Christian & Blakesley Snr
Blakesley's father stood over his son's shoulder.
"I am hoping that you will succeed in replacing young Christian's suppressor collar today..." he began softly, "much longer, and... Well, we don't exactly know what he is capable of."
Christian meanwhile was struggling to keep the feeling in his arms.
Blakesley.
The corner of Blakesley's eye twitched slightly.
"Well, one would assume not of escape, or he would be gone already," Blakesley said.
He was holding the new collar in his hands, looking at Christian carefully.
"I'll need to set this one over his old one...then take that one off."
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Christian let himself slide under the water again, relaxing his arms. When he finally pulled himself up, Blakesley's father raised an eyebrow.
"Very well, I believe you can handle it..."
Christina & Blakesley.
And it could all go extremely cock-eyed in a matter of moments. He couldn't drug Christian, because that would nessicatate taling him out of the tank or leaving him to drown.
In a series of quick movements, Blakesley switched the collars over and then relaxed as he snapped the lock on the new one closed.
"Done. And I think Christina should have recovered partially by now..."
Blakesley walked over to the table. Christina's face was bruised and her stomach had angry red lines across it, punctuated by dark lines of stitching. He pressed down on the incision and she opened her eyes with a choked cry.
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Blakesley's father looked over at Christina as Christian both groaned and fumed.
Dammit. He'd been so close...
"She seems to be... awake," Blakesley's father smiled.
Christina & Blakesey.
"Semi-conscious is a better description," Blakesley said as he watched her.
Christina's eyelids fluttered and she moaned softly as he ran his fingers along her wounded stomach, pressing lightly against the sutures.
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Christian rolled his eyes, and slid back under the water again. More to get away from the screams he knew were about to start - even though his arms were grateful.
"Certainly..." Blakesley's father drawled, "hopefully not for long."
The old man sat in his wheelchair again, tapping his chin lightly as he contemplated both situations.
Christina & Blakesey.
"I don't think it will take much to bring her around completely," Blakesley said.
He picked up a knife and then drove it into her shoulder.
Christina's eyes flew open with a startled gasp.
"Welcome back, Christina."
He twisted the knowfe slightly and she moaned.
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Christian came up for another breath, heard the moaning, and went back under.
Blakesley's father chuckled slightly, remembering when he'd stabbed Christian in the hip.
Christina & Blakesley.
"Morning, Christina," Blakesley said almost pleasantly, while giving the knife another twist.
It grated against bone and Christina's face paled.
"Now...what to do with you? You have betrayed my hospitality."
Christian
Christian lifted his head from the water again to take another breath.
Groaning a little, he shook his head. His hair sent droplets of water flying all over the room.
Christina & Blakesley.
Blakesley spared him an annoyed glance, and then refocused on Christina.
"Tell me...why shouldn't I kill you now?" he asked both her and himself.
Christina panted rapidly, eyes welling with tears of pain as the knife scraped against bone.
"I don't...know. Asshole. Ngh!"
Christina's lips tightened with pain. Why the hell didn't he just kill her? It would almost be a relief.
"Certain things that I still require you for...unfortuantely."
Blakesley pursed his lips slightly as he withdrew the knife. He delieberated for a moment, then brought over one of the small genrators. He clipped the alligator clips to either side of the incision and flipped the switch.
Christina's eyes widened in shocked agony and her body jerked slightly as the electricity pulsed through her.
"That doesn't mean you can't be in a great deal of pain through out it."
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Christian groaned and disappeared under the water again.
Blakesley's father wiped some of the water droplets from his face.
"Of course, that is more the reason Miss Terry graces us with her prescence in the first place," he stated the obvious.
Christina & Blakesley.
"Very true, Father," Blakesley said softly.
"So much to punish her for."
"Kiss...my...ass," Christina choked out through the pain.
"You...sadistic...bastard."
"And you're supposed to be intelligent..."
