Chapter 2:
Chaos Hiro
One evening, on an isolated farm, a man and his wife are sitting down to dinner at a small, round wooden table when there's a knock at their door. The man, who is in his 40s, rises from his seat and moves toward the door. As he approaches, he hears "Aren't you going to let your older brother in out of the cold Julius?" Julius opens the door to discover his brother, the Commander, smiling in the door way.
Julius: "Cold? It's a warm summer night big bro. Just like you to show up unexpected after all this time."
His eyes go to the bundle the Commander is carrying. Commander's presence fills the room as he enters, his brother closes the door behind him. Commander unfolds the contents of the bundle, revealing a sleeping baby wearing a blue skull cap.
"What's this?" Julius utters, as Commander hands the baby to him.
Commander: "My hope is it's the restoration of the balance of power in the universe."
Julius: "No it's not. It's a baby you lummox", as he smiles and lifts the child up. "Sophia, look."
Sophia, his wife, gets up and joins him, wonder in her eyes. Sophia and Julius then notice the double helix on the baby's left shoulder. Julius looks from the helix questioningly to his brother, who nods in assent.
Julius: "But why?"
Commander: "Take off his cap".
As Julius complies, Hiro wakes up and his brown hair spills out of his cap, transforming into a rainbow of colors. At the same time, Hiro's brown eyes become a moving symphony of sparkling colors. Julius and Sophia's jaws drop as they catch their breath, then smile in wonder and delight. Julius hands the baby to Sophia, who holds him.
Julius: "What's his name?"
Commander: "I call him Hiro."
Sophia: "How can this be? The Chaos Alliance was eradicated. You eradicated the Chaos Alliance."
Julius: "Well the double helix is starting to make more sense now."
Sophia: "But where would you have found the primary DNA material?"
Julius, bows his head down: "Where are my manors? Big bro, this is my wife Sophia, she's ..."
Commander: "An expert geneticist, yes I know." Looking at Sophia, "I'm sorry it took so long for us to meet."
Sophia: "We understand", as her eyes look down.
Commander, abruptly: "Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, but it's too dangerous to keep the boy with me. Will you take him?"
Julius and Sophia simultaneously: "Of course!"
Commander smiles: "You'll have to keep his hair a secret, that cap he's wearing is enchanted to conceal it."
Julius: "Well, way out here we don't get many visitors."
Sophia: "We'll be able to home school him ourselves."
Commander: "When he gets older I'll arrange for several instructors to provide specialized training."
Julius raises his right eye brow, pondering.
Commander: "I'm sorry, but I need to get going."
Sophia: "But can't you stay for a while longer? You two haven't seen each other for so long, and we have so many questions."
Commander, all seriousness: "Questions that I can't answer, and it's too dangerous for me to be here right now."
Julius reaches out his right arm, fist up, and Commander does the same, interlocking his hand with his brother's.
Julius: "We'll take good care of him."
Commander: "I know you will, that's why I brought him to you."
Sophia starts to tear up.
Commander: "Don't worry, I'll be back when things cool down a bit. Besides, I'm one of those instructors that will be assisting with Hiro's education."
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