The Woman in Red (The Stone Chronicles: Book 3)

Chapter 5

New York City. August 18th, 2015. 1530 Hours.

Harold

"I do wonder why you had the urge to drag me out of the Subway for this, Ms. Groves." I inquired, "It doesn't exactly seem as though I'm needed."

"You agreed that Markham is more dangerous than she initially appeared, correct?"

"Well, yes... But-"

"We still need to have eyes on her, and I need a better cover, so if anyone asks, we have two kids and you're an imagineer from Disney World."

"Ms. Groves, I've been underground for three months. I hardly think I have the complexion of someone from Florida."

"You think too much, Harry." She complained, "Who's gonna ask? Besides, you're new down there."

"Ah, because that solves everything." I said with a roll of my eyes, "However, I still believe I'd be of more help at the computer working on the Machine..."

"Harold, you're not doing anyone any good when you lock yourself behind a computer screen and stare at it 24/7. You need some fresh air to get your brain juices flowing."

"Mr. Reese, how are you faring with Ms. Markham's apartment?" I asked, deciding to change the subject rather than continue the pointless and somewhat disturbing argument.

"Not well." He answered through the comms, "The day-shift doorman's like a watchdog. I'm not getting in there without a permit or a key."

"Again," I murmured, "More helpful at my computer."

Ms. Groves only managed to elbow me in the stomach before John continued, "I should be able to get in once the evening guy takes over at 4:30."

"You mean to tell me there's no way to get into the building other than the front door?" Ms. Groves asked rather skeptically.

"Well yes, but it would involve extensive climbing gear and an invisibility suit that unfortunately doesn't exist yet.  Anyway, where is she right now?"

"Corner of West 84th and Amsterdam..."

"Good. It'd take her 20 minutes to walk back from there, and if she took a cab or something, that's still 10 minutes or so to get me out. We're all good."

"See Harry, everything's fine." She said with confidence, "Now come along. We don't want to lose her."

"I hardly think everything's alright, Ms. Groves." I said as I hobbled to catch up, "The more and more we learn about Ms. Markham, the more and more she seems to remind me of our old friend, Samaritan."

"Need I remind you that Samaritan is basically a baby Machine?"

"Yes, a baby Machine that systematically kills whoever it wants to-"

"But effectively a brand-new, baby Machine. Don't forget, she's the one who gave us Markham's number. The Machine wants us to save her."

"Or stop her." I reminded her quietly, "And after three months, why would the Machine suddenly decide to give us her number? And how?"

"Those are the questions, Harry." Ms. Groves smiled dangerously, "With any luck, Marham may have the answers."

"Or she'll be the death of us." I grumbled.

"Can't be any worse than we are now."

I hated that I couldn't disagree. We slowly came to a stop as Ms. Markham halted outside of a building. I squinted and started to spout off facts out of habit.

"That would be the Brandeis High School Campus. It houses four different high schools and one elementary school; she could be waiting for anyone."

"Well, it's 3:35; it's either someone from Frank McCourt or Urban Assembly for Green Careers."

"Or a teacher."

"I guess we'll see which."

It didn't take long for them to start pouring out, files of students shoving their way towards their literal embodiment of freedom. With the influx of people, I almost missed Markham's move, but when I saw her slinking quietly towards the crowd, it was hard to ignore the person making their way through the front doors.

"Uh oh."

"What?" Ms. Groves asked.

"Mr. Reese," I said worriedly, "I believe I just found Ms. Markham's connection to us."

"Connection? What connection?"

"Taylor!" Markham yelled, scurrying toward the school doors towards the figure I'd hoped we'd never have to hurt again.

"Anna?" He yelled back, "What're you doing here? I thought you were in London!"

"Just got back in town. Figured we could go out for a late lunch and catch up." She pulled him into a hug and in a hushed voice that could only be heard through the cloned phone in her pocket, she whispered, "We need to talk."

He nodded with a smile, surprisingly good at pretending the tone of her voice wasn't worrisome. As they walked off down the street, I finally answered, "It seems Ms. Markham is friends with Detective Carter's son."

Author's Note

Hey all! Long time no see! 😊

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know it's short, but I promise the next one will be longer (and a bit more interesting 😉).

AKA: it'll probably take me a while to get it written, so thank you all for being so patient!

So as a quick update, I just want to let you all know where I am as far as writing and time and all that. Getting updates out has clearly been a struggle, but it kinda has to do just as much with writer's block as with lack of free time. So that's not helpful.

Anyways, I've started rereading some of my old writing (AKA Escape) and came to a realization: my writing was very different in 8th grade. How would I describe it, you may ask? In one word: bad. In two: not good. So, I'm trying something new.

To try to help me with writer's block and add some variety to what I'm working on, I'm going to continue working on the Stone Chronicles while also working on a rewrite of the Book Attack Series! More information about that will be sent out through my profile once I'm further down the road, so stay tuned!

Again, thank you all for reading (and dealing with my ridiculously long ANs)! If you enjoyed the chapter, please vote, and don't forget to leave a comment about your thoughts!

Love y'all!

~ Maddie