freeze me - chapter 5/?
Freeze me, chapter 5/?
Title: Freeze Me
Author:
sgnt_caitsy
Rating: Eventually NC-17
Pairing: J2
Other Characters: Not sure yet - I'll work some in there somehow ;D
Disclaimer: Would I be here if this was real (yes I would)? But seriously none of this is true. Jared and Jensen are owned by themselves and probably don't do this on their time off. ALL FICTION
Summary:
Jensen works in cryogenics, his late night shifts in the lab filled with solitaire and self-pity, when suddenly his monotonous routine is shaken up by the mysterious destruction of Gabriel City and the subsequent discovery of an unknown cryo-tank. Left floundering in unfamiliar territory Jensen desperately tries to make the correct decision whilst the line between right and wrong begins to blur.
Chapter one, Chapter two, Chapter three, Chapter four
A/N: Alriiiiiiiight - so we're up to chapter five now :D
Thanks so so so so much to everyone who has commented and supported.
YOU'VE KEPT THIS STORY ALIIIIIIIEEEEVE
;D
Jensen rubbed at his eyes, tempted to pull them out and polish them with the clean fabric of his lab coat. Just to be sure that what he was seeing right now wasn’t a trick of the eyes, a glitch of the system, he had to be sure.
The heart monitor blipped up and down silently in his peripheral vision - Jensen turned up the sound until the beat echoed loudly around the room with high pitched screeches, around in his head. He had to be sure. Eyes closed he listened - just listened - as the beeps moved out and around, ears searching for a falter or a missed beat that hinted the beginning of the end. There were none, just the steady blip, blip, blip of the heart rate monitor.
He was sure. Gamma was alive.
A smile broke out on his face, feeling rusty and rare - Gamma was alive and Jeff wasn’t here to take the credit for it. Yet… added Jensen’s morose mind, constantly filling in the cracks that let the sunshine in with dark, craggy concrete. Still, Gamma was alive - so the night was beginning to look up - and now Jensen was able to make the first move. Choose which pawn he wished to move before his opponent even knew that he was playing the game.
So now it was his move, the first move, but what to do? Jensen thought about his current situation. He was the only one that knew that Gamma was actually alive, a good start. Reanimation was a definite possibility, the word sent delightful tingles up the length of his spine, he could see the headlines now.
‘SCIENTIST BRINGS A PAST SIX HUNDRED YEARS IN THE MAKING TO LIFE!’
‘Head scientist of cryotech has mental breakdown - committed to institution.’
Okay, so maybe Jeff wouldn’t have a mental breakdown if Jensen was the one to reanimate Gamma, but it would be a very sore spot for a very long time, which gave him the opportunity to rub it in at every available moment. Then again knowing Jeff he’d figure out a way to turn all the positive attention back to him. Leaving Jensen to get shit on, which wasn’t a very nice thing.
He looked over to the tank, a thought in his thought making him feel suddenly morose, ‘I wouldn’t be the only one getting shit on.’
As soon as the man in that tank came to life he was going to get poked and probed till the cows came home. He was going to be shoved into the light and it would burn him and burn him until he was nothing but a fleshy husk, forever known as the man who survived the Gabriel City attacks and six hundred years in the deep freeze. It was going to be a hefty burden to carry, but not until everyone else came to the attention of Gamma being not dead. So at least he had some time to think of what to do with his current opportunity.
Jensen pushed back from his desk, swiveling backwards with the momentum of his shove. The chair knocked lightly against a large cryo tank, three rows back and second from the left, Sylvia Krause - cervical cancer, Jensen’s mind provided numbly.
He spoke to the quiet room, “You have no idea what’s in store for you Gamma, if you did you would’ve died a long time ago.”
Jensen groaned - he didn’t expect being on the edge of such an exciting event would bring with it so much angst and warning. Everything should be hunky dory, but no - it was the exact opposite, he wasn’t sure what to do. So he sat back - head vibrating gently with the gentle hum of Miss Krause’s tank until he came up with a plan of action, a daring plan of action. A plan of action that he probably shouldn’t be planning on actioning, he had it.
