Superkid - A short by RockerDom

So this is a story I started on a long time ago and never finished, but I think I need to because I really love it, and I love the way I put things together and I think it needs to finish, and maybe by posting it here I will be able to do that.

Before anyone starts with the name of the character being "Superkid", its central to the story, and if you read the whole thing, you'll see why, and see the trouble it causes for the main character emotionally, and other ways.

Anyway, the next post will be the first installment, let me know what you think.

- Dom

[edit on 23-7-2004 by RockerDom]

About 90 miles north of Los Angeles, along the Ventura highway, is the small beach community of Santa Barbara. Home to the rich and powerful, and the poor and unacknowledged alike, it sits on a small peninsula, with the beach on one side, and the mountains on the other. The weather is always beautiful, and the people more so. It is unremarkable, easily forgotten, and quickly bypassed for those heading north to San Francisco or south to San Diego.

Peter Johnson was happy to grow up here, close to the excitement of L.A., but far enough away to be largely unaffected by it. His identical twin brother, Max, would�ve preferred to be closer to the action. Peter was more into computers, books, and boring History Channel specials. Max loved to be outside, throwing a football, or enjoying the ocean tides. They were both athletic, and good at all the sports they participated in, but Max was better. Where Peter could out think anyone, Max could outdo them.

For their 14th birthday, their father, Kevin, decided to take them on a camping trip in New Mexico, near Las Cruces, practically in Texas. Their weekend was full of blistering hot days, snake skins, and cold desert nights. Late Sunday night, Kevin got a phone call, and left the tent to talk, telling the boys not to listen in.

He walked about 20 paces from the tent, then hit a small switch on the phone. A blue energy field enveloped him, and he checked to make sure the boys were still eating their dinner inside the tent.

�Go ahead.�
�Kevin, it�s Josh. Are you secure?�

Kevin checked the indicator light on his phone, �Yeah, the sound-dampening field is in effect.�

�Ok, good. Look, we got a problem. General Burks was just here and-�

Kevin felt a flash of anger sweep over him, �What the hell is he doing there on a goddamn Sunday night?�

�Trying to shut us down, that�s what. He and Director Davids have decided that we have two weeks to find suitable subjects, or they�ll kill our funding.�

Kevin turned his head to the side and felt frustration well up in him, �That�s not going to be possible. They have to be either dead, or about to die. Don�t they get it that we have to kill someone? And the chances of success are less than-�

Josh cut him off, �I know, Kev. That�s why they want to cut the project. Apparently ALPHA has a similar project going, but they�ve solved the neural failure problem.�

Kevin nodded, �So they can introduce the implants into anyone, alive or dead.�

Josh signed, �Yeah. Well, their nano-tech group isn�t advanced as ours, so they�re implants are more like an exoskeleton, but it�s only a matter of time. After all, like you said, �Technology advances...�

�...are ultimately unavoidable.� I know, I wrote the damn thesis, remember?�

Josh chuckled, �Yeah, I do.�

They both remained silently for a minute, then Kevin spoke, �Look, I�m on a camping trip with the boys in Las Cruces. We were gonna head home in the morning, but I�ll leave now. I should be home by mid-morning.�

Josh seemed taken aback, �Las Cruces? Why so close to Base I?�

Kevin shrugged, �I know the area well. Plus if anything went wrong, I wanted to be close by.�

�Well, if you hurry up the street, you might be able to catch Burks. He just left.�

Kevin chuckled, �Nah, I�ll save it for tomorrow. See you.�

�Bye.�

Kevin turned his phone, and with it, the sound-dampening field, off, and put it in his hip re-charger.

He walked back to the tent, and opened the flap, �Sorry, boys, trouble at the office. We gotta get going.�

There was a groan from both of them, �I�m tired, dad,� Max said, �Can�t it wait?�

Kevin shook his head, �I�m sorry guys, but it can�t. Come on, let�s get going.�



They were packed and on the road in an hour. They got into Arizona 4 hours later. It was midnight, local time, and Kevin saw the gas light was on.

