The Lazarus Project No, 4: Cough Drops, Sticky Fingers

# "Yeah sorry this is just a romance novel to fill in the year gap between No. 2 & 3, So have fun." -Harold

## The Story

After the finding of Odinya, the group haven't been called for anything at all. Michael wakes up, bed head and drowsy, stumbling his way to the kitchen to grab something to eat before he goes off and trains. He grabs a box of Jett Gyro branded Cinnamon Toast Crunch and sits down at the table. As he eats, he hears the faint sound of a yellow sponge laughing, he turns to see Odinya, wide eyed, staring down the TV as if she is entranced.

He walks over to her to, cereal in hand to check of she's not dead.

"Odinya?" he says, nudging her leg. She quickly turns to Michael, as if she broke away from the power grasp of the TV.

"This...thing! Its just fantastic! SpongeBob has been trying to "drive" yet he is very very bad at it! It is just hilarious!"

"Thats..great Odinya" Michael starts to walk away, trying to get await from the conversation.

He finishes his cereal and heads to the home gym to get ready to work, as he enters he is stopped by Elliot. Elliot and Steven have been bugging him non stop to tell them what happend when the left, and they know better not to ask Mitsumi herself. Michael doesn't budge, telling him not to worry about it. Elliot says thats not why hes asking, hes asking to make sure what hes getting into.

"Getting into, what do you mean?"

"Shes not as innocent as you think man, thats all im saying" Elliot starts to walk away, basically forcing Michael to ask more. His plan works, and Michael questions Elliot about his comment. Elliot tells him of the story of how they actually "got" M, having him being called upon by Boss personally. As they made it to a small Japanese village, he went invisible, witnessing what was going to be a buchering of her brothers and sisters until Boss walked in and stopped it.

"Her father's head was 5 feet away from his body, and her siblings were in a corner praying. She aint a monster Michael thats not what im getting at, im just making sure you know the full picture."

"Yeah, and what terrible shit have you done huh? I KNOW you've done some bad shit in the military don't even try to act like you didnt." Michael responds in a harsh tone, obviously taking offense to what he had said to M.

Elliot's eyes turn dead and cold, as he walks away, dropping the conversation entirely. Michael stays silent, going back to training until it gets to around 3 pm. He heads back to his room, laying on his bed and looking at the ceiling fan until M knocks on his door and walks in, sitting next to him. He burried whatever thought he had at that point and greets her.

"What did he say Mikey" Mitsumi says as she lays next to him, looking at the ceiling fan. Its obvious that Michael cant hide anything well, especially from M. He tries to play dumb but is cut off my her trying to make him spill it out. He tells her what Elliot had said about her, and says that he was just lying and most of it isnt true, then asking if any of it was. He knows it was.

"Yeah, its true" Michael's face turns pale, hiding his shocked expression beneath the thin veil that is his mask.

"Do you think im a monster Mikey? She says, showing a moment of weakness

"i think you made a bad decision"

"If it lead to meeting you, I don't think it was that bad..."

She lays on top of him and hugs him, her perfume intoxicating. He gives up the fight and gives in to her, knowing any struggle is meaningless when an embrace feels like quicksand. She looks down at him as her hands reach around his head and click the lock of the bands on his mask, her hands rap around and lift up as,

"Good LORD guys!" Steven opens the door expecting Michael asleep, "Lunch is ready, Fuckin A..." Michael clicks his mask back on and get up, looking back to see a disappointed and a slightly annoyed Mitsumi. He roams down the hall, walking into the kitchen to Steven, potato wedges in his left hand, and a ranch drizzled salad in the right. "

Mitsumi walks out of the room, passing Elliot and giving him the closest thing you can get to a death stare with barely visible pupils. She snatches the whiskey from his grip and puts it on top of the fridge. They all sit on the couch next to Odinya, still captivated by the yellow sponge bouncing on the screen. Steven changes the channel, breaking Odinya out of her coma and causing her to go to the next best thing that she loves to do, annoy Elliot with an unconditional amount of affection.

Elliot quickly rushes back to the room, before Odinya can say anything to him, leaving Steven, Michael and Mitsumi on the couch.

Awkward silence fills the room, with Mitsumi obviously frustrated and closed off, Michael trying not to get Steven upset, and Steven wanting out of this entire debacle. He gets up and tells Mitsumi to follow her to his garage. Michael stands up but is told to stay there.

