Chapter 16

A cloud of smoke spiraled toward the cracked motel ceiling, caught in the lazy spin of a wobbling fan. Elijah puffed his cigarette, eyes on a vintage TV flickering with news of Diego's death. Packs of cigarettes littered the dingy carpet as he paced back and forth while Emily sat on the bed, arms crossed. A glimmer of afternoon light lit up tacky landscape paintings hung on the wall, off-center. The mounted skull of a buck hung over the bed.

Elijah pushed the blinds aside, his gaze sweeping the rain-slick parking lot. His eyes were fixated on the cars and the payphone outside the motel's reception office. The sky was painted with blotchy navy and gray clouds. Droplets of rain trickled down the parked vehicles as Ashley's cruiser pulled into the motel parking lot.

He watched Ashley and Bruce exited the police cruiser before unlocking the door. He glanced at Emily, her stoic confidence locking eyes with him, a faint twitch in her jaw giving her away. Elijah stepped backward as he heard a knock on the door just before Ashley and Bruce entered his room. 

"Please tell me you got a lead?" Elijah said, catching Ashley and Bruce's gaze after they glanced at Emily.

"Yeah, a couple eyewitnesses saw Rachel leaving with a girl named Sara hours before we entered," Ashley explained as she looked at the news broadcast on TV.

"Fuck," Emily said out loud as she shook her head. 

Elijah's gaze darted towards her. "Who is this, Sara?"

"A fucking headache," Emily replied as she rubbed her hands through her hair. "Besides, she hates my guts—just some stuck-up drama queen."

"So, no creepy shit about her?"

Emily chuckled. "Jeez, thanks, Eli. Please keep reminding me how I fit the typical creepy goth stereotype."

Bruce shrugged as he slurped on a milkshake. "We don't judge people for their weirdness in the P.I.A."

"We take kids from their parents because they're weird, Bruce." Ashley flatly said as she rolled her eyes.

Bruce shrugged. "Okay, I guess we do, but this job's benefits are amazing."

"That's because you're not a Binder or Conduit, Bruce. And are you not a tad bit worried that the drug cartel will ruin your retirement plan any second?"

Elijah shook his head. "That won't be happening. I'll call HQ when we get Rachel and request immediate evacuation."

"They're going to be pissed when we send our report," Ashley groaned. 

"They ain't going to help you out of this," Emily said stoically as everyone's eyes locked onto her. 

Elijah threw his hands up and leaned on the wall. "Oh, so now you predict other people's future?"

Emily sighed and rolled her eyes. "For the last time, I can't predict the future. I didn't know you would shoot Diego."

"Then what the fuck was that Emily? You told me I shot you in another timeline, then tell me Dezerea kills you in three days!"

Emily muttered under her breath, rubbing her nose like she could wipe away the tension. "Think of it this way: If I know I'm supposed to be killed by Dezerea, and you just shot her brother—"

"She's saying it was cause and effect," Bruce interjected as he finished his milkshake. "She didn't know it would happen but knows it's going to be the reason she dies."

Emily smiled and then nodded her head. "Exactly."

"So what's that have to do with the P.I.A. not letting us extract?" Ashley asked with a raised eyebrow.

Elijah's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the photos and documents on the wall. He put his cigarette out in the ashtray and then shook his head. "Ain't no freaking way," he muttered to himself as he headed towards the door. 

"What are you doing?" Ashley asked as he left the room. 

"Calling HQ," Elijah replied as he walked towards the payphone. He hesitated, glancing back, imagining Emily staring as he dialed.

A husky voice cut in as Elijah lit a cigarette, phone pressed to his ear. "Agent Echo, the Director, wishes to speak to you."

Eli sighed and gazed down at the pavement. When he was put on hold, elevator music played. 

A baritone voice ripped through the music. "Agent Echo, do you have any idea what we are dealing with back at HQ?"

"Director, what do you expect? Let him shoot me?"Elijah replied as he shook his head and leaned on the payphone. "Look, if you want to put me on janitorial duty for the rest of my life, fine. I just need an immediate evac. I got one conduit and about-"

"That won't be necessary. We already have an undercover agent on standby in the area. You will bring both conduits to the designated meeting point by midnight. Every second you're late will be another year stuck at Blue Rock. Do you understand, Agent?"

Elijah shook his head and flicked his cigarette. "Crystal clear, Director, " he replied as the phone call abruptly ended. 

He rubbed his scalp and neck as he walked back to the room. Melancholy seeped into his soul like water swirling down a drain. Eli reached for his cigarettes and groaned when he noticed he only had one left. 

