WARNING: YOU MAY FIND SOME OF THE CONTENT OF THIS CHAPTER DISTRESSING.
Chapter 4She paused for a second in the dusty stairwell listening. The sad sombre sounds of a violin reached her ears, so she knew she was at the right place.
Kitty had never liked violin playing much. Somehow to her it was all just noise that grated on her formerly hypersensitive ears – except when her brother was the one playing.
When he made music it could sound sweet and gentle or sad and doleful or abrupt and loud just as he pleased, but his playing always sounded beautiful … and that was not just to her ears. Probably why his neighbours never complained about the noise.
She knocked quietly on the door, but she knew that she wouldn't get a reply. He had heard her all right, but she would be ignored in favour of the instrument. Gently she pushed the door open and slipped inside.
Even with her eyesight it took her moment to adjust to the light, or rather the lack of it. All the curtains were drawn and there was no other source of light. Papers were scattered everywhere, across the un-swept floor, over the polished table and even on the grubby-looking coach that was the only other piece of furniture in the room. A battered door to her right hung off its hinges revealing a tiny bathroom. Wallpaper hung in strips from the walls. The place looked like a battlefield.
In the far corner, a dark shadow was curled up on the windowsill. The origin of the melody.
Carefully Kitty pawed her way across the floor, until she was only a few feet away from the window. She squatted down on the floor with her back against the sofa and curled her arms about her knees, gazing up at the intense black eyes of the musician and the wild light that blazed within them.
He must have been around six feet, but his body was skinny enough to put her near anorexic one to shame. Every inch of his body except his face was covered in jet-black hair, which merely turned into a thick greasy mat on the top of his head. His slender fingers caressed his instrument with nails that were long enough to pierce straight through a human forearm. His face bore several strange dark marks were whiskers might have been and his over-sized nose looked rather too dark and rounded at the end. Familiar traces of his canine DNA.
Slowly the melody trailed into its last few notes.
There was complete silence for a few minutes as his fierce black eyes met her sharp hazel ones.
"Wolfie," she whined in greeting.
She spoke his name with a German accent, making it sound more like 'Volfie'. They had both been trained as their unit's language experts, which in her case meant she could speak fluent German and a little French – in his meant that he was fluent in any langue from Russian to Chinese.
There was no excuse for her not to pronounce his name correctly, Wolfgang Amadeus, just like the great and eccentric Austrian composer whom he was so similar too. She wondered sometimes whether he actually had some of Mozart's DNA, especially when she heard him playing.
A new light sparkled in the deep black eyes at the sight of her. Joy. Happiness. Like a puppy with its returning master.
"Schwesterchen!" he breathed in delight. Little Sister
"Grues dich, Bruderherz," she replied. Hello, Brother dearest
"Wie geht es dir, meine Schoene?" How are you, my beautiful?
But she was in no mood for pleasantries. "Wieso?" she demanded. Why?
His eyes grew dark again. She knew he had understood her, but she could also see that he was hurt that she didn't understand him.
"Es waren boese Leute, Schwesterchen!" They were bad people, little sister!
"Wieso? Warum hast du sie umgebracht?" Why? Why did you kill them?
The answer tore straight through her, chilling her to the bone.
"Fuer dich," For you
She balanced. Her hazel eyes alive with horror. "Was!" What!
Wolf's face contorted with confusion. Why didn't she understand him? "Sie haben fuer ihn gearbeited. Ich habe dich darmals nicht beschuetzt. Jetzt … jetzt beschuetzte ich dich!" They worked for him. I didn't protect you then. Now … now I will protect you.
Her mind snapped back to her past. The familiar whirlpool of images started up again. Images she had been trying to forget …
The soldier stood silently in line with her siblings. Little Zack was beside her on his podgy toddling legs, tiny fists clutching at her trouser-leg. The infant could walk unsupported by now of course, he just liked holding on to her. It reassured him somehow. Besides she would have to pick him up in a minute anyway. He wouldn't be able to keep up once they started moving.
