The Horrors of the Futuregraph part V

         As soon as the elevator door opened, Javid could hear the sound _____ had described. It was subtle, not alarming, but it did sound distinctively like a child’s wail. The hallway was empty. No tenants loitered in the early afternoon heat. _____ took the lead. Javid followed, un-holstering his concealed gun as he walked quickly through the Prism Apartments.
         _____ moved fast, looking carefully at each door. She was searching for the apartment number, moving until she found the one she was looking for. The wail had grown progressively louder. The door to Room 721 faced her. She heard Javid checking his gun. She was unarmed and unprepared. She moved towards the door. There was no visible doorknob. It responded to her presence and slid open. Javid moved in front of her and took a defensive stance.
         “She should be near the door. I could see her crawling towards it earlier.” Javid stepped through the open door frame. The woman was near the door. Her body was floating in mid-air. Her mouth was open in a silent screen. The childlike wailing continued, but it was not coming from the living room. The gray carpet was covered in blood. He felt his skin begin to itch. The sound, he had to find out where it was coming from. The woman looked alive – for the time being.
         Her body was covered in lacerations. She floated belly up like a dead fish, mouth agape. Javid moved closer as he tried to avoid the blood on the carpet. _____ followed close behind. Javid stood behind the woman, trying to determine the cause of the floating or the lacerations.
         “Central-” he spoke in to his micro-receiver. “Requesting backup. Sending coordinates now.” His voice sounded hollow. His face was ashen gray. The sound of the wailing seemed to be getting closer. A response on the micro-receiver seemed to upset him.
         “What do you mean? My signal is fine. Central? Come in, Central.”
         From the darkened hallway, a figure approached slowly. It had the shape of a small child but – was not human. The shape appeared be made of blood. It shifted and slide across the carpet, lumbering towards them with unnaturally thin legs.
         “_____, I need you to run.” Javid sounded distant, as though the warning was an afterthought and not a command. His back faced her. He lifted his gun towards the figure with both hands. They stared in horror at the figure that approached them. The blood shifted before Javid's eyes, mesmerizing.
         He suddenly felt very tired. His knees became weak and his gun felt heavy in his hands. The wailing seemed to become louder, fiercer. The figure's head cocked to the side and seemed to look at him without eyes. The wailing started to form words, babbled in fear.
         “He..lp--” the voice was a child. The sound of a little girl. It sounded more like the word was breathed than spoken. Against his will, Javid fell to his knees. He felt dampness where his knees impacted the carpet. The figure shambled closer. The constantly moving, ever-shifting surface was disorienting. The figure held out a long, slender hand.
                   _____ watched as the creature moved down the hallway towards them. She couldn't run. Her legs seemed planted in the ground. The child-like figure stood in front of the now-kneeling Detective. She watched as blood dripped like rain from it's outstretched arm. It crept closer and closer to touching the kneeling man.
         The room shifted to shades of gray. She watched helplessly as Javid and the creature disappeared from view. She was standing, not disembodied as before, in the same living room. She watched the woman walk to her sink and rinse off her hands, then slowly drop to the carpeted floor as she moved towards the door. She was reduced to crawling. Blood rose from the sink like smoke. It pulled water with it, mixing until it created the form of the child.
         The pale pink-water form sloshed from the kitchen to the Futuregraph © that lay face-down. With two wet, formless hands, it picked it up. The creature must not have been happy with what it found. It pulled the frame close to it's chest and the glass exploded outwards. The shards mixed with the creature and all the blood from the carpet rose in to the air, absorbing in to the child's form. The Futuregraph © frame dissolved in to the bloody mix. The shape became darker, more sinister looking. It began to wail and approach the woman.
         As it moved closer, the woman began to cry. She couldn't scream. She was helpless lying on her stomach, trying to weakly crawl to whatever safety could be found. The child finally reached her and laid a hand on her back. Unseen forces lifted her violently in to the air. She heard a snapping noise come from the woman's neck. She was limply held in the air, mouth open, arms and legs limp at her side. Her body moved, floating through the air. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, gasping for air.
         The child turned and looked directly at _____. It turned away and walked down the hallway. It left no bloody footprints from it's skinny childlike legs. _____ faded back to the present.
         “Don't let her touch you—“ She spoke and it seemed to be enough to get Javid's attention. He flinched and pushed himself backwards. The child snapped it's head towards her in a manner that mirrored an irritated child whose toy was just taken away. It began to approach her. Now that she looked for it, she could see glass swirling through the “skin” the creature had made for itself.
#
         Stephon pressed himself against the shadow-chilled cement. He tried not to think about the damage he was doing to his duster. The parking garage was starting to warm with the mid-afternoon heat. His retinal scanner watched a heat signature stumble through the parking garage at precisely 3 PM. He was crouched beneath a service vehicle that had provided a line of sight to where Kitsune was going to meet her son's kidnappers.
