This is an original work I did last year. Thank you for your reading it and giving me suggestions on it.


Perfect

Chapter One

It was a boring afternoon. I walked aimlessly around the center of the city, having no intention of going home. No, actually I had no home. Just a small rent room. My mom, who lived in the countryside, always complained of my laziness and stupidity. I thought she had laid much hope on me, but I really had no interest in making her satisfied with me by trying hard for myself.

I was 28--I did know such an age was golden for a big boy, or a young man, but everyday I was just wasting away time, having no special interest, no dream, no emotion, no....and no girlfriend.

I walked up to the biggest CD store on this street. As for an unimportant lowly clerk in an unimportant small company, I really did not have enough money to buy those expensive and delicately-packed CDs from abroad, but I liked to browse through them, sometimes touching them as a sign of intending to buy them...Hehe, kind of ridiculous, right? But that's me. I was a bore. Everything was a bore...until I met her.

I walked into that CD store and casually looked around at those expensive products¡ª¡ª. Mozart, Mendelssohn, Chopin. Oh, the so-called "classic" music. Anyway, they did not fit my taste. What did I like? Michael Jackson? Or Mariah Carey? I didn't know, maybe heavy metal or jazz...

Just as I was lost in my thought, I made the ¡°biggest¡± mistake in my life¡ª¡ª I bumped into her¡ª¡ª

"PA!" The three packs of CDs in her hands dropped down on the floor and what was worse, the plastic packing of the three CDs got broken! The first idea that came into my blank mind was¡ª¡ª "I deny it!"
¡ª¡ª And So I did¡ª¡ª

"Oh, what's wrong? It's not my fault!" I cried.¡¡She turned her face at me...I got shocked! It was...How can I describe it? It was just PERFECT! I have never seen such a beautiful face. Just like a goddess in the Bible story¡ª¡ªdelicate features, womanly breath, and unconcealable elegance...

OK, OK, let's get back to where we were. Anyway, she didn't get quite shocked like me but looked at me kindly with her beautiful eyes.

"It¡¡doesn't matter, sir." She said quietly and her voice sounded like from the outer space. Then she slowly and elegantly picked up the broken CDs on the floor and walked straight to the checking table and said to the store assistant politely:

"I am sorry, Miss. I carelessly damaged the three CDs in your store. But I will take them down. Please fetch me another three same CDs and I will pay for them altogether."

Then It was not her beauty that stunt me but her deeds. I originally thought she would care about my attitude and asked me to pay for the damage. It turned out that I had been totally wrong. She did not give me another look and after she paid, she left the store as if nothing had happened.

I must declare that I did not actually take much interest in beauties...But she looked more than beautiful to me. "A strange girl, yes, but definitely perfect." I smiled. Perfect? hehe, I couldn't figure out why this word always swinging in my mind when I thought of her.



Chapter Two

In every love story, when the hero and the heroine meet for the first time, they will definitely meet again. Why? To continue the story...
What else?

But, is mine a love story? ---

Anyway, I met her again--it was in my friend Rebecca's home. Rebecca was my high school classmate. We were by all means different sorts of people. She studied hard and now was pursuing her doctor's degree in Washington University. Her father¡ª¡ªProfessor Anderson¡ª¡ªworked there, too.

"Hey, it's you! "I cried out excitedly, "Do you remember me?"

The girl stared at me for a while and suddenly smiled, "Yeah, I do. You were the boy in the CD store."

"You two have already known each other?" Rebecca cut in, "I thought I should make an introduction, but it seems there's no need."

"There is, Rec. Actually we just met once and I even do not know her name,¡± said I.

Rebecca nodded. "Oh, this is Perfect. She is a student introduced to my father by another professor and now she works with my father." And then she turned to the girl, "Perfect, this is Joe (Sorry, I should have mentioned it earlier that my name is Joe Tavern). He is my high school classmate.
Now he works in a...anyway, what is your company's name?"

"Watson¡¯s Company." I felt a little unhappy about her bad memory," We sell soaps."

"Nice to meet you, Joe." The girl smiled in a friendly way and offered me an official shake.

"Nice to meet you," I felt a little uneasy with the formal remark but followed her," So your name?"

