"Anderson you idiot!" Sherlock hissed but it was too late.
The green fluid lost it's glow almost instantly and it began to drain away, lowering the child to the bottom of the tube. Once it was gone the wires and mask detached themselves and were swallowed up by the ceiling. The boy stayed curled in on himself but half opened his eyes, John was shocked, though they were sleepy and barely open at all those eyes were sharp. He could tell they were taking everything in, even though they didn't yet understand what they were seeing. They were deep, cold brown and they were unnaturally empty, there was no kindness there.
Finally the glass tubing slid upwards until all that was left was the metal base with the child sitting on it. The whole room held it's breath, slowly the boy uncurled himself, making a kind of half hum half moan, like a young child does when they are first awoken. However unlike a normal child it didn't rub it's eyes or blink to clear them, it simply stared at them.
"Hello." Lestrade said finally, "I don't know if you can understand me but I'm Greg Lestrade."
The child's eyes burned white, it's hair glowed even brighter than Sherlock's did. It lasted only a few seconds and much to John's alarm, seemed to be side effect free.
"It seems their attempts to make the Gammas stronger than the originals was a success." Sherlock drawled, "And that means more emotional stunting."
"Can you speak?" Anderson bent down so he was at the child's level, "Do you understand me?"
It's eyes glowed again and the boy cocked his head to one side but still did not speak. He seemed to be studying Anderson. Gingerly the child flexed and stretched it's muscles as if it was unsure as to how to use them. After a few seconds it got up and lowered itself onto the floor.
John reached out his mind, curious as to what was going on in the child's head. He was shocked to find emptiness, it was as if the child was not there at all. The only thing that told me he hadn't missed was the feeling of icy coldness.
"I can't read his mind. There is just coldness" John gasped, Sherlock frowned.
By now the child had found it's way to the computer and was staring at it intently with it's data vision. It stayed there perfectly still, just staring.
"Sherlock how can he use data vision for that long with no side effects?" He whispered.
"They wanted to make them stronger, it seems they succeeded," Sherlock repeated, "This is what it's like when it's a few minutes old, imagine when it grows to be in it's late 20's."
The child then reached out to the computer and touched it, his hands lit up with an unnatural white light to match his hair. Sherlock's jaw dropped.
"It's absorbing all the information in the computer!" He exclaimed, "I can't do that..."
"It's more powerful than you, at least it will be." Anderson seemed slightly pleased, but also slightly frightened.
The boy stopped absorbing and turned to look at the group in front of it. He walked up to Sherlock with his eyes narrowed, the two studied one another for a few tense minutes before the child shocked all save Sherlock, by opening it's mouth and speaking.
"You do not like me." He said, "You wish the fool didn't let me out, you believe I should of been exterminated."
"I do." Sherlock replied, "I am not natural and you are even more so."
"That may be true but I intend to survive." The child replied, "Perhaps I was not born the way you were but I did inherit one useful human quality. The will to survive."
"You don't think of yourself as human?" Sherlock mused, he seemed slightly amused.
"Human's are weak and idiotic." The boy spat letting his eyes fall on the officers, "I am above that, or at least I will be."
"What if I killed you right now?" Sherlock asked, lightning building up in his palm.
"You won't. I came from you and as much as I loath it, I inherited part of you." The boy grinned, it was a cold smile, "Curiosity."
John became aware that a small red ball was building up in the boys hands, he wasn't summoning lightning like Sherlock. He was summoning fire.
"Well," The boy mused looking at his hand with his head cocked to the side once more, "That's interesting."
John took in the child, who physically wasn't any older than five. His white hair and eyes that glowed even brighter as they reflected the fire in his hands. Sherlock had been right, that wasn't a child, it was a demon.
"I believe," The child smiled, "It's time I left, my time here is up. But I'll be back for you Sherlock."
"Just me?" Sherlock asked, he sounded almost bored.
"You are different, your smart." The child smiled, "These people are all so...ordinary."