He was going to wake Gamma up, give him a few brief moments of solitude before it was ripped screaming from him by the hands of the cryotech crew. Jensen would have an ‘in’ with the ice man, he would be a friend. Gamma would trust no one else. Brilliant, he smiled crookedly - as cruel as the plan was it was a sure fire way to establish himself as a confidante in Gamma’s mind. Besides it was the only plan he could come up with in his short amount of time left on shift - he glanced to the clock on the white wall. It read 3:49am - about four hours until the next lab assistant came in for duty.
Without turning he called out behind him, “Eve resume operation.”
She whirred affectionately - unfolding herself piece by piece as she took thumping steps towards Jensen.
“Load Gamma into the reanimation bay,” the reanimation bay was essentially another metal plate on the ground, a medical cot to its left and a small workstation. Just enough space to work with. EVEE lifted Gamma with ease - transporting his tank to the small bay, the life cords trailing silently behind.
Jensen stood, grabbing the back of his chair and wheeling it back to the front of the control panel. Feeling smug he sat down and pushed the final few keys, “Come on out Gamma, time to meet your savior… well so to speak anyway.”
Jensen leant back on his chair, hands behind his head as the computer chimed out overhead, “Reanimation process, initiated: seven minutes and forty three seconds until completion.”
It was just a matter of time now.
---
“Reanimation process, completed.”
Jensen leaned forward eagerly, the head rest of the chair squawking in surprise, it was time for Gamma to come out and play. He tapped a few key commands - listening as a few short bleets rang out across the cold floor.
“Isolation dome assembling.”
Jensen turned to face EVEE briefly, “Eve, assume hibernation,” before turning back to watch the display. Nothing ever failed to intrigue him in this place.
Two large plastic half-domes pushed their way slickly out of the floor around Gamma’s tank - travelling up and over until they met above the capsule, closing with a small hiss of air. The dome would keep Gamma healthy until his immune system was brought up to scratch. He would need about three rounds of injections before his archaic defence system could effectively fend off modern diseases.
Flexing his fingers Jensen pressed the last two necessary keys - the keys that would force the tank’s locking mechanism to open. The computer sang out above him, “Decrypting locking code,” there were small clicks and whirs as the computer flickered through random combinations - approximately two hundred thousand a second. Not many in comparison to the amount of possible combinations there were. After about five minutes there was a promising click and the computer was talking again, “Locking code decrypted - initiating opening sequence.”
Jensen was on the edge of his seat.
Steam and water hissed as the capsule opened, billowing out and smothering the sharp lines of the room, making everything look soft and hazed like the romance scenes in the old movies that Jensen liked to watch. His face felt sticky with the sudden influx of temperature. Feeling flushed he peered through the lingering fog to notice that the tank was now fully open, a dark opening in place of the door. Excited he stood, took a few cautious steps and waited till the fog cleared a little more. Jensen knew that this part was somewhat awkward and ungraceful. The last thing he wanted was to be caught up in another awakening episode, limbs and wet all over him. The heart monitor beeped softly to his left, the beeps more frequent now that Gamma was alert - alive, still alive.
A body stepped shakily out of the tank, thick wires and tubes following in slippery trails behind it. Like Medusa, but Jensen didn’t want to look away, enthralled with the six hundred year old ice man before him. Gamma stumbled, muscles weak and withered, falling wetly with inept grace onto the ground. He was tall, broad at the shoulder like an athlete, skin a pale wash from years in the dark. For some reason Jensen knew he was tan, would be tan in a few days - once he was on his feet and able to go into the sun. It was just a feeling.
The water from the tank splashed as Gamma’s numb limbs flailed in a newborn-like fashion. Jensen approached slowly, but didn’t go much closer, just watched the awkward display as Gamma tried to use his useless arms and legs. Grunting and whining with each spasmodic movement. His eyes were wild, confused - scared as he struggled unsuccessfully on the ground, peering out from behind the dark hair plastered to his face. Trying to comprehend where he was, who he was, what he was doing here - everything.
