Chapter 10

"This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure." Winston Churchill

As Darien was approaching the second road block Hobbes was on his way to the first road block Darien had gone through earlier. He rode south on I-15 and was only 30 minutes behind Darien. Nick had been in Hobbes dream earlier and the strange thing was Nick could talk. His voice was still clear as a bell in Hobbes' mind.

"Hobbes, Darien is in trouble and he needs your help. He can't fight Flagg on his own. Leave now." Nick sounded desperate.

Why had Hobbes dreamed of Nick anyway? Not to mention that Hobbes had woken up in the corn field at Mother Abigail's house in Nebraska. He spotted Mother Abigail and sitting next to her was Nick. This whole thing had been strange from the beginning and Hobbes decided to take the dreams as they come.

Hobbes stopped his bike. Something he saw in the distance didn't sit too well with him. "This is not good," he said to himself. He pulled out his gun and checked it; he tucked it safely in the holster that he pushed to the front of his pants. "Its show time," he put the bike in gear and started towards the road block.

Paul Burlson was not going to fail this time, "Okay, here comes the other one. Get ready!"

Hobbes was quickly coming up to the road block. He reached down to pull out his gun; he kept his eyes on the men that were moving into position. He raised his gun to fire.

"Don't Bobby, lay down your sword and surrender."

The voice rang out in Hobbes' head like bells in a church tower. It was Mother Abigail's voice that resounded in his head so loudly. Hobbes normally would fight, but that voice had him obeying the command. He stopped the bike, put his gun on the ground and raised his hands in the air.

Darien spent the next thirty minutes being examined in the infirmary. The wound on his face cleaned and his wrists bandaged from the tight fitting cuffs. Can't go before Flagg looking like something the cat dragged in. He was even allowed to wash up real quick and given new clothes, a white t-shirt and blue jeans. His boots he had taken from the Harley shop were still in good condition.

Darien was pushed inside the cell and the door slid shut behind him. Barry Dorgan the Chief of Security checked off Darien's name on his clipboard, "Randall Flagg will be here to speak with you, Agent Fawkes."

"In case you haven't notice, school's out on the agent business you know, so I think you can drop the agent part and just call me Fawkes or Darien or hey you." Darien said with a grin.

"For someone who is about to die, you sure are a smart ass." Dorgan said.

"Yeah, you told me that already. Look, can we just get this over with."

"Are you really that anxious to die?"

Darien wrapped his hands around the bars and leaned in as close as he could, "I've got news for you Mr. Security Chief, we're all about to die. Yeah, that's right…you, me…whoever is in this town." Darien watched as Dorgan walked away, he looked down and shook his head from side to side, "What an…"

"Uh-uh-uh, we don't use that kind of language here, Darien."

Darien looked up quickly and saw Randall Flagg standing in front of him, "I didn't…"

"Hear me…it's a little trick I do. Let me introduce myself…"

"The Devil, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Destroyer, Hitler, Stalin…oh okay, I got it…you'll love this one," Darien put his hands on his hips and in a female voice said, "Satan!"

Flagg chuckled, "Well isn't that special, too bad Dana Carvey is dead, he would have loved that. I know I did. But seriously, Darien, I don't want to kill you."

"Really now, what do you want, Randy?"

"I want you to join us. You're friends over in Boulder won't last long, the other spies are dead and so is the black witch. I can offer you freedom and control, just what you always wanted."

"Freedom? You…offer freedom? Now that's funny. You wouldn't know what freedom is if it came up to you and knocked your horns off your head. I am free." Darien walked away and turned his back on Flagg. 'What other spies was he talking about and did he say that Mother Abigail was dead?' He thought to himself. As far as Darien knew it was just him.

"You still have that gland in your head; don't you want to be free of that?" Randall held out a black stone in the palm of his hand.

Darien turned to face him, "Somehow, that doesn't seem to be a priority these days."

"I can make it a priority for you," Randall closed his hand and it opened it again to reveal a syringe filled with a blue liquid. "Remember this?"

Darien's eyes widened, "How could I forget the leash that was on me for two years. But in case you haven't heard, I don't need that anymore."

"Oh, I think you better have a look at your tattoo," Flagg smiled.