She was standing at the back, of course, with the other carers. There was quite a collection of them now. Hawk stood to her left, with Brin beside her, who was holding her dainty little self gracefully aloof from the mere transgentics around her. Taro, one of the few male carers, towered above the tiny girl with Zane perched up on his arm. The baby boy was still clutching his mentor's shirt for support though, hardly surprising as he had only learned to sit a few weeks ago.
To Kitty's right stood Tear, one of her more protective older sisters. In her arms lay the charge she had received just a few weeks ago. The new baby, Jace. She wouldn't be the new baby for long though. Manticore was already instructing Hex and Honey on how to carry out carer duties.
Like a wall of defensive guardians the non-carer X3s were lined up in front them. Leo, Abby, Christie, Lynx, Tobias, Raven, Genie, Georgie, Wolf, Hex, Tiger, Honey and even Kitty's own biological brother Nick, positioned at the end of the row in front where he could still see her. They stood still as stone in the three rows in front of her, like silent guardians protecting her and the little X5s from the noise and the sight of the officers running the drill.
Her eyes ran across their shoulders, relaxed and loose in the 'at ease' position. Somehow the sight of them always made her feel secure too. Just like Zack clinging to her trousers. Had she been anyone and anywhere else, she would have smiled.
This was just another ordinary morning drill. Exactly the same as every morning for all of them. Even the little X5s, who were present – as every morning – to acclimatise them to the military conditions, even if they couldn't yet participate for themselves. It was perfectly normal, perfectly ordinary, perfectly unremarkable … until the door opened and he strode in.
Something inside of her clenched up tightly at the sight of his clean-shaven face. There was something about that look he'd been giving her recently. She didn't like it. It was so … hungry. Like he wanted to eat her – but that idea was preposterous. People didn't eat each other.
The looks had started just after she had claimed Zack. After she'd stood up to him. Created the whole position as X5 carer. Something her siblings still couldn't quite believe she had managed to get away with.
Suddenly she had to suppress shivers. He was giving her one of those looks now. Fixing her with an intense glare that she couldn't ignore, however hard she tried. It was worse than ever now. She suddenly felt naked beneath her uniform.
Ridiculous. Why should she feel naked? She was perfectly well clothed.
He was still watching her.
Riveted with a fear that she couldn't explain, much less understand, she stared at him, with unholy fascination, as he had a quiet conversation with the drill sergeant. They seemed to be arguing about something, but the sergeant gave in eventually. He had too. He was outranked.
Still he didn't look happy. She watched him turn back to face them.
"X3-453," he bellowed. She came to attention. "Your to leave with the Cornel immediately. They rest of you …" but she wasn't listening. Her terrified eyes were fixed on the senior officer. She wished he'd stop staring at her.
One of her hands twitched slightly. She was too well disciplined for it to be fear, though in anyone else it might have been. She was in actually merely signalling to Nick to watch over Zack while she was gone. Her feet slowly started forwards. For some reason her normal marching pace was inhibited. She could only manage to just about drag her feet across the floor.
All too soon, she felt his hand on her shoulder.
"Come with me, 327," he whispered so that only she could hear it. Why was he repeating the order? Why did he have such a strange tone to his voice?
He pulled her gently through the door with him.
Her training should have prevented it, but she couldn't help it. Her head spun around. She fixed her siblings with a wild-eyed stare. Nothing short of a cry for help.
She didn't know until afterwards how much she really needed it.
Kitty hit her head against her arms trying to stop the flood of memories. "Wieso mich beschuetzten?" she cried bitterly, "Er ist tot! Wolfie! Er ist tot! Er kann uns nichts mehr an tun?" Why protect me? He is dead! Wolfie! He is dead! He can't hurt us anymore!
Her mind, however, still played out its own ghastly images.
He led her to his office. She heard the door slam shut behind her and it being locked. The eleven year old was suddenly shivering uncontrollably.
"Hey," the fully-grown man whispered far to gently. His hand was on her shoulder again. She tensed up at the touch - afraid. Of what? Him? That was ridiculous. He was part of Manticore. Her commanding officer. He was supposed to protect her.
