Valkyrie watched as Skulduggery used the earth skills he had developed and honed during his time in the Faceless One's dimension to clear dirt away from the spot Rapture had pointed out. Before long she could see the tip of a large steel trapdoor that was lined with rivets the size of her clenched fist. Glancing at Rapture, who was standing to one side and watching Skulduggery work with an odd little smile on her face, Valkyrie wondered how she had even noticed the door was there.
Given that there was nothing more interesting to do as Skulduggery did his thing, she strolled over to the short haired sorcerer casually, hands in pockets. "So." She began, trying her best not to sound accusing or suspicious. "How did you even spot the door? I mean, it's pretty damn big and all, but it was covered over quite well." Frowning, Valkyrie went over that sentence in her mind and decided it had actually sounded quite rude. Usually that wouldn't have bothered her, but for some reason she felt the need to gain Rapture's approval. She thought it might have something to do with the fact that, even though Skulduggery didn't openly admit it, he respected her.
"I never would have spotted it myself." Valkyrie added quickly in an attempt to make up for her previous blunder. Rapture, whose eyes had turned back to their usual glittering green, looked at her and smiled. Valkyrie noted the fact she seemed to be looking healthier already.
"Well, reason number one is, I suppose, the fact that I worked as a Detective for almost twenty years with our mutual friend." Rapture nodded her head towards Skulduggery, who had now cleared more than half the dirt away. "And reason number two makes reason number one seem far less impressive. The glowing paw prints stop right there." Rapture pointed to the very edge of the trap door. "And the last one is cut off half way. Even a particularly stupid goldfish could have worked out what that means."
Valkyrie nodded. "Paw prints don't just disappear half way. It's logical to assume that the rest of it continues underground."
Rapture tilted her head to the side. "And it's good to know you are at least on the same intellectual level as a goldfish."
Placing her hands on her hips, Valkyrie huffed in mock-protest. "Well, at least I have a brain inside my head." She pouted and then made a very clear point to glance at Skulduggery, who was just finishing up. Rapture and Valkyrie shared a look, grinning when Skulduggery walked over.
"Right. Time to beat up the Baron." He declared, but paused upon noticing the grins on their faces. "...What is it now?"
"Oh, nothing at all my dear Skulduggery." Rapture assured him, waving a casual hand, but this was spoiled somewhat when she made no move to drop the grin. Valkyrie giggled and Skulduggery turned to her.
"You will tell me what's so hilarious, won't you? My faithful little companion."
Valkyrie could see Rapture making fish faces behind Skulduggery's back and tried very, very hard not to laugh. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"So much for the faithful companion. I really should find myself a new partner." Skulduggery cocked his head to the side. "One who won't laugh at the faces Rapture is pulling behind my back."
"Seriously, Skulduggery. What are you going on about?" Valkyrie looked at Rapture.
"Do you know what he's going on about? Because I sure as hell don't."
"I have absolutely no idea." Rapture stated innocently, walking over so that Skulduggery could see her. "You seem to be imagining things."
"Yup. Imagining things." Valkyrie echoed, nodding.
Skulduggery turned to face the trap door. "Well, if I have already imagined your childish little conspiracy, then I'm sure you won't mind if I simply imagine you aren't there at all. That way, I won't be bothered by your annoying comments and incessant giggling."
"You really need to smile more, bones." Rapture nodded solemnly and Valkyrie snorted.
Skulduggery ignored her completely and walked over to the trap door, bending down to examine the thick steel.
"Hm. If I didn't know any better, I'd say we were getting on his metaphorical nerves."
Rapture hummed happily, following after the skeleton detective. Still grinning, Valkyrie followed after them both.
After thirty solid minutes of examining the steel trap door, Skulduggery declared that it was impossible to open from the outside. Nails elongating and hardening as she spoke, Rapture disagreed. "I have strengthened my attacks since last we met. Cutting through steel should be absolutely no problem at all."
"There is confident and then there is cocky. Are you sure you know which one is which?"
Skulduggery asked, standing next to the trap door with his arms crossed.
"You're just pissed that I let you scramble around on your hands and knees for half an hour looking for a way through, aren't you?"
"That may have something to do with it, yes."
