‹ Prequel: Met Your Match
Sequel: Broken Pieces ›
Status: Completed! ❤️
Falling Apart
eighth
Anthony held onto Adelaide's hand for a long time, eyes closed and not saying anything. Just as she was growing impatient with him, his eyes shot open and he smiled at her.
"I got him," he said, and she nodded.
"So what do we do?" she asked, and he shook his head slowly.
"I'm afraid you don't do anything, Miss A. Mister J instructed us very strictly to never let you get involved if something like this were to happen. We were told to keep you out of the dirty work at all times," Rory told her, stepping in front of her as she stood.
"Well, Mister J isn't here and I'm helping," she said, giving him a look.
"Ma'am..." Anthony trailed off, standing and looking at her as well.
"Look, I don't remember anything real, okay? I don't remember any relationship I had with him or anything. But I can't get these images of his face out of my head. He means something to me and even if I don't know what exactly he means, I need to help. I need to make sure he's okay. Besides, if everything you're saying is true, I'm basically your secondary boss, yes?" she asked, and the men exchanged a look. She brushed past them, listening to see if they followed. After a moment, they did.
"Miss A... can you just promise us something? See, Mister J tends to be a little... rough on those of us who don't obey him," Rory told her, sounding genuinely afraid.
"I won't let him hurt you," she told them, turning and looking at them once more. "Now. What is the plan here?" she asked, staring at them. They showed her downstairs into the study where they handed her two guns, telling her they were hers. She strapped them on and covered them with her shirt.
"He's in the basement of a house. I didn't get an exact address, but I know what the house looks like and approximately where it is," Anthony told them. "Mister J brought these back when he got the antidote the first time you were shot, Miss A. He told us not to use them unless we absolutely needed them because we're still not exactly sure what's in them, but I think this situation qualifies," he continued, unlocking a cabinet and pulling out three guns whose chambers glowed that sickly green color. "The plan is essentially this: we go in and grab Mister J and take out whoever stands in the way with one of these babies," he said, waving the gun with the glow around.
"Wait... 'take out'?" Adelaide spoke up, and Anthony and Rory exchanged a look.
"It's the only way, Miss Adelaide," Rory told her and Anthony nodded beside him. The way they were looking at her told her that whoever she had become in recent times wouldn't have had such an issue with this.
"Let's go," she said hesitantly, walking towards the door of the room. She really wasn't sure if she was okay with all of this, but she still couldn't shake the determination inside of her to rescue him. It was obvious that he meant a great deal to her, even if she couldn't remember it.
They loaded back into the SUV from before and Anthony drove them around for quite a while, rolling through neighborhoods slowly until they found one that he was sure had to be the right one. He navigated the streets expertly then, like he did it every day. Finally, he pulled to a stop against a curb.
"It's a few houses down on the left. I didn't want to get too close but I'm sure it's the house," he told Adelaide and Rory, pointing toward the house he was talking about. "I'll go first and then give a signal if it's clear," he told them, getting out of the SUV and walking down the sidewalk. He turned and waved at them a few moments later, and Rory stuck his head between the seats to look at Adelaide.
"Ready, Miss A?" he asked, and she nodded her head slowly. She wasn't sure if she actually was, but something inside of her that she didn't understand was drawing her to the house Anthony was now standing in front of. She'd felt it the moment they'd pulled up. It was like a dull ache in the back of her skull, telling her she was where she needed to be.
Rory led her toward Anthony, and the ache in her skull got even more powerful when she was actually standing in front of the house. In fact, it was less of an ache and more of a very real stabbing pain.
"He's in there," she told them, gripping her head tightly. "My head feels like it's going to explode, like something inside of me is screaming at me and telling me we're in the right place," she told them, and they both nodded.
Anthony led them up to the porch and broke the door open roughly, his gun brandished high for anyone inside to see. The house seemed abandoned. There were no cars directly outside of it and everything they could see was dark and empty. They split and searched both upstairs and the main floor and there was no one there.
"Basement," Anthony whispered and Adelaide and Rory nodded. The two men went down before her and started wandering around the huge space. It was bigger than most basements, nooks and small hallways in every corner. It was also the only furnished room in the entire place; it seemed to be someone's office or something. There was a door on one wall and Adelaide put her hand to the handle and turned it slowly. Instantly, someone jumped up and smashed her in the head, hard. She fell to the floor and her eyes slid closed as her sister's face came into view above her head.
