Nicolas and his brother Philip had not chosen their wives as life companions but rather for the genitive disparity they provided. They only needed a little bit of DNA anyway. Seeing how their sons were to be manufactured to their liking. To Arthur's liking. 

 

A step up from cloning that Russell had resorted to. Only a slight step down from the perfect creatures that took care of all of them during their long voyage here. And afterward. 

 

Joonmyun and Baekhyun were planned and executed into life when the others began to have babies. Because they would be needed to complete the 12.

 

 

*

 

"But what is this all for?"

 

"You know, defence. And stuff."

 

"Defence and stuff? Dad, could you be any more vague?" Baekhyun pouted. 

 

"Baek, don't talk to your father like that." Joonmyun chastised softly. "If he says it's just general, we have to believe him." 

 

"How can you just blindly believe people we know nothing about? People who are hiding everything from us?" Baekhyun stomped off in his temper tantrum. Joonmyun turned to Philip. 

 

"I'm sorry, uncle. He's been moody since our mothers left."

 

Philip offered no reassuring smile or words of comfort. He just stared at Joonmyun until the boy turned around and followed his cousin. 

 

They couldn't help the two boys. It wasn't a part of the plan. 

 

*

 

Nicolas had lied to Arthur. They had been monitoring the boys. From Joonmyun's conception they had been. So even before the two of them developed their powers, they knew every detail about Joonmyun and Baekhyun. The way they interacted with eachother and with the artificials that had been created as masters. Their strengths and weaknesses unfolded, but they never pushed. Were never partial. Just observers in their own sons' world. Since this world would, actually now did, belong to them. They would be the new saviours or destroyers here. 

 

And the transporting boy had come at a very opportune time. The two of them had just contacted their counterparts. The one that looked exactly like Russell had at his age. And the other who was undeniably Yixing. They had allowed the monitors to have a very limited use for months and finally their patience had paid off. 

 

Nicolas and Philip listened in as Kai, Joonmyun and Baekhyun struggled to piece together all that they knew. But it wasn't going to be enough. Nicolas knew they had to intervene soon.