The Plant Pt. 03 - Colony

"Interesting," April said. "So, assuming that what you say is true, what do these Gingravik want? Are they here to conquer the planet and make us all sex slaves or something? Will there be giant machines making waste to the planet?" Margaret chuckled at that.

"Oh heavens no," Margaret said. "Yes, they seek to conquer the Earth, but not in a malevolent way, certainly not in any way you can imagine. They are not what you would call a militaristic species, certainly not like us. Although, they can and will defend themselves if attacked. What they seek is more of a peaceful... coexistence. A partnership of sorts. Naturally, they would be the senior partners, since they do possess a superior intellect." April snorted at that remark.

"Yeah, I've seen those movies about beings with a superior intellect," she said. "As I recall, that didn't end too well for them."

"I saw that movie as well," Margaret said. "You don't understand what the Gingravik have to offer. Perhaps if you did, you might have a different opinion."

"And just what do they offer?" April asked. "Slavery, tyranny, death camps? What?"

"You have to understand that like us, the Gingravik are running out of time," Margaret said. "What they offer is a future free of want, poverty, disease, hunger, hate and despair. And they want that for both us and them. They feel the only way to achieve that is to work together -- to... unite. You've experienced some of their ways. Surely if you look deep inside yourself, you'll see I'm telling the truth."

"You know, I've heard a lot of bullshit in my short life, but this has got to take the cake," April said. Margaret smiled before continuing.

"Tell me, dear, when do you graduate?" she asked.

"Next year," April said. "Why?"

"We could really use someone with your skills and talent," Margaret said. "Why don't you consider coming to work for us?"

"Oh, you want me to turn my back on the human race now?" April said. "Seriously?"

"No," Margaret said. "I want you to help the human race."

"I may be many things, but I'm not a traitor," April said. "In the meantime, I'm going to continue my research. I'll find a way to stop what you're doing, assuming that any of what you say is true."

"You may find that hard to accomplish," Margaret said. "By now all of the hybrids have been moved or are being moved. It's hard to do research when there's nothing to study."

"Like I said, I'll find a way," April told her.

"Very well," Margaret said as she nodded her head. "At any rate, it was a pleasure meeting you," she added as she lead April out of her office. When they got to the front counter, Margaret stopped. "Just one thing before you go," she said. April turned to face her.

"What's that?" she asked.

<<SNAP>>

"I'm sorry you weren't able to find anything, miss," Margaret said in her best saleswoman voice. April shook her head and wondered where she was and what she was doing. The clock on the wall showed it wasn't quite 6:00 pm. How long was I here, she asked herself. I don't remember walking in this place.

"Uh, that's okay," she said.

"Please come back again sometime," Margaret said with a smile.

"Yeah, sure," April said before she walked out the door. What am I doing here, she asked herself. What's going on?

Margaret watched April through the window in front of the shop. She hated using the memory redaction device, but felt it was necessary. She only removed the last hour of the girl's memories, just enough to make sure she didn't remember any of their meeting. The device was also set to erase any digital recording the girl might have made.

She went back to her office and prepared her report for the Council. When she transmitted it, she got a notification on her monitor and looked at her screen. She could tell it was starting to get dark, but the video feed from the park clearly showed the young girl she saw the previous night had returned with three other young girls, all of whom looked to be homeless. They were frantically searching for the plant the first girl encountered earlier, but by now, all of them had been removed. Margaret keyed her microphone.

"Security detail," she said. "This is the Facilitator. Detain those four women, now."

"Copy that," a male voice said. "Disposition?"

"Take them to the colony," Margaret said. "Inform the QM."

"Will do," the male voice said in response. "Bravo Charlie out." Margaret watched her screen and saw the five men surround the girls. They seemed to argue for a bit, but went limp as the security men sprayed something in the girls' faces. The men carried the girls and their gear away.

...

April got to her room, still confused about what had just happened. When she closed her door, she put her purse down and instantly knew something was horribly wrong. The plant was gone. Missing. Frantic, she went into her kitchenette. The samples were also gone. She looked around, but found nothing else missing. She called campus police and waited.

