by P. S. Power
Liam nodded, since that wasn’t a thing that he’d noticed at all, with a few bites of meat that he’d tried to eat. It had made him feel ill, so he’d stopped. Before anything that interesting could take place. He had gotten a slightly darker yellow.
“How much is needed for that kind of thing?”
There was an expressive shrug from the giant fellow.
“That will probably depend. I’m very much larger than you are, so probably need more for the same effect. It will be in the pounds consumed though, even for one as small and slender as yourself. Two or three? As mentioned, you’ll only need to do so every two months or so, if you wish to maintain a darker skin tone, instead of yellow. It will help to prevent attacks, to an extent. Merely due to seeming more similar to others around you. Has that taken place so far? The rage of the humans that fear you for existing?”
He nodded, and whispered at the man, who, he noticed, spoke with a loud, nearly booming voice. It was very different than what Liam had going on for himself.
“I have. Not everyone and not all the time. I would enjoy being a different color, I think. It is very hard to match clothing with yellow skin and eyes.” He meant it as a joke, of sort, and was surprised when both of the others laughed. Neither did it for a long time or very hard, but it was still a real response.
The giant man, Oaks, nodded.
“I came here, to find Leslie Stein about twenty years ago. She’s a marvelous chemist. I financed her studies and arranged for her to have the needed funds to live comfortably… Both before and after you were created. I moved away from her before the actual attempt was made with you, to prevent the affect of my presence from attracting undue attention to her. My act, becoming Oaks, the troll, was mainly about spying on Agent Brenner and her people, of course.”
That news got a head shake.
Brenner seemed annoyed again, and stared up at the bare-chested, highly muscled seeming man.
“How did that work? Also, why not get a house. You could just have come over and visited when you wanted if you did that. It’s not like I make it hard to get to know me. People drop over all the time.”
There was a long pause and then a smile. It was unattractive, though seemed real and like he wasn’t upset with the question at all.
“Indeed. Which is what I was trying to get around. You, personally, are very open with those of other communities. Everyone knows this. The others in the FBI are harder to get information about. I approached several of them over the last sixteen months, to test them and see what they truly thought of those who are other than human. There is some hatred of various peoples, in your department, Agent Brenner. A few individuals who might be better off finding a place that didn't have them engaging with anyone who wasn’t strictly like themselves. I have some names for you, if you wish to know them. Not that you won’t already.”
Liam could see that. If you worked with a person all day long, most days of the week, you couldn’t help but learn such things about them.
Brenner shook her head then.
“So you’re working for the vampires? Or the werewolves? Those are the major power block groups in the mid-west.” The look she gave the being in front of her was hard then, as if she were going to complain about people finding out about her and those she worked with.
There was a wave of the hand then from the giant. Liam noticed that, even if he wasn’t nearly as tall as the other fellow, his hands and feet were actually larger by about half again the size of the monster. He glanced at his yellow hands and then at the even brown of the other promethean.
Oaks nodded.
“Each of us is created at the particular whim and predilection of the one that does the work on us. Our parent, or creator, if you will. In my case Marcello desired to have a being of vast size and power. He didn’t realize that my strength and speed would be far greater than that of a human. He tried to be aesthetically pleasing, I believe. My face was supposed to be manly and rugged. I fear he lacked in both knowledge of what is good looking as well as skill in arranging for such things.” There was a touch, a single large finger that ran along his smooth, hairless, cheek.
Liam held up his hands then.
“Mary seemed to do well enough on my face and the rest of me.” He opened and closed his right hand, to demonstrate what he was talking about. The oversized nature of what was there seeming out of place by enough that anyone seeing him would be able to know instantly he was different. Even if he could alter his skin color now, it seemed.
There was a long, slow nod. A single thing that seemed to be pondering, instead of agreeing. How he could tell that was the case, Liam wasn’t certain. Similar ideas had come up in his reading about body language, without him having actually covered that specific factor at all.
Shifting slightly, the giant creature let himself smile again. This time there was no showing of teeth involved in it. A mere tensing of the face.
“She did go a bit overboard there, didn’t she? It is a peculiar and personal trait of hers that ended up being over exaggerated. She’s attracted to men with large hands and feet for some reason. So, she gave you more of that particular thing than is actually wise for the culture you’ll have to live in.” The being turned to Brenner then and looked at her directly, to explain further. “Like a man that creates a picture of a woman, exaggerating her bust line to levels that aren’t practical, while narrowing her hips to a thinness not seen since the day of the corset? With Leslie it seems related to an old folk saying about the size of certain body parts being related. That should hold for our friend here, if I have that right.”
Liam didn't understand what was being spoken of then at all, lacking several of the words and concepts. Brenner just nodded, as if things had fallen into place for her instantly.
“Got it. Well, it explains other things for Liam then, doesn’t it?” What that was, no one explained to him at all.
He had to figure it would be about his long hair. That was very straight and black. Technically it could be cut, he thought. Oaks had shorter hair than he did.
