Chapter Thirty-One

Out of Character

09:18 CET

Berlin, Germany

Werner Remmy wiped the sweat off his brow as he stretched his back, trying to ease his admittedly aging bones. Nevertheless he had to work to pay the bills and got back on his knees to lay the mortar on the bricks. It had been an early start for the construction crew and it would be a late end as their deadline was in a week and they had a lot to get done. Concentrating on the menial but necessary task at hand, Werner was so focused that he didn't hear his name being called until the second time.

"Werner!" At the sound of one of his workers, Werner lifted his head with a mildly irritated expression.

"Was ist es?"

"Es geht direkt zu uns!" The panic was clear in the boy's words as he pointed down the road. Werner followed his gaze and found himself looking at a white van trundling towards them down the incline of the slight hill. The distant shouts of a man running behind the van were lost on Werner's eyes but it seemed clear what the situation was seeing as there was nobody in the driver's seat of the van.

"Gehen… Gehen, gehen!" Werner gestured to the unfinished roof the house just off the scaffolding. Werner and the boy both scrambled onto the roof and Werner watched the few other workers down a floor climb through the building to get into the house proper. From his position on the roof Werner heard the loud purring of an engine and looked the other direction to see a low motorcycle heading down the road. The figure had its head turned away and looking at another car. It seemed like the driver of this car was trying to shout something but the motorcyclist wasn't hearing it – and with her attention turned, she couldn't see the van about to crash through the scaffolding and into her. "Hör auf, du!" Warner called out in a roaring voice he reserved for telling off his workers. "Halt! Halt!"

But the motorcyclist didn't stop but she did finally get the message of the woman through the window of the car. She turned her helmeted head and caught sight of the van just as it crashed through the scaffolding as if it were a house of cards.

09:20 CET

Sam watched the van crashed through the scaffolding, watched the wooden planks and the metal poles collapse and scatter as if in slow motion. She squeezed on the brakes but knew it was no use. She had allowed herself to get distracted by Rose and was far too close to the scaffolding – and the van pushing its way straight through. She realised at this pace that she would meet a very sticky end. She didn't like her chances taking the van head-on. So Sam allowed herself a small prayer of safety as she leapt off the side of the motorbike.

She hit the floor hard and rolled over a few times, the road scraping up the leathers of her jacket and her helmet bouncing so hard off the concrete that she felt her teeth rattle. Nevertheless she knew her gear had done the job of protecting her as she heard a massive crash and the tearing of metal. She watched as the van pulverized her bike, running over it but the Harley caught itself under the front of the van and with a harsh scraping sound the van came to a halt. Sam breathed in a sigh of relief that got caught in her throat as a scaffold pole that had been balancing atop the van's roof came shooting towards her as it scraped to a halt like an arrow fired out of a ballista.

Sam should have been able to move but she froze as an image of her mother flashed through her head, bleeding out on the road by such an unfair set of circumstances. Was that to be her fate, pierced by this piece of metal and struck down?

"SAM!" The shout came from her left and Sam felt something tackle into her shoulders like a rugby player. Sam was thrown to the side and heard the thud of metal on concrete followed very shortly by a shriek of pain. She got her bearings, turned her head, and saw Rose bundled on the road, clutching her knee in absolute agony. Sam's eyes widened as she followed the knee down to a mess of sinew and muscle where the scaffold pole had torn through Rose's leg as if it were paper. There was bone sticking out through the skin, a sharp fragment that welled up with blood.

Rose grit her teeth in pain as she rocked back and forth, letting out sharp and short breaths.

"Hey," Sam threw off her helmet and moved in close to Rose. "Hey, don't move, don't…" Sam watched with wide eyes as blood pumped out from the mangled mess of Rose's leg. "Je ne sais pas quoi faire," Sam muttered. "Je-je ne…"

"Rose," Siddharth had climbed out of the tepee and was looking down at Rose with wide eyes. "…Oh my…"

"We-We need to call an ambulance," Sam said as she tried to keep her eyes away from the mess of Rose's leg.

"No!" Rose said through the pain and reached to clutch Sam's arm. "Hospital… Evrard will find us!"

"Rose… if we don't get that treated…" Siddharth said hesitantly.

"He… wants to kill us anyway… fuck if I'm going to… hole myself up in a room… in a ribbon for him…" Rose breathed, her head pounding. She couldn't even look down at the state her leg was in and looked at Siddharth firmly. "The doctor… Johann… get to him…"

"He's not that kind of doctor," Siddharth said.

"Siddharth!" Rose growled.

Siddharth shook his head, conflicted. He understood that calling an ambulance and going to a hospital would set Evrard directly on their trail and what would they be able to do then? Just get caught and executed, Siddharth suspected. But if they tried to get to Johann Schneider it wasn't likely that Rose would survive the trip. It was a lose-lose situation no matter how he looked at it.

"…Johann…" Rose repeated, feeling woozy.

"I can't drive, Rose…" Siddharth muttered.

Rose closed her eyes for a moment before turning back to Sam. "…You drive other than… the bike?"

