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The Broken Silence
Chapter 63
Rehabilitation Begins
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Crackle glanced down at his watch and then gave an annoyed frown. They'd been waiting hours but there was no sign of Siren. The twins were beside themselves with worry, and this only made Crackle angrier. How could Siren do this to his brothers? How could he be so cold to just leave them like this? Siren was completely out of control and Crackle wasn't going to stand for it. He had put the entire team in danger with his antics, and now they had to worry about attracting attention. Crackle glanced down at the crackle rod on his lap and had every intention of using it on Siren the moment he got his hands on him.
It was now suppertime and Crackle knew they would have to spread out across the city looking for him.
"Everyone is to pair up and search every shop and every street," he ordered, "If you find him, let the rest of us know immediately."
"I'm sorry about Del," Theodore stated uneasily, "I don't know why he's been acting like this. He was never this bad before..."
"Your brother is an asshole," Dash commented.
Theodore winced but couldn't deny it. "Look, I know he's been...difficult, but something was done to him in that lab. We just need to be patient. I promise he'll get better!"
"No, this is beyond a little patience," Crackle responded, "He's endangered our entire team and I won't ignore this anymore."
"But-"
"We will discuss this after we find Delano," Crackle interrupted, "Now everyone split up and keep in touch."
Neal and Dash stayed behind in case Siren returned to the RV and they watched the others leave from the doorway. Once they were out of sight, Dash pushed Neal over to the couch and took a seat without a word. Neal was looking a bit worried and he frowned at Dash who didn't look the least bit perturbed.
"I hope the little guy is okay," Neal said, shifting out of his chair to sit beside Dash.
Dash turned the tv on and shrugged. "I hope he never comes back."
Neal stared at him for a moment and then nudged him. "Oh come on, Dashie, don't be mean."
Dash turned to look at him and his expression was angry. "Delano is the most wretched little monster I've ever met. He makes the entire team miserable and we'd be better off without him."
Neal's frown deepened. "Dash…"
"You can't even deny it!" Dash pointed out, "He's making life in this stupid RV unbearable. I hope he stays missing."
Neal was still frowning. "Teddy and Roose love him, and if they lose him again it will completely destroy them. The little guy spent ten years in a lab with Vess and I think it's messed him up. I doubt this is what he's really like; I think he's just scared."
Dash made a skeptical sound and crossed his arms. He knew what Neal said was true and the twins would be absolutely devastated if anything happened to Siren.
"He could at least stop calling me a bitch."
"Well, to be fair, you haven't exactly been very nice to him either," Neal pointed out.
Dash grunted and turned the volume up, clearly done talking about this. Neal wrapped an arm around Dash's shoulders and they relaxed in silence as they watched the movie.
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Siren stared down at his plate and made absolutely no move to eat the food he was given. Player sat beside him and he too didn't really seem keen on the supper. Player's parents tried at first to engage Siren in conversation but when it became clear he wasn't going to answer, they gave up and directed their questions to Player instead.
Player made up lie after lie about Siren and he was nervous he was going to trip up and say something he shouldn't.
"Del's not very verbal in person but we chat all the time online," Player explained, "He's just a little shy…"
Player's mother glanced at Siren, who was still staring at his plate silently, and suspected there was a little more going on than shyness.
"Del, can I make you something else?" she offered, getting up to remove his plate, "How about a sandwich or maybe some soup?"
"No," Siren replied, fiddling with his fork.
"He's okay, mum," Player quickly assured her, "He had some of the veggies you sent down earlier."
"What do your parents do, Del?" Player's father asked.
"Drugs," Siren replied, dropping his fork into his glass of water.
Player felt a wave of panic come over him and he quickly jumped to his feet.
"Ha ha ha ha! Del, you're such a kidder!" Player said, pulling Siren out of the chair, "You shouldn't make jokes like that though because my parents don't understand your sense of humour!"
Siren said nothing and Player quickly began shoving him in the direction of the basement.
"Such a funny guy!" Player said with a nervous laugh, "Come on, Del, let's go finish our game!"
Once he had Siren out of sight of his parents, Player let out a deep breath and hoped Carmen would get in touch with him soon. What was she doing? What was taking so long? Siren allowed himself to be pulled down to the basement and once Player released his arm, he took a seat on the bed and glanced towards the tv.
"One sec, I'm just gonna call Carmen real quick," Player informed him.
Player put in his ear-com and then pressed it. "Heya, Red, what's the update?"
Carmen answered him immediately. "Hi, Player, we're still in the air heading back to San Diego, but once we land, I'm going to arrange the plane to go to Niagara Falls to pick up Siren. Are you able to get him to the airport when the time comes?"
Player frowned, knowing his parents weren't going to like him going out that late at night. "I'll find a way," he promised.
"How's Siren?" Carmen asked in concern.
"He's been fine, but he really hasn't said much," Player answered, "I think a doctor should take a look at him once we get him to San Diego."
"At least he's speaking a little," Carmen pointed out, "In Russia he wouldn't say a single word. Hopefully that means he's improving."
Player heard the basement door open and glanced up to see his mother coming down the stairs. She was carrying two bowls and she offered them a friendly smile.
"Sorry to interrupt, boys, but I thought you two might like a little icecream."
Siren's head snapped up and he immediately reached out towards her. She placed one of the bowls in his hands and then handed the other one to Player.
"Put your bowls in the sink when you're done," she informed them, heading back for the stairs, "And please keep the noise down."
"Was that your mother?" Carmen asked.
"Yeah, I'd better let you go. Call me once you land."
"Okay, I'll speak to you soon."
Once Carmen hung up, Player glanced over at Siren who took a bite of the icecream and then immediately froze. He grimaced as he swallowed and then frowned down at the icecream looking incredibly betrayed. He continued staring down at the icecream silently while holding the spoon and Player was sympathetic.