She watched him kneel down in front of her. Her eyes locked with his. That look … Her whole being was suddenly alive with fear. What was he going to do? The solider part her mind struggled to maintain control. She thought of her siblings. Of the repercussions they had been forced to endure last time she stepped out of line. It was the only thing that kept her from running.
And then, he kissed her. On her lips. Hard. His tongue pushed through her clenched teeth. Shock exploded within her. She wanted to scream. She wanted to flee. She wanted to cry. But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything to stop him. She was too afraid of him. She should kill him. She might have reached up and snapped his neck at any second, but she couldn't. She was scared. Of him. Of what he could do to her family. To Zack.
To her hypersensitive hearing the sound of him undoing his flies was as loud as a bomb going off. She shivered … petrified.
Hot tears ran down her face. She was barely aware of the violent sobs that shook her body. Wolf jumped from the windowsill and crouched down in front of her. His face was a mask of confused concern. Shyly he reached out a hand and held it out to her face, but he didn't touch her. He knew there was nothing Kitty hated more than being touched. He knew why too.
"Oh Wolfie," she cried, "Warum?" Why?
He understood exactly what she meant, but he still shook his head. "Ich weiss nicht." I don't know.
Helplessly he watched the tears roll down her face.
The twelve year old opened the door to the nursery quietly. Her siblings and the charges didn't stir, but that meant nothing with them. They wouldn't move even if they were awake. Quietly she crept to Zack's cot.
He was curled up asleep, sucking the corner of the blanket. Nick must have put him to bed for her.
A solitary tear ran down her face. Zack had never gone to sleep for anyone other than her before. She couldn't help it if Lydecker kept calling her away.
She turned away. Carefully she slipped across to her own bed to pull the blanket over her head and cry herself to sleep.
Wolf howled quietly his hand still extended. "Nicht einmal als er dich krank gemacht hat habe ich versucht dich to beschuetzten." I did even try to protect you once he made you ill.
To his surprise, she reached out and held his hand for a brief second before letting go again. "Ich war nicht krank, Wolf," I wasn't ill, Wolf
Medical check ups. A weekly occurrence for both the charges and their carers. Kitty held Zack's hand as she waited with Tear and baby Jace outside the lab. They were alone in the corridor at the moment. Jack hadn't been feeling well so Honey had come early and Hawk and her charge, Brin, were already inside.
Suddenly Kitty felt nauseous. She put a hand against the wall to steady herself, but found it was shaking. She was shaking!
She felt like she was going to fall, so she knelt on the floor, pressing both hands against the ground to steady herself. They wouldn't go properly flat! She couldn't straighten her fingers!
"Kitty!" Zack wailed alarmed.
She fell sideways. Her whole body was jerking now.
For how many minutes she lay like that she didn't know, but eventually she felt firm hands lift her off the floor and carry safely to a gurney in the lab. Those same hands had to pin her down so that she didn't fall off it.
She saw the faces they belonged to. Tear and – was that Leo? What was he doing here? He didn't have a charge. Didn't need to report for check ups.
Doctors rushed around them. Checking her pulse. Her temperature. Sticking needles into her.
"Z-Zack," she managed to gasp.
"It's okay," Tear replied, "I've got him here … he's holding Jace … trying to look … look up … onto the gurney." Her voice came in gasps. She was struggling to hold her sister down, even with their oldest brother's help.
"Quiet now, Kitty," Leo ordered gently, but he sounded equally tired.
Eventually, after what seemed like hours, but was in fact only thirty minutes, her seizure began to lessen, until finally the two X3s were able to release her without the risk of her ending up on the floor. Tear reached down and lifted Zack up to sit beside her. She was right. He was holding Jace. Correctly too.
"Make … a … good … carer," Kitty managed slowly, "one ... day,"
"Yeah," Tear smiled.
The door slammed open. "You two are dismissed," Lydecker snapped in the X3s direction. Tear took Jace out of her brother's arms and left with Leo at her heels. They made a point of leaving Zack with his carer.
