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"Evolution"Written By: The Plotting Housewife Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sotsu
and associated Parties. This work is written for pleasure not profit. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, yaoi, quasi-dark, genetically engineered
pilots, test tube babies, lab-created Gods, pseudoscience. Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5x13, 13xUne Summary: Zayeed Winner, founder of The Human Perfect
Project, makes miracles happen in the laboratory by creating genetically
engineered children. It's only when it's too late that he discovers
playing God can result in catastrophic consequences. " Evolution" Chapter 3 - The God Of Death
Warning: This chapter contains mentions of suicide. Duo was always calling himself The God of Death. He would tell anyone he came across, blinking up at whichever gobsmacked adult he could find, his eyes wide as he wove intricate tales of all the people he helped cross over to the other side. Some of them were so elaborate, Zayeed found himself floored at the child's imagination. Duo was, in essence, an enigma. He was definitely the most energetic of the five boys, often driving Zayeed to near-catatonia from exhaustion. He never stopped moving, never stopped fidgeting, and he, sometimes infuriatingly so, never stopped talking. The child was an obscure mix of several different donors. Eleven of them to be exact. His genetic line branched out from the northern British Isles to Anglo Saxon to Native American, peppered with ethnic origins that encompassed nearly every part of the world. He was an adorable child with giant blue eyes that took on an almost purple hue in certain lights. His hair was long, never cut, not even once. The mere prospect of a haircut was enough to send him into a panicked frenzy, screaming bloody murder, and clawing at anyone who came near him with a pair of scissors. Zayeed eventually decided it wasn't worth the hassle and braided it for him to prevent tangles and keep it out of the way. Despite the more serious nature of some of his other "brothers", Zayeed discovered, fairly early on, that Duo would have moods that were darker than Heero's and Wufei's combined. Fortunately, they were few and far between, but when they happened, they left Zayeed shaken for days afterword. During those times, the child barely spoke and his eyes took on a strange, unfathomable look, as if he knew things Zayeed could never possibly comprehend. Duo was quick as a whip and when the mood struck him, he could have Zayeed rolling on the floor in laughter. Walking appeared not to be in his vocabulary as he was almost always seen running through the halls of the large estate like the hounds of Hell were on his heels. He was also usually screeching loud enough to be heard from one end the house to the other. He got along fine with the other boys, though he had a slightly tumultuous relationship with Wufei. Namely that he would push the boy's buttons to get him to respond which Wufei almost never failed to do, lashing out in such anger that Zayeed often had to separate them for a time to avoid a violent situation. If there was one thing Zayeed loved about Duo, it was watching him interact with the others. He was very close to Quatre and he enjoyed watching the two of them work together as they tried, and often succeeded where Zayeed failed, to coax Heero and Trowa out of their shells. It was adorably funny watching them come up with new and rather inventive pranks to play on Wufei. While Quatre was exceptionally close to Trowa, Duo was extremely close to Heero. Zayeed was almost sure Heero told Duo, and probably the other boys, things that he never spoke of to him, but when he tried to get Duo to share the information, he'd get an odd look. It was hard to put his finger on, but it felt almost like he was saying, You will never understand us so don't even bother trying. He was intensely loyal and protective of his brothers and was often the one to make them smile when they were down about something. He was fun to be around, but he was tiring to a reliable fault. Zayeed had lost count of the number of times he'd developed bruises on his shins from Duo colliding with him as he ran like a bullet through the house, or the number of times he had to grab the child by the back of the shirt as he attempted to climb up the furniture. His favorite theme was the God of Death and Zayeed often found him standing on top of a book shelf, or a chest of drawers with a black sheet tied around his neck, proclaiming himself as the Reaper and that he was now going to bring death and destruction upon them all. Then, he'd leap down and hit the floor hard enough to shake the walls, and Zayeed would cringe over how that must hurt his feet. Unfazed, he'd tear out of the room, screaming war cries at the top of his lungs. By the age of six, Duo was on his third nanny. The first one left in a hurry, crossing herself, and babbling incoherent prayers as she stuffed her belongings in her bag and stomped down the stairs. When Zayeed tried to stop her, she slapped him. You don't need a nanny. You need an exorcist! The second one lasted for three months, but unfortunately, she ended up committing suicide by overdosing on pills in the staff restroom. The third nanny seemed better equipped to handle Duo's endless hyperactivity and terrifyingly dark moods. At least, he hoped so. Duo seemed unbothered about the fate of his second nanny, but Zayeed took him to a professional, just in case. He left the child in with the therapist for twenty minutes before she came out, scratching her head and looking extremely perplexed. She sat Zayeed down and told him that Duo was probably just going though the grieving process which was resulting in his odd behavior. Zayeed stared at her, then said. "But...he's always been like this." The therapist gaped at him. "You mean...this isn't recent?" Zayeed shook his head. "No. He's just...always been