Smiling widely Rapture strolled over and flexed her long fingers, but just as she raised her arm to strike there was a loud creaking and groaning. The ground trembled slightly and the trap door began to slide open at a painfully slow pace. Metal scraped against stone and after a dozen or so seconds, the door had fully retracted. Rapture lowered her arm. "Well, that saves me a job." And she peered through the opening the door had made. A set of wide stone steps wound deep into the bowels of the earth. Valkyrie shuffled over to the first step and looked into the gloom. Fortunately, the faint lights of torches in brackets winked from somewhere beyond.
"Some trap. It couldn't get any more blatantly obvious." She stated.
"Then we should do-" Skulduggery started.
"-what we do best." Rapture finished. They both turned to look at each other and said simultaneously; "Let's spring this trap."
Without a moment's hesitation the two of them started descending the stone steps swiftly.
Frowning as she tried to figure out the complex relationship between Rapture and Skulduggery, Valkyrie walked after them. The moment their heads passed below ground level the massive steel door closed above them, a lot faster than it had opened.
As they were bathed in darkness, save for the gently flickering torches on the wall, Rapture grinned widely, the whites of her teeth just about visible. "God, I missed this." She reached out an arm and brushed the nearest stone wall with outstretched fingers, closing her eyes as she did so. "The thrill of the chase, the suspense-"
"The fights." Skulduggery added, and Rapture opened her eyes again.
"Oh, yes. The fights we got into. I don't think I've ever had so much fun. In this life or the previous one."
Skulduggery cocked his head to the side and something about the movement made Valkyrie wonder if there was any particular significance to Rapture's last few words. "I heard that Skulduggery has been getting you into some pretty crazy fights." Rapture hummed, dragging Valkyrie away from her thoughts. "You fought the Faceless Ones, correct?"
"Oh, right. Yeah." Valkyrie answered a little absently, unable to shake the uneasy feeling that had just settled in the pit of her stomach. This dark tunnel gave her the creeps, and it made her wonder what they were walking towards.
"That's quite impressive. Beating up a bunch of Gods." Rapture then turned to Skulduggery.
"I also heard you got dragged into their dimension for some months. How was it, by the way?"
Skulduggery clicked his fingers and sparked a flame in his hand as the torches became further and further apart. "All fun and giggles."
"It sounds it." Rapture nodded slowly. "Can I drive the Bentley on the way back?"
Skulduggery paused and then turned to look at her."You managed to change the subject in record time. Well done."
"So can I?"
"I suppose. If you're careful."
Valkyrie stared open-mouthed at the skeleton detective and both he and Rapture turned their attention to her instead. "Hey, you actually look like a goldfish now." Rapture pointed out.
"But you never let anyone drive the Bentley." Valkyrie stated, ignoring Rapture's comment, her eyes trained on Skulduggery all the while.
"Yes, well, Rapture can actually drive, unlike some people I won't care to mention."
Valkyrie glared at him and Rapture chuckled. "My driving skills are pretty amazing, but I doubt that's his actual reasoning." Valkyrie instead turned her gaze on Rapture and she added; "I did buy it for him, after all."
"You...?" Valkyrie blinked, dumbfounded.
"Yup. It was a Christma-err, Birthday present. Well." Rapture shrugged. "That, and my way of apologizing for trashing his other car." She beamed.
Valkyrie continued to stare. And then, slowly, a smile started to form on her face.
"So that's why you're so fond of the Bentley. Because it was a gift from Rapture!" She giggled.
"An interesting theory. Completely wrong of course, but interesting. I have been a big fan of automobiles for well over a century, and in case you had forgotten the Bentley in question, my Bentley, is a vintage 1954 R-Type Continental. A motor befitting someone as suave and sophisticated as myself." Skulduggery called back as they continued on down the stairs, to which there seemed to be no end.
But Valkyrie would have none of it; "And now you're all embarrassed. That's just adorable."
"Please stop talking." Skulduggery grumbled and started walking several steps in front of them. Rapture and Valkyrie high-fived behind his back, smiles still plastered across their features.
No-one spoke for the next twenty minutes but eventually Valkyrie got bored of this silence and the never-ending-stairs."You still haven't told me what those letters were about." She said casually, glancing at Rapture, who smirked in return.
"Dear God, not that again." Skulduggery muttered.
"So were they love letters?" Valkyrie asked, ignoring Skulduggery.
"Not love letters, no." Rapture answered, fishing around inside her coat pocket for a cigarette.
Valkyrie tried not to look disappointed at this. It would have been a good thing to bring up and tease Skulduggery about whenever he got a little too annoying.
"But they weren't exactly what Skulduggery said they were, either."
