Chapter 2 - Whispers

(Edited 02/04/2020)

K:[Sibling]
"Sister?"

S:[Acknowledgement]
"Yes?"

K:[Creator]
"I think I saw my mother today."

S:[Thinker]
"Eden?"

K:[Negation]
"No. I know she's gone."

K:[Mother]
"My mother…before."

S:[Memories]
"Ah. You are starting to recall."

K:[Affirmation]
"Yeah."

S:[Path]
"What do you want to do?"

K:[Hesitation]

K:[Remember]
"I…I want to remember."

Saint shifted uneasily as another faint whisper of sound passed through the Dragonslayer's base. It had started earlier in the night, only occasionally at first but with increasing frequency as the sun fell fully below the sky. The others had been alarmed at first, checking the security feeds and defences but eventually concluded that Saint was just being paranoid.

Even Mags had given up and left for bed, sighing fondly at him, however Geoff couldn't bring himself to sleep while he was so on edge and instead settled for watching the stream of Dragon's consciousness roll by on his monitor.

It was soothing, in a way, the lines of code and inner thoughts keeping him settled. Mostly. He had almost nodded off when the sound happened again, louder this time, enough so that he could vaguely guess where it was coming from. He rose, hooking the strap of his rifle around his shoulders and began a slow, measured walk in the right direction. Another whisper, this time seeming more like a hissing. He brought the gun up and sighted as he spun round the corner, but the hallway was empty.

Despite that his unease grew, feeling like there was something very wrong with what he was seeing. Saint continued forward, boots making a faint clomping sound on the metal, disturbing the thin layer of dust on the floor. Another corner, another sharp movement, but still he saw nothing.

Then, quick as lightning, a small flicker in the corner of his eye. It had looked like the tail of a snake disappearing into a dark room on the right. He frowned, knowing the lights should have been on. A quick tap on the communication device all the Dragonslayers carried and the comms line opened up. He tapped out a simple rhythm, hoping that at least one of the others was awake enough to hear and begin prepping the rest of his team.

Saint almost flinched when the light came back on suddenly, although he managed to make no noise, and after a quick breath he slid next to the door, waiting for whoever was inside to come out. A minute passed like that, then two, before his nerve broke. He turned, weapon raised and sighted into the almost empty room.

There was a layer of dark brown sand a good two foot thick inside, evenly spread and, somehow, not falling out into the corridor. A glance up revealed a smooth borehole in the ceiling. Saint had no time to process this before the sand lunged towards him, covering his mouth and entombing his body. He was yanked around, and if he were free to move in any way he would've frozen, because he came face to mask with the youngest Endbringer. Khepri half crouched in the hallway, too tall to properly fit. She was also very close to him, enough that were he not mindless with terror he would also be incredibly uncomfortable.

She reached out to him, turning his head from side to side, green eyes weighing him. Her eyes were slit, like a cats, he noted absently, hysteria having looped back around to serenity. He was unsure of what she was looking for, but as the sand poured into his lungs and eyes he knew that she had not found it. The power to the lights was cut, and each member of the Dragonslayers was stalked and hunted down in the darkness, one by one.

Khepri stood before the main console watching Dragon. A measured turn of her head brought her attention to the laptop nearby, and streams of thin sand crawled into place to operate it. The computer was already logged in, and so it took little time to bring up google and begin her searches. Topics flicked by as fast as the pages would load. Endbringer attacks, S-Class threats, Scion, Eidolon, Alexandria. Brockton Bay, their protectorate team. Writ. She paused for a while then. The Undersiders. Coil. The Undersiders. Another pause. Danny Hebert.

Mentioned in a newspaper, a lawyer, his daughter and her friend were attacked. The friend died. Taylor Hebert. The same. Emma Barnes.

A final pause, far longer than the rest.

Annette Hebert.

The sand stilled.

"Mom?"