*~Conspiracy~* Chapter 18
Raven's eyes fluttered open slowly. As her blurry vision seeped back into focus, she realized she was in a dark, dismal room. She couldn't do much more else than observe for the minute that her eyes were open before her eyelids began to feel heavy and she conked out again.
The next time she awoke, she was no longer in that room, but in the richly furnished haven of her hotel room. She could hear three familiar voices chatting quietly in the room next to hers. She rose slowly out of the bed and rubbed her head. She could feel a slight bump just behind her ear. She wondered what it was as she slipped into her black cat suit and high boots. She rubbed her eyes and walked out to where her friends were sitting in the living room. They all turned their heads at the sound of Raven's heels clunking noisily on the ground. They stared, utterly confused by her choice of dress. She gave them all a menacing look.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked in a voice so unlike her own. It seemed as if all her sarcasm and harshness was packed into one. She placed her hands on her hip and eyed them all, one by one. Even Kyra fell victim to the iciness in her gaze.
"No..." Kyra ventured. "But if we are here undercover...are you sure you want to wear that? You're basically screaming that you're a suspicious person from out-of-town."
Raven pulled her new dagger, though it was not apparent where she had received it, out of the side of her boot. She pressed the point into her fingers like she had so many times before, but waited this time until a clear flow of blood was running down her finger. She walked over to the wall and wrote her name in her own scarlet fluids.
"Well then, we wouldn't want that now would we?"
Kyra and Mya exchanged horrified glances as Matrix got up to talk some sense into her. Never had Raven acted so irrationally. Neither of the three knew what had happened in the evil sanctuary of Stephano's N.Y. base, but they definitely didn't have a good feeling about it. Raven kept her vibrant blue eyes on Matrix as he walked towards her. She held the dagger tightly in her hand.
"Raven, sit down. There is now way we can accomplish our mission with you looking like that. You need to calm down a bit."
"Calm down a bit?" Raven gave a low, throaty laugh. Her eyes started to grow shinier as she fought to blink back tears. Whatever Stephano had done to her had obviously converted her back to the natural Raven, before she had been altered by the memories Brady Black had triggered. "In case you hadn't noticed, I've killed the only man I've ever loved." She hissed, her dagger shaking in her hand.
Kyra stood up to run to Matrix's aid.
"Sit down!" Raven screamed, hatred and anger flashing in her eyes. "No more games."
Kyra did as she was told, her eyes wide with tear as she too suddenly grew closer and closer to the brink of crying. What had happened to the Raven she knew? What was wrong with her? She was in some sort of mad frenzy, and Kyra feared greatly for Matrix in the position he stood in, merely inches from that sharp, shining dagger. Mya was about to crack under the heavy pressure hanging in the room.
"Wait! Raven, no!" She yelled, running and standing beside Matrix. "I don't know what's happening, but why are you pointing a dagger at us? We're your allies, not your enemies. We're friends..." She said, pleading with her enraged friend. Raven's narrowed eyes, glowing with the suppressed fire that had either been just recently lit or released after years of simmering at a comfortable boiling point.
Raven's eyes darted towards Mya and from her cleavage she pulled out yet another knife.
"Bet you weren't counting on that huh?" She said crazily, pointing one each at Mya and Matrix. "Now Mya, you be a good little girl and sit down like you know you have to." Mya slowly backed up and sat down beside Kyra, her hands clasped nervously in her lap.
Matrix moved back from Raven but that only seemed to set her off even more.
"No, no...not you..." Raven said, walking over to him. She looked up into his terrified eyes and smiled. She walked around him, running her finger in a circle around his shoulders. She stopped when she was in front of him. Raven raised her arm and pulled him to her, pressing her lips onto his. To her surprise he responded to her. She flicked the dagger out of its place in her palm and pressed the tip into Matrix's gut. He drew back in pain and fell to the ground in pain, writhing on the floor.
"I never trusted you." Raven said simply. "If you wanted to prove yourself you wouldn't have tried to choke me with your tongue when you're in the middle of a relationship with Kyra." She watched Matrix move helplessly on the floor. Then she raised her eyebrows and looked at Kyra who was hurting and angry all at the same time.
Raven shrugged and pushed passed the terrified girls, stepping over Matrix's nearly-limp form.
