Chapter 27

"Don't worry dad, I've got this!" said Joshua. "These

DCs are mine!"

He jumped from my shoulder and calmly walked over to a

screaming Jim.

"Please calm down, sir," he said as he pulled off the

hand at the wrist of the DC grasping at Jim.

He then shoved his index and middle finger into the

head of the DC. He turned and smiled at me. Jim's wife was standing there

aghast.

"Wow! Mister, you killed that thing just like a ninja!"

said Jim's son. "That was so cool!"

"You thought that was cool, huh? Well watch this!"

said Joshua as he seemingly vanished.

I could tell that he was using a combination of speed

and refracting light to engage the approaching DCs much like Gerald and Andre

does. Two, four, eight, sixteen fell the DCs. It was more than just technique.

Joshua was somehow incorporating the abilities of the others into his fighting

style, but to a lesser degree.

"Well, damn!" yelled T. "What the hell is that, some

kind of mimicking ability?"

Again, Joshua looked back at us and smiled. He had no

wasted motion or effort as he cleaved his way barehanded through the DCs using

Leon's density control.

Joshua, essentially, had mutated into a Mimic. He

could readily copy any ability he has witnessed to an approximation of a 25

percent effectiveness. And he made it look so damned simple. After he

dispatched the last DC, he returned to our position with a flurry of back

handsprings and ended in a back somersault. Jim's son was ecstatic.

"Dad! He really is a ninja!" screamed the little boy

in delight.

"Who the hell are you people?" asked Jim

incredulously. "And what the hell is a 'DC'?"

"We're here to help. If you will allow us, we'd like

to offer you a safe haven. A community to live and thrive," I said. "And a DC

is what we call the dead. As in Dead Carcass or DeCeased."

"Hell, we even party from time to time," added T with

his ear-to-ear smile.

"We're more than a community. We're a family," added

T2 as he looked at T.

"Jim, was it?" asked Joshua. "You can trust my dad."

Jim looked at his wife and her at him. They both

looked down at their over joyed son who was excited about the prospect of

living with ninjas.

"As I started before," began Jim pausing to step away

from the car and to look around, "My name is Jim Carter and this is my wife,

Ariel. In addition, the rambunctious youth is my son Jim Jr. or J.J. When all

of this started, we were on a road trip from Michigan. Shortly afterwards, the

highways became jammed. We settled in with a group of like-minded individuals

in Ohio, but the dead: what did you call them? DCs? Yeah, the DCs kept hounding

our every step. Slowly but surely, it became the living who were a bigger

danger. Marauders would rob, beat and kill anyone they came across. In some cases,

they were worse than the dead. We were out scavenging when our camp was overrun

by marauders. When we got back, those who had been killed were just turning. It

was horrible. We moved from camp to camp, group to group and were forced to

move on either due to DCs or marauders. That's how we ended up here in Georgia."

"Well, Jim, Ariel and J.J. if you are willing to

become part of our community, our family, we'd love to have you," I said. "There

are some conditions that will have to be met. As you can imagine, our home is

precious to us and must be protected. In order to drive you there, I must

insist that you be blindfolded to maintain secrecy. Also, you have to spend

your first three months on sight without leaving."

Jim quietly discussed the terms with Ariel. They both

weighed the options and considered the effects of taking the offer and bandied

it back and forth. Then Ariel looked at J.J. and then shook her head.

"Doctor, we'd like to take you up on your offer. It's

just too dangerous out for all of us, but mainly for my wide-eyed son who sees

the romance and adventure in everything," said Ariel. "We'd like to put our

trust in you and become members of your camp."

"I'm glad," I said. "And J.J. how would you like

Joshua to teach you martial arts? That is if it's okay with your parents?"

"Mom? Dad? Can I?" asked J.J. excitedly.

"Jim and Ariel, everyone trains. We never know what

type of opposition we might face, so everyone trains," I said. "We have to be

prepared for the worse."

"Don't sweat it," said T. "I can teach anybody!"

We made our way back to the truck and found some bags

to cover the heads of our three new members. The sun was beginning to set. I

looked at T, T2 and Joshua. Along with Em and the baby, this was my immediate

family. The drive seemed longer home than it was out, but I know that was not

the case as I was able to calculate our distance and vectors with ease.

Regardless of my increased capacity, I guess some things just remain human.

As we approached the farm that concealed the ARC, I

felt a pensiveness from Joshua. He went from confident, to concerned, to

unease.

"What's up, son?" I asked as we stopped at the barn.

"Dad, what if Jamie doesn't like what I've become?" he

asked. "What if she is repulsed? I still don't know how she truly feels about

the serum."

"Son, I don't think Jamie is so shallow as to become

disinterested due to your enhancements," I stated as T and T2 offloaded the

Carter family from the truck. "Whatever happens, talk to her, listen to her,

hear what she has to say."

