Origins of Zero

Subject: Origins of Zero Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:15 pm

This is a fanfic based off of a picture that has details similar to Zero regarding his origins. The following is a work in progress story and not fully finished yet. Bare with me, I only have so much time to write when I have college.

This is the picture that inspired the story.

Subject: Re: Origins of Zero Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:16 pm

His throat felt dry as he stood at the small podium in the conference room. He pretended to shuffle his notes as he surveyed his audience. All the men seated around the table were stern-faced and uniformed. He had seen more intimidating figures, but these were the men he needed to impress if he wanted to continue to receive the annual funds needed for his research.

"If we are all settled in," said the man at the end of the table opposite him, the one decorated with the most stars, "We will now hear the current report on Project Shadow by ARK head researcher Professor Gerald Robotnik. Professor, you may begin."

Gerald swallowed nervously as all eyes turned to him. "Yes, well um," he stumbled before clearing his throat. His voice was slightly raspy from thirst and nerves."I would first like to thank all of you for listening to me today. We have made tremendous strides with Project Shadow since we last met a year ago." Gerald pressed a button on the projector remote and a slide showing the anatomical and skeletal details of an anthropomorphic black furred hedgehog with red stripes was illuminated on the wall.

"This," Gerald stated, pointing to the hedgehog, "Is prototype version nine point two, our most recent model. As you can see, it has coloring that is favorable for stealth situations, and the quills on the head and back are microscopically serrated, not unlike the blade of a knife. If the need should arise, it has the potential to use its whole body as a weapon." He cringed inwardly at the way he was talking. He didn't want to think that his creations were the weapons of the century, but that's what he had to portray them as if he wanted the funds for his research.

For nearly an hour, Gerald talked about all the designs of his latest creation, focusing on how every modification could be of use to a military fighter. "And with that, gentlemen, I hope you will see fit to continue providing my research team with the funds necessary to reach the finalized model that we are so close to achieving. I'll be glad to answer any questions."

After a brief pause following his speech, a sly voice spoke up from the table. "I have heard," said a brown eyed man with sandy blond hair, "That version Nine point Two, your so-called 'crown jewel,' has recently...expired." He placed a careful emphasis on the word 'expired' that caused a few of the men sitting around him to roll their eyes. It was no secret that the man, Lieutenant Ron Coleman, was opposed to Project Shadow and wanted nothing more than to shut it down. Among other things, he'd condemned the project because of his beliefs that "only God should be able to create Life."

Gerald blinked and calmly met Lt. Coleman's gaze. In his mind, Gerald silently cursed the timing of 9.2's demise. He couldn't deny that the prototype was indeed dead. Luckily he had anticipated questions about this and had rehearsed his answers on the trip to this meeting.

"You would be correct, Lieutenant Coleman. Nine point two did cease to be functional a mere three days ago. It was an unfortunate accident. The specimens, for all their intelligence, are very young physically and mentally. In a moment of childlike curiosity, nine point two wondered into an unoccupied lab and managed to get into some extremely hazardous chemicals. By the time we got there it was already too late." Gerald held his breath without realizing it, he hoped his poker face was good enough that they wouldn't be able to tell that he'd just told them a lie full of BS.

When no other questions were raised, the first military man, General Redding, spoke again. "Thank you Professor. We will inform you of our decision in a few days. For the time being...continue your work as normal."

Nodding silently, Gerald turned off the projector and left the room, notes in hand. Outside the door, an aide was waiting to escort him to the private shuttle that would take him back to the ARK.

Once alone in the shuttle, Gerald sighed, finally able to relax for a moment. If Redding's words were anything to judge by, Coleman had lost yet another battle to shut him down. "I'm getting to old for this," Gerald mumbled to himself as he felt a stress headache set in. He found Coleman's single-mindedness disturbing. It's almost as if...he knows.... he thought.

