This is the End of My Night of Fear
Maximilian was just ready and waiting to pounce on an opportunity to show off his new super soldiers to the world, watching the news outlets like a hawk for any sign of impending turmoil. He'd made a few calls to the clients who regularly borrowed his personnel, teasing them with the promise of something that could solve any problem more efficiently than ever before. He already outfitted his private army with state-of-the-art equipment, so his clients were curious as to what more Maximilian could offer.
The Quads, meanwhile, continued to train, grow, and hone their unique talents. Age eleven passed in the blink of an eye and suddenly they were twelve years old, preteens, experiencing changes the likes of which no one had prepared them for. Sure, they were given an overview of puberty during biology lessons, but none of their teachers ever went into detail regarding hormonal fluctuations and unexpected bodily developments like breasts and armpit hair.
It was during this tumultuous time that an armed conflict broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Militants took a few political leaders as hostages, barricading themselves in a decimated town. Whoever wanted the politicians dead had supplied the militants with superior firearms and ample ammunition, allowing them to fend off government forces. Anti-aircraft artillery was also an issue. Maximilian savored the news coverage, swirling wine in his glass as one of his private lines rang. "How can I be of assistance?" he asked as an answer.
"Hey, so, how much for that problem-solver you told me about?"
The client paid half the exorbitant fee upfront. Once the payment cleared, Commander Forsythe informed the Quads that they were flying out to the Republic of Congo. "It's a pretty straightforward mission– take out the militants before they kill the hostages. Just like your training simulations." Only this time they loaded up at the armory and got on a plane with five seasoned men and women, mercenaries who weren't shaking in their boots about being sent to fight a battle on foreign soil.
They landed on an airstrip and rode in an armored personnel carrier to the forward operating base, approximately three miles from the combat zone with a strip of thick forest separating the two. The locals could only stare at the four children wearing green and black Clarent mercenary fatigues. Child soldiers weren't a strange sight in Africa but these ones looked different, not just because one of them was the whitest White girl they'd ever seen, but because it didn't seem like they'd been forced into the role.
Parker, the woman who had escorted Une while she took her first steps outside of Joan's laboratory, commanded the operation and determined they should attempt a nighttime rescue. After the sun went down the nine of them hiked through the forest. Sai and Old Man Hamada, as he was referred to among the ranks, broke off to circle around the town where they took up sniping positions. Sai had prodigal talent, able to calculate any and all factors that might throw off his aim and adjust accordingly. His Barrett M82 rifle was significantly lighter than Hamada's customized one, although its weight still made his shoulder ache by the time they reached their spot.
Tvaer and Nicholes, her ex-handler, got into position out front of the ruined building the militants and hostages were in. According to local intel it had been an apartment complex, but now it was just a charred and broken shell like the rest of the town. A mere two weeks ago it had been a small yet thriving community. "Enemy report," Nicholes requested of Tvaer.
She adjusted her heavy earpiece. "I sense fifty hostiles… no, forty-five. The three hostages are on the highest floor, room number… one-twenty, I think." She blinked at Nicholes who gave her an encouraging smile. "They've lost all hope of being rescued. They're… resigned to death." It was a feeling she'd never encountered before, requiring a moment to articulate it.
"The only people dying here today are the assholes who kidnapped them," Parker said over the comms, nodding at Une and Natt. "Let's go, you two." The three of them vanished beneath Une's cloak while the last two soldiers, Raines and Vasquez, covered the remaining sides of the building.
Everything went fine for Une, Natt, and Parker until they arrived on the third story where most of the militants had taken up residence. There were guards at the end of every hallway, and although the trio couldn't be seen they could still be heard and touched. As they rounded a corner, Une gasped when she almost bumped right into a soldier. The man lifted his weapon but Parker shot him in the head with her silenced pistol, catching his body and dragging it into an empty room so as not to alarm any others. She gave Une a nod to continue but the girl was now quivering. Her anxiety became Tvaer's anxiety which she inadvertently channeled into their brothers. Establishing an emotional link with them was something that had become second nature whenever they were in proximity.
