Chapter Five
"Ok, so what do we do now?" Claire asked her friends when they were secure in Darien's current room after they caught her up on everything that had happened during their time spent in Hafen.
"You got me, Keep," Darien replied honestly. He leaned back onto the headboard of the bed and rubbed his eyes. "I just want to get Arnaud out of this town and behind bars where he belongs. However, based on previous encounters, I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. So we'll hope for just getting him out of here."
"I have a question, though." Bobby had a slightly confused look on his face as he turned to Darien. "Last time we saw him, he was stuck invisible. Right?"
Darien's face creased in thought. "Yeah, I was kind of thinking about that earlier. So what do you think happened?"
The two partners looked at Claire for some sort of medical explanation. She had none. "I have no idea how to even go about conducting research on that, and I have no real first-hand experiences on that. But knowing Arnaud he has some scientist friend and he helped him… turn visible again."
"Yeah, well… that's not exactly good news, Claire."
"In all the time you've worked for the agency, Darien, how much good news have you actually heard?"
"You've got a point, there."
"Of course." Claire smiled and pulled the sheets over her legs as a sudden chill passed by them. She shivered and rubbed her uncovered arms. "Is it getting a little chilly in here, or is it just me?"
The other two agreed with her. "No, it's not just you." Bobby stood up and went to the window. He pushed it down until he heard a click. "There we go."
Darien looked around the room warily and stood up to get a better look around.
"Fawkes, what are you doing?" Hobbes looked at him curiously.
"Darien…" Claire gave him an equally inquisitive look. Darien just ignored both of their comments. He stopped turning his head, stopped and listened, and found nothing. Still not satisfied, he paused and his eyes disappeared from plain view.
Claire and Hobbes seemed to get the hint and shut-up, joining him in searching the room simply with their eyes.
Darien continued to quicksilver until his entire body was invisible. He found it less disturbing to his friends to see none of him than everything but his eyes. Plus he enjoyed it more. And to his satisfaction, but not surprise, he saw a purple body shape in front of him.
"You know, you should really work on your entrance, de Fohn. The whole sneaking in the window has been done to death."
Arnaud ignored the thief's comment, and went straight into his plan. "I have something you want."
"Oh really?" Darien didn't sound like he cared, and he really didn't. Arnaud wasn't a trustworthy person, and he had no reason to believe him.
"Yes. And I suggest that if you want him back that you follow through with what everyone else wants you to do and come with me so I can leave. Why make these innocent people suffer for your stubbornness?"
The other invisible man rolled his eyes. "Save the bull, Arnaud. What makes you think I'm just going to come with you?"
"I know you, Fawkes. You won't let that teenager die for you."
"Oz… dammit!" Darien walked across the room from his two friends who had paused almost halfway to the door. They were obviously about to leave when they heard of Arnaud's hostage. He grimaced and paced for a few seconds.
"Exactly. Now, are you going to come with me willingly or do I need to bring you forcefully? Personally I would rather not waste my energy on you, so I'd really rather you come peacefully." Arnaud looked cocky, even through quicksilver vision, and it made Darien sick.
"Fine," Darien growled, much to the surprise of his friends.
"Darien!" They both cried. But Darien ignored them and walked towards his nemesis.
"Good." He turned his attention towards Darien's friends and turned visible for a minute. "You'll find the boy back in town in an hour or so."
"What about Darien? What are you going to do?" Bobby demanded angrily.
Arnaud simply smiled. "I have some unfinished tests to perform, and a little revenge to seek. But I wouldn't worry about him if I were you. And if you interfere, I promise you there will be severe consequences."
Then he disappeared again and grabbed Darien by the arm. Leading him out the door, Bobby and Claire were left gaping at what had just played before them. And once again they had no idea where to go from there.
~*~*~
Oz woke up to the sound of a door opening rather loudly and then shut, but he saw no one come in. "H-hello?" He called, wondering what had happened.
"Hello, Oz," an accented voice called back from the air. Oz looked around to find the location of the voice. But what he saw surprised him even more than what he heard. A person materialized in from of him, followed by another person. Arnaud, the first one, had a grin plastered on his face, while the other person, who he recognized with a disappointed moan as Darien, looked very upset. And Oz knew it was because of him.