Subject: Re: Origins of Zero Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:01 pm

He had been keeping a big secret from G.U.N. ever since the project had entered Phase Seven. Nearly a year ago, he had received a communication from a race of aliens that lived on a comet which passed by the planet about once every fifty years. The initial motive for the contact had been simple curiosity. After all, last time they'd passed this region of the cosmos the ARK hadn't yet been built. Gerald could remember the first time he'd heard THAT voice as if it were yesterday.

* * *

It was late. Gerald was the only one on the ARK still awake. He had been finishing the analysis of version 6.9, another failure. It seemed at the current rate of progress he would never manage to create a viable lifeform. As he looked at 6.9's remains, the computer informed him of an incoming transmission. With a sigh, he commanded the computer to patch it through, failing to notice the communication's point of origin was listed as UNKNOWN.

A low hiss emanated from the speakers, causing Gerald to look up, his attention finally diverted from 6.9. The hiss became a voice. "Hello...." rasped a voice coated in snake oil, "Is there...any being...who can hear me...? Any being...who can understand me...? And can...perhaps...answer me?"

"Yes, there certainly is someone here," Gerald responded irritably. His first thought was that someone was playing a joke on him. "Who are you?"

The voice was silent for a moment. "So...there is some form of primitive life there after all.... Who I am is not important to you...."

"It most certainly is important to me. I'm the head researcher on this space colony."

"...'Researcher'? Really? What...kind of research?"

"Er...that's classified."

The voice chuckled, a sound that seemed low and sinister. "It is not classified from me.... But...I think that I would like to see...with my own eyes. I will meed you soon...Researcher...."

The communication had ended before Gerald could protest, and no more than fifteen minutes later he had been face to face with HIM. Black Doom, leader of an alien race known as the Black Arms. Black Doom turned out to be very intrigued by Gerald's work of creating a lifeform that was also a living weapon. He had offered Gerald a deal.

"I...will help you build your creation," Doom had said. "In exchange...you must allow me one use of it. Without my assistance, you will never get much farther with your project than you are now...."

Reluctantly, Gerald had agreed. His only other choice was to have the project abandoned for lack of progress. Work on prototype 7.0 had begun immediately, using the DNA of 6.9 blended with a sample of Black Arms genetic material provided by Black Doom. 7.0 had proved non-viable, but Doom had provided Gerald with some Black Arms technology that allowed specimens to be matured in a way that was faster, more efficient, and less traumatic than before.

Then came versions 7.1 through 7.8. Each had been an improvement on incorporating the Black Arms genetic material, although none had lived longer than a week before succumbing to organ failure. Version 7.9 had been a step in the wrong direction, completely unstable. However, next came 8.0, a big leap forward. It had been the first specimen to successfully and stably incorporate Black Arms genetic material. It's failure was brought about by an unforeseen increase in abilities, such as ability to interact with energy of the Chaos Emeralds, that was a result of the Black Arms enhancements. Neither 8.0 nor its predecessors 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4 were capable of controlling this new power and had been terminated for instability, and safety. Something similar to a biological control switch had been attempted to be added to 8.5, but the specimen ended up being non-viable.

An attempt at external control of power had lead to the development of inhibitor ring wristcuffs, unfortunately it had cost the lives of versions 8.6, 8.7, 8.8 and 8.9 to perfect them. Prototype version 9.0 had demonstrated that the inhibitor rings were a success, but had somehow mysteriously lost stability and had to be terminated. 9.1 had also shown a strange instability at a young age, and had been placed in stasis for study. And then had come version 9.2, the most recent one. It had shown so much promise...but slight abnormalities had caused Gerald to take a closer look at it, and go back to 9.1 to see what caused the instability in that version as well. He had found something. Something wrong, that had caused him to personally terminate both specimens.

* * *

And then, I had to attend the fiscal meeting before I could resolve the problem in nine point two.... Gerald thought to himself. A chime interrupted his reflections, bringing his mind back to the present, and the shuttle that was about to dock on the ARK.

With a sense of dread, Gerald got to his feet. He hadn't yet told Black Doom why he had purposely terminated 9.2, and he found he was dreading it. He had his suspicions for the cause and if he was right....

