Catherine returned to work, despite Vincent's hotly worded concerns, her need to impress upon her boss that the felon they were pursuing was more dangerous than anyone they'd gone after before.
"Are you saying you don't want this assignment?" Chris asked her.
"I'm saying that it will take more than one or two people to take this man down. I was lucky this time, but I didn't get off scot free. I would show you my bruises but they're in places inappropriate for show and tell." She pulled down the neck of her polo to show him her neck. He winced. "Unless you are going to arm us with something more effective than a Taser, I would hand this case back to whoever gave it to you and say no thanks." She paused. "Either that or stage a proper man hunt for this...man. He's not your run of the mill felon or bail jumper."
Her boss appeared to consider her warning. "You and Maguire have proved to be one of my best and most successful teams, so I will heed what you say. We don't have the manpower to launch a hunt for this one, so I'll do as you recommend and send it back and tell them to organise their own manhunt. In the meantime you can carry on with the Hackett case, that should be a little less...exciting."
Catherine nodded and left his office, glad that she wouldn't have to pursue her assailant any more.
Vincent checked the map book, looking up from his seat to check the cross street the bus had just passed and pin point his location. He had already taken two buses to get where he needed to be, the prosaic transport a necessity given the paucity of his finances. Not that Catherine hadn't made a bank card available for him to use, it was rather that he didn't want to use it more than necessary. Tucking the map book into the backpack by his side he got up and jumped off at the next stop.
He had retained the address of the last crime scene, the same place Catherine had gone to and been attacked. Now it was his turn to seek out this Beast that had escaped unpunished.
Walking three blocks he was approaching the general area, his head lifting as he scented something familiar. Almost jogging he followed the scent trail down a narrow ally and suddenly he was there. This was where Catherine had been, her unique signature easy to track, her scent over laid with something else, the same something that had infused her clothes and raised the hackles on his neck. He reached a crossroad of access lanes, his noses scenting the air, directing him to the right hand alley, the metal fire escapes almost meeting above the shadowy ground below. He paused by a dumpster and stashed the back pack there, not wanting to be hampered by anything while he pursued his quarry. The rank smell of the beastly killer was stronger now, almost obscuring Catherine's. Up ahead was the door she'd described, her trail ending abruptly beside the dumpster, her blood still smeared on the metal sides and brick wall beside it. This was the place. Drawing in a deep breath he let it out slowly, allowing the Beast within to come out and take part in whatever followed. He walked past the door to the next branch but the trail was old and stale there, retracing his steps he did the same in the other direction but with similar results. Whatever the creature he was tracking it's lair was inside the building with the metal door. He tried the handle but it was locked, frustrating his efforts to enter. Looking up the building he could see a small window, a short leap from the fire escape opposite. With inhuman speed he clambered up the metal work until he crouched poised across from the window. Bunching his muscles he leapt, bridging the gap easily and smashing through the window, doing a tuck and roll into the room beyond. Here the smell was over powering, his eyes flicking over into infra-red and showing him an interior bathed in a strange pinkish light. The place looked deserted but his nose didn't lie. His entrance hadn't prompted any response so he pulled open the door and walked out into a corridor, the place dark and musty from disuse. Several offices opened off the hallway, all dark and all deserted but every room reeked of blood and creature, his lip curling as he followed the foetid trail deeper into the building. On the ground floor he found the door to the outside and unbolted but didn't open it. Turning back into the building he systematically checked each and every room finding scraps of bit and pieces that could be easily overlooked by anyone without his enhanced senses as nothing more than rubbish or the remains of squatters occupation. A sound alerted him that someone or something was in the building, the distance and echo making it harder to pinpoint the source. If it was the Beast coming back to his lair then he'd be able to detect an intruder as easily as Vincent could detect him.
