The Importance of Family

Not Long Ago – 

     Sam Catchem turned as Dick Tracy entered the squad room.
    “Tracy! Welcome back! How was the flight?”
    “Not great.” Tracy grumbled. “I’m still a little jet-lagged. Those international flights can really do a number on a body.”
    “Well, with any luck, it’ll be a while before something complicated comes our way.” Sam said.
    “I hope so. Right now, I just want to take care of some simple paperwork.” Tracy settled into his chair. “I never thought I’d be so happy to be behind a desk...”
    “Don’t get too comfortable.” Sam dropped some files in front of Tracy. “I decided to get a jump on it for you. Most of it’s filled out already, you just need to fill in a few details and sign at the bottom.”
    “Thanks, Sam.” Tracy rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You know, I wish it hadn’t ended this way, but it will be nice to finally close the book on Pruneface once and for all.”
     “And Prunella.” Sam added.
    “Yeah. Such a waste…” Tracy took a heavy breath, and then opened the folder.
    “That reminds, though.” Sam said. “When I was going through the records on some of those old cases, I found something that didn’t match up.”
    “Yes, I know. It’s supposed to be ‘Pruneface’ – one word, but it sometimes get spelled as two.” Tracy explained. “Or it’s hyphenated.”
    “No, it’s not that. It’s about Prunella.”
    Tracy looked up. “Oh?”
    “Yeah.” Sam went on. “You remember when we first encountered her? During that mess with Quiver and Angeltop at the power plant?”
    “Yes. She’d been a success in the computer business before that. No hint of criminal inclinations. Why?”
    “Well, we were pretty sure that she was supposed to be Pruneface’s grand-daughter, right?” Sam turned a few pages in the file on Tracy’s desk. “But, later, you can see she keeps getting identified as his daughter. So, which is it?”
    “That is strange.”  Tracy rubbed his chin. “And now that they’re both dead, we might never know the truth.”


Long Ago –

    Dr. Kryos Freezedrei ushered his guest into the laboratory. The young scientist was full of energy, and clearly eager to please. The other man remained aloof.
    “You’ll have to forgive me, Herr Pruneface,” Freezedrei said. “I’m very excited. I’ve made excellent progress, and I’m certain that I’m ready for a human trial.”
    “Very good, Freezedrei.” Pruneface smiled, smugly. “I was right to pluck you out of the academy and bring you here. You wouldn’t have had access to resources like this back in the old country.”
    “No, no, I would not have,” Said Freezedrei. “I owe you a great deal. I’m sure my success in this matter will please you.”
    “Indeed. Now, by all means, tell me exactly what you’ve accomplished here.”
    Freezedrei stopped in front of a large metal cylinder. In spite of the chill in the room, sweat gleamed on his high forehead, which he wiped with a kerchief.
    “I am quite certain that I have perfected the science of suspended animation, using cryogenic freezing techniques. With this vessel, and others like it, we’ll be able to create a vast network of ‘sleeper’ agents, ready to be revived whenever necessary. They’ll be as young and vital as they were when they were frozen, untouched by the ravages of time.” Freezedrei beamed with pleasure.
    “I see. And how many of these devices have you built so far?” Pruneface asked.
    “Just the one - so far!” Freezedrei quickly added. “I’ve had several successful animal tests, and once I’ve confirmed that the process works on human tissue, I can commence construction on a grander scale.”
    “So, why the delay?” Pruneface scowled.
    “I… I need a human test subject. I thought, perhaps, you could go out and acquire some vagrant. Or perhaps a volunteer from your current group of operatives?”
    “All of my men are performing vital functions.” Pruneface’s voice was clipped and dismissive. “And even a vagrant could attract unwanted attention, if they had family or debtors or somesuch thing.”
    Pruneface paused and thought.
    “I have it,” He said. “You’ll use the girl.”
    Freezedrei was confused. “Girl? What girl, sir?”
    “My daughter.”
    Freezedrei gasped. “Herr Pruneface! I couldn’t! She… She’s still a baby! Not even a year old.”
    “I know how old my daughter is, Freezedrei. She’s the most… Acceptable candidate. I’ll bring her here tomorrow. Be sure your device is ready.”
    “But, sir!” Freezedrei protested. “She can’t possibly be strong enough! The process is designed for adults, not small children. She’ll never survive! And any data collected would be practically useless!”
    Pruneface breathed heavily. Freezedrei had seen him angry in the past, and he began to wonder if he should not have contradicted his employer.
    “Freezedrei-” Pruneface’s tone was menacingly measured. “- You are not much younger than I am. How can it be that you are still so naïve? You’ve seen my daughter’s face. What kind of life can she have? Her brother, at least, will be a man. A face like his can inspire fear and respect, but little Prunella is doomed to nothing but loneliness and misery. If she lives or dies as a part of your experiment, it will be in the service of our grand cause.”
    Pruneface fixed Freezedrei with a cold stare. Freezedrei knew that any further argument would be seen as weakness and met with violent retribution.
    “As you say, Herr Pruneface.” Freezedrei looked away, focusing on his machine. “I’ll have everything ready tomorrow.”
    “Good. We are embarking on a grand venture, Freezedrei. Our family’s names will be marked in history for this.”
    Freezedrei was certain that it was true.


