The Third Child

MARK SINQUIST

Alright...so... today was officially one of the weirdest days of my life. None of them seemed to have I.D.'s (thank the Lord above), and one of them had a robotic cat. Usually you didn't see too much advanced technology down where the scrappers like us lived, but hey, you learn something new everyday.

I grinned and shook my head at Twitch's back, suddenly realizing that I never did get my shirt back... awkwardish. "Alright, so one thing I wanna ask," I said, walking over to the edge of the hole. "None of us have I.D.'s, am I right?"

I nods, half-expecting Twitch to shout at me to not ask her that anymore. She didn't, which I was thankful for. I looked up at the newest of the new girls and arched an eyebrow. "And you are...who exactly?"

CORMEN DELLZ

I grinned and leaned back in the chair. Now we were getting somewhere. Was about time, too. The last thing I needed was for Kennedy to throw another spazm and run around shooting people again... I shook off the thought, trying to focus on my mission here.

Thirds first, then we can work on the new Head of Tracking.

"We need you to snuff out a few Thirds for us. We don't just want the Thirds, we want you to gain their trust, squeeze their stories out of them. We need as much information as possible. In other words, you're going to have to be nice enough that they want to do this. We need to know everybody who's taken part in hiding them. Got it?"

If he accepted, he had just improved his life by a long shot. If he declined... well, I suppose that his life would have to come to a sloppy end. Fun for the both of us, I assure you.

Kayla~

Kayla swallowed hard. They'd instantly think she'd try and kill them if she told them. Then again, she'd have to if she was going to help... then, there was the ones with weapons. Oh joy. Kayla shook her blonde hair out, looking around slowly for any open ears that the population control... well... controlled. After coming to the conclusion there weren't, Kayla took a deep breath, and took her wallet from her satchel, opening it up in a very professional-like way.

"Kayla Wolfe. My name is Kayla Wolfe. I'm seventeen, I have my I.D, I've never harmed a third child, as much as I have been pressured to, and..." the anticipation was written plain as day on all of their faces. "And I'm in the population control." She said the last part quickly. Someone tackled her, and all of their voices were loud and frantic.

"Kill her! If we don't, she'll kill us!" One of them yelled, Kayla putting her hands up in front of her face and tried to roll away.

"Wait, let me explain my position!" She screeched, but it didn't stop. She didn't want to hurt them, she really didn't. She had been like them once upon a time!

"Someone do something to her before more come!" Another voice.

"Please, let me explain! You don't understand! I want to help you!" She screamed, the person in front of her screaming at her, their words to quick to understand. Finally, giving up, Kayla brought her knees up, and kicked out, as hard as she could, the person on top of her flying back into the group, which thankfully stayed on their feet and caught the person, who soon doubled over in pain.

Kayla wiped the bleeding slit in her lip, glowering at not them, but how dumb she had been to just spill it. "Now, will you all listen to me? I'll leave now if you wish, but I really want to help you all." She hissed, her bleeding lip throbbing.

Twitch

I sighed, pulled my hair back (Repo yowled loudly, and I swatted her again) and walked up to Blondie Dos. With a rush of heat to my face, I realized Blondie Uno's shirt was still abandoned somewhere. Funny, didn't remember him even wearing one.

Crud. Am not thinking all this. It's psychosomatic.

I fished around in my tool belt for a few seconds before letting out an 'ah!' and pulling out a... metal stick! Yay for metal sticks!

Seriously.

I muttered, "Might be cold," and put the end on her lip, clicking the side subtly. She winced, but the metal stick -dubbed by me as the Deinfector- had cleared the blood and released a fluid that would speed up healing. One of my more clever inventions. And this one was 100% mine, not even a modified CIA idea.

"It should be healed up in an hour two," I told her, dropping the Deinfector back in my tool belt and scratching Repo's ear. "Reps, you thirsty?" I mumbled, popping open a can of oil and peeling the top back. A brushed chrome head dipped over my head and spilled oil on my neck. It didn't matter, if she didn't drink soon, she'd malfunction. And I always keep dear Repossession in top form.

Oh god, now I'm becoming like Pop Control... ew.

Riley

I didn't like this, not one bit. Me in a room with someone from pop control, sitting with a load of teenagers who didn't have I.D's or enough tact to know not to hurt professionals who dealt expecially with ridding the world of well us.

"How do we know we can trust you?" I asked, my voice the only thing booming in the silence.

She looked troubled. She didn't have an answer. "You'll just have to trust me, wont you?"

