Darien asked, the corners of his mouth turning upward in amusement. Is that a sexual position or an Italian opera?
the Official snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. Her name is Allianora Blaque, and she's extremely dangerous. He glanced over at Eberts.
She escaped from captivity last night, Eberts said, opening the folder in his hands and handing a photograph to Darien.
Darien stared at the photograph for a moment and then let out a low whistle. Wow, she's hot.
Hobbes leaned over the armrest of his chair. Hey, let me see.
Just a minute, Darien protested indignantly, pulling the photo away from Bobby's line of sight.
The Official gave Darien an annoyed glare. Agent Fawkes, may I remind you that you are in the workplace, not sitting around in your apartment reading Playboy magazine. Darien rolled his eyes and handed Bobby the photograph.
Bobby could tell at first sight that Darien's assessment of the woman's attractiveness, though rather unprofessional, had nonetheless been correct. She looked to be Hispanic, with long dark hair that spilled over her shoulders and lovely brown eyes. The corners of her mouth were turned up in an enigmatic smile. Hey Fawkes, you were right, he said, nudging Darien with an elbow. She coulda been a model.
She's a killer, the Official said matter-of-factly.
"You can say that again," Bobby said appreciatively, not fully registering the implication in the Official's statement. Eberts held out another photograph. Bobby grabbed the picture, and was greeted by the grisly sight of half a dozen corpses. Eew, you can have this one, Bobby said, making a face and shoving the photo on Darien's lap.
Darien said sarcastically as he saw what the photograph depicted.
Eberts crossed his arms in front of him, speaking in the tone of a schoolboy reciting a report to his teacher. When Miss Blaque escaped from the facility in which she was being held she killed half a dozen scientists, leaving only one man alive. He had been transferred to the project just a week before.
What sort of project? Bobby asked, looking at Eberts suspiciously. He had the distinct feeling that some very important facts were being left out, quite likely on purpose.
That's classified, Eberts said in what seemed to Bobby to be a distinctly smug tone.
Yeah, well so am I, Bobby said, holding up his hand and allowing trickles of quicksilver to flow over it. Within seconds, his hand was completely invisible. Eberts' eyes widened. Bobby allowed his hand to stay invisible for a few moments to get the full effect and then let the quicksilver flake off, scattering onto the floor and down his shirtsleeve.
The Official gave Bobby a withering look. You'll be filled in on the details of this project on a need-to-know basis. Right now, you don't need to know.
Darien held up a hand. Actually sir, I think we do need to know, because I'm not quite clear on how these men died. He held up the photograph questioningly. I mean, sure, these guys show signs of a struggle, and there're a few broken bones here and there, but other than that they don't look too bad. No stab wounds or bullet holes. They're just... dead. How'd she kill them?
She poisoned them, the Official said flatly. That's one of the reasons I'm bringing Hobbes onto the case. Her touch kills. The quicksilver might act as some kind of barrier.
Darien crossed his arms. Wow, you've got this all planned out, don't you?
The Official gave Darien a pointed look. Agent Fawkes, we've been planning for this scenario for over fifteen years.
**********
Several hours later, after Sophie had been briefed -- twice, since she hadn't really paid attention the first time -- Darien and Bobby drove into the parking lot of what appeared to be an abandoned building, but was in actuality the place Allianora had escaped from. Darien had insisted that they investigate the building because they might find clues that had been missed in the initial investigation. The Official had eventually relented and given them directions on how to get there. And, much to Darien's chagrin, Sophie had decided to come along for the ride.
Bobby glanced over at Darien. So, what do we do first?
Sophie rolled her eyes. That's easy. Get out of the car, of course.
Darien glared at Sophie via the rear view mirror. Was he talking to you? He turned to Bobby. This is gonna be good, old-fashioned detective work. All you have to do is keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.
Bobby nodded. Out of the ordinary. Right. He climbed out of the car, followed by Darien and Sophie. The three of them began walking toward the building.
A dark-haired scientist was standing at the entrance, wringing his hands nervously. He rushed over to Darien and asked, Are you the people from the Agency? Darien flashed his badge. The scientist looked at it and nodded. I'm Doctor Jenkins. Follow me. He turned and walked into the building. Darien and Sophie followed, with Bobby bringing up the rear of his own volition. He wasn't particularly eager to walk into that building, which quite frankly looked as though it might collapse at any moment.
Once inside, Bobby's demeanor changed. It became immediately apparent that the falling-down-even-as-we-speak look of the building was completely and totally a sham. From the inside, it was quite obviously sturdy, not to mention furnished with all sorts of fancy computers and other scientific equipment. It reminded him of the place where Kevin had implanted the gland into his brain. He shook his head. Talk about deja vu....
Doctor Jenkins began speaking in hushed tones. I'm sorry about the current lack of staff on active duty, but you see... most of them are dead. He winced. Although I'm sure you heard about that in the briefing.
Darien nodded. Yeah. I was actually wondering if I could see any of the bodies, if they weren't tampered with that is.
Jenkins nodded. Right this way. He led Darien over to an elevator. Sophie and Bobby followed, Sophie with an expression on her face that bordered on boredom, Bobby with feelings of awe mixed with nervousness. This situation was an eerie reminder of the time he had spent in a similar compound not long ago.
Everyone stepped inside the elevator, and Jenkins pressed the button for the lowest floor. An awkward silence fell on the group as the elevator began to move toward its destination. After a few moments Sophie glanced over at Darien and asked, Have you been working out lately?
Darien glanced over at Sophie, unsure of why she was asking. Yeah, but not as much as I used to. Don't have as much free time on my hands.
Sophie nodded understandingly. I thought you didn't look quite as buff as you used to. She didn't seem to notice the harsh glare she received from Darien because of her comment.
Bobby shook his head. He was beginning to see what Darien had meant about Sophie being the ultimate ditz. She had absolutely no tact, that much was for certain.
Silence once again settled on the group, and didn't lift until the elevator came to a stop. The doors swished open, revealing a dead man sprawled in front of the elevator doors. His eyes were wide open, his face a mask of pain and terror. Bobby winced and looked away. Darien tensed momentarily, but other than that gave no reaction. Sophie frowned and bent down to look at the dead man, poking the haz-mat suit that covered most of his body with one finger. Wow, he doesn't look too good, does he?
Everyone looked at Sophie in disbelief. Jenkins said in a shocked tone, Of course not, he's dead!
I knew that, Sophie said in a defensive tone. She stood up and wiped her hands on her pants. I'm not dumb, you know. Darien rolled his eyes at that, but didn't comment.
Bobby shuddered. Let's get this done and get outta here, okay? This place gives me the creeps. It wasn't just the dead man on the floor that was disturbing him. The corridor alone seemed to have a cold, menacing quality that reminded him of a cross between a hospital and a torture chamber. He had the distinct feeling that many unhappy souls had been tormented in this place. It didn't matter whether it had been for a good cause or not. People had suffered here, and now that suffering was finally beginning to catch up to the people who had caused it.
Jenkins led Darien into a rather large laboratory, which was littered with the bodies of several more corpses, and gestured at a thick metal door that hung ajar. This is the room Miss Blaque escaped from.
Bobby frowned. Looks like a prison cell. He walked past Darien and the scientist and entered the room, shaking his head at what he saw. There were only the bare essentials in this room; a cot in the far corner for sleeping and a small alcove set apart for a toilet and sink. There was no soap in sight. Apparently, the people who had worked here had considered even that to be a possible danger.
Darien walked in after Bobby, but his attention seemed to be more focused on the door than the room behind it. He inspected it carefully and then shook his head in bemusement. How'd she get out? There aren't any signs of force.
Jenkins shrugged. She got the jump on one of our new employees. He's the only member of the C-8400 project who was on duty that survived the massacre.
Darien turned to Jenkins, his expression grave. I want to speak to him.
**********
Darien sat in a chair across from Jimmy Deharty. The man looked groggy and extremely shaken. He was clutching a blanket around his shoulders and shivering, despite the fact that it was a reasonably warm day. Darien leaned forward and said gently, Okay, here's the deal. We're trying to catch the woman who did this. That means we need all the info we can get about her... and that means I need you to tell me what happened here.
Jimmy blanched, his eyes widening. I can't, I just can't do that...
Darien reached into his back pants pocket and pulled out a tape recorder. If you do this now, you'll only have to do it once.
Jimmy closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Darien watched intently, trying to figure out in advance what Jimmy's answer would be. After a long moment Jimmy opened his eyes and said in a shaky tone, Okay... I'll do it.
Darien hit the record button on the tape recorder and then looked over at Jimmy. Okay, shoot.
Jimmy heaved a deep sigh, then began to speak. It was my first week on the job, and they sent me in to anesthetize this woman. She must've been crazy or something, definitely emotionally unstable... Anyway, they sent me in to give her the shot and she began to freak out. She jumped me and stuck the needle in my arm. She got out of the room, and... Jimmy paused for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a shaky breath as he relived the memory, ...and then she began killing people.
How'd she do that? Darien asked. He already knew, thanks to the Official's briefing, but he had to get it on the tape for posterity.
She poisoned them. She touched them.
Darien nodded, and then asked the question that had been foremost in his mind ever since he had been told that Jimmy was alive. So why didn't she kill you?
She almost did. She came this close, Jimmy said, holding up two fingers an inch apart from each other. "But she changed her mind. Said something about how they hadn't corrupted me yet. But don't ask me who they' are.
Bobby, who had been standing off in a corner of the room, shook his head. Come on, isn't it obvious? The guys she killed are the
Darien gave Bobby a quick nod to let him know that he approved of his leap in logic, and then turned back to Jimmy. Anything else?
Jimmy thought for a moment and then shook his head. Nope. That's it.
Darien nodded and stood up, stopping the tape recorder. Alright, I think we're done here. He walked out of the room, motioning for Bobby to follow him. Bobby stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind him. Then the two of them began to walk back toward the lab, since Sophie had decided to stay there and examine the place for any further evidence.
Bobby took a deep breath and said in a measured tone, Okay, correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't think this Blaque lady is just gonna disappear into the woodwork.
Darien nodded. That was my impression too. If she killed all these guys, she might go after others. Probably people involved in the project.
Don't forget the guys who were funding the thing, Bobby added, giving Darien a pointed look.
I'll start researching all the possible targets as soon as we get back to the Agency, Darien said, a resolute expression on his face.
What can I do? Bobby asked.
Nothing right now, Darien said, the beginnings of a smile beginning to form on his face. He held up a hand when Bobby opened his mouth to protest. You're supposed to be reporting to your Keeper, remember?
Bobby groaned. Oh yeah, I forgot. His tone of voice seemed to indicate he hadn't wanted to remember, either.
The two men stopped speaking as they arrived at the door of the lab. Darien glanced inside and saw Sophie standing over one of the corpses, a puzzled look on her face. She looked up as Darien poked his head into the room and promptly straightened, looking as if she felt she had been caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Darien frowned and motioned for her to come with him, the two of them walking off toward the elevator that would take them up to the ground floor so they could leave the building and put the gruesome scene behind them.
Bobby, however, lingered for a moment. He looked into the room, at the dead bodies littering the floor, and shuddered. He couldn't help but feel that, under the right circumstances, he could have done this. And that was a feeling he definitely wanted to avoid.
**********
Allianora watched quietly as the two men and the woman left the compound. It would only be a matter of time now, only a matter of time.... And sure enough, before long Jenkins walked out of the compound, moving toward his car and pulling out a pair of sunglasses to protect his eyes from the brightness of the California sunset.
Quietly as a cat, Allianora carefully slunk up behind him. He didn't even suspect she was there until she wrapped her hands around his neck, snapping it in one expert move. She didn't bother to savor the death; this one had been more out of necessity than revenge. She just let go of his neck, allowing him to fall to the ground. Then she removed the pair of sunglasses and put them on to hide her eyes, which she knew to be conspicuous.
She had just finished frisking Jenkins for his car keys when she heard a noise and looked up to see a man cowering in the door. She recognized him immediately, although she didn't know his name; he was the man whose life she had spared earlier. He was staring at her, his jaw agape, looking as if he wanted to run but had lost all power to move his legs.
Allianora smiled at the man, dangling the keys in the air, and then unlocked the car. She placed the keys in the ignition, started it up, and drove off, just barely avoiding running over Jenkins' dead body. She hadn't intended to come anywhere near him, but her lack of driving skill was understandable. After all, she had never done it before.