with Dr. Pierce, I left the lab and hopped in my car. With one last look at the journal she had given me, I decided it would have to wait and tossed it onto the passenger seat. Flooring the gas pedal, I drove at a borderline illegal speed back to my apartment in the city. Throughout the drive, I kept glancing over to the black journal on the seat beside me. No matter how loud I turned up my car radio, I couldn't stop the word metahuman from repeating over and over in my head. My thoughts reeled with all the possibilities of what that word could mean.

As soon as I got home, I flung open the door and rushed inside. Taking off my shoes, I hung my car keys on the wall hook and rushed inside.

My apartment wasn't much, just a simple two-bedroom loft a few miles outside the main city. The first floor is the kitchen, living room, bath, and my mother's bedroom. The second floor is my bedroom and a private bath. So I basically got my own place, which I'm definitely not complaining about.

Walking across the sleek hardwood floors, I made my way to the living room. The familiar sound of a drama series was the tell-tale sign that my mother was home. Following the hallway into the kitchen, the smell of cheese and tomato sauce enveloped my senses and I took a deep inhale. My mouth salivated.

"I'm home," I said. The ruffling sound of movement came from the living room. I looked up to find my mother stiffly twisting from her seat on the couch to greet me. To my surprise, her face was smeared with a white paste. The flowery scent of her skincare product invaded my nose, temporarily distracting me from the allure of food.

"Hey girl, I made some pasta. I set some aside in a bowl for you." She announced, her speech slightly slurred by the tight facial mask. The couch squeaked and groaned as she lifted a sun-kissed arm and jutted her perfectly manicured finger towards the kitchen.

I nodded and walked to the counter where a bowl of warm cheesy pasta awaited me. My stomach growled in approval. Picking up the bowl, I glanced back over to my mother. She was attempting a smile to the best of her taught face ability and I couldn't help but smile back.

Sure she wasn't perfect, but she was all I had. It was just us, it had always been just us. That's part of the reason I went to the Recruitment Expo for C.R.O.S.S. Laboratories. I wanted a chance to make my life interesting.

Raised by my mother, I didn't have much experience around men so I never tried dating. The idea was too foreign to me. My mother was always relaying her bad relationship experiences on me, saying that all men are heartless after my father left us to pursue his career in Alaska.

Though despite not having a father, I didn't feel like I was missing out on much. My mother raised me well. She taught me to be strong in the face of adversity and stand up for my opinion, not matter how unpopular it was. She always said that if I didn't put myself down, then neither would anyone else. She was hesitant at first to encourage me to pursue my dreams in science, since apparently that's what my father left to do, but after she saw how much it meant to me, she reluctantly gave in.

"How was your day?" She questioned, twisting her body to face away from me as she settled back on to the couch.

With the pasta bowl in one hand, I grabbed a fork from the drawer with the other and begin making my way to my bedroom, "Good, um love to talk but I have a lot of work to do. You know how they like to torture interns." I said forcing a fake laugh before rushing away, not bothering to wait for a response.

I climbed up the white spiral stairs and rushed into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. My room was large, with a giant bed in the center, a full sized couch and tv, and even private bathroom with a jacuzzi tub.

Plopping onto my bed, I took a bite of pasta, and with my free hand, opened the folder labeled I chewed as I flipped through pages and pages of time logs written in stiff masculine handwriting. Looking at the earliest log, I shoved another fork full of pasta into my mouth and began to read the time-faded ink...

February 2, 2005

Today I have decided to do something extraordinary. Taking donated human eggs and altering their human genome with unique traits from some of the bird species I have studied. I have come to decide using the DNA from the Hawkfinch (due to their unique immunity to radiation) and the Eagle (due to their extraordinarily sharp senses and considerable strength). I hope to begin genetic enhancement in humans and thus change the future of modern medicine. My work here will ensure human survival in our deteriorating world.

May 24, 2007

It's been years, but I have finally gathered all the resources needed to begin human trials. Trial number one of a modified human embryo (Subject 1) is not responding to genetic manipulation. Embryo did not make it past germination. Moving on to the next trial subject.

September 14, 2010

After various failures, I have seen promising advances in Subject 17 and Subject 25. They are the first to have accepted the new genetic code and have developed into a fetus. However, upon closer inspection, the gene-editing technology has messed with the human genome and has turned off the rather important genes for biological functioning causing the subjects internal organs to fail.

January 7, 2012

Subject 34 embryo has made it to five months but is grotesquely deformed. Subject 37 is well-formed, but at four months, died upon exposure to radiation after testing immunity. It seems as though the more I try to manipulate the human genome, the more I expose the fetuses to new genetic diseases. But I will endeavor through this and move on to further subjects.

March 26, 2015

This is the first log where I write with good news. Subject 43 has made promising progress. The embryo has developed into a fully functioning seven-month fetus and has shown immunity to radiation poisoning as well as an incredibly high count of antioxidants in its body.

November 19, 2015

Subject 43 has fully developed and is ready to leave the test tube. Subject 43 has shown potential for complete immunity to pollution and various ailments such as cancer and malaria. Further testing to prove this will have to be postponed until the Subject reaches maturity. Nevertheless, I am proud to say that at this rate, Subject 43 will be the new frontier to a more durable humanity. I have scrapped the other ongoing trials and will focus on Subject 43 for the time being.

October 25, 2017

Subject 43 has grown into a toddler and has begun to sprout feathers on its wing bone structure. They look to be white like its Eagle predecessor. Upon an attempt to make contact, the subject reacted violently and began thrashing, cowering away from my touch. I have deduced that the subject's wings are extremely sensitive and the growth process is most likely a painful one.

June 18, 2018

I have begun to notice interesting behavior concerning the subject's wings. They seem to mirror that of the genetic donor birds. The wings are expressive, mirroring the emotions of the subject. They would flutter when showing excitement or happiness, flap as a display of power or confidence (on occasion defiance), and tuck away if the subject showed signs of upset or fear. The subject also shows extreme reluctance when my team tries to make contact with his wings, forcing us to sedate the subject so we could extract feather samples.

April 3, 2020

Subject 43 has a fully developed wingspan of eight feet. Subject attempted flight today. The subject made it to the top of the dome before faltering, and despite the hundred-foot drop, did not fracture any bones. The subject has proven to be durable with a stronger bone density than a typical human. Perhaps I shall look into how the subject reacts to more extreme physical ailments.

January 25, 2025

Upon further testing, Subject 43 has begun showing signs of rebellion. The subject has developed extremely sharp talons that emerge from fingernails when provoked. Like it's hawkfinch and eagle genetic donors, the subject has extremely sensitive hearing and quick reflexes as well as perfect eyesight and hand/eye coordination. The subject can fly and has shown promising success for genetic modification in humans but has begun to act irrationally and sporadically. I am assuming this behavior is due to the subject's age breaching the teenage years. In the meantime, I am handing this project off to Dr. Jeanine Pierce to complete the testing and moving forward with other projects until the subject has matured.

-End of Log-

Sighing, I closed the notebook and tucked it safely into my nightstand drawer. Flopping back onto my bed, I stared up at the ceiling unable to close my eyes. My mind raced to process everything I had just read.

What have I gotten myself into I thought to myself as I watched my ceiling fan spin, beginning one of many sleepless nights to come.