Thread: Kundalini Rising - An Adult ATLA/Legend of Korra Fanfiction

Somewhere over the Northern Seas Kioko stood with his arms out to his sides and his legs spread as a gruff guard patted him down. He was asked to remove his shirt, cough, and answer a series of questions about himself, all standard procedure. He shivered a little as his skin broke out in goose bumps. The air was cold and thin at this elevation, and little beads of moisture clung to his bare chest. Save for the sounds of the two guards in their booth flipping through papers and the steady whirr of the mechanical filing system, everything was quiet. There were no birds or land animals, and the only vegetation resilient enough to grow this high up were ugly clumps of a tangled DNAble weed. He peered at a tuft of it closerthe latest model, ATD-34. The surly guard from before waved him forward from inside the steel and glass security booth. Kioko walked forward toward a thick metal door, the kind that would stand between thieves and a treasure trove. The door seemed to lead into the rock face of the floating island, and it was set back a few meters such that Kioko entered what looked like the mouth of a cave before reaching the door. Just short of the entrance, on his left, there were small cubbies cut into the rock. He placed his shirt in the one labeled with his name, scrawled in a neat script Kioko, Jax. He also deposited his shoes and socks in this cubby, then removed his pants and placed them on top of everything. When he stood in nothing but his undergarments, he turned to the guard booth. Inside the box, one of the guards gave him a thumbs-up. Almost simultaneously there was a series of clicks and metallic clangs coming from within the door, which promptly slid to the side to allow him passage. Just beyond that metal door, the light revealed a small chamber, which lead to a similar metal portcullis, though the sunlight did not reveal anything past that. Kioko walked over the threshold, into a thick darkness. The door sealed shut behind him with a finalistic slam. A moment later an earth kingdom paper lantern flickered to life, revealing the only other occupant of the room. The man had tanned, leathery skin that was stretched over his bones perhaps a little too tightly. He was young in body, but his lined face and sunken eyes appeared to belong to an older man. Good morning, Xavotek. Kioko muttered softly. The man only nodded slightly and turned to the metal bars sealing off the remainder of the tunnel. Clenching his fists and widening his stance, Xavotek pulled his fists forward and then in toward his chest. The metal bars bent apart like putty, sounding a piercing squeal of metal. Wincing, Kioko thanked the man and walked through the bars. As he walked barefoot along the tunnel, bright white lights flickered on above. Industrial and extremely luminous, they caused Kioko to blink as his eyes adjusted. After a few steps his feet found cold sheet metal. Ahead he could see the showers. Nobody entered the labs unless they passed through these first. Essentially a large glass foyer, workers on either side wore full-body hazard suits and held long hoses connected to metal containers. Kioko made a face. He hated this part of the day, but it was a small price to pay to be able to participate in the life-saving research that DNAble's large RD budget allowed him to do. Stripping off his last remaining clothing, he entered the glorified car wash through a sliding glass door. It had certainly taken a little getting used to. There were at least 10 workers who worked the showers, so there were at least that many people a day who saw him entirely naked. Some of the workers were women, and depending on who was working what shift, there were much more than 10 sanitation officers who might be under those suits. It was especially uncomfortable for him as a man to have everything one thing in specific so exposed. After a few weeks on the job however, he'd gotten pretty used to it. By now it was primarily a small embarrassment and inconvenience. He lifted his hands over his head, placing them on his bare scalp, and closed his eyes. The first two sanitation officers stood on either side of him and sprayed him down with hot water. They were extremely thorough, ensuring that he'd been hosed down quite well. When they waved him on he walked forward a few steps. The next workers sprayed him with a noisome mist. He breathed the small particles in as he was expected to, then coughed violently as the cleansing mist reached his lungs. He spat at his feet, grimacing, and was allowed to pass. The next workers sprayed him with a slightly offensive smelling liquid. It smelled clean, mostly. This chemical mix was the scent he'd come to associate with sterility. This, in addition to the mist, assured that his body was clear of all potential contaminants. As he reached the last worker, he opened his mouth. The sanitation office stuck a small rod into his mouth. A violet light flickered inside of his mouth a few times and he felt his tongue grow extremely dry. He supposed it was more effective than a toothbrush, but it was certainly less