Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Chapter 1

The same accident that caused the loss of his leg at age six also stimulated the latent genetics that ran in his family to trigger a mutation. Although becoming one of the ‘exo-humans’ the government monitored would prove to be the least of his worries once he stumbled upon his family’s secret.

Brought to you by the warped mind of Nuuan

Chapter One

David looked up at Bart after moving his knight to a new position before taking another bite of his lunch. Playing chess with Bart was a daily routine that the two did every day during lunch, Bart said David was the best competition he had in our school although David always lost. But then no one had ever won a match against Bart. Bart's gaze didn't waver from the board as he made his move and took a bite from his lunch tray.

Seeing the opening that Bart had left, David moved his queens side rook into position to prepare for a back ranking checkmate that he knew would never occur, all the while worrying that Bart had done this to draw his attention away from what Bart was planning.

Bart was the number one player on the school's chess team for a reason, allowing David to even believe he had the opportunity to back rank him was something that David felt should have never occurred, so David knew it had to be some maneuver to distract him from another part of the board. In the time they had both been on the chess team Bart had never lost a match in competition or otherwise, so David knew this had to be some ploy Bart was using to get him to move his rook into some compromising position, but it was a move he could not overlook.

"Checkmate in one," David casually said, knowing it was too good to be true.

"WHAT!" Bart yelled, almost spitting his lunch across the board, acting as if he did not see that coming.

David knew Bart had something up his sleeve to overlook such a novice mistake, It had to be a trick. Then Bart's assault began, spending the next fifteen minutes either moving his own king or moving another piece to block Bart's check on David's king, David's pieces were whittled down off the board one by one. Then David finally saw a move that Bart was unable to place his king is check. Bart maneuvered another piece so that he could regain the initiative, then David found himself able to move without exposing his king.

Looking over the board breathing a sigh of relief, no matter how short the relief may be, David suddenly spotted the all but forgotten rook still placed so that he could move it across the board and call checkmate without any other game pieces in the way and smiled. Placing his hand on the rook to make the move, holding his breath, David moved the rook across the board, placing it gently on the appropriate square before calling "Checkmate!"

"NO!" Bart screamed as he grabbed the board and threw it off the lunch room table.

"You were back ranked!" Matt grinned at Bart from where he sat watching the game.

"NO!" Bart screamed again covering his face with his hands as he put his elbows on the table, "I can't lose to you!"

"I saw it too!" John gloated as if he had been the one playing against Bart. "You got back ranked like an amateur!"

"Come on Bart," David said, "Look how many games you and I have played, eventually I was bound to win one."

"My record, its, its ruined!" Bart managed to take his eyes off the board and look at David, "Please keep this quite."

"Hell Bart," John shouted from where he had gotten up to start picking up the scattered chess pieces, "You already told everyone in the cafeteria that you lost. How's Davey keeping his mouth shut about being the very first person ever to beat you going to change anything?"

"Yea it's not like we are the popular kids or anything like that," Matt added, "So your super geek status got taken down one notch, You are still a geek like the rest of us."

"The only reason you won is because you're a--"

"BART!" Matt and John both yelled so loud that no one could hear what he tried to say. While most of the cafeteria had been ignoring us, we now had everyone's full attention.

"I thought we were friends," David said just loud enough for him to hear, pushed his chair back then got up and began to walk away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that," David heard Bart call from behind him as he continued to walk toward the cafeteria doors. David was torn between the anger of him actually outing him in public and the fear of what others might try to do.

Unlike a lot of mutants, David didn't get any of those cool powers like super strength or invulnerability. All he got was better at fixing and making things. Of course the increase in what he could do was amazing, but it was mental, not a new or cool power like being able to fly or throw a car half way across a football field or even turn invisible.

David's ID, The one issued by the Department of Exo-Human Affairs, the federal agency that dealt with mutants in the country except for California, labeled him as a prodigy level 7.2. Prodigy was the government’s polite way of saying he was a brainiac, although like all the prodigies David only excelled in a couple of areas, mainly electronics and mechanical engineering.

