Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait! The holidays were super busy for me, but I wrote a pretty long one to try to make up for it. It's kind of a filler because I wasn't ready for the plot to really continue yet, but I hope you enjoy the fluff 3 Next one WON'T take as long as this one did.
Merry belated Christmas for everyone that celebrates it! I hope a lot of people got Watch Dogs 2 for Christmas so they can love it (and Wrench) as much as us! Sorry if there's grammar mistakes. It's 6am. I'll be going over it again tomorrow, but I just wanted this out so I didn't have you guys waiting much longer :)
ALSO thank you SO much to everyone that favorited/reviewed so far! They really boost my motivation and I love hearing what you guys like about the story ^_^ Hope you enjoy this chapter!
-Blink
When Marcus, Wrench, and Ray entered a warehouse, they were not surprised to find absolutely nothing. There were desks around, but everything was covered with dust. It's clear that no one has been around in weeks. This was the fourth warehouse they were led to by Owen's pictures, and the fourth dead end.
"I don't get it," Marcus said, verbally expressing what everyone was thinking.
Ray seemed more agitated than usual. The constant dead ends were not helping. He really wanted to trust Emma, but there were so many red flags for him. He didn't think Owen was that good of a manipulator, for one. Ray was able to see right through his lies. Unless Emma was really that dense. She could be letting them hit these dead ends and they wouldn't even know it. Ray glanced over at Wrench whose arms were crossed. Wrench hasn't said a single word since they entered the warehouse, and very few words on the way.
"It's like they wanted us to come here… as a distraction," Marcus continued, "Fuck, why aren't we detectives?"
And that was another red flag for Ray. He had a feeling Emma knew about the warehouse. Everyone was just trusting her a little too easily. As if on queue, Wrench sighed and it sparked something in Ray, "I've had enough of your moping, boy," He muttered with annoyance, "Can you stop thinking about your little crush for one second and actually focus on something useful?"
Wrench's head immediately snapped from Ray to Marcus, "I didn't say anything," Marcus defended.
"He didn't have to say anything, it's fuckin' obvious. How SHE hasn't figured it out yet is beyond me," Ray said rolling his eyes. Maybe she really was that dense, he thought.
"Just drop it," Wrench threatened. He was annoyed he couldn't help Emma already. He didn't want to get into another argument with Ray regarding her loyalty to Dedsec.
"You're not going to be of any use here if your head is somewhere else. So let us do all the work, and you two can -" Ray started.
"I said drop it!" Wrench snapped.
"Let's just call Josh and see if he found anything, sound good?" Marcus asked, pulling out his phone.
"I have a better idea," Ray started, holding up a hand to stop Marcus, "Wrench and I will go check with Josh and Sitara. You go update Emma and see what's she's been up to," Ray told him.
Marcus' head was still focused on Ray, but his eyes darted over to Wrench, who wasn't even look at them, "Uhhh…. Sounds good, but maybe Wrench could go -"
Ray shut down Marcus' attempt to help Wrench, "You actually expect him to relay proper information and not just flirt with her?" He asked in a hushed tone.
"I can hear you," Wrench glared.
Ray turned to Wrench, "Oh noowww you can hear me."
Wrench flipped him off and just walked out, planning to meet up with Ray at the hackerspace. He didn't want to be in the same car as Ray the entire ride there.
~~~Emma's lab~~~
Emma's back was turned to the door as Marcus walked in. Her arms were crossed, not hearing Marcus walk in as she was staring hard at the table of notes and supplies strewn about, almost looking like she was trying to make something move with her mind, "Hey Emma," He said casually.
She still jumped and turned around, her back hitting the table. When she noticed it was Marcus, she relaxed, "Oh god… Sorry, I was a little too focused on all this," She said gesturing toward the table.
Marcus chuckled, "I didn't mean to scare you. Where's Sam?" He asked. Sam was supposed to be her bodyguard.
"He's in the bathroom," Emma smiled, "Thanks, by the way! We talked over everything that happened the other day. We get along pretty well."
Marcus nodded slowly, carefully thinking over what to say next, "Oh, gooood. How well?" He asked, cringing immediately after for a second. Perhaps not how he should have asked.
Emma shrugged, "We have a lot in common. He studied chemistry as a minor in college, so he kinda knows what I'm doing."
Marcus thought this was bad. Wrench hasn't been around in days to try to avoid his feelings. He hasn't said that, but Marcus knew. But he was worried it's backfiring now that Emma seems to have a new friend to bond with, "Well, that's great!" He said, trying to act casual, "What have you guys been working on?"
"So fear gas can't really be a thing, but hallucination gas can be! Developing that right now," Emma said keeping it simple, but beaming on the inside.
"Oh nice! Does it work yet?" Marcus asked.
"Not really… It's invisible and odorless, but at the sacrifice of potency. Trying to balance that. Right now it just causes mild hallucinations for about 10 minutes," Emma said.
Marcus was taken aback, "That's awesome!"
Emma smiled, "Yeah, it kinda is, isn't it?"
Marcus chuckled, "Well, when you're done, you have to promise me we'll test it together first."
Emma nodded, "You got it! What have you guys been up to?"
"Just running into more and more dead ends. There's so many clues, but i'm sure eventually even Owen will run out of dead ends to send us to," Marcus explained.
"What type of places have you ruled out?" Emma asked.
"There's been about 4 different warehouses, all empty. We went to the middle of those warehouses, led to a dentist office," Marcus scoffed.
"His mother was a dentist!" Emma spit out, stopping what she was doing.
"Was?" Marcus asked.
"She passed away..." Emma said before realizing a trend that Marcus picked up on too.
"Just like his uncle…." He continued for her. Marcus cheered silently, "We'll go check it out again, Emma you're a genius! A lead! Ray and Wrench will love this," Marcus was about to head out.
