by L. B. Carter
"However, it seems that behind the scenes, BSTU has been simultaneously researching a biologic fix that will help humanity weather the increasing frequency and devastation of natural catastrophes on Earth, starting with rising sea levels."
The camera zoomed in to her pores.
"And we're not talking robots. BSTU has developed an entirely new human capable of sustaining the changing conditions of our climate."
The camera panned back out.
"The superhuman was created as a result of DNA manipulation. The scientists involved in the study have informed NTN that they have more than one successful case, suggesting their methods are robust enough to perhaps start considering mass alteration on existing humans."
The woman hesitated, perhaps uncertain about her own DNA being altered. It was no big deal. Val had barely felt any pain during the transformation. It would save the anchor lady the trouble of Botox.
"If you missed the live broadcast from within Boston Science and Technology University just now, stay tuned as we repeat a recording of our exclusive interview with the scientists... and the superhuman herself, who goes, appropriately, by the name Sirena, reminding us all of those mythical sirens of Greek lore who lured men into the sea to join them. Joining her in the ocean deep may soon be a reality. Take a look."
The anchor shuffled and realigned her notes on the counter, unable to stifle the bewilderment from her face, no matter how much she tried to stay professionally neutral.
The feed cut to a new set. A man in suit and tie perched on a wooden bar stool in front of a black curtain. Several studio lights illuminated him to create a stark contrast with the backing.
"I'm Benjamin Thompson with NTN, and I'm joined today by the lead scientists on a revolutionary new study, announced just this morning. They claim they've discovered a feasible method of using genetic modification to increase the probability of survival of our species in this time of climate change."
The video widened and shifted off the man onto three more people seated on evenly spaced wooden barstools. Two wore lab coats and the third, ill-fitting clothes taken from a stolen car's trunk.
"Rena." Nor jerked forward involuntarily.
"And Professor Tate," Henley breathed. Tate did look a lot like Val's new body.
"Who's the third?"
"Professor Hutchinson," Val informed Ace with distaste. "The guy who actually made Sirena with the help of Jennifer though Tate likes to claim the rights."
"Shh," Marissa quelled her children.
Tate was speaking, her chin high, her glasses freshly polished and reflecting the light, which made her look eerily eyeless like she was inhuman. "...our duty to tell the world the results of our latest work. The research was an arduous task, requiring several years of processing simply to produce the correct DNA strand we were attempting to create."
"What? How many failed attempts did they have?" Val choked out, imagining disfigured infantile bodies heaped in a trash can in a wet lab.
"And how did you come up with the idea?" The male voice asked off-screen.
Tate grinned. "It was my idea."
Hutchinson bristled, shooting her a look reminiscent of Val and Reed.
"I'm a paleoclimatologist, and I can assure you that as terrifying as it may seem, much of what we're seeing in nature today has happened in Earth's past. Of course, not to this extent or at such a rapid pace, but there are similarities. And although there have been mass extinctions that have coupled with extreme climate shifts, many animals have persevered. My previous investigations show that more often than not, the species that survive are ocean-dwelling. With sea level rising, it made sense to look to them. The ocean is where life began. Why not return to it?"
"So you've created, what, a mermaid of sorts?" The man chuckled.
Sirena shifted uncomfortably.
Tate grinned. "Not right away. When this Specimen remained alive after the incubation period and seemed to display all of the traits we had attempted to invoke, it took a few more years to subject her to all the appropriate underwater training to make sure she was able to adequately use all her unique traits. We also performed many tests to confirm the success of our trial. We wanted to be certain before we revealed anything this... monumental." Tate glanced at Rena with a patronizing smile.
"How did she do on those lab tests?" asked the host.
"Our specimen excelled. In fact, we even took her outside the lab to see how effectively she assimilated into a natural environment and interacted within society. She did exceptionally well, fitting in seamlessly."
"Like hell, she did." Nor's anger ricocheted harmlessly off the screen, his shoulders bunching.
Henley kindly shushed him and grabbed his hand in her human one.
"You said you've tested her capabilities. What kind of tests?"
"Well, in my lab—"
"I'm certain you've heard about that recent devastating flood that hit the Midwest," Tate spoke over Hutchinson, who deflated, a meek pudgy man. Tate shook her head sadly. "Such a travesty. So much damage. And by our own government."
Val and Marissa hissed.
"Are you saying you sent your specimen into the flood?" the body-less voice asked with shock.
"Not intentionally as, like everyone else, we were completely taken by surprise that the government would instigate such a destructive disaster. No warning at all." Her head waggled back and forth. "However, our specimen happened to be in the right place at the right time, undergoing some routine checks on her societal integration. It was a fortuitous test as that is a more realistic example of her advantage. This specimen is able to adapt to unexpected and changing conditions without preparation."
"No, she isn't. She's not adaptive, just different." Henley harrumphed.
"And as with other tests—" Tate's smile split wide. "—she surpassed all our expectations."
"And what were your expectations in such a situation? What makes her such a miracle?"
Tate held out a hand at Rena, who glanced up at it then turned away again. She looked truly miserable.