like this." She leaned back in her chair, suddenly looking as though she'd aged thirty years. Zayeed was morbidly curious how he looked at this point. She reached into her purse and pulled out a small pill bottle, popping the cap, and shaking a few into her palm. She swallowed them dry and then stared at the floor for a few minutes. Zayeed absently wondered if this was normal for her and waited for her to collect herself. Finally, she seemed to snap out of it and looked at him with glazed eyes. She smiled, but it was obviously faker than the plastic tree in the corner of the room. "Well, Mr. Winner. All I can say is you must have your hands full and I commend you for that. Children are very...interesting creatures and they come as different as can be. Just be patient and loving with him and I'm sure he'll come around, or - or grow out of it...or something..." She trailed off, looking lost again. Zayeed wondered what the hell Duo had said to her. "Should we make another appointment?" "No!" She blushed at her outburst and smiled to cover it up. "No, no. I don't think that's necessary." Zayeed narrowed his eyes at her. "Okaaay...do you have a card, or something just in case I need to get a hold of you again?" She stared at him, tapping her fingers anxiously on the arm of her chair. He could see it in her eyes. She didn't want to give him a card and she didn't want him to call her. She certainly didn't want them to ever come back. Zayeed slapped his knees and stood up. "Okay well, thanks for...nothing." He stormed out of the room to find Duo gone. He looked at the receptionist. "Where's my son?" "Hm? Oh, he went that way," she pointed to the exit. "Gee, maybe you could have told me?" He ran out the door, frantically shouting Duo's name. The honking of horns drew his attention and he turned, heart in this throat as he spotted Duo standing in the middle of the street, blocking traffic. His arms were raised above his head which was thrown back, his eyes closed. Zayeed could hear his little voice, hollering over the din as motorists honked and yelled at him to get out of the street. "Behold! I am the God of Death. I hold all your puny little lives in the palm of my hand. Soon, you will bow down to -" Zayeed grabbed him and ran for the curb, holding up his hand in apology to the people in their cars. He set Duo down on the grass and shook him by the shoulders. "Are you crazy? What would make you do such a thing?" The child stared at him blankly, then he smiled his cheerful Duo smile. "Can we get ice cream?" Duo was usually the first one up in the morning and the last to go to sleep. Zayeed had a hell of a time getting him to bed and often listened to the child ramble on about his dreams which usually entailed him having to help lost souls cross over to the "other side". "And just where is this "other side", Duo?" He'd asked one night while he was tucking the child into bed. Instead of answering, Duo showed him one of his drawings that was pinned onto his wall with a brightly colored thumbtack. It was an exceptionally good drawing for a six year old. It featured a picturesque waterfall surrounded by tall trees. In the front, various animals grazed on the grass and leaves. Zayeed smiled at the boy. "That's very good. It seems like a beautiful place." Duo shrugged, a frown forming between his brows. Zayeed was confused by the sudden change. "What, you don't like it?" "I've never actually seen it." "Seen what? The afterlife?" He nodded. "Well, that's good, isn't it? I mean, you don't see it until you die, right?" Duo gave him a knowing look. "But, you don't believe in that, do you?" Zayeed sighed, not prepared for this conversation. "Well, let's just say that I believe in things I can see with my own eyes. I haven't seen the afterlife yet so I really have no idea if it's real, or not." "But it is real." "How do you know that if you haven't seen it?" "I don't get to see it because I'm not dead. But, I've seen other places." "Like what?" "Limbo. It's where I'm from." "Ohhhh...it's where you're from. And how do you know this?" The child cocked his head cutely, looking at Zayeed as if he was stupid. "Because I'm the God of Death." Ah, of course. "And your job is to help lost souls cross over to somewhere you can't see yet." "I'll never see it." "Why not?" "Because I can't die." Zayeed nodded. "I see." Duo looked at him strangely. "I don't think you do, Father." "What don't I see?" The child seemed to be thinking something over. Then he shook his head. "Never mind." "No, tell me." Duo's eyes were intense as he watched him. "I don't think you'll ever truly understand what you did." Zayeed's heart rate sped up. "What I...did?" Duo suddenly sat up, his eyes alight with something that made Zayeed close to pissing himself. The child leaned in and whispered conspiratorally. "You haven't realized this yet, but while we're your creations, we're also your Gods. Soon, we will do things that you've never imagined." Duo looked him up and down, critically. "And when you die, I will be there. I will be there and I will reap you." Zayeed gulped as Duo smiled at him. As if this was nothing. As if he hadn't just scared ten years off Zayeed's life. He could actually feel the hair on his head turning white and he absently reached up to touch it. He watched with an iron lump in his chest as Duo laid back down and snuggled under the covers with a "Goodnight, Father," and closed his eyes. He couldn't seem to get his own voice to work. He nodded, stunned, and rose up to leave the room, flicking the lights off and closing the door. He went to his own room and shut the door behind him, making sure to lock it, and then leaned against it, his heart pounding against his rib cage. Shakily, he stumbled over to his bed and flopped down, still fully clothed and too exhausted to do anything about it. He buried his face in his pillow and thought about Quatrine. He missed her so damn much. He broke down for the first time since she died and wept into the