Chapter Text
White sterile lights burned a man's eyes. It was too bright. But he needed the proper lighting. He needed to make things perfect.
"This has to work.. It has to." He murmured, watching as a liquid sloshed against the test tube.
Behind him, a creak of metal door with glass panes announced him of another presence. "Doctor Kane? Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, Miss Pierre. Im sure of this." The woman hummed, "But Doctor Kane- this expedition could kill thousands of our people."
"Miss Pierre, I had informed you not to pry in businesses that is not under your advisory, yes?"
"But Mister Kane-"
"Enough of this nonsense Miss Pierre! I need to do this! This is the only way!"
"Doctor Kane, please, this could end humanity! What you're doing- this is all wrong!"
"Bring in the subject." He commanded, not leaving room for arguments.
Silence rang loud and absolute, as the woman looked at the back of the doctor. "Oliver, he's a child."
"He's the only way I could make sure that monster will not kill a thousand more players."
"Wh- Players? Players!?" She screeched, the volume of her voice loud and grating and very unwelcoming to the man's ears. "Oliver, we are human beings! We- we're not your little play thing you could just toy around with!"
"That's not what I-!" he paused to catch his breath, he couldn't argue with her. He only had little time. "I said bring in the subject, Lianna. Don't make this worst for us. You don't know anything."
"You're risking a child's life for another, Oliver! That's all I need to know that all this is wrong!"
He spun around on his heels to roughly grab the shoulders of the younger female, shaking her lightly as if to cut her some sense. "This is the only way, Lianna! That child will be our gateway for a killer!"
"That killer you're saying doesn't exist in our data! He doesn't even exist!"
"He will in the future, he will and if he existed then all of humanity is doomed, Lianna, you need to listen to me-" He gave another sharp shake, both arms still gripping the woman's shoulder. He looked crazy, almost insane. "You need to listen to me I-"
With a harsh shove, she shrugged off Oliver's hands, and crossed her own. Clipboard abandoned on the floor from where it fell when Oliver grabbed her. "Brother. You need to listen to me. You're risking a child's life, putting some stupid vial on his system just for revenge against a child who's data doesn't exist because he doesn't even exist! You're insane-!"
SLAP.
"You don't know what I know, Pierre!"
".. Did you just slap me..?" betrayed and wounded, she staggered a step back as the man violently recoiled from her. "I- Lianna I didn't mean to-"
"Stop." She raised a shaking hand, but Oliver just took another step closer to her. "Enough, Brother. Or I'll call the FBI on you for child endangerment and illegal scamming rigs."
With her words, something snapped inside the man. it was quiet, dangerous, calculative. He wasn't scared. he wasn't trying to get to his sister anymore, he was just standing. Frozen as if he was frightened, but he wasn't. He never was. "You and I both know you value your freedom just as much as I do. You wouldn't dare rat me out because it meant you would be dragged down the mud, little sister. You know this."
She stopped, knowing and hating that her brother was right. "Bring in the subject Lianna." He repeated once more, voice clipped and devoid of previous insanity.
She sighed, picking up her clipboard and turning her back to him. "If one day this came back to bite you on the ass, don't come crying and begging for help."
"Mister Kane?" A young boy, so young, so little. He was the perfect subject. The perfect age for the perfect time.
"Hello, _______. Do you want to see your friends again, my boy?"
He nodded, shy and timid, but eager for the opportunity. "Uhm, Is that okay mister Kane? I heard Miss Pierre told me you were a bit upset.."
The man gripped what he was holding hidden behind his back and away from the boy's gaze tighter than usual. Quietly thanking the glass wouldn't break even under too much pressure. "Of course im fine, kid! Say, before you leave, I have a little medicine for you to drink."
"Medicine? But I don't have any sickness, Mister Kane. You told me im a healthy kid!" He smiled, gave him the brightest smile he'd ever seen on a child. It almost made him sick. Almost.
"Of course you're a healthy kiddo! I just want to give you something before you leave! Think of it as a goodbye gift."
The kid visibly drooped at the mention of goodbye, obviously upset he wouldn't see the man. "So I wont see mister Kane ever again?"
The man offered a smile with all wide teeth and sharp edges. "Maybe, but that doesn't matter! May you please drink this one for me?"
He showed the black liquid stored in a small bottle. The kid scrunched up his nose, "That looks disgusting..." He muttered, causing the man's left eye to twitch with barely reserved anger. He was never good with children.
