"Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate."
- Anonymous
"Identification, please."
Maggie handed the guard her badge and signed in. The guard placed a set of hospital scrubs on the desk and started in on her usual speech.
"You can change there. You can only enter in scrubs and stocking feet. No hard objects are permitted in supermax." Maggie nodded. She knew the drill. Taking her badge back, she entered the locker room.
Once she was dressed, she stepped into a holding chamber. The guard followed her in and searched her for contraband before locking her inside and signaling the guard on the other side. She stepped forward and unlocked the door leading to the actual wing of the hospital.
Maggie stepped through the door and followed the guard down the hall.
"I don't know what you hope to see observing her. She doesn't talk to anyone. Barely ever moves," the guard commented.
Maggie nodded. "I know. I have my reasons." She looked through the observation window for a moment before turning back to the guard. "I think I want to go inside today."
The guard looked skeptical. "Are you sure?" When Maggie nodded, she gestured her over to the door. "When you get inside, give me a thumbs up when you're ready to go through. If you need to leave, there's a call button on the wall by the door."
"Okay. Thanks." She stepped into the outer room and waited for the door to shut behind her. Giving the thumbs up, the guard pressed the button that opened the door to the cell.
Maggie entered and the door slid shut behind her. She looked about the cell and smiled. Harsh artificial lights made the stark whiteness of the padding unforgiving. A two-way mirror was the only break in the bleak landscape in front of her. Even the woman, glaring at her from the floor, fit the pale image of the room.
Maggie's smile widened as she sat cross-legged on the floor. "Hello, Kit. Remember me? I'm sure you do. You don't usually forget the people you try to drive insane, do you? I've been watching you since Charlie sent you here, but today I thought I'd come in and let you know I'm here. You know, it's a lovely day outside. But then, actually, you wouldn't know would you? No sunlight for you, dear doctor."
As expected, Dr. Johnson remained silent. Maggie leaned forward slightly. "You still owe me some information. Feel up to talking?" No answer. "No? Oh, well. Did you know Claire and I have been working on some new tricks? Oh right. You wouldn't know. Well, I should show you. Do you want to see?"
She rolled her shoulders, bringing her body up straighter. Reaching out like Claire told her to, she tried to touch Dr. Johnson's mind. She brushed the surface and stretched herself to delve further in but nothing happened. Taking a deep breath, she repeated the exercise. The same thing happened.
"Damnit!" Maggie slammed her hand on the padded floor. Dr. Johnson's mouth twisted up into a smirk and Maggie lashed out. The doctor found herself against the ceiling. Standing underneath her, Maggie grinned. "Did I forget to mention, I'm back to the way I was before you fucked with me, bitch?"
She stepped to the door and pressed the call button. "I'll see you later Kit." Maggie watched the panic creep into Dr. Johnson's eyes as she disappeared through the door, leaving her on the ceiling. The door slid shut and Dr. Johnson fell to the floor, unable to brace herself for the fall because of the straightjacket.
Maggie changed quickly back into her work clothes. Her visits with Dr. Johnson were taking more and more time. She was going to be late coming back from lunch again. Grabbing her stuff, she signed out quickly and dashed to her car. Maggie was in such a hurry as she drove away from the hospital, she didn’t notice the car following her.
The car stayed a ways behind her until she turned into the Agency garage. The man inside watched as Maggie showed her badge and the gate was lifted for her to enter. When she was out of sight, he drove on.
Maggie sighed as she pulled into her parking spot in the Agency garage. She had been right about being late. She hurried from the garage, up the stairs to the lab.
Eberts was standing outside the door, waiting for her. "You're late Magdalena."
"I know, Eberts. I'm sorry. I lost track of time at the park." She tried to walk past him, but he stopped her. "What do you want? I'm late, remember?"
"The Official wants to see you."
She pressed the bridge of her nose. The last thing she needed today was to get yelled at by the Official. "All right. Let's go." She followed Eberts to the Official's office. He held the door open for her and she stepped inside.
The Official was standing by the windows looking out at the street below. He waved her inside. "Eberts, if you would wait outside." Eberts nodded and closed the door behind her. "Come here, Magdalena."
"You wanted to see me, sir?" She leaned against the window next to him.
He smiled gently. "How are you feeling?"
She shrugged. "My powers are all back to the way they were."
"Fawkes said you're having nightmares."
"Sir, Charlie, I've been having nightmares all my life. He knows that. Claire feels I'm making progress in expanding my powers."
He turned to face her. "That's good. Magdalena, you know you can come to me if you have any problems, right?"
Maggie nodded. "I know." She headed for the door but stopped and turned back. "Charlie?"
"Yes, Magdalena?"
"Thank you, sir." He nodded and she left the office. Maggie went in search of Darien. She found him coming out of the office he shared with Hobbes. "Hey Thief."
"Princess. Hi, what's up?"
"I appreciate you trying to help. But telling the Fish about my nightmares just makes him overprotective."
"What'd he do? Put you on house arrest?" Darien looked concerned.
"Nothing. Yet. But he will if he thinks it's keeping me from doing my job." She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Where's Hobbes?"
He waved in the general direction of the Keep. "With Claire."
"Good." She pushed him back into the office and shut the door.
"Mags? What-"
"Shush." She brushed her fingers over his mouth. "It occurred to me that we haven't spent enough time together lately." He stepped back as she advanced on him.
"Yeah? What did you have in mind?"
"Dinner? My place?" She kissed him softly.
"Okay. When?" His hand cupped the back of her head.
"Seven." Her lips moved against his as she spoke.
Darien's hand skimmed over her back, down to her waist, pulling her closer to him. "Sounds good."
"Hobbes is coming," Maggie told him, as he kissed her earlobe gently.
"Hmm?"
Maggie grinned. "Hobbes is coming," she repeated just as the door opened.
Darien straightened up and let go of Maggie. Hobbes glared at both of them. "Get a room. Kitten, Claire's looking for you. She asked me to tell you to tear yourself away from the kid here. She needs your help."
Maggie nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Bobby. See you later, Dary."
After work, Maggie ran to the grocery store to get something for dinner. She hummed along with the song playing over the speakers as she pushed her cart through the store. She put a bottle of olive oil in it and turned the corner. She collided with another shopping cart and looked up in surprise.
An attractive young man looked back at her, embarrassed. He was tall, like Darien, with white blond hair tamed back into a pony tale and vibrant blue eyes. "Sorry."
She shook her head. "No, it was my fault. I wasn't paying attention."
"Me neither." He held out his hand. "I'm Adam."
"Maggie." The moment her hand touched his, she felt dizzy and weak. An overwhelming sense of deja vu hit her and she swayed against the shopping cart, unable to release his hand.
"Are you alright?" He reached out to touch her face, but she pulled back, finally letting go of his hand.
She put her hand to her forehead as the dizziness passed. When she no longer felt like she was going to throw up, she opened her eyes and looked up. "I'm okay. I think I just need something to eat."
"Well, you're in the right place." He motioned around them.
She smiled weakly at him, "Yeah. Thanks." Nodding, she pushed her cart down the next aisle.
As Maggie walked away, she didn't see Adam watching her, a strange glint in his eye. When she turned out of sight, he finally pushed his cart away.
Darien could hear the music from the driveway. Something heavy and hard played on Maggie's stereo. Shaking his head, he let himself into the house, knowing Maggie wouldn't hear him knock.