Val had to get her back.
"You mean besides the fact that she exists in the first place? Besides the evidence that she clearly survived such a dangerous situation unharmed?" Tate's eyebrows vanished beneath her thick bangs.
The interviewer laughed. "Yes, besides that."
Tate gave a simpering smile. "Besides that, she was able to keep several others alive with whom she was traveling: two of our very own students, an official from the Department of Disaster Management, and two employees from the environmental non-profit firm Green Solutions. Not only should that be proof enough of her utility, but these other academics, private industry and federal employee are also now witnesses and can attest to her strengths. They are all unaffiliated with our lab, providing an unbiased corroboration." She adjusted her glasses. "It's truly wonderful when academia, industry and policy can all work together to make great strides toward a better future."
Val made a barfing noise and got a look from her mom. No jokes about gag-reflexes here. The temptation to break the tension zipping like electricity between the group was hard to resist. Reed would have understood.
"Where are these witnesses now?"
"They'll be arriving at BSTU shortly to personally validate our findings with the specimen. In fact, we have one of the two Green Solutions members here already."
Val gasped, and Nor made a choking sound. He was alive. Holy mother. Val's knees wobbled and her head swam, her vision desaturating on the edges.
It was simply because she hadn't eaten for days.
Like a plant in drought finally getting rain, an odd mixture of elation, muscle-weakening relief, and... irrational anger flushed through her. Her fingers tingled when she recalled his fingers slipping through hers.
He wasn't dead like she'd assumed. That... that asshat.
The pissed part grew. At him, not BSTU. For letting go. For putting her through that... that... that freedom from him for only a short time. Goddamn
him for not staying gone like a normal person. Like she was trying to accept. For making her feel guilty. For making her think of him reverently for a few minutes. For... for...
For missing him.
Her jaw ached from clenching.
"He's being incredibly cooperative, working directly with us to help find the others in the aftermath of the flood and bring them in," Tate continued.
"No," Nor moaned.
Val's anger strengthened, and her arms crossed tight to contain all the feelings swamping her body. Of course, Reed would cave. She seethed, fingernails biting into her biceps. He belonged somewhere as despicable as BSTU. They could keep him. See if she ever tried to save him a third time.
"The flood was quite chaotic as you can imagine, and without any response from the government to whom we've tried to reach out, we have no way of knowing to where they and all the other poor refugees were taken after being forcibly removed from their homes that were later destroyed."
"Bitch, their homes were destroyed before that," Val snipped.
"In fact..." Tate could barely restrain herself.
Val wondered if her current expression was similar to the one she wore when she slept with her student, Mark. Whatever she said next was most definitely going to suck baseballs.
"We're most excited to bring in our collaborating government official, who holds a very high-standing title—"
"Freak off," Val protested. "Collaborating, my ass."
"—because much like our work with... Sirena—" Tate's smile grew pained. She didn't like the name, but that was something that would definitely sell Rena to the public. "—the official is also living proof of the success of our lab's DNA transfers."
Val's breath halted. Reed had given her up. And with the way Tate phrased Val's involvement... the government was going to kill her for this. She definitely was not getting her job back.
"You have two superhumans?"
"That's right."
"You heard it here first, folks. Now, does this official have the same abilities?" the voice demanded ravenously, salivating unseen.
Tate's face closed up slightly. "Not exactly. She does not have the extraordinary capabilities Sirena possesses, because while Sirena was modified from conception and trained, the official's DNA was mutated at an advanced age."
"Advanced?! You're way older than me, lady."
"Shut up," Ace hissed at his sister.
"However, her DNA was successfully completely rewritten and her body reoriented in accordance with the change in code, so to speak, so that she no longer physically resembles the person she was. Anyone can resemble whomever they like."
"Incredible. So, could I be changed to have wings? I've always loved to travel," the man chortled.
"Someday," Tate affirmed. "Most importantly, this official confirms that Sirena isn't a fluke and that our novel method can work on multiple people at various stages in their lives. This has, I'm sure you've realized, drastic implications for the future."
"Mother freaking shit," Val breathed, all her years of plans evaporating in seconds.
"And can you tell our viewers what kinds of modifications this process includes? Sirena? Would you like to demonstrate?"
Rena's glare was her answer. She seemed to be sticking to her old tactic of not speaking.
Tate tittered. "It's difficult to display her features without a water tank, but essentially, Sirena is more adapted to aquatic environments. She can hold her breath for extended periods of time since her lung capacity is much larger than an average human, and her body can function at much lower levels of oxygen than we can. Her heart is also larger and stronger, pumping blood to her extremities to keep them working in freezing temperatures."
She was interrupted. "But the climate is warming, is it not?"
Tate tilted her head, eyes closing briefly though she restrained much more of an indication that that question was incredibly frustrating. Val knew well about fielding that one herself. It confused people that there could be different kinds of feedbacks from an overarching warming global temperature. "Yes, but sunlight cannot penetrate deep into the ocean, so in that setting, although it's growing a few degrees warmer, a normal human body would experience hypothermia. Additionally, pressure can be quite high with that much overbearing water pushing on your skeleton; Sirena has no trouble with this either."
