1. Prologue
Tommy laughed as he easily dodged his 6-year-old son's playful punch, and his son fell to the floor. "Kevin, you know that if you are going to put all your strength behind a punch you need to use the strength from your chest so that you don't become unbalanced." He lightly chastised, helping his son up.
"Yes dad, can we have dinner now?" Kevin asked grinning impishly up at Tommy.
Tommy always revelled in his son. In so many ways Kevin was just like him. They shared the same unruly coal black hair, the same silver-grey eyes, and the same light olive tan. Kevin even walked like Tommy, with a cocky, lithe swagger. In fact, even at only 6, he already charmed the socks of women with his adorable crooked grin so much like Tommy's. It all made sense too. When Tommy was 15, after escaping from Manticore, he had valiantly spread his seed, sowing wild oats, the outcome being Kevin, whose mother had died in childbirth. One thing they didn't share however was Kevin's appetite. His metabolism amazed Tommy. Every hour or so Kevin was hungry, and he always burned the food off easily. He didn't have one ounce of fat or chubbiness on him, which was understandable since he was a transgenic.
Unfortunately, the day after he was born his barcode showed, X6 776.
"Yeah sure, we're having sausages and mashed potatoes tonight!" Tommy laughed at Kevin's smile of delight. It was so strange how kids liked such dull food. Though he didn't mind in the least, everything else, he burnt.
When Tommy and Kevin entered the house Tommy ordered Kevin to go and wash his hands and face before coming to eat dinner, and he moved to do just that himself, in the kitchen sink.
As they sat down to dinner the phone rang and Tommy sighed when he answered it. It was Mrs Kelling, the local schoolteacher. Kevin didn't go to school because Tommy didn't want to risk exposure for him and so Mrs Kelling was always nagging at Tommy to enrol Kevin in school.
"Mr. Lowan, that test Kevin did last week? He scored very high, genius high, please, enrol him soon, it's not too late!" she yabbered into his ear.
"If he's so smart ma'am, don't you think I'm doing a fine job raising him and teaching him myself?" he asked into the receiver.
There was a short silence for a second before Mrs Kelling sighed. "I suppose." And hang up the phone.
"Mrs Kelling again?" Kevin asked grinning over at Tommy, his cheeks puffing out with a mouthful of food.
"Yeah. Kev, if you wanna go to school you just have to ask kay?" Tommy said sitting back down and grabbing a report out of the fax, it was from his special detective.
"Nah, not yet." Kevin replied, returning his full attention back to his food.
The file had Tommy fully occupied, and his own food was forgotten. His P.I claimed that he had located one of his sisters.X5 452.Max. As soon as Tommy turned the page and saw the picture of the gorgeous, cocky woman he knew it was in fact her.
No one else in the world could possibly have those dark, burning hazel eyes.
His eyes skimmed briefly over the writing as he sped read the rest of the file, and then they stopped at her address; Seattle, only 2 miles from where he was.
"Hey Kev? Wanna go on a road trip?" Tommy asked not looking up from the file.
"Should I pack now?" Kevin asked.
"I guess. You can sleep on the way."
Kevin snorted. He was one of the ones that very, very rarely slept, which had often caused a problem for Tommy who LOVED to sleep.
"Where to an' why?" Kevin asked.
"To visit family in Seattle." Tommy replied absently.
"Oh? I thought you didn't know your parents?"
"Nah, you know I don't. Remember those stories I used to tell you about the other people I grew up with? The others with barcodes like you and me? They're like family, and I want to visit one." Tommy explained patiently. He tried to put it into simple, child-like terms, even though Kevin would understand either way.
"Which one we gonna meet? Or are we gonna see a group?" Kevin asked walking over to stand behind Tommy and peek over his shoulder at the file.
"Dunno, at least one.Max."
"That her?" Kevin asked pointing at the picture.
Tommy sighed. "Yes, you gonna go pack?"
Even with the brain capacity of a teenager, Kevin still had the curiosity of a child, and he was always asking questions.
Kevin nodded, still looking at the picture. "She looks like those angels the kids try to draw." He whispered and then headed for his room.
He stopped and turned to Tommy. "Should I pack like we might not come back, or like we're going away for the week?" he asked frowning.
Tommy paused for a second. It was always safer to be ready just in case something happened. "Would you hate it if we never came back?" he asked Kevin.
"I don't think so. My friends probably wouldn't understand, they're so childish sometimes, they don't understand me. Maybe in Seattle we'll find more kids like me?" he asked.
"Yeah, maybe. Pack like we might not come back." Tommy answered, turning and looking at his son.
"You gotta pack too." Kevin said, and continued on.
Tommy almost laughed, whenever Kevin felt like he was being ordered to do something, he always ordered Tommy to do the same. God I love him! Tommy thought, standing up and heading to his own room. He's my little man.
