Without warning, he flung the leather across her upturned buttocks. Maggie yelled into the mattress as a strip of fire leapt across her delicate skin. Alan waited patiently for her to return her bottom to its position, pulled his arm back, and cracked the wide strap loudly across her sit spots. He watched as the leather flattened her plump flesh, leaving behind an angry, red stripe. A small sob escaped Maggie’s lips as she repositioned herself for another stroke, the ginger root burning painfully.
Grimly and with avid determination, Alan administered a third, fourth and fifth stroke, searing his wife’s bottom on each downbeat of the music. Maggie started to cry as Alan’s strokes increased with the tempo, the weight of the strap growing heavier as the music shifted in intensity. She collapsed on the bed, unable to hold herself upright. Alan continued the strapping, knowing that in her prone position, the figging would cause her even more discomfort.
Sure enough, after three more stripes, she was trying desperately to raise herself back up into position. Alan waited, her cries loud in the mattress. “Open your mouth,” he ordered. “This is to stay in until I am done. Maybe you’ll think twice before you say anything mean to, or about, anyone else again.”
Maggie gagged. Despite the lovely scent, the French milled soap tasted far worse than she thought it would! Alan aggravated things by changing the strap for his paddle. It was not the small, oval paddle he used on his daughters, rather the one he made specifically for his wayward wife. It was long, wide and thick, with holes drilled spelling the word ‘Maggie’ against the surface. He had only used it on her once before, when she had told him where he could put his cock. And it had not been said seductively.
Maggie started begging, her mouth filled with soap. The music was peaking and she knew that he would not stop until the symphony was complete. She screamed into the pillow as the paddle impacted solidly across her already bruised flesh. She could feel welts pop up instantly. Guilt overwhelmed her when she realized how much her juvenile behavior had hurt him.
Crack! The paddle left its impression on the backs of her thighs, making her fall to the mattress. He did not wait for her to rise up on her knees before landing another resilient whack to the crown of her cheeks. Yes, she would certainly have some nasty little bruises this time.
Serves her right, he thought, aiming again. The final, and hardest, stroke angled to catch the very bottom of both curves, sending her launching forward on the bed and losing the soap.
Still silent, Alan removed the plug and tossed it into the trash. He then picked up the soap and took it into the bathroom, bringing back with him a glass of water, a bowl, and a towel. He sat on the bed next to his sobbing wife. “Here. Rinse out your mouth,” he directed softly.
Maggie scrambled to obey, rinsing and spitting with all her might to rid herself of the offensive taste. Her bottom burned unbearably inside and out, and she was unable to sit up as he reached for her. Seeing her predicament, Alan laid on the bed besides her naked body.
“I love you. Have you learned your lesson?” His voice was soft and gentle.
Maggie sniffed, nodding. The music was slowly quieting down and fading into the background. Her husband kissed her eyelids tenderly, pulling her against him. He stroked her sympathetically, calming her tears and reinforcing his love.
“I’m sorry,” she finally sniffed.
“I know. You plan on making things right with the family now, don’t you?”
“Yes, Sir. Please, hold me.”
“Of course,” Alan agreed, caressing her hair and kissing her soothingly.
“Alan? Tell me about Noelle. What really happened to her?” Alan launched into the story, sharing the things Maggie had not known because she had not been interested in them before. Her guilt intensified as he explained the circumstances, including the theory about the girls’ abusive past.
“She was shot and left to die alone? That poor baby.” Maggie sniffed, suddenly feeling protective of the strange girl. “No wonder you boys are so concerned. Who would do such a thing?”
“I don’t know, but I think I’m going to be finding out tomorrow. There’s a man who’s been asking about her. There’s one more thing, too. Get cleaned up and come downstairs. You need to see this.”
Maggie walked into the bathroom, and splashed her face with cold water. She quickly got dressed and headed down the steps to the living room where her daughters were obediently watching TV.
