Origins of the Prime

by Christopher Vale

  At only seventeen, Chessa was really just a girl, and Brygida had almost instantly been very protective of her. Chessa was a Slav and had been snatched right off the streets in broad daylight not long after the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. She had been sent to the facility soon after and after a few failed attempts had finally become pregnant just after Brygida had arrived. The two had gone through all the hells of pregnancy together and had formed a very special bond, one that they would have had trouble explaining.

  Brygida stroked Chessa’s hair gently as the girl closed her eyes, enjoying the softness of Brygida’s touch. “I love you, Brygida,” Chessa said.

  Brygida smiled. “I love you too, darling.” Brygida turned her face to kiss Chessa on top of her head. “So, have you picked out names yet?”

  Chessa grimaced through a contraction, before sitting up and smiling at Brygida. “If they are boys, I’m going to name them Alexi, after my brother, and Vladimir, after my father. If they are girls, Alena and Caterina, after each of my grandmothers.”

  “What if it’s a boy and a girl?” Brygida asked. “Which names do you like best?”

  Chessa bit her bottom lip as she stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. “Alexi and Alena,” she finally said with a giant smile.

  Brygida couldn’t help but chuckle at the young woman’s excitement. “Those are all lovely names,” she told her. She allowed Chessa to squeeze her hand tightly through another contraction.

  “And you?” Chessa asked when she had recovered.

  Brygida shook her head. “I’m not really sure yet,” she said, but then clarified. “Well, if one’s a boy I do intend to name him Noah, after my husband.” Thoughts of Noah being shot dead, lying in his own blood in the snow came rushing back and Brygida tried to suppress a sob by placing a hand over her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.

  Chessa knew what had happened to Brygida’s husband and understood this sudden outpouring of emotion. She threw her arms around Brygida and pulled her close. Brygida returned the embrace, squeezing Chessa tight and sobbing onto her friend’s shoulder.

  “It’s alright,” Chessa whispered soothingly into her ear. “Be strong, you’ll have little ones to take care of soon.”

  Brygida nodded as she pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes. She knew Chessa was right. They both had to be strong. It could be worse. It could always be worse.

  Brygida saw Chessa’s eyes go wide and then felt a sudden wetness against her leg. She looked down and noticed that Chessa’s gown was soaked. She looked back up at her friend. “Your water broke,” she said and Chessa nodded. Brygida looked past her friend. “Nurse!” she shouted.

  A nurse quickly reached them and took stock of the situation. She and Brygida helped Chessa back into the wheelchair. Brygida gave her a little peck on the cheek. “Be strong,” she said. “I’ll see you soon.”

  Chessa squeezed Brygida’s hand. “Soon,” the girl smiled before being wheeled away.

  Brygida stayed in the recreation room most of the day, with the exception of meal times, and would ask every nurse that passed if there was any word on Chessa. She was told again and again that Chessa was fine and that everything was going smoothly.

  Brygida eventually joined the other expectant mothers in the large ward where they all slept, still not having any definitive news about Chessa and her babies. Lights were turned out promptly at nine o’clock and Brygida lay back to sleep. She could not sleep, however, and tossed and turned for hours, worried about her friend and herself.

  Brygida decided that she needed to visit the restroom and flung the covers back. She swung her feet down to the cold floor and pushed herself up to her feet. She more or less waddled between the beds where the other women slept, to the common bathroom at the end of the ward. Just as she reached the door she felt a splash of wetness. She looked down and saw the floor between her feet was wet.

  Brygida turned and glanced over her shoulder. “Nurse!” she shouted. “Help!” Other women sat up in their beds as Brygida heard the clatter of feet running toward her. The nurse reached her. And placed an arm around her shoulders.

  “Let’s get you back into bed, dear,” she said. Brygida nodded. “We’ll move you to a birthing room soon.” Brygida allowed the nurse to help her back to bed and lay down. She felt a contraction shoot through her, followed quickly by another. They were close. She turned her head to see the nurse returning with another and a wheelchair. She smiled knowing that she would meet her babies soon.

