HOME | DD

Description
"Faster, faster!" Gracie called out, the human centrifuge already spinning at a tremendous rate, shuddering and wobbling. Instead, the machine slowed down, the doppler effect of its movement quieting and lowering in pitch. "Awwww..."
"That's the one that they had outrace three F16s?" Kent Truber asked, peering through the one-way mirror at the machine and the girl strapped to the seat.
"That's the one. Grace Jones, fastest twelve-year-old alive..." The scientist next to him said with a chuckle, typing out information onto the terminal in front of him, then pressing the microphone. "Gracie, you can unfasten yourself now, okay?"
"Okay... Would have liked to really see how fast this could go, that was fun!" Kent looked over the shoulder of his co-worker, whistling lightly.
"Twenty-one gees? And she wanted to go even faster?"
"Yeah, and that's pushing beyond what is safe for the machine even. You saw how it was shaking up and down at the end?"
"Damn glad she's on our side."

"Gracie, you have any idea how many calories you pack away on an average day?" Kent asked, watching the thirteen-year-old shoveling her thirtieth birthday cake slice into her mouth. She merely shrugged. "Thirty-thousand. You know the average child your age is only eating a little over two-thousand, right? How many times more would you say that is?" Gracie tilted her head, humming and licking cake icing off her lips.
"A lot?" She scrunched up her face, setting down the slice she had been about to eat, rubbing her chin and covering it with the icing on her fingers. "Fifteen!"
"That's right!" Kent smiled, giving her a nod and rising. "Well, I'll let you get back to your celebration, there'll gifts later, I'm sure." She waved him goodbye and he waved back as he continued out of the room which locked behind him, six guards and a pale purple light outside it. The dampening field outside her room made it difficult to concentrate for those who had over-stimulated brains and organs like Gracie, and even she couldn't get enough acceleration to get from one end to the other before its effect would make her slow down. Not with her room being only seven feet by twelve feet, and not that it mattered, what with the levels of security between that corridor and the rest of the compound. Still, they needed to get her onto the track again in a few hours. Being cooped up like that wasn't good for her. It wasn't really good for any child, but especially not for her metabolism if she didn't exercise enough. Running seemed to be the best way, since her upper body strength still left a lot to be desired, being a few pounds less than most children her age could lift, though her leg strength was of course tremendous. The only problem now lay with the other boy who would be transferred to him in a few months.

"Earl, please, look at me." Kent pleaded, sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose as the lad continued to ignore him. The cuffs the boy wore were necessary to keep him from gaining any movement of his arms, his isometric strength being still average, though once his arms were freed the fourteen-year-old could bench press a tank. In fact, that's what had gotten him noticed in the first place when he was bragging to his father's commanding officer. The father was almost relieved to have his son brought into custody, though he had at least visited him at the other facility once a month. Grace's parents on the other hand had been nowhere to be found, either an orphan or the fastest runaway imaginable. "I'm only trying to help you, Earl. The reason they transferred you was that the Arkansas facility was deemed unsafe after you-" Kent cut off as they passed Gracie as she was being led to the running track.
"There's... Other kids here?" Earl Grieves asked, staring as she kept going, humming and almost skipping along the purple-lit corridor.
"Well, yes, one so far at least. Perhaps more if we find others like the two of you." Kent nodded, motioning for the guards to pause rather than prod Earl forward.
"Who is she?"
"Her name is Grace Jones, though she prefers to go by Gracie." Kent motioned for the guard to gently steer Earl on again. "Maybe after we get you settled in I can introduce you two." Earl seemed almost dazed, walking along after the hand gave him a light nudging, still looking back until Gracie went through a door and it was locked behind her.
"Gracie..."

Five years passed and the two grew closer, mellowing each other out. Gracie became more excited about things other than running and eating, studying every book she could get her hands on, and even though she had to turn the pages slowly to keep them from tearing, the facility still had to have its library completely replaced every month. Earl had taken to her quite fondly and after breaking his door a few times when denied time to visit her the two had chaperoned dates. To be certain, it was more awkward than even a normal teenager had to go through, but it was orchestrated in a fashion that satisfied even The Pentagon. Finally now adults, the President had decreed them trained and safe enough to be allowed their freedom outside the facility, not just seeing images and videos of the world outside, but allowed to return to it if they so chose. The government even offered to buy them each a house. Instead the two chose to get a farm together, asking Kent to give Gracie away at their marriage. He was more than delighted, happy to see the children he had helped foster blossom and even elect to do special operations work on a commission basis, becoming the darling couple to the American media when the news leaked, though the military did have to start stationing security around the farm to keep the press out, the Grieves were allowed to come and go as they pleased, leading to some of the most sensational ambush interviews. Eventually the two moved to a private island instead. Finally now twenty-two and twenty-three respectively, the two called on Kent one more time, the scientist curious as to what could ever make them have him flown down. They said it was a family emergency, but the only family they had was each other and their two-year-old Lily, who had thus far seemed to be a perfectly normal daughter. As he departed the plane Gracie and Earl walked out of the house to greet him, but their daughter was already there, hugging his leg and lifting him off the ground, arms pinwheeling before gripping the landing stairs railing for support.
"Ganp Kent! Ganp Kent! Look wha I can do!" Flabbergasted, Kent looked Lily Grieves, then at her parents, blinking, then laughing.
"Um, remember those two special children you helped raise? Well... Surprise?"

