Original Character’s POV
The drive back to the city was quick, I have no idea how fast I was going but I didn’t care. I woke up this morning with the intention of burying Star Child deep during this drive and bringing Cleric as far to the surface as I could stand. I need to be cold and unemotional when I get to BLI. I can fool most everyone I encounter except Korse. I smile to myself. My man Jet was brilliant. His journals included notes on bomb making and other things he picked up along the way with the Killjoys. Now I can make a decent bomb but access to the supplies in the city are guarded. So my backpack beside me was full of normal household items that would fool anyone who goes snooping. I’m going to see Korse, make sure he thinks everything is cool. Then on my way to his place, I’ll set the bombs and kill him when he comes home. Done and done. The boys safe and Korse dead.

I pull up to the building. I hate this place. I walk in like I own the joint. I’m almost to the elevator when someone grabs my arm. I break it in three places and keep walking. I get to my floor and as soon as I step out I see the Dragon Lady. She thinks she’s in charge but Korse is lying to her. He is orchestrating things from BLI and has been for years.
OC I need to see Korse and make a report.
DL Really? Been out in the zones for a while, you’ve forgotten procedure.
I pull my gun and aim at her head.
OC You forget who you’re talking to – I won’t repeat myself. Give me an office and find Korse.
She is visibly shaken but trying to hide it. I’m hoping she gives me a reason to pull the trigger.
DL Follow me.
She leads me to a white room with a desk and computer. I push her out of the room and close the door in her face.

Better Living Industries - Exterminator Report; Report on the incident on Route Guano: death of the Killjoy criminals Jet-Star and Kobra Kid
Exterminator 1031 Cleric Reporting

My mission as assigned from Korse was to locate the Priority 1 criminals, and kill them. I was given explicit instructions to do whatever necessary to locate the four of them and destroy them, Dr. Death Defying, his accomplices and their pirate radio as well.

I'd been out in the zones for some time following leads on the four Priority 1 criminals known as Party Poison, Fun Ghoul, Jet-Star and Kobra Kid. I extrapolated a tip out of a killjoy sympathizer who said two of them would be making a supply run and where I could find them. I arrived at the supply point and laid my trap.

I had studied their profiles, all the information we had gathered. I knew them inside and out; emotional sense offenders, who prided themselves on their willingness to help a stranger, their arrogance of fighting against the Company. I acquired some clothes from previous victims, hid my vehicle, rolled around in the dirt and staged myself a few feet from the building of supplies. My tip rang true and a few hours later Jet-Star and Kobra Kid arrived. They "found" a lost woman passed out from heat exhaustion. After carrying me inside and offering me water. I explained I was a sense offender who ran from my home when Exterminators killed my family. I’d been traveling alone and ran out of supplies and must have collapsed. The offenders 'nursed' me back and offered to help me find others. We stayed overnight and as I prepared to let them take me to Dr. Death Defying and the other 2 criminals, Draculoids attacked. We defended, when the smoke cleared the Dracs were dead and so were Jet-Star and Kobra Kid. I did not find out the coordinates of the other criminals. I will continue to investigate leads in the zones and complete my mission.

I will speak to Korse directly about the Dracs in the zones being more aware of my position and my determination to kill anyone in the way of my mission; this includes them. I blame them for this disastrous incident and the fact that I am back at square one.

