Doctor Hector POV

Dr. Hector's skilled fingers deftly manipulated the invisible stone, carefully adjusting the minuscule piece of tape with incredibly strong glue in an attempt to secure it in place. As he worked, the night sky stretched out before him, a black canvas speckled with distant stars. Taking a moment to pause, he exhaled cigarette smoke, his thoughts drifting to the past, to memories he had tried to leave behind.

I can never forget that fateful day. The guilt and regret still weighed heavily on my conscience. I wasn't the father I should have been. My work had consumed me, always coming first in my life. I devoted myself to the pursuit of science, searching for answers that only I could uncover. But at what cost? My wife had been taken from me by an illness, a loss that had broken me. Although I did my best to take care of my son, Aiden, his mere presence served as a constant reminder of my wife's absence.

In an attempt to escape the pain, I had immersed myself in my work, devoting every waking moment to it. But in doing so, I had neglected my son. Growing up, Aiden had never quite warmed to me, and I couldn't blame him. My constant moving, chasing the next big project and job contract, had made it impossible for him to make friends and have a stable childhood.

I can never forget that fateful day. The guilt and regret still weigh heavily on my conscience. I wasn't the father I should have been. My work consumed me, always coming first in my life. I devoted myself to the pursuit of science, searching for answers that only I could uncover. But at what cost? My wife was taken from me by an illness, a loss that broke me. I did my best to take care of my son, Aiden, but the sight of him only served as a constant reminder of my wife's absence.

I tried to escape the pain by immersing myself in my work, every waking moment devoted to it. But in doing so, I neglected my son. Growing up, Aiden never quite warmed to me, and I couldn't blame him. My constant moving, chasing the next big project and job contract, made it impossible for him to make friends and have a stable childhood.

That fateful day, January 19th, 2099, we were on our way to the USA for a crucial business meeting. Aiden and I boarded a flight in Chongqing, China, where I had been working on a project. He was livid, a 15-year-old boy who felt like he had lost his childhood to my career. I, a scientist proficient in 12 different fields, couldn't even be there for my own son.

"Why do we have to keep moving? It's so hard for me. I don't have any friends because we're always on the move. You're barely ever home. What's the point of all this?" Aiden's voice was filled with frustration and anger as he confronted his father.

Dr. Hector sat next to his son, reading a newspaper without making eye contact. He was aware of Aiden's feelings but never truly addressed them. "I'm sorry, son. This is a big contract from the government, and I have to be here for the meeting," he offered weakly.

Aiden was so incensed that he couldn't bring himself to speak anymore. He knew it was pointless. His father had never been the same since his mother's death. With a voice barely above a whisper, he murmured,

"I wish you weren't my dad," Aiden said, his voice quivering with emotion.

Aiden turned away from his father, staring out the window of the private jet, hoping to calm his racing thoughts. As he looked outside, he was awestruck by the stunning meteor shower, the bright streaks of light illuminating the dark sky. He leaned closer to the window, his arms resting on the glass, captivated by the beautiful display. The shining lights seemed to be far in the distance, but at the last moment, they changed direction, veering towards the plane.

Just as Aiden was entranced by the meteor shower, a loud and urgent warning came from the flight attendant.

"ATTENTION! We are facing a major incident. Brace for impact. Strap your seatbelt now!"

Aiden had no time to react to the warning before a barrage of meteors pummeled the airplane. The ear-splitting sounds of metal tearing, bending, and breaking filled his ears as the plane disintegrated in mid-air. Finally, it crashed to the ground near Manhattan, New York, in a deafening explosion.

The impact was so jarring that the sound of metal breaking could be heard from miles away.

"SHEERRKKK."

The plane skidded to a halt, collapsing in on itself, and leaving the area in a state of utter destruction. More meteors continued to fall in the distance, unleashing an apocalyptic storm upon the entire region.

