"You don't think I'm evil, do you?" Claire asked, sitting at Rachel's kitchen table the morning after they'd buried yet another person in the wall of the abandoned apartment complex. Rachel, stood at the counter, was stirring her coffee with a spoon and exhaled, then shook her head.
"No, Claire, I don't think you're evil," she replied, "I think you're sick, and that that illness makes you do evil things. And that isn't the case for every sick person, but it's the case in this situation. But the nice thing about illness is that it doesn't define you, so no, you're not evil. But we have to stop doing this. It's going to get bad if we don't, and someone will catch you." Claire nodded, reaching onto the table for a poppyseed muffin and, after unwrapped the bottom, taking a big bite out of it. Rachel seated herself at the table as well, sipping her coffee as Claire chewed. "...what if I killed someone without being off my medication? Would that make me evil?" Claire asked. "Depends on the situation, honestly," Rachel said, shrugging, "there's self defense, other morality based rationalizations, what have you. Just depends. But let's hope you never have to find out." Claire nodded again, chewing silently. If only she knew what the future held. *** "Hey," Benny said, approaching Molly on the couch, covered in a blanket, "you okay?" "I feel...dumb," she said softly, "everyone has left, obviously it's okay to, maybe we overreacted. I don't know. I just feel dumb. And I also feel dumb for being duped so easily, repeatedly. First by the guy I dated in high school, then by Allie, and then by this girl. Why do people like to lie to me?" Benny shrugged as he seated himself on the arm of the couch, opening a bag of cookies and reaching in, handing one to Molly before biting into one himself. "I don't think it's a personal thing," he said, half chewing, "I think...people can often tell what other people are like, you know, what kind of person they are? They meet you, they see you're sweet and understanding and compassionate. They wanna take advantage of that, and sadly those traits more often than not entice assholes, not others who share them. But that isn't your fault, nor should you be ashamed of being that way." Molly blushed as she bit into the cookie as well, the two of them sitting in silence for a moment. Finally the apartment door opened, and Olivia entered. She waved at Benny, who got up and exited into the bathroom while Olivia pulled her jacket off and, still in her blackjack uniform, seated herself on the couch beside Molly. Molly handed her the bag of cookies, which she happily took and reached into. "You doing okay?" Olivia asked, and Molly chuckled. "Benny just asked me that," she replied, "but I don't know, I guess? It's really hard to say." Olivia set the bag of cookies down on the other side of herself, then reached out and took one of Molly's hands, squeezing gently. Molly looked over, blushing. "...to pull you in the way they did is despicable, but they do clearly care," Olivia said, "and that...that's something you can't shake a fist at. It's so hard to find people in this world who genuinely want the best for you. Even rarer if they aren't direct family. I know not all families are great, but even still. But you're clearly cared about, by them, and by us, okay? You can stay here as long as you want, it's okay, I would't blame you for being too scared to go home." Molly nodded, on the verge of tears. Olivia leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, and that did it. Molly finally broke, and laid her head against Olivia's chest, sobbing. Olivia simply held her, stroking her hair as Benny re-emerged from the bathroom, wiping his hands on his pants. He smiled at the sight, as Olivia nodded to him, smiling back. They would be okay, and Molly would be okay, because they had her now. *** Zoe was sitting at the bar in the casino, sipping on a soda, staring at the wood grain finish on the bartop when she heard a stool pull out beside her. She glanced over and saw Effie, who smiled happily at her. "Where you been?" Effie asked, "I've been trying to reach you for hours." "...I had an emergency...well, Molly had an emergency, so Allie and I went to help her," Zoe said softly, "she's...she's fine though, like, no need to worry. Everything's okay now." "Well I was gonna take you to dinner tonight, but seeing as it's already almost 7, maybe we-" "I'd like that, if we could still go," Zoe said, catching Effie by surprise. "Yeah, sure, whatever you wanna do," Effie replied, smiling happily, pulling Zoe's hand to her lips and kissing it, "whatever you want, okay?" Whatever Zoe wanted? She wanted a night of normalcy. Of comfort. Of stability. She wanted things she knew she'd never have as long as she was attached to Allie Meers. Oh sure, at first working for your heroes seems like a dream come true, but it's anything but. She finally understood the old phrase 'never