Driving up to the gas station, its lights splayed out onto the desert sand, Kevin couldn�t believe how much it resembled some sort of alien spacecraft getting ready to lift off. He pulled up next to the pumps, and turned the car off.

�Boys? Come on, wake up, bathroom time.�

They stirred, and looked around groggily, �Where are we?� Max asked

�Somewhere in Arizona,� Kevin said. �Near Flagstaff, I think. Now come on. Go use the facilities, while I pump the gas. Oh, and someone grab me a coffee.�

�I�ll get it, dad,� Peter said. His hair was a mess, and his glasses were a bit crooked. Kevin laughed and tussled his hair..

�You look just like Harry Potter.�

Peter gave his dad a disbelieving look, and rolled his eyes, �Whatever dad. Can I have a coke?�

Kevin unhooked the gas nozzle, and popped the tank open, �No, but you can have a Gatorade or some water. No caffeine this late.�

Peter nodded, and rubbed his eyes ,walking towards the store front. Kevin went around back of the car to check the luggage.



Max was exiting the bathroom just as Peter got there, �Hey, Max, grab me a Gatorade and dad�s coffee while I pee.�

Max cocked an eyebrow at his brother, �What am I, your personal slave?�

�Just do it, Caspian,� Peter said, walking past him.

Max looked at him in mock-anger, �Don�t call me Caspian, four-eyes.�

Peter�s face lit up with a smile, �But it sounds so regal!� he said, trying to sound like their mother.

They both laughed. Peter closed the bathroom door, and Max headed for the drinks counter.

Suddenly, the bathroom door erupted, and Max ran through it. Peter looked at him quizzically, �Since when did you-"

Max cupped his hand over his brother�s mouth, �Shut up. Some guy is holding up the store.�

Peter looked back at him, wide-eyed, �Did he have a gun?�
Max shook his head, �I don�t think so.�

Peter chewed on his bottom lip, �Think we could take him?�
Max grinned, �Sensi will be pissed.�

His brother chuckled, �Yeah, what else is new. Let�s see how numb-nuts feels about two cans of salsa on the back of his head.�

They headed for the door, moving silently, and crouched low.


Sammy was thankful he found this little # place. There was some guy out front pumping gas, but if he tried to interfere, Sammy could pump him full of lead, no problem. The double-barreled 12 gauge was getting heavy, the sales clerk was taking her damn time.

�Hurry the **** up! Before I give your ugly Mexican face a few more holes!� She was crying and blubbering, trying to get the drawer to open when the first impact came.

At first it was just a numbness on the back of his skull, followed by a cold sensation. His head swam precariously, then tiny little pricks spread all over the back of his neck and head, and something dripped down the back of his t-shirt. He spun and saw a foot running behind a display. He fired the shotgun a little ahead of it, hoping to hit whoever was back there.

Then his face exploded

Something slammed into the bridge of his nose, and a sharp crack echoed through his ears. Hundreds of tiny shards bit into his face, and something wet drenched him and stung his eyes. He fired blindly in the direction the impact came from, and heard a small cry. He wiped the mixture from his face, and coughed. It was salsa, he thought. The liquid had found it�s way up his nose, and in his mouth, forcing another cough. He blinked several times, and the blindness turned to blurriness, and he saw a kid lying at his feet, the obvious culprit. Sammy frowned at the body. He had always felt bad about killing kids, but it was the little #�s fault for being stupid.

�Peter!� he heard someone yell, and turned to look. It was another kid, practically identical to the dead one in front of him, except this one didn�t wear glasses, and seemed a little more muscular.

Sammy pointed the shotgun at him, his vision clearing a little more. When he spoke, his voice was raspy, �Freeze, kid, or join your little brother here.�

The kid was overcome with anger, and rushed him, �I�ll kill you, you-�

The gun fired once, and it was all over.

Sammy shook his head. Two dead kids, and probably no more than two hundred bucks in the damn register. Talk about a #ty night. He turned back to the sales clerk. She had fainted dead away, the drawer was open. Sammy reached for it, and suddenly realized the counter wasn�t where it was supposed to be. He was dimly aware of the floor swimming, and his head cracking against it, before he fell unconscious.

