Chapter 9

Lisbon walked into the Dollhouse after Ballard and Alpha, gun drawn. "Go find Echo," she said, turning around to Jane, who was bringing up the rear.

As Jane skulked off up the stairs, Ballard and Lisbon went to the center of the room and grabbed Victor and Fang, separating them. "Alpha?" called Ballard. "We're gonna need your help here."

"Don't need help," said Victor thickly through his busted lips. "I wanna get back in my own body, thank you very much." He shook Ballard off and set off on his own towards the staircase, and Ballard took hold of Fang instead. Fang, still imprinted with his "Steven" personality, struggled to break free, but quickly gave up as he realized it would be impossible to break Ballard's iron grip.

Jane was first to enter Topher's office, where its owner lay on the ground, the back of his neck severely bruised. Echo stood over him, panting with exertion, still holding the large hard drive she'd just whacked him upside the head with.

For the first time, Jane fully appreciated Echo's violent capabilities. After all, she was not in her right mind at all. Just as she hadn't been in her right mind when she'd murdered Max.

Lisbon walked in, followed by Ballard, Alpha, Victor, and Fang. "Who's this?" she asked, gesturing to Topher's prostrate form.

"The technician," said Alpha. "Don't worry, I can operate the chair myself. Fang?" He turned to Fang, momentarily forgetting that Fang's mind was inhabiting Victor's body. "Whoops, sorry. You're Fang, at least for now. Just get in the chair, and we'll fix you up nice and tidy."

Victor sat in the chair and waited as Alpha searched Topher's array of hard drives for the one containing Anthony Ceccoli's memories. It took only ten minutes for Alpha to re-upload them all into their proper vessel. Everyone was paying attention to this spectacle, not noticing the shadowy form silently sliding in through the door.

"Has it been five years yet?" asked Anthony.

"Lemme get back you on that, buddy," said Alpha. "Alright Echo, your turn." He ejected the hard drive and replaced it with the one marked "Caroline Farrell." Ten more minutes and Echo was back to normal as well.

"Good," said Alpha. "Now for you, Fang, or whatever they have you calling yourself today."

By this time, Jane had finally noticed the hidden person hiding in the background. She reached out and twisted a gold, ruby-studded bracelet on her wrist. One of the rubies opened up, revealing a hidden spike. And another, and another.

"EVERYBODY DOWN!" Jane yelled, realizing too late what was happening next.

Adelle raised her hand into the air and clenched her fist. Instantly, twelve spiked darts flew around the room. Most everyone had gotten down to the floor and therefore escaped unscathed, but two of them got hit and were instantly knocked out by the direct injections of curare.

Lisbon edged out from underneath Jane's unconscious body and shot Adelle in the stomach twice. She sank to the ground, whispering, "The Prophecy continues. Someone else will carry..." With a death rattle, her soul abandoned her body.

Trying to keep calm even as it dimly registered that Jane would need immediate medical attention, Lisbon turned to Alpha, only to realize that he, too, had been shot with one of Adelle's darts. But that was okay; she and Ballard had thought ahead and brought a secret weapon. She opened her phone and dialed the number she'd committed to memory the day before.

One ring, two rings, three rings, four. Lisbon was starting to fear that the whole plan had been shot, but finally, on the sixth ring, the call was answered at last. "Nudge? Are you here? It's time. Come upstairs right now."