meet your heroes', because since meeting Allie, all her life had done was become worse. Sure, she was successful beyond her wildest dreams, but was success worth everything else that had come with it? And then it hit her. Zoe turned and looked at Effie, who was piling snack mix from the bowl on the bartop into her mouth, and Zoe smiled. The success sure wasn't, but Effie was. And if she hadn't become involved with Allie, the chances of meeting Effie, and thus being her open honest self, likely would've never happened. Maybe meeting your heroes wasn't so bad after all. *** Allie was sitting in a car outside the location Claire had given her, in the backseat while Agents Siskel and Tropper were in the front. They'd been parked here for a good fifteen minutes, nobody saying a damn thing. Finally, Allie reached out, fingers clutching the doorhandle, when she felt Agent Siskel reaching back, grabbing at her knee. Allie stopped and looked up at her. "You're gonna need protection," she said, "I'm going to give you a gun, okay? You don't have to use it, but just know that you can. And we'll be right outside." "I...I don't...I don't know that I've ever used a gun," Allie muttered, surprised. "It's not difficult, it's already loaded, it's ready to go, all you have to do is aim and pull the trigger," Agent Siskel said as she pulled a small black handgun from the bag in front of her and handed it back to Allie, who took it hesitantly; Siskel, brushing her hair from her eyes, then added, "Allie, it's just a last resort, okay? We don't know what Claire might do. I don't think she'd hurt you, but you never know. It's better to be safe than sorry." Allie nodded, taking the gun and putting it in the interior pocket of her coat. She then climbed out of the car and looked up at the building, where she spotted someone looking down at her, before they quickly pulled back in through the window. Allie exhaled, and then headed up the stairs and into the building through the front doors. Once inside, she could see this wasn't a building anyone used. This was clearly picked because it was abandoned. Allie balled her hands into fists and headed up to the room Claire had told her to go to. Step by step her heart quickened, terrified of what it was she might find at the top. She finally reached the hallway, the door on the right, room 317. Allie stopped and stared at the numbers on the plaque. Whatever lay behind this door...whatever she walked into...there was no coming back from it. This was it. This was a turning point. Allie exhaled, reached into her pocket, her hand gripped around the gun, and then she turned the doorknob. Once inside, she found a completely empty apartment. She furrowed her brow in confusion, before walking further inside. She hadn't imagined it. She'd seen someone in here. She knew she had. She headed to the bathroom. Nobody. The bedroom. Nobody. The kitchen. Nobody. What was going on? Finally she was in the guest bedroom, and as she turned back to re-enter the living room, she stopped. Standing there in the doorway was Rachel St. Claire. "Jesus!" Allie shouted, "what the fuck?! Why are you-" "Shhh," Rachel said, putting a finger to her lips, "you need to go here." Rachel walked forward slowly and slipped a piece of paper into Allie's hands which had new directions to a building a few blocks away. Allie looked at it, confused, and suddenly realized this room was a decoy. Claire probably knew Allie had been picked up, and knew that she'd have the agents with her, so she gave a decoy room so that the agents wouldn't stop whatever it was they had to do. Allie looked at Rachel, her eyes squinting, trying not to cry. "I'm scared," she whispered, and Rachel nodded, almost in tears too. "You should be," she replied, which sent a chill down Allie's spine. *** Molly was asleep on the couch, her head in Olivia's lap, Benny sitting on Olivia's other side. Molly hadn't been asleep in almost three days, and she couldn't stay up any longer, even when driven by fear. Benny and Olivia were watching TV as Molly snored lightly. Benny glanced down at her, then up to Olivia, and they laughed quietly at one another while Olivia continued to lose her fingers in Molly's hair. "What do we do here?" Benny asked. "I think we do exactly what we're doing," Olivia replied, shrugging, "I mean, why complicate things when they're so obviously simple. If you're asking what you're asking for the reasons I think you are." "I definitely am," Benny said, reaching over and holding Olivia's free hand. Benny had absolutely no qualms about bringing a third into this relationship, especially if that third was Molly Hatchet. Since the moment she'd come into his and Olivia's life, they'd both instantly taken a liking to her, more than that of platonic too. They'd been in an open relationship for years, but they'd never met someone who properly fit their criteria of someone to add as a third until Molly. Olivia