Kevin watched in bemusement as Hobbes checked the signal from the button camera built into the knit cap Alyx wore atop her head in an effort to confine her unruly curls. They'd spent the afternoon planning this craziness, modifying the original plan to account for Kevin being the second person going in to break out Claire and Arnaud instead of Darien. Not only that, but they would need to wipe any computer systems Arnaud had put the Quicksilver data on. That decision based on their belief that this Stark and Chrysalis were indeed helping Arnaud in his efforts to become visible in exchange for access to the Quicksilver information for themselves.
Whether Arnaud wanted to leave had been heavily debated, but as she had pointed out, they dare not leave him there. Even without Claire, Arnaud still knew too much about the project to be left in their hands. While they didn't really need his cooperation, it would be far easier to break him out with it. Then again, as Hobbes had pointed out they could always kill him and be done with it, at least until Kevin had countered with having him in hand would mean a better chance at identifying the madness sequence and creating a method to remove it. There'd been some grumbling but eventual agreement, though that did complicate the rescue somewhat.
Alyx hoped to cut a deal with him to earn Arnaud's cooperation.
Kevin squirmed uncomfortably, the tight fitting black clothes not getting along with his geek mentality. Alyx elbowed him, albeit gently.
"Stop it. Dare wears this stuff all the time without getting ants in his pants you shouldn't be either, Mr. Psychosomatic."
"Wait a minute, why would he need this stuff if he's gone straight?" Kevin asked realizing she was probably right with the fact the discomfort was all in his mind.
"And who said a damn thing about him going straight. 'Sides half the time he's breaking into places on the 'Fish's orders. He is an agent remember?"
Hobbes choked on a laugh from the chair in the back of the van. "Camera's online and working to spec, kid. You said you had an ace up your sleeve, about time you used it."
Alyx sat down on the edge of the doorway and produced a cell phone from the depths of her pockets. "Ta da," she said with full dramatic value.
Kevin chuckled.
"A burner phone, kid? Really?"
"A burner phone that was in with the data Arnaud sent us, with exactly one number programmed into it. Any guess who it's gonna call?" Alyx sounded smug, and she probably should. "And if you say 'Ghostbusters' I will be forced to hurt you."
"And you didn't tell the Official about this, why?" Kevin asked in curiosity.
"Same reason I kept the originals of all the data Arnaud gave us," she answered enigmatically. "Let's see who answers, shall we?" She hit the speed dial for that lone number then hit the speaker so they could all listen in.
It rang three times before it was picked up with a disdainful, "Took you long enough, Fawkes. The cell not enough of a hint for you?"
Kevin twitched and opened his mouth to reply, but Alyx silenced him with a look and her voice suddenly in his... Darien's head. *He thinks you are Darien, do not let him know otherwise.*
Kevin swallowed hard and nodded feeling all the blood drain from his face.
"Arnie, you never call, you never write," Alyx said sweetly enough though her look was hard.
"Vous petite chienne," he snarled then muttered imprecations under his breath in French. "I suppose I should not be surprised he would involve you with this."
"Jeez, Arnie, did you forget that I found you already?"
Hobbes chuckled softly. Kevin was simply stunned at the snarky tone she used with the man. Not exactly what he had been expecting for a negotiation.
"Non, I have not. What is it you want now?"
"I want Claire back safe and sound. What is it you want?"
The sound of a heavy sigh was easily audible over the phone line. "I have already made my demands, a viable removal technique."
"And we both know that is bullshit. It will take months to come up with solution, even with the additional data you provided. You want something from us, I'm here to find out what," she told him with an eye roll. "Stop being an idiot."
"You are such a bitch," he laughed. "Good to know you haven't changed too much since crawling back to the Agency."
"Thanks, I think. And you are stalling. What do you want more, Arnie, to be Stark's little trained monkey, or to be visible?"
Arnaud sucked in a loud breath and blew it out violently. "How do you know about Stark?"
"Does it matter? This is the deal. We come in and get both you and Claire out. I wipe any data you've left for them."
"And what do I get besides a jail cell?"
"You get to see yourself in a mirror again." She winked at Kevin and he felt his body relax a tiny bit.
"Mon petit jouet, what makes you think I'll trust you?" A hint of amusement had crept into his voice.
" 'Cause you don't have much choice," she told him tone dry as dust.
"And that is not true, while not optimal the deal I have worked out with Stark is adequate for now."
Alyx's eyes widened. "He doesn't know you have Claire. You sneaky little shit. Which means you still have contacts on the outside."