"Got the jitters?" Hamada inquired of Sai as his weapon rattled slightly. "Don't worry, they probably won't even need us." The boy gave a noncommittal grunt, scanning the windows through his scope. He relaxed when he saw the shimmer of Une's camouflage climbing another set of stairs.
They made it to room 120 without having to remove any more hostiles. "Wait," Tvaer spoke as Parker reached for the doorknob, "someone's coming out. Back up!" Her siblings tensed, pressing themselves against the wall while one of the abductors strode down the hall. "There are three more in there. Hostiles, I mean, plus the three hostages."
Parker considered that information. "Stay here," she whispered to the kids, sneaking off to take out the lone militant. She returned shortly. "What do you recommend, Tvaer?"
Silence for a beat. "That man was on guard, but the rest are asleep. Maybe you can… get the bad guys before they wake up."
Natt glanced down at his thigh holster. "Une and I don't have silencers. If we discharge our weapons, we'll alert everyone else."
Parker eyed them both. "You two don't need weapons to take those guys out. Just use your hands."
"Wh-what?" he stuttered.
"You know…" She pantomimed wringing a neck. "Easy, right?"
Une stared at her palms. "I guess… I can use a laser. But it takes time to focus."
"So Natt and I will wait for you to charge up, and when you're ready we'll take out our targets at the same time. Coordinated effort. No one will hear us that way." Parker wrapped her fingers around the handle and turned it slowly, pushing the door inward. Thankfully the hinges didn't squeak. The room had been cleared out except for two beds and a couple mattresses. The politicians were all bound together on one, their breathing ragged. It wasn't a stretch to assume they were starving and dehydrated. Parker skirted them to aim her pistol at the head of the man on the far side of the room. Natt went to the middle, flexing his gloved hands. Une closed her eyes and began gathering energy in her fingertip. Once her digit glowed, she took a deep breath and nodded at Parker. The woman held up her free hand and counted down with her own fingers.
Three, two, one.
The slight discharge from the silencer was enough to rouse one of the hostages, who glanced up in time to see a beam of light lance through his captor's temple. "What was that? Who are you?"
"We're getting you out of here," Parker answered, drawing her knife to cut their ropes. Now all three men sat blinking blearily at the mercenaries. "Come on, up and at 'em." She hauled one to his feet and slung his arm around her shoulders to carry most of his weight. The other two captives were more astounded than indignant when they found themselves being easily hefted by preteens.
"Who are you people? Are these children?"
"You can ask questions after we get you to safety," Parker said, taking point as they left the room. "Until then, we need the three of you to stay quiet. We'll be spotted otherwise." They made little sounds of agreement. "Ready, Une?" The girl nodded and they began their descent.
With help from Tvaer, they avoided soldiers on patrol and made it all the way down to the lobby before a cry went up: "The hostages are gone!" Floodlights instantly came on, bathing the perimeter of the building in blinding luminescence.
"Move, move!" Nicholes shouted through her headset. She peered around the concrete barricade shielding her and Tvaer. Beneath the intense beams of the floodlights she discerned the shimmering outline of Une's cloak, and if she could see it, so could their enemies.
Bullets rained down upon the area as militants fired from all four stories of the building. Thanks to her lapse in concentration, Une's invisibility flickered off and left the six of them exposed, but she, Natt, and Parker ran as fast as their legs could carry them and darted behind the hull of a bus. "Shit!" Parker spat. "Vasquez, Raines, we could use your help over here!"
"Movin'!" They appeared at the front corners of the building and joined Nicholes in providing return fire as Parker plotted a course to the forest where they'd be safe, presuming the militants didn't pursue them.
"Une, we need your cloak again. I know this is a scary situation, literally the worst-case scenario, but we have to get these men out of here or else this country will go to war."
The girl's violet eyes were wide with fear, but she nodded. "I can do it."
"Okay. Natt, cover our asses. You, sir, come with me." Parker wrapped her arms around both men while Natt readied his SCAR, his jaw clenched and pulse pounding in his ears. Courtesy of Spears he now knew he was not bulletproof, but he was willing to draw attention to himself if it meant his sister could escape unharmed. Once Une, Parker, and the three politicians disappeared from sight, Natt moved to the other end of the bus and fired a short burst at the windows along the first floor. Whether he killed more people or even hit anyone, he didn't know.
