Author's Note: Oh my god I thought i'd uploaded the past two chapters so you're getting three all at once lol sorry
Chapter 17: Domesticity
There was no shift in energy, the grass didn't get greener and flowers didn't bloom better. Not in this harsh winter.
Iris glowered out at the desolate wasteland that was the scrapyard, even the Lycans dared not come out in this weather. Everything was iced over, the trees barren spikes, and the sky a permanent grey. She hated it. Sipping on her bitter black coffee Iris wondered if there even was an American research facility, or if Miranda just wanted to run away to someplace warmer. She wished she could.
"Stop sulking and get back to work"
Heisenberg was behind her, showing off his higher body heat by wearing just his simple shirt and trousers. A smug smile on his lips as Iris stood bundled up in her dress, an old shirt of his on top, with a thick, bright red knitted hat and scarf that Duke had traded to her for some scrap metal.
It had been just over a month since the family meeting, since Miranda up and left the village, and since then Factory Heisenberg had been slow in its production of a metal army. Bodies had still come in as usual, the harsh weather resulting in a car crash and flu outbreak, but all of the deceased were too frail to be of any use as Soldats. The new Haulers were fitting in fine for Iris however, who was able to march them straight to work in the mines as soon as her boss implanted their Cadou, reviving the bodies with a quick burst of power from his fingertips.
"I'm on break."
"Break?" the man snorted, coming up to stand next to Iris, she shifted closer, the heat radiating off him a pleasant feeling. "I think I'll be taking over orders from now on, Duke is a bad influence on you" The scolding was half arsed, as most things were nowadays, with little work and little else to do but drink, bicker, and take in the weak winter sun.
From across the scrapyard, rattling over the bridge that separated their haven from the village, an old ambulance broke the peaceful silence of the winter morning with it's screeching siren.
"This better be something good or I'm taking the driver" her Boss grumbled, stomping over to the gates that had already opened at his will.
With a swig of her coffee, Iris left the cracked mug on top of an old metal garden table, a little set up she'd procured from scrounging the area, in hopes that she'd be able to sunbathe in the summer months. Trudging over the icy grass Iris arrived just in time to greet the driver and ensure he lived another day.
There was only one doctor in the village and with that, one ambulance and one driver. His son, Victor, was a nice man. Tall, tan, shaggy hair and big brown eyes. He always smiled at Iris whenever he showed up with a dead villager, would make some inane comment about the weather, and took whatever thinly veiled threat Heisenberg threw at him on the chin. Today was no different.
"I'm glad to see you are keeping warm Miss Iris"
"Thanks Victor, I hope you're not too cold driving around too"
"Yeah yeah whatever, what happened to this one?" Heisenberg snapped, she didn't understand the hostility he had towards the boy. It wasn't like a boy like Victor could ever dream of stealing Iris away from the factory, and leaving Lord Heisenberg without an assistant.
"A tragedy, Lord Moreau… he was unhappy, and shook one of the windmills, Yousef was fixing a window and fell" Iris made a show of looking sad whilst eyeing up the white sheet on the gurney. Hidden underneath was the largest body they'd gotten in months. If they were lucky, they'd have another Soldat in their arsenal.
"That sucks, I'll speak to Lord Moreau about this. It is our job to protect you people, not cause their deaths" Heisenberg was also making a show of looking sad, but his hand was fidgeting with the gurney, she could practically hear the cogs turning in his mind.
"Have a pleasant day Victor, we always enjoy your visits, but hope you don't return soon. Giving the circumstances." Her usual goodbye.
"You too Miss Iris, and Lord Heisenberg. Have a good Yule"
The boy popped back in the ambulance and quickly disappeared back into the village, the gates shutting and once again, closing off the factory grounds from everyone else.
"It's Yule time already?"
"Oh don't tell me you're going to want to celebrate? You'll be sorely disappointed if you're expecting any festive cheer, or presents off me" Her Boss's voice was grumpy but his fingers were thrumming a cherry tune on the metal of the gurney as it floated by his side across the scrapyard.
"Of course not Boss"
"Good. Now hurry up, we've got work to do."
The body was impeccable. Not Sturm level, but a great build for a soldier. The man had fallen awkwardly, snapping his neck. A quick death, with little damage. Heisenberg had reinforced the corpses spine so the Soldat wouldn't have a floppy head, then quickly set to work fixing a drill and saw onto each arm. He'd adapted his schematics since the first Soldat, these weapons were sharper, more deadly, but shorter range, giving the Soldat better agility and Iris less of a headache repairing any damaged doors and walls. Embedded in his chest was a more advanced version of the signal transmitters the Haulers used. This allowed Heisenberg to have more control over his Soldats, and give more complex instructions.