"Miss us?" Arnaud questioned sarcastically. He held tightly to Darien's wrist, as if he was afraid that his prisoner would run off.
Oz snarled, but didn't reply, knowing that it would be unintelligible anyway. He was angry with himself for letting Darien fall into this trap, but he also knew that there was really nothing he could have done. And then… How had they both materialized out of thin air? He had never seen anything like that in his entire life.
"I imagine you have questions, but I'm afraid you won't be able to ask them. I'm letting you go, and I'm far too busy to talk to you right now." Arnaud walked over and untied the teen and ignored him as he left the prison. While leaving, Oz shot Darien an apologetic look. Darien smiled reassuringly and then turned his attention back to Arnaud.
"What makes you think I'm gonna stay here now that Oz is gone?" Fawkes asked, sure that Arnaud had a plan. And he did.
"If you try to escape, I hired two men who will bring you back in, rather forcefully. Plus, I just might have to perform some extra experiments that will be… less pleasant. And besides that, I'm still in control of this town. I assume you can find a reason to stay and help me?"
Unfortunately, Darien couldn't think of any way to get out of his predicament, so he went along with it. "Whatever. So anyway, what do you have in store for today? Something exciting I hope." He kept the usual coy smile on his face at all times to keep his confidence in tact. He was in fact afraid of what could happen. He knew Arnaud's power, and that he wouldn't hesitate to… damage Darien if need be.
Arnaud looked slightly amused. "Well, I thought we'd start with a head exam."
"Yeah, ok. But I have a question. Two, actually. Um, first- how are you visible again, and two- why do you need me if you're back to normal?"
Arnaud nodded and sat down next to Darien. "Well, I actually found a scientist who was rather acclaimed for his work on the human brain, and coincidentally he had a few infra-red glasses around his laboratory. I told him to put them on and he did. After I told him what I would do if he refuse to help me and then told him that I could make him famous for his work on invisibility, he helped me turn visible again. I'm not exactly sure of the process considering I was unconscious most of the time, but it seemed to work almost perfectly."
"Wait, you were unconscious while he dug around in your brain. You must have had a lot of trust in the guy. Why?" Darien was puzzled, and his face showed it well.
"Never underestimate the greed of man, Fawkes. You should know that by now."
Darien had to agree. Being a thief, he'd met some pretty greedy people in his time. "Ok, I understand that. But you said it worked 'almost perfectly'?"
Arnaud's face darkened. "Exactly. That's why I went through all this trouble to get you. Did you think it was for no reason? No, I need you. You're brain is functioning perfectly now, aside from the occasional quicksilver madness possibility, but that can be controlled by your counteragent."
"So," Fawkes began, "your brain isn't acting normal and you need to look at mine? Now, see, I'm just not understanding."
"I don't expect you to. But something that doctor did in my head helped turn me visible, but it's slowly destroying brain cells and is starting quicksilver madness, despite the use of counteragent. No, I have never experienced this 'madness' in which I've seen you, but I know that it's not something I want to go through. So if I can determine what exactly happens in the brain during QSM, than I may be able to prevent it in my own mind."
"Hold it, there, Dr. Frankenstein. You're gonna make me go through QSM, observe it, and find a way to stop it other than the counteragent?" Arnaud nodded, and Darien shook his head firmly. "No way. How are you going to get me to go invisible? You can't, all right? You're crazy."
"Maybe I am, but I can make you turn invisible anyway." He pulled out a gun and began to shoot it at Darien. With no other alternative and knowing that he couldn't outsmart Arnaud while visible, he quicksilvered and disappeared.
"That's right, Darien, quicksilver." He stopped shooting and before Darien could turn back, Arnaud threw a dart at him which hit his arm. Darien scoffed and pulled the dart out, but found he couldn't reappear.
"What the Hell was in that thing?" Darien yelled, still trying to turn visible again.
"A handy little chemical that hinders your ability to reappear. Now all we need to do is wait until you need counteragent and then I'll turn you invisible." Then he took a bat, turned his eyes invisible, and smashed the bat into the back of Darien's head. He fell to the ground with a 'thud' and was unconscious.