Chapter 10
Lily debated on whether or not she should go to the storage unit for awhile. She didn't trust Renard, not in any significant way at least, and it made her more than a little skeptical when he handed her an address. Eventually, however, she found her way there.
She sat in her car for a decent amount of time, watching the complex and making sure there was nothing odd going on. She was armed, but knew that would only help her so much in the end. If someone was waiting for her, she only hoped she could spot them before they found her. Still, for reasons even she wasn't aware, Lily exited the car and headed inside.
The unit was an indoor/outdoor setup. Some units stretched along the property in long strips with an enclosed hall so you could go through your unit without being exposed to the elements. Others were two or three storied buildings with the same setup. It took some navigating at first, but Lily was eventually able to find her unit. It was nestled on the top floor of the building the furthest away from the roads and front office. She held the knife at her side tighter than before.
Her steps echoed off the metal walls. She kept them as silent as possible, but it was a bit like a parking garage. The surfaces surrounding her could only conduct sound, not stifle it. Lily kept her ears trained on her surroundings as she walked through the winding halls. Following the signs posted to the walls, she finally found the unit itself.
3224 was painted in black lettering beside the bright orange, sheet metal door. Lily pressed her ear to the door and listened. She couldn't hear anything at first. She wasn't sure if it was a good or bad sign.
The lock was clasped shut which told her it was unlikely someone was inside, but not impossible. She was mildly irritated Renard hadn't given her a key, but she assumed he knew she wouldn't really need one. Still, it would have been helpful. Removing her lock-pick set from her satchel, Lily had the lock undone within a minute or two. As quietly as she could, she removed the lock. With a deep breath –readying herself for the firing squad that could be on the other side- she threw the rolling door up and open.
Nothing. There was nothing. Nothing charged her. No one shot her. Nothing.
Curious, she stepped deeper into the large empty unit. A light switch at her side caught her attention. She didn't hesitate to flip it on. The room was filled with light revealing something waiting for her in the middle of the unit. A coffin was displayed in front of her, sitting in the middle of the room on the floor. She cocked a skeptical brow. Was it meant to be a warning? What the hell was the coffin supposed to mean?
As she approached it, Lily noticed a folded piece of paper resting on top of its deep brown, shining surface. She reached for it and opened it. The note was scribbled in Renard's awful handwriting.
The answers you've been looking for.
Her brows pulled together tightly. Tossing the note aside, Lily lifted the coffin's lid apprehensively. She was so stunned by what lay within that she gasped and dropped the lid. When she gathered herself again, she opened the lid once more and pushed it up so it wouldn't come back down when she let go.
A man was lying within the coffin. He was older with white hair and a beard. His clothes were simple and she knew she didn't recognize him. She had no idea who the man was or why he was… he was breathing. He was alive.
As she examined him further, Lily noticed something stuck into the back of his hand, but hidden beneath the second half of the lid. Just as she had with the first, she lifted it to reveal what had been jabbed into the man's hand. Two clear IV bags filled with clear liquid rested in the coffin beside the old man, feeding their contents into his body through the needles and tubes in his hand. Carefully, she lifted the bags to read their contents. One was a sedative, the other nutrients to keep him fed.
"Bloody hell…" she whispered to herself.
Unsure of what she was meant to do, Lily slammed the lids closed and left after locking the unit securely. What the hell did Renard expect her to do with a man in a coffin? Who was he? And how was this meant to help her?
Shaking the discomfort from her shoulders, Lily made an internal note to tell Renard she had no intention of doing his dirty work. Damn royals… sick, all of them.
~!~
By the time she could calm down enough to think straight, the sun had long since set. Lily was on her way to confront the man who gave her the box.
A loud procession of knocks echoed throughout his apartment. Renard grabbed a shirt in passing and threaded his arms through it before leaving his bedroom. He'd been in the process of dressing after getting out of the shower and wasn't going to answer the door in pajama pants alone. So, after throwing on a shirt and grabbing his gun, he looked through his peephole and saw someone he was surprised to see. He opened the door.
"What are you doing here?" he asked the irate young woman. She said nothing at first, only glared at him. He knew what she wanted, he just wasn't certain he wanted to give it to her. Then again, there was nothing to stop her from yelling at him while she stood in the hall. "Come in." he said reluctantly.
She glided passed him without reservation and didn't stop until she was in the middle of his living room.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she demanded. Renard did little more than raise a single brow and stow his gun.
"How did you find out where I live?" he asked without bothering to answer her question.
"Seriously?" she said as she rolled her eyes. "It was easier than you finding me."
"I have a doorman, and a badge."
"I have charm." She shot back.
"None that I've seen." He sighed. "Why are you here?"
"A man in a box." She told him flatly. "The hell am I meant to do with a man in a box, Sean?"