She smiled, "Glad I could help!" Before Marcus could turn around Emma spoke up again, "Hey uh… how… is Wrench?" She asked. Marcus turned to look back at her, making her feeling self conscious about her question, "He just hasn't been by in a few days, and I'm not sure if I did or said something to make him avoid me."
Marcus wished he could just make it easier on Wrench, especially if Emma was developing an attachment to Sam, but he made a promise not to say anything, "He's just been working on his own thing in between this Owen hunt… I'll tell him to stop by!"
Emma shook her head, "No, don't make him. As long as he's not angry with me."
"Of course not! I think he's just worried about bugging you is all," Marcus said trying to come up with something to say. He also wanted to find out her feelings.
"But I've seen everyone else. Even Josh and Ray. He has to know that," Emma said.
Marcus shrugged, "I'll let him know the coast is clear. I'm sure he'd love to see you."
Emma smiled, "Well, good."
~~~Hackerspace~~~
Wrench and Josh were sitting in front of a computer when Marcus was stomping down the stairs, "Wrench, go talk to Emma. Now."
"What? Is she okay?" Wrench asked concerned, standing up from his seat.
"She's fine, just…" He glanced down at Josh real quick before pulling Wrench aside, speaking in a hushed tone, "She's getting along pretty well with Sam. I think avoiding her is back firing," Marcus said, "But the good news is she asked about you!"
"With Sam? Why…. Wait, she asked about me?" Wrench asked with heart icons in his mask.
Marcus pushed his arm slightly, "Snap out of it man! She thinks you're avoiding her 'cause you're mad at her."
"What'd you tell her?" Wrench asked.
"That you're not mad at her, and you've been busy," Marcus said trying to remember what he said in a panic before he stopped himself, "Aw, who cares, just go, man! And don't tell her I told you to go."
"Right, thanks Marcus," Wrench said tapping him on the arm, walking out of the hackerspace.
"You know it's not a secret that he likes her," Josh said.
"That obvious?" Marcus laughed.
Josh nodded, "Sitara and Ray pretend not to know so they can mess with him more," He let out a quick chuckle. Wrench used to pick on Josh so much because he was gullible. Finally he got to see Wrench be the butt end of a joke.
"Well, I promised I wouldn't say anything, so my lips are sealed," Marcus said sitting down next to Josh, in Wrench's old spot.
"You're a good friend," Josh said.
Ray walked down the stairs, walking up behind Marcus and Josh, "What the hell is Wrench in a hurry for? He ran right passed me. Didn't even say anything," Ray said.
"He forgot to do something," Josh answered for Marcus, keeping both his and Wrench's 'secret'. Marcus looked over and smiled knowingly.
Changing the subject, Marcus turned to Ray, "We got a new clue," he said, reiterating what Emma told him.
~~~Emma's Lab~~~
Wrench opened the door to hear giggling coming from inside. He saw Emma trying to aim a gun at the wall, with Sam standing a little too close to her, helping her stabilize it. Wrench wasn't sure how to handle what he saw in front of him. Should he make himself known or walk out? Whatever his decision was, he'd have to make it fast. Before he could even do that, Emma turned around to grab something from her table, noticing Wrench.
"Wrench!" She said happily. Wrench displayed a smile on his mask, relieved she didn't sound annoyed. It was also the first time he recalled her saying his name. He wanted to savor the moment and float, but she continued to speak, "I'm so happy to see you! Come in, I have something to show you," Emma demanded, setting down the gun she was previously holding, and went to grab something else.
Sam looked a little annoyed that he wasn't getting the attention anymore and Wrench felt his ego skyrocket, even though he tried not to show it. He secured the door behind him and walked closer to where everyone else was, "What's up?" He asked casually.
"I haven't had too much time to finalize it, but I wanted to show you the proto-type of…" She began and lifted up an airsoft gun, "My new freeze gun!"
"Already?" He asked surprised.
"I don't waste time. You'd know if you came to visit me sooner," Emma said.
"Oh, yeah… Sorry, Em, just been kinda -" Wrench began, but she interrupted him.
"Don't be sorry! You're here now," She smiled and walked up right next to him, making him want to step back a bit out of nerves. But he liked her being so close. He didn't even remember Sam was in the room until he spoke.
"You're gonna love this," Sam said.
"So you remember how I said i wanted to make them pellet sized?" Emma asked. Wrench nodded, "Well the impact sucks," She demonstrated by grabbing a test freeze gun off the table and quickly shot the dummy target on the other side of the lab, with incredible accuracy. The ice pellet smashed into smaller ice particles that stuck to the target. Wrench stared at the dummy, impressed with her aim, but didn't have enough time to appreciate it when she started talking again, "So that's ruled out. BUT with longer dart shaped ammunition..." She set the gun down, and held up her new proto-type, aiming at the target again. She pulled the trigger, and it missed the head of the dummy, hitting it's torso. The ice dart shattered into a wide blast, leaving the dummy's torso completely covered in ice, as well as some of the ground beneath it. Wrench's mask displayed exclamation points, while Emma frowned looking at the gun, "The aiming sucks… I have to fix the tension."
Wrench put his hand on her arm, "Em, that's amazing!" He said.
Emma smiled, slightly blushing, "You think so?"
"That's even better than I imagined," Wrench said.
"It's not that crazy. Basically mini dry ice bombs. The impact is what sets it off," Emma explained.
"Oh, quit your modesty. It's amazing! Can I give it a shot?" Wrench asked.
Emma handed him the gun, "Okay, but don't judge the tension… I really have to fix that," Emma said.
Wrench grabbed the gun and thought for a second to aim it at Sam, who had his arms crossed, not looking very impressed at Emma's work. Wrench instead aimed slightly above the dummy. He pulled the trigger, hitting the dummy in the face, turning almost the whole head into ice. He cheered and looked back at Emma, "This is so awesome!"
Sam rolled his eyes. He's already seen the work in action, although he was slightly jealous Emma wouldn't let him try it before Wrench could.
