Addicted In Cold Blood (53 page)

Her upper lip damp, the bright smile on her face gave her a unique beauty. Even exhausted as she was, the woman had no equal. He wrapped a hand around hers, another under the baby, cradling it, and wished he could lock the three of them away in a private world. Feeling humbled and moved beyond words, he counted the baby’s fingers and toes, and quickly scanned him...his child, his son, his baby...

Perfect. He’s absolutely perfect...

Xzion nestled his head in the crook of his wife’s neck, soaking in the moment, unable to speak, unable to move, unable to even recall what a heart of ice ever felt like. He’d nearly had a heart attack moments before, due to the overwhelming joy he had experienced. It practically knocked him to his knees. Doors inside his ice chamber of a heart were opened and melting. He held his son, his hands slightly shaking, beside himself with exhilaration. He’d never forget the feeling of looking his offspring in the eye for the very first time. The warrior kissed the tiny lips of his first born, indoctrinating him with love, in the way of his ancestors...

*
***

Two months later...

Three large tubes were now at room temperature. The delicate process of warming them to ninety eight degrees was far more challenging than one would imagine. It had to be done at a specific time, not a second too soon.  He looked at his infant; Zachery was still fast asleep in the small rocker, covered in blue and green soft blankets. If it weren’t for a re-run of the late great Christopher Reeves talking about stem-cell research as half-asleep Xzion rocked his son on his lap, he would have never even thought of it...

It was a series of quick events, thoughts, streamed together from ‘Superman’s’ pleas for understanding and scientific breakthroughs...

What if a child could save someone? What if that same child, could save an entire nation? Xzion looked at his son from head to toe, ran his finger down the boy’s plump, caramel cheek and grinned. He’d tuckered the kid out, played with him until the little guy could barely focus. Soon, they were both asleep, huddled together on the couch but the sound of the television had roused him.

One hour later, everything was set up in his home lab and he was ready to start a process that he was certain would fail, but at least he’d have tried. Zachary was now awake, but only to eat, and down he went again, like a defeated champion with a smug smile on his peach-shaped face. Another hour passed, and it was just the two of them, all alone, tending to their own devices—one slept, the other tried not to sweat over his aerated test tubes and smoking petri dishes.

Jayme had gone to the grocery store, still on maternity leave, while father and son sat together in the lab, working on things—strange, mysterious things that gurgled, clotted and synthesized. He kept the baby a good distance away, though he wasn’t working on materials that were particularly volatile. Regardless, safety was first.

Xzion glanced at the small Cookie Monster illustrated Band-Aid on his son’s upper thigh, smiled at the snoozing baby then turned back to his child’s blood sample under the microscope. Xzion couldn’t get rid of the lump in his throat, couldn’t believe what he saw, and spent the last thirty minutes convincing himself otherwise. But the rapidly moving blood cells that appeared to be doing a karma sutra belly dance of sorts didn’t lie.

He’d duplicated the results twice, and now, for a third time, he dropped a pinch of his own blood under the scope and watched the enchanted blood ballet take place once again. Zachery’s blood gravitated toward his father’s, forming into perfectly spherical globs, then turned fluorescent purple. Xzion turned back to the newly donated cadaver brain, and watched, once again, the magic unfold. Still hot to the touch, the brain tissue suddenly cooled and unlike the experiments of the past, it didn’t return to a heated state. It remained cool, until Xzion interrupted the process and dropped the warm ninety-eight degree blood droplets from the vial onto it. He glanced back down at his son, and shook his head in disbelief.

“It was you,” Xzion whispered to the sleeping child. “
You
were the key to saving our people, Zachery. Oh my God, this is incredible.” Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes and put his hand across his forehead. His breathing came out erratic, imbued with quiet excitement. Then, he relaxed. His lips curved into a smile—one of grief, relief and humbleness all mixed together...

****

“It’s the XMZ gene, plus the XX chromosome.”

“This...” Aton shook his head in disbelief as he ran his fingers across his thin lips. He fell back into his desk chair. “I’m curious. Not that I doubted your ability, but what made you think to try such a thing?”

Xzion discerned a twinge of envy in Aton’s tone—envy that he hadn’t thought of it first. He relished in the revelation. It was a small, delicious morsel, but he’d take it all the same.

“Well, we’d tried with Zarkstormian children, when we were studying the age of chromosomes and as you recall, those experiments yielded no results whatsoever. I was thinking, since Zachary has my gene, as well as his mother’s, he must be a warrior carrier. It is genetically impossible for me to be his father, and him to not have my M or Z chromosome.”

Aton nodded in agreement as he followed the discussion.

“We already knew for a fact, that when Zarkstormian Warrior parents have children, if their child doesn’t have the XMZ gene, the child is
still
a carrier. Thus, if I were not born a warrior, my offspring still could have inherited the gene from a grandparent or great grandparent. Just like I did—I’m proof of that. My blood was too strong, and interfered with human blood for the prior experiments. I know that now, thus, my experiments on my own brain didn’t work, but the blood of a carrier was perfect. He has enough of me, the warrior blood, without being too potent and his mother’s human blood, which has the naturally built in cooling agent, made this work, Aton. Once I realized what had happened, it all made sense!”

“This is amazing, Xzion.”

“And the beauty of this is, it only takes one drop of my son’s blood, mixed with one drop of mine, for each Zarkstormian. There are so few of us now, we can have everyone cured in less than a month...”

“I am quite pleased that you came back here. I have looked over your notes and video and I’d like to move forward with this.”

