The Breeders

P3 XIV

Venus reluctantly left her kids in the bedroom alone.  She had never let them out of her sight before, but they were resting so peacefully and she didn't want to wake them.  

Chatter and laughter could be heard from the other room.  When she walked into where the others were she found Layla, her parents, her little sister, and Mars gathered around the little table.  Layla's parents didn't look like what Venus expected.  Instead of Darker skin, like Layla and Shaw, they were very fair.  Layla's mom had several red scalloped rashes on her neck that looked painful.  The dad wore thick glasses that make his eyes look five times bigger than what they actually were.

"You must be Venus," the mom sweetly smiled at her.  Mars stood from his chair and offered it to Venus.

"Layla and Shaw have told us so much about you,"  the dad added in.

Venus wished that the same could have been said about them, but they were strangers to her.

"Thank you for inviting us into your home," she said.

"We were hoping to meet Cassiopeia again, of course under better circumstances than before," the mom said as her eyes dropped to their youngest daughter.  The little girls honey blonde hair fell to her shoulders, and her eyes were cast down onto the doll she was playing with.  The little girls couldn't have been much older than four.

Venus stared at the little girl, completely astonished before finally asking,  "She's Cas's?"

"We don't agree with the program,  Venus. None of us really do.  But we feel like our hands are tied."

"Your hands are tied?" Venus repeated with a tone of aggravation that mirror what she felt inside.

"Any chance that my parent's had of having kids of their own was taken from them, V.  It wasn't their choice.   The government is poisoning their food and water supply.   If there was a way they could have had their own kids, they would have."

"It doesn't make it okay to take other people's kids," Mars jumped in.

"You're right, it doesn't make it right.  We tried to be the whisper to start the avalanche, but out voice was being lost on the wind.  We weren't strong enough to hold our ground. 

Dawn and I were sitting in our tiny apartment making protesting posters when an advertisement came up for the facility that Shaw was created in came on.  They had a rejected child and were begging someone to come up and adopt him."

The mom, Dawn, smiled, "A that curly black hair and those golden eyes."

"We knew, instantly, he belonged with us," The dad finished.

"Shaw was made by a machine and a lab full of people.  She," Venus said pointing to the little girl, "was made by my friend.   My friend who was locked into a room and forced to-"

"We know, Venus, we know what happened in the Cube.  We know what horrible things happened to you in there."

"If you knew, then you would have never of taken her away from her mother.  I've seen what Cas does to herself.  I was there when she gouged holes into herself after she came out of the tank.  I was the one that pinned her down, when another baby was ripped from her,  and she was trying to dull the pain by beating herself black and blue. You have no idea what really goes on in that hell hole.  If you did, then she wouldn't be sitting her."

Venus back away from the table and started to walk back to the room where her kids were, leaving the others in ashamed silence.  She didn't really care how they were victimized.   She would have given anything to be sterile.   Even if meant not having Dex and Pepa.  Their world was fucked up and even though she loved them with every fiber of her being, their future was going to be shit no matter where they lived.

Venus was going to leave everyone in their awkward silence, but a loud tone stopped her.  The wall across from the couch flashed.  A picture flicked to life and giant words scrolled across the wall, "BREAKING NEWS."

A well dressed woman appeared, "Breaking news, tonight.  After years of searching for the terrorists, Peter Kelvin, armed forces have finally  caught him and his followers.   Several young children, that his group have kidnapped, are being returned to their parents, but some are presumed dead.   Kelvin will be facing trial after questioning about the missing child and still missing Breeders from an organic breeding facility located outside city limits.   Kelvin will be facing war crime, child abduction, theft of property and possibly murder charges."

"That sounds serious," the male anchor replied to his worker.

"It does, and we'll be following the story closely.  On the same note, you have something on the breeder they caught, correct?"

The man nods and Venus can feel the blood drain from her face as the screen pans in closer to the man.

"One of the breeders from The Cube, a facility that prides itself on it's completely organic approach to reproduction, was found among the group of teens making their way toward the New Anada boarder.
The Cube's company policy for breeders that escape the facility is termination.   Many have rebutted the Cube's decision on how to handle it's property, but Jacob Danielson, C.E.O. of The Cube, stands by his decision. 
Danielson claims the breeders are fit to be returned to it's sterile environment and it's to dangerous to release into society.  Danielson claims that the mechanical nature that breeders are created and raised in creates an unnatural animalistic breeder, which makes a perfect breeder, but nothing that can be expected to be part of a productive society.
Termination of the breeder is to happen tomorrow morning, but many have gathered outside of The Cube to protest it's termination."

The screen pans back out to the two reports as Venus sinks to the floor.   She lost all feeling in her legs as she realized what they were saying.   It was a trap.  Peter and the others are going to soon face trial and Cas was going to die.

Whimpers behind her could be heard, but it didn't distract her from her own thoughts.  Her heart raced as tears poured done her face.

Strong thick arms wrapped around her, "V?"

She looked up to see Mars's pain filled face.  Through her sobes Venus cried, "Cas is going to die!  Cas is going to die and it's all my fault."

He pulled her in closer his own tears soaking her shirt, "It's not your fault."

"Oh god.  We have to go get her," Venus said pulling away from Mars.

"What?! No. We don't even know where she is."

"She has to be at the Cube.  That's were the protest is.  Mars if we don't go and rescue her she is going to die tomorrow morning.  And not just Cas, we have to help Peter, Shaw, Bridget,  and all the others.  We're their only hope."

"We can't, V.  We can't help them now."

"Yes, we can," she argued, "because we have to.  They helped us Mars and we can't just let Cas die.  She's our friend."

"What about Dex and Pepa?  Our responsibility is to them first, V.  They need us more."