What If-Chp4

"Don't you ever get tired looking at that little critter?"

"Nope."

OJ and Gillian were at the U-Chamber again looking out for the foetus. It had pretty much fully developed to the 5th month stage with the head slightly smaller, fingers and toes formed—all 20 of them—and a nice body to match. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. The evacuation of the cold pills was a success. This time, OJ wasn't alone to handle his assignment. Jared and Driz were there to check out things.

Things were rather rough during that incident with the pills. Turned out that Shane tried to commit suicide after the rape incident and it was obvious that she had found out about her pregnancy to do such a thing. And it also turned out that miracles do happen after all. Somehow after that incident one of the staff in the orphanage—Hal was his name—took pity on her and decided to adopt her himself into his family. He lived in a nice little home down in the suburbs together with a few more adopted kids of his own and, seeing that he had done a good job with them, the orphanage agreed to his decision. It took time for Shane to adjust to her new home and new family, but so far, she's doing very well with her foster brothers and sisters. And while all that was going on, inside Shane Metropolis, Jared made a loud complaint to the chief about OJ letting Driz stay. There was a heated discussion and a lot of yelling between Jared and OJ trying to defend their point, but in the end, the chief was leaning more onto OJ's side, since he believed him of being experienced in handling cold pills as partners and Driz confirmed his allegations about Drix being his twin brother. Not exactly one of the good ways to try and make it straight and friendly with Jared, but OJ had to stand his ground sometimes.

"You continue to play truant like that, I'm afraid I'll have to tell your mom about you," Jared said.

"You wouldn't dare!" Gillian glared at him.

"I would if this goes on."

"Tattletale! Their lessons are just too easy. I get bored easily."

"Just because you're a genius with an IQ level of 180, doesn't mean you can get out of school just like that for all you like. You're gonna both annoy your friends and the teachers."

"Yeah right. Why can't Mother send me to college or something?"

"Woah, did you say his IQ is 180?" OJ asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he inherited that from his dad. He's a scientist up at Muscle Factory," Jared replied half-heartedly, still having this mysterious grudge on him. He then turned to Gillian and said, "Queenie can't send you to collage right now coz money's been tight for a time. Your dad ain't earning much as he needed."

Gillian pouted and turned to look at the foetus. He then smiled and turned to OJ, saying, "Lucky for Shane to meet such a nice family, don't you think? I mean, you don't get this kind of person who is willing to be your dad for free and take care of a baby at the same time."

"Yeah, she's a lucky gal alright," OJ agreed. "I bet she's gonna do OK with that Hal guy."

"Yeah, I bet she's going to do way better than the father she was with, considering the person who handled him," Jared said, giving OJ a sideways glance. OJ was getting sick and tired of being accused for something he wished to let go. He spun round and faced Jared.

"Look, you've griping and complaining and trashing your ass at me ever since I got here. What the heck is your problem? Did I trip you or something, coz I don't remember us ever meeting anywhere else but here."

"You don't have to act all dumbass to me," Jared replied coldly. "You know exactly what you've done and I'm gonna make sure that you're not going to forget it for the rest of your entire miserable life."

"If it's about Frank, I'm sorry, OK? I'm trying to make up for whatever I've done to him and I'm trying to move on here. If you love Frank so much, why don't you give yourself a jumpstart and land on him maybe, then you can fry together with him or something!"

Gillian and Driz looked to and fro from OJ and Jared and back again as the two white blood cells argued their necks off at each other, not sure whether to go up and stop the fight or just stand there looking at them. One was yelling his head off, looking rather pissed while the other was standing there with his cold eyes staring back at him without moving an inch away from his spot. They didn't dare to say it, but they thought that OJ and Jared looked rather slightly alike when they stood together face to face.

"I have no time for this kiddy talk. I just want you to know that you stay out of my back and stay out of my way, and don't you try to act all smartass about yourself with me, coz I ain't buying it."

"You know what, Jared? I think your problem is coz I'm too smart for you. You're jealous coz I'm better than you, and that I'm stealing all the limelight off you. You bet your ass that you're just some street- And while the smart punk trying to prove yourself that you're all that, and you just can't stand someone being better than you, isn't it, you hotshot? I used to be that way, you know, and I can tell a real punk when I see one."

Jared, at that moment, looked rather dark as his face got clouded with anger. He was gritting his teeth as if trying to suppress the boiling anger and the urge of wanting to just rip OJ into tiny pieces. With elaborate steps, he stomped towards OJ and said, "You wanna know what my problem is? You really wanna know what my problem is? The only problem I'm having with you right now is that you're here! It doesn't make it any cooler to see you standing around here coz you're my dad and I'm your son!!!"

