Peace is Fragile

"Today is the day Daniel."
"Really father? He's finally going to wake?"
There was that noise again. Talking. They do this as a way of communication, he thought, soon I will be able to as well.
His eyes shut, his body sleeping, yet his mind was wide-awake. He waited so long to be released from his prison behind the glass, soon he could be with Daniel and Father, and soon he would be free. He could hear their footsteps; silently he counted as they drew closer, tasting the freedom, feeling it slip through his fingers and teasing him so harshly, but he knew he would be granted it soon.
"Open your eyes." Father commanded, and he did. He could see the tall figure, Father, and the shorter one, Daniel, side by side, waiting for him. He was excited, happy, and so longing to be with them.
"Look father!" There was Daniel's voice again; he was excited as well. "Press the button father!" Daniel pleaded to Father, he pleaded as well. Release me, set me free, he thought.
Father smiled at Daniel, he wanted nothing more to please him, to help him, to do whatever he could possible- in this case, he was what he had created for Daniel, to help cure his sickness.
He pressed the button on one of the many machines surrounding them and watched the tube drain.
Daniel pressed his hands to the glass, watching anxiously as the liquid drained; the wires unhooked from the body, he was no longer floating, but on his knees. He was weak, his protection and support taken.
He stared at them, a defenseless newborn; he let out a soft cry when the wires snapped away, and the only remainder of his protection was the glass walls and the oxygen mask. Soon that would be taken as well.
The glass walls sprang up, and the cold rushed over his bare body; he shivered, managing to hold himself up and hug himself closely. He watched as Father approached him, afraid, he backed away.
"Shhh, it is going to be alright." Father tried to soothe him, but his efforts were fruitless.
He could feel the oxygen mask begin to slip, the connection was reaching its limits, and soon he would lose his last protection.
He closed his eyes tightly, he was cornered, defenseless, and at the mercy of Father.
"Everything is going to be okay." Father promised again, and he could feel the mask slipping; without it he would, he would…
He took a breath in. Feeling real air flow into his lungs, he felt…
"Alive, he's alive father." Daniel breathed, staring at him with amazement and admiration.
"We've finally done it, Daniel." Father rejoiced, sweeping Daniel in his arms and hugging him closely. "Eight long years I've spent trying to create the perfect artificial human; so many DNA samples, countless hours of experimenting with cells and human generation, so many failed experiments… now it is complete, now we can finally pursue our dreams- you'll soon be healthy, son!" Daniel smiled widely; he would be healthy… he would be normal… in only a matter of time, too.
Father set Daniel down, and he was watching with great curiosity; the way they acted with such affection. Father, son, those names meant something special. What was his special name that represented a connection between them?
Daniel stopped laughing, and then looked over to him, smiling, he said. "Isn't this wonderful, Kantharos?"
Kantharos? Was this his name? His special connection? His way of showing affection?
Kantharos felt himself smile as he looked at Daniel and father; he stood, no longer shivering, and whispered. "Kantharos…"
Daniel chuckled. "That's right. You're Kantharos, I'm Daniel, and this is father." He moved closer to Kantharos, and reached for his hand.
Kantharos was rubbing his arms, obviously still cold; he stared at Daniel's hand- what was he supposed to do?
Daniel chuckled again. "You hold it." He said, slightly waving his hand.
Kantharos, still a bit confused, stopped rubbing his arms, and held out his hand. Daniel smiled, taking his hand and moving closer, and he eventually hugged his cold, bare body.
"You'll make everything better…" He whispered, "I just know it." Daniel looked up to him, his hazel eyes staring into Kantharos's crystal blue he smiled wider.
That was the beginning of a wonderful horrible, friendship.

