“Are you two working on something that you don’t agree with? Or have you found issue with his methods?” That statement made Ethan want to laugh. Yes, he had found issue with Godrik’s methods but that wasn’t really his question. “Hendrick, do you trust Godrik?” That did surprise the older boy. It was almost as if no one had ever asked the question before.
“Yes Ethan. I trust Godrik with my life.” Ethan still didn’t understand. “How can you say that? Do you really know him? Do you know what he actually does in his lab underneath the city streets?” Ethan pleaded.
“Yes, all of us who work in level 1 know about Godrik’s experiments and his work with cell mutation.” Ethan couldn’t believe it. Not only did everyone know, they all seemed okay with it. How could that be? “And you think what he’s doing is good?” Hendrick nodded his head.
“Godrik understands something about this city that many of us never will, regardless of how long we work with him. What he does is invaluable to our survival. I trust him and you should too.”
Ethan thought about that statement long after Hendrick had left his apartment. His mentor truly believed that Godrik was a good man who was doing important work. If Godrik would be honest with Ethan, tell him the truth about what he was doing, then maybe he could learn to trust him as well.
*****
“Status report.”
Godrik stared at the screen. “Danica, we have a problem.”
The silver haired woman frowned but asked Godrik to continue.
“I’m not sure if Ethan is having an adverse reaction to the serums or if something else is happening,” he explained.
She paused before speaking again. “Why do you say that?”
“He’s hallucinating,” Godrik said in a low voice. “He’s having panic attacks, night terrors and after the last injection, he became violent.” Danica was shocked by that news.
“Are those typical side effects of the treatment?” she asked. Godrik shook his head. “It’s never happened before.”
“You need to get a grip on this Godrik. The Commissioner will not be pleased with another failure. We are running out of time.” He winced at her words and bowed his head.
“He’s the one, Danica, I know it. I’ll figure out what is happening but the serums are working. He’s so strong.” The woman visibly relaxed. “We’ll need a test but I hope you’re right. I’d hate to see what the Commissioner would do to you otherwise.”
Godrik swallowed hard and ended the video call. It was getting more difficult to lie and hold his tongue, but he had a part to play and he would succeed, no matter the consequence.
*****
Ethan stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, wiping the condensation off with his hand. He searched deep into his eyes, slowly getting lost in the cerulean vastness of his pupils. He closed them and sensed his body tremor slightly as he remembered the incident at the office. His body temperature was rising but Ethan didn’t notice, thinking it was simply the steam trapped in the room.
He gasped when he opened his eyes and saw pure glowing orbs staring back at him. He quickly backed himself away from the mirror, hitting his body against the wall. His breath quickened, his hands clenching into fists. He was radiating pure anger and in that moment, all he wanted to do was break something. He didn’t want to be afraid but he was. He was so afraid of everything that was happening and the lack of control in his situation was unnerving.
Ethan felt stronger than he ever had but he was also angry, almost savage. He forced himself to calm down, focusing solely on breathing deeply. He shut his eyes and slowly felt his body cooling down. The anger slipped away like a blanket falling off his shoulders. He felt lighter and like himself again. He blinked his eyes open and hesitantly gazed into the mirror. He let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding when he realized his eyes were back to blue.
He finished drying himself off and after putting on his sleeping attire, went into the bedroom. Stopping short of the bed, he remembered the pills that Godrik had given him. The bottle stood alone on his nightstand, enticing the young boy into a night filled with deep sleep, free of scary visions and sweat soaked clothing.
He carefully opened the bottle and let two small capsules fall into the palm of his hand. Thinking about what would happen if he didn’t take them was enough to force them down his throat.
He shuffled into his bed and held the covers close. Sleep came quickly that night and as promised, delivered a restful slumber.
*****
“How are you Ethan?” Godrik inquired when he noticed the boy trudging into his office. Ethan fumbled with the buttons of his jacket and the doctor could tell that there was something he wanted to talk about but was clearly too nervous.
“Whatever it is, you can talk to me.” Ethan finally met the older man’s stare and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I really didn’t mean to hurt you.” He blinked away, unable to meet the doctor’s eyes. “Will you be reassigning me?” he asked in a frightened tone.
Godrik’s brows furrowed in deep thought. “Of course not; I still want you here Ethan. Why would you ask that?” Ethan shrugged. “I hurt you,” he whispered. The doctor huffed in laughter. “Nonsense. Now let’s get back to work, shall we?” He motioned toward the door and they strode side by side to the elevator. How was it so easy for the doctor? Ethan knew something wasn’t right but he didn’t want to push the issue. If Godrik was okay with him staying, then so was Ethan.
*****
More weeks passed and they had little success with gene splicing the two fish strands. The bond itself worked but as soon as they tried to recreate it, the specimen died almost instantly. There was something missing and Ethan could see Godrik’s frustrations coming out. For some reason, the doctor was adamant about figuring this out.
“Damn it!” the doctor yelled. Their latest specimen had died in front of them, lasting no longer than a few seconds. Godrik huffed and stormed out of the lab, leaving Hunter and Ethan alone once more.
