The Impossible Future: Complete set by Frank Kennedy (mini ebook reader .txt) 📕

“Sometimes they do,” a young boy said, his tone soft and fragile. “Will they always be afraid of us?”

Too much bass powered the father’s response, a voice rough-hewn and stripped of higher octaves, as if the larynx were reconfigured to project the echo of an aging, battle-weary warrior.

“The day they stop fearing us is the day they kill us. Every time they look away or bow their heads, take pride. You are among the promised few.”

The other son spoke. “What about the pain, Father? Some days, it’s so hard to hide the pain.”

“This is how we grow. You are becoming gods. The agony will only last as long as your bones and muscles change. Focus your mind on the secrets of the Jewel, and the pain will fade.”

Valentin reached the stage and beheld a sight previously hidden to all but James, Rayna, and their one-year-old sons. He regretted coming here.

They were naked. James stood in the center – eight feet tall, five hundred pounds of arching, rippling muscles. A goliath even by peacekeeper standards. His boys, now waist-high to their father, enveloped him, rubbing their bodies against his, their legs twisting around his massive trunks.

Islands of soft blue Jewel energy coursed beneath the father’s skin and into his sons. As the little ones shrieked with new growth, James turned toward his younger brother. The red glow in the corners of his eyes shimmered.

Valentin understood: James wanted him to see this. Another reminder that even though Valentin could not die, he owed allegiance to a more powerful master.

11

W HEN IT WAS OVER, THE BOYS FELL to their knees in exhaustion. James walked away, the blue islands having disappeared, and grabbed a long black robe from the stage floor. Once he dressed, his voice sharpened.

“Get up, both of you. Stand tall and endure the pain.”

The boys did as they were told, but Valentin focused less on them than on his brother’s eyes. They were hardened, soulless, full of the unbridled arrogance Valentin saw in his parents while growing up. Valentin knew James loved his children, but he masked it well.

Peter, the oldest twin by two minutes, wiped his tears.

“I’m sorry, Father. I’m still learning. I’ll be better next time.”

Benjamin, the younger one, lent a hand to Peter.

“Father understands. He knows we’re trying hard.”

James turned away. “Dress yourselves and return to our suite. Take time to heal.”

The boys obeyed, throwing on robes. Valentin didn’t know whether to envy or pity them. They were, by laws of nature, abominations. Their intellect was running ten years ahead of their age, and Valentin couldn’t imagine how their tiny frames were sustaining this insane growth, even under the Jewel’s design. Unlike their parents, who evolved fifteen years after the Jewel’s introduction into their blood, these boys were a new breed. What would they become when fully formed? Were they a leap beyond their hybrid parents?

Valentin vowed to reserve judgment, given that his kind were also engineered to defy the laws of nature.

“Hello, Uncle Valentin,” the boys said in unison, before Peter added, “Did you have a good mission today?”

“I did. Maybe I’ll tell you all about it later. Do as your father said and get some rest.”

If previous transferences were an indicator, Valentin expected them to grow three inches within a day. He waited until the boys left the dome before speaking to his brother.

“Their progress is remarkable,” he said. “Are you sure you aren’t pushing them too hard too fast?”

James raced his hands through golden, shoulder-length locks.

“Are you telling me how to raise my children?”

“No, James. But their pain is obvious.”

James smiled. “Pain is a great motivator.”

“And also crippling.”

“Only if delivered without purpose. Those boys are going to become men faster than anyone in history. I need them to be unshakeable and fearless. The other hybrids will be having children soon, and they know I expect nothing less from them.”

“You called them ‘the promised few.’ I’ve never heard that before. Do you consider the immortals among these ‘few’?”

“Obviously, brother.”

“I see. I’m sure you know of the rumors.”

“A few immortals think we’ll abandon you to the Guard when we flee the Collectorate.” He stretched his neck. “Valentin, I have no intention of leaving the Collectorate. Ever. We are going to realign it in our favor. Hybrids and immortals. One new civilization. Just like we envisioned after we brought down SkyTower.”

“I don’t doubt your goal, James, because it’s our goal. The only reason I listen to the rumors is because I know you are holding back from me. I am more than your military commander. I am your brother and your partner. You showed me the truth about myself and the betrayal of our parents and the Chancellory. We have crossed the galaxy together, slaughtering our enemies and growing our allies. But there are times, like today, where I feel a divide. When you send me on a questionable mission without divulging its role in our long-term strategy, I have doubts.”

James raised his eyes toward the nebula. “If I told you my reasons, you never would have gone.”

“I almost didn’t. But since you’d already committed our agents inside Vasily, I felt obligated to save them. This sudden obsession of yours with Samantha Pynn disturbs me. We agreed long ago to put aside personal vendettas for the greater good of our peoples. We talked at length, James. We agreed.”

James fell silent as he probed the stellarscape. He turned his back to Valentin, who’d seen this behavior before. More than once, Valentin walked away when his brother became lost in sudden musings. Was he drowning himself in the Jewel’s wonders? Or simply being petulant? Either way, Valentin had no intention of walking out.

He grabbed his brother by the arm. “Talk. Now.”

James sighed. “Valentin, do you remember what it