seems tonight I can't dream
I wake to the sound of my alarm; I get up and shut it off
"Another day or work... again" I say to myself
I get ready I get my clothes on and head out, I decided to go look at the other dragon's status today, and hopefully he's grown enough to be released
The readings say that it isn't ready yet but it looks like it should be ready in a few days
Why was it growing slower? It should have been set out at the same time as the other one
It looked as if it was ready almost the same size as the other, but what was wrong?
After a few hours I went on my break, they could manage with out me for a while anyway
I go to the cafeteria and order some food, the stuff they make here is pretty good but it just isn't able to compare to homemade meals
I sit at the usual table; it's become more of a habit now
I start eating when I hear a scratching sound, I look at the source
It was Dachii he was trying to get up onto the seat, he was looking a little frustrated but then he stepped back and flew up onto the seat
I smiled at him "looks like you learned to use your wings huh? Dachii" I then petted his head
He seemed to have grown, his scales had formed and he looked a little stronger now
What had they done to him? He still looked like a child but a little more dangerous
I saw Carlos going to get food for them again, I guess that means I was going to watch him again, but I really didn't mind I like having him around
I got closer to him and tried talking; I spoke about my family hopefully to get him to feel like he can get closer to me
I heard him say a few things but not really much other than one word at a time, was he really talking or was I just hearing things
Carlos came back with food for them but this time he brought a lot more than usual
It seems they were having a feast to celebrate his development
Dachii could eat quite quickly I was amazed at how he could fit it all down
After we finished eating Carlos had taken Dachii out of the seat and started heading out
"Good bye Ace" I heard a voice from there direction, was that Dachii? I guess he can talk
I saw them both leave and head down the hall; I then got up and headed back to my own works space for the reminder of the hours
When my work was all done and organized I headed to my room
On the way there Carlos approached me and told me to head to the board room
What did they need me for my shift was over
"What's going on there?" I asked
"I'm not sure but Detrone needs to talk to everyone working on the project" he replied
Detrone, that cranky fat bastard, what the hell was always jammed up his but that made him so mad all the time, what ever he was going to tell us I knew there was going to be yelling involved
I sighed and just followed Carlos to the room where we were to meet with Detrone
We walked into the room and had the entire team there, we sat down at one of the tables
Suddenly the door swing open and in came Detrone himself
He looked a little flustered; he must have been running, or just trying to keep pace with a snail
And as usual as soon as he opened his mouth noise just came out, no thought went through his head before he spoke...
"Well you're all here, now let's talk"
Dumb ass, why else would be here?
"Your biological creature, I've heard it was a dragon, those things are dangerous"
I bet he never even saw Dachii, what would he know that we don't
"So for security I say you keep it in lock down"
I saw Carlos getting upset, and by the look on his face it wasn't going to be long until he couldn't take the BS coming out of Detrone's mouth
"the less interaction it gets with people the less damage it can cause, so we can't let it leave the labs until we find a use for it, it's much to dangerous to let it go out in public" he said
Carlos stood up "He is a living creature, it wouldn't be right to keep him here" Carlos was pissed, I knew someone had to say something
"No, it will remain here until further instruction" Detrone yelled back
"You can't do that, you're not in charge of this project"
"I may not be in control of the project, but I do control what can leave and enter this building" Detrone said with his obnoxious smile
"Then I say we test him, he could be psychologically ready to face the real world,and we can use the simulator to do so" the project manager said
"What?" both Carlos and Detrone said simultaneously
"We just put him through a few stressful situations and test how he copes, if he is violent then maybe he isn't ready but if he takes things the right way then he might be able to handle things"
I thought it was brilliant that way I could also see if he had emotions and feelings maybe he could be more
It seemed Detrone agreed to it and dismissed us, Carlos on the other hand still looked a little uneasy, like he was still deciding on whether it was a good idea
I shook Carlos out of his stunned state and we both walked out of the room
Carlos was pretty quiet as we headed back to the rooms
We got to my door and was about to open it when Carlos finally spoke up
"Ace... could I ask you a big favor?" he asked
"Ask away" I said
"When they test Dachii can I trust you to help me stop them when they go too far?"
What was he talking about? What could go wrong?