lost her fingers in Molly's hair while Benny turned his attention back to the television. Perhaps, he thought, even if things went further down the drain in terms of Allie's plan, if nothing else good came of this entire situation, one thing had and that one thing had been meeting Molly. And for Molly? Despite being scared out of her mind, and not having slept in days, she actually felt safe enough to do just that here, in their presence. Because she felt like no matter what, if anything did happen, Benny and Olivia would protect her. Sometimes, it turns out, you meet the right people by knowing the wrong people. *** Zoe stared at the appetizers in front of her, while Effie leaned back in her chair, sipping from her wine glass, watching Zoe closely. Zoe reached out and picked up one of the deviled eggs from the plate and bit into it slowly, almost as if she was uncertain whether it was poisoned or not. Effie could tell something was wrong, but she wasn't exactly sure how to broach the issue. Finally, after a long wait, Effie sighed, set her drink back down on the table and leaned forward. "What's going on with you, man?" she asked, causing Zoe to look up at her, surprised; Effie continued, "you haven't been okay in months. I know Allie is making things difficult, but...fuck, Zoe, if she's really making things that hard, maybe it's time to consider the alternative." "I don't want the alternative," Zoe mumbled. "Well, you're not happy now, so what else is there? Listen, you're talented enough on your own, okay? I know that, your sister knows that, even Allie knows that. You could, at this point, strike out to make a name for yourself and leave Allie in the dust, and I know that sucks to hear because she's your friend and your partner but...but I don't think I've seen you genuinely happy in over half a year." "It isn't just Allie," Zoe said quietly, taking another small bite from a deviled egg, "it's everything...it's...people might believe in me, but I'm not sure that I do, and...and I can't abandon her. I can't do what her cousin did." "You are not responsible for a grown ass womans career, and especially not for her sense of self, okay?" Effie asked, reaching out and taking Zoe's free hand in her own, rubbing the back of it with her thumb gently, adding, "Zoe, you're your own person. You're allowed to be an individual. I will support you, alright? Even if you wind up not wanting to do magic, or, by some act of some kind of god being bad at it solo, I'll support you then too, okay? Because I love you, and I wanna help you be happy and satisfied, and right now you're not either." Zoe nodded gently. Effie wasn't wrong. But Zoe felt such shame attached to wanting to leave Allie behind. After all, all of this was, more or less, Zoe's fault. If she hadn't been assigned as her partner in the first place, none of this would've ever happened. She looked up and her eyes sparkled at the sight of Effie's face, lit by table candlelight, and she smiled for the first time in days. "I love you," Zoe whispered, making Effie blush. "I love you too," she replied, pulling her hand up to her lips and kissing it gently. Seemed like everywhere you looked, everyone was finding peace. Everyone except Allie Meers. *** Allie stood in front of the door, once again faced with the realization that whatever was on the other side of it, she wasn't sure she wanted to face. But she had to. She had to. She had no other choice. Rachel would keep the agents at bay, and they had no idea where she currently was. Allie swallowed, blinked a few times, then opened the door to the empty apartment loft. Dark, drafty, and sitting in the middle of the room was a chair with a woman tied to it. Allie approached, just as Claire came out from the nearby bathroom, washing her hands. The two women stopped and Claire smiled and waved at Allie. "I've got a bit of a problem with germs," Claire said, as she wiped her hands on her pants. "And yet you kill people," Allie said, "the most digusting, germ ridden act one could perform." "Please, sex is worse. That level of intimacy? Disgusting. No form of protection could prevent you from getting too familiar with your partners personal body fluids," Claire said, causing Allie to make a face. Claire sat on a stool in front of the chair, and Allie slowly, cautiously, came around beside her, looking at the woman she now knew as Kristin. "This is her?" Allie asked, and Claire nodded. "This is her," she replied, "in all her backstabbing glory. Funny what people will do to those they claim to love, isn't it? Not to mention manipulative. She chose the easiest one of us to get involved with, because she knew how easy Molly was to trick. Which begs the question...how much does her employer actually know about this? Does he know that Tony is trying to build a vault? Or did they just pick the most accessible one because of accessibility sake?" "Let's ask her," Allie said, approaching Kristin