Darien held up his wrist and looked intently as one segment turned red, then another and another until seven segments were red. Darien felt a slight pain in the back of his neck. "No, it can't be…Claire gave me the gene therapy." Darien looked at Flagg with fear on his face, "I won't be controlled again." Darien said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Flagg closed his hand again and the stone reappeared when he opened his hand, "I do control you, Darien, always have. You see I was that voice in the back of your head that called to you. You can hear me again too if you're quiet enough. That beautiful doctor of yours gave you the cure, but I always knew that one day I'd find a way to get back in there."

Randall moved closer to the cell bars, "I'm your madness; I'm the voice that guided you during stage 4 and even stage 5. If it wasn't for Hobbes and Claire, you would have tortured Father Tom. That would have been the clincher for you and you would be in my grasp instead of on the other side of these bars." Flagg held out the stone to Darien that was now on a chain, "Take it Darien, your pain will be gone and I'll let you go."

"My soul is not for sale," Darien said painfully.

"Okay, have it your way. I just need to wait until you're in stage 4, which is in about 2 days. Ah, you know, that's too much time." Randall formed a gun with his hand and pretended to fire off two shots.

Darien convulsed on the floor and cried out in pain. As the pain subsided, he checked his wrist, nine segments were red. Darien stood up, rubbing his neck and he glared at Flagg with red streaked eyes, "Damn you."

Randall smiled gleefully, "Thank you. Can you hear me inside your head yet? I think I'll send you back to Boulder, which by then you would be in stage 5 and completely under my influence. Isn't that your fear, that you would harm the ones you love?" Randall signaled for Lloyd, "Oh and I have a present for you to help you make your decision easier, not to mention quicker."

Lloyd came back into Darien's view with Hobbes. He opened up the cell door, took the cuffs off Hobbes and pushed him inside with Darien. Hobbes saw the red streaks, "Fawkes, what's wrong, you've got the red eye thing going again?"

Darien grabbed the bars, "Hobbes!?! NO! Get him out of here!"

"Agree to my deal, Darien." Flagg held out the black stone.

Darien looked at it and his hand slowly went towards the black stone.

Hobbes grabbed Darien's arm, "Don't Fawkes, don't do it!"

"Its counteragent," Darien said sounding like he was hypnotized.

"No, it's not counteragent, Fawkes," Hobbes eyed Flagg with anger, "He's lying."

Darien looked fearfully at Hobbes, "Take me down, Hobbes. Do it before it's too late." Darien turned and noticed that Flagg and Lloyd were gone, "Where'd they go?"

'I'm still here, Darien, back inside your mind."

Darien clutched his head in both hands, "Nooo!! I won't listen to you!"

'Sooner or later, you'll have no choice. Kill Hobbes.' Randall's voice commanded.

Darien looked at Hobbes, "NO!" Darien quickly went to the corner and slowly slid down, hitting the wall with his head as he went. "I won't kill for you. I'll bash my head in first…you hear me!!!"

Hobbes watched his friend fight a mental battle with Flagg. He had to get Fawkes and himself out of there fast. Taking Fawkes down is not an option, knocking him out Hobbes could do, but not to kill him.

Darien sat in the corner with his hands clutching the back of his neck and rocked back and forth, "I won't kill…I won't kill…I won't kill…" he repeated to himself hoping that if he said it enough, it would sink in and still be there when the madness took over.

Hobbes knelt next to him, "Fawkes, I need your help. You can unlock the door and we can get out of here."

Darien stared at Hobbes, his brown eyes full of despair, "Then what, Hobbes, so I can kill you, then go to Boulder and do Flagg's work. No, I won't kill…not anymore." Darien turned his back on Hobbes, "Kill me, Hobbes; you won't even have to look in my eyes. Do it before it's too late."

Hobbes jerked Darien's body, "You frickin' idiot, I'm not going to kill you! That was never a choice with me before and it's not one now. Get your selfish lazy ass up and unlock that door!"

Darien stood up, "Damn it, Hobbes! Don't you get it, there's no counteragent! What are you going to say when you bring me back and everyone sees the monster I've become? What are you going to do, have Stu lock me up for the rest of my life? I might as well be dead and you know that's what I prefer than living the rest of my life like some frickin' caged up animal." Darien pranced around the cell, "I'd make one hell of an addition to the Free Zone Zoo…'And here we have the QSM silver eyed Fawkes. Stay away from the bars kiddies, he bites and remember don't feed the animals.'"

Hobbes punched Darien in the face and he fell to the ground clutching his jaw. Darien gazed up at Hobbes with bewilderment in his eyes, "What in the hell did you do that for?"

"As usual, you were acting like an ass and I had to knock some sense into you." Hobbes put out his hand, "Now, get up and let's try this again."

Darien took Hobbes' hand and stood up moving his jaw from side to side, "Man, did you have to hit me that har…" Darien grabbed the back of his neck and his back arched before falling to the floor, "Ughhhhh…stop it, please!!" His head racked with intense pain.

Hobbes was next to Darien on the floor, rubbing his back. Darien's body stiffened with the pain radiating from his head, "Goodddd…help me," Darien pleaded as the pain subsided. He panted hard.

"Open your eyes, Fawkes, let me have a look." Hobbes gently rolled Darien over.

Darien opened his eyes. Hobbes was glad to see that they were still only streaked with red. He checked Darien's tattoo, still only nine red. "Okay, we don't have much time here, Fawkes. After you unlock the door, I'll find something to tie you up with. I'm not going to leave you here."

"Hobbes, I'll get you out, but I can't go with you." Darien sat up.

"I'll hit you again, now let's move." Hobbes voice was demanding.

Darien reluctantly got up and walked towards the cell door, he gave Hobbes a look that showed this was not a good idea. But he trusted Hobbes. If Hobbes believed that he could help him, then that was a chance Darien would take. He put his finger in the key hole and allowed the quicksilver to flow. The lock froze and with the two of them together, they pulled on the bars and the door slide open.

Hobbes knew what Darien would do, so he acted like he was going to walk out first, but quickly turned and punched Darien again. He looked down at his unconscious partner, "Sorry Fawkes, but I couldn't let you push me out and lock yourself back in here. I don't bail on my partner." Hobbes went back in the cell to try and find something to tie up Darien. There were no sheets on the beds which meant they weren't staying for long. Hobbes looked at Fawkes and a smile came across his face, "Your belt." He took off Darien's belt and tied his hands behind his back, "At least this way if you try to run your pants might fall off your skinny ass."

Stu felt pain through out his body and he had to stop the car. "What is it, Stu?" Glen asked.

"I think its Harold, he's hurt. I don't know how I know, I just do." Stu said confusingly and drove on.

Stu was right, Harold was hurt. He went off the road as he and Nadine rounded a corner. The dark man had appeared in front him and took him off guard. Nadine had watched as Harold sailed through the air and out of sight. All she heard was the impact of his body meeting the ground.

Nadine looked over the side and saw Harold lying in a bloody heap on the rocks below. "Nadine!" Harold called out to her, "Help me!"

Nadine looked at him pathetically, "Sorry, Harold…you said it, "We're damned." She walked out of sight and got back on her scooter. As she pulled away she heard him call out to her again. It was hard to ignore, but she had no choice. It was her turn to meet up with her destiny.

Flagg met with Lloyd and he was feeling pretty good at the moment. He had his bride on her way and Darien was within his grasp. His concern over the third spy was still there and he still had no idea who this person was.

"Lloyd, I need you to take care of things for me. I'll be gone for the night, have a wedding to attend." Flagg lightly punched Lloyd on his arm.

"What do you want me to do with the two agents at the jail?"

"Nothing, let nature or should I say madness take its course. Still can't figure out why Hobbes gave up so easily?" Flagg shrugged his shoulders, "I was really hoping for a fight, but I'll still get one anyway." Flagg laughed but noticed that Lloyd wasn't. "Aw come on, Lloyd, you of all people should enjoy a little shedding of blood."

Hobbes was carrying Darien over his shoulder and slowly made his way through the maze of hallways. He put Darien on the ground and checked his tattoo, one segment was still green. Hobbes walked down the hall a bit and saw someone standing guard right at the exit. He looked back at Darien, he had to move now and get Darien out of there.

Hobbes walked up to the guard, "Hey, don't you know it's not good to leave these doors open like this. Anybody can just walk up and do this," Hobbes side kicked the guard then knocked him out with a punch to the face. "Easy, just too easy and that's what worries me," he bent down and grabbed the gun and a pocket knife from the hapless guard.

Darien again was being carried on Hobbes' shoulder. He walked out the door and saw a prisoner transport van. Perfect, he could lock up Darien in the back and keep him from hurting anybody. Hobbes looked inside and the keys were there. He drove away with no problems; the front gates were even open. He kept looking in the mirror to see if anyone followed, no one did.

"Bobby Hobbes knows a set up when he sees one…we were meant to escape, but the question is why?" Hobbes wondered out loud. As he drove away from the Clark County Jail he never noticed the crow sitting on top of the barbed wire fence.