Project: Karma

34 | Dark Truth

<Nagisa>
This can't be real?! Koro-sensei is actually an artificial human tested with anti-matter? Why didn't he tell me?! Wait, does anyone know about this? All the dates were difficult to read and the names of the scientists were smudged.

My brain couldn't comprehend all the questions but I knew that he was the first one to be tested on. Koro-sensei himself was a test subject. Project: Grim Reaper to be precise. The only documented success of an artificial human.

"Did they release him from testing when he was finished? Is that what happens? How did Koro-sensei himself become a scientist?"

Wait Nagisa. Let's not go down the rabbit hole right now. The main point is that it means all the projects in the Research Facility were humans at one point. Even Karma.

An overwhelming sigh of relief calmed my heart and I closed the book. I'll eventually come back to it. My time is running out for lunch and I'll be caught sooner or later. I must learn more about this place and it's past. Karma's past.
•••••••
<Sugino>
During my water break at practice, someone had sent a text message to me. I would of checked it if I could, but someone was speaking to me. Eventually, once they were done, I picked up my phone, but before I open it up, one of my teammates slapped my back.

"Hey, got to get our asses back on the field." He reminded me. "Let's go, let's go."

"Yeah." I replied.

I tossed my phone into my bag and returned to the field. Even though I could read it at the moment, I at least saw who it was from. It was Kaede.

I wonder what she wants? Maybe she just wants to talk, nothing more, nothing less. I wonder how's she doing with her acting and all. Homesick?

"Tomohito! Pitch!" I saw my coach bark at me and the umpire waving his arms.

"Come on Sugino! Waiting for an invitation?" The other teammates teased.

"My bad." I took the baseball in my hand and stared at the batter.

If only my flirting skills were as good as my pitches.
••••••••
<Karma>
"Huhh?" I blankly stared at Nagisa as she was rapidly typing away at get keyboard. I tried waving at her to get her attention but, that didn't work.

"Nagisa? You alright there?" I asked.

She ignored me.

"Nagisa?" I tapped on the glass.

She didn't hear me.

That's not cool, ignoring me like that. I sighed and I sat there waiting till she was done. Instead, I distracted myself by opening up the latch on my arm and looked at all the wires

I aimed my hand at the side of the dome and noticed that two of my wires were tangled together. I knew that they were supposed to kept separately as fixed before. It must of moved.

I shouldn't distract her now, so I tried to untangle them myself but my hand blasted a beaming laser.
Great.

Smoke engulfed and the flaming small sparks crackled. That's not good I thought. I looked ahead and couldn't see Nagisa on the other end but I surely heard her scream.

"Karma!"

What's this? I placed my hand on my chest and touched the rigid metal. Even if I was heat proof, I was mildly melting. Maybe the metal made contact with something else and caused this.

<Nagisa>
What was that sound?!
The dome randomly started fogging up in smoke and I was unable to see Karma. What happened?! I scooted out of my chair and dashed over to the dome.

I still couldn't see in.

"Karma! Are you alright?!" I shouted.

No answer.
Did something short circuit? I ran around the side and made it to the door. I punched in my code and the dome doors unlocked.

"K-karma!"

COUGH, COUGH
The semi-toxic fumes made my lungs want to gasp for clean air. Instead, I placed my sleeve across my mouth and nose and rushed in.

"Karma!" I shouted again.

COUGH, COUGH

When I stepped farther I finally saw a glimpse of Karma. On the ground unconscious.
What the hell happened in here? I just took my eyes off for a second and the explosion just spontaneously appeared.

"Karma..." I knelt beside him, while still hacking from the smoke around me.

"Hey, are you-"
I witnessed that his chest was slightly melted. The metal rupturing and protruding out of them. A level of great concern got me spinning.

"Karma, can you hear me?" I shook him. "Hey." I tried again. I placed my hand upon the melted metal and could felt the burning sensation.

He can't be dead right? T-that's not possible. He's a superhuman. An artificial human. He can't die right? Chills ran down my spine and fear struck me like no other.

"Karma, wake up." My hands trembled as I reached into my pockets for some minor tools to at least patch him up. When I looked beyond the diminished metal, I saw a beating heart within his chest. How is that possible?
Why was there a heart? A human heart?

My hands couldn't stop shaking. If that what made him human. I couldn't stop the tears escaping from my eyes.

<Karma>
W-why couldn't I move properly? Maybe the wiring had malfunctioned.

I laid there and heard her cries. Someone's heartbeat was loud and distinct. Was it her's?
I just had to carelessly mess with my programs. I didn't mean to make her worried like this.
I opened my eyes to see Nagisa coughing and choking from the fumes that I created. The ventilations wasn't turned on. Did Nagisa run into here with turning them on?!

She began to sway side to side.

"Nagisa!" I picked myself up and held her within my arms. All of this because of me.

<Shizuka>
"The hell is this?!" I walked into the lab where all the smoke visible inside the dome. I managed to see Karma shouting. Shouting what? Then I saw Nagisa.

"Shit!" I dropped my stuff on the floor and went over to the control box and turned on the vents. In seconds, the dome was cleared and the air was filtering out.

"What the hell happened?!" I bolted into the dome and came upon throw two on the ground.

"What happened to Nagisa?!" I questioned.
Karma stood up and carried her in her arms.

"It was my fault, it was me." He diverted his eyes. The suffering he showed in his gaze.

"We'll take her to the infirmary." I suggested. "She must of inhaled so much of that harmful gas." I pointed out.

When I said that, Karma grew more concerned and sensed the torment in my words. With a sudden glimpse, I saw that Karma had a hole in his chest. Did the wires overheat and melt the metal?!

"Don't worry, she's not used to it and she just got light headed. She's going to be fine." I assured. "Not let's hurry and take her. I'll deal with you later."

Karma nodded his head.
We scurried out of the lab and countless eyes rested on us. For a dangerous test subject to be out of his cage was uncalled for. I knew I would be punished later. But that isn't the point right now! Nagisa needs help!

Karma was running ahead of me. Why was that heart aching for me to watch. The kind of relationship they have is impossible. It's a fantasy that they'll never make reality. Nagisa and Karma should know that.

I heard heart beats echoing in the halls. Who was that? I placed my hand upon my chest and mine was normal. Was it Nagisa's? No it must be Karma's.