Blacklight S2 (R)

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

There was a distinctive ringing in her ears as Emma forced her body upright and onto her knees, making it hard to hear anything other than that and the pounding of her own heart beat. She winced as she stumbled to her feet, a jarring pain shooting through the right side of her hip from where she’d landed awkwardly on it. The drop from the jump had been a lot further down than she’d anticipated it to be, the floor coming up to meet her hard and fast.

“Guys, you need to get the hell out of that building right now.”
Lucas’ voice crackled from her ear bud, the sense of urgency laced within it enough to once again reignite her own. Now was not the time to stop and lick their wounds; jumping from one building to another didn’t mean they were safe.

Beth pushed to her feet and stumbled toward the old woman’s desk, then, without a word, she took the glass of scotch out of her hand and necked back the strong, amber liquid in one gulp, shuddering as it went down.
“Thanks, doll.”
The old woman gaped as the blood stained glass in horror before skulking off and fleeing from the room, her bright red dress flapping in her wake.
“Huh,” Beth tugged at her sleeve, revealing the deep red trail of blood trickling down her arm. “I’ve been shot. Would you look at that?”
As she helped Elijah to his feet, Emma shot the woman a quick impassive look. “Is it bad?”
Beth inspected the wound in her forearm. “Nah, just a graze. Sure stings like fuck, though.”

Emma glanced around the room, taking in the pale pink wallpaper and multiple pictures of cats decorating the walls of the office – what kind of office it was, she had no idea, and had little desire to find out.
Squeezing at his bicep, she looked up into Elijah’s face and asked, “Are you hurt?” Even with the sense of urgency riding her, Emma found that her need to ask the question was stronger.
He winced, "Just sore. You?"
Her hip processed every step she took. “Same. We need to get out of here and reach Sol.”
Urging her in front of him, Elijah nodded to the door. “Head for a stairwell or an elevator; reaching the bottom floor is our aim.”
“Does jumping out another window count?” Beth asked, leading them out of the room. “Because I don’t want to do that again.”

As they rushed through the hallways, passing by stunned paper-pushing workers as they typed at their desks, doing gods only knew what. With each right step Emma took, she winced, the pain lacing through her side like needles – she nearly cried with relief when they entered the lift, thankful that she could stay still for longer than a few seconds.
“Sol, Ryan and Logan are facing some problems out side.” Lucas chimed into their ears, calmly. “Think you guys could… oh, I don’t know… go out and help?!” He exclaimed, all traces of his tranquil tone diminished.
“Are you freaking kidding me, Luc?! We’ve just jumped out of a fucking window. I’ve been shot. Emma’s limping like chimp and Elijah’s nearly passing out –“
“- Am not.” Elijah interjected.
She ignored him. “- we’re a mess. Get Sol to get in that car, we’ll be making a run for it the second the elevator doors open.”

Emma wasn’t sure she could run anywhere; but never one to give into her pain, she ran across the lobby behind Beth and Elijah and out into the chaos of the main street. Numerous guards lay dead or rolling in pain, blood coating the marble floor in front of the Radius Towers.
Sol pulled her knife from the gut of a tall, balding man, and instantly caught sight of them. She raised her fingers to her lips and whistled a long and loud alert, signalling the others before she turned and raced for the car.
Ryan and Logan followed suit, narrowly dodging a storm of bullets as they ran.

The engine roared to life, the wheels beginning to move even as Beth threw herself into the back seat, Elijah landing on top of her as he did the same.
Emma’s fingers curled around the top of the door, ready to push herself into the small confines of the backseat – when a new set of fingers latched onto her ankle, pulling her harshly from the car.

Stark grey eyes were suddenly all she could see, burning down at her with a fierce hatred she’d seen so many times before; he was hovering over her, his knees pressing down onto her stomach and hips, sending stars shooting out behind her eyes as a fresh wave of painful lanced through her. Rough hands cupped her neck, fingers curling beneath her mask to pull it off. Oh, hell no! She wasn’t going to get this far only to fall at the last hurdle.

“Niko!” Lucas exclaimed in her ear piece.

Adrenaline pumping through her, Emma slammed her fist into his face once, twice, the second blow knocking his hands away from her neck and giving her the space to roll onto her stomach, her fingers clawing at the floor in an attempt to wriggle out from under him and toward the…

Where was the car…?

The sleek black wheels were no where in sight, causing her to pause in what felt like pure, undiluted horror. They couldn’t have left her… Ryan wouldn’t have done that… or Sol, no matter what they thought of one another… and Elijah. Elijah would never abandon her.
Like he’d done before.
No. This situation was completely different.
“Oh, no you don’t.” ‘Niko’ growled, gripping her ankles once more and drawing her back toward him.
Emma kicked out, her heel connecting with his crotch in one hard move, sending him curling in agony into a heap onto the floor.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah was taken aback by the sudden ascent of the vehicle into the sky, Sol gripping the steering wheel upwards.
“Wait—Where the hell are you going?” He exclaimed, his anger, bewilderment and panic lulling him straight from the worlds of near unconsciousness. “Emma’s still down there!” They couldn’t just leave her; Elijah didn’t care if he had to jump from the damn car if it meant getting to her.

“Relax!” Sol shouted over the hum of the engine. “Of course we’re not leaving her. We’re just at a safer position to retrieve her.” Then, pushing a button, the car door next to Elijah swung open, currents of strong air whipping at his face. They were approximately several hundred feet in the air, the court yard below still buzzing with frenzied life.
“G-Get her,” Beth advised, wincing while Ryan wrapped his shirt around her bloodied wound.

Elijah didn’t even need the order before his grapple was latched onto the side of the car, his body falling through the air. For several seconds he thought he would collide with the cement, his insides spewing across the entrance of The Radius Towers, but he managed to abruptly halt just short of the ground.

“Emma!” he shouted, reaching out a hand as she ambled from the ground.

Guards poured out of the doors, police cars surrounding the perimeter. A tendril of red hair slipped out of her mask, brown eyes dazed until they finally connected with his. She used the remainder of her energy to dart over to where he was suspended, fingers connecting with his as he lifted her up into his arms, pressing the tiny panel on his grapple to send them rapidly flying back up to where they came from. He felt a bullet make contact with his vest, managing to shock him but not induce too much damage.

The doors of the car slid shut just as they had managed to snake in, Emma collapsing in exhaustion against Elijah’s shoulder. Her breathing was haggard although the color, after lifting her mask up, began to flood back to her cheeks. He couldn’t help but press a hand to her jaw, forcing her to look at him as he examined her closely in pursuit of any permanent damage. When there was none, he draped an arm around her shoulders instead, pulling his girlfriend tightly against his chest.

“Are you alright?” His voice was low; cautious.
"Yea, I'm fine."
Elijah wasn’t entirely satisfied with her answer, or the vagueness that welled in her orbs, but he ignored it for the time being, back relaxing against the plush leather. A near-death experience first day on the job. Elijah found it ironic and somewhat hilarious (even though there was nothing hilarious about nearly being shot to death) that his wishes of turning up the excitement level in his life had been so accurately fulfilled.