Sam shook her head. "Non. I am sorry."

Rose tried to respond but she felt something that felt like electricity jolting through her head.

Three strange, unfamiliar faces that oozed evil. Boxes upon boxes lined up on shelves, as tall as the ceiling itself. Robert, beaten and in blood-stained clothes, sat unmoving in the corner. A flash of a pair of eyes, different colours, intense and angry. A machete gleamed in the darkness, calm and collected. Then a loud noise, a flash of light.

The intensity of the different images seemed only to induce the pain in Rose's body and she let out another strangled cry.

"Rose?!" Siddharth leaned down towards his friend.

"I don't… I don't understand…" Rose breathed harsh breaths as she spoke. "Another-Another vision… Robert… But… others…" Why was it one after the other? William's had been expected, then Derek's had happened, Sam followed now it was Robert… all the space of just over an hour. Rose looked up at Siddharth, feverish and on the brink. "Take me… take me to… to… Johann… please…"

Rose closed her eyes and Siddharth looked at Sam desperately. "You definitely don't know how to drive?"

Sam shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Hallo! Bist du in Ordnung? Kann ich helfen?" A male voice called out and Siddharth looked to see a burly man coming from the direction of the scaffolding. Siddharth glanced down to the weak Rose, now breathing shallowly, and back to the man. He knew he couldn't do anything for Robert but quite frankly Robert wasn't on his mind. He didn't want to but he knew he had to make a vital decision to save Rose's life.

09:28 CET

Holly walked down the lines of shelves that lined the abandoned warehouse, gently massaging the sides of her nose from where Marshall Mathers had hit it. Luckily for her it hadn't broken but it was certainly an absolute nuisance. At least it was a lot better than what Alpha got. He didn't deserve his death and that death solely rested on the misinformation given to them by their contractor.

They were told that Robert Winters had been kidnapped but they had not been told that Marshall Mathers was some kind of agent with an affinity for combat, survival techniques, and learning on the fly. The man had barely been fazed by Holly's abilities and had fought against her with intelligence that Holly had never seen before. In a way, she had to respect Marshall Mathers and his efforts. It was almost a shame that he was now rotting at the bottom of a river.

But that didn't bring Alpha back. He was dead and it seemed like Riddle and Rivera just didn't care about it and Holly couldn't fathom why that was. It didn't seem all that long ago when they were working for the Department of Supernatural Investigation as a member of their combat squad, joking and laughing and fighting together. Back then Riddle knew when to take a joke. Back then Rivera would crack a smile. Back then… Back before they had defected and become mercenaries for hire.

It had been Riddle's idea and Alpha had persuaded Holly that it had been the right thing to do. The DSI simply didn't offer the opportunities that mercenary work could give, the money it could provide, the future that could happen because of it. That future was what Holly had joined for. A future with Alpha, a future where they could sit on a beach under the hot sun and enjoy their lives away from the shackles of the life they led…

But that was gone and Holly felt like she had no reason to stay anymore, to work with Riddle and Rivera, to continue to get corrupted by their presence.

Holly suddenly stopped as she spotted the boy crouched in a shadowy corner, huddled, pathetic. Holly looked at him and couldn't help but wonder whether Rivera cutting out his tongue was necessary. She understood Riddle wanted to send the boy a message but even so…

It seemed like the boy was sleeping though definitely having fitful nightmares of some kind. He was twitching and moving his head back and forth as if fighting something. Holly wondered whether she was in his dreams – a monster among three. Was that her destiny? To be feared?

"It is unusual for you to be so deep in thought," Rivera said from out of nowhere. Holly turned to Rivera with a grimace.

"Did Riddle ask you to use your ability to watch me or did you just want to find some amusement?"

"Just because you didn't notice me doesn't mean I was invisible," Rivera said calmly, as always. Rivera had almost gotten to the point where she simply didn't have any emotions left. She used to be like a sister for Holly but now she was nothing more than a stranger.

"What do you want?"

"To see what you're thinking," Rivera said, as sharp as ever. Rivera was always good at reading people's emotions.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I ain't telling you shit."

"Is it Alpha?"

"Are you deaf?"

"You can talk to me."

"Can I?" Holly challenged, turning to face Rivera properly. "I'd have better luck talking to the kid."

Rivera at least had the grace to look insulted. Then she placed her hand on the leather grip on her machete, leaning on it. "You disapprove of what I did to the boy?" Right on point, as usual. Rivera shook her head slowly. "It was a command from Riddle. He wanted the boy's tongue to be cut off so I cut it off."

"So we're just his underlings now? When did that change?"

"I suspect when we left," Rivera responded. "Riddle leads us because he is a leader." Rivera peered at Holly with those analytical eyes of hers. "Alpha's death has affected you more than I suspected."

"And how did you expect me to take it?!" Holly demanded, her anger taking hold again. "Did you want me to have a brief cry and then just forget about him? Fuck that! He got shot in the fucking head by a man we weren't giving any information about! He could have killed me! But what the fuck do you care, Rivera, huh? You didn't shed a tear for Alpha, you didn't ask if I was okay!"