"When we have more stock, and the prototypes are fully functional, I'll start fitting this transmitter in the back. Better for defence, but the wires will be a bitch to work with around the spine"
Iris nodded silently, she rarely spoke during these experiments, lest she accidentally speak over her Boss and ruin his precious audio tapes of each and every thing he does in the factory.
"That's three Soldats now, plus Sturm and what, two dozen Haulers? We're doing pretty good for ourselves huh?"
"Yes Boss"
"That's right, now go pick one"
Iris wasn't involved in these experiments for pure scientific curiosity, she was now a vital part of the implantation process. On the side of the room, where rusted tools and old medical documents used to live, were two rows of hibernating Cadou in a mixture of saline, preservatives and blood. With one hand stretched out, she scanned each parasite to assess the level of power each and every Cadou emitted.
It was different every time, as if close proximity to a potentially compatible host enhanced their powers. A Cadou in the middle, top row was pulsating with desperation, it was a perfect match for this corpse.
"This one, it's going to be juicy"
"You know what to do"
She grabbed the jar with care, swearing that the Cadou was vibrating with excitement. Twisting the lid open she gently cupped the Cadou into her hands, its spindly threads stretching out, seeking its fellow parasite within Iris, she concentrated on the being, mentally forcing instructions at it.
Obey. Soldat. Obey.
She placed the Cadou into the corpse's chest cavity, the Cadou immediately taking root onto the ribs, slimy tentacles wrapping around and melding with the bone until it was coated in thick, sticky black.
Obey.
Heisenberg took away the clamps keeping the cavity open and sewed up the corpses chest with experienced precision. Once fully closed up, he set a bare hand directly over the Cadou's implantation site and released a sharp burst of electricity.
The Soldat immediately twitched to life, the monitors in the background coming alive.
"Fuck yes" Her boss whispered under his breath, a triumphant fist banging the metal bed. Despite his experience, every success was celebrated in full.
"Ok Iris, get this big boy moving"
Tucked into the corner of the room, Iris beckoned the Soldat over with a black hand. In her minds eye, the webs of Cadou spanning her fingertips pulsed with her silent command, a pulse from the Soldat still lying on the table confirmed that a connection had been made.
It jolted.
Lethargically, the Soldat rose and stumbled off the bed, falling to it's knees like a baby deer. Iris didn't let the stumble distract her, further pushing instructions through the connection.
Rise. Obey. Come.
The Soldat was shaking with effort but managed to return to it's feet, stepping slowly and unsteadily. The whole time Heisenberg beamed, bright eyes and sharp fangs, he almost reminded Iris of a happy dog. Twirling a finger, her Boss had the CCTV track the Soldat across the room, until it finished it's journey, stood directly in front of Iris.
"Good job" She smiled, "Stay here, we will guide you to your charging pod soon"
"Fuck YES" Stepping aside Iris returned to her Boss who grabbed her into a triumphant hug, "We fucking got this, that bitch is dead" Iris smiled at the thought, the dream of ending Miranda and being free of her and the village held a constant residence in the back of her mind. She couldn't wait, and the eagerness to build their army often had her up at night, wishing for a mass disaster to the people of her village, just so they could get a few more Soldats under their belt.
Her Boss released her from the hug after a brief peck on her head, marching the Soldat out to one of the charging pods in the hallway, next to its two new buddies. The pods were to keep an electrical pulse within the bodies at all times, so they were ready for attack at any moment. There was no such thing as being too careful.
Iris cleaned up the bed, removing the tools for sterilisation and ensuring her Boss's precious audio recorder was switched off and had enough batteries for the next day. They'd fallen into an odd domesticity, Iris thought, setting the recorder on the workbench. It was hard not to act like a couple, when you spent every waking moment together and spent every sleeping moment side by side in the same bed.
They had not kissed since their game of hide and seek, Iris had wondered if they'd ever kiss again, and sometimes, usually after too much wine, fantasised about kissing her boss after they kill Miranda. How he'd embrace her, over her dead body, and take her into a passionate kiss. One you'd read in a romance novel, she'd only read a few, some ancient, decaying things that some maid from some time ago had managed to steal away from the castle library.
Iris tried her best to snap herself out of these fantasies as fast as she could, there was no room for silly crushes during this oncoming war.
