Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Desmond Estate 1974

A SWAT team rolled up on the front courtyard. The red and blue lights from the police cars illuminated the entire area, cop cars spread out. Helicopters roared overhead, search lights beamed onto the main building.

Inside the van the point man spoke to his men. “We got a call of a murder in progress from a phone located in the Chairman’s office. We need to ensure the safety of civilians and catch the suspect. Alpha will take the front door, Bravo will take the back, We will take the roof, and Delta will take the side entrance. assume the perp is armed and dangerous”

The van stopped and the Alpha SWAT team exited, several helicopters dropped Bravo, Charlie, and Delta teams at their locations. The Charlie team stacked up on the rooftop door

The point man spoke into his radio, “This is Charlie, ready to breach” The other teams conferred 

“Alpha, 10-4, all teams move in”

The point man then signaled the breacher to move in front of the door "Ready!” He yelled, the breacher positioned the bartering ram in front of the door. “Breach!”

The door immediately buckled, the security for the estate was surprised by the sudden entrance, but quickly surrendered when ordered to.

“BPD! Come out with your hands up!” The point man yelled.

Maids, butlers, and security alike followed directions each one were cuffed for safety. The estate was massive, but the SWAT team was methodic in its sweep. They cleared most of the 3rd floor, Donovan was nowhere to be found.

“Alpha to all, we have Malinda Desmond is custody”

“This is Delta, we have Demetrious”

Charlie Team found the office. This was where the call was placed, this was likely where Donovan was.

“Split the door” the point man ordered

The team stacked up on either side of the door. The point man nodded to the breacher to position

“BPD we’re coming in!” He yelled

Meanwhile on the second floor, the Bravo team had cleared a majority of the floor, they at last arrived at Damian’s room. 

The point man for bravo gave his orders “Green, yellow, breach and clear”

Green and Yellow split the door. The other members of the team cleared other rooms.

“BPD we’re coming in” Green yelled then he kicked in the door.

The two men entered the room their rifles immediately pointed at the only person in the room, a clueless, 18 year old Damian Desmond

“What the hell!” Damian exclaimed

“Get down on the ground!” Yellow yelled

“Hands on your head, don’t move!” Green demanded

Damian had no choice but to oblige, he got down on his knees and Yellow cuffed him

“Hey what are you doing, I haven’t done anything!” Damian yelled

“It’s for safety” Yellow responded

“Yellow, the room’s clear” Green reported

Then something came on over the radio

“Charlie lead to TOC, Donovan is DOA, we need an RA for potential suspect, level 3 is clear.”

Damian’s eyes widened, someone killed his father, and they stuck around. He was stood up as the order to bring all those in custody out the front door. Damian was matched down the stairs and made to sand in the court yard with his family. His mother had tears in her eyes, she would have hugged him if she wasn’t handcuffed. Just as Damian was taking it in, he saw her, his father’s killer. They walked her out last. She was on a stretcher, her pink hair disheveled dangling obscuring her face. She was covered in blood. Damian couldn’t believe it, he wanted it to be, he hoped it to be anyone else. But deep down he knew she did it, his girlfriend had killed his father. She was shoved into an ambulance, and taken away.

It wasn’t long before he was put in an interrogation room, he was grilled for hours.

“Mr. Desmond, you were in a relationship with Ms. Forger and you expect me to believe you had no idea that she was even in your house?” The interrogator yelled, “you’re certain you had no part in this?”

“I’d like a lawyer” Damian insisted over and over again

The interrogator was not pleased, “For all we know you could have been the mastermind and set Ms. Forger to take the fall, does that sound right to you” The interrogator argued

“I want a lawyer!” Damian yelled again

“Where do you think you are? America? You should know that you have no right to that in Osmania, answer my question!”

It was a long 48 hours.

Berlint  1983

Damian sat at his desk, a cup of coffee on his desk. He set up his computer, it booted up and showed a black screen with green text. Damian sighed, law school didn’t train him for computers. His coworker, 30 year old Arthor Fox, stood by his door.

“Fancy office, eh, guess even among us common folk the rich still live in luxury” He joked leaning on the door frame, coffee mug in hand.

“I asked for a cubical, but the DA insisted I have this one” Damian responded

“Well,” Fox approached Damian’s desk, Damian stood up to meet his eye level, “Mr. Garner asked me to oversee you, he’s also told me to give you this case” he dropped a file on Damian’s desk labeled DA-1982007

“I read the file, the investigation is ongoing, and has little evidence.” Fox explained

“Then why does it exist?” Damian asked

“Beats me” Fox shrugged

“Who is the detective working on it?”

“Detective Elman” Fox answered, “I think you know him”

“Yeah, we’re friends” Damian responded

“Good, then you won’t have any issues communicating” Fox then turned and left the room

Damian sat back down and exhaled, he looked down to a paper bag that he brought in when he first got to the office. He grabbed the alcohol from the bag and put it on a shelf in his office. He was about to sit back down before doubling back and grabbing a bottle of whiskey, he poured a glass and sat down at his desk. He drank as he worked, 6 hours and a bottle of whisky later, Damian packed it up and went off to meet Becky at the bar

Damian sat down at the bar. Becky sat next to him, it had been a while.

“So, congrats on your job at the DA, I thought you'd just get a job with your brother's company.” She started

“I didn't want to be a nepo baby, but I hard they're putting me on really hard case, not one released to the public” Damian sighed, "I'm sure Demetrius had something to do with this”

“Do you have any clue of what you will be doing?” Becky asked

“No, but even if I did”

“You wouldn't tell me”

“Yeah”

“Have you visited Anya?” Becky asked

“Last I saw her was at her trial” Damian sighed

“I still don't know what happened,” Becky lamented “she was so bright, sure she had some problems at the end, but I just can't believe”

“I can,” Damian responded “She was playing the long game, trying to get close to me so she could-”

“Damian, if she was trying to get close to you then why was she so distant in our final 2 years with her, why did she reject you?!” Becky argued

Damian slumped in his chair, she wasn’t wrong, still, he was frustrated.

Becky sighed, “I visited her about a month ago, she didn’t talk to me, she just sat there. She didn’t even look at me.” Becky described it, “It was as if the color was drained from her”

Damian rolled his eyes, “I have no sympathy for her”

“Of course you don’t” Becky sighed, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “You’re a real piece of shit”

“Judge me after your boyfriend kills your dad” Damian argued in a dull tone

Becky leaned forward, thinking she didn’t know what to say. Then a thought, “Do you ever blame yourself?”

Damian scoffed, stuttering his surprise, “W-what! N-no! Why would I blame myself”

“We could tell she wasn’t okay, that something was wrong, but we never pushed the issue” Becky argued

“We thought she was suicidal, not insane!” Damian responded with some anger

“And that’s better how?” Becky asked. “You loved her, you cared about her, stop trying to act like you didn’t!” Becky was loud, she was standing up now, the bartender shot her a look and she sat back down.

“She’s dead to me, that’s the truth” Damian responded in a calm, shallow voice.

Becky calmly stood back up, “Then I’m afraid we’re done talking, I still love her, it’s a shame you don’t”

Damian watched Becky make her way to the door. She opened it, then looked back at Damian, her eyes were watery, but her face was still, she turned and left. Damian sighed and ordered another round of drinks. 

It was 2300 when Damian stepped out of the bar in the rain, functionally drunk. He stumbled home in the dark, the rain soaking his once neatly put together suit. He hung his head low, the droplets of water impacting the back of his head with force, each one, a memory of someone he’d rather forget. The time he spent with Anya were the happiest ones of his life, he would never admit that he didn’t notice anything off, not until he caught her on the roof of the school covered in her own blood, wavering in the wind, but to be fair, nobody else did. Still the thought did cross his mind, a dark thought, a series of memories that should have expressed her declining mental state to him long before that incident. The way she’d reserve herself, the way she’d disappear when she was at his house only to return upset, the way her mood changed whenever he mentioned certain things. In truth the 17 year old girl he dated for 2 years was drastically different from the girl just 4 years before. Damian then tripped on a bump in the sidewalk causing him to land in a puddle. Damian turned and got up and continued his walk, his home was too far and he didn’t keep cash on him to call his driver, so he’d have to walk to the DA. He shook thoughts of her out of his head, she didn’t matter anymore, she was locked in an empty cell, sedated to submission, she may as well have been dead, so why the hell couldn’t he move on.

Damian arrived at the office and used his key to get in, he was soaked and drunk. He entered his office, and changed into a dry suit he kept in a drawer. He then collapsed on to the floor, dragging himself under his desk before falling asleep.

Chapter Text

Damian woke up to the sun beaming into his office and the sound of lawyers entering the office. He sat up and stuck his head on the desk.

“Damn it” he exclaimed. He crawled from under his desk and hoisted himself onto the chair. He dusted off his suit and then slumped forward. Another day, another dollar.

“Desmond!”

Damian jumped at the sound of his last name, he turned to see Fox standing with a smug face at his door. “What is it” Damian asked

“It’s bad to come to work hungover, but from the way you look, you must have come drunk” He joked

“What do you need?” Damian slowed his speech as if he were talking to a toddler.

Fox rolled his eyes, “Boss wants you to spend the day with detective Elman”

“Great” Damian replied dully

Damian and Fox sat there in silence for a moment before Fox decided to speak, “Well, what chu waiting for a sticker? Go to the police station”

Damian scrambled to get up and grab his notepad, “Right, right!”

Damian ran out of the office and down the stairs, he had no time to wait for an elevator. He got into his car and drove for the police station. When he arrived he walked right in the front and approached the front desk.

“Hello, I’m from the DA, I heard Elman wants me, tell him Damian’s here.” Damian said

The receptionist sighed and picked up the phone. Not too long after Emile came down to the welcome desk.

“Hey, boss man” he greeted Damian with a smile.

Damian didn’t smile back, “Emile, we aren’t six, just say my name”

Emile frowned, “Well then just come with me Damian”

The two of them got into the unmarked car and made their way to the scene of the crime. Damian sat in the passenger seat looking out the window.

“I figured you needed some time to touch grass, so I figured to bring you along.” Emile smiled.

“Becky talk to you or something?” Damian asked

“We don’t talk all that much anymore” Emile looked at Damian, he then decided to change the subject, “so the victim, 58 year old Eleanor Hart. She was a researcher connected to multiple politicians”

“Interesting, any clue as to why someone would murder her?” Damian asked

“No, but we're going to dig through her connections to see who our suspect may be.” Emile responded

“Sounds like fun” Damian said dryly

“Come on we both know you love a good document search, that's why you became a lawyer, but I wanted to show you the crime scene first.”

“Sure” Damian responded

At last the friends arrived at Dr. Hart's apartment. There were forensic experts dusting and testing every inch of the house. A white outline of the body lay in the kitchen.

“So the victim hears a knock at the door around 3:00, the suspect enters forcefully, there's a fight, victim runs into the kitchen where they are stabbed in the neck then in the chest”

“How about the gun?” Damian pointed at the discarded revolver in the living room.

