Esperanto
Legacy Name: Esperanto

Esperanto - the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. -Wikipedia

Love can validate even the strangest of circumstances. Esperanto is certainly strange and his life would have been much different if it had lacked that one soft emotion.

Esperanto is a construct. An experiment. A being breed from cells and born in a test tube. There was nothing natural about his method of coming into this world. He was created by science to study the phenomena of psychic powers in a controlled lab setting. He was strange and unnatural.

But the reaction of his being was most natural. The woman scientist, dressed in a white lab coat, knelt down before the creature that was still dripping with fluids and wires still stuck to his body. She held him close, as gently as a mother to a newborn. "We have waited for you." She whispered softly. "We are here because of you, we have wanted you for so long."

That first feeling, that feeling of being wanted, of being loved, was so important. Esperanto, as he was soon named, was not strange or different in the eyes of the scientists. There were three of them: the woman, who was in charge of the project, the old man, and the young male student. Indeed other scientist worked in the complex, but only those three worked with Esperanto.

Esperanto lived in the scientific complex, having his own room with a soft nest of blankets to sleep on. He was given simple tests at first. Hardly more than predicting cards or floating playing blocks. It was soon apparent that his psychic powers were beyond what was intended. He was deaf, blind, and mute, his powers having to grow to compensate for these disabilities. But when the tests grew more difficult Esperanto would not complain. His caretakers spoke gently and would explain what they were doing and what they discovered. They treated him kindly, like he was family, a son, a brother.

On good days, the days when others in the complex were too absorbed in their own projects to notice, Esperanto would be taken outside to the courtyard. This was supposed to be forbidden and the women explained the need for secrecy, but she could not deny him the fresh air or the flower garden. Though he could not sense them in the usual fashion, his powers made him aware.

Eventually Esperanto was practically another member of the team. He would study his MRI and brain scans critically or insist on redoing a test as he believed he could perform better. Some times one of the scientists would stay overnight, sleeping in Esperanto's room. While supposed to just be present for dream scans, they often stayed up late just talking. The little experiment learned about more than science during these times; of the world outside, of life, of art and dance, of the idea of good and bad. {Am I Good?} He asked once. "You are very good." Was the response.

Esperanto, while not born naturally, was still entitled to birthdays. On his latest birthday, the three scientists surprised him with a party, complete with cake. His presents included not just the cake, made by the student who didn't have much money, but also a new stuffed bear from the old man, and a small picture album full of photographs of them all from the woman. It was one of Esperanto's favorite days and it seemed like he was living a dream. It wasn't until he was on his way to bed that reality came back to him. He was passing the woman who was speaking frantically on the phone. She begged and pleaded, twisting the phone cord around her hands worriedly. Esperanto could have looked into her mind to see what was wrong, but he did not. He was Good, and Good people do not invade privacy like that. She told Esperanto that it was nothing for him to worry about and that he should concentrate on remembering today.

Esperanto forgot about the phone conversation and the months went on. But things started to happen that made him remember. More phone calls happened when they thought he wasn't near, less trips outside but more sleepovers, even the tests seemed strained and different. One day a man from the government came. They said he was an inspector. He stared at Esperanto as the experiment demonstrated his powers but said that it was all just tricks. Esperanto did not like him, but then felt that disliking a person made him Bad, he didn't like feeling that.

Then the day came. They were being shut down. The woman cried, though only Esperanto knew. The project was too expensive and the results were not practical. The scientist would be assigned to different parts of the country and all their research and work would be packed away and stored in some cold dusty warehouse to be forgotten. They fought it, they really did try. More inspections, more phone calls, but the decision had been made.

Esperanto barely remembered the last few weeks. The old man secretly made copies of the research to be kept safe, looking worn and sad, the student poured his heart out to the little experiment, saying he never had a friend like him and that he would never forget him, the woman was nearly catatonic, and Esperanto craved more hugs, wanting to remember every single one. The movers came, they took the papers, they took the computers, and Esperanto was placed in a metal box with holes. He did not know what was going to happen to him, he never asked. He did not fuss but he was sad and confused. The back of the truck was uncomfortable and the jostling he received wore at Esperanto's body.

He was half asleep when the feel of metal scrapping woke him up with a fright. But the voices his mind heard were familiar. He became aware of fresh cold air seeping into his box. And then the box was open. "Come on, hurry, there is not much time." It was the student, urging him to come out. Esperanto came gladdly and jumped out of the truck. A quick scan showed him that he was at a truck stop. "The drivers are inside, hurry." It wasn't just the student this time, the woman and old man were there too. They explained quickly. They had followed the truck in secret in order to free their friend. They knew what was going to happen to him and had to stop it. The meeting was brief for they could be caught at any moment. "Run, you have to run." They urged. "Be safe, be good. We love you." The old man gave him his bear back, a new zipper was sewn into the back, making a pocket to hold the small photo album. Esperanto took the toy in his mouth. {I will remember. I will be good. I love too.} A cry like that of whale song came from his throat, the only sound he has ever made. With that he bounded away into the darkness, away from the only family he knew, but knowing that they loved him.

After wandering the city, Esperanto found a warm welcoming place at a tattoo parlor ran by a kindly Kanuri. Esperanto still explores the streets, but he has somewhere safe to call home for now.

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Esperanto appears as a quad experiment #84. His skin is actually very short sleek grey fur. His psychic powers are some of the most powerful in the world but he is cautious when using it. He is completely blind, his six eyes are white. He is also completely deaf and doesn't even have ear canals. Nowadays he is only mostly mute, the only vocalizations he can make sound like whale song but don't seem to have any meaning, instead they are a display of his emotions. While very intelligent he does have a rather simplistic outlook, wanting to be Good and disliking Bad. He always has his old bear and a photo album with him.