Fixing the broken man

And all the king's horses, and all the king's men, tried to put him back together again...

I decided attempting to appreciate the scenery when we were going at high speed was a bad idea.

I kept my eyes shut, body curled as small as possible against Zach.

I could feel the wind fly by us, the sound of cars honking all around us. I cracked open an eye, staring at the scenery blurring past us. Inching my head up, I glance carefully around.

The buildings seem to lessen and lessen, and I realize that we're almost in the outskirts of the city. Confusion settles in because I remember the Larkson company being in the middle of Jersey City.

"Wait, where are we going?" I ask, straightening up.

"To his house."

"But that's not what was discussed, I mean, I don't even know where he lives."

"Just trust me, okay?" he asked, stopping his bike at an open field.

I quickly let go of him, taking the helmet off. "Oh, yeah, trust the guy that broke into your house." I muttered.

Looking up at him, I watched his lip twitch, as if fighting off a smile. I was a bit confused, since I did say that almost as quietly a possible.

"So...where's his house at?" I asked, glancing around. The field was blockaded away from the city, trees surrounding the area.

I got the sense that maybe, just maybe, I was going to be murdered.

Zach walked on over to the open space, placing his hand out. A shift of movement, and a laser appeared, scanning him.

"Welcome, Zachary." a feminine robotic voice called out, a shining appearing in front of him.

I watched as the sudden change in the spot in front of him, a building appearing. It was sleek, made of black metal, windows glaring at where the sun hit it at. Wide-eyed, I watched as the doors slid opened, the chrome coloring shining brightly.

"So, this building is here all the time? Just...invisible?" I asked, as he took a step inside.

"Yeah, for the safety of him and his girlfriend." He replied, motioning me forward.

"He really took precautionary steps to the max. What happens if someone shoots this spot?"

"He has fields structured underneath the entire area that gives off an electromagnetic pulse to block off any kind of attacks." He replied.

I took the place next to him, stunned into silence.

Lights flicked on, showing a hallway that extended outward. If Asher's was a castle, David's was what I thought the future would look like. Wires ran along the walls and sides of the doorways, connecting to a big machine in the center of what looked like the living room. Sound whirring noises could be heard, and I watched as a projection was being played from the machine. Cold air drafted around us, and I wiped the palms of my hands on the side of my jeans, nerves going a bit jittery.

Remembering that I gave Rowan the wrong location, I turned to Zach.

"I need Rowan for this. She's waiting out in the office area in the middle of Jersey City." I said, stopping next to what looked like a sculpture of a woman.

"Is she really needed though? I mean, I'm here, maybe I can help."

I stared at him, eyes locked on his. "You broke into her home, almost kidnapped me, took me to the middle of nowhere...I need Rowan. Now."

His face went red, and the robotic voice came on. "Ms. Maxwell, I do apologize for Zach's behavior. We've located the coordinates for a Miss Rowan Elise Daniels Rue, and have sent a driver to her location. She will be with you momentarily." the voice responded.

"Sometimes Quinn is such a blessing." another voice said, startling me a bit.

That's when I saw her; tall, graceful, wearing a ruffled blue button up, with black slacks, and shining black flats. Emilia stood at the bottom of the stairs, a smile on her face.

"Welcome Laney. Thank you so much for coming in to help." she went on, walking towards us, her hand extended.

"Well, it was kind of forced, since you have almost all of Jersey City looking for me, and this one," I jabbed a finger in Zach's direction, "broke into my friend's house and dragged me out here."

Emilia stared at Zach in disbelief. "Your job was to convince her here, not kidnap her."

"I'm sorry, but David really needs help and-"

"Zach, don't ever do that again though. You broke into someone's home! She could've called the police on you."

"But she didn't."

"But I could have." I interrupted, eyes flicking from Emilia then to Zach.

Zach at that point has decide to keep his mouth shut.

"Please Laney, sit down, and I'm so sorry about the lengths Zach went through." A muttered apology is heard from him.

I take a seat on the white couch, marveling at the plush beige carpeting. "It's okay, so, what's going on? How can I help?"

"David recently went public to the media about the vigilante that he is. And because of that he's gone through some things that would break a sane person's mind." she stopped for a moment, hands clenching the fabric of her slacks. "He's gone days without sleep, eating and drinking. Right now, he's locked away in his lab, tinkering with something else that will protect us."

"Has he ever mentioned from what though? Like what kind of trauma did he go through as a child?" I asked, leaning forward.

"He had a difficult childhood. His parents were supportive of him from the very beginning but his Dad was strict and very focused. He is the reason why this company flourished. And it doesn't help that when David was fourteen, he found out those weren't even his parents. He was adopted. I could tell you so much more that he went through, this isn't even half of it"

Everything new that I learned gave me whiplash almost, and goosebumps. No wonder this man was basically on the edge; he had gone through hell and back.

I chewed on my bottom lip, lost in thought.

"Does he take any medication?" I asked.

"He doesn't even take his sleeping meds; he has night terrors."

I nodded. "So from what I was able to gather, David suffers from PTSD, anxiety, and possible depression. I might be able to help him, but I need my friend for this. She's the only one I really trust doing this."

"Yes, of course. Do you need anything else?"

At that moment, my stomach grumbled. Remembering that I only had a piece of toast for breakfast, I smiled sheepishly.

"I'm not opposed to lunch."

She smiled, directing for Quinn to make a placement in food.

Maybe having this type of lifestyle wasn't so bad after all.