Of course he didn't get any of the problems that some mutants get too, the foremost being the deformities some get with their mutation, like the superhero everyone knew as Granite, who’s skin looked and felt like his namesake. Looking like you were made out of rock wasn’t bad compared to some of the mutations David had heard about, such as one girl that he had heard had the body of a snake from the waist down. Hearing tales such as that made David quite happy that all that happened in that respect was his eyes changed from blue to brown.

While David knew he would never be a superhero, at least he would be rich, or that is what his parents kept telling him. Already holding close to two dozen patents, actually his dad's company held them, as mom and dad formed the company when it became obvious that some of his inventions could be worth a lot. Mom, having been a corporate attorney before they moved, was able to do all the legal paperwork and obscure the fact of who the actual inventor was. Thus Wiley Enterprises was created and David got the workshop of his dreams to play in. David's Mom and dad both agreed that it was better if the patents were held in the name of the company rather than in David's name, thus keeping him from becoming a target for the competition.

But none of this mattered to David right now, Matt and John had covered up what Bart had said so that everyone there had not heard him, but those that had been sitting close would have heard him call him a mutant, by tomorrow everyone in school would know. David had no idea how the other students would react, but he new he did not want to be there once the word got around.

David hadn't been paying attention to where he was going and found himself near one of the side exits of the school building. Although David had not originally intended to leave school, seeing the doors made up my mind and pushing open one of the double doors he walked out.

"Going somewhere Mister Wiley?" David heard from his left. Looking in that direction, Mrs. Miller the principal was sitting on one of the two park benches that were placed there.

"I, I was..."

"You were leaving school." Mrs. Miller finished his sentence. "Being upset is not a very good reason to leave the school grounds. So some other students found out you are a meta-human, you are not the first meta-human to go to this school and I highly doubt that you will be the last."

"You, You know?"

"Yes David, I have known for a long time," she motioned for me to come to her then patted the bench beside her, "Now come sit and let's talk. If you don't like what I have to say, I'll drive you home myself."

David walked over and sat down as she asked, thinking that at least no one would try anything with her there. Principal Miller had an uncanny ability to always be exactly where she needed to be to stop something from happening in the school. It finally dawned on David how she was able to do this. "You're a mutant too, aren't you?"

"I prefer the term meta-human," smiling over at me, "mutant sounds like something out of a bad horror film.

"So how did you know?"

"I had my suspicions with how good you are at your science classes, but when I read about NASA's new waste recycling system and saw the accompanying photos, well lets just say that I found it resembled a certain student's science project a bit too much to be coincidence." Patting my leg gently she continued, "You have a gift David, one that you have been using to help others. While other prodigies are building death rays, you are building high end recycling systems, lightweight body armor and smart prosthetics for the disabled."

David shrugged his shoulders, "Sometimes when I look at something, I just, just see a better way of making it do what it does."

Principal Miller used many of the same arguments that his parents had and David had to admit she was right, maybe three or four people heard what Bart had said and it could easily be taken as just a nasty insult with no real truth to it since David showed no outward signs of being a mutant, or meta-human as principal Miller like to call their kind. Eventually they walked back into the building and to her office where she gave David a permission slip to join the class that he was now late for.

There were no other incidents, thank god, other than one girl, Melanie Bell kept staring at him all through English class. Melanie was nice enough the few times he had talked to her, but she was a cheerleader and to David that meant she was out of his league. David found it unnerving the way she kept watching him during class, so when the bell rang he rushed out the door.

~o~O~o~

"The boss wants a progress report." The large man stated after entering the room. None of the six men looked up from the laptops they were all furiously typing on. Even the crisp suit the large man wore failed to disguise the fact that this man was definitely syndicate muscle.

Without looking away from the laptop he was typing away on, one of the younger men wearing a tee shirt that had a picture of a cat with the caption, *Wanted Dead & Alive Schrodinger's Cat*. "We are the best there is at this."

"Yea, boss said you came highly recommended." The suited man deadpanned, "But he still wants a progress report."

"We've gotten through three firewalls so far and working on a fourth," The younger man answered, "Can't say how long this will take since we haven't reached any active security yet."

Walking over to a table behind the six hackers the suit leaned against the table where he could keep an eye on the younger men as they worked at their laptops. Close to twenty minutes later another of the men, one dressed in blue jeans with a blue and red plaid short sleeved shirt and thin black tie exclaimed, "We're through!"

