The Birdcage

Pulling The Strings

Doctor Johnson was sitting at his desk, head down in depression, bemoaning his life as he downed what was possibly his seventh glass of whiskey. Nyx watched him through the doorway from where she was standing in hall outside the doctors' offices, in a mix of concern and disbelief.

"What's up with him?" She spoke to Jayson as he emerged from Doctor Montgomery's room.

"Alcoholism?" Jayson suggested, peering over the top of her head. "What are you doing here anyway? I know when your appointments are, and it's not this time of day."

"I came to walk you back." Nyx smiled brightly. "Because that's a good, sisterly thing to do."

He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. She was the picture of innocence. He smiled at last. "Yes, yes it is." He offered her the crook of his elbow. "Shall we then?"

She slipped her arm through his. "Also," She started as they walked along. "I have something to tell you. I've been doing more investigating."

"Oh yeah?" He encouraged.

"Yeah. I broke into the records office-"

He snorted. "How'd that go? Got past the crazies did you? Should have got me to take you."

"It was fine." Nyx said simply. "And I found something. A diary."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It was written by a lady named Berenice. She used to work here and was related to our founder."

"Did she now? How interesting."

"Yes. She was here when the creature first appeared. She was documenting it- investigating."

"Yeah?"

"Of course," Nyx shrugged. "She had sent for some Shadowhunters to come and help deal with it."

"Uh-huh."

"However, she found out who had brought it in. Brought it in? Summoned it? Hatched it? Whatever. She found out who was commanding it, and she was going to tell the Shadowhunters."

"Yeah..."

"-Which was why you had to kill her."

"Ye- Wait, what?" She had said it so casually, he had almost missed it. Almost.

"That's why you had to kill her." Nyx repeated, letting go of his arm and turning to face him.

"Ohh..." He said slowly. "... You're very clever."

"More clever than you realise." He realised a split-second in time that she was looking off over his shoulder. He ducked just in time as the frying pan swung past his head.

"Perry!"

"Where did you guys even get a frying pan?"

The kitchen still sealed up for repairs.

"Perry, I'm going to kill you!" Jayson roared, charging at the other who immediately fled down the hall.

Instantly, the pincer of Katherine's tail swung out before him, zipping towards his face. He ducked and dodged as it skimmed his face, before with the speed of as asp, darting out his hand and grabbing hold off the whip-like appendage. Katherine shrieked as he yanked hard, pulling her towards him.

Seeing the struggle of her friends, Nyx tried to intercede, racing forward to pull on his arm, but he threw her back with a well-placed hand in her middle, so she slammed against the wall, hitting her head and dropping stunned to the floor.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pricking sensation at his shoulder, and something very cold flooded his veins.

Gasping out loud as this strange numbness spread through his body, he turned to see Ronnie with her spider-teeth bared.

"You!"

"I'm sorry!" She rushed.

He stepped before her, but it was no use; it was like moving through molasses, his muscles slow and heavy, until his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the floor.

"It'll wear off." Ronnie explained guiltily to no one in particular.

"No, that's... Well done." Nyx said, touching her tender head with one hand as she used the other on the wall to support herself getting up. "Now... help me get him hidden in a corner."

Moments later, with Jayson successfully out of the way, they were heading off down the doctors' hallway, Nyx addressing them all. "That's the first bit done. This is where it gets difficult. Now we just have to find-" She suddenly double-taked as they passed Johnson's office. "Wait, where'd he go?"