Steam rose off his glistening skin in thick lines, the tubes and wires connected to him pulling his skin taut and white as he struggled against them. He’d managed to get up on his forearms now, trying to claw his way across the slippery floor. Operating on fight or flight Gamma was essentially an empty vessel, it was doubtful that he’d even remember this moment in the long run. Mind no doubt screaming hasty escapes as his arms clawed desperately at the smooth floor without much success - Jensen knew that he wouldn’t get very far without the proper muscle stimulants and besides, the wires in his skin weren’t too long either. He was still connected to the interior of his tank - trapped.
Jensen took a few more steps forward, flinching as they echoed loudly through the room and doubly through the tank. The gurgling noises stopped and suddenly attention was thrust upon him.
Gamma’s eyes were piercing, frightened and animal as he saw Jensen for the first time. Saw the first human in six hundred years and stared into him with uninhibited fascination. The cords on his back shifted - so many cords - with the deep heaves of breath through his lungs - jutting out in odd angles and slithering down his skin.
Jensen was momentarily halted in his quest for Gamma’s trust, he hadn’t thought this part through yet. What should he say? What words were poignant enough to convey his message? Stepping up to the transparent wall of the dome he placed his hand to the plastic saying the only thing that came to his head, “friend.”
Gamma was suddenly unresponsive, Jensen’s words apparently triggering an impromptu coma, staring at a spot just above Jensen’s shoulder with flaccid expression. His eyes were light hazel, so light that Jensen could see the pupil standing out firmly from his distance - pigment faded from years of stagnancy. Jensen turned, hoping to see what Gamma was looking at, only to come face to chest with EVEE.
“Jesus! Eve!” he had a hand to his chest, feeling his erratic heartbeats beneath his fingertips, “I thought I told you to assume hibernation?”
EVEE stared. Stared right back at Gamma, she made no move to obey Jensen’s command.
“Evee, assume hibernation,” he deadpanned - tapping lightly on her chromed chest, waited for her usual spiel of acknowledgement.
She stared.
Fear crept in behind his eyelids, taking a seat in his retinas to watch the show, this situation was hardly funny to begin with but now it was progressing into something that Jensen was sure he didn’t want. EVEE had never ignored an order before. It wasn’t possible for her to ignore, it was how she functioned.
“Ana-ly-sis,” that’s all she said whilst she stared at Gamma. Looked into him and came back with and analysis that told Jensen nothing.
“Ana-ly-sis,” she repeated - seemingly stuck in an information loop.
Gamma stared. EVEE stared. Jensen reeled - only slightly though. This unknown territory was exploding in front of him too quickly, leaving him speechless and at a loss of what to do.
“Ana-ly-sis,” Jensen was now feeling the strong urge to run from this insane situation. Tempted to run screaming out the door and tell everyone that he was never here in the first place. What was he thinking, trying to wake Gamma up by himself? And now that EVEE was on the fritz self-doubt came rushing into his mind.
“Ana-ly-sis,” he reached up to her console opening - just within his reach - pressing his fingers gently against the lip of the metal. It descended slowly - revealing her main power system. This was the only thing he could think of.
With his hand hovering over the generator her spoke, “One last chance, Evee. Assume hibernation or I force a shut-down.
There was a silent and tense moment where neither man nor machine broke the quiet, giving the room an eerie sense of foreboding.
Then Evee spoke, “Why?” her eyes resting on his face - they didn’t spin or flick, they just stared. They looked lighter somehow.
But a question, a single minded computer with no brain or spirit or soul - had questioned him. Like a human, asking for right or reason, showing semblances of consciousness, awareness - life. The situation had turned on its head once again. Jensen was floored, hand dropping limply to rest of the chromed lid of EVEE’s console cover with a dull thunk. A question. Gamma floated momentarily from his mind, replaced with overwhelming curiosity. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere.
“Evee, repeat what you said.”
“Ana-ly-sis:” she was silent again - only momentarily, seemingly thinking through her next answer. Her eyes were silent and still.