Tvaer's voice suddenly rang out in his mind. "Aim for the lights!" Natt raised the barrel of his battle rifle to shoot a bulb, but it shattered before he could squeeze the trigger. Nine more lights went dark in just a few seconds, each preceded by the resounding report of a sniper rifle.
"Way to go, kiddo!" Hamada gave Sai a pat on the back for his remarkable speed and precision. The boy only blew out a breath as he reloaded. There was no time to bask in praise when his siblings were in the middle of a firefight.
Now that the front of the apartment complex was dark, Nicholes, Raines, and Vasquez moved into better positions. Some of the hostiles they shot fell from their perches to land glassy-eyed on the ground. Tvaer couldn't look at the scene, couldn't move out from behind her chunk of concrete, could barely sense her siblings among the absolute chaos that was her psyche right now. Anger, outrage, hatred, determination, fear, and desperation left her paralyzed by the onslaught of so many conflicting emotions. Even if she were able to move, her little Sig wouldn't be much help against such superior numbers.
But the odds were in their favor. Every fifty-caliber bullet fired from Hamada and Sai's rifles found a target, eviscerating human flesh and painting the inside of the building with gruesome graffiti. Nicholes, Raines, and Vasquez were skilled marksmen as well, moving methodically along the face of the complex while concentrating their fire on one floor at a time. Natt made his mid-range assault, willing to take a bullet now just as he had from Spears in order to protect Tvaer. Sai was fine, hidden away in the trees, but Natt was there in the thick of it and Parker had just informed everyone that she and Une reached the forest so it was time to fall back. Their mission was a success.
As the three adults began retreating from the combat zone, Natt tried moving to Tvaer's position to leave with her. They were about three feet from each other when Natt shifted a few inches too far past his cover. He didn't see the little green dot that appeared on his knee, but Tvaer did. Before she could even form the thought for him to get back, a bullet came flying through the air with a strange whistling sound and blew his lower leg off.
Tvaer had never seen so much blood. She had no idea her brother was even capable of gushing so much blood. His right limb no longer existed from the thigh down, and there was some whitish liquid mixed in with the red, almost like quicksilver. Tvaer reached for Natt, who lay unmoving. When her hand landed on his chest she was only mildly relieved that he was still breathing; he wouldn't be for much longer if he bled out. Each rapid beat of his heart sent his life force through a severed femoral artery.
"Natt… Natt…" she whispered, placing one hand on his forehead and the other over his wound. "Hold on, I'll help you. Just keep breathing. Don't—"
"Sis…" came his voice in her head. It was weak, fading. "It really hurts. I don't think…"
Tears flooded her eyes as the pain he felt made its way to her, wracking her small body and throwing off her focus as she tried to telekinetically staunch his wound. It worked; no more blood joined the crimson pool gathered beneath them, but he'd lost so much already. His pulse was slowing, his eyes struggled to stay open, his breathing grew shallow. "Natt, come on, stay awake!" Tvaer patted his cheek but he groaned in defeat, surrendering to his fate. "No, no! Help! Someone, help!" To her siblings she said, "Natt's dying!"
Footsteps approached from the direction of the apartment complex, the militants cautiously making their way outside to where they heard the girl screaming. "Did I hit him?" a gruff voice asked. Tvaer looked up at the sleek, futuristic rifle in the man's hands. A brief plunge into his mind informed her that he had fired the bullet that killed her brother, but it wasn't any kind of weapon she'd ever seen or heard of. The ammunition was called Dow, like the stock market index. Tvaer's silver eyes narrowed as the man pointed the barrel of the gun at her.
He never got the chance to pull the trigger. The weapon crumpled in his hands, and then he crumpled, every bone in his body fracturing into hundreds of pieces beneath the psychic pressure Tvaer exuded in her grief. It spread outward in all directions, flattening the ground and pulverizing objects into dust. It reached the building, the agonized screams of its remaining occupants unheard by Tvaer as they were crushed by the weight of her psionic wave, brains and bodies rupturing alike. The girl began sobbing, taking no notice of how eerily silent her surroundings had become.
