Chapter 13:

The whirring of the fan buzzed overhead as the employee hunched over the towels and hummed a tune to go with it. She folded the towels quickly and deliberately since she was very good at what she did.

Just as she'd finished folding the last towel and placing it on the cart, Ember froze when the door burst open.

"Ember!" the man snapped. "Karen's been attacked!"

Ember jolted to attention, and her companion went on. "We should look around for the attacker before anyone else becomes a victim!"

Ember nodded vigorously, abandoning the towels and following the other into the employees' quarters.

Karen was calming down with a cup of tea when the thudding of footsteps sounded behind her.

"Karen! Describe your attacker!"

Karen almost choked on her tea in surprise. "Sully!?" she turned around, seeing her fellow employees standing there. She sighed. "Oh, you two. Sully, Ember, I'm okay. It was just...it was just my brain playing tricks on me,"

"Oh," Sully shifted on his feet, clearly embarrassed but unwilling to admit it. "W-well, someone has to protect you from your brain!"

Karen couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course," she reached up and patted Ember's head. "I'm glad you care, though,"

"Karen? Hon?" David entered the room, clutching a clipboard. "You can go home if ya want. It's well into the evening-"

"It's fine," Karen waved him off, setting her tea down. "I can finish up here,"

David turned his attention to the other two. "Ember, did ya finish those towels?"

Ember shook her head, mumbling something in response and turning to leave.

"And Sully- the vending machine on the fifth floor needs a tune-up,"

Sully huffed. "Stupid machine always needs something! I bet it's foreign, made in China,"

As Sully wandered away while muttering about foreign machines, Karen waited for him to get out of earshot, and she sighed. "How much longer, David?"

"Just until I can find someone who knows what they're doin'," David assured. "But, hey, they've made a lot of progress! Ember doesn't wear that dirty old mask as much, and Sully doesn't rattle off about fightin' in wars from hundreds of years ago, so they're comin' along..." he trailed off, seeing the look on Karen's face. "You okay, Karen?"

Karen stared ahead into nothing for a few seconds, and then cleared her throat. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine," she rose from her chair, setting her teacup to the side. "I should probably go to the front desk,"

"Okay," David started to pick up the floor.

Karen paused in the doorway, and she turned to look at David. "David?"

"Yeah?"

She bit her lip, rocking uneasily. "I don't like what we've been doing,"

David tilted his head. "Huh?"

"We're keeping a terrorist organization here," Karen's voice was low. "We've committed treason,"

There was a pause, and David went back to what he was doing. "It's this or getting blow up, sweetheart,"

Karen pursed her lips together, and she removed her glasses from her pocket with a flick of her wrist, sliding them up the bridge of her nose before pushing the door open.

Sully dragged the toolbox closer to him as he knelt beside the vending machine, grumbling, "What's the problem now, stupid machine? Ah...I see,"

As he fiddled with the machine, the elevator doors opened. Scout stepped out, walking past the vending machine while looking at his phone.

"Hey, Soldier," he greeted without looking up.

Sully froze, and he turned around. Scout realized what he had said, and he slowed to a stop. He glanced over his shoulder, and they made eye contact.

"Soldier!" Scout shoved his phone into his pocket and jogged to the vending machine. "I was wonderin' if I'd find ya! How are you..." he trailed off, becoming aware of the situation. "Wait...you probably don't remember me,"

"Scout!" Soldier barked suddenly, standing up. "No, no, I remember,"

"Ya do? That's great!" Scout reached over and grabbed the other man's hand while intending to shake it, yet he was pleasantly surprised when Soldier just squeezed his hand warmly. Scout took a moment to look Soldier up and down. "Do you...work here?"

Soldier gave a curt nod. "Yes! I do,"

"Okay! I'm just kinda surprised. You don't seem like the hotel type- no offense,"

"It wasn't my choice," Soldier explained. "I got saddled with Engie and Pyro, but of course they don't know who they are-"

Scout cut in. "Whoa, whoa, wait! Slow down- I knew Engie was here, but Pyro? How'd you all end up here? I gotta know!"

Soldier quickly set his tools down, beckoning Scout to some chairs by the window. "Sit! Let's talk about it,"

Once Scout was seated, Soldier gave a brief backstory: "I got put in a crazy home two years back, because I remembered, see? They couldn't handle me! Anyway, I met Engie and Pyro there, and I knew who they were but they didn't know me. Engie got let out first, got a job here and they came back for us and made us work here,"

"Crazy home?" Scout muttered aloud. "Oh! Like a group home?"