Kevin lowered the neural incapacitator, and rushed through the doors. The thief and the store clerk would be out for several hours, the device in his hand assured that. But his primary focus right now was his boys. He yanked his phone out, and spoke into the microphone, �Base I.�

It rang once, and Josh answered, �Hey, Kev, what�s up?�

Kevin could barely hold back his tears, �Peter and Max, Josh, they�ve been shot.�

�What? Oh my god, Kevin, I�m so-�

�Shut up! Get Copter Three online, and get over here. I�ve got our subjects.�

Josh was silent for a moment, �Kevin, you can�t mean the boys.�

�Get the **** over here, now. That�s an order, lieutenant!�

Josh swallowed, not wanting to entertain his superior�s wrath, �Aye, sir. May I respectfully remind you of General Burks? He won�t like this, sir.�

Kevin wiped a tear from his eye, �Let me handle him. You just get here. We�ll need a medic team. And have the surgery bay prepped. I want them in there 5 minutes after arrival.�

�Aye, sir. See you in 15.�

Kevin flipped his phone off, turned both boys on their backs and checked their vital signs. They were both still breathing, but Peter just barely. Max was going into shock, staring at his father with wide eyes, and tightly clenched teeth.

Kevin keyed the neural incapacitator for light sleep, and put Max out, letting his body relax. Then he put his face in his hands and wept.



Chapter 2:

Light and darkness, retreating, returning, spinning, no sense of direction or stability. Color explodes, greens, yellows, reds, blues. Visions pass by, pictures of memories, and dreams, things wanted, things accomplished, people known, those admired and scorned. Dreams and reality, life and death.

Sounds followed. Echoing voices to accompany the images. Sometimes making sense, oftentimes simply confusing. Reality slinking away, nightmares dominating the landscape.


Peter woke easily, his eyes opening slowly, his vision a blurry green.

Green? Why is everything green.

White letters appeared at the bottom of his vision.

VISUAL CORTEX STIMULATED. WARNING: TARGETING SYSTEM OFFLINE. BACKUP SYSTEM ACTIVATED.

What the heck is going on?

WARNING: VITAL SIGNS ACCELERATING. COMPUTER ANALYSIS SHOWING SIGNS OF NERVOUSNESS. NEUROTRANSMITTERS SHOWING FATIGUE PATTERN. ATTEMPTING TO COMPENSATE.

Why aren�t I breathing? Where am I?

Suddenly, his last memory came to him. Rushing the man in the convince store. His shotgun fired. Pain...

He reached for his stomach, and felt it gingerly. It was whole, undamaged.

A flash of fuzz shot across his eyes. The static thinned, then dissipated and the green tinge left, leaving vibrant color in it�s wake. Peter literally couldn�t believe his eyes. Every color was unimaginably perfect. He could clearly make out the glare on his bed�s metal posts. He continued to look, and his vision sharpened even further, and he seemed to sink into the surface, becoming aware of each molecule, and it�s place. White text appeared again, explaining the contents of the metal and identifying weak spots. He moved down to the edge of the bar, and where it curved the text became a readout of the pounds per square inch it would take to bend the metal straight, and how many it would take to snap it in half. He pulled back from his concentrations, and was somehow aware the entire episode had taken less than a second.

He sat up a little further, and lifted his hand, flexing it a few times in front of his face, wondering aloud, �What the heck is going on?�

�That�s going to take some explaining, I fear.�

Peter jumped at the sound, and looked. A boy stood there, clad in all black, looking exactly the same as him. Not in the way that Max and he looked alike. Even in twins, there are differences. This boy was an exact replica, down to the same pair of glasses Peter always wore.

This thought brought a question to Peter�s mind, but even before he could answer it, his doppleganger merely smiled, �You don�t need them anymore.�

�You can read my mind.�

The smile widened, �In a manner of speaking. Can you stand up?�

Peter swallowed, the fear in his gut sending a shiver up his spine, �Look, I don�t even-�

The smile finally faded, and the boy raised a hand, �I will answer every one of your questions in a moment, first I need to see if you�re capable of standing, and walking. There�s some people who need to see you. I can assure you, you are not in any danger. Now, can you stand up?�

The tone, and the way in which the comment was delivered, a slight deflection of an answer, and a repeating of the former comment, reminded Peter so much of his father, it was astonishing. He took a deep breath, scooted down the bed past the bars, and swung his legs over the side.