“Jesus, guys!” Rylee exclaimed. “You almost could have died! What if I hadn’t gotten the code in time or what if—”
“But you did,” Elijah intervened, lifting a hand to silence him, “and that was incredible…and yeah, thanks.”
He always sucked at showing signs of gratitude that weren’t directed towards himself, but in spite of the fact he often disliked the little shit, he had saved their lives. Point blank.

“We still have the wire attached to the table,” Beth spoke up, although her voice was still strained. “Let’s hope that all the commotion won’t cancel the meeting. Although if it does, everything we did tonight would pretty much go to hell.”
"That's a reassuring thought," Emma grumbled. "We were only caught in the stairwell, as far as they know we didn't go anywhere near the office. Hopefully they won't suspect us and the meeting goes ahead as planned."
“It has to,” Logan murmured. “It’s our only lead; or our only chance of a lead until the second meeting nearly a month from now and we hardly have that kind of time.”

Sol had made sure to take a completely deserted route back to the dome, the woodlands dark and void of life.

Beth crossed her fingers. “Guess we’ll figure out in approximately thirty five minutes.”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

As the exhausted group trailed into the living room, the fire lighting on its own occurred in the fireplace and the dim and gentle lights illuminating the area, Lucas jogged out of the control room to meet them, his eyes wide behind his glasses.
“That was a close call, hey?”
Ryan, Sol and Logan mumbled their complaints and dispersed; their jobs done as far as they were concerned.
Lucas shrugged and instead turned his attention onto the three injured members. By that point, Emma had collapsed into the nearest chair, her right leg stretching out in front of her and head lolled back. Now would have been a wonderful time to take a nap, a really long, long nap.

As he took them in, one at a time, his lean fingers brushing thoughtfully at his jaw, Lucas breathed out a faint murmur. “You three are in need of medical care.”
Elijah rolled his eyes. "No shit, really?"
Beth laughed weakly and held up the bloodied cloth around her arm. “You think?”
Lucas turned, waving his fingers at them to follow. “This way.”

With much effort, they did just that, following him down the hallway and past the control room to where another sliding black door stood. It parted as they neared, revealing a plain white room that reminded Emma of the medical labs back at the agency, equipped with the same medical apparatus and all.
“I’ve determined the girls are the worse off, Elijah, with Beth taking top spot. Think you can be patient and sit –“ He pointed to chair that rested behind a desk. “- just there, please?”
Elijah shrugged. "Fine."
Taking Beth by the arm, Lucas led her to one of two beds, encouraging her to remove her jacket and lay down. She did without protest.

Left standing (or swaying) in the centre of the room, Emma took it upon herself to move to the other bed, wincing as she pushed up onto the soft mattress. She was still reeling from the idea of being left behind – another minute and there was no doubt in her mind that she’d be dead by now.
“Are you a doctor?” Emma found herself asking aloud.
“Not a qualified one, no. I never had the money to pay for tuition fees. I’m self taught.”
“How can you teach yourself to be a doctor?” Elijah asked.
“Books are marvellous things, they’re filled with knowledgeable information and I’ve had more than enough time to read every single one I’ve ever gotten my hands on. I’m more qualified that those with a degree.”

Emma slummed down, her eyes closing as the sharp claws of sleep dug into her, dragging her down into the depths of comforting, pain-free darkness.
“Don’t go to sleep, Emma, it’s not safe.”
“Why not?” She drawled.
“You were knocked about pretty bad, and you may have hit your head in the jump or when that Niko bastard pulled you from the car. Falling asleep with a concussion is a bad idea.”
“I’m fine.”
Was that her voice? It sounded lazy and slurry, like she’d just down that old woman’s bottle of whisky.

When cool hands touched her cheek, drawing her away from the heavenly grasp of sleep, Emma found herself looking into Lucas’s dark eyes. She glanced over to see Beth pushing up from the bed, her arm stitched and bandaged.
Had she somehow fallen asleep? That, or Lucas worked like lightening.
“Where’s the pain?” He asked her, drawing her attention back to him.
“My hip, stomach, leg…”
“When did it start hurting?”
“After the jump.”
“It’s a very tender area for women,” Lucas mused, lifting her jacket and shirt to look beneath. She nearly shot through the ceiling when his fingers brushed across her abdomen, his fingers ice cold.
“Cold hands much?!” Emma snapped, cringing when he pressed against a sore spot. “And why only for women?”
Dark brows rose, “Because it’s were vital fertility organs are kept. The womb, for example. Damaging it severely can result in… well… never being able to carry a child.”

Emma frowned. “I’m never having children, so my womb has no intention of carrying a child, damaged or not.”
“You sound very sure about that…” Lucas said, surprised. “Can I ask what the reasons are?”
Whether it was because she felt high on pain, Emma wasn’t sure, but she answered him truthfully. “I’d make a terrible mother. I told myself years ago that I’d never have babies and I intend to stick to it.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah’s disorientation had faded for the most part only leaving him with a drilling headache and muscles that seemed to grow tauter by the second. He had mostly remained in the infirmary for moral support, watching as Lucas expertly examined Emma’s abdomen, the next words to escape his lips causing the agent to jolt upwards in his chair. Children? Where the hell had that come from?

“You’d be an awesome mother,” Beth intervened, fingers still clutching her stitched wound. “Pretty sure no one would wanna pick on your kid when mama could very well shove a boot up their ass.”
Elijah forced a grin, “If I were to have kids, they would definitely know how to fight.”

In spite of his joking tone, the prospect of children absolutely terrified Elijah in more ways than one. If he could hardly sustain a relationship, how could he be a consistent father? His childhood had never been lollipops and rainbows; between his mother complaining about her future dissipating due to an unexpected teenage pregnancy to his father getting crabby every now and again about never being able to hang out with his friends anymore, he hadn’t necessarily been raised in the most orthodox of ways.

He had always wanted the spotlight on him and his own premature way of dragging the attention to him had involved sleeping around with girls, drinking liquor and sneaking out in the middle of the night, seldom returning until dawn. But then as time wore on, he only realized he had felt ten times shittier and excruciatingly unsatisfied; because his actions had only made things worse. His parents had begun to hate each other, pointing fingers when he would act out.

‘Why did you tell him he could go to that party?!’
‘Oh, so it’s my fault now? Maybe you shouldn’t have given him the car!’
‘Well now our son is drunk out of his mind and passed out on the lawn and the neighbors already talk about us!’
‘Why do you care?’
‘One of us should!’

He winced.

Elijah just—he wasn’t the doting, caring, selfless person that everyone would love to have as a father. He was sporadic, smart-mouthed and greedy. There was only a select few people in his life that had the power to extract genuine, kind emotions from him, but the majority had remained trapped on the outside of his wall.

It would never work out.