And I thought I was nervous in that conference room, Gerald thought to himself as he noticed his knees shaking slightly. With a deep breath, he stepped onto the ARK and headed down to the room where he knew that the body of 9.2, and Black Doom, would be waiting for him.

Subject: Re: Origins of Zero Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:06 pm

Gerald stood outside the room that he knew held the remains of 9.2, as well as his alien work partner. The room had come to be known as the ARK's morgue since so many failed prototypes had been autopsied and studied there. Unable to put it off any longer, he keyed open the door to the morgue, wishing that at that moment he could be anywhere else in the world.

On the exam table lay the body of the same hedgehog Gerald had recently been describing to G.U.N., prototype version 9.2. The specimen was face down and someone, a junior researcher no doubt, had already dissected the neck and removed the spinal implant that was used to record data. The implant sat in a petri dish next to the body.

"So...." hissed a voice in the corner, a voice that was terribly familiar to Gerald, "You have returned from your meeting with the other humans.... I take it that events were...favorable to us?" Black doom was there, in a dark corner as Gerald had expected. He seemed to be showing his interest in human interactions again, an interest that Gerald suspected was motivated by more than just innocent curiosity.

"They didn't reach a decision right away," Gerald informed him. "But it didn't look like they would pull the funding, either. One of them remains vehemently opposed to the project, but he appears to be in the minority."

"Your kind is corrupted by the concept of money," Doom remarked as he drifted closer to the exam table. 'Drifted' may not have been the right word, but it was how Gerald thought of Black Doom's way of moving around. Certainly it was nothing like any form of locomotion Gerald had seen before.

"Some are," Gerald answered, "Sadly, those who are not seem to be few and far between."

"How did they take the news of this latest...failure?"

"They took it well enough," Gerald lied.

"You humans are easy to read...you fed them a pack of lies.... Why did you euthanize your creation?"

Gerald didn't answer right away. This was the moment of confrontation. Picking up the spinal implant, he wiped it clean and plugged it into a computer. Pulling up the DNA sequence of 9.2, he isolated a specific strand that seemed out of place.

"This," Gerald said, "Shouldn't be here. It's a gene that, from what I've been able to figure out, would have eventually rendered the specimen crippled. Or worse, a complete invalid. Also...." He turned to face Doom. "This is not something that I placed into the genome." He watched for Doom's reaction, his suspicions and accusations hanging unsaid in the air between them.

"Such a powerful pet will inevitably need a strong leash to control it," Doom stated calmly.

"So it was you...."

"Yes. I have seen from experience...pain makes an excellent control mechanism."

"...No...." Gerald said quietly.

"What...did you say?"

"I won't allow you to make the specimens suffer such torture."

Black Doom seemed to swell to twice his usual alien size. "Oh, but you will.... If you do not...I will personally shut down your project."

Gerald felt the blood drain from his face, leaving him pale. "You wouldn't...!"

"Oh, but I would.... If you remove this genetic condition...I shall withdraw all of my assistance to your research.... Without my help, your project will fail...it will never come to pass...and Maria will hate you...forever."

Gerald hung his head. Any fight left in him withered to nothing at the mention of his granddaughter's name. I can't let my research be shut down...not if I want to find a cure for her terminal NIDS.... he thought sadly. He remained silent for a long while. Eventually he reached over to the computer and removed the data chip. "You win, Doom," he said with a sigh. "I'll leave the condition in place, BUT! You must allow me to modify the prototypes."

"And why should I...?"

"Because, the condition you want implanted...." Gerald paused, trying to frame the right words. "It would place extreme stress on the specimen's body, leaving it crippled for sure and possibly even killing it over time. If you won't allow me to alter the condition, then at least permit me to alter the specimens to better tolerate having this in them."

After a long, tense silence, Doom finally nodded his agreement. "Very well.... Modify the specimens until you have perfected the immortality.... Once that is in place, the effects of the condition that you are so worried about should be inconsequential."

