"That's checkmate."

"Argh! Why are you so good at this!" Robyn leaned back in her chair frustrated, staring at her white King which had been captured smartly by Penelope's black Rook and Queen. Penelope had nearly all her pieces while Robyn had only one lowly Pawn and the King itself left.

Penelope smiled as she started resetting the chess board. As she did, Robyn couldn't help but stare at the edges of the bandages that peeked out from Penelope's sleeves. "I've played chess ever since I was a little girl. Mum and Dad loved the game. I once read a book where a Demon Lord loved to play chess and I got obsessed with being the best so I could protect my parents from that Demon Lord." Penelope chuckled as she remembered the memory. "I only got good enough to win a trophy at school, but I've always loved the logic of the game."

"I had no chance from the very beginning," Robyn blanched. "You're a professional."

"Not really a professional," Penelope finished laying the board. "Why don't I talk you through some techniques."

"Mmm…" Robyn tapped the table nervously. "Ollie should be here soon."

"Ollie or Owen?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" Robyn smiled awkwardly. "I suppose Owen. It's hard to remember to call him by the different names. When I asked him to come, he told me he'd only be about twenty minutes."

"It's only been half an hour. Give him time. Owen is a little more social than Ollie, but he appreciates his mornings. Come on, let's have another game."

"Fine… I'll just lose again…" Robyn moved a Pawn forward almost without thinking about it. "Do you know Owen… Or Ollie… Which name do I use if he's not here?"

"If you admit your loss before you tried, your fate is to lose either way. It's no fun if you just give up," Penelope said, moving her own Pawn in response. "I tend to talk with Owen most. I play chess with him in the mornings. I talk to Ollie every now and again, but I think my bandages unnerve him. Ollie is the persona most prevalent so referring to him as Ollie would be fine. I don't quite understand it fully myself, but Owen told me not to think about it too much as long as we say the right names when talking face-to-face."

Robyn stared at the board. She didn't like playing the opening moves of chess, as there was no way of figuring out what your opponent would plan for the latter stages. There was no logic to opening moves, just prodding your opponent gently with suggestions. Robyn moved her Knight next and leaned back. "So why do you have the bandages?" Robyn asked, knowing that it was a bit of a straight-forward question, but she had always been unable to hold her tongue.

"I'll let you know if you tell me why you carry that camera," Penelope said calmly as she moved her own Knight.

"That's just being mean."

"You shouldn't ask personal questions."

"But how will I get the answers if I don't ask?"

"By not being obsessed with unnecessary answers. Not everything has to be questioned." Penelope and Robyn grew quiet for but a second before Robyn had to speak again.

"Do you know the name of Ollie's third persona?"

"Oh, Oscar. I've met him but never talked to him. Why are you interested in him?"

"Conner and I were talking about them. We worked out that Owen appears in the morning, Ollie is the main person, but just didn't know what to call the third persona. Conner calls him the cry-baby but that's a little rude, really."

"Conner? Conner Shepherd?" Penelope raised her eyebrows, swiftly taking Robyn's lonely Bishop. "What is someone like you doing hanging around with someone like him?"

"What do you mean? Conner's a sweetheart." Robyn's tongue stuck out as she thought about her move. She suddenly clapped her hands together and took Penelope's Pawn with her Rook. "Yes!"

"A sweetheart?" Penelope shook her head in disbelief. "Haven't you heard the rumours?"

"I don't care about rumours. I care about facts. The jury's still out on whether he's a werewolf, but I don't believe in the rumours."

"I'm not going to even ask but don't fall into traps," Penelope's Queen moved swiftly across the board and took Robyn's victorious Rook. "Both on the board and in the people you hang out with."

"Well, I've heard rumours about you too," Robyn pouted, upset over the loss of her Rook. She decided to give up on that side of the board and started moving her own Queen past the ranks, hesitating to take a Knight and instead going for another Pawn, trying to whittle down Penelope's defences.

"Oh, and I thought you didn't believe in rumours," Penelope's fingers moved quick and all of a sudden Robyn's Queen was gone, taken by Penelope's own. "If you had taken my Knight, you would have put me on the defensive. Now you're the one with your back against the wall."

"When someone's back is against the wall, they often fight back harder," Robyn grinned toothily and took Penelope's own Queen. "Check!"

"That was a good move, surprisingly well thought out…" Penelope slowly took her own Rook and slid it across the board. "When a fight gets tough, you sometimes must make sacrifices. It doesn't matter what pieces are lost if it gets you the win." Penelope reached over and tipped over Robyn's King with a slender finger. "Checkmate."

"Gah!" Robyn pushed her chair back, frustrated. "I thought I had you."

"At least this time you thought you had won. That makes the game more interesting," Penelope winked, gathering the pieces across the board, and putting them back into the box it had come from.

"That's it, I'm gonna go and find Owen and bother him if I have to," Robyn stood up, taking her camera. "Can you stay here and wait for me? I won't be long?"

