Chapter 11

The pack gained in strength as Sam weakened. I did my best to show that he was still contributing so that he would not be taken away. Tiffany came back to give her reports personally. This allowed her to get her pill and spend some time with Sam. Sam kept us up to date on what was in Knox' mind and this included the passwords to her various accounts.

I was the one to dispense the drug though Kelly was the more logical one. A collection was started where I shaved the pills destined for my pack. Since this included the dogs, I could get the equivalent of two pills every three days.

Bobby could not take the pills well so I would break them up into his food and this also allowed me to substitute the shavings I had acquired.

It didn't seem right but I seduced Dina one night. She had an aversion for girl-girl sex but I got her hormones to overrule her preferences. It wasn't that much longer that I found that she secreted the same substance that Tiffany did.

Tatum was a far easier conquest. Misty knew exactly what was happening and she came over for her share. It was a calculated decision that had me making the little girl happy. It was not long after that Joy and even Bobby had to be included because it was a pack activity. I drew the line at the dogs but they reacted sexually whenever we did.

I tried to get Kim to participate in pack activities which included some sex. This was the time I started to explain to her about the network of cameras and microphones.

"So what. If they are there it's her house."

Sam said, "The devices are there. I'm the one that can see them."

"Ok, so they're there. What about it?"

Kim liked where she was now. She had a submissive streak and the rest of the girls gave her a very good chance to indulge herself in it. She was just a sexual toy used for the girls to get off.

Tiffany had a lot of sex when growing up and used this trade to make a living. She gave her talks about her past but then flavoured her summations by saying how Kim was just being used.

With the opposition Kim was putting up, I knew I had to go very slow if I wanted to convince Kim that Knox was a monster. Tatum and Dina were given the job of trying to convince Kim of the truth without being blatant about it.

Kim stopped coming around because when she did she found her beliefs being challenged. In desperation I got the girls to seduce Kim more often and supply her with the nectar that would open her mind. I was really afraid for her.

My pack had been formed for three weeks when I was able to take two of them out at a time to see the world. I was most concerned with Tatum and Dina but they only thought about it. They knew that there were people around to make sure they did what they were supposed to.

The other three were less of a problem and security went with us and acted more like nannies. On some of these occasions I got Kim to go with us and she didn't seem to mind.

When we came back after one of these jaunts I saw some of the girls crying and I knew what the cause was. It was difficult to get the answer the regular way so I could react.

Sam had finally collapsed and could not get up. Kelly had him taken to the hospital. I hid and made a call to Tiffany. In a moment she phoned the house stating that she felt odd and asked about Sam. With that information she could go to the hospital.

I had responsibilities but I dumped them on Tatum and caught a cab and also headed to the hospital.

Sam was in intensive care. Tiffany got in as his wife and I had to be his sister. Sam was unconscious. We looked in his mind and found it dimming more than usual. Tiffany and I said nothing verbally but we were crying inside and out.

Tiffany's thoughts were jumbled more than usual and it wasn't just from grief. She was carrying Sam's child.

Sam could sense we were here because his disjointed thoughts were about the two of us. This explained how I had seen images of him holding a baby that could never happen now.

It was not long after this that Sam's parents arrived. Tiffany told Sam over and over that they were here until he opened his eyes. He was dazed for a while.

His mother hugged her son and cried but when she pulled away later she turned to Tiffany. "Are you carrying Sam's child?"

"Yes."

I read the woman's mind though I was still not as good as my pack. The mother knew Sam was dying. She was relieved that there would be a child to carry on but also worried about that the baby would suffer from Down's Syndrome.

The father had to be brought into the picture. Sam had two older sisters so it wasn't a matter of the line continuing so much but more of a worry that he would have to support the child when his health and that of his wife was failing.

He was worried about his son but had come to terms with it. It hurt him especially hard when his son had made so many strides to having a normal life.

I stayed a few hours and then had to go. There was nothing anybody could do to help.

I took a taxi back and felt apprehensive. When I looked behind me I saw nothing but cars but I tried to memorise them. The driver took an alternate route at my urging and some of the cars followed. Soon I was left with one car and the feeling I was being followed!

Working through the ramifications I knew that it had to be something to do with the lab computers. This would mean that anybody leaving the house could be followed. If they got enough data it was possible they knew that Sam was with us for months.