Subject: Re: Origins of Zero Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:08 pm

"Alright," Gerald sighed wearily. "I'll start work on nine point three in the morning."

A look flickered across Doom's alien features that might have been contempt. "Why would you wait?"

"Because!" Gerald snapped, the day's stress finally getting to him, "I feel as if today has been one of the longest in my life! I'm very tired and need to sleep!" He paused for a moment and shook his head. "I'm not a young man anymore," he said with a sigh that made his long silvery mustache flutter. "And by no means am I as durable as any of the specimens. I can't work constantly. I need my rest."

"...Very well, Researcher.... Take your rest," Doom said after a lengthy silence. "I will check up on your progress in three days time."

Gerald turned and swiftly walked out of the morgue. Now he really wanted to get away from Black Doom. Aside from when they first met, Doom never called him 'Researcher' unless he was in a bad mood.

It was a few minutes before Gerald realized his feet were carrying him towards one of the ARK's kitchens. I guess it's been a while since my last meal, he thought to himself as he entered the kitchen. Due to his nerves about the meeting with G.U.N. and then about his confrontation with Doom, he hadn't eaten much all day.

Digging through the freezer he found a frozen dinner box. He took it out and stripped off the plastic wrapping. "Chicken," he mumbled to himself as he placed the frozen tray in a microwave oven, "The chicken ones are always bland...." As he hit the cook button, he suddenly found his vision obscured by a curtain of long honey blond hair as something grabbed him from behind.

"Grandpa!"

Gerald felt a smile spread across his face as he turned around. "Hello Maria."

Maria smiled and hugged Gerald again. To those who didn't know her, she was a pretty, young girl. Her honey blond hair spilled down her back. A pale blue headband held it behind her shoulders, save for two shorter wings of hair that framed her face. Yet anyone who looked closely could see a ghostly echo of something foreboding in her sparkling blue eyes, a shadow of pain and fear. She knew that her body was its own worst enemy, and it would eventually kill her.

"I didn't know you were back already," Maria said, her voice was soft and sweet.

"I got back a little while ago. I'm sorry I didn't let you know sooner. I had to take care of nine point two, and deal with...." Gerald left the rest of his words unspoken, partly because he didn't know if anyone else was listening. His granddaughter was the only one he kept no secrets from, and the only one besides himself who knew about Doom.

Maria nodded. "I understand," she said softly, her face solemn. "But I don't like it." Even softer she added, "I don't like him."
Before Gerald could say something to comfort her, the microwave oven beeped, signaling that its job was done and Gerald's dinner was now fully cooked.

Smiling again, Maria hugged him. "You've had such a busy day, Grandpa. You must be tired."

Gerald nodded in agreement. "I am a bit weary."

"Then I'll let you eat and sleep in peace." She kissed his cheek. "Good night, Grandpa."

"Good night, Maria." And with those words, Gerald again found himself alone in the kitchen.

Subject: Re: Origins of Zero Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:12 pm

After he finished his tasteless dinner, Gerald retreated to his sleeping quarters. He barely glanced at the breathtaking view outside the window, where the sun kissed Earth lay nestled in a swath of stars and darkness. Too weary to even change his clothes for pajamas, Gerald climbed into his plush bed with a sigh. Pulling the fluttering sheets around himself, he rolled over into the blissful oblivion of sleep.

Nine hours later, a gentle chime sounded in Gerald's ear, stirring him to wakefulness. With a groan, he pulled back the bed covers and stumbled to the private shower, shedding clothes as he went. Cold water struck his face, jolting his mind from its fuzzy half-asleep state as the water ran down his body in countless infinitesimal streams.

As he washed, his mind turned to the challenge of 9.3 that awaited him. He still didn't know the full extent of the gene that he had to incorporate into this next specimen. Nine point three will most likely fail, Gerald mused. I'll try tweaking the durability of the specimen.... No, I terminated Nine point two prematurely, upon the discovery of the gene because I feared the worst. I'll leave Nine point three unchanged and see how its affected by the gene. His shower finished and mind made up, Gerald dried himself off and flung the dirty towel in the laundry chute. He dressed quickly and pulled on his lab coat. His hand slid into the coat pocket, fingering the spinal implant that was still in there from yesterday.

