Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Marionette ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

MARIONETTE
© June ___. 2005 By Rory V. Pascual


CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Mr. Gyumao…."

The multimillionaire's right eyebrow rose in a perfect arch as his marionette placed a cup of coffee before him. Gojyo, he saw, was sporting a bruise on his left cheek from the blow he had given the clone the previous evening when he had dared to dictate the pace of their coupling. At least, that was what the rich man thought. In truth, the marionette had begged him to go slow, saying that it hurt. The punch he had given the poor clone effectively silenced his irritating pleas.

"What is this?" Gyumao asked dryly.

"I…" Gojyo stuttered nervously. "I…I thought I'd bring you a cup of coffee."

The clone watched as the rich man brought the cup to his lips to take a sip, only to have it thrown at his feet, the cup shattering into pieces and the dark brown brew spilling on the marble floor.

Gyumao instantly rounded on the poor marionette. "What kind of slop is this? It's too damned sweet!"

Tears filled Gojyo's eyes, realizing that he had displeased his owner yet again. "I'm sorry, Mr. Gyumao, sir! I wanted to make you something special. Hakkai always liked his coffee sweet and…"

Strong fingers seized his red hair and jerked his head back to gaze into the rich man's angry face. "I told you – never mention that man's name in my presence!"

A tear fell from the corner of one crimson eye. "Please forgive me, Mr. Gyumao! I swear it won't happen again!"

"Stop crying!" the rich man yelled at the poor marionette, causing the tears to flow down hard. Disgusted, Gyumao abruptly released the clone. "Get out of my sight!"

Gojyo hastened towards the stairs, leading to his bedroom, when he paused. Turning to his angry master, he said, "I'll make up for it tonight, Mr. Gyumao. I promise I'll do my very best to satisfy you."

"I'll hold you to your promise, Gojyo," was Gyumao's firm reply as the marionette went up to his room.

After summoning a servant to clean up the mess in the dining room, the multimillionaire decided to pay a visit to his other prize. Leaving his penthouse, he entered the elevator, which brought him down to the security floor where the special suite was located. Nodding to the two burly guards at the door, the rich man went inside.

Gyumao entered the living room just in time to see his prisoner shut off his computer monitor and stand up to face him. Judging from the firm set of that handsome face, he knew that the younger man had witnessed the little show in the penthouse.

"I received your message. Forgive me that it took a month to give you this answer," Gyumao told his prisoner bluntly, not one wit apologetic. "Unfortunately, I can't let you go just yet. As you have probably seen for yourself, my little clone is not exactly working up to my expectations.

"I'm not surprised," the young man remarked wryly, "given the way you've been treating him."

"I expected him to be more durable than you, but… Curse that Hakkai! He made him too damned human! And he's like a child. That damned clone won't stop crying!"

"Why shouldn't he cry? The way you've been abusing him, I'm surprised that he hadn't thought of sticking a knife in that black heart of yours."

Gyumao reached up and traced those parallel scars with his fingertip. To his credit, his prisoner did not flinch at his touch.

"This is what I always liked about you," the rich man remarked. "You're very feisty. We've been together for close to a year and you haven't lost your fire."

"If you're think it's an…attraction…between us, forget it. It's hatred, pure and simple. Not a single day goes by when I'm not seized by the urge to kill you for what you've done to me."

"But you can't," the rich man smirked. "Because you know I could snatch your dearest brother away in a snap the same way I had you."

"Touch my brother, Gyumao, and I will kill you!"

Gyumao picked at his ear. "Oh, how that line sounds so stale to my hearing!"

The young man slapped away the hand that was caressing his cheek. "What the fuck do you want from me?"

"As much as I want to give you the fucking that you deserve, my pretty flame," the multimillionaire began, "I need your opinion based on your…other…area of expertise. Now tell me. What do you think of Gojyo?"

A meaningful look. "Why? Are you afraid that you might have…like you did me?"

The rich man's face darkened at that query. "Don't try my patience!"

Gyumao grinned as his prisoner sighed in weary surrender. "I need to examine him."

"Out of the question! You are not to have any contact with Gojyo. I can't have you influencing him, after all."

"Then how will I know if there's anything wrong with him?"

"I'll have Kougaiji bring you the data that Dokugakuji had collated on him."

"If I were you," the younger man started to suggest, "I wouldn't count on Gojyo lasting long, and I'm not just talking about the way you've been mistreating him. Despite his metal frame, he is still mainly composed of organic material, living tissues that are prone to damage…" He then added in emphasis, "And disease. You've should've just contented yourself with an inflatable sex toy or…"

He never finished what he was going to say as Gyumao gave him a fierce slap that caused blood to flow from the corner of his mouth.

