Chapter 6
Back in the home office, Rigsby was tossing a baseball up in the air repeatedly, while Cho and Van Pelt studiously ignored him. He soon gave up and got up to leave the room, having just heard that there was a guy in the waiting room saying that a twenty-year-old sci-fi show had somehow stolen his favorite invented curse word. The things he thought were funny usually didn't go over well with the rest of the team, so nobody followed him out the door.
Van Pelt breathed a sigh of relief as he left. "Glad that's over. Any idea where Jane and Lisbon are?"
Cho shook his head. "They said they'd be calling us when they got any leads worth following. Can't imagine why they'd find anything, though. This Dollhouse business sounds like it's gonna go nowhere fast."
"I agree," said Van Pelt, nodding sagely. "Sounds like the stuff of legend, not a real murder case." The words had barely left her mouth, however, when the phone on her desk rang. "Special Agent Van Pelt, CBI," she said.
"The stuff of legend, you say?" asked an electronically-distorted voice.
Van Pelt froze. "Who are you?"
"Someone trying to put a stop to the Rossum Corporation before they initiate the apocalypse foretold in the Prophecy of Blood," said the Voice. Van Pelt realized that the Voice's gender, or even whether or not it was human or machine, was impossible to tell. This served to increase the chill running through her veins.
"What do you mean?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice calm and neutral.
"More on that later," said the Voice. "For now, turn on the nearest TV. You'll probably get a nasty shock indeed."
Van Pelt complied, and as soon as the TV was turned on, she realized something was very wrong, just as the Voice had said. There was a Breaking News banner running across the screen, and the newscaster was talking about some explosion in a high-rise in downtown L.A.
"No," Van Pelt breathed. "Not Jane and Lisbon..."
"No," the Voice said. "They are still alive. They were nowhere near the explosion site. This was intended to take out the head of the Dollhouse, as well as to mark the building you and your colleagues should be investigating. Sadly, I have only achieved one of those goals. Adelle DeWitt is also still alive. But one of her prized Actives is not. At least, so the computer system in the Dollhouse will say now. I'll report to you later." The Voice's owner cut the connection, leaving Van Pelt staring at the TV in absolute shock.
In Los Angeles, Alpha removed the voice modulator from the phone's mouthpiece. "That's taken care of," he said. "Now, I believe you guys wanted some explanations yourselves?" He spoke directly to Lisbon, as well as Jane, who stood next to her, holding a still-cringing Echo in his arms.