I was suddenly struck by the fact that the clinic had Sam's name as a subject and Sam was with us. Stethbridge may have this information too. Colins would find this information easily.

I took out my phone and called Tiffany. It was a few minutes before she answered. "What's wrong?"

"Got a tail. Sam will be watched and possibly taken. Maybe you too."

There was a rather long pause and she said, "I'll take care of this, Piper."

"Remember, it has to be logical. That's why I had to only call you."

"Ok, let me get to work."

I made it safely to the property. My apprehension didn't extend to harm directed to me. When I got out at the house I found Janice and two of her people. She was armed.

She quickly said, "Were you followed?"

I had to think fast. If I was, I should not know about it. "Not that I know. Why?"

"Tiff gave us a call. She found somebody in the hospital trying to find out about Sam."

"Shit! Do you think somebody knows something?"

"I have no idea. Tiff was not able to get close enough and not for long enough to find out much."

"What are they after?"

"We have no idea. Miss Knox is all in a dither."

An image flashed into my mind that showed her killing everybody to hide the secret and the fact that she had killed so many during testing. This was not a vision, just a possibility, but I still shuddered. I would have to be on the lookout for it and try to find a way around it.

The pack was upset when I returned to them. I saw that Kim was here too. Tatum was at the front and said, "How's Sam, Piper?"

"He's in rough shape. Perhaps he'll recover a bit. He always has."

"I hope so. Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm afraid not. The only thing we can do is carry on. I have something to tell the group. There was somebody spying on us at the hospital. This means that we have to be on the lookout."

"Lookout for spies?"

"Yes, and people that may be interested in us because of our abilities. It all depends on how much they know and how much they will be able to find out. If they learn about us they will never let us rest."

The pack knew from many talks just what this meant. No expense would be too great to find the secret.

The school was distraught. Even though most didn't like men, Sam was different. Knox had tried to paint men a uniform black when she had talked about them but most could see that she wasn't right.

I tried to carry on so the pack stayed in a routine. The dogs needed this and so did the people. We exercised more diligently just to forget our problems.

Tiffany came to the house regularly to talk about the new developments. She told us, "Sam became lucid but only for short stretches of time. He told his mother about how he feels about me — and my condition."

I thought, "Is Sam still watched?"

"Yes, but the monster has her druggies watching the watchers."

We talked more about Sam but much of it was as if he were already dead. I knew Tiffany was taking this harder than any of the rest of us and I tried to give her some support.

When we were alone, Tiffany said, "Knox is looking for spies under her bed. She's not thinking of getting rid of witnesses thankfully. I think it's time to hit the lab account."

I had to think about this. It was true. Knox had an external enemy to blame and the account was almost seven million dollars. This was the account used to buy what was needed to manufacture illegal drugs. Only some of the money could be ploughed into legitimate businesses.

Knox had seen the profits in selling drugs even before she graduated from university. She had talked in front of the right man and eventually somebody had mentioned the fact that a lot of money could be made.

Knox had dived in and produced lots of drugs but made sure her buyer provided the lab she needed. It took only one year to purchase this property. She had four full time assistants that produced what she wanted. They would still be doing it except that they were Knox's eyes and hands as they did research for her as she worked on Albicore.

For twenty some years she had been making and selling drugs. When the people she sold to died from one cause or another she just sold to somebody else. Very few people knew of her lucrative sideline. If the police came she was a respected researcher trying to alleviate the problems of mankind. They couldn't bitch because she had a long string of successes behind her.

With a lot of digging Sam and Tiffany had found out that Knox had made a little over a billion dollars in her lifetime. Some was put into her businesses before the governments started to crack down hard on this sort of activity. The businesses had grown over time and they in turn contributed to her wealth.

She owned stocks and bonds as well as real estate. She also had in excess of $723,455,000. This was just the portion in cash. When 7 million was seen in the lab account we knew it was just chicken feed.

I worked through the possible repercussions but saw nothing more than a woman that was going to be very angry. We might catch some of her flack but it wouldn't be for this embezzlement.

"Go ahead. You know she will be trying to trace the money. I'd like to trace this back to her enemies."

