A/N - Thanks for all the great feedback - Hopefully this lives up to expectations!

So read, enjoy and review!

Chapter Three – Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

By the time they had finished running through the files and making notes, it was heading towards late afternoon. Peter sat back first, his hands folded on the desk.

"As fun as this is, it's time to make a move."

Olivia sighed and removed her glasses.

"And what is your suggestion?"

"We do as Broyles said; we go and meet this Michael Wainwright kid. I'm kind of interested in speaking to him."

"So you're as curious as I am then?"

Peter flashed a grin and stood, getting the coats that they had abandoned on Walter's sofa.

The Wainwright mansion sat on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by towering gates and high walls. When they approached the gate, Peter pressed the button for the intercom and they waited for a response.

"Yes?"

"Agent Dunham and Peter Bishop to see Angela Wainwright."

The gates swung open soundlessly and Peter glanced at Olivia.

"It might be the gates but I have a bad feeling about this."

They drove up the long, pebbled driveway pulling up in front of the house, where a large man in a suit waited for them. Olivia could see by the way he held himself that he carried a gun and she didn't like the fact that she could not see his eyes, which were hidden behind dark glasses. He looked them up and down before he finally spoke.

"Identification please."

They both flashed their I.D's and the man pushed the front door open for them, allowing them to slip past. Another woman was waiting for them, dressed in a maid's uniform. She nodded slightly and moved away from the front door, Olivia and Peter following her. It never seemed to end, the winding corridors and high polished doors. Finally they approached the largest door so far and the maid pushed it open, indicating them to move inside before closing the door behind them. Olivia was always surprised at the way the rich spent their money. Unusual pieces of art were on the walls, masks from foreign countries and dark, leather furniture layered the room. A large bar spread across one side of the room, row after row of fancy bottles that Olivia knew would not come from the local bottle store. Peter whistled low under his breath. She moved closer and looked over his shoulder. He held his hands up higher, revealing a flawless leather, bound book.

"A first edition copy of Tale of Two Cities autographed by Charles Dickens."

"Wow. That must be worth a pretty penny."

"It has been in the family for a while now."

They both turned to find a tallish woman watching them. Olivia could pick people out. Years of being an agent gave her the training that she needed to be able to pick out things that didn't belong. And this woman didn't belong. She was in odds with her environment. She wore the clothes, had her hair done without one strand out of place but she held herself without the authority that seemed to come from money. Olivia glanced at Peter, seeing if he saw the same thing. He did, she could tell by the slight farrowing of his brow. Angela Wainwright moved forward offering them her hand.

"Angela Wainwright."

Her hand was cool in Olivia's, the afternoon sun flicking off the perfectly polished nails.

"May I offer you a cup of tea or coffee?"

"No thank you. We are here in regards to Michael."

Angela nodded slightly.

"Yes, the unfortunate mess with the abductions. As you can see, Michael is completely safe. No one gets in or out of this property without me knowing."

Olivia didn't have the heart to tell her that she had seen lesser men fight their way through more guards than she had. Instead, she nodded slightly.

"Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Certainly."

"What happened to Michael's parents?"

Angela indicated to a couple of overstuffed chairs positioned just behind them and Olivia took a seat, feeling out of place. She hated how impersonal things felt. Angela went to the bar and poured herself a glass of whiskey before taking a seat across from them. She drank deeply before finally speaking.

"My sister and her husband were killed in a car accident four years ago. Michael and his estate became my responsibility. We have no other family."

"We know that Michael is a designer baby."

Angela shook her head.

"He wasn't designed. He was created in a test tube, that much is true but he wasn't designed. His father and his mother were both very intelligent people."

Peter smiled.

"I would love to say that this is a genetic determination but it is not. The other children, the unfortunate abductions as you called them, were all child prodigies."

Angela smiled as well, this one not reaching her eyes, holding her mouth in a tight, twisted line.

"You say that because you haven't met Michael. He is doing college grade papers and next year will be enrolled in Stanford through one of their elite intelligence programmes."

"The other children were the same. All incredibly advanced and well above the normal standard for children."

Angela frowned.

"Is that why they were taken? Because of their intelligence?"

"We believe so. And it all happened on their sixth birthday."

Angela gasped slightly.

"That's in two weeks."

