...The Ones You Love.
Chapter Three: You Can't Fight City Hall.
Alexander walked up the steps of City Hall, flanked by two other men. He strode down the corridor to the Mayor's office, and pushed the door open. Inside, the mayor was in a meeting. He sprang to his feet at the interruption.
"Who are you people? How did you get past...." He stopped briefly, and his eyes flickered with recognition. "I do apologize, sir. How can I help you today?"
Alexander moved past him, and sat down at the desk. "I'll be needing the use of your facilities for a couple of days, and a status report on the rest of our associates."
"Of course. They are mostly back to their normal lives, though I'm sure they'll be just as happy to return to your service as I was."
"Good. You can go now."
The Mayor nodded and left. Alexander settled back into his chair, and his two companions took guard duty by the door.
Now was the time he hated. Waiting.
Of course, hadn't they already done enough waiting? He ought to be used to it by now. He thought back to all that time he'd spent with the organization. Almost thirty years. But now their time was coming.
He'd laughed at the idea at first.
"Taking over the government? You must be joking!"
Mad Dog was not joking, though. And neither were any of his associates. The principle was an old one, long discussed by conspiracy theorists and other such nut jobs.
A Shadow Government. A secret government operating alongside the regular one, designed to take over in the event of a national emergency. A government with the ability to suspend constitutional liberties, and basically do what the hell it liked.
Except that this one was planning on taking over a lot quicker than anyone planned.
The basic plans had been put into motion in the late sixties. Their leaders had decided that the current administration was impotent, and that things in America were going to get a lot worse. Rioting, general disorder, the moral fabric of America was vanishing. They had sought out a military legend, one that had a notorious hatred of the way the country was going.
A.H. Morgendorffer.
They'd drafted him in secret, faked his death, and put him in charge of their War Department. His objectives were to find a way for them to take control of the country in a timely and effective manner. That was when Alexander came into the picture.
They'd been given unprecedented access to the most classified research, things that most other people hadn't even heard rumors of. SDI research, Stealth Drones, Pseudo UFOs, Plasmoid weapons.
All of that had been a dead end. They were beginning to lose hope, when they came across the wormhole technology. At last, something that had potential. They watched the research and development, until they had a working prototype. It was crude, but it worked to a certain extent. The first tests opened up doorways, but everything that passed through them was killed. Not immediately, though. They were mutated, horrifically. Twisted fleshy monstrosities, enough to set the fear of God in anyone who saw them. They were disillusioned then, until they discovered a side-effect. The wormholes could kill. They could send shockwaves that devastated human flesh. Perfect for their plans. They decided to test it on a larger level.
In Lawndale.
That was a setback, but they pressed on. While they investigated the causes of that fiasco, the prototype was improved, refined. Transport between worlds became a reality. Timetables were changed, dates were moved up. After thirty long years, the dream was becoming reality.
Their plan: To hide out in a parallel world, and fire the weapon on a huge scale. Ground zero? Washington DC. The current government would be destroyed, along with those agencies who would ask too many questions. The FBI, CIA, and DELPHI. There would be no inquiries from them. They would return, and assume control of the country.
If there were anyone who still resisted, what could they do? One of their appointed duties were to establish small, specialized, highly mobile, elite military units to effect their covert policies. They had done that, and with the technology they had at their disposal, they had some of the best-trained, and best armed troops in the world. They had been genetically enhancing all their troops for years, refining the procedure every time. Alexander had been one of the first recipients of this procedure, and he had continued to improve himself with every new development. He was now as far beyond normal men, as they were above apes.
Their conditioning techniques were flawless, creating troops who were not only stronger and faster than normal, but who also had a fanatical loyalty to the cause.
Plus, they had covertly conditioned thousands of influential people over the country, and blackmailed others. Those people would die to help their cause, at a moment's notice.
They had the means and the power to destroy the government, and they had gotten it with the help of the very people they were going to kill.
