"I'm pregnant, Griffin." Chelsea's voice was light, with a hint of anxiety.

And those three words hit him hard, harder than they should've. He looked back at his beautiful wife, and caressed her cheek with one hand softly, staring into her warm brown gaze. Griffin brought his face to hers, and kissed her, putting his hand over her stomach. Another baby- their second child was right there. He couldn't help but feel the excitement, just as he did the first time when she announced that there would be a new arrival. But this time, it was a bit different, this time, the excitement quickly faded, and was swallowed up by fear. Having a baby at this time wasn't ideal. Humans overpopulated to the point where an apartment lot became a skyscraper as high as it could go, with three rooms in each. There were no more small towns, there were villages, huge villages. There wasn't much room for kids, there wasn't much room for anyone. Most couples did not have children, and oftentimes lived in apartments with other couples to save space. But Griffin Jalice and his wife were on the wealthier side, and having a second child wouldn't be much of a hassle. In fact, Griffin probably wouldn't mind a third.

Being wealthy came with its perks, but also, a lot of burden and struggle that weighed on his shoulders. After the passing of his father a little over a year ago, he was elected the president, the ultimate ruler of the world. It was not a dictatorship, at this point, everyone knew what had to be done. By the time a person reached age sixty, they were eliminated to save space, as well with chronically ill people. In this world, it was survival of the fittest, and though it was inhumane in most manners, the people as a whole were all forced to accept it, no matter how wrong it could have been. Mankind was selfish, so selfish, and this is how they would pay for it. The worst, and most detrimental thing that had ever been done to change the way the world worked was the elimination of all predators, or so far, all land predators. They were competition for food, they killed the herbivores, which eliminated an extra food source. And looking back, Griffin was proud that he made the decision to take out their biggest competitors for food. The genocide of all of these animals brought in a large amount of food that immediately was put to good use. It supplied enough meat for the world for a large amount of time.

Meat was something sacred to the world, and it would only be eaten once a week with the meal at dinner time. It was to enable better nutrition and protein that humans needed desperately to survive. Every other meal consumed was leafy, and green. Most everyone worked inside a greenhouse, which allowed for large quantities of food to be grown quickly, and brought in for consumption. When there was a shortage in meat production, the only reasonable solution was to go about into the sparse forests, and to kill any predator seen. This would allow for the herbivores to eat, breed, and repopulate to much greater quantities. It was such a success, that it seemed that everyone forgot about the ethicalities.

"That's wonderful, darling." He murmured, taking a deep breath. Chelsea broke away suddenly, and looked directly into his eyes. Griffin almost knew what she was going to say, he could almost recite it with her.
"Are you sure about this, Griffin?" She asked him, hand over his own. He gulped, avoiding her pleading brown gaze. His hands became shaky as a wave of realization washed over him. "Are we really going to destroy their life? What if he or she takes over your company for you one day... What if they-"

"Chelsea, we're not destroying their life!" He yelled, anger pulsing into his veins. Griffin pulled his hand off of her stomach, and clenched his fists. "We need to give this child up! It's the only right thing to do! With the corruption of our race, we need to create someone who can withstand the anihu!"

Her gaze strained away from his own, her breaths becoming uneven as she started to cry. There was so much she could say to him, but so little he would actually listen to, Chelsea knew it. The man handed her an object that seemed to be a flat piece of metal, with a fingerprint on it. She took it, glaring at him and stood in front of him, pointing it at his face. Golden brown hair stuck over her face as she opened her hand, and dropped it onto his hand.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Griffin stood, a feeling of anger filling into his lungs, and ultimately in the back of his throat. His wife stared at him, a look of helplessness displayed in her eyes. He shook his head, and quickly grabbed her by the wrist, holding tight and then he pulled her forward. "You call them or I will," Griffin growled, his eyes narrowing.

"Griffin," she sobbed, falling to her knees. "This is our child..."