         His scanner watched her stop when she reached the end of a row of vehicle pods. Two heat signatures appeared; one was considerably smaller – he assumed it was young Jin. Stephon adjusted his scope and looked through it. It was a temporary solution if it came to bloodshed. He favored his sniper rifle but there had been no time. The best he could do was have Kami drop him off a barrel extension and hoped it would reach.
         “Jin!” Kitsune's voice resounded in his ear. He couldn't see her but knew where she was. She was just one pulsing red and orange glow on his retinal scanner. The smaller pulse ran like lightning and collided with his mother's legs. He heard the inaudible sound of a mother's mending heart.
         Two more heat signatures appeared from behind a vehicle. They approached Kitsune. Stephon tensed; this is what they were waiting for. The walk from the cafe to the parking garage had been difficult. They had been unable to speak for fear of being detected. He had only been able to transmit minor instructions over her retinal scanner: 'Stay calm,' or 'Walk slower,' but nothing near the F.E.U's typical hostage-exchange procedures.
         “Miss Kitsune – your boy, as promised.” The two heat signatures moved closer to her. He watched her move between the strangers and her son. She's brave, he thought, as he twitched with a small smile.
         Stephon heard the cocking sound of a gun. He sighed. He was a bodyguard, not a spy. An assassin when the time was right, but never a spy.
         “Well, well. What do we have here?”
         Stephon crawled slowly from his hiding place backwards. He dropped his gun from his gloved hand and stood up. A man who was easily a foot taller than the bodyguard towered over him. The man had a gun drawn and held steady on Stephon's chest.
         “And I thought I had a good hiding place, too.” To Stephon's pleasure, the man cracked a smile.
         “I will make this simple. Move, and I shoot you – then I shoot Kitsune, and then Jin. Or, maybe I let him live?” The man had an accent that Stephon recognized. The fear in Kitsune's voice had let her Japanese inflections slip past her perfect English. This man spoke in a similar manner, inflecting his words to match a language he was obviously fluent in.
         “You understand?” Stephon nodded and put out his arms, submitting to be searched. The man took it as an acknowledgment and padded down his sides, arms and legs. For once, his only weapon had been discarded. The man seemed satisfied and indicated to Stephon with his gun to start moving. They circled around to the other side of the vehicle and the man retrieved his dropped weapon.
         With grace and expertise that Stephon nearly envied, the man removed the extended barrel and ammunition clip. He pocketed the barrel and tossed the clip aside. It slid across the pavement and faded in to the shadows. Stephon winced. The extension barrel had cost him a favor to Kami. Now he'd owe her another.
         Stephon and the man walked towards Kitsune and the other kidnappers. The heat signatures faded away and were replaced with the faint outlines of men. Kitsune stood, holding her son Jin tightly in her arms. The little boy looked tired and was shaking against her chest. She looked rigid. The blood drained from her face as she saw Stephon approaching.
         “This wasn't part of our deal, Miss Kitsune.” The man with the gun pressed against Stephon's back spoke as they approached. Kitsune's eyes  narrowed.
         “No, please. He was just making sure Jin was safe, nothing more.” Jin turned at the sound of his name and blinked sleepily at Stephon. The bodyguard gave a small shrug of apology.
         “We told you to come alone.” One of the other men spoke up this time. He was broad shouldered with a taunt neck. Underneath his suit, the man's chest rippled with muscle. The third man remained quiet, watching the group.
         “What will we do, now that Miss Kitsune has broken our arrangement?” Stephon felt the barrel of the gun relax from his back. The man circled around him and stopped next to Kitsune. He moved to holster his gun and Kitsune flinched. With his free hand, he slammed it against her cheek. She cried out in surprise. Stephon moved forward but was held back by the larger man with a rough hand against his chest.
         “Since you cannot abide by our agreement, Miss Kitsune, your son and friend will pay the consequences.”
         Kitsune's eyes went wide with fear. She clutched at Jin tightly and turned to run. Stephon lunged past the man holding him back and tried to fill the distance between Kitsune and himself. He watched with disbelief as Kitsune fell to the ground, carrying her son with her. One of the men had shot her – but there was no blood. He recognized the sound of the gun and breathed a sigh of relief even has he braced himself for impact. The tranquilizer round slammed in to his back, ripping a hole through his duster. For non-lethal rounds, they still hurt like hell. He fell to the ground, losing consciousness. The last thing he saw was Jin crawling out from beneath his sleeping mother.
#
         The creature's thing fingers stretched and touched _____'s shoulder. She could not move. She felt blood soak through her blouse. The creature was suddenly inches away from her face, glass swirling like boiling water.
         “Remember..” The words resounded in her head. The creature was speaking directly to her. The hand lifted, leaving a bloody hand-print on her clothes.
