Bending Light

29~Heroics

Elise, acting quickly and without anyone's permission, changed forms, teleporting herself in front of the ornithologist and suspected wight. In an instant, she had returned to her human state and forced the wight's pistol towards the ceiling, effectively rendering him defenseless. Well, mostly. Millard, picking himself off the floor, had to rush at an inhuman speed to prevent the ornithologist from smashing her over the temple with the flashlight in his other hand.

Emma lit a flame in her hand and Bronwyn picked up an entire trough filled with ice and fish, and for a fleeting moment, it seemed to (Y/N) as if the peculiars might have gained the advantage over the man. However, their small victory ended when Millard was yet again flung across the room, this time by an invisible force—the same one that held Elise off the floor by her neck. The man shot his pistol upwards once, the silencer having little effect on the dramatic gesture. The room went silent and was filled by a singular, awful scent which in (Y/N)'s experience, could only mean one thing: a hollowgast was blocking their exit.

"If you only knew the great lengths I've gone to, just to get to this point," the man sneered viciously. "Perhaps then you would have pity on me and make this all a bit easier," he ended, pausing wryly. He lowered his flashlight so the peculiars had a better view of him. Besides the layers of coats he was wearing, his eyes were shielded from view by rain-drenched sunglasses.

"But I'm no fool," he began again, voice changing. "I've done my research, and I've been very patient about it. Here we have Emma Bloom..." the wight continued gloating, but (Y/N) stopped paying attention. He knew about everyone, even what they feared the most. (Y/N) noticed the effect it had on Jacob whenever the man changed his voice, taking on another personality entirely. It was clear her cousin had known these people, that this "Dr. Golan" he whispered about had been watching them their whole lives, which begged the question: was he working alone or had the Nazis sent him?

If Ransom was right, then the time had gone by for the children to keep hiding in their loop. It was only a matter of when and how the wights got them. As she arrived at this horrifying conclusion, (Y/N) stiffened; the wight had finally walked up to her.

"You have a choice," he declared bluntly. "The three of you. You'll be allowed to live—allowed to live pleasantly, I might add—in safety and with peace of mind—so long as you agree to work with us. That is, Malthus and I," he gestured behind him to what (Y/N) assumed to be the hollowgast. It had dropped Elise to the ground, but kept an invisible grip on her, a shadow falling across the ground as one of its tentacles pushed her forward alongside her sister and cousin.

"And if we accept," (Y/N) paused, trying to stall. "Wh—"

"What will happen to our friends?" Jacob finished shakily despite his defiant look.

"They're not part of the bargain," "Dr. Golan" replied coldly. "They made their choice long ago. But you three are different. Because of who you are and who your grandfather was, you can become part of a greater plan."

"A greater plan that involves harming the twins?" (Y/N) asked, but the wight's face revealed nothing.

"A greater plan that will finally give peculiars the power they deserve. A plan that will unite peculiars and the so-called monsters, finally pushing back at the coerlfolc—the pitiful normals who dared push us down. I for one will enjoy the expressions on their faces when they realize they've been playing with power that's never been theirs. "

"I'm going to speak for myself," (Y/N) responded, "when I say that I think you were a power-crazed monster even before you created your experiment. I'd rather take my chances with the hollowgast." To her short-lived relief, her sister and cousin nodded their heads in agreement.