“Yes the gun, the neighbors reported hearing gunshots around the time of the murder. We don't know where the bullets went but we know it wasn't into the victim.

“So one can assume our suspect has some bullet wounds to hide” Damian deduced

“Exactly!” Emile responded

An officer approached Emile with a file, “Detective, the fingerprints on the gun confirm that it was handled by Dr. Hart, the blood over by the door is also not Hart’s blood”

“No ID on the blood I’m guessing?” Emile asked

“No sir, the results were blocked” The officer responded

“Thank you, Officer Ken” Emile dismissed him

“Blocked?” Damian repeated

“It means our suspect is with the government or someone the government doesn’t want us to know about” Emile explained

“So I guess we’re SOL?” Damian responded

“You know me better than that, we won’t rest till justice is served!” Emile exclaimed

Then Damian and Emile set out for the National Vault. One of the more secure areas in the country due to its contents. Not money or gold, but thousands of documents going from 1823 to present. Legend has it only one person, a spy from the west, had been able to breach it.

“So how the hell are we to get in?” Damian asked

“Just make up some bullshit about your brother” Emile responded

They arrived and after a descent down 12 flights of stairs they arrived at the first checkpoint.

“Papers please” The guard said.

Damian handed his ID card while Emile handed his badge.

“Please leave your items here” The guard said

Damian had no items to leave. Emile on the other hand had to remove two guns. Then the friends when through a metal detector. Then through the main door. After a short walk though the file hall that held less important documents. They were at checkpoint two.

“Please present your Key Card.” The second guard ordered

Damian and Emile didn’t have that.

“Listen here, my brother is the prime minister, he said he needed me to get a file for him, so let me through please” Damian said sternly

“No card, no entry. Call your brother, only parliament can fire me” The guard responded, anticipating Damian would say that.

“Excuse me, they are with me”

Damian turned to see who said that. Over him stood the former Defense Minister. The guard inspected his Key Card, then let them through. A similar encounter occurred in the 3rd checkpoint except they were weighed to ensure they didn’t steal anything. Just like that they were in.

Damian thanked the Minister before they split off from him. Then Damian turned to Emile, “That was strange, why would he just let us in?”

“Who cares, we’re in now, let's see what we can find anything on her”

“Emile, there are over a million documents here, how will we find what we need?” Damian asked

“There are 12 indexes found around here at the front, we need the one for names then we search alphabetically to find her last name, then we should be given an aisle to look in.” Emile explained

“How do you know so much about the vault?” Damian asked

“My father used to come here often” Emile explained

Damian’s face grew darker at the mention of a father. Emile didn’t notice, instead he opened the index to the H section.

“Here we go, Hart, there are 113 documents with her family name on it, many of them are in the 1950-1970 section.” Emile smiled, “come on, lets go”

Emile began to run, something Damian was not used to. “Wait! For! MEE!”

During the jog, Damian took a good look around the warehouse. Filing cabinets extended for what felt like miles under the city, the cabinets went 2 stories high. It was truly a marvel of information, no wonder espionage agents were dying to get into this massive facility. At last they arrived at the section.

“Time for the fun part, search all these cabinets for the ones pertaining to Dr. Hart.” Emile joked

“I am going to kill myself” Damian exclaimed.

Eden Dorms 1972

“Damian, you have a call” Mr. Green informed Damian

Damian approached the phone and held it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Sy-on boy”

“Hello Anya, what is it”

A pause, then a breath, “I was thinking of you, I just wanted to talk”

Damian sat down. What did she mean? “Is this about my confession last week”

“No, I was just missing you”

“Are you doing okay?” Damian asked

Anya had been kidnaped again. It felt like that was a monthly occurrence these days as Anya got less and less careful. It was strange, she knew how to fight back, but she didn’t, not anymore. It was as if she wanted something bad to happen to her.

“Those Basterds only shot me in the shoulder while I ran” The girl let out a forced laugh

“It’s hard to hit a moving target I guess,” Damian joked along with her.

“They must’ve had really bad aim, cause I was running in a straight line”

“Why’d you run when you knew someone would get you?” Damian asked

Another pause, as if she was thinking of a lie. “I thought I could get away

“You told me once to run in zig zags” Damian smiled at that memory, “Why didn’t you this time?”

“I was tired, but I’m fine now, so don’t worry”

“I’m sorry, I just” Damian thought carefully, “You know I can’t help it, I love you”

“I love you too”

“So then, may I ask why we aren’t dating” Damian asked, Still upset about her rejecting him again

“I can’t say, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I get it. But if its because of my social status-”

“N-no, it isn’t. I wish I could tell you” Another pause “I am so, sorry”

“I forgive you, I hope that one day, you feel safe enough to tell me” Damian responded softly

“I still love you, I always will”

“Well, I love you too” Damian smiled

“Not as much as I love you though”

“You’re kidding, I love you way more” Damian’s smile grew

“Nu uh, I love you the most! I win!”

And then she hung up. Damian had all this love for her, and she had for him, yet something was keeping them apart. Damian was determined to find that thing, and take care of it. He walked back to his bed, with a smile.

God how he missed her

Many of Hart’s documents were burnt, or damaged beyond repair. Yet after hours of searching, before Damian sat a Document connecting Hart with many important people; Blackbell, Egeburg, Elman, and of course Desmond; all in something called the Apple Project. Dr. Hart was leading it. Most of it was just names, but that gave him a basis on who they needed to question. Damian and Emile sat on the ground 

“She was part of a research project, connections with many important people”

“and according to her college transcripts she was a psychologist” Emile pointed out.

“Why in the world would a psychologist need a gun?” Damian asked

“Perhaps some of her subjects were dangerous” Emile answered

“Still, that doesn’t explain how she got the gun, only police are allowed to have those” Damian explained

“Well, at least we have a starting point.” Emile stood up off the floor. Damian followed shortly. He took a slip of paper he had hid in his shoe and wrote down the names of the contributors and researchers then tucked it back down into his shoe.

“Lets go” Damian said

The two men exited the warehouse with relative ease. When they reached the surface at last the sun was already halfway below the horizon. Emile looked out at the sky, its hue’s of purple, orange, and red.

“It’s late, lets get you home” Emile smiled

They got into Emile’s unmarked and he drove Damian home. On the way Emile spoke.

“Say, when we’re done with this, why don’t me, you, and Ewen hang out, like old times” Emile suggested 

“Ewen may be a bit unhappy with me” Damian admitted

“Why? You and Becks get into another argument?” Emile asked

Damian sighed “Yeah”

Damian and Becky argued a lot, but it wasn’t like when Damian would argue with Anya. Because at least deep down Damian and Anya liked each other.

“Ewen only commends you now because he loves Becky” Emile reassured Damian

“At least they got a happy ending” Damian murmured

Emile wanted to respond, but he didn’t want an argument. “I hear they’re trying for a kid”

“Good for them” Damian deadpanned

Emile then decided to joke “Us single men need to step up our game”

“I’m not dating” Damian responded

“If you’re gonna move on, you have to date” Emile shot at him

“It’s just a waste of time” Damian argued

“Alright, more babes for me” Emile responded with a chuckle. It was almost as if he didn’t take any of this seriously

Damian was dropped off outside his house where he went up to his room and promptly went to bed.

Chapter Text

128 Park Aveinue, Berlint, 1982.

Emile entered apartment 11, the familiar smell of blood filled his nose causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. I walked further into the apartment. In the kitchen the body of a man sit slumped over in a chair, a suicide note on the table and a .22 on the floor. Emile walked to the table by the door and picked up the man’s wallet, he then took out his ID.

Christian Hansen

That was one of the names he saw in Hart's file as a coworker. Emile’s first thought was to doubt the suicide. It felt off, two people on this project die in 48 hours. 

Emile looked over to the forensics team just getting on scene, “I need prints on everything in this house, compare the hand writing of the suicide note to other samples of his handwriting” he ordered

The team went to work, collecting as many samples of forensic evidence. Emile then walked to the house phone and dialed Damian’s number

“Hello?”

“Our murderer just claimed another life” Emile said

Damian’s personal Estate, 1982

Damian hung up the phone after Emile caught Damian up on the situation. He looked around his room thinking of who the suspect may be. Still he needed to go to his second case. Damian sighed, nobody told him that a DA would need to take multiple cases at the same time. The president of Berlint General Hospital had been accused of embezzlement. Damian needed to convict him. It seemed to be an open and shut case on the surface, but if Damian knew anything, it was never so simple. Damian turned and took his briefcase before making his way to his driveway. A car took him to the court where he’d have the deposition.

On his way Damian considered the nature of the murders. The suspect was clearly making their way down a list, but who would be the next target. Also, the suspect clearly got wiser, framing it as a suicide, the MO was different. Damian sighed, it wasn’t his job to investigate this, but it was too interesting to be left alone. 

Damian arrived at the courthouse an hour early. He miscalculated traffic so he ended up there early. Damian sat down in the waiting area and began to look through his notes. There was no way the defendant could get away from the charges, there were hundreds of documents attesting to his scandalous actions. Damian felt some pity for him, there was no hope for the defense.

“Good morning, Damian”

Damian turned to the person calling for him. Behind him stood Ewen, a smirk on his face.

“Ewen, what are you doing here?” Damian asked

“Blackbell heavy industries is being sued for patent infringement, and since I handle the engineering of the rockets Becks asked me to be a witness.” Ewen explained

Damian thought back to their childhood when Ewen dreamed of going to space, be an astronaut. He was crushed when his father told him no. But now he works to put things into space, granted those things are missiles carrying bombs but Ewen liked the work.

“Tell me, did ya do it?” Damian joked

Ewen laughed, “please, my and Becky’s design is leagues ahead of what they claim we stole”

“And, I’m sure the government would pay pay you back anyway, because you’re national security” Damian added

“Yeah, say, why don’t you have dinner at my place?” Ewen offered with an outstretched arm

“Your wife kinda hates me” Damian responded

“Please, she doesn’t hate you” Ewen lied, she totally hated him, “she just misses…”

“I know” Damian responded

“Well, good luck out there, lets meet at 17:00” Ewen smiled

“Yeah” Damian sighed as Ewen walked into the courtroom.

Damian sat alone with his thoughts for another half hour. after a while he found himself humming a tune he remembered from his childhood. Something some annoying girl might have sung.

"Desmond" Damian was snaped back to the reality by the bailiff, "You're up"

The deposition didn’t go as easy as Damian thought it would. The Defense attorney turned out to be one hell of a lawyer. It was a hard fight, but after some hours the hopelessness of the case proved too much for the defense. Damian walked out of the courthouse exhausted, he looked at his watch, he had to make his way to the Blackbell estate.

On his way to the estate he used the car phone and dialed Emile. Surprisingly Emile was quick to the phone

“Hello?”

“Hello, it’s Damian, any news on our case?” Damian asked

“Nope, we matched the finger prints from the first scene to the second, but since the prints aren’t in our system we are no closer to catching them”

“We need to question the people on the list before they’re killed. If we could get a list of subjects in the research project we may have some suspects” Damian suggested

“Whatever this research was, it must have created enemies, both our victims owned illegal firearms”

“Agreed” Damian said, “lets see if Dr Arthur Page knows anything”

“Tomorrow, 9:00”

“I’ll be there”

Damian arrived in front of the estate and got out of the car. A guard met him at the gate.

