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( 53 一 LOOK TO THE FUTURE. )
"Almost thirty years ago, there were attempts... several actually... on the security of the nation. These bioterrorism attacks were launched by enemies of the United States, all involving tampering with our crops and water supply," Lillian Gray explained from her seat. All the kids had gathered in the garage, listening intently to hear the cause of all their pain.
"The president at the time, not my—not President Gray—signed off on a confidential order to begin development on a chemical agent to counteract and nullify a number of poisons, bacteria, and drugs that could be added to a population's water supply with us none the wiser. Leda Corp developed and distributed the chemical, called Agent Ambrosia, to our county's water treatment facilities."
Senator Cruz looked beyond furious when she spoke, "Did they test this agent in conjunction with the usual minerals and compounds added to our water?"
Dr. Gray nodded, "Yes there was routine testing. They studied children, adults, animals. Even pregnant mothers, who all safely delivered their babies. In truth, these researchers received so much pressure from the government to quickly implement the program that they weren't able to study the long-term effects of the agent."
Clara didn't know how she felt. If she was angry or devastated. She didn't know if she wanted to lash out, melt the minds of everyone involved in Agent Ambrosia or crawl up into a ball. The government was the cause of millions of deaths and they used the PSI as their scapegoat.
"Leda's recent study concluded that Agent Ambrosia is what we call a teratogen, meaning... meaning that women who drank the treated water unknowingly took the chemical into their bodies and it affected the brain cells of their children in vitro. My understanding of their repost is that these mutations remained dormant in the children's...in your minds until you reached the age of puberty—around eight, nine, ten, eleven years old. The change in your hormone levels and brain chemistry triggered the mutation."
"Why did so many die?" Cole asked. Clara watched as his hand gave a sharp twitch, a reminder that he was just as invested in the cure as the rest of them.
"Those mothers ingested higher quantities of the chemical, or there was a third, unspecified environmental factor," Dr. Gray explained.
Clara, sick of hearing how the government was to blame, opened her mouth, "What's the cure then? The government fucked this all up, what's their great cure?"
Dr. Gray looked at her and Clara could see the flicker of fear in her eyes. Clara knew she shouldn't, but she enjoyed the fact the woman was afraid of her.
"The scientific community had known for some time that, essentially, your psionic abilities involve shifting the normal flow of electricity in your minds," Dr. Gray said. Now Cara knew why she was shocked so often during her time at the lab. A poor comfort.