Dr. Hector and his son, Aiden, were both knocked unconscious in the crash. When Dr. Hector came to his senses, his vision was hazy, and blood obscured his eyes. He felt like his legs were shattered, making it impossible to move. A boy, no more than a teenager, sat on his chest, holding up tons of debris with his tiny hands. The metal sheets and rubble he held would have been impossible to lift, yet the boy managed to keep them at bay.

He struggled, collapsing moment after moment, but never let go. Something glinted in the boy's right hand, a small object that replaced the torn flesh of his hand. It was about the size of a tennis ball, and he seemed to be in a trance-like state. As Dr. Hector took in his surroundings, the sights and smells of destruction overwhelmed him. Flames licked at the wreckage of the plane, casting an eerie glow over the area. Yet he could barely see the surrounding. The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke and burning debris. He looked back at the boy, who continued to hold the debris above him, his face contorted in pain.

Dr. Hector struggled to speak, his voice hoarse. "Who are you? What are you doing?" The boy didn't answer, but his eyes flickered open for a moment before closing again. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted and he saw the face closely. It was Aiden.

.

"Aiden! Son, what? How? Are you okay, son? Aidennnn?!"

Dr. Hector's voice was filled with panic and urgency as he tried to stand up but quickly realized that he couldn't even lift his chest. The weight of the debris was too much, yet the boy, his son, was miraculously holding on without applying too much pressure on his body, like squatting. He looked around in the darkness, barely able to see the small shining object on Aiden's hand. He saw a small pocket of space, a cone shape, created by the rubble being tilted in the opposite direction. He knew that Aiden could take cover there and wait for help.

"Aiden, don't do anything stupid. Just take cover in that empty spot. Hurry, Aiden, you can't hold this weight."

Aiden's mind was in a daze, hearing strange voices and speaking gibberish. But his father's screams brought him back to reality. He heard his father's plan but knew it wouldn't work. They would both die if he let go. He was nearly exhausted, breathing heavily.

"Dad, I'm somehow okay. It's hard, but I can manage. You know, I always wanted you to pay attention to me. I hate you, you know? Never thought I would get your attention like this," he said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Dr. Hector was not listening, as the rubble continued to weigh down, creaking and making terrifying sounds, slowly sinking on top of them.

"Aiden, this is not the time. Please, son. PLEASE, JUST ESCAPE AND HIDE IN THAT CORNER," he pleaded, his voice strained with emotion.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Dr. Hector's entire body was in pain, he had five broken ribs and a fracture in one hand, yet he continued to urge his son to leave him, trying to push him with all his strength, but Aiden wouldn't budge. Tears were streaming down Dr. Hector's face as he felt helpless, again. There was nothing he could do but watch helplessly.

Seeing his father like this, Aiden, with the help of the glowing stone that seemed to be reading his father's thoughts, spoke.

His voice was soft but steady. "Dad, did you know that I was always top of my class? In every school, in every region. But you never noticed me, never appreciated my efforts. You were always too busy with your research."

You were always busy with your research. I thought I was lacking a lot because it might have been hard to acknowledge me when you were a son of a genius renowned by the world. You're hurting, Dad. I know you miss Mom. But I don't hate you. You weren't like this at the start," Aiden said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Dr. Hector couldn't deny anything his son was saying, all he could do was listen closing his eyes, the guilt and pain overwhelming him. He had been so consumed by his work that he had neglected his family. He had failed them in every way possible. But at this moment, with his life hanging by a thread, he finally understood the gravity of his mistakes. He knew he was a terrible father. The rubble continued to weigh down, creaking sounds that were echoing like thunder.

"Dad, I want you to know that I don't hate you. I'm just really sad that you didn't share your pain with me. We're family, and I just wanted to feel like I belonged. Moving around so much made it hard for me to feel settled anywhere. But please, don't blame yourself. None of this is your fault. Thank you for everything, Dad." Aiden spoke softly, the star-shaped rock in his hand glowing brightly as the darkness settled around them.

Dr. Hector's last sight was his son, smiling so happily, in a glimpse of light shining through the darkness.

"AIDEENNNNNNN!" Dr. Hector screamed as he saw his son put all his strength into throwing the rubble several feet in the air and forcibly kicking him into the cone-like safe space.

