Chapter 1: Hydrogen (part 5)

There was a sound of metallic "clickety-clack" heard across the room near the entrance..the inner thought of "The Doctor" pulses a memory connection to him that link the familiar sound source to a mental image, and the image was the picture of the art of explosion- a flashbang grenade- a standard type of explosive used by removing the pin and thrown into enemy lines to cause stun effects and disorientation. It was followed by a few tosses of standard grenade by a grenade launcher, which could have been counted in their plural form by watching several different trails of smoke coming from the muzzle. A mild tremor shook the room.

"They're here.."    "Must've been the tracking device they put on my labcoat.." and faster than the blink of an eye did that white coat stained with liquid chemicals all over it got thrown underneath the study desk while The Doctor was still holding the soul container of a newborn infant, whose life depends so much on his holding hands.

The next few ones however (both clickety-clacks and tremors) were at a higher magnitude of sound and power, so much so that they might have matched the readings of a 5.3 Richter-scale readings of an earthquake. After all, the room full of surveillance equipments and gadgets was a few levels underground..and judging from the sound, he posits that a few pipes were broken in the process, leaking the liquid nitrogen into the air both in the current room and upstairs.

The Doctor could hear a couple of footsteps approaching, and he immediately closed his eyes. It has been discovered that when a sense is shut, other senses amplifies, and The Doctor has been practicing this technique ever since the discovery of the fact is added to his long list of collective knowledge. Well this is not exactly rocket science, it's a worldwide-well-known fact. Due to his special condition however, The Doctor's hearing multiplied tenfold. Much like how the sonar works to detect schools of fish underwater, or for geographical mapping of the ocean floor (or you know, ultrasound scan of a baby, to match the "childbirth theme" of this chapter) simply by carefully listening to them he could've easily guessed the number of people upstairs- there were a dozen of them. This type of distinguished ability is called "Accute Vulcan Hearing", or AVH for short where a person is able to identify, locate and isolate sound sources even by the slightest of vibration. And to be frank, those guys upstairs didn't really move like ninjas- subtle and silent. They were more like a bunch of rhinoceroses rampaging a field full of landmines...that's how loud and noisy their movements were. Come to think of it, it was no surprise since the bunch of guys upstairs were well equipped with super heavy assault gears, heavy bulletproof defensive helmets and kevlars as well...

As a matter of fact, there were countless instances in The Doctor's life that his unique AVH ability has saved his ass from danger and getting out of tight spots (difficult situations), although some could even be considered funny (or even an intrusion of privacy). 17 years-old, as a curious guy in the boy's locker room getting ready for American football, he could vividly hear the sound of girls gossiping while changing clothes next door. He sheepishly smiled then, and a few other times as well. Later that same day, he avoided a quickball thrown by his team's quarterback just because his ears sensed a sudden change in air pressure behind his helmet or headgear. He escaped the ball's dashing path by just milimeters away. At 20, as he stood in front of Professor a.k.a Sir Londonberg Basher's office, he overheard a discussion between his Linguistics professor with the Head of Language School & Studies, and guess who aced slash scored an A+ in the Advanced Linguistics final paper the following day. Talk about getting "spot questions" first-hand. This particular unique traits of his was what qualifies him to be accepted under CIA's Tactical Intel and Reconnaissance Espionage Division (TIRED) which specializes on infiltration, information gathering, hostage rescues, enemy stalking, spying enemy movements and progress...well you get the gist.

Although the lab has been put under lockdown, the loud screech of metals above him did not seem like a good indicator to be heard...or felt. "This can't be good", he muttered in a soft monologue manner. Assisted by The Doctor, although the odds are against "him", this is the battle of an Infant versus an Infantry. He could feel that the room would be breached anytime now, that his enemy is getting one step closer to get their hands on the most wanted item in the room- Dex. Though pressurized, he didn't panic..probably because he had sworn the life of the baby with his own, in front of the parents no less...or probably because he knew right there and then that panicking will only make things worse. The poor thing was crying uncontrollably after the explosions were within his audible range..no shit, what kind of baby smiles and laughs after hearing loud disturbing noises right? Go figures. The act of crying itself both jeopardize and compromise their location and position respectively.