But Elijah wasn’t upset, nah, not in the slightest. Not everyone could raise a child, and the unfit people who had should’ve realized getting pregnant wasn’t written into the law system. Parenthood wasn’t a requirement; only a socially acceptable practice that was already beginning to dwindle. He could live a perfectly happy life with Emma – child free.

Emma opened her mouth for a rebuttal but the doors slammed open, Ethan and Rylee excitably standing in the frame. “We have something!”

“Elaborate?” Beth’s eyebrow shot upwards.
“Y’know the thingie you guys put underneath the table in the meeting room? Well it just picked up two voices! I think they’re still having the meeting!”

She leapt from her seat, excitement surging in her dark, brown eyes. “Seriously? Christ, what are we doing in here then? Let’s go!” With that, she seemed to ignore the pain in her still-tender wound, following after Rylee and Ethan in a hurry.

Lucas remained stationary, still tending to Emma’s injuries.

“You could go,” she murmured, before adding, “I think I’ll survive.
“Are you sure?”
Emma nodded, and the young man was snapping off his gloves, trailing after the group.

Elijah stood from his chair, wandering over to the bed where she sat on, fingers curling around hers. “Guess a late night massage is in order, then?”
She bit her lower lip before grinning up at him, “That sounds nice.”
He pressed his mouth to her temple before whispering, “Well you deserve it.”
“Me?” she croaked. “You saved my life. For the second time. And—And I don’t think you realize how much that means—“

Elijah pressed his index to her lips, their foreheads touching. “You’ve saved me, Emma.”
“How? I haven’t dragged you from burning buildings or dove through the sky in a storm of bullets—“
“You’ve made me a better person. And being a better person has made my life better. You saved me from living in this cruel fucking planet of seven billion people wondering what my purpose was, or if I was just another bitter soul forced to go through the motions until death reared its ugly head. You’ve given me the inspiration to wake up each and every morning and Christ, I swear you just make the world seem sweeter. You’ve always stood by me – you hated me for a while – but you never gave up, you never wrote me off as another fuck up, and that means everything to me and more, Em. I was awful to you and you still hauled me from that bar; you still tried to talk to me when I wanted to shut the world you; you still loved me when I acted like a complete asshole; you still make me feel incredible; you still do so much to constantly make this life worth living. So don’t ever think you haven’t saved me, because you’ve done a lot more than you’re willing to believe.”

He felt like he had been spewing out his emotions a lot more recently after meeting her, and while it wasn’t something he felt comfortable doing, right now, at that very moment, there wasn’t a fiber of his being that didn’t surge with insurmountable relief.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Never in her wildest dreams had Emma believed that she’d be the subject of words like that; that someone, anyone would look at her like Elijah did and mean it. In her twenty-eight (nearly twenty-nine) years of living, the only emotion she’d felt from another human being had been hatred or loathing - even from the man she loved at first - then something had happened, something she still hadn’t quite figured out, and suddenly somebody actually wanted her, needed her and above all else, loved her,

Elijah loved her, above anyone else in the entire, fucked up world.

Though the pain still rode at her relentlessly, Emma forced her attention onto him, her free hand moving up over his shirt, the unwanted feel of his vest beneath it scrapping at her finger tips.
“We’ve saved each other,” Emma murmured, the tip of her nose brushing at his. “You gave me life when I didn’t know I wasn’t living. I didn’t know I could love until I found you – and now, the thought of ever being without you makes me want to die.”
“You’ll never have to be without me, Em. Never again.”
And despite the lingering doubts deep within her, Emma believed his words as strongly as she did everything else he said to her.

Her fingers slid up to his neck, itching to feel his skin against hers. Emma grinned then, a face splitting smile. “I don’t think I’ve said this before but… I really, really love it when you say stuff like that.”
What was better, was he only said those things to her.
“Just like I love the other thing you keep saying…” She wiggled her dark brows at him suggestively.
Hearing Elijah say the immortal three words would never in a million years get old to her, no matter how many times he said them.
“What other thing?” He asked as he fought back a grin of his own.
“Like you don’t know.”

With the fingers of his free hand, Elijah combed his fingers gently through her hair, brushing it out from her face. The light from the lab reflected off his blue eyes, illuminating the mischievous glint he never failed to have around her. Then, he ducked his head down to press an attentive kiss to the corner of her lips, the stumble shadowing his jaw scrapping against her skin.
“I love you, sweetheart.”

“That’s it.” Emma beamed, dragging him as close as she possibly could. “Feel free to say that whenever you like.”
“Same thing applies to you.”
They kissed; the touch so heart-wrenchingly tender, Emma wasn’t quite sure she was breathing anymore. There was no lust behind it, no primal need, nothing but pure affection.

When they parted, Emma let out a shuddering breath. Her aches and pains were intense, ruining the mood growing between them, and as well as her own exhaustion, she could feel Elijah’s too. Mission one had officially taken it out of them, and more.
There was only one place for them and only one thing to do once they got there.
“Do we have to go listen in to that meeting? They’re recording it, after all.”
His frame relaxed against her. “I think we’ve down our part for today.”

Oh. Thank. God.
They didn’t have to go and sit in the control room and listen to two government know-it-all’s talk about a load of crap, most of which would probably be useless to them.
Emma pushed off the bed, her hand still latched tightly onto Elijah’s as she limped from the room, her hip continuing to protest at every step. “My thoughts exactly. I’m sure they’ll fill us in on anything important in the morning.”
“Oh, crap, wait –“ He released her hand before crossing the room and making a grab for a tube of something. Elijah waved it at her when he returned, grinning like a teenage boy about to get lucky for the first time. “- can’t forget this,”
He slipped his fingers back into hers as she asked, “What’s that?”
“When you zoned out, Lucas pointed it out – some muscle relaxer ointment thingy. The massage, remember?”
So that was the reason for his grinning. Emma smiled, “That’s just your excuse to feel me up, isn’t it?”
“Like I need an excuse to do that,” He scoffed, leading her into the hallway.

Like she needed an excuse. If there was one thing Emma loved to do, it was get her hands on her Elijah – so, free reign with a tube of massage cream? Hell, yes. Someone just try and stop her.