They entire the workshop and closes the door, crossing his arms and looking down at her for an explanation.

"Oh dont look at me like that Doc."

"Mits, the fuck you doin playing with him like that. I know for sure he doesnt know what to fucking think with you."

"You cant tell me what to do Steven, he isnt yours to control."

He aint yours either Mits" Stevens voice becoming as stern as ever, actually showing being upset.

"This is bullshit, your just over protective"

"Your taking advantage of him Mitsumi, you know it too-"

"Fuck off."

"M!" Steven raises his voice, his growl echos though the workshop, and Mits freezes. Steven steps over to her, his paces indicating hes pissed.

"You will not hurt that boy, you will treat him right, and so help me God if that's my dying wish, but you, will not fuck him over, I wont stand for it.

Mitsumi storms off into her bedroom with Steven trying to follow. Michael looks at Steven for an answer, but all he can do is try and find some words, but they were lost.

Mikey walks back to her room slowly, cracking open the door to Mitsumi in her beanbag chair next to a lamp, curling her legs in with her head buried in her knees. He gets on the ground in front of her, waiting for her to notice him, but she wont budge.

He sighs deeply, and lays on the bed as he says hes so cold and alone over dramatically. He flails his body as if it was his last fight against the world before he let out a gasp and stopped moving.

Mitsumi gets up and softly lays next to Mikey, he opens his eyes, happy that he had cheered her up. They stare in silence before he asks why she is so happy with him,

“I don't really know”

“You don't know? I mean you must, right?”

Mitsumi looks at him longingly, she sighs,

"Fuck hes right."

Before Michael could get another word out, Elliot could be heard in his room,

“HELP-!”

The group rush out into the hallway and slams his door open to a horrific sight, Elliot is running around his room with his shirt off, and Odinya is trying to catch him. He plows through the group and runs out into the living room, screaming at the group to stop her.

Steven grabs her legs but he is dragged away by her, with Michael and Mitsumi and Michael tailing behind him. They both grab onto her arms while grabbing onto the corner of the bathroom to stop her from moving.

Michael starts to pull her into the bathroom and shuts the door, with her not knowing how doors work, she continues to bump into the door like a toy that you couldn't turn off. Everyone turn to a stressed, sweaty Elliot for answers, but it's almost impossible to understand.

He continues to say that she was trying to “breed” but ran away before she could do anything. They ask about the shirt but are found with”...threw it at her…”

Steven laughs his ass off and goes back to the bathroom, asking if Odinya is still in there. She happily says yes and asks if Elliot is still out there, responding with no. He asks why she made him run away,

“I just did what Mitsumi said, I thought people liked when they do sexual intercourse."

"Michael and Mitsumi turn pale as Elliot turns his head completely confused and disgusted.

Steven puts his hands on his head and wispears to himself and laughs.

"Is Elliot still there?" Odinya says innocently

"Nope, he ran away, long gone." Steven says with a smirk on his face

"Re- Really?"

“Yep..real shame.”

Odinya starts to weep then full on BAWL. heartbroken that she made her love run away from her.

“Okay okay, ill make him come back if you tell me what happend”

“Really? Well humans reproduce and Mitsumi said it seems to be a joyful activity, Elliot was able to do the same, but now I have learned I was wrong”

“Yes you are, not all humans are willing to reproduce”

“Is he coming back now?’

Steven opens the door to Elliot standing there, covering his shirtless chest by crossing his arms. Odinya floats up and hugs him, telling him that she will never ever ever make him run away again.

They group go back to normal, and Mitsumi and Michael continue their conversation.

"What did you mean M"

"Steven's right, fuck Maya's right, shit"

"M, calm down, whats going on"

M looks up with some tears in her eyes,

"I ju- I just you to like me, but im fucking evil, Ive hurt people when I get attached, and i dont want to hurt you."

"M, you wont hurt me, i promise."

Mitsumi looks at him, hoping hell just hold her forever.

"I dont think you would want to be with, its not a good ide-"

Michael holds her, their bond growing ever closer to each other. Mitsumi looks up, slowly unclasping the pack of his mask, as it drops to the floor. Michael's face is clear, his young face blends in with his wide eyes. His lip cut and has a scar over it.

## Trivia

* Odinya is a glorified idiot, fun loving, but just a really big idiot.
* It was one of the rare moments of weakness for Mitsumi