Emma covered her face with her hands, hiding how wide her smile was. Wrench was the first person to show such appreciation for her work, "It's only a prototype, though! I still need to fix the tension and a way to keep the darts more secure. Right now, any movement can cause the darts to blow up on their own," She said.
Wrench immediately put the gun back on the table and backed away, "Yeah, might be a good idea."
Emma laughed, "They won't hurt you if it's in the barrel. It's just a waste of precious darts."
Sam cleared his throat, unhappy with all the attention Wrench was getting. Her attitude changed drastically when he first walked in. Wrench and Emma looked over to him, "That's not all we worked on," He said. Wrench wanted to yell at him for interrupting his and Emma's hype.
Emma put her hands on her hips, " WE? You may have helped with the hallucinogens, but this freeze gun was all me," She smirked.
"Hallucinogens?" Wrench asked.
"Still not ready to show yet!" She argued.
"Aw, come on, you showed me the prototype of that, but not your hallucinogens?" Wrench asked, pointing at the freeze gun.
Emma shrugged, "Well, I made that to show you," she said and turned back to put the gun somewhere safe.
Wrench crossed his arms and leaned his weight on one leg, "Aww, just for me?" He asked whimsically.
Emma laughed, "Don't patronize me. Plus I promised Marcus that I'd show him the hallucinogens first."
Wrench stood silently. Of course he wasn't special. Emma showed him her freeze gun prototype first, but she was also going to show Marcus a project first, too. The difference was that she wanted to show the prototype to Wrench first. She only promised Marcus to show him something else first. But he didn't think of it that way.
"After me, of course," Sam bragged, "Cause you know, I'm helping work on them."
Wrench deadpanned over at Sam, "Yeah I got that." He said.
"I'm really glad Sitara sent Sam to help out. He studied chemistry in college so he's kind of a great partner," She said smiling.
"I had no idea those classes would pay off," Sam said, feeling too proud of himself. Wrench was glad no one could see him roll his eyes. Wrench knew Sam was a terrible hacker and engineer, but he hated that he was better than him at the one thing that mattered most to Emma: chemistry. He wasn't about to call him out on it, though.
"Yeah, I'm sure you're a ton of help, Sam," Wrench said not sounding very sincere.
Emma had a master's degree by the time she was 22 years old. Of course Sam wasn't going to be of any help. She just enjoyed being able to talk about chemistry with someone who at least understood the basics, "Hey, he is!" She lied.
Sam grinned at Wrench, not even trying to hide his confidence. Wrench rolled his eyes behind his mask, "Handing her beakers definitely sounds like some college level work."
"Wrench!" Emma quietly spit out.
"At least I know what to give her what she wants," Sam said with a low voice, still grinning.
"Sam!" Emma scolded louder, with a blush on her face. She didn't like the way that sounded, even if it wasn't his intention. She suddenly wasn't comfortable around Sam.
Wrench just looked over at Emma, noticing her blush. He didn't like what Sam suggested, and seeing Emma blush only made the suggestion seem worse. He pushed away any thoughts that he could have began to have.
Emma's phone started to buzz, showing Sitara's picture, "I'm going to take this, can you two just sit in awkward silence for a minute?" She asked and stepped off to another room.
Wrench would have happily obliged. He even thought about leaving altogether, before Sam had different intentions, "You may as well leave, pal. I got this from here."
"Got what?" Wrench asked, not really caring anyway.
"I think you can figure it out," Sam said.
Wrench crossed his arms and leaned back, "Let's just pretend I can't." He really didn't want to hear that there was something going on between Emma and Sam, but for some reason he wanted to know.
Sam chuckled, "You missed your chance, bud. She was pretty upset that you didn't come visit her for three days, but I was here for her."
Wrench tried not to show how he was feeling. Sam could have been lying, but the thought of her being upset at something he did or didn't do made him feel ill, "Still have no idea what you're talking about," Wrench said trying to play it cool.
Sam shrugged, "Just making it easier for me, man."
"What exactly am I making easier for you?" Wrench couldn't help but ask, feeling more and more annoyed, but didn't want to give the satisfaction of letting Sam see it.
Sam became more relaxed, not trying to intimidate Wrench anymore, "Aw, c'mon, dude. You're a guy. You understand."
"Yeah, yeah, I understand, but just because she's not into me means she'll automatically fall for you?" Wrench asked.
"Better odds without competition," Sam said.
"You calling me competition?" Wrench was either amused or flattered, he couldn't really tell.
Sam looked Wrench up and down, which only made Wrench uncomfortable. Sam scrunched up his face, "Eh."
"Is it the mask?" Wrench asked in a slightly hushed voice. Wrench wasn't offended. He thought he should have been, but Sam's desperate attempt to intimidate him amused him far too much.
A short "Ha," was all Sam said, "Glad we have an understanding, pal!" Sam said hitting Wrench's arm.
Wrench still wasn't sure what Sam was going on about, but thankfully Emma came back just in time, however she looked upset which immediately had Wrench worried, "You okay?" He asked finally uncrossing his arms.
"Emma! While you were gone, Wrench was telling me some crazy things!" Sam said speaking overly dramatic.
Wrench looked at Sam, not able to believe that he was so insensitive to how upset she was looking, "Now's not the time, man. Look at her," He said quietly so that hopefully only Sam could hear, but Emma definitely heard it. She wanted to smile at his courteousness but was wondering what Sam was talking about.
"Yeah, I know, but she should definitely know that you have a picture of her in your garage," Sam said pretending to speak in a hushed tone.
Emma's eyes slightly widened and blushed a little. "No I don't, and how they fuck would you even know if I did?" Wrench asked with angry eyes displayed on his mask. He would never have let Sam in his garage. Only Sitara, Marcus, Josh, and Ray have been in there recently.
"The Dedsec watercooler. Emma, you should be safe. He just does that with every girl he stalks. Right?" Sam asked.
"Stalk? Are you fu-" Wrench began.