That night, the pain in their bodies were swiftly forgotten.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

~~~

Elijah knocked back a glass of water, his plate clean of the pancakes that had once piled on top of it. Rylee was obnoxiously stuffing scrambled eggs down his throat before reaching for the tin of bacon and snatching up at least a fourth of it.

“Y’know, a banana wouldn’t hurt,” Elijah pointed out with a tiny shrug.
He paused mid-forkful, mouth opening (and revealing the half-mashed contents that were inside), eyes blinking several times as if his proposition was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. “I hate fruits.”
“Fruits are good for you.”
“I have to agree,” Emma joined in, wiping her hands clean with a napkin.

Everyone had been comfortably seated at the table for breakfast except for Beth who still happened to be absent.

“Of course you agree! You’re like—in love with him!”
“Y’think?” She smirked before resting her head lazily against her boyfriend’s shoulder, fingers curling around his bicep.
“She’s just another member of my fan club,” he teased, warranting a slap on the arm. “Ouch—a very hostile one!”

“For some reason I never would have pictured people like you two together. Reserved and serious versus loud and playful,” Logan mused, thoughtfully smoking on a cigarette as he allowed the ashes to fall silently into a nearby tray. Elijah didn’t feel like chastising him on how smoking could hinder physical ability so he rested his chin on the crown of Emma’s hair instead, massaging circles along her arm.

“Like they say, opposites attract,” she murmured with a shrug, just as the brunette had rushed into the room.
“Guys! I stayed up all night listening to the recordings, taking notes, searching and re-searching things, and…I think we’ve found ourselves a new lead.”
Sol straightened up in interest. “Shoot.”
“Well, here’s the deal—“ she grabbed a chair, twisting it backwards so she could swing her legs on either side. “Turns out Hoffman used to go by Stephen Davenport, which we figured out thanks to Rylee’s sick computer hacking skills, and ran a small town in the Deep South. Apparently it’s named Venus Hill in the C-20 sector.”

“Wait,” Ryan spoke up, a steaming coffee mug in his hand, “How come the government doesn’t know he changed his name?”
“Because Rylee managed to crack an old registry that was apparently deleted by Henry himself.”
“And we’re not using this material against him? To, I don’t know, get him arrested?”
“And who would we turn it into? The police are practically his slaves and wouldn’t give us a chance to explain ourselves! Not to mention, the president is gone and the VP has sole control of the entire Northern division.”
Ryan let out a sigh, slumping against his chair.

“So, what happened in Venus Hill?” It only made sense considering he was no longer mayor there.
“No one knows; the town is practically off the radar. I had no idea it existed until Logan pointed it out on the map! But it’s our job to discover what caused him to resign and why the city is as inconspicuous as it is.”

“Road trip?” Rylee perked up, momentarily pausing after swallowing a sausage whole.
Beth rolled her eyes, “Road trip insinuates having fun. This is purely business, baby.”
“So we just go down, investigate some shit, and then what?” Elijah questioned.
“We’re hoping to figure out the ‘then what’ when we get there.”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Within the following two hours, a car was packed and ready to go, its occupants ready for the long drive ahead. It seemed pointless for all nine of them to go on the trip to Venus Hill, on a possible false lead that could be nothing more than a waste of time, so instead only Elijah, Emma, Ethan, Beth and Rylee were going. The others had agreed to keep an eye on the city and the mayor.

Ethan took the wheel, with Beth at his side, flicking through a hologram of the small town, her frown growing deeper by the minute.
Emma was situated between the cousins, slouched into the crook of Elijah’s arm, boredom slowly sending her in to a sleep.

The arm wrapped around her shoulders shifted, slapping Rylee on the arm and dragging his attention away from the laptop situated on his knees. “Why do you keep listening to that thing? I can hear it through the headphones and it’s driving me insane.”
Rylee tugged one earpiece out. “I’m trying to figure out who Glenn O’Hare is. Hoffman mentioned him once, and to us it seemed random and out of place, but for him, not so much.”
Beth spun around in her seat, “I remember hearing that name! Didn’t he say, ‘Like Glenn O’Hare?’, then…silence, nothing, until he moved on to something else.”
“Lunch,” Rylee mused, his fingers drumming thoughtfully at the sleek keyboard. “And there’s nothing on him anywhere. It’s like he doesn’t exist.”

“That,” Ethan spoke up calmly, “or he’s been deleted like Hoffman’s old life was. Keep researching the name, Rylee. There’s bound to be something on him somewhere, a loyalty card to Wal-Mart or Moviethon, doctors records, work files.”
Rylee popped his earphone in once more. “Already on it.”

“If it’s there, Rylee will find it,” Beth said confidently, facing forward once more.

Emma pressed her cheek against Elijah’s steady heartbeat, her eyes drifting shut at the calming rhythm drumming beside her ear. The ache in her hip had subsided to a small and bearable twinge now, thanks to pain-killers, muscle relaxation cream and Elijah’s attentive hands.
“What if this is a bust?” She asked idly. “We’ve been driving for hours and there’s hours still to go.”
“We have to try,” Ethan answered. “It could very well be nothing, but if we don’t check it out we’ll never know.”

“AHA!”
Emma jolted awake at Rylee’s cry, any grip that sleep had on her now gone completely. “Jesus…” She grumbled, her foot nudging at his leg. “You scared me half to death!”
“Sorry, Em – but I think I found something on this Glenn dude.”
With his fingers circling at her arm, Elijah murmured, “That was fast. I thought he didn’t exist?”
“I was looking in all the wrong places, until Ethan pointed me in the right direction – he’s registered as a resident in Willow Tree Heights, a residential home in… will you believe it, Venus Hill!”
Beth spun around once more. “Are you kidding me?! That’s excellent, Ry!”
“Wait,” Emma frowned, “A residential home? As in, he’s an old guy? We’re going to go visit… an old person?”
Rylee laughed. “No, it’s where they keep babies.”
“Even worse.” She drawled.

Ethan cleared his throat, “So, first things first, we’re going to check out this O’Hare guy and try to find out what his connection to Hoffman is. Maybe he can shed some light on -”
“Did I fail to mention that he’s filed under ‘mentally insane’?” Rylee added meekly, ducking down into his seat.
“That’s perfect,” Emma heard Elijah grumble. “Just perfect.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

They had driven for another four hours until the towns along the highway had grown sparser, only leaving them with the cool, minty air of the country, a completely foreign smell in comparison to the cigarettes, exhaust, and fried food vendors that plagued The Underground. Ethan had pressed a button next to his wheel sending the roof of the car shooting back, more of the chill washing over their goosebump-laden skin.

“Are we there yet?” Rylee whined, back pushed against the plush seat although his laptop was still open.
“Almost,” Beth murmured, “Or at least we should be if these directions are right.”

In three minutes no less, a crooked sign came into view, the steel worn and faded with thin words that read, ‘Venis Hill’. There was no welcome committee or information vendor or any signs of life save for a rat that would scuttle into a pile of grass; just baron land.

“Are you sure this is the place?” Emma questioned, her head rising from his shoulder.
The car crept down the road that wound into the town, speckles of dirt spitting up from underneath their wheel. “Unless there’s another Venus Hill, then this is it,” Ethan replied.
Elijah had heard of the classic small town, but this was smaller than small. It could have been a landfill. Where the hell was everyone?

