A/N:

So~ the turning point. You either made it here after seeing the 'major update' posted on DeviantArt (definitely should see the pics for this fic on my page over there~) or the email sent you here.
Happy reading~ and don't you dare skim! This is probably the most intense of all the chapters so far!

(I hope the indents show up...I'm guessing they aren't :/ So... single linebreak time.)

10_The_Conspiracy_

5:36 PM (45 Minutes Before Lockdown)

He left the OR bearing a wounded conscience.

It may not have harmed his skills as a surgeon, but while returning to his room, he constantly found himself reflecting on the memories of yesterday. The forbidden journey outside the hospital grounds appeared like a vague dream, something he still couldn't completely understand. As he strode into an intersection, he removed his lab coat and paused in front of his door with it hung over his shoulder. He held back from simply turning the knob to summarize what he was unable to solve on his own:

Prisoner CR-SO1 was Erhard Muller. The orphaned mute that was turning eighteen also followed by that name. This trouble-making copycat had to be someone else; the kid was keeping her gender a secret...something that came in conflict with the stolen identity. The most important contradiction was reviewed after the silent doctor entered his rather barren office— which was already occupied by another visitor. With her borrowed paramedic jacket neatly sitting on the side of the bed, the imitator that just crossed his mind uncurled from the usual corner at the presence of the prisoner.

Ill at ease, the specialist objected with a subdued voice, "You waited...here?" He didn't believe the teen was patient enough to ball up in such a cloistered area— she could have just waited in the padded chair if she was that desperate. While the girl stretched her legs as a consequence for remaining in the confined space, she answered him with an elaborately bent paperclip. The long, tiny piece of metalwork must have engaged the mute for the past few minutes.

Glaring at its form, the astonished man knew she intended to tamper with the device again, surely for another getaway at the mall. He let loose a frustrated sigh, which toned down her excitement greatly and eventually created a sense of guilt between them. One wished he didn't have to be involved and would prefer to have someone else more suitable take his place... The only problem was the girl had grown too reliant on him, whether the reason was sympathy or intrigue, he couldn't tell. The other had begun associating herself with this guy not because she suspected snitching, but because their situations were so similar...to the point where she felt there was nothing better to do other than getting curious.

They must have wasted a ton of time just staring at one another about the decision. The acknowledgment of the risks was mutual, the realization of that inciting a repeated dispute. Hanging up the coat, the surgeon moved to the seat the teen had kindly spared for him. He unexpectedly growled, "I'm not following you out there again..." The unbelieving turn of the head that acted as the teen's response was premeditated by the distraught prisoner. When he returned to gaze at the spacious desk, 'Erhard' finally made her first steps toward the exit, so he thought.

No, she was only thinking of giving the house arrest device another peek— the doctor's right side was just nearer to the door. Worse, she already had her little hands working with the jagged piece of metal. CR-SO1, who was both speechless and motionless, suffered the uneasiness that wrecked in him; the catch was he couldn't move a muscle now, or end up increasing the chance of failure. The mute, absorbed in her tinkering, wasn't putting her ear up to the tracker this time... she was pretty certain the giant paperclip she personally stolen and modified would get the band to open in the exact same way as last time. Though she wasn't grinning at her bulletproof plan, she had the confidence to raise her ambitious eyes up at the conflicted specialist.

Though he knew she was only a few seconds in, the tension had skyrocketed past what he underwent several days back. The sudden and foolish glimpse at him wasn't relaxing at all. As long as the orphan continued staying here (which, he he recalled correctly, would be another two weeks), he will be facing this anxiety attack again until he manned up enough to send her out of his room. Now, he wasn't implying he couldn't do it, the issue was that the teenager wouldn't listen...so far, she rebelled against most of what he said.

Uptight with his own actions, he didn't make note of the raised up tracker the kid surveyed. Having already separating it from his wrist, she had it up to her face to guarantee herself the bracelet wasn't damaged by her prying...it was enthralling to see the paperclip jammed in it was keeping it somewhat open without sending off the signal. To the other, her close check-up felt more like she was admiring her latest victory. After all, she left the 'trophy' hidden in the emptiest drawer without bothering to separate the parts.

