Relative Strangers (Book 2) No Man Is An Island

15. Ageless

The ARC team stood around E in silence, as they all tried to process what they had just learned.
"6 months ago, before you left, I thought I knew you quite well. But there's so much about your life that's still a mystery to me" admitted Matt.
"I've always been a very secretive person Matt, that's never going to change.. And that part of my past in particular, is something I don't like talking about" replied E.
"I can't believe they did that to you. They abused you and made you their own private lab rat" said Abby, still shocked over what E had gone through.
"Terrible situations force people to act in ways they wouldn't normally" sighed E.
"But they were ARC scientists, they are supposed to be good people"
"Good is a point of view. And there's a very fine line between a good person and a bad".

"What happened to the ARC after you left?" Asked Connor curiously.
"Well they didn't have the embryo I had carried, because I destroyed that, so they had to adjust their plans, and have apes carry the embryos instead" answered E.
"So the very first Predators came from apes?" Questioned Matt.
"Yes. The apes always died during the pregnancies. But once the scientists had their first batch of Predators, they could start breeding them, and changing them to suit their needs as they went along" replied E.
"Did you ever go back to the ARC once you were free, while those scientists were still alive?".

"A few times. I thought about killing them all for what they did, but I changed my mind. Murdering everyone at the ARC never seems to work. Predators always end up existing one way or another... I hate that I have their DNA inside me. But no matter what I do, I can't seem to get rid of it. And the very idea that I am in some way responsible for their creation, sickens me to the core. Which is why I don't like using this device, because it remind me of what I've done and what I am" revealed E.

"E, it was not your fault" insisted Matt.
"I'm glad you don't think so. Because I do" admitted E.
"You said yourself that they always end up being created. The Predators were always going to exist, with or without you. Besides, you were trying to stop them being invented, so it was not your fault. The blame for their existence, is on those scientists, no one else" replied Matt.
"Maybe, maybe not. And I'll never stop wondering, that if I had never existed, maybe the Predators wouldn't either"
"Thinking like that is no good for anyone. The Predators exist, and no matter what you do, you can't stop them. So you should stop revisiting your small part in their evolution, because it wasn't your fault".

E smiled bravely as Matt tried to make her feel better.
He had behaved strangely towards her, ever since her return, and he had even refused to believe her about there being Predators in the building.
But now it seemed that their relationship was back where it was 6 months earlier.
"I guess that's why you felt so sure there were Predators in that cinema" sighed Becker.
"Yes. I can often feel when they are close by, because of the DNA we share" admitted E.
"Then I'm sorry for doubting you. I will never contradict you when it comes to Predators, ever again"
"Good to know that I've earned your trust back"
"Well, you did save my life back there, so it would be wrong of me not to trust you".

"You know something, I still can't believe everything you've done in your short life" admitted Matt.
"What, you mean the fact that I've; invented revolutionary tech, travelled through thousands of anomalies, been held hostage more times than I can count, set up camps throughout time for lost souls, and become a General in the future" replied E.
"Yes, exactly. How on earth have you done all that in such a short space of time?"
"I don't know. But there are a lot of hours in the day when you don't have to work or go to school. I'm also good at getting stuff done when I set my mind to it".

"How old are you?" Questioned Becker.
"I don't know, and that's the sad truth" sighed E.
"How can you not know?" Asked Connor.
"Well, I don't have a birthday like most people. Helen had no idea what year it was or what day it was when I was born. I know roughly what month I was born in, but that's it. When we returned to the present, we learned that Helen had been gone for 8 years, so we knew for certain how old I was, since we never really kept count. Ever since then, it gets a bit fuzzy, because we started jumping into the future" explained E.

"But I thought time passes the same on both sides of the anomaly?" Questioned Connor.
"It does. But like you said to me when I returned, I could have opened an anomaly to a day after I left, even though I'd been gone for 6 months. So in that instance I would have aged 6 months, but you guys wouldn't have. And since the present didn't move forward, did I really age?" Quizzed E.
"You're right, it's not easy to track how long has passed when you keep hopping back and forth" agreed Matt.
"I'm here one day and gone the next. 5 days here, 5 weeks there, only to return 1 minute after I left. My life has never been straight forward, so I've never been able to track my age. My guess is that I'm nearer 20 than 15, but I'm not really sure" admitted E.

"So that's why you hate it when we say that you're a child" said Becker.
"That's one of the reasons. My intelligence and rank outway you all, which is why I don't like being talked down to, or called a child" replied E.
"Well, I'll try not to make that mistake again. You've certainly been through more than most adults do in a lifetime. So you are no child"
"No, I stopped being a child a very long time ago".