And… it's Friday! And what does that mean? … Time for my Project Pull update!

Heheh.

Enjoy the chapter…

Chapter 18: Suppose

Phillip Harmon tapped his foot in impatience, absentmindedly biting his nails. It was a nervous habit of his. One that seemed to bother him a lot lately. Gee, I wonder why? He thought to himself. It wasn't like Dr. Castillo had been working him to the bone for the past two months… no, nothing like that.

He frowned. Being second-in-command did have its benefits. He was first to know about anything and everything that went on in Headquarters. Dr. Castillo confided in him, sometimes more than she did with her own husband. And best of all – the salary. Oh, the beautiful salary. Every time Phillip Harmon looked at his paycheck, he couldn't help but smile. Oh yes, he did love the salary.

But there were also some negatives to having this much power – number one being the work. Dr. Castillo had promised him light hours and a minimal amount of research to be done, but the work that Phillip Harmon was doing was just about as far from that statement one could get. He arrived at work every morning at six o'clock sharp, and was in the lab until approximately half past seven every night, with a forty-five minute lunch break at noon. And that didn't even include the never ending hours he spent on his laptop at home, poring over countless sites on genetics and altering DNA. Luckily, though, he didn't have to spend much time actually experimenting on the subjects in the lab. His main job was research. And for this he was glad. He simply could not imagine harming those poor, delicate little creatures…

As if. He was used to the experiments that went on at Headquarters. In a way, they didn't even bother him anymore. Was he still grossed out by them? Yes. Was he still morally opposed to experimenting on human children? No. After all, it was all going to a good cause.

At that moment, his thoughts were interrupted as Dr. Castillo breezed into the room. With soft cheekbones, a slender figure, and blonde hair pinned up into a flyaway bun, Phillip Harmon could have found her attractive, even sexy. But the cold gleam in those gray eyes gave her a rather malicious look.

Today, her eyes looked especially malicious. She stormed into the room, her hands literally shaking with rage. Phillip Harmon took a few slow steps backwards, trying to get out of her range of fire.

"She. Said. No. That little bitch and her Flock of bitchy mutant freaks turned me down." Dr. Castillo looked almost mad, her nostrils flaring and her jaw twitching. "Damn them. Damn those… those…"

Phillip Harmon tried to pat her arm, but she jerked away. "Don't touch me, asshole!"

"Right… ah, I'll just be going now…" Phillip said delicately, backing towards the door.

Dr. Castillo took a sudden shaky breath. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "I'm just a little… stressed, you know?"

Oh yes, Phillip Harmon knew.

She took a few more deep breaths, and slumped against the chair. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to move on. Scientists always have a Plan B." Phillip nodded knowingly.

"Get me a coffee," Dr. Castillo snapped suddenly. Phillip rose from his chair, walked towards the coffee maker, and robotically prepared Dr. Castillo's usual – black coffee, no milk, no sugar. He poured it into a mug and handed it to the doctor.

"Thanks," she said wearily. A few awkward moments passed, Dr. Castillo sipping her coffee and Phillip Harmon biting his nails.

After what seemed like eternity, the doctor's eyes snapped into focus. "Okay. So here's the plan."

Phillip Harmon leaned forward eagerly.

"Subjects 1-6 rejected my offer, as you know. I really don't care to go into any further detail. But I do know that the reason Subject One rejected my offer was to protect her Flock. I don't have the slightest clue why, but I know that that is the reason behind her twisted logic. And we need to use her… love" Dr. Castillo said the word with contempt, "of her Flock to our advantage."

Phillip knitted his eyebrows together. He often found it difficult to follow the doctor's train of thought.

"So we blackmail her."

"Ah," Phillip said.

"The weapons are ready. All we need to do is blackmail her. When she doesn't respond to us, and she is soon attacked, she'll know exactly why. And just like that, she'll come straight to us."

Phillip waited a few minutes, but when Dr. Castillo didn't continue, he asked tentatively, "And then what?"

Dr. Castillo gave a wary glance toward the security camera in the corner of the room, and with a sly grin, leaned in towards Phillip. As she whispered into his ear, he smiled slowly.

"I see."

. . .

At 7:30 PM, Phillip Harmon gathered his coat and his briefcase and walked briskly out the front door of the Headquarters. Revving the engine of his shiny Mercedes Benz, he snaked his way through the busy streets of Manhattan towards his home. He pulled into the driveway, grabbed his things, and went inside. There, his wife was stirring some delicious smelling food over the stove, while watching the local news.

"Hey, babe," he said, walking up to her and winding his arm around her waist. She smiled up at him and pecked his cheek.

"How was work, honey?"

"Eh, fine. Had a nice meeting with my boss."

"That's good," she turned back towards the television. A news reporter flashed on the screen, reporting the latest Manhattan news.

"Sad, isn't it?" Phillip Harmon's wife murmured as the reporter talked about a couple kids that had disappeared from school the other day. "All this crime… it's just so sad."

Phillip nodded serenely, then headed off with a quick, "I'm going to go change."

He walked toward his room, thinking about the news story he had just heard.

A smile spread slowly across his face.

. . .

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