by Patra, CS
“Are you sure about this?” Crystal asked.
“Absolutely. I’m going to be just fine. You guys go and have fun.”
The others left him alone and he looked down at the monitor. The picture was very clear despite how far away it was from the action. It seemed like everyone had stopped eating because they all clapped as someone came up to the podium. He couldn’t figure out who was there, but he was curious about what they had to say.
“I just wanted to thank you all for being here tonight.” It was Dr. Chang. “I want to thank the staff here at The Silver Oracle for allowing us to hold our conference here. I also want to thank The Golden Arrow for providing the food and our wonderful DJ for the entertainment. I hope you’ve enjoyed everything so far. However, it’s time for us to get down to business.” There was a pause as she looked at her notes. “As you know, there are certain things that have been happening as of late with the Bradley Institute. We’ve been losing a lot of our experiments. They are dying around us. Some of them are dying of diseases that they’ve contracted. Others are committing suicide. I suspect it’s because they are either aware that they’re dying or they can’t accept what they truly are.”
Nikhil shuddered as he thought about all the Project 99 experiments that had passed away. He wouldn’t blame any of them for not accepting this. When he found out, he didn’t know what to believe either. He had to do a lot of research to make sure that he wasn’t going crazy. He looked at everything that was already available with the Bradley Institute. He knew that they were desperate to make the perfect human. They had been trying for almost sixty years. It was crazy to believe how far they had come. They were always changing and evolving, making their tests more aggressive. It did explain why some of the perfect humans were able to have children in the past. As time went on, the rest of the experiments were made to be barren. It made them stronger and weaker at the same time.
“The first thing we need to address is our current situation,” Dr. Chang went on. “The experiments have been going very well. Our newest projects are reacting positively to the new treatment. Thanks to the new chimera that we are using, I think Project 100 will be stronger than Project 99 was. Our old chimera is done with everything. She’s through. I think it’s about time we let her loose.”
There it was. There was proof that a Project 100 now existed. However, he was worried about what she had said about the chimera for Project 99. The tone in her voice was sinister and he didn’t like where she was going with this.
“Anyway, I would like to know your suggestions on what to do with the old chimeras. The first two have already died but we’ve got three more left. They don’t want to keep going. They don’t want to donate anymore genes. Basically, we have no use for them and they’re threatening to let the authorities know what we’ve been doing. We cannot let anything go too far. We have to stop them before they expose us.”
People began shouting out suggestions and Nikhil began to feel sick as he heard several voices exclaim ‘Get rid of them!’ Dr. Chang held up her hands to calm the crowd down.
“Yes, we are going to get rid of them,” she promised. “We have to do it slowly and carefully. Our bigger problems are the experiments themselves. I’m afraid they might be coming across too much information. How are we going to handle them? I don’t want to get rid of them, not yet. They will prove to be useful later.”
Nikhil swallowed as he tried to make out what the people in the room were saying. He heard a few of them mention ‘Capture them!’ and ‘Torture them!’ He didn’t like the fact that these supposedly renowned scientists and researchers were advocating this violence. For a quiet conference, this was starting to sound like a manhunt.
“No, no torture,” Dr. Chang said. “I say we hit them in the one place they’re not going to expect. We have to get rid of the chimera before she reveals too much to them. As far as I know, she is still in the area. Unfortunately, we lost contact with her. It’s amazing to know that she’s been doing this for almost sixty years. She’s still alive despite all that she’s contributed to our cause. So I ask you now; if you have seen Patty DeLong, please try to bring her to the Bradley Institute. We have a lot to discuss.”
There it was. She just gave up a name so easily. Nikhil felt like this was a little too good to be true. They were just giving away so much information. Weren’t they at least worried that somebody might leak this to the public? They just seemed so confident with everything. He was getting nervous that someone was going to sneak up on him now.
The meeting ended and everyone went back to talking with each other. He looked through the room but didn’t see anything else that could be of interest. The others hadn’t returned yet and he didn’t feel comfortable sneaking around anymore. The party was dying. He was anxious and he wanted some action.
He went over to the corner to call his boyfriend, Victor Alvarez. The shop would be closed by now but Victor was going to linger around. If there was a time that he wanted Victor by his side, it was now. Dialing his number, he leaned against the wall and waited for him to pick it up.
Victor got it on the first ring. “Hey, you! How are you enjoying the fancy party?”
“I’m not really enjoying it at all.” Nikhil admitted. “I feel like I’m being watched.”
“By who?”
“I don’t know. This place is making me uncomfortable now. I wish I was with you instead. I wanted to bring you along but you had to work.”
“You know me. I tried to get the night off but the boss wouldn’t hear it. What’s wrong with the place? Last week, you were just telling me how you wanted to spend a night in it.”
“Yeah, well, I just decided that it only looks nice on the outside. Inside, it’s not so impressive.” Nikhil lied. “I want to see you. Are you almost out of work?”