"How bad was it?" Ashley asked, arms crossed as Elijah sulked into the room. 

"Outside of us being assigned to Blue Rock...fine, Elijah shrugged as he hesitated to light his cigarette.

"Damn, we are going to be shooting at hollows for the rest of our lives. So much for my retirement," Ashley sighed as her eyes drifted toward the ground. 

"That's a little harsh. What did they expect us to do!?" Bruce yelled with wide eyes. 

"It doesn't fucking matter; this came straight from the Director," Elijah replied as he lit his cigarette and leaned on the door. "Shit, been a wild goose chase from the get-go. They got an undercover agent on standby this whole fucking time."

"So that's why they refused to send backup," Ashley said as her eyebrows narrowed.

"Our orders are to grab Rachel Harper and meet the agent at the evac point by midnight."

"Don't do that," Emily harped in. 

"Will you shut the fuck up!?" Elijah shouted. "I much prefer Blue Rock than deal with this crazy shit again. I'd rather shoot Hollows in an Exclusion Zone than deal with two creepy teenagers."

Emily groaned and sighed. "You stubborn old man I am trying to fucking save you," she replied as she pulled a gloom pill out of her jean pocket. 

"Where the fuck did you get that? You know what, I don't fucking care. If you wanna end up being one of those Hollows I shoot in the head in the future, then fine, be my guest."

Emily swallowed the pill and pulled out her notebook. "Keep talking shit. It will only make what's coming hit harder. Now tell me something only you would know."

Elijah blinked slowly and shook his head. "Kid....you fucking need help."

Emily nodded. "I agree, but just humor me for a moment," she replied as her eyes flickered mulberry. I promise I will shut up after this," she said, her voice crackling like static. 

Bruce stepped back, and his eyes widened. "Ummm, that's not normal. Elijah, what did you say her Conduit power is?"

"She has visions of her death across the multiverse or some shit," Elijah replied as he puffed on his cigarette. 

"That's different," Ashley said with a raised eyebrow."But why did her voice sound like that?"

"₮Ⱨ₳₮₴ ฿Ɇ₵₳Ʉ₴Ɇ ł ₳₥ ₮ⱧɆ Ø₦Ɇ ₩ⱧØ ĐØɆ₴₦'₮ ĐłɆ ł₦ Ø₦Ɇ ₮ł₥ɆⱠł₦Ɇ," Emily interjected her eyes glowed a deep mulberry.

"ɎØɄ ₵₳₦ ₵₳ⱠⱠ ₥Ɇ Ɇ₥łⱠɎ ₱Ɽł₥Ɇ, ł₣ ɎØɄ ₦ɆɆĐ ₳ ₦₳₥Ɇ."

Dread began to creep up Eli's spine as he finished his cigarette. "Here we go again."

"ł ₦ɆɆĐ ɎØɄ ₳ⱠⱠ ₮Ø ₮ɆⱠⱠ ₥Ɇ ₴Ø₥Ɇ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ₳฿ØɄ₮ ɎØɄⱤ₴ɆⱠVɆ₴. ₴Ø₥Ɇ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ₱ɆⱤ₴Ø₦₳Ⱡ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₦Ø ₴₮Ɽ₳₦₲ɆⱤ ₴ⱧØɄⱠĐ ₭₦Ø₩."

"I ain't telling you shit, you creepy as girl. We're grabbing Rache-"

"₩łⱠⱠ ɎØɄ JɄ₴₮ Ⱡł₴₮Ɇ₦ ₮Ø ₥Ɇ ɎØɄ ØⱠĐ ₣ØØⱠ!" Emily shouted then all the electronics in the room crackled with static. "Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ ₵ØɄⱠĐ ₣Ʉ₵₭ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ₮ł₥Ɇ ₩ⱧɆ₦ ₩Ɇ ₲Ɇ₮ ⱧɆⱤ. ł ₦ɆɆĐ ₴Ø₥Ɇ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ł₥₱ØⱤ₮₳₦₮ ₳฿ØɄ₮ ɎØɄⱤ₴ɆⱠ₣ ₴Ø ł ₵₳₦ ₱ⱤØVɆ ₮ł₥Ɇ ฿ɆɆ₦ ₣Ʉ₵₭ɆĐ ₩ł₮Ⱨ!"

"Time....she can fuck with time!" Bruce yelled with wide eyes.

"Do we have anything like that at HQ?" Ashley asked with raised eyebrows.

Bruce shook his head. "Not that I am aware of. That would meet Omega level standards, though."

