"Take the Breeder to a different room," Simmens ordered, "and get that medic."

Layla was pulled in a difficult direction as Venus is taken down a dim corridor.  The sound of the souls of their shoes hitting the concrete floor,  echoed off the metal walls, giving the building a harsher and colder feeling.

They took Venus to a small room,  that could have been considered a closet if it wasn't for the examining table sitting in the middle.

"Get on the table," Simmens ordered, but Venus didn't move.  Instead, she gave him a cold stair.  He had Peter and his gang of runaways to thank for that.  Venus was tired of taking orders, and what could they do to her?  Mars and her babies are safely hidden away.  The only thing they had over her was Cas, and Venus wasn't convinced that they were actually going to kill her.   If they wanted Cas dead the wouldn't have faked the execution.  They would have done it.

Simmens' jaw clenches as he walks up to her and firmly grabs her arm just above her elbow.  His fingers dig into her arm, but she refused to show that she was in pain.

"I said, get on the damn table!" He growled and shoved her in the direction he wanted her to go.

Venus was about to tell him to get his hand off her when the squeal of the door catches their attention.

Venus froze as a ghost walk in, surrounded by guards.  She couldn't believe her eyes as she took in the small fizzy haired woman. 

"Pepa?" Venus quietly whispered, with a gasp.

Papa's head was dropped until she heard Venus's voice.  He lifted her bruised and beaten face toward the Breeder and gave her a pain-filled smile.

In Venus's shock, Simmens easily guided her into the table, "I want her examined.  She says that the children she was carrying miscarried.   I was to know if they did."

Papa's face scrunched up,  "And exactly how am I supposed to do that?  It's not like there's a date imprinted on her uterus,  you know."

Simmens' lips stretched out thin over his teeth in a snarl, "If she had the babies recently,  wouldn't you be able to tell?"

"Depends on how recent," she told him, "and I doubt Venus had hers recent enough to tell."

Venus did know if Pepa was lying for her or not, but she was relieved that Pepa wasn't willing to help them out.  Despite her obvious abuse."

"Fine," Simmens snarled, "then examine her to see if she's in good health?"

Pepa quickly looked at Venus, before turning her attention back to Simmens, "She seems as healthy as the others."

"I'm not planning on breeding the others," he said with a malicious grin.

"Breeding!" Pepa exclaims, "you can't be serious.   Why on earth would you want to breed her?  And with who?"

"Don't worry about the why and we'll deal with the who later.  I want to know if she's ready."

Venus's heart started to chest became tight as she listened to him.  It had been a year since she was in a breeding tank, and she was finally starting to believe she would never have to see the inside of one again. 

Simmens stood in the corner of the room with his arms folded over his chest.

Pepa glared at him, "I'm not going to exam her with you standing in the room.  She's not some kind of animal.  She deserves as much privacy as you do."

Before, in The Cube, she would have been fired for a comment like that.  You didn't humanize the breeders.  It would have made the process that the breeders had to go through more unpalatable to the norms.

"The last time the two of you were left alone I lost the biggest investment of my life.  I'm not about to let that happen again,"  Simmens says as he walks toward the door.  He sticks his head out into the hall and orders a guard to come into the room. 

A younger woman in full gear stepped in, "Watch them," Simmens demands before stepping out of the room.

Pepa gives an aggravated sigh, hoping but knowing it was pointless, that she could save Venus from another pregnancy.

Venus eyed the guard, who must not trust the breeder because she had her gun locked on her, and climbed onto the table, "Where are the others?"

She was hoping that Pepa had seen the captured group.  Maybe even attended to some of them, since she was a medic.  She doubted they went willingly into captivity, and a few may have gotten hurt.

Pepa nervously looks to the guard as she examins Venus, "They're all held up in some sort of gymnasium here."

Venus took a nervous breath and tears filled her eye, "I'm sorry, Pepa, I'm sorry we left you behind."

Pepa vigorously shook her head, "Don't blame yourself, V.  It's not your fault or anyone else's, okay?  Peter's been kicking himself for the same thing since he got here, and it's neither of your's fault.  You did the right thing by leaving me behind."

Venus perked up, "Peter?! Did you see him?  Is he alright?"

A small smile crept onto Pepa's face, "Peter's fine.  he's not going to be too happy about seeing you here, but he's fine."

*******************

Simmens stomped down the all toward an office crowded with equipment.  Danielson was pouring himself over blood samples that he had taken earlier from the captured MBs.

"So?" Simmens gruffly asked.

Danielson looked up at him like a timid abused dog, "We aren't going to get the other half of the DNA from anyone in that group.  I created Mars to be the perfect pair for Venus."

"If you would have kept a sample of his DNA on hand we wouldn't have to be looking for something else! Or better yet, if I had my FUCKING BREEDERS IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Simmens barked.

"You didn't want anyone stealing the formula.  I didn't want to leave any copies around for someone to find.  d to destroy all the info on the project because one of your colleages started poking their nose around in my labs.  Someone must have caught wind of your little program."

"If it leaked I know exactly where the source was, Danielson, and I have no problem cutting that source off," he got dangerously close to  Danielson and growled, "I can find a hundred other genetic scientist that can splice DNA for me.  Don't get a big enough head to think I won't remove it from your shoulders."

Danielson gulped and returned his eyes to his work, "I'm not going to find a perfect match."

"Then get me something that's close enough, for now."