Backbone: A Tale of Heroes

Chapter One: Forhazen

The story you're about to read is of my own creation. It is set in England in the near future, around 2035-ish, and all the characters are original as well. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Forhazen

Jacqueline Forhazen sighed and brushed her chestnut-brown hair out of her turquoise eyes. "Hank, you know how important this is. Edward Nelson is a dangerous serial killer, and a corrupt politician too. He needs to be taken down."

Her husband Henry huffed. "Jackie, I know. Which is why I want you to stay away from this! Your instincts, moral compass, and big heart have gotten you far, especially as a solicitor. But if you take this case, he'll– Cato, what is it?"

Their son had walked into the drawing room. The seventeen-year-old boy said, "Rocky's upset about something, but he won't talk to me. I'm worried for him."

"Oh, sweet Cato," Jacqueline said. "I'm glad you came to us. I'll go. Sit with your father for a while, won't you?" Her eldest son nodded. "That's a good lad."

Cato walked over to the sofa and sat next to Henry as Jacqueline went up to the first floor of the family mansion. Once she was upstairs, she knocked on her son Robert's bedroom door. "Who is it?" he asked through the door.

"It's Mum."

He opened the door. "I told him not to send you up here. You're not leaving until you know what's going on, are you?"

"Astute as always. What's wrong, Robbie?" She sat down on his bed.

"I just... have this feeling. Of... dread. Are you doing anything dangerous? Messing with anyone bad? I'm scared, and I don't know why."

His mother tutted sympathetically. "Everything's all right, dear. Come here." She shifted towards her son and hugged him. He reciprocated.

"Mum, at school today... something happened. Nathan Hersch, a boy in the next year above me, was being his usual bullying self to some of the younger kids. I got between them and told him to back off, but he just hit me as hard as he could... and it didn't hurt. Not even a little. What did get hurt was his hand. His knuckles were broken. But... something was off." Robert's eyes drew closer together, like he was worried. "I felt his hand, but it didn't make any impact. Look." Robert lifted up his shirt, and there was a slightly red circle in the middle of his pale, scrawny chest. "My shirt feels heavy." He shook his shirt, and a disc of stone, two centimetres thick, fell out. "Huh?"

Jacqueline's brow was creased. She picked up the stone, which was surprisingly heavy, and held it to her son's chest. It was exactly the size of the red mark on him. "Well, now we know what caused that. I need to speak with your father, Robbie. Cato will stay with you."

"Mum–"

"Don't 'Mum' me. Robert, this is vital. Just trust me, okay?"

"Yes, Mum."

"Henry. Echelon Industries has a subsidiary called Novasync, yes? Novasync Genetics?"

"My father's business? Yes, it does. Why?"

"Have you been near any of their experiments?"

"No."

"Has Robert? You took him to work last week, right? Was he out of your sight at all then?"

"Only for a minute, but yes, I suppose. Why?" His wife raised the stone up to their eye level. "What's that?"

"A stone from inside Robert's shirt. He doesn't know how it got there."

"Are you sure he's telling the truth?"

"I'm positive. I know my son." She then told him the entire story.

"That's strange. Do you want me to take that to work tomorrow and have the Helix people analyse it?"

"Please do. Henry... if what I think happened to Robert really did happen... What could happen to Cato?"

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Henry combed his strawberry-blonde hair out of his hazel eyes as he got ready for work the next morning. He picked up the stone and put it in his back pocket, and kissed his wife goodbye. His children were already at school. "Henry... be careful."

"I always am."