I click submit and wait. Five minutes later the door opens and I see Korse in his frilly paisley shirt and tailored long coat he enjoys wearing. You are dead. I smile.
K Cleric! My dear, it’s been too long. I hope you are well.
He hugs me tightly and I fight back the urge to vomit on him.
OC Korse we have a problem.
K What is it my dear? Have you filed your report?
OC Of course I filed it. Those incompetent Dracs in the zones don’t know what the fuck is going on. They completely fucked up my mission.
K My dear, you are so excited. Sit down and tell me what happened.
OC I’m excited because 2 out of 4 are dead. TWO KORSE!
K Two Killjoys? You killed 2 of them? Which ones?
OC Oh Fuck just read the report.
K You definitely seem more short-tempered by this trip to the zones. Are you sure you are alright?
OC No I’m back at square one. Party Poison and Fun Ghoul and gone, ghosts, I have nothing leading to them.
K My dear, you’ve done wonderfully! I want to read your report and we can discuss the details more over dinner at home tonight. Why don’t you head home and have a long bath, I know you must have missed such luxuries.
OC I’d like to kill every incompetent Drac in the building.
K Yes, but then we’d have none.
He laughs thinking I’m joking.
K Go on home now, I’ll see you soon.
He hugs me tightly and I flinch.
OC Okay, I do have a few things I want to do before tonight. I’ll see you at home?
K Yes my dear, I’ll be there soon. I want to make sure your report gets noticed by all the right people.
He leaves the room and I pull open a drawer and throw up breakfast. Maybe I’ll swing by the med center on my way to the tablet factory. On my way out Dragon Lady tries to start with me, taunting me.
DL Only two Killjoys Cleric? I hope you aren’t losing your touch.
I break her nose. As she crumples to the floor I laugh and realize I’m behaving just like Korse. He should love this.
OC Don’t speak to me again or I’ll kill you. Slowly.
She scoots away from me till her back hits the wall.
DL You are crazy, just like him.
I lean in meeting her at eye level.
OC That’s right, I’m his creation. Maybe I’ll kill you anyway. You know, just for fun.
DL Monster
She whispers thinking I didn’t hear. I jump in my car and head further into the city. I walk into a med center and flash my badge to a nameless clerk.
OC I need a room.
Clerk What is the matter?
OC Its official business, I need a terminal and a room. Any other questions can be answered by my laser beams, got it?
She nods and stands. I follow her to a room. As she motions for me to step inside I see her badge.
OC So you are in training for S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W.?
Clerk Yes, I’m going to be a med tech for our forces in the zones. Someone needs to care for the Dracs and Exterminators out fighting for our cause.
OC What about the people in the zones, who fights for them?
Clerk The zones need to be cleansed, they aren’t people they are vermin.
OC And what are Dracs? They have no identity of self.
Clerk Oh but they can still get hurt and need medical attention.
OC Uh huh. Well good luck with your training.
Clerk Thank you Ma’am.

She closes the door and I decide then to kill her on my way out. I may have lost my mind. How would one know that? I step to the terminal and open the door. I step inside and press the button. A wave of nausea washes over me and the machine hums and clicks. When the door opens I step out and walk to the monitor. It’s just some sort of guilt related nausea; nothing to show up on the scan. The cursor flashes and the scan processes, this is taking too long and with a final beep it flashes a paragraph in front of me and my jaw drops.
Patient is in good health. Pregnancy is within normal standards. Baby is developing at normal rates. Mother should eat more, and more often to avoid nausea. Birth is 34 weeks away.
Pregnant? That’s unexpected. I immediately print the report and wipe the memory of the terminal. As I walk out the doors leading back to the foyer the clerk sees me.
Clerk Was everything okay? Cleric?
How’d she know I’m Cleric? I showed my BLI badge not my ID. I turn and shoot her in the head, she drops silently. I look around the room and see the expressionless faces of the zombies this city calls people. No one will remember anything or even report it. The Dracs will find her when they make their evening sweep of the building. I get in the car and drive. My plan and mission gone from my mind. All I can think about are the words Baby is developing at normal rates. Baby. Jet’s baby. Baby.