"But that does not mean I am free to come and go as I please," he all but snarled, clearly unhappy about that facet of his... arrangement.
"We will not leave you behind, Arnaud. You can come willingly, or I'll drag you out by your invisible ass and we'll use you for science experiments." How she managed to sound so very bored was beyond Kevin, but he had to admit it was an impressive tactic. "Just to sweeten the pot how about if I promise to make you visible once we are clear?"
Hobbes coughed softly, trying to get her attention, but she ignored him.
"What's wrong?" Kevin asked sotto voce.
"She's making promises she might not be able to keep," Hobbes responded in the same manner.
Kevin had no idea why that would be a problem, but it was clear Hobbes thought it was.
Alyx waved her hand to shut them up.
There was silence for long enough to convince Kevin that the call had been dropped. "Merde, that is not possible."
"I do not make promises I cannot keep. You know this."
"Oui. I will assist in your efforts. I cannot guarantee that they have not made copies of my data, however."
"We expected as much. Wake Claire and gather up anything you can't live without. Oh, and put on clothes, I don't need you running around the city all nekkid."
Hobbes laughed aloud at that, while Arnaud sighed in irritation. "As you wish. We will use more direct communication when you make your move, yes?"
"Oui. You have sixty minutes to get ready."
"We will be," he assured her followed by the click of him disconnecting the call.
"Kid, you gave him time to rat us out to Stark, or call his own people in," Hobbes groused. "They'll be waiting for us."
She shrugged and shoved the phone back into her pocket. "Which is why we are going in thirty," she informed him with a sly grin.
Hobbes wagged a finger at her. "And you called him sneaky."
She grinned and preened. Actually preened much Kevin's utter amazement. "Now to contact Claire and have her ready to rock and roll when we come in early."
"How are you going to accomplish that?" Kevin asked.
"With my incredible mind powers," she replied sardonically. Then closed her eyes and visibly relaxed.
Kevin wanted to smack himself for his sudden stupidity. She would use her telepathy, of course, the same ability that had allowed her to find Claire would also allow her to communicate with her and plan their escape on the sly.
"S'okay, Doc. This kind of stuff takes a while to get used to," Hobbes assured him from the depths of the van. "Some of the stuff she does still wigs me out on occasion."
"Understandable, considering how rare those with her type of her abilities are." Beyond true as far as Kevin could be concerned. Until he'd met Alyx he hadn't believed in those types of abilities even though he would have been willing to admit they were possible in theory. The human brain was capable of so very much and so underused that it did not surprise him that someone had managed to tap into that potential and find a way to bring it to life. The fact that she seemed to have ended up with a multitude of abilities was the surprising part. And at such a strong level. Bending spoons was one thing, lifting cars into the air with only the mind was a horse of a different color entirely. He was looking forward to reading the details of the QSX Project in general and her case in specific once all of this had been dealt with.
Alyx remained silent for almost ten minutes, before opening her eyes. "Claire is more than ready to get out of there. She'll be ready."
"Good. Kid, there's one thing we didn't plan for." Hobbes nodded towards Kevin. "He's on a severe time limit when it comes to the Quicksilver. I didn't talk to Jennings, did you?"
Kevin pulled back the sleeve of the snug fitting shirt to reveal the snake tattoo on his... Darien's right wrist. Only three segments remained green. "How much time do I have?" he asked showing the tattoo to Alyx.
"About ten minutes, she told him, so you will not be using any more Quicksilver than necessary," she answered then turned to Hobbes. "As for Counteragent, we're covered." She reached into her computer bag and removed a small gray case. She opened it up to reveal a syringe filled with a bright blue liquid.
"Kid... I don't want to know do I?"
"Depends, do you want to be able to use the plausible deniability excuse when we get back to the office?"
"Uh, I'm thinking yes," Hobbes answered, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Then as far as you know I got this from Jennings," she responded as she zipped the case shut and handed it over to him for safe keeping. Then she was back in the bag and removing an odd looking piece of electronics. It looked like it had been jury-rigged together from a half-dozen other pieces and Kevin had no idea what it could be for.
"What's that?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"This nifty toy will get us into all the places I can't on my own," she explained, flipping buttons on the hand sized box.
Hobbes grimaced. "I've seen that before," he muttered. "Fawkes was playing with that a couple weeks back. Where did it come from?"
Alyx shrugged. "I built it. It's mostly for you guys to use when I'm not available. It should get you into most places the way I can. Given we're up against Stark, I thought back-up might be useful just in case they layer their security. I'm good, but even I can't see everything."