As T and T2 guided our new residents down the ladders,

I heard another familiar sound. It was the heartbeat of mine and Em's unborn

child. She must be at the foot of the ladder.

"Honey!" shouted Em telepathically as she jumped into

my arms and her protruding belly bumped against me. "There must be a distance

limitation as I was unable to read or sense your presence about 10 minutes

after you left. I have to admit, it was a little disconcerting."

"I love and missed you two as well," as I placed my

hand on her belly. I noticed the uncomfortable awkwardness between a surprised

Jamie and Joshua.

"Did you—" began Em.

"Yes," I cut her off.

"Is he—" she began again.

"Yes" I replied again.

"Wow! Jamie's a lucky duck," she thought.

"Honey!?" I blushingly thought. "He's our son!"

"With your increased mental acumen and total recall,

remember what it was like to be a teenager their age," she thought.

"Oh!" I thought.

Jamie stood there for what seemed like an eternity

staring at Joshua. She didn't say anything, but I think Joshua's pheromones had

kicked in with a mixture of teenage lust and angst. For the first time, I was

forced to see that my son as a sexual being. Jamie slowly circled him touching

his forearm and his biceps. Her hand slid up between his pecs and down to his

developed abdomen. She looked up into his eyes as hers began to well up.

"You went without me? You promised that we would do it

together," she said. "It's not fair. You promised!"

"I know," explained Joshua. "There were circumstances

beyond my ability to ascertain the ramifications of not acquiescing to the

demands that were placed upon us."

"What does that even mean?" cried Jamie. "You were

already so much smarter than me. Now I don't even understand you!"

Joshua sighed heavily as he struggled to communicate

at a level that she would comprehend.

"Jamie, it all happened so fast," he said. "The men

who held me hostage made my dad inject me or they would have killed me. The

only thing you really need to understand is that I care deeply for you!"

Jamie looked at him and buried her face in his chest.

He stood there with his arms at his side resisting the urge to embrace her for

fear of crushing her.

"Jamie, I'll talk to my dad and see if we can move you

and Ronny up on the list to receive the serum," said Joshua. "I love you. You

and Ronny are just as much a part of my family as my dad, mom and the baby are.

I want this for you. I want this for us."

Joshua gently placed his hands on the small of her

back, as Jamie sobbed. The way my boy consoled her, convinced me that he truly

cared for this girl. It was a long day, but I still wanted Eli to check out

Joshua to ensure that the addition of my blood did not have an adverse effect

on him. But we will worry about tomorrow's problems, tomorrow.

The next morning, Joshua was put through the paces

similar to what had happened to me. His musculature was not as pronounced as

mine was, but you could tell that the potential was there. Like, me and Em, his

cells were self-replicating but at a much slower rate. He was almost able to

crudely match my physical prowess. His healing far outpaced the others but was

not as advanced as mine and his mass had not increased on par with mine, but

his mind, his mind was another story altogether. The only issue was when Joshua

attempted to replicate mine, Em's or T's abilities. It's as if there is a "failsafe"

that prevents him as he experiences nausea and dizziness.

"This is ridiculous," exclaimed Eli. "Joshua is like

an automatic synthesis of anyone's abilities. His ability allows him to copy,

memorize, store and recall any ability to a 25 percent efficiency. Any

abilities accept yours, Emelia's and T's. His mind is almost as advanced as

yours and Emelia's. Autosynthesis sounds like a good name for what he does.

There doesn't seem to be a limit to the number abilities he can synthesize at

once either."

"But Eli, that works well with the dissonance of the

reality or an abridgement of the arts and/or sciences," said Joshua. "But it

means nothing to matters of the heart. Until I make good on my promise to

Jamie, my heart continues to grow heavy."

Joshua, Eli and I discussed at length the possibility

of Jamie and Ronny receiving the treatment. But it was as I feared. Fate had

other plans.

"I'm sorry Joshua, Ronny can't receive the treatment

until he reaches puberty," said Eli. "He's still growing, and his organs have

yet to mature. It could be catastrophic if we were to give him a dosage now.

But Jamie should have no issues."

"Unlike the treatment that Eli received, which seemed

to be more of a cerebral stimulant, this one will enhance both mentally and

physically," I said. "Even though Eli's mind was improved, his body still had

the opportunity to mature naturally."

"But Jamie won't acquiesce to the serum protocols

unless Ronny is allowed to as well.," said Joshua. "There has to be something

that we can do. What if we matured his organs to the point of reception?"

"Son, would you deny him the opportunity to grow and

discover who he is, the way you did?" I asked. "Shouldn't he be afforded the

same opportunity to grow not only physically, but intellectually and

emotionally? Think about what happened to T2 and how fast he had to "grow up."

Do you want that to happen to Ronny?"

"As usual, you're correct in your inference to the

need for a mature white matter, cerebellum, cerebral cortex and medulla

oblongata," said Joshua. "He needs to educate and matriculate to become the

best version of himself that he can be, thereby making a more viable candidate

for the serum."