"Yeah, sorry, she calls it icecream but it's really just frozen bananas blended with milk and vanilla. All artificial foods are banned from our house right now."
Siren continued staring down into the bowl and he hesitantly tried a second bite and made another face. It looked like icecream, smelled like icecream, but the taste was all wrong.
"Carmen is going to send a plane for you," Player informed him, "Hopefully it won't take too much longer."
Siren said nothing, still staring down into the bowl with a frown.
"I'll be right back, I'm just going to the bathroom," Player stated, getting up from his desk.
Siren didn't give any indication he heard and Player hurried to the bathroom, not trusting Siren to be alone for too long. His gaze fell on the dirty and bloody clothes Siren had left on the floor and he picked them up, knowing they'd have to be disposed of before his mother saw them. Something metal fell out of the pants and when he looked down, he was horrified to see a handgun. Player sucked in a sharp breath of surprise and instinctively took a step back.
Player stared down at it in disbelief, not quite sure it was real and then he knelt down and hesitantly picked it up. It was heavier in his hand than he was expecting and he flashed a wary look towards the closed bathroom door. Why did Siren have a gun? His gaze fell on Siren's backpack and he hesitantly knelt down beside it. Unzipping it, he glanced inside and saw it was full of cash.
Player raised a hand to his com and pressed it.
"Hey, Red?"
"Hello again, Player!" Carmen responded in a teasing tone, "Miss me already?"
"I think we have a problem…"
Carmen instantly sobered. "What is it? What happened?"
"Siren has a gun and he has a backpack stuffed full of Canadian cash. I just have a really bad feeling about this…I think he stole this money!"
"Is it loaded?" Carmen demanded, her tone serious.
Player opened the chamber and peered inside. "Yeah, it's fully loaded, Red."
"No missing bullets?"
Player dumped the bullets into his hand and counted them just to be sure. "No, all eight are here."
"Good, at least we know he hasn't fired the gun," Carmen responded, "Can I get you to do a search in your area to make sure Team Crackle weren't falling back into their old patterns again?"
"Sure thing, Red," Player said, dropping the gun into the backpack and zipping it up, "I'll search right now."
Player exited the bathroom still carrying the backpack and saw that Siren hadn't moved a muscle from the bed. Player took a seat at his computer and began quickly typing. Just seconds later, he found news of the robbery and saw the video of Siren robbing the shop.
"Shoot…" Player stated.
"What is it?" Carmen demanded.
"Siren committed an armed robbery earlier this afternoon," Player stated, sending her the video so she could see for herself, "He robbed a fudge store and then disappeared before police arrived."
"This doesn't make any sense…" Carmen stated as she watched the video, "Why would he do this? Did Crackle order him to do this? Was this part of their mission?"
"I'm checking all security footage for the area and I don't see Team Crackle anywhere," Player responded, "I'm hacking into home security systems in the area to see if I can see where Siren went after the robbery."
As Player got to work hacking, he didn't notice when Siren stole his bowl of 'icecream' and tried a bite of it. It was the exact same as his and he seemed annoyed as he poked at the 'icecream' irritably.
"Looks like Siren ran North for several minutes and then got hit by a car," Player stated, "He got hit pretty hard and I guess that explains his injuries…"
"I want to speak with Siren," Carmen ordered, "Put him on with me."
"He's not very responsive, Red," Player responded, glancing over at Siren who was pouring his 'icecream' onto the floor, "Hey, stop that!"
Player snatched the two bowls away from Siren and set them on his desk out of the way.
"What's happening?" Carmen demanded, "Did he do something?"
"No, it's okay, he was just making a mess with his icecream," Player answered, connecting the call to his tablet so they could see each other.
Once the video connected, Player waved at Carmen and then took a seat next to Siren on the bed.
"Carmen wants to talk to you," he informed him.
Siren didn't so much as glance at the tablet and so Player shoved it right under his nose where he couldn't ignore it.
"Hello, Siren," Carmen greeted him, her expression wary.
Siren said nothing.
"Why did you rob a store?" Carmen demanded, cutting right to the chase, "Were you ordered to do this?"
Siren glanced away from the screen and looked down at his fidget spinner.
"I need you to talk to me," Carmen said, softening her tone a bit, "I just want to understand what happened. Do you need help? Did something happen with Crackle?"
Siren ignored her and spun the fidget spinner in his hand.
"Siren!" Carmen said loudly, trying to get his attention, "Please answer me! Delano!"
Siren glanced up at his name but there was no comprehension as he stared at her. Suddenly Mime Bomb leaned into the frame and he gave Siren a worried look.
"Yuri," Siren stated, his attention fully on the mime.
Mime Bomb waved at him with a sad sort of smile and then signed at him asking how he was. To everyone's surprise, Siren signed back.
"What did he say?" Carmen asked.
"Lost," Player translated.
"Lost? What do you mean lost?" Carmen asked in concern, "Yuri, can you ask him?"
Mime Bomb nodded and asked Siren to clarify. Siren simply repeated the sign for 'lost' and offered no further explanation.
Mime Bomb wished he was there in person to help Siren because it was clear the other man was agitated and afraid of something. He asked Siren if he was hurt and he was relieved when he got a response.
"Hurts," Player translated, "Car. Lost. Help."
It was clear Siren was having a lot of trouble communicating and Mime Bomb signed to him that they were going to help him, and that he had nothing to worry about. Siren stared at him for a few moments and then turned his attention back down to his fidget spinner.
"Siren?" Carmen questioned, but when he didn't look up, it was clear he was done talking to them.
"Hey, come on," Player scolded, snatching the fidget spinner away from him.
Siren stared down at his empty hands and then angrily slapped the tablet away from his face. The tablet cracked when it hit the floor and Player was horrified.
"Ah, that was brand new!" he cried out, "Why did you do that?! You broke it!"
