A/N: Time to break into a secret Muirfield bunker and learn a little more about Alec's motives. Just don't expect the full story quite yet. And cue the beast!
Chapter 14: Secrets Lie Within
Her blood was the key. Inside this room was the legacy her mother left for her to find. It was all too mind-blowing to comprehend and her mixed emotions left her frozen to the spot. But with the feelings also came revelations as all the pieces of Alec's appearance began to fit together.
"My shirt… the drugs had me so messed up I didn't remember but… Heather brought it to me in the hospital," Catherine remembered. "Where I probably got blood on it."
"You did."
"And my coffee mug, if I really had forgotten to wash it the night before, it would have had my DNA on it."
"Right again. Unfortunately the DNA scanner requires it to be fresh. Otherwise I would have had no reason to inconvenience your little lives. Now, it should only take a drop." Alec made to grab her hand, but she pulled away from him.
"No, I'm not done yet. If this was really all you're after, why not just come right out and say it?"
"Look, I'm normally pretty good at getting what I want. I thought that if I gained Vincent's trust, I'd gain yours. Clearly it didn't work. So now we're on to the threats. Now, would you like to do the honors, or should I?"
"We would have helped you without all the secrecy!"
"Sweetheart, if you think the secrets end here, your sadly mistaken. Give me your hand."
Something about this just didn't feel right to her and given Alec's track record for lies and deceit, she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was.
"What's down there that's so important you'd go through all this to get it? Her research? Are you planning on continuing it or something?"
"I told you, it's pointless. There is no cure."
"Then what?"
"You'll find out when I'm ready to tell you."
Without another word, he gripped her hand so tight, she feared the bones would break.
"Sorry about this, but I didn't think to bring a knife," he apologized, smiling maliciously as he brought her hand up to his mouth. His face changed for only a second and then his teeth came down on her finger, slicing through the tender skin.
She had to bite down on her lip to keep from screaming and as he pulled her hand away, dark red blood was trickling down her arm. Forcing her to her knees, he placed her bloody finger over the scanner beside the door.
At first, there was only a beeping sound, but then the latch clicked and Alec swung open the door.
"We're in," he exclaimed triumphantly, rushing down the stairs.
Catherine wrapped her finger in her shirt to stem the blood flow and reluctantly followed him down. Everything was pitch black and with a sudden click, light from the fluorescence flooded the room, momentarily blinding her.
It was much bigger than she'd expected, and dust and cobwebs clung to every surface. There were tables upon tables holding various lab equipment and outdated computers. One entire wall was filled with filing cabinets and just to the right of the door was a cork board filled with pictures. Several were of her and Heather, snapshots of their life. She spotted one from her seventh birthday and another of Heather's first car.
But the others were of faces she'd never seen before. Muscular men in camo pants sat around smiling as they shared a beer in the desert. Staring at the picture closely, she recognized one of them – Vincent as a young soldier. Smiling, she took it from the wall and shoved it in her jacket pocket. And then her gaze found another familiar face – her dad. He stood with Silverfox and a man she'd never seen.
A loud slamming filled the room as Alec tore through file cabinet after file cabinet, and she hesitantly approached him.
"What's in these," she asked, pulling open the one closest to her.
"Her entire life's work mostly. All the soldiers she experimented on, how she came up with this stuff in the first place."
Catherine scanned through the folders, but barely recognized the complicated scientific words scrawled across the tops. This was Vincent and JT territory. She shut that drawer and opened the next one, surprised to find the notations on the folders inside.
"This one is marked with cities. You think she traveled this much?" But her statement triggered excitement in Alec and he rushed over, nearly knocking her out of the way.
"That's what I need. Thanks Detective."
"What is it?"
But instead of responding, he pulled the New York file from the cabinet and began laying out blueprint after blueprint, studying each one with care.
"Wait… are these all Muirfield facilities," she asked.
"Not all of them. Some are affiliates or contractors." He spoke in barely a whisper and she knew she could sneak back up the stairs now and he'd never even notice… but what if there was something in these cabinets that could help Vincent? What if there was a cure? Alec had been dishonest so far.
While he studied the blueprints, she made her way down the line, finding the folders of the soldiers including Vincent's. There, she was transfixed. Her mom had documented everything; Vincent's physical attributes, his life story, his reactions to the injections. She had to take this with her and show Vincent.
But just as she was laying it on the table to search the remainder of the filing cabinets, Alec's hand came down hard on her arm.
"What is–" But Alec's hand on her mouth cut her off and he stood silently before her, listening.
"Someone's here," he explained, shoving the blueprints inside his coat and pulling her back towards the stairs. She couldn't hear a thing, but knew he had to be right.
Silently, they made their way back up stairs and Alec stooped down to examine the door.