"Perfect, didn't I say it just now?" cried Rebecca.

Perfect?! Oh, my God! What a word for what a name!

"Is there anything wrong?" Perfect looked into my confused face curiously.

"No¡_no, hehe." I took her hand and shook it slightly," Nice to meet you, Perfect."


Chapter Three

I was sure that I was not the first man who ran after Perfect and I did not know a bit about her past, but I decided to do so.

Everyday after work, I waited at the gate of Washington University to pick her up. To my delight, she always accepted my kindness politely. I was far from a rich man, but I treated her an ice-cream everyday and then walked her to her dormitory. On the road, I talked a lot about myself but she was always listening quietly to my stories and just smiled sometimes.

One day as usual, I waited for her at the gate. She came out very late and looked unusually upset.

"What's the matter? Petty? You look pale." I was a little worried about her.

"Joe, I am sorry. I cannot be with you from now on." She said in a low voice.

"Why? Did I do anything wrong that annoyed you?" I cried out.

"No, it's not you," she continued, softly, "Professor Anderson forbids me to make friends with you."

"What? How ridiculous!" I got quite excited and angry, "Is there anything to do with him?? If it were his daughter, Rebecca...I don't understand!"

"Don't be so tough, Joe. "Perfect still kept quite calm and took out a pack out of her bag and handed it to me, "This is my present for you."

I opened the wrappings--It was a pair of pants. "Why this?" I felt lost.

"We have been together for 19 days and everyday you treated me an ice-cream. 2 dollars a day and that is 38 dollars." Perfect looked so serious when she said this that I felt she was not joking. And she went on," The pants just cost 38 dollars. I think that is fair now."

"You are not joking--Fair?!"

"Sorry, Joe. I don't owe you anything now. Please forget me." With these words, she just walked away, leaving me standing there alone, totally messed up. I looked down at the present she gave me--"a fair deal..." I murmured...

Our love story seemed to have ended before it ever started, but I would not give up.

That day I called on Rebecca again to work out the truth.

"Rec, I really do not understand why your father is against Perfect being with me." I told her about the matter.

"How long have you two been dating?" she asked, not eager to answer my question.

"Actually I didn't count. She told me--19 days." I replied.

She looked hesitant for a while and then said seriously," Joe, I am sorry for you, but I suggest you give up. Perfect is not suitable for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" My voice cooled down.

"Don't misunderstand me, Joe." Rebecca explained, "You need not know all about the truth. Just give her up, Joe. Believe me."

"You cannot talk me out of this." I said coldly," Anyway, since you have decided to conceal something from me, I think there is no need to go on with this conversation any more. But I can tell you, I will never give up until I find a good reason." With these words, I intended to leave.

"It is a big secret, Joe!" Rebecca cried out after me, her voice very sincere," I really cannot tell you why. I am terribly sorry!"

"That's alright." I threw my last few words before I left," I will figure it out myself."

Chapter Four

I began the investigation. I had a doctor's ID card faked and dove deep into the core of the lab building where Professor Anderson and Perfect worked. It was before long that I found an interesting fact: every evening after work Perfect was called into Professor Anderson's private lab in secret but I did not know what they were doing.

One day, however, just when I was sneaking around, Rebecca suddenly appeared behind me, quite surprised to see me:

"Hey! Joe! How can you get in here? This is the lab building. It is forbidden..."

I stopped her by covering her mouth and said in a low voice, "Be quiet, OK? Do you want me to be found?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" She moved my hand and asked me, keeping her voice low.

I didn't reply to her, but she guessed out my intention at once. "You are investigating my father." she looked deep into my eyes.

I thought it better to ignore her at that time, so I went directly away from her without a word and out of the lab building.

She followed me out.

"You are too abrupt, Joe! Do you know the result of this?" She asked me angrily.
"Rec," I thought for a moment and said, "Your father has a secret with Perfect. I know that. Anyway, I do not expect you to tell me. You are his daughter, aren't you? "

"Joe..." she murmured thoughtfully, not knowing what to say.

We walked together for some time, both in silence...
...

Suddenly Rebecca broke the ice: "Joe... promise me...I tell you the truth and you get rid of all this." said she, very slowly, choosing every word carefully.

