Collins placed the disc into his computer and waited for it to load up. Within seconds a video image appeared on his screen. On the video screen the year 2001 appeared. He wasn't sure how many times he had watched it. Ten times? Fifty? A hundred, maybe? He always hoped it would be different, that what he saw didn't happen. But no matter how many times he watched it, the results were always the same.

They weren't even sure if it was possible. They were all pioneers, going into unmarked territory of research, hundreds of years ahead of their time.

Of course, no one knew it at the time.

The sample had been so little, but they had to try, they couldn't let all those people die.

Mr. Collins sighed heavily, seeing the deep concern in his son's face. Concern that it wouldn't work, that it wasn't enough, that it might already be too late. That his friends would die, that she would die. Even then Collins knew his son cared very deeply for Jen, perhaps even before Wes had ever admitted it to himself. He had seen the way Wes would look at her, the look in his eyes. It was a lookhe knew all too well.

Wes stood in front of one of the Silver Guardians, overseeing the research. While the scientist worked to try to recreate the sample, the serum that would hopefully cure the deadly bite.

Collins knew all the faces, maybe even more than he wanted, as if each and every one of them was imprinted into his mind.

One being Gunther Drew, one of his young associates who had decided at the last minute he wanted to be part of something that could have wondrous results. He wanted to oversee the process.

Lance Landers, a young man a little older than Wes. Landers was a Silver Guardian, who came from a fairly poor, but religious family. He and his pregnant wife were planning on being missionaries and the Guardian job was only for the short term until enough money was made.

The others were a scientist, Colin Carson, and his soon- to-be wife, Beth Bridges, along with Heather Zanders who recently had gotten engaged to a Chris Delgado.

Then top scientist Kat Manx was overseeing the project, even though she had been there a little less than a year. She had become known as one of Dr. Zaskin's top researchers. Very little was known about her, it was like she had dropped out of nowhere, had no family or even previous job contacts. She said she had lost everything in a fire.

And last but not least, a high school senior; all anyone knew about her was her name, Samantha.

Collins watched as his son…

Wes leaned closer to the table, watching as they mixed compounds and products together. He was totally unaware of what else was going around him, due to his deep concern for his friends.

Looking back, Collins hated himself for it, how he used his son, so wrongly. It was devious and sickening and he wouldn't blame Wes if this ended up ruining their relationship.

While Wes wasn't looking, Carson ran a scan over his morpher, gathering information, with a scanner with large amounts of high frequencies. Then something happened, the room began to shake and the lights flashed.

"Everyone, stay calm, it's just an earthquake," Kat told them.

Somehow some of the formula had spilt onto Wes's morpher without his knowing, and with the scanner going over Wes's morpher a surge of energy went through the room, leaving everyone stunned, but it quickly wore off as if nothing had happened.

Kat looked at all of them oddly, almost sensing as if something was not right; something had changed, but what?

Collins switched off the video image. Due to his always wanting more back then, this had happened. This was what had caused the changes. This was what had changed their lives.

He sighed heavily, going over Landers' packet, of his son Jack who was now four and a half. Even though he had been conceived long before the incident, his father's sexual contact with his mother still caused him to be different. The Landers learned very early that there was something very different about their son; a day which Collins knew would remain in their memory forever.

Jack, one year old and already walking, learned very quickly that he was able to walk through anything. He nearly gave his mother a heart attack when she was cooking in the kitchen. She turned around just for a minute and watched as her son walked through a wall. Once Lance got home and he saw with his own eyes what his son was capable of, they rushed him to the hospital, but nothing was found wrong with him. He was perfectly healthy.

That's when they brought him to Bio-Lab to go through further testing, but again nothing was found wrong. No one could explain why the little boy could go through things. It didn't make any sense.

But that all changed a few months later. Gunther Drew and his wife, their daughter Sydney was born. Just hours after she was born, her parents noticed something not quite right with her. When they held her in their arms, her hands clutching onto his mothers nacklacde, they watched, frightened, as her little hand turned into the necklaces material. The doctors didn't know how to explain it.

When it was brought to Collins' attention a couple of months later, he feared the worst, that somehow it was all connected to that day. He would be proven right a year later, in 2003, when two more children were born.