Siren's response was to curl into a fetal ball on the bed and cover his head with his arms and Player instantly felt like a heel.
"Aw, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you," Player said gently, "I'm sorry!"
Siren didn't move from his position and when Player laid a hand on his shoulder, Siren gave a violent flinch. Player withdrew his hand and then knelt down to pick up the tablet. The screen was black but he was still connected to Carmen through his ear-com.
"Is everything alright, Player?" Carmen demanded.
"Yeah, he just cracked the tablet," Player answered, "I don't think he did it on purpose and now he's upset."
"I need to find out what Team Crackle were up to and I'm going to give them another call," Carmen informed him, "If you run into any problems, give me a call right away."
Player glanced at Siren who still hadn't moved. "I think we'll be alright," he assured her.
"Okay, hopefully they won't keep ignoring my calls for much longer," Carmen said, "I'll be in touch soon."
Player set his broken tablet on the desk and then looked at Siren in concern. It was getting late and he had no idea what to do about his parents.
"HEY, MUM?!" he bellowed up the stairs.
"WHAT?"
"CAN DEL SPEND THE NIGHT? HIS MUM ALREADY SAID YES!"
There was a pause and Player assumed she was discussing it with his father.
"YES BUT LIGHTS OUT AT TEN!"
"TEN?! IT'S THE WEEKEND!"
"WANT IT TO BE NINE INSTEAD?"
"...OKAY, TEN!"
Player let out a huff and knew they didn't have a lot of time. Deciding to leave Siren alone to calm down, Player sat down at his desk and began typing, planning on doing a search of the city for the rest of Team Crackle.
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Michael stared down at the photo of his mother and then glanced at his phone where a pic of Vess was on the screen. Siren had taken everything from him, and Michael had never felt more alone in his life.
Michael didn't have very many pictures of Vess, but the one thing he cherished most was the short thirty second video saved to his phone. Vess had been working in the lab when Michael started annoying him by taking the video. Vess had been unusually patient and glanced up at him in exasperation. He greeted him with a simple 'Hello, Michael' and then proceeded to ignore him as he continued working. Michael played this video over and over again just so he could hear Vess' voice, and it left him feeling somewhat hollow.
Michael had looked through all the photos on his phone and was disgusted to see there was one of Siren as well. Siren was glowering at him in the photo and Michael remembered how he'd yanked Siren's hair seconds before he'd snapped the pic. He glared in disgust at the photo and was tempted to delete it. He resisted however and knew it might come in handy when he had to track him down.
A knock suddenly came to the door and Michael looked up as his grandfather stepped inside the room.
"It's time for your exercises, Michael," he informed him, "Your therapist recommended a personal trainer to help you with your rehabilitation. You'll be back to your old self in no time."
Michael glanced down at his artificial limbs and knew he'd never be the same ever again. He hadn't told anyone about his mother's death, and he knew it would just make things worse for him if they knew about it. They'd probably increase his therapy sessions even more.
"I'm tired, and I don't feel like it today," Michael responded, glancing back at his mother's photo, "Maybe tomorrow."
"No, you don't have a choice in this," Mikhael said firmly, "You need to use your limbs as much as possible right now. You still have a lot of trouble walking and controlling your hand and so you need the practice."
Michael let out a deep sigh and set his phone aside. "What do I need to do?"
"I'm not certain, but I know it's going to be a lot of exercise," Mikhael replied, "Do you need any help getting up?"
Michael didn't like the idea of a lot of exercising, but he knew he had to adjust to his new limbs as fast as possible. He was useless right now, and if he ever wanted to get his revenge then he needed to do better.
"No, I can do it myself," Michael stated, getting to his feet.
Mikhael gave him a proud smile and Michael averted his gaze knowing there was nothing about him to be proud of. Taking slow and careful steps, he followed behind his grandfather as Tiger walked beside him, and was led down to the large gym in the basement. Already tired and sore from that small amount of walking, Michael leaned against the wall as a man approached them.
"Good afternoon," the man greeted them, "My name is Ivan Sidorov and I will be helping young master Michael with his rehabilitation."
The man's accent was Russian and so Michael knew he was speaking in English just for his benefit. He looked Ivan up and down slowly and could tell just by looking at the other man that he was strong. He was tall and muscular with blond hair and a nose that looked like it had been broken several times.
"You came very highly recommended," Mikhael informed him, "Hopefully you'll be able to help Michael get back to normal."
Ivan glanced at Michael with a calculated look on his face. "That all depends on how much work Michael is willing to put in. The harder he works, the faster he will improve."
"I'll give it everything I have," Michael vowed, meaning it completely, "Help me train."
Mikhael clapped Michael on the back proudly and then turned to leave. "I'll leave you two to it. If you need anything, just ring for Sebastian."
Once Mikhael was gone from the room, Ivan turned to Michael. "Ready to get started?"
Michael nodded and before he even realized what had happened, he was struck to the ground. Tiger immediately began barking protectively and Ivan shot her a glare.
"Ow!" Michael snarled, "What the fuck are you doing?!"
"Get up and fight," Ivan ordered, his tone like steel, "Get that dog under control and then prove to me you're worth something!"
Michael wiped the blood from his face and then awkwardly got to his feet. He ordered Tiger to sit and stay across the room and then he turned to face his trainer. Ivan lashed out at him immediately and Michael instinctively raised his hands to protect his face. The blow landed solidly into his stomach and as he doubled over, Ivan slammed a fist into Michael's face. Michael hit the ground hard and clutched his stomach, gasping in pain.
"Get up and try again," Ivan ordered, "Your fighting skills are terrible and you need to do much better than this if you want any hope of surviving."
Michael was angry and he glared up at Ivan. "I'm missing two of my limbs!" he snarled.
"No, you seem to have all your limbs," Ivan disagreed, "Learn to use your new limbs because they're stronger and faster than your old ones. Learn to fight and defend yourself with them."
