Three of a Kind by Victoria Hibbard

1

Three of a Kind by Victoria Hibbard

Pt. 3

Chapter 21 The Unexpected

"Don't say words you're gonna regret.

Don't let the fire rush to your head.

I've heard the accusation before and I ain't gonna take any more,

Believe me.

The sun in your eyes

Made some of the lies worth believing.

I am the eye in the sky Looking at you,

I can read your mind

I am the maker of rules dealing with fools,

I can cheat you blind.

And I don't need to see any more to know that

I can read your mind, I can read your mind..."

~~ The Alan Parson's Project Eye In the Sky

Day and night no longer had any meaning for Polly Maxwell. All

sensations of passing time were blended into a continuous, half lucid series events

that ceased to mean anything other than hell. When she was awake, she knew

anything could happen at any time, with no particular schedule to give any

cohesion to her days. When she slept, she slept hard, scarcely dreaming. It seemed

there was never enough time to sleep. She hated going to sleep, simply

because it meant she would have to wake up. She hated being awake, because

terrible things happened. There was only a few scattered moments when she was left to

contemplate where she was, why she was here, and when it would all end.

Where she was hadn't changed, with the exception of her cell. No longer

housed in the detention block, Polly had been moved to a small barracks

room, somewhere close to Diana's personal quarters. The cot was only

marginally more comfortable, and the toilet facilities had just a little more privacy,

but not much. It seemed that this was Polly's reward for having answered

Diana's questions during the interrogations she'd undergone. At least, that's

what she'd been told. Back in the recesses of the mind that she still harbored some

common sense in, Polly knew that her relocation had more to do with

convenience, and possibly better security measures. Where she was now, it was faster for

the guards to fetch her when Diana summoned her, and it was also easier for

Diana to observe her. And somewhere in the fractured recollections Polly had,

she knew why Diana was so keen to observe her. There had been a procedure she'd

undergone, but she couldn't exactly remember how long ago this had

happened. Part of her logic rebelled that it even had. In addition to questioning and

experimenting, Polly was given regular injections, sometimes by an

assigned technician, and sometimes by Diana herself. It wasn't the same drug she'd been

given at the interrogation, where she'd been forced to tell the truth to any

question asked, but rather, it was a sedative of some sort. While still

remaining physically awake and functional, her sense of emotion and response were

considerably muted. When someone came for her, she no longer trembled in fear,

rebelled, or cried out. In fact, it wouldn't even occur to her to do so until she'd

been escorted halfway down the corridor. Often times, Polly had the feeling

of watching everything that was happening to her as though she were seeing

it happen to someone else in a movie or on stage. When it was over, Polly could

never even be completely certain that anything had happened at all when she

woke up the next day...or night...or whenever...

But little snippets of events would find their way back into her

memory, especially when it was time for another dose of that "whatever it was"

drug. Polly found herself wishing for it, because then, nothing mattered.

The memories were there, crowding the edges of her mind, waiting their turn. When

the drug wore off, she was helpless to prevent the flood of images. The things

she knew...

There were numerous blood tests and genetic samples taken. Polly had

only vague recollections of this, but the stories that Laura had told the

resistance had been passed down to her. She'd already known how Abraham had come

into existence. She could recite, almost chapter and verse, the tearful

story that Robin had told the family concerning Elizabeth's creation...

Polly once had a dim hope that Diana didn't plan on any more genetic

experiments...at least none with her. After all, it felt like several

days and nights had bled into one another without some dashing, he-man, uniformed

Visitor stud being sent in to impregnate her with his Iguana Seed...

But one day, her luck ran out. Only, Polly didn't know what was coming

for her when it came for her. Like any other time, she was given her "happy

hour cocktail", and then she was half walked, half drug down the corridor,

until she was brought to Diana's lab/office. Instead of being strapped to a

gravity chair, or worse...led to the bedchamber...Polly was brought in to the

lab portion of Diana's quarters. From there, the guards lifted her up, stretched

her out on a draped table and strapped down her arms. Then, she was quickly

joined in the room by Diana, who was wearing an ordinary white lab coat over her

uniform. She looked so much like a parody of Julie that it was hard not to

laugh. In fact, Polly might have if it wasn't for an object that she noticed in

Diana's gloved hand that looked suspiciously like a turkey baster.

