Amplification
The bell above the front door to the animal clinic sounded inordinately loud in the otherwise silent room, causing me to cringe to myself as I closed the door behind me and flicked the lock close before flipping the sign to 'closed'. I could sense the presence of three people in the back examination room, the familiar scent telling me it was my brother, Stiles and Deaton who had arrived before me. My footsteps echoed in the empty room as I headed towards them, aware that I was already running late to the impromptu meeting.
"Nice of you to join us." Stiles greeted me sarcastically as I closed the door behind me and I stuck my tongue out at him childishly as I joined the three of them where they were gathered around the examination table. It was clear by Scott's saddened expression that he had noticed me strategically placing myself in a position as far away from him as I could get without it being completely obvious. It took everything in me to ignore him as I sent Deaton a warm smile, glad that he was recovered from being held captive.
Deaton nodded back at me in greeting but his morose expression didn't waver and it made me frown in concern as he held up the manila envelope that I hadn't noticed he was holding tightly in his grip. My eyebrows furrowed with worry as my fingers curled around the edge of the table, using its solid presence as an anchor so that I wasn't overcome with paranoia or anxiety. I knew that whatever news that Deaton had dug up from the supernatural black market was not going to be good and so I took a deep breath to steel my nerves.
"What I'm about to show you isn't supposed to exist." Deaton stated solemnly as he opened the slip of the envelope and pulled out a large stack of numerous Polaroid photographs, some of which were starting to turn yellow or fade with age. A startled gasp escaped my parted lips before I could stop it when he laid down the first of the photos, the image of a deceased male with half of his skull missing and closely followed by another of a young woman who had black blood coating the bottom half of her face.
Deaton continued to lay down photos of the table as I stared in horror at the sight in front of me, tears stinging my eyes as I covered my mouth with one hand and my mentor met my eyes soberly as he informed us, "This is the only surviving evidence of Dr. Valack's time as Chief Medical Officer of Eichen House."
I could see the same expression of horror that most probably evident on my features mirrored on the boys as the three of us stared at the photos – all of us frozen at the sight of dozens of different supernatural creatures, all of whom had holes drilled into their skulls and appeared to be in excruciating pain or dead.
"To call it human experimentation would be... charitable." Deaton explained reluctantly with a disgusted grimace as he looked down at the victims sadly and I feel a stray tear escape the corner of my eye as I grazed my fingertip over one of the Polaroid photos. I felt a warm hand encompass mine, causing me to look over at my brother in shock but his attention was caught by one photo in particular and I watched through teary eyes as he picked it up to look at it closer. I followed his gaze to see a recently deceased woman with a hole drilled into her temple, who was clutching the sides of her head with her mouth open in a silent scream. Deaton noticed the sudden lack of movement on our behalf as he lifted his head from the table and seemed to become even grimmer when he saw the picture that had caught our attention as he said sadly, "A Banshee. She died screaming."
"So, he drilled holes into their heads? All of them?" Stiles asked incredulously with his mouth slightly agape as he blinked away the tears that had formed in his eyes, his thoughts obviously lingering on the strawberry blonde that they all cared about.
"That was the experimentation part. He did it to Werewolves, Banshees, and Wendigo's... Any creature he could get his hands on. And Valack found that trephination would initially heighten their powers, but to levels that couldn't be contained."
"So, he wants to make Lydia more powerful? Except she's going to end up like them."
"Worse, actually. Lydia's abilities were already pretty exceptional to begin with. Putting a hole in her head... will be like causing a leak in a nuclear reactor. She'll hear everything- every death, every dying scream, all at once."
"That's going to kill her." I murmured sadly in a horrified tone of voice as I looked down at photos with tears in my eyes and a warmth encompassed my hand, causing me to look up into Scott's supportive dark brown eyes. Sadness seemed radiate from him as he frowned at me in concern; concern for Lydia, concern for Stiles, concern for me. There was also a hint of surprise in his eyes when I didn't immediately pull my hand away from him and I turned my head back Deaton, accepting the silent comfort that my brother provided.
"Not only that. Her own dying scream could be so powerful that it might kill everyone around her as well." Deaton informed us solemnly as he cast a lingering glance in my direction, knowing how close I was to Lydia and the boys on either side of me shared a panicked look over my head as I picked up another photograph of a banshee screaming due to the trephination.
The photo slipped from my fingers because my hand was shaking so badly and I blindly watched it float down to the table, where it mingled with the other horrific scenes. Tears blurred my vision as I took a step backwards, covering my mouth with my hand and I felt someone put a hand on my back as I turned away from the table. I started shaking my head in disgust as I squeezed my eyes closed and I said repeatedly, "No, no, no, no. I can't. I can't. We have to get her out. We have to, Stiles. We can't leave her in there. We can't let this happen to her. We can't."
