Published at 21st of April 2026 6:39 am

Chapter 24 I Am A Genius

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Thank you, Nobody. I swear I won't fail you again, Miles pledged to me.

I know. Now, stand and let Kai fix you up. Atonement has lost valuable PR time because of your sickness. The city is grieving, healing the best that it can, but people are angry and looking for answers. We need to capitalize on the moment, propping you up as a champion of justice, the lone hero who stood opposed to The Olympians. It was only by your efforts that there wasnt more destruction and death; you are the one who absorbed all of the radiation at great risk to yourself, I said animatedly.

I cant let his failure loom over the greatness I need him to rise to. He needs to be Quinstins greatest Cape, the one who all aspire to be. He needs to become the citys hero and take over the Heroes Union branch here, or dismantle it.

Yeah, if it wasnt for you, a lot more people wouldve died, Vivienne added.

Really? Was I able to save a lot of people? Miles asked hopefully.

Well, I dont have exact numbers for how many people your actions saved, but you definitely made a difference, I answered honestly.

Give yourself some credit. A rough estimate would put the potential death toll at double if you hadnt acted so quickly, Kai remarked offhandedly.

Wait, whats the death toll? Miles asked.

Despite the glowing lines that criss-cross his face, making it harder to read his expression, I can tell hes anxious.

Fifty-seven thousand, three hundred and eighty-one deaths were the final count, I believe, Kai answered.

W-what? Miles said shakily.

Why would you say that, Kai? You cant be so dense as not to realize what his reaction would be. Is his coldness because he personally doesnt care about the mass casualties, or is it that he doesnt even care whether it affects him? He shouldn't have done that. Before I can rebuke Kais awful behavior, Vivienne beats me to the punch.

What the hell is wrong with you, Doc? He just fucking woke up. Don't immediately dump that on him, Vivienne said protectively. You're being an ass.

Kai looks like V just slapped him. He seems genuinely shocked that she responded so defensively. She would act the same way for you, too. Vivienne steps forward, angling her chin up and crossing her arms. She's looking down on him, dwarfing the skinny scientist in bulk and height. I'm glad she stepped in to defend Miles; she's my right hand and leader when I'm not around. She has to be able to keep things under control, and Kais aloof attitude can rub people the wrong way. He's lucky that the others are mild-tempered.

I was only answering his question. At a certain point, the number doesn't matter. A hundred people dying is a tragedy, a thousand is still a tragedy; it isn't like there's a number of deaths that would've prevented it from being a tragedy. If you're upset that you didn't save them all, then you're being willfully ignorant and naive. You're lucky you didn't die; if you hadn't thrown up that shield, if you had absorbed even a tiny bit less of the initial explosion, if I weren't the Michelangelo of surgery, you'd be ash. Don't be upset, be better, Kai snarked.

That's a bit harsher than I would have put it, but the message is about the same. Vivienne doesn't try to rebut his comments or argue against his words; Vivienne punches him right in his stomach as hard as she can. The air is knocked out of the doctor as he collapses to the floor, struggling to catch his breath before he pukes onto the ground.

You know your problem, Kai? You don't know when to shut the fuck up. You've gotten comfortable inside your secret lab, safe and sound with all your robots and gadgets. But look where that got you, look at how your genius had no effect on what just occurred. You get to be this comfortable, enjoy the safety and success you now do, off the work that people like Miles and myself put in. Now, while you lay there trying to catch a breath in between enjoying your breakfast a second time, you're probably furious at me for what I did. But don't be upset, be better, Vivienne said, turning around and walking away.

Miles, why don't you go take some time to process everything. Eat something, relax, I suggested. The surgery to remove the scarring can wait a bit; it doesnt need to happen today. Well inform you when its time for the procedure to begin.

Miles quickly grasps my intentions and bows out, leaving just the doctor and me. Kai's pushing himself up off the floor, doing his best to get the mess he made off his sweater. The chunky bile mixture has soaked into it, staining the pink cashmere a sickening brown. Kai takes off the ruined clothing, tossing it away. It's striking just how skinny he is; calling him severely underweight would be a compliment. His chrome thumb wipes the bit of puke left on the side of his mouth, flicking it clean, before passing his metal hand through his long hair. His face is a mask, the rage and fury that Vivienne brought out of him gone. The fire that had been burning in his eyes is smothered. The sudden switch reminds me of myself. Was all of that an act? Has he been pretending this whole time?

Are you here to see the Subjects or the Neuvohuman? Kai asked emotionlessly.

You seem to have gotten over what just happened very quickly. Almost unbelievably quickly, I stated suspiciously.

Of course. I released a concentrated dosage of sedatives and mood stabilizers. Staying angry was pointless and wouldn't accomplish anything. If you thought she was acting out of turn, you'd have stopped her. But you didn't intervene, so you clearly believe I was in the wrong, Kai said.

While I don't doubt you know what you're doing, messing with your brain chemistry to subdue your emotional responses can't be good for you. Emotions are a good thing; willingly muting them is denying your existence as a human. And I don't believe you were in the wrong, you were. Miles has a complicated relationship with heroism, and his sense of self is strongly tied to his desire to be a hero. He was willing to die to save the city; he could've escaped at any time and not been hurt, but he chose to stick around and try to do the impossible. You bluntly revealing the death count to him has completely bulldozed over his idea of the good he managed to do, I explained, slowly and condescendingly.

You should know better.

Emotions hold us back. They cloud our judgment and impair our intellect. My human existence isn't something I hold dearly; our bodies are just vessels for our minds. The container doesn't matter. I wasn't trying to hurt Miles, but I'll concede that intent does not affect impact. But we can save the philosophical debates for another time; would you like to see the progress I've made on the Apotheosis Engine project? Kai asked, traces of emotion entering his voice.

