𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮 ➪ 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱

𝘀𝗶𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻. 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀

AGNES WENT OUT FOR MINUTES,
only waking up because of the beeping of George's device.
Lucy coughed.
the blonde raised her eyes, gasping for a large quantity of oxygen, she sat up. bringing her fingers to her forehead, it was smeared with blood, she sighed.
she kneeled over Lucy, shaking the girl awake.
"Luce, you alright?" the girl nodded, eyes raised.
"can you help me with Lockwood and George?" Lucy kneeled over to George, slapping him in the face as she called his name; eventually waking him up.
"Agnes!" Lockwood called half awake, Agnes kneeled over to him. she grabbed his face into her hands as she searched for wounds of any sort, ignoring her own.

"oy, where's his slap?" George commented, hands still on his reddened cheek. "I deserve one I've been an idiot. I should never have brought us here." he grunted, picking a photograph out of his pockets, showing it to Agnes.
"there. I can't believe I missed it. Fairfax wasn't just into casinos. he was the most connected man in Soho before he moved into iron."

"Fairfax knew Annabel?" George asked.
"he didn't just know her. I think he was with her. he gave her the ring. he must have done. that weird hallmark, that means there's gonna be a record of him commissioning it." Anthony explained.
"wait, so...he killed her?" Lucy asked in surprise.
"and the ring's proof."

"I knew it! I knew there was something not fitting in the story. I felt it in my gut!" Agnes exclaimed, happy that her suspicions were right about Hugo Blake.
"I think he brought us here for the house to kill us. it wouldn't have been suspicious, just three more agents dying on the job." Lockwood closed his eyes.

"come on then, let's go." Lucy held Lockwood's hand, "leave before they realize we're still alive." she helped him up.
"if we go via the Red Room, we won't be." George stated negatively.
"look, there's a light! maybe we can get out up there!" Agnes pointed.

each colleague passed through the broken wall, coughing from the dirt and dust.
"go! run!" Lockwood was behind, Agnes not too far ahead.
they had met with Ellie, she held a sword, a gun shot was fired. Fairfax loaded it once more.
"don't move. hands up."
"you. you brought us here to die. it was you." Lockwood's voice was dark, dangerous, angry.
"it was you in our house the other day who I stabbed, it was you who slit Agnes's wrist. wasn't it? there's nothing old about that war wound." Anthony had rage fuming, boiling inside of him.

"there, where I can see you." Fairfax stepped up to both Lockwood and the Berkshire. gun still raised.
"I'm sure you and I can resolve this between ourselves. Agnes..." he glanced at her, wishing she would move away. "can't do. still have unfinished business with my dear old family friend here." she spat on the floor, disgusted was an euphemism to what she felt.

"how dare you try to kill the heir of the Berkshire family you—" she was cut off by the older man.
"I'd be doing a favor to your parents. you say you're an heir but you're just another pawn in our game, sweetheart." he laughed, looking down upon the girl he broke multiple times.
"you thought you could wait till the sun comes up to get your ring and come and get it from our pockets in the Red Room. well, here we are. it's the hallmark that's incriminating. something that specific. I bet you really regret buying that for Annabel now." Lockwood concluded.
Agnes put her hands above her chest, feeling the locket. at least the ring could be of help now.

"no. I don't regret buying it. I often regret leaving it behind when I bricked her into that chimney. I knew it was monstrous. but I couldn't throw my whole life away for one mistake. not then, not now. so lose the rapier and give me the ring." one mistake?
he committed one mistake he regretted.
so the pleads and screams of a young girl of barely ten wasn't regretful? Agnes gripped onto the locket tighter, her jaw hardened, she was almost opening it.

"I can't; I don't have the ring. we don't travel with it. we're not insane." well Agnes certainly was.

"and I'm the only one who knows where it's hidden, so if you kill me, you will never get it back."
"that's a bluff." Fairfax smiled. Anthony unsheathed his rapier. "you'd better shoot me, then."Agnes raised her eyes.
"wait, wait, wait—"

"you'd have fitted in well with the monks, boy. you have a death wish." Fairfax was appalled at the courage of Anthony Lockwood.
"yeah, maybe. but you're not gonna do it. you're already thinking about the different ways you could get caught." Lockwood shook his head, taunting the man with the gun.
"you're just a performer too, aren't you? let's see what you're really made of." the gun was cocked once more.

"no..."
"there it is; you look scared. just like she did."
Agnes stepped in front of Lockwood, "DON'T! don't shoot him." she took the locket out of her sweater. "this is what you want, right?" she held the locket in the air, she'd never give it to him though. she would never let him win again.
"Agnes, you didn't!" George exclaimed, "now you stole it?" he slapped his forehead.

"what's in there?" Fairfax questioned, Agnes opened the locket. "Agnes...what are you—" Lockwood was ignored.
"it's her source, and she's been wanting to see you for some time now." Agnes smirked, holding the ring in her fingers.

"what..." the old man questioned.
"Agnes." Lockwood pleaded, but Agnes didn't listen, she threw the ring up, watching as Annabel was liberated off of it. the ring clattered.
Fairfax called out the name of his lover, his victim.
but in quick seconds the ghost had entered inside of John Fairfax, Annabel choked the older man with fury, screeches could be heard and smoke came out of John Fairfax's holes.

he dropped down to the floor.

Agnes smiled as she saw the ghost of Annabel, they were both freed.
Agnes couldn't help but find pleasure in it, her eyes watered up. Lockwood set the ring inside of the locket, he held Agnes's hands, closing the locket with her fingers. the ghost disappeared, her unfinished business had been finished.

"I'm working with maniacs." George breathed out, they were all panting. it had been a long night after all.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

DEPRAC officials were coming in at every corner. they'd arrested Ellie and now Barnes and his assistant were arresting the company hired.
"we're agents this is our job!" George protested in a soft voice.
"we are employed to be here. you've no right to do this!" Lockwood's voice was the opposite of George's.
they were let go on the entrance, Barnes and his little angry ginger assistant had infuriated faces at the teenagers.

"I gave you an order not to work." Barnes started.
"yes, sir, you did, and I understand-" Lockwood's speech was interrupted.

"shut up!" Barnes ordered. "I knew you couldn't follow the rules, for even one night. but you'll listen now. Anthony Lockwood, George Karim, Lucy Carlyle and Agnes Berkshire; I'm arresting you for conducting an unlicensed physical investigation in direct violation of a DEPRAC ruling." Barnes announced, Agnes scoffed.
"we just survived an attempted murder. John Fairfax killed Annabel Ward, and he brought us here to kill us too. and this is the same John Fairfax who your department has been hand in glove with for the last decade!" Lockwood exclaimed.

"sir, it's true. he strangled her and left her to rot in that chimney." Lucy backed him up. "and why would I believe a word you say, Carlyle?"
"sir, she's not lying. we have proof. this entire job was a trap. ask Ellie. she heard Fairfax confess too." George handed in the cut up news paper to Barnes "well, if this is true—" Barnes was interrupted by Quill Kipps, Agnes rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Inspector Barnes? sorry to interrupt, sir. the deputy commissioner has just arrived." Kipps informed.
"get 'em in the van." Agnes furrowed her brows at Barnes orders.

"Inspector, come on now!" the blonde called him out, but he was already far away.