#
         “I don't understand why you brought her here.” A man's voice was subdued. _____ saw herself laying on a cool metal table. Anne Sidane stood beside her, looking down.
         “She's half dead already. There's only so much I can do. Those men did not take very good care in transporting her here.”
         An irritated man with close cut hair and thin-framed glasses crossed his arms. Anne turned to look at him.
         “I don't pay you to understand, Doctor. I brought her here because she is the most important person you'll ever operate on.” Anne raised a slender eyebrow.
         “Including, even, myself.” The man's eyes widened slightly.
         “Is she the one..?” His voice trailed off. Anne turned back to look at her niece, asleep on the table. Then, she turned and looked directly at _____ where she watched the scene.
         “Yes, she is. You know what to do.” The doctor did not hesitate, he went immediately to another small metal table that was covered in tools and electronic equipment.
         _____'s vision flashed. Anne and the Doctor disappeared. She found herself looking down at a room. In the middle of the darkened room was a large machine. It seemed to glow with soft blue light, pouring from various cracks in the metal. It looked like nothing she had ever seen before. Clear tubes flowing with red liquid covered the machine. As she began to move closer, she felt herself fade away again.
         “You know I don't like those—assistants, of yours. They are... unrefined.” Anne sounded irritated. She was watching over the Doctor's shoulder as he worked. _____ could hear the sound of scissors cutting. The sound stopped as the doctor spoke over his shoulder.
         “I can't dedicate all my time here, Anne. I know how important this is, believe me. They may not have an eloquent speech pattern, but trust me, they're worth the money you're paying them. They will keep her alive until I'm able to return to finish up the day's work.”
         Anne pursed her lips as though she had tasted something sour.
         “How much longer, then?”
         The doctor went back to cutting. He reached a bloodied glove to the table next to him and picked up a small microchip with a pair of elongated medical tweezers. He began placing the chip before he responded.
         “A month, maybe two.”
         “I did it in one.” Anne's voice was very quiet. The doctor sighed.
         “Yes, well, I've learned not to question your—-tactics, Anne. I know you had some extenuating circumstances. We've got time. Please, allow me to use it.”
         The room went dark again.
         Anne stood over the metal table. The doctor's gloved hands were covered in blood. They both looked down. _____ knew they were looking at her.
         “Would you like to do the honors, Miss Sidane?” The doctor asked as he removed his gloves and replaced them with a fresh pair. He handed her a curved sewing needle strung with thick black thread.
         “We've done the impossible, Doctor. I only hope that it is enough.” Anne took the needle and leaned forward.
         The machine appeared and took over her vision. The liquid in the tubes was moving faster. Steam was escaping from various weak points in the metal. It was beginning to shake. A high pitched sound erupted from the machine, like the sound of breaks on pavement. It was a terrible noise and _____ wished it would stop.
#
         _____'s eyes snapped open. The creature stood with it's hand on her shoulder, head cocked to the side.
         “Did you--did you cause that?” Her voice was weak. She was still reeling from the images and what they meant.
         Javid continued to push himself backwards, craning his neck around to make sure he didn't run in to the creature. The creature's head nodded ever so slightly.
         “Were they memories? Dreams?” She asked, trying to give Javid enough time to stand. She noticed he was just as sluggish as she felt. The creature shook it's head.
         “Help. Me.” The words were more define this time. It took another step, trying to put another hand on _____'s shoulder. She moved backwards this time. The creature noticed her haste.
         “Help!” It's voice was shrill and demanding. A tendril of blood whipped out from the child's arm and slashed across _____'s shoulder. The impact stung and she felt blood well to the surface. She knew now what had caused the lacerations on the other woman. She hoped it wasn't because the woman couldn't “help.”
         _____ fumbled in her jean pockets. She knew she had held on to something. She wasn't sure it would work, but the creature seemed to be escalating. She pulled out the small data-pad device that Stephon had given her earlier. The glass screen was blank – she hoped it would still work. She knew she should be running... She pressed the button on the device.
         At first, the sound was inaudible. She thought maybe the device was broken. Then, a terrible high-pitched noise ripped through the air. The device was screaming and she watched as both Javid and the creature recoiled. She was irritated by the sound but not nearly as badly as the others. She took her opportunity to move and help Javid. He had both hands over his ears with his eyes closed.
         She grabbed his shirt by the collar and pulled him towards the door. The floating woman crashed to the ground and writhed in pain. The creature was swaying back and forth, screaming from the noise. _____ pulled Javid along until he cooperated with her and started to run. Together, they pushed back out through the front door of the apartment. The creature stumbled after them. _____ dropped the device and kicked it in to the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
         Even as they backed away from the door, shards of—--something--crashed through the door. They were the color of blood but hard as diamonds. Another crash and the door was blown off it's hinges. Javid dove to the ground and pulled her down beside him. Glass and blood exploded through the hallway. The device was still emitting a high pitched sound. The child moved unnaturally fast through the smoke until it was facing them.