Gerald's steps were brisk as he strode through the ARK's maze of hallways and corridors. Carrying his breakfast bagel in his hand, he made his way to the section of the ARK where the labs were, mumbling a polite "hello" to those who greeted him along the way.

"Lab Six," Gerald muttered to himself as he reached the room that was his destination. Wiping bagel crumbs from his mustache, he keyed in an access code known only to one other being besides himself. Lab 6 was the biggest of the bioengineering labs in the ARK, with the widest array of in-lab equipment. Although all the machinery looked human, Black Doom had retrofitted some of the human technology with Black Arms technology. This had significantly helped Gerald's research, but his need for secrecy about Doom's involvement had caused him to forbid all others from entering the lab.

Taking the spinal implant from his pocket, Gerald went over to the main computer and booted it up. With a sense of déjà vu, he opened a program entitled ORGANISM SYNTHESIS. He calmly placed the spinal implant in the computer's data port. The program responded with a dialog box.

IMPLANT CHIP DETECTED
DOWNLOADING GENETIC DATA

As Gerald watched, the screen filled with a series of the same four letters, repeated over and over in different patterns. The letters, he knew, represented the four nucleotides, the four biochemicals that composed all DNA. Once the download finished, he swiftly picked out the bad gene that Doom had managed to incorporate into 9.2.

"It would be so easy," Gerald wispered to himself, "To just remove the gene altogether...." He was sorely tempted, but with Doom's threat fresh in his mind he didn't dare. Without making any alterations to the DNA sequence, he commanded the program to begin construction.

Beside the computer, a huge machine connected to several metal tanks hummed to life. The machine would take a few hours to build a strand of DNA according to the sequence on the data chip. Once it was finished the DNA would be placed into a cell to form an embryo. The embryo would then be moved into a machine that looked like a tall cylindrical fish tank with a metal top and base. This machine, the growth accelerator tank, was heavily modified with Black Arms technology and would mature the embryo to a young adult organism in a matter of hours.

Gerald sat down in a comfy chair he'd had moved into the lab. Until the machines were done, all he could do was wait.

Subject: Re: Origins of Zero Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:13 pm

Gerald sat resting for a few minutes until he remembered two other aspects of the project that needed his attention. Getting to his feet, he strode over to a smaller secondary computer terminal where he proceeded to pull up two programs.

The computer's processors hummed as the first program, Project SHADOW Subdivision: Immortality, opened slowly. Terabytes of data presented itself in the form of simulations, calculations, and the DNA sequence of a gene. This was the part of his research that Gerald valued most. It was his best hope of curing Maria's terminal form of NIDS. He ran a practiced eye over the latest simulation. It was quite close to being perfected, but it wasn't ready to be implanted into any specimen. Not yet.

Gerald looked over the genetic sequence of the immortality gene and, picking out a trouble spot, made some alterations to the nucleotides. He then set the program to run a simulation in the background while he pulled up the second program.

"Adaptability...." Gerald whispered the subdivision's name to himself. This modification was one of the reasons G.U.N. had agreed to allowing the specimens to be hedgehogs. It was well known that hedgehogs had a natural ability to learn a physical skill easily just by watching someone else demonstrate it. The project subdivision Adaptability was an attempt to take this natural ability to the extreme. If it was successful, the final specimen would be capable of adapting more than just physical skills.

Reviewing the latest simulation for the Adaptability gene, Gerald was surprised at just how well it matched the results he wanted. It had taken him a good deal of time to even determine which gene in hedgehogs carried the natural ability. Switching the view from the simulation to the DNA sequence, Gerald set himself to the still daunting task of finding and fixing errors.