When they got there, they dusted for prints and inspected the door. Finding no evidence of a forced entry, they surmised the lock had probably been picked by an expert. They also found no fingerprints other than those belonging to April and her two friends. By then, May and June had come to her room, having heard the commotion.

"What's going on?" May asked.

"Someone broke in and took my plant," April said, crying.

"Oh my God," June gasped. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it happened while I was gone," April said. "They also took the samples I had."

"What are you going to do?" May asked.

"I don't know," April said. One of the officers came to April.

"We don't see any evidence of a forced break-in, Ms. Jennings, sorry," the officer said. "Is there anything else missing? Anything of real monetary value?"

"No, nothing," April said. The officer shook his head.

"I'm sorry, miss, but there's not much we can do," he told her. "I'll put in a report and ask dorm security to keep a closer eye on your floor."

"That's fine," April said. "Thanks for coming up."

"You're welcome," the officer said, tipping his hat. "You ladies have a good evening." After the officers left, April broke down crying. May and June comforted her as best they could.

"When did this happen?" they asked.

"I was at some shop over on Front Street," April said. "I remember driving in that general direction, then the next thing I know, I'm getting ready to leave. There's about a half hour or so I can't remember. When I got back, I saw the plant was gone."

"So what are you going to do?" June asked.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to go back out to the park and find another plant," she said.

"Why don't we come with you?" May asked.

"No, I'll ask Dr. Johnson," April said. "He was just as interested in this plant as I was and he wanted to check the area out himself."

"Okay," May said. "Are you going to be okay now? Do you need us to stay with you? We will, if you want. Or maybe you'd rather spend the night with one of us?"

"I'll be fine, sweetie," April said. "Thanks for offering anyway."

"You're welcome," May said, hugging her.

"Listen, if you feel the need, just come on over, okay?" June asked.

"Thanks," April said. They left the room, and April sat in her chair, shocked. She wished she could make herself a cup of tea, but was unable to. Eventually, she went into her bathroom, showered and went to bed. Her dreams were filled with alien landscapes and large beings with multiple cocks surrounded by rapidly-moving creatures.

...

The young girl woke up in the small room and found that her wrists were cuffed and secured to a metal loop in the table she sat at. She looked around and wondered where she was. She looked in one corner of the room and saw a camera with a tiny red light.

"Hello?" she called out, scared. "Is anyone there?" She looked around but saw nothing she could use to help her escape. Eventually, the door opened and she watched as the most beautiful blonde woman she had ever seen walked in carrying a tray.

Not only was she taken back by the woman's beauty, she was shocked to see the woman was completely naked. And shamelessly so. She wondered if they were going to rape her and started shaking. The woman looked at the table and turned to a guard behind her.

"Are these absolutely necessary?" she asked.

"No, my queen mother," the man answered. Queen mother, the girl asked herself. Where the hell am I? Who are these people? The uniformed guard pulled out a set of keys and removed the handcuffs.

"That's much better," the woman said. She came into the room and set the tray down. Behind her was a large plant in a motorized cart. The plant was much larger and healthier than the one she was with last night, and she noticed its pustules were absolutely HUGE. My God, she thought. Do they expect me to fuck that thing? The woman sat down, smiled and looked at her.

"Why don't you have some tea?" she asked. "It will help calm you down a bit. I know you've had a traumatic experience. Go ahead." The girl tentatively picked up the cup and took a sip. It was hot, and tasted sweet and fruity. And the woman was right. It did help calm her down a bit.

"That's better," the woman said.

"Where am I?" the girl asked.

"You're at a private research facility about 150 miles outside the city," the woman said. The girl looked at the large plant.

"What is that?" she asked. The woman looked at the plant before answering.

"That? That's Bernie," the woman said. "He's a much bigger and healthier version of the plant you were with last night. You know, the one you had sex with." The girl looked down, embarrassed. "No need to be embarrassed here. It's quite alright. The plant must've liked you a bit, otherwise it wouldn't have been attracted to you."

"You name your plants here?" the girl asked.

"Yes," the woman said. "And you can call me Theresa, at least for now. What is your name?"

"Cassandra," the girl said. "Cassandra Williams. Everyone just calls me Cassie."

"Cassie," Theresa said. "A pretty name for a pretty girl."

