Project 99 (Perfect Human Book 1) Page 16

  "It's a little too early to call us family right now." Crystal said. "We just got to know each other. We came together because of you."

  "I need you to be together because our creators are coming after us now." Marie explained. "They are afraid of what we could become. They know that if we controlled our fusion, we would be unstoppable. That's why so many of us have died. A lot of people found out what they really were."

  Ash gulped. "Is that why they killed themselves?"

  "That is probably the reason why. They were threatened once they learned the truth. They didn't want to live anymore. They knew that if they stayed, the rest of us would be in danger."

  "Marie, you have got to get us into the Bradley Institute when no one's around." Crystal began. "You are the one who can pull this information for us. I just want proof of all of this. It's not that I don't believe you. I just have to see it with my own eyes."

  “I know.” Marie said. “A lot of changes have gone down in this place. Some of it may not make sense.”

  “You won’t be able to have children of your own.” She explained. “Thirty five years ago, some parts of the experiment were changed and things became aggressive. As a result, anyone that was created afterwards was infertile. You were born to barren.”

  “Barren.” Crystal repeated. “So there’s no chance of ever having children?”

  “I’m not sure you can. You are far different from a normal person.” Marie said. “I can get you into the building. In fact, I will arrange a meeting between you and Dr. Chang.”

  “You can do that?”

  “I have my ways.” Marie nodded. “I just want you to be prepared tomorrow. She will meet you and tell you what you want to know. The only thing that I request is that you don’t mention my name. Don’t tell her that I’m helping you. Act like you found out on your own.”

  “I think I can handle that.” Crystal nodded. “Just tell Dr. Chang all I want to do is talk about this. I’m not here to start a fight.”

  “Right.” Marie nodded. “I don’t want you to start any fights now. I will talk to her and set up an appointment for tomorrow evening. Does that work?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be back from class by then.” Crystal nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m going to get all the answers that we’re looking for.”

  That was a promise she hoped to keep.

  Chapter 24 – Crystal

  Marie had worked her magic once more and scheduled a meeting for Crystal with Dr. Chang at seven the next night. Crystal was fortunate for that because it meant she would have some time after class to prepare. The others were there to support her, but she just wanted to hear what Dr. Chang said. She wanted to know everything that she did.

  “Remember, no fights.” Pam warned her. “Confront her, but be civil.”

  “I know.” Crystal nodded. “I will be civil and get back all the information I can.”

  Seven o’clock rolled around and she found the front doors to the institute unlocked. She walked in and noticed that there were no receptionists up front. There were no guards or security around. The lights were dim, but on. Dr. Chang had asked her to come up to the top floor where her office was. Pressing the button to the elevator, Crystal tapped her foot against the white linoleum and waited for it to come. It felt like the longest wait of her life. Once she got in, she went to the top floor and watched as the numbers flashed above her. She got off on her floor and headed to Dr. Chang’s office. The doctor wasn’t in at the moment, but her door was unlocked. In a chair, Crystal found a note.

  I’ve stepped out for a bit. Please make yourself at home.

  It was hard to feel at home in this place. All she was pictures all over the walls. They weren’t just any pictures, but photos of babies. Some of the pictures came with notes that were thanking the doctor for what she did. According to some of these people, she performed a miracle. She was greater than God himself. It was a little unnerving and Crystal finally found herself looking at one picture. This baby looked all too familiar to her. The blue eyes were piercing into her. It almost seemed like this baby wasn’t normal. It felt like an alien to her.

  Crystal kept staring at the pictures of all the babies that had been created in the Bradley Institute. All of them looked like they had come from another planet. They were all parts of different projects and there were a few that were from Project 99. She didn't recognize any of them, but she knew they were all just like her. They had no idea just what kind of life they were in for.

  “Crystal?” She turned around to find Dr. Chang in the room. “I’m so glad that you made it. Did you find the place all right?”

  “I did.” Crystal shook her hand. “You have quite a collection of photos here.”

  “Welcome. I understand that you have some questions for me.” Dr. Chang said, pointing to the couches in the corner. She completely ignored what Crystal had said earlier. “Please have a seat.”

  “I’m glad you wanted to meet me, Dr. Chang.” She greeted her. “What are you still doing here?”

  "I had to stay behind for you. I have been waiting for you for a long time, Crystal." She explained. "I was hoping that you would come here one day and you showed up. I knew why you were really here. You wanted the truth."

  "I deserve to know the truth." Crystal said. "All of us should know what's going on. Is it true? Was I created in a lab?"

  Rosemarie nodded. "You were carried by your mothers, but you weren't born like regular babies. They heard about this project and came to us. Your mother was struggling to have children before you were born. Three miscarriages within three years? That is devastating. No mother wants to keep losing their children."

  "That's why she tried this." Crystal realized. "She just wanted a baby."

  "That's what everyone says they want, but what they really want is the perfect baby." Rosemarie explained. "You were created to be the best human being that mankind could create. It was never done to hurt you."

  "Then why did no one tell us this sooner?" she asked. "Why did I go through twenty-two years of my life not knowing where I came from?"

  "At the time, things were fine. The experiments had died down. We put a lot of projects on hold including our newest one, Project 100. You were all developing well and growing up so fast. We were sure that everything would be fine. Then our projects started dying one by one. Some of them were dying by illness. A lot of them were committing suicide. We were trying to figure why that was the case.”

  "Did you ever figure it out?"

