Subject Zero: CONFIDENTIAL (Short Stories)

The Doctor (1)

Part One: Shadow Play

November 18, 1984
The Other Side of the Mirror World/"Dream World"

Third Person's POV
"So, you needed me for something?"

     "Yes... Rumour has it, Joplin has found... the 'perfect' beings for the Yin and Yang roles."

     "Oh, yeah, I've heard... How're you holding up?"

     "Well, I'm still breathing, so I haven't stabbed myself in the head or buried myself alive yet."

     "What?"

     "Nothing. Joplin won't let me meet them myself. I want to meet them. I want to know who the replacements are."

     "...Friend, did you call me here to ask me to meet them?"

     "If that wasn't obvious, yeah. Can you do that for me? I'll really owe you."

     "Of course I'll go to meet them. Hopefully they're good people, unlike the person they work for. And you don't owe me anything. You have a right to know who they are."

     "Thanks, Doc."

November 19, 1984
Royal Manor, Mirror World

The skies were dark, and the ground as damp, as water was pulling itself from the dirt and floating back up to the dim, purple clouds.

A man approached the gothic manor in front of him, walking up the steps.

The man had looked like an average human. He was a tall, lean young man with blonde, stringy hair that is medium in length with long side bangs and a prolonged side-fringe. His violet eyes can be described as somewhat 'expressive'. But his facial expression is almost unintelligible. He has a handsome appearance, and has been told he looks better when he smiles. He wears a pair of white gloves and a black suit, buttoned up at his waist, including a grey vest and a short wide icy blue shiny tie over his white shirt. For all anyone knew, he was just a regular human passing by.

He knocked on the wooden door, expecting to be greeted by the new Yin and Yang, but was disappointed when he saw Joplin answer the door.

Joplin wasn't happy to see him either. "What is it?"

In a friendly tone, the man asks, "Good evening to you, as well, Joplin. There are rumours you've gotten the new Yin and Yang. May I meet them?"

"Why? That faceless psycho didn't send you, did he?"

The man nonchalantly replies, "No. He did not."

Joplin just stared at him, finding him suspicious. He wasn't able to read him, and had no idea what he could be thinking. But he believed his lie. "All right. They're out back, training. Follow me."

He stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind him.

The violet eyed man says, "Thank you."

He followed Joplin to the back of the manor, which was a small open yard with the dead trees surrounding the area.

The man was surprised to see that the new Yin and Yang were just children. These roles may be too much for these two to handle. This man really needs to stop allowing children to acquire such roles and abilities.

The Queen, former Princess, Ares, was "training" the new Yin and Yang: La and Tui. The two were struggling and were having a difficult time, even just trying to activate an ability. Ares was trying to "motivate" them, but in harsh ways.

Whenever Tui or La couldn't use an ability, Ares would kick them, even when they're down. She would just hurt them in any way she could whenever they weren't able to do what she told them to. She wasn't like this before, she's just adapted and learned from being around Joplin a majority of her time.

The man was just concerned. "...Joplin, don't tell me you actually turned children into-"

Without a second thought, trying to defend himself, Joplin states, "They came to me first."

"How did they know about you, then?"

"Who knows?"

The man could detect his lies. He didn't buy a word the King was saying. "You let their shadows talk to them... The shadows you control. And how come you are not training them? In fact, this isn't even training, this is just hurting them until they somehow know how to use one of their 'gifts.'"

"It's fine!" Joplin said as if this was normal. "I have Ares helping them."

They watched as Ares attempted to help the two girls. When La was unable to create a pin made of shadow in her hands, Ares kicked her leg so aggressively that La fell to the ground and scraped her knees. When trying to keep her face from hitting the ground, she moved her arm in front of her and scraped the side of her arm when it hit the rough ground. She instantly yelped in pain, and sat up to look at her wounds, seeing that they were bleeding.

Tui saw her and said, "La!"

Tui about to rush over to La to help her, but Ares tells her, "Do not help her, Yang."

Not caring about what Ares would try to do to her, Tui ignored her and rushed over to La, phasing through Ares in the process. The violet eyed man glared at Joplin, disappointed but not surprised. He began to walk over to the girls, to see if they were all right.

Tui looked at La's wounds, "Are you okay??"

La glanced at her arm and said, "...How does this hurt more than both of my knees?"

The two girls froze when they saw the man approach them. He knelt down by them, observing La's wounds, and they just stared at him, since they didn't know who he was, yet he was helping them.

The man simply waved his hand over the wounds La had, and they were suddenly healed. La was confused when she suddenly couldn't feel pain anymore, but softly gasped when she realized her scrapes were no longer there. Tui smiled, very impressed and wanting to know how to do what he just did.

In a kind voice, the man asks, "Are you two all right?"

The two girls nodded.

     "Good." The man sighed and turned to Ares, who was now standing next to Joplin. "Ares, you've done quite enough. No need to 'help' these two any longer."

Ares was confused. She thought she was doing well. "What?"

He looked at Joplin and told him, "Joplin, if you allow it, I will be more than happy to train them and help them learn their capabilities. You cannot just expect them to suddenly know how to learn and do things without giving them any proper help. That is not learning. Ares' methods are literal torture methods, not learning techniques."

Joplin crossed his arms, contemplating. "...I suppose you could help them more than anyone else..." He had made up his mind, "Fine. Yes, you may help them. But don't expect to get paid."

The man nodded. "I never expected payment from you, anyway. But thank you." He stood up and reached his hand out to help up the two girls. "Since we haven't had a proper introduction... Hello. I am to help you two learn what you are more than capable of. You may refer to me as Doctor."

{ End of Part I }

"Since the death of God, there's been a vacancy open. You can fill that void."