"What makes you think they will go too far?" I asked
"Detrone, once he's involved in anything it always goes to far"
He does have a point, and I know that from the connection he has with Dachii is going to be used against him, I'm going to be his only other option
"Ok I get it, I'll help, but only if they go to far otherwise I won't interfere"
"Thank you" Carlos said as he started to walk away and I entered my room
Even though there was a suspicion of them going to far... I still wanted to know
Was Dachii for real or was he just nothing more than an animal
I immediately got ready to sleep, tomorrow was going to be hectic I could tell
I jumped into the bed and pulled on the covers, was I ready to see what Dachii was like?
Could I handle it?
The dream I had this night was weird
In front of me was Dachii but he looked a lot older, he seemed to be crying but I couldn't tell, I tried to go up to him but I was stopped by Detrone grabbing my arm
Suddenly a large metal cage fell from the sky and had trapped Dachii inside
Detrone vanished and I was free to go up to the cage, when I got close to the cage the bars flattened and turned into shiny metal plates blocking my view of Dachii
All I saw then was myself in the reflection of the metal plates
What was I really doing? Was I going to hurt Dachii?
I woke up yet again to my alarm, today was the day, the day my questions and doubts will be answered
I quickly got ready and headed out to the lab, when I got there everyone but Carlos was there
I looked at the monitors and I saw Carlos taking Dachii to the simulator, they must have started early
"Ace!" the project manager's voice called out to me, I turned to see what she wanted
"Ace, we need you to set the platform for the simulator run, you have 30 minutes" I nodded and headed to one of the stations
The coding was easy since most of it was preset but I had to add a few things to make it look more real
I put in real people that Dachii had met; I had used pieces of his memories and made personalities react as if they were real, I even had to put in myself but I didn't see why
When I was finished there was about 2 minutes left to spare and Carlos had returned
"Ok Dachii is in the simulator... tell me again why we are doing this" Carlos asked them
"It's to see if he's ready for the real world" the project manager said to him
Carlos looked doubtful still but I knew that this was unavoidable now, all I could do was watch and help out in anyway I can
I grabbed Carlos shoulder and turned him around
"Carlos it's going to be ok..." I said, but Carlos still didn't seem to cheer up
"Let's just get this over with" he said sighing
"Initiate simulation program transfer" the project manager yelled out
I went back to my station and started it up; I chose to use the window that was programmed in there to distract Dachii so he wouldn't notice the changes
A few seconds later the program had started up and Dachii was now in the simulated world I then went to the monitors and brought Carlos with me to see how his progress would go
We watched as Dachii had left his room to go exploring, he seemed to know the place well and he took an interest in the tank that I put in
I then saw how he was being frightened by the fake reflection, a strange trick that you see in those scary movies, we were bringing him to the lure that would force him out into what he thought was the real world, I just hope that when he gets back out of this he won't completely lose trust in us
When he was running out of the building I could have sworn I heard typing going on behind me but when I turned to look no one was there but there was another code inputted into the program
"What the heck?" I tried to remove the access code when the System froze
Oh no what's going on "Carlos!" I yelled getting his attention
"What's wrong?" he asked running up to me
"Look" I pointed to the frozen monitor
He didn't even say a word he just started typing, after a moment or two it unfroze
But we saw something we feared, a massive amount of code had been put in, it was a virus
"It's a virus! But who could have broken into our system?" I asked
"I don't know, nor do I care but we have to stop it" Carlos said
I examined the code, it was odd since it looked familiar
Body change, metal change, hormone change, and even physical pain
Who ever did this was specifically targeting Dachii, what were they after
We worked all we could and we were surprised no one else seemed to notice
We had shut down the virus but the effects on him would only were off if we got him out of the simulator
We looked out at the monitors it looked just like in my dream, an older looking Dachii seemingly crying
"We have to get him out of there" I said to Carlos
"I knew, things have gone to far he looks as if he's in pain we can't let this continue, put in an entrance for me I'm going to get him out"
I nodded and Carlos ran off
I pulled up an entrance for him he entered the simulator and I shut the monitors off so the others wouldn't see Carlos
"Hey I was watching that" Detrone yelled at me