"Well, you did it with that one waitress you were obsessed with. What was her name?" Sam asked looking up trying to remember her name. Wrench was taken aback by how he knew about her, but decided it was worth hearing more, "Whatever. I heard you two were doing really well for a bit. You actually tricked her into starting a relationship, right? Then what happened?" Sam asked, "She see your face or something?"
"Okay you need to fucking lay off!" Wrench threatened walking right up to Sam.
Sam put his hands up, defending himself from Wrench, "Just telling her the truth!"
"Sam, can you leave?" Emma asked interrupting them.
"What?" Sam was taken aback.
"I need you to leave," She re-worded.
"Emma, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Sam asked
"Sweetheart?" Emma muttered to herself.
"If Wrench is making you uncomfortable, then he should leave," Sam said.
"I need to see Sitara," Emma said confidently and turned to Wrench, "Take me there?"
"I can take you wherever you need to go, I don't trust him with you," Sam said, saying the second part quietly, trying to put an arm around her.
"Noooo," She drawled out while pushing Sam's arm away from her, "Only Wrench knows where it is, and I trust Wrench."
Sam looked at Wrench who just stood there casually, "Ya hear that, Sam?" He wanted to laugh while Sam was glaring.
Emma cocked an eyebrow, looking between the two, "Did I miss something?"
"Yeah, Wrench seemed awfully possessive of you, said he didn't like you working with me," Sam said in a hushed tone, "Like I said… staalkkerrr," Sam finished with a sing song voice.
"What was that?" Wrench asked, not hearing what he said, but knew it couldn't have been good.
Emma backed away from Sam to see Wrench better, "Possessive?" Emma asked. She had Owen flashbacks. Owen not letting her have friends or do anything without him knowing. Of course, she didn't realize it was possessive at the time. Emma blamed his manipulative behavior on it.
"Yeah, Wrench, tell her," Sam said.
"Tell. Her. What?" Wrench asked enunciating each word.
"What you said. It's only becoming more obvious if you're denying it," Sam said.
Wrench let his arms and head drop for a moment before looking up, "I know what you're trying to do, man, and all it's actually doing is making me want to do this," Wrench said bringing two fingers to his temple, simulating a gun.
"Maybe that's exactly what I'm trying to do," Sam smirked.
"Okay everybody shut up!" Emma said with a raised voice. She turned to Sam, "Sam. Leave."
"Even after he-" Sam began, trying to grab her hand.
Emma pulled away before he could grasp her hand, "I don't care about anything other than seeing Sitara right now," She grabbed his backpack and handed it to him with force, "Please."
He had no choice but to grab his backpack. Emma walked away from him and crossed her arms, her back facing Sam. "Alright, Emma… If you need anything, please call me?" Sam asked.
Emma nodded but Wrench spoke up, "If she needs anything, she'll be with me," He said. Emma glared at him, but he didn't notice.
"See you tomorrow, Emma," Sam smiled and walked away through the door. As soon as his back was turned, his face scrunched into an angry frown.
Wrench sighed, "Finally, he's gone," He said to himself and turned to Emma, "Listen, I don't know what the fuck that was all about," He said but she was glaring at him. He displayed two question marks on his mask, without saying anything else.
"What was that?" She asked.
"He's weird, right?" Wrench asked, arms out to his sides.
"No, not him. You. He was just being nice and you were instigating him…" She trailed off.
Nice? Wrench thought, "Is that what was happening?" He asked sarcastically, "Because he wasn't making any sense to me! He wants to make me look bad so he could try to impress you," Wrench said and Emma started packing her belongings in her backpack.
"Please," She said insincerely.
"Emma, seriously!" Wrench pressed on, "You have no idea the shit he was saying while you were away," He wanted to go into further detail, but wasn't sure if what he said would piss her off or stress her out even more. He didn't know what Sitara said to her, "I just really don't know if you should be around him so much."
"Are you serious?" Emma asked, disbelieving what she was hearing. Maybe he was being possessive and that scared her. She wanted to trust Wrench.
Wrench shook his head, "No wait, that came out wrong," Wrench said struggling with what to say next, "Fuck, he's good," He realized Sam got what he wanted; Emma to argue with Wrench, "He's manipulating you."
"Manipulating me," Emma deadpanned crossing her arms.
"He is! He's the one obsessed with you! I think. I don't really know his deal," Wrench said desperately trying to get her to understand.
"He's been nothing but nice to me, and I never felt uncomfortable around him until you came around," Emma said.
"He's pretending!" Wrench said.
Emma held up a hand, "Don't talk to me right now. Just… take me to Sitara, please." Emma said dismissing him out of anger, and instantly regretted it. However she didn't take it back or apologized for what she said. Her conversation with Sitara really irritated her, but Sam's 'possessive' comment regarding Wrench set her off the edge.
Wrench nodded, "Whenever you're ready…" Was all he said and leaned against a wall by the door for her to finish closing down her lab. He didn't question why she wanted to go to Sitara, but he thought asking her anything would be a bad idea.
Emma zipped up her bag, and headed out toward the door, not looking at Wrench at all. He pushed himself off the wall to follow her, securing the door behind him with his phone.
~~~~~~Outside Emma's Lab, a few minutes later~~~
Sam sat outside and across the street near a bus stop. He was staring at the entrance to Emma's lab just waiting for Emma and Wrench to walk out. Sam lit up a cigarette, thinking about how he thought Emma liked him. Maybe she was just a flirt. She seemed overly friendly with Wrench, he thought. He didn't know what she could see in a guy like Wrench. He grimaced. Definitely just a flirt.
Finally, Emma and Wrench walked out from the door and started walking along the street. Sam didn't know where or what the Hackerspace was. He assumed they were just going to a public place or someone's house. He hoped at least. His mind began to wander about what they would be up to when they were alone. Suddenly, his interest in Emma tanked. Sure, she was pretty and smart, but the recent display showed that she was not someone he could continue toward the hope of a relationship. Sam shook his head, taking another drag of his cigarette, still staring them walk down the street.
