Paul liked toast, ham, cheese and eggs.
So did Anne and I. Which is why we were at the table, and I was serving breakfast at eight in the morning.
“These are good,” Paul commented. “You really know your way around a kitchen.”
“He’s got multiple levels in cooking,” Anne mumbled while gobbling up a slice of ham.
“No talking with your mouth full, young lady.”
“I’ll try the beef wellington tonight,” I suggested. “It turned out quite good last time.”
“I wish I could help out more,” Paul said wistfully.
“You’ve only been awake for two days. At least wait till your vitality gets back to normal.”
“I’m not sure I understand the whole thing with vitality…”
“It’s really simple, Dad,” Anne said. “Vitality is basically how healthy you are, measured by a number. Multiple it by ten and you get your health points.”
A pained expression crossed Paul’s face. “Human health is too complex to be represented by just a bunch of numbers.”
“Yeah, but it works. At least, that’s how Andrew’s power works.”
“Well, I spend my whole life arguing that people shouldn’t be reduced to a bunch of numbers and this is what I get. When are you getting back to school?”
“... Another couple of days.”
“It’s Friday,” I pointed out, “so you can restart on Monday anyway.”
“What about your schooling, Andrew?” Paul asked.
“I passed the FSAT in December.”
“How were your grades?”
“Got a 3.9 GPA.”
“That’s good. Any college plans?”
I shrugged. “I hadn’t thought that far. After the FSAT I got roped into the whole ultrahuman scene. First the Grunters, then the aliens….”
“You should think about it when you have time. What exactly happened with the Grunters?”
So Anne and I recounted the story of our conflict with the Grunters to Paul.
He was not happy to hear the bit about Anne being part of the fight. The part about the mansion and the women being held there, however, had him absolutely furious.
“We should’ve done something about it,” he growled. “It’s an outrage. I hope Grumman hangs…”
“Dad, Andrew’s already dealt with most of it,” Anne told him. “The people he rescued are safe. I check up on them every day.”
“That’ll have to do for now,” Paul replied. “I’ll need to check my bank accounts, though. This bed probably isn’t free.”
“Andrew already paid for it,” chimed in Anne.
“Andrew – let me know how much you spent, I’m going to repay you.”
“Uhh… I haven’t really kept track. Besides, it hardly matters.”
“It matters to me. Let me know, and I’ll transfer money to your bank account.”
“Dad, you just got out of a coma,” protested Anne. “This can wait.”
“I’d prefer, Anne, if I knew exactly how much we owed this young man.”
A thought tugged at my mind from somewhere. A parent, furious with children for paying for their medicines, insisting on repaying every penny… even though the children were in their forties, didn’t want the money, and made enough to afford it.
Where had that come from? And why did I know this?
“Andrew, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “A… sort of thought. Or memory. I don’t know which one.”
Anne’s eyes lit up hopefully. “Something important?”
“I’m not sure. I had a … concept dawn on me.”
“Something that happened to you?”
“No idea. Paul … I’ll tell you how much I spent, but you need to give me a few days.”
Paul nodded awkwardly. “That’s acceptable. On a separate note – have you tried to find out your past? Maybe a DNA search?”
“It won’t work,” Anne spoke up. “He’s scrambled.”
Both Paul and I spoke at the same time. “Scrambled?”
“About half of all ultras who gain powers have their DNA changed in some way. Enough that a home DNA kit can’t recognize their genetic code. So you can’t record their DNA sequences without going to a specialized lab.”
“Which would be the same as planting a big red target on his back, if he does have any enemies from a past life,” added Paul. “I remember now – there was a documentary about this last year. Well… two years ago, now.”
“Marty calls it ‘scrambled’,” Anne added helpfully. “I wanted to make sure that Andrew had normal human DNA before trying to search for his genetic code.”
“I didn’t know about this,” I confessed. “Am I even human?”
Anne rolled her eyes. “Of course you’re human. Half of all ultras have their genetic code altered in some way – Skymaster was one of them, by the way.”
“The Supreme Court ruled on it a few years ago,” added Paul. “Ultras with or without altered DNA are to be treated as humans, with all the rights, duties and privileges that entails. That was also in the documentary…”
“It’s not commonly talked about, but it’s legit. Anyway, to find someone in a genetic information database, you need a gene sequence from that person – and if the ultra’s DNA is altered enough, the gene sequencer won’t work. So. That’s why a DNA test won’t help.”
“Is yours altered?” asked Paul.
“Nope, same as before.”
“That’s good – I mean, there’s nothing wrong with having altered DNA, of course…”
Anne snorted. “Yeah, Dad, real smooth.”
I chuckled. “I don’t mind. Honestly, didn’t even know it was a possibility.”
“All right, so DNA searches are out. Have you thought about hiring a private detective to trace out your family?”
I blushed. “Somehow, I never had the funds. Or, well, any idea about how to go about it.”
“Dad, have you ever hired a private detective?”
Paul shook his head. “Never needed to. Once I get back to work, maybe we’ll look into it.”