"You see Kantharos? These are clothes." Daniel was holding a neatly folded white uniform a pair of white pants and a long sleeved white shirt with a neck high zip up collar.
"Clothes…" He murmured, taking the cloth in his hands and carefully feeling a material. It was soft. He smiled.
"I guess I'll have to show you how to put them on." Daniel chuckled, taking out a pair of boxers and helping Kantharos slip those on first then the rest of the uniform.
"Clothes." He said again, feeling the material against his body, soft, protecting… he felt safe. Just like when he was inside the tube.
It was a few hours after the birthing, and Kantharos was adapting just as Dr. Atlas planned. He and Daniel were forming a smooth relationship; he had planned on that too. He smiled when glancing over at his son, dressing Kantharos and teaching him about clothing. It was not necessary, but Dr. Atlas enjoyed the enthusiasm Daniel had towards Kantharos. Daniel deserved to be happy.
He was born with the rare condition brittle bone, where his bones were weaker than that of the average bone. It was incurable, and came in four types; type four being the most devastating. Daniel, thankfully, was only a type one, but even then, his bones were still fragile. Even the slightest fall or bump and the bone would be broken into three pieces or more. This was the reason his mother had given him up.
Unable to care for a child of his condition, she left him with Atlas, where she could he would be safe, loved, and well educated. Daniel looked exactly like his mother; short choppy auburn hair with bangs that always hung in his face, bright hazel eyes that shone with the utmost happiness and a crooked smile with dimples clearly framed in his cheeks.
"Father!" Daniel called, breaking Atlas away from his thoughts and back to his progress notes; maybe other scientists who followed the same researched would someday be able to repeat his work, making the world a better place with their own artificially created humans. Atlas had had the idea for years, but it was not until Daniel came into his life that he actually started experimenting.
Daniel was three-years-old, Atlas recalled, when he arrived, the middle of winter, bundled from head to toe with a note from his mother pinned to his jacket. She had reminded Atlas of the relationship they had almost four years ago, how she was able to find him, and how he was the only person she could depend on to care for their son.
He remembered a young assistant he had had for the majority of six months when he worked for the government in biological experiments dealing with the effects certain chemicals had on humans. Eventually, one thing led to another, and they were inseparable. Until of course, the testing backfired when one of the volunteers was genetically mutilated beyond repair, and had to be terminated. Anyone with connections to this accident had to be separated, and never come in contact with one another again; yet somehow she managed to find him at a new testing facility and deliver Daniel to him.
Daniel grew up running through the cold, colorless hallways, behind closed doors and with malevolent phantoms with glass eyes and cold expressions; despite this, he was a happy child. The love Atlas gave his son was more than enough to keep his spirits high, especially since he promised that someday soon he would be just like the other children, perfectly healthy and happy without a care in the world.
Kantharos yawned, breaking Atlas's train of thought once more. He turned to Daniel, closing his logbook and smiling gently. "Could you take Kantharos to his room, son?" He asked, and Daniel nodded. "Yes father." He smiled at Kantharos, whose eyes were heavy; he had had a long day, Daniel thought, being born takes a lot out of you. He stood, taking Kantharos's arm with both hands and leading out of the room and through the complex hallways, finally stopping at a room with the number '17' listed on the front.
Daniel paid no mind to that, even though Kantharos's mind kept pricking at him. 17? What could that mean? He pondered, deep in thought as the door was opened and he was led inside. The décor was simple, bright rectangular lights buzzed quietly over his head, illuminating the white tiled and steel wall room. There was a metal bed, similar to that of a hospital bed, with a white mattress, pillow, sheets and thin blanket, and a full-length mirror hanging on the wall.
"There are more blankets in the closet if you get cold." Daniel informed Kantharos, leading him to a sliding door. Inside was a looming shelf, piled with more uniforms, and extra pillows and blankets.
Kantharos nodded, taking a moment to feel the material, and then following Daniel over to the bed, where he motioned Kantharos to sit. He did, and began to notice that this bed had a bit of bounce and squeak to it, he began pushing himself up and down, soon bouncing against the mattress, and he smiled with enjoyment. The Daniel grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop.
"Don't do that," He urged, his eyes full of sympathy as Kantharos came into realization that he could not bounce. "The other scientists won't allow it." He informed Kantharos, trying his best to keep him out of trouble.
Kantharos nodded, yawning once again as he did so. Daniel smiled, helping Kantharos slip off his shirt and laying his head against the pillows, then drawing the covers over his body- exactly what his father did every night before he fell to the mercy of his night terrors and uncontrollable thrashing, which usually resulted with a broken arm or leg the next morning.
"Good night." Daniel whispered that as Kantharos fell into a deep sleep, he quietly tiptoed out of the room, flicking the light switch off and gently closing the door.
Once outside, Daniel walked across the hall where his room was, and slipped inside, waiting for Atlas to come and tuck him in.
He never came that night.


