Clair de Lune

35. Trust

I placed my plate in the sink as I finished up my dinner. The room seemed a little more packed with the addition of a brand new member, but it was cozy, and I was starting to be able to tolerate Sergei's presence. They were talking about something as I washed the dishes, and suddenly a loud ringing from the computer room cut through the chatter. Sergei got up instantly and went to find out what it was, and out of curiosity I followed behind him, staying in the shadow of the doorway as he took a seat and pressed a button.

"Operator Orbital, this is Operator Cranium, requesting view and communication."

"Hey Kelvin, putting you up now." Sergei responded, pressing a few buttons before an image appeared on the screen directly in front of him. The man on there, presumably Kelvin, was heavy set with a thick brown beard and bushy eyebrows. He was definitely someone I wouldn't have wanted to mess with.

"Thank God, Sergei, everyone's been worried sick," the man exclaimed, "what's going on? You look like hell."

"Got my ass handed to me by a girl," he chuckled, turning back towards the doorway and locking eyes with me, "Agnes, why don't you come in?"

I nodded and scooted inside the room, closing the door behind me before walking towards the screen. Kelvin's eyes locked with mine and he seemed to grow suspicious, until Sergei pulled a chair up for me to take a seat in.

"Is this the girl?" He asked.

"Yes. Agnes, this is Operator Cranium, otherwise known as the head of operations at the Skull and Bones," Sergei smiled before looking back at the screen, "Kelvin, this is Agnes Byrnes, a subject also known as Hellfire. She's got a dual pyrokinetic-telekinetic ability, and she packs a mean punch."

"This is one of the subjects you were trying to drag out before the lockdown?"

"Yes, and she's actually the one that caused the lockdown. I have all of the subjects here that I had on the list, plus an extra S Class and agent."

"Agent?"

"Marshall isn't dead." Sergei sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He's been living on the outside for a long time now, a little over ten years. He's actually come up with quite a formidable plan."

"Formidable plan? That man could barely answer a word problem in math class." Kelvin said gruffly, doubt in his eyes.

"If you'll excuse me," I spoke up, completely unappreciative of the way he was speaking. Marshall had become...valuable to me. And this pulled at all the nerves I had, "Marshall's plan includes risking the life and sanity of my dearest friend, and while I may not be on board with it, it's the best option we have. I suggest you hear it out before you shoot it down so quickly, sir."

He seemed completely speechless at my sudden civil outburst. Sergei cleared his throat to ease the tension and I sat up straighter, undaunted by this man's gruff demeanor.

"The extra S Class subject is codename: Murmur, the demon of music. He commands thirty legions of Hell's army, and well, The Necromancer may be able to raise them to the living world to be used in our favor."

"You really expect me to believe you have a biblical demon in your possession?" Kelvin gawked, and I could clearly see that he was not a religious man.

"Would you like to meet him?" I suggested, "drop by the bunker in the morning, and you can see for yourself what we have going on."

"Agnes," Sergei said quietly, attempting to quiet me.

"Actually, I think I just might." Kelvin said, clearly surprising Sergei. "Where are you all holed up at? The one we took over?"

"Yes, there's eight of us currently," Sergei nodded, "the plan currently entails possessing the bodies of the PASCI operatives within the building and using them to our advantage."