"Colins may have an offshore account or two. I don't know much about it but I'll see if that's the case. I can try to funnel the money that way. If not, I can work the way we planned. From what I read in Colins' mind, he's almost as bad as the monster."

"Good. We can use all the help we can get."

"Sam likes this idea and wishes he could be around when she finds out she has been given a tiny nip."

"I wish he could see that too."

After Tiffany left, I thought a lot harder about Knox's reaction and knew that this was a good time to begin talking to Kim about her employer and one of her lovers.

Kim was actually studying when I found her in the house. She was a little upset and grumpy because her treatment by some of the others.

"Come on, Kim. It's nice outside. Let's walk the dogs."

She looked at me and wondered at what I wanted but said, "Ok, let me get a jacket."

We walked to the kennel and found the dogs ready. They were not locked in because they behaved themselves most of the time. I didn't have to say anything and the dogs lead us in the rounds that was just inside the walls.

Kim finally couldn't take it any more and asked, "What did you want to talk about that you couldn't in the house?"

"It's my old rant about Knox. I see signs that she's getting even more irrational."

"If you were attacked by two men you'd act that way too."

"It's two different situations. Yes, it is good to analyse your mistakes and prepare for the next confrontation but haven't you seen how bad she is. She yells at us for the least reason."

"She's worried and so would you be if this happened to you."

"I'm saying that she's losing it, that's all. Just watch out for the signs and hide when the time comes. The least little thing could set her off. Last time it was when Bobby farted at the table."

Kim smiled at the memory and said, "He does that a lot."

"Maybe he does but he's only five. You have to cut him some slack. He never asked to get into this program. He was bought like some livestock from a farmer."

Kim was quiet now. She had listened to everybody that had been in the system and all but Sam had been given the drug against their will. I knew for a fact that many more had been processed but had not come here. This meant a lot of people had died or gone insane. It frightened me because if Knox was doing independent studies she could readily see that our scores were much lower than they should be.

Kim said, "We need to experiment. We can't find out any other way."

"We could get volunteers." When Kim didn't reply I said, "What if she wanted to experiment on us?"

"She wouldn't do that."

"What makes you think that way?"

"Well — well she loves us."

"I love you. She doesn't love anybody. She's smart and hides this fact so she can get cooperation and loyalty."

"She's not that way."

I said, "You talked to the kids. Some had been sold with their brothers and sisters. Those people have not come this way. I figured out that some people are not affected by the drug. Some people go crazy and some die. The remainder can read minds."

"You can't learn without experiments."

"What if Knox took me and gave me the drug? If I died I would be disposed of. If I went crazy, I would be given an injection to kill me and then disposed of."

"She doesn't do that?"

"Ah, but she does. She's the boss and her gang of goons will do the dirty work."

"People would notice."

"Haven't you noticed that she's very rich. If she wants something to happen, it will."

"You're paranoid."

"Not really. Knox is paranoid. I just see some things because I'm looking for them. I asked you a question. What if Knox took me and gave me the drug?"

Kim was quiet and I could read that she was worried. This thought had gone through her mind before and she could not simply discount it.

She said, "I'd rather take the drug instead of you. I'm not smart like you. That way I could get smarter."

"Kimmy, I love you. You're my only sister and all the family I have. I don't tell you everything to do. There's no need to be angry. The drug kills. Some immediately and some take time, like Sam. I don't want you hurt. You're smarter than most of the people on this planet. Your IQ is 107. That sort of thing changes and you're getting a good education and a better memory. I bet your IQ has gone up."

"I'd still take the drug."

I dug deeper into her mind and saw that she wasn't as happy as I thought. The girls were using Kim and she was taking it but she was having enough and couldn't get out of the relationship. Her submissive tendencies had led her into a role and the others wouldn't let her change. They liked to have a submissive but Kim only liked this on occasion. What she really wanted was to feel loved and wanted.

"Kim, I want you to come back and live with me."

"I can't."

I knew she liked the idea but didn't see a way to make this work. "Yes you can. Tomorrow you move your things out here. We can use your help."

"I'd live in a kennel. The girls would laugh at me."

"The girls laugh at me behind my back too. I need you, Kimmy. I love you and want you with me."

"Oh, Piper, I love you to, but I just can't."

It turned out that she could because the next day I moved her property out to the kennel. We had bunk beds three high but it was the only way to handle the seven of us.

