And then there were five For Amethyst Part 6 CHAPTER THREE The parenting books talked about being "firm and consistent." Being a scientist, a security professional, and a project leader, David usually had no trouble with either. Facing down a tenacious four-year-old who didn't want to leave his dead mother's room, however, was turning out to be a challenge. He made himself take a deep breath. Working from home today wasn't possible, not when he had to evaluate a potential subject for the project. "Mark, there are other children at the daycare. You've been by yourself all week." Liquid blue eyes stared back from the floor by her bed. It occurred to David that this child was the inevitable result when two exceptionally stubborn people were allowed to breed. Except, they were supposed to suffer the karmic results, not pass them off to an innocent bystander. Though, he could almost hear Charles snorting. "Innocent my ass." "Mark," he said, fighting to keep the stress from his voice, "no one will disturb the room while we're gone. I promise." The boy just sat there with his determined stare, holding one leg of the bed. As the books recommended, David silently counted backwards from ten. It didn't help. Time to make it clear that this wasn't a democracy. Getting his hands on Mark was simple enough. Prying him away from the bed was a bigger challenge. For a little thing, Mark had an iron grip, along with no appreciation for a tight schedule. By the time David finally pried him loose, both of them needed straightening up. There was a frantic search for the stuffed plane, and then finally, they were out the door. Now if only he wasn't slowed down by four-year-old legs, but he wanted to let Mark walk rather than carrying him. The exercise would do the boy good. Plus, David's back and arms could use a break. When they reached the ISO building, he led Mark inside, and headed directly for the daycare. It wasn't until they reached the colorful play area that David noticed the little hand firmly gripping his trouser leg. With a feeling of dread, he pictured his highly-anticipated alone time slipping away. Celia's warm smile gave him hope, though. She crouched in front of Mark. "We've all missed you." From David's vantage, he couldn't see Mark's reaction. He felt the small arm wrap around his leg, though, and shot a helpless look at Celia. She responded with a sympathetic smile. "Mark, why don't you pick out a few toys? If you promise to be quiet, I bet David will let you play in his office." David blinked. That was definitely not on his agenda. Yet, when he looked at Mark, he found himself staring into big blue wells of hope. He could do this. He worked in security, for heaven's sake. Saying "no" was part of the job description. Watching those eyes fill with tears, though, David had to wonder whether or not an army of four-year-olds might be the answer to resolving intergalactic squabbles. No, he couldn't do it. The boy had been through so much. Letting out a sigh, David said, "Fine." A beaming smile was Mark's response. As he collected some toys, Celia watched him with a soft smile. "You won't want to always indulge his clinginess, but he needs a chance to see that you won't go away too." David hadn't seen a smile like that in weeks. Still, he couldn't shake the mental image of a desk and electronic inbox buried in approvals, reports, and data. "I have so much work to do, Celia." She squeezed his shoulder. "The life of a single parent. Let him stay with you today. Then start bringing him here for short periods until he's all right staying the whole day." David felt a knot of tension ease in his chest. "That sounds reasonable. And, thank you." "You're welcome." Celia looked down as the four-year-old returned with an armful of toys, along with his usual stuffed plane. "Let me get something to carry those in." Soon they were headed upstairs. David carried the box of toys, and Mark walked close beside him, sticking as close as a shadow. Every time a staff member hid a grin, David made a mental note to give them childcare duty when he needed to leave Mark behind. Revenge was a dish best served squirming. # David's buzzing intercom announced his next appointment. They were lined up rapid-fire quick, since they had to occur during points when Mark could be cajoled into leaving his office. At the moment, the boy was having lunch with the other children in daycare, Celia having realized that ice cream for dessert and a promise that David wasn't going anywhere was sufficient bribery. While he hadn't met Gerrard Mason before, David knew the man by reputation: a scientist and project leader who continually pushed ethical boundaries as well as technological. Of course, David's own project did the same, but there were lines he'd never been willing to cross. He wasn't sure Mason had any. The door opened to reveal a stout man with an incongruously hawkish, angular face. David stood, waiting until Mason shut the door before saying, "How can I be of assistance, Doctor?" Mason smirked. "Actually, I'm here to be of assistance to you." Ever since David noted the man's name on his calendar, he'd worried Mason might have dubious designs on the project's children. He kept his tone cool and even. "How so?" "You seem short of subjects for the G-Force project. I'm here to offer you one, or more if you like." David's eyes widened despite his reservations. "You have my attention." Mason opened his briefcase, pulling out a thick folder covered with top security clearance stamps. "Your team will want to study this data carefully. He's outside of the human parameters you're expecting." Frowning, David opened the folder. The Tom Thumb project. He was sure he'd seen this referenced somewhere, but in no way that flagged it for his attention. Flipping through the pages, he skimmed over lab reports detailing alien DNA, and repeated attempts to grow a 'specimen' by cloning a single embryonic cell. "How did you attain these cells?" "That doesn't matter," said Mason with a wave of his hand. "Your project requires not just fighters, but infiltration. This race is small, he'll be able to reach places that the others can't when they get older. And since they're so small, his race matures at a faster rate, so he could be well into adulthood by the time the team goes active." As David continued flipping through the file, he spotted a big honking elephant aside from the ethical concerns. "That would be rather difficult, given that you haven't succeeded in growing a viable subject." "Yes, that has been vexing." Mason smirked again. "I think if our teams pooled resources, we would succeed." David wanted little more than to dismiss him outright. "I'll read over the materials and get back to you." "Of course." Mason picked up his briefcase. "My staff is at your disposal if you have any questions, as am I." Nodding, David watched him go. Was he desperate enough to condone cloning and growing a team member in a lab? The answer to that was a resounding "no." Although, as David read through the file again, there were some intriguing aspects to Mason's project. His inner scientist itched to tackle the more interesting questions it raised. Too bad one of those questions was where to draw the line.