Although… you can't have a war when the enemy is nowhere to be found.
"Hey Boss… Can we play hide and seek again?" Iris hoped her voice sounded normal as her Boss reappeared in the operating room, wiping his hands on his jeans of whatever dirt had rubbed off from the Soldat.
"Really? Thought you'd wanna stick to your precious forge, soak in all that heat"
Iris shrugged, "There's only so many helmets and panels I can make before I go crazy"
Her boss barked out a laugh, calling her cheeky and a bad employee under his breath, but nodded and motioned for her to follow him.
"Fine but I'm not standing around waiting for you to find me. Go, you've got a minute head start, then I start my hunt"
"Hunt?" Iris fought a manic smile as her boss's face darkened, the big bad wolf she used to be afraid of rearing its ugly head. It sent a shiver down Iris's spine and she found herself unable to hold her glee.
She spun on her heel and ran. Over the speaker system she could hear Heisenberg counting down in low and taunting voice, it spurred her on, grinning madly as she darted through the dark corridors of the factory.
By the end of the countdown she was inside the living quarters, assuming that Heisenberg would never check there first. She knew he'd be going off smell and using the speakers to listen in on her, his power allowing himself to essentially "tune in" to any electrical equipment in the same way he was able to control the Soldats. Although she was still unsure if he could "see" through the cameras, whenever Iris inquired about the exact lengths his powers reached he'd always give a cryptic answer.
Either way. She'd have to be quiet.
Stopping to focus her power, she noticed that his energy was still stemming from around the operations room. Clearly the man wasn't in a hurry to catch her. Iris decided to sit it out and wait for him to move, concentrating on nothing else but his small spark of energy as it slowly moved around the floors below.
She leaned back in her chair smugly, wondering if she should pop on another coffee, she had this in the bag.
"Don't get too cocky now" Heisenberg's low drawl came over the speakers, Iris jumped but the energy signature was still nowhere near her, he was circling the floor, wandering into each and every room in the same manner Iris had when seeking him out. Great minds think alike, she guessed.
She allowed her Boss to get to the stairwell of the floor just below her, treating herself to a coffee with a splash of whiskey, before choosing a new hiding spot to skip to. Descending back down to level MB4 to hide in the generator room, it was nice and warm, with multiple exits should her Boss manage to get the jump on her, although with his pace it was unlikely.
Stepping into the dark room, as lightly footed as possible, just in case, Iris felt disappointed with her boss. She expected a challenge, not to be hanging around all day waiting to be caught. How embarrassing was that?
Iris decided to take the chase to him, the hunter, albeit not a good one, will become the hunted. She marched out of the room and stalked the hallway towards the stairwell where her Boss's energy burned brightly. She stayed close to the walls, hidden in the dark shadows and kept her breathing shallow, steps light.
She was so close, could almost hear him breathing. She rounded the corner, ready to pounce.
"GOT YOU!"
Sturm jolted, rushing forward suddenly and knocking his propeller head into the wall opposite. The propeller that had been switched off. How convenient.
She'd been tracking fucking Sturm this whole time.
The speakers crackled to life just for a few seconds, so Iris could hear the barking laughter of her gloating Boss.
That fucker.
Furious with herself, Iris calmed Stum down, his Cadou wasn't happy about part of the host's body being shut down, it's anger causing the energy to burn brightly. How did Heisenberg know that that would work? That she'd not notice the switch in energy signatures.
She was stupid, slow, just like one of her Haulers. A useless assistant in the war to come.
"Don't get sulky now, it's not fun when my prey is in a bad mood"
Iris jumped out of her skin with a screech, behind her at the top of the stairs, her Boss was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smiling dangerously.
"That's cheating!" She shouted childishly, darting around Sturm, using him as a barrier.
"Baby that's not cheating, it's training you to use that brain of yours," His smile sharpened, "Now run"
She sprinted.
Her brain was blank, her power non-existent, all she could hear was the rushing of blood in her ears and the laughter of her Boss who was quickly gaining on her.
She was so stupid, and so slow.
The chase didn't last long, a gloved hand grabbed at the back of her dress, the metal door she was so close to passing through slamming shut in her face. Hot breath fanned her neck as she was brought into a hard, heaving chest.
"Now what have we learnt today"
Iris groaned, and allowed herself to be frogmarched back to their Living Quarters.
"Sturm go to bed, Daddy has to teach Mummy a lesson"
She was never playing hide and seek ever again.