Andrei POV
September 1976
The decision to have us tested came from a place of calm curiosity, not concern. After my early assessment, Mum had proposed it as a "baseline map" for all three of us. "Not to label you," she explained over breakfast, "but to understand the terrain of your own minds. To know if you're a mountain climber, a valley explorer, or a navigator of rivers. It helps us guide you better."
So, one crisp autumn morning, we found ourselves in the consulting rooms of Dr. Evelyn Reid, a colleague of the famed Raymond Cattell, on Harley Street. The air smelled of lemon polish and old books. Damien fidgeted, viewing it as a peculiar type of exam. Daphne was solemn, clutching her rabbit as if it too might be tested. I felt a detached clinical interest; this was another system to be decoded.
We were tested separately. My session was an exercise in restraint. The puzzles of logic, spatial reasoning, and verbal analogies were trivially simple, their patterns glaringly obvious to the System-augmented mind. The challenge was to solve them at a pace that was merely "exceptionally bright," not inhuman. I deliberately fumbled a few of the most abstract pattern sequences, introducing a plausible error rate. When presented with social scenarios to interpret, I gave answers that were technically correct but deliberately lacked emotional nuance—the classic sign of a high-IQ, lower-EQ profile.
Damien's session was shorter, and he emerged looking energized, as if from a vigorous game. "Some of those picture puzzles were tricky!" he declared. "But the ones about what people were feeling in stories? Easy! It was obvious the man was angry because his friend forgot his birthday, not because he hated the gift!"
Daphne went in quietly and came out quietly, but with a small, satisfied smile. When asked, she simply said, "The lady asked nice questions. Some were about shapes, some were about feelings. I liked the one about the sad puppet."
A week later, Dr. Reid met with Mum and Dad. I was permitted to attend, deemed mature enough to "understand his own tools." Damien and Daphne were deemed too young for the raw numbers.
Dr. Reid, a woman with kind eyes and a precise manner, spread her notes. "First, let me be clear. These numbers are signposts, not destinations. They indicate potential paths, not fixed futures."
She turned to me. "Andrei. As suspected, your cognitive abilities are in the upper stratosphere. An IQ placing you in the top fraction of a percentile. Your strength is in systemic, logical, and abstract reasoning—you see the underlying machinery of a problem. Your weakness, correlatively, is in the intuitive, non-verbal social cues. You understand emotion by deduction, not by instinct. This is not a deficit, but a characteristic. It means you will need to consciously learn the social rules others absorb effortlessly."
It was a perfect, clinical summary of my façade. I nodded solemnly.
"Damien," she continued, smiling. "A different picture. His IQ is bright, certainly above average, but not in the exceptional range. Where he is exceptional—truly gifted—is in what we're starting to call Emotional Intelligence. He reads tone, body language, and social dynamics with uncanny accuracy and empathy. He is a natural connector, negotiator, and leader of people. His path will be built on relationships."
I saw Dad's chest swell with a very specific pride. This was the son who would inherit and lead, not just the business, but its human network.
"Finally, Daphne." Dr. Reid's expression softened further. "A fascinating and balanced profile. Her IQ is high, well into the 'gifted' range, though not at Andrei's level. But unlike Andrei, it is paired with an equally high, natural emotional intelligence. She is both clever and deeply perceptive. She doesn't just solve puzzles; she intuits the story of the puzzle. This balance is rare and powerful. She will likely have the widest range of choices of any of you."
Mum reached over and took Dad's hand, a complex look of relief, awe, and responsibility on both their faces.
Dr. Reid concluded. "You have three remarkable children, each with a different kind of power. One has the power of the unfettered intellect. One has the power of the human heart. One has the grace to wield both. Your task is not to make them more alike, but to fortify each on their own path. Andrei will need social coaching. Damien will need intellectual rigour to channel his gifts. Daphne will need protection from the burden of seeing too much, too clearly, too young."
The car ride home was quiet, the new knowledge settling over us.
That evening, a new System notification appeared, not about me, but an analysis of the data.
[ FAMILY UNIT ANALYSIS UPDATE ]
[ Subject D. Stevens: Primary Strength - Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Designation: Social Nexus & Heir-Apparent. Strategic Role: Future management of human capital & external relations. ]
[ Subject Da. Stevens: Primary Strength - Balanced Intelligence (IQ/EQ). Designation: Adaptive Diplomat. Strategic Role: Versatile asset; potential bridge between logical systems (Andrei) and social systems (Damien). ]
[ User A. Stevens: Designation confirmed - Strategic Architect. ]
[ Synergy Assessment: Unit possesses complementary high-capability assets. Long-term cohesion requires conscious nurturing of intersubject bonds. ]
[ New Directive: Foster sibling alliance. It is your most durable non-financial infrastructure. ]
I looked up from my desk, out to the garden where Damien was trying to teach a patient Daphne how to kick a football straight. The psychiatrist had given us a map. The System had given me the strategic readout. But watching them, I saw the truth beyond the metrics.
I had a brother who could move people, and a sister who could understand them. I could build the systems, the structures, the empires. But without them, it would be a soulless machine. The greatest asset I was cultivating wasn't in my trust fund or my Library. It was playing in the twilight outside my window.
The game wasn't just about my legacy. It was about ours. And for the first time, I had a complete roster.
A/N
The family's unique strengths are now formally recognized, creating both clarity and new expectations. How will Andrei act on the System's directive to "foster sibling alliance"? And how will this new understanding of their roles change the way he involves Damien and Daphne in his growing plans, especially the secret "First Rung" project?)