Hello again! Sooner than I expected I have the next chapter up! I really just wanted to start delving into more of the plot and get more involved with other characters but don't worry, stuff is about to unfold. So PLEASE, read and review. Lemme know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own ISS or any of it's official characters. I am not making money from this, so forth and so on. However, I do have some OC's in here (I know how much people love those, but bare with me) that I do own. Thank you.
Chapter 2 ~ Something In The Way
There was only one other event
in Delsin's life that he could ever recall feeling so afraid; The first time he had received his powers. Ironically enough, that account and this were both technically fears of the unknown. Fear of the powers he obtained and fear of what was stalking him in the night.
He raised a smoke filled hand toward the creature. "Whoever-whatever you are, I wouldn't come any closer." he warned.
The creature didn't seem to care, however. It kept twisting it's claws along the wall in a waving manner. The twenty-four year old's hand shook, "You need to back off!" He quickly glanced over at Fetch who was, amazingly, still asleep through all of this. "Fetch!" he hoarsely whispered, "It's the thing! I think..." he looked back over at it as it kept inching it's way closer. Delsin blindly used his free hand to find Fetch's back and shook her quite violently to wake her up. "FETCH!" he whispered more urgently.
The figure had reached the end of the bed now, it's claws curling over the end board. Delsin couldn't wait anymore. He had to take some kind of action. Springing from the bed he unleashed a smoke ball at the thing which caught it's curled hand, singeing it. It howled in pain as it retreated against the wall. It slinked slowly back to the corner.
Delsin had both of his hands out stretched before him now, finger tips ablaze. "What the hell are you?! And what the hell do you want?!"
The creature did not reply. Instead, it huddled down wrapping it's claws around its dark mass. Delsin shuddered as he approached it cautiously. "Huh?!" he questioned it.
When he was about three feet away, it appeared that the figure had it's head cradled in it's creature didn't actually look so much of a creature at all. It took more of a human form.
"Hello?" Delsin tried to communicate. It suddenly made, what sounded like, soft cries. Was it weeping? He found himself feeling sickly sympathetic as he reached out toward it. What the fuck is going on? But as his hand was inches away the figure latched onto his arm and pinned him to the adjacent wall. Thinking quickly, he retaliated by burning the figure in the chest with his right hand and rolling it so it was pinned instead of him. He let out a battle cry as he let his other raised hand drop a smoldering ball of smoke into the figure itself. Ocean eyes catching his before they both were enveloped.
"DELSIN!" A voice broke from the brawl. "Delsin! What. The. Fuck!"
The brown haired boy blinked and his visioned cleared revealing a nicely scorched hole in the wall. You could see right through to the conjoined living and kitchen area. Which was now covered in ash. His brown eyes fell toward his hands. One was hovering where he had blasted the monster and the other was against the wall, where the monster should have been. Instead, there was a gaping opening with ash and sheet rock at his feet.
He took a step back from the mess, "What...?"
"What do you mean, WHAT? What the FUCK did you do to my apartment, D?!" It was Fetch who had been yelling at him this whole time.
He turned around to look at her dumbfounded. "Fetch...I was just-"
"-Just what? Trying to redecorate?!"
"NO! Didn't you see it?"
Fetch shook her head furiously, "See what? All I saw was you yelling at my wall and then blasting it!"
Delsin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No, no, no, no! The thing! The MONSTER! It was in your apart-"
"Don't. Delsin do NOT tell me what I think you're gonna tell me. I will go ape shit." The younger girl was waving his words away with her frantic movements.
"You gotta believe me!" Delsin pleaded.
"NO." She then came up real close to Delsin and pointed a finger at his head. "I don't know what's going on inside that head of yours but you need some serious help." She let her hand fall onto his cheek. "Ya know, my judgment was pretty clouded too when Brent passed-"
He hastily grabbed her fingers and pushed them away. "It has nothing to do with Reggie!"
He stormed over to his clothes and began to put them back on. Fetch followed up behind him trying to make him see what was really happening here. "D, it has everything to do with him!"
At this point, Delsin opted to tune her out before his blood really started to boil. How could she not see what he saw? He wasn't fucking crazy! Was he? As he finished zipping up his jeans Fetch made another attempt to make sense of things for him. "You're so deluded by his loss. By how quickly he was taken from you it's turned itself into a monster." She laid her hand on the back of his bicep which he immediately brushed off and continued pulling on his t-shirt he had worn that night over his head.
"D, just listen to me!" she pleaded.