Now everyone was dumbstruck. OJ was shocked beyond words. Gillian practically felt like his jaws were falling onto the floor of the bridge they were standing on. Driz was rather caught in the middle and new to everything, so he just stood there seeing what would happen next. After what seemed like a long eternity, OJ finally broke the ice.

"I...I'm your dad...? You're...my...son? What in the name of spit are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't try playing dumbass on me now! Don't tell me that you don't remember hanging out in Frank's 'juicer' and have that dragging feeling, do you?"

"How did you...?" OJ stopped in his tracks when a flashback suddenly hit him. He remembered that, back in high school, he and some of his other close mates were called in by the Mayor to the Penis Plant to go through a splitting process. They were all gathered with other young cells and it was rather crowded in there. He remembered fastening bungee ropes and safety belts on him and was dunked with the rest of his friends into the semen fluid. Then there was a huge tidal wave and deep rumbling that made him feel rather sick in the gut and then there was a huge current flowing over them. The next thing he knew, he felt his whole body being split into two by the current. The process made him kind of dizzy and weak, as if being sapped of his energy, and before he fell into unconsciousness, he thought he saw his double flowing further and further away from him.

"You remember now?" Jared asked bitterly as he came closer to OJ. "The thing all cells have to go through when they are living in a male city? Everyone have to split a part of their entity inside the semen, which means that you've somehow created a son to the next descendant of the city you're living in. This means you have created me. How sweet, the son you never had!"

"I...I thought it was a dream...My parents never bothered to tell me what happened as soon as I woke up in my room..." OJ tried to recall more in detail about the incident he had.

"Very funny, Jones, coz I remember very clearly the day I split from your body. I was just one of those cells that have to hibernate for a rather long, long time since the beginning of Baby Shane before it was my turn to play part of creating this city. Have you ever noticed there were times when the population just suddenly increased by a tiny number when there were no new young baby cells born? That's where all the extra cells come from, Jones, the hibernation period. It's not surprising when I suddenly turn out to be in Queenie's family, coz they knew all along that I was going to break out of the hibernation sooner or later and that they were going to have to take me in and educate me into building and caring for Shane Metropolis. And guess what? I've broke from the hibernation just as soon as Shane had celebrated her 10th birthday. Do you know how it feels to be the shadow of your father? Always have to be expected to be just like your dad, courageous and brave and all that? Huh? Do you?!"

OJ didn't know what to say. He was still trying to absorb the fact that he was actually staring at his son, his own flesh and blood. They were oblivious to the fact that Gillian and Driz were still there listening to every word.

"It makes me sick just to think that I have to follow your footsteps and be like the great cop you are. Yeah right, as if! All the cells that have come out of hibernation were told that the person that created them are all high and mighty and honourable and all that crap, but I ain't buying it. They think I didn't know about the incident where you made Shane humiliated by making Frank puke, but I found out alright. I soon see who you really were and I hated you ever since. The role model didn't seem much of a role model at all now, did he? I hate you, Jones. I hated you before, I hate you now, and I'll be hating you for the rest of my life! I'll never forgive you for making my life a living hell! Never!!!"

"Jared...Jared, I..." OJ tried to say something to make Jared's bitterness go away but Jared pushed him off.

"Don't get all fatherly with me, Jones. I don't want to have anything to do with you and I never wanted to exist in the first place! I wish I was dead or something! I wish you're dead with Frank and every damn cell he's got there! I hate you! Get out of my sight!!"

With that, Jared fished out something from his pocket and threw it at OJ's face before running off without looking back. Gillian called after him and mounted his bike to chase after him. Jared picked up the thing that was thrown at him and realized that it was the official ID he had asked from Mayor Charliehorse. OJ tried to call out for him but he was too far away from earshot. Driz came towards OJ and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"He just needs some time alone. He's been bitter for too long, by the looks of it and I'm sure he needs a little timeout after letting everything go."

"Yeah...and maybe I need some timeout too...Uh...Sorry, Driz, if you don't mind..." OJ didn't know how to put it delicately to Driz who had nothing to do with this predicament.

"Sure," Driz smiled. "I need to check on the rest of the team and see closer on how they're doing with the child anyway."

OJ nodded and watched as Driz disappeared to the other end of the bridge before falling freely onto the wall. He slid slowly to the ground and stared into space as he tried to digest every ounce of reality he had just experienced. He found it hard to believe that Jared who had been the pain in the butt ever since he came into Shane was actually his son. He was filled with mixed feelings inside him. There was anger and betrayal because of his parents never told him about the splitting process; sadness and guilt because he had, in a way, disappointed his son and let him down; happy because he actually had his flesh and blood standing there in front of him ready to be loved and nurtured and taught the real way of life; and so much more other feeling he couldn't even begin to comprehend. It was like being stabbed at the back and finding out who it was at the last few draws of breath.

