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"Evolution"Written By: The Plotting Housewife Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sotsu
and associated Parties. This work is written for pleasure not profit. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, yaoi, quasi-dark, genetically engineered
pilots, test tube babies, lab-created Gods, pseudoscience. Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5x13, 13xUne Summary: Zayeed Winner, founder of The Human Perfect
Project, makes miracles happen in the laboratory by creating genetically
engineered children. It's only when it's too late that he discovers
playing God can result in catastrophic consequences. " Evolution" Chapter 6 - The Dragon
Zayeed often liked to call Wufei his little Dragon. Little did he know how blatantly accurate that nickname was. He'd always thought the name was fitting because of the boy's fiery personality. He was a stickler for routine and highly self-motivated. He was the one who often took on the air of authority when his brothers got out of line, berating them with cutting words. He had a temper that burned quick and hot. Fortunately, that also meant that it was usually over as fast as it came. He came from Chinese lineage, three of his donors were advanced martial artists. Wufei, like Trowa, developed those skills naturally as Zayeed had tweaked the child's DNA to make that a dominant trait. By the age of four, he'd mastered sword, staff and nunchucks and by the age of nine, was highly trained and developed in Karate, Taekwondo, Aikido, Jitsu, and Judo, as well as boxing and kickboxing. His physique was similar to Trowa's as he spent many hours in the Dojo that Zayeed built for him out of an unused room in the house. He'd taken a liking to Tai Chi and meditation after a rather volatile incident when they were five. Duo had scribbled all over Wufei's walls with black permanent marker and, furious, Wufei went after him in a fit of anger. Zayeed had to separate the two boys, leaving Duo under Trowa's supervision while he tried to calm Wufei down. The child was so angry that Zayeed had not been able to reason with him, reassure him that they could paint over the marker. Wufei stood in the middle of the kitchen and screamed in rage, so loudly that it felt as though the room shook and Zayeed jumped back, terrified, as one of the walls burst into flames. He'd been too preoccupied by getting everyone out of the house safely and calling the fire department, that it wasn't until later, once the shock wore off, that he'd been able to sit down and let the reality of what had happened sink in. He watched the boy sleep that night, now quiet, calm and peaceful, and boggled at what the child had been able to do. Realizing with an icy cold chill that Wufei was a ticking time bomb...literally. It had taken several thousand dollars to repair the damage done to the kitchen, but the damage done to his psyche after that incident was immeasurable. He'd consulted Sally over what to do and she was as lost as he was. Though she did suggest he sit down and have a talk with Duo about not provoking the volatile boy, which went over about as well as he predicted it would. Her other suggestion was to help Wufei find more productive ways of dealing with his anger. He started encouraging the boy to meditate daily, on a regular schedule and also when he started to feel upset about anything. He was mildly surprised when the child took to it immediately, showing remarkable levels of self-discipline for such a young boy. Once Wufei had been doing that successfully for a while, Zayeed introduced him to other relaxation techniques such as Tai Chi and Yoga. And the rest was history. Thankfully, there was only one incident after that where he'd set fire to his desk when he got frustrated over a particularly difficult math problem. The boy was furious with himself. "I can't do it! Why can't I do it? I know this stuff. I'm smarter than this." He clenched his eyes shut, banging on the desk with his fist. "Wufei, relax! It will come to you." "I shouldn't have to wait for it to "come to me". I'm almost as smart as Quatre. I should have figured this out minutes ago." "Wufei, no one is perfect. Just work through the steps again and -" "I am perfect! We are perfect. Only weak-minded fools would have a hard time with this." "Now, that's not true, Wufei. You are being too hard on yourself. You just need to take a few calming breaths, maybe a little break -" "I don't need a break! I need to figure this out!" He slammed his fist on the desk again. A spark ignited beneath his hand and before Zayeed could realize what was happening, the top of the desk burst into flames. "Wufei! Watch out!" He grabbed the child quickly and got him a safe distance, then ran to a window, yanking the drapes down, and smothering the fire before it could spread. He coughed and waved the smoke away from his face, pulse pounding, as he glanced down at the child who looked heart-breakingly dejected. "Are you hurt?" The boy sat on the floor with his head down, looking ashamed. "I'm so weak. I can't do this, I can't -" "Yes, you can. You just need to calm yourself down before you start another fire, okay?" But, Wufei was too far gone to listen to him, not that he would have listened anyway. Wufei often gazed at him with such disdain, it made Zayeed want to crawl under a rock. The child deemed anyone who wasn't his