He pushed off and felt his feet hit the ground. He was acutely aware of each and every muscle as it moved, each nerve ending in his foot identified him of pressure and shock intake; the coolness of the floor was transferred from each nerve individually. He felt his knees bend slightly to absorb the leftover shock, and knew precisely how much shock that was. He swayed for a moment, then felt his body right itself without needing any input from his brain. Peter looked up at the boy, whose smile had returned.

�Whoa.�

The boy nodded, �Please take two steps towards me for calibration.�

Peter nodded back and did so. Again each muscle movement and sensation were reported to his brain in amazing detail. The first step was somewhat off-balance, but the second was better.

The boy looked up and seemed to think for a second, �Calibration analyzation commencing. Please stand by.�

Peter felt his brow furrow. This kid was beyond weird.

The boy snapped back and looked at Peter again, his manner seemed to be a little too jerky to be truly human. Peter surmised he was some sort of robot, and this was a very bizarre dream.

"No, dream, Peter, I promise. Maybe a dream come true though, hmm?�

Peter felt questions rise again, but was again deflected, �As I said there will be time for those in a minute. I need two more steps, please. Towards me.�

Peter sighed, but complied. These steps were much more fluid, and his balance seemed much more normal. The boy looked off into space again, then nodded and smiled.

�Calibration complete! Now, if you will follow me, please. We have quite a big day ahead of us.�

The boy spun on his heel, then looked back over his shoulder, �By the way, you can call me PJ.�

�What�s that stand for?� asked Peter.

�Peter Johnson.�

The hallways where as painfully white as the room Peter had woken up in. He finally looked at his clothing, and saw he was wearing baggy white linen pants, and a tight white tank-top. Peter studied the floor as they walked, and was informed it was a poly-carbon fiber, woven so tightly it appeared to be perfectly smooth. He was also informed it was three feet thick, and could withstand a direct hit from a 105mm battleship gun.

They walked down the hallway for almost three straight minutes, when PJ finally stopped, and turned to look at the blank wall. He surveyed the wall, then looked at the boy in front of him.

�There�s a door there.�

PJ grinned, �Sure is. Know what the password is?�
�Um, no...�

PJ chuckled, �Let me in the Batcave.�

With that, the wall slid smoothly back, and Peter saw two familiar faces smiling back at him.

�Dad! Max!�

They laughed and grabbed him, hugging him tightly. Peter wrapped his arms around them both and squeezed. Something seemed to hold his arms back, keeping him from squeezing too tight. Suddenly all of the burning questions sprung to his lips, and he pushed back, opening his mouth.

�Dad, something weird is going on. I can see into stuff, and these white words keep popping out everywhere, and-�

Kevin put a reassuring hand on his son�s shoulder, �Hold on, son, hold on. I�ve got answers for everything, I promise. Come over here and sit down, and we�ll go over all of it, okay?�

Peter frowned, and nodded, and began to walk over. Max nudged him, �Dude, this is gonna be awesome.�

Kevin looked at Max, and it was enough. The boy rolled his eyes, but stopped talking, and then did something that made Peter�s jaw dropped. As Peter watched, Max leapt 15 feet straight up into the air, touched, the ceiling, and landed perfectly on the blue velvet chair next to the one Peter was currently heading towards.