Especially the ones who asked and says way too much. "Its not, don't worry! Just a big gulp of this and you'll be okay again! No more sickness!"
"So im really sick...?"
"No. Of course not! Just drink this one please?" He inhaled, not wanting to spook the kid and make things more difficult.
"But..."
"JUST drink it!"
He lowered his voice before he could fully snap at the child. Which seemed to work only a little as the young boy cautiously grabbed the vial. "Would I be okay after this, Mister K?"
"Absolutely."
"Okay.." He watched like a vulture as the boy drank the liquid, making sure that he drank every drop of it.
And when he's done, he patted the boy and kissed the crown of his head, muttering a "Good job, my boy. You did a good job." under his breath before sending the gradually paling child on his way.
As the boy stepped out the door, Oliver Kane settled down on the chair. A crazed look crossing his features. His bright green eyes glowing with the intensity of a maniac. He breathed a fresh sigh of relieve, finally believing his work is done and all he had to do was wait a decade of two. If he showed up.
Because if he didn't, Oliver feared he might've just doomed humanity. Doomed all of his kind.
Doomed his sister to an unknown fate.
He doesn't know what kind of monster would make the boy be once he grew, and once he met the target. He doesn't.
As tension reluctantly released from his shoulders, a guttural scream tore through the sterile blinding white halls of the underground laboratory. And the man froze. Thoughts all wired to one sentence.
This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't part of the plan. He had been meticulous about his process, where. Where had he gone wrong?
"MISTER KANE!"
Where had he gone wrong in the process?
Just- where?
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTT
KNOCK KNOCK
"Wemmbu? Sweetie?" A woman's cheerful although hinted with sorrow called out outside the door, one hand resting on the doorknob waiting for her son's approval to enter.
"Muuuuuum, the door is opeeeeen. You know thaaat." A young man with pale purple hair dyed at the ends and light brown roots he hadn't touched up in months, honey brown eyes that could hold a glare and one formal attire that could pass a royal banquette etiquette whilst being adorned with golden jewelry, shook his head with a cheeky smile as his mother opened the door of his childhood bedroom. The bedroom where he was raised, and will be settling to once semester break came.
"I know honey, I know." She smiled just as cheeky as the boy, and sat on the empty mattress of her son's bed, watching as her youngest child packed the last box for his college dorm.
It feels like yesterday and forever since she remembered holding her children so close to her chest when they were born, and watching as they left for their future.
"So... Big day ahead, huh?" The young lad could only murmur an acknowledgement at her question, taping shut the box and plopping next to his mother's side. "Can't believe im Eighteen and bout to make a life out of my own." He groaned, not wanting to leave but quite literally has to within an hour for his college university.
He had been trying to get inside that school since last year, he couldn't waste the opportunity, not when it means annoying a few of his online friends.
She chuckled, "Ask your brother, he might help you for that."
"Ugh, he's always busy." He whined, not hesitating to hug his mom, knowing he didn't need to put up a front for other people as It was just him and his mother, inside his old bedroom stripped bare of what makes it him.
He felt a twinge at his heart.
His mother laughed, "Your sister, then?"
"Oh no. Oh no. Don't even show me to her! She'll have my head if she realized im using makeup without telling her!"
"Well....... she will find out eventually.."
"Mom!"
She raised both her hands in mock surrender, smiling and chuckling at his behavior. "You boys always fear your sister. She's not even the eldest!"
"Women are scary." He shuddered, remembering that one time his online friend who's a girl nearly chuck an entire chair at him when they met in real life two years ago.
"So you're saying im scary????"
"Well.. you are my mom so.."
His mother could only shook her head, flicking her son's forehead and laughing when he swatted the hand away.
"Im not sure if I could finish college.."
"You'll be okay, Wemmy. I know you can do this."
He nodded, head resting on her shoulder as one of her arms cradled him, and the other carded through his hair. He had just hit a growth spurt on the early days of new year, having grown taller than his mother who was five foot seven at best.
And yet despite that, he still seemed to perfectly fit on the arms of his mother, as like all his siblings does who was taller than him and his mom.
They stayed like that for half an hour, discussing things mostly about his future and the major he had taken, when a car honked on the front of their house, signaling Egg and Minute's arrival for his pickup.
Egg had turned eighteen just about a few months earlier than him, so he had a head start on what it felt like to be an officially boring adult paying taxes. Sure, he has his siblings, but they're mostly busy with their own things.
