Chapter 66

The GMNs were very busy. Specifically, 2 and 3 have been very busy preparing for the first procedure. First, because the procedure was very complicated. Secondly, their patients were becoming unbearable. 4 had hit the training area every other hour. It was more than the adrenaline and he was becoming more and more his age and more withdrawn. 6 was restless. She was becoming more mature physically but they couldn't say the same for her emotional state. She was all over the place. Her anxiety disorders were unexpected. Her files show she was the only child of a billionaire, so her anxiety was hard to place.

The others were also fraying at the seams. 9 had become more prone to more angry outbursts and 5 had been busy. Busy trying to be better than everyone. Her complex issues became prominent and directed at everyone.

The head doctor had his hands full. He couldn't get an entire medical team so he has to select a few capable doctors not just capable in their field but capable of keeping their mouths shut. He knew he was not working with much because something seem to be wrong with these kids and that's what they were trying to correct. Of course, he was aware that he may not be able to refer to them as kids anymore in the sense he was used to.

Dr. Stone was the calmest of them all. He seemed to be unaware and unaffected by the chaos. Straight-faced, unperturbed, nonchalant. The head Doctor hated him. His whole situation was his fault. He endangered their lives not once but twice and now they were about to put that life back in his hands. He had once admired the young man who had a successful career and marriage and soaring higher. He couldn't be happier for them after the birth of their angel. The fact she was a genius was just icing on the top. Then he started noticing things and he let it slide. His biggest regret. Still, he couldn't pass Stone without the desire to shove a grenade down his throat. How does a man lose himself completely? What was it that he lacked that pushed him to this? He was a billionaire, his father's empire amounted to trillions and so did his father inlaw's. His fame and prestige were one of the wonders of the world. His connections were limitless. What more could he hope to gain? Why use the heir to all these fortunes when he can have his pick on even daughters of kings with no consequence? Why use his daughter?

These questions ran rampage in his head but he was a man of wisdom. As long as the fate of even one of them lay in his hands, he would tamper everything down.

"What's the status for tomorrow?" Dr. Stone's voice brought him out of his reverie.

"Ready! Final preparations " one of the other doctors answered

"The anesthesiologist?" Stone asked again

"Back on track. 3 proved a miracle" the same doctor replied. Stone nodded. 3 was smart but the kind of miracle they needed can only be produced by one person, Anabelle. He could now guess another person.

"Equipment?" Stone asked. He had a job to do, sentiments later

"Accounted for"

"Patient?"

"Prepared"

They had studied the procedure over and over again. It was complicated but had the lowest risk. What they didn't know was if it had any side effects. The well-detailed procedure seemed to have omitted that crucial part. He nodded as if he understood something.

"Phase 1?"

"Started at twenty-three hundred hours"

Dr. Stone nodded again.

"We begin at 11"

They all nodded and continued what they were doing. He had not seen the patient or 3. He knew the boy was uneasy. This involved the life of his mate after all. The outcome was not important to just the patient but the others as well.

The patient was wheeled in at exactly 9. They had a serious procedure before them and had to make sure they had more than enough time to prep the patient in the theatre before they clinically began.

When the preparation was done the procedure officially began. They administered the modified anesthesia and it took two minutes to kick in.

"I will handle the correction with Dr. Gibson while you and Dr. Decker will handle the memory recovery and make sure his brain doesn't shut down mid procedure" Dr. Stone directed.

3 nodded. He was nervous. Looking at his comrade out cold gave him anxiety. He could count on one hand how many times he had had 4 on his table.

They began the procedures. The memory recovery process had to occur at the same time as some aspects of the main procedure.

The memory recovery process was less problematic. There wasn't much neuro-resistance like he had prepared his brain for the influx of information. They hoped that when the brain starts registering the procedure, the body doesn't go into crisis.

Like predicted the body went into crisis two hours into the main procedure. His brain was resisting the correction and viewing it as a threat.