He grabbed his plaid button down to throw on loosely and adjusted his signature burgundy beanie atop his head before walking out into the connected living/kitchen area. Picking up his black, and very worn boots by the front door he settled himself on the sofa to put them on. Fetch was standing in front of him now. Her reasoning was turning angry at his blatant ignorance of her presence. "You're being stupid!"
Without missing a beat, Delsin finished lacing up his boots and met her eye to eye. "I know what I saw, Fetch. I'm not crazy."
She shook her head, "I never said that!" She followed him to the front door. "But ya gotta admit, is it really all that coincidental? D, ya gotta look at the facts!"
"I'm done." Was all he said as he opened her door and took off down the hall.
"Delsin!" She called after him. "Delsin, what the fuck! Who is going to pay for these damages? Delsin!" By her last words, he was already heading down a flight of stairs. "Fuck!"
The cool night air rushed
his face as he hopped from one building to the next. He had had no destination in mind but had some how quickly found himself outside city limits. From concrete to forest, the atmosphere changed from stagnant to fresh. He gradually slowed his pace as the ground became more mountainous. Slowing to a walk, he let his hands lightly brush tree trunks as he passed. His mind raced over the events of the night. Rethinking it, maybe he had been crazy all along?
Delsin leaned his right hand against a tree for a moment. He felt a rise of guilt for leaving Fetch to deal with his mess. It wasn't her job and it sure as hell wasn't her fault. He just couldn't help but feel as if there was more to these dreams than just some unresolved he lost his parents, he never suffered like this. Then again, he hadn't been through so much trauma all at once. Powers. Saving a world. Death.
Was this what it was like to actually lose your mind? You see it all the time in the movies. The twist endings where the killer is actually the victim themselves, who, was never the victim at all. You sit there surprised because you think, that could never be me. That's not how real life works. You would totally know if you were going crazy...but now, Delsin wasn't so sure.
Loud beeping interrupted his thoughts nearly scaring the living shit out of him. He looked around to see where it was coming from because it sounded like the beeping of a large vehicle backing up. In the middle of the mountains? He pondered.
His interest peaked, he followed the sound through the thicket of the woods only to meet a dirt road at it's edge. Headlights flooding the area had caught his attention. Even more so, there were people outside of the large vehicle directing it. He stayed in the protective shadows of the forest as he watched these uniformed people try to get the monstrosity out of the mud. It appeared to be a transportation of sorts.
"Well this is odd." Delsin whispered ironically to himself.
He couldn't see too much detail from where he was but nothing seemed to be labeled. No company name plastered on the vehicle or the uniforms. Just black jumpsuits, combat boots, helmets, and guns. They reminded him of less intimidating versions of the D.U.P. He laughed silently to himself. There was no way though. Fetch, himself, and Eugene had clear them out of Washington awhile ago. He knew they probably had establishments in other states, he hadn't gone too terribly far out, but he hadn't seen a DUP in this state ever since the fall of Augustine.
However, just to be safe, he decided to pursue them when they finally got themselves unstuck. He ended up trailing them for a few miles up the mountain until they stopped at a huge facility that looked completely run down. It took Delsin a moment to understand why..."Curdun Cay." he murmured in disbelief.
There was no way that this place could still even be in function right now. It sure as hell didn't look it. Delsin made sure that rounds were taken every two weeks to ensure that a place like that never existed again. Atleast, when he was commandeering the equal rights of conduits. So if Fetch hadn't been keeping up...
He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he watched the vehicle enter through broken down gates. Chills ran crazily up and down his spine. He dialed in a number as he trailed quietly behind. He felt his blood boil slightly as a disgruntled voice answered the other end, "Are you seriously calling me right now?"
"Fetch, please explain to me why shady shit seems to be going down at Curdun Cay right now!" he whispered, half panicked.
"What! D, what the fuck?"
"Shit, Fetch! Shady shit. Curdun Cay. Right now!"
"D, what the hell are you-?" Delsin didn't even let her finish before he hung up on her. He wanted answers and he wanted her to explain to him to his face. In the mean time, he could use another alliance.
"H-Hello?" a sleepy voice answered.
"Some shit is going down and I have no idea to what extent it may be."
"Delsin? Do you have any idea what time it is? I have exams-"
"-Eugene, sometimes the world is more important. Be here. Curdun Cay."
Eugene seemed to fumbled over his words, "Cur-Curdun what? Wait, why?!"
"Just be here, damn it." Delsin barked and then added, "By the way,"
"Huh?"
"Congrats on going back to school, buddy." He could hear Eugene make an annoyed huffing sound as he hung up the phone. He really had a soft spot for that nerdy kid.