"Love triangle?" A voice asked.
Sam turned to see a young male in a blue button up waiting by the bus stop, "Is that any of your business?" Sam asked casually, but with a hint of annoyance.
The stranger chuckled, "It is when I'm paying you," He said.
"Yeah, to relay info on her projects. Not talk about my personal life," Sam said.
"Word of advice: Keep your personal life out of your professional life," The stranger said, "If you can't handle this, I'll just find someone else."
"Relax, I'm your best bet at this," Sam rolled his eyes, "I have it under control." The bus began to pull up.
"You're expendable to Cyb0rg," The stranger said.
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that," Sam said, putting out the cigarette, and stepping up waiting by the curb.
"If you have feelings for her, you're not right for the part. Everyone's supposed to love her and be crushed later," The stranger said, raising his volume to compensate for the bus's noise.
"I"m just having fun," Sam shrugged and walked into the bus. The stranger stared ahead as the bus drove off, keeping a close eye on Wrench and Emma until they were out of sight.
Wrench was a good 6 feet behind Emma, following her. He knew she didn't know where Hackerspace was exactly. She had an idea - a vague direction - but she'd never be able to hone in on it when they got closer. He was afraid to talk to her at all, let alone say something that she'd actually want to hear. That's why he let her wander forward for as long as he did. He was scared, but he didn't want to admit it. He was hoping that she would have cooled down after the few minutes they were outside for. "You asked me not to say anything, but do you even know where you're going?" Wrench finally asked.
Emma stopped and glared back at Wrench, who stopped with her, "Am I going the wrong way?" She asked.
Nope. She hasn't cooled down, he thought, "Not yet, but once we get closer, I…" He didn't know what to say to not offend her.
Emma sighed, "Just lead the way, please," She said annoyed, just wanting to end the conversation and get to Sitara.
"Fine, just please try not to stare at my ass, yeah?" Wrench requested, walking passed her.
"What ass?" Emma spit out without skipping a beat, starting her own pace to follow him.
Wrench casually turned toward her, keeping his pace toward the direction they were going to, "So you have been looking," Wrench said causing Emma to blush. He turned back ahead with smile emotes displaying on his mask, knowing he won.
Emma wanted to smile. Time and time again, Wrench proved to be the only one to make her feel better no matter what. But she wasn't ready to admit it. She still wanted to be mad. She deserved to be. Not at Wrench, but her situation. Sitara, especially. The fact that Wrench was still willing to help her when she knew she was being a bitch eventually made her smile. But she quickly frowned remembering what Sam said. Was Sam trying to manipulate her feelings towards Wrench? She wondered. She also thought back to what he said about a waitress. She didn't know what to believe, but she knew that her priority should just be talking to Sitara.
~~~Hackerspace~~~
Emma pushed Wrench out of the way as she ran down the stairs to see Sitara, Josh, Marcus, and Ray standing around, talking.
"Emma, what did I tell you?" Sitara asked and looked at Wrench, "Why did you bring her here?" She asked.
Wrench shrugged, "I didn't kn-"
"I made him," Emma said quickly.
"Well, you're still not going with us," Sitara assured.
"Sitara, this isn't fair. Things could have been done way faster if I was just there, or at least in constant contact," Emma argued.
"She's right, you know," Marcus said.
"No!" Sitara said.
"Can you stop making decisions for me?" Emma asked, raising her voice.
"If you sat down to realize the danger of you being out like that, maybe I wouldn't have to," Sitara said trying to remain calm.
"If YOU realize how useful I can be, then maybe this would have already been solved," Emma said, giving up on staying calm.
"You have your use. Help us with weapons and resources. Isn't that the whole point of you being here?" Ray asked.
"You're in this mess because we asked you to be an ally," Sitara began.
"Yet you're not letting me be an ally," Emma interrupted.
"Emma," Ray began.
"I'm not going to like what you have to say, so don't even bother," Emma interrupted again, not looking at Ray when speaking.
Ray looked over at Wrench, who hasn't said a word since they walked in. Wrench locked eyes with Ray and just shrugged. Ray nudged his head over toward Emma, signaling that he wanted Wrench to do something about her, but Wrench knew she was already slightly irritated with him, even if it wasn't his fault, and whatever he'd say would just make it worse. Wrench didn't know much about women, but he figured it was common sense not to piss off an already upset one.
"Wrench load up the van, we're going," Sitara said, "Marcus, got everything?"
Marcus nodded, "Yeah, but maybe we should-" He started to speak but Sitara glared at him, shutting him up, "...yup, got everything. Let's go," He said as Marcus and Sitara headed upstairs.
"Great, let's go," Emma said walking with them, passing by Wrench, but he lightly grabbed her arm to try to stop her. She quickly pulled her arm back, "You don't make decisions for me either," She said and continued walking.
Wrench sighed and Ray would have laughed if he weren't so irritated, "Strike out earlier?" He asked.
Wrench groaned for a second before speaking, "Sam put it in her head that I'm a stalker or something so she hates my guts right now," He said hardly believing what he was saying.
Ray was able to let out a chuckle, "And you're okay with this?"
Wrench outstretched his arms slightly, "You serious? Why would I be? But anything I say, she gets even more mad and... ah, fuck it," He said.
"She seems stressed," Josh said. He still hasn't gone upstairs yet.
"No, shit," Wrench said.
"I mean that we've never seen her like this. This isn't her. She just needs time to calm down," Josh said.
Wrench and Ray knew this of course, but they looked at each other, surprised that Josh said it so eloquently, "When did you become such a lady expert?" Ray asked.
"I'm not. I just pay attention," Josh said.
"Yup. Lady expert," Ray said and turned to Wrench, "Better watch out he doesn't sweep Emma off her feet before you."
~~~Outside, near the van~~~
Sitara got in the van, Marcus sitting in the driver seat, "What do we do?" He asked.
"Do we need to talk through our game plan again?" Sitara asked with a smirk.