"That sounds like a fair deal..." I smiled slyly.

Rebecca cried out, "I'm serious! Will you promise me to stay away from the business after you know the truth?" She seemed to have gathered up all her courage to try something that she had never ever dared to do.

I did not actually know what a promise really meant. To me, it was just a simple word--"Okay."

"Okay, I promise." I said, with much ease.

"Perfect is not an ordinary girl. She is the object of one of my father's biggest experiment--gene recombination. My father is in a research group, whose aim is to rebuild a 'perfect' person with gene recombination technology. They found Perfect when she was just a little baby and paid her parents a huge sum of money to have her as their object. . From that day on, they have done a lot to her body. They have injected advantageous genes into her body and kept in watch. Now everyday Perfect has to take special medicine to retain the effect of the injection. "

Strangely, I didn't get quite shocked at her explanation. Instead, I was cast into deep thought....

Perfect...my goddess...all this is just a lie... She is just an experiment...
Her skin, feels so smooth and alive; her lips, like fresh rose and her eyes, always shining on me like the sunlight...and her mind, so noble and pure...Is this only a product of technology? She looks so 'real'.... No! She IS REAL! She is a human being...She exists like us all, but she has been unfairly treated for so long...Those beast professors! They do not take her as a human being at all....

Thinking of this, I made up my mind----

--"I will take her out of the experiment." --After the long silence, they were the first few words I suddenly emitted. I had never said something so firmly in my past life.

"No!" Rebecca almost lost her voice, extremely angry and excited," You promised, Joe! I tell you the truth and you get rid of all this! How could you break your word so soon and so easily?"

Then suddenly her eyes were wet and her voice turned into an extremely soft one, " Joe, please don't! My father would kill me if he knew I gave away the secret. It concerns technology secret...It is very serious matter..."

"Technology secret?" I gave a sneer," No, Perfect is blood and fresh. She is not the damned technology!"

"I am sorry, Rebecca," I went on, "but you can stay out of this yourself. I will surely not let your father know how I got to know the truth."

"No, Joe! Don't fight my father! You will be none other than a loser. You are not his rival!"

"I am ready to lose." I said calmly. Even today I still cannot understand why at that moment a boring man like me could have so much courage.

Just then we had walked up to the gate of Washington University and I was about to leave her.

"I am sorry, Rec. I think it's time to say goodbye." I turned away from her, avoiding her wet eyes. But I couldn't avoid hearing her voice in pain behind me---

" I hate you, Joe... Why do this to me? Why can't you understand me...I hate you!"

I did not go back to comfort her. " I am really sorry, Rec." I said silently in myself.

I knew I owed her...



Chapter Five

It is often easier to make a decision than to turn it into a plan and it is still easier to make a plan than to bring it into reality.

So how can I win back Perfect? -- I mean, not to myself, but from the experiment. I knew she would not believe a word of mine as her brain had been totally controlled by Professor Anderson. I had to find another way out...

That's why I turned to Professor Anderson directly. And as you can imagine, what waited for me would be a nightmare....

To my surprise, he agreed to see me the first time I phoned him.

We met at a coffee bar in Washington University.

"How do you do, Professor.¡± I began in a gentleman's way, "I hope to talk with you about Perfect. I have been wondering why you tried to end our relationship."

He smiled a little, somewhat an unnatural smile, and said in a calm voice, like every other scientist, "Mr. Tavern, I am sorry. I have my own reasons. I hope you will make some compromise in this matter."

"I know your reasons, Professor," I moved a little closer to him, and my eyes burning into his, "That's why I am here for you."

The calmness on his face shook a little but was soon restored. He stared at me for a moment and then said, word-by-word, "I hope you to understand what is good for you, young man."

I gave a slight sneer, "hehe, Professor. I am a frank man. I hate playing games on this matter. I know Perfect is the human body object for your biological experiment. And I also know that it is against law. My only request is that you give up the experiment on Perfect and grant her the human rights and freedom she deserves. Or, I will resort to the court." Suddenly I was quite surprised at myself for having so much courage and speaking so cogently.

But in fact I was excessively confident, as my words couldn't be a threat to the "powerful" professor at all.