Hobbes nodded. "Good. I want to play with it after. Fawkes wouldn't even let me look at the damn thing."
"Sure, Bobby." She shivered lightly, as if shedding invisible drops of water. "You ready, Kevin?"
"I guess so." His lack of confidence could probably be heard in his voice.
"Just remember you're Darien as far as Arnaud is concerned. If he figures out you're Kevin we'll have a whole new set of problems to deal with," Hobbes reminded.
Kevin nodded, not wanting to think about what Arnaud might do if he learned the gland could be used in this manner. "I will. Uh, stupid question, don't we need walkie talkies or something?"
Alyx glanced over at Hobbes who snorted in obvious amusement.
*Or something ready for duty, sir.*
Kevin shook his head as his own foolishness. "Clearly, I have no idea what I'm doing." He sighed heavily when Hobbes laughed. "This is not exactly my line of work."
Alyx just rolled her eyes. "Like it was mine? I'll keep your ass safe there, bub. No worries."
...
They were in the service elevator, the camera inside looped to show nothing but an empty car. Kevin had found the process far too simple and fully expected something serious to go wrong at any moment. Apparently, Alyx could feel his concern thanks to the light link she'd set up between them. Oddly enough, he could also feel Hobbes faintly in the background and knew anything he thought directly at either of them both would hear, all thanks to Alyx. Because of what she was, she could talk mind to mind with literally anyone, and through her allow those she chose to talk to each other. She would inevitably overhear, but it was an interesting twist on the theorized workings of telepathy. She could not only send and receive but play relay... or party line, where multiple connections could speak together at once. He wondered if she planned to add Claire in once they had reached their destination.
*Yes, I do,* she responded to his unspoken question. *If things go fubar I want you to take Claire, Quicksilver and go. I will deal with Arnaud and Stark. Understood?*
He got it and nodded slowly. She was completely different than when working over a computer, completely in control and completely sure of what she needed to do. He was impressed. Following her lead, they waited for the elevator to arrive at their floor. As the numbers ticked up past twenty-one she reached out and grabbed his hand and a second later he felt her Quicksilver crawling over him.
Again, where she touched him he could feel her, granted through two pairs of gloves, the Quicksilver only covering those areas necessary to keep them invisible from sight. Interesting, and not something he'd made note of when dealing with a permanently invisible Cole. When the doors opened there was no one waiting on the other side and they stepped out into what was clearly the service hall for this section of the building.
According to the schematics, the entire floor was owned by Stork Corporation, and the lone door with the company's logo on it seemed to bear that out. Kevin could see odd glowing lines crossing various parts of the hallway, but had no clue what they could be. *Alyx?*
*Security lasers. They won't register us,* she told him, making her way swiftly to the double doors, dragging him along for the ride. The doors had a card swipe plus a keypad to the left, which she moved directly to without any hesitation. She shifted his hand to her shoulder so she could deal with the lock directly.
He watched as she shed the Quicksilver from the palm side of her hand, the fingertips bare and set them against the mechanism. She required a direct connection, he realized, her skin acting as the conductor. He wondered if she had considered modifying her gloves with wires, which should allow her to make the connections she needed without having to remove them and risk leaving prints behind. He could feel her fiddling with it, using her mind to get the lock to do what she needed, and it took mere seconds for the light to come on and the door to click open. When she moved, he followed right along, his hand sliding down her arm and back into hers. It was weird how comfortable it felt there, as if his... Darien's hand belonged wrapped within hers.
And that was a distraction he didn't need at this time, muscle memory feeling as real as those he was creating and storing within Darien's mind. He'd have to make a note to let Alyx know about that, how the body reacted to certain signals specific to her no matter that he... Kevin were in control.
*Hey, Keepy, would you like a rescue?*
The shout of, *Bloody damn well time.* in his head almost made him wince at its virtual volume. Even Kevin could feel the irritation buried within Claire's words. Clearly, she hadn't expected to be left hanging for a week, and he had to agree with that. She was too vital to the Agency to have just been left swinging in the wind all this time.
*Be ready.*
*Always am,* she informed them, her mental voice damn well sending shivers down his spine. Kevin sure as hell hadn't been expecting that kind of reaction to hearing Claire's voice after all these years. He shook it off as Alyx made her way into what looked like a lab and not what he'd imagined a fertility clinic to look like.
*This isn't the public clinic,* Alyx informed him, tone darker that the unlit room about them, which thanks to the Quicksilver was clear as day if washed out due to the lack of color differentiation.
*Then what...* His words stuttered to a halt when he saw the tanks that clearly contained embryos, dozens of them. *Christ, this is a full scale genetics lab.* What in the name of all that was holy could this Stark being doing with human embryos, and why?
*Later for this. We still need to finish the job at hand.* She sounded calm, but Kevin had learned enough about her to know when she'd been rattled, and she'd been rattled but good. *You copy that, Bobby?*
*Yeah, kid. Now get the Keep out of there.*
Alyx didn't bother to respond, just upped her speed, heading for the hallway, then made a beeline for where the Claire in their heads waited for them. A few lights were on, techs bent over Petri dishes or computers working late into the night, but not a single one noticed them as she kept them swathed in the Quicksilver for the duration.
The room they wanted was in the center of the building with no external windows, which was part of the reason the rescue had been such a bitch to set up. Again she had the door lock singing to her tune in no time at all and they walked inside to find what appeared to be luxury apartment that had mated with a small lab. Claire held a small pistol aimed at a set of clothes that sat in a nearby chair.
"I said I would work with you on this, did you forget?" Arnaud's voice wafted out from the direction of the clothes.
"Let's just say I wanted to take no chances," Alyx told him as she allowed the Quicksilver to spill away from them. "Your computer."
He waved vaguely at a desk across the room.
"Fawkes, watch him," Alyx directed as she moved over to Claire who still pointed the gun at the invisible man across the room. She, however, could move no closer as she was shackled to the floor. She had about six feet of play, but no more. Alyx did something and the chain snapped leaving Claire wearing the cuff, but free to move.
"That is not our only problem." Claire shifted her shirtsleeve to reveal another cuff, this one about an inch wide and with a glowing green strip. "I was told the shock would be more than enough to render me unconscious should I pass through the threshold."
Alyx turned her head to gaze at Arnaud, one eyebrow rising on her forehead. The shoulders of the shirt shrugged. "I am not above learning a trick or two."
"So long as you learn from the best," Alyx easily riposted with.
Arnaud laughed. "Ah, my dear, I have so missed our conversations."
Alyx took the gun from Claire and tossed it to Kevin, who bobbled it only a little. He wasn't the best shot on the planet, but not horrible either. He made certain he had a good grip on it and pointed it at Arnaud.
"And what's to stop him from shooting me?" Arnaud complained, actual concern in his voice.
"Nothing," Alyx answered, "so I suggest you behave." She turned her attention to the cuff about Claire's wrist. Her focus obviously turned inward as she checked it out. "I can turn it off, but it'll send an alert when I do so."
"And if I walk out the door with it on, it will do so as well," Claire said with a heavy sigh.
"So we split the difference and I play distraction as usual." Alyx walked over to the laptop and picked it up. She handed it to Claire. "I'm going to fry the cuff. You and Fawkes will leave, while me and Arnie, play distraction."
"Merde," Arnaud muttered. "Do you at least have a plan, mon petite?"
"Mais oui," she assured him with a tight smile. "You two will have plenty of time, don't worry."
"Alyx, I-"
Alyx cut Kevin off quickly. "You remember the route out?"
"Yes." No way he would have forgotten that.
"Use it and all will be fine. We'll meet you at the van as planned, okay?"
"Do I have a choice?" he grouched.
"Not a one."
"Then we'll see you there." Kevin had the feeling she'd make him go no matter how rational an argument he made, and he needed to trust her, trust that she knew what she was doing, and that she'd put his life into no unnecessary risk.
She rubbed her hands together. "Ready kiddies?"
"As I ever am," Claire answered.
Alyx nodded. "Over here you two. Got to make this a speed record." She set a hand on each of their shoulders and let the Quicksilver flow everywhere except Claire's wrist, which impressed the hell out of Kevin. Partial Quicksilvering to oneself was one thing, but to someone else? It shouldn't have been possible. Alyx moved her hand to the cuff and a moment later the light on it went dark. This was quickly followed by security lights coming on. Claire's wrist disappeared and Alyx said, "Go."
Claire didn't hesitate, and with a tight grip on Kevin's hand, practically pulled him from the room. "Where to?"
"This way," Kevin said and turned left making his way to the main elevators and not the service one they had come up by. Sirens added themselves to the flashing lights, which meant Alyx had begun her distraction. He found the elevator with little trouble and pressed the up button. His heart pounded in his chest and he suspected that it was his Quicksilver now coating them and not Alyx's. He was currently an odd mix of terrified and exhilarated.