"Yo Wemmbuuuuu!" Speaking of the devil (or angel, whatever), Egg's voice rang through the house, opening the front door with the spare key his mom had given his bestfriend years back. "Bro, im at my room!"
He left the embrace of his mum in favor of carrying the heavy loads as his mom carried the lighter ones downstairs where Minute and Egg was waiting for them.
He deposited the boxes to Minute, the legal guardian and adoptive father of Egg after finding the baby blue eyed boy shivering and abandoned on the streets, who ruffled his hair. "Good morning, Wemmbu."
"Morning Minute." He smiled when the man nodded at him, and promptly side hugged at the young teen and left for the car to which his mother had dropped the boxes on the back trunk.
Egg shuffled closer to him, giving Wemmbu a big hug before letting go and elbowing the younger teen on the ribs. "College huh? finally going know my pain for finals?"
Wemmbu rolled his eyes, blowing a strand of his hair away from his eyes. "Bro shut up, I'll manage."
"Of course you will, oh almighty nonchalant aura king Wemmbu."
"Bro shut up, you're more nonchalant than me."
"Nah, at least I dont act like Idgaf about the people I care for."
"Brother.."
"What? I don't lie, an angel like me never lies"
"Sure buddy, sure."
"Frfr bro, I never lie."
"Never lie my ass."
"Okay be like that, but if finals came don't ever ask for my help." Wemmbu huffed, lightly shoving Egg as he mocked the taller teen. "As if finals would even come, my aura is so peak they would think twice before making themselves known."
"Buddy has an ego higher than mount everest."
"Sybau."
"Okay, alpha sigma bad boy prince-"
"EWWW STOP- NEVER say that again!"
"Nahhhhh, I think I would keep on saying it."
"Mother fu-"
"I thought I raised you better than cursing at your own bestfriend." His mother's amused tone suggested she's not entirely going to scold him. "Don't you know how disrespectful it is to curse at your elderlies?"
To say Egg didn't look like a dying fish with his mouth wide open, gaping at Wemmbu's mother like he was personally betrayed would be a big fat lie, "Ay Auntie I thought you were on my side!"
"She's not wrong.."
"Dad???????? Okay you all are traitors- traitors I tell you."
Wemmbu could only laugh loudly, a sound he was told broke the sound barrier. "Yeah, Eggchan, Im sorry I shouldn't have not curse at you, oh please grandfather forgive me-" He wheezed out between huffs of laughter, and Egg could only huff.
"I shall remember this betrayal once you seek help for finals! I will avenge my dignity, brother." The dyed platinum white blonde hair was tossed to the side, despite being jaw line length, and he stalked his way outside the house door like he was aura farming. Which, in Egg's case, is probably true. "I will swore on my grave!" The blonde called out, and Minute followed his kid over all while laughing.
Wemmbu's mom was calming down from her cackles, watching as her brother in law left the house and she murmured for Wemmbu to stay for a few minutes as she walked to the kitchen. Returning with a small brown paper bag at her hand and a sticky note sticked to its side.
"What's this?" He asked when she handed him the item. Few strands of his waistline hair falling to his face.
"Just some homemade cookies I saved the other day while baking." She smiled, pushing the strands off his marvelous face and cupped both cheeks. Wemmbu had to bent down a little so his mother could kiss his forehead as a form of saying goodbye. "I baked it in a way you always liked." She said softly, and Wemmbu hugged his mom for another time and waltz out, calling over his shoulder with a "Im not a big back like Boosfer!" when she told him to share the cookies.
Which he would do by the way, but with probably half of the cookies having a chunk missing.
"Love you, starlight!"
"Love you too, Mum!"
And when he entered the passenger's seat, with Eggchan on the other side, he offered the cookies as compensation and the drive was filled with jokes and familiar banters as Minute kept the peaceful warden act to prevent both boys from tackling one another.
"You kids will be the death of me!" He scolded the boys half heartedly, after stopping on a stopover for a few snacks and only to return without the kids on board. Turns out they saw something that piqued their interest and went bail.
"Soooorrrrryyyy Minuuuteeeee.."
The few cookies remained untouched as they stopped on the College university both Egg and Wemmbu will start first year at. Well, FIrst Year for Wemmbu. Egg was already on his second year.
His mother's note remained tucked safely on his phonecase.
"Good luck on your college, starlight! I'll always be proud of you.
Love, Mom (✿◠ᴗ◠)
(PS: Tell Zam she has a package waiting for her)"