"Hence the concern for his safety. Michael's safety has become our priority."

Angela spun the large ring around her finger.

"Michael was a miracle. My brother was infertile because of a series of medications and illnesses as a child. My sister-in-law had a hostile womb, according to the specialist. So they put a large chunk of their income into having Michael. He played his first game of chess, beating his father at age one. He spoke long before that, learning to walk and talk months in advance. At three, his I.Q was tested and it sat at 120. I haven't had it tested since but I know it has gotten higher. Would you like to meet him?"

They both nodded and Angela slipped from the room. A few moments later she reappeared, her hand on the small shoulder of a tiny boy. He was small for his age, his back incredibly straight, and his face serious. But it was his eyes that caught Olivia. Large, dark and very sad. This kid was hurting. He extended his small hand.

"Agent Olivia Dunham, it's nice to meet you. I'm Michael Wainwright."

Olivia stooped down, just as she would with any other child, getting on his eye level. She took his hand, her own swallowing his, and shook it, offering him a smile.

"Hi Michael, it nice to meet you. This is-"

"Your husband, Peter Bishop."

Michael offered his hand to Peter, who shook it.

"Hi Michael."

"Hello. You both have impressive records. I was unable to read all the data on you but I have enough to know that you can be trusted."

Peter and Olivia exchanged a glance, one that Michael caught. He cleared his throat.

"I like computers. Hacking into the Federal database was not the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I like to know who is in my home."

Angela placed her hand on Michael's shoulder, her tone hard.

"Michael, don't be rude."

"I paid them both a compliment. That, by definition, is not rude. In fact, it's the opposite."

Peter grinned at Michael.

"Thanks for the compliment. We don't get many of those in our line of work."

Michael studied Peter for a moment, his head cocked slightly.

"I imagine you wouldn't considering not many would know about your division to start with. I'm sure if they knew, more people would pay you compliments."

Michael moved away from the hand of his Aunt and climbed onto the seat. His brain may have been well developed but his body was still that of a child and his legs hung far from the floor. He looked between Olivia and Peter.

"The other children, what happened to them?"

Olivia frowned slightly, wondering just how much she could say.

"Agent Dunham, please do not act as if I don't know. I am aware that others like me have gone missing. As I already stated, I was in the Federal database."

Olivia glanced at Peter, already knowing what she had to do. She could not undermine Michael's intelligence. Normal children could see through the guises of adults, who knew what an incredibly intelligent one saw when an adult lied. And since he could already hack the FBI system, it would be easy for him to find the information in other ways.

"We don't know. However, we intend to find out. You have a link to the other victims."

"What links?"

"Age, intelligence and the scientists who assisted your parents in conceiving you."

Michael nodded. His hand moved of its own accord, fingering a silver chain that Olivia could see near his tie.

"Very well."

"Michael, do you mind looking at these pictures for me?"

"Why?"

"Just to see if you know any of them."

"Certainly."

Olivia opened the file that contained the pictures of all the abducted children, laying them out on the table, facing Michael. He leaned forward, silence falling as he studied them closely, a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry Agent Dunham, but I do not recognise them."

Olivia collected the pictures with a slight smile.

"That's absolutely fine. Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome."

"I will leave a contact phone number with your, so if you do remember anything you can give me a call."

Michael nodded.

"Very well."

Olivia studied Michael while Peter rattled off contact information to Angela. Everything he did, from drinking his water to rubbing his hands together, were very adult movements. He considered and answered the questions with careful balance and consideration. When they finally left the Wainwright house, Peter was wearing a wide smile on his face.

"Broyles was wrong."

"How so?"

"Michael appears to be running the show. He is scarily adult."

"Sitting in that chair was pretty child-like. His legs didn't even make it halfway to the floor."

"I know. You were right by the way."

"How so?"

"Telling him the truth."

"He didn't offer us much choice. Like he said, he can hack into the FBI system."

"It was a matter of respect. I can only guess that no one takes him seriously. You gave him something that I am certain he rarely receives."

"Well, hopefully, that helps if you need him for anything."

"So I had an idea."

"What would that be?"

"It's getting pretty late. How about we go and pay a visit to Trualific Sciences and then head home?"

Olivia smiled.

"I believe that is the best thing you have said all day."