After supper I was called to see Knox. I was worried about her finding out that I fiddled with the scores. I was also worried she may have found out what I was planing against her. In fact, I was worried about nearly everything.

I stood at ease but she had her block up and this worried me because she must know that I could read minds. "Yes, Miss Knox?"

She kept writing and then yelled at me. "What did you think you were doing?"

I almost fainted. I barely got out, "About what, Miss Knox?"

"You're turning everybody against me."

Shit, she knew, but at least she was still talking instead of sending her goons. My only choice was to play innocent and hope. "Anything I told the children was for their own good. I didn't lie and they don't bother you."

"What about the staff?"

I relaxed a little. She was paranoid but I could deal with that. "Miss Knox, I am not playing office politics. My job is to learn and I'm doing the best I can. You gave me the job of investigating the staff and I found nobody that is more than just pissed off at you once in a while. All I can add to your understanding is that you have been under a lot of strain recently. You need to relax."

"How can I relax? If I did that for even a minute this house of cards would come tumbling down about my ears."

"Your own attitude is feeding the problem. You yell at people more often. You just did this to me. It's normal for people to avoid you until you calm down. The fact is that you haven't calmed down for weeks."

Knox jumped to her feet and stalked around the desk. Her features took on the form of a snarl and she slapped me across the face with a full swing. Dad had done this. I had been too shocked to move. I thought all this from the floor because that was where I was ended up. My face hurt like hell and my adrenaline was running. She could kill me easily if she wanted to.

She didn't come any closer but she started to hurl invectives at me. I just got to my feet by using the desk. I stood unsteadily and she continued. Her hands moved but they didn't come back for a slap again.

It felt like hours later that she kicked me out of her office. She reminded me of Dad a lot now, except he hit harder and hurt me a lot worse.

There were people around but not near. They saw me and then seemed to shy away as if I was carrying the plague. I went to Kelly who was at least a little sympathetic. She treated my face and I saw it was going to be black and blue. She could have broken my neck with that blow.

Kelly didn't ask any questions and just gave me some pills for the pain and looked for any additional damage.

When I was about to leave, she said, "She didn't mean it."

I guess my anger got the better of me and I said, "She did. She's paranoid and sees plots within plots. She's driving people away because she's so worried. She sees people distancing themselves from her and her mind comes to the conclusion that it's a conspiracy against her."

"I don't know what to do, Piper. I don't want anybody hurt.

I tried to think calmly and said, "She needs a trank to calm her down."

"We can all use some of those once in a while."

Later in the day I was called back to Knox' office. I had been beaten before and I could take another if necessary. I was just afraid Knox may not know when to quit and I'd find myself cut up and fed to her ceramic kiln.

I stood in front of the woman and didn't cower. You couldn't show fear in front of this woman. She was like a shark then and went for the blood instinctively.

Knox had her mental shield up again and I had no way of knowing what this was about.

She simply came out and said, "There are two more subjects to add to your menagerie."

"I'll need their files."

"You can access them from your computer."

I could see that she was holding herself in check but she was still angry and worried. I was now interested in staying around and waiting for her to explode. "Is there anything else?"

She was taken back by my own curt manner but recovered and said, "No. The instructions are in the files."

I nodded politely because it was hard to say something polite. I turned and went to the room I kept in the house.

The two were youong women about Tiffany's age. One was nineteen and the other twenty one. I looked at their images. They both had the look of a hard life and I wondered if this was from drug or alcohol abuse. Other possibilities were abusive relationships or prostitution.

There was never any mention to how many had died to get these few but I would find out soon enough.

Amanda was like Tatum had been. She was now drugged. The other woman was Jess. She wasn't quite as bad.

I looked through the text and found that both had been the property of a pimp and had simply been sold to others until Knox had picked up their ownership. How I hated that woman but the world was a harsh place and others were even worse.

Both women had drug dependencies which would complicate what I had to do. A note stated that each of them had no detectable STDs. When I took another look at the photos I knew I would have to wait and get them checked again.

Since the children came I had worked out where any new additions would go. The only suitable place was my gang though inside it was my pack. The two women were older than me and stronger. They would want to do as they wanted or perhaps take over the alpha position. For all of our sakes I could not allow this to happen.