"I thought you'd be pleased."
"For being an accessory to kidnapping? Really?" she didn't hide her sarcasm. "In what world would that be-"
"He has information about your parents." He interrupted.
Lily went silent and eerily still. She stared at him without emotion as her brain struggled to catch up with the simple sentence he spoke.
"What?" the word barely escaped her lips.
"His name is Albert Weis." Renard continued as though she wasn't nearly catatonic. "And he has information about the people responsible for betraying your family."
Her mouth parted as though she was going to speak, but nothing came out. He could almost see her brain trying to catch up.
"How's this possible?" she finally got out.
"Give me more credit than that." He replied smugly.
She glared halfheartedly at him for the comment, but he didn't mind. He was honestly a bit proud she was so dumbstruck.
"How do I know he's not just some man who managed to piss you off, so you had stuffed in a casket just to somehow calm me down?"
It was an elaborate question, but he expected it. He never thought she'd accept the 'gift' without a healthy dose of skepticism and possible paranoia.
"You don't until you ask him."
"And I'm meant to trust whatever he says?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm so he'd realize how stupid he sounded to her.
"That's not my concern." He said simply. "I don't care what you do to him, or how you get your information. I don't even care if you leave him in there to die, I'm just telling you what I found out." He said. Renard took a few steps back and to his door. He opened it. "Goodnight, Lily."
Still unsure of what she was meant to think or do, Lily stepped passed the Captain and left. He sighed to himself and shook his head.
~!~
Lily sat in the darkened room with the man who'd once rested in the coffin. She waited patiently for him to rouse and eventually he did.
Groaning and rolling his head from side to side, the old man began to wake. What met his eyes when they opened was jarring. He was in a dark room lit only by a single bulb dangling from the roof. The floor was concrete, but covered with a large slip of clear plastic. He was strapped to a chair, tied at the ankles and wrists and even his chest. There was nothing in the cave-like room, nothing, but a young woman sitting across from him.
"Vat is this?" he asked in a thick German accent.
"Who collected the bounty on Andrew and Michelle Quinn?" she asked in a low, even voice.
"Who are you?! Where am I?!" he demanded.
"Who collected the bounty on Andrew and Michelle Quinn?" Lily repeated.
"I do not know these people!" he bellowed. "Help! Anyone, help!"
Lily shot out of her chair and hit him. Her hand raked across his cheek, stunning the old man into silence. The slap made his face burn and his eyes water. When he looked forward again, he watched as Lily slowly regained her seat as though she'd never risen.
"Who collected the bounty on Andrew and Michelle Quinn?"
Her voice remained even and calm along with her expression despite how much her insides raged.
"Please," the old man began to whimper. "Please release me. I am a simple shop keep, a bookstore, I don't know these people."
"Who collected the bounty on Andrew and Michelle Quinn?"
It was the only thing she said because it was the only thing she cared about.
His jaw tensed and he chewed briefly on the inside of his cheek. She could see him trying to think of something –anything- he could do to escape. When a few minutes passed and he hadn't offered her an answer, Lily repeated her question. She repeated it more times than she could count and still he wouldn't give her an answer. Eventually, he began to wither. The constant repetition was drawing on his nerves like she knew it would. All she had was time when it came to what she sought.
"Who collected the bounty on Andrew and Michelle Quinn?"
"Why do you care?" he growled. "They are dead, and good riddance."
"Who collected the bounty on-"
"Enough!" he bellowed. "I can't stand it anymore!"
When his voice finished echoing and he fell silent, Lily spoke again.
"Who collected the bounty-"
The old man roared loudly again and suddenly woged. Lily did little more than raise a brow at the man struggling against his bonds. He looked up at her, hissing and spitting, until he realized what she was.
"Eine Grimm." He muttered in horror.
She took a deep breath and sighed. With little else to do for the moment, she stood. He wiggled away from her as she approached. He couldn't get away and she knew it. Reaching into her back pocket, Lily retrieved a syringe. She bit the orange cap to remove it and leaned forward. Weis continued to struggle, but he couldn't escape the sharp jab that embedded the needle into his neck.
As the liquid surged through his body he began to go limp and finally fell asleep. Lily had left the needles in his hand and didn't hesitate to reconnect the IV bag filled with the sedative. She didn't know when she'd be back and didn't want someone stumbling across him in the meantime.
Sure he was out, she turned and left. Now that she knew what she was dealing with, Lily knew what she needed.
~!~
"Lily, hi." Rosalee greeted as the young woman entered the Spice Shop. She sported a kind, but slightly nervous smile which Lily expected.
"Hello again." She replied in return.
"What can I help you with? Is the tonic not working?"
"No," she said kindly as she met the young woman at the counter. "It works brilliantly, actually, but I'm here about something else."
