Just days after my acceptance, the Launch Director was found dead in his office. I caught a glimpse of his bloodied head as I stood among the onlookers crowding around his body. Unbeknownst to me, I had made a grave mistake by stepping into the crowd that day.
The detective initially ruled it a suicide, but Ben Montgomery, the president, wasn’t satisfied with that conclusion. He halted all operations to sweep every strand of hair, every fingerprint, every trace of evidence that might lead him to an "Invalid" DNA profile. Ben instructed his daughter, Madeline, to assist the investigators, as the search was significantly disrupting operations.
A Mars launch mission was scheduled for the end of the week, which Ben insisted would not be disrupted by the tragic event. That same night, I told Niccolo that I was going up.
“That soon?” He looked at me with his eyes dazed. “What about the Launch Director?”
“He was murdered.”
“Well, won’t that affect the mission?”
“According to the President, no, it won’t. The planets are still turning.” I looked straight at Niccolo. “I’m going up.”
I was oblivious to it then, but while I was celebrating with Niccolo, a single strand of my hair was brought to the investigation facility, where it was identified as “Invalid”. Only I was no longer Marcus Sullivan. I had become a “Valid” individual named Lorenzo De Sanctis.
The following day, I overheard Ben and the detective talking about the Invalid they had found—a man who had once been me. Their conversation went somewhat like this:
“Tell me about the hair strand.” Ben asked the detective.
“It was traced to an Invalid,” the detective replied. “He was a janitor, but no one knows where he is now. He vanished a few weeks ago.”
“What could a janitor possibly have against the Launch Director?”
“It’s probably just the nature of an Invalid.” The detective let out a short chuckle. “That’s usually how they are.”
I clenched my fists and swallowed my anger.
“Have your team catch your man by Friday. If you still haven’t, get out of my building.” Ben sighed with slight exaggeration. “I won’t have you disrupting the launch.”
There was a short pause before the detective continued. “Sir, the suspect has extremely poor health. He’s sicker than anyone I’ve ever known.” He sounded slightly desperate. “His life expectancy was so low that he might already be dead by now.”
“I don’t care what you do. Just get it done.” Ben said as he turned and walked away.
After their conversation ended, I remember leaving the training facility, only to come across the detective talking with Madeline. She was Ben’s only daughter, and she had the sternest expression of anyone working at APEXIS, though I would sometimes catch her glancing at me out of the corner of her unreadable eyes. I couldn’t tell whether she’d already figured it all out, particularly because she was involved in the investigation. As I was saying, the two were talking, but I couldn’t hear what it was about. I figured it was about the investigation when I saw Madeline hand the detective a scroll of paper, which I recognized as the kind that contained a person’s DNA details. Suddenly, she walked off with a strained smile on her lips, the expression of someone forced to remain respectful while being accused of lying.
I found her standing outside the building, staring up at the sky.
“Seems like I’m not the only one who looks up when there’s a launch,” I said, standing quietly beside her.
She smiled, and it felt genuine that time.
“It’s tragic, what happened to the director.” I said, looking back up at the sky.
“A tragedy that it didn't happen sooner, you mean.” She let out a quiet chuckle. “He was known for cancelling launches, even the one set for the end of the week.”
“I guess someone did us a favour.” I smiled warmly. “You’re one of the seven going up, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “It’s no surprise you got in, considering you’ve got one of the highest stats in APEXIS.”
I kept myself from continuing the conversation.
“Actually—I only got in because of my father. I’m not as good as they say,” Madeline said in a low voice. “To him, I’m a disappointment. He hides it from everyone else, but he blames my mom for giving him a daughter instead of a son.”
At that moment, I realized that “valids” were not exempted from suffering. It was a truth that changed everything I thought I knew. I felt it was right to let the silence pass as we watched the spaceship rise into the sky.
“Hey, in just a few days, that’ll be us up there,” I said, smiling at her. “Got any idea who we should be thanking? You know—for doing us a favor?”
“They found a hair strand in the training facility.”
“Was there a name?”
“Just some invalid.”
I managed to smile, though I was nervous.
Madeline turned to face me. “Lorenzo…” She hesitated, pursing her lips for a moment. “I had you sequenced. I’ve read your profile.”
I lowered my head as I exhaled quietly.
“Unlike me, you’re everything they say you are.” She smiled.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, what about you, Madeline?” I said, looking thoughtfully into her eyes. “I’m sure your father is wrong about you—you’re designed just like the rest of us.”
“Not quite. Heart failure. That’s what’s written on my sequence. I’ve got a high chance of getting it, apparently.” Her voice remained bright. “I don’t see why Father blames it on being a woman.”
“If there’s anything wrong with you, I can’t see it from here.”
We quietly exchanged smiles before parting ways.