"Daniel?" Dr. Atlas whispered when he had knocked on Daniel's door, and there had been no reply. He was holding a tray with Daniel's and his breakfast: protein shakes, fruit, and pancakes.
A small whimper came from the room when Atlas knocked again. Concerned, he went ahead and opened the door only to find Daniel cowering in the corner of his bed, holding an arm to his chest and struggling to hold back tears. Atlas set the tray down and strolled over to the bedside, then sat down beside Daniel.
"Did it happen again...?" He asked, trying to soothe him; Daniel nodded, looking to his father with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Yeah… more nightmares and thrashing… I think I hit the frame this time, my arms broken in four places." He whimpered, leaning into his father's chest.
"I'm sorry for not coming last night… I had to finish my logbook and I fell asleep at my workstation." He explained; rubbing Daniel's back with a sympathetic expression. Daniel nodded, burying his face further into his father's chest.
Atlas picked Daniel up gently and carried him to the infirmary, and after setting him on the examination table, he thickly bandaged Daniel's arm and placed it into a sling.
"All better." Atlas smiled as he handed Daniel a glass of water and a couple of ibuprofens to ease the pain. He took the pills and gulped the water greedily. "Thanks…" He muttered, wiping a remainder of tears from his lips and smiling to show his father that he felt better.
Atlas lifted Daniel from the table and set him on the floor. "Could you go and wake up Kantharos?" He asked.
Daniel nodded and left the infirmary to go wake Kantharos.
"Kantharos, wake up." Daniel said as he entered Kantharos's room and turned on the light. Kantharos moaned when the room was illuminated, obviously he did not want to get up.
"Come on lazy bones." Daniel said, walking over to the bedside and looming over Kantharos's head. After seeing Kantharos simply turned his head to ignore Daniel, who stripped the covers from Kantharos's body.
"Ugh…" Kantharos moaned, opening his eyes and staring at Daniel, who chuckled.
"Father says it's time to wake up." Said Daniel as he helped Kantharos sit up and slip on a shirt.
Kantharos yawned. "Father… says… wake up?' He repeated as much as he could. Daniel smiled, "Yeah, there's a lot of work to be done." He said pulling Kantharos and helping him stand.
Kantharos began to look at Daniel more closely, and noticed his arm in the sling. Curious, he reached for the sling and poked it; Daniel winced, pushing away Kantharos's hand and looking up to him. "Don't touch my arm please…" He sighed, looking to his arm and saying. "I hurt it."
Hurt…? Kantharos thought, What was hurt? He wanted to ask Daniel, but he was pulling on Kantharo's arm, telling him it was time to leave.
They then left the room, where Daniel led him through the complex hallways, passing closed doors and scientists who only wore an emotionless expression.
Kantharos stared at them, wondering why they were so cold; he looked to Daniel with a puzzled expression, silently asking, why.
"Father says it's because scientists must learn to control their emotions, that way when something happens the situation stays under control." Daniel clarified, leading Kantharos through a room with a door that said 'Dr. Atlas, Biologist'. Inside, working tirelessly in front of a huge screen monitor, was Father.
When Daniel and Kantharos entered, Atlas turned to greet them. "Hello Daniel, hello Kantharos." He smiled as Daniel led Kantharos over to him.
"Father, when are we going to do the blood transfusion?" Daniel asked, anxious to know when he would receive Kantharos's blood and become healthy.
"Not today, but soon." Atlas promised, looking from Daniel to Kantharos. "Kantharos, come here, please." He commanded, and Kantharos walked to Atlas's side, wondering what was in store for him. Atlas set Kantharos in a chair that faced the computer; Kantharos looked around as Atlas went to the computer and started typing. Daniel sat across from Kantharos, giving a reassuring smiled, but Kantharos was still wondering about his arm in the sling…
Atlas pushed Kantharos's bangs aside, and instructed him to stare directly at the screen. Kantharos obeyed, and watched helplessly as the screen suddenly brightened.
Barely recoiling, Kantharos's expression went blank; his eyes widened and his body fell limp. Daniel was not alarmed though; he trusted his father to the fullest and knew he would never do anything to harm Kantharos in any way. He watched as his father typed on the computer, pulling up files and typing commands, programming certain things into Kantharos's mind, teaching him everything without, well, physically teaching him. The process was a slow one though, often taking up to seven hours but the first programming would be the fastest and easiest, father was only programming proper human speech.
Atlas broke his gaze away from the computer and onto Daniel. "We have a couple of hours… Would you like to eat breakfast?"
Daniel nodded; breakfast sounded good right about now, he had not eaten all morning. Atlas smiled, leaving his room to go retrieve the breakfast he had left in Daniel's room.