Wiping away the blood with the back of his hand, he muttered in grim satisfaction, "Do you know the only happiness I have in this disgusting predicament you've put me in? It's knowing that when I die, you'll die along with me."

Gyumao snorted like a bull. Not wanting to prolong the irritating conversation any longer, he casually sauntered towards the electronic door.

"Hah! But I won't die!" the rich man declared as he walked out the door. "Science and my riches will ensure my immortality!"

When Gyumao's loathsome presence was finally gone, he dropped all pretense of strength and bravado. Suddenly weak in the knees, he nearly stumbled as he reached for his swivel chair. With a sigh, he collapsed into his seat, and switched his monitor back to life.

He had configured his computer to tap into the security system of Houtou Enterprises, something which Gyumao had discovered but chose not to rectify. After all, there was no escape for his prisoner. Again, as in the weeks before, he focused his interest on the poor marionette.

Gojyo was sitting on his bed, weeping silently as he hugged his precious Teddy bear close to his cheek.

Did I cry like that when Gyumao had… the thought entered his mind. If he had, he couldn't remember it anymore, choosing to focus instead on the safety of his older brother and his hatred towards Gyumao.

His hand caressed the image of the weeping clone on his screen. While he had been relieved and pleased that the marionette had taken his place as the rich man's object of lust, seeing Gojyo like this, he felt a twinge of guilt. No one should be subjected to this kind o abuse, even if he were a machine.

To his surprise, he realized Gojyo was staring at the security camera. Blinking away the tears from his crimson eyes, he even positioned himself so that he was directly facing the camera.

"Hello? Is somebody there?" Gojyo asked, tilting his head from side to side as he peered into the lens. "I know someone's there because the red light is on. Is that you, Kougaiji? Dokugakuji?"

Jarred by those innocent, seeking questions, he made to turn off his monitor when the clone said, "Please don't go! It gets pretty lonely having no one to talk to. Even if you can't talk back to me, it's okay…as long as I know that someone is listening."

At that entreaty, he slowly lowered his hand.

A smile lit up Gojyo's face as he raised his favorite toys to the monitor. "I'm Gojyo, and these are my best pals Teddy and Mr. Smiley. Nice name for a perfect set of teeth, isn't it?"

He could barely suppress the chuckle that bubbled out of his mouth. Yes, it was indeed a nice name for those pearly white chattering teeth.

The marionette happily went on, "I was created by Hakkai, together with a bunch of animal clones. There's Jiroushin, who's a dog. Kwannon the cat. Hakuryu was once an iguana, but he's a white dragon now. Then there's Goku. He's a monkey, but he's always telling me that he and Hakkai were once colleagues."

Goku… he thought with a frown. Surely it's not the same Goku that brother and I…

Settling back into his chair, he listened as the clone chattered away about his life back in Hakkai's manor, a life that had been far from idyllic, but happy one nonetheless. Cho Hakkai was a fool, he concluded. If he were in the geneticist's place, he would've taken the marionette far, far away, to the ends of the earth if necessary, where Gyumao would never find them. No, thinking about it realistically, he would never have built Gojyo in the first place.

"I'm so lonely."

He lifted his gaze to the screen to behold the poor clone with tears streaming down his face.

"It's so lonely here. I don't have any friends," Gojyo's body hitched with his heart-wrenching sobs. "I'm trying so hard to make Mr. Gyumao like me, but I always make so many mistakes. What must I do to make the people here like me?"

Something warm and wet fell on his hand, and he glanced down to see the glistening teardrop. It was joined by another tear that dripped from his jaw. Right then and there, he made his decision. With a click of a key on his keyboard, he patched into the security room.

"Kougaiji, I need you to do something for me."

After two hours, Kougaiji made his appearance, bearing a small black box. "I got everything you asked for. Dokugakuji burned the newer ones from MIRC."

"Good. Thank you, Kougaiji." He took the box and checked the contents. Satisfied that it was indeed complete, he put a small note at the bottom and closed the lid. Handing it back to Kou, he requested, "Please give this to Gojyo for me."

Kougaiji nearly dropped the box in surprise. When he was earlier asked to make these purchases, he thought his poor friend had been struck by the urge to see what he had left behind. Lord only knew how much he avoided watching television, not even to catch a glimpse of his beloved brother.

But he never expected this.

"My father won't allow this," Kougaiji argued weakly. "He strictly ordered us to forbid you from seeing each other."

"We won't be seeing each other because you'll be the one to bring that gift to him. Besides, how could I see Gojyo with those bulldogs following me everywhere I go? Just give him this little present."

"What are you up to?" Kougaiji asked in suspicion.

"I just remembered this teenager who wrote to me," was his friend's reply. "She said that before the…show, she had grown tired of living and of life. Nothing was going right for her, and she felt useless, as though she had no purpose. But watching the show changed her. It gave her strength, courage, and hope. If it had that effect on her, won't it do the same for Gojyo?"