"No." I answered coldly. "We could just kill you dump you somewhere and runaway. You cant fight against all of us." I was bluffing. I couldn't do...Or maybe I could. I heard gasps echo through the room. They were finally getting it.

"But you wont do that." No, I wouldn't.

I shook my head. "No. But I will do this." I pointed to some random people.

"Somebody tie that lady up until we're certain she can be trusted. We can't have her running about." I ordered.

The air became tense again, I was waiting for someone to rebel. I wished someone would rebel but no one did. I mean really, Who died and made me king?

Kayla~

Kayla huffed as her wrists were bound together tightly with a course, painful rope. She didn't even have anything on her to get herself out. No weapons, nothing. The thirds kept talking amongst themselves and Kayla pushed her feet against the ground, rolling back onto her back. In that position, she tucked her tied legs close to her chest, and wiggled her arms behind her back, over the back of her thighs, then her knees, and finally her ankles.

Much more comfortable.

She sat back up, her hands now in front of her. Who ever said the impossible isn't possible? Wait a second, that was it! This was a group of young adult thirds! They could make the impossible become the possible! Kayla looked over at the one, named Riley, and raised a brow when he looked over at her, copying her actions. "Listen, I'm not going to turn you in, I swear. I don't have a birth certificate. I was once a third like you all!" Kayla hissed, drawing some attention.

"But you have an I.D..." one of the girls said, rather defiantly. Kayla sighed, looking down at the ground.

"When I was eight, my older brother got extremely sick... I won't tell you how he died, but he did die when I was eight. Being under thirteen, I was able to get an I.D. inexpensively. My dad's one of the top dogs in the population control, and despite what he wants to believe, I've been helping other thirds since I became part of the population control when I was thirteen, and liscense to kill. I've never killed anyone though." She pleaded to them, hoping her eyes would prove her honesty.

Someone, anyone had to believe her... anyone.

Mark Sinquist

I crossed my arms across my chest and stared at the girl. It was an interesting story, but did I dare believe it? It was my family near by, and if she had a way to get reinforcements, my whole family would be in danger. She didn't look like she was lieing...

"So let me get this straight. We're all Thirds, who have somehow managed to meet out in the middle of my woods and now you're apparently in the Population Control working as a double agent? Funny you know, how you just so happened to end up here," I said, half-skeptic. "And how am I supposed to know that any of you aren't working with her?"

Maybe that was overkill...but it was possible wasn't it? Very possible. Any one of them could be in league with the Population Control, their children maybe, training in their parents footsteps. Okay, so that was overkill. Who would train their kid to run after and 'dispose' of other kids?

Of course, it was very possible that they had kids working with them. We weren't really kids anymore anyways. The youngest of us was probably between twelve and fourteen, the oldest...well I dunno. I've never been that great at guessing ages.

It was dangerous out here, as much as I hated to admit it.

Steph:

How dare he think I might be apart of the pop control! I felt tears run down my cheeks and said "My name is Stephanie. I just ran away from living with the Engles. They've been hiding me for about a year and I almost got caught today. I was originally running from the pop control with my sister until-" A lump formed in my throat and I swallowed hard "Until they killed her."

Zachary Stein
What the hell? Was he actually hearing this right? He shook his head in disbelief, half to see if he’d suddenly wake up and realize this was a dream cooked up by his panicked mind while he was passed out in some dark cell.

Pinch? Nope, still awake.

“So you want me to snitch on them is what you’re getting to, yeah?”

A nod. “Right in one.” Zach stared at him. The guy stared back. “You going to say yes, or should I just get rid of you now?”

Zach snorted. “Gee, way to give me a choice. Betray the poor bastards who had the bad luck to be born like me, or get my brains blown out?” A challenging look, before he gave a disarming grin. “Of course I’m gonna say yes. I’m in, sign me up, when do I start?”

He shifted, slowly so Mr Big Guy wouldn’t try to react to some threat or another, ‘cause giving him an excuse to shoot now, when things were actually working out, would be plain stupid. He turned on the innocent face and the puppy look, and nevermind that the split lip Mr Backhand had caused must detract from the overall effect. The man looked pleased enough with how things were going, maybe it’d work.

In any case, trying couldn’t hurt. He hoped.

“I’ll be a good boy, promise. Howsabout you get those cuffs off? ...please? ...sir?”

Twitch

I cocked an eyebrow. "Guys, she's not lying." There was so much protest that Repo hissed, her back arching.