Taking a moment, Vincent allowed his own Beast to manifest, his transformation completed just in time as something rushed at him out of the darkness. The creature pulled up sharply when Vincent turned to face him, recognising that his intruder was like himself. Both men bared their teeth and roared their challenge, the empty rooms echoing the sound and magnifying it, sending pigeons fluttering in panic from the girders above their heads. They circled each other, leaving the offices behind and entering an open space that had been a loading dock for the company. Milky light came through the dirty windows as the two continued to circle and measure up the their opponent. Vincent made a feint and the other beast swung, Vincent dodging back then closing, the two slashing at each other then just as quickly withdrawing. Vincent's jacket bore the brunt of the attack, the fabric ripped apart. His attacker fared worse, having no outer layer to protect him, Vincent's claws tearing a gash down one arm and across his chest. The smell of blood intensified, the beast crouching low to spring up at Vincent, a back hand swing sending Vincent reeling back only to dig his boots into the dust and surge forward again. Despite the other beast being taller and broader, Vincent was younger and quicker, the pair evenly matched. Soon they were both sporting cuts and gashes, dripping with sweat and no discernible end in sight. Feeling his Beastly strength starting to wane, Vincent hefted a length of timber and swung hard, the other beast catching the makeshift weapon and wrenching it out of his hands to throw away it into the shadows. Sensing his opponents weakening, the other beast closed in for the kill, rushing forward only for Vincent to dodge to the side, the forward momentum carrying the beast over the edge and into a deep inspection pit, his roar ending abruptly when his head bounced off the concrete floor. Stunned, the creature found himself trussed and secured by a length of chain, Vincent straddling him and snarling his triumph at him.
Satisfied his opponent was caught, Vincent climbed out of the pit and sat on the edge, reverting to his human self and almost passing out from exhaustion. Laying back on the cold concrete he stared up at the distant roof and panted to get his breath back. With each conversion into his Beast he was getting stronger and better able to recover, but he wasn't there yet. Sitting up he peered down at his captive, the other beast still struggling and fighting the chains, no sign of him coming down from his change any-time soon. Having regained his breath, Vincent pulled out the zip ties he'd taken from Catherine's coat and jumped back down to double secure his prisoner. If and when the creature reverted back to his human form, his body would shrink and the chains loosen. Vincent wanted to go get his back pack which had a phone he could call Catherine on, but he didn't want to risk the creature escaping before he returned. Satisfied at last, he climbed back out of the pit and went to the back door, checking the alley before setting off to collect his belongings.
When he returned the creature was still where he left him, no longer struggling but still transformed.
"Still as ugly as ever," Vincent remarked, pulling out the phone and dialing Catherine's number. It rang a couple of times then her voice answered.
"Vincent, where are you?" her worry was palpable.
"I'm fine. I have your quarry." he told her without preamble. He heard her sharply indrawn breath before she spoke again.
"Are you sure it's him?"
"No doubt about it. He reeks the same as your clothes. I found where he attacked you and searched the building. We fought, he lost."
"Were you injured?"
"No. Nothing a hot shower won't put right. What do you want me to do with him? He's till all beasted out and doesn't seem able to revert."
"Leave him there. I'll come and meet you," she reeled off an address not far from the building and he repeated it back.
"I'll see you soon."
He shoved the phone in his pocket and started to get up, hefting the back pack over his shoulder.
A rattle of chains drew his attention back to his captive. A guttural noise issued from the creatures mouth and it took him a second to realise it was speaking.
"What will you do with me?" it asked, red eyes still glowing in the gloom. Vincent stared down at it impassively.
"You'll be handed over to the police to deal with."
The creature roared then subsided. "Kill me now and be done with it."
Vincent crouched on the side of the pit. "I'm not a killer."
Peeling back it's lips the creature made a sound similar to a laugh. "You're a beast like me, that makes you a killer like me."
Vincent shook his head. "No. I may be a Beast, but you are just an animal." He turned to go.
