While waiting for her superiors to make their decision, Lisa decided to grant the twins a token of their reward. She had already called John over to spar with Null, and as the designated observer and translator, she would remain to oversee the match.

John was not only the super soldier combat instructor, he was also one of the most genetically modified humans on Mars. Lisa was interested to see how they would match up.

Null could barely contain his excitement, bouncing in the corner like an overcharged reactor.

Before the bout could begin, a clone of Infy separated from Null’s body and drifted over to Lisa, settling beside her. She glanced at the glowing orb of energy, still struggling to fully understand their dynamic.

I still don’t know how their relationship works—or who is responsible for what.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Infy spoke.

"Thank you for this."

Lisa arched an eyebrow. “For what?”

Infy’s voice carried an unusual warmth. “I know you all have many questions, but we only came here to experience contact with humans. Null finally being able to communicate with you and now getting to fight with John are the kind of experiences he has dreamed of for years.”

Lisa felt a small pang of guilt at that. But there is nothing I can do to change the situation.

In the center of the room, John was dodging a flurry of attacks from Null, effortlessly weaving through the child’s strikes.

"It's clear you've had some training, but you're too predictable!" John commented, easily sidestepping another attack.

Null pouted at the remark, his movements growing more aggressive.

Lisa chuckled as she translated. "He says if he used his real power, this would be different."

John smirked, shifting into a more defensive stance.

Lisa continued, unable to suppress a grin. "He also says you're too slow and that it must be because you're old."

John paused mid-step.

Slowly, he cracked his neck. Oh so that he wants to play.

Up until now, he had been going easy on the boy—but given the snark, he decided it was time to teach him a lesson.

With blinding speed, John closed the distance and, before Null could react, executed a flawless takedown, pinning him to the floor in an instant.

The match continued for about an hour.

At first, John completely dominated, easily countering Null’s every move.

But Lisa and the silent observers were watched with growing interest as something unexpected happened.

Null was learning, and quickly.

Each time John pinned him down, Null would adjust, analyse, and react faster. His attacks became less predictable, his movements sharper, more fluid.

John, who had been holding back, suddenly found himself having to exert more and more effort just to keep the boy in check.

Nearby, Infy, still hovering beside Lisa, spoke to her. “This is the difference between the pod and the real thing. This has been a true learning experience.”

Lisa could feel the satisfaction radiating from him.

By the end of the hour, John’s expression was unreadable.

I’ve had to use ninety percent of my strength just to keep up… in only an hour of training.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Was he just adjusting to my fighting style? Or… is he simply growing this fast?

At the end of the day when Null and Infy returned to their cell, they were both pleased with the day results.

---

Lisa was in the middle of her own interrogation, surrounded by holographic projections of leaders from each of the major factions. Represented in the meeting were Earth, Lunar, Martian, the Asteroid Mining Guild, Jupiter Moons, and the Kuiper Belt factions.

They were using a device Lisa had secured from the twins. It was a feat that had taken significant bargaining and considerable time to develop. The device enabled instantaneous holographic communication, effectively creating a real-time interplanetary conference call.

The twins had been granted limited access to their ship, where they could use the workshop equipment stored onboard. From there, they built ten quantum-linked holographic communication devices, which were then shipped to each faction using fast unmanned drones.

Each leader wore a robe and mask, keeping their identities hidden. These were intelligence agency leaders, and maintaining anonymity was a necessary precaution.

The Earth representative was the first to speak.

"I'm sure we're all fascinated by these devices, but I believe it's time to start. Colonel Lisa Jameson of the Martian Defense Force, you have now been with the child known as Null for a month. We are here today to receive your report. I’m sure everyone here has the same questions: Where did he come from? And is he a threat?"

Lisa took a measured breath before responding.

"I believe they are an experiment from a highly advanced laboratory. They reject any attempt to gather intelligence on their mentor. It’s almost as if they’ve been conditioned to prevent any information from leaking. The only record we have on Null is his competition entry, which appears to be fabricated."

She paused, allowing them time to process her answer before addressing the second question.

"Are they a threat? My answer is not intentionally. But Null, in particular, has the maturity of a child while possessing access to a ship that could be used as a weapon of mass destruction. This situation raises serious concerns about their mentor’s intentions. That being said, I truly believe they only came to compete in the Youth Soldier Competition."

The Lunar representative was quick to interject.

"I want to know more about this mentor. I think it’s time we use more forcible methods to extract information."

Before anyone else could speak, the Earth representative raised a hand, silencing the others.

"Remember, the purpose of this gathering is to establish known facts. The discussion on actions will be scheduled for later."

Lisa took the opportunity to interject.

"I strongly advise against antagonizing them. We still don’t know the true limits of their abilities. They’ve already demonstrated some form of telekinesis. And Null once mentioned after an embarrassing spar with our special forces trainer that if he could use his real powers, no one could touch him."

A brief silence followed before the Earth representative spoke again.

"So, have you been able to determine exactly what he or they are?"

Lisa nodded.

"Null has allowed us to conduct multiple tests and scans. Physically, aside from his brain, he is a perfect specimen of an accelerated-growth child. His brain, however, suffers from multiple abnormalities. For example, there is no connection between his brain and his vocal cords, meaning he will always be mute. I believe Infy plays a much larger role than we currently understand in allowing Null to function."

The Martian representative leaned forward.

"Has there been any progress in understanding the artificial lifeform?"

Lisa hesitated.

She had asked Null about Infy and had received an answer, but she wasn’t sure how well it would be received.

"We have neither the equipment nor the knowledge to begin analyzing Infy, especially without his consent. However, I can relay what Null told me, though I warn you, it may not be believable."

The leaders remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"According to Null, Infy is an artificial Angel. To create a new life, three components are required: a body, a mind, and a soul. Infy mind is that of an AI who was given an Angel’s body, and he and Null share a soul. Making a body and a mind isn’t difficult, but creating a soul is, so they were forced to share one."

A heavy silence filled the room.

The representatives quickly began extrapolating theories, drawing their own conclusions. The most prevalent and most convenient assumption was that the twins were the product of an advanced fundamentalist Christian cult conducting human experiments.

The meeting continued, with each representative asking Lisa further questions, attempting to piece together the mystery surrounding the twins.

Finally, the last question was asked:

"What is your recommendation on how we should handle them?"

Lisa straightened, already having prepared her answer.

"I believe we will achieve better results by gaining their trust. They are too valuable to alienate just look at the technology we are using right now. It is years ahead of anything we could create.

To that end, I strongly recommend that we allow them to compete in the Youth Soldier Competition. Interaction with other children their age may provide more insight into their behaviour and capabilities. Additionally, I believe we can pass Infy off as an advanced AI assistant that helps Null communicate."

The leaders exchanged glances, their expressions concealed behind their masks.

After a moment, they ended the meeting and held a private discussion.

Their decision?

To endorse Lisa’s recommendation and introduce Null and Infy to the other children competing in the YSC. But they had some conditions.