“We’re forgetting something, I know it,” Hunter stated. Ethan stared at the computer and it suddenly hit him.
He rolled through all the screens, highlighting sections, deleting others and generally working at an incredible speed. He pulled up the DNA sequence of the trout and then the sequence of the snapper, pushing them side by side. He then began to take apart the sequences and rearrange them, creating a harmonious strand.
Hunter watched in shock, unsure of what the young boy was doing. Godrik walked back in and stood next to Hunter. “What’s going on?” the doctor asked. “I have no idea,” he replied.
They continued to observe Ethan, trying to keep to themselves as the boy worked rapidly, piecing the puzzle together. When he was finished, he stepped back and admired his work. Both Hunter and Godrik shuffled up to the screens and studied them carefully. Godrik’s eyes widened. “You… how did you… how?” the doctor stuttered, unable to find the right words. Ethan laughed and went to his side.
“We were using the wrong sequences. It was like putting a square into a circle; they didn’t fit. I replaced the strands with ones that do fit and are now able to bond together.” The words came out smoothly and confidently from the young boy’s mouth, rendering both Hunter and Godrik speechless.
“Yeah but how did you know to do that?” Hunter asked, still stunned and wary of the incredible feat. Ethan didn’t know if he should tell Hunter and Godrik about his new ability to process information so he improvised.
“I just knew,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. Hunter turned away from the screens to stare at the boy. “You just knew?” he asked disbelievingly. Ethan nodded his head and gave him a big grin. Hunter addressed Godrik who was still studying the information before him.
“Well, doctor?” he asked.
“He did it. We need to get this over to the genome lab immediately,” Godrik stated. Hunter did as he was told and sent the information to the lab. “You better go make sure it’s done correctly Hunt
er.” He agreed and left the pair in the lab alone.
“Are you… proud of me?” Ethan asked quietly. Godrik smiled at the boy and without warning embraced him in a hug. The action caught Ethan off guard. He had never hugged anyone except of course for Abby. Still the action didn’t seem as foreign as it maybe should have. If anything, it felt familiar. That was not something Ethan was expecting.
*****
On his way home, Ethan found himself smiling wide. He had figured out something important at work and suddenly he felt like he was right where he supposed to be. A wonderful sense of belonging filled him; something he had always wanted but never achieved in school.
He took the steps up to the train platform two at a time, carefully winding his way through the other passengers. When he reached the top, he surveyed the area, checking the time before choosing a bench near the middle of the track. He always liked to sit near the center of the train. For some reason, it seemed like the safest place to be. Whether it was or wasn’t, he didn’t know, but he sat there every day anyway.
As soon as the train began its approach, Ethan knew something was wrong. A high-pitched screech pierced his ears, his hands jumped to wrap around his head. A quick look around confirmed that others were equally assaulted by the sound.
He glanced down and gasped as the large structure beneath his feet shook dangerously. Turning his face toward the train, he realized the cars were shifting off the rails, the wheels wobbling from left to right. He got up quickly, joining the other citizens who were now also on their feet, searching frantically, unsure of what to do or where to go.
Since he stood in the middle of the platform, he was farthest from both stairways. On either side of him, he saw people running toward the exits, desperately trying to avoid the impending carnage. He made his way to the stairway on his right, giving him the most time to get to safety. He was being pushed and prodded, the anxiety of the situation finally catching up to him and all those around him. The dissonance behind him roared closer, drowning out the screams of desperation as the other passengers progressively grew more frantic.
Soon, everyone was clawing their way to the stairs, no longer mindful of manners or decency. Ethan was slowly pushed outward, inching near the edge of the platform. The sounds of metal grinding on metal mixed with shouting, stomping and chaos painting a very real picture of the impending disaster.
It felt like minutes but in reality, only seconds had passed. Ethan watched numbly as the scene unfolded. First the scaffolding began to crumble, large splinters running up along the walls and cracking through the floor. Next, sparks rained down from the oncoming train as it howled into the station. Ethan stumbled, the floor no longer stable enough.
A loud explosion caught Ethan’s attention, the stench of burning steel filled the space. Turning around, his eyes widened as flames shot out in every direction, catching the surrounding structure on fire. Black smoke billowed and meandered through the crowds. The front of the train twisted, crashing into the side of the tracks, causing a chain reaction, each car smashing into the one in front of it like an accordion. Shrapnel flew; large pieces of metal and glass sailed through the air, landing on top of people or cutting into the walls, slicing through the floor. Ethan ducked fast, his head narrowly avoiding a chunk of steel.
Across from him, a young girl stood against the wall, trapped and shivering, blood running down her face from a cut above her eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile which she returned. But then her eyes grew with fear. Ethan only had a split second to put his hands out before a massive train door smashed into them. The force alone should have been enough to level him and the girl. Instead, Ethan stayed standing, his arms still held out defensively. He watched as the door fell at his feet. He then noticed two small indentions on the door. They were shaped like his hands.