Michael used to scrap with other kids when he was a teenager but he'd never had any sort of formal training.
"I don't know how!" he snapped.
Ivan regarded him and then let out a deep sigh. "There is no way you're going to be ready in time," he commented, "Spider shouldn't have chosen you."
Michael got back to his feet and glared at the other man. "No! I can learn if you teach me! Show me what to do and then I'll kick your fucking ass, old man!"
Ivan raised a brow. "You seriously expect me to teach you from scratch? You don't even know how to properly stance during a fight!"
Michael clenched his hands into fists and took a step forward. "Just show me!"
Ivan shook his head. "You're just a spoiled rich boy and you don't have what it takes."
Michael launched himself straight towards the other man who effortlessly slammed him into the ground. Michael was furious and he rolled to his feet and threw himself straight at the other man again. He was thrown to the ground again and again but Michael was stubborn and he kept getting up over and over again.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he tried to imitate Ivan's movements the best he could. No matter how hard he tried, Ivan was faster, stronger and more experienced than him.
"Enough, this is pointless," Ivan snapped, "You're just wasting my time!"
Michael let out a furious curse and once again got back to his feet. His entire body was aching, but he knew he couldn't fail. If Spider chose someone else then he would never be rid of Siren and he would never be seen as the Volkov heir. He had to make sure he was seen as valuable and he refused to give up. Michael once again lashed out and he saw Ivan's fist coming for his face. Lifting his prosthesis, he managed to deflect the hit. He was then kicked back down to the ground.
Michael wheezed in pain and exhaustion but he forced himself back to his feet. Remembering all the fights he'd been in, he thought of his friend Dustin. Before Dustin had been killed by Vess, he and Michael had gotten into quite a few fights. Dustin had always won their fights because he would feign an attack and then lash out in a different way than expected. Michael could never tell what the other boy was going to do, and as a result Dustin won every single one of their fights.
Michael squinted at Ivan and he decided to test this idea out. Ivan would be expecting him to use his fists, and so he'd attack in a different way. Michael charged straight forward with his fists aimed to hit Ivan in the stomach and as expected, Ivan reacted accordingly. At the last moment, Michael withdrew his hands and instead slammed his head as hard as he could against Ivan's forehead.
Everything went dark for just a moment and when Michael blinked, his vision was blurry. Ivan had been knocked back and so Michael took this opportunity to once again launch himself at the other man. Ivan simply slammed him to the ground again and then clutched at his head, obviously still recovering. Ivan then stomped down on Michael's chest and held him in place so the boy was forced to remain down.
"Pathetic," Ivan commented, "You fight like an unruly child."
Michael glared up at him as he wheezed and fought to catch his breath. Ivan stared at him long and hard and then removed his foot so Michael could get back up.
"Ten minute break and then I'll start your lessons," he stated.
Michael gave him a confused look. "You're going to teach me?"
"I'm going to try ," Ivan stated, "I still have my doubts about you, but if you're willing to work hard every single day then I'll do the best I can."
Michael nodded. "I'll learn," he vowed, "I'll train until I can take down Arnold fucking Schwarzenegger!"
Ivan gave him a flat look. "I really don't see that happening," he said honestly, "But perhaps I can at least teach you how to defend yourself."
Michael didn't like the fact Ivan had no confidence in him, but he didn't comment. Instead, he slowly got back to his feet and then limped his way over to the water cooler to take his break.
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Rhino had only been part of the team for a couple days and he was already fed up with absolutely everyone. He didn't get along with other people and it was taking all of his self-control not to flatten his teammates into hamburger. Rhino normally took orders from no one besides the head faculty, and he hated all the restrictions placed on him. The implant in his neck was the only thing that stopped him from leaving and he was now sitting on the couch doing his best to ignore everyone.
"Where is Earwig?" Troll demanded, "I don't see her on any of the cameras."
"She's not in her room?" Dokuso demanded with a frown.
"Obviously not," Troll snapped, "I checked all cameras and she's nowhere."
"She's not supposed to leave!" Dokusi stated with a frown, "Spider will kill her for this."
"She could already be dead," Driver stated, crossing her arms, "Do you think she got spooked over the implant?"
Dokuso shrugged. "Where are Kit and Petra?" she demanded, "Did they leave as well?"
"They're having sex in Petra's room," Troll replied, "Petra's tits are perfection."
"Ughhh, you disgusting pervert!" Driver snarled, "Stop spying on us!"
Troll ran a hand through his hair and gave her a smirk. "Sorry, Cherise, but it's my job to spy on all of you. It's not my fault if you guys decide to undress in front of the cameras!"
Driver curled up her lip in disgust but knew there wasn't really anything she could do about it. "If I find out you're spying on me in the bathroom, I'm going to rip your spleen out through your nostrils!"
Troll rolled his eyes, knowing perfectly well he was safe in his base. He typed for a few moments and then frowned in confusion.
"Huh, well, that's weird…"
"What is it?" Dokuso demanded.
"I traced Earwig's gps and it shows she's on the porch, but I can't see her on the cameras!" Troll stated, "Can one of you go look?"
Dokuso frowned and approached the front door to open it. Peering out, she saw no sign of Earwig. "She's not there," she confirmed, "Are you sure you're reading her coordinates correctly?"
"Absolutely," Troll responded, feeling offended, "She has to be there!"
Dokuso opened the door again and stepped out onto the porch. She glanced around and then glanced up at the camera with a shrug. She then glanced over the railing down into the bushes but saw no sign of the other woman. Walking down the steps, she searched all around the porch and saw a narrow hole leading underneath the stairs. Kneeling down, she peered inside the hole and was met with the sight of Earwig curled up fast asleep in the dirt.
"What are you doing?!" Dokuso demanded, "Get out of there!"
Earwig jerked awake and glanced over at Dokuso somewhat sleepily.
