"Germination"

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***"Germination"*** is the sixth episode of KOllOK 1991.

## Plot

8AM. Thursday, March 7th, 1991. Jayna Grace stares through the wooden slat blinds of her window, wondering why she hasn't cleaned up the mess some man (Brian Thomas) made when he knocked over the trash can. She must have missed her shift at the comic book store. She hasn't left the house for a week. A cat brushes against her legs and she thinks "they are hungry." 87 cats stand perfectly still, staring out the slats with her. They turn, synchronized, with her movements. Jayna goes to the kitchen and prepare the morning meals for the cats.

Th sound of the restless strays startles Jayna. Jayna grabs come milk jugs and heads downstairs into the basement, where 12 cages line the floor. Inside are the wild cats. She removes the two padlocks on the basement door, wondering why she put them there in the first place. She misses "him". She remembers she put the locks there for "him".

Jayna feels drawn to the nearest stray. She hear something like a whisper telling her to follow its voice. Jayna attempts to resist the gaze of the new cat, but it is difficult. She's drawn closer to the cage. The stray tells her to not be alarmed. The cat says it knows that Jayna loves animals, and for the hurt ones even more. Jayna says that she cares for the stray, which she refers to as Debbie Gibson. The cat tells her that it is growing tired and that it is using all of its energy to speak to her. The cat says it needs her help, and that it is not safe here. It knows that she cannot free it; the others will not allow it. The cat asks Jayna to find a boy named Billy Baker and tell him how many cats she has. It says that the others will silence it like it did the other strays. It says to tell Billy that Bucket sent her, which confuses Jayna because she named it Bubbles (and Debbie Gibson).

Jayna remembers who Billy is -- he stole a Swamp Thing one time -- and realizes that he is in school. As Jayna walks back upstairs, a river of cats descend into the basement. Jayna grabs the keys for her pink Vespa. Her late husband, sitting in the recliner, asks her where she is going. He says it isn't time for her to leave. That it's not Tuesday, and she shouldn't be able to leave. Jayna looks down to realize that the keys are now out of her hands and on the nightstand. She is able to regain some control, and grabs the keys and runs out the door. She hears yelling from inside the house.

"If you make us mad, whatever happens next is on you. You did this! You did this!"

We turn to Skye. who hasn't slept. She has gone through all the papers from Agent Bucket's car. She's found that there's been 85 counts of missing cats. A man named Gerald Grace threw himself into a wood chipper. An infestation killed 86% of the crops at the winery. She also notes that they got her Jeep out of the library by taking the library doors off first.

The group, the Kollok Radar, decided earlier to meet at lunch. However, before they meet the intercom calls Billy to the office, saying that he has a visitor. Tibby decides to go with him as an escort. They meet Jayna at the office, her dark clothes covered in animal fur. Tibby comments that she smells like urine, although more scientifically. Jayna asserts that she does not need Tibby in the conversation, and only needs to talk to Billy. They bicker back and fort, and Jayna suddenly drops the word "bucket" in the middle of the conversation. Tibby decides to leave, and Tibby takes on of the walkie-talkies with him.

Jayna remembers her husband tying her down and feeding her dirt, telling her that it's sweet. Billy breaks the memory by asking if she knows Bucket,

The scene cuts to the rest of the Kollok Radar, and Sammy, at lunch. Skye fills up on sugar because she hasn't slept for 24 hours. Skye begins to let everyone know what she found out from the papers, but starts to drift off. She demands a Yoo-Hoo from Marcus, which he hands over. Skye sprays the drink over her face to wake herself up. Sammy excuses himself from the table as Tibby sits down. Tibby lets them know that Billy is talking to some smelly woman out front and that she mentioned the name Bucket. Skye, Mickey and Marcus promptly leave to find Billy.

As they head to the front of the school, Jayna helps Billy with his self-esteem issues. Jayna also tells him that Debbie Gibson needs help. They decide that Jayna will sign Billy out of school and they will head to her house. Billy contacts Tibby on the walkie-talkie, and Tibby lets him know that the others are heading to him. Tibby asks if he can go too. Billy says yes, but Jayna is against it. The rest of the group arrives, automatically assuming Jayna is a bad person and that she has stolen the cats. Jayna explains the situation better, and when they hear Agent Bucket is involved they calm down.

The receptionist at the front desk asks what Jayna is doing with the children. Jayna explains that she is taking the kids to do some volunteer work with some homeless children. She says that they volunteered to put together some backpacks to help them on their way. Jayna manages to charm the receptionist, and she signs the kids out (as Fran Sinatra) and they leave.