"You can't leave it like that, someone could—" 'Someone could' tug him away from the office chair during that meaningless excuse to stay. Knowing what he mentioned wasn't overly concerning the girl, the doctor regrettably went along, sulking under his breath, "You don't need to pull me..." Some of the enthusiasm from her was missing when they paced in the golden halls, however the light shrug and open-minded smile he witnessed as his hand was released meant the girl still had a couple of things to look forward to.

While the prisoner started to lag behind her, he struggled to make more sense of what was occurring right in front of him. The one that was striding in a somewhat gallant fashion was currently distracted with the directions, the food, and the bill. The awful hushed attitude from the 'carry-on' disrupted her scheming. She wheeled around with a pent-up frown to show utter disappointment in the man's inability to follow steadily. That was when she spotted something wrong.

All the thought processes that was taking place in the specialist's head halted when he discovered a rare, skeptical glower from the mute, who later charged right past him and froze right before a doorway. "Is something the matter?" He shouldn't have muttered that, but that didn't strike him until after he finished. It wasn't unusual for a door to be half-way open, and there wasn't anything on the aged slab of wood worth taking note of. They haven't traveled far enough to be out of the infirmary yet, so perhaps he was looking at the orphan's accommodation? That was a pretty reasonable explanation for why she flew inside so noisily.

He also heard another person rushing somewhere around the corridor; now that he actually spun around to record their location, he knew they didn't go far from his place at all. He went into the normal-looking room to meet the more prominent concern: the kid, who was currently fretting over some nicely folded, black fabric in the middle of her bed with an immobilized glare. The second to enter saw the barren room, which wasn't at all sabotaged, with complacent eyes; the only items that resided in the expanse were the bed and the trunk-sized suitcase underneath the window.

This was when the Chief Surgeon, Esha Patel, spoke throughout Resurgam. This was also when the girl forcefully pulled the thick cloak off from the bed as if it was concealing a secret. She held the frayed fabric, which oddly reminded the convict of the garment from prison, from a chain, not noticing a business-like card being sent in the visitor's direction. He caught it on a whim, still drawn to the announcement regarding a lock-down, and commented at the turn of events, "What's going on...?" Well, this just reinstated the rules that prohibited him from going outside.

Right as he started giving more attention to the restive teenager, who threw on the worn cloth, treating it like a cape as she glided to the front of the window. "What are you doing...?" Unlike how she opened the one in the doctor's room during the times she tried to establish trust and helped Gary flee, the frame was sent upwards to its highest point. Making use of the wide opening, the girl heaved her luggage upwards and out— the weight probably wasn't as dense, seeing how her thin arms could raise the bag.

By now, he already gave up at learning her insane intentions. So he ignored the chucking of the suitcase and the loud shutting of the panel altogether. If she wants to move elsewhere by kicking herself out, he would have no part of it. He flipped over the blank back of the card that rested between his fingers: A dark ink smudge was beside the cursive phrase written in pen, which he analyzed just as Detective Holden delivered his news to the unaware fugitive, no, the entirety of Resurgam.

"Prisoner CR-SO1, remain where you are. Otherwise we won't hesitate to shoot. You broke your contract, now it's over."

"What?" Before he could put the blame on the girl's shoulders, he saw her in a stiffened stance facing the cloudy afternoon sky. There was no betrayal; she was surprised as much he was at the unthinkable turn of events.

He didn't know what else to feel other than a sickening despair and a painful shock. Lacking his lab coat, he could no longer be seen as a doctor— the cuffs on the plain dress shirt he wore reminded him that he was nothing more than a criminal now. As darkness seeped into his broken self, he spent his final hopes deciphering the writing on the slip of paper. He didn't know if his heart sank further or not with reading the message:

'Trust me no matter what.'

He took a heavy step backwards while exhaling a trembling breath. The teenager that spun around with stunned, blood-red eyes snatched the note from him without delay. CR-SO1, waiting for the end, shut his own eyes as the mute scanned the card and shoved it into the right pocket of her jacket. She then gripped onto his wrist, the same spot the tracker once was, and attempted to leave the room with him in tow...he was anchored to the ground and refusing to cooperate. "Where do you think you're taking me?" The man, unable to hide his rage to the orphan, growled bitterly as his gaze almost intimidated the girl.

