Gravity (Male x Male)

Chapter 21 - The Truth

"My companions and I were all scientists, and completely understood their point of view. They'd given us their answer and didn't want to press the issue. They welcomed us for a few more days, where I took to spending a lot of time with an Aderyn man, Dain'har. It became clear there was a growing attraction between us, and on my last night, we became intimate and agreed to keep it between us. We knew we couldn't be together after that night, but I had no regrets.

"When we returned to Earth, the council claimed that we hadn't pushed hard enough or negotiated enough. We reminded them that we were scientists, and we believed that ethically and morally we needed consent. But they let us all go. It was frustrating to be dismissed, as I liked my job, but I still felt that I'd done the right thing.

"A few weeks later I found out that I was pregnant. I kept the news as quiet as I could because there was only one possible father. If anyone found out he was one of the Aderyn, I knew they would take my baby and start running the tests that Dain'har was so against." 

"Which is why you put my father was 'unknown' on my birth certificate," I inferred. Mum nodded. "And why you've never liked hospitals."

"Only when it comes to you," she smiled, still stroking my head. "Had I got there first after your hoverboard accident, I would have taken you somewhere I trusted. I knew a general hospital facility would take a blood sample and realise there was something peculiar about your blood. But they had no way of knowing what the peculiarity was, because there was nothing to compare it to. Hence the endless testing; they had no idea what they were testing for.

"I pretended to be clueless of course, but I suspected they'd bugged every electronic device I encountered, just in case they found out I knew something. I managed to get a note to Helen asking for her help to get you out since I knew they'd be watching me.

"In the meantime, I made every effort to collect as much data as possible when I visited you, from the records they kept at the facility. Some of the scientists there were very protective of the information. But a couple of the more naïve juniors were sympathetic to a concerned mother who wanted to find out more about her son and let me have access to some of the information. Over time, I collected enough small pieces that I could start to build a bigger picture. And your demonstration of power back there, along with the evidence I've collected, means we now have enough proof that they weren't keeping you there on medical grounds."

"But they still have samples of my blood?" I asked.

"I don't know whether you saw the trail of destruction you left behind, but I don't think much survived your wrath," Mum smiled. "If they're left with any uncontaminated blood samples I'll be amazed."

"I destroyed a building," I winced as her words sunk in. "Won't there be repercussions?"

"Not with what we've got against them," Mum replied. "You were threatened, provoked, and still nobody got hurt. I believe we can argue you're not dangerous, even if you did destroy that facility. I know you can't control your gifts yet, but they don't know that. It could have been a lot worse. And I think that legally, they know we have more on them than they do on us. Really, I think we ended up with the best possible outcome."

I finished the water in the bottle.

"Why have we never seen signs of these 'gifts' before?" I wondered.

"Honestly, I have no idea," replied Mum. "It's not something I investigated when I was with the Aderyn, and I didn't want to draw suspicion after you were born by trying to investigate it in retrospect.

"My best guess is that it didn't kick in until your reached physical maturity, and it sounds like it may be linked to your emotions. Every day was predictable when you were on Selenia, so there was no reason for your mood to change much."