She tried again, “Ana-ly-sis: red,” and like that it was gone - a dull flicker of fire swept away in the wind. Jensen didn’t notice that Gamma wasn’t looking at her anymore, choosing instead to stare at the cold floor with a deadened defeat. All function diverted to his mind as it no doubt raced, pounding out thoughts and memories, sorting and shifting through memories and conscious musings.
“Red?” Jensen asked the silent room, more confused than he was five minutes earlier. The word leaving an unsettling whirl in his belly. He was getting more questions than answers and that was never a good thing for his sense of control, or general peace of mind either. Still, answers usually revealed themselves in time to the patient and Jensen was a reasonably patient guy.
Jensen closed EVEE’s console cover, turning to face Gamma who was now sprawled rather uncomfortably on the floor. Naked, Jensen’s mind noted amicably and rather inappropriately. Blaming it on the traumatic events of the night so far he walked to a nearby door. Opening it he grabbed a towel from the third shelf - it was a thermo towel. About three hundred years ago scientists had discovered a new and harmless bacteria that called human skin its home. It was also discovered that it emitted heat when put into a situation involving friction. So they decided to put it in a towel, it was rather handy on a cold day. He also grabbed a pair of light pants and a shirt from the fourth shelf.
EVEE was at his side again, eyes flickering erratically - apparently back to her robotic self, for which he was grateful for. He pushed the towel and clothes into her cold metal hands with an, “Eve, please assist the patient.” She clicked and whirred affectionately - approaching Gamma in the dome. Jensen turned away - giving back what little dignity the poor man had left. He approached the communicator on the other side of the room, touched the button for reception and waited till he heard Sally’s sugary sweet greeting on the other end. He could still hear the thick pops as EVEE removed the spindly cords and tubes from Gamma’s skin. Images of grisly wet bodies and dismembered heads floated behind his eyes.
“Sally, yeah hi - I need you to get Jeff here for me…”
It wasn’t really that he had a choice of bringing Jeff back to the lab, the longer he waited the harsher the punishment would be. The harshest punishment being complete and total isolation from the project - he didn’t want that. Not at all.
Jensen shut off the communicator with a quiet click, late night/early morning traffic meant that it would be at least half an hour before Jeff arrived. That left him with a little time to briefly introduce himself. He turned with his neck to see EVEE lay a now clothed Gamma down on the white medical cot in the dome. Arms and legs limp against the pull of gravity, small puckered holes and marks travelling up their lengths.
He sighed, approached the dome slowly, feeling the night wear down on him like a rough week. Stretching his arms over his head, he groaned to the ceiling. Listening disappointedly as it offered him no answer, not even a handy tip. EVEE thumped her way back to Jensen’s side, Jensen checked her eyes again - just to be sure.
Gamma lay quiet on the cot, the white sheets giving his skin a pale, sick shade of white. His eyes were closed against the light, Jensen could see them moving quickly under his thin eyelids in a memory sleep. Brain shutting down to filter through itself and reboot. He was ready for treatment.
Jensen stepped into the large dome - feeling the disinfectant spray washing over him in a refreshing thin film. EVEE had apparently already prepared the solutions - three syringes lay sparkling innocently under the bright lights from above, casting blue-green shadows onto their steel tray. Judging from the colour and the amount of needles they were for the immunity boost. A pack of numbing swabs drew his attention, he picked one from the top of the packet - turning to face Gamma’s limp body on the bed.
Gently lifting Gamma’s left arm he rubbed the swab counter-clockwise on the soft skin in the crook of his elbow. The syringe tinkled in pretty colours as the sharp tip slid effortlessly into the thin skin protecting his veins, Jensen pushed the plunger and felt a sudden pressure on his arm. Stunned, he looked down, a large hand had weaved its way into the white fabric of his coat sleeve - clinging desperately with clumsy strength. A gargled coughing noise slipped into the silence. Putting the syringe down Jensen leaned over Gamma’s face and listened.
A hoarse growl whispered over his ear, leaving sharp tingles in their wake down his back and in his stomach. It was just one word, only one word. But for some reason he realised it was the one word that he didn’t want to hear.
Red.
All he said was red.
