Saving the World - Awakening

Czar

The woman held out her hand in welcome, motioning to a chair beside her. Strangely enough, she didn't seem too much older than himself. Puzzled, he walked around the table to the spot next to her her. Before sitting, he looked at her again, up close. She had dark brown hair, but it was braided so he couldn't tell how long it really was. She had a young face, but something about her eyes made her look older than she really was.

"So where's the chief?" Eliot asked.

The woman let out a little laugh and held out her hand, this time in a handshake.

"My name is Jessica Jenson, and I am the Chief of Czar."

Eliot's mouth opened a little in amazement. This woman, Jessica, was the commanding presence in the room. She couldn't be older than twenty, and she was in charge of an entire organization. She was Brachs' rival? She didn't look like she had a chance against a weathered veteran like Brachs. Eliot sat down, still in wonder at the new development.

The people around the table frowned at Eliot's obvious disdain for their leader. He rejected her handshake, a clear sign that he was uninterested in whatever they were offering. Jessica, unfazed, sat down next to him and cleared her throat, signifying that it was time to move to business.

"I assume we know why we are all here?" She said in a clear tone.

Eliot started to open his mouth but decided against it. If he was gonna negotiate his and Ciara's freedom, he would need tact, not whining. One of the oldest members at the table stood up, clearly annoyed at Jessica for some reason.

"The reason we broke off from the Maples is so we wouldn't have Vincent Brachs' influence among us!" he exclaimed, "Now, here you are taking in two of his little experiments!"

Jessica, always smiling, looked around the table to see if anyone else felt the same way. Surprisingly, most of them nodded their heads in agreement. She took a few seconds to consider her response before speaking.

"Samuel, I understand your concern. As it is, out of everyone in this room, I should be the most prejudiced against Brachs and everything he does. But Eliot, here, does not answer to Brachs, nor was he around Brachs enough to be influenced negatively. Isn't that right, Eliot?"

Eliot instantly responded, "Brachs is not my boss. He saved my life once, but then put it in danger again. I owe him nothing."

Jessica looked at who must be Samuel with a "I-told-you-so" look.

"Thank you, Eliot. Any other concerns that you desire to voice?"

The men and women at the table exchanged glances, as if it was a classroom and the teacher just asked a question no one knew the answer to. Eliot let loose a little laugh under his breath. It looked comical, these adults answering to someone a third their age.

"Good." Jessica announced, "Now, Eliot, I am sure you have information that could prove useful to us. Are you willing to help us?"

Eliot grinned. He knew this was coming, now was the time for negotiation.

"I want to know when I am getting released." He said defiantly.

Jessica looked at him, obviously amused. She started laughing, and everyone else around the table did as well, except for Samuel. Samuel continued to glare at him, obviously not believing anything he said. Jessica motioned to the door at the end of the room.

"You are no prisoner here. You're free to go!"

"But" Eliot said, confused, "what about my...partner"

Eliot was searching for the correct word to describe his and Ciara's relationship. Partner seemed to be an appropriate term.

"She attacked my men guarding her room. We did nothing, she deserved to be handcuffed. She's dangerous, one second she will be smiling and happy, the next she will be at your throat, ready to kill you. If you want us to release her, we would be happy to."

Eliot's forehead creased into a frown. This woman was either playing the part of "good guy" or she really was a good person. Maybe Brachs was in the wrong, maybe not. If he could help Jessica, he could, but he wanted to do it on his own.

"Let me talk to her, I'll let her know you are letting her go. Then we can talk information." Eliot said finally.

Jessica smiled and got up, once more offering her hand.

"Let's go get her then."

* * *

Ciara had never been so thankful that Eliot was such a knife freak. The blade he left on the bed for her looked strong, strong enough to break through the handcuffs that bound her.

At least that's what she hoped.

She pressed the knife tip into one of the links holding the cuffs together and walked over to the counter. Bracing herself for the impact, she lifted the cuffs and hit the handle on the counter. With a THUMP the chain broke, but the knife flew towards her as a result. She tried to deflect it with her hand, but the knife cut her wrist. She winced in pain, but held back any exclamation.

Blood poured from her wrist as she tore at the sheets on Eliot's bed. Frantically she wrapped the sheet around her bloody left wrist, pressing it as hard as she could. Her heart beat rapidly as she prayed the cloth would stem the blood flow. After several seconds of waiting, the bleeding looked to have decreased severely. She ripped another strip of cloth off of the sheet and wrapped her wrist more thoroughly with it.

The room fell silent except for Ciara's steady breathing. She broke the handcuffs, stemmed the bleeding; next was escaping. Eliot's knife was laying on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood on the slick wood floors. She picked it up, marveling at its sharpness. If it could cut her wrist open like it was nothing, it could cut the guards' throats.

As soon as she thought it, she remembered Brachs' saying: "killing is never an option." She wrapped the knife in another strip of cloth and tucked it in her waistband. All of Brachs' training had prepared her for this, not acting like a psycho acrobat. She took a deep breath and reached for the door, ready to utilize her training.

As soon as she did, the door opened and Eliot stood in front of her, taken aback by her disheveled appearance. Next to him was a girl, probably the same age as her. After a few seconds, Ciara recognized her: it was Jessica Jenson, her old High School rival. Brachs had told her that Jessica was the Chief of Czar, but Ciara never thought that she would encounter her. Without a second thought, Ciara lunged after her.

Quick as a cat, Jessica backed out of Ciara's range. Ciara drew her knife and started to throw it at Jessica, but the guards around them interfered. A few tranquilizer darts later, Ciara lay on the ground, knocked out. Jessica looked at Eliot critically.

"I told you she was dangerous." Jessica said matter-of-factly.

Eliot hesitated, "Just-just don't hurt her any more than she is. She's just scared, send her back to Brachs and leave them be."

Jessica nodded her head at the guards and they carried her away.

Jessica started, "Now, about the serum..."

"I'll tell you all I know and you tell me all you know." Eliot replied.

"Fair enough; follow me and I'll show you all we know."