Disclaimer and Notes: see Prologue

The Experiment – HST 17

 

by Belladonna

 

~Chapter 5~

 

Spike watched the other closely; his reaction towards him was expected and proved him that the other must have been an imposter. If he had been him, really him to the full extent, then he shouldn’t have reacted this way but more vamping out also and standing up against him instead of cowering in what Spike now mistook for fear of him being an evil vampire. He had wanted to come closer to the other, maybe scaring him some more to get information from him or a way out of here, at worst he would have something to eat if all else failed. But he opted against it for the moment; instead he tuned his senses onto the room suspiciously. He felt the glare of someone else resting behind his shoulder blades.

 

“Come out!” he growled clearly pissed off and he didn’t waste even a single thought at putting his human mask back on.

 

Jonas gently closed the door behind him by letting the locking system fall into place and stepped out of the shadows into the brightness of the lab. He held his green interface data board like a safety shield in front of his chest and pushed his glasses up his nose. Then, after having taken a calming breath he felt ready to face both of them again, especially Spike who glared at him with deadly intention visible in his eyes.

 

Jonas walked over towards the two Spikes, keeping his eyes on the display of his interface to be prepared for sudden changes that would need counteraction from his side. With a frown he registered slightly concerning readings coming from William while Spikes were within normal parameters; that was, for a vampire. The scientist wasn’t quite sure whether it would be really wise to turn his back towards Spike, especially since he still wore his demonic countenance on display, his true face and to add to that was without restraints.

 

Once again, Jonas opted to take this risk like he had done before. If he wanted to get satisfying findings, and that also included especially good results to present Walsh with, he was forced to find out what caused these imbalances in William; whether they were just after-effects of the separation process or had a different source. Taking another deep breath, that did nothing in calming him but instead increased his wariness and nervousness tenfold, Jonas decided to go to William first. But he also noticed with the observing mind of the true scientist he was, that Spike was carefully following his every movements since he had entered the room; in fact had noticed him from the very beginning. This already was an extremely exciting result he filed within his mind concerning first successes of the experiment.

 

William had paled enormously since Jonas had seen him first. His skin was a sickly greyish colour and his breathing had sped up. The man was panting slightly, clearly fighting down the urge to vomit. Jonas had no idea what might have caused this sickness but he intended to find out. He had to; otherwise Walsh would have his head.

 

“Please lie down, Mr. Windsworth”; he said to William, something the other all too happily complied to. Jonas took a small scanner device from the instrument tray and moved it in circular movements around William’s head. The data he received from the implant was not enough to give him a better insight as to what happened here and to his great dismay Jonas had to realize that this was also not getting him any idea either. As it was, the readings worried him immensely; it almost seemed like his experiment would not turn out just like he planned or hoped to. How could the chemical levels within his blood and circulatory system have deteriorated so quickly within the not quite five days after getting him and performing the separation on the vampire? Another quick glance to the interface showed Jonas that Spikes readings remained stable with a light increase of the adrenaline levels that was to be expected.

 

Spike was watching the doctor warily and intensely during the whole procedure. It bothered him that he completely ignored him when that mortal should instead be afraid of him. But contrary to his memories of when he first awoke here, the scientist did not fear him; he even turned his back towards him. Within him every fibre of his being screamed out at lunging at the man in the white coat, tearing his throat out and asking questions later. But to his great surprise Spike found himself unable for the moment to form the thought to get this idea in motion. Oh, his ferocity was still there, burning deep inside him as was the hunger that was only fuelled by the scent of fear radiating from both humans within the lab besides him and the hammering sound of their combined rapid heartbeats. He just couldn’t bring himself to attack the man which he felt very odd. Spike decided it time for some action. He wanted answers, the most important one to the questions of how the hell could he get out of here and of what they did to him.

 

“Dr. Jonas, I presume”; Spike said threateningly. It wasn’t a question, just him stating an assumed fact. The vampire moved closer towards the doctor, intimidating him by towering up in front of him, still in full vamp face. It seemed to work, that Spike could smell from the changed scent but the scientist still didn’t turn around. “I want a bloody explanation! What the hell have you done to me?”

 

“The only thing I am able to tell you”; Jonas now turned to face him, forcing himself to look into the demon’s face without showing any more fear than he already was feeling; “is that William has told you the truth. At least to that extent in which he has understood it himself. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’ll be right with you then.”

 

Spike’s eyes had widened at the casual mentioning of Jonas’ concerning what the other had told him before. He apparently had monitored them for the whole time, from the outside but he couldn’t see any mirrors in the room or surveillance cameras that was. So how the hell did he do it then?

