The Plant Pt. 03 - Colony

Cassie and her friends transitioned nicely into their new roles as breeders. Healthier and happier than they had been in quite some time, the girls -- like Theresa -- had shed all their inhibitions and spent their days naked, either lounging at the pool or in their quarters, having sex with their designated plants.

Five other girls had been recruited into the in-house breeding program and together, the nine girls had produced a number of fertilized eggs that would eventually become soldiers, drones or low-skilled labor.

Theresa was also very pleased with the results of the field breeders, who had produced over 2,300 fertilized eggs since being deployed. Those beings would be given designations based on the needs of the colony and would be programmed from the beginning to be ready experts in their designated specialties. Before long, Theresa thought, these children would be able to reproduce on their own, eventually incorporating Gingravik DNA into the human race as a whole.

Margaret had just signed on to confer with the Council. She was informed they had an important announcement for her. After the obligatory greetings, she waited as the councilors sent her a graphic. She watched as the graphic took shape on her monitor.

She was somewhat confused when the image was fully formed. It looked like a round object with a number of stalks protruding from it.

"What is this, Councilor," she asked. "I don't understand."

"This, Facilitator, is a virus," the councilor told her.

"A virus?" Margaret asked. "But why?"

"Because it is time we started the final push," the Councilor said. "The Colony is growing, thanks to you and the Queen Mother, but we feel that it is time to step things up a bit."

"But this is biological warfare," Margaret said.

"It is an unfortunate but necessary step, Facilitator," the Councilor said.

"How many will die from this?" she asked.

"It will vary by country and area, and believe me, Facilitator, we regret any loss of life," another Councilor said. "However, our engineers estimate the survival rate to be somewhere over 90 percent."

"Forgive me for asking, but why this?" Margaret asked.

"You are forgiven," the first Councilor said. "After all, it is your species that will be affected. As to why, consider. This is a novel strain, which means it has never been encountered before. That means your health authorities will need to spend time coming up with new ways to deal with it. That means economic hardship, as well as political chaos. It will take at least a year, or longer, before a suitable vaccine can be developed. Even longer for a distribution plan to be formed."

"Plus," another Councilor said. "There will be a very important election in the country where you live. We have been following the news there, and we believe this will have a tremendous impact on that election. Our estimates are that by the time that election has concluded, there will be significant political upheaval in your country, and perhaps others as well."

"All of this will serve our purposes," a third Councilor said. "The more divided the human race is, the easier it will be for us to operate and complete our objectives."

"What about your allies here on Earth?" Margaret asked. "And everyone at the Colony?"

"We have already taken that into account," one Councilor said. "We are transmitting instructions to you now. You will ensure those instructions are carried out to the letter. Do not worry, Facilitator. All will be cared for."

"I understand," she said. "So, none of us will get this virus?"

"No, you will all be spared and immune from it," the Councilor said.

"When will this virus arrive?" Margaret asked.

"By your calendar, it should be there sometime in early November," one Councilor said. "According to our calculations, it should make planetfall somewhere in the body of land you know as China. It will spread from there quite rapidly."

"In the meantime, Facilitator, I suggest it is time you close your shop for good," the first Councilor said. "You have earned enough that you can collect your government's social security. You should file for that immediately. We suggest you move your operation to the Colony as soon as possible."

"It shall be as you say, Councilor," she said. "Marsook's will be done."

"Of course, Facilitator," the Councilor said.

"There is a phrase that has been attributed to your Chinese brethren, Facilitator," one Councilor said. "May you live in interesting times. The times are indeed going to be interesting. We will remain in contact as always. Stay the course and remain true to the cause. Report when you have completed the move to the Colony."

"I will, Councilor," she said. After the obligatory ending, the communication ended. Margaret stood there, stunned, for just a few moments. But only a few moments. There was much work to be done.

...

To be continued...