26

LAST PLACE YOU'D LOOK

Angel walked around his office nervously. Mikhail stood by the desk, trying to think where she could be. Jack and Skulduggery leaned against the wall, deep in thought. Valkyrie sat on the chair in front of the desk, as well trying to think.

"What's Metro's specialty? When he takes victims, what does he do with them?" asked Valkyrie.

"Unspeakable things," whispered Jack under his breath, scowling.

"He usually…experiments on them," said Skulduggery looking down.

Valkyrie went quiet.

"Does he have any hot spots?" asked Skulduggery looking at a very worried Angel.

"No. He always changes his locations so no one can track him," he said still walking up and down.

"Doesn't Tunica have a tracker on her? I think she has one on her earring," said Jack looking up.

"I've already checked. His jammed the frequency. I can't find her," said Mikhail.

Valkyrie then thought of something. "Does he sometimes operate?"

"Who knows? He does such horrific things, maybe. Why?" asked Angel.

"I have to go," she said running for the door.

Skulduggery got up and run after her, as did the rest of the men.

Valkyrie thought it was a crazy idea but she had to try. She remembered the night she was running away from Agent X. She thought of the room that led into Mikhail's lab. It was an operating room of sorts that had equipment and anything else Metro would need to operate, or torture Tunica with. It would be the perfect place to hide Tunica because no one would think of looking for her there.

She ran up the stairs, Skulduggery close behind and she ran through the first door. She ran through the dark foyer, trying hard not to trip again. She saw a dim light up ahead and ran faster. She could hear Skulduggery shouting behind her. She entered the room and gasped.

She saw Tunica lying flat on her back, eyes closed and tied down to one of the beds. There was a pick on the table next to her and the smell of smoke. Valkyrie ran up to the bed and tried to break her free. Tunica opened her eyes slowly. Valkyrie looked at her.

"That won't work, you know?" she said, smiling softly.

Skulduggery entered the room and looked at Tunica. He ran up to the table and helped Cain try and free her. Tunica cringed. "Stop! The more you try to free me, the tighter it becomes."

Skulduggery and Valkyrie stopped as Angel and Mikhail walked in with Jack. Mikhail covered his mouth. "This is where he left our sister?"

"When I find this guy…" started Angel who looked as though he were about to kill someone.

"Calm down, bro, and help me over here!" shouted Tunica.

Mikhail opened the door leading to his lab and raffled around though a few jars here and there. He then walked back into the room with a bottle.

"Now Tunica, as soon as I pour this, the bars will melt. You have to remove your hands immediately. Okay?"

"Okay," she said looking down at her hands.

Mikhail dropped a few drops on each bar. It began to sizzle and melt. Tunica quickly moved her hands as it melted. She rubbed her wrists and sighed. "It's good to have my hands back."

Mikhail moved to the shackles on her ankles. Skulduggery gave her his hand. She frowned. "He tortured me."

He looked at her. "I'm sure."

"On my back, Skulduggery."

He looked at Angel. "It's fine Tunica…"

"He said it was a curse."

Skulduggery looked at Cain. "Move. I can look at it, you can't."

She nodded and stood beside Angel. He helped her up and looked at her. "Oh my God."

Tunica looked at him. "What?"

"I-I've seen this symbol before. I can't remember where but I think I know what it means," he said looking at her. 'It's a symbol of death."

She sighed. "Perfect."

Tunica was in her bedroom, sitting at the edge of her bed, her head low. Valkyrie walked in. She looked up. "Hello. Thank you again, Cain. If it wasn't for your quick thinking, I would still be strapped to that bed."

"Don't mention it. Are you alright?" she asked.

"Me? I'm fine. I've been cursed before. You should see the symbols on my arms," she laughed.

Valkyrie frowned. "Angel seems very upset about it."

Tunica stood, shrugging. Then frowning, realizing the wounds on her back were still fresh. All she had on was a fresh black pant and bandages around her entire torso and arm length gloves. "He always worries about stuff like that. It's not surprising, really."

"I don't blame him," Valkyrie said, anger showing on her face, "Metro tortured you! He tried to kill you! And it's all that Witch's fault. She's the one who sent him and the rest of the villains!"