"Get out of there!" Dokuso repeated, "Right this instant!"
Earwig gave a long and lazy stretch and then slowly crawled out, squeezing herself through the narrow space. The moment she was back to her feet she gave Dokuso a questioning look. Without any warning, Dokuso slapped her hard across the face, nearly knocking the smaller woman to the ground. To Dokuso's surprise, Earwig glanced back at her and her expression was unchanged like she barely noticed the slap.
"Don't you ever leave the house without informing us first!" Dokuso scolded, "You could have been killed for this! Are you honestly this stupid?"
Earwig cocked her head at her and then her gaze went back to her hole under the porch.
"You have a perfectly good bedroom!" Dokuso snapped, taking her by the wrist, "Did you even look at it yet?"
Earwig scratched at her ear and said nothing. Dokuso let out a huff and began wondering if there was something seriously wrong with the other woman. How could they possibly work with someone like this? She was a liability and she didn't like it.
"Just get in the house," Dokuso ordered.
Earwig gave one more glance to her hole and then turned to do as she was told. Dokuso followed behind her and once they were back in the house, Dokuso locked the door and turned to look at one of Troll's screens.
"The little gutter rat was underneath the stairs!"
Troll glanced at Earwig and simply seemed amused. "Seems like an appropriate spot for an earwig," he commented.
Dokuso let out a huff and then pushed Earwig in the direction of her bedroom. Once they were in her room, Dokuso pointed to the bed and to Earwig's bag.
"This is your room and this is where you sleep," she stated firmly, "You are not to leave the house without permission, do you understand?"
Earwig stared around the room in wonder and she said nothing.
Dokuso muttered a few not so polite things in Japanese and then she closed the bedroom door, leaving Earwig alone.
Earwig approached the bed, poked at the soft pillows and blankets and then frowned. Taking a seat on the bed, and glanced towards the window and saw it was quickly getting dark. Gathering all the blankets and pillows off the bed, she carried the bundle towards the window and opened it. Tossing everything outside, she climbed out and then headed back for the porch. Shoving everything through the small hole, she crawled in and then began arranging everything into a nest of sorts. Now feeling better about things, she crawled into the nest and curled up to go to sleep.
Troll had watched her crawl out the window and had followed her over the cameras, completely perplexed by her actions. She disappeared into the bushes and by her gps he knew she had crawled under the porch again.
Troll had always been an incredibly smart individual, and he hated not knowing all the answers. He'd been the top of all his classes during school, and he enjoyed a good puzzle. He loved the thrill of putting all the pieces together to solve a problem, and Earwig certainly presented a challenge to him. She was a complete mystery and her V.I.L.E operative file was suspicious in his opinion. He wanted to know who she was and why she'd ended up like this.
Troll was going to keep an incredibly close eye on her and he was determined to solve this mystery. He'd already started his own research file on her and so far he had more questions than answers. Troll had seen the scars that covered Earwig and he'd taken multiple screenshots so they could be studied. The long and deep scars across her torso were clearly deliberate, but one series of scars in particular caught his interest. Small round scars were on her hands that looked like someone had driven nails through her palms and also her wrists. It almost looked like someone had crucified her. Troll could find no reference to these injuries at all and so he had a feeling Earwig had been sent on a very secret mission.
Troll reached up a hand to his neck and grimaced, knowing he'd have to be very careful snooping too deeply into V.I.L.E's secrets.
Suddenly his proximity alarms went off and he glanced at his screens and saw someone walking up the path towards the house.
"Yo, guys, we have a visitor approaching the door," he informed them.
"Who would be coming here this time of night?" Dokuso demanded, reaching up a hand to her ear-com, "Everyone get out here right now! We might have some trouble!"
The doorbell rang and no one moved and a few seconds later Flytrap and Spinkick hurried into the room, weapons at the ready.
"Where's Earwig?" Dokuso demanded.
"Back under the porch," Troll responded, "The man seems really agitated."
Dokuso let out an angry sigh, but knew there was nothing she could do about it right now.
The doorbell rang a second time and then there was a furious banging on the door.
"Who is he?" Dokuso demanded, readying her poisoned daggers.
"I'm scanning him now," Troll informed her, "This will take a minute."
Suddenly the doorknob rattled and Dokuso was glad she locked it. They heard a loud curse and then the banging was even louder.
"Cowards," Rhino commented, approaching the door, "What do you think one man is going to do to us?"
"Don't you touch that doo-"
Rhino ignored her and unlocked the door and opened it. Rhino crossed his arms and glowered down at the stranger, hoping he would get the opportunity to beat someone up.
"What do you want?" Rhino snapped.
The man was in his fifties and his hair was greying and he had angry cold eyes that glared up at Rhino fearlessly.
"About bloody time!" the man snapped, "Who do you think you are making me wait like this?!"
Rhino raised a single brow in question. "I think the better question is 'Who are you '?" Rhino demanded.
The man brushed imaginary dust off his expensive jacket and he glowered up at Rhino. "I am Michael Finnegan, and I'm the new leader of this team."
Rhino stared down at the man in disbelief and didn't try to stop him as he shoved his way into the house. He stared after the stranger and then slowly closed the door after him.
"I think you'd better explain yourself."
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Diana laughed as El Topo gently tickled her. She was sitting up in bed feeling much better and she was quickly getting to know the rest of the team. She absolutely loved El Topo, Zack and Mime Bomb but she was still a little wary of everyone else. Tigress didn't seem to know how to interact with a child and so she mostly ignored Diana, and Le Chèvre was the same. Le Chèvre actually tried to talk to her a few times but it was awkward for both of them so he mostly stayed away from her.
Diana of course loved her papa most of all. He was always so kind and gentle with her, and he hugged her anytime she wanted. He showed her pictures of her mother, and told her endless stories about her. Diana would listen transfixed to his every word and Chase reveled in the attention. Chase took her for long walks in her wheelchair and Diana felt a little overwhelmed by all the new things but she also loved every minute of it.