Aiden collapsed from exhaustion but still made one last attempt to drag himself towards his father, reaching out with his hand. He wanted to escape but still, he was smiling, knowing that he had saved his father. The rubble that was in the air descended in a roar. Metal and heavy debris collapsing.

"BOOOOOOOM, CLANKKKK

Aiden tried his hardest to reach the cone, raising his hand to make it out with all his remaining strength. But it was too late, the rubble collapsed on top of him. Dr. Hector could only watch in horror as his son sacrificed himself to save him.

It was mere moments, but the rubble collapsed, and Dr. Hector found himself in extreme pain, as though he was kicked. When the dust cleared, he couldn't form words. He couldn't describe it.

An inhuman sound of crying was echoing through the entire rubble of the plane, the wings, and the cargo. A hand was popping out of the rubble with blood gushing from being crushed, as Dr. Hector grabbed it, his world fell apart.

I wasn't in his right mind. I didn't know how much time had passed, but he knew his son had died saving him. After countless hours of crying, barely holding onto his senses, he saw a stone that was slowly losing its color in his son's hands.

The thing that was carved in his son's hand had replaced a major chunk of his palm. His throat nearly shut down as he couldn't stop himself from crying. He was eventually rescued by a rescue team, days later. He took the stone, as it was something that his son had. His body was beyond crushed, aside from his hand that had slipped past the falling rubble. He was completely crushed. A week later, he buried him with his own hands.

It was hard. Weeks and months passed, as he quit his work. A heinous thought came to his mind, and slowly it tormented him to act. He wanted to revive his son using modern science. Cloning technology was something that Dr. Hector was an expert in. There were even successful attempts at cloning humans recently somewhat. After finally mustering the courage to act on his decision, he planned to revive his son. But before that, he studied that the stone was not of extraterrestrial origin. It had no substance that matched its composition. It couldn't be even classified as matter.

Dr. Hector joined the Alpha project, a secret project when he was approached by an organization of unknown origins. He was skeptical of it but days and weeks passed by. He was hit with the realization that he does not have the means for his goals. He joined the organization in hopes that it would have the technology he needed to revive his son. He was determined to find a way to bring his son back, even if it meant forfeiting his freedom. He spent three years studying the mysterious stone, believing it could hold the key to his goal. He believed that there was no other way to achieve his objective of reviving his son.

It was extremely difficult to clone humans and make them efficient in having an average life expectancy. The growth process required the right amount of care. Dr. Hector finally concluded that it was impossible to clone a human at the age of 14. The development phase alone was hard. Humans needed time to form tissues and bones. Rushing the process always led to immature bodies that collapsed within months or at most, a year. He was losing hope in making a draft and trying to get around the implication of his research.

However, he had hopes that maybe this stone could help him achieve something. He tested it with everything, and it seemed to absorb radiation or any form of energy. After extensive testing, he couldn't even begin to describe its limits of capacity. The problem was that it completely lost color after a few minutes of energy absorption.

“Maybe the energy output was too low,” he thought. So he did what needed to be done.

In a few weeks, he planned to get that energy from the fusion reactor in this base. Walking past the underground level 45 door.

"Sir, this area is off-limits. You're the chief director of the Alpha project, but please sir, you can't enter the fusion core," a guard warned Dr. Hector as he entered the restricted area.

Dr. Hector, without looking at the guard, handed him a slip that he had acquired from his connections with the higher-ups, stating that he wanted to see the fusion core. Being well-versed in radiation and nuclear physics, he knew the dangers of working in this area.

"Sorry for the confusion, sir. Proceed," the guard said, after reading the slip and scanning his id card.

Dr. Hector was alone in the highly restricted area, where no cameras could function due to the intense levels of radiation. He was wearing a high-tech lead suit to protect himself as he operated in this dangerous area.

Closing the door, Dr. Hector placed the stone in a compartment within the reactor. A space was created within the reactor that was used to test the heat and radiation on different things of interest. It was his last chance, if this failed, he would abandon this project and do something else to achieve his goals.