Billy and Jayna leave on Jayna's Vespa, while the rest get in Skye's Jeep. Tibby, much to his chagrin, is told to stay behind. Skye gets sick and is unable to drive, forcing Marcus to drive instead. They travel a mile, when they see a man carrying a bag of Cheetos. They recognize him as Roger, the man that has been feeding the squirrels and Sketchy told Marcus to deal with. Marcus stops the car to address him. The man waves and walks to the car. A rambling conversation begins, where they try to convince Roger to stop feeding the squirrels junk food and let him know they can talk to squirrels as well. As they continue on their way, nothing is resolved.

At the same time, Jayna and Billy are stopped by Officer Warstone. He reprimands them for not wearing helmets. He asks for her license and registration, which she provides. The officer informs her that both documents have expired. The officer seems suspicious of Billy being out of school. Jayna uses the same excuse as before, and the officer asks where the homeless people are so he can check on them. Jayna gives him a location, and they head on their way.

They all pull up to Jayna's house. As they walk up to the front door, they notice the door is wide open. A single cat sits in the doorway. As they get closer, they see more cats, all staring. Jayne sees her late husband in the chair, motioning for her to come in. They all venture inside. Instead of being in a room, they find themselves in a dark woods. Billy uses his power to see if there's any danger, but triggers an unexpected reaction.

Jayna, and the Kollok Radar, suddenly find themselves separated. Skye sees tails bouncing, playfully bouncing. She notices a woman with her back to her. Skye recognizes her as Rachel, but only through presence. When she turns, Skye sees an empty face because she has no memory of Rachel. They talk about Rachel's disappearance. Rachel says that Skye is the only one that can help her, and that's why she signed her name to the agreement. Skye asks if this is real, and Rachel says probably not. Skye tries to hug her, but Rachel dissipates in a cloud.

Marcus sees his sister, Laura. She disappeared when his family lived in Los Angeles. Afterwards, his family moved to Kollok. She has been missing for 12 years. Marcus asks where she's been, but instead Laura tells him that he and his parents need to let her go. She says that she's most likely dead and he has to let go. Marcus says that he can't. She was his only friend, and without her he feels like he's walking alone. She says that their parents are trying to fix her, find her. She tells him to stop them. That it's not worth it. Laura also dissipates when Marcus tries to touch her.

The dark entity answers Billy. Billy says he was going to ask if they were in danger. The entity says that they are surrounded by a house of pure evil. Everything in the house is evil, whether it wants to be or not. Especially the cats. The entity says that Billy embarrasses him, and that this is beneath him and his capabilities. It says that these are mere animals feeding off the dark energy and that he can leave any time he chooses too. It says all that he has to do is let the dark entity take control. Billy asks if he can trust it. No, he cannot. The entity says that it is just Billy.

Mickey hears the sound of her father stumbling, swinging. He has a gun in one hand, and a bottle in the other. He says that she left him all alone. He says that he shot "him" (Nathan Kaiser) to protect her. Mickey disagrees and says that could have just left. She says that he didn't HAVE to do anything. All that she needed was her dad. Mr. Jones says that he would do it again if he had to.

Jayna grace sits in the woods, comfortable, surround by her feline friends. Standing above her is her late husband. He asks why she brought the kids here. Jayna lies and says she was at the grocery store and thought they could all play a board game together. He says that he told her that whatever happens next is her fault. Just like what happened to him and the wood chipper. Jayna says that she wasn't there. Gerald says that he told her to keep him locked up, but she let him out. He says "we" are the only ones who can protect her. Jayna threatens to leave if he hurts the kids. He asks where will she run to. She replies she will run at him, and does. Gerald dissipates.

The cats swarm around Jayna's feet, bringing her a sense of comfort and calm. She sits cross-legged in the woods, petting them.

The dark entity asks if he and Billy have a deal. Billy asks what the dark entity gets out of the deal. It says that it gets a voice. It would speak through Billy in any way he wishes. It is a part of him; they are connected. It says that Billy's potential is vast, and that he fears for him. The house intends to end him, and will eliminate him before he becomes a bigger problem. Billy takes the deal. The illusions that held the rest of the Kollok Radar break away. They find themselves in Jayna Grace's living room. The room smells of urine, the air almost unbreathable. 87 cats surround them with Jayna amidst them, still under the illusion.

Jayna's eyes glow orange. She sees four new strays in her pristine living room that need a home. She feels like only she can fix them and give them the love that they need. She names them Snap, Crackle, Pop, and Puffball. The cats start swarming around the kids, trying to induce another illusion, but Billy prevents it from happening.Jayna tries to convince them to go downstairs. As the kids try to talk to her, they realize she cannot hear them. She only sees them as strays.