Valkyrie looked interested at this. "I knew it." She grinned. "So what were they?"
"Completely one-sided." Rapture began, reaching an arm out so she could light her cigarette on the flame in Skulduggery's hand. " I was ignoring him at the time."
"Ignoring him?" Valkyrie echoed, arching a questioning eyebrow.
"Here we go." Skulduggery grumbled.
Rapture elaborated. "I was going through a particularly rough patch and this bag of bones didn't exactly help the situation." She aimed a half hearted kicked at Skulduggery's non-existent behind, but he side stepped and avoided it with ease. "There was an incident, you see, and after said incident Skulduggery said some hurtful things. I had enough to deal with as it was, so I confined myself to the house." Rapture took a long drag from her cigarette and blew the smoke from her nose; it took the shape of a swirling serpent, which flitted erratically around Valkyrie's head for a few moments and then dissipated. "When I didn't answer the door, he took to writing letters. I was no longer a Sanctuary Detective at this point, so he filled me in on all his most recent cases. He also tried to apologize."
"Tried?" Valkyrie asked.
"I was almost at the point of forgiving him completely, but that notion was somewhat dashed when he broke into my house and attempted to steal something from me."
"May I point out that the object in question still, in fact, belongs to the Sanctuary." Skulduggery cut in.
Valkyrie looked from Skulduggery to Rapture. "What, you never gave it back?"
"I felt I deserved it after everything I had been through to retrieve it." Rapture stated. "But I won't bore you with that old story."
"How could a story involving magical ninja, a weapon belonging to the Norse God of Thunder and, most importantly, me, ever be boring?" Skulduggery made a point of asking.
"Norse God of Thunder..." Valkyrie mouthed silently, shaking her head. And she thought her cases with Skulduggery were strange.
"Do you remember how that particular little story ended, Skulduggery?" Rapture questioned, an amused smile tugging at her lips.
"Ah. Good point. You destroyed my car."
Rapture snorted.
"What? It was a nice car. I was rather fond of that old Randonnée."
Shrugging, Rapture turned back to Valkyrie. "Anyway, I believe I mentioned earlier what happened when Skulduggery broke into my house?"
Valkyrie frowned as she tried to remember. "You, um, broke his ribs? I can't really remember what you said." She admitted, looking a little guilty.
"Not the greatest quality for a detective to have, but I think I can just about manage to forgive you this time." Skulduggery chimed in, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.
Rapture continued regardless; "Four broken ribs and a fractured skull. I also tried to feed him to my python, Medusa. Unfortunately she didn't seem to have an appetite for fleshless bones."
"So after you beat him up..." Valkyrie mused. "Did he apologize?"
"Absolutely." Rapture grinned.
"Well, I don't think I've had even the slightest urge to say this before and I highly doubt I ever will again, but; you go, girl." Valkyrie grinned right back,and the duo high-fived a second time.
"You know." Rapture hummed. "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship."
"Don't get your hopes up." Skulduggery muttered.
"What, are you jealous Valkyrie here has a new best friend? I can't help it if I'm so amazingly likeable." Rapture took another drag on her cigarette and turned her grin on him.
"'Likeable' isn't a word I would ever associate with you, Rapture. 'Tolerable' perhaps, at a stretch."
"That was low, man." Rapture sniffled, feigning hurt. "I should forget this whole Baron Stattlich thing and kick your Elemental ass right here, right now."
"There is nothing wrong with Elemental magic."
"Well it is awfully predictable and Adepts have the drop on Elementals more often that not, but-" Rapture nodded slowly. "I can see the upside to it, I suppose." There was a mischievous little glint in her eyes. "Just imagine it!" She spread her arms wide in an over-dramatized fashion and looked off into the distance. "All of the sudden and mysterious gusts of wind that would tear through towns, whisking more than one or two skirts high, high into the air! The glory of panties, mine for the taking." She sighed wistfully and shook her head. "Oh, what could have been."
"Trust you to think of some perverted way to exploit magic." Skulduggery shook his own head.
Valkyrie looked at Rapture and raised an eyebrow. Rapture seemed to know what she was thinking immediately because she said; "I swing both ways, toots. In fact, you'll find that most sorcerers past a certain age are about as straight as a roundabout."
"Ah, right. Gotcha." Valkyrie nodded, smiling. "That's cool."
"Using the word 'both' suggests there are only two ways to swing. A simple left and right." Skulduggery turned to look at Rapture. "Whereas you swing every possible way imaginable."