End Chapter five
Well there you go! The latest installment! Hope I haven't disappointed you all. *flails nervously*
Title: Freeze Me
Author:
sgnt_caitsy
Rating: Eventually NC-17
Pairing: J2
Other Characters: Not sure yet - I'll work some in there somehow ;D
Disclaimer: Would I be here if this was real (yes I would)? But seriously none of this is true. Jared and Jensen are owned by themselves and probably don't do this on their time off. ALL FICTION
Summary:
Jensen works in cryogenics, his late night shifts in the lab filled with solitaire and self-pity, when suddenly his monotonous routine is shaken up by the mysterious destruction of Gabriel City and the subsequent discovery of an unknown cryo-tank. Left floundering in unfamiliar territory Jensen desperately tries to make the correct decision whilst the line between right and wrong begins to blur.
Chapter one, Chapter two, Chapter three, Chapter four
A/N: Alriiiiiiiight - so we're up to chapter five now :D
Thanks so so so so much to everyone who has commented and supported.
YOU'VE KEPT THIS STORY ALIIIIIIIEEEEVE
;D
Jensen rubbed at his eyes, tempted to pull them out and polish them with the clean fabric of his lab coat. Just to be sure that what he was seeing right now wasn’t a trick of the eyes, a glitch of the system, he had to be sure.
The heart monitor blipped up and down silently in his peripheral vision - Jensen turned up the sound until the beat echoed loudly around the room with high pitched screeches, around in his head. He had to be sure. Eyes closed he listened - just listened - as the beeps moved out and around, ears searching for a falter or a missed beat that hinted the beginning of the end. There were none, just the steady blip, blip, blip of the heart rate monitor.
He was sure. Gamma was alive.
A smile broke out on his face, feeling rusty and rare - Gamma was alive and Jeff wasn’t here to take the credit for it. Yet… added Jensen’s morose mind, constantly filling in the cracks that let the sunshine in with dark, craggy concrete. Still, Gamma was alive - so the night was beginning to look up - and now Jensen was able to make the first move. Choose which pawn he wished to move before his opponent even knew that he was playing the game.
So now it was his move, the first move, but what to do? Jensen thought about his current situation. He was the only one that knew that Gamma was actually alive, a good start. Reanimation was a definite possibility, the word sent delightful tingles up the length of his spine, he could see the headlines now.
‘SCIENTIST BRINGS A PAST SIX HUNDRED YEARS IN THE MAKING TO LIFE!’
‘Head scientist of cryotech has mental breakdown - committed to institution.’
Okay, so maybe Jeff wouldn’t have a mental breakdown if Jensen was the one to reanimate Gamma, but it would be a very sore spot for a very long time, which gave him the opportunity to rub it in at every available moment. Then again knowing Jeff he’d figure out a way to turn all the positive attention back to him. Leaving Jensen to get shit on, which wasn’t a very nice thing.
He looked over to the tank, a thought in his thought making him feel suddenly morose, ‘I wouldn’t be the only one getting shit on.’
As soon as the man in that tank came to life he was going to get poked and probed till the cows came home. He was going to be shoved into the light and it would burn him and burn him until he was nothing but a fleshy husk, forever known as the man who survived the Gabriel City attacks and six hundred years in the deep freeze. It was going to be a hefty burden to carry, but not until everyone else came to the attention of Gamma being not dead. So at least he had some time to think of what to do with his current opportunity.
Jensen pushed back from his desk, swiveling backwards with the momentum of his shove. The chair knocked lightly against a large cryo tank, three rows back and second from the left, Sylvia Krause - cervical cancer, Jensen’s mind provided numbly.
He spoke to the quiet room, “You have no idea what’s in store for you Gamma, if you did you would’ve died a long time ago.”
Jensen groaned - he didn’t expect being on the edge of such an exciting event would bring with it so much angst and warning. Everything should be hunky dory, but no - it was the exact opposite, he wasn’t sure what to do. So he sat back - head vibrating gently with the gentle hum of Miss Krause’s tank until he came up with a plan of action, a daring plan of action. A plan of action that he probably shouldn’t be planning on actioning, he had it.
