Madison O' Brien, a thirty-one-year woman, worked, got groceries, took care of her kid and was like everyone else, except for one large detail. She wasn't human. Madison was a mutant turtle, created by John Bishop in his lab thirty-one years earlier. The man had subjected her to a barrage of experiments over the years. Each one designed to break her down, but no matter what he did, he didn't crush her spirit. It was all she had and she clung onto it desperately. When she'd turned thirteen, Bishop had brought a human boy about the same age, down to the lab.

EIGHTTEEN YEARS EARLIER

"Now be quiet, Madison," Bishop said. "You are to do this. It's time you're a mother."
"But I'm so young," Madison said, sobbing. "And what person would want me? I'm a freak."
"I have a handsome, young man for you, Madison. And I have no doubt you'll provide me with some babies."
"But I don't want babies now."
"Silence!" Bishop roared. "I'll be back now. Dry your tears. No one likes a miserable person."

Madison cried some more and thought, I don't want this. If only I could escape.

Bishop returned a few minutes later with his goons, who carried a tied-up terrified dark haired and dark blued boy with him. "Madison," he said. "This is Tristan. Tristan, this is Madison. Isn't she gorgeous?" The boy trembled and looked at the floor. "Untie him and let socialize with his new girlfriend." The goons untied the boy. "I'll be back in a while," Bishop said, locking the door and departing with his men.

Tristan fearfully raised his eyes and studied his new mate. Revulsion shot through him. No, he thought. I don't want that. I want to go home.
"I'm Madison," Madison said. "I bet you're scared."
"Nope. I just want to go home."
"You won't be. Has he told you his plans?"
"Yes, and I won't do it," Tristan said defiantly.
"You have to or you'll die."
"Better than being with you," Tristan hissed.
Madison nodded. "I know I'm a freak. I don't want this either, but like you, I have no choice."
"Suppose there are kids, what'll happen to them?"
"He'll kill the weak ones and experiment on some. He promised I could have a couple to raise."
"Experiments?" Tristan said, mortified. "Did he experiment on you?"
"Yes. I was the result of an experiment and he's subjected me to many."
"You might be weird, but even you don't deserve that."

The door opened and Bishop said, "You done talking? Let's get going." He forced the couple to undress and watched as they copulated, a large smirk on his face. "Wonderful. We'll soon have babies." Over the next few days, Tristan and Madison copulated frequently, neither enjoying it.

Two weeks later, Madison experienced her first bout of morning sickness. Bishop was delighted. Six months after that Madison laid an egg and two months after that, it hatched and she and Tristan had a baby boy. He looked just like his mother, same sea green skin, same brown eyes. Tristan had been disgusted at first that such a thing had part of his DNA, but he'd quickly gotten over that and had bonded with his son. They named him Tristan Sean and gave him his father's surname, O' Brien. Tristan grew to love Madison, too, to his surprise and she loved him. Apart from Bishop's torture and yearning to be free, they were happy.

FOURTEEN YEARS EARLIER

Madison and Tristan had many babies, but none of them survived past the first trimester. Then one day, Madison discovered she was pregnant again. This time the baby lived to be full term and when it hatched, the couple were floored. A baby boy, but he was human and looked just like his father. They named him Troy Taine and just like his big brother, he was adored. The couple plotted to escape and managed it a week later. Tristan knew he couldn't go home with his family and for a week they stayed in abandoned warehouses surviving on food from restaurant dust bins, but with two young kids, Tristan and Madison knew they wouldn't be able to do that much longer. "What should we do?" Madison asked, snuggling a crying Troy to her chest. "We can't live like this forever."
"We'll have to have the kids adopted," Tristan said sadly. "It's the only way they can have a good future. When we're financially secure, we can find them and be a family again."
"Be real, Trist. No one would adopt a mutant baby."
"No, but they'd adopt Troy. My dad has a friend named Saki Oroku. He and his wife, Grace, have always wanted a baby boy. Saki's very rich and I know Troy would have all he needs. I can go now."
"And what about Tristan jr?"
"We can maybe cope with one kid, Maddy. I'll do yard work, odd jobs, find us a really cheap place to stay and you can be home with him. We'll figure things out."
"Can we wait until the morning for you to take Troy? Please."
"Maddy, no we have to do it now. Tomorrow is just delaying the inevitable. I don't want to do this either." Tears ran down his cheeks as he gazed at his youngest son.
Madison swallowed hard and said, "Then do it. But tell them we will come back for him. Tell them." She smothered Troy with kisses and whispered, "I love you, my little angel. Mommy loves you so much. Be good for your new mommy and daddy until we come for you. Trist, say bye-bye to your brother." Little Tristan kissed his baby brother and Tristan took Troy from a weeping Madison. "I'll be back soon, Maddy. We're doing the right thing."