"I have a job to do. Come if you like." She waited patiently by the door but neither girl made a move towards her. They looked helplessly from Matrix to the bloody Raven sprawled on the wall to Raven herself, tucking the dagger away in her boot. "Well then, I guess it's something I'll have to do on my own."
She slammed the door loudly behind her and walked quickly down the hallway and eventually out of the ritzy hotel. Her thinking was back to search and destroy mode, and according to Stephano's scientists, she was going to stay that way. It would only be a matter of time before their final threat was wiped out and the DiMera Empire started to make its full impact upon the world. Raven's fast-paced walk brought her thousands of stares as she strutted on in her cat suit. Her trek brought her eventually to the Statue of Liberty raising her grew arm towards the horizon. She ginned evilly and searched the width of the Statue with her eyes. From across the water, she could not see any unusual openings in the sides.
She looked around uncertainly and saw a ferry on it's way out to the statue. She ran to it immediately and ran up the catwalk just as it pulled out of the docking area. The ferry was rather quick, and it stopped right by the colossal grey statue. The sun felt hot on Raven's hair and neck. She groaned and hopped off the ferry, leaving the tour group of disgusted feminists and running off in the other direction. The statue offered her momentary sanctuary from the sun as she ran her hands over the base of the statue, stopping when she came to a mall slit in the wall. She looked at it curiously and brought her eyes level with it. It appeared as though it were some sort of card scanning device. For what card? Chloe reached into her heavy belt and felt around. Nothing but Brady's ugly old wallet. Her fingers closed over a smooth card. She pulled it out and read it's laminated surface:
"Property of Brady Black."
She rolled her eyes and shoved the card into the slot. A heavy creaking noise was heard as a portion of the stone swung open before her. After the initial shock had worn off, she smiled and hopped inside, pulling the door shut behind her. Some way or another, she knew she had located the Secret Service's base. She could feel it. How she knew where it was she didn't particularly know.
But now that she was in there, nothing would stop her from her goal. Brady Black would finally fall under the sharp tip of her dagger, and she'd collect her nice bounty and give Matrix a proper funeral.
Raven's eyes fluttered open slowly. As her blurry vision seeped back into focus, she realized she was in a dark, dismal room. She couldn't do much more else than observe for the minute that her eyes were open before her eyelids began to feel heavy and she conked out again.
The next time she awoke, she was no longer in that room, but in the richly furnished haven of her hotel room. She could hear three familiar voices chatting quietly in the room next to hers. She rose slowly out of the bed and rubbed her head. She could feel a slight bump just behind her ear. She wondered what it was as she slipped into her black cat suit and high boots. She rubbed her eyes and walked out to where her friends were sitting in the living room. They all turned their heads at the sound of Raven's heels clunking noisily on the ground. They stared, utterly confused by her choice of dress. She gave them all a menacing look.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked in a voice so unlike her own. It seemed as if all her sarcasm and harshness was packed into one. She placed her hands on her hip and eyed them all, one by one. Even Kyra fell victim to the iciness in her gaze.
"No..." Kyra ventured. "But if we are here undercover...are you sure you want to wear that? You're basically screaming that you're a suspicious person from out-of-town."
Raven pulled her new dagger, though it was not apparent where she had received it, out of the side of her boot. She pressed the point into her fingers like she had so many times before, but waited this time until a clear flow of blood was running down her finger. She walked over to the wall and wrote her name in her own scarlet fluids.
"Well then, we wouldn't want that now would we?"
Kyra and Mya exchanged horrified glances as Matrix got up to talk some sense into her. Never had Raven acted so irrationally. Neither of the three knew what had happened in the evil sanctuary of Stephano's N.Y. base, but they definitely didn't have a good feeling about it. Raven kept her vibrant blue eyes on Matrix as he walked towards her. She held the dagger tightly in her hand.
"Raven, sit down. There is now way we can accomplish our mission with you looking like that. You need to calm down a bit."
"Calm down a bit?" Raven gave a low, throaty laugh. Her eyes started to grow shinier as she fought to blink back tears. Whatever Stephano had done to her had obviously converted her back to the natural Raven, before she had been altered by the memories Brady Black had triggered. "In case you hadn't noticed, I've killed the only man I've ever loved." She hissed, her dagger shaking in her hand.
