I've been in this depressing cell for two, going on three days. No officers have come to speak to me about what I did at the bank. No officers come to take my statement. It's truly strange, and I sulk on the hard bench that's provided. It really isn't meant to be slept on. Then again, I don't think anyone's meant to be kept here as long as I have. I'm fairly certain this is just a holding cell, a purgatory for criminals waiting to be sent to heaven- let free- or hell- prison. I have no clue as to where I'm being sent.
There has been a doctor in here, though, inspecting me for... whatever. Mostly he's just tried to remove my collar 'for my safety' but hasn't succeeded. He already came by today and, once again, failed to remove it. He always leaves stumped and whispers odd things to the officer that escorts him away. I really don't like what he says, but there's nothing I can do about it.
Saddened, I listen to the gurgle of my stomach grumbling. My lunch should be coming soon. All my meals have been delivered by a nice lady cop who lets me have an extra treat, a candy bar or some such thing from the vending machine outside. She calls me a hero and always has a smile for me. She told me a friend of hers was in the bank that day and that I saved his life. I'm not sure who her friend is, she hasn't told me, but I'm glad that he's okay.
Another ten minutes and the heavy door just out of view from my cell creaks open. I stand and wait at the cell door, my hands holding the bars, and smile as I see the nice lady cop coming towards me. She has my tray of food and a bag of chips cradled in the crook of her arm.
"I've got another surprise for you," she says cheerily, passing my food and chips through the convenient slot at hip level. "Hold on."
My skin tingles as I open my chip bag, and I already know what my other surprise is. Giddy, I place my food on the concrete bench then move back to the bars and press my face against it, wanting to Seras already. The nice lady cop is out of sight now, but I hear the door open, footsteps, then it closes again. The footsteps say three people, and I frown, wondering who mystery person number three is.
Eventually everyone is within my view and I see that Mason is lucky number three. Nice lady cop leads him and Seras to my cell, then she leaves, but I never hear the door open. She must be watching out to make sure Seras and Mason don't get into trouble.
"Lost..." Seras coos, covering my hands with her own. The touch only lasts a moment, but it's everything to me. "Are you okay?"
I nod. "Yes, miss-" I stop there when Seras's face twists into anger. I'm thankful that I only sounded polite. "I'm fine," I finish meekly.
Seras relaxes her features so Mason doesn't see her true feelings. "That's good."
Nothing more is said, then my eyes slide to Mason. "What are you doing here?" I ask him curiously.
He smiles awkwardly. "I wanted to thank you for what you did at th bank. You saved me and my wife. I can never repay you for that." He looks down and away for a second. "I tried to get you out of here."
I shrug. "Thank you, but I don't think I'm going anywhere. I've already been here for a long time."
Seras puts all her weight on one leg. "That's what I came here to tell you. You really aren't going anywhere. Someone way high up the chain wants you stay here, I heard."
"A special task force is coming to question you," Mason chimes in. He lifts a shoulder lazily and lets it drop when Seras gives him a surprised look. "I overheard the lieutenant talking about it. Apparently this is huge. I don't know who's coming- FBI, CIA- who knows? Boss made it sound secret, almost. I honestly don't even think he knows who gave the order."
I cock my head, not knowing what those parts- or any parts, really- of the government do these days, much less what they do with people like me. Seras hums in thought, her eyes scanning the floor, and her mind moving quickly. Before she can get her thoughts together and voice them, the nice lady cop tells her and Mason that their time's up. Mason nods and says good bye to me, thanking me again, but Seras stays for a moment longer. I grip the bars of my cell tighter and move closer to hear what Seras has to say even though I don't have to.
"Give them a reason to have me there during your interrogation," she whispers quickly. She puts her hands over mine and looks directly into my eyes. "They aren't taking you away from me."
The nice lady cop urges Seras to go now, and I shift my feet, wanting to just break myself free.
"Don't do anything stupid," Seras says as she lets me go, seemingly understanding my intent. She steps away from the bars and starts to turn away. "They wont hurt you if you're cooperative." Then she's gone, the nice lady cop escorting her away.
I don't think that anyone can hurt me, but I calm down and sit in the bench at the wall. I bring my lunch onto my lap and eat slowly. I'll wait as long as I need to and do as Seras asks.
