Ancient Forces (2018 Reboot)

Chapter 44 - The Falling Dominoes

"It was after the first Tiberius Thorn incident. A week after, actually. As we were clearing out Tiberius' room we discovered that he was studying, researching, and learning about the Dragon's Heart. For what reason we didn't find out until a week later. He was taking in data to make a machine that could absorb the Dragon's Heart's energy and copy it. He was trying to learn all that he could so that he could take the Dragon Heart's energy and transfer it into an empty shell that he could create, then use it to power himself without needing the real Dragon's Heart. Scientists went crazy over the research and began experimenting with it. They created machine after machine to try and master Tiberius' design and idea. We were consumed with trying to make the perfect copy of this ultimate weapon so we could make an army of Mystic and Dragon agents that were unstoppable. Criminals and Mythic alike would vanish from the earth, the sheer intimidation of an army of Super Hearted individuals would scare them out of existence. We were hopeful, we were overjoyed. We spent a whole year on the project, millions of dollars and hours away from families to make this perfect device. Finally it was done. We had perfected it, and we did one experiment with it while Vanessa still had the Dragon's Heart. The resulting experiment was weak, imperfect, especially since the Dragon's Heart was connected to Vanessa still. We decided to wait until Vanessa decided to hand over the Dragon's Heart for the next member. It was only a few days later when Tiberius' attacked the second time, and soon after Vanessa gave up the Dragon's Heart. We took our chance. We extracted energy from the Dragon's Heart and made a fully functioning, fully perfect copy of the Dragon's Heart. But there was a problem with the formula. The copy, while having the same amount of energy, the same amount of power, the same amount of potential, needed to be linked to only one individual type. It couldn't be passed on like the original Dragon's Heart. So we needed to find someone we could give it to and not have to give it away. We needed an experiment to see if it was viable to use in an army of agents to stop villains forever. No one volunteered. No one even wanted to test it out. We were out of options, and the program was terminated."

Zayne looked to Eli to see how he was reacting. He seemed stone faced. He wasn't expressing anything.

"Then, two years after Zayne was born and the Smiths left the program, an opportunity arose. In a hospital in the middle of nowhere where no one could see them, was a family that needed a miracle. They were on our list, we knew them well, because they were Dino Force members. They lived normal lives. They didn't get involved in anything. So we didn't think much of them, until they bore a son who needed medical help they couldn't afford. Their son was born with asthma and other diseases so bad that he was going to die by the age of five because of it. They begged, begged for help. Anything they could find. Then we showed up on their doorstep bringing good news at a cost. We could save their child, but in return they would have to give him up for the experiment we wanted to conduct. They agreed, knowing that they could live happily with their son's life preserved. So we took him, and we infused in him the cloned Super Heart, now called the Dino's Heart. We were optimistic. We knew that if we raised him and trained him well he could be the first of many to master this new strain of power. Then the unpredictable happened. Mythic. An attack came from dozens who knew about the Dragon's Heart cloning and wanted the power for themselves. Amidst the attack the experimental child was lost. Again, we presumed the worst and moved on. The parents soon came back, asking to see their child. When they heard of the heart breaking news they were crushed in both spirit, and everything else they had left in their lives. They left with nothing, and to this day they haven't been seen or heard from. I was at a loss when the government told us to prepare another Heart. Another experiment was to be conducted. So we did. We made another one. This one weaker and less adamant as the others. You know where we put it? You know how Damien figured out about the truth of the government? We crammed that third heart straight into him. When he learned about our plans for him and the heart he quit, left us in the dark. Then the Dino's Heart popped up again, but not as any of us had anticipated. The power, the brute strength, the energy, it was all there. The heart worked like a charm. But the user themselves were unpredictable. Unnatural. A Midnight Horror. With all of this on my plate I was baffled. I couldn't keep track of them all. I realized, with devastating effects, that this project would bring ruin to everything we'd made. Humans trying to control and copy powers they didn't understand made everything worse. So the project was shut down. And now, among us all, lies three hearts of power. The Dragon's, the Dino's, and the Blizzard's. For good or for worse they exist, and I must live with that fact for the rest of my life. Because I was the one who authorized it all. The Midnight Horror? My fault. The attacks on your life Zayne? My fault. Damien's alter personality of evil and anger? My fault. You want someone to blame for every single thing that has happened in your miserable lives? Blame me. The source of your problems from the beginning. And I'm so, so sorry for all of it. Please. Whether you do or not, I must ask, will you both, even just a little bit, forgive me for my crimes against you both, and against the moral principles of humanity itself to get us to this point?"