Marcus sees an open door with multiple locks on one side, and scratches made from human fingernails on the other. He hears cries coming from downstairs. Mickey breaks a vase and creates a shiv. Marcus tells them that he thinks there are people downstairs, people that Jayna thinks are cats. As Marcus runs towards the door, Agent Bucket starts talking in his head. Bucket informs him that he and eleven others are trapped downstairs. Marcus promises to get him free, but he wants some answers. Bucket says their telepathic link will need to be their new form of communication now.

Marcus avoids the cats that jump at him. Jayna gets upset that the strays seem to be misbehaving and says that they'll need to go to the cages. Marcus (Snap) runs downstairs. Skye (Puffball) tries to trip Jayna up with a couch cushion. Jayna, moving towards Marcus, slips on the cushion and falls. Marcus see twelve bruised, naked people in cages wearing collars. They're crying, reaching out for help. Their throats have been clawed. Agent Bucket's wounds look fresh. Bucket tells Marcus to not hurt Jayna. She does not know what she has done. She is not in control. Marcus takes a shovel and breaks the padlock on Bucket's cage.

Billy tells the others upstairs not to hurt Jayna. Billy takes a picture of himself and shows it to Jayna. Jayna seems to be aware of the photo, but she still cannot see him. Billy reaches into his power and grabs Jayna, placing his forward against hers. Billy sees into her mind at that instant, seeing her prepare food. Seeing her fear of her husband. She sees Billy as well. Billy reminds her of how she was helping him with his self-esteem, and tries to help her with hers. Billy notices a dark energy surrounding Jayna, as the cats surround them. The cats are threatened by Billy and want to get rid of him.

The cats, the ones outside the illusion, start clawing Billy's legs. Sky grabs a head-knitted blanket and wraps it around Billy's legs, to make a barrier from the cats. Billy breaks the illusion, and she sees the house as it really is. Instinctively, Jayna runs down into the basement and she sees the people she kept trapped in the basement.

Marcus notices Mr. Thomas in another one of the cages. The teacher reaches out, his eye swollen. Jayna is traumatized by what she now realizes she has done. Skye calls Tibby on the talkie-talkie and tells him to call the police. She then runs into the basement as well. Mickey fights the cats off with her shiv. Mickey shouts that there are too many cats to fight off. Marcus goes upstairs to help, but he also sees that it is fruitless. Marcus tries to get Jayna to help with the cats.

Jayna tries to convince the cats to follow her to the kitchen, and that all the stray cats are locked in the basement. The cats see through the lie, however, knowing that they are no longer in control. They see their best course of action is to eliminate the threat. She starts slashing her wrists so the cats attack her and the others can escape. She cuts too deep and begins to bleed out. Marcus attempts to save her, but fails.  Jayna dies.

Skye manages to get the remaining people free from their cages. Bucket telepathically explains that he knew he could break the cats spell, but they still have to find a way through the cats. Marcus starts making strange sounds, trying to call Sketchy for help. Mickey joins in on making squirrel sounds. The ground rumbles. The cats stop, then back away. They turn their attention to the front of the house, hissing. Mickey sees an army of squirrels outside. From a brief moment she feels a sense of victory, until the screaming starts as the animals clash and tear at each other. The squirrels start ripping the cats apart.

Sketchy says, "With the cats out of the way, there's no one left to stop us [the squirrel]. And this town will be ours. Ours forever, baby. Ours forever."

The squirrels disperse as car approach. Bodies of cat are strewn all over the place. Officer Warstone enters the house. Billy tells the officer to call some ambulances, and that people were trapped in the basement. Bucket tells the officer, through Marcus, that he will write a full report when he gets back at the office. Another officer enters, and sees the body of Jayna. The officers seem to understand what has happened.

Skye notices, on a steel beam in the basement, a symbol. One that she recognizes: an upside-down U with two dots. And she also notices that a solid seteel beam is in a basement of wood and concrete. The police call their parents, and the wait for them to arrive.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Andre Meadows as Marcus Bennett
* Lucas Eubank as Billy Baker
* Meghan "Strawburry17" Camarena as Skye Hawkins
* Shelby "Shubble" Grace as Mickey Jones
* Zac Lim Eubank as The Driver

## Rumors

1. FBI Reinforcements are coming to town
2. Synchroneity is about to lay off tons of workers
3. The City Council is about to call it's first Public Meeting in years (winner)
4. Some man in black was arrested at the Chili Cook Off

## Notes

Felicia Day was a special guest for this episode.

**Footnotes**

1. ↑ Both Felicia and Marcus critically failed their respective rolls, resulting in Jayna's death.