Chapter 14

"This girl," Elijah muttered as he watched Emily knock on Rachel's front door.

The scent of rain mixed with tobacco lingered in his cruiser. He gazed down at the passenger seat where Emily's notebook lay, tempting Elijah to open it. Elijah glanced at Emily as she knocked on the door again. She gazed back at him just as he reached for the notebook. She looked down and then crossed her arms. Elijah's injured arm started to itch as if it were punishment for attempting to read a teenager's diary without permission. He lit a cigarette seconds later, just as Rachel's mom opened the door.

His mind wandered as he tried to read their lips. A daydream manifested as a memory from a previous assignment. It clawed back into his mind despite being buried away, though the memory felt alien somehow. There was an echo of a gunshot and a flash of blood as a girl dropped lifeless, surrounded by Gloom pills. A sudden burst of guilt swept over him as the memory faded back into the abyss. He flicked his cigarette out the car window, then gazed at the oil-infused water dripping into the sewage system.

Elijah sighed, grabbed his radio, and watched Emily on the front porch.

"Status Update."

"No signs of Rachel at Emily's house," Bruce responded after a brief delay.

Elijah shook his head as he watched Emily walk back to the cruiser. She shrugged at him and sighed, and then Rachel's mom slammed the front door.

"Ashley, any luck on your end?"

"She has a Pink Miata, right?" Ashley replied.

"That's the one," Elijah confirmed over the radio as Emily entered the car.

Emily shook her head and sighed. "Yeah, that didn't go well."

Elijah chuckled. "You pulled the fire alarm and delayed the reactor being opened. Congrats, you pissed off half of Corwood."

"Eh, whatever. Not like I'm not a social outcast as it is."

Elijah shook his head and laughed as he got back on his radio.

"Got confirmation on her vehicle at Mel's Diner, but no sign of Rachel," Ashley said.

Elijah glanced over at Emily, then started the police cruiser. "We're heading right over."

"We?"

Emily grabbed the radio from Elijah's hand. "Hey, umm, I'm Agent Emily. You know, the girl who set off the fire alarm. We'll be working—"

Elijah grabbed the radio from Emily. "I'll fill you in when we get there."

"Thanks, killjoy," Emily said as she glared at him.

Elijah rolled his eyes. "Shut up and buckle up," he replied as he turned at an intersection.

"Why are you in a pissy mood?" Emily asked, glancing at the seatbelt and chuckling. "I'm the one who became a pariah, not you."

Elijah didn't respond as he put a cigarette to his lips.

"Helllloooooo!"

"For fuck's sake, what!?"

Emily flinched, then stared at him and smiled. "You need to get high."

Elijah's stoic expression slowly drifted into a frown. "I need a new damn job."

Emily chuckled. "Don't be like that. You've got a chance to be the hero."

He lit his cigarette. "Lucky me," he grumbled as he drove.

"You're trapped, right?"

Elijah rolled his eyes. "What are you going on about now?"

"You said the aptitude test is a way for the P.I.A. to flush out people like us, right?" Emily asked as she started jotting something down in her notebook.

Elijah glanced over.

"No peeking," Emily said flatly, her eyes still locked on her notebook.

"Yeah, what about it?" Elijah grumbled as Emily met his gaze.

"What would you be doing if you had a choice in your occupation?" Emily asked as she closed her notebook and slipped it into her hoodie.

"Hard to say. Been with the P.I.A. since I was your age," Elijah replied as he stubbed out his cigarette. "Why are you asking? Does this have to do with you thinking you're dreaming of other realities?"

"Don't believe me? Oh, that reminds me. What did you and my other self talk about?"

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Emily Prime. That's how she refers to herself."

"You're creepy as hell, kid," Elijah replied as he lit another cigarette. "You're awfully calm for a person who thinks they'll die in three days."

Emily shrugged. "I got kinda numb to the whole death thing after seeing it a million times. I think I'm just a part of Emily's cosmic web."

"Did she tell you how I killed you?"

"No, I saw that before she ever came along."

"How did—"

"You really wanna know?"

Elijah shrugged. "Can't hurt to know."

Emily paused. "It definitely can."

"Enough with your cryptic shit. Just tell me."

Emily raised her hands. "Fine, you shot me. It was an accident, though," she explained as she rubbed her arm and gazed out the window. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Elijah frowned, his eyebrows lowering. He tried to pull out a lingering thought or memory drifting in his mind, but it fizzled like a match, denying him a more profound recollection.

"Well?" Emily asked.

Elijah shrugged. "Don't have anything to say about it."

Emily smirked. "You had déjà vu earlier, didn't you?"