“Now, as far as future Zarkstormians, I’m not certain what will happen. I know, over time, once cured, we will evolve to being born this way, but that could take centuries. We will have to continue to test, wait and see.”

“What can I do to help?”

“I need live specimens before we start administering it to the masses. I need volunteers. I have to double check that there are no serious adverse effects.”

“Have you...tried it on yourself?”

“Yes.”

“You aren’t a good sample though.” Aton briefly lowered his gaze. “You already have had advantage, by your birthright alone.”

“That’s true, I don’t have the same overheating issue as extensively as the rest of you, obviously, but yes, it worked.”

“How well?”

“Let’s just say the Maryland ice vendors will feel the difference in sales this month and they won’t be happy.”

Aton nodded, laughing.

“Xzion, before we go out into the gallery and speak with the scientific panel, may I have a candid word with you?”

Xzion wasn’t looking forward to this. He’d spent the past week duplicating his experiment over and over, videotaping it and backing up his evidence before contacting Aton with the news. He didn’t even want to call the man, but he had to put his own pride aside, and do what was best for his people. He never thought in a million years he’d find a permanent cure for their situation. The one they spent so much time on was only a temporary solution—like HIV medication. It worked, but it was a life-time, daily routine. This actually cured the condition, once and for all. Had it not been for his falling in love with Jayme, and having a child, Zarkstormians would have never found out and this was a message he wanted everyone to know.

And he’d make sure they did....

Nevertheless, he still held the grudge against Aton, and now, he really knew why. It wasn’t simply because he felt falsely accused and harassed by a man he trusted—his mentor and idol—it was also because even before Xzion was able to truly feel, in the depths of his heart, he was not a traitor. Even friends that had gotten in over their heads, he may have disapproved of their wayward ways—and hell yeah, warriors could get out of control, they were the military, but he’d never rat them out, or set them up for failure by process of humiliation. Xzion was loyal to his friends and family. He didn’t know any other way to be. The way Aton turned on him was devastating and worst of all, he tried to shame him because he’d fallen in love...

“Yes,” Xzion agreed begrudgingly as he sat down in the seat across from his former hero.

Aton clasped his hands together, his gray suit with the white buttons looking impressive under the light blue ceiling lights. He swept his hand through his hair, then looked up at Xzion.

“This is difficult for me to say and do.”

Xzion locked gazes with him. Wanting, wishing…waiting.

“But, I want to apologize to you... for what happened when we brought you back here. I was angry. I let my immodesty get the best of me. Yes,” Aton shook his head, a slight smile on his face, “it was a weak moment, Xzion...

“I didn’t understand, and still do not, quite frankly, why you allowed those events to take place, but...” he paused, looking away at his closed office door and back at Xzion, “knowing you the way I do, I should have realized that even though I could not empathize with your decision and condition, I should have handled the situation differently. It was wrong for me to thrust you into a trial, which could have ruined you career and reputation, without speaking to you first. I was so incensed, it was not the proper thing for me to do and for that, I do offer my apologies, Xzion.”

After letting some moments pass, Xzion nodded and smiled wistfully.

“Well, thank you, Aton.”

Aton’s eyes held questions, many questions, but the prideful man refused to ask. Xzion could just imagine what they may be...

What does love feel like?

What does sex feel like, with a human woman?

What is the difference between sex and making love?

What would cause my star pupil to give everything he had away, to never lose that feeling, once he’d had it?

It was love...

But Xzion understood Aton, far more than the man understood himself. In those questions, somewhere deep inside, the man that had dedicated his life to the armed warrior forces for a cure for his people was a lonely individual who didn’t even pause from life long enough to find a mate. Aton was middle-aged with no children, no companions. He refused to let anyone get too close to him—instead, he emphasized the importance of learning the laws of gravity, honing the fighting skills and understanding human nature so that they could be properly mind fucked. The man had given up so much for his people, but had given so little to himself...

****

Three months later...

“How in the hell do you tell someone that your husband isn’t home because he is in outer space with his alien family?” Jayme burst out laughing and shook her head at Xzion.

“Do you think he can go down the slide?” He smiled, changing the topic as he pointed to the park playground. They had been walking about on the beautiful early evening, and the sun was starting to set.

“No, he cannot! I swear you are more like a human man than I think you realize.”

“How insulting!” Xzion teased.

“You are all the same!” she chuckled. “I left you alone with him and came back home to see you had him strapped to your model rocket in your lab!”

“It was perfectly safe. You act as if I sent him on a mission and besides, he loved it!”

“He is a six month old, Xzion, and he didn’t know any better but I’d expect his father to have some sense.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes as they continued to walk. Zachery was strapped to her chest in his baby carrier, huddled close to her heartbeat as the two lovers twirled hands. Even with the little one, it felt like a first date.

“Now is as good of a time as any.” He turned her toward him. “I need to tell you something.”

She tilted her head to the side, questioning, and stroked their son’s hair with her fingertips. Light raindrops began to fall.

“Uh oh, it’s starting to rain.” She looked up. “It’s going to be a busy night at the precinct, then. It seems when the weather is bad on warm days, we get the most calls as of late. That’s Murphy’s Law for ya.”

“Let’s go back to the car.” He released her hand as they made their way back to the park parking lot. Jayme picked up her pace, covering their son’s head with her arms until all three were safe inside the vehicle.

“Goodness,” she smiled and sighed, “what was it you wanted to tell me, baby?”

“Well.” He started the black Hummer. The engine roared as he pulled away and turned left onto the street to go home. “I have a new assignment.”