Kyra stood up to run to Matrix's aid.
"Sit down!" Raven screamed, hatred and anger flashing in her eyes. "No more games."
Kyra did as she was told, her eyes wide with tear as she too suddenly grew closer and closer to the brink of crying. What had happened to the Raven she knew? What was wrong with her? She was in some sort of mad frenzy, and Kyra feared greatly for Matrix in the position he stood in, merely inches from that sharp, shining dagger. Mya was about to crack under the heavy pressure hanging in the room.
"Wait! Raven, no!" She yelled, running and standing beside Matrix. "I don't know what's happening, but why are you pointing a dagger at us? We're your allies, not your enemies. We're friends..." She said, pleading with her enraged friend. Raven's narrowed eyes, glowing with the suppressed fire that had either been just recently lit or released after years of simmering at a comfortable boiling point.
Raven's eyes darted towards Mya and from her cleavage she pulled out yet another knife.
"Bet you weren't counting on that huh?" She said crazily, pointing one each at Mya and Matrix. "Now Mya, you be a good little girl and sit down like you know you have to." Mya slowly backed up and sat down beside Kyra, her hands clasped nervously in her lap.
Matrix moved back from Raven but that only seemed to set her off even more.
"No, no...not you..." Raven said, walking over to him. She looked up into his terrified eyes and smiled. She walked around him, running her finger in a circle around his shoulders. She stopped when she was in front of him. Raven raised her arm and pulled him to her, pressing her lips onto his. To her surprise he responded to her. She flicked the dagger out of its place in her palm and pressed the tip into Matrix's gut. He drew back in pain and fell to the ground in pain, writhing on the floor.
"I never trusted you." Raven said simply. "If you wanted to prove yourself you wouldn't have tried to choke me with your tongue when you're in the middle of a relationship with Kyra." She watched Matrix move helplessly on the floor. Then she raised her eyebrows and looked at Kyra who was hurting and angry all at the same time.
Raven shrugged and pushed passed the terrified girls, stepping over Matrix's nearly-limp form.
"I have a job to do. Come if you like." She waited patiently by the door but neither girl made a move towards her. They looked helplessly from Matrix to the bloody Raven sprawled on the wall to Raven herself, tucking the dagger away in her boot. "Well then, I guess it's something I'll have to do on my own."
She slammed the door loudly behind her and walked quickly down the hallway and eventually out of the ritzy hotel. Her thinking was back to search and destroy mode, and according to Stephano's scientists, she was going to stay that way. It would only be a matter of time before their final threat was wiped out and the DiMera Empire started to make its full impact upon the world. Raven's fast-paced walk brought her thousands of stares as she strutted on in her cat suit. Her trek brought her eventually to the Statue of Liberty raising her grew arm towards the horizon. She ginned evilly and searched the width of the Statue with her eyes. From across the water, she could not see any unusual openings in the sides.
She looked around uncertainly and saw a ferry on it's way out to the statue. She ran to it immediately and ran up the catwalk just as it pulled out of the docking area. The ferry was rather quick, and it stopped right by the colossal grey statue. The sun felt hot on Raven's hair and neck. She groaned and hopped off the ferry, leaving the tour group of disgusted feminists and running off in the other direction. The statue offered her momentary sanctuary from the sun as she ran her hands over the base of the statue, stopping when she came to a mall slit in the wall. She looked at it curiously and brought her eyes level with it. It appeared as though it were some sort of card scanning device. For what card? Chloe reached into her heavy belt and felt around. Nothing but Brady's ugly old wallet. Her fingers closed over a smooth card. She pulled it out and read it's laminated surface:
"Property of Brady Black."
She rolled her eyes and shoved the card into the slot. A heavy creaking noise was heard as a portion of the stone swung open before her. After the initial shock had worn off, she smiled and hopped inside, pulling the door shut behind her. Some way or another, she knew she had located the Secret Service's base. She could feel it. How she knew where it was she didn't particularly know.
But now that she was in there, nothing would stop her from her goal. Brady Black would finally fall under the sharp tip of her dagger, and she'd collect her nice bounty and give Matrix a proper funeral.