“Mr. Desmond, right on time” the guard smiled

“Does Becky know I’m here?” Damian asked

“Ms. Blackbell is still at work” the guard responded

“Good” Damian smiled as the guard escorted him onto the property

Damian entered the lavish building and took into the sight. His home was large but he hadn’t lived anywhere like this since he graduated from Eden.

“Hey, Damian” Ewen welcomed him

“Good evening” Damian responded

“If it’s alright I also invited Emile, he’s been here for an hour now” Ewen explained

Damian looked towards Emile, “and you didn’t tell me this when we were on the phone?”

“I figured you were informed” Emile responded

Then Ewen remembered something, “Emile, is it true that cops always carry a gun?”

Emile lifted his pant leg to reveal a hidden firearm on an ancle holster.

“That's so cool” Ewen responded

Damian’s mind wondered to Anya, and how she’d get excited over that. Then he promptly expelled the idea.

The 3 men sat in the living area with football on the television. Ewen took out some beers and took bets on the match with Ewen. Emile wagered that the Dutch would win, Ewen wagered the Spanish.

“Damian, wanna play chess, like old times?” Ewen called to him

Damian sat down at the chess board. The polished wooden pieces were just like the ones in Eden. He opened with the Queen’s opening, a safer opening. The came continued from there, while that happened Emile practiced shots on the pool table.

“Checkmate” Damian smiled

“Damn it! Best out of 5?” Ewen offered

For a moment life’s problems felt as if they melted away. Until fate intervened

“What the fuck is he doing in my house”

The three men all turned to the angered Becky, her eyes locked onto Damian.

“Dear please” Ewen started before Becky shut him up

“Damian Desmond, please leave my house” Becky asked politely 

“Dear I invited him to dinner, can’t you just let this go” Ewen begged

Becky’s eyes narrowed, “fine”

The 4 sat at the table, the chefs had prepared a meal that many would never hope to afford. They ate in silence. Becky’s glare cut through the air and into Damian.

“So uh, Becky, been working on anything recently?” Emile asked

“Yeah,” she responded, not breaking her glare, “I’m writing a memoir about my misunderstood best friend”

Damian snickered at that.

“Something the matter, Desmond?” Becky angrily responded

“It’s just that, she isn’t misunderstood, she confessed to the crime” Damian responded

“Lets talk about something else” Ewen suggested before Becky cut him off

“Anya was a good person, you just can't see past one thing she allegedly did.” Becky argued

“Says the woman with a father” Damian joked

“Damn it Desmond! Stop acting like you were the only one to suffer from all of this, spoiler we all are suffering” Becky exclaimed

“I am not” Damian responded

“You think you’re so mature, but let me tell you something you need to hear, you aren’t. Anya deserved better, I was a fool to let her date you” Becky responded in anger

“Well maybe you should have stopped us, then I wouldn’t have been betrayed!” Damian responded, “Why, why can’t any of you see that she played us?”

Silence befell the table. Damian and Becky were fuming, Emile and Ewen were lucky that there wasn’t a fight yet.

Becky took a deep breath and said what everyone was thinking, “Be honest, do you think Anya was the mastermind of this, someone or something made her do it, made her take the fall.”

Damian stood up from the table and began to walk out from the room, Becky stood up and followed him

“Where were you during her trial, where were you when she needed you most?” Becky asked “You failed her, you failed us, you failed everyone. I know it wasn’t my dad, or my girlfriend, but I lost my friend, and I don’t just mean Anya.”

Damian stopped in his tracks. “I didn’t come here to be lectured by the likes of you”

“Ewen and Emile don’t say it, but she never deserved to be scorned. She’s human. So you need to stop acting like a little kid” Becky responded

Damian turned around and yelled, “I am moving on! While you all cling to someone we once thought we knew.”

“You cling to her memory too!” Becky argued, “you can’t move on, so your projecting”

“So what do you want from me” Damian cried

“Go visit her, talk to her, maybe, she’ll talk to you. She won’t talk to any of us.” Becky answered

Damian shuttered at the thought. Then he sighed, “if you will leave me alone, then fine”

Chapter Text

Damian and Emile arrived at the home of Dr. Page. Outside the apartments a young woman  and a young man stood talking to a man in a tie and overalls. He looked familiar, Damian approached them.

“Mr. Franklin,  what might you be doing here?” Damian asked

“I was just in the area and these young fellows asked me for instructions” he explained

“We’re a bit lost, I’m afraid” The Man explained

“Well we might be able to help” Emile offered “Mr?”

“James, James Jacobs” the man introduced himself, “and with me is”

“Julia Rose” the woman responded, “I’m a journalist”

“Who do you work for” Damian asked

“I write for whoever pays.” She responded, “I heard there was a series of murders going on and I wanted first dibs”

“Well there's a reason for that, we usually only release statements when we’re ready” Emile explained

“Come on” Jack smiled, “she’s new at this, give her some grace”

Emile sighed, “If you promise not to publish anything until the official statement is released, then I’ll fill you in”

“Will do” Julia responded

“Are you two dating?” Emile asked

“Nah, she’s like my sister” Jack responded

“Oh, sorry, I just thought” Emile stumbled over himself

“So, if you have a card?” Julia started

“Oh yeah” Emile responded giving her a card

“Thanks” She smiled and the two of them walked away.

“Welp, I need to run, good seeing you” Franky smiled and walked off in another direction

Emile smiled then turned to Damian, “She’s cute”

“She’s a commoner” Damian argued

“And I’m an aristocratic cop, so not much of a difference there” Emile brushed Damian off before walking into the building

“Look, take it from me, dating commoners is a bad idea” Damian argued

“Not all commoners are murderers” Emile responded

“Some are” Damian mumbled

The friends reached the apartment. Emile signaled for Damian to stand opposite from him. Emile knocked on the door.

“BPD, we have some questions for you” Emile shouted into the door

The door cracked open to reveal an eye in the dark. “What do you want?” The man’s breath was thick with the scent of alcohol.

“To talk, sir, may we come in” Emile answered showing his badge” 

The man sighed, undoing the chain on the door and opening it, “You can never be too careful these days”

Emile’s eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the American made .45 hand gun in the man’s hand. Dr. Page was one of the older doctors, a paranoid old fool. 

“So I presume you know what’s been going on?” Emile started as Page holstered his gun

“Us researchers are a close knit group, when one of us goes dark” He took a pause to take out a pack of cigarettes, “one can only assume.” 

He gestured the pack to the two friends. Emile refused, Damian accepted. He then took out his lighter and lit the two cigarettes.

“If that’s the case, do you have any idea on who could be responsible?” Emile asked

The man took a glance out the window, “Do you think god is as forgiving as they say he is”

“I wouldn’t know, please answer the question” Emile insisted

“My mentor, the poor old man, advanced our project by years, and what did god grant him” The man took a breath from his cigarette. “Dementia, and a bullet in the head”

“Would that by chance be one of the other victims?” Damian asked

Page looked up and sighed. “No, Sigmond, but that’s not really what I mean” the man took another breath of the cigarette, “I fear, that when I die, god will judge me for my sins”

“You can make up for those sins now, just tell me who might want want to kill your coworkers” Emile pressed further

“Those damned patients of ours, should have never let them free” He murmured, “They were ill in the head I tell you”

“So it’s one of the patients in your study” Emile pressed

“Could we get a list of patients?” Damian added

Page groaned, “I doubt it, many of them” he took another pause, this time as if the was thinking, “died due to complications in treatment after we discharged them”

He spoke as if it was code for something, Damian could tell. He didn’t know what it meant

“Can you tell us anything else” Emile asked

“No, I cannot” The Doctor extinguished his cigarette and tossed it on the ground

“If you think of anything, please call us” Emile handed him his card

Page, took a look at the card, then he promptly discarded it in a pile of unpaid bills and letters

Emile frowned at this. Damian then decided that he didn’t want to be in the washed up Doctor’s house. He signaled to Emile that they should go. The two men left the house calmly and then the building.

As Damian and Emile walked towards the car they got to talking. Damian started the conversation, “Well, we learned nothing new”

“We can take Dr. Authen off our list. But I’d like to research his death a bit when we get back to the station” Emile responded

“Actually, could you drop me off at the Berlint Mental Institution?” Damian asked

“Finally going to visit her” Emile asked

Damian sighed, “just be sure to tell Becky I did it so that next time we hang out with Ewen she doesn’t skin me alive”

“Sure” Emile responded shallowly.

Emile drove Damian to the BMI and left him out front. Damian took a deep breath and walked in. It was dim inside and it smelled of disinfectant and terror. Damian walked up to the front desk.

“Hello, I am Damian Desmond, I’m here to visit Anya Forger” he explained

“May I see some ID” the clerk asked

Damian handed over his ID. The clerk inspected the ID and then wrote down his name and copied his ID on paper.

“Alright, you may visit her” The clerk handed his ID back

A guard arrived and took Damian to her cell. She was in a solitary cell in a part of the Institute nobody else was kept. In a cell with a solid plastic wall instead of bars with holes to speak through. And there she sat, on the floor of her cell. Her head down in shame, her long unkempt hair blocking her face.

“You have 15 minutes” The guard said before leaving them alone

Anya looked up to see who her visitor was. Her emerald eyes met Damian’s. She blinked a few times, then fixed her posture so that she was crisscross and leaning on the wall. “I never thought I’d see you again”

“I’m not here to pity you” Damian declared, “I am here to look you in the eyes and say I don’t care about you, that you could die alone in here and it wouldn’t affect me”

Anya studied him, looked him up and down, then she spoke. “Then do it” she said

“What?” Damian was not expecting that response

“Look me in the eyes and say you don’t care” She looked at him with those damned eyes. As much as he hated her, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

She sighed, then looked back at him. “If it makes you feel better, I hate it here” Anya looked him in the eyes, “they drug me so much, I feel numb, like I’m just existing in a static void, not like a person.”

“I told you, I’m not here to pity you” Damian reiterated, his eyes desperately trying to avoid her gaze.

“I don’t want you to. I get enough pity from everyone else, and I don’t deserve it” Anya shrugged.

“I hope you die” Damian scoffed, his eyes unable to meet hers

“Good, now look at me when you say that” Anya smiled

Damian groaned in frustration.

“I want to die,” Anya confessed, “but they won’t let me. I deserve to die, you’d be better off, you could move on,” she didn’t speak as if she was upset, she was quite matter of fact in her tone.

“This was a mistake,” Damian sighed and turned to leave. He just couldn’t face her, she was too… her.

“Wait” Anya called to him. Damian stopped and turned back, “I’m sorry, I know it means nothing, but I am. I don’t regret what I did, I hope some day you learn why”

Damian turned back around, then spoke under his breath, “Burn in hell, Forger”

“Goodbye Sy-on boy”

Chapter Text

Silence befell the Ostanian sky, a quiet before the storm. Under the clear sky one could hope to see stars. In the dark, Twilight could make his entrance. His mission was simple: extract information on the Apple Murders and return to WISE. It was clear that this was beyond BPD’s jurisdiction and that someone had to do something.