"I can smell her on you, the stench of a human, that woman I saw the other day. Is she your keeper?" The creatures voice was becoming more normal, Vincent glancing back and seeing the man emerge from his beastly persona. He was older than Vincent by at least a decade, his features permanently twisted, teeth bared and lips pulled back in a habitual sneer. His eyes no longer glowed red but they appeared bloodshot, his hair ragged and filthy.
"Who she is, is none of your fucking business." Vincent told him with quiet menace then turned to leave.
"She'll turn on you...they all do...this is your future, this!" the man shouted after him.
"Never." Vincent stated, not looking back.
Catherine met him at the appointed place half an hour later, Vincent glad to be out of the building and breathing the fresh air again after the foetid atmosphere of the creatures lair. Outside, human life carried on regardless, the traffic and people going about their business, unaware and uncaring of the drama just played out in their midst. He felt as if he lived in a world apart, an invisible barrier of ignorance between him and the rest of the population. Only Catherine managed to bridge that gap, managed to pull him over into her world and not leave him isolated and alone.
She had been at work, hastily requisitioned a car and driven at breakneck speed to the rendezvous, barely coming to a halt before flying out and throwing her arms around him, checking him for injuries and exclaiming at the rents and tears in his clothing. He eventually kissed her just to get her to shut up, that simple gesture calming her more thoroughly than any words.
"I'm fine, Catherine. Just a little tired. I'm getting better, but I still feel drained every time I transform."
She nodded, accepting his word for it. "Take me to him."
They entered the building together through the door Vincent has left opened. He led her through the labyrinth layout to the loading dock, the chimera still where he left him, laying in the bottom of the inspection pit. There was no evidence now that the man had been a creature. He looked more like a vagrant than anything else. Catherine pulled out her Taser and the man cringed back, scrabbling for purchase despite his ankles being bound. Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"Are you going to Taser him anyway?"
Catherine fired the weapon off to the side so the wires shot out and it discharged. She then bundled them up and placed them by the pit.
"Gotta set the scene for when the police arrive." she told him pulling out her phone and dialing. She called it in and then called her boss, explaining the situation. Her calls done she walked with Vincent back to the metal door.
"You have to go now. I'll wait for the police to arrive. Can you find your way home from here?"
Vincent showed her his map book. "I'll manage. I'll see you at home later. Will they believe you took this guy down on your own?"
"I'll convince them. Now go before anyone sees you." She kissed him and pushed him to get walking. Vincent doing as she suggested until he was out of sight, then he scaled the nearest fire escape and found a place he could watch over her from the top of the closest building. Catherine stayed outside until a squad car arrived, then they all went inside. He waited and saw another car arrive, this time with Catherine's work partner, Gerri, then a police van arrived with more men and a forensic team. He remained out of sight until he saw the man being taken and put into the van and secured. At one point the beast looked up at the building Vincent was on, Vincent ducking back out of sight when the police also looked up. He watched the van pull away and Catherine talking with her partner before the two women left the scene and he felt it was time he left too, his work done.
The bus ride back was anticlimactic but he was glad to put his head back and close his eyes. He was still recovering and his transformation had left him exhausted, this time more than any other. At the last stop he got off and walked the couple of blocks to Catherine's apartment, glad when the roller door came into view. A man stepped out of a car parked a little further down the street and Vincent stopped walking, wary and alert, his tiredness dropping away. The man remained by his car, not advancing or doing anything threatening. They stood on the side-walk fifty feet apart and regarded each other.
"I just want to talk, Vincent." The man finally called out.
Vincent resumed walking, going past Catherine's roller door without glancing at it. He stopped when there was ten feet separating him from the stranger. No one else appeared to be in the car or nearby.
"What do you want with me?" Vincent asked. "And how do you know my name?"
The man stood there, hands tucked into his coat pockets, feet braced a little apart. "I created you, Vincent. I also made sure you were returned so that she could find you."
Vincent glanced around the street and even up at the sky, checking for the hidden reinforcements.
"There's no one else here, Vincent. Just me."
"I won't go without a fight," Vincent announced, sliding the back pack off and letting it drop to the ground. The man smiled.