Kevin suddenly heard, *Two on the way out via the planned route, two more faking it. Don't worry about the alarms.*
The mental sigh from Hobbes was surprisingly audible. *Got it. Secondary rendezvous for group two?*
*Yes, please. And bring duct tape, someone is being whiny.*
Hobbes' mental laughter was loud enough for all of them to hear.
"Darien, they will have locked the elevators."
Kevin almost corrected her, but since it would lead to a discussion instead of an escape, he just went with it. "I have the feeling Alyx will have taken care of that." An instant later the door binged and opened, revealing no one inside.
He wanted to go up, but the car went down instead, probably going to the ground floor where it would indeed be locked out until the security breach issues had been dealt with. The back of his skull began to ache dully and he suspected that if he could see the tattoo on his wrist it would be quickly shifting from green to red. His fear-laced excitement surely having caused him to Quicksilver and replace the coating of Alyx's with his… Darien's own. He had mere minutes before the Madness would begin to affect his judgment. "We need to hurry," he warned her.
"Oh, bloody hell," Claire growled. "Just behave until we can get you your shot."
"Yes, mom," he snarked, sounding remarkably like Darien even to his ears.
When the elevator doors opened there were two security guards standing there, staring right through… around them.
"See, it's empty," guard one said to the other.
"Doesn't explain why it arrived after all the others," grumbled guard number two. Still arguing, they both walked away, heading back to their post at the front desk. Moments later the police arrived, the guards unlocking the doors to let them in, this allowed Kevin and Claire to slip out into the early morning darkness, which was currently very bright thanks to all the police and emergency vehicle lights spinning about.
Kevin took the lead and moved off to the right where Hobbes should be waiting with the van. The Quicksilver fell from them halfway there, which he barely noticed as his head exploded in pain. He swung back to reality to find himself on the ground with Claire hovering above him with a concerned look on her face. "Ow, that hurts," he groused, noting that just the pain alone would be an effective control mechanism. Leash indeed. And an exceedingly short one at that.
"I know, sweetheart," Claire said soothingly. "We need to get you to the van. Can you stand?"
"I think so?" He struggled to sit up, strange voices whispering in the back of his head, making suggestions that at any other time would have shocked him, only now they seemed like quite fine ideas. He hadn't really gotten a chance to look over Claire in the building, but now that he could, he noticed that while disheveled, she was quite lovely in the low cut blouse and slacks. He might not have seen her in a decade. But he'd be more than willing to pick up right where they had left off. "Claire..."
"Come on, we need to get you out of here," she pulled him to his feet, the gun he had dropped when he fell now tucked into the front of her pants, the laptop in her right hand.
He could see the van less than fifty yards away, and in it was the Counteragent. That thought caused a surprisingly huge surge of need to rush through him. He wanted that syringe of blue liquid in a way he'd wanted nothing else in his life. And that snapped him back from the edge, from those dark, dangerous thoughts he'd just been having about Claire. That was nothing more than the toxin taking hold, breaking down his corticle functions and making him want to do things he'd never consider when in his right mind. "Yeah, that might be a good idea."
Together they made their way to the van, Hobbes ready and waiting with the Counteragent when they arrived, Kevin collapsing into the back as the gland reasserted itself over him. There was one bright pinpoint of pain followed by a sudden rush then nothing but blessed darkness.
…
"Hey, sweet thang, care to party?"
Alyx stopped, the van doing so as well, and she sauntered over to it. "Well now, that would depend on what you had in mind and how much you could afford."
"Alyx!" Claire sounded shocked before she burst out laughing from the back of the van. "Get in."
"Merde," Arnaud muttered, clearly unimpressed.
The side door slid open and Alyx manhandled Arnaud inside. She pushed him down to the floorboards. "Stay. Or I'll let Claire shoot you in the knee for kidnapping her."
"I may shoot him anyway," the good Keeper said in a saccharine sweet voice.
Hobbes snorted in amusement. "That's my Keepy."
"Oh, I am so scared," Arnaud snarked.
Alyx wagged an admonishing finger at him. "Behave."
Arnaud huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, but didn't say another word.
Alyx slipped through the pass through and sat in Darien's lap, much to his pleasure. "I take it we had to delve into the counteragent supply?" she asked as she leaned in and ran the tip of her nose along his neck.
He knew she was smelling him, which he no longer found weird, in fact he kind of missed it when she went out of town for long periods. She used all her senses, and he suspected that when Kevin was driving the bus things felt off to her, so when he came back she needed to confirm that it was indeed him.