"Someone tie her up too! She's probably undercover Pop Control! How else would she get that cat?"

My eyes widened. Repo? I... I made Repo! I wasn't... I wasn't in Pop Control! Someone slapped me -hard- across the face, and I lunged for whoever it had been, eyes narrowed and muscles tense, but something looped around my body and yanked me back. I yelped and writhed.

They had actually tied me up.

I moaned and brought my knees up sharply to bang my forehead. Should've kept my big mouth shut. Repo had managed to get caught in the ropes too, and my tool belt had somehow flipped up under the ropes. I couldn't reach my laser cutter. I groaned and flopped onto my back. Hey, it's more comfortable like this!

"If it's any condolence, I actually did believe you. But not all intuition-y. Actually, that was part of it. But I have a, well, it's kind of like a brain-wave-mini-polygraph. Never fails." I said in a low voice to the Pop Control chick as the other Thirds stared at each other. Repo hissed at them, and I chuckled at her efforts.

"So where did you get the robo-cat?"

"Oh, picked her blueprints up when the CIA caught me. Well, according to them I was going to be an 'asset', but by that time I had developed the super-hearing... device. I really need to start naming my older stuff."

"And how old were you?"

"Ten."

She let out a low whistle. "You had made a super-hearing invention when you were ten?"

"Eight, actually."

"And you're what now?"

"Fifteen."

I tried not to smirk. I'd always known I was smart, but hearing what I'd done at those ages... it made me really smart.

Go team me! Woo for getting tied up with no way out!

Steph:

I jumped into the ditch and crossed my arms tightly over my chest. I stared at the girl, feeling a little bad that she was tied up. After going into a bunch of stuff about her being smart I flipped open my pocket knife. "Haven't seen one of those in a while." someone said. Rolling my eyes I said "I'm very old fashioned, Besides, I take what I can get." When I kneeled down next to the girl hers eyes widened as if she thought I was going to stab her.

I couldn't help but let out a small giggle. I cut the rope. There were a few protests. "Oh just shush."

Twitch

I raised an eyebrow. I really hadn't seen a switchblade in a while. Eh, well, effective. I mumbled a thanks (the wound to my ego was absolutely life threatening) and scrambled out. I shot a glare at every person in the group and plunked down, Repo holding her stainless steel head in the air like she refused to speak to any of them. I agreed.

I wrapped two cold sheets around my wrists. Really, cold sheets. Technical name: Thermal bands. Strips of pliable metal with internal heating wires that can just as easily go cold. Good for heating, sore backs, and, apparently, sore wrists. Blasted ropes. I scowled at the leafy ground and cradled Repo against my chest, pulling one knee up and resting my chin on the denim.

I really should have stayed in the hotel.

Kicking a leaf away, I glared straight ahead, drilling a figurative hole in the tree trunk ahead of me. No going back now. I was dragged into this whether I liked it or not. At least I had a charge gun to help me on the way. The corners of my mouth twitched at that. Charge guns made everything a lot more fun, just like explosives and red buttons.

Repo mewled softly and I handed her a dead battery. Nice treat for a robo-cat; triple a's are her favorites. As she gnawed away at the casing, I kept my stance, surprised the tree hadn't keeled over by now. A strand of hair had fallen out of my ponytail and was hanging in my eye. Not that I minded, as long as only this stance was required.

And I would make certain it was all that was required.

Mark Sinquist

I sighed, maybe a little over-dramatically and sat down near-ish to Twitch and her umm... robo cat. I was extremely confused at the moment, but if I was right, if they actually were all Thirds, and if all of them could be trusted; my parents would be more than happy to let us stay at my place and sort things out. We were far from any roads, and there weren't any other houses anywhere for quite a ways out. We'd be safe...

I glanced over at Twitch and shook my head. Why? Not quite so sure. Something about Twitch just calls for a headshake I suppose.

But maybe... What if that Kayla chick was telling the truth? I'd let her come, too. My dad had a few guns he used for hunting, if she proved a problem...

My stomach twisted. How could I think like that? It would end up her life or all of yours and your families. Fair enough. And there was a chance she was telling the truth, so I doubted that would happen anyways.

Problem number two: We weren't freakin' rich. We didn't have a ton of food, and chances were everybody here was hungry. Asking my mom to feed a bunch of hungry teens in the middle of a famine, how considerate. Then again, knowing my mom, she'd do it.