"I'm not here to take you back, I'm here to give you some advise."
Vincent bristled. "What the fuck makes you think I want anything from you, let alone advice?"
"It's about Catherine."
That brought Vincent up short. "What about her?"
"Every man has regrets, mine was Catherine's mother, Vanessa. I tried to make things right by having you imprinted on her, making you her protector, but I didn't count on my predecessor being so...impassioned by her defection. He ordered the hit on her and Catherine, my child, should have died too, but you saved her. I was too late to do much more than step in after the fact, by which time you had transferred your allegiance from mother to daughter."
Vincent sneered. "This is all ancient history. Why did you snatch me a year ago, then return me after wiping out my memories?"
The man shrugged. "We tinkered but were unable to reverse the effects of the gene-splicing. We hoped that if we wiped all memory of your past it might also wipe your ability to transform. In the end we returned you in the sure knowledge that Catherine hadn't given up looking for you and would find you eventually. It just took a little longer than we expected."
In the space of a heartbeat Vincent transformed and pounced, the man's coat bunched in his fist, golden eyes now inches from his tormentor's startled gaze as he felt himself lifted off the ground.
Vincent lowered him back to the side-walk and released the man's coat, stepping away and reverting back in the blink of an eye to stare into the wide eyes of the man from Muirfield.
"You may have stolen my fucking memories, but nothing else has changed. I am still a Beast."
A car pulled up behind them and Vincent knew it was Catherine before she spoke a word. The man's eyes flickered to look past Vincent's shoulder, his eyes widening as his daughter approached cautiously, a gun in her hand.
"Vincent? What's going on here, who is this man?"
Vincent never took his eyes off him. "He's the one who took me, the one that returned me and the one that stole my memories from me. He claims to be..." but the man was shaking his head, a mute appeal in his eyes.
"What?" Catherine asked. "What is he?"
Vincent stepped back, confused but still wary. "He can tell you himself."
Catherine reached his side, the gun still trained on the stranger. Vincent reached up and placed his hand on the barrel, making her lower the gun. Catherine flicked him a questioning glance.
"He's here alone, there's no helicopters or hidden assassins." Vincent told her.
The man visibly wilted, then straightened.
"I am the man who created the Chimera project. I made Vincent what he is. I knew your mother..." he got no further in his confession.
"Oh, my God, you're my father." Catherine blurted out. "My mother was pregnant with me when she married Thomas Chandler."
"Correct." the man confirmed. "But now I need to warn you. I made sure that Vincent was returned to where you'd find him but now you're not safe. You need to leave here and find somewhere no-one would think of looking."
Catherine stepped forward, her eyes blazing. "After all that you've done to us, to him, why should I listen to or believe a word you're saying."
"He's telling the truth," Vincent said quietly. "He's settling his conscience before he dies. Isn't that right?"
The man looked up in surprise. "How do you...?"
Vincent shrugged. "I'm getting better at interpreting my reactions to people. You smell of death."
Catherine look at Vincent, shocked at his brutal assessment.
The man nodded. "You are right. I don't have long to live. Neither will both of you if you don't leave New York."
"Why now? What has changed?" Catherine asked.
"They're cleaning house. With this latest string of beast murders..."
"We caught him today," Vincent interrupted.
"Then he'll be dead already. Any of our past...experiments...or anyone associated with them who knows about their special abilities will be eliminated. Friends, associates, old girlfriends, family there is no barrier to the new administration tidying up any and all loose threads."
Catherine gasped. "My sister?"
The man nodded grimly. "Anyone you can convince, get them out of New York, convince them to leave the country if you can."
"When is this all happening?" Vincent asked, looking equally grim.
"I don't know the exact time frame, I'm not in the loop any more, but it will be soon. You have to convince anyone who has seen Vincent, or helped him, to escape or they are dead. I can't put if more strongly than that. I'm sorry."
"What about you?" Vincent asked.