Some Time Later –

    Freezedrei kicked the door open, burdened by his heavy load.
    “Hold your end up, you mongrel!” He yelled at his associate. “Why should I bother to break you out of jail if you can’t even do some simple heavy lifting?”
    Togo said nothing, but hefted his end of the load.
    Freezedrei was breathing heavily. The last twenty-four had been hectic, but things had seemingly gone according to plan. He had never expected to engage in so much field work, but found the operation to be strangely exhilarating.
    Abducting Pruneface’s “body” had required quick thinking on his part. Luckily, he had had access to Pruneface’s network of agents, which had proven useful. One of them had created a distraction at police headquarters, which had allowed him to free Togo from jail at the same time that he planted the false reports that Pruneface had died in the hospital. The scheme was a model of German efficiency. The two men had then sped to the hospital and removed Pruneface to safety, replacing him with a double whose face Freezedrei had altered.
    “A vagrant could attract unwanted attention.” Pruneface had once told him, but Freezedrei was certain that his employer would not disapprove under these circumstances.
    Freezedrei and Togo hefted the body onto the operating table and threw off the blanket. Freezedrei was impressed by how skillfully Pruneface had been treated by the American doctors. In the old country, a known killer like this would most likely have been left to die without treatment. Foolish sentimentality, Freezedrei thought.
    “Watch the door while I prepare the chamber.” Freezedrei instructed Togo. The smaller man did as he was told.  Freezedrei was pleased that he seemed to know his place.
    Freezedrei approached the empty freezing tube, which sat between an incomplete one and one that was currently in use. He ran his hand down the occupied vessel, briefly marveling at the miracle of science inside. Soon, father and daughter would sit in suspended animation next to each other. And, if necessary, they would be joined by others. Many others, or possibly just a select few.
    It would be a shame that Ana and the boy could not know the truth. Freezedrei was saddened to think that Mrs. Pruneface would have to believe that her beloved husband was dead. She had already known so much suffering in her life. But it could not be helped. No one could know that the great Pruneface was alive and waiting. No one, Freezedrei realized, including Togo…


Later – 

    “You’re a fool, Freezedrei!” Frieda spat at him. “A blind fool! You spend all of your time in this stinking lab, and don’t have the faintest idea of how the world works!”
    Freezedrei rubbed his forehead. His hair had been falling out with greater frequency, and what remained was quickly turning grey. He occasionally wondered if he should turn his attention to fixing that problem. He could easily make a fortune and retire to some tropical climate. After all, he had plenty of friends in South America. 
    But he was always reminded of the cause, his great mission, his purpose. In this case, he was being reminded quite loudly by his associate Frieda Smith.
    “There was no way to anticipate this.” Freezedrei protested, weakly.
    “No way? Idiot! You should never have let the boy go to that orphanage! You doomed him by your own inaction!”
    Freezedrei knew that it was true. After the death of Mrs. Pruneface, their infant son had been sent to an orphanage. He was raised alongside other American children, many of whose parents had been killed in the war. The boy grew up believing the ridiculous stories he’d heard about honor and duty and sacrifice, so he had joined the Army as soon as he was old enough.
    Now, Frieda’s intelligence had confirmed that the boy had been killed in action in Korea.
    “What should I have done, Frieda? Raised him here? By myself? What about my work? The chambers require constant monitoring and updates.” Freezedrei suspected that this would not placate her.
    “I could have done it.” Frieda protested. “I have no other family. It would have been an honor to raise the only child of Pruneface. I could have saved him! I could have steered him in the right direction, and made him an ally for the cause.”
    Freezedrei looked as Frieda, turning over the idea in his head. Finally, he was resolved.
    “He was not the only child of Pruneface.” Freezedrei said. Frieda gasped.
    Freezedrei stood and approached the freezing chambers. He gestured to Frieda that she should join him. He set to work on one, adjusting the various controls and watching carefully as the temperature inside began to climb.
    “They were twins, you see.” Freezedrei explained. “Pruneface was willing to risk one of them, in the hopes of furthering our goals. It was… Noble of him.”
    Freezedrei paused; the chamber would soon be ready to open.
    “If you’re certain that you want this responsibility, Frieda Smith, then I can give you the opportunity to raise the surviving child of Pruneface. She may well be the only hope for civilization.”
    “She? It’s a girl?” Frieda was trembling with excitement.
    “Prunella.” Freezedrei thought for a moment, considering the import of what they were doing. “She can’t know the truth, though. If she’s told that he father gave her up to the freezing process, she may turn against him. We can’t afford to lose her, Frieda. You must raise her to be loyal. And productive. And above all else, she must be dedicated to preserving her great family’s lineage.”
    The chamber hissed with escaping gas. Freezedrei coughed, and then turned the handle on the chamber door. Reaching through the mist, he extracted the child and presented her to Frieda. Frieda beamed.
    “She’s beauti- Oh.” Frieda’s face fell.
    “Yes. Yes, I know.” Freezedrei replied.


