Haven Resurrection

Dark Clouds on the Horizon

Dwight and Nathan stared at Stan, aghast.

"What do you mean, 'the Armory's back?" Nathan demanded.

"Just that-it was standing there, like it'd always been there," Stan blurted.

"Did you go in? Or see anybody come out?" Dwight questioned.

"No. The Armory was dark-didn't see any lights inside."

"Maybe that's why Danny saw what he did," Nathan guessed.

"You think maybe Vince reanimated Duke somehow?" Dwight asked.

"Or someone else did," Nathan uttered, and Dwight paled. "What if-what if he got loose, Dwight? What if Croatoan did it?"

"I don't wanna think about it," Dwight got out, thinking of his daughter at home. "I can't go through all that again, Nathan. I can't," he half-shouted at him.

"Go through all of what?" Stan got out, and then realized the implications of what Dwight was saying. "You think the Troubles are back?" he asked, his voice rising, and Nathan and Dwight shushed him.

"We don't know that," Nathan directed. "We don't want to panic people, not in the middle of this storm. Right now, all we're going on is that a body's been taken from the morgue. That's all anyone needs to know. This stays between us for now," he continued. "I'm counting on you to keep this quiet, Stan," he assured him, putting a gentling hand on his shoulder.

"Come daylight, everyone's gonna know," Stan protested. "How're you gonna explain how the Armory just-reappeared?"

"I'm working on that," Nathan told him. "Go home-Just go on home," he finished in a more kindly tone. "We'll work it out."

Stan nodded, and took off down the hall. They watched him go, and then Nathan turned back toward Dwight.

"Well, he's right," Nathan exhaled, running a hand over his hair. "Once it's light out, everyone's going to know that-" he trailed off as a familiar figure appeared in the hallway, and Dwight followed his gaze, and startled as the older man stepped into the office.

"Vince," Dwight breathed.

"Hello, Dwight. Nathan," Vince nodded at them.

"Why are you here?" Nathan asked without preamble. "What do you know about Duke?"

"Duke? He died, you killed him to keep Croatoan from taking his Troubles," Vince replied, his face puzzled. "Didn't you bury him at sea?"

"His casket washed ashore just before the storm broke," Dwight spoke. "Vince, he hadn't decomposed at all, looked just like he did the day he died."

"Oh, dear," Vince muttered.

"I thought all of the Troubles Duke collected died when he did. That's how it always worked before," Nathan argued. "When he killed Wade, his Trouble ended, till Audrey gave it back to him." He didn't want to believe the Troubles could be returning. "Why didn't the Armory pull the aether from Duke's body?"

"I...don't know. Mara tinkered so much with his Trouble, it mutated to the point where it could affect even her, if you remember," Vince informed him. "It may have changed greatly since Roy and Simon wrote that Troubles in a Crocker died along with them in that journal."

"Is Croatoan still captive?" Dwight asked point-blank.

"Oh, yes-absolutely," Vince assured them. "He's not going anywhere."

"Then why the hell is Duke walking around Haven like a zombie from a horror movie?"

"If we can find him, maybe we can discover why," Vince said.

"Can you track him by his aether?" Nathan inquired.

"Possibly."

"Or worse-what if he's going to blow like before?" Dwight argued.

"Then we should find Duke before that happens," Vince advised. "But I will need some help."

"We'll help you," Vince and Dwight chorused.

"I was thinking of someone a little more specialized," Vince remarked.

"Oh, no-you're not getting him out," Nathan protested.

"I wasn't thinking of Croatoan, Nathan," Vince told him.

In Gloria's home, a sleepy hand reached across the inflatable bed, feeling an empty spot.

"Nathan?" she murmured, and then jerked herself awake, looking around wildly. She recognized Gloria's house, and the sleeping couple on the sofa, and she crawled out of bed, searching through the house.

"Nathan?" she whispered, getting no answer. She quickly went over to her purse, and found her phone, dialing it as she went into the bathroom.

Nathan heard his phone, and saw it was Paige.

"Hey," he said.

"Nathan, why am I at Gloria's house?" she said, and Nathan felt his heart stop.

No. No, it couldn't be, he thought, and glanced at Vince, who nodded.

"A-Audrey?" Nathan choked, and Dwight's eyes grew wide. "Audrey, is that you?"

"Yes, Nathan, it's me. Where are you? The station?"

"Yes," Nathan answered, his eyes filling. "Audrey, I-"

"Can you pick me up?" she whispered, slipping outside to the sun porch. "I don't want to wake everybody."

"Gloria's had enough shocks for today," Nathan ceded. "I'll be there as soon as I can-Parker," he said, as though it were a prayer, and hung up. He looked at Vince.

"Is she replacing Paige?"

"It's a temporary measure, Nathan. She chose to become Paige. I restored Audrey's memories to her to help us. Now come on, time's wasting," he urged.

"What about the Armory?" Dwight asked. It'd be light in another couple of hours.

"I can conceal it to where it cannot be seen, except by me, Audrey, and Duke," Vince explained.

"Why Duke?"

"The Armory is designed to attract and hold aether. If it is still inside Duke's body, it will draw him to it like a homing beacon. Hopefully," he added. "That is, if Duke is even aware. He may just be powered by the aether."

"You mean that Duke isn't really there, it's just his body," Nathan said sadly, and Vince nodded sympathetically.

"I feel that Duke likely departed this life that day in the station," Vince told him, patting his shoulder. "This is-only a husk of the man he used to be."

Nathan remembered when Mara referred to Audrey as a husk, and he winced at Vince's choice of words.

Dwight thought of something.

"Well, who's minding the store while you're here?"

"Howard is still sentient. He helps me with things," Vince explained. "Now, we really must hurry," he continued, eyeing the weather outside, which was showing no signs of weakening. "Or there might not be much left of Haven."

"This storm is because of you?" Dwight asked as they ran to their respective vehicles.

"Our reappearance here has caused a rift between worlds," Vince shouted over the wind, which howled mercilessly. "So we need to find him!"

"I'll be back as soon as I can with-Audrey," Nathan said, and slammed the door, throwing the Bronco into drive and squealing out of the parking lot.

"Okay, now that he's gone," Dwight told Vince, narrowing his eyes. "How 'bout I hear the real version of why you're back."

Vince peered at him over his glasses sternly, but Dwight didn't budge; and Vince sighed.

"I fear the truth is actually much worse," he sighed.