appeared. Fiacre Pharmaceuticals announced a new vaccine called Praevenir. It wasn’t a cure, but the vaccine provided immunity against MK. Almost immediately the vaccine sold out, and Fiacre Pharmaceuticals was hard-pressed to keep up with the demand. The company, small by industry standards, was headed by owner and CEO Brenton Fiacre. His company enjoyed overnight success. The commercials for Praevenir flashed on televisions worldwide.
We exist in uncertain times. But there is one thing you can count on. Praevenir—the only vaccine that protects against the deadly MK virus. Protect yourself and your loved ones. Be certain. Praevenir. (Side effects may include itching at the site ofinjection, dizziness, weakness, fever, and rash. More serious side effects may include fainting, convulsions, and difficulty breathing. Praevenir is not recommended for women who are nursing or pregnant.)
Later, the blame was placed on undue pressure to distribute the vaccine. Fiacre Pharmaceuticals simply did not take the time it needed to thoroughly test the vaccine. It was pushed through and approved by the FDA in a matter of months.
If the truth had been known, the commercials would have sounded something like this:
Side effects may include itching at the site of injection, dizziness, weakness, fever, and rash. Approximately 0.003% of those vaccinated may experience one of the following adverse effects: telepathy, perfect recall, increased intuition, the ability to create illusions, levitation, body manipulation, and hypnosis. Praevenir is not recommended for a world that wants to avoid global conflict.
And so everything humanity had thought about itself came crumbling down. Scientists scrambled to make sense of the side effects. Everyone had questions. How many had been vaccinated? Millions? Billions? How many had these powers? What was the extent of the new abilities?
Chaos broke out. Six months after Praevenir’s release, Brenton Fiacre locked himself and his family in a warehousefull of the vaccine. He blew it to pieces, killing everyone inside and destroying what was left of his creation.
Some claimed the vaccine’s side effects were meant to change the world for the better. This would be the beginning of a new world order—an age of real superheroes, here to solve humanity’s problems. Those with powers would fight crime and put things right. However, there was one flaw with that reasoning.
Human physiology was altered. Human nature wasn’t.
Barely a year after Praevenir hit the market, the Pacific War broke out.
3
CIERE
W e ready to go yet?” Ciere asks, poking her head out of the bathroom. Her curls are damp from the shower, but there’s no time to let them dry properly.
Devon sits on the bed, his tablet cradled on his knees. “Hold on,” he says, and his brow creases in concentration.
“Well, hurry up.”
Devon huffs out a breath. “Fetch your things. By the time you’re finished, we’ll be ready to go.”
Each immunity has weaknesses, limitations. Illusions only fool human senses. If the human element is eliminated—say, by a security camera—then the illusion crumbles. Unfortunately, cameras are impervious to suggestion.
For that reason, Ciere usually wears a physical mask of some sort—a ski mask or a balaclava. That way, if a cameracatches her, all that will be seen is a petite teenage girl wearing a mask. There will be no record of her facial features. But her usual mask is missing. She vaguely remembers it vanishing in the midst of a mosh pit.
“So are we taking or leaving the dog?” Ciere asks. She tries to ignore the way the puppy leans against her ankle and pants up at her. The stupid thing looks so happy to see her. “I’m not exactly the pet-owning type.”
“Come on,” Devon says. He has wedged a hotel pen between his teeth and chews on it absentmindedly. “Doesn’t every great hero need a mascot?”
“I’m not a hero,” Ciere grumbles. “And I thought you fulfilled the
We exist in uncertain times. But there is one thing you can count on. Praevenir—the only vaccine that protects against the deadly MK virus. Protect yourself and your loved ones. Be certain. Praevenir. (Side effects may include itching at the site ofinjection, dizziness, weakness, fever, and rash. More serious side effects may include fainting, convulsions, and difficulty breathing. Praevenir is not recommended for women who are nursing or pregnant.)
Later, the blame was placed on undue pressure to distribute the vaccine. Fiacre Pharmaceuticals simply did not take the time it needed to thoroughly test the vaccine. It was pushed through and approved by the FDA in a matter of months.
If the truth had been known, the commercials would have sounded something like this:
Side effects may include itching at the site of injection, dizziness, weakness, fever, and rash. Approximately 0.003% of those vaccinated may experience one of the following adverse effects: telepathy, perfect recall, increased intuition, the ability to create illusions, levitation, body manipulation, and hypnosis. Praevenir is not recommended for a world that wants to avoid global conflict.
And so everything humanity had thought about itself came crumbling down. Scientists scrambled to make sense of the side effects. Everyone had questions. How many had been vaccinated? Millions? Billions? How many had these powers? What was the extent of the new abilities?
Chaos broke out. Six months after Praevenir’s release, Brenton Fiacre locked himself and his family in a warehousefull of the vaccine. He blew it to pieces, killing everyone inside and destroying what was left of his creation.
Some claimed the vaccine’s side effects were meant to change the world for the better. This would be the beginning of a new world order—an age of real superheroes, here to solve humanity’s problems. Those with powers would fight crime and put things right. However, there was one flaw with that reasoning.
Human physiology was altered. Human nature wasn’t.
Barely a year after Praevenir hit the market, the Pacific War broke out.
3
CIERE
W e ready to go yet?” Ciere asks, poking her head out of the bathroom. Her curls are damp from the shower, but there’s no time to let them dry properly.
Devon sits on the bed, his tablet cradled on his knees. “Hold on,” he says, and his brow creases in concentration.
“Well, hurry up.”
Devon huffs out a breath. “Fetch your things. By the time you’re finished, we’ll be ready to go.”
Each immunity has weaknesses, limitations. Illusions only fool human senses. If the human element is eliminated—say, by a security camera—then the illusion crumbles. Unfortunately, cameras are impervious to suggestion.
For that reason, Ciere usually wears a physical mask of some sort—a ski mask or a balaclava. That way, if a cameracatches her, all that will be seen is a petite teenage girl wearing a mask. There will be no record of her facial features. But her usual mask is missing. She vaguely remembers it vanishing in the midst of a mosh pit.
“So are we taking or leaving the dog?” Ciere asks. She tries to ignore the way the puppy leans against her ankle and pants up at her. The stupid thing looks so happy to see her. “I’m not exactly the pet-owning type.”
“Come on,” Devon says. He has wedged a hotel pen between his teeth and chews on it absentmindedly. “Doesn’t every great hero need a mascot?”
“I’m not a hero,” Ciere grumbles. “And I thought you fulfilled the
Similar Books
Frankentown
Aleksandar Vujovic
PctureThis
Kaily Hart
Natural Selection
Malinda Lo
That Witch!
Zoe Lynne
Cocotte
David Manoa
Bewitched on Bourbon Street
Deanna Chase
The API of the Gods
Matthew Schmidt
Thyme to Live: A We Sisters Three Mystery
Melissa F Miller