“Hit the gas, Eth. We don’t have all day,” Beth commanded, just as the car jumped to life, flying through the cobble street leading into the town. The drive didn’t take long, only around five to six minutes, but it might as well have with the anticipation that resonated in that tiny vehicle. There were more questions than answers, blank spaces where explanations should be.

“I think I see something!” Rylee exclaimed, pointing out at the window as a circular market came into view. The first image that came to mind when he thought of marketplace were huge volumes of people shoving each other to get to a shopping cart, but here? The place was deserted, shop doors closed shut as if it were imperative no one enter.

“And of course, no one’s here,” Elijah grumbled, resting a hand against his cheek. “Shocker.” It would have majorly sucked to spend an entire day traveling somewhere just to realize it was another irritating dead end before having to turn back. Nah; if he was going to get ass cramps that would most likely hurt like hell when he got up, he was going to get it for a reason.

“Well, no, look!” Everyone followed Beth’s line of vision to an archaic shopkeeper looking like she could use a respirator as she swept slowly at the mat that stood before her pub, eyes downcast. Everything looked sickishly gray here, even the people.

“Should we stop?” Rylee questioned uneasily.
“Nah, we should keep going. Maybe we’ll find the place we’re looking for on our own.”
“Well, that actually sounds like a pretty—“
“Rylee, shut up,” Ethan muttered. “Who’s going out there? It’ll look creepy if we all surround her.”

Beth shrugged, although Emma was the first to speak. “I’ll do it,” she sternly volunteered.
The brunette nodded sharply. “Just ask her where Willow Tree Heights is; hopefully she’ll know.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“Guess we’ll be here awhile.”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

The car door closed loudly behind Emma, echoing in the deserted street eerily. No other sound greeted her, no chatter of people, no hum of other vehicles, only the distinctive scrap of brush bristles on a worn, bare-bone mat, and Emma’s heavy footfalls.
The street they were on was dismal and bleak, the buildings worn and unkempt, their windows broken or non-existent, doors were hanging off hinges or knocked in entirely. Even the pub – that appeared to be open for business – was falling a part.

When Emma approached, her boots purposely scrapping at the sidewalk to signal her presence, the aged woman didn’t so much as spare her a glance, too busy sweeping her ‘welcome’ mat.
Stopping just short of her, Emma cleared her throat. “Hello?”
Dim, lifeless eyes looked up to her. “What?” Her tone was as dead as her gaze.
The broom never stopped moving in her hands. “Do you know where Willow Tree Heights is? We’re trying to find it to…visit an uncle of mine. I’d really appreciate the help.”
“There’s nothing here anymore. No-one here.”
And with that, she bowed her head once more and restarted her continuous sweeping, abruptly putting an end to their conversation.

She bit the inside of her cheek impatiently. Why did some old people have to be so damn difficult? A simple answer for a simple question; that was all she wanted.
“It’s a residential home, I believe. Have you heard of it?”
“No.”
“We’ve tried looking on the map, but-“
“You won’ find us on any map, girl. Venus Hill no longer exists.”
Emma made the point of looking around. “It looks like it exists to me. I know he’s here, and if you could point me in the right direction I would be most –“
“Strangers don’t come through here anymore. No-one comes through here. Are you sure your uncle is even still alive?” She asked, her wrinkled eyes narrowing. “You could be looking for a ghost.”
“He’s not dead.” Though, there was a hint of uncertainty behind her tone. For all she knew, the guy was dead. What Rylee found on the guy was sketchy enough to be wrong, after all.
“Hmm.” The woman huffed, then turned her back to Emma and started on the other side of the mat.

This was going no-where and at the rate they were going, she’d be stood on the broken down street all day.
Yet, never being one to admit defeat (jesus, just look how hard she’d tried with Elijah), Emma circled the elderly lady, moving to her front.

When cold eyes glared up at her once more, Emma smiled. “Hi. Me, again. Okay, listen, all that nice shit just then… that’s not me. I thought taking the pleasant route would get me further, but obviously you’re too much of a crabby old woman to care.” She held up her hand, to fingers raised. “There are two options you have. Either you can direct me in the direction of Willow Tree Heights or I stay here alllllll day, annoying the fuck out of you with my persistent questions and maybe snapping that broom in half too – depends on my mood.”

The sweeping instantly ceased. “You think I’m afraid of you, girl?”
“No, I think you’re a smart lady, who’s going to choose the right option.”
Frail hands gripped the long broom handle as she took in the sight of the young woman in front of her, her eyes drifting head to toe, from Emma’s suede boots to her neat leather jacket. “I may choose the right option… for something in return.”
Emma’s jaw tightened. “I’m not giving you money.”
“Look around,” The old woman said, waving her hand in the air. “This is where I live. I have barely enough money to get from day to day – do you think you could possibly do worse to me that hasn’t already been done? A hundred and you’ll get the answer you want.”

A hundred?
Fuck.
Hands fisting at her sides, Emma spun on her heel and returned to the car, who’s eager contents was watching her intently.
“I need a hundred bucks,” She said, leaning through the driver’s window. “She won’t tell me unless I give her the money. Now… who’s got that kind of cash on them?”
Rylee and Elijah raised their hands in unison – cute, much to Elijah’s annoyance – and shook their heads.
“Don’t look at me,” Beth grumbled. “I haven’t seen that much money in a while.”

Four sets of eyes fixed onto Ethan.
“Come on, Rich Boy,” Emma wiggled her fingers out in front of him. “Hand it over. We know you’re good for it.”
Ethan glared around the car. “Are you telling me that none of you have money on you?”
Everyone shook their heads together.
“Christ sake. Damn cheap skates!”
“Well, Elijah and I can hardly access our accounts right now. They’ll be able to track our whereabouts,” Emma started. “Plus, you’re rich, we’re not. Hand it over.”
He reached for his wallet, stored handily in the glove box, mumbling under his breath as he dumped two fifties into Emma’s palm.

She grinned, shooting Elijah a quick wink before she rushed back to the old woman – who was waiting patiently at her doorway.
Boney fingers outstretched fervently.
“Steady on,” Emma held the money to her chest. “Tell me first – and don’t try lying. I will come back and I will find you, lady, and don’t think that your age will stop be shoving that broom right up your –“
“I do not lie!” She snapped, her false teeth nearly falling out of her mouth. “Money first, then I speak.”
Emma sighed and slapped the money into her pale, grabby hand. “Happy? Now, tell me.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Emma quickly slid back into the car, slapping the headrest on Ethan’s seat before even giving him the chance to inquire about results.

“Apparently the institution isn’t too far away, just a few miles north. Keep going,” Emma demanded, eyes pinned forward before she was settling back into the seat.
“How do we know she’s not sending us to some abandoned parking lot?” Elijah questioned, glancing out the window as the deteriorated houses whirled into a palette of dreary colors. He wasn’t the type of guy who wanted to live in Happyville where the sun shined out of your ass but Christ, the place was depressing. Garbage scuttled down the sidewalk, windows filthy with dirt and sidewalk benches pulling up from the ground. This place was nearly impossible to live in.

