Incubators

Gabriel was paused by the scene before him, even his intuition couldn't help but remain still.

Icarus's golden eyes bore into him. A phantom pressure wrapped around the young man's throat, like unseen hands.

'He knows.'

Gabriel's gaze darted toward the guard standing by the steps. He stood on his lonesome, towering over the room, unreadable and still.

Pearl meanwhile sat by the table, her fingers intertwined, tension rolling off her like a thundercloud waiting to burst.

The children, unaware of the demon in their midst, chattered excitedly. Hanging over his arm and rolling between his knees in glee. Even young Martha sat on his neck, drowsily braiding his hair.

"Sit," Icarus urged, his voice a blade hidden in silk. Gabriel hesitated, but something in the prince's gaze pulled him in along. In mere moments, Gabriel had sunk into the leather chair, entirely without his will.

"I think it's well past bedtime, come on, let's head up," Pearl said as she stood up to gather the kids off the Icarus. They groaned and grumbled in protest, but Pearl wasn't letting up.

They had all begun to ascend the wooden steps when Pearl reached for the last child– Young Martha, who still sat upon the prince's head, sleeping peacefully. 

Just as Pearl closed in on her, a calm hand grabbed hers.

"Don't worry, she'll join the rest of them after."

Icarus said with a gentle smile. His gaze then wandered towards his silent guard. And almost instantly the man came alive, his lean armour groaning as he made his way towards Pearl.

Pearl exchanged glances with Gabriel briefly before following the guard up the stairs to meet with the kids.

It wasn't long before she returned. The children were long asleep and well protected by Icarus's guard.

It was then that Icarus spoke, leaning back into his chair– gently so as not to wake up the slumbering child on his head. "The world is dangerous, Gabriel. Eldritch, Wrymorg, Mauqee... The fell. The Eldritch are beings without reason, while Wrymorg and other enemy nations too primitive in their thinking. And those damned terrorists— The Fell, simply unwilling to see reason."

"It takes very wilful souls to commit to what has to be done. You should know what I mean, right, Ghost?"

Every time the prince called him that, there was this irritation that washed over him like he was somehow outside the comfort of his own skin. Memories crawled out of the depths of his stomach, resurfacing with quick flashes.

"You did what needed to be done, and your nation thanks you for it. The late Minister of Defence, especially... It takes a certain amount of audacity, don't you think?..."

Icarus concluded, and Gabriel said nothing in response.

Icarus let out an exaggerated sigh, before tilting his head as he asked. "Speaking of audacity, where have you been all day?" His lips curled in amusement, but there was nothing amusing about those eyes.

Gabriel swallowed hard, pulse-pounding loud enough for him to hear.

The prince watched him closely and then sighed. "Your Ministers were assholes, Gabriel... lying conniving little–"

There was a pause, veins bulging just below the prince's neck.

"Killing them was the only solution."

The prince said after a deep breath.

There was a long, deathly silence after. 

Gabriel sat in total shock, his mind pulling at Icarus's last few sentences, slowly piecing things together.

After a while he finally spoke, his words hesitant; "I'll do whatever you want, your highness. If you wish for me to join your party, I won't hesitate."

Icarus's smile widened, his amusement genuine. "Now that's what I love to hear."

He smiled so wildly, that it was difficult to imagine him as anything more than a guardian angel. The hero of Exeges.

"But tell me, Gabriel—did you observe what I did to the minister's aide?"

Gabriel's mouth went dry then.

Icarus watched him for a while before continuing, a quiet, knowing chuckle slipping from between his words. "Ahh, you know what, it doesn't matter. We should put that behind us."

He stood, taking the child off his shoulder and gesturing for the teen girl to approach. After looking around for a bit, he then said, "I actually came searching for the professor."

Gabriel exchanged a glance with Pearl, but she was unreadable as she took slow steps closer, carefully grabbing the slumbering child and turning to leave. "We don't know where he is."

"A shame," Icarus said, unbothered. "But as much as I'd hate to intrude, I flew all the way out here– quite literally. I want to see his lab... care to lead the way"?

***

It wasn't long before they were carving through the corridors. Icarus chatted casually as they did. "I've been reviewing land distributions as of late. Turns out certain ministers have been buying up interesting plots. A lot of them, in fact. It was strange enough already, but the more bizarre part was where these lands were located. It never really made much sense to me, you know" His gaze flicked toward Gabriel.

"Why come all the way out here, in the middle of a maize field...You wouldn't happen to know why, would you, Ghost?"

Gabriel's hands curled into fists. He had no answer, only the exact same questions.

When they reached the professor's lab, Icarus moved leisurely, running a gloved finger across the desk. At some point, he paused, picking up an old phone resting on the table. The screen lit up, revealing a photo of Professor Alden, a young Gabriel, a younger Pearl, and… another boy.

Icarus's lips twitched in amusement. "Adorable." He glanced at Pearl. "You were cute." Then at Gabriel, "And you always had those shifty eyes."

Pearl who had returned to escort them flinched, and Gabriel's frown deepened.

"What do you want from the professor?" Pearl asked, and Icarus simply ignored the question. Instead, locking eyes with Gabriel.

"Tell me, Gabriel. What did the professor do down here?"

Gabriel hesitated. He thought he knew. But standing here, under Icarus's scrutiny, he realized how little he understood about the man who had raised him. 

"He—he researched medicine...Science?"

Icarus sighed, feigning disappointment. "See, I wanted to believe that. I really did." He tilted his head, then struck the floor with his heel. A hollow echo rang out.

Gabriel's stomach dropped, and the prince's fist with it. Like a sledgehammer his fist fell, bursting right through the wooden flooring and then the metal door beneath it.

Then with a mighty pull, the entire door came right off, revealing a decent drop and laddered steps that led into what could only be described as a hidden basement.

The moment they stepped inside, the stench of chemicals filled Gabriel's lungs. Dim lights flickered to life as they led further into the basement.

They soon entered a spacious lab with white sterile lights. Then not too far away rows of incubators, and glass chambers filled with strange, suspended figures. Embryos, children, some… half-formed.

Gabriel's breath hitched.

Pearl, however, didn't react.

Gabriel turned to her. "Pearl…?"

She wouldn't meet his gaze.

His stomach twisted into nuts.

Icarus watched the exchange with quiet satisfaction. "Now, this is fascinating."