Chapter 1: Miss RedeWinter's Talent (Written by Al)

Mark Decius had a terrifying presence, but only because those around him allowed him to.

     “AS you can see the plants are immaculate and well-conditioned for their work,” said Mr. Decius. He was tall, brown haired, green eyed, and broad chested. The representatives all noted from the moment they met him that the suit he wore did little to alleviate his brawn, and though he dressed like them, and acted like them, his voice and eyes suggested he had no intention of being like them.

“Yes, they are,” said a representative gray haired representative of about 60. “However, it is not the plants’ cleanliness that bothers us, but rather the plants’ inner workings.”

   “What is so bad about the plants’ inner workings? I won’t waste your time saying that smart men like yourselves should be interested in the kind of power my plants have, that only men of your level would appreciate this kind of productive, technological advance, only because you wouldn’t believe the pleasantry. You’d think I was flattering you. So, I won’t say it,” said Mr. Decius, his lines sounding rehearsed. “But I will say that I am succeeding where everyone else has failed, and I believe that it is in your best interest if you believe me and take part in the beautiful, genius, miraculous proceedings going on around you.”

   The youngest representative dropped his clipboard, but the gray-haired man ignored the threat.

   “Mr. Decius, do you realize what you are doing? This is not a power plant. You do realize that you are creating actual human beings? Cloning humans? A feat once accomplished but with dire, unprecedented consequences that threatened the human race?”

Mr. Decius waited for the man to proceed.

   “I came here with my colleagues expecting a power plant that has tapped into a new source of power, yet that is not what I find. I –”

   “Wrong! That is what you do find. But allow me to correct you. These are not humans.”

   “Please do not interrupt me Mr. Decius. I find instead, a lab harvesting power from life and making more lives. I am intrigued. But I want to make sure you understand the possibly despicable thing you have done.”

The gray-haired representative paused and looked Mr. Decius in the eye.

   “The last time we cloned humans, we did not get Homo Sapiens. We got Homo Messoscyus. At first, we thought they were like us, or just a better version of us. Stronger, faster, smarter, bigger. So what if it turns out the blood put into their bodies, transplanted like their other synthetic organs, was actually being consumed, not added to vessels? That didn’t matter. No. But that was just the first sign of what was to come. The next sign was that Messodites didn’t just gain extra strength from the blood of humans, but they could also willfully infect humans, turn them into monsters too. Only then did people begin to worry. Finally, later versions of Messodites, altered ones, found they could no longer control themselves in human presence. The older versions began to lack control that they once possessed. Some were able to rein in their hunger. Others couldn’t. Soon, the wild ones had decreased our population by drastic percentages, and we were already small. You know the destruction that followed our attempt to exterminate them.

   “I don’t want to partner with you on this, Mr. Decius. I will advise you though. Watch for the signs,” the man finally finished.

   A very slow smile flicked into place on Mr. Decius’s face.

   “It takes courage to stand up to a man as influential as I am. But what makes you think – and once more, let me correct you, I never said I was creating humans – but what makes you think that I my creatures will go down the same road as the Messodites?”

 “Nothing, I just don’t like taking risks.”

     “And if I can prove my creatures are fine? Are perfectly safe?”

     “Mr. Decius, Messodites were flawless perfections of humanity. Far more attractive than the average human, they too were fine, perfect, safe…. for a while. But what is your proof?” The gray haired representative adjusted his glasses.

“A prototype. Would you like to meet her?” Mr. Decius smiled, as though remembering a very good joke.

“You’re already assigning sexes? Yes, I would like to meet her.”

   Mr. Decius turned to the only door in the small, white, windowless room. The three representatives waited.

   “Oh Miss RedeWinter? Come here please!”

     “Red… Winter? What an unusual name,” said the young representative.

     A young lady walked in, and Mr. Decius was the only man who did not catch his breath. She was beautiful. Perfect size, height, weight, flawless skin, with stunning fold eyes and hazel hair, mixed with auburn. The name tag on her blouse read: Becca RedeWinter.

     “I still won’t support you in this Mr. Decius,” said the gray haired representative. “But my compliments to Miss RedeWinter. However, only Messodites who indulged themselves with plasma, have lips that… red.”

   Becca RedeWinter smiled sweetly as his gaze lingered on her “red” lips.

   “Tell them about yourself, my dear,” said Mr. Decius, standing beside Becca. His hand lightly touched the small of her back and she winked.

   “Please call me Becca. I am twenty eight years old and have been married three years. It is wonderful to make your acquaintance. Mr. Decius will not like me saying this, but he speaks quite highly of you. Unfortunately, in my opinion, having met you all, I don’t believe he sang your praise enough.”

   A touch of coyness entered her clear, exquisite voice. The pride in the representatives’ faces visibly broadened.

   “Well, did you rethink your decisions?” Mr. Decius’s voice cut through the silence.

   “No,” said the gray haired man.

   Mr. Decius’s smile turned sour. “What about you?” He addressed the third representative, a man neither old nor young.

   “With great respect toward you and… the highest compliments to Miss RedeWinter…. Sir, I have a wife and two lovely daughters. Given the past history of experiments such as these… well sir, I would never do anything to hurt or endanger my family in any way. So I cannot back you on this either.”

   “This is your last chance, all of you. Yes or no.” Mr. Decius spit the words, his tone venomous and deadly.

     “Sir, I think we should go,” the man neither old nor young tried to stand up from his seat, but Mr. Decius pushed him back down. Hard. With a strength one would not think even a strong man like Mr. Decius could possess.

   “Oh, but you haven’t seen Miss RedeWinter’s talent yet.” With his smile back in place, Mr. Decius nodded to Becca, who suddenly let out a loud, high pitched, ear splitting, mad laugh.

   Her hand whipped out, catching the youngest representative around the neck, her sharp nails digging into his throat. While the other three men watched in horror and amusement, she lifted him one handed, effortlessly from his chair. And threw him into a wall. Becca laughed again, the peal that of a child’s, like wind chimes or bells.

She said to Mr. Decius, “I love the young ones,” before grinning and moving back to her toy. Whose screams reverberated through the small room as her nails did the work and Mr. Decius held down the other two representatives.

Mark Decius had a terrifying presence, but only because those around him allowed him to.