In attempting to save two lives at once, The Doctor felt the rising pressure to find a quick exit yet he could not shake the feeling that he has to somehow lose his attackers slash pursuers (the image of well-armed, army-suited SWATs bad guys currently running in your mind) first. To beat the odds, as the odds are against him, he decided to go for his last resort- the glowing blue liquid in a vial left by Zylerfon to him. He took off his freakishly small engagement ring, twisted the diamond on it 90 degrees clockwise, and pour the unknown white powder that came out of it into the vial. As he was shaking the container of the liquid blue solution, the lid to the underground level (his current room) was flunked open with C4 explosives with time-controlled detonation. Black smoke quickly filled the room and the dense nitrogen vapor from upstairs ran down the stairs like a waterfall of white apparition, where it finally merges with the underground layers of nitro-vapors.
(short note: Just FYI, nitrogen changes states from liquid to gas at room temperature)

This exact moment was when Lady Luck witnessed every single turn of events of what occurred that day, through a mirage of images like a hologram or any 3D holographic display known to humans, right in front of her. Actually, she has been watching the flow for quite some time now, ever since Zy was admitted to the "temporary pregnancy ward" which was actually a bed/table for human chemical trials and experimentations in The Doctor's underground lab. Simultaneously with the security breach, Lady Luck then proceeded to ask her co-conspirator for professional advice.

"O' Lady o' Fate, what shall I do? Thou think I should help him, don't thee? Or shall I not?"
"The decision shall be made regardless, and it is thy decision and thy decision alone Lady o' Luck, that shall determine his destiny, for Fate could never barge in before Luck runs out..."

...and no truer nor wiser words were spoken by Fate that day. With Fate's blessings, coupled with her own intense curiosity, Luck wrote an ancient seal on the air with her bare fingers (and surprisingly, magical writings and enchantments appeared!). She worked her magics through the portal which later materialized in the reality that she's currently watching. Even Luck could not have predicted the outcome of the underground lab incident in 1990.

Concerned of the ugly outcome, and knowing he was gonna need every single ounce of his strength to get this job done, The Doctor put Dexter underneath the table. "At least he's gonna be safe here, even for a little while"....

It is said that desperate times require desperate measures. The Doctor ingested exactly three drops of the blue liquid and yet again, he closed his eyes. The men dressed in bulletproof black vests runs closer, and closer by the second. Exactly 3 seconds later, The Doctor opened his eyes wide. By this time, he has gained extra sensory perception (ESP), and has finished analyzing the surrounding and environment of the room. The men in black approaches. As Luck would have it (literally), they were all running in front of and/or near the pipes of the liquid nitrogen tank. Lady Luck smiled for her successful alteration of dimension distortion. The sight of the tank and pipes caught the attention of his, The Doctor's eyes suddenly shine, metaphorically. It was the moment to strike.

"Let's get this over with!"

Chapter 1: Hydrogen (part 4)

Now, there're 3 main problems - inconsistencies and ambiguities that riddle the parameters of his birth. The first was that he was born in 1990, a year in which communication technology is at its peak of advancement but still, cellphones that could fit in your palms are yet to be invented...I know cause I was part of the Research & Development Team of Radio Technology for CIA back in 1999. Well, maybe there were a few at that time, but not the kind of phones you could type a text message with as what Capt. Zylerfon did. Plus it has got satellite radar and built-in sensors. You can easily gain access to this type of technology nowadays, i mean, iPhone5 equipped with GPS and stable internet connection can easily do the trick...but again, not in 1990s.  
Where, or rather, HOW did she get herself one of those fancy mobile?

Second of all, the secluded location of his mother's conception and the fate of little Dex after his parents' departure. Is there even a reason as to why his birth needs to be enveloped in secrecy and shrouded in mystery? It's not like his mother is an alien lifeform whose mothership crashed in Roswell or Area 51 and was saved by a handsome lad named Zack right? Where on earth did he inhale his first gaseous mixture of earth's atmosphere? (or breath in simple terms). What happened to him afterwards?

And the third and final question, how can a mother possibly regained her physical strength just minutes after expelling an infant from the birth canal? From what I've heard, (also, from personal experience of watching a disturbing video of C-section childbirth from my childhood for a supposedly motivational camp), not only that the process is excruciating to a mother, she also needs to rest for at least one and a half day before she could speak properly and regain full consciousness and control of her body.

1.5 days. That's like, 36 hours duration post-conception. Consider this statistic: there is a 1/50 chance that a mother might not make it alive out of childbirth due to the insurmountable amount of pain. In medical terms, pain can be measured in quantitative manner called units of Del. A Human body can bear only up to 45 del (units) of pain. Yet at time of giving birth, a mother feels up to 57 Del (units) of pain. To female fellow lifeforms out there who are reading this, I just hope that you won't adopt half a dozen children just because you wanna have kids but can not bear the pain of giving birth. That is the exact symptom and description of AJD (Angelina Jolie Disorder).

