1859, London England

Rebecca screamed in agony all through the night, her midwife and house servant, Elizabeth the only one to aid her in the delivery of their second child. She recalled the mourning of her new infant son's death as she went through the hours of labor. At the time, her husband was ever un-present. She had become afraid for him since the death of their son. He had become…obsessed by his studies. He had hardly been there for her pregnancy with their second child.

The child was finally delivered in the early hours of the morning. Her husband still wasn't back yet. The birth was a success, the baby girl was quite healthy, something that she had not expected with her failing health towards the end of the pregnancy. When the infant came out, she didn't cry, but rather looked around with curiosity at the new world that she had come into. It was the most peculiar thing.

"She's beautiful," crooned Elizabeth over the child, "looks just like you, madam."

"Yes, she is," she said, holding the bundle in her arms and rocking it back and forth. After a few hours, the babe had fallen back to sleep. Elizabeth insisted to take the baby for a while to allow Rebecca sleep, but soon after, she was awoken again by the sound of the door creaking open in the front room. It must be her husband, "Nathaniel?" she called from her bed, "Is that you?"

The footsteps neared the room without an answer. She hardly made out his face from the faint gas lamp that lit the room. What was he carrying?

"I've found the cure!" he exclaimed to her. His smile seemed like a chasm in the flickering light, "You have to see Rebecca, it may be too late for our son, but I've found it!"

She didn't know what he was talking about, and that's when she took a closer look at the bundle.

Elizabeth figured that she may as well check on her mistress, leaving the child in her cradle. She turned the corner of the hallway to enter the woman's room to find that the door was already open. That was strange, seeing as she had remembered closing the door before. Nevertheless, she tiptoed cautiously, not wanting to wake the presumably sleeping woman. Her husband was now at her side, he must have come home earlier. He hadn't seen Elizabeth walk in. The one word that she heard Rebecca utter to him was "sinister' and then she was gone. The man let out a yell of agony.

That was the night when Elizabeth ran away with the child and saved her from the man who had murdered her mother. That man was her father. He was also to become one of the most feared beings in the world.

He knew that Rachel wouldn't have understood. She never did appreciate his work, but how could he have known that she would die of a heart attack? He only did what was logical, that is to find a cure for the chromosomal abnormalities of his offspring and how could he have done that without the body? It was emptied of conscious mind anyhow, only to be wasted as fertilizer in the ground. Oh Rachel, how could she be so ignorant? Would anyone understand the scientific weight in the world of genetic manipulation?

Elizabeth had taken the child into her care and resumed her life in the poor little cottage that she called home. It was no place for a child, but neither was her other option. That is why she had named her Mercy. The child was not easy to rear, as an infant would never sleep, but always cry all through the night, but when she began to talk her voice was as clear as the night she was born that Elizabeth soon forgot her early troubles with Mercy. They came to think of each other as family.

Mercy loved Elizabeth like a mother, even though she had been told that her mother and father died soon after her birth. She always imagined that they loved her a lot though-that they all loved each other. She had a photograph of her mother that she received for her sixth birthday, but never her father. She looked like her mother, the same brown hair and smile that was only revealed by those who were very well trusted.

That winter she fell ill. Even she knew that something was very wrong with her. Some nights she heard Elizabeth cry and she cried too, because she didn't know. One day, there came a knock at their door. This was strange because they hardly ever got knocks on their very humble door. It was a rather well fed man wearing a well to do sort of suit. He was even adorned in a top hat. He had that kind of stubborn and superior air about him. Mercy didn't like him from the beginning, but anyhow Elizabeth kindly took his overcoat and invited him inside. Through the medium of eavesdropping and filling in the unheard gaps she gathered that the man's name was Patrick Clemens and he was of the very prestigious Hellfire Club. Through a series of complicated connections, they had somehow learned of her chronic illness and would like very much to fund a life-saving operation. It was something like cryogenic freezing or something like that. She didn't really get the rest because of the relentless sobs of joy from Elizabeth. She hoped that they were sobs of joy.

The next morning Elizabeth more or less told her that there was a very nice gentleman willing to pay for her operation, but that she would have to go to New York City.

"Must I go?" the little girl pleaded with tears in her eyes, "Are you at least coming with me?"

"I'm afraid that there is only room for you to go dear," said Elizabeth with tears in her eyes, "if all is to go as planned this will be my last time seeing you." The two embraced and cried for a while. Elizabeth had been more of a mother to her than anyone else ever had been.

"I don't want to leave you."

"You must. Go and pack now," forced out Elizabeth.

"I…can't."

"You must," said Elizabeth forcefully, but then regretted it, seeing the tears in the child's big eyes, "I love you"

Mercy trudged upstairs, very confused why Elizabeth was making her leave. Would this strange man really make her better? She lay on her bed and pretended to fall asleep as Elizabeth soothed her and sang. Eventually she actually did fall asleep.

"Time to wake up, darling," said Elizabeth gently to the sleeping child. Mercy wasn't very fond of being awoken, especially since she could hardly ever fall asleep, but knowing this was her morning of departure she slid out from under the covers and got dressed right away. Then, she was promptly fed and whisked out to the horse and carriage that awaited her.

"Don't forget me," whispered Elizabeth, stroking her hair and kissing her on the cheek.

"Never," she promised and was helped up into the seat by an elegantly clad servant. Off she went into this new world alone.