REVELATIONS
"So, Adam, how far are we from the location?" Shalimar asked discreetly into her commring, looking down a long road as the trio came to a crossroads.
Emma was looking around quizzically, trying to ascertain the fact for herself. She was wearing her long faded denim coat that brushed around her shins, tickling her boots.
Natty stood to the opposite side of Shalimar, patiently awaiting the answer, standing up straight, her red-streaked hair spiking gently outwards from her face.
"Well, it should be just around the next corner. There might be police, so be careful," Adam told them through the ring, his voice carrying to each of them perfectly. "You can't miss it."
"Thanks, Adam," Shalimar ended, and lowered her hand to her side, clad almost completely in leather. Men gave her pleading stares as they passed, and she simply smiled wanly at them, informing them that she was not interested. They skulked off miserably, on their way to wherever they were needed.
She led the way to the location Adam had designated, and soon, they ducked behind a wall, confronted with the problem of how they were to sneak past the collection of police officers.
Shalimar glanced skyward confidently, and ducked further into the alleyway, prepping herself for the leap.
Emma and Natty simply watched from a distance as the feral launched herself upward with ease, catching hold of a balcony. She climbed over it effortlessly, and entered the apartment carefully.
Emma turned to Natty, and said, "Follow my lead. Don't worry about a thing." With that, she closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them suddenly, looking to the policemen, and striding confidently out onto the street.
They all immediately stood to attention, and watched with respect as Emma and Natty walked right into the building, Emma giving them a single nod.
When they had cleared the police, Natty allowed herself a small smile, asking, "What just happened?"
"I made them think we were their commanding officers. Works every time. just about," she laughed, and entered the stairwell.
Natty laughed, and followed her up stairs.
* * *
After eventually finding the right floor, Shalimar had no trouble locating the correct apartment. The smell had assaulted her senses as soon as she stepped out of the stairwell. The smoke had stained the walls, as though the fire had bled into the paintwork, marring it eternally.
The carpet was singed, and she could clearly make out the scorched doorway just mere feet away.
She grimaced, and braced herself. She despised fire, and had been terrified of it ever since she was little.
She edged forward, clearly making out black walls and warped furniture, burned beyond recognition of something other than a shapeless object.
Shalimar, after ducking under the crime scene tape, stepped into the doorway, covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve, horrified at what she surveyed.
Fire had torn through this room, destroying everything it touched without hesitation. It had gutted the room entirely, and every surface was covered thickly with ash and grime. Objects smouldered harmlessly now, no longer a threat to the feral. But still, she wished to flee. This terrified her to the very core of her being.
"Hey," came a gentle voice at the doorway, and she turned to spot Emma and Natty standing there.
"Whoa," Natty mumbled, probably never having seen something so devastating.
"I'm guessing we're in the right place," Emma said quietly, and ducked below the tape, careful not to break it.
Shalimar nodded wordlessly. It was a little hard to form words at the moment, but she knew that, given time, she would find them again.
"Adam?" Emma announced to her ring, glancing around carefully.
"I'm here, Emma," Adam said, and Shalimar could just make out voices in the background. Claire, Brennan and Jesse, probably eager to find out what was going on.
Adam had promised the three they would be next to leave Sanctuary. They had grumbled quietly, especially Brennan, who had already proclaimed his obvious boredom.
"Are you getting all this?" Emma asked, holding her hand out slightly.
"Clearly. That's great, Emma," Adam replied. He was receiving a video link through the ring, and could see just about everything Emma turned her hand towards.
"This was no accident," Natty stated, carefully treading over items that seemed to have once had definite form. They had melted right into the floor just about, and would probably be difficult to remove when a cleanout was finally attempted.
"You got that right," they heard Brennan say loudly.
There was a moment of silence, the three women smiling to themselves. Adam had probably given Brennan a look that had silenced him politely.
"It's definitely the work of a New Mutant," Adam concluded.
"Probably an elemental," Emma added, looking to Shalimar, who smiled weakly to show she was okay.
"Okay, is there anything there that can validate our suspicion?" Adam asked, sounding hopeful, yet still doubtful.
Emma shook her head. "Not a thing that I can see, Adam." She came to a stop by a completely scorched point, where nothing lay anymore.
"Wait," she mumbled, and closed her eyes briefly.
She crouched low, and picked up a blackened item, one that still was whole.
Natty passed her a handkerchief, and Emma proceeded to wipe the item as clean as possible.
"It's a necklace," Emma said in disbelief.
Shalimar's brow furrowed. Had there been a person here?
"There was someone in here when it happened," Emma muttered in horror. She closed her eyes, deep in concentration.
She opened them suddenly with a gasp, clutching the necklace tightly. "It was a woman. A man killed her. her friend. The woman next door heard it all, but was too late to help. She saw the man leave. I can give you a description, Adam."
"Okay, head back to Sanctuary," Adam told them.
Without hesitation, the three women turned and exited the scene.