and ripping the tape off her mouth. Her eyes were red, dark circles underneath, and her hair an absolute mess. She looked like she'd been drugged or crying; Allie then backed away and, one hand in her coat pocket gripping the handle of the pistol, she asked, "we need some answers from you, okay?" "I'll tell you whatever you want to know, I already told her that," Kristin said, nodding towards Claire, who just scoffed and rolled her eyes, causing Allie to glance at her. Claire then leaned in towards Allie, her voice a dull whisper. "She can tell us whatever we want to know but that's not going to stop her from going back to her boss and telling him everything that just happened here. For all we know, all her boss is after is Tony, and his money. But now we're involved. Now she's got faces. That paints a target on our backs, Meers. Be very careful with how you approach this, because at this point, I don't think she can be trusted," Claire said quietly, Allie nodding in agreement. "Why did you want Molly's blueprints?" Allie asked, turning back to face Kristin now. "Because my boss told me that he had a sneaking suspicion that Tony was cutting back his funds," she replied, "and Tony's his biggest benefactor, so that's not good for business. Whatever else is going on here, I have no fucking idea. My boss thinks Tony had his daughter stalked by the police, causing her so much distress she eventually took her own life, but not before turning info on him to those who'd been asking. He's...not very happy with the current situation." "I would imagine not," Allie said, grabbing Claire by the shoulder and pulling her off the stool and a little ways away; she cleared her throat and said, "she knows absolutely nothing. That being said...you aren't wrong. She could just as easily go back to him, tell him who else is involved, which if he then shares that information with Tony, he'll know something is up and I can't have him getting suspicious. I need him to trust me for the time being." "Then do what has to be done," Claire remarked, her eyes narrowing, "do what you know you have to in order to have security." Allie looked over her shoulder at Kristin, who appeared absolutely terrified, and she sighed. "I don't think I can," Allie said. "You're capable of greater things than you can imagine," Claire replied, putting her hands on Allie's shoulders, holding her steady as she said, "you're the goddamned Astounding Allie, after all. Look at how far you've come. When you set your mind to something, you can accomplish that. That's where we're alike." That threw Allie off. She looked up into Claire's eyes and thought about what Agent Siskel had said to her. She didn't want to be alike to someone like Claire. She wasn't a murderer. She wasn't a cult leader. She wasn't anything like Claire. Except...she was. She just couldn't accept it, and denial was easier. Allie tightened her grip on the handle of the pistol, Claire completely unaware it was even in her jacket, and Allie felt her index finger come around the front of the trigger as she slowly raised it up so the barrel aligned with Claire's gut. It would be so easy. It would be so quick. It would incapacitate her, catch her completely off guard...but...but Claire had helped her so much. She could probably help her more. This woman, however, this Kristin or whatever her name actually was...she was a loose end. A thread that if tugged at even ever so gently would unspool and entire web of lies that would all lead back to Allie. "Take care of this Allie," Claire said, "be the magician that you are, and make her disappear." Allie gritted her teeth as Claire walked back towards the chair that held Kristin. Allie couldn't take it anymore. Everything that had happened in the past year, everything that had come as a direct result of killing Sunny...it had all led to this, and this pressure was eating her away inside. She could do the right thing. She could kill Claire Driscoll, kill a serial killer, and be hailed a hero. She could go with Kristin to her boss, to the governor, and take him down with the agents from the inside. She could make this take an entirely different turn. All she had to do was pull the trigger. Gun Claire down in the back right now. Allie felt her eyes well up with tears, and she pulled the pistol slowly from her coat pocket, then aimed. Two different women, two vastly different paths, all she had to do was make a choice. "Hey," Allie said. And then she fired.
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Allie Meers had believed that these agents were after her for something very specific, so to be told it was something entirely different? That kind of messed with her. She clicked her nails nervously on the table as Agent Tropper went to refill all of their coffee mugs, leaving just Allie and Agent Siskel alone in the room. Allie finally looked back up and caught Siskel's eyes, who just smiled politely at her.
"I don't get it," Allie said, "I...I really don't. I killed someone. I stole their corpse, fed it to a tiger and then accidentally nearly fatally injured another person as a result of that decision. And you're telling me all of that is...is not what I'm being held for?" "I won't lie, at first it was," Siskel said, "when we first started looking into it, we thought we were just looking at a simple murder. But we met with Sunny's sister and she...well, let's just say she was less pleased with her fathers actions than we'd assumed she would be. As it turns out, she's the one he put in charge of all the financial aspects of his time in office, which includes paper trails leading directly back to Tony and other casino owners. All of them have been funding his campaign, in exchange for tax dodges on their property, their earnings, etc. Once we realized what we actually had, the death of Sunny became less of a crime and more of an open invitation to uncover a bigger crime. That isn't to say you wouldn't be held responsible for your actions, but we are willing to cut a deal in exchange for your assistance in taking Tony and, in effect, the governor down as well." "This is...insane," Allie said as Tropper handed her back her mug. "Tell me about it," he mumbled, seating himself once again and taking a long drink. "I just...I don't understand. Why are you assuming I'd be able to help?" Allie asked, cupping her mug between her hands and leaning back in her chair. "Because we know of your relationship with Tony. We know how close the two of you are. It's no secret. It's a pretty open industry acknowledgement. This is why you're the perfect candidate to help, because he trusts you, and it'd be easy for you to gain access to things others wouldn't be able to," Tropper said. "Basically, Allie, in exchange for the expunging of your crimes, you'll help us get to the bottom of this massive financial crime," Siskel said, "and please say yes, because we went through absolute hell to get you here. I was starting to think that we'd just never meet and get the chance to talk. Hence why we, well, kidnapped you." Allie nodded, taking a long sip and thinking. Tony was a tax cheat? Unsurprising. He seemed the type. But to help fund the governors campaign elections and other goals? That part she had trouble believing. Tony didn't seem like a criminal really. Not this kind of criminal anyway. And could she really betray that trust that he'd instilled in her? "He's been kind of like a father to me," Allie whispered, looking into her mug, "he...he saw my potential, he gave me places to stay while I got successful, he gave me my own show at his casino, then moved me to his newer casino, he gave me an assistant, helped me get sober - in a manner of speaking - and so much more. I...I don't know if I could...I mean, I'd feel terrible if I had a hand in hurting him or his family. He IS family. Far more than my family ever was." Siskel nodded, sighing. She knew Allie and Tony had a close relationship, but she also knew Allie was desperate to be free of all this drama. "...I don't really care what happens to me," Allie said, "but what I DO want is total exonoration of everyone else involved, specifically Molly Hatchet and Zoe Fitch. They don't deserve to be held accountable for my actions. If you want to go easy on me too, that'd be nice, but I'd gladly take jail time in order for them to walk free." Siskel and Tropper exchanged a look, and then, after looking back at Allie, both nodded. "Fine," Siskel said, "your friends won't be charged with anything. We'll still cut you a break, but you're going to have to take some kind of sentence, despite your helping us. That sounds fair." "Fine then," Allie said, sitting up straight now, feeling more confident, "especially Molly, because unlike Zoe, she was completely unaware of what was going on until semi recently. She was just an architect Tony hired to help build the new casino and the vault, so she-" "Wait wait, vault?" Tropper asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah," Allie said, "he's having her build a vault underneath the second casino that only he can access. But we're building a backdoor entrance into it. I...I figured you guys knew that." "...why would he need a vault?" Siskel asked, confused. "Your guess is as good as mine, lady," Allie remarked, "but honestly, my best guess if your info is good, he probably is trying to hide his assets in it. Can't keep it in the bank. That's too obvious. Too easy to monitor. Otherwise I have no idea. I'm surprised you guys didn't know that already." Siskel sighed and ran her hands down over her face, feeling annoyed. After all this time, all this effort, there was still somehow information she wasn't privvy to, and that bothered her. Made her feel like she wasn't as good an agent as she had thought she was. Tropper cleared his throat and leaned forward. "You say you're building a backdoor?" he asked. "Yes," Allie said, "but it's tricky. It needs to not be noticeable by Tony or anyone else, yet accessible by those who know how to get to it. Molly's been spending