Without hesitation, the original thirteen metas stood up from their seats, walked to the table, picked up a syringe and injected its contents into their own meaty arms. Gavil remained seated.
“Oh, Mr. Young. Do not worry, I will personally prepare your syringe.” He turned toward a refrigerated cabinet and retrieved a bottle with the Infinite II symbol printed clearly on the label. He removed a fresh syringe from its packaging and began measuring carefully the exact amount. When it was to his satisfaction, he laid it carefully on a blue surgical sheet and stepped back motioning for Gavil to help himself.
All eyes were on the last meta as he took the syringe and confidently located a vein in which to dose himself. Once he was done, he looked at each of the metas sitting in front of him then back to Dr. Williams. He could feel the cold of the serum slipping up his arm and into his chest. It felt awesome.
“My Perficio Res,” the doctor cooed at the fourteen soldiers. “You’ll all begin to feel the effects throughout the night. By morning, we’ll be ready to discuss the logistics of this mission as we’re en route. Meet me in the courtyard at oh-eight-hundred. Our flight leaves promptly at oh-eight-thirty. You do not need to bring anything as I will have the plane stocked with supplies.”
“Sir, what is our destination?” A meta named Slider, who had no memory of a life outside the Facility, spoke for the first time.
“That all depends on our target. For now, we’re heading to the Hawaiian Islands.” Dr. Williams smirked.
60 We’re Better Than That
An hour or so after the big revelations, the family was still talking, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
“I don’t think people will understand,” Theo’s voice sounded far away.
He continued, “What I mean is, we know you four. We love you and accept you just as you are. But if anyone out there knew of your abilities—or your potential abilities—they could be very skeptical of your motives. Powerful people could try to manipulate you for their own purposes.”
“They’ve already tried,” Evan said with an edge of anger in his voice.
“Exactly. You could be ostracized or worse, hounded. We have never really discussed the social ramifications of these beyond-human characteristics you all possess. We’ve been so wrapped up in just staying away from Williams and his hunters.” Theo stopped talking, and the room was silent.
Then I heard my mom say: “We do not need to worry about that, Theo. All we need to do is keep our eyes and hearts to heaven and let God take care of what is out of our control.”
“Well said, mom.” Alik sounded pensive.
“She’s out,” Creed nodded toward my sleeping body. “I’ll carry her to her room, if you all don’t mind,” Creed asked hesitantly and looked to Margo for approval.
“Sure, Creed. She needs her sleep. It’s been a very busy few hours since she came back to us.”
Creed walked over to my sleeping body and effortlessly lifted me up and off the couch, carefully tucking my head in the crook of his shoulder. He smiled contently at my closed lids, so familiar to him after a week of watching me “sleep,” and walked out of the living room back down the hallway to my room.
“Can you really trust that guy with her?” Cole said in a not-so-quiet voice moments after Creed was out of view.
“Cole! I’m surprised at you!” Margo gently chided. “If Creed were a threat, don’t you believe Meg would have ‘read’ that of him?”
“I still don’t like the idea of him being alone with her,” he mumbled to himself.
Margo looked outside the window into the darkening sky. “I wonder why we haven’t heard anything from that female meta in a while.”
“I heard enough from her, thanks,” Cole grimaced slightly at his shoulder as he tried to stand. “I’m just gonna go check on Meg.”
“I don’t know, mom. We haven’t heard from her since we ran over her land mine in the driveway. So it’s been, what, twenty-four hours?” Evan walked over to refold Meg’s wet towel and place it back on the chair.
“I want to go look for her,” Margo said as calmly as if she had said she wanted to go look for a missing sock.
“Look for her? You’re kidding, right?” Theo was studying Margo’s face trying to read her. “You’re not kidding,” he answered himself.
61 We All Make Choices
“Dang it, Margo! I hate it when you put yourself in harm’s way for no good reason! Why on earth would you go out there and look for the person who was sent to kill you?” Theo was exhausted and frustrated.
With a deep sigh, Margo stood. She was tired, too, but she was also decided. “Because she might be hurt and need help.”
“Good! Good, I hope she’s hurt! Then maybe she’ll leave us alone!”
“You don’t mean that, Theo.” Margo walked to the closet and retrieved a flashlight she knew to be kept there.