I walk into Korse’s house and it hasn’t changed. I walk into my room and see what little is mine. I have nothing here. Everything here was given to me by Korse. Korse! Oh my God, Korse will be here soon. If I go through with this plan now, I could endanger Jet’s baby. Jet’s baby. Baby. Oh Lord what have I gotten myself into? How do I fix this? Suddenly the front door opens and I hear Korse down the hall.
K Cleric my dear, are you here? I’ve brought dinner.
OC Yes, I’m in my room.
K Come! Let’s eat in the dining room. I’m eager to hear your story.
I numbly walk towards the dining room and sit down at the table. He places the plate of food in front of me and I realize I’m starving.
OC Thank you this looks great.
K I knew you’d be hungry you always are when you return home.
We eat in silence. I’m not afraid of killing Korse but if I do it now and get killed then I’m killing the last piece of Jet too. I can’t have the baby here and I can’t stay in the city. The tablets make you sterile and babies are created by in labs with invetro fertilization. There is no way to sell a story of me being pregnant to Korse; nothing I say will make him buy it. If I kill him and hide in the city and have the baby; I’ll be found out when I give birth. The baby will be DNA tested and they will know the father isn’t registered in the city system. I’ll be killed and so will the baby.
K Cleric, dear you are awfully quiet. Given your adventure and success I’d expect you to be livelier. Is something wrong?
OC What? Oh of course not. I’m trying to determine the best way to find the other two. Trying to see if I missed something that will lead me to them.
K Ah, of course. Ever my little focused darling killer; never leaving a witness behind; tell me did you kill all the Dracs yourself? Did they get a shot off?
I just want to think about how to have Jet’s baby in peace and how I can blow up the factory. Motherfucker! I forgot to go by the factory. I drop my fork on my plate.
K Darling? Are you sure you are alright? You are starting to worry me.
OC I’m sorry Korse, I have been truly disturbed with how my mission went. I was so close to fulfilling yo- I mean our dream of destroying them. I just want to you to be proud of me, Sir.
Asshole, that should placate his ego for a few minutes. He places his hand on mine at the table.
K I am always proud of you my dear. No one expected this to actually work but I knew you were the one for the job. No one else could find that scum but you did. No one else could have killed them but you did.
OC Technically the Dracs killed them. I was trying to keep them alive.
K Tsk – a minor detail. That’s what undercover work is about. You did kill the Dracs then?
OC Yes a few. The Killjoys were good shots; they did get a few of them. I was so –
I stop myself before I said I was angry.
K so what?
OC in character that I couldn’t miss. And it was their fault for surprising us.
K Yes, well no matter. What’s the life of a few Dracs? We’ll make more.
OC I think I’ll head back out early tomorrow. Maybe retrace my steps, see if I can find something.
K Whatever you feel is best, my dear. But I miss you when you are gone and I’d like you to spend the evening with me.
Translation – you WILL do this if you want to leave. How could I have been so blind this lecherous jerk before Jet? I can’t bring myself to reply with what he wants to hear so I just smile and nod...

After we eat, I grab a quick shower before having to join Korse for our evening together. UGH. I find him in the study with the chessboard set up. Korse’s idea of a night together, playing chess and talking about the Killjoys; I may throw up again just from the company.
K you look wonderful my dear, come. I’ll let you have first move.
OC you always do that and still manage to kick my butt.
He laughs.
K You have improved greatly since you were young. I’m only trying to continue your education dearest.
OC Okay, let’s do this.
I make my first move and the game begins. I’m trying to stay focused on the game but my mind keeps drifting to Jet and how to complete my mission.
K Are you running a King’s Gambit against me my dear?
OC I don’t know what you are talking about.
K Sure. Okay well tell me about the Killjoys – the two you killed. What were they like, how did they treat you?
OC Um well they were kind and helpful. They weren’t mean to me if that’s what you mean.
Korse keeps asking questions and I keep answering with vague answers. According to my report I hadn’t spent that much time with them so it was easy to say I don’t know.
OC Checkmate.
K Well, look at that. You have me my dear, I concede. Look how you have improved two Killjoys dead and beating me at chess for the first time. I am so proud.
OC I didn’t kill them Korse.
Korse just waves off my comment.
K No matter.
OC I’d like to retire now. It’s been a long day and I want to get an early start tomorrow.
He stands and walks me to the living room door. He hugs me and I stiffen in his arms.
K yes my dear, sleep well and be safe. I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t return to me safely.
I nod my head and go to my room. Once inside I lock the door and change into some sleepwear and climb in the bed. I stare at the ceiling and think of Jet. Would the baby have his eyes? His curly hair? How will it be to see Jet in the baby on a daily basis? I roll over and cry into my pillow.
OC I miss you Jet.
I cry until I fall asleep.

The next morning I’m up and out before Korse is awake. It came to me in a dream or the haze that the sleepless night brought. I would go to the central office and steal all information of having a baby I can find and then I’ll go home to Poison and Ghoul. But first a few surprises for Korse.

Notes

About 5 more chapters till the end; please feel free to comment and I hope you are enjoying my story. Thank you for reading.