Chapter Two

The work of his sister stained the walls and littered the corridors. Most bodies were in one piece, but Yuri found a couple stray heads cleanly severed from their hosts. Few agents were found alive, and when the SSS came upon the massacre in front of the lab entrance, he had an idea of what to expect inside.

His colleagues were disturbed at what they found and thoroughly mystified at who caused this chaos. Yuri feigned confusion as well and mimicked their reaction.

Of course it was all a lie.

His sister was incredible.

She'd invaded the lab and easily slayed more than three quarters of the agents. She was an unstoppable force and Yuri couldn't be more proud of her relentless prowess.

These people had deserved to die. How DARE they mess with anything that could even be remotely considered part of his sister's life?! Yuri would have had them executed himself. The survivors wouldn't be survivors for long.

Yuri and his team picked through the still bleeding corpses, meaning his sister must have left not long ago. She must've been held up somehow if she only got out just as they arrived. She'd called him hours ago, Yor should've had quite a head start.

Yuri's team separated and combed the lab, confiscating every sheet of paper, folders, files, research, test results, and any bit of information they set their eyes on.

If there was any chance another lab existed, they were gonna find it.

Yuri went from room to room, checking for any cowering agents they missed, anything that might be useful, and possible threats to national security.

Who knew what they had down here.

He left one room for another and the next door was already slightly ajar. The wet floor outside was stained red.

Gingerly, Yuri eased it open.

He saw the water first. It spanned the floor, red and rippling as the door agitated the once calm surface, and dampened the thick smell of blood. The colour was deep as the water was shallow.

His sights swept up, and in the middle of the room, a body provided the water's source of red tint. If you could call it that anymore. If the rest of the carnage was disturbing, this was gruesome.

The corpse lay face up, displaying his open stomach and bare ribs. It was as if he was attacked by a bear and his mutilated entrails swayed delicately in the faint eddies Yuri created. The man's features were indistinguishable and indiscriminate slashing tore slices of bone and open flesh across his face. It was like a cat had swiped and scratched at it if their claws were the size of a blade and had the strength to cut into bone.

Yuri moved for closer inspection and his shoe bumped Into an eyeball that danced away from him.

Yor had exacted violent death that could only be described as savage. The corpse's fingers had been torn off, eyes crudely dug out of their sockets, his limbs had all been mangled, crushed, and brutalized. Several bones jutted out at odd angles and an arm had practically been twisted off. And lastly, the heart that was carved from his chest to now rest on his clavicle.

They were mostly aggressive, impulsive attacks, and Yor must have led with her first instincts.

She certainly wasn't a torture expert, but the precise slit in the man's throat was definitely needed. Yuri wouldn't have even been able to identify him if his pink blood-stained hair didn't give him away.

Who else could be responsible but Yuri's sister? And if she deemed Kai deserving of such punishment, who was Yuri to argue?

The SSS agent took one last look and alerted his colleagues.

They had found their man.

—

Anya woke to soft, red fabric against her cheek. Her mama's soothing scent wafted from her hair and Anya was caught in a strange feeling of security and discomfort. She had slept and she was still tired. She was home and she wasn't at ease, she still heard her father telling her this was wrong and she felt heavy and foggy.
Her family stood in the living room as her papa dressed the sofa in blankets. They were accompanied by 004 and Damian who watched on rather dazedly. Bond pawed at her mama's leg and whined.

Anya wondered passingly what was going on, not having the energy or capacity to really think on it.

"Right. You can sleep here for now." Her papa offered 004 as he plopped a couple pillows down. "Damian, you can take Anya's room. She won't need it today."

Anya had a feeling she missed something.

Her papa looked around, wondering if he forgot anything, and rested his hands on his hips. His casual attitude was like an affront to Anya's mental state as he acted like everything was fine. As if last night didn't happen and she didn't know how to accept the stark contrast of the Forger's warm, peaceful home, to the cold isolation of the lab.

She shouldn't be here. She didn't want to leave.

Her papa nodded to himself as he checked things off in his head."We should all get some sleep." He decided. "We can discuss what to do next after we've had some rest." Her papa turned to the hallway. "You'll be down here, Damian." He said and headed for Anya's door.

Damian's head whipped his way. "What? No?!" Damian said like her papa had forgotten something important, causing him to turn back.

Her papa exchanged uncertain looks with 004 and her mama. They knew what this was about. "Is something wrong?" Her papa said anyway.

"What do you mean "Is something wrong?", you have to tell me what's going on!" He demanded and his patience he'd held through the long drive and the police station was breaking. It sparked Anya's nerves into motion despite her lethargic state.

Anya's papa glanced to her this time and hesitated too long to answer, debating on how much to say.
"Tell me!" Damian grasped his brother's pant leg and pushed lightly at him. "You said you would explain!"

Though worn, Demetrius seemed unbothered by his brother's outburst and he stuck his hands in his pockets. Anya couldn't read his thoughts or face which he kept meticulously neutral, and she hoped he would have the good sense to keep things secret.

"Yeah, okay." 004 said simply and Damian immediately released him, startled. That was way easier than he thought.

Well, Anya was awake now and her head lifted from her mama's shoulder. She didn't like this.

Somewhat placated, Damian waited patiently for his brother to gather his thoughts and watched him like a hawk.

"Mmm." Demetrius sighed thoughtfully and rocked back and forth on his feet as he considered how to start. Anya stared at him intently. "Father is preparing for war." 004 decided was the first thing Damian should know.

"Uh—" He said.

Anya's papa was suddenly very alert.