Drifting in the world of his thoughts, he had a suspicion that the meteor shower was not a random incident. Something was extremely off. Many more incidents were happening all over the world. It was changing the terrain and many other things. Maybe some supernatural thing could help him. Before joining the organization, he had acquired a book on his journey around the world during this catastrophe phase of meteor showers. A temple that formed and was looted in Madagascar.

It was auctioned, and he had the urge to buy this book. Its unique thing was that it had an ever-changing cover. He discovered that by placing it in the same space as the invisible stone, a story-like novel seemed to write itself in the book. It was interesting at first, but utterly useless. He recovered from his trace as he looked at the reactors control unit.

"I should push it to maximum capacity because I know this stone can take it. I can't risk ever asking for permission again, it will be too suspicious," Dr. Hector thought as he calibrated the interface of the reactor.

It was very astonishing. After coming back in a few days, he stopped the process as the stone was shining very brightly. The stone slowly changed to a green and dark pigment color. Putting on a radiation suit, he came close, but to his surprise, there was no trace of extreme heat or radiation. This was both surprising and disturbing. He didn't know what he was dealing with.

"I just don't have a choice," Dr. Hector said, looking at the stone.

For weeks, Dr. Hector tried everything in his lab to get a reaction from the stone, hooking it to many different apparatuses, and using various materials to make it react, but nothing seemed to work. He knew the stone could give superhuman strength, maybe something like advanced cellular regrowth or regeneration, which could help him revive Aiden without any drawbacks in the process.

He took the final and only risk. He would try to clone Aiden using his DNA as genetic material. He couldn't bear to see him die again. He would rather die himself before that. He worked tirelessly, and months passed by to not mess anything up.

"Doctor, still no progress. The council is disappointed. We will give you more time, but we expect results," the General said, as Dr. Hector was reviewing the research data he had gathered for Aiden.

"I am trying my best, General," Dr. Hector replied, looking at the tube where a body was floating in liquid.

"I hope this works. Please, a god, and God, help me. I am just a broken man, just help my son. I will pay any price," Dr. Hector cried out, calling to anyone in an empty room. Unnoticed by him, the stone was slowly blinking very faintly.

Dr. Hector placed the mysterious stone in the bottom of the tube containing his cloned son. He observed it closely as it glowed and emitted faint blips in the night. The next day, he noticed that the stone had lost its color and had become invisible. Alarmed, he checked on his cloned son and saw that their development had greatly improved bone density and overall development had a 500% increase.

Worried that the stone might have some negative effects, he searched the bottom of the tube and found the invisible stone by touch. It was hard to locate, as it did not show up on temperature-sensing cameras. Dr. Hector carefully removed the stone and kept it in his pocket, securing it with a light tape strip.

Time passed by, and six months had flown by in the blink of an eye. The doctor's first successful clone was his son. He had been placed into the development program immediately after he had shown exceptional promise in cognitive skills, learning, and adaptability. The harsh program was designed to turn him into a super soldier, just six months after he had been born.

The doctor couldn't bear to witness it, so he pulled some strings and arranged to see him after his first year. He loved him like a son, but he couldn't show it. He had to maintain his cover and keep the secret of his birth a closely guarded secret.

The doctor was jolted from his reverie by the sound of his phone ringing. As he answered the call, he listened intently.

"Dr. Hector, it's time we discuss the project in person. We'll meet tomorrow at level 55. Your key has been updated to give you access to the floor. I'm looking forward to meeting you and your very precious success, B-1X," the voice on the other end said.

"Click."

The phone cut off, and the doctor took a deep breath, a serious look etched on his face. He was holding an invisible stone.

"There's no more time. They've noticed my tracks. I will escape this hellhole and bring my son with me. I can't see him treated like a toy and an object anymore. Tonight, I will make my escape," he thought.

Dr. Hector used his time wisely and set up numerous escape routes and hiding bunkers all over the world. He used his influence and financial power, hoping it would be enough to keep them hidden for a while.