Kitty glanced up in Lydecker's direction. She was too exhausted even to feel scared, but she raised one still quivering hand and pulled Zack towards her. Nothing could make her trust Lydecker.
Thankfully however, he turned away from her to one of the doctors.
"What wrong with her?" he demanded loudly, pointing at the child on the gurney.
The doctor looked up from her notes slowly. "She's pregnant."
For many years afterwards Kitty still remembered the silence that followed those words.
Wolf shook his head sorrowfully. "Ich war da. Als du sie in die Welt gebracht hast, war ich da." I was there. When you brought them into the world, I was there.
"Was?" What!
"Ich bin auf dem Dach geklettered und da habe ich dich sehen koennen." I climbed onto the roof and I could see you from there.
"Ach so," Oh right She tried not to make it seem like a big deal, though inwardly she was reeling with shock.
"Also bin ich in das Krankenzimmer eingebrochen." So I broke into the room.
Kitty eyes suddenly hardened in unchecked blind anger. She leapt to her feet, shacking with fury.
"Du! Du warst im Zimmer! Warum? Warum has du nicht nichts getan? Warum hast to ihn nicht gestopped? Ich konnte es nicht! Warum hast nichts getan!"
You! You were in the room! Why didn't you do anything? Why didn't you stop him? I couldn't? Why did you do nothing!
She dissolved into heavy tears. Wolf pulled away, a shamed look on his face like a beaten puppy.
After a few moments, however, she collapsed back into her former position. Mechanically she dried her eyes. "Ich rede Warnsin, grosser brueder! Was haettest du denn tun koennen?" I'm talking rubbish, big brother. What could you have done? She gave him wired half-smile.
"Ich haette dich beschuetzten koennen," he replied. I could have protected you.
Kitty howled in pain she didn't normally feel as she pushed again. The effort was killing her. Why couldn't the baby be born already! Then suddenly she froze … the sound of the baby's wailing filled the room!
She grinned, worn out, but still watching alertly as ever as the doctor severed them and handed her baby to the nurses to be weighed and wrapped in a waiting blanket.
Delighted, proud, the girl watched the women administering those services for her child. The resurging pain in the girl's belly told her the other one was on its way, but she held her arms out for her baby anyway. She wanted to hold her child.
Then she heard Lydecker's voice, breaking the calm activity in the room, "Thank you. Give the baby to me now." She hadn't even known he was there! Horrified, she stared as he forcefully removed the child from the nurse's arms.
"No!" she cried, "No! No!" Ignoring the pain, She leapt from her bed.
Lydecker stared silently at her for a moment. Then he laughed.
Kitty cried out again and collapsed on the floor. Too far into labour to stand any longer.
"No!" she yelled, "NO!"
Lydecker turned away as if she wasn't even there. "As 327 already has a charge," he said coldly to one of the doctors, "I'll send 857 to collect the other one once 327 has delivered it. 857 will be its carer."
Kitty screamed! And screamed! And screamed! The sound made the baby start to wail with her!
But it was no use! The medical staff surrounded the helpless girl like vultures, restraining the frantic child on the floor. Even once Lydecker left the building with the newborn he could still her its mother, still screaming for her lost baby even as its sibling made its way into the world.
Kitty shook her head, "Nein, Bruederherz, du koenntest mich nicht von ihn beschuetzten. Niemand kann dass." No, brother dearest, you couldn't protect me. Nobody can do that.
"Ich werde dich jetzt beuetzten." I'll protect you now.
"Ich dich auch." I'll protect you too.
Then suddenly Kitty started blot upright. Her hand flew to her side and she yanked out a pager. Her eyes scanned the text. "Oh My God!" she gasped in English.
"What is it?" Wolf asked in the same language.
"I was on a mission with two of the kids just before I got here. It looks like the kids were kidnapped, most probably by a breeding-cult freak who is trying to turn the whole Manticore outfit into transgenic flambé," Kitty explained hastily, "Nick and Logan have just turned up a lead on where to find them."
Wolf stood up, "Then what are we waiting for?"