The gunshots from the opposite side of the dimmed hospital sounded, adding to the pressure between the two. The targeted prisoner, now considering his death, brought up his other hand to tear off the teen's grasp on him. Except she retaliated by placing something metal to his head. That something cocked and could produce the same sounds that could be heard across from this area.

"You—" With his image of the mettlesome girl shattered, he only dared to shift his startled expression to confront the identity thief's disillusioned one. She dropped the pistol from his head once he quit resisting her hold and bolted with him outside. The safety on the firearm was switched back on when the gun returned to the holster hidden underneath the distinctive cloak.

The five words from the card reappeared in his head over and over, causing him to repeatedly glance forward at her stormy hair. Stumbling to survive her speed along with the fluttering fabric, he couldn't catch her countenance, which would put so many unsettled mysteries to rest...

Just who is she...and why was she doing this?

5: 58 PM (23 Minutes Before Lockdown)

Chloe was snooping around like any other ordinary cat on the streets. The catch would be that it was roaming a lavishly painted hall of a hospital. With its charcoal fur seeming to stain the tiled ground, it was no match against Dr. Tachibana in the game of hide-and-seek. Carried in her arms and receiving a stroke or two, the discovered pet purred somewhat loftily.

Tomoe felt the whiskers brushing her fingertips while she was trying to keep the animal going astray. This was really one of her first times handling the cat, but it appeared to be fond of her. "If only you could tell me where Alyssa is..." The woman murmured with a slight melancholic tone. Already navigating the same place twice, it was clear the girl had broken the rule about entering the private rooms and offices. Dr. Tachibana sighed regretfully; she should've requested the assistance of Hanzou, a family friend and butler, in this search.

Dr. Tachibana approached a turn, her ears picking up a voice she perceived as familiar. She stayed behind the corner with Chloe in her arms, peering over to recognize the person busy talking on the phone: An adult with light hair and pale blue eyes wearing a crisp navy suit who was clutching a firm piece of paper in his hand while on his cellphone. Agent Navel— surely he came to pick up Ms. Breslin. The man hasn't yet noticed the doctor's presence, as he was staring at the note and defending his argument against the one on the other line.

The Japanese surgeon formed a numbed expression from where she stood. Though it would be inappropriate to intrude on the heated discussion, waiting was the same as eavesdropping, which was just as rude as the other option. She proceeded to pet the cat until her chance to speak with the visitor arises.

"Dr. Kimishima, we still don't know of a connection, it could be a red herring. And the threat tonight may be misleading, it happened before..." Navel fell back to the wall, as much as he was grateful that Alyssa was out of the picture, his boss continues to bring up well-supported debates with him. All he ended up doing was giving Naomi his assurance, "There's a good chance they'll leave something with all the patrols about..." It was at that point his eyes wandered off the card to check the time, and also identified Tomoe in the vicinity, who neared him with the spirited ball of fur trying to worm out of her grasp.

Humiliated that he allowed the conversation to be heard by a bystander, the assisting agent cut the quarrel short, "It's getting late, I'll find Alyssa and drop her off at your office." Snapping the cell shut, he cleared his throat to address the nearby doctor, "I'm supposing that you're looking for her, too..." He wished finding the child was less painful; he just withstood the mother's criticism and all he could come across was the girl's cherished pet. Yes, the cat was constantly vanishing on a day-to-day basis...but it was too soon to claim victory. "I only have half an hour left to find her..."

The endoscopic surgeon drew an optimistic smile as she guaranteed, "I found Chloe not too far from here...if we work together, we'll definitely find her in time." It wasn't much of a pep talk, but the teaming up sounded promising to the despondent man. With his nod, the encouraging woman bent over to release the cat, proposing, "I have a theory that perhaps she'll be able to hunt down our target faster than any of us..." She was about to let go until she heard large footsteps coming their way. Restricting the animal from a fast getaway, she raised it up and glanced down the corridor. "Dr. Freebird..!"