Maggie stood motionless as she stared at her daughter’s face. Not only was Kelly’s horrid birthmark gone, but also she looked brighter, prettier, and happier than she ever did before.
Sobbing, Maggie threw herself into her daughter’s arms, kissing her face and exclaiming amazement. “How did this happen?” she asked, not wanting to stop touching the smooth, flawless skin.
“Noelle fixed me, Mama. I like her. I want to go back and play with her. Please?”
“Noelle? How? That’s impossible!” Maggie said, still touching. “Oh, I don’t care! Of course, honey. Anytime you want to.”
Kelly smiled broadly, looking at her parents. “Really? You’ll let me? Oh, thank you! Can I go tomorrow after school?”
“We need to make sure it’s ok with Uncle Lance, sweetheart. She might be in trouble for the fight your sister started,” Alan cautioned her.
“Maybe we can all go over tomorrow night. I can bring a lasagna and salad,” Maggie said, looking at her husband hopefully.
“Mom, Noelle can’t eat real food,” Kelly cautioned.
“Yeah, she drinks out of a bottle like a little baby,” Keren commented distastefully. Alan started to unbuckle his belt, but was stopped by his wife.
“Then I will bring her one of my special smoothies. It’s the least I can do. She’s family now.”
Chapter Nine
“Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Callahan,” Dr. Hoffner said, reaching to shake Alan’s hand. His eyes widened at the firm, somewhat painful grip, the attorney offered him. It was a warning not to be taken lightly. He had researched Alan Callahan and Theodore Makin as well.
They were both forces to be reckoned with in the professional world. Dr. Hoffner knew that he had to approach this issue carefully to ensure their cooperation.
“What can I do for you, Dr. Hoffner?” Alan asked suspiciously.
“I need to talk with you about Noelle. How is she?”
“She is fine. Who are you and what do you want with her?”
“I’m her… well… her creator.”
“Excuse me?”
Dr. Hoffner inhaled deeply. “This has got to remain between us. You need to promise me. It’s an issue of national security, but I can’t go to the government for assistance. Please, has she shown any signs of evolving? Doing things that might be a little unusual?”
“She fixes things. Heals them. What do you mean you’re her creator? Are you responsible for trying to kill her?”
“Oh, God, no. She was taken from the facility. Before I explain further, please tell me she’s alright.”
“She’s very happy and adjusting well to life with my brother. She calls him Daddy, though. Is this your doing?”
“Yes. It was, well, intended that she imprint with the first male she could actively identify with. It was supposed to be me, but she did not awaken soon enough to proceed.” He saw Alan’s confusion and continued. “Twenty-five years ago, I was recruited by the government to develop a cloning program in order to develop self-healing soldiers with the ability to absorb and assimilate information instantly. They wanted me to introduce foreign DNA into human cells to try to duplicate…” He paused, frustrated, “I don’t know how to explain this.”
“Is she an alien?” Alan asked seriously.
“No, not at all,” Dr. Hoffner quickly shook his head, “but she does have remnants of Roswell DNA in her. I took frozen cells from the corpse of the creature they had found and injected them into human mitochondria. That was then grafted into human tissue. The other specimens failed to thrive and ceased fo
rming at 13 years. This particular one survived. It never underwent an infancy stage and grew to full adulthood before it awoke for the first time.”
“It? She’s definitely a female.”
“She is now. I didn’t know what she was going to be when she started growing, but I secretly used female tissue in the hopes that the clone would develop to that gender. I figured a female would be easier to handle in an experimental clone state than a male. Especially since it would be unpredictable. I used a molecular program to expose her to words, thoughts, ideas and specific rules while she was in-vitro.”
“What was different between Noelle and the, uh, specimens you lost?”
“The cell tissue was the only variable. I used male tissue from one of the soldiers the government had selected as a donor.”
“And for Noelle? Who’s cells did you use?” Alan asked, seeing the man’s distress.