"I'm not pretty," Cassie said, looking down. Theresa looked her over and took in her short, stright, dark hair, her bangs even with her eyebrows, her dark eyes, her B-cup breasts covered only with a torn tube top. Her nipples poked into the material and Theresa could tell the girl was excited. She took in the girl's midriff and the ring in her navel. She knew the girl wore nothing under her short skirt. She could smell the girl's arousal.

"I disagree," Theresa said. "Don't you, Bernie?" she asked, looking at the plant. To Cassie's amazement, the plant seemed to nod. Theresa looked back at her. "Where do you live, Cassie?" she asked. Cassie shrugged her shoulders.

"Wherever," she said. "Nowhere, really."

"You're homeless?" Theresa asked.

"Yeah," Cassie said. "Old man kicked me out when he brought his new girlfriend home. Parents disowned me when I turned 18, so yeah, I live on the streets now. Can I leave now?"

"And go where?" Theresa asked. "Back to diving through trash cans for scraps of food? Back to begging for cigarettes, drugs or spare change? Back to turning tricks for a few bucks?" Cassie shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess," she said.

"Wouldn't you rather have a roof over your head, warm food and a nice bed to sleep in at night?" Theresa asked.

"Yeah, who wouldn't?" Cassie asked. "But that requires a job, and I ain't got one of those."

"What skills do you have? What do you like to do?" Theresa asked.

"I ain't got no skills," Cassie said, taking a sip of her tea. She began to feel her old bravado coming back.

"What do you like to do, Cassie?" Theresa asked. "Surely there's one thing you like to do more than anything else." Cassie looked at Theresa and was starting to get pissed. Who was this woman and why was she so damn condescending to her?

"You wanna know what I like to do more than anything else? Really?" she asked, irritated.

"Yes," Theresa said calmly.

"Alright, I'll tell you," Cassie said. "I like to get naked and FUCK! What do you think about that?" Theresa smiled widely at her answer.

"And the plant you fucked last night was the best you ever had, wasn't it?" Theresa asked. Cassie was shocked into silence.

"Yeah, I guess so," she said. Theresa nodded her head.

"Good," she said. "I think you'll do well here."

"What?" Cassie asked.

"You heard me," Theresa said. "You like to fuck, right? You'll do quite well here."

"What? Are you going to make me a hooker or something?" Cassie asked.

"No, we have no need for prostitutes here," Theresa said. "We'll house you, feed you, take care of all your needs. All you have to do is what you did last night."

"What about my friends?" Cassie asked.

"They've already agreed to join us," Theresa said. Cassie thought for a moment before answering.

"Okay, I'll do it," she said. "But no pain. I'm not into that shit."

"That won't be a problem, Cassie," Theresa said. "Welcome to the Colony." She extended a hand and Cassie shook it, wondering what she had gotten herself into. "Just one thing, Cassie. Outside this room, you are to refer to me as 'Queen Mother,' okay? You'll learn why soon enough."

"Okay," Cassie said. Theresa got up from the table and walked out the door. The plant followed behind her in his cart. Cassie wondered how they made that happen. Once outside the room, Theresa turned to the Matron waiting next to the door.

"Clean her, detox her, then shave and prepare her along with the others, Matron," she said. "Treat her with kindness and respect." The Matron came to attention, clicking her heels.

"Yes, my Queen Mother," the Matron said. "Designation?" Theresa looked at the door before answering.

"In-house breeders," she said. "Assign her to the same hybrid she was with last night. Distribute the others among the remaining girls."

"As you wish, my Queen Mother," the Matron said. The Matron went into the room and another woman approached Theresa with a printed report.

"Yes?" Theresa asked.

"The report of the most recent shipments from the deployed breeders, my Queen Mother. We've now received 185 fertilized eggs from the field," the woman said. "They are being processed at this very moment."

"Very good," Theresa said, looking over the report. She smiled and looked at the woman. "Carry on, by all means."

"Yes, my Queen Mother," she said before turning away. Theresa looked at Bernie.

"This has been quite a productive day, my love," she said. "Shall we retire to our quarters?"

"Your wish is my command, my Queen," Bernie thought in her mind.

...

The next morning, April drank a cup of coffee before going to school. She saw Dr. Johnson when she entered the lab. He looked at her, concerned.