Kougaiji, however, was not convinced. "You're not telling me everything, and I don't want to know. But this is a dangerous game you're playing. It might get you killed."

He granted Gyumao's bastard son a weak smile. "I've been knocking on Death's door since your father brought me here. Whether it happens sooner or later, I don't care anymore. I'm not afraid of Death. But I care for that young man in there."

" 'Man'?"

"He's no mere cyborg. I'm convinced of that fact. Gojyo is very special and he deserves a much better life than this. I'm hoping that with…this, he'll be like that teenager – that he'll find a reason to survive, to live."

Kougaiji thought for a long moment, fear of his father warring with the urge to give the marionette a little happiness. In the end, he sighed and said, "All right. I'll give this to him."

"Thanks, Kou." Kougaiji was about to leave when he hastily added, "Gojyo told me that he's feeling lonely. It wouldn't hurt if you or Dokugakuji would visit him when you have time. And please tell Dokugaku. He is to inform me of everything about Gojyo – every little data, every observation no matter how insignificant it might seem – before he reports to Gyumao. I fear that something may be wrong with Gojyo because of…"

Kougaiji nodded. "I understand, and I'll make sure that he does too."

Saying this, Kougaiji quietly went outside his room. He again faced his monitor to watch and to wait.

~~~~~

Gojyo lay on the bed, his two precious toys cuddled close, feeling absolutely miserable. He could not understand why it hurt so bad to see that red light blink off. He never met the person behind the security camera, but why did he believe this individual to be very important to him? Why should this person matter so much?

The marionette gazed at that tiny dead light through tear-filled sunset eyes. Why should I matter to everyone here? came that bitter, lonely thought. I'm just a cyborg after all.

"Gojyo?"

Hearing Kougaiji's soft voice, the clone quickly sat up, wiping away his tears. "The door's open, Kougaiji. Come in." As Gyumao's bastard son and personal secretary entered, Gojyo granted him a cheerful smile, "Hi, Kou!"

Kougaiji was disturbed by that forced smile on the marionette's face. It's only been a month since Gojyo arrived and already he was looking very haggard and world-weary. There were even dark hollows under his eyes.

Could he be right in his suspicions? Kougaiji remembered the earlier words of Gyumao's hapless captive. Could something be wrong with Gojyo? He patted the box. Now, he understood the need and necessity of this gift.

Kougaiji approached the clone and laid the box before him.

Gojyo looked at the box curiously. "What is this? Is this a gift? Is it from Mr. Gyumao?" Opening it eagerly, he saw that it contained fifty shiny compact discs.

"No, it's not from my father." Kou turned his gaze to the security camera. "It's from…a friend." He sat down on the bed and squeezed the clone's hand. "Gojyo…this friend…he is taking a great risk by giving this to you. Dokugakuji told me that you have a large memory capacity. If I were you, I'd save these and I'll get it back from you later."

"Can't I keep them?" Gojyo asked, hugging the box to his chest possessively.

"Not here where father can find it. If he finds out about this, it might cause big trouble to the person who gave this present to you."

The marionette's sweet fawn eyes widened in alarm. "No, I don't want anyone to get into trouble because of me!" He gave the box a wistful look. "Too bad this isn't Hakkai's house. There are a lot of neat places where I can hide it."

"I'll tell you what," Kougaiji started to suggest. "Once you're through saving these, I can keep them for you. When father's not here, you can ask for them from me."

Gojyo beamed at that suggestion. While he could save the contents of the disks in his memory, the CDs were tangible keepsakes from his mysterious friend.

Kougaiji glanced at his watch. "Father has several appointments today. He won't be back before 8 pm, so enjoy yourself."

The marionette nodded in happiness as Gyumao's bastard son left him. When Kougaiji was gone, Gojyo took the box and plopped down before the TV set and DVD player. Pulling out the coaxial cable from his nap, the clone connected himself to the player and loaded the disk marked 'Ep. #1'. Switching both the TV and the player on, his crimson eyes glittered as the images flashed on the screen in high speed, each scene being saved in his memory. After the first disk was finished, he would put in another on the tray.

The hours flew by, but Gojyo continued to watch and save the contents of the CDs, not even stopping to eat or drink. It was an hour before sunset when the clone was finally done. Only then did he read the note, on which was written a single word – 'Phone'. Gojyo knew what it meant.

With a graceful twist of his head, the coaxial cable unplugged itself from the DVD player, lengthened, and attached to the phone outlet with a snap. As soon as he was connected, it did not take long for the marionette to find the person he was searching for, using the line of the security camera as a trace.

Hearing that voice that was the same as his own answer on the other end, Gojyo smiled at the security camera, with its red light now back on.

"Thank you for the gift," Gojyo said with undisguised happiness. "I love it so much…Jien."