Tristan made his way that hot, June afternoon, to Saki Oroku's house, rang the bell and waited. Saki himself opened the door. "Tristan," he said. "Hi. What brings you here?"
"Hi, Uncle Oroku," Tristan said. "I'd like you to meet my son, Troy."
"He's beautiful. Want to come in?"
"No. I can't care for him and you've always wanted a son. Will you take him?"
"A baby isn't something you just hand over, Tristan."
"I realize that. I'll go with you to the adoption agency tomorrow. Sign papers. He's yours. With one request. My girlfriend and I want him back when we're financially settled."
"But that would disrupt the young baby's life and look at you, you're only seventeen. You don't have a job, you're still in school, so we're talking realistically in your late thirties. He'll be over eighteen then. Much better to be reunited then."
"You're right, so?"
"So closed adoption. It's less traumatic for everyone concerned."
"All right. But please give him an amazing life. Please and please keep his first name. It was the name of my best friend who died and..."
"I promise I will," Saki said, taking the baby from him. "And how does his mother feel?"
"She loves him just as much as I do. It was a joint decision that we didn't like, but knew it was necessary." Tristan rattled off the name of an adoption agency in town and he and Saki arranged to meet there the next morning. Then Tristan bent down, kissed his infant son tenderly and said, "Troy, I love you. I'll always love you. Be good for your parents. Thank you, Uncle Oroku."
"No, thank you," Saki said, tears in his eyes. "You've given me a precious gift. I'll give him a great life. When was he born?"
"June sixteenth at 10 a.m. Thank you again. I better go. See you tomorrow."
Tristan left, tears streaming down his cheeks.

PRESENT DAY

Madison O' Brien woke and looked beside her, but her husband wasn't there. Padding into the kitchen, she found Tristan and their seventeen-year-old son at the kitchen table. "Morning guys," she said, bending down and kissing her husband. "You boys slept okay?"
"Hi, hon," Tristan said. "Yes. I was just telling our boy about my promotion at work." Tristan had worked his way up from bank teller.

"Dad's now vice president of the bank," Tristan jr said proudly. "That's so awesome, Mom. Does that mean we can get Troy back now?"
"No," Madison said. "Your father and I have tried repeatedly to get him back, but it was a closed adoption. Nothing we can do until he's eighteen. If he wants, he can find us."
"But eighteen is far away for him. Four long years."
"I know, baby, but there's nothing we can do. Oroku's been generous over the years, sending photos of your brother and school reports. He's homeschooled, but is such a smart boy. Even studying French."
"It sucks."
"I agree. I miss him, too. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. But he sounds like he's being treated well."
"I'm going to my room," Tristan jr said, shoving his chair back angrily and storming out.

"He wants his brother," Tristan said. "Can't blame him. I do, too, Maddy."
"Well we can't, honey. Until he's eighteen. That was the agreement."

Tristan jr turned on his laptop. He'd often thought about contacting his brother, but had never done so before, knowing it was forbidden. But this time he didn't care. Damn the consequences, he thought. He found Saki's home number online, dialled and waited. "Hi," a male voice said.
"Is that Saki Troy?"
"Speaking. Can I help you?"
"Hi. My name is..."
"Yeah?"
"Sam Denton. I'm an old friend of your biological father. Meet me at Central Park at ten tonight. I have something he wanted you to have when you turned fourteen."
"Huh? What?"
"So will you be there?'
Troy desperately wanted to know more about his father. All he knew was that he'd been killed in a car crash at seventeen. Weeks after his birth. "I'll be there. How do I know what you look like Mr. Denton?"
"Sam."
"Okay, Sam."
"I know what you look like. I'll find you. See you then."
Tristan hung up the phone, a large grin on his face. I'm going to see my baby brother, he thought. I can't wait. And I'll bring him home to see Dad and Mom.