Twilight stealthily entered the police headquarters and made his way to detective Elman’s desk. In the dark he blended in as if he were a ghost. He reached the file cabinet and began to pick the lock. Just as the cabinet unlocked

“Freese!”

Twilight was blinded by the light from the gun mounted flash light

“Show me your hands!” Emile ordered

Twilight slowly put his gun on the ground. He couldn’t kill Emile, he needed to incapacitate him

BANG! 

The air shook as a flash erupted at the end of the hall behind Twilight. The bullet whipped past the spy and struck the detective’s flashlight, causing the hall to go pitch dark. Twilight turned his head to see their attacker. Obscured by dark, he could make out a coat, ww1 aviator goggles, and a face mask. The attacker was holding a handgun.

The detective did not wait to shoot back.

BANG! BANG!

Two shots rang out in the hall. The muzzle flashes illuminating his stoic face, but Twilight could see right through him, this was his first gun fight. He had to do something, he had his gun on him. The shooter fired once more, the flashes from the gun illuminated their figure.

BANG! BANG!

The bullets careened towards the detective, twilight jumped to save his life. The two hit the ground behind cover.

“Thanks” Emile coughed as he got up and peaked in the corner. The shooter was approaching cautiously, their gun still locked in front of them.

“So, do you have a plan?” Twilight asked

“Yeah” Emile responded, out of breath, shoot them then arrest both of you”

“Better idea, you cover me, I charge” Twilight said

“That’s a bad idea” Emile responded

“Well you don’t have a grenade so this is our second best option” Twilight responded

“Fine” Emile conceded

“Ready 3 2 1”

Twilight turned the corner to see the figure illuminated by the flame of a Molotov. He was fast, but not fast enough. Emile also saw it and eager to prevent what would happen next he fired one more time.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The bullets flew over twilight’s head cracking the aviators and grazing the shooter. The shooter in response threw the cocktail into the filing cabinet. A fireball erupted in Emile’s workspace, illuminating everyone. The shooter then quickly turned to run, quickly perused by twilight. The fire alarm began to wail and the sprinklers activated. Emile stood alone and wet in the dark, only the orange glow to keep him company. The burning documents of the case he had. Damn it all to hell.

Damian took an early morning walk, a bottle of alcohol, he didn’t care what type. The early morning sun shimmered on the glass bottle. The street was quiet, a dog barking, a car passing by. The tranquil sounds of a middle class town in a big city. Damian came here whenever he needed a moment to think. The environment reminded him of the Forgers.

Forger… god how he hurt seeing her face. Her eyes burnt into his soul like a match on paper. She admitted to the crime, she said she didn’t regret it, yet he still felt for her. He felt naked in front of her, she always had a way of seeing right through him.

Just then Damian was interrupted by the beeping of his pager. It was Emile. Damian looked up and searched for a pay phone, but then his eyes locked on 128 Park av. He remembered the Forgers still lived there, perhaps they not only heard the murder that took place in the same building, but they might also let him use their phone.

Damian walked up to the apartment, taking note that the apartment was a floor below the killing of Dr. Hanson. Then he knocked on the door…

Yor answered the door, opening it wide allowing him to see into the brightly lit apartment. “Oh, Damian, what are you doing at this hour?” Yor asked

“I was in the area and I needed to use a phone” Damian explained

“Oh well do come in” Yor offered.

Damian stepped into the house for the first time in years. It was still well put together and clean, as if nothing changed. Somehow, the forgers were the same old people as they were. A mother, a father, a child.

Yor put on a pot of tea, offering Damian the ability to make himself at home.

Damian took it all in one more time before starting, “I heard there was a murder in this building, did you hear anything about that”

Yor looked up from her tea making and thought about it. “I heard that too, truly terrible. I’m afraid I was sound asleep, so I didn’t hear anything”

“Alright” Damian noted

“I heard your friend Emile is the detective on the case” Yor smiled. Just then the kettle began to whistle and Yor took it off the heat and began to pour some tea for the two of them.

“Yes ma’am, and I am prosecuting the case, when it goes to trial” Damian said

“That's wonderful, and I presume law is treating you well?”

“It's hard, but I haven't lost a case yet” Damian proclaimed only have done 1 case

Just then who else but Loid Forger entered through the front door after a presumably long night at the hospital.

“I'm home” he said as he entered the apartment

“welcome home Loid, Damian is here” Yor explained

“Oh, hello Damian” Loid greeted him with a smile

Damian took a good look at the people whom he once dreamed of being his In-laws. They were relaxed, a stark contrast to Damian's tormented inner thoughts that all too often bleed through to the outside. How could they be so relaxed when it was their daughter rotting in prison. Unfortunately Damian accidentally said that last part out loud.

“It's hard sure, but we are all just doing out best” Loid explained

“Have either of you visited her?” Damian asked

Loid hesitated to answer, Yor then answered for him, “Loid hasn't been able to yet, but I have”

Too busy for his own daughter? a part of Damian that he thought was long dead rose up in fury, only for the rest of him to say, ‘you don't care, remember?’

“Damian, you said you needed to use the phone?” Yor reminded him

“Oh, I almost forgot” Damian jumped up and grabbed the phone, dialing the number.

“hello?”

“you called?”

“Yes, bad news, two people broke in last night. one of them fire bombed our documents. Both of them got away”

“Damn it” Damian cursed, “if we were close enough for our killer to destroy our documents then that must mean we were really close”

“That's the weird part, we didn't even have any real suspects. Also, Dr. Page was found this morning in an ally. The preliminary report shows he was poisoned then thrown off the building post modem”

“So another framed suicide” Damian concluded

“Everyday we let this guy walk another life is taken”

“Then we should prioritize getting the rest of our list finished before they get killed, Walker is next.”

“Agreed. also the killer likely knows who we are, so be more careful please”

“I understand, see you in 15” Damian hung up.

He walked to the door. He could have stayed but he had to admit that being in her house was causing him grief, he didn’t dare show it to her parents, but he still hated her. Even more now, she admitted she didn’t regret it! Damian put his palm to his face, he just needed to get back to work, that's all

Damian thanked Loid and Yor then made his way to the cafe. It was on the other side of the city so if he planned to walk it would take a while.

By now the sun has a firm grasp upon the sky, its light casting a brilliant blue hue on the heavens. The city itself was lively as well, people commuting to work, small markets, speeches made in the streets, families on outlining's. Damian had forgotten that today was what the NUP had dubbed Victory day, November 11th.

As he walked Damian got to thinking. Emile said there were 2 people, one the killer, but what of the other. Did the killer work alone or did a few people team up in order to get revenge. After all, it would be difficult to kill someone and destroy evidence within the police station.

Damian arrived at the building where Dr. Walker lived. This complex was different from the others, it was in a middle class neighborhood rather than the slums of the city, the building was clean, it was a refreshing change. Damian decided to have a smoke on the bench nearby the building

After a while Emile arrived, sitting down with Damian on the bench.

“So how was your meeting with Anya?” Emile asked

“I’d prefer not to talk about it” Damian answered, still not having grappled his feelings of anger towards Anya.

“So not good I see”

“She said she didn’t regret killing father”

“Oh, yeah” Emile cringed, “well I do have some good news”

“Prey tell, I could use some”

“Julia called me about the case last night and we talked, had dinner over it” Emile explained, “I think we got chemistry! So, I think I’ll ask her out”

Damian snickered, “Emile, you just met her!”

“It’s very like you, Damian, not to believe in love at first sight” Emile joked

Damian rolled his eyes, “lets just move on to the murders.”

“Right, Page is dead, so lets visit Walker and see if she is willing to tell us anything” Emile said

After a short walk the two men arrived at the front door of their witness

Emile knocked on the apartment door, “BPD, we got some questions”

The sound of a family wondering why the police were at their door emerged from the other side. Then a man opened the door.

“Can I help you sir?” he asked

“Yes,” Emile answered, “we’re looking for Ms. Deborah Walker, we have a few questions”

The man smiled, “What’d you do this time dear?”

“We never said anything about trouble,” Damian clarified, not picking up on the man’s smile.

A woman, in her mid 30s, walked to presumably her husband, “you called?”

“Yes could we talk to you in a private room” Emile requested

The woman waved her hand and led them to a home office. She closed the door and sat down with them.

“What is this about?” She asked calmly

“None of your research friends told you?” Damian asked

“I see,” Walker said, “I was only part of Apple for a year before they kicked me out, I have no current affiliation with them.”

“Well, many of your former co-workers have been murdered,” Emile explained, “so if you could enlighten us about the patients used in the project so that we can nerrow down our suspects, that would be great.”

Walker sighed, then leaned towards them, “First of all they weren’t patents, they were human experiments.”

“Human… experiments?” Emile struggled to comprehend it

“For years they were experimented on, built to be perfect weapons of inelegance,” Walker added, “or at least that was how it was explained to me”

“What kinds of experiments?” Damian asked

“God if I knew, I was only a social worker to keep the poor kids from killing themselves, nobody trusted me and eventually kicked me out, best I can give you is the bios of the experiments I worked with” Walker answered

“Go ahead and tell us about the experiments” Emile asked

“I only got to work with 4 kids. Let's start with twelve. She was a sweet girl, but she was also an anxious one. I helped her get over her anxiety. She loved writing. She always dreamt of a hero to take her out of the facility and save her from her nightmare, I just wish she was that hero.” Walker explained in detail

Damian wrote all of that down

Emile then asked a question, “can you tell us what they look like?”

“No, it’s been too long and I’ve tried to forget” Walker answered

“Alright, tell us about the next one” Emile requested

“Right, Nine was another one. He was mature, studious, and very supportive. He liked detective/true crime stories. He would vent his frustrations in a journal, often depicting people who wronged him as criminals who committed murder.” Walker explained next

“Sounds like a good first suspect” Damian suggested as he wrote

“Did he ever seem like he would commit murder?” Emile asked

“No, he was a cinnamon roll” Walker answered

“Alright” Emile said as Damian finished recording responses. “Lets move on.”

“Thirteen, he was a handful. He had intense Autism, and I know that those experiments didn’t help at all” Walker described the boy, “he was reserved and depressed. He got joy out of seeing the scientists struggle to get things done, it made him happy. I managed to get him to choose another hobby, art”

“Sounds like he’d have a good motive” Damian muttered to himself as he wrote.

“Anything else about the thirteen?” Emile asked

“He and Nine shared a strong sense of justice, but they were both very logical” Walker responded

“Interesting, and the last one?” Emile moved on

“Ten, she suffered from ADD, the scientists complained that they couldn’t get her to focus on anything. She was really sweet, she hyper fixated on berlint in love, but all she had access to was old episodes and the scientists often took it away from her when she wouldn’t study. I suggested she be prescribed medicine for it.”

“Anything about her that may be relevant to the murders?” Emile asked

“She was like twelve, wouldn’t hurt a fly, at least when I knew them” Walker explained, “they’d be around 24 I knew them when they were 13”

“Are there any experiments you knew of but not personally?” Damian asked

“The kids spoke of their fellow experiments, but I don’t remember much. There was one they talked about, but they all thought she was a legend” Walker explained

“Who?” Emile asked

“007, they called her, some sort of super experiment who escaped at the age of 4. Some say she died, others say she is living a life under a new name. Many of the kids dreamed of being her, or meeting her. Twelve wanted her hero to be 007.”

Damian notated the information and then looked to Emile.

“Thank you for your time, we will see ourselves out” Emile stood up and held out his hand for a handshake.

Walker stood up and shook his hand, “Anytime, but may I make a request?”

“Of course” Emile responded

“If all these people are being murdered, I’d like a police curser outside my house” Walker requested

“I will see to it” Emile said

“It’s a pleasure meeting you two,” Walker said, dismissing them.

Damian and Emile sat down in the car after a short walk and conferred. “So that’s some new information” Damian remarked

“Yes, and I don’t recall anything of the experiments in the files” Emile agreed

“We have suspects, but no names,” Damian sighed, “so we have nothing”

“Not quite, we have genders, age range, mental state, and likely economic state.” Emile argued, “not much but it’s something.”

“You’re right” Damian agreed

“Can I get you to hold half of this, in case something happens like last night” Emile asked

“Of course” Damian responded

The sun had long gone from the sky. Walker had set her children to sleep. She left her husband in the bedroom, saying she’d be there in just a minute. She entered the dark office, using a key, opened a filing cabinet, and began to grab at files, looking for the files of the old patients.

“Come on, I know I kept them” She mumbled to herself. Then her finger glided onto the tab for Apple. “Got it!” She cheered to herself

Then the cold feeling of metal pressed on the back of her head, “Congratulations, Dr. Walker”

The social worker froze where she knelt and put her hands up. “H-how’d you get past the police out front?”

“Grab the files, stand up, turn around, and give them to me” The killer spoke, “I’d hate to orphan your kids”

“Okay” Walker breathed, “okay”

She grabbed the 4 files and stood up, then she turned towards the killer, their face obstructed by a mask and broken aviator goggles. Walker handed the documents to them.

‘I think I had copies of those documents hidden, thank god’

The killer stood still then spoke, “Where are they, the copies”

“I don’t know what you mean” Walker said

“I see,” the killer said, exiting the room.

Walker watched as the killer walked to the door, then doubled back. Finding the air-conditioning vent they took off the cover and slid the documents out.

“Ordinarily I would punish an action like this with death, but in the name of your help to me…” the killer explained, “I will take one of your children”

Walker’s eyes widened, “wait! No, please, take me instead. They did nothing wrong”

“Liars should be punished, don’t you think Doctor?” The killer said as they made their way to the room.

“Please, I’ll do anything, I could tell you about the detectives working on the case!” Walker pleaded, “Just spare them!”

The killer simply responded “an eye for an eye” under their breath.

Walker had no other choice, her eyes fixed on the gun and she leapt. The killer turned only to be met with a punch to the face. Walker grabbed the gun in the killer's hands, the berrel pointing to the master bedroom’s door. The two fought for the gun. After a short fight for the gun the killer stuck Walker in the crotch, causing her to let go and fall back.

The killer raised the gun, then decided against it, “Someone needs to live to tell those who stand against me what I do to the ones who harm my people.”

Walker gained her bearings as the killer reached for the door handle. “STOP!” Walker cried

Then her husband opened the door, confused, then a fury in his eyes when he saw the stranger with a gut trying to enter his kids room and his wife on the floor.

“Call the police!” he yelled to his wife as he took a flower vase off a shelf, striking the killer over the head.

The killer stumbled back, the husband then charged slamming them into the floor. At the same time Walker called the police.

“Hello? There is someone in my house, they have a gun, they’re fighting my husband!” Walker cried into the phone.

In the meantime Mr. Walker, not sitting on top of the killer, continued to punch their face into the floor.

“Yes we are at 568 Ostania ave, unit 5” 

The killer shot their hips causing Mr. Walker to fly forward, then they threw a hook into his ribs causing him to roll over then the killer took aim, Dr. Walker saw this and in response threw a picture frame at the killer. They responded by pulling away and

BANG!

Blood soaked into the floor boards. Just then two police officers banged on the door. “BPD! We’re coming in!”

The door was kicked open as the police entered the room. The killer had escaped through the window, and into the night. Taking the files with them. The police immediately went to tend to Mr. Walker on the ground

“We need an RA ASAP for a GSW to the chest” One officer reported into the radio kneeling at the man’s side

“We need a search perimeter of 2 miles” the other added

It was a dark evening.

Chapter Text

Berlint 1982, 0300

The cold side… if one choses to take a nightly stroll then they should expect to be in a body bag come morning. A man clothed in diary clothes and no shoes walked in the dark. There were no streetlights in this area, but that was no matter to him, he had grown familiar with this dark. Behind him a van with no headlights stalked him from beyond the distance of telepathy. If it weren’t for the man’s focus on the silence he would have never noticed the faint hum of it’s engine.

The van had been following him for 3 blocks now, stalking him like prey. The man reached into his pocket, grabbing a pocket knife he took off of a dead body in an ally. He opened the blade in his pocket, careful not to allow the stars to reflect off the knife.

The van crept up to him, then they both stopped. The door opened, the men inside, covered head to toe in green uniforms grabbed at him. The man slashed with the knife, fighting for his life, but a tranc to the neck caused him to weaken, then falter. Pulled into the van, never to be seen again…

…

The wind whispered a song of despair in the narrow streets of Upper Berlint. Police everywhere. Emile stood in the middle of a dark apartment, one he was in just hours before. The floor was still stained with blood. So far the search team had no luck in finding the killer.

Just then officer Ken ran up to him, “Detective, our boys down at the hospital just finished questioning the witness, here is the transcript.” Ken handed him the file.

“Thank you, status on the search?” Emile asked

“No luck, we fear they may have slipped through the cracks” Ken replied

Emile flared with anger, his hand clenching around his pen, then he calmed down, taking a breath. “Thank you”

Light began to fill the room as the sun rose in the sky, and in the pool of blood shimmered a fragment of brass. Emile walked towards the shimmer and then picked up the object.

“A .32” Emile studied the casing, “I would like all the suspected gun traffics in the city questioned, promise them a reduced sentence if they give us information on all the people who bought .30 ammo, and a sidearm that fires it”

“Detective, we can’t offer that” Ken sheepishly informed the detective

Emile turned to the officer, “Well why the hell not!”

“Because only the DA can do that” 

“Damian will forgive me, offer it anyway” Emile sent the officer off.

Emile then walked towards the window. Below 2 rookies searched the dumpster in the alleyway of which the killer escaped.

“Boots, found anything yet?” Emile shouted through the open window

The girl looked up put her hand next to her mouth to shout up, “We found one of the files, it’s covered in blood and trash, but legible” She responded

“Nice job boot” Emile shouted down, “I’ll be down there to get it”

“Yes sir!” the boy responded

Emile turned around and exited the apartment. Walking down the stairs Emile thought of nothing, no he was angry, enraged. This bastard had no right to attack potentially take the innocent father from 2 innocent kids. The other victims of the killer’s motive made moral sense, an eye for an eye, but this. Whoever this was would pay.

Emile got to the alleyway where he took the file and bagged it, stashing it in the trunk of his unmarked. Emile looked at the sun, hanging just behind the rooftops. He sighed, he needed someone to talk to. He walked to a phone booth and closed the door. Who would he call?

Damian?

No, he didn’t want to spill onto Damian. He was doing better, but still, he wasn’t well.

Ewen?

No, Ewen would just tell him what he wanted to hear, and that was no good.

Becky?

No, she’d be too critical of him. She’d try to solve the problem herself

Julia?

… fuck it

Emile dialed Julia’s number, the phone rung

*Click*

“Hello?”

“Hey, Julia, it’s me”

“Oh, good morning Emi <3 what are you calling so early in the morning for?”

“I… needed someone to talk to.”

“Well, I’ll be here as long as you have quarters” Julia giggled

“Lets have another date tonight, I really liked our last one”

Park Square

The day had been quiet so far. Franky was once again harping over some woman who didn’t care for him, when someone tapped on the stand.

“Good day dear sir?” A girl stood before him, around 2 years younger than Anya's age, then again Anya always looked young for her age, in a petite little yellow outfit.

“Why hello, what brings you here, you are too young to be getting into smoking.” Franky joked, he couldn’t imagine a girl as young as 24 would be smoking.

The girl held out her hand, “Sophia West! Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance” She smiled, “I’m have some skills and I am looking to get into your line of work”

“You can’t mean… No a girl like you shouldn’t get into information”

“Frank, can I call you that?” Sophia explained, “There are people hunting me, the only thing I have on them is intel. You can help me get a wire to WISE so that I may take them down”

“Well, I don’t have any confections kid, so find someone else” Franky responded

Sophia pouted, “fine then, we’ll do this the difficult way. I’ll talk to WISE myself”

“Good luck with that” Franky responded thinking of how guarded Loid used to be.

Sophia smiled before strutting off. 128 Park avenue was only 5 blocks away. She skipped down the street, without a care in the world. Not very long later she arrived. She knocked on the door, but nobody was home, no matter, she found her way in by picking a lock. A short scan of the house directed her to Berlint General Hospital.

A hop skip and a jump later she was at the hospital. She entered through a window and entered the staff lockers where she stole a lab coat. Then she easily snuck her way into Dr. Forger’s office.

Loid walked down the hall with Fiona, speaking in code.

“Indeed the fish there was immaculate” Loid smiled, The files were lost, still the BPD seams hot on the suspects trail

“What did you order to drink?” Fiona responded, The SSS hasn’t picked the case up yet?

“I had the Cuba Libre, a great drink. You should visit sometime” Loid answered, Apparently not, our suspect my be an Apple subject

“Perhaps, I don’t like the heat very much,” Fiona responded. You expect me to believe the suspect is an animal?

“I suppose you fit your namesake” Loid joked, A human subject

“I suppose, I must attend to my work, good day” Fiona said as they reached Loid’s office. Understood, I will see what I can do

“Good day” Loid responded

Loid opened the door behind him, only turning once he was in the room to see the girl in yellow sitting on his couch.

“Well good day, or perhaps, good evening?” the girl responded

Loid looked the girl up and down. If she was with WISE he should have been notified, furthermore she looked awfully young to be a field agent. 

“Sophia West, a telepath willing to make a deal” the girl stood up and held out her hand.

“Telepath?” The thought of Donovan and his session with his wife entered his head.

“I am one of the last 4 telepaths of Apple, and I am here with a proposition” Sophia walked towards Loid’s desk picking up a pen and playing with it in her hand.

A proposition? If she was indeed a telepath than Twilight knew WISE couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste, lest the SSS get their hands on her. “Alright, have a seat, lets talk” Loid smiled

Sophia walked back to the chair and sat down. “You have a nice office, it's like a house. Does your hospital have litter boxes?”

