July 9^th. 11:00 pm. Abel and Marlene were in bed, naked and wrapped in each other’s arms. They were in thought as they looked up at their reflection in the mirror. Abel sees Marlene’s pendant glow along with her eyes as she stared at her reflection, having a premonition.

“What do you see?” Abel asks.

Marlene looks at Abel.

“I don’t think I should tell you.” She replies. “It will ruin something.”

“Well, we haven’t thought of a plan, yet.”

“I know. Also, I know some people to help set it in motion.”

Abel’s interest piques as he raised a brow. “Who?”

“Rika, K.C., Asa, Nikita, and Lukani. You’re going to need them. If you’re thinking of a plan, it has to involve them.”

“And… what of you?”

“That… is very clouded. I can’t even make it out…”

Abel decides not to ask any further. Marlene lets go of Abel and sits up on the bed. Abel does the same. Something else was on her mind.

“What’s wrong, Marlene?” He asks.

“What exactly do we have?” She asks fervently. “This power we have, you didn’t get this from just a serum, did you?”

“Well… no.”  He replies. “The serum had a strain of… your mother’s DNA; she is the progenitor. So, even though she works for them, she was a… test subject for them as well. It’s very odd how that came to be, I did not ask. Nevertheless, when I was 15, she told me she was born with an altered gene. Your grandparents were unaware of it, and she speculated the genetics between the two made how her blood is; of course, that’s simple genetics. The serum was called Kroto.”

“Kroto?”

“It’s a splice between two words in Greek: Longevity and Endurance.”

“Μακροβιότητα (Makrozoia); Kro. Αντοχή (Antochi); to.”

“Correct. They took a sample of her blood and kept her as an employee—again, odd. I was raised in the facility along with other children. There, they were making us into something… “better” for the human race. Before my accident, others my age were administered Kroto. Those whom Kroto rejected were given anesthetics and sent to other areas; most of them had to be. Hawk & Darwin Inc. are the ones who produced it. That is where I was raised and taught and who I work for. They are the people I get my compensation from, but I feel that will change soon. Because I have a hunch that Erika got the equipment and the ingredients to change the serum’s makeup, and she doesn’t know any other facilities besides H.D.”

Marlene sighs at this revelation, keeping mental notes.

“You and Erika.” She speaks. “How’d you two meet?”

“Have you heard of Denzel Jamison?” He asks with no hesitation.

“Yes, he’s the person who gave a charitable donation to the hospital a few years ago.”

“I met her through him. Two years ago, Denzel used to host business meetings and a couple of parties at his estate until he passed. That is how I met Erika. She was an entrepreneurial promoter that I decided to partner with. Now I feel she’s going to go behind my back with the people at H.D. Therefore, is why I never trust many people.”

“And speaking of Hawk & Darwin, do you mean Charles Hawk and Harvey Darwin?”

“Correct. Those three had a very long history with one another, far before the facility came to be. They were the founders of the facility. When Charles passed earlier this year, Harvey took control of everything and is one of my “father figures”.”

Hearing all of this made Marlene tie the loose ends together. Abel was sent to H.D. when he was an orphaned newborn. Before Marlene was born, Abel met her mother and became the only mother figure in his life along with being raised with a couple of professors that became his father figures as well. At 17, an incident happened to where Abel nearly died, but he survived because of the Kroto serum he was given beforehand. Becoming of age, he became a lone scientist and businessman with the help of the men who run the company throughout his life and was experimenting on his creation. He then meets Erika two years later and they become partners, among other things.

Marlene always wondered as she became older, where her mother always went when she had to leave home. She knew her mom worked, but did not know what she did, nor where she worked. Then one day when she was 16, she noticed her mother’s belongings were gone from the house and so was she. For years, she and her sisters had to fend for themselves by graduating and working, and taking care of themselves along with Marcus. At the age of 18, she realized how strong she and Nikita were compared to the other girls, then the rest of the sisters followed soon after, except for Dina and Ilena. After school, she remembers accidentally breaking a desk in her classroom by slamming her hands on it. Now at age 23, she’s having premonitions now and wonders what else can she and Abel do?  