Tommy laughed as he easily dodged his 6-year-old son's playful punch, and his son fell to the floor. "Kevin, you know that if you are going to put all your strength behind a punch you need to use the strength from your chest so that you don't become unbalanced." He lightly chastised, helping his son up.
"Yes dad, can we have dinner now?" Kevin asked grinning impishly up at Tommy.
Tommy always revelled in his son. In so many ways Kevin was just like him. They shared the same unruly coal black hair, the same silver-grey eyes, and the same light olive tan. Kevin even walked like Tommy, with a cocky, lithe swagger. In fact, even at only 6, he already charmed the socks of women with his adorable crooked grin so much like Tommy's. It all made sense too. When Tommy was 15, after escaping from Manticore, he had valiantly spread his seed, sowing wild oats, the outcome being Kevin, whose mother had died in childbirth. One thing they didn't share however was Kevin's appetite. His metabolism amazed Tommy. Every hour or so Kevin was hungry, and he always burned the food off easily. He didn't have one ounce of fat or chubbiness on him, which was understandable since he was a transgenic.
Unfortunately, the day after he was born his barcode showed, X6 776.
"Yeah sure, we're having sausages and mashed potatoes tonight!" Tommy laughed at Kevin's smile of delight. It was so strange how kids liked such dull food. Though he didn't mind in the least, everything else, he burnt.
When Tommy and Kevin entered the house Tommy ordered Kevin to go and wash his hands and face before coming to eat dinner, and he moved to do just that himself, in the kitchen sink.
As they sat down to dinner the phone rang and Tommy sighed when he answered it. It was Mrs Kelling, the local schoolteacher. Kevin didn't go to school because Tommy didn't want to risk exposure for him and so Mrs Kelling was always nagging at Tommy to enrol Kevin in school.
"Mr. Lowan, that test Kevin did last week? He scored very high, genius high, please, enrol him soon, it's not too late!" she yabbered into his ear.
"If he's so smart ma'am, don't you think I'm doing a fine job raising him and teaching him myself?" he asked into the receiver.
There was a short silence for a second before Mrs Kelling sighed. "I suppose." And hang up the phone.
"Mrs Kelling again?" Kevin asked grinning over at Tommy, his cheeks puffing out with a mouthful of food.
"Yeah. Kev, if you wanna go to school you just have to ask kay?" Tommy said sitting back down and grabbing a report out of the fax, it was from his special detective.
"Nah, not yet." Kevin replied, returning his full attention back to his food.
The file had Tommy fully occupied, and his own food was forgotten. His P.I claimed that he had located one of his sisters.X5 452.Max. As soon as Tommy turned the page and saw the picture of the gorgeous, cocky woman he knew it was in fact her.
No one else in the world could possibly have those dark, burning hazel eyes.
His eyes skimmed briefly over the writing as he sped read the rest of the file, and then they stopped at her address; Seattle, only 2 miles from where he was.
"Hey Kev? Wanna go on a road trip?" Tommy asked not looking up from the file.
"Should I pack now?" Kevin asked.
"I guess. You can sleep on the way."
Kevin snorted. He was one of the ones that very, very rarely slept, which had often caused a problem for Tommy who LOVED to sleep.
"Where to an' why?" Kevin asked.
"To visit family in Seattle." Tommy replied absently.
"Oh? I thought you didn't know your parents?"
"Nah, you know I don't. Remember those stories I used to tell you about the other people I grew up with? The others with barcodes like you and me? They're like family, and I want to visit one." Tommy explained patiently. He tried to put it into simple, child-like terms, even though Kevin would understand either way.
"Which one we gonna meet? Or are we gonna see a group?" Kevin asked walking over to stand behind Tommy and peek over his shoulder at the file.
"Dunno, at least one.Max."
"That her?" Kevin asked pointing at the picture.
Tommy sighed. "Yes, you gonna go pack?"
Even with the brain capacity of a teenager, Kevin still had the curiosity of a child, and he was always asking questions.
Kevin nodded, still looking at the picture. "She looks like those angels the kids try to draw." He whispered and then headed for his room.
He stopped and turned to Tommy. "Should I pack like we might not come back, or like we're going away for the week?" he asked frowning.
Tommy paused for a second. It was always safer to be ready just in case something happened. "Would you hate it if we never came back?" he asked Kevin.
"I don't think so. My friends probably wouldn't understand, they're so childish sometimes, they don't understand me. Maybe in Seattle we'll find more kids like me?" he asked.
"Yeah, maybe. Pack like we might not come back." Tommy answered, turning and looking at his son.
"You gotta pack too." Kevin said, and continued on.
Tommy almost laughed, whenever Kevin felt like he was being ordered to do something, he always ordered Tommy to do the same. God I love him! Tommy thought, standing up and heading to his own room. He's my little man.