"Hehe," he gave a sneer back to me, "I have warned you, young man. If you really want to bring me trouble, I will take care of you. "

With these words, he stood up from his chair and intended to leave," I am busy. I am afraid the conversation is over today." Then he shot me an arrogant glimpse and walked away.

"Okay, just wait and see!" I shouted angrily at his back.

But he did not turn around to give me another look. To him, I was just like a silly ant that was easy to pinch to death and had to be treated that way.


Chapter Six

I was a meathead in the matter of lawsuit, however, at least I knew that what I should get was evidence in the first place. It was clear that the evidence I needed was just in Perfect's body. Suddenly I realized that it was a huge mistake for me to talk to Professor Anderson that day, which would unnecessarily bring myself much hardship in rescuing Perfect.

As Professor Anderson had been watched out for Perfect since the talk we had, it turned out to be even more difficult for me to approach her. She had been shut in the lab building by Professor Anderson.

"I have to see her!" I said firmly to myself.

Secretly like an agent, I dove into the lab building again to find Perfect. I had imagined that she might be in a hard-to-find place, somewhere like in an antic or a secret basement. To my surprise, just as I got near to Anderson's office, I saw Perfect just sitting alone in it with the door unlocked.

"It must be a good opportunity God grants me." I said to myself and sneaked into the room as quickly as I could.

Perfect got a big shock at seeing me and almost cried out.

I signed her to be quiet, "Xuuu----Petty, I have something very important to tell you. Leave here with me 'now', okay?"

"Now?" Perfect shook her head and felt quite strange, "But Professor Anderson asked me to sit here and take care of the office for him. "

At once I realized something and a terror came up my mind--
I GOT TRAPPED!

I should not have been so careless----How could such a discreet man as Professor Anderson neglect locking the door of such an important private lab?

Anyway, it had been too late to regret. I took a deep breath and looked to the open door, waiting for them to appear...

"Well done, young man," A sneer voice came around the door and there walked Professor Anderson in view, followed by two of his assistants. "I'm afraid you have brought yourself much trouble by doing this. " He went on proudly, and then turned to Perfect," Perfect, call the guard!"

Perfect hesitated for a moment," But Professor, he is Joe, Joe Tavern. You know him, don't you? Maybe there is some misunderstanding here..."

"Go call the guard!" Professor Anderson shouted angrily at her. She gave me a look of sympathy and silently went out of the room.

"Now there are only --us." Anderson looked into my eyes inquiringly, "I think I can give you a chance to save yourself.... If you promise not to act against me any longer, I will forget all about the intrusion today. But if you...hehe, I know you are a clever man."

Maybe I have mentioned it earlier that a promise is just an "okay" to me£_£_"Okay," I said, with much ease. I knew I had better stay out of whatever trouble at that time by whatever means, even by crawling away.

Just then Perfect led the guardsmen in. Professor Anderson smiled gently to the guardsmen and suddenly changed into a polite voice," I am sorry. I mistook the young man for an intruder. Now it is clear that he is new here. Anyway, thank you all the same...."

"Never mind, Professor." One guardsman replied politely, "Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"Oh, no, thank you so much," replied the "nice" professor.

So the guardmen left and Perfect looked happily at me, "Joe, you are so lucky that Professor has forgiven you. You really shouldn't have bumped into this place. It is not open to the public."

"What the hell do you know?!" I cut her off rudely and angrily turned away.

"Don't forget your promise, Mr. Tavern." Anderson's cool voice sounded behind me. "A promise?" I sneered at him silently in myself, "Didn't your daughter tell you what a promise meant to me?¡±


Chapter Seven

A promise meant nothing to me; however, I always meant what I had decided to do.

To fight such a man as Professor Anderson, I am obviously at the disadvantage. But where do his disadvantages lie? Why did he prefer to handle the matter in secret?

Maybe I should make it open to the public...

Yeah! ¡ª¡ªThat¡¯s right! ¡ª¡ªIn the eyes of the public, it will be certainly more difficult for Professor Anderson to play tricks...

With these thoughts, I walked straight to the Grand Court.

I WILL SUE!

Just then, my cell phone rang¡ª¡ªIt was Rebecca...I turned it down.

It rang again¡ª¡ªI turned it down again.

And again...

