26 Mutants, Also the Abyss
Every second that ticked by was like an eternity, slowly killing her patience. When Carlotta first found herself here she had become enamored with the cinema, devouring each new film the way Ubaldo had once devoured sweets. She loved the ones full of action and drama, where no matter how tough things got you knew the hero was going to save the day in the end. If only life were more like the movies.
When people talk about wars they somehow always leave out the long, boring hours spent studying and strategizing. Battle was suppose to be about guts and glory, riding out to meet the enemy knowing one of you wouldn't survive. Instead she found herself once again buried under dusty tomes in an apartment fit only for the dead.
Frederick seemed to share her frustrations, tossing his tools across the desk and leaning back with a groan. His bones cracked as he moved, leaving Carlotta to wonder not for the first time what kept the old man running. He turned to glare at her. "Your little toy is a piece of junk."
Carlotta gently closed the book she'd been trying to read, reigning in her impulse to scream at him. She did her best to manage her anger these days, something she had never truly managed in her old life and which was constantly tested by Frederick's bullheadedness.
"It is not a toy," She said. "And I saw it work myself. You just have to help me figure out how."
Frederick snorted. "Yes, because we're doing excellently at that so far. Maybe you can go find that kid and get him to show you how it works."
"Excuse me." Carlotta dropped the book on top of her small stack, kicked up a tiny cloud of dust. "Did I miss the part where you had a brilliant plan to save our asses? Because I am pretty sure that I'm the only one trying here."
"You think I'm not trying?"
"Unless you count whining and complaining, yes, that is what I'm saying."
Frederick threw up his hands and rolled his eyes back. "Excuse me for wanting a plan that relied on something a little more substantial than a toy you stole from a school child."
"A better plan," She said. "You want a better plan?"
"Yes."
Carlotta shrugged. "Fine." She walked calmly toward his desk, picking up the device and slipping it into the pocket of her dress. "Then you can come up with one."
Frederick watched her stride over to her coat, slowly threading first one arm then the other into the sleeves. "What are you doing?" He asked.
Carlotta raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was obvious." She did the buttons up one by one.
"But you can't leave! I…it's freezing out!"
She shrugged. "Then I suppose I'll just freeze." She was out the door without another word, the latch closing with a soft click. Frederick just stared after her.
Her anger, clearly not as well managed as she thought, only kept her warm for about a block before the wind blew a hand full of snow and a chill that stung her bones. Stupid Frederick. Stupid goddamn fucking Frederick and his stupid goddamn fucking plans. Six years and the man couldn't just believe her? Just once? No, stupid man needed proof, and facts, and goddamn fucking plans.
If she just kept thinking about how angry she was she could forget the fear. Fear that maybe he was right; that she really didn't have anything to fight with, that they were both probably going to die. After six years in this city she really did only have one friend, she didn't think she could stand to lose him.
She walked back to his building and climbed the stairs, not bothering to go inside. Instead she pulled the device from her pocket and slipped it in his mailbox. She wouldn't apologize, she had her pride, but the truth was if either of them could get that thing to work it was him. Undead asshole or not, he was all she had. That little device wasn't much, but it would have to be enough for now. Carlotta took to the streets.
She hadn't been exaggerating when she'd mentioned the weather to Frederick. The wind wasn't just cold it was strong, kicking up snow and cutting off visibility. She wasn't sure she could find the kid again, not in this, but she had to try. Frederick certainly couldn't search for anything in conditions like these, any more than she could squeeze answers from his decrepit old books. She found it kind of amusing that he was the brain of their partnership while she was the brawn.
The figure was nearly right in front of her before she saw him, a tall form silhouetted through the snow. She thought it was just one man but as the wind blew her vision seemed to shift and suddenly there were two, and then four. Her nerves vibrated. She turned to go back the way she had come, considering how far she had walked from Frederick's, when she realized there were figures behind her as well, identical to the first.
She could see the more clearly as they got closer, each wearing the same green shirt under a long, leather coat. As she studied their faces she realized more that just their clothes were identical.
"Hello," They said in unison, the combined voices of eight men cutting easily through the wind. "The Master would meet with you."
Carlotta turned again, trying to find a way to slip past them as they moved in closer. "Your Master can make an appointment."
One of the men grabbed her by the arm. "The Master does not wait."
Carlotta had a brief second to be thankful she had returned the device before the world went black. The air seemed to shiver as the man lifted her body, the eight shapes disappearing into one before vanishing into the snow.