"Are you alright, April?" he asked. "I heard about the break-in last night."

"I'm okay," she said. "I just feel... violated."

"I understand," he said. "If you want, you can take the day off to recuperate if you wish."

"No, Dr. Johnson, I want to get back to work," she said. "Do we still have all our notes and test results from the plant?"

"We should," he said. "Let's go take a look." They went to the locked filing cabinet and opened it up. They looked, but couldn't find anything.

"It's gone," he said, shocked. "How could that be? Everything is gone. X-rays, samples, reports, everything. I don't understand this."

"Damn," April said. We'll have to start from scratch. Look, would you be willing to go with me to the park where I got that first plant? There should be more of them there, and I'd like it if you were with me."

"Sure," he said. "I don't have much of anything scheduled until noon. Why don't we go now? We can ride over in my truck if you wish. I already have a shovel in the back."

"That would be terrific," she said. They left the school and headed to the park. When they got there, April showed him where she had found the first plant. He parked and they got out. They walked past the tree line and found the spot where April had dug up the first plant. They spread out from there and walked around.

At one point, Dr. Johnson looked up into one of the trees. He made sure April wasn't looking and winked at the camera he knew was there. He turned back to the ground and kept looking. There were several recently-dug holes spaced about 20 or 30 feet from each other, but no plants were found.

"Praise Marsook," Dr. Johnson said quietly. He had hoped all the plants would be removed, and thankfully, they were.

"What?" April asked, looking at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said."

"Oh, I just said it's a shame," he lied. "I thought for sure we could find something here. I don't see anything, do you?"

"No, but someone left a pair of panties out here," she said, holding up a tiny pair of panties with a stick. The gusset looked like it had been chewed out.

"Hmm," he said. "I think we can discard that, don't you?"

"Yeah," April said, tossing the stick away. After looking for another half-hour, they gave up the search.

"Well, maybe we'll find some later," he said. "That's the way it goes sometimes. C'mon, let's get back to the school. I'll buy you a cup of coffee at Starbucks if you want."

"Thanks," she said. "I could use a cup of coffee right about now." They got back in the truck and headed out, stopping at a Starbucks on the way.

"You know, this sucks," she said. "What could've happened to all that stuff we had in the lab? Who could've taken it?"

"I don't know," he said. "There's only a few people who have access to that cabinet. I didn't take them, and I know you didn't. I'll ask around."

"I guess that means our research is over, doesn't it?" she asked.

"For now, yes," he said. "It happens sometimes, you know. But you need to focus on your studies, anyway. Call this a learning experience and move on. By the way, what do you have planned after graduation next year?"

"I don't know," she said. "I'd like to get on with a company doing research somewhere."

"Well, I just happen to know of a private firm that could really benefit from your expertise," he said. "I'm very impressed with your work and your attitude and I'm sure they would be as well," he said. "If you like, I can put in a good word for you."

"You'd do that for me?" she asked, excited.

"Sure," he said. "Anything for my star pupil." She smiled.

"Now you're just teasing me," she said. "So, where is this outfit?"

"They're about 150 miles or so outside of town," he said. "They're pretty much self-sufficient. They don't even have a presence on the web if you can believe that. They're pretty much into anything green, if you know what I mean."

"150 miles," she said. "That's one hell of a commute."

"They provide housing for all their employees," he said. "Everything you need is already there. Still want me to talk to them? See if they'd be willing to hold an interview?"

"Sure," she said. "I'll talk to them. Thanks!"

"You're welcome," he said with a smile.

...

By mid-October, things had settled down to a somewhat steady roar. April had a phone interview with a woman named Theresa Hemmings, who identified herself as the CEO of Gingravik Genetics and Botanical Research Services. She was a bit surprised that the CEO herself would actually contact her, but the woman seemed quite friendly over the phone. Additionally, the name Gingravik seemed somewhat familiar to April, but she couldn't place it.

After an hour-long discussion, April agreed to come work at the facility after graduation. She was told that she would have to undergo a full background and security check as some of her work would be highly classified. She had no problem with that. Besides, the benefit package was much more than she expected, plus she would be provided a nice condo at the compound.