The Carson's son, Bridge: no one could tell right away what his powers were. But when he was one, somehow a deadly snake had gotten into his bedroom. He yelled for his parents, saying, "Snake! Snake! Daddy, don't let it bite you!" His father found it odd that his son could speak so well, and then he heard the slithering behind him. It was the snake, moving quickly he grabbed his son and ran out of the room, shutting the door behind him. It turned out that Bridge had some psychic powers.

Then there was Elizabeth Delgado, the most frightening of all. The parents were told long before the birth that they were having triplets. But when the time came only one would come out, the other two were like ghosts. Their hands would go right through the children. It turned out the other two were fakes.

With four children of parents who had worked for him, and all the children had some type of abnormal power, Collins knew they were all connected to that one day. When he brought it forward, of course they were all furious, most so the Drew family. So Collins then began to make deals with them, although the Landers and Delgado families wanted very little to do with him. After a few months they disappeared, staying in little contact with Collins and the others. As for the Drew family, they threatened to sue Collins, unless he would pay a large amount of money to them monthly. Collins agreed and offered the same to the Carsons, but they turned down the offer, feeling in a way it had been their fault too, they should have been more careful.

A little more than two years had gone by. But a day hadn't passed that he hadn't thought of those children. What would their lives be like? How would they turn out? Would they be accepted and not treated like freaks?

Jack, whose genetic power was molecularization, able to go through solid objects. In time some of Bio-Labs top scientists believe that Jack would be able to take others though solid objects with him, that he would somehow temporarily be able to transfer his ability to them as long as they connected.

Syd, whose genetic power was elements, she was able to turn her hand into any material she touched. It is also believed that as she gets older and progresses her ability that she will be able to change her whole body into any element she touch.

Bridge, whose genetic power was psychic sensitivity, able to sense energy and sometimes even future events. There was no telling how much more this ability could develop.

And then Elizabeth or 'Z', whose genetic power was replication, able to create nonliving doubles of herself. It's estimated that one day she may be able to replicate herself in the hundreds.

But their parents weren't the only ones affected by this; there was still Samantha, who he had been unable to locate. And then there was his own flesh and blood, his son Wes, who had no idea that his DNA had been changed. There were days Collins considered it a blessing that Wes hadn't settled down, had children, but then there were the days when he knew that was all Wes desired, but of course he knew who his son wanted to be married to and have a child with, and that it wasn't possible. It wasn't going to happen.

His phone began ringing.

"Yes, Dian."

"Dr. Manx is ready for you."

"All right, tell her I'm headed down to the lab now."

Distant future

A young boy stood outside a bedroom door, listening as his parents spoke to each other. There was much distress going on, even at the young and tender age of five he understood that something was gravely wrong. But his parents had always acted as if everything was fine and that he shouldn't worry so much. But he wasn't blind, something was wrong and that scared him more than anything.

"You have to promise me you'll get him to him, no matter what," the boy's mother pleaded. "Please."

"I will. Don't worry. I promise, no matter what." There was a short pause. "But you do know what will have to happen, in order for me to do so." His father's voice was soft and saddened.

The boy waited and listened for his mother to answer. He had no idea what they were talking about, but only guessed that in some way it concerned him. "Yes. I know…. It's the only way."

"If there was another way," the boy heard his father reply.

"I know," he heard her say to his father. He could hear the sadness in her voice. She was crying again. "Thank you, for everything. If it hadn't been for you, none of this would have ever been possible. I owe a lot to you."

"You don't owe me anything. I would always be there for you. I'm just sorry it has to end this way." There was a short pause. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. It's time," she answered softly, her voice weak. The boy could tell his mother had tears in her eyes. He hated it when she cried; many nights he would wake up and hear her crying and could hear his father consoling her.

"Son, it's time to come in now," he heard his father call his name.

"I'm coming," he answered softly, as he slowly walked into the bedroom as he had many times before. But something was different this time. He had walked into this bedroom hundreds of times with no problem, but this time felt different, this time felt scarier, because for some reason he felt this would be the last time he would ever set foot into this very room. Once he was in their bedroom he gently closed the door behind him.