"It's not my fault zombies and skeletons are so damn cute." Rapture huffed, flicking her finished cigarette down the stairs. The ash glowed momentarily, then flickered and died.
Valkyrie couldn't quite tell if Rapture was joking or not, but she laughed anyway.
After what seemed like a lifetime, the three sorcerers finally reached the bottom of the stairs. Several metres away stood an arched metal door that was easily both tall and wide enough to accommodate a small cathedral. Intricately detailed serpents, each as big as a man, decorated its entirety. Rapture whistled appreciatively. "Now that is my kind of door." She approached the rusted steel and reached out to touch it, fingers brushing against one of the snakes. But before she could place her palm completely flat against the door she paused, rounded pupils contracting into slits once again. Valkyrie stared as Rapture flicked her tongue out, the small pink organ shrinking and lengthening as she watched. She flicked it out a second time and it was no longer human, but the forked tongue of a reptile.
"That's pretty cool." Valkyrie grinned. "A little creepy, but cool."
"I always did wonder when you would take that to the next level and transform into some sort of freakish snake-woman mutation." Skulduggery commented mildly, extinguishing the flame in his hand and strolling over.
Rapture smiled around her forked tongue, head cocked to one side. "You have some strange fetishes, Skulduggery." She teased, flicking the tongue out again. Her grin instantly disappeared to be replaced with a frown.
"Is something the matter?"
"That scent. It seems familiar." Another flick of the tongue, and another. "Yes. I'm sure of it."
Skulduggery turned to look at her. "Let me guess; the situation just got a little more complicated."
"You could say that."
But before Rapture could elaborate the huge door started to creak and groan, much like the one they had entered through. There was the deafening sound of metal scraping against stone as it slowly swung inward on its hinges. The first thing that hit Valkyrie was the smell; an overpowering mixture of chemicals, animal waste and a scent that was quite unmistakeably blood. She hastily covered her nose with one sleeve and dabbed at her watering eyes with the other. "Now I get why Stattlich wears that mask." She managed to choke out.
Skulduggery, of course, wasn't affected by the smell. And after all the other strange things she had seen happen with Rapture, Valkyrie wasn't surprised to see it didn't affect her either.
There was, however, an odd expression on her face. Valkyrie couldn't quite place it, but it just seemed...wrong, as if it were an expression she didn't wear all that often. With his head tilted to one side Skulduggery came to stand next to her, as if he were worried Rapture might do something reckless.
"Rapture." He began in a quiet voice, placing a bony hand on her shoulder. But she shrugged his hand off and strode right across the threshold, a dangerous glint in her eye.
Skulduggery made a sound much like a sigh and walked after her. After a moment of hesitation Valkyrie followed, one sleeve still firmly clamped over her nose.
What she saw shocked her; the room they had entered was cavernous, the high ceiling obscured by shadows. A faded red carpet stretched down the middle of the room, starting from the door and ending in front of massive cylindrical shape at the far end. It was covered over with a dusty old sheet and a metal catwalk was suspended above it. Two red flags with the same symbol Stattlich wore on his armband were draped over the metal railings on each end, accompanied by a multitude of rusty old chains that ran along its entirety.
Strange contraptions and bleeping machines ran the length of the carpet either side and half a dozen workbenches dotted with odds and ends, or variously coloured potions were slotted snugly in between. And then there were the cages.
Dozens and dozens of them, all varying in size, stacked on top of one other behind the noisy machines and cluttered workbenches. Each cage contained an animal, some common, others magical. All of them were in poor condition and most of them had given up howling, barking or mewling long ago. Several of the pitiful creatures didn't appear to be moving at all and Valkyrie wondered if they were even still alive.
"Oh my god." She gasped, lowering her arm and staring wide eyed at the cruelty around her. "That's just-...that's..."
"Monstrous." Rapture finished for her, fists clenched tightly at her sides. Droplets of blood trickled from between her fingers where nail had breached skin. Blinking back tears, Valkyrie suddenly realised what the expression on Rapture's face was; anger. Sheer blood-boiling, teeth-clenching, murderous rage. She seemed like such an easy going person who rarely took anything seriously. But this...
This had crossed the line.
As Rapture walked stiffly over to the nearest cage, which seemed to contain some sort of fox with horns, Skulduggery moved to stand beside Valkyrie. "Rapture has always had this strange affinity for animals." His voice was low and serious-sounding. Something that it rarely was. "In fact, the lengths she would go to to rescue any one of them has no limits."