The well-kept green hair was unmistakeable, the strong torso and belt as well. The co-worker that called out quickly read the sadness on his face and questioned, "Is something the matter?" It was detected by the suit-wearing agent, despite not even being acquainted with this guy. The pair of tight fists and the hailing footfalls closing in on them wouldn't need his investigative skills to understand. He resisted the urge to ask about the missing girl's whereabouts, fearing that it would be discourteous when the foul mood was in plain sight.

Hank, realizing his actions unintentionally unsettling others, shook his head as he came up to the unlikely trio. "It's nothing... I think I should be asking you that instead." Relaxing the muscles in his hands and shoulders, he returned the question, "What's happening here?"

Though his mouth opened, Navel heard Tomoe rush ahead with the summary of their current challenge. "Well, I lost track of the time while playing hide-and-seek with Alyssa. So far I've located her pet..." While she gestured to the black furball in her hold, the agent beside her recalled the time Dr. Kimishima warned him about his word choice with describing household pets...the only real problem with 'domesticated animals' was the length of the phrase. He agreed with the rest of what Tomoe said: "I believe she decided to hide in one of the rooms here..."

Having only visited one of those rooms, the orthopedic surgeon didn't see himself as much help. "I haven't seen a girl from where I just came from... Are you planning to look into all the rooms?" It was that moment the other doctor shook her head and tried her plan again. This time Chloe leaped out of her arms when she neared the ground; it circled a little before strolling down the path behind the woman. The giant held his chin for a while before remarking, "This is an interesting idea...Are you sure it won't run away?"

Dr. Tachibana laughed in response, "I think it knows how difficult it'll be to hide here..." Besides the lack of camouflage, she could also compete with the fleeting feline, but she didn't mention it. Just as she reached Chloe, who slowed down to a turtle's pace, the PA turned on with Chief Patel's voice blaring though with the notice of an unforeseen lockdown. The three adults were all dumbfounded, their hunt becoming a part of the mayhem that rocked Resurgam.

"We have to find her...!" Alyssa's assigned chauffeur shouted, closing in on the others in the group. While the rows of ceiling lights shut off in order, Tomoe rushed ahead to seize the animal that fled with the abrupt noise and darkness. Hank breathed heavily, unable to keep his internal outbursts of 'what's going on' and 'why is this happening' from sounding. The search party regrouped once the cat was apprehended.

Though the two doctors that mastered some of the medical fields here were highly concerned, the secret agent's own panic could never compare. They meant to collaborate on a new strategy, however the next set of words that exited the speakers alarmed them so much that they couldn't communicate without first processing the information. "Prisoner...the one from Cumberland?" Navel, the type that rarely let their nerves take control, grunted while taking back his collected composure.

"Y-yes..." The endoscopic surgeon stuttered back, lowering her gaze together with Dr. Freebird. She could never believe the specialist, having the same passion to save as everyone else, would run— the negotiations that secured him the deal here would be all in vain. With a rigid voice, she proclaimed, "This can't be right... there must be some misunderstanding!" Hank expressed the same emotions on his face, cold sweat running down his neck at the intensity that charged the air.

The gunshots could be interpreted either way. It doesn't matter how they could see it, one thing remained certain: the danger existed.

6:04 PM (17 Minutes Before Lockdown)

After killing a ton of time trying to meet up with his buddy, Gabriel Cunningham didn't find any relief in coming upon Maria Torres. The paramedic, who was kept from her ride home due to some chatterboxes throwing her off, was totally spooked when the diagnostician crept up behind her (this was a hundred-percent her opinion), provoking her aggressive side. The doctors squabbled a bit over the man's dignity and manners before actually moving on...but for the one marked as guilty by the snippy associate, they were light-years from getting anywhere. A meaningless clamor was made from a rally of 'calm downs' and 'what's your problems'.

Dr. Cunningham pretended there was an itch coming from the back of his head as this dispute became a hassle that got some nurses across the hallway cracking up. He was better off apologizing straightaway. "Look, I'm sorry about bursting your little bubble trying to get your attention back there. But I'm trying to catch up with Hank about tonight... mind telling me where he is?" Even if his language was somewhat offensive to the EMT's ears, she appeared to have cooled down while crossing her arms, more or less cranky. Meanwhile, Gabe motioned away the staff that were getting seats to their show, since it was canceled.