Alexander smiled. All he had to do was to take care of his business in Lawndale, then the plans could be put into motion.
The door clicked open, and Newton walked in. The old man was a trusted friend of Mad Dog, and Alexander counted him amongst his closest friends.
"Alexander," Newton began, his voice carrying a warning tone. "This is risky."
"What is?"
"Waiting. We should get them now."
"You know that's a risk too. We need to wait. At least one day. To make sure."
Newton shook his head. "I can't shake the feeling that you're letting your obsessions guide you."
"I am not. Jake Morgendorffer's fate may not be exactly what I wanted, but it will do for now."
Liar.
Newton didn't need to know that, though. Morgendorffer was still a thorn in his side, a painful one, and he intended to rectify that someday.
"Very well," said Newton. "I'll begin contacting our old associates, then."
Alexander nodded, and Newton left. Alexander turned the chair towards the window, and looked out onto Lawndale, deep in thought.
Daria finished dressing, and set off down the stairs, to face another painful day. Another day of seeing Jane, and not being able to talk to her. Another day of knowing that the woman she loved would never be hers. Another day...
Whoa. I really am getting to be the Misery Chick.
She sighed heavily and walked into the kitchen. Her dad was sitting, reading the paper. Something seemed odd about that, but she didn't know what.
"Oh, hey kiddo!" Jake looked up as she came in.
"Morning."
Jake went back to his paper. Helen bustled in.
"Morning everyone." She fixed Jake with an odd look, which he totally failed to notice.
Quinn wandered in. "Hi." She turned to Daria. "Ready?"
Daria nodded. "Sure."
"They're imposing stricter sanctions on road rage now!? Dammit!"
Quinn and Daria turned to look at their father, confusion covering their faces. He looked up at them, blankly.
"What?"
Daria shook her head. "Nothing. We'll...see you tonight."
The two girls left, Daria giving a quick back at Jake as she left.
Jake turned to Helen. "What did I do now?"
Helen pursed her lips in concern. She appeared to be searching for the right words. "Jakey..." she finally said. "We...that is...I...oh Jake, what's wrong?"
Jake looked confused. "I don't understand."
Helen sat beside him at the kitchen table. "Well, lately you've been so....adventurous in bed...and last night..."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Well, it was like before, when you had all those problems."
Jake stood up. "Let's just pick on old Jakey, shall we? He can't get it up! It happens to every man, Helen!"
Helen was getting exasperated. "Jake, I'm not upset, I'm just worried. This is so like you..."
Jake began to walk towards the door. "I'm not going to take this. Jakey's going to work, where people appreciate him!"
He slammed the door behind him. Helen sat back in her chair. A thought suddenly came to her. She flung open the door.
"You don't have a job. Your office burned down!"
"Dammit!"
The Lexus pulled away anyway. Helen closed the door and sat back down. That had been unusual. Jake had been so calm recently, and competent.
And passionate. Don't forget about that.
Helen smiled at the memories, before the current events flashed back into her mind. What was wrong with Jake? It could have been the trauma of having his job razed to the ground, she mused. Or whatever that trouble at work was that he couldn't talk about.
That trouble at work.
That still bothered her. What could be going on that Jake felt he couldn't tell her? A wave of jealousy swept over her.
I bet he could tell those two women he worked with.
Stop that. She knew Jake wouldn't cheat on her. Wait - that gave her an idea. Maybe those two would know what was going on. The Heather Locklear wannabe, and the mouthy redhead. She grabbed the phone book and began searching.
After a few phone calls, she was no better off. Just two answering machine messages. Where could they be? She tried the two new people he had hired, but they had left before the fire and didn't know anything.
Helen frowned. Jake had some explaining to do when he got home that night.
Daria and Quinn reached Lawndale High, said their goodbyes, and split up. Daria took a deep breath, and headed for her first class. Maybe it wouldn't be as painful as she thought it would to see Jane. Maybe she would get over her in time. Maybe things could work out after all.
