Agent 38: I Never Forgot You

Chapter 32: Not Safe, Not At All

     When Sarai had come back from the grocery store, Alex had expected one thing; to eat a mango. That's all. Just that one thing.
     But when his partner walked in and so desperately yelled his name, he knew something was wrong.
     He just hadn't anticipated how wrong that something would be.
     Alex saw the nervous look on her face and tried to look as comforting as possible. Whatever was bothering her, it couldn't be good. "Hey, don't worry, you can tell me anything. I promise I won't be mad. Ok?" He sat down on the stools in front of the counter and gestured at the other. Sarai sat down, glancing at her hands warily. "What's going on?"
     She didn't say a word for a minute or two, her eyes glistening. "I had... a run-in with Gabriel on my way home." Something inside bristled indignantly, sparking some sort of attack-alert thing in his mind. She noticed this and quickly added, "I'm fine, he didn't hurt me. But.." She paused for a second, her breaths coming in tiny gasps. "He did- he threatened to do something. Something really, really bad that would tear us apart."
     He smiled. "I'm pretty sure nothing could ever do that, Sarai." When she didn't smile back, or laugh, or show any deviation from her current emotion, a pounding sense of caution raced up his back. What on Earth could Gabriel have done to make her question the entire relationship they had been building? Suddenly he wondered if all his efforts for the past few months would bear no fruit. "What did he do?"
     She blinked, avoiding his eyes, and seemed to just barely squeeze out her next words. "Before I tell you, I just want you to know that, although this changes things, I'm still me. I'm still the girl you fell in love with all those years ago. Okay?" Alex's eyes flared, just a little. He could feel her spiel about to reach its climax, and he knew that he wouldn't want to hear it. "I just... I wanted to make sure to tell you the truth, the full truth, before my brother could."
     "Sarai," He barely managed to scrape the words off his tongue. "What did he do?"
     "Not he," She whispered. Alex saw a little silver tear trail its way down her cheek. "Me."
     Alex's hearts thumped wildly inside his chest, evicting any remaining air his lungs held. He could already give a guess as to what she was going to say.
     And it wasn't good.
     She met his eyes, a small sob finding its way out her lips. "Alex.. I killed your dad."
     ....No. No, no no no. That's.. that can't be right. It's not.
     He didn't dare say anything for a while, watching in some sort of dazed state of agony and shock as Sarai cupped her hands over her mouth and quietly cried. Eventually, the only word he could think of came to mind.
     "What?" He cried. Alex could feel his lips quivering.
     She nodded, her expression twisted with guilt.
     A surge of unfiltered rage flooded his veins and his breath caught in his throat. This couldn't be possible. Not it any way.
     Cutting out his anger was grief. An overwhelming sense of grief for his father, who had died at the hands of his lover. Secondly, for Sarai, or the Sarai he knew before this secret came out, because he knew that she had to deal with this, too.  And, lastly, for himself. His stupid self who hadn't seen this earlier and confronted her about it.
     Finally, finally, was sadness. He could only imagine how it had happened, how it had played out, how his father had come to an end.
     He shuddered.
     "That.." Alex took a breath, trying to stay collected and not cry. "That is... that is not what I expected."
     "I'm sorry," Sarai burst out. "I was- I was just a kid and I didn't-" she cut herself off with a sob, and for a moment, he felt oddly disgusted. Why was she crying? "I didn't know what I was doing and the goggles- the goggles made me! I never would've hurt him if I wasn't forced to, you kno-"
     "Sarai," Alex cut her off and she fell silent, her eyes wide and scared. He felt a stab of sympathy in his chest. This wasn't her fault. He couldn't be mad at her or her actions. She hadn't done it; the army she'd belonged to had committed the crime.
     His eyes prickled with tears and he looked away, letting them fall. "Was it fast?" He breathed.
     "What?"
     "Was it fast?" He said again, stronger.
     "Yes, it was fast. I-" She wiped quickly at her nose. "I would never be able to hurt someone like that."
     Alex met her eyes. "And yet you killed him."
     This brought on another round of tears. "I- I know. I ruined a lot of things, that's completely on me. I took your childhood and your family, and I am so, so sorry."
     That truth hit him like a brick in the chest. "How.. how did it happen?"
     Her voice wavered as she spoke, the words spilling from her mouth in a cascade. "I was on patrol. I didn't even know he was there- he just ran out of the bushes and stared at me. When I first remembered, I thought it was you because you look so much like him, but-"
     "Wait, wait, wait, when you first remembered? Wh- how long ago was this?" He cried.
     She swallowed. "Before you found me."
     "And you're just telling me this now?" Alex stood up and she flinched back. He faltered.
