Interlude 4

Karr pressed a hand to her temple. The girl's mental shriek had driven through her mind like a spike. It still rung though her head, echoing slowly into silence. She looked up, easing her breathing into a more relaxed state and brushed her hair back. Eyes narrowed she returned her gaze to the couple on the sofa. They were middle aged, the woman plump and rather dowdy with greying blonde hair typed into a bun. Het lab coat was ruffled as was her skirt. A bruise darkened under her left eye.

Karr smirked slightly, her men had been a little enthusiastic. The man was much less the worse for wear. He had very nearly fainted when she and her team had arrived. He was dressed in a grey sweater, brown slacks. Put a pipe in his mouth and he could have been any 50s sitcom father. They sat in a picture-perfect living room, sofa, coffee table with an assortment of tasteful books and two end chairs. There was a family portrait over the mantle. No one smiling. Picture-perfect, if one ignored the six men, each with an SMG slung over his shoulder, each in dark grey suits and mirrored sunglasses. Karr sat directly across from the couple, legs crossed, her expression almost casual.

"It seems your daughter has come into her own… so to speak…" she smiled. "Not a huge surprise hmmm?" She waited for a moment. "You knew her potential for quite some time… another something you kept from us… you and Jason." She nearly spat the name, her mask of good humor cracking for a spilt second. "Did the breeding operations ever take? I suppose that will be in your records." Taking a cell phone from beside her she quickly typed in a three digit code. "Hanes… yes… Get the girl… Jason? Your discretion…" She put the phone away. "So… to cut through the preliminaries… the Templates… where are they?"

William stammered for a moment, "We… we… don't know… He kept that to himself… it was fairly recen… the acquiring-"

"The theft." Karr cut him off with a sharp hiss.

"Yes… It was in the best interests of the organization… our research could lead to… whole new breakthroughs…"

"Your research dead-ended years ago… you were near being cut off altogether… you were desperate enough to try and follow that fool Jason." Karr scoffed. "Scientists… you were too blind to see Willow's potential and she lived with you for 16 years."

"No… we knew… we cultured her powers… it's the effect of our treatments of her prenatally." Ana became animate. "We cultured her from birth. She has more potential than any Sleeper you have. We knew that no one would believe us… she had no Line. Now we know better… all of us do… our theories are vindicated in full." She smiled. "We didn't need your Templates… Jason needed us to fully understand them… he wasn't much of a scientist, not nearly so good at that as he was a lecher. He was to bring the samples to us but never did."

Smiling, Karr nodded. "Yes… and he wouldn't have told you were they were secured… he liked to have an ace always, you knew only what you needed to know." She looks at William, her grin widening, somehow becoming all the more reptilian. "I have a question… what part of your… research involved you coupling with Willow? Effects of inbreeding on Line development, perhaps?" Ana gasped, looking between Karr and her husband her mouth working soundlessly. "And so many breedings with Jason and Willow… all taped… you were right, Ana… not much of a scientist… but as a lecher…"

Ana snarled, "You… you son of a bitch!" She slapped him, the sharp crack sounding like a shot in the near silence of the room. "You polluted her… our creation and you dirtied her with you filthy touch… Her and Jason's offspring could have been… " She trailed off. "I've been a fool… Karr… it doesn't have to be like this… we can still work for you… our theories work."

"Yes… and we have them… all your records… you proven yourselves very untrustworthy… you betrayed us both to Jason and other parties… your governmental work you chose to keep from us. You will work for us… You'll be there we need you… I will always be able to find you…" She sat back.

Ana's eye widened. Her powers… she remembered. "No!" She was cut off by a silenced burst of fire from the two men flanking Karr. A bloody line of holes was stitched across their chests and bellies, their bodies jerking in a macabre dance. Blood spattered the walls, the stylish coffee table.

Karr sighed, feeling their souls scream into the darkness of the Deadplane. "Yes… I'll always find you."