Jane walked round the corner with Jodie. Daria stopped in her tracks. After a short pause, she turned and fled.
Jodie and Jane walked towards class, discussing their respective problems.
"You two finally had that talk, huh?"
Jane nodded sadly. "And now Trent knows too. I don't see how life could get any worse."
"If it helps, Jane, I'm here for you."
Jane smiled at Jodie. "Thanks, Jodie. Hey, are you going to do anything about Mack?"
"Yes. I've decided. As soon as I see him today, I'm going to confront him."
"Good." Jane perked up a little. "Say, sticking your nose into other people's business is fun. I can see why you do it all the time."
"Hey."
"Kidding. I'm hope at least you two can work it out."
"Me too." Softly: "I'm sorry."
Jane tried not to let the tears fall again. She felt all cried-out anyway.
Daria sat on a rock overlooking Lover's Leap. She wiped away the last of the tears from her eyes, and sighed. It wasn't going to get any easier. It would never get easier. Jane would always be there, and never with her. She would always be alone.
She wished they'd never moved from Highland. Sure, there she was alone, and tormented by two morons who be could be outsmarted by Kevin Thompson, even in his current state, but that was better than being alone, and confronted by the person she loved every single day. Not to talk to her, not to touch her, nothing.
Maybe it wasn't too late to take that transfer to Grove Hills. Sure, they were all jerks, but she wouldn't get hurt by them. She wouldn't allow them to get close enough. That was the only solution she could think of. Except...
She looked at the sheer drop below her.
No. Don't even think that.
Quickly, she turned from the edge and walked away from it.
Mack was walking down the corridor of Lawndale High, when he heard Jodie behind him.
"Mack, wait, please."
Mack tried to ignore her, and keep walking. She grabbed his arm to slow him down. he sighed and turned around.
"What do you want?"
Jodie looked him in the eyes. "We need to talk."
Mack frowned. "No, we don't. I think we've said all we need to each other."
"Please, Mack. I've seen what not talking to each other can do to people."
"I don't want to talk to you, Jodie. It's over, remember?"
Jodie looked down. "I know, Mack. But we didn't end it well. There's still a lot of bad feelings there."
"No kidding." Mack's tone was harsh. "Look, I have to go."
"Please." She looked up into his eyes.
Mack saw the look in Jodie's eyes, and heard the pleading in her voice. "Okay. When and where?"
"My house, tonight."
Mack nodded. Jodie smiled a little, and left.
"Sandi, if you keep embarrassing yourself in public, we'll have to do something."
Sandi bowed her head. "Okay."
"That's sooo wronngg," said Tiffany.
"Exactly, Tiffany. Some people have to learn that there's a code of conduct for the Fashion Club, and it's there for a reason." Stacy glared at Sandi. "Right?"
Sandi nodded. Stacy was really beginning to tick her off.
Well, she's only doing what you used to.
That was the worst part. She remembered all that, and didn't have the strength any more to speak out. Her past was coming back to haunt her.
"Excuse me."
Everyone looked up. Quinn was standing in front of their table, looking less sure of herself than she ever had. Sandi swallowed nervously, Stacy gaped, and Tiffany didn't notice.
Stacy flustered over herself. "Quinn...what a...I mean..."
Quinn ignored her. "Sandi. About what you said last night....um..we need to talk."
Sandi nodded nervously. "Okay."
"Oh Quinn! Are you coming back..." Stacy sounded like her old self for a moment, then snapped back to her uber-bitch mode. "I mean, there are rules and stuff, and you can't just..."
"Um....your house, tonight?" Quinn blanked Stacy completely.
"Okay."
Quinn looked at her again, then walked away as fast as she could.
Sandi stared at the table. What the hell was she going to say to Quinn?
Stacy looked at Sandi, then stared at the table. Was Quinn coming back? Secretly, Stacy hoped so. Then she could stop this mean act. Except maybe Ted still wanted her to do it. She was sure that if she told Ted she didn't have to do it any more, he'd let her stop. He was nice like that.