Someone wrapped their arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace as they gently 'shhed' me and it took me a moment to realise that it was my brother who was comforting me. For a second I thought about pulling away but it felt good to be held by him, it felt like we were back to where we were at our best and I wanted to hang on to that illusion of safety for as long as I could. I wrapped my arms around his waist as I tried to stop the oncoming flood of tears, closing my eyes to block oot the horrifying image of the banshee dying.
Nerves caused my fingers to twitch as I stood next to the table in our kitchen, looking around at the remaining members of the pack and I couldn't help but miss the comforting presence that the missing members of the pack usually provided. Lydia's confident demeanour, Derek's silent strength, Isaac's snarky commentary. There was a heavy sense of dread sitting like lead in my stomach as I looked around at Stiles, Scott, Kira, Malia and Liam; each of them displaying a different level of nervousness.
I felt a pair of eyes on me as I reached for the laptop sitting on the tabletop and I looked up just in time to see my brother advert his eyes from me, looking almost guilty as he straightened the blueprints of the building and the map of the electrical system that the Sheriff had provided.
"There's four steps- we get into Eichen, we get into the closed unit, we get Lydia, we get out." Stiles announced in a confident tone of voice, like he absolutely sure that the plan we had in place would work without a doubt and I couldn't help but think that I was usually the one who was positive that my abilities and the assets of the pack would suffice. But this was Lydia, and I wasn't able to shake the anxiety that ate away at me when it concerned my soulmate.
"And we have to do all of this while getting past orderlies, guards, electric door locks, and a mountain ash barrier." Scott added in a more subdued tone than his best friend as he raised an eyebrow at the human but Stiles merely shrugged unapologetically as everyone else stared at the pair like they were suddenly speaking Latin.
"You have a plan for all that?" Malia asked sceptically with a purse of her lips as she regarded the two of them from across the table and I quirked my eyebrow with a forced smirk on my lips as I held up a RFID key card from them all to see.
"One of the orderlies still loyal to me snuck me this. But, it's useless, because they reset the codes each night." I told them in a proud tone of voice as I set the card down on the table and werecoyote scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion as she tilted her head to the side.
"So, why'd you take it?"
"I'm getting to that."
"The only way to get Lydia out of Eichen is to make that key card work again." Scott interjected before Malia could pose another question, laying a hand on my shoulder supportively and I bit my lower lip in conflict. Scott had been nothing except comforting and loving since the blood moon but every time I thought about forgiving him, I remembered the look of pure disgust on his face when he learned that I had killed someone. It didn't help that he hadn't made the effort to talk to me about it but he had apparently made amends with Stiles.
Liam squinted incredulously as he looked between us with a frown and he finally settled his gaze on me as he asked, "How are you going to do that?"
"We're getting to that, okay? Just listen - " Stiles started before cutting himself off in frustration as he reached out to the laptop and turned it around so that everyone could see the screen. I folded my arms over my chest as I glanced down at the familiar log I had already memorised and Stiles took a deep breath as he continued his explanation, "I had Sophie pulled all the history off the key card. Two weeks ago, there was a brownout and the security system rebooted. During a reboot, all of the key cards revert back to a default code. So, if we trigger a reboot..."
"The card goes back to the default code. It works again." Liam finishes for him with an understanding nod of his head as a happy smirk played on his lips and Stiles clicked his tongue as he pointed at him in acknowledged praise.
"How are we going to cause a brownout?" Kira asked apprehensively as she chewed nervously on her lower lip and shifted her weight uneasily as she looked between us with hope in her eyes, like we would have the answers she wanted.
"That's your part. You're going to draw power from the main line but only enough to cause the brownout." I told her calmly, trying to convey more confidence than I truly felt but she grimaced slightly in return as she lowered her gaze to the tabletop.
"Not a blackout. Do that, and you send Eichen into lockdown, which would be bad. Very, very bad." Stiles iterated seriously in his usual energetic manner as he gestured with his hands and I had to move out of the way so that he didn't accidentally get hit in the face by a flailing hand. I scowled at him in annoyance as I batted his arm away from me, causing him to gasp in pain as he cringed away from me and I rolled my eyes at his overdramatised actions because I always hold back my strength.
"There's an electrical room behind the reception counter. The main power line goes into two breakers that run power to all of Eichen."
"Okay, slight problem - I don't know how to do that." Kira admitted sheepishly with an overwhelmed expression, panic dancing in her dark brown eyes at this aspect of the plan.
"That's okay! You have time to practice." Scott informed her softly with a reassuring smile on his lips as he reached over to squeeze her hand gently and she exhaled in relief as she nodded her head jerkily with a small smile.