Elijah slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched before the car came to an abrupt halt. "Kid, let's get this straight. I'm working with you and entertaining this multiversal bullshit because you're the best shot at getting me out of this town as soon as possible," he said flatly, turning toward Emily.

"I don't fucking care about all this extra shit, and I'm not a hero. I want you and this Rachel Harper out of my hair."

Emily didn't reply. She blinked slowly, a frown forming on her face.

"Find yourself another agent who likes being around kids," Elijah muttered as he started driving again.

"You don't have a choice," Emily muttered, crossing her arms and staring out the passenger window.

Elijah rolled his eyes and shook his head but kept his mouth shut. Minutes later, he pulled into Mel's Diner, his glare fixed on the parked Pink Miata. His eyebrows furrowed as he read the license plate. Eli parked the cruiser next to Ashley and Bruce, who waved at him from a booth inside the diner.

"Stay here," Elijah ordered Emily as he took the keys and exited the vehicle.

Emily didn't reply, staring at Rachel's car.

Elijah entered the diner, his sharp eyes scanning the customers, who avoided his gaze.

"Ummm, why are you driving around that girl?" Bruce asked, pointing at Emily before pouring syrup on his stack of pancakes.

"Long story, but she's our best shot at locating Rachel Harper," Elijah explained as he sat beside Ashley. His eyes drifted toward a frowning Emily outside.

"Well, at least we only have one conduit to worry about," Ashley said as she sipped her coffee.

"Well, spill the beans. What is she?" Bruce asked with a mouthful of food.

"She ain't an Omega-tier conduit. Hold up," Elijah replied, noticing the faint glow of ether residue on the table beneath Bruce's plate.

"You see something?"

"Someone had some Gloom here recently," Elijah said.

"So Rachel's doing Gloom?" Ashley asked.

Elijah shook his head. "I can't say if it was her, but her car's here, and she isn't," he explained as he looked up to see a black SUV pull up. His eyebrows narrowed as Diego stepped out.

"I fucking hate this town," Elijah muttered, glancing at Emily. Her unblinking eyes tracked Diego's approach to the diner.

Diego paused and glanced at Emily before entering, locking eyes with Elijah as he approached the booth.

"Qué coincidencia. I've been meaning to have a word with you, Elijah," Diego said, forcing himself into the booth next to Bruce. He glanced at Elijah's arm and chuckled. "Ran into some trouble, Agent?"

"If this is about the aptitude test, I didn't have a student pulling the fire alarm on my bingo card," Elijah said flatly.

Diego chuckled and glanced at Emily, who shot him a death stare. "That her?"

"Confidential information, Diego."

Diego pulled a cigar from his shirt pocket. "Por supuesto, es confidencial. Someone's costing me and these good citizens of Corwood money."

"We'll be doing another test in the morning. It's not a big deal," Ashley retorted.

"See to that. These people have been out of work for a long time," Diego said as he lit his cigar.

"Says the guy who's smuggling Gloom," Ashley replied, rolling her eyes.

Diego puffed on his cigar. "You don't want to piss me off. And what of it if I was smuggling? Drugs are everywhere, and when people don't have a way to make a living, they resort to selling drugs. I say whoever's smuggling gave this town a lifeline until the P.I.A. get their shit together and do their jobs."

Elijah groaned. "Diego, we both know you're just your sister's bitch."

Diego slammed his hands on the table and stood, his hand reaching for his pistol. "Qué coño dices?"

Elijah instinctively reached for his gun as he saw Diego move for his weapon. He aimed his Desert Eagle at Diego. His mind went blank as he pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The scent of gunpowder mixed with blueberry maple syrup hit Elijah's nostrils. His ears rang with customer screams as plates shattered on the floor. Blood trickled onto the table as Diego's body dropped to the checkered floor, pooling around his skull. Elijah stared at the hole in Diego's head with wide eyes. The cold steel in his hand trembled while he gripped his sidearm and tucked it back into its holster.

Elijah wiped the blood from his face, glancing at Ashley and Bruce, who stared at Diego's body wild-eyed. He then looked at Emily, who met his gaze with the same stoic, unblinking stare.

"The fuck, Elijah, he was about to shoot you!" Bruce yelled, pulling out his radio to call the police. "Headquarters is not going to like our report."

"Dezerea is going to be so fucking pissed when she learns about this," Ashley said, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She stepped out of the booth to calm and escort the customers out of the diner.

Elijah's eyes widened as he reached for the cigarettes in his coat pocket. As he stared blankly around the diner, his mind recalled his conversation with Emily at her house. His eyebrows narrowed, and his mouth hung slightly open. He turned his head toward Emily, who met his gaze with a knowing grin etched on her face.