Some Jack backstory, and a bit of violence. More Romance to come!
Tina sat at her keyboard with her hands hovering over the keyboard. She had all but typed the story about Rachel. It was quite possibly one of the best stories she had ever written in her entire life. She knew that no one in Echo Town would appreciate her work, but such was a life of a journalist. Everyone seemed to be on Rachel's side. She finished typing the last words, when she heard a knock on her door. She quickly made sure she saved the document and then answered the door. The girl in question stood at her door.
"Finally decided to come clean?" Tina asked. A look of anger flashed over Rachel's face which was quickly replaced with a look of forced calm.
"There's nothing to come clean about," Rachel insisted. "I've come to ask that you hold off on any article you may be considering printing about me." Tina crossed her arms across her chest. She saw no reason why she should listen to this girl.
"Tell me why I should?" Tina asked.
"Can I come in for a moment?" Rachel asked. Tina was not sure whether or not she trusted being in a confined space with this girl. If she was dangerous, something could happen to her.
"I guess," Tina replied hesitantly. She allowed Rachel to enter her house.
"I know you don't trust me," Rachel started. "Honestly if I were in your shoes I wouldn't trust me either." Tina regarded the girl carefully.
"You are right about that," Tina replied. "I'm not like everyone else in this town that you've managed to pull the wool over their eyes."
Rachel sighed. She had to remind herself that Tina did not know the situation she was in. While it was frustrating that Tina always thought the worst of her, she hoped by the end of the conversation that Tina would be able to see through her prejudice and understand the situation Rachel was in.
"Look," Rachel replied trying to stay calm. "I am not pulling the wool over anyone's eyes. I really have no memory of who I am."
"So what are you not telling me then?" Tina asked.
"That's the thing, I don't know," Rachel said. "Actually I was hoping we could help each other out. All I know is that I have something to do with a company called Maion Corporation." Tina was suddenly interested in the conversation. Maion Corporation had been the press several times in the past years, something like this could put her on the map as a journalist.
"Ok so now you have my interest," Tina replied.
"See I need to find out more information about this corporation. I think I am in some kind of trouble. I assure you, that if I have done anything wrong or criminal that I can remember, I will turn myself in. However, I don't feel like I have done something wrong. If you help me find out what I am involved in, I will cooperate with you when it comes time for you to write your story. However, if you publish this story before we figure this out, I won't tell you a thing."
"How do I know you're not lying to me right now?" Tina asked. "How do I know that you are not just biding your time for an escape?"
"You don't know," Rachel replied. "I understand that this takes a lot of trust from you. But what you need to understand, is that it is also taking a lot of trust from me, too. I need to know that you're going to accept this deal. Because after that I am going to tell you everything that I know." Tina once again considered the options. She could publish the story she had right now that would not have the full information. At best people in town would ignore it. The story she wrote probably wouldn't get picked up anywhere else. Or she could wait, and possibly snag the story of her life.
"You have a deal," Tina replied. She held out her hand to Rachel.
"I need your word that you will not publish anything until I say it is okay," Rachel replied. "Understand that I am putting a lot of trust in your word."
"You have my word," Tina replied. Rachel shook Tina's hand.
"Let me tell you what I know," Rachel stated.
Jack stared at Gwen in surprise. He heard about Doctor Schuster and his replication fiasco, but had not realized that the doctor had changed his name and moved to Flowerbud. It shocked him realizing that this could be the break they needed to bring Maion Corporation down. Replication of humans had been strictly forbidden, in fact, replication of any living creature had been prohibited. If Maion was involved in human replication, that would be it. He could finally get something to stick to Will Regison.
"This is only a hunch," Gwen replied, after seeing the excited look on Jack's face. "We still have a lot of work to do to, if we're going to prove it."
"I'm okay with that," Jack replied."I'm willing to do what it takes to bring him down." Gwen looked at Jack curiously. This sounded more personal than just a mere closing of the case.
"What's really going on between you and Will?" When asked.
"Nothing," Jack replied. "I've just been trying to get him for years." Gwen looked at him dubiously. She didn't believe that there wasn't a more personal touch to this case.
"The one thing that always liked about you Jack that you're always a straight shooter. You've always been honest and upfront. Why start lying now?" Gwen asked. From the look Jack gave her, she knew she gotten her point across.
"So maybe there is something personal for me here," Jack replied.
"Care to share with me?" Gwen asked. When Jack remained silent she the shook her head. "Jack it's me, you know that I can keep a secret. I just want to make sure that there is nothing here that is going to jeopardize this case."
"Will Regison is a bastard." Jack stated simply.
"Well yeah," Gwen chuckled.
"I don't think you understand," Jack said. "Will Regison was in the same class in high school as my little sister."Jack paused. The topic of his little sister was always a hard one to bring up.
"I didn't know you have a younger sister, "one stated.
"Had," Jack answered. "Will and his little rich buddies decided that they were going to pick on my sister. There was a group of seven or eight of them that teased her, taunted her and mocked her mercilessly. It was so bad, it was to the point where my sister grew depressed. She was a young, beautiful teenager. She was the unexpected child and we all loved her. But Will and his friends broke her spirit. They broke her so badly, that one evening in the middle of her 10th grade year of high school, she swallowed an entire bottle of my mothers painkillers."Jack paused, the words or hard to get out. Tears welled in his eyes. Gwen gasped. She never knew that Jack carried around this pain with him.
"Oh my goodness!" Gwen gasped. "I'm so sorry Jack. I understand now. I promise you, that I will do what ever it takes to bring him down, if he is guilty." Jack looked at Gwen there was a new sense of camaraderie between the two of them. She understood. He told very few people that story.
"Do you have a photo of her? "Gwen asked.
"I carry one with me everywhere I go. It keeps me honest. Whenever I need a reminder to do the right thing I look at her picture," Jack replied. He pulled the old worn picture out if his wallet. A beautiful blonde haired girl was smiling happily in the photo. She looked so young and full of life. Gwen realized how tragic it must have been for Jack's family.
"She was beautiful," Gwen stated. "What was her name?"
"Lily," Jack replied, Gwen could hear the raw emotion in his voice.
"Well," Gwen stated. "If we're going to catch Will, we have a lot of work to do."
Vaughn arranged to have Kurt come meet him in the forest. Kurt was to be his warning to the other two idiots, that he was serious. The bumbling hicks had no idea who they were messing with. Vaughn waited patiently. Finally he saw a figure approaching him. The man looked unhappy to be coming out here for the impromptu meeting. Vaughn had purposefully chosen the meeting at night to intimidate the other man. These idiots needed to be taught a lesson, that he was serious.
"What is so important that you needed to have this meeting in the middle of the night?" Kurt mumbled.
"This," Vaughn replied. He sprung quickly into action. He quickly pulled the cord he had brought with him around the man's throat. Kurt struggled against him, but it was useless. Vaughn was much stronger.