------------------------------------------
It's the next day that I'm taken out of my cell for something other than showering, which I already did with the nice lady cop as my escort. So leaving now is strange and I'm not sure what's happening. Hands cuffed, I scratch my chest, irritated by the itchy shirt given to me after my shower, and follow my new escort. He's a solemn looking man that I can tell doesn't work here at the precinct. He takes me away to the back of the building, where the interrogation rooms are, and shoves me into an empty one. I stumble inside thanks to my feet being bound together, too, and look around.
The room is blank all over, only a table and two chairs in the middle of it, but there's solid, window-like glass on one wall. It's dark and I can't see through it, but I can hear people on the other side. I shuffle up to the glass and tap on it, testing its strength. It would break easily with a hearty slap from me but Seras told me not to do anything stupid. So, eyes on the glass, I sit down on the chair facing it. The people behind that glass don't move. They just... watch. I tilt my head and listen to them. No moving, just breathing and heart beats. Two people.
One of them shuffles their feet and switches their position, and my head tilts to the other side. Things go silent again, then, "Can she hear us?"
The voice is female with a very soft accent, americanized, but there's something wrong with it. It sounds like her vocal chords were torn out and put back in wrong. It's slight, and I doubt anyone has ever noticed, but my hearing can tell.
"We haven't been talking," another voice mumbles, also female. She sounds refined, raised or trained to interact with the high class.
"Look at her," Wrong Voice says. "Think she can hear us, see us?"
"Hm, no, I don't think so," Refined responds, shifting her weight, her clothes hushing. "She's not looking directly at us. Maybe she can hear us, though..."
"Should we stop talking, then?"
"Let's go. We can watch through the camera."
My eyes flick up towards the ceiling and I find a camera watching me, a red blinking light telling me it's working just fine.
"That's settled, then," Refined says, a hint of a smile in her voice.
I lower my head and stare at the table in front of me. The two behind the glass don't leave, and I know I've been tricked. Refined just wanted to know what I could do. She's smart, and could probably trick me again if I'm not careful. So, tired and bored, I stretch out my arms over the table as far as I can and rest my cheek on my bicep.
I'm not sure how long I rest this way, waiting for something to happen. The people behind the glass are clearly in no rush to do whatever it is that they came here to do. All I hear is their soft breaths and steady heart beats. If they want to observe me, they're not getting much besides the fact that I can remain in one position without moving for an extended period of time. The whole situation seems useless to me, and I kind of miss being watched by the nice lady cop who gave me goodies with my meals.
After a time I rest my eyes, getting sleepy. The people behind the glass can't see my face, even with the camera, so who's to say I hadn't fallen asleep long ago? I might as well get a little shut eye if they're not willing to come see me.
My cat nap lasts an undetermined amount of time, and I'm only woken up because the one door in the room opens and the atmosphere changes. Fresh air crashes into the room and I take a deep breath as I sit up straight. The scent of wild flowers and dirt fills my nostrils and I look up to find a slender woman approaching the opposite end of the table. Her aroma is too pure to be a simple perfume. It has to be specially made.
She pulls out the chair on her side of the table and drops a file between us. Her blonde hair falls into her face as she leans over to flatten her skirt against the backs of her thighs to sit properly, then she crosses her legs and pushes her sleek glasses further up her nose. I blink at her, guessing that she's Refined. She has to be.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," she says, putting her hands in her lap and leaning back into her chair. Her voice is pristine, confirming my guess of her being Refined. "Are you hungry?"
My eyes narrow, but I nod, feeling the beginnings of a grumbly tummy. Seras told me to convince these people that she needed to be present for this, but I don't think she'd mind me getting some food into my system first.
Refined whistles sharply to get the attention of someone outside and the door opens. Another woman walks in and places a cardboard food holder and a drink in front of me, then she moves to the corner of the room behind Refined instead of leaving. I stare at this new person, wondering what her role is. Her hair sticks up every which way with no rhyme or reason and I think it's on purpose. Either that or she doesn't own a brush. Her short locks make me think of the human version of a lion's mane.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Refined asks.
Reluctantly, my eyes move to the food before me. There's a cheeseburger, fries, and even a cookie. I pick up a single fry and nibble on it, my eyes sliding up to Refined, waiting for her to say something more. She doesn't, so I keep eating in silence. I feel awkward eating with two pairs of unfamiliar eyes on me but I keep my eyes down to pretend that I'm alone. It doesn't work, but I finish my food quickly enough so that I don't have to keep the charade up long.
As I sip and chew on my straw, Refined uncrosses and recrosses her legs. I stare at her, occasionally flicking my eyes to the lion in the corner.
"Better?" she asks.