“Because I threatened to shove a broom up her ass if she causes us to waste time even a second of time.”
A tiny grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he responded, “I grow more wildly attracted to you each and every day.”
“Stop sucking face and focus,” Beth muttered from the front seat just to warrant a snicker from Ethan as he maneuvered through the streets. Rylee was snoring against the glass pane peacefully as if they weren’t speeding across a town just to visit a Grade A lunatic in a retirement home. Elijah would never understand the kid.

They had continued down that street for another three or four minutes until they were turning onto a poorly lit block, the sun sinking behind the meager buildings. Elijah’s eye caught a tacky yellow structure, the windows blocked off by bars as the wrought iron fence was left ajar. It was almost as if he was looking through a magnifying glass of a scene several decades ago, as if this town alone was lagging behind the technologically-advanced world.

“Looks like this is it,” Elijah murmured before pushing open the door and swinging his long legs out of the hover car. “Anyone know how to speak to someone that’s clinically insane?”
Emma looked to the floor, "My mother was insane. Well, she was to me, anyway, so I doubt that counts."
He frowned, leaning to grip her wrists before lightly pulling her out of the car. “You’ll be okay in there, right?” She hadn’t really told him the full extent of the back history with her mother and he couldn’t even remotely fathom the things she had to deal with at a young age. He didn’t want the institution triggering any deep rooted emotions – at least not now.
"Yeah, sure, I'll be just fine."

Elijah only nodded, giving her hand an involuntarily squeeze before catching up with Beth and Ethan. They had decided to leave Rylee in the car, snoring away like a baby, until after the festivities were done with.

“What did Hoffman do?” Ethan questioned incredulously, stepping over shards of glass as they approached the tiny door, only big enough for one person to step through at a time.
“Hopefully we can get Glenn O’ Hare to answer that for us,” Beth replied, already rapping against the door impatiently.

The steel sighed against the hinges audibly, the smell of pungent body odor and other vile smells lightly covered by cleaning detergent hitting their faces, Elijah pressing a fist over his nose in attempt to ward off the sudden smell. The group reacted similarly, Beth letting out a sharp cough just as a woman, dressed in a bright pink cardigan that barely stood on her tiny frame right, a loose white skirt, and sneakers obscuring the entrance with dull, uninterested eyes. Bright blonde hair in a frizzy mess stood on the top of her head, pencils sticking out in every direction as her makeup began to smear and smudge. Momentarily, the fog lifted from her eyes, surprise replacing it, but the vacant look returned as she waited for them to say something.

Emma was the first to speak. “We’re looking for Glenn O’ Hare.”
Several seconds passed by, all of their hearts pounding in anticipation as their fate hung in the air. Finally the woman responded flatly, “Are you family?”
“I’m his nephew,” Ethan quickly spoke up before draping an arm around Emma, “and she’s my wife. The rest are very close friends.”
Elijah forced a laugh, the anger bubbling in his chest. No way in hell that was happening. “Don’t be silly; you’re her brother.” Then, bumping him aside, he slid his arm around her waist before adding, “We’re married.”

The woman blinked once, then twice, before grumbling, “Whatever. Come in.”

Beth delivered the hardest punch to both Ethan and Elijah’s shoulders once the woman turned her back, causing them to both mouth ‘Ow’ in pain.

“Men and their testosterone,” she hissed lowly before following the nurse inside.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

The name, Willow Tree Heights, conjured up the images of green lawns, well groomed shrubs and blooming plant life, each planted with care and attention, fresh and open hallways, with light shinning in from every window and accommodating staff members, there to give a smile should you ever need one.

Names were very deceiving.

Nothing about the place was fresh and the staff members certainly weren’t offering any smiles. The inside of the building was dark and damp, the walls stained with god-only-knew-what, carpets were pulled up, food wrappings, newspapers and old magazines littered the floor and residents were roaming around aimlessly, some standing in their doorways, others laying in their beds.

As the group passed them by, one or two would mutter something incoherent under their breaths, ignored by all but Emma. She’d watch them warily, dubious of what they would do next. If they were anything like her mother was, than nothing was unexpected.
Nearing the end of the long hallway, a frail old woman stepped from her room, only to pause when her pale brown eyes locked onto Emma’s, all emotion on her face replaced by fear. Pure, undiluted terror to be precise.

Sensing the trouble brewing, Emma looked away, dropping her attention to the floor instead. Maybe, if she looked away the woman wouldn’t –
“Devil! The devil has come for me!” The woman hollered, pointing a shaking hand directly at Emma, singling her out from the others. “No! I will not go with you, evil devil! I won’t!”
“Mabel,” The carer guiding them turned to regard the old woman. “Go to bed.”
“If I sleep, it will steal my soul! It’s tried before and it’ll try again!” Her thin frame shook with her terror, but not once did her gaze drift from Emma’s face.
Stepping back and increasing the space between them, Emma reached out, unconsciously searching for something, for the comfort she knew was there, to – Elijah’s warm fingers skimmed down her arm before entangling with her own.

The sight only infuriated the woman more. Her hands darted out, one landing on each of their wrists. “Don’t touch the boy, devil! You’re trying to take us both to hell with you, but I won’t let you. Oh, no I won’t!”
“Mabel! Keep your hands to yourself!”
“Tell her to let go!” Beth snapped, trying to push the woman’s tight hold loose. “Hey, lady, let go of her, right fucking now!”

”That red hair, just like he had… like the flames of hell. You know what I see when I look at you? I see a skinny, ugly devil child!
”How dare you speak to me like that! You evil little cockroach. Your life is a waste!”

Emma shook her head, forcing the past back where it belonged. She tore her arm from the woman’s hold, only to have it replaced by Beth’s, who was all too happy to nudge both her and Elijah aside.
“Are you alright?” She breathed, leading her away from the continuous cries behind them. “That was…weird.”
Emma rubbed at her arms, fighting off the shivers. “They must see something else when they look at me.”
“That’s happened before?”
“Only once. A long time ago.”
Beth raised her brows. “And they called you the devil?”
“I’ve been called that a lot. I think I’d be more surprised if someone called me an angel.”
Her? An angel? Oh yea, she’d definitely be shocked at that one.

Emma pulled back, her steps slowing so she could walk up alongside Elijah once more, the need to be with him strong inside her aching chest.
His fingers once again found her own. "You're my angel and that's the only thing that should matter. Now shut up and stop letting the mentally insane get to you," Elijah replied, smirking softly.
Unable to stop herself, Emma smiled, then tapped at her lips. Shutting up.

Still leading them down the long, winding hallways, the blonde carer muttered something like, “Mabel’s not well. She always see’s things that aren’t there. Just like Glenn does.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah could hardly fathom, nor did he want to, life without being fully in charge of his mind. Places like Willow Heights---with fake plants in dirty vases, floors that had hardly been scrubbed, furniture falling to pieces, food stale—was hell on earth. Seeing patients screaming as they were pinned down by nurses, others sat in chairs with a peculiar emptiness in their eyes as if the person inside had died years ago, managed to irk him. He’d like to think these people deserved better, but with the state the country was manifesting in, hope was a dwindling flicker in a dark, baron room.