"I got him," he said, and she nodded.
"So what do we do?" she asked, and he shook his head slowly.
"I'm afraid you don't do anything, Miss A. Mister J instructed us very strictly to never let you get involved if something like this were to happen. We were told to keep you out of the dirty work at all times," Rory told her, stepping in front of her as she stood.
"Well, Mister J isn't here and I'm helping," she said, giving him a look.
"Ma'am..." Anthony trailed off, standing and looking at her as well.
"Look, I don't remember anything real, okay? I don't remember any relationship I had with him or anything. But I can't get these images of his face out of my head. He means something to me and even if I don't know what exactly he means, I need to help. I need to make sure he's okay. Besides, if everything you're saying is true, I'm basically your secondary boss, yes?" she asked, and the men exchanged a look. She brushed past them, listening to see if they followed. After a moment, they did.
"Miss A... can you just promise us something? See, Mister J tends to be a little... rough on those of us who don't obey him," Rory told her, sounding genuinely afraid.
"I won't let him hurt you," she told them, turning and looking at them once more. "Now. What is the plan here?" she asked, staring at them. They showed her downstairs into the study where they handed her two guns, telling her they were hers. She strapped them on and covered them with her shirt.
"He's in the basement of a house. I didn't get an exact address, but I know what the house looks like and approximately where it is," Anthony told them. "Mister J brought these back when he got the antidote the first time you were shot, Miss A. He told us not to use them unless we absolutely needed them because we're still not exactly sure what's in them, but I think this situation qualifies," he continued, unlocking a cabinet and pulling out three guns whose chambers glowed that sickly green color. "The plan is essentially this: we go in and grab Mister J and take out whoever stands in the way with one of these babies," he said, waving the gun with the glow around.
"Wait... 'take out'?" Adelaide spoke up, and Anthony and Rory exchanged a look.
"It's the only way, Miss Adelaide," Rory told her and Anthony nodded beside him. The way they were looking at her told her that whoever she had become in recent times wouldn't have had such an issue with this.
"Let's go," she said hesitantly, walking towards the door of the room. She really wasn't sure if she was okay with all of this, but she still couldn't shake the determination inside of her to rescue him. It was obvious that he meant a great deal to her, even if she couldn't remember it.
They loaded back into the SUV from before and Anthony drove them around for quite a while, rolling through neighborhoods slowly until they found one that he was sure had to be the right one. He navigated the streets expertly then, like he did it every day. Finally, he pulled to a stop against a curb.
"It's a few houses down on the left. I didn't want to get too close but I'm sure it's the house," he told Adelaide and Rory, pointing toward the house he was talking about. "I'll go first and then give a signal if it's clear," he told them, getting out of the SUV and walking down the sidewalk. He turned and waved at them a few moments later, and Rory stuck his head between the seats to look at Adelaide.
"Ready, Miss A?" he asked, and she nodded her head slowly. She wasn't sure if she actually was, but something inside of her that she didn't understand was drawing her to the house Anthony was now standing in front of. She'd felt it the moment they'd pulled up. It was like a dull ache in the back of her skull, telling her she was where she needed to be.
Rory led her toward Anthony, and the ache in her skull got even more powerful when she was actually standing in front of the house. In fact, it was less of an ache and more of a very real stabbing pain.
"He's in there," she told them, gripping her head tightly. "My head feels like it's going to explode, like something inside of me is screaming at me and telling me we're in the right place," she told them, and they both nodded.
Anthony led them up to the porch and broke the door open roughly, his gun brandished high for anyone inside to see. The house seemed abandoned. There were no cars directly outside of it and everything they could see was dark and empty. They split and searched both upstairs and the main floor and there was no one there.
"Basement," Anthony whispered and Adelaide and Rory nodded. The two men went down before her and started wandering around the huge space. It was bigger than most basements, nooks and small hallways in every corner. It was also the only furnished room in the entire place; it seemed to be someone's office or something. There was a door on one wall and Adelaide put her hand to the handle and turned it slowly. Instantly, someone jumped up and smashed her in the head, hard. She fell to the floor and her eyes slid closed as her sister's face came into view above her head.