"Yes!"

"Why was Engie there?"

Soldier shrugged. "I don't know. Pyro can't talk that well and she set fires at her community college, but Engie's a mystery,"

There was a pause as Scout processed this information. "Pyro's a she!?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too,"

"How'd you know it was her?"

Soldier only laughed. "Seriously? She couldn't talk and they locked her up for setting fires. How'd you think I knew?"

Scout chuckled back. "Yeah...that makes sense," he had another thought, and asked, "What made you remember everything?"

"I..." Soldier rocked back and forth, wringing his hands. After a moment, he admitted, "I woke up one day and knew," he straightened up, getting bolder. "And I realized I always knew! I didn't belong in that factory with those men, I belonged back on the battlefield!"

"Yeah, ya do, pal!" Scout cheered on. "Factory? That ain't you!"

"It sure isn't!" Soldier leaped up, jumping on the chair. "What are you doing these days, kid!?"

Scout yelled back, "Just uncoverin' government secrets an' shit!"

"You gonna let me in on those secrets, boy!?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Scout jumped to his feet and saluted, playing along.

Just then, a buzzing sound came from a device on Soldier's belt, and a familiar voice came through. "Sully, what's all the yellin'!? I just got a complaint through the system!"

"Shut up!" Soldier shouted at the device.

Scout giggled, gesturing. "Lemme see that," Soldier handed him the device, and Scout took it. "Hey...Engineer?"

"Wh-? Sully, who is that!? Do I have to come up there!?"

"Yeah!" Scout snickered. "I-I need a dispenser, here!"

Soldier howled with laughter as the device switched off. "He's gonna be pissed!"

"Yeah, yeah," Scout turned his attention to the vending machine. "Does that work? I want some Cheetos,"

"Hang on!" Soldier jumped down from the chair and went to the toolbox, poking something into the gears. The machine suddenly whirred to life, lighting up, and Soldier gave an affirmative nod. "Yep!"

Scout grinned, fishing out his wallet. "Cool! Thanks, bud,"

A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened once more. David strode out, a look of annoyance written across his face.

"You better have a mighty fine excuse for your behavior, Sully," David growled.

"Hey, don't talk to him like that!" Scout jumped in, shoving some Cheetos in his mouth. "He ain't your kid!"

David turned to glare at Scout. "And who are you-" he shook his head. "You know what? It doesn't matter. C'mon, Sully, your shift's over for the night,"

"I'll decide when my shift's over, Engineer!" Soldier fired back, and David groaned.

"Oh, God, not this again," he grabbed Soldier by the arm. "Let's get you medicated-"

"He ain't crazy!" Scout pursued the two as David ushered Soldier to the elevator. "I remember all those same things, and so can you! If you would just listen-"

David whirled around, giving a fierce glare right before the doors closed. "I'm gonna have you out of this place by mornin' if you don't piss off,"

The doors shut, and Scout sighed, defeated. "Damn...so close,"

Soldier wouldn't pipe down, even as David briskly escorted him to the employees' quarters. "You have no right, Engie! Unhand me, now!"

"It's gonna be all right," David grabbed a water bottle off of the table and a case of pills, shaking a pill into his hand. "Here: take your pill,"

"No," Soldier snapped back. "No more pills!"

"Sully," David gritted his teeth, trying not to lose his temper. "You need your medication,"

David tried to offer Soldier the pill, but Soldier refused, crossing his arms. "Get that out of my face, maggot!"

"Sully!" David yelled suddenly, slamming his fist on the table. "Do you not understand!? Do you want to be sent back to the home!?"

"No!" Soldier shouted back.

"No, you don't understand!?"

"No!"

"No, what!?"

Soldier grabbed the pill out of David's hand, flinging it across the room. "No!"

The pill landed on the carpet, and there was a long silence. Soldier flopped down on the couch, curling up and covering his face.

David sighed, sitting beside him. "Sorry, buddy. Look, I know it ain't easy, but you're bein' very brave,"

"Of course I'm brave," muttered Soldier.

David chuckled, leaning down and retrieving the pill. "I know you are. Here," he handed him the pill and the water bottle. "You'll feel better after this,"

Soldier reluctantly popped the pill into his mouth, sipping the water. David smiled at him. "Good, lemme get you somethin' to eat, hm? You must be starving,"

As David stood up and went to the door, Soldier turned around and spit the pill into the trashcan without him seeing.

