Prologue
You know something is off as soon as your body starts to wake. All those years of darkness had been good for something at least. Slowly your eyes open and you take in your surroundings. Everything looks the same as it had when you laid down to rest before having to get on the move again.
Then again running for your life from something you had no idea you where about to dive head first into had been your norm for the past six months. Really though how where you suppose to know that virus you where poking around with would actually work. You where just messing around in the hypothetical and one wrong connection to the outside world at the worst possible time and BAM before you can even think to disconnect the information just started flowing in from all over right before your very eyes. It was so beautiful at the time. That really should have been the biggest red flag for you shouldn't it.
Your getting side tracked with your thoughts already and you haven't even made your way out of bed. Sleep should be a much larger priority but a few hours a night seems to be all you can manage before your awake again these days. Rubbing your hands over your face you sit up and swing your legs over the edge of the bed. Your eyes look over the room slowly this time trying to find what is out of place. Before you had laid down you had turned on the television and flipped through the channels for a while before leaving infomercials muted on it. Now though it was black with white text written across the middle.
Hello Keiran.
"What the f….." you trail off as the text disappears only to be immediately replaced.
You are not safe here.
"You don't say." Your fingers squeeze at the bridge of your nose. You can feel the start of a headache. You also realize that your currently talking to the television and it seems to be talking back. As if hiding away in cheap motels and well any place seemingly abandoned when cash was tight wasn't bad enough. This however is beyond insane but you open your eyes any way to look at the screen again.
I can help you.
You sigh as another realization hits you. Your going to have to vacate sooner than you originally anticipated. Just once you would like for things to go your way. You start pulling your things together and putting them into your bag throwing it over your shoulder. You glance one last time at the screen. You get the feeling that your making a wrong turn here somewhere for a moment before shrugging it off and leaving the room without looking back.
They are close. Please let me help you Keiran.
Harold hadn't wanted to involve the government in his work in any kind of capacity. To get it off the ground however he had had to bend some on that. Now they where threatening to shut him down any way. No one had anticipated the impact of the rogue virus and how far it could actually reach. The Machine's core systems were beyond safe guarded but it had only bought some time surprisingly so. He still had some work to do but the virus didn't appear to be malicious in nature. Just information gathering. Harold wasn't about to tell them it had gained access to more than what they even had access to from the Machine though.
No this meeting was to merely reassure them that the Machine was running properly. It has just reached a stalemate in the numbers that it couldn't work past as well as purging the virus from its systems. Just a few more days was all he needed. Passing through one of the many halls Harold notices something picular on all of the screens he can see. It was the same message frozen on every single one. It made him worry that his seemingly simple solution to divide the information into relevant and irrelevant would end up being more harmful than good. A really deep set sinking feeling.
NIGHTFALL INITIATING…..
Your not sure where exactly your headed but you know you need to leave the area as fast as your capable of. The television indecent has you freaked and jumping at every shadow. You pull the hood of your sweat shirt over your head covering as much of your identity as possible. If the television was to be believed and not just trying to trap you then you didn't have much time. You start moving down the sidewalk at a regular pace so as not to draw attention to yourself. A payphone starts ringing to your left as you get close to it. You pause briefly considering answering it before shaking your head and continued moving forward.
"I just need to forget what I saw tonight and find a place to hide. I can't afford to trust anyone or anything right now."
You know you sound crazy talking to yourself but really what ARE you suppose to do? It's always helped you to process and tonight has certainly been much more crazy than most of the last six months put together, talking televisions and ringing payphones. Really who even does that kind of thing anymore. So you walk not even bothering to glance at the next ringing phone you pass. Unfortunately who ever is trying to get your attention is being very persistent and after the fourteenth(?) phone its starting to attract the attention of other pedestrians. So at the next one you pick it up, pausing only a second looking at the receiver before placing it against your ear to listen. What you hear when you do is not just one voice but many different voices both male and female seemingly speaking to you all at once.
"I can help keep you safe Keiran. Please let me help you."
Your a little scared, anxious but mostly curious now. Any of the previous government spooks that got to close never really bothered with disguising themselves. This voice, voices however where something else entirely. You can feel it down to your core.
"Who is this?" The question leaves your mouth shaky and uncertain.
"A friend that is in need of your assistance."
The groan leaves your mouth before you can stop it. You can feel yourself growing angry and impatient. You have problems of your own, the biggest one of which is currently baring down on you at a rapid pace that you are unable to currently track being stuck on the phone with some stranger claiming to be a friend. Who did they think they where to start this shit with you now of all times.
"Look I don't know who you are or what your playing at but I don't have time for this shit, let alone the capabilities of helping any one else even if I wanted to."
"I am sorry Keiran. I do not wish to harm you, only protect. Protect you and many other's that need my help."
You glance around you to the few pedestrians on the street with you. Not a lot of them out at this time of night even for New York. None of them look suspicious but you've never been any good at reading other people. Always better left to your own devices. Your own curiosity keeps you company enough and frankly you've found people to be lacking in general. Your parents did always tell you that it was going to get you in trouble. Of course you couldn't even sneeze in that house without being locked in the dark, dank basement for days.
You shake your head quickly to remove those thoughts from your mind. You don't have the time to go down that particular train of thought. Though you can't help the thought that they had been right after all give your current circumstance.
"I know you are nervous to trust me Keiran. I only want to help. Please Keiran."
Something about that voice, voices asking you, pleading with you really to let them help. Your head shakes again before replying softly.
"You said you needed my help. That doesn't sound like you ONLY want to help."
"But I do Keiran. You do not have to help me. That choice is yours. I will still protect you even if you chose not to assist me. You should know though, you could help so many lives. You are important Keiran."
Your speechless. How are you suppose to turn that down. Even with your life being pretty shitty from day one you always knew you where different from others. You never needed people be they family or friend or perfect stranger it didn't matter to you either way, nor did you want any company at all other than that of your own curiosity. The world of course is shit so you couldn't really help that your mind would wonder to what COULD possibly fix it. Then your reality hits that there is nothing you can do to fix something that wants to stay broken.
"I think you have the wrong person. I'm sorry but I really have to be going now. So you can stop with the phone tricks. Your wasting your time and only causing me more trouble."
"Please Keiran, at least find out what I am offering. I can protect you."
As soon as they where done speaking in their weird multiple voices a black town car stopped at the curb right next to you. You tense in anticipation but you only vaguely make out the locks releasing. No other movement comes from the parked vehicle.
"Please Keiran, I need you."
You sigh out in defeat, shoulders slumping with it. You've already spotted the suits that you know are looking for you. You no longer have a choice because your out of time. Your out of time and the only plausible escape now is the town car waiting for you at the curb.
"Alright, I'll do it."
You briefly hear the mystery person on the other end of the line before you replace the receiver on it's hook. You don't have time to contemplate what it means. The suits have spotted you and are heading in your direction. You hope the driver of that car is good as you get into the back driver side, the closest presumably available seat to you. The weird multi-voiced persons last words come back to you as the vehicle peels away from the curb, making you wonder what it could possibly mean.
"Nightfall Activated."
Authors Note: Okay so I know I have other works that people are still interested in me finishing. I'm sorry to say that I just can't seem to find the rest of the stories yet. This though….well what can I say about Shoot that hasn't already been said. This is quite possibly my favorite pairing of all time. I love how the show portrayed them and where it took there characters. That being said this idea just seemed to pop into my head as I am rewatching the series. I've just always wondered and can't wait to see where it will go. HOWEVER I'm only going to put up this chapter for now, see if this is something you as my readers would be interested in…...well reading. Let me know.