Fettered

Tenuous Alliances

Persephone often headed down to the basement to tend to those turning into Molded. While she did indeed help them to remain stable and to turn, she also often took samples to analyze back at the lab from both living successes and dead failures. And, while she was it, she took the time to read through documents and learn as much as she could about Eveline, the E-series, and the past D-series.

Lucas seemed more than happy about her taking such an interest in the mutamycete, and rarely questioned what she was doing. For now, she was in his good graces. She wanted to keep it that way.

Which made getting a hold of Zoe difficult. Persephone deliberated for a long time to decide how she wanted to relay messages to her. She studied the cameras again, for the fifth time that week, memorizing where they recorded. It had been a couple of weeks since she and Zoe had spoken outside of the trailer. On the camera feed, it was recorded as dead-air as Persephone cut the power during their conversation. She feigned ignorance, but Lucas was suspicious—perhaps not of her in particular, but in general.

She decided to use Zoe's cigarette habit to her advantage. Persephone slipped notes into the cigarette boxes that weren't in view of the cameras. She tried to time these notes when Jack was out and Zoe was on the prowl. Today, she filled out paperwork in Lucas's office, sitting on the floor and covertly watching the cameras as he tinkered at his desk.

"Once I get this mechanism workin'," he said, "I'll need to test the puzzle again."
"That new guy we got hasn't turned," she said, noticing that Zoe exited her trailer. "If you get it done soon enough, I can wake him up for you."
"Yer done with him?"
"Nah, but I'll have plenty more comin' in, so you can have him."
"Pers, yer th' best, ya know that?"
She smiled, and her heart gave a little unwanted flutter. "Thanks, Lucas. You can be sweet when you wanna be."

She watched Zoe sneak around into the house. She'd be headed for those cigarettes, no doubt. She turned around, watching Lucas finally put his little machine down. But she couldn't have him seeing Zoe picking up that note. Persephone walked up behind him, hands running down his shoulders and chest.

"Lucaaas," she gently sang his name.
"What is it, baby?"
"I need more lab rats."
"What'chu workin' on now?"
"Just some..." She paused, thinking of how to put it. "Insurance. I have this idea. See, it's currently impossible to turn from Molded back to human, which means if Evie's little gift backfires on one of our family members, and as we've seen: the mutamycete samples don't do well without her, they won't be going back. So if I can make a concoction—"
"All right, all right," he said, getting up and stretching, "I don' need a long-winded explanation. I've been thinkin', actually, about killin' off those pesky scientists."
"Oh, that's quite the turn."
He put his arm around her shoulders. "I mean, why not? These guys experimented on little girls like Eveline, n' I just don' like 'em."
"Ah, the moralist has spoken. Luckily for the two of us, I don't really care if those guys die. You'll wanna turn them Molded, right?"
"Hell yeah I do."
"Good, I can use them, then."
"I'm sure I'll have a few leftovers." He held her under the chin, fingers caressing her delicate flesh. "I could make a whole new Molded fer you, baby. Just tell me what ya want n' it's yers."

If there was anything truly special about the lust Lucas had for her, it was how his grey eyes twinkled with a familiar old emotion, one which she had seen in him in their younger years. It made her want to appease him, just to continue seeing that spark.

Persephone sat in the basement the day she was to meet Zoe, after telling Lucas she was ensuring their newest Molded were still alive and kicking. The gross rotten fruit stench was overpowering but she refused to let it get to her. She'd rather puke and still relay her plan to Zoe than have everything fall through her fingers. Not now, not when she was so close.