As she walked from the table, Quinn was shaking to her shoes. She didn't know what she was going to say that night. She wasn't even sure she wanted to do this, but she knew she had to. Something had to be done.
"Daria, wait!"
Daria turned, and saw Quinn rushing towards her.
"Where were you today? I didn't see you at all after we got in."
"I wasn't in school today."
Quinn frowned. "What?"
"I left. I just couldn't stay there any longer."
"Why?"
Daria remained silent, and kept walking towards Fortress Morgendorffer. Quinn scowled.
"Okay, if you don't want to tell me, fine. It's because of Jane, right?"
Daria nodded tersely. Quinn tried to put a reassuring hand on her sister's shoulder, but Daria shook it away. The rest of the walk passed in silence.
When they reached the house, Daria paused on the path. Quinn looked at her.
"What?"
Daria opened the front door quietly. All they could hear from inside was shouting from their parents.
"I haven't heard that in a long time," said Daria quietly.
Quinn peered through the door, a concerned look on her face. "I wonder what it's about?"
Daria sighed. "I don't know. I don't care." She turned and walked towards the car, and got in. She rummaged though her pockets, hoping she had a spare set of keys. She had, and started the car. She was about to pull away, when the passenger side opened and Quinn got in.
"What are you doing?"
"Going with you."
"You don't even know where I'm going."
"I don't care." Quinn's tone got firm. "You're my sister, and I'm worried you're going to do something stupid, and I'm going to stop you. If you don't like that, you'll have to throw me out, and Mom and Dad will hear the noise."
Daria stared at her sister for a second. "Damn."
The car pulled out of the driveway, and down the street.
Quinn glanced at Daria. "Where are we going, anyway?"
"I don't know." Daria shook her head. "I just can't handle any more. I need to get away."
"Where to?"
"I...yes I do. I know exactly where to go."
They sped down the streets of Lawndale, heading out of town.
"You don't trust me at all!"
"That's not true!"
Helen and Jake paced around each other in the living room. It had all started when Helen had gotten home from work, and confronted Jake like she had planned. Jake totally over-reacted, and began ranting about every subject under the sun. He had accused Helen of not trusting him, of hating him, ranted about his failures, and his father. Especially his father. Helen couldn't remember the last time he'd acted like this, and she had forgotten how much it irritated her when he did.
"You know what, Helen? I think I'll just leave. That way you can find yourself a useful man!"
"Jake!" Helen's tone was one of exasperation. "You are not listening! You're acting like a child!"
"Just a big child, huh, Helen!"
"Dammit, Jake." Helen raised her hands, weary. "If that's the way you want to do it, fine. You're sleeping on the couch tonight. We'll talk more in the morning."
Helen left the room, listening to Jake continue ranting in the background. What was going on? Jake was back to the way he was. No - he was worse than what he was. It was like a amped-up version of Jake. She couldn't take that. Maybe he'd be calmer in the morning.
Mack parked his car in front of the Landon's house. He didn't want to do this, but Jodie was right. They had to sort things out. He'd missed her. The three Js were fun in small doses, but lately they'd been kind of trying. He wished they'd find another girl to fight over. He reached the front door, and rang the doorbell.
No answer.
He frowned, and tried again. Still no answer. That was weird. He pushed the door softly, and it slowly creaked open.
He made his way through the hall quietly. Jodie had said tonight, hadn't she? He peeked round the corner of the dining room, and saw Jodie being held at gunpoint, by a tall figure with his back to the door.
Oh shit!
He couldn't see the assailant's face, but it looked like a guy from here. Mack thought for a second. Should he call the cops? No - they'd never get here in time, and how could he do that without them hearing him? Only one choice, then.