"Why are you asking me that?" Barking with a faded scowl, Maria gave the inquiry more consideration and lightened up just a tiny amount while pointing out, "Hey, you don't mean the dinner at some cafe with him, right?" She glanced at the other's elevated eyebrows and rewarded herself with an airy chuckle. To avoid ruining the recovery of her temper, the second person postponed his reaction until she added, "Knock yourselves out then."

"Hold on—" If he didn't grab her shoulder when she whirled around, there would have been only her dust left behind. "You didn't really answer... you got some clue of where he was going or not?" However, this way of retaining her was not the brightest move he ever made.

Feeling her privacy was invaded, Maria snapped with a jump, "I meant no— and didn't you get the message about touching people?" She usually didn't pop up at a tap or two, but the berating session already weakened her tolerance of this guy. Don't forget she almost spent 2 extra hours in this place, unlike the rest of the lucky members of the first response team. "Don't you two have cellphones?" Frankly she didn't know about the big guy.

Flipping around, Gabriel moaned in botheration, "Leave it... I'll find him." Somehow. Man, it really sucked to have used up so much energy dealing with just one person. Back to square one with the unending trek across the building.

"Wait..." Now the tangerine-jacketed paramedic was keeping the slightly irritable diagnostician from taking off; all she needed was one syllable to do so. "Isn't the kid supposed to be with you?" Although the messy-haired man could ask who she referred to, he picked up the devious mute's name in her rambling that followed. Oh boy, he could see Maria pouncing on him if he spoke about the substitute babysitter. He already got yelled at for being loud and intruding, he didn't want irresponsible on the list.

"That kid...she's running a few papers for me." He was about to pull out a cigarette, but was occupied with whipping up a passible excuse. Seeing the woman's astonished stare, he admitted, "Fine, fine, she's with the specialist..." Still staring; must have been something he said. "What?" He thought over what left his mouth and realized how he screwed up. "Oh...that." Should he take cover?

"What the hell have you been hiding from me?" Dr. Torres vehemently snarled. The first instance the incorrect pronoun was used, she assumed it was a slip-up, but that cover up just now made it evident. She had speculated the gender misconception not long ago; from what she heard, the orphan seemed documented as male. "How would you know that he's a girl and why is the kid with him?" She didn't stress the worry about the prisoner, though it was funny to imagine him playing nanny.

Gabriel's sticky situation just got nasty; he saw no escape from her fire...and divine intervention failed to happen too often to count. "You see..." Letting his voice drift off, he spotted the classic clock adjacent to the wall and mentally slapped himself—the minute hand was almost past the halfway point for the hour.

6:21 PM was the precise moment where Resurgam First Care took emergency security measures for the first time after the Rosalia Crisis. "This is the Chief speaking— everyone stop what your doing, we're going into lockdown! This isn't a drill! I repeat, Resurgam's locking down! Everyone remain where they are, cancel any operations...Just stay safe!" The pair that coincidentally stood right under the speakers exchanged blank gazes, both uneasy at their misfortune. It had only been a little over a week since the pandemic, and suddenly a lockdown happened. Plus, Esha didn't talk of an intruder, or any specifics for the matter, so naturally both doctors had their questions.

Another person wearing a EMT jacket brushed by the puzzled duo, who the crew leader, Maria, made out effortlessly. "Kevin..!" With her yell stopping the hurrying man dead in his tracks, she went on to ask the subordinate, "What are you doing here? I thought Chief let you off early like me." Using her experience, he was a serious, complicated individual who doesn't appreciate people who interposed in his work. "And do you have any idea what's going on?" According to that, it was okay to be asking him things, yet the urgent circumstance would be pushing the limit.

The short, black hair of the third person was flung in a direction when he glimpsed back callously at the twosome. His gloved fists never loosened while he answered, "I had an appointment with someone. You should seek shelter...it could be dangerous." Ignoring the woman's 'how about you,' he disappeared into the edifice, mostly blacked out with some faint exit lights lingering about.

"'An appointment?' That's... weird." The disregarded paramedic's comment raised suspicions in Dr. Cunningham's mind. He sensed she would try to pursue the informant just now, but the next voice on the PA did the preventing for him. Ian Holden's brief statements put her in a daze and greatly increased the Master of Deduction's skepticism.