         Javid recovered quicker and stood up, pulling _____ up behind him. They walked backwards slowly. The creature howled in anger and rushed towards them. _____ pushed Javid aside and stood in front of him. He cursed at her quick movement. She braced herself for the impact. Just as the creature slammed in to her, a bright blue light erupted through the hallway. She didn't fall over or get knocked back like she expected.
         When the light disappeared, all that was left was the shattered remains of the door, settling dust and the two confused survivors. Javid caught _____ as she fell backwards. A broken Futuregraph © lay in the hallway. The detective lowered _____ to the ground softly and then picked up the remains of the Futuregraph ©. His micro-receiver buzzed with a call from Central.
         “Javid—-what's going on? We couldn't hear you just a minute ago.” He recognized his Captain's voice. He looked over the broken frame, careful to avoid the glass.
         “My signal was interrupted. I need Central to send in a clean-up crew. We've got a murder that needs to be intercepted and covered up before the authorities arrive.” He looked over at _____ who was laying on her side. She really was full of surprises. He set the frame down next to her.
         “Understood. ETA – less than one minute. Kami's coming your way.”
#
         _____ opened her eyes. She blinked away sleep and saw the blurry outline of someone sitting in a seat next to the bed. She realized she was back in Javid's apartment. Her head was pounding.
         “What happened?” She wondered aloud, sitting up slowly. Javid seemed startled awake and sat up in his chair.
         “Hell if I know. You saved us, then passed out. You made me look bad, you know.” He gave a sheepish smile and leaned forward in his chair. His clothing was covered in dried patches of blood. She tried to remember and immediately regretted it. She did remember. The child had touched her shoulder. She had experienced another “vision” and then put herself between Javid and the creature. She recalled the woman, floating helplessly in the air, dying.
         Her shoulder ached from where the odd tentacle lash had whipped across her skin. She was still wearing her bloodied clothes from earlier. Her favorite blouse was ripped and stained with blood.
         “How long was I out this time?” She hoped it hadn't been too long.
         “Not very. A few hours. Kami came and picked us up, then Central rushed a team over to clean up the.. apartment. We were too late for Laura.” She was confused for a moment before she realized – he meant the woman in the apartment.
         “I'm sorry.” She stared down at her hands. Her fingers and arms were speckled with blood from the explosion and creature. She felt hot tears fall down her cheeks. Javid shifted in his chair and stood. He sat down on the bed beside her.
         “Please, _____. I know it's hard. We did everything we could. You did more than we could have imagined. Whatever happened, you eliminated the creature that killed Laura, and that's what's important.”
         _____ clenched her shaking hands in to fists. She let the tears fall.
         “I don't understand what--what everyone expects me to do. I couldn't have saved her even if we had gotten there earlier. I've never seen anything like that! How am I supposed to save anyone?!”
         Javid didn't answer. He moved to reach across and lift the chain around her neck. She felt the ring slide through her blouse.
         “You can't save everyone. Just cherish the ones you can. We're safe, thanks to you.” He stared at the ring as it spun slowly in front of him. _____ moved to unclasp it. Javid took the chain and ring in his hand.
         “It's a hard lesson. I can't expect you to come to terms with it in a few days. Someday, maybe.” He sighed and handed her back the chain.
         “It's give you more luck than it ever did for me.” _____ wanted to ask but she had so many other thoughts waiting to be spoken. Javid stood from the bed and stretched. He stared out the small window. Night was just starting to fall and the sunlight was slowly fading away.
         “Something on your mind?” She asked, sliding out from under the blankets. She was suddenly thankful she still had her clothes from before.
         “Stephon. He hasn't reported in. He should have escorted Kitsune to the pick-up point and met us at the Prism. He never showed. Central can't find him.” The detective crossed his arms.
         “Damn fool probably got himself caught in whatever web Kitsune was trapped in.”
         “Well, what are we going to do?” She asked, trying aimlessly to brush a bit of dried blood from her jeans.
         “You're going to take a shower and change, first. I'm going to get some coffee and wash off some of this—--filth. Central believes they can try and locate the next Horror. Now that we know the murders are..”
         “Appropriately named?” She interrupted. The detective nodded with a shrug.
         “Appropriately named and eerie as hell, yes. Central heard about your little magic act, and we're supposed to leave as soon as we're ready. They meant as soon as you're awake, but I'd rather you got dressed first.”
#
         Stephon woke with a start. He was laying against a cold stone wall, sitting on a hard wooden bench. His back ached from the angle. He groaned, pushing himself up.