Blakesley shook his head slightly and then turned the dial on the generator up.
Blakesley Snr
Blakesley's father tapped his fingertips together for a few moments.
"How soon do you plan to aquire this Taylor of yours that I hear so much about?" he asked in an interested tone.
Blakesley.
"Soon, hopefully," Blakesley said as he watched Christina's body jerk on the table.
"I think first...I will dispose of Christina."
Blakesley Snr & Christian
Christian came back up, took a deep breath, and went under again.
"As you wish..." Blakesley's father seemed to study the palm of his hand, "I am literaly dying to meet this Dathrian I've heard tell about."
Christina & Blakesley.
Blakesley nodded.
"I'll see what I can find out...I believe he's moved house. Which makes things both easier and more difficult."
He moved over to the cupboards and opened them, before retrieving a container of acid. He started to drip stratigically placed drops of acid against her skin.
Christina tried to move away futilely.
Blakesley Snr
"It will most likely make it easier," Blakesley's father mused, "I do remember you saying he has a large family. Now they'll be out of the way."
Blakesley.
"There is that...and they'll be less likely to fret if they don't see him for a few days," Blakesley agreed.
"It depends then...upon where Jane is."
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Christian surfaced again.
"Ah yes... the little girlfriend... and her canine friends," Blakesley's father tutted, "we will have to sedate the animals. A shame really..."
Christian frowned, registering what he'd said.
"You leave Taylor the $#!+ alone," he cursed.
Blakesley.
"And I'm so inclined to do as you bid," Blakesley sneered.
"There is nothing you can do to stop me if I do."
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Christian almost growled. He didn't even bother to try and struggle again, because he knew his arms were too weak already.
Blakesley's father smiled again.
"Someone obviously doesn't think of the consequences of their actions," Christian muttered.
Christina & Blakesley.
"No, someone obviously didn't," Blakesley said.
He spilled nearly half the bottle of acid onto Christina's breasts and she screamed.
"Did they?"
Christian & Blakesley Snr
"I was talking about you and Taylor, asshole," Christian cussed, before dropping his head underwater again.
Blakesley's father watched Christina thoughtfully.
Christina & Blakesley.
"Highly unlikely that I'm going to. Together, you and Taylor provide a fascinating case study."
Blakesley watched the acid eat away at Christina's chest, the skin burning.
"How, exactly, did someone produce you?"
Christina sucked in a breath and tried to calm herself. Thrashing was only going to make the acid spread.
Christian & Blakesley Snr
"You've heard us talk about Steel," Christian panted a little, through holding his breath all the time, "general know-all-the- backstreets guy. He's a duplicator."
He glanced toward Blakesley's father.
"About twenty years ago he found out he could clone an alien, needless to say. Even though Taylor's brother screwed it up."
Christina & Blakesley.
"How interesting," Blakesley said thoughtfully.
"That would make a way around the inreased aging factor of regular cloning...and probably many other negative by-products. Well, obviously. Since you seem to be in good health and your genetic sequencing appears viable."
His eyes went blank for a moment as he considered it, carefully working it out in his scientific mind.
Christina bit her lip to keep from screaming and drawing his attention to her.
Christian
"You can't harness a power like that, if that's what you're thinking," he said between breaths, holding himself up slightly.
"And there are a lot of differences between Taylor and I that people just don't pick up."
Blakesley.
"Besides the decrease in good manners and respect?" Blakesley asked.
"Because I noted that directly."
Christian
Christian scowled.
"I don't have to respect anyone," he almost growled.
He glanced at Blakesley's father, sitting quietly.
"But yes, there are physical differences. And what a shame I'm not going to say what they are."
Christina & Blakesley.
Blakesley waved a hand dismissingly.
"Scars and other marking of a similair nature are only cosmetic. The DNA is remarkably similair."
He got a thoughtful look on his face, then looked down at Christina. She shuddered almost visibly.
"I wonder..."
He headed over to his drugs cabinet and started fishing through it.