"His body is resisting!" Dr. Stone exclaimed

"What do we do!?" The head doc asked. The urgency in his voice was obvious.

"We can't stop the procedure halfway." Dr. Stone replied.

"He is going into shock!" One of the assisting doctors yelled.

GMN-3 felt helpless. In times like this, he depended on 1 to bring the solution. Now she wasn't here. He had to do something but what.

He looked over at 4. His body was resisting, why? He was sure that there was no way 1 didn't foresee this. Was there something they missed?

"I need to see the research again," 3 said

"We don't have time for that! We need to…" Dr. Stone began

"If he said he needs to then he needs to" the head doctor cut him short.

They had 9 display it on the theatre screen. He took a few minutes to study it again while the others tried to keep 4 stable. He knew this wasn't the place or time but they were running out of options. He looked over the procedure on paper again. They had been following it so why was it resisting? He signalled them to go to page 10 which contained her notes. He glanced over them and it was like a lightbulb went up in his head.

'Do not tamper with the body's integrity'

This wasn't a correction. It was an adjustment! That was why there were two. They were supposed to continue based on the body's leanings. This wasn't a step-by-step procedure. He understood that now.

"Can I take over?" He asked Dr. Stone. Stone wanted to protest but caught the murder in the head doctor's eyes and nodded and stepped aside.

"Introduce the starting serum again, " 3 said. There was pin silence.

"Are you sure?" The head doctor asked and 3 nodded once. The head doctor turned and gave his approval. 3 took a deep breath and started after the serum. He hoped he didn't misunderstand the procedure again.

******

Nicholas finally opened his eyes. For the past few days, he had been tethering on the brink of consciousness. He blinked twice as he adjusted to the influx of knowledge that had been happening for a few days. He took stock of his body. Everything seemed fine. He had heard pieces of conversation when he was subconscious. The others were worried why he had not woken up and how he would react to the procedure and the information he would recover from memory. He decided to do a mental check.

The change was instant. His face hardened and so did his heart. He could sense the other GMNs coming to check on him but he didn't care. He got out of bed and looked down at what he was wearing. He always detested hospital gowns. He moved towards the closet at the end of the room he was staying in and had to stop. Luckily he stopped in time before he crashed into the thing. He grabbed the handle and it came off in pieces. He suddenly felt lightheaded as more information was pumped into his brain. He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened it, 3 was beside him.

"You shouldn't be standing," 3 said. 4 had always been a stubborn patient but more especially he noticed the hostility around him even with his back turned. Aside from that, there was something else about him but 3 couldn't quite place it. He made a point to give him space and not touch him.

Nicholas didn't bother with a response. He kept looking through the wardrobe until he came across the overalls they wore as GMNs. He scoffed. Whoever designed these had bad karma not just bad taste. He needed something else to wear. He turned towards 3.

"Clothes"

The noticeable change became imposing. 3 had to step back a bit.

"9 is arranging it" 3 replied. 9 had insisted on getting new sets of clothes for 4. 3 hadn't bothered going through the files of who they were before the procedure partly because he had been occupied. However, when 4 failed to wake up after a few days, he asked for it. He had also learned that 2 had a copy of 4's file, 4 and 1. He didn't like the sound of that but ignored it. He was beginning to see the weirdness others talked about.

"What should I call you now?" 3 attempted a friendly tone. 4 ignored him and walked towards the shower and 3 subconsciously followed. There was something about the way 4 now walked…

"You want to shower me?" At this 3 stopped. He had no idea he had been following 4 toward the bathroom. This gave him a pause. When 3 stopped, 4 continued.

"Tell 9 to send the clothes over," he said, trying to close the door gently.

"I need to run some tests!" 3 blurted out. At this, Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "I'll wait" he blurted out. On second thought he added. "Avoid water on your head" Nicholas just turned and started stripping off his clothes. 3 left the room out of decency.