"So you can get the formula now?" The suit asked from where he sat.

The first hacker continued to type away, "Those firewalls were not some off the shelf equipment you can go down to your local S-mart and buy. Better than military grade, the best we have ever seen. Whoever made those knew what they were doing. We are sure there are more tricks this guy left us."

~o~O~o~

The next day of school had begun without any problems, no one was acting funny around David with the exception of Melanie yesterday during his English class. The only class David shared with her was English and they didn't share any friends so David doubted he would see her until English, therefore David was not prepared when she pulled him aside as he came out of the lunch line with his tray of food, "I need to talk with you, Meet me at the west door after school."

David couldn't help but worry through his next two classes. Then the final class of the day, English, the one class he shared with Melanie. David spent half the class trying his best not to look anywhere in her direction, and the other half staring at her while trying to figure out what she had planned. The few times she caught him looking at her she would give him this warm and friendly smile. The smile scared him more than anything else. What could a girl as pretty as Melanie want with him? Whatever it was it David knew could not be good.

When the bell rang, David sat there for a few minutes contemplating what he should do. He could get on the bus and go home and tell Melanie that he had forgotten about meeting her, but if she did know he was a mutant it could make her angry enough to start telling everyone that she knew he was.

David didn't know her very well, but he thought that she was not that type of person, she always seemed very nice. With a heavy sigh David rose from his desk, grabbed his book bag and headed for the door, having decided for better or worse he would meet her and find out what it was she wanted to talk about. Walking out the door to the classroom it was a good thing that he had not decided to skip out on Melanie as she was leaning against the wall with her books cradled against her chest waiting on me.

"I thought since our last class is together I would wait on you and we could walk together." She must have seen the fear in my face because the next thing she said really surprised me, "Don't worry it's nothing bad, you might find out it's a really good thing I need to talk to you about."

Arriving at his locker David stuffed his whole book bag inside and closed it, "Don't you need any books to study tonight?" Melanie looked confused.

"Naw, I studied for English and social studies during study hall. The math and science stuff I am so far ahead that I'm reading college books on already."

"Wow it must be nice!" Melanie smiled.

"Not really, those classes are so boring to me and Mr. Owen always finds some way to lower my grade for sleeping in class or not participating in class or not following direction, even though I ace all his tests."

"You poor thing!" Melanie giggled.

"I can't help that I know more about the subject he teaches than he does."

They stopped at Melanie's locker where she changed some books out of her backpack into the locker and grabbed a few out of her locker to put in her backpack. Her locker was close to the door we were going to meet at and within a few minutes we were staking outside near the curb.

"If I stay her too long I'm going to miss my bus." David told her as they stood there.

"I was thinking that my mom could drop us off at your place if that's ok?"

"Uh yea, I guess so."

"Do your parents know?" She asked.

"Know what?"

"That you are um special?" Melanie tried saying that she knew what he was without saying it.

"Uh, yea, you won't tell anyone will you?"

"My parents don't know."

"Good, please don’t tell them, I don’t want everyone knowing about this."

"No, they don't know I am," Melanie lowered her eyes looking down at her feet. Then looked up into my eyes, "Please don't tell anyone. I don't want to get sent away like my sister did."

David was dumbstruck by what she had confessed to him. Until yesterday David had thought he was the only mutant in their school, and since then he had learned that not only their principal was a mutant, so was the hottest girl in school.

"David are you ok?"

"Uh, yea, I just wasn't expecting you to say that." After finally discovering his voice again, "So that is what you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, but we'll tell my mother that you are helping me with my science project."

"Ok."

~o~O~o~

Melanie's mothers waited until she saw both of them enter the house before backing out of the driveway and leaving. "Mom, I'm home," David yelled after closing the front door, "I brought a friend with me."

"Johnny are you going to stay for dinner?" I heard my mom's voice in the kitchen.

"It's not John mom, it's Melanie."

Seconds later a nice looking woman with a very flattering figure and long black hair, walked into view wiping her hand on a kitchen towel, "Melanie?"

"Hi Mrs. Wiley, I'm Melanie Bell. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, you're Mary's daughter," David's mother smiled.

"Yes ma'am," Melanie answered.

