May 12, 2008

Disclaimer: JQ not mine. Non-JQ characters and storyline mine. No money made. All for fun...

Into the Valley of Darkness
Chapter 2 Act 3: Collusion
by Ina-chan

Music blared from the car's speakers as it cruised along the isolated county side roads. It was a scene nothing out of the ordinary, if one was to assume that it was some teen-aged kid driving the family pick-up truck home after a day of shopping for supplies and groceries with a favourite rock band blaring from the radio in full blast. Only it wasn't a family pick-up truck. The driver wasn't a teenager. And the music in full blast was the New London Philharmonic's rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

"You know, Dr. Ross…" Jessie yelled unnecessarily from the top of her lungs as she made a show as if she was in a great amount of pain while holding her hands to her ears to prove her point, "from where I came from, this is what we call noise pollution."

"I don't particularly care how you listen to music from where you came from, Missy," Dr. Nathan Ross replied, mimicking her tone, "but this is how you're supposed to listen to Old Ludwig's number 5."

/Ahhh… there they go again… don't you ever get tired of this?/ The voice in the back of his mind hissed in annoyance. /It's bad enough with that infernal racket. Why do they have to argue like an old man and a rude teenager?/

"You kids just don't know how to appreciate culture."

"You old timers just don't want to admit you're going deaf."

Blu didn't particularly mind the so-called 'infernal racket'. Ever since the redhead became a constant fixture within his routine, such noises and arguments became a staple white noise. The voice from the back of his mind didn't like it very much. But then again, it didn't like a lot of things. It sounded particularly weary of his new friends, especially when the other one with an equally loud voice joined the picture.

Normally he didn't bother with other people or their emotions or how they thought. The only people he allowed to have a glimpse past the invisible cocoon around him was Abby and Nathan Ross. But for the oddest reason… and he suspected to the voice's dismay… he felt an emotion closely resembling something that of intrigue when it came to his fire-haired friend.

/Well, she definitely seems to attract a lot of interesting characters./ The voice commented idly.

Blu's mind wandered idly back to that incident earlier in their shopping trip. He'd never been involved in a fight before. People had the tendency to avoid him or leave him alone. He knew all too well that those boys only came after them because of his companion. But there was a strange sensation within him as those boys closed around him that he didn't remember feeling before. And watching that foreign boy take that gang effortlessly… He'd never felt anything like it. Since then, a strange sense of restlessness seemed to have taken over his entire body.

/And don't you dare start craving for trouble!/The voice hissed in alarm. /You have to keep yourself from standing out. Remember the last time? Do you want that to happen again?/

Blu sank further in his seat as he watched the scenery by the pick-up's window across Jessie's seat from the corner of his eye.

/You have to keep that promise no matter what./ The voice stated insistently. /There's not much time./

"Hey kiddo, you okay?" The older man asked, as if sensing the shift in the boy's demeanor.

The boy didn't reply. Instead closed his eyes and instinctively burrowed closer to the girl beside him, to the utter horror of the voice from the back of his mind. He let his consciousness quickly drift with practiced precision before the voice could sputter another word of protest.

Nathan Ross raised a surprised eyebrow while Jessie flushed, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious at the older man's reaction to her friend's uncharacteristic behaviour.

"He's probably just tired," Jessie stated with a nervous laugh, regardless, shifting in her seat so she could cradle the younger boy under one arm comfortably. "We had an exciting day today."

"So I heard," Dr. Ross smirked as he turned his attention to the road.

"Heard what exactly?" Jessie frowned as she looked at the older man suspiciously.

"Nothing bad," Dr. Ross teased with a bigger grin. "Just some story about a certain damsel in distress being rescues by a handsome stranger."

"Dam--?! Wha--!?" Jessie sputtered in shock, turning into a deeper shade, almost matching the color of her bright hair. "Where the hell did you hear that?"

"New London may be a relatively big town, but its so quiet and boring that when stuff like that happens, word does get around fast," Dr. Ross stated nonchalantly, before looking at his two charges with a significant look. "Though your handsome hero would be the least of your worries if you continue to publicly treat Blu like that. Your boyfriend gets jealous enough as it is."

"B-buh- BOYFRIEND!?" Jessie glared at the older man in outrage. "Who told you that? Has John been snooping around in your clinic as well? That-that-that… IDIOT! I'm going to kill him!"

Dr. Ross let out a hearty laugh, before turning his attention back to the boy, now soundly sleeping against Jessie's shoulder. "Though, that's unnerving to see him switch himself on and off, just like that. Not that he's acted like this in front of other people… even Abby. He must feel very safe with you."

Jessie's eyes widened as she stared at the older man in surprise. "Is that so?"

"I've known Abby for a long time. She and my little sister were best friends growing up, so in a way, we were childhood chums by association. Though we've lost touch, especially after Edward Lynd died. I didn't hear from her until a few years ago, when she came back to recover from her accident. And she came with Jason here in tow…" Dr. Ross paused as if he was searching for something in his memory. "This little one was definitely a strange one."

"Really?" Jessie looked at him curiously.

"He normally doesn't talk to people other than Abby. He didn't speak a word to me until almost two years after," Dr. Ross recalled. "And you got him speaking full sentences almost instantly."

"That's strange," Jessie commented idly. "He spoke to Hadji perfectly fine earlier."