Description
"Faster, faster!" Gracie called out, the human centrifuge already spinning at a tremendous rate, shuddering and wobbling. Instead, the machine slowed down, the doppler effect of its movement quieting and lowering in pitch. "Awwww..."
"That's the one that they had outrace three F16s?" Kent Truber asked, peering through the one-way mirror at the machine and the girl strapped to the seat.
"That's the one. Grace Jones, fastest twelve-year-old alive..." The scientist next to him said with a chuckle, typing out information onto the terminal in front of him, then pressing the microphone. "Gracie, you can unfasten yourself now, okay?"
"Okay... Would have liked to really see how fast this could go, that was fun!" Kent looked over the shoulder of his co-worker, whistling lightly.
"Twenty-one gees? And she wanted to go even faster?"
"Yeah, and that's pushing beyond what is safe for the machine even. You saw how it was shaking up and down at the end?"
"Damn glad she's on our side."

"Gracie, you have any idea how many calories you pack away on an average day?" Kent asked, watching the thirteen-year-old shoveling her thirtieth birthday cake slice into her mouth. She merely shrugged. "Thirty-thousand. You know the average child your age is only eating a little over two-thousand, right? How many times more would you say that is?" Gracie tilted her head, humming and licking cake icing off her lips.
"A lot?" She scrunched up her face, setting down the slice she had been about to eat, rubbing her chin and covering it with the icing on her fingers. "Fifteen!"
"That's right!" Kent smiled, giving her a nod and rising. "Well, I'll let you get back to your celebration, there'll gifts later, I'm sure." She waved him goodbye and he waved back as he continued out of the room which locked behind him, six guards and a pale purple light outside it. The dampening field outside her room made it difficult to concentrate for those who had over-stimulated brains and organs like Gracie, and even she couldn't get enough acceleration to get from one end to the other before its effect would make her slow down. Not with her room being only seven feet by twelve feet, and not that it mattered, what with the levels of security between that corridor and the rest of the compound. Still, they needed to get her onto the track again in a few hours. Being cooped up like that wasn't good for her. It wasn't really good for any child, but especially not for her metabolism if she didn't exercise enough. Running seemed to be the best way, since her upper body strength still left a lot to be desired, being a few pounds less than most children her age could lift, though her leg strength was of course tremendous. The only problem now lay with the other boy who would be transferred to him in a few months.

"Earl, please, look at me." Kent pleaded, sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose as the lad continued to ignore him. The cuffs the boy wore were necessary to keep him from gaining any movement of his arms, his isometric strength being still average, though once his arms were freed the fourteen-year-old could bench press a tank. In fact, that's what had gotten him noticed in the first place when he was bragging to his father's commanding officer. The father was almost relieved to have his son brought into custody, though he had at least visited him at the other facility once a month. Grace's parents on the other hand had been nowhere to be found, either an orphan or the fastest runaway imaginable. "I'm only trying to help you, Earl. The reason they transferred you was that the Arkansas facility was deemed unsafe after you-" Kent cut off as they passed Gracie as she was being led to the running track.
"There's... Other kids here?" Earl Grieves asked, staring as she kept going, humming and almost skipping along the purple-lit corridor.
"Well, yes, one so far at least. Perhaps more if we find others like the two of you." Kent nodded, motioning for the guards to pause rather than prod Earl forward.
"Who is she?"
"Her name is Grace Jones, though she prefers to go by Gracie." Kent motioned for the guard to gently steer Earl on again. "Maybe after we get you settled in I can introduce you two." Earl seemed almost dazed, walking along after the hand gave him a light nudging, still looking back until Gracie went through a door and it was locked behind her.
"Gracie..."

Five years passed and the two grew closer, mellowing each other out. Gracie became more excited about things other than running and eating, studying every book she could get her hands on, and even though she had to turn the pages slowly to keep them from tearing, the facility still had to have its library completely replaced every month. Earl had taken to her quite fondly and after breaking his door a few times when denied time to visit her the two had chaperoned dates. To be certain, it was more awkward than even a normal teenager had to go through, but it was orchestrated in a fashion that satisfied even The Pentagon. Finally now adults, the President had decreed them trained and safe enough to be allowed their freedom outside the facility, not just seeing images and videos of the world outside, but allowed to return to it if they so chose. The government even offered to buy them each a house. Instead the two chose to get a farm together, asking Kent to give Gracie away at their marriage. He was more than delighted, happy to see the children he had helped foster blossom and even elect to do special operations work on a commission basis, becoming the darling couple to the American media when the news leaked, though the military did have to start stationing security around the farm to keep the press out, the Grieves were allowed to come and go as they pleased, leading to some of the most sensational ambush interviews. Eventually the two moved to a private island instead. Finally now twenty-two and twenty-three respectively, the two called on Kent one more time, the scientist curious as to what could ever make them have him flown down. They said it was a family emergency, but the only family they had was each other and their two-year-old Lily, who had thus far seemed to be a perfectly normal daughter. As he departed the plane Gracie and Earl walked out of the house to greet him, but their daughter was already there, hugging his leg and lifting him off the ground, arms pinwheeling before gripping the landing stairs railing for support.
"Ganp Kent! Ganp Kent! Look wha I can do!" Flabbergasted, Kent looked Lily Grieves, then at her parents, blinking, then laughing.
"Um, remember those two special children you helped raise? Well... Surprise?"