Playing God

There were six companies working for a larger umbrella company based in Europe. They didn’t know who owned them or why they were asking them to do the experiments they were, only that they were paid exceptionally well to create things that should by all means not exist.

Each company was set up in the same way. There were several workshops scattered around their territory working on either creating impossible technologies or genetic monstrosities. The workshops and the companies would get more funding based on the advancements they made, as well as more resources.

Each sector was in direct competition with one another for those resources more than the money, their pride on the line as well as their ability to continue making exceptional creations. The sectors, however, did not all specialize in quite the same things.

For instance, our story takes place in Killian Corporation territory in Northern British Columbia. They used to focus on genetic manipulation of animals. Now, they may just get the chance to expand.

Steve perked up a little. “Does that mean we can continue?”

“A successful human subject would pull our sector ahead and we’d gain extra resources. Of course you can keep him. Try not to kill him again too quickly. What are the plans to replicate the experiment?”

“And where are you planning on keeping him?” Jenkins asked flatly. “You can’t keep him in surgery forever and we don’t have facilities for human subjects.”

“Then he’ll get your room,” Edwards said dismissively. “Move him up there after we’re done here. Plans for repeating the experiment?”

Steve stuttered, going back to the papers in front of him and trying to avoid the look Jenkins was giving him. “Uh, see, to repeat the experiment we’re going to need another dead man who has died quite recently. We aren’t really sure which time did it, either, or if it was a delay so we’re going to be running some tests and we still need to get the body and-”

“I’ll arrange for a corpse as soon as you have the tests completed. I’ll be waiting for your full report on the initial experiment in the morning.” Edwards rose to his feet. “I’m done here, gentlemen.”

Edwards stood and left, leaving the scientists in the room.

“The kid doesn’t have a name so far as he knows, Mr. Edwards,” Jenkins said, walking into the room and taking his seat at the table. “He doesn’t remember anything.”

“What took you?” Edwards asked, cold and gaze trying to put him in his place.

“I was talking to him,” Jenkins told him evenly.

“You shouldn’t even be here.”

“Then kick me out.”

Edwards looked at him before relenting. “Tell me about the boy.”

“He’s a spirited Chinese kid with green eyes,” Steve offered. “Never seen one with green eyes before.”

“Demon child,” Greg spat out. “It’s unnatural.”

“Since when have we ever dealt with anything that wasn’t unnatural?” Steve muttered back to him.

“Tell him his name’s Damien then.”

“That doesn’t mean-”

Steve nudged Greg to shut him up. “Don’t correct him.”

“Have you lot come up with plans for Damien,” Edwards asked, “or was this just an announcement?”

In the conference room, several men gathered around the table, none of them saying much. They shifted nervously, papers in front of them and pens tapping on the table, glasses getting adjusted and a heavy sense of unrest waiting for someone to break it. They all knew what they were here for. None of them knew what it was going to mean.

Finally a man in a clean suit came into the room, tall and broad shouldered and with a glare that froze everyone in the room. He walked calmly past everyone, glaring at those who dared to look up and took a final look over the scientists before finally sitting at the head of the table.

“Well,” he said, his voice calm and gaze even. They all stopped, a chill running through them. “What is it? This had better be important.”

Steve rose his hand timidly, shaking a little. Whether he was nervous or simply jittery from the discovery was unclear. “If you please, sir. We have had a remarkable breakthrough. There’s a boy.”

“This had better not be another birth announcement. The Island branch already managed to do that.”

“No!” Steve blurted out. He retreated back, nervous. “No, it’s better than that. It’s the boy who crashed into the building. He died, but we have brought him back to life! And he speaks!”

The man at the head of the table folded his hands as a smile crept over his face. “Well now, that is interesting. That should put the island branch to shame. Tell me, does the boy have a name?”

His eyes flew open and he stared at Jenkins. They weren’t going to let him go. It took him a moment to digest it, the statement somehow more difficult to believe than they had brought him back to life. They were just going to keep him here, were they?

“You aren’t going to let me go?”

“Nope,” Jenkins said, leaning back in his chair. “Why would we? We keep our other tests.”

“Because I want to leave.”

Jenkins leaned back and let out a deep belly laugh, but he wasn’t listening. He let his head fall back a little and looked past Jenkins, back to the eyes that had been watching him from across the room. They were not human and, the more he looked, the more he knew he didn’t want to stay here. There were creatures over there, kept in cages and condemned to remain there until they were lucky enough to try and make a break for it. If they could make it past Jenkins and his…

His eyes roamed down for the shot gun and his mind clicked. He pulled against his restraints and struggled hard, banging against the table and pulling hard to try and get free. If he could just get to the shotgun, then he’d be able to get out. There was no way they were going to keep him here.

Jenkins let out a sigh and stabbed the kid with a small needle. His struggles died instantly and everything went black.