  "I'm guessing a lot of them realized what they truly were. They saw the pictures of the failed fusions and didn't want to end up like them. They were afraid of what else could happen."

  "Why is that? What else is going to happen to us?" Crystal demanded. "If I'm in danger, I want to know everything. I want to know who or what I’m up against."

  "You're not in danger, Crystal, as long as you stay in your lane. Keep your brothers and sisters in that same lane as well. You should not tempt fate. There are things you should not know. It is for your own good."

  "Will you at least tell me who my creator is? Was it your father?"

  "My father died before you were born. My mother followed shortly after." Rosemarie said coldly. "Dr. Kweller took over and picked up where he left off. I thought about shutting down the program, but he wasn't ready to end it. He wanted to make more perfect beings. He was so sure that he could perfect the fusions."

  "Dr. Kweller created me." Crystal murmured.

  "He created you, Brendan, Ashton, and Misty. The rest of you were created by my father right before he died. After Jackie, we thought this would be the end of Project 99. I was eager for them to move forward with Project 100. I wanted them to put it all behind them, but that never happened. Project 99 was still thriving when Kweller took control."

  "That's it then, huh? We're your lab rats. We were never normal to begin with." She took a deep breath. "Do you have my file on hand with you?"

&nbs
p; "I'm afraid there are some things that I can't show you. If you want to know more about your birth, you are better off asking your parents." she said. “Ask them for the truth. They’ve kept this from you long enough.”

  Crystal sank down in her chair. "What is it that you guys really want from us? Why attack Pam's daughter who has nothing to do with this?"

  "I did not order any attacks." Rosemarie assured her. "Believe me, I would never go after anyone's children. This is not how I run things. What I can see is that someone wants you to stay out of their affairs. They don't want you to find out any more than you already have."

  "I need to know more though! We all need to know more! Who am I really?!" Crystal demanded. "What is the main purpose of this project? It can't be just because you want perfect babies. If that were case, why are you trying to merge them into something they're not?"

  "That is just an extra step."

  "It's an extra step that you don't need!"

  "This is all for the greater good, Crystal!" Rosemarie snapped. "If you can't see that, then you can just leave right now. You'll never get the answers that you seek. You will never find the cure."

  "The cure? What is this about a cure?"

  "There is a way to fix all this, Crystal. Your brothers and sisters need you. If you want to help yourselves and find out what you really are, you have to come together." Rosemarie explained. "That was my father's dream. He wanted all the perfect humans to become one."

  “Where does the cure fit into all this?”

  “The cure is going to make you better than what you are.” Rosemarie said. “We have tried with other babies, but things didn’t turn out so well with them. You, on the other hand, are a success story. You and everyone from Project 99 are a miracle. Why are you so against all this?”

  “Because you just told me that I’m an experiment. I was never real.”

  “You are real, Crystal. You are as real as I am. The only difference is that you didn’t come from your mother’s womb like any normal baby. You were first created and then put in there. That is the truth.” Rosemarie explained. “You are real. You are human. You are perfect. Those are the only things you need to know right now.”

  "How come I don't feel so perfect?" she asked. "What do I really do? Am I a person or just your subject to do whatever you wish?"

  "You have freedom, Crystal. What happened to the others does not mean it will happen to you. I know you don't want to destroy the world. You're just finding out about yourself. Stay in your lane and you will be fine. If you cross the line, that's when you get into trouble. Understand that we don't want to kill you. We don't hurt anyone. Those who died had problems of their own. No one told them to kill themselves. We would never do that."

  "Then how do perfectly happy people suddenly their lives like that? Surely, something triggered in their mind to do it."

  “I can’t say for sure what happened to them.” Rosemarie said. “I just want you to go home and think about everything. Know that your parents didn’t do this because they hate you. They wanted you. They were trying so hard to have you and they got you. There is nothing to be afraid of.” She showed her the door. “Now go home. Think about it. Stay on your side. It’s for your own good.”

  Crystal left the building, still confused as to who she had just spoken to. Rosemarie had given her a little, but not enough. She confirmed that they had been lab rats, but she made it all seem like nothing was wrong. The alien looking babies terrified her. None of this was normal. None of this was supposed to make any sense.

  Everyone was waiting for her back at Nikhil’s apartment and she told them what she found out. Everything they had been suspicious of was true. Everything Marie had said was true. Dr. Chang was acting like this was fine, but she was wrong. None of it was fine. None of it was what they wanted.

  "It's true then." Jackie said. "We're lab rats. We're nothing more than experiments that were created in that building. They have control of us."

  "No, they don't." Crystal shook her head. "Rosemarie told me we need to come together as one. I don't know what that means, but I think we can pull the rug out from under them. If we expose them for what they really are, we can end them."

  "Is that what we want to do?" Misty asked.

  "I know it's what I want to do. I'm firmly convinced these people killed my brother." Ash said. "I don't know what lies she has fed you, but we need to take them down. I want to see this place burn down to the ground."

  "Well, it’s like Marie said. We can't go in with guns blazing right now." Doug said. "They know about us. They know that we know what they're capable of. We still have to be one step ahead of them at all times."

  “Then it’s settled.” Nikhil said. “Starting tomorrow, we’re going to pull this organization apart. We’re going to expose them for what they really are. Are you with me?”

  He didn’t need an answer for that. They were all in this until the very end. Even if it meant dying in the process, they were going to end Project 99 once and for all.