"So, Adam, how far are we from the location?" Shalimar asked discreetly into her commring, looking down a long road as the trio came to a crossroads.
Emma was looking around quizzically, trying to ascertain the fact for herself. She was wearing her long faded denim coat that brushed around her shins, tickling her boots.
Natty stood to the opposite side of Shalimar, patiently awaiting the answer, standing up straight, her red-streaked hair spiking gently outwards from her face.
"Well, it should be just around the next corner. There might be police, so be careful," Adam told them through the ring, his voice carrying to each of them perfectly. "You can't miss it."
"Thanks, Adam," Shalimar ended, and lowered her hand to her side, clad almost completely in leather. Men gave her pleading stares as they passed, and she simply smiled wanly at them, informing them that she was not interested. They skulked off miserably, on their way to wherever they were needed.
She led the way to the location Adam had designated, and soon, they ducked behind a wall, confronted with the problem of how they were to sneak past the collection of police officers.
Shalimar glanced skyward confidently, and ducked further into the alleyway, prepping herself for the leap.
Emma and Natty simply watched from a distance as the feral launched herself upward with ease, catching hold of a balcony. She climbed over it effortlessly, and entered the apartment carefully.
Emma turned to Natty, and said, "Follow my lead. Don't worry about a thing." With that, she closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them suddenly, looking to the policemen, and striding confidently out onto the street.
They all immediately stood to attention, and watched with respect as Emma and Natty walked right into the building, Emma giving them a single nod.
When they had cleared the police, Natty allowed herself a small smile, asking, "What just happened?"
"I made them think we were their commanding officers. Works every time. just about," she laughed, and entered the stairwell.
Natty laughed, and followed her up stairs.
* * *
After eventually finding the right floor, Shalimar had no trouble locating the correct apartment. The smell had assaulted her senses as soon as she stepped out of the stairwell. The smoke had stained the walls, as though the fire had bled into the paintwork, marring it eternally.
The carpet was singed, and she could clearly make out the scorched doorway just mere feet away.
She grimaced, and braced herself. She despised fire, and had been terrified of it ever since she was little.
She edged forward, clearly making out black walls and warped furniture, burned beyond recognition of something other than a shapeless object.
Shalimar, after ducking under the crime scene tape, stepped into the doorway, covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve, horrified at what she surveyed.
Fire had torn through this room, destroying everything it touched without hesitation. It had gutted the room entirely, and every surface was covered thickly with ash and grime. Objects smouldered harmlessly now, no longer a threat to the feral. But still, she wished to flee. This terrified her to the very core of her being.
"Hey," came a gentle voice at the doorway, and she turned to spot Emma and Natty standing there.
"Whoa," Natty mumbled, probably never having seen something so devastating.
"I'm guessing we're in the right place," Emma said quietly, and ducked below the tape, careful not to break it.
Shalimar nodded wordlessly. It was a little hard to form words at the moment, but she knew that, given time, she would find them again.
"Adam?" Emma announced to her ring, glancing around carefully.
"I'm here, Emma," Adam said, and Shalimar could just make out voices in the background. Claire, Brennan and Jesse, probably eager to find out what was going on.
Adam had promised the three they would be next to leave Sanctuary. They had grumbled quietly, especially Brennan, who had already proclaimed his obvious boredom.
"Are you getting all this?" Emma asked, holding her hand out slightly.
"Clearly. That's great, Emma," Adam replied. He was receiving a video link through the ring, and could see just about everything Emma turned her hand towards.
"This was no accident," Natty stated, carefully treading over items that seemed to have once had definite form. They had melted right into the floor just about, and would probably be difficult to remove when a cleanout was finally attempted.
"You got that right," they heard Brennan say loudly.
There was a moment of silence, the three women smiling to themselves. Adam had probably given Brennan a look that had silenced him politely.
"It's definitely the work of a New Mutant," Adam concluded.
"Probably an elemental," Emma added, looking to Shalimar, who smiled weakly to show she was okay.
"Okay, is there anything there that can validate our suspicion?" Adam asked, sounding hopeful, yet still doubtful.
Emma shook her head. "Not a thing that I can see, Adam." She came to a stop by a completely scorched point, where nothing lay anymore.
"Wait," she mumbled, and closed her eyes briefly.
She crouched low, and picked up a blackened item, one that still was whole.
Natty passed her a handkerchief, and Emma proceeded to wipe the item as clean as possible.
"It's a necklace," Emma said in disbelief.
Shalimar's brow furrowed. Had there been a person here?
"There was someone in here when it happened," Emma muttered in horror. She closed her eyes, deep in concentration.
She opened them suddenly with a gasp, clutching the necklace tightly. "It was a woman. A man killed her. her friend. The woman next door heard it all, but was too late to help. She saw the man leave. I can give you a description, Adam."
"Okay, head back to Sanctuary," Adam told them.
Without hesitation, the three women turned and exited the scene.