Valkyrie watched as Rapture pushed her arm through the bars of the cage and gently stroked the horned-fox between its over large ears. It snuffled quietly and licked her hand, startling golden eyes almost pleading. The tears spilled onto Valkyrie's cheek and Skulduggery dipped his head. "Stattlich has a lot to answer for."
After a few more moments Rapture retracted her hand from the cage and let it dangle at her side. "The man responsible for this will pay." She promised the fox, her eyes cold and determined. "And once I've finished scraping his face off my boot, I'll come back for you."
The fox snuffled in response and already its eyes seemed a little brighter. Some of the other animals in nearby cages had turned their attention on Rapture too, as if they could sense their potential saviour. She glanced around at them. "I'll come back for all of you."
Once she had composed herself sufficiently, Rapture walked back over to Valkyrie and Skulduggery, a real purpose in her stride. Valkyrie shuddered to think what would happen when she got her hands on Stattlich. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be so good for him.
"I do apologize in advance if our dear friend the Baron happens to die before you can arrest him." Rapture told Skulduggery, already making her way down the red carpet.
Skulduggery shrugged lightly and made his way after her. "I'm sure it wouldn't be a total disaster."
For once Valkyrie agreed wholeheartedly. This guy deserved it.
They made their way down the length of the room, Rapture with her eyes closed as she tried not to focus too much on the caged animals. As they got closer to the giant cylinder, the animals seemed to get bigger and the machines more complex. A multitude of different coloured cables sprouted from them and disappeared down several oval-shaped holes in the ground.
"Welcome to my humble abode, your Highness. I have been expecting you." A smooth voice echoed from above them and Rapture snapped her eyes open immediately. Baron Stattlich was standing on the catwalk directly above the cylinder, his arms spread wide in a gesture of welcome.
"I must admit, I am pretty amazing, but you don't have to call me Highness. Really."
Skulduggery hummed, hands in pockets.
Stattlich narrowed his silver eyes. "I wasn't speaking to you, Detective." The way he said the word made it sound like the worst kind of insult.
Rapture narrowed her own eyes and gazed up at the symbol on one of the flags that were draped over the railing. Valkyrie followed her gaze and suddenly realized she had seen it before; on the floor of a room in Rapture's house, scrawled in blood.
"He was speaking to me." Rapture corrected, eyes now trained on the dozens of candles that were clumped together on either side of the cylinder. "Isn't that right, Baron?"
Stattlich bowed deeply. "Of course, My Lady. I am honoured that you would grace me with your presence."
Valkyrie stared at Rapture, eyes wide. No. Surely not. She couldn't be...working with the Baron? But how had she known where the trap door was? Could she really see glowing red footprints or was she making it all up? And the strange symbol in Rapture's house, the one that was decorating the flags in this very room...
She backed up quickly, coming to a stop on Skulduggery's other side. Although she had only known Rapture for a short while, she couldn't help but feel completely and utterly betrayed. There was just something about the black-haired sorcerer that instantly made Valkyrie want to stand by her side. To follow her to the ends of the earth.
Rapture paid this no attention and instead stared fixedly at the cylinder, the faintest hint of concern on her features. "Where did you find it?" She asked, almost whispered.
"It was not easy, I grant you." The Baron stated, avoiding answering the question directly. "But zat is not important now." He stood up from the bow. "I only wish to help restore you to power, My Lady. A human shell is unbefitting of someone so powerful. Of someone so...Godlike."
"Are you expecting some sort of reward in return?"
"I only wish to serve you. That is reward enough." Stattlich bowed again.
"If there's one thing I can't stand..." Rapture muttered. "It's a sycophant."
Valkyrie frowned. "I don't understand. What's going on?" She was expecting Skulduggery to explain but it was Rapture who answered.
"I'm not on the Baron's side, Valkyrie." She began, displaying once more her ability to somehow know what was going on inside Valkyrie's head. "I am simply clever enough to figure out what is going on."
"Ah. Yes." Skulduggery joined in. "That said, I really think we should leave now."
"Seriously?" Valkyrie frowned. "After everything we went through to get here?" She looked between Rapture and Skulduggery. "An explanation would be nice." But the duo ignored her. Valkyrie could have been annoyed at this, but she settled for worried instead. Something really serious must be happening here.
