This morning, I was staring at the poster for Aurelia's final lab day, put up near Archie's door. My real focus, however, was the conversation drifting from the corridor. Liann and Ethan, two of the kids from the workshop, were clearly engrossed in a discussion a few feet away, their voices hushed but audible.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WYz3HMBUE
"…can you believe it?" Liann whispered, a note of awe in her voice. "Dr. Oxide. She's… she's incredible."
Ethan nodded, his tone equally impressed. "I know, right? That presentation yesterday? Mind-blowing. The way she talked about the future of science, about pushing the boundaries of human potential… it gave me chills."
Chills. Me too.
Pushing the boundaries of human potential. She says this in Every. Single. Session.
"I mean," she continued, "she's practically a legend. A pioneer. And she's sharing her vision with us. It's an honor, man."
Ethan chuckled. "Yeah, well, let's hope we can live up to her expectations. She's got big plans, that's for sure. Did you see the look on her face when she was talking about the… next phase of her research?"
Liann's voice dropped even lower. "Yeah… something about… evolutionary advancement? I didn't quite catch it all."
Evolutionary advancement. Another red flag. It sounded suspiciously like Aurelia's plan to reinstate powers, a plan that Dad had warned me about.
I glanced down the hallway, wondering where Archie was. He'd been practically glued to Aurelia's side for the last two days; surely he'd heard something. Or maybe… maybe he's already in on it.
"Whatever it is," Ethan said, "it's going to be huge. Dr. Oxide is going to change the world. And we're going to be right there with her."
Liann nodded enthusiastically. "I can't wait. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Imagine the recognition, the impact… we'll be part of history."
Part of history. They had no idea what they are getting into. They saw Aurelia as a visionary, a hero, but she was a manipulator, a predator. And they were walking straight into her trap.
"Your roommate still not out yet?" she asked Ethan. "And here you keep saying that he can't shut up about her."
"Huh... it's not like Ace to be late to his personal hero's important talk." Ethan shrugged. He then turned in my direction. "Ima go check on him." he said, then started moving.
"You waiting for Ace too?" he asked me, startling my thoughts.
"Archie? Yeah. Must have woken up late."
"He is the type to wake up at 5 for this. So it's surprising..." I thought aloud.
"Hey," Liann called out. "You're Lead Carbon's kid, aren't you?" she asked. I'd never actually talked to either of them before. They were the kids who got third place on the contest, but that's pretty much everything I know about them.
I nodded. Force of habit, actually, but I'm still doubting whether that's actually the right response to that question. "I guess so,"
Liann's head cocked to one side. "You... guess? Okay, you're weird."
I get that a lot. Weird is a label I've become accustomed to, a convenient box people use to categorize me, to keep me at arm's length. Just the way I like it.
"So," Liann continued, her eyes narrowing slightly, "your dad… he was brilliant, wasn't he? A real visionary."
"He was a scientist," I replied, keeping my tone neutral. I wasn't about to get into a discussion about my father with these two. They wouldn't understand. They saw him as a hero, a legend who died before his time.
They didn't know about the fractured timelines, the guilt, the secrets he carried. Nobody does... he didn't even know that I know.
"Brilliant," Ethan echoed, nodding enthusiastically. "Just like Dr. Oxide. They're both… geniuses."
I bit back a sarcastic comment about genius and manipulation. "They both did research," I said simply. "I guess... they did work together.
"Yeah, but your dad… he was different," Liann persisted, her eyes still narrowed. "He was… mysterious. Everyone said he was working on something big, something revolutionary. And then… he..." she chose not to go on.
Both of them looked at me, and we all knew the answer to fill in that blank.
I shifted uncomfortably, my gaze drifting towards the poster of Aurelia, her face smiling down at us with an unsettlingly serene expression.
"Anyway..." Ethan distracted us. "What are your thoughts on the last day."
"I don't know,"
Translated: 'I personally do not give two shits, so please stop talking to me and get the hell out of my personal space.' But did they get that?
My social battery was rapidly depleting, and these two were draining the last dregs.
"Come on," Liann pressed, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Everyone's talking about it. Dr. Oxide is going to announce something big, something… game-changing."
"Probably another lecture on the wonders of cellular regeneration," I mumbled, rolling my eyes.
Ethan chuckled. "You're so cynical. Don't you think it's exciting? The possibility of… of breakthroughs?"
"Breakthroughs that will probably involve a whole lot of innocent citizens," I muttered under my breath. "The powers ban of 2027 is a good thing, and its reinstature in 2035 is even better. That government has my vote when I'm 18."
"Hey," Liann said, nudging me playfully, "you should lighten up a bit. It's the final day! We should be celebrating!"
Celebrating the imminent possibility of being experimented on? No thanks.
"Yeah, well," I said, glancing at my watch, "I should probably go… find Archie."
I turned to leave, but Ethan stopped me. "Wait," he said, a strange look on his face. "There's something I wanted to ask you."
I sighed inwardly. Here we go.
"It's about your dad," he began, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I know… it's probably nothing, but I saw this post online…"
My stomach clenched. The post. The one about the sighting.
"It was just some random guy," I interrupted, trying to sound dismissive. "Black hair, gray eyes… that could be half the population."
"Yeah, but…" Ethan persisted, "it said something about him being seen near the city outskirts. And… well, your dad disappeared, right? It's just… weird."
I crossed my arms, trying to appear nonchalant. "People disappear all the time," I said. "It doesn't mean anything. And besides, he's dead. There was security camera footage of him, flying out of the car and into the forest. Then he was squished to death by the impact of the car."
"It looked just like him though... and this post…" Ethan continued, "it said something about him being… secretive. Like he was hiding something."
My heart pounded in my chest. They were getting too close. I needed to shut this down, and fast.
"Look," I said, my voice hardening, "I don't know anything about any post. And I don't appreciate you speculating about my father. He's gone. He's dead. End of story."
I turned and walked away, leaving them standing there, their whispers trailing behind me. I could feel their eyes on my back, probably glaring at me for my rudeness. This was getting out of hand. I needed to find Archie, to talk to him, to figure out what was going on. And I needed to do it before it was too late.
Just as I rounded the corner, I bumped into someone. I looked up and saw Aurelia, her smile as serene and unsettling as ever.
"Aura," she said, her voice smooth as silk. "I was just looking for you. I have something… important… to discuss with you. Come with me."
She gestured towards a nearby lab, her eyes glittering intensely. I hesitated, a sense of dread washing over me. This was it. The final act.
"What is it, Doctor?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Aurelia's smile widened. "It's about your future, Aura," she said, her voice laced with promise. "And about our future..."
She took my arm, her grip surprisingly strong, and led me into the lab. The door hissed shut behind us, leaving me alone with her, trapped in her carefully constructed web of lies and manipulation.
She wants power, and she would use anyone and anything to get it. And I was her prime subject. Her daughter. Her 100% genetic match. Her weapon.
I suppose I really am... Aurelia Oxide 2.0
