Chapter Three
Ian and Dan left the girl, who had started getting testy. Ian realized that she was trying her best to act like a normal nice resident. But when they left Ian heard her mutter under her breath something like: "Okay, so you saw them twice. If you see them again, anywhere near base, you have to eliminate them. Jacqueline, you are a Vesper, start acting like one."
Ian took a hit by this.
"Jake, we better be careful around her. She's a Vesper at heart but the thing is, we need to be particular about the guards that we run into. If she's one of them, we're dead!" Ian whispered.
"Got it." Dan said back.
The boys went up stairs to rest up. In the morning they got dressed and pulled out a map. It had a label for every location in Dublin, where the Vesper activity is most populous. They decided that they would check out the cafes first, and then move on to the "emptied buildings" on the north part of the city. They would cross out locations as they go. And if they got caught, they were safe because then they could say that they thought the place was simply tour destinations, or food testing places.
It was weird. After the cafes they went to an old building and almost immediately found the Vesper stronghold. They walked around it a few times and then left, pretending to see where they needed to go. They then came back, a simple deflect the attention tactic, but it was effective
As soon as they come around for the second round of looking they were met by the worst fate humanly possible. Isabel Kabra and Jacqueline stood there with their arms crossed.
"I told you that they would come back here!" Jacqueline said.
"Yes, you did Jackie, I'm very proud of you. We will leave you to the kill you have long awaited, my daughter, my only child." Isabel said and looked particularly at Ian.
Ian winced, but this wouldn't stop him, this was his chance to get Amy back for the distraught Dan, Nellie and Fiske. All he had to do was defeat her, then Isabel would simply find another puppet to do her bidding. This was easy in theory, but Amy was actually a lot better than Ian had anticipated.
Ian went for a right hook to her jaw, but Amy dodged. Then she hit him flat handed in the side. Ian went sprawling but quickly recovered. He decided to maybe reason with her, see if he could reach the old Amy, the sweet, stuttering Amy that they knew and loved. The girl he hurt in the worst possible way in South Korea.
"AMY I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE DEEP DOWN!" Ian yelled.
"Shut up you idiot! Who the heck is Amy?" She yelled.
She went for another side shot but Ian quickly dodged and went for a head hit. She ducked and tried for an upper cut, but Ian nimbly did a back flip to avoid it.
"AMY! WE MET AT A FAMILY REUNION WHEN YOU SPILLED PUNCH ON ME AND I YELLED AT YOU SO MUCH I MADE YOU CRY!" Ian yelled.
"What in the world are you talking about?" She yelled.
She slid and hit him in the back. He stumbled then turned, his face filled with desperation.
"AFTER THAT, YOU TURNED 7! YOUR PARENTS DIED IN A FIRE!" Ian screamed.
"You idiotic Cahill! My mother is right inside!" Amy yelled back.
"NO! NO SHE'S NOT! MY REAL NAME IS IAN VIKRAM KABRA! I AM HER SON! I HAVE A SISTER! NATALIE! YOUR NAME IS AMY HOPE CAHILL! YOU ARENT A VESPER! YOU HAVE A BROTHER, DANIAL CAHILL, HE STANDS RIGHT THERE! ISABEL KABRA IS A FEIND! SHE USED THE VESPER TECHNOLOGY TO CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU WERE HER DAUGHTER! SHE IS THE ONE WHO KILLED YOUR REAL PARENTS, SHE SET THE FIRE!" Ian yelled with tears forming in his eyes.
"No. You're lying. She is my mother. I was born a Vesper, raised a Vesper." She said, slowing her attacks as if trying to assure herself. Then she looked up. Apparently it worked.
"YOU ARE A LYING LUCIAN ARENT YOU? YOU ARE TRYING TO GET INSIDE MY HEAD! I'M NO CAHILL, YOU'RE TRYING TO DECIEVE ME!" She screeched.
She pulled out a knife and lunged forward. Ian was caught off guard and knocked him down. She looked into his eyes, his amber eyes that seemed too familiar. She looked and saw terror. She saw him fearing for more than his life. He almost looked…guilty? She lifted the knife, pulled it back and dropped it.
She stood up, her hands on her head. She couldn't kill him. She didn't know why, but she couldn't.
Ian almost smiled. As he suspected, brainwashing can work perfectly to a point, but it cannot drive you to kill a loved one. He blushed without realizing it. Was he considered a loved one? The two looked at each other, their gaze stuck. But then the trance was broken.
"JACKELIN MARIE KABRA! YOU USELESS PEICE OF FILTH! HE COULD HAVE BEEN DEAD RIGHT THERE BUT YOU WERE TOO WEAK TO DO IT!" Screamed an angry Isabel Kabra.
She ran over and slapped Amy. This was what made Ian snap. He would have been fine if Isabel slapped him, even killed him, but no one, NO ONE, laid a hand on his Amy!
He lunged forward and punched her, catching her off guard. She flew back, but Ian wasn't done. He hit her on the cheek, leaving a bruise.
"Slap me, Isabel , kill me, I wouldn't care. But you will not lay a hand on Amy again, or I will make you regret it." Ian said, with complete seriousness in his voice.
Isabel simply snapped her fingers. Suddenly, a large group of Vespers attacked and grabbed Dan, Ian, and Amy.
"Take the Cahills and the traitor to the cells. Tomorrow, we will do what we do best." Isabel paused and smiled. "Torture them."
Ian smiled. "Do what you may, but as soon as I escape with them, which you know I will, I will kill you. I warned you about hurting her Isabel." He said.
"Oh, Ian, why is it always the pretty ones that turn rotten? You and your sister were perfect, but you decided to go a separate way. This is why I had to resort to finding a replacement child. Amy would have been the best Vesper ever seen, but you had to ruin that just because of your idiotic love for her." Isabel said.
"MOTHER!" Amy screeched.
"Shut up! You are not my child you imbecile!" Isabel screamed.