It must be the tenth she had phoned me. I had no way out and picked it up...

"Where are you, Joe? And what's wrong with your cell phone?" It seemed that she had got no knowledge of what had happened.

"I'm...I am out. My mobile is okay now." I replied.

"Well...I..."she sounded quite hesitant, "I...I hope...Can we make a date and I really have something important to say to you...?"

"What? Oh, no, Rec, I'm with something here." I declined.

"Joe, I really hope you will not have any trouble with my Dad." Her words made me uneasy and so I said, "I am busy now. Sorry, I'll hang up."

I turned off my mobile and went on with my way to the Grand Court. However, I did not have a lawyer, nor did myself know anything about the procedure of lawsuit.

Just as I was wondering about the courtyard, a man in black walked passed me as if in a casual way but said in a lowly voice, "Come after me, sir."

I felt strange, but followed him a few steps. "Why?"

He did not give a reply but walked directly into the washroom of the courtyard. And then the man turned to me with a serious look.

"You are Joe Tavern?"

"Uhu." I got confused--How did this man get my name?

"Mr. Tavern, I was hired by Miss Anderson. Rebecca Anderson."

"What? Rec? You mean...you are watching me...for...for Rebecca?"

"No, to be more exact, I am protecting you. Do you think you are really a free man now? Professor Anderson has deployed a team of secret agents around you. Whenever you move a little, it is in his eyes. Miss Anderson asked me to tell you to give it up. You are not Mr. Anderson's rival."

The man continued, "You are too young, you will not win this case even if you think you are on the right side. It is more than a matter of justice." The man explained patiently to me in a low voice.

I remembered about the call Rebecca gave me just then...She knew where I had been, where I was and what I would do...........

"Don't rush, Mr. Tavern." The man looked around himself and said," We had better not stay here for long." With these words, he walked out of the washroom and left me behind.



Chapter Eight

I walked out of the washroom and looked around. Everybody seems to be busy with their own business...Just can't imagine I am on the watch!

As soon as I got home, I phoned back to Rebecca. "Rec, I met the man...."

"I'm sorry, Joe. I did not mean to intrude your privacy. I just want to..."

"I know you want to protect me. That's why I am back home now."

"Could you just give it up now, Joe?"

It was the nth time she had asked me to do so...I could even feel her tears in her request...Her dilemma--her father and me, right and wrong, justice and power, love and friendship, betrayal and faith...All her feelings converged into such a simple request--
"Could you just give it up now, Joe?"

"..."

I was out of words.

Rebecca went on, "Joe, I know you love Perfect. You can fight for her. You can even sacrifice your future for her. "

"No," I suddenly said, "I don't know, maybe it's not love."

"..."

I took a deep breath, "I don't know why...I just want to save her out of this. I don't actually want to win her back to me."

"Maybe things are not that easy. Even if you take her out of the lab, you may not bring her true freedom. Instead..."

"Why?"

"She cannot be away from the medicine. If ever you save her, what will you do?"

"...."

"You will have to feed her with those medicine everyday, won't you? Once she is out of the medicine, she will die. And if you take her away from my father, you will bring death to her."
"..."

"... ... Okay, Joe¡ª¡ªdon't think too much. Take a rest. Have a holiday in the suburbs. Go to your hometown to have a look at your mom. This big city is not good for you. And I think everything will be different when you come back."

"..."

"Okay, I will hang... ...okay?" asked she, softly.

"Yeah...Thank you, Rec.... ...Bye." said I, thoughtfully. I didn't know why my heart hurt so much at that moment. Because...Perfect...maybe my dream was broken and my courage was lost...

"You never need to say 'thank you' to a true friend, Bye!" said she. And I could feel her slight smile on the other end of the line, a somewhat different smile that I could never imagine on a perfect face.



Chapter Nine

As the story goes on...

I asked for a period of holidays, left the big city and went back to the countryside¡ª¡ªto my home, and to my mom.

Mom was older than the last time I had seen her. But like always, she smiled tenderly at me, enjoying seeing her "perfect" son with a mother's consent.

A woman in her fifties, she always had a lot to ask.
How is your life there? Did you eat well?
How is your work? And have you got any trouble?

