FORTY-FIVE

"Wait, wait, wait." Madison said. "Hold on. How does he steal all of their oxygen? And how does he know that what he's doing works?"

"I don't know, but I have an idea who might." Cameron said.

"Who would that be?"

"My professor at San Vanjay's, the one who was writing about biomolecular physics."

"And how do we know we can trust him?" Madison asked.

Cameron gulped, "We don't, but what other choice do we have?"

*****

"How exactly did they wipe themselves out?" Carly asked the little girl.

"They made themselves known too quickly."

"In what way?"

Adalia gave a smile, "Have you ever heard of the Beginning?"

Justin worked hard to keep his face as straight as possible. "I think I might have heard it somewhere. Why?"

"They were the ones who put me here, gave me a chance at becoming a part of the Project."

Carly piped up this time, "And was that your choice, to leave?"

She smiled sadly at the ground, "Not at first, no. I did not want to leave my mother and my father, but they understood. The