"How did I not see that," he whispered, quietly cursing and motioning to a small black object beside the door.
"See what?"
"Muirfield must have installed it. It's an alarm set to go off if the door's opened."
"Meaning they're on their way here."
Alec nodded and closed the door, listening for the lock before taking Catherine's hand and leading the way out.
"Can you tell how many there are," she inquired, running to keep up with him as he pulled her through the trees.
"A lot, but they're not close yet. We still have time to make it out."
But they didn't make it more than a few feet when something slammed into Alec – hard. The two figures went flying to the ground and by the time Catherine's human eyes focused on the scene, Vincent had his hand around Alec's throat. Thankfully, he was fully himself.
"Vincent? How are you here," she shrieked, but he only tightened his grip in response. Alec somehow managed to flip Vincent over his head and make it to his feet. Before anyone could attack again, Catherine ran in between them.
"We don't have time for this! Vincent, Muirfield's here. We have to move," she explained.
"Muirfield?"
"It's more than we can explain right now," Alec muttered impatiently. "Like she said, we have to move!"
"Catherine," Heather called as she ran forward, nearly tackling Catherine as she hugged her. "We were so worried about you."
"Heather? Why are you here? And–"
"I'm sorry; did you just say something about Muirfield," JT asked, finally joining the group.
"I can hear them," Vincent realized, stepping forward to wrap his arm around Catherine's waist.
Alec rolled his eyes. "Good for you. Now if we move fast and stick to the shadows, we might make it out. Hurry." With those instructions, he took off through the trees in a blur.
"Did he just leave us here," Heather exclaimed in a squeak.
Vincent's senses were on overdrive and as Catherine watched his anxious face, she knew their chances were slim.
"The trees," he finally stated. "We need to climb; hide in the trees until they pass by."
"I can't climb," Heather hissed, staring at him as if he'd lost his mind. "I don't know how to climb! How am I supposed to–"
But before she could finish, Vincent grabbed her and JT around the waist and vaulted into the tree, sitting them safely on a branch and leaping back down for Catherine. She didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck and they were on another branch before she could breathe.
"Just keep quiet," Vincent ordered, his arms still around Catherine's waist.
It felt like an eternity, but they finally saw the first signs of movement below as five men dressed in black and carrying assault rifles moved past their tree. Catherine couldn't breathe until they passed by and she spotted JT covering Heather's mouth as she tried not to scream.
"Okay, they're gone. Let's get down," Heather begged, already dropping to a lower limb with the help of JT.
Catherine was about to follow suit when Vincent yanked her back to him.
"No, stay where you are," he whispered and Catherine noticed two more men moving their way, but it was too late.
As they were moving, JT slipped on the branch, causing Heather to lunge for him and shift their weight on the branch, which broke. In a tumble of limbs and tree, JT and Heather found themselves on the ground with two gun barrels pointed at their heads.
Vincent jumped from the tree, sending one guy flying while the other aimed his gun and fired, missing Vincent's head by mere centimeters. Catherine heard him growl before she even made it to the ground and the other man was dead in seconds.
"Okay, we need to get out of here now," JT ordered, helping Heather to her feet, but as Vincent came closer, she screamed in terror.
"Heather, it's okay," Catherine assured her.
"What's wrong with his face," she asked, clutching JT.
"I explained this, remember," JT reminded her. But Heather was hysterical and as Catherine got closer, she saw why. Vincent was no longer in control. His eyes were feral and as the sound of more agents moving their way reached them, Vincent took off into the night.
"Get her out of here," Catherine yelled, running after Vincent.
Alec had taken her gun; she had no weapon except her own two hands. But she refused to leave Vincent here alone, no matter what he turned into.
He was too fast for her, but the sound of screams and growls soon filled the air, pointing her in the right direction. As she pushed through an overgrown bush, she saw Vincent fighting two men at once while a third lifted his gun. Without thinking, she rushed the third man, knocking his gun from his hand and landing a punch to his head. A knee to the gut and a round kick had him unconscious, but she could hear others converging on them.
Sure enough, an agent flew out of the trees and Vincent was on him before he could react, but more followed. There were too many.
Catherine stood her ground and was preparing to fight the man that came at her when someone else stepped in. Alec's face was as beastly as Vincent's but his moves were much more controlled. As the two monsters fought around her, keeping her safely in the center, she couldn't help but be horrified by the ruthlessness of the attacks. Vincent had no control; he was purely driven by the animal within him, but Alec simply had no remorse.
Yes, these men were trying to kill them, but that didn't always justify taking a life. Once their attackers lay dead at their feet, Catherine knew she had to bring Vincent back before any more took their place.
"Vincent," she yelled, approaching him slowly, gauging his reaction.
