From Marley, with Love.

Chapter 25: Bonding

"You better not paralyze me with that thing." Zeke said, pointing at the large, long needle Rosanna was disinfecting. "It's fine, you'll just be paralyzed for a second. Then your nerves will regenerate." Rosanna said coolly. Zeke squinted his eyes, "You'd be a coldblooded murderer." Rosanna stared up at him. "I already am..." she said softly. Zeke rolled his eyes, "You're doing it for the good of your country and for yourself." He explained, undoing some buttons on his blouse and sitting down on the examination table. Rosanna hummed an approval and put some disinfectant on a cloth. She looked at Zeke's spine, trying to discover any abnormalities that could cause problems. "What are you staring so intently at?" Zeke asked, looking over his shoulder and smirking. "Flustered from seeing a half-clothed man?" Rosanna fake smiled and smacked him on the shoulder. "I've seen more disrobed men and women then you ever will." She said, "Now turn around and relax." She ordered. "sure boss." He mumbled. Rosanna calmly applied the disinfectant agent on his skin, pressing on his spine she tried to find an appropriate spot to stick the needle. Zeke leaned over slightly, opening up his spine and shoulder blades. "Oh thanks." Rosanna said, she sighed and put the tip of the needle in. "Here it goes." She said, carefully pushing the needle through the skin and into the body. She heard Zeke inhale sharply through his teeth, she was praying for him to have good control over his shifting ability so she wouldn't be blown to smithereens. She felt the needle reach the hard mass of the spine, "Not long now..." she encouraged Zeke. She saw the thin clear-red liquid leak into the syringe. Rosanna's look was one of fascination and bewilderment. She pulled out the needle, a small stream of smoke flying up from the small hole. Zeke shrugged his shoulders, trying to see if his arms and legs still worked. "You didn't paralyze me at least." He said smugly. "I've been doing this since I was eleven, I know what I am doing." She said, grabbing Zeke's shirt and throwing it at him. She took the sample of spinal fluid, and carefully dropped it in multiple vials. She looked at the samples, wondering if it would be enough for the experiments. She nodded to herself, figuring that she could always take more from Zeke, if he wanted to get stung by a large needle again, at least.

Rosanna scuffled about the room, surrounded by a couple of other doctors and scientist, who nervously chattered and looked over their shoulder at Zeke. Zeke didn't pay mind too their stares and anxious looks, Rosanna had provided him with some books and coffee too keep him sweet. "Don't mind him." She said to a scientist, "He doesn't notice you when he is lost in a book." The scientist smiled weakly and nodded, showing some test results. "There is a high concentration of titan plasma in only one drop of fluid alone." Rosanna took the sample and put it under the microscope she occupied. Through the looking glass she saw blood cells, the typical color variation of Eldian DNA. But within that Eldian DNA, she saw something else. A mutation, something odd and yet, she had read somewhere what it was. "I think we could, copy the DNA?" a scientist said, leaning on the table where Rosanna was sitting. "Yeah, yeah." Rosanna said, "Multiply it and try and incorporate it in a liquid or something." She said and turned back to the sample under the microscope. "Is this, royal DNA?" she thought, with a bewildered look, she looked at the blissfully ignorant Zeke who sipped his coffee and flipped over a page in his book. Rosanna gripped the table full force, a splinter pushing into her flesh. She had just gained a crumb of information which she could manipulate. She could face Zeke with the information, push him, get him to break. He would be caught, trapped by his own blood and executed. Rosanna could go free, leave Liberio and be free of the pain of destroying her own people. Even though... they weren't completely her people.

At nine, the doctors and scientist left for home, leaving Zeke and Rosanna at the lab. Rosanna cleaned up while Zeke chatted with her. She made sure to lock up important equipment in their respectful cupboards, clean instruments thoroughly and make sure the finished serums were kept at the right temperature. She took her coat and Zeke followed her outside. As Rosanna locked the door, she heard the belltower of Rebellio toll ten times, cleaning up took longer than she had planned for. "Dinner?" Zeke asked, Rosanna felt her tummy rumble. "Sure." Rosanna nodded and wrapped her hair into her headscarf. "Back to a proper lady?" Zeke asked, pointing at the blue and purple scarf. "Shut up..." Rosanna huffed. "What?" Zeke grinned. "Stop acting like a school boy, Zeke." She sighed, crossing her arms as she walked with him. "Nothing against the head scarf, but you're not fooling anyone." He stepped ahead of her, turning around so he was walking backwards and Rosanna was walking towards him. "A lot of people know you go on walk with your hair down around the farming district, it is no secret." Rosanna chuckled darkly, "You say it like I am some fleeting, loose woman." Zeke shrugged, "Not to be rude, but you and Oscar..." Rosanna leaped forward and punched Zeke on the arm. The young man grabbed her wrist and pulled her into him, staring down at the fiery little woman. The two stood there in the light of a street lantern, staring each other down. "My life is none of your business..." she started softly, a grin forming on her face. "Especially if I have yours at my fingertips..." Zeke's eyes widened, squeezing her wrist, the skin turning red. Rosanna whimpered and started pulling at her wrist, "Let go you little shit!" she yelled, kicking him in the kneecap. Zeke released her, staring her down, his eyes filled with hatred and a hint of fear. "What do you know..." he growled. Rosanna stared at the young man, "You have royal blood in your veins..." she pointed, "Guess what'll they do when they find out!?" Her voice was full of anxiety and mania, she finally had Zeke where she wanted him, but his reaction was not what she was looking for. He remained calm, cold even. "And what about you..." Rosanna's stomach dropped, he knew something, "What would happen to you, if they found out you're a mutt?" again a moment of silence made the air eerie and cold. The two adolescents had each other at gunpoint, one could kill the other, or they could both pull the trigger and die together. "Tell them, and I'll kill you myself." Zeke said. Rosanna nodded, stretching her hand out to him, "Same goes for you." She said, completing the deal. After shaking hands, the two stood there in silence. Zeke sought through his pockets, pulling out his cigarette case. "Let's go smoke..." Rosanna nodded "Yes, please."

The two people with a Deathwish disappeared into The Night.