The man laughed mirthlessly. "I don't have long anyway, but I don't intend to be around here for someone to take pot-shots at. You won't see me again." He looked at Catherine, his expression remorseful. "I'm sorry it's turned out this way. Whatever the outcome, I loved your mother."
Taking as last look at them both, the man turned away and got into his car, pulling out from the kerb and leaving his stunned audience standing on the side-walk
Vincent tugged Catherine around and pulled her towards the roller door to her apartment. "We have to pack now."
Catherine pulled herself out of her shock and fumbled for her keys, her hands shaking. Vincent took them and bundled them both inside, slamming the roller door shut behind them. An hour later and they had packed the car with the essentials and were ready to leave. Catherine had already alerted Tess to their imminent arrival at her place without telling her why, feeling it better to do that face to face. The apartment was stripped of anything personal to her and Catherine barely looked back before pulling the door closed and locking it for the last time. She had already been in touch with a real estate agent about disposing of the property and they would drop off the necessary documents and keys on their way to Tess's.
It was dark when they arrived at her best friends apartment. Tess hugged Catherine, then hugged Vincent, much to his surprise. Catherine quickly and succinctly told Tess what they knew, Tess sinking down onto her couch, her mouth open as the story unfolded, it's ending anything but a happy one.
"You're leaving?" she asked, staring from one to the other.
"Tonight." Catherine said. "And you need to leave too. I'm so sorry, Tess."
Tess looked around at her apartment, at all the personal stuff scattered around walls and surfaces, her life in pictures and memento's "I can't leave, that's crazy. I have a job, I have a boyfriend..."
"Tess, I know this is a shock but you have to think. We know what Muirfield are capable of. They've proved that time and time again. Think of Gabe, Tyler, that agent that came to the precinct, the men that chased Vincent down in the tunnels, the men and resources they put into that computer hub at The Orchard...they are too many and too powerful to stand again." Catherine stopped and looked at her best friend with tears welling in her eyes. "I don't want you to die, Tess. I know this is all my fault, but I can't bear the thought of you dying because of my mistake."
"And you believe every word this man...you father...told you?"
"He has no reason to lie, Tess. He's dying."
Tess pulled Catherine in close, both women clinging to each other and crying. Vincent sat looking down at his hands, not wanting to intrude on the moment. Eventually Tess let Catherine go, the two of them wiping their eyes.
Tess was the first to speak. "I have an Aunt down south who I owe a visit. I have a ton of leave owing so it can be an extended break and you never know, I might even put in for a transfer. What will you two do?"
Catherine and Vincent shared a look. Catherine turned back. "We haven't planned that far ahead yet. Give me your aunt's address and if we can, I'll send you something to tell you we're alright, okay?"
Tess gave her best friend a watery smile. "Sure. The less I know the less I have to tell when the questions start. Have you told your work."
Catherine shook her head. "We're on our way there next, and to check on the felon Vincent caught today."
Tess looked at Vincent, her eyebrows raised. "You didn't take long to get back into the swing of things." she turned back to Catherine. "Now shoo, the pair of you. I have stuff I need to do, and I imagine you won't be getting much sleep tonight, so go. Drag out the goodbyes and I won't be able to let go of either of you." She hugged Vincent first and kissed him on the cheek. "Look after my best friend, don't let her down...ever." she whispered for his ears alone, then she let him go.
Turning to Catherine, Tess wrapped her in her arms and held on tight for several moments before pushing her away, both of them with wet eyes. "Don't get dead!" Tess told her, looking fierce despite the tears falling down her cheeks. The she turned away and scribbled an address on a piece of paper before thrusting it into Catherine's hands. "If I'm not there, she'll know where I am. Now go."
Tess watched the pair leave, shutting the door firmly behind them. Then she turned to survey her cosy apartment and all it contained. Drawing in a deep breath she moved to the hall cupboard and pulled out a stack of brown, unused flattened boxes she'd been keeping for when she had her annual turn out for goodwill. "Time for an early spring clean, only in reverse." Wiping her face she took the boxes and headed for her bedroom.