brothers as weak and pathetic, though he did seem to tolerate Sally more than the other low-life humans. His brothers, having sensed the outburst came to the boy's aid, surrounding him with love and support, and Zayeed backed out of the room, feeling like he was intruding. There was no doubt, even early on, that Wufei was a scholar. He was, as he'd said, nearly as intelligent as Quatre, but he took his studies far more seriously than the blond boy. He read constantly, educating himself on a wide spectrum of subjects ranging from literature to mathematics to science and history. He'd read all about the various atrocities of human history and often chided Zayeed about the shortcomings of his race. "Why are humans so...weak?" The child asked one night during supper. Zayeed nearly choked on his eggplant and took a sip of wine to wash it down. "Could you be more specific?" "All the war and the famine and the cruelty...why do you do these things to each other? You are the same species, you're all kin. Why are you so cruel to each other? I can't imagine doing those kinds of things to my brothers." He said it with condescension, but Zayeed could also see the spark of curiosity in his dark eyes. The almost desperate need to comprehend. He nodded, understanding the child's confusion. "Well, that's good. I hope you never do. But, to answer your question, well...it's complicated. I suppose with our kind, there are so many of us and we have been around for so long and we're all so very different. The natural world is a very hostile place and there's a reason behind that. Life on Earth, for a very long time survived by our biology. Our instincts. Competition and survival of the fittest and you're right, it's very cruel. That's how many in the animal kingdom still survive to this day. Humans have somewhat evolved past that thanks in part to our frontal lobes," Zayeed tapped his forehead. He continued, "But we still have those instincts, very deep in the most primitive parts of our brains. We haven't evolved past that yet." He set his fork down and leaned over. "I want you to understand that while there are many bad people out there, there are also people who are very good. Very kind and generous. Humans are a very diverse mix. You understand?" Wufei twirled his fork through his pasta. "I suppose so. But, I mean, with all the technology, the ability to educate yourselves, why don't some of you know any better?" Zayeed shrugged. "Part of humanity is still very ingrained with our own selfishness which can be traced back to our instinctual roots. Some people - some people just don't care, or don't wish to do better, to be better." "But, why?" "I wish I had an answer for that, but I don't. There are just some people out there who can't learn, or don't wish to. It's not pretty, but it's just the way it is." "And we're the first of our kind, right?" "Yes." "So, there are more being made just like us." "Yes, well. There were. I've actually postponed the project." "Why?" The other boys were staring at him silently, eyes wide in curiosity. Okay, this might get tricky. "Well...when it turned out that you boys had more...abilities than we were able to understand, we had to take a break to try to figure out what exactly happened. I don't...I really don't understand the processes behind why you boys are able to do what you can do and before I can move further, I need to find that out." "But there are others like us. You made other children, not exactly like us, but...can they do what we do?" "I've been in contact with some of the other parents and it seems that some do, but I don't know if all of them are like that." Duo spoke up. "Are we mutants?" Zayeed coughed, nearly spitting his wine out. "Uh...well, it's possible that there was some kind of mutation during the initial process, or during gestation, but I haven't pinpointed any yet. That said, no. I wouldn't call you mutants." Duo actually looked disappointed by this and Zayeed almost laughed. "But if I do find one, I'll let you know." Duo's face lit up and he smiled brightly. Wufei asked, "Do you consider us gods?" "Well, not exactly. The term "God" can be a tricky thing. Since humans have never met one, we really don't know what being a God would really entail. I guess it depends on who you ask. Some people might consider you a god because of all the amazing things you boys can do. I suppose I see you as just another step in the evolutionary process." "But why can we do these things?" "I don't really know, but if I had to guess, I'd say that somehow, during your development, we, or you, were able to tap into parts of your brains that normal humans don't have access to. We humans only use about ten percent. That leaves the vast majority of our brains a mystery. It's possible that you boys are able to use more of yours and that's why you are able to do what you do. Does that make sense?" "Yeah, I guess." "But that also means that you boys have powers that us regular humans don't possess. You can easily hurt us and that can and will scare people and humans don't always act rationally when they're scared." "What do you mean?" "Uhhh...okay. The thing is, people are going to see you as a threat. You are something they don't understand and that will scare them. Sometimes, when people are afraid of something, especially when there's a large group of people who are scared of something, it can be dangerous for whatever, or whoever