weeks on this at this point, and we still haven't really cracked it. We started looking at a street magician named Jackson Strange for inspiration because of his plastic box trick." "Plastic box trick?" Tropper asked. "He's an illusionist," Siskel said, surprising both Tropper and Allie with her knowledge of this as she added, "he does his stuff generally in public areas, hence the street magician title, and he has this thing where he uses a seemingly clear plastic box that he encases himself in, suspended from the air by a crane, and then escapes from. He's doing it soon." "Exactly," Allie said, pointing at her, "and we were going to see him do it, try and figure out how he gets out of something that everyone can see through. Because that's the kind of trickery we need to access this vault. Something that can't really be seen by the human eye, or those at least mostly unaware." Siskel nodded. Allie was...much smarter than she'd given her credit for initially, and she felt bad about that. For so long, she just figured those around her were so adept at helping her or that she was so stupidly lucky that that was how she'd managed to always stay ahead of them, but now she was seeing just how intelligent Allie Meers actually was. "So...what's the plan then?" Allie asked. "Well," Tropper started, "now that we have information about this vault, that helps tremendously. We could easily help you figure out what you need to in order to get in and out without being noticed or suspected." "I just feel so guilty," Allie said, looking at her hands on the table, "Tony's been so good to me for so long, and I...I just feel like I'm a traitor." "You're not a traitor," Siskel said, "hell, the fact that you put your friends freedom ahead of your own proves that. And honestly, it isn't even Tony we really want. It's just that he's the biggest benefactor to the governor, and if anyone's going to get cracks to appear between them and get us access to an arrest, it's him. That's all it comes down to. That isn't to say Tony, and the others, won't face charges, but as with you, he'll likely face lesser charges if he cooperates once involved." Allie nodded, understanding. She knew this was the way out. She knew that this was the only thing that would work, would be cooperating with these agents. Still...Tony had discovered her. Tony had seen her worth, value and talent. Tony had made her headliner at not one, but two different casinos now. Tony had been more of a parent than her actual parents wound up being, and here she was, about to turn tail and betray him? How could she live with that guilt. It would not only effectively end her career, but her relationship with Tony as well, because he'd know who had turned him in. He'd know it was Allie. Who else could it have been? Allie sighed and ran her hands down her face. "...I know this sounds cliche, but it really was sort of an accident," she whispered, "he was going to try and get my partner on what he was selling, and...and having been through that myself, having witnessed firsthand what it does to a person, even in spite of knowing Zoe's deterance to such vices...I don't know, I just...I felt protective. I couldn't let her fall the way I had. I had to do something. I had no way of knowing he was the governors son. We didn't know shit about eachother outside of what we did for work." "And Claire?" Agent Siskel asked, making Allie shake her head and exhale. "I don't even know where to start with that," she mumbled, "I guess I came to her for advice, cause...cause she'd gotten away with murder for so long. But the more time I spent around her, the more I became acutely aware of how similar we actually are, and that scared the hell out of me, honestly. She's...terrifying." "Claire had it arranged so her mortician friend took the body didn't she?" Agent Tropper asked, and Allie nodded; he jotted something down on the legal pad in front of him before picking up his coffee and taking a sip, then adding, "we already pretty much knew, but it's nice to have confirmation." "I don't think her friend is happy," Allie said, surprising them as she continued, "I think she's scared of her too, but she's so attached that she doesn't know how to walk away. And is that what I am to Zoe? Am I Claire? That's an awful thought. I don't want to control her, I wanted to help her." Agent Siskel was moved by this surprising display of empathy, and smiled. "You're not Claire, Allie, trust me," she said, "as someone who's spent an incredibly lengthy amount of time interacting with her, you two are alike, but you're not the same, and similarities don't automatically equal twins. The mere fact that you say you don't want to control Zoe, that alone proves my point. Claire...she doesn't care about who she controls. She doesn't care about what she does, at least not to others. We all serve a means to an end for her. You, Allie, are not Claire, I promise." Allie nodded, feeling a little better. She wiped her face on her jacket sleeve and exhaled again. "I just can't believe I let it get this bad," she said quietly, "it was never supposed to