 

Spike had no time to think about that, Jonas brushed past him and walked towards a small medicine cabinet on the wall. He spoke silently some words and the electric door opened after voice identification. The doctor took a small vial out of it that contained a clear liquid. He filled an injector with it and then repeated the action with a different vial containing a light blue liquid. Both vials were put back into the cabinet whose doors closed afterwards; an internal computer registering the removal. Jonas walked back to William and injected him the clear liquid. The man was clearly too weak to object so he let it pass and rested his head on the table. Then the scientist once more turned towards Spike, the other injector in his hand.

 

“What the hell is that?” Spike flinched and backed away involuntarily, eying the device in the doctor’s hand suspiciously. Then he remembered something and growled to underline his next words. “And why aren’t you answering my questions?”

 

“This is a stimulating agent for your circulation”; Jonas tried to reassure the vampire. Spike looked far from reassured though. “It also will ease the hunger a bit, until you will get something to feed on.”

 

“I already have something to feed on”; Spike snorted, glaring at the doctor who unconsciously backed away slightly. “That doesn’t answer my question though, or do I have to get a bit more convincing, eh doc?

 

“It is what I told you”; Jonas defended himself. “I have given William something equally to stabilize him. He should be better soon, as will you. You do begin to feel it, don’t you?”

 

Spike resisted the urge to nod. The vampire actually had begun to feel restless in such close company of two breathing humans and still wondered silently, why he hadn’t lunged himself at their throats yet, to suck them dry. The feeling that burned inside him, was like the stirring of the first hunger that rose once again but that couldn’t be. He was a vampire now for over a hundred years, way past his first night or kill. But he had to recall to him that he felt differently now, that all things around him were seen, heard, smelled and felt strange, more intense than before. Against his better judgement Spike allowed the doctor to come closer to him, to inject him with the blue liquid. His vampiric healing abilities should be able to deal with anything the doctor injected him with, may it be poison or what he had told him.

 

“What about him?” Spike asked suddenly, forgetting for a moment where he was or that he was standing in front of his presumed captor this very moment. A calming sensation spread out from where he had been injected, satiating the hunger for now. “How could he be human, a bleedin’ mortal when he is me like you’ve said?”

To underline the urgency and sincerity of his question Spike decided to go for another deep-throated growl and he curled his lips backwards to bare his sharp fangs.

 

“I am sure that this is just a minor side effect of the separation process”; Jonas lied nervously, praying fervently that Spike wouldn’t notice. “Surely this will dissolve in a few days when he has gotten used to his new situation; as will you. The separation is an extremely straining and highly experimental process and I am sure that nothing like this will happen to you”; Jonas added to beat Spike before the other could ask the same question. “The demon half should be stronger, strong enough to handle this much better.”

 

“It is true then, that this wimp is actually me?” Spike wanted to know. “Me as in bloody human me?”

 

“Yes”; Jonas answered, relived that obviously Spike hadn’t noticed him lying before. But that didn’t calm down his nervousness.

 

But Spike had noticed that something was wrong. He had felt relived when Jonas told him that he would remain unaffected but he sensed that the doctor would keep the truth from him; could see the nervousness and smell the cold sweat that not only was there because Jonas was afraid of him. He after all had turned his back towards him, something Spike not only considered immensely stupid but also suicidal by the doctor, did he know well that he was unrestrained; and dangerous. Yet still Spike did not know the reason behind that feeling of insecurity and anxiety.

 

“That’s impossible”; Spike snarled. “He cannot be me because I am still here, still un-alive. So how did you do it?”

 

Jonas was saved from answering to that by a groan coming from William. He now was breathing more regularly now and his skin colour was returning slowly. He tried to sit up, but Jonas kept him down.

 

“Please remain down, you need to rest”; Jonas told the man who gladly took that advice, did the room already start to spin faster around him. The scientist threw another glance onto the display of the diagnosis scanner and put it down on the table. He fetched another syringe with an empty vial and gently probed with his fingertips the veins underneath the skin of William’s arm. Having found a promising one, he inserted the needle, causing William to yelp in surprise, but this time Jonas only drew a blood sample from the man.

 

Spike eyed him suspiciously during the whole process of Jonas drawing blood, watching as the vial slowly filled with the dark red liquid. He could even smell it, inside the plastic tube. The doctor marked the blood sample and it joined his diagnosis scanner on the table..

 

“I might need a blood sample of you also”; he then announced to the vampire, nearing him with a new syringe. Spike hissed at him, backing away.


”Why?” He asked; his voice carrying undisguised suspicion within it.

 

“I want to be sure, completely sure that this weakness is not linked to the separation process in any way.”

 

“And why would you believe that?” Spike wanted to know, still not trusting Jonas. Spike had never trusted doctors and he was glad to not have lost his healthy human sense, or rather vampire sense now, because of this strange and abominable experiment he still had no clue as to what the purpose to it was.