"And the hair and fair skin tone? Is she able to speak?"
Nor growled at the TV. Rena's fingers that had been twining together plucked at her wrist in agitation.
Tate shrugged. "We altered her hair pigment for better camouflage to survive not only the elements but also a different predator situation in the ocean."
"It looks like seaweed," the man agreed.
"Precisely."
"The skin tone was a side-effect of the animal DNA we spliced with," Professor Hutchinson butted in, eager to share something. "It was from a—"
Tate didn't let him finish. "And the speech we're investigating."
"Thank you, Professors Tate and Hutchinson, senior scientists at Boston Science and Technology University. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about your amazing new discovery in the coming weeks."
Tate nodded graciously. Hutchinson scowled at being shut out. Rena continued to impersonate a ventriloquists dummy, abandoned on stage alone in front of a waiting audience.
The phone rang again as the picture diverted back to the lady at the news studio behind the desk, and she repeated her summary of the story.
No one moved to shut it off.
When another ring emanated through the room, Marissa snatched up the handset. "Yes?" Her mouth thinned into a tight line as she listened.
Because Marissa said nothing else, Val knew whoever was on the other end ranked even higher up the food chain. Val muted the TV.
Her mom had a great poker face, which was how she'd escalated within the government, but it was always someone serious if a reply wasn't required; all orders, no questions.
"What?" A spasm of worry pitted Val's stomach. They wouldn't have been the only one to see the broadcast. She was toast. But on what level would the toaster be set?
Marissa scrutinized Val's new body then hung up and turned to the window, hands behind her back. "You are being sent to Boston."
Val had no words. Professor Tate had tossed the fishing line, and the government had no choice but to bite. Their compliance was all Val needed to know to determine their interest in protecting her. She was being passed off to the prison guard. They had Marissa; Val hadn’t been around for a while anyway. She was worthless to them.
She'd shot herself in the foot.
"When?" She wanted time to say goodbye to Ace. She knew she wouldn't be coming back, no matter what BSTU decided her fate should be.
Val tried to cheer herself up: she'd have a chance to see Reed again. To kick him in the—
"No, you are all going to BSTU."
◆◆◆
"That woman isn't thinking. She's just alerted the world to Sirena's existence. There's nowhere she'll be safe now." Of course Nor was fixated on Sirena's wellbeing.
The love-struck idiots around Val didn't even make her life hard anymore. No, the crown went to Reed for turning Val into another point of interest. For getting her fired and tossed around like chattel.
"I can't believe you're the only other one. I assumed there were more," Henley said from her seat in the waiting room.
They had been kicked out of Marissa's office so she could handle the multiple situations that needed her attention. Official business. Val was no longer invited to help with that or even be privy to the details.
They'd also quickly made their way through the food Richard had cobbled together from the cafeteria. Val's hatred of Reed had an exciting new energy.
"I mean, only one Sirena who had non-human traits, but other people who'd had their DNA altered within the human spectrum. That's incredibly dangerous."
Val shrugged.
"What if it hadn't worked?"
>
Val shrugged again. "Then, I'd think twice about breaking out Sirena; I needed to be sure that their science was sound before I proposed it to my superiors."
"Jesus," Nor said. "And I thought my parents lived for science."
"Valerie has always been very thorough with achieving her goals," Ace noted. "No matter who she used to get there."
Val gave him a scathing look. "Oh and you're not obsessed with your work? You went willingly to BSTU, so happy to have an excuse to spend literal years staring at your computer screens."
Ace blinked, as always undeterred by her temper.
"So what's the plan?" Henley asked.
Val shrugged a third time. "How should I know? I'm as clueless as the rest of you. I think it's safe to say that thanks to Reed, I've lost my clearance level."
"You lost it when you altered your appearance," Ace scoffed. "We've been using my badge to get information, if you recall."
It was a struggle not to literally stick her tongue out at her brother. "Well, now he's essentially made me BSTU property instead of the government’s."
"I don't believe he did that," Nor insisted.
The laugh that slipped from Val's mouth was villainous. "Believe it, bucko. He hates me." She smirked. "Not just for giving him blue balls by toying with him and then denying him."
"Too much information." Henley scrunched her nose.
"So, what, we're trading you in? Handing you over to BSTU with Sirena?" Nor brought them back.
"It would seem that way," Ace conceded. "I presume we take Reed back in a kind of exchange."
"I meant, what is our plan?" Henley's voice was pitiful, uncertain. "I don't want to go back there."
"We aren't staying," Ace said forcefully.
Val sighed. "You two should stay here. All of you. I'm the one they want."
"That wasn't the deal," Ace replied. "You heard mom. All of us."
Richard materialized.
"Oh, goodie. You again." Val was not pleased to see him.
"Ah, Ms. Acton?" R.I.P. being referred to as Director Acton. "Your helicopter has arrived. If you'll follow me, I'll brief you as we walk."
"Great. Answers." Val popped to her feet. The rest were slower to stand.