it is they're scared of." Wufei nodded. "I was reading about the Salem Witch Trials yesterday. That's kind of what you mean, isn't it?" "Yes. That's exactly what I mean. Some folks died because other people didn't understand them and they were scared. I fear for you boys' safety because there are people out there who just won't understand you. That could put you in danger." "Won't, or can't?" "Both. Some people will have the capacity to understand you, but they won't be willing to. As you get older and your abilities get stronger, people are going to become more afraid of you." "Won't you keep us safe?" Quatre asked. "I try. I try so very hard and I will do everything I can to make sure you boys are safe. I hope you know that." They glanced at each other and then at Zayeed. Quatre smiled, "Yes, I think we do." The boys were nine now and things had gotten progressively better in the last year. They were more cooperative and willing to listen. Wufei was doing well with his meditation and had no incidents of spontaneous combustion which was a relief to Zayeed. They were in a very precarious position now and every day brought new risks not only to the boys, but to the people around them. Zayeed and Sally both worked with them on a daily basis to find ways for them to cope with their abilities and channel their frustration in ways that wouldn't cause harm, or damage. It was challenging to say the least. Considering Zayeed was currently standing behind a metal shield as Wufei threw one fireball after another at him, he could easily say this was one aspect of his life he'd never predicted. "That's good, Wufei. Keep it steady." A ball of flames flew over the top of the shield and singed his hair. His nose prickled at the odor. "Alright, watch your aim. I don't want to be bald. You need to hit the shield." Luckily they were outside, otherwise the flames would have hit the wall. This exercise was required as a way of stress relief for Wufei as well as taking care of the buildup of power. If he didn't let it out on occasion, it would condense inside him like a carbonated beverage under pressure. When he got agitated, it was like shaking the bottle. It was going to come out, one way or another. The trick was to reduce the build up of pressure so it wouldn't be so catastrophic when he did get upset. These types of exercises were important for all the boys. Sally was currently working with Quatre farther down the yard. Zayeed discovered, with a revelation from Trowa, that Quatre had the ability to level entire cities, imploding miles of land like a hydrogen bomb. There was no telling what he could do when his power reached its full potential. That was in part was why the other boys needed to shoulder the burden. It diluted Quatre's power and made it less painful for him. All in all, Quatre and Wufei were his most potentially dangerous children and the ones who needed the most work. He was currently working on a suppressant, should the need for one ever arise, but he wasn't able to safely do so without posing a risk to the host. He certainly wasn't ready to conduct human trials to see if the compounds were safe. He was knocked back a few feet by a particularly strong fireball and he wiped the sweat from his brow and held his hand up. "Okay. Time for a break. It's getting hot behind this thing. You want some lemonade?" "Yeah!" "I do, too," Quatre shouted from across the yard. "Okay, go see what Alyia can fix up for you." The boys tore off down the lawn and Zayeed and Sally watched them as they raced each other to the house. "They're doing well," Sally said. "Yeah, I'm surprised. For a while there, I thought this whole situation was hopeless." "There's always hope. They're good boys. They just need the proper guidance like any child." "And how," he laughed, glancing at Sally. "I want to thank you for being here for me through all this and helping me with them. I couldn't have done it without you." "Oh, I'm sure you could have, but I'll take the compliment," she said, smiling. "You've been a wonderful friend. The best I could ask for." She gazed into his eyes and his chest fluttered in a way that he hadn't felt since Quatrine. Sally was beautiful, there was no doubt about that and he couldn't deny how much closer they'd gotten over the years. Feeling awkward, he coughed and looked away, taking a sudden interest in the surrounding Magnolia trees. "Would you like some lemonade, or some tea?" She dropped her hand on his shoulder and his skin registered the warmth with a thrill through his nervous system. "I would love some." They walked up the vast green lawn and she added, "I don't bite, you know." He turned shocked eyes on her and she gave him a flirty wink, laughing when his handsome face flushed red. One of the staff members ran outside to meet them, flagging Zayeed with a waving arm. "Mr. Winner! You have guests." "I do?" "Yes, Sir." "Okay, I'll be right there." "It's Sir Treize Khushrenada and Lady Une." Zayeed froze mid-step and glanced at Sally with wide eyes, heart suddenly beating harder. She mirrored his expression. "What the hell is he doing here?" He swallowed down the rush of fear and walked towards the house, dread in the pit of his stomach. There could only be one reason the Senator was here, or rather, five reasons. Sally cursed and followed him, praying this was nothing serious, but knowing in her heart they would not be here if it wasn't. ~ * ~ |