“In the book you were said to have hair down past your shoulders. Like mine. Does it grow back?” That this man, this particular Promethean creature in front of him was the one from the book Frankenstein was a guess of course. Instead of denying it, the being merely brushed at his head a bit.
“Not fast. I had it cut last… Four or five years ago. That was about an inch shorter than this. It took nearly a hundred years before I had to shave my face. The rest of my body never grew any hair at all. I doubt that growing a beard would really be possible. I have to clean off the stubble every fifty years or so. It just looks messy, otherwise. Unkempt.” He sniffed, then held his arm up to his face and did it again. “That is much nicer than what I’ve been living with. Normally I don’t smell like too much of anything. The chemical scent you currently have will fade after a few years.” There was a wave at Liam for that.
A thing that got him to nod. He could just pick that part of himself up, if he tried.
Brenner, showing that she was probably good at her job, cleared her throat.
“That’s fascinating. Who did you say you were working for, again?”
The big being cleared his own throat in return.
“I didn’t. Working with though, not for. A few centuries of good investments and collecting things has led me to great wealth, so I don’t need to do that sort of thing, in particular. My needs are few. Other than my desire to have a child, I don’t really want much at all. Now I have Liam.” There was a pause then and a slow grin. “You also have a sister around someplace. Over in Europe for the last fifty years, I think. In that woefully inaccurate novel Mary Shelley made, it seemed as if my single drive was for love. Even to the point of fearing to lose it. Asking to have a wife made, and that she be too ugly to ever leave me. That… I might have once said something along those lines, I admit. It was foolish. Lisette is lovely, however. That’s your sister’s name. There are others as well, but s
he bothers to talk to me, so gets mentioned first.”
Liam nodded, without doing more than collecting the facts being presented. There was a lot to go into. A thousand questions to ask about. Also, clothing to get into the dryer. He knew that because Brenner stood up and waved in that direction when a noise was made.
“I need to transfer the clothing around. Let me… No fair telling all the secrets without me. One sec.” She jogged away.
Oaks watching her leave, not speaking until she was out of sight.
“I came here because I found out about Mary. My goal was to simply watch you, to make certain you weren’t mistreated, not that I don’t have the greatest of faith in Agent Brenner from her reputation. She’s known for being easy to get along with, and kind to all. Those working with her are not always so well balanced. From what I’ve collected over the last day, you seem to be well cared for here. Well enough. It isn’t what I paid Mary for, of course. She has a full course of learning laid out for you that should have you up to speed inside five years. Languages, technical skills and so forth. Then you can do whatever it is you like. Truly, no one would be able to stop you if you merely decide to leave at any time. That is a thing that these others, all of them, fail to realize about our kind. They continue to exist on our sufferance.”
The words seemed dark, suddenly, almost a bit moody or like the being was about to become angry. Instead he took a deep breath and moved to sit at the table, where one of the plates had been placed. The one that Brenner had eaten from. It took a few moments to properly arrange the large form at the now tiny seeming table, in the very small chair. It was slightly too large for Liam, he noticed. His feet just off the floor as he sat in the thing.
Oaks had to sit back, his knees hitting the underside of the table, otherwise.
“You’re very bright. More so than I am, or any of the others. Mary tried to collect the most intelligent starting material she could find, in case it made a difference, as well as tweaking the formulae use. It worked, it seems. It’s unfortunate that there was a mishap in your vocal design. Such things happen and you shouldn’t allow it to slow your progression too much. The biggest drawback of our kind is that some people will fear and hate us on sight. It isn’t all of them and we should strive to forgive those who do such things, as it isn’t within their ability to control. Not totally. They cannot help how they feel. They can, however, moderate their words and actions. It can be difficult when a thing they aren’t prepared for is suddenly upon them.”
The words were spoken toward Liam, if clearly meant for Brenner. They contrasted too nicely with the idea that his people could destroy any given person if they wanted. A thing which Liam had to hope wouldn’t be needed at all, any time soon.
“Also, as you may have put together or been told, our people are functionally immortal. Burning could kill one of us, if the flesh were totally destroyed. Simply losing a limb or such won’t do that. Even being beheaded won’t actually kill one of us. Not having a head is inconvenient though, so avoid that. If it’s placed back on, it will, over the course of hours, grow back together. That happened to John Bonney once. He’s another of our people. One you likely won’t meet any time soon. He’s away, for a time. There aren’t a lot of us. Seven that I know of to speak to, including you. Most of the others, those that exist but who aren’t close to me, are women. For some reason, the men that did such work often sought to create women, for some reason.” There was a knowing look, that went over his shoulder toward Brenner then.
She, walking back into the room, snorted.
“I bet. That fits what we, the FBI, has collected over the years on the topic though. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sit for an interview with us? Just to collect information would be great. We’ve counted close to thirty people like you two, though a lot of that is guess work, not anything confirmed.”
There was a soft head shake. A thing so gentle that it was nearly invisible as it took place.