'PROGRAMMING PROCESS COMPLETE' The large words flashed on the screen, Daniel read them while chewing thoughtfully on an apple from breakfast; father would be back soon, he thought, hopefully before Kantharos wakes.
As if to speak of the Devil, Atlas entered the room, carrying certain files. When reading the computer screen, he set down his files, then walked over to the computer and shut it down. Kantharos woke with a sudden jolt.
"Wh-what is going on…?" Kantharos panicked, and then suddenly became aware of his newfound ability to speak fully and correctly.
"You have just learned proper human speech." Atlas informed, examining Kantharos to see if the process had any after-effects.
"Proper human speech?" Kantharos repeated; he may have sounded like he understood, but in reality he did not.
Daniel walked up to Kantharos and attempted to explain. "Father programmed you so you would have the ability to speak normally." Kantharos slowly nodded, showing he understood.
"When will I be able to learn more?" He asked eagerly, wanting to know so much more about the world he lived in.
Atlas chuckled at Kantharos's enthusiasm and answered, "Twenty-four hours." Kantharos cocked his head, wondering what that meant and why. Daniel chuckled and began an explanation to his silent question. "See father's digital clock?" He pointed to the digital clock resting on Atlas's desk, which read 11:25. Kantharos nodded, and Daniel went on. "Twenty-four hours from now, it will be the same time; that's when you will learn more."
"We don't want a brain capacity overload; humans can only learn so much at one time." Atlas added, explaining why the process was so painstakingly long.
Kantharos nodded once more, yawning and stretching his arms as if he had endured a lifetime of lessons that taught him proper human speech, and the process of teaching and exhaustion would continue, day in and day out, until his entire programming of the brain was complete.


"Hey Kantharos…" Daniel began as he was taking Kantharos back to his room for much needed rest.
"Yes Daniel?" Kantharos yawned, beginning to understand now that he was able to speak as well as Daniel and Father.
"Now that you can speak properly, I was wondering, could you call me 'Danny' instead of Daniel?" He looked up to Kantharos, wondering what his response would be.
"Okay…" Kantharos began, "But, why do you want me to call you by a different name?" He asked.
Daniel looked down. "Well, because it's a nickname, and I've always wanted someone to call me by a nickname, like how other boys my age have nicknames…" He trailed off, figuring he had made his point.
"Yes, Danny." Kantharos smiled, arriving at his bedroom door.
"Sleep well." Daniel hugged Kantharos.
"You too as well." Kantharos hugged Daniel back, and then went to his room.
He slept until far into the evening, and by the time he woke, Daniel was already asleep. Kantharos figured he would explore a bit; having the brain of a small child, he did not understand that there might be rules or consequences to being out of bed so late.
He explored the halls, figuring he would surprise Daniel the next morning when he discovered Kantharos had memorized how to get to and from Father's office.
"Atlas has no idea what he has…" Kantharos heard a low whisper.
"The fool only cares to cure his son's sickness; he does not realize the greater potential unit 17 has… out of every other failure, his success has been the greatest…" Another; it sounded like… men…
There were more whispers among these, Kantharos easily picked out three… no, five voices. What were they discussing…? Atlas…
"Father-!" Kantharos almost yelled in realization, but quieted his voice at the last moment. None of the men seemed to notice.
Now afraid, Kantharos left. Thankfully, he had found his way back to his room. Crawling under the thin covers, he gripped his pillow tightly- what would happen to father…? He wondered for so many hours, that he finally drifted to sleep.