He was going to wake Gamma up, give him a few brief moments of solitude before it was ripped screaming from him by the hands of the cryotech crew. Jensen would have an ‘in’ with the ice man, he would be a friend. Gamma would trust no one else. Brilliant, he smiled crookedly - as cruel as the plan was it was a sure fire way to establish himself as a confidante in Gamma’s mind. Besides it was the only plan he could come up with in his short amount of time left on shift - he glanced to the clock on the white wall. It read 3:49am - about four hours until the next lab assistant came in for duty.
Without turning he called out behind him, “Eve resume operation.”
She whirred affectionately - unfolding herself piece by piece as she took thumping steps towards Jensen.
“Load Gamma into the reanimation bay,” the reanimation bay was essentially another metal plate on the ground, a medical cot to its left and a small workstation. Just enough space to work with. EVEE lifted Gamma with ease - transporting his tank to the small bay, the life cords trailing silently behind.
Jensen stood, grabbing the back of his chair and wheeling it back to the front of the control panel. Feeling smug he sat down and pushed the final few keys, “Come on out Gamma, time to meet your savior… well so to speak anyway.”
Jensen leant back on his chair, hands behind his head as the computer chimed out overhead, “Reanimation process, initiated: seven minutes and forty three seconds until completion.”
It was just a matter of time now.
---
“Reanimation process, completed.”
Jensen leaned forward eagerly, the head rest of the chair squawking in surprise, it was time for Gamma to come out and play. He tapped a few key commands - listening as a few short bleets rang out across the cold floor.
“Isolation dome assembling.”
Jensen turned to face EVEE briefly, “Eve, assume hibernation,” before turning back to watch the display. Nothing ever failed to intrigue him in this place.
Two large plastic half-domes pushed their way slickly out of the floor around Gamma’s tank - travelling up and over until they met above the capsule, closing with a small hiss of air. The dome would keep Gamma healthy until his immune system was brought up to scratch. He would need about three rounds of injections before his archaic defence system could effectively fend off modern diseases.
Flexing his fingers Jensen pressed the last two necessary keys - the keys that would force the tank’s locking mechanism to open. The computer sang out above him, “Decrypting locking code,” there were small clicks and whirs as the computer flickered through random combinations - approximately two hundred thousand a second. Not many in comparison to the amount of possible combinations there were. After about five minutes there was a promising click and the computer was talking again, “Locking code decrypted - initiating opening sequence.”
Jensen was on the edge of his seat.
Steam and water hissed as the capsule opened, billowing out and smothering the sharp lines of the room, making everything look soft and hazed like the romance scenes in the old movies that Jensen liked to watch. His face felt sticky with the sudden influx of temperature. Feeling flushed he peered through the lingering fog to notice that the tank was now fully open, a dark opening in place of the door. Excited he stood, took a few cautious steps and waited till the fog cleared a little more. Jensen knew that this part was somewhat awkward and ungraceful. The last thing he wanted was to be caught up in another awakening episode, limbs and wet all over him. The heart monitor beeped softly to his left, the beeps more frequent now that Gamma was alert - alive, still alive.
A body stepped shakily out of the tank, thick wires and tubes following in slippery trails behind it. Like Medusa, but Jensen didn’t want to look away, enthralled with the six hundred year old ice man before him. Gamma stumbled, muscles weak and withered, falling wetly with inept grace onto the ground. He was tall, broad at the shoulder like an athlete, skin a pale wash from years in the dark. For some reason Jensen knew he was tan, would be tan in a few days - once he was on his feet and able to go into the sun. It was just a feeling.
The water from the tank splashed as Gamma’s numb limbs flailed in a newborn-like fashion. Jensen approached slowly, but didn’t go much closer, just watched the awkward display as Gamma tried to use his useless arms and legs. Grunting and whining with each spasmodic movement. His eyes were wild, confused - scared as he struggled unsuccessfully on the ground, peering out from behind the dark hair plastered to his face. Trying to comprehend where he was, who he was, what he was doing here - everything.