"ł₣ ɎØɄ ₩₳₦₮ɆĐ ₮Ø ₱ⱤØVɆ ₮Ø ɎØɄⱤ₴ɆⱠ₣ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₮ł₥Ɇ Ⱨ₳₴ ฿ɆɆ₦ ₳Ⱡ₮ɆⱤɆĐ ØⱤ ⱤɆ₩ØɄ₦Đ, ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₩ØɄⱠĐ ɎØɄ ₴₳Ɏ ₮Ø ɎØɄⱤ₴ɆⱠ₣? ł ₳₥ ฿Ɇł₦₲ ₴ɆⱤłØɄ₴ ⱧɆⱤɆ, ₦Ø Ɇ₥łⱠɎ ł₴ ₳ ₵ⱤɆɆ₱Ɏ ₣Ʉ₵₭ł₦₲ ₭łĐ ₴Ⱨł₮ ɆⱠł,"Emily interjected as she stared at everyone with a stoic expression. 

Silence lingered in the air as Emily's gaze drifted around the room. Static crackled on the television as the clock on the wall ticked forward. The smell of smoke and fabric softener lingered in the air. 

"I wouldn't want to know," Ashley said as she crossed her arms. "But I see why, in our case, that would be important."

"Wait, are you saying you will remember?" Bruce asked.

"ł ₩łⱠⱠ ฿Ʉ₮ Ɇ₥łⱠɎ... ł₮'₴ ₵Ø₥₱Ⱡł₵₳₮ɆĐ. ฿₳₴ł₵₳ⱠⱠɎ, ł ₩łⱠⱠ ⱠɆ₮ Ɇ₥łⱠɎ ₭₦Ø₩ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ɆVɆⱤ ɎØɄ ₮ɆⱠⱠ ₥Ɇ ₮ⱧɆ₦ ₴ⱧɆ ₩łⱠⱠ ₭₦Ø₩. ₲Ɇ₮ ł₮?" Her eyes flickered green. "ĐØ₦₮ Ⱨ₳VɆ ₥Ʉ₵Ⱨ ₮ł₥Ɇ, JɄ₴₮ ₴₱ł₮ ₴Ø₥Ɇ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ØɄ₮."

"Me and Eli fucked once on another assignment in Colorado," Ashley flatly said. 

Elijah rubbed his forehead and shook his head. "You can't be buying into this shit Ash."

Bruce coughed as he dropped his milkshake. "Uhhhh...okay, I did not expect that."

"Shut the fuck u,p Bruce. It was a one-night stand, shit happens," Elijah groaned. 

"But Ash, I thought you were engaged?"

"Yeah...I am," Ashley replied as she crossed her arms. 

"₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩₳₴ ₳ ₲ØØĐ Ø₦Ɇ. ₳₦Đ ɆⱠł ɎØɄ ĐØ₲!"

Elijah didn't respond as he stared out the window, a frown forming on his face."

"Tiffany, my only girlfriend, left me for some guy in the Army," Bruce said. 

Emily nodded, and Ashley sighed, rubbing her arm as she sat in the chair near the door. 

"ɆⱠł?"Emily said as her head turned towards him. "₥Ɽ. ₴ØɄⱤ₱Ʉ₴₴, ł ₳₥ ₩₳ł₮ł₦₲."

Elijah sighed but refused to turn towards Emily. "I became a Conduit when I was fourteen. When I told my mother I saw stuff, she dismissed it and beat me."

"₦Ø₮ ₲ØØĐ Ɇ₦ØɄ₲Ⱨ ₴ØɄⱤ₱Ʉ₴₴. ₣ł₦ł₴Ⱨ ₮ⱧɆ ₮ⱧØɄ₲Ⱨ₮." 

"She eventually started bringing exorcists, saying I was possessed by a demon. I was recruited by the P.I.A. at sixteen when they visited my school in Louisiana."

"JɄ₴₮ Ⱡł₭Ɇ Ɇ₮ⱧɆⱤ ₮Ɇ₴₮₴ ₳₮ ØɄⱤ ₴₵ⱧØØⱠ?"

Elijah nodded. 

"Fuck...that's, wow," Bruce muttered.

"And that's why we take Conduits and Binders out of the general public, amongst other reasons," Ashley said. "Thankfully, Binders can go their whole lives without knowing they are one or binding to an anomaly."

"Happy for you," Elijah grumbled. 

"I didn't mean-"

Elijah shook his head. "It's fine. Are we done here?"

Emily nodded, her eyes flickered mulberry before shifting back to green. 

"Good, let's get Rachel and be done with this, hopefully."

"You sure we can take- a."

"No, I don't fucking want to be here any longer than I need to be," Elijah interjected as he opened the door and headed toward the police cruiser.