"Mom, I am okay. But my friend, she is in trouble. I want to save her. "

"Why not?" Mom smiled.

"Because I don't know how."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Like every other mother, my mom was alert about this matter.

"No...."I thought for a second, "I think not."

"But you care for her, right?" Mom smiled, slyly.

"Mom, if I would be... I mean, 'if', if I would be involved in much trouble when saving her...I mean, the big trouble that may affect my career or..."I tried to ask something but couldn't express myself clearly.

But a mom never needed a son to ask a complete question----

She had known everything.

"No," Mom interrupted me firmly, without any hesitation, "I wouldn't let you do that. All I want to know is that you are safe. I never expect my son to be a saver, nor a hero."

I did not know why my eyes were wet at that moment.

Perfect...my romantic burning desire under my lazy appearance....
And¡_Mom's concern...

Suddenly I realized that I was not in love with Perfect. She was just a concealed dream in a mysterious place of my mind, a dream to pursue the forever impossible perfection, a dream to pursue the heroic romance...Someone called this place subconsciousness.

A few days later, as my holiday ended, I went back to the city, to my daily clerk work. I did not mention a word about Perfect to anybody. I continued my daily-routine life....

But I had never truly forgotten Perfect. I did not see her, but I was thinking of her from time to time; I did not rush to save her, but the idea of saving her visited my mind frequently...Sometimes I was struggling...Am I a coward? How much is my power? What should I do? And why am I supposed to live such a bland life?

Perfect had never left my mind as the desire to pursue "her" never left my mind.

Sometimes I wanted to forget her, just fixing on the present, the present that was shooting at me at a near distance.

Those days I often met Rebecca. But I didn't ask her anything about Perfect and neither did she mention a word about her before I asked. It seemed that both of us had met a silent agreement to avoid something, maybe a fight, or maybe the corruption of a dream...We just cooperated perfectly...



Chapter Ten

As the story goes on, boringly but smoothly¡_

A few months later, I moved to another city because of a human resource exchange of the company. And then, Rebecca and I lost contact for a long time. And of course I was out of the information about Perfect.
¡_
...

As the story goes on, my life changed a lot.

I got married and I had my own son. My family was settled in the countryside of Seattle and my mom moved to live with us.

...
One day, however, a phone call from Rebecca broke the routine of my day--She picked up my information by accident and came to visit me at my home. She was then a mature lady, with a scientific beauty. She also got married a few years ago and had two babies then.

She told me that Perfect had died a few years before--as she had taken too much of the medicine, side effect began to occur. Her father and other professors tried their best to save her but they failed. To them, the loss of Perfect also meant a failure in their gene recombination project.

We were silent for some time...Perfect, my girl...she truly left me.... I felt a wordless sadness cutting my heart... ...But there was no tears in my eyes...

Then Rebecca took six packs of CDs out of her bag. Three of them were intact and the other three were damaged. They were the witnesses of the first time "we" met.

"Perfect asked me to give you these before she died," said Rebecca. I took the CDs in my hands and suddenly tears broke out of my eyes----

Perfect...She had never forgotten me...just as I had never forgotten her....

We had some talk, something with laugh and something with tears and then Rebecca stood up, and ¡°it¡¯s not early I think I should go now."

I walked her out of the house. She smiled tenderly at me and turned away.

Suddenly I had a question and shouted at her back, "Wait, Rec!"

She turned around, looking at me curiously.
"I have a question...Rec."

"Uhu?"

"In those days, have we...have we ever been in love with each other?"

She smiled, "Maybe...But...."

I smiled, too. "But I did not know that was love."

"..."

"..."

"Okay...I'll go...Okay?" asked she, softly.

"Yeah...Thank you for coming to see me, Rec....Bye."

"You never need to say 'thank you' to a true friend...Bye!" Rebecca smiled again, a familiar smile that I had never find on a perfect face...

...

I went back into the house, the six packs of CDs lying silently on the table, as if they had something to tell me from the heaven above. I carefully wrapped them up, opened a drawer and placed them carefully in the deepest place of it.

Perfect...she was just like my dream...ephemeral, holy but true....

She died, but I kept the memory...and the memory makes the extinction different from what has never exited....



~~~~~~The end~~~~~~~~