Christian
Christian chuckled slightly.
"I didn't mean scars, although Taylor does have one or two. My eyes are different, my voice is different, and..."
He hesitated.
"I'm not gonna say any more."
He went back under the water.
Christina & Blakesley.
Blakesley retrieved several vials from the cupboard and syringes. Christina watched him fearfully.
"And your plan is?" she asked after a few moments of watching him measure out different coloured liquids into the syringes.
"Something occured to me, and I want to test it out. I wonder if you're genetically viable. let's find out, shall we?" Blakesley said, looking at Christian.
"F*ck you, asshole!" Christina hissed.
"As I said, your co-operation is not required."
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Christian soon resurfaced, missing what Blakesley had said.
"A hybrid may very well be," Blakesley's father said softly.
Christian looked between father and son, and frowned slightly.
Christina & Blakesley.
Christina cussed at Blakesley, telling him exactly and in great detail what he could do with his needles.
"I'm not a f*cking broodmare, bastard!"
"No...just an incubator. It will be...interesting."
Blakesley smiled slightly as he inserted the first needle into Christina's skin.
Christian
Christian licked his lips, the salt water making them sting.
"And what exactly are you doing to her?" he frowned.
Blakesley.
"Two experiments in one...I'm being economical," Blakesley said with a slight hint of distaste in his voice.
He selected another vial and withdrew the nessecary amount of drug and began to inject it into Christina.
"I wish to see whether the trace of mutation in Christina's blood would pass down to her children...and I also wish to see exactly how true to life you are."
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Blakesley's father's eyes turned to Christian.
"True to life meaning what, exactly?" Christian frowned, trying to sit up a little further as he kept his eyes on Blakesley and Christina.
Christina & Blakesley.
"What the bastard means," Christina hissed as Blakesley slid a new needle underneath her skin, "is whether or not we're genetically compatible."
"Exactly," Blakesley said cheerfully.
"You do know how many different ways a woman can abort, don't you? Rest assured, this baby or whatever, is not going to live."
Christian
"Oh $#!+," Christian groaned, leaning his head back so his hair was in the water.
"I've already got one kid coming, I don't need another."
And he slipped under the water again.
Christina & Blakesley.
"And I'm so f*cking pleased about it as well," Christina said, struggling more in her bonds as Blakesley readied another needle.
"Interesting," Blakelsey said to the infomation Christian had imparted.
"Jerkwad."
"I will muzzle you if you don't shut up."
Christian & Blakesley Snr
"Now that you do know you have work to do, it may not be such a bad idea to do it anyway," Blakesley's father suggested.
He watched Christian holding his breath underwater still.
Christina & Blakesley.
"Good point," Blakesley said.
He went to the cupboard and removed a ball gag. He fitted it behind her teeth and then buckled it on despite the frantic movements of her head. She choked slightly, then settled to breathing through her nose as she glared steadily at Blakesley. He smiled slightly.
"I'll get started on manufacturing the embryo."
Christian & Blakesley Snr
Blakesley's father stood as Christian resurfaced.
"I will leave you to it then, shall I?" he smiled slightly, before heading to the door and departing.
Christian watched after him, spitting some water out onto the floor.
Christina & Blakesley.
Blakesley took a bonemarrow sample from Christina and sealed it carefully. He looked pver at Christian and shook his head minutely. He had enough samples from Christian. He wouldn't need anymore. He didn't want to risk it anyway, not this soon after what had happened. He headed towards the door.
"I'll be back when I have a viable one..."
Christina blinked back tears, jaw already aching from the gag. Oh god.
Blakesley closed and locked the door behind him.
Christian
Christian took a mouthful of water and spat it onto the floor behind the glass box, as he had been doing the night before.
The lower the water level, the less he had to strain himself.
"Just for the record Chris," he began between mouthfuls, "as soon as you can, I want you to kill that bloody thing."
He hesitated, then continued.