Sorry, i tried to update sooner, but iv'e been really busy lately. But here's a new chapter! hope you like it :) Please please review when you finish, it really motivates me and update sooner.
Natalia decided to spend the following week watching Marie Talbot. She was now fairly certain that Marie was the operative. But it would have to be solid evidence for the red room, not merely a theory.
"Hello?"
"Hey Gwen, It's me."
"Oh, hey Lucy. What's up?"
"My, My Mum just got really sick and I need to go see her. Could you tell Dr. Summers I'll be gone this week?" Natalia inserted a stutter into her shaking voice.
"Okay. I hope your Mum gets better."
"Thanks." Natalia hung up as she opened her laptop up. She researched Beasley architecture and Marie Talbot. In the course of 2 hours Natalia found next to nothing of use. Giving up, Natalia resorted to tailing her. As the architecture employees regularly went to the Research Centre, some of them had probably seen her. So Natalia dawned a brown wig that went down to just past her shoulders.
Natalia watched as Marie ordered her typical earl grey tea form her usual coffee shop. It was her third day of watching her and she had yet to find evidence. Perhaps she had gotten the wrong person? Natalia sighed at the repetitiveness of it all. She followed Marie to the curb where she would walk to the nearest Underground station and go home. Several people behind her, Natalia watched as Marie boarded the car. Natalia slid into the car, barely making it. Marie was a few feet away and checking her phone. She glanced up to check what station they had come to a halt at. She tucked her phone into her purse and hurried out the car. Natalia followed in pursuit. Marie had never gotten off at this station. It was the station nearest to the Research Centre. Ducking her head, Natalia walked as Marie made for the research Centre.
Natalia slipped into a stall. The tiled white bathroom was filled with a sanitary, perfumed smell. She pulled off her brown wig and let her hair fall down her back. Lastly, Natalia pinched her nose and rubbed her eyes. Moments later, Lucy Edgar walked out of the restroom, sniffling.
She took careful, measure steps, watching for Marie. Until her blonde head popped out among a crowd of college students.
"Hey, Marie," she called.
Marie turned, a calm happy mask covering her momentarily startled face. "Oh, hi Lucy. I haven't seen you in a while.
"I've been gone this week. My, mum, just got really sick." She said, letting the word 'Mum' catch in her voice.
"Oh my god, I had no idea. I am so sorry." Marie hugged Natalia.
"It's okay. I mean ever since dad's left she's been getting worse."
"Do you want to get together?"
Natalia nearly jumped at the chance, " I don't know if that would really help."
"Even if we don't talk about your Mum its nice to have friend,"
"Well, okay. Could you actually meet today?"
"Yeah, how about we go to Timberyard at 6:00?"
"Okay." Natalia cast Marie a smile and walked off, Marie's phone in her palm. Hopefully Marie wouldn't notice it was gone in the 2 and a half-hours she wouldn't have it. Natalia walked quickly down into the Underground, the musty, stale air infiltrating her nostrils.
At her hotel Natalia plugged Marie's phone into her laptop. Typing in a few commands, all of Marie's texts and calls within the past week began to download into her laptop. While they downloaded Natalia scanned through the lists of numbers, searching for any abnormalities. In the midst of numerous numbers Natalia picked out the French calling code: 33. By now the download had completed and Natalia unplugged her phone.
Next came the meticulous part. If she screwed up her plan would be screwed up. From a compartment Natalia pulled out a small bug. She carefully dissected the phone, using tweezers and wire. Her hands manipulated the pieces and soon all the parts lay on a cloth. Natalia planted the bug and carefully assembled it again. One part not in the right place would cause her phone to malfunction or spaz. The phone assembled, Natalia pulled out a disposable phone and linked the two. She would now receive all of Marie's calls and texts.
"Hey Lucy." Marie greeted as Natalia sat across the booth from her. "It's been what, a whole 2 hours," she joked.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"Nah, I've only been here a few minutes myself.
"Could I have the earl grey tea?" Natalia ordered as a waitress came up.