“I’m going to leave in about five minutes. Do you want me to swing by the hotel and pick you up?”
“Actually, go to my house in about an hour. There is something I need to do first. Then I can relax with you,” Nikhil murmured. “I feel so messed up inside. I need you.”
“I’m here for you. Is there anything you want to talk about? Did your family say something?”
“No, it’s not my family. I haven’t talked to them in a while. It’s just something else that’s bothering me. I’ll tell you but I need figure something out first.”
“Well, I’m coming for you. Wait for me.”
Nikhil sighed as he hung up. The sooner Victor showed up, the better he would feel. This was supposed to be a party but he wanted out. He was too nervous to linger here anymore. Project 99 and their creators were more dangerous than he thought. They had to be careful what lines they trod.
There was no telling who or what they could do to hurt next.
Chapter 7 – Misty
Misty was enjoying the company with everyone else. She was glad that Carolina was with them. It was nice to have a girl closer to her age to talk to. Up until now, the only other teen in their group was Ash. They were on different wavelengths but they deal with the same issues teens dealt with. Both of them were having trouble confronting their parents about what happened in the past. Ash wanted to know the truth behind his brother’s death and Misty wanted to know why her parents went through this. So far, they didn’t have answers.
It was also kind of nice to see Ash loosen up and looking love struck. She knew that Ash was very wealthy and incredibly bright, but he always seemed so serious. He had told her once that he felt like he was too young for the adults but too smart for guys his age. He had no idea where he fit in. He wanted to be taken seriously yet neither side would listen to him.
“Throw in the fact that I’m someone’s lab rat and I really don’t know who I am,” he murmured. “I feel completely lost in this world.”
Misty could relate to that. She was now lost in the world too. She felt like she was too young to understand what was happening. A lot of it made sense but she was having a hard time believing it. She
didn’t want to think that she was a lab rat. There were times that she wished to have her old life back. She knew she had a lot on her plate as it was. There was school, piano lessons, violin lessons, and rhythmic gymnastics practice. Now she had to throw in their meetings and trying to find out the truth. The worst part was the fact that she couldn’t drive yet. She always needed someone to bring her back and forth to places. If she had her license, she could go anywhere and not have to lie to her parents. So far, only her sister Annie knew what she was dealing with. She told Annie enough for her to understand but not the whole story. She just told her what she knew.
“So Misty, what do you do for fun?” Carolina asked.
“Oh, I don’t really have fun anymore. I take piano and violin lessons, but those are more like work now,” Misty explained. “I also take gymnastics lessons and I want to be a good rhythmic gymnast one day. I hope to compete in the Olympics if I get good enough.”
“Wow, the Olympics! You’re doing so much at your age!”
“I am and it still feels like I haven’t accomplished anything.”
“You’re only fourteen, honey. You’ve got time to reach your goals,” Pam said. “Anyway, Carolina, do you have hobbies?”
“I love archery,” Carolina said. “I am on the school’s archery team.”
“She is really good at it too,” Ash added. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her miss her mark.”
“Oh, stop it! I have my struggles now and then! You should have seen my last tournament. I was barely able to keep my hands from shaking!”
Carolina was about to tell them more about her archery skills when Nikhil showed up at the store. He knew that the ice cream shop was only a block away and he had figured they’d be here. “Hey, guys! Hey, Carolina! Do you think I can talk to one of you in private?”
“You can tell me,” Misty said, getting out of her chair. “I have to go home in fifteen minutes anyway.”
“Great.” Nikhil led her away outside and looked around to make sure that no one was around. “All right, here’s the thing. I got our chimera’s name. It’s Patty DeLong and she supposedly lives here. The problem is that no one knows where she lives. From what it sounds like, they are planning to get rid of her. They got a new chimera so they have no use for her or any of the other chimeras right now.”
“So what are you saying? You want us to find her and protect her?”
“Find her, yes. I don’t know how we can protect her though. There’s a huge crowd of people who want to get rid of her.”
“Are you sure she’s here?”
“Not one hundred percent sure, but I think we can find her. I have no doubt that she’s our chimera. I want to know how she got into this. She’s been doing this for a long time. I don’t blame her for being tired. I just want to know how many people she has created from her genes.”
“Do you think she’ll want to talk to us?” Misty asked. “Maybe she just wants to be left alone. That’s probably why she’s gone into hiding.”
“Well, whatever the reason, I need to find out information from her. I want to find out about the other chimeras as well. Can you do me a favor? When you get a chance, can you look her up?” He asked. “I’m trusting you with this job.”
“Can’t you do it?”
“I’ve got something I need to do tonight. If you need help, I’ll be around,” he promised. “Come on, Misty. Just look it up once and write down what you find. If there’s anything that stands out to you, let me know.”
“Are you going to tell the others about this?”
“Yes. Once everything is done with, I will get you all in a meeting tomorrow and we’ll discuss this. Because Ash’s girlfriend is here, I can’t tell everyone right now. That’s why I needed to borrow one of you.”