I nod and continue to nibble on my straw, running my finger up the cup to the gather the sweat.
Refined watches my finger for a second, then looks into my face. "I'm sure you can guess why we're here. You did some curious things at that bank."
Pushing my cup away, I burp and lean back into my chair. Finally things are getting serious and I don't have to wait anymore.
"Impressive things," she goes on when I say nothing.
My head bobs slowly. I'm not going to say anything but I appreciate the compliment.
Refined moves her mouth funnily, then brings the file she brought in closer to her side of the table. She flips it open and looks at me from over her glasses. "Apparently you've been doing these kinds of things, and more, for quite a while."
I catch a few familiar things in the file and recognize it as the same file that Seras showed me once in the beginning of our relationship. Though this new file looks a bit thicker.
Refined takes out a few pieces of papers and photos and slides them towards me. "Do you remember doing these things?"
My eyes scan the photos rather than the papers, and I identify the remains of Marv's club along with pictures of people I barely remember turning into corpses. The deaths happened years and years ago.
I touch my bottom lip and hum, then mumble, "Seras."
Refined leans towards me a bit. "What did you say?"
"Seras," I repeat, looking up.
Her brow furrows and she glances back at her lion companion, who shrugs, then she focuses back on me. "What's that?"
I push the scattered file away from me. "Seras," I say again, firmer. "Seras Crow."
"What- Is that a person? Who is it?"
Shutting my mouth resolutely, I aim my face towards the door and don't move. Refined tries to talk to me some more but I don't respond or even acknowledge that I hear her. She's persistent, though, and keeps trying to get my attention. After a while, she sighs and stands, murmuring for her partner to join her. They both leave the room, conveniently forgetting their file behind for me to study.
I gather all the loose papers and photos and put them back in their place, gently closing the folder to hide them. It's not that I don't want to see what's in there, I assume Seras will be coming and I don't want her to arrive to a mess. With that done, I straighten out in my seat and stare ahead, watching my reflection in the dark glass. I don't look so bad in scratchy too-big clothes. My hair could use a quick brush, but at least it's clean. I personally don't like how long it is, much, much longer than I usual wear, but Seras does and I'm too scared to ask for a haircut. Maybe when this is all over she'll be so happy that I can ask without repercussions. She'll probably say no but I hope at the very least I won't get in trouble for asking.
As I play with the tips of my hair, curling the damp strands around my finger, the door opens. Seras's familiar scent wafts in and I stand to greet her, attempting to look as respectable as I can. She shuts the door behind her and stares at me for a moment before sitting down in the chair at the other side of the table. I sit down, too, smiling.
"This is what they've been talking to you about?" she asks, opening the file Refined left behind.
I put my hands on the table. "Tried to. I didn't talk."
"Good," she murmurs, looking through the file slowly.
My head lifts at an intrusive noise and I frown at the dark glass behind Seras. "They're watching," I tell her.
She sighs and returns the file to its closed position. "I figured. They probably want to see why you asked for me."
"Should I not have asked for you?"
"No, you did good." She turns to face the glass, not noticing the way I blush. "Now's the time to ask your questions. She'll talk with me here."
I gather myself as Seras takes her chair and moves it to my side of the table, scootching me over to make room for herself. She touches my thigh lightly under the table in support as the door opens again and my energy levels shoot through the roof. The lion girl comes in carrying an extra chair and she sets it down before Seras and I before moving to the corner of the room where she stood earlier. Refined comes in then closes the door behind her. She sits in the chair that her partner brought in and gets as comfortable as she can, pushing her glasses further up her nose.
"What do you plan to do?" Seras asks before Refined can say anything.
Refined raises an eyebrow and crosses her legs. "What do you mean?"
"You're here for her, so what do you plan to do with her?"
Silence engulfs the room for a while, and Seras's hands clench under the table. Sliding her eyes to me, Refined says, "What's your name?"
I shift and glance at Seras for direction. She gives me the barest nod of approval, so I say, "Lost."
Refined narrows her eyes a bit, having noticed the way I adhered to Seras's will. "Okay. I asked you earlier about this file. Will you answer this time?"
Seras speaks for me. "Depends on what questions you ask."
Refined eyes me to see if that's my answer, and I nod in agreement.
"Well, then," Refined says. "Congratulations on being alive, Lost. We always thought you were a myth."
I shrug as a response since Seras doesn't say anything or even turn to me to let me know I can speak.
