burgeon
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A group of men watched two children, one boy and one girl, performing a set of activities that were carefully coordinated for them. The men stood behind a one-way mirror and took nearly constant notes about the children’s behavior. They only took their eyes off the mirror when another man, dressed in a crisp business suit entered the room.
“How are they doing?” The newcomer asked.
“Better than we ever hoped.” One of the men said. He glanced over a computer readout. “They’re growing at an incredible rate. Every day they grow and develop at a noticeable rate. They’ve both improved by 7% in all metrics since yesterday.”
The businessman went to the mirror, where he could see the children. The boy was looking at a screen filled with colorful images. His small hand moved over the screen almost too fast to follow.
“What is Subject Y doing?”
“Math. Currently he’s solving equations at a level equal to the average college junior, but with far more speed and accuracy. In ten minutes, he’s solved 150 questions, all correct.”
“Good.” The businessman said with a small grin.
He turned to the girl. She was in the process of stacking blocks, arranging them in elaborate patterns. She would occasionally look at a block, then move it to another stack. It looked like she was organizing them in some way, to be used for later use.
“And Subject X?”
“Using blocks weighing 115 kg—”
“Pounds, doctor.” The businessman said.
The doctor stifled his reaction. Yes, this was an American facility, but the man could stand to learn metric like the rest of the scientific community. “Sorry. The blocks weigh in at slightly more than 253 pounds. She’s been sorting them for several minutes but has otherwise not used them for any construction.”
“They really are growing quickly, aren’t they?”
“They are. We anticipate by the time they reach age 10, they’ll have roughly the combined capabilities of five adults. However, this is a rough estimate. The actual amount is most likely going to be higher.”
“Good. Very good.” The businessman said. He leaned forward slightly, watching the two children perform their activities. “How many more like them can you produce?”
“Right now? None. Finding individuals with the right genetics to allow for safe modification is currently difficult. I’m amazed we found four people so soon. These two children are all we can expect for now. At least, until we find a better way to identify appropriate genetic donors.”
“I see.” The businessman said. He pulled a phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen, searching for something that was found quickly. “The budget for identifying such individuals has just been increased by 25%, doctor. Find people who will let you make more of those two.”
“We’ll do our best, sir.” The doctor said.
And he would. As long as the money kept flowing, the project would keep growing almost as fast as its first two successes. And once it really got rolling, there would be little the rest of the world could do to stop it.
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Ah yes. Giving little kids enhanced strength and intelligence. I'm sure there's nothing that will ever go wrong with that. Every story in which that happens has never had anything go wrong with such things.
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