"There's gotta be a mistake!" "I'm not buying it." Each uttered out in strong disbelief, later meeting their own revelation: Gabriel immediately pictured the specialist with the teenage girl. If the surgeon was truly brilliant, he would know better than to get the orphan involved...of course, if he wasn't thinking of taking any lives. At any rate, he anticipated the mute to be thrown in the mess someway or another.

Dr. Torres' vision turned hazy as she, already fazed, witnessed familiar dark fractals materialize into a silhouette. For the third time in a row this week, she encountered Rosalia's troubled spirit; the woman wondered if she would need to make another heroic dive, but it was doubtful in a middle of a building. "What's the message now, huh?"

"Help them..."

The ghostly figure evanesced just as the plea was repeated. The co-worker that soon reentered Maria's sight pulled on his collar and bumbled out, "That wasn't what I thought it was, right?" Still to this day, he honestly was still shaky about the whole 'hearing and seeing the dead' thing. Ineffective in weakening the confliction on her face, he bluntly asked, "What was it?" He'll have to put aside the fact that he was calling her while she was zoning out.

The disarrayed paramedic, holding a heart-wrenching presentment, spaced out a while longer. The drive to chase down the other EMT emerged again when she whimpered to the one accompanying her, "I... got something to do..." Sick of her elusive attitude, Gabriel automatically kept her from sprinting away. He understood how staggering the news was, but that wasn't an excuse to shoot off— considering how most people would try to steer clear of gunshots, which went off just now right where the other guy was headed to. The woman peacefully accepted the yank; she could've been a goner right after Kevin.

Following their instincts to survive, the two violently accelerated for the opposite direction. "Your friend probably got to someplace safe already. Now we gotta run..." Dr. Cunningham grumbled dreadfully as the other exclaimed to the gunfight behind them. While he was planning to backtrack to his office, the diagnostician regretted taking along the dragging lab coat and burdensome stethoscope. Of course, running into hell in such a hurry was part of Maria's job description, so the only slack she had was the stress shrouding her head.

"What the heck is the kid thinking...?"

6:27 PM

It was as if their collisions happened systematically.

Tomoe, with Hank and Little Guy not far after her, let Chloe slip out of her hands on accident during the frantic search for Alyssa Breslin. The trio drew near the cat while coming to a crossroads in the halls; this was the second floor.

Chloe sauntered to the right— if it had turned to the left, they could have cornered the pet since that dead-end had only the elevators and staircase, both blocked off with closed doors. It didn't head straight since there were strangers standing there. "Dr. Cunningham... Dr. Torres!" Dr. Tachibana paused in her hall with the two men beside her as she recognized the pair of doctors aloud under the dim red lights.

Maria and Gabriel, both amazed to come upon so many acquaintances, ceased their mad dash. Standing across from the other group, they could observe the black furball on the loose walk into the embrace of a child shouting out its name— it was a young girl with short brown hair and emerald eyes who wore a traditional, brown skirt with a cream-colored top. "Alyssa!" "Mr. Breslin..." Just as the endoscopic surgeon and the secret agent called out to her, Dr. Freebird noted the startled boy with crutches that hopped to the adolescent's side.

"Why are you out of..."

An explosive slamming of a door interrupted Hank's question to the twelve year-old. Gary, along with the 6 others divided amongst the rayless hallways of the intersection, distinguished two new figures that soared out from the stairwell. "Erhard!" The kid with the cumbersome cast on his leg was first, and only, to excitedly name the teenager with the inscrutable cloak, which he seemed to have overlooked. Faintly comprehending why the other person was with the fellow orphan, he spoke with a frown, "Isn't that the doctor from earlier? Why is he with..."

The duo to the left of the cautious mute and disconcerted prisoner yelled out 'kid' in sync, the first responder's voice producing a bellow compared to the shout of the man with tousled, green hair. Mr. Navel mouthed something as well, but the volume of the others expressing their shock was too high for him to be heard. The two children with the cat may not see it, but all the other adults were beginning to take extreme possibilities in account with spotting the renegade teen not just with the fugitive, but leading him— now that they were surrounded, no one could predict what lengths the fugitives would go to to break out...

