2014
GeNic Island, 50 miles from New York
"Do you realize how insane this is, Marlowe? You're throwing twenty years of world changing research, just like that?" Marco seethed. His knuckles were bone white against his tiny cell phone. The voice on the other end, his boss--Marlowe Lucious--continued to speak of preposterous actions without explanation. Marco could not wrap his head around it all no matter how hard he tried. "Marlowe..."
"I won't argue, Marco," she interjected sharply. "Everything must be destroyed, less we risk our own lives. Which do you prefer: yourself or them?"
How she could make such a vile, selfish demand, Marco wondered with a rising temper. They were talking about human lives! "If we destroy them, we'll have nothing left! You have no intention of taking any of it with us, to preserve our life's work?" he inquired. "We won't... We'll all...."
"Marco, listen carefully," Marlowe soothed in a cold, calculating tone. "We're knocking on deaths door. Due to rumors, the CDC believes we are housing biohazardous waste, toying with illegal viruses. The FBI has us pinned under a microscope looking for evidence of illegal human testing... If they find the island, they'll have everything they need to destroy GeNic."
He gripped the phone tighter. "We are doing all those things."
"This is precisely why we must destroy it as soon as possible. Destroy it before anything substantial becomes known. Do it for your future, Marco. Pull the kill switch."
The phone went dead and Marco stood in his office, frozen. There was nothing left but to comply, to ignore the sick twisting of his stomach, his dinner threatening to coat his desk. Marco was just too weak to defy a woman like Marlowe. She was founder and CEO of GeNic, one of the world's leading companies in genetic development and research. Marco was brought in as the chief of the geneticists' lab, his work taking him through illegal boundaries, leading him to make world-changing discoveries. It was he who learned how to splice genes successfully, to locate behavioral genes and deactivate them, in turn creating a gentler human being. Eventually, Marlowe wanted more and gave him a unidentified DNA sequence.... He had his suspicions that she knew, but left him in the dark. Still he complied, and the results were breathtaking. Real superhumans. From tiny test tubes to adult-hood these illegally obtained human embryos had been injected, exposed, and altered in nearly every way possible, barely making them human at all. How could Marlowe be so calm about destroying it all?
Marco pushed the persistent question away and left his office just down to a large sliding metal door. He swiped is security card and the door parted, releasing a chilled wave of fog to envelope his legs. Beyond the door, he saw his pride and joy within the dimly lit room: thousands of cryogenic pods...each containing a very special human whose genes had been completely altered. Beside each tank were tiny glowing rings, each a different color. When he went to stand beside one of the pods, a tiny man around six inches tall appeared and stared up silently. It was Marlowe's idea to create and assign each experiment an artificial intelligence unit, ones that are programmed to care for their assigned humans, alert anyone to any malfunctions or health hazards. Marco found it to be quite genius, really. It saved time caring for them themselves. The scientists could remain at a safe distance, annihilating the risk of emotional ties. So then, why was it so difficult for him to part ways now?
Staring down at the tiny A.I. Marco had a thought, one that both frightened and comforted. On this manmade island, created by GeNic, was Marco and his experiments and it was Marco who was assigned to activate the kill switch. The cryogenic pods would slowly fill with toxin, killing them, and in turn, the A.I.'s would die too. If a human died, their assigned A.I. would die too, and vice versa. Then, carefully planted explosives would destroy the facility, the pods, and most of the island itself, leaving no evidence of GeNic's illegal activities. Such a carefully constructed life, about to shatter at the hands of its creator.
At the far end of the room was a large computer awaiting an access code to be entered. Marco proceeded toward it, his fingers typing in a six-digit code to unlock the device. There it gave him a single option: ACTIVATE KILL SWITCH? YES OR NO
"It ends here... All of it..." he said quietly, his words followed by a dry laugh. He made a choice, one that would change everything for Marlowe. If she were to recreate her precious pets, she would need him, only Marco did not intend to leave this island alive. He would die where he stood now. Sighing, he selected yes and within moments, the room filled with a soft hiss. Each pod began to beep, all A.I. units appearing in confusion before flickering off permanently. Before long, the island would begin its sequence of explosions. Marco stared out the window; his eyes welling up with tears just as a bright orange wave of fire came crashing through....
One year later...
GeNic Island ruins
Zeta was in disbelief as she stared down at her assigned human. For nearly a whole year, she had focused all her resources in repairing the damaged systems of GeNic's secret island, all for the single purpose of awakening that last survivor. Their survival was more than a mystery, one that bothered Zeta beyond reason. She was one of the later models of A.I.'s created by Marlowe herself, giving her almost a human like quality. She possessed everything impossible for artificial intelligence, anywhere from speech, culture...common sense. As an A.I. she had been informed of the kill switch implanted into her system, yet as Marco entered his code to activate, hers was the only one not connected. In turn, her human remained in cryogenic sleep while Zeta worked to change that.
"Quorra, remain strong..." Zeta whispered. She glowed heavenly white, like a six-inch angel; her lavender eyes scanning the remains of the burnt laboratory. It was miracle enough that the explosions hadn't destroyed Quorra's pod and her with it, yet a relief nonetheless. Zeta had managed to hack into the main computer Marco had used, repairing it...activating electrical circuits, idle machinery to pick pieces up and string them together. And now...there, the broken screen lit up, awaiting a code that would reactivate Quorra's pod and awaken her from slumber to set eyes on the world for a third time.