         “He's awake, mommy!” A little boy's voice chimed through the darkness. Jin jumped up from his bench across from Stephon and bounded over. He ran right to Stephon and wrapped his small arms around his leg. The bodyguard looked down at the boy who had a death grip on his slacks.
         “Jin.” Kitsune's voice sounded tired. The little boy released his grip on Stephon and retreated in to the darkness to his mother. Kitsune moved from her bench and stretched.
         “Ah, Kitsune. I'm sorry to put you in to this mess.” Stephon rolled his shoulders, looking around the small room. It appeared to be an old-fashioned prison. Two benches lined each wall and the door appeared to be sturdy metal.
         “I am sure these.. men.. would have done the same to me, even if you hadn't been there.” She ran her hands through Jin's unruly dark brown hair.
         “It has not been a mutual partnership since they began. I'm just happy to have my son back.” She pulled Jin closer in to a hug. The little boy gave a muffled sound of happiness.
         “Thank you, Stephon.” The bodyguard smiled in the dark, then changed the subject.
         “Any idea where we're at?” He stood and walked towards the barred door.
         “No. We were unconscious the entire time. I just woke up a little while ago. No one has come to check on us.”
         Stephon looked through the bars. Outside, an empty stone wall stretched in either direction. He saw a door with light shining through at one end. He heard muffled voices.
         “They must need us--” Stephon paused, looking at Jin. Kitsune put her hands over his ears.
         “--alive, or we wouldn't have survived the scuffle earlier. That works in our favor, for now. We'll have to find out what they're looking for.” Jin giggled and pushed at his mother's hands until she removed them, ruffling his hair as she did. He climbed on to the bench next to his mother and swung his legs back and forth. He seemed unaffected by their environment. Stephon envied his optimism. The muffled voices sounded again.
         Stephon checked his duster jacket and pockets. He wasn't surprised to find all his belongings had been stripped. He closed his eyes for a moment. His retinal scanner and software were still enabled; his captors weren't as thorough as they believed. Then again, Stephon's software was very, very well coded. Anne had written it herself.
         He coded a search for vocal patterns and scanned in the direction of the voices. Kitsune raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.
         'Trying to overhear our captors.' He sent the message to her retinal screen, first to check if she was still receiving them, and to avoid Jin overhearing. Kitsune nodded her understanding and held Jin a little tighter. The signal was weak, like an old radio frequency, but he picked something up. He shared the broadcast with Kitsune's data-receiver.
         Incoming signal: '..says to keep them alive. Must be important. We already held the kid for a couple months now. I thought for sure we'd be rid of him by now.' The signal was full of static but it was a man's voice. Stephon pressed against the wall trying to get a better signal.
         Incoming signal: 'Any news about the woman? Or the machine?' Silence fell over the signal. Stephon waited patiently. They may not find their escape from this conversation, but they would at least learn something.
         Incoming signal: 'No. One of the projects was destroyed, and we were trying to trace the signal from there. We're narrowing it down. The next one should give us the coordinates we're looking for.' The signal filled with static. Stephon disconnected. He heard the door open with a squeak. Someone was coming.
#
         “The last time I saw Stephon was just after he had taken the woman down the street towards the parking garage. He called in a favor. He hasn't contacted me since.” Kami parked the vehicle-pod in a side alley and pulled the emergency brake. _____ thought she pulled a little too hard, but maybe Kami was just as nervous as Javid appeared. Javid and _____ sat in the back of the pod and were ready to stretch their legs.
         _____ was wearing more practical clothing this time along with a bulletproof vest, compliments of Javid. She was armed with another data-pad device that the detective had managed to secure from Central. It had worked once on the creature; they were hoping they wouldn't have to use it a second time. Central had received coordinates while they had been in Laura's apartment. The signal had been sent anonymously, but with their usual clients, it was not taken for granted.
         The coordinates led the group to a private home on the outskirts of the hive-city. Central's records showed the house belonged to a domestic partner relationship; two men in their late twenties. Neither men had any connection to Anne Sidane or Futuregraph ©. Javid had taken extra precautions this time; all three had stunning firearms and data-pads similar to Stephon's model.
         They exited the vehicle-pod in to the street. It was just after 9 PM and the street was empty. The house was secluded but very welcoming. _____ noticed the front lawn was in immaculate shape with beautiful flowers and a water fountain. The colors were subdued in the darkness but she knew that during the day it would be a beautiful site. They picked up the pace. Javid pushed through the front gate and walked quickly across the grass lawn. _____ and Kami followed behind.
         The Detective moved up the front porch and knocked loudly on the front door.
         “This is Detective Rain from the Future Events Unit. I need you to step away from your Futuregraph © and step outside, now. Your lives are at risk.” They heard shuffling around inside and cursing. A moment later, the front door unlocked. A young man looked out through the opened door.