Their introductions were interrupted by the high pitched squeal that only a small girl can produce, "DAVEY!" A small dark blond girl about 5 or 6 years old came running into the living room carrying what appeared to be a winged unicorn around 12 inches tall. It was a purple color with darker purple mane and tail, "Princess Twilight Sparkle is broken!"

Behind the small girl five other small brightly colored horse-like toys followed her, one pink with dark pink mane and tail, then a white unicorn with purple mane and tail. Behind those two Pegasus one yellow with pink hair the other blue with hair that's colored like a rainbow and last an orange horse with pink hair that was wearing a straw hat.

"Oh my god, they are so cute!" Melanie squealed. Kneeling down to get a better look at them, "I've never seen these ones."

"They're my little ponies." The small girl stated.

"I know, I've collected them since I was little," Melanie smiled and began pointing each one out "There's Pinky Pie, and AppleJack, and there is Rarity, Fluttershy, and my favorite, Rainbow Dash." Looking toward Mrs. Wiley, "Where did you get these?"

"Davey made them for me, He's my big brother," The girl said proudly. Mrs. Wiley nodded.

Taking the pony from his sister, "I'll have to take it out to my shop to see what's wrong.

"You are a very lucky girl to have a brother that can make you things like this," Melanie smiled at Cindy as she stood back up.

"It is ok if Melanie goes out to the shop with me mom?" David asked, "That way we can talk while I fix Cindy's pony."

"Ok as long as that is all you work on out there."

"Only thing I plan on doing is fixing Cindy's pony." Motioning for Melanie to follow, David began walking toward the kitchen, "It's out back."

Through the kitchen to the back door, David heard his mother behind them, "And where do you think you are going young lady?" Both he and Melanie turned to find Cindy on their heels.

"I want to watch too." Cindy begged.

"You know you are not allowed in David's workshop." Mrs. Wiley told her daughter.

"But mom!"

"No buts, you stay here." Then almost as an afterthought, "You can help me make some cookies."

~o~O~o~

"Your workshop is an old barn?" Melanie asked as they walked across the large backyard toward a rustic looking very large red barn.

"Yea, kind of." David shrugged his shoulders, trying not to grin.

"So the ponies, robots right?"

"Oh, yea their robots, crude but enough AI to make Cindy happy."

"AI as in artificial intelligence?" Melanie gasped, "I though all AI systems were illegal."

"Those that can or eventually can replicate human intelligence are. Cindy's ponies have the intelligence of a very well behaved puppy and unable to develop any further."

"Oh?"

"Yea the law on artificial intelligence is hundreds pages of legal mumbo-jumbo. Cindy's ponies are totally legal as well as most of the AI's I have made." Stopping in front of the large double doors David directed his attention to those doors, "Sara would you open the hangar doors please."

The doors began to slide sideways revealing the interior of what could probably be the most well equipped machine shop in the state, "This is your workshop?"

"Yea," David grinned.

"It looks like a mad scientist lab."

"Yea, its cool huh?"

"So, are you’re a prodigy?"

David nodded, “Electro-mechanical.”

Pointing over to a workbench where she saw some furry creature that appeared to be working on something, "What is that?"

"Oh that's Wiley," David began walking toward the small creature, "Come on I'll introduce you to him."

As they approached the small creature it noticed them, stood and turned to face the two. Melanie stumbled when she noticed it was an exact replica, standing around two feet tall, of the coyote from the road runner cartoons.
"Melanie, this is Wiley, my head minion."

"I'll have you know sir I am no minion." The small coyote glared at David, then turned toward Melanie, "I apologize for my associate's crude introduction madam," The coyote spoke in a distinct British accent, "I am Wile E. Coyote, genius. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Melanie."

Turning his attention to Melanie, "So what do you do? I mean your mutation that is?"

"I, I can manifest things."

"What kind of things?"

"Like this," Melanie pointed at the work bench beside the coyote and got a look of concentration over her face. Suddenly the coyote's arch nemesis appeared right beside it on the workbench. The coyote's jaw dropped and eyes went wide as the road runner stuck its tongue out at the coyote and began to run toward the open doors, the coyote took off after it only seconds behind. Both David and Melanie roared with laughter at the sight.