Loid raised an eyebrow, “no, we aren’t a vet”

“Ah, see I’m litter box trained, but I can’t find any around here” Sophia leaned back

Were the Apple Experiments forced to pee in litter boxes?

“Only poop, we pee in cups” Sophia smiled

Maybe she would benefit from some therapy sessions… Loid thought

“So, your proposition?” Loid asked

“Right! I wish to be an asset of WISE. I give you intel from my telepathy, and you give me protection” Sophia explained

“Protection from what, may I ask?” Loid leaned forward

“Well, there used to be more telepaths, but years ago, after they let us out, they decided that we were a liability. So, they sent people like the SSS and Garden to dispatch us” Sophia explained

“May I ask who they are?” Loud inquired

“The investors, no idea who they are, all I know is that there are about 4 of us left, including me” Sophia answered, “So that would be 4 total, or would it be 5? Huh, language is hard, isn’t it”

“Sophia, could you please focus.” Loid pinched his brow, “Who and where are the others?”

“Ah yes, the other telepaths, twelve, nine, and thirteen. Though I heard scuttlebutt that thirteen was dispatched this morning” Sophia explained, “Scuttlebutt is such a funny word”

“Do you know their names or what they look like?” Loid asked

“I don’t know what they go by these days” Sophia answered, “and I don’t want to divulge any intel until my safety is guaranteed”

“You’re a wise little girl” Loid leaned back

“You sir are looking at the greatest tool of intelligence since… well I don’t know! But my old handler boasted that my skills riveled even those of 007!” Sophia bragged standing up on the sofa

“Please sit down” Loid sighed

Sophia plopped back down on the couch, “Anyway, I know you aren’t in charge, so talk to your boss and see if I could become your… what's the word? Sidekick? Partner in crime? Student? Let's go with student!”

Loid sighed, if the SSS was hunting these people then he couldn’t allow the one that arrived on his doorstep with a bow and card to slip through his fingers. Loid sighed, he needed to talk to the handler but what to do with this girl in the meantime.

“May I ask if you have a place to stay right now?” Loid asked

“Nope!” Sophia responded

“Then here’s the deal, I will talk to my boss, and in the meantime you will stay at my house with my wife and son when they get home.” Loid explained, “But as she isn’t at home and I won’t be able to talk to my boss until tomorrow, you will stay with me in my office as a patent, understand”

“Yep!” Sophia responded, then her eyes locked onto the TV in the office, “You have a TV!”

“It’s new, a reward for youth patents” Loid explained

“Can I watch Berlint in love?” Sophia asked

“Go ahead, I have work to attend to, but there are many operatives in the building, and there is a panic button under my desk, press it if you are in danger” Loid explained

“I know, pleasure talking to you” She smiled

Loid walked out of the office. God how that girl reminded him of Anya. Loid didn’t like to remember his daughter. He blamed himself for bringing a likely already unstable little girl into a dangerous mission. He feared that it was the pressure Stix, no he put on her that broke her. He could never forgive himself.

Chapter Text

Damian knocked on the door of the Forger's residence once again. Yor opened the door for him and smiled.

“Damian, another visit?” Yor asked.

“I just wanted to see if you still had Anya’s stuff?” Damian responded.

“Oh yes, it should be in a box in the guest room.” Yor answered, “come in”

Damian entered the home to see a blonde girl in yellow sitting on the couch watching Berlint in love.

“Sophie dear, is it okay for Damian to go into the room for some stuff”

Sophia didn’t answer, she was too enthralled by the TV.

“She’ll forgive me,” Yor smiled, “go on.”

Damian shrugged and made his way to Anya’s old room. Opening the door he entered the room. He spotted the box and retrieved it from under the bed. Inside there were many items. Her chimera, her drawings, her door sign, all the things you’d expect. Then something caught his eye. A journal in pink, and its brass lock was open. Damian opened the book only to find illegible writing, along with the occasional evidence of tears or dried blood.

“Looking at your old girlfriend’s diary?” Damian turned around to see the yellow girl smirking.

Damian closed the diary, “Ah, so she talks,” he smirked back

“You clearly didn’t break up, otherwise her parents wouldn’t let you snoop around” the girl began to deconstruct his relationship, “and mama bear over there had a mournful thought when you mentioned her name, so how’d she die?”

Damian scoffed, “She didn’t die, she’s in prison, and for your information, I hate her.”

Sophia smiled, “you should do a little bit of a better job suppressing your thoughts then.”

“What?”

“Even the weakest telepaths could see past your bull,” she smiled looking him up and down, “no, you yearn for her don’t you. You wish for a time when you were with her, that’s why you're here”

Damian clenched his fist in rage “well, Ms. Detective, why are you here?”

“Noneya” She smiled, “is that a chimera?"

Damian’s gaze was drawn to the stuffed animal by his feet. The girl picked it up and held it.

“Plushes like these were common where I come from, though mine was yellow” She commented.

“So” Damian looked the girl up and down, “you must be one of the test subjects Walker informed me of.”

Sophia snapped back into reality, “Oh, yeah” she lifted her hands, “you got me.”

“So which one are you?” Damian raised an eye brow, “and more impartantly, have you been killing your creators?” Hegot close to her and poked her in the chest

Sophia smirked and pushed Damian’s hand away, “I am ten, thank you. And I would never stoop so low as to kill for revenge.”

“Sure you are,” Damian rolled his eyes

“Wow, you really don’t trust anyone you meet,” Sophia commented, “I am taking my vengeance in a way that guarantees my own safety, murder brings too much attention.”

Damian sighed, “Forgive me for not trusting people.” His eyes glanced to the photo of himself with Anya in the box, “the last commoner I trusted betrayed everyone”

Sophia saw the memories, the good, the bad,the killing, and the meeting. She sighed, “I don’t know this girl, though I think I'd like her, but people are complex. I’m sure she had a good reason to do the deed”

Damian scoffed, “Yeah, sure.”

Damian grabbed the Chimera and returned to the living room.

“I am just saying, you already got murder on the mind so why not look into her case again?” Sophia argued

“Thanks for the advice, I hope to never see you again” Damian said as he left.

By now, the sky was dark and rain slammed into the ground. Damian sighed, guessing he’d be walking to his car in the rain.

Berlint, September 1974

Anya sat atop the Desmond estate, having just spoken to Donovan, the wind brushing her face. She looked off into the distance at the hundreds of lights in the city. She was supposed to be here with her boyfriend for a sleepover. That was bullshit, she was here because her father prioritised Strix over her safety and the bastard wanted an update on Strix. Anya looked down, it was a long way down. Too bad for Damian, she’d hate for him to find her body. If she knew this was going to be her life, she would have never allowed herself to be adopted by Loid.

Anya stood up and inched her foot over to the edge. The darkness below consumed her vision. She inched further, then she pictured Damian finding her body, then at her funeral. Anya plopped back down and began to cry.

Then Damian arrived on the roof, seeing Anya sitting on the ledge. “Anya?” Damian approached Anya and sat next to her, “What’s wrong? I thought you were going to the bathroom.”

Anya looked at Damian, then turned away. “I’m fine, I just needed a moment.”

“If it’s something I did, is there anything I could do to fix it?” Damian asked, panic on his tongue

“No, it’s not you. I’m fine”

“No you aren’t, you were about to jump!” Damian argued

“I wasn’t going to do it! I just… I was taking a walk, feeling the wind”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m tired, Damian, I just want to rest” Anya explained, the use of his name illustrated how serious she was, “Does that suffice?”

“Okay” Damian sighed, “fine, just come to bed, I don’t want you up here again”

Anya went down, but her orders lingered in her head. When they reached the living room where they’d sleep, Anya cuddled up with her boyfriend. Feeling his warmth contrast the cold she felt inside and around her, she felt safe. If only this could last forever.

Berlint 1982

Damian arrived at the Gloomanestate where Emile met him, the rain pouring down. Emile led himinside and to the man’s office. Nothing in the room other than a cup of poisoned whisky and blood spatters.

“Glooman was one of the investors on our list,” Emile explained, “it’s more than likely our killer is escalating, but I don’t have a clue as to why”

“I couldn’t guess, but I know someone who might,” Damian suggested, “I met ten, she seems to know alot.”

“.”

“She’s safe right now with the Forgers,” Damian eased Emile

“Alright then, let's move on to Dr. Gardner, see if he can help us before more blood is shed."

“Agreed.”

The two men got into the car and drove off. On the way Emile got to talking.“So, it’s the anniversary” he sighed.

“The day that bitch took everything from me,” Damian responded

“Do you really think that?” Emile asked

Damian hesitated before answering, “Of course I do, she used me, then killed my father.”

Emile sighed, “I won’t try to convince you otherwise, but I will inform you, Becky, Ewen, and I are going to the bar to remember the incident. You can come, if you’re up to it.”

Damian thought about it, “I’ll stay back.”

“I understand,” Emile smiled

They arrived on the cold side, a part of the city people avoided due to the poverty and crime rates in the area, and like all the other victims the complex was dilapidated.

“Stay close to me,” Emile said, pressing his hand on his holster, “This is a bad neighborhood”

The partners in law entered and ascended up  to the 4th floor and the unit.

“BPD, we have some questions!” Emile barked, knocking on the door.

The man answered, then sighed. The door opened. The apartment we deserted, an air mattress and a suitcase was all that was left.

“Are you going somewhere sir?” Damian asked.

“If you think I’m going to stick around to be dispatched, then you are wrong” The Doctor responded, opening a floor safe and taking out a gun holster and gun.

“So you know of the murders?” Damian asked

“They aren’t murderers, I’m sure that the SSS is tying up loose ends, just as they did with all those patients.” The man spoke half in code and half in sense. His hair looked like he had been pulling at it.

“You mean experiments, and what do you mean by that?” Emile asked

“Desmond and the other investors ended the project years ago, but about a year after they got together and decided that the experiments that they let go must be terminated, I’m sure they are the ones killing us, to ensure our silence” Gardner explained.

“What happened to the subjects still alive after Donovan died?” Damian asked

“The SSS kept to their word.” Gardner explained, “You folk at the BPD are barking up the wrong tree, the experiments are dead..”

“I met one this morning.” Damian said

“You did?” Emile whispered to Damian

“Yep, so our theory is still possible” Damian explained, “if anything, what you just described creates a motive.”

Gardner scoffed, “I doubt it, those kids were slippery, but I refuse to believe that after nearly 9 years the SSS has failed to do anything of it”

“Well it’s true,” Damian insisted.

“I won’t believe it, if you have any more questions for me, I will be heading to the Soviet States, good day!” And with that Gardner left the house, leaving Damian and Emile alone. They decided it wasn’t worth hunting him down and decided to go back to the car.

After checking to make sure nobody had slashed the tires , Emile decided to drive Damian home, he had a long day.

“That was a good bluff in there, too bad it led nowhere,” Emile smiled as they began to drive.

“There was no bluff there.” Damian responded, “Sophia West, 010, she insists that killing is below her.”

“Wait…” Emile stopped him, “when did you meet her?”

“This morning, at the Forgers,” Damian answered, “I also found out that the experiments are telepathic.”

“Well now you’re talking nonsense,” Emile responded

“I don’t believe it either,” Damian agreed, “but we don’t have anything else about the experiments.”

“Then let's head over there and questionMs. West” Emile shifted gears and turned the car to head for the Forger residence.

“From my short interaction with her,” Damian explained, “she was annoying and cocky.”

“So… like someone else we know?” Emile joked, “maybe they’re long-lost telepaths!”

“I asked about the other experiments,” Damian added, ignoring Emile’s comment, “she doesn’t keep in touch with them, but she did mention that 007 figure again.”

“I would like to meet this 007 if they exist, I’m sure they could provide us with unique insight,” Emile said.

“I don’t think they’re real,” Damian sighed.

“Alright.”

At last they arrived at the Forgers' residence. They went up to the apartment and knocked. Yor once again opened the door.

“Oh Damian, twice in one day, did you forget something?” Yor greeted him

“We were actually wondering if Sophia was still here?” Damian asked

“She went out with Loid an hour ago,” Yor explained, “I can’t tell you why, nor can I say where they are, nor when—or if—they’ll be back”

“I see,” said Damian, “come on, let’s go home.” Damian offered, defeated.

“What? You’re giving up that fast?” Emile couldn’t believe the ever stubborn Damian Desmond was dropping this, when he wouldn’t drop a pen borrowed for a little too long?!. Emile followed Damian out the door.

“If I know the Forger’s, then we won’t get answers.” Damian explained, “that damned family likes to be cryptic.”

Emile decided to go along with Damian and drove him home.

Damian got home at twilight, just as the colors in the sky darkened. Damian sat in his dimly-lit office, in a comfortable armchair. By his side was a glass of whisky and the bottle he poured it from. In his hands was her chimera, he hadn’t intended to take anything, but he took it anyway. It was an unwelcome reminder of her, yet he couldn’t stop holding it. Then his hand landed on a zipper. He knew that there was nothing of note inside, but what else was there to do?

Damian unzipped the plushie and found… stuffing. Damian sighed and prepared to zip it back up, but something caught his eye, a small piece of metal. Damian reached his hand in and pulled out a small metallic object from the plushie.

“The hell?” Damian muttered to himself.

It looked like a tracker, but it was long broken. Onto the object Apple 007 was inscribed onto the object.

“Did Anya take this from 007?” Damian asked himself. Or was she working with them, could she be…

Another secret, it was as if her whole life was built on them.

Chapter Text

It was a pleasant day in Berlant, a Sunday with a cool temperature of 2°C. The streets remained empty as many folk were at church. A dog could be heard barking as a woman approached an alleyway. A dark shadow fell on Julia as she stepped into the alley, hiding her eyebags.

“Meeting where we first slept when we were freed,” Julia chuckled to herself, “how much we’ve grown.”

“You’re late,” James spoke.

“I’ve been busy,” Julia responded.

“I’m sure,” James agreed. “You got a cut on your lip." Julia rolled her eyes. “Any clue on the whereabouts of Sophie?” James chuckled, “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, she was always a clever girl, good with hiding.”

“But can she hide from a nation of men looking to kill us? Who knows, but I haven’t heard from her in a while.” “So, functionally, we are the last ones alive,” Julia smiled.

“I don’t know what you’re planning, but I will have no part in it,” James argued.

Julia brushed him off, turning to the street, “Please, I’m not doing anything nefarious,” Julia smiled, “I am simply taking steps to ensure my safety, such as hooking up with a detective at the BPD!”

James narrowed his eyes at her.

Julia turned back to him and walked to him, “I’m sure you are doing the same, you may think you do a good job with encoding your thoughts but I see right through you.” Julia put her hand on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper into his ear, “A little birdie told me one of us was killing our former masters.”

James pulled back, “if you think that’s me then you’re mistaken.”

“Well, I’m not doing it,” Julia shrugged, “The killer is too messy to be me.”

“I’m not dumb enough to do that sort of thing” James argued.

“Debatable,” Julia rolled her eyes.

“Weren’t you supposed to be sweet?” James asked sarcastically, “or is this your 012 showing?”

Julia scoffed, “I-I am always sweet! Just ask Emi!”

“Detective Elman is not objective, he is irrational, just like his friend,” James responded, “you’re a great actor, but you can’t fake what isn’t there.”

“You’re one to talk, ‘Mr. Strong Sense of Judgement.’ You were the first of us to be arrested for, what was it? Assault and theft?” Julia crossed her arms, “and you still do it, you don’t even have a job.”

“I do!”

“What is it you do these days?” Julia taunted him, “amateur assassin? Sounds to me like someone already prepared to go on a murder spree.”

“You suck,” James spat.

“You and me both buddy,” Julia smiled, “but at least when all the dust settles I’ll be living.” She then turned to leave.

“They’ll come for you.”

“What?” Julia stopped

“If we don’t do something, together… then no matter who you’re with, what you do, they will kill you.” James warned her.

Julia groaned, “This was nice, next time let’s do it at my apartment.”

Then, she politely walked away, leaving James in the dark. He checked his pockets and realized he was missing his wallet.

“She wouldn’t” he sighed, assuming it was a pick pocket on the cold side and moving on with his day.

Sophia sat confidently in her chair as Twilight and Handler stood above her. She was smiling, the spies were not.

“This is one stunt you’re pulling,” Handler spoke.

“I know, but how else would I get your attention?” Sophia asked.

“You’re very reckless,” Twilight observed.

“Well, teach me not to be. How can we trust you?” Handler asked.

“I possess all the information needed to take down any organization, and yet I haven’t,” Sophia responded.

The two spies eyed her and she figured she needed to do or say something. “So, uh, I’d like to help, but if you don’t trust me I’ll take a deportation to the west.”

Twilight turned to Handler and they stepped out of range of telepathy and spoke in a low tone. “What do you think?”

“As dumb and reckless as she is, we cannot risk losing a telepath to the enemy”

The two spies approached the young telepath.

“So?”

“You will train with me in the base for a few weeks then you will go into the field with Twilight, understand?”

“Yes,” Sophia responded.

Desmond Estate, 1973

It was dark outside when Anya arrived on the property. She entered the building through a secret back door and traveled up to Donovan’s office. Blood dripped onto the velvet carpet. Anya held her head low as the light from the singular lamp on Donovan’s desk illuminated the red in her hair.

“You’re dripping on my carpet,” Donovan sighed, barely looking up from his desk.

“I did my job, can I please have a week of freedom?” Anya asked, her voice dull and broken.

“Our arrangement doesn’t allow for that, 007” Donovan responded, not a hint of empathy in his voice.

“Please, I can’t keep doing this,” Anya begged. Her sudden movement to do so caused her to feel light headed and fall to her knees.

“Perhaps if you actually did the job properly, I’d think about it” Donovan sighed, flipping over the paper on his desk.

Anya’s eyes went wide as she began to cry, “W-what do you mean, I-I did exactly as you asked me to do!?”

“You got injured.” Donovan responded swiftly, “If you cared about keeping your family, you’d take better care as not to get hurt.”

Anya stood up and wavered, angry. “I can’t do this anymore!” She yelled at the old man, “I want my childhood back, I want my freedom back, I want my Sy-on boy, I want my Mama, I want my Papa. Just let me be! I promise I won’t say anything!”

Donovan looked up at her and grunted. He got up calmly and walked over to the alcohol cabinet. He then walked back to his desk as Anya caught her breath. He poured himself a drink then walked over to Anya, bottle in hand.

In one swift move Donovan struck Anya over the head with the bottle causing it to shatter.
Anya fell to the floor, blood now pouring from her head. Her breath quickened as her vision was obscured by her own blood. Donovan towered over her as he calmly threw what was left of the bottle into the trash.

“You are acting illogical, 007. I own you, you are my weapon” Donovan informed her as he went to sit back down, “the only reason I let you keep your treacherous family is because I need intel on WISE.”

Anya shivered as she sat limp on the floor. Tears mixed with blood stung her skin. She hated life, she hated everything, how she wished she could end it all. If she killed him her family would be in danger, if she killed herself, she would be free.

“I am afraid that you won’t be able to go to school tomorrow due to your injuries,” Donovan added.

Anya stuttered, trying to speak through the pain, “B-but, I-if I miss more school,” she spoke quietly, “I-I’ll get bolts, Mama, Papa–”

“Such is your punishment for trying to be human when you are not,” said Donovan a frown on his face, “Rob, take her to the medical room.”

Chapter Text

Becky drove into the night. It was a particularly dark night, the moon blocked by clouds and the distant city lights did nothing to illuminate the darkened estate. Becky thought it strange, as it was typical for large estates such as her parents to be fully lit. Furthermore her father usually stationed guards outside , but they were mysteriously absent. Becky sat in her car, examining the estate; something in her gut told her something was wrong. She decided to make a call in her car.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Emile, I think there is something wrong at my parents’ house. I didn’t think I had reason to call the police, but I figured I’d let you know”

“Wait, wrong how?”

“The lights aren’t on, almost as if the power went out,” Becky explained, “and there are no guards out front.”

“Given the recent murders, I’d stay in the car until I can get a police cruiser, some officers to check the place out. Your father is a potential target after all.”

“That’s kind of you, but Mrs. Forger trained me in self-defense. I’m sure I can handle it” Becky said, putting down the phone.

“WAIT! DON'T BE DUMB!” Emile pleaded, but it was too late. Becky already hung up,  left the car, and entered the building.

The halls of the estate were barren passages into void. Becky didn’t have any sort of light on her, so into the dark she went. Her steps reverberated as she made her way to the office. Right before she made it to the grand room she heard chatter, so she decided to hide in a room with an open door.

“Why are we doing this? the cops will bust us for sure,” A voice echoed through the hall.

“Because that bitch knows where our families live,” another voice responded, “the cops won’t come because everyone in the building has been subdued.”

Becky watched as the two thugs passed her, one holding a flashlight, both with assault rifles

“Hey, at least we’ll be paid.”

Becky waited for the voices to fade before continuing. Now she knew that something happened. Getting around would be harder given the thugs patrolling the place. She made her way to a stairwell east of the grand stairway. She figured there would be guys there. At the bottom of the stairs was a phone, after attempting to dial the police Becky realized that the phone line was cut. After some sneaking Becky made it to her father’s office on the third floor; weirdly there was nobody guarding the door. Becky approached the door, jiggled the handle, before picking the lock with a hair pin.

Becky entered the room slowly, several battery powered lights turned on to reveal her father tied to a chair, gagged, and at gunpoint. He was breathing, but clearly in poor shape. In the office desk chair the suspected mastermind of the recent killings turned around in the chair, donning classic aviator goggles and mask.

“Good evening, Ms. Blackbell,” They greeted her calmly.

Becky looked around the room, there were 2 armed men trained on her father, and 6 others trained on her.

“Glad you could join us. I know you are  reasonable, so I have an offer,” The killer presented, steepling their fingers.