�Oh my god! How did you-�

�Caspian Maxwell Johnson! You will behave yourself. You understand me, young man?�

Max shrunk in his chair; he hated his full name, �Yes, sir.�

Kevin�s eyes lingered on him a moment, and he shook his head slightly, turning his gaze back to Peter, �Go sit down, son. We have a long morning ahead of us.�

Editied for Format

[edit on 23-7-2004 by RockerDom]

Chapter 3:

�It started back in college. Josh and I were roommates. You boys know Josh, right? Well, we were both in the same major, Physics. We were up late one night theorizing on stuff, and Josh had this idea, he was always way more into computers than I was back then. He had thought of this way to power nanites by letting them absorb Hydrogen and Oxygen molecules...well, I won�t go into it, but it created electricity, he had found, and if we could do that, nanites could become a reality.�

Peter piped up, �What�s a nanite?�

�A very, very small robot. Nearly molecule-sized. Anyway, he had figured out this way to power them, and we realized it would work. Well, after that, we both started minoring in Biology, Computer Science, all sorts of stuff. I had 8, I think Josh had 9 or 10. We applied for Grad school together, and ended up getting into M.I.T.

�We met this really bright professor there, Gene Marsh. We showed him some of our ideas, and he seemed pretty pleased. Well, more shocked than anything. He had been working on cybernetics for a while, and powering nanites had been something he hadn�t figured out yet, but finally, with our idea, he was able to get some really amazing research done. The next five years...well, I won�t go into it, but we made lots of discoveries.

�Josh and I were approached by a man on Graduation day. He said he worked for the Government, and that he wanted us to continue our research with Professor Marsh. If we agreed, we would get our Doctorates paid for, and would get set-up with all of this funding and materials. We both signed on the dotted line, and joined the C.I.A.�

Both boys eyes went wide, �I thought you were a computer programmer, dad,� commented Max.

�Well, in a manner of speaking, I guess I am The nanites had to be specially programmed, all of the inner workings had to be programmed. But, we did have...help...�

The boys looked at each other. A strange expression had befallen their father�s face, �What do you mean?� asked Peter.

Kevin stared at the floor for a minute, then shook his head, �I�m not sure. I�m not that highly placed, I just do my work here at Base I. But someone up the line knows a hell of a lot more than Josh or I do. More than Gene ever did, for that matter.

�Josh and I each had to write a thesis on our project and submit it to the C.I.A. for review to get our Doctorates. We helped each other out writing them, so we knew what went into the other�s papers. I wrote mainly about the technical aspects, Josh about the Biological aspects. Then we theorized on the...possibilities.�

A cold shiver went down Peter�s spine, �What do you mean?�

Kevin took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh, �Boys, you are the pinnacle of a long and arduous project. In both of you are billions of nanites that have rebuilt your muscles, nerves, bone structure, everything. You have strength thousands of times more powerful than the world�s strongest man. You can leap incredible heights, your reflexes are far beyond the limits of anything formerly considered possible. Every cell in your body as been hooked into a chip between your brain stem and your brain, making it possible for you to process things much, much faster than before. Your bodies are reinforced with a bio-electric energy field that, theoretically, could let you survive a direct nuclear explosion. This field regenerates your cells, making it unnecessary for you to breathe. You don�t require food, or sleep. You are the ultimate humans.�

All of this was said in such a quiet, subdued voice that the boys, instead of feeling exhilarated, felt afraid. They both watched their father, his gaze far away.

Finally, Peter spoke up, �Dad, what�s wrong?�

Kevin met his eyes, and they were full of apology. He gave the truth to his 14 year old sons, words that would haunt them forever, �You are the result of Project Ulysses, the so-called �Super Soldier� project. It is my duty to inform you that you are both, as of this moment, officially property of the United States Air Force.� His eyes fell to the ground again, �Your official rank is Lieutenant. You will follow the orders of your commanders at all times and in all places without question. This is hard-wired into your systems and requires only that the order be given by one of higher rank. Peter, your Project name is Blue, Max yours is Black. These are the names that the staff know you by, and will use.�

He stared at the wall, they stared at him. Finally, he turned to them, �I will be back in a few minutes. Feel free to explore this room, and the one next door. Your systems are hooked up to the mainframe, and if you want to watch tv or surf the net, you can do it through your holo-projectors. I need to go speak with someone.�

He stood up and walked towards the door, feeling empty. He had resigned his sons to their fate. Whatever that fate might be. He would stand with them through anything. He owed them that much after what he�d done to them.