"Not that. Emma," Marcus said, causing Sitara to sigh, "Look, I know it's dangerous, but she has a point about speeding up the process," Marcus said but Sitara wasn't listening, "She's an ally, yeah, but with Owen still in the picture, for us and for her, it's going to be impossible for her to use her full potential. Ya know?"
Sitara sat in silence for a minute, until she saw Emma walking up to the van in her rear view mirror, "Well you're in luck, because no matter what I say, she's still going to force her way in this van."
Emma opened the back and stepped in, sitting along the side, "So what's the plan?" She asked.
Sitara turned around to look at Emma, "Well, the new plan is that you're staying in this van the entire time. Got it?"
"But what if I-" Emma began.
"You're pushing it," Marcus said in a sing-song voice.
Emma crossed her arms and leaned back against the side of the van, waiting for them to take off. Wrench hopped in the van and shut the doors behind him. Emma looked outside the van windows, feeling uncomfortable. She hoped that Josh or Ray would also join them so she wasn't alone in the back with just Wrench, but no such luck. Josh and Ray were to stay at the Hackerspace in case files they'd find needed extra hacking or analyzing.
After about 20 minutes of mostly just Marcus, Sitara, and Wrench bullshitting, they reached their destination. They parked in an alley near a building their new coordinates led to.
"Recognize anything?" Sitara asked, it being the first thing she said to Emma the entire way there.
"Not.. really," Emma said. She thought it looked familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Marcus got out of the driver seat and hopped over to the bed of the truck opening the doors. He sat on the edge, and brought out the quadcopter, directing it around the building in question. Sitara also moved over to the bed of the truck as well, sitting next to Emma while unfolding her laptop, bringing up the feed from the quadcopter "Better to have 2 screens," She said.
Marcus was able to see a panel on top of building that he could use to hack and unlock the doors, "Gotta get up there. Ready?" He asked Wrench.
"You know it," He said grabbing his stun shotgun and jumped off the bed of the van, slinging it over his shoulder. Before they could even take a step forward, they heard glass breaking. They looked up to see a brick flying from the second story window, landed on the ground next to them.
"Bring the quadcopter out again?" Marcus asked nervous. Wrench instead aimed his stun shotgun up into the broken window, but before he could fire, Marcus stopped him, "Wait-wait-wait," He said quickly, "Hold up on that."
"We have been holding up. There's someone in there, Marcus. Now's our chance," Wrench said.
Marcus pulled out the quadcopter and sat down with his laptop in his lap. He tossed it up aiming it into the freshly broken window, "We still need to be careful, man. You trying to get yourself killed?"
"I've done worse," Wrench shrugged.
Marcus was surveying the room with the quadcopter, seeing only an empty office floor. Not even trash was around. However, he noticed table and chair scuffs in the carpet, signaling that the space was occupied at one point.
"More empty warehouse looking rooms," Sitara muttered quietly, with a curious expression.
"This is what you've been seeing?" Emma asked.
"This is now the 5th dead end. I don't get it. The data Owen receives goes to these locations, and they always end up empty," Sitara said.
"Maybe they move around after each transfer?" Emma threw out an idea.
Marcus thought that made sense considering the scuffs he's noticed. Before anyone could say anything else, Marcus started losing control of the quadcopter making it go sideways.
"Marcus, steady!" Sitara called over.
"I'm trying!" Marcus said fumbling with his laptop, "Shit, guys, I think someone's hacking in!"
Sitara and Emma stared intently at their laptop, still displaying the quadcopter feed. Wrench stood behind Marcus, moving his sight between the broken window above them and the laptop in Marcus's lap. The view of the quadcopter involuntarily turned around 180 to view a silhouette of a portrait in frame, the sunlight obscuring his features. When the auto-light adjusted itself, it revealed a built looking man wearing thick framed glasses, smirking into the camera.
Emma gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, "Shit," Sitara said putting her hand on Emma's knee to try to comfort her, "Guys, it's Owen."
"Hey there, losers!" Owen's voice said through the camera. Emma still stared wide eyes at him as he proceeded to talk. "I really don't like how close you've been getting to me. But this isn't the end, you know. Not even close. I have more hideouts. And more dead ends for you to run into. I know exactly where you've been, and I know where you'll go. I will win and Dedsec will regret everything that had anything to do with me," He said. Emma pulled her knees up to her chest, not feeling safe. Wrench tore his eyes away from Owen's face to look at Emma. She looked so scared and helpless. He wanted to murder the man on the screen for making Emma feel like that. He looked back at Owen during his last stretch of his speech. "Oh, and my dear Emelia... It's so nice seeing you smile again. Will only make it that much sweeter when I destroy your life again," He finished speaking and starting laughing. Before the video feed could end, Wrench began walking forward to try and break through a window to the building. He just wanted to get in, and Owen knew they were there so no point in being stealthy.
Marcus was quick to jump up and stop him, putting a hand out to his shoulder, "This is a bad idea, man" Marcus warned, "You know it is."
"He's right there, Marcus. I can get him!" Wrench tried to plead.
"He knew we were coming, he's prepared. We're not. It's not over yet, Wrench," Marcus tried to reason.
"He's using scare tactics. We've caught up!" Wrench said. He believed Owen just wanted to pretend he had the upper hand. He was going to get caught, no matter what, so he took the advantage to scare them. Wrench pushed past Marcus and continued on.
"You know I can't let you do that," Marcus tried to reason trying to stop him once again.
Wrench didn't budge, "Get out of my way or come with me."
Marcus sighed casually pulling out his gun and cocking it, "Fine."
Wrench stopped when he heard the gun being cocked. He didn't want his friend to risk his life as Wrench was probably risking his. He sighed, "Just go back to the van and make sure Emma is okay."
Marcus shook his head, "I think you need babysitting more than she does now."