"I saw you in Venice." Rapture said all of a sudden, addressing the Baron. "You were talking to Romeo."
Stattlich nodded. "Correct. I used zat dithering idiot to gather intel from your Irish Sanctuary."
"You were looking for it back then." Rapture gestured absently at the cylinder.
"Indeed, My Lady. But your Sanctuary had absolutely no idea where it was. I was actually planning to do away with little Romeo when you and the skeleton showed up."
"But you did manage to find out about me." Rapture stated more than asked. " That's why you kept popping up over the years. I remember your scent from the catacombs, in the Mjolnir chamber. Also in Russia, during the Dragon Cult incident."
"I've heard of stalking," Skulduggery began, having kept quiet up until now. "But this is just ridiculous."
Stattlich narrowed his eyes at Skulduggery but didn't rise to the bait. He instead answered Rapture. "Yes. After learning about you from the Irish Sanctuary, I simply observed for a time. Many years in fact. Nothing particularly abnormal occurred, so I enticed the Yami Tsuki with information about the hammer of Thor. Always seeking power, they couldn't resist."
Rapture continued to gaze at the cylinder and Skulduggery stared at the floor, deep in thought. Valkyrie was left standing by the skeleton detective's side, still wondering what the hell was going on.
"I knew zat you and Mr. Pleasant would be working the case," the Baron continued. "So it would only be a matter of time before you and the Yami Tsuki crossed paths. And after zat little incident at Kuro's house..." He clasped his hands behind his back and closed his eyes, as if relishing in the memory. "I knew zat you were the one."
"That's all very interesting," Skulduggery butt in. "And I'm sure Rapture appreciates having such a creepy, rabid fan who practically worships the ground she walks on, but we really should be leaving now." He clamped a hand around Rapture's wrist and tried to tug her away, but she wouldn't budge.
"I'm not leaving until I've made balloon animals out of his intestines." She flicked her eyes towards Stattlich, who cocked his head to one side.
"But...I do not understand. I thought zat you would want to return-"
"You clearly didn't watch me closely enough, Baron. I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in my old life. I have a new one now. One that I'm actually quite fond of." And before anyone could so much as blink Rapture had disappeared from the spot where she was standing. A sudden gust of wind rushed past the Baron, sending his trench coat billowing all around him. He went to turn but a wickedly sharp blade materialized at his throat, drawing small droplets of blood. Rapture stood directly behind him holding the dagger, her knuckles white from gripping its hilt so hard. "I should cut your damn head off." She hissed between clenched teeth.
"My Lady should do whatever she sees fit. I am but a humble servant." Stattlich replied, completely unfazed.
"Whatever I see fit, hm? Now that I think about it, simply cutting your head off would be no fun at all." Rapture retracted the blade, slipping it back into the weapon belt that hung around her waist. She grabbed the Baron by his shoulder and whirled him around on the spot, bringing a fist up to meet his face. He stumbled back, gas mask cracked and nose gushing blood. A malicious twinkle in her eyes Rapture brought her clenched fist up to parted lips and licked some of the blood away with a forked tongue. And as Stattlich picked himself off the ground she moved in for a sharp kick to the ribs.
Skulduggery, who was watching all this from the floor below, groaned. "I hate it when she gets like this. Makes my job that much harder." And he ran over to a set of metal stairs that led up to the catwalk. Cursing, Valkyrie followed him.
Just as Skulduggery reached the top of the stairs Rapture kicked Stattlich again; he went flying over the railing and crashing onto the cold stone floor below. She leaped after him, landing lightly on her feet. "Typical." Skulduggery grumbled, turning on his heel and running back down the stairs.
Cursing again Valkyrie glared after him, but decided to stay on the catwalk. She would cover Rapture and Skulduggery from above, just in case the Baron had any tricks up his sleeve. As it turned out, a trick was precisely what Baron Stattlich had up his sleeve.
By this point Rapture held him up by the collar of his uniform, throwing punch after punch at his face. The gas mask was knocked from his jaw and went clattering to the ground.
His eye was bruised, his nose broken and his lips bloody, but they were parted in a wide grin. Rapture was too busy punching the living daylights out of him to notice when he slipped a knife from her weapon belt. He let her punch him one more time before swiping the blade across the back of her hand. The cut wasn't particularly deep, but the cold steel of the knife was coated with a thin layer of blood. Withdrawing her hand sharply, Rapture glared down at him. "What are you-"
But Stattlich disappeared in a cloud of black smoke before she could finish her sentence.