“Okay, I guess I get it,” Misty murmured. “I’ll see what I can do. Right now, I have to go home as well. My parents know I’m okay, but they’ll probably be awake until I get in.”
“You want to head out then? There’s no reason to keep your parents waiting. It’s going to be eleven soon and I don’t think anything else is happening now.”
“Yeah, I think I should go. Let me just say good night to everyone.”
Nikhil decided to drop her off at home first since her parents were wondering where she was. His boyfriend was going to show up soon and he wanted to get her home safely. According to him, Victor was going straight to his apartment. It was an hour past curfew. Even though she told them she would be late, they would be worried. She had left them constant text messages to let them know that she was all right. It was tough being the youngest of the group. She didn’t have quite the freedom that the others had. Ash was the one closest to her age yet he still felt so much older than her. He could at least drive and mingle with adults if he wanted to. She was still a kid in their eyes.
“Thanks for the lift home.” She told Nikhil as he pulled up to the driveway. “When are we going to meet up again?”
“If we’re lucky, we might be able to have a meeting tomorrow. I can’t guarantee anything though.” He told her as she got out. “I’ll text you the time and place, okay? Have a good night and let me know if anything happens!”
She went inside where her parents were waiting in the living room. They had a million questions to ask, but she told them that she was too tired to answer. It had been a long night. While they were curious, they decided to respect her wishes and said good night. They also reminded her of her schedule. Tomorrow, she had to go to her gymnastics practice. She hoped that they didn’t set up the meeting during that time. She needed to get better at her skills.
At her last meet, she had done the best that she could but her nerves had gotten to her. She tried to get her composure back together at the last minute. In the end, it wasn’t worth it. She ended up in last place and it kicked her spirits down. For the longest time, she wanted to give up. It was a big enough blow to her ego and she didn’t want to be in the same position again. She vowed that she was either going to get better or she would give up on her dream.
Thinking about her dream made her wonder how much this was going to affect her. For the longest time, she wanted to go to the Olympics. She wanted to make her mark on the world’s biggest stage. Slowly but surely, she was starting to get better at everything. Her routines were getting stronger and she put in more difficult elements. There was no way she was going to end up in last place now. If she couldn’t pull through in simple competitions, how the hell was she going to make it to the Olympics?
I don’t care what Project 99 does with me. It’s not going to change my ultimate goals. She decided, looking at the pictures of herself at different meets. These had been taken when she had just started. She was younger back then, but the confidence was still there. This was something she had chosen for herself. Her parents had pushed her toward piano and violin lessons, but let her choose one hobby for herself. At first, she went into the gymnastics but then a rhythmic gymnastics class opened up. There were far too many people in the regular gymnastics class so she moved over. It turned out to be a great decision for her. There was something beautiful and elegant about rhythmic gymnastics. It was also one of the few times where she felt true freedom. She loved being able to dance and flip around while playing with different props. She was a star on that mat.
The last meet was now a memory of the distant past. She couldn’t let that or anything else keep her from performing her best. She began to move around in her room, trying to get some of simpler skills down. There was a ball in the corner so she picked that up and began to dance with it. Right now, this was the one thing that was keeping her head in the game. No one was going to stop her from making her dream come true.
That was what it had been in the past. Now that the present was here, she was uncertain of her future. The Olympics seemed so small compared to finding out the truth. Everything else in her life was insignificant now. She didn’t think she could go back to her normal life. Not until everything here was sort
ed out. She was scared of what was to come.
So far, her older sister Annie knew something was up. She knew that Misty was trying to find out the truth. For her safety, Misty kept the information at a minimum. She had seen what they could do when someone ran over Pam’s daughter. She didn’t want anyone to hurt her family. No matter what her past held, this was still the family she had grown up with. This was the family she had known.
She was scared for what was to come. She wasn’t old enough or strong enough to fight back if anything happened. What was she going to do if Project 99 came after her next? What if they killed her or someone she loved? She would be powerless. She had to come up with a way to fight back.
A terrible thought gripped her at that moment. Something was going to happen and it was going to change everything for them. It was going to change her completely and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it.
She wasn’t ready for the storm that was about to rain down on them.
Chapter 8 – Doug
Doug was exhausted from the night before. When he came home, he ended up falling asleep and not waking up until nine in the morning. His wife was relieved that he arrived though she was still worried. Susan Ruskin knew her husband was not the kind to sleep ‘til nine. He was an early riser. Last night had clearly worn him out.
Their three children were now grown and moved out of the house. His son, Michael, was twenty-nine and married already. They had two children and were now living down in Florida. Siobhan was twenty-five and had just gotten married. She and her husband had moved over to California in the last year because of their jobs. It was tough but at least they seemed to be happy. His youngest daughter, Leila, was in her final year of college. She had moved over to the next state but she kept in touch the most.