Steam rose off his glistening skin in thick lines, the tubes and wires connected to him pulling his skin taut and white as he struggled against them. He’d managed to get up on his forearms now, trying to claw his way across the slippery floor. Operating on fight or flight Gamma was essentially an empty vessel, it was doubtful that he’d even remember this moment in the long run. Mind no doubt screaming hasty escapes as his arms clawed desperately at the smooth floor without much success - Jensen knew that he wouldn’t get very far without the proper muscle stimulants and besides, the wires in his skin weren’t too long either. He was still connected to the interior of his tank - trapped.
Jensen took a few more steps forward, flinching as they echoed loudly through the room and doubly through the tank. The gurgling noises stopped and suddenly attention was thrust upon him.
Gamma’s eyes were piercing, frightened and animal as he saw Jensen for the first time. Saw the first human in six hundred years and stared into him with uninhibited fascination. The cords on his back shifted - so many cords - with the deep heaves of breath through his lungs - jutting out in odd angles and slithering down his skin.
Jensen was momentarily halted in his quest for Gamma’s trust, he hadn’t thought this part through yet. What should he say? What words were poignant enough to convey his message? Stepping up to the transparent wall of the dome he placed his hand to the plastic saying the only thing that came to his head, “friend.”
Gamma was suddenly unresponsive, Jensen’s words apparently triggering an impromptu coma, staring at a spot just above Jensen’s shoulder with flaccid expression. His eyes were light hazel, so light that Jensen could see the pupil standing out firmly from his distance - pigment faded from years of stagnancy. Jensen turned, hoping to see what Gamma was looking at, only to come face to chest with EVEE.
“Jesus! Eve!” he had a hand to his chest, feeling his erratic heartbeats beneath his fingertips, “I thought I told you to assume hibernation?”
EVEE stared. Stared right back at Gamma, she made no move to obey Jensen’s command.
“Evee, assume hibernation,” he deadpanned - tapping lightly on her chromed chest, waited for her usual spiel of acknowledgement.
She stared.
Fear crept in behind his eyelids, taking a seat in his retinas to watch the show, this situation was hardly funny to begin with but now it was progressing into something that Jensen was sure he didn’t want. EVEE had never ignored an order before. It wasn’t possible for her to ignore, it was how she functioned.
“Ana-ly-sis,” that’s all she said whilst she stared at Gamma. Looked into him and came back with and analysis that told Jensen nothing.
“Ana-ly-sis,” she repeated - seemingly stuck in an information loop.
Gamma stared. EVEE stared. Jensen reeled - only slightly though. This unknown territory was exploding in front of him too quickly, leaving him speechless and at a loss of what to do.
“Ana-ly-sis,” Jensen was now feeling the strong urge to run from this insane situation. Tempted to run screaming out the door and tell everyone that he was never here in the first place. What was he thinking, trying to wake Gamma up by himself? And now that EVEE was on the fritz self-doubt came rushing into his mind.
“Ana-ly-sis,” he reached up to her console opening - just within his reach - pressing his fingers gently against the lip of the metal. It descended slowly - revealing her main power system. This was the only thing he could think of.
With his hand hovering over the generator her spoke, “One last chance, Evee. Assume hibernation or I force a shut-down.
There was a silent and tense moment where neither man nor machine broke the quiet, giving the room an eerie sense of foreboding.
Then Evee spoke, “Why?” her eyes resting on his face - they didn’t spin or flick, they just stared. They looked lighter somehow.
But a question, a single minded computer with no brain or spirit or soul - had questioned him. Like a human, asking for right or reason, showing semblances of consciousness, awareness - life. The situation had turned on its head once again. Jensen was floored, hand dropping limply to rest of the chromed lid of EVEE’s console cover with a dull thunk. A question. Gamma floated momentarily from his mind, replaced with overwhelming curiosity. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere.
“Evee, repeat what you said.”
“Ana-ly-sis:” she was silent again - only momentarily, seemingly thinking through her next answer. Her eyes were silent and still.