At his name, he spun to face her, growling menacingly.
"Catherine, you're his key," Alec explained, now back to his normal self. "You're the only one that can bring him back. Whatever you do, make sure he knows you love him and that you're not afraid."
That was easier said than done. One moment, Vincent's yellow eyes were murderous and the next she found herself pinned to a tree with him bearing down on her.
"Vincent, please. I love you. I need you to come back to me. Please!"
Confusion soon took the place of all the hostility and as he stared at her, his yellow eyes softened. Those eyes weren't the eyes of her Vincent, but the love in them was. Gently, he lifted one clawed hand and ran it down her face. She knew she should be afraid or maybe even appalled, but all she felt was such love and happiness that he was here with her.
"If your back in the real world, there's more coming," Alec warned, and Vincent's eyes roamed the trees.
At first, Catherine was afraid she'd lost him again, but when his face turned back to hers, he smiled… if a beast can smile.
"I think we're better off making an escape," Alec suggested and Catherine suddenly found herself in Vincent's arms, flying through the woods. She leaned in close, burying her face in his shoulder and trusting him to get them out alive.
Soon, the sounds of cars passing on the street grew closer and they emerged from the woods just beside the bar.
"Alec, you have my keys," Catherine called, looking over to him, only to find him gone. "Where did he go?"
"I have no idea." Vincent was now back to his normal self, but with no keys, they had no getaway.
And then a car came screeching into the parking lot.
"Get in," JT instructed as Heather threw open the passenger door. Vincent and Catherine both squeezed into the back seat and JT took off down the road.
"What about Alec," Catherine asked, staring out the back glass, but there was no sign of him.
"We're not going back. Besides, he can clearly handle himself," JT argued, foot glued to the gas.
No one dared to speak, each waiting for their heart rate to slow. As the trip back to the warehouse wore on, Catherine's earlier sense of excitement over what she'd just discovered in that bunker came back to her and she desperately wanted to tell them about it, but then she noticed Heather.
Her little sister looked seconds away from a panic attack and she noticed her flinch every time Vincent shifted in the back seat. She wondered exactly what JT had told her and for a few seconds, was extremely angry with him. In matters of men and heartbreak, Heather was a lot stronger than she was, but she wasn't cut out for this type of drama. So… why was she here in the first place?
"Are you okay," Vincent asked Catherine. Sadness overcame his face when he noticed Heather's reaction to his voice.
"I'm fine."
But as she spoke, Vincent's eyes landed on the dried blood on her hand from Alec's bite; blood that had also stained her shirt.
"What happened?"
"It's… kind of a long story."
"We still have another twenty minutes before we make it back to the warehouse," JT reminded them, looking up into the rearview mirror expectantly. "Why don't you share what the back-stabber was up to."
Catherine glanced up at Heather, worried, but she saw that under the fear was curiosity.
"How much did you tell her," she asked JT.
"Everything; including the parts about mother dearest and your dad."
"Good. Well…" Catherine recounted the entire trip, rushing past the part where Alec had bitten her finger – after Vincent's sudden rigidity – and explaining the awe of the laboratory beneath the ground. Once again, she wondered why Alec was so bent on getting those blueprints.
Vincent echoed her thoughts. "Blueprints? He did all this for blueprints of some building?"
"Yeah, I don't know. Maybe Muirfield has something hidden there."
"But what?"
"This is crazy," Heather muttered from the front seat.
"I know this is a lot to take in," JT began, but Heather gave a shaky laugh.
"No, no. I'm just waiting to wake up. And I will, because this has to be a dream. Maybe Frank Sinatra will pop up in the middle of the road and tell me what it was that caused my brain to come up with this one. Although I think I'd rather it be Justin Bieber."
"Heather," Catherine warned, wishing she had more reassuring words.
"Don't explain. My sister's in love with a guy that turns into some… beast thing and my boyfriend is hiding him in his warehouse. What else is there to explain? I'm sure for a cop this is normal for you, but I don't see much of this in my line of work."
"Heather, I promise we can talk about this until it's not so scary," Catherine reassured her. "Vincent won't hurt you. He is the kindest, most amazing man I've ever met, and if you'll just let me explain, you'll see that too."
"Yeah, I think I'd rather take a giant sleeping pill and see how things look in the morning."
They let the conversation drop, knowing it was pointless. But another troubling thought was surfacing in Catherine mind now. What was in Muirfield that Alec wanted so badly? If there really wasn't a cure, what else would he need?
Surely he wasn't doing all this for revenge. If that was the case, he'd simply kill the men responsible, just like he'd threatened to do. No, he was after something; something he'd clearly do anything to get.
She just prayed that Vincent didn't end up paying the price for his determination.
A/N: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. It is amazing to hear your theories and support!