Tunica put her hands on Valkyrie's shoulders. "Calm down, Cain. Metro and the Witch have done worse to me. Don't get too upset about it."

"Don't…everyday they try and kill you and you never seem to care! Why?"

"I do care, it's just…"

"They torture you, they hurt you, yet it never even phases you! You still try and stop them and save people who don't even care! Why?"

Tunica shook Valkyrie. "Cain! I can't answer you if you go into a fit like that!"

Valkyrie looked at her, about to cry. "I do it because life is too short."

"What?"

"Life is too short," said Tunica smiling, "It's just one of those things. It's not fair at all, yes, but you don't stop living for knowing this. Everyday I save people from bad guys like Metro or Snapdragon or The Witch. I give them the opportunity to see their families again, something I will never be able to do. I know that in the process I get a little hurt and banged up but I deal with it and move on. This is just the type of world I live in, the world we all live in."

Valkyrie looked at her. She then looked away. Tunica frowned. "I know I could have been killed Valkyrie, but I wasn't. I survived because the Witch wants to have the honour of killing me. When I face her tomorrow, I may die, but until then I enjoy every minute I have with my friends and family. Like I said, life is just too damn short."

Skulduggery walked in, noticing Valkyrie standing up and Tunica frowning. "Are you two alright?"

Tunica looked at Cain. "Yes, we're both alright," said Valkyrie trying to smile a bit.

"Good. Shall we go and figure out what we're going to sing tomorrow?"

"Yes! Thank you for reminding me!" said Tunica smiling. "I actually have a song in mind, to be honest."

"Good. Jack and Mikhail are waiting in the Music room."

Tunica frowned. "We have a music room?"

Valkyrie looked around at all the instruments. She was amazed at how many there were. Tunica grabbed a jacket that hung off a coat hanger and looked through a book case that housed all their music sheets. Valkyrie walked around the room. It had a few speakers on the wall for the electric instrument and there were stands to place music on everywhere. She saw a variety of instruments, some leaning against walls, some in cases, some in glass cases and some too big to fit anywhere else but the floor. Skulduggery walked up to the piano and traced his hand over the top of it. "Very nice."

"You like it? It cost us a fortune but it plays like a dream," said Mikhail.

Jack walked up to the drums and grabbed a set of sticks. He began to play around with it and smiled. He was very good.

Tunica traced her index finger over the letters until she found Q. She looked through the artists until she found the music she wanted. "Ah-ha."

Skulduggery looked at her. "Q? What artist names begin with Q?"

"Queen?" said Valkyrie shrugging.

"She's right by the way," Tunica said taking out the sheets of music.

"So wait. We're singing Ah-ha?" said Jack.

"No," said Tunica rolling her eyes. "We're singing this." She gave a sheet to everybody. Mikhail looked at it. "Good Old fashioned Lover boy? Really, sis?"

"I thought it would be interesting," she said picking up a few stands. "We have all the instruments, all the musicians and it kind of describes how this guy won Agent L over."

She put one in front of her brother and one next to him. She then put one next to Jack and another a bit further away from him. Tunica grabbed an electric guitar and plugged it into one of the speakers. Mikhail picked up one of the other electric guitars and handed a triangle to Cain. She frowned. "Is that it?"

"Well, you'll be singing as well, so…"

She looked at him. "I can't sing, though."

"There's no such thing," said Skulduggery and Tunica simultaneously.

She looked at them. "Everyone can sing. It just depends on how well you sing. I have a lovely singing voice, but I hate singing," said Skulduggery.

"Still bragging on about yourself Skulduggery," smiled Tunica.

"Well, I can't sing well at all," said Cain.

"Just try. Besides, it won't be a main part and we'll all be singing with you so you won't be too exposed," Skulduggery said moving a few sheets around as he set them properly on the stand on the piano.

She sighed and walked over to the stand Tunica had put up next to Jack.

Tunica tested a few strings and then frowned. "Who's singing Freddie Mercury's part?"

They looked at her. She laughed. "I'm a girl."

"He was gay," said Mikhail.

"Don't be judgemental now."

"I say try."

She sighed and they began to play.

It actually wasn't as bad as Valkyrie thought. She enjoyed watching Tunica and Mikhail play their guitar solo and thought the song was lots of fun.

She still thought "We are the Champions" would have been perfect.