Women of the Grey- The Complete Trilogy

by Carol James Marshall

  Opening the trunk lid just a half inch, June watched the headlights from the trucks click on, and sway away from the building. She didn’t budge though. Instead they’d wait a while in this trunk. She was going to keep watch, listen for noises. Something felt off. As if she sniffed the air and caught a whiff of trouble. It wasn’t going to be as easy as getting in the driver’s seat and starting the car.

  The girl’s breathing had softened, and June realized she had fallen asleep. She slowly crept out of the trunk, leaving it open. As silently as possible, June stepped towards the door and stood listening for anything. A rustle. A sneeze, cough, fart, anything that would hint at how many humans they had left behind to guard this place.

  June didn’t know for sure that anyone was guarding this place, but it was obvious that someone would stay behind. She’d have someone stay behind. June rolled her tongue in her mouth. This was probably just weird ideas floating around her mind, but she couldn’t shake it.

  Opening the door, June listened again for the sound of anything out there. She hoped for the sound of coyotes, but instead heard the same female voice. “Oh, I knew there was someone hiding in there. You didn’t think I’d let you get away.” She appeared in front of June, gun aimed at her. Looking down, June could see a red dot aimed at her chest.

  “We are supposed to round you puppies up or shoot you.” She chucked a bit “They don’t care.”

  “Who are you?” June asked and wasn’t expecting an honest answer. Why would anybody tell the truth anymore?

  “Me?” the woman responded. With a sheepish grin she said “We. I’m not alone.” She raised her eyebrows then, “Or in charge. I follow orders like everyone else.” Following orders. Like everyone else. It sounded like The Grey. It sounded like Superior Mother. June felt her fear turn to anger. Would she ever get Superior Mother out of her fucking life?

  “You work for her…” June wrinkled her nose at the female soldier. “She rules you the way she rules us…to no end.” June stepped forward then. “And for no reason. It makes no sense. What does she gain. WHAT IS SHE HIDING?” June was screaming, but she didn’t care.

  The woman stepped back then, keeping her gun aimed at June as she calmly responded. “Step back, or I’ll shoot. I don’t know who “she” is. I don’t care. I know what you are. Come closer and I will shoot. Bullets kill you just like they kill humans.” She scoffed at June then. “You go splat, like everyone else.”

  “I have a child in there, do you care about that?” June spat her words out then stepped forward again. She was going to kill this woman.

  “STEP BACK. I won’t hurt the kid. We are ordered to bring back the girls.” The female soldier was agitated. June could feel her pulse in the air.

  “I DON’T BELIEVE YOU.” With that June lunged forward. A shot fired but missed June and went into the air. Both women fell to the ground. June yanked her knife out, ready to cut the woman’s throat. The female soldier punched June, pulled her over, and then, with a knee in June’s gut, put the barrel of the gun against her nose.

  Looking at the gun it was then that the world stopped for June. Silence covered the desert landscape. She didn’t take a breath, blink, curse. Her vision was clear and her heart was heavy. Flashes of the little girl in a bathing suit, with sand on her cheeks came to June’s mind.

  They were glimpses of the life she wanted to give the girl and herself. The life she should have given her own daughter. All those hopes would soon be gone, all because the female soldier was following orders. All the things June should have done and did not, all because she was following orders. What would her life have been like without someone pulling puppet strings?

  A small trace of cold hit June’s cheek, and then something flew through the air like a bullet. It was white, sharp, and went into the soldier’s neck, nearly cutting her head off. The soldier fell forward on top of June who quickly tossed her off. Afraid of getting any blood on her. She couldn’t dull her senses with that stuff, not now or ever.

  The gurgling sound from the soldier was startling to June. She was in her own right a killer as well. Red had to come from somewhere. What June wanted to know was what was that thing that almost cut her head off? Putting her hand to it, June knew instantly. It was ice — rock hard, sharp ice. It was so incredibly cold that June’s finger stuck to it, and she lost some skin pulling it back. June looked around. Where did it come from?

  In the doorway of the abandoned building was the girl. Walking to her, June saw that her eyes weren’t large and pulled back like the Originals. She did not have razor-sharp teeth, or skin like a shark. She looked completely normal, and this made June smile.

