Chapter 6: The Midnight Market and the Quantum Dialogue
Location: The Cooper Nursery – Medford, Texas Date: February 23rd, 1980, 02:14 AM Status: Resource Allocation & Cognitive Divergence
The house was silent, save for the rhythmic, low-frequency snoring of George Sr. emanating through the drywall and the distant, lonely whistle of a freight train crossing the Texas plains. In the crib, the darkness was absolute, but my [Photographic Memory] allowed me to navigate the room in my mind with centimeter-precision.
Beside me, Sheldon was wide awake. I could hear the rapid-fire clicking of his tongue—a nervous tic he was already developing as he tried to mentally categorize the day's events. His aura was a Frustrated Violet, spinning with the weight of unanswered questions.
I ignored him for a moment to focus on the blue glow of the System interface.
[MIDNIGHT MARKET: OPENED (1:58:12 REMAINING)] > [FEATURED ITEM: NEURAL ENHANCEMENT SERUM (RANK: EPIC)] > [COST: $2,000.00] > [DESCRIPTION: Accelerates synaptic pruning and enhances myelination of the prefrontal cortex.]
I weighed the pros and cons. A 20-point IQ boost this early would be astronomical, but the "Strange" modifier for doctors was a risk. However, with [Neural Plasticity (S-Rank)], I was already a high-performance machine. I decided to Save. The [Toddler CEO Investment Fund] promised compound interest and early access to the 1980s stock market—specifically a small fruit company in Cupertino.
[ACTION: PURCHASE 'TODDLER CEO' SEED INVESTMENT] > [RESULT: -$1,500.00. STATUS: VENTURE CAPITALIST (INFANT RANK)]
The First "Dialogue"
I turned my head toward Sheldon. He was staring at the bars of the crib, his tiny hands grasping the wood.
"Puh... puh..." Sheldon stammered, his infant vocal cords struggling to keep up with his frantic brain. "Puh... Pattern!"
He was trying to describe the spacing of the crib slats. I decided it was time to establish the hierarchy. I didn't want a rival; I wanted a student.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: SONIC ARCHITECTURE] > [ACTION: BONE-CONDUCTION WHISPER]
I leaned my head against the wooden rail, using the wood to vibrate the sound directly toward his ear, keeping it too quiet for the baby monitor.
"Four point two centimeters, Sheldon," I whispered, my voice a perfect, resonant tone. "Uniform distribution. It's a standard safety constraint to prevent infant cranial entrapment."
Sheldon froze. His aura stopped spinning and turned a Pure, Shocked White. He turned his head slowly, his eyes wide as he looked at me in the dark.
"E... E-than?"
"Go to sleep, Sheldon," I said, projecting an aura of [Emotional Synchronization: Calm]. "Tomorrow, I'll help you with the colors. You're overcomplicating the primary spectrum."
Sheldon didn't say another word. He simply closed his eyes and drifted off, his brain finally finding the "Off" switch it so desperately needed.
The Sign-In: The Dawn of a New Day
[DAILY SIGN-IN PROTOCOL: AVAILABLE] > [LOCATION: THE COOPER NURSERY] > [ACTION: SIGN IN?]
Sign in.
[SIGN-IN SUCCESSFUL!] > [REWARD: +5 TO LOGIC; +2 TO AGILITY] > [REWARD: NEW TRAIT: 'AMBIDEXTROUS (PERFECT)'] > [REWARD: SKILL: 'MICRO-EXPRESSION READING (LVL 1)'] > [REWARD: ITEM: 'THE COOPER FINANCIAL LEDGER' (Self-Updating)]
The [Ambidextrous] trait was a game-changer. Most geniuses have a dominant hemisphere, but I would now be able to engage both the creative right and logical left brains simultaneously, with zero "cross-talk" delay.
The sun began to rise, and with it came the sound of Mary's footsteps. It was Sunday. In East Texas, that meant one thing: Baptist Church.
Mary burst into the room, already dressed in her Sunday best. "Good morning, my little miracles! Time to get dressed and show you off to the Lord!"
I looked at Sheldon. He looked at me. For the first time, there was a secret understanding in his eyes—a mixture of fear and absolute fascination. I gave him a tiny, ambidextrous thumbs-up.
[ETHAN COOPER - ATTRIBUTES] * Intelligence: 16 (+5 Logic Buff)
Charisma: 20
Agility: 6
Neural Balance: 100% (Ambidextrous Active)