Natt awoke in the infirmary at the Colorado training center with a dull ache in his leg and a sharp pain in his arm. He examined the former first, raising his head with a gasp. His limb was not entirely there, but it looked like it was trying to be. Some kind of glass box had been placed around the leg as it regenerated. It was weird, seeing the inner workings of his own body like that, but at least he was alive. He was almost positive he'd died in the Congo. The last thing he heard was a wail from Tvaer before darkness claimed his senses.
He studied his arm next. He found a needle sticking out of his vein connected to a tube that reached across to another bed where Une lay with her eyes closed, a matching needle in her arm. Some viscous white liquid had been smeared around both entry sites. "Une?" Natt inquired softly. "You awake?" She didn't budge; donating her blood to him probably took a lot of energy. "Thanks," he said anyway, and tried getting comfortable. He fell back asleep since regenerating major body parts required even more energy than sharing blood.
Over in the barracks, Sai and Tvaer searched for any information on the weird weapon that had almost killed Natt. It was the bullet they were more interested in, the details of which Tvaer relayed to her brother with perfect clarity as if he'd seen it himself. That was one of her favorite things about being telepathic. Sai returned from his deep dive into the internet, eyebrows knitting. "Dow is apparently some new drug that's being sold on the black market," he spoke.
"A drug?" Tvaer repeated. "A drug couldn't hurt Natt like that."
"Right. Either its effects aren't fully known, or…"
"Or?"
"Or it was designated a drug to cover up its true purpose." Which was for use as a weapon against superhumans made from Chemical W. Intuition told Sai that he and his siblings had just returned from a combat mission only to enter another, more dangerous battle. He stopped talking out loud in case someone somewhere was listening. "Remember when I said we should run away from Joan, Morbucks, and everyone else trying to control our lives?" Tvaer nodded. "It's not wishful thinking or a fanciful notion now. We have to leave. We need to get away from these people."
"Where will we go?" she asked.
"Anywhere, just as long as it isn't here or back to Townsville. Africa might be off the table as well." After they returned to the States, footage from their body cameras started popping up on the deep web. Now anyone who was interested could see what the youngest members of Clarent were capable of, and anyone who was interested could pay Maximilian's price to rent them. Sai was not going to sit around and let that happen. He and his siblings were not products for consumption, and if there was some mysterious compound out there that could severely injure or even kill them, he sure as hell wasn't going to die fighting someone else's war.
"Asia?" Tvaer suggested. "How about Japan?"
"Une and Natt would stand out too much there." Sai mulled it over. "Europe would probably be best, maybe France."
"Would we buy a house?"
"No, we can't do anything that'll leave records they can trace."
"A hotel suite?" Sai nodded. "I'll look for some."
Well, it was good to know that Tvaer was as on-board with the idea of getting the hell out of dodge as him. Why wouldn't she be after all she'd endured? Une and Sai were sort of… detached from the actions they'd taken in the Congo. Une killed that one soldier in order to save some innocent men. In her opinion, having superpowers meant she was obligated to use them to help people. Sai had no qualms whatsoever about killing people who were trying to kill his siblings. Tvaer didn't talk about it at all. She couldn't convey how it felt to sense death, to be in contact with so many minds only to feel them wink out of existence or fade to nothingness depending how quickly they died. And although she could transfer the sensation of Natt bleeding out and how powerless she'd been to save him, she wanted to spare Une and Sai that experience.
During the two days it took for Natt to recover, some investigative agencies began looking into the circumstances around the rescue of the Congo politicians. Maximilian revelled in the free publicity; people were asking questions about the heroic children whose brave actions had averted a war. They mostly focused on Une since her outward appearance alluded to being superhuman more than the other Quads. She had aqua hair and bright purple eyes, a living, breathing weapon with innocuous candy-colored features. People wanted to know about Natt, too, because he was physically imposing and moved like any well-trained soldier with only a fraction of the time invested.