Diana had been fascinated by the sky and she loved to simply stare up at it for hours watching the clouds and the birds drift by. She enjoyed the calm and quiet of cloud-watching and it helped alleviate some of her anxiety. California was extremely hot and she wasn't used to it, and several times she ended up getting a sunburn on her overly pale skin. Chase had fretted about it and now she was slathered in a thick layer of sunscreen every time she was taken outside.
She was taken to a doctor several times a week and she was beating all expectations of recovery and was doing fantastic. Chase was relieved and knew that soon Diana would be able to walk and play like a normal child. It had been a really long time since Diana had felt so good, and she was a little worried it wasn't going to last. She was terrified of the hospital and she cried every time a doctor came anywhere near her. Chase felt awful she was so scared, but there was no way to avoid it. He simply held her and comforted her every trip to the hospital and luckily the visits were now fewer and fewer apart.
Diana knew there was a lot everyone wasn't telling her and it was both frustrating and upsetting. She wasn't dumb and she knew something serious had happened at the lab. She remembered smoke and fire and she remembered Michael carrying her out of her room. Other than that she had no idea what had happened to Vess or the lab. Had it burned down? No one would answer any of her questions, and Chase had told her that she needed to rest, not worry about adult matters.
Diana hugged her stuffed dog to her chest and then looked down at it. She wished she could see Michael and Siren again but she was beginning to think they were gone forever. No one would talk about them, and she had overheard something about Michael being injured. She'd then thrown her very first fit of temper when Chase refused to explain. Chase had remained firm, and eventually Diana had stopped crying and then sulked for the rest of the afternoon.
Chase told her that they would be moving soon to a house of their own and Diana wasn't sure how she felt about that. The Team Red base was always filled with people and she felt like a new home would feel empty and rather lonely. There had been so much change lately that Diana had a constant anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like change, and she didn't want to leave the base.
Chase had announced that once Diana was more stable they'd be moving and so Diana's response to that was to pretend she was worse than she was. She was fully capable of sitting up on her own now but she didn't let her father know that. She acted limp and weak in front of him, but once she was alone she sat up and played with her toys.
Diana carefully listened to everything the team said and she had a feeling someone would eventually let something slip. All she had to do was be patient.
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Otterman stopped walking when his com suddenly began ringing and he took a seat on a nearby bench so he could pull it out of his pocket. Moose Boy gave him a questioning look and took a seat beside his partner, hoping someone had finally found Siren. Seeing it was his grandfather, Otterman frowned and immediately answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Sven," Mikhael greeted him, "How have you been doing?"
"I'm doing alright," Otterman answered, "Now's not really a good time though. Siren is missing and we're searching for him."
Mikhael gave him a concerned look. "I just called to let you know that I've found a doctor to look at Siren, and one to also take a look at your eyes."
Otterman was a bit taken aback. "Pardon?!"
"Siren's doctor is in New York City and he's the best plastic surgeon in North America. I also made an appointment for an eye surgeon to take a look at your eyes. I don't trust V.I.L.E's assessment of you and I want one of my own doctors to examine you. If there's anything that can be done, he'll be honest and give you your options."
Otterman stared at him in shock and wasn't quite sure what to say. "Okay, do you mind if I call you back later tonight to talk about this? We have to find Delano and then I'll discuss this with the rest of the team."
Mikhael nodded and gave him a fond smile. "Very well, I'll talk to you soon. Goodbye, Sven."
"Bye, grandad."
Otterman hung up the phone and he glanced beside him at Moose Boy.
"He's sending me to an eye surgeon?"
Moose Boy looked incredibly excited. "Maybe they'll be able to fix your eyes!" he exclaimed, "You should go, Sven!"
"I'll need to know more about it first before I make my decision," he responded slowly.
"Go to the doctor," Moose Boy insisted, "It won't hurt!"`
The com began to ring again and he frowned. "Is that him again?!"
Glancing down at the screen, he saw it was Carmen. Knowing she never had a chance to tell him what she wanted before, he answered the call.
"Hi, Carmen," he greeted, "I don't really have time to talk right now. Siren went missing and we're searching for him."
"I know," Carmen responded, "That's what I'm calling you about."
Otterman gave her a puzzled look. "Aren't you in San Diego right now? How did you find out about Siren?"
"We have him," Carmen informed him.
Otterman's eyes widened. "What?! How?! When?!"
Carmen gave him a long and searching look and felt pretty certain she could trust her cousin. "Can you please explain to me what happened with Siren and then I'll explain my side of things."
"Happened?" Otterman repeated, "Nothing happened besides the little shit stealing from Crackle and then taking off. He went rogue and robbed a candy store and we can't find him! The poor twins are worried sick!"
"What made him do this?" Carmen demanded, "Did someone hurt him? I clearly heard Crackle say he was going to kill Siren once you guys found him!"
Otterman's expression turned confused. "Graham is pissed, but not that pissed! He didn't really mean he was going to kill him, he was just mad! Siren has been getting on everyone's nerves for days and then he went and did this! Graham's going to yell at him, but he's not going to hurt him!"
Carmen had to admit that made a lot more sense. "Why did Siren leave your team?" she demanded, "Something must have happened!"
"He just hates all of us," Otterman responded with a shrug, "He refuses to even try to get along with any of us. He's been trying to talk his brothers into quitting the team, but when they refused, he began acting out. He's like a spoiled child and Crackle's fed up."
"If he wants to leave your team then that's his decision," Carmen pointed out.
"He's selfish," Otterman commented, "How could he do this to his poor brothers? Does he have any idea how worried they've been? If he wanted to leave then he should have talked to us about it instead of just running away and going on a crime spree. He's put all of us in jeopardy, and now we have to worry about attracting A.C.M.E and law enforcement!"
