Chapter 3
Mara held back a yawn as the group of invited Doctors gathered in a row in the middle of the chamber of capsules. All but one of the fifteen doctors were strangers to her, and the one she had met had been briefly at a Lung and Heart symposium in Dallas. They all seemed as lost and awestruck as her, however, so she couldn't help but to identify with them.
"Welcome, esteemed medical professionals, to Rowen Eugenics," Pierce said as he strode purposefully into the room. He was flanked by several assistants and lab technicians, and Mara couldn't help but think of the Godfather. She tried very hard to stifle her laughter at the thought.
"I am Director Henry Pierce, and I am proud to say that our long days and sleepless nights here at Rowen labs have finally paid off. What you see before you is an augmented human—genetically engineered to be superior to us in every way. The purpose of these subjects is to aid in the advancement of our species on this planet—to build a better world for our children," he paused for dramatic effect, "and for many generations to come. They are smarter, stronger, and uniquely superior. And they are going to form our new future."
As he finished, several doctors genuinely clapped. Most of them didn't know what to make of the situation.
"We've summoned you all here to aid in monitoring these subjects on a medical basis. While they are somewhat different from us, they are built exactly like us. The best of us, yes, but us nonetheless. Today, we are going to activate the first of our Augmented Human Lifeforms, or AHL's, a full month before the activation of the same technology in Russia. And I wanted you all to be a part of it."
More applause. Mara felt an uneasy lump in her throat.
Pierce stepped up next to the nearest tube, nodding to a few technicians. They joined him, one to his left, two more on the other side of the capsule.
"Twenty years ago, my father told me of his dream to create such life. Today, his dream comes true," Pierce said, leaning forward and pressing an aptly red-colored button in the center of the capsule's console.
The capsule began whirring, clicking, and generally changing. The blue liquid inside began to decrease, setting the subject on his back as the weightless environment sank. Some of the cords and syringes began to retract, pulling from his skin and retracting into the walls of the capsule. Once the liquid had completely drained, the glass cover split in the middle and began to electronically recede down into the lower extremis of the capsule's machinery.
Mara felt a fleeting panic on the realization that the subject wasn't moving or breathing. She'd never witnessed anything like this before, and knew she should let it run its course. But she, along with a few others, looked panicked.
"It's quite alright, he will awaken momentarily," Pierce said, checking a handheld computer of some kind, which obviously revealed vitals.
For an entire tense, anxiety-filled minute, the subject did not move. Mara thought she could see panic forming in Pierce's face for a split second. Then…
It happened so quickly she didn't even have time to yelp.
The subject's eyes snapped open, his face instantly forming into one of anger. He sat up, quick as a snake, his black hair sticking to his face as his body was still covered in whatever liquid had been suspending him.
He reached out, shoving two of the three technicians back so hard that one of them cracked the glass of the capsule behind it when he struck it. The subject reached to the closest available object—the mechanic arm from within the capsule—and tore it easily from its hinges. Like tearing Kleenex in half.
He swung sideways lithely from the elevated capsule, and held the bionic arm out like a weapon. He backed away from the group, snapping the arm back and forth, unsure of where to point it. Some of the cords and tubes were still attached to his body, and he ripped them from his skin in panicked anger. Just as the blood began to flow, it stopped. His body healed just as quickly as it was wounded.
Mara heard an impressed gasp from the other Doctors, and pained whimpers coming from the injured technicians. Pierce, however, moved toward the subject. He handed his computer to a technician slowly, then raised his hands in a show of surrender.
"Khan," Pierce said quietly, inching closer.
The subject, Khan, as he was being called, jerked his head to the side to look at Pierce. His eyes narrowed. He choked for a moment, coughing out mouthfuls of the strange blue liquid. He shook his head to rid himself of the liquid, blinking uncertainly. His entire body shook, and he continued holding the bionic arm toward Pierce.
"M… my name," Khan choked, swallowing hard. His voice was deep, soft, and dangerous. It was inflected with the Londoner's accent, and Mara assumed the artificial intelligence given to him had installed such a thing.
"Yes," Pierce said, taking another step closer. "Your name is Khan," Pierce said quietly, extending a hand to take the arm from Khan.
Khan noticed he was about to be disarmed, and his face turned to anger again. He slapped Pierce's hand away, and in one fluid movement had grabbed one of Pierce's technicians, and held her in a vice grip. She tried hard not to cry out, but it was obvious that his grip could crush steel. Her eyes watered as she attempted to stay calm. Khan held the severed end of the bionic arm to her throat, the jagged edge hovering over her carotid.
"Khan," Pierce said in a warning tone, backing away a step. "Khan, we are friends. Allies."
This particular word use obviously registered, because his grip slackened. He looked at Pierce questioningly, and Mara thought she saw a flash of fear in his eyes. Could they even feel fear?
"We are your allies, Khan," Pierce said again, continuing to hold his hands aloft. "See? None of us are armed."
He said that, but behind his back, one of the technicians was loading a tiny syringe gun with some kind of dark red liquid. The gun clicked as the technician slipped the syringe in place, and Khan twitched, his eyes going directly to the technician. His hand tightened on the bionic arm, and the woman he held whimpered. There was blood running down her throat.
"No weapons!" Pierce hissed over his shoulder. "Remember what we have taught him. Put it down!"
The technician slowly set the syringe gun on a nearby capsule, reluctantly holding his hands aloft as well.
Khan studied them for a moment, his piercing eyes whipping back and forth to every person in the room, judging the threat. There was a tense moment in which Mara thought he would simply kill the woman and fight his way free.
Just as soon as it had begun, it ended. Khan straightened, dropping his arms from the woman's neck, and letting the bionic arm fall to the ground. He took his first deep breath, and it sounded choked. He, however, did not seem to care.
"There we are," Pierce said easily, but decided to move slowly. Like Khan was a spooked horse.
Pierce removed his long lab coat, extending it to Khan's shoulders and laying it around him. Khan looked at it curiously, but wrapped it around his naked form.
"See? No threat here," Pierce said to him, looking him in the eyes for the first time and holding his gaze.
Khan's gaze narrowed, and he seemed… contemplative. Like he doubted Pierce's words. Part of Mara did, too.
"Lucy, Brianne, will you see that Khan is taken to his room. Dr. McGivers," Pierce said, his loud tone returning as he turned to face the doctors. "You have been assigned four of them, Khan included. Please follow Lucy and Brianne as they escort Khan to his room. I trust you can perform the necessary medical examination?"
"Uh… yes," she cleared her throat so she wouldn't sound so clueless. She looked to Khan, whose dagger-sharp stare burned into her unwaveringly. "Yes, Director. Standard medical exam, sir?" she clarified.
"That should do, for now," he said with a smile, looking proudly at Khan.
Khan, however, narrowed his eyes at Pierce, then turned to Mara, looking her over like a piece of meat.
Something told her this was going to be a lot more complicated than she anticipated.