 

“I just want to make some tests”; Jonas explained, trying to speak in a trustworthy tone. “I promise to tell you the results, and not the sugar coated version should I find anything. But this is after all my experiment and I have to get data out of it.”

 

Spike reluctantly shoved his arm towards the doctor, reacting to the slightly different tone without even registering it. He felt a small stinging sensation when Jonas drew blood from him. Once again he believed to smell the blood inside the plastic vial and the hair on his back stood up at this feeling. Fascinated he watched the blood forming a small moon-shaped dome after Jonas withdrew the needle from his flesh. Where had his thoughts of ripping the man apart and then fleeing from the lab gone?

 

Right now he acted like a well trained puppy, doing exactly what that man asked him to and he didn’t even say a single word against it. But Spike didn’t notice that at all, being utterly fascinated by the smell of his own blood, intensified through his heightened senses.

 

“Press your index finger on the wound and bend your arm”; Jonas instructed but Spike didn’t hear him. He instead raised his arm to his face and licked the drop of blood off, savouring the taste of it on the tip of his tongue and the equally increased sense of taste; not bothering with the thought that it was his own vitae he tasted. How delicious would the blood of others taste to him now?

 

Jonas marked the second vial of blood as well and took both of them in his hands, shaking them slightly and holding them against the light. On the surface they looked both identical and the scientist was sure that down to the genetic background they were. Jonas let both vials slide into his pocket and left his experiment to its own again, shutting the door behind him on his way to the observation room that was his office and second lab.

 

Spike left his “twin” on the diagnosis table and took this opportunity to take a closer look around. Now that the doctor had left, he felt like the veil that had cloaked his senses while the scientist had still been there had been lifted. It also left him pondering about the fact that he had not ripped Jonas’ head off like he’d intended to.

 

The doctor might have gone and left them alone in the wide open space of the lab, but Spike still felt imprisoned and that made him nervous. His mind didn’t even register that he in fact was imprisoned with no possibility of getting out at the moment. He felt like one of those animals he once had seen in a zoo, pacing around in their cages determined to break free. That was it Spike’s first thought of an action was he decided to do next. It had been on his mind from the second he had woken up here and still was; him not knowing what had happened did not help either.

 

The computer terminals were of no use for him, they wouldn’t open the doors and Spike had no idea how to use them. He never had been much into this sort of technology, it being not even invented in his lifetime or now in his un-life. The only way of leaving this lab seemed to be through the door and this way turned out to be locked. Not even his vampiric strength managed to open them, only with a small square box that had a hand shaped print on it and a strange round glass dome would it be opened. And Spike neither had the right handprint nor would the retinal scan recognize him.

 

He felt helpless. Like said, Spike didn’t think much highly of computers and that he had watched Jonas use them wasn’t able to help him out much. Instead he took a closer look at the curves on the diagrams displayed. The markings on them revealed them coming from himself and his “twin”. Though he had no idea what they meant or on how to read them properly, even he as complete scientific layman knew that those coming from William were fluctuating wildly and presently extremely low. His own ones showed some highs and variations that meant nothing to him but could be interpreted as somehow normal because they remained above the red line. For the moment now, that satisfied him; because he knew that he still felt normal, more so for his every senses were heightened and on alert. And he concentrated everything on a plan on escaping once that doctor would be returning.

 

William’s diagrams showed readings just barely above the minimum levels. That wasn’t good at all and somehow Spike began to feel something for the other. He looked over to him who still lay on that table and blankly stared towards the grey ceiling. Within Spike awoke a feeling of protectiveness he never had encountered before. He had not created any childer before he could feel that way about but assumed that this must be the same thing a sire would feel for his childe. And if that other one truly was him, that meant he had been created out of him.

 

Spike pushed down that though real quick. The other wasn’t him; he couldn’t be because he had never been a weakling like that as human, dismissing for the moment the memory of himself as being actually human from a good hundred years ago. Right now the number one priority was to escape from this place. No matter how or what it would take, he would leave as soon as possible.

 

There had to be another way besides that door, but after having examined every inch of the room, he came to his earlier conclusion. The only way out was through that door. And he would make use of that once Jonas came back to him.

 

Spike settled down on the corner of the table, closing his eyes and concentrating. The fast heartbeat of the other made it hard for him but he managed to calm enough for formulating a plan inside his mind. He would not be treated like a puppy again by that doctor. From somewhere, he sensed that he was watched, most likely by said doctor. Should he, should he enjoy his crazy experiment as long as it would last because Spike would get to him soon enough.

 

 go to Chapter 6 (to be continued)

 

back to Chapter 4

 

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