Humanity Endgame Ch. 02

"Hiding in plain sight," Lincoln "Link" Marshall said to himself, and he took a look at the Northeastern University campus, located in the heart of Boston. At this hour, campus was mostly empty. Link stood in the snowy quad, wondering what on earth he was doing in a place like this. Anyone looking at Link would see a big and tall, dark-skinned young man in a black parka, red silk shirt, black silk pants and black Timberland boots. Urban America writ large for the twenty-first century, as it were...

Link missed his ancestral home of metropolitan Kano, Nigeria, but the West African realm he held so close to his heart was far away. Link couldn't go back to Nigeria anytime soon. Sniffing the air, Link sensed the approach of several people, and scoffed privately. People, how he despised them. A lifetime spent hiding in plain sight, masquerading as the enemy, hadn't dulled his hatred of them.

In the summer of 1969, a group of rogue scientists performed experiments on isolated populations in three parts of the world. They targeted the poor and disfranchised, in places torn by war, strife and poverty. For these reasons, they selected poor people in Nigeria, China, Chechnya and Mexico. Thousands of men and women were experimented on, and altered at the genetic level. Most of these people would die within a decade or two following these experiments, but certain genetic changes were passed onto their offspring.

The sons and daughters of genetically altered peons from Nigeria, China, Chechnya and Mexico turned out to be much more than anyone could have foreseen. They're stronger, faster and smarter than ordinary human beings. They possess sharper senses, and quicker minds. They are not mutants. They are not genetically enhanced super soldiers. They are simply members of a new species that goes by the trinomial taxonomic name Homo Sapiens Supernus.

At present time, there are thousands of these supermen and superwomen loose upon the planet Earth, and they are in conflict with each other. Link was born and raised in Kano, Nigeria, the son of Ismail Adewale and his American wife Nadia Marshall. Link was unique from the get-go. He was fluent in Hausa, Igbo, French, English, Spanish and Russian before he could walk. As Link grew older, it became evident that he was a cut above ordinary humanity.

Link's parents had been experimented on by the rogue scientists, resulting in his unique genetic gifts. As Link grew older, his parents health declined, and they went to America and Canada to seek medical help. Along the way, they introduced their son to the West and its wonders. Link studied at the University of Montreal, graduating with a degree in civil engineering at the age of twenty one. The gifted young man wanted to pursue a career in the sciences, but fate had other plans.

"Link, you must hide from your enemies for the time being," said his uncle Mustafa Adewale as he ushered him onto a plane bound for Europe. Link looked at his father's older brother, a wizened old Nigerian Muslim tribesman, and hugged him fiercely. After his parents deaths, Link was looked after by his uncle Mustafa and his kin. Link vowed that he would return to Nigeria and do great things for his people, if the fates did not conspire against him.

"I will never forget you, uncle," Link said, and after thanking his uncle, he boarded the plane. From Lagos, Nigeria, Link flew to Europe, and then boarded a plane bound for America. Two days later, Link arrived in Boston, Massachusetts. He was subsequently provided with a study permit, a work permit, a social security number, a loaded bank account, and a Massachusetts Driver's Licence. Link enrolled at Northeastern University, and began the next chapter of his already tumultuous life.

What Link's uncle Mustafa hadn't told him is that a man named Ibrahimovic Gaibov had come to their remote compound on the outskirts of Kano, Nigeria, looking for him. Ibrahomic was tall, pale-skinned, blond-haired and blue-eyed, speaking in a thick Russian accent. Born in Argun City, Chechnya, Ibrahimovic was gifted with the same superhuman abilities that marked Link as different from the rest of humanity. He arrived at the Adewale family compound in a helicopter, backed by armed men.

"Old man, don't fear me, you have raised a man whom I consider family," Ibrahimovic told Mustafa, during his visit. Fortunately for Link, he was away visiting friends in Lagos at the time, and Ibrahimovic just missed him. Following Ibrahimovic's visit, Mustafa Adewale sent his nephew Link away for his own good. The old man knew that a day would come when powerful people would seek to exploit Link for his unique abilities. He'd been preparing for such a day.

Link was sent to Boston, Massachusetts, for his own good. Raised in isolation by the Adewale clan, he knew very little about the human world, or the superhuman world for that matter. Like all members of Homo Sapiens Supernus, Link possessed an antipathy towards Homo Sapiens which was akin to the hatred that mongooses and snakes feel for one another. Link's natural hatred of humans was tempered by his affection for his parents and extended family, who treated him with a love and reverence typically reserved for princes.

What Link didn't know is that Ibrahimovic had risen as a leader among the superhumans calling themselves Homo Sapiens Supernus. The Chechen-born Muslim warrior saw his superhuman brethren as the next rulers of the world, and wanted to take over. In order to accomplish his goal, Ibrahimovic was rounding up members of his superhuman family and recruiting them into a nigh-invincible army that would one day subjugate the world. Can anyone stand in his way?

"Hey stranger," came a voice, disturbing Link Marshall from his train of thought. The tall, burly young Nigerian scholar turned to look at his former classmate and new acquaintance, Jacqueline Sydney. Tall and slim, with light brown skin, and curly dark hair, Jacqueline looked elegant in a black leather jacket, black turtleneck shirt, black silk pants and black boots. She reminded Link of Tatiana Ali from Fresh Prince, an old show he loved.

"Sneaking up on me is a bad idea," Link said, and, moving with preternatural speed, he whirled around Jacqueline, and tapped her on the shoulder. Jacqueline blinked, wondering what just happened. One moment she was standing behind Link, and the next, he was behind her, tapping her on the shoulder. How in hell could this brother, built like a college football player, move like a frigging cartoon character?

"Okay, chocolate Speedy Gonzales," Jacqueline said, and Link grinned, and gave her a hug. Link didn't care for most human beings, but Jacqueline was one of a few whom he could tolerate. The young African American woman possessed a sharp mind, and she was of good breeding, the daughter of middle-class parents from Milton, Massachusetts. Jacqueline was one of a few students who could keep up with Link in the Master's of Engineering program at Northeastern University.

"Walk with me," Link said, and without hesitation, he linked his arm with Jacqueline's, and she didn't dare resist. The two of them walked through the nearly empty Northeastern University campus, and then headed out onto Boston proper. While not as lively as Kano, or as storied as Montreal, Boston had its appeal. Link could tolerate living there for the moment, and Jacqueline could keep him entertained for the time being.

"Let's go to Copley Mall, Link, you look bored and I'm famished," Jacqueline suggested, and Link grinned, marveling at his companion's ability to subtly assert herself. Arm in arm, Link and Jacqueline strode through the streets of Boston. Folks of all hues walked around them, living their lives. A few white folks looked at the well-dressed, attractive black couple, and Link cocked an eyebrow at these curious onlookers. Keep it moving and ignore these genetically inferior peasants, Link thought as he and Jacqueline continued on their way.

Link and Jacqueline reached the Copley Mall and did some light shopping before ending up at the food court. A pair of well-dressed, middle-aged female socialite types dined nearby, and they seemed to pay a lot of attention to the young black couple. What Link didn't know is that they were spies for Ibrahimovic, supreme leader of the superhuman race on the planet Earth. One way or another, like all living superhumans, Link would be brought into the fold and made to serve the collective's anti-human agenda, or he would perish. Simple as that.