         “Shit—really? Show me your badge!” The man's voice trembled. Javid reached in to his shirt and pulled out his badge connected to a chain. The black-haired man squinted in the darkness and nodded quickly.
         “Ok ok, I trust you. Thank you.” The man opened the door all the way. Another man, younger with blonde hair, peeked around the corner. He was holding a baseball bat.
         “We're from the F.E.U. Have you noticed anything unusual with your Futuregraph ©?” Both men were crowding the doorway now. The youngest spoke first.
         “No, nothing at all. It's just a cheap knock-off, I bought it last year. The picture's never changed since we met.” He shot a quick smile at his partner. The other man nodded in agreement.
         “Where can we find it?” He asked, trying to look past the men in to the house.
         “It's upstairs, on the nightstand. On the right.”
         “I need you both to step outside, please.” Both men exited the house without hesitation. Kami escorted them down the stairs and they stood outside, past the garden. _____ and Javid disappeared inside the house. They heard the men calling after them but Kami silenced them both. Whatever she had said to them, they didn't speak another word.
         The detective swept in through the front door and raised his gun. He wasn't entirely sure a gun would even work, if one of the creatures returned. Still, he had to at least keep up the appearance of safety. He moved through the living room, past a wall-screen that was playing a cheesy late night movie. He turned the sound off as he walked by, straining to hear any noises that might alert them to the presence of another child.
         They heard the sound of shattering glass come from upstairs. Both looked at each other before Javid bolted for the staircase. _____ ran right after him, not sure what she would be doing once they got to the top of the stairs. The sound of a wailing child crept down from the men's bedroom. It sent chills down _____'s neck. They ran through the hallway towards the sound of the crying.
         Javid slammed his shoulder against the door and it flew open. He pointed his gun towards where he knew the nightstand would be. The glass was swirling like a small tornado in the room. No blood was present to be pulled in to the torrent; it moved around the room as if seeking someone. It jumped from the nightstand to the floor. It slowed down and formed the shape of a child just as it approached Javid and _____. This time, the voice was more defined. It was a little boy. It spoke directly to _____.
         “Help me. Please. I'm so scared.” The glass was multiplying, filling in the spaces in the air. The child was piecing itself together. _____ watched as it took a step towards them, hand outstretched.
         “Someone is trying to hurt me. Mommy stopped visiting. I'm alone now.” The child took another step. Javid took a step backwards.
         “It's happening again. Damn thing is making me tired.” Javid spoke, raising his gun towards the creature.
         “Let me try and talk to—-him.” She said as she moved past the Detective. Javid nodded but did not lower his gun.
         “I want to help you.” She spoke softly, as unnerving as it was speaking to a constantly moving piece of glass. The sound of glass scraping on glass made her fingernails itch. The child seemed to cock it's head to the side. She remembered seeing the other child-creature do it.
         “How can I help?” She moved back slowly when the child reached towards her. It seemed irritated she had retreated away.
         “They hurt me when they took mommy away.” The child's voice started to lose it's coherency. It was slowly working back to a helpless moan. _____ knew she had to be quick.
         “I can help you. Calm down. How can I help you?” She asked again. She wasn't sure if the child really understood what she was asking.
         “They hurt me when they took mommy away. Please help me. This place is too warm. It's hard to breathe.” The child lunged suddenly and planted both hands on _____'s shoulders. It's voice transformed and it began to scream at her.
         “YOU MUST HELP ME!”
         Another flash of bright light and the creature exploded. The glass fell nosily to the ground but did not fly through the air as they expected. The wailing died away and they were left with an empty room and another broken Futuregraph ©. Javid held out his hand and pulled _____ from the floor. She brushed off some glass shards but was careful not to cut herself. Aside from a small pile of glass, the creature was gone.
         “I have no idea what you're doing, but keep it up. We just saved our first Horror victims.” Javid couldn't find the motivation to smile, however. The memory of Laura's floating body was still fresh in his mind. _____ took a look around the room before she walked back down stairs. Outside, Kami escorted the men back once she received the 'all clear' signal from Javid.
         “What on earth was that noise?” The youngest man asked. He was shivering slightly.
         “Sorry about the noise. I'm afraid your Futuregraph © will need to be replaced.”
         Neither of the men seemed too discouraged.
         “We were going to upgrade it next month, anyways.” The older man said with a smile. He took his partner's hand and they stopped shivering. Javid was looking around the room, checking for other evidence.
         “That's when our little girl will arrive. We're adopting.” _____ looked at Javid. The two raised eyebrows at each other.
         “That's wonderful news. I'm glad we were able to help.” Javid said as he closed the space between himself and _____.
         “Please excuse us for a moment.” Javid and _____ walked outside with Kami following close behind.
