Chapter Twenty Six (WIP)

Ch. 26 ver. 0.5

Chapter Twenty Six

A shrill, piercing wail jolting me awake – I bolted upright and winced as a spike of pain stabbed through my head. My hands automatically went to cover my ears, except they didn’t. They only got so far before coming to a crashing halt. I looked down, confused by the handcuffs I saw there.

Just what the actual… no, that could wait… if someone would just shut off that infernal racket I might be able to think!

Of course, the noise didn’t abate. If anything, it only got louder as the door swung open and a figure darted into the room. He seemed familiar, I think… definitely cute if you like your guys big and, umm, bigger… but maybe that was just the drugs talking.

He flashed me a quick smile and nodded as he got closer. I flushed as all sorts of delicious images flickered across my mind as he leant in closer, the gods forsaken noise all but forgotten as my eyes locked with his.

The sudden screech of tearing metal drew my eyes downward, where I watched in stunned silence as the man effortlessly sliced through the metal with what appeared to be a razor-sharp claw protruding from his hand. My heart raced as I realised the danger I was, possibly, in.

I scrambled backwards, the loose hospital gown falling open as I moved. Panic flooded through me at the sight of that razor-sharp claw, knowing what it could do to me. "What do you want?" I gasped, my eyes wide with fear.

"Relax Raven," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "I'm here to take you to a secure location. The Court is going into lockdown and you're not safe here."

He took a step closer, his eyes locked on mine. "Trust me. I'm here to protect you." His gaze was intense, almost hypnotic, and familiar-ish. Despite my better judgment, I found myself nodding in agreement.

"Okay," I breathed, allowing him to help me to my feet. "But where are we going?"

He didn't say anything more, instead he pulled me out into a crowded corridor and all but dragged me through the masses. The loose hospital gown offered little coverage, and I flushed with embarrassment as I felt it slip open, exposing more than I would have liked as I stumbled to keep up with him. He kept his gaze focused ahead, steering me firmly but gently through the throngs of people.

I didn’t realise we’d stopped at first. I rocked on my heels outside a set of large doors that I vaguely recognised as those that led to the gate room. To my surprise, there were already several others gathered inside, all looking harried, but nowhere near as dishevelled as I must look.

The man ushered me inside, and I realised I was the last to arrive as the doors slammed shut behind us, sealing us in.

A few of the others shot me amused glances, one brave soul muttering "Take your time, why don't you?" under his breath. I stared daggers at the laughing asshole, pulling my gown tighter around myself as I took in our new surroundings.

The laughter died down as Lady Celeste approached us, her expression stern. "Noctis,” she demanded, “what took you so long? I told you she was your first priority - I expected you to have her here much sooner."

Noctis inclined his head slightly. "There were... complications. But she's here now, and the gate room is the safest place for her until we can determine the cause of the lockdown."

Well that answered one question. ‘Complications… you could have told me you was you!’ I thought as hard as I could towards Noctis. The asshat had the audacity to smile at me.

"I see." Lady Celeste's gaze flicked to my wrists, a flash of anger crossing her features. “I have to apologise... I will find out who was responsible and—"

The large screen coming to life interrupted whatever it was she was planning for whoever had left me in cuffs. A masked and robed figure appeared, head slowly swivelling as if looking at each of us as it turned around the room. Their voice was so heavily distorted that, when they finally spoke, it was impossible even to tell if it was a man or a woman behind the mask.

“People of London,” They started ominously, “you’ve been lied to all your lives but I am here to open your eyes, to show you the truth that has been hidden from you—”

I watched, transfixed, as someone flicked through the channels. The masked individual was on all of them. "For too long, you have been kept in the dark, fed a false narrative by those in power. But no more—”

The figure paused, their eyes seeming to lock with mine, his words could have been meant for me alone. "Your leaders have betrayed you, used you as pawns in games you didn’t know you were playing. They have hoarded wealth and influence, while the common people suffer. Well, no more. The time for change is now."

I felt a chill run down my spine as the masked figure's words echoed through the gate room. Noctis and Lady Celeste exchanged a tense look, their expressions grim.

"This is only the beginning," the figure continued, their voice dripping with malice as the image on the screen changed to a very familiar building. "Soon,” the voice continued, “the truth will be laid bare for all to see but, for now—”

The screen suddenly went dark, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding. My mind was racing, just what the hell was happening? Who was this masked figure and what… I never got to finish the thought, the room rocked with the first explosion.

***

DI Marchant, Southwark

The traffic was awful, but that wasn’t the only reason what should have been a thirty minute drive took nearly an hour. The counter surveillance manoeuvres MacTire kept pulling were, I thought, completely pointless as we crawled around Southwark. If we were being followed, it was too late to be evasive.. somebody already knew where we were and where we were heading.

My phone, again. “Just answer it already!” MacTire snapped, reaching over to press ‘accept’ while I stared at the unknown number, my finger still moving towards the decline button… damn, but he was fast when he wanted to be.

“Yes?” I all but growled down the line, my annoyance with MacTire rolling over to the poor caller.

“DI Marchant? My name is Shaun Davies, from London Fire Brigade’s Fire Investigation Unit,”

“Sorry,” I interrupted, wondering which of my old cases involved the FIU, and who I should direct him to, “thought you were someone else, but I’m off active duty, enquiries are being handled by my old team...”

He coughed, returning the favour, “Sorry, I was under the impression you’d already been informed,” the uncomfortable silence was one of a man preparing himself to deliver bad news, “I hate to be the one to break it to you like this but there was a fire in your building last night, your flat was the point of origin. The cause is yet to be determined, but the dog indicated accelerants were present, so it’s being treated as suspicious. Unfortunately there were fatalities.”

I caught the look MacTire was giving me out of the corner of my eye. Of course he'd heard everything... he didn't look happy.

“Thanks for letting me know,” the politeness was automatic, civility papering over my simmering rage, “but, I have to go.”

We’d made the last turn from Newport on to Old Paradise Street while Shaun was speaking, less than fifty metres from the station’s gate. And it looked like this was as far as we’d be going. The phone fell unnoticed from my grasp, Shaun’s tinny voice squawking distantly, as the car screeched to a halt and both of the men standing in the middle of the road by the armed response vehicle raised their guns in our direction.