The man stood there, staring at his wife. Tears left hot, wet lines down her red face, and both hands on her stomach. Griffin's stomach lurched with pain and guilt as he saw her cry, and he was starting to have second thoughts. Slowly, he let go of his tight grip on her wrists, and watched her melt into a sobbing mess upon the carpeted floor. Was this really what they had wanted? Surely, it's what he had wanted... and it was always about his wants and needs. Chelsea always had seemed to have forgotten what is truly important, and that is feeding their family. Allowing others to be able to feed their families. But this was his child, his second child, so how could he just give them up and away?

"We have risked everything," He stated coldly, sitting back on the bed. "I have spent so much money. We built a training facility, we will have hunters. But they won't be ready for years, my love."

"I know," She whimpered, holding a hand over her stomach. "But you despise anihu, you hate them with a fiery passion. So why make our child into something you will hate so much?"

"Our child will help create an end to this madness. We are basically creating a superhero, come on, think about it." Griffin said, his warm brown eyes glowing up with pride as he thought about all he could accomplish in such a small amount of time. Basically, they were going to save the world, yes, at the cost of their second born child's normality, but he would still have a quality life.
He looked into his hand and stared at the metallic piece that seemed to shimmer when he brought the slightest movement to it.

Griffin swiftly put his thumb over the fingerprint, and brought it to his ear. The sound of the ringing brought utter silence into the room, it was such a long moment. The husband and wife stared into each other's eyes, knowing that what they were about to do could forever change the world. Then suddenly, someone's voice broke in. "Hello? This is the Malcom World Studies Laboratory, my name is Kendall. How may I help you?"

"Uh, yes," Griffin snapped back into reality, looking away from his wife and inhaling deeply before continuing. "This is Griffin Jalice," He took a second to pause, and allow the woman to realize just who she was actually talking to.

"Chelsea is pregnant. We have agreed," he stated, eyeing Chelsea. She looked at him with the most innocent look he had ever seen. His heart began to beat a little bit faster right before the words escaped from his lips. "We're giving up this child."

"Okay, are you sure about this, Sir?" Kendall asked hesitantly. He could hear the uncertainty in her voice, but Griffin's mind was already made, there was no stopping him now. "We've had many parents say they wanted to, and then-"

"Yes, we are sure," Griffin said, looking away from his wife. The palms of his hands become sweaty, and he felt nauseous. This was the biggest decision of his life, it would change everything. But for some reason, he didn't want to change his mind, he knew that it was what he had to do. He was saving the world, afterall.

"Okay, I will need you to arrive with her on the seventh floor," Kendall's voice rang into his ear.

"But," Griffin said sternly, almost with a sly smile. "When this child is born, he will live with us. I will support the cause, but I will not legally give my child up to be a lab rat."

"But Mr. Jalice, Sir, it is for the best. You don't know what he or she could be capable of. You-"
Kendall tried to argue, the anxiety clear in her voice. Who did she think she was, Griffin Jalice was the leader of the world, he was the one that created this experiment. Not only that, but he was donating his own child to better the life of everyone around him! The least they could do is let Griffin raise his own child.

"I know how to raise a kid! In fact, I'm raising one right now!" Griffin raged into the metal piece, his voice husky with anger. His face started to get red, and Chelsea looked up at him with eyes that flooded with brown pools of doubt. Deep down, he knew that she definitely wanted to raise the baby, and that was one of the only things he had left to give her in this situation.

Just then, in the heat of the moment, Cruze, their son came barging through the door. A smear of peanut butter was across his cheek, and it made Griffin smile. Chelsea immediately went to wipe it off before setting the toddler in her lap.Of course, all of his family called him Cruzie, and it sort of just fit. As a three-year-old, he stood confidently on short legs, his eyes chocolate brown like his father, and his hair a light dirty blonde. Plastered on his face was an expression surely only toddlers could make, the one look that tried to say, 'why are you yelling so loud? I should be the only one yelling.'

"Mommy, tell Daddy to stop yewling." He ordered, giving her a bossy glare. "I don't yike it when Daddy yewls."

Sighing, Griffin took a good look at his son, and narrowed his eyes. He knew what he had to do, and it would happen, with or without agreement. No one would deny Griffin Jalice, and the fact that he knew it made him threatening. At this point there was nothing, and no one that would be able to change his mind.

