'Lub-dub, lup-dub, Lub-dub.'

That was the sound of his heartbeat. With each beat, he regained consciousness. Murmurs echoed closely. Who is talking, he wondered. Where am I? He questioned himself, trying hard to deliberate as he regained consciousness.

At last, he opened his eyes. Once he did, he saw a colorless fluid flowing around his body while a breathing mask was strapped onto his face as he looked around. The liquid was contained within a large capsule tube. As he looked even further, he saw the four siblings who stood there, waiting for him to respond.

"Okay, asshole, talk," said Dan with crossed arms.

"I'm pretty sure that's how you court a woman," retorted Diana.

"Well, they ain't bitches like you," Dan scoffed and looked at her

Diana clenched her fist while Sam intervened, "Enough, you two!"

"My my, you all resemble your father, except for you," Gordon pointed at Sam.

"Me?" Sam asked.

"Yes, you, but somehow you resemble the greatest warrior of our race, Dru-Ex. Maybe I could be wrong," he continued.

"How well do you know our father?" Sam inquired.

"Know him? I was his friend. We grew together as children. We shared a passion to save, serve, protect, and defend Codex. We lived by those four words. "

"Okay, Tell us more," Sam said.

"Your father was an elite scientist. So great that he was able to replicate the ability to travel to a specific point in time, much like the speedsters. He was regarded as one of the three Intellectuals."

"Speedsters?" Diana asked, confused.

"Interesting, I thought this was their homeworld," muttered Gordon.

Out of impulse, Dan blasted the wall on his right side with a flame blast. This brought Gordon's attention to him.

"Continue..." Dan insisted.

"Well, your father was our race's most prominent scientist. He developed a way for us to weaponize plasma energy into our weapons. Although he loved science, he also loved history. "

"So he was a scientist and a historian at the same time?" Harrison inquired with a nod.

"Precisely...."

"Skip to why he was executed," Sam demanded.

"He was executed!" The three exclaimed as they looked at him, flabbergasted.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I was getting to that," Sam said.

"May I proceed?" Gordon inquired.

"Yes, " replied Sam.

"Our race made an absolute law that we should not activate our primordial genes. These genes could enhance our physical capabilities and provide us with godlike abilities. And these genes are now activated inside all of you."

"You mean our powers?" Diana inquired.

"Yes, your father experimented on all of you when you were still children. "

"Why would he do that?" Dan asked. At that moment, his face turned red; it wouldn't take long before steam could burst out of his ears.

"I don't know. I found out about his experiments and warned him as a friend. Then, the council found out and executed him before your mother, Alura."

Harrison's eyes widened with tears, "Mr. Austin, tell me his lying. He's lying, right?" He pleaded.

"I...I believe what he's saying is true," Sam replied.

 "If you don't mind, I want to go home?" Dan asked. Sam nodded.

"B-22, enable cryo-stasis," commanded Sam.

"yes, sir."

The fluid inside the tube formed into ice particles, spreading around his body. In due time, he lost consciousness and closed his eyes.

"What is happening to him?" Diana asked.

"I have subjected him to cryo-stasis..." B-22 said as she was interrupted by Sam, who spoke after her.

"...by shutting down his nervous system to induce paralysis, right?"

"Precisely, I will keep him like this until either of you decide to release him from his paralysis. " B-22 said.

"Wait, is that an A.I.?" Diana questioned.

"Yep, it came with the scout ship. I'm guessing our father, Caldor, invented it. Well, everyone, let's go home," Sam said.

*************

New York

Austin Penthouse

The elevator opened and out came the four siblings.

"Woah, sweet potatoes, this place is rad," intoned Harrison.

As the young lad looked around the living room, his eyes were met with a lavishing spacious room. Pastel walls contrasted nicely with the dark-toned polished wooden furniture. From the left side, a winding staircase from the second floor welcomed them with a sight of elegance.

From across the room, the large frameless windows that ran from the ceiling to the floor gave them a great view of the city, with the Hudson River and the Empire states building protruding from a distance. Let's not forget the hearth built on the right wall. The hearth stood across a white vets-U-shaped sofa.

Jonathan approached the four from the kitchen. It was situated behind the left-pastel wall. With a smile, he greeted Sam and adjusted his glasses.

"It's good to see you again, Master Austin. I see you have brought a couple of lovely guests."

"It's good to see you too, Jonathan. Guys, meet Jonathan," he gestured at him.

They approached Jonathan and shook hands with him.

"Master Austin, who might these lovely people be?"

Sam scratched the back of his neck and stuttered, "Well...uh...uh... it's a funny story, but..." 

"We are his apprentices," responded Diana.

"Yes, as she said, they are my apprentices," Sam said.

Jonathan smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you all. And as for you, Master Austin, you must get into a new set of clothes."

"Why?" Sam inquired.

