Prologue: Memory
Somewhere out in the nameless countryside, under a sky filled with shimmering stars, a lonely house sits at the end of a long drive way. The usual single blue station wagon is joined by a few new arrivals. A fancy, expensive looking sports car sits next to the homely family vehicle, and farther down the drive, sitting under a large weeping willow a pair of white vans with tinted windows, the red insignia of a stylized N and G wrapping around themselves to form a corporate seal upon the vehicle's windowless flanks.
Within the house, a conversation is carried on in the small kitchen area. A helplessly frightened and confused single mother of one sits on one side of the small, circular wooden table and weeps into a napkin gripped tightly in a trembling hand. Across from her sits a man, not unfamiliar to this setting. She had been dating him for the past two months, hoping to take steps to give her only son a father figure to shape his young, troubled life around. To give him some measure of stability in a home turned upside-down by the loss of his birth father. The man sat dressed in business attire, since he had come straight from work when she called him. She had told him about her sons... special qualities, and how they often got the young boy in serious trouble. Now, though, the trouble was more serious than ever before.
"Oh, Jacob... What am I going to do with him? It can't keep on happening like this, not if... what happened... is the result!" the mother sobbed, speaking through the wracking sorrow and the torrent of tears that fell from her eyes. "I don't want him to suffer and I don't want him to hurt people anymore, even if he doesn't mean it!"
The man, Jacob Sarrom, Chief Director of NeoGene Bio-technologies Incorporated, laid a sympathetic hand on hers and spoke in a soothing tone, "Theo, I can't tell you I imagine how you feel, or even if I understand. But, I can assure you that what happened today was in no way your son's, or your fault in any way. You see, we're seeing this more and more with each generation of children born. Wild metahuman traits, mutagenic properties cropping up unpredictably throughout the human gene pool. But, we're beginning to understand why this is happening. These... new genes, they don't make our children freaks or monsters."
"Then... then what are they? They can't be called human, can they?" Theo replied, her curiosity piqued. If she could learn more about her son's "condition", she reasoned the more at ease she'd be. She had to understand.
Jacob smiled softly and said, "They are special, the harbingers of a new age of humanity. Don't you see, Theo? They are the next evolutionary step we must take as a species. The process that we had thought had left us relatively unchanged all these years, these centuries since homo sapiens started our reign as the dominant species, has actually been changing us subtly. Changing our minds, our bodies, and most importantly, our genetic makeup. Now, more of these advanced beings are coming into the world with special gifts and abilities. Your son, he is one of these special individuals. He is progress, not something to be ashamed of. Trust me."
"But, but... what about what happened today at the school? The Jemerson kid, his head...!" Theo began again, her voice raising with horror at the memory. Jacob sensed her descend back into despair and worked his soothing ways again. "Yes, what occurred was gruesome and very unfortunate. But, you must understand, while your son's special gifts were the root cause of this event, it was only because he had no way to control his latent potential. No training, no knowledge as to the possible damage he could inflict. He was probably more afraid than anyone else at the school at that moment, and it was this emotional energy associated with fear that fed the chaotic chain reaction that resulted."
"So... your saying... that all my boy needs... is training? Training, and he'll be all right. Is that what you mean?" Theo stuttered, hope returning to her eyes and joy building in her voice. Jacob smiled even wider, "That is indeed what I am saying, Theo. With a little training, and perhaps some preventive measures, your son will be able to control his abilities and rejoin society as a product, but special, member of the human species."
"And... he'll get this sort of training at NeoGene Corporation? How expensive will it be, Jacob? You know we don't have a lot of free money floating around in the banks!" Theo said, beginning to sound worried again.
"Rest assured that NeoGene Corp won't ask a penny from you. In fact, because of your selfless act of sacrifice, sending your son away from home, I can persuade the Board of Directors to compensate you exceedingly well for your heartache and inconvenience. We might also influence some of the local news syndicates to... forget the incident at the school today." Jacob told her.
"Really! Oh, Jacob, that's all so very wonderful! But... I'm not sure I like being paid... It would feel like I've sold him off, like I didn't want him anymore..." Theo said, at first happy but then sobering herself.
"Theo, he's only eight years old, he won't understand any of this at all. You can't be expected to continue on like this. The money will help you build a better life for your son, so that when the training is over, he can return and flourish. Wouldn't you like that for him?"
Theo took a long, deep breathe. In her frazzled, muddled mind, all that Jacob was saying made perfect sense. Her lingering doubts held little sway over this indisputable logic. She dried her eyes, and for the first time in six years, she felt a ray of hope. Hope for her son. She looked the man across the table in the eyes and said, "Alright, I guess... for my son's sake, we'll do it. I just pray he won't grow to hate me for it."
