The Cure

XXIII

"What's he doing here?" Griffin hisses at me through the corner of his mouth. The way he says it, with such malice, frightens me.

"Adler," Reese stands up, "You didn't tell me you were going to bring him here."

I hesitate, not knowing which question to answer first but I decide to turn to Griffin. "You don't remember him?" I ask.

"Oh," Griffin snorts. "I remember him, of course." 

"Yes, Reese. I've brought him here because for some odd reason," I emphasize with sarcasm, "he has been kicked out of his lodgings and nobody will let him take residence anywhere." I'm still sour at Reese for refuse to help Griffin and I want it to show.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" I tug at Griffin's arm and lead him past Reese where I lend a long glare, avoiding his eyes, naturally. I want to talk to Griffin alone but it would be awkward to take him to one of the back bedrooms so I shut us in the pantry instead. We barely fit, and the scent of flour is overwhelming, but that's okay. We're alone.

"Why is he here?" Griffin repeats again. He's turning so red I almost think he's gonna pass out. 

"Reese is staying with Ofelia and I." 

"I can't believe you would trust him!" Griffin looks sick and grabs me by the shoulders. "He's a guard" he says, practically shaking me. 

"No, he's not! He told me the truth about where he came from, he's from the Growing Domes outside of Haim's City. He's told me everything about Haim and his control over us, you'd be shocked!"

"I am shocked! Shocked you believed his lies."

"He's not lying!"

"How do you know?"

"I –," Truth was, I didn't. I had no good answer to give him, or that is, I couldn't well say, "Oh, I looked into his beautiful eyes and I just felt so sure..." Yeah, that was definitely not going to go over well.

"If you really think you can trust him, I won't tell you what to do, but I'll tell you this. I've seen how he really is and I'm warning you, be careful of what he asks you to do."

"Well, that's all odd and mysterious Griffin, but how do I know you're not lying?" I shoot out the words before I can stop myself and we're so close, inches away from each other, that if I stumbled we'd hit noses. His eyes, unlike Reese's, are cold and grey, like a stormy sky, rather than a clear blue sea.

"Adler, if you trust him more than you trust me, whom you've known longer than your own dead parents, I swear, I'll act as if I'd never known you."

Is this a threat, because if it's a threat I swear I'll slap him.

I back away. "He wants our help to infiltrate the factory."

"Our help? Why does he need my help? He doesn't deserve it, not after..." he stops himself and gazes out the tiny window. "I assume it's because I worked there, in the factory."

"'Worked'? Did you get sacked?" How come he didn't mention this? Oh, he's driving me mad!

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. If they catch me in there again, unauthorized, I'll be shipped off to the Western Region. Maximum security and working in one of those factories...sorry, I ain't gonna risk that." 

"Griffin!" This was it, I was going to do it and it was going to hurt. "I'll tell you something. Ever since Reese showed up he's acted like he runs the world. I believe his stories, yes, but that doesn't mean I approve of him. He talks like he has an answer, a Cure. Ever since my father died I've lived my life wanting to know what it is and here's my ticket. I don't trust Reese, that's why I want you to stay with me through this, because there isn't anyone I trust more than you."

Griffin's eyes go wide, a moment when he allows some form of expression to pass his face. It vanishes, as usual, into passivity and he nods.

"Fine, but I guarantee you that if he does one thing against my advice, I'll kill him."

"Fine, and I'd gladly help you." I open the pantry door and step outside into the kitchen, Griffin following behind. He walks off, telling me he's going to clean up before he has to actually listen to Reese. I don't lead him to the bathroom, he knows this house as well as I do. I watch as he goes in, shuts the door, and turns the water on. I stand there for a while then sigh.

I'm so sorry, Griffin, I never thought I'd ever have to lie to you. 

*

"So," I speak awkwardly, slowly, trying to keep our conversation flowing. Reese and Griffin have been staring at each other dead serious for the past fifteen minutes and haven't said hardly a thing. Ciel continues to grip Reese's arm like a baby, which annoys me for some reason and Trix is staring at me like I have something in my teeth, with that sort of disgusted yet "I'm-not-going-to-say-anything" look.

When should we infiltrate?" I ask. 

"Tomorrow morning," Reese spouts out.

"Isn't that rather soon, or do you have a flawless plan, already?" Griffin looks smug and disdainful which is rather unusual, as he never lets his confidence show (and trust me, he's got a terribly exasperating sense of confidence)."

"We need to go in, just as the sun is rising," Trix decides.

"Griffin has to get us a map, though," Ciel explains, "if we're to find our way around properly."

I know ym way around fine, I've worked there half my life. Besides, Maycroft took possession all my belongings when I was let out." Here he glares even harder at Reese until I'm sure lasers must be shooting out of his eyes. The temperature has increased significantly in the room, does any one notice?

"Then you'll have to go in first, naturally," Reese settles.

"Fine with me."

"Good."

Boys, please, you're making me sweat! Boys are so stupid. What's with all the competition? 

"Okay, then that's settled. We'll leave tomorrow just before sunrise, go to the back vent and get inside. Uh, what do we do once we're inside, again?" I was rather confident, but no matter how many times Reese, Trix and Ciel tell me, the plan once we're inside does not sound very...harmless. 

"We crawl through the vents until we come to the belts to see what this particular factory makes, then we steal a sample, go to security, take the videography and put it on this hard drive and leave." 

Trix, my dear, you are almost as confident as Griffin, and equally infuriating.

"Fine, good, so why do you need all five of us to go when you two did it on your own just fine in all of the other thirteen factories? I'd really like to know." I cross my arms over my chest, waiting patiently, with a very sarcastically pleased look on my facade. 

"Well, this factory is different," Ciel says.

"How?" Griffin asks. "I've heard the Western Region's factories are the most dangerous to break into."

"Well, they are, but not like this one. This one is...more important to Haim than any of the others."

"Why?" even I can't help but be curious.

Reese finally looks at me and laughs, "you know what they say; 'hidden in plain sight'."

"And that's suppose to mean?"

"This is where Haim makes his poison."