"Today's the day you finalize the deal with the Watanabes. " 

"Oh shit! Uh...Jonathan, please make them feel comfortable," Sam said before rushing to his bedroom.

"So, Mr. Jonathan, is there any food that you can offer us?" Harrison asked.

"Now that you've mentioned, I was just about to make breakfast."

Sometime later, Sam was in a custom-made black suit with a pair of Italian shoes, a red tie, and a watch. He looked at his reflection in the mirror right after adjusting his tie. He looked at the time from his wristwatch and pursed his lips.

"Mariko's gonna be so pissed," he muttered.

He then trudged out of his bedroom and down the winding staircase. He waved at them while he pressed the button of the elevator.

"Later, guys."He said, entering the elevator, and once it opened, he bode his departure.

**********

At Austin Industries

A board meeting occurred between the Watanabes and the shareholders of Austin Industries. The Wattanbes sat on the left side of the desk, while the Austin Industries shareholders sat on the right side. From the horizon, the chairman's seat was left unoccupied.

"I am willing to assume the position of CEO and Chairman for the time being," said Phillip, the COO.

Sam burst into the boardroom through the closed doors and exhaled heavily, "Sorry I am late."

Mariko narrowed her brows and exhaled sharply from her seat, "Okay then, can we continue?" Sam took a seat across the table and looked at her. She glared at him with anger.

"Mr. Austin, please tell us more about your invention?" Inquired one of the Watanabes' shareholders.

"Oh, right. Mariko, please stand up."

Mariko stood up a bit petulant. Sam tapped on the table, and by doing so, a blue hologram appeared.

"Where were you?" Mariko whispered as they stood next to each other.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he whispered. She stared daggers at him. Sam has always been punctual, making him reliable and responsible in the eyes of the Watanabe and Austin Industries affiliates. His recent behavior, however, has been questionable. It has raised questions to many, including the Watanabes, about what kind of leader he would be. And as for Mariko, she expected more from him.

 Then, he faced the board members and spoke, "Ms. Watanabe and I found something interesting in Nagasaki. "

"We found particle residue inside the plants," Mariko said after him.

Afterward, one of the board members raised their hand, "Ms. Watanabe, could you care to explain more about this matter?"

She nodded and explained.

"The radiation readings we found from the plants are from the atomic bomb. "

Sam then spoke after her, "We found a way to stabilize the rads and make a synthetic version of the plant's energy to make it power our train at the same time."

"Yes, and the train will be traveling in the air," replied Mariko as the others gasped.

"How?" One of the board members inquired.

"Light reflector panels, " she answered.

Once again, Sam spoke after her.

"Yes, the reflector panels will work two ways. One...it will contain the energy molecules to avoid causing structural damage to the train. And two, it will help levitate the train from the ground. "

"And one more thing, based on the countless schematics and simulations we've run together, the train can reach 692 miles per hour. Almost the speed of sound," said Mariko.

The other board members were in awe and applauded, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is something my father and Mariko's father have worked on for the last five years. This will help to make lives much easier. After this, the railroad will be a thing of the past. Plus, this is clean energy we're talking about. "

"Dear Watanabes, I hold my father's proxy. And for that reason, I don't need your permission because I won't make this decision unilaterally, " Mariko said.

"How soon can you begin?" One of the board members asked. It seems that Sam and Mariko's presentation impressed them. It was no surprise, with Sam's outstanding intelligence quotient and Mariko's connections and resources, their different attributes complimented each other somehow. And they formed a blueprint for a creation unlike any other.  

"Watanabe Aerospace Engineering Labs and us can get our finest engineers working on it immediately," replied Sam.

"Okay, we will give you a deadline of seven and a half months. This Board meeting is adjourned." One of the board members said.

"Yes!" Sam shouted excitedly.

Once the board members left. Sam and Mariko had a conversation amongst themselves.

"We make a pretty good team, don't you think?" Sam said.

"I guess so." 

"How bout you come over to the penthouse for some dinner ?" Sam suggested.

"I'll only come if you tell me where you've been," she sternly said as she gently poked him on the chest.

Sam nodded, then suddenly, the ground rumbled. The furniture, walls, and ceiling shook violently to the might of that external force. Fortunately, the two were heavily anchored on the ground and thus did not stumble over.

Once the rumble stopped, she cautioned, "What the hell was that?"

"It's no biggie. It's just a minor earthquake."

Mariko rushed to the glass wall to see what might've been the cause of this sudden tremor. Sam followed her, and when he saw what was the cause, his eyeballs nearly jolted out of his sockets.

"No," he muttered.

The two caught sight of an enormous spaceship. Three space pods detached from the mother ship and traveled across the city at incredible speeds.

"Let's go downstairs," suggested Mariko.

He briefly nodded while she made a B-line for the door. When she was out of his sight, he turned his attention back to the glass wall. He took a few steps back and ran through the window afterward. Once he took flight, a loud thunderclap erupted from the intensity of his speed.