“Oh, no.” Margo was starting to put some pieces of the puzzle together based on what she knew and heard of Kenneth Williams herself. Things were beginning to make some sense.
“Yeah, but that’s not the worse part. The story goes his wife was so distraught about what Williams had done to their only child, she intentionally overdosed. Apparently, she left a diary filled with entries blaming Williams for everything.” Creed stopped talking and took a sip of his drink.
“That’s messed up,” Cole said. He hadn’t joined them at the table to eat. Instead, he remained leaning at the counter, away from the meta. He still didn’t like the guy, but he had to admit, that was one heck of a story he just spun.
“Whatever happened to the girl?” Theo asked.
Creed shrugged and said, “That’s where the rumors get really sketchy. Some say he kept her locked in a part of the Facility where no one goes but him. Some say he continued experimenting on her looking for a cure until she died of it all and now her spirit haunts him. Some say he extracted her DNA and has tried to perfect her cloning, making her a meta,” Creed shrugged again. “I really don’t know what to believe about all that. But I do believe he was married and had a child,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Why do you say that?” Theo asked.
“When he called me to his office a few days after the Retribution Match, I saw family pictures on his desk. It was definitely him, though much younger and a pretty, dark-eyed lady standing beside him. In her arms was a little girl, maybe one or two-years-old,” Creed looked exhausted when he finished speaking. And it occurred to Margo this was probably one of the longest conversations this young man had ever been allowed to have. She thought to herself how insightful he was for someone who wasn’t allowed to have insight before now. He was only allowed to follow orders, not problem solve on his own.
“So he’s been searching for a way to make right his personal wrongs all these years?” Evan asked.
Creed nodded, “That’s the way the rumors go, anyway.”
“Why sell the meta soldiers once he’s made them?” Cole asked, redirecting the conversation.
“I think I can answer that one,” Margo said. “Williams was a wealthy man with friends in scary high places, but after all these years, the more experimenting he needed to do, the more costly, the more he needed outside funding. Does that sound right to you, Creed?” Margo asked.
“Makes sense,” he said with a shrug.
“So who’s buying the metas?” Alik asked.
“Now that, I don’t know. Once a section is deployed, they never come back.”
“How many metas have been deployed?” Alik asked.
Creed shrugged again, “I’d just be guessing. Something like four infantries. Each infantry consisted of a chief and eight soldiers. So, around fifty, that I know of.”
“Fifty highly trained metas?” Theo whistled. “As trained as you, Creed?”
“Yes, sir. I suppose so.”
“That is one formidable army,” Theo sat thinking.
“Yes, sir. Assuming they’re all on the same team.”
“Oh, wow. That’s right. What if Williams was selling to more than one group?” Theo realized.
“This could get very messy, very fast,” Alik realized.
“You know what I don’t understand,” Creed began. “Well, he knows each of you three has at least one area in your meta abilities where you are even more advanced. He told me that much. But why does he want you back? He has to know you would not be willing to work for him. What can he get out of you?” Creed asked.
“He wants our blood,” Alik responded.
“He wants to recreate the formula he gave to us. Mom destroyed all the records before she rescued us from him all those years ago, but the data still exists in our DNA,” Evan explained.
“So, he thinks the specific formula given to you created the heightened meta ability.” Creed was beginning to understand.
“I wonder if he believes your formula to be the key to ‘fixing’ his daughter,” Margo said thoughtfully.
From her jacket pocket the room heard a sharp ringing. She sound startled her from her thoughts.
“Yes?” She said into the cell phone. Her brows wrinkled with worry.
“We’ll be right there. Thanks, Paulie,” she said.
Everyone, getting the gist of the conversation, began quickly cleaning up their plates.
“What’s happening?” Theo asked.
“Meg’s temperature has spiked and she’s seizing,” Margo said whisking away the tears that had already begun to fall.
“Oh, no,” Evan moaned.
Eyes wide with fear, Margo, Theo, Alik, Evan, Creed and Cole ran down the hallway toward the laboratory.
27 Brainstorming Session