"What? Enjoying other's peoples pain you, ass" I yelled back
I entered a shut down code to get the two of them out of there
Before Detrone could yell back another stupid comment Carlos came back in the room with Dachii and started asking if he was alright
I'd bet he was completely confused there, one minute in the simulator and the next minute out side
I stayed were I was and I made sure Detrone didn't get any closer
I saw as Dachii attacked one of the others but to me it made sense I would have done the same thing if not worse
After a little while Carlos had taken Dachii to see the lab psychiatrist, I'm not even sure she could help him
Things had calmed down in the room and people were starting to finish recording the results
I however was still trying to figure out who had made that virus, and who would use it to try to harm Dachii
I had finished my report and still no answer, I thought maybe now Dachii might have calmed down, I should go see him... part of this is my fault... I did want it... but not the way it turned out
I ran down to the psychiatrist's office but neither her or Carlos were there, but I did see Dachii and he looked really sad, I thought maybe now would be the best time to talk to him, it may be the only time to ask for forgiveness
I quietly walked into the room and he turned around and spotted me
"Ace? What are you doing here?" he asked me
I sat next to him on the couch; he was going to here what I had to say... he needed to, even if it made him hate me
"I'm sorry" I pulled him a little closer "we shouldn't have done this to you" I pulled him into a tight hug I almost cried, I really was sorry, when I saw how much pain he had gone through I knew it was a terrible thing to do
"It was my fault, I ... wanted to know if you would grow but, I never meant to put you through such pain"
"Do you want to make it up to me?" he asked, at this point I wanted to know what it would take to make him happy
"What will it take?" I asked
He had pulled out of my arms and gotten off of the couch
"The only way you can make it up to me... is to kill me"
Did I just hear that correctly he wanted me to kill him... why?
I couldn't let it end like this, he was so young
"What? No I won't do it! That is out of the question!" I yelled back in response
"You're a coward... or... there's a reason I'm still here... tell me, what is that reason?"
He had called me a coward... maybe I was... if I wasn't I wouldn't be here right now
"Maybe I am a coward... but I know there's more to you then this, you've only just started life and I won't let it end so soon" I said these words believing in him even if I didn't want to myself
"You shouldn't have let me live, my life will be nothing since the only place I will know will be here" he then walked out and left me alone
He didn't want to live... there was so much he could still do, and I want to be the one to bring him through those things
I don't know if he hates me or not but I know there is more to him than either of us know
After a few minutes of sitting there Carlos had walked in
"Ace? Where's Dachii?" he asked me
"He left" I answered
"Maybe he went back to his room, it has been quite a day for him and us"
That is true...
"Maybe you should get some rest to" Carlos had helped stand me up and took me out into the hall "get some rest you need it" he padded my back and I walked down the hall with him going into the opposite direction
I still felt sad about what he had said; he was willing to die so young not even knowing what life was yet
I went to my room and lay down on the bed I wasn't really tired but I just wanted to think
As I looked up at the plain white ceiling a thought occurred to me
The virus was specifically set for Dachii the only person that seemed to not like Dachii was... oh my gods!
Detrone
He must have gotten someone to make the virus and he could have easily planted it in any of the systems when we were looking away
I quickly launched myself out of the bed, I had to find Dachii
I ran out of the room, I went on my search for the little dragon
I ran down the long hallway and I noticed Detrone up a head with that stupid smile on his face, he must have done something, I knew his office wasn't to far away, I quickly pushed open the door and to my horror I saw Dachii tied to the table with his held up, he looked like he was in a lot of pain but he seemed unconscious, the smell of bitter musk was in the air
I knew what he had done ... that sick bastard
"DETRONE!" I yelled at him making him turn around, the stupid smile once on his face now bent and angry he ran towards me, I knew what I wanted to do but I know what I'm going to do
As soon as he approached I grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him against the wall
"You're a sick fuck!" I yelled at him forcing him more into the wall making a few glass objects fall off of the table and hit the ground shattering
"What did you think you were doing?" I yelled at him his face seemingly stunned
"Taking disciplinary measures, he broke rules" he said
That was a stupid answer, who did he think he was?