Later –
 
    “Prunella! How wonderful to see you!” Freezedrei hugged the young woman, who stiffened with discomfort.
    “Hello, Uncle Kryos.” Prunella did not push him away, but waited until Freezedrei withdrew, not wanting to hurt her benefactor’s feelings.
    “How is your research going? I understand you’ve made some remarkable advances.” Freezedrei ushered her into the lab, slightly embarrassed at the disarray.
    “Yes, it’s very stimulating.” Prunella answered. “There’s a lot being done with computers and digital data storage these days. Of course, a lot of it just going towards games and music and other nonsense to distract the masses, but that can be useful in its way.”
    “Yes, yes, I see.” Freezedrei was briefly at a loss. He rarely had visitors. “Would you like some coffee? Or tea, perhaps?”
    “No, I’m fine.” Prunella declined, bluntly. “Tell me-”
    “How is Frieda? I rarely hear from her anymore.” Freezedrei asked.
    “Mother is fine. I haven’t spoken to her much since I finished school, but I’m sure she would let me know if something was wrong.”
    Freezedrei felt foolish. He often forgot the details of the lie that he and Frieda had constructed, despite their attempts to keep it simple. Prunella had grown up thinking that Frieda was her mother, and that her father had been killed in Korea, foolishly trying to protect the decadent American lifestyle. Freezedrei was her Uncle Kryos, who guided her interests to the sciences and financed her education. Above all, she had been raised to revere the memory of her “grandfather”, who was waiting to be revived when the world needed him most.
    Freezedrei had been pleased that the girl was so smart. She had skipped several grades and finished college at a young age, mostly likely helped by not having the distraction of romantic entanglements. He approved of her interest in the computer sciences, and was certain that it would aid the cause. He was slightly put off by her lack of personal warmth, though.
    “Very good.” Freezedrei realized that Prunella was not interested in pleasantries. “Now, I understand you have some schematics for me.”
    “Yes,” Prunella reached into her bag and drew out several sheets of draft paper.  “I don’t expect that you’ll understand these circuit diagrams, but I’m certain that I can computerize your chambers’ monitoring and regulatory systems. They’ll be self-diagnostic and remotely-controlled.”
    “I see.” Freezedrei was wary.
    “Once I examine the chambers’ current mechanical interface, I’ll know for sure whether it will necessary to shut them down for a brief interval while the changeover is made, though I doubt that will be necessary.”
    “I certainly hope so.” Freezedrei said. “Please, take all the time you need.”
    “I won’t need much. It’s the same design on all of them?” Prunella approached the bank of freezing tubes.
    “Yes, yes. No differences.” Freezedrei assured her.
    “Hmm. What delightful uniformity…” Prunella approached the oldest, most familiar tube and ran her hand over the glass. She had done this many times during her life, and Freezedrei had never seen her show such tenderness under any other circumstances. “Hello, Grandfather. I’ve missed you. I’m being good, like I know you want. And soon, I’ll be protecting you, also. Until the time comes when we can be together.”
    Freezedrei paused, then spoke. “He’ll be proud of you, you know.”
    “I know that.” Prunella’s tone was dismissive, as if she resented Freezedrei’s intrusion on her reverie. She turned her attention to the control panel.
    A few minutes later, Prunella was ready to go. She packed up her things and addressed Freezedrei.
    “Before I go, Uncle Kryos, there was something I wanted to discuss.”
    “Yes, what’s that?” Freezedrei asked.
    “I’ve decided to have a baby.” Prunella said, brusquely.
    “You – What?” Freezedrei was stunned. “When? Are you-”
    “No, I’m not pregnant now.” She said, as if it was obvious. “You and Mother have always impressed upon me the importance of family. And I’ve come to accept that Grandfather may not be unfrozen during my own lifetime. When he is, I want him to have some family of his own. He shouldn’t be alone in the world.”
    “That’s…” Freezedrei searched for the word. “…Sweet?”
    Prunella rolled her eyes. “Of course, I don’t have access to the… Appropriate genetic material. But, I thought that you might be able to help me in that regard.”
    Freezedrei was puzzled for a moment. Then, the implication of her statement struck him. “Oh! Oh, yes, I have access to quite a few appropriate specimens. Fine examples of good Aryan stock.”
    “Good.” Prunella slung her bag over her shoulder. “Can you have it ready for me in a week? My physician is prepared to assist me whenever I tell him to.”
    “Yes, yes, that’s not a problem. I’m certain you’ll be pleased with the specimen. I could even provide you with several options, if you’d like.”
    “I don’t want to spend a lot of time in choosing, Uncle Kryos.” Prunella forced a smile. “I’m sure I can trust you. I’ll see you next week.”
    Prunella strode purposefully out of the lab, leaving Freezedrei in her wake.
    Yes, you’ll be very pleased, Prunella. He thought. Especially since it’s possible to withdraw a ‘specimen’ from a man in suspended animation without reviving him…