'Erhard Muller' gave Gary an empty glimpse while pacing a few steps back, uncertain which path would be the wisest to take with witnesses as obstacles. CR-SO1, hardly discerning how the imitator had locked her hand with his, wished he could explain himself, but as he sullenly gazed to Maria, Tomoe, and his former associates, he realized that the respect and trust they had put on him was already under serious evaluation. Under dismal circumstances, the impasse between the various groups remained; Erhard thought about leaving from where they came, but when she glanced back, the methodical retreat was cast aside.

"What the-? You said the signals were coming from the other side of the building!" Esha Patel, who was safely behind Ian Holden and one other officer, blurted out as she exited the elevator behind them. She was needed to reach the room with the photography equipment that monitored the hospital, therefore the assembly of staff, bystanders, and the convict himself mortified her. "What's going on here?" Her voice cracked at the end, when the detective and his assistant, who was assigned to utilize the cameras, both raised their firearms with their two hands.

"You led him to this?" Ian growled out in confusion, a signal to the other not to fire, despite the orphan revealing her gun the same time they had flashed their weapons. The caretaker of the prisoner bitterly clenched his teeth, his shades sagging down his face by a fraction. He had the impulse to command backups to arrive, however he got caught up in identifying the accomplice: the resistance strangely had similar features to the specialist...The thin left arm that pointed a pistol at him never twitched. The crimson pair of eyes that never broke from his direction appeared lifeless rather than murderous. All those details he picked up on complicated his choice of action. "Who are you...?"

The adults that stood around the deadlock were all momentarily speechless. They took that question, which CR-SO1 had harbored from the very start, and scrutinized it— until one of the two unaware children chose to physically intervene. "I did it! I started the fire! It wasn't Erhard or any of the other orphans, so leave him alone..!" Gary, with one crutch to balance himself and the other thrown aside, hobbled between the cocked guns recklessly.

The spectators ordered the kid to move away, but couldn't move at the horrifying round of gunshots echoing from the other half of the building— which now made little sense. The boy flinched as he stood in the deadliest position of the standoff. Out of the many hospital personnel that related the child's outcry to the unsolved arson, only a handful were able to fully doubt his confession. Alyssa, cradling Chloe in her arms, was the one outlier that decided to speak up. She joined her new 'friend' at point blank, ignoring what Little Guy warned, and freed her cat to extend her arms out. Doing what Gary would've done, she defended not only the mute, but the boy as well, "He didn't do it either... nobody here is guilty! Put away the guns before you hurt someone!"

It was an act of childish bravery only innocents could make, but it served motivation enough for 'Erhard,' whose composure was rocked, to lower down her guard, the gun. When Ian and the lieutenant were about to copy the example, Secret Agent Navel's fierce words erased the negotiation efforts.

"Hold it...are you 'Raven?'" His focus was dead set on the prominent black cloak.

Although there were others who wanted to voice their puzzlement, the boy cut in ahead of all of them. "Quit asking stuff already, Erhard can't talk..." He, having done this a million times before, looked back for some approval, but only saw closed eyes from the accused. The blonde man backed off with some suspicions, trying to assure himself it was all just a coincidence as Alyssa's legs shuddered in the tension.

Detective Holden, his weapon still raised, summarized the source of his frustration by uttering to the protective patient, "How the hell do you know the prisoner's name?" He didn't give the staff nearby the chance to swallow the fact and pressed on with what the agent had tried earlier. With the teenager's vermillion gaze on him again, he repeated, "And...are you really 'Raven?'"

"Didn't you hear what I just—"

"No."

AHAHA! Take THAT for a cliff! :D
Alicia (In the corner): ^^;

Okay... I'll be honest and admit that I was at a loss for words in this chappy... and that's because I'm going to need all that description to be stocked up for the next chapter, which may turn out to be shorter...
And that chapter, there'll be a review of all the pieces of the puzzle so far with a few more surprises :p So... since I'll probably delay it a ton, please nag at me about it in a review or something...
As for what you've just read...tell me your thoughts! I love hearing predictions o3o (I always see the stuff as obvious but...)