Nicholas switched the water to freezing cold. He let the water cascade all over him including his head. He could already feel the wound on his head from the procedure had healed. What was left was for his hair to grow back to the length it was before. He wasn't planning on keeping his previous style. He let his body absorb the coldness trying to relieve himself of the tension within him.

The struggle had been in him, the fusion between his past and not-so-long-ago present life. He put the water on full blast. His anger was at boiling point and it seemed that the cold was the only thing keeping him sane. He had worked so hard after that. The pain from the memories sliced him so deep that he crouched and held his stomach.

"4? Are you okay," a voice said from outside

4? He laughed inwardly. What did they not take from him!? What did she not take from him!? Did she take everything? His home, his mom, his place, his status, and yet he couldn't leave him with his identity! He was Nicholas Alessandro Kristos and yet she reduced him to be identified as a mere number. Numbers he played around with, numbers preschool children played around with. He shattered the shower glass walls.

GMN 3, 2, 7, and 9 stood quietly outside the shower door. They stared not knowing if they should go in or not.

The news that 4 was awake spread like wildfire. Everyone was eager to see him. They had prevented the other medical staff from coming. The girls could not come either since 1 was heavily sedated and the other was occupied.

Their encounter with GMN-1 had thought them to expect the worst. From the files they had read, 4 was unstable while growing up. They were all unstable mentally or had an unstable childhood. 2 doubted that was a defining factor in the selection but he was open to being wrong.

However, parental trauma seems to be what 1, 4, 2, and 9 had in common. They were not sure how to classify 5's case. 1 and 4 seem to have more than their fair share and with what happened to 1…

After a long while, the door opened and Nicholas came out in a bathrobe. 3 noticed the wet hair but decided not to say anything.

9 shivered involuntarily and stepped back. How could 4 possibly stand such a cold shower, he might as well be an iceberg. He wasn't far from the truth. His gaze made the temperature of the room drop to below zero. His eyes swept through them and landed on 2. They could tell there was something but they couldn't decipher whether it was good or bad. Then it moved to 3 and one could tell it made him quite uncomfortable.

He stretched forth his hands and 9 dutifully stepped forward and put the packaged clothes and a pair of school in his outstretched hand. Nicholas just turned and walked back into the bathroom closing the door.

9 let out the breath he had been holding. He wanted to say something but decided not to because 4 could very well hear him.

Nicholas wore clothes and shoes. He was not vain but was used to the good stuff even if it was only for show. His neutral ice-cold demeanor did not give away the raging volcano inside. He opened the door and stepped out.

Before they stood a twenty-three-year-old man. He had an aura of power around him and they could understand why. He stared at them and they stared back.

"So?" He asked and it seemed to snap them out.

"We need to perform…em…. post-surgical exam." 3 cleared his throat. "We need you to stop by the lab"

"We!?" It was direct as he stared straight at 3 and he nodded then looked at 2.

Nicholas didn't think twice about it. He needed to know if he was physically okay. He turned to 9.

"I have something I need you to check for me," Nicholas said and 9 nodded like a bobbin head. Nicholas looked towards the door, his gesture of telling them to lead the way.

They were not comfortable with him behind them but the man was taking his time. He walked casually but purposefully. He didn't seem in a hurry to be anywhere but they were in a hurry to get him off their backs.

"So the first will be routine checks," 3 said as soon as Nicholas was seated. He got about it quickly and went on from there. When he was done he stood in front of Nicholas who was rolling down his sleeves. He looked contemplative but looked up.

"There is a question of your…em…. Mental state" 3 began. At the 'go on' look he got he looked at 2 for help.

2 wasn't as intimidated as the rest. This version of 4 or rather Nicholas seemed to ring a bell. He stepped forward and took 3's position.

"What should I call you ?"

"I have a name"

"Nicholas or 4?"

"I said name"

"So you remember?"

"Wasn't that the purpose"

Thinking about it. She made it an integral part of the procedure. She wanted them to remember. He couldn't determine her motives behind that but he had options. A ghost of a cynical smile flirted at the corner of his lips. His eyes remained on the boy now turned man. What would happen…it gave him some kind of pleasure being the first to recover his memory, those memories.