Sai knew they had to leave soon. Maximilian was going to display them to the whole world and doubtless that Dow stuff would be used to make them comply. Natt was presumably indestructible and its effect had been devastating on him; there was no telling what it would do to his siblings. They managed to put the finishing touches on their plan to escape, sharing all the details with each other through Tvaer. The biggest issue was figuring out how to financially support themselves. They were too young to work, and they didn't want to indebt themselves to any sort of patron. Sai thought about pulling funds directly from Maximilian's account, but he'd be able to trace it and track them down. But maybe if it went through a few loopholes first, a grant to a foundation to a charity to a vague fund… Sai named it ACT– Atypical Children's Trust. Maximilian generously donated one million dollars to get it started. Rather, his wife did since her name was on the account. With that much money they could pay for extended-stay hotel suites. Best not to remain in one location for too long, though. They would go to Paris first and come up with a more long-term plan. Identifications and such would be easy to falsify since Sai could access the databases. All they really needed right off the bat were food and clothes.
Once Natt's leg had regrown and he got done with a round of forced physical therapy, the four preteens squirreled away some supplies for their journey. Sai bought train tickets to Chicago, then to New York where they'd stay just long enough to acquire passports, then they'd take a cruise to France. It'd be easier to jump ship than out of a plane if anyone came after them. They were going to leave on Sunday when the compound was minimally staffed, sneaking away under the veil of night. Une would be able to project disguises as long as they remained close to each other, and hopefully the average passerby would assume they were just kids on an educational school trip or something. Or better yet, they could pretend to be exchange students.
The Friday before they were slated to leave, Maximilian did something unpredictable and flew them on his private jet back to Townsville. The Quads said nothing, expressing no hint of their frustration even when they returned to Joan's laboratory. She and several other scientists appeared thrilled by their impromptu arrival. "You've gotten so big!" Joan exclaimed, trying and failing to hug them all at once. "I can't believe how much you've grown! Tell me about what you've been up to!"
Sai rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend like you care about us."
Her smile fell away. "Of course I do. I made you."
"So you could use us, and let other people use us," he said with the utmost disdain. "We're not clueless little kids any more."
"No, you're not." Joan's cold appraisal made Natt shrink back and Tvaer shiver. "I don't suppose you'll let us see how much you've changed? Measure your power output?"
"What, for old time's sake?" Une raised her chin and met the woman's gaze with steel in her own. "No." No one would ever poke and prod them like lab rats again.
Joan merely lifted her brow and turned away. "I never thought your loyalties would lie with Maximilian, not after that horrible situation he put you in. I knew you would come out unharmed, physically at least, but I can't believe it didn't take a toll on your mental state. If you want to talk to someone, the counselors are still here."
"You knew about our mission?" Natt queried.
"Indeed." Joan rotated to give his right leg a prolonged look. "I'm disappointed that you won't let me study your abilities. Think of all the people you could help if we synthesized cures from fresh blood samples."
Sai opened his mouth to say something nasty but Tvaer stopped him. "We're not safe here. Joan made Dow!"
"No way!" Natt exclaimed.
"Are you serious?" Une pressed.
"Yes! She made it to take away our powers so Mister Morbucks wouldn't want us!"
Sai paled. That was why Joan had him steal Professor Utonium's research regarding Project X. How could he be so stupid not to realize that?! "Then why did he send us back to her lab?" he wondered.
Tvaer didn't have the exact answer to that, but Joan did. She'd become quite skilled at reading expressions and body language thanks to their refusal to converse with her. "Maximilian's assets are being investigated by several government agencies. They're concerned to learn about the child soldiers among his mercenary ranks. But you're safe here, they won't find you. There's no trace of you in existence, after all."
Not yet there wasn't.
The federal agents looking to take down at least one of Maximilian Morbucks' shady businesses persisted in their investigation of the genetically enhanced soldiers they suspected he employed. The American government was not going to ignore the issue, not when such soldiers and the means to create them would be a great boon to national security. And, of course, to war profiteers. The agents questioned Patrick Spears in his prison cell, and because he had nothing to lose he told them everything about the Quads. Another inmate stabbed him to death a few days later. They kept pressuring Morbucks until he finally cracked, throwing Joan under the bus. She was the one they wanted, the genetic engineer who made the world's first superhumans.
Joan dug in her heels, dragging out the investigation for an entire month. She surrendered most of her research while maintaining the lie that her experiments had been a failure and the children she augmented with Chemical W hadn't survived. The soldiers from that footage in the Congo were different children, orphans who had been dosed with W and died not long after their field test. Yes, experimenting on humans was unethical, but no one was going to miss a handful of kids nobody wanted in the first place, right?