Fetch would naturally be the first to arrive. Her whole demeanor unpleasant. She swooped in on Delsin punching him in the left shoulder. "You ASSHOLE! You trash my apartment, storm out, and then call me up like you're mad?" She went to take another swing at him but he dodged it, holding onto her outstretched forearm.
"Easy, Fetch. Just listen to me."
She jerked her arm away and took another swing, "Yeah, right! The last time I listened to you I ended up with a hole in my apartment!"
Delsin kept dodging the infuriated purple headed girl as best he could. Thinking now that perhaps he should have mended things first before calling her out here. Oh well, too late now. "Fetch, SERIOUSLY!"
"Seriously, Delsin?! What is your problem?!" She went for yet another swing but this time Delsin caught her at just the right angle to where he turned her around and pinned her arms against herself, holding her to him. "If you don't lemme go, I swear I'll-!"
"Fetch, please! I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to hurt you...or your apartment and I'll figure out some way to fix it but right now, we have bigger problems."
"I hope I didn't just come all the way out here just to see you two lovers quarrel." Eugene commented as he appeared from the woods.
Fetch broke free of Delsin's hold, "There's no love in this 'quarrel"." she spat, walking away.
"Ouch." Eugene laughed. "What did you do this time, Delsin?"
Delsin huffed, "It doesn't matter..." Fetch glared at him which made him quickly change his choice of words, "..for right now. Bullshit aside, there is something going down in there and I want to know why." He pointed a finger at Curdun Cay.
"What do you want to know, D? Huh? What could possibly be going on now?" Fetch lashed out, aggravatingly crossing her arms.
"I don't know, Fetch, you tell me. Tell me why I see what looks to be a transportation truck rolling up into this place in the dead of night? I thought we had this under control?" Delsin began to lose his cool.
Fetch raised her arms in defeat, "What do you want me to say, huh? That maybe I haven't been doing a hundred and ten percent."
"I-I've been away at school and between that, I-I mean I thought everything was safe." Eugene chimed in quietly.
"Maybe you haven't been? Really?" Delsin scoffed.
"Oh come on, D!" Fetch was getting more irritated when she started pointing a finger at the older boy. "You had completely lost it. No will. No drive. You were miserable and you know what? You weren't the only one! Now I love crushing some D.U.P. butt as much as the next guy, but I have a life I want to live too!"
"Guys." Eugene tried to intervene as he saw this discussion taking a turn for the worst.
"So you couldn't assign someone else to the task?" Delsin retaliated.
"Assign someone? Are you kidding me? We only had so many conduits who wanted to help. Most just wanted to move on with their lives after being caged for more than half of it. I'm sorry not everyone wanted to kick butt and take names and be a hero like you!"
"I didn't ask to be a hero, Fetch! It just happened!"
"Guys!" Eugene could see the argument drawing them dangerously closer.
"Yeah, and look what it got you! A dead brother!" Fetch nearly screamed.
"GUYS! That's enough!" Eugene now stepped between the two of them.
Delsin inhaled a ragged breath, "Fuck you." He walked away and then circled back. "Fuck you!" he spat as he pointed his own finger at her. Then he stormed off toward Curdun Cay.
Eugene frantically looked between the two, not knowing who to follow or how to fix this. However, he did know one thing. "Fetch!" She looked at him, her eyes ablaze. He lowered his tone, "Fetch, that was fucked up. I-" he looked between the two. "-I gotta make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Then he ran off after Delsin leaving Fetch to kick at the ground.
When he caught up with the older boy, he was leaning against a wall with his head in his hands. Eugene approached him cautiously, "Delsin..."
Delsin sniffled and shook his head as he stood up straight, "Yeah, man, what's up?" His voice broke.
"Hey...you know she didn't mean any of that..."
"Yeah, yeah I know. It's fine. I'm fine." He wiped his face on his sleeve then looked Eugene in the eyes, "You ready to go see what's up? She coming?" Eugene shook his head. Delsin let out an exhausted, little laugh. "Alright then, just you and me kid. Let's go."
The older boy began to walk more stealthily as he focused on the potential situation at hand. Eugene was by his side, questions at the ready. "So what do you expect to find, exactly?"
Delsin hugged the wall as they came to a corner, peering over to make sure no one was there."I'm not sure. I just know it doesn't feel right...ya know?"
"I guess." The younger boy pushed his glasses up on his face as he followed. "Do you have a plan if this feeling happens to be correct?"
"IIII haven't actually thought that far ahead yet."
"Mm, right. Of course." Eugene answered, not surprised. What was he even getting himself into?