Chapter 73: The Answers

Heather rose from her chair, her spine straight, her chin lifted, and when she spoke, her voice carried the full weight of her station.

“Why was the program stopped?”

The question hung in the air like a blade.

“It seemed like everything they wanted. A solution to the genetic instability. A way forward for the clan.” She paused, her green eyes sweeping across the six council members. “Since it was sealed away, I presume they had stopped after Steve.”

Fatima Kaur rose to her feet and inclined her head toward Heather, a gesture of deference that did nothing to soften the gravity in her expression.

“Yes,” Fatima said, her voice calm and deliberate. “Steve was the only one.”

She turned toward Heather fully, her hands folded in front of her. The wire-rimmed glasses made her look severe, but there was something almost sorrowful in her eyes.

“The council stopped because they feared the consequence if the knowledge of the serum ever got out.” She paused, letting the words settle. “Imagine any government getting their hands on it. They could create an army of super soldiers.”

Steve remained pensive, his gaze fixed on the polished surface of the table before him. The possibilities of this genetic serum were staggering—and frightening. He pictured it clearly: sterile laboratories, rows of vials, soldiers engineered for endurance and aggression. Wars fought over a few drops of liquid. Nations toppled. The world reshaped by the same science that now coursed through his veins.

It made his stomach clench.

But one question rose above the others, pressing against the back of his teeth until he had no choice but to voice it.

“What about my children?”

The words came out quieter than he intended, but they cut through the chamber nonetheless.

He lifted his head, his blue eyes finding Dr. Monroe’s across the table. “Are they affected by the serum?”

Dr. Monroe adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses with a practiced motion. For all his clinical detachment, his expression now showed sympathy.

“According to the files,” Monroe began, his voice steady, “the serum will prevent any birth defects for at least five generations.”

He let that sink in.

“But it will not create any body modifications like yours.” He inclined his head toward Steve, a gesture that was almost reverent. “You are truly unique.”

Heather’s hand found his shoulder, squeezing gently. But Steve barely felt it. His mind had already drifted inward, caught in a current of uneasy contemplation.

He was unsure how he felt about any of this. On one hand, these modifications—this serum—had permitted his family to survive, to propagate, to thrive across generations. Without it, the O’Connor clan might have crumbled under the weight of its own traditions, genetic instability tearing apart what centuries of incest had built. There was a strange, twisted gratitude in that.

But on the other hand, he would always have to weigh these genetic alterations before he became serious with a woman. Even with his current women—his mother, his sisters, Rachel, Charlotte, Evelyn, Margaret, Luisa, and all the rest—intercourse with him was an almost certain pregnancy. The thought loomed over him, both exhilarating and terrifying. How many children did they want? How many could they want? Condoms looked like a solution on the surface, but with his supersperm—the files had made that abundantly clear—he would have to be very careful. One slip, one moment of passion unchecked, and the consequences would be irreversible.