“I’m wanted for murder, or at least would be if my existence was ever known to be certain. Not all of them were things I did, though it would be impossible to prove that at this late date. A few… There are things that I’ve done over the centuries that are clearly against the laws of many lands. Sitting for an official interview sounds like a good way to end up in a lot of trouble. Not that I could be easily caught or captured by your kind. That Liam managed not to slaughter your whole attack squad the other day is incredible. You do realize that, don’t you? That he’s so calm is due to his upbringing, nothing else. I dare say Mary did a much better job that way than Marcello. Not that he could have done much better than attacking me as soon as life came into being. He was, unfortunately, one of those left in fear and loathing of our kind.”
Liam understood. Really, he had known that about the character of Frankenstein the instant he’d learned that some people feared him and his kind without reason. It made sense. The poor man, Victor in the book, though his real-life counterpart seemed to have had an Italian name, which made a lot more sense for a Genovese, had produced life, then been hit with a combination of fear and rage. Suddenly and without understanding why it was going on. So, in his first moments, Oaks was attacked and driven out of the lab. Before even a clever being could understand what was going on or why.
Then, at least if the story was correct, he’d lashed out and killed innocent people, trying to get revenge for that initial rejection. Liam understood that as being wrong. Of course, the creature, the promethean sitting at the table with him, had been only a little older than he was with no training or social contact at all when that had happened.
Then, due to luck or storytelling the poor being had been hit with person after person coming for him. Attacking instantly, without remorse or thought toward making him into a friend at all. After a fashion, Liam could understand it. Oaks was very large and looked ugly. With fierce yellow eyes and flesh to match there would be little way for a regular human person to see him as anything other than a threat.
Even with tan skin and very normal brown eyes, the being was kind of intimidating. It was the size that did that part. He was so big that he loomed, even sitting in the undersized chair. Meeting a being such as that off in the woods would, no doubt, be enough to make a lot of people run, a sense of mortal danger tickling at their hindbrain.
It didn't take a lot to understand that, in the novel, Frankenstein the man was the actual monster. Except that, Liam knowing a bit more than most did now, had the ability to see that he’d simply been a man, the whole time. One driven by fear, that one concept making everything bad that happened in the story take place.
Liam looked up and over at Oaks, holding his eyes for a bit before glancing away.
“Mary was chosen, by you, so you knew she wasn’t that sort before the project began. I… If she was paid to do the work, then… Does she not love me?” Liam felt a thin tendril of fear over the idea. A paid worker was different than someone who simply wanted a child.
The words got Oaks to laugh. Brenner stiffened at the sound and looked ready to fight again, though she relaxed when the giant spoke, his deep voice filling the room.
“Of course she loves you. You are her child, as much or more than you are mine. I gave her the formulae to create life and suggestions as to how to nurture and raise you. I provided the money needed to keep a home. Such things as any father might do, really. It was her effort that brought you into being. Her work and her daily care that taught you to be who and what you are. She is, in truth, your mother. The first that any of our people have ever had. That she would feel that way is part of why I chose her in the first place. She’s a good woman, Liam.”
Brenner made a face, and looked away, then back, a smile trading out for what had been there moments before.
“Okay, so… It’s getting a little late and we have an early day in the morning. Nifty tale of paternity aside, I’m not leaving Liam here with you all night. So, after your clothing dries, you…” She stopped and made a face
then. “See, that part is hard. Do I kick you out to sleep in the woods? It’s one thing for a troll to be asked to do that. I mean, that’s literally all they’ll accept. Something outside with minimal cover. Telling Liam’s dad to fuck off out of my house is a different kettle of fish, don’t you think? At the same time, it will be after midnight by the time you have clothing and making you walk across town in the dark seems mean.”
She didn't come up with an answer, even if there were several. The first would be to simply allow Liam to speak with the other man until daylight. It wasn’t as if they needed sleep. The next would be to risk being rude and simply suggest that the woods would be a fine place for the other promethean that night. That or wave him all the way away.
Oaks, simply laughed.
“I have a house near here. Not too close, about a mile away. I didn’t live under a bridge full time after all. Though, I wasn’t kidding about the police rousting me the other day. I’d have found a reason to come anyway. There was enough of a beating involved that those particular officers nearly died, just out of my own annoyance. I don’t kill easily, let me assure you, Agent Brenner. They’d simply escalated to a level of force that would have killed most, if it had been applied to them. They seem to have come with that in mind as well. So it wasn’t merely that they ran afoul of the loathing my kind creates in some. Most of the men and women there didn’t seem affected that way at all, in fact.”
The words got Brenner to go still at first, then nod.
“Okay. I’ll look into it a bit harder, then. We might not be able to do a lot about it. I mean, we can’t just tell their captain that they’d only missed out on killing you due to immortality. That kind of thing is secret, even from the police. Not all of them, since some figure a few things out. No one on this force is like that though. Not that I know about.”
Oaks stood then, moved back and to the side and pushed the chair into place.