Secret Agent Man
Chapter 7
“I’ll be back later,” Lyn said once they reached the room.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to run around and take care of a few things. Go downstairs at 9:30; I’ll be waiting outside.” She turned on one heel and walked down the hallway. Gerard shrugged and walked into the room. Before much time could pass, he had fallen asleep on one of the comfortable beds.
He woke hours later. Darkness had fallen and the faraway lights of downtown could be seen through the window. He sleepily checked his watch and nearly jumped up when he saw that he was close to half an hour late. He took the elevator and hurried down a single flight of stairs. Lyn’s car formed a precise black void under the bright lights of the hotel’s entryway. He walked outside and stepped into the car with a wide yawn.
“You’re late,” Lyn said in an unusually dark tone. He shrugged and fastened his seatbelt as she drove off. He found his case of cigarettes in his pocket and reached to turn on one light so he made sure he would pick one of the better ones.
Lyn’s hand gripped his wrist and held it still.
“Bad idea.”
“What, smoking in your car?” he asked with a fair amount of surprise, not daring to move for fear she might break his arm. It felt like there was something wrapped around her hand, but he couldn’t see what it was in the complete darkness.
“That, and turning on the light. You wouldn’t want to see what I look like.”
“Oh, you know that’s not true,” he said lamely.
“Believe me.” She sighed. “We’re supposed to find a girl named Hayley. She might know what’s happened to the other agents.”
“Where is she?”
Lyn turned and looked at him for a single second. He almost felt the glare she was giving him. “Just trust me.”
The next half hour passed in silence. Gerard did his best to follow her wishes and not stare at her, but he couldn’t stop himself from glancing towards her whenever the glow of a streetlight passed over the car. Based on the quick glimpses he took, she looked no different, so he continued to wonder what she was talking about.
The brilliant lights of the city seemed to dwindle in number until the car stopped with only one white streetlight in view. Gerard saw several shadows lingering under the eerie glow, and immediately knew they were the people he and Lyn had been looking for. His eyes caught a movement to his left, and he opened his door before Lyn could open hers.
“I’ll handle this.”
He paced down the back alley and approached the group of four or five people, all shorter than him. As he neared them, he saw dark clothing and pale faces that shone against the glare of the streetlight. He walked up to one that seemed to be the leader, a girl with black hair pulled back into two ponytails, long bangs hanging in front of her makeup-ringed eyes.
“Are you Hayley?” he asked quietly. The girl didn’t even look up at him. “…okay… Do you know where she is? I need to ask her something.”
He was met with silence once again. His eyes traveled to the faces of the others, each of them staring at him with an ominous look.
“Lillith.” The word was whispered hoarsely. The girl instantly retreated back to the group, almost as if she was afraid of Gerard. He sighed.
“Are any of you going to help me?”
The tallest one shook her head slowly, never blinking. Gerard took this as his cue to turn and briskly walk back to the car. He saw that it was no longer at the end of the alley and almost started to panic, but he turned to the left and saw that Lyn had parked it several feet away, just close enough that she could have seen what happened. He opened his door and stepped inside.
“Let me guess. They didn’t tell you anything.”
“Apparently she’s not there,” he said with a shrug. Lyn sighed in exasperation.
“She was right there, idiot. I have to do everything myself…” She opened her door and stepped out. The headlights turned on for a moment, and Gerard nearly stopped breathing when he saw her walk through them and towards the alleyway. Instead of her usual unassuming outfits, she wore loose black jeans with several looped chains and elbow-length leather gloves that buckled in at least ten places and exposed her fingers. She had such a hopeless, pathetic look on her face that it almost made him want to cry. In fact, carefully drawn lines of makeup formed black tears beneath her eyes.
He watched her approach the group with a slow, relaxed gait and hunched shoulders, hands in her pockets and her gaze directed at the ground. She seemed to exchange a few words with them. Gerard saw the one he had attempted to speak to suddenly dart forward and tackle her in a hug, which Lyn returned. He raised an eyebrow in question and continued to watch closely. They spoke for another minute before she started to walk back to the car. When she opened the door, Gerard could only think of one question to ask her.