"That we did, I'm afraid," Claire offered up, Alyx leaning about to look at her.
"Expected and planned for, obviously. Any other problems?"
Claire shook her head. "Not a one, thankfully, though I suspect your trip out was a tad more exciting."
Arnaud grunted. "You could say that."
"Hey, you're out. Quit bitching," Alyx groused, quite plainly running out of patience with Arnaud and his whining.
"Where's that duct tape?" Darien asked in total, if feigned, innocence.
Arnaud huffed, but nothing else was forthcoming, thankfully.
Hobbes pulled back out onto the street and headed the van back towards the Agency. "Kid, did you get the data?"
Alyx leaned around the seat to look at the laptop Claire still held tightly in her free hand. "Yep. Though I got a bit carried away with their computer system."
"Define carried away," Arnaud requested from the back.
"Let's just say I hope they back up their data off site, 'cause they ain't gonna get anything of value out of those servers ever again."
"Jeez, kid, you were just supposed to wipe the Quicksilver data," Hobbes pointed out as he made a sharp right.
"Non, she is right. What they were doing there... even I did not care for," Arnaud said, surprising everyone.
"What were they doing in there?" Darien wondered aloud.
"I'll put everything into my report," Alyx assured them, "but none of you will like it." She swung back around to look at Arnaud. "Though I can see why they allowed you use of the facility. It would be perfect for your uses."
"Oui, and your friend Stark will be most upset that I will no longer be providing him the data he wanted on Quicksilver," Arnaud chuckled dryly.
"No, I don't imagine he will," Claire muttered.
"You saw Stark?" Darien asked.
"No. As far as I know, he never even visited the facility. I saw Arnaud..." She paused grinning at the irony of her words, "so to speak and several of the men who worked for him. He had been given a surprising amount of autonomy."
Hobbes pulled the van into the parking area of the Agency. "Home base, kiddies. Everyone out."
"Arnie, you are going to be a good little terrorist and come with me. Hobbes, please escort Claire and that computer to the Keep. Jennings should be gone for the night. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes." She opened the door and slid out onto the ground. "Care to join me, Dare?"
"Jennings? David Jennings? Why is he here?" Claire asked, gun still aimed casually at Arnaud.
Hobbes sighed as he climbed into the rear with her. "Later, Claire, we have so much other shit to deal with first."
Darien had followed Alyx and slid open the side door, just looking down at his nemesis, the man who had killed his brother, that same brother who had insanely followed Alyx in to rescue Claire and bring the terrorist bastard out in one piece. "Why's he along for the ride anyway?" he questioned debating the merits of snagging the gun from Claire and planting a bullet between his eyes... or somewhere close anyway.
Hobbes answered. "We have our reasons, Fawkes, which we'll explain, promise."
Claire's brows knit in confusion. "But..." She didn't finish the sentence, based on the widening of her eyes, Alyx had derailed her train of thought with a mental nudge, which meant she didn't know about Kevin yet and they certainly didn't want Arnie getting wind of it. "All right, you. Up and at 'em."
"My, my, Dr. Keeply, settling right in with the colonials aren't you."
"Douche, be nice or I'll sic Alyx on you," Darien warned.
"And why should I be afraid of that?"
"Me, I'll just kill you. Alyx... Well, she'll hurt you and I'll get to watch," Darien finished. Alyx, going along with the con, smiled that oh so dangerous smile of hers and he was rewarded by hearing Arnaud audibly swallow.
Claire handed the pistol to Alyx, who nudged Arnaud with it. They all headed inside, splitting up after the first corner, Claire and Bobby going to the Keep, Darien, Alyx and their guest heading for the cage in the basement. Not the fanciest of accommodations, but far more than he deserved.
"Here you go, home sweet home," Darien sing-songed as he swung the cell door open and gestured for Arnaud to enter.
"Really, is there nothing better after my cooperation?"
"It's this or the padded room and that has no bathroom. Though the padding is probably more comfortable than the cot to sleep on." Alyx didn't sound as if she cared which he chose for his accommodations, in fact she was sounding rather tired and cranky, which might be dead on, as he had no idea how long she'd been awake. Hell, he had no idea how long his body had been conscious, but suspected he hadn't seen his share of beauty sleep in a while. Sudden personality change due to Counteragent was not the same as getting his eight hours.
"This will do." He stepped inside and Darien swung the door shut, enjoying the sound of steel on steel with Arnaud on the opposite side.
