Chapter 3

I felt a nudge against my shoulder.

“Cas?”

“Huh?”

I didn’t open my eyes. I had been having a great dream that involved three beautiful women. I was in that semi-conscious state where you can almost remember what was happening and tried desperately to cling to the dream.

“Cas.”

I let out a sigh and opened one eye, “Yeah”

Vicki stared back at me with her ice blue eyes.

“Everyone is here. It’s time for the family meeting.”

I sat up and noticed I was the only one in bed. Both Tami and Zoe were nowhere in sight.

“They are both downstairs already. You have been pushing yourself pretty hard lately, so we wanted to let you sleep.”

She pulled me up to my feet. We had all fallen into bed still dressed, so I smoothed some of the wrinkles out of my shirt and took Vicki’s hand.

“Thanks, I appreciate that. I guess I am up and ready. Let’s go.”

Downstairs everyone I considered part of my family was there, plus Megan. I sat on the couch between Zoe and Tami. Vicky sank down into my lap as the other two pushed against my side.

“I know we are all beat from what happened last night, but this is important. We talked the other day about our future, and what we should do about ... well ... all of this. Doctor Chang said we are the future. We are the start of what humanity will become. That sounds great, but just being the next genetic step in human evolution isn’t enough.”

“Sure we could all live our lives, have kids, they will have kids, on and on. Over time, our genetic line will replace what is here currently and humanity will evolve. But we are talking millennia for that to happen. And that assumes we don’t die out ... or get killed off ... like other branches have had happen in the past.”

Megan raised her hand, “Why not do it faster? All it took was to give Mrs. B a little blood...”

“Possibly. If we can alter people through just a blood transfer and make them capable of passing on the genes, that would be the best case scenario. But here is problem one, we don’t know the difference between that and ... the other method.”

Vicki smirked, “Why not bring more girls in, and use the other method. Sounds like fun!”

“And that brings me to problem two. We don’t know the full effects, yet. I am all for taking steps to speed the spread of our genetics, but we need more information. Honestly, until Doctor Chang and Mom can do more research, I want to hold off on that. I think we have some time, a couple of years at least till we have to face that step.

“So, we just wait?”

“No. Here is problem three. The spreading of our genetics isn’t enough. We have to make the world ready for us. Make it a better place. Face it, if we ... and by ‘we, ‘ I mean all of humanity ... don’t change our ways, we might not have a world to populate. We are going through the planet’s resources as fast as we possibly can! Crazy people are trying with all their might to get hold of weapons capable of wiping out civilization. No, we need to do something, and that’s my plan.”

“What, to change the world?” Zoe said.

“Essentially, yes, that is my end goal. Before we can get there, we have to get ourselves ready to make those changes. That means pushing our education as far as we can, and using the resources we have to build the tools we need.”

Megan was shaking her head, “I get the education thing but what do you mean using our resources.”

“Like this company I started with Ted and Marcus. If we can make a go of it, I can use that to start investing in our future. Keep an eye out for projects that we can use to our, and humanity’s, advantage, or do like Zoe, and find a new hobby. Information will be important. We need to start learning what is really going on in the world.”

Mom looked at me, and then over at Zoe as she asked, “What do you mean ‘her new hobby.’ Zoe Bell, what did you do?”

Zoe looked at me and I gave her a brief nod, “I have been, umm, playing with networks and stuff.”

“I believe they call what she is doing: ‘hacking.’”

“Zoe!!”

“While I agree with your alarm, I think if she channels her efforts it will help us.”

Tami was looking worried, “If you are going to be using your business to get us ready, and Zoe is going to be using her computer, what are the rest of us going to do?”

“Well, Mom is already set. Her research into the nature of our change is the best thing she can do for us. As for you two, it depends on where your aptitudes lie. You don’t have to do anything now, but think about it. Think about what you might be good at, something you will enjoy doing, that can also be used to get us prepared.”

“But...”

Tami was interrupted by a pounding on the door. Megan, who was standing closest, walked over and looked out.

“It’s Doctor Chang,” she said as she stepped back, opening the door.

Megan was pushed back, almost falling as the doctor burst into the room, and flung herself at my feet. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Caspian. I knew what you wanted, but I did it anyway.”

I pulled her up off the ground.

“Doctor, what happened?”

She continued to sob as I walked her over to the couch. She was clutching my arms and her head was buried in my chest. I stroked her hair, and whispered soothing nonsense to her, while I looked in confusion at the girls. They all just stared back at me with the same look.

“Doctor! (pause) Doctor! (pause) DOCTOR! You need to pull it together. Tell us what is going on.”

She gave a sniffle, and drew in a great breath. Then she leaned back and looked at me, tears still rolling down her face.

“I knew you wanted to limit people’s exposure until we could study it more, and I did it anyway. I am so sorry.”

“Did what?”

“I injected myself with your blood. I saw the effects on the girls, and on Angela, and I wanted that for myself. I didn’t care what you wanted, or had said. All my tests said it would be safe, so I ignored your wishes and did it anyway.”

“While I wish you hadn’t done that, I can’t say I am surprised. You always seemed so headstrong. I didn’t think we could keep you locked down, forever. But, why the dramatics? What happened to make you so upset? Was there a side effect we didn’t know about? Are you in danger? Are the girls?”