He quietly moved round the door, and inched towards the man. Mack knew he was quiet, especially for a guy his size. The Landon's plush carpeting didn't hurt matters, either. He moved just a few feet away, and then Jodie spotted him. She tried to disguise it, but her eyes flicked to him for just a second. The man moved to turn, but Mack was ready. He swung a punch - it landed squarely on the man's jaw, sending him sprawling. The gun dropped to the carpet, and Mack scooped it up. He shook his hand gingerly.
Looks like I won't be throwing for a while.
Jodie rushed to him, and hugged him tight, tears streaming down her face. Mack held her, then he looked over her shoulder to see the face of her attacker.
It was Andrew Landon.
Mack looked at him, stunned for a moment. He didn't even hear Jodie's gasp of warning, until he had a second gun pointed at the back of his neck.
"Hello, Michael." It was Michelle Landon.
"What's..? I mean..."
"I'm sorry, Michael, but you and Jodie will have to come with us."
"Where are we going?"
Michelle said nothing, but moved round to rouse Andrew. He got up, and rubbed his jaw. "You've got a good right hand there, son."
"What's going on, sir?"
Andrew took the gun from him, and motioned for him and Jodie to go outside.
"Jodie, what is this?"
Jodie shook her head. "I don't know. They got a phone call, then they sent Rachel to her room, and pulled a gun on me, and said I had to come with them. Then Mom went off to call the sitter, and you came in."
Mack shook his head. "This is messed up."
They got in the car, and began to drive off. As they were leaving, a second car drove past them and parked outside the house.
"Who was that?"
"The babysitter," said Michelle. "For Rachel and Evan. I mean, do you think we're totally irresponsible?"
Mack was speechless now.
"I don't think she's coming."
"She's coming, Stacy. She said she would."
"Are you challenging my leadership?"
Sandi was infuriated. She'd had about enough of Stacy and her bossy attitude. Okay, maybe she deserved it, but she couldn't stand it any more. The thought that Quinn might be returning had given her new confidence, and she was already feeling more like her old self than she had for a while. She took a deep breath.
"Maybe."
Stacy gasped. "What? I mean..."
She looked to Tiffany for support. Tiffany looked at Stacy, then Sandi.
"Which one of youuu is innn charrrge noww?"
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. It was broken by the door creaking open, and Ted DeWitt-Clinton walking in.
"How did you get in?" asked Sandi, frowning.
"Oh, your mom let me in."
Stacy ran to Ted. She was beginning to panic. Her voice had returned to it's former level. "Ted, I don't think I can do this any more. I know you said she deserved it, but it's getting so hard to be so mean..."
Sandi stood up. "You were behind this, you little geek?"
Ted nodded. "Yes. It was for the best, you know. You did deserve it. And so is this."
He pulled out a gun.
The Fashion Club gasped in shock. Stacy was the first to speak. "Ted, why are you doing this? Are you going to..." She tailed off in tears.
"It's okay, Stacy. I would never hurt you. This is for the greater good, so I'm told. And doing stuff for the greater good is the right thing to do. Isn't it?"
"Mommmmm!" Sandi screamed the word at the top of her voice. After a short pause, Linda Griffin walked through the door.
"What?"
Sandi and the other two frantically indicated Ted, and his gun.
"Oh, that. Look, Sandi, we all have to leave now."
"But..."
"And stop whining, do you know how annoying that's gotten over the past two months?"
Sandi was dumb struck. The other two girls, just looked at each other with a mixture of fear and shock. Just then, the phone rang. No-on moved to get it. After a few rings, the answering machine picked up.
"Hi..um..Sandi? It's Quinn. I won't be over tonight, there's something up with my family. I'm really sorry. I'll....see you tomorrow?" Click.
Linda spoke up again. "Come along everyone."
The girls filed out of the room, Ted following behind with the gun.
Trent wandered through the front door of Casa Lane a little woozily. Damn. He'd had too much to drink again. That meant he'd been incoherently rambling to Jesse for the last few hours. At least it wasn't someone who could figure out what he was talking about. He paused by Janey's door on the way to his room. She was fast asleep. Trent sighed heavily. He wasn't being a very good brother right about. Janey was in pain, and Trent had basically abandoned her.