“My daughter’s. She was only four. I lost her over twenty years ago. The necklace Noelle was wearing was in memory of my own Noelle. She was born on Christmas Day.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Hoffner. I have two daughters of my own,” Alan said kindly. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, please,” Dr. Hoffner looked straight at Alan, “Mr. Callahan, I’m worried that her talents might cause someone harm.”
“Here. Before we talk about that,” Alan said handing him the coffee, “I want to know who shot her and left her to die, and why.”
“There were flaws with the clone that were noticeable as she started to awaken. Her liver functions and immunity system were compromised, so we had her under special bilirubin lights and hematocrit injections in order to up her red blood count. She was also very weak and anemic.
When she woke up, she maintained the initial characteristics of an older infant of perhaps two years old. I also observed that her reactions were what one would expect from a child of that age group. She was highly intolerant of pain and would scream horrendously during lab draws and injections. One week after her awakening, she grabbed one of the techs by the arm. She killed him with only her touch.”
“Damn.”
“Exactly. I tried to calm her down, but she was completely driven by instinct. I pleaded with her to listen to me, promising to care for her, and told her I was her grandfather, but she could not comprehend what I was saying. She began to panic as she became more aware and more overstimulated. She did not harm me, but killed another tech who tried to restrain her.
Within an hour, I got word from the government to ‘put her down’ because she was too dangerous. I couldn’t murder her. She was… part of me. She was my little girl.” Alan watched the man struggling, trying to hold back the anger that was building inside of him. This was a human being they were talking about, not a science experiment!
“Since she was so new from the tank I had grown her in, she had no muscle strength, and could barely hold up her head or sit up straight. She was completely helpless except for being able to reach her arms and kick her legs. I dressed her and tried to get her to walk, but I didn’t have enough time. The feds broke into the lab and I ran, holding her in my arms as they shot at us. I climbed into one of our corridor shafts, lost my footing and slid down to another level. She fell, banging the back of her head against a steel rail, which rendered her unconscious. For two days we hid as I tried to find a way out. She grew weaker by the minute and I was terrified I was going to lose her. I finally found an exit and planned on leaving at nightfall, because her eyes and skin would never be able to tolerate the sun. I decided to try to sleep, and when I woke up she was gone. I haven’t seen her since.”
“How do you think she got out if she couldn’t walk? Were you also aware that she was shot outside Area 51 before those two truckers found her?”
“Shot? Oh my Lord, no.”
“Grazed her right shoulder. She healed quickly from that, though.”
“She’s able to self-repair. I’m guessing she may have crawled out before she was found.
In her weakened state, plus subjected to direct sunlight with newborn skin, she would not have made it through the day. They probably shot to disable her and make it look like an accident.”
“I gather the government is still searching for her.”
“Yes. I hope to find her before they do. They will dispose of her.”
“She’s under legal custody of my brother and our family. She’s not going anywhere.
Not even with you. If I have to, I will take this to court and expose the whole operation.”
“You can’t do that. The feds will silence all of you.”
“Dr. Hoffner, I did not achieve success in my profession by being stupid. Everything you said here has been recorded and sent to several recipients for protection. Should anything happen to Noelle, or one of us, this information will be leaked to the media. Now, you can either work with me to protect her, or not. Your choice.”
“Mr. Callahan, when the word shark appears in the dictionary, I believe it has your picture next to it,” Dr. Hoffner frowned. “I’ll help you. But first, she has to be neutralized. We can’t risk her killing anyone else because she’s frightened or has a temper tantrum. If she comes into physical contact with them, they’re dead.”
“Why doesn’t everything she touches die, then?” Alan asked doubtfully.
“The clone’s… Noelle’s DNA is preset to use what may be best described as training wheels,” Dr. Hoffner explained. “It’s a protection mechanism to prevent burning herself out.