"And I'll have the same." The waitress took their orders and walked toward the kitchen. "Well, I've got to go to the loo. I'll be right back." Marie got up and left. Natalia watched her disappear around a corner as she slipped Marie's phone back into her purse.
"So. Lucy, any boys?"
Natalia let out an exasperated sigh, "No. My last boyfriend cheated on me, so I guess it's been a little hard to open up to guys again.
"You?"
"Well, there's James, but he's all the way in Sheffield doing getting his masters. So it's a little hard." Marie and Natalia talked for nearly 2 hours. Marie was careful not to let anything slip.
She was in her childhood home. Most of it was a reconstruction of what she imagined her house to be. She saw a girl sleeping in her bed with her blue covers and blue curtains covering her windows. Natalia tried to take a step toward her, but her feet were rooted to the wooden slats that made up her floor. The girl's soft red curls covered half her cheek. She lay on her side, softly snoring. She heard a creak and turned towards the source. As Natalia turned she saw flames licking the wooden hallway, getting closer to the girl's bed. But the girl slept on. She tried to call out to the girl, but her voice caught in her throat and she remained asleep. The smoke grew thick and she began coughing. In a jolt the girl sat up. In an instant she was out of her bed.
"Mama? Papa?" She called, terror lacing her voice.
"Natalia! Run, ru-" her mother's voice came to a heartbreaking stop with a loud bang from a gun.
"Mama!" The girl screamed. A moment later another gunshot rang. She watched as the girl made for her door but soon turned away from the scorching heat. She ran toward her window and flung it open. A rush of old wind blew from the open window. Natalia stayed rooted to her spot, unable to move, only able to watch. The girl jumped through the sill and dropped to the ground. She was alone now. The flames surrounded Natalia, their heat enveloping her. She tried to move her legs but they didn't respond. Natalia saw a body appear in the flames. It was a woman, with no face, as Natalia had never remembered her parents' faces. The figure reached out to her from the flames.
"Natalia, you left me. You killed me!" she accused.
"You could have saved us, but you ran," A man appeared. Natalia's heart hammered in her chest. She swallowed, her throat thick. It had been her fault.
"I'm, I'm sorry," she sobbed, though whatever tears fell from her face soon evaporated in the burning air
"We could still be a family right now. If the red room hadn't wanted you. Its. All. Your. Fault." She spit at her. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. Natalia tried to pull herself from the nightmare, but she stayed rooted in the burning house.
"It's all your fault Natalia. All the deaths. everybody that could still be alive if it weren't for you. Its all your fault." Her mother said as everybody she had ever killed started to form in the flames. Reaching toward her as if to drag her into the furnace. The flames began to eat their way toward her. The scorching heat blistering her arms and neck. With the flames her parents and all the other people she had killed moved closer to her. A incessant ring started to blare in the background.
"Its all your fault Natalia. Its all your fault. Everything. Its all your fault. Its all yo-"
Natalia sat bolt upright in her bed. She was tangled in her sheets, a thin sheen of seat covering her body. Looking around she was grateful to find the source of the ringing. It was Maria's phone. Natalia opened the call and listened in, her parents' accusations still ringing in her ears.
"Hello?" a cautious man's voice asked.
"This is Agent Delacroix. Code: Alpha, Sigma, Epsilon, Bravo, Kappa. ID number 135786." Marie rattled off a series of greek letters and numbers.
"Where may I direct your call?"
"To agent Leblanc."
"Just a moment."
The man put it on hold and a moment later a woman's voice carried spoke. "Agent Delacroix, you have a mission report?"
"Yes ma'am. I have located the man in lead of the research. I have also duplicated the files of his studies." Natalia pulled out a recorder and began to gather her solid evidence.
"You are it is the right man? The photo you sent me does not match any of our other intel."
"Yes ma'am, I am certain it is him."
"Well done agent Delacroix, call once you have secured the files."
"Copy that." The line went dead. Natalia connected the recording to her laptop and played it over again. It was good, but hopefully she could get complete confirmation.