He reappeared on the catwalk, one hand gripping at the large sheet that covered the cylinder, the other holding the bloody knife high into the air.
"Don't." Rapture warned, her muscles tensing.
The Baron smiled sadly. "Forgive me, My Lady, but you are not thinking clearly. Living as a human for so long has addled your mind. I have no choice but to intervene. " And he swept the sheet aside, letting it tumble to the ground below. "You will thank me when this is all over."
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that; the dusty, yellowing sheet fluttered away and a huge glass cylinder filled with luminous green liquid was revealed. Rapture suddenly went all weak-kneed and dropped to the floor. Skulduggery shouted something but she didn't seem to hear. Valkyrie didn't hear either. She was too busy staring at the tank, and the woman who was suspended in it.
Her skin was chalk-white and hair black as pitch floated gently around her as the viscous green liquid bubbled. If she were standing, it would have easily reached her ankles.
Long, slender arms were crossed over a bare chest and the nails on the ends of her fingers glinted like razor blades in the artificial light. They were even longer than the claws Rapture was so fond of. But the most captivating thing about this strange woman wasn't the white skin, the abnormally long hair or even the talon-like nails.
It was the face.
Even though her eyes were closed as if she were sleeping, it did nothing to diminish the unnatural beauty that radiated from her pale profile. Valkyrie couldn't help but stare. She was completely captivated. Before today she never would have thought it possible, but this woman was even more beautiful than China Sorrows. So busy was she, staring at this rapturously beautiful face, Valkyrie didn't even notice as the top of the tank slid open. Or when Baron Stattlich hovered the knife over the opening, tapping the blade with a single finger, two droplets of blood rolling from the tip.
"Valkyrie!" Someone yelled, and it took Valkyrie a few moments to realise that Skulduggery was calling her.
"What..?" She muttered dumbly, still unable to draw her eyes away from that deadly beauty.
"Don't look her in the eyes!"
But she was transfixed. She couldn't move, even when the two droplets of blood were swallowed up by the green substance in the tank and a crackle of energy rippled right through it. The woman spasmed and her arms uncurled from her chest, claw-tipped fingers flexing. Her eyelids fluttered and Valkyrie caught a glimpse of red before she was whisked off her feet and sent stumbling along the catwalk. Feeling as if a fog had been lifted from her mind, she groaned and picked herself up. She could see Skulduggery standing in the middle of the stairs with his palms splayed, and guessed that was the reason behind her little tumble.
"I really wish someone would explain to me exactly what in the hell is going on." Valkyrie grumbled, brushing the dust from her clothes.
"No time to explain." Skulduggery told her and she grumbled again. "Just stay here, and no matter what happens do not look that woman in the eyes."
"But-"
"Just trust me."
Valkyrie huffed and folded her arms, but did as she was told. Skulduggery turned and descended the stairs.
Back on the ground Rapture was staring up at the woman in the tank with a pained expression on her face. A startling crimson bled into each iris as she stared, completely consuming the usual emerald green. And, just as they had done in the alleyway, her teeth elongated and sharpened, making her look like some sort of feral beast. As Skulduggery approached even her hair started to ripple with the sheer energy she was giving off.
"I'm not so sure there's any getting out of this one." She managed to grunt, pausing after each word as if it pained her to speak.
"Now now. Where's your sense of optimism?"
Rapture chuckled weakly, but her face suddenly contorted and a snarl escaped her lips.
The woman in the tank opened her eyes fully, revealing slitted pupils and the same crimson that had taken over Rapture's own optic organs. She slowly reached out to press a long-fingered hand against the thick glass, head tilted to one side curiously.
"You and Valkyrie should get out of here. This is my fight." Rapture told Skulduggery, arms wrapped around her stomach.
"I'm not leaving you here."
Hand still pressed against the glass, the woman in the tank closed her eyes. When she opened them again the initial crimson had disappeared to be replaced by a cloudy, soulless white.
"She'll kill you, Skulduggery."
"I'm already dead."
"That doesn't matter. She'll find a way to destroy you. She is me after all."
The woman, now revealed to be Rapture's original body and nothing more than a shell, turned its glassy gaze on the duo standing in front of the tank. It may not have had an actual mind of its own, but it was almost as if the movements were programmed into its pale limbs the very second Rapture's blood had been introduced.
It would become whole once more, and it needed her very mind and soul to do it.