“Are you seriously wearing a corset?”
“Does it matter?” she asked in the same tone as she grabbed a black hooded jacket from behind her seat. She removed the strange gloves and ran one finger along the painful red tracks they had left before thankfully slipping her arms through the sleeves and zipping up the jacket as far as it would go. “I don’t know how people stand to wear these things.”
“…You mean I’m not just imagining it?”
Lyn rolled her eyes and started the car. “Oh, get over it.”
“You look…” Gerard paused, trying to think of the right word.
“I look what? Depressed? Gothic? That’s kind of the idea.”
“…scary.”
He noted some small change in her demeanor, but he couldn’t tell if she was trying to hide a smile or just resisting the urge to smack him. He sat back a little further in his seat just in case and stayed silent for a few minutes until he noticed which way they were going.
“Why aren’t you going back the way we came?”
She paused. “There’s certain places we need to avoid…and there’s something I want to see,” came the almost sheepish reply. He chose not to question it and simply waited. About twenty minutes later, the car rounded a turn on the freeway and he heard her sigh quietly.
“It really does look like a sea.”
He turned his gaze from the passenger window to the windshield and half smiled. The city’s lights were glowing full-strength now that night had fallen. The twinkling, glittering pinpoints against the field of black were so closely packed together that they did indeed seem to look like an electric ocean, with the massive hotels serving as the ocean liners. Man-made stars, he’d once heard them called.
A hill of dirt rose in front of the scene, and Lyn turned her attention back to the road.
“Can I ask you another question?” Gerard said once they had arrived at the hotel. Lyn seemed reluctant to answer as the elevator rose into the air.
“It depends.”
“I just want to know how you got that girl to talk to you,” he said quickly, trying not to seem too embarrassed by his very clear failure. “She wouldn’t even look at me. Does she know you?”
The elevator chimed when it reached their floor. Lyn smiled as she walked into the hallway.
“It’s easier when you’re talking to your own daughter.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have to run around and take care of a few things. Go downstairs at 9:30; I’ll be waiting outside.” She turned on one heel and walked down the hallway. Gerard shrugged and walked into the room. Before much time could pass, he had fallen asleep on one of the comfortable beds.
He woke hours later. Darkness had fallen and the faraway lights of downtown could be seen through the window. He sleepily checked his watch and nearly jumped up when he saw that he was close to half an hour late. He took the elevator and hurried down a single flight of stairs. Lyn’s car formed a precise black void under the bright lights of the hotel’s entryway. He walked outside and stepped into the car with a wide yawn.
“You’re late,” Lyn said in an unusually dark tone. He shrugged and fastened his seatbelt as she drove off. He found his case of cigarettes in his pocket and reached to turn on one light so he made sure he would pick one of the better ones.
Lyn’s hand gripped his wrist and held it still.
“Bad idea.”
“What, smoking in your car?” he asked with a fair amount of surprise, not daring to move for fear she might break his arm. It felt like there was something wrapped around her hand, but he couldn’t see what it was in the complete darkness.
“That, and turning on the light. You wouldn’t want to see what I look like.”
“Oh, you know that’s not true,” he said lamely.
“Believe me.” She sighed. “We’re supposed to find a girl named Hayley. She might know what’s happened to the other agents.”
“Where is she?”
Lyn turned and looked at him for a single second. He almost felt the glare she was giving him. “Just trust me.”
The next half hour passed in silence. Gerard did his best to follow her wishes and not stare at her, but he couldn’t stop himself from glancing towards her whenever the glow of a streetlight passed over the car. Based on the quick glimpses he took, she looked no different, so he continued to wonder what she was talking about.
The brilliant lights of the city seemed to dwindle in number until the car stopped with only one white streetlight in view. Gerard saw several shadows lingering under the eerie glow, and immediately knew they were the people he and Lyn had been looking for. His eyes caught a movement to his left, and he opened his door before Lyn could open hers.