“So…” She speaks. “Since I was born with this and you were injected with it, you might know more about this power? Because I never delved into it.”

Abel looks at Marlene with a smile on his face.

.   .   .

11:30 pm. Abel and Marlene were outside in training clothes walking in a starry night with clouds covering the moon. They walk from his house into the forest behind the house. They stand in a clearing surrounded by trees.

“As dark as it is outside, I can really see out here.” Marlene comments.

“That’s one perk.” Abel responds.

“But why are we out here?”

“I’ll show you why.”

Abel walks toward a tall tree and sees a branch 20 feet above him. Not a moment soon, he jumps into the air and grabs onto the tree branch and stands on top of it, looking down at Marlene who was surprised beyond reason to witness what she saw.

“Superhuman abilities.” Abel speaks. “This is your mother’s gift at work. Try climbing up here.”

Marlene walks toward the tree and readies herself to jump. As she jumps, she stops short of the branch, but holds onto the tree, digging her nails in the bark. Shocked at how high off the ground she was and how her nails were in the bark, feeling no pain from it. She starts to climb the tree with no problem and reaches the branch Abel was on and sits on it. She looks at her hands. “Whoa…”

“Wonderful. Is it not?” Abel asks. “Allow me to show you some more things.”

He jumps off the branch back down to the grass on his feet and looks up at Marlene with a smile.

“Aren’t you coming down?” Abel asks.

“Even though I climbed up here, I’m afraid of heights.” Marlene replies.

Abel opens his arms as he looks up to her.

“You can do it, Marlene. I believe you can. Trust me.” He assures.

As hesitant as she was, Marlene slowly inches off the branch and takes the leap. As she lands, Abel catches her in his arms with no issue. Marlene shakes, but calms her nerves instantly. Abel sets her down on the grass.

“Whoa!” Marlene speaks with amazement. “Anything else?”

Abel looks around the forest and spots a standing dead tree from a mile away and looks to Marlene.

“How fast can you run?” He asks.

“Not that fast.” Marlene answers modestly.

“I don’t think that’s true. Do you see that dead tree ahead?”

“Yes.”

Abel grabs Marlene’s hand and runs into the woods with inhumane speed. Marlene came close to losing her footing but was able to regain it and to her surprise, maintain the same speed as Abel. They stop running and arrive at the dead tree. Marlene was still in shock at how fast she could run as she looked at the tree.

“I really could run that fast?” She speaks aloud. “I never knew I could. So… what about this tree?”

Abel walks over to the bare tree and puts his hands on it. Marlene sees him slightly push on the tree, making the tree creak. Abel stops pushing on the tree and readies himself in a fighting stance. He starts punching at the wood, denting, and splintering the wood instantly. Then with brute force, he shouts, punching a hole in the tree’s base, fracturing it. Marlene was surprised when she saw the hole in the tree that Abel made.

“Superhuman strength, agility, sight… I am speechless right now…” She speaks in disbelief.

Abel chuckles.

“You want to push the tree?” He asks.

Marlene looks to him confused.

“Push… the tree? Off its foundation?” She asks.

“Yes. You can push it into the clearing. I’ll help you if you wish.”

“You’re making it sound normal. Pushing a tree off its foundation sounds so outlandish, but I just saw you splinter parts of the tree. So… okay?”

Abel holds Marlene’s hands and slowly guides them to the base of the tree. Together with little effort, they push the dead tree off its foundation, and it slowly falls into the clearing on the grass. Marlene was surprised that it did not take much strength for them to push the dead tree.

“Un… believable…” She speaks.

“Like I said, this is your mother’s power.” Abel responds. “There are also more things with this.”

“What else is there?”

“Remember when your father shot me?”

