Axel found himself sitting at a diner eating scrambled eggs and sausage while waiting for Helen to come back from wherever it is she disappeared to. She walked back into the diner carrying the local paper, sat across from him, and proceeded to read it. Axel just looked at her expectantly.
"I found two sets of footprints and signs of a struggle, if that's what you wondering." Helen didn't look up from the paper.
Axel merely nodded. "That's probably why I was only able to pick up one person." Axel leaned forward slightly and rested his arms on the table. "My biggest question is what we're going to do when we come across the 'competition'."
"Currently, there really is no way we can account for what will happen when the time comes. I suggest we be vigil and wait until we get there." She briefly looked up from the paper before returning to it.
Axel wondered who else could be going after the 'abnormals', as Helen liked to call them. He wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable going after them as well, his only reassurance being that with Helen, he knew they wouldn't be killed unless necessary and would be well cared for. Axel didn't like killing, he believed in the preservation of life. But he knew that if he had to, that if push comes to shove, he wouldn't hesitate to kill, as it was his nature to fiercely guard those near to him and that of which is asked.
"Apparently there has been a significant drop in the deer population at Olmos Park, as well as multiple instances of dead animals turning up in the surrounding area. I think it would be prudent if we took a look into it, how about you?" It may have been a rhetorical question but Helen still looked at him like she was expecting an answer.
"Let me just pay for this. Where is Olmos Park anyway?" Axel pushed his plate aside and signaled the waitress who was tending to a patron.
"It's roughly a ten minute drive from here. In the mean time," Helen pulled out her phone "Henry, I need you to 'look' into any of the recent police reports and send anything that raises any flags."
Padding with an innate stealth down the hall to the lab, Bo wasn't sure what she was going to find. The last time she walked into the lab, was amidst nurses moving frantically, tending to the injured. Now, as she neared the lab doors, she took tentative steps because if she was honest with herself, she was more than a little nervous to see Lauren. When she finally walked in the lab she saw Lauren sitting at a desk making notes in a folder, presumably the autopsy report, with her left hand at her necklace absentmindedly running her fingers over the pendant. It was a nervous tic that much she knew, but the sight of it made her, in an odd move, put her hands in her pockets; odd, because its considered a defensive posture. Upon doing so she felt the Koushang again. The Koushang: an amulet that binds chi to the wearer. Lauren's necklace: a pendant that binds her to The Ash.
Don't forget your dog collar.
The words floated unbidden in her head. It may not have seemed like it in her ire, when it dripped like venom from her mouth, but now, she realized that she was out of line. All it did was rub salt in their wounds and Bo saw how Lauren flinched when she said it. It's not like Lauren wore it with pride; she always kept it tucked inside her shirt. Maybe she was wrong to think she could repair the damage.
If I can't forgive myself for saying it, then how can I ever expect Lauren to do the same?
Lauren was so engrossed with the autopsy report that it took her awhile to recognize Bo's presence in the lab. When she did, she quickly tucked the pendant back in her shirt and turned around to greet her.
"I presume you're here for the autopsy report." Lauren was pleased to see that Bo was all right considering she hadn't seen her since the bombing. She wasn't really sure what to say to her so she just went for the professional approach. Bo seemed to be slightly taken aback by this, but went along anyway. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much though. Whatever attacked this man ate him alive; most of what was inside the thoracic cavity, and had a very large bite. There weren't any conclusive dental marks to draw from either." Lauren handed Bo the report anyway, so she could see for herself.
Bo visibly flinched at the gruesome photos inside the folder. She had never seen an animal attack like this before. She felt sick just wondering what kind of pain Jake Neil, his name according the report, had endured and only hoped he died quickly. Bo closed the file and looked back at Lauren. She looked a little pale; her brown eyes dull from the lack of sleep. Lauren had probably been cooped up in the lab this entire week and Bo wanted her to get out, even if for a little while.
"Why don't you come with me to the park?" Bo gave her most endearing smile when Lauren furrowed her eyebrows, clearly confused by the sudden change in topic. "I mean… Kenzi and I are going to take a look around Olmos Park and I thought it would be best if you came along since you can identify whatever it is we find. It's only twenty minutes from here and we can pick up something along the way. Besides, I wouldn't want you hanging around here all day." She quickly rushed, hoping she gave Lauren a good enough reason to agree to this, a nervous smile playing on her lips.