get this bad. But at the time Sunny died, I was...I was a joke. I was washed up. Addicted to painkillers, a complete alcoholic. The public...they would've crucified me, drug dealer or not, because my standing with them had already sunken to the all time low. So...it would've been an instant trial by fire. There would've been absolutely no explaining, no rationalizing, they would've been a mob out for blood, and only because the blood was someone they parasocially knew." Agent Tropper nodded, tapping his pen on the table. "That's part of the problem of being in the public eye, yeah, you're judged six ways to Sunday, even if you've done nothing, or even if your crimes aren't that terrible," he said, "Allie, help us help you. We can fix this thing together, okay?" "Fix it together? How? By kidnapping me? By having a woman befriend Molly for weeks, only to steal all her blueprints for the vault? You already have what you want, why do you-" "You keep...you keep mentioning this, this, uh...act of theft, these blueprints. We haven't recieved any blueprints," Agent Siskel said, "why...why do you keep bringing this up?" An uncomfortable silence filled the room, as a dawning horror came over Allie. "You...you guys...doesn't she work for you?" Allie asked, "The girl who stole them?" Agent Siskel and Agent Tropper exchanged a look and both shook their heads and shrugged. "...we never hired anyone, no," Agent Siskel said. "...then who the fuck does she work for?" Allie whispered, terrified. *** Kristin parked her car in the parking garage and sighed. She picked up the folders from the passenger seat, opened the drivers side door and climbed out of the car. She shut the door, locked it, and started walking across the garage, her flat heels clacking on the cement beneath her as she strolled through the empty abyss of concrete. She knew she was a little early, and that they would be tied up with their current meeting, but they would meet her soon enough. As she passed by another car, she saw a woman standing there in a sweater and jeans, trying to light a cigarette. She tossed her red hair from her face and sighed, exasperated. Kristin stopped and looked at her, smirking. "You need some help?" Kristin asked, "I always keep a pack of matches on me." "That would be fantastic, thank you," the woman said as Kristin pulled out the matches, lit one and then lit up the cigarette; the woman took a long drag, then smiled, "thanks Kristin." Kristin stared at her, her eyes widening, until she felt something sharp in her neck, and she stumbled back, as a hand wrapped around her from behind, covering her mouth to keep her from screaming. Claire continued smoking as Rachel waited for the seditive to take full effect, and once Kristin's body went limp, they laid her on the ground. Claire bent down and picked up the files, shifting through them haphazardly before rolling her eyes. Rachel looked from Kristin up to Claire, and Claire nodded. She bent down, grabbed Kristin's ankles while Rachel took her by the underarms and they carried her to a nearby car. "Christ," Claire said under her breath, "you want something cleaned up, you have to do it yourself." *** "You think she works for the governor?" Allie asked, slack jawed, "I...I mean...he would...how would he even..." "We don't know, but that's the only plausible answer, and if that's the case, and she's already given him those blueprints and he knows about the vault, then we've already failed," Agent Tropper said, scratching the back of his head, looking annoyed. "Not necessarily," Agent Siskel said, "if we could intercept her somehow before she does, then we might be able to salvage it." Allie's phone rang, and she pulled it from her pocket, looking at the number and not recognizing it. She looked at the agents, who nodded, giving her the allowance to answer, so she did. She raised the phone to her ear and spoke. "Hello?" she asked, "...Claire?...okay. Okay I'll be there as soon as I can." Allie hung up, slid the phone back into her coat pocket and looked at the agents. "I have to go you guys," she said, "...Claire found her. She's got her." "Allie," Agent Siskel said, "Whatever Claire tries to convince you of, remember what she did, remember who she is. Yes, this woman works for the governor, and yes we can't let him get access to these blueprints, but...just don't let her trick you into becoming like her. We'll give you a ride if she gave you an address." Allie stood up, and together the three of them headed out of the office and towards the car outside. Allie had no way of knowing it just then, but in just under an hour, she would walked into a building with Claire and Kristin... ...and only two of them would walk out. |
ABOUT
Allie Meers is what she dreamed of being since she was a little girl...a successful Vegas magician. The only problem now is she can't make all her problems disappear; Allie grapples with her strained relationship, crippling addictions and FBI agents on her tail, all while trying to stay at the top of her career. Archives
December 2023
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