�Hey dad?�

Kevin turned and Peter was looking at him, �Yeah, Pete?�

�I love you.�

Edited for formatting


[edit on 23-7-2004 by RockerDom]

If anyone has read this far, give me some feedback. Are you enjoying it/hating it? Any feelings at all would be appreciated, thanks.

I'm leaving on Sunday for a week, and will add an update to the story after I get back. Thanks for reading.

The next part of this ongoing story ensues. Sorry it took so long for this update, but I stage managed a play, and am now in another one, so I've been busy. Hope you like it.

*************************************************************

Kevin walked slowly down the hall. He had left the boys to rest and recooperate, and needed some rest of his own. PJ could be trusted to monitor the progress of the nanites. Already they had rebuilt the boys' nervous, cardivascular, skeletal, and muscle structures. Next would be the rebuilding of the intestines, stomach, and other organs that were currently not working as well as they'd like. They would take some blood tests in the morning, and do another evaluation.

The door to Kevin's office swooshed open silently as he apprached it, and his head popped up as a strange smell met his nostrils. Cigar smoke. The voice that greeted him was laced with steel and ice.

"Sit down, Johnson."

Kevin swallowed, and felt the color drain from his face. General Burks, the base commander, sat in Kevin's desk chair. His voice cracked as he spoke.

"General Burks. I didn't expect you for another-"

Burks stood up so suddenly that his chair slammed loud against the wall behind him, one of the wooden arms snapping off and spinning across the room. "I said sit down, and I mean now, Captain!"

Kevin worked his tongue in his mouth, trying to find some moisture to coat his dusty throat. He walked lightly to the soft leather armchair that sat parallel to his desk, and did his best to meet Burk's cold, blue eyes.

Burks watched him, hawklike, for a long minute, then turned and began to pace behind Kevin's desk, his hands clasped behind him, the tip of the cigar flaring as he puffed it, smoke filling the small room.

"I have done as much as I could for you, Captain, to ensure you had all of the facilties you needed. I begged, borrowed and stole money to keep you working. I sacrificed my time, my reputation, and nearly my job to keep you here. And this is how you repay me."

Kevin shook his head, "General Burks, with all due respect-"

Burks turned towards him, his cheeks flushed with rage, and planted his palms on the dark wood of the desk, "Respect? How dare you speak of respect after what you've done! You have just signed the devil's deal to keep your children alive! The implications of this are insurmountable! You have given them a second chance at life, but a life no one wants. Your own test results show that they will never die, never again know physical pain! The psychological implications are not known, the long term effects on young bodies never tested in any simulation.Your colleague tells me there is a good chance they will never age again. This was a voluntary project, based upon conjecture. Did you give them a choice?"
He broke his searing eye-contact, and began to pace once more, "I was in a meeting with the President when I got the phone call. He will be asking questions, as will the FBI, the ATF; the Attorney General has left me three voicemails, none of which I have returned. What do I tell them? Our new supersoldiers are 14 year olds? Dammit, Johnson, this was meant as a weapons program, not your own personal Frankenstein science project!"

Kevin closed his eyes, and dropped his chin to his chest, tears stinging his eyes. "They were dying, Alex, I had to to save them."

Burks sighed, his moustache moving from side to side as his mind worked. He crossed the room carefully, looking down at the young scientist. He took the cigar out of his mouth, and spoke in a quiet tone, "You have rescued them from death only to ensure they live out their lives in an unknown hell. They will forever be the subject of public scrutiny and private suspicion. I understand why you did it, Kevin, but forgive me for pointing out your irresponsibility in doing so. I've set up a meeting of the Joint Cheifs on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. The President will be there. I hope you have some answers for him, because I sure as hell don't."

Burks turned and headed for the door. Kevin's voice was small when he spoke, "If you had been me, what would you have done?"

The General stopped, but didn't look back, "I would have done the same thing you did, Kevin. That doesn't make it right, and it doesn't mean the President won't give the order to deactivate your boys. I hope you have some good things to say Tuesday morning."

His boots echoed all the way down the hall, reminding Kevin of clouds crying on city streets.

*************************************************************

I will try and add some more soon.

- Dom