New Kid On The Block

Ch 12: Not the Only One

I reached towards the nightstand, groping in the darkness for my phone. It took me a full thirty seconds before I remembered I had left it on the kitchen counter in my apartment. And I doubt that it survived the fire.

The fire.

A flood of memories washed over me and for a second I thought I was going to be sick. But it quickly passed leaving me still half propped up on the unfamiliar bed. I stretched my hand out across the bed, my fingers found nothing but cold sheets. Wrench must have gotten up already. I glanced around the room looking for a clock. If there was one, it was to dark to see.

With a huff I fell back against the bed, supporting myself on my elbows. Although the room was mostly dark, a thin strip of light illuminated the bottom of the door. It wasn't much and it was already dim to begin with but even so it managed to hurt my eyes.

As if on cue, a dull throb began just above my right eye. I tentatively reached up prodding the bandage the nurse had put over the cut. The adhesive was sticky and had started to peel from sweat. But I figured I should leave it on, so I mentally swatted my hand away. It was keeping the blood inside my body and me from dying so I guess that was enough to keep it. Especially since I was a wuss when it came to blood.

The light under the door flickered briefly. I silenced my breath for a moment to listen. Just barely above the pounding in my head, I could hear a tv through the thin wall.

Standing up wasn't as much as a challenge as I imagined it would have been. At first I was little light headed but I made it to the door with ease. The door swung open without any resistance, the handle on it was already broken and the door was just propped shut.

"What are you doing up?" Wrench questioned hearing the bedroom door open.

"What are you doing up?" I shot back with the same quizzical voice. He rolled his eyes in response.

You'd think that by now I'd be use to seeing him without his mask. But I wasn't. He still wore it a lot of the time when we were alone together most of the time. Every now and then though, he'd randomly just appear with it off. I didn't say anything about it and neither did he. I guess there really wasn't anything to say. Sometimes he was comfortable without it and other times he wasn't.

"I told you, I don't sleep much." He sighed taking a drink from a can. It looked like red bull or some other type of energy drink knock off but I couldn't tell from where I was standing. "I sleep a few hours and I'm good for like a week."

"Yeah sure." I mumbled dropping onto the couch next to him. The pain in my head was starting to get worse. I pressed down with my hand over the source of the pain, like that would help. "Can you get me drugs?" I asked jokingly with a side ways grin. "Like Advil or something?" For a second I thought he was going to crack a joke. Instead he just stood with the same stoic, tired look on his face and disappeared into the bathroom.

He came back carrying a pill bottle. Tossing it to me, he entered the kitchen area and grabbed a glass from one of the cabinets.

"Oxycodone?" I murmured reading the label on the bottle. "How did you get these, aren't these prescription drugs?" He handed me a glass of water to drink with the pill. "Amber Flaig." I frowned reading the name. "You stole these?"

"Bought them. A while ago, they should still be good." He commented taking the bottle, and quickly glancing over the label. "Yeah, they're still good. Here take one. They'll help you sleep too." He shook out a pill placing it in my hand, before putting the cap on and setting it on the stand.

"Is that why you take them? To sleep?" I asked, looking up at him and rolling the blue pill back and forth between my fingers.

"Don't look at me like that." he said narrowing his eyes at me. "I don't take them...at least not anymore. They didn't work anyways, that's why the bottle is so full." I stared down at the pill, unsure of whether or not I should take it. I wasn't an expert on narcotics. The little bits I did know came from DARE class in high school and what I picked up online. All of that said this was a bad idea. And I half expected Daren the lion to burst in and knock the pill out of my hand.

Wrench noticed my hesitation and said, "Don't take it if you don't want to, but don't complain to me when you have a splitting migraine in a half hour." I sighed deciding the pain wasn't worth it and swallowed the pill with a sip of water. I finished the glass before relaxing back. My head was still throbbing slightly so I pressed my face against the cool leather material on the arm of the couch. It offered little relief but felt good none the less.

I must have fallen back asleep because the next thing that i could remember was Wrench gently shaking me awake.

"What?" I grumbled still half asleep, I sat up rubbing my face.

"Sitara called, she needs us down at the Hackerspace."

"M'kay. Give me a second." I yawned. "Could you get me another glass of water?" He stood up silently bringing me back a filled glass. He sat beside me watching as I slowly downed the glass, still waking up. "What?" I asked noticing his over analytical gaze. He didn't say anything at first, measuring his words.

"After we were attacked at your apartment, Dedsec circled it's wagons." he said slowly, gauging my reactions. "Everyone responded except for Horatio." I froze the glass inches from my lips. I slowly brought it down until it was resting against my thigh. "Marcus went to his last known-"

"He's dead." I breathed out. Wrench nodded looking down. I closed my eyes leaning my head against the back of the couch.

"They took him before the attack on your apartment. Ray thinks it might have been a diversion."

"Do we know who?" I asked opening my eyes. Which wasn't a good idea because when I did tears escaped. I blinked hard to clear them, but it didn't stop a few from escaping.

"Yeah, we know who. They worked for the Tezcas, and they were all on police records."

"The Tezcas? What do they want with Dedsec?"

"It looks like they were trying to use Horatio to funnel information back through to them." Wrench murmured. He hesitantly reached forward taking the glass from my shaking hand and setting it on the floor next to him.

"Why though?" I whimpered. "Dedsec wasn't going after them in anyway. We weren't digging into anything if there's."

"I don't know." He said gently brushing the tears from my face. I drew in a shaky breath leaning forward to press my face against his shoulder. He realized what I wanted wrapping his arms around me and drawing me against him.

I didn't cry anymore. There was no point in crying. It wasn't going to get anything done and it wasn't going to get Horatio back.

I didn't know him well, and I suppose that should mean I shouldn't be so attached. But I was tired of losing people. And although I had no proof yet I didn't doubt for a second that this somehow was all tied to Blume. Losing Horatio was like losing my brother all over again. The Tezcas were going to pay. Blume was going to pay.

"We should get down to the Hackerspace." I murmured. 

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I'm so sorry about the long wait, and I know this chapter isn't long but I promise I have more coming this week!