“As if I’d take an offer from you!? Do you know who I am, what my family is?!?” Becky barked.

“People who hire guards that were blackmailed too easily,"  The masked person responded calmly, “and if I can blackmail them, just think of what else I could do, what any of us could do.”

“What are you on about?” Becky clenched her fist.

“People like your father were so scared of us, they ordered our genocide.” The killer stood, cocking her gun and walking over to Blackbell “So, I am simply returning the favor.” The killer pressed the gun to his head, “It’s ironic, we wouldn’t have done anything if they hadn't started killing us.”

“Why tell me this?get away from him!” Becky demanded.

“I am willing to spare your father, on two conditions” The killer explained, “you get your friends in the BPD to drop their case, and you end the attacks on my people.”

Becky’s vision went red as she fumed with anger - who the hell was this person to demand this of her? No, she was going to make that bitch pay!

The killer confidently holstered their gun, certan that Becky was over estimating her own fighting skills and got into a fighting stance. “Try me”

Becky threw a punch to the face, it looked like an easy dodge until Becky spun around and kicked the killer in the head with all the force she could muster. The glass on the aviators shattered and the killer was flung into a burgundy bookshelf, books burying them.

“Bet you weren’t expecting that!” 

The killer stood up unamused, “You don’t think when you fight, don’t you?”

They lunged at Becky, who proceeded to kick them in the face . The killer was lucky enough to dodge, barely. Then Becky turned and threw a frenzy of punches. After a short engagement, the killer stumbled back and just as Becky lunged forward to finish the job.

BANG!

Becky’s eyes widened. She looked down to see blood from her gut. She had never been shot before, the pain brought her to her knees. Her father wept  as he watched his daughter hit the floor. Smoke rose from the barrel of the killer’s gun, pointed at Becky. 

“Tie her up, don’t bother treating her wounds” The killer ordered dryly . Then they turned to Blackbell, “I have a deal for you now, I can allow your daughter to live, but you will die or I could let you live and she will die, so long as you ensure telepaths will be safe and I will be acquitted.”

Becky’s father struggled but the gag prevented him from speaking, instead he sent a thought, knowing the killer would hear.

‘Burn in hell’

The killer sighed, “if you do not choose, you both die.”

POP! POP!

The sound of distant gunshots got the killer’s attention. The killer turned out the window to see what felt like hundreds of police cars below. Then a blinding light filled the room as a helicopter’s searchlight focused on the office window.

“This is the police! Drop your weapons and put your hands up”

Becky chuckled and then spoke with the last of her strength, “If  you stay and kill us, you’ll get caught .”

“Fool, it’s two bullets” The killer argued.

“Maybe, but if I know my friends, if I know Damian  won’t rest until you are caught.” 

In anger, the killer stomped her head, knocking her out.

The killer  decided that there was no way out. “Damn it!” they exclaimed. There had to be a way out, they were meant to be better than some coward who gets caught at the scene of their crime.

“Surely there’s a way out” they bit their lip.

Just then the thought of a secret escape entered their mind from someone else in the room. Bingo!

Not long later the office doors buckled open, and a canister of tear gas hissed into the room, causing the bodyguards turned thugs to collapse onto their knees.

“BPD! Drop your weapons and put your hands up!” An officer ordered.

A team entered the room and began to detain the suspects.

“Lead to TOC, 8 suspects in custody, we need an RA for civilian GSW.”

Damian drove up to the house around then. His tires screeched as he stopped the car in front of the building along with the SWAT vans and the ambulances just now arriving. The entire face of the estate was illuminated by a searchlight as other helicopters in the distance searched tirelessly for the suspect. Damian shuddered in his seat as he turned off the car. This brought back bad memories.

In the light Emile stood looking on as radio chatter filled his ears. Damian opened the door and stepped out of his car. He took a moment to take it all in, he took a breath and ran towards Emile.

“Emile, what happened here? You didn’t make any sense on the phone.” Damian approached  him

“Damian,” Emile spoke to him in a dead serious tone, “you don’t want to be here.”

Damian spat back, “If you think I can’t handle a little bit of action, a bit of blood then you-”

Emile cut Damian off, “Damian! It’s not that.” Emile turned to look Damian right in the eyes, “unless you want a reminder of her, then I’d leave.”

Damian nodded and then turned back to his car. Opening the door he could see two figures rushed into ambulances on stretchers. Damian thought back to that night, the whole situation reminded him too much of his father’s death, and still one lingering thought filled his mind: What was 007’s relationship to Anya Forger? The thought was so loud it could be heard for hundreds of miles.

Damian was brought out of his thoughts by a knock at his passenger side window. It was Julia, she had arrived shortly after Damian only to be dismissed by the stressed detective. Damian unlocked his doors and she entered.

“Thanks,” She shivered, “It’s cold out there”

“You’re telling me,” Damian responded

Julia watched on as men were rounded up, “One can only imagine,” she whispered.

“It’s a nightmare,” Damian added.

“Even Emile is worked up”

Damian sat up, “So, what are you doing here?”

“SWAT raids are good media,”

“I see.” Damian gazed into the sky, the stars only now being revealed from under the clouds. “When I find the bastard doing this” Damian clenched his fist, “there will be hell to pay.”

Julia looked over to Damian and smiled, “Well,  I’m sure you’ll catch him.”

“Yeah, it’s only a matter of time,” Damian agreed, looking at her he noticed she looked bruised up, as if she had fallen down a flight of stairs. “Did something happen”

Julia tilted her head then picked up what he was asking, “oh yeah, you won’t believe how many stairs there are in the news building” she explained, “ask Emile, I’m always getting hurt”

“You don’t use the elevator?” Damian pressed

“I’m scared that they’ll break and next thing you know,” Julia imitated an elevator dropping with her hands, “SPLAT”

“Many elevators have redundancies for that” Damian assured her

“Oh, I didn’t know that” Julia smiled through her bruises.

He slumped back in the seat and sighed, “I’m too tired for this”

She studied him, almost as if she was reading his mind. “Bad memories?”

Damian jumped at the observation, “y-yeah, bad memories.” His thoughts were brought back to Anya and 007. He needed to talk to her again.

Before Julia asked  anything else, Emile banged on the driver side window, Damian rolled it down.

“We found this ID at the scene,” Emile explained, showing James’s ID card.

“Let's go visit the bastard then.”

“Don’t you guys need a warrant?” Julia asked

“No, we are simply talking to a potential suspect” Emile answered, “lets go. follow my car, we can’t waste time.”

Emile ran to his car and began to drive. Damian shifted into first and followed.

“Well, he seems to be stressed,” Julia awkwardly commented

Damian's hands  simply tightened on the wheel. His mind was empty.

“I can’t believe James would do this.” Julia sat back, her face one of shock. “I-I knew him my whole life, I can’t believe he betrayed me like this.”

“Shut up,” Damian growled

Julia pouted. They arrived at the apartment less than an hour later. Emile stood in front of the door waiting for them . Damian walked past them both and entered. He was quick to arrive at the door, and with one swift kick he broke it down.

James didn’t have time to react to the situation. “Hey, what the-”

Damian slammed James into the wall, “you fucking bastard, give me one reason not to fucking kill you!” He growled.

Emile and Julia followed into the room, Julia sticking close by , now level-headed, boyfriend 

“Nobody kills one of my friends and gets away with it!” Damian yelled

James tried to stay calm, “I-I have no clue what you’re talking about! I was home all night!”

“Damian, put him down!” Emile ordered

Damian continued to hold him, “ why was your ID found at the scene?!”

“Damian!” Emile barked. 

The irrational man huffed and threw the poor man into his dining table. The sound of breaking glass filled the room. James looked up and saw Julia, his eyes filled with anger.

“So, I’m guessing you did this” James chuckled through his pain

Damian stood in front of her, “answer my question!”

“Ask her, I’m innocent!” James pleaded.

Emile looked over to Julia, her face was emotionless. Emile decided to search the house while Damian yelled at James. In the drawer sat a handgun and several rounds of .32 ACP. Emile gloved up and pulled out the gun.

“I didn’t do anything!” James swore. Emile held up the gun, “ Explain why you have this?”

James’s eyes widened,, “I-I have no idea how that got there!”

Damian had had enough, but before he could do anything a voice game from behind him.

“Gentlemen.” 

Damian and Emile turned to see a member of the secret police, Lieutenant  Briar, standing behind them.

“The secret police is taking over this case, you are dismissed.”

Damian looked at his Ex’s uncle and scowled, “no way! You can’t just come in here and take our case from us like this!”

“I can actually,” Yuri responded.

“It’s true, he can,” Emile sighed.

Damian exhaled in anger and stormed out. He got into his car and took a breath, on his dash sat the device he took out from the chimera. He needed answers. It didn’t take him long to arrive at the facility where, after he went through security, he would be escorted to Anya’s cell. In her cell Anya was asleep on the slab they called her bed. The guard who brought Damian banged on the plastic barrier keeping her separated from the visitors.

Anya sprung up in panic, her eyes darting around the room before landing on Damian and calming down. The guard rolled his eyes and left. Anya sat up and half smiled, her eye bags apparent.

“You look like you had a bad day,” she joked.

Damian didn’t laugh, or even smile. Anya frowned, and rolled her eyes, as if telling him to get on with it.

“I looked through your stuff, and I found something,” Damian informed the girl.

“You really shouldn’t do that, it’s disrespectful!” Anya scolded him.

“Tell me, Forger, what does 007 mean to you?” Damian asked point blank.

The question was a shot to the chest. Anya visibly paled , even paler than she already was. 

“I think this person is connected to the killer or at least the suspects and I have reason the believe that you are connected to them.” Damian explained

Anya took a moment to process, then she responded, “You’ve  been looking into Apple, huh?” “We think that our killer was a subject,” Damian answered, “so you do know of the experiments?”

“Sure I know of them, but I don’t know that person.” 

“Then why did I find a tracker in your stuffed chimera with the number on it and the word apple?” 

“Who knows? ” Anya shrugged." Anything  else you want to bother me with? I’d rather not keep you around if you really don’t care.”

Those words poisoned him. He decided to inform Anya anyway, “Becky was shot.”

Anya looked at Damian, then sighed, “Tell her” Anya tried to form her words, “tell her that I hope she recovers quickly.” 

Damian turned to leave.

“Wait,” Anya called to him, Damian looked back at her, “you should talk to your father’s old servant, Rob Fletcher, he was there on the night I killed your father.”

Damian scoffed, “Why  would I do that?”

“Because I know you were thinking about looking further into the incident. ” “he won’t be easy to reach, he ran off to Westalis .”

“So he’s an accomplice?” Damian asked

“A witness that I didn’t want to get in the way,” Anya confessed. Anya then told Damian the number to call to reach him.

“How do you have this?” Damian asked

“I won’t tell, call him, maybe he’ll tell you” the prisoner answered

Damian looked at Anya, “You know I won’t forgive you, no matter how much you help me.” ”

“I am not asking you to,” Anya smiled softly. Damian left, not intending to call the number but curious about what this person knew. He got home and dialed the number…