"Let's say this goes perfectly. How does a brownout get us into the closed unit of Eichen?" Malians asked sceptically with a scowl twisting her lips as she glared down at the table, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration like she used to do whenever she studied math.
"The system takes five minutes to reboot. In that five minutes, all the alarms will be turned off. The key card should work." Stiles informed her nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders as though it was as easy as walking in the front door and asking for a tour of the facility.
Scott took a deep breath as he turned his attention to the Beta standing nearby and he lowered his voice to a soft reassuring level as he addressed the younger boy, "Liam, you and I get Stiles to the gate of the closed unit. But after that, he has to go on his own. We can't get past the mountain ash barrier. And, when we're gone, all anyone's going to think is that there was a reboot of the security system caused by a brownout."
Stiles nodded his head in agreement to his best friends words before gesturing towards the other members of the pack, trying to appear confident but the nerves were clearly heard in his voice as he asked, "Uh, any questions?"
I blinked in surprise as Kira, Liam and Malia all responded with questions almost immediately after the words had fallen from Stiles lips, their voices all overlapping each other so that it was almost impossible to determine who had asked which query,
"How do we get into Eichen House in the first place?"
"What's our worst case scenario?"
"What if I can't do it?"
I blinked in surprise at the onslaught of questions for a second before stifling a laugh at the baffled expression on Stiles face.
The human boy heaved out a sigh before shrugging his shoulders, knowing that they had a point as he told them, "Okay, admittedly, a lot could go wrong."
"Everything could go wrong!" Liam snapped impatiently with an exasperated look as his hand curled into a fist at his side and I discreetly traced my fingertips over the back of his hand, silently reminding him to control his frustration.
"Guys, if we don't do this, we lose Lydia. She's going to die in there tonight..." Scott reminded us with an grim upturn if his lips, glancing around at us all and waited a moment for his point to sink in before continuing solemnly, "And she might take a lot of innocent people with her."
I swallowed harshly last the lump that had taken residence in my throat and I shook my head slightly as I tried to vanish the thought of my best friend having to live with the guilt and pain that taking a life plagued someone with. My hand clenched into a fist at my side, my nails elongating slightly into into claws until the skin broke under the pressure and I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes against the on slaughter of emotion.
"Just let me do the talking, okay? I have a rapport with the guy." Stiles told me proudly with a smirk on his lips as he led me into the sheriffs station and I quirked an eyebrow at him incredulously but didn't argue with him over the point as he searched the room with the deputy in question. It would've been incredibly easy for me to tell him that there was no way he had the kind of 'rapport' with him that
I did, but it seemed counterproductive to give him a heart attack or brain aneurysm while on a time sensitive mission.
A few of the deputies looked up curiously as we walked past but they were so used to the two of us strolling through like we owned the place and immediately went back to their paperwork once they'd realised we weren't a threat. At least not at that moment in time. Catching sight of the person we were looking for sitting at his desk doing paperwork, I tapped Stiles arm until I had his attention and then pointed in the right direction.
The sound of Stiles loudly clearing his throat obnoxiously caused Jordan to sigh heavily in defeat as he continued to fill out paperwork but I noticed him glancing upward to see who was interrupting his peace. I stifled a smirk as I watched Stiles skid to an abrupt stop in front of the desk, slamming his hands down on the top and he tilted his head to the side as he regarded the deputy without an ounce of concern.
"Hey, Parrish!"
"Nope."
"But you don't even - "
"Nope."
"But I just want to -"
"Not gonna happen."
Stiles made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat as he dragged his hand through his hair in distress and I bit lip to stop from laughing at his expression. I placed a calming hand on his arm, patting it once before pushing him to the side so I could take his place in front of the desk as I said, "Jordan, just a minute? It's important."
"Fine." The deputy agreed with a resigned sigh as he stood up from the desk and I grinned happily at Stiles' offended expression as we followed the older man back into the empty conference room so no one would overhear.
A blank expression settled over Jordan features as he leaned against the edge of the table with his arms crossed over his chest and I sat down on one of the chairs because I felt this was going to be a long conversation. Stiles stumbled into the room last, closing the door behind him and taking the time to turn the lock and shut all of the blinds so that no one could see inside. It might have seemed a tad paranoid but we were living in a precarious time so I let him be as he searched the room briefly for listening devices.
"So, hi. Hi. The thing is, Lydia - you know Lydia; cute, strawberry blonde, full of sass and cutting remarks - well, Lydia's is being held captive Eichen House against her will. We have proof that the doctors there are, well, let's say evil beyond compare. So, we're staging a prison break and you're helping." Stiles announces confidently as he set a set of keys down on the table top and he met Jordan's gaze unflinchingly with a solemn look that was foreign on features as he continued, "These are the keys to one of the morgues vans. Scott, Liam, Sophie and I are going to hide in body bags, gaining access through the morgue at Eichen. All you have to do is deliver our bodies."
That's the worst plan I've ever heard." Jordan responded cynically as he pushed the keys back across the table towards the younger boy and Stiles adopted a mildly offended look as he jerked his head back as though physically struck by the remark.
"Okay, the plan is perfect, and it'll work perfectly, especially if you agree to drive the van!"
"Is the Sheriff on board with this?"
"How do you think I got the keys?" Stiles asked in an offended tone of voice as he pushed the keys in question back towards the deputy and I leans forward rest my elbow on the table, my chin in my palm as I watched the proceedings like an interesting tennis match.
"I thought you stole them." Jordan answered incredulously with a slightly patronising tone as he raised an eyebrow at him and Stiles nodded with a shrug as if to say 'fair point' because it did have some validity.
"While that's a perfectly reasonable assumption, we did not steal them. And, we need you because all of the Eichen guards know all of the Sheriff's deputies, okay? We need a real deputy, and one who won't ask questions." I told him calmly with a shrug of my shoulders, drawing both of their attention to the fact that they weren't alone.
Jordan sighed heavily as he ran a hand down his face tiredly, exhaustion clinging to his expression and I frowned in concern for him as I tried to read him to see if he'd been sleeping at all since the night we spent together.
"It's not safe to bring me along. I'm dangerous." he stated quietly with reluctance, agony giving his voice a low gravely quality that caused me to shifted in my seat and I internally scolded myself for finding his pain arousing.
"So is the giant murdering werewolf that's killed over thirty people, but somehow didn't kill you..." Stiles trailed off with a pointed look as he waved a hand in the air, dismissing his concern as easily as swatting a gnat.
Pain flashed across the deputy's features at the reminder, nothing more than a twitch of his lips but it was easy enough to see if you were watching closely. I quickly stood up from my seat, drawing both of their attention as I walked over to stand next to stiles and I placed a hand on his arm as I whispered quietly, "Hey, Stiles, give us minute."
The human opened his mouth to argue that we didn't have time to wait but must have read something on my face because he snapped his mouth close and nodded once before exiting the conference room, glancing around like a secret agent as he slipped out. I rolled my eyes at his dramatic behaviour but couldn't help the small upturn of my lips as I locked the door behind him because I didn't trust him not to just walk in without knocking. A thump behind me indicated that Jordan had sat down, giving in to the exhaustion that clung to him like a second skin and my heart twinged in sympathy for his plight as I turned around to lean my back against the door.
The deputy had tilted his head back with his eyes closed as he slumped in his seat; it would almost look relaxing if it weren't for the tense set of his shoulders and the way his hands clenched into fists where they rested on his thigh. I sighed wearily as I slowly made my way towards him, feeling slightly guilty for involving him more in the supernatural but it was for the pack. It was for Lydia. There wasn't anything I wouldn't do for the pack.
A floorboard creaked underneath my weight as I sunk down to my knees in front of the older man, one hand rested on his thigh in silent support. His eyes flashed open at my touch, revealing pale green irises looking down at me with warmth I didn't want to name and his smile twitched into small smile as he threaded his fingers through mine.
"I know you're still acclimating to the supernatural, I do, and I want to be able to give you all the time you need, but we need you. Lydia is in danger and we can't do nothing. Even if it was non-life threatening, there's too many unknown variables in play to risk it." I told him solemnly with tears gathering in my eyes as I thought about my best friend and he frowned in sympathy as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I scoffed out a bitter chuckle as I shook my head slightly but cleared my throat as I continued, "We've made a sound plan. It's definitely better than our usual plans. Which, I mean, are not even plans. But even if things go wrong, I'm going to be there, so I can come up with something else on the spot. Jordan, I hate asking you to do this, but please. Please, do this for me? Or if not for me, than to save a girls life?"
"That was a nice speech. I was going to do it anyway, but it was a nice speech." he told me with a teasing smile on his lips, eyes shining with bushes tears as he reached out to cup my face with both hands. I chuckled in relief as he gently pulled me to my feet, guiding me to straddle his thighs with one leg on either of his as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he grinned crookedly as I pressed my lips against his in a passionate kiss.
A familiar warmth spread through my veins as I slid my arm further around his neck, affection and gratitude urging my movements as our lips together with a well practiced ease. Electricity buzzed across my skin as he settled his hands on my waist, always the gentleman, and I couldn't help smiling slightly against his lips at the thought; with all the evil beings slithering around in the shadows and the revelation that he was a member of the supernatural, Jordan was still being the honourable man he always has been.
It was comforting to have something solid to hold onto, to be able to rely on something. It was comforting to have someone there; someone to hold me when it became too much, someone to understand the pressure, someone to brighten the dark moments that seemed to eclipse our lives.
And in that moment, for that alone, I loved him