Is this how Technologica ended up being a brain in a jar? There's too much to unpack at this moment. Kai said before that we were similar in mindset, but this is proof that it couldn't be any clearer that we aren't at all alike. Choosing to renounce your humanity and emotions is as close to blasphemous as someone could get with me. I have so much on my plate already, I don't have time to worry about him chemically killing his ego. I nod for him to show me, and he waves two flying drones over to us. Hes already made improvements to them since the last time we used them. The platform drone has been stretched out; it's now oblong instead of a circle. Unlike my previous experience, I'm ready for the sudden change in elevation, and it's also a smoother, less twitchy flight.

We fly over his operating room, his drone workshop and hundreds of storage containers filled with medical parts, half-finished ideas, and machine pieces. Eventually, we arrive at the Subjects cells. We have enough of them to hold thirty at a time, but only fifteen have been in use recently. Looking down at the rows of them from on top of my floating platform, I notice an immediate discrepancy. Only seven of the cells are lit up. With the addition of the StarGaze Dynamics abductee, that means nine of them must have died from the experiments.

Nine dead? I asked, mostly rhetorically.

Yes, it turns out your gut feeling was correct, he said, putting air quotes around gut feeling. The only ones to survive everything were the two anomalous individuals you pointed out originally. Subjects Ten and Thirteen showed remarkable resilience throughout my tests and experiments. The other four are the Flesh-Drives, and then the recent addition that Isaiah delivered to me. I didn't do anything to those five; we don't know whether the power can be lost if they die while in possession of it. And you haven't had a chance to remove the other one's power.

An over fifty percent mortality rate isn't the best news, but I'm not going to shed a tear for the dead. I might be capable of sadness, but it appears as if I don't feel sad for other people. Acceptable losses, all things considered.

The two drones we're standing on begin their descent, dropping us off in front of the large monitor and accompanying terminal for the cells. Kai runs over to one of the crates full of random junk, rifling through it with his metallic arm. The size difference between the two limbs really makes him look even more gaunt and skeletal. Looks like I am going to have to address this. He pulls out a white lab coat covered in strips of neon duct tape, with a frayed hem, fur cuffs, and a raised collar. He buttons it up quickly, and when his muted pink hair falls over his face, he almost looks like the flamboyant and animated man I met at the roadside clinic.

Is this what my presence does to the people around me? Does it corrupt them, changing them into a fundamentally different person? There have to be alternatives to this that aren't death. It isn't like I'm upset at the effect I have on people; I don't care what becomes of someone as long as they can be of use to me. But, it is an interesting thought; is there anyone whose life has been made better by me? Jean-Luc, Marcus, and Maria all ended up dead because of their connection to me. Aubrey isnt the same person she once was. The girl who loved Capes and the Heroes Union is gone, replaced by an angry ball of rage covered in emotional scars. Rorschach has lost her best friend and murdered another person. Kai would say his life is better, but it sure doesnt appear that way. Violets life is ruined because of me. Emma was already broken, but I did save her from being glassed by a space cannon, so thats one in the improvement category. Isaiah and Viviennes lives are definitely better than they would be without me. Three people versus seven, and thats only the people I came up with on the spot. Wait, Sylvester. I havent made his life worse. Weve become close, and our relationship makes both of us happier.

Kai, when was the last time you ate or slept?

He stops moving as he thinks over my question.

I had a slice of bread at some point recently. Maybe this morning, or it might have been yesterday. As for sleep? Its been about a week, I think. Ive been working on a nutrient blend that we can take intravenously that will substitute our need for solid sustenance and allow us to work for longer without stopping. Sleep is a waste of valuable time, especially when Im learning so much. Nobody, Ive made several breakthroughs, and Im ready to start testing the second phase. Ive figured out how to make our bodies produce more stem cells, coupled with an injection of cells harvested from Tuesday and piloted by my nanomachines. You know what that means? He asked frantically.

No, but I am much more interested in your well-being currently. You dont look good, and you are manic. A hungry, sleep-deprived mind is not running efficiently or accurately. You could have made mistakes that will set back the project I tasked you with because of the incorrect data you recorded. If you cannot take care of yourself, how can I possibly trust you to take care of this? I asked.

What the fuck are you talking about? I would never jeopardize the science or data. Im perfectly fine. Im more than fine. Im more than capable of handling this project, Kai said, growing agitated. I wait for him to trigger another chemical burst, but he doesnt. You arent a doctor. Youre a layperson when it comes to medical knowledge. What gives you the right to fucking judge me, to diagnose me? I am the doctor. I am the scientist. I am the smartest person here. There is no one else who could possibly have accomplished what I have, even if they had all the time in the world and infinite resources. I AM A GENUIS.

Kai, I will forgive your outburst just this once. I am going to speak, and you will listen. Either you eat a full, healthy meal and then get some rest, or I will remove your powers. Do not test me, just do as I say. I will remain in the base until you wake up. Once you have awoken, we can continue this conversation. I expect better from you. You look strung out, pitiful, and like you belong in those cells instead of outside of them. I told you that if your drug use impacted my plans, Id kill you. There will not be a next time, Doctor. If you cant get yourself under control or if you slip into whatever state youre in again, Ill beat you until you lack motor function and cant count higher than your fingers, I warned.

Kais face has changed again. Not into the mask that he had with Vivienne, but a mixture of shame and irritation. Good, be irritated. Youve wasted away down here and wasted my time.

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