     "I could never find the right time!" Sarai pleaded. "Please, Alex, I know this looks horrible, but you have to trust me! I didn't do any of this out of malice!"
     "Trust you?" He countered. "You kept a huge secret from me, which directly involved me, for months!" Her expression withered as she took in his arguement. "How am I supposed to trust you if I don't know things? I don't know if we ever agreed to not keep secrets from one another, but this seems like one of those obvious things that you shouldn't hide!"
     They went silent for a while. Alex put a hand on the counter and rubbed his eyes with the other, taking a seat again. After a minute, she spoke.
     "I'm sorry. I know.. I understand that what I did was wrong. On a number of levels." She met his eyes, a look of sadness engraved in their opal hue. Sarai hesitated, and when she spoke again, it sounded forced and agonized. "And... I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore. I get it. And I know I can't justify anything I did. The only thing I want you to know is that.. you really are the centre of my life. And I'm so sorry for everything that's happened."
     Alex caught her hand as she turned. "Look, Sarai. Yes, I'm mad. Yes, I'm disappointed. But that doesn't mean its the end of everything we've been building for the past few months. Okay?"
     She nodded.
     "I just... need time. Alright? That's all."
     "Yeah. I get it." Sarai nodded again, blinking fast. She picked up her phone from the counter. "Just... text me if you want me to come back."
     His partner turned towards the door and, her fingers hesitating on the knob, she spoke again without looking at him. "One last thing." Her voice was hushed and frightened. "Gabriel threatened to hurt you if I didn't go with him. And I'm obviously not going to do that." Now she turned, meeting his eyes. "So.. just lock the doors. Okay?"
     Alex nodded.
     A quiet "I love you" made its way from her lips as she stepped out. The door shut silently behind her, and then he was all alone. He couldn't help but think how those three words had fled so simply from his mouth not more than 20 minutes ago.
     Alex stood up and locked the front door, the balcony, and the windows. He went to the bedroom and flopped down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
     How twisted is this? He thought, exasperated. My lover is my dad's killer. What an awful stroke of fate.
     It took what felt like ages to convince himself that the person who had killed his father wasn't Sarai, but rather a more evil version of her that was controlled by something that definitely wasn't her. That being said, it was completely irrational to be mad at her for something she hadn't done. It was like when he was controlled by Tartar, and everything he'd done during that time was not at all under his control. So it was just stupid to be angry, anyway.
     The main feeling was simply disappointment. Over those sweet few months where there was peace (that he so desperately longed for now), they had grown so close. It reminded him of those fun times three years ago, where things were so calm. He had made plans to do something big a few weeks from now, and suddenly all his preparations seemed as though they would be in vain.
     Alex had bought a ring.
     Simple questions slipped under the cover of sleepiness had gotten him her ring size. A fun 20 questions game had gotten him her favorite color, season, and setting. And a quick consultation from both Aaron and Callie had gotten him a wide variety of locations to take her for the proposal. The only thing left to do was to ask.
     Unfortunately for him, this event would be delayed.
     He felt the hours pass by gradually as he ran the conversation through his head over and over again. He was about to call Aaron, just to talk or rant or ask for his advice, when he heard the front door swing open and slam shut a few seconds later. He sighed, coming slowly to his feet, and walked out into the living room (but not before extracting the ring and its box from their hiding spot and putting both in his pocket).
     Alex rubbed his eyes with a yawn. "Look, Sarai, I thought it over and-"
     He opened his eyes and instantly stopped dead in his tracks.
     The person in his kitchen was not Sarai.
     Instead, a tall Octoling stood. He had pale skin with a faint orange hue, a poorly done buzz cut, a tired look beneath his eyes, and a prominent scar reaching diagonally from one side of his face to the other. He wore a green coat with large pockets that his hands were jammed into, a white t-shirt smothered with dirt, jeans, and a pair of old shoes.
     Alex took a step back and reached for something he could throw. "Who are you? And what the hell are you doing in my house?"
     The Octoling simply glared.
     This is what Sarai warned me about, He realized suddenly. Alex shivered. When there's one, there's bound to be more.
     He glanced at the bedroom door, just a step to his side. The Octoling noticed this and lunged for him.
    Alex threw himself inside the bedroom and slammed the door shut, quickly locking it. He reached for his phone on the bed and turned it on, dialing in Sarai's number as fast as he could. He pressed it to his ear.
     He heard the Octoling pounding on the door and Alex held himself against it, praying that the flimsy wood wouldn't give out.
     The phone in his hands rung once, twice, three times, and then there was a click and Sarai picked up. "Hey. What's up?"