silence of the night. Like clockwork, Duo was up at the crack of dawn and he raced down the stairs to the kitchen where Zayeed was enjoying a cup of coffee and a few minutes of peace before the boys got up. Duo skidded into the kitchen, sliding across the floor in socked feet, coming to a stop in front of Zayeed. He bounced happily, his braid swinging behind him as Zayeed asked him what he wanted for breakfast. There was no trace of the seriousness of their discussion last night. Zayeed wasn't even sure the boy remembered. He was still deeply disturbed by it and wondered if he should be seeing a therapist. "Okay, Duo. Settle down. What do you want to eat?" "Sugar pops!" "Uh...no. You are not filling up on sugar this early. What else?" "Gundam O's!" "Gun - what? What is that? Is it sugary?" The boy nodded. "Then, no. What else?" "Gundam Tarts!" "Gundam - the hell is a Gundam anyway?" He sifted through the pantry, looking critically at the excessive number of cereal boxes. He spotted the "Gundam O's". It was a corn based cereal shaped like giant mecha machines. He looked at the nutrition facts and nearly choked. Thirty five grams of sugar? "Who the hell bought these?" "Miss Janice." Zayeed grunted, making a mental note to have a little chat with Duo's nanny about the importance of healthy food and not filling an already over-active child up with sugary junk. "Here, these are much better," he said, pulling out a box of bran flakes. He almost laughed at the face Duo made. "Oh, come on, Duo. It's not that bad. I'll cut up some fruit and you'll never know the difference." If looks could kill, Zayeed would have been dead on the floor. He shuddered and turned away, retrieving a bowl and spoon and set it down on the table. Opening the fridge, he pulled out strawberries, grabbed a banana from the fruit rack, and set to work chopping them up for Duo's cereal. "Father?" "Yes?" "Do you love us?" Zayeed turned shocked eyes on the child. "Of course I do!" Duo was eyeing him strangely. "You shouldn't." Zayeed just stood there, stunned, at a loss. "Why not?" "Because we -" He was interrupted by Heero and Trowa entering the room and Zayeed decided to let it slide for now. He set up more bowls for cereal and gave them some fruit. They sat down quietly, not even acknowledging him, and began to eat with no complaints. "Good morning, boys," Zayeed greeted. He got a nod from Trowa. Heero simply ignored him. He swallowed down his irritation as Duo loudly crunched his cereal, pointing his spoon at Heero. "You had a nightmare." Heero looked at Duo, then glanced at Zayeed, who cocked his head in curiosity. "A nightmare about what?" Heero glared at him, then at Duo. "Nothing," he said, focusing on his food. Zayeed didn't press the issue and just watched them eat while he drank his coffee, listening to Duo ramble on about some game he was inventing with Quatre. Said boy came in a short while later along with Wufei and he was momentarily stunned at how much he looked like Quatrine. Quatre stared at him as he walked in and sat down next to Trowa who immediately offered him half his fruit. Zayeed tried for a smile. "Good morning." Quatre watched him intently and he felt a strange pull in his mind. He couldn't explain it, but it actually felt like his thoughts were leaving his own head and traveling through the air into Quatre's. His consciousness unraveling like a knitted sweater. After another few moments, it began to make his head hurt, a dull throbbing in his temples. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, deeply uncomfortable. Quatre suddenly smiled brightly, looking like an exact replica of his mother, and chirped, "Morning, Father!" The odd sensation lingered in his head until Duo poked Quatre in the arm and the boy turned his attention away from Zayeed. The pulling instantly vanished and it left him breathless as he leaned against the counter, feeling weak and drained. His mind also felt suspiciously blank, bordering on incoherence. He abruptly excused himself from the room, stumbling across the house to his study where he slammed the door and collapsed onto his knees, nearly hyperventilating. What on Earth just happened? He could have sworn that Quatre had just literally sucked the thoughts, the energy, out of his head, his body. But how was that even possible? How in the hell could a six year old child do that? He crawled forward as the room tipped, his stomach suddenly protesting the coffee and just barely made it to the waste basket where he vomited profusely. Shaken, he sat down, leaning against his desk with his legs sprawled out in front of him. He panted and desperately tried to get his bearings back. His body felt useless as he raised a trembling hand up to his forehead, finding it coated in sweat. He didn't want leave this room. Ever again. He wanted to lock himself in and just lay down and die. He finally could admit to himself that he was absolutely terrified of his own children. His own...what had Duo said? They were his Gods? He groaned, feeling lost, alone, and overpowered. He curled up with his face on his knees, wishing there was somewhere, or someone he could turn to. Someone that could help. But he wasn't sure there was anyone who could. He squeezed his eyes shut, clutching at his legs. What have I done? There was a knock on the door, but Zayeed just couldn't deal with anyone at the moment. "Go away. I need a minute." "Father?" "I'm fine, Duo. Just go finish your breakfast. I'll be out in a few." There was a soft creak as Duo cracked the door open and it was on the tip of his tongue to scream at the child, but he just didn't have the energy. He felt ancient, wretched. He lifted his head, his eyes trying to convey what he couldn't physically say. Duo's lips curled up, just slightly. "I told you." He pulled the door shut again and Zayeed listened to his retreating footsteps. Exhausted beyond belief, he slouched onto his side, his eyes closing, and passed out cold right there on the floor. ~ * ~ |