  ***

  “Push!” the doctor shouted. Brygida gritted her teeth through the pain and pushed as hard as she could, her groan turning into a yell. “Here he comes,” the doctor said. “I’ve got him.”

  Brygida saw the astonished look on the doctor’s face and when he handed the baby to the nurse she knew why. The baby was enormous. Brygida’s babies had come early, as twins often do, yet this baby looked extremely mature. The nurse rushed the child from the room and Brygida’s eyes followed her.

  “Brygida!” the doctor snapped, calling Brygida’s attention back to the matter at hand. “Concentrate, there is another one still in there.” Brygida nodded and began to push once more. The second was much easier and the doctor soon produced a small child, crying in his arms. The doctor handed the babe to another nurse.

  Brygida held her arms out expectantly, wanting desperately to hold her babies, but the nurse turned and rushed it from the room. “Herr Doctor, may I please hold my babies?” Brygida asked.

  The doctor smiled warmly at her. “Not right now, my dear. We need to check their vitals, make sure everything is alright. Get them clean, you know. You’ll see them soon enough.” He patted her hand reassuringly. “Right now you should rest. You have had an exhausting night.”

  “Yes, Herr Doctor,” Brygida said accepting the explanation. She was tired after all. A nurse switched out her pillow and sheet for a clean one. Brygida thanked her and then laid her head back, closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

  Brygida did not know how long she slept, but in her subconscious she sensed danger, and she forced herself awake. Her eyes opened and she was startled to find Colonel Arnulf seated in a chair near the foot of her bed smoking a cigarette. He inhaled deeply, blowing the smoke from his nostrils.

  “Herr Colonel,” Brygida said as the sat up, the surprise evident in her voice. “What are you doing here?”

  Arnulf took another puff of the cigarette before stamping the butt out on the side table. “Why I have come to see my triumph, my dear.”

  “Your triumph?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he replied as he stood. “Oh, Brygida, I knew you were the right woman for this program and you have proven me correct.” Brygida attempted to muster a smile. “You should be proud, my dear,” he continued. “You have produced two very healthy and strong little boys.”

  Brygida’s face brightened immediately. “When may I see them?” she asked. “I have already picked out their names. I’ll name the first Noah, after my late husband, and the other Micah, after my father.”

  Arnulf nodded. “Yes, those are very nice Hebrew names. However, I think we will give them good strong German names instead.”

  “What?” Brygida asked.

  “Well we wouldn’t want everyone to know their mother was a Jew, do we?” he asked. “I think we’ll name the first one Rolf. I had a brother named Rolf. He died a few months ago in the East. For the smaller one, I was thinking Axel. Yes, Axel and Rolf. Very nice names, don’t you think?”

  Brygida knew she was in no position to argue. Besides she did not really care what their names were. They were her babies and she loved them. “They are lovely names, Herr Colonel,” she said diplomatically, even managing a believable smile. “May I please see them?” she asked again.

  Arnulf ignored her request. “I cannot believe the luck I had finding you. I don’t even know why I went out with the squad the night we met. Something pulled me to go. Something almost magical. And it led me to you.” He grin
ned proudly at her. “You are such an amazing woman, Brygida,” he said. “Did you know that you are only woman to have ever survived the pregnancy and the birthing process? Two other women survived the pregnancy, but both died in child birth.”

  Arnulf walked over to stand beside her bed. “Your first child was nearly twenty pounds. The second was just over six, so you were carrying twenty-six pounds of baby inside you. You survived all of the surgeries, the chemical injections, everything.” He took her hand in his. “Truly remarkable, my dear.”

  “Thank you, Herr Colonel.”

  “You know we originally attempted these procedures with good, strong German women. Aryan women. They all died. Almost a score of them. All given twins just like you. Only one carried to term and gave birth. She had a beautiful set of perfect blond haired, blue eyed Aryan babies. Freyr and Freyja—we named them after the Norse gods. That was nearly five years ago. Then it was decided that we could not keep wasting the best and brightest of our German women. We needed to perfect the process. There were plenty of Jews, Slavs, communists and other undesirables to test. Hundreds have died. Only one other carried to term. Just yesterday actually. A boy and a girl. The boy was even larger than Rolf at twenty-three pounds. Unfortunately, the mother was not as strong as you and died.” His face turned somber and he gave her hand a little squeeze before releasing it. “A Slav named Chessa, I think.”