pleasant. He walked then through an open doorway where a man stood. This man had the same sunken eyes and worn-out body as Xavotek, but his skin was fairer in color. He spun his arms outward and commanded a powerful gust of air to dry Kioko quickly. Kioko thanked the man, and then stepped past him to fetch one of the many identical safety suits from a rack. The one-piece uniform had a hood to pull over his bald head, which he put up right away. There was a whoosh of air as he stepped into the airtight hallway through another holding chamber. The labs were as well equipped as current technology would allow, with the primary emphasis being on sterility. If even a single Everstill virus entered a lab it could destroy all of their current research. Even the smallest Strain217 contamination could kill any study subject as well as most of the researchers before there were even signs of the microorganism's invasion. It was this knowledge that haunted Kioko in sleep and motivated his waking life. He put on a facemask and proceeded down the corridor toward the pre-empt wing. His personal research dealt with predicting what the next mutation of Everstill would behave like and how to stay one step ahead of it. Entering his lab, he found his partner, Martha, already hard at work. Martha always said that her brain worked best in the wee hours of the morning, and usually stopped being very useful in the late afternoon. Kioko on the other hand, liked to start work around noon and could work late into the night. This still left them a good enough overlap of a few hours in which they could touch base. He began to flip through his lab notebook, trying to remind himself exactly where he'd left off last night. When he read up on his notes he was filled with excitement as he was reminded that his sequencing results would soon be in from the 5th floor labs where he'd sent his samples. He felt close to a breakthrough, and this data would surely answer a lot of his questions. Taking up his stool by his lab bench, he began to write out a protocol for today's experiments. He was simply continuing a several day procedure that would prepare his samples, so the work was guaranteed to be slow and tedious as he waited for his results. He allowed this to occupy his time for an hour or so, but his restlessness was not to be ignored. Looking across the bench at Martha he smiled. Even though he'd been at this job for almost a year now, he was still young and a little green. Thus, he continually forgot that people couldn't see his smile with most of his face covered by a mask. I smiled. He explained awkwardly. I know. I saw in your eyes. Martha said shortly. She was never much one for conversation. In fact, Kioko was pretty sure she thought he was incompetent. He worried that she resented being stuck with him as a research partner, though if she did, she never expressed it directly. Kioko was silent for a spell, taking the time to peer down at his notes, but soon made another attempt. So, the sequencing results come in today. he said. He couldn't help it he was naturally talkative. Martha seemed more interested in this than exchanging pleasantries. We should be conservative with our expectations. She warned. Kioko knew this of course, but he couldn't help but be anxious to get his hands on the new data. Yes. He agreed. Then, What do you anticipate? Martha closed her notebook and stood from her bench, crossing to an expensive looking machine. The contrast between the level of technology inside the DNAble labs and the outside world was staggering enough that they could easily be two entirely different planets. We really shouldn't let our analysis be biased by specific anticipations, although it would be wise to approach the data with some informed opinions. I think that we can anticipate a new strain to appear within the next year and a half. Most likely, the mutations that will be selected for will deal directly with the retroviral nature of Everstill. She summarized. Kioko nodded. because of the latest resistance genes we developed. He muttered, understanding evident on his face. I suppose we'll have to wait to know for sure. As if on cue, there came a rapping on the lab's open door. A masked worker stood holding a folder and a rack of small tubes with clear liquids in them. Kioko rushed over, signing for the delivery and took the results from the man. The surly worker handed him the package and gazed at Kioko from under the brim of his uniform cap. Kioko raised his eyebrows expectantly. Yes? he asked. The worker didn't reply, but nodded curtly, turned on his heel and was gone. Invigorated, Kioko walked back to his bench, already flipping through the much-anticipated results. He sat down slowly, his brow knitting more and more intensely as his eyes scanned the paper. Martha joined him as he entered the data into a table he'd already written out in his lab notebook. Each digit entered in the table made his hand write faster and faster. When he finally dropped the pen and sat back, Martha looked at him pensively. It's almost as if she trailed off. He finished her thought as if the earth is fighting back.