"Marcus!" Wrench yelled before he felt a sharp pain in his arm, synced with a loud boom sound. He yelled and covered his arm where he felt the sudden jolt of pain. He looked down and saw his arm was bleeding. It didn't take long for him to realize he got shot, but it was still jarring. He steadied his own stun shotgun and aimed it in the general direction of where the gunshot sounded like it came from. The kickback from the shotgun put a strain on his injured arm, but the adrenaline dulled some of the pain.
Marcus ducked and shot blindly in the direction, as well, despite not seeing anyone. Before they could shoot off more than 5 rounds, there was an explosion from the building next to them. Marcus and Wrench both stopped and looked up to see the building crumble on itself.
"Hey you idiots, get in here!" Sitara yelled from the driver's seat. Marcus put his arm behind Wrench, helping guide him to the van, both of them ducking in case more gunshots were going to go off. Emma was kneeling in the bed of the van, holding out a custom gun. She fired and Marcus and Wrench only heard the sound of ice shattering behind them. Marcus turned back to see the ground and parts of the wall were frozen.
"Awesome…." He stopped and whispered, gawking at the sight before him.
"Come on!" Emma shouted, aiming another round and firing.
Marcus snapped out of it and stepped into the van with Wrench, Emma firing one last round. Marcus closed the van doors behind them, as Sitara slammed on the acceleration, heading out of the alley way. Marcus successfully locked the doors, and Wrench slumped on the side of the van, holding on to his arm. "Are you fucking crazy?!" Sitara asked, mostly directing her anger at Wrench for acting on his own.
"Sitara, just focus on getting us out of here!" Marcus said.
Emma was still stunned by the events that just occurred, but she would worry about it more when they were away from harm. She was happy to see Marcus and Wrench were alive, but she noticed the blood coming out of Wrench's left arm, and all over the hand he has placed on it. Her heart sank to her stomach. It looked like it grazed the side of his arm, but it didn't change the fact that there was a lot of blood. Emma carefully maneuvered her way to the other side of Wrench, ignoring Sitara telling her to sit down. She kneeled next to him, with his eyes upon her, even if she couldn't tell with the mask. She ripped off one of her sleeves into a long piece, "Move your hand," She demanded.
"What are you-" Wrench asked.
"Shut up," She interrupted and moved his hand herself. He was feeling weak so she was able to overpower him in that moment. That, or he didn't feel like fighting her. She wrapped her sleeve around his arm to try to stop the bleeding. He looked down at her face as she was wrapping it. At least this proves she isn't angry enough with him to let him die. As if she'd let anyone die like that. Her eyes were furrowed upward, clearly worried. Wrench felt bad for being the cause of her looking so sad. But the source of all her troubles was with the guy he was going to try to go after, so he didn't regret it. She finished tying the knot and let her hand linger on his arm, moving her eyes up from his wound to his mask. If there were any perfect time to see his face, it would have been then.
"Sorry I couldn't get him," He said.
She frowned, tears threatening to form in her eyes, "You're an idiot…" She said forcefully, but quietly.
"I know," Wrench said softly, almost inaudible under his mask.
Once Marcus knew no one was chasing them anymore, he moved up to the front to sit next to Sitara, who was then driving at a normal speed.
Emma turned her body to the side to sit more comfortably next to Wrench. Their hips were touching and she snaked both her arms around his injured one, holding onto it carefully as to not hurt his wound. He moved his arm out so it was more comfortable for her to hold. Wrench looked down at her caressing his tattoos again, only this time it was his other arm. He leaned his head back on the side of the van and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her. It was the best distraction, he almost couldn't even feel the pulsating pain in his upper arm.
~~~Hackerspace~~~
Wrench's arm was confirmed not to have a bullet lodged in it. They were able to replace Emma's makeshift tourniquet with proper medical supplies. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Ray said when Sitara told him what happened.
Everyone was at the table, except for Emma, who was on the futon. She hadn't spoken a single word since they got back. Part of her brain wouldn't let her let down the fact that it was her fault what happened. Maybe she was the useless one in the group. She was just a chemist. There's no way she'd have any sort of help in stopping Owen. Emma's freedom was at the mercy of whenever Dedsec could outsmart Owen. But she was able to help them get out of there. Maybe she saved them from any further injuries. Meanwhile, the other part of her brain couldn't stop focusing on the images of the building and why it was so familiar to her. She couldn't give up. She owed it to everyone, she thought. Wrench getting injured was her fault, and she knew that. She wasn't sure how to go talk to him, especially after snapping at him earlier. She knew what Sam was saying was a lie or a misunderstanding, but a poor combination of events led her to having a short fuse.
Wrench didn't appreciate Ray calling what he did "dumb". He agreed, but at the time, he didn't care. He was tired of seeing Emma so scared. Owen was the cause of her stress and he just wanted him out of the picture.
Sitara, Marcus, and Ray were discussing things, but Wrench wasn't really paying attention. Emma stood up off the futon and walked over to the stairs. He looked up to see her making eye contact with him. It was deliberate. She didn't look away. Once she reached the stairs, she slowly looked back ahead of her and climbed up the stairs. Did she want him to follow her? He wondered. After a few moments of pretending to pay attention to the others, Wrench stood up and walked upstairs to see Emma.
She was leaning against the wall in the hallway, turning her head once she heard the door open. She smiled, and he nodded back, not sure what to display on his mask, "I'm sorry I got mad…" She said softly.
Wrench wasn't sure what to respond with. He knew he had to say something, "Don't be," He said. It was a safe response.
"Sam really got in my head… I don't know why I believed him. I think I was just -" Emma began.
"No, really, it's okay," Wrench said not wanting her to stay stressed.
"It's not… Maybe the problem isn't that people are manipulative… Maybe I'm just that trusting and naive," Emma said.
"Emma, it's not your fault," Wrench assured.
Emma shrugged, "Is any of what Sam said was true?" She wasn't sure why she asked. She was already sure it wasn't, but she had to hear him say it.
