Unclassified; Zero and Still Standing

There was a small breathing hole near the top.

Yesu slowly raised a finger toward it.

The rat noticed immediately. It darted to the opening.

Teeth bared.

At that moment, the sun hid behind a cloud. Unwilling to witness the scene. The penthouse grew a bit darker.

The rat grew even more restless as Yesu’s fingers approached.

Finally, the tip of her finger pressed against the opening.

The rat struck.

Its front teeth jabbed into her flesh.

Yesu didn’t move an inch. Her finger remained pressed to the hole.

The rat struck again.

No response from its victim.

It attacked harder, jabbing, scratching.

Drops of blood trailed down the hole from Yesu’s finger.

She was completely unaffected. Her head was tilted yet again, observing the animal that had gone crazy.

The rat slowly began to wear out. Its attacks became less precise, less intense.

Then suddenly, it dropped.

Dead.

Yesu blinked.

"Huh?"

Her finger lifted from the opening. Her eyes squinted at the mammal.

The last rat standing stopped scratching at the other end. It had noticed the threat had been eliminated.

Yesu stared at the four dead rats. Their blue eyes were open.

"Well, well..."

An enthusiastic voice rang through the noisy atmosphere.

Yesu turned.

Doctor Heckman was making his way across the room in quick strides.

The first thing Yesu noticed was that he wasn’t wearing a lab coat.

He wore an oversized shirt and trousers instead.

Despite the fact that she had been introduced to the man just recently and had been in his presence only a few times...

She knew this was completely out of character.

The Doctor stopped in front of her with the gleam his eyes always carried behind his glasses.

"I see you’ve met my new subjects." He said.

Yesu glanced at the cages behind her. At the dead and restless specimens.

"Where’s your coat?" She asked, gesturing at his clothes.

Doctor Heckman’s eyes widened, intrigued. As they did whenever something unexpected happened, which was mostly during his encounters with Yesu.

"My coat?" He asked like he hadn’t heard the word before.

An amused smile crept up his face. The girl had just witnessed something completely out of the ordinary and yet her first observation was a missing coat.

This had to be his most interesting subject of all time.

Might even end up being a favorite.

"Yeah." Yesu answered. "Where’s your coat?’

Doctor Heckman’s smile remained plastered to his face.

He strode over to a far end of the wall where five lab coats hung on a rack.

Yesu watched. She hadn’t even noticed the rack before. It got her wondering what else was in the lab that she hadn’t noticed, just hiding in plain sight.

Doctor Heckman swung a coat over his shoulder and slipped it on with ease.

Yesu nodded slowly. Now, this was the Doctor she was used to seeing.

He turned to her.

"No questions?"

"Questions?"

Doctor Heckman looked more surprised than amused.

"My subjects." He explained.

Yesu glanced back at the cages. Then she spotted another thing she hadn’t noticed.

The eyes of all animals were the same unnatural blue colour as the rats.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she began to grasp the concept of what was going on.

Doctor Heckman’s smile slowly disappeared.

Not abruptly. As though someone had simply reached over and erased it.

He walked back to her in slow, measured steps.

She turned to him.

The amused look he wore was gone. So was the light in his eyes. And in its place was something dark, something that looked even darker on his person.

He was very close now, but he didn’t stop.

He usually kept a reasonable distance and this was too close, even for Yesu.

She took a step back.

He came forward.

Yesu automatically glanced around.

No Josephine.

Her eyes caught a spot of blood on Doctor Heckman’s lab coat.

This was getting weird. Where the hell was Josephine?

"What are you doing?" She asked.

Doctor Heckman stopped but his expression never shifted.

"You’ve seen it." His eyes drifted down to her bloody finger. "And you’ve made contact as well."

Yesu instinctively held her finger.

The Doctor took another step forward.

"I’m afraid..." he said quietly. "... I’ll have to do something about that."

***

Apollo stepped out of the elevator last. He heard the doors close but didn’t look back.

The men had slowed their pace, waiting for him.

Apollo deliberately took his time, slowly placing one foot after the other.

Xenon noticed.

"Go on." He said to the three bodyguards.

They hesitated for a moment, then remembered they were being addressed by Her Excellency’s right hand man.

They went ahead.

Xenon waited till Apollo reached him. They walked slowly together.

"You seem rather reluctant than usual." Xenon noted softly. "Have you, perhaps, acquired the capability of apprehension?"

Apollo was unfazed.

"I could’ve come on my own." He said simply.

Xenon opened his mouth to reply but a gentle cough came out instead.

Apollo glanced at him, then faced forward.

"Drop the act. I know you don’t have a cold."

Xenon smiled.

Apollo sighed. At this rate, he would never be able to go anywhere unnoticed. He considered putting the issue on his long list of agendas.

Another sigh escaped from him.

Completely hopeless.

"Xenon, look into my brother’s schedule for the afternoon."

Xenon inclined his head in exaggerated performance.

"Of course, Master Apollo."

Apollo rolled his eyes, barely.

"So," came Xenon. "The girl at the elevator..."

Apollo had seen this coming. People were so predictable at times.

"Schoolmate."

Xenon smiled mischievously. "I thought you said you didn’t know her."

"I don’t."

Xenon nodded. "I see." The look he gave depicted otherwise.

"Don’t look at me like that." Apollo didn’t even need to glance at him to know.

Xenon’s smile widened.

They were approaching a large metal door at the end of the hall. The bodyguards already stood at the entrance.

Apollo went full poker face.

Better get it done with.

***

The suite was large and polished. Daylight shone on every surface.

The decor was matched almost to perfection, from floor to ceiling. The main room was filled with beautiful antiques.

But it was the natural view beyond the glass walls that held Apollo’s attention.

He wandered over and watched quietly. The sun, sky, puffy clouds that drifted lazily, brushing the building.

So close and yet, out of reach.

As usual, he had come in alone. Xenon and the others were waiting outside.

A door opened at a far end of the suite. Footsteps followed. Many footsteps.

That was unusual.

Apollo turned.

General Kael Vorne moved across the room in his well-known confident stride.

Beside him was a man in sharp CCD uniform, high rank. He spotted fine grey hair and an expression no one would want directed at them.

Apollo recognized him immediately.

Commander Valecrest.

He shook the General’s hand. Curt but eager nevertheless. As military personnels did when coming to an agreement.

Then came the last dignitary.

The room itself seemed to acknowledge him.

Even General Vorne unconsciously slowed his pace.

Apollo’s eyes narrowed.

Walking behind the two military men was someone who hadn’t been seen in months.

The High Regent himself.

General Vorn noticed Apollo first. He paused briefly.

Commander Valecrest did as well.

The High Regent followed their eyes.

And met Apollo standing by the wall, the innate mystery he carried enhanced by the setting.

They met each other’s gaze evenly.

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