25th April
09:35 GMT -6
"I already heard part of that story from Magnificus.
"
Venus nods. "I didn't.. know about the test subjects.. at the time. Thaddeus had a lot of data on fetal development and.. I believed him when he said his techniques would ensure that our children had the best start in life they could get."
Beautia leans forward and pats her mother on the left arm with her right hand. "Mom, I started work in a hospital as a fully qualified MD at seventeen. I'd say it worked."
"There's.. more to life than how quickly you can start work. Your social skills may be better than your fathers, but I still had to drag you out of your laboratory to go and make friends. And Paul's the first boyfriend you've ever brought home to meet the family."
"M
om."
I reach back with my left arm, putting it around her shoulder.
"Do you know exactly what he did?
"
"Thaddeus… He though normal zygote selection techniques were wasteful. You have to fertilise a lot of eggs and then test them… So he did a full genetic work up of both of us and used that to calculate the optimal-"
Mmmmmmmmmm! "-combination of genetic characteristics and womb conditions." She leans forward slightly. "And -let me tell you- I wasn't exactly flattered by
that. Making a child is a very chemically complicated business, but Thaddeus was on top of it. I must have taken more dietary supplements during those nine months than the rest of my life put together."
"That sounds a bit…
"
"He was.. trying to help. To do something
good. And if anyone had actually been prepared to invest in the technology he developed we could have eliminated congenital deformity worldwide by now."
"And.. the Beresfords?
"
"He never exactly
said he was going to give our children super powers, just that they'd be as fit and healthy as humanly possible. I suppose he.. just had higher standards for Humans."
"I've certainly never had a problem with my strength."
Venus looks less certain. "You didn't have to
breast feed two-" Beautia and I both cringe. "-super strong children." She notices our reaction and smiles. "Thaddeus ended up developing a sort of super resilient rubber nipple cover-" We cringe
more as she
mimes. "-which seemed to do the trick, but it still wasn't exactly comfortable. Fortunately, you both learned a degree of self control and spatial awareness before you did too much damage to our home. I don't know how the… How Missus Beresford managed with that."
"Breast pump and putting them on formula early. Please don't ask me how I know that.
" She was perfectly happy to talk, but her alcohol-lubricated ramblings were somewhat disjointed. Still, her children's rehabilitation is.. if not going
well, then at least
going. Magnificus has actually phoned them a few times, and his sheer condescension has spurred Tuppence into paying attention in class.
"Their father used to take them out to an abandoned quarry where they could cut lose with their full strength.
" Which is almost certainly where the positive association with smashing comes from.
Beautia shrugs. "I never really cared about being strong. Dad.. emphasised intellectual development. I suppose I always thought that I was as strong as I'd ever need to be so I may as well focus on things that actually interested me."
"And.. Magnificus? I'd have thought.. at school…
"
"We were always the youngest in our year. It wasn't such a big deal for me, but for him being shorter than the other guys.. did give him a few problems. And then he was..
too strong. If he got into a fight-"
Venus nods. "And
that happened a few times."
"-he wouldn't just
win, he'd mop the floor with them. He found it pretty hard to make friends."
"He was too clever for other children his age and too young for the other children in his classes.
" Two nods.
"I suppose that.. in a way, Hugo Danner was luckier. He only outclassed the people around him
physically.
"
Beautia rests her head on my arm. "I suppose that's why -despite everything- we've stayed so close as a family."
"Despite half of the family being supervillains?
"
"Would you rather I leave Georgia and Thaddeus Junior with only their father for guidance? I'm not happy about the path they've chosen… But at least this way I can make sure that they're not doing anything
too crazy."
"We're the only other people we all know who can understand what we're working on. Who can keep up with us when we start working on something
beyond cutting edge."
"I've got the shade of Thomas Morrow on call. He's the only expert on thaumorobotics on the planet.
"
"I didn't say there
weren't other people, just that we're the ones we know best. And there aren't many."
I nod.
"Okay. Your father clearly had no illusions about his own physical attractiveness if he selecting genes for appearance mostly from-
" I indicate Venus with my right hand.
"-you. Then why-?
"
Venus raises her eyebrows. "Why do Thaddeus Junior and Georgia look like him with hair and him in drag respectively?"
"I wasn't going to put it
quite that harshly, but…
Yes, basically.
"
"That.. was.. when Thaddeus started to go more and more…
Off. Our first children had the best of everything. With them… He said that if he compromised on some characteristics he could enhance certain others. Genes don't code for characteristics, they code for chemicals, so it seemed reasonable." Venus looks a little down, then perks up slightly. "Of course, since they didn't have super strength it was a lot easier on my-."
"
Mom!"
"Thaddeus said that since intellectual ability was more useful for influencing the world than physical appearance he needed to do everything he could to maximise their intellectual development. Including discouraging them to have anything much to do with other children." She sighs again. "They both have better social awareness than he does, but otherwise… They have the same relentless,
ruthless intellect that he has. Has
now."
I frown.
"But the Danner Formula wouldn't have made them less intelligent. It doesn't.. affect that at all. Unless he had some other alchemical formula for augmenting their brains.
"
"He said… And this wasn't until after the divorce. Because if he'd told me beforehand it would have
caused the divorce. He said that that by denying them the ability to rely on their physical abilities, he was forcing them to rely on their intellect for everything. They weren't designed to be all that much more intelligent than Beautia and Magnificus, they were designed to be better
motivated."
It makes a creepy kind of sense.
"No one would given them anything, so they'd have to learn to take it.
" I frown.
"That's-.
"
She nods. "Supervillain thinking. I've tried to encourage them to do other things… But.. it.. hasn't really worked. Particularly after the divorce. Thaddeus wanted to keep contact and.. he could help them with their projects more than
I could. And then by the time he went full supervillain they were closer to him than ever." She looks pensive. "They sent me a message after Thaddeus disappeared to let me know they were alright, but this will be the first time I've seen them since then."
"Are they going to be alright with
me being here?
"
"I don't… They probably won't resent you more than they would resent anyone else." She takes a deep breath and then slowly exhales. "Okay, that's enough about
my family. Why don't you tell me about yours?"