"I think I'm supposed to be in it, and I think that's what the labs were for." 004 continued.

"Wh—"

"But they're gone, so I don't know what father is gonna do now. 004 sighed at the ceiling. "He'll improvise. He doesn't like it, but he's good at it."

"Ar—"

"Anyway, that's why they came for 00—" He caught himself as he gestured to her. "Anya at the zoo, and why they didn't kill you." He explained. "I think that pretty much sums it up."

"Uh—Wh—NO IT DOES NOT!" Damian protested.

"It doesn't?"

"NO! Why is father starting a war?!"

Demetrius shrugged.

"YOU DON'T KNOW?!"

"Not really."

"How did I not know about this?!"

"He's good at hiding things. And he lies. Like, a lot."

"Why didn't you say anything!?" Damian asked.

Demetrius paused and stared back at him, poker faced. ". . .you're six. . ."

"That's—!" Damian tried and failed. He didn't have a retort for that. "Still, I should have known!"

"Mmm." Demetrius said skeptically as he clearly doubted the validity of that statement.

Damian took a deep breath. "Why didn't you tell the police or something? Why didn't we tell them the truth earlier?"

004 scratched his jaw. "Mmm." He thought. "For a couple reasons."

"Like?" Damian prompted impatiently.

004 glanced to Anya. "Well. . .for one, let's just say, some of the cops are on father's side. Nothing good would come from us turning him in."

Anya's papa noted this new information and already he was calculating variables.

Damian took this in quietly and it seemed to plummet his agitated energy. "What's the other reason?" He asked uneasily.

"Mmm." 004 said again and shifted his weight. "When the lab is concerned, we keep a low profile. It's easier to protect ourselves."

"From who?"

"From everyone." Demetrius shrugged.

And the moment he said it, it was like a small flame growing bigger on a candle as Damian understood. It flicked across his face like a shadow. "Demetrius. . ." He said and 004 went still. Anya's blood turned to ice before the words left his lips. "Why did father send you there? That. . . you would go to war?"

Though he was unmoving, 004 showed no signs of discomposure. He carefully studied Damian's face and his silence was too contemplative for Anya's liking.

". . .or that you would have to hide. . ." Damian added weakly at 004's unflinching, endlessly expressionless gaze that also set Anya on edge.

This is what Damian really wanted to know. The reason he and Anya had been kidnapped. Why everyone was so hesitant to tell the truth. He knew it was rooted here and Anya watched Demetrius anxiously for signs that he would spill.

She'd worked so hard to keep this a secret. As scared as it made her, she would also be furious with 004.

But something new formed in Damian's thoughts as his brother stared down at him and his fervour for the truth wavered. The change wasn't significant, but something in Demetrius' attitude, his eyes, told him that he shouldn't be asking.

"Don't worry about it." The words were monotonous. It wasn't harsh or mean. There was no malice or intimidation. Just firm indication that it was to be left alone and Damian was faced with a wall that he was not allowed to climb. His brother had drawn a line and Damian now sensed there was more gravity to what he was asking than he thought. More. . .fear surrounding it than he thought.

004 hadn't said. He hadn't said, he wouldn't, and Anya felt like she could breathe again. She didn't care how much Damian knew as long as it wasn't about her and he didn't know about that.

But despite the crawling, uncomfortable feeling that Damian should actually leave it alone, he was also angry. He didn't want to listen to the part of him that understood, that told him there was a reason. He was fed up and after everything that happened, they were still not telling him the whole, freakin' truth!

"They know." Damian said sourly towards Anya's parents and they startled, throwing glances at each other.

"What makes you say that? Her mama panicked and her voice was too high to be convincing.

'Mama sucks at this.' Anya thought.

"Are you kidding?! I'm not an idiot! Why else wouldn't you tell me what's going on?!" Damian had retaken his energy, and now it was angry as well as frustrated. "And you gave her a tracker! You knew something like this would happen again!"

Her parents refrained from exchanging more looks. He wasn't wrong.

"Damian—" Her papa tried to pacify him.

"No! Who are you people!? How did you—" Damian hesitated as memories of escaping the lab hampered his words and his intentions quickly shifted. "You left—" His voice quaked slightly as he tried to control it. "Those bodies—" He said and everything was washing over him at once. Despite his thankfulness they got him out, and feeling safe with them, he couldn't let this go. The image of that floor strewn about with unconscious, dead people would haunt him for a long time.

Anya's papa rifled through lies to tell Damian like going through a filing cabinet and pulled one out that might work. "I'm a psychiatrist and I'm acquainted with war veterans. I also deal with violent patients, so, years ago, I asked for training from one of those veterans to protect myself. Yor joined me when we got married. He gave me the tracker that Anya had. It was merely a safety precaution. We're just worried parents. That's all."

Her papa provided an answer so readily and Damian was stunned. He didn't know if he should believe it or not as he lined up his facts. ". . .that's it? . . " He barely whispered and his energy took another dive like it was a rollercoaster.

"That's it." Her papa affirmed and everyone was quiet—quiet for long enough that Damian became calmer, seemingly done, and Anya's papa concluded there would be time for the rest of this later. He sighed deeply as he returned his hands to his hips. "It's been a long night. We can talk more tomorrow, I think it's time we all went to bed."

"But—" Damian started and apparently he had more to say.

"Damian." 004 said not unkindly. "Tomorrow."

The younger Desmond was ready to complain and spout question after question, but 004 levelled him with an exhausted look.

"I want to sleep." Demetrius said.

"Go to bed."