The Date After Next (335 hits)
Category: UberMadness! EntryRating: 2 on 1 review (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by thaumaturge (View user info) at 2004-11-07 19:57:31 EST
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"Out of the question. How dare you." I mumbled into his glare. "Is the gun necessary?"
Making a deal with the devil was something I could never have imagined would happen to me. My life had been perfect since I signed that contract. Things change so fast.
"Don't be so melodramatic Mr. Burr." Jake snapped.
"You think that just because you fill out your 1040 every spring and drive a Volvo that we would forget about your debt? This is your opportunity to give us what we deserve."
It was at this point I realized my 'pal' Jake was not merely trying to scare me; he was out to hurt me. Or worse. Jake and I had made an arrangement twelve years prior that changed the entire dynamic of my family. I never imagined it would come to this.
"I won't do it Jake. He means the world to us." I shakily confirmed.
"Don't make this difficult Jon."
"Don't insult me, I'm leaving." I retorted.
Jake had been a close contact of mine since that fateful agreement years ago. I couldn't help but look into his eyes and wonder how a man who had been so helpful and generous could morph so completely. His eyes had always seemed so cheerful to me.
This was not the time for my mind to drift through idiotic platitudes. Of course that's when it came.
BLAM!
My right leg was shredded by the gun blast.
The sound resonated in my ears so fiercely that I thought my very last breath was upon my lips.
****
"Jon, can you help me with these?!" Sarah yelled.
"Why do you buy so many groceries anyway, I swear to shit that I throw out half a fridge-full every Tuesday".
Sarah and I moved to the suburbs the same year David was born. We noticed quickly that his intelligence could be described as no less that incredible for his age. At twelve he had already gone to national scientific symposiums held both in New York and Los Angeles as a junior keynote speaker. David was a miracle baby for us. A miracle may not be the most appropriate way to describe him. He's more like a conjured spell.
Sarah and I had unsuccessfully tried every form of conception to no avail for years before we got our pleasant surprise.
Exhausted at the prospect of our inability to reproduce, Sarah and I looked further for success. Too far as it turns out.
My wife's cousin Tim worked in a government laboratory that researched the effects of "neural-charging". Upon visiting us one Thanksgiving he spoke of a project in the works dealing with childbirth that he had limited knowledge about. Even though this project was still in beta stage we were ecstatic at the prospect of another chance at parenthood. We followed a list of contacts and became the first to volunteer.
David was conceived at a lab just outside of Chicago. At the time of his conception, we were informed that part of the process dealt with his neurons being charged with "ultra-magnets" and multiplied to form an unnatural bond in the cerebellum, enhancing the prospects of his ability to retain and utilize vast amounts of information.
By the time he was fourteen months old, he was not only speaking clearly but also reading everything we had in the house. It wasn't long after his tenth birthday that he began to undertake projects dealing with science and mechanics, done all with the sponsorship and encouragement of his proud parents.
School was never really his place, as he dwarfed his classmates in every category of learning. His fascination with chemicals and physics far surpassed his enthusiasm for socializing at all. However, it wasn't long before his merits were lauded and recruited by the top thinkers of this nation. He was discovered at a tech convention demonstrating his homemade solar panels.
Media attention shortly followed his twelfth birthday and second groundbreaking speech on thermodynamics. It was around this time that our contact at the lab, Jake, began visiting us more frequently. He seemed incredibly uneasy when told of the exploits and achievements of our son.
"Jon, I forgot to mention to you that Jake called while you were at the conference with David." Sarah informed.
"Strange, I paid them on time..."
"He seemed really stressed out. He wants you to meet him at the quarry tonight... what's going on?" Sarah interrupted.
****
As I lay shaking on the pavement, I couldn't help but wonder if David would ever realize the origin of his existence.
I had been paying the 'lab' stipends bi-annually since David's birth, at the request of the director. I was not one to question the motives, as I felt that any payment was justified by joy Sarah and I experienced with David. Although now it has become apparent that I had only been incubating a fund to be used to isolate and study the maturation of my omni-brilliant son.
I should have expected something like this. Everyone at the lab was far too interested in my son. Could I really give my son to these maniacs? David was so innocent and peaceful.
"He's my son Jake, please... leave my family out of this. If it's a money thing, I'll pay."
Jake stared at me stoically. "Do you not realize that David is special? He's our creation, our invention if you will. We never expected this much success so quickly, and unfortunately, his ability has garnered far too much attention. We cannot be discovered... we cannot lose our project."
"Could you not have told us this? We were simply your decoy? He may be a project in your eyes, but he's our son!"
"You and Sarah were the perfect couple for us. We needed our subject to be raised in a 'normal' environment in order for his transition to be smooth." Jake explained.
The pain in my leg was stifled by the heaviness in my heart. I was in no position to argue with this man, and whatever sick organization he is part of. I knew what I had to do.
"You have until next Friday Burr. Our investment has matured, and we will collect. Produce David to us peacefully, or yours is not the only life that will be taken."
He called me an ambulance and left without speaking another word. Sarah met me at the hospital with David in tow.
"Son, I have to talk to you."
****
On the Friday after next, David and I waited for Jake in the lobby of the lab where my son was 'created'. David showed no emotion as he took Jakes hand and walked off.
I hobbled out of the building a broken man.
****
The explosion left only one survivor. David walked in the door with the strangest grin on his face.
David quietly explained, "They told me I was to train as a special operations scientist. They told me I was destined to work for them. They wanted me to forget all about you guys and create special weapons. I showed them I already knew how to kill."
The experiment worked after all.
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