X.A.N.A floated amongst the internet, mulling. How could things have gotten this out of control? How could she have turned to that interfering idiot for comfort? How could she hate him now?
How had this happened?
This wasn't how it was supposed to have happened.
But he would make things right. He would make things right, or his name wasn't X.A.N.A.
Which, of course, it wasn't.
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One
Franz Hopper retreated to his lab, deep below the Hermitage where he lived. He would complete his experiment, if it killed him.
He entered the lab and turned toward the long rows of cylinders, covered in cloth.
He went down the rows, whipping the cloth off of each, to reveal his master plan.
Floating in the cylinders were children. Each of different ages, sizes, nationalities, and genders.
Soon all were uncovered, except the one at the end. The children he saw before him were prototypes, tests to make sure the one he wanted was a success.
He began working, flitting from console to console, checking the status of each child.
Creating the shell was easy enough, that's what he had in front of him. But, creating an actual human being out of DNA that he had excavated from graveyards, passersby, donors, ect. was the hard part.
Each child was intended to be perfect, in one way. The muscular form and chiseled features of the 'most attractive male', the alabaster skin and golden hair of the 'most attractive female'… each was designed to be different from the dark skinned 'strongest male', to the long flat hair of the Chinese 'most gymnastic female'.
He had taken DNA from the smartest scientists, the most celebrated artists, the most statuesque models, the most commanding politicians, the highest valued athletes… all to make his perfect children.
But things were not going easily. Already several of the children were deteriorating. The 'most flexible female' seemed to be the first to go. He could not get her vital signs to stay stable, her internal organs were never given the opportunity to fully develop, and the stress her brain was going through to try and save herself was causing her mental state to unravel, alarmingly fast.
Franz looked thoughtfully at the ten-year-old Asian-Indian girl. Perhaps, he thought, the upgrade had been too much. He had updated the children so they could display their facial expressions. Many of the children had peaceful, sleeping expressions. But some, like this one's faces were twisted to display some kind of agony or another.
He walked back to some of his healthier children. A few in particular who seemed to be doing very well were the 'most attractive female', the 'fastest male', the 'most in tune with nature male', and the 'best chef male'.
Franz stared at the last one, trying to remember why he had tried so hard to make the perfect chef.
To feed us I suppose, he thought, staring at the Spanish fifteen-year-old.
He shrugged and continued his work.
That night he injected through one of the tubes inserted into the children nutrients that would further their growing. Again he made notes of what was most accepted, and, using this information, gave the best nutrients to his special experiment, his most highly valued prize.
After finishing feeding the children, he got back to work, writing program updates for them. They were all connected to individual computers, and when Franz updated the computers, he updated the children.
After completing a few various programs, he turned to another project, a world that he could live in, without danger from outsiders, without danger from them. A world without danger.
.
As the days passed, Franz would scan all kinds of news, hoping to find some information on Anthea. Not a day had passed since she had been kidnapped that he did not pine for her. But once again, he was offered no clue as to where she was. And, so, he continued his work. But not entirely alone. For Anthea had left him something, someone, very special. And so he continued his work, while thoughts of revenge swam through his thoughts.
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One day Franz checked on his special project. Everything was going well there, but more of the children were worsening. That night, the 'most flexible female' expired.
He had been expecting it. Her physical form had begun to show signs of deterioration: she had become emaciated and pale, and her eyes had become sunken. Physical stress was the last sign of deterioration.
As he disposed of the remains of his failed experiments, he couldn't help but feel slightly elated.
They said you learn more from your mistakes, and from this child in particular, he had learned much. What worked and what didn't. What he should do to his special one and what he shouldn't.
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Time passed and as Franz grew closer to finishing his goal, he became more worried.
The children were dying at a considerable rate, and though he learned much from each failed experiment, he couldn't help but worry that they would all die before he gathered enough information.
He replaced the cloth that had been covering the face of the 'most artistic female'. The dissections of the failed children had provided useful, but the increased speed in which he added new programs increased the speed in which they worsened.
Unless, of course, he stumbled upon a working code. Then the child would advance, and, if there appeared to be no ill effects, he would cast that program onto his darling experiment.
He pushed aside the long, curly, red hair of the 'most artistic female' and began writing.
Note: Too much added DNA may cause unwanted growths. Be sure of what type you add before doing so.