Dr. Ross raised an eyebrow at that. "You don't say!"

The girl gave the older man an uncertain look, as if debating her next question before speaking. "Dr. Ross… has Blu always been like this? Did something happen to him? Abby wouldn't say anything more, but she did imply once that Blu's parents died in Geneva."

The doctor simply looked back at the road with a small shrug. "Who knows? Abby has always been a private person. But knowing Abby's former life, I wouldn't be surprised."

"So you never met her husband's family?" Jessie asked curiously.

"Even before Geneva, the Lynd Family already kept to themselves. That's the nature of the Lynd business empire, I suppose. Though Edward was different. Very laid back and not so bright when it came to keeping money in his pockets. Before everything went to heck, it wasn't a secret that the Lynd Family was strongly disappointed that their sole heir to their empire was not to be desired," Dr. Ross murmured. "Of none of that matters anymore."

"Sole heir?" Jessie's eyebrows furrowed. "But I thought Abby's husband had a brother or sister…"

Dr. Ross looked at her from the corner of his eye in surprise. "Where did you hear that?"

"Abby mentioned once that Blu was her husband's nephew," Jessie stated as he studied the older man's face.

"Is that so?" Dr. Ross replied non-committedly with a bland expression as he turned his attention back in front of him.

"Dr. Ross?" Jessie called out inquiringly at the man's sudden change in demeanor.

"Better jostle sleeping beauty awake. Abigail is not a very patient lady. We're a tad late as it is, and she'll be more pissed than a hornet's nest the moment we sit foot at the door," Dr. Ross replied in a more cheerful tone as he coasted the pick-up truck through the short uneven path that led to the Lynd bungalow.

"She'll be really pissed, won't she?" Jessie agreed as he gently nudged the sleeping boy beside her.

"She'll open the door the minute I park. And if a single hair is out of place from the two of you, she'll have my head," Dr. Ross in mock horror.

Jessie laughed as the pick-up cruised to a stop.

"Come on, you guys get the groceries while I..." Dr. Ross said as he got out the vehicle

"Blu?" Jessie called out in concern when the boy continued to sit motionlessly on his seat and stare at something outside

"She's not pissed," Blu simply replied

Jessie followed his field of vision and felt an overwhelming sense of dread at the sight of the closed door.

Her room was dark except for the light from the computer screen in front of her, strangely illuminating Melana Zin's normally striking features into with a sinister air. Her lips were a thin line as she stared at the computer screen in front of her emotionlessly.

"Everything is on schedule," Melana's quiet voice resonated blandly in the darkened room, "Has the specimen met expectations?"

"The specimen has arrived," the transmission's security features digitally obscuring her conversation's partner into an almost unintelligible warble. "Whether it meets expectations is still to be seen."

"Earlier tests were inconclusive. The results, however, were sufficient enough to assume that the specimen has potential. I will personally supervise the project upon my return."

"And the other matters?"

"It is now under control. Anaya has personally supervised it."

"There was news of complications."

"Anaya has personally supervised it."

"I certainly hope this is not a repetition of past mistakes."

"… … …"

"Do not forget that the objective of this mission is to erase probable ammunition against us. Mistakes due to matters of personal natures are unacceptable."

The silence in the room hung heavily in the air for a moment before the voice spoke again.

"And tell your sister that her tardiness is not appreciated," the voice said simply before the connection was cut abruptly.

"Yes," The thin line of Melana's lips mouthed a reply almost soundlessly, the voice answering was almost an inaudible soft whisper as she continued to stare at her computer monitor. The screen's bright light eerily reflected and illuminating her eyes in the darkness.

(End of Act 2 Chapter 3)
(To be Continued)

Author's squawk:

Again, thank you so much for bearing with me… and for continuing to read this…

Yet another long break and more changes. Though of all the chapters rewritten so far, this one seems to be the most intact from the original. Sorry for the slow update. Life has been crazy! With the two productions I volunteered with just finished over the weekend, still recovering from the high of watching my first voice-over animated short film role being screened in a real movie theatre (yeah, yeah it was a student film festival… but it was a REAL MOVIE THEATE…. Ooooh! . ), the stress induced by Anime North two weeks away, my "Sweeney Todd" auditions (for roles that I will most likely never get) in three weeks, plus the Toronto Fringe Festival rehearsals (yaaay! My first Fringe acting gig!) in a month or so… GAH!! My real life hobbies are slowly morphing to become a… gasp JOB!! Now if only I get paid to do all these things…

On a side note… Quinton Flynn is coming back to Anime North along with Jeff Nimoy, citing Toronto as their next destination for their Anime Convention documentary that they're making. If you guys happen to be doin' nuthin and have a penchant to visit Canada for the Memorial Day long weekend, here's a cool chance to see Canada and Jonny Quest at the same time! Details

Anywayz… on a very off off off off tangential note… I have started a love affair with Robert Kirkman (thanks to a friend's recommendation… because if he didn't recommend it, I would have never picked it up due to time constraints that would not allow me to discover new things on my own… I feel so deprived…).

I LOVE "Invincible"! I love the storytelling style! I love Cory Walker's art! I love the dialogue! I love seeing characters remaining optimistic and fun (and acting like real people) despite all the deep, dark, depressing situations they are subjected to.

Wow… that was totally random!

Well, now that the rambling babble is over, you know what to do next…

Ja!
Ina-chan