He found her in the kitchen, tossing a salad and singing along at the top of her lungs.
"Snake, I am the snake. Tempting, that bite you take. Let me make your mind, leave yourself behind. Be not afraid. I've got what you need, hunger I will feed." Her hips moved in time with the music.
He waited for a break in the music before putting his hands on her shoulders and kissing the back of her neck. She jumped and shrieked, whirling around. He grinned and kissed her.
Maggie grabbed the remote on the counter and turned down the music. She also switched CDs and Dido's quiet melodies floated out of the speakers. "Better?"
"Hey, either one is good for me." Darien looked over her shoulder. "What's for dinner?"
"Chicken Diane and a salad."
"Sounds good." He backed her up to the counter. "When's dinner gonna be ready?" he asked, as he kissed her jaw line.
"Soon. Let me go or the chicken's going to burn." Maggie gave him a playful shove and moved to the stove. "I promise you will have my undivided attention after dinner."
"Undivided?" He followed her and nuzzled her neck.
She tilted her head to the side unconsciously. "Mmm hmm."
"Good."
After dinner, they sat curled on the couch, a movie forgotten on the screen in front of them. Darien played with Maggie's hair as she dozed in his arms.
"The Official's worried about you Princess," he told her softly.
She nodded. "I know. I talked to him. There's nothing to be worried about."
He tilted her head up so he could look into her eyes. "Really?"
"Really. I'm fine."
"Last time you said that you almost died." He traced the planes of her face with the tips of his fingers. "You look pale."
"This weird thing happened in the grocery store," she admitted.
"Weird thing?"
"Yeah. I ran into this guy. When he touched me I felt really dizzy and nauseous. And it was like I knew him from somewhere." Maggie burrowed her head into Darien's shoulder.
"Who was he?" He rubbed the back of her neck.
"Told me his name was Adam. He shook my hand. It was weird. Like, before when I needed the inhibitor every week. Like I just lost control." She spoke against his neck, letting her tongue dart out to taste his skin.
"How do you feel now?" His hand slipped under her shirt, skimming over her back.
"Fine. Once he left I felt better." She shifted, letting him pull her shirt off over her head. "So what did you do today, Thief?"
"Saved the world. Nothing new." He rolled her over so she was under him. "Is this new?" His hand came up to cup her satin clad breast. The lavender bra was covered in a darker purple flowered pattern.
Maggie arched into his hand. "Yeah. Do you like it?" She reached up and started unbuttoning his shirt.
"Yeah. Do the bottoms match?" His hand slipped down under the waistband of her jeans.
She pulled his shirt down his arms. "You'll have to find out yourself."
Maggie shot up in bed, breathing hard. Her heart was racing as she scanned the room for whatever had woken her. Darien slept soundly next to her, unaware of the terror previously racing through her mind. His arm was a solid presence around her waist and she let herself fall back to the mattress.
"Hmm? Mags?" Darien's arm tightened around her. "You okay?"
She turned and pulled herself even closer to him. "Nightmare."
"Another one? Is it a premonition?" He threw a leg over hers, coming more awake.
She shrugged. "Maybe. Don't know."
"Can I help?"
"No. I'm okay. Just want to go back to sleep. Okay?"
"If you're sure?" He reached up and touched her face, smoothing the worry lines from her forehead. She nodded. "Okay. Night, Princess."
She snuggled closer to him. "Night, Thief."
The next day was Saturday and Maggie persuaded Darien to spend the day wandering around the downtown shopping district.
"I'm going to go to the bookstore," Maggie told him as he looked over the selections at the coffee shop.
"Okay. I'll meet you there." He glanced over at her for a moment to smile brightly.
"Kay." Maggie leaned up on her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek before heading across the street to The Book Cellar, one of her favorite shops in the area. She headed for the back, where the romance novels were kept. She was reading the back of one book when she was bumped into from behind.
"I'm sorry," a male voice spoke. She turned around to acknowledge his apology and looked up into a familiar pair of eyes. "Oh, hi again."
"Adam? Funny running into you here." Maggie backed up so they weren't standing so close.
"Small world, I guess." He glanced at the book she was holding. "Beach reading?"
She glanced down and quickly put the book on the shelf next to her. "Not that one. Looks cheesy."
"Ah."
She looked at the section of books he was standing in front of. "Horror novels?"
"Different kind of cheesy." He watched her a little too closely for her liking and she glanced up at the front of the store. The door opened and Darien stepped inside, giving her an opening for escape.
Maggie smiled at Adam. "My friend is here. I've got to go." She started toward the front of the store.
"Nice to see you again," Adam called as she walked away. Maggie waved noncommittally.
Darien watched her from the front of the store. "Who was that?"
"That guy Adam." She linked her arm in his and steered him out of the store.
He looked back over his shoulder. "The one from the grocery store?"
"Yup." She kept pulling him along down the sidewalk until they were well away from the bookstore.
"Weird."
Maggie spent Sunday puttering around the house, doing chores and yard work. She was weeding the front flowerbed when she got the feeling like she was being watched. She turned as she weeded so she was facing the road and glanced up.
A silver car was parked across the street from her house in the shade of a large tree. It was hard to tell, but Maggie thought she could see someone sitting inside the car.
After a moment, the car drove off. As the car pulled out of the shadows, Maggie caught a glimpse of the driver. It was Adam. Shaken, she dropped her tools and ran into the house. She slammed the door shut and locked it behind her.
The phone rang at that moment and she jumped, giving a little scream. With a nervous laugh, she picked up the phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Are you okay?" Darien sounded worried.
"Yeah. I just got spooked outside." After a moment she asked, "How'd you know?"
"Just did. Was it Adam again?"
"He was sitting in a car across the street watching me. As soon as he saw I had noticed him, he drove away." She sat down on the bottom stair.
"I'm coming over," Darien said firmly.
For once, Maggie didn't argue with him. "Okay." She hung up and went upstairs to shower.
"You need to tell the Official about this, Mags," Darien repeated for the fifth time over dinner.
Maggie shook her head. "He's just going to make me move into the lab or put me in protective custody or something. I'll be careful."
"I don't like this." He was visibly upset.
She reached across the table and touched his hand. "I know. Stay here and protect me."
He smiled. "If you insist, Princess."
She nodded. "I insist, Thief."
Monday morning, Hobbes met Darien and Maggie at the office door.
"'Fish wants to see us," Hobbes explained.
Maggie smiled. "Good morning to you too Bobby."
"Maggie."
"What's the fat man want?" Darien followed his partner down to the Official's office.
Hobbes shrugged. "Eberts said something about a new case." He opened the door, letting Maggie and Darien go in first.
Maggie smiled brightly at their boss. "Morning, sir. You wanted to see us?"
The Official looked up at Maggie's greeting. "Good morning, Magdalena. Hobbes, Fawkes. Sit down, please." They took their usual place in front of the desk. "You're going to be going along on a raid today with the ATF."
"The ATF? What do they want us for?" Maggie questioned.
"They were looking for some extra manpower on a smuggling raid. The three of you are going along on this raid as a professional courtesy." The Official looked almost gleeful as described their assignment.
"How much did they pay you?" Darien knew better.
Eberts smiled. "$5,000 each, with a bonus of the same amount if everyone involved is captured."
"Jesus. We should ditch this agency and go out on our own." Darien smirked at Hobbes and Maggie.
"You'll be briefed when you get to the AFT building. They're expecting you at 10:00." The Official ignored Darien's remark. "I want both of you to check in with the Keeper before you go."
Maggie nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Good. You're dismissed." He sent them away with a wave of his hand.
Maggie followed Darien and Hobbes down to their office. She flopped on the couch, her feet up on the side of Hobbes' desk.
"What now?" she asked.
"We've only got two hours before we have to be at the federal building. Wanna get some breakfast?" Darien suggested. Maggie shrugged.
Hobbes nodded. "Sure. I'm always up for food."
Maggie got to her feet. "Let go see Claire then."
Claire looked up when the trio entered the lab. She went to the cooler and pulled out two syringes.
"Hey, Claire," Darien greeted her, as he slid into the chair. She rolled over on her chair and set the needles down on the table next to him. "How'd you know?"
"The Official called and said you'd be down." She swabbed the crook of his elbow and picked up the proper needle. "Where are you going?"
"ATF raid. The Official loaned us out." Maggie fidgeted as she waited impatiently for her turn in the chair. She hated the needles and wanted it to be over. "How much longer do I have to do this, Claire?" she asked when Darien climbed out of the chair.
Claire smiled. "Not much longer. You're back down to a very weak dose, Maggie."
Maggie nodded. "Cool."
"I want you to be extra careful today." Claire glanced at them before she disposed of the needles.
"How come?" Maggie sat on the edge of the chair, legs swinging.
"I just have a bad feeling about this. I want you to be careful, that's all."
Hobbes raised an eyebrow. "You turnin' psychic on us too, Keepie?"
"Funny, Bobby." Claire pulled off the gloves and pitched them into the trashcan. "Just be careful."
"I'm going to take another quick lap around the building, make sure we didn't miss anything." Maggie let the agent in charge know where she was going.
He nodded once. "Be careful. Call in if you find anything."
"Will do," she called and headed out of the warehouse. A few of the ATF agents nodded to her as she headed to the rear of the building. She opened her senses wide and felt someone moving behind a stack of crates. Maggie drew her gun and followed him.
"Freeze, federal agent!" she shouted when she saw the man tossing something into a dumpster. He looked up and bolted. Cursing, Maggie called in to the agent in charge and took off after him.
He ran into an alley between warehouses. Maggie followed him. A shadow stepped out from behind a dumpster and the man crumpled to the ground. Maggie skidded to a halt and raised her gun at the shadow as he stepped into the light.
"Don't move," she ordered, keeping her gun trained on the figure.
He stepped out of the shadows, his hands in the air. "Don't shoot."
"Adam? What are you doing here?" Maggie ventured further into the alley, ignoring the buzzing of voices coming from her earpiece. He leaned against the wall arrogantly, watching her with guarded eyes.
"We were made for each other. So we would never be lonely." His voice was rougher than she remembered from the store. "Don't you remember me?"
"Who are you, Adam?" She kept her distance from him, wary of him.
When he pushed away from the wall, Maggie noticed he was acting very different from when she had met him in the grocery store. "I'm just like you."
She took a step toward the entrance of the alley. "What do you mean?"
"You're my Eve." He smiled gently at her. "Don't you remember me Maggie?"
Maggie glanced over her shoulder trying to locate any of the agents on the team but there was no one in sight. When she turned back, he was in front of her.
Adam pushed her against the wall, one hand on her shoulder. The other caressed her cheek tenderly. "Let me show you." The words came out in a growl. She felt his breath on her throat before his mouth pressed against her skin.
She shook her head as his mouth moved closer to hers. "No."
"Yes." The word came out in a hiss and his mouth came down on hers. In the same instant, his mind slipped into hers. She cried out, the sound swallowed into his mouth. That's not so bad is it?
Get out of my head. She was trying hard not to panic. His lips left her mouth and were slowly kissing a trail down her jawbone.
I'm just showing you your potential. You can be so much more than what your agency asks of you. He held her against the wall. You can cause pleasure. Maggie felt a surge of heat flow through her and she sagged against him, only wanting him to touch her. Or pain.
When she heard pain, she felt a different kind of heat in her mind. It felt like a million white-hot needles stabbing her brain. She whimpered and tried to pull away from him but he held her tightly.
You can find all kinds of interesting information as well, Maggie. He pulled what he was looking for out of her thoughts before slipping his mind from hers. Maggie dropped to the ground with a scream, holding her head. Stars floated in front of her eyes as she lay gasping on the pavement.
"I can show you, Maggie. You only have to ask."
That was the last thing Maggie heard as she was dragged down into the darkness.
"-starting to wake up."
Maggie heard Hobbes' voice and clawed her way back to consciousness. Slowly, she opened her eyes, moaning at the migraine-sized headache quickly developing. "Lights," she groaned.
"What, Princess?" Darien's voice was too loud.
She waved her hand in the general direction of the lights. "Turn off the lights."
Claire dimmed the lights until Maggie could open her eyes. "Thank you," she croaked out. Darien held up a glass of water for her to drink. She smiled gratefully and swallowed the cool liquid.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Claire shined a penlight in her eyes quickly, checking her over.
"It was Adam."
Darien looked up sharply. Claire glanced from Maggie to Darien and back.
"Who's Adam?"
"Maggie's stalker," Darien answered for her.
Maggie turned her head to glare at Darien and groaned at the pain the movement caused. "He's a guy I met at the grocery store. And he's been following me around. He was in the alley. He can do everything I can."
"You mean there's more than one of you?" Claire looked up in surprise. "I don't remember reading about any other children when I was reading the project files."
"He kept asking me if I remember him. I almost do, but it's really fuzzy." She rubbed her head. "Oh man, I've got such a headache."
"Here. Take a couple of these." Claire handed her a pill cup and a glass of water.
Maggie swallowed the pills and leaned back against the chair. "Did we get them all?"
Hobbes smiled. "Yeah we did. Including the one you were chasing."
"Cool."
"I've ordered the Official to give you a day in the lab tomorrow. Give you some rest." Claire checked her pulse again. "Darien, take her to your place and make sure she gets some sleep. I'll speak with the Official about this Adam person."
"Will do, Keep. Come on, Mags." He waited for her to slide off the chair and get her footing before offering help. She wobbled for a moment before finding her legs and taking a few steps.
"I'm okay, Dary." She walked slowly to the door, Darien a few paces behind her. "See you guys later."
Maggie followed Darien up to his apartment and inside. Darien found a T-shirt for Maggie to sleep in, and she went into the bathroom to change. She suddenly felt very tired. When she came out of the bathroom, she found that Darien had already pulled the shades down and turned the bedcovers down for her.
He was sprawled across the couch, looking at a magazine. He looked up when she came out. "You okay?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "Really tired."
"So get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up." He sat up and stood.
Maggie climbed into bed. Darien pulled the covers over her, tucking her in. "Thanks, dad." She threw him a sarcastic look.
"Very funny. Sleep tight." He shook his head and went back to his magazine on the couch.
From the beginning Maggie watched the dream as if it were a movie. She saw herself when she was only four. The younger Maggie was playing with blocks, building a wooden block tower. They both looked up when the door to the nursery opened. A little boy stepped inside, followed by a tall woman in military uniform. The woman looked familiar to the older Maggie, but she couldn’t place her face. The boy was small and his clothes were too large for him. His blond hair stuck out in a few places.
"Stay here and play. I'll be back for you in a few hours." She kissed the boy on the top of his head. He nodded and she left, shutting the door behind her.
"Hi." The four year old Maggie smiled warmly at the boy. She was happy to see someone her own age at the base. Normally there were only adults around.
He looked at her shyly. "Hi."
"My name's Maggie." She added another level to the swaying tower.
"I'm Adam."
"Do you like blocks? We could build a castle." Unbeknownst to her, the tower behind her was getting ready to topple over.
"Your tower's falling." Adam pointed. Maggie turned and looked at what he was pointing at. The tower fell and he guided the pieces to the ground so that they wouldn't hit Maggie. When she saw this, she turned back to him.
"You can do things too!" she exclaimed happily. "Daddy told me I was the only one."
Adam watched the younger Maggie warily. She turned around and picked up a block with her mind. The block twirled around before floating over to Adam. It hovered in front of him until he reached out and took it with his hand.
"Mommy told me about you. She said there was a girl like me here." He handed her the block and she tossed it onto the floor with the others.
"If you don't wanna play blocks, we can play tinker toys or Lincoln logs." Maggie watched her younger self try desperately to find something the little boy would like to play with.
He perked up. "You got tinker toys? I like them. Mommy won't let me have tinker toys at home. She says I might poke my eye out with them."
Little Maggie nodded happily. She went to the shelf and found the round tub of tinker toys. "Laurie says I gotta pick up the blocks before I can play with other toys. She's the babysitter."
As she watched the two children put the blocks away telekinetically, Maggie remembered Laurie. She was younger than most of the people on the base with a kind smile and warm attitude that was perfect for the base nursery. When all the blocks were away, her younger self brought the tub of tinker toys over to the carpet and dumped them out.
Time around her shifted and Maggie got the impression of days passing. Adam was a part of her routine at the base. Every morning she was dropped off in the nursery and Adam joined her an hour later. When time finally slowed back down, three weeks had passed.
Little Maggie was in the process of building a fort using the table in the center of the room and a bed sheet her mother had given her when Adam was dropped off. She poked her head out from under the sheet.
"Adam! Look, I made a fort. Laurie says we can have lunch in it today."
Adam ignored her and went to the corner of the room. He slumped into one of the beanbag chairs. Older Maggie watched the boy warily. There were dark bags under his eyes and he looked tired and mad.
"Adam? What's wrong?" Maggie crawled out from under the table. "You wanna play something else?"
"Leave me alone," the boy muttered, staring dejectedly out the window.
She chewed on her thumbnail, worried about her friend. "You wanna read a book or something?" He shook his head. "You want me to get Laurie?"
"Just leave me ALONE!" Adam turned suddenly and Maggie watched herself fly across the room. She hit the opposite wall, her head hitting with a sickening thud before she slid down unconscious.
Laurie ran into the room screaming. She rushed to Maggie's side, checking her pulse before going to the phone on the wall.
"Sir? There's been an accident in the nursery. You'd better bring a stretcher. Maggie's unconscious." Laurie hung up the phone and turned to Adam who was curled in the corner, looking terrified.
"I didn't mean to, Laurie. I was just mad and she wouldn't leave me alone. I didn't mean to." The little boy seemed to shrink into himself as his tears started.
Laurie held out her arms to the boy. "I know, sweetheart."
The image of Laurie and Adam faded as Maggie came awake. Opening her eyes, Maggie looked up at the ceiling of Darien's apartment. She stretched and yawned, feeling a million times better than she had before. Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked around. Darien was asleep on the couch, his long frame sprawled out and his head thrown back with his mouth open. She giggled and he snorted, sitting up suddenly. He looked around before focusing on her.
"Feel better?" He got to his feet, stretching as he did.
She nodded and pushed the covers back, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "What time is it?"
He glanced over at the kitchen clock. "5:45. Hungry?"
"Yeah, actually. I am."
They decided to get Italian takeout. As they were sitting at the kitchen counter eating, Maggie described her dream to Darien.
"So this guy is the kid you used to play with at the base?" Darien asked before taking a bite of his baked ziti.
"I think so." Maggie took a drink of her red wine. "The woman who dropped him off was so familiar, but I can't figure out who she is."
"Weird coincidence that that guy is stalking you and then you suddenly dream about this kid with the same name."
Maggie shook her head. "I don't think it's a coincidence. I think Adam did something when he was in my head. Shook a memory loose or something. I'm pretty sure the Adam in my dream is the younger self of the Adam who attacked me."
Darien nodded thoughtfully. "Have you been able to do that thing that he did yet?"
She shook her head. "Not yet. I haven't been able to practice much though. Claire doesn't want me to try it outside of the lab. Just in case something bad happens."
Darien looked startled. "Like what?"
"In theory, I could wipe a person's mind clean. Or I could simply kill them. Create a brain aneurism. I'm sure there's other stuff, but you get the idea," Maggie explained before taking a bite of her food.
"Wow." Darien looked a little scared of her. She smiled sadly and went back to her dinner.
After dinner, Maggie convinced Darien to take her home so she could change and pack a bag. She moved around her room quietly, putting clothes in a duffle bag before climbing into the shower.
As she stood there under the spray of water, Maggie felt tears well up in her eyes. She didn't want Darien scared of her. She didn't want any of her friends to be scared of her. The tears came and Maggie sank to the floor of the shower, crying silently.
When all her tears were gone, Maggie stood up and finished her shower. She dried off and changed into a T-shirt and jeans. Rubbing a towel over her hair, Maggie headed down to the living room.
"Darien, why don't we see what Claire and Bobby are doing tonight?" she called as she turned the corner into the room.
"This is a private party, Maggie. They aren't invited." Adam stood in the middle of the room. Darien was lying on the floor unconscious.
Maggie dropped the towel and started toward Darien. "If you hurt him," she began but Adam stopped her.
"He's only unconscious. Don't get yourself upset." He took a step toward her. "I think you and I need to have a talk."
Maggie stepped back. "We have nothing to talk about. I know who you are, Adam."
"So my little journey into your mind shook things up a bit, did it?" He grinned. "What do you remember?"
"The nursery. Laurie. Tinker toys. You throwing me across the room." Maggie glanced at Darien again.
Adam began to approach her. Maggie moved backwards until her back hit the doorframe. He touched her temple and she crumpled into his arms. "Time to go back Maggie."
Maggie groaned and opened her eyes. She was lying on a hard carpeted floor. She looked around and was suddenly transported back to when she was four. The nursery was the same as she remembered it. The concrete walls were painted to resemble the outdoors with blue sky and fluffy clouds. Maggie half expected to see Laurie sitting at the short table with an art project.
There were still toys on the shelves and Maggie wondered if it was still being used as a day care. She glanced at the windows and was surprised to see thick metal bars covering them. Searching her memory, Maggie realized they had always been there. She'd just never noticed them when she was a child. She stood up, rubbing the back of her neck. She saw Darien still unconscious on the floor.
A noise at the doorway made her turn. Adam stood there watching her. "Brings back memories." He stepped into the room.
"It was our prison," she retorted. "What are we doing here?"
"In 1990, this base was decommissioned and sold to a private organization. Most of the space was converted to offices, meeting spaces, research labs but this wing," He made a wide gesture, "this wing was left as is. As a personal favor to the son of the head of research. When the organization sent the head of research on a mission and she failed to return, they asked that son to complete that mission and bring the target back here. Any guesses on who that target is, Maggie?"
"You're Dr. Johnson's son. She was woman who dropped you off in the mornings." Maggie kicked herself internally for not figuring it out sooner. "What organization do you work for?"
Adam smiled. "You've met them before, Maggie."
"Cobalt."
He clapped his hands together in mocking applause. "Give the girl a prize."
"I thought we arrested all of them."
He laughed loudly. "That was only one cell of Cobalt. We are so much more than just a few scientists and bumbling soldiers." Adam looked at Maggie thoughtfully. "Together, we're going to be unstoppable."
She walked to the windows and looked out. "What makes you think I'm going to work with you?"
"When they get done with you, you will." Adam stepped out of the room and shut the door. The glass window had been replaced with iron bars. "Make yourself comfortable, Maggie. You're going to be here for a while."
When he was gone, Maggie rushed over to Darien. She shook him gently and heard him groan. "Dary? Wake up, Darien."
He groaned again and opened his eyes. "What the hell happened?"
"Adam happened. He's brought us to the old military base." Maggie helped him sit up. "The building belongs to Cobalt now."
Darien looked at her in confusion. "Cobalt? I thought we got rid of them."
"Apparently not. He's under the delusion that I'm going to work with them." Maggie brushed a lock of hair off of Darien's forehead. "How do you feel?"
"Like I went out drinking with Hobbes. My head is killing me." He let her lean his head against her shoulder. "This was your nursery?"
"For a while it was." Maggie rested her cool hand against his forehead. "Close your eyes." She tried to find the source of his pain and block it, but she found she couldn't. "Something's wrong."
"What?" Darien opened his eyes and sat up, grimacing.
She shook her head. "I'm not sure. It's like there's a block in my head that's keeping me from reaching out." She closed her eyes and started to search her mind. "I think Adam did something," she murmured as she searched.
Maggie's answering machine picked up once again and Hobbes hung up. "Still no answer," he relayed to Claire. They'd been trying to call Darien and Maggie all evening.
"And they're not answering at Darien's place either?" Claire asked. Hobbes shook his head. "Maybe we should go over there and check on them. Just to be sure."
Hobbes nodded and reached for his keys. "You read my mind, Keep."
They drove over to Darien's apartment first. Claire knocked on the door several times before Hobbes took out his key and unlocked the door.
"Darien? Maggie?" she called as they entered the apartment. "Are you here?" A quick search of the apartment revealed they were not home. "Nothing?" Claire asked when Hobbes joined her in the living room.
He shook his head. "Let's try Maggie's."
Maggie's house was dark when they pulled into the driveway next to Darien's car. Claire looked at Hobbes. "I don't like the look of this, Bobby."
"Me neither. Why don't you call the Official and let him know what's up? I'm going to look inside." He patted her knee, got out of the van and headed up the front walk. The door was ajar and he pushed it open cautiously as he drew his gun.
"Federal agent," he called as he entered the house. Only silence greeted him. Hobbes moved quietly about the house and found no sign of Darien or Maggie. "Damn it." He stepped out onto the front steps as Claire was coming up the walk.
"Anything?" she asked hopefully.
He shook his head. "Nada. The door was ajar but that was it."
"The Official said he's going to send a forensics team out here to look around. Hopefully, they'll be able to find some clue to where they went," Claire informed him. She was as frustrated as Hobbes was that their friends were missing. "Let's go back to the office. I want to look up something," she said suddenly.
Hobbes shrugged. "Better than sitting around here doing nothing."
Maggie inhaled quickly and grimaced. Darien watched her anxiously. "Found it," she breathed. Her brows drew together in a look of intense concentration as she fought to break down the wall Adam had erected in her mind while she was unconscious. As soon as the wall fell, Maggie felt as though she surfaced from being underwater for a long time. She took a deep breath and exhaled very slowly before opening her eyes. With a soft smile, she reached out and placed her palm on Darien's forehead. A light brush of her mind against his and the pain in his head was gone.
When she opened her eyes a second time, Darien was smiling too. "You did it. The pain's gone."
She looked distracted for a moment. "He's coming back. And there's someone with him." Maggie blanched when she recognized the person with him. "Oh crap," she whispered.
"What? Who is it Mags?" Darien asked her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Wynn," she whispered as the door opened.
Adam and a very brawny man entered the room. "I see you remember my associate. It's time for you to meet the rest of Cobalt, Maggie."
"I'm not letting you take her." Darien moved so Maggie was behind him. She hadn't taken her eyes off of Wynn since he entered the room.
"He was at the house. The first time." Maggie's voice was quiet. Darien recognized the man with Adam from the house where he'd rescued Maggie the first time.
"You really don't have a choice in this matter, Mr. Fawkes," Adam pointed out. Wynn approached the couple. Darien tried to move them out of his way, but Wynn was faster and Darien crumpled to the ground. Wynn's huge hand circled Maggie's forearm, pulling her across the room and out the door.
Claire raced into the Agency with Hobbes close at her heels. She ran down the stairs to the Keep and into her lab. Booting up her computer, she typed the name Adam into the files search. A moment later the screen flashed with a match.
"I knew it," she exclaimed, opening the file. It was an old file on the Alpha 421R project. "Maggie wasn't the only successful test subject."
"Don't tell me. The other one is her stalker Adam," Hobbes guessed, reading over Claire's shoulder.
She nodded. "Son of a bitch. His mother is our favorite evil keeper, Dr. Johnson." Claire reached for the phone and dialed the Official's extension. "Sir? I've found some information that may help us locate Maggie and Darien."
A few minutes later, Claire and Hobbes were standing in the Official's office with a printout of the file they'd been looking at. "This information was under our noses the whole time. I'd read the project files so long ago I'd forgotten all about him."
The Official looked grim. "There was a break out at the supermax. Dr. Johnson was the only prisoner freed."
"Her real name is Kit Livingston. Her son is Adam Livingston, the only other successful case in the Alpha 421R project," Claire explained. "They both disappeared when the project was shut down after Maggie's parents' death."
"So where are they now?" the Official asked.
Hobbes shook his head. "That we don't know."
Maggie was taken through a series of hallways into a much nicer part of the building. They finally came to a stop in front of a large meeting room. Wynn pushed her inside and Adam followed.
There were several men and women sitting around the large table. They look at her with interest as Adam steered her to an empty chair at the end of the table. He pushed her down into it and smiled.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to meet Magdalena Rourke," Adam announced.
The man sitting at the head of the table stood up. "My name is Rubens and I can't tell you how excited we are to have you with us, Miss Rourke. You're going to do great things for us. Welcome to Cobalt."
Maggie opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by another voice. This one was familiar.
"Yes, Miss Rourke. Welcome." The owner of the voice swiveled around in her chair slowly. "We have so much to catch up on." Dr. Johnson smiled malevolently.
Maggie's eyes widened in surprise. "How?"
Adam placed a hand on her shoulder. "Remember that little journey I took in your head? As I said, you can learn all sorts of interesting things."
"Who are you people and what do you want from me?" Maggie demanded. She was growing short on patience.
Rubens at the head of the table smiled. "We're an international organization devoted to one purpose. To rule the world. Sounds clichéd, I know, but think about it. Isn't it really what everyone wants?" He started walking around the table. "With Adam's help, we've already placed Cobalt people at the helm of several governments. Now that you are part of the organization, and Mr. Fawkes as well, we'll be unstoppable."
Maggie stood up and the lights flickered. "I won't do it."
Rubens reached out and grabbed her chin. "You don't understand. You don't have a choice." The door opened and Wynn marched Darien inside. "If you don't help us, he dies. And then you die."
"No!" Maggie tried to pull away from Adam but he held onto her tightly. "Let him go. Leave Darien alone and I'll stay."
Rubens smiled. "Why would I let him go when we can get two super powered agents for the price of one?" He waved at Wynn. "Put him back in the nursery." Then he looked at Adam. "Take her to the lab. I want everything she knows about the Agency."
"Yes, sir." Adam pulled Maggie out of the meeting room and down the hall to a large laboratory. He forced her into a lab chair and strapped her down. "I'm sorry, Maggie. You're going to fight me so this is going to hurt." He touched her cheek and a searing pain burned into Maggie's mind. She screamed and blacked out.
Eberts looked up from his computer. "They belong to Cobalt." He spoke loud enough for everyone in the room to hear him.
"What?" The Official came to stand behind him. He was quickly joined by Claire and Hobbes.
"I don't have much time before they know I'm in their system, but I found Dr. Johnson and Adam Livingston listed in the Cobalt files as active members," Eberts explained.
"I thought we got rid of them when we rescued Maggie." Hobbes was puzzled.
"Apparently, the San Diego cell was eliminated but the organization itself operates out of the decommissioned Nils Army Base. Where the original Alpha project was located." He clicked on something and the screen flashed. Eberts cursed and quickly shut down the machine. "Sorry. They detected me. I didn't want them to be able to trace me back to here."
"That's okay Eberts, my man. You found them." Hobbes clapped him on the shoulder. "When do we go, boss?" he asked the Official.
"Eberts, get a team together."
A young woman came running into the meeting room. "Mr. Rubens, sir, there's been a breach in the computer network."
He looked up from the papers laid out in front of him. "Who?"
She shook her head. "We don't know. They broke the connection before we could trace them."
"What were they looking at?"
"Membership files, sir."
Rubens took a deep breath and looked down at the table for a moment. "Okay. Thank you for letting me know, Charlotte." He waved the girl away and looked at the group sitting around the table. "Joseph, go find out exactly how much information was taken. I want to know exactly whose files they were looking at."
"Yes, sir." One of the men stood up and left the room.
"Now," Ruben turned back to the table with a smile, "where were we?"
The door to the nursery opened and Wynn deposited an unconscious Maggie on the floor. He closed the door behind him and locked it.
Darien crawled over to Maggie and cradled her limp body against his. "Maggie, wake up princess." He stroked her face gently. "Come on, baby. Time to wake up."
She turned her face into his chest. "I want to go home, Dary." Her voice was muffled by his body.
"I know. Me too. We're going to get out of here, Mags."
Maggie raised her head to look at him. "We are?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Hobbes and Claire, they'll find us."
"They want you to work for them too." She sat up fully and rubbing her head.
"I heard. What'd they do to you?" He turned her around and began rubbing the back of her neck.
"Adam was ordered to find out everything I know about the Agency. He knocked me out almost immediately," Maggie explained to him what happened. "That feels so good. I've got such a headache."
The door opened again. This time Dr. Johnson was standing in the doorway. Maggie looked at her and then at Darien. "I think they should install a revolving door in this room. It'd make their lives easier."
Dr. Johnson smirked. "Joke all you want, Agent Rourke. I'm here to escort Agent Fawkes to the lab."
The two agents got to their feet at the same time. "I'm not going with you." Darien said.
At the same time, Maggie spoke up, "You're not taking him anywhere."
"Try and stop me." Dr. Johnson showed them the syringe she had been holding behind her back.
Maggie's eyes flared and the syringe flew out of Dr. Johnson's hand. "Did you forget how dangerous I am, doctor?" She ran forward and placed her hand on the older woman's face. "I couldn't do it last time. Let's see what your son taught me since then." She closed her eyes and dove into Dr. Johnson's mind like a dagger. The doctor's screams quickly turned into gurgling sounds as Maggie did what she told Darien was possible. She wiped everything from Dr. Johnson's mind.
The door opened again and Wynn stepped inside. He grabbed Maggie by the back of her neck and threw her away from the doctor. Dr. Johnson fell to the floor, a drooling, mewling mess. Darien quickly crossed the room to put himself between the huge man and Maggie.
"That wasn't smart," he rumbled and picked up Dr. Johnson. The door slammed shut behind him.
Hobbes fidgeted anxiously in his seat. Someone else was driving Golda and he was seated in the back with Claire, both of them being outfitted with communication and protective gear.
"Hold still, Agent Hobbes," one of the agents admonished. He was trying to attach a small microphone to the collar of his shirt.
"Sorry." Hobbes glanced at Claire who was getting the same treatment on her side of the van. Her eyes mirrored the worried look in his own.
She looked at him. "They're going to be fine, Bobby," she reassured him but her eyes lied.
Hobbes's mouth quirked into a grim smile. "Yeah." Leaning forward, he looked out the front windshield. "How much further?" he called to the driver.
"About 10 more minutes to the go point," the driver called back. They were meeting two other vans of agents at a position just off the base property. From there the rescue mission would be deployed.
"Maggie, what did you do?" Darien knelt down next to her, his hands hovering over her back. She was hunched over, her head down.
She barked a short laugh. "Dr. Johnson's not going to be a problem anymore."
"Are you all right?"
Maggie nodded. "Never better." She lifted her head and looked at Darien. Darien gasped and sat back on his heels. Maggie's eyes were glowing brighter than he'd ever seen before. "Are you scared of me Darien?" she asked quietly.
He shook his head but his dark eyes said otherwise. Maggie reached out to him and he pulled back. Maggie looked hurt by his withdrawal. "I won't hurt you, Dary."
Darien hesitated before moving closer to you. "What are you going to do?"
Maggie reached out and cupped his face with her hand. "It won't hurt," she whispered as she slipped into his mind.
Darien gasped when he felt her in his head. "Maggie?"
Hush. I won't hurt you.
What did you do? She was a warmth in his mind.
Maggie giggled and he could hear her with both his ears and mind. I did it. I figured out how to get into someone's head.
What did you do to Dr. Johnson?
She looked down. I wiped her mind. There's nothing there any more. I got carried away.
Darien reached out and raised Maggie's head with a hand under her chin. It's okay.
The door to the nursery opened with a crash. Maggie broke contact with Darien, slipping gently out of his mind. She turned and looked at their visitor. "Hello, Adam."
His normally handsome face was warped into a mask of rage. "You've killed her."
Maggie stood up and shook her head. "No. She's still alive. I won't kill her because that would end her suffering."
Adam tackled Maggie and they toppled to the ground. "Get off me!" Maggie yelled, pushing at him.
"You did this to her. You made her like this!" Adam slammed her head back and Maggie saw stars. "Maggie, how could you do this to us?"
"Us? What us?" She pushed telekinetically and shoved him away from her. "There's no us, Adam. You're mother was a sick woman who subjected you to those experiments because she was jealous of my father." She stumbled backwards as he hit her telekinetically.
"She did it so we could be together. We should be running Cobalt. This is where you belong." Adam was so focused on Maggie he failed to notice Darien disappear behind him. "There is nothing we can't do together."
Maggie shook her head. "No." Darien hit Adam with a folding chair and the man crumpled to the floor.
A hand appeared in front of her. "Come on. Let's get out of here," Maggie heard Darien's disembodied voice and slipped her hand into his. A moment later, she felt the coolness of Quicksilver flow over her.
Hobbes led his team through the brush toward the building. They moved silently, communicating with hand signals to avoid being heard as they approached. As they reached the building wall, Hobbes motioned for the team to follow him down the wall to the door.
One of the agents came forward and spread out a tool kit. She broke into the lock while the others stood watch. A click indicated her success and she swung the door open. Hobbes cast one last glance around before going in.
"Alpha team going in," he spoke in a low voice.
A moment later, he heard Claire's response. "Be careful."
"We will," he replied and headed inside.
Darien and Maggie ran through the hallways, trying to find a way out. The building seemed to be laid out in a maze like pattern and everything looked the same. At the end of one corridor, Darien slid to a halt.
Maggie crashed into him. "What is it?"
"Shh." He pushed her flat against the wall. A group of men with guns came running past.
"The alarm went off down here," the one in the lead yell back. The other men sped up, quickly disappearing around the corner.
Darien peered around the corner. "Its clear. Let's go."
"Think it's Hobbes?" Maggie asked.
"Yeah. Should we foll-" Darien groaned and grabbed the back of his head. Maggie's Quicksilver skin fell away when he let go of her hand. She grabbed his shoulders to keep him upright.
"Damn it, Darien. This is not a good time." Maggie gritted through her teeth. She glanced around and saw a door halfway down the next hallway. "Come on." She helped him up and they made their way to the door. Maggie pushed the door open and hauled Darien inside. "How're you doing?"
He looked at his wrist. There were four green segments left on the snake. "Not great. But I'll survive."
"Not for much longer, Agent Fawkes."
Darien and Maggie turned and found Wynn and Adam standing in the doorway. Both men held guns pointed at the agents. Darien looked at Maggie. "This day just keeps getting better." He turned back to Adam to say something when another wave of pain in his head hit and he grabbed the back of his head.
"That doesn't look healthy, Agent Fawkes. We could take care of that for you," Adam spoke to Darien before pointing at Maggie. "We're not finished yet."
Maggie felt her throat constrict, her breathing becoming labored. She pushed out telekinetically, creating a safety bubble around her and Darien.
She continued to push outward until the edge of the bubble touched Adam. She grunted as he pushed back. The lights in the room flickered and light bulbs began to explode. Adam threw some glassware at Maggie, but it shattered against the bubble. Maggie dropped the shield and picked up anything she could. Everything loose in the room hovered in the air for a moment before flying at Adam and Wynn at rapid speed. The computer on the desk popped loudly and flames began rising from it. The fire grew at a rapid rate, setting off the alarm system and causing the sprinklers to soak them to the bone. The glass and other debris from the room formed a vortex around Maggie and Darien.
Darien carefully got to his feet and put his arm around Maggie's waist. "Mags, are you okay?"
"Right now I am." She looked at the form of Wynn, now lying prone on the floor. A metal tray stuck up from the center of his chest. "He's not though."
Adam was standing in his own bubble of safety, fighting to control the vortex. A single scalpel came free from the mass and flew at Maggie. She gasped when it imbedded itself in her arm. Looking down, she pulled out the scalpel and threw it to the ground. Blood oozed down her arm, mixing with the water from the sprinkler and turning a pinkish color. Maggie looked back up at Adam and glared at him. "That hurt."
Adam was fighting to control the debris again, but Maggie was a stronger telekinetic than he was and had no trouble keeping control. "Stop this!" he called to her.
"What's the matter? Don't like not having control?" Maggie smirked. "Now you know how I felt when your mother poisoned me." The vortex stopped, all the pieces hovering in the air. They turned so all the sharp edges were pointing in his direction.
"Don't, Maggie," Adam pleaded. "Please, don't kill me."
Maggie shook her head. "Sorry, Adam." She waved her hand and the debris flew at him. Not wanting to look, Maggie turned to face Darien. "I've killed two people and put another in a coma today."
He nodded. "You deserved your revenge." He looked around the room for something to bandage her arm with. He grabbed a damp roll of gauze and squeezed the water out of it. Darien could feel his control slipping as he quickly wrapped her arm.
Maggie watched Darien carefully. She knew how close he was to Quicksilver Madness. "Let's get you out of here." She took his hand and led him out of the laboratory, carefully stepping over the bodies.
"I wondered if you had control in there, Mags, until that last moment," Darien remarked quietly.
Maggie turned her glowing eyes on him. "If I hadn't, we'd be dead now too."
"Aw crap." Darien pulled Maggie to a stop. She looked down the hallway and found Rubens and a small platoon of armed men behind him.
"Going somewhere, Miss Rourke?" Rubens asked, a smile on his face.
Maggie tilted her head to one side. "Yeah, home. Anyone tries to stop us, you'll turn into pincushions like Adam and Wynn back there."
"I know you can stop one bullet, but do you really think you could stop fifteen bullets? Especially with the blood you're loosing from that wound." He gestured to the blood soaked bandage on her arm.
She raised an eyebrow. "Wanna try me?"
"Have it-" Rubens was cut off by a loud bang. His mouth opened and closed like a fish and he fell forward, a gunshot wound in the back of his head. The armed men spun around and found Hobbes and his team with weapons drawn. Hobbes was still pointing his gun in their direction.
"Anyone who doesn't want to end up like him should drop your weapon and put your hands above your head," he suggested almost casually. There was a collective sound of guns hitting the floor and the whole group put their hands up. Hobbes's team moved forward and started taking the men into custody.
Maggie and Darien waited until there was a path through the people and then made their way across to where Hobbes was standing. "It's so good to see you, Bobby." Maggie threw her good arm around Hobbes.
"Hey, are you guys okay? We found Dr. Johnson with a bullet in her head a few hallways back. Was that you guys?" Hobbes returned her hug and clapped Darien on the back.
"That bastard shot his own mother." Darien shook his head before crying out in pain. The headaches were getting worse and closer together. He looked up and they could see the redness starting to creep into his eyes. "I need a shot now. Can you get us out of here?"
Hobbes nodded. "Just follow me," he called to one of the agents. "Finish up in here. I'm going to escort Agents Fawkes and Rourke outside." The agent nodded and Hobbes set off down the hall at a rapid pace. He called ahead to Claire and let her know they were going to need Counteragent and that Maggie was wounded.
Claire met them at halfway to the van, a needle in her hand. Maggie held Darien still while Claire administered the shot. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Come on. Let's get you back to the van. I want to take a look at that wound," Claire ordered. Maggie and Darien followed her while Hobbes went back inside to supervise.
Maggie was leaning heavily on Darien as they walked and she needed his help to get inside the van. With quick motions, Claire cut the sleeve off of Maggie's T-shirt and the bandage from around her arm.
After a moment of probing, Claire looked up. "This is deeper than I thought. You're going to need stitches."
Maggie nodded loosely and leaned back against Darien. They were both feeling lethargic. She closed her eyes and didn't hear anything after that.
When Maggie woke up, she was reclined in the chair in the lab. Her arm was neatly bandaged and she was dressed in scrubs. She looked around to see Claire busy with her fish tank and Darien and Hobbes playing catch with something.
Claire was the first one to notice she was awake. "Hey. How're you feeling?"
"Like I could sleep for another three days. When did we get back to the lab?"
"A couple hours ago. You fell asleep hard in the van." Hobbes and Darien joined them by the chair.
Claire unwrapped the gauze around Maggie's arm. "How does this feel?" She looked over the stitches before putting a new bandage over the wound.
"It's sore."
"Not hot or anything?" Claire asked and Maggie shook her head. "Good. I think the Official said he wanted to debrief you on the mission as soon as you were awake so go on up."
Maggie shook her head. "You tell him what happened, Dary," She pleaded. "I don't want to."
Claire looked critically at Maggie before turning to Darien. "Tell him Maggie doesn't feel good. She can talk to him later, if he still insists."
Hobbes nodded and left the lab. Darien gave Maggie a kiss on the forehead and followed his partner out. When they were gone, Claire rolled her stool over to the lab chair and sat down. "What happened, Maggie?"
The redhead shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"You talk to me or I'm going to send you to the Agency psychologist." Claire gave her an ultimatum.
"I killed two people. And Dr. Johnson was in a permanent vegetative state, until her son shot her." Maggie wouldn't look at Claire.
"And how do you feel about that?" Claire bent her head so she could catch Maggie's eye.
"They deserved it." She chewed on her lip for a moment. "Adam would have never stopped until I was working for Cobalt. Dr. Johnson would always have been trying to kill me. I wouldn't have been safe."
"Do you feel safe now?"
Maggie shrugged one shoulder. "Darien's scared of me now."
"How do you know that?" Claire sounded skeptical.
"I was in his head. I felt what he was feeling and it wasn't nice," Maggie looked down. "When he saw what I'd done to Dr. Johnson, he wouldn't even let me touch him."
"He didn't seem scared of you in the van," Claire pointed out. Maggie shrugged. "Maggie, talk to him. He won't be scared of you if you talk to him."
"Can I go home?" Maggie asked, refusing to acknowledge what Claire said.
Claire sighed. "Only if you promise to speak with Darien."
"Fine. I will."
"Go get some rest, Maggie." Claire dismissed Maggie with a wave. "We'll talk some more tomorrow."
Maggie nodded. She slipped on her shoes and quietly left the lab. Outside the sky had turned a dark gray, matching Maggie's mood. She glanced around, indecisive about where to go. She didn't want to go home. Finally, she just started walking.
After a while, Maggie found herself in front of Darien's building. She hesitated before opening the door and climbing the stairs to his apartment. There was no answer when she knocked and she let herself in telekinetically.
When Darien came home, he found Maggie sitting on the couch, her legs curled underneath her. She was gazing out the window at the rain and didn't look up when he came in. He hung his wet jacket on the coat rack before coming over to sit on the other side of the couch. "Hey."
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Hey."
"Are you okay?" He watched her carefully. She shrugged and dropped her head down to her arm. "Maggie, talk to me."
"Don't be scared of me." Her voice was very quiet. "I couldn't bear it if you were scared of me."
Darien reached out and placed a hand on her back. "What?"
Maggie turned her head and met his eyes. "I saw it in your eyes. You backed up when I tried to touch you."
Darien pulled his hand away. He sat back and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I was scared Mags. I'd never seen something like that. But I'm not now."
She reached her hand out slowly, waiting to see if he pulled back. When he didn't she turned her whole body toward him and put her hand on the side of his face. She moved closer to him. He took her other hand in his and entwined their fingers.
"Can I?" She began. Darien nodded. Maggie closed her eyes and slipped inside his mind. This time, there was no sign of fear, no nervous feelings. She felt only love and comfort.
It's gonna take some time to get used to this. Darien thought. Maggie opened her eyes and smiled. I know what you mean. She scooted closer to Darien, one leg wrapped around his hip, the other tucked up underneath her thigh. Are you sure your okay with this? He nodded and took her face in his hands. I'm sure. He drew her mouth to his and kissed her.
Epilogue
Charlotte huddled in the secret space behind the mainframe computers. She'd jumped behind them when the shooting started in the hallway. After a while, the noise in the hallway stopped. Charlotte looked out into the computer lab and found it empty.
She crawled out from behind the computers and stood up, stretching the kinks out of her body. Unlocking the bottom drawer of her desk, Charlotte retrieved her handgun before venturing out into the hallway.
Voices floated to her from one end of the hallway and she ducked back into the lab.
"I wish the Cleaners would get here so we can go home," the first voice said.
"Yeah," a second voice sounded like it was getting closer to the lab. "I like how the agents get to go home at night but us grunts get to baby-sit a building."
"It'd be all right if we got overtime." They were right outside the lab. Charlotte held her breath as they walked past the door.
The second soldier snorted. "That'll be the day. The fat man can't bear to part with any more money than absolutely necessary."
"Come on," the first solider sounded bored. "Let's go find Jenkins and play cards or something."
Charlotte listened as the footsteps before leaning out of the doorway. The hallway was empty and she looked both ways, debating which direction to go. A faint noise drew her to the corridor leading to the old wing. She decided to head toward the sound. Turning the corner, she bit back a scream. On the floor in front of her were two very obviously dead soldiers. Carefully, she stepped over them and kept going down the hallway.
The sound was getting louder. It was a rhythmic metallic ping. Occasionally, something would make a louder noise and then it went back to the metallic ping. There was another dead man in the next hallway and Charlotte turned her head away as she walked past.
"Damn."
Charlotte froze when she heard the muttered curse. The noise was a person. Raising her gun, she edged along the wall towards an open door. Leading with her gun, she peered around the doorway to look into the room.
The room had been destroyed. Debris littered the ground, mixing with puddles of water from the still dripping sprinkler system. The remains of a computer were piled on the floor near a desk. In the center of the room, Adam was pulling pieces of metal and glass out of his body and throwing them away from him. He looked up when she appeared. "Hello."
"Are you Cobalt?" Charlotte asked tentatively. She gasped when she saw Wynn on the other side of the doorway, dead with a metal tray sticking out of the middle of his chest.
Adam nodded. "I assume you are, since you haven't shot me yet." Looking down, he grasped a large shard of glass that was sticking out of his thigh and pulled upward with a grunt.
"There are soldiers still here." Charlotte looked away as the glass came loose. "You should be quiet."
"Easier said than done. You don't have chunks of metal sticking out of you."
She moved closer to where he was lying on the floor. "What happened to you?"
"Hurricane Maggie. Would you mind giving me a hand here?" He motioned to her to come closer. She found a sealed first aid kit and knelt on the wet floor next to him. "Anyone make it out?"
Charlotte nodded. "Most of the research and development staff and the programmers left for the safe house." She wrapped up the worst of the cuts and helped him pull out some of the smaller pieces. "I'll take you there. You need a doctor."
Adam nodded and let her help him get to his feet. "Then we can start rebuilding."