Oz had explained in full detail all of the nights events, from the argument at teatime to the carriage arriving. Uncle Oscar sat in silence until he was finished. The rest of the night held a dark atmosphere that seemed to engulf the whole house. Sharon was no where to be found and Oz, Gil, and Alice sat by the fire with bent heads.
"You know we may have been the only people to survive an encounter with that thing right?" said Alice quietly. "If Break wakes up he'll be able to…."
"Don't say if," replied Oz quietly. "He'll be ok. He always is. She was just a chain and I'm sure Pandora and the doctor can help him."
The silence continued for what seemed like hours until the door behind them opened and a few well dressed men entered. Uncle Oscar stood behind them and motioned for the 3 to come forward.
"These are a few members of Pandora's threat identification unit. They're going to need to ask a few questions that may be necessary to help Xerxes," Oscar said seriously.
The three nodded and stepped into the hallway as Uncle Oscar took his leave.
"Hello, you must be Oz Vessalius," said the most important looking one of the men. "We're hearing a lot about you these days. Ah, and his trusty attendant as well. It's nice to meet you both."
"Ey what about me?" said Alice noticing the fact he completely ignored her. The man shifted uncomfortably and looked off to his left.
"I would have greeted you as well, B-rabbit, but I'm the man who handles your file. It's not exactly good looking I may add," the man continued. "That's what we do you see. We handle all of the files on the myths, monsters, contractors, and chains from Abyss. We're hoping that by gathering some information we can identify just what harmed your friend. I got word he's not responding well to treatment."
Alice balled her fists and looked away trying to put on a neutral expression.
This is my fault. She thought, loathing herself. I could have crushed that girl. I could have helped him. I know how much I always hate him but those screams….Even through all that he still didn't beg.
"Well," said Gil, who's observant eyes and tall stature had given him the best look at the chain in question. "The first thing we saw when we walked up was that she looked human. She was being attacked by 2 contractors, or I guess now she was attacking them. One was screaming but she was barely touching him. She looked a few years younger than Oz with black hair. The main second thing I noticed was her eyes. One was blue but the other….." he paused, thinking it over, "It was all black. No eye whites at all."
"That's very good," said one of the Pandora agents who was writing down notes. "Can you tell us what power it was using while attacking your friend?" Gil answered this one in a slightly darkened tone.
"She was so fast. And strong. She threw Alice while in B-rabbit form across the street and into a wall. I have no idea why but it seemed like her powers were all over the place. At one point she grew talons and just started….RIPPING at him."
"She reached inside him," Alice said quietly, and the Pandora agents looked in her direction in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" said one.
"She just passed right through him. It's why I didn't attack. She said if Oz didn't call me off she'd stop his heart," Alice replied and this made the third man look mortified.
He started flipping through his identification book and turned to the other 2 agents.
"We really must be going. This chain can not continue to be loose on the streets," he said before running down the corridor.
"He looked scared. Do you know what she was?" Oz asked the man in charge.
"He was indeed frightened, but we haven't the faintest clue what this is. That's probably the reason for our agent's hasty retreat. There is not much about chains us agents do not know. This girl seems new to us, and that is a frightening thought indeed. Have a good night," he replied as the 2 remaining men left down the hall.
"Have a good night?" sighed Oz. "How can he say that when even the agent trying to help took off running? And you heard him. Break isn't doing well at all. Not only that but that stupid doctor won't even let us in the room to see him!"
Gil paced the room in silence and Alice gave a weak shrug. Oz looked over and met Alice's eyes. Her face was twisted and shaky, as if she were trying not to cry.
"Alice….?" Oz started before the door flung open and Sharon entered, puffy-eyed but out of breath. She gave a tearful smile and practically raced out of the room followed by the others as she said her news:
"Guys get upstairs quick. Break just woke up!"