Jacob chuckled as he stood, and said, "Theo, once he understands what a gift your actually giving to him, he won't be able to stop thanking you. You have no idea the benefits this decision will bestow upon him, the opportunities... It's a gift every mother should give."
"Oh, Jacob, you're always so good with words." Theo met him on the other side of the table and hugged him, then gave him a kiss. He returned both gestures of affection and then says. "Now, don't be alarmed, Theo, but I've brought some men from NeoGene Corp with me tonight. In the event you agreed to the decision, I wanted them nearby so that we could begin right away."
Theo smiled up at him, the first true smile she'd given him. "I trust you know what's best, Jacob."
Jacob brought his cellphone out and sent a pre-programmed text message to the men outside. Several seconds later, the door to the small house opened and in marched a quartet of white uniformed men encased in what looked like riot armor. Theo looked at them and then to Jacob. "What is all that for?"
Jacob wrapped an arm around her waist and said, "A precautionary measure, and nothing more. In case something like what happened at the school happens here." Theo silently nodded, watching as the men tramped up the stairs to the second floor. Upstairs, there was the sound of a door opening, and then high-pitched screams of terror. There was a struggle, the sound of shouting men and breaking furniture. Theo made to head for the stairs, but Jacob restrained her firmly but gently. He explained, "It'll be better if we don't intervene. Yes, it sounds bad, but it's the only way. Trust me, Theo. It will all be better in the long run."
The sound of the struggle intensified as the men brought the boy back downstairs. The child was dressed in his nightclothes, and struggled furiously to free himself from the armored men and their grip. In his fervor, he didn't even see his mother or Jacob standing there, watching. There was only the fear and the fight.
"Careful, men! Don't be unnecessarily rough with him! He's just a boy, after all!" Jacob called to them as they made their way slowly to the kitchen door. One the men tasked with transporting the child snorted at his employer and replied, "Just a kid? Yeah right, he already nearly broke Beregson's arm upstairs! We'll do what we have to!"
Suddenly, in the midst of the shouting and struggling, the feeling of the room changed. A thickness in the air could be felt, an electrical vibration in the air. The hair on the backs of necks stood up. Theo's hands flew to her mouth as she saw what was happening. Jacob and his men saw it too, the crackling energy beginning to arc and crawl over the boy's small frame as he grit his teeth against the immense mental pressure, the emotional forces inside him cascading and making the entire reaction worse. He screamed aloud as the forces within broke out. Jacob dove on Theo, tipping the little wooden table to shield them. There was a colossal flash of blue-white light as a shockwave of force threw everything backwards. The men unfortunate enough to be nearby were struck with the lashing tendrils of power, instantly frying their nervous systems. Another surge of mental energy turned the water in one unlucky individual's cranium to steam, causing that man's head to explode, showering the area with blood, flesh scraps, bone fragments, and brain matter.
Then, the screaming ended, and the little boy with a mind for a weapon dropped unconscious to the floor, spent. A second passed, the smell of ionized air, burnt flesh and spilt blood wafting on the breeze from the open door. Then, the silence was shattered. More men ran in from the waiting vans outside. They stopped short when they saw the carnage. "My... God! Look at that!"
"I-Is that... Beregson?" one man's gaze fell on the headless corpse, and he raced outside, a hand at his mouth.
"Mr. Sarrom? Where are you!" called another man, surveying the broken furniture, shattered glass, and cracked walls. There was a coughing sound, and then the scorched and crushed wooden table was kicked from the kitchen corner where it had made a shield for those behind it. Jacob Sarrom stood up, brushing himself off. "Mr. Sarrom, are you alright!"
"Just fine, but she isn't. She fainted when all the shit hit the fan. Get our medtechs in her to make sure she didn't die on me. Remember, dispose of the bodies." Jacob said, all hints of his previous affection for the woman gone in an instant. The men rushed to comply with their superior's orders. "Oh, and get that kid outta here, too. We're sending him straight to the labs."
Leaving the men to their duties, Jacob Sarrom strode outside and to his car. He got in, started the ignition, and drove off. As soon as he was away from the home and cruising down a back road with little traffic, he whipped out his cell and hit an autodial key. Seconds later, he was connected. "Hey, Jacques? It's Jacob, I've acquired a new test subject for your experimentation programs. Yes, everything is taken care of on my end. You'll be ready when he arrives? Excellent! Well, we'll continue this discussion when I'm back at the office, alright? Alright, bye."
With that, he disconnected and shut off his cell, tossing it into the passenger seat while he concentrated on his driving. Above him, a storm front was moving across the horizon. In seconds, the full moon who had borne witness to all the madness on the earth below was covered, and rain began to fall.