"No worries," Penelope was peering through the nearby shelf. "I'm sure I can find something that will suit the three of us. It's always nice playing games. Makes things a little less lonely. But don't worry, I'll pick something a little bit more luck based."

"Thank you, I'll beat you and Owen both soon," with that, Robyn strode out of the Rec-Zone with her camera, leaving Penelope behind.

Finding Sullivan had proved a little harder than Conner had anticipated but he eventually found him within the library located in the administrative building. The library was one of the only recreational subjects that was kept within the administration building to stop vandalism of books. It wasn't difficult to access, you just had to sign in at reception so the orderlies could keep track of where the residents were. Most residents weren't particularly interested in the library with what the Rec-Zone had to offer so after Conner had jumped through the hoops to get into the building, there were only a few residents sitting around.

Glancing out of the window, Conner counted himself lucky. The skies had opened that morning and was coming down hard in steady waves. He had never been a fan of the rain, it had always made it difficult to track people down. He turned back and scanned the library again, finding Sullivan sitting in the corner with a cup of coffee, reading a newspaper while casually glancing over the library floor. Immediately intrigued, Conner walked over and sat opposite Sullivan, drawing a bemused look from Sullivan.

"Anything interesting in the news?" Conner asked, taking in the front page folded to face him. A picture of a group of dogs playing in a meadow, with the caption: 'Record cases of canine adoption this month, open to page 4 to read about how Margaret Mystwood is determined to give all animals a home.'

Sullivan gently folded the paper up and put it on his lap under the table. "Good morning, Conner. You know I can't divulge outside information."

"Oh yeah, dog adoptions, really riveting stuff. Really gonna make me wanna escape this place," Conner rolled his eyes. "Besides, I don't believe in the news."

"No?"

"You should never believe what you read in the papers, Sullivan, didn't anyone ever teach you that?"

Sullivan sighed, "Just call me Finley, okay? Too many people call me by my last name."

"It's what your name badge says," Conner pointed out.

"I wonder if the warden would let me change it? But anyway, Conner, I'm not entirely certain I've ever seen you in the library."

"I'd love to say that I've taken up reading, but well, I do not have the patience for that," Conner smiled. "No, I'm here to talk to you, Finley."

"That is extra unusual."

"You're one of the only ones who treat me like I'm not some scum on the bottom of a boot."

"Everyone here deserves to be treated equally and with respect," Finley shrugged. "We're here to help, not harm. You were admitted here to be helped, so that's what I want to do. Giving you dirty looks and muttering behind your back really isn't helping you, is it?"

"Does that mean people are muttering behind my back then?" Conner smirked. "Don't answer, I know they do."

"So what can I do for you?"

"You know me, I can cause trouble for people. But well, the last time I lashed out I was told I ought to come to an orderly and report it. So this is me, being an upstanding citizen of Hearthome. It's Banks."

"Imogen," Finley raised an eyebrow. "What about Imogen?"

"She's been causing some issues in the Rec-Zone this morning. Picking on people just for staring at her funny. Thought I'd come over and let you know, seeing as how you're the only one Banks seems to somewhat listen to. I may be new but I keep my eyes and ears open." Finley stared at Conner and Conner suddenly felt an unsure feeling sweep over his shoulders. Like he was missing something. Nevertheless he faked a smile. "It was right to talk to you, yes?"

"I'm not entirely sure what you are playing at, Conner, but Imogen hasn't clocked in this morning."

The unsure feeling grew heavier. "What?"

"After yesterday's incident… Well, I can't talk about it with residents."

"Have you heard from her?"

"That's a weird question."

"Have you fuckin' heard from her, Sullivan!"

"Getting angry at me doesn't help anyone, Conner," Finley said calmly, sipping his coffee. "No, I haven't. After yesterday though, it doesn't surprise me."

Conner stood up, his head spinning. Noah was taken. John was missing. Banks hadn't reported in. Coincidence, or something else? His shoulders felt tight, his stomach knotted. Something was horribly wrong and he just couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"Are you ok, Conner? You look pale?"

Conner didn't reply. Instead he spun on his heel and left the library, leaving Finley to stare after him, perplexed. Conner ignored the rain as it coated him from head to heel, arriving at the Rec-Zone swiftly. He had already planned with Robyn which table they would meet at. For a moment a bloom of foolish hope swelled in his chest when he saw Penelope playing Snakes & Ladders but then he saw that she was alone. He stopped next to the table and slammed his hands down, knocking the piece Penelope was using askew.

"Where the fuck is Robyn!?"

Penelope glanced to Conner with a raised eyebrow and calmly picked up her piece. "She has gone to find Owen."

"What?"

"Apparently she asked the both of us to come here to play board games. I arrived, Owen didn't. Robyn went to look. I stayed here. Should be simple enough to understand, right?" Something flashed in Penelope's eyes that Conner did not like one bit but for once he didn't have time to spit insults at someone.