"Alright!" I announced, jumping to my feet. I lowered my voice just slightly. "My place is just that way, through the trees a bit. It's not huge, and we don't have the best assortment of food ever, but my sisters are at school and my mom would probably be willing to help us sort things out. My woods, my rules."

Maybe that had been a tad dangerous. Now all of them knew where I lived. What if one of them split and ran tattle-taling to the Population Control to save their own butts?

Cormen Dellz

I shook my head, snickering. "That's absolutely pathetic," I muttered, "But... I can do so much better than take off a few handcuffs. Of course, they're not coming off until you're in your room." I stood and shoved the chair against the wall, placing my gun back in its holster.

"Come here, I have a feeling you'll like this." I waggled a finger in his direction. He opened his mouth and I held up a hand. "You say anything and all of this disapears. You'll be dealt with same as any Third. Got it? Now come. Here."

He stepped closer and I risked turning around to open the door. I nodded at one of the guards, who approached just as Zachery exited the cell. A guard with a shotgun.

"We're going to take him to number 34," I said quietly.

The guard arched an eyebrow. "You sure that's a good idea? After what happened to the HoT today, I'd be careful."

"Yeah, well Kennedy's gonna have to go through a lot more trouble the next time he wants to pull something like that. I'll make sure of it," I muttered under my breath. "Now. Let's get moving. Call somebody to bring the boy some food and we're set."

The words the Mark kid said instantly got Kayla on red alert. "Are you joking me?!" She crooned, her eyes wide. He had to be joking! That or he was an absolute fool! "If you think the death penalty for hiding your own third child is harsh, try hiding all of you! If I wasn't on your guys' side I wouldn't be trying to stop you from this, but I'm dead serious! I've seen it when my own two eyes!" They were all staring at her now. Well at least she had their attention.

"W-what happens exactly?" One girl asked, and Kayla's eyes glazed over with tears, and she turned her head to look up, forcing the tears back.

"Torture, quite simply. Something as hoarding thirds, harboring them in safety, it's madness. Absolute madness. After I became a legal, the Population Control found out that my real mom was harboring thirds. The men made my father and I sit there, in the same room, and watch my mother get tortured for it. So please Mark, don't do this." Her eyes were pleading.

They had to believe her! They just had to! If it came down to it... she'd hide them in the professor's underground hideout.

[[limited internet for the next week or so. Posts may be slow or non-existent >.>]]

Zachary Stein
It may have surprised people of his acquaintance that Zach was indeed able to shut up when it was required of him; now was one of those times, and, very painfully aware of what lay in the balance—namely, his life—he was on his best behaviour. Which, granted, involved lots of glaring at the shotgun pointed at his face and at the very obvious weapons being otherwise paraded around, and the swearing was still rather present, if restricted to his own mind.

Too bad. He was getting more crude creative by the minute.

It all shut down—glaring, internal monologue and all—the second he set foot in what was apparently going to be his room. There was a bed. With a real mattress. He hadn’t had one of those in ages. Was this for real?

He opened his mouth to ask just that, but met the boss-man’s forbidding glare and reconsidered. Then stood very, very still as one of the guards grabbed his arms to get the cuffs off.

$&#^#@ finally.

Wait wait wait. Was that food they were bringing in? As in, proper food?

He was salivating just at the sight. Holy crap. His eyes darted to the big guy, back to the tray, back to the boss, still a bit wary and worried this may just have been an elaborate trap. What for he wasn’t quite sure, given he was well and caught already, but you never knew.

What to do, what to do?

Aside from not speak, that was.

Twitch

Er... that was a bit awkward. Staying in his house? Um... let me get back to you on that.

"Uh, I still have a few weeks left on the hotel room. I could just go... back there."

"Taxi services cut off half an hour ago."

"Thank you, give the boy a cookie, but I can walk, thanks." I added a sarcastic smile and folded my arms, leaning back a touch. My typical don't-think-I-don't-have-a-comeback stance.

"Five miles?"

Okay, so I didn't have a comeback. I turned my head, which, in hindsight, was just as bad as admitting I couldn't. Repo mewled, her chrome tongue nipping at my jaw.

"Not now, Rep." I said softly, holding up a can of oil. A few sips worth slopped down my front, but I didn't mind. At least it wasn't nuclear charge material- and that had happened. But, that was how the heat detector had ramped up. One mile to ten, taking only an ounce of nuclear charge and an hour's worth of sneaking. What, did you think I just bought this stuff? Please. You had to find this stuff yourself. And it made your hands tanner for two weeks, heads up.

But, besides tan hands and nuclear charges- what was I going to do now?