Brothers By Design

“All right. Rules.”

Back in their room, both in pajamas and robes and in their lounge chairs, Kane said. “You probably know ’em anyway.”

“Don’t mess with your stuff. Don’t surprise or grab you. Don’t be alone with anybody unless you say its okay.” Devin blushed when Kane nodded and said he’d gotten most of them.

“It’s okay to touch me,” Kane emphasized. “I can’t stand being yanked on. Other than that, there’s only a couple more rules. You have to tell me things: somebody’s bothering you, you want or need or don’t like something, and you have to trust me.”

Devin nodded.

“Oh, and another thing.”

“It’s not a rule, more…something you need to expect. You need to expect me to keep touching you. You know, like I’ve been doing.” Dammit! His face was flaming with embarrassment.

“You’re…gonna keep giving me my bath? And dressing me?”

“Yeah. And holding you like I did earlier. And hugging you. Stuff like that. It’s the way I am. Don’t want you to freak out or nothing about it.”

Well, it was the way he was going to be, after the modifications were completed. He wasn’t going to change a whole lot, but hopefully he’d be better for Devin with the changes he was making. He hoped Devin wouldn’t freak out about being hugged and stuff. Kane’s father had been a big believer in touch. Used it to show feelings and affection. Said it was a subtle, personal thing no Government could control.

But Devin was used to touch meaning pain. That could be a problem. One Kane had no clue how to handle.

“I’m glad. I like it.”

“Good. So do I.” Kane stretched and yawned. “C’mon, time for bed. School shopping tomorrow.”

He helped Devin into bed, noting Devin’s was higher than his. He’d talk to Albert about it in the morning. He wondered why the beds, which looked identical, were different heights, why the higher one was on the more girly side of the room.

“Is…something wrong?”

“Your bed’s higher than mine. That’s why it’s hard for you to get in. I was thinking I’ll get Albert to look at it tomorrow, see if he can lower it. If not, we’ll need to get you a step or something. Trade them, maybe.”

He ruffled Devin’s hair. Then, with a half-second hesitation, kissed the pale cheek nearest him. “Now go to sleep like my good boy, all right?”

“A..all right. G-good night, Kane.”

“Night, Devin.”

He flipped off the light and went to his own bed. There was still a lot to think about, to work out. Things hadn’t gotten easier now Devin knew about the experiment; if anything, they had gotten harder. Devin knew he’d asked for him, insisted on being able to take care of him. He was going to have to make sure he actually did. He couldn’t let the little boy down now.

Devin woke as Kane prepared for his morning run, but did not move or speak. This was Kane’s time for himself; he wasn’t going to interrupt. From a window he watched Kane jog away, touching the glass with his good hand. So much had changed, it was overwhelming. While Kane was gone he’d make the beds and go to his hiding place to think about it all in peace.

Kane’s rules were simple, he thought as the made the beds. He headed for the bathroom listing them to himself. Well, talking to him about stuff and trusting him would be hard. But the rest…

He was unprepared for the first blow, wheeling as he stumbled. Shyla glared at him with hate-filled eyes.

“Kane isn’t here to protect you now, is he?”

The next blow sent him into the marble counter; his head hit stone and everything went black.

Kane returned after a nice run. It was a great way to start a day, and he’d like to get back to his evening run as well. It was amazing the thinking he could get done. Maybe he could get Devin to join him. When he was healed up more, of course. It was too soon now. Shyla had been out of sight since the music lessons; he’d sneaked into her side of the house this morning to keep tabs on her, but hadn’t seen any sign of her. Maybe she’d left and would only show up when a mother was needed for the public. He could hope.

He was met at the door by an anxious Albert. His first instinct was to run upstairs and check on Devin, who had been pretending to be asleep when he’d left. Before he could, however, Albert had clasped both his shoulders.

“Thank goodness you’ve returned. The ambulance will be here momentarily…”

“Ambulance?” His heart dropped to his ankles. “Devin. Where’s Devin?”

He tried to break free; he was gonna kill that bitch! She had touched Devin after he’d told her not to. Oh, she was going to pay for that. She’d gotten one over on him, and that was as bad. Nobody got something over on him more than once. Ever.

“Kane!” He froze at Albert’s sharp voice. “Devin is upstairs in the bathroom. He hit his head on the marble counter top and is unconscious and bleeding. He also has new injuries that need to be tended. The woman has already been taken into custody. There is nothing you can do to her at this time. For now you must focus on Devin. He is going to need you more than ever once he awakens.”

“I gotta see him. Oh, god. I was gonna ask you to look at his bed–it’s higher than mine. See if it could be lowered or if we should get a step, or trade them or something. He ain’t alone, is he? You didn’t leave him alone?”

“Mary is with him. The ambulance...ah, here it is. I shall direct the paramedics to him. Steve has said he will drive us to the hospital.”

“I gotta go with him. In the ambulance. He’ll be scared with all those people he don’t know around. I gotta go with him.” Two paramedics with a stretcher came to the doorway. “I should have been here, should have known she’d try…”

He grabbed the second paramedic. “I gotta ride with him. I promised to protect him, and I didn’t, and…I gotta ride with him.”

“Let us get him first, all right?”

The words were rushed, but not unkind. Kane let go and stepped back, nodding. As long as he got to ride. He stood by the door fuming for the long time it took them to return with the gurney and Devin.