"Polly, my dear, how lovely you look lying there," Diana crooned to

her, stroking the locks of her hair that were dangling over the edge of the

table, "I could look at you like that all day...but, the fact is, I have an

important project in mind for you..."

Polly moaned inwardly, dreading what was coming next.

"You see, you Maxwell women have some rather incredible genetic

potential. I know you don't think much of your sister, Robin, but I must assure

you...her DNA is stellar, even if she doesn't live up to her potential. So, my

dear, is yours. I simply can't allow it to go to waste. Nor can I...neglect to

honor my dearest friends..."

"Honor your friends?" Polly had choked incrediously, "You have

friends?"

"Of course I have friends, darling," Diana oozed, "This particular

friend of mine served me well. He was always willing to listen to me, and was

quite loyal to me. Since he was the only child in his family, I persuaded him

to donate some samples during routine physicals in the event that he ever became

unable to produce children through natural means. In this way, I assured him

the ability to carry on his family name...What a shame...He'd still be with

us today if he hadn't been found guilty of attempting to murder the Leader...At

any rate, Polly, darling, I'd like you to meet Lt. James. I'm quite certain

the two of you will make a splendid match."

Diana held up the 'turkey baster' for Polly to see. Instantly, Polly

tried to free herself and wiggle away, but she found herself completely

restrained and unable to move.

"Relax, my dear," Diana purred to her, as she prepped an unwilling

Polly for the procedure, "I'm aware of your possible aversion to men. This is why

I've arranged for your impregnation to happen this way. As you'll see, I can

be very sensitive to your needs, Polly..."

Despite the humiliation and the torment involved in the "Turkey Baster

Incident", Polly still did not consider that the worst of all.

The worst was...

Polly didn't want to go there. She didn't want to remember the ways

that Diana had amused herself and whetted her appetites on Polly's unwilling

innocence. Of all the nasty Diana stories that had been passed around

the resistance, there was one tale no one ever told of. She wondered, vaguely, if

Julie or Robin...or Mike...for that matter, had endured any of it.

Then, there were the things Diana told her when the torment was

finished for the moment. It was almost as though Polly had ceased to be a common

prisoner, in that regard. During what seemed to be her saner moments, Diana

would talk about her daughter, Madeline, insisting that she would get her back at

all costs. She told her how Madeline was destined for greatness, because of

her genetic differences, and because she had been engineered by Diana

herself. Then, she continued along those lines, telling Polly that the child she'd

bear would be just like Madeline and Elizabeth...and Abraham, though mercifully,

she never brought him up again. Other discussions Diana brought to the

fore included more information than Polly cared to know about the

differences between Sirian and human sexual habits. When she'd talked about her relations

with the late Security Chief, Dale, it sounded as though she was boasting when

she spoke of how he died as she climaxed. Then, she'd offered Polly the

opportunity to know the love of a Sirian male for herself...any man of her chosing.

Polly had the sense of mind at the time to refuse the offer, and as far as she

knew, her refusal had been honored...at least in the technical sense. Sometime

afterwards was when Polly had been introduced to Lt. James via the

turkey baster procedure.

Some of these dreaded conversations were disguised attempts to bring

Polly to offer up more information about those in the resistance she knew. Diana

was a master at manipulation, both mental and physical. This fact never

strayed far from Polly's mind, drugged or not. Everything of value she knew

had been dragged out of her during the truth serum interrogation. However,

Polly was only beginning to realize, in her more lucid moments, that this was

only part of the game. More could be learned when one believed they could confide

in a friend. To this end, Diana would pull Polly out of her confinement

just to "chat". Often times, she'd be offered more of the drug, and food, and

allowed to sit unrestrained, in any position she chose. Diana would assume a

similar pose of making one's self comfortable, all the while, keeping her eyes

expertly trained on Polly. Gaurds were always stationed at the door, so escape

would be unthinkable, even if Polly had the mental strength to do so. Then, a

barrage of personal questions would begin. No topic was considered too

private. Diana questioned Polly on her religious background, her favorite foods,

television shows, college courses and social life. She seemed particularly

interested in Polly's past and present dating habits, and anything relating to how

a young human woman of 19 conducted her life...(outside of fighting with the

resistance). Polly, at first, had wondered if she was digging for

information, so she could use it against her in the conversion chamber Julie had spoken of.