He didn't know how long he was sitting there and staying hidden, but it was long enough for the rest of his squad to call it the breaks. Driz noticed him still needing some time alone so he decided to take charge of the team. He allowed the shifts to go in and out as scheduled and took over the surveillance. By then, in the outside world, Shane was sleeping peacefully in her room and her clock showed about 12.30 a.m.

Without realizing, OJ slowly got on his feet and stared down at the foetus. He was sleeping rather peacefully inside his mother and was oblivious to anything around him. OJ smirked bitterly at him.

"Sleeping pretty tight now, eh, Junior? I bet you've never faced a problem like knowing that your son's staring at you and hating you in your face and have no idea about it. How would you feel if you just found out that you have a son that is literally living in the body of your city's kid, huh?"

OJ was so engrossed in talking to the foetus that he didn't realize that Driz was coming up to him. He continued pouring his heart out to the foetus who probably wouldn't understand a word he's saying.

"I've screwed up my whole life and I screwed up Frank real bad. I've never done one thing right in my life and now...I can't even make my son proud...What am I supposed to do? Tell me...what am I supposed to do...?"

Somehow, OJ's sad words woke the foetus up because he actually opened up one eye to look at OJ who was going closer to tears. Surprisingly, he held out his tiny little hand (well, which, to cells, are rather big) towards him. They were separated between a thin layer of film, but OJ held out his hand to touch him too. It kinda made OJ smile and feel a little better.

"I don't know why but...I kinda like you hanging around here now. I'm sure gonna miss you once you've left Shane."

"There's always better ways to spend your time."

OJ spun round and realized that Driz has been behind him. He quickly but secretly brushed off whatever tears he had in his eyes and stammered, "Uh...Uh...Hey...I-I-I, uh, I didn't know y-y-you're right behind me...heh heh..."

"Are you always pouring your heart out to strangers?" Driz asked.

"Well...uh, no, but it kinda breaks the bad inside and..."

OJ's words were cut short when, out of the blue, a pair of lips claimed his. It lasted about 5 seconds or so and when OJ got back to his senses, he realized that Driz actually kissed him.

"Feel any better now?" Driz smiled nonchalantly, like that kiss just now was something right to do.

"Driz...? What...the...fuck did you just do to me??" OJ finally found his voice.

"I was just trying to make you feel better."

"By kissing me?! Do you realize that you're a friggin' fag?! How could you do this to me?! That's gross, man!!"

"Don't try to hide it, Ozzie," Driz smirked, grabbing OJ with the arm that held the cannon and pressing him close to his chest. "I know you want it."

"Want what? Let go of me, you fag!" OJ struggled to break free from Driz but Driz's grip was much stronger.

"I noticed the way you look at me. I know I look a lot like my brother Drix and I'm reminding you of him, am I not?"

"Funny Drix didn't mention anything about you," OJ muttered to himself, then breathed in sharply when Driz pressed him closer.

"Well, we have different ideas on how to cure cities and we never exactly get along. Same bodies, different minds, see? I can assure you, I am myself. I am not like my old-fashioned twin brother."

"Where exactly are you getting here, Driz?"

"I'm saying that I think you're attracted to me," Driz replied coolly as he gripped OJ's crotch with his free hand. OJ gasped and felt his face flushed, almost to near choking.

"What...What do you mean...?"

"I know you're attracted to me. Stop pretending. Stop denying yourself. I noticed the way you looked at me the first day we met. When I heard about you mentioning Drix, I understand clearly why that weird look. You're feeling guilty about letting my brother die, and that guilt turned to a fascination, and then into attraction. You're attracted to me, aren't you? Admit it."

"That's...not...true..."

"I know you want me. I can tell. You may not show it but I know you do. You never got to do it with my brother and now you're channeling them all to me. I understand, Ozzie, and I'm here for you."

"You're...You're crazy...man..." OJ breathed his words.

"I know," Driz nodded, loosening his grip on OJ. "I know I'm rushing things. It'll get better, I promise."

With that, he took OJ's chin and kissed him deeply again. OJ tried to beat him away, but something inside him made him go weak all over and made him absorbed into this tongue-fondling, lip-caressing kiss. He limped and let Driz do all the work into making him a sappy jelly. When they were done, OJ fell onto his knees and gasped, because he actually kinda forgot how to breathe for a minute there.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Ozzie," Driz said, planting a last kiss on OJ's forehead.

Again, OJ was left alone on the bridge, staring into space, but this time the only thing that lingered in his mind: Am I really feeling whatever he just said?