"Okay, what do you need?"
"I need some form of truth serum."
Rosalee eyed the woman curiously. It was an odd request and one she hadn't been given before.
"Uh, okay… Can I ask why?"
"It's a bit personal, actually." Lily admitted.
"Well, there are a few things I need to know." She said. "Like what it's for. Uh… human, for example."
"Blutbad." She said simply.
"Oh," Rosalee chimed with a hint of surprise. "Okay, uh…"
Before she could continue with her questions, Monroe, Nick and Hank emerged from the side room. Lily –in her haste to get what she wanted- didn't notice the trio was even in the building. She began to fidget uncomfortably, especially when Nick took special notice of her.
"Ms. Quinn, isn't it?" he asked as he moved a bit closer.
"It is, Detective, yes." She answered. She tried to be polite, but simply wanted her order as quickly as possible.
"So," he glanced to the others briefly before saying something that could easily go the wrong way. "What'd you do to piss off a Klaustreich?"
To his surprise, she answered without hesitation.
"Took pictures of him cheating on his wife." She answered simply. "I don't wish to press charges, by the way. No harm done."
Nick stared at her with mild surprise, both for her statement and also because she didn't bat an eyelash at his knowing what Thompson was. He didn't realize that everyone in the Shop knew her an iota better than he did.
"He attacked you in the middle of a police station." Nick said simply. "He's getting charged regardless."
She shrugged simply.
"You fought a Klaustreich in the police station?" Monroe asked in surprise.
"She kicked him in the chest." Hank said.
"Broke his nose too." Nick added. "When his face bounced off the floor."
Monroe couldn't fight the odd laugh that escaped his lips. He could almost picture it and it made him chuckle.
"So," Nick began again. He didn't know why he kept speaking to her, but his curiosity was winning out. Sensing he wasn't finished, Lily turned to give him her full attention which had previously been divided between the Detective and Rosalie. "Are you really a Grimm?" He figured being blunt was the best option.
"Yes." She answered without hesitation.
He was surprised she answered so freely considering their company, but all it did was make him realize what had transpired when he was infected.
"Well," he paused briefly. "Was it your mom or your dad?"
Lily's brows rose softly as she stared at the curious Detective. She wondered if he realized how many questions he was asking or that it might be considered prying.
"Sorry, it's just… I've never met another Grimm before. You know, other than family." He admitted. "But you don't seem as curious as me."
"You're not my first." She said.
"How many have you met?"
"A handful."
"Are there a lot of us out there?"
"A few." She replied. "Not a great number, but a few."
"Well, when did you find out what you were?"
Lily continued to look at him oddly, but a smile began to form. He was acting like a child given the chance to ask a superhero or someone they admired as many questions as they could think of. Though Nick obviously didn't consider her either of those things, it was obvious he'd never met another Grimm and only wanted to know as much as possible.
Her expression made him realize what he was doing again.
"Sorry." He muttered.
She laughed slightly and shook her head. It was almost endearing.
"I like you better like this," she smiled as she motioned to him as a whole. "Without the blood-shot eyes and Berserker strength."
Nick fidgeted on his feet.
"Yeah. I heard you were there. Sorry about that."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"Nothing that didn't heal." She said before adding something that surprised even herself to admit to a stranger. "And my father, to answer your question." Lily looked again to Rosalee. "The serum?"
"Right." She said when spoken to. Rosalee –along with the others- seemed oddly content to watch Nick and Lily speak to each other for however long it lasted. But, Lily had other things to do. "I think there's something like that in one of these books." She left her spot behind the counter and went to the books she had on a shelf. She read the spines briefly before finding the one she needed. She already had her nose in the book before returning to the counter. "Here it is, Serum Exomologesis. It should work for what you need."
"How long will it take to produce?"
"Hm," she muttered as she read on. "If we have the supplies, roughly a half hour or so. I can have it for you by then."
"Wonderful, thank you."
"Truth serum?" Nick asked. He felt his Detective habits being to emerge. Lily eyed him skeptically. "I recognized the name." he explained simply. "Who's it for?"
"It's personal, I'm afraid." She answered.
"Well, do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
Lily didn't respond. She only stared at the young man who seemed intent on interrogating her. Nick realized how his question may have appeared.
"Not about that." He replied. "I mean about the other stuff, about being a Grimm." She seemed mildly surprised. She hesitated again. "Let me buy you a cup of coffee, say thanks for saving my life and it can give you something to do while Rosalee mixes your serum." She still wasn't sure what to say so he decided to add something else to it. "Hank will be there too in case you're worried about anything." He said with a light smile.
She didn't know what possessed her to agree, but she eventually did and together the three of them left the Spice Shop and walked the few buildings over to the nearest coffee shop.