He didn’t want to look, didn’t want to know what she had done. But he couldn’t not look, because it was Devin, whom he’d sworn to take care of and hadn’t. He needed to know, so he could make sure she paid for it. Paid dearly. So he looked, ashen, staring at the black and purple mess that was supposed to be a face, unaware he was hyperventilating and on the verge of passing out himself.

“Come on,” the paramedic said.

He nodded and climbed into the ambulance. Albert said something about following, then the door was shut and they sped away.

At the hospital he was allowed to trail the stretcher, pushed into a chair by a paramedic where he could see but be out of the way. A doctor, nurse, and the paramedics all crowded around the gurney talking, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying because of a weird buzzing.

Something nasty smelling was put in his face. He jumped and batted it away, snarling. A doctor pulled back, asked if he was all right. All right? He nodded, looking once more over at his too-still…friend…on the gurney. A tear wandered down his cheek.

“I promised,” he croaked, “to keep him safe. To...to not let…”

“Kane, it wasn’t your fault. She waited until you were gone.”

“I should’ve been there! I promised!” His fist clenched in bitter self-fury. “He trusted me, dammit!”

The doctor signaled the others to leave and shut the door. When they were alone he crouched in front of the guilt-ridden boy and put a hand on his fist.

“Kane, you must listen. Look at me.”

Hazel eyes came up to meet dark brown. The doctor’s expression was serious.

“It looks a lot worse than it is. He was unconscious for most of it. He won’t remember it. If you keep blaming yourself, though, keep making statements like the ones you did, he will stop trusting you.”

Kane shut his eyes, shuddering. They’d come too far to lose the progress they’d made.

“There is likely brain damage; he’ll have a scan to rule that out. His cast is supposed to come off tomorrow. The modifications were to be made then. Since you’re both here now, we’ll go ahead.”

Eyes still closed, Kane nodded. He was tired. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving shock and sorrow. He knew what he was being told was important, but he couldn’t focus on it. Not enough to comprehend how bad it was. They were part of a stupid Government experiment, weren’t they? Yeah. They were. The Governments and the people in them were powerful. Powerful enough to change things. Change people. He had to remember that, no matter what happened. Had to remember they were being watched.

“Can you take away some of the guilt?” he asked no one in particular. Later he’d ask all the other questions running through his mind.

He felt his fist patted. He looked once more into friendly brown eyes. At least the doctor seemed nice. It was a change from what Kane was used to. Most medical people where he grew up were disillusioned and disinclined to care for their patients as people.

“Take away guilt? We can and will. You will be aware you are part of an experiment and asked for and received Devin as your own to protect. The adjustments will be made, but you won’t remember asking for them, except for the boost to his ability to heal and the boosts to your own physical ability. The body, we have discovered, doesn’t object to being enhanced if it is done carefully.”

“Your memory will be altered to edit out this part of our conversation. I promise we won’t make too many changes. It tends to work better if we keep all changes in brain function minor. Like I said, the body doesn’t seem to mind so much. With a combination of some compounds injected into the proper areas, plus a little stimulation to the correct portion of various systems, we can get the body to respond almost any way we wish. Within reason, of course.”

Kane thought the doctor managed to talk a lot and share very little information. Maybe he was the wrong one to ask any questions. What the hell did he mean by “compounds injected into the proper areas” and “stimulation of some of the various systems” anyway? Did he even know what he was talking about? It all sounded suspicious.

Great. Bad enough Shyla had sent Devin to the emergency room. All he needed was some whack-job of a doctor messing around with him and Devin when they couldn’t do anything about it. Especially when his only “safety net” was a Government worker. At least he knew he could trust Albert. He was better than nothing.

The doctor had been talking while thoughts went through Kane’s head. He realized he had missed whatever half-assed explanation he was being given and forced himself to listen to the doctor’s voice. It might be important.

“You will wake up, having fallen asleep waiting for Devin to wake up. You will remember pacing halls and waiting rooms while Albert handled paperwork. Devin’s memory will be left intact. There’s no need to alter anything. I swear to you, though, he will be in better shape when you see him again.”

Kane swallowed. He looked at his bloody, beaten friend again.

“What do I have to do?”

The doctor held up a syringe. “Don’t move.”

--------------------

The report hit High One’s desk fifteen minutes later. After a bout of very creative swearing he got to work on damage control. There was no way he was letting this program fail again. It had merit; it could work. It needed to be monitored even more closely than he’d thought.

He barked orders, sending aides scurrying to get the information he demanded. Who had authorized the mother? How had she slipped through the screening? The Agency was going to take over. He sent notices to the heads of the involved Governments informing them of the takeover and the impending audit. Everything regarding the Program was frozen until the Agency had looked at it, cleared it, and approved it.

Once satisfied that the big picture was being taken care of, High One turned his attention to the most important details. The kids. He picked up the phone.

“Steve? High One. Yeah, I need you to…”

In a regular board-room in a nondescript building in the business district, four officials held an emergency ultra-secret meeting.

“On investigation, the paperwork to allow Devin to be utilized for the Focused Aggression project was, in fact, signed by his parents upon learning of his conception.”

“Wasn’t that project terminated as too infringing upon human rights?”

“It was. However, Devin was one of the...lucky few who were treated in utero prior to the dissolution demand. As the project was terminated, all those who were treated became ‘lost’ in the system.”

The four officials were quiet for a moment. This was an interesting addition to the program-one they had not considered. They decided to keep the fact Devin had been part of a previous, terminated experiment out of the records sent to the Agency. The Governments would, however, continue to monitor the situation. Pair MM#17 became an experiment in and of themselves.