         “What's the problem? Domestic partnerships have been able to adopt for nearly thirty years. It's nothing new. I think it's sweet.” Kami's voice filled the silence. Javid and _____ understood.
         “We may have just found our pattern.”
#
         Stephon moved back to sit on the bench across from Kitsune. Before Kitsune could stop him, Jin raced across the cell and sat on the bench next to Stephon. The boy went right back to swinging his legs, ignoring the angry look his mother shot at him. Stephon was having a hard time not laughing. The seriousness of the situation, however, kept him in check. He liked Jin; he knew how to keep his mother on edge.
         Footsteps came down the hallway and keys jingled outside the barred door. A woman appeared between the bars and looked over her three guests.
         “Stand up slowly.” The woman barked, looking straight at Stephon. She may have been shorter, not even coming up to his chest, but her voice had a sharp edge to it. Stephon did as he was told. Jin watched and stood up sleepily. Kitsune stood, slower, smoothing out her skirt as she did.
         “I'm going to unlock the door. Try anything suspicious, and I've been ordered to kill the child.” Stephon's felt his stomach spasm. He put a strong hand on little Jin's shoulder.
         Stephon knew he could disarm the mouthy woman, but they had no idea where they where. Sneaking around unfamiliar territory with a mother and her child was not on his list of “brilliant things to do.” For once, he chose silence instead of a witty response. He owed Kitsune that much, at least.
         They stood and the woman opened the door. With her free hand, she indicated with a gun to walk down the hallway towards the doorway. It was open and light streamed through. Stephon took the lead, with Kitsune and Jin trailing behind. The guard kept her eyes on the man, and he noticed she never pointed her gun at the child. He knew for certain she'd be an easy target if it came down to it-- but he did not want to put his companions in any more danger. He'd be patient. Javid would be looking for him, so he'd just have to keep himself in one piece until he found him.
         In the meantime, Stephon would concentrate on keeping Kitsune and Jin alive and safe. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but he felt as though he was in the nest of a dragon. He knew their captors were the same people that kidnapped Kitsune's son to begin with; it meant they were capable both of kidnapping and blackmail. So far, not capable of murder, but he really didn't want to push the subject.
         They had blackmailed a high profile assistant to get to her boss, one of the most loved philanthropist's of the century. He could only assume they were also responsible for her murder... mentally, he updated his list. Kidnapping. Blackmail. Murder. He wished he had his gun.
         Stephon looked around the hallway as he walked slowly along his designated path. The walls were cold cement, lit by flickering bulbs every few feet. He didn't notice any other cell doors. The door with light streaming through was open. He heard muffled voices but couldn't quite make them out. The guard ordered the group to stop and she went ahead, barking orders to the people on the other side. The talking stopped and she was joined in the doorway by three men.
         “Take a seat.” She jerked her chin towards the door. Stephon walked through, blinking at the light that threatened his vision. Kitsune held Jin close and followed behind. Her mouth was tight. Stephon could tell she was nervous. They approached a table with three chairs. Stephon took the first chair, Kitsune put Jin between the two of them. The boy was looking around the room. The guard and three men closed the door behind them.
         In the light, Stephon got a closer look at the woman's outfit. It was slate gray without any form of identification badges; no name, no rank. Form-fitting, enough that he could see the outline of her bullet-proof vest beneath. She had a gun holstered on her hip. A real one, this time, not just a tranquilizer. The key to their cell rested on a keyring on her opposite hip. Her blonde hair was pulled back tight in to a ponytail. She couldn't have been much older than early thirties.
         “We are going to give you a choice, Miss Kitsune.” The woman guard spoke, pacing in front of the three men. The men were not as interesting to Stephon; all were large, barrel chested with crossed arms. They also had guns, but no keys and no vests. Also, he noticed, they had no technology of any kind aside from their weapons. No personal data-pads in pockets, no cybernetics that he could see.
         The woman stopped pacing and turned directly to Kitsune.
         “You cooperated just fine when we had your son before. The moment you get him back, your loyalty shifted. You can see how upsetting this might be. We really appreciated your help.” Jin moved to take his mother's hand.
         “It has become obvious we can't trust you without—-some kind of collateral.” The woman looked at Jin and smiled. The boy tried to hide his face in his mother's side.
         “You're going to redeem yourself, Kitsune. It just so happens that we could use your specific.. access.. one last time. We'll even let you take your friend along.” The woman smiled slightly. Jin peeked out from the safety of his mother's shirt.
         “What about my son?” She asked, running a hand along his head. Jin batted at it and held on to her fingers.
         “Oh, he'll stay with us, of course. We couldn't have you two running away, now, could we?” The woman's smile became a wicked curve. Kitsune took a deep breath. She knew she had no other choice.
         “What do you want us to do?” The woman walked over and picked up Jin. The boy whined and tried to push her away.