"Systems Activate. Password: Quorra." There was a loud whirring noise and then a sharp hiss. Quorra's pod began the fog up, the ice particles turning to droplets of water...and then, the lid opened and an exasperated gasp emerged from the fog. Zeta couldn't see through it. She was stranded on a tiny data ring that was attached to the far right of the pod. It was removable, but only to Quorra and Marco. With Marco dead, it left only Quorra.
The fog began to life and the nude form of her human appeared to her, sharp eyes looking around calmly, assessing the burnt remains of the ceiling before falling onto Zeta. "Something has happened, hasn't it, Zeta?" Quorra asked softly. She could tell from the eerie silence, from the disarray of the ceiling tiles, from the scent of stagnant air. She wondered if she dared sit up in the pod and have a look. It frightened her.
Zeta looked away, examining the remains herself. "Marco destroyed the island."
It took a moment for the words to sink in, for fear to settle with confusion. She prompted herself up in the pod, her icy hues taking in her surroundings in horror. "Marco did this?" Since her teen years, Quorra had befriended Marco, grown a liking to him, despite his somewhat distant demeanor. She understood his resistance to be emotionally attached to his work, to place a steel barrier around his heart. This moment felt almost like a betrayal, yet Quorra knew she couldn't dwell upon it. Not now, at least.
"It's gone..." Quorra whispered. "How are we alive? The self-destruct sequence...it was activated, wasn't it?"
"Yes." The room was filled with dim, dirty pods... She feared Quorra's reaction should she peer in to see the skeletons of her former brothers and sisters. "We were unaffected. I cannot explain how, but consider us lucky."
Quorra nodded and slipped out of the pod. Her nude form gathered goose flesh, the chill spreading across, awakening her senses. "What now?" she asked, looking to her A.I. "We can't stay here."
"We'll escape to the city of New York. There, you will become a normal human to those around you," Zeta said. "Together we will live in secret, away from our creators."
"Can we make it?"
"I'll protect you always, Quorra. You have nothing to fear so long as I am able to be near."
Quorra laughed, extending her arms out into a deep stretch. "I'll hold you to your word, Zeta."
Six years later...
New York, 3:00AM 2021
The evening chill made her feel alive made her feel as if boundaries couldn't possibly exist. It was a feeling Quorra refused to let go, despite Zeta's urgent pleas. How could she allow herself to blend like a human when she was created for so much more? To soar effortlessly among the highest rooftops of New York City, a shadow high above society. Nothing could quell her desire to use her man-given abilities.
Quorra extended a medium chain, hooking it around the corner of a large building. Her body swung freely, the wind catching in her short, choppy black locks, eyes closed, opening only when her feet brushed against the buildings side. She hoisted herself up, gathered the chain and ran to the other side. Her feet scuffed the edge, her legs thrusting her into the air, now falling so freely. Halfway down, Quorra unraveled her chain, hooking onto a lower building and swinging up onto the roof.
"Quorra, where are you?" Zeta's voice echoed within her ear, bringing Quorra back to reality. "You've been out for a long time. Longer than usual."
"I'm following something," Quorra replied.
"Following what exactly?" A hint of skepticism crept into the A.I.'s voice. "Quorra, be careful... No one must see you use your abilities."
"As you tell me everyday. I'll be fine, Zeta. Don't worry so much." Quorra clicked her earcom off and quickly made her way to the bottom of the building. She landed with a cat-like silence in a dark alley, unaffected by the five story drop. For the past two hours there had been something in the air that made her curious. She blended perfectly with humans, they held little interest after six years, yet something was much different...something concerning someone in particular. She stood at the edge of the ally, looking out at the stream of people, her figure hidden in shadows, neon lights...the rain kissed asphalt...tonight it seemed mystical. She clicked on her earcom again.
"Zeta, there's someone nearby. I can't explain it, but it's as if I feel their presence. It's unlike anything I've felt before..." Quorra explained in a whispered. There was a long pause. "Zeta?"
"Quorra, return now. It isn't safe."
Safe? She was a genetically altered human. When was she ever safe... Quorra scanned the crowd, landing on the individuals, studying them closely. "Zeta, I can't ignore this feeling... You know what it's about, don't you?"
Zeta sighed, remaining hesitant. "Quorra, you're not alone."
"Huh?"
"Years before Marco destroyed the island, an experiment escaped. Marlowe presumed him dead, never went after him. It's very likely you're sensing him because he is similar to you. In that case, he's alive and in New York."
"Someone like me?" The idea made Quorra giddy, excited.
"Yes, but you must be careful. He's been outside in the real world much longer than you have. He may not have the desire to meet you. If you sense him, he no doubt senses you."
"I know..." Quorra said softly. The feeling had grown stronger while Zeta spoke, and when she turned around to peer further into the alley behind, a figure made themselves evident. "He's here, Zeta..."
"What? Quorra, get away from him now! There's no telling what personality he's obtained in the real world..." Zeta urged, her voice shrill inside her humans ear. "Get away now!"
"I don't...think he wants to hurt me," Quorra said and turned her earcom off. She stared unblinking at the figure. "You're a product of GeNic... The one that got away," she stated. "Aren't you?"