"What do you plan to do?" 2 asked the question that was on his mind. The others were eager to know.

He licked his lower lips slowly. He had learned to block out pain but waking up he was introduced to a different type of pain and a whole new level of anger.

"Are we done!?" Nicholas asked, standing up.

They all noticed that he didn't answer the question. That gave them more concern. The first person to recover her memory was AWOL and now they didn't know the intent of the second.

2 went through everything he read about Nicholas. From all indications presented, he was not reckless but ruthless and swift both in thought and action. He was the most dangerous threat and had to be removed. Whoever gave him up must have hoped he died, was damaged, or never recovered. The reverse was now the case and he was stronger but was he still levelheaded?

"Nicholas " 2 called patronizingly. Nicholas stopped in his process of walking out but didn't turn. When 2 couldn't find the right words, he walked out.

"What do we do?" 3 asked 2. The outburst of anger he had expected did not happen. The pain he had expected was missing. He didn't know how to react to this. He had always feared 4's silence and now he was faced with Nicholas who according to the files had a lot of issues that would not sit well with the rest of humanity, especially for those directly involved.

"Go on with the next procedure" 2 replied and 9's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious right now!?" 9 exploded. They were looking at the product of the corrective procedure and they are advocating more!? More!? In his tantrum, he forgot his fear of the man that just walked out.

"It's a personality disorder, not a defect" 2 replied

"1 did not undergo any corrective procedure" 3 added

What were these people saying? This was going to ruin them all. He was about to say something else when Nicholas re-entered.

"Give him something. I don't have time" Nicholas said

"You can't just walk in here and demand…" The look Nicholas gave him cleared the anger fog in his brain.

"Let's go"

9 was at his heels almost immediately.

"Speechless, " 3 said after a while and 2 gave a sad smile. He could not place the familiarity he felt around the new version of 4.

"We'll proceed as planned" 2 said and walked out. 3 watched his retreating back. He didn't want to sound like 9 but he couldn't be serious. They haven't even had time to assess the effect the procedure has on their first patient and he was talking about proceeding. Honestly, he doubted the procedure itself was harmful; what he didn't trust was the effect of the memories being recovered. 4 had shown signs of aggression and pent-up rage that disappeared into thin air the moment he awoke. He became colder and more isolated, a trait he had without his identity but now amplified. The ruthlessness lurking behind his eyes chilled the bone. He was merciless as a GMN and he feared he'd be much worse now. 3 wiped his hand over his face. He wondered how he would be when he recovered his memory. He couldn't account for a lot of things where Nicholas was concerned.

GMN-3 met 7 starring at 4 and 9 from the doorway. He looked inside the common room where they were each busy with his work and paid no attention to them. 7 searched 3's face for an explanation and the blank look seemed to confuse him the most. He had been on his way to the common room when he caught a whiff of 4's scent but the 4 he saw looked different. Not just that he looked a bit older but older than the way he used to look before but there was something entirely different about him. It reminded him of the numbness he saw on 1 before she left the facility. He oozed power, the desire to do damage, and the intent to conquer. 4 was scary, this person before him was petrifying!

Nicholas ignored the tension from the doorway. He had a lot of things to do but first, he needed to access all his accounts, bank, and otherwise. He also needed to update himself on the happenings of the world. What he saw hardened his resolve. The world had moved on like nothing happened. They on the other hand had moved on like he never existed. Just like they did before. He was unprepared for the pain that slashed him. He held his head with one hand. That action attracted the attention of everyone. 9 looked up to see Nicholas' red eyes and almost bolted for dear life. He wasn't sure if he ever saw 4 with red eyes and now this terrifying man had them.

3 made to go to him immediately he touched his head but was held back by someone. It was 2. Why was he holding him back!? Can't he see 4 was in pain!? Wait! Why was he in pain?