  Brygida gasped at the news of her friend’s death. Emotions shot to the surface. Chessa was dead? She wanted to scream, cry, something, but she quickly erased the fear, sadness, and disgust that she knew etched her face. It would do no good to reveal her true feelings to the Colonel. She was determined to survive. She had to survive for her sons. She and her boys would escape one day.

  “But not my Brygida,” he continued. “I am so excited, because I picked you personally.” He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Thank you, my dear.” He turned and began to walk away.

  “Herr Colonel?”

  “Yes?” he asked as he stopped by the door.

  “When can I see my babies?”

  Arnulf smiled pleasantly. “Oh, my dear, you have too much important work to do. We need you to get busy birthing the Fuhrer more super soldiers. But don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your children.” With that he turned and left the room allowing the door to swing closed behind him.

  “No,” she whispered as the revelation slammed into her like a ton of bricks. “No!” she shouted now. “No, please! Colonel! Please Colonel! Colonel!” she screamed, but it did no good. He ignored her. Brygida placed her hands in her palms and wept.

  Chapter 2

  Germany

  1945

  “Axel!” the voice snapped.

  “Yes, Herr Doctor?” the young boy replied as he turned to face the doctor. Axel looked like a typical little boy, his shirt partially untucked, the laces of his right shoe undone, and his hair a mess.

  Dr. Herbert Holger sighed as he looked down at Axel. He was a kindly looking, gray haired man with round spectacles and unkempt mustache. He knelt down in front of the boy and placed a hand on each of Axel’s shoulders. “Pay attention,” he said softly.

  “Yes, Herr Doctor,” Axel replied.

  As he stood, Dr. Holger’s eyes leapt from Axel to the other three children in the room. “As I was saying, this is Dr. Ernst Volker, from Berlin,” Dr. Holger said as he motioned to the other man in the room, also sporting a white lab coat. “Dr. Volker is in charge of our little project here and would like to see a demonstration of your abilities.”

  Axel’s eyes leapt up to his brother, Rolf. Rolf was at least twice his height, huge for a boy not quite five, but Axel did not realize it was unusual. After all, an equally large boy named Gerd stood on the other side of Rolf.

  Rolf was clearly scared of this new man in a lab coat, this Dr. Volker. Axel did not understand why. He seemed as harmless as Dr. Holger. He was a bit younger, his thick, dark hair not yet grayed over completely, but nothing about him made him stand out from any of the other scientists and technicians they saw on a daily basis. Rolf turned to look down at Axel and Axel could see he was about to cry. He reached out and took his brother’s hand in his. This comforted the larger boy somewhat and Rolf smiled weakly at Axel. Axel looked past Rolf to Gerd and Gerd’s twin sister, Kristel. Like Axel, Kristel was holding her brother’s hand in an effort to comfort him.

  Dr. Volker smiled warmly at the four children before turning to Dr. Holger. “And all four are the same age?” he asked.

  “Yes, Herr Doctor,” Dr. Holger replied. “In fact Gerd and Kristel are only a few hours older than Axel and Rolf,” he said.

  “Yet the two boys in the middle are physically very advanced,” Dr. Volker noted. “Fascinating.”

  “Yes,” Dr. Holger replied with a smile and then leaned toward Dr. Volker, speaking softly to him, but Axel heard what was said. “However, mentally, they are both far behind their siblings. Perhaps a side-effect of the testosterone.”

  “Interesting,” Dr. Volker replied. “Well, let us see what they can do.”

  “Yes, Herr Doctor,” Dr. Holger replied. He started to speak to Kristel, but thought better of it and turned back to Dr. Volker. “Do you have a pocket watch?” he asked the other scientist.

  “I do,” Dr. Volker replied.

  “Perhaps you could time Kristel to see how fast she moves.”

  “Of course,” Dr. Volker replied as his hand went into his pocket.