After the feds concluded their investigation, leaving Maximilian with a hefty fine for child endangerment, he and Joan thought they were in the clear. The facility in Townsville remained a secret, absent from public records due to having outsourced engineers, builders, and materials; according to the city, it was a warehouse and nothing more. While trapped in the lab, Sai learned everything about Antidote W and only hated himself that much more for helping to create it. Dow was out there in the world now being sold in narcotic and weaponized forms. When injected as a cold liquid, it blew people's minds. After reaching a certain temperature and velocity, it blew people's brains out with disturbing corrosive effects. It had been invented to cripple Sai and his siblings, but of course Maximilian found a way to profit off hurting regular humans.
Joan assumed that was the end of things. She was wrong. John Utonium contacted Townsville's Scientific Discovery Council with everything he knew about her work, then he and his former colleague were summoned to a hearing. John knew he might very well lose all credibility for being affiliated with Joan, but he couldn't let her continue her mad experiments. She didn't stop directing a seething glare at him as they sat at their tables divided by an aisle. "Where are the children referred to as 'the Quadruplets' now, Professor Newtronium?" the elderly woman leading her council of peers questioned. "We know they exist. You and your patron may have been able to misdirect the government, but we know exactly what you're capable of."
"They're… hidden," Joan replied.
"Well, I suggest you reveal them to this chamber tomorrow so we can determine how severely you crossed the line."
The Quads were escorted to Town Hall early in the morning. When they entered the SDC chamber, all the scientists in attendance began murmuring with intrigue. Tvaer locked onto the one psyche who was genuinely happy to see that they were alive and well, flashing John a hint of a smile. He always regarded them as real people instead of tools.
"Please stand before us, if you will," a council member instructed. The Quads stopped a few feet from their tables, Une and Natt fidgeting beneath their intense stares. "Can you state your names for us?"
"Une."
"Tvaer."
"N-Natt."
"…Sai."
The elderly woman flipped through her copies of Joan's research. "You apparently came into existence during… June of last year, correct?"
Sai shrugged. "If you say so."
"About how old are you now?"
"We're equivalent to twelve years old," Tvaer answered.
The woman hummed. "Your accelerated rate of growth is astounding." She looked at Joan. "Is that an effect of the Chemical W, Professor?"
"Yes," she tersely replied. "I would have been able to measure their growth rate and predict additional spurts if not for Morbucks' intervention of my study."
Sai turned to scowl at her. "You're the one who sold us out to him. It's your own damn fault."
"Please, we don't use vulgar language in this room." Sai scoffed at the admonishment from a man who was practically a fossil.
A pretty Grecian woman smiled kindly at Une. "In her notes, Professor Newtronium states that you have the ability to manipulate light. 'Photokinesis' is the word she uses. Could you demonstrate that for us?"
"Um, okay…" Une glanced at her siblings before turning invisible, prompting a fresh round of excited murmuring.
The woman grinned. "Amazing!"
"It's not amazing, Doctor Vesper," her neighbor chided, "it's horrifying. This girl could go around assassinating the leaders of our country without being seen!"
Une's eyes widened. "I would never do that!"
"And after you killed them you could impersonate them, couldn't you? You also have the power to project illusions and alter your appearance, don't you?"
"Evidently she can also generate laser beams," someone added.
The man stood, pointing an accusatory finger at Une. "This girl is a weapon, a danger to society!" She appeared stricken by the condemnation in his tone. "Look at these development notes– they all pose a danger to humanity! A psychic girl proven to possess telepathy and telekinesis. She's probably in all of our heads right now. We can't even protect our own thoughts from her!" Tvaer frowned. She didn't need to read their minds to know they were afraid. "And this one, he's indestructible! Meaning he couldn't be stopped by anything or anyone if he decided to go on a rampage!"
"That's untrue," Joan cut in, "he can be stopped by Antidote W."
The man was too riled up to hear her. "And then there's this one who can connect his consciousness to the internet and manipulate data however he sees fit. You're all going to sit there and tell me this child deserves that kind of power? He could undo the fabric of modern society! He could implement anarchy on a global scale!"