It was about four hours later that Gerald looked up from his work. What had distracted him was a soft chime across the room. He could see that the machine putting together the DNA for 9.3 had finished its task. 9,3 was visible as a mass of slowly growing cells floating in the growth accelerator tank. Gerald got to his feet, his back stiff.

"Ow...I need to stop spending so much time hunched over a computer," Gerald mumbled to himself. "Once this project is finished, I'm going to retire." With the Black Arms technology he knew that 9.3 would be finished in about seven hours. He rubbed his shoulder and left Lab 6, the door auto locked behind him as he went to get some lunch.

Subject: Re: Origins of Zero Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:16 pm

There were a few people scattered at tables in the kitchen area when Gerald entered. All of them said hello in one fashion or another as he walked past the tables. Not really in the mood for anything specific, he chose a meal at random and sat down at a table by himself.

Gerald didn't sit alone for very long. Before his food was even half gone, the chair across from him was pulled out. Looking up expecting one of the other researchers, he was both surprised and delighted to see his granddaughter.

"Hello Grandpa," Maria said with a smile as she sat down.

"Hello Maria," Gerald answered with a weary smile. He could see that despite her cheerful demeanor, Maria's eyes looked sad. There were some days that movement caused her pain, and this seemed to be one of those days.

"You sound tired," she said with concern.

That's my granddaughter, he thought with a smile. Always more worried about others than her own well being. "It's just my age getting to me," he told her reassuringly. "That's all. Labs aren't built with the comforts of an old man in mind."

Maria nodded and continued eating quietly. "You really should rest more," she said softly after a while. "You're under so much stress and pressure."

"There's no one who can fill in for me," Gerald sighed as he finished the last of his lunch.

Maria nodded and got up, taking her dirty plates to the sink before Gerald could offer to carry them for her. When her hands were free she turned to her grandfather and started gently rubbing his shoulders. "I'll be glad when your work is finished," she said softly. "Then you won't be so stressed out."

"I know," Gerald sighed. "I'll be glad too. Until then, I must subject myself to the demands of research." He felt his muscles loosen and the tension in his shoulders seemed to drain away with Maria's touch. It improved his mood more than the meal had. Since Nine point three won't be done for several hours, I have a little time to relax...for now.

Later that evening Gerald returned to Lab 6. It was exactly as he'd left it except for one difference. The growth accelerator tank held an exact replica of 9,2, only this one wasn't dead. It was alive and asleep.

It probably wasn't the best idea to start working with the specimen at such a late hour, but Gerald wanted to be sure it was mentally stable. He approached the tank holding 9.3 and began the release procedure. The warm, nutrient filled liquid drained from the tank, leaving 9.3 exposed to the cool air for the first time.

The specimen shuttered. The cool air felt very cold after the fluid bath. He shuttered again and drew a gasping breath. His eyes snapped open and took in the strange room before him, eventually focusing on Gerald.

"Can you hear me?" Gerald asked, seeing 9.3's eyes open.

"Hear...yes, I think I can...." 9.3's voice was slightly confused.

"That's good." Gerald went about opening the tank. He saw out of the corner of his eye that 9.3 was watching him with its palms pressed against the glass of the tank. They're always so curious, he thought as he worked. The world is so new to them, they really are like young children at first....

9.3 blinked in shock as the glass he'd been leaning against suddenly fell away. With nothing to support his weight, he fell forward with a cry of surprise and landed on his face.

Gerald bent over to help him up despite his protesting back. "Easy now. Did you hurt yourself?"

9.3 was silent for a moment. "I don't...think so...." He took Gerald's hand to help pull himself up. Glancing at Gerald he asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Gerald," he told him quickly. He was used to this. All the new specimens asked a lot of questions at first. At least the ones that didn't turn out non-viable. "I'm a research professor here. And something of your caretaker."

9.3 nodded. The machines had placed the spinal implant in his neck as he was being made, and some of 9.2's old habits became his. He rubbed his wrists feeling like there should be something on them.

