Women of the Grey- The Complete Trilogy

by Carol James Marshall

  “What does Granny say?” Colonel asked then reached for a bottle of water and opened it as if they were at a barbecue, having some casual conversation about taxes and the neighborhood HOA.

  “She’s willing to try my way. I have a cage full of girls. She’ll inspect them of course, and the breeding age one. That one is the escapee, Lisa. A serial killer of her own kind. She’s perfect.” Colonel retorted. “A cage full of abominations and one breeder. That’s what you’ve got?”

  Lexi’s feathers were ruffled. She had fought hard for her place at this table. Being Granny’s kin didn’t help her fight for power. She had to earn it, claw for it, bite for it, scavenge what she could for it. First on her list of take-downs was this old man. It was time they had a new government liaison at the table.

  “These girls are clean, not the abominations. What did the President say?” Lexi asked knowing she didn’t care what the President said. Their country’s leader was only a paycheck for her. His opinions mattered little, if any.

  “He wants a one-on-one with Granny. He always wants to speak to Granny” answered with tired in his tone. The Colonel stood then, tossed the water bottle into a nearby trash bin. It was full, and Lexi gritted her teeth. The plastic, the waste.

  “The boys have the place rigged up. Say the word and everything will go.” He left the room then. Lexi sat. She’d be glad to get rid of this place. Looking at her watch, she spoke into her com line. “Is Granny ready?”

  Lisa

  Lisa woke with her heart in her throat. Then she quickly realized she didn’t have one. If she had a heart, she’d be sobbing for Israel. If she had a heart, there would be panic washing over her at the thought of Superior Mother supposedly being her biological mother. Instead, she sat in her cage, behaving herself, watching a young girl in another cage stare at her.

  Neither spoke to the other and that was good. Lisa couldn’t speak to anyone anymore. Her voice was gone, washed away by her life. A life she would never understand. In a way Lisa was distancing herself from herself. Her hours were numbered. She might as well say goodbye.

  She shouldn’t watch the young girls sleep, and why was there just one awake? Did she resist whatever drug that was given? That’s not a good sign. That makes her different, stronger than the rest, and if that was the case then they would use it against her.

  It was better to be ordinary. That way you go under that radar. Maybe if Lisa had been normal and followed orders, none of this would have happened. Popping her knuckles, Lisa shrugged. It would have happened anyway. The Z9Ts were on a mission to end The Grey, and sooner or later they would have reached it and breached the gate.

  The little girl in the cage finally looked away from Lisa. She wasn’t really looking at Lisa as much as studying her. Lisa was that little girl’s puzzle. She wanted to know why they kept her locked up.

  Laying down, Lisa smiled to herself. What would she tell this girl? “They keep me locked up because I am an executioner of my own kind.” “They keep me locked up because I have some special little things I can do that involve ICE and becoming batshit murderous.” Lisa rolled over to her side. She shouldn’t curse in front of children.

  Lisa desperately wanted to know how long she had been sleeping. If she knew that, she’d know how long Superior Mother had been gone. She wouldn’t ever refer to her as mother. She was everyone’s mother, wasn’t she? Maybe, Lisa popped her knuckles again, she was telling Lisa that she in fact her mother. That lady of The Grey was a liar.

  Why she would lie about that Lisa didn’t know, but it was lie, she had little doubt about that. Continuing her “what if” game, Lisa wondered what if that woman was her mother. What if she had once shared a body with that bitch. “Maybe that’s why I have no heart. Maybe that’s why I am such a bitch myself” Lisa questioned the air around her.

  Hearing noises, Lisa sat up. She wished she could stand. Her legs desperately needed to be stretched. She’d go insane if she was left in here. The little girl that was watching her was now pacing the cage. She went from one side to the other, touching each bar as she went. Lisa could see a small shadow of ice vapor follow her. That girl was special and that was dangerous.

  Not being able to help herself Lisa spoke out in a loud whisper. “Hey, little girl…stop that. Don’t let them know you can do that.” Lisa wished she could turn around and not look. What did she care what happened to that little girl? She had been a little girl once, and nobody had cared what happened to her. “It’s best if they don’t know you’re special.” Their eyes met at that; she was listening to Lisa. “Not every one of us can do those things. Only a few.”