Kantharos had woken before Daniel, and sat patiently, fully dressed, on his bed until Daniel- Danny came to get him. He still pondered over what the men had discussed last night…
He shivered, though not cold, he felt… scared. He wished he were back behind the glass, sleeping…. Safe.
Kantharos jumped when Daniel opened the door. He smiled, saying. "Good morning, Danny."
Daniel chuckled; glad Kantharos was using his nickname. "Good morning to you too, Kantharos." He replied, walking up to Kantharos and looking over him in disbelief. "You got yourself dressed!" He exclaimed, excited. "Father will be happy to hear the progress you've made."
Kantharos smiled at Daniel's praises… they felt… good, as if everything in the world was right.
Daniel tugged on Kantharos's arm, and hurried him to Atlas's office.
And the moment they arrived, Kantharos had forgotten about last night entirely.


It was the twenty-fourth day; and Kantharos's programming was nearly complete.
Today was the last day.
Kantharos was standing by Daniel's side, smiling happily, as Daniel glanced up at him.
"Tomorrow… tomorrow is the transfusion…" Daniel whispered in disbelief.
"Yes, it is. Are you excited?" Kantharos asked, controlled and collected, acting like a grown man instead of a 576-hour-old child.
The previous weeks had passed, with Kantharos discovering more and more about Atlas, Daniel- and himself.
He was the seventeenth attempt at a scientifically created human, which explained why other scientists referred to him as simply, '17'. He also discovered more about his structure, DNA, and genetic differences from other humans. Kantharos's abilities were far greater than any human, with superior vitality, strength, speed, reflexes, even a superior immune system, able to easily kill off any foreign substance- even cancer. And most importantly, strengthen the average humans' body system.
Atlas looked over his life's work; Kantharos was more of a success than he could have ever dreamed… after countless experiments with his blood and Daniel's, he found that the transfusion would be a success.
There was only one last step, the last, most important lesson of them all.
Understanding human nature.
This would be an extremely long lesson on the history of man's failures, triumphs, mistakes, and attempts to make everything right.
Kantharos smiled as Atlas motion for him to have a seat, as he did twenty-three times before. Daniel watched, scratching his bandaged arm out of boredom. He waited for the process to begin… they were so close he could almost feel stronger…
The moment Kantharos fell limp; a timer appeared on the giant screen:
'9 HOURS, 32 MINUTES, AND 27 SECONDS'
Then the process began, counting down by each second, followed by the minute, then the hour. Daniel pondered for a few seconds, and then yawned.
"Bedtime." Atlas said, gathering his reports as Daniel nodded.
"Kantharos will be done tomorrow… right?" He asked uneasily.
Atlas nodded, giving a reassuring smile to his son.
Completely unaware of the horror that was about to unfold, the two left for their rooms.


It all began with the corrupted file that Atlas had downloaded by mistake.
Dragged out of bed at an ungodly hour, Daniel felt his blood turn to ice, realizing that the other scientists wanted father's creation all to themselves, but instead of using him for good, they would use him for power and control.
Bounded and gagged, Daniel yelped as he was tossed to the floor; he tried to sit up, but was pushed back down. He could hear his father's voice, spitting curses as he also came into realization of their hopeless situation. After struggling and taking down one of the men that held him, he received a square punch in the face, breaking his glasses.
"Father! Daniel screamed through his gag as he watched his father fall, and was held by two more men.
"Silence!" Commanded a harsh voice, one that came form a man with slicked back hair and a few loose strands hanging in front of his face.
"Xenathe…" Atlas growled, looking through the one good lens of his busted glasses.
"Hmmhmm, not so high and mighty now, eh Atlas?" Xenathe purred with content, walking to Atlas and looking down to him. "You never counted on me being the one to betray you, to take away what you've worked your entire life for… unfortunately, we have better things to do in this world instead of cure diseases." His laughter echoed through Atlas's office, and then he began a lazy pace towards Kantharos.
"No!" Daniel had slipped his gag off, and for his speaking out of tone, received a kick on the ribs.
It was Atlas's turn to scream bloody Mary as he watched his son crumple lifelessly on top of his sling. He attempted to break free, but was held too tightly. Through bleary eyes he could make out the faint rise and fall of his unconscious son's chest, he was going to be OK…
Of course, that was only hopeful wishing.
'PROCESS COMPLETE, PROCESS COMPLETE'
The words flashed on the screen as Xenathe read them with a smug expression. He then shut down the computer, leaving Kantharos to wake with a violent shock.
He stared, hazy eyed, trying to make out what he could. He soon found his gaze on the unconscious Daniel and the struggling Atlas… who were they? He thought, and then felt his head jerk around to Xenathe.
"Master. I am your master," Xenathe began, chanting the phrase repeatedly until Kantharos repeated.
"M-master…" He said uneasily, slowly understanding who Xenathe was, and what Kantharos himself was.
"You will obey me without question, you are mine."
"I am yours." Kantharos repeated without flaw. Feeling confident, powerful… even invincible, he rose; now standing next to Xenathe, he looked to Atlas and Daniel. They seemed so familiar….
"Take them to a room, and then lock it. We do not need Atlas… yet, but make sure you keep the boy alive until I say so, understand?"
The scientists nodded, picking up Daniel and dragging Atlas back to Daniel's room, where they were going to be kept, at least until Xenathe had no use for them.
And that would be soon.