Gerald noticed this movement and turned to a back countertop where four golden technologically enhanced bracelets were stacked beside a pair of white gloves and a pair of what seemed to be technologically advanced hoverskates. "These might be what you're looking for," he told 9.3, handing the gloves to the specimen first. He watched calmly as 9.3 pulled on the gloves then shoes, then quickly snapped on the inhibitor rings around his wrists and ankles.

"That's better...it feels better," 9.3 said calmly as he rubbed the rings on his wrists.

Gerald nodded in agreement and went over to a section of the lab where a small cot lay dressed up with blankets and a soft pillow. "It's late. This is where you sleep," he said to 9.3, who had followed him over to look. "I'll come see you in the morning. Do you understand?"

9.3 looked at the cot then looked up at Gerald and nodded. He climbed into the cot and pulled the blankets over himself, curling up
to sleep as Gerald locked him inside the lab for the night.

Subject: Re: Origins of Zero Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:18 pm

The next day started the same as the last. The soft chime of the alarm woke Gerald, telling him it was time for his shower. He dragged his tired body out of bed. Sometimes it seemed like he never got enough sleep to be satisfied. The water hit him like a cold slap in the face this morning, causing him to hurry so he could towel off sooner.

I need to remember, Gerald thought as he shivered, To let Maintenance know there's a problem with the hot water.
Gerald stopped by the kitchen to grab breakfast. Finishing his muffin quickly, he headed to Lab 6 carrying a small tray of food for 9.3 in his hands. Balancing the tray made entering the access code a bit tricky, but he managed to avoid spilling anything. The door sliding closed behind him, he strode over to the corner where 9.3 was sprawled on the cot sleeping.

9.3's nose twitched. Despite being deeply asleep the smell of the hot breakfast Gerald carried made his mouth water. A faint grumble in his stomach caused his eyes to flicker open. He sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "What's that...smell?" His speech was slightly hesitant, as if he was carefully choosing his words before he spoke.

"Breakfast," Gerald explained calmly. "I brought you food to eat." He set the tray on a small table next to the cot. Careful to keep his expression neutral, he watched 9.3 consume the food with a healthy, normal appetite. A feeling of relief spread through Gerald. The computer hadn't been able to simulate the effects of the bad gene that Doom had added very well, but what it had shown was some possible disruption of the specimen's digestive system.

When 9.3 had finished his meal, Gerald sat the tray back on a counter out of the way. "I'll need you to come with me," he informed 9.3. "There are some tests I need to run." The tests were run on every new specimen, to see what it was capable of, and to see how any modifications worked out. 9.2's tests hadn't quite been finished when he'd terminated it, and he figured need to fully repeat them all since 9.3 had no alterations made to him.

9.3 blinked a few times, getting the words right in his head before he spoke. "Ok.... These...tests are part of your research?"
"Yes. You are my research," Gerald said matter-of-factly. He saw no reason to hide this information from the specimens. The were created to be intelligent, they would eventually figure it out on their own anyway.

After a moment of contemplation, 9.3 nodded. "What are you studying about me?" he asked, voice full of curiosity.
This one's more intellectual than most, Gerald thought briefly before answering. "Pretty much everything," he told 9.3, "Although my main focus is your physical abilities."

"Ok," 9.3 said nodding. He slid off the cot and got to his feet. "What's the first test?"

"The tests don't take place in here." Gerald went over to a desktop and picked up a tablet computer with a touch screen. It was the high tech clipboard he used when not doing work in Lab 6. "Come along, I'll show you the place."

Gerald opened the door and stepped into the hallway followed by 9.3. The door to the lab slid closed behind them. "This way," he told 9.3 as he turned to follow the hallway to the right. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he saw the specimen following close behind him. 9.3 was looking at his surroundings curiously as he walked.

Leading 9.3 through the ARK's maze of corridors, Gerald stopped outside a blue metallic door. All rooms intended for some sort of physical activity were marked by blue doors. Unlike Lab 6, this room wasn't as restricted so there was no need for Gerald to enter a special access code. The door slid open and he stepped aside, allowing 9.3 to enter first.