“Yes, sadly.”

“Did your sister finish her research on the bullets?”

“Yes. She found that there were traces of silver inside of them. She even tested some silver on herself and… it irritated her skin, making it blister, and she had to wash the silver off for her skin to come back to normal.”

Abel nods at her response, now understanding why his bullet wounds could not heal.

“So, the only substance that can harm us is silver.” He implies. “Silver and nothing else?”

“That’s all she knows.” She replies and becomes curious. “So… is there anything else about the Kroto gene I should know?”

Abel looks at the clouds in the night sky clearing and he sees the full moon.

“Yes. One other thing.” He replies.

Abel decides to guide Marlene back to the house to answer her question.

.  .  .

Midnight. July 10^th. Abel and Marlene are back in his house, in his bedroom. They walk into his bathroom in order for them to take a shower. He starts taking off his shirt along with Marlene.

“So,” Abel starts. “The other perk about this gene… is the procreation process.”

Abel walks to the shower door, opens it, and turns on the water. Marlene stops taking off her clothes, leaving herself in her bra and blue leggings.

“What about the procreation process?” She asks reluctantly, crossing her arms.

Abel notices Marlene stopped undressing. Realizing what was on her mind, he walks towards her and holds her shoulders to comfort her; his eyes meeting hers. Marlene looks away from Abel with concern.

“What’s wrong Marlene?” He asks.

“It’s just that…” She starts. “We’ve already talked about this subject earlier, and… I guess I just feel conflicted about it now…”

“I understand. I remember you saying that you aren’t ready to have a child, and I accept your decision. I’m not going to force you. I am just explaining what I’ve theorized. That’s all.”

Hearing his assuring voice made her slightly at ease, but skeptical. He lets go of her shoulders and walks back to the shower door while taking off the rest of his clothes and continues to explain.

“Conception is much more effective during the time of the full moon. It releases the desires within us, the “count” within me is potent, and your fertility is increased. The proposed hue in our eyes, everything comes to.”

“Is your theory based on some of your experiences?” Marlene asks.

“Yes. During the full moon, everything is enhanced for me.”

“Almost sounds like a werewolf in folklore.”

Abel scoffs at Marlene’s comment. “Ironically. And from what you’ve told me, I’m sure you’ve had your bouts as well with the effects?”

Marlene realizing, she has had side effects before, she reluctantly nods.

“Well,” She speaks. “Do you have a theory about the gestation period? Is it normal?”

“Remembering what I’ve seen from your mother? No.” He responds. “I remember when I was 10, she was pregnant with your younger sisters for only six months. Were they born premature?”

“No. Full term.”

“Interesting…”

With Abel naked, he walks in the shower and waits on Marlene. She takes off her clothes and follows him inside the shower and sits on the bench while Abel goes under the shower head.

“Observing your mother,” He speaks. “It’s a 6-month gestation with normal gene to Kroto gene. But from Kroto to another, I have never been able to calculate that.

“Well, what would your hunch be?” Marlene asks.

“Hmm. Probability, 3 months. My hunch.”

Abel looks at Marlene, realizing how hesitant her body was around him, this is the last thing he wanted to see. He walks towards Marlene and gently places a hand on her shoulder.

“Please, Marlene…” He speaks softly to her. “Don’t become distant around me. The last thing I want between us… is distance.”

Abel moves his hands to Marlene’s and gently pulls her up to follow him under the showerhead. He leans on the shower wall holding Marlene close to him as the water fell upon then. Marlene looks up at him.

“I did not mean to scare you on this subject, Marlene.” He speaks apologetically. “I know it’s a giant step. I do not want to hinder your thoughts about this.”

“I know.” She replies. “But regardless, it makes me feel nervous…”

Abel feels Marlene shake uncontrollably, making him embrace her in a hug, his lips to her ear. “Keep calm, my sweet.” He whispers. “No need to stress. Just rest on it.”