Atlas laid his head against the cold metal wall; he was holding Daniel in his arms, hoping, praying, that somehow Daniel would get out alive.
Daniel coughed weakly, bringing Atlas into reality. "F-father…" He coughed again.
"Yes, son…?" Atlas sighed, rubbing his son's back affectionately.
"Will we be OK…?" His voice shook with fear and weakness.
"I… I don't know…" Atlas answered truthfully to Daniel, silently praying that Daniel be spared; he had only lived a small portion of his promised future.
Daniel began crying into his father's chest. "I-I don't want to die father… I don't want you to die, either…."
Atlas continued to rub Daniel's back, wondering what the future would bring. Not only for them, but also for the rest of the world.


Kantharos walked by Xenathe's side, eager to follow his master's orders, do what he pleased, and fulfill his purpose.
"17, we will soon release you into the real world, where your ultimate test shall begin." Xenathe paused, not only his sentence, but his stroll as well. "….world domination." He smirked, tasting power, lusting it… reaching, trying desperately to achieve it. He was so close…
Kantharos nodded, but a thought still kept pricking at him. "What about Atlas, and his son?" He asked, stopping and following as Xenathe continued his walk.
A low chuckle bubbled in his throat, threatening to burst. "You will see, soon enough." He promised. "For now, we shall discuss the cloning process."


Atlas had no time to complain as he was dragged out of Daniel's room. He did not want to leave Daniel alone, hurt, and at the mercy of the other scientists.
"I swear to God…" He spat, confronting Xenathe once more.
"Now Atlas," He chuckled, looking straight into Atlas's eyes with pure pleasure. "You of all people know better than to swear to the Lord when you've been playing the part of God yourself."
Atlas remained silent, his gaze slowly drifting to Kantharos, who stood behind Xenathe. "Kantharos…" He murmured, attempting to move toward his creation, his son's future…
Xenathe quickly knocked the breath out of him. Now crumpled on the floor, Atlas looked up to see Xenathe standing over him, acting as if Atlas were merely dirt to be stood on and stomped over.
"Do you honestly think he remembers?" Xenathe laughed, digging his boot into Atlas's back. "He only knows who his master is, whom he is sworn to obey."
Kantharos looked to Xenathe, then Atlas, answering with him. "Yes. Xenathe is my master, and I will do as he commands." He said almost robotically, as if he were in a trance.
"Even…" Xenathe purred again, thinking of something that had become appallingly clear to Atlas. "… Kill."
Given no time to object, Kantharos picked up Atlas by the throat and held him high. Struggling, Atlas looked down to Xenathe.
"Do as I say or your son dies by his hands, along with you." His lips curled into a harsh smile as Kantharos tightened his grip. Atlas growled, the grip getting tighter, he realized he had no choice.
"F-fine…" Atlas choked, and was finally released.
Xenathe looked down as Atlas struggled to take in every breath he could. He might as well have let Atlas, since these breaths were part of his last.


