Chapter 2
Caspian reached out his hand and held her and the entire system shut down immediately. To everyone's surprise, the lights flickered once and died, leaving the laboratory in a heavy, suffocating silence.
"What's going on?" Dr. Vance shouted, his voice echoing off the cold metal walls.
"We don't know..." the technicians stammered, staring helplessly at their darkened monitors. "The grid just... it just stopped."
In the middle of the wreckage, Rose didn't care about the power. She turned to Caspian, her heart aching at the sight of him. "You look..." She wanted to say he looked horrible, but the word got stuck in her throat. She drifted closer, her fingers trembling as she began to quietly remove the plugs from his skin.
Pulling them out alone drew thick, blue blood from his body. The sight of it made her nearly cry, the vibrant color a reminder of how different he was and how much they had hurt him to find that out.
"How could they be this way towards you?" she asked softly.
Caspian watched her, his head tilted. He tried to understand why she was crying. No one had ever cared if he was in pain or not. For ten years, he had simply taken the shocks and the needles because Dr. Vance said it was okay. But this woman was different.
He reached out, his large hand cupping her face, and pulled her down as she came close. He planted a kiss on her lips, and Rose's eyes widened. Up close, she was even more mesmerized by the shifting, deep colors in his eyes.
"He's not going through those sessions again," Rose said firmly.
No one dared to challenge her. Not even Dr. Vance, who stood in the shadows of the observation deck, shocked by how ten years of cold science had been dismantled the moment Caspian grasped Rose's hand.
"I think we have found the best Guide for the Esper," Dr. Sterling whispered to Vance later that evening. "The thing is, I don't know what happened in her training to make her so susceptible to him, or how she's able to keep him this quiet without any medicines."
"We need to study that," Vance muttered, though he looked unsettled.
In the weeks that followed, the lab became a different kind of cage.
"What is the update on Caspian today?" Dr. Vance asked as he walked toward Caspian's crib. It was the private wing where the Esper lived alone and learned how to interact with humans without accidentally harming them.
"Apart from his language classes he had this afternoon, nothing else," the assistant reported. "He seems to be waiting out for his new Guide, Rose."
"Waiting? Did he learn how to wait on people?" Vance asked, stopping in his tracks.
"Well, Rose must have been teaching him a lot in the past few weeks."
Vance began scribbling in his notebook. "Has he been getting enough guiding from her, or does she need a stimulant to make that work?"
"Well, that's what I've been trying to understand," the assistant said, shifting uncomfortably.
"What do you mean?" Vance's brows furrowed.
"Well, they just... couple up," the assistant said, gesturing vaguely with his hands.
"What do you mean couple up?" Vance asked, before his eyes widened. "They have sex? Like... sex!"
"Yeah. The usual exchange of body fluids through the ports? They don't do that. I think they really do have sex, even though I don't know how Caspian figured out how it worked." The assistant adjusted the rim of his glasses. "The most important part is... he shuts down the cameras every time he's doing it with Rose. I think he doesn't want anyone to see. He knows we're watching."
Dr. Vance marveled at the progress. In just a few weeks, Caspian had developed a sense of privacy and humanity that a decade of testing couldn't produce.
"Do you think Caspian is in love with her? But how?"
It was a mystery that their scientific tables couldn't solve.
"Miss Rose," Dr. Sterling started during a report session a few days later. "What exactly have you been doing with Caspian?"
"Why do you ask?" Rose asked, her brow furrowing. "You are always monitoring him and never let him out into the world. He practically lives here. Isn't that enough for you?"
"That's not my question, Miss Rose. You need to stop acting out of protocol. Dr. Vance is already going bonkers trying to control him, and you don't have to make it worse."
"But Caspian is okay," Rose argued. "We have been together these few months and we're totally fine. He doesn't need to go through those harsh examinations anymore. I check his vitals myself and feed him his drugs every day."
"Well, I don't doubt that you have been helpful, especially with how humane he has become," Sterling said, leaning in. "He can even speak English fluently now. However, an Esper who depends too much on you will be a problem when the sole purpose of his creation is to be a weapon for this country."
Rose didn't argue, her jaw tightening.
"Do you get that? He needs to be able to do without you. That's the only way he can function properly."
"But he is functioning well," Rose insisted. "He's taking his training seriously."
"That's because you make him do it. He seems to listen to everything you say. Do you know what that means? If the government finds this out, your life will be in danger. Don't feed so many ideas into Caspian's head..."
Sterling swallowed his words as Caspian appeared right in front of them without warning. His eyes were blazing with a cold, silver fury. Without a word, he grabbed Rose by the arm and dragged her away from the scientist.
"Now he's feeling jealousy, too," Dr. Sterling said, taking off his glasses and sighing.
The call came only a few days later.
"Dr. Vance, can you hear me?" It was the President's voice, sharp and urgent.
"Yes, sir."
"We need Caspian. There's a war."
"What?"
"War just broke out. We need him! Right this minute!"
The lab became a blur of steel and black tactical gear. Caspian was being prepped for deployment, his face a mask of stone.
"I'm going to be fine," he promised Rose as she helped him dress, her hands shaking as she buckled his armor.
"Don't take off your clothes so you don't get cold," she whispered, her voice thick with worry. "Make sure..."
Caspian didn't let her finish. His hands went over her back, pulling her in and kissing her, lingering for more than a moment.
"I love you, Rose," he said.
Rose felt utter shock as those words left his lips. He was smiling, a genuine grin that went from one cheek to the other. "I will come back," he said innocently.
Rose couldn't stop crying. Dr. Vance had already whispered that Caspian might never make it back alive, that he would be ruined by the time the war was over, and all they would need from him was a chunk of his DNA to make a new, more controllable Esper.
Then, the worst happened.
"Dr. Vance!" a technician screamed, pointing at the hangar bay.
"What is it?"
"Miss Rose just geared up and followed him! She's on the transport!"