"You can't help him. That's not physical pain" he said and the rest turned to him except Nicholas who shrugged the pain off and continued what he was doing. 3 remembered the theory 2 came up with. He didn't know if it was deliberate or not. Their brain could identify the slightest touch but not register pain. What is humanity without pain? They didn't have any basis to say it was embedded in the procedure since they never had cause for emotional pain as GMNs. They remembered the time they lost GMN-8 but then GMN-1 is not an accurate measurement of some things.

Their theory: their brain would take the one pain it could feel and magnify it till it becomes almost tangible.

They turned to observe 4 again. He had gone back to what he was doing. They could sense that he was still in pain but his stoic face told a different story. He lifted his eyes and gave 9 a look that had him back to work.

Nicholas could feel the barrage of emotions wrestling for dominance but he needed to keep a clear head and absorb all this information. His pain right now was almost numbing and he wished it was. The memories bombarding him hurt. So this was pain. He remembered every tiny detail, even the ones he thought he had overlooked. They tormented him reminding him of his foolishness and the futility of humanity.

It is silliness to live when to live is torment. He was a testimony of that Shakespeare quote. They wouldn't let him live, they wouldn't let him die. Finally, they let him but death wouldn't have him. He was glad he was alive but he was sure they wouldn't be.

He continued his research. There was no change in his expression, only blankness. As much as 9 would love to continue observing 4, he would rather do it from where the others were.

Looking at him, it occurred to 3 that they only checked if he was reacting adversely to the procedure. They didn't check what he was capable of after the procedure. He doubted 4 would give them that time. He suddenly became busy and the fact they didn't know what he was up to worried him. They never really used their full potential as GMNs so losing them wasn't a big loss however what if they gained more?

2 expected what he thought 4 was going to do and that poses a problem. Every one of them here was betrayed by someone. A good number of them were betrayed by family. However, 1 and 4 had it worse. If every one of them who was betrayed sort revenge then the world would burn to crips. He knew 4 would go after them head on and there was no stopping him. He too would go after the person who betrayed him but not as overt as 4. 6 would be reckless but could be easily managed. 3? He might not. The rest could be managed too. His biggest concern was 1 and 4 and 1 was AWOL. If she sent this corrective procedure, from all indications she did; then she must have begun already. The thing with her though is you can't tell what's going on up there.

He quietly pulled 3 away to the room he had converted into his lab/office. He knew 3 was uneasy and he didn't want to make him any more uneasy but someone else needed to be on the page as he was. He brought out a bulky folder.

3 took a look at the folder and looked at 2. He then stretched his hand and collected the folder, opening it. He saw some of the things he had known about 4 before but with more details. The farther he went, the more confused he became. His father passed him off as illegitimate!

3 looked up. What was this? These were not included in the files they got from the facility. If this was through then how many others were false?

"Their family not only owns legitimate businesses as one of the biggest conglomerates but runs all underground businesses from here to the western seas. Strong ties across the eastern seas. Throughout generations, they had held the reins of technological power having offspring to carry on their legacy. It was a fish-eat-fish family. Each generation replicated a remake of King Lear. Three sons. The wealth was shared equally and the best man emerged as the heir. That was until his grandfather who had one son"

"So how did he end up in this bind?"

"I don't know but all I know is that the current wife was option 4 and his father's mistress and her sons are the ones on the throne while he labored"

"There is even a DNA test that proved his paternity"

"The venom clamours of a jealous woman"

"How did his mom die?"

"Don't know. Blogs had it that he didn't take it well. Her death was kept secret for 2 years"

3 took a deep breath trying to process it all. The files from the facility had it that he was the problematic illegitimate son with a high IQ and low EQ among other things.

"What of his grandfather?"

"Alive and active. He shared an unusual relationship with 4. I don't know how involved he is in this."

3 took another deep breath. This made 4 appear even scarier. All these and no tantrums or outbursts. People who suffer a lot tend to show no emotions. Like 1, 4 wore a placid mask.

"What is he going to do?"

"You do not want to find out"