  Wow, June smiled, she had the grand prize right here. She had a feeling that this is what they had been trying to achieve all along, and the Mothers locked her away because she had the wrong hair color.

  Grabbing the girl’s hands, June could feel that one hand was rock hard, solid as cement, and just as cold as the chunk of ice that had nearly severed the soldier’s head. Looking at the girl, and then looking behind her, June sighed, reaching forward and drawing the child near her.

  “You are full of surprises.” She held the girl, soothing the dirty mop of hair. All would be well, June just knew it. She also knew she’d spend her life making sure Superior Mother never finds her.

  Superior Mother

  Superior Mother had been gazing at Lisa for hours. Of course, she didn’t know it was Lisa, but she was almost positive it was. She could sense her daughter’s vibe. This was her daughter. What she had to do now was wait for her to wake up to ask her who she is and confirm her own mother’s intuition.

  Superior Mother marveled at how Lisa looked like everyone else, but yet was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. This was flesh of her flesh. Her daughter, home again and so close. If she reached out just a little farther, maybe she’d be able to touch the sleeve on her t-shirt.

  “My girl, my lovely, lovely, girl. You’ve been such a naughty thing.” Superior Mother purred this to Lisa. Not caring who heard her, who scoffed at her. All was lost now, so why bother with dignity or pride? Superior Mother now waited for Lisa to wake and to tell Lisa the truth.

  Rubbing her shoulders, Superior Mother winced. She was coming off Red. Her thoughts were clear, crystal in fact, and the scene in front of her worried her. More than worried, worried was a lie. The scene surrounding her petrified her.

  Shrugging, Superior Mother couldn’t help but laugh at herself a bit. She was now the fearful and not the one handing out the fear. Not the one handing out terror like candy. It was almost exciting to be on the other end of that sharp stick.

  She desperately wanted to stand, but both she and Lisa were in cages. The cages were the size of large boxes, big enough to sit up and lay in, but nothing else. “We are mongrels kept in dog boxes.” Superior Mother said to no one in particular. Again, she shook her head with a small laugh.

  In front of her and Lisa was a very large cage, with several daughters of the Grey in it. They were all sleeping, drugged, Superior Mother guessed. She wondered what they would do to the girls, but didn’t care enough to ask. The only daughter of the Grey that mattered to her was soundly sleeping in a drugged haze, almost within her reach.

  A soldier came by, taking a long look at Superior Mother, who was now dressed in a white jumpsuit. Who had put that on her? She stuck her tongue out at him. The soldier said nothing, and turned and left.

  She almost felt giddy. Why was that? She’d most certainly be dead soon, or they would throw her in one of the punishment rooms scattered throughout The Grey, all with different themes. She was almost proud of the variety.

  Looking down at her hands, she saw the ring was gone. When had that happened? She didn’t remember much after she completely changed with the exception of wanting and achieving the murder of Originals. She thought she had killed them all. Yet, here she sat in a cage.

  They would not take kindly to her slicing up the elders. It might be the ring. I
t was gone. The realization that she was no longer the leader sat on Superior Mother’s mind, but not for long. She’d dismissed it, making her choice to self-explode with Red. There was no need to ponder it.

  One little girl sat up. She looked around herself, at the bars, then met Superior Mother’s eyes. She snarled, and Superior Mother then knew who she was. That one was Sunny. She had been snarled at before by that one. Her snarl was unique, which made Superior Mother laugh a bit. It was just like a mother knowing her baby’s cry.

  Ignoring the glare in Sunny’s eyes, Superior Mother couldn’t help but feel some pride in the girl. She had gotten out of her cage. Since all looked alike, these soldiers didn’t know that there was a shark in the guppy tank.

  Superior Mother smiled as Sunny gnarled. There was blood all over her. Again, Superior Mother felt a touch of pride in that. In a low voice Superior Mother said to Sunny “Stay quiet. Blend in and play nice.”

  Sunny didn’t answer Superior Mother, but she didn’t notice because Lisa finally began to stir. She waited to speak. The words almost poured from her mouth. She had so much to say to her daughter, but she felt that time was not on her side.

