Dangerous by Default

52. A mad man in a tailored suit

BZZT!

Mina and Caine jumped at the startling sound of their door bell. It had only been a few minutes since Mina had heard from Janus, and she and Caine had been deep in discussion about the best plan of attack in regards to Ami. They wouldn't be able to relax, and eventually start the womb project, without her.

Mina and Caine looked at each other before saying "Janus!" in unison.

The pad of Mina's house slippers against their polished hardwood floors filled the following silence before the buzzer rang again with even more urgency.

Amidst all the drama of the past hour, it had been easier to hold back the dark thoughts that fought to surface in Mina's headspace. Though the walk from the kitchen to the door only took a few strides, these dark thoughts came to the forefront with ease at what seemed like the worst time.

The mind waits for no one, or something like that. A swirl of darkness. Then there was Ami, bloodied and beaten, tied up somewhere far away. No one but the cloaked figure to hear her screams. Countless treacherous acts of pain and trauma inflicted for hours on end. The figure loomed over its prisoner, laughing coldly with a buck knife in hand. All of it for what? The womb project? Ami wouldn't budge. She wasn't tough, but she'd never betray Dimensions. That's what Mina loved about her. And it's what would cost Ami her life. She could feel tears begin to well up in her eyes, and a rotten voice deep from within telling her that Ami was already dead.

Before her mind could take these illusions any further, the buzzer rang a final time. Mina shook her head back into reality and pressed her hand on the button that let Janus into the lobby of their building. Mina prayed the note Janus found at Ami's apartment would help them bring an end to the whole mess. They just needed some kind of clue. Anything.

The stiffness of drying tears on her face made Mina uncomfortable in her own skin, like she was about to get caught wearing a slutty cop costume by SFPD's best detective. What would Janus think if she saw you like this? With only a few seconds before she would have to open the door, she checked her face in the hallway mirror. She sighed with relief at the sight of a beautiful woman. A swan like neck, a head of messy raven hair, and no evidence of vulnerability to be found. You only feel danger when you're safe.

The sound of swift footsteps outside the apartment got closer. Mina fumbled with the many locks on their front door before yanking the handle in one sweeping motion.

Her blood went cold.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?" Mina screeched.

Covered in sweat, it was Jean-Auguste Pechaude who stood before her. Ignoring her obvious bewilderment, he pushed past her to look inside the apartment with a wild look on his face.

"Is she here? Are you alone, or am I too late?"

"Pechaude, what is the meaning of this? What makes you think you can just barge in after--"

Caine must have heard the exasperation in Mina's voice and came into the hallway in a hurry. The sight of the French man turned his face a color quite similar to the intruder's cloak from the lab.

"What's the meaning of this, Pechaude. Why the hell are you here, man?"

"Please, Caine. I know this is quite unusual. But you must listen! There isn't much time!" Pechaude's eyes bulged with fear as he spoke.

Mina was already becoming impatient, "Don't be ridiculous. All I've got is time. YOU fired me. Why are you here? We're expecting--"

Pechaude raised his voice to drown them out.

"You have to trust me, goddammit. Everything I've done is for you! I fucking love you-"

"Whoa buddy." Caine stepped forward, ready to pounce. This only caused Pechaude to back his way into the living room as he spoke even more frantically.

"This is no time to argue. I am here because I care for you, Mina. I know it may sound ridiculous, but our lives are in danger!"

Once handsome and professional, sweat and bulging veins had covered the chiseled mask of their unwanted guest. Pechaude looked as if he was about to crack. A mad man in a tailored suit. Mina began to wonder where she had left Artemis.

"You're right, it does. Completely. I don't know if you've noticed, but Ami is missing. I've been fired, no thanks to you. And I am VERY married," Mina barked with a coldness that could freeze magma. "I don't know what drugs you've been taking but you need to go. NOW. You're only making things worse."

"You don't get it, you need to leave this place. She's been planning it this whole time, she's the one who took Dimensions. She's the one who kidnapped your head of research. She's coming to kill you!" Pechaude was ballistic, looking more desperate than Mina had ever seen anyone look before.

"You must listen to me, Janus is---"

The blast from a handgun made Mina and Caine wince.

Hands over ringing eardrums could not hide the image that lay in front of them on their very expensive living room rug. Pechaude's blood oozed from the large bullet wound that mangled his handsome face, and the body dropped to the floor at their feet.