She tried again, “Ana-ly-sis: red,” and like that it was gone - a dull flicker of fire swept away in the wind. Jensen didn’t notice that Gamma wasn’t looking at her anymore, choosing instead to stare at the cold floor with a deadened defeat. All function diverted to his mind as it no doubt raced, pounding out thoughts and memories, sorting and shifting through memories and conscious musings.
“Red?” Jensen asked the silent room, more confused than he was five minutes earlier. The word leaving an unsettling whirl in his belly. He was getting more questions than answers and that was never a good thing for his sense of control, or general peace of mind either. Still, answers usually revealed themselves in time to the patient and Jensen was a reasonably patient guy.
Jensen closed EVEE’s console cover, turning to face Gamma who was now sprawled rather uncomfortably on the floor. Naked, Jensen’s mind noted amicably and rather inappropriately. Blaming it on the traumatic events of the night so far he walked to a nearby door. Opening it he grabbed a towel from the third shelf - it was a thermo towel. About three hundred years ago scientists had discovered a new and harmless bacteria that called human skin its home. It was also discovered that it emitted heat when put into a situation involving friction. So they decided to put it in a towel, it was rather handy on a cold day. He also grabbed a pair of light pants and a shirt from the fourth shelf.
EVEE was at his side again, eyes flickering erratically - apparently back to her robotic self, for which he was grateful for. He pushed the towel and clothes into her cold metal hands with an, “Eve, please assist the patient.” She clicked and whirred affectionately - approaching Gamma in the dome. Jensen turned away - giving back what little dignity the poor man had left. He approached the communicator on the other side of the room, touched the button for reception and waited till he heard Sally’s sugary sweet greeting on the other end. He could still hear the thick pops as EVEE removed the spindly cords and tubes from Gamma’s skin. Images of grisly wet bodies and dismembered heads floated behind his eyes.
“Sally, yeah hi - I need you to get Jeff here for me…”
It wasn’t really that he had a choice of bringing Jeff back to the lab, the longer he waited the harsher the punishment would be. The harshest punishment being complete and total isolation from the project - he didn’t want that. Not at all.
Jensen shut off the communicator with a quiet click, late night/early morning traffic meant that it would be at least half an hour before Jeff arrived. That left him with a little time to briefly introduce himself. He turned with his neck to see EVEE lay a now clothed Gamma down on the white medical cot in the dome. Arms and legs limp against the pull of gravity, small puckered holes and marks travelling up their lengths.
He sighed, approached the dome slowly, feeling the night wear down on him like a rough week. Stretching his arms over his head, he groaned to the ceiling. Listening disappointedly as it offered him no answer, not even a handy tip. EVEE thumped her way back to Jensen’s side, Jensen checked her eyes again - just to be sure.
Gamma lay quiet on the cot, the white sheets giving his skin a pale, sick shade of white. His eyes were closed against the light, Jensen could see them moving quickly under his thin eyelids in a memory sleep. Brain shutting down to filter through itself and reboot. He was ready for treatment.
Jensen stepped into the large dome - feeling the disinfectant spray washing over him in a refreshing thin film. EVEE had apparently already prepared the solutions - three syringes lay sparkling innocently under the bright lights from above, casting blue-green shadows onto their steel tray. Judging from the colour and the amount of needles they were for the immunity boost. A pack of numbing swabs drew his attention, he picked one from the top of the packet - turning to face Gamma’s limp body on the bed.
Gently lifting Gamma’s left arm he rubbed the swab counter-clockwise on the soft skin in the crook of his elbow. The syringe tinkled in pretty colours as the sharp tip slid effortlessly into the thin skin protecting his veins, Jensen pushed the plunger and felt a sudden pressure on his arm. Stunned, he looked down, a large hand had weaved its way into the white fabric of his coat sleeve - clinging desperately with clumsy strength. A gargled coughing noise slipped into the silence. Putting the syringe down Jensen leaned over Gamma’s face and listened.
A hoarse growl whispered over his ear, leaving sharp tingles in their wake down his back and in his stomach. It was just one word, only one word. But for some reason he realised it was the one word that he didn’t want to hear.
Red.
All he said was red.
End Chapter five
Well there you go! The latest installment! Hope I haven't disappointed you all. *flails nervously*