Lauren gave Bo a smile of her own, ducking her head a little before looking back at her. She really couldn't argue with Bo seeing as how she had a really good point. Lauren had spent too much time in the lab and there wasn't much she could do in here anyways. "Okay." Lauren took off her lab coat, hung it up, and proceeded to get her leather jacket.
Bo had seen the life return to Lauren's eyes when she invited her and it gave her the hope she needed; so she could properly thank her for everything she helped her with and to apologize for her actions. If ever there was a time to do so, it was now. She was more than a little distracted as she watched as Lauren put on her jacket and pulled her hair out from inside it. Bo shook her head to snap herself out her stupor.
"Listen, Lauren…" Just then Bo's cellphone went off. "Shit." Pulling out her phone Bo looked at the caller id and saw that it was Hale. She gave Lauren an apologetic smile before answering. "What's up?"
Lauren watched Bo's brow furrow in regard to whatever she was being told.
"Alright, call me if you find out anything else." Bo hung up and proceeded to fire off a text message to Kenzi, letting her know that Lauren was coming with them. "That was Hale. Apparently, we're not the only ones looking into this. He said someone hacked into station's server and was looking at the report currently on file."
Helen and Axel had been at Olmos Park for roughly ten minutes inconspicuously looking for anything to give them some semblance of an idea as to what could be behind this. To a passerby it would appear as if they were enjoying a leisurely stroll through the park. At least, that's what Helen thought until she looked at Axel and realized that was exactly what he was doing.
"Enjoying yourself?" She asked rather sharply as she stopped to give him an incredulous glare.
"Not in the slightest." Axel shot back rather irritably. "In fact, I find this incredibly frustrating, Magnus," Axel only referred to her by her last name when he was trying to make a point or in a bad mood, though it seemed to be a combination of both at the moment. "You're asking me to sniff out -I don't know what- in a highly commuted area with at least three different restaurants nearby! There are just too many distractions!"
He let out a deep sigh, his shoulders visibly relaxing and spoke with a softer tone, "It's not really something I'm used to, I've never actually had to do this before. If it was somewhere else with less traffic, then I could. You've put a lot of trust in me, and I'm grateful, but..." Axel merely shook his head and looked at his feet feeling defeated.
Helen felt guilty for putting so much responsibility on him. Going after abnormals wasn't something he was used to. Axel had said as much the first time she asked for his help and here she was again, pushing him to do something he may not be capable of. At the same time, she felt the need to push him because she was confident he could do it, Axel just needed to see his potential.
"Forgive me, but I know you can do it or I wouldn't have brought you Axel, please try to understand that. Now tell me, what have you seen so far?" Helen figured if she could direct his attention on another sense it may help him calm down and boost his confidence.
"Just what you expect to find in a park: foot prints, paw prints and deer tracks." He looked at her directly now "Actually, just the same set of deer tracks, almost like it's patrolling the area. My guess is a large buck when you take into account how deep the impressions are."
Helen gave a proud smile, as the slight shift in subject seemed to do the trick, but regarded the information carefully. Before she could even begin to think about any of the implications of what he said, she was distracted by her hair blowing across her face with the sudden gust of wind. She was then thrown off kilter by Axel's left field statement.
"Lavender." Axel looked to his left and Helen followed his gaze to three women about thirty feet away. There was a gorgeous brunette with hair that tumbled on her shoulders, curling at the ends, in an all black ensemble that left nothing to the imagination: leather boots that went to her knees, leather pants that seemed to be painted on, a low V-neck that showed her assets and finally, a leather jacket. A beautiful blonde, whose hair fell in waves around her face was wearing a black leather jacket, a red formfitting shirt with a white tank top underneath, black jeans, and black ankle boots. Lastly, there was an equally beautiful, young, raven-haired goth that seemed to be the odd one out of the three. She was wearing, black lace-up boots over black skinny jeans, a semitransparent long sleeve shirt with a black bodice and black lace-up fingerless gloves.
Boys will be boys.
"See something you like?" Helen gave Axel a cheeky smirk, as he glared at her playfully.
"I might, but that's beside the point. At the lake, I remember smelling lavender around those footprints you found." The brunette was power walking in their direction, while the blonde and young goth were trying to keep up with her. "Helen, why do I feel like we were just made?" Axel casually turned to face Helen, looking slightly confused.
"Henry." Helen said as it dawned on her that he might not have been as discreet as he thought, when looking into the police reports.
"We're officially 'there', now what?" Axel looked thoroughly baffled, as the brunette strutted towards them.
"Now we just wait and see what happens."