"See you in the morning, Arnie. My boss is going to enjoy talking to you."
"Not yet," Arnaud snarled from inside the cell. "You promised."
"Yes, I did," Alyx agreed and stepped up to the bars. "Come here, I won't bite... much."
Darien had no idea what was going on, as he hadn't been around when she'd made whatever deal she had made with the Swiss bastard. He watched as she Quicksilvered her hand and grasped Arnaud's firmly in her own. With a look of deep concentration on her face the Quicksilver fell away... from both of them.
"Merde," Arnaud swore and jerked away from her. Then softer, in total astonishment, "I am visible."
"And our deal is complete." She stepped away, looking at him. He was far from his usual pristine and polished self, his hair long and disheveled, and a rough beard on his normally clean-shaven countenance. "I'll make certain the basics are brought in within the next couple of hours." Her look hardened. "Do not make me regret this."
Arnaud was staring at his hands in amazement. "How long?"
While Darien failed to, Alyx clearly understood the question being asked. "So long as you don't Quicksilver, you should remain visible."
In a stunned voice, he said, "Thank you," and sounded like he really meant it.
Alyx just shook her head and walked away, leaving Darien alone with him. "You don't deserve this," he stated tone cold.
Arnaud shrugged. "Probably not, but she keeps her word, who am I to argue with it?"
Darien surged forward causing Arnaud to jerk backwards and stumble into the wall. Darien wrapped his hands about the bars. "You are the bastard that killed my brother. You deserve to suffer."
Arnaud growled. "Thanks to your bitch's mind games, I do. However, it looks like I might need her... and you to correct the problem I have found myself with."
Darien laughed bitterly. "You better have something really good to bargain with."
"Oh, I do. The one thing I know your Keeper and girlfriend have not yet discovered." He smiled, back to his smug, irritating self. "The gene for the Madness."
Darien glared, wishing he dared swing open that door, charge in and throttle the bastard until he begged for mercy. He'd done it once before, in a bout of Madness while dying from a lovely version of the flu, only to be thwarted by Claire. Oh, the list of things Claire would love to ask the man. Yeah, he had the perfect coin to trade, and he damn well knew it. "Shit."
Arnaud laughed.
"Darien, c'mon before I'm forced to shut him up," Alyx called from the hallway.
Darien sighed and walked out into the hall. Two Agency men were there already, Alyx giving them their marching orders when it came to Arnaud. "Not a problem, Agent Silver. We'll keep him on ice until you are ready for him."
"Thanks," she told them then smiled up at Darien. "Let's see how the Keep is, shall we?"
"Sure, might keep me from wanting to spit nails." He draped an arm over her shoulder. "Been busy saving the day, have you?"
She sighed and leaned into him, clearly wanting the contact. "Against orders. The 'Fish is gonna try to tear me a new one in the morning."
Darien stopped, dragging her to a halt as well. "Wait. He didn't send you after Claire?"
"Nope. Didn't believe that Stark was involved with the clinic either," Alyx told him, barely keeping from snarling. "Kevin volunteered to go in and get her. And Claire knows nothing about Kevin. I have the feeling this is gonna get weird."
"Gonna get weird? Have you not been paying attention the last few days?"
She managed a soft laugh at that. "Okay, weirder. You happy now?"
He shook his head. "No, but I'm better. Damn, how long has Kev been awake?"
She urged them into forward motion again. "You tired?"
"Not exactly? I feel awake, my body feels like pudding with too much milk in it."
Alyx snorted. "Colorful description there, bub. Kevin has been running the show for a good twenty hours now. Little wonder you feel like crap."
"Did he at least get something of use done during that time?" Darien grouched. Would be nice if Kevin had thought to sleep every now and then.
"Well, we did rescue Claire," she reminded.
"Oh, yeah." He gave her a squeeze. "Guess that counts for something."
"Counts for a lot, Fawkes," Hobbes said as they turned the final corner to find him standing there. "Was just coming to make sure you two were okay. Is our guest all tucked in?"
"Yep, Clark and Trent are babysitting. And he's happily admiring his reflection again." Alyx slipped away from Darien and into the Keep.
"You okay, Fawkes?"
Darien shrugged. "Not really, but there's nothing I can do about it right now."
"You'll get your chance, Fawkes. The Official... Oh crap. The Official is gonna have a heart attack."
Darien snorted. "Because we caught Arnaud, or because we freed Claire?"
"Both?"
"Don't worry, boys, I'll take the fall for this one," Alyx called out from inside the Keep. "Get in here, we have a Claire to debrief."