Catherine sat at the wheel of the car and took a moment to wipe her eyes. "God, that was hard."
Vincent reached for her hand and she took it, lacing her fingers with his.
"I'm sorry you have leave everything because of me," said Vincent softly. Catherine turned to look at him.
"I don't blame you, Vincent, as far as I can see this is the fault of a great many people who kept the truth hidden for too long. I'm thirty and I only now know that my father is in fact my stepfather, that my biological father is dying after being involved with a heinous and illegal operation turning good men, good soldiers into beasts and who-knows-how many others like that murderer today are loose on the streets after being dumped there by Muirfield. They probably did that as a social experiment, but forgot to warn the populace or anyone else they were guinea pigs. In the past two years everything I have believed about my family, my life and the world, has been turned on its head. There is no one to blame except this faceless corporation who feels powerful enough to snuff people out with impunity, hiding behind bogus identities and hidden agendas. I almost envy you, Vincent, your lost memories, I wish I could lose a few of my own." Catherine finished her angry tirade on a whisper, lowering her head to the steering wheel for a couple of seconds before lifting it and looking over at her lover. "We only have two stops before we are out of here. My work and my family. For all the sins of the past I have to give them a chance of escaping Muirfield's purge."
Vincent sat in the car and fidgeted. Catherine was inside the building wrapping up her job, handing in her notice and arranging her final pay. She was also going to follow up on the beastman case.
The car door opened and Catherine got in, slamming the door hard behind her. She was seething and he didn't say a word until her anger subsided a little.
"Bad news?" he finally asked.
"He's dead. They think poison but can't find a source or how it was done." Catherine sat back in her seat and rested her head back against the headrest. "They moved fast, he barely made it back to the precinct and they had him in an interview room. By the time the officers arrived to conduct the interview he was dead on the floor."
"Shit. You need to warn Tess, she might not have as much time as we thought."
Catherine pulled out her phone and dialed, getting Tess on the third ring. "Tess? They're moving much faster than we thought. The perp is dead already and you might not have much time. Take what you can and go. Now. Do what you can over the phone and get out of there." She listened to Tess's answer then hung up.
"We need to get to my family now."
They arrived at the Chandler home to find it surrounded by fire trucks and police cars. Catherine drove past and parked a little way down the street, her face white and her hands shaking.
"We're too late..." she whispered, agonised at the thought of what seemed to have happened.
"Stay here, I'll go and find out the situation. Do not leave this car." He waited for her to nod before getting out and shutting the door, heaving the locks engage before he started walking back to where the flames of the burning house illuminated the street. He mingled with the other residents all watching and caught snatches of conversation, piecing together the events. He had a word with one of the young police officers manning the crowd barriers, the young man giving him what he needed to know before returning to Catherine.
Catherine looked up when Vincent tapped on the passenger window, unlocking the door so he could get in. She couldn't ask, her throat too choked with horror
"They weren't in the house, Catherine, they must have been tipped off because neighbours saw them leave only an hour or so before the blaze started. Heather had already left for her trip to Paris last week, so she's safe and your stepfather and Brooke looked to be packing for a holiday, so their neighbour said. Their safe, for now."
"Oh, thank God." Catherine covered her face with her hands, still feeling sick to think of the people she knew and loved still in the burning house. After a few moments, Catherine lowered her hands and set them on the steering wheel.
"Right. Everything is done or in hand. There's nothing more we can do here." She looked over at Vincent. "Pick a direction. When we get far enough away from the city we'll ditch this and get another car. I still have our fake I.D's and a bunch of others. We still have to get a hold of J.T somehow, and warn him..."
"Then let's head west. You said he was out in California and I don't have a clue whether I've been there before, so let's go there."
"As good a choice as any." Catherine agreed, putting the car in gear and heading down the road, the burning house and flashing lights getting smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror.