Hi. Sorry this chapter is late. I started typing it in July and finished it now. The thing is I was swamped with other stuff, but that's done now.
We finally get to see the mysterious man that was following Hogarth. We get to know his name and all.
I'd like to thank Nam Wasnaihc and V Elemecha V for the reviews. Much appreciated. :D I never thought this story would get noticed. ^_^
Anyways, enjoy chapter nine. I hope you're ready for chapter ten. :)
"That movie was so cool!," hooted Duncan.
"Yeah," commented Michael.
"I liked the part where they figured who the murderer was," quipped Hogarth. He looked into his coat pockets. "Right?"
"It sure was," said 9.
"That villain reminded me of the Chancellor," muttered 5, wringing his hands. "Had the same face, too."
"Eesh." Hogarth winced. "Well, it's a good thing the Chancellor from your world is dead, or, you know, you wouldn't be here and the war would never end."
5 shrank back in Hogarth's pocket before hiding inside.
It was the last day before of school. Tomorrow was Thanksgiving, and break would start. To celebrate, Hogarth and his friends went to the cinema. There was no homework to be done over break, tests were taken, whose grades would be given at the start of school the following week. All in all each of the boys was looking forward to their holiday break.
"My mom already started baking the pumpkin pie," said Hogarth, "she's going to start preparing the turkey tomorrow. I can't wait to pig out on the stuffing and the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce."
"It's too bad you guys don't eat," said Terrence, glancing down at Hogarth's coat. "You'd like the food we eat on Thanksgiving."
"And what kind of food does your family make?," queried 9.
"Well, uh," struggled Terrence, eyes moving from left to right.
"I like the caramel pie my mom makes," said Michael, saving Terrence the trouble of explaining his situation.
"Caramel?," said Duncan. "Doesn't she make pumpkin pie?"
"It's more traditional," quipped Hogarth.
"Who says we have to eat the exact same food every Thanksgiving?," retorted Michael.
Hogarth raised a brow. "Well, it's the food our ancestors ate."
"That doesn't mean we have to do it by their rules," replied Michael. "Besides, the same thing gets boring all the time. It's nice when we spice things up. Which reminds me, my mom's trying out a new recipe for a turkey..."
The four boys continued their stroll through town, all while discussing their plans. The cinema was ten blocks behind them. Everywhere they went, people were scrambling to get their shopping done with in time for tomorrow's holiday. The good thing, Hogarth thought, about this craze was that it only happened once a year.
Duncan's eyes flew over to the pie shop on their right. He planted his hands against the glass, eyes wide in wonder.
"Whoa," he uttered, "look at that one. Mmm. Apple."
"Sure looks good," commented Michael.
"I'm going to go in and get a slice," quipped Duncan. He looked over his shoulder. "You guys coming?"
"You just ate a bucket of popcorn at the cinema," reminded Terrence.
"Ah, I need something to hold me over until dinnertime," dismissed Duncan. He waddled over to the entrance, the bell over the door ringing when he entered.
9 poked his head out of Hogarth's coat pocket.
"How can he eat so much?," he queried rhetorically, arching a brow.
"If you ask me," said Hogarth, peeking at him from the corner of his eye, "he'll probably get a bad case of indigestion. Always happens."
9 had no idea of what this metabolic phenomena was, but he shrugged his shoulders, and hid back inside his pocket.
On the left pocket, 4 poked her head, optics flickering in curiosity. Her optics moved from the parked cars to the shop signs on her right. She continued surveying the town when something caught her attention. In the alley between here and the shop next to it, stood a man dressed in a black trench coat over a smoky gray suit with a matching black fedora. The man's gray eyes bored into her small optics, or rather, she realized, at Hogarth. She glanced up, flickering to him in the hopes that the man wouldn't notice her. Michael turned over and saw 4 trying to get Hogarth's attention.
"Oh hey," said Michael, "I think she wants to tell you something." He pointed at Hogarth's pocket. Hogarth looked down, 4's flickering becoming incessant.
"What is it?," he asked. 4 pointed to the alley. Hogarth looked at the alley, eyes squinting. Standing there was a man. Hogarth recognized that man. That was the man he saw at the art show last week. What was he doing here? And more importantly, who was he? The way the man looked at him let Hogarth know he would like to have a talk with him. Hogarth didn't want to, but the sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could leave this situation behind.
"I, uh," said Hogarth, "I got to go."
"Okay," said Michael.
"See ya," quipped Terrence.
"Yeah." Hogarth shrugged and walked over to the alley. The minute he stepped into the alley, the minute he felt a rush of anxiety envelop him like a storm cloud. The man's gaze hardened, like he could see into his soul. Or like he knew about what he was hiding in his coat. Hogarth got ready to make an escape if things got out of hand.
"I saw you at the art show," said Hogarth as a starter.
"Yeah," he replied. His voice was deep, silvery. He sounded baritone. It reminded Hogarth of the ones in the heroes in those movies he watched. "Congratulations on winning, by the way."
"I didn't plan on winning," retorted Hogarth, eyebrows scrunching together. He tried to look brave in front of him. He could feel every fiber of him shiver. An alarm in his head told him to get out of there before it was too late. "Who are you?"
"My name is Elias Wolfe," said the man, "I'm a special agent sent here from D.C."
"D.C.?" mused Hogarth, "Agent?"
"That's right," said Elias.
"Why are you here? Did the general send you?"
"Let's take a walk," said Elias, "I can tell you on the way."
The two walked down the alley, only they weren't back the way Hogarth came, but rather, they were heading toward the other street. Patting his pocket, Hogarth felt he should've given the stitchpunks to his friends. It was too late for that now.
Hogarth and Elias emerged out of the alley and crossed the street. They continued down the left path, passing a post office, the drugstore, a fabric store and a flower shop. They crossed the street, and kept traipsing straight ahead.
"So," uttered Hogarth, "your reason for being here?" He tried to sound impatient, but he couldn't help it. Elias seemed to be the type that didn't tolerate childishness. Either that, or Hogarth was trying too hard to read into his behavior.
"Right," said Elias. He cleared his throat. "You see, I was sent here about a month ago on an ongoing investigation."
"An investigation?"
"Yeah."
"About...the Giant?," offered Hogarth.
"You could say that," quipped Elias, glimpsing at him from the corner of his eye. "But also...something else. Well, someone else."
"Who?"
"You remember a...Kent Mansley?"
At the mention of that name, Hogarth saw flashes of Kent blooming in his head. Each of them he saw through hate-filled eyes. And he hated Kent Mansley to this day.
"Yeah, I know him," replied Hogarth casually, "but you don't have to worry about him since he's dead—"
Elias stopped in his tracks, taking Hogarth by surprise, causing the boy to stop walking, too.
"Hogarth, Kent Mansley isn't dead," said Elias firmly.
The illusion of Kent being dead was shattered like a broken window. Kent Mansley was alive. But where was was he? Was he here in Rockwell? Was he somewhere else?
"But," said Hogarth, teetering between staying calm and panicking, "last I heard, Kent was going to get the death penalty."
"He was," retorted Elias, "that was the plan when he got back to D.C.. But on the day that he was suppose to be executed he fought the guards and escaped."
A cold rush enveloped him like he were dipped in ice water.
"Come on," said Elias. Hogarth knew he wanted to keep walking, so he followed him. Actually, this walk will help him clear his mind.
A gentle fall of autumn leaves rained past them. A group of children consisted of two boys and two girls rushed past Hogarth and Elias in the opposite direction.
"Where has Mansley been?," queried Hogarth, as to keep the conversation going.
"Lots of places," responded Elias automatically. "Before I came along, he was tracked down as far as Arizona."
"Wow," retorted Hogarth, raising a brow, "Arizona? Where was he before then?"
"After escaping," began Elias, "the agent before me, Clark Beckett, tracked him down to North Carolina. Beckett tracked him down for almost two years. He would've continued on, if..."
"If?," uttered Hogarth.
Elias paused. "There was...an accident. The burners in the house were turned on, and Beckett couldn't make it out in time." He looked away. Whatever emotion he was feeling, he wasn't going to give it away to Hogarth for fear of looking unprofessional in front of the boy.
"I'm sorry," said Hogarth. He didn't know whether to pat Elias' shoulder or not. Whether or not Elias liked being touched was up to Hogarth, but in the end the boy moved his hand away.
Elias looked back at Hogarth. To the boy's surprise, Elias was not crying. Hogarth didn't know why he expected the man to cry; it was the normal reaction to losing someone. Perhaps Elias no longer had any tears to shed. Hogarth did not know what to comment.
"Well," said Elias, "after Beckett's passing another agent stepped up. Gerard Knowles." He shoved his hands into his pockets, huffing a breath, which Hogarth could see. It was definitely winter. "An experienced agent, tough as nails. He picked up where Beckett left off. Evidence showed that Mansley was no longer in North Carolina and had moved on elsewhere.
"His next stop: Georgia. Knowles spent the past up year following Mansley around. From Georgia he followed him to Arkansas. And from there Tennessee. The last spot Knowles tracked him was in Kentucky, and from there Knowles lost track of him. After that, Knowles was reaching retirement, and as soon as he left, the task was left to me." Elias stopped from there. He kept his gaze on the sidewalk, gray eyes staring intensely. Something was brewing in his mind, and Hogarth wanted to know what laid inside his mind.
"And?," uttered Hogarth.
Elias breathed in a sigh. "I wasn't too thrilled about coming here." The way he said it, told Hogarth that he was honest in his proclamation. "While Beckett and Knowles were keeping tabs on Mansley, I was tracking down a drug ring down in Miami. After singlehandedly taking down the drug lord and his lackeys by myself, I was promoted. My assignment was to come here and keep an eye on you and track down Mansley, that is, if he really is here."
"Are you sure?," asked Hogarth.
"There's another reason why I'm here, Hogarth," quipped Elias. "Same reason for what you're hiding in your pockets."
Hogarth stopped in his tracks, brow arched. Elias glanced down at his coat pockets. With people walking past him and Elias, and with nowhere to turn, there was no reason to lie to him.
"You...you know?"
"I saw them when you were talking to your backpack," replied Elias. The way he said it was like he were announcing the news. "You can't fool me, Hogarth. I know a lot more than you can handle."
"Like what?"
"The dead animals in the forest."
Hogarth looked down at the ground. He found the remains of the Ursa. Did he also find the remains of the Lizard?
"I know," said Elias, he continued walking.
"Wait," said Hogarth.
"There are some things the Pentagon won't expose to the everyday civilian." Elias cleared his throat. "Because some things shouldn't be dealt with. When Kent Mansely escaped the general did a routine search and found out some thing went missing. A blueprint to build a portal. A gateway to other worlds."
Alternate worlds.
"And it looks like he succeeded," said Elias.
"But," spoke Hogarth, "Mansley, he couldn't have built the portal himself. I mean, between you and me, I don't think he has the—"
"Why do you think scientists exists to build that stuff for you?" Elias looked over his shoulder. Hogarth blanched. "Mansley probably kidnapped these brilliant minds and forced them to do his dirty work, threatened them if they fought back."
"God," uttered Hogarth. "But why? Why is Mansley doing this?"
"After the Giant sacrificed himself," explained Elias, "he couldn't accept the fact that he was wrong. The Giant was proof that life outside our planet exists. If life outside our planet exists, then it must exist in someplace else. If not in any planet of our solar system, then the other explanation is in a parallel reality."
Parallel worlds. Alternate realities. The world the stitchpunks came from was a darker version of Hogarth's world. How long had Mansley been planning this? Was he planning on showing the general and hope to get his old job back?
"May I?," quipped Elias. He motioned to Hogarth's coat pockets. The boy let out a sigh and patted his pocket.
"It's okay, guys," he said.
9 poked his head out, optics blinking. He noticed Elias and instantly showed fear towards him. Next to him, 5 took a look and shrank back at the sight of the new person they were exposed to. On the right pocket, the twins peeked out, optics flickering.
Elias' gaze bored into the stitchpunks'. To the stitchpunks, it felt like he was staring into their souls. The man didn't know what to comment about them. The stares were comment enough.
"They're stuck here," said Hogarth.
"I can see that," replied Elias. "The result of opening doors to other worlds."
"They told me," began Hogarth, "that they fell into a river in their own world. And when they surfaced they found themselves in my world."
"The portal, when it was powered up, must've opened up organic portals in something as simple as a river."
"Is that like magic, or something?," queried Hogarth.
"I'm a skeptic when it comes to magic," retorted Elias, "but I like to keep an open mind. I believe in science, and I believe in what it can do. But sometimes, some things science can do shouldn't be tampered with." He turned his gaze from Hogarth to the stitchpunks. The four didn't say a word. None of them found the gall to speak.
"Where do you think Mansley's doing these things?," asked Hogarth.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," remarked Elias. He looked the boy squarely in the eyes. "Do you know a place where Mansley might go, so he can conduct these experiments undisturbed?"
Hogarth taxed his mind. He remembered something he heard years ago. Mansley mentioned there was a fallout shelter. That's when it clicked.
"There," he uttered, "there was this shelter Mansley told the general. Back when...the missile."
Elias blinked. "Do you know where it is?"
"No," replied Hogarth. In all the times he's been here, he's never seen the fallout shelter that Mansley brought up. He knew it had to be somewhere far from town. But where?
"That's all right," said Elias. He looked over his shoulder. The sun was making its way to slumber and make way for the night. There was still some tints gold mixed with pink and purple.
"Hey," said Hogarth. Elias looked at him. "What do you know about the Giant? Did you hear the—"
"I did," answered Elias. "And you might want to hear that the general had his top agents keep tabs on him."
"And?"
"Well, he's not in Siberia anymore, and searching for footprints isn't too much of a problem since he is, well, you know, a giant. But with the frequent storms pulling in, it kinda makes it hard to search."
Hogarth looked at anything but Elias' eyes. The way Elias looked at him made Hogarth feel bad about himself, like he'd done something wrong. It didn't help that Elias looked like he was angry all the time. Hogarth just met the man, but something told him that if he saw Elias smile he'd feel even more uneasy.
"I know you want him to come back, Hogarth," uttered Elias. The boy was broken out of his thoughts, blooming his eyes to catch what Elias said. "It'd be great if he came back. But until then, he's currently roaming the earth. Why do you think that is?"
"Um, to avoid what happened last time?," guessed Hogarth.
"That might be part of it," said Elias appreciatively. "But, and this is just my opinion, I think he's traveling the world to help others who need him. Not him, but his help."
Hogarth raised a brow. "That's a...noble thing to do." In his pockets, the stitchpunks also agreed with him.
"Well," spoke Elias, tugging at the insides of his pocket, "this is all I can offer." He turned around, the glanced over his shoulder. "I'm heading over for a cup of joe. You want to come along? My treat."
Standing here, wondering whether to stay or follow him, Hogarth felt like an invisible gun were pointing at his head. He gulped and closed his eyes.
"Yes," he said, opening his eyes.
"All right," he pointed with his head, signaling to walk with him.
Hogarth and Elias crossed the street. With anxiety lacing him, Hogarth didn't know what to think of him. He had just him, but he couldn't trust him. The stitchpunks had been silent throughout this whole conversation, but he knew they wouldn't want him to trust him right away. It would take days before Hogarth could consider this man an ally. For the moment, he was going to do his best to gain Elias' trust.
It would be the smart thing to do.
Thanksgiving.
Hogarth gazed out the window at the setting sun. His mother spent the entire day prepping for the upcoming dinner. Beside him on the window seat, the four stitchpunks stood by him. They expressed worry over him. The talk from yesterday left them with so many questions. But the core of the problem was finding out Kent Mansley was alive and still lurking about. And near.
Hogarth spent the last three years thinking he was dead. Why hadn't the general warned him first? He could've dealt with Mansley years ago. He could've gotten Mansely arrested and executed, make it easier on him and the general...and for his family.
The question about where the fallout shelter was kept creeping into his head. Was it in the forest? Of course it was. But why hadn't Hogarth ever seen it? Of all the times Hogarth's been to the forest, he'd never seen trace of a shelter. His first thought was that the shelter was located further in the deeper parts of the forest. With Hogarth's usual spots being the lake, the power plant and his usual biking trail, this just proved how unschooled he was with the unexplored parts of the forest. Then Hogarth wondered if the shelter's door was camouflaged. He could've trot passed it and not know it. That could be possible.
After what Elias told him, he wanted to seek out the shelter. But how could he do it without his parents knowing? Telling them would be the right thing to do, but then having to tell them about Kent Mansley would be cause for alarm. Hogarth knew for sure that his mother wouldn't let him go anywhere near any shelter much less even think of letting him. And Dean wasn't going to let him go out of his way to search for someone he thought was deal with.
This was an argument he didn't want to go through. Hogarth let it slide.
Sighing, he pushed all that back into the dark corners of his mind, and focused instead on the upcoming dinner. The smell of food from downstairs wafted into Hogarth's room. Dinner would be served any time now. Hogarth was dressed in a blue long-sleeved dress shirt with a black vest over it, khaki pants and brown dress shoes.
Dean's parents would be coming over for dinner. They were driving in from all the way from Rhode Island. Hogarth saw them at his and Annie's wedding. Dean's father had the same hair as him, only his eyes, unlike Dean's, were green. The mother was a blonde and had the same eyes as her son. Hogarth hated how she pinched his cheeks the first moment she saw him, insisting he'd call her "Granny Thelma." Hogarth was hoping she'd not pinch his cheeks this time. He liked Dean's father, Malcolm. He was the complete opposite of Dean: light colors, fairness but also stern. He and his wife weren't wealthy, that Hogarth knew. They were middle upper class.
"What do you guys think of Elias?," asked Hogarth.
"He," said 5 nervously, "he seemed all right."
"Really?"
"No," admitted 5. "In fact, he scared me. I don't know what it was, but he really frightened me. He's so...disarmingly stern. The stares alone are enough to impede a mountain. He would've brought the B.R.A.I.N. down with just his gaze."
"Sheesh." Hogarth's eyes protruded.
"He's really...," trailed 9, "something. Unapproachable. But he means well."
Hogarth doubted it. But from what he picked up, Elias was reluctant in his mission. He didn't want to be here, and Hogarth returned the sentiment. But he could count on him whenever he had news on the Giant or Kent Mansley. Just learning that the Giant was no longer in Siberia drove Hogarth's imagination wild. The Giant could be anywhere, and that's what he loved about imagining it. He could be somewhere far, or someplace close. What Elias said, about the Giant possibly helping others. It might be true. He saved that explorer in Siberia. He saved him, but the explorer didn't see him. Not fully, anyway. Why does the Giant not want to be seen? Everybody knew about him. Was it to distill some kind of mysteriousness in himself, or to leave the ones he rescued speculating? Did he plan on making himself a living legend? Hogarth knew the Giant better than anyone. The idea of becoming a living legend didn't sound like the Giant. Maybe it was thrown at someone else but the Giant? Hogarth saw him as more of a vigilante than a savior. Was the Giant a savior or a vigilante?
After schooling him in the importance of a soul, the consequences of killing and teaching him right from wrong, Hogarth still came to the conclusion that the Giant was who he chose to be. And the Giant chose to be a friend to those in need.
"Hogarth?," spoke 9.
"Huh?" Hogarth looked down at 9 and at 5 and the twins. Their gazes showed confusion mixed with worry and hints of trepidation.
"Are you okay?," queried 9.
"Yeah," he said, planting a palm to his face, "I'm okay."
Hogarth and the stitchpunks continued looking out the window. In the distance, two headlights appeared. Hogarth didn't need to go outside to know that it was Dean's parents coming.
"Hogarth!," called Annie from downstairs. "Come down! Dinner's ready."
"Coming, Mom!," shouted Hogarth. He looked at the stitchpunks and told them, "Well, I've got to go down there; Dean's parents are coming."
"Have fun with your family," said 5. The twins nodded at him.
"Thanks." Hogarth was about to leave when he tore back and crouched back on the floor, resting his elbows on the window seat. "Hey, as far as I'm concerned, you guys are also part of my family."
"That's sweet of you to say," commented 9.
"I'll say," said 5.
3 and 4 exchanged a few comments, through flickers, before facing Hogarth and flickering to him.
"Want me to translate?," offered 5.
"No," decline Hogarth, "I think I know what they're saying."
"Tell us," encouraged 9.
"They're saying," said Hogarth, raising a brow, "that family comes in many forms. That it's...the bonds that makes them family."
9 looked over at the twins. "That's really impressive."
3 and 4 turned around and flickered a thank you to him.
Laughter resonated from downstairs. Hogarth knew it that Dean's parents were here. He had to go down there.
"I have to go," he said to the stitchpunks. "I'll be back later."
"All right," said 5.
"Have fun down there," commented 9.
"Will do," retorted Hogarth, looking over his shoulder.
Hogarth left the door slightly opened, so they could hear the conversation downstairs despite not being able to be there presently. They recognized Dean's voice, and a female voice that was not Annie's voice. It must've been Hogarth's step-grandmother. Then they heard Hogarth saying hello to her. There was another male voice. The grandfather, the twins deduced. Even though what the twins told Hogarth was true, they desperately wanted to return to 7's arms, and spend time drawing with 6, and listen to stories from 2 and even watching 8 spar with 7. They even missed 1.
9 and 5 also missed doing those things. Until they were able to find a way back home, their home, for the most part, was here.
What Elias said, they hoped it was true. Was there really a portal somewhere that would take them back home? They hoped he was right. And facing the mysterious Kent Mansley would be their next danger since the B.R.A.I.N..
What came next, the four stitchpunks didn't know. And that's what scared them most.
How was that? ^u^ I put my all into this chapter. And I loved every minute of it. Sorry if this chapter is lacking, I started working on it two days ago. And I can't believe it took me that long.
Elias sure is quite the character. But he just has that way of making you mistrust him. Hehehe. I wonder what the next chapter will be like. And Kent Mansley isn't dead. Huh, I could've sworn he was.
Look out for chapter ten.