Sai smirked. "Yeah, I could do that if I wanted." The room quieted. "But that's not what I want. That's not what we want."
The elderly woman peered at him from beyond her glasses. "Then what do the four of you want?"
"To live." His golden eyes narrowed to slits. "No one told you what to do with your lives, did they? Or if they did, then you chose to listen. We obeyed Joan and Morbucks because we didn't know any better. They wanted us to be ignorant of everything, but we overcame the limitations they placed on us because we're superhuman– that means above, better, more. We want to do more with our lives than what Joan created us for."
She nodded slowly, shifting her gaze to the woman in question. "And for what purpose did you create these beings, Professor?"
"They were supposed to help people," Joan spoke in a neutral tone. "They're genetically pure, they can't get sick. I wanted to herald a new generation of humankind based on their genetic blueprint."
"As noble as your intentions sound, we can't ignore the facts." The Fossil counted on his fingers. "You betrayed your colleague and essentially corrupted his half of your research. You stole material from a genealogy bank. You failed to maintain transparency with your benefactor. You engaged in unethical experiments on human subjects without receiving approval from this council. You created children and dehumanized them to the point where I can't even begin to rationalize your thought process." Joan sat in stoic silence. "For the unprecedented loss of your morals and the gross violation of our ethical code, Professor Joan Newtronium, you are hereby stripped of your SDC membership and may no longer be employed within the state of California."
Joan expected to lose her standing with the SDC. She was not expecting the graduate university she had attended to contact her a few days later to say they were rescinding her PhD. She could go to a tribunal to fight their decision and attempt to convince other experts in the field of genetic engineering that her actions didn't reflect poorly on their profession, but Joan knew it was a battle she wouldn't win. There was no more denying the inherent selfishness of her actions.
John almost regretted ruining Joan's career, possibly her entire life, but he looked at the children she had created, the world's first superhumans, and knew he'd done the right thing. They never should have been made, but they existed now. There were differing opinions among the members of the SDC as to what should be done about the Quads; for the time being they had been secured in an undisclosed location. John went to the meeting to determine their fate.
"There's no need for a discussion. Those children are biological weapons who pose a threat to humanity," someone asserted as he walked in.
"I think something needs to be said for the fact that they've maintained control over their powers in the midst of puberty. My own kid was an emotional roller coaster at that time."
"How do we know their abilities won't develop further as they get older?"
"It's likely they will. Did you even bother reading Newtronium's research? She included predictions after sequencing their genomes." A few people, including Doctor Jill Vesper, greeted John as he slid into a seat. He laced his fingers while she debated with Doctor Marsh, the accuser from yesterday.
"Their genomes reveal they aren't entirely human, so they're not entitled to the same rights as human beings."
"I disagree with you. They're human enough. They might not look like ordinary people, but those are just chromosomal anomalies. One could even attribute their unusual eye colors to melanin mutations."
"Doctor, it's their insides that concern me. You heard what that kid said– he could plunge the world into chaos on a whim!"
"That's not what he wants, though. Maybe Maximilian Morbucks sought to turn them into weapons, but that's not their purpose."
Marsh tutted. "You're willing to accept the word of a twelve year-old at face value? Are you dense?"
"I have a Master's in child psychology, in case you didn't know. Those kids are at the age where they're trying to establish independence and individual identities. They want the basic right bestowed upon every human being by virtue of simply being alive– freedom. If you would deny them, then you're no better than Newtronium."
"Those children are weapons of mass destruction, Doctor Vesper! You're ignoring their nature and the way they've been nurtured in order to uphold some utopian concept that doesn't exist in the modern world!"
"So you would rather destroy what you refuse to understand. Typical…" The man sputtered at Doctor Vesper, who faced John. "What are your thoughts on this matter, Professor Utonium?"
Many eyes focused on him. "I believe Newtronium's children deserve a chance at life," he answered.
"You're biased because you helped create Chemical W!" Doctor Marsh shouted.