"The fingerprints you left at the bank matched the ones left at a few other scenes recently," Refined goes on unperturbed. "You're quite the trouble maker, according to your file. My people were surprised you used your skills to help the city this time. Why is that?"
My eyes find Seras but she's not looking at me. She's watching Refined intently. "Who exactly are your people?" she asks carefully.
Refined touches the frame of her glasses. "Who exactly are you? If I were to make a guess, I'd say you... control Lost somehow. If that's true, you've made her do some very bad things. You could end up in prison."
A growl burbles up from my throat at the threat, but Seras smiles softly. To the music of my animal noises she says, "If you think she's done some very bad things, why is she here? I saw the bank footage, too. I'd think she could escape this place easy." She folds her hands in her lap. "If I'm in on this too, as you say, I'd want her long gone."
Refined mimics Seras's position. "That's true." She's silent for a moment, then she focuses on me. "Why haven't you made your escape?"
Seras opens her mouth but Refined quiets her. Refined continues to look at me and says, "She can answer for herself. Can't you, Lost?"
Gulping, I shrug, changing position in my chair. I look to Seras for help and she gives me a nod of approval. So, I nod and mumble, "Yes."
"Good," Refined says, a hint of a smile on her face. "Now why haven't you attempted to flee? Are you able to?"
Again I look to Seras for direction and, again, she nods to let me speak. "I am able," I confess.
Refined moves my file to the side. "Show me," she tells me.
I'm surprised and don't know what to say or do, so I sit still and wait for Seras to make the next move. Clenching her jaw, she lifts her hand and reaches for me. She grabs onto the chain connecting my cuffs and lifts my hands to sit on the table in full view. She taps the chain all the while keeping her eyes on Refined. It takes me a moment, but I finally understand, and I easily snap the chain. The lion girl in the corner takes a step forward, bringing everyone's attention to her. Refined holds up her hand for the lion to stay, and no one moves.
"So why haven't you attempted to escape?" Refined asks, breaking the silence.
"Is that what you want her to do?" Seras asks coolly, tapping the cuffs on my ankle with her foot. I break those, too, and the lion takes another step forward.
Refined's face hardens and she adjusts her glasses. "I think you should leave."
"I think I should stay," Seras shoots back.
The lion comes towards the table, ready to remove Seras from her seat. I leap up from my chair and snarl, baring my teeth, and stare down lion girl.
"Don't," Refined says, just as Seras snaps, "Lost, sit down."
My butt hits the seat of my chair but I continue to snarl, at least until Seras gives me a look and says, "Shut. Up."
I go quiet, but my eyes never leave lion girl. I don't trust her and her wrongness. She's off in more ways than one.
"Why do you listen to her?" Refined asks me, curious. She waves her partner away and watches me relax slightly.
Seras purses her lips. "What do you plan to do with her? There's no way you're going to let her go back into the population without a fight."
"What we do is none of your concern. You're only here as a courtesy. Don't overestimate your worth."
Hands clenching, Seras just barely turns her head to show that she's talking to me. "Do you want to go home now?"
"Yes, please," I whine eagerly. I don't want to be around these weird government people anymore. They give me the creeps, especially lion girl.
Seras stands and lifts me up from under my armpit. "We're leaving."
"Where are you going to go?" Refined challenges, still seated and holding her arm out so lion girl wont try anything. "Lost is in custody of your precinct. Many of your officers saw what she did. Do you really think they'll let you leave, much less me?"
"Try to stop us," Seras threatens. She lets my armpit go in favor of touching my bicep sweetly. "I want to go home," she tells me softly. "Take me home."
My heart thumps at the way she says it, and I gently wrap my fingers around hers after asking permission. She smiles at me, but I can feel her agitation just under my skin. She lets me pull her towards the door and, just as I'm about to open it, lion girl slams her hand on it to stop me. I'm surprised by her speed- it's on par with mine- but I scowl at her, taking Seras home the only thing on my mind.
"Don't let her stop you," Seras whispers in my ear.
"Move," I demand of the lion girl, spurned on by Seras's words.
"Sorry," she says, unmoving.
Frustrated, I release Seras's hand and move to get the lion girl out of our way. She flinches when I get closer but retaliates by slapping my hand away from the door. The hit is much harder than any human could possibly give, and it upsets me. I push her away from me and she skids a few feet back, her face twisting into anger.
