Erasure and Affirmation (Hypernaturals 11)

The Lab

Mom wants no part of the Juicing area, even as she understands why it is there. She'll walk into a tent full of Ebola patients in personal protective wear, but she is not comfortable with the way some information is being extracted. Not by torture, but via hypnotics. For my Mom, it still feels 'forced'.

That is because it is.

Mom's compromise is that she reads, learns, asks technical questions. Draws diagrams if need be. Snaps a picture on her phone of a device or a lab setup of some kind.

The Crew then goes and gets the answers. Medically trained Crew, so they know they are asking the questions correctly.

Jessica is in the new lab with mom. If what mom is asking is more than the Crew feels comfortable with returning accurate information, then Jessica goes and gets the super-technical answers. They will bring a dosed person to the reading room now and then, but only once they were fully under and docilely answer all questions. Mom is never happy with those conversations because she can tell by their affect that they are not all there.

Some people spill willingly. Female Sirens and humans are much more likely to need no coercion via Juice. Some need the promise of another Tamale dinner. Some were doing the work because they were under duress from the Siren's and are happy to be getting back at them. Some did the work because the work is interesting and bleeding edge and fun and couldn't care less who they are working for.

Some of the female Siren's were put in touch with Vera, who explained which way the sun shined. A Sister Siren is as convincing as that needs to get, and that brought over most of them.

"Once again, we owe Vera." I mentioned to Helen one evening. It seems like all our family catching up happens in the big bed in the RV.

Helen frowned. "I know." She then looked at me. "Are you saying you want to be with her?"

"Nope. I am saying that lady is loyal to us. Has been from the start." I said. "Us. Not only me."

Rachel agreed. "She has been. Puts herself out in danger for our cause. Even now. Sirens know her relationship with us, but she carries on at 'The Firehouse'. A very remarkable young woman."

Helen said, with sincerity, "Fuck."

At the same time we brought our RV, Dad brought theirs up from the house so that he and Mom have an on-campus house. The warehouse is full of RV's down at one end. More impromptu building. That end of the warehouse was plumbed and wired in like an RV park overnight. it was indoors because we did not want the outside to look in any way unusual to anyone. The Sirens cannot learn where we are.

I wonder if Mom and Dad have these same kinds of bedtime conversations as we do. Probably not. They rotate in the grandkids for their spare bed, so that all the kids get grandma and grandpa time. We have a bunkhouse full of kids down on the other end of our RV, and we have these talks after they are down, so who knows? Nakoma sits up late in the kitchen many evenings working on homework since she spent the day up in the lab. Or helping me make special food. Or sitting with Morgan and learning about being a detective.

Denise is always telling me she never met a kid like her.

"Oh? because you met one like say, Laura? Who in a few years will take apart you Jeep if you are not careful? And just wait until you and I have one. Who knows who she will be?" I told her.

"You are not wrong. I have in mind a little girl who will be a little girl. You know? That I can give the childhood I never had. Cute dresses. Likes dolls. A little girl who does not get booted from her family and goes off to sell her body. We'll probably have a cat burglar." Denise said. She then added, "Not that the possibility of our daughter's criminality gets you off the hook, Mr. Tasty Blood."