The 'most artistic female' had suffered from an additional limb being grown, and that had caused her early demise.
Franz Hopper glanced at the floating figures of his best children. The 'most attractive female' and the 'funniest male'. The others that had been doing well reacted horribly with one treatment or another and had been terminated.
The 'most attractive female' turned slightly in her capsule. Franz had updated the remaining children so that their stasis states had become more lifelike, indeed, now they seemed only to be sleeping.
It had been worth to hear the quiet sleep murmurs coming from his precious one.
He looked over at the ones that were doing average. The 'most athletic female', the 'strongest female', the 'stealthiest male', the 'kindest female', and the 'most intelligent male'. The last of these Franz had given a program that would cause him to occasionally open his eyes. This would be the first time Franz would have seen any of the children's eyes, while still in their heads.
If it worked, he would upgrade the better ones, and if it worked on them, then he would give it to his precious. So far, however, the results had been disappointing. Franz had yet to see the eyes that the program had intended to display.
Franz was now considering his name.
Waldo Schaeffer had been the name of a scientist who had been relived of his duties due to an obsession with virtual worlds, Artificial Intelligences, cloning, and time travel.
Franz Hopper was the name of a happy man who devoted his time to the every needs of his love Anthea.
But, with Anthea gone, Franz Hopper was no longer suitable. He needed something that would remind him of Anthea, but not Hopper.
So he dropped his last name and added the first two letters of her name to the end of his.
Franzan.
It worked for him.
Suddenly a bleep sounded from one of the computers.
He rushed over to find the 'most intelligent male' slowly opening his eyes. They only opened partway and stared blankly, but the vivid blue that showed from beneath the eight-year-olds lids was more than Franzan expected.
.
The day he implanted the memories into their heads was one of mixed feelings. Most were unable to handle the stress of all the tests as well as this. He was left with the 'most attractive female', the 'most thoughtful male', the 'most intelligent male', and the 'most social female'. And, of course, his beloved one.
But, with this hurdle overcome, Franzan was much closer to his goal. He was only days away from unveiling his masterwork. He might even have some of the children left, to befriend his pet project.
One night, as he prepared for the final stages, his thoughts drifted back to when he first met Anthea.
He had left the government in disgrace and had met the 16 years younger than him Anthea. He had been thirty-six at the time and had begun working as a professor at the university she was going to.
As he helped her get her degree, he realized that she had been the same girl who lived across from him, back when he worked for the government.
He remembered her at age thirteen, riding her bike up and down the road. He remembered wishing he was free like her.
As he helped her, the couple soon fell in love, and he had been determined to not let anyone get in the way of his happiness. He began to shut people out of their lives, try to keep it between the two of them. But no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to keep her. One day, men came and took his Anthea away.
He heard bleeping and went to investigate. He was trying to bring the 'most social female' out of stasis.
The liquid she had been floating in drained through the ground, causing her to slump to the ground.
The capsule opened and Franzan caught her in his arms. The blonde 14-year-old groaned and lifted an arm slightly. She blinked once, then twice and then was still.
Franzan bit back his disappointment. Despite all his calculations, he was unable to create a child that could function on their own, without help from the computers.
Shaking off the feelings of failure, he set to work, trying to find what had gone wrong, and making it right.
.
He was awakened by the sound of bleeping. He rushed down into the cellar to find that the capsules were malfunctioning.
Quickly, he set to work.
He drained the first capsule, to find that the 'most thoughtful male' had not made it. Franzan checked a few things, made some alterations, and moved on to the next one.
The 'most attractive female' was next. She made it.
Franzan had programmed the children to think of him as their father.
"Daddy?" The golden haired girl whispered, before sliding into unconsciousness.
He got chills, just listening to the voice of someone he had created from nothing. But, still, she was weak. It would be a miracle if she survived the first few days.
He moved on to the 'most intelligent male'. After making a few modifications and released the young boy. He collapsed into Franzan's arms.
His blue eyes met Franzan's, before he slumped into unconsciousness. This one looked better, there was even a chance he would survive.
He made some final modifications before moving, trembling, to the final container. He pulled the cloth back to reveal the perfect child.
He hit the release key with shaking fingers.
He caught her in his arms.
"Daddy?" The green-eyed pinkette whispered.
"It's alright, Aelita. Everything is going to be fine."