David walked into the kitchen, rooting around in the cabinets. "Heya, Ember," he greeted the young woman at the kitchen counter. "Have you eaten yet, hon?"

Ember did not respond, and she didn't even look at him. David turned towards her, shutting the cabinet door. "Ember?"

She was staring up at something on the wall, her eyes wide with fear. David's brow furrowed, his vision slowly trailing up to what she was looking at.

He nearly fell backward in shock.

Upon the wall, there was a painting of a boy drinking a milkshake. It had always been there, ever since David had begun working there, but something was very wrong with it: the eyes were dripping with blood and the milkshake had gone from pink to dark red.

David took a moment to collect himself, and he leaned down to talk to Ember. "You see that, too?"

Ember nodded, a small whine escaping her lips. David breathed in deeply, straightening up and hesitantly reaching out to touch the blood. It was fake, right? It had to be.

Oh...it wasn't. It was very real. David stared at the blood staining his finger, and then back at the painting. "Who...?"

Instantly, blood splashed from the painting like a wave, bursting forth and coating David. Ember let out a shriek of horror as David collapsed on his back.

David coughed, struggling to his feet and motioning for Ember to get away. "G-go! Go get help!"

Ember dashed away, and David wiped the blood from his eyes and mouth just in time to hear Ember cry out again. His head jerked up, and he was met with the sight of a tall, dark figure grabbing Ember's arm and holding her favorite comfort item, an old gas mask, right over her head.

"You dropped this, Pyro," the figure was saying to her.

David acted quickly. "Leave her alone!" he snatched up a meat cleaver, throwing it in the figure's direction, only to have the stranger seemingly vanish.

The knife clattered to the floor, along with the gas mask, and Ember fell to her knees, her chest heaving as she sobbed. David trembled, looking down at his hands to see that all the blood was gone. He took a moment to glance at the picture, seeing that it was back to normal.

"Ember," he murmured finally, kneeling down and putting his arms around her. "Embie, it's okay, baby, it's all over,"

Ember's sobs simmered down into a whimper, and she reached for her mask. She paused for a moment, waiting for David to stop her, and when he didn't she slipped the mask over her head.

Normally, David tried to get Ember to refrain from wearing that ratty old mask. She'd found it during a visit to the antique store a year earlier, and she hadn't parted with it since. She always seemed to get breakouts or blemishes on her skin whenever she wore it, so David tried in vain to get her to stop the habit. Yet...as he lay on the floor with her, comforting her, he had an understanding that she must wear it. It was part of who she really was.

She pressed against his shoulder, and he patted her back. "You're okay, sweetie,"

"What happened!?" Karen came running in, pausing at the scene before her. "Did something happen to Ember?"

"Um..." David took a breath, glancing down at the sobbing girl on his lap and then back up at Karen. "I should...probably ask you about somethin',"

A few floors up, Scout entered the hotel room and announced, "Everyone's here! All we need is Medic, and-" he paused, seeing Spy, Demo, and Sniper all sitting around with concerned expressions on their faces. "...is everything okay?"

"The good news is," Spy began slowly, rising up. "We've found Medic,"

"Really!?" Scout's voice pitched with excitement. "That's-!"

"You'd better sit down," Sniper advised quietly. "This isn't a good thing,"

Scout slowly lowered himself down on the bed, his heart beginning to sink. "What?"

Spy paced around, all eyes on him, waiting for him to break the bad news. "Scout, do you remember when we would watch those True Crime shows?"

Scout scoffed. "How could I forget?"

"And do you remember the Adel Heinz case?"

"Adel Heinz..." Scout's brow creased as he winced at the memory. "Oh, yeah...that guy! He was the, uh, the medical student who killed his family-"

The realization struck Scout like a rock smashing a window, and he went silent. His mind went blank, and he couldn't speak.

"He gets executed in two days," Spy's voice faltered, and he made a move towards Scout. "Dylan, I'm sorry-"

Scout whirled around and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Spy hovered near the door, and he put his hands over his face. "Oh, God..."

"Maybe we can get to him in time," Demo tried to sound hopeful, but the other two weren't paying him any attention.

Hope seemed impossible.

Hey, everyone! Sorry, this chapter's kinda short, but I thought I'd get an update out before I had to do family stuff this weekend.

Anyway, I hope you've all been enjoying this so far! I've worked very hard on it, so thank you all for showing your support with your reviews, favorites and follows.

Feedback is very much appreciated!