  This was a guess, but Lisa figured she was right. Of all the Women of the Grey she had killed, none of them had brought forth frost. None of them changed to their true forms. They either didn’t know they could, or they couldn’t do it. Lisa voted for couldn’t.

  “That’s why I’m not dead yet.” Lisa continued leaning in to say that and realized it was true. With her tantrum, she had given them evidence of that. She handed them evidence that she had abilities. What an idiot. What an ass.

  Swallowing, Lisa leaned against the bars of her cage. Focusing on Israel’s face, his lips, the curl of his eyelashes, the smell of his skin, the rough feel of his hands. She had told him she loved him. He died knowing he was loved.

  Lisa would die knowing she wasn’t. She wasn’t okay with that, but did not have a choice. There was no choice in her life in how she wanted to be born, be raised, live. She would have no choice but to accept that she wasn’t loved, and she would not have a choice in how she died.

  It was all taken from Lisa before she had her first breath. This twisted Lisa up inside so badly that now she sat in a cage, numb, without a heart, and she believed without a soul. She had spent her whole life trying to figure this out. Trying to conclude why Superior Mother was okay to take those choices from her. From everybody.

  It wasn’t okay. She knew that in the same way she knew it wasn’t okay to never be loved. At least she knew love. She knew what it was to love. Lisa knew the feel of love covering her skin and wrap up her mind. She had known what love felt like in her belly and tasted like in her mouth. That was her one choice in life, to love even when it wasn’t returned.

  “And for that I am a better person.” Lisa mouthed these words not wanting to share such thoughts with the girl. She was laying in the cage now, remembering her days on her first mission. The dirty floor in that shitty apartment. She would lay there with the smell of stagnant lives surrounding her.

  Why did she do that? Lisa thought she did it because she could. At least an hour had passed. Superior Mother was dead. Lisa could feel it. There was always a shadow in her, a vibration in the background that was always out of reach, and now it was gone.

  Maybe that was her mother. Lisa could choose to believe that, but why? What did she gain from that knowledge? What did that do? Why would she not turn Lisa in? Why wouldn’t she fight? Twirling her hair, Lisa watched the young girl shake the other girls, trying to wake someone. They weren’t moving and Lisa hoped they weren’t dead.

  Not being able to help herself Lisa yelped at the girl “Stop it, they are drugged. It didn’t affect you as much because you are stronger.” Shaking her head Lisa thought about kicking the bars of the cage in. “You’d play dead if you had any smarts to you.”

  A guard walked up to Lisa’s cage, smiling at her. “It’s your turn.” Three soldiers showed up behind him. Lisa calmly crawled out of the cage, eager to stretch her legs, even if it was on the way to her funeral.

  Once she was standing, they snapped a collar on Lisa that pinched. It was connected to a rod, and they led her out of the room with it. She stole a glance at the little girl, who was now lying with the others, pretending to sleep. She did listen, good for her. Maybe she’d make it out of here.

  Lisa was taken to a room, not knowing it was the same room where Superior Mother had been shot. If she had known, there was no way of knowing if she wou
ld have cared. Lisa sat in a chair, the same chair Superior Mother sat in, gripped in a collar, waiting for them to shoot her, confront her, slap her, she didn’t know. What Lisa did was listen to her breaths and think about the first time she had seen Israel smile. He had this bright smile. A smile of happiness. A smile that let you in, with a warmth that turned the ugliest of moments into sweetness.

  Lisa was lost in Israel when Lexi walked in. She had changed clothes. She now wore combat boots, black pants, a tight black jacket. The outfit amused Lexi to think that she looked like an American FBI agent on some lame tv show.

  “Darling, how nice to see you.” Lexi’s words spilled out of her to Lisa and she speed walked into the room. “We’ve got to wrap things up quickly. So, let’s cut to the chase.” She snapped her fingers in front of Lisa’s face. “How many did you kill? It’s for accounting purposes, of course. There are still some little critters out there, and we’ve got to hunt them down.”

