Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 33: Strangled

A light knock on the door of her bedroom shook Clara from her nightmares. She slowly sat up, shaking the away the cobwebs of thought. She looked around a moment, seeing it was fairly late in the morning. Connor hadn't come to wake her, so she'd slept in. Another knock on the door grabbed her attention.

"Come in," she called, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

The door opened, and she recognized the blurry figure as Eli. He came and sat beside her on the bed. 

"It worked, Clara," he whispered, face breaking into a grin. "North's team got everyone from your lab down to the city last night. Some of them were even starting to wake up when I checked this morning."

Clara felt a flicker of disbelief, looking at him blankly for a moment. "It worked?" 

He nodded, taking her face into his hands. "It worked, little goose. Your deviants are okay."

She felt the air leaving her lungs as a flood of relief drenched her. She could scarcely breathe. She felt a few hot tears call from her eyes as her body started to tremble. She slumped against Eli, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

"It worked," she whispered, voice shaking. "They're okay. They're going to be okay." She could breathe again. Shallowly at first, but then deeply. She felt the noose loosen a little. Her friends were going to be safe. 

He wrapped is arms around her, holding her close. "You're doing well," he said, stroking her hair.

Clara allowed herself to indulge in the comfort for a moment, then pulled away. She swiped the tears from her eyes and looked at her cousin, unable to keep the smile from her lips. 

"Everything went according to plan?" She could scarcely believe it.

He nodded. "Everything. The bags they'll receive at the warehouse are just full of mannequins, donated generously by an anonymous supporter."

"And they shouldn't even be interested in the trucks until the next researcher is ready for them, but that won't be until after my deadline, so we should be free and clear long before then." She felt the relief bleed into a feeling of euphoria. Maybe they could really pull this off!

They sat in silence for a moment, as Clara absorbed the information. She felt some of the tension leaving her body, able to breathe more freely than she had since Cyberlife first recruited her. The feeling left her lightheaded. 

"It's a little crazy downstairs," Eli said, shaking her from her thoughts. "They're throwing a party to welcome the newcomers. It's been a while since we've gotten in this many at once." 

He grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "And they owe it all to you." 

She ducked her head sheepishly. "You know I couldn't have done it alone," she said, smiling. "Everyone's done their part."