Noah sat in the middle of his room, staring at the calendar that had been carefully sellotaped together. Unlike the last time he had felt vulnerable, he hadn't torn apart his room or broke his furniture. Instead he had just sunk to the floor and stared, trying to tease out each invasive thought and put a logical spin on it so he could understand it better within his own mind. From what Jason had told him earlier that day, there were a few things that Noah had to consider.
First, that Hearthome had been essentially quarantined, stopping anyone from coming or going, patients and staff alike.
Second, that within Hearthome were a group of seven people who were hiding their identities, in order to acquire some kind of weapon. This was the one that Noah was having most trouble coming to terms with.
Third, at least one person in this group of seven was on the List and that they had got accidentally wrapped up in it. That meant that either Robyn, Penelope, Banks, or Ollie were somebody they said they weren't and were hiding a very big secret. While logically, Noah understood this, he found it extremely hard to believe in his heart. Although he hadn't really known Penelope or Ollie very well, he found it hard to believe a resident would be able to lie to all the doctors like this as well as everyone else in Hearthome. Banks was certainly a potential but Noah suspected that someone as mean as her wouldn't be so foolhardy to be as abusive as she had been if she were to remain secret, unless she was playing some kind of long con. The space under Noah's patch throbbed.
It was this issue that was hurting Noah. His major struggle as always was believing and understanding that the days were real, and that extended to conversations and the people he met. If someone was lying or being fake, Noah simply found it hard to handle it. Even the potential of somebody faking who they were hurt him. So when he had ran past Robyn and saw the hurt expression on her face, he had to admit that he found it hard to feel sorry for her, for the question that was always roiling around his head stayed firm: what if?
This feeling also led to guilt as well. Robyn was a good friend. How could he even suspect her? And even if she really were part of the people with masks, what did that really mean? Would that affect their friendship? The masks were the enemy of the DHP, not of Noah.
But they took Banks, John, and Ollie. They hurt John. These aren't good people.
"Robyn is a good person," Noah said out loud, allowing his voice to echo around the room. Sometimes he found it much better to voice his concerns out loud, even with no one to see him. Part of him panged to speak to Doctor Evans and it hurt knowing that wasn't a possibility anymore. He supposed he could talk to Johann but it just wasn't the same.
Besides, if you're not to trust anybody, how can you trust them? Is this all a ruse? Is Jason and Johann men in masks?
It was an unthinkable thought but no definitive answer either way. The conspiracy theories of Robyn started leaking into Noah's mind as it turmoiled and bounced around with suspicion. Jason and Johann. The four masked guards, Berlin, Wasp, Rhino, and Barrett. Conner Shepherd, who was intrinsically linked to the DHP. That made seven. What if Noah was simply being used like a puppet and truths and lies were getting mixed.
"Stop, stop, stop…" Noah murmured to himself, clutching his head. Just because they made seven meant nothing. There were groups of seven all other Hearthome. It could just as easily be seven orderlies, or seven residents, or a mixture of each, maybe the warden was a mask, maybe the medical staff were masks. "If everyone is a suspect, no one is a suspect." Noah looked up to the calendar again, trying to comfort himself. "Start from square one. Ignore everything other than the List. Doctor Evans. Sullivan. Banks. Ollie. Penelope. Robyn." Noah pressed a finger against his own chest. "Me." He shook his head and buried his face back into his hands. "What do I do?"
"I can help you save them." The girl looked up, smiling. She was young, perhaps in early twenties, if not even in her teens. Her dark skin was smooth, her hair done up in braids that were tipped with small golden bands. Her eyes were such a shade of dazzling purple that Noah knew that it should have made him cry out in confusion, but for some reason he simply found them normal.
"What?" Noah asked, looked at the girl. He was sitting in a booth inside of the Crosshatch Club, trying to recover from what he had just seen. His mind had never been so imaginative before and seeing all that death, all that destruction… it hurt his mind. But the dance floor was still thriving with the mixture of men and women, drunk and expectant people were still sitting at the bar, the barman was still cleaning a glass. This girl had not been in his… he supposed vision was what would be best to call it. As soon as he had come back from reality, here she was, sitting in front of him.
"I can help you," the girl said earnestly. "Let me help you. You have to save who you can. You won't be able to save all of them. But what you saw will come to pass. Get whoever you can out of this club. Once you do, it is simple. You must let them die."
Noah took a sharp intake of breath, digging the palm of his hand into the path on his eye socket. The memory was already seeping away but this time he could remember… maybe… the girl… the eyes. Yes. Yes, he could remember her, not to long before everything went wrong at the Crosshatch Club. Why was she so familiar?
"You must let them die." What did that mean? Who was that girl? Why was there so many more questions than answers? Noah let out a frustrated hiss, squeezing his fists closed.
There was a knock on the door.
All the paranoia that had seeped into Noah came at him twofold. For a moment he desperately looked around for something to defend himself with but there was nothing. Maybe throw a book at the intruder? Noah scrambled to his feet but before he could equip himself with the heaviest piece of fiction, he heard the voice.
"Good evening Noah. It is Johann. May I come in?"
Noah's mind flared. It was too much of a coincidence. No, of course it wasn't a coincidence, but the professor wasn't here to attack him, but rather because Jason was concerned for him. Noah managed to use his logic to smother his emotions and opened the door.
Professor Johann Schneider smiled the wizened smile of a man who had experienced much. Behind his shoulder was one of Jason's guards. It was the shortest male so even though they were wearing their mask, Noah deduced it to be the one codenamed Barrett, who Jason had introduced as Gareth.