         “It's ok, baby. Mommy will be back real soon.” Tears appeared in the corner of Kitsune's eyes. She tried to stay strong for her son. Jin nodded and stopped struggling.
         “I'm so glad you asked. We need you to do a little charity work. Your former boss had an appointment with a local business that needs to be kept. I'm certain that, as her personal assistant, you often made visits on her behalf. Simple enough, yes? I'm sure the two of you can handle it. If you give us the information we're looking for, then we'll release all of you. Alive. No strings attached.”
         Kitsune turned to look at Stephon. Her face was pale. Stephon nodded slowly.
#
         _____ stared down at the pile of papers from Anne's envelope. They were spread out over the small desk in Javid's spare room. The detective stood beside her, studying the images as well.
         “Let's start with the first case you showed me. Jennifer and Nathan.” She laid a finger on a photograph Anne had included. She slid the picture forward in to the front of the pile.
         “Ok, right. I see the connection there. Their Futuregraph © showed an image when they were older. Married, with kids.” Javid looked at the rest of the pile. He reached out and found Lauren's photograph. She was smiling, blond hair pushed back with a hairband. Her blue eyes sparkled.
         “What do we know about Lauren?” He asked, flipping the photograph over. There was no text on the back. It was a photo that Anne had provided, and they only recognized it because they had just recently seen her body.
         “Did Central send over her file yet?” _____ asked. Javid turned around and picked up a file folder off the bed.
         “Check if your technicians were able to determine what her Futuregraph © had displayed, prior to the Horror.” The detective nodded and flipped through the file folder.
         “I can do you one better.” He handed her a photograph. It was a grainy copy, but she could see Lauren was shown in front of a building. She squinted, trying to read the details.
         “Lauren was a former employee of Futuregraph © and she was going to night school to become an Elementary Teacher. The file says she was... infertile. It looks like she had an application in to adopt.” Javid sounded sad. _____ took a closer look at the photograph. Lauren was standing outside of the hive-city's orphanage.
         “I see the connection between the two, _____, I'm just not sure I understand how it will help.” Javid moved and took a seat at the end of the bed. _____ continued to push through the random collection of papers. Something in here was meant to help her understand her role, to help her understand what Anne was asking her to do. She just couldn't see it.
         “Hear me out.” She said as she turned around. She leaned against the desk.
         “My aunt catches wind that she's going to die. Before that happens, she has me kidnapped and operated on, implanted with who-knows-what.” Javid nodded. He took a sip of cold coffee.
         “Then she dies. Your organization traces a broken signal to a hospital, where you find me. Ever since Anne died, people have been dying. Am I remembering this all correctly?” Javid raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen it quite that way, but he couldn't argue.
         “Whatever... signal, is being pushed through me, is because of my Aunt. It allowed you to find me, but it's been corrupted some how.”
         “Corrupted? What do you mean?” Javid set his coffee down and leaned forward.
         “I'm not sure I know, exactly. The... creatures. The Horrors. They spoke to me. I think Anne's death has something to do with them. I don't think my signal was meant to create the Horrors.”
         “You're right. I've known Anne for a long time. She may have been a hard worker, but to create something that would deliberately seek out people and.. murder them in such a fashion, she would never have been capable.”
         _____ found it odd for a Detective to dismiss crimes so easily. She had to agree, and didn't push the subject.
         “What about the two men from tonight?” She asked, still trying to find another angle. Javid nodded.
         “Safe, thankfully enough. We've got them safe on Central for now until we can determine the Horror won't return.”
         _____ felt better knowing they weren't going to return to their homes after the creature had appeared. She'd have a hard enough time sleeping on her own if it had just happened. She couldn't imagine what they'd be feeling like.
         “They were going to adopt, they said. Yet another child is connected to the case, but no children have been present. It's as though the Horror is targeting them, making sure the children never enter their lives.” She let out a long sigh.
         “Any word from Stephon?” Javid looked over and shook his head.
         “No. Nothing yet. Central has dedicated everything to searching for the next Horror.”
         “Maybe we're looking the wrong direction.” She mused. Her hand drifted up to trace along her stitches. Javid looked at her questioningly.
         “We should be looking for the cause of the Horrors. It's like a video game.. you kill the Boss, and all the Minions go away.” She felt her face flush red. Javid smiled.
         “Don't worry, I promise not to tell Stephon how nerdy you are.” Javid stood up.
         “Get some rest. If we don't hear from Stephon by tomorrow, we'll just have to include finding him in our search for the source of the Horrors. I have a feeling the two may not be too far apart.”
         Javid added Lauren's small file folder to the stack of papers and photographs on the desk. He left the room and shut off the light as he did. _____ was left alone in the darkness. She crawled in to bed and pulled the covers over her head. She was thankful that Javid's room was down the hallway; she didn't want him to hear her cry.