"Now that I can handle," Hobbes said with a leer.
Darien laughed. "You, always on that train to Naughtyville."
"Least when it comes to our Keepy, I am."
"I heard all that, you know," Claire said from the far side of the lab. Alyx was the one playing doctor, this time, stethoscope about her neck, blood pressure cuff about the Keep's upper arm.
"Good, means your hearing works just fine," Alyx commented distractedly. She unwrapped the cuff. "Overall you're fine. Lost a few pounds. BP a bit high, probably due to stress, but otherwise healthy. I would recommend a good night's sleep and about two thousand calories of food."
"And Pavlov is just fine. Living high on the hog at a high-end doggy day care. Me and Hobbes have been taking turns checking in on him."
"Oh dear, he must be worried sick about me." Claire settled back into the chair, looking worse for wear.
"He's fine, Keep. You up for some news?" Hobbes had moved to her side, looking serious.
"Can it wait?"
Hobbes glanced over at his partners, both of whom shook their heads. "No, Claire. Though you probably won't get a good night's sleep after I tell you."
"Oh, bloody hell. Just get it over with. I wasn't going to get a good night's sleep anyway."
"That wasn't Darien who got you out... it was Kevin," Alyx said, not giving Hobbes the chance to dance around it. "Three days after you were taken, one day after Arnaud's demands were received the Official enacted what is called the Return Protocol and chose Kevin Fawkes."
Claire looked stunned, Darien felt confused. "The Return Protocol? He had plans drawn up for this?"
"Yes," Alyx stated. "It's been in the works since shortly after the Cole incident. I'm not certain who worked on the viability of the project, though Claire' notes are in the file, including her risk assessment."
"Actually, I did, but only in a theoretical sense. I never expected for it to ever be used." She paused a look of true consternation on her features. "Wait, you've been sharing your body with Kevin for nearly a week?"
Darien nodded.
Claire turned back to Alyx. "Why didn't you stop this?"
"Kid was out of town when this went down, remember?"
Claire thought for a moment then nodded. "Working with the FBI, but wasn't she recalled as soon as I went missing?"
Hobbes shook his head. "No, in fact the boss extended her job with them. She came home on her own and found Kevin at Fawkes' place." He rubbed the top of his head. "It's been an interesting week.
"A sleepless one for some of us," Alyx grumbled.
Claire still looked slightly stunned. "Kevin, your brother?" she asked of Darien.
"Yeah, but this Kevin predates my joining the project."
Claire blinked. "What?"
Alyx explained, "The mRNA sample used to accomplish this was taken shortly after the death of Simon Cole but prior to Darien joining the project."
"So Kevin knows nothing about the madness. No wonder you requested more data and those samples." Claire rubbed her forehead, as if a headache were building there. "And Jennings was brought in to play Keeper, yes?"
Hobbes growled, "He was brought in to replace you."
"Don't sound so upset, Bobby. I've been the one keeping Dr. Jennings up to date on my progress. He was the best choice in this situation, though why the Official would leave me with Arnaud..." she shook her head. "I am clearly too tired to comprehend his motives at the moment. I imagine I will find out tomorrow."
"I imagine we all will," Alyx said softly. "I have some other concerns about Jennings, but we can discuss them later, after you've gotten some sleep." She turned to Hobbes. "Would you mind escorting her home, Bobby?"
"Not at all." He held out his hand, which Claire took as she slid off the exam chair. "Maybe a run through In and Out on the way?" he suggested.
"Not the healthiest fare, but it'll do on this occasion. Also, and I know this is an imposition, but would you mind staying? I'm afraid I don't really feel comfortable remaining alone right now."
If Hobbes was surprised, he covered it smoothly. "Not a problem, Claire. I'll camp out on your couch and make sure you're safe."
She sighed in obvious relief. "Thank you. Alyx, you should get some sleep as well."
"She will," Darien assured her. "I may not, kinda want my turn in the driver's seat."
"I picked up some new movies, you can also camp out on the couch, and I'll curl up next to you." Alyx ducked her head. "I'd rather not be alone either."
"Deal," Darien said softly. He glanced at his watch. "It's oh three thirty. What say we meet back here at ten to face the music together?"
Both Claire and Bobby nodded in agreement. "I'll call the kid once we're conscious so's we can coordinate our arrival."
"Works," Darien agreed. "C'mon, sweets, lets go home."
She sighed and leaned against him. "You have no idea how much I've missed hearing you say that."