“How long have people like Mabel and Glenn been here?” Beth inquired, following closely behind her.
The woman let out a tiny sigh between her dry lips, melancholy stretching across her wrinkled features. “Decades. Mabel got here when she was only thirteen; her parents abandoned her on the door step of the institution and after many fundraising attempts and donations we were able to rally enough money to pay for her stay here. As for Glenn, I—“ she wrinkled her eyebrows together “—don’t really remember. I think the memory’s failin’ on an old woman like me!”

The group exchanged looks of confusion as the nurse proceeded down the narrow hallway.

“How can she not know? Aren’t there records?” Elijah murmured from next to Emma.
“Wish I knew the answer,” she grumbled. “Looks like we’ll have to scrounge through the file cabinets up front at some point.”
“And how will we do that with that woman hounding the desk?” Ethan questioned, skepticism heavy in his tone.
“Apparently logic flies right over your rich boy head. Obviously we’ll need to induce a distraction.”
Ethan rolled his eyes, only for the nurse to announce several seconds later, “This is Glenn’s room.” They stopped outside of a worn, russet door, the knob nearly falling off.

“Please be careful when entering, large crowds of people frighten him,” she advised, wiggling the handle several times until the hinge popped open slightly. “Glenn? Glenn, sweetheart, some family members are here to see you.”

She then pulled open the door wide enough so they could peer inside, Glenn O’ Hare, in the flesh, sitting lazily in a metal wheelchair. The pallid sheets were neatly folded back on his queen-sized bed, a silver nightstand next to the bed with several stacks of magazines and crosswords slung on top. The fan was running, whistling past the curtains as it carried in the breeze.

The old man didn’t look up though, jaw set as he glanced down at his lap, fingers moving softly. Elijah’s eyebrows furrowed, gaze floating down to the senior’s lap, a glint of metal sparkling in his hands. He turned it over and over with a quiet fascination that mildly flabbergasted the agent, the nurse moving over as she touched his shoulder lightly.

“Glenn,” she whispered, and the old man continued to twist the metal, his pace quickening just as the woman squeezed his sweater-clad shoulder concernedly. “Sometimes he does this – goes to another world of his own. You’ll have to wait until he returns.”

With that, she trailed back over to the group huddled into the tiny doorframe. “Let me know if you have any problems; he’s not the worst, so I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Fantastic, we’ll be talking to a vegetable,” Ethan murmured beneath his breath.
“Now that’s not nice,” Elijah taunted as he strolled over to the bed, plopping down on the mattress as it squeaked beneath his weight.
“What are you doing?” Beth questioned, eyes darting between the young agent and Glenn.
“I’m hypothesizing we’ll be here for awhile; whatever’s in his hand has some sort of significance, and well, we’ll have to figure out that significance eventually, eh?”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Emma found herself fixated onto the old mans vacant expression, his pale blue eyes fixated onto the dirty window overlooking the wild courtyard beyond. She followed his gaze, wondering what it was that he saw that everyone else didn’t.
Emma remembered the days she’d find her mother doing the same; staring out of the kitchen window, her face void of all emotions, her gaze locked onto nothing in particular, it was the only time the woman looked…at peace. Then, the slightest touch would rouse her and all hell would break loose, world’s greatest mother reappearing.

“I wonder what he sees,” Emma murmured, tearing her gaze from the window and back to the old man.
Only to find he was no longer fixated on the view, but instead on her.
Her muscles instantly tensed, preparing herself for the onslaught she was sure was coming… only it didn’t. There were no shouts of insanity, no curses or violent outbursts, but instead he simply looked up into her face, blinking in wonder.
“Who are you?”

Glenn’s croaky voice hushed the banter of everyone inside, including Elijah.
Emma swallowed. Okay, this was it, this was what they’d driven all this way for.
Answers.
She bent down to his level, her hands braced on her knees. “Hi. You’re Glenn O’Hare, right?”
He nodded dubiously.
“My name is Emma and these are my friends. We came here, from the North, to see you. We have a few questions to ask, concerning Henry Hoffman…” He visibly winced at the mayor’s name but Emma went on. “…we understand that you know him, correct?”
There was a flash of acknowledgment in his worn out gaze before he quickly blinked it away.

Ethan moved into Emma’s side, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. “We mean you no harm, Glenn. We’re not with Hoffman, we don’t work for him and we’re certainly not here because he sent us. We’re here, you see, because he’s fucking up our city, in a very big, very noticeable way. You’re name was brought up and –“
“My name?” Anger flashed across his expression briefly. “No-one has any need to speak my name any longer.”
“Hoffman does,” Emma said gently. “You were mentioned, as well as Venus Hill. It’s what brought us here.” Glenn shook his head, the bony fingers of his right hand shovelling through his thin, white hair. “I was done, it was over. He told me it was over when he left here. I thought I was rid of him, but now he’s back, he’s back and he wants more than I want to give.” He was beginning to ramble, his words running off on a tangent that none of them understood.
“What did he do here, Glenn? To this place?” Ethan went on, forcing past the man’s madness. “Is he the reason it is –“
“Gone. Everything is gone. Venus Hill was such a beautiful town; rich and thriving, with smiling faces, now there is only death and darkness… and only I remember what he did. Only I remember. I ask, but no-one knows, they think I’m mad… and maybe I am mad, maybe it is all in my mind after all… but the dreams and my memories, they’re all too real, too vivid. I could never make up such things. Stephen…Stephen…”

“Stephen Davenport,” Elijah murmured, standing up from the bed.
From her spot in the corner of the room, Beth spoke up. “Aka, Henry Hoffman.”
“This, this here…” With shaking hands, Glenn held up the small piece of metal in his grasp. “This is what made them all forget. He gave me this, to show and to prove to me what could have happened… I could have forgotten too, but he didn’t want me, too. Why didn’t he want me to?!”

Emma, with attentive fingers, slid it out of his hand. “What is it?”
“Memory-chip.”
Ethan rubbed thoughtfully at the stumble growing along his chin. “He put one of these in everyone’s mind – all the town’s people?”
“No-one was allowed to remember the horrors, all the bad things that he did…that we did.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah was slowly coming to the conclusion Henry Hoffman, AKA Stephen Davenport, had wanted to hide his little clusterfuck of monstrosities under a neat little blanket to shroud away from the world. It was ingenious; robbing the town of their most powerful weapon, memory, and fleeing before the feds could locate him. Then, changing his name and removing all evidence of his past life, he had been given the opportunity to start fresh. Venus Hills was only a glaring example of what D-79, and with the help of the VP, the entire country would mirror in a few short months.

But now, within the proximity of five minutes, they were receiving more perplexing questions than answers. What made Glenn O’ Hare so special? Why, out of thousands of people, had he been chosen to keep his memory? Did Hoffman doubt his abilities to speak the truth because of his mental condition? There was no reason why he wouldn’t have been thorough with his motives instead of leaving a potential threat to his complicated plan.