Now back to the story. These are among the major gaps in between plots of a story that needs filling or otherwise, the story's geometric progression will be full of loopholes. And believe me when I say this: you're not gonna like the answers.

To answer the first question, I'm afraid we must ask ourselves, who Zack and Zy really were? Common pedestrian and bypasser? Hardly. As hinted by their verbal and emotional response to leaving Dexter without even a subtle hint of regret, as you might've guessed - they were both in CIA. I guess some things are hereditary huh..even things that are not usually associated with nature, like, the type of organization you'd be involved with. Some traits however, such as IQ, muscle potential and physical capacity, sensory alertness, and high rate of information processing were passed down to Dexter by Zack & Zy as stated in Mendel's first, second and third Law of Genetics. That was what made him the perfect specimen to continue his parents' legacy. Normal and lame is not in his DNA.

Now, to solve the phone puzzle. This puzzle takes us back to 1989, where 5 of the most valuable agents of a not-so-secret organization were given Sony-Ericsson Xperia 89- a prototype of the next generation mobile phone. It was a product of a top-secret joint venture between SONY Corporation, a leading force in telecommunication and entertainment from Japan led by Sony Yakamoto and Erik Ericsson Corp, global pioneer of satellite technology. It's not surprising that they made only 5 units of X89 worldwide considering the capabilities and let's face it, threats it possess should it fall to the wrong hands. Terrorist for example, can use it to do recon of security level anywhere in the world and strike where it hurts the most. Which was why in the same day the prototypes were entrusted to the CIA, Mr. Yakamoto himself introduced a special feature of the beta version - he insisted that the recipient of all X89 units should scan their fingerprints on top of the resistive touch screen surface so that only the entrusted holders of each models can use them in the future.and swipe their fingers they did.

Do you still remember the glowing blue liquid in a vial Dex held on to so tightly on the building? I'm afraid that's the answer to the last question. 

Chapter 1: Hydrogen part 3

The infinite flashes continued to blind him, like a never ending tunnel full of flashing lights. After a few moments which felt like an eternity of rewinds and fast-forwards, Dexter was taken to the starting point of it all-the origin-Ground Zero. In a Cartesan grid (the one you draw lines with values of y-axis and x-axis intersected), the point of origin is (0,0). Later studies and expansion of science disciplines in the middle of 20th century however requires the expansion of Cartesan grid to include another two dimensions: 'z-axis' and 't-axis'.  Z-axis is another (as you may have inferred from the alphabetic progression that comes after X and Y) variable to be considered in the Cartesan grid, while the t-axis (as you may have intelligently guess) refers to the point in time. Hence, according to the revised version of Cartesan grid (Cg), the new point of origin is (0,0,0,0). I'm guessing the quadruple repetition of the zero/'0' integer gave birth to the name Ground Zero. To simplify our understanding, if a time machine ever been invented, inserting the Ground Zero value into it might bring all of us to the origin of universe: The Big Bang.

In Dexter's case however, the Ground Zero is the day he was brought to life. The same day his biological father and mother shed tears of joy upon hearing his loud voice being projected from his tiny yet not-fully developed vocal chord. The surprisingly irritating high-pitched noise considered to be annoying by most yet was gladly welcomed as a soothing melody by the couple of not so new newlyweds filled the entire room.

"Congratz to you both...it's a boy!It's a healthy beautiful boy!" buzzed the Doctor in a loud whisper, carrying the baby towards the celebrated young parents.
"Oh come on doc, we knew that already..i have never ever....EVER doubt, the ultrasound scanner" he sheepishly smiled.

As the doctor handed the baby to Zack and walked away to address a more important issue,the dialogue between the three musketeers turned into a dynamic-duo conversation.
"What should we name him?"
"Geez..I thought you have already thought of a name"
"Seriously Zack, with everything that's been going on, do you seriously think I have time for that?"
"Wait, how about..wait for it..Abraham?
"Oh dear, for goodness sake..i know you admire Lincoln and all of his democratic policy but let me speak my heart in a way you and everyone else could understand. NO WAY! That sounds too ancient. Here, check this out instead" said Zy as she typed something into her cellphone, tilting the screen a little just to make the word visible to him.
"Oh my God honey, that's perfect!"
"I know right! Dexterity literally means mental androitness, and we both like that serial killer Dexter series from AXN..not to mention the cartoon DeeDee and Dexter in Cartoon Network you love so much."
"You sure talk a lot for someone who just expelled a 2kg baby from the inside of you. Aren't you supposed to be exhausted or something?"
"........" Zy was speechless, she was making a cute-sad sulking face.

"Be quick Zack..wrap things up there. Report to base immediately and make sure Captain Zylerfon tags along." the order followed by a static noise startled him.