CHAPTER 7
H e didn’t tell anyone what happened at the train station. Not Abby, not Godrik and especially not Hunter. The last thing he needed was to further embarrass himself, so Ethan kept his mouth shut. When he finally made it home, he rushed into the bathroom to assess his injuries, except he didn’t have any. He figured he should at least have some bruises on his hands from the impact of the door but there was nothing.
He stared at himself in the mirror, suddenly feeling sick. The impact of the door should have slammed him into the wall, crushing both him and the girl. But that didn’t happen. Instead, he not only survived; he strolled away uninjured. Everyone that was found among the wreckage was battered and bloodied except for Ethan and that alone terrified him.
*****
The next day he was filled with anxiety as he made his way to the 33rd floor. He had decided to get up extra early and walk to work. After what had happened the day before, getting near a train was the last thing on his mind. But now he was nervous. Would someone mention the accident? Would they know that Ethan was involved? He really didn’t want to talk about it, mostly because he was unsure as to how to explain his unscathed appearance. He hesitated inside the elevator but finally swallowed hard and walked toward Godrik’s office.
What he wasn’t expecting was to see Tyler standing outside of the doctor’s office, a petulant expression on his face. He glared at the boy approaching him, immediately crossing his arms, blocking Ethan’s path to the door. “You can’t go in there,” Tyler hissed. Ethan stopped short of the door and huffed in protest. “My boss is busy talking to your boss, so you get to wait out here… with me.”
Ethan rolled his eyes but backed off and leaned against the opposite wall. Tyler was busy giving him the stink eye when Hunter approached them. He leered at Tyler disapprovingly before taking real estate next to Ethan. A tense silence filled the hallway, the angry scowl never leaving Tyler’s face. He wondered how long they would be waiting when the door opened.
The same man he had seen from the Commissioner’s office months ago stood in front of him, studying him carefully. “Ethan Drake?” he inquired. Ethan combed around before nodding and stepping forward. The man slowly held out his bony hand. “Preston Andrews,” he announced in a plummy voice. Ethan shook his cold hand and then quickly retracted it.
“Godrik tells me your work here has been quite… impressive,” he said, standing tall in front of Ethan. He was almost the size of Edred but leaner and younger. “Really?” he squeaked out before he could help it. Tyler couldn’t hold back his snort but the glare that Mr. Andrews gave him sobered his mood immediately.
“I’m sure we will meet again real soon,” he stated cryptically. Ethan wasn’t sure how to react so he simply nodded. “Let’s go Tyler,” Mr. Andrews commanded. Tyler obliged, keeping his eyes to the ground as he followed his boss to the elevator.
“That guy gives me the creeps,” Hunter said. Ethan turned back to glare at him, unimpressed. “Don’t look at me like that. I know he scares you too,” he chastised, releasing a small shudder.
“Whatever,” Ethan muttered, making his way back to Godrik’s office. Their gene therapy work was in full force and the last round of testing was scheduled for later that day. If everything went well, they would be introducing a new species of fish by the end of the month. Godrik was thrilled but sometimes Ethan felt like the excitement was directed at him instead of at the work. Regardless, Ethan was back to feeling good at work.
At the end of the day, Hunter left but Godrik reminded Ethan of his injection. When they were back in the office, Ethan rolled up the sleeve of his black sweater and waited.
The effects of the injection were immediate. Ethan was hit with a huge wave of nausea that caused him to throw up his entire breakfast and possibly some of last night’s dinner. Thankfully the doctor was prepared and held out a large bin for Ethan. He was sweating and light headed as he waited for his body to settle down. It took a full ten minutes for the nausea to subside.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Godrik gave him a sympathetic smile as he handed the boy a bottle of water. Ethan sat back in his chai
r, chugging the entire contents of the bottle in one go.
“Are you okay?” Godrik asked. Ethan nodded. “Must be stress,” he said distractedly. Dr. Stevens brows furrowed. “Stress?”
Ethan turned and glanced at him. “From the accident. I was at the train station when it happened,” he explained. Now Godrik was really confused. “What accident?”
Ethan regarded him disbelievingly. “The one that happened yesterday Godrik. Right outside.”
Godrik shook his head. Ethan couldn’t believe it. How could Godrik not know? The station was so close to the building, surely, he would have heard the explosions. “You must know about it Godrik. There was so much damage.” Now Ethan was even doubting himself. “I’m not sure what you mean Ethan. There was no accident. The trains are running fine.” Ethan sat there frozen in his chair. This had to be a joke. “See for yourself,” Godrik said motioning to his window.
Ethan stood up and shuffled over to the large window. Sure enough, the train station was there, untouched and unblemished. Ethan’s jaw dropped. He had avoided the area that morning, afraid of the unwanted memories returning but looking at the structure now made his blood run cold. Nothing made sense anymore.
*****
“Edred? We have a problem with Godrik,” Connor said. He was back in one of the laboratories below the streets, accessing his boss through a video chat. “What’s wrong Connor? I’m really busy right now.”
Connor peeked around the room before he spoke, making sure he was completely alone. “I think Godrik is up to something.” That information caused Edred to stop what he was doing and put his full attention to the screen.
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