“Do you remember some of the bad things he did?” Beth questioned.
Glenn’s face turned a sickly ivory, the wiry skin that covered his body looking more translucent than ever. His jaw chattered violently, “F-Fires, red hot, women, men, children, burned…smoke…s-smoke! It twisted towards the sky. T-torture. Pain. Destruction.”
The corner of Elijah’s lip twitched, fingers shoved into the depths of his pocket as he hung by the door, swaying on the balls of his feet. He finally spoke up, trying to keep his voice as calm and as assuaging as possible. “And then one day he just vanished? How’d he end up brainwashing thousands of people without them realizing it? Surely there could have been a revolt.”

“I—I—“ His body was lightly rocking in the wheel chair, breathing haggard.
Emma placed a warm hand on his shoulder, brown orbs burning into his. “Relax, Glenn. We’re not going to hurt you, alright?”
“It was a-awful!” He shrieked, an explosion of uncontrollable sobs shaking his being. Elijah felt his body tense, unsure of what to say or do. His skills were pretty limited in the emotions department, compassion a feeling that seldom came natural.
“Awful how?” Emma murmured, her voice nearly maternal. “If you tell us, this will prevent more people from getting hurt.”
“M-men, they broke down doors…broke into homes…had thick vests and pants and goggles so large it covered most of their face. T-they wielded guns, and pinned innocent people to the floor before…inserting…chip…and-and-and—“ He choked, long fingers clawing into the fabric of his trousers “—screams. Screams were everywhere. It happened all…at…night….midnight. Nightmare, living nightmare.”

Ethan ran a hand through his mop of dark red hair remorsefully, blinking down at the shivering old man. “That’s frightening.”
Elijah felt like sarcastically replying, ‘Thanks for the groundbreaking discovery!’ but forced his mouth shut for the sake of avoiding unnecessary confrontation.
“Thank you for your time,” Emma announced, “We appreciate it.”
“We’re done?” Beth inquired, brows shooting up. Then adding in a quieter voice, she whispered, “We’ll need the chip. Maybe Lucas or Rylee could run some examinations on it.”

Elijah arched his back, an audible crack sounding throughout the room before nodding in agreement. “And the file. Hell, anything of importance we can get our hands on. The more evidence we store to bust Hoffman, the better. Even if it’s useless now, it won’t be later.”
“Right,” Beth agreed.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

When they turned to leave, cold fingers locked around Emma’s wrist. Glenn looked up into her face, his lips trembling, pale eyes wide with panic.
“Nothing will stop him,” He murmured, his grasp tightening on her. “Y-Your home is doomed.”
Emma turned to the others and nodded curtly, signalling them to go on for the file. Elijah hesitated, visibly uncomfortable leaving her alone with the unstable man.

It was Beth that reassured him. She ushered both men from the room with encouraging shoves. “It’s a woman on the desk – one distracts, the other nabs the file. I’ll stay here with Emma and we’ll meet you outside.”
Blue eyes locked onto hazel over Beth’s head, searching for the agreement he needed to leave. Emma’s lips curled into a quick, hallow smile. ’Go,’ her gaze told him.

Only then did Ethan and Elijah vanish into the dark hallway, leaving Emma and Beth to finish up with Glenn.

The old mans fingers were still locked tightly onto Emma, anchoring her to the spot. She looked down, noticing the dusty pale skin of his wrist, peeking out from his skirt sleeve. A very visible tattoo marked him there of a thick, black circle, with two conjoining triangles inside it. It looked faded with age, but that didn’t detour its intimidation level.

As gently as she could, Emma pulled her wrist free from his grasp and placed his hand onto his lap.
“We’re going to stop him.” She said matter-of-factly.
“Has he begun recruiting yet?”
A frown creased her brows, “Recruiting?”
Glenn shook his head, his gaze shifting away from Emma’s intense stare. “If it hasn’t started already, it will…a-and if it has, the end is closer than you think. Numbers. Numbers will grow. And with growth comes power. So much power. Power and flames. Flames and smoke.”
One minute he made perfect sense, the next he was talking gibberish, his mind slipping off course.

“Glenn,” Emma lent forward, trying to recapture his flailing attention. “What is he recruiting for?”
“D-79 will become ash. Ash and dust to the wind.”
“Glenn.”
“The sky will fall in on the lost souls. So many lost souls.”
Beth sighed, “This is no good, Emma. He’s gone and this isn’t getting us anywhere. We’re wasting time.”
Like when they’d first walked in, Glenn was once again staring out the window, his mind a million miles away from his body.
“This has been such a fucking waste of a trip. We now have more questions than we do answers thanks to this old man that is nothing but a crackpot!”
“Beth!” Emma scowled, straightening. “He’s this way because of Hoffman! That bastard has crippled this town and the people that live here. Coming here has showed us that we’re not playing anymore – this isn’t a game. We can’t underestimate him, even for a second.”
“I know, I just…” Beth groaned, raking her fingers through her small ponytail. “…I didn’t expect it to be this bad, Em.”
“It’d be worse without the chips in everyone’s brain. He may have put them inside everyone for his own selfish reasons -” She said softly, petting the old mans shoulder once before dropping her hand away. “- but he did them a favour. At least they don’t remember all the terrible things he did, all the horrors they no doubt witnessed. They’d all be like Glenn without them.”

They left O’Hare’s room, Emma tucking the chip into her pants pocket.

The boys were finishing up when Emma and Beth rounded the corner, Ethan tucking something under his coat as Elijah leaned over the counter, throwing the full power of his Elijah-magic at the poor receptionist, crooked grin and all.
Emma would have been lying to herself if she said that seeing Elijah use his charm on someone other than her didn’t bother her intently, whether he meant it or not.
She forced her frown back as Ethan slid next to them, looking as though he’d been with them all along.

“W-Where are you going?” The dazed woman asked, practically jumping across the counter when Elijah turned to leave with them.
Emma gritted her teeth together, slamming her palm into the door and sending it flying open. It took everything she had not to turn around and slam the woman’s teeth into the back of her throat for looking at Elijah like she did.

“Nice work, buddy,” Ethan grinned, glancing at Elijah in the rear-view mirror when they got back into the car. “You are good.”
Elijah smirked lazily. “You expected any less?”
“I thought it was impossible, but you had her eating out of the palm of your hand within seconds! She didn’t even notice me there.”
Beth inspected her nails using the light above her head, the sun setting behind the greying clouds. “Jesus, Ethan. Don’t make his head any bigger than it already is.”
“There isn’t a woman alive that can resist the sexiness that is Elijah Walker – “ He nudged Emma lightly. “ – Isn’t that right, love?”
Beth caught Emma’s burning stare in the mirror as Ethan pulled away. “And you’re asking your girlfriend that?”
“Emma doesn’t mind.”
She folded her arms tightly across her chest. “Oh yea, everyone wants you, Elijah. You even cracked me. Congratulations.”
The grin instantly vanished from his face, “I didn’t mean – “
“Would anyone be against crashing somewhere for the night? The idea of facing this seven hour drive back home is… eh, not great. Unless anyone else wants to drive?”
Rylee let out a loud snore.
Beth yawned. “Not me.”
“No.” Emma grounded out.
The car sped through the streets of the deserted Venus Hill. “Great! Everyone look out for a crappy motel. We’ll recharge there and head out early.”

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