"Where did she go!?"

"That seems a defunct question. She's gone to find Owen."

Conner hissed through his teeth and immediately sprinted out of the Rec-Zone, sweat immediately washed away as he burst into the storm. Maybe it was just paranoia. Maybe Ollie just woke up late. Maybe Robyn would be walking here with him right now.

Or maybe it was something much more sinister.

Conner ran as fast as he could, passing through the grassy square, slick with water. The rain buffered Conner as he ran but he ignored his drenched clothes, his sweat washed away instantly. He made for the dorms and charged up the stairs, heading for where he knew Ollie's room to be – Robyn had mentioned both his and Penelope's rooms the other day!

It couldn't be coincidence. That was repeating over and over in Conner's head. Why would someone want to take John, now, of all times? Just after Noah visited Doctor Evans. Just after he was taken away by the men in black. And with Banks gone? And now Ollie? Three people on the List, someone who knew about the List, taken just like that? It could not be a coincidence.

"Get off of me! Get off!"

Conner skidded to a halt, panting, hair plastered against his face. He could barely believe what he was seeing. A hooded figure had a gloved grip tight around Robyn's waist, hauling her out of the doorway of Ollie's room. Another figure in the same kind of hood was holding Ollie and the young man looked unconscious, slumped in the bigger figure's arms.

"Get the fuck off her!" Conner roared, taking caution to the wind. He charged like a bull, sprinting as fast as his lithe frame could take him. He tackled into the figure holding Robyn, sending all three of them tumbling to the ground. Conner ended up on top of the pile, face-to-face with what looked like a hockey mask painted with three black stripes. Behind the eyeholes were a pair of dark eyes that stared up at Conner with venom. "Who the fuck do you—" Conner's question was interrupted by a sharp shock in his ribs – a shock he had felt more than once in his past.

The electric current of the taser sent Conner twitching backwards, crashing onto his back.

"Withdraw!" The one word was barked in a voice clearly modulated by some kind of technology. Conner was barely aware in his haze of pain of Ollie being dragged past him. He grit his teeth, willing his body to move as the other figure walked past, throwing Robyn to the floor next to Conner.

"Conner! Are you okay, oh my god," Robyn flustered over Conner as Conner fought his way to his knees, staring after the two figures who had the audacity to simply walk away as if they had all the time in the world. He managed to get to his feet just as they got to the end of the hallway. The figure with the striped mask seemed to glare down the hall back at Conner before looking away.

"We can't let them get away…" Conner muttered more to himself than anything else and staggered a couple of steps forward before collapsing to one knee. "Shit! Robyn, help me!"

"You can barely move Conner, I-"

"Do we let those fuckers get away?" Conner yelled, loud enough for Robyn to yelp and draw back as if it were her that had been shocked by the taser. Conner climbed up and started staggering down the hallway again, using the wall to support himself as sweat beaded his forehead. Conner swung around the corner and saw a hood dipping down the stairs. "Damn it, stop!" The shout was almost pathetic. Conner got to the top step and started making his way down. Taking a taser wasn't a walk in the park and his body wasn't responding the way he wanted it to. His leg buckled after the second step and it was all Conner could do not to tumble head-first down the steps. He somehow managed to get to the bottom of the stairs and saw no sign of either the hooded men or Ollie. "Not getting away… Not gonna fuckin' let you get away…"

"Conner?!" Finley came jogging down the first-floor corridor from the direction of Conner's room. "I tried to find you, you didn't look well, but I – Hey!"

Conner's sudden movement surprised Finley and he snatched the radio away from Finley's belt. He managed to surge forward past the stunned Finley and shouldered his way through the front doors of the dorms, madly looking around as the rain battered him on all sides.

"There you are you fucker…" About 100 feet away he could see one of the hoods on their own, walking swiftly to the side of the dorms. 100 feet? Easy. Even in this weather. Conner held the radio tightly in his hand. It would be a simple arc; he wouldn't even have to bounce the thing. He had done thousands of throws harder than the one he needed to do now. He just had to hit the hood in the head, knock him down, and then get answers. "I got this… I got this…" Conner hefted his arm backwards and bent his shaking legs. The hooded man was nearing the corner. Conner took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let his body do the work. Conner's hand whipped through the air like a baseball player, launching the radio as if from a machine. Conner grinned triumphantly as the radio soared like a plastic brick, arcing through the air.

It hit the wall of the dormitory and fell to the floor. The hooded man disappeared around the corner. Conner's legs buckled underneath him and he fell to the dirt, face pale and aghast as the rain pummelled him.

He had missed.

Conner had thought that when push came to shove, when the chips were down, that he would be able to pull it off. That he was just having a blip in the system, that his aim would kick in like instinct. What little hope Conner had left in the back of his mind that he was still the man he used to be disappeared with the wind of the ever-increasing storm.