She hurt you, man.
Yeah, but she hadn't meant to. Everyone does stupid things when they're in love, right? Daria and her did make a cute couple.
Plus it doesn't look like you and Daria are ever going to get together.
He didn't need reminded of that. Trent made a commitment. He was going to talk to Janey in the morning, and sort everything out between them. he figured that was the booze talking, but it made sense. Everything made sense when you were drunk, for some reason. He continued into his room, walked past his doppelganger, and plopped down onto the bed.
Wait a second, something didn't seem right about that. Trent looked back at where he had came, and saw his double sitting there. He put his head back on the bed.
"Go away. Janey told me all about this. It's not going to work. I won't betray my sister."
"I know, man. Actually, I'm just a projection of your subconscious. You guys don't have anyone else to bring you in, so I'm here to distract you."
Trent looked up. "Distract me from..."
He sank to the bed a few seconds after the tranquilizer dart landed in his neck.
Daria put a hand in front of her face to shield it from the piercing rays of the sun. The curtains had been flung back by the owner of the apartment she was now in.
"Can't sleep all day," said Amy Barksdale, smirking as she looked at Daria's obvious discomfort.
"Give me one good reason why not."
Amy cocked her head to the side. "Hmmm. Okay, I can't think of one. Except for I need my couch to watch TV."
"What could be more important?" Daria rose slowly from the couch, and grabbed the sheet she'd been sleeping on. "Um. Thanks for letting us stay here at such short notice."
Hey, what else could I do for my favorite niece?"
Quinn emerged from the bathroom. "This is terrible! I don't have any of my regular shampoos and moisturizers! I'm going to look like hell today!"
"And now you see why you're my favorite niece," muttered Amy.
Daria smiled a little. Quinn came over and joined them.
"So, what exactly is the problem?"
Daria and Quinn shared a glance. "Which one?"
"The parent one."
"Ohh," said Quinn. "Well, Daddy's been so relaxed lately..."
"Wait." Amy raised her hand. "Jake relaxed? Wait - did Helen move out?"
"No."
"Oh. There goes my explanation, then."
Quinn continued: "But then his work burnt down, and now he's like he was, only worse, and him and Mom were fighting so bad, and..."
"But Jake and Helen have fought before. What was so bad about this time?"
Daria looked at the ground. "There's...other issues."
"Oh. Guys?"
"Not really. Sort of. I don't know."
Amy looked mystified. Just then, the phone rang. "Hold on. I have to get this." She grabbed the cordless.
"Hey, Amy here. Okay." She nodded. "Right now? Sure." She hung up. "Change of plans, I'm afraid."
Daria looked up. "You have to go to work?"
"No." Amy shook her head. "An associate of mine wants to see you, and I have to bring you in."
Quinn blinked. "What?"
"You heard." Amy walked over to her jacket, which was draped over the chair, and pulled out a large automatic. Daria and Quinn immediately started back in shock.
"Aunt Amy, I..."
"Shut up, Quinn. If I wanted to hear your vacuous prattle, I'd call your house once in a while."
Daria stared at her. "You're one of them, aren't you? The ones who took over the school?"
Amy shook her head. "No. I'm just conditioned to work for them."
"But what use could you be? You're just an art appraiser, or something."
Quinn looked thoughtful. "I always thought you were a journalist."
"Daria, Quinn, you have no idea what I do for a living. Let's just say I'm important, okay?"
"I don't understand..."
Amy raised an eyebrow. "And you're the brain here? Impressive, really."
Quinn started forwards tentatively. "What did you do with daddy?"
"Beats me."
Daria stared at Amy, her eyes burning. "I trusted you. I thought I could trust you."
Amy smirked. "Because of your inane prattling? Should I wear contacts, Aunt Amy? I hate this dress, Aunt Amy. Am I vain, Aunt Amy? Who gives a shit!"
