Close to You || Ash Lynx (Banana Fish)

Chapter 13

"That picture...that's not me." You let out a bitter laugh, your emotions overlapped each other, you didn't know what to express more, your sorrow or your anger? You took a deep breath, you finally faced them but your gaze flits around the room, never settling to focus on one view as your mind processed what you're going to say.

Shorter and Ash did not mind how long it was for them to hear it, they did not pressure you at all. They waited for you to go at your own pace.

"It's my twin sister, Alistair." You gave them a strained smile, you took off the pendant that you were wearing which revealed a picture of the two you. "I was going to tell you about it earlier Ash, right before Shorter came in. I was about to to tell you...what if I'm involved with Golzine?" You played with the pendant's chain, you were not used to opening up to someone let alone two people.

Yet you set all those doubts aside, letting yoursled breakdown to the people you knew you could trust because at this point, you needed them. You can't save your sister alone, you can't get her out of Golzine's hands like she did alone, you were never strong enough.

But they can serve as your strength.

You decided to unravel your past to them, the truth you kept on escaping from but it still manages to corner you every single time you made progress to put it behind. It was time to confront it and it rendered both illogical and logical fears in you.

"I lied about my sister being given the drug for money. I mean, it is true but not all of it. My mother and father were both renowned scientists for their discoveries in mutations of dna through genetic engineering but they were robbed off from their licenses upon being caught on doing unethical and inhumane experiments. They then decided to have kids to serve as lab rats for all their experiments and they were hired by different rich authorities to create drugs from all kinds, ranging from lethal ones to mild ones..." You took off Ash's jacket, and revealed your back to them.

"Oh, shit..." Shorter couldn't stop himself, he wasn't expecting to see such horrible sight.

Your whole back was covered with a large '01'; the condition of your scar were evidences that it was some sort of a burnt mark. You pulled your shirt down, plopping yourself back on the wooden porch. They were both shocked on what you have revealed to them, you were also aware what they are thinking about you right now.

You assured them, "It's fine. I don't really remember the pain, it's just sucks to see it there..."

The scar on your back was a grave reminder of who you are and what your sole purpose was and you hated yourself for that. All your anxiety, all your nightmares, everything in your life is a reflection of your past that you can't move on as it always drags you back down. Your past was chained to you and even if you break all your limbs, it will remain with you until a bullet runs to your head.

"They then landed on the project, Banana Fish. Golzine hired them and that's when the two of us became crucial part of the research. They tested the first ever version of the drug on me first, that's why I was labeled as 01. The second version was tested on my sister. The problem was, my body rejected the drug. No matter how many times they tested it on me, my body was not able to react to the way they wanted it to be. My sister on the other hand, she was very responsive. I was then useless from then on, and was kept for their other experiments as my sister suffered every single day, opening her and stitching her back up over and over again."

You then remembered your father, he too had his own set of experiments on you. "My father was not deeply involved in Banana Fish, he had another assignment. Apparently, Golzine wanted an assassin to do all his dirty work. So, my father wanted to enhance my genes up until I am almost unkillable." You brought out your dagger, using the blade to slice through your palms, enough to draw a huge amount if blood. Ash grabbed the dagger out of your hands, almost growling at you, "What the fuck are you doing?!" You hissed at the slight ting of pain, you forced your hands out of his grip.