  Dr. Holger turned to Kristel smiling gently at the young girl. She stood rocking back and forth on her heels, her hands clasped behind her back and the dimples in her cheeks clearly evident due to her toothy smile. “My dear, I seem to have forgotten my pen in my office, would you mind fetching it for me?”

  “Of course not, Herr Doctor,” she said and in a flash she was gone, dashing past both scientists and causing their white lab coats to flutter from the wind. Barely a breath had been taken before she once again stood before Dr. Holger presenting his pen to him as various office papers fluttered about the lab from where they had been disrupted by her wake.

  Dr. Holger could not suppress a chuckle. “Thank you, Kristel,” he said as he accepted the pen. He turned to Dr. Volker his eyes dropping to the hand still inside Dr. Volker’s pocket, having not even removed the watch yet. Dr. Holger caught Dr. Volker’s eyes, forcing them from staring wide at Kristel. “Whenever you are ready, Dr. Volker,” Dr. Holger said.

  Dr. Volker finally blinked and he removed his watch from his pocket before looking back up at Dr. Holger and then at the little girl. He turned and glanced behind him at the doorway she had run out of and returned back through. Then he looked at the girl again. He smiled broadly and then his smile turned into a boisterous laugh as his eyes met Dr. Holger’s again.

  “Well played, Herbert,” he said as he shook his finger back and forth at the other scientist with a smile. “That was certainly impressive, my dear,” he said to Kristel.

  “Thank you, Herr Doctor,” Kristel said, her cheeks blushing a bit.

  Dr. Volker turned toward Axel. “What can this one do?” he asked as he pointed at the boy.

  Dr. Holger chuckled. “Axel fancies himself a magician,” Dr. Holger said. “Don’t you Axel?”

  “Yes, Herr Doctor,” Axel replied with a confident smile.

  “A magician?” Dr. Volker asked, clearly confused.

  Dr. Holger smiled. “It seems Dr. Volker requires some convincing, Axel. Kindly show him a magic trick.”

  “Yes, sir,” Axel said excitedly. He slipped his hand into his pocket and produced a pack of cards and was about to remove them from their box when Dr. Holger interrupted him. “I do not believe Dr. Volker is interested in slight of hand, Axel. Why not show him the trick with the bulbs?”

  Axel frowned and his shoulders slumped a bit. He had been practicing a new card trick for weeks and was excited to demonstrate it to someone new. Disappointed, he returned the cards to his pocket and walked over to the tab
le where several bulbs had been set out. He reached down and picked one up and placed it into his mouth. Then he picked up two more, one in each hand. He returned to the doctors.

  “Well?” asked Dr. Volker. Suddenly all three bulbs lit up burning brightly. The doctor smiled. Then the lights began to perform a sort of dance as they would blink in and out, one at a time, in different patterns. Rolf and Gerd began to laugh excitedly while clapping their hands. They loved all of Axel’s “tricks,” but the light bulb trick was their favorite. “Well done, young man,” Doctor Volker smiled at him. He then turned to Dr. Holger. “Are there military applications?” he asked.

  “Right now we are working on controlling his power. Sometimes he loses control, especially when he gets upset, and things get messy. So yes, there will be some military applications as he gets older and learns to focus.”

  A smile spread across Dr. Volker’s face. “Excellent.” Dr. Volker’s eyes then cut to Rolf and Gerd. “Now what about the big ones?” he asked.

  Dr. Holger hesitated a bit. “They are a bit shy, Herr Doctor,” he said as Rolf and Gerd withdrew within themselves. Dr. Holger stepped over to them and knelt down in front of them. He smiled and placed a fatherly arm on each of their shoulders. “Could you please show Dr. Volker how strong you are?” he asked. The boys glanced quickly at Dr. Volker before their eyes dropped back to Dr. Holger. “Please,” he said again. They looked at each other for reassurance before nodding. Dr. Holger smiled brightly. “Thank you.”

  The doctor stood and took each boy by the hand leading them both over to a set of barbells situated at the far side of the room. Each boy took turns lifting the one marked “200 lbs” over his head. Dr. Volker’s eyes went wide at seeing five year old boys with such strength. He rushed over to the barbell and tried to lift it himself, half believing it must be some sort of trick, but found that he could not.