"To quote T, 'Da fuq?'" said Eli. "And why is it that

although everyone's mental capacities have increased, T still speaks the same

way?"

"Because I'm T, baby," said T as he entered the lab. "What's

up nephew? They almost done pokin' and proddin' you? I think you and my other nephews,

and I need some bonding time. I want you to go with us to the other two camps

to display the benefits of the serum to everyone."

"Tell the truth T; you wait outside of a door until

someone mentions your name so you can make that entrance, don't you?" asked Eli

semi jokingly.

T winked at him and smiled his T smile.

"At this juncture, it would not be an adequate or

prudent time to broach the subject of 'Ut dixi, non opus sit I," said Joshua. "I

have more pressing matters to consider and to develop an algorithm to determine

the outcome that is palatable to all parties involved."

"Latin, for 'should I, shouldn't I'," said T. "Look J,

I know you have a lot goin' on in that newly over developed noggin of yours.

But you have just as much, if not more going on in your heart and your soul. I

think you need a light distraction to help you along the way. And if all else

fails, I'm sure you are more than capable of multi-tasking while we are out. If

there are two things I'm certain of, is that ice is cold, and the other is that

Jamie loves you. You now have to give her time to figure out how much."

"How does he do it, dad?" asked Joshua as he looked me

in the eyes. "How does uncle T always know exactly what to say, when to say it

as well as how to say it?"

T and I answered simultaneously while looking at each

other, "Because he's/I'm T, baby!" both grinning. "Son, even before he was able

to read minds, T has always had the gift of a big heart and a knack for making

others feel better. And I am so thankful for it."

"Look, you, JoJo, T2 and I need to bond and spend some

time together," said T. "I'm still looking for a way to break the news to JoJo

about being his uncle. T2 and I decided we'd tell him together. J, I'd like you

to be there as well, you too Marv."

"I'm honored that you would include me in such an

intimate family matter," said Joshua.

"Any way you slice it, we family," said T.

Before we left, Fred and Von were excited by some

modifications of the drones that Morales and the twins found. Von petitioned

the council to use one of the solar panels to create rechargeable drones with

cameras to cover the three areas. Fred backed his play and sponsored his work

with the council. The two of them were becoming a well-oiled machine,

especially when Von suggested that Fred search for and modify an artificial

prosthetic hand. The hand had as many gadgets as a Swiss Army Knife.

Fred's new hand had a solar powered power cell, an

ultraviolet laser, and extendable tensile strength titanium/carbon blended

cable digits for fingers, a pneumatic drill, and a crushing capacity of 250,000

pounds per square inch. Under the correct circumstances, he could literally

turn carbon into diamonds. Fred was excited but not satisfied.

"This is the first of many improvements I plan to

implement to my artificial appendage," said Fred. "I want it to eventually

implement every conceivable need that I might have for a tool."

T, Joshua and I met JoJo and T2 at the ladder to the

hatch on the farm. JoJo could tell something was up. He stopped as he grabbed

the first rung of the ladder.

"Well, is someone going to tell me what's going on?"

he asked kind of annoyed. "Look I know you all are a part of the super powers

club and I'm low man on the totem pole, but that doesn't mean you all have to

treat me like I'm less than...less than a person."

T2 and Joshua looked to me, but I digressed to T. I

projected, "This is your show. I'm just a member of the audience."

"JoJo, you are a member of a much more exclusive club,"

said T. "While we were out on our last run, we discovered something. I'm your

uncle and you and T2, uh Tank are my nephews!"

"Wait! That doesn't make any sense," said JoJo. "I've

met all of my mom's brothers and my dad didn't have any!"

"JoJo, your grandfather had another son before your

father," I said. "That son was T. His real name is Taruane."

"But that's Tank's real name," said JoJo. "My

grandfather insisted on it. He said the name was important to our family."

"Taruane was the name of one of our ancestors who led

a revolt on a plantation not too far away from here," said T. "My father left

when I was just a little fella, but his mom taught me everything there was to

know about our family history. She was the one who named me Taruane."

"So, our dad lied to us our entire lives?" asked JoJo.

"Why didn't he tell us the truth?"

"There's a good chance he never knew I existed," said

T. "My father was probably too ashamed to tell anyone that he abandoned his

previous family."

"Jo, what this means is we're not alone," said T2. "We

have a family again both with Uncle T and Uncle Marvin."

"What it means is that I would like to get to know you

two better," said T. "Like T2 said, we're family."

"Man, I don't know you and you can't just claim us

like we're orphaned puppies," said JoJo. "This too sudden. I'm going to need

some time to process this."

"Dad, Uncle T, would you all mind if I talked to JoJo

and T2 alone?" asked Joshua. "I think the three of us need to talk."

T and I went back to the conference room as the three

of them ascended ladder.