As voted for by my patrons, this month’s second update is a continuation of our science fiction horror series, All the little lost boys and girls. The final tale of Captain Alexei Ragnikov continues as he scours space for hints of the Imperium’s most secret research facility. Meanwhile, aboard said space station, Director Everett Hayes has a couple problems to deal with. The first is convincing Security Chief Alvadotter that things are not on the cusp of spiralling out of control something that would be much easier to accomplish if they weren’t currently looking down on a prepubescent girl who managed to rip a man’s arm off.
But hey – kids can be a handful, am I right? Especially if those kids are genetically engineered using human DNA and material from – let’s say – a source of uncertain provenance. When has that ever gone wrong? Not a single time, that’s when!
Below find a snippet from this chapter, with links above to the full work. Enjoy!
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“I’ll have a talk with Irina. It’s most likely she was acting out and this was an isolated event.”
“Or she decided to take an opportunity.” The big woman shook her head. “I’m starting to wonder…”
“Wonder what?” Everett asked, though he could already see the answer on the woman’s face, a small cold trickle winding down his spine.
“Like I said, I used to be happy that you were getting this section under control. I know I’m not in the know on everything you’re doing here, but… but I’m starting to wonder if you’re not actually getting them under control. I read the reports. I hear the talk about everything you’ve done. Increased socialization. Psychological analysis. Putting those degrees to work, getting them talking. Getting them to start thinking and I’m starting to wonder if that’s a bad idea.”
“They’re children,” Hayes replied testily, making his concern with an appropriate level of indignation. “Children we created. I know what command wants from them and my results speak for themselves. There may still be occasional moments of violence, but it’s far below what it was before I came on board.”
“I know all that.”
“But?”
“But… Like I said. I’m wondering if they’re not as under control as you think they are. I’m wondering if they’re just learning and waiting for their moment. And you can’t tell me differently, can you?”
Everett was silent for a moment. “Gundis,” he said after several heavy seconds. “It’s not them you should be worrying about.”
“I know. I have a station full of crazies and a staff that’s stretched thin. I have Black and Stark gibbering away like mad scientists over their bullshit. You’re the only one I can talk to who doesn’t start salivating over their project…” she half-smiled. “But you still hit me with that Halo babble from time to time.”
“I’ll try to do better,” Everett promised. He liked the harried security chief. She was a good woman trying to do her best in an island of people like Justin Black, Constanza Stark… or me, he thought. His hands weren’t clean. The science of it had blinded him at first. It had enraptured him, what DROP 47 was doing, what they had learned and what they could still learn. The entire galaxy would change… if Earth had the time.
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