"You idiot! You broke protocol and raped a child!" I was so mad if it wasn't for me hearing footsteps approaching I would have killed him right there
I punched him in the gut and threw him to the ground as the group approached obviously coming here from hearing the commotion
"Get him detained, his employment here has just been terminated"
And I would make sure of it, no matter what it took
They took him to one of the containment cells on the lower level, as I went to go release Dachii
The poor little dragon... I should have gone with him when he left then none of this would have happened
I pulled off his restraints as I looked up at him I heard a weak voice saying
"th-thank you"
As soon as I heard it I looked him in the eyes
"Oh my gods, Dachii your alright, I'm sorry about all of this, were making sure that man doesn't get near you again"
I tried to hug him but he was still on the table so I pulled off what was left of the restrains and helped him off of the table
I used a wet cloth to clean what I could, but I knew no matter what I couldn't wipe away this mess he had been dragged into
"Dachii, I'm going to take you to see the doctor alright, I want to make sure that you aren't to badly injured from this" I wanted to make sure he was ok
I asked if he wanted me to lift him there but he refused but I let it go if something like this was to happen to me I wouldn't want to get near anyone either
I led him to the doctor's office as quickly as I could but he was in pain and was slower than normal
We finally got to the doctor and I got Dachii on the examination table
"I'll be right outside if you need me ok" I knew Dachii was having a hard time right now he didn't need me to get in the way or make it worse
I suddenly felt something grab my hand
"You don't have to leave" I heard Dachii's voice say behind me
I was happy in a way that he wanted me there, he must have trusted me to ask me to stay
When he let go of my hand I sat in one of the chairs in the office and explained to the doctor what had happened as far as I knew
He then asked Dachii if I had missed anything before starting his examination
What Dachii said made me even angrier with Detrone, he was going to pay for this
The doctor had then started his examination he checked everywhere and he was very gentle Dachii didn't seem to groan to badly, the doctor applied a cream to Dachii's more afflicted areas
Afterwards Carlos came into the room; he must have heard what had happened because he came in with new clothing for Dachii
For some reason he still asked what had happened so I said I would tell him later
They started talking about somewhere for Dachii to rest; he didn't want to go back into the simulator... that seemed obvious why
He didn't have anywhere else to go, so maybe this was the perfect time for me and him to bond a little if he stays with me maybe he'll get more close to me and then I could really start to raise him... the right way, give him a real childhood
"Would it be alright if he stayed in my sleeping quarters, I wouldn't mind letting him use my area" I offered
"I guess that would be alright, mine doesn't really have enough room, Dachii, would you like to stay in Ace's room for a little while?" Carlos asked
"Sure" I heard him say, it seemed as if he only thought about it a little, was he really starting to trust me?
"Well we could go there now if you're tired" I said
He jumped off of the examiners table and followed me and Carlos out into the hall
Carlos went off to clear up a few things in the lab while I took Dachii to my room
We got to my room and I opened the door
"well this is my little home away from home, so I'd suggest you get some rest now, there is someone I have to take care of but I'll be back in a little while" I said as I got him inside and tucked him into bed
I turned off the lights and walked out shutting the door behind me
I needed to go see what had happened to Detrone, what ever he got won't ever be good enough
I walked off down to the registry office I knew that's where they would dismiss him
When I got there he was being escorted out of the building by to larger males he was stripped of his title and his job, I smirked a little knowing he deserved it
I followed them to the exit where he was about to leave, just as he opened the door I called out to him
"Detrone" he looked back at me "if you ever show your face around here again or get within 20 feet of Dachii you don't even want to know what will happen to you" and with that I watched him walk out of the building and get into his car that drove away as far as it could go into the darkness
I smiled he wasn't ever going to come back and if he did I don't care what happens to me, he won't survive that encounter
I was walking back to my room when my phone rang in my pocket
I picked it up, it was Carlos
He told me that I was needed in the lab
I said I would be right there and hung up; I headed for the lab and saw Carlos waiting for me
"Your finally here, this one is yours" Carlos said pulling me into the lab
"What do you mean?" I asked
"The other Dragon it's ready to be let out of the tank"
Carlos had let me greet this new life into the world I was honored I went to stand in front of the container as the fluids drained I started thinking
I have a little one in my room waiting for me, and another being born now
What will this one think of me?
It hasn't been defined it has no file, no memories, just a clean slate
Hopefully this one won't go through all of the things the other had to
But I looked forward to this... I looked forward to being a father, having 4 sons now
I know I'm ready ... I know I need them, and I know they need me
I'm going to be there for them this time
End of Chapter
well i hope you enjoyed that chapter readers out there
i know i made Ace a little depressed at first but you can't really blame him but lets hope things go better for him now that he has his to little dragons
please comment i likke to know what you think about my stories