"I will bring her now, and don't think I will walk out empty-handed."

•••

On a warm, June day, Chelsea gave birth to a baby boy. Neither of the parents had the option to name him, as his name was chosen before he was born. The scientists had called him Blake, and that was final. But Griffin would let them do anything, as long as he could take his baby home. Chelsea had gotten very sick during the pregnancy. She had lost most of her weight, and had mutations on her all around her body, most of them causing scars. It made Griffin feel powerless to watch her undergo each treatment, knowing all of the pain she would feel. He could only imagine what the experiments had done to his son.

"Mr. Jalice, sir, would you like to hold your baby?" A woman in white surgeon scrubs asked him. "He sure would like to see you."

Griffin held his hands out as the lady laid him into her arms. The baby cooed, his big brown eyes curious, and full of love. Painted down his cheeks were soft, amber freckles. They made his eyes beam out, reflecting brown waves of color. He smiled, kissing him on the forehead, but like he did to his first-born, Cruzie. Just the thought of his son's reaction to a little baby brother made his heart start to pound in his chest.

"I love you..." Griffin whispered, and then looked back up to the nurse, who was patiently waiting.

"I need to show you something before you take him home." The woman said, her blue eyes intent and concerned. Her fingers gently moved to Blake's lips, and pressed them open. His jaws faltered awkwardly, but her grip was stiff as she took a finger and brought it back against the roof of his mouth, making him scream. Griffin stared at her, shocked as her finger came out, covered in a sticky, black pouch. Slime was dripping out, and it smelled foul, a mixture of sweet candy and vomit.

"What- what is that?" He stuttered, completely confused. His stomach lurched at the sight and smell of it, but mostly he was concerned about his son. How could a normal looking baby have such a deadly weapon displayed in his mouth? Blake did not even have teeth yet, but he already seemed to have enough venom to really hurt someone.

"A venom pouch." She replied simply. "Your son isn't human, Mr. Jalice. He's pure. And he's very dangerous."

"I doubt it." Griffin muttered, glaring at her. "He's just a baby."

"Watch this."

The lady grabbed the baby, gently but violently, Blake wailed in reply, not wanting to leave his father. And in response, the baby wailed, kicking, the blanket pumping around. Suddenly, within the blink of an eye, an animal jumped out of the blanket, growling and backing away from them both,the sticky black venom dripping from the corners of his mouth. Flabbergasted, Griffin stared absently at the animal that was just a baby seconds ago. He couldn't believe it, his son... was a raccoon.

"Well," He breathed, eyeing his now fur-covered son. It felt like he was attempting to swallow a lump in his throat the longer he watched. "You've done it."

"Yes," She said, walking towards the baby bundle of fur. Blake growled in response, but he was so little and defenseless that easily she was able to scoop him up, and place him back into the blanket. "But I'm telling you Griffin, he is dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Griffin breathed, confused. He turned at her and his eyes trailed up and down as he stared between the nurse and his son. "He is just a baby!"

"Hoxamorphozica. He is mostly hoxa, Griffin. He has no control over his shifts, and in fact, he receives short term memory loss after he wakes from shifting. He is so dangerous that when he is older, he could really hurt someone, and wake up and have no idea it happened." She said with a very matter-of-fact tone. Blake was now passed out, his furry raccoon head lolling off the side of the blanket. She offered the baby back to Griffin, and he took it slowly, staring at the baby animal. He looked so innocent, and so helpless.

"It doesn't matter, we will keep him safe," He insisted, practically begging the nurse to let him keep his baby. She gave him a disapproving look, but deep down she definitely knew that there was no fighting Griffin Jalice. He would always do what he had to to get what he wanted, and when he wanted it.

"If he causes an issue he will be retained," By the time her words escaped her mouth, Blake had been a normal-looking baby again. Griffin gingerly wrapped the blanket around his baby's cold body, nodding his head at the nurse. Blake stared at him, his cute, innocent face would never seem threatening to him. But maybe the nurse was right, what would happen if this baby becomes homicidal, and then has no recollection of what happened? "If he does anything to hurt you, what would become of our world?"