Something happened against their will. Just as all their eyes gazed upon the center of optic gravity in that room which was the baby boy, a loud warning tone was heard in that room. Zack & ZY were full aware of the sound source, and the meaning it represents.

"It can't be...it's too early...I...we..." and just like that, he could not bring himself to finish the sentence.

Zy took her phone out from her vest pocket and looked at it immediately afterwards. There was a single blipping dot that blipped at the corner of the phone with a synchronized digital blipping sound. No one could have mistaken what they saw, even someone outside the organization. It was the kind of display you normally see on a radar. Slowly but steadily, the dot approaches the center of the screen. Next thing they know, a couple more red dots appeared similar to the first one..and more..and a bunch more. Zack counted all the red dots- there were 13 of them. Cold sweats ran through his face, and Zy could have sworn she saw a microexpression displayed on Zack's face that carries one of the most fundamental basic instinct and reaction of human survival. It was fear. Seconds ago, it was a microexpression: a subtle and quick facial expression that only experts can detect, experts like psychologists, criminal analysts, interrogators, medical officers with at least 5 years of experience...
Now it's written all over his face, as clear as sunny day.

" Zy, we got to go...NOW!"
"JJj..just a asecond.."

No one else could recognize the pain Zy was having..it was the kind of pain of letting go the thing you love most. Zy was a female agent second to none when it comes to serving the agency. She was simply the best. At the age of 15 she received her professional field training and passed her field exam the following year. She was well trained in all emotional aspects: conquering her own fears, resisting torture and interrogation, keeping a level head and staying positive even after a massive defeat...you name it and she does it. And yet that day, she fell victim to the rising level of estrogen and progesterone,  a force of nature to be reckoned with that runs in the bodies of feminists. Her maternal instinct took over her mission objective.

She held the most fragile and vulnerable thing in the room close and tight in her arms and whispered.
"Dexter Raiden Cavelry...promise me to never forget your breakfast every morning, finish all your vegetables, share toys with others...sorry i can't and won't buy you any..."
After a few sobs, she continued.
"...listen to your teachers, love your friends...and animals..don't be mean to animals..and..and..study hard...boy i don't even know what else to say to you. I wish nothing but the best for you. Mommy will aaallwayys love you..."
A few kisses landed all over Dex's chubby cheeks and forehead. She then proceed to unwear her surprisingly tiny blue medallion necklace and wore it around Dex's neck. It's the Cavelries family's heirloom passed down from generations to the next, with a slight tweak and adjustment just days before Dexter got it.

"I leave him in your capable hands." Those were the last words captured by Dexter's auditory system, and another 2 pairs of ears in the room, one of which belongs to the utterer of those words.

Exactly five minutes later, Zack and Zylerfon left Dexter, the newly born baby clueless of his newborn fate. He kept on crying not knowing that that was the last time he'll ever meet his parents. If this particular scene is viewed from the vantage point of an outsider without any background info of this family whatsoever, it will seem so heartless and so cruel. Welcome to reality Ladies and Gentlemen, where cruelty knows no bounds.

From 21st century onwards, the world has become a cruel place where just like love, justice is blind. It is as if Lady Justice wears a blindfold around her eyes feigning the ability to see vividly and put things where they don't belong at all, misplacing everything on purpose..which is puzzling. Why would Lady Justice pretend to be visually impaired when she plays a vital role in deciding the fates of millions hanging in the balance? Legend has it that, she was blindfolded by her co-worker, Lady Fate so that she could rest an go to an eternal slumber..she was tired and worn out with all the burden on her shoulders to assist Lady Fate to either punish or reward. Her ultimate tool, the Balance Beam which she derived from the one owned by the Angel of Division, Aesraphael. Part of Aesraphael's job is to weigh a person's sins and good deeds post-Armageddon to determine whether a soul belongs forever in the doom of Hellfire or Heaven's garden. Her balance beam on the other hand, is a little bit more complex and differs from Aesraphael's in several key aspects and design. Hers was created to calculate, some sort of a non-commercial computer to compute complex calculations and taking into considerations factors like risk, intention, effort, purity of heart and sincerity. All of these, are the main factors to consider justice.

Thus, from the moment Lady Justice was asleep, cruelty runs rampant on a global scale..until one occurence. As prophesized by Lady Fate, one incident that would wake the powerful sleeping beauty and finally bring Justice as a new world order. That prophecy mentioned something like the birth of a hero-a saviour to restore balance to the world. And at that precise moment where Lady Fate made that prediction, she held an hourglass with the still unborn soul of Dexter's trapped inside it.