It was the same, day in and day out.
Atlas was taken to the experimental room, and was forced to create more containment units, the very same that were used to grow Kantharos. When finished replicating one, he was locked back in the room with Daniel, where the two had spent for the past several weeks.
Of course, not all scientists had betrayed Atlas.
Atlas looked up as soon as he heard the door open. Standing there, like a savior from God, was Laurel, Atlas's long-time friend who had been helping him and Daniel ever since Xenathe took over
"How is everything?" Atlas asked as Laurel walked over to him and handed him a tray with ibuprofen for Daniel's pain, and lunch for them.
"Nothing has changed in particular… the clones are growing at a much more rapid pace then Xenathe could have imagined. Of course, that pleases him and makes him even more determined… Atlas, if we don't act soon, Xenathe will begin his attack at the world leader's meeting in a few months, then no one will be safe…" She sighed, her gaze drifting to a sleeping Daniel, who was more or less her son. She worried for other people's children, for anyone who was going to be caught in the horrors of a new world order.
Atlas cursed, setting the tray aside and staring into Laurel's striking green eyes. "We have to convince Kantharos that Xenathe is going to bring nothing but pain and destruction… we have to remind him of his true family."
Laurel nodded uneasily, "But how? Xenathe wiped his memory of you and Daniel…"
Atlas chuckled, and Laurel looked to him again. "What Xenathe doesn't realize, is that memories are not simply 'erased'. They are only stored into a deep and inaccessible part of the brain- similar to the effects of amnesia, we only need to resurface those memories by trying to remind him of events past, then he will be ours again."
"I'll do my best to try…" She murmured, slightly doubting Atlas, unsure whether this would work or not.
She left Atlas to calm a painfully healing Daniel, and wonder what the future would bring.


"Attention!" A voice over the intercom blared, waking Atlas and Daniel to listen; it was around 5:00 AM in the morning. "The time has come, everyone report to the experimental room immediately!"
Xenathe stood next to Kantharos and next to an intimidating line of containment units that all held a growing embryo, each shaping into a Kantharos replica.
Laurel was the last to arrive, panting and pushing her way past a few other scientists, she looked to see what was happening.
Pacing back and forth, Xenathe addressed his followers. "As you know, our original plan was to wait until the world leader's meeting. Now there's a change in plans." He paused in front of Laurel, a devilish smirk spread across his lips. "Instead, tonight we will be invading the President of the United States peace banquet- anyone who objects will answer to 17." He motioned to Kantharos, who busted one of the containment units, killing the embryo inside and leaving not a scratch on him.
Laurel stifled a gasp, and tried to refrain from looking away when the embryo struggled, but was soon put out of its misery. She could not believe Kantharos was capable of such destruction… then again, she never imagined Xenathe would turn out to be so cruel and power-hungry.
"Laurel," Xenathe said, looking over her. "Go bring me Atlas and his boy. I don't want them to miss such an occasion."
Laurel nodded, leaving in a hurried pace, hoping that somehow Atlas would be able to talk some sense in Kantharos before destruction ensued.


"He can't be serious…" Atlas paced back and forth, unsure of what to do.
Daniel simply looked up to his father, "If Xenathe can make Kantharos kill… Father no, he can' t make Kantharos do this!" He cried, wishing for the days when Kantharos and him were inseparable.
Atlas sighed, looking from Laurel to Daniel, he then said. "We still have a chance to stop him Daniel, we just have to get Kantharos to remember."
Daniel nodded, wiping his tears away and standing. "Okay father. Let's go get Kantharos back."
Laurel guided them to the Xenathe's office, where Xenathe waited with Kantharos.
"Laurel, I want you to leave." Xenathe commanded, looking up the moment Atlas had arrived.
Laurel looked worriedly between Atlas and Daniel. Atlas simply nodded, mouthing 'we'll be okay' to her before she reluctantly left. Atlas looked back to Xenathe again.
"I've made a decision, Atlas." He said, suddenly becoming interested in a snow globe perched on his desk. "Do you know what that decision was?" He asked, looking back up to them.
Atlas remained silent.
"The decision to let you live." He said, shaking the snow globe and watching as the little flakes stirred inside.
"What's the catch, Xenathe?" Atlas asked, his expression determined, his gaze unnerved.
Xenathe chuckled. "You know me too well old friend, but not well enough." He said, setting the snow globe down and walking up to them. He stared down at Daniel, intimidating him. "I realized something… No one person has ever taken over anything without a right hand man. I need you, Atlas, to ensure my success." He suddenly grabbed Daniel by the collar of his shirt. "Refuse, and well…" He handed Daniel off to Kantharos, who wore a smug expression. "Your son meets his worst demise."
Atlas attempted to object, but seeing Daniel beginning to choke, he sighed. "Alright… just, just don't hurt him…" He said, breathing a sigh of relief as Kantharos set Daniel down.
"I knew you would see it my way." Xenathe chuckled, looking to Kantharos and nodding.
Understanding what he meant, Kantharos put his hand on Daniel's shoulder, keeping him from going back to Atlas.
"But just in case you act out of line, your son will be kept close to 17 at all times, understand?"
Atlas nodded, knowing this would be Xenathe's biggest mistake.


