Pretty sure I heard/read someone hypothesise 'What if the Young Geniuses program was something Elliot came up to recruit test subjects' and my brain's been running ever since
Specifically with the what if Ollie was a part of the program- like can you picture Harley and Ollie going head to head, both members of the Young Geniuses program?
One coming from a toxic family and the other an orphan (probably), two young boys Elliot takes specially to heart because of their situations... but also two boys who no one would probably look for if something were to happen, specially if you have enough power in your hands like Playtime CO
Things are well and fine until eventually Elliot comes to the epiphany of 'a bigger body may yield better results' and cue the plan to build Playcare begins - but in the meantime, Harley and Ollie have a fight that ends with Ollie badly injured
Elliot has to make the decision to either report things to the law and ruin Harley's future, or sweep everything under the rug
Ultimately, he decides to let Harley go, kicking him out of the program - but then he's left with Ollie, broken and alone, which leads to the creation of the Prototype
A very bitter Prototype, because he was betrayed by the very man that was the closest to a fatherly figure he ever had in his life: Elliot Ludwig
Because Elliot let Harley go without repercussions, because Elliot turned him into a monster, because Elliot put him back together for his own personal agenda, because the moment Poppy came along, there was no longer a need for Ollie, for the Prototype
Later on, Harley would figure that not only a bigger body would yield better results, but also someone intelligent/with good cognitive capabilities - just like Ollie, the Prototype, his old companion
A brain fart, what can I say