  She needed Lisa to understand that everything she did, taking over as Superior Mother. Ruling the Grey, the punishment rooms of the black and white all where to carve her to one day lead as well. She wanted them to have the throne of The Grey together. Superior Mother had hoped Lisa would come back from her breeding mission with a child. There could have been a legacy.

  Lisa needed to know that she had tracked her since she handed her in. She never lost her baby. She knew who her baby was. Where her baby was. Superior Mother was desperate for Lisa to know these things before the inevitable would happen.

  Sitting up violently, Lisa’s eyes darted around her surroundings. She scrambled around the cage, grasping the cage bars with her hands and shaking them. She saw the daughters of The Grey, all but one fast asleep. Shrinking back, Lisa put her back against the bars, giving Superior Mother a furrowed brow.

  “Where are we?” Lisa asked her manner of speaking was abrupt, in your face — speak fast and then silence. Superior Mother could tell she never wasted words.

  “Who are you?” Superior Mother retorted knowing this was Lisa, but she needed to hear the name. Superior Mother wanted her, for once, to give a straight answer.

  “Listen, lady you don’t want to get involved with me. I’m not welcomed here.” This was Lisa. “So, again,” Lisa sneered a bit, “where are we?” She looked at Superior Mother with teenage girl indignation. “By the way, I don’t give a shit who you are, so leave that out.”

  How was it possible to love something so deeply and also want to slap it? Superior Mother shook her head a bit. This was motherhood.

  She cleared her throat, pushed herself as close to the bars as she could. She wanted to see Lisa’s face as she spoke. “I am…was… Superior Mother.” Lisa’s eyes shot away from the girls and to her. “I am also your mother.” Superior Mother added a bit of soft speak to the word mother, meaning the warmth she put into the word.

  Lisa face turned to a frown. Her eyes shifted and began to enlarge and spread. The temperature around her dropped and Superior Mother could see the ice crystals form on the bars of the cages.

  Quickly Superior Mother said to Lisa “Mind your temper. They will…” It was too late. Three soldiers entered the room. They shot Lisa with a tranquilizer and she fell face first on the cage floor. The three soldiers shook their heads at Lisa with judgement. With a look of disappointment, as if she were a trained seal that just couldn’t get its cues right.

  “They want to speak to you.” One of the soldiers unlocked the cage and motioned for Superior Mother to stand up. Once out of the cage a vice was quickly put on her neck. They led her out of the room like a rabid dog.

  “They are taking me out to be shot.” Superior Mother thought has she stole one last look at Lisa.

  Superior Mother was led to a room, told to sit, and did so with guns pointed at her face. She didn’t know who would come speak to her but wasn’t afraid. Lisa knew that she was her mother. Whether Lisa wanted to accept it was not her issue. There was so much more she needed to tell Lisa, but Superior Mother had the idea that she wouldn’t get that chance.

  A Woman of the Grey entered the room, but she was not one of them. She was different. She looked like them, yet she was slightly thinner, taller, more stretched out. She was wearing a tailored dress and small heels. Her hair was cut short, and wispy bangs covered her forehead.

  She put a chair in front of Superior Mother, sat in it, and gave Superior Mother a slight smile. “I’m Lexi.” She smiled. “You didn’t think you ran this place, did you? Really, now did you?” Superior Mother frowned. She was mocking her power. Making fun of what Superior Mother believed to be gospel and truth.

  Lexi put a hand up, already dismissing whatever words Superior Mother was about to spit out. “Listen, I have zero interest in you or in keeping you alive. I just need the special girl. The one with the extra bit of meanness to her. You know, the one that has a bit of grit in her heart.” Lexi tossed her hands up in the air, mockingly. “The one you kept locked up.”

  Superior Mother felt ashamed. Ashamed to be caught like this, with her pants down. Who is this bitch? Her thoughts were clouded with the question. There was a cloud of ice vapor coming up from Superior Mother — she couldn’t help it.

  “Who are you?” Superior Mother asked this clearly, not the least bit timid. She wouldn’t bow to this cunt no matter what. She was the leader. Superior Mother touched her ring finger then, and remembered that the ring is gone.

