(A/N: Glad you liked the surprise from the last chapter! Hope you enjoy
this one. Happy reading!)
Give Me Darkness, Give Me Light...
Chapter 5: Born As a Ghost
Clarice's fingers continued their seemingly hopeless endeavor as she held her gaze on the figure that was Chimera. He had backed away slightly as if to see her response to his introduction. Whatever he was looking for from Clarice he didn't find it. Instead she stayed emotionless and calm, which only succeeded in irritating him. It only got worse as Clarice decided to start pounding him with questions.
"What do you want from me then?"
Chimera grinned, "Nothing much really, just some information about a certain someone and we'll see where to go from there."
"And who may this certain someone be?" Clarice asked.
"Someone that I know that you're quite familiar with I assure you. But, if you choose not to cooperate, then I'll have to be a little more forceful and I know that you don't want that."
"Who is it?" Clarice repeated her question, allowing some impatience to show through.
Chimera chuckled. "Impatient are we? Very well, let's get on with it then." He pulled the other chair in front of Clarice and sat down. Leaning forward, he locked his eyes with hers again. "Tell me everything that you know about Hannibal Lecter, and don't spare a single detail."
Clarice blinked, not sure if she heard him right. "Hannibal Lecter? Why him?"
Chimera's grin returned, "Let's just say, I've been meaning to get reacquainted with an old friend."
Clarice clenched her teeth. 'Reacquainted with an old friend?' she didn't even want to think about the meaning of that statement, but she forced herself to anyways. Various different scenarios flashed through her mind, everything from revenge to assistance. She didn't even realize how long she had been silent until Chimera's voice brought her back to reality.
"Agent Starling," he growled, "lest I remind you the consequences for stalling. Get on with it or else I'll make good on my threats."
Clarice narrowed her eyes. She wasn't ready to tell him anything yet, not until her answered her questions first. "And why would I want to tell you? I'm not saying a damn thing until you give me a good reason for me to tell you this information."
Chimera, now thoroughly irritated, lunged forward at Clarice. His face was now mere millimeters away from hers, his breath ragged and uneven. His gray eyes almost seemed to turn pitch black as he spoke. "So you are going to be difficult now are you? In case you haven't noticed, I don't have a very good hold of my patience, so spill the beans now and I'll be happy and no pain for you. Deal?"
Clarice clenched her teeth. She was suddenly feeling oddly protective, but of what or whom she didn't dare think about it. She knew that he was going to torture her anyways, with or without giving the information he so desperately wanted. She quickly weighed her options; give him the information he wanted, get killed more slowly, and possibly risk drawing more danger to Lecter, something that, even though she didn't want to admit it right then and there, she didn't want to do. Option two, don't give him the information and die quicker, unless Jadis had called for back-up and they are now on their way, something that Clarice was suddenly very doubtful of.
"Even if I did have any information on Dr. Lecter other then what's already known to the public, I doubt very much that I would give any of it to you." Clarice kept her voice even, speaking only about half the truth. In reality she actually did have some information on Lecter, but it was information that only she, and no one else knew, and she intended to keep it that way.
An angry sound emitted from Chimera's throat. Turning, he made his way back to the table. "I guess that means that I'll have to force it from you then. Do you really think that I believe that you know nothing more than the public about Lecter? Really Agent Starling, you insult my intelligence in the worse way. That, I think, deserves some punishment, don't you think?"
He approached her again, this time with an even more demented look in his soulless eyes. Clarice stiffened when she saw what he know possessed in his grimy hands, a hammer with a navy-blue handle.
"I guess that I should warn you," he told her while lining up the hammer with a toe on her right foot, "that this is going to hurt like hell."
************************
Jadis' nails dug into the leather covering of the steering wheel. It took her all the willpower that she possessed to not drive at top speed and run down anyone that dared get in her away. Her now unmasked maroon eyes were focused intently on the road, intent on arriving at their final destination as soon as possible.
Beside her Dr. Lecter was silent. Barely a word was spoken between the father and daughter since Jadis confessed her true heritage. The few words that were exchanged, however, made it clear to both of them that this topic wasn't dead yet.
'Don't think about that now Jadis,' she told herself in her head, 'Clarice comes first, everything else is second.'
Finally deciding to break the heavy silence, Jadis had to scramble to find her voice. "What do you know about Richard Silversted?" she asked him, her eyes still glued to the road.
"Not a great deal, unfortunately," Dr. Lecter responded, his eyes also glued to the road. "He was a classmate of mine in medical school. Very intelligent, but also very competitive. Other than that, I never really knew him, he seemed to be quite a loner, I guess you could say. He finished with second highest marks in class as a matter of fact."
"I assume you were first then?"
"You assume correctly."
Jadis shook her head, confused. "If he's as smart as you say he is, then why the killing spree? And why would he be after people connected to you?"
Dr. Lecter shook his head. "The man always was unpredictable. Unfortunately I don't have the first idea why he is acting the way he is now."
Jadis suddenly had the powerful urge to bash her head against the steering wheel in frustration. "Guess we'll have to find out once we get there then," she muttered more to herself then to the man sitting next to her.
Silence took over once again for the time being. Jadis stole a glance at the dashboard clock. 10:56pm. She took in a shaky breath, hoping that their hunch was right. 'Please let there be at least another hour left for Clarice,' she silently begged in her mind.
Her train of thought was suddenly broken by Dr. Lecter's metallic voice. "What was your mother's name?"
Jadis blinked. 'He wants to talk about this now?!' she thought in disbelief. Sighing, she quickly added, 'Ah, what the hell, I've got nothing to lose,' before speaking.
"Her name was Rebecca Erickson," she answered. "Then she got married and changed it to Rebecca Monroe."
Dr. Lecter nodded. "Yes, I remember her well. Were you born as a Monroe then?"
Jadis swallowed and shook her head. "No, she had it changed shortly after my birth." She hesitated before going on. "If you want to see my birth certificate, it's in the glove compartment in a black leather bag. It has my real name on it."
She listened as her father opened the small compartment and unzipped the bag. She had to fight to keep her eyes focused on the road ahead. There was a couple seconds of uncomfortable silence before the doctor spoke again.
"Jadis Rebecca Lecter," he read out loud. "So she knew all along that you are my offspring."
Jadis nodded. "Yeah, she knew the whole time. But she never told me who my real father was, all she said was that he died before I was born. When I was sixteen I was given that birth certificate and with that I was able to figure out who my father is. But by then you had already made news headlines with your... uhh... hobby, I guess. So I ended up keeping the name Monroe and kept the identity of my real father hidden."
"Does anyone else know about my relation to you now?"
Jadis shook her head. "Not yet, though I assume that it will be only a matter of time before the Bureau finds out. Once that happens I'm out of a job."
She turned the car down a dirt road. She could almost feel the clock ticking on Clarice's time. She suspected that Dr. Lecter could feel it too since he suddenly fell silent.
Jadis shut off the car's headlights, not wanting to take the risk of being seen. Silversted's home was right at the end of this lane. Jadis sped up slightly, desperately hoping that she and Dr. Lecter weren't too late.
Another quick look at the clock confirmed the time as 11:13pm. Jadis clenched her teeth and focused into the darkness beyond the windshield, trying to see into the night. The moonlight illuminated the ground just enough for Jadis to make out where she was going, and she was forever grateful for it.
It felt like forever to reach the end of the road, the final destination. A small cottage and an old dilapidated barn decorated the property. The all too familiar white van showed its presence as they approached. Jadis' blood ran cold as her eyes found the dent where Clarice's head connected.
"We're here," she muttered, her voice emotionless and metallic. For a moment she truly did look like her father's daughter.
Dr. Lecter swiftly got out of the car while Jadis quickly checked her gun. "Hold on Clarice," she whispered, "hold on, we're coming for ya."
Stepping out into the night, two pairs of haunting maroon eyes went dark as a blood-curdling scream pierced into the still night. The flicker of the dark metal of a gun and a flash of the cold, shining steel of a harpy appeared in the hands of the two silhouetted figures that were approaching the source of the sound, the barn.
As they made their approach, Jadis Lecter gripped her gun in one hand and clenched her other hand into a tight fist. With a sinister smile that she inherited from her father, she muttered a small battle cry under her breath.
"Let's rock and roll."
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
(A/N: Alrighty then, hope you're enjoying it so far! As always, many thanks for all the great reviews!)
-SP
Give Me Darkness, Give Me Light...
Chapter 5: Born As a Ghost
Clarice's fingers continued their seemingly hopeless endeavor as she held her gaze on the figure that was Chimera. He had backed away slightly as if to see her response to his introduction. Whatever he was looking for from Clarice he didn't find it. Instead she stayed emotionless and calm, which only succeeded in irritating him. It only got worse as Clarice decided to start pounding him with questions.
"What do you want from me then?"
Chimera grinned, "Nothing much really, just some information about a certain someone and we'll see where to go from there."
"And who may this certain someone be?" Clarice asked.
"Someone that I know that you're quite familiar with I assure you. But, if you choose not to cooperate, then I'll have to be a little more forceful and I know that you don't want that."
"Who is it?" Clarice repeated her question, allowing some impatience to show through.
Chimera chuckled. "Impatient are we? Very well, let's get on with it then." He pulled the other chair in front of Clarice and sat down. Leaning forward, he locked his eyes with hers again. "Tell me everything that you know about Hannibal Lecter, and don't spare a single detail."
Clarice blinked, not sure if she heard him right. "Hannibal Lecter? Why him?"
Chimera's grin returned, "Let's just say, I've been meaning to get reacquainted with an old friend."
Clarice clenched her teeth. 'Reacquainted with an old friend?' she didn't even want to think about the meaning of that statement, but she forced herself to anyways. Various different scenarios flashed through her mind, everything from revenge to assistance. She didn't even realize how long she had been silent until Chimera's voice brought her back to reality.
"Agent Starling," he growled, "lest I remind you the consequences for stalling. Get on with it or else I'll make good on my threats."
Clarice narrowed her eyes. She wasn't ready to tell him anything yet, not until her answered her questions first. "And why would I want to tell you? I'm not saying a damn thing until you give me a good reason for me to tell you this information."
Chimera, now thoroughly irritated, lunged forward at Clarice. His face was now mere millimeters away from hers, his breath ragged and uneven. His gray eyes almost seemed to turn pitch black as he spoke. "So you are going to be difficult now are you? In case you haven't noticed, I don't have a very good hold of my patience, so spill the beans now and I'll be happy and no pain for you. Deal?"
Clarice clenched her teeth. She was suddenly feeling oddly protective, but of what or whom she didn't dare think about it. She knew that he was going to torture her anyways, with or without giving the information he so desperately wanted. She quickly weighed her options; give him the information he wanted, get killed more slowly, and possibly risk drawing more danger to Lecter, something that, even though she didn't want to admit it right then and there, she didn't want to do. Option two, don't give him the information and die quicker, unless Jadis had called for back-up and they are now on their way, something that Clarice was suddenly very doubtful of.
"Even if I did have any information on Dr. Lecter other then what's already known to the public, I doubt very much that I would give any of it to you." Clarice kept her voice even, speaking only about half the truth. In reality she actually did have some information on Lecter, but it was information that only she, and no one else knew, and she intended to keep it that way.
An angry sound emitted from Chimera's throat. Turning, he made his way back to the table. "I guess that means that I'll have to force it from you then. Do you really think that I believe that you know nothing more than the public about Lecter? Really Agent Starling, you insult my intelligence in the worse way. That, I think, deserves some punishment, don't you think?"
He approached her again, this time with an even more demented look in his soulless eyes. Clarice stiffened when she saw what he know possessed in his grimy hands, a hammer with a navy-blue handle.
"I guess that I should warn you," he told her while lining up the hammer with a toe on her right foot, "that this is going to hurt like hell."
************************
Jadis' nails dug into the leather covering of the steering wheel. It took her all the willpower that she possessed to not drive at top speed and run down anyone that dared get in her away. Her now unmasked maroon eyes were focused intently on the road, intent on arriving at their final destination as soon as possible.
Beside her Dr. Lecter was silent. Barely a word was spoken between the father and daughter since Jadis confessed her true heritage. The few words that were exchanged, however, made it clear to both of them that this topic wasn't dead yet.
'Don't think about that now Jadis,' she told herself in her head, 'Clarice comes first, everything else is second.'
Finally deciding to break the heavy silence, Jadis had to scramble to find her voice. "What do you know about Richard Silversted?" she asked him, her eyes still glued to the road.
"Not a great deal, unfortunately," Dr. Lecter responded, his eyes also glued to the road. "He was a classmate of mine in medical school. Very intelligent, but also very competitive. Other than that, I never really knew him, he seemed to be quite a loner, I guess you could say. He finished with second highest marks in class as a matter of fact."
"I assume you were first then?"
"You assume correctly."
Jadis shook her head, confused. "If he's as smart as you say he is, then why the killing spree? And why would he be after people connected to you?"
Dr. Lecter shook his head. "The man always was unpredictable. Unfortunately I don't have the first idea why he is acting the way he is now."
Jadis suddenly had the powerful urge to bash her head against the steering wheel in frustration. "Guess we'll have to find out once we get there then," she muttered more to herself then to the man sitting next to her.
Silence took over once again for the time being. Jadis stole a glance at the dashboard clock. 10:56pm. She took in a shaky breath, hoping that their hunch was right. 'Please let there be at least another hour left for Clarice,' she silently begged in her mind.
Her train of thought was suddenly broken by Dr. Lecter's metallic voice. "What was your mother's name?"
Jadis blinked. 'He wants to talk about this now?!' she thought in disbelief. Sighing, she quickly added, 'Ah, what the hell, I've got nothing to lose,' before speaking.
"Her name was Rebecca Erickson," she answered. "Then she got married and changed it to Rebecca Monroe."
Dr. Lecter nodded. "Yes, I remember her well. Were you born as a Monroe then?"
Jadis swallowed and shook her head. "No, she had it changed shortly after my birth." She hesitated before going on. "If you want to see my birth certificate, it's in the glove compartment in a black leather bag. It has my real name on it."
She listened as her father opened the small compartment and unzipped the bag. She had to fight to keep her eyes focused on the road ahead. There was a couple seconds of uncomfortable silence before the doctor spoke again.
"Jadis Rebecca Lecter," he read out loud. "So she knew all along that you are my offspring."
Jadis nodded. "Yeah, she knew the whole time. But she never told me who my real father was, all she said was that he died before I was born. When I was sixteen I was given that birth certificate and with that I was able to figure out who my father is. But by then you had already made news headlines with your... uhh... hobby, I guess. So I ended up keeping the name Monroe and kept the identity of my real father hidden."
"Does anyone else know about my relation to you now?"
Jadis shook her head. "Not yet, though I assume that it will be only a matter of time before the Bureau finds out. Once that happens I'm out of a job."
She turned the car down a dirt road. She could almost feel the clock ticking on Clarice's time. She suspected that Dr. Lecter could feel it too since he suddenly fell silent.
Jadis shut off the car's headlights, not wanting to take the risk of being seen. Silversted's home was right at the end of this lane. Jadis sped up slightly, desperately hoping that she and Dr. Lecter weren't too late.
Another quick look at the clock confirmed the time as 11:13pm. Jadis clenched her teeth and focused into the darkness beyond the windshield, trying to see into the night. The moonlight illuminated the ground just enough for Jadis to make out where she was going, and she was forever grateful for it.
It felt like forever to reach the end of the road, the final destination. A small cottage and an old dilapidated barn decorated the property. The all too familiar white van showed its presence as they approached. Jadis' blood ran cold as her eyes found the dent where Clarice's head connected.
"We're here," she muttered, her voice emotionless and metallic. For a moment she truly did look like her father's daughter.
Dr. Lecter swiftly got out of the car while Jadis quickly checked her gun. "Hold on Clarice," she whispered, "hold on, we're coming for ya."
Stepping out into the night, two pairs of haunting maroon eyes went dark as a blood-curdling scream pierced into the still night. The flicker of the dark metal of a gun and a flash of the cold, shining steel of a harpy appeared in the hands of the two silhouetted figures that were approaching the source of the sound, the barn.
As they made their approach, Jadis Lecter gripped her gun in one hand and clenched her other hand into a tight fist. With a sinister smile that she inherited from her father, she muttered a small battle cry under her breath.
"Let's rock and roll."
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
(A/N: Alrighty then, hope you're enjoying it so far! As always, many thanks for all the great reviews!)
-SP