John ignored him, considering his next words. "I understand that many of you fear Newtronium's superhumans because you don't understand her rationality. Why did she augment the human genome with Chemical W? Only Joan knows the true answer to that question. We can speculate all we want– she's crazy, she lost her moral compass, she had something to prove, she really did want to help change the world… it doesn't matter now. Those four children are separate entities from her. They don't harbor the desire to treat people the way Joan treated them. They could hurt others, cause mass murder and global chaos and all the things you mentioned, but vengeance isn't coded into their genes. All they're asking for is the chance to live like normal kids."
A beat of silence followed his unintentional monologue. "Who's to say they won't grow into resentful adults that want to watch the world burn?" the Fossil broached.
"This world is the only one they have, just like the rest of us. We're all stuck here together whether we like it or not," John replied.
Doctor Vesper nodded in agreement. "Since you missed the opening statement, our choices regarding what to do with the children are either 'euthanization' or 'perpetual confinement to protective custody'."
After the SDC voted to take the latter course of action, John returned home with a bittersweet taste in his mouth. Perhaps to the members with kids of their own, confinement was the best way to deal with problem children. But John didn't see any problems with the Quads and he still thought it was inhumane to keep them locked up for the rest of their lives. Subjecting them to more of the same mistreatment would only nurture hatred and prompt them to use their powers in the exact manner everyone feared, a prime example of reaping what was sown. Surely he wasn't the sole scientist who realized that, but the only cure for fear and ignorance was knowledge and his peers couldn't be forced to learn.
Bittersweet was also the flavor of guilt. He should have gone to the SDC as soon as Joan told him about the Quads; he could have spared them so much pain if he'd done the right thing at the right time. Now it was his fault that those children were basically imprisoned until further notice, watched over by guards armed with terrible Antidote W weapons. John hated Joan for betraying him, he hated Maximilian Morbucks for being greedy enough to profit off innocent kids, and he was disappointed in himself for not stepping up to either of them.
John went to bed around one in the morning, tossing and turning, but it was thanks to his fitful sleep that he heard a light tap tap on the front door. He lay still for a moment, thinking it was a lingering remnant of a dream, but then a louder knock came. He put on his bathrobe and glanced at the clock. 2:15. Who could be visiting him so late? If it were a burglar they wouldn't have the courtesy to knock. He looked through the peephole and promptly yanked the door open.
"Can I use your wifi?" Sai asked.
"Y-you…" John gawked at the Quads on his doorstep. "What are you doing here?!"
"We feel we can trust you, Professor Utonium." Tvaer smiled along with her unspoken words.
"Wh-why me?"
"Because you wanted us to be free before we even wanted it for ourselves," Une explained. "Can we trust you not to tell anyone that you helped us leave the country?"
"Leave the country?" he echoed. "Where are you planning to go?"
"France," Sai said. "We were going to take a train to the east coast from Denver, but we can still get there from here. I just need to use your wifi to buy new tickets." John nodded slowly and stepped aside.
"Your house is warm," Natt commented. The ceilings were high enough that he could raise his arms and not touch them. That was a first.
John ushered them into the living room where Sai and Tvaer sat beside each other on the sofa as Une and Natt remained standing. He watched in confusion and fascination as Sai closed his eyes and his head dropped back, seemingly falling into a deep sleep. "He's online now?" John guessed.
"Mhm."
"How did you get out from wherever you were?" he wondered.
"Sai put the security feeds to our rooms on a loop, then we went through the ventilation system to the roof," Une explained, giggling. "It was fun!"
Natt pouted. "I almost got stuck."
"It was fun and funny," she amended.
John's lips quirked. They really were just kids. "Do you have money for your trip, for food and such?"
Une started to answer in the affirmative yet faltered. "We had bags with that stuff back at the training camp, but Mister Morbucks sent us here. They've probably found everything by now and realized what we were planning."
Sai inhaled sharply just then, signifying his return to consciousness. "Doesn't matter. We're never going to see his ugly face again." He fixed his golden eyes on John. "Thanks for your help, Professor."
"You're welcome." They stood and headed for the exit, John trailing. "If you'd like to stock up on a few things, Malph's is north of this neighborhood and is open twenty-four seven."
Une nodded. "We'll check it out. Good night, Professor. Sorry to barge in on you."
He waved it off, watching them walk down the street until they vanished around the corner. John couldn't help but grin as he closed the door.