Carmen nodded with a frown. "I am going to have a talk with Siren about this and I'll see if he's willing to speak to you. If he wants to join us, then I'm not refusing him."
"Where is he?" Otterman demanded, "Is your team here in Niagara Falls?"
"Sorry, but I can't tell you where he is until I speak to him," Carmen replied, "I have to make sure everything is okay first."
"Well, can you at least get him to call us as soon as possible?"
"I'm going to give him the night to calm down and then I'll have a discussion with him," Carmen said, hoping Siren would be back to his old self by then, "All you need to know is that he's safe and we're taking good care of him."
"The twins aren't going to be happy about this…" Otterman responded.
"Crackle can call me about it, but I'm not telling him where Siren is," Carmen said firmly, "He had some injuries and I want to confirm with him that they didn't come from anyone on your team."
Otterman blinked in surprise. "You think we hurt him?"
"I really don't think so, but I need to be sure. It's my duty to protect him, and until I confirm, his location remains a secret."
Otterman was rather offended, but he also understood. As a victim of horrific abuse he could appreciate how Carmen was taking precautions. She couldn't risk returning him to his abusers until Siren denied any abuse was happening. Otterman wished someone had helped him like that when he was younger and he simply gave her a nod.
"Thank you for helping him, Carmen, I'll call the others to let them know he's safe. You can expect Graham to call you."
Carmen nodded. "Thanks, Sven!"
Otterman disconnected the call and then immediately called Crackle. Crackle answered on the first ring and his expression was tense.
"Did you find him?" he demanded.
When Otterman nodded, Crackle let out a deep breath. "Where is he? Is he with you now?"
"He's with Team Red."
Crackle paused and his brow furrowed in anger. "So he switched teams?" he demanded.
"It seems like he's considering it but hasn't made up his mind yet. Carmen said she's giving him the night to make up his mind and then she's going to let us know."
Crackle let out a curse. "Thank you, Sven, I'm going to call her now."
Crackle hung up the com without another word and Otterman exchanged a look with Moose Boy. He had a feeling shit was going to really hit the fan soon…
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Siren hadn't moved from his curled up position on the bed in over an hour. Player stared at him for a few moments in concern and then got up to check on him. He found Siren sound asleep on the bed and he frowned, not quite sure what to do. Deciding to just give him the bed for the night, he pulled the blankets up over him and then continued typing at his computer.
Carmen was having a private conversation with Crackle right now and both seemed to be getting incredibly frustrated. Carmen was typing to him now and then but most of her attention was on the call that Player wasn't included in.
Glancing at the time, he saw it was almost ten and really hoped his parents forgot about the early bedtime he was given. Almost as if she could hear his thoughts, he then heard his mother's footsteps on the stairs. She was carrying extra blankets and pillows, and her gaze immediately fell on Siren.
"Is he asleep already?" she whispered quietly.
Player nodded. "He fell asleep a while ago. I'm going to just sleep on the floor and let him take the bed for tonight."
Player's mother gave a nod and she quietly approached to set up a bed on the floor for Player. She gave a quick check to Siren, tucked him in a bit better and then headed back for the stairs.
"You have fifteen minutes before lights out, Matt," she whispered, "Keep it down so you don't wake your friend."
"Okay, mum," Player whispered back.
Once she was gone, Player shot an uneasy look towards Siren hoping Carmen figured out something soon.
"Player?" Carmen suddenly said through his ear-com.
"Yeah, Red?"
"Crackle's asking for proof that Siren's with us. Can you take a photo of him to show Crackle please?"
"Sure, just a second," Player said, slipping out of his computer chair.
Using his phone, he snapped a picture of Siren sleeping and then texted it to Carmen.
"Well, at least he seems to be easy to watch right now," Carmen commented as she looked at the pic.
Carmen cut off the call and Player glanced at the clock and saw it was two minutes after ten. Glancing up the stairs, he could hear his parents moving around in the kitchen and so he turned off the lights, hoping they wouldn't come down. A few minutes later he heard the door opening and so he turned off his monitors and stayed completely silent. The door closed again a few moments later and so Player turned his screens back on.
Carmen connected with him again just before ten thirty and she seemed exhausted. "Alright, Crackle seems to understand. He's not going to push things until tomorrow, but he expects an answer by then."
"Okay, Red, hopefully Siren will be in a better mind tomorrow."
"Let's hope," Carmen agreed, "You should get some sleep too because who knows how long Siren will stay asleep for. With any luck he'll be out the whole night."
"Okay, Red, I'll head to bed now!"
Getting changed into his pajamas, he brushed his teeth in the bathroom and then headed for his makeshift bed. Player hadn't even considered what would happen if Siren woke up before him. He could give everything about Team Red away to his parents if he said or did the wrong thing...
Glancing around his room, Player's gaze fell on his sneakers and he got an idea. Removing one of the shoelaces, he very gently tied one end to Siren's wrist and then tied the other end to his own arm. If Siren so much as twitched during the night he'd know about it. Satisfied everything would be okay, Player laid down and closed his eyes.
Player didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep until suddenly his arm was given a hard jerk. Opening his eyes, he was met with the sight of Siren sitting up in bed and staring at his arm in confusion. Yawning widely, Player also sat up and glanced at the time. It was nearly seven and he knew his mother would likely be making breakfast by now.
"Morning, Del," Player greeted, reaching out to untie Siren's arm, "Are you feeling any better today?"
Siren didn't answer and he simply stared at Player as if he didn't remember who he was. Player frowned as he realized Siren was still in a confused state and he let out a sigh. It looked like they wouldn't be getting any answers out of him any time soon. He watched as Siren headed to the bathroom and then he gave a long and lazy stretch as he got up. Getting dressed while Siren was in the bathroom, he then headed over to his computer to message Carmen. He let her know about Siren's state of mind, and knew she likely wouldn't respond for a while.