~~~~~

CRASH!

The four animal clones lifted their heads from their respective perches to see the whiskey bottle that was broken into pieces in the corner, its contents forming a growing puddle on the floor.

Hakkai was leaning against the kitchen counter, breathing heavily. His face was livid, although Goku was not sure whether it was because of rage or the effects of the whiskey he had drank. There were expressions of curiosity on the faces of Jiroushin, Kwannon and Hakuryu.

Somber jade eyes focused on the monkey clone. "Goku, come with me please," was all Hakkai said as he went straight for the lab. With a scratch of his head, a perplexed Goku followed after his best friend.

As he entered the lab, the monkey clone stopped in mid-step to see Hakkai standing before an elevator he had not noticed before. He saw that the elevator had been actually hidden by a metal panel behind the cloning chamber. Hakkai went inside, and Goku hurried in after him. The two friends descended several floors deep within the mountain.

When the elevator finally stopped, they emerged into an enormous laboratory that was three times the size of the lab in the manor above. The computer equipment was more sophisticated and obviously brand new. There were six cloning chambers – five of them adult-sized and one the size of a child.

Two of those cloning chambers caught Goku's eye, drawing a gasp from his lips. Floating in the thick soup of the primordial serum were two growing fetuses.

"You don't have to plug yourself to a console here," Hakkai told the monkey clone. "The computer is tuned to the communication chip in your head."

"Hakkai…" Goku began in awe. "What's all this?"

"I've been putting the money that Gyumao had paid me to good use," Hakkai explained simply. "I knew that there will come a time when this place would be useful."

"Those clone…"

"…Were not created from the cells I used to clone Gojyo. Those cells were destroyed in the lightning strike. Besides, Gojyo is unique, special. I will never make another like him."

"Then who…"

"The clone on the left was created from cells taken from my own body. As for the clone on the right…" Hakkai opened the cryogenic storage to reveal shelves containing hundreds of test tubes. One shelf alone was labeled with Goku's name. "…It's you, Goku."

Goku stared aghast at his former colleague. "But Hakkai… You can't create a clone from my original body. The cancer…"

"I purged it from your genetic sequence. This body is very healthy…and so much more." There was a guilty expression on the good doctor's face. "Forgive me, my friend. While you were in the hospital, I took the liberty of asking the administrator to have the staff get more cell samples from your body without your consent."

"Why did you do this?"

"When I found out that you had cancer, I wanted to give you a brand new lease on life with a new body. Before I could even complete the gene purging, you up and transferred your consciousness into the monkey clone."

Goku glared resentfully at Hakkai. "You should've told me about this earlier!"

"I never got the chance. I'm sorry." Hakkai ran his palm over the glass surface of the cloning chamber. "These are improved bodies – stronger and faster, with defensive and offensive capabilities programmed into them." He grinned sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind. I changed the color of your eyes. Even when you were sick, they were always bright and cheerful that the original brown color did not do you justice. I hope you like golden eyes."

Goku inwardly preened at his friend's genetic modification. He always fancied himself with golden eyes. But there were more important things to discuss.

"Forget about my eye color for a sec!" Goku exclaimed with impatience. "Did I hear you correctly – 'defensive AND offensive capabilities'? Are you telling me those are military cyborgs?"

"Not…exactly. When they're mature, these bodies will house our consciousness, so I wouldn't call them military cyborgs. We're not military men after all. But…" Hakkai hesitated, unsure as to how to proceed. "…We'll be needing these cyborgs' special abilities for what I have in mind."

Goku looked hopefully at his colleague, his heart thudding in his breast. "And what would that be?"

Hakkai gazed at the monkey clone, the determination firmly set on his face. "I'm going to get Gojyo back from Gyumao."

"Are you sure all this is not a product of your drunken mind?"

"I was getting frustrated because progress was going so slow. If only I could speed this up so I can save him… These clones are my only means of getting Gojyo back!"

The monkey clone's face brightened at his friend's words. "No need to get frustrated, Hakkai. I'll do everything in my power to help you. I'm sure Jiroushin, Kwannon and Hakuryu will be pleased to pitch in as well."

"Thank you, Goku!" Hakkai exclaimed, pleased and relieved at that reply. "I was really hoping you'd say that!"

* * * * * * * * * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Somehow, I was able to squeeze in this chapter into my tight schedule. But now I'm faced with a bigger problem – a lousy phone line that's making connecting to the Internet exceptionally difficult. I'm hoping that the phone technician coming in today will have this problem fixed. However, if it would require replacing the line itself, it might take time for me before I'm able to get back online at full capacity. Gomen nasai, minna. But I'll try my damned best to figure out a way to keep the fics coming. Sorry if it won't be as often as before.