"I am aware that you can handle yourself."

"Fuck that!" Holly's voice was rising but she didn't care anymore. She hadn't been able to vent since the battle at the bridge. "I can't handle it myself, that's the whole damn point of why we were a team. Me, Alpha, you, Riddle, none of us can handle it alone. We were a team and we worked as a team. Riddle made the wrong call in just making Alpha and I take on Marshall. It should have been all of us, like it always was!" Holly shook her head and thrust her finger against Rivera's shoulder. "Riddle's lost his touch, Sarah!"

In that instant Rivera reached up and slapped away Holly's hand. "We abandoned our names, Holly! Remember your place!"

"My place?" Holly took a step backwards, feeling the anger shake up her body. "So that's how it is? Am I under you as well now?" Holly clenched her fists. "I see how it is. It was always like this. I was always the weak link. I always let the team down. You were simply picking up my slack. I failed in Las Vegas, I failed at the bridge, so you and Riddle have finally decided to cut me loose now Alpha is gone!" Holly suddenly stopped her pacing and took a long, deep breath.

Then she struck out at Rivera with a fist.

Rivera acted instantly, stepping to the side of Holly's punch and drawing her machete in one smooth, clean motion, swiping it at Holly's neck. The blade went straight through the skin and Rivera's eyes widened. She looked to Holly in surprise. "I didn't…"

"Hah… Haha…" Holly ran a finger across her neck. "You've lost your humanity, Rivera. Your instinct was to kill me… kill me! Your friend!" And then Holly charged forward, tackling into Rivera. The two teammates tumbled to the floor and started grappling with each-other. Holly wormed her arm between Rivera's and grabbed the shotgun. She swung up the surprisingly heavy weapon and pointed it at Rivera's chest.

"…You need to calm down," Rivera said as she eyed the barrel of her own weapon.

"You need to shut up!" Holly retorted.

"You are crying," Rivera noted and Holly realised she was right. She could feel the wet on her cheeks and raised a finger to touch the wetness. At that point Rivera suddenly disappeared out of her vision. Something hit into Holly's arm and the shotgun was kicked from her grasp. It hit the floor and with a loud BANG fired pellets that shattered one of the legs of the huge shelves. Almost instantly the loud shelf gave a huge groan and started tilting – right towards the now very much awake Rob Winters.

As if possessed, Holly turned towards him and started to run but Rivera appeared from out of nowhere and reached forward, grabbing her arm. "Holly, don't!" But Holly activated her ability and melded her hand through Rivera's. She rushed forward and grabbed Rob by the arm. The massive and heavy shelving unit crashed down upon them in a cacophony of sound and dust. Crates split open and boxes were thrown everywhere. The collapse finally settled and Rivera could only look on in shock.

After a long moment Holly stood up – directly out of a long flat piece of wood – and walked towards Rivera, clutching a very scared and confused Rob in her arms. There was sweat on Holly's brow and it dripped down onto her shirt. She gave Rivera a firm, almost rebellious, glare.

"What have you done?" Rivera asked, aghast.

09:40 CET

Siddharth sat in the passenger seat on the tepee, not believing what he was doing. In his hand he held a pistol that Axel had smuggled onto the Tepee back when they had started the journey in France and in Siddharth's hand it felt absolutely foreign. He had never held a firearm before – he had no reason to as a tech guy. Nevertheless here he was, pointing his pistol at the innocent man driving the car. The man was clearly scared but he drove as Siddharth had asked him to, towards the address of Professor Johann Schneider.

Rose was in the passenger seat after having been awkwardly and painfully dragged in by Sam. The blood was getting everywhere and Sam was doing her best to staunch it, holding her own torn shirt over the gaping wound. She feared that the wrong movement would simply tear the last ligaments and Rose's leg would be impossible to save. Rose, to her credit, had actually managed to stay conscious if not in immense pain.

"Du-Du musst das nicht tun," the man from the worksite muttered with a sideways glance to Siddharth.

"Just drive!" Siddharth demanded, though the man didn't understand a word of it. He could recognise the tone though and kept his gaze to the road.

Rose felt sorry for Siddharth – he shouldn't have had to be in this position, of pointing a pistol at an innocent man. But she also appreciated the effort he was going to save her life. Rose needed to get to Johann's house, she knew that much, and she also knew that she should, in theory, be safe until her turn on the list came up.

The early morning bird calls filled the air. Trainers pushed through the grass, passing trees and bushes. A dog's tongue hung out, swinging back and forth happily. Something spinning, a blade, contained in a plastic prison. A flash, the blade soaring, spinning with deadly accuracy…

Rose let out another fresh scream as the vision prompted pain to run through her. She bit her lip with so much force that blood blossomed and soaked her chin but she didn't care. "Q-Quick… J-Johann…" Rose breathed as Siddharth looked back at her from the passenger seat. "…Please… we have to get… get to his house… as soon as we can…"