She will instinctively find a way to keep from touching living things as she becomes cognizant and develops her abilities. Whatever methods she uses will prevent her from either healing or killing.”
“So she won’t be able to do anything as long as she’s using her method?”
“It will make it very difficult for her, Mr. Callahan, but I doubt it will completely cut her off. I don’t know how long it will take her to mature so she can voluntarily control herself. This is why neutralization is essential.”
“Why the hell didn’t you think of adding Thou Shalt Not Kill to her program, you idiot?!” Alan bellowed.
Dr. Hoffner winced. He cleared his throat and looked at Alan straight in the eye. “I forgot.”
“Freakin’ moron! You need to speak with Lance about this. I’m warning you. Don’t hurt my brother. He loves that woman and she loves him.”
“Loves him? But she’s…”
“A woman. A human being. They are meant to be together. You talked about imprinting like Noelle was nothing more than a duck. Well, I have news for you. There is no imprinting.
They love each other and I am NOT going to let anyone, including you, tear them apart.” Dr. Hoffner bit his tongue. How could the clone evolve so quickly? It wasn't old enough to be able to love.
*
*
*
“Ok, young lady. Time for our talk about yesterday. Go up to my room and wait for me, please.” Lance said after coming home from work that evening. Noelle’s smile disappeared, and with Bunny in her arms she turned silently to obey.
“Lance, normally I wouldn’t interfere, but she was provoked. She’s never been exposed to that before as far as we know, so she never learned how to ignore it,” Todd intervened.
“I agree, Lance. She was quiet until Keren insulted you.”
“Let me guess. She fixed your sprained ankle,” Lance lifted his eyebrow at Todd, “and sat with you to watch TV so you wouldn’t feel alone. Both of you know my rules and the reasons I insist on them. Now, excuse me while I tend to my charge.” He rolled his eyes at their disapproving expressions. “I’m not a beast. You know as well as I do that she needs strong boundaries, especially with this special ability. I just wish I knew how she does it. I’ve heard of cases of damaged tissue restoration using telepathic manipulation to induce bio-chemical regeneration, but it’s been revealed as a hoax.”
“Damn, Lance, you sound like a freakin’ science geek. Listen, buddy, this is no hoax.<
br />
Freaky, yes. Terrifying, to say the least. But it’s real. And it needs to stay under wraps. We don’t know the toile it takes on her to put forth that type of energy,” Todd advised.
“I’d rather her not do it at all. She’s not strong enough yet to take care of herself, let alone others. You really believe this?” Lance sat, hands on his cheeks.
“We saw it. It’s real. She also said she could not disobey your orders regarding whom she can or cannot harm. It sounded like she… was programmed. A Prime Directive.”
“Damn it, Todd, this is not Star Trek. Get your head out of the clouds and give me some advice as to how to protect her and this family.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, sorry.”
“Ok, unless you have something better, I am going with my original idea. And that is placing boundaries and enforcing them. Excuse me while I handle my little girl, please.” Lance trudged upstairs and paused before entering his bedroom. Noelle was sitting on the edge of his high bed, feet dangling and gripping Bunny tightly to her body. He sat down next to her, saying nothing for a few minutes. “I don’t know what to do with you, Noelle. How can I trust you not to harm someone? Can you even control it?”
“I can’t. You told me not to.”
“You need to explain further. I…. excuse me,” he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
It was his brother. Lance stood up, frowning as he spoke quietly and walked to the other side of the room. He met Noelle’s worried expression and winked at her, bringing a relieved smile to her face. He put his brother on hold. “Noelle, we will talk about this later. Will you please tell Kathy and Todd that Alan and his family are coming over this evening with dinner?”
“Even Keren?”
“Yes. Don’t look at me like that. We aren’t done with this. Move along, now.” After Noelle left, Lance returned to the call. “So what was this nut saying? That Noelle is a clone equipped with alien DNA and built to be a weapon? Did you call the cops on him?”
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