"May we come in?"
Noah just nodded, waving them in. He sat down on the edge of his bed, watching warily as Johann walked into the room, followed by Gareth, who closed the door behind him. Gareth took off his face coverings immediately, revealing brown hair that was swept back and stern soldier-like eyes. He stood in front of the closed door with his hands clasped behind his back, but his eyes followed both Johann and Noah. Johann beckoned to the space next to Noah.
"May I sit?"
Again, Noah just nodded.
Johann sat down next to Noah and took a deep breath. "I would like to apologise on behalf of Jason. He understands that what he has asked of you was a high responsibility. It perhaps was not fair to you. Involving a patient in this business at all was already a risk business but with the list happening again, well, it seemed appropriate to involve you as we did. That may have been a mistake." Johann turned his head, kindly eyes crinkled. "Jason also realises he may have been a bit harsh in his words. Unfortunately, the Department of Human Protection does have a job to do and must sometimes be firm in getting the job done. If that means using what assets that can be used, then perhaps the ends justify the means." Johann put a hand up at Noah's expression. "That is the view of the Department of Human Protection. That is not the view of myself. I may help and act as advisor, but I do not work for the Department."
"What is he doing here?" Noah asked, looking at Gareth at the door. Gareth's dull blue eyes locked onto Noah and Noah felt a shiver. They were eyes that perhaps could be prominent behind a mask. No, stop it!
"Well, I wanted to introduce you to him properly. Noah, this is Gareth Griffiths. The newest member of Jason's team. Outside of personal circumstances, he is known as Barrett."
Noah looked to Gareth. Gareth looked back. Neither spoke. After a long, tense silence as Johann looked between Noah and Gareth, Gareth finally stepped forward, and silently offered a hand. Noah stared at it warily. He did not take the soldier's hand. Gareth simply shrugged and stepped back to the door again.
"But what is he doing here?" Noah repeated.
"Gareth has been assigned your watch. I wanted to let you know that he will be watching you night and day, so that Jason can keep you safe."
"What?" Noah narrowed his eye. "I won't have somebody hovering over me."
"I won't," Gareth spoke for the first time. There was a thick Welsh accent behind his words. "You will not see me. I will simply see you."
Noah shivered. "I don't want that."
"I have my orders," Gareth simply replied.
"Now, now," Johann looked to Gareth sharply before looking back to Noah. "Gareth is a top-class scout. He will be watching you from the walls of the Hearthome grounds, outside of the hospital and the fences. Like he says, you won't see him. We just wanted you to understand that he would be watching you so you could feel safe."
"I don't," Noah said.
"Noah, your safety is paramount," Johann said gently. "With the masked men around Hearthome, they may target you because of your status as a visionary. With Gareth's watchful eyes upon you, if any were to try anything untoward, then Gareth with solve that problem."
"How?" Noah asked, looking straight at the stoic Gareth now.
"Firearms are not permitted within the gates of Hearthome," the soldier said. "I will not be within the gates of Hearthome. I will be keeping an eye on you from the scope of my rifle and if any problems were to arise, I will not miss."
Noah shivered. The idea of somebody watching him from far away, under the scope of a rifle of all things… paranoia was spreading with every minute that passed. "Do I have a choice?"
"No." Gareth said, simply and blunt.
Johann sighed. "Gareth does work for Jason, not myself. We just deemed it necessary to let you know." Johann stood up from the bed. "Jason will understand if you simply choose to focus on saving those on the List. As he has already mentioned, he cannot put his men at risk so that will be up to you and your group. Remember, my door is always open should you need to discuss anything of worry. Sleep well, Noah, and remember, we are all here to help."
Gareth opened the door to let Johann out but Noah suddenly stood up. "Wait," he said. Johann stopped and turned.
"Yes?"
"I need some clarification."
"Of course."
"…Why do you know what Jason asked of me?" Noah managed to say the words. All through the conversation, he could remember what Jason had said back when it had just been himself, John, Lily, and Jason in the administrative room.
"In fact, this particular part of business they have no reason for knowing. This is why I sent my team away. This is why Johann is not here." That conversation was about the request, although Jason had not told them the request that day. Even so, he had been adamant about secrets and keeping it just between the four of them.
Professor Johann Schneider looked to Noah and there was something in the old man's eyes. Was it Noah's paranoia that made those eyes so threatening, or something else? Was that smile taunting, or sad? Was this old man more than he said he was? "As I said Noah, I do not work for Jason, merely advise where I can. My intention is to help those who are on the list in terms of mental preparation as best I can. Please, sleep as well as you can, my boy." With that, Johann left the room. Gareth pulled on his face coverings, and those dull blue eyes seemed to bore holes into Noah. The soldier followed Professor Schneider out of the room.
Noah let out the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. The paranoia was simply not going away. He remembered something else Jason had said, only hours before.
"I am asking you not to trust anybody. Anybody in Hearthome is a suspect until proven otherwise. The doctors, the orderlies, the residents, anyone. Anyone you talk to, anyone you see, anyone at all."
Did that anyone include the very people that surrounded Jason Ryan? It was a thought that threatened to overwhelm Noah all over again. He needed to find at least one person he could talk to, one person he could bet on, one person he could trust.
A/N:- Welcome back, hope everyone had a nice week. Paranoia's in the air and paranoia can be a creeping, disastrous disease. Who in Hearthome is trustworthy? Who in Hearthome is false? Questions that have answers, questions that may be answers. Mysteries continued, and ever-looming, ever-present, currently hibernating but awakening at any moment, the List looms large...