When Siren returned, Player offered him a smile.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, "Mum is probably making breakfast right now."
As per usual, Siren said nothing and so Player ushered him upstairs to the kitchen. Sure enough, Player's mother was setting three places at the kitchen table as they walked in.
"My dad works really early and so he's already gone," Player explained to Siren, "We won't see him again until this afternoon."
"Hello, Del," Player's mother greeted, "Would you like some breakfast?"
Siren's gaze drifted over the assortment of foods on the table and he didn't answer. Player nudged him down into one of the chairs and wasted no time at all digging in. Siren stared at his plate long and hard, seeing nothing on it that he was willing to eat.
"You need to eat something ," Player's mother encouraged, "You didn't eat much last night! How about some toast? Will you try a few bites for me?"
Siren's gaze settled on the plate of buttered toast and he hesitantly reached out and took a slice. Player's mother seemed satisfied and she smiled and then started on her own food. By the time the others had finished their food, Siren had only finished one slice of toast and he was just reaching for a second one when there came a thunderous knock at the door.
Player's mother frowned and got up from the table. "Now who would be coming this early in the morning? Matteo, did you order any packages?"
Player thought about it and shrugged. "Yeah, maybe? I get a lot of computer parts."
She crossed the room to answer the door and when she opened it to reveal Crackle standing on the doorstep, Player choked on his orange juice.
"May I help you?" Player's mother asked, confused when she didn't see a package.
"Is Delano Scordato here?" Crackle demanded, clearly ready for a fight, "Where is he?"
"Del? Yes, he's just having breakfast…" she replied, "Who are you?"
Theodore then pushed Crackle out of his way. "I'm his brother and we came to get him."
Player's mother glanced over her shoulder at Siren. "Del, there's someone at the door for you."
Siren glanced up and when his gaze fell on his brother he dropped his toast to the floor and jumped up. Without a word he rushed for the door and then threw his arms around Theodore as tightly as he could. He remained clinging onto him and Theodore's expression quickly went from angry to concerned. Reaching down, he tipped Siren's chin up who simply stared up at him with wide and innocent eyes. Theodore exchanged a look with Crackle who frowned at Siren but didn't comment.
The RV was parked on the street and the rest of Team Crackle were watching the interaction closely.
"I wasn't expecting him to be picked up so early!" Player's mother commented, "Your brother was as good as gold, and he spent the evening playing video games with Matteo. He fell asleep around ten and seemed to have had a good time during the sleepover."
Crackle blinked a few times in confusion and then realized this woman had no idea who Siren was or who they were either. It was obvious she thought Siren was a friend of her son's. Crackle stared long and hard at Player who seemed nervous and fidgety. Crackle would never harm a child and so he was willing to overlook this situation based on Player's age.
"Would you care for some breakfast? There's plenty left!" Player's mother offered, "I made homemade banana nut muffins!"
"Er, um…" Crackle stated awkwardly, "...okay."
Player then stepped forward. "Could I speak to you for a few moments please, Graham?" Player asked, stepping outside.
Crackle nodded and Player's mother disappeared back into the house. Once he was sure she was out of hearing range, Player frowned at Crackle.
"How did you find us?" he demanded, "Carmen never told you where I lived!"
"Neal already knew you lived in Niagara Falls and it was just a matter of him finding out your address from public records. Apparently you attended one week of high school and they had a record of your address. We know you're Carmen's tech guy, and so we felt certain Delano was with you."
Player knew he was completely helpless against Team Crackle and he shot a worried glance towards Siren. "You're not going to hurt him are you?"
Crackle glared at Siren. "Not terribly," he replied.
Player looked at Siren who didn't seem the least bit afraid and hoped he would be alright.
"Here's Delano's backpack!" Player's mother suddenly said, stepping back outside, "I don't think these two got much homework done last night, but at least they had fun."
Crackle accepted the backpack and unzipped it so he could peer inside it. He saw the piles of cash and his gun and relaxed. At least he didn't have to worry about a missing gun.
"And here is a big bag of muffins for your family," she said, holding out a large paper bag, "I normally make enormous batches to freeze, but I'll send most home for Del to enjoy."
"Thank you for taking such good care of him for us," Crackle said, putting on his most charming smile as he took the bag.
"Your brother is welcome back anytime!" Player's mother assured them, "It was good for my Matteo to have someone to play with for a change!"
"Mum, I don't play!" Player protested, "I'm nearly fourteen!"
"Well, you 'played' video games, didn't you?" she challenged.
Player let out a huff. "That's not the same thing!"
Crackle watched this interaction with a raised brow and then glanced back to Siren who was still latched onto Theodore like a barnacle.
"We have plans today and so we need to get going," Crackle informed them, "Delano will be fine."
Player wanted to protest but he couldn't say anything that wouldn't give something away to his mother. He was helpless as she closed the door, leaving Siren alone with Team Crackle.
"He's confused again," Theodore said sadly, running a hand through Siren's messy hair.
Crackle was frustrated knowing it would do no good to yell at Siren when he couldn't comprehend what he was saying. Siren deserved a good lecture, but he'd have to hold off on it for a while.
"Let's just get back to the RV," he snapped.
Theodore looked Siren up and down and noted the shorts and t-shirt he was wearing. "Del, why are you dressed like a twelve year old? It's too cold to be wearing shorts! It's wintertime and you're going to get sick."
Siren said nothing at all and simply hugged Theodore even tighter. Theodore rubbed Siren's back for a moment and could feel how cold he was already.
"Please don't ever scare us like that again," Theodore begged him, "We thought we'd lost you again!"
"Lost," Siren repeated hesitantly.
"Come on, Del, let's get you out of the cold."
Theodore then gently scooped Siren up into his arms and then carried him over to the RV parked nearby.
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TBC