Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 43: Lacerate

*****CONTENT WARNING: Guns and canon-typical violence*****

It was nearly midnight when Connor stepped into the mostly empty lobby of the Tower. He moved through it cautiously and quietly.

"Welcome back, Connor." A feminine voice called to him from a corner.

He turned to see Ms. Alvarez moving toward him. "Good evening," he said, keeping his tone neutral. "I didn't expect you to be here this late."

She gave him a stiff smile. "Well, I had a lot of work to get done." She fell silent for a moment, then cleared her throat. "You've been gone a while. Is everything alright?"

He nodded, looking at her warily. "Yes. I was just working on my new mission."

"I see."

Connor saw a flicker of doubt behind her eyes, sending him into high alert. He looked around noticing a few agents standing around the edges of the lobby. They made no move toward him, but he made a note of the number as well as their positions. There were 15, all spaced evenly around the large area.

"You best head down to the labs, Connor." The intern's voice was cold. "They'll want to replace your tracker. The techs should be back in the morning. You can wait for them in your usual place."

"Very well." He gave her a final nod, then moved past her to the elevator. Once inside, he felt a small swell of relief, then reached through his connection to Simon. He felt the android open up to him.

Any trouble? Simon asked.

No. So far so good. Connor reflected briefly on his conversation with Ms. Alvarez. But something feels...off. There are more agents about than usual for this time of night. Be careful.

We will. North and I are in the parking garage now, heading toward the shipping floor.

Keep the connection open, Connor sent back. Just in case.

He felt the affirmation from the other side, then pushed the connection to the back of his mind where it would still be accessible but not intrusive.

He watched through the tinted glass as he passed floor after floor, making his way down to the lower levels where he would hopefully find Clara. Without prompting, his reconstruction software triggered, creating a ghostly outline of the doctor. As it had before, the construct moved through Clara's familiar behaviors, the way she rocked back and forth on her heels, the way she gripped her bag and tucked her hair behind her ear.

I'm coming, Clara. Just hold on.

Connor allowed the reconstruction to play out for a few more moments before shutting it off.

The elevator slowed, coming to a halt on subfloor -48, and the door opened up to an empty hallway. Connor stepped out, looking around. He noted the cameras briefly, then began the walk to the lab.