Wrench wanted to say he liked her. He wanted her to be his, and to stop seeing Sam. Not because he was jealous, but because he was dangerous. He just didn't know how to say it without sounding possessive. Anything he said could be taken the wrong way, and he didn't want her to be uncomfortable "Not at all."
Emma nodded. They were silent for a moment, neither of them sure of what else to say. Emma looked down at the ground as Wrench was leaning against the wall opposite of her, arms crossed. "How's your arm?" She finally asked.
"Stopped bleeding and I'm on some pain killers. Basically like nothing happened," He said displaying a smiling face on his mask.
Emma knew it wasn't true. Something did happen. But she appreciated that he wanted everything to be okay again. She smiled back, staring at his mask. For a second, she wanted to ask him to take it off. But instead she walked forward and hugged him, surprising herself and Wrench. "Ow," she muttered as she quickly let off the hug due to the studs on his vest. Instead, she snaked her arms under his vest to properly hug his torso. He was warm, she thought. And thin. Her head was laying comfortably on his chest, hearing his accelerated heartbeat, making her smile.
Wrench lightly wrapped his good arm around her, stroking her shoulder with his thumb. He wasn't sure what to do, "Don't like the studs?" He asked, trying to make light of the situation.
She chuckled, "Are they some sort of defense mechanism from hugs?"
"Sure, something like that," Wrench said, not realizing how close she was to the truth.
"Oh," Emma muttered as she slowly tried to pull back, feeling awkward for hugging him when he probably didn't like it.
But he didn't let her. Wrench pulled her back into him, holding onto her tighter, "Not from you," He said like she should have known. He moved his injured around to wrap around her lower back, unable to lift it any higher.
"Please don't do that ever again," She muttered in his chest. Tears were already forming in her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was getting emotional all of a sudden, but she guessed it was because of the sudden comfort she felt around him. Someone to hold her and make her feel safe, even if it was only temporary. But she didn't want to cry around him, so she tried to fight the tears off.
"Can't make any promises," Wrench said, still trying to keep the situation light. He obviously couldn't tell her that he would do it again if it meant having the chance to end Owen.
The door to the hackerspace opened up, and Emma and Wrench quickly broke their hug, Emma moving back to the other side of the hallway, leaning her back against it. The sudden movement with his arm made Wrench winse and Emma gave him apologetic eyes. Sitara walked out from the door, "Oh, good, I thought you ran off," She said to Emma.
"Nah, just needed some air," She said quickly, trying to find an excuse, even though it didn't make sense. She scrunched her eyebrows together at her own stupidity.
"Right. Getting air from an indoor hallway," Sitara smirked.
Emma shrugged, "Yeah, well."
Sitara eyes her carefully and turned to Wrench, "What'd you do?"
Wrench was alarmed, "I'm sorry... Is something my fault again?" He asked sarcastically.
"You broke my dear Emma," Sitara said dramatically, putting her arms Emma.
Emma chuckled, "He didn't do anything, I just didn't want to hear about him anymore," Emma said referring to Owen.
"Yeah, don't we all… You ready to go home? It's been a pretty big day," Sitara asked Emma.
It was, Emma agreed. But this wasn't anything compared to what they'll run into further down the line. Owen was going to fight back even harder. They all had to be more careful, "Yeah give a sec?" Emma asked Sitara.
Sitara wanted to grin at her attempt to be alone with Wrench for a second longer. She really wanted to do something to mess with her, but after the day she had, maybe she'd let her have this one, "Sure, I'll meet you up front," Sitara said and walked out of the hallway, to the main store.
Emma waited for Sitara to turn the corner before looking back at Wrench, "Thank you… for everything," She said in a hushed tone. Wrench just nodded, unsure of what to say. Emma reached down to grab Wrench's hand, which he didn't fight off. "See you tomorrow?" She asked, staring into his mask.
Wrench hated his situation. She was holding his hand, looking up at his face. He wanted to take his mask off and let whatever could happen, happen. But he couldn't. He was afraid to take it off. He was only partially worried about what she would think about his real face. It wasn't so much the face, as the person that face belonged to. The mask helped him forget who he was. Taking it off would only show her a person that he didn't even like. How was he going to expect her to? He thought. "See you tomorrow," He assured in a quiet voice.
Emma's smile faltered a little bit, but she tried not to let it affect her. What was she expecting? She stepped backwards a bit, hands slowly separating as she walked out of the hallway and into the main room to meet with Sitara.
Wrench could still feel her hand in his. How could he think that anything would happen after Owen is gone? Wrench knew he wanted to be with Emma, but he had his own personal demons to deal with before that would ever happen, and he imagined it would take longer than dealing with Owen. He sighed, wishing it could be easier. At the moment, he just wanted to focus on Dedsec's mission. Taking down "Cyb0rg" wasn't only about Emma. He's been a menace to Dedsec for months. He had to start seeing it as a professional issue, rather than personal. He walked back downstairs to the Hackerspace seeing Marcus and Ray discuss things that didn't sound like they were about Owen.
Marcus looked over to see his friend looking morose, "Hey, you good, man? How's that arm?" He asked.
"The arm's nothing," Wrench answered. The pain in his arm was actually a welcome distraction to his overactive brain thinking about Emma. Wrench walked over to where the first aid and popped another pain killer before it became worse, "This wouldn't be my first time getting shot, you know," He laid down on the futon, hoping to just pass out there. He could have gone to his own apartment, but at that moment, the sounds of voices in the background was something he needed, "Hey Marcus?"
Marcus called over, "Yeah?"
"Thanks for having my back out there," Wrench said. He was so busy thinking about Emma that he didn't realize Marcus basically saved his life by not letting him go into the building. It may not have been a huge gesture on Marcus's part, but it meant the world to Wrench.
"Don't even mention it," Marcus said.
"Remember, son, you can't take care of Emma without taking care of yourself," Ray said softly, trying to be supportive. He thought what Wrench did was stupid, but he would have been devastated if he didn't come back.
"I'll have to keep that in mind," Wrench said.