At a later time, Polly seemed to recall overhearing that there was something

wrong with the conversion chamber...and that this was the reason why she had

not been placed into it.

After Polly had dutifly answered every question Diana could think of,

the sessions usually ended---at first. As the days wore on, however, the

game changed. Diana would actually display emotion at some of Polly's

revelations, and other times, she'd make comments. Then, more recently, Diana had begun

to insert some of her own experiences to Polly's conversation. She even

told Polly how old she was the first time she'd ever slept with anyone...how she

felt for Polly losing her father at a young age, because she had too...and that

she'd found it difficult to form bonds with her peers in school because she

was so much more intelligent than most other children her age. Anything she

could think of, Polly supposed, to make it seem as though Polly could trust her,

because they had things in common.

Diana never apologized for any of her actions. She never told Polly

that she was sorry for the way her soldiers had taken Robin prisoner, nor did

she ever admit any wrongdoing when it came to ordering Brian to rape Robin so

that Elizabeth could be conceived. Diana took no responsibility for the

loss of Kathleen Maxwell at the Mountain Camp, or the death of Robert Maxwell a

few years later. She merely made a pathetic attempt to sympathize...and draw out

Polly's feelings on the matter. Then, as Polly learned, her deepest, darkest

feelings were brought to the light and manipulated into something that, if it

was the truth, it sounded much uglier than it had to...

"When you think about all you've lost, my poor darling, do you ever

stop to think about who's to blame?" Diana had asked her, point blank, during

one "chat" session.

Polly's sarcasm, which was more a part of her than any clothes she ever

wore, could not bite back a caustic response when she was as doped as she

was.

"Is this a trick question? Were you born that dumb, or did you have to

study?" she retorted, a third of her wishing she could swallow her

words as soon as she spoke them. Another third was giving herself mental pats on the

back for having the guts to stand up to the Iguana Queen with such guts, and the

final third really couldn't care less.

Diana awarded her with one of those dazzling, predatory smiles.

"I do so like you Polly, but you seem to forget something. I wasn't

born...I was hatched....Now...I know on the surface, you blame us...but...I

really want you to think about it, my dear. First, I want you to remember the facts

about your sister's capture, and then I want you to tell me why it was that

she got captured, and you did not..."

"Binna got taken because she snuck out of the headquarters and got

caught out after curfew," Polly answered systematically.

"Exactly, my dear. Robin got captured because she broke the rules. You,

however, did not...so you stayed safe. Your little sister did not break

the rules, so she stayed safe. Your parents didn't break the rules, so they stayed

safe..."

"No they didn't" Polly spat, "My mom died at the Mountain Camp! I told

you that! She did not stay safe!"

"Yes, it's a terrible shame, isn't it. Your mother would still be alive

today if Robin hadn't broken the rules, now wouldn't she..."

"I know," Polly agreed, tears spilling down her cheeks, "Sometimes I

hate her for it..."

"So, you do blame Robin," Diana concluded.

So, you do blame Robin...

If Polly had come to this conclusion on her own, or even on a shrink's

couch after she had some nervous breakdown and needed to get her head

together, she might have been able to accept this realization with the resolve needed

to sort through it in a constructive sort of way. But, Diana was no

shrink, and when Polly was left to her own devices, she tried not to let herself dwell

on the discussions they had.

So, Polly tried to digest all of this with little emotion, especially

since the drugs she was on seemed to help in that department. The worst, she

learned, was yet to come. She couldn't remember precisely when the

tide had turned. Had it had been last night or the night before? But, she was smart

enough to sense it while it happened, despite the dose of medication. It was

sometime after the turkey baster procedure, that much Polly was sure of. That

was when Polly had been transferred to her new barracks.

Then, Diana had sent in the guards to bring Polly in for yet another

chat. This next session started much like any other, except that she began

discussing her plans for Polly's pregnancy. If Polly was pregnant, she didn't yet

know, but that didn't seem to matter. Diana told her that the "Enlightened

One" had assured her that the procedure was a success. Then, she went off on

a tangent about these "Enlightened One" that spoke to her on a highly

personal basis, and advised her on various courses of action she should take to bring

salvation and an end to the suffering of the Sullam Voe. She told Polly

that she would be instrumental in this plan. All she had to do was bring forth the

child that Diana had engineered.

Polly had shown little in the way of emotion upon hearing any of this.