“I’ll handle this.”
He paced down the back alley and approached the group of four or five people, all shorter than him. As he neared them, he saw dark clothing and pale faces that shone against the glare of the streetlight. He walked up to one that seemed to be the leader, a girl with black hair pulled back into two ponytails, long bangs hanging in front of her makeup-ringed eyes.
“Are you Hayley?” he asked quietly. The girl didn’t even look up at him. “…okay… Do you know where she is? I need to ask her something.”
He was met with silence once again. His eyes traveled to the faces of the others, each of them staring at him with an ominous look.
“Lillith.” The word was whispered hoarsely. The girl instantly retreated back to the group, almost as if she was afraid of Gerard. He sighed.
“Are any of you going to help me?”
The tallest one shook her head slowly, never blinking. Gerard took this as his cue to turn and briskly walk back to the car. He saw that it was no longer at the end of the alley and almost started to panic, but he turned to the left and saw that Lyn had parked it several feet away, just close enough that she could have seen what happened. He opened his door and stepped inside.
“Let me guess. They didn’t tell you anything.”
“Apparently she’s not there,” he said with a shrug. Lyn sighed in exasperation.
“She was right there, idiot. I have to do everything myself…” She opened her door and stepped out. The headlights turned on for a moment, and Gerard nearly stopped breathing when he saw her walk through them and towards the alleyway. Instead of her usual unassuming outfits, she wore loose black jeans with several looped chains and elbow-length leather gloves that buckled in at least ten places and exposed her fingers. She had such a hopeless, pathetic look on her face that it almost made him want to cry. In fact, carefully drawn lines of makeup formed black tears beneath her eyes.
He watched her approach the group with a slow, relaxed gait and hunched shoulders, hands in her pockets and her gaze directed at the ground. She seemed to exchange a few words with them. Gerard saw the one he had attempted to speak to suddenly dart forward and tackle her in a hug, which Lyn returned. He raised an eyebrow in question and continued to watch closely. They spoke for another minute before she started to walk back to the car. When she opened the door, Gerard could only think of one question to ask her.
“Are you seriously wearing a corset?”
“Does it matter?” she asked in the same tone as she grabbed a black hooded jacket from behind her seat. She removed the strange gloves and ran one finger along the painful red tracks they had left before thankfully slipping her arms through the sleeves and zipping up the jacket as far as it would go. “I don’t know how people stand to wear these things.”
“…You mean I’m not just imagining it?”
Lyn rolled her eyes and started the car. “Oh, get over it.”
“You look…” Gerard paused, trying to think of the right word.
“I look what? Depressed? Gothic? That’s kind of the idea.”
“…scary.”
He noted some small change in her demeanor, but he couldn’t tell if she was trying to hide a smile or just resisting the urge to smack him. He sat back a little further in his seat just in case and stayed silent for a few minutes until he noticed which way they were going.
“Why aren’t you going back the way we came?”
She paused. “There’s certain places we need to avoid…and there’s something I want to see,” came the almost sheepish reply. He chose not to question it and simply waited. About twenty minutes later, the car rounded a turn on the freeway and he heard her sigh quietly.
“It really does look like a sea.”
He turned his gaze from the passenger window to the windshield and half smiled. The city’s lights were glowing full-strength now that night had fallen. The twinkling, glittering pinpoints against the field of black were so closely packed together that they did indeed seem to look like an electric ocean, with the massive hotels serving as the ocean liners. Man-made stars, he’d once heard them called.
A hill of dirt rose in front of the scene, and Lyn turned her attention back to the road.
“Can I ask you another question?” Gerard said once they had arrived at the hotel. Lyn seemed reluctant to answer as the elevator rose into the air.
“It depends.”
“I just want to know how you got that girl to talk to you,” he said quickly, trying not to seem too embarrassed by his very clear failure. “She wouldn’t even look at me. Does she know you?”
The elevator chimed when it reached their floor. Lyn smiled as she walked into the hallway.
“It’s easier when you’re talking to your own daughter.”