In this chapter Kyle tells Amanda everything.

Chapter 2

Kyle, Jessi, and Amanda went into Kyle's room. "Well this has been an interesting night," Amanda said trying to break the silence.

"Jessi could you please let me and Amanda talk alone for a second?" Kyle asked her gently.

Jessi immediately got a worried expression on her face. She didn't want to lose Kyle after he had finally developed feelings for her. And Amanda said she was going to ask him back… But respecting his wishes she exited the room. Too bad Kyle only told me leave. He didn't say anything about not listening in, she thought.

Kyle looked at Amanda and took a deep breath. "Amanda I think it's time you know the truth about myself."

Amanda had been waiting so long for this moment and now Kyle was finally opening up to her. She smiled and held his hand and said "I'm listening."

"Amanda," Kyle began, "Around 50 years ago a secret group of scientists set out to improve human intelligence. Their theory was that if a human baby spent more time in gestation then its brain would become more developed. So they tried to artificially increase the gestation time of pregnant women who volunteered for the experiment. Unfortunately none of these mothers survived giving birth. And only two of the babies survived. One of them was my father Adam Baylin." Amanda had heard Kyle talk about Adam Baylin before. Kyle waited for everything he said to sink in. When she said "Go on," he continued with his story.

"Adam grew up to become the most intelligent man on earth. He wanted to continue the experiment and make a child that was even more developed than him. He created a company called Zyzzyx. You remember that place in the woods with all the underground tunnels we got lost in?" he asked.

"The place where you found that box," Amanda said remembering.

Kyle nodded "That used to be their facility. Adam didn't want to harm anymore mothers. So invented a tank in which he could grow a human baby and he invented a special type of fluid that could keep the baby nourished. So there was no need for an umbilical cord."

"And that's why you don't have a belly button," Amanda finished. "You're the baby he grew in the tank, aren't you?" she asked him.

"Yes but instead of letting me out of the tank, his company decided that it would be more profitable to keep me in there and use my brain's processing abilities like I was some kind of computer. When Adam protested they tried to kill him so he went into hiding. And I spent 16 years of my life inside the tank."

Amanda gasped. "That's horrible…spending your whole life cooped up in a tank like that…if you don't mind me asking, what was it like?"

"I don't know," Kyle answered truthfully. "I wasn't really awake. I was in some kind of a coma. But I guess eventually I developed some sort of awareness because I stopped cooperating with them. Zyzzyx was planning something dangerous for the world. Apparently I stopped cooperating and I stole all their data from their computers and stored it in my brain."

"What were they planning?" Amanda asked.

Kyle told her "I don't know. I wasn't really conscious when I was in the pod. I don't remember any of this. The reason I know all this is because my brain stole all the data from their security camera's as well. So I saw everything that happened at my last few days at Zyzzyx. The data is still stored in my brain like a compressed file in a computer. I have no idea what's inside of it. I don't think I want to know. I just want it to be out of the wrong hands." He then continued with the story. "After I stole all of Zyzzyx data they decided to kill me. But Adam Baylin had one of their security guards working for him. His name is Tom Foss. He saved me. A few hours later I woke up in the woods. And that was when my life started."

There was a long awkward pause. Finally Amanda broke the silence and said "Kyle if I hadn't seen you do all those amazing things I would truly think you were insane right about now. That's quite a story. Obviously the Trager's know about it. But why didn't you tell me?"

Kyle answered her. "Amanda I was afraid you would no longer like me if you found out."

Amanda smiled. "Kyle, it doesn't matter where you're from. It matters who you are. And you are the most kind and caring person I have ever known in my life."

Kyle felt the butterflies in his stomach. I still can't figure out what if means to feel butterflies with one person and electricity with another he thought and then said, "Oh yeah Jessi," Kyle said suddenly remembering her. "She's another one like me. She was created by Zyzzyx after me."

Amanda wasn't surprised. "I figured as much. An hour ago she jumped into somebody's dorm through a window on the second floor. She then broke down Nate's door and just lifted him off the ground with one hand. And she's really smart like you. But when did she come out of the pod?" she asked him.

"Last summer Zyzzyx finally tracked down Adam Baylin and tried to assassinate him. Foss then firebombed the entire facility for revenge. By doing so he accidentally released Jessi."

"Wait a minute," Amanda interrupted. Did you say fire bombed?!"

"Yeah he's ex-special forces. He knows a lot about explosives." Kyle replied.

"Oh…" Amanda really didn't no what to say now. Her head was spinning her mind was trying to take in everything Kyle just told her. "So Jessi is just like you…so she doesn't have a belly button either?" Amanda asked.

Kyle shook his head. "That day when you saw us touching each other's bellies that's when we both found out how similar we were. There was nothing sexual about it."

Amanda felt silly. "I never understood why you two were so close but now I know."

"We can sense each other's presence and read each other's minds when we touch," Kyle said.

"You can? And you can't do that with anyone else?" Amanda asked amazed.

"No…although I can hear people's heartbeats when they're near."

"So…you can hear my heart beating right now?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah" Kyle replied casually.

"That's just….wow…" Amanda really had no idea what to say to that. "But I still have some questions."

"Sure I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability." Kyle said. It felt good coming clean.

"What happened to me on prom night?"

"Amanda, remember I told you there were people who would try to use those close to me to get to me?"

Amanda nodded.

"Well they kidnapped you to test me. Me and Jessi managed to find you and rescue you."

"But how come I don't remember any of this" she asked confused and afraid. The thought that she had been kidnapped scared the hell out of her.

"They planted a device in the back of your head," he answered like it was completely normal. "It was the reason for all your headaches and why you kept messing up on your recital."

Amanda was disgusted "They put something in my head?!"

"Yes" Kyle replied. "Apparently it was supposed to dissolve by itself a few weeks after they put it in but I guess it was taking a bit longer. So Jessi and I decided that I could dissolve it myself by applying an electrical current to your head. The best way to do that without you noticing was by kissing you. But I had no idea how much voltage to use. If I accidentally applied too much it would have killed you. So Jessi suggested I practice on her…"

"That's your excuse for kissing Jessi?" Amanda asked angrily.

Kyle looked sad "But…it's the…truth," he said.

Amanda sighed and said "I'm sorry. I guess with everything else you've told me tonight I guess I can believe that as well. Plus I can totally picture Jessi doing something like that."

Kyle then answered the rest of Amanda's questions about Jessi, Madacorp, Latnok, Sarah, and both his and Jessi's abilities.

"I understand if this is all a lot to take in. You should go home and get some rest. You've had a long night. I'll answer any other questions tomorrow" Kyle told her.

"Okay I'll see you later then," Amanda said and she left. As she walked out of the door she saw Jessi just standing in the hallway. "Were you listening to us?" she asked angrily.

"Maybe I was," Jessi replied smugly. "You would do the same thing if you could."

"I would not!" Amanda shot back. "I actually respect people's privacy. I could have read all those files on Kyle when I was in Nate's room but I didn't." She rolled her eyes she didn't want to start this all over again. "Look Jessi I'm sorry. I didn't realize what a connection you and Kyle have. But still he was my boyfriend. You should have respected that."

Jessi looked down and didn't say anything.

"I'm going to ask him back tomorrow morning like I said, just thought you should know," Amanda continued. She then went home.