The second the words had left his lips the boy sprung into action, his hand raised and he shot a fireball into he tube that would of housed his only friend. Whatever that fluid was, it was flammable because the minute the fire hit it exploded in a barrage of flames. John was knocked backwards by the explosion. He stayed on the floor as the fire reached the next tube did the exact same thing and the next. It was one fiery domino chain.
Every time the Omega tried to get up another tube would explode, sending another wave of fiery liquid onto the floor and another shockwave over his head. It as too risky to move, all he could do was haul himself up in a defensive position by the computer and hope none of the liquid reached him. Some of it spattered on his ams and legs, it burnt terribly but he could fix it later. He sent a prayer of thanks to whatever God there was that he was stronger than a normal human. He hoped Sherlock was alright.
After what seemed like a lifetime but in reality was only around ten minutes the explosions stopped and the fires began to burn themselves out.
He looked up. The room was thick with smoke and sprinklers John hadn't even noticed had turned on. There was glass and broken metal everywhere, he spotted at least two dead bodies of Lestrade's police force who had been badly burnt. Anderson had been thrown back into a computer which had completely collapsed on him.
Lestrade was laying by John, he had a nasty hit to the head and a few minor burns but looked alright. The child was nowhere in sight, knowing how brilliant it was the boy had probably timed the explosions and made it to the elevator unharmed.
Sherlock!
John glanced around the room panicked.
"Sherlock?" He called coughing into his sleeve when the smoke stung his throat.
A sheet of metal shifted and Sherlock crawled out from under it, he had a few cuts and bruises but was otherwise okay. John immediately set about healing them, even if they were not fatal.
"We need to get out of here." John said finally, Lestrade groaned as he came to. He paled when he sat up and saw the destruction.
"Anderson you fool..." The DI growled
"Don't worry, he got what was coming to him." John replied darkly indicating to the pile of ruble that used to be a computer.
Sherlock dragged himself to his feet.
"Let's get out of here."
Somehow they managed to cross the room and get into the elevator without choking of the chemical filled smoke, finally they collapsed out of the elevator on the second floor. This hall was filled with doors, dorms John's mind told him. This is where the children who survived slept.
"What about the child?" Lestrade asked.
"It's will of snuck past your police force by now," Sherlock sighed, "It will be on the top floor, if not outside."
"But where will it go?" John asked, "People are going to notice a barely dressed five year old running around!"
"You'd be surprised what people ignore." Sherlock sighed.
"I can sense him!" John clicked his fingers and extended his mind reading ability, "If I can read one mind maybe if I increase the area I can sense that coldness and tell you where he is, then Lestrade can have his officers find him!"
John extended his mind, he could hear both Lestrade and Sherlock now and a few officers on the floor above them, he winced as the noise became louder.
"John, there are too many people here, you're going to over tax yourself." Sherlock warned, "I can't help you the way you help me!"
"I'll be fi-ah!" John yelped as his mind was bombarded with the thoughts of over seventy police officers, it was like standing in a room where everybody was yelling.
"Stop it!" Sherlock hissed, John became aware that there was blood dripping from his nose.
Then John felt the coldness of the child's mind, up on the ground floor he was about to retreat back to his own head when the child sent a wave of wave down to him. The child not only knew John was probing his mind, but he was defending it!
The connection was broken immediately and John's head was mercifully silent. He could feel more blood gushing from his nose and to his horror, his eyes. Who'd ever heard of tears of blood. He didn't have much time to think about it however as he felt a wave of exhaustion make it's way over him and he slumped to the ground.
"Is he alright? He's bleeding" Came Lestrade's voice, when had he closed his eyes?
"He's exhausted, over taxed his abilities." Sherlock replied worriedly, "That child did something to the connection I'm sure of it. He needs rest"
People often complain that I have a habit of ending chapters on cliffhangers, I don't mean to it just happens I swear!
Coming Soon: We see through the eyes of the child and Sherlock helps John.