     "Hey, yeah, so you remember how you told me about Gabriel and that stuff?" He blurted.
     "Yeah... why?" Her voice sounded cautious.
     "You had better not be calling anyone in there!" The Octoling roared.
     "What was that?" Sarai cried.
     "Yeah, so there's a guy right outside the bedroom door and I think he's trying to kill me or something, you might want to come home now."
     "What? God, I can't leave you alone for three seconds! I'm on my way. Hang in there!"
     "It's been a little more than three secon-"
     "Why'd you call me? Call the police!"
     "No, because then we're on legal terms and lord knows we've both done some very not legal things! I'm fine not being in jail, thanks!"
     A huge blow landed on the door and he heard the wood crackling by his ear.
     "Sarai, you might want to hurry!" Alex yelled.
     "I'm going as fast as I can! You know I can't drive, I have to run back! Call Aaron, he can get there faster!"
     "There's no time for that!"
     "Get off your phone, coward!" The Octoling yelled.
     "Jump out of one of the windows or something! Get out of there!" Sarai cried.
     "I can't! If I move, the door might-"
     Something slammed against the door, and Alex turned his head to see the blade of a knife peeking through the wood. It slid backwards and started carving a hole.
     "Alex! What's happening?"
     He stepped back from the door, suddenly untrusting of it. More pounding sounded through the room. "Sarai, just stay on the line. I need you to hear what happe-"
     The door collapsed inward and smashed into him, tackling him to the ground. The phone flew out of his hands.
     For a moment, he couldn't breathe. And then his lungs regained air and he shoved the door away, scrambling to his feet. He could hear Sarai's voice shrieking from his phone.
     Alex faced his attacker and snatched the lamp off of the nightstand, pulling the cord along with it, and threw it at the Octoling. It hit him square in the face, knocking him backwards, and Alex kicked him out of the doorway.
     He scooped his phone up from the floor. "Sarai, in case I don't call you back, I want you to know I really do love you."
     "Wait, what? Alex! Don't you dare hang up! I'm around the corner, just wait!"
     She continued yelling, but he didn't hear the rest of it because the Octoling slammed into his side, toppling the both of them over before he could stop the call. The phone, yet again, clattered to the ground.
     Alex grabbed his attacker's face and smashed him into the floor, coming to his knees. "Stop interrupting me mid-conversation!" He turned, reaching to turn the phone off.
     The Octoling came up and, in a move Alex hadn't seen coming, grabbed the back of his neck and threw him to the floor. Stars spun around his vision and Alex swung his fists blindly, making contact only once. His attacker grunted, and just when Alex was about to get to his feet, the Octoling kicked him into the nightstand.
     The edges of it dug into his back as his attacker put an elbow to his chest, keeping him pinned to the wall as he dug around in his pockets for something. Alex swung again, this time landing a flawless blow to the Octoling's jaw, and he stumbled back.
     He ran a finger under his nose, feeling a bit dizzy, and lunged for his attacker.
      Alex was caught perfectly by the Octoling's shoulder shoving him back once more. He hit the wall with a groan, reaching for the back of his head, when suddenly a cloth was slammed against his nose and mouth. His attacker held Alex's arms forcibly with the other hand.
     He inhaled, confused and alarmed, and suddenly realized his mistake when the sharp scent of a certain chemical flew up his nose.
     Chloroform.
     Alex thrashed around desperately, the strength already seeping from his body. This was a mistake.
     "Name's Michael." The Octoling had a fascinatingly deep voice, considering how young he looked. A grim, solemn look spread across his face. "And you already know what I'm here for."
     Michael held the cloth to his face, glaring hard at him. The dizzy feeling grew. Alex's eyes rolled up, darkness marching in, and the next thing he knew was the floor against his face and the phone just a few inches away from his hands. Sarai was still yelling things; he could hear her faintly from the speaker. Maybe now was a good time to call the cops.
     Alex extended his arm as fast as he dared, feeling awfully fragile, and then Michael stomped on his hand and he screamed.
     "Would you just stay down? Do me a favor and make my job easier for a second, sheesh." Alex watched, helpless, as the Octoling grabbed his phone and promptly stopped the call.
     Transforming into some sort of wild animal, Alex began to yell and squirm and writhe, praying that somebody would hear. Maybe the neighbors would file a noise complaint and find them, or maybe Sarai was running up the stairs now. Anything but this, He thought.
     Michael's boots came into view and grabbed his ponytail, yanking his head upward. Alex let out a yell, which was quickly cut off when Michael pressed that wretched cloth to his face again.
     The only word he managed to get out of his mouth was a quiet, desperate "help" that he knew nobody would hear.