Daria rushed her. Amy pulled the trigger, but Quinn knocked into her, sending the shot wide. While she was distracted, Daria punched her as hard as she could. Amy went down, and collapsed onto the carpet.
Daria and Quinn stood and looked at her for a few seconds, then rushed outside to the car. They both got in, and Daria sat and stared at the keys.
Quinn yelped: "Get us out of here!"
Daria sat, impassive. There wasn't anyone now. No-one she could trust, no-one...
Stop that! If there's something big going on, Jane's in danger. You have to pull yourself together and help her, you hear me!
Daria took a deep breath, and started the car. It roared into life, and sped back to Lawndale.
Helen walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Jake was there, reading the paper. She snatched it from his hands.
"Hey! What, now I can't even read the paper? What now, Helen? No food?"
Helen fixed him with her most piercing stare, the one that had reduced witnesses to tears before. "Listen to me, Jake Morgendorffer, our girls weren't home last night. Their beds haven't been slept in. They've vanished."
Jake tried to get back his paper. "So?"
Helen threw it across the room. "You don't even care?" She stared him straight in the eyes. "What happened to you, Jake? You used to be like this, but you always cared about the girls. Who are you?"
Jake got up quickly, and stepped back. He looked panicked, and glanced round the kitchen table. He saw a cutting knife, and picked it up.
Then he lunged at Helen.
Without pausing, she grabbed a chair from the table, and smashed it across his chest. Jake fell to the ground wheezing. Helen grabbed the knife, and moved for the phone. That day she had always feared had come. Jake had lost it, completely and totally. As she dialed, a hand reached out and took the phone from her. Helen looked round in shock, she saw a late-forties man, with light brown hair, and an expensive suit, standing in her kitchen.
"Hello," said the man. "My name is Alexander. It's a pleasure to meet you, Helen."
Helen started back, and found herself in the arms of a burly man dressed in black combat gear. "Who are you people?"
Alexander stared at Jake, lying on the ground and moaning. "One simple task, and he screws that up too." He looked at Helen. "Come with me, Helen, and all your questions will be answered."
Helen moved to shout a protest, but the burly man guided her outside.
Daria and Quinn sped towards Fortress Morgendorffer. Casa Lane had been deserted, and none of Mystik Spiral or Monique knew where Trent was. They'd tried Jodie's to see if Jane was there, but the babysitter had said Jodie was out with her parents. Daria got a sinking feeling about what they'd find at their house.
The car pulled up, and they rushed inside. Nobody, and a broken chair on the ground. This wasn't good.
Quinn checked the rest of the house. "Nothing. Daria, what's going on?"
Daria shook her head. "I don't know."
"I do."
The two girls turned to see a totally unexpected sight. Brittany was at the door, dressed in a totally conservative way. She was wearing regular black pants and a black jacket over a yellow t-shirt. She was also wearing a very strange expression.
"Brittany?"
"The same people that killed Kevvie are in town again. All the influential people in town are under their control, and most of the students are being taken captive."
"Why?" asked Quinn.
"I don't know."
Daria frowned. "And how do you know?"
Brittany smiled. Very sinisterly. "My parents tried to take me in. I wouldn't let them. After a bit of persuasion, they told me everything."
Daria shivered, despite herself. "Where are they?"
"City Hall. I'm going there. I need your help. I figured you would be smart enough to avoid being captured."
"Okay." Even though this seems like a really dumb idea, and Brittany is really scaring me, I have to go. "Quinn?"
Quinn cast an odd look at Brittany. "Sure."
The three girls left the house.
A couple of minutes after they did, a car pulled up outside, and a figure, dressed entirely in black, got out, flanked by two smaller figures. They entered the house, and inspected it thoroughly. After they found nothing, they returned to the kitchen.
Jake Morgendorffer turned to Wendy and Horizon. "I hope we aren't too late."
To Be Continued...
