"We have a situation." The Agent, pointing his weapon at James, said through his earpiece. Moving himself closer to Skylar, James took a deep breath as she uncontrollably sobbed, fighting back the urge to throw up again.
"What..." Her words shook as she grabbed her head, feeling it split apart," It... not..." Crouching down again, she screamed in pain. "It's...not...possible...Not...for...one...person. A... fraction...only..." Skylar cried again as Parker arrived and looked at her, before turning to James with a cold gaze. Lifting her hand, her fingers broke apart and reforged themselves into a small cannon.
"Mr Graham." Her tone was icy cold, "You have one chance to explain what you have done?" James gulped and shook his head.
"I don't know. You have to believe me. She was in my head and saw something. She said she had to brute force it. All of a sudden, she stopped, and we were thrown back here." James quickly said, nearly tripping over his words. Parker looked to Skylar and slowly lowered her hand.
"Keep him under lock until the doctor recovers." Parker turned to James, "If she corroborates what you have said, you will be fine. But if it is a lie, you will be charged with assaulting an ISD associate at a minimum. Am I clear?" James nodded and waited for the okay to stand. Spreading his hand out, the man cuffed him and took him away as Parker went to Skylar's side. Putting a hand on her shoulder, she slapped it away and jumped back.
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Outside Lucas's manor, Jeremiah sat, staring at the courtyard, with a bored expression. Although he led the task force for Operation Canary, his work had mainly been watching Lucas home for anything new. If he could have, he would have had others do it, but he didn't trust it.
Everyone else was either too weak to deal with any problem that occurred or was now busy dealing with the aftermath of the Metro bombing. He would have been one of them if it weren't for the captain's orders.
Checking his watch, he yawned and rested his chin on the wheel. Expecting it to be a normal day, he nearly drove off, but stopped seeing the gates to the manor open as a blacked-out SUV pulled in. Seeing the Aide get out with the Magician, he realised something was happening and took out his camera, taking pictures.
Minutes passed, and the gates opened once more as The Bum walked in, talking to himself and laughing. Snapping pictures, he picked up his phone and called the captain.
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Lucas took his seat and looked at the other members of his group. Although he was saddened by Cain not being able to join them, he knew he wasn't the one feeling it worst. Looking towards Maria, she stared into his space with a sad gaze, sighing every few seconds.
"He will return, dear. You must be patient." Lucas said with a kind tone, making her shake her head.
"I'm worried. Although you say they let him have his music, if he doesn't hear my singing after a while, we know how he gets." Lucas nodded in understanding and smiled.
"I am working to let you see him. If Cain follows his end of the deal, then it shouldn't be too long. From the sound of it, he is holding up as best as he can. I assume it's a perk for his service to our nation." Lucas looked to the door and saw Magnus entering with Alannah. The young boy marched forward with a swagger that told everyone he was undefeatable. Going to the head of the table, he looked at the two and held his hand out, lifting two fingers, making a victory sign.
"The Great Magician has perfected another spell." Alannah rolled her eyes, but still hid her smirk. Lucas looked at her as she told him to play along with her eyes.
"That is brilliant, Magnus. Tell me about it."
"No." Magnus sternly said, "Then you would know how to see through it. Just know, my mission will be much easier with this." Marching forward, he took his place at the table with Alannah next to him. Knowing he would get bored, she pulled out a small device and let him play a game before talking.
"Will Adrian be joining us as well?" Lucas nodded and looked to Magnus, who showed an excited expression at Adrian's mention. As if on cue, the man waltzed in and looked around, making a beeline for Magnus. Opening his hands and showing nothing, he reached behind the young boy's ear and made a lollipop appear, giving it to him. Snatching it, Magnus tore the packaging open and stuffed it in his mouth before returning to his game.
"A pleasure as always, Adrian," Alannah said with fake happiness as Adrian circled behind Maria and grabbed her chair, ignoring her.
"How have you been, sweetheart?" Seeing her eyes were puffy, he shook his head, "Tears don't suit you."
"Thank you, Adrian, but I'm not in the mood," Maria said, leaning forward away from his hands that moved closer towards her.
"I understand. That old creep over there is foul company. Give me the order, and I will sweep you away." Lucas cleared his throat and looked at Adrian with a half smile.
"Did you come here just to be a pest. If not, sit already, he will be here any minute." Adrian looked at Lucas and chuckled, lifting his hands up and backing away from Maria.
"The big boss visiting is a rare moment," Adrian said with a teasing tone, taking a seat at the table. The room felt silent as everyone waited, with only Magnus's game echoing. After ten minutes, the doors opened once more, and Alexander walked in alongside Freya. Lucas sniffed the air, smelling the slight stench of blood and looked to freya seeing a small red stain under her nose.
Alexander took a seat at the head of the table, and Freya stood behind him, watching everyone with a distrustful gaze. "Friends." Alexander happily said, getting their full attention, even making Magnus stop and listen. "One more to go." With a chuckle, he looked around.
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Jeremiah picked up his camera, snapping a picture of the final two to be let in. As he did, the woman by his side turned around and stared in the distance, unsure of where exactly she felt the gaze. The man said something, making her nod.
"Jeremiah. Talk to me. JEREMIAH!" The Captain screamed down the phone in fear, hoping his best person hadn't fallen into trouble. Jeremiah stared at his window, breathing with shallow, fast breaths. "JEREMIAH!" The captain's screams through the phone became frantic as he heard the breathing that sounded like it came from a dying man. Jeremiah didn't know how to respond as he stared at the window. From his hand, a sharp pain that wasn't there before surfaced along with a warmth on the top of his hand. Looking down at it, he saw a wide cut, blood dripping down onto his lap.
'Leave. No peeking.'
Seeing the words written in a thin amount of blood, he had to grab his arm to stop it shaking. "Jeremiah. I'm sending someone over." The captain's words dispelled Jeremiah's fear, and he quickly started the engine.
"DON'T," Jeremiah screamed as he drove off, cutting off a car and nearly crashing. His hands shook as he frantically drove away, breaking every law of the road to get away, "Sir." Once far enough away, he took a deep breath to calm himself down, "We're not cut out for this."
Looking down at the steering wheel, he shook his head and nervously chuckled, "What the hell did James find?" Even if he hated the man, he couldn't help but respect his bravery in the moment if he knew. If he knew the monster they were facing and still willingly chased it. If he didn't. Jeremiah gulped and hung up on the Captain, calling James instead. The call rang endlessly before going to voicemail.
Taking a deep breath tried to act calm, "James. Stop chasing them if you still are. You can't win, not against that. You'll only put the city in danger if you do."