  Lexi noticed Superior Mother’s actions and seemed amused by the ice vapor. She sat up a bit straighter. “Oh, the ring. Yea, you dropped it.” She shook her head, acting excited. “Don’t worry about it. That ring is nothing but parlor tricks. A trinket to keep you busy.” She stood up then, looked out the window, nodded to a soldier that was standing outside the door.

  Then she acted as if she suddenly remembered Superior Mother was in the room with her. “And we like our women busy. Women of the Grey, that’s what you guys call it these days. You can cut the shit with the frost. Bullets can cut through ice.” Lexi wrinkled her nose fanning away the ice vapor that now surrounded her.

  Suddenly Lexi quickly strode over to Superior Mother, standing a bit too close. “Again, I’m looking for a mean little girl…looks like me, and you, and everyone else in this pathetic place?”

  “You never answered my questions.” Superior Mother responded. She would stand her ground.

  “Lexi, silly.” She laughed then, a fake laugh, that seemed piped in from a computer. “Oh, I guess you want to know “who” I am. I’m Granny’s right-hand lady. Granny calls the shots and I pull the trigger. Also, I deal with our partners.”

  Superior Mother furrowed her brow. This amused Lexi, who grinned and said “Yes, partners. You see, dear, we are not secret. You are well known. You, my dearest one, my bless-your-heart dumb one, are the one being watched. You are not the watcher, but the watchee.” Lexi smiled broadly. “Is that even a word? Sorry I’m so trite, but I find the fall of regimes so damn entertaining.”

  Casually, as if swatting at something, Lexi motioned a guard over. She put her pointer finger to Superior Mother’s forehead, and the guard put the barrel of his gun in Superior Mother’s ear.

  “OMG, he stuck it in your ear.” Lexi squealed. She gave the guard a smile and a shy nod. “How funny…oh, I love this day.” Sweeping her hands over her body Lexi steadied herself, looking Superior Mother in the eye.

  “Last time, dearest, and please answer quick. I’m on a schedule. Granny gets testy if we don’t do things on time.” She sounded bored saying this to Superior Mother. As if she was waiting in line for coffee. Lexi leaned forward putting her hands-on Superior Mother’s knees. She wasn’t cold. She was warm like a human, but not effected by Superior Mother’s frost.

  “Do you know where our special
little princess is?” She raised her eyebrows at Superior Mother, then squeezed her knees.

  Superior Mother looked into Lexi’s eyes. Calm sat within her. She was about to die and she would accept it. She accepted it because she would not tell them where Sunny was. She hoped Sunny listened to her advice. Superior Mother hoped there would come a day that Sunny would rip this bitch’s head off.

  “I have no idea” Superior mother responded.

  Lexi let go of Superior Mother’s knees, pushed her chair away. Clearing her throat, she said “Well, then you’ll excuse me while I move to the other side of the room. Sometimes things get yucky when people are shot in the head.”

  She walked across the room, turning to face Superior Mother again snorted out. “Any last words, hunny bun?”

  Superior Mother opened her mouth, but the shot rang out before she could answer. When her body fell to the floor, the guard walked over to it, confirmed that she was dead by kicking her, then nodded at Lexi.

  Lexi smiled saying. “That was exciting.” She straightened her skirt, turning to speak to a different guard. “Call the Colonel and Granny.” Clapping her hands, she started walking towards the door. “Time to wrap things up…what a productive day.”

  The Colonel stared at Lexi as she reported the events of the day and what would happen next. Shaking his head, he swore he’d never do this again. Then asked Lexi “The model for this one was all wrong. Who designed this?”

  Lexi sighed. “It was my sister, and Granny went with it. It wasn’t thought out well enough. It’s illogical. Yes, my sisters planned to breed enough clones for our purposes, but they were drug addicts. The ones with the right abilities should have been trained while the spares got thrown out.”

  Colonel stared at Lexi for a moment the answered “I believe abilities are being bred out. Watered down.”

  Lexi snorted. “Under this model yes. But if this were to be done again correctly, and only the ones with abilities were allowed to live and breed, it would ideally produce a stronger race. I’ve got one in a cage with the girls that’s the perfect breeding age and has some insanely strong powers that she has no idea how to harness.”