Later – 

    Prunella looked up from her computer when she heard the knock at the door. She rarely had visitors, especially not at this late hour. She opened her desk drawer and drew out her pistol, then approached the door.
    “Who is it?” She demanded.
    “It’s- It’s Uncle Kryos!” came the voice from outside.
    Prunella dropped her gun in shock. She flung the door open and grabbed the ragged man by his shirt, throttling him.
    “You son of a bitch!” yelled Prunella. “Where is he? If he’s dead, I’ll-”
    Prunella realized that she was no longer holding her gun and looked around frantically for it.
    “Prunella, calm down!” urged Freezedrei. “Let go of me! I can explain!”
    “I should kill you! You ruined everything!” Prunella kept her grip on him, nearly spitting with rage.
    “Just listen to me!” Freezedrei pleaded. “Pruneface is alive! He is! And I can bring him to you!”
    Prunella’s grip loosened and her breathing slowed. She released the older man and pulled him inside. She closed and bolted the door, then snatched up her gun.
    “How did you even find me? I’m here under an assumed name.” Prunella demanded.
    “We still have many friends in the organization.” Freezedrei explained. “Your family is of particular interest. That’s how we arranged to free you from prison after your misadventure at Diet Smith’s power plant.”
    “That doesn’t make up for your failure.” Prunella sneered. “All the reports said that you were killed when your lab exploded. And Pruneface hasn’t been seen or heard from since!”
    “As I said, he is alive. He was captured by Mossad agents.”
    Prunella gasped. “Where is he now?” she demanded.
    “He’s safe. He escaped. He is still a very resourceful man. He managed to contact some of our allies through sleeper agents in the old country. We’re trying to smuggle him back - through Asia seems like the most feasible route - but we need money.”
    “I have money.” Prunella said. “I set up several secret accounts under different identities before I was arrested.”
    “I knew I could count on you.” Freezedrei smiled.
    “I didn’t do it for you!” Prunella shouted. “I’m still not convinced that I shouldn’t kill you!”
    “Please, please.” Freezedrei held up his hands. “What good would it do? I’m an old man. Besides, I have much to tell you.”
    A floorboard creaked and Freezedrei turned. A young girl stood at the landing at the top of the stairs.
    “Mother? Are you all right? I heard you shouting.” The girl said, then yawned.
    “Go back to bed, Hilda.” Prunella said, coldly.
    “Yes, mother.” Hilda retreated quietly back to her room.
    “Your daughter…” Freezedrei watched as the door to the girl’s room closed.
    “She’s a constant disappointment.” Prunella sighed, making her way to a chair. “All she cares about is art, and dancing, and making her face up like a whore to try to be ‘pretty’. As if it would do her any good…”
    Freezedrei was taken aback by Prunella’s harshness. She continued.
    “Still, she has the family bloodline. Perhaps when we recover Grandfather, he can be a guiding influence to her.”
    “I’m sure that will please him. But, regarding the term “Grandfather”… There are some things that you should know…” Freezedrei made himself comfortable. It was going to be a long night.

END