Every scientist was at hand that morning, enhancing weapons that were to be used for the evening's bombardment.
Looking over what was to be his greatest accomplishment, Xenathe smirked. Soon the United States would be under his control, and then, the world. He walked over to Atlas, who was looking over blueprints of the White House, mapping out entrances and exits- just in case anything went wrong.
But with Kantharos on his side, Xenathe was sure nothing would.
Kantharos watched over Daniel the entire time, waiting to be told what to do. Eventually though, he grew bored of having to watch the child, when all he did was either sleep or stare at him, never once saying a word. Until that is, Kantharos finally said something that had been on his mind since he had woken to Xenathe.
"Master says I should not trust you, or your father. But I am curious, why are you two so familiar to me?" He asked, pushing his bangs out of his face and staring at Daniel
"'Cause Father created you… we spent so much time together… Kantharos, we were like brothers." Daniel explained, watching shock form on Kantharos's face when hearing his name.
"Xenathe says I am 17, not this… Kantharos you speak of." He said, still pondering over what Daniel had just said, wondering if it was true.
"That's 'cause you don't remember…" Daniel began, an idea suddenly dawning on him: if Father' s computer files has the power to store Kantharos's memories, perhaps he could use it to resurface the memories as well. Daniel looked up to Kantharos, a hopeful expression spread across his face. "Do you want to know more?" He asked, getting off of his bed and walking over to the door, hoping Kantharos would open the door and allow him to take him to his father' s workroom.
Kantharos nodded, eager and not considering the consequences, he opened the door and followed Daniel through the twisted hallways and to Atlas's workroom.


Starting the computer and finding the files was easy enough; everything was running smoothly, as Daniel planned.
Of course, he hadn't taken into consideration what the time was.
Xenathe and his followers were prepared, even Atlas, who grudgingly had prepared entry plans was armed with a handgun and ready for anything. The only thing left to do was get Kantharos and head off.
That was when it began.
In a desperate search for Kantharos once realizing he was gone, Xenathe's mind had pushed his concerns about Atlas to the back of his head. Fortunately for Atlas, he knew his son well, and knew exactly where Daniel and Kantharos would be.
"There you are." Atlas sighed with relief, finding Daniel in his workroom, thankfully unharmed. Then he noticed Kantharos's limp body. "Son… you aren't trying to…?" He said, realizing exactly what his son was doing.
"I thought since your computer had the power to store Kantharos's memories, it would have the power to bring them back… father, what is wrong?" Daniel asked, noticing the vacant expression on his father's face.
"Daniel… Xenathe will be here soon, and if we don't hurry and escape- I was hoping I would get to you before you turned on the computer… We don't have the time to restore his memories, we have to hurry and-"
He never finished.
"Run!" Was all Atlas said before being shot to death. Horrified, Daniel watched his father's body crumple to the ground, and there, standing over the lifeless body, was Atlas's murderer, Xenathe.
"I see… so this is why your father cooperated; to get his precious Kantharos back. Well," he paused to kick Atlas's body aside and begin a lazy stride to Daniel, who cowered behind Kantharos- that was when he remembered something. He said they had to get out of there quickly, not before they were noticed, but before something happened, something that would either end it all or start a new beginning. If only Daniel had not been foolish enough to begin a long process he knew would not be ended soon.
Xenathe knocked Daniel aside, adding to the growing list of broken bones, and shut the computer off.
Kantharos woke with a jolt, looking around, he wondered what was happening. Wailing, running, begging, heat, blood, screaming, heat, red, knocking aside, gunshot, a figure with long hair and green eyes, picking up something small and crumpled, escaping, heat, explosion….. black….


He woke the next day, covered in ash and rubble, wondering, why he was there, what had happened, what was around him, who he was, and who was the little boy with red hair and hazel eyes he saw in his mind.