The first thing she did was alter what he knew of life.

She couldn’t view other people’s memory. She wasn’t good enough for this. Her Heighten Characteristic was underwhelming at best. She had worked tirelessly at honing her ability, yet she remained a disappointment to Project EDEN. That wouldn’t stop her, though, even if she couldn’t see memories, she could go into someone’s head and manipulate their sense of reality.

The little boy was the perfect candidate. As he laid his head on her shoulder, she erased his past. All of it. Everything he had endure until then would be gone. Memories of his family, if he had any, would be gone too. Then she’d replace these memories with some peaceful images of a repetitive, somewhat fulfilling life. She’d give him a sense of security. She would also re-orchestrate their first meeting, making it a heartwarming story of friendship.

All this, while the young boy slept, she did.

Soon a smile came on his lips. His entire face relaxed. His shoulder and arms too. Eva got up, lifted the toddler, and carried him over to his bed. She took off his wet clothing, wrapped him into his ragged blanket and tucked him into bed. She gently brushed the hair off his forehead and raised her head just in time to see two guards rush into the room, weapon in hand.

“You can’t be in here!” one yelled.

“Get back to work!” the other screamed.

“He’s an exhausted four years old child. I was just putting him to bed,” Eva replied, looking calmly at the child.

“You can’t be here, if you don’t leave, I will have to shoot you.”

“It’s ok, you don’t have to shoot me, I was done, I was about to get back to work.”

“The child too,” said the first guard while pointing at the boy.

“Don’t you dare touch him!” Eva said, challenging the guards.

“Or what?” laughed the guard.

“Or I kill you,” Eva answered with a smile.

Before neither could say anything, they suddenly turned facing each other. They clumsily lifted their guns and shot each other in the face. The gunshot woke up the young boy. He sat up, horrified at the sight. Two bodies were mingled on the ground in a pool of blood.

Eva grabbed the young boy’s face between her hands, directing his gaze into her eyes. Very quietly she said: “You have nothing to worry about. I will always be on your side. I will always protect you. I will never let them lay a finger on you. Not here, not anywhere.”

The little boy held on to her gaze with hope and desperation. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Once more, Eva brushed off the hair from his face then gently tucked the shocked child back in bed.

“One more memory to erase…” she whispered.

And she did.

And the little boy went back to sleep with a smile.

And Eva went back to work with a headache.

The two bodies were cleaned up. News of the events quickly reached the head of Project EDEN. Words was sent. And never again did a guard bother her.

The second thing she did, was to turn the little boy into a coward.

The little boy she had first met had feline quality to him. He had fire burning in his eyes, a strong desire to be, to survive. The inner strength he possessed, even as a toddler, was unnerving to her. It made him unpredictable, hard to control. But more importantly, that burning desire to live would also be a great source of misery. You cannot cage a wild animal expecting him to be happy. By taking the fight away from him, by making him a coward, she would give him the opportunity to feel content. At least, she hoped it would.

To achieve this change of character, she took her time. She very slowly slipped memories at him, toying with his self esteem one day at a time. Her goal wasn’t to destroy him. Instead, she molded him slowly, organically. She started with little things. Memories of him feeling safe in the orphanage. Memories of him feeling safe doing a repetitive, relatively risk-free job.

She got creative at time, or you could say inspired… she gave him memories of the two of them, comforting each other. But still, it wasn’t enough. The little boy was getting older, there was still an uncanny vivacity in him that went beyond simple despair. This child wanted to live with such fierceness, it made Eva question her own motive.

She didn’t have much time left, soon, Project EDEN would come to take their due. The little boy was supposed to become their strongest weapon, and she was going to be the one activating him. She couldn’t hand him over like that. He was strong, stronger than her. With one touch he could kill her, she couldn’t let that happen. She had to neutralize him.

It took her a while, but it finally happened. It wasn’t entirely her doing. Although, it is true, she was the one who set the wheel into motion. There was an older man that lived at the orphanage. He was well liked by everyone. He was the joyous type who could cheer you up in a second. In any other circumstance, Eva would have taken a liking to him too. But seeing his happy face every morning had, in the end, become quite a mental torture.

That morning, Eva had been in a foul mood. She had less than a week left to gain a full control over the little boy who was now 6 years old. She had been going over, repeatedly, her accomplishment of the past two years. There wasn’t much to be proud of. Had she even done anything worthy of her assignment? Without any doubts, the only satisfaction she had gain, had been killing the two guards. But then she had felt so guilty after seeing the poor child’s reaction. Still to this day, he often shivered at the sight of a drop of blood. Breakfast was done and it was time for her to get to work. She was tired of this. Tired of this place. Of this assignment.

Ioma took a seat across from her. He had recently been moved there.

She sighed.

She hated having to stare at his jolly face every day. She hated having to hear his jiggling laugh. She couldn’t help but wonder how the hell, this man had managed to become plump eating the gray sludge.

As it had now become routine, she sat there starring in disgust at the man. The young boy took his seat next to her. She ignored him. Most of their interaction was limited to the memories she created for him: the lies, she fed him every night. During the day, for the most part, she avoided him. It was better this way. There was no point in getting attached.

So, she sat starring at Ioma. The jolly bastard as she had come to name him. She watched him adjust the hot blade cutting the steel barrels. She watched him thinking how she wished he’d died. How she wished that giant blade came crashing unto him. She watched him as she took control of his movements. As she took his hands, removed the safety crank. As she lifted his leg unto the cutting table. She watched his horrified face as he could no longer control his own body. His hands lowered the blade.

Eva walked away.

“I’m going to the washroom,” she told the young child, with a smile.

Behind her, she heard the scream. The panic. The confusion.

That night, she found the little boy shivering in his bed. He was still in shock. Poor Ioma had severed his left leg. This was one memory she wouldn’t wipe away. She felt sorry for the child.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “but one day… one day you’ll thank me… I hope.”

For days, the little boy couldn’t eat. For days, he couldn’t close his eyes at night.

And Eva laid down, next to him, rubbing his back.

The seed had been planted. Fenn was a coward, and she was his only source of comfort.

She took a deep breath of relief… The helicopter was about to land. In the distance, she could see the white building lined up in a perfect circle. They had arrived.