Sensing a shift in the air, I gently nudge Seras back and prepare for an attack, just barely getting my hands up in time to catch the lion girl as she leaps at me. I don't want us to fall into Seras so I twist and throw the lion girl on the table. She growls as her back hits the metal, then she heaves me over her, sending me crashing into the wall near her feet. The wall cracks and the long ceiling light sways, and my body tightens, the blood lust in me rising slowly. It's been a long time since I've found someone who could come close to matching me.
I pull myself out of the dent I've made and grab the lion girl's ankle to yank her closer to me. She holds her hands out to block my oncoming punch then throws one of her own, landing solidly in my gut. The blow hurts but my body can take a lot. Sure, my skin is fragile and can bruise, split, and scar, but I know from experience that my insides are much, much tougher. This girl, with her inhuman strength, can hurt me worse than anyone. But I'll be fine with enough time to heal.
The sound of scuffling brings my head up and, as I grab the lion girls hand to prevent her from hitting me again, I see Seras and Refined grappling near the door. My heart clenches and I headbutt the lion girl in the face. She rocks back and lets me go long enough to allow me to go help Seras. Before I can reach her, though, I'm tugged off balance. I roll underneath the table just as a foot smashes down where I was, and I scramble to the other side of the room. I come up, the lion girl on the opposite end of the end table and Seras and Refined still fighting near the door. Refined's glasses are missing and she's being held off balance by Seras, who looks, and feels, absolutely pissed off.
The table flips up, surprising me, and I lift my arms, but that doesn't stop the table from shoving me back hard enough to crash through the dark glass behind me. I stumble into the room beyond, the table squishing me, and Seras's anger fuels my own. A glass shard stabs my lower back, and I pull it out as I throw the table off me. The scent of my blood tips me over the edge.
My blood lust has reached toxic levels.
An ugly growl leaves me and I spot my glowing eyes in a piece of glass still intact. Lion girl's eyes widen and she whispers, "Whoa..." as my muscles tighten dangerously. Seras turns her head enough to see me and she smiles wickedly, still holding Refined, cutting off the woman's air.
"Kill her," Seras breathes, struggling to keep Refined under control.
I chuck the piece of glass that was in my back at lion girl and it hits her in the side, her attempt to dodge it not fast enough. She hisses in pain and tugs out the glass, and I use that sliver of time to fling myself at her, smashing her against the wall. She cries out and I grab for the glass again, shoving it back into her midsection. She goes wild and kicks me back with a fierce snarl.
"Lost!" Seras calls, bringing my attention to her. She's belly down on the ground with a not so refined Refined holding her down. "Get her-"
Refined slaps a hand over Seras's mouth hastily. "No more commands," she grunts. Then looking up to me, "You don't have to listen to her. We're not going to hurt you."
But the lion girl barrels into me, betraying Refined's words. As we tumble to the ground I sink my teeth into her shoulder and shake my head, tearing deep. She pulls on my hair to try to dislodge me but I refuse to let go. Her blood tastes disgusting, and I have to try hard not to swallow any.
"Kill her, dammit!" Seras yells, red smeared on her lips and cheek. Refined is bleeding from her palm, but still managing to hold Seras down.
I bite harder, but the lion girl finally manages to throw me off her just as my teeth graze against bone. I land on my back and wriggle, spitting poisonous blood from my mouth. My throat suddenly feels tight... But it's not my pain I'm feeling. In a panic I flip onto all fours just in time to hear Refined cry, "Cas, no!"
My eyes widen and I skitter towards Seras and the lion girl, Cas, but I only make it halfway before my breath leaves me and all my anger fades away. My body goes slack as I watch Cas uncurl her hands from Seras's neck and whisper, "Try to tell her to kill me now."
I feel nothing- have the desire to do nothing. Like a robot I remove my collar and lay it on the ground, then I stand and run a hand through my tangled hair. There's no bond to keep me here to try to kill Cas, and, honestly, I really don't want to do it. So, avoiding another attack, I ram myself into the door and rip it off its hinges, sending my body sprawling outside. Beefy military-type guys stare wide eyed at me, and now I know why no one came to see what all the noise was about.
Scared of what might happen to me, I jump up and sprint away. I weave through the precinct and make it to the front doors with no problems. I'm not sure what to do now, exposed and wanted by forces unknown, and probably wanted dead by that strange Cas woman. I am a bit relieved, though, to be out of Seras's clawed grip, but of course there's that emptiness in me of being unclaimed.
Running with no particular destination in mind, I avoid major streets and stay as far away from people as I possibly can. I don't know where I'm going or what my next move is, and all I can think is, what now?