  Lisa winced. She’d forgotten some Women of the Grey were on mission “Eight, and go fuck yourself.” Lisa spit her answer out at Lexi then rolled her eyes. She didn’t mean to, but she did. She wished she could take it back. It was a juvenile thing to do.

  “WOW, what a mouth. Well, thank you.” Lexi pointed to a guard, then whipped around and looked at Lisa. “I was going to keep you for breeding purposes, but I think I’ll use those little darlings in the other cage. They don’t have a bad attitude.”

  Lisa shivered a bit. “Yet.” Is all she said. They didn’t have a bad attitude yet, but she was sure that special one would change things.

  Lexi let out a laugh then responded. “Yet is right. Well then.” She turned back to the guard “Bang. Bang.” Turning toward the door, the guard, the same that gave Lisa such a broad smile, lifted his gun and shot Lexi in the head. She fell hard and fast, hitting the floor with a thud that echoed in the room. The other guards drew their guns, but he was too quick for them, shooting each one rapidly. They all fell to the ground. Kneeling next to Lisa the guard said “Grab the key in my pocket and undo the collar.”

  Lisa didn’t hesitate. She’d do whatever this stranger said. “Can we get the girls?” He nodded yes then said. “Grab their guns.”

  Lisa picked up a gun. She opened the door and this guard followed. When they were in the hallway, he leaned forward and whispered. “I’m with Z9T…an insider. I remember the message boards talking about you and everything you did for our cause. That’s why I’m saving you.”

  Lisa had so many questions. His grin came off as menacing, but he was helping her. Lisa was used to grins, winks, and gentle hugs being insidious. They were a warning that you were fair game to the mothers. A grin like his would mean war to the Women of The Grey. There was no time to think now. Now it was time to listen and follow whatever this young man said. Lisa ran down the hall with him, not sure if she should be grateful or sad.

  He was saving her because he needed her, not wanted her. Maybe it was the other way around. She didn’t know. Was she doomed to always be someone’s pawn? At the end of the hallway, the guard turned to her. He was breathing heavily, his eyes darting from side to side.

  “I want to thank you for everything you have done for the human race.” He said this to Lisa with conviction, with truth dangling from his lips. He believed what he just said.

  How could Lisa tell him she had done nothing at all for the human race, that what she had done was for one human? One among them all had caught her gaze, hooked her heart. She had done all of this for love and nothing more.

  What would he think of her then? Would he regret saving her? Lisa didn’t know and decided it was best to stay quiet about what her true intent had always been, and that she was unsure of it. She was sure that she did what she did because she fell in love with Israel, but were her actions nothing but selfish want?

  The guard gave her that grin again. Pulled her hand and opened the door where the girls were kept. They were all awake now, most sitting quietly together. Lisa saw some holding hands. Each one looked like the other. It was never normal to look at your own face staring back at you.

  Running up to the cage, Lisa looked for Sunny. She couldn’t tell which one she was, and that was a good thing. She was hiding in the crowd. Squatting down, Lisa gave the girls her best smile then said “I’m Lisa…I want to help you. I’m going to get you out.”

  The girls backed away, all wide-eyed, scared not of the cage but of Lisa. They were afraid of her.

  “Lisa, killer of her kind.” A small voice said.

  “I heard she killed a hundred mothers.” A couple voices responded.

  “She’s here to kill us.” All voices said.

  Lisa waved her hands saying “No, no…I want to help you.”

  “She’ll kill us”

  “She’ll kill us.”

  “She’ll kill us”

  “The mothers said Lisa kills Women of the Grey for fun.” The voices rang these words in unison clenching on to one another for safety from the dreaded Lisa. They began to huddle together, faking fear, playing it out. Lisa was wise to tricks of the daughters of The Grey. She had been one herself, but this wasn’t fake.

  Lisa stepped back, looking at the guard. They were afraid of her. Sitting on the floor in front of their cage, Lisa dropped her face into her hands. She now understood the word infamous.

  The guard pulled at her arm. “We must leave now. They’ll be here at any moment. You don’t want to meet Granny.”

  “Granny is already here.” The Colonel’s voice echoed in the room, bouncing through the walls, turning everyone’s attention to him. Looking up, Lisa saw a large man with greying hair and brown eyes. He resembled a wall, and next to him was an Original of their kind, but slightly different.

  “Stand up, put down your guns. You’re outnumbered and you know it.” The Colonel’s voice was cool and even. He stood with the Original right beside him, and behind them were twenty soldiers. “Besides,” said the Colonel giving a casual wave towards the Original Woman of the Grey by his side. “Granny can kill you without moving a muscle or twitching a finger.”

  Both Lisa and the guard stood, and the Colonel pulled his gun and shot the guard. Lisa felt a scream bubble up from her gut, but she wouldn’t let it out. She’d swallow her tongue first. Lisa watched the guard fall to the ground. She’d never see his grin again. Never again would she have the opportunity to question its sincerity.

  “I never knew his name.” Lisa said this out loud to anybody that would care. She cared, maybe somebody else would care as well. “Maybe one of you fuckers would give a shit enough to tell me what his name was?” She was yelling this out, she knew this, but animals attack if they feel cornered and Lisa knew she was cornered. Her day of reckoning was now.

  The Colonel let out a small huff. “His name was Frank. I thought he was loyal to our cause, but I guess not. I waste no time on traitors and neither does Granny.”

  The Original started walking towards Lisa. She felt the ice on her skin before she was near. Granny was the white punishment room and the black punishment room. Granny was The Grey. Lisa felt the years of abuse, torment, and ridiculous mysteries come closer to her with every step Granny took.

  Standing in front of Lisa, Granny placed her hand on Lisa’s head and held it tightly. Tightly to the point of pain. Tightly to command obedience from Lisa.

  Instantly Lisa lost sight of the room. It faded away, pixels dropped from the scene and were replaced with a cold that clamped down on Lisa’s bones. The cold was like being gnawed from the inside out. Lisa shuddered but Granny’s grip didn’t loosen. She tightened it more, and that is when Lisa clearly saw everything that was in front of her.

  Lisa saw Originals chasing one another, killing those that they caught. One looked just like the other, but they knew the difference. Lisa could sense that. She felt the fury of wanting to kill, and even though they were all the same on the outside with shark like skin, large bulbous eyes, and the same damn razor-sharp teeth, but on
the inside, there was a difference. A difference that was as easy to spot as neon. They killed the ones that were not the same. Original after Original fell to the ground.

  Some were smeared in blood and gore, but the Women of the Grey do not have blood. This confused Lisa. Where did the blood come from? Granny tilted Lisa’s head and she saw the pile of human bodies. A stack of humans, all ages, sizes with Originals rubbing themselves against the corpses.

  The picture of the bodies faded just as quickly as it appeared. Lisa now watched an Original give birth, like a human, to a baby that Lisa couldn’t see at first. Then the baby came into view. It had blond hair and eyes like a human, but the skin was wrong. The skin looked like the Original’s gleaming like shark skin. A pack of other Originals took the baby, put an inhaler in the infant’s mouth, and its arms dropped. She heard a sound like an electric shock. An inhaler was quickly shoved in the mother’s mouth. She fell silent as well.

  Dead mother and child faded from Lisa’s eyes and were replaced with images of earth, and mother after mother after mother in different cities, towns, homes, but it wasn’t all The Grey. They were elsewhere, then again mother after mother after mother, then elsewhere till Lisa’s sight landed on The Grey, and a birth from a Woman of the Grey that looked like a normal human child. Originals looked down at the crying newborn with silent eyes. One of them took it, wrapped It up in a blanket and walked away with it. Was it worthy to keep? Lisa wanted to know.

  Who was worthy? What was worthy?

  Opening her eyes, Lisa looked at Granny, who telepathically told Lisa, “No matter what we must go on.”

  “NO,” Lisa screamed. “Will you ever stop?”

  Lisa knew her answer. Granny would do this again and again till she had reached what she believed was the perfect race, half human, half alien. A hybrid cocktail of Granny’s idea of perfection.