Evoblack
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- Posted: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 20:40:01 +0000
Dr. Darius Reed
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" Man masters nature not by force but by understanding. "
--- Jacob Bronowski ---
--- Jacob Bronowski ---
There is much in life that is unexpected: the one hopeful bud of a dying plant; the outcomes of a seemingly failed experiment; and even the sweet taste of something that appears otherwise intimidatingly disgusting. Darius Reed was prepared for every one of those outcomes, because the unexpected was for what he lived. He was working contently in the lab of BioTech when Marcus came bouncing over to him. His shoulder-length golden blond hair swirled around him, as pretty and as graceful as a girl's hair. Marcus saw his friend Darius and plastered a huge smile from ear to ear upon his face.
"Darius," Marcus nearly squealed.
Darius was working on something that very moment. Specifically, it was a new growth factor for plants living in desert-like conditions. It was designed to aid the growth of plant life right outside of the dome. The man had his back turned to Marcus, but Darius heard everything his friend was saying.
"Darius," Marcus whispered.
The man ignored his friend. He lifted the beaker up to light to judge a chemical reaction. A change of color would signal a reaction had taken place. Marcus poked Darius in the spine.
"Darius." The poking rose higher and higher to the back of Darius's neck. "Daaaarrriuuussss."
Darius continued to ignore him. Even with his friend moving his body, Darius's hands were as steady as ever.
Marcus rested his hands on Darius's shoulders and leaned in to Darius's nape. His hot breath tickled the back of Darius's neck. It was then that Marcus licked the back of Darius's neck. Marcus's lips moved to Darius's ear. Only then did Darius respond. "What, Marcus?" Darius asked, irritated that his work had been interrupted.
Giggling delightedly, Marcus wrapped his arms around his friend's waist from behind. "You know, I noticed that you don't have much of a social life, Darius."
Darius placed the beaker into the beaker holder and rested his hands on the lab counter. "Not many people here do, Marcus."
"Aw, c'mon! Even I have one. I have a few best girlfriends that I hang out with. Don't you wish you had someone like that?"
"Not at the moment," Darius muttered, shooting Marcus an annoyed look.
Marcus giggled harder. "You liar. Liar liar pants on fire. You love me, and you know it."
Darius glanced to the side and smirked. "Yeah, you're my best friend in the entire dome."
"Your only friend," Marcus corrected. "Even your sarcasm tells the facts straight, Oh serious Darius." The blond clucked and squeezed Darius around the shoulders tighter. "Such a tease. You don't have a life."
"I have one. I intend to--"
"--'go outside the dome and prove to everyone there is life there.'" Marcus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You've told me that a thousand times already. When are you gonna..." He trailed off once he saw the dark expression come upon Darius's face.
To tell the truth, Darius was actually glowering at his friend. Marcus would have seriously stepped back if his intentions were not true. The blonde man decided to take Darius's look in stride. "Look, Darius," Marcus sighed, "I don't mean to disrespect your dream. Though, you seriously need to focus on something else than it. I have a dream! I want to become the CEO of this company, but I have hobbies, friends, other stuff to focus on." He turned Darius around to face him. Darius allowed this movement. "Please, Darius. For me?"
Marcus stuck out his bottom lip and pouted his usual adorable pout. Sighing, Darius pressed his fingers to his forehead. The onslaught of a headache was about to begin, but it was not physical. "Fine," he muttered. "What did you have in mind?" With Marcus, there was always an ulterior motive. His friend was not just one to say things but to actually do something following saying them. Marcus had something he wanted Darius to do.
Marcus grinned, winked, and rested a tanned finger over his lips. "Shh, it's a secret. You have to come with me to find out."
Darius groaned but nodded. "Let me clean up here, and we can leave in fifteen minutes."
_____
Marcus had taken Darius by the arm and was very enthusiastically dragging him down the sidewalk. People parted ways around the two friends. A few girls looked Marcus's way, noticing his gorgeousness. Marcus did not take notice of these looks. He was focused on leading Darius to his secret place (wherever it was). The entire time Darius held a bored and tortured look upon his face. There was no way he would have normally gone out so early, or even at all, after work. He would stay in the lab late into the night, completing his work as well as creating his own. The lab manager of BioTech had noticed Darius's proficiency in his work and allowed him to do his own research there. After he was finished for the night, Darius would return to his home, settle into the small makeshift lab in his basement, and continue his work there. Some nights he did not sleep, leading Marcus to believe that he was an insomniac. Darius did not consider himself one; instead, he considered himself so enthralled by the chance of discovery that he could not find sleep. His mind buzzed in the middle of the night and pushed him to keep going. At times, he even forgot to eat. Many times he would find himself passed out upon his seat or on the floor. It was rigorous but worthy work. Darius's heart raced at the thought of it.
"Marcus, are we there yet?"
His friend giggled maniacally. "Almost. We're really close..." They turned a corner, where Marcus promptly stopped. Darius nearly toppled over from the sudden stop. "We're heeeerreeee!"
"Marcus, seriously you need to watch we're you're going." He adjusted his glasses on the brim of his nose. Then, he looked at where Marcus's gaze lead. "Oh God, you can't be serious."
Welcome to Electro-Persa-Tron Inc. Store! Celebrating 100 years of customer service!
Darius glowered over at Marcus, who only smiled brightly back at him. "This is NOT a social life," Darius spat. "This is technology, a poor simulation of life."
The young man promptly turned around to walk away, but he was jerked back. Darius looked over to see his arm having been caught by Marcus. A mischievous glint shone in the corner of Marcus's eye. "You won't know until you try. I have one and he's totally yummy." Darius's face hardened into stone. "Aw, c'mon, brother! You've gotta have some fun sooner or later. It's just a machine. Just...come in with me and look around. Please?"
"Fine. I'm not buying anything, just looking around. Got it?"
"Good enough for me!"
With that, Marcus gleefully dragged his friend into the store. Darius's first impression was that he and Marcus were the only guys there. Most of the store was stuffed to the brim with girls, the brunt of them either giggling school girls or lonely older women. Here and there Darius eventually caught sight of a few men glancing at some of the models to the side. Dread crawled deep into the pit of Darius's stomach and settled in there quite nicely. Marcus broke off from him to look at some gorgeous new models. From what Darius gathered, many of the dolls were created along various stereotypes: the bad person, the good person, the innocent person, the seductive person, etc. They were fairly obvious, along with their obvious beauty. It was like consuming processed candy versus whole foods; the former provided momentary, superficial satisfaction while the latter appeared unsavory but was actually more satisfying. Perhaps the models were designed along that premise. However, Darius did not enjoy things that were only meant for momentary satisfaction. He wanted to enjoy looking at things day after day, not for just an hour.
As Marcus drooled over the latest models, Darius slipped away to the side where the sale dolls resided. Fewer people lingered to the sides, leaving Darius in semi-peace for the moment. Out of curiosity (and boredom), he found himself browsing few the various dolls. Some called out greetings to him while others blinked and waved. He acknowledged none of them; they were, after all, machines. Then, he came to one in obvious view of the store, yet she still appeared rather secluded from the other sale dolls. She was different from the other dolls. Her coloring was subtle but lovely. Hair of burnt sunset orange cascaded down her shoulders. Pale skin glowed where the sun hit her through the window. Most of all, the doll was marvelously well-kept: no wrinkles in her clothing; neatly, beautifully arranged hair; among other things. It was amazing that she seemed real; technology certainly had progressed.
Darius crossed his arms, standing in front of the sitting doll, and just thought. All those nights when he forgot to eat or sleep. All those times he meant to clean his small house. All those many days where he did not feel like grocery shopping. Were not these dolls meant to serve their owners? Not just in lust or love, but also in services? He had frequently seen them about, with families and with children. Often, he saw them caring for their households. A doll could be helpful to him. He found himself nodding at his logical train of thought